#Textile Tuesday

[arthistoryanimalia]

#TextileTuesday:

Embroidered Drawn Net Bed Valance with Bobbin Lace Border

Russian, 1766-1833

Linen ground, linen embroidery threads

The Cone Collection, BMA

on display at “Making Her Mark: A History of #WomenArtists in Europe, 1400-1800” exhibition at Baltimore Museum of Art

[amelia-rate]

Via textilesocietyofamerica.org "Classical Greek education impressed Palmer from her youth. She devoted her life and wealth to the revival of Greek culture, theater, and weaving. Her artistic endeavors were centered around the creation and wearing of ancient Greek clothing. When she decided to wear only clothes that she wove herself, she left behind the industrialized West and capitalism. She supported simplicity and freedom in women’s dress. She also inspired other women to be creative, and she revived the horizontal loom and hand weaving."

Read Full Article Here

[reasonsforhope]

Federal regulators on Tuesday [April 23, 2024] enacted a nationwide ban on new noncompete agreements, which keep millions of Americans — from minimum-wage earners to CEOs — from switching jobs within their industries.

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday afternoon voted 3-to-2 to approve the new rule, which will ban noncompetes for all workers when the regulations take effect in 120 days [So, the ban starts in early September, 2024!]. For senior executives, existing noncompetes can remain in force. For all other employees, existing noncompetes are not enforceable.

[That's right: if you're currently under a noncompete agreement, it's completely invalid as of September 2024! You're free!!]

The antitrust and consumer protection agency heard from thousands of people who said they had been harmed by noncompetes, illustrating how the agreements are "robbing people of their economic liberty," FTC Chair Lina Khan said. 

The FTC commissioners voted along party lines, with its two Republicans arguing the agency lacked the jurisdiction to enact the rule and that such moves should be made in Congress...

Why it matters

The new rule could impact tens of millions of workers, said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist and president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. 

"For nonunion workers, the only leverage they have is their ability to quit their job," Shierholz told CBS MoneyWatch. "Noncompetes don't just stop you from taking a job — they stop you from starting your own business."

Since proposing the new rule, the FTC has received more than 26,000 public comments on the regulations. The final rule adopted "would generally prevent most employers from using noncompete clauses," the FTC said in a statement.

The agency's action comes more than two years after President Biden directed the agency to "curtail the unfair use" of noncompetes, under which employees effectively sign away future work opportunities in their industry as a condition of keeping their current job. The president's executive order urged the FTC to target such labor restrictions and others that improperly constrain employees from seeking work.

"The freedom to change jobs is core to economic liberty and to a competitive, thriving economy," Khan said in a statement making the case for axing noncompetes. "Noncompetes block workers from freely switching jobs, depriving them of higher wages and better working conditions, and depriving businesses of a talent pool that they need to build and expand."

Real-life consequences

In laying out its rationale for banishing noncompetes from the labor landscape, the FTC offered real-life examples of how the agreements can hurt workers.

In one case, a single father earned about $11 an hour as a security guard for a Florida firm, but resigned a few weeks after taking the job when his child care fell through. Months later, he took a job as a security guard at a bank, making nearly $15 an hour. But the bank terminated his employment after receiving a letter from the man's prior employer stating he had signed a two-year noncompete.

In another example, a factory manager at a textile company saw his paycheck dry up after the 2008 financial crisis. A rival textile company offered him a better job and a big raise, but his noncompete blocked him from taking it, according to the FTC. A subsequent legal battle took three years, wiping out his savings. 

-via CBS Moneywatch, April 24, 2024

--

Note:

A lot of people think that noncompete agreements are only a white-collar issue, but they absolutely affect blue-collar workers too, as you can see from the security guard anecdote.

In fact, one in six food and service workers are bound by noncompete agreements. That's right - one in six food workers can't leave Burger King to work for Wendy's [hypothetical example], in the name of "trade secrets." (x, x, x)

Noncompete agreements also restrict workers in industries from tech and video games to neighborhood yoga studios. "The White House estimates that tens of millions of workers are subject to noncompete agreements, even in states like California where they're banned." (x, x, x)

The FTC estimates that the ban will lead to "the creation of 8,500 new businesses annually, an average annual pay increase of $524 for workers, lower health care costs, and as many as 29,000 more patents each year for the next decade." (x)

Clearer explanation of noncompete agreements below the cut.

Noncompete agreements can restrict workers from leaving for a better job or starting their own business.

Noncompetes often effectively coerce workers into staying in jobs they want to leave, and even force them to leave a profession or relocate.

Noncompetes can prevent workers from accepting higher-paying jobs, and even curtail the pay of workers not subject to them directly.

Of the more than 26,000 comments received by the FTC, more than 25,000 supported banning noncompetes. 

[mysteriouslotuscasebookweek]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook Week

(Nov. 3 - 9)

Please join us for a week of Mysterious Lotus Casebook works from Sunday, November 3 to Saturday, November 9.

All ships and works (SFW & NSFW) welcome! Please use #mlcweek24 to tag your works.

Feel free to join our general Discord server: https://discord.gg/7xraH8Wpng (not required for participation)

For any questions or feedback, please feel free to DM or send an ask.

Thanks,

Pri (@tunnelofdusk)

[Image descriptions available on graphics and below the read more.]

#mlcweek24 prompts

day 1 - sunday, november 3 huli jing, lotus, marriage

day 12- monday, november 4 role reversal, crossover, fluff

day 3 - tuesday, november 5 cultivation, alternate universe, soulmates

day 4 - wednesday, november 6 time travel, grief, li xiangxian

day 5 - thursday, november 7 love, reincarnation, wine

day 6 - friday, november 8 confession, nature, sword dance

day 7 - saturday, november 9 free day - create as you please!

Rules

All works in all settings will be accepted, including (but not limited to) art, fanfic, edits, playlists, and cosplays.

All ships & works welcomed, so long as the focus is Mysterious Lotus Casebook and the themes relate to the prompts.

Please tag all works with #mlcweek24.

All works must be exclusively created for the event (not reposts or previous creations).

Collaboration with and inspiration from other creators is welcome but please remember to offer credit and obtain permission.

NSFW fic must be properly tagged. NSFW images must have a SFW/censored preview or may be posted using Privatter or other means.

[Lotus graphic sourced from the public domain. "Temple hanging (noren) (19th century), lotus flower fabric textile. Original public domain image from The Minneapolis Institute of Art."]

[reason-with-the-underdog]

kaveh's brain? massive, tremendous, huge his accomplishments? innumberable his finances? uhh...

there's something so sexy about kaveh incidentally being the senior architecture researcher mentioned in the descriptions of multiple sumeru textiles but his contributions and side interest in weaving/looms get overlooked because he didn't think its something to brag about.....

like, he has so many other accomplishments its easy to forget that he helped save sumeru's traditional weaving industry from being overrun by mass-produced cheap imitations.... just another tuesday for kaveh ya know

anyways here's the story of kaveh's career (and him getting entangled in several different innovative research projects and managing a busy career and being a young man in his 20s with a lot of disposable income and not talking to a Specific Person..!)

told through letters, interviews, chats, comment sections, invoices, & more!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58528708/

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

FINE here is the kerchief thing. stop asking about it. this is the “age of brass and steam” kerchief/shawl thing and off the needles i am simply not feeling it. the yarn is some #4 Lion Brand acrylic with a fancy name bc i liked how coppery it was and it was on clearance, but i lost yarn chicken, hence the red. lost yarn chicken bc i added two extra repeats of the yarn overs at the end bc i wanted a little more detail and a touch more length without going full shawl. i don’t like how short it is lengthwise, i forgot i like horizontally longer scarf things. i also don’t love how the garter/yarn over border doesn’t let the stockinette body of the kerchief lie perfectly flat at the edges. this may be improved by knitting the border looser or with a larger needle, and washing and blocking but would probably be more improved if i had knitted it in wool and then steamed the loving shit out of it and blocked it flat properly with tpins and everything.

i think the red is wrong also. too much homemade craftsy new england primitive furniture store vibes. nothing wrong with those vibes but i am simply not feeling it with this thing. triangle by way of center increase is the correct vibe i want tho. at least it was easy to knit and kept me amused while in a Percocet haze bc it was remarkably difficult to like do Anything on that drug

tuesday again 1/10/2023

the more injuries and minor surgeries i pick up throughout my life i get more convinced i do actually play first person shooters as a power fantasy but not in the normal way. recovering ok, this was prescheduled and premeditated, just extremely tired

listening

are you havin any fun? this tony bennet version is good enough. the SINGULAR line "and nervous indigestion" has been stuck in my head since thursday.

-

reading

another pitch for Molly White's Web3 Is Going Just Great, bc HOO boy did a lot of shit happen last weekend. every crypto gaming project that folds feels like a personal gift to me. i did feel slightly insane last year bc the hype was so intense, everyone at my old job was fully bought in, and i got cited on two "performance reviews" for not being "excited enough" about crypto. anyway i hope my boss' two teslas explode.

-

watching

watched a ton of shit this week, including the entire run of the vampiric interview tv show, which i WILL have more coherent thoughts about later. what a horrible, messy, incredibly satisfying bit of television.

guillermo del toro's pinocchio made me fucking bawl my eyes out and i'm a little resentful of that. stupidly, stupidly beautiful film.

i'm here to talk about s/tar wars the bad b/atch, or at least the second season's first two episodes.

the whitewashing and general racism around the clones has been a problem since attack of the clones but has really only gotten worse with time and is especially bad in this outing of the franchise. i'm not super qualified to talk about this, but i think @unwhitewashthebadbatch is a good starting point.

my biggest storytelling beef is that it feels very much like a DnD campaign that is trying to be a blades in the dark campaign. the format and tone aren't quite right. this show neither focuses on the immediacies of survival right after the republic's collapse, nor where the Bad Batch are trying to fit themselves into a new world, and it really suffers for it. there's almost nothing about parenthood (bc Omega is still tagging along on missions, and she is still twelve). i still don't really know the story this show is trying to tell, but am forced to conclude that a weekly show for children about guys who can do some sick flips is not the correct medium since i still don't fucking know what story this show is trying to tell.

there are eight products on shopDisney for this show and two of them are on clearance. i do not anticipate this series will be renewed past s3. apparently according to some advance reviewers this picks the fuck up after the midpoint of the season but i'm not holding my breath.

production wise, the backgrounds and lighting have gotten way better, they've really leaned into a luminous sort of matte painting that doesn't always pretend to have depth. i like how the rocky set in the second episode feels very much like a live-action limited-budget set. looks very much like a soundstage but animated, and i think that's oddly charming. i do like the location we visited in e2, wish we got to see more of it or talk really at all about the significance of the location. like. we have a literal castle chase and we don't talk about the castle At All. come ON.

one of the few canon trans characters in star wars deserves a better show with more coherent storytelling. love star wars! wish it was good.

-

playing

largely fallow week. shouts out to the app Flick Solitaire bc i played through a hundred and fifty levels in the past few days

-

making

some knitting problems i have to mull over before i post, bc i created an entire kerchief thing in a percocet haze but am unhappy with the finish. we shall see! might frog it but i'll post about it before i do

[columboscreens]

columbo is so gender to me but i dont think i could ever look like him</3

i think it's totally possible for anyone to embody his essence. you can even manage to rock something directly inspired by columbo without looking like you're cosplaying.

hair

if you have columbo's hair type, it's actually pretty easy to emulate his styles. i even know people who show pictures of columbo to hair stylists to get his look. my partner's hair in its natural state is very similar to columbo's--dark, wavy, tending to grow in spite of gravity rather than with it. whenever he gets his hair cut, he shows the stylist photos of late 60s/pilot episode peter falk, whose look is actually pretty on-trend for the current era. it works out pretty well.

your swag may have aged well pilot columbo but you can't beat floof

failing that, getting any haircut that is natural, low-maintenance, and not too attention-grabbing captures the visual language all the same. for reference, natasha lyonne in poker face has her hair in natural-looking, messy waves that to me just exude columbo.

clothing

how you present yourself to the world is up to you, but if you want to invoke columbo, there's a lot more you can do than buy a tan raincoat.

in an era of sharply-cut, wide-lapelled constructions, fat tie tuesdays, and gucci loafers, columbo stands out as classic comfort personified.

his collar, tie, and lapels are slim, proportional, and unassuming; they'd look good in almost any era. his pants fit closely to his leg but not too wide or slim, and sit at or near the natural waist. though his suits, shirts, ties, shoes, socks, and even coats rotate, there is a consistent color palette keeping him "on model". he embraces earth tones: creams, forest greens, light browns, dark browns, stony grays, rusts, and roses. his clothing seems like an afterthought, but it's an extension of his personality--rumpled and unassuming at first, yet sharp and deliberate upon further inspection.

amid the 1970s explosion of synthetic popularity, it says something that every stitch of textile on columbo's person is natural (aside from the raincoat, which is probably nylon or poly--he wears it without a lining and uses it as essentially an oversized windbreaker). his boots are leather with crepe latex soles; his tie is silk. his shirt is cotton, a bit boxy but comfortable and properly fitted. because the construction of his suits is roomy and unstructured, and because they're made of linen, they wrinkle easily.

this is easily confused for appearing slovenly. actually, all things considered, his clothes fit him pretty damn well, it's just hard to avoid wrinkling natural fibers like linen and cotton, especially in hot weather. he's running around los angeles sweating up a storm, the man needs loose, breathable fabric.

point is, columbo dresses very thoughtfully. since these clothes are workwear for him and he works a hell of a lot, it's imperative that he factors in the weather, his comfort, and proper fit when picking clothes. he wants to like and be comfortable in them while looking unassuming. so even though he sometimes ends up looking like an unmade bed, his choices are deliberate.

you could invoke these principles in your own appearance by picking earthy colors/jewel tones and comfortable, natural fabrics that you enjoy wearing, which has the added benefit of being better for you and the environment. consider also taking a few garments in to be altered. it's usually not that expensive, supports your local needlefolk, and makes even cheap clothes fit great.

as a last little aside, i think having a "signature" clothing item akin to columbo's raincoat would be a nice touch. a jacket, a pair of shoes, even a watch or necklace. something you always wear. if you really do want a raincoat like his, just make sure you're not buying a trench coat, because, repeat after me: columbo does not wear a trench coat.

[inariedwards]

Museum news from Finland:

Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia donates its Sámi collection to the Sámi Museum Siida

The Sámi Museum Siida is the national museum with the responsibility for preserving the material and cultural heritage of Finland's Sámi people. The Sámi objects in the Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia's collections were mainly acquired between 1900 and the 1960s with the last ones added to the collections in the 1980s.

The first part of the donation, which includes the textile items of the collection, will be transferred to representatives of the Sámi museum in the collection facilities of the Museum of North Ostrobothnia on Tuesday, 16 January 2024.

– As the new collection and exhibition facilities of the Sámi Museum Siida are now completed, this seemed like a good time to donate the objects of Sámi origin back to the Sámi community, says Pasi Kovalainen, Director of Cultural heritage work at the Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia.

– The Sámi objects and their return have a profound meaning for the Sámi community. The donation is a significant addition to the oldest part of the Sámi Museum Siida's collections. We thank the Museum of Northern Ostrobothnia for this important decision, says Taina Pieski, Siida's Museum Director.

The collections of the Museum of North Ostrobothnia that include objects of Sámi origin date back to the early days of the only professionally run museum in Northern Finland. The objects were collected by Samuli Paulaharju (1875–1944), a folklorist and museum curator from Oulu. The collection was destroyed almost completely by two fires in the museum buildings in 1929 and 1940. After both fires, replacement items were collected in Lapland.

The collection of approximately 400 items now donated consists of Sámi textiles and utensils, including a goahti (traditional Sámi hut) and several sledges. The oldest items include a cheese mould from Enontekiö dating back to 1797 and rare crossbow stocks, the oldest of which dates back to 1730.

As a large part of the Sámi cultural heritage is still held by museums outside the Sámi region, the transfer of the collection is important for the Sámi community.

The Sámi material culture is both practical and beautiful in its diversity, and the museum objects contain a wealth of intangible knowledge about their manufacture and use. This knowledge is best preserved in Sápmi by the Sámi themselves. Through the study of artefacts, it is possible to revive the old craft traditions and techniques of the Sámi community, knowledge of materials and the vocabulary related to the production and use of the objects. The revitalisation processes are a form of communal and intergenerational transfer of learning and knowledge, and they contribute to the transmission of Sámi material and immaterial culture to future generations.

The transfer of Sámi collections to the Sámi Museum Siida over the past decade is a concrete demonstration of genuine cooperation between museums and the increased understanding of the importance of cultural heritage for the Sámi community.

[rosenbraut]

bite-sized inspiration for this week (16.09.-22.09.)

Monday. Sofia Coppola’s Path to Filming Gilded Adolescence [A]

Tuesday. Venice Film Festival | Fierce women, cool couples and a ‘film as art’ Gala [A] AND How Rebecca Horn (1944-2024) Broke the Feminine Body Apart [A]

Wednesday. Periwinkle, the Color of Poison, Modernism, and Dusk [A]

Thursday. Protest gegen quadratisch, praktisch, gut – Ein Gespräch über Mode mit Barbara Vinken [A]

Friday. Inside The Art-Filled Home/Studio This Textile Designer Has Rented For 48 years [V, 10 mins]

Saturday. Why Female Cannibals Frighten and Fascinate [A]

Sunday. Disease, distance, desire: Rebecca Horn’s haunting art of isolation [A]

[A] = Article || [V] = Video

Inspired by my loving&moving my body series (which continues to bring me great joy), I felt that maybe, a week's selection of articles might be fun as well. Nourish the mind and the body. The list features little bites of architecture, art, film and fashion - and with one exception, they're all centred around women (which was an accident, but I do sense an overall theme in the selection, too). If you'd like to join in on the reading, feel free to! (It can be a little echo of our book club, remember?) And if you have suggestions where to begin digging deeper into essays and articles online, I'd love to hear them! I read way too little of them to know where to look, quite frankly, so I really appreciate any advice or inspiration.

[anyataylorsoy]

I would love to know five facts about a hellcheer art school AU 🥰

several days later

1) I think Eddie would probably be a traditional media artist, like illustration. He would be working on his own graphic novel. Chrissy would be more into textiles and she’d tell her mother that she was going to school for fashion, but really she’s making a giant quilt of her mental health journey for the school exhibition 💕

2) Eddie would be paying for school by doing various odd jobs including posing for the art classes, playing guitar in a church’s band on Sundays, and working in a retirement home cafeteria. Chrissy volunteers at the retirement home for her scholarship program and she waits until class to tell Eddie that she noticed him: “you look much better without the hairnet.”

3) Obviously, Corroded Coffin still exist in this universe, and they play in a seedy bar with an alleyway entrance on Tuesday nights. It’s popular amongst the college kids, though, because happy hour is $2 drafts. Eddie finally gets the nerve to invite Chrissy to come see them play. She unfortunately has a panic attack in throngs of drunks and goes home. Eddie shows up to her apartment after the show with his guitar: “I believe I promised you a song.” He doesn’t even get to the chorus before Chrissy is in his arms.

4) Chrissy’s mom finds out she isn’t doing fashion design and is “wasting her life” on an art degree and stops paying for the other half of Chrissy’s tuition. Eddie gets her a job as a barback at the bar. Eventually, the bartender teaches her how to make drinks during the slow times and she gets a promotion. She demands they give Corroded Coffin the prime Friday night spot.

5) They eventually find a converted warehouse apartment and move in together in their senior year. Chrissy’s completed quilt hangs on their wall and Eddie has stacks of his comic book on the coffee table waiting to be sent off to publishers. They’re hosting Wayne for thanksgiving, nothing is going right, but they’re on the third bottle of wine and having a grand time. Wayne’s brought Eddie his grandmother’s wedding ring and it’s burning a hole in Eddie’s pocket, but he’s waiting until Christmas. …or at least the Macy’s day parade.

send more AUs, maybe?

[arthistoryanimalia]

#TextileTuesday:

Textile with Animals, Birds, and Flowers Eastern Central Asia, late 12th–14th century Silk embroidery on plain-weave silk 14 5/8 x 14 7/8 in. (37.1 x 37.8 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1988.296

"This textile demonstrates the longevity of motifs in eastern Central Asia. The placement of animals—a spotted horse, a rabbit, and two deer (or antelope)—at its cardinal points is a compositional device that began to appear in the region during the Han dynasty. The birds on the piece, especially the parrot, entered the Central Asian repertoire during a second period of strong Chinese influence, the Tang dynasty. The floral background's central motif of lotus blossoms, a lotus leaf, and a trefoil leaf was seen in Central Asia and North China but became widespread during the Yuan dynasty."

[burnt-scone]

Brands so far that DON'T support Israel

(Will add/remove as I know)

Food

Raising Canes

Smoothie King

Trader Joes

Faygo (National Beverage Corporation)

Twinings (Associated British Foods)

La Croix (National Beverage Corporation)

Ovaltine(Associated British Foods) didn't know it was British ngl

Jack In The Box

In-N-Out

Ben & Jerry's

Panda Express

Target (Allegedly, if you buy Starbucks there's, not cups & and merch, but just drinks the money stays with Target and doesn't support SBux? But I'm still making my own drinks.)

Barcel (Takis and such) Have Kosher/Halal options but that also depends on the location of production. Some products and facilities do use Lard (pork)

Hygiene & Beauty & Aesthetic

MamaSia (Organic Beauty products out of Ghana)

MZ Skin (more lab science based skin products, people suggest their retinol formula)

ANZ Clothing (inspired by traditional knit wear of England)

Huda Beauty (Iraqi/American Founder, Huda Kattan has been very outspoken on her wish for Palestines freedom)

Tuesday in Love (Halal nail polish brand originally, they now sell other beauty products and Hijabs)

Comfee (minimalist and comfy garments)

PaliRoots (A Palestinian brand whose goal is to bring awareness to Palestinian culture and heritage)

Lyra Swimwear (modest and fashionable swimwear)

Lush (Y'all probably know Lush, well known for ethical practices and charity work)

Reemami (Palestinian fashion brand inspired by UAE-Fashion)

NURNEI (Palestinian traditional Jewelry)

Meera Adnan (textile brand that helps to bring pride to Palestinian traditional fashion)

Zaid Farouki (Celebrates Palestinian culture and fashion)

(I made this because I also needed this list, I want to know what I can eat)

This website is great for when shopping, search a brand, and it'll tell you if they support or don't support Israel

Removed :

Krispy Kreme (Even though they allowed UCLA to raise money for Palestine. Their owners run the Alfred Landecker Foundation, a zionist foundation spreading misinformation.

Edit Dec 11

[skellymom]

UNTITLED FIC SNIPPET

CROSSHAIR x READER NON GENDER

Background: Crosshair brainrot stuck in my head. Reader helps The Batch rescue Cross, Omega, and Tech from Mt Tantiss only to get separated from the group and have to make their escape...then losing track of everyone for a long extended period of time. Reader and Cross have navigate living with each other on the stolen Imperial ship with the hope you can find your clone family again.

Word count: 325

No warnings, just angst and fluff

The open air market on some back water Outer Rim moon provided a distraction. The textile stand caught your eye. Beautiful scarves...you picked up a jet black one with fine silver metallic strands running through it.

"Good choice. It compliments your hair." The elderly shop keep stepped from behind a long quilt hanging behind the counter.

"Marv! Are you flirting again?" An older woman approached playfully teasing her husband.

"Now why would I do that when I have you, my sweet Meileroon? Besides, here's their partner now."

Crosshair sauntered up to the counter, amused at the comment.

"Hello honey" He teased.

You rolled your eyes, ignoring his "greeting." "What do you think of this scarf?"

"Hmm, not really my style." Cross reached down to pull another from under the pile. "Now this one..."

This scarf was rusty red with fine intermittent off-white paired stripes dispersed through it. Crosshair draped it around his neck. "What do you think?"

The blood drained from your face.

"No..." You dropped the scarf and hurried away from the stand.

*************

Cross caught up to you a few moments later...still wearing that damned scarf.

"Care to explain?"

Grabbing the fabric in your fist. "That's HIS scarf...NOT YOURS!

Cross softened. Not a trace of snark on his face. "You were in love with Hunter?"

"We are STILL in a relationship, Crosshair! Just because Hunter and I are apart doesn't mean that ended."

Crosshair stared directly into your eyes with such an intensity...it was difficult to keep eye contact.

"So...I complicate those feelings." It wasn't a question. He didn't need to ask. He KNEW.

You noticed his eyes changed from brown to grey in this perfect light. The light of the sun setting on this backwater moon. Almost the exact color gray of his brother's eyes.

You sighed deeply, letting go of the scarf. Your hand dropping to rest, open palmed on Crosshair's chest.

He stepped closer, placing his warm hand over yours...

**************

Yes...I have several other fics that I MUST WRITE more chapters to/finish...but this MAN...what is happening to me??? Dammit Crosshair...you Silver Vixen...haunting me with your snarkiness and slutty skinny getaway sticks...

...I've got the fever...FOR MORE CROSSHAIR!

PLEASE like, comment, and/or REBLOG!

@fionajames @thecoffeelorian @genericficerblog @crosshairs-right-nut @arctrooper69 @littlefeatherr @askyourfox

I need to tag more people, but wanted to rush this out before leaving for Tuesday Trivia Night with friends! PLEASE message me or let me know if you want on the taglist! Thanks!!!

[soulsforsales]

Professor Steven Grant x Reader

Warning: This is my first fic (Idk if that should be a warning but I am scared lol), fluff, age gap, no use of Y/N, sorry for any grammatical mistakes

Summary: You always had a weak spot for nerds but Steven Grant might just be the man of your dreams.

Pairing: Steven Grant x reader (yes, we do have Marc and Jake in the next chapters!)

Thankyou @ivystoryweaver for your ideas and support <3

Chapter 1

It is a warm Tuesday afternoon in October. You are browsing the books in the "classics" section at the bookstore. Usually, you come to the bookstore on weekends but you've decided to meet a friend this week, so here you are.

Your eyes roam the bookshelf along with your hand in a straight line until you hit something. Someone. You step back, an apology already on your lips until you turn and see the man beside you and suddenly you are at a loss for words. You stare at him.

Normally, if you run into someone at the bookstore you would just turn away and apologize, which happened a lot since you were always lost searching for your book but it wasn't a rom-com movie where anyone you accidentally stumble upon turns out to be your soulmate - but, god, right now you wish it were.

Honestly, you have seen your fair share of good-looking men, but this guy was, you dare say it, gorgeous.

He had a defined, sharp jawline with dark brown eyes, and his hair was a mess of curls. He was wearing baggy clothes but it suited him just fine and a messenger bag slung on his shoulder. 'I'm sorry,' you hear him say and he gives an apologetic smile. O.K. If you thought he was good-looking a moment ago, his smile was absolutely beaming - and it wasn't even a real smile. 'You okay?' He asks, his fingers grazing your forearm for the slightest second, bringing you back to life. He is looking down at you, confused. Really? Could he not see what he was doing to you or did he not know how good-looking he was?

You nod, saying, 'I am fine. Sorry about that.' He waves his hand in front of his face, 'No worries,' he replies with a smile. He looks a bit older than you, thirteen years or some.

You are staring at him again. You can feel yourself getting red. So embarrassing.

'That's a nice book you've got there,' he says, pointing to the book in your hands that was now wrapped around your chest. The blush on your cheeks deepens, he doesn't notice.

"Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte" you trace your fingers over the cover of the book.

'Yeah,' you say, pushing the book closer to yourself, 'you too.' Alright, you do not know why you said that, but he was holding a book and it only felt right to return the compliment.

Or maybe you are just really bad when it comes to conversations with someone who's got you fawning.

He shows the book to you, "The Ennead" it reads. Suddenly, you are intrigued. Yes, you work for a textile company but History, especially Egyptian, has always been interesting to you. And before you know it, you are both somehow in a long, elaborated conversation about the Ennead, Egyptian history, and the pyramids.

He knew so much that it left you speechless. You could only admire him as he kept spitting engrossing Egyptian facts as if it were the weather report. He talked animatedly, with his hands moving and his eyes gleaming. His hands, wow, his perfect, sleek hands were totally distracting you from his stories.

He stopped abruptly when his phone rang. He was telling you something about Ammit, the sinister goddess of the Underworld but he had to stop and pick up the call.

He held the phone close to his chest, saying, 'Looks like I'll have to leave.' He looked like he was in a hurry but he glanced at you once more before walking out the place, as if he wanted to say more.

He disappeared soon as if he'd never even been here.

Your heart is beating fast and it feels almost as if, you have never had a conversation like this one before. Maybe it was the person more than the conversation itself.

You didn't even ask for his name, you wince at the realization. You should've totally asked for his name.

Maybe you'll see him again.

For some reason, you are sure you'll see him again.

•------🌙

You are a few feet away from the coffee shop's door when you notice your friend. She's sitting at the table with someone, you can't really see who, and is typing aggressively into her laptop.

Your friend is in the last year of her University, she's a year younger than you. You always knew that University was not your thing but you'd attended it anyway because your parents wanted you to and being exceedingly wealthy, they had proposed to pay your study loans for you.

So now you have a full-time job, a good paycheck, and an apartment of your own without any piles of loans above your head. While your friend, still in Uni was drowning in projects and assignments and you knew she needed to loosen up a bit, hence, the reason you two were meeting today.

You enter the shop with a smile, but it drops the moment you notice who your friend is with. You freeze a few feet away from the table. You couldn't be sure if it was him but the resemblance was there.

Your friend looks up from her laptop, noticing you. She waves at you, grinning, which makes, whoever it is, sitting in front of her turn to you.

You almost trip. He looks even better than the last time you'd seen him. He was still wearing baggy clothes, his hair tousled and curly but it looked purposely done. And he was wearing glasses, red colored glasses perched on the top of his nose. Adorable.

You always had a weak spot for nerds but he might just be the man of your dreams.

Your friend asks you to come over and have a seat and you do. You can tell that he remembers you. He's been staring at you ever since you walked in and you can't breathe. What's happening to you?

Your friend, however, is oblivious, she introduces you to the man, telling him your name and he introduces himself, 'Steven Grant,' he says, shaking your hand clumsily. You nod. His hand, oh god, the handshake sent tingles all over your skin.

'He was just helping me with a few assignments, thank you so much for this,' your friend adds and after telling her that it's no big deal Steven leaves the table to get his order.

You watch him go. Steven Grant. You had met him at the bookstore almost a week ago and yet, you couldn't stop thinking about him. It felt foolish but you'd never, in your life, daydreamed about a guy the way you'd daydreamed about Steven Grant.

'Stop drooling,' your friend says interrupting your rail of thoughts. A blush spreads on your cheeks. You aren't drooling... are you?

'How do you know him?' You ask her

Your friend grins, 'he's my history professor.'

Your jaw drops, 'he's a professor?' You repeat, placing your hands on your chest dramatically, 'he's like everything I've ever wanted.'

She chuckles, 'You should ask him out. He's exactly your type and I am sure he's single.'

Your eyes turn to Steven who's now getting his coffee, 'how's he still single?'

'Because he's the most awkward person you'll ever meet and the only friend he has is a goldfish named 'Gus', it is one-finned or something. He loves talking about it,' your friend tells

You smile to yourself but your heart's hammering against your chest and you know you'd never have the courage to ask him out.

'I could never,' you say, biting your lower lip. Before your friend can reply Steven comes back with a flask that the barista had filled for him.

Your friend smirks as she closes her laptop and leaves the table the next moment. You silently beg her to stay but it's too late.

Steven looks at you and you can't stop blushing. You are praying that your complexion doesn't give it away. 'Correct me if I'm wrong,' he speaks sweetly, 'but... have we met before?'

Your cheeks redden, 'yeah,' you say, 'Yes actually, at the bookstore... that day, I - I had no idea that you were, would be - what a coincidence, right?' You give yourself an imaginary facepalm. Someone must remind you how to form a coherent sentence again.

'You're at University too?' He asks

You shake your head, 'Oh no, not anymore.'

Steven smiles in reply and you two fall into an awkward silence. You want to say something - you know you should say something but he hasn't stopped smiling since you arrived and you can't think straight when he's looking at you with those deep, soft, brown eyes.

Maybe you should ask him something about his job - anything would be better than staring at him like an idiot.

You open your mouth to speak but Steven cuts you off, 'that day when we met,' he says, taking his glasses off, 'I wanted to ask you something, actually...' he pauses to take a good look at your face, you can swear you are as red as a tomato by now. 'I was wondering if - if you would want to - maybe - uh, have dinner with me sometime? I was just thinking if...' You don't hear the rest of the sentence. Your breath hitches in your throat. Was he asking you out? Was Steven Grant, the man you had been reeling after - asking you out on a date? This felt unreal.

'I'm sorry,' his voice reaches your ear, interrupting your thoughts, 'I think I might be reading too much into it. I understand if you're not interested.'

Your eyes visibly widen at his words. It wasn't that at all.

'No.' You almost yell, 'I - I am interested. I want to, I mean. I would love to go on a date with you.' You are smiling hard and you can feel the butterflies rummaging in your stomach. 'If - if that's what you are implying.' You add.

This is bad.

Steven lets out a small laugh, his cheeks turning pink, 'Yes. Yes, th - that's what I meant.'

You grin, not because you want to but because you can't help it. He's so nice and so absolutely beautiful.

Steven fiddles with his sleeves nervously, saying, 'Well, there's this really nice restaurant down the street. They have all kinds of food options. I - I was thinking maybe we could, you know, check it out.'

You nod, still smiling. Still feeling the butterflies in your stomach. He looked ten times better when he smiled.

'Yeah,' you say, 'yeah, sounds great.'

'I'll see you tomorrow then? If - if that's okay with you. I get off work at 5'

'Tomorrow's good.'

'Yeah?' He's smiling with his eyes now, crinkles appearing around them and oh, you could just die.

Steven's expression softens as he starts to get up, 'I am terribly sorry, love,' he says, with a weak smile, 'I would really like to stay but I have to leave now - I have a meeting at work. I could, uh, text you the details, though?'

You tell him that it's alright and exchange phone numbers.

'See you tomorrow, then?' He asks, sliding his messenger bag down his shoulder, his curls toss as he fixes the strap and you fight the urge to push your fingers through them. You really wanted to.

'It's a date then,' you say, biting your lower lip. It was hard to contain your giddiness.

'I'll call you.' He says, passing you a little smile before finally walking out the shop.

Oh my god. It happened! You are going out on a date with Steven Grant. You are acting like a teenager getting asked out for the first time but you're too happy to care. You are happy - excited even - for a date, you haven't felt this like this in a long time.

Your friend finally comes back to the table, holding a sandwich in one hand and a coffee cup in another.

'You were ages.' You say, adding Steven's phone number into your contacts

'Was I?' Your friend replies, slurping her drink, 'well, the barista was super cute - not really my fault, besides, what were you chatting with Mr. Grant about?'

You smile. Your cheeks hurt from smiling now but you can't help it, 'I am going on a date.' You tell her, 'With your professor.'

Tagging: @wittyjasontodd (I didn't know if you'd wanted to be tagged since this is not DC related but here it is!), @fandxmslxt69 (bcs I was inspired by your math professor lol >.<)

Anyone who wants to be tagged, just lmk!

[ratatoskrr]

Tried out tablet weaving at the Textile Research Centre last Tuesday! Love that you don't need a loom for it and the cards are easy to make.

It's an ingenious system, how you can get different patterns by turning the cards forwards or backwards.