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overthinkingtaleblr · 1 year

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Hey. Having a bad week day right now and your blog is a huge comfort. Can I request some fluffy headcanons for PIE?

Of course! I'm a couple days late because I was swamped with work when the ask came in, but this has been living rent-free in my head for the past 24 hours. PIE has SO MUCH potential for headcanons, it would be amiss to not to touch on the softer side of things! I like to think that PIE was a turn for the better in all of their lives, and I do want to see them happy in spite of my open adoration of dramatics.

Time to let them be happy 🥺 I may have gotten carried away. Everything is under the cut! There are a LOT of words and I don’t expect everyone to read it all at once, it’s okay if it’s too much/you need to stop and come back to it later ^^;

Fluffy PIE Headcanons For The Soul (and Anon <3)

Personal Fluff

Colon actually didn’t believe in ghosts before his first mission with PIE. He just thought Ghost was interesting, and wanted to see what the job of a “paranormal investigator” entailed. He was already a bit of a hobbyist, reading some books about them for fun instead of thinking it was real. Since being introduced, he’s dived headfirst into exploring the paranormal and some types of magic. He feels like a whole new world has been opened up to him.

Colon loves the idea of being a parent some day and has done quite a bit of research to learn how to be properly responsible of children. He was considering being a teacher when he first entered college, but he preferred studying forensics to teaching it.

Because Colon is the only one of the team who has never met any of the other members of the team until adulthood, they don’t know anything about his family. Sometimes he just makes things up because he genuinely thinks they’re making things up with how crazy their families sound. They take him at face value.

Though he’s doing way better now that he’s older, Colon had some notable health issues while growing up, and is no stranger to hospitals and medical procedures. Taking care of his own health and taking note of his symptoms and what caused them has made him very good at giving advice when others are feeling sick, meaning he’s very on-top of making sure everyone is taking care of themselves (if they come to him first, he’s not here to pry). Especially Ghost.

Colon has a kind of beautiful and deep singing voice… but he only ever sings show tunes since he did a lot of theater growing up.

Ghost is usually very prickly, but gets more friendly to social and physical interactions when tired. This usually means he actually ends up more touch-friendly during all-night missions.

Growing up, Ghost’s dads taught him to sew and repair his own clothes when he was in middle school. Meaning in middle school and early high school, he had a variety of fun and interesting patches on his clothes.

Part of the reason why Ghost is so annoyed about being confused for the Ghostbusters is that he really feels like they “ruined” public perception of paranormal investigators in general. Despite his irritable nature, he’s aware that there is more to his job than deleting ghosts from existence and seeing every undead as a threat.

This is also why so much of the team’s tools and machines are home-constructed because he refuses to buy tools that the Ghostbusters sell or are associated with and they are kind of an industry giant. Also they were given some training by his dad but he likes to ignore that.

Ghost actually can read, he’s just super dyslexic and he’s basically decided he doesn’t even want to try if he’s going to be such an annoying struggle.

Spooker has a massive collection of stuffed animals that he treats with incredible love and care.

Spooker is actually allergic to cats, but loves cats and cat-themed things. He is willing to cuddle with a kitty if it means he has to suffer itchy eyes and sneezing. Won’t stop him from complaining about the consequences, though.

Technically out of the whole team, Spooker is both the least and most qualified member of the team. Part of the qualifications for the job is a degree in something that matches the field/industry, and Spooker doesn’t have that… what he DOES have is first-hand experience with the paranormal since BIRTH. He thinks that this is the funniest thing.

Spooker has everyone’s coffee/not coffee orders memorized and sometimes buys for the team on days where he feels he can take the detour.

Whatever the opposite of a green thumb is, Spooker has been cursed for it. He has killed every plant that has passed through his hands unless it was somehow already dead. He’s gotten into flower pressing to make up for it, and presses flowers that represent important dates to him.

After developing an interest in art in university, Toast actually learned how to sketch borderline photorealism, and has tons and tons of doodles in his writings. Buildings they explored on their journeys, sketches of the ghosts they encountered, and a Lot of beautiful but haunting pictures of Mary… and Ghost.

Toast keeps a planner with important dates circled and underlined, including the date everyone joined the team, everyone’s birthdays, and other important dates that may need celebration or revisiting.

In the PIE HQ, there’s a random tape of the Great British Bake-off mixed among all the other work VHS tapes by an old office TV. No one’s noticed it yet, but if they were to put it on, they’d see a college-age Johnny Toast featuring as one of the bakers in the episode. He looks so squishy.

Despite his job, Toast actually hates really scary horror movies and finds them to be a little too much. He can take supernatural-based movies since they feel so unrealistic to him, but the blood and gore in a lot of them is too much. Also, a lot of possession movies make him uncomfortable because he’s had to live through having someone he loves being possessed, and he doesn’t like how much it’s treated like the end-all be-all with few options.

Toast has a habit of feeding local stray animals, but doesn’t know all the local fauna and was feeding opossums for a long while thinking they were some kind of cat or bald rat or something, he didn’t want to ask.

Relationship Fluff

In order of who met first:

Johnny Ghost and Fred Soup

Surprisingly in first, Spooker first met Johnny Ghost when he was Gregory Casket. Spooker’s dad had several positive encounters with Timothy Casket and Johnny Ghost Senior, allowing for the two kids to have semi-frequent playdates. Ghost doesn’t remember this at all, but Spooker’s known since after the puppet arc. Spooker considers Ghost his oldest friend before of this.

Always the commanding kid, Gregory/Ghost actually came up with the nickname Spooker, it just stuck. Fred stopped going by the nickname around high school, but chose to take it up again because it just seemed to fit the paranormal investigating job.

Ghost has one-sided beef with Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza because of his time as a McDonalds manager in a city where everyone preferred pizza. Unknown to Spooker, this is most of the reason why Ghost was so annoyed during Spooker’s first mission. Ghost did Not want to be there and just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

Around when Chris first getting used to the team’s dynamic, he told Ghost that he’s far too critical to Spooker, so for about a week, Ghost tried holding himself back and being “nicer”. Spooker quickly caught on and told him that her liked that Ghost was honest and serious with him— even if it was kind of mean. He felt it meant that Ghost would always be honest with him and didn’t see him as someone who needed to be coddled.

Ghost was pretty openly mean about Spooker’s stuffed animals when he first joined the team, but got pretty used to them after awhile and will offer to repair them when one gets ripped or damaged so Spooker doesn’t get upset.

For his fifth anniversary with the team, Ghost made a big deal about not wanting to get anything for Spooker, only to present him with a hand-sewn stuffed animal with the PIE symbol on its little arms and back. Spooker cried.

Ghost tried to make him stop by saying that it was only made from scraps that Ghost had lying around from repairing the team’s stuff. Spooker cried harder.

He named the stuffed animal Tart and lets Woah sleep with it when she needs something to hold at night.

Johnny Ghost and Johnny Toast

Toast was actually seen as the problem child out of the two of them when they first met. Ghost was still kind of shell-shocked and processing his PSTD, and Toast was lashing out at anything because the sudden change in his lift was stressing him out. The two were sometimes paired together by the school’s faculty because they were hoping Ghost’s easy-to-startle nature would make Toast settle down. Instead, Ghost got more hectic as he worked through his problems, and Toast barely mellowed out as he adjusted to life in the States.

Ghost was the first person to really be there for Toast after what happened to Mary. He was the only one who really had an idea of what Toast was going through, and tried his best to give Toast the comfort that he would have wanted when he was going through his own grief. It was more effort than Toast was hoping for and really helped him in ways he didn’t know he needed.

Toast tried to go no-contact with his family around when he graduated University, and maintained it up until the founding of PIE. He saw how much working several jobs for all hours just to keep the lights at PIE on was wearing out Ghost, and reached back out to his family for the money so Ghost wouldn’t have to work so hard.

For the longest time, Toast’s Home Screen on his phone was him and Ghost making a hand heart together… in front of an explosion. Ghost had a similar one as his Lock Screen, except his was over a swallowing abyss, and his Home Screen was all black. Ghost thought it was funny, but Toast thought it was adorable that they matched.

Though he’s very prim and proper with the team, Toast is actually pretty messy when at home. He can manage his own stuff, but he struggles at keeping a tidy space. To make up for this, Ghost regularly marks days on the calendar when they’ll spend the morning cleaning before they go to work, and take note of what specifically needs focus throughout the week.

When Johnny Toast first got into cosplay, he would go to stores to get the outfits and wigs or buy them cheap online and try to grin and bear the quality. Ghost couldn’t help with the wig aspect, but he’d sew incredibly complicated outfit designs for Toast under the guise that he wanted to prove that the quality of the store-bought stuff was That Bad.

That’s part of why he doesn’t want to go anywhere with Toast while Toast is in cosplay because he’s actually kind of embarrassed of his earlier work but doesn’t want to make Toast retire his favorite outfits.

Both Toast and Ghost have had long enough hair to braid in the past (or present, for Ghost), and they’ve had moments of absent-mindedly braiding segments of each other’s hair.

Toast was Not the only person getting fangirls and stalkers, Ghost just looked at Toast, saw him as the hottest man on the planet, and went ‘yeah, that’s the only reason why they’re here.’

Johnny Toast and Fred Soup

Originally, Toast didn’t realize that Spooker was going to be a long-term member of the team, and he thought Spooker quit when he went missing halfway through the Puppet Arc. Realizing that Spooker lowkey sacrificed himself to try to save Ghost made Toast come around to him staying with the team… Spooker also didn’t realize Toast was the other member of the team until after Ghost got back, though. Only Ghost knows that they were both confused.

Spooker insists upon keeping track of the birthdays of ghosts that they see frequently, and Toast has begrudgingly began adding them to his planner. It does require trudging through graveyards or examining old records sometimes, and it can be a lot more work than anyone was asking for… but Toast is glad it makes Spooker happy.

Spooker loves Toast’s art and is trying to convince him to try coloring some of it with watercolors. Toast doesn’t want to admit that paint deeply confuses him, so he just lets Spooker do it for him.

Lacking blood when he’s spectral (a consequence of being half-ghost), Spooker actually struggles with generating his own body heat. On the other hand, Toast generates warmth faster when infected with lycanthropy. That being said, when both conditions are met, the two can consistently be found together, as close as possible.

Unexpected to Toast, Spooker actually knew several werewolves growing up and figured out Toast was a werewolf before anyone told him. This led to Spooker giving Toast some really good werewolf-coping advice up until he was properly cured, and Toast thinking it was just a really insane coincidence for like. A year after it.

Despite Spooker not really having a paycheck for literal years, Toast would find “sneaky” ways to pay him for his work. Toast thought he was slick, but Spooker just didn’t want to comment about how he was being given like 200 dollars for gas money and 500 dollars to restock the fridge at the base. He just thought it was like how Ghost was bad at reading and didn’t want to bring it up.

Spooker saw a picture of Toast with his hair long and in a ponytail soon after college and has been begging him to grow it out ever since then. He thinks Toast’s hair is literally angelic and can’t imagine why he likes it short. Toast just says he got sick of brushing ghost slime out of it.

Spooker can’t tell Toast and Gavin apart, to the point where he kind of doesn’t remember they’re different people after being explained that they are. Gavin feels horrible for tricking him because Spooker is always really nice to him, even after being told that he isn’t Toast. Toast thinks it’s funny, though.

Chris Ghostie and Johnny Ghost

Ghost was really friendly with Colon while he was driving Ghost to his location. It had been a long time since a stranger who was ignorant about the supernatural was actually interested in learning about it and wasn’t judgmental, weird, or gave Ghost a fake smile before brushing him off. They had a long, friendly conversation that mostly consisted in Ghost explaining how the paranormal worked from a professional perspective, which Colon was very receptive to. That’s the main reason why he allowed a stranger with no experience to come with him on a potentially dangerous mission. He thought Colon really had the chops for the job. And he was right.

Though Colon was initially very drawn to Ghost, there was a period of time where he doubted himself because Ghost could come off as kind of cruel to the other members of the team sometimes. It took him awhile to realize it was just a front and that Ghost had a very soft inside with a very prickly outside… that was also when he realized Ghost probably really liked him to start their friendship by exposing his soft side.

Colon originally found his nickname kind of annoying, but Ghost laughing about it actually made it grow on him over time. He’s found he’s grown more comfortable with it over time. Also, he’s found ways to make fun of Ghost back if it ever strikes a nerve with him.

Despite spending incredibly minimal time with the team compared to everyone else, Colon was able to tell the difference between Ghost and Casket incredibly easy. He’s started spraying Ghost with water when he suddenly spikes with Casket activity out of nowhere to startle Ghost back to attention.

He can also tell the difference between Johnny Ghost and Johnny Cranky almost immediately, but didn’t tell Cranky the first time the doppelgänger tried pulling one over on him. He made up a Ton of fake drama happening inside of PIE to freak Cranky out and circulate false information around DIE. At this point, he sees Cranky as the most unthreatening version of Ghost.

According to Colon, upon realizing Colon’s love of research and learning, Ghost appointed him the team teacher so that Colon could teach every newcomer to the team. According to Ghost, he gave Colon the job so he’d stop suggesting they hire or adopt every vaguely paranormal-inclined person and creature, because then they’d be his responsibility to deal with (he did not stop).

When Colon gets really excited about a book, he usually tells Ghost about it because chances are, Ghost is never going to read it so he really doesn’t care about spoilers. This is the only way that Ghost has ever actually gotten invested in books— fiction and nonfiction— because Colon is very, very thematic when he summarizes stories.

While Ghost was retired, Colon sent regular emails to Ghost’s work email as kind-of a diary. He figured that even if Ghost opened his work email, he wouldn’t read most of them, even if he sent something back. Ghost didn’t actually open his work email again until right before he was considering joining the team. Part him wanted to find it annoying, but it’s part of what eventually pushed him into joining back. He used TTS to read them all.

Fred Soup and Chris Ghostie

These two have the strongest stomachs to blood and gore on the team, and first started going over to each other’s places to watch horror movies together. They tried making it into a team thing, but had to stop making it a horror thing when they realized Ghost and Toast weren’t as into it.

When Spooker realized Ghost only recognizes him with the hat, it was Colon’s idea to dye his hair a bubblegum pink. He dyed streaks of his own hair a temporary blue in solidarity, but it was kind of hard to see without bleach.

Colon asked Spooker why he acts kind of stupid on the job, and Spooker explained that most ghosts would underestimate him if they thought he was stupid. Colon thought that as a little bit ingenious and will sometimes join in, much to Ghost’s tired annoyance. To be nice, Colon will take missions seriously when it’s just him and Ghost.

They started putting on Bluey for Woah to watch, but Colon quickly realized that some of the episodes counted as honest-to-god parenting advice and pulled Spooker into watching some of the episodes with him. He didn’t realize it would be actually kind of therapeutic for Spooker.

They have a Minecraft server together. Woah has her own special area that Colon used mod privileges around to ensure mobs wouldn’t spawn. They put their minecraft beds together.

Colon has a lot of dietary restrictions because of his. Whole relationship with specifically his colon, so Spooker went out of his way to learn new recipes and double-check some of his old recipes so Colon would always have something he could eat without a stomachache anytime Spooker cooks for the team. It took some experimenting, but they figured out a system, and Colon is really grateful.

In spite of getting all his information from Johnny ‘they are the most threatening, horrifying thing on the planet’ Ghost, he’s chosen to go out of his way to give Spooker’s demon cat plushie a chance. Though he is still a little suspicious about it getting too close to Woah.

Colon is the only member of PIE that Spooker has personally introduced to his dad without his dad knowing they were involved with PIE, meaning Colon is the only member of PIE who Chakalata likes. (He begrudgingly kept liking Colon even after finding out the truth.)

Chris Ghostie and Johnny Toast

Out of all the members of PIE, Toast was the only one Colon knew of before joining PIE. How? He’s read Toast’s book cover-to-cover. Several times. He has multiple sections and most of the cases detailed in that book memorized.

Colon is gradually and slowly trying to teach Toast to drive in return for more background information about Toast’s book.

A big reason why Toast doesn’t experience curses or magical afflictions as often as he used to isn’t really because they stopped coming, but because Colon started making him different charms and curse-repellants when he realized how often Toast suffers because of the supernatural. He is a little disturbed with how quickly Toast goes through them, but Toast is just relieved to have any break. At all.

Colon was incredibly excited of Toast’s cosplaying when he found out about it, and has offered to tag along with him to contests, or to dress up with him if he needs a double. They’re the closest to being the same size out of everyone on the team, so Colon can actually wear some of Toast’s older costumes if the need arises.

Colon is sometimes disappointed that he missed out on Toast being a werewolf (in cases where Toast gets cured and manages not to get it again) because the stories from Ghost and Spooker makes it sound way cuter than it actually was.

Toast and Colon are both incredibly organization-oriented, and both have different methods of keeping track of things. Sometimes they compare notes to make sure that they have everything since they tend to value different information.

I dunno if I said this anywhere else, but I’m dubbing these two as the biggest nerds on the team. They will talk fandom and understand what the other person is talking about. They compare tv shows and movies and talk about the state of the animation industry and how best to support actors. It’s fun and exciting.

He’s also really good at telling Gavin and Toast apart, but tends to doubt himself since Gavin will commit to the bit as hard as possible and he doesn’t want to make Ghost panic. Sometimes, Toast is Just that chaotic and that’s okay.

Team-Focused Fluff

Every primary member of the team can pick up and carry Ghost with relative ease. On days when Ghost is dazed or out of it for some reason, he has been picked up and carried by the nearest teammate in the chase.

Toast getting strong-armed into keeping track of the birthdays of ghosts has actually had the humanizing but unintended side affect of actually re-learning and teaching ghosts their own birthdays. They all react differently, some better some worse. Maxwell actually eased up on them. Aimee cried.

Colon has needed a surgery or two since joining the team, and absolutely everyone joined in to make sure he was as comfortable as possible. They did give him space and time to recover on his own, but they also went out of his way to make sure they had snacks he could eat and that he was always comfortable and had something to do. One time he was bored to a point that the usual methods wouldn’t fixed, so they set up a whole mystery in his room for him to solve without straining himself.

EVERYONE on the team has a story around biting someone that they were too young to remember but their parents thought were notable/hilarious. Spooker bit another kid while playing a game where everyone was an animal (~1yrs old - he was probably just teething, but his dad thought it was really funny), Ghost bit someone while he was being taken in after being found wandering in the woods (~7-8yrs old something his dads always noted as being a sign that he was a fighter— trying to spin it into a positive), Toast bit one of the servants who was taking care of him when they tried to pry as to why the usually chipper toddler was suddenly being so closed off (~4-5yrs old - his mother’s first red flag that something was happening to her children, but it would be another few years before anything was done about it), and Colon bit a doctor while dazed and waking up after a dental surgery (~7yrs - old his mother thinks it’s hilarious). They find it funny that THAT’S a distinct and notable thing they all have in common.

It’s really hard to get a babysitter for Woah. Options in the past have ranged from random teens in the paper (Woah just does whatever she wants since they can’t touch her), Maddie-Friend per Gertrude’s recommendation (overall really responsible, but usually busy with college or stalking), Spencer Acachalla to keep him from coming on missions after he forced himself onto the team (puts Woah on the coms while playing online games to make them think a six-year-old girl is destroying them… also managed to burn water), Poppy Soup per Spooker’s request (she invited friends over without realizing one of them was the ghost the team was after and got herself banned from babysitting… but was otherwise okay.), and Maxwell Acachalla (Colon was hoping it would be therapeutic. It actually kind of worked. He has no idea how to cook food.).

They have talked about starting a band, mostly as a joke. They kind of stopped talking about it when they realized they would technically be a boy band.

Everyone in the team is actually pretty okay at cooking. Spooker is the most skilled at cooking a lot of food at a time for a group of people, of course, but that’s not the only needed skill. Toast has an incredible attention to detail when picking out ingredients but struggles at measuring time, Ghost is adept at using replacements when lacking specific ingredients but doesn’t keep track of the level of nutrients he’s taking in at a time, and Colon is incredible at making a little go a long way but gets easily overwhelmed in a large kitchen. Also, Spooker most struggles at cooking for just himself, often making wayyy too many leftovers.

Casket will sometimes bore and start poking around with stuff if he can’t find anyone after finding himself in control with Ghost’s body. That’s how the team walked in on him trying and failing to sing Karaoke with Ghost’s hoodie around his neck like a cape after they left Ghost at home for a mission because he had a migraine. This was the most humanizing moment Spooker and Colon have ever had with Jimmy Casket. It was also incredibly embarrassing for Jimmy. He tried killing Toast for managing to get pictures and everything devolved into chaos, but Toast ultimately won.

Everyone tends to wear different styles outside of work than they do in work. Toast actually prefers to dress down and wear more casual, rugged, and loose-fitting clothes. Spooker likes colorful, flowing stuff with sparkles and loose bits. He has also done some bedazzling of some of PIE’s tools. Colon likes wearing a bit of an academia look or business casual and enjoys jewelry. The only exception is Ghost, nothing on the planet will get him to part from styling his entire outfit around an oversized hoodie and thick-soled combat boots. They only ever look coordinated when they’re on the clock.

They celebrate Halloween like no one’s business. They also Hate Halloween because of the spike of absurd cases— both fake and real. It’s kind of hard to tell someone they’re overreacting when there IS a chance that SOME GHOST is crazy enough to do JUST ABOUT ANYTHING just because it’s Halloween.

Thanks for asking, and I hope your week has improved as much as possible since you sent that ask <3

#taleblr #johnny ghost #johnny toast #fred spooker soup #chris colon ghostie #taleblr pie #taleblr headcanons #pie headcanons #taleblr pie headcanons #Chris ghostie #colon ghostie #fred spooker #spooker soup

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sybilius · 1 year

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You guys ready for a SYB PROJECT??? Well I was apparently. So the window screen in my husband's room was straight up out, has been since we started renting here. This wasn't a huge problem until we started wanting to open the window and yonder Cat realized he could launch himself into the frame and attempt to jail break onto the grape arbor.

So uh, no opening the window unless we can solve the cat problem.

I honestly thought this project was going to be a lot harder than it was -- emotionally I started this at "well I'll just glue it to the outside of the window frame if I have to I guess" (it would be. On brand for some of the existing repair jobs in this house).

But it turns out to be doable, so doable that they sell a 20$ kit for it. Okay, I'm sold!

The basic principle is the screen is held in place by jamming a vinyl tube called a spline into a groove that sandwiches the chunk of window fabric in place.

I would rate this as "not too bad, just pretty tedious to do it right" . If you've built IKEA furniture and operated a sewing machine you can definitely do this. The closest related project I have also done is stretching canvas.

The steps basically go:

- remove the frame from the window (easy ish since there's no screen in there, so I can't make it worse)

- scrape the old window spline out with a screwdriver and give the frame a little wash

- tape down the frame and cut the screen ~3-4cm bigger than where it will sit in the spline (seam allowance!)

- using a screwdriver and a spline roller (that little pizza roller, it helps press down the spline) attach the screen with allowance to two adjacent sides (forms one corner). Online instructions make it seem like you can just use the spline roller -- I didn't find success with that since over-rolling would fray the screen. What does work is painstakingly starting the splining with a screwdriver and THEN spline rolling it down.

- tape down all of the opposing sides to keep the tension. Tug well against the spline -- ideally this is how the screen is gonna sit.

- pulling up the tape a little bit at a time, spline the other two sides. This is a lot like taking out pins as you sew something. Check the tension periodically.

- rip off all the tape and use a box-cutter to snip off the excess screen. Sooooo satisfying easily the best part of the project.

- re-house the screen. This was the hardest part cause I can't reach through anymore 😭 I actually had to use the fact that we live on a first floor apartment and get up on a ladder to reach the other side. there was one sin hidden here where I wasn't able to get my screwdriver around the edge of the frame and just sort of partially screwed something in. But I think it's pretty secure so that's a sin for the next person to see this project.

If you've read all this, thank you! Happy pride, go forth and do boldly with the thought "I'm gay how hard could it be?"

#my projects #personal

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justynw123 · 2 years

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Within America, we live in a culture that promotes capitalistic ideas which mainly focus on consumers purchasing items to grow the economy. Within America the norm across society is to spend hard earned money earned at proletariat jobs on products. Most Americans focus on living outside of their financial means to impress their financial peers. While Americans at the bottom of the financial ladders spend money on products the bourgeoisie at the top benefit. The bourgeoisie continuously place products within American society to keep the Proletariat poor and purchasing.

I myself have been a constant supporter of consumer culture, having used my agency to purchase multiple items. Shoes, custom denim and gaming systems have become a large part of my expenses not necessarily to keep up with others but to entertain myself. My most expensive items consist of my collection of dunks and Jordans, some pairs costing $500 and some $200. my most practical and necessary item is my sewing machine. I create my own clothing from scratch I have created a customs business known as @warm___bodies on Instagram. The sewing machine allows for me to create funds to support myself.

Though I wanna various items I attempt to practice a minimalistic lifestyle symbolically speaking. Being that I constantly work on projects and cut hair as an on campus Barber I do not like to have clutter or unnecessary items around. Within my personal space I like for each item to have a specific purpose and meaning. Everything within my room has a purpose and is used to grow my business and my focus towards my crafting skills. Taking from Japanese philosophies of minimalism I also attempt to fold and compactly place my items properly within my space.

Quality of life is important though wants aren’t a responsible for practical decision at times purchases such as a PlayStation five and flatscreen TV can make life quite entertaining. The value of allowing yourself to enjoy life and enjoy the better things in life especially as a minority is essential. A lot of older Black people believe that we have to constantly struggle and attain the Bare Necessities in order to live the right and God-fearing way. Yet the younger generation is starting to find out that you can enjoy the finer delicacies of life while also being responsible and doing what’s necessary to succeed.

The least expensive item that I own that perhaps has the greatest value is a three dollar pack of pins for the purpose of holding fabric in place. When I’m working on expensive denims, reworking Carhartt pants, tailoring suits, ball dresses and so on the needles are the essential part of my process. If not for these small pins my work would be unprofessional and unworthy of selling at a respectable price.

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allisonreader · 2 years

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A breakdown of different sewing machine brands from my perspective; an incomplete and biased list.

I am not going to go into Singer here, as I think I’ve already made my sentiments clear about the brand. Though, who knows, maybe I’ll feel the need to rant about the cheapness and low warranty on them. Because they have terrible warranty and I just cannot suggest that you buy one. We see too many that come in for repair and it just isn’t worth the amount you pay for it.

Though sewing machines are like cars, their prices depreciate with time.

(Also, I’m not going to mention any prices because they won’t be accurate outside of where I live which is Canada. And sale prices can and do vary by store. Depending on what kind of deals each place gets from the companies.)

Though since I started with the mention of Singer, I’ll go into Husqvarna and Pfaff next. All three brands are apart of the same company (SVP) which merged/was bought in the late 1990′s/early 2000′s. This is what caused the most problems among the brands, was this grand reshuffling.

Husqvarna/Viking is the newest of our main brands that we carry at my work. As such I don’t know as much about them as I do about the other brands. I can’t claim to know the older machines as well, since we’ve only been servicing them since we started selling them. They are decent machines. Not among my favourites. I find that their computerized interfaces are a bit cumbersome to navigate, depending on the machine. The high ends are a little bit better than the low to mid range. That’s mostly because on the high end machines they’re touch screen and a little more direct to get to you different stitches and settings. They do have some fun decorative stitches on their machines. Though the embroidery machines I do have a bit of an issue with. The stitch quality can be hit as miss at times and in general isn’t as nice as other brands. The biggest problem I have with their embroidery machines though, is how loud they are. When embroidering the machines make an absolute racket. They sound like a galloping horse. Which might be a slight exaggeration, but only just. It is not a machine you want to listen to if you’re sensitive to sound at all, like I tend to be.

It is something that is shared with the Pfaff embroidery machines. Though I do find that in general the Pfaff embroidery machines tend to have better stitch quality in embroidery, less difficulties. I also find their computerized machines in the low to mid range are easier to navigate then the Husqvarna. Though I also do have a clear bias to Pfaff because it is the brand I have used the most and have learned to sew on. Almost all modern Pfaff have a built in walking foot which they call an IDT (integrated duel feed). Which works with the feed dogs of the machine to help keep fabric from shifting. Which is an extremely nice feature to have when it’s not a clunky accessory. I feel like I should have so much more to say about Pfaff, as it’s the brand of machine that I do my alterations on at work, and I do love it and the creative stitches they have on their higher end machines, but I’m just kind of blanking. Oh, one nice thing about Pfaff is that all their presser feet; for the most part, fit almost all of their machines the same, which is more than I can say for some brands (cough, Janome, cough). Though Pfaff (and Bernina) have too many different styles of bobbins. Which is annoying. So depending on the machine, if you up grade, you might have to change bobbin styles. As Pfaff currently has four different bobbin styles.

Janome. Boy do I have a beef with Janome. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with their machines. They’re fine, but they’re very much geared towards quilters (which I am not). I have found their machines over priced for the features that they have (for many years already in comparison to other brands). Though some of that; on some of their machines, could be made up for with the accessories that their machines come with. Part of my dislike/near distain for Janome does not come from them machines themselves, but the fact that customer service from the company can be A STRUGGLE at times. They’re just not my favourite company to work with and dealing with warranty issues with them, can sometimes be like pulling teeth. Not to say that there aren’t issues with other companies, there definitely is, but for certain things, Janome makes me want to pull out my hair the most, in general. Anyways, back to their actual machines, before I start ranting about the company again. Honestly, their machines can be fairly easy to use. Especially their embroidery machines. They have symbols that are easy to understand. Which makes them a bit easier to use than a Pfaff, Husqvarna, or Bernina. All which take a bit more thought to use (particularly the Bernina.) I’m also not a fan that their newest top end machines are flat beds and don’t have free arms. I mean, you don’t absolutely need a free arm, but they do make certain sewing projects easier. (Again, coming from someone who mostly sews garments and mending garments.) They’re not bad for noise, as they certainly aren’t as loud/clackety as the Pfaff and Husqvarna. They also don’t have as fun of stitches as the Pfaff and Husqvarna. Which for most people isn’t that big of a deal, but I like the fun, extra wide stitches that you can get on other machines. I’m not even going to talk about Janome's marketing, where they have machines that you can only get online or in certain countries, which is frustrating to deal with at times. Anyway, the take away you should get from Janome is that they are a good quality sewing machine that will last you well, but has questionable warranty issues when they pop up on the rare occasion. The machines are reliable, if a bit plain and pricey at times for what you’re getting. I could go into more, but I won’t.

Baby Lock, my beloved. (Baby Lock is their own brand, not under an umbrella of another.) Definitely among my favourite brands. They have some of the quietest machines. Have some of the best needle threaders, do some of the nicest buttonholes and lettering, AND personally, has some of the best warranty service (speaking from experience). Again, a bit biased as I OWN a Baby Lock sewing and embroidery machine. I also find that they are among the easiest to use. All their symbols make sense for the most part. Their layout on the machine’s screens makes sense and it gives some of the easiest and most built in editing options for embroidery. Even on the entry level embroidery machines they give you a level of control that you don’t get on most other brands. Basically, if you know how to work a computer, you’ll easily be able to work a computerized Baby Lock. Though they’re not generally the most heavy duty machine out there. Brother also comes out of the same factory as them, so they’re very similar at times, though I really can’t say much about Brother machines as I don’t typically deal with them. Baby Lock also has some of the best sergers. They are the company that first came out with a domestic serger. Their sergers are among the easiest to thread. Because if you know anything about sergers, it’s that those loopers can be a struggle to thread, particularly the lower looper. Baby Lock has two ways of dealing with that. The first is on their most basic serger where the front of the machine opens all the way up so you can easily get to all the points that you have to thread. On their models up from that, they thread with a puff of air. It’s only been in the last few years since their patten on their air threading tech has been up, so now the other brands have it as well, but Baby Lock is still the nicest.

Bernina is in many ways the most expensive brand. You’re on average going to pay at least twice as much for any additional accessories in comparison to the other brands, and probably three times as much for the bobbins. Service on them is more expensive too, as they are extremely complex machines (the higher end ones). They are the Cadillac of sewing machine brands. They are also the most different in computer layout for their machines, so it takes thinking about maneuvering about the screen a little bit more. Their stitch quality is absolutely wonderful and those machines will handle pretty much all of your thick projects like butter. There truly is a quality of machine that is worth the price, if you’re able to handle the price. Because they are so expensive though; in our store, we only carry a couple of the most popular models. Which we sell a lot of to Hutterites, who do A LOT of sewing, as the mainly make all their own clothes. Otherwise I don’t have much more to say about them. Other than they do have a neat embroidery feature where you can place an embroidery design part way out of the hoop on the screen, and it will only sew the part that is in the hoop.

I’m going to leave this there. I’m sure there’s a bunch more that I could of said, but I wasn’t going to go into specific models of each brand. So there is my fairly long ramble about the different sewing machine brands. Just my personal, very biased opinions on the different brands. Which is highly subjective as (to bring up the car comparison again) a sewing machine is like a car, just because one person likes driving a Volvo, doesn’t mean the next person will. Personal preference is a huge thing with the machines.

#thoughts on sewing machine brands #Baby Lock- Bernina- Husqvarna- Janome- Pfaff- Singer #I sell sewing machines for a living as part of my job

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20dollarlolita · 2 years

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At my job, I sell sewing machines and vacuum cleaners, and I see some things.

So, there's a difference between "selling a thing you made" and "using a machine for commercial purposes."

There's a reason that many warranties on household machines and domestic vacuum cleaners are void if those items are used for commercial purposes.

And that's because there's a huge difference between "this machine was $13,000 and is for home use," and "This machine is $13,000 and is for commercial use."

See, a $13,000 home embroidery and sewing machine is designed to do about 900 different tasks, and to do all of those tasks with about equal frequency. You're going to be paying for your nice touchscreen, the built-in software, the motor and parts, the design, all the ease-of-use, and so on. About once every project, you will be selecting a design, manipulating it with the screen, placing it on the fabric, converting to sewing mode, assembling the body of the garment, and calling it done. When you're completed with that, you're going to start a new project with new materials and a new design.

When you have a $13,000 commercial sewing machine, you are going to be taking one design, and then you are going to do that one design over and over. The desgin and the final seaming of the garment are done on other machines.

A commerical/industrial machine is made to handle that kind of work load. Doing the same thing over and over wears out the machine faster than doing an equal number of different projects. Why? Well, let's put it in context: Let's say that, for the rest of your life, the only cartoon that you can watch is Avatar: The Last Airbender. That's probably doable. It's a good show with some nice variety. Okay, but imagine the only cartoon you can watch for the rest of your life is the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode The Great Divide. How many viewings of that are you going to go through before you give up on watching cartoons forever?

Anyone here familiar with Lemon Laws? Accordion to Wekpidea, Lemon Laws require that an auto manufacturer repurchase a vehicle if it has a significant defect that cannot be repaired in a certain number of days. In my state with 18 thousand miles or 18 months of purchase of a vehicle for consumer use, it's two or more attempts to repair a warranty problem that could result in serious death or injury or being repaired for the same warranty problem four or more times, the vehicle has been out for service over a certain amount of time, and problems are not the result of abuse from the user of the vehicle. If this is the case, the manufacturer must replace the vehicle or refund the purchase price.

So, now that we know the law, let's take a look at how the applies to your sewing machine.

Oh wait, it doesn't, because it's not a car.

But, if it was a car, and let's pretend, if it's your car and you've had it serviced repeatedly for a variety of different problems because you run it 17 hours a day as part of your small business, and you've put 7.5 million stitches on it in the 25 months that you've owned it, wait a second, hey, it still doesn't apply. Wow.

It's a similar thing for vacuum cleaners. Yeah, you vacuum your house every day, good job, thank you. You, your husband, his five roommates, eight dogs, thirteen cats, and a seal that lives in the washing machine do NOT make enough dirt every day to match the dirt that I daily vacuum off my store's 4x7 foot welcome mat. And the dirt that you make is a very different dirt. Pet hair is lightweight and easily gets stopped in certain kinds of filters. A lot of home dust is skin cells that come off as we live. Most commercial dust is dirt that's been tracked in on shoes and clothes, though there is some skin in there. If you're a restaurant, guess what! There's food in there too! It's a very different kind of dust. So, when you bought a $5000 home vacuum and you vacuum your restaurant with it every night, it's not going to last like it was intended to. It's not going to act like a $5000 home vacuum should. If you fill up a vacuum bag every week and most people don't fill up a vacuum bag every month, your machine will last about a quarter as long as most people's. Math.

However, $5000 is enough money to get a commercial vacuum. It won't do as much, but it will vacuum your store, and if they say it'll last ten years, it's designed to last 10 years in that specific environment.

tl;dr I spend a lot of time watching people throw away money on domestic products when they should be using commercial or industrail products. I sometimes spend time with people accusing my store of misconduct or bad practices because they bought something for one purpose, used it for a different purpose, and now it doesn't work anymore. I see a lot of accusations of a bad product based on the time that the machine has been owned, rather than the amount of work the machine has done.

It's disappointing when the world doesn't work like we want it to, but shit's tough sometimes. I can buy the most expensive turkey bacon in the world, cook it in the most expensive pan with the most expensive spices, cook it until it's black, and it will never be vegan. Sometimes things do not do things they are not intended to do, no matter how much money you throw at it.

#today at work

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yatescountyhistorycenter · 2 years

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The Music Man of Main Street

By Jonathan Monfiletto

There is an old saying that goes, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” This saying is so old, it seems, that it is attributed to people, according to my Google search, ranging from Confucius to Mark Twain (and probably Abraham Lincoln). Whoever said it originally and whoever has spread it since then, it seems Warner Bush lived it. Warner Bush chose a job he loved so much, in fact, that he not only never had to work a day in his life but also apparently never retired.

As many people still around Penn Yan and Yates County today remember, Mr. Bush owned Bush’s Music and Radio House on Main Street in the village – a business established in 1905 by his father, Fred, who was a grandson of Dr. Wynans Bush, the notable doctor and abolitionist of Yates County. Mr. Bush apparently worked in the family store from the time it opened when he was 9 years old until he died at age 92 in 1988, except for the time he served in the Army during World War I.

I enjoy choosing old photographs to post on our Facebook page; sometimes I know something about the photo because of the description either on the back or in our database, and sometimes I just choose the photo because it looks interesting. The latter was the case when I found a photo labeled “Warner Bush” on the back and depicting a man, Mr. Bush as I know now, showing off the latest and greatest in 1980 technology – a General Electric television with knobs on the front (though Mr. Bush is holding a thick remote control) and a sign above it reading, “Quartz Precision Electronic Tuning.”

Both the child-of-the-1990s part of me (I was born in 1988) and the old-man part of me (I’ll turn 35 next year) were amused by a photo depicting a state-of-the-art technology of the time that would nowadays be considered an obsolete and defunct relic. So, I shared the photo on our Facebook page and was treated to a multitude of people who commented with their memories of the kindly Mr. Bush and his wondrous store, where they bought records, appliances, and musical instruments.

The point to start talking about Mr. Bush might actually be with his death on March 21, 1988 and the ensuing newspaper coverage (several articles are in our subject files) that called Mr. Bush an institution in Penn Yan as well as a “long-time area musician, minstrel, composer, band leader, and businessman” and even the Music Man of Main Street. Fellow Main Street business owners paid tribute to him and celebrated the life of this colorful character. During his life, Mr. Bush was also featured in the local press when his store marked 70 years in business, when he turned 87 years old, when he turned 90, and elsewhere throughout his time. Each story seemed to add to the living legend of Warner Bush, especially when those who operated stores around his offered such kind words about this kind man.

Born February 21, 1896, Mr. Bush went into the music business when his father opened the store out of the family home at 129 Hamilton St. The elder Bush had started out selling meats from a traveling wagon in Penn Yan but transitioned to selling Edison cylinder records and record players, pianos, and organs as well as Singer sewing machines. The store moved to 132 Main St. sometime around Fred Bush’s death in 1939, and it remained there for the next 50 years. A 1914 graduate of Penn Yan Academy, Mr. Bush began playing music as well as selling it while still in high school and immediately afterward – performing concerts in front of the Yates County Courthouse and on a boat that went from Penn Yan to Hammondsport and back on moonlight excursions. In May 1918, Mr. Bush became Cpl. Bush when he was drafted and sent to basic training; he served with 40th Company, 153rd Depot Brigade and then 3rd Company, Convalescent Center before being discharged a year later. During the war, he was also part of a touring group of 40 Army band members, backing up vaudeville acts and giving concerts in what was a forerunner to USO shows.

Upon his return to Penn Yan and to the family business, Mr. Bush joined the town band, going from Penn Yan to Dresden on the train to perform for the annual Decoration Day festivities. He also formed a five-piece band that became known as the Saxophone Novelty Orchestra, playing the piano and doubling on trombone. Amid personnel changes, Mr. Bush remained with the band for more than 40 years until 1962 and even took over its leadership in the mid-1940s. Elsewhere, music aficionados knew you could “swing and sway with Sammy Kaye,” but in Penn Yan the slogan was, “shove and push with Warner Bush.”

And Mr. Bush didn’t just sell music and perform music; he also wrote music – publishing two marches, “The President Elect March” and “With The Colors,” in 1917. Both of these pieces were on display on the sheet music rack in the store, along with the reported 8,000 records in stock and the first television to receive a signal in Penn Yan at 4 p.m. on June 11, 1948. That television, of course, was a General Electric model; Mr. Bush began selling the first General Electric refrigerators and eventually became the oldest continuous dealer for the company in the United States.

Aside from his music and his appliances, Mr. Bush had a trademark style, of course. A lead in a 1983 newspaper article remarks that he would not have been born like other babies but “must have come complete in a blue, pin-striped suit with sheet music in his hands.” Even in his late 80s and early 90s, he worked each day and arrived shortly before noon, greeting customers and passers-by with a “Hello” and a smile.

#history #historyblog #yatescounty #pennyan #music #warnerbush #sammykaye #generalelectric #museum #archives

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zu-is-here · 3 years

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Hi Zu! Happy Thursday.

Oh yeha! It's forest school, they really encouraged kids to play outside.

The game is like hide and seek, only the seeker is aloud to shout "1 2 3 where are you?" and if you hear them, you have to shout "1 2 3 here I am!"

oh wow, the only safety things they taught us were about online safety and creepy people.

We had to watch a bunch of videos about it. .

Oh how many do yu think you have? .

I never seemed to win anything XD. .

I'd say my favourite memory is when I was in year two. It was one of the 3 times it's ever snowed here.

My mother's car wouldn't start, so we had to walk to school, knowing that we were gonna be really late, I was really scared of getting in trouble because I was young.

When I got to my classroom, there was no one there. We panicked before my teacher runs in and says "oh your here!! Good! Come on we are building a snowman! You are just in time". He is literally the best teacher ever. Seriously, amazing.

Oh yeha! I remember the first time I used a sewing machine, I thought I could do anything.

Though mother liked to tell me stories about how my auntie sewd over her hand once......i was always careful.

Hmmm I used to swim! It's been a long time since I have.

I also used to edit Mlp bases. I was young at the time and it's the first 'art' I ever tried to do.

I also used to collect toys, I adored all kinds of toys, big and small, plastic and cuddly.

It was always good to go to car boot sales.

Have you been to these?

What hobbys did you have before?

Well some of them do, the hall of heads is a hall of fake animal heads. They are all fake, because mother wouldn't get real ones. But she's basically obsessed with them and always looking for new ones.

Oh well greggs isn't strictly a bakery, it's kind of like part bakery, part sandwich shop. It sells things for lunch, like crisps and pastrys and soup, but also cakes and things.

Oh my first job was in a school canteen and a canteen assistant. I had to sell the food and help package the cakes and muffins and things.

What jobs have you had Zu? If any. .

Ah looks like you have my rain now XP, still sounds like a good time!

You know I have a pop up book of the wizard of oz!

It's truly beautiful. .

The far away tree storys are a book from when my mother was a kid. It's basically about these 3 children who find a very very tall tree in the woods and stretches all the way into the clouds. A bunch of magical fairy creatures lived in and on the tree and in the clouds that the tree disappeared into, where portals to other worlds! Birthday Land, the land of take-what-you-want and the land of Dame slapalot.

The food was also amazing too!! .

Pop biscuits, toffee shocks all things I wish were real.

Do you have any fictional foods that you wish were real?

Well we got a Mr whippy like I said! Yummmmmmy.

Caramel is good! I always loved sprinkles and a good old flake! It's the classic!

My friend really likes laughing Jack....... To much scary for me!

Oh! Uh that might take a little for me to type, if you really are interested i can make it a separate ask?

I had a good day today! I was able to see some friends from college. We went to some shops.

First a coffee shop, were I got a salted caramel milkshake, which just tasted of milk and water......... But they made me a new one for free!

Do you like milkshakes Zu? Favourite flavour?

What kind of things do you like at a coffee shop?

We also went to the market where I became obsessed with Grumpy octopuse plushes! I need one soooo bad!!! I don't care if I'm not a child, dam it I want my cute cuddly toys!! XD.

I also got a pick and mix today, with some knock off minnie eggs and vegan sour gummys.

Whats your favourite kind of candy?

How was your day today Zu?

Happy Thursday! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) (and Friday too heh—)

The game sounds interesting but who wins in this case?? (・∀・) As for the safety things videos, I feel you, same here at universities :')

You mean certificates? Ooff about 50 for sure, just look how thicc these double-sided multiformes are :'D

Awww what a nice memory! (ówò) You were really lucky, and it's good it ended well, such a good lesson about not worrying since nothing is fatal <3

Sewing over the hand omg,,, guess it's really scary and for sure hurts a lot (">_<) The worst thing I remember was a sewing machine's needle sticking in the fabric, it hurts mentally :'D

Swimming and editing! *high five* I used to make amv videos, such good times ٩( ᐛ )و Car boot sales look interesting and really comphy heh! Have you take part in such? *^*

Oh this is a terrifying yet truly impressive collection of your mother (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

That sounds sweet literally! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵) Was your first job hard? I had lots of practice (internships) and freelancing (including drawing), it's unstable but has its big advantages so I'm still struggling myself (>3<)

Awww a pop up book! These are great, such a cool technique <3 The concept of yours sounds really interesting with all these functional worlds and food! ☆ For me it was rahat lokum by the snow queen (from The Chronicles of Narnia) since I didn't know this sweet is real when I was small xd

Mmm that's a really good choice! ☆ Laughing Jack tho,,, looks creepy indeed (；ﾞﾟ'ωﾟ')

Sure thing! Let's make it a separate post (*'▽'*)

Oh I'm so glad you had a nice day with your friends! <3 Hope the new salted caramel milkshake tasted much better (*⁰▿⁰*) Is it your favorite milkshake? Mine's banana one <3 also donuts!,,, these are the best ♡ And for you?

Awww grumpy octopus plushies! Like this one? (〃ω〃) As for candies, it's gummy bears, a classic <3 What about you?

The day was nice, thanks! (๑>◡<๑) In preparations for several events,,, ☆

Awww thank you so much! (〃ω〃) You don't have to, I'm really happy to know you liked it ♡ Same for your Hades and Persephone artwork, a truly magnificent one \(//∇//)\☆

UPD:

Ah I got it! Pretty interesting to try :D OHHH that was really impressive for sure! ☆

Thank youuu! Nah, they're mostly useless cause not all certificates are valuable, but they're all priceless to me as a memory <3

Awww did this teacher do something else for you? *3*

Oh building snowmen is a must every winter! ;) Once we've made such a big one we couldn't even reach his head after placing it :'D What about you? Since it's snowing really rare where you are, guess these moments are the most memorable *^*

Awww a plushie unicorn! (〃ω〃) As they say, it's much dearer if it's handmade, same goes to the pop up card, wowie *^*

Those amv-s were made with different anime cuts and some good music or songs so nothing special yet so much work at such age! xd

Lucky you with selling and working tho (ﾟ∀ﾟ)☆

Oh it's okay! Thank you anyway (ówò) *hugs* ♡

Turkish delight, yes! So yummy *^*

I agree! Pink milk sounds much cooler ;D It's hard to choose the favorite kind of donut when there are sooo many different fillings and toppings ♡ And for you?

Awww what a nice idea indeed! This toy would be just right for them <3

These rainbow sour belts tho,,, my tongue hurts when I just think about it XD

Thanks a lot again! Yesss these ones!! Some good stuff right here (´；ω；`)♡

Good night to you too╰(*´︶`*)╯☆

#updated #zu is happy #ask

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recurring-polynya · 4 years

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soul reapers to get paid and their salaries are even quite high! if i remember correctly, lieutenants make around $7k while a captain’s salary is almost triple(nearly $19k)

(cont) that is if my conversion was right, in a JET interview kubo said captains make 2million yen, lieutenants - 700 000yen and an unseated officer - 200 000yen. but then again, i think the living cost in ss is much higher, i remember matsumoto mentioning that clothes in the living world are much cheaper

I have to say this is one of the liveliest discussions on Bleach meta that I have ever participated in on this website. I feel like I can definitively report that is is both fanon consensus and supported by the creator himself that Soul Reapers do, in fact, get paid. For the record, my husband, who started this, conceded days ago and I am sure has not thought about it since.

In any case-- I was very surprised by these numbers, and at first I thought that maybe they were in kan, the fictional currency used in Soul Society, rather than yen. I mean, $19k/year is a terrible salary (for those of you who are not American it is roughly minimum wage). I attempted to figure out the conversion rate between kan and yen once, and at the time, came to the conclusion that kan were worth somewhat more than yen, but I no longer have my scratch pad, so I cannot show my work. Looking at it again, they seem pretty close.

Then, just to get an idea, I googled the salary of a four-star general in the American military, which I thought should be a rough equivalent, and the article I found reported all its numbers in monthly salaries, which I am not used to seeing, but maybe they are more common in other countries. In any case, according to the article I found, the highest salary you can make in the US military is $15,800/month ($189,600/year), which is pretty close to what a Gotei captain makes. I realize that is a lot of money on an absolute scale, but that actually seemed shockingly low to me, in the sense that there have only ever been 246 four-star generals in the history of the U.S., but this is the sort of salary that, say, a C-suite executive might make. A president of even a public university can make 2-5 times this. Now, a career in the military comes with a lot of other perks-- free room and board, free healthcare, etc, but I think this is going to make a much bigger difference to the people in the lower ranks.

The more I thought about it, I do think this tracks, though. Gotei captains are immeasurably valuable and basically impossible to replace. One of the more chilling moments leading up to the Winter War was the part where Hitsugaya is basically like “we don’t know how many Arrancar Aizen has, but if it’s more than 10, we’re screwed” and then it cuts to Hueco Mundo, and Aizen is just surrounded by guys. So, yeah, it honestly makes perfect sense to me that captains are paid a “good living” but it’s insulting compared to the wealth of the nobles that live around them. I don’t usually have a lot of nice things to say about Byakuya, but I do want to emphasize that this has to be chump change for him. This guy definitely works out of a sense of duty, he is not in it for the Benjamins.

The vice-captain salary (~$84k/yr) comes closest to an O-4, which corresponds to a major or a lieutenant colonel, and usually entails about 10 years of service. I guess years count for less when you’re immortal, so I guess that works out. One thing that doesn’t fit is that in another interview, Kubo states that Renji’s sunglasses cost half a year’s salary, but their price is listed in the Bleach Bootleg as 84,700 kan. If a kan is roughly equal to a yen, this is wildly off. I will get back to this later. In WDKALY, there was some mention of vice-captains and captains being given “mansions” to live in (if they chose to). I absolutely cannot accept this fact as canon. I can’t. I mean, there are numerous omake about Hisagi trying to score free food out of Omaeda, yet this man lives in a mansion? And do not tell me he (or Matsumoto or Iba) would pass up living in a mansion if they had the option, even if the commute were an absolute nightmare. Maybe he can’t afford the cost of utilities and furnishings. I don’t know. Please, someone write me a sitcom of Hisagi and Kira living in giant mansions next door to each other, but it’s just like the Bluths living in the sample house in Arrested Development. [Aside: Renji would take the mansion, but he would turn it into an indoor soccer field and continue to sleep in the barracks search your heart you know it’s true]

Back on topic! The unseated officer salary of 200k yen/mo works out to an E-3, which is what an enlisted service member makes after a year. Everyone in the Gotei is considered an officer, and unseating people are awful, so, once again, this seems fine. Well, it seems shitty, tbh, but consistently shitty.

To really answer the question of “is this shitty?” though, we need to consider buying power. Earlier, I mentioned that Gotei service includes free room and board, and that alone is equivalent to a lifetime of wealth for someone from the lower Rukon. I mentioned earlier that I once tried to calculate the exchange rate between kan and yen using a variety of prices for various items. I wish I had kept better notes, because my main takeaway was that prices for things were not very consistent. A copy of the Seireitei Bulletin is 380 kan. Using a straight kan to yen to dollar conversion, that’s $2.80 (I am using 100 yen = $1 because it’s close enough, in case anyone was wondering). Sexy photo books of the captains cost ~$25. The budget of the Shinigami Women’s Association is $2500/year, and the Men’s is $900/year, which is roughly the cost of one pair of sunglasses. I think it must have been the sunglasses that threw me, because I kept trying to peg the cost of a pair of sunglasses to a half year’s salary. The club budgets are just honestly confusing because I have no idea what a calligraphy club budget should look like. It seemed... fine... that a club budget should be equivalent to half a year’s salary? To be honest, I think a kan should be roughly equal to a yen and the sunglasses are just priced too low. (Not a statement I ever thought I would be making).

The comment about clothes being cheaper in the World of the Living makes a lot of sense! Cloth in Soul Society is probably hand-dyed, rather than mass printed, and sewed by hand, rather than by machine. On the other hand, if you wanted goods made in traditional ways, it would be a lot cheaper to get in Soul Society. A chusen-dyed kimono is a luxury good in 2021, because you have to option to order a cheap t-shirt and sweatpants from Amazon. Everyone wears hand-made kimono in Soul Society because that’s what there is, so the price is going to be relatively lower. I do think that cost-of-living jumps sharply inside the walls of the Seireitei, and that it’s very common to do your shopping in the upper districts of Rukongai, where there are lot of highly skilled artisans making goods for the city-dwelling market. I figure that one of the few opportunities for upward mobility, aside from selling your soul to the military is to make enough money to buy your way inside the gates (either through overpriced business licenses, getting a noble patron, or by arranging a marriage to someone who already lives inside)

That being said, I have thought a lot about importing items from the WotL--shinigami usually travel through senkaimon, which do not allow for matter conversion, so they wouldn’t normally be able to bring anything with them. I imagine that it’s sort of a perk of the job that when you go on a mission where you have to go through a matter converter (which would include any time you are bringing a gigai over) you could smuggle back whatever you can fit in your kosode. It’s very strange which technology is adapted from the World of the Living (washing machines, treadmills, urinals) and what isn’t (coffee). In fanfic, it’s common to see shinigami wearing Living World clothing in their off-hours, but I don’t think that’s supported by canon or filler in any way. For my own fanfiction, because it’s fun and world-buildy, I like to pretend that Ichigo is a very popular figure after the Winter War and that World of the Living fashion, music, etc becomes popular, starting during the two-year timeskip, particularly among the younger denizens of the Seireitei, and that there are special bars and such that specialize in that kind of thing. Shinigami who have done extensive stints in the Living World are considered cool for their knowledge of such esoteric subjects as “rice cookers.”

I am done now! I swear! Thank you, everyone for reading all the way down to the bottom of possibly the nerdiest and most boring post I have ever made on this website! (wait, no, I just remembered the one on senkaimon transfer protocols. Second most boring.)

#soul society #bleach worldbuilding #weirdly enough i have just been talking about a number of these topics in my latest chapters of a little in love #i took exactly (1) economics class and it made me a monster

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daydreamed-snippets · 4 years

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The bell above the entryway jingles as someone slips through the door. Looking up from their work, basting a hem in a customer’s pair of trousers, the villain freezes.

In the threshold of their store stands their nemesis’ young sidekick. Dressed in unassuming civilian clothing, they stroll in and begin to poke around the front displays of fitted ensembles, single and double-breasted suits, fine gowns, and the like.

The villain sits there for a minute. Willing themselves to blink, to swallow, or to move their fingers along the soft trouser fabric. Something to start up their heart that stopped dead at the sight.

It is the movement of a stack of neckties, knocked over by the sidekick that did the trick.

Obliging, their heart roars to life, hammering a threatening beat. Adrenaline dumps into their system like a drug as they flip up the presser foot on their industrial sewing machine, and slide their chair back. They flounder for the long metal bar they secured to the underside of their sewing table. Their powers teeming to life, ready to call specific metals they’d hidden throughout the back of the store to come into their waiting hands.

How the hell did their nemesis find this place anyway? This little hole-in-the-wall tailor shop, near the bottoms in Relictus City?

Damn it!

This place is lost now. Their livelihood would likely be burned to cinders in the upcoming crusade. How frustrating, since it took them months to vet a dozen or so locations before choosing this one. Sure that no hero of the Covenant would find it, only to be met with the sidekick’s appearance.

Or was this a joke? Did their nemesis need a hole patched in their super suit? Probably put there by the villain themselves. Their store wasn’t exactly a five-star boutique that most of the heroes preferred. Those were located in the more affluent parts of the city—where the sidekick should be perusing. Not here.

Or maybe this was just karma. The universe’s version of a kick in the teeth. Of punishing them for getting too complacent in this place. Of becoming too accustomed to working odd hours in the little shop then heading upstairs to the maisonette, their living quarters above. They’d placed their major bases (they had three) far from this location, hoping to avoid this very situation. No cross-contamination. They were smart about it.

Well, it looks like it didn’t work.

The villain tenses, ready for a fight as the sidekick makes their way through the store. Around unopened boxes and half-dressed mannequins. They sidestep a display case and approach the only other customer there who was browsing, trying to kill time while they waited on that hem. Rocking back on their heels, the sidekick smiled impishly. “Hey? Do you work here?”

Barely looking up from the rows of tabled dress shirts, the customer shakes their head and gestures towards the back of the store.

Fuck.

A power core they hid in the cabinetry near the cash register silently darts into the villain’s hand. They hold it behind their back, trying to stay out of sight until the last moment. This may get messy. And the civilian; their customer….

They glance over at them. Unassuming and pathetically ordinary. The villain supposes they would become an unavoidable casualty in this skirmish. Especially once their nemesis barges through the door, leveling the place.

Or maybe they could avoid bloodshed. That would be best given that they were probably outnumbered. Scores of Covenant guards and other lesser heroes waiting to pounce just outside of the large bay windows.

The villain takes a step back, hoping such a move wouldn’t draw any attention to themselves. Twelve steps in retreat would take them to the stairs that led to their apartment. If they could only make it…

“I know you’re there,” came the youthful voice. The villain startles, choosing to remain rooted to their spot. They would take their last stand here. The sidekick squeezes between stacks of boxes the villain has yet to unload and comes to the kiosk cash register. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

The villain swallowed, wondering if the kid was wearing a wire. If their nemesis could hear this interaction. If they were loving this ambush. “You’ve disguised this place pretty well. It was really hard to find. But the jig is up. I’m here.”

Even in the loose sweatshirt, beanie and jeans, the sidekick strikes a pose. Chest out, hands on their hips and a wry smile pulling at the corners of their mouth.

The villain let out a steadying breath and flips on the power core. It swells to life with a low hum.

“I see that,” they say, on edge. Ready to strike.

“You’re going to be grateful that it was me, and not someone else. You’ll see that I’m the only one fit for the job.”

“Excuse me?”

The sidekick let out an exasperated sigh. “Sorry. I’m really trying hard to sell myself. That’s what her—I mean, my friend told me to do.”

“...What?”

“You put the ‘help wanted’ ad online? Plus you have a sign out front. I’m here to apply.” They presented the actual sign, holding it up proudly. “I’m here for the job.”

“Ah…,” the villain scrambled to recover. “Do you have any prior experience?”

“Well, no,” they said, shuffling their feet. They place the sign on the kiosk before shoving their hands in the pocket of their sweatshirt. They look hopeful. “But I’m a quick learner.”

What. The. Hell?

“I need an experienced tailor,” the villain said, playing the part. Looking above the sidekick’s head, to the street outside their window. Where was their nemesis? What the hell is this? “I’ve been getting a lot of business lately, and I find myself a bit overwhelmed.”

“Ok, so I can’t sew,” the sidekick starts, “but I can do anything else you need me to. I can sweep, and dust. I can answer phones. I can manage your online store. I’m good with computers. Social media is practically my playground.” They catch the doubtful look on the villain’s face. “Oh, please! It would give you more time to, you know, sew and whatever else you do. I can start as an intern. For a week. No pay. If you don’t like me then you can yeet me out the door. Promise.”

“Ok…” This was an unusual tactic, but maybe their nemesis banked on the hope that the villain wouldn’t recognize them. Stil… they needed more information. Or at least time to figure out what was going on. “Why do you want to work here?”

The sidekick hesitates. “I need to get away...from where I’m at.” They look up at the villain reading their concerned expression. “Oh, no! It’s not like that. I’m not running away. I just want a… vacation.”

“You want a vacation doing menial work?”

“I want to get away. And to make some money while I do it. You know. To have an emergency fund. Just in case.” They shuffled their feet. “So do I got the job or not. I have six other places to go to before it gets dark. Maybe they’ll hire me if you don’t.”

Interesting. Very interesting. Especially if what the kid says is true that their nemesis doesn’t know that their sidekick is here at all, begging for a job. This could play in their favor. It would be risky. A big risk. On one hand, their nemesis could be playing the long game. Drawing this farce out. Goading the villain into revealing their associates. Base locations. Possible details of their plans. But if their nemesis had no idea the sidekick was here...

“Do your parents know you’re here?” the villain tentatively tries.

“I don’t live with my parents. But my legal guardian said I could do whatever I wanted with my free time. So, here I am.”

The villain holds their hand out for the crumpled piece of paper tucked in the sidekick’s front pocket. Their resume, the villain assumes and assumes correctly. The sidekick hands it over and they skim its contents.

Member of the Sidekick Foundation, though it doesn’t say in what capacity. So if the villain was truly clueless, they wouldn’t know if the sidekick was truly a sidekick or just as a full-time student. Their legal guardian is the superhero Fission. Only it doesn’t say that. No, the sidekick has put down Fission’s real name. And their real name. Their age—sixteen years old—and their skills.

Gods, this kid’s naivety was sickening. On this paper alone, the villain had more than what they could garnish from three months of reconnaissance. Names. Place of residence. Contact information.

“The store opens at 8 am,” the villain instructed, ignoring the sidekick’s delighted face. “Be here at seven. You can start by opening up these boxes, and putting the clothing on hangers. You’ll have to answer the phone if it rings while you’re doing this. Then the shop needs a good dusting and the bathroom in the back needs attention. You will get an hour lunch break, and the day ends at 4 pm.” The villain looked them up and down. “And try to wear something nicer than a sweatshirt.”

The sidekick breaks into a grin, thanks them profusely, and practically sprints out the door.

The villain hopes they won’t regret this.

#not a prompt #writing #short story #my wriring #villain #sidekick #tailor villain #superhero #superhero fission #hero #Heroes of Covenant #Relictus City #Sidekick Foundation

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bearbaitmegs · 3 years

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I know I don’t have a lot of active followers here, but I’ve been going though some major changes in my life recently (both good and/or disorienting), and one of the things I am aiming to achieve with that is to reestablish myself online in some small way. Just casually, socially. I used to enjoy interacting and making friends online and some of my oldest friends remain people that I met through the web.

I hope these sporadic personal posts don’t bother you.

I think part of these changes that I’m aspiring to involve getting into the habit of simply posting more. I honestly am unsure of where to migrate to online outside of Tumblr. I’ve ditched Facebook except to check on businesses I’m planning on visiting and occasionally to sell something. I’m only on Snapchat and Instagram to follow one person. I haven’t logged into DeviantArt in almost 10 years. Yahoo 360 is long gone. Adjusting to Discord has been a slow and lurking process because it reminds me of some particularly haunting memories and it lacks most topics I’d be interested in (publicly, at least). Twitter never fit right. I refuse to engage with people on Ao3 or ffn because I’m very hesitant to engage with people who has the same media interests as I do because I’ve had far too much fandom-related trauma and drama and I still have trouble forming friend groups despite 9 years of distance

My brother has an undiagnosed and untreated personality disorder and it has often felt like his drama has been my defining feature for almost 2 years. I have gotten tired of carrying his monkey into all of my relationships and conversations, especially when trying to make new ones. I wish I had custody of my nephew because he and his ex are both sucky and neglectful, but all I can do is wait until the kid turns 18 or asks about emancipation. My brother deliberately seeks out relationships that renew and reinforce his past traumas in order to legitimize his unwillingness to move on and I hold him at least partially responsible for our parents’ decline in emotional, financial, and physical health. I recently opted to go for No Contact/Very Low Contact with him and it’s been freeing and refreshing and I feel immensely happier and more motivated.

I frequently feel like I don’t have anything worth saying or cannot really think of anything to say. It’s a work in progress. I have always carried a sense of awkwardness and that continues to persist into my 30s, despite the fact that I generally consider myself a confident person. I’ve been in a romantic relationship for 5 years and it fulfills 95% of my social and emotional needs, which... I think has led to leaving many of my other relationships to pasture.

Instinctively, I want to reach out and rectify all of these relationships all at once. Of course, it doesn’t work that way, and in trying to pace myself I find I often procrastinate. I set myself a goal of reaching out to a friend per week, but it’s more like one every two weeks. I know some of us will pick up where we left off like we’ve never been apart. Some of my friends will have moved on and our re-connection will separate again because we’re just different now and I’m honestly not bothered by that. It’s normal. I just hesitate because I don’t know where to start even though the script should be so easy. I feel annoying and needy. “Hey, I hope you’re well! I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. I was thinking of you today every day.” Ugh.

I’m pretty financially, mentally, and physically stable and have been for a while. I like my job and I’m paid very well! I like me! I like my hobbies and my apartment! I’ve worked very hard to get here and there’s really only a few key things I want to improve upon.

But somehow I feel like I’m rediscovering myself again. Like I was shut out of something and didn’t even realize there was a door. I’ve missed something. I’m naturally comfortable alone and tend to be willfully obtuse about things that don’t involve me only to get startled by them later.

I moved back to my hometown 2 years ago in order to introduce my partner to my family and be around for some major family events. It was supposed to be a 4 month summer visit. The family drama just never stopped and I’m just...still here. I can’t wait to leave, but I also don’t resent my hometown as much as I did when I left. It’s changing immensely, but so am I. I definitely won’t be able to afford to stay.

I had a patio garden over the summer and, while we hardly got our money’s worth out of it, it was pretty and tasty and fulfilling. A few of the plants are overwintering with us.

I still haven’t lived somewhere that allows me a pet, but I keep saving stray cats.

I have way more fabric than I know what to do with from old clothes and dead ideas, but I finally tuned up my sewing machine and bought a set of sewing machine feet and I have lots of plans and ideas that I just need to sit down and actually execute. Especially embroidery.

I finally spent the damn $70 on an old school drawing tablet and took the time to download some free art programs. A modern tablet is still too much to budget for and a mouse and MS Paint is not enough. I do not know why it took me 10 freaking years when I’ve spent far more money on far less desirable luxuries.

I am hoping to find a decent enough mountain bike at a manageable price to do a long-distance cycling trip next year. If I don’t, I’ll divert to hiking a long-distance trail. I’ve never stopped craving spending weeks and weeks out in the woods with an overstuffed backpack since my first trek in 2016. I’m willing to go out of my way and budget hard to make it a reality on an annual basis.

I’m slowly picking away at my original story, JatGSL, a 10+ year Work In Progress, and I finally have a setting and characters that I feel good about and have a lot of fun imagining. I’m afraid to say much about it. It has dying androids and mushrooms and mythology and domesticated seals and braille and it takes place on a melted Antarctica. But my writing is a muscle long neglected and I don’t know if I’ll ever really get it back.

I sometimes think about moving some of my old fanfics over to Ao3 so they won’t be lost, but my old penname carries weight I’d rather not pick up and I don’t want to add anything else to JKR’s legacy and some of the things I wrote when I was 17-22 have aged pretty poorly. So, I hesitate and debate and do nothing.

I keep having simple, but neat ideas that nobody out in the market seems to be doing/making, but I lack the connections and knowledge to do anything with them.

My romantic partner is an amazingly perfect fit. Absolutely well-fitting, in-sync, mind-blowingly complementary in every way. I increasingly worry it might not last because my partner has 1 (ONE) key issue that I just can’t live with long term and if they can’t figure out a healthy way to cope I don’t know if I can go another 5 years dealing with it. I grew up with it. I won’t live with it.

It often feels odd to talk about myself (even here. even now) because I feel so much happier than I seem to be describing myself.

#megii's commentary #this is more a ramble than anything else

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dreaming-gamer · 4 years

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Eyy! Now, I have a proper V HC request, hihi!😍😍😍❤❤❤🙈🙈🙈 The gang ( include anyone you want ) introducing V to his very first cosplay convention!😍😍😍❤❤❤ I'll patiently wait, my dear. I love your V HCs so much😍😍😍❤❤❤

Hello dear! <3<3<3 Thank you so much for liking my headcanons and the request! :D :D :D I’m sorry this one took so long, I should have posted this one much earlier but better late than never? *sweats*

In any case, here we go! <3<3<3

Random headcanon: Cosplay convention

Nico:

Nico is the first one to jump at the idea when she finds out V has never been to a cosplay convention. She loves those because people just let their creativity flow and she is among them. Creating an impressive cosplay that lets her display her genius, oh that’s right up her alley.

Of course the work on the van and Nero’s Devil Breakers go first, but the Queen of Machines can juggle that and more if needs be. If she’s going to a convention, you can bet she’s going to show off something that’s flashy and functional.

She’s all for helping the others find something they want to dress up in as well, they don’t even have to take something as spectacular as she does, if they don’t want to. If they do, she’s all for helping them with something on the more mechanical style as sewing and fabrics aren’t her thing.

Honestly, she just wants her friends to come along, try the event out. If someone really doesn’t want to dress up, she won’t push the suggestion too much but if she can work on them for a bit, they might open up to it. She’s the one to convince V to come along, claiming she can find just the right character for him.

Though Nico is able and considered fixing a workable Gundam costume (complete with rockets and guns, could it get better?!), she ultimately chose Mei Hatsume from My Hero Academia as her own cosplay character because let’s face it, it would let her show off more of her creations.

The costume itself she found online, cheap and the inventions are the important part, so that’s all good for her. A prototype is customized to function as a flying skateboard for anyone who wants to try, an Overture is remodeled to set off (harmless) fireworks rather than demon-killing sparks, a Dr Faust replica with built-in video and audio to teach you Michael Jackson moves on the go, she brings an array of different inventions and many are a success with younger audiences.

Nero (& Kyrie):

Nero’s never been to a cosplay convention, he’s just as new to them as V is. As a kid, he wanted to dress up and go to gatherings like that because it looked fun and hopefully no one would look at him funny, as they did in the Order.

Now that he feels more secure in his own skin, having come to terms with his heritage and how he can use it to protect his family, Nero doesn’t feel the immediate need to dress up for the convention but when Kyrie mentions it might be fun, he falls for the suggestion.

Whenever the orphans’ clothes get holes, Kyrie fixes them with her sewing but she is uncertain she has the skills and the time to fix herself and Nero matching outfits in time for the convention, when they have both decided they’ll go. And Nico has convinced them that they’ll have the most fun if they dress up.

Nero is supportive, he’s fine with whichever costume Kyrie wants to do, he doesn’t push and he’s fine with just going as they are as well if it spares Kyrie some trouble, but the kids are very insistent. And Kyrie sometimes has a hard time saying no to them.

Knowing it’s one of Kyrie’s favorite Disney movies, Nero suggests Beauty and the Beast for the two of them. Kyrie wants Nero to have fun and get the whole experience by dressing up, but at first, she is a little bit hesitant about his suggestion. She never wants Nero to feel like she doubts him or his humanity ever again.

They have been through a lot and so, they just talk it out, ending the discussion with soft whispers of love and care and in agreement over their choice.

As for their costumes, they don’t buy anything new. They check their closets for anything unused or something that can just be adjusted. In their eyes, the details don’t have to be perfect as long as they are both having fun. Kyrie also has a field day trying to put make-up on Nero’s face for the Beast look. Honestly, she does a good job. And the clothes she adjusted for Nero’s blue Beast attire, as well as her own blue and white dress for Belle, look great and she feels proud over her work.

At the convention, Nero will make sure to keep an eye on her, make sure she won’t be dehydrated or stay on her feet for too long in queues. It’s mostly unexplored ground for both of them, but they have a lot of fun just people-watching and following the three orphans under their care around, as the boys point out characters that they know everywhere. If the boys don’t recognize someone, they’ll run right up and ask.

Their camera roll is full of pictures of other cosplayers and the kids posing at the end of the day. And Nico snuck in a few pictures of Nero and Kyrie as well.

Dante:

It’s a party, Dante’s interested, enough said. He doesn’t mind grabbing the most ridiculous outfits if it gives him the love of the crowd. At a convention, people of all ages gather so it will be some simple, awesome fun.

As for him choosing a cosplay, the Dr. Faust hat has made him realize he rocks wearing a hat so he initially thought of cosplaying Alucard from Hellsing but after realizing V would cosplay another Alucard, he switched gears. Actually, Dante might just prefer cosplaying a character that likes having fun, just like he does.

By coincidence, he found Vash the Stampede from Trigun and though there is no hat involved, hey, the guy rocks red just as well as Dante does and he uses guns. Does Dante know anything about the character? Not really but that doesn’t stop him from rocking it. Plus, Dante already has red clothes, it’s just a matter of going into character because adjusting those clothes, he knows not how to do.

At said convention, he instantly clicks with a Deadpool cosplayer and they dance to Michael Jackson songs. They also photobomb some cosplay shoots, all in good fun. He lives for the spirit of people just having fun and humans just being humans, gathering thanks to a common interest.

Dante is the type who comes to a convention with several outfits. Or at least he would, if he had enough money for it. Since most of his paycheck goes to keeping the gas, water and electricity at Devil May Cry running, he resorts to simple, but effective ways to show off character, both his own and from other series.

When the idea of going to a cosplay convention is first introduced to him, along with what it actually entails, he’s a bit skeptical. Nico telling him that there will be a ton of people doesn’t really sell him on it as he’s not that fond of crowds. But hearing that many will dress up as characters from stories they enjoy catches his attention. If he agrees to go, maybe he should be sure to make the most of it. And when Nico notices that shift in his demeanor, she keeps pushing him to join, juuust a bit.

For V, cosplay sounds like a way to show appreciation for characters and the stories they star in. Being the big fan of literature and poetry that he is, this aspect of the event does trigger his interest but when Nico gives him the idea to try out cosplay himself, she suggests that he shouldn’t go with cosplaying William Blake. Griffon laughs out loud at the mere idea but his suggestion of V cosplaying as a Disney princess (the orphans under Nero’s and Kyrie’s care have tried to show the avian various Disney movies, further adding to his arsenal of nicknames for V), is equally shot down.

V does want to put some thought and care into who to cosplay, but he also acknowledges his lack of sewing skills and is not too into the thought of buying a costume for himself with his limited funds. Kyrie offers to help but he is hesitant to accept it, seeing how she is trying to make something wearable for both herself, Nero and three little boys.

Ultimately, Nico and surprisingly, Dante become his greatest helpers. The childhood home of the sons of Spardas might have mostly fallen apart, but there are still some of their father’s old black robes in one of the rooms. It needs some adjustments, being too big on V’s lean frame, but the length is pretty spot on.

Nico demonstrates an automatic multi-tool that includes both measuring and sewing capabilities, as well as a laser pointer and a demon alarm that accidentally trips when Griffon is present. V doesn’t ask why she saw the necessity to put all of those functions together, but in the end, two of them are helpful for their situation. And she will show it off at the convention, as part of her genius.

How Dante does it, V doesn’t know, but one day, a long blonde wig is delivered to Devil May Cry, perfect for his decided cosplay. Turns out Dante’s flirt with the lady at the costume shop was helpful.

Ultimately, V feels very satisfied with his appearance as Alucard from Castlevania. The black robes are a different material from his regular leather vest but it’s still in black and thus, he feels right at home in it rather quickly. The long blonde wig takes some more time to adjust to.

What he had not anticipated were people asking to photograph him in this getup but thankfully, V took his time to research his character’s lines and mannerisms. Alucard is a gentleman, so V doesn’t find it very hard at all.

During the convention, Nero and Kyrie have enough on their plate, keeping an eye on the boys, so Nico usually stays close to V. Their chosen media are not anything alike, but that hardly matters. Nico is easily swept up in the excitement of the convention and seeing her makes V think that letting loose once in a while isn’t so bad.

Griffon stars in V’s cosplay as well, dressed up as a bat.

The next day, V will be a bit socially exhausted. Expect him to keep to himself with his book and tea for a good remainder of the day.

#dmc headcanons #my writing #dmc v #dmc nero #dmc kyrie #dmc nico #dmc dante #thedyingmoon

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fieryhcart · 3 years

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✨ candice patton, cisfemale, she/her — whenever i see adelaide “addie” savoy meandering down agnes street growing pains by alessia cara starts to play inside my head. maybe it is the vibe they give off. overalls stained with paint, rustic sewing machines, band-aids and lollipops on her purse at all times ; you know ? artistic impressions is what keeps them interested in agnes. i heard they are a thirty-two year old b&b ower . they look like the kind of person who has it all figured out. // @agnesextra

TW: child neglect, abuse, arson.

‘ello chickens! it is i, g aka the dumb dumb behind alexander, once more bringing you a character nobody asked for but hopefully someone will love? she is my precious baby and i adore her so hopefully, she’ll find a home and a family here with all of you and your amazing characters. without further ado, i’ll introduce you to my baby, addie.

addie was born in peachtree, georgia as adelaide savoy dupont, daughter of a salesman/conman and an atlanta socialité who learned to be a scammer thanks to her husband and taught addie to be one as well from a very young age.

they part of the renown du pont family, so they p much lived like royalty for a good portion of addie’s life, even though her parents were never affectionate towards her and p much only used her whenever they needed something from her because no one suspected the little girl with the ponytails and sweet smile.

theodore michael savoy du pont, addie’s younger brother was born when Adelaide was around nine. their mother lost interest on teddy pretty quickly so addie pretty much raised the kid as well as she could after she turned thirteen and the two formed an unbreakable bond very quickly. the most their parents neglected them, the closer they got.

CHILD NEGLECT TW the worst instance of their parents neglecting both addie and teddy happened right after teddy turned 7. their friends and family found out about how the couple had played them and the savoy family lost all respect within the community, so they quickly started to go in debt with banks and strangers to try to live the life they were so used to. by this time, the matrimony had mostly forgotten their kids to the point where they stopped providing for them unless they needed adelaide for some job, so it was all addie’s responsibility to not only care for her brother but her parents somehow. she started working (an honest job) when she was fifteeen and never truly stopped.

ARSON TW when addie was seventeen, one year from graduating high school her parents made a decision: they needed money to pay off credit debts and alas, they needed to burn down the house the du ponts had bought for them down. when she heard about the plans, addie started to storage as many stuff as she could when she was informed of what was going to happen (was guilt-tripped into staying silent) and the night her parents actually burnt the house down, addie grabbed teddy, everything she had gathered, a car a friend had lend to her and fleed peachtree. the two siblings never look back.

in the next years, the savoy siblings lived in around eight different cities in the usa, where addie would work two, three jobs and sometimes homeschool teddy, since they moved a lot and couldn’t find schools for him.

when addie turned 18, she sued her parents and gained teddy’s custody, becoming his legal guardian and raising him as such, all by herself

the savoy siblings arrived to islesbury in 2015, when addie was 26 and teddy 16 after receiving an inheritance from the du pont. they bought a nice house in town and a bigger manor near the beach in shambles and worked to turn it into ALMOST HEAVEN INN, a b&b addie still manages to this day. she also makes all of her and some of teddy’s clothes (something she had to learn to do after their parents stopped providing for them), paints and sculpts.

when the two arrived to islesbury, addie met someone she completely fell in love with and within a year, the couple was already married (i already submitted the wc to main BUT PLEASE GIVE ME ADDIE’S SPOUSE I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS IN MIND) and raised teddy together for a year, until he started college.

he recently graduated as a vet, still lives with addie and her spouse and is addie’s biggest pride and joy.

most days, addie is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, the kind of girl who smiles at everyone she meets and greets strangers with a smile on the daily. she likes making people around her happy. she thrives when people around her shine.

however, she can be very closed off and go as far as to be very deceitful? I mean, she is sharp, even though people don’t think she is because they write her off as a “southern belle” type, but what most people don’t know is she can be cunning whenever she sets her mind on it, she learned from a very young age how to take advantage of everything she had to get what she had her mind settled on.

the one thing she cares the most about in the world is her brother. the boy is pretty much her own and has been since the day he was born, she would stop at nothing to make sure he is fine and he is happy.

her hobbies include painting and sculpting (which she makes some money off of), gardening (the Atkins sibling’s home is a glorified zen garden by now) and designing (she sometimes uses this skill to make clothes for selling to friends and acquaintances).

loyal to no end, good god. It takes a lot for her to feel comfortable with someone to call them her friend but once she does, she is the most loyal friend. also the mom friend, no matter how close you are. If it’s even a little bit chilly outside and she sees a stranger shivering she WILL give them her sweater, has medicine and candy on her at all times.

she can be quite impetuous and extremely curious to the verge of being noisy, but never in a malicious way, unless you mess with someone she cares about.

whatever you throw her way, she’ll land on her feet.

i’ll post her full bio later but please if anyone wants to plot with my baby, give this a like and i’ll come to you!

#agnesfm.intro

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addiewolfe · 4 years

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Have you seen ADELAIDE 'ADDIE' WOLFE ? This TWENTY-NINE year old is a B&B OWNER who resides in BROOKLYN. SHE has been living in NYC for TWO YEARS, and is known to be RESILIENT and ALLOCENTRIC, but can also be DECEITFUL and TACITURN, if you cross them. People tend to associate them with PAINT-STAINED OVERALLS and OLD AND RUSTY SEWING MACHINES.

tw: child neglect, arson. // @codstarters

hello fellow children, here’s g with yet another character for y’all: soft and nice edition. i am here to introduce you all to my pride and joy, adelaide:

H I S T O R Y

Adelaide Atkins Savoy is the daughter of Edward Atkins, an English salesman/conman and Ann Savoy, a French teacher that came from a (somewhat) noble family.

The Atkins family moved to Peachtree, Georgia from England when Addie was five years old after a business initiated by Edward, her father, went awry with the Savoys. Addie’s grandpa, who probably lost the most out of the business con but loved Addie to no end and wanted her grandkid to have a decent life, decided to fly the Atkin-Savoy family and bought them a wonderful, luxurious home on Addie’s name.

Her childhood was… an odd one, to say the least. Her parents still acted like they were part of the Savoy family while in Georgia (and with the housing/jobs Addie’s grandpa got them, there was no reason to doubt them) so they fit perfectly with Georgia’s finest, they were living a double life of sorts, socialités in debt who schemed their wealthiest friends without them knowing. Her parents promptly got Addie to work alongside them, either as a distraction or as an active asset in their plans and she couldn’t quite deny her skills to them alas, Addie did stuff she wasn’t proud of, illegal stuff she could get away with because no one suspected the little girl with the ponytails.

Edward Michael Atkins Savoy, Addie’s younger brother was born when Adelaide was around eleven. Ann lost interest on Eddie pretty quickly so Addie pretty much raised the kid as well as she could after she turned thirteen. The two formed an unbreakable bond very quickly.

She learned many skills during her time with her parents: pick locking, html, pickpocketing, boxing, sewing (which served the young woman well when her parents decided to stop buying their kids clothes and she started making them for the two of them instead), whatever her parents required of her and whatever she could learn to make sure her brother was well taken care of, she’d learn.

CHILD NEGLECT TW The worst instance of their parents neglecting both Addie and Eddie happened right after Eddie turned five. Their friends found out about how the couple had played them and the Atkins family lost all respect within the community, so they quickly started to go in debt with banks and strangers to try to live the life Ann and Edward were so used to. By this time, the matrimony had mostly forgotten their kids to the point where they stopped providing for them unless they needed Adelaide for some job, so it was all Addie’s responsibility to not only care for her brother but her parents somehow. She started working (an honest job) when she was fourteen and never truly stopped.

ARSON TW when Addie was seventeen, one year from graduating high school Edward and Ann made a decision: they needed money to pay off credit debts and alas, they needed to burn down the house the Savoys had bought for the family because they needed the insurance money. Addie started to storage as many stuff as she could when she was informed of what was going to happen (was guilt-tripped into staying silent) and the night her parents actually burnt the house down, Addie grabbed Eddie, everything she had gathered, a car a friend had lend to her and flee Peachtree, the two siblings didn’t look back. Adelaide didn’t finish High School.

After the two siblings escaped Peachtree, they situated in New Orleans for about a year, where Addie worked around two, three jobs in order to take care of herself and Eddie. No longer after a friend encouraged her to give her testimony (and all the proof she had gathered that backed up the claim that the fire had been premeditated) and she put her parents in jail for arson and child neglect, gaining her brother’s full custody and whatever money was left from the insurance payment.

By Eddie’s request, the two siblings moved to California in 2011 where she met a young musician called Dillon Wolfe. The couple fell in love shortly after. Six years later, they were getting married, Eddie being the person walking Adelaide down the aisle.

The little Wolfe-Atkins family moved to New York in 2018.

After working as a waitress/bartender/cook/whatever she could get to make a living for her and Eddie throughout her life, Addie got a letter from the Savoy family one day with the news that her grandfather had died and had left behind a trust fund for her, enough money for the two siblings to live off comfortably for the rest of their lives. However, the oldest decided to only use enough to buy a nice house for the two of them and to open a modest, lovely b&b, their major source of income and save the rest as the family wasn’t in dire need for money anymore.

She and Eddy don’t really talk about their past a lot, unless any of the parts truly trust the person they tell their story to.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Most days, Addie is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, the kind of girl who smiles at everyone she meets and greets strangers with a smile on the daily. She likes making people around her happy. She thrives when people around her shine.

However, she can be very closed off and go as far as to be very deceitful? I mean, she is sharp, even though people don’t think she is because they write her off as a “southern belle” type, but what most people don’t know is she can be cunning whenever she sets her mind on it, she learned from a very young age how to take advantage of everything she had to get what she had her mind settled on.

The one thing she cares the most about in the world is her brother, Eddie. The boy is pretty much her own and has been since the day he was born, she would stop at nothing to make sure he is fine and he is happy.

Her hobbies include painting and sculpting (which she makes some money off of), gardening (the Atkins sibling’s home is a glorified zen garden by now) and designing (she sometimes uses this skill to make clothes for selling to friends and acquaintances).

Loyal to no end, good god. It takes a lot for her to feel comfortable with someone to call them her friend but once she does, she is the most loyal friend. Also the mom friend, no matter how close you are. If it’s even a little bit chilly outside and she sees a stranger shivering she WILL give them her sweater, has medicine and candy on her at all times.

She can be quite impetuous and extremely curious to the verge of being noisy, but never in a malicious way, unless you mess with someone she cares about.

Whatever you throw her way, she’ll land on her feet.

P L O T S (*will be a wc on main)

Best friend*: Either the best friend who help the Atkins while the lived in Georgia (preferably) or a new friendship they’ve built in the years they’ve been in New york Addie would be nothing without this person. She trusts them more than her own shadow and would kill for them in a heartbeat.

Foreign cousins: Maybe someone seeking vengeance because of what Addie’s father did to the family? Maybe they don’t even know they are related, everyone loves having someone you can tell “well, now i know where the craziness comes from”.

Muse: Whenever she’s stressed or just… inspiration strikes, Addie calls this person to either use them as a model or a canvass. She has every line of their body engraved on her memory and she still finds them fascinating and could spend hours painting them. We can discuss what shape this plot could potentially take.

People she works for: Either her art or the clothes she makes, I’d love to write about any of those.

Friends, enemies, neighbours… just love my baby, she and Eddie will love you back!

Okay, wow, if you made it through… honestly bless you and you deserve a freaking award. if you read this mess and you still wanna plot, hmu or like this post and i’ll come to you!

#codintro #child abuse tw #arson tw #like for plots???

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thewidowstanton · 4 years

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Josie Stone: costumier

Costumier Josie Stone was born in London and lived and worked there most of her life but is now based in Rochester in Kent. She’s been in the business “going back to the Flower Power days of the sixties” in London’s King’s Road, and worked for a lot of up-and-coming pop groups, selling clothes to Tommy Roberts’ Kleptomania in Carnaby Street. She made fashion samples for designers Paddy Campbell and Katherine Cusack, and one Christmas Liberty’s department store had windows showcasing Cusack’s dresses – including one for Diana, Princess of Wales – all of which Josie had made. She also created samples for adverts in the boutique Medusa near Sloane Square.

Later Josie moved into the entertainment industry, making outfits for both the children’s and adults’ Royal Variety Performances, as well as doing TV work for the Des O’Connor Show, the Michael Barrymore Show, the Lesley Garrett and Frank Skinner shows, TFI Friday and for organisations such as Butlins and Bassline Circus. She’s made costumes for shows on cruise ships and for films such as Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, and has made those for Thursford Christmas Spectacular for many years. Even though Thursford always credits her work, her considerable contribution to the industry has largely gone unrecognised.

She is performer Becky [Rebecca] Burford’s mother, and her son-in-law is stunt man Andrew Burford. The Widow’s Liz Arratoon has always regarded costumes as a vital part of any show and was delighted when Josie agreed to chat about her impressive – and lengthy – career.

The Widow Stanton: Have you always loved clothes and fashion? Josie Stone: It was always in me. I was one of these kids that when my mother and father bought me a sewing machine I made all my dolls’ clothes.

Was this skill in your family background? No, my mum was very good at sewing… very good. But no they didn’t do this. My father was a printer. I learnt a lot at school and a lot from my mum. I didn’t go to college; we had lessons at school for making… millinery classes and also sewing classes.

That’s amazing! We had sewing classes at school but we never learnt anything worthwhile. How did you start out actually working in the industry? I left school and went to a couple of places making shirts but that didn’t last long. Then I met up with this guy who had his workroom above Tesco’s in Victoria. He was very keen to start making… it was like Flower Power days but you couldn’t buy shirts and trousers and things like that for the pop groups. Those sort of things just weren’t around. So I went to work with him. It was a rented flat he lived in and we were all working in there making these things. Then he suddenly got this place down King’s Road in Chelsea called The Potato Shop; on the corner in World’s End. At the time Granny Takes a Trip was just down the road from us, with this American car sticking out the window that appeared to crash through on to the step. It was great! I mean good fun, great fun!

Do you design as well as make? No, I don’t design. I get a drawing and that’s it. It depends on who the designer is… sometimes you get ‘I want that at the bottom, I want the skirt to look like that and the top to look like that’.

Can you remember any of the pop groups you worked for? [Laughs] No! You’re talking a lot of years ago, lots of years ago. It was any group that was starting out in that industry and they had nowhere to buy their things. We would buy Indian bedspreads and make them into kaftans, sailors’ trousers, dyeing them all different colours and altering them, and frilly shirts that would be sold to the antique market at the Sloane Square end of the King’s Road, near the town hall. We had one floor in The Potato Shop and there were crazy carryings on downstairs in the basement. We didn’t really know what it was all about but it was a bit naughty. One night we sneaked back into the place and worked all night so this guy could get his order out.

We always hear about the Swinging Sixties… how much fun was it? Oh, King’s Road was lovely. Beautiful, beautiful. It was a wonderful place to be in the sixties with all the Flower Power, then the punks. It was great fun; it was wonderful fun. It was all unknown to me; it was all new and that was the start of me getting into that type of work. My dad worked just off of Carnaby Street and he got us work from Kleptomania, a big, big place where all the pop groups used to go. We’d be making more kaftans and shirts with frills all down the sides and the centre. There still weren’t many shops around that were selling that type of thing. Tommy Roberts would sell to people like Jimi Hendrix and The Who. It was just fun. [Laughs] I was a single girl having great fun going from one place to the next, really.

After that I worked in a boutique called Medusa. I was downstairs making samples all the time. I didn’t used to do much production. Mainly I’d make a sample up and then if they liked it it would go off to wherever, to a factory or somewhere like that to do production. Medusa was a swinging place, it was in a little alleyway off the King’s Road next to Sainsbury’s. I believe it was called Elystan Place. It was an up-and-coming boutique. That was at the time when Zandra Rhodes was big, and those sort of people. One time we made some samples for Apple Records, the Beatles’ label, but it never came to anything.

What was the best part of your life then? I was young and having fun and it was all the unknown. I lived then in Wandsworth Road with my parents, and these were all Chelsea people and they were different, completely different to the life I’d led, and it was just really way out, anything went. It didn’t matter what you wore, anything went. And I loved my job. I’d work any hours because I loved it. I didn’t always like the places, I’d go from job to job, but I did love my work and I then started having my own workroom. I decided I’d work from home. I worked with a friend from my first mother-in-law’s house and we were still doing the kaftans… a guy used to pull up in this black cab that was all painted with psychedelic patterns. It was at Tulse Hill – they were very quiet there – and the neighbours used to look in absolute amazement at everything going on. But we loved it, my mother-in-law loved it and it was good fun.

So, let’s jump ahead, how did the Liberty’s window display come about? I worked for somebody called Katherine Cusack. That was just when Rebecca was born and I was working from home. I think Katherine advertised in The Stage and she wanted to start doing semi-couture work. I’d make her samples and then she’d have a party and invite all these quite wealthy people to her lounge. It was a beautiful Edwardian house in Grafton Square in Clapham Common. Then she managed to get into Liberty’s and that Christmas the whole front had all the dresses that I’d made.

Which of Lady Di’s dresses did you make? It was a beautiful silk velvet in a beautiful deep blue. It had long sleeves and rouleau loops with little buttons all the way down. I think Di went into Liberty’s and bought it. I believe she was photographed wearing it for The Lady. Katherine was over the moon. But it was real pain to make because silk velvet takes its own route. It’s not the easiest of fabrics to work on because it’s so soft. It is beautiful but it’s not easy to make. You’ve go to have the right feed on your machine otherwise when you’re joining the seams up you’ll lose it and it will be longer one end. Josie! That dress was later auctioned for thousands and thousands! £48,000, I believe.

How did you make the move into showbusiness? I moved into that when Rebecca started at Sylvia Young’s. They used to put on shows all the time because it’s a theatre school and I started making costumes. Then I went on to doing the children’s Royal Variety.

Is that how you got on to the adults’ Royal Variety Performance? I’d got into a workroom at Acton doing samples for someone I met on the children’s Royal Variety. Then I went into my own workroom at Acton and I used to help her out. Various different designers got my name and we took on the work. That’s how we gradually started doing all the shows. She didn’t want to go on the shows so I used to go to the studios or anywhere where the work was and I’d fit the costumes and then come back and we’d finish them, but she stayed in the workroom to do whatever needed to be done there.

Can you tell us about any really nice celebs you worked with? Oh God, who haven’t I met? [Laughs] I worked on the Royal Variety for years with a wonderful designer called Linda Martin. That’s years and years so that’s one helluva lot of people I’ve met. Des O’Connor was sweet. He was lovely, lovely, absolutely charming and so was his wife. We used to do a lunchtime show with him. I did that for a lot of years. Michael Barrymore was also lovely. I was really upset when he went off the scene because he was a nice guy.

Does anyone else stand out? There’s very few that weren’t nice. They were all very nice. No one was horrible. I worked on Michael Barrymore’s show at Wimbledon Theatre and there were so many celebs on it that they had to share dressing rooms. This one particular share was with Warren Mitchell and Chris Eubank. And Warren Mitchell didn’t want to share with Chris Eubank at all. At the time Chris Eubank had this electric scooter that he would go all round the corridors on it. I could understand Warren Mitchell not wanting to share with him because he was a bit wild at this point. He’s the only one I can say wasn’t very pleasant, but I think it was because he was unhappy about sharing because he and Chris were complete opposites.

Do you know how many years you’ve done Thursford for? If we go this time, probably 20 years. The designer I work with there is Stephen Adnitt; he was Cilla’s designer. I worked with Linda Martin for 12 or 13 years doing Thursford. I’d never met Stephen, I knew of him, and he asked me to join his team. The designer gets the job and they’ll have a team and usually they keep that same team all the time. I’ve worked with him for eight years.

How many costumes might be involved in its Christmas show? We have to dress everybody at Thursford, even the orchestra. So you have 56 singers, 23 dancers and almost two full orchestras.

So when would you start to plan something like that? We – I work with Rita Best – would start end of May, beginning of June. Our designs would come in before then. We’d measure people and make the costumes and fit them in September. There are probably eight or nine sets of costumes to make. It’s enormous! Enormous. It’s the biggest show I think in Europe. We’d spend three weeks in Norfolk just making sure that it all works on the set; making sure that sequins don’t come off – I mean it’s covered, absolutely covered in sequins – and we’ll be sitting for hours and hours sticking them on. But again, we love it. We’d see the rehearsals and the preview and the day the show starts we’d come home. Our job was done. When I was working for Linda there, I’d be there working late at night. That didn’t happen so much with Stephen. He’d be like: “We’ve got to finish now.”

You mentioned doing millinery at school so do you do headdresses and that sort of thing? No, I would have liked to have done but for Thursford we have a milliner who comes with us; Shirley Davis, who has also been in the business a very long time.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps? Get into a workroom and learn how it goes. Learn how people work because what they learn at college is not how a workroom works. And really to earn any money at it, you’ve got to have a bit of speed on the machine. You can’t hang about. You can’t take a week or two or three weeks to make something. It’s nice if they can get into a workroom and see it first hand. I mean I get my work through various designers that I’ve known over the years or another maker who will ring me up completely out of the blue. Last week I helped someone out on a film. I’ll work on anything that needs a costume. I did Red or Black? at Wembley Arena, a game show developed by Simon Cowell. You could win a £1 million. It was massive. I worked with another designer called Scott Landridge, who did the children’s TV series The Worst Witch, the TV series Mile High and the sitcom Citizen Khan.

Have you had any costume disasters? Not really. [Laughs] I’ve had a lot of late nights or working all night to finish a costume off. You get the occasional broken strap and you have to quickly run down to the stage or on to the set and pin them up, or something doesn’t fit when they arrive. But no major disasters.

Have you been doing anything during the lockdown? Just before the lockdown we had all these shows on cruise ships lined up but that all went. At first I was making scrubs for the hospitals. I did loads of voluntary work for anyone who needed them. Sometimes they gave me the material and sometimes I’d provide it. They were using all kinds of material in the end, even bedspreads. I did that for a while and I also made these little pairs of hearts. They were to send to hospices and hospitals so the patient could have one to hold and the family would have the other one. I made them out of all the material I have here. I also did masks, but I’m not doing so many now.

Do you ever think about retiring? No! [Laughs] I love what I do. But the work will get less and less and that will be it. I mean we’ve had hardly anything this year. We did a few bits for Butlins and a big Dame’s costume, which I don’t think ever got used because that show was cut.

Can you pick out a few career highlights? I loved working on the Royal Variety at the Royal Albert Hall. I loved doing it in there. I did that quite a few times. Beautiful, beautiful. It’s a beautiful building and it’s just lovely to work in. If you look back at all the names that have been on the Royal and I did it for more than twenty years, there are a hell of a lot of names I’ve met. And that was quite fun.

Josie is hoping that Thursford Christmas Spectacular in Thursford, Norfolk will go ahead this year. If so, it will run from 9 November – 23 December 2021 at 2pm and 7pm.

In the meantime she can be contacted on 07956 832261 for commissions.

For Thursford tickets click here

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#josie stone #costumier #kleptomania #tommy roberts #swinging sixties #king's road #granny takes a trip #thursford christmas spectacular #royal variety performance #Becky Burford #andrew burford #diana princess of wales #Katherine Cusack #Scott Landridge #shirley davis #linda martin #rita best #stephen adnitt

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