#I originally bought the new outfit for Adrian

[australiansquid]

"Th' open collar goes against th' point o' wearin' cold weather gear doesn't it?"

"Oh but you'll keep me plenty warm, won't you dearheart?"

[gfitzwillsebastianz3rd]

This is my OC Ash Lee Davenport back for Bloodbound Book 2, made with assets from Sims 4 Custom Content creator @mnvlz, as I used their Top surgery scars.

Since there's another six months between the first book at the second, I think Ash would have relented and allowed Adrian to help him afford Double incision top surgery.

Then this three-piece suit from America's Most Eligible matches close enough to the blue suit that the female MC wears in the boardroom, though there are no pink accents. I was going to colour-match the handkerchief to pink, but the smaller an item is, the harder it is to recolour and edit in Photoshop.

The kidnapping scene in book two is more straightforward to colour a suit for, as MC just wears a red satin dress labelled Scarlet Stunner. For that, I just used the maroon suit from Nightbound and recoloured it in Photoshop.

I have to say, I love putting Mr Davenport in blue clothing for regular mortal things and red for vampire-related events.

I find that more books that have darker tones have a red premium outfit option, so it fits well.

I seem to like editing these, so here's the Gold Rush outfit, edited from America's Most Eligible, with a glittery black texture from Adobe stock. I also debated using the white tux, but it's not glitzy enough for Vegas.

I seem to like editing these, so here's the Gold Rush outfit, edited from America's Most Eligible, with a glittery black texture from Adobe stock. I also debated using the white tux, but it's not glitzy enough for Vegas.

I think it was my hardest to edit so far, though. There's only so much I can trace floral patterns in Photoshop before I get cross with how fiddly it is.

It's why the floral part of the left cuff is missing. It didn't even look right when I mirrored it, So it's asymmetrical instead.

For the next Chapter, I had the idea that since Cal wolfed out, Ash would give him his jacket since his shirt is ripped beyond covering him.

It's rare to see the MC's in Bloodbound in anything that doesn't have a Blazer since it's an Executive romance book, but to achieve this, I took the black shirt from Foreign Affairs and copied the gold leaf pattern onto the belt, as well as making sure I copied the gold buttons onto the shirt.

For the Tribunal about Gaius, Ash and Adrian had a serious revelation about their relationship, so I recoloured the Waistcoat to be like Adrian's because He claimed Ash was his boyfriend out loud during a fight (He's not realised the implications yet...)

But I thought it would be nice to make it look like Ash borrowed one of his, no doubt, many black waistcoats.

It's the same suit as the one from AME, but the watch that resembles the one Adrian describes to Kamilah, that he bought in the 1920's is from Foreign Affairs.

The next outfit is almost cheating, but it raises an important thing for me.

What if we could add Hats, like we could hair and other things like Watches or different trousers/boxers for the MC in Wardrobe?

Since we have another encounter in the 1920's-themed Shrike (whether you chose to let the Prisoners go so they could set it on fire or not), I couldn't help but add the trilby to Ash's already Adrian-centric outfit.

So, For this next chapter, there's a bowling scene, and there are not enough clothes in book 2 for me, so I made a bowling shirt from the polo and chinos in AME.

Choices need to make more variants of light-coloured clothing; they're all really dark and hard to recolour...

The next chapter to have a new outfit is the Paris chapter, but it was super hard finding a light-coloured shirt. The one I used was from Foreign Affairs.

By this point, Ash has been running all around fighting against Prejudice from Vampire hate, homophobia and transphobia, so he's tired. He's also discovered many a secret about himself being a Bloodkeeper, and one other I won't spoil for now 😉.

His outfit for the Vampire crypts is much more relaxed and informal, originally from AME.

I didn't edit this one, as I love it as it is. The starry-looking hoodie matches the narrative of Adrian and Ash travelling around the Paris night scene under the stars.

For Serafine's club, Ash is just wearing a simple black shirt from Foreign Affairs to emulate the strappy dress and choker that the MC wears, but also Adrian's brand pendant, with the cord from the Flamingo shorts and the striped shirt with a crystal necklace.

I just used the cord to add to the pendant and made the shirt wider for Ash's physique change, but it's not edited any more than that.

The next one is seriously fun, though I'm sure Adrian would baulk if Ash wore this outside of Victoriana vampire balls. It's so... cliché!

It's from the romance vampire novel Immortal Desires. Some of the clothing for the more Vampire-themed stuff is pretty useful for this, even if it's a highschool themed book.

Ash only wore it for Dracula's party, and I guess you'd be inconvenienced by the cape, so It's not an outfit we'll see him in until the Solstice ball, at least.

For this next outfit, I actually took the shirt from Foreign Affairs and then warped the Puffer jacket from the Bloodbound Female MC Outdoorsy outfit to make something that I'm sure Ash would wear to be touristy.

His expression is worried because the Island of Midieya also has The massive Order base on it, but also because Prague was another layer of stress on top of New York under siege. His Cousin Parker is still in New York, after all...

For the next couple of Chapters, it's hard to know which of the outfits Ash Lee would have packed in his suitcase as they rushed around the world on their crusade.

In fact, this was the hardest outfit to put him in for the story, as a mixed trans guy doesn't really fit with the whole white-knight-against-the-Darkness stuff that reminds me of the Knights Templar but has a Neo-Nazi flavour to it. The original later chapters it's based on have little representation for each of the Order soldiers unless you look at the sprite files, and even then, there's hardly any that look anyone like him.

It's clear this is terrible for Ash to have to do, and he's terrified to wear it for the mission.

For the evening following the counter-raid to the Order, Ash would be- as I would be grateful to change clothes, and I was getting tired of writing him in the same outfits I've already edited him in, so we have a new one!

They're still in Greece, but Ash is feeling the breezeless evening, so there's this gradient T-shirt combo from It Lives in the Woods/It Lives Beneath.

I removed the bead necklace, as Ash doesn't usually wear much jewelry except for the Brand pendant that Adrian gave him, and it seems a bit too young for him since the books are teenager based and he's twenty-six.

Because when they return to New York, all they have is what's in the suitcases, I put Ash in his hoodie from Paris but edited the black hood that goes with the hoodie in It Lives Beneath to be Grey Marl so Ash could have it up as protection from the dust and light debris.

For the Abandoned Mall fight chapter, the original MC outfit is denim and lace. I just swapped it for an outfit from Ride or Die, which also appears in America's Most Eligible. The double denim and chains combo.

(Peep the engagement ring from Adrian on his left hand. I edited it from the ring box in the Bloodbound Solstice files but changed it to a silver band in Photoshop by removing the original ring and adding a styled filter in Photoshop, so it looked painted like the other assets.)

[lilwenney]

looking for affection in all the wrong places (ii)

pairing: will x female!reader warning(s): alcohol, swearing, general banter, kissin’ boys, oh and stephen tries is drunk word count: 4k  a/n: part two of five, part one can be found here / things!! get!! interesting!! so we have finally began the rising action part of the story and things get a bit heated in more ways than one ;) this was one of my favorite parts of the entire story for the longest time. anyways i hope you guys enjoy x 

London, England December 2019

“I don’t know what I’m gonna wear!” 

“A dress! A skirt! Those denim shorts you bought last week-”

“It’s December, Cleo,” 

“And you were the one who bought them in December!” She called out with an eye roll. “And you know, a hoe never gets cold,” Cleo said, mimicking the video that plagued the girls’ group-chat every Friday night from October until May. 

(Y/N) groaned at the infamous quote and pulled out the first article of clothing she spotted on her wardrobe rack - a black bodysuit, bought months ago while lounging on her sofa with a hangover, but that didn’t stop her from planning her next party outfit. It came in handy during the times she had no idea what to wear, just like this night. 

Sliding on the black bodysuit and into a pair of denim jeans, she looked at herself in the mirror, spinning around, looking over her shoulder, posing, trying to catch herself from all angles to deem it worthy. 

“Have you seen my- oh, you look hot,” Cleo cut her own self off when she barged into (Y/N)’s room, welding a tube of mascara in one hand and an eyelash curler in the other. Panic written across her face as their eyes met. “Have you seen my mascara primer?” 

She nodded and pointed to the vanity across the room. “Had to borrow it. It should be with mine.” She said and Cleo slid over, searching through the makeup bags on the counter.

“Ah, found it,” Cleo said before looking back at her best friend who was posing in the mirror while tugging the shoulder-less top down to reveal more of her chest. She rolled her eyes. “If that top gets any lower for Adrian tonight-” 

“Oh shut it. I’m not wearing it for him.” 

“Who’s it for then?” 

“For myself, thank you,” she said, turning and grabbing a tube of lipstick off the small table, applying the finishing coat. “It’s my first night out since we split and I plan on looking good for no one else other than myself. So,” she paused, raising a brow, “hurry up so we can go.” 

“You can't rush mascara or perfection, love,” Cleo groaned before swiftly leaving the bedroom to her own.

The girls met in the living room fifteen minutes later, five minutes after they originally planned to leave. After sliding into heels, throwing lipstick, their own drinks, and IDs into their bags, they left their flat, whisking down to catch the Uber that had been waiting for them. They were usually good with driving to James’ flat, taking turns with drinking each week, but this Friday both girls planned to drink more than they could handle. It was supposed to be Cleo’s week to drink and (Y/N)’s turn to drive, but after a bit of heartbreak no less than 72 hours ago, Cleo gave her some slack and they split a drive across the city. How they would get home later was just up to the party gods. 

The vibrating bass of an Oliver Tree song led the girls right to the front door of James’ flat. 

The door was open, people popping in and out from the hallway, and they found themselves among those heading inside. They dodged the unfamiliar people that littered the space in the foyer, pushing inwards until they reached the center of everything and everyone in the living room - the multicolored lights revolving around the room, the drinks pouring behind them, dancing bodies filled the space between the sofas and next to the foosball table. Most house-parties didn’t truly start until 11 o’clock, but the height of these parties hit at 10 p.m. - better drinks, people not yet on the verge of blacking out, and better music. It beat going to a nightclub and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with people you didn’t know while downing an eight pound drink and dancing to yet another Rihanna remix. 

Like she was trained, her eyes instantly scanned the familiar space for Adrian, only for her mission to be cut short when James found her first, breaking away from his own girlfriend to greet them both. 

“Heyy!” She could tell he was already tipsy, borderline drunk, just like how the host of a party should be when everyone started to arrive. Laughing, she threw her arms around him and pulled him close, rocking from side-to-side before pulling apart and allowing him to hug Cleo, who stepped around from behind her. 

It was when she pulled back that she spotted him, but not because she was looking for him, but because he was looking for her. Adrian saw her come in, a light shine down onto her like she was the only person in the room, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she wore that off-the-shoulder top for him. 

Taking a step back while Cleo and James clashed in laughter and hugs, she looked at him, and her eyes followed his head as he looked down while a petite brunette leaned up to whisper in his ear. She felt her heart drop into her stomach and felt dumb for talking herself into believing he would come alone. Hell, the first time she met him at a party he had brought a date.

It was just a glance, tenths of a second, but it felt like an eternity. She needed something to distract her. Standing there, she decided that the pre-game bottle of rum wasn’t enough. She needed something a lot stronger in her system - she needed something that would make her dance, make her forget. 

When Cleo and James pulled apart, she grabbed Cleo’s hand and their eyes met through the flashing lights. “Come on, let’s go get a drink.” 

Cleo, the friend who was known to always be down for a good time, followed behind with no hesitation. She allowed (Y/N) to guide her through the bodies and straight to the table. They grabbed cups and made a concoction out of vodka and fizzy drinks, more vodka than anything else, and then downed them in just a few gulps. 

They poured another, this time to the rim, and carried the drinks to the floor while finding the rest of their friends with the intentions of working the room. Cleo spotted Becky in the hallway and nearly jumped over everyone to get to her and say hi, while leaving (Y/N) to sit on the kitchen island and talk to whoever came by. She chatted with Tobi and Josh and eventually Callum, and then Stephen stumbled (literally) around - it was Stephen who had his fair share of tequila shots, his eyes wild and laughter heightened, which made him much more ten times more fun than normal. 

“We just got back like two days ago!” Stephen called out as they talked about his trip to New York. “I’m still fuckin’ jet lagged but there’s no better time to get smashed then, aye?” 

She shook her head and his girlfriend, Zoe, leaned into her to speak over the music. “He won’t admit it but he threw up in the bathroom of a Broadway show after betting me he could eat an entire pizza by himself in half an hour.” 

While laughing, she raised her head and looked over everyone to see yet another familiar face, not uncommon in the flat, but this was one she hadn’t seen all night.

“William!” (Y/N) called out above the music, her face brightening, mostly due to the alcohol in her system, half due to the fact that she hadn’t talked to him since yesterday. The friend group was so close they often never went over 12 hours without talking to each other, barely 72 hours without being in the same room. 

She watched him, hovering above everyone else, push past circled groups and stop straight between her knees. He was tall enough to just be a few inches shorter even while she was perched on a tall kitchen stationary. 

“I didn’t know if you were coming or not.” She said, an arm sliding over his shoulders while he placed himself between her knees. His arm slipped around her torso, innocently letting his hand rest on the band of her jeans. 

“Ah, couldn’t resist it in the end. Had to come.” 

“Because you knew I would be here.” She teased with the biggest smile, digging a finger into his dimple, drawing a cheeky smile from him before he swatted her hand away. “Seriously glad you’re here though.” 

He leaned against her for support, “yeah, I was too,”

“And then Hanna walked in.” Stephen piped up, taking another sip from his drink, and Zoe slapped him on the arm. 

(Y/N) brow scrunched as the cup of vodka fell from her lips, glancing from Stephen and then back to Will. “She’s here?” 

Will let out a deep breath, using his hand to motion to the floor, but shrugged it off a second later. “With some bloke.” 

Using the height of the stationary to her advantage, she scanned the party, over each head, every face, until she finally spotted Hanna and her date. They were standing next to the coffee table, his arm around her waist while they talked closely, sharing a drink between them among the others who were dancing. 

“Well that’s a bit fucked,” she said under the music. 

Will nodded and looked up at her, pulling her apart from the conversation with Stephen and Zoe. “I saw Adrian too,” he said and she looked down at him, noting the way his hat shifted on his head, “now that’s a bit fucked.” 

She snorted at his repeated words. “Tell me about it,” 

“So how about we,” he paused, grinning, “go get some tequila shots?” 

It was normal for Will to pretend that things didn’t bother him, that he never let things get to him. Even though this time it was obvious he wanted to avoid all talk of his ex-girlfriend, they let it slide. The question wasn’t even really a question for her. Drinking and drinking and taking shots was the only thing in her agenda that night. 

“That’s a hard bargain you drive, William..”

“Stop talking like that and come on,” he said through small laughs.

He grabbed her hand and helped her hop down off the island, leaving her cup and the couple behind as they pushed through the throngs of people back to the drink table. It was actually a dining table, but tonight it served one purpose and one purpose only - the insane abundance of alcohol brought in to be stored and mixed. While allowing him to guide her, the effects of all of her drinks were starting to hit once and for all. The music was suddenly louder, the lights became blurry, her steps were a bit lighter.

It was the time in the night when it truly felt like a party scene from a movie - everyone dancing and laughing in slow motion, drinks spilling, the music becoming overpowering and propelling them forward. It was the moments that (Y/N) cherished the most. 

In the back of the room, she shouldered her bag and watched Will pour tequila into two small shot glasses that looked like cacti. He sat the bottle down and handed her a glass, keeping the other for himself. 

“To fuck all,” he finally said and she laughed, raising her arm. 

“To fuck all,” she repeated, clinking her glass with his. 

Bringing the small glass to her lips, she turned the bottom up, allowing the rich alcohol to slide down her throat, burning all the way down to her stomach. Her face twisted at the taste and so did Will’s, both laughing at their reactions seconds later. 

“Okay,” she said sitting the glass down and wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, “again,” 

“Again?” His voice was heightened, face still scrunched from the taste. 

“I need something that will get me to dance here. And no amount of beer is going to give me the courage.” 

He smiled, popping the top off the bottle again, “okay, okay, one more, and then we’ll dance, yeah?” He poured the shots, handing her the same glass. “Here’s to… dancing?” 

“To dancing until someone plays Aitch?” 

“We’ll be dead asleep on a floor way before then.” 

It was only 12:30 a.m. to be fair. But more hours of drinking like this until someone played Taste would surely have them landed in a hospital. 

“Alright, to just dancing then, you knob,” she cursed back at him and he chuckled. 

They clinked their glasses together and slammed them back with no problem. On top of the drinks already in them, it didn’t take long for the effects of the tequila to take over. In the midst of the bodies, they were on the makeshift dance floor, dancing to the beat of every song as the alcohol coursed through their veins, as their heads spun. 

James had regained control of his own speaker from Alex and played from his playlist, which at the moment was filled with nothing but The 1975. He had saved all of their songs again in preparation for the upcoming show they were all attending, and this would have been good to practice to learn their songs if everyone going to the show wasn’t already pissed out of their minds.

The bass of She’s American thumped against the walls, surely granting them a noise complaint in the future, but the party carried on. (Y/N) danced among everyone, her hips rocking to the beat while she sang loudly. On the floor between the sofas, she could feel Adrian’s eyes on her. To be fair, his eyes hadn’t left her longer for three minutes the entire night - he was watching how she laughed with her friends, how easily she downed shots, and how she danced with the people she always told him were “just friends” for months.

She was well aware Adrian was looking when she turned to Will - Will’s hands shooting out to take hers as her body teetered and they laughed while she steadied her stance. Over Will’s shoulder when he stepped in closer, she could make out Hanna standing by the patio door, her eyes trained on them while they moved freely together.

“They’re watching us.” She thought out loud when the song changed to Give Yourself A Try. Gasps and shouts of excitement filled the room before more bodies filled the space between the two sofas, pushing everyone closer together. 

Will stood back to his normal height, eyebrow raised. “You want to give them something to watch?” He asked and she nodded innocently, not clear of exactly what his intentions were until he touched her waist. 

She followed his lead, allowing him to turn her around and step behind her, hands gripping her hips, guiding her back against his lap. The heavy beat of the song replaced the lyrics in her brain, and she rocked her hips against him to the fast tempo, the lights moving rapidly across their bodies. The idea of both of their exes watching drove them to make irrational decisions, and that included allowing them to dance this closely.

Leaning back against his chest, her arm snaked around his neck. Every move was a bad decision that night, so she was going to make all of them if it meant a little bit of revenge. 

“They made us jealous,” she whispered, head tilting back against his chest. Their breath was hot, mouths close. His eyes focused down on her, and her eyes flickered between his and his lips, then back up, “so let’s make them jealous.” 

His hand raised from her hip and grabbed her face, her hand on the back of his head, and they allowed their mouths to meet in the middle. He tasted like lime and she tasted like cherry chapstick and the tequila they had downed fifteen minutes ago, their heads were swirling. 

It was a harmless kiss, it wasn’t the first time they kissed after all. Another time, almost two years ago on a trip to Barcelona, they had too many drinks and spent the entire night after the club making out on the chaise lounge of their Airbnb while everyone else was asleep. It didn’t lead to anything and it actually became a running joke between them, because whatever attraction they had to each other, was only brought out through alcohol.

This night included. 

Because (Y/N) wasn’t sure if she would have turned around and pressed herself harder against him to deepen the kiss if there wasn’t a bit of something in her system. When she began to taste the alcohol on his tongue, the threads of her own sobriety started to weave together, and she knew this was a bad idea - kissing him like this, in a fit of petty revenge on their own exes who couldn’t help but watch on, their own anger boiling inside of them. But she didn’t care, in fact, she liked it.

When she stumbled back into the coffee table and their lips broke apart, it’s less than a second later that Will grabbed her arm and pulled her to the outskirts of the room, and her back was against the wall and his lips on hers again. That’s when she realized that maybe, just maybe, he liked it too.

***

When her eyes flutter open no less than five hours after she and Cleo stumbled back into their flat, the sun was already flooding her room through her sheer curtains. She closed her eyes again, shoving her head under the white duvet in an attempt to shield herself and her hangover from the world. No amount of painkillers or blue raspberry sports drinks was enough to fight off more or less than a dozen shots and a few drinks over the span of a few hours. 

From under the layers on her bed, she could hear Cleo down the hallway in the kitchen, flipping knobs on the stove, getting out plates. Cleo had always been an early riser no matter what the last night consisted of, and frankly, it was the worst part of being flatmates with her. She was just thankful that she made it to her bedroom and wasn’t on the sofa again, waking up to the sound of cupboards slamming at the ungodly hours of 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning. 

Cleo had found her under the covers an hour later - pushing her way into the bedroom with a plate of food in one hand and a bottle of Advil in the other. She laughed at the small ball bundled under the covers that was nursing a hangover and an upset stomach. 

“Hate yourself?” 

“What’s new,” she huffed, throwing her arms out and throwing the blanket off her. She squinted at the lights again, but her eyes adjusted quickly soon after. “What time is it?” 

“Almost ten,” Cleo said with a mouth full of toast, sitting down on the edge of her friend’s bed, holding out a plate of food. “Take a piece. I know you don’t want it, but you need it.” 

She knocked a couple tablets out of the bottle and handed them to (Y/N), allowing her to take them with the sports drink leftover on her nightstand. “Why are you up early this time?” 

“Because I didn’t drink as much as you did,” she said, taking the bottle back, holding it in her hand while she watched her shovel bread into her mouth. “And I think you are still drunk.” 

“Feel like hell,” 

“Yeah you’re still drunk.” Cleo laughed. They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the traffic on the street outside their flat, to the crunching of the toast that made them laugh together a few seconds after. “So are you going to talk to me about it?” 

She raised a brow, knocking the crumbs off her hands off the side of her bed and placing the plate on the nightstand. “About what?” She asked, her mouth still full of bread. 

Cleo deadpanned, not believing the way she was playing off the events that happened just a mere few hours ago. The entire party was talking about it, or those who were stone-cold sober anyways, and on the nightstand her phone had been blowing up for at least an hour with texts and calls about it.

“Whatever happened between you and Will last night.” Cleo continued, remembering how she found them making-out against the wall in the living room. “Because I, for one, would like to know because… what the fuck, love?” 

Moments from last night flashed in the back of her mind - the burn of the tequila, the beat of the song, Will’s hands on her hips, her tongue in his mouth - and she slid down further into the bed, hands raising up to cover her face.

“No, no,” Cleo laughed, hopping up on the bed, straddling her friend’s waist. “You have to tell me. All of us are so confused because we all saw it and we have no idea what happened. One second I was banging back a shot and another second you were banging Will.” Cleo tried to pull her hands away from her face but only received a slap to her own hands and they both laughed. 

“Because I’m not sure either,” she said as Cleo dropped her hands. “It just… happened, you know?” 

“No, love, I don’t know. I don’t know how one goes from being a strong, independent single lady to making out with one of their best friends within well… an hour?” 

“It was the tequila shots, I tell you. They never did me well.” 

Cleo shook her head and rolled off the bed, her slippers hitting the carpeted floors. “Whatever, I’ll just tell everyone you did it to make Adrian jealous.” She said walking to the door. “And come eat breakfast, I didn’t bloody slave over a stove for you to not eat.” 

Her body stilled in the bed listening to Cleo’s explanation because in truth, that’s exactly what it was. A harmless kiss to make their exes jealous did turn into much more than that, but they were successful in the attempt. 

After seeing his ex-girlfriend kiss the friend she had always been closest too, Adrian and his date stormed out to the patio, and Hanna tried mimicking them, throwing herself onto her date in a desperate attempt to get Will to notice, but he was too busy with his own agenda to even give her a glance. 

When she closed her eyes, she could still feel his hands flat against her lower back, the way his mouth slid against hers. It reminded her of the trip to Barcelona, but it felt different. It felt like this time they were more than just two drunk friends making out on a whim. And now that she was (slightly) sobered up, she didn’t know exactly how to feel about it. Her already fucked up emotions were thrown in a loop of denial, repressed heartbreak, and confusion. 

When the door clicked shut, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and pressed the button to see the screen light up with notifications - texts, phone calls, tweets, anything and everything from those trying to reach her. 

Cleo Gallagher hi hi are you awake if you are come eat also what the fuck happened last night

Jorge Why the heck is will saying you snogged him 

James + epals alright who stole the inflatable penis from the bathroom 

She also woke up to a hefty Instagram block from Hanna, which made her double-check Adrian’s Instagram too, but his private profile (that she unfollowed in a petty fit three days ago) came up like normal. She had unblocked his number last night too in fear that he would text her after the party and she wouldn’t know, but as of that hour, nothing had come from him either. 

And in an odd sense, she was okay with that. 

Tossing the phone down on the bed, her hands met her face again and she let out a deep breath. 

[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2018) - #103: The Nomi Song (2004) - dir. Andrew Horn

I can’t imagine how many people exist who have not experienced the unique artistry of New Wave singer Klaus Nomi (1944-1983), but for those who are willing to give his music a try, there is so much inspiration to be found in his unforgettable story and songs. As Star-Ledger film critic Lisa Rose wrote, The Nomi Song is akin to “’Behind the Music’ meets ‘The Twilight Zone.’ The story is as haunting as the music, and the film leaves a lingering impression."

Nomi, born Klaus Sperber, grew up in postwar Germany with dreams of becoming an opera singer, and he listened to records of Maria Callas’s arias and Elvis Presley’s rock ‘n’ roll with equal fervor. After formally training his voice in Berlin, he moved to New York City in the 1970s, where he made ends meet as a pastry chef and eventually made his into the burgeoning East Village scene, where the “Klaus Nomi” persona was born in 1978. Singing the aria “Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix“ from Camille Saint-Saëns‘ opera Samson and Delilah in a show at Irving Plaza, Nomi’s high countertenor voice stunned the punk audience and immediately earned him legions of fans. He developed his extraordinary vocal range and his love of science fiction into an androgynous, alienesque character that was unlike anybody that the New York crowd had ever seen. Wearing extreme white makeup, black lipstick and eyeliner with his distinctive receding hairline - and eventually incorporating the oversized, avant-garde tuxedo that would become his signature fashion - Klaus Nomi carved out his own space in musical culture during the late 1970s and early 80s.

Watching the documentary, I found that I hadn’t realized the extent of Nomi’s popularity. Although he was never a household name in America at large, he had a tremendous following. His concerts at Manhattan rock clubs frequently sold out and forced attendees to line up outside for several blocks; network TV news reports interviewed him and brought his face and name mainstream. Most famously, Nomi and one of his closest friends, Joey Arias, sang backup vocals for David Bowie on “Saturday Night Live” in December 1979, performing “The Man Who Sold the World” (which I consider superior to the original album version), “TVC 15″ and “Boys Keep Swinging.” (Bowie gave Nomi and Arias a few thousand dollars to buy outfits, but the Thierry Mugler originals that they bought on sale at Henri Bendel cost only about $100 each.) As director Andrew Horn points out on the DVD commentary, Nomi and Arias didn’t even have enough cash between them to pay for cab fare to get to Bowie’s downtown party after their SNL gig; they had to walk from Rockefeller Center to Washington Square on that freezing cold night, just to attend their own celebration. Furthermore, although Bowie supposedly told Nomi and his creative team that more collaborations were a possibility, no such opportunity arose again.

Still, Nomi pressed on, taking the leap from cabarets to the studio when he made his two albums, Klaus Nomi (1981) and Simple Man (1982). According to the many talking head segments in the film, Nomi’s friends and associates considered his decision to elevate his recordings and shows with “real” musicians made the results too clean and polished, like selling out. What had made his club dates so special, they claimed, was the innovative style in the staging, a magic that was lost when the futuristic sets and dancing by Joey Arias, Janus and Boy Adrian were replaced by “normal”-looking background guitarists, drummers and other instrumentalists. Nomi antagonized a number of his pals with his ambitions to be a bigger star.

Tragically, Nomi’s time in spotlight was short-lived. He was one of the first celebrities to die of AIDS, passing away in August 1983. The disease was so new and misunderstood at the time that nearly all of Nomi’s loved ones and business partners refused to visit him in the hospital, so petrified were they about potentially catching the illness. (Multiple interviewees said that they had no idea whether HIV/AIDS was airborne, so they all considered their fear far greater than the need to spend time with Nomi.) Ironically, for a man who built his career on his visual appearance, AIDS completely destroyed his face and body; respectfully, the director refrains from showing any images of Nomi in his dying days, although in a deleted scene on the DVD’s special features, we learn that one of the few people who did visit Nomi at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was photographer Michael Halsband, who was commissioned by Nomi to take one final series of photos that I don’t think have ever been published.

To quote one of Nomi’s friends, performance artist and actress Ann Magnuson, a New Wave’s artist’s show “wasn’t really a success unless you had totally outraged everybody.” On some level, the point of Klaus Nomi’s persona was to be different and stand out from the rest of his contemporaries, but at the same time there is a universality to his story. He came to the United States with no money and without even knowing any English, but still he achieved his own version of the American Dream. Nomi’s songs have appeared on the soundtracks of films by Maurice Pialat, Nick Broomfield and François Ozon; both musically and sartorially, Nomi’s influence has been noted by Lady Gaga and by fashion designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs. I urge you to listen to Nomi’s original tunes - “Nomi Song,” “Total Eclipse,” “After the Fall” (Nomi’s favorite among the songs he performed), “Simple Man,” “Enchanté” (from his unfinished space rock opera, Za Bakdaz) - and his covers - “Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix,” “You Don’t Own Me” (probably the best example of his vocal range within a single track), “Falling in Love Again,” “The Cold Song” (a clip of his last live performance, done with a full orchestra in Munich), “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (my personal favorite) - and perhaps, if you are lucky, you will be as excited and moved by the man’s work as I have been for many years.

[italiasoloitalia]

Days 13,14: Famiglia fa Firenze

We are the last up again this morning. Seriously, this has not happened since one was in nappies and the other two were wearing their Batman and Robin outfits 24/7! Adrian is off to Lucca for the day, Anthony and Glenn to the Duomo and Isabella and I back to Officina Santa Maria Novella Farmacia to spend some time in that dreamy place and nose our way through the gorgeous lotions and potions in that divine (literally) setting. First though through to Piazza Repubblica for its weekly (thurs morning) flower market under the porticos. So sweet. We’d gladly have a similar one in our neighbourhood every week. Plants, flowers and herbs, fresh, glistening, perfumes and robust. Nothing fancy, just sheer delight. Isabella is quite knowledgeable about flowers and plants and is as smitten as I and it gives me a buzz ☺️🐝🦋.

A very pleasurable meander in, out and around little viales, chancing upon both jaw-dropping window displays and enchanting artisan workshops. Round the corner we go and Piazza di SM Novella proudly sits in glorious morning sun, a busker trio twinkling tunes, a teacher and her little tribe playing “what’s the time Mr Wolf?” in the little square at base of the cenotaph, all bordered by pretty miniature rose garden beds. 🙆‍♀️🙆‍♀️

Sniff, sniff, snuff, we have such fun choosing our own scents (‘angeli di firenze’ for Issy and naturally, tuberose for me), the packaging delighting just as much as the perfume. Again, charming chats with salespeople, secret little giveaways just for us and two happy ragazze (c’mon I know it’s a stretch but it works better in the sentence) skip away.

A different route back is just as pleasant and we round the corner of our Via just as Anthony and Glenn round theirs. Salve! A quick bagno stop and lunch is required. Hmm, an interesting contretemps about waiting for a table at a very enticing spot sees us spend a good 15 mins searching for another before returning to the original spot for what eventuates as a brilliant find (Trattoria Salumeria, piazza dei davanzati) made even better by another sweet host. Delicious schiacciate, panini, generous pour) Gino tells us in excellent Aust accent of his close association with the Maori battalion which (together with the Sth Effricans) liberated Florence towards the end of the WWII. Back to Omero via a few negozie in particulare Furla where Isabella happily and proudly 👜 (as a self-treat for job promotion/new position - 🙌🏻).

Adrian joins us after a great day in Lucca, top pics too and after a siesta we set off for dinner over in Oltrarno at Alle Vecchia Bettola. I’d spied a good spot for aperitivo but it’s full so we walk on along the back streets due to GT going old school with paper map 🙄 and nowhere appealing to stop so we spend some time in the park watching locals at play. People are milling at restaurant when we arrive early for our (thankfully) booking so we’re shown straight to a table and the vibe is good! Great waiter, fantastic meal, the highlights being crostini with fegatini, penne alla bettola and fried zucchini flowers. Waiters are wearing t-shirts that appeal to Anthony so as we’re leaving I ask if they’re for sale and gentilissimo padrone says sfortunatamente, no, ☹️ I laugh, we came all the way from Australia too 😆. Un attimo, (a moment) he says and brings one which when A goes to pay, he responds “niente, when I come to Australia, you pay”. Cute and A is chuffed. A simply gorgeous walk home Lungl’arno and over Ponte Santa Trinita - the weather is balmy, the sky its usual azzurro with shots of gold from the just setting sun.

Our last full day dawns brilliantly with A and A over to Boboli Gardens and Piazzale Michelangelo, G off to check on car hire place for he and I tomorrow. Issy and I set off firstly for Museo Salvatore Ferragamo (no, a real museum, thankyou) but under the other SF ‘museo’ ☺️ so we visit that 😍 then downstairs to the other which tells of Ferragamo the Elder’s immigration to USA and becoming the shoemaker to the stars of the day (Rudolph Valentino, Mary Pickford, Caruso etc) and his subsequent return to set up SF. On to Gucci Garden in Piazza Signoria for its retrospective but first the other ‘museo’ here on the ground floor (what?🤷‍♀️) Che bellezze!

We are meeting up with all at a panini bar Issy has discovered Il Cernacchino, all agree, ✅ 🙌🏻. A and A have tickets to Uffizi, G strolled a la Nigel-no-friends and Issy and I back to the upper floors ‘real’ exhibition at GG. It’s stunning,

and particularly beautiful to me with its nature-focused “The Alchemist’s Garden” theme. Issy loved its artistic curation, multi-media presentation and its ‘anti’ graffiti here and there - she’s also just quietly fallen in love with Gucci, full stop. Goals, my girl, goals. Massimo Bottura has an Osteria there too 😲🤦‍♀️

Steps accumulate as we then check out the rooftop terrace of the Westin for a planned last night aperitivo - looks perfect but Signora says if you come at 7 you may be lucky. Plan.

We came, we saw, we won...a table with the stunning cupola backdrop, sun still high and bright. Cocktails, la famiglia gifts G with Roman coin cuff-links from the same gioielleria from which we bought my 25th anniversary crucifix, touching. Back towards Osteria dell Oca but it’s early and lo and behold Procacci is there...let’s make the circle and finish off where we began. Lovely. Issy buys the Procacci green glass candle she’d spied there on our first night and proudly swings it along when we happily leave a little while later.

Dinner is the perfect finish...everyone very happy with their meal and the genial host once again seals the deal. Porcini risotto, tagliolini al tartufo, osso buco to name a few. A limoncello sees us weave our way home along Firenze’s clean and friendly vias.

What an unforgettable week. Something I’d mentioned I’d love to do before it was no longer possible for me and G made sure it happened. La famiglia loved it, became more connected to their heritage, to each other and our dream was therefore realised. It was always more about that than significant birthdays and we are thankful for our good fortune. Tomorrow will see us go our separate ways...Anthony to Rome for a few days solo, Adrian to join Ethan and Pat for a Spain, Portugal and Amsterdam jaunt and Isabella back home to begin her new position at Guardian. We will venture on to Padua, no doubt with tears in our eyes but hearts full.

Firenze 💚⚪️❤️