#and I still can’t quite wrap my head around Zoe getting the Black Cat

[lovely-hikari-cosplay]

What could’ve been

…b/c for some reason my brain was expecting Luka and Kagami to be Marinette and Adrien’s got to replacements in Kwami’s Choice 🥴

-

Black Cat Kagami = Nekomata

Ladybug Luka = Beetlebug

Bonus!! Ladybug Kagami (Aka-hime) and Black Cat Luka (Shadow Cat)

[thecasperanfamily]

Ficlet with Archie getting into a fight with the neighbour's dog to protect Bebe Lin?

The gratingly cheerful ringing of the doorbell slammed into Douxie’s ears and bounced around in his skull like a hyperactive gnome. He snorted as his head jerked up off of his pillow, crusty eyes blinking owlishly against the morning light. He pawed at his nightstand for his phone. 9:14 am. He groaned as he dropped the device back onto the nightstand.

“No civilized human being should be going around banging down doors at this ungodly hour...” he grumbled, pulling himself out of bed and heading for the front door with all the grace and energy of a zombie emerging from its tomb. He quickly changed his mind on the matter when he discovered that the person banging down his door was Claire Nuñez, and that she was holding a casserole dish.

“Hi, Teach!” she beamed. “Sorry, it’s a little early. Jim and I were going to have brunch in the park, and since your place is kind of on my way, I thought I’d drop off these enchiladas. Mama and I made them for you. Figured you probably don’t have much time to cook with a baby around.” It was at this point that she finally noticed his disheveled appearance. “...Did I wake you up?”

“No, no, I’ve been up for hours!” Douxie lied. “Come on in.” He stepped aside to let her in, and took the dish from her. The brightly-patterned kitchen towel wrapped around it did very little to conceal the heavenly smell of its contents. “...You’re an angel, Ms. Nuñez,” he sighed. “And your mum, too. I’ve just recently discovered a man can only subsist on frozen lasagna alone for so long before he starts losing his sense of taste.”

“Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long,” Claire replied, settling down on the sofa while Douxie took the enchiladas to the kitchen.

“Can I get you anything?” he called. “I was just going to brew myself a cuppa.”

“Tea would be great, thank you. I won’t stay too long. I just wanted to check on you.”

“Probably wise,” Douxie admitted. There were a few minutes of comfortable silence as the wizard bustled about, bringing the water to a boil and setting up the tea tray. He brought it out to the living room and, after shoving a plush toy off of the coffee table with his foot, set the tray down with a flourish. He then immediately collapsed into the nearest armchair, thoroughly exhausted.

“It’s been a week now,” Claire began, politely ignoring the way Douxie was gulping his tea like his life depended on it. “How’s everything going with Samuel?”

“So far so good,” he answered, emerging from his cup with a sigh of relief. “We’ve taken to calling him Little Merlin--Zoe made us shorten it to Lin. He was uneasy the first few days, but he seems happy now.”

“What about his powers?”

“Highly unusual, to be sure,” Douxie mused, staring into his teacup thoughtfully. “But nothing dangerous so far. I can understand why his fosters were scared, though. It’s unsettling even for me. I’ve never heard of magic surfacing at such a young age, and when he’s upset, it’s like the whole room goes cold all of a sudden.”

“Where is he now?”

Douxie choked on his tea and bolted out of his chair. “Oh gods I don’t even know--!”

“He is with Archie in my garden,” a soft voice interrupted. Nari had evidently crept inside while they were conversing, and was now helping herself to one of the biscuits on the tray. She gave Claire a polite nod while Douxie fell back into his chair with a groan. “He awoke quite early this morning. Archie and I thought it would be best if we looked after him, since you were up so late last night.”

“Archie knows how to babysit?” Claire put in.

“Surprisingly, yes,” Douxie answered. “I mean, he did practically raise me, but I wasn’t expecting him to take to a baby this much. I can hardly tear him away from Lin’s side.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet, though!” Claire gushed. “I mean, I never would have guessed--” She stopped short, distracted by a movement outside the front window. Douxie looked up from the biscuit he was dunking and followed her line of sight. A cloud of golden-brown fluff was shuffling around the front yard, nose to the ground and tail swishing happily from side to side.

“Oh, that’s Cooper, the neighbor’s dog. He keeps getting out of his yard, but nobody really minds because he’s the sweetest thing on four legs. No offense to Archie.”

“He has a gentle soul,” Nari agreed, brushing biscuit crumbs off of her shirt. “I have spoken to him a few times. He reminds me quite a bit of Douxie. They have similar values.” She smiled coyly at the sound of Douxie’s indignant sputter.

“Yeah, I can see the resemblance,” Claire snickered. Cooper went out of sight around the side of the house, and the conversation resumed. “Do you have any potential guardians for Lin in mind, or are you still looking?”

“I have one or two old wizarding friends I can try,” Douxie said. “But getting their current contact information is a bit of a hassle. And anyways, right now I think the most important thing is figuring out exactly what Lin is and why his magic is manifesting like this. I was thinking about calling Blinky, ask him if he’s read anything about--” The discussion was once again stopped short, this time by ruckus coming from the back yard--a cacophony of plaintive yelps and draconic snarls. Douxie, Nari, and Claire all bolted out of their seats and raced for the back door. Douxie wrenched it open and dove outside, magic already gathering in his palms, only to find Lin sitting perfectly safe in a patch of clover, looking very confused but otherwise unharmed.

Archie, on the other hand, was about as far from calm as Douxie had ever seen him. His back was arched, spines standing up straight and sharp, the fur on his tail puffed out like a bottlebrush. He was glaring daggers at Cooper, who was curled against the back of the house, quivering and whimpering and rubbing at his snout with one of his paws.

“Archie, what the hell?!” Douxie burst out, trying to scoop his Familiar up before he caused any more damage.

“Unhand me at once!” the cat-dragon yowled. “If it wasn’t for me, your human kitten would have been swallowed by this brute!”

“He's a golden retriever, Arch! The only things he wants to swallow are dog treats and tennis balls!” Douxie shouted, struggling to hold the writhing mass of black fur and scales in his arms. Lin, obviously upset by the commotion, started to cry. Claire inhaled sharply. Douxie hadn't been exaggerating. She could feel the weight of Lin’s unease pressing down on her. Nari slipped around Douxie and approached Cooper, taking his face between her hands and whispering words of healing and reassurance. Archie finally stopped flailing and settled for simply glaring at the dog while hanging upside-down in Douxie’s grasp. Lin, becoming more upset the longer he was ignored, wailed all the louder.

“Claire, could you--?” Douxie grunted, unwilling to risk setting Archie down.

“Yeah, I got him.” The young witch scooped Lin up in her arms and bounced him gently. He settled down almost at once, staring up at Claire with large, curious eyes. “Hi there, Lin,” she cooed. “Nice to finally meet you.”

“As far as first meetings go, I feel like that could’ve been a bit smoother,” Douxie grumbled. Archie kicked him in the chin with his back paw.

“Cooper did not suffer any grave injuries, but he does wish to go home now,” Nari reported.

“Good. And don’t come back,” Archie snarled.

“Your instincts are admirable, Archie, but they are misplaced,” Nari replied as she coaxed Cooper away from the wall and ushered him on his way. He eyed Archie for a moment, then bolted away, tail tucked between his legs.

“Better to be safe than sorry,” the Familiar spat. “You can’t trust dogs.”

“Arch, we haven’t been chased by any dogs since the 1910s,” Douxie groaned. “You need to lighten up.”

“...Fine. Now put me down.” Douxie dropped him unceremoniously, and he landed on the grass with a draconic snort. He shifted back into his feline form and curled around Claire’s legs, beaming up at the baby in her arms proudly. A very long and awkward silence followed.

“Uh...” Claire glanced nervously between Archie, Lin, and Douxie, before finally landing on Nari, who gave her an encouraging nod. “...A-anybody want some enchiladas?”

Thanks so much for reading! ✨

[beauticate]

Michelle Lau, Style Blogger, A Minute Away From Snowing

Having created a blog that caught the eye of no less than the Vogue Australia team, Michelle Lau hasn’t looked back. Instead, she’s parlayed her vision into Instagram account @aminuteawayfromsnowing with over 50,000 followers, who can’t get enough of her chic personal style combined with beautifully shot scenes of her family and their travels. Her WA home is just as stylish as you’d expect – think lots of white, lots of light, and perfectly chosen statement pieces – and she invited us in to discuss the creative fulfilment her work brings her, the importance of a good gin and tonic and her ultimate red lipstick.

“I moonlight as a content creator on my Instagram account @aminuteawayfromsnowing, and I’m a Spy Style blogger for vogue.com.au.

By day, I’m in PR/Marketing/Comms (which I’m currently on maternity leave from). I’ve been in the marketing profession for over a decade now and it’s my number one passion. 

I so appreciate that my work interests me enough to want to keep doing it forever, and also allows me to be a mum first and foremost as soon as I walk through the door at 5pm. My work is a very grounding aspect of my life and one that I value just as much as being a mother.

My style is classic, easy, a little minimalist and undone, then depending on my mood I throw in some colour and print.

I look to Totême and Bassike for day to day (both absolute godsends during pregnancy and postpartum too), and Scanlan Theodore and Pleats Please Issey Miyake for the office, as well as quirky printed pieces by Ganni. I also swear by Topshop denim.

Some favourite recent wardrobe additions include a Haider Ackermann black kimono wrap shirt  I recently stumbled across in a vintage store, as well as a pair of early ‘90s Levis 501s, which I’ve been wearing when the weather’s cool enough. A beautiful crystal Chanel brooch my husband bought me during our recent family trip to Tokyo is very much a prized possession.

I adopt a ‘less is more’ approach to beauty - mostly out of necessity! Someone is always either hungry or bored in my house, so I’ve got my routine down to five minutes flat. 

I’m all about luminous skin, defined but natural-looking brows and a wash of colour on my cheeks and lips. I have also been embracing a makeup-free face quite often these days when it’s just me and the kids and we haven’t got much on.

I tend to experiment more with cosmetics than skincare. It’s amazing what a difference to an outfit - or a day - a bold lip or a cat eye can do.

I’m also unapologetically a creature of comfort. I’m quite choosy with what I use as I have hypersensitive skin, but I like to think that I am also a minimalist - all I need is concealer, a brow product, blush and a bit of powder, and I’m out the door.

Old faithfuls I’ve been using for years – some for decades! – include RMS Un-Cover Up concealer in 22, Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 5.5, NARS Eyebrow Pencil in Ipanema, and Make Up For Ever HD Powder. (Oh, and I’m looking to try Skin Veil by Ellis Faas as I’ve heard so many good things about it). I really love a multitasking cream blush. It saves room in my makeup bag by applying it to both my lips and cheeks. My all-time fave is Cactus Flower by NARS [Ed. note: not available in Australia].

When I want to feel dressed up, I rely on a good red lip and mascara.

Tom Ford lippy, straight from the bullet, in Wild Ginger is my go-to for a bold red lip. For mascara, I find Japanese drugstore brands work really well for me. After years of using Chanel Inimitable, I now repeat purchase Kiss Me Heroine mascaras. Unfortunately I can only buy them whenever I (or my sister) travel to Tokyo, so I tend to stock up.

I’m really lazy with mascara – both with the process of applying it and when it comes to taking it off at the end of the day. So instead, sometimes I’ll apply dark brown eyeliner really close to my lash line when I don’t want to wear mascara that day. I find this still opens up the eye area and makes me look ‘done’.

I only wash my hair twice a week and let it air dry 99% of the time. 

When I do blow dry it, usually if there’s an event the next day, I’ll spritz EVO Salty Dog on my damp hair (mostly at the roots), then blast it with my Dyson Supersonic as it’s powerful but gentle and doesn’t fry my hair. It also dries my hair so bloody quickly, which is great, because kids wait for no one. Dry shampoo is an essential, not only to extend days between washes, but also as a styling product, in place of hairspray. Toni & Guy always makes good ones for styling.

For special occasions or right before the weekend, I swear by Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine and Schwarzkopf Osis+ Dust It powder. After I’ve put some S-shaped waves in my hair with my GHD straightener, I’ll texturise the roots with the powder, then run a small amount of Brilliantine through the mid-lengths and ends. That kind of sets the waves in a natural, undone way. 

I’ve been seeing Marie Cain at Head Studio for almost 12 years now. She does such a good, choppy lob, which is my go-to style after having longish hair for years. 

Postpartum hair has been tricky to navigate, and after treading these waters twice now, I’m amazed at how different my two experiences have been on my hair. After my first baby, my hair didn’t start falling out until around the four to five month mark, and it took ages to grow back. Second time around, the hair loss began at the three month mark, but it only took a month or so for it to all start growing back. I have a little trick to hide the postpartum receding hairlines: I have curtain bangs cut (making sure the fringe starts from the top of the crown) and it immediately adds thickness to the front of the head. Then, as the new hair comes through, it blends into the existing fringe. 

I haven’t told anyone this but my pharmacist-turned-personal-hairdresser husband actually cut my recent fringe, because I needed it done so badly and couldn’t get a hair appointment! 

Look, it sounds pretty rogue and like a true recipe for disaster, but after a couple of YouTube videos… I’m still shocked to this day that he did a decent job of it, even though he cuts his own and the kids’ hair all the time. I think I was happier to take the risk because, having gone through two postpartum hair losses, I’ve realised hair is just hair and it grows back (thankfully).

My mum has always been pretty fuss-free when it comes to beauty and grooming.

She drilled into me the importance of taking care of my skin by being sun smart, and my favourite facial sunscreens include Mecca’s To Save Face and Biore UV Aqua Rich SPF 50+ [Ed. note: not available in Australia]. 

While she has a laidback approach to beauty, to this day she is fastidious about her eyebrows. Sometimes she would only do her brows and leave the rest of her face, and she would be out the door still looking ‘made up’. That kind of thinking has really left a lasting impression on me, and just getting out the door having done whatever your own essentials are is something I now live by.

Speaking of eyebrows… her brow pencil was such a part of her routine that I just had to use it myself, at at the ripe old age of 12. 

I remember proudly walking into the kitchen with my new eyebrows all ready for school and my mum couldn’t help but be equal parts amused and mortified. 

These days, I steer away from anything resembling black on my eyebrows, despite having really dark hair. A mousey grey/brown creates so much more of a natural look for me.

To recharge, I rely on music, YouTube and replenishing my sleep bank when I need to. It’s as simple and as difficult as that! 

Ever since I’ve had kids, just an uninterrupted two hour nap can offset a whole week of sleep deprivation and make me feel human again.

I like discovering a lot of new music on Spotify and have recently gotten into podcasts (Offline, The Podcast by Alison Rice is a current fave). I’m also addicted to ASMR (autonomous sensory meridien response) videos on YouTube. Failing that, a gin and tonic once the kids are in bed does wonders, as does a cup of tea before I turn in for the night.”

Story by Zoe Briggs. Photography by Michelle Lau and select images from her Instagram account @aminuteawayfromsnowing