#Personal Accessories Market Share

[cosmeticsandpersonalcaremarket]

A Dazzling Dive into the Personal Accessories Market Trends Analysis

A silent language of individual flair, and a billion-dollar industry thriving on the human love for adornment. From delicate trinkets whispered against the skin to flamboyant statement pieces that shout from the rooftops, personal accessories transcend mere functionality. They are the punctuation marks of an outfit, the final flourish that transforms the mundane into the magnificent.

But beneath the shimmering surface of this captivating market lies a complex network of trends, competition, and staggering revenue figures. Let's embark on a captivating journey into the Personal Accessories Market, unveiling its size, growth trajectory, influential players, and the glittering trends shaping its future.

Growth Drivers: The Invisible Threads Behind the Market's Tapestry:

Several invisible threads pull the personal accessories market towards continued expansion. The rising disposable income across various regions allows consumers to indulge in non-essential purchases like jewelry and handbags. Social media, the ultimate trendsetter, plays a crucial role, with influencers and celebrities setting trends and inspiring millions to emulate their looks. The growing emphasis on self-expression and individuality further fuels the demand for unique and personalized accessories. Additionally, the burgeoning online retail space has made it easier than ever for consumers to discover and purchase accessories, breaking down geographical barriers and expanding reach.

A Market Measured in Billions, Not Baubles

The global personal accessories market is a colossal entity, estimated to reach a whopping US$642.9 billion by 2028. Yes, you read that right – not millions, but billions! This staggering figure represents a CAGR of 5.2%, a steady and sustained ascent that speaks volumes about the enduring appeal of accessorizing and its deep-rooted presence across cultures and demographics.

Regional Jewels: Where the Sparkle Shines Brightest:

While the personal accessories market is a global tapestry, regional variations in size and growth paint a fascinating picture. Asia Pacific currently reigns supreme, commanding a 39.2% share in 2023. This dominance is fuelled by the burgeoning middle class in countries like China and India, coupled with a deep cultural affinity for embellishment. North America follows closely behind with a 25.7% share, its sophisticated fashion industry and penchant for statement pieces propelling it forward. Europe rounds out the top three with a 20.3% share, showcasing a rich heritage in luxury goods and timeless elegance.

Revenue Streams: Where the Jewels Hide the Gold:

The personal accessories market generates revenue through a dazzling array of channels. Traditional brick-and-mortar stores still hold a significant share, offering a curated selection and personalized service. However, the e-commerce boom has disrupted the landscape, providing wider access, competitive pricing, and convenience. Direct-to-consumer brands are also emerging as major players, leveraging social media and targeted marketing to reach specific customer segments.

Industry Major Players: The Crown Jewels of the Market:

From established luxury giants like LVMH and Kering to fast-fashion powerhouses like Zara and H&M, the personal accessories market boasts a diverse range of players. Niche brands catering to specific styles and demographics are also carving their space, offering unique designs and personalized experiences. The competitive landscape is constantly evolving, with collaborations, acquisitions, and innovative marketing strategies keeping things dynamic and exciting.

Trend Alert: Keeping Your Finger on the Fashion Pulse:

Staying ahead in the ever-changing world of personal accessories requires understanding key trends. Sustainability is a major focus, with consumers increasingly opting for eco-friendly materials and ethical production practices. Personalization is another significant trend, with brands offering custom options and bespoke pieces to cater to individual tastes. Technology is also making its mark, with smart jewelry and wearable accessories blurring the lines between fashion and function.

Unveiling the Hidden Gems: Market Research Reports as Your Guide:

Navigating the complex and dynamic personal accessories market requires access to reliable data and insightful analyses. Market research reports by organizations like Euromonitor International, Grand View Research, and Allied Market Research offer valuable resources. These reports delve into market size, growth projections, regional trends, and competitive landscapes, providing investors, brands, and entrepreneurs with the knowledge to make informed decisions.

A Glittering Future Awaits:

The personal accessories market is poised for continued growth in the coming years. With rising disposable incomes, evolving trends, and increasing online penetration, the future looks bright for this vibrant and dynamic industry. As consumers become more discerning and seek unique experiences, brands that adapt, innovate, and cater to personalized needs will stand to shine the brightest.

[roseband]

people have /now/ been googling "trump tariffs" and "tariffs" in mass after voting for them BRUH??????????????

WHAT THE FUCK?

we literally do not have the manufacturing capacity domestic for the sheer amount of consumerism these freaks want and they're seeing it /now/ what the everloving fuck? yes your prices are going up, you?

im getting a tax break, and consumer goods will go up to cover it, and it's a net 0 tax raise according to every economist for my income bracket, but the bottom 75% that voted for him...... whelp?

[shrimp1y]

the relationship between labels and someone's personal/social identity is kinda getting completely demented due to capitalism and social media

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Do you have any headcanons or anything of the sort regarding Precipice Moirai/PreMo? I'd like to hear what your thoughts are about them!

I don't think about Premo a ton (for people who are confused, this is Idia's favorite idol group), but here's how I personally picture them:

They're sisters.

They look youngish (or "ageless") but they're actually a bazillion years old. Don't ask them about how old they are or they'll give you that smile that doesn't fully reach their eyes.

Because they're so old, they've seen sooo much and are thus easily bored. They live for listening in on drama and scandals because those can get so absurd it provides some fleeting entertainment to them.

In interviews and talk shows, they drop very archaic, outdated jokes and have refined manners of speaking. It's an odd mix of how your grandma might talk combined with modern anachronisms (slang). It's very "how do you do, fellow kids" energy.

They get along in public, but they constantly bicker and act overly competitive in private (usually over borrowed items).

They came up with a really complicated and dark “anime-esque” backstory for how their group got together. No one knows if the backstory is really true or if it’s something their marketing team came up with as part of their “lore”.

In some interpretations, the Fates are specified as Clotho (who spins the threads of fate with her spindle), Lachesis (who measures the threads of fate using a measuring tape), and Atropos (who cuts the threads of fate using shears). In other interpretations, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos represent past, present, and future respectively.

I think of each girl as being representative of one place in time. For example, the Fate representative of the present may be a carefree party goer who wants to "live in the moment", without thinking much of the consequences (the future) or her previous mistakes (the past).

I see Premo banking on these themes as motifs or image items for the corresponding idol girl (so one represents the past with her spindle, one represents the present with her measuring tape, etc.). I also headcanon that the idols have their own merch and fandom hand signals which make reference to each Fate's respective task. For example, there may be scissors on a Premo T-shirt or a scissor-like hand shape or cutting motion made to signal that you stan "Atropos" of the Fates.

Eyes are a prominent motif and are more universally associated with the group as a whole rather than an individual member. (This is because the Fates were fighting over a single eyeball in Disney's Hercules.)

It’s implied that the girls wear black, but I headcanon that most of their outfits are monochromatic, save for like maybe a few colorful accessories.

It would be cool if they also incorporated elements of Japanese mythology into their group's theme. More specifically, I love the idea of the three girls wearing a red ribbon or some slash of red on their outfits each time they perform. This would be a reference to the "red thread of fate" which permeates many east Asian cultures. It is said that this "thread of fate" connects you to someone you are destined to meet someday, someone who will change your life in some significant way. Typically this means romantically (which would fit in the culture of Japan promoting idols as "pure" and "avaliable" to their fans), but it can also be interpreted platonically. I think this makes a lot of sense given that the Fates are marketed as "three girls bound by Fate".

They blend traditional dance and attire with modern practices. It's very important to them to retain their history and culture, as well as to share it with a new generation so that they are preserved for the future.

They partner up/collaborate with organizations and programs that seek to educate others about history, such as museums and restoration projects. Again, this is because Premo truly cares about preserving history and teaching it to others.

[onlyseokmins]

perfect, now spit in my mouth • h.v.c.

Pairing: chwe vernon x afab!reader

Genres: smut (minors dni!), established relationship!au, lyricist/composer!au

Warnings: swearing, lots of spitting/spit kink (😭), fingering (fem. receiving), tiny bit of praise kink ig, lil bit of degradation but it prolly breaks nonnie's heart tbh, breeding kink too uwu, mentions of male receiving oral lol, wap lmaooo, tiny bit of temp play but not really - you'll see, wee bit possession heh, reader likes to tease and vernon is extremely whipped :3

WC: 2.6k

A/N: vernon and black eye = spit kink so nothing new but i wrote it so it is smth new 🤷🏻‍♀️ ajskdfd no but 🥳 a very extremely happy belated birthday @junkissed i love u lots heh i hope u enjoy this since i had to change up my original plans and i'm so sorry it took a while 🥰 oh and this is also for the other feral dollies out there ily all

If there was one thing you loved about Vernon, it would be his awkwardness. It was what drew you to him.

Light coughs whenever you giggled at one of Seungkwan's silly jokes. Stifled clearing of his throat at the rare chance he got to speak with you. The abrupt avoidance of eye contact when he was startled by your sudden appearance while lost in his own world. And a jittery departure at times you got too near — one might think he actually disliked you.

But those close to him knew the truth. And whether Vernon acknowledged it or not, you were someone close to him. And also a person that could read the man very well.

The light brush of his trembling fingers pressing against your back when guiding you through a crowded market. A protective stance at your side in his leather jacket, eyes narrowed as if to dare anyone to mess with you. As if you needed to be guarded.

But the furrow of his eyebrows while doing it was too cute for you to complain.

Vernon's awkward behaviors happen so often that they might as well just be normal anyways. A gummy smile and the characteristic wrinkles of his nose were enough to make up for any peculiar habits around you. 

Especially after you say yes when he works up enough courage, stuttering while asking you to finally be his. Fumbling for the matching couple's bracelets he'd worked several double-shifts for in his pocket. Brown eyes sparkling and reflecting the same joy in yours even after he drops the box in a puddle. Not like you had any plans on saying no, though.

Those chocolate-colored eyes stare down at you now in wonder as Vernon holds himself above you. His left hand placed by your ear is decorated with the silver circlet holding your birthstone while wrapped around his neck, your right arm's accessory jingles with its amethyst charm. The pair of one-year anniversary gifts pierced in your earlobes sparkle in the low light of your shared bedroom, complimenting your cherished bracelets.

He's no longer as weird with you as before. As in, his fleeting touches now linger comfortably and he can almost read you just as well as you always have him.

Yet he still questions with pure wonder. As if he can't quite believe you're actually real in his arms and on his bed. Like you didn't give him the best suck of his fat cock for the hundredth time.

"You want me to what?"

"Spit in my mouth, baby. Did I stutter before?"

"N-no, I just — " 

His eyes are blown wide, mouth still hanging open from when you first posed the notion. You put your hand on the side of his face, gently stroking his cheek with your thumb.

"Sometimes you treat me too gently. You can be a little rough, you know I like it."

"What if you break?"

"I'm not that fragile, goofball."

"I know but what if you hate me?" Vernon whispers, though his eyes do not leave yours. They shine, showcasing all his vulnerabilities. "I like you so much I think I'll die if you do."

"Silly, then stop thinking so much. It's not like I'm asking you to slap me and call me a whore." You smile coyly. "Although it's not like I'd be opposed to such things." When he whines your name you laugh. "Okay, okay… a later time then."

He flops his forehead on your bare shoulder. "I can't believe you."

"Can't believe you'd write something like "I'll spit in your mouth" and not do it," you pout and he lets out a defeated sigh.

"You know most of those lyrics weren't like… literal."

"Then what's the point?"

Your boyfriend can see how your eyes flash with teasing mischief so he shrugs in an attempt to put up a strong face. "I… draw inspiration from all kinds of experiences. Before, during… our relationship."

"… What about after? Are you planning to break up with me at some point?"

"Uh, wait — "

"Omigosh, then do you plan to murder me in the near future?"

"No, what? All I meant was I write things that aren't about you, sometimes."

"I know that," you assure him in his panic. "Sooooo," you drawl out, switching gears and pushing him onto his back so you can sit on top. You're both shirtless but have your undergarments on. "If we were to fuck often in the studio, would you write more songs about me?"

"God, baby," he groans, hand flying to your hips, "do you think I'd even have the time to think with you bouncing all loud and gorgeous on my dick? What's gonna happen when I lose my studio rights?"

Pleased at how Vernon's body is so reactive — cock hardening again and twitching sensitively in his boxers at the obscene thoughts — you grind down lightly. "Then we fuck even more. All day," you lean down and whisper right in his ear, "and all night." 

"Shit, you're so dirty. So good to me. All for me."

"Of course," you swivel your hips, fingers brushing up the sides of your body, "all yours." 

His gaze follows the colors of your pretty manicured nails until they settle to cover your breasts. They still shine with saliva and feel a little sore from him worshiping them earlier. You grab at them with a light squeeze and press down harder against him, taking in every reaction. The way his eyes roll back at how much you're soaking through the thin fabric of his boxers makes you feel like a god.

"Even when "I'm on my worst behavior"."

"You are so not using my lyrics in bed."

"Hey, I did earlier 'cause they do make great dirty talk so "don't stop me now", Vernonnie." You wink when all the poor man can do is roll his eyes. "See, "how you like me now"?"

He urges you back over to your previous position. "I do love you but if you want me to spit in your mouth, I think I'm gonna have to be on top."

You simply hum, the sudden electrifying zing in the air making you quiver in anticipation. Vernon is aware of this — pinning your arms above your head, fingers rubbing reassuringly along the band of your bracelet.

"That wasn't an answer."

"That wasn't a question?" you bite back, thrilled when he squints to shield the way his gaze darkens.

"When I tell you to speak, you do."

The gasp of surprise that rises in your chest comes out as a moan. Despite his uncertainty, the commanding tone makes your head spin joyously. Heat rushes through your entire body and releases in a hot mess between your legs, soaking your panties. 

You're sure Vernon will very quickly and gleefully find out once he finishes sucking little love bites in a trail down your stomach. His warm breath lingers at your waistline, pausing until you raise your head to look at him questioningly.

"My pretty baby hasn't listened yet. Guess I'll hang out here for a bit. Thought we were done for the night anyways."

Your jaw drops as he continues to just press kisses on your tummy. "What the hell, Vern?"

"Don't you think you should behave to get what you want?"

"Don't you want to find out how wet I am for you?"

He shudders and you think you've won but he's uncharacteristically stubborn tonight, refusing to yield. "Only… only good… whores are rewarded."

You moan breathlessly. Shamelessly. Your boyfriend has barely touched you tonight besides some casual foreplay beforehand. Yet you feel zero embarrassment at how much your body aches in want for him. "I'll be a good whore for you so… please, please touch me!"

Vernon lets out a curse, hastily taking off your panties. He groans in delirium staying focused solely on your leaking pussy that's begging for him. Looking you in the eyes, he gulps to steady his resolve despite how easily distracted he is by the desperate flutter of your eyelashes.

"You really want me, baby? Think this little cunt can take me?" A choked laugh escapes his throat. "So goddamn wet for me already just like the lovely darling you are."

Your reply is cut off by a harsh sound in his throat before he spits right at your pussy. Hips bucking up at the feeling of warm liquid sliding down into your hole and only continuing to jerk upwards as he stares, not even blinking. Like a cat. Licking his lips agonizingly slow at the way you clench pitifully around nothing, his saliva mixing with your arousal.

"But not wet enough."

That's a fucking lie. You both know it. And you both don't care.

You can't help but leak more and more, threatening to leave a puddling mess all over the mattress. But he won't let that happen. You think you might burst into flames when your boyfriend's lidded eyes drag across your writhing body to meet yours, a heated fire swirling in chocolate irises as he spits into his palm without losing your gaze.

You've seen him do it before. Normally when he's about to wrap his hand around his thick cock during a mutual masturbation session when he can't use your wetness to coat him instead.

But now, he catches your dripping mess right before it falls. Smearing it with an accompaniment of saliva all over to coat your pussy lips. Fingers brush across your slit to fiddle with your clit, before spreading a shiny trail on your pelvis.

"So pretty… " Vernon mumbles, marveling at the debauched visage of your desperation. 

Your fingers pinch at your nipples, thighs trembling because his hand lays so close to your clit. Able to feel heat radiating from him paired with the cool metal of his bracelet, the slight pressure above your pubic bone causes you to whine in frustration.

"Do something, Nonnie. Anything. Please."

Begging snaps him out of his trance, back to the present moment and the end goal he has in mind. Fingers slide down tantalizingly slow to tease at your entrance — gathering up more of your arousal — before easing just as painstakingly slow inside.

Groaning at the same time you do, additional filthy and wet noises fill the room when he sets a harsh pace to drive his fingers into your pussy. Months of practice allow him to quickly find the spot to stroke that has your toes curling, body writhing with the need to grab onto something. Vernon's eyes dart to how you grab at the bedsheets in an unforgiving hold.

Nervous you might somehow tear them (definitely not the first time), he reluctantly removes his hand from your warmth. Mildly amused at the way you release your death grip only to pound a fist against the mattress, the jingle of your charm sounding sweet despite your apparent vexation.

He ignores your laser beam glare, entranced by the clear strands that stretch as he spreads his fingers. Smirking with his tongue running along his upper teeth, he turns back to you and waves the digits tauntingly.

"Open."

You obey without hesitation, granting him access to stick his fingers into your mouth. Your tongue swirls around them, more intent on reminding your boyfriend of the way you sucked him off earlier than how you taste.

It doesn't matter if that pleases him or not. Because soon he's pulling his fingers away, not leaving you empty for long. Stripping down, he's back hovering over you before you can whine. Holding his cock with one hand, he taps it teasingly against your cunt only to lose reason and throw his head back at the incredibly loud, wet slapping noises. Quickly returning his focus to not miss the droplets that spray out to coat both of your thighs as he does it.

"Want me to fuck this tight little hole?"

"Mhm, of course."

"Whose pretty pussy is this?"

"Belongs to you, baby."

He spits again so it lands right where the head of his cock spreads apart your pussy lips upon its entrance. You might've told him to save his saliva to spit in your mouth but you're too blissed out by the whole insane situation. 

"Arms around me, love." Vernon's freed hand lands to cage you between his arms as he slides in with more ease than expected, filling you up completely that it knocks the wind out of both of your lungs. "So fucking wet for me, ah."

Your inner walls pulse and contract around his cock as usual, yet it's a different feeling than normal. Rather than tightening so hard around him that he can barely breathe, it's more of a slick suction that makes his head spin. His cock is quite literally drowning in your pussy. If he thought the sounds of fingering you were filthy, the amplification of wet slaps as his hips snap furiously is somehow even impossibly filthier.

"'m not gonna last long." Your boyfriend would probably feel pathetic for the lack of stamina but the scratches along his shoulder blades inform him that you're just as far gone. "Gonna fill you up, nice and full just like you like it, baby."

As your mouth opens in a reciprocating moan, Vernon finally does what you desire. He spits, proud of his perfect aim into your mouth. You swallow without being told, eyes rolling back in delight and carving crescent moon shapes into his skin. That's all it takes for you to cum, shaking as you cling to him.

"More," you pant out, "do it again. Please!"

If he could speak, he would tell you how absolutely gorgeous you are. Instead, he does as asked, in awe of how readily you take every piece of him. You already have his heart, his soul, and his love. He's given his release after you've begged him to fuck you raw — and well, now you've taken his spit. 

Gee, how romantic.

Vernon's pace hastens, intent to give you all of his cum before overstimulation sets in. Your legs wrap around him, reading his mind — or more like your body instinctively craves to be filled. He chants your name like a mantra before giving in and spilling inside, shuddering as his hips have no choice but to press tightly against you with the aid of your rather cute koala grasp.

"Fuck, you're so hot."

He buries his head inside the crook of your neck, laying his whole body weight on yours and refusing to budge. You hum, letting your head clear as your hands run up and down across the marks you left on his back.

"Told you I wouldn't break."

"Hm, do you still love me?"

You let out a huff of air, feeling his lips curl up. "Adore you, you idiot. My love is as strong as my trust in you."

"What would I do without you?"

"Said you would die."

"I would," Vernon affirms with conviction, "what would I do without anyone's mouth to spit into."

You feel absolutely no remorse delivering a light slap on his ass. "And now maybe you won't."

"Hey! You promised!"

His jolt upwards causes you both to grunt, a reminder that he's buried inside of you still. Testingly, you clench gently around him and he groans in protest.

"So, you'll do it from now on?"

He shrugs. "If that's what you want. You know I'll do anything for you."

Of course. That's another thing you love so much about him so much.

"Perfect, now spit in my mouth again, baby."

You take the opportunity when he cocks his head to the side to tug him down, fingers playing with the hairs on the nape of his neck. He melts against you when your lips press against one another, readily opening his mouth when your tongue prods for entrance, now understanding what you mean.

After a long, lazy makeout session causes you to part for air, you brush your nose against his. "I don't know what you were so concerned about when we swap spit all the time."

Your name falls out of his mouth in a flustered stutter before you shut him up again with another smooch. As you giggle against his mouth, Vernon presses harder into the kiss — whether out of embarrassment or revenge — you aren't sure but you relish it. Enjoying the intimate moment with the love of your life.

onlyseokmins: January 2023 ©

Taglist: @joshibambi @pandorashbox @rubyscoups @woozluv @darlingvernon @charcharfairy @httpswonwoosglasses @yeosayang @buffhoshi @horanghae8star @noraehey @misssugarlips @onlymingyus @tinkerbell460 @aceofvernons @dejavernon

[epickiya722]

Can I ask your opinion on answer from this :

https://www.tumblr.com/gojuo/742796780522061824/is-satosugu-a-queerbaiting-ship?source=share?

Yes, you can!

The only thing I agree with the post is that SatoSugu isn't queerbaiting. Other than that, I don't particularly agree with anything else at all.

SatoSugu would have been queerbaiting if the ship had been promised to be canon and used as a marketing tool. Gege, from my knowledge, never said anything about making them an actual couple by the end of the series. At most, Gege wrote characters that do have this relationship that can be interpreted as romantic if one chooses. They do have a lot of romantic undertones, but it's more so for telling a story than just "I need readers".

And saying the fandom is queerbaiting using SatoSugu is... odd.

The fandom can't make the marketing decisions of what happens with JJK. Now, a person can lie and say "oh, SatoSugu kissed in episode whatever", but that doesn't mean they're queerbaiting. They're just lying.

Now, yes, we indeed have a lot of merchandise with Satoru and Suguru, but we gotta take in consideration as to what season we just finished.

The Hidden Inventory Arc which centers around the two and the Shibuya Incident Arc which most of what happened was because of those two. (Satoru getting locked up because he saw Suguru's face, MY GUY WAS TRICKED!!)

And it's not like we don't get merchandise of other characters.

Honestly, the answer of that ask just sounds mean-spirited. "(Majority) stsg shippers are just annoying as fuck because they genuinely believe their ship is canon, try to force their headcanons and misinterpretations of the material down everyone's throats, and send death threats to anyone who dares to ship Gojo with literally anyone else."

As done every other shipper, let's not kid ourselves now.

For anyone who seen my BNHA posts about ships, you know that I believe any shipper is capable of doing this. Now I don't doubt that a SatoSugu could do this. But there have been other shippers who have attacked SatoSugu shippers for the same reasons.

Hell, I just had someone try to make my NobaMaki and ShokoHime post about YutaMaki and I didn't mention his ass in that post. Like, damn, let the girls have the spotlight. Yuta ain't all that for you to throw him onto every single thing where he's not mentioned. (I like Yuta, folks, calm down.)

Also, I don't see a problem with a SatoSugu shippers believing their ship is canon. If they want to, let them. If you don't like it, skip along.

Another thing they said is how just because Gege doesn't do fanservice of his female characters doesn't mean he's above being misogynistic.

Okay, we got to stop throwing that word around.

I don't know how Gege personally and I won't say Gege (okay, has Gege actually confirmed their gender?) can't be misogynistic.

But using the writing material as an example is just kinda getting played out.

(I also dislike the JJK - Naruto comparison in general, it's gotten to the point that's a pet peeve of mine.)

The thing with the female characters here is that they feel like characters, not added accessories. Hell, some of the male characters actually feel more like an accessory to the story than some of the female ones.

Gege isn't afraid to write a complex character like Mei Mei. Nobara isn't written to be some generic love interest and chase some guy. Instead, she got her own morals, goals and even a whole backstory that we did get some insight on before Shibuya. We haven't see Nobara in a while, but remember what happened to her? Yeah, we probably won't see her for a while.

Hell, we haven't seen or heard anything about TODO AOI since Shibuya, but Nobara has been shown to be thought about by Yuji and Megumi.

Maki is more developed than Toge, a male character we haven't seen since when.

Uro was only in a few chapters but she was more entertaining during her fight against Ryu and Yuta than Ryu was. And she didn't die!

You know sometimes a fandom will say a creator is misogynistic for killing off a female character as if it's illegal for her to die because SHE IS STILL PART OF THE CAST and as if more male characters haven't been killed. And died in lame ways. And some of those male characters, again, didn't get the development female characters did.

No two female characters feel the same, that's just me.

The OP talked about how Shoko and how Gege should have developed her more. "Had he given Shoko the same care and love he's given to the boys, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. Because that would mean that the fujos would have to engage with her character and her dynamic with other characters in a meaningful way."

Shoko isn't like Suguru and Satoru though. Out if the three, she was the most "stable".

Also, the reason we didn't get a lot of her during that arc is because she was often isolated because of her technique. Shoko herself is a victim due to how things are ran. She was isolated from her friends very often and later years, we see she has eyebags. She barely is getting sleep.

And the thing is... Gege does acknowledge her relationship with the SatoSugu even later in the manga.

She herself comments that when Suguru left, Satoru wasn't alone. She was there.

Of course, Suguru and Satoru were closer. They had to spend a lot of time together. When they started to drift, that's when things definitely went downhill.

I have seen many SatoSugu shippers actually acknowledge Shoko's existence more than anyone else (besides actual Shoko fans). And they often include her being close to SatoSugu and even include her romantically with the two. (Here for it.) She'll sometimes be the one to give advice, expected, but sometimes in fics and whatnot she is written as a person than just a tool to push SatoSugu together. I have seen people draw fanart of her being involved with the situation with the Hasaba Twins.

I have yet to see a SatoSugu shipper actually hate her and deny her existence.

I'll tell you a person I often do see get ignored when it comes to SatoSugu. And that's Yaga. A male character. It's not all the time he gets ignored by the fandom, but he's more ignored than Shoko, I'll tell you that.

This is gonna sound mean, probably, but I don't think that question should be asked about anything pertaining to SatoSugu given the post is tagged "anti". Interesting as it is to see someone else's POV who doesn't ship SatoSugu, I just... eh...

[justplainwhump]

So you want to be a BBU writer...

Congratulations, you are one. The idea of the shared BBU multiverse is, that all takes at the core concepts are valid; there is no canon, and the same time, everything can be canon for your story!

Is there something everyone agrees on?

Probably not; but here are some things I consider widely accepted/canon:

- The setting is dystopian, somewhere between present and near future; in a society similar to ours but with (even) more power in the hands of corporations.

- In several countries, there is a "pet industry", a legalised concept of serfdom/ slavery that allows to own other humans as so called pets, (usually) in a household.

- The term "Pet" is more focused on the ownership and companionship aspects; in most BBU stories the pets are considered less than free people, but aren't actually treated like animals.

- The law states that these people have signed up voluntarily and have been compensated for it. Sometimes though, rich people or corporations go against the law.

- The whole process, from signing up to marketing and sales is in the hands of influential corporations

- Biggest of these, usually, is WRU; there is no canon on what the letters stand for. (It was a tumblr inside joke that makes absolutely no sense in-universe, but the acronym stuck). Some writers create other companies with different methods or focus.

- Pets are classified according to 'designations'; at the core there are Domestics (household chores), Platonics (companionship, nannies, caretakers...) and Romantics (different sort of companionship, including... bedroom chores), plus combinations. Guard Dog (protection) has made it into many stories as a fourth designation. This isn't the limit, though; there are also writers with Object designations, more involved 'service' concepts, 'Chewtoys' and several more.

- Pets are identified by number codes, usually six digits, every writer has a different system behind them. As an abbreviation, handlers tend to use the last three digits. This number is also tattooed on them as a bar code, often on the wrist.

- Somewhere during the training process, trainees are made to forget their entire past and also certain skill sets that pets aren't meant to have. Owners can specify certain things they want to be erased or remembered. Usually, this is handwaved by writers; there's advanced drugs and neurological stimulation involved. The process and the drug administered for the memory loss is often referred to as "The Drip".

- Often, Pets are made illiterate to make them more dependent on their owners

- Often, Pets are made to wear collars and consider these "safe". There's a lot of themes around "safety" taught to pets to keep them contained.

- There are standardised sets of numbered positions the trainees are taught; extra positions can be added on request

- There are also a lot of memorised rules and phrases from training the pets are made to repeat and will sometimes in their everyday life

- Training involves all sort of torture, mostly psychological, drugs, isolation, shock collars and shock batons and serious gaslighting

- Often, training facilities are described as uniform and white and designed like mazes; trainees at facilities wear a 'uniform' of a white shirt and black shorts

- Pets are usually terrified of the memories of their training; including especially "white rooms"

- The term "Respect" spoken by a person with authority will make the pet fall to their knees instantly and await further instruction

- Pets are shipped in a box, which is the idea that spawned the whole universe; usually in a human sized crate with some accessories added. They're also called boxies, box boys/box babes/... because of that.

- Unwanted or stubborn pets are sent back to WRU for "refurb", trained again and sold with big discounts; it's used as a threat and most pets are horribly afraid of this

- In the outside world, there are movements to help runaway pets or even fight the system overall; usually called "pet lib"

- Pet lib runs safehouses where they take in runaways and work on deconditioning

There are more posts like this out these, some more extensive, some very similar; a very good one here. This is the set of things I consider most basic for my own writing, at least.

I've reblogged some more posts and discussions on @bbu-on-the-side as well, so feel free to look around, use whatever you like, and discard the rest.

Also, new (and old) BBU writers always feel free to tag @bbu-on-the-side should you ever do an intro. I'll share them there.

*Edit- I've also started an archive on established tropes and the existing writing for it, here!

[barbielore]

The History of Midge

I fully intended to do a breakdown of the history of Midge as soon as I started this blog but it has occurred to me that I just... never did.

Midge was originally introduced in 1963, ostensibly to make the Barbie line a little less sexy and a little more down-to-earth.

As you can see, Midge was marketed pretty similarly to Allan (He's Ken's buddy! Ken's clothes fit him!). Midge and Allan were new characters in the line, but the clothes and accessories you already owned for Ken and Barbie were still compatible.

Midge was discontinued later in the 60's. For a while she was usurped as Barbie's best friend by PJ, a made-up, fashionable blonde character.

I am picking up some vibes that perhaps PJ, Ken and Barbie were more than friends, if you catch my drift.

But PJ was discontinued again and in the 1980s, Midge made a triumphant return as a part of the California Barbie line.

But Midge had her sights set on something more. See, Midge had been seeing someone.

So it was only a matter of time before wedding bells were ringing.

For some reason, Allan has changed his name to Alan for the wedding. There is some inconsistency over whether Allan and Alan are the same person, or perhaps whether Midge split up from Ken's buddy Allan only to wed a similar-looking man named Alan. I like to belive that Barbie's best friend and Ken's buddy are now sharing each other's clothes instead of Barbie's and Ken's.

And sharing their clothes it seems like they were, for a year later a Barbie booklet advertised that they now had twins together. No dolls were released to reflect this, but it was mentioned in an official Barbie product so can be assumed to be canon.

A few years later came the release that everyone seems to remember - the Happy Family line. Alan and Midge wanted to expand their family, so now Midge was with child again.

This was a wildly controversial set, and yet Mattel did it twice. There were a lot of reasons given for why it was so controversial that Midge was pregnant - that it's age-inappropriate to sell a doll to children that depicts pregnancy, that Midge was not depicted wearing a wedding ring, among others. (Later releases gave Midge her wedding ring back.) The doll was famously pulled from Wal-Mart shelves.

Just briefly I need to note this - Alan and their son Ryan was sold separately, as a father-son picnic. But I have serious problems with that. Didn't they have twins? What happened to Ryan's twin sister? Or does Ryan have two older twin siblings that are not being mentioned? Mattel, I need answers here.

By the way, Midge and Alan's infant daughter from the controversial doll was named Nikki, and they subsequently had another baby released as part of the "Happy Family Neighbourhood" line. Their youngest was named Cassandra, but was originally referred to as "baby" on the doll releases so it was a surprise whether she was a boy or a girl.

Unlike the previous Happy Family set which only depicted Midge, Nikki, Baby Doctor Barbie, and Alan and Ryan, there were additional characters as part of the Happy Family Neighborhood set, including proud grandparents.

It's so unusual to see older dolls in the Barbie line so this is super interesting to me!

[good-beanswrites]

WAH HEY BEANS!! okay so i was looking at the plushies and merch again and i suddenly had a thought in LCSyS, what are their thoughts on like merch?? i have no idea if you've mentioned this before and if so i am silly. i can totally see fuuta go OH NO IVE BEEN TURNED A MARKETABLE PLUSHIE

YES AHAHAHA I love that!! This is for the gone-public variation of the au

This made me realize the wide range of official merch, plus I think a lot of them would love supporting artists once they're out and have access to the internet again lol. Overall I think the plushies would cause the biggest stir around the facility 😂 I mention bootleg merch, like when you have random companies making weird/ugly knockoffs -- I don't think real Milgram has that but it was a fun idea for the story lmao

Haruka isn’t used to having his own image on so many things. The others are really sweet about taking care of his plushie and doing kind things for it to boost his own confidence (although there was One Singular Moment of jealousy where his tiny counterpart was getting more attention than himself and needed to be talked down lol) He and Muu have plushies of each other that they’ll plan cute matching outfits/accessories with.

Yuno loves her own plushie, and is excited to share it with Yura. She takes really good care of all the plushies she has, and they genuinely bring her warmth, especially post-milgram when they all separate <3 She (or maybe Mikoto, I haven’t decided) gets only the weirdest/most concerning buttons on her personal bag. She loves her Borderline Suicidal Fuuta, Crazed Bug Muu, Grieving In A Hospital Shidou, Rats Mahiru, and so on. She asks Amane for permission to add Waterboarding Button to her collection. For her more public displays, she likes the aesthetic things from the anniversaries and birthday art. She loved those days of dressing up for the photoshoots, so they carry nice memories as well as being super cute. 

(I tagged you in the art I thought of, but yeah,) Fuuta puts up a big act about how weird and capitalistic it is to have merch of oneself, how plushies are “for kids,” and also how ugly/skrunkly his t2 one looks... His refusal to interact with it only makes the others interact with his more. I can see some of the prisoners (*cough* yuno *cough*) carrying around their Little Fuuta and sharing full conversations and activities while he looks on in horror. In the end, he caves in order to set a good example for Amane, and keeps a few in his room. He never admits that he also gets really attached >:3 Another secret -- he likes using the special bluetooth headphones. He thinks they look cool and the voices are a fun touch, but he’d never dare tell the others. 

Muu has one of those really aesthetic merch bags where she keeps buttons, plushies, stickers, keychains etc. She has a little something for every prisoner, but there are definitely a few who have some shameless favoritism… Once out of Milgram, she makes a lot of social media posts focused just on the plushies in different locations and outfits. She keeps them in pristine condition, caring a lot for them.

Shidou gives the plushies to his kids, and the prisoners laugh/brag about which one each child chose as their favorite. (I also like to imagine the conversations Shidou must have with strangers: “aww your daughter is so sweet! Who do you got there, honey? Aw, you’re squeezing ‘em real tight! Is that your favorite disney princess or something?” “Ah, that’s a little doll version of the divorced cop who lives a few streets over. In a prison uniform.” “O.oh…?”) He likes adding stickers to his tech, using some of the cases, and thinks the album covers look nice to display.

Mahiru goes crazy over the plushies. She sews little mv outfits for all of them, alternate outfits, and other accessories to hand out. She starts planning on making custom plushies for other people – her bf, Hinako, Shidou’s family, Lucky, etc. She was genuinely upset by how sad her T2 plush looks, thinking no one will love it – Jackalope breaks his experiment-long internet ban only once to sit with her and scroll through pictures that people had posted of them treating the plush kindly because of her looks. Also, even though they broke up, she excitedly shows her bf the buttons that feature the two of them 😅

Kazui already has a lot of records/CDs collected, and he makes a really nice display of all the albums for his wall. The other prisoners love gifting him bootleg merch of his own videos – tshirts and things from random companies that are juuust off somehow. (I have no clue about her sense of humor, but maybe one day Hinako wears one of the Cat marriage buttons like “I got married and traumatically divorced and all I got was this this stupid button)

Amane would have tried to match Fuuta acting too cool for the plushies… if it weren’t for every single other person absolutely fawning over them. She can admit to loving them and carries a different one to set with her each day, treating them kindly and dressing them up with Mahiru. She also enjoys adding stickers to her notebooks and things, they end up completely covered by the time the later mvs come out. At the very end of the experiment, she ends up using merch to cover up the old cult stickers on her backpack.

Mikoto owns the most of his own merch, claiming “it’s John :)” (and then John points to the same things claiming “it’s Mikoto :)”). They each have a T1/T2 plushie to carry around, though they end up like that Garfield "to be loved is to be changed" plush -- they really go everywhere. Mikoto gets those anniversary art shirts with the prisoner’s face taking up the whole center, and wears it to each of their mv shooting sessions, much to their embarrassment. He owns a lot of the stands to keep on his desk while he works, using them for rubber-ducking when needed. He posts I feed him rocks.

Kotoko prefers the more general things when she goes out, feeling like it’s odd to show off the other’s faces out in public. (They claim they’re famous anyway, but she insists you can never be too careful.) So she wears a lot with the main milgram logo/inno and guilty symbol/Jackalope/etc. In her personal space, though, she has a ton of the others’ things, and tries to play down how much she really likes the plushies :3 When Mahiru’s finished with it, she’s excited to show Lucky both of theirs.

Everyone owns a lot of Es merch. They try to be subtle about it post-reveal and not overwhelm their poor guard, but it comes out eventually and does scare them just a bit. 😅 Later, Es really enjoys having something of each of the prisoners close even when everyone goes back to their lives.

[pawborough]

June 2024 Check In

Hello everyone! Happy update day! 

First off, Alpha news! 

We are closing applications Monday 06/17 at midnight EST! We will be taking the time then to sort through applications and hand out acceptance emails. 

Currently we are working on player markets and forums. We’ll describe more on those in the Development section of this update! But here is what we have left before the full loop is complete:

Site Markets (very similar to player markets.)

Cooking / Crafting 

Farming 

Item Seeding (inputting item gains with the how and where) 

And then that's it for a full loop! We are very close to finished! No date yet, as we're hesitant to overpromise in case anything goes wrong, but we’re on track to wrap up with a start date by the end of this month. 

There have been a lot of bumps and unexpected new challenges during our development. Particularly, different team members being infected by Covid at different times. But we’re all very excited for how close things are going! We’ve come a long way, and the game sports many things we can say that we're proud of! 

FAQ Update 

We posted a small sub-update in the form of an updated FAQ! Kickstarter does not let us edit the FAQ tab on this page, but backers may read our new and improved FAQ: 

Here! 

Update on Moontails: 

So far, Moontails are completely done save for a single gene illustration and glow colors. 

Moontails were a heavier task because we dedicated ourselves to five different wing colors per palette. This meant that we had to hand pick over 1100 more hex codes! However, those are done!

Here are some examples of palettes we made with this five-color system: 

Nutmeg, Ocean, Oak, Chameleon, Wolfsbane, Arctic, Vanilla

We call these palettes the "appendage palette." This means that, in the future, these colors will sometimes accentuate custom mystic traits. For example: a fish tail, horns, or wings!

We don't know when these will be completed, but we’re starting file formatting now! To be clear, Longhairs started file formatting about two weeks before they went on the site. 

And when Moontails go up, any errors of the other breeds should be fixed. We’ve been slowly updating the queue, including writing a script for catching and fixing white coverage problems, and our next push should have everything covered! 

Asset Updates

Users have noticed little tweaks to the mystic breeds. This is true! We've slightly updated the Bovines and Fyrets before allowing them to enter the queue. 

Bovines

Fyrets

+ previews on experimental eye coloring!

These breeds have entered the queue!

New Backdrops!

New backdrops! 

The Metropolis Outskirts 

Illustration by Giulia (@giuliabiazus on Instagram)

(That's Cogwheel in the back!) 

Cogwheel Outskirts 

Illustration by Kzart

Cogwheel and Metropolis, being right next to each other and cross-sharing the majority of their populations, have largely similar architectural, color, and cultural aesthetics. We're excited to explore the differences as we render out more inner-location backdrops. 👁️⚙️

And with that, that's all our Outskirts backdrops! We’ll be working on a few more individual backdrops, then move onto the inner locations! 

Incense

We’ve completed icons for all seven of our incense items! 

Illustration by Tybaxel

As a reminder, incense is the method of obtaining an instant generation 1 cat. There is a separate incense item for every Borough. 

Incense items will be rare craft-ables, made with different plant items! I'm particularly tickled by just how much personality having scents associated with each Borough adds. 

Accessory Recolors

We are beginning to make a dent in accessory recolors! 

All accessories will have 12 standard recolors. Here is the official list: 

White, grey, black, red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, pink, and brown

Below are finished recolors for the Jute set and the Sweetheart set! 

Flea Market

We have updates on the Flea Market: the player-ran marketplace! 

Our MVP will start with two listing types! Flat Sales and Bundles! 

Flat Sales will allow users to sell stacks of items at a price per item, while buyers can choose how many to buy at a time.

Bundles are a set amount of several different items for a single price, which users can only purchase all at once.

Listings will have user comments, which can help provide extra context, especially for cat listings!

We're especially excited to show off our Price History feature! 

Price history will show up whenever you list a single item. This history will give you the lowest price listed for the item, the highest, and a median of the two! But, we know this data can be messed with. And inflation effects these numbers on a holistic scale. So, price history can be searched in a timeframe of your choosing. You can choose to look at the history for just last week, or for the entirety of the site! 

Note: These are mockups! Sizes may differ on your screen when browsing the game. 

Forums and Forum Boards

Next, we want to show off our forum designs! 

Users will have access to a host of official boards which will cover the majority of game-relevant topics. 

Users will be able to create boards which may foster more unique topics. For example, perhaps you want a board dedicated to fancats! Or a board dedicated to collecting odd cat IDs. A board dedicated to a hyper-specific cat breeding program? You can make it! 

Lastly, we've implemented a reply and "upvote" system as a way for threads to feel more like engaging conversations! 

We want to stress that downvotes will never be visible, as we're hyper-aware that visibility can lead to bullying and dogpiling. We may choose to remove them all together, depending on player opinion and feedback during testing. Right now, our intention is to make forums more entertaining to read through by allowing players to uplift discussion, art, or community contributions that they deem worth recognition. You may also choose to filter by most recent or oldest comment instead. 

We'll potentially be experimenting with emoji interactions and general size formatting to make things feel more cohesive. 

We want to stress that this is incredibly experimental. We don't expect it to immediately appeal to all players. And what we're doing here may change as we test and recieve feedback. 

Forums as they have been historically done in our genre have been on the decline in usage for some time, and this is in part due to modern UI setups having more sleek and easier to navigate methods of interaction and discussion. We're not blind to these statistics, and we're trying to combat the issue at the source. We understand that there are pros and cons to a system like this and that it's very new. 

However, we're setting out to push the envelope and create something invigorating for our genre of game. This first and foremost means a refreshment of old systems. We feel it's worth a shot!

We've heard discussion on the plans to close our Discord, and how little traditional forum formats tend to keep player engagement in comparison to modern socials. We stand by that we will not rely on a third party to officially host our community, but we hope that we can provide more tools from the start to foster and nurture the community in our game. 

Please note that while this does look modernized, we will never be incorporating ads into these threads, nor scrape data. The often predatory practices of modern social medias are practices we are actively avoiding. We're just trying something different that seems to work this day and age!

Also note that this does not replace traditional posting. We are working on a notebook system which would allow players to post longform, customized "notes," and for other players to comment on said notes in a more traditional format. We believe a system like this will better accommodate things such as status updates, user lore hubs, and anything which a user wants to store on their page for a long time. Think traditional web journal systems! 

To summarize: We shared our expectations for Alpha in the coming days, Moontail progress, Bovine and Fyret adjustments, new backdrops, incense icons, and UIs for the market and forums!

What to expect next month: Functionality updates, further UI and asset renderings, general meaty beginnings to letting players on the site! 

[daisynik7]

Hello, I hope you've been doing well! When you have the time, could you please write about Nanami with a s/o who's creative and kind of hippiesque? I'm making that a word now haha but this is very much a self insert and I felt comfortable enough to ask you ☺

I've been tapping into my creative side more lately and even experimented with clay for the first time! I typically alternate between writing and sewing, sometimes I doodle. When it comes to clothes and just overall aesthetic - think thrifting, knick knacks, flowly/light fabrics, and things like that. I'm tempted to call it romantic but idk about that lol. Anyway, here's flowers and tea for you 💐🍵💓

p.s.: the idea of making him a bag for his work things 😭

Author’s Note: Hello friend! I’m so sorry this took SO LONG to complete, I know it’s been months since you requested, so I appreciate your patience on this! I hope you enjoy this little drabble!

Nanami wasn’t always reserved and rigid. Growing up and joining the workforce unfortunately led him to this mundane lifestyle, often following the same routines day-by-day, with little-to-no color in his life. He often reminisces about his high school days, when he used to sneak off from class to listen to punk rock music with his best friend Yu Haibara, who always used to radiate bright energy, enough to warm even Nanami. When his friend passed away, it seemed that the void he left would never be filled again.

That is, until he meets you. 

You are vastly different from Nanami, but that’s what he loves so much about you. Where he lacks in creativity, you do more to cover the both of you. Most of your décor and accessories are homemade, crafted from your very own hands. The pieces displayed on the walls of your shared apartment are all original artworks. Watercolors, acrylics, charcoal, pen and ink. You like to experience with different medias, creating a variety of scenes, depending on an image that captivates you that day. Flowers you see on your daily walks to the park, a golden sunset you watch together on the beach, Nanami sitting on the couch resting his eyes after a long week at work. It’s simple in the grand scheme of things, but when it’s captured forever on canvas or paper, it becomes something special. 

It takes a while for Nanami to get used to being the main focus in your artwork. He’s never liked standing out. When you show him one of your first sketches of him just standing in the kitchen, he’s surprised. Not only at your talent, but at how accurately you were able to portray his personality with a couple strokes of your pencil. That’s when he knows he should appreciate this for all that it’s worth.

His outfits soon become accessorized by your crafts. A knitted red scarf he uses when it’s cold out, with a beanie to match. Sewn mittens for his hands, keeping him warm throughout the train ride to work. He even replaces his briefcase with the bag you crochet for him, insisting that it’s perfect for all his belongings, even if there are a few places on it where his papers stick out. He gets used to the little trinkets and figurines you collect from various flea markets or thrift shops. Half the closet is his muted natural colors while yours is a rainbow that brings him joy every morning he has to get dressed for work. 

Nanami absolutely loves how much of you bleeds into him, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. His daily routine now sparks with something special, all thanks to you.  

[ziseviolet]

Secondly, I have heard that as traditional fashion gets more and more popular, there is an increasing amount of fake/knockoff clothes sold online, is there a way to distinguish between them, so we can buy hanfu from official brands and support the designers and dressmakers for their hard work.

Hi, thanks for the question, and sorry for taking ages to reply!

Yes, that's correct -- knockoffs (known as 山寨/shanzhai in Chinese) have long been, and still are, a huge problem for hanfu vendors. It's often difficult and confusing to tell the difference between original hanfu and shanzhai hanfu.

I highly encourage everyone to do some research before buying hanfu to make sure that your purchase goes towards supporting the original brand/designer, as opposed to a counterfeiter. Without that financial support, it's very likely for original brands and designers to close shop, especially in the extremely competitive hanfu market.

Based on personal observation, below are some red flags that may signify that a hanfu shop or item is a knockoff - or at least not from the original brand/designer. Note that these refer mainly to Taobao shops because Taobao is the platform I'm most familiar with:

Examine the merchandise. Shops that offer an assortment of non-hanfu related products (e.g. mainstream contemporary fashion, household items) in addition to hanfu, are usually not original hanfu brands. Authentic hanfu brands typically only sell hanfu and related items such as modified hanfu & hanyuansu, hanfu accessories, and occasionally other types of Chinese clothing (e.g. qipao/cheongsam, Qing dynasty-style clothing).

Examine the photos. If a shanzhai shop doesn't outright steal product photos from the original brand, it may retake photos of the clothes using different models. These models and photos are usually very generic and low-effort. Original hanfu brands typically put more creativity and effort into styling models and designing photoshoots for promotional photos.

Examine the prices. If a hanfu's price seems too good to be true, it usually is. It's likely to be a knockoff - or at least of lower quality than expected. This isn't always the case, as some original hanfu are hugely discounted, and some knockoffs inflate their prices. However, you get what you pay for, and I'd avoid super cheap hanfu if you want to ensure authenticity.

More tips from @bamboocounting: "you can check the storefront to see if the store has been running for a time that matches when it’s founded, for older famous stores, and check the number of reviews for some more popular items (like Shisanyu regularly has hundreds of reviews for some sets)."

In addition, @fouryearsofshades mentioned here that there's an official account on WeChat called 汉服安莉 that can be used to check if a shop is authentic. My dms are also open if you need assistance with checking whether something is authentic - I'll do what I can to help ^^

If anyone has additional advice, please share!

Hope this helps!

(Hanfu photo via)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Wait, is it true the writers said Marinette and Gabriel are meant to represent individual creative spirit versus corporate greed?

Taken from the writer's commentary on the final two episodes

In the next scene, we can see Marinette taking the miraculous that have been standardised and industrialised by Gabriel and putting them back in shape. The writers specify that this is a parabole about craftsmanship vs industrial production. The miraculous will now be adapted to every person, but we can’t see what they look like just yet! In this new world, the powers are all shared, among people who they trust and know will work for the common good. They joke that the "Avengers" shot at the end with all the heroes is something they’d been dreaming of.

There's also that bit from her confrontation with Gabriel where he randomly acts like he's The God of Fashion (taken from S5E20):

Gabriel: I don't think you understand, child, so let me put things differently. Life is like fashion. You think you have a choice, but all you have is the illusion of choice. And I decide what choices are given to you. Marinette: You're wrong! (Shows Gabriel her sketchbook.) Fashion is about listening to people, it's about understanding who they are, what excites them and creating the clothes that will help them express their inner world. Help them connect with others and make their dreams come true. Gabriel:(Laughs and takes her sketchbook, then browses its pages.) No, that's not fashion. That's making dresses for your dolls. Fashion is a product, a marketing strategy, an industry that relies on uninterrupted trend renewal that forces you to either throw away everything you have and buy more or, worse, to be out of fashion. Thanks to the clothes I create, the celebrities who wear them, the advertisements I design and the Alliance rings that broadcast them, I create an idyllic vision. A perfection that everyone aspires to achieve, while keeping it just out of their grasp. You finally understand the difference, don't you? You listen to people's desires and create what they want. Somehow, people make you. Whereas I create people's desires. They buy what I decide to buy. They think what I want them to think. I'm the one who makes people. You think you love Adrien, but you're just under the spell of this world I've created. A world where Adrien is the star, shining high above. A world where you're just part of the crowd below looking up at him. (Shuts the sketchbook.) That is why nothing can ever happen between you two.

So, yeah, this is apparently supposed to be them talking about some kind of central theme of individual creators vs mass production? The problem is that it basically comes out of nowhere. If the writers really wanted to have this be some sort of message, then they needed to establish this a lot sooner because Marinette has had no issues with his fashion company nor has anyone else.

An example of a way to do this would be to have Marinette win the hat competition in season one, Adrien models it in season two, and then give us a series of episodes where Marinette gets to learn about the production process for her hat. She gets to see it mass produced and then gets to learn how fast fashion works and, by the end, she's no longer a fan of the fashion industry even though she still loves fashion. It would be a much better environmental message then the nonsense we've been given, too.

But the show didn't give us anything like that. We've never seen a single Gabriel brand product save for the stuff Adrien wears and the alliance rings, which are phones more than fashion accessories, so it makes sense that they'd have a uniform look. Even if phones were made to order, you wouldn't see much variety in the base product save for color. The customization on a phone is the background and the alliance lets you customize your "background" (aka your Adrien, Lila, or Kagami) as we saw in Jubilation when Socqueline was showing off her alliance.

Side note: I realized that Jubilation takes place before I started writing mini episode reviews, so I wanted to make a quick note of how creepy it is that you can customize your alliance avatar given who the avatars are. Gabriel and Tomoe seriously took their 14-year-olds and told people of all ages to treat them like dolls, which is extra creepy given how many fans Adrien has. That has some messed up in-universe implications that make me shudder. What were the writers thinking?

[tedwardremus]

Thoughts on modern fashion?

Also how would muggle Walburga Black dress?

Oh boy, did I share some thoughts lol. But nothing really on any particular trend or brand. I've rambled on enough but happy to discuss specific trends and brands too.

Fashion is a visual medium that encapsulates culture, class, politics, gender, and various facets of identity. It exists at the intersection of art and consumerism, serving as both a form of self-expression and a market-driven product. We pick clothes that we like and feel express ourselves but we are also told what to like and what to purchase by large corporations who see us as numbers in a stock portfolio and not as individuals. 

While fashion has often been dismissed as frivolous, it is fundamentally intertwined with our identities, allowing us to communicate who we are as individuals and as members of society. Fashion is a nuanced and personal expression that reflects social change, political beliefs, and aesthetic values, making it a powerful lens through which we can examine the evolving roles of individuals and communities in the public sphere.

As a consumer good, the demand for clothing is at an all-time high, with fast fashion emerging as a significant environmental concern. The industry contributes to the proliferation of plastic waste, with low-quality garments often ending up in landfills and on beaches. Moreover, the production of such high quantities of clothing raises serious concerns over human rights violations associated with the exploitation of cheap labor.

It can feel like a losing battle these days to find a good outfit that lasts a long time and is affordable. We compromise our values when we shop fast fashion but few of us have an alternative choice.

Today, using fashion as a clear class distinction has become increasingly challenging. Even millionaire influencers often choose to wear inexpensive clothing from brands like Shein and websites like Amazon, favoring mass-produced items over bespoke garments tailored specifically to their bodies. This shift reflects a broader trend where the sign of wealth is no longer measured by the quality or craftsmanship of clothing but rather by the sheer volume of items one owns.

Even brands that used to signify quality have cheapened their production. Levi jeans are not the same quality denim they are famous for. 

A truly well-made purse, like many classic accessories, should be designed to last a lifetime, with craftsmanship that withstands the wear and tear of daily life. Ideally, an investment in such a piece would mean living in and growing with it, allowing it to become a part of one’s personal history. Yet, in today’s culture of disposable fashion, we see a different approach: closets overflowing with countless handbags, each one picked up for a season and quickly discarded in favor of the next trend.

This excess not only dilutes the value of individual items but also fosters a cycle of constant consumption, where style becomes transient and connection to one’s belongings fleeting. Instead of cherishing a few high-quality pieces, the modern consumer is encouraged to accumulate—a shift that ultimately transforms what could be an investment in artistry or utility (we do need to carry things with us throughout the day) into a revolving door of fleeting fashion trends and hoarding.

NOW FINALLY, WALBURGA

Walburga Black would never be caught wearing the same thing as anyone else. Unlike modern influencers who shop off the rack or online, her style is rooted in old-fashioned tradition and exclusivity. She remains one of the last true patrons of couture, frequenting designer boutiques where her measurements are kept on file and each piece is custom-fitted to perfection. Her wardrobe is filled with furs, bespoke pieces, and timeless luxury brands like Chanel. Walburga travels to Paris and Italy to meet designers in person, ensuring her attire is as exclusive as her social circle.

She loves a good hat. She loves dark colors to contrast with her pale skin. She wears Dior red lipstick. She loves a well-cut blazer and she can run in stilettos (not that she would. A lady never runs). 

She would consider Kris Jenner’s taste in fashion gaudy and utterly beneath her. Because try as they might, the Kardashian cannot escape the aesthetic of flashy, social-climbing “new money” and it would be an affront to Walburga’s refined sensibilities and deep-rooted aristocratic standards.

(and my work is cutting wifi off for some reason so I'm publishing this without inspirational photos so I can go home)

[tearfulangel]

Your hair is so gorg. I hope I get to grow it out someday too. Do you have any tips on how to avoid coloring it/bleaching it/cutting it lol? I feel like I get bored easily with my hair and have no patience to just let it grow :(

Also, what is your "dream" length (If you have one that is..) ? Love your blog sm

thank you!!! ooh honestly i understand getting bored & wanting to express yourself with different colours & styles (especially in the spur of a moment hehehe, i’ve given myself my fair share of bangs & colourful dip dyes)

i love love love accessorising & decorating my hair with scrunchies, ribbons, & cute hair clips/ties. i’ve gotten a few bulk packs of hair clips from ali express that are cute. scrunchies with bows attached are one of my favourite ways to make my hair feel more creative & fun. plus finding new ways to style it & incorporate clips & ribbons is a good way to show off some personality & spend some time “re-inventing” your look without drastic changes! i get a lot of my scrunchies at local market stalls, lots of small businesses make their own scrunchies that are beautiful and will last!

my dream length is honestly just around my butt/hips, a little longer than it is now 🫶🏻 i would like it longer, like down to the floor haha! but i know i wouldn’t be about to care for it & would get so frustrated!

here’s some examples of the type of hair accessories i use (not my photos, but i have a lot of similar items that i’ve accumulated over the years)

[swanhurrem]

Chapter 5:

Embry Call x FemReader (no use of y/n).

Sumary: You were best friends with Embry, Jacob and Quil. And you saw how each one of them walked away from you. What will happen when out of nowhere they try to fix their relationship?

A/N: Hello, again sorry to have disappeared. This chapter can be a bit boring but don't worry, for the next one it changes and there is an interesting appearance of Embry. Thank you for all the love you give to the fic💗💗

Twilight Masterlist.

Imprint Masterlist (this serie).

<Chapter 4 | Chapter 6>

Despite trying to keep your tears from falling and wiping them away every time they did, Chris noticed your anguish anyway, being such an attentive person it was to be expected. When he asked you what had happened, you told him the truth; that you had not ended your relationship with that old friend well and the wound was still fresh.

"Okay, we're going to Seattle," Chris said after a few minutes as he started the car.

You were so focused on wiping away your tears in the car mirror that you were sure you had misheard "Wha-what did you say?"

"We'll go to your house and mine to get some things and then we'll drive to Seattle," he said simply, his gaze focused on the road.

You were frowning in utter bewilderment and all he did was drive home. "Why would we go to Seattle?" you asked puzzled

"Have you ever been there? It's great; the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the Big Wheel, you'll love that I'm sure"

"Christopher, we can't go to Seattle, are you crazy?" you were completely turned towards him now, Chris just had a smile on his face.

"Why not? It's Thursday, our teachers will be missing tomorrow, we have Saturday and Sunday and if we want until Monday, we're going to have fun"

You looked at him stupefied, but you had to admit that the idea wasn't so unpleasant, a change of air would be welcome and Seattle wasn't far from Forks, just a few hours.

He began to smile at you when he noticed that your silence meant that you were beginning to think about the idea and every so often that he took his eyes off the road, he would stare at you while you heard him whisper "come on" and "it will be fun", as if it were the voice of your conscience trying to dissuade you from accepting and in the end you did.

_____________________________________

You picked up from your house two backpacks that you used to use for school; one full of the most necessary things like clothes and cleaning accessories, while the other only had your camera, your cell phone charger and the remaining space was for whatever you bought there in Seattle. Your father asked you a couple of questions about where you were going and when he was satisfied enough, he just told you to always keep your cell phone on to keep in touch.

Chris did the same, only when he left his house he had a full bag of snacks and drinks for the road in his hand, leaving them in the back seat as soon as he got in.

He had tuned into a radio that was playing the latest hits of that year while you made fun of the ridiculous number of groups he was a part of; volleyball, basketball, debate, etc.

"You're even part of the group that's in charge of taking care of the greenhouse" you said as he stopped behind some cars that were waiting to pay the toll.

"Someone has to take care of those plants" he replied as he counted the money in his hand.

"Okay that's right, I give you that. Who else is in the group with you?"

Chris looked at you letting out a sigh, you were sitting in the passenger seat amused waiting for his answer.

You pushed it with your hand "Come on, who?"

"Alice Cullen" he blurted out.

You laughed at that, not to make fun of her or anything, but it was funny that Chris, who was afraid of the Cullens, would spend an hour straight every Friday with one of them.

He waited until he paid to answer you "Don't laugh, she's nicer than I expected"

"Of course it is, they all are" you said remembering the thousands of times you shared the odd class with them, Jasper seemed to be the most withdrawn but Alice was always there to make the time more enjoyable.

"But they are strange" he answered. Little by little your laughter faded and a comfortable silence settled in both of us. The road was normally dark except for the truck coming up behind you, considering it was a long weekend for no one but you and Chris, it was understandable that the road was empty.

You had taken from the glove compartment one of the gums that he had given you earlier, when you heard him speak again "Did I ever tell you... the story of my great-grandmother?"

You said no and while he was still looking straight ahead, he spoke again "She was...pretty normal; she lived all her life in Alaska until she married my great-grandfather and they both started living in Forks. "They lived a quiet life until the Cullens moved to Forks and she just…freaked out.” His brows were knitted and his grip on the wheel softened, his eyes darting down the road like someone trying to search their memories.

"The Cullens?" you asked softly. He seemed really nervous and you didn't want to pester him with questions, but considering that this was a topic he brought up himself, it didn't seem like you were prying.

"She said that she already knew them, that she had been to Rosalie and Emmett's wedding many years ago in Alaska, she swore it was them and she just shut herself in her house until she died. She wouldn't even go out to the backyard of our house and I was the one who spent the most time with her"

"That's why you fear them" you declared realizing, you never knew where his dislike for the Cullens came from but you certainly hadn't expected that reason. Her great-grandmother had passed on all her fears to him.

"She used to tell me to be careful, that they won't hurt me as long as I'm out of their way. It gets worse with Edward, when I'm sitting with you and my attention drifts to them and memories of my great-grandmother invade my mind, He looks at me like he knows I'm thinking of them. It's like he knows everything about me and I can't understand why" he finished with a broken voice.

You didn't know what to say to that statement, how to make him feel better, maybe there wasn't even a way. So you simply rested your hand on his shoulder, stroking it there slowly with your thumb. He smiled at you and turned the music up higher, making him escape the stormy memories of him.

Taglist:

@ xmysec0ndself

@ ravenclaw-hoe

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_________

Buy me a coffee.