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dwellordream · 3 years ago

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“…Many parents of all classes sent their children away from home to work as servants or apprentices - only a small minority went into the church or to university. They were not quite so young as the Venetian author suggests, though. According to Barbara Hanawalt at Ohio State University, the aristocracy did occasionally dispatch their offspring at the age of seven, but most parents waved goodbye to them at about 14. Model letters and diaries in medieval schoolbooks indicate that leaving home was traumatic. "For all that was to me a pleasure when I was a child, from three years old to 10… while I was under my father and mother's keeping, be turned now to torments and pain," complains one boy in a letter given to pupils to translate into Latin. Illiterate servants had no means of communicating with their parents, and the difficulties of travel meant that even if children were only sent 20 miles (32 km) away they could feel completely isolated.

So why did this seemingly cruel system evolve? For the poor, there was an obvious financial incentive to rid the household of a mouth to feed. But parents did believe they were helping their children by sending them away, and the better off would save up to buy an apprenticeship. These typically lasted seven years, but they could go on for a decade. The longer the term, the cheaper it was - a sign that the Venetian visitor was correct to conclude that adolescents were a useful source of cheap labour for their masters. In 1350, the Black Death had reduced Europe's population by roughly half, so hired labour was expensive. The drop in the population, on the other hand, meant that food was cheap - so live-in labour made sense.

"There was a sense that your parents can teach you certain things, but you can learn other things and different things and more things if you get experience of being trained by someone else," says Jeremy Goldberg from the University of York. Perhaps it was also a way for parents to get rid of unruly teenagers. According to social historian Shulamith Shahar, it was thought easier for strangers to raise children - a belief that had some currency even in parts of Italy. The 14th Century Florentine merchant Paolo of Certaldo advised: "If you have a son who does nothing good… deliver him at once into the hands of a merchant who will send him to another country. Or send him yourself to one of your close friends... Nothing else can be done. While he remains with you, he will not mend his ways."

Many adolescents were contractually obliged to behave. In 1396, a contract between a young apprentice named Thomas and a Northampton brazier called John Hyndlee was witnessed by the mayor. Hyndlee took on the formal role of guardian and promised to give Thomas food, teach him his craft and not punish him too severely for mistakes. For his part, Thomas promised not to leave without permission, steal, gamble, visit prostitutes or marry. If he broke the contract, the term of his apprenticeship would be doubled to 14 years. A decade of celibacy was too much for many young men, and apprentices got a reputation for frequenting taverns and indulging in licentious behaviour. Perkyn, the protagonist of Chaucer's Cook's Tale, is an apprentice who is cast out after stealing from his master - he moves in with his friend and a prostitute. In 1517, the Mercers' guild complained that many of their apprentices "have greatly mysordered theymself", spending their masters' money on "harlotes… dyce, cardes and other unthrifty games".

In parts of Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia, a level of sexual contact between men and women in their late teens and early twenties was sanctioned. Although these traditions - known as "bundling" and "night courting" - were only described in the 19th Century, historians believe they date back to the Middle Ages. "The girl stays at home and a male of her age comes and meets her," says Colin Heywood from the University of Nottingham. "He's allowed to stay the night with her. He can even get into bed with her. But neither of them are allowed to take their clothes off - they're not allowed to do much beyond a bit of petting." Variants on the tradition required men to sleep on top of the bed coverings or the other side of a wooden board that was placed down the centre of the bed to separate the youngsters. It was not expected that this would necessarily lead to betrothal or marriage.

To some extent, young people policed their own sexuality. "If a girl gets a reputation of being rather too easy, then she will find something unpleasant left outside her house so that the whole village knows that she has a bad reputation," says Heywood. Young people also expressed their opinion of the moral conduct of elders, in traditions known as charivari or "rough music". If they disapproved of a marriage - perhaps because the husband beat his wife or was hen-pecked, or there was a big disparity in ages - the couple would be publicly shamed. A gang would parade around carrying effigies of their victims, banging pots and pans, blowing trumpets and possibly pulling the fur of cats to make them shriek (the German word is Katzenmusik). In France, Germany and Switzerland young people banded together in abbayes de jeunesse - "abbeys of misrule" - electing a "King of Youth" each year. "They came to the fore at a time like carnival, when the whole world was turned upside down," says Heywood. Unsurprisingly, things sometimes got out of hand. Philippe Aries describes how in Avignon the young people literally held the town to ransom on carnival day, since they "had the privilege of thrashing Jews and whores unless a ransom was paid".

In London, the different guilds divided into tribes and engaged in violent disputes. In 1339, fishmongers were involved in a series of major street battles with goldsmiths. But ironically, the apprentices with the worst reputation for violence belonged to the legal profession. These boys of the Bench had independent means and did not live under the watch of their masters. In the 15th and 16th Centuries, apprentice riots in London became more common, with the mob targeting foreigners including the Flemish and Lombards. On May Day in 1517, the call to riot was shouted out - "Prentices and clubs!" - and a night of looting and violence followed that shocked Tudor England. By this time, the city was swelling with apprentices, and the adult population was finding them more difficult to control, says Barbara Hanawalt. As early death from infectious disease became rarer the apprentices faced a long wait to take over from their masters. "You've got quite a number of young men who are in apprenticeships who have got no hope of getting a workshop and a business of their own," says Jeremy Goldberg. "You've got numbers of somewhat disillusioned and disenfranchised young men, who may be predisposed to challenging authority, because they have nothing invested in it."

How different were the young men and women of the Middle Ages from today's adolescents? It's hard to judge from the available information, says Goldberg. But many parents of 21st Century teenagers will nod their heads in recognition at St Bede's Eighth Century youths, who were "lean (even though they eat heartily), swift-footed, bold, irritable and active". They might also shed a tear over a rare collection of letters from the 16th Century, written by members of the Behaim family of Nuremberg and documented by Stephen Ozment. Michael Behaim was apprenticed to a merchant in Milan at the age of 12. In the 1520s, he wrote to his mother complaining that he wasn't being taught anything about trade or markets but was being made to sweep the floor. Perhaps more troubling for his parents, he also wrote about his fears of catching the plague. Another Behaim boy towards the end of the 16th Century wrote to his parents from school. Fourteen-year-old Friedrich moaned about the food, asked for goods to be sent to keep up appearances with his peers, and wondered who would do his laundry. His mother sent three shirts in a sack, with the warning that "they may still be a bit damp so you should hang them over a window for a while". Full of good advice, like mothers today, she added: "Use the sack for your dirty washing."

- William Kremer, “What medieval Europe did with its teenagers.”

#medieval #history #children #cw: antisemitism #apprentices #sexuality

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chocoluckchipz · 4 years ago

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A Soulmate for Christmas - 1

No one but you see your soulmate mark. Not unless your soulmate touches it, and even then, it only glows for a moment. Most consider that a blessing, but Marinette would say it’s a blessed curse. Because how was she supposed to find the boy who left a black cat mark on her hand fifteen years ago in the city that wasn't even located in France? So when she finds a model flaunting the mark she put on him all those years back in a magazine, she has hope for a moment. That is until she notices the article discuss his imminent engagement to someone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what’s the emergency?"

Marinette’s hand emerged from under the covers, pointing in the direction of her desk. "The new Paris Fashion. Page thirty."

Alya whistled upon reaching the said page. "Looking good, M Agreste. Good enough to turn my best friend into a hot mess with a single picture."

"This isn’t funny, Al. Look at his chest!"

"Pure lean muscle. Perfectly toned. He's growing up nicely. Though, I fail to see why this is a big enough emergency for you to make me bail on lunch with Nino."

"Look. At. His. Chest." Marinette crawled out from under the comforter and stomped toward Alya, pointing at the particular spot on the picture. "This. Look at this."

"A ladybug tattoo? So—Wait!" Alya looked up at Marinette, her finger pointing to the ladybug mark painted on his chest. "Are you telling me that’s his—"

"Right where I put it!" Marinette cried, ducking back under her covers. "See? He exists! I told you. I can’t believe you were doubting me all this time!"

"Well, excuse me, but you were five, and he sounded too good to be true. Little boys don’t usually go out of their way to help crying girls they don’t know find their flirting grandmas at a fashion show in Milan. Little boys don’t kiss said little girl’s hand as a farewell while they are at it. And they certainly don’t ask for the girl to kiss their soulmate mark into existence as close to their heart as she possibly could. ‘So, they won’t forget her,’ right?"

"So, he could always keep me close to his heart," Marinette corrected. "But that doesn’t matter now. You were right. That boy doesn’t exist anymore, and this one isn’t as good as I thought he was, so whatever. I’ll get over him and move on. There are plenty of guys out there. One of them is bound to like me more than money, fame, and prestige."

"What do you mean? Shouldn’t you be happy your crush is your soulmate?"

With a pitiful groan slipping her lips, Marinette buried her face into her pillow. "Ugh! I can’t believe I ever felt guilty for crushing on him. I thought I was a horrible person betraying my soulmate for some handsome, sexy supermodel. Foolish me. He doesn’t deserve any of my attention."

"Marinette, seriously. What do you mean?"

"Read the article."

Alya fell silent as soon as she noticed the title. "‘Paris’ most eligible bachelor reveals… a long-time secret relationship with his childhood friend Kagami Tsurugi. Doesn’t deny Christmas Eve engagement rumour.’ Oh."

"And you know what the worst part is?"

"What can be worse than discovering that your long-time crush is your long-lost soulmate and then finding out he’s been not only dating someone else but very likely will propose… tonight?"

"How about being at the same party at the same time. As a waitress."

Alya swore under her breath and put the magazine down. "Mayor Bourgeois’ Christmas Gala?"

Marinette nodded. "The article said they both confirmed they will be attending. I'll get a front-row seat to my soulmate's proposal to someone else. Lucky me."

"Then don’t go," she said, sitting down beside Marinette. "I’ll go in your place."

Marinette couldn’t let her do that. Nino was going to propose tonight, so Alya couldn’t be anywhere but with him. "You’re spending your first Christmas with Nino’s family. I’m not standing in the way of that."

"I can spend New Year Day with them."

"You’re going to the French Alps with your family that weekend. Don’t try to weasel out of it. Your mom has been planning that trip for months. Nora’s flying in specifically for it."

"I’m not trying to weasel out. I’m trying to help you, M."

"And I appreciate it, but I’m not making you go instead of me."

"What about your father?"

"The doctor said he shouldn’t be getting up for at least another week or his leg might not heal properly and he’ll end up with a prospect of a surgery which we’re trying to avoid."

"Then, I’m sure Rose or Juleka wouldn’t mind stepping in."

"No." Marinette sat up on her bed. "They have plans, and I’m not going to ruin them. I’ll just have to grow a pair and face him like the strong, independent woman I am. Or rather go help Maman and avoid him at all cost. He’s not even going to recognize me anyway. I didn’t. Not until I saw that photo."

"That’s true. I doubt he remembers much about you. You were babies when you met, so just stay away from him and keep your hands covered. That way even if you accidentally touch he won’t see it. A pair of gloves perhaps?"

"Mayor has uniforms for all the servers, even those coming in with the caterers, so no gloves for me. But as long as I do my job and pretend like I’m not in the same room with my soulmate who clearly didn't think me worthy enough to search for and instead decided to date this very famous, very influential, extremely rich girl from his own circle, I should be fine."

"I’m so sorry, M." Alya wrapped her arms around Marinette, bringing her into her chest for a cuddle. "Men are stupid. Some more than the others. Especially the rich and spoiled ones."

Marinette scoffed bitterly. "Don’t I know it. I got plenty of examples from being in the same class as Chloe Bourgeois for years."

"Isn’t Adrien Chloe’s friend?"

"I think so. I was hoping Adrien wasn't like her. Clearly, that isn't the case."

"You'll get over him soon, and we'll find you a nice, handsome, smart man who will cherish and love you for who you are."

"Soulmates are so last century anyway, right?" Marinette swallowed back the knot in her throat. No matter how much she tried to convince herself, this hurt. "I’m sure he doesn’t even remember meeting me. We were five. Who would be holding on to a memory of a random girl in Milan? And even if he did remember me, he probably thinks I live there. I thought my soulmate lived in Milan until he decided to show off his stupid soulmate mark to the whole world. Who does that, anyway? Those are supposed to be one of the most intimate of details of one’s life. You don’t just show it to everyone, and certainly not to the whole world while announcing your engagement to someone else."

Her eyes fell to her hand where, invisible to everyone but her, an image of a black cat lay, a mark Adrien Agreste left there more than a decade ago with his first kiss to her skin. Just like a mark of a ladybug appeared on his chest when her lips touched it upon his request. He said he wanted to keep her close to his heart, so it would be easier for him to find her.

What a load of BS.

"Have you ever thought that, perhaps, that could’ve been a message to you?" Alya asked. "He went through the trouble of painting over his soulmate mark for the photoshoot so others could see it. It has to mean something. No one is dumb enough to think that if Adrien Agreste releases topless photos while announcing something as big as a possible engagement, there would be at least one person in France, or even Europe for that matter, who wouldn't see it. He knew his soulmate would see it."

Marinette laughed. Bitterly. "Yeah, a great message. ‘Here is my soulmate mark, my dear soulmate. In all the years I knew you existed, I didn’t bother to find you. But I did make sure that this picture, in which I showcase to the whole world the mark you left me, came along with an article where I discuss how much I love my girlfriend you'll never compare to in status, money or looks. Not that I even care about your feelings, announcing that an engagement is in the near future for me and my darling childhood friend.’ Yeah. This is definitely a message, Alya. He says ‘Screw you, Marinette. I’m better off with Kagami Tsurugi, and I thought you should know that.’"

Alya wrapped her arms around her tighter. "First of all, only brainless idiots would take status and money over love. Second, you’re the prettiest, smartest, and the most successful woman I've ever known, and third, you're an amazing and wonderful person who's on her way to becoming one of the best designers in Paris, so don’t you bring yourself down because of a stupid man who doesn't realize what he lost."

"It's my fault anyway. That's what I get for letting that stupid, cute boy kiss my stupid hand at a stupid fashion show in stupid Milan."

"You were five, M. And he was a dashing gentleman, helping you find your grandmother in a strange city you got lost in. You couldn't have known he's your soulmate. No one could have."

"Right. And he won’t recognize me, so I’ll be fine. He won’t even look a waitress’ way. Nothing to worry about. I’m very much certain the only person he’ll be looking at will be his future bride-to-be, so I have absolutely nothing to be scared of. Not that I’m scared, because I’m not. I just don’t want to be humiliated. Not that I’m already humiliated, but at least no one knows about it. That'll be awful if anyone else finds out—"

Alya grabbed her face and turned to look at her. "Marinette, breathe. Calm down."

She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax. Alya was right. This was fine. She’d be fine. Everything would be just peachy.

"As long as he doesn’t touch your right hand, no one will know. I still insist I go instead of you. Nino will understand—"

"No. I’ll go. I can do it."

"Yes, you can, and you’ll be fine, but if anything happens, you have my number. I’ll be there in five minutes. You got me?"

Marinette nodded, pulling Alya into a hug. She was an amazing friend, and Nino and she were going to be insanely happy together. One day perhaps, Marinette would meet someone too. Someone who, just like her, was betrayed by their soulmate. Or someone who had lost theirs. Someone who would be kind and gentle and, like her, would just want to be happy.

Someone who was not Adrien Agreste.

Next >

Read it on A03, FF.net. WattPad

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#miraculous ladybug #adrienette #soulmates #adrinette #fluff #light angst #misunderstanding #happy end #aged up #no magic au #soulmate marks

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enviroblog-spring21 · 4 years ago

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Blog IX: Providence Lost a BIG Opportunity for Environmental Planning.

The number of living people on planet Earth reached one billion people in 1804, an unprecedented milestone after 200,000 years of our species’ ascendence. Although it took 200,000 years for the human population to reach one billion people, it took only 200 to reach seven billion. In 2009, humanity cleared yet another milestone, the number of people residing in cities exceeding those living in rural areas for the first time in human history.[1]Current population trends centuries in the making act in tandem with the current climate crisis, of which more humans than ever will be forced to deal with in the twenty-first century and beyond.

Chapter six of Living in the Environment heavily focuses on Earth’s carrying capacity–– i.e., the number of people that existing natural capital and ecosystem services can adequately support. Debate about the physical boundary to human growth has gone on for centuries. Notably, in 1798, Thomas Malthus hypothesized that exponential population growth coupled with comparably stagnant food production created a proverbial ceiling for the exponential population growth he identified. Of course, during Malthus’s time, industrial agriculture was somewhat of an oxymoron, he could have never predicted that food production too would also increase exponentially due to industrialized agriculture.

During my History of Capitalism, I was required to read Planet of Slums by Mike Davis. The book delineates an environmental history of what is perhaps the ultimate rejection of Malthus’ hypothesis: The Green Revolution. After World War II, philanthropic efforts on the part of the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller foundation introduced industrial agriculture technologies such as pesticides, fertilizers, irrigation infrastructure, and high-yield crop variants to what they saw as destitute peasant populations, most notably in India, Mexico, and the Philippines. Although the intentions of the foundations were good, (although incredibly utilitarian in hindsight) what ensued was the disenfranchisement of peasants from their land, followed by the swelling of slums encircling cities such as Mumbai, Mexico City, and Manila, contributing the lion’s share of urban development globally. The Ford and Rockefeller foundations assumed that the peasants, needing not to grow their own food any longer, would live a metropolitan urban lifestyle as they enjoyed in the West.

Urban slum dwellers in the global South account for the majority of the world’s urban expansion. In summary: More people today are living in cities today but in the ever-expanding rings of slums within and surrounding cities. I can already see North American urban planners looking at global urban demographics and concluding that the pro-urban sentiment espoused by the authors of their dogma over the years has finally caught on, and people are ascending to a new urban rapture. Slum-dwellers, the vast majority of urban populations in the Global South, endure the most reprehensible environmental conditions in the world. The largest city in North America, Mexico City, has a dirty environmental secret that foreign visitors to places like Chapultepec Park seldom know. The city hoards several tons of feces in open-air garbage dumps, located next to or on top of the city’s slums. Slum-dwellers are known to scavenge dumps and landfills in hopes to find something of sustenance or utility, and particles of shit carry through the air often irritating the throat and lungs of people unfortunate enough to be in proximity to them. In Mumbai, not many people other than slum-dwellers shoulder such disproportionate burdens of climate change. Slum dwellings are often constructed out of scrap metal with no ventilation or proper insolation. When monsoon season arrives dwellings often flood, and when the water drains out it leaves mold behind to be perpetually inhaled. The tin walls and rooves of slum buildings in the summer make the unfortunate residents inside feel like they’re baking, even more so with rising temperatures.[]

North American urbanists may think that cities have a default setting towards environmental friendliness, as we see in the global South, they do not. This sentiment may come from, the improving environmental condition of cities in the Global North (although they have a long way to go.) Mayor Bloomberg’s “PlaNYC” initiative provides excellent examples of what cities ought to do in order to effectively mitigate climate change. Two things from the plan I find incredibly interesting are congestion pricing and the creation of beautiful waterfront parks, perhaps the most physical representation of Bloomberg’s legacy (aside from rebuilding from the rubble of Ground Zero.) Congestion pricing in New York City is effectively a toll on vehicles moving in and out of Midtown Manhattan during times where traffic is heaviest. Cities such as London, Milan, and Stockholm show that levying tolls on rush hour traffic is an effective way to incentivize transit ridership and get carbon-emitting cars off the road. The majority of New York City residents don’t even own a car anyways[2], making the weight of each resident’s carbon footprint a whole lot lighter. Fewer cars on the road equates to lower carbon emissions. Unfortunately, however, New York City lags behind its international counterparts due to the reluctance of Trump DOT under Secretary Elaine Chao to implement anything of the sort. Biden’s DOT, however, recently lifted the roadblocks to congestion pricing leftover from the previous administration, and the city should be set to implement it in a matter of months.[3]

The Bloomberg administration also constructed some magnificent and beloved waterfront parks on top of former industrial sites. One of the best examples of this Bloomberg initiative is Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP.) The park makes for a great case study in sustainable design,[4] I believe that it represents part of what other coastal cities in the Northeast ought to be doing with their waterfronts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Old industrial piers on the edge of Brooklyn Heights were transformed into Brooklyn Bridge Park using recycled wood and granite for park benches, structures, and decking, as well as recycled fill material from the (long-delayed) East Side Access Project. BBP also restores vital habitats of native plants, birds, and marine life by recreating the salt marshes and meadows that were destroyed as Brooklyn grew. Notably, the BBP also partnered with the Billion Oyster Project to restore oyster reefs to the Hudson. The reintroduction of oysters is in large part responsible for the estuary’s dramatic environmental turnaround from a deathly polluted waterway to a place where even whales and seals have returned.[5]

Providence has the opportunity to create its own iteration of a Brooklyn Bridge Park-style sustainable green space, but that opportunity is already diminished and threatened to be completely decimated by development. In 2002 the Rhode Island Department of Transportation completed work on relocating an old elevated viaduct of Interstate-95 that separated Downtown Providence from the Jewelry District for over half a century. While I would have preferred the complete demolition of I-95 within Providence, still, it was a great first step by the state’s tragic history of land-use planning. Being such a poor city, however, and desperately wanting to scrape off residents from Boston and New York, the city put as much land as it possibly could up for development.

While a sustainable park was implemented in the execution of the former I-95 land’s master plan, it is much smaller than it needs to be. Therefore, the park’s potential utility as a public amenity that both protects Downtown Providence from rising sea levels and provides Providentians much-needed greenspace is considerably diminished. Even the existing parkland is threatened by a high-rise mixed-use luxury condominium building that would become the tallest structure in the state.

If I were in control of land-use planning of the land formally under the Interstate, I would strictly follow the Smart Growth Tools outlined in Chapter 20 of Living in the Environment. First, I would cordon off everything east of Dyer Street from development and hire the same landscape architecture firm that built Brooklyn Bridge Park to build a park on the model of BBP. Certainly, I would make the blocks of the new streets way smaller as to fit in with the historic streetscape of Downtown Providence and the Jewelry District to promote a mixture of uses and encourage transportation alternatives to automobiles. Scattered across the blocks I may create smaller urban parks on the model of those such as Father Demo Square in Greenwich Village. Some of my zoning ordinances would impose constrictive parking maximums instead of minimums, call for each building to implement green roofing, and encourage density and the mixing of uses, and inciting tax incentives would be offered to buildings that achieve high LEED ratings. Unsurprisingly, none of these incentives are being implemented by the State of Rhode Island or the City of Providence.

When Superstorm Sandy hit New York City, Brooklyn Bridge Park withstood better than city officials expected. The park absorbed much of the blow the storm dealt to surrounding neighborhoods.[6]Unlike New York, Providence has the geographic advantage of not being a low-lying archipelago. The city’s geography is characterized by steep rolling hills and deep river valleys and flatlands, the former comprises more of the city than the latter. Therefore, the city is naturally going to be more resilient than many of its northeastern counterparts. The only parts it needs to protect is its immediate waterfront and the flatland valleys of Downtown Providence. It seems as though the city’s urban planning department has been reduced to a wealth management agency. They would rather boost property tax rates and cram as much new development they can under the city’s arcane zoning laws rather than conserve and protect our irreplaceable, historic urban patrimony with a public amenity capitalized on to its full potential.

WC: 1,559

Question: The "15-Minute City," where people can find all of their needs and wants within a fifteen-minute walk from their home is often cited as one of the strongest answers cities give to climate change, by inducing less consumption (especially in the transportation sector.) However, I fear that designated 15-Minute city areas could become enclaves for the rich. Arguably, places like Greenwich Village in New York, or Wayland in Providence are already rich enclaves of the 15-minute city.

If we do not address inequality while implementing 15-minute city plans, will all

the environmental benefits be offset by the larger consumption habits of rich populations?

[1] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Population Division https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/urbanization/urban-rural.asp#:~:text=By%20the%20middle%20of%202009,urbanization%20remain%20among%20development%20groups. [2] NYCEDC: New Yorkers and Their Cars, https://edc.nyc/article/new-yorkers-and-their-cars#:~:text=According%20to%20recent%20census%20estimates,own%20three%20or%20more!). [3] Kuntzman, Gersh. Congestion Pricing May Not Go Anywhere Unless Biden Wins, Mayor Says. Streetsblog NYC, 14 July 2020 https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2020/07/14/congestion-pricing-may-not-go-anywhere-unless-biden-wins-mayor-says/ [4] https://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/about/sustainability/ [5] https://untappedcities.com/2021/02/03/history-new-york-city-oysters/ [6] https://www.ecolandscaping.org/01/managing-water-in-the-landscape/stormwater-management/weathering-the-storm-horticulture-management-in-brooklyn-bridge-park-in-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-sandy/

#blog9 #rhodeisland #environmentalplanning

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kenyatta · 4 years ago

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The agenda recommends that “all residents will live in ‘15-minute cities.’” That term echoes the transformative ambitions of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who has doubled down on car-free transit and pedestrian infrastructure in the French capital. Hidalgo made the idea that Parisians should be able to meet their shopping, work, recreational and cultural needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride a centerpiece of her recent reelection campaign. The C40 proposal suggests that following such a model would help global cities live up to the document’s promise of equitable access to jobs and city services for all, and rebuild areas economically hard-hit by the pandemic. [...] It’s not a new idea: Inspired in part by urbanist Jane Jacobs’s philosophy that proximity makes cities vital, various planning philosophies, including New Urbanism, have promoted more dense, walkable development — and simply “putting things closer together” — for decades. But the C40’s embrace of the 15-minute city concept may be the most concise and catchy way to repackage the idea as a pandemic economic recovery tool. [...] As infection fears have limited transit and travel, this vision of close-knit districts — supported by infrastructure that allows bikes and walkers to rule — may be coming of age. Several cities around the world used shelter-at-home lockdowns to kick-start car-free infrastructure projects. Milan, Italy, added 35 kilometers (22 miles) of bike lanes downtown and will pedestrianize several school streets by September. Tallinn, Estonia, is building a 13.5-kilometer (8.3-mile) green corridor to thread together neighborhoods. Ottawa, Canada, announced plans for 15-minute neighborhoods last August; Portland, Oregon, has sped up long-standing plans to ensure 90% of residents live in “complete neighborhoods,” which have turned 90 miles of roads into neighborhood greenways. In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan is pushing an extensive bike lane network. Even New York City — where lagging efforts to limit vehicle traffic and boost space for bikes and walkers during the Covid-19 crisis have been a frequent complaint among critics of Mayor Bill de Blasio — has closed some streets to cars.

Mayors Tout the '15-Minute City' as Covid Recovery - Bloomberg

#hyperlocalism #15 minute cities #urbanism

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amphtaminedreams · 5 years ago

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A/W 2020 Fashion Month: Before Vogue Went Blank (Part 2)

Hi to anyone reading,

I was going to start this post by jumping straight into Dion Lee and part 2 in general but there's been a lot going on the past couple of days-although this blog is primarily fashion, it wouldn’t feel right to start talking about designers without acknowledging all the shit that’s been going down.

^Photo Credit to @spiltcoco on Twitter

Yesterday, police footage came out of US police murdering yet another black man in broad daylight-George Floyd. He joins Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, and Alton Sterling, plus hundreds more named and god knows how many more unnamed African American citizens in the ever-growing list of victims of police brutality.

The majority of these are just people going about their daily lives, a majority of them doing absolutely nothing wrong; even those we know to have committed crimes have been unarmed and non-violent offenders. That being said, their offences are beside the point when we’ve seen the white perpetrators of mass shootings be calmly cuffed and escorted into the backs of police cars as if they were the ones selling cigarettes without permits. American police, given the amount of them that are armed, regularly become judge, jury and executioner trained for 8 weeks by an institution that originated from slave patrols. I cannot imagine how terrifying it is just to walk around as a PoC in America. I cannot imagine the collective trauma that has been suffered because of recent events on top of the intergenerational trauma that most likely exists because of centuries of oppression. I cannot imagine what it’s like to live in a country that was built to suppress you and was by law allowed to do so until very recently, those original structures still in place. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be made to feel like this is your fault. I mean, Boris Johnson is a useless, cold-hearted twat and I won’t defend him or this country for a minute (we have much blood on our own hands, and racial profiling is just as much a thing here as it is in America-I read earlier that you’re 28 times more likely to be stopped and searched in London as a non-white person compared to a white person), but I still can’t imagine him publicly advocating for the mass murder of groups he knows to be primarily made up of black people via Twitter. This whole situation is so unimaginably fucked up; anyone who still sees America as one of the world’s most developed nations needs to take a long, hard look at what is going on and reconsider that opinion.

Whilst we can’t fix everything, we can all speak up and make our voices heard, and it is our duty to do so. It’s not good enough to just “not be racist”, you have to be ANTI-racism, even if that means constantly reflecting on your own privilege and challenging your assumptions. Neutrality is complicity. Signing a petition isn’t going to change the world, but it’s a start:

https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf_combo_share_abi&recruited_by_id=7ba70000-a127-11ea-87fb-d1ff0bf6ea96

As I publish this, there’s less than 50,000 signatures needed to hit the target of 6,000,000 so if you happen to see it, get signing! There are lots of other petitions online but Change.org seems to be the only major one you can sign in the UK as the other are US based and require a zip code. I never thought I’d close a paragraph by quoting Macklemore but the line “no freedom 'til we're equal, damn right I support it” is at the forefront of my mind right now. Again, neutrality is complicity. We’re never going to achieve a fair society by sitting on our asses and hoping things will improve. Let’s all do the best we can.

Sorry if that intro wasn’t what you came here for, but I just think it’s so important to talk about. I know I’ve said in the past that fashion is supposed to be an escape from everyday life but there are some times when real life needs our attention and this is one of them. Feel free to unfollow if you disagree.

Anyway, onto the fashion. If this is the first post you’re reading, welcome! There’s a part 1! But I don’t wanna be pushy so start here if you wish!

If you read part 1, welcome back!

I ended that post by practically falling at the feet of Dilara Findikoglu, and I so wanted to start this post by regaining a sense of dignity and go straight into what-the-fuck-ing at Dior, but I know breaking chronological order would really piss off those “OmG I’m SoOo OCD, tHis BuzZfeEd aRtiCle WiTh DiFfereNt SiZed TiLes ToLd Me!” which is basically me minus claiming liking things to be organised means I have OCD-no, just dermatillomania and the denial that a compulsive skin picking disorder has anything to do with OCD because the neuroses club that is my brain doesn’t have any space left. SO, I have to continue where I left off and star the post with Dion Lee, whose collections I am a big fan of.

I could ramble a bit more but I did enough of that at the beginning of part 1 and am sure I’ll do more than enough in this post anyway, so here it is, Dion Lee:

Considering we ended with the maximalism of Dilara Findikoglu, sliding back over towards the other far end of the scale with a designer that tends to pitch their tent on the borders of the minimalism camp feels correct. Dion Lee, fortunately, seems the perfect collection to open with. There aren’t many other brands who do edge in such an understated and masterful way. If you want to be ready for combat and look like you’d fit right in at Vogue at the same time, look no further. This season’s collection is full of perfectly placed cut outs and immaculate tailoring and subtle street fighter-esque details as ever, and that’s why it pains me to say it:

Not that this is enough in the way of critique to restore my dignity by any means, it’s not a patch on last season.

I don’t think there was a single bad look in that show, and at times it felt like I was weeding through them here. When the looks were good, they were GOOD but a lot I found to be disappointing. Plus I have no idea why you’d put tie-dye in an A/W collection. I appreciate that it’s an Australian brand and that our winter is their summer, but they’re presenting to the rest of the world at fashion week and anyone in Paris, Milan, London and New York is going to be freezing their tits off and looking like a twat in an orange tie-dye sundress. There wasn’t much of a dip in quality for the menswear compared to last season, but honestly womenswear left a lot to be desired. That’s what happens when your expectations are high.

I used to think that if you assume the worst, it’s impossible to feel let down. And then I saw Dior’s A/W 2020 collection. Did a full 180 on that statement.

I suppose it’s a step up from haute couture, but then at least the styling in that was simple, and it just didn’t look like anybody had tried at all; here it’s clear Maria Grazia chucked everything she could at this collection, every headscarf, every gingham print, every shallow feminist undertone, and it was still a fucking mess. At first you think some of the individual pieces are cute but have just been ruined by the styling, and then you begin to look, and realise that even those individual pieces could’ve easily been bought in a New Look Boxing Day sale.

THIS IS CHRISTIAN DIOR, SUPPOSEDLY ONE OF THE MOST LUXURIOUS BRANDS OUT THERE. WHAT IS GOING ON!?

I don’t know, I included as many looks that I didn't mind as I could, but it’s like there always has to be a crappy, unnecessary detail in there. Everything is so literal. Of course the collection based around the divine feminine has the models dressed like basic ass Greek goddesses, so of course the collection based around the modern woman and equality has women walking the runway in ties and ill-fitting shoes too. Maria Grazia, here is a box:

Think outside of it.

Next is, thankfully, Elie Saab:

No, not exactly a trailblazer of a collection, but executed with poise and elegance as always. I mean, the styling is spot on. It looks like each part of the outfit was made for another, to contribute to a whole clearly envisioned look, similar to what we saw in the Alberta Ferretti show. Elie Saab is known for its haute couture shows where all the tiny details, the sequins and the silk and the embroidery come together to make something beautiful, and this is just that on a larger scale, with less “wow”s and more quiet admiration, more wishing you were the one wearing that outfit. If you’re gonna play safe, do it this well. The night dresses are stunning of course, but not even my favourite bit of the show. It’s the casual looks, the pussy bows and the ruffles and the neck scarfs and the private girls school monochrome colour palette with the occasional pop of red or purple, a toned down version of what we saw at haute couture, any of which deserve to be worn whilst eating macarons in front of the Eiffel Tower before trip to Musee D’Orsay. It’s Poppy Moore’s school uniform grown up and made fit for a fashion magazine editor:

Somehow managing to cram an Emma Roberts early 2010s fashion moment into every post is my talent, who knew. Wild Child was really a gem.

Erdem was a mixed bag:

With a lot of the outfits, I can’t tell if I actually like the garments that much or if I just like the look as a whole. I mean, without sounding too gluten-free Callie from the Valley, I like the VIBE, but there was a lot of outfits I almost included before I had to ask myself “LAUREN, do you ACTUALLY like this or do you just like the walking-into-your-sugar-daddy’s-will-reading-to-claim-his-fortune DRAMA of it all!?”

It happened a couple of times, where once I took off my black and white, theatrical violin accompanied entrance filtered sunglasses, I realised that the actual print was ugly. A collection so cohesively ornamental and kitschy is going to lean too far into that at times, and they were a few overly-fussy moments where it seemed less nudge nudge wink wink and more like Erdem Moralıoğlu fell into his grandma’s wardrobe, stole some fabric, and called it a day. I don’t want to sound like I’m not a fan of the collection because overall it’s gorgeous, I just thought it was a bit much at times.

Continuing with the theme of clever seasonal continuity that weaved its way throughout this year’s A/W offerings, Ermanno Scervino kept the core of his summer collection and made it just that little bit darker, added some weight to everything, and this is one of the rare occasions where I like the winter incarnation a lot more. I’m not huge about either but there’s a lot of things I’d love to wear here, the coats especially.

Up next is a reliable favourite of mine:

Etro.

Was it REALLY necessary for you to include ALL those coats I hear you ask?

Alaska Thunderfuck as Gia Gunn voice: Absolutelyyyy.

When it comes to bohemian fashion, Etro is unbeaten. Everything is always exquisitely coordinated and styled. Like I usually fucking hate aztec print but I love the way it’s done here. I’ve never known a brand to make belts seem like such an integral, tasteful part of the outfit in a field where they so often seem like a last minute addition for the sake of accessorising; it pains me to say it, but Elie Saab, I’m looking at you. It’s your only fault.

Yes for bringing back embroidered jeans! Yes for all those high necks! Yes for the tapestry print! Yes for the Afghan waistcoats! Etro will keep fedoras cool forever and I love them for that; I don’t know if she ever actually wore any of their stuff but I just know Stevie Nicks was in her prime would’ve ate this shit UP and she is my style icon for the ages. Plus, I might be way off base here but a lot of the collection seems to be inspired by traditional Romani style and it’s a beautiful direction to take things, a treasure trove of layers upon layers and rich textures and opulent prints.

I can’t wait til the phase of my phase of my life where I can swan around in maxi dresses and ponchos. I just hope those maxi dresses and ponchos are Etro.

Onto another brand which hasn’t had a bad show since I started my reviews: Fendi. This season, they took their late 60s/early 70s wild child aesthetic and gave a millionaire’s high maintenance wife spin on it, and what’s not to like about that?

I mean, Fendi is a brand which is always going to excel in its F/W presentations-the rich, bohemian prints (pro-tip: if you can’t already tell, me mentioning the word bohemian in a review pretty much guarantees I like the collection), the furs, and the warm colour palette all perfectly translate into clothes suited for walks through a city going through a post-summer burnout, where it rains red and orange leaves. You can tell Silvia Fendi is in her element when she’s got texture to play with, something that comes across in the gorgeous coats Fendi consistently puts out, and this season continues that trend. Plus, there’s a lot of adorable details here-shoes that show off the decorative socks underneath, the cube shaped bags and those furry ear muffs which I hope bring about a high street muff renaissance because they’re the equivalent of slipper socks for my ears and THEY’RE ACTUALLY REALLY PRACTICAL. The only thing I’m not in love with is the mirrored glasses, and I can’t help but think how replacing them with a pair of grandad style aviators would be the icing on the cake for the collection. Maybe I just need to see Miss Robyn Rihanna Fenty wearing them and then I’ll get on board. Usually works.

Ah, GCDS. I got so excited for it after last season but this time round, it was a bit of a disappointment. There were a few outfits that semi-matched up to how cutting-edge I saw their last collection, however a lot of the pieces looked pretty low quality. I get that streetwear is in the name, but it’s supposed to be a high fashion take on that, and a lot of the looks were quite pedestrian. Stand outs are the top 2 rows and the leather motocross style jumpsuit on the far right, third row down, but the quality of these pieces wasn’t consistent across the board and I feel like I ended up having to convince myself I liked some of the others just so I had enough photos to justify including the brand. It really sucks when I look back on how ahead of the game last season’s collection was-we’re talking outfits that wouldn’t be out of place on Instagram’s Tokyofashion page and as far as I’m concerned that’s the fashion holy grail. Some of these looks, especially the menswear, could be from a Boohoo TV ad and that makes me sad.

Meanwhile, Giambattista Valli put out a collection that looked like a virtual postcard of Parisian fashion; if a St-Germain-des-Prés streetwear themed Instagram doesn’t exist already, someone should capitalise on that, stat, because if my typical vision of French feminine fashion is correct it would be full of outfits like this. I feel like this is what a fashion novice EXPECTS Chanel to look like. Trust me-these days the reality is much more disappointing.

There’s many things I'm happy to see here besides the tulle and florals and prettiness I expect of the brand. Obviously the berets and the bows and the elbow length gloves are the kind of off-duty ballerina style touches I’ve become accustomed to but there are also some nice surprises here: the military style white jacket, the unexpected snake motif on clothing that’s otherwise overly delicate, and to my delight the return of the boater hat. IDGAF, this is the summer where I’m buying myself one off Ebay and making this happen for me whether they become a “thing” or not. I shouldn’t squander having this little of a double chin; the opportunity may never present itself again.

I haven’t watched Killing Eve in a longggg time since there’s only so much of two women attempting to kill each other and then miraculously avoiding death you can watch but I’d love to see Vilanelle prancing round a city in this kinda shit slitting some necks again. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like too much of a sadist; only in a purely fictional world is this something I want to see, I assure you.

Givenchy was really, really great this season too, imo. Definitely a step up from the last RTW anyway. Aside from the drama of the exaggerated floppy brim hats and the quirky tassle detail dresses a la Schiaparelli, a lot of these outfits kinda remind me of something a Miranda Priestly/Cruella De Vil type would wear, and you know me; I’m all for that kind of intimidating, about-to-either-slap-you-or-fire-your-ass bad bitch energy. The gathered leather gloves with the androgynous subtly checkered power suits feels CORRECT and if Giambattista Valli is the bottom in this relationship, Givenchy is the top. Am I allowed to reinforce sapphic relationship stereotypes as a bi girl? Probably not. I’m sorry. Won’t do it again. Just this once. And you know I’m right really xoxo

And OMFG Gucci. Another impeccable collection for me, honestly. Once again, it’s probably my favourite of the season. How it is that Alessandro Michelle gets it SO right for me despite his vision being so bold and different every time? He has this specific brand of strange, conceptual beauty which blends past and present trends in a way so supreme it should be considered art. It’s not a term to throw around loosely but the man is a genius, and tbh I’m still not over the human head props from the 2018 F/W winter show.

In my Haute Couture week review, I talked about the Viktor and Rolf collection (which I loved, don’t get me wrong!) and said that pretty meets grunge is my fave thing ever-this is that, but much even more substantial and intelligent. The Wes Anderson-esque pieces or that late 60s/early 70s hipster aesthetic that I loved in last season’s show hasn’t been done away with either-be it the level of detail or the colour scheme, it all somehow fits together. Never did I think I’d see dresses fit for porcelain dolls through the lens of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen seamlessly slotted in between outfits that could’ve been put together from the clothing rack of Dazed and Confused’s costume department. I want it all-opulent fur-trimmed coats, crucifix jewellery and pilgrim hats I’m sure both Edgar Allan Poe and modern goths would approve of, and the tiered skirts that wouldn’t be out of place in a Westworld saloon. The models were delightfully sad and almost creepy looking and I wouldn’t change that for the world. To say 10/10 doesn’t do it justice, so I’m gonna have to open a reviewer’s can of worms and say 100/100.

Gucci is a tough act to follow, and I’m sorry it has to fall onto the shoulders of Halpern. In the nicest possible way (as if there is any nice way of saying it), I don’t think I any expected anything but a downgrade, so if anything, my standards will be lower so...Michael Halpern, you can thank me I guess?

That was really mean, I’m sorry. It’s not a bad collection, and I definitely like it more than last season’s. It’s a slightly garish colour palette at times but an exciting one in spite of that, which when paired with the animal print dotted throughout makes this collection the perfect fit for a tropical beach party or at the very least, a semi-decent night at the Caribbean themed bar in your local town centre. The sequins and silk, a Halpern trademark, are as tastefully done as ever, and seeing them on the models, I can’t deny these are some power fits-the kind of clothes you are bound to look and feel confident in; if you wanted to play queen of the urban jungle for a night, this is what you need to be wearing.

Ah, Hermes.

Generally not one to stoke a fire inside me. In all fairness, the tailoring here is really, really nice and French biker chic, and the pieces are perfectly crafted-it’s not that I don’t like the outfits because I think that if I saw one of them individually in a natural, messier setting I’d probably be impressed. These are classy, elegant winter looks and what more could you want when you’re looking for outfit inspiration for this season? It’s just that it’s always a little too neat and uniform for me, and on the runway I like my fashion to be risky. This could almost be the sophisticated mother to a Tommy Hilfiger collection and whilst that’s something I would probably wear if I wanted to look put together, it’s not what you get excited to see at fashion week. Primary colours all together aren’t where it’s at for me either, the infamous colour scheme of the cheap plastic playhouses you’d find in the garden of every working/middle class British household back in the day. Yes, I had one. So did the after school club I was forced to attend whilst my mum was at work. Apparently the negative connotations are still too much for me (a boy I went to the after school club with did once fall off the back of one and crack his head open so maybe it’s justified).

Isabel Marant was pretty much exactly what you’d expect from Isabel Marant; if the Etro bohemian woman is one who rolls out of bed and chucks on the first thing she sees, the Isabel Marant bohemian woman is the one who claims she’s done the same thing but who actually planned it all out the night before. She designs for the gluten-free, bikram yoga Kourtney Kardashian style “hippy” who claims to be a free-spirit but would definitely not do acid with you. I was gonna say it was a collection for the Gwyneth Paltrows of the world but then I remembered Gwyneth proudly released a candle she claimed smelled like her vagina and changed my mind-she’d definitely do acid with you.

It’s definitely a cohesive transition from the summer collection; both have that seemingly laid-back, clean-cut vibe, and cater to the rich, impeccably groomed scented candle loving woman everywhere. Obviously the pieces are a tad more suited to an alpine lodge in Switzerland than a beach in Malibu this time round, but that same mild colour palette, pretty, naturalistic patterns, and generally relaxed fit persists. It’s cute enough.

J.W Anderson is a bit of an enigma.

Despite the experimental silhouettes and the kooky details that you think would very “look at me!”, the collections still seem to have a chilled, easy-going feel to them. They toy about with the strange but remain entirely sophisticated whilst doing so-I think it’s because aside from the little quirks that make the garments J.W Anderson, they’re otherwise fairly reserved and simple; even the quirks themselves mostly tend to be exaggerated, more conceptual takes on more typical stylistic motifs anyway. Anderson has a knack for producing statement pieces that don’t look like they’re trying too hard to be statement pieces, a talent he expertly deploys at Loewe as well. Whilst Maison Margiela collections are like the fashion equivalent of that Jughead “I’m weird, I’m a weirdo” speech, J.W Anderson’s refusal to conform is quiet and modest. I like it. It’s not generally my personal style but I can admire the thought behind the work, and there are still some things I’d love to try. I have a few standouts-the shoes with the hoop detailing dancing from the ankle straps, the dress on the bottom right with what appears to be art nouveau typography on, the trench coat with the cape detailing and the gossamer dress to its right are all stunning, especially that dress. If I ever want to dress as the bubble Glinda the Good Witch descends in when she meets Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I know where to go, though I don’t suppose there’s going to be an occasion that calls for that any time soon. Can I just have the dress anyway?

Kim Shui is another new designer I found through blessed Twitter screencaps-thanks guys for doing my research for me. Much appreciated.

But anyways! Like Charlotte Knowles, it’s clear she’s still establishing her aesthetic as a designer, and thus far I love it. The whimsical, throwback prints on urban silhouettes that range from the androgynous suits of city dwelling cool girls to the amped-up sex appeal of nightclub dresses is gorgeous, especially twinned with dainty headscarfs and opera gloves-all in all I think this a very cool and wearable collection and I’m looking forward to the next collection she puts out.

Next up is Lacoste, and IDK why I always include their collections to be honest, considering they’re not really known for “high fashion”. I guess it’s because my dad has collected Lacoste shirts since I was little so I kinda have a soft spot for it and feel obligated to include it every time presentation season comes around. Yes, the outfits are unbearably preppy and the colours are garish but I feel like that’s kind of the appeal? So what if some of the tracksuits look like they could’ve been pulled out of a bad mafia movie? I see the argyle jumpers, with a bit of wear and tear, as a charity shop gem my sister would come across (she has the #Y2K Depop girl knack for finding old designer pieces in the shittiest charity shops without the audacity to try and sell them at a 70% markup) that I would then steal from her wardrobe to wear myself, contrasted with a ripped mini skirt, chains and and docs. I see the POTENTIAL of a look that is very fuck you to the rich middle age tory styling we see here. It’s punk, okay?

Lanvin was STUNNING this time around. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching Mad Men recently and it reminds me of the fashion on that-which I hope somebody won an award for at the time BTW, it is SO fucking good-but I just adore every look here. I can’t even remember if I reviewed Lanvin’s SS20 show, and so clearly if I did it wasn’t that memorable (no shade intended), however this collection is a different story. Every single one of these outfits is iconic movie moment worthy, a 60s Cher Horowitz plaid two piece equivalent that would get screencapped and replicated ad-nauseam, all the best looks of Betty Draper and Peggy Olsen and Joan Holloway and Megan Calvet brought together and refined for the modern day woman. I might even consider sacrificing my anti-royalist principles if it meant I could transport myself back in time and switch bodies with Grace Kelly so I could make this collection my princess-off-duty wardrobe and drive around Monaco in that Bella Hadid look, roof down, all the drama of the fur trim and the gloves and hair whipping about in the wind (but in this unrealistic vision I can actually see what I’m doing and I’m not choking on random strands and swearing at Mother Nature as if she is a real entity with a personal vendetta against me).

Loewe! More J.W Anderson! I’m gonna try not to repeat myself by arsekissing too much all over again and get the good points out of the way quickly! So rapid fire: elegant! Delicious colour palette! Interesting shapes! I think I’m seeing a Victorian/Edwardian influence there! Correct me if I’m wrong! I like it! The coats are strong! Remind me of the suffragettes! But lets pretend in this case these Loewe style coat wearing suffragettes are not raging classists!

AH. Apart from that, it was a bit too austere for me. I definitely preferred Anderson’s eponymous collection; there were a fair few recurring details in this show that I couldn’t get behind that I didn’t include, in particular this bib-like black panel that just kept popping up on everything. Sorry J.W Anderson. But a 50% success rate is still good! And at the end of the day, having 2 collections on Vogue Runway at once is more prestigious than the accumulative total of every accomplishment I’ll probably ever have achieved in my life by the time I’m on my deathbed so what do I know anyway? Sigh:( At least I’ll always have the honour of having the largest head by circumference of my class in year 4, right *sweats nervously*!?!?!

Louis Vuitton was definitely a downgrade on last season for me. There were for sure elements I liked-the Vera Wang-esuqe mixing of the tulle bustle skirts with the rougher, more masculine biker inspired vests and jackets was a cool choice, reminiscent of Gucci’s mixing of the lace dresses with harnesses. I enjoyed the baroque jackets and subtle nods to steampunk style too. Though we’ve already seen it a lot this season, the wet look coat with fur trim I can’t help falling in love with, and I’m immune to the potential ugliness of the muted blue monotone look purely on the basis I can picture Ripley from Alien in it. So like I said-it’s not as if I hated it. I guess when it comes down to it, the collection wasn’t bad so much as I just had higher hopes. I will say though, the staging was INCREDIBLE. As a history nerd, I never thought I’d see the day when a Henry the 8th lookalike actor was part of the backdrop of a Paris fashion week show-and I always thought there was no interesting career path for me in the subject!

And another big name I don’t tend to be so partial to, Maison Margiela. IDK, I did like last season but I wasn’t a fan of haute couture and it took me a while to warm to this. Call it deconstructed, experimental, whatever, but you know when you can’t decide what to wear and you’re in a rush so you kinda just throw all the shit you decided against into a pile? Well, my initial thought was that this season Margiela is kinda that, on the runway.

I will say, once I let go of my need to see a clear shape, a lot of the individual pieces were stunning (NOT the puffed up tabis though, I still can’t even get behind the regular ones). I guess I just wish they’d go for less is more with the styling because as it currently stands, it makes it hard to actually take the clothes in.

Ultimately, one thing you can always say about Margiela, like their clothes or not, is that it has a monopoly on being effortlessly bold.

Marc Jacobs I really liked again, though I will say it doesn’t stand out quite like the S/S collection did. That was absolutely STUNNING-I can’t remember specifically where I ranked it in my top ten but I know it was at least in the top 5. This, on the other hand, is...pretty. It’s very pretty, and very put together, so I’m not saying at all that I don’t rate it. I suppose it’s just a lot simpler than I expected it to be-I don’t have a problem with simplicity, at all, especially if it’s what a brand is known for but I feel like part of the appeal with Marc Jacobs is that it’s pretty kooky. I mean, not Thom Browne or Margiela kooky, but commercial kooky at least. I feel like the kookiness is lacking here? And that’s where this feeling is coming from? And also, the fact that Lanvin tackled the same era and did it a lot better? So there’s that, too. Plus, I adore Miley Cyrus but...why? Random celebrities waking the runway just doesn’t do it for me-it always comes across as a publicity grab, as if the designer isn’t confident enough in their collection’s ability to get people talking on its own, and I suppose in this case that says it all really.

Margaret Howell was...well, Margaret Howell. She’s known for her basics, and they’re always pretty non-offensive “regulation hottie” in the words of the icon that is Damian from Mean Girls. It’s been, what, four years? More? Since I last watched that film but I’m pretty sure watching it about twenty times between the ages of 9 and 15 tattooed it on my brain. I include her because even though they don’t get my pulse racing, I like these pieces; considering the fact that expecting straight white men to ever have style on the level of barbiedrugz (his instagram is my favourite thing ever) or Rickey Thompson is ludicrous, Margaret Howell’s menswear looks are probably are the best, realistic goal for any future partner. Because I like my men dressed like Paddington bear/a depressed Brown University English lit lecturer, okay? Or in other words, Will Graham from Hannibal.

Marine Serre had a few good moments-the looks that I liked were the ones that stayed within her lane of blending the weird with the visually appealing. There were a lot of cool things going on, and I like the utility vibe (the boot with the pouch detailing and the mask are perfect examples of this done well), but outside the fits I picked out a lot of it went over my head tbh.

Marques Almeida is a show I was looking forward to-it has such a youthful, experimental quality to its collections (it’s no surprise the designers said they were influenced by the HBO show Euphoria this year!), similar to Central Saint Martins, and you can tell the designers (Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida) are based in London too; we are talking about the birthplace of the punk fashion movement, and as a designer it’s probably almost a rite of passage that you incorporate elements of that into your work. Marques Almeida does that with a flair and consistency you can count on. Their clothes don’t have the wildest silhouettes or anything like that but the fun they have playing around with print and colour and the ease and confidence with which they settle on those combinations always comes through-the black and white coat with the yellow furs trim is one of my favourite pieces from the entirety of this season’s offerings.

I wasn’t so fond of Max Mara’s SS20 collection and I'm not gonna lie, this isn’t THAT much of a step up for me personally. It’s just one of those brands I feel obligated to include because it’s talked about quite a bit but I’m not totally sure if it’s for me. Too monotone, but I’ll give it another season! And I mean, there is a slight improvement here-this collection is a lot more laid back than the stiff, austere feel of the last, and there are some very well fitted and structured pieces. A lot of the looks kinda remind me of a 2020, fashion take on The Breakfast Club’s “Basket Case”, which is kinda cool, and just from looking at the clothes, the high price tag is palpable. Also, scruffy hair club unite! Though obviously it’s intentional here! That’ll be my excuse for the next time I turn up at work looking like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards-Max Mara made me do it.

Ending on those words of wisdom, I’m gonna bring this post to a close, because I can’t fit any more photos in! I’m desperately hoping that I can fit this all into 3 parts like I did with my last RTW review but even if I do have to make 4 posts, I still include my top 10 shows as I did before. I hope to get that post up within the next couple of weeks! After that, I’ve shot a Lana Del Rey inspired by each of her different albums and “era”s though given last week’s events I’m on the fence about whether to post it or not, especially given her silence over the last couple of days. I’m really proud of what I’ve put together and I’ll always love her art and music (I have 2 bloody tattoos, for fuck’s sake!), so I’m trying to think how I can reconcile that with those awfully worded posts and just the general lack of awareness of bigger issues that she’s displayed the last week. JFC, being a Lana stan has always been so chilled up until now. All the very valid and important takes aside, that “Lana pls delete that post and apologise, we can’t fight the barbz all your stans are depressed” tweet is the only good thing to come out of this shitshow. He got a point. Breathing feels like effort lately:( IDK, if you’re also a Lana stan and you have any opinions on the matter, feel free to DM me, because I’m feeling pretty conflicted rn.

Most importantly though, are the issues I opened this post by talking about, and I thought I’d finish by including the thread of petitions I saw on Twitter. Like I said, a lot of them aren’t available to sign in the UK but to anyone who read up until this point (thank you!) idk where you’re reading from so maybe some of them will apply to you:

https://twitter.com/yericvIt/status/1265801832930045953

Also, while we’re at it, because every tory voting twat seems to treat our country as if it’s some beacon of hope where racism is non-existent and love to tell PoC to stop moaning about their experiences, here’s a thread of black British men and women who have lost their lives to police violence:

https://twitter.com/illh0eminati/status/1266441604170223617

Thank you for reading until the end. I hope that you enjoyed the fashion part of the post but also that if you did read this far, you read the other bits too if you didn’t know what was going on already. It seems like everyone does but you forget that Twitter’s a bit of an echo chamber and that outside of it, there’s a lot of ignorance, whether intentional or not. I know Tumblr has a similar audience to Twitter so I imagine there’s loads on here about everything going on too, but ya know. I wanted to talk about it just incase.

Stay safe, keep fighting the good fight, and again, thank you for reading!<3

Lauren x

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dutch-and-flemish-painters · 6 years ago

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Pieter Jozef Verhaghen - Presumed self-portrait -

Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen (19 March 1728 in Aarschot – 3 April 1811 in Leuven) was a Flemish painter of large-scale religious and mythological scenes. He is regarded as the last representative of the so-called Flemish School of painting. In particular, he is seen as continuing the artistic tradition of Flemish Baroque painting as exemplified by Rubens in the late 18th century and into the 19th century. He was highly regarded during his lifetime and enjoyed the patronage of eminent patrons and religious institutions. He was appointed first court painter to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria who also provided him a stipend to travel abroad to further his artistic studies.

Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen was born in Aarschot on 19 March 1728. Grandfather and father Verhaghen belonged to the notables of the city and practised as surgeons. The two sons of the family broke with the family tradition and opted to become painter. Jan-Jozef Verhaghen, older brother of Pieter-Jozef, is known in the history of 18th century painting as Potteke (little pot) Verhaghen, because in his works he often depicted kitchen utensils, pots and bowls of earthenware, copper and tin.

Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen thanked his artist career to a chance meeting. As a young boy, he very much enjoyed drawing. When in 1741 he learned that the traveling painter and art restorer Jan-Baptist van den Kerckhoven (c. 1709-1772) was working to restore a painting in the Church of Our Lady in in Aarschot he showed van den Kerckhoven some of his drawings. Van den Kerckhoven immediately recognized the boy's artistic talent and convinced father Willem Verhaghen to let his son study the principles of painting. The young Verhaghen stayed with Van den Kerckhoven and travelled with him to other cities nearby working on decorations and restorations. When van den Kerckhoven was called to some job further away, Verhaghen was not allowed by his father to travel with him due to his young age. He spent the next two years studying art by making copies after prints. In 1744 he moved to Antwerp where he continued his training with Balthasar Beschey. Beschey was an upcoming painter who worked in the style of Rubens and even made direct copies after the famouns Antwerp master. As part of his training in Beschey's workshop Verhaghen made studies after 17th-century works. He was simultaneously enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp where he learned to draw after models. His brother Jan-Jozef later also moved to Antwerp where he worked while taking art classes. In 1747 Pieter-Jozef left Antwerp to return to Aarschot to live with his parents.

In 1749, he was summoned to Leuven where brewer Guilliam Vrancx asked him to decorate the salons of his house on the Mechelsestraat with decorative paintings in Louis XV style. Vrancx was an influential business man and later mayor of Leuven who provided the young artist with an excellent introduction to the bourgeois milieu in Leuven. Not long after his move to Leuven, Verhaghen met and fell in love with Johanna Hensmans, the daughter of a brandy distiller. Rather then return to Antwerp to take up his studies again, the artist decided to stay in Leuven where the couple were married in 1753. Seven children (four sons and three daughthers) were the issue of this marriage. The couple settled in Leuven where Verhaghen opened a small workshop while his wife ran an yarn and linen shop. In 1754 the artist became formally a citizen of Leuven. In these early years of his career Verhaghen was mainly active as a decorative painter. He counted among his patrons members of the bourgeoisie as well as from the circle of the University of Leuven. For the University's graduates who were not from the aristocracy he painted coats of arms, which they could hang above their house door. He also started to receive commissions for larger works with religious themes, in which he was be able to give free rein to his creativity. These works include 11 paintings for the chapel of Leuven University, two canvases for the chapter hall of the Park Abbey and a series of paintings for the Dominican church in Leuven. These works show that his artistic aspiration was to paint in the style of his artistic examples, Rubens and Gaspar de Crayer. He took de Crayer as his example as there were multiple works of this artist present in the churches of Leuven. He gradually also found patronage outside Leuven and its immediate surroundings and painted altarpieces for churches in Turnhout, Halle and Ghent. He was also active as a portrait painter.

The Brussels banker and art lover Daniel Danoot introduced Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen to Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands. At the time Verhaghen had been working on a commission for the duke Karl von Koblenz depicting the Hungarian king St Stephen receiving the Pope's envoys bringing him the crown. When von Koblenz died before Verhaghen had delivered the commission, he offered the finished work to Prince Charles. Prince Charles wrote to Austrian Empress Empress Maria Theresa to ask for permission to purchase the work. The Austrian Empress Empress Maria Theresa agreed to the request and when she later was sent the work, she was taken by its qualities. She decided to support the artistic development of the artist by funding a study trip to Italy. He as awarded a stipend that would cover the living expenses of the artist and his family for a period of two years.

In May 1771 Verhaghen was made the ordinary painter of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. In the same month he set out on his trip together with his eldest son Willem who would later become a priest. Travelling first to Paris he then continued via Lyon to Turin. Here he was received at the court of Sardinia. He then travelled on to Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Bologna to arrive in Rome at the beginning of August 1771. He stayed in Rome for one and a half years and visited Napels during that period. While in Rome, Pope Clement XIV granted the artist an audience and he offered plenary indulgence to him, his family in the third degree, and thirty other people of his choice. The pope also personally gave the artist's son Willem a tonsure.

Subsequently Verhaghen travelled to Vienna via Tuscany and Venice. He arrived in Vienna on 9 June 1773. Here the Empress received him in audience two times. She honored him by bestowing the title of 'first court painter' on him. When he returned home in October 1773, he was welcomed as a kind of national hero in various cities, including his native city Aarschot, his hometown Leuven and Antwerp. The Leuven painter and poet Martin van Dorne composed a short didactic poem, in which he evoked all the works executed by the prolific Verhaghen. His reputation had increased enormously and many institutions wanted to own paintings by his hand. His reputation grew also outside his own country. His success were supported by his ability to paint quickly and his efficient workshop organization in which he followed the example of his teacher Balthasar Beschey.

Religious institutions were his most important customers, so his career suffered from the Austrian government's efforts to curb the influence of the Catholic Church. The invasion of the Southern Netherlands by French troops in the 1790s further affected the artist's career. Two of his sons, Willem, parish priest in Schaerbeek, and Joris-Jozef, canon of the Park Abbey had to shelter in the artist's home to escape persecution of the French administrators. After the Concordat of 1801 entered into between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII in 1801, the religious tensions decreased and Pieter-Jozef was able to get some new orders, especially from private individuals. But the time for his great historical compositions had passed.

After on 26 October 1800 artist from Leuven such as Martin van Dorne, François Xavier Joseph Jacquin, Josse-Pieter Geedts, Frans Berges, Gillis Goyers and Antoon Clevenbergh had established a society for the establishment of an academy in Leuven, Verhaghen was elected its honorary director. After suffering a stroke in 1809, the artist was no longer to work in the last years of his life. He also lost his oldest son and wife in the year 1810.

By the time he died on 3 April 1811, the interest in his work had been in decline for a while.

#Pieter-Jozef Verhaghen #18th #baroque #selfportrait #history

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pope-francis-quotes · 6 years ago

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14th May >> (@ZenitEnglish By Rosa Die Alcolea) #Pope Francis #PopeFrancis ‘The Economy of Francis’: Pope Summons Young People and Economists to Assisi to ‘Change the World’ #economyoffrancis Will Gather in Assisi from 26th - 28th March 26 2020

‘The Economy of Francis’: Pope Summons Young People and Economists to Assisi to ‘Change the World’

Will Gather in Assisi from 26th - 28th March 26 2020

MAY 14, 2019 17:20ROSA DIE ALCOLEAECONOMY AND FINANCE

“The Economy of Francis” is an event of study, meeting, and research that will bring together young scholars and operators of the economy, summoned by Pope Francis to Assisi, from March 26-28, 2020. This Tuesday morning, May 14, 2019, the event was presented in the Holy See Press Office, with the intervention of Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development; Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, Archbishop-Bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino; Professor Luigino Bruni of Political Economy of the Free University Mary Most Holy Assunta of Rome (Italy) and Consultor of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life; the Mayor of Assisi, Stefania Proietti; and Father Mauro Gambetti, Custodian of the Sacred Convent of Assisi.

Monsignor Domenico Sorrentino, Archbishop of Assisi, highlighted the symbolic importance of the place where it will be held: Assisi, “city of peace,” since Saint John Paul II called the First World Day of Prayer for Peace, held there in October 1986, in which religious leaders from the whole world took part.

The Spirit of Assisi

This project is situated in the wake of the “Spirit of Assisi, and inspired in the teaching of the Pope who in Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato Si’ energetically criticized the pathological state of a great part of the world economy, referring to it as an “economy that kills,” and showing how it does so at the same time with persons and the environment, thus killing the future, he said.

The discussions will take place in Assisi from March 26-28, 2020, and a one-day meeting with the Pontiff will take place, which no doubt will be “in the conclusive moment,” pointed out the organizers.

A Social, Not “Socialist,” Economy

For his part, Cardinal Peter Turkson indicated that the event is inspired in the social economy, and he warned against confusing it “with a Socialist economy.”

The Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development also explained that the recipient of the economy is man, and he recalled that this concept is developed in Evangelii Gaudium. “It’s an economy at the service of the human person, an inclusive economy. It promotes the dignity of persons; this is the inclusive economy of Pope Francis.”

A Pact to “Change This World”

The Holy Father would like the event to be “addressed to young people,” added Professor of Economics Luigino Bruni, concretely, to young people to study for a doctorate, to work, to be in contact with the society, and it’s also a convocation for the leaders of the economy.

“A pact with you all to change this world, a commitment, because you all still have the opportunity to do so,” said the Pontiff, according to Professor Bruni.

Registration Is Open

Registration is already open so that all young people worldwide can take part. The event will be held in March of 2020, around the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, March 19, specified the Mayor of Assisi Stefania Proietti, Professor, and Engineer. “It’s an unprecedented, very powerful event; we are very excited preparing it.”

Moreover, the speakers said, in a hopeful tone, that young people and brilliant minds of the global economy will attend. The economic crisis isn’t disconnected from the environmental crisis, which is the crisis of the poor.”

Assisi, Sustainable City

The Mayor described Assisi as a “sustainable city,” where an “integral economy” is possible and she said that the Italian locality must be a “coherent” city (meaning that the city of Assisi must be coherent with this philosophy, as the event will take place there).

Taking part in the organization of “The Economy of Francis,” which the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development is also sponsoring, are the Diocese of Assisi, the Seraphic Institute, the Municipality of Assisi and the Focolare Center for the Economy of Communion.

“We are not closed to any suggestions wherever they come from,” said the Archbishop of Assisi. “What interests us — using the terminology desired by the Pope and also believing to interpret it — is not to hold an event but to unleash a process,” he added.

An Initiative for All Men

The Italian Franciscan said he was “very grateful” and that the initiative “is something “very beautiful, which has come out of the Pope’s heart.”

Fater Gambetti explained the subject is not one that “only concerns Catholics or Franciscans, but the whole world.” With the force of being “coagulated” in all with Saint Francis’ message to all men of good will.

An “integral economy” is the experience proposed to young people, a model of the economy, “in which we suggest they come together and share.” “This is the economy of the future, and he added that there are people already involved in Universities and Centers of Bologna, Milan, Naples and other places of Italy and Europe.

Circularity of Goods

“When you enter the Convent, you leave all your goods behind. I gave up my father’s house (the estate). This opened a way to me, the way of poverty. This has given me freedom. Poverty of heart: to be always naked. A look on others: it’s a great door that leads to communion. Happiness lies in this communion.”

So the Custodian of the Franciscan Convent of Assisi clarified: “Of what use is wealth? The problem is when one loses sight of the poor. When wealth closes itself. Wealth loses its meaning if it closes itself to others,” and he referred to the importance of the “circularity of goods.”

14th MAY 2019 17:20ECONOMY AND FINANCE

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queen-busybee · 6 years ago

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down with an empire

Pairing: Adrinathanette (Adrien/Nathanael/Marinette)

Word Count: 1540

AU August Day 22

Rebellion/Revolution AU (Crime AU)

Synopsis: Adrien has been sheltered and smothered his whole life. And maybe it was a little much to experience freedom through trying to arrest his father and bring down his fashion empire. But when Marinette laughs and Nathanael smiles... he feels like everything is going to be okay.

Nathanael is an artist of a rebelling political movement (members including but not limited to: Alya, who gathers intel and runs an underground printed newspaper, Alix, who breaks into buildings to steal reports, Ivan, who protects witnesses from corporations and rich families, Max, who hacks into emails, Kim, who runs information through the slums, and more of their graduating class) and Nath creates art murals (vandalizes) on buildings and billboards.

One night he goes across town and he is caught in the middle of a mural on a billboard. By the man who is modeling on the billboard.

Adrien Agreste is the son of fashion designer, deep-pocketed corporate mogul Gabriel Agreste, who is known to the public to cut corners, to smother competition, and even rumors of embezzlement and ties with the corrupt mayor of Paris, whose pockets run just as deep with dirty and even sometimes bloody money. Adrien is a tired man, sheltered all his life, can only escape during nighttime walks from the suffocating world of his father and the expectations to be the one to take it over and the disappointed looks that tell him that his father doesn't even believe he can do it. Every night he climbs the stairs to this tall building and he stares at the billboard of himself in hate, because it's the perfect image of who everyone wants him to be.

Until he catches a man painting over it one day.

Marinette is the daughter of small bakery owners. They get their business throttled and have had their rent be steadily increased on a weekly basis. She has known Nathanael and most of the other young people in the rebellion since she was a child and her parents often offer their basement as place for them to convene, as well as offer them what little leftover food from their bakery as they can. Marinette dreams of dresses and sketch books and runways in Milan, but her dreams are drowned by debt, hunger, and fear.

Then one day she walks downstairs with her arms laden with bakery goods to see the face of a poster that realizes all her dreams and nightmares rolled into one.

Adrien's world is opened when Nathanael takes him around Paris and shows him the slums and the way people hunger and fear the shadow of his family. He hates that the world is like this.

"I can't let you go back unless I know you're with us," Nathanael tells him, standing behind him as they stand at the top of a large building, looking down at buildings that are falling apart and that have blankets as windows, kids running in the streets without shoes, bones jutting out from under their skin in their hunger.

His eyes turn to the artist, who has pulled down the black mask that covered his mouth as he had painted such provocative words across the billboard of his face.

M U R D E R E R T H I E F

A beautifull haunting image of Gabriel Agreste with his hands covered in blood.

"And if I'm not?" he asks, voice quiet.

Nathanael shrugs. "I'm sure someone will know what to do. We're not a monarchy. You need to convince all of us."

"All of you?" he echoes.

They don't trust him, Adrien knows. Nathanael believes in him the most, having seen the look on his face, the absolute shock and dawning of understanding as he witnessed more and more of the state that Paris was in. The girl, Marinette, who sort of laughs nervously when he asks what she does for the rebellion. "I," she says, not look at him, "bring the food." Her hand gestures towards a small plate of croissants that others are snacking on. Her eyes and friendly smile never reach him. Her words are small and voice is hollow when she speaks to him.

The next time they meet, he brings Chloe with him. She's not stupid. She knows what her father does. She has heard the silenced pops of guns in the halls of their hotel. "I'm here for Adrien," she says when they ask. "If he decides he's done with this, then so am I." It's a solidarity thing. Something she's doing out of her love for him--if Adrien wants to stop their parents, then she will help him. This isn't about Paris or about her or about justice. This is for Adrien. Over the next several weeks both he and Chloe, as well as several other people in the rebellion, are sent on missions to test their ability and their loyalty.

"I think we should... get disguises," Adrien mentions as they're eating cake. Others look at him and he cringes a little. "I overheard my father talking about installing cameras should the thefts continue or increase. Plus, with the way I walked up on Nathanael and the close calls we all have had... I think we shouldn't be leaving the safe house without being in disguise."

Nathanael chews on his cake thoughtfully. "Marinette?" he asks after he swallows, nodding a little.

She hesitates before reaching into the bag that is constantly at her feet. She pulls out a sketch pad and a pencil. The book falls open and that's when Adrien fully understands her fear.

She's a designer.

A fashion designer.

As in the competition his father is known to snuff out.

And, god, she's good. there isn't much room left on her pages, all the space taken by cramped designs and notes along the edges.

Adrien slides off his seat and takes one next to her. "I can get the materials," he tells her. "Just tell me what color and how much.”

When she's designing, she's like a flower blossoming. Suddenly she's smiling and confident and spouting ideas about types of breathability and flexibility for them to move around and be evasive, but also stay out of sight.

Her eyes are blue, he realizes as he watches her talk to Nathanael, who is smiling at her. Nath's smile turns to a smirk when he sees Adrien watching and he winks at him.

Adrien's cheeks flush pink. God, he's fucked.

Marinette makes herself a disguise. She fastens the mask to her face and Adrien and Nathanael look at her in curiosity.

"You didn't think I'd let you without me, did you?" she asks.

Nathanael just laughs and kisses her. "Of course not."

It's Adrien's first confirmation on their relationship and he blushes because he just watched their intimate moment.

Once the disguises are made, Marinette becomes a different person with Adrien. She's all laughter and bright eyes and teasing. Nathanael laughs with her and he finds himself on missions with them often.

Adrien wonders if he falls in love with them because they're the first people to be so open with him in his life. Chloe has always been his friend, but she's always reserved and quiet. There was a time she used to be sunshine and blue skies, but sometime after their mothers disappeared, her brightness dimmed.

From there it's rebellion espionage. Hacking into emails and breaking into offices. Adrien slipping in his father's room to make copies of hand notes and placing audio bugs on his telephone. Chloe giving them dates and times and names of hits her father has taken out. Sometimes they can save them. Sometimes they can't.

It ends with Gabriel taking both Nathanael and Marinette hostage and threatening Adrien for some sensitive information.

"You don't understand the sacrifices I have made for you," Gabriel yells at him. "You are a child. You don't understand everything I have given up and done to give you this life."

"I never wanted this!" Tears in Adrien's eyes and anger hot on his face. "I never wanted this. I would have rather starved than to live knowing all that you've done!"

"You say that now, but you've never had hunger claw at your stomach, have you?"

Adrien is silent and he looks at Marinette and Nathanael, who are cold and tied up and about to die. "I will do anything to undo even an inch of the damage you have caused Paris. Even if that means watching you kill the man and woman I love."

Before Gabriel can, Chloe sweeps in with police--the ones that aren't in her father's pockets. (Sabrina's father included.)

Chloe has all the ambition and passion to become the new mayor, but doesn't.

The Gabriel fashion line dies and Adrien is left with a mountain of money he hates and doesn't know what to do with. Gabriel and Andre have enough evidence against them to last a lifetime.

Adrien is living in a mansion he hates, cold empty walls that he wishes would disappear. Nathanael and Marinette haven't spoken to anyone in the rebellion. Alix, Kim, and Max have visited him, along with Sabrina and Chloe. None bear words other than that Tom and Sabine say they're okay.

Then one day he answers the ringing of his doorbell to get an armful of Marinette. Her lips are soft against his cheek and she clutches onto him. Behind her, Nathanael grabs him and holds them together. His lips are warm on Adrien's temple. And he starts crying.

#adrinathanette #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #nathanael kurtzberg #miraculous ladybug #writing: mine #writing: fanfic #au yeah august #revolution au #rebellion au #crime au #crimes are committed as a part of a revolution #technically not a crime au #but i'm making it work #technically just an outline #may or may not be written one day #ml au yeah august

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architectnews · 3 years ago

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15-Minute City concept by Carlos Moreno wins Obel Award 2021

A concept for a city in which citizens can access their daily necessities by foot or by bike within 15 minutes has won the Obel Award for 2021.

Aptly named the 15-Minute City, the urban planning model was developed by French-Colombian scientist Carlos Moreno to help tackle car hegemony and create more sustainable human-centric urban environments.

The 15-Minute City by Carlos Moreno (above) has won the Obel Award 2021. Photo is by Mathieu Delmestre

It is the third project ever to win an Obel Award, an international prize presented annually by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation to celebrate "outstanding architectural contributions to human development".

This year the competition focused specifically on new solutions to the challenges faced by cities around the world.

Paris among cities already using Moreno's ideas

Moreno first revealed his vision for the 15-Minute City model in 2016. Its overarching aim is to help improve the quality of life of people living in dense metropolitan areas.

It imagines decentralised cities in which citizens can access both their home and workplace in either a short walk or cycle. Food, health, education and cultural facilities would also be accessible without a car within a quarter of an hour.

Reducing dependency on vehicles in this way could help cut fossil fuel usage, carbon emissions and air pollution and, in turn, improve the health of both people and the planet.

The concept imagines cities where everything is accessible within 15 minutes. The drawing is by Micael

Facilitating active travel would also offer citizens physical health benefits, while reducing their commute times would help them to achieve a better work-life balance.

Moreno's framework, which can be adapted to suit local cultures and needs, has already informed urban planning in cities such as Buenos Aires, Chengdu and Melbourne.

The concept was also popularised by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo who used it during her re-election campaign in 2020, for which Moreno served as scientific advisor.

Concept is "step towards the future"

The jury for the Obel Award 2021 included landscape architect Martha Schwartz, academic Wilhelm Vossenkuhl and architects Kjetil Thorsen of Snøhetta, Louis Becker of Henning Larsen Architects and Xu Tiantian of DnA.

Schwartz, who chaired the jury, described the 15-Minute City concept as "a real step towards the future".

Moreno's ideas are being implemented in Paris. The drawing is by Micael

"We are living in a time of urgency to make a change and live more efficiently," she said.

"The 15-Minute City addresses the need for us to rethink how our cities can be reimagined, redesigned, and regenerated for the primary benefit of people and the environment."

Moreno to reimagine concept for "rural territories"

With a prize of €100,000 (£86,000), Moreno and his team are now developing the concept further in order to tailor it to places with lower densities. For example, a scheme in the south of France could allow citizens to access daily needs within 30 minutes.

"We need to broaden our focus to include different densities and territories: from the small cities to the mid-sized cities and even to the rural territories," Moreno said.

"We need to keep the concept of the 15-Minute City but imagine new ways to implement its principle of proximity in other densities."

Read:

Urban developments that "strive for zero carbon" to start on site in Milan, Paris, Reykjavik and Oslo

Moreno hopes that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic may also help put the 15-Minute City on the agenda in other countries. This is because the pandemic and resultant lockdowns have led many people to travel less and spend more time in their immediate neighbourhoods, illuminating the benefits of localisation and walkable public space.

Last year, C40 Cities, a network that helps cities around the world tackle climate change, promoted the 15-Minute City as a way for metropolitan areas to recover from Covid-19.

In 2020 the Obel Award was given to German architect Anna Heringer for the Anandaloy community centre in Bangladesh. The building's structural elements are crafted from rammed earth made with mud from local ponds for its structural elements.

Before that, Japanese architect Junya Ishigami won the prize for his ObelArt Biotop Water Garden – an artificial landscape near the Nasu Mountains in Japan. It was chosen by the jury as it demonstrates how human interventions can enhance a landscape, rather than cause damage.

Main photo is by Emilie Koefoed for the Obel Award.

The post 15-Minute City concept by Carlos Moreno wins Obel Award 2021 appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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chocoluckchipz · 4 years ago

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A Soulmate for Christmas - 2

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The Mayor had always thrown the most lavish parties in the city. The Christmas Eve Gala was the grandest of them all. Anyone who was deemed important or famous was invited. The venue sparkled and shined with extravagant decorations. Shimmering gowns of ladies whose beauty could rival the stars, handsome men in tuxedos, a multitude of servers to attend to the guests' every need; everything screamed wealth, influence, and power. With everything being of the highest quality, it was no surprise all the food was prepared on-site by the best chefs in all of Paris, including the pastries which her parents were hired to make.

In previous years, Tom was the one who baked, while Sabine or Manon served in the ballroom. Today, however, Papa lay home with a broken leg, Manon was out of the city, and anyone else who could’ve stepped in was unavailable at such late notice. So, it was Sabine who was left to stir up a storm in the hotel's kitchen, while Marinette took the trays of sweets into the ballroom for attendees to enjoy.

The first hour went by splendidly. Neither Adrien nor his fiancée nor Chloe Bourgeois showed up. Marinette was starting to relax as she danced around the room with a tray in hand, offering attendees her Maman’s treats. It all changed when Adrien walked in the room with Kagami Tsurugi on his arm, her mother and Chloe Bourgeois following right after.

Perfect. Her torture had begun.

Marinette moved farther into the room, as far from the trio as possible. Unfortunately, being a waitress, she couldn’t remain in one spot for long. Which meant she had to constantly scan the room to be aware of Adrien's location at any given moment. His and Chloe's. Because even though she didn’t want to risk getting too close to Adrien, she’d take that over running into her high school arch-enemy. Unlike Chloe, at least, he wouldn’t recognize her.

"Excuse me? Mademoiselle?"

She peeled her eyes away from Chloe conversing with Adrien’s fiancée to look at the person calling her and froze.

Those eyes.

Her heart took off in a panicked sprint. She knew those eyes. How did she not realize he was her soulmate before? She stared at his posters for hours at a time, days in a row. His eyes were always gorgeous but… the eyes that watched her now were the ones that haunted her dreams all these years. And that barely-there smile he was giving her was so different from his model one. Mischievous and kind, and somehow familiar.

Butterflies raged in her belly, Marinette turned away and focused on her work. She was there to help Maman, not swoon over her unfaithful soulmate.

"I apologize, but have we met before?" He stepped in front of her, blocking her attempted escape. "I feel like I know you."

This couldn’t be happening. There was no way he recognized her! "I’m afraid, you’re mistaken, Monsieur. I don’t think we’ve met."

"Are you sure?" His hand slowly reached out for hers, the one his mark was on. "May I?"

With a swift move, Marinette slipped a serving tray between them, offering him what was left of an assortment of macarons, at the same time protecting her hand from his touch. "Of course. Which flavour would you like?"

He hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Which one would you recommend?"

"Coconut. They’re a huge hit tonight. The white ones."

"Thank you." He took the treat and bit into it. "Oh! They are delicious."

"I’m glad you like it. Now, if you excuse me. I must get back work." Marinette gave him the most professional smile she could muster at the moment as she turned around to walk away.

He followed. Like an annoying stray. No wonder his soulmate mark was a black cat. "Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Adrien. May I ask for your name?"

"It’s confidential."

A fleeting look of bewilderment on his face, replaced by an amused sparkle in his eyes, he smirked right after. "Accept my apologies, Mlle ‘Confidential’, but may I ask if you ever visited Milan?"

He wasn’t beating around the bush. This was bad. "Curiosity killed the cat, and you’re one curious kitty, aren’t you, Adrien?"

His eyes widened just a speck, lips stretching in one of the widest grins she had ever seen in her life. "It is you, isn’t it?"

With a look of absolute innocence on her face, she looked away. "I’m sorry? I’m not following."

"Ladybug. I don’t remember your real name but your soulmate mark is a ladybug. I’ve been calling you that. I knew I would recognize you if I ever saw you. Your eyes haven’t changed. You still have those adorable freckles and that sweet smile."

Good thing Marinette and her father had taken up playing poker lately. Otherwise, she wasn't sure she'd be able to look at him with an air of indifference right then. "As I said before, I’m afraid you’re mistaken. My name isn’t Ladybug, and I don’t think we’ve ever met before. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to do."

She walked past him. He followed.

"You called me Kitty after you saw my soulmate mark. A black cat. Right there." He pointed to her right hand. "I can prove it if you’ll allow me to touch it."

She couldn’t let this happen. He didn’t deserve to confirm his suspicions. This had already gone a lot further than Marinette ever intended for it to go. She didn’t have a choice but to cut this short and run. "I’m sorry, I have no idea who you’ve mistaken me for, but I’m not your soulmate. After all, aren’t you engaged?

"Please, let me explain—"

"I’m sure Mlle Tsurugi won’t approve of you talking to other women, M Agreste. Especially me," she snapped. She forced herself to take a breath and a step back. "Congratulations on your impending engagement. Have a good life."

Without giving him a chance to respond, Marinette strode away toward the kitchen. If anyone asked, it was only because her tray was almost empty, not because the hope in her heart was, too.

"Wait!" He rushed after her. "I can explain."

She didn’t want him to. She hurried away, but Adrien kept pace. Just as she was about to exit the ballroom, he caught up and grabbed her right hand. The black cat soulmate mark on the top of it burst with all the colours of a rainbow, glowing the most beautiful way Marinette had ever seen a soulmate mark to glow.

She snatched her hand back before anyone else could notice, hissing at him. "What are you doing?"

"Begging you to let me explain."

"Your engagement is explanation enough," Marinette snapped, throwing open the door to the servers’ area and escaping him once more.

Adrien called after her, but she knew these hallways well enough to lose him. Turning a corner, she slipped into an old storage room and ducked under a desk, hoping he’d just pass by without a second thought.

She was wrong.

"Ladybug?"

She froze in her hiding spot, careful not to make a sound.

"Ladybug, please. I can explain. I promise I’m not—"

"Adrien, what’s going on?" A female voice sounded closer to the door.

"It’s her," he answered breathlessly. "I found her."

"‘Her’ as in?"

"Ladybug! I found my Ladybug! And the first thing she does is yell at me because she thinks I’m engaged to you."

"Please, don’t tell me it’s that waitress that you kept hovering over?" Another female griped. An unfortunately familiar female.

"Oh, shut up, Chloe!" Adrien snarled. "I’m not in the mood for—"

"Calm down, both of you. No need to start a fight," the woman who Marinette guessed was Kagami Tsurugi cut in.

"Like I’m going to fight him over Dupain-Cheng. He can have her, for all I care."

"You know her?" Adrien asked, surprise clear in his voice. "Chloe, please, tell me you know who she is?"

"Of course, I do. We suffered each other’s presence all through lycée."

"Name, Chloe! Tell me her name! Her number? Address? Anything!"

The scowl in Chloe’s voice was palpable. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She lived in the bakery across the street from my old school—"

"Are you kidding me?! She’s been living less than a block away from me all these years?!"

"Just your luck." Kagami chuckled. "All the time and money you wasted on your trips to Milan. I almost feel sorry for you, Adrien."

"You’re so kind, Kagami. Remind me, why are we still friends? "

"Because you needed a fake girlfriend."

"I think it was the other way around."

"Let’s be honest: we both benefited. Some more so than others, but who cares about the details, right?"

Adrien groaned. "I don’t have time for this. Chloe, where can I find her?"

"You remember that online fashion boutique I showed you? The one you ordered that blue scarf and a few of their Chat Noir pieces from?"

"MDC? Wait—was that her?"

"Yes. MDC is short for Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien pulled out his cellphone. "Good idea. The website should have her contact information."

"Not her personal contacts. Only a business email."

"Damn it, Chloe. I don’t have time for this. Where can I find her now?"

"Most likely in the kitchen," Chloe huffed. "Her parents’ bakery was hired to cater for the party. Tom and Sabine’s."

"Thanks."

By the time the door shut, Marinette could hardly breathe, a single sentence played in her mind over and over and over again,

"Because you needed a fake girlfriend."

What did she mean by—?

Bang!

Marinette’s heart stopped at the sudden slap of a hand on the desk she was hiding under.

"Dupain-Cheng." Chloe leered down at her with a smile Marinette knew always meant trouble. "We need to talk."

Next >

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#miraculous ladybug #adrienette #soulmates #adrinette #fluff #light angst #misunderstanding #happy end #aged up #no magic au #soulmate marks #so much for He won't recognize me #Marinette

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schmidtclothingcom · 4 years ago

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New York Fashion Week kicked off last night. Celebrities, designers and bloggers (and the increasing number of “slashies” that embody all three) have descended on the Big Apple to drink champagne, admire eye-wateringly expensive clothing, and air kiss one another.

Kim Kardashian is set to make her first public post-baby appearance at husband Kayne West’s Yeezy fashion show later today. West will also be debuting his new album The Life of Pablo (formerly known as WAVES), live streaming the concert/show from 8am AEST.

After a short hiatus from the event, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s cult brand, The Row, will make a hotly anticipated return to the American runway on February 15.

Anna Wintour at the 2013 Paris Fashion Week. Charles Platiau/Reuters

And you can bet that Anna Wintour will watch, sphinx-like behind her enormous Chanel glasses, as close friend Marc Jacobs brings the week to a triumphant close with his climactic show.

For a certain kind of person, New York Fashion week is a “must”. For those of a certain age, income and social status, the event is not just a fixture on the social calendar but a high point.

Even for those who aren’t in possession of that enviable trifecta (including me), the slavish devotion the event inspires is familiar through many fictionalised and semi-fictionalised explorations of New York City (think Sex in the City, Gossip Girl, Project Runway, and The Real Housewives of New York City).

But how did it all get started? Why did it begin? Was there even a New York Fashion Week before Anna Wintour?

Fashion Press Week

New York Fashion Week has not always been exalted or esteemed. The event is actually a relatively recent phenomenon: it can be traced back to 1943, when it began as Fashion Press Week. Up until that point, American women overwhelmingly purchased American-made copies of French designs, and thus the American fashion industry was overshadowed by its Parisian counterpart.

Eleanor Lambert, 1963. Council of fashion designers of America

During the second world war, however, access to the Gallic centre was cut off by the German occupation. This presented the American fashion industry with a unique opportunity, and Eleanor Lambert, the canny director of the New York Dress Institute, took advantage of this by clustering the American fashion shows into a single “event” to promote home-grown design.

To be clear, these weren’t the first ever fashion shows. From the turn of the century, many individual fashion labels and stores hosted their own shows in department stores and hotels throughout Paris and New York in a bid to drum up business. But Fashion Press Week was the first coordinated fashion event to showcase numerous designers of the same nationality.

New York Press Week, 1943.

Even more importantly, the event also proved the effectiveness of this new approach. Although the initial response wasn’t encouraging – only 53 of the 150 journalists Lambert invited to the first Fashion Press Week attended – the impact of the event was strong and swift.

In its wake, the American press heaped praise upon local designers such as Claire McCardell, and New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia boasted that:

the only reason Paris set styles all these years was because buyers like to go there on holiday.

Paris, London and Florence

Unfortunately, LaGuardia’s smug sentiments were premature. Having watched New York’s Fashion Press Week from afar, other sartorial centres began to replicate the event.

Christian Dior’s 1947 New Look photographed by Willy Maywald. The Coincidental Dandy/Flickr, CC BY-NC

In a bid to reclaim its former dominance, as soon as the war ended the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture organised the first seasonal showings of Parisian couture to the international press. Along with the emergence of Christian Dior and his sensational “New Look”, this bi-annual event - which commenced in 1945 - was pivotal in re-establishing the Gallic capital as the sartorial leader of the Western world.

In the immediate post-war period, showings in London also created ripples (although not the tidal waves that Paris did). In January 1942 the London couture industry established its own official organisation, The Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers, which began to host fashion shows after the war.

Bettina Ballard attended these events in her role as fashion editor of American Vogue, and recalled in her memoir In My Fashion (1960) that:

the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers gave handsome and very social parties.

Unfortunately, at this stage the British weren’t so good at sealing the deal, and Ballard noted “the whole couture performance was carried on […] in a rather grand detached manner” as they “never pressed for publicity or even tried to make the buyers buy”.

From the early 1950s, this trio was joined by a fourth fashion market – Italy – which established the “Big Four” that fashionistas still follow today. Seeking to attract bountiful American money to an impoverished and deprived Italy, Giovanni Battista Giorgini orchestrated Italy’s first fashion shows with considerable aplomb.

The first, held in his sumptuous Florentine villa in February 1951, was not a success (180 pieces by numerous Italian designers were viewed by just eight American buyers and a lone fashion journalist – an even worse turnout than Lambert’s first endeavour in New York).

But its successor in July 1951 was a triumph, with 200 American buyers and journalists in attendance, and the event was thereafter established as essential for the fashion-minded.

Giorgini’s first fashion shows were held in the beautiful Villa Torrigiani. Sailko, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

By the early 1950s, the advent of these rival fashion shows had diluted the sartorial impact of New York’s pioneering event. The annual trips to Paris that LaGuardia had gloated were no longer necessary during the war were back with a vengeance by the late 1940s.

Even worse, they were now the gateway to yet more European options. As Bettina Ballard explained of her own annual migrations:

although Paris was the main objective of each trip, it was also the door to all Europe. I very soon found, along with the postwar travel-starved buyers and the fashion press, how pleasant it was to travel on an expense account with the legitimate excuse of looking over new fashion markets.

American Design for American Women

In the 1970s, the tide began to turn for American fashion. Critical in fostering a renewed respect for American design was the landmark fashion show held in 1973, the so-called Battle of Versailles. Ostensibly a fundraiser for the then-leaky French palace, the event – once again cooked up by the enterprising Eleanor Lambert – pitted five American designers (Oscar de la Renta, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Bill Blass and Anne Klein) against five French designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Dior and Hubert de Givenchy).

The Versailles ‘73 show went down in fashion history.

In front of a crowd full of celebrities, socialites and aristocrats, the Americans stole the show, proving that they could not only compete – but actually win – against their old French rival (and on French soil, to boot).

More broadly, the advent of second-wave feminism during the 1970s also repositioned American ready-to-wear as the ideal solution for the new “working woman”. This development boosted its popularity with both American women and the American press, and generated effusive praise of anything all-American.

A round-up of the New York collections in a 1976 issue of American Vogue, for example, now boasted:

American Fashion at the Top of Its Form: Racy, Freewheeling … Casual!

This newfound legitimacy was solidified when the more informal and improvised fashion shows of the postwar period became slick, professional events. The term “Fashion Week” actually wasn’t adopted until remarkably recently: the French Fashion Federation held the first “Paris Fashion Week” in 1973; the British Fashion Council organised its inaugural “London Fashion Week” in 1984; and the Council of Fashion Designers of America waited until the early 1990s to debut “New York Fashion Week.”

A model takes the stage during the 2015 New York Fashion Week. Carlo Allegri/Reuters

It also was during this period that the American shows – which had previously been scattered across town – were centralised in one location (first in “the tents” in Bryant Park, then in Lincoln Centre, and from 2015 shows have been split between the Skylights at Moynihan Station and Clarkson Square. Increasingly, the event is becoming decentralised again, with shows held at a variety of off-site venues throughout the city).

But although last to adopt the term “Fashion Week”, New York remains the first stop during fashion season (every February and September, back-to-back fashion shows are held sequentially in New York, London, Milan and Paris).

Yet New York’s leading role is fitting. Certainly, New York has become one of the great fashion centres of the modern world, a place where trends are forged and significant money is made. But New York is also where the concept of “Fashion Week” was first conceived and executed, a history neatly mirrored in its prestigious opening slot.

by Beth Daley

licensed from theconversation.com

Written by Becky Heldmen for Schmidt Clothing.

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years ago

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Archduchess of Austria, 26, who has modelled for Dolce & Gabbana marries Belgian racing driver

The young Archduchess of Austria has married her Belgian racing driver boyfriend in a small civil ceremony in Monaco, it has been reported.

Eleonore von Habsburg, 26, whose full title is Archduchess of Austria, Royal Princess of Hungary, Bohemia and Croatia, tied the knot with Formula E racer Jérôme d’Ambrosio, 34, on Monday at a registry office, according to Hello! magazine.

Eleonore wore an off-the-shoulder white ruffled dress by designer Carolina Herrera and a discreet fascinator by Stephen Jones for the ceremony, which took place in front of an small group of family and friends.

Born in Salzburg, the glamorous model and socialite is the daughter of Archduke Karl von Habsburg – head of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine and a leading politician – and his estranged wife, Baroness Francesca von Habsburg.

Another royal wedding! Eleonore von Habsburg, 26, married Formula E racer Jérôme d’Ambrosio, 34, in a small civil ceremony at a registry office in Monaco yesterday

The couple were joined by a small group of family and friends for the occasion (pictured, Mayor of Monaco Georges Marsan, Henri d’Ambrosio, Giselle d’Ambrosio, Jerome d’Ambrosio, Eleonore of Habsburg, Karl of Habsburg and Francesca Thyssen-Bornemisza)

This makes Eleonore the great-granddaughter of the last Emperor of Austria, Charles I of Austria, who reigned for two years until the monarchy was abolished at the end of the First World War.

At its height of power, the House of Habsburg was one of the leading and most influential rulers in Europe.

The couple had planned a large church wedding but due to coronavirus restrictions, they opted for a smaller civil ceremony at a registry office.

Eleonore and Jerome plan to celebrate with a larger church wedding when restrictions have lifted further.

Eleonore has risen to prominence in the fashion world with high-profile campaigns for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana under her belt (pictured at D&G’s September 2017 show, Milan)

The wedding was attended only by their closest family members, with their sisters Gloria and Olivia acting as witnesses.

The couple invited a larger group of guests to celebrate their marriage at a socially distanced lunch.

Despite Eleonore’s royal connections, she previously told Madonna24 how her parents have always insisted that she and her siblings stay ‘grounded’ and she loves shopping in high street stalwarts such as Mango, Zara and H&M.

‘I am incredibly grateful to my parents for not raising us in the belief that it is normal to go to Swiss boarding school and to live in London in a chic apartment,’ she told the site.

Eleonore is the daughter of Archduke Karl von Habsburg and his estranged wife, art collector Baroness Francesca von Habsburg (mother and daughter pictured in Paris, December 2013)

Eleonore has been dating d’Ambrosio since early 2017 (the couple are pictured together in Monte-Carlo, Monaco) and has close links to the racing world

Eleonore has been dating d’Ambrosio, 33, since early 2017 and has close links to the racing world with her brother, Ferdinand Habsburg, a DTM driver.

The eldest of three children, she attended boarding school in Gstaad, Switzerland before studying law at London’s European Business School.

The brainy aristo beauty speaks fluent German and English, and is reportedly proficient in French and Spanish too.

And it seems fashion runs in the family as her mother, who descends from Swiss nobility, also enjoyed a brief spell as a model before pursuing a career as an art collector.

Eleonore and Jérôme at a charity gala in Monte-Carlo, September 2018. Despite Eleonore’s royal connections, her parents have always insisted that she and her siblings stay ‘grounded’

Eleonore (pictured with Jérôme) insists she does not have her sights set on modelling, saying: ‘It was a great experience – but the model business is definitely not my main career path’

It is not known whether she has pursued a career in law, however she has risen to prominence in the fashion world with high-profile campaigns for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana under her belt.

She was hand-picked to star in the Italian luxury label’s SS18 runway show in Milan alongside other society beauties including Lady Kitty Spencer, Lady Amelia Windsor and Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark.

But she insists she does not have her sights set on modelling, telling Madonna24: ‘It was a great experience – but the model business is definitely not my main career path.’

Eleonore with her fiancé. The eldest of three children, she attended boarding school in Gstaad, Switzerland before studying law at London’s European Business School

Eleonore partying with pals including heiress Sabine Getty in Gloucestershire, July 2017. The royal says she loves shopping in high street stalwarts such as Mango, Zara and H&M

Eleonore is a keen jet-setter and regularly posts Instagram updates from far-flung destinations including Cambodia, Morocco and Argentina to name a few.

Based in Monaco, d’Ambrosio is also a brand ambassador for Hugo Boss and Julius Baer and has previously driven in the Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The couple announced their engagement in March 2019 after two years of dating.

The post Archduchess of Austria, 26, who has modelled for Dolce & Gabbana marries Belgian racing driver appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

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huffletiika · 7 years ago

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Back to you

Lutteo | kinda canon Best Friend’s Wedding AU

Ok, so... I KNOW I SHOUDLN’T be doing this, but this last chapters of the season inspired me, and so I wrote something that was supposed to be a OS but ended up being a multi-chapter. But is not going to be very long, three chapters at most, so I hope you enjoy it... I will continue my other multi-chapter soon, I have a chapter of the Gastina one almost ready.

This is kinda canon, but at the same way it’s inspired by one of the prompts from day 6 of the Lutteo FicWeek. This one is dedicated to @deliverychicafresa because I know she will die, and to my babies @slxever and @karaa-danverss because I know they love some Lutteo, and that their birthdays are coming.

Warning: some scenes and conversations are more adult, as the characters in this AU aren’t children anymore. | 5.2k words... and it’s not proofreaded because I’ma lazy.

CHAPTER 1 [other chapters]

The light coming through the windows hits directly in her face, making her wince and try to cover her face with the blankets, because it’s too much for her to handle in that exact moment. She doesn’t know what time it is, and doesn’t want to open her eyes and look for her phone to find it out, she just wants to sleep a little bit longer, like for the rest of the weekend if possible. But she knows that it is an important day for her best friend, and she has to be there for her. However, five more minutes in bed wouldn’t kill anyone, as the wedding preparations would start after noon, and that gives her a little bit more of time to have some kind of rest.

Hotel room beds have something special that she has always loved. Somehow, they are more comfortable than any regular bed, it even feels like you’re sleeping in a freaking cloud. When she figures out that not even the blanked will protect her from the sun coming through the window, for the sake of her five more minutes, she rolls in the bed seeking for some shadow. But then, she collapses into something, or rather into someone, and that makes her open her eyes with confusion, finding his face just millimeters away from her own.

Memories from the night before start to storm over her brain at that precise moment, and she gets paralyzed, while her heart threatens to break away from her chest. Oh God! It has been one of the best nights of her life… by far. But, at the same time, it has been her biggest mistake, because the two of them had been carried away for the moment, for those feelings that remain there despite everything, without even thinking how complicated the situation would become afterwards.

She knows she has to leave his room, because there is where she is, as he soon will wake up, and she doesn’t know what to say or what to do when that happen. She is confused, more than she has ever been in her whole life, although the whole Sol Benson drama is a very close second place to this. But instead of turning away from him she stares at his face, his eyes closed, his relaxed expression, and the soft smile which looms at the corner of his lips. She has always loved his smile, more than anything, and his fresaness, how could she forget about his fresaness? She loved it when they used to tease each other, and his stupid jokes, she has missed them the most. All this time being apart from him she felt like there was a missing part of herself, and now she feels that missing part is there, right in front of her eyes, and still she can’t reach it.

He mumbles something, but she can’t understand a word, even if she tries really hard to do it. Then, she looks up at his hair: it is messy, his locks going in all directions, making him look even more perfect, if that was even possible. She remembers her own hands sinking in between them the night before, as they fell in the bed, their lips passionately crashing into each other’s, and she wants to touch it again. Biting her own lips she raises her hand to accomplish her wish, but then she remembers she shouldn’t wake him up, so her hand stays suspended on the air, mere millimeters away from his locks.

She knows she has to leave, and so she does, even if it’s the hardest thing she has ever done. She stands up, picking up her clothes from the floor and putting them on, before making sure no one was outside the room, and sneaking out of it.

Twenty four hours earlier, she was leaving her own room to meet Nina at the breakfast catering from the hotel in Bariloche where the wedding between her best friend and Gastón would be taking place, as the couple decided they wanted it to be at the mountains, far away from the loud city of Buenos Aires. And what a place it was! Luna had arrived with the happy couple, their parents, and Mora the day before everyone else, as her role as maid of honor demanded, and got some time to walk around the hotel and its surroundings, being amazed by the views.

They rest of the guests would arrive later that day, many of them from very far away, the best male included. She hadn’t seen Matteo for a long time, he had been traveling around the world due to the commitments of his record company, and his own career as a singer. And, in those days when he had been in city of Buenos Aires, she did anything to avoid him, making up any excuse to get rid from any attempt of their best friends to make them meet and talk about what happened between them many years ago.

At this point, she wasn’t even mad with him, not anymore, not for a long time. She was, years ago, when he forgot all the promises he had once made about their relationship being his priority, and about him not letting anyone or anything to get in between them. But now she was just– she didn’t have a word to describe it, it’s a mix between sadness for what it could have been and never was, and uncertainty, because she didn’t know how it would feel to see him again, if the butterflies she felt every time their gazes met would be back there, or if they were already gone. She knew she shouldn’t care anymore, she had told that to herself more than once all these years, but somehow, she wasn’t able to let it go.

She thought that seeing Matteo again during the wedding would make her find peace, it could be the opportunity for her to let the past in the past and look forward, as she was sure he had already done. She had seen in some magazines (by accident, obviously) that he hasn’t precisely stayed single all these years. Only a week before there were pictures of him kissing with an unidentified blonde in a club in Milan, and a couple of months before there were rumors of him dating a famous fashion model. Not that she cared if he did, of course.

She had been dating as well, just a couple of weeks before she went out with a really nice guy Jim introduced her with, being the wedding preparations with Nina, Mora and Ana, the only reason why they haven’t had the opportunity to meet again. But she promised him to go out again when she is back at the city, and so she would, because she is not one of those people who break their promises.

At the restaurant, she met with Nina and Mora, who were discussing about the dress she would wear that night for the pre-wedding dinner, as the latest have made three of them for the occasion. “What do you think, Luna? Which one should I wear?” her friend asked, showing her the pictures that Mora had in her phone. “I just can’t decide, I love the three of them!” she sighed.

Luna scrolled through the pictures, and when she made her decision she showed it to, with a bright smile on her face. “You should wear this one,” she said. “Blue is one of Gaston’s favorite colors, and it looks amazing on you.” Her best friend smiled back at her.

“Yeah, I had thought about choosing that one,” she replied, and having an answer about the dress, Mora left to meet with Ana and continue working on the preparations for the night.

Both girls start having breakfast when they are finally alone, and talked about some of the things they still had to do for that night’s dinner, and the wedding ceremony that would take the next day at the gardens of the hotel. Nina told her about the flowers having arrived already, and about the fact that her dad got her a very beautiful hair comb that belonged to her grandmother, which matched perfectly with her dress. The hair stylist had approved it as well, showing her some hair styles that would go perfectly with it, so now she only had to choose one.

“That means I have already something old and something borrowed, but I don’t have the rest,” she was saying, when Gastón came to meet them with bright smile, covering his fiancée’s eyes with his hands. Nina laughed and put her hands on top of his, before turning her face to him, leaving a soft kiss on his cheek. “Did you sleep well, love?” she asked him, and he nodded before looking at Luna.

“Can you believe our parents are not letting us share bedroom until the wedding night?” he asked, truly offended. “I mean, we have been living together since Nina went to finish her mayor in Oxford, isn’t it very stupid to keep that dumb tradition?” he leaned, putting his arms around the bride, and resting his chin on top of her head.

Nina laughed. “It’s only for a couple of nights, love.” She reassured him. “By tomorrow night we will be married, and they won’t have any excuse to keep us apart.” She relied her back on his chest, and Luna started to consider that it was a good moment for her to leave them alone.

“Well, maybe I can leave you two alone…” she started to say, but Gastón stopped her.

“No, no… don’t go anywhere,” he said. “I’m the one who is leaving. I have to go to the airport to pick up the international mega star, and astronaut, that I have as best friend.” Luna felt the mention of Matteo as a punch on her chest, mostly because she knew where that astronaut pun comes from, and that she had something to do with it.

“Why? can’t he take a taxi? Are the seats too ordinary for his multi-platinum butt?” She asked, trying to sound as casual as possible, but failing. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice it, as the happy couple was hysterically laughing.

“I need him to go with me to do some groom duties before tonight’s dinner,” he shrugged. “Also, I like to imagine he missed his best friend so much that he wants to spend every possible minute with me.” The guy added, and then dramatically paused, the corners of his lips lifting in a malicious grin. “I even made a sign for him.”

At this point, Luna was curious.

“Can I see it, please?” she asked, but Gaston shook his head.

“Sorry, moon-girl, it’s supposed to be a surprise. And it’s an inside joke, anyway, you wouldn’t get it.” He shrugs. “Besides, it’s already at the car.”

“It’s a super annoying pun for him, right?” This time it was Nina the one who talked, and he smiled down at his fiancée, who rolled her eyes at him.

“You always get me, love.” He said, leaving a kiss on her forehead, before looking at his wristwatch and wince. “Oh shit! I’m freaking late,” he shout.

“Go and annoy your best friend, then. Let me know when you’re back at the hotel.” Nina said, and he nodded, before saying goodbye and taking a bread from the table, putting it on his mouth as he left the room.

“So… what were we talking about?” Luna asked, trying to avoid the unavoidable: her friend asking her about Matteo. “Oh right! Now I remember. You still need something new, and something blue. We could go to the town to look for something blue you could wear under the wedding dress and buy it, that way it would work for both charms.” Luna said, but then noticed her friend’s eyes fixed on her, and sighed, because she knew she had failed. “Nina… don’t.” She begged.

“I just want to make sure you’re fine about having to spend the whole weekend at the same place as him,” her best friend ignored her plea, taking one her hand in hers. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable in any way.”

Luna smiled at her. “It’s ok, it was long time ago, and it is about time for us to meet again,” she reassured her. “It has been very childish to avoid him all these years, we are not teenagers anymore, and he has his own life and I have mine. I believe we can behave as the civilized adults we are now while being around each other, even if things didn’t end that good between us.”

Her friend squeezed her hand.

“Are you sure?” she asked, concern tinted in her eyes.

“Yes, I am,” Luna smiled at her, and then clapped and jumped in her seat with excitement. “Now, going back to what is really important, we have to go get that blue and new thing you need to wear for the wedding… and I was thinking about something that could be very useful for the wedding night, if you know what I mean.” She added, with a mischievous smile, and Nina turned completely red.

“Luna!” She shouted, throwing a napkin at her best friend, who was laughing out loud. But it wasn’t a bad idea, not at all.

Matteo yawned as he walked his way out from the luggage belt to the national arrivals door, thinking about how nice it would be to go to his hotel room and sleep for the rest of the day, as he hasn’t been able to do it in almost 48 hours. He had a concert in Rome that ended around two in the morning, then he had to fly very early in the morning to Madrid, were he had a press day to promote his upcoming concerts in that country, after which he had to go immediately to the airport so he wouldn’t miss his flight to Buenos Aires, where he arrived at four in the morning (after a 13 hours flight),before having to take another plane to Bariloche, after a five hours scale in which he only got time to get home and change his suitcase.

And yes, he could have slept during the flights, but he couldn’t. Every time he closed his eyes he thought about the fact he was going to actually see her again, that this time she couldn’t avoid him, and his mind did anything but rest.

His best friend had told him that he was going to pick him up at the airport. At first, he had rejected the offer, it was Gaston’s wedding weekend after all, and he surely had more important things to do than giving him a ride. But the idiot insisted, and he… well, he missed his best friend too much to be able to say no to the opportunity to see him at the airport, even if he regretted this decision as soon as his eyes found him: Gaston was holding a sign with the words ‘The Astronaut Balsano” written on it, and drawings of moons and suns around them. He seriously considered passing by and not even looking at him, but instead he stood in front of him and only rolled his eyes, before going in for a hug.

“So, how were your flights?” Gastón asked as he put the bags at the trunk of the rented car, and Matteo stretched and let out another yawn.

“Long… boring, I had already watched all the movies that were available on board, and I couldn’t sleep at all.” He shrugged, and then got in the car, looking at his friend as he started it. “I tried to use that time to work in some new music, but I didn’t get to concentrate on it, so I ended up just looking at the screen of my laptop for hours like a freaking idiot.”

“And I guess your distraction has a really nice name that is related to space, correction… two names related to space, indeed.” his friend teased and he winced, but didn’t say anything to contradict him. “I saw her with Nina at the breakfast before coming to pick you up, by the way.” Gastón continued, while still driving. “She even made a very funny comment about you not being able to take a taxi because of your fancy behind which, as you can imagine, made me proud.”

Matteo slightly smiled.

“It wouldn’t be the Chica Delivery if she didn’t,” he said, nostalgic. “Is she coming with a date for the wedding?” he then asked, after a couple of minutes of complete silence.

Gaston frowned at him, before looking back at the road. “No, she didn’t,” he replied. “Are you asking because of something in particular?”

“Nothing, just curiosity,” Matteo shrugged, trying to downplay it, and then looked at the window. But soon his real concern overcomes, and he ends up looking back at his friend, breaking the silence again. “It’s just that… I was talking with Ramiro a couple of weeks ago, and he told me he heard Jim telling Yam that Luna was dating a guy she had introduced to her, and I just–“ he hesitated “I´m aware that’s not on my business, I just need to be prepared, you know? I can’t behave as I did every time I saw her with someone else in the past, if I want to make things up with her.”

“Aww… It sounds like you are up to re-ignite the flames of love” his friend mocked, looking sincerely excited about these news. It felt like they were back at the Jam & Roller lockers, talking about his disastrous love life, all over again. He sighed.

“No, I’m not,” he replied. “I just want her back as a friend, nothing else. I damaged our relationship so much that… only hopefully, I could aspire to have her speak to me again.”

“Yeah, you screwed it big time.” His friend agreed, and he rolled his eyes.

“Thanks for the words of encouragement, bro” Matteo sarcastically said, and Gastón laughed.

“Anytime, Buzz Lightyear” he replied. “Now, let me reassure you she isn’t coming to the wedding with any date, I would know, I saw the guests list and the seats arrangement this morning, there’s no any Luna’s date in it. In fact, I have amazing news for you, and this one is better than when I told you that your moon girl and Simon had broken up: you will be sitting next to each other at tonight’s dinner.”

Silence again.

“You arranged the seats, right?” Matteo suspiciously asked, as he freaked out internally.

Gastón shrugged.

“If Nina asks, it was my mother’s idea.”

Luna and Nina entered to the salon where the dinner would take place later that night, around them many people were arranging the tables with their respective centerpieces, and Ana and Gaston’s mother coordinated them as if they were the perfect orchestra conductors. The girls smiled. The biggest fear of Nina was her mother not getting along with her fiancé’s mother, as both women were well known for having a strong character, and little to none chill when someone contradict them, but they connected immediately and with incredibly ease, surprising their respective children, who were expecting the apocalypses.

“Finally, you are back!” Ana shouted when she saw her daughter, and went to hug her. “Where have you been, young ladies? We have been looking for you the whole day.” She came closer to them, hugging Nina.

“We had to go downtown and buy some things I had forgotten.” Nina replied, with a soft smile, showing her mother the bag with her purchases. “I needed something blue and new to wear tomorrow, as my dad got me grandma’s comb.” she added, with a smile and a soft tint of pink on her cheeks.

Ana smiled.

“Oh! What is it? Can I see it?” she asked, and Nina got violently red.

“Let’s just say, it’s a little surprise that only the groom himself will see,” Luna intervened with a mischievous smile in her face, taking the bag from her friend, to prevent Ana from looking inside it. Gaston’s mother was shaking in laughter. “So, why were you looking for us? Has something happened that requires our immediate attention?” then she asked, to change the topic.

“Not exactly,” Ana replied, after clearing her throat. “Some guests have already arrived, and they were looking for you two, especially Jim and Yam, and this guy... the one from that nice band,” she tried to remember his name, but couldn’t.

“Simón arrived!” Luna shouted, with excitement.

She hasn’t seen her best friend in a while, not since the Roller Band’s tour started a couple of months before, and she was glad they got to arrange the dates so them three could be in the wedding. They were even going to play at the party, so it would feel as if they had traveled in time, to that time when they all used to hang out at the Jam and Roller, skating in the rink, and singing at the open music. He would never forget the day she introduced Simon to the other guys, and that first time they played together: she had known, right away, that something important had been born.

“Oh God! I have to look for him. I need him to tell me everything about the tour.” She said.

“And I have to take this to my room,” her best friend said, taking her bag from Luna’s hands.

They both left, and as Nina took the elevator to go to her room, Luna took out her phone from her purse and called her friend, who told her that he was at the hotel’s bar, chatting with the guys and the rest of the guests who had already arrived.

The first thing Luna noticed when she got to the table was Ambar sitting next to Simon, with a bright smile on her face, as she merrily chatted with the rest. The couple had had their ups and downs during the past years (more downs than ups, to be honest), but time had passed, and after a while Ambar started to gain back their trust. It hasn’t been easy, after the competition she started to behave even meaner than before, but Luna always thought there could be some good in her, so she let her stay at the mansion when Sharon left, and did everything possible to bring back the girl with whom she had those deep conversations about their pasts, even when the rest told her she was naïve for doing so.

Simon, hurt as he had been at the time, was one of those who told her to stay away from Ambar. But, as time passed, and the changes started to show in her, Simon went to make up his mind as well, and helped Luna to bring back that Ambar he felt in love with. However, Ambar was prideful, and even if she still loved him, she couldn’t forgive him for releasing her when she needed him most, and so the arguments between them kept coming. After a while, Ambar decided to apply for a scholarship to finish her studies in Paris, and when she got it Luna offered her to help her economically with the Benson’s fortune, but she refused and told her that she wanted to learn how to be responsible of herself. Luna felt proud of her decision, even if she knew how much it would hurt her best friend, as she knew that both of them needed that time to figure out their feelings for each other.

They had seen each other again back in April, although they had stayed in contact by phone during all those years, something she learnt after a long interrogation. Ambar went to one of the Roller Band’s concerts in Paris, where she is working as corporate executive in a very well-known fashion house, getting a backstage pass to get to surprise Simon. Luna didn’t know what had happened next, but seeing them both together in the table, looking so happy and close to each other, gave her hope.

“Hey, guys!” she greeted as she got to the table. Next to Simon and Ambar there were Pedro and Delfina, whose pregnancy was beginning to be notorious, with Jazmin and her boyfriend, a British Youtuber she met in one of the Vidcons she has being part of. Her best friend’s smile widened as soon as he saw her, and then he stood up and went for a hug.

They spent an hour talking about the tour, and about everyone’s latest whereabouts, including the fact that Nico hasn’t been able to arrive yet, as he had to stay one more day in Buenos Aires for a family issue, but would arrive the next day just in time for the wedding and the party, and that Jim, Yam and Ramiro had arrived as well, the latest with their twin daughters, and had gone to their rooms to have some rest. During this conversation, Luna also learned that Ambar had asked for some days off at work, and met the guys during their latest concert in Munich, so she could travel with them to Argentina. And it looked like her vacations wouldn’t end there, as it seemed like she and Simon had planned to go somewhere else, without the rest, before going back to reality.

They didn’t say where, though.

Luna was trying to get them to tell their destination when Gastón approached them. Unconsciously, she looked behind him as if she was expecting to see someone else to come as well, but he was alone. It was perhaps disappointment what she felt in that moment? Because suddenly, it was as if her lungs where a deflated balloon. However, she didn’t dare to ask him about Matteo, so she just looked down at the drink she had bought for herself, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Hey! Look who is alive: the lucky bastard who is getting married tomorrow,” Pedro greeted him, and they all started laughing. “Enjoying your last hours as a single man?” he then asked, as Gastón took a seat.

“Yeah, I am… even if my best friend has just dumped me to go sleep.” He replied, and asked for a beer to the waiter. “But I don’t blame him, I have no idea how he can keep up with the amount of work he has lately, he hasn’t sleep in more than freaking two days! You musicians have a very busy life, which I don’t envy at all,” he looked at Simon and Pedro with a grimace, and then thanked the waiter when he brought his drink.

“Well, our life is not as busy as his,” Simon replied, “I mean, tours are exhausting and all, but at the end of them we go back home and have some time to rest before having to make another record. He, on the other hand, has his own record label, so he has to keep up with other people’s career… as ours from now on.” He shrugged.

“Oh, so the rumors are true, you are really leaving Vidia,” Jazmin’s boyfriend asked, and Simon nodded.

“Vidia has been trying to change a lot of things lately, so we weren’t very comfortable working with them anymore, and I was talking with Matteo about it like… three months ago? And next thing we know someone from his label contacted us and made us an offer we couldn’t refuse, considering how big Deimos Records has become.” He took a sip of his drink. “They told us we would have the last word in everything, that our music would be the priority, and even offered to pay the penalty to finish the contract with Vidia. So, this is our last album and tour with them, before we move to Deimos.”

Luna knew all this already, but when she first heard about it she couldn’t believe it. First of all, because… since when are Matteo and Simon so close they regularly talk by phone, and tell each other such personal things? And second, because Matteo helping Simon with his career was something she thought she wouldn’t live to witness, more than anything for how their Vidia soloist contracts ended. She asked Simon about it, about how he ended up being friends with Matteo, and he told her that what happened with Ambar had taught him that time can help people to grow to their mistakes, and that this has been Matteo’s case as well.

Her phone vibrated, and she looked down at the screen to find a message from Nina.

“Excuse me, guys. I have to go.” She suddenly said, finishing her drink and standing up.

“But Lunita, you don’t have to leave.” It was Ambar the one who spoke. “If our conversation about Matteo makes you feel uncomfortable you can tell us, we can change the topic, talk about something else.” She looked at her with sincere concern. Luna noticed the grimace in Gaston’s face, and frowned at him, before shaking her head at Ambar.

“No, I’m not leaving because of that,” she assured. “Nina asked me to meet her, Jim and Yam in her room. Some bridesmaids meeting, I guess.” She showed them her phone as she left, walking to the lobby to take the elevator.

As the numbers of the floors lit up showing that she was coming up, Luna leaned her back against the wall of the elevator and closed her eyes. Truth be told, she was actually a little uncomfortable since they started talking about Matteo, because they all sounded like they really get along with him, even Ambar, and that made her feel guilty for wasting all that time. Simon could be right, with time people learn from their past, and she had spent all those years denying herself the opportunity to see that change happening in him. But he had avoided her as well, she reminded herself, after the competition in Cancun he totally made up any excuse to not talk with her, until he left the skating team to focus in his studies, and then started to go to the Roller less and less, to eventually not going there at all. Only years later she was offered the opportunity to meet with him again, but her pride didn’t let her accept: he started the avoiding game, after all.

The elevator stopped moving, and a soft bell let her know that she had arrive to the correct floor, so she opened her eyes and waited for the doors to open so she could step out of it. She has never been a big fan of elevators, they make her feel trapped, as if there was no way out. Some people have told her that fear comes from the fire in the mansion, as she was hidden in a reduced space during it as well. But as soon as she was free to leave her whole body got paralyzed.

Matteo was there, right in front of her.

#Soy Luna #Lutteo #LutteoBTY #Soy Luna fanfic #Lutteo fanfic #Gastina #Simbar #Matteo Balsano #Luna Valente #Gastteo #Nina Simonetti #Gaston Battan #Gaston Perida #Simon Alvarez #Ambar Smith #Written by Me #DeimosAU

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