#I’m trying to build up my Work Wardrobe and I’ve decided my aesthetic will be ‘strange elementary school teacher’

[marxisthozier]

folks is $54 for 2 skirts on depop too much

[billionairebabes]

Trophy Wife Aesthetics for Black Women

“Hi! What do you think are the non-negotiables of being a trophy wife? Aesthetically. For black women. I think white women have a different level up journey.”

I was asked this question in a chat but I wrote so much information that I figured I should share my response with you all as well. I’ll try to make this as concise as possible. 

I’ll start by saying that aesthetically, Black women have to be more than cute. White women are considered beautiful just for being white, we don’t get that privilege, you know? However, being beautiful isn’t the end all be all. There are plenty of black trophy wives that aren’t naturally “beautiful” but they present well. Presentation is everything kind of like food. It may taste great but you may not even want to touch it if it’s presented poorly. 

Here are my personal non-negotiables: 

1. Keep your hair done. This doesn’t mean keep your hair in a weave or wig 24/7. You can be natural too. One of the more affluent men I dated actually preferred my natural hair over wigs. But make sure it’s well taken care of, always. Deep condition, moisturize, detangle etc. Use clips in if you need the extra volume. If you’re going to do weaves and wigs, make sure your closure is “undetectable”. Keep flyaways in order with an oil or mousse. Carry a brush and comb with everywhere to touch up every now and then but not in front of him if possible.

2. Your skin has to be pretty taken care of as well. If you’re his wife, you’re going to be waking up to him every morning. I don’t believe in waking up earlier than my man to put on light makeup and stuff. Men aren’t even worth that lol. But DO try to achieve great skin so that you still are pretty when you wake up. Doesn’t have to be perfect. Many people don’t have perfect skin. But make sure you’re washing, toning, moisturizing blah blah. I’m starting to follow the 10-step Korean skincare routine. It’s on my blog If you guys want to check it out. I’ve been investing a significant amount of time in learning what acids do what and how they can address my specific concerns. Good skin overall just makes you look wealthier too. So on “no-makeup” days, you can just do eyebrows, and lipgloss and mascara if you don’t have lash extensions and still look put together. Affluent men tend to enjoy outdoor activities, there will be times when you don’t wanna be in a full face but you can if you want to. The same goes for skin on the rest of your body as well. I shower about two times a day so I moisturize my body two times a day. To moisturize I use a mixture of oils, shea butter and regular lotion. I moisturize my hands every time I wash them too. Once or twice a week, I do a full-body exfoliation. I have a dry brush that I use and occasionally, I opt for a scrub instead. 

3. Take care of your teeth - Straight white teeth against melanated skin is >>>>. Plus it makes you look prettier, more put together, and of course, wealthier. Straightening teeth is expensive but a worthy investment. If you can’t straighten now, just whiten and take good care of your teeth in the meanwhile. Brush twice daily, floss daily, and whiten throughout the week. 

4. Keep your nails done. Can’t be too long or else we’re considered “ghetto” I usually go about medium length but a lot of blogs will suggest short. My man loved my medium length nails lol. I usually go for softer colors like baby pink, sometimes white. If I’m not able to go to the salon, I clean and file my nails down to an even length and paint them with a clear polish. It’s hard to make a mess of clear polish and my nails still look nice and shiny. I pop collagen pills to improve their strength because I naturally have weaker nails that break pretty easily. 

5. Wardrobe. Try to build a timeless wardrobe with a lot of basics you can build on and mix and match. For example, blazers are a staple for me. I wear them with jeans but I can mix them with trousers too. Then I have hella basic bodysuits I can wear with either combo. An easy trick for me is to buy a ton of neutrals. I’m not a big color person so it’s easy for me to shop this way. However, do not let my preferences deter you. Black women own color, if this is your style, go for it full throttle but be tasteful. I usually go more colorful on vacations. There are tons of articles out there on how to build a good wardrobe though. 

6. Stay in shape - I won’t say there’s a specific body type you need to have but take care of your body. I’m still working on working out consistently but because of skinny privilege I’ve been able to lack in that department and still be perceived as “fit”. Currently, I try to do flexibility stretching and exercise on Monday, Wednesday & Fridays. Stretch on weekends. If you get cosmetic surgery like a BBL, breast job etc. make sure it’s fitting for your frame. 

7. Lastly, this doesn’t apply to aesthetics but I feel as though black women have to DO SOMETHING to be snatched up as trophy wives. We don’t get pulled into that position just for being pretty as often as white woman do. For example, Alexis O. Of Reddit wifed Serena Williams who is the best tennis player in the world. Not some random girl he thought was cute. Prince Harry wifed Megan Markle who was not only a successful actress but also had an outstanding educational background to match. Janet Jackson married billionaire businessman, Wissam Al Mana. Now of course, many of us aren’t that successful yet but hopefully you get the point. Men in positions of higher status want to know that you can fit into his lifestyle and don’t have beans for brains. Having something going for yourself also gives him something to invest in. Men like to feel needed or helpful but not used. 

Additionally, owning a business or working in corporate greater increases your chances of mingling with men in positions to make you a trophy wife. There’s a reason why college sugar babies are so successful but for women past that stage, have a career, have a small business. Do SOMETHING. It also creates a safety net for you as well. Men can be unpredictable and can do horrible things. I read an article once about a man who hid his entire fortune in offshore shell companies when him and his wife were divorcing so that she wouldn’t be able to get anything. It took her lawyer literal years to untangle that web of shell accounts he spun. Running your own business or even having a solid set of skills saves you in the event of the worst of the worst. Your life shouldn’t crumble to pieces if this man decides to divorce you. Same goes for even being the spoiled girlfriend of a wealthy man. Having a wealthy boyfriend or husband is one thing, knowing how to use him as a resource is another. Girls who truly win at this game walk away from these relationships with more than a few handbags and a baby. 

Good Luck Ladies! 🥂

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

I was going to actually post this before asks closed (didn’t get the chance), but Teddy Bear Anon, you are one of my favorite people and a magnificent creature. You get my vibe. 

About Bad canonically being Sapnap’s dad I feel like that has so much extra angst potential when we consider the rest of the found family. Like. Sapnap, Tommy, and Fundy all have dads who started with the best of intentions but for one reason or another ended up slowly becoming a danger to them. I imagine Tommy and Fundy one day showing up with a cake and telling Sapnap “We regretfully welcome you to the shit dad club” and Sapnap is torn between being upset still and laughing over the absurdity of the situation.

Bonus points if Tommy made the cake using a recipe book that Niki gave him, the last gift Niki ever gave to Tommy. Tommy was originally a really bad cook/baker but after the egg really started to take over he went full survivalist. Leaning to cook was necessary but learning to bake was something he did as a way to raise everyone’s spirits. He’s never gotten the flavor quite to match with Niki’s perfectly but everyone agrees he’s gotten pretty decent in terms of skills. He and Fundy in particular will sometimes just spend an entire day in silence baking and then quietly eat their creations while reflecting on the friends they’ve made and lost over the course of L'manberg’s lifetime. When the group got back to the past and Niki made cookies for Tommy and Fundy the pair very nearly started crying.

Tommy is in an interesting position as a character since he did commit a lot of minor crimes and acted as a general nuisance but he was also still a child. (A very traumatized one considering I canonize SMP Earth with its unlimited lives but even more wars. Including against God. Tommy fought God just let me have this.) He acknowledges the moments when he went over the line and has tried to apologize. In particular at some point before the egg fully takes over he pulls aside Jack and tells him that he’s sorry for the way he acted when he was still in exile, taking one of Jack’s lives and all. Jack and Niki in particular are an interesting subject to address and a painful one for immune!Tommy to think about when he sees younger Niki because the three never fully tossed out the hatchet but it was obvious in the eyes of someone like Sam that both of them were growing more and more hesitant to hurt Tommy. It was made worse by the fact neither were even marginally immune, and it didn’t take long for the egg to get to them.

He never stopped being chaotic. Tommy at his core is just that kind of person. He did, however, grow up enough to act in a more mature manner. Started to recognize what’s too much. In particular he became a lot less violent and willing to lash out after Sam Nook in essence reparented him. He’s still an absolute wild card of a person, which in the eyes of Sam and Sapnap is a good thing. For this au I think we should actually address Tommy having severe ptsd and during the building of his hotel/the early days of the egg before it becomes a noticeable threat it shows. He’s a lot more subdued. Shows of aggression all carry a kind of desperation and his typical jokes feel flat. Lashing out at people slowly becomes more of a defense mechanism to see if someone’s going to leave or betray him, to test the limits of how nice they’re willing to be. After all, nice people have only ever been nice to Tommy when they wanted something from him. His eyes, especially after L'manberg is blow sky high, are well and truly gray. The first time Tommy genuinely laughs after filling Sapnap’s room with chickens is considered celebration worthy to them. His pranks take on a more hermitcraft-esque feel to them which honestly makes them more funny.

By the time they get to the past Tommy has recovered, but he still carries the kind of maturity that like Teddy Bear mentioned is reminiscent of age swap Tommy. When he gets especially stressed though, Immune!Tommy will slip into moments where he acts as tired and done with the world as age swap Tommy. With that said, most of the time he just acts like a more mature Tommy. Nothing could ever completely erase his unique vibe which Ranboo has gone on record as describing “Willing to fight God deaf, blind, and backwards just to prove a point." 

Immune Fundy and Tommy get on really well once Fundy manages to catch up with the rest of the group. It gets to the point where everyone from the past is kinda shocked since smp Fundy and Tommy do not get along. At all. Literally the first night Fundy’s back someone goes to wake them up and they find Fundy asleep on top of Tommy which is a wild experience since this Tommy is a goliath who often refuses to take off his full Netherite max enchant armor. He really becomes a "looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll” kinda mans.

Also, yeah, this is Dream’s retirement arc. He is literally just sitting in the corner watching Tommy dote on his younger self and Tubbo before completely pile driving two of the most powerful people on the server straight into the dirt. At some point Tommy sits down with past Punz. He tells this Punz that their Punz died protecting him and Tubbo and that Tommy never got to properly thank their Punz so he’s going to thank this Punz. Tommy then gives Punz an entire stack of Netherite. If we’re gonna go ahead and agree on Phoenix Tommy then Tommy is fire proof, meaning he probably spent a large amount of time in the nether to avoid the egg crew and get rare supplies. Meaning he also probably did a lot of mining just to distract himself and it resulted in him being loaded. Tommy used to have a fear of tnt and explosives but he seems like the type of mad lad to say “exposure therapy” and make a massive cavern in the underbelly of the nether.

I think it would also be really interesting to dedicate like, a couple of chapters to other people’s perspectives. I kind of want to set the time they arrive in the past partway through the Pogtopia arc since I like mildly unhinged but not completely gone Wilbur. Plus then it also makes more sense for Techno to be there. Just prefer the aesthetic really. I want to have Wilbur see this version of Tommy and come to a sudden “oh” moment. I want to have a moment where Tubbo looks between his Tommy and this new Tommy, seeing himself nowhere to be found, and has enough what the fuck moments to become aggressively protective of his own Tommy. Especially if immune!Tommy ever admits to the past Tubbo why he is the way he is, what he faced under the thumb of the people he trusted. Which, out of everyone on the server, Tubbo would be the first one from the past to actively learn. 

I am fully on board with Tommy knowing how to sew. That should just automatically be canon in literally ever AU. Tommy for all intents and purposes is still Phil’s child for me. Survival runs in the family the same way that chaos does, so he’s got a ton of basic survival skills that he just doesn’t show off because it’s still Tommy. He would have been completely fine in exile if it wasn’t for Dream. Whenever someone ruins their clothes in the Immune group they automatically go to Tommy and at first the past versions are very confused (except for past Tommy and Tubbo obviously) and then Tommy’s just “Sapnap this is beyond ruined it can’t be saved, let me make you something new” and within a couple days he makes Sapnap a completely new outfit. Like maybe Sapnap fell into a lava pool because Blaze Sapnap Supremacy and his clothes are beyond saving and everyone is beyond baffled when Tommy just acts like this is a weekly occurrence. He’s memorized Sapnap’s measurements and style tastes and already had a new outfit in the works for him that Sapnap immediately adores upon it being presented to him. It takes about a week for past Eret to learn that Tommy stress sews new clothing and he cannot think of a better model. Eret has never had such a full closet. Eret has everything from three piece suits to ball gowns now. Eret lives in terror of the days where Tommy disappears god knows where with Fundy and the two reappear with a new wardrobe for the entire god damn server. 

Speaking of disappearing I really like the idea of part phoenix and part tanuki Tommy for a couple reasons. Being a Tanuki he’d have access to enough magic to hide his hybrid traits, which if they’ve been present for long enough would be a necessity to him. Additionally think about Fundy and Tommy building a den under Church Prime that slowly turns into a maze. Think about it. It starts off simple and then they both start digging more and it gets deeper and deeper and more complicate and the two just refer to it as their den and the only ones who are fully aware of the connotations of that word are Sam, Sapnap, and Ranboo who remember the absolute hell that was trying to navigate the original. Just Fundy and Tommy bonding over the fact they are literally the only creatures on this server that have this catacomb memorized and at the end of the catacomb is their saferoom which connects to rail way that the two spent a month straight on. It goes at least 25k blocks from spawn and it’s a final emergency resort in case they can’t stop the egg and the Immunes needs to regroup and essentially try again (if they keep bringing their younger selves with them then hopefully they’ll finally get an army large enough to stop this, but everyone really hopes it doesn’t come to that.)

I’m working on the first chapter of my fic right now actually if I’m gonna be honest and phoenix Tommy is absolutely without question canon to it but I’ve still been going back and forth on if I want him to be part tanuki as well or just blessed/favored by one like Teddy Bear mentioned. I’m also tucking away the whole thing about the magma blood for later use. Phoenix Tommy just makes sense. They used to call him Zombie Kid for a reason back on SMP Earth, he just literally does not die ever unless he decides he does.

~Snapdragon & Firefly

[amphtaminedreams]

Sitting Front Row at...(On a Budget Obvs): Lookbook no.15

Hey to anyone reading!

And welcome to my fave lookbook I’ve done in a longggg ass time! Yes, that’s partially because it involved making collages and doing the low effort work of scouring Vogue Runway for “research purposes”, but I promise, that statement wasn’t made out of COMPLETE laziness-I am super happy with it too. It’s been a good use of pre-part-lockdown-lift time in the interim between that brief period of Christmas celebrations and eateries finally fucking opening again because let’s be honest, I always knew I was gonna get distracted by oat milk vanilla lattes and veggie all day breakfasts once I could actually sit down with them at my fave local cafe. You could say I was very much operating on a self-imposed deadline.

The “what I would wear to sit front row at...[insert designer here]” TikTok/Instagram reel trend was something I wanted to get on board with ever since I first saw one and whilst the option of doing my own live action take-I really cannot bear the thought of having to edit footage of myself awkwardly attempting to sit nonchalantly in front of a camera for hours on end-was off the cards considering my complete lack of screen presence, I decided a Tumblr text post would work just as well, and if not even better in a way. Given the absence of the time limitations you face when you’re making a reel or a TikTok I thought it’d be cool to present the looks as part of a mini moodboard for each designer which adds a bit of context to each look even if you aren’t familiar with their past collections and establishes the general vibe of the brand I’m attempting to replicate. Not to sound snotty or as if I am the font of all knowledge on anything high fashion related but even with my amateur knowledge I noticed that as the video trend took off and was adopted by big name influencers, it became less about the average person putting their own personal spin on the aesthetic of the labels we can’t ordinarily afford and more about them building outfits that only vaguely resemble the general public perception of the brand around the real corresponding (and often gifted and thus inaccessible to someone who doesn’t makes thousands for a sponsored post) pieces they own SO I thought I’d take the trend back to its roots and get a bit resourceful. All that being said, in no particular order, here are the outfits I would wear to sit front row at Gucci, Vera Wang, Miu-Miu, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Brock Collection, Alexander McQueen, Etro, Burberry aaaand Saint Laurent based on their past collections and guess what? They didn’t cost a shit tonne of money :-)

-disclaimer: will include an asterisk before any new purchases if from a high street store though to be honest, I don’t think there are any, we shall see! I do include where I got old purchases from in case anyone wants to search anything on Depop/Ebay-

1. Saint Laurent (formerly Yves Saint Laurent)

-blazer from identityparty on Depop, pleather trousers from Zara, jewellery from Dolls Kill-

I know technically abbreviating Saint Laurent to YSL doesn’t really make much sense anymore given the brand’s name change in 2012, but I’ll always think of it as that in the same way I’ll always associate it with the slightly dishevelled yet simultaneously glitzy rock n’ roll aesthetic. The thing is, whilst YSL hasn’t done anything wildly out of the box for a long time, it’s rare they put a look on the runway that I wouldn’t wear; they never end up being a fashion week standout but the Parisienne take on grunge we’ve seen Anthony Vaccarello establish as his go-to will always have a place in my heart. 

2. Alexander McQueen

-embroidered leather jacket from Ebay (originally Topshop), harness from Amazon, dress from ASOS, boots from Koi Vegan Footwear-

Alexander McQueen is a brand that is pretty much universally liked, from the historically extravagant and groundbreaking shows the man himself put together to Sarah Burton’s more toned down but still beautiful collections. Obviously I didn’t attempt to do justice to the former, so I tried my hand at putting together a look inspired by Sarah’s blend of delicate femininity and nomadic edge, and it went...okay? Like it’s definitely not my favourite of all the looks because it does give off slightly cheap copycat vibes buuut outside of the context of this lookbook it’s cute.

3. Brock Collection

-boater hat from Ebay, midi skirt from morganogle on Depop, corset top from ownmode_, heels from amybeckett1, bag from Primark-

Brock isn’t as well known a brand as most of the others in this list but I adore everything Laura Vassar Brock does and I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to try and channel the vision of one of the OG pioneers of the cottagecore vibe through my own wardrobe. I mean fr, this woman’s work as a steady provider of meadow photoshoot worthy dresses and corsets and skirts is v slept on and I will not stand for it. I will sit in front of a camera and then write a paragraph in my blog post begging anybody who reads to give LVB (an abbreviation I acknowledge is unlikely to catch on because Lisa Vanderpump anybody?) some form of acknowledgement for her services to period romance novel inspired moodboards everywhere.

4. Marc Jacobs

-coat from House of Sunny, white shirt from Retro World Camden, co-ord from Sugar Thrillz, bag from Poppy Lissiman-

If there’s one thing Marc Jacobs always does, it’s COMMITS. TO. HIS. THEME. I just KNOW he has a secret Pinterest with separate boards for every fashion era of the 20th century and he is putting those boards to good use providing us with collections that are as immersive as they are eclectic year in year out. 

5. Miu Miu

-beret from H&M, hair clips from H&M, jewellery from Primark, coat from mollyyemmaa on Depop, shirt from YesStyle, sweater vest from YesStyle, skirt from Depop, diamanté belt from Brandy Melville, shoes from Koi Vegan Footwear-

We all like to talk about Bratz dolls and Monster High dolls and Barbies as fashion inspo but can we all focus on Cabbage Patch dolls for two secs so as to acknowledge the fact that a Miu Miu collection is basically all their fits grown up? And made boujie as fuck? If I want my fix of Wes Anderson meets Scream Queens (what a combo) inspired outfits, if I want prissy and girlish but also glam, if I want to look like a bratty rich girl whose one redeeming quality is her eye for vintage clothes, I know where to look and that is the Miu Miu section of Vogue Runway. 

6. Vera Wang

-blazer as in no.1, velvet bralet from catdegaris on Depop, harness from Amazon, skirt from Ebay, knee high socks from Ebay, lace up boots from Ebay-

Vera Wang’s RTW aesthetic, a blend of the ethereal, ultra-feminine bridal designs she’s known for and British style punk rock influences, is something I feel has only become firmly established in recent years but it is everything I ever wanted and more. I always find myself trying to balance the part of me that loves everything girly and delicate and pretty and the part of me that would love to be in a biker gang and Vera’s collections are always an inspirational reminder of just how well it can be done.

7. Burberry

-coat from charity shop, suit from emmafisher3 on Depop, top from simranindia, shirt underneath from Zara, jewellery from ASOS-

Now I’m not gonna lie, I’m not the biggest fan of Burberry but there have been a few looks over the past few years I’ve really liked and as someone who owns numerous trench coats, high necks and way too much plaid, I thought it’d be an easy one to replicate. Plus, if you can count on Riccardo Tisci for nothing else you at least can rely on him giving you some layering inspo which is very much needed in a country where it literally just snowed in April and where my plans for today have just been cancelled because the iPhone weather app did a Karen Smith and didn’t predict rain for today right up until it started raining so thanks for that one British meteorologists. Your incompetence strikes again.

8. Etro

-corset from Urban Outfitters, vinyl trench coat from Topshop, boots from Ebay, black slip dress from kaoanaoleinik on Depop, fur trim afghan coat from louisemarcella-

Like with Brock Collection, Etro isn’t a hugely well known brand, but it is always one of my favourites-to add a spanner into the works of any attempts to cultivate a firm sense of personal style, I live for the ornate Bohemian look that Etro does so well just as much as I love both grungy and girly pieces, and so I really wanted to include a brand whose collections go down that route. It was a toss-up between this and Zimmerman, the flirtier, free spirit counterpart to the dark romance of Veronica Etro’s designs; her vision really shines through the most when it comes to the brand’s winter collections, imo, and given that I live in a country where winter or some weather state resembling it does seem to take up 70% of the year, I did decide on channelling her work rather than that of the equally talented Nicky and Simone Zimmermann this time round.

9. Dolce & Gabbana

-flower crown from ASOS, tiara from Amazon, earrings from YesStyle, dress from alicealderdice1 on Depop, opera gloves from Ebay, boots from Koi Vegan Footwear-

D&G is a brand I felt really conflicted about doing-I don’t include their current collections in my fashion week reviews based on the actions of designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce over the last few years because I don’t want to mitigate the collective effort of fashion critics to push them towards irrelevancy. Though people like to claim the brand has turned a corner since Lucio Di Rosa was brought on board as the manager of celebrity and VIP relations last year (they are as prolific a force on red carpet fashion as ever), we haven’t seen any real meaningful apologies or reparations made by Dolce and Gabbana themselves which once again leaves us in the all too familiar quandary of whether or not we can separate the art from the artist especially when it is far too much of a simplification to only credit the two men for their work given there’s a whole design team behind them. There are a LOT of shitty people working in fashion, the whole industry is a bit of a cesspit if we’re honest, but I don’t think that should stop us from at least being able to appreciate old collections if we make sure we aren’t engaging in any kind of promotion of current works whilst doing so. D&G are a brand of high highs and low lows, with looks that range from hideously ugly to showstoppingly beautiful in a single show-when the looks are good, they are GOOD-and their presence in the fashion world is most definitely felt whether we want it to be or not. It would just be shit to refuse to recognise the existence of some real iconic runway moments, the practical work that went into the ornate detail and opulence that helped cement D&Gs place in sartorial history, the styling that’s made goddesses and fairytale queens out of modern day women as they’ve glided down catwalks, the far more extravagant and, let’s be real, sexier version of our world D&G shows have transported us to in the past. Will I talk about D&G ever again? No, and if you Google the scandals their brand has faced over the past few years, there are more than enough reasons why, but just this once I did want to pay homage to some of the collections, the snippets of which I saw on my Tumblr dashboard back when I was about 13, that first got me into fashion.

10. Gucci

-fur coat from Topshop, clips from Zaful, glasses from Ebay, dress from gracewright246 on Depop, shirt from Boohoo, blazer from charity shop-

Now last but, if you ever read any of my fashion week reviews (the likelihood of someone actually having read one of them and reading this is incredibly, incredibly slim lol, I wouldn’t read me either) you’ll know, definitely not least, is Gucci because Alessandro Michele comes through every!! single!! time!!

The man is truly the king of quirky throwback maximalism and it hurts my heart that a lot of people seem to think of it only as a brand associated with ostentatious displays of wealth. Year after year since Michele was made creative director he has released purposeful, fully-fleshed out collections which unravel themselves to us on the runway like time capsules containing the belongings of the rich and whimsical and yes that can sometimes result in outfits which are *ahem* a bit mismatched but it doesn’t matter because through fashion he manages to take us to a vivid version of the past where people could dress as freely and lavishly as they wanted to, into the wardrobe of a person unaffected by the side-eyeing of others. You get the impression he doesn’t design so much as plays around with some kind of enchanted dress up box and takes inspiration from there and to give that impression is only a credit to his talent-to make outfits so kooky and extravagant look like they were meant to be takes a boldness and genuine love for clothes that I do tend to feel a lot of the big name designers have lost in the pursuit of profit and the necessary placating of the dying customer base that keeps that coming in. Of course I'm not for a second saying Gucci does not care about profit, but at the very least, they have on board a creative director who genuinely has fun with what they’re putting out there and wants to make a statement too and that really shows; you can rest on your laurels and sell tweed boucle jackets to rich old white women for eternity but nobody’s going to mention your brand name and the word groundbreaking in the same sentence ever again unless they’re talking about what it was a century ago, you know (mentioning no names...unless...did I hear someone say Chanel)? That feels like such a shady way to end, lol, but I’m sure said brand will survive-to be fair, they’ve been included in every other What I’d Wear to Sit Front Row At video I’ve seen so although I’m always slagging them off for doing the saaaaame thinggggg year after year, for that same reason their aesthetic is instantly recognisable and so will always be a source of imitation. There are obviously pros and cons to being a brand which constantly reinvents itself but I think it’s totally possible to do that whilst maintaining an overall mission, and Alessandro Michele’s work at Gucci demonstrates that with ease.

Anyway, if you got to here, thanks for reading! I know I’m super behind on this whole TikTok trend and I know a Tumblr post instead of a video is a bit of a cop out but all the real, physically awkward ones out there know that watching yourself back is excruciating lmao, so I hope this does the trick. After this, I’m gonna get back to the reviewing S/S21 collections post though knowing me I’ll probs take a few days to get back into that because I feel like since I left full-time education (RIP me going back in a few months) writing continuously like this for any longer than about 15 mins fries what brain cells I have left. Again, thank you for reading and if you are, sending many good vibes your way! Stay safe!

Lauren x

[theperfectblonde]

So I got a little lazy with diet and exercise over the last few days. Still did pretty good; my frozen breakfast burritos are a lifesaver. Trying not to drink as much coffee and make the switch to tea instead.

Decided to get back on it and do a run today just because the weather was nice and it’s almost winter so I won’t get a lot of days like that left so I’m trying to take advantage of it; went twice for 20 minute because I tried on some XL leggings and they started to fall down so I had to go home and change lmao 😀 Kind of disappointed cause they were cute and brand new and I never got to wear them! 😭 But I’m trying to clean out my wardrobe anyways, so I’m just trying to be grateful that they don’t fit me and that was I able to grab a M pair (that was still a little tight on me) instead that fit much better. Once it snows I’m going to focus on mainly strength training and then doing indoor cardio (no biking or running until I’m able to get to the gym once I’m back on campus for university). Really proud of myself though; my body needed rest, and my fastest running time has improved since I took a break! Before I was over 6 minutes, and today I clocked in 1km in 5:55 and 5:45 minutes! Idk if that’s fast haha but that’s definitely the fastest I’ve ever gone and recorded! So even though I felt like shit and didn’t want to do a workout today in the first place, I forced myself to and I even beat my own personal bests. That felt really good. ^_^

Weighed in at 173.2lbs today. Feeling good that I’m dropping weight pretty quickly, or at least not fluctuating so drastically so I’m having an easier time managing my feelings when I do my daily weigh ins. And I’m so close to being under 170… I know I’ll probably wake up heavier than that tomorrow because I didn’t fast or do exercise so I don’t feel too bad about that, but as usual I feel an urgency to drop weight fast and to not go back up in numbers. Especially since I know it will take me another two weeks to drop a few pounds, so it’s like… ughhhhh lol I have to make sure I’m not being too lazy with working out or eating right otherwise I’ll fuck it up 😂

But… looking at myself in the mirror, I’m not super happy with my body (lol wow shocker 😂). The thing that upsets me the most is that my ass is completely flat. I literally feel disgusted by it; it’s lost all shape! So I’m going to have to readjust my workouts to include waaay more booty building exercises, because I’m all about losing weight but like… my booty was everything :( It sucks cause I’ve definitely noticed some more definition in my waist and it looks tinier (I’ve been wearing crop tops more often 🥺) but I still have a huge pocket of fat in the lower belly (aka muffin top 😑) that I know will be the last to go. So… to lose the muffin top I have to do cardio exercise and calorie restriction, but to grow a booty I have to do strength training and eat more calories… so… this is going to be difficult lol 😂 plus I’m trying to get a snatched waist, and also work on my arm strength. I’m at 15 lbs for free weights rn and want to move up eventually, so I can’t *not* train them, and need to change my workouts to include mainly core and stretching and glute stuff to look the way I want to look by the end of this but ugh yeah idk I can’t train everything so idk what to do with that 😂

It sucks cause like… the guy I’m seeing says he loves my curves too. I love my curves! I love my body, it’s shape, and what it can do for me. And losing weight has me losing the things that I actually appreciated about myself when I was bigger. Being fat gave me bigger boobs, a bigger butt, and it didn’t make it look like saggy skin was there because I had so much fat to plump me up. Idk… I don’t want to stop, because my ultimate goal aesthetically is to have a flat stomach… but I’m not loving what I see when I turn around in the mirror. So even though I’ve lost a ton of weight and feel super confident in clothes now I’m also so self conscious about the fact that my butt is getting smaller lmfao 😭 but if that’s the worst of my problems then who cares ahahaha I’ll get implants worse case scenario if it turns out to be that much of a problem right 🤣 maybe it’s another instance of “trust the process” and I’ll just have to lose more weight and see if my body proportions even out lol 🙃

[quilloftheclouds]

Hi, Quill! I've been struggling recently trying to get the right images for edits and making sure they carry the theme. I was just wondering if you had any tips on how to make character and location mood boards?

Hello hello!! afhskdjhkdjgh I’m becoming an advice blog amn’t I? (I’m seriously uncertain why you folks think my advice is any good, but I’m honoured! XD)

Okay! So! First off, I’m not actually the best at this myself, but I suppose I can share some strategies that I often use to make my own moodboards!

Choosing Images for Aesthetic Edits

First off, make sure you have a good foundation for your character (or world/location/etc.). Making moodboards can be a great way to get to know your character better and to develop them, but if you don’t know some of your character’s interests or personality already, it can be near impossible to decide on images!

Things to Look For

Here’s a small list of possible things to keep in mind when looking for images to include in your aesthetics! These might help with prompting ideas and such~

For characters:

Hobbies/passions

Favourite colour/colours that represent them

Home environment or where they grew up

Pets

Family/friend/partner relationships

Favourite foods/drinks

Important objects they own

Work/job/rank aspects

Distinguishing physical traits (hair, eye colour, scars, tattoos, etc.)

Quotes that represent them

Wardrobe/clothing style

Super powers/magic type/supernatural attributes

Symbols for their personality

Character archetype they fit or the role they play in the story

And yeah, this one helps sometimes: D&D class

For locations (this is mostly for larger regions, but can be narrowed down):

General natural scenery (flora/fauna, climate, landscape)

Cultures that it mimics/fits

Architecture type

Type of people found there

Activities usually done there

Food

Resources

Industries it’s known for (Mining, fishing, farming, textiles, pottery?)

Tourism attractions (natural or artificial)

Military

Political system (including the leader, how they rule, etc.)

Education and linguistics

There’s tons more to consider, of course, but I hope that gets your brainstorm building!

Other Tips

Still not having much luck?

Try typing in a general term into the search of whatever site you’re using. Look through the results and you might find something that fits! Unsplash.com is a great one for this, I find: my character likes gold, so... gold. Wow, that’s a lot of gold stuff, but also a lot of images that could possibly inspire you!

If you don’t know your character’s hobbies or interests yet, try looking up a list of them and see what ones you think would fit them! Ask games can also be marvelous for sparking ideas~

Did you find a really fitting image, but the colours clash with the rest or don’t fit your character? Try editing the colour of it using photoshop or other editing software! (You can find tons of tutorials for this with a simple search. ^^) There are also plenty of psd colour resources offered on tumblr for free!

If you’re not sure of a colour theme to follow, try browsing sites like Coolors.co for ones to inspire you!

Adding an overlaying texture or a gif overlay can also be a great way of tying the aesthetic together~

Sites to Use

I’m still guilty of using pinterest for quotes and such, but I try to avoid sites like it for images. Here’s some sites that I personally use for finding higher quality, free for use images!

Unsplash.com: Will always be my favourite. Always. This is my go-to and I really only stray from it when I can’t find a specific something I want.

Pixabay.com: I need to start using this one more, in all honesty. It’s really nice.

Pexels.com: I don’t use this much but again I find there’s good quality stuff here~

These are only the ones I’ve personally checked out, but here are a couple other posts that list a bunch of cool sites: 1, 2.

Anyways, I wasn’t entirely sure what you were looking for, but I hope that helps!

[softlygentlymine]

Stress. I’ve spoken before about the anxiety that I’ve experienced over the last few years, now I’m going to rifle through some of the stressors that are present in my current state.

Money.

Wedding.

Property purchase. Linked to living situation.

Resolving insecurity with being ethically non-monogamous.

Money isn’t so much about the income, as I’ve achieved some financial security with my most recent job offer to become permanent full time in my existing role. Yay for that! Leaving secure full time employment that paid peanuts to risk inconsistent work that paid well was terrifying, but having a trusted friend already working the job gave me the belief that I could do this.

Money is more about the debts I am accountable for, such as my car loan. As much as I love my car, what I would have loved more was the financial benefit of retaining the old one. At only 5 years old, it really should have lasted longer. The sheer disappointment of trusting a local mechanic, rather than the original dealer, led to the engine being unserviceable and an expensive repair I could not afford. I picked myself up, and grit my teeth to purchase another new car. Resolving that this time, I would ensure that the servicing was maintained at the original dealer, allowing accountability to any faults. This reinstated an ongoing debt I had previously thought to be complete, the dreaded car loan. 5 years of guaranteed payments, and frustration that once again, money earnt, would not be money saved.

The wedding is another way of saying money stress. We were getting so sick of people inviting their opinions, we almost planned an elopement for next month. Unfortunately, that kind of decision has consequences, including increased celebrant fees, and garment purchases well ahead of our wedding date in 6 months time. Once again, money I just don’t have, and whilst we dodged the bullet twelve months ago, I doubt the vendors would allow us the same courtesy twice.

I still owe so much money to the photographer, haven’t even begun to contract and pay for a florist, have yet to get the dress altered, need to purchase the veil and crown, need to finish paying the venue for the reception and ceremony, investigate, engage and pay for guest transportation, pay the accommodation at the venue, decide on bridesmaid dresses, pay for groomsmen outfits and tailoring, shoes for everyone…

Honestly the list goes from the second star to the right and straight on ‘til morning. It’s overwhelming, and I can see the appeal in engaging a wedding planner to curate the decision making with their extended contacts in the industry. Too bad I’m too broke to actually make that a reality.

Property purchase. The living situation with my mother is becoming strained, to say the least. I’ve been patient whilst we’ve paid off minor debts over the last 12 months and been able to afford some of the luxuries, such as updating our wardrobes, Christmas with the family, the first getaway in 7 years, and built a buffer back into our savings. That buffer was eaten into over Christmas, as I’d missed a timesheet submission for my pay. Although it was caught up on, it just affected how I had budgeted over the ‘holiday’.

I want the security of ownership for wherever I’m living. I also want the privacy offered by living independently from mum, which absolutely sucks. I want the space to actually spread out into the house, to have our king size bed, without it taking up 90% of the room. I want to have the kids bedrooms, a spare bedroom or two, a study that is big enough for our adult file keeping, and for some personal projects like my scrapbook, or his model building. Ideally, we’d have a library, even if we had to combine that with a games parlour, and bar.

I’m not asking for somewhere that has a million rooms, but rather the space within each room big enough to serve multiple functions. For example, a master suite with a lounge area. Basically, take your standard four bedroom floor plan, and double or triple the dimensions. Give it a Queenslander, or Federation aesthetic, and really, I’ll be so happy. There’s a big part of me that wants to make sure that there is room to grow the family. To develop a polycule where there is love around every corner. A height chart marking time and generations.

Insecurity. I am resolved to understand and accept his conversation and attractions to others. It’s very difficult when I am fading off to sleep, knowing that he is sitting upright, brain buzzing with thoughts of others when I want to feel like that intimate and vulnerable moment is just ours. It also feels like it’s a competition to him about who we get ‘matches’ with, nevermind that he’s got potential partners who have demonstrated specific interest from our life already. I’m using the dating platform to hopefully meet people outside our current realm of friends. To try and meet a woman who I feel attracted to, comfortable with and I could really see a future with. I’m content with Shifter as Dom influence on my sexual experiences, and am considering more from a poly perspective. I just don’t know how that meets his desires. I really don’t know how to do this dating thing. I just want to fall into a pile of cuddles and love.

[fayilien]

@azgalorn tagged me to answer these 10 questions he made, make 10 my own and tag people to answer them. Thank you, this was fun! 😊

What was your childhood dream? Did you ever achieve your childhood dream? If not, is it still your dream, or did it change as you got older?

When I was 6 years old and learned to write, I wrote lots of stories and decided that someday I’ll become an author. That dream faded when I got older and had other interests, but now it is coming back again. At the moment I’m writing a historical adventure novel that takes place in Finland in the Middle Ages, and it has Finnish mythology and witchcraft living alongside with Christianity. It’s funny to think that I knew exactly what I wanted to do at such a young age and now I’m really accomplishing that childhood dream little by little.

Which TV show, movie or book has remained your favorite of all time? What makes it your favorite?

Outlander is my all-time favorite TV show and I believe that nothing can ever replace it. I remember watching the first episode with my mother when it came from TV. I was SHOCKED. Nothing has ever made me feel the same way. It really evoked something deep in me. The atmosphere, soundtrack, characters, costumes, and everything in it is so beautifully made! I’ve cried and got shivers so many times while watching it. It’s a precious mother-daughter moment when we watch it together. After watching the first season we had to travel to Scotland - and we fell in love with it. I’ve been there twice now and I’m still having a longing to go back there again. I should definitely read the books by Diana Gabaldon which the series are based on! (But that will take me years..)

What is one myth, mystery, or legend that has always captivated your interest? When did you first learn about it?

A myth from Finnish mythology that everything has its own spirit, an elf-like creature “haltia” (or “haltija” as it should be written nowadays), has always interested me. As a child I learned about “saunatonttu”, an elf living in the sauna and of course Christmas elves that were spying children before Christmas to see if they are kind enough to get presents. In Finnish mythology there are own spirits for everything: forests, waters, different buildings etc. Later on, I’ve learned about “väki”, which is basically the same thing, sort of an energy or spirits that every single thing consists of.

What was a game you loved to play as a kid?

As Moomins have been a very important part of my life, I loved to play Moomin games on our computer. My father once said that we almost broke one disc with my friend because we played it so much.. That was called “Muumit ja taikurin hattu” = “Moomins and the magic hat”.

Do you watch anime? If so, what was the first show or series that you watched or read that got you into anime? Do you still enjoy it today?

Yes, I do. First shows that I watched as a child were Moomins and Pokemon. When I got older, I read lots of manga. I loved to read and watch One Piece, but after 100th episode I stopped, and I don’t know why because it was great. After years I’ve started to watch anime again, lately I’ve been watching lots of Studio Ghibli’s movies and I just looove them! (as you can probably see it from my blog..) I’ve also planned to watch One Piece again.

Can you recall a memorable, and silly moment from your childhood that always makes you laugh now?

I remember me, my best friend and my little brother dressing up for Halloween when we were kids. I was a black cat, my friend a witch and my brother a ghost. We lived in a small village in the countryside, and because Halloween isn’t very popular in Finland, especially in our home village, we needed to explain to people what on earth we were doing :D And the people who we visited were quite old, so that made the situation even more funny. At Easter we have very similar tradition where children dress up as witches and go to people’s doors, so we explained that Halloween was almost like that. At least we got some treats, old people learned something about Halloween, and we had fun!

Have you kept any small and random gifts from your past from people that were acquaintances, strangers, or people you knew short term?

No, at least I don’t remember.

What do you remember most about your hometown? What was it like? If you still live there, what is your favorite thing about it?

I’ve just moved from Lapland back to my childhood’s hometown Kuopio in Eastern Finland and my favorite things from it are its harbor with little ships, gulls flying around, marketplace and the beautiful lakes surrounding it.

If you could host an open budget party or event and invite anyone in the world and they would accept, who would you want to invite? What would be the aesthetic/theme and style?

I would probably host a fantasy themed party in nature. There would be fairy lights, bonfire, good food and music. It would be for all of us weirdos that don’t feel like fitting in this modern-day world, sort of an escape from it for a moment. Or maybe a theme based on a book, movie, TV show or game and I would invite all of those who are interested in it.

Penny for your thoughts? What is currently on your mind? How are you feeling now? Anything that you just want to say or talk about? Let your thoughts be free

There is a lot going on in my mind and life. At the same time I feel stuck, but I’m also started to truly find myself. I’m constantly worrying about my future, as I just graduated from high school, didn’t get a place to study on the first try and don’t have a job right now. But I feel like this is a good time to rest, heal and do the things that I really like, for example art, writing and spending time in nature. Future seems unknown, but at the same time as I’ve started to find my own thing and accept myself as I am I’ve found hope. I feel like my anxiety and other shadows of my life and mind are fading away as I can focus on the things that are truly important to me.

 And then my questions, don’t feel pressured to answer if I tagged you!

Is there a song which lyrics you can identify with so well that it feels like it pictures you or your life?

Do you believe in astrology? What is your star sign? What about your moon and rising signs?

What is your dream place to live like?

What is the last creative work you’ve done? It can be anything creative, even a small and simple thing.

Which colors does your wardrobe consist of?

Is there a hobby that you would want to start?

Do you believe in past lives?

What are the first three books that come to your mind as your favorite books?

Which world or a specific place from a book, movie, TV show or game would you like to live in? What kind of life would you live there?

Look out of the nearest window. What things do you see? What is the weather like?

 I’ll tag: @sleepybosmer @suomurunen @gruvfru @witches--crows @thewitchesofthewoods

[nyxshadowhawk]

Goth Tags

I know this is a YouTube thing, but I wanted to do these two lists, so I’m going to do them.

Ways in Which I’m Stereotypically Goth:

I’ve got the romantigoth aesthetic down. I love spooky, pretty things! I love gargoyles and ravens and black roses and moons and weird occult stuff and dark forests... I’ve got three Joseph Vargo posters in my dorm room, and I’ve run out of space to put resin statues in my bedroom. I wear lots of long, flowy black clothes and the occasional Goth Princess gown. I’ve also got an entire box (made of black wood with pentagrams carved in the top) full of silver and pewter jewelry, and Black Phoenix perfumes.

I really love spooky interior design and architecture. I loved Voltaire’s Gothic Homemaking and I drooled over Haunt Furniture. My dream home would probably be a Victorian-style, Addams-like mansion in the middle of nowhere (for when I become a world-famous writer...). I also REALLY love castles and old buildings, especially with gothic architecture and gargoyles. I really liked seeing old castles and churches in Scotland. Medieval Europe is 10/10 my aesthetic.

I’ve always really liked bats. When I was a kid (around six), my favorite episode of The Magic School Bus (for whatever reason) was “Going Batty.” That set off a bat obsession! Reading Stellaluna in seventh grade just reinforced it. I used to pretend to be one and wrap myself up in my blankets like wings. Bats are cute! I recently got back into them! There’s an adorable little plush one hanging above my bed. “So dark of wing and keen of craft, of all night flyers the master’s a bat.” (Actually, the master of night flyers is totally Prince Astor of Umbragard.)

I like horror stories and gothic literature. Back when creepypasta was big, I’d casually read collections of horror stories on Quotev. Now, I really love Nox Arcana’s “Tales from the Dark Tower,” Poe stories, Grimm’s fairy tales, and the like. I actually have a pretty strong stomach. I also genuinely love gothic lit. The Picture of Dorian Gray is my favorite. I didn’t make it through Frankenstein, though, it was too sad.

I’m introverted and a night owl. I wouldn’t say I have a “stereotypical” Goth personality, because I’ve been trying to be more optimistic and happy, and I’ve attempted to make friends, but one of the reasons I like Raven from Teen Titans is because I tend to be the isolated girl in dark clothes who’d rather be left alone. I’m not exactly stoic-- I’m an emotional wreck, but once you get me talking about a topic I’m interested in, I’m all moonlight and fireflies. I’m also a “tortured artist,” and I come alive at night. I stay up until at least 2 AM most nights. I ate breakfast at one today. 

I have a black cat named Edgar. I did not name him! He was given that name at the shelter. All the kittens in his litter were named after gothic writers, because they were all black! (His brother was “H.P.” after Lovecraft.) I was thrilled when my parents said we were getting him, and equally thrilled when they decided to keep his name. He’s such a sweet cat, and I love him.

I like vampires, but I have a complicated relationship with them. You’d think I’d be the kind of girl who’d be obsessed with vampires in middle school, especially if I loved the Vampire Friz episode of The Magic School Bus! But no. I wasn’t into vampires because they killed people and that was disturbing. (That’s why I independently created psychic vampires.)  However, since getting into Castlevania last Halloween, I’ve started to really warm up to vampires. I dressed as Lestat last Halloween, read Carpe Jugulum, have been consuming more vampire media than before... I’m still not obsessed, but I like them now. Still would hate to be one, though. SHADOWS FOR THE WIN!

I LOVE Halloween! I was devastated the two years it was canceled (freak snowstorm and Hurricane Sandy. Oh, by the way, my reaction to the current hurricane was, “He put his soul in a hurricane, now?!). I really miss trick-or-treating. I convinced my parents to throw an annual Halloween party, which gave me an excuse to get even more decorations for my room, and they pretty much can’t host it without me. Everyone shares my aesthetic during Halloween season!

I’m really into witchy and occult stuff. The more cryptic and spooky, the better. I was Wiccan-ish for a while, I don’t think I am anymore, but I’m still exploring my spirituality (through books like Nocturnal Witchcraft and Shadow Magick Compendium) with guidance from Hecate and Dionysus. 

Whether my music taste is truly “Goth” or not, it is certainly very spooky. Nox Arcana all the way! I really go in for the church organ and glockenspiel and chiming bells and melancholy piano and strings and harpsichords and minor keys. Listening to spooky music makes me happy. I have a whole list of creepy waltzes. Neoclassical is my thing. I also like Adrian von Zeigler, Peter Gundry, Two Steps From Hell, and fantasy music in general. 

Un-Goth Confessions:

I don’t like gothic rock. Some would say this means I’m not Goth, and it felt alienating for a while. Siouxsie and Bauhaus just aren’t really my thing. I don’t really like industrial and darkwave, either. The closest I get to traditional Goth music is Voltaire (I love the songs of his that I listen to, but I only listen to a handful), and a few songs by Dead Can Dance. I’m much more into Nox Arcana.

I don’t look stereotypically Goth. I joke that I look like Aurora and dress like Maleficent, because it’s true. My cheeks are permanently rosy and not easy to cover with white makeup (I don’t wear makeup often, anyway.) I have big blue eyes and wavy, golden hair (that I’m not going to dye). I don’t have any piercings— when my sister went for her second piercing, she encouraged me to get my ears pierced, but I broke down crying because I’m afraid of pain. I’m an adult!

I still like horsies and unicorns and other cutesy things from my childhood. I was really into Gen 3 of My Little Pony. I still have some fairy and ballerina stuff, even if I don’t display it. My bedroom is still lavender (and always will be). I definitely wasn’t spooky in childhood, and I’ve still got a non-spooky side. (It was kind of a big deal when I dressed as a rainbow unicorn fairy when I was seven, and then a dark sorceress when I was eight.)  I danced in my company’s adapted kiddie production of the Nutcracker until I graduated. I’ve got fluffy stuffed unicorns right next to my Spiral Bat Cat.

I HATE DIY. I don’t trust it! I don’t want to ruin my clothes with fabric paint or rip holes in things or in any way risk it turning out poorly. My style is tough to DIY anyway, but yeah.

I’m not really into the macabre. I only got into skeletons because of Undertale, and I don’t like, for lack of a better phrase, “the death aesthetic.” Blood, body horror art, the zombie look... I don’t really like anything morbid or sad. I’m iffy on graveyards and coffins.

I don’t like most horror films. I like spooky movies, like Coraline, but not horror movies. Although I like horror stories, I don’t like horror films, less because of the horror and more because they tend to end badly. I don’t like “everybody dies” stories, especially if it’s one where sympathetic people get killed off one by one, or slasher flicks that rely on jumpscares. Old-school gothic horror could work, though. I also like psychological thrillers like The Sixth Sense and Black Swan. Is Interview With the Vampire a horror movie? (I probably underestimate how strong my stomach is. Aladdin used to scare me. Look at me now!)

I still wear a lot of color. About half my wardrobe is black, which is still a lot, but not as much as most Goths. I’ve still got a lot of purple, and other colors.

I’m not a huge fan of Tim Burton. The only film of his that I really love was Corpse Bride. Beetlejuice wasn’t my style and didn’t contain enough of Lydia, Sweeney Todd was a bit too dark and gory (although I did like that one), Dark Shadows wasn’t as good as I was hoping, Alice in Wonderland was cool aesthetically but not a very good film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a dumpster fire... and The Nightmare Before Christmas doesn’t count because he didn’t direct it (and though I like it, I wasn’t blown away by it, either). My reaction overall? “Meh.”

I still contain a childish exuberance. I squealed and bounced up and down when the new Nox Arcana album was released. I will probably do the same before and/or after watching Season 3 of Castlevania, and when Grimoire of Souls is released. This is how I know that Goth stuff is part of my true personality. 

There’s a lot of Goth clothes that I don’t wear, in addition to not dying my hair, not wearing makeup, and not having piercings. I’d wear black heeled boots like Dracula’s, but not platform shoes. I don’t like fishnets. I hate ripped clothing. Not a fan of hoodies. I also will not wear leather clothing. And spiked collars? No no no. I’m pretty much strictly a Romantigoth. Maybe that doesn’t make me less Goth. But it makes me less stereotypical, especially when so much of the Goth stuff online is geared toward that end of the subculture.

And I don’t know if this makes me more Goth or less Goth, but I have one outfit from Hot Topic. And an epic “House of Belmont” t-shirt.

Okay, that was interesting.

“I’M SO GOTH, I LITERALLY DARKEN A DOORWAY!”

[guardiandae]

You know you are an adult when you get excited about buying a vaccuum cleaner... lmao. 

but in my defense, the vacuums today, even the cheap ones, are so much cooler than the shitty ones back in the day. also I would like my floor to finally be clean and my mom keeps going, “vacuums are so expensive” bitch I just spent $20 on a vaccuum it’s not hard.

ANYWAY here’s my life update:

got my hair cut, finally. It looks so much better now. no more staring at crazy split ends all day.

I found a quiz site, WHOOPS, and I’ve been quizzing myself for like a week now on African countries and now island countries because I realized I don’t know them. I don’t think they’re all sticking but my brain has been going, MOZAMBIQUE. DJIBOUTI. every day. So I now know recall MORE countries than I used to. It fuels my obsession for puzzle games + I’m learning, so. This is a step up from mind-numbing griddlers, at least.

I’m also reading A Song of Ice and Fire... it’s stupid how, for the longest time I was super intimidated by the idea of getting into these books, knowing how thick they are, how many there are in the series, and how many CHARACTERS there are to follow. I remember when I first started watching the show, I was super overwhelmed by the characters being introduced. Particularly when the Red Woman came onto the scene I was like, “The fuck is happening now??” And maybe watching the show first helped a lot with that, but like, I was really suspicious when I first cracked open a book and was like... “Is this the novel or just a screenplay???” I remember having to read so many books that were written with excruciatingly BORING detail, or such lovingly rendered descriptions of background scenery or pure daydreams that had nothing to do with the plot, that I’d get totally bogged down in the purple prose and lose track of what the hell was going on. That’s one of my biggest pet peeves of writing to this very day. But GRRM doesn’t do that, not even remotely. I thought that my writing was really simple, but GRRM’s might be even more spartan. But that only makes sense to keep it succinct and move along quickly when he’s laying out this whole huge world with several kingdoms and houses that all have their own unique cultures and beliefs and at least a dozen different major characters whose stories need to be told. I’m totally enchanted. and the FORESHADOWING, HOLY FUCK. The foreshadowing is intense, I’m kind of glad in a way that I already know what’s to come because it’s literally like the way I wrote Distance, where after you know the ending, there are so many things that take on a different light that I would’ve never even noticed, seriously. I posted them on twitter but I should maybe make posts here because AAAAGGGGGGHHH!!!!

I’m also starting to read up on beekeeping... I’ve been interested in it for a while mostly in the sense that I appreciate beekeeping (see beekeeper mumen for example) but the spring seeds came in and I was like, I want bee-friendly flowers, and then that led to, WHAT IF I BEES? and I’m the sort of person that... I had to RESTRAIN MYSELF from buying a beekeeping starting kit (BECAUSE I HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT TO DO WITH 3LBS OF LIVE BEES.. @MYSELF: DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE BUY BEES ONLINE JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN) and yeah like so anyway now I’m reading about bees and even if I decide it’s not for me (tbh I’d probably be like, “YEAH BEES” until I got to the point of trying to set up an actual fucking hive of bees and then scream and run away because BEES? and also bc I’m an idiot that thinks everything sounds awesome in theory until real life happens. BUT WHO KNOWS MAYBE I’D LIKE IT???) but anyway EVEN IF I DECIDE AGAINST THE IDEA at least I’ll have learned some stuff?

oh yeah btw I slammed the button and ordered that pricey fitbit fitness tracking watch and I really like it. I’m kind of gradually easing into more and more fitness? which feels like a “I’m being lazy” thing but honestly maybe that’s a better approach, to build up habits over time instead of overloading myself with extreme changes and then going “nope”? Basically I’ve been learning that exercise can be hella fun, experimenting with different exercises that I like and also experimenting with healthier foods to bring into my diet. btw if anyone told me a few years ago that today I’d be buying almond milk, coconut oil, organic food, and yelling, “HOW MANY CALORIES?! FUCK THAT” in the middle of the grocery store at my ex-favorite foods, I probably would’ve decked them.

alsooooo so I can’t remember if I posted about this but I know I told a few people that I studied the gay aesthetic™ hard and took notes (I wish I was fucking kidding, I literally gotta study this shit I don’t understand social things and fashions) and decided to expand my wardrobe accordingly. I’m feeling out what works and does not, and today I was FEELING IT when I got myself in the mirror. it’s that men’s pocket undershirt, I fucking swear, and I have had that all along but I never wore them by themselves I always wore them to work under my stupid work uniform. WELL NOW I’VE SEEN THE LIGHT. plus my ace ring and bracelets were good choices. today I bought better shoes as well, and dodged a bullet because like... ugh I have the worst instincts and at first I almost got these tall zippered ladies boots that were on sale like... yes they were a squeeze but??? but I was like... I think they make my legs look stubby plus the store was closing so I was like, TOO INDECISIVE FOR THIS. I ended up getting a pair of skateboard shoes on clearance and also some nice looking men’s boots instead and it cost me the same it would’ve for that one pair of boots plus get this while I was leaving the store I saw this Incredibly Straight Woman walking in with the tall zippered boots and I was like, THANK GOD I DIDN’T and then I saw ANOTHER Incredibly Straight Woman with the same boots and I was like TODAY I HAVE BEEN SPARED A FATE WORSE THAN DEATH. Like yeah gay girls can pull that off too yes but 1. not me. I’d have to get skinny jeans or leggings for that look and it’s so not me I can’t, I don’t know why the fuck I tried to go down that path 2. those tall boots weren’t even the original Aesthetic™ that I had studied for, like, I suck so bad, someone dress me bc I make bad life choices. 

but yeah, I bought two new pairs of shoes, I bought a grey shirt bc I observed that the holy grail of casual gay girls was just a plain grey shirt (much like the unrealized glory of my pocket shirts... but grey guys... I love grey...) I hope it’s a good choice tho bc you know, some cuts look great and some are like... the fuck. a VACUUM CLEANER?? ADULTING WIN?? some nice FOOD STUFFS???? lettuce-y things, even????

so now I need to do some things that I’ve been putting off..

-do my taxes (I’ve been raring to but my internet was too slow..) -pay rent -call my bank -find a local doctor -book an eye appointment -schedule a permit test -clean my fucking maybe?? that;’d be nice??? 

-maybe part with some of these clothes that just give me bad memories now... I still have so much stuff from high school and stuff that I don’t wear and stuff that I’m like ‘will I ever fit into this again’ and it’s like... like seriously for YEARS  I did not buy myself a new WARDROBE I had like enough clothes that would fit and so many old ones like, I was punishing myself for gaining so much weight and seriously it didn’t help me at all it felt so much better to just go ahead and get clothes that fit me and half of my problem is I’m poor af so I’m like, ‘but I spent money on this’ and I don’t wanna throw it out but now I think I’ll be happy when I get rid of these big clothes when they, hopefully, no longer fit me in the near future, so like... I should just toss these old bad-memories-clothes and burn them, seriously... @ me I’m talking to you asshole, burn the rags. clean your room, clean our your wardrobe, and cleanse it with fire.

[scotwresnet]

By The Masked Embroider Instagram: @themaskedembroiderer | Twitter: @TEmbroiderer

  Ever wondered who makes your favourite Scottish wrestling stars ring gear? Well in this Behind The Art special I’ve had the privilege to pick the brains of three companies who make some of the best custom ring gear around and enhance some of the best wrestling talent in the world.

Before we get into the processes though I’d just like to say that these are just three companies that I spoke to and admire. There are of course many fine talented gear makers out there including honourable mentions to @airheaddiva and @kayleigh_fabe_wrestling_gear, who in particular hugely impressed me not only with her work but also with the fact that she reuses old parcel envelopes to send her wares out to her clients #reuseandsavetheplanet.

But let me introduce you to the ones I did chose and let’s get ‘Behind the Art’.

Vickstitch was started by Brett and Vicky about 8 years ago. Brett was a wrestler at a time when it was hard to not only find a gear maker but also to get exactly what you wanted made. So through necessity initially, Vicky took up the challenge and now, with their website, it’s grown into a thriving business.

JJ Wrestling Creations was born in 2015 creating wrestling gear for athletes all over the world.

Their love for fashion and art always ‘ran wild in their veins’ and in 2016, they moved from Italy to the UK to expand their business and empower their brand.

Empress Pro Gear specialise in making female ring attire, although not exclusively. With only 2 years in existence it nonetheless is blessed with 17 years of experience. Emma used to make costumes for the theatre but through her passion for wrestling she decided to branch out.

Now, let’s get a picture of just how a piece of ring gear is made from start to finish shall we?

First thing to start with is the idea.

As we all know in wrestling anything goes gimmick-wise. Nothing is too insane or too over the top. And talking to fast rising talent Ian Skinner about his ring gear he agreed, “if ever I’ve a silly idea that just might work, they [Vickstitch] are the ones… I watched Game of Death and was like “I NEED BRUCE LEE GEAR”… hence my yellow and black gear.“

And although Vickstitch happily admitted that “generic tights with logos on the legs and names on the back are our bread and butter type jobs, the different stuff is always far more enjoyable, customers letting us have creative input into their gear and helping with their design ideas. We love having new and unique designs that are challenging and give us something exciting to make.”

But do you really need a vision when going into the process of commissioning custom ring gear? How important is an idea or a vision?

JJ Creations replied: “It is essential, as it is the starting point of the whole creative process. Sometimes our clients have very clear ideas about what they desire. Some other times they ask us to guide them through. I love when they trust us so much that they allow us to put our own imagination into their costumes creation.”

Empress Pro Gear talked me through their ideas process:

“For the majority of my clients I just bring their designs to life. I’m supplied with a design and I offer them the choice of fabrics from my preferred suppliers. I help guide in the sense of practicalities and any concerns they have, but I just enjoy being a part of helping them represent their personalities, I don’t interfere with their vision. For others I will help put all their design inspirations into sketches and work from those alongside them, however this isn’t something I tend to do until we’ve created a comfortable collaborative relationship over time.

I find it takes one or two projects to get a real feel for someone’s style, I want my work to be authentic and reflective of them. I have certain clients who’s aesthetic mesh more so with my design style than others but I also enjoy the challenge of going outside my comfort zone. I’ve spent most of my career designing for characters in musicals etc. so I find it more natural now to have to design for a character rather than represent my personal style. I find this concept translates nicely into the world of gear making as the characters are so important; just like in the theatre you want the audience to get a feel for the character immediately from their entrance and appearance. In my eyes It’s not for me to define that character, I’m merely here to make the Wrestlers vision into something tangible.”

So an idea should have an aim of establishing a character. But just how important is an image? And does a strong image give a performer more confidence? Flamboyant Scottish luchador Lucha DS told me “you can see by my in ring look I need to have a look that sets me apart from my opponents but still have a theme that works across all the various sets I have. They [Vickstitch] are pivotal in helping me project the vibe I am going for.”

Ian Skinner also confirmed this too: “Vickstitch made my first set of gear and what they made gave me the confidence to go out in front of a crowd in trunks.”

JJ Creations as we told you in the introductions came across from the famous fashion capital of the world, Italy and have made Scotland their second home. They’ve worked with WWE stars like Nikki Cross, ‘Viper’ Piper Niven, Candyfloss, Jazzy Gabert and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray. Their garments are just as high end quality as they are fashionable and they rise to the challenge of breeding confidence into a performer with their creations: “…the crazier the idea the better it is. We love our job because it’s exciting, challenging and very rewarding. The best part of it is to make people happy and confident.

So what have we learned so far. A vision is important but can be worked out through some brainstorming. And a good design and image can instill confidence in a performer.

It made me wonder though. What were the major differences and difficulties between making gear for male performers opposed to female performers?  Was there any?

JJ Creations: “They differ in proportions. We need a deep knowledge of both male and female body shapes.”

Empress Pro Gear specialise in female ring attire but not exclusively as we mentioned. She can count Sammii Jayne, Ashley Vega, Nina Samuels, Killer Kelly, Zoe Lucas and Xia Brookside among her clientele.

Empress Pro Gear: “I personally find women’s wear comes more naturally to me, I’ve worked in both fields and I’ve always had an easier bond with making clothing for the female form. I’ve suffered from body dysmorphia growing up so I feel more of an organic connection with women’s bodies and trying to enhance what makes them feel confident. That’s the main reason I decided to focus mainly on Women’s wear however I do currently work with several men and regardless of how anyone identifies I’m excited for working on their ideas and creating their vision, I love being part of that collaboration. I’m just grateful any time anyone chooses to reach out to me; it’s a huge compliment when there’s so many incredibly talented makers out there.“

All three companies attested to the importance of choosing the right materials and learning about new processes when making their gear.

Vickstitch: “We both work full time at this and are continually growing and evolving as new methods and materials become available. Also the trends in the industry continue to evolve so we try to keep ahead of that curve too.”

I asked JJ Creations about this also and what pieces challenge them the most.

JJ Creations: “We mainly work with stretch fabrics, as we are wrestling gears makers. Our customers need comfortable and durable costumes, because they fight in them. Depending on their gimmicks, their ideas and desires we always suggest the best options and designs. Our goal is to make everyone feel unique and special…The most challenging are definitely the coats and the long jackets, they take a lot of time and care, but because of that they are also very rewarding pieces to create.”

Empress Pro Gear: “Each set has its own learning experience especially as for each individual I create a garment pattern from scratch for their measurements and design. Every persons body is different so I don’t treat them as a cookie cutter when it comes to making clothing. I find when I’ve worked with someone more I get to build up a collection of tried and tested garment patterns which takes a lot of the guess work away. I particularly enjoy working with Nina Samuels as her style really blends well with my background in theatre and dance wear, she has such a star quality about her and her presence. I love layering up the lace and Rhinestones and she allows me a lot of creative freedom with the detail. I really enjoy working on any sets where there’s lots of detail and I have a weakness for rhinestones I blame the dancer in me.“

Through wear and tear and what these clothes are being asked to perform it’s no wonder that every now and again they fail in some way or another.

But how do gear makers prevent and minimise these faults happening?

Empress Pro Gear: “I’m quite particular about what materials I use and in what locations on the garment, sometimes someone may request no stretch materials in areas that you need maximum stretch so I will offer more practical alternatives. I prefer to use suppliers who’s materials I know are high quality and are tried and tested by myself but I am flexible and love to learn more from others ideas. All my garments are fully lined and I use drawstrings as well as elastic where necessary. I’ve learnt over time from being around dancer’s wardrobe malfunctions and through developing my gear making little techniques of how to make fastenings a bit more secure. I’m still learning more with each set I tackle, it’s an ever moving learning curve.“

So we’ve learnt about the processes and careful choice of materials. The next big question and one that probably gets asked a lot is ‘How long from start to finish does it take to make a piece of custom made clothing?’ Just how long is a piece of ‘thread’?

JJ Creations: “It depends on the type of creations. It could take hours or even a few days.”

Empress Pro Gear: “The time to make the gear varies depending on how complicated it is. I’ve had sets take several days and some items several hours. If there’s rhinestones involved they’re very time consuming as they have to be individually glued to the garment, same with the rivet studs and eyelets that have to be marked out and hammered in.“

What happens after a piece is made, delivered and the customer is happy. What’s it like to be an ‘incredibly talented gear maker’ and see your work out there on the scene and in some cases on TV?

Vickstitch: “We always get asked what our favourite gear is and we really don’t know there has been so many made.“

JJ Creations: “Even though we are proud of all our gears, we felt a particular sense of satisfaction towards the ones we made for WWE, NXT and NXT UK. Watching the tv and seeing our baby gears is something indescribable.“

Empress Pro Gear: “It blows my mind each and every time, the little girl in me cannot believe it. I won’t lie I may have shed a couple of tears seeing them live in person and on TV. I’m so grateful to anyone who’s contacted me, ordered gear and supported me.“

So there you have it. From start to finish. The birth of an idea made into fully functioning wrestling gear.

Please remember during these tough times that these people are highly skilled self employed artisans and have been affected badly by the recent crisis. Please don’t forget them. Keep them busy with new commissions. The world won’t always be locked down. Shows will return soon hopefully and a bright shiny newly improved wrestling scene will commence once again and will require their services to keep it, and our favourite characters, colourful.

You can find all three gear makers at the following contacts and I highly recommend you check them out.

Vickstitch:

Instagram: @vickstitch

Facebook: Vickstitch Customs

Twitter: @vickstitch

Email: vickstitch@outlook.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

JJ Creations:

Instagram: @j_jwrestlingcreations

Facebook: JJ Wrestling Creations

Twitter: @J_Jcreations

Email: infojjcreations@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Empress Pro Gear:

Instagram: @empressprogear

Facebook: Empress Pro Gear

Twitter: @EmpressGear

Email: empressprogear@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

[scottish-wrestling-network]

By The Masked Embroider Instagram: @themaskedembroiderer | Twitter: @TEmbroiderer

  Ever wondered who makes your favourite Scottish wrestling stars ring gear? Well in this Behind The Art special I’ve had the privilege to pick the brains of three companies who make some of the best custom ring gear around and enhance some of the best wrestling talent in the world.

Before we get into the processes though I’d just like to say that these are just three companies that I spoke to and admire. There are of course many fine talented gear makers out there including honourable mentions to @airheaddiva and @kayleigh_fabe_wrestling_gear, who in particular hugely impressed me not only with her work but also with the fact that she reuses old parcel envelopes to send her wares out to her clients #reuseandsavetheplanet.

But let me introduce you to the ones I did chose and let’s get ‘Behind the Art’.

Vickstitch was started by Brett and Vicky about 8 years ago. Brett was a wrestler at a time when it was hard to not only find a gear maker but also to get exactly what you wanted made. So through necessity initially, Vicky took up the challenge and now, with their website, it’s grown into a thriving business.

JJ Wrestling Creations was born in 2015 creating wrestling gear for athletes all over the world.

Their love for fashion and art always ‘ran wild in their veins’ and in 2016, they moved from Italy to the UK to expand their business and empower their brand.

Empress Pro Gear specialise in making female ring attire, although not exclusively. With only 2 years in existence it nonetheless is blessed with 17 years of experience. Emma used to make costumes for the theatre but through her passion for wrestling she decided to branch out.

Now, let’s get a picture of just how a piece of ring gear is made from start to finish shall we?

First thing to start with is the idea.

As we all know in wrestling anything goes gimmick-wise. Nothing is too insane or too over the top. And talking to fast rising talent Ian Skinner about his ring gear he agreed, “if ever I’ve a silly idea that just might work, they [Vickstitch] are the ones… I watched Game of Death and was like “I NEED BRUCE LEE GEAR”… hence my yellow and black gear.“

And although Vickstitch happily admitted that “generic tights with logos on the legs and names on the back are our bread and butter type jobs, the different stuff is always far more enjoyable, customers letting us have creative input into their gear and helping with their design ideas. We love having new and unique designs that are challenging and give us something exciting to make.”

But do you really need a vision when going into the process of commissioning custom ring gear? How important is an idea or a vision?

JJ Creations replied: “It is essential, as it is the starting point of the whole creative process. Sometimes our clients have very clear ideas about what they desire. Some other times they ask us to guide them through. I love when they trust us so much that they allow us to put our own imagination into their costumes creation.”

Empress Pro Gear talked me through their ideas process:

“For the majority of my clients I just bring their designs to life. I’m supplied with a design and I offer them the choice of fabrics from my preferred suppliers. I help guide in the sense of practicalities and any concerns they have, but I just enjoy being a part of helping them represent their personalities, I don’t interfere with their vision. For others I will help put all their design inspirations into sketches and work from those alongside them, however this isn’t something I tend to do until we’ve created a comfortable collaborative relationship over time.

I find it takes one or two projects to get a real feel for someone’s style, I want my work to be authentic and reflective of them. I have certain clients who’s aesthetic mesh more so with my design style than others but I also enjoy the challenge of going outside my comfort zone. I’ve spent most of my career designing for characters in musicals etc. so I find it more natural now to have to design for a character rather than represent my personal style. I find this concept translates nicely into the world of gear making as the characters are so important; just like in the theatre you want the audience to get a feel for the character immediately from their entrance and appearance. In my eyes It’s not for me to define that character, I’m merely here to make the Wrestlers vision into something tangible.”

So an idea should have an aim of establishing a character. But just how important is an image? And does a strong image give a performer more confidence? Flamboyant Scottish luchador Lucha DS told me “you can see by my in ring look I need to have a look that sets me apart from my opponents but still have a theme that works across all the various sets I have. They [Vickstitch] are pivotal in helping me project the vibe I am going for.”

Ian Skinner also confirmed this too: “Vickstitch made my first set of gear and what they made gave me the confidence to go out in front of a crowd in trunks.”

JJ Creations as we told you in the introductions came across from the famous fashion capital of the world, Italy and have made Scotland their second home. They’ve worked with WWE stars like Nikki Cross, ‘Viper’ Piper Niven, Candyfloss, Jazzy Gabert and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray. Their garments are just as high end quality as they are fashionable and they rise to the challenge of breeding confidence into a performer with their creations: “…the crazier the idea the better it is. We love our job because it’s exciting, challenging and very rewarding. The best part of it is to make people happy and confident.

So what have we learned so far. A vision is important but can be worked out through some brainstorming. And a good design and image can instill confidence in a performer.

It made me wonder though. What were the major differences and difficulties between making gear for male performers opposed to female performers?  Was there any?

JJ Creations: “They differ in proportions. We need a deep knowledge of both male and female body shapes.”

Empress Pro Gear specialise in female ring attire but not exclusively as we mentioned. She can count Sammii Jayne, Ashley Vega, Nina Samuels, Killer Kelly, Zoe Lucas and Xia Brookside among her clientele.

Empress Pro Gear: “I personally find women’s wear comes more naturally to me, I’ve worked in both fields and I’ve always had an easier bond with making clothing for the female form. I’ve suffered from body dysmorphia growing up so I feel more of an organic connection with women’s bodies and trying to enhance what makes them feel confident. That’s the main reason I decided to focus mainly on Women’s wear however I do currently work with several men and regardless of how anyone identifies I’m excited for working on their ideas and creating their vision, I love being part of that collaboration. I’m just grateful any time anyone chooses to reach out to me; it’s a huge compliment when there’s so many incredibly talented makers out there.“

All three companies attested to the importance of choosing the right materials and learning about new processes when making their gear.

Vickstitch: “We both work full time at this and are continually growing and evolving as new methods and materials become available. Also the trends in the industry continue to evolve so we try to keep ahead of that curve too.”

I asked JJ Creations about this also and what pieces challenge them the most.

JJ Creations: “We mainly work with stretch fabrics, as we are wrestling gears makers. Our customers need comfortable and durable costumes, because they fight in them. Depending on their gimmicks, their ideas and desires we always suggest the best options and designs. Our goal is to make everyone feel unique and special…The most challenging are definitely the coats and the long jackets, they take a lot of time and care, but because of that they are also very rewarding pieces to create.”

Empress Pro Gear: “Each set has its own learning experience especially as for each individual I create a garment pattern from scratch for their measurements and design. Every persons body is different so I don’t treat them as a cookie cutter when it comes to making clothing. I find when I’ve worked with someone more I get to build up a collection of tried and tested garment patterns which takes a lot of the guess work away. I particularly enjoy working with Nina Samuels as her style really blends well with my background in theatre and dance wear, she has such a star quality about her and her presence. I love layering up the lace and Rhinestones and she allows me a lot of creative freedom with the detail. I really enjoy working on any sets where there’s lots of detail and I have a weakness for rhinestones I blame the dancer in me.“

Through wear and tear and what these clothes are being asked to perform it’s no wonder that every now and again they fail in some way or another.

But how do gear makers prevent and minimise these faults happening?

Empress Pro Gear: “I’m quite particular about what materials I use and in what locations on the garment, sometimes someone may request no stretch materials in areas that you need maximum stretch so I will offer more practical alternatives. I prefer to use suppliers who’s materials I know are high quality and are tried and tested by myself but I am flexible and love to learn more from others ideas. All my garments are fully lined and I use drawstrings as well as elastic where necessary. I’ve learnt over time from being around dancer’s wardrobe malfunctions and through developing my gear making little techniques of how to make fastenings a bit more secure. I’m still learning more with each set I tackle, it’s an ever moving learning curve.“

So we’ve learnt about the processes and careful choice of materials. The next big question and one that probably gets asked a lot is ‘How long from start to finish does it take to make a piece of custom made clothing?’ Just how long is a piece of ‘thread’?

JJ Creations: “It depends on the type of creations. It could take hours or even a few days.”

Empress Pro Gear: “The time to make the gear varies depending on how complicated it is. I’ve had sets take several days and some items several hours. If there’s rhinestones involved they’re very time consuming as they have to be individually glued to the garment, same with the rivet studs and eyelets that have to be marked out and hammered in.“

What happens after a piece is made, delivered and the customer is happy. What’s it like to be an ‘incredibly talented gear maker’ and see your work out there on the scene and in some cases on TV?

Vickstitch: “We always get asked what our favourite gear is and we really don’t know there has been so many made.“

JJ Creations: “Even though we are proud of all our gears, we felt a particular sense of satisfaction towards the ones we made for WWE, NXT and NXT UK. Watching the tv and seeing our baby gears is something indescribable.“

Empress Pro Gear: “It blows my mind each and every time, the little girl in me cannot believe it. I won’t lie I may have shed a couple of tears seeing them live in person and on TV. I’m so grateful to anyone who’s contacted me, ordered gear and supported me.“

So there you have it. From start to finish. The birth of an idea made into fully functioning wrestling gear.

Please remember during these tough times that these people are highly skilled self employed artisans and have been affected badly by the recent crisis. Please don’t forget them. Keep them busy with new commissions. The world won’t always be locked down. Shows will return soon hopefully and a bright shiny newly improved wrestling scene will commence once again and will require their services to keep it, and our favourite characters, colourful.

You can find all three gear makers at the following contacts and I highly recommend you check them out.

Vickstitch:

Instagram: @vickstitch

Facebook: Vickstitch Customs

Twitter: @vickstitch

Email: vickstitch@outlook.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

JJ Creations:

Instagram: @j_jwrestlingcreations

Facebook: JJ Wrestling Creations

Twitter: @J_Jcreations

Email: infojjcreations@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Empress Pro Gear:

Instagram: @empressprogear

Facebook: Empress Pro Gear

Twitter: @EmpressGear

Email: empressprogear@gmail.com

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

Behind The Art #19: Gear Makers Special

[myselfinserts]

“Don’t call her ‘doll face’. Moron.”

The students were all making their way into the stadium as Marianne finished the set up for the first aid tent. The crowd was already screaming in excitement. The air was filled with carnival food smells and the taste of salt. 

Marianne knew the reason for the latter. She’d gotten used to it since childhood. 

A lot had changed since childhood. She’d loved. She’d lost. And she learned to treat herself with some level of self-respect. It felt nice being able to look at herself in the mirror and enjoy wearing her favorite color. Without hearing those degrading comments from others around her about it. 

She was happier now.

“Hey doll face! Remember me?”

Oh god no. Please no. 

“Yoo-hoo! Mither! Over here!”

Marianne bit back a groan and turned around, putting on her best smile. “Barrett Ballard. How nice to see you again.”

“Oh, it’s been so long, doll face.” A man with long greying hair and dull blue eyes skipped over to her, his baggy suit making his lanky form even more elongated with every movement. “How have you been? I haven’t heard from you since-” 

Marianne braced herself. She knew it was coming. She was wearing a red blouse with black pair of jeans and her doctor’s coat. She looked professional. She looked mature and confident. 

“What on earth are you doing wearing that?”

She felt like a sitting duck. 

                                                           -

“Mommy, look! Look!”

It was a lovely summer evening. Marianne was wearing her favorite red dress as they walked down the beach. She’d gotten a cut on her foot from one of the rocks near the good shell gathering spot. But before she could truly cry over it, a light wind surrounded her. Salty water covered her body and seeped into the wound. It healed up quickly, clearing away the blood from the injury. It left no scar. 

Murdina smiled, lifting her up onto her shoulders as the others caught up to them. “Looks like your quirk manifested! I’m so glad!”

Dafyd smiled, gently pushing up his read headband as wee Regi kept tugging it down. “What happened?”

“I got a boo boo!” Marianne giggled, raising her foot up to show where it had once been. “And I healed it! I got covered in water and the owie disappeared!”

Regi’s eyes went wide and he gasped. “Boo boo?” His tiny hands reached out and he grabbed hold of Marianne’s foot, giving the heel a light kiss. “Boo boo gone!”

Murdina and Dafyd chuckled, giving Regi kisses on the cheek and telling him good job. Marianne couldn’t help smiling. Reginald had been a relatively quiet baby. Barely made eye contact with anyone. She was so scared at some points that maybe he didn’t like her. 

But those fears were gone now. 

“Thank you, Regi,” she said. “I feel much better now.”

Regi smiled brightly. “Boo boo gone!”

“Yep! Boo boo gone!”

Regi nodded, looking between all of them. His smile slowly began to leave. “Oh...”

“What’s wrong.”

“Want red.” He pointed to Dafyd’s headband, then to Murdina’s top and Marianne’s dress. “Where my red?”

Marianne looked over her brother, feeling her heart break as she saw not a single speck of the color on his little sailor outfit. She looked at her dress and reached for the hem of the skirt, taking off one of the ribbons that were tied through the holes. She motioned for her mother to move her closer and she leaned over, gently tying back Regi’s laughably long hair. 

“There,” she said. “Now we all got red.”

Regi giggled and started bouncing in his father’s arms excitedly. “Got red! Got red!”

“That you do,” Dafyd chuckled. “It looks good on you both.”

Marianne couldn’t agree more.

                                                          -

“Marianne, we’ve been over this. Red isn’t a good color on you.”

Marianne let out a sigh, hanging up the beautiful party dress she’d set her sights on. It was a simple 50′s style rockabilly swing dress, with a fitted corset top and it flared out in the skirt. It was red, with adorable polka dot trimmings. It looked amazing. 

She wanted that dress so badly. 

But Mary was her roomie, and the designated fashion expert. Marianne had barely known the difference between different button ups before letting her come along clothes shopping. Her wardrobe was a little darker than she liked, but it looked nice and that was what was important right now. Especially for such an important event. 

As per usual, Lucienne’s always held socials in between trainings and lessons and the like. It was a chance to form connections and build a network for hero duties. And as such, they were expected to dress nicely. 

‘Nicely’ in Mary’s eyes meant Marianne would be in another navy blue dress that didn’t even make it to her knees, while she herself would wear whatever dress she thought looked best that week. 

This week, it meant a red dress that would make her look like the only girl in the whole room. 

Not just a red dress. THE red dress. The one she wanted so desperately. 

“Why can’t we both wear red tonight?” Marianne asked. “It’s not like there’s a law saying I shouldn’t wear it.”

“It makes you look pasty and washed out,” Mary grumbled. “Now go try on this one. It’s a beautiful blue. It’ll look amazing, trust me.”

“But-”

“Go on!”

Marianne rolled her eyes and went into the changing room. She closed her eyes, counted to ten, and braced herself for the image of Mary in her dress. 

Maybe I can sneak myself one later. Just to wear in private. No, Mary would take it...dammit...

With a sigh of regret, she put on the dress and left the dressing room, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she saw Mary spinning around in the polka dots. Marianne decided to let it go.

It looks more amazing on her.

                                                                -

“Finally! I’ve been trying to get in to see you for weeks.”

“Well, I finally had the time.” Barrett said. “Now, let’s get to work, shall we? Have a seat.”

Marianne sat at the desk, reaching into her bag and pulling out the latest designs for her new hero costume. “So I had some ideas-”

Barrett raised his hand, shaking his head disapprovingly. “Now now, Marianne. You and I have been over this. You have a quirk with particular needs. And a particular style that comes with it.”

“But Mr. Ballard, please,” she insisted. “I promise, this is a good design. See, I was thinking we could go with something more streamlined. Have it look a bit more sinister yet soothing? And maybe in red?”

“But red makes you look so pale, darling.” He reached over and took her notebook, tossing it aside. “Now, if you’ll just wait a moment, my secretary will be here soon and will have you in the new suit any-Ah! Here it is!”

Before Marianne had a chance to recover she was hoisted from her seat and spun around midair. She could barely register what was happening. She felt her clothes vanishing, replaced with a soft, if slightly itchy fabric. She landed on her feet and was shoved in front of a mirror. 

The hero suit had a new utility belt, with matching boots and a strap that went over her shoulders to carry more pouches. Unlike her last one, this was completely sleeveless, with a zipper down the front. The skirt that would attach to the belt had now become one with the top, and the colors were darker. A deep navy blue with a mauve outline. And of course, the golden circlet came with it. 

It was almost too simple. Too much like her old outfit. 

She hated it. 

She was hoping for red. 

“Well?” Barrett asked expectantly. “What do you think?”

“It’s...wonderful,” she said. “It’s just taking me a minute to adjust.”

“Well then, how about I leave you alone for a bit to get acquainted, eh doll face?”

Marianne watched him and the secretary go, waiting until the door was shut and she was certain that he was gone before hurrying over to her notebook, picking it up and hugging it tightly. The page it was open to was to a full body suit, a dark red with white lines that gave her an almost fallen angel aesthetic. It had boots that went to the knee and not the ankle, where they wouldn’t pinch at her nerves as badly. This also came with gloves, and was made with material better suited for the ocean. Almost like a wetsuit of sorts. And instead of a circlet, she’d get a pair of goggles that could double as a crown. 

It was probably her best design yet.

And she’d never get to use it. 

                                                          -

She couldn’t stop staring at it. 

Her first birthday with Myko. She’d expected just about everything he threw at her. A nice dinner, a night on the town, karaoke, the hotel. Typical Mykolas.

She didn’t expect this red dress. 

“What do you think?” he asked. “I hope you don’t mind but I asked your buddies L and Phoenix for help? They said you’d look really nice in this and- Marianne?”

She put it back in the box, biting her tongue as she held back the tears. This was a joke. A cruel, sick joke. It had to be. She couldn’t be receiving this dress. This lovely, red lace dress with a little black belt. She just couldn’t. It was so beautiful. Too beautiful. 

“Marianne, hey,” Myko said softly, pulling her into his arms. “What’s wrong? Did I get the wrong one? Is this not the kind you like? Or did I get the wrong size-?”

“Why?” she whispered. “Why red?”

He looked at her, perplexed. “You said it was your favorite color. And it’s a lovely shade. I made sure it would look nice with your favorite necklace-”

He can’t be this dense. “Red makes me look washed out...”

“Oh, now that’s bullshit.” He gently pulled her to her feet, walking her to the mirror and holding the dress up in front of her. “Look at this. Look how your hair pairs well with the belt. How the way the sleeves will meet your elbows. The color makes the purple of your eyes pop so beautifully.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Marianne, you were born to wear red.”

The tears broke at the words. Marianne sank to her knees, hugging the dress as close as she could. Every comment about her and the color swirled in her mind, blocking out every other sound in the world. She could feel Myko drop down and pull her close, holding her as tightly as he could while she wept. 

It’d been so long since she was told she looked good in red. 

“Thank you,” she finally managed. “I love it. I love you.”

Myko smiled, gently drying the tears away. “I love you too.”

                                                                   -

“Clem, sweetheart. Please don’t tug on Mr. Kan’s hair.”

“It’s alright. He ain’t hurting none. You focus on getting ready.”

Marianne smiled softly, watching her son tug tightly on the tufts of white hair. She was glad the two seemed to get along. It was her first day back at work, and she needed all the help she could get. It was lonely without Mykolas, but Sekijiro was a very comforting presence in the dorms. She knew she could count on him when L and the others were away.

Quickly, she threw on a pair of black capri pants and a white button up. It wasn’t much, but it would be enough. She just had to get through today.

Today was her first solo outing as the school nurse. She could handle it. Marianne had been through so much already. There was no way in hell anything could throw her off.

No, she thought. There is one way. 

“How do I look?” she asked. 

Kan looked at her, making sure to keep his hands on the wiggly crawly baby trying to sit on his head. “You look good.”

“Just good?”

He shrugged. “I mean...You could do with some color.” He stood, carefully taking Clement and holding him close to his chest as he hurried to the closet. “Maybe try something nice? Lull the students into a false sense of security. Make them think you won’t beat them over the head with health lessons.” Kan smiled and pulled out a dress. It was one of those simple skater dresses. The kind that paired well with a pair of flats and a set of leggings. “Like this.”

Marianne felt her ears burn as she took it from his hands, smiling sweetly. “I’ll give it a try...If you think it’ll look good.”

“It’ll look lovely.” He leaned down slightly, kissing her on the cheek. “You look good in red. Now hurry up and get going. You don’t want to be late.” He looked at Clem, giving him a light boop on the nose to make him giggle. “We’ll meet you for lunch. Promise.”

“Okay.” She quickly made the change before passing him the baby bag, kissing them both on the cheek. “I’ll see you later then. Love you.”

“Love you too,” Kan said.

Marianne smiled and hurried out the door. It wasn’t until she got to her office she realized.

What the hell did we do? What the hell did I just say?!

They kissed each other on the cheek.

They said ‘I love you’. 

Oh god, she thought. It really got that serious. 

Somehow, she found she didn’t mind. 

                                                             -

“It’s my favorite shirt, Ballard. Got a problem?”

Marianne watched him stammer in a vain attempt to find his words. She expected this. Barrett hadn’t been the same since she quit using him as her support designer. Almost too anxious to be healthy. But it was a choice she knew that, presented with the chance, she’d make the same decision. 

“I mean,” he stumbled. “You look a little pale, doll face.”

“Don’t call her ‘doll face’. Moron.”

Barrett froze, slowly turning around to come face to face with Vlad King, who was glaring at him harshly from behind his visor. Marianne tried hard to hold back a laugh. There had only been one other person who could instill that kind of fear into that pathetic little man. 

“C-can I help you?” Barrett asked. 

“Yes,” Vlad growled. “You can get the fuck out of here before I call security.”

Barrett nodded rapidly. “I’ll be gone soon, promise. I just wanted to ask Mither if she’d be willing to come back to Elspie to help me with-”

She didn’t even let him finish. “No way.”

Both men looked at her in surprise. “No?”

“No,” Marianne repeated. “I have work here. A loving husband here. Another husband in the hospital. Two kids of my own plus an ultra heckton more. Even if I weren’t blacklisted to hell and back in the U.K circuit I wouldn’t come back.” She turned Barrett around and started pushing him out of the tent. “Now get lost before I ask Lady Lazarus to escort you to Mr. Allard.

Barret’s eyes went wide and white. “Allard? H-he’s here?”

“Yep. Now scram.”

With a high pitched squeak, the support designer bolted out of there. Vlad watched him go, a bemused smirk on his face. 

“Who knew such a guy could move that fast?”

“I did.” She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist as tightly as she could. “I’m sorry about earlier. All the yelling and shit. I was out of line.”

Vlad smiled, turning around and lifting her up into his arms, giving her a kiss on the nose. “It’s alright. I was the idiot who listened to Nezu and did shit behind your back. Can you forgive me?”

“Only if we can watch Princess Bride and pop some popcorn tonight.”

“Deal.”

Marianne smiled, nuzzling him before letting herself be set down. Vlad slipped her one last kiss and headed back to the students. As he went, Marianne’s hands traced along the hem of her shirt as she focused on his costume. 

Red was still her favorite color.

[creepypasta-fictions]

The Teacher (pt.6)

After returning home from the police station, Susan grabbed a red and black flannel shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans from her wardrobe. Pairing her outfit with some high heeled combat boots, she flipped back her hair confidently and tied it up into a messy ponytail. She frantically pushed and pulled drawers in her dresser until she finally pulled out something small.

Her heart shattered as she clutched the black eyeliner pen to her chest. This was a gift from Amy for her 15th birthday. She remembered that day like it was yesterday. In fact, this lead her to pick up a framed photograph of the two, on that very same day. They had been messing around with the camera. Susan, was in fact wearing that same eyeliner that Amy had given her. It was winged out very well, thanks to Amy’s brilliant makeup skills, however the fact Susan had no clue how to do makeup despite Amy’s attempts to teach her, depressed her. Amy was always into girly things like hair, makeup, nails, fashion, maintaining a good figure, and her efforts to turn Susan into a “glam queen” were to no avail. Yet for all these years since she had met her deceased best friend, she always felt frustrated at herself for not being remotely like her. Susan sucked at makeup, well, in her own words.

However, now it was the time to change. For Amy. She felt as though she had to go out there and represent her best friend, despite Amy’s constant encouragement for Susan to just be herself whilst she was alive. Trying desperately to relive the memories of that day on Susan’s 15th, she clasped the pen as delicately as possible.

***

“Um... what’s this, Amy?” Susan asked, scrutinising the newly opened birthday present.

Amy did her signature eye roll. “Oh c’mon, Susie, don’t act like you’re that stupid. I get that you’re a nerd, but do you honestly not know what an eyeliner pen is used for?”

Susan blushed furiously, feeling humiliated.

“Ahaha it was a joke, silly! I know you’re not really into makeup, but don’t you think you could just try it on? For me? Trust me, you’ll be a glam queen, that’s why I got this for you!”

Susan shrugged, her eyes rotating back and forth between the pen and the bright, smiling girl.

“Well can you at least let me put it on for you?” Amy pleaded.

“Ugh, fine. But promise not to laugh at me,”

“Oh Susie, when have I ever laughed at you!?”

“Pretty much every damn day,” Susan sighed.

Joyful laughter filled the room.

***

Susan sat for at least an hour, desperately trying to recreate that look that was seen on the photo. Trying her best not to look at Amy’s smiling innocent face, she attempted to lean all her focus onto the eyeliner that was on her eyes in the photo. Let’s just say, she ended up redoing it at least fifty times until she finally got it looking similar enough (the wing was a little off, but she didn’t give a shit) to the photo. She even considered taking the final result off and just leaving it, since there was a high chance of her crying over Amy and ruining it anyway. However, just as she was about to pick up the makeup wipe to clean it off, there was a knock at the door. “Susie, it’s mom,” she heard her mother’s voice from the other side of the door, however it did not sound remotely cheerful, which made Susan panic enough to drop the wipe and hurriedly open up the door. Her mother’s eyes widened when she saw what appeared to be a new daughter, however there were still tears in her eyes, most likely from the three sheets of paper she was holding in her shaky hands.

“Oh, S-Susie, you look different... you’re wearing eyeliner.”

Susan took a deep breath and sighed, doing her best to hold down the lump in her throat and fight back the tears. “It’s Amy’s... That gift from my 15th, do you remember?” She handed her mother the photograph, which put a meek smile onto her sullen face. She nodded. “I remember it all too well. I’ll never forget that day, and I doubt you will either.”

“What’s that paper in your hand?” Susan pointed at the document in her mom’s hand. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest; she felt like a cyclist going rapidly up and down a repetitive sequence of hills. She dreaded what it was going to be. And of course it was the worst.

“It’s Amy’s autopsy report. Anne dropped off a copy of it about an hour ago. I was gonna call you but she figured you might not wanna read it, so I brought it up here. I’ve already seen it, and it’s quite upsetting to read, so if you don’t want-“

“Mom, just give it to me, please. It’s gonna be useful for the inquest. Gotta brace myself, sometime, haven’t I? For Amy?”

There was a long pause after Susan took the photograph and the autopsy before her mother said, “Yes, for Amy.” She then proceeded to walk down the wooden staircase as Susan turned on her heel and shut the door to her bedroom.

***

Principal Stephen Andrews finished his work at Harvard early that day, so he decided to take a stroll through the woods, as per usual when he finished work. All was quiet. Not a single student in sight. He knew exactly why. Following the murders in the woods in recent months, all students had fled the forest and sought out alternative ways to travel home after finishing their lectures, with the exceptions of the ones who were stupid enough to go and conduct their own private “investigations” however they’d get what was coming to them soon enough.

Of course, for Mr Andrews, things couldn’t stay quiet for that long. Suddenly, he felt a pair of cold, skinny arms wrapping forcefully around his throat, causing him to choke out for air. He was swung around, and thrust against a tree. There, with his shoulders pressed into the tree trunk, he was faced with none other than Mr Blackburn.

“Steve, what do you think you’re playing at?!” He hissed, spit spraying onto the startled principal’s face.

Mr Andrews furrowed his bushy grey brows, before abruptly forcing the lanky man off of him. “You don’t get to call me Steve. And what am I playing at?! You’re the one who just strangled me from behind! God have fucking mercy if Higginson saw that! And you know that was sarcastic, Christian. I wouldn’t mind it if you went down for the murder.”

“Oh, ho, ho, Steve, you’ve really done a number on me, haven’t you?! You fucking traitor!”

“Me, a traitor?! I’m the one who is paying you!”

“You told me that our little business was over!” Mr Blackburn snapped.

“Well I thought it was since you’re so fucking useless that Susan Higginson might actually be on to something, but then you strangled me from behind, in the middle of a known fucking crime scene! And there are cops nearby, this area has been put on lockdown. So if anyone’s perpetuating this mess, it’s you! If there’s any chance Higginson might be watching, you’ve gotta go, NOW!”

Hesitating for a moment, Christian Blackburn finally accepted defeat, and legged it, his long black trench coat flapping in the wind behind him. After adjusting himself, Mr Andrews continued on his journey.

***

The newly reformed Susan Higginson strutted out onto the streets in her newly found confidence and aesthetic. She was sure of Amy’s reaction, if somehow, somewhere, she was watching.

“Yes, girl!” She’d marvel, clapping her hands together. “You go get em’ with that, bitch!”

Suddenly, everything came to a stop. Susan froze into position as she stared at the dangerous spectre who appeared to be hovering around the grounds of Harvard University, very much on alert. He was not walking towards the woods, in fact, he was walking up the path away from the woods. “Oh no,” she muttered, hiding behind a nearby corner so that the stalker couldn’t see her. Her heart pounded, as she felt as though there had been another murder. However, no police sirens could be heard in the distance, so before Mr Blackburn had the chance to flee, Susan decided to do the most sensible thing she could - Get them to come here and see for themselves. As soon as she dialled 911 with a shaky finger, she almost immediately got an answer from the Sherrif’s County Office. “Hello, this is Susan Higginson, I was in here earlier today discussing a possible suspect for the murders. I wanted to inform you that Christian Blackburn, our chief suspect, is lingering outside of Harvard University right now, and he looks as if he’s just come from the woods.”

“I’ll send an officer down now,” the dispatcher replied. The next ten minutes was a painful continuation of events for Susan, back and forth between spying on Mr Blackburn, who somehow sensed he was being watched, and running back into hiding. Eventually, her wait was over when she heard the sirens echoing in the distance, however, the adrenaline seemed to build up the closer they came. Finally, three police cars and an ambulance arrived and parked up. By this time, Mr Blackburn had started running. Nine police officers departed their cars and rushed over to Susan. The chief Constable of the investigation asked her, “Where did he run off to?!”

Susan pointed in the direction up the path. “This way!” She lead the way, with nine officers behind her, their guns poised. However, it did not make her feel nervous, it made her feel relieved. When they finally reached the top of the path and came to a field, they spotted the black spectre pulling a baseball bat out of his duffel bag and using it to smash in the window of a car. As the alarm went off, he clambered inside and started the engine. Turning around, Susan noticed that already six of the officers had already started running back to their cars, and another officer had his walkie talkie in his hand and was dialling one of his colleagues. “Hello, this is Officer Sprouse, can I please send for three helicopters. The suspect has just broken into a car and fled up the street opposite Harvard University, in the direction of the marshlands. We have no time to lose.”

Susan and the three remaining men all dashed back to the cars, one of which was already gone, Susan clambering into the most empty one, and they sped off after Mr Blackburn. All this time, Susan was praying they would catch the criminal on the run. If they couldn’t charge him with the murders, at least they could charge him with theft and damage of property. (Susan hadn’t really learned a lot about non-fatal offences in law yet, but she knew that he had already committed a series of crimes enough for prison time).

Eventually, they caught up with the car. Susan remembered that the registration number plate was exactly the same as the one Mr Blackburn had climbed into, and she recognised that it must have been from a different state. Perhaps Connecticut? Either way, this car did NOT belong to him. Eventually, he was stopped by the police, with one car swinging in front of him.

And before he knew it, he was surrounded...

“Christian Blackburn, I’m arresting you for theft of a car and damage to property. You do not need to say anything, however it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something that you later rely on in court. Anything you do say will be given in evidence,” The lanky man was handcuffed, a disgusted look on his equally disgusting face. “Excuse me, Officer, you’ve got this all wrong! Let me go, let me go! Why the hell were you chasing me in the first place! Suddenly, his cold eyes met with Susan’s burning ones. “HIGGINSON!” He screamed out. “You did this...” he hissed, spit spraying out of his mouth and to the ground as he was dragged away by two burly police men. Susan’s heart was now pounding with excitement. All the things she had been building up in her head since Amy’s death, there were so many things, she could let it all out now, if she wanted to. However, when she opened her mouth to speak, she could only muster four simple, but effective words. “You deserve it, murderer.”

Mr Blackburn was escorted away in one of the police cars. The sheriff walked up to Susan. “Miss Higginson, I must say I am very impressed. Not only were you able to identify the signs, but you also managed to put the suspect into a position to commit an absolute liability crime, giving us a warrant for his arrest. And the best part of all that might be the fact that you used your knowledge that you learned from the suspect himself. Very impressive and brave work today, Susan.”

“Thank you Sherrif.” She smiled. “Let’s just hope he really is the one. I feel like there has been a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I feel like I finally have justice for my best friend.”

“Well, I got a feeling he might just be the one that we’re after. In which case, we got him. There should be no more murders.”

***

Down at the Sherrif’s county office, Mr Blackburn was taken in for questioning. “Christian Blackburn, nice to meet you. I’m Officer George Owen, and I am going to be asking you a few questions.” Officer Owen sat down opposite the handcuffed Mr Blackburn. He was slumped down in his chair, feeling defeated. Once again, he was back behind bars.

“So tell me about your reaction when you saw one of your students had set you up like that. Why did you react the way you did?”

“Because she’s a fucking student. She’s in one of my classes at Harvard. I didn’t think she’d ever accuse me of this kind of thing. I’m the one who is giving her all this knowledge about the law. She stabbed me in the back. She reported me for a crime I didn’t even commit.”

“Don’t try to pull that off. We caught you in the act, robbing that car.”

“But that’s not what she reported me for, was it? So what, I committed a petty crime whilst trying to get away, just get myself some leverage, but what else could I have done? I didn’t kill Amy Parker.”

Officer Owen raised his bushy eyebrows. “Hmm... how come you know that this is what I was going to be questioning you about? Is it maybe because you know about these murders? You know you’re a suspect, right?”

“N-no! It’s not like that! Susan is a paranoid student, who was always passionate about her best friend Amy Parker, who was kinda arrogant, so it’s hard to see why she’s just out to accuse anyone.”

“It seems as though you disliked Miss Parker intensely,” the officer replied, tediously tripping up Mr Blackburn.

“She called out a few times in class, that’s hardly a reason for me to kill her, is it?”

“I see. Well what about Nicole Partington? A good friend of Amy’s? Did she ever call out in class?”

There was a pause before Mr Blackburn simply stated, “No comment.”

“It’s in your records that you’re a teacher at Harvard University from Monday to Wednesday, and then for the next two days of the week you go ahead and teach up in Yale. Haven’t you noticed the pattern in the murders? The ones down in Cambridge happen in the first part of the week, and then up in Connecticut, the bodies are found in the last few days. Can you tell us anything about that?”

“It’s possible there could be two different people involved in the murders,” Mr Blackburn stammered, however he immediately regretted this remark.

“Are you admitting that you could be one of them?” Owen asked.

“No!” Mr Blackburn protested. “Stop trying to frame me! How could you possibly believe an 18 year old student over an experienced teacher?!”

“No, Christian, I believe a very smart, passionate, kind and intelligent young law student over a criminal, a thief and an obvious shady liar?”

Mr Blackburn thrust his fist down violently onto the table, not taking the officer by surprise.

“Your anger really gives you away, you know that? It’s not a good tactic. Also we have more evidence. In the two woodland areas located in close proximity to the crime scenes in both states, we have recently installed some CCTV. In one of the footages up in Connecticut last week, sort of around the time the last murder occurred, footage was captured with two men, one of which was believed to be you.”

Owen played the footage to Mr Blackburn, watching his own movements intensely, desperately hoping he had not been recognised. The footage showed two men walking into frame, both dressed in black trench coats, and wearing black fedoras. They looked like silhouettes. The taller one, who was in fact Mr Blackburn, spun around. For a minute or two, the men stopped and began having a conversation. Mr Blackburn then raised a long skinny black arm and pointed in a certain direction, causing the other man to look in that direction. They began to follow where he pointed.

“Susan Higginson identified the tall guy as you. And judging by my eyes, I don’t need an 18 year old student to tell me that. I can see it for myself. I see you in there. Now, Christian, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way. So how’s about you tell me who the other man is? Either way, there’s no way you’re gonna walk outta here tonight. Already got you on the charge of theft and damage of another person’s property. And that car, it’s obviously from a different state, you’ve been driving it round a lot, huh? But you just thought you’d leave it in the parking lot every single night, so you could walk home through the woods with your little buddy, whom, may I add, we will find even if you don’t tell us who he is now. Choosing your next victim, and then swanning off to Connecticut to kill more young students.”

“No! You’re jumping to conclusions, Officer! You’ve completely got it wrong. I don’t know why you’re so intent on sending me down for this; okay, I work here for the first three days, then I go off to Connecticut to teach at Yale! So what?! My boss Stephen Andrews is the principal of both of those Universities, so he goes up to Connecticut on the same schedule as me. Yet Higginson chooses to frame me just because I’m easier to frame than the headteacher, and because I didn’t like her best friend.”

“So you’re saying that the man in the footage with you is your killing buddy? Your own boss?”

****

To be continued...

HEADS UP: The next Part is going to be a filler chapter. Wanna keep you all in suspense of what happens now as Susan continues her studies to be a lawyer.

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Meet the teens making thousands from selling online | Money

Entrepreneurial teens are selling hyped merchandise on resale platforms such as Depop – and earning mega-bucks. Every Thursday morning, a snake-like queue forms outside streetwear brand Supreme’s store in Soho as fans line up in the hope of walking away with bags filled with limited edition clothing “dropped” that day.

Among the fanatics are teenagers, and they’re not just there to boost the coolness of their wardrobe – they’ve come for the sole purpose of buying highly sought-after items to resell on Depop, a youth-targeted (54% of its users are aged 14 to 24) auction app.

And it’s not just Supreme they’re lapping up. Generation Z – those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s – are buying hyped merchandise from streetwear brands such as Bape, Nike and Yeezy to resell for significantly more on platforms such as Depop, eBay and Grailed.

Forget delivering newspapers or working shifts in the local supermarket. Instead, these entrepreneurial teens – many still at school or college – are devoting hours every week to reselling limited edition goods, a gig that’s earning them up to several thousand pounds a month.

Reuben Wall was just 14 when he became hooked on selling items online after he bought one too many Rubik’s Cubes by accident.

“I decided to sell the spare cube and I sold it for double the price that I got it for,” says Wall, now 18. He then re-invested the money in buying two more and sold those on eBay, before purchasing more. “Before long I had a whole tower of Rubik’s Cubes.”

From there he moved on to selling Japanese anime merchandise before settling on his current market – reselling streetwear from Supreme, Palace and Kith.

Reuben Wall says he reads comments and polls on Twitter to gauge the popularity of products. Photograph: Chris Cohen

“When I saw how much certain items were selling for on eBay, I wanted a piece of the action,” says Wall, who is studying for a BA in music production at Northbrook Metropolitan College in Brighton. “I started selling mostly T-shirts, then coats and jackets because they go for a bit more.”

He says he will only buy hyped items, and reads comments and polls on Twitter to gauge the popularity of a certain product.

Sometimes items will “brick” (an item that doesn’t resell for much more than retail), so sometimes he takes a loss. He spends about three hours a day reselling, and makes a profit of between £1,000 to £2,000 a month. To help increase his chances of success, he lists the same items on multiple resale platforms.

While Wall spends the cash on rent, food and clothes, it’s also provided him with an enviable money pot worth £14,000. “I’m saving for a mortgage on a house,” he adds.

Like Wall, Scarlett Gillespie, who lives in Greenwich in London, was 14 when she started selling clothes on Depop. “When I didn’t wear something any more, I thought I may as well sell it on,” says Gillespie, now 15. She mainly sold branded clothes such as American Apparel, but soon realised she could earn more by buying and reselling hyped products from brands with a cult-like following. “I’ve bought Supreme rucksacks and tops from the drop at Supreme’s store on Carnaby Street,” she says. “I’ve only been once – and spent almost a whole day queueing and in the store – but I’ll often ask friends to buy stuff for me.”

Gillespie also seeks out products from labels such as Nike, Adidas and Ralph Lauren, and scours clothes markets. Like many of her peers, she discovers which products are in demand by checking streetwear-focused Facebook group The Basement. She recently bought a Supreme backpack for £120 and sold it for £180, handing her a tidy £60.

She earns an average £100 a month and “wherever I go, I look out for products to resell. My dad is always asking what I’ve sold. He thinks it’s cool.”

James Marshall Griffin makes about £600 to £1,000 a month reselling brands such as Supreme and Palace. Photograph: James Marshall Griffin

Many Depop resellers such as Lydia Clear, who has 9,942 followers on Instagram, create hype around their products by modelling them on the photo-sharing platform.

“There’s a whole market of Instagram influencers that sell clothing on Depop and these markets feed off each other,” says Petah Marian, a senior editor at trend forecasting firm WGSN. “They build up their influence and street credibility on the platforms – this helps them when they come to selling.”

But does this devalue the brands at all – or are they losing out because their products are being sold again through resale sites? (There’s no response to emails sent to brands such as Supreme, Nike and Yeezy.)

Marian says it’s a win-win for the labels. “It’s good for brands as kids are so attached to the items. It makes people buy into the brand more, and demand creates desire.”

Depop founder Simon Beckerman says the app, which has had more than 7m registrations, has “opened the doors” to a new generation using a marketplace for the first time.

“You have vintage sellers specialising in the 70s, people with a more Y2K [early 2000s] aesthetic, then there are of course the ones who are into the culture of the drop,” he says.

Beckerman says Generation Z aren’t afraid of building empires from their bedrooms. “There’s very little risk in trying,” he adds. “There’s so much uncertainty around us nowadays that being your own boss is a very appealing idea.”

This interest in reselling among teenagers forms a key part of Gen Z’s characteristics, says Lucie Greene, worldwide director of the Innovation Group at JWT Intelligence. “Gen Z are generally much more entrepreneurial and creative in the way they make money. They see themselves as brands, creators, marketers and are using social media to monetise their influence,” she adds.

Growing up as digital natives, spending time online to create their own Depop store or building hype around clothes on Instagram is second nature to this demographic.

“As a generation they’re showing a massive amount of self-awareness and agency, as well as being extremely creative and sophisticated in their understanding of brands and culture,” says Greene.

“The combination is that you have this micro-entrepreneurship being applied to lots of what they do. It’s also reflective of their interests generally. If millennials were the reality TV generation where anyone could be a celebrity, Gen Zs are the cohort who believe that anyone can have their own business.”

Ask the teenagers if they feel guilty about buying items and reselling for a significant mark-up, and it’s pretty much a resounding no.

“For those that genuinely support the brand, that want to buy clothes to wear and keep, it’s understandably annoying to be beaten to a product by someone just looking to make money on the exact same item,” says 18-year-old James Marshall Griffin, who lives in Southampton and resells hyped streetwear products by brands such as Supreme and Palace, making him about £600 to £1,000 a month.

“However, it’s inevitable people are going to do this when people are willing to pay sometimes 10 times the retail price within the first 10 minutes of the item selling out if they’re really eager for it.”

It’s a dog-eat-dog world for these entrepreneurial teens.

RAGS TO RICHES

LYDIA CLEAR

The 17-year-old lives in Brighton and is studying for her A-levels.

Lydia Clear was only 14 when she caught the bug for selling clothes online.

“My mum used to sell on eBay, and so when I grew bored of my outfits I started selling them on Depop.”

It wasn’t until last year that she started buying clothes with the sole intention of reselling online for a higher price. “I started going to Supreme drops in London during the school holidays and I’d buy the most popular items,” she says. “I’d also often go to Adidas and Nike shops to buy hyped items that I’d heard about on social media.”

During one Supreme drop, Clear enlisted several of her friends to queue and buy products that she could sell on Depop. She spent a total of £300 on hoodies and T-shirts and made a profit of £1,000.

To create more hype, she also models the clothes on Instagram, where she has close to 10,000 followers, and add a link to her Depop store.

She spends about two hours a day reselling, and makes about £1,000 profit every month. She has saved up £8,000 so far from reselling. It’s certainly a win-win for her mum and dad. “I’ve told my parents not to give me any money – I don’t need any from them any more.”

Lydia Clear started out offloading old outfits, but moved on to buying to resell. Photograph: @danieloregan/Instagram

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Hi all! Hope this post finds your well! Welcome, or welcome back, depending on how you found me. Either way, I’m glad you’re here!

This post is going to serve as a catch up post. While I love to sew and love to share, I have kids a fairly busy life, which means that often, things don’t get shared. I’m really tired of looking at my pretties and realizing I didn’t share them. Sewing, for me, is all about the tangible item/reward that comes from it, as well as the feeling of having completed something. Lord knows, nothing else in this house ever feels like it’s really “completed”. (Laundry or dishes, anyone? They go on for days when you have 4 kids!)

To be honest, I’m a little lost on where to start. I’ve been sewing up a storm lately!  I suppose I’ll begin with the shirts i sewed up for my Duchess skirt blog tour post. I was a little nervous, as it was my first blog tour/colab, so I made several items…although looking back, i should have sewn up more than one skirt, since the focus was that. (To be fair: I’ve been dealing with a fabric budget cut back, though. all i currently have to work with is my small stash & my linen closet. The skirt called for more than 2  consecutive yards of fabric,  and I just didn’t have it. 😦 )

***You may notice that the images in this post are a little different than usual. For one, I’ve begun doing most of my photography on my own and the learning curve is HUGE. Also, I have a friend who just recently had a scare from a company stealing her images and using them for profit, so my watermark is now in the middle. Sorry in advance if it takes away from the aesthetic. You can never be too safe. I have updated my Terms of use/privacy policy and you can find it by clicking the main menu!***

So, without too much ado, I give you my first shirt (which ended up being my favorite). I used the free Key West Tank PDF pattern from New Horizons Designs. This is one of my favorite woven patterns. It’s a tank with a looser fit and features bands on the neck and armholes (I suppose you could bind them if you REALLY wanted to…but who has time for that? lol) . There is a crop length and full tunic length. It would also be really easy to take the tunic length and extend it, if you wished to have a swing style dress. If you were to do so, you would probably want to use something with a bit more drape than I used, though!

    For my version, I took the pattern in my size and used this gorgeous stretch woven  Stretch lace from Fabric Mart Fabrics. I received both as part of a mystery apparel box. I love those things! 6 yards for 10 bucks and I have NEVER been disappointed! (more on this another day!) I was originally going to just use the lace for the top, but hadn’t worked with stretch lace before (gasp!), so I wasn’t sure how the bands would work. I was also worried about how “finished” it would look, since I don’t use a serger (another shock, right? I did say I’m on the tightest budget ever. 🙂 )

So instead of cutting it to fit the top of the pattern to just above the bust (the middle of the armcyse), adding seam allowance and doing the reverse for the blue fabric…I cut a whole front and back bodice from the stretch woven, then just the top part from the lace. I folded it down over the bodice, RST, stitched a straight line (with a super tiny seam allowance) across the bodice, right where it would hit above thebust, then folded it back up and sewed the 2 bodice pieces together at the shoulders, then up the sides (like normal). The small amount I lost by not accounting for SA didn’t make a huge difference, as the lace stretched a lot more easily than the woven and it wasn’t hard to make it fit. If I did it again, I would probably do it a lot more technically, but I was in a rush. 🙂

  So that was that. I could have just stopped there, but being the ADD/OCD person that I am I decided I may not even like that shirt. (It was pretty hard to getthe lace detail to show up on my point and shoot camera, after all.) So off I went, to find more fabric and another pattern.

  Of couse, when you’re sewing and designing things in a rush, you tend to reach for those things that you’re most comfortable with. The Mama Cassie pattern by Made for Mermaids is definitely one of mine. In fact, one of my very first posts was made about the Mama Cassie. My writing and sewing styles have both changed since then. I also like to believe my photography has gotten a bit better (i.e.: my 4 year old no longer holds my camera for me), but you can be the judge and read it here.

I used this super lush DBP that was from Joann’s fabrics, but I purchased it via a destash page on Facebook for $2.50. It has been in my stash for awhile now and I’ve been staring it down lately, knowing that I wanted to turn it into a fall piece. I used the Mama Cassie cold shoulder bodice and 3/4 length sleeve pieces and constructed it as a top by lengthening the bodice by 2.5″ in front and in back. To be honest, I’m long waisted which means I typically have to lengthen peplum bodices at least this much normally, anyway. So it would have been great to lengthen it by more, or to add a band….but alas, I only had about 3/4 of a yard of fabric. I was amazed to have gotten the top out of it to begin with!  I love the bright colors, mixed with the softness of the fabric. I can’t wait to see this piece, along with the rest of my fall wardrobe. (getting there one piece at a time!)

  If you can’t tell from the Duchess skirt, key west top and Mood dress that I’ve made…I’ve had a big penchant for wovens this summer. Last summer, I had a pair of shorts that I bought at target that quickly became my favorite pair. I don’t know about you, but when something is my favorite, I quickly WEAR IT TO DEATH! I must have worn those shorts every other day last summer. So, needless to say, this summer when I pulled them out, I realized they were beginning to fall apart a bit. I began looking for a pair just like them, but everything was either too short, made of knit, or just not my style. (I’m 5’3″ so “board shorts” look like I’m trying to wear capris unsuccessfully. lol) These shorts had a front and back yoke, were made from woven material and were fitted in all th right places, but loose in others. They looked great on and didn’t make me look to much like a church mom OR a mom who is trying to look like a teenager.

Because of this, when Rebecca Page of Mummykins and Me released her Berry Bubble Shorts, I knew it was fate. They resembled my favorite shorts so much it was uncanny. They can be made bubble style or straight style, with a large or small yoke, with several different lengths, finishings, etc. Basically, a perfect pattern for shorts. I would venture a guess to say that they would even come out cute in a stable knit fabric! I intend to try, anyway!)

Indoor pictures with my Fujifilm Finepix 3280 camera are still a little difficult. You can tell here that my ISO was turned up too high, resulting in the “noise” that you see. Another lesson for another day. At least I’m learning, right?

  The shorts are available in girls sizes as well as womens and you can bundle them via her site. (Psssst: she may also have some great coupon codes to try a few dress patterns for free, if you join the Mummykins and Me facebook group!) I’m a big fan of Rebecca’s patterns, as everything fits in a very specific niche that she has never waivered from. She definitely has her own style and it fits along with mine quite nicely. She also has a great section of “curvy & plus size sewing patterns” and I love how she keeps the patterns relavant accross the board and available for ALL body types. The beauty in sewing is being able to make pretty things for yourself that fit you well and make you look your best, so I believe designers who leave out these sizes do themselves and the sewing community a great disservice.

This was one of my sons favorites, he said. I’ve never known him to get excited about me sewing something for myself, yet he loved these shorts!

But let me hop down off that soapbox! The fabric I used for the shorts was another from my mystery apparel Fabric Mart box. It was some sort of tweed, I’m guessing (?) and I had envisioned it as either a pencil skirt or pants, but it ended up being perfect for these shorts! I’m still not sure how I feel about the poofiness of the bubble style, so I may go back in and remove the bands from the bottom, then just hem. I love that I can keep my options open!

  Obviously, I struggle with top overlaod, as right after the shorts, I jumped back into making another top. This time, the new women’s Hera Blouse had been released from Wardrobe by Me, and I loved the look of it!

  The Wardrobe by Me patterns are lovely contemporary pieces that fit together so well, they can help you build a capsule wardrobe. I love that so much thought has gone into the aesthetic of it. Stephanie, the designer, has developed “wardrobe builder” pieces that include such basics as tops, pants, jackets, etc. Then there are other pieces that mix and match with the bases to build a wardrobe that is unique and beautiful! This was my first time sewing up one of her patterns and I’m officially a fan.

The pattern itself was well written, the instructions are on point and thorough and the blouse goes together very quickly. The only thing I may have done differently would be to use a less stiff woven. This one has absolutely no drape and the pattern specifically mentions that you should go with drapey fabrics. Rebel that I am…I quickly figured out why, as without a belt, this top resembles a very beautiful scrub top. 🙂 (hence the full on outfit pics 🙂 ) Don’t forget to join the  Wardrobe by Me Facebook group for support and to see all the other new patterns coming out! I know I’m definitely excited to have another designer to keep an eye on!

  I believe the Hera blouse will be a welcome edition to any end of summer or beginning of fall wardrobe. I can just picture it with a plain white long sleeved shirt underneath and it’s practically beggin to be worn with boots and belt, as I’ve shown! Bonus, for those of us who still have kids attached to our boobs constantly  nurse, you can keep the front wrap piece unsewn and voila! easy access! (although I’m not sure my milk monster needs her access to be made easier, seeing as she loves to flash me around! ha!) 🙂 I’m sure it would be excellent for a new mama, however! 🙂

    Without dragging on forever, I will say that I have a few more things I have made recently, but as pictures are now a ton of work for me, I haven’t photographed them yet! I am very excited to share the new tests and things I’ve sewn up, though, so keep your eyes peeled! Among my favorites, a little boys hoodie, some zombie fabric, ironing board cover, thread catcher and some fun felt animal embellishments!

I’ll be back again soon! thank so much for reading!

  Until next time,

Sewin’ and Swimmin’,

April Simpson-Hunt

  Catching up: Projects lost in the shuffle of the #momlife *This post may contain a few affiliate links, depending on whether I feel up to finding them or not.