#dressed in some variation of white or cream

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[fireandiceland]

Hetalia characters with dishes typical for their country - part 2 (part 1 here)

Spain: Paella de marisco (seafood paella) -> A surprisingly easy to make dish consisting of saffron infused rice with seafood. Other versions can also be made with meat from livestock (like the paella valenciana with chicken and rabbit) or be made vegetarian. The word "paella" is Valencian/Catalan and translates to "frying pan", the name of the dish originating from how it is traditionally cooked in a wide, shallow pan.

Prussia: Königsberger Klopse (königsberger dumplings) -> Named after the capital of East Prussia, these dumplings are made from minced vail, pork, or beef mixed with onions, eggs, and soaked white bread and cooked in saltwater. Some of the brewing water is then thickened into a sauce using roux, egg yolk and cream. It is traditionally served with boiled or mashed potatoes. Back then in Königsberg itself, the dish was known as Saure Klopse (sour dumplings).

South Italy: Pizza Margherita -> This flatbread made from leavened yeast dough topped with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil leaves. It is said to have earned it's name from appealing greatly to the Italian Queen Margherita when she tried the Neapolitan speciality, though newer reseach suggests that the name Margherita wasn't used until 40-50 years after the alleged incident.

Finland: Mustikkapiirakka (blueberry cake) -> Berries play a very important part in Finnish food culture, especially hand picked forest blueberries which are often turned into pastries and pies. A particularly popular pie is made with the pie crust eased into the tart tin with floured hands (not rolled out), then the blueberries and a custard filling are added and the cake baked until the top becomes golden-brown.

Sweden: Kannelbulle (cinnamon roll) -> Despite other Nordic countries claiming the invention of the sweet roll, very year on 4 October Sweden celebrates "Cinnamon Roll Day". A sheet of dough is covered in butter, sugar, and cinnamon, then rolled up and cut into the characteristic pieces. The are traditionlly baked in muffin wrappers and only dusted with sugar, they are lighter and less sweet than American cinnamon buns with icing.

Denmark: Flødeboller (cream puff) -> The fluffy, foamy inside of this treat is made from beaten egg whites mixed with sugar, dressed on a wafer and covered in chocolate. Often they are topped with coconut flakes, shredded almonds, or colourful sprinkles, making them a popular little "cake" for danish children to have for someone's birthday at school. They were first invented around 1800 in Denmark, but quickly became popular in France and Germany as well.

Norway: Kvæfjordkake (Kvæfjord cake) -> This sponge cake baked with meringue with almonds on top and then layered with vanilla or rum custard (sometimes mixed with whipped cream), is also dubbed the best cake in the world - Verdens beste. The name is based on the region it's inventer originates from. Starting in the 1930s as a variation of the kongekake ("king cake") with less almonds, as they were quite expensive, it is now a popular dessert for special celebrations.

Iceland: Rjómabollur (profiterole) -> A little sweet treat made from choux pastry filled with jam and whipped cream, the top dipped in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles. Traditionally, they are eaten on "Bun Day", the Monday before Ash Wednesday. Kids wake their parent up by smacking them with paper wands and every smack on the parent's bottom before their feet touch the ground translates into one bun which the parent owes to the child.

[k00sblogger]

Summary: When your audition doesn't go as planned, you realize that you'd do absolutely anything to get the role you want.

Warnings: age gap, hoseok kinda sus, messy blowjob, mentions of other sexual acts, dirty talk, pwp

Pairing: instructor!hoseok x ballerina!reader

🔗: m.list

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"God I feel so stiff." you grunt out, bent over as you stretch your tired hamstrings. The week before this one was complete hell, and since you'd spent so much time in the studio your muscles were in pain.

It was audition week now, the week everyone was so eager for. On audition night you'd either be going out for ice cream with your friends in celebration, or sulking in your bed in disappointment.

You'd been practicing for this role for what felt like your entire life. The role of odette, black swan.. white swan.. whatever you wanna call it.

Some people may say it's basic, or that swan lake is played out- but you absolutely loved it. You remember looking at the older ballerinas as a child and wishing it could be you. Now, it finally was. Well almost- you'd only feel complete if you obtained the role of the black swan. Which you were determined to do.

Two loud claps pull you out of your thoughts, and you immediately stand to your feet when you see that its your instructor. Your friends do the same- just purely out of respect.

Ms. Bahr may be old, but she was never one to let herself be walked all over. Especially not by dancers from her company.

"I'd like you all to meet our guest for the.. day." her voice awkwardly trails off as she gestures toward the door. In walks a man, who looks quite close to your age. He's dressed nicely, & walks in with his arms crossed as he scans over everyone.

Well damn, you knew if he was anything near as stuck up as he looked, you hated him already.

"Hello, i'm mr. jung." he says, setting his bag down but still keeping his eye trained on all of us. When we hear the door slam, everyone's head snaps the opposite way, and we see that Ms. Bahr has excused herself.

Very weird, she was never one to be outside of the room during a practice. During audition week especially.

"I advise that you focus on me, because after this week i'll be officially taking Ms. Bahr's spot as head instructor." gasps, heard all around the room. One of your friends liza stares at you in shock, and you return the look.

People chatter amongst themselves at the news, it was surprising to say the least. Why wouldn't she tell us herself? Why is she letting a random guy take her spot? You had many questions, all that probably would never be answered.

"Now! With that being said-" a sly smile is on his face as he picks up a a paper- studying the sheet for a moment before speaking again. "If your not trying out for the role of the black swan, please step back and continue warming up."

Only four students are left standing, including you. You give a side eye to your main competition here, Jessica bush. You roll your eye at the slight sight of her, you absolutely hated the girl.

It wasn't jealousy- period point blank. It was just her atitude, it was fucking horrible. You wanted the role for yourself of course, but it would feel damn good to beat her and finally put her in her place.

Mr. Jung takes a good look at all of you, locking eyes with you for a split second before moving his eyes on to the girl next to you. He gives a nod of approval before setting down the paper with your names on it.

"I'd like to see you all perform the variation you've been taught yeah?" you hadn't even put your points shoes on yet. You curse yourself for what you're about to have to do, terrible first impression.

"Uhm- i need to get my points shoes.. sir." you itch at your arm at the tension when he looks at you, a annoyed glare on his face.

"Hurry up, go on." he says, allowing you permission to scurry over to your duffel bag.

What a prick.

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"Alright, not too bad." he mutters, slightly clapping as you and the others breathe heavily. This variation always felt much harder when you had someone watching you do it.

"I suppose you're all free to go, come in prepared tomorrow for auditions." there's a collective nod before everyone goes about their own business, talking as they all leave one by one.

By the time you sit down to start taking off your toe pads, the room is already empty besides you and him. It was a little awkward, but you refused to move faster just because he was in here with you.

A pained hiss leaves your lips when you see the bruise forming on your big toe, sighing at the sight of the mark. You don't pay much mind to it, sliding your sock right over it and slipping your shoes on afterward.

"You need new toe pads." your hear a voice behind you, and its him, the new instructor. You give awkward smile as you look up, playfully scoffing at his words. "Yeah, guess i do."

Standing to your feet, you sling your bag over your shoulder- muttering a quiet bye to the man as you begin to walk away. Unfortunately, his hand on your arm prevents you to walk any further.

"I think you're right for the role." he suddenly says, and your eyes widen in surprise. How could he decide that so easily when he's only seen you perform a short variation once? For gods sake he just got here.

You weren't ungreatful though, in fact you were very glad he noticed your efforts.

"Really?" you ask, shock evident in your voice as it grows louder. He nods his head, walking away from you now and back over to his personal belongings. Your right on his toes, assuming that he wants you to follow him.

"How could you know when you've only seen me dance once?" you question him, genuinely confused about what he could be thinking. This was such an important role, he'd be stupid to cast it so easily.

"I have a good eye.." his voice trails off with a suspicious chuckle as his gaze returns to your face. Your features were etched with so much confusion, but he could see you were excited.

"I think you're a beautiful girl.. y/n right?" your smile slowly fades, sensing the weird tone in his voice. "Ehm.. yeah" the excitement empties from your body when he stalks towards you, eyes refusing to leave yours.

He circles you as if you were prey, arms crossed the same way they were when he walked into the room. "Your old enough to know.. sometimes in life we have to do things to get what we want."

What the fuck was he saying? Your face scrunched up in annoyance and confusion, you just hoped this wasn't him flirting with you.

You let out a sigh when his cold fingers trail down your bare arm, feeling his body heat as he stands close behind you. "I can get you that role." you feel his lips on the back of your neck and it makes you want to throw up and disgust.

He barely even knew you! And even if he did- it's out of the question and inappropriate. "I can get you that role." he repeats again, only this time he presses his obvious boner into your ass.

That's when you move, picking up your bag that you hadn't even noticed fell to the ground. "Are you fucking insane?!" you shout, and he looks at you as if you were the one who did something wrong.

"Your disgusting!" you scream again, voice echoing through the room. You could only hope everyone had left the building as you rush out of the room.

"You'll regret that." he yells after you.

Fuck off.

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AUDITION DAY

The week had went by in a flash, and tryouts had come much sooner than you thought they would.

After the situation with your new instructor, you avoided him like the plague- even switching directions when you'd see him walking around the building. You noticed him staring at times, but you did your best to ignore it.

You hadn't told anyone about what happened either, not even your closest friends. What you didn't want was for it to effect your audition process, not after you worked so hard for this very moment.

The voice of your friend lila causes you to zone back in, & you can't help the smile that falls over your face when you see her walking towards you with flowers.

"Lila.." you say, giving her a big hug before she can even hand the flowers over. "You didn't have to.. i didn't even get you anything.." you mutter, pulling out of the hug with a saddened look on your face.

You appreciated her at times like these, and sometimes even felt like a shitty friend when she'd go out of her way to do special things for you. If you ever lost her you think you'd literally spiral out of control.

"Good luck on your audition." she says, her face full of joy as she gives a comforting squeeze to your arm.

You don't get the chance to thank her because the door opens, and in comes Mr.Jung . Everyone stands when he arrives, the same way they would when Ms. Bahr would enter.

Now that you know the real him, it kind of sucks that everyone likes him so much. It also sucks that you have to keep what happened to yourself for now, but you planned to confess as soon as auditions were over.

"Alright everyone, we'll begin black & white swan auditions now- so if that's not you please push to the back of the room." Again, four students are left standing- only this time it's much more nerve racking.

You were used to the whole class watching auditions happen, but this was different. You'd been waiting for this for years... if you fucked up now you don't think you'd ever forgive yourself.

"Ready?" he asks, staring at all of you as you spread out and get into your starting position.

Ready as you'll ever be.

~~~~

Needless to say the audition went great. You don't remember messing up even once, and even a couple other students came up to your afterwards just to tell you how good your audition looked.

You watched the rest of the auditions in excitement and confidence, happy that you'd done so good. Usually, you'd let jessica's little glares towards you ruin your mood- but not today.

An entire hour passes before auditions finally finish, and you're all sent into another room. There's chattering amongst everyone, different talk of who they think will make black swan.

You try your best to ignore it, sticking your headphones in for some extra noise. You get a nice thirty minutes of relaxation before it's finally time.

Ms. Bahr makes a appearance just to tell everyone results are posted- and as soon as she says it everyone's rushing out of the room. Your the last one to leave, taking a few deep breaths as you slowly make your way to the poster.

And then- your excitement crumbles when you see mr. jung and jessica hugging at the end of the hall. No way, no no no no no. Your footsteps get faster at the sight, and you finally come to a anxious hault when you see the list.

{Black/White swan: Jessica bush}

You wanted to cry when you read it, but you couldn't. At least not when your instructor was looking at you with the cruelest grin on his face.

He did this on purpose.

You danced beautifully, no one could tell you any different. You weren't being stuck up, but you genuinely felt that today was the best time you'd ever performed it. Your hard work felt like a waste, all because you rejected his advances.

You went home utterly disappointed in yourself, wishing that you could turn back the time and tell him yes. You'd do anything for that role, literally anything.

That's when you found yourself pondering your options, and finally- you came up with a solution.

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THE NEXT DAY

You couldn't believe you were doing this. You'd stood in front of your instructors door for a good five minutes before finally gathering the courage to even knock.

He welcomed you in as if nothing had happened, a smile on his face as he gestures for you to sit down. You obviously sit with no complaints, not wanting to piss him off when you were already about to ask for something huge.

"What brings you in?" his tone is very much condescending, and you have to bite you tongue to prevent a scowl from plastering on your face.

"I..I wanna take your offer." you say quietly, foot constantly tapping against the floor as you await a response. He ticks his tongue as he looks at you, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Don't you think it's too late?" he mentions, pointing his long finger to the paper on his table. You lean over to look at it, seeing the sheet of paper with jessica's name on it. It makes you want to throw up.

"With all due respect sir, you did this to spite me." you don't bite you tongue any longer, you know the motive behind this. He was a cruel man, but oh so clever.

He chuckles at your words, shaking his head as he stands from his chair. He slowly makes his way to the door, twisting the lock and then turning back to face you. "You really want that role huh?"

You hated this, you hated that he had the upper hand. But you also knew this was your decision, and you didn't have to do this. You had every right and the will to walk right out of this room and deal with the fact you won't ever be black swan.

Except, you didn't want to do that.

"I do.." you mutter, gaze now at your feet as he comes closer to you to tilt your chin upwards. He looks at you with fake pitty, somewhat happy that you'd come crawling back to him.

"Get on your knees." he commands, and you oblige him without another word. He licks his lips to moiston them at the sight of you, ready to pleasure him and get exactly what you've always wanted.

"You know what to do, you want the role?" he asks, and your hands shake with anxiety as you nod your head. "Then take it."

Alright, you could do this. Give him head, easy peasy.. right?

Your shaky hands are evidence of your nervousness as you undo the zipper on his pants, and when you see the bulge in his boxers you question why he's already hard? What was he doing before you got here?

When tuck your hands into the waistband of his boxers, he sighs at the feeling of your cold fingers on his skin. You try your best to not look at him when his length finally pops out, red tip right in front of your eyes.

He was bigger than you thought he'd be, but it was no wonder that he had no shame when coming onto you the first time around.

You didn't even realize you were gawking at it until he finally said something. "Scared?" the question infuriates you, and causes you to put the length of him in your mouth immediately.

You weren't scared of him. Fuck no.

He groans at the feeling of your mouth wrapped tight around him, keeping a tight grip on his desk as you bob your head up and down.

He smirks at the way your making him so messy, not caring that your getting spit all over his pelvis and even in his small happy trail. "Fuck- sluttin' me out aren't you?" You ignore his words, set on the fact this was purely for your role.

You wanted it, bad.

You pop his dick out of your mouth with heavy breaths, now swirling your tongue around his tip. You trace every part of it, the veins, the tip, everything. You can tell he likes it, because he finally allows his head to lean back.

You couldn't believe yourself, all of your previous fear had vanished from your body. Hoseok could tell too, because you were sucking the life out of him.

"Shit, just wanna bend you over-" you moan around his dick, not able to speak since you've shoved his dick right back down your throat. You're gagging now, but you don't pull away- determined to get what you wanted out of this.

Your hand is covered in saliva, all from you jerking off what you can take inside of your mouth. Or what you thought you couldn't take- because soon both of his hands move snug to the back of your head for more leverage.

He fucks your mouth with a punishing pace, smirking when he hears your little muffled whimpers and gags. "Love that shit- gonna look so pretty on stage." his words wouldve made you smile if your mouth wasn't so full- it only confirmed that the role was no longer jessicas.

It belonged to you, and you only.

"Where you want me to cum, hm?" he pulls out of your mouth breifly so you can speak, slapping the wet tip on your messy cheek. "On my tits- please."

You were way too into this, hurriedly lowering your top right under your breasts. They sit perfectly, and they look even better when he finally rubs himself to a orgasm, his milky white release coating your hard nipples.

"God- so fuckin hot." the words leaving his mouth sounded foreign, and you couldn't believe you were wet. You no longer denied the fact that you enjoyed what had just happened, it was a win win.

When you go to clean yourself off, he stops you- taking it upon himself to lift your top right over your still cum covered breasts. "Gonna go home with my cum on you, that'll finish up the deal."

You go home happy, going to sleep excited for the upcoming weeks as you were officially the black swan. Jessica on the other hand was feeling so many emotions at once. She was angry, dissapoonted, and overall confused.

She wondered why her role had been snatched from her and given to someone who didn't even deserve it. She'd done everything she could for that role.. including fuck her instructor.

Hoseok had promised her the same fate, that he'd give her the role regardless of her audition as long as she gave him some pussy. So she did so, without thinking of the consequences.

He'd played the both of you, and neither of you had any idea.

[elvexen27]

Hii hii, I really like your two posts of hcs for Cove ^^

Since you're taking requests, would you be interested in writing about his change in style (I just kinda like fashion headcanons)

I would love too!!! So this is going to be half analysis and half headcannons. These are just my thoughts and opinions, take them with a grain of salt! This is a long one.

I won’t be going into how the players choices impact his wardrobe in this, but if that’s something that interests you I’d look at this. (just details your choices in step 1, but helps give a good idea as to how the system works)

Step 1:

Cove is seen most often wearing a white tank, brown shorts, and his red glasses. The only exception to this (I believe) is the moment ghost, where Cove is seen in a two tone brown sweater.

At this age Coves style isn’t affected by the players choices, as it’s the first step.

Coves style doesn’t stick out in any way. He’s almost entirely in neutral tones, with the exception of his cast. This is especially ironic considering most of what Coves focused on at this age is what’s out of his control. His parents divorce, him getting injured, what he can’t do because of his injury, etc.

I imagine that this is how Coves style is as a young kid. He doesn’t really want to be noticed. He wears what’s practical and comfortable. So in SoCal, and that is a tank and shorts. Cove keeps himself in colors that are quite plain in comparison to his bright hair and eyes.

I imagine his day to day wear is just variations of what we get to see him wearing in game. Maybe the color or cut is slightly different, but overall it’s relatively similar.

Cove staples at this age:

- Simple/plain tank tops (white, brown, cream)

- Simple shorts w/ pockets to stuff seashells into

- Sweaters for when it’s cold

- Good running shoes (Cove does have a bit of a habit of running off at this age)

- Longer pants (also with good pockets) for the less sunny days

- Simple t-shirts and long sleeves

There’s not a lot I can add, I don’t see his style being very elaborate at this age.

Step 2:

This is the first step where the player impacts his look.

He has two options for tops:

1. A dark blue t-shirt with a like quarter button, that he leaves unbuttoned.

2. A red tank (?) with what looks like white lizards or some kind of reptile in a circle around the left side (right for the player).

He has 2 (+2 color variations of each) options for bottoms:

1. A pair of shorts similar in style to the ones he wore as a kid, in blue and brown

2. A striped pair of (what looks like) swim trunks. One color combo is white, blue, green, and purple. The other is white, green, pink, and blue.

Cove also has a few options for jewelry in this step: a beaded necklace, a pink bracelet, a wide brown leather (?) bracelet, and a layered brown beaded shark tooth (looks like) bracelet.

Cove has the option in this step to have either no glasses, rectangular blue ones, or semi-round brown glasses.

For pajamas he has the option of either a plain teal top or a purple top with a compass design.

And finally he can either have a black and grey jacket or a pink and white one.

Something that is very obvious in this step is Cove is much more open to wearing colors.

This is made even more obvious with the people he cares about. When he’s surrounded by the people he cares about (ex. The road trip), the colors he’s wearing get brighter (the pink jacket). They also get brighter when it’s just him and mc (when he’s seen in the pajamas).

It’s clear he feels more comfortable in his own skin, he’s settled into sunset bird at this point.

I think Cove would be a lot more open to exploring and experimenting with his own style at this age. He doesn’t feel as tied to the neutrals anymore, and blue becomes one of his staples. He doesn’t care what other people think about how he dresses, and is more than happy to express himself how he wants.

Cove goes through like the opposite of an emo phase, he just gets really colorful all of a sudden.

Cove staples at this age:

- More shorts w/ pockets to stuff seashells into (he has priorities still)

- T-shirts and tank tops (blues, reds, browns, whites)

- Swim trunks, for those spur of the moment swims (very colorful, simple patterns though)

- Color!!! Like I said, reverse emo phase, his wardrobe finally has color

- I imagine he is never wearing matching socks. They’re always mismatched.

- Likes to wear cool tones and reds/pinks, doesn’t wear a lot of (if any) yellows and oranges

Step 3:

Step 3 Cove has arguably the most options for his look. It’s either this step or step 4.

Shirt options:

1. A black v-nack t-shirt with an anchor design

2. A denim (?) button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows

3. A green striped tank top

Pant options:

1. Jeans, just jeans

2. Cargo pants (?), two colors dark green and black

3. Like sweats or joggers, also two colors yellow and white

Cove has the most (I think) options for jewelry at this stage. He has:

1. An anchor necklace

2. Stacked blue bracelets

3. Stacked brown bracelets

4. Stacked colored bracelets (green, yellow, red)

5. Stacked silver bracelets

6. A dark blue watch

7. Black lobe piercing

8. Black helix piercing

For special outfits (either moment exclusive or more rare):

1. Feather design pajamas top in blue&green or blue, green, and purple

2. Plaid pajama pants in grey and white or blue and white

3. Bubble swim trunks, in either blue or pink

4. A formal outfit, with either a like dark plum (almost black) top or a black top with a geometric pattern

Cove has three options for glasses:

1. Dark red rectangles

2. Dark blue thin rectangles

3. Wide semi-round brown

Coves style at this age feels like a more mature version of step 2. The largest difference between this step and the ones previously is Cove has pretty much entirely ditched the shorts in favor of pants.

This is also (I believe) the first time where we can see Cove wearing jeans, something much more stiff than what he’s worn previously.

Cove staples at this age:

- Jeans

- Comfortable pants, such as the joggers/sweats

- A comfortable top for the California heat, such as a t-shirt or tank top

- LOTS of jewelry

- Not something we can see in game but I am a firm believer that by this age Coves wardrobe is 50% Hawaiian shirts (I mean come on, it’s Cove)

- Actually has some formal wear, though only wears it when he feels he has to

I hope this is what you were looking for !! This was honestly a lot of fun to do. Keep the asks coming!

[mokaisathome]

What about Evil Author Day?

[Evil author day is all about showing off drafts that may or may not ever get finished here are some of my WIPs… You can tell me if you liked something, but we’ll never know if it’ll ever get posted so here’s 6k of rough jamikali drafts with some context!]

#1 [Exactly as it says in the summary]

(Summary: Kalim is pretty sure his boyfriend broke up with him last week. One hundred percent sure. Super sure. The most sure he's ever been in his seventeen years of existence. He can even pinpoint the exact moment they broke up. Yet for some reason, Jamil (the ex-boyfriend in question) doesn't seem to have gotten the memo.)

   Since coming to NRC, all of Kalim's mornings have been the same. Wait for Jamil to wake him up, wash his face, get dressed by Jamil, and then they eat breakfast. A routine that admittedly has had some variations but mostly stayed the same. Up until two weeks ago at least, when Jamil overblotted. Now, Kalim has to slowly learn to do things by himself and he screws up. A lot. Still, he tries very hard. There's one problem though. A very tiny, minuscule, super small problem. One he doesn't actually find offense in and actually quite likes, but it's still a problem.

   Once Jamil finishes inspecting him and fixes his clothes, right before they leave for the lounge room to eat with the rest of the students, he always (and Kalim means it when he says always) kisses him. And that's weird. Sure, that was part of their routine before the winter holidays so Kalim accepts it by habit, but it's weird. Because Kalim is pretty sure they broke up on the day Jamil overblotted.

*   *   *

   There are two days Kalim remembers well in this relationship. First, the day they started dating – when Jamil, after having received his acceptance letter, came to his room to say goodbye before leaving – and when the break-up happened – hard to forget when the scars are still fresh. The timeline (Kalim drew it on his notebook to make sense of it) is more than clear. It lasted a little over a year and four months and Kalim has fond memories of it. *Had*. Now… Despite how it all came crashing down, there’s no denying that he holds every single moment they spent together as special. Even if the logical part of his brain tells him that for Jamil it must have been just work, that he went along with Kalim's confession not to compromise his job, Kalim can't help but cherish the memories. He's not good at remembering things usually, but these days are an exception. Thinking back to Jamil's words during the holidays, it's certainly selfish to take comfort in something that must have caused him great pain but Kalim isn't quite ready to let it go all at once. Like with how he learned to wake up and dress by himself step by step, he'll learn how to leave these moments in a corner of his mind.

   That's why they have to make a clean break so they can both move on. After watching the all the movies Cater recommended to him about that subject (he doesn't understand why Cater looked so concerned or why he told him to “Talk for real before you do anything, 'kay, Kalim-kun?”), he can safely say that he understands everything that needs to be concerning break-ups. Even the long monologues under the rain (he can use Oasis Maker for that the need arises), the ice cream to eat after it finally happens (he'll ask for Jamil's permission to eat it after dinner) and the Carpet is always ready for a promenade (that one wasn't in the movies, but it's still good), he has everything prepared. The only thing missing is the most important – the actual break-up declaration.

   But it's fine. It'll happen in due time… Or rather when Kalim works up the courage to do it.

#2 [A draft written for last year’s Year of the OTP prompt “Np, I’m not dating your sister” starring… well, one of Kalim’s sister.]

   Just as he finishes the second to last sentence, the door bursts open, and a cheerful white-haired girl steps into the room, holding a tray. Behind her, a panicked servant is trying to get the tray back, and she straightens up when she notices Kalim looking at her. The teapot precariously placed on the tray is a clear safety hazard but Kalim doesn’t think his sister will listen to anyone, even someone who’s so obviously worried about her. He would say it's part of her charm. With a beaming smile, she presents him with the tray where the teapot is threatening to spill at any moment and the glasses are spinning in a nonsensical rhythm that reminds him of some of his NRC friends after being put through the Playful Land rollercoaster.

“Kalim, I’ve brought you tea!” She almost brandishes the tray, making the objects on it bounce and some drops of tea fly in the air before landing on the carpet, forming a small puddle. 

   The face of her servant pales instantly. Kalim has never seen her before but knowing his sister cycles through servants after so many of them took a leave due to stress, he can sympathize with her. Jamil complains about him sometimes, but he's probably never been as stressed as Nour's servants… Hopefully.

“Thank you, Nour! You can place it here,” he tells her after clearing some space on the desk.

   The servant lets out a relieved sigh when the tea doesn’t spill out on Kalim’s documents even as Nour practically slams the tray on his desk. It’s quite reminiscent of Jamil’s behavior when Kalim first started serving tea, a constant aura of worry and stress – Kalim feels a bit guilty now that he’s seen it from the outside. To keep the woman from having an early heart attack, he insists on serving the tea while his sister brings a chair over to sit with him.

“Did you come here for something in particular?”

   It's probably not an emergency – she would have sent him a message if it were – so he relaxes in his chair, waiting for her to answer. She's one of his closest siblings both by age and because they have the same mother, but her behavior has always been a mystery to him. Lady-like and yet incredibly scatterbrained, a proper secondary heir if anything happens to him and yet totally disinterested in anything having to do with the family. She could say “I'm here so you can go with me to the opera” or “I'm flying to the Sunset Savannah, I’m coming back in two weeks, don’t look for me” and Kalim would only say that it’s very Nour-like. So he simply waits for her query without really worrying about it.

   Taking a sip of tea, she nods. “Yes and no. I haven’t seen you at all since you came home, so first, I wanted to spend some time with you…”

   It’s not that surprising that they haven’t met this last month. Kalim’s schedule is very busy, and he’s often dragged by his father to meetings and business visits from morning to night while Nour… Well, she likes sleeping in. And doing as she pleases. Their rooms are in different wings of the palace, and they don’t visit their mother's apartments at the same time so even if they’re close, they don’t have much opportunity to see each other. He’s about finished with his report so he can spare her some time to catch up. 

“Give me two more minutes, and then I’ll stay with you until you’re sick of me!” With a smile, he returns to his report while Nour hums in agreement.

   The ink on the final sentence hasn’t dried yet, but he simply tosses the paper aside to direct his full attention to his little sister. She has helped herself to the plate of cookies he keeps on his desk (made by Jamil and given to him that morning when they passed each other), her cheeks as round as a hamster as she chews. The conversation that follows her eating through half the cookie pile is one he often has while at school – praising Jamil’s food and having his interlocutor agree with him – when all of a sudden, she stills.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” She tucks a long strand of hair behind her hair, looking at her brother solemnly. “Hey, can I borrow Jamil tomorrow?”

“Of cou– W-wait, I’ll have to ask him first!”

   It’s not something he can decide by himself – Jamil is his own person and not a toy to be borrowed on a whim. And that aside, tomorrow is their long-awaited day together – Jamil may have only agreed to stop him from pestering him but Kalim had been looking forward to it… But it’s a request from his cute little sister that he doesn’t see enough…

“Why do you need Jamil to begin with?”

“Some of my friends are coming tomorrow and I wanted to put on a magic show, but Mom is too busy to show us some tricks.”

“I could do it,” Kalim muses. “I’m a NRC student too–”

“I like Jamil’s magic better than yours!”

#3 [Kalim tries changing the way their relationship works a little too drastically.]

Kalim doesn't keep anything from Jamil, that's a fact. Or at least that was a fact before the overblot. We don't need to know everything about each other – it’s what Jamil told him after a few days of awkward silence and tentative conversations and since then, Kalim has done his best to come up with things not to say to Jamil. 

   It's still a short list for now, but it's been slowly expanding. Talking about classes is fine. Meals… Mostly fine until Kalim requests something that takes time and unusual ingredients to prepare (Jamil always does it in the end but not without complaining the whole time). Octavinelle is a touchy subject despite them and Jamil being friends – he insists they aren’t like with Kalim, but it doesn’t look like he hates them. Kalim can ask about the basketball club, but he’s strictly forbidden from attending matches – before Jamil only advised him not to come… Friendship declarations put him on thin ice, at risk of being ignored or ridiculed – Kalim prefers the latter. (It hurts a little when Jamil doesn’t look at him.) “I love you”s are met with “And I hate you”s without fail, but there’s a reaction at least.

   Which leads to skinship. People often remark on their closeness, especially since Kalim transferred to NRC, but that’s just how they communicated up until now. No need for words when a touch suffices, no need for fanciful turns of phrases when a gesture encompasses (and surpasses) anything they could ever say. That’s how it is between them… But this is also what Kalim would have said about anything relating to the both of them before the overblot. And in the end, it’s just another misunderstanding.

   There’s another list, one for things not to do anymore and that’s the latest thing he added on it – just today as a matter of fact. Recalling what he overheard a few minutes ago, Kalim faceplants on his bed. Floyd and Jamil, the gymnasium after school and the words his servant almost yelled when dragged into another one of Floyd’s whims… So Jamil dislikes being touched that much… Kalim didn’t know. It’s another thing to add to the ever-growing pile of things he’s learned about Jamil over the last few weeks. Despite declaring he wouldn’t hold back anymore, Jamil never said anything about Kalim’s constant invasion of his personal space But he isn’t to blame here. The fault lies in Kalim for not noticing his friend’s discomfort. Jamil is nice. He understands Kalim can’t change that easily and that’s why he still helps him from time to time. That’s surely why he stays silent about that issue.

   Then hugs are out of the question starting now. Things like putting his head on Jamil’s shoulder or linking arms when walking… Forbidden too, he decides after some reflection. Perhaps it’s actually better to stop approaching Jamil in the first place? That’s not yet possible – for as long as they stay in this school, they can’t shake off their work relationship. While Kalim wants to believe they can move past it, it doesn’t seem to be Jamil’s case. The door opens as he starts rolling on his bed to think about ways to go about it all.

“Kalim, I’m home– What did I tell you about keeping your uniform in bed?”

“Sorry, I was thinking!”

“Thinking?” Jamil raises a brow. “That’s rare. About what?”

“Eh? Hm, well… That’s a secret! Nothing bad, don’t look at me like that!”

#4 [(Pre-canon) They’re stranded in an unknown city after a kidnapping. This was inspired by my mother’s hometown so I’d like to finish it…]

   Being outside late at night is not that bad, Kalim thinks. Better than what Jamil warned him about even – getting there was the actual problem. The city they're in is bustling with life, people at every corner even there, at the edge of town. At least he thinks it's the edge – he's never been there or in this city in general, but the only things around are a few palm trees, the beach, and buildings further away, so his conclusion seems sound. To make sure, he turns to Jamil at his right, eager to get some information.

“Jamil, where are we?”

   It takes a few seconds for Jamil to answer – he's too focused on the passersby walking past where they're hidden, his lips pressed into a thin line. Kalim waits for a reply, but it's only when he grabs Jamil's hand that his friend looks at him. Jamil's fingers are cold to the touch, so strained it's hard to intertwine his with them, but Kalim doesn't mind. His skin is still hot from what happened earlier, and the small cuts and bruises on his hand appreciate the cold touch.

“In…” Shaking his head, he sighs. “Somewhere.”

“I see! Somewhere. Somewhere good or somewhere bad?”

“Somewhere somewhere. I don't know.”

“That's better than the somewhere bad from earlier, at least! Still pretty bad though.”

“Kalim…”

“Sorry!”

“It's nothing, don't apologize… We'll move out soon.”

   He said that before already – Kalim is pretty sure it's the fourth time in ten minutes. It's quite unlike Jamil to look that lost and repeat himself, and it's been this way ever since they arrived here. Perhaps it's because they've only walked through back alleys and the likes, but they can't find a single panel to indicate where they are – the creeping darkness doesn't help. Asking for assistance from passersby is too risky, Jamil says, especially when they haven't moved that far from the place they've just escaped, but it seems he's reached his break point. Just as he's thinking this, laughing voices and conversations become more (net), closer, and he's dragged closer to Jamil.

   They've been standing – more like crouching behind a wall – for what feels like hours now as his friend observes the surroundings without moving. Every time someone passes by like right now, Jamil tenses and brings Kalim closer, hiding his face in the crook of his neck. From Kalim's point of view, it's a bit much – he's already wearing Jamil's clothes, with the hood pulled over his face enough that he can barely see what's in front of him. The scent of sweat and dirt clinging to Jamil's skin and shirt makes his nose tingle in a strangely agreeable way. The place he was kept in before should have had the same smell yet the only feeling that it roused inside his heart was unease and resignation.

   Where are the men who kidnapped him now? If they're searching for them… No, they're probably far enough that it'll be okay. Jamil didn't risk it all for them to fail. His Unique Magic put them to sleep, but surely they must have woken up by now – hours blend into each other but Kalim distinctly remembers the sun shining high in the sky when Jamil opened the door leading outside. And now… His friend's hand on the back of his head keeps it stubbornly in place but after some light struggle – and Jamil sighing – he turns it to the side and the night sky fills his view.

   Perhaps it's because there's no light. Or perhaps it's because they're in the boonies – not that he knows where they are actually. Maybe it's something as simple as the fact there are no clouds. Reasons matter very little – and anyway, Kalim prefers listening to Jamil's explanations when it comes to science rather than think about it by himself, but one thing is certain. He's rarely seen the stars this clearly, this shiny from Silk City. The sky is black as ink, night having fallen before he realized it.

#5 [A fake dating no magic AU. I could actually toss the first chapter as it is on AO3 as it’s over 2k words long and works well enough, but I want to write more about this dynamic…]

Kalim tapped his fingers on the edge of the glass. “Ugh… Remember how I had to meet someone’s daughter last year?”

“Yeah.”

   It was difficult to forget when Jamil was the reason – it was Kalim’s fault, but he was the reason – that it went sideways. And even aside from how it ended, that story began very badly. (But really, the premise itself was weird – why arrange for a marriage of convenience in that day and age?) His parents even had to ask him to convince Kalim to go to that meeting because he was the only one Kalim would listen to. The singular embarrassment that came with trying to set your childhood friend on a sort of blind date at your parents’ behest was… Unforgettable to say the least. Just thinking about it, goosebumps crept up on his skin. 

   Of course, he wasn’t privy to what had happened that day (and he was oh so thankful for it) but the killer stare that girl had sent his way when they saw each other at one of the Al-Asims’ parties (as the secretary’s son, he kind of had to attend them) told him everything. It was the same he had seen on so many people throughout all his years of knowing Kalim. Ah, that idiot spent the whole date talking about me, and so he wasn’t surprised when the whole fiancée thing fizzled out.

   Kalim… Well, Kalim was too attached to him (not in a romantic way, just in a way Kalim-way) to ever date someone. Apparently, after this disastrous – Jamil can only imagine – experience, Kalim’s parents had seemingly given up on setting him up with someone until after high school. Or that was the way things should have been. So why was he bringing that up today?

“My parents want me to meet someone else next week. Sprung that up on me and then boom! They hung up before I could reply!”

   The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, Jamil thought. Rubbing his temples, he asked. “What about the whole we’re waiting for you to graduate condition?”

“I think Mom persuaded Dad.” With a sheepish grin on his face, Kalim shrugged as he set the glass on Jamil’s night table. “You know how she is!”

   Of course, Jamil knew. Kalim’s father was no pushover, but it amounted to nothing when it came to his mom. Maybe Kalim got that weird “I’ll do anything for you” appeal from her because he too could make people go along with his stupid life choices – not Jamil though, he was only following Kalim to stop him.

“I think she wants grandkids as soon as possible, so she’s pushing for a marriage right after graduation! What a pain…”

“And why should I help you?”

   Because the conversation was about that. And despite the relaxed mood, the fact they had that big dispute last month didn’t change. This event should be fresh in both their minds – there was no reason for Kalim to seek his help after declaring he wouldn’t bother Jamil anymore. Actually, it wasn't like he didn't expect it – Kalim being all talk and no action was something he took into account but maybe not that fast and not for that sort of thing.

“Don't you have other people to ask?”

   There was always a crowd around Kalim for plenty of reasons, yet he didn't think about asking them? Well, Kalim relying solely on Jamil wasn't that strange at that point-

“Oh, I already asked everyone, but they said no, so you're like my last hope!”

“Excuse me?”

   Something wasn't right. If he was in a pinch, even if they didn't spend all their time together anymore, Jamil should have been his first choice, not the absolutely last one. What was wrong with Kalim?

   Kalim, unaware of what he had done, started counting on his hands. “Yeah, I asked Silver, Leona, Floyd… Everyone actually– wait no, I wanted to ask Ortho or Ace, but then someone told me to ask you instead… So I guess you're not my last hope, but my next to last one…? Or something!”

#6 [Young jamikali gets thrown into NRC and meet their future selves. Babies are cute! Their different dynamic is cute compared to jamikali’s usual one… There’s a lot more to this WIP that is not shown here.]

Sometimes the Mirror of Darkness malfunctions. It’s just a thing that happens and though it’s quite rare, it usually fixes itself quickly… Unless your name is Yuu that is. But they’re the exception that proves the rules, the headmaster stressed it – less for the students than for him probably. Every other anomaly gets fixed in less than a week. Yes, every single one… Like the two very small anomalies that Ace and Deuce bring to Kalim on this fine Monday afternoon.

*   *   *

   Today was going so well. No mistakes in class, no falling asleep in the courtyard and missing the bell, and Jamil even smiled at him during lunch (and it was a nice smile, not a mean one). To make a long story short, it was the best way to begin a week.

   Well, something was bound to happen I guess, Kalim thinks as he looks down, to the “anomalies” using his lap as a seat. No matter how many times he glances at them, there’s no doubt about the fact they’re Jamil and himself. Only small. Very small. When the first years brought them to him, he thought it was an illusion but their weights on him are real. Their small knees and elbows dig into him as he adjusts on his seat.

   He can't pinpoint their exact age – he has clear memories of looking like this Kalim once, and he knows Jamil looked like this before but when? Their cheeks are so round that even if he looks at them from behind he can see their curves and their big eyes glancing around the room betray their extreme youth. Jamil's hair is short enough that his ponytail barely serves any purpose and Kalim's reaches his shoulders. When was the last time he was allowed to grow out his hair this much? Kalim's brain isn't of any help so he resorts to the easiest method of finding out.

“How old are you two?”

   The younger Kalim looks at him then at his fingers before holding three of them up. “Four!”

“That’s not four,” Jamil pipes up, reaching for Kalim’s hand to correct him.

“Whoa, you’re so smart, Jamil”

“Of course!”

“T-thanks mini-me and mini-Jamil…”

   His younger self is too engrossed in observing the room they're in to answer but Jamil nods, cheeks a little red. Cute. Kalim strokes his head, unbothered by the kid trying to make him stop. So cute. This Jamil looks like he could be one of his little brothers. A cough interrupting him makes Kalim look at the other person in the room.

#7 [A Fate/Stay Night-inspired AU and a personal favorite. I don’t like writing plot-heavy stuff, but this one is special to me as I’ve already got almost everything laid out in my head…]

“Servant, Rider. You’ve summoned me so that makes you my Master.”

   The youth opens his eyes and Jamil’s breath hitches in his throat. They’re the same kind of deep red as the ruby he used as catalyst. The solemn atmosphere lasts only for a moment.

“Yep, yep, you look like a good magus, it’s going to be great– wah!”

   And just like that, the Servant who's supposed to lead him to victory doesn't stick his landing and faceplants on the ground. His flying carpet rushes to his sides and waves his fringes at him, seemingly worried.

“♪~”

“Don't worry, Carpet! It's fine!”

   No, it's not. Jamil stays silent and watches the strange farce of his Servant and the carpet. It makes the Servant stand and is in the middle of dusting him when the boy turns to Jamil, an all too proud expression on his face.

“So, Master!” He grins. “We're going to be a super duper team, don't worry about that!”

   No, we won't. “First, Spirit Form, please. You'll attract too much attention like this.”

   It may be the middle of the night, but to inform the Church, Jamil will have to walk through the business district which never sleeps. No way he's doing that with a weirdo, especially one whose stupidly expensive-looking bracelets and jewels are on full display. Getting noticed before the War even starts isn't something he wants.

“Eh… Can't we talk a bit before? At least give me your name! Or should I keep calling you Master?”

“Just call me Jamil. Rider, we're moving.”

“Roger that, Ma– Jamil!”

   Rider disappears, and Jamil senses an invisible force following him. If only going into Spirit Form had made Rider shut up.

“Wow, I've never seen a building that tall!” 

“Hey, can we visit the city later? I want to see everything from above with the Carpet!” 

“Jamil, did you see that bird?!”

“Rider, if you don't stop talking, I'll use this,” he showed the Command Spells on the back of his hand, “to make you mute.”

“Wait, I'll stop, don't waste a spell on that!”

#8 [Age gap no magic AU. A bit inspired by the ShotaOni series? I don’t remember. Anyway, it’s just about Jamil taking care of baby Kalim so maybe it’s more gen than anything?]

I'm busier than you. The words didn’t leave his mouth, but the look of understanding – and disappointment – in his classmate’s eyes assured him there was no problem.

   He hurried towards the school's gates, waving at the friends he had met on the way. Usually, on days without club activities, he would go play after school with friends, go to the arcade or just eat at the nearby fast food joint before going home. Today though, he had to pass. For reasons outside his control.

   Really, he wished he could at least go home and sleep – he studied late into the night yesterday because of upcoming exams – but unfortunately, he had a “job” to do tonight. And no matter how much he didn't want to do it, his parents would be so mad at him it wasn't worth the risk. In just a few minutes, he found himself in front of his house, but he passed it to go to the neighboring one.

   Jamil took a deep breath. As long as he didn’t open the door in front of him, he would be free. Because, when the door would open, a little devil would jump on him and cling onto his arm until… well until he would fall asleep – he's a stubborn kid sometimes. So the question is why did he even accept to babysit Kalim? Answer: he didn't – he wasn’t even paid for it. The Al-Asim had wanted to give him some money, but his parents had declined, insisting that neighbors – though Jamil suspected they just wanted to curry favor their boss – should help each other. Plus, didn’t their sons spend so much time with each other already? It would just be a normal day for Jamil, no need for a salary.

   It’s not like Jamil spent time with Kalim because he wanted to. The boy had just latched onto him when he was a toddler, and he still followed Jamil around like a chick followed its mother, years later. Jamil was already 14, he didn’t want to have a baby like Kalim around. The number of times he had to cancel plans with friends because of the younger boy couldn’t be counted on the fingers of both hands anymore. And he had a younger sister, closer in age to Kalim, but Najma straight-up refused his offer to trade places with him.

   May as well get it over quickly, Jamil thought as he finally knocked on the door. Not ten seconds later, loud footsteps echoed inside the house. A loud thud! followed by a high-pitched ouch! made the door vibrate. Yeah, that was Kalim alright. Got here from school all alone – what a feat – and was apparently waiting at the door like a puppy.

“If it’s you Jamil, I’m opening the door right now!”

   Maybe, just maybe, he should teach Kalim about stranger danger – wait no, that was his parents' job, not Jamil’s. When the door opened, Kalim appeared in the gap between it and the wall. As always, a big smile was etched on his face.

   Jamil sighed. “How did you know it was me and not some creep?”

“Mmh?” Kalim tilted his head. “I just knew it! Don't worry!”

   He wasn't worried. Just a bit concerned with how little common sense Kalim had – well he already knew that though.

#9 [Reincarnation into a no magic AU. Focused more on Riddle and Kalim’s friendship than on jamikali though Jamil (who doesn’t remember his previous life) is why Kalim does everything he does in this fic. Actually my brain baby and something I really want to write for real.]

“I wonder why I regained everything before you,” Kalim mumbles as he turns the page. “What’s the difference between us?”

“I…” Riddle swallows his saliva. “I have a theory. It’s not the most pleasant one but it’s the only one I can think of.”

“Really! What is it?”

“I imagine it’s just a matter of longevity. If I lived longer than you previously then I have much more memories which my brain takes time to process. And if you died young…” His voice trails off.

   Silence. They stay like this for a few minutes. Kalim feels sorry for having made Riddle uncomfortable – it’s not his friend’s fault if he died young in his previous life. And, to be quite honest, he only has unclear fragments of memory of his death, but he has never felt like it burdened him. Maybe it was a good death, surrounded by the people he loved. If so, it’s fine.

“Don’t beat yourself up over that, Riddle. I’m not sad about it! It happened, and I’m here again so that’s the most important.”

#10 [Yuri Scarabia. A fic about trying to gauge proper distances after the Overblot with flower symbolism or something.]

   The flower she uses to decorate Kalim’s hair is jasmine – both the winter and summer variety but Kalim favors the summer one the most – for no particular reason. These are just the Scalding Sands’ national flowers, plants that grow bountifully in the gardens of their dorm because of this, small decorations that Kalim has always liked… So Jamil obliges. Obliged. There’s nothing that forces her to continue doing it now, not after everything that happened and Kalim trying to detach herself from her servant. Still, for all Jamil’s big declarations, there’s no way she can bear seeing her mistress frolicking around like an idiot with badly brushed and braided hair. (And she isn't letting Octavinelle touch Kalim again, especially when Floyd thinks trying the worst hairstyles on Twisted Wonderland on Kalim is funny. It's really not.)

   So every morning, every night, and even between classes if needs be, she finds herself taking care of Kalim without really thinking about it. Really, it’s just that Kalim is too clumsy to take care of her own hair and there’s no one else who can arrange them like Jamil anyway. Plus, she's still on the job for now. Her hair isn’t the only thing Kalim can’t take care of – her skin, her clothes, her body, her studies… The list goes on. And on. And on. A non-negligible space in Jamil's brain is taken up by thinking about Kalim and everything having to do with her. That's just how things are between them – there's no doubt in Jamil's mind that it's the same for Kalim. You just need to look at her running to Jamil like a lost puppy to understand such a simple fact – even if she tries doing things on her own, she comes back to Jamil for little or big details. Like this morning.

   After expertly taming Kalim's wild hair, perfectly braiding it, and tying her bandana around her head as always, Jamil takes a step back to admire her work. It's great – obviously because she did it – and it manages to make Kalim look like a proper lady instead of… whatever she is. It's great. It's great, but something is missing. That feeling has been scratching at the back of her brain ever since the winter holidays. She knows what is missing but can't do anything about it. 

   After all, it's her fault if the jasmine trees in the gardens have lost their flowers even if she doesn't quite remember how – what happened during the overblot is nothing more than hazy memories. Though, given the state the gardens were in when she checked on them for the first time since the incident, she thinks it must have been because of the magic unleashed during the battle. The students have been hard at work under her direction to restore them to their former glory, but it's very much a work in progress that has been quite slow ever since school started again. Of course, she hasn't replanted jasmine trees she used to pluck yet – they were at the back of the garden, hidden from view. There are some at the front, but she doesn't want to use them – cutting too many flowers from the trees will make it unsightly and the gardens are supposed to be shown off. 

   So until everything is done, she won't plant new jasmine trees for Kalim… but that's a half-truth at best. Yes, they aren't that important in the grand scheme of things (aka show off Scarabia's soft power) but it's not the hardest task she has even done for Kalim. The problem is that these trees were grafted from two specific ones in Kalim's home – very fancy and very expensive trees – and that she doesn't want to ask for other grafts. Not right now at least. If it were possible, she would have salvaged the old roots but even asking the Science Club yielded no results. 

   Kalim doesn't say anything when she turns toward the mirror to look at herself, only praises Jamil as usual and gets up to go eat breakfast. The first day Jamil didn't decorate her hair with flowers, she didn't say anything either. This lack of reaction doesn't sit well with Jamil.

#10+1 [Fire Emblem AU. Cheating with this one as I will definitely finish it because that was supposed to be my birthday gift to myself before I got too sick to write everything. I just want to show it off tbh.]

   Jamil’s job had always been simple. Well, “simple” wasn’t the most apt word. Predictable. Exactly according to the job’s description. Always been the same ever since his great-grandfather's generation or so the stories his father told went. Protect the Al-Asim heir – currently Kalim – through thick and thin, ensure they inherit the country, and lay down your own life for them if need be.

   For most of his life, Jamil had gone through the motions of something he didn’t believe in, blocking blades aimed at Kalim’s heart, stopping poison from approaching his mouth, all while thinking that the skills he had honed and the ones he never had to use for protection would never amount to anything. Being a prince’s bodyguard would be a dream for most people but not for him – this kind of destiny, imposed onto him because of the family he was born to… It was a curse.

   Dying to protect an idiot like Kalim? A foolish prince who decided seemingly on a whim to infiltrate an allied army? Jamil was not going to do that. At all. Never. The spirits of his ancestors could curse at him from the afterlife all they wanted (and his parents could too), but Jamil resolved to do so as soon as he took up the mantle of Kalim’s servant.

   Which was why the first to be surprised when he jumped between the bandit’s hand axe and Kalim was himself. The second was Kalim followed very closely by the brigand whose astonishment only lasted for a split second before he toppled over, felled by Jamil’s Kard, but not without planting his weapon in the servant's right shoulder as a parting gift. Jamil didn't feel the pain at first. His shoulder went numb, his dagger falling to the blood-soaked ground, but he felt incredibly normal, if only slightly off-balance. As if nothing had happened.

   He turned to Kalim to yell at him for not paying attention to the battlefield – danger was present everywhere, even in simple skirmishes like this one – but the sight of his white dance clothes splattered with blood and his pale face made Jamil stop and look down at his own shoulder. Red. Nothing but red all over his body. Bile rose in his throat when he grabbed the axe, and chucked it on the brigand's corpse – more blood gushed from the open gash, but he was past caring for it. That was nothing. He had seen worse wounds on other soldiers and had inflicted worse on his enemies. He just needed a priest to heal him. Or a vulnerary to tide the pain over – the last one he had was used on a benign injury at the start of the battle, he remembered then.

“J-Jamil…”

   Shut up. Jamil's mouth was too dry to speak, all his energy dedicated to standing and looking at the battlefield. Above them, Vil was surveying the surroundings on his pegasus, and in the front, Jack was tossing around the last of the bandits. Good. With no one left to attack them, Jamil could stop worrying about the idiot under his protection. If he could just find someone with a baton, he'd be alright… He took a step forward and flinched. The simplest of movements filled his sight with black spots. At this rate, he'd just– No, he had promised himself not to die on the job. His destiny was greater than that. Jamil took another step. His legs buckled under his weight and he fell to his knees on the muddy ground.

[eolewyn1010]

Downton Abbey Fashion 29 - festive occasions in the 1920s

There are times when the Crawleys wear a sort of outfit that I tentatively want to call “semi-formal”? They leave the house in these, so it’s not exactly an indoor look, and it’s day wear, not evening, but it’s often more lightweight than a coat or walking suit, and the optics go more in the direction of their garden fashions – light, mostly pastel colors, flowered hats, loosely falling robes… The occasions in question are 1st, Mary’s wedding, 2nd, a family picnic at Eryholme which at that time might become their new home, 3rd, Edith’s little disaster of a wedding, and finally, the baptism of Sybil junior.

The only occasion for which Violet bothers to get a new outfit is Mary’s wedding; for the others, she repeats a few of her already-established coats. This is stylistically familiar though, and in fact she combines it with a tulle-wrapped hat she’s worn before. I do love the cream coat; can’t quite tell the material, but it’s something softly shiny. And then she goes all extra on the cuffs and hem – this trim is easily five or six inches of piping flowers and ferns.

--------------

Remember when I said that Martha doesn’t really cross the line into tasteless? Well. I’ll admit it: This one is kind of tacky. Lady, tone down the fur and velvet; this is not a winter wedding. Admittedly, the turban-like head wrap is something I would have enjoyed a great deal more in an evening setting. Martha loves her some quirky 1920s headdresses. But for the day, the plumage seem a little much.

--------------

For her son’s wedding to Mary, Isobel got a lovely light blue walking coat that she repeats later for the Eryholme picnic, if with a less frothy hat. What I find funny during the wedding is that the cream collar with the darling birds-and-flowers embroidery makes Isobel look like she coordinated with the random extra next to her, a nameless lady in cream with a similar embroidery motif on the lapels.

--------------

Cora wears this long lavender coat for Mary’s wedding and for Sybbie’s baptism, a pretty rose-patterned damask with a long plain collar. I think this is supposed to be a matching set with the dress she wears under it, a lilac number with a velvet sash. The main variation between the wedding and the baptism is that for the former, she wears a ton of white fabric flowers on her hat and another huge one pinned to her lapel, whereas for the baptism she’s way more toned down, nothing on her lapel and the flowers on her hat much smaller and darker. Granted, that baptism has an overlap with mourning time.

Despite financial hardships, Cora can afford new hats all the time. What do you know. I kind of like the pleated design of the crown here, but not the overall shape if that makes sense. The sandy walking suit with the giant folded lapels will transition into her everyday wardrobe in season 4, although by then she picks a rather less flattering hat to go with it. I don’t know what these buttons are doing down there; they sure aren’t shutting the coat in any meaningful way. They just look nice, I guess.

This is Cora’s get-up for Edith’s wedding, and it has to be the first time I am aware of that the hatband was actually made to fit the cardigan. See? That’s the exact same flower embroidery. And back with a ton of white flowers on her hat. I like the jacket, but the outfit overall is a bit unspectacular, as is to be expected from a wedding guest who’s not to outshine the bride. Would probably pop more if she wore that over a red blouse.

--------------

We’ll get to what Mary wears to her wedding in a separate post, but for Edith’s wedding, she shows up in light blue chiffon and what I think is a layer of white lace. The drop waist sash, the sleeves and the hatband are all the same material, all pastel on pastel plus pearls; it’s all very rich boring white people. But at least it’s flattering. Edith gets fucked over by her outfits for these occasions.

Granted, Mary’s baptism look is really dowdy. Why is she dressed like her mother-in-law? This dress tries to do something with lavender and purple piping, but the placement of it doesn’t do much to enhance the outfit. I think she stole her mother’s jewelry again though; this is the exact necklace Cora was wearing with her beige picnic coat above.

--------------

Why. Why did they put Edith in this for Mary’s wedding? At this point, her sense of fashion has developed so much that this stupid, unflattering granny dress looks dissonant. She’s wearing a sack with a big flower on it. And what’s with the plump pin tucks in the skirt? They throw this so off balance. Ugh, anyway. The hat is quite lovely.

I found the last dress so ugly that this one, which she wears for the baptism, is already an upgrade. The color is not for Edith imo, but the drop waist has a patterned sash that is kind of nice, and while the sleeves look baggy, it at least has a pretty neckline.

--------------

Sybil got a rather nice look for Mary’s wedding. Why couldn’t Edith wear something like this? The color and weight is similar, blue chiffon, but the scarf matching the dress looks way more elegant than that strange embroidery. Any additional color is banned to the hat embroidery, which looks cute but less grand than those of her relatives because Sybil isn’t about that life anymore.

Her hat for Edith’s wedding has pretty much the same shape, the brim widening to the front and curving a bit up to form something akin to a bonnet, but it’s white with a lilac ribbon to match her dress. This dress is quite similar to Mary’s for the same event, chiffon with floral white lace, but it has some additional trim with an under layer in a darker purple, and the skirt has a little gathering on the side.

[starflungwaddledee]

hello!! its me!! in your inbox again!! Ive gotta know: what kind of thought went into Starstucks design? do you have any beta designs, early sketches, or has she always been so cute?!

HELLOOoooooo yesssss quality asks from moonie!!!! i am always so excited!!! i'll pop this under a cut because it got long, but the short answer is: sadly i'm boring and predictable 😂

i am SO embarrassed to tell you that very little thought went into her design, at least on any sort of... cerebral level. the reason for this is because she is my sona, though she does now have a story of her own, and i personally have an extremely rigid set of personal iconography! both irl and online

i joked with my gf and some friends who know me beyond kirby that if you knew me outside of here you would spot me a mile off because my aesthetics for sonas or personal representation have been rock-solid consistent for almost a decade!

i'm always pink and cream and ice blue, always have star themes, always have grey-blue/pink eyes, always have freckles (often white constellations) over big pink cockatiel cheeks, and always have huge bows 😂 also often i have flower crowns but she avoided this by being All Head. i did accessorise her festive outfit though!

so really... she couldn't have looked much different to how she does. i did add the stars on the bottom of her feet (hidden stars are a typical design choice for me tho) and the heart shaped face marking after drawing her a few times on the blog! i just thought the heart shaped marking added a little interest at the time, especially above the eyes; maybe because i was used to drawing bandee who's bandana covers that top edge of his face marking!

now that some time has passed, of course parts of her design tie into her lore in fun ways ("oh she has stars on her feet!" "what makes the constellations on her cheeks move!" "wow her bow looks a bit like wi-!!"), but that was entirely unexpected when i designed her. i never intended to develop her as much as she has been because the interest from others was frankly so unexpected; but i'm having a total blast doing it!

i also chose a waddle dee rather than any of the other aliens on offer because i personally tend to just... feel pretty average! not impressive or significant enough to be a knight or a puffball or anything like that! waddle dees resonate with me, they're just easily spooked little critters with zero defensive mechanisms doing their best and i can relate to that

though i suppose that it's now rather clear that starstruck is not an average waddle dee, if one at all.. so i guess time will tell

sorry if this is a bit of a let down 😅 the unfortunate answer is that she's based on Me and how i look/feel/dress/etc irl. my hair is that shade of pink. i have an exceptionally comprehensive collection of flower crowns and comedically oversized bows. i am very small and very round. i do have intensive freckles in constellation patterns. sadly, alas, my eyes are only grey-blue. so there was only ever so many variations she'd be able to draw on from my rigid set of aesthetics haha!

[insertfandomrefhere]

something stuck with me this season (well, many things, but this is about one thing in particular). crowley's 1941 outfit is the most masc of his outfit, with essentially none of the gender variation or ambiguity of his* other outfits. *in the loosest sense of the word

aziraphale always dresses much more masculine than crowley (even if the way that he does masculinity comes off as gay)--that's part of his unchangingness. throughout the years, the three main differences between their outfits are color palette, modernity, and gender presentation. crowley always* wears black to aziraphale's white, crowley always** has a modern outfit to aziraphale's old one, and crowley always*** has a more feminine lilt to aziraphale's more masculine one. *excluding pre-fall **excluding pre-fashion ***excluding 1941

in the present day, his outfit looks like if someone tried to assemble the most feminine outfit possible from the men's section of a store, or vice versa. in the scotland flashback, i can't speak specifically to whether his outfit would have been a woman's outfit of the era, but it's certainly more feminine than aziraphale's. in the 60s, his hair's longer--not in a way that was necessarily uncommon for men at the time, but certainly in a way that wasn't mainstream. and of course, there's nanny ash.

and yet, in 1941, crowley's outfit is absolutely, one hundred percent masculine. the only arguable deviation is the colors, but those are slight and still generally masculine colors. why?

1941 is the first time that crowley and aziraphale see each other after the fight over holy water. crowley wants to make up with aziraphale, and he is trying to actively deemphasize their differences in order to do that. he even has some colors--typically crowley tends towards shades of grey, while aziraphale tends towards slightly saturated cream shades.

but it doesn't work. not on us the audience. it still comes off as wrong, to the point where that stuck in my head moreso than even gabriel and beelzebub's romance, and probably on par with the final kiss. if aziraphale doesn't do masculinity well enough, partially because of his antiquity, crowley does masculinity too well, partly because of his modernity. crowley creates another contrast that an outsider would perceive between himself and aziraphale: gay vs. straight.

but it works the way crowley intended it to, doesn't it? aziraphale takes him back. they're back to being themselves. back to being crowley&aziraphale, aziraphale&crowley.

and isn't that something. how does that feel, to be loved once you hide part of yourself? how does it feel to not know whether it was your actions or the parts you've hidden that made him take you back?

that's another part of the queerness inherent to the story: even if pollution didn't use they/them, even if maggie never fell for nina, even if there were no kisses, even if you scrubbed every visible bit of us from the script, we would still be there, woven into every thread and pore of the story.

[sinnohlunarfestival]

Flower Market Roll Table

Lovely things can be seen, bought and experienced at the Flower Market! What will happen while you are there?

REQUIRES 1D20

1: A hungry Butterfree comes along to nibble at your clothes. It seems to like the taste of them and doesn't let go for a good minute.

2: You see some of the smallest and cutest Magikarp you have ever seen on display at an artificial koi pond. They have all kinds of patterns and colour variations!

3: You are drawn to the food stalls where they are making flower shaped moon cakes that have the subtle taste of lotus and Sakura.

4: A vendor hands you a slightly imperfect Florges cotton candy, on the house, because you're cute and they were going to toss it anyways.

5: A Bellossom offers you a flower crown made of simple daisies and dances around you as you put it on.

6: Some traditional clothes catch your eye and you wind up haggling down a very nice set to wear at a later time.

7: Pink Sakura petals drift down around you as you walk through an arch manned by bubbly Jigglypuff armed with baskets of loose petals.

8: There is a fortune teller and she gives you a fortune talking about reconciling with someone who hurt you.

9: You find a newspaper stand and read up on the latest news. Plastered all over the front were pictures of Blue(@evoblue ) and Green(@greenxprof) and their recent tiff.

10: Some Smeargle are doing portraits for free and you decide to ask one of them. You happened to ask the abstract artist as you get back a picture that has a clock for your face and your hair is some kind of whipped cream.

11: You decide to enter the game room and get engrossed in watching some old people play a few rounds of Liar's Dice.

12: An old granny sees you and waves you over to her store. She volunteers to dress you up and do your hair or make-up for you in the traditional clothes of Sinnoh. When she's done you look great!

13: You find a group of people talking about urban myths of Sinnoh, like Hisui Man, but also other tales like the Great Sinnoh and a kid friendly version of the Zodiac story that everyone knows.

14: A bunch of Buneary show up, making a bit of a ruckus as they randomly dance with other Pokemon in the middle of the reception area of the Flower Market.

15: A random passerby tells you that you're attractive, but bolt when you try to make a conversation. Did you just randomly get confessed to?!

16: A flower display falls on you! Luckily you didn't hurt, but it was kind of scary that it happened. It was pretty heavy after all, someone could have gotten really hurt.

17: A bunch of well dressed girls are demonstrating a tea ceremony and you participate, getting to try some well brewed tea and trying out special tea treats made from rice flour.

18: There is a bobba stand! You get something fun to drink that has Pokeball bobba merrily moving about inside as you sip it.

19: A Garchomp at the Flower Market is looking distressed; seems as if she wants to look pretty but her claws don't let her make anything without ripping them apart. You spend your time helping her get covered in flowers. She's thrilled by the end and licks you in thanks.

20: A tiny little thing scurries in front of you. When you notice it, it looks at you for a moment before coming over. It is green and white and has gracidea flowers growing out of it. It makes a gracidea flower appear in your hands which makes you think it. The little Pokemon smiles before running off!

[murrays-wardrobe]

Season 6 Wrap-Up

With the penultimate season behind us, there is only 24 more episodes to go! This season ended in 75 outfits with some wonderful additions to Murray's wardrobe, including one of the best dress shirts I've ever seen and I mourn the fact it has only appeared once. There was also this lovely dress shirt with a pattern of small flowers. Interestingly, with this shirt this season, I noticed an instance where Ted and Murray's wardrobes have overlapped (x) I'm sure this has happened before, but it was the first time I caught it.

Below is 4 graphs going into the details of his outfits! Enjoy!

The first one, as per standard, is the breakdown of the outwear types Murray wore this season. We saw a brilliant resurgence in cardigans this season, up from a mere three last season. This is the highest levels of cardigan wearing since season 3. Jackets and Sweaters are still holding their places as reigning outwear types, however.

Despite Jackets and Sweaters dominance of total outwear types, Murray's cream cardigan is the item worn the most times this season, widely outpacing his brown v-neck sweater and his dark denim jacket. It's a formidable fight cardigans are putting up as the show is beginning to wrap up, let's see if this trend continues in the final season.

Breaking down the shirt variations reveal a clear winner. At 15 appearances, the red and white checkered dress shirt blows every other shirt out of the water. We see a great showing of turtleneck this season, however, with the introduction of the blue turtleneck taking that category by storm with a total of 5 appearances.

Lastly, the reintroduction of the breakdown of shirt-outwear combos. Last season Murray excelled as no-repeats, rendering that graph basically useless. This season we see great numbers for the cream cardigan/red and white checkered dress shirt combo, with honorable mention of his casual blue jacket/black dress shirt combo. Most outfit combos continue to only appear once or twice, however, making for a wonderful variety of clothing. As we start the seventh season, it's interesting to see if there will be more or less repetitions of outfits as the show wraps up.

[jargonautical]

The Devil of Alfriscombe

EVERY HUNDRED YEARS, the legend goes, the Devil goes down to Alfriscombe. 

Why? The legend is a little hazy on the details. Perhaps he has a fondness for the place. Perhaps, as some wit suggested, Beelzebub likes his day at the seaside as much as the next man. Other, darker rumours suggest he comes by to collect what’s owed by the Vernon family after a disastrous wager made long ago. 

Either way, stories and sightings abound. A tall man dressed all in black with coal for eyes, he roams the town greeting people by name that he’s never met, asking questions about things that nobody should know. If he’s satisfied with the answers he goes away again after spending his gold freely. If things aren’t going so well, somehow they start going better. Rents fall and wages rise, families fallen on hard times receive an unexpected windfall or run of good luck. 

Not the Vernons of course, since the last one with any ties to the place drank himself to death in a debtor’s prison hundreds of years ago. No, the Devil’s regard (if that’s what it is) flows entirely to the common folk of the town.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

And there are plenty of those. 

Imagine every stereotype from any seaside town that you can remember, all rolled into one, and you’ll have a fair mental image of Alfriscombe. Buckets and spades, beach cricket sets in net bags, and racks upon racks of cheap plastic flip-flops in every colour. Twenty-three flavours of ice cream between seven ice cream parlours, four fish and chip shops with identical stern warning signs about not feeding the seagulls, sweetshops and tat shops and ugly souvenir shops with yellowing cellophane shielding the windows from the sun’s bleaching rays. The place has barely changed in the last sixty years, and why should it? Sun, sea and sand; a winning formula that needs no updating, as the thousands of visitors who flood the town every summer can testify. 

The town sits on the south coast, a middling-small settlement nestled in a fold of the hills sloping down to the sea. A sheltered natural harbour attracted humans to make their home there since before history began, a tiny fishing hamlet of the same name even getting a passing mention in the Domesday Book. The present-day town is considerably larger of course, spreading its skirts over the years to absorb a handful of villages inland and down the coast to the west. Back in the day this was a hotspot for quackery, fraud and pseudoscience, new money flocking here to take the waters or breathe the air as a cure for whatever ailed you. 

All of their grand houses are now hotels, dental surgeries, nursing homes painted in tasteful variations on off-white and cream. All except one, you’ll see it if you come in by train; one single subversive soul who rejected the tyranny of beige and opted instead for a vibrant Mediterranean sky-blue. It looks joyously awful against its more refined neighbours, a football shirt at a wedding, but it stands out. 

Alfriscombe isn’t overly fond of things that stand out, nor things that change, still clinging to the image of the perfect family resort from sometime in the 1950s. The town’s steady decline into obscurity is a direct result. It’s neither old-fashioned enough to be quaint, nor modern enough to be vibrant. Not big enough to be lively and not small enough to be peaceful, designated ‘urban’ only by contrast to the rural hinterland it’s surrounded by. Unless something more exciting than the bi-annual waste management conference happens here one of these days it’ll remain forever stuck in a bland no man’s land. 

[itsnotmourn]

two hundred (200) facts about winifred

both good and bad, both old and new, both obvious and maybe tmi

Winifred!  Her Japanese name is Iori (いおり).

She found the name Winifred while reading the newspaper and thought it sounded nice.

She does not have a surname or middle names.

Her most common nickname is Winnie but you might see me deteriorating her name to something more silly, like Wininifired, Winini, or Windowbread.

She is 5’2ft or 157cm!

Winifred is Japanese.

She is a yokai known as the futakuchi-onna (two-mouthed woman).

Her true birthday is unknown.  She picked out 22nd December.

Her meta/creation date is March 28 2024.

Though, they have never really celebrated their birthday.  Since it was a randomly picked out day, they just forget.

She is ““25””.

Bless her heart; her handwriting looks like this.  UNREADABLE but enough for people to go “omg nice handwriting."

They were born in the mountains of Fukushima at an unnamed rural village.

Their earliest memory would be described as “without warmth.” Literally.

They wouldn't know how to describe themselves in terms of sexuality (but they are under the bi umbrella... maybe omnisexual).

After becoming a yokai, she felt like “a girl” and “a whole bunch of nothing” at the same time.

Her cause of death was an axe to the head.

If she hadn’t done that one thing that has led to her death… she’d still be dead but in a pleasant human way; as in, she would have lived life as an old lady.

Her zodiac is a taurus and a rabbit.

Her deadly sin would be Greed.

Her heavenly virtue would be Kindness.

On the alignment chart, she’d be True Neutral, maybe leading towards Neutral Evil.  

If she were a number symbolically, she’d be zero (0).

She has no living/known family members.

She currently works at an ice-cream parlour.

Her favourite flavour is mint chocolate.

They have a low opinion of Frank as he stole some ice-cream containers with the help of Skid and Pump, and left it at a scene.

She has the perfect customer-service smile.

On Halloween Spooky Month, she dresses up as her true self.

Their preferred outdoor clothing style is anything that at least covers up the arms and legs.

Their body shape is the inverted-triangle.

Since they have broader shoulders, a lot of the skirts have a flair to them.

Most of her cardigans were hand-made by a coworker/friend, Jordan.

All of her shoes are some variation of slip ones; something that’s easy to put on and kick off.

They are not blind!  Their iris colour is just close to white.  In a more realistic art style, they would still have pupils but it’s not drawn for stylisation purposes.

Her eyes being closed is a design trope to emphasise her mysterious nature.  She can still “see” with them closed.

That being said, their eyes are very sensitive to flashing/light.

She grew up in the mountains so the cold weather doesn’t bother her much.  Not including the winds, though.

Her skin is unnaturally cold to the touch.

White is not her original hair/eye colour (technically her eyebrows too)

Both were originally black.

Instead of being pure white, her hair is like an off-white cream, caused by a centuries’ worth of sun-bleach and bloodstains on it. However, it may still be coloured as pure white!

Both her hair and eyes have a pearlescent effect when there’s direct light on it.

Her hair can make itself grow about 3x its natural length.

If the hair is cut without consent, the strands will wiggle like a dropped lizards’ tail, or a chopped snake head.

It’s very easy to make her laugh, even if it’s just a light chuckling response to a mundane thing.

Unfortunately, this also includes uncomfortable laughter so sometimes, her pained chuckle can give the wrong message.

Snow brings nostalgia from her home place.  It’s both a good and bad feeling.

She has a habit of doubling words like “hello hello”, “bye bye”, etc.

She tends to omit the “I” pronoun too when she talks.  “I don’t like it” -> “Don’t like it.”

Their voice claim would be close to Suzuki Mayumi in the Mulan Japanese dub (speaking).  I like the pauses but I’m not sure if it’s accurate to the one in my head.

She prefers sweet and/or salty foods.

Her spice tolerance is on the lower end.

Her comfort food is crab meat and anything potato.

She’s lactose intolerant but doesn’t care to avoid dairy products.

Except for milk; she will gag a little if forced to drink it.

Her favourite frozen food wouldn’t be ice-cream; it would be any form of frozen yogurt, preferably made with goat’s milk.

Their go-to coffee is Vietnamese coffee with a spoonful or two of condensed milk.

Their go-to tea is green/oolong tea.

She will only drink alcohol at home and she drinks rarely.  She doesn’t like the taste of beer but white wine is alright.

Winifred gets clingy when drunk.

Her favourite fruit is seedless green grapes.

She keeps the crust on bread.

She cuts bread diagonally or not at all.

Winifred is a fast eater/drinker.

The Second Mouth is a messy eater.

She doesn’t cook often as most of her money goes towards buying take out.  She needs to buy meals for two after all.

She presents herself as a realist, then gives up and reverts to a pessimist.

One of her pet peeves is when she tell others to talk off their shoes and they don’t.  She finds it a bit strange wearing shoes inside a home too, even if the host welcomes it.

She is a sock wearer, even in Summer.

If asked to pick between a dog or cat to keep, she’d opt for a fake plant.  A cat would be her proper answer though.

She is awful with directions.  She will get lost no matter what.

In terms of physical strength… Winifred is on the lower end.  She’s never winning an arm wrestle.

In terms of dexterity and speed, she is one of the better ones; to make up for having no strength!

She doesn’t do a lot of sports.

Actually, she can’t swim either.

The mouth on the back of her head is just called “The Second Mouth” by Winifred.  Technically, it is nameless.

If The Comedian had to call it by a name, it would be Fred (or Freddie)… because Winifred = Winnie + Fred.  He’s hilarious.

The Second Mouth is unpleasant and always whispers horrible things at night.

It doesn’t have any sense of sight but its sense of smell via tongue and ability to sense danger/bloodlust is great.

If Winifred doesn’t answer right away in conversations, it’s usually because she’s having an internal talk with The Second Mouth.

She used to just wear her hair down until The Second Mouth came by.  Now to hide it, she wears it in a large bun.

There’s no hair tie for her bun, it’s actually just keeping itself up.

She doesn’t brush the teeth of The Second Mouth but as long as she gives it raw bones to chew on, it will be okay.

It can eat anything after all, like the things Winifred doesn’t like.

She has a keitai flip phone.  There is an assortment of phone charms/stickers on it.

She does not own a car.

Which means, yeah, they either walk or take public transport.

She pays for the bus fare like 1/3 of the time.

Or she takes a shortcut through the Eat District.

She moved to wherever Spooky Town is when she was in her “early 20’s”.

Well… she is around 300 years old as an entity.

Before she manifested as a yōkai, she was a very young adult dealing with the feelings of alienation.

So, with some quick maths and the current fact that Spooky Month is in 2013 right now, she was from the Edo Period.

Specifically, nearly two decades before the Kan’ei famine.

Though… after being struck in the head, she fell into deep sleep for about a hundred years.

To find some companions, she joined a group of other yokai like herself for safety and food.  There was a leader there: a kitsune.

She hated their leader’s attitudes and ran off to find her life again.

After that sour encounter, she believed that relationships with monsters wasn’t worth it.

In the modernising years, she has had two relationships before The Comedian.

Relationship A went well; Relationship B went well.

Winifred broke up with both of them… for certain reasons.

She is the type to have people come to her rather than her pursuing a relationship. Until her current relationship with The Comedian.

She never had any formal education, which makes me a little sad to think about.

If she did, she’s the type to get straight B’s with a few A’s.

Her best subject would be Biology.

Her worst subject would be Japanese (which would be like our English); analysing and writing essays are not her strong suit.

If she went to university… it would probably be food related, unironically; like a dietitian.

Her multiplication/division is stronger than her addition/subtraction.

She doesn’t play any instruments but if she did, she’d do violin, a bamboo flute, or shamisen.

It’s hard to get by any places without documents anyway so most of Winifred’s documents are fake aside from driver’s license.

In fact, she needed some spooky little friends in order to get through airport security.

Rainy weather is one of their favourites but only when they’re inside.

She is a silver jewellery person.

She doesn’t have tattoos but if she did, it’d be small ones on her ankles or rib.

She doesn’t wear piercings regularly but if she did, a back corset piercing would be her pick.

She smokes socially.

If they had a social media account (like uhhh???  spookygram?  lmao?), it would be full of food pictures and few with their partner. They rarely include face/s, but if they did, they’d censor it with cute emojis.

If she had a youtube channel, it would probably be cute and short clips of her making desserts for the ice-cream parlour.

In her wallet is a holographic Pokemon card that she found; it’s scratched and probably fake, but it’s cute.  Behind it, is her ID card.

She doesn’t mind most music genres but one that she would listen to the least is metal.

She likes the math music genre the most.

If a song genre would be a guilty pleasure, it’d be children's nursery rhymes.

I associate a lot of Österreich songs with Winifred; you might know the band from Tokyo Ghoul OP 2!

On her keyrings is a liquid keychain and a plush.

She dislikes it when people try to analyse her or if people give her therapy talk about deeper issues.

Some goes for things like tarot cards or any sort of “readings”.

If under immense pressure, she’d just run from it all and then return a few days later.

Before the 2000s, she was VERY underweight.  

Then she was able to gain weight because she got herself a job.  And thanks to fast food.

After all, she couldn’t go and stand there for unmarried men to be charmed by her anymore.  The people aren't stupid anymore.

She’s really bad at gauging what gifts a person would like so she gives them plain money instead, usually $50–100.

In the town, there is a restaurant that only opens for all types of supernatural monsters/yokai.  Winifred is both their best and worst customer.

She was originally designed to be a mermaid, like a very passive aggressive mermaid.  I still want a mermaid OC but I’d rather buy/get it from another person.  I love adopting designs lol.

She THEN was designed to be a fox spirit (not necessarily a kitsune from Japanese folklore as she didn’t have an ethnicity in mind yet).

In terms of contrast in character design, she doesn’t have a very good one… but her lack of contrast is intentional.

One of the first things people would notice about her is her white eyelashes.

Although they have characteristics of one, they are not albino.

They’re the type of person to hold the railings when going up/down stairs.

Since they wear long skirts, they have in fact tripped over them while going up the stairs.

She can’t whistle.

She likes the sound of windchimes and she has a very small one inside her apartment.

Winifred would consider walking up to her apartment as her daily exercise, though there’s only one flight of stairs.

Her apartment is small and cramped.

Although they would like to live a minimalist life, they can't help but hoard a bit of everything.  It’s a mess.  Outfits are nice; home is a wreck.

Well, they don’t invite most people in any way.

She can still stay/do nothing for 5 minutes before she gets antsy/fidgety.

She doesn’t make her bed in the morning.

That said, her bed is just a futon on the floor she got from a garage sale. Mattresses are expensive y'know.

Winifred doesn’t have many enemies but if one picks a needless fight, then yeah, that’s an enemy now.

That being said, she's more of a flighter than a fighter.

If she is confronted with insults, she’d probably just stand there as she doesn’t like confrontation… or whatever ends the day with her alive lmao.

Can she kill?  Sure.  Would she want to?  No unless in self-defense.  Could a certain mouthy thing do that for her regardless of reason?  Yeah.

She believes in the concept of Heaven and Hell… because it actually exists for her.  At least the Buddhist version of it.

They hate bugs in their home.  Ooohhhh they kick out any bug they see.

Her favourite Disney movie would be Snow White because of the songs.

By herself, she would happily sing.  Though, it’s more like “saying the lyrics in a non-singsong way” because her voice is naturally stiff and quiet.

Her footsteps are quiet too; often making the people around her jump a little.

They enjoy hugs; longer hugs for the one they love.

If someone asks for an honest opinion, she would not give one if she had a negative thought about it.

She would forget to drink water than to eat on a daily basis.

Though, if feeling guilty about something, she would make herself stay a little more hungry.

She prefers milk chocolate over white/dark.

Mechanical pencils or gel pens are her preferred writing/drawing material.

When they get nervous, they fidget with their hands or hair.

She has small feet and hands.

She would prefer to buy something for herself than donate to charity, unless she was personally asked.

So yes, they can be a little stingy with spending money when it comes to others.

She knows most of the wage workers but doesn’t consider them friends… rather “people she knows.”

Out of the bunch, Kevin is one that they talk to the most since the ice-cream parlour gets their candy toppings from the CandyClub.

Winifred knows most of the children too; Hatzgang comes to the shop often to hang out during the Summer due to the air-con.

They have never been to human hospitals (and will refuse to) since they can heal physical damage.

Then again, she has never broken a bone to really test her limits.

She’s in a relationship.

She is dating The Comedian… who is not even a Spooky Month character but whatever!!!

She didn’t know the extent of his popularity so she was a little surprised when her coworkers freaked out about her dating a small-town celebrity.

Their ship name is Stagefright.

Before considering him, I was thinking of shipping her with one of the replacement cops…  leaning towards Captain Cop.

If I did, their ship name would have been CaptainCuspids but I never made any content with it.  So… anyway!

stagefright is freak4freak idk how else to say it

if taking a bite out of each other is love they might as well be full course meals to each other.  #cannibalism is #cool

She kisses the Laughter’s mouth/s when she can.  Though, a whole tooth is the size of her hand.  You can imagine how strange it is to try.

Both Comedian and Winifred are night people.  However, Winifred is the one to wake up first.

Her love language is physical touch.

Winifred prefers kaomojis and The Comedian uses emojis.

The Comedian’s home is arguably much nicer than Winifred’s, but he camps at her's from time to time.

Since The Comedian has close ties with the popular Actor and Actress, Winifred has a handful of their merchandise for free.

She doesn’t care for decorative things in households like posters so she gives those to her coworkers.  Clothing she will keep though.

Winifred is okay with PDA but she can get shy if The Comedian decides to hype her up to his friends.

If Winifred randomly wears something that reveals more skin (usually legs), he gets a little flustered.

She banned The Comedian from playing music in her car after he played this on loop.

Okay so The Comedian DOES have a fan name in mind but I don’t think I will ever use it because it’s more fun without it.  Anyway, if Winifred needs to address him, it’s usually something vague like “gahhh, stop it, you!”

Marriage is not in the plans.

Neither is children (but I’ve been toying with the idea of a fan kid anyways lol)

Mostly because all that time being underweight has made her hormone balance go bonkers.

If she were to die like a human, she would want to be eaten.

But alas, the few ways she can die is by spiritual means like sacred objects/chants/resolving a deep grudge.

Holy water itches her skin but since she covers up, the most she has trouble with is the evaporated water burning in her nose.

It's not enough to kill her but it does annoy her. This has made her avoid the CandyClub as of Hollow Sorrows.

While she’d be afraid to get close to Father Gregor, he'd be ineffective as he is a Catholic priest rather than a Buddhist/Shinto priest.

one note on this post = one fact about winini perhaps

[ifbfreshcatch]

Garlic Butter Prawns Recipe

Garlic Butter Prawns is possibly the easiest recipe I have, but also one of my family's favourite rich and flavourful prawns with garlic butter sauce, which is one of those go-to meals for any occasion. If you are in the mood to have a quick weeknight dinner or want something to dress up for entertaining, this should do the trick.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick & Easy – Ready in under 20 minutes.

Minimal Ingredients – Uses pantry staples like garlic, butter, and lemon.

Versatile – Pairs well with rice, pasta, or even crusty bread.

Rich & Flavorful – The combination of garlic and butter creates an irresistible taste.

Ingredients

To make this delicious dish, you’ll need:

Main Ingredients:

500g large prawns, cleaned and deveined

4 tbsp unsalted butter

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp red chili flakes (optional, for spice)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional Additions:

½ tsp smoked paprika (for a hint of smokiness)

2 tbsp white wine (for extra depth of flavor)

1 tsp honey (for a slightly sweet contrast)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the prawns First, wash and de-vein your large shrimp If you are using the frozen prawns, defrost them in cold water for about 15 minutes and then use a paper towel to pat them dry. You need to de-moisturize the prawns so they sear properly instead of steaming from their own moisture.

Step 2: Sauté Garlic You will need to use a large pan or skillet and heat some oil with the lowest heat you can then add this to the mixture. Garlic- Add to some heated oil in the pan and sauté for 30 seconds or so or until fragrant. Garlic can get bitter so be really careful not to burn it.

Step 3 – Cook Prawns Place prawns on the pan in a single layer. They should be cooked for 2-3 minutes on each side until they turn pink and slightly tented. As with all prawns you do not want too cook them for too long as they will dry out and turn rubbery.

Step 4: Melt Butter and Season Reduce the heat and melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter while also coating it completely all over the prawns. Salt, pepper and red chili flakes (if using ) Sprinkle everything together and stir very well until the prawns are nicely coated.

Step 5: Finish with Lemon & Parsley Use the juice of 1 tablespoon fresh lemon to add color, tang and brightness to the prawns. Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley to garnish both visually and for freshness. If your wine is white, add this now and stir for 1 minute to amp up the sauce.

Step 6 : Serve & Enjoy Take off the heat of prawns just simmer and serve them. They pair beautifully with:

Garlicky Butter Sauce on Steamed Rice — This is perhaps my favourite concoction. Pasta: Add cooked spaghetti to your prawns for a quick gourmet pasta meal. Warm Baguette-crusty Bread – Absorb that creamy sauce Garlic Butter Prawns to Die For

Use Fresh or Manage Prawns– The best taste you can get is bright maintained from days ago fresh prawns. Fresh – Use this particular premium quality large prawns if freezing did not appeal. Do not Over Cook your Prawns – They are quick cook so be vigilant. As soon as they’re pink and they have the opaque, drop them. Give season with salt to taste — If you like a little kick in spicy, then add some chili flakes or just a little cayenne pepper. Double the Butter-Garlic-Lemon — If you like your dish saucier, just up the quantities of butter, garlic and lemon to taste making more delicious liquid to dip. Real Ingredients – Fresh garlic, lemon juice and parsley bring an entirely other level of flavor to the veggies over their processed version.

Garlic Butter Prawns Variations Creamy Garlic Butter Prawns: thick the sauce with ¼ cup of heavy cream Garlic Butter Prawns – For the spice card, toss in more red chili flakes, sriracha or freshly chopped chilies for chili heads. Garlic Butter Prawns with Vegetables: Add bell peppers, Zucchini or Spinach for some nutrition and vibrant colour! Garlic Butter Prawns: Asian style – 1 tbsp soy sauce and spoonful of sesame oil for more depth of flavours. Storage & reheating directions (chili) Refrigerator: Store leftovers in airtight containers for up to 2 days Freezer– Though prawns are at their best fresh, frozen cooked prawns can easily be stored for 1 month. Freeze thaw slightly before reheating. Reheating Hacks: Stovetop: Warm the pan over very low heat for a moist sizzling with just a touch of butter. Microwave – Steat within short bursts (15-20 seconds) Oven: Wrap it in tin foil and bake at 150°C (300°F) for about 10 minutes COMBO-2 PAIRING Garlic Butter Prawns go well with the following sides and drink recipes:

Side Dishes: Garlic Bread- Essential to get the buttery richness out of your sauce. Mashed Potatoes — Make a warming and comforting side that helps to focus flavour. Grilled Vegetables — A new vegetable addition with a touch of colour.

Drinks: Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay (to cut through the rich butteryness) — A refreshing (bleached in sauv) white wine like Citrus Lemonade – Kick the Garlic & Butter with this fresh acidity Ice Cold Beer – Perfect pairing for your sea-food, a light lager or pilsner. Final Thoughts Garlic Butter Prawns is a super-easy elegant meal that anyone can make. You can make it so decadent with such simple ingredients, it will make any seafood lover swoon. If you use it as a side or the main course, this recipe has got you covered.

Use this recipe with large prawns from IFBFreshCatch for maximum flavor and texture! Enjoy Your meal 🍤✨

[navpreet1234]

Mother of Pearl Jewelry: Nature's Masterpiece

Extracting the Ocean's Iridescence: The Journey of Mother-of-Pearl 

Mother-of-pearl's beauty isn't simply a gift of nature, it's the result of a fascinating biological process. Unlike pearls, which form around an irritant inside a mollusk's shell, mother-of-pearl is the iridescent inner layer of the mollusk's shell itself. As the mollusk grows, it deposits thin layers of calcium carbonate in a concentric pattern. This intricate layering, combined with microscopic aragonite crystals, creates the light-diffracting phenomenon that gives mother-of-pearl its signature shimmering quality. 

Extracting mother-of-pearl involves carefully harvesting mollusk shells, primarily oysters, mussels, and abalone. Sustainable practices are crucial here, and reputable pearl farms ensure responsible harvesting that minimizes environmental impact. Once harvested, the shells are cleaned and processed to separate the outer shell layer from the precious mother-of-pearl beneath. As it's also known, this nacre undergoes further cutting, polishing, and shaping to create the stunning pieces we see in jewelry. 

Mother of Pearl: A Reflection of Inner Beauty 

Throughout history, mother of pearl has held symbolic meaning in various cultures. In ancient Egypt, it was associated with the moon and femininity, which were believed to offer protection and emotional balance. In some Asian cultures, mother of pearl symbolizes purity, wisdom, and good luck. Its connection to the ocean also imbues it with a sense of calmness and tranquility. 

Modern interpretations often associate mother of pearl with self-discovery and inner strength. The way it reflects light with an ever-changing iridescence is seen as a metaphor for the multifaceted nature of our personalities. Owning a piece of mother of pearl jewelry can serve as a reminder to embrace your unique beauty and inner light. 

Why Mother of Pearl Jewelry is a Timeless Trend 

Mother-of-pearl's enduring popularity in jewelry can be attributed to several factors: 

Versatility: With its natural color palette ranging from white and cream to pink, black, and even green, mother of pearl jewelry complements a wide variety of styles. It can be dressed up for a sophisticated evening look or dressed down for a casual day out. 

Durability: Despite its delicate appearance, mother-of-pearl is surprisingly strong and resilient. With proper care, it can last for generations, making it a valuable heirloom piece. 

Affordability: Compared to other gemstones, mother-of-pearl offers a more budget-friendly option, making it accessible to a wider audience. 

Uniqueness: Each piece of mother-of-pearl is unique due to its natural variations in color and luster. This adds a touch of individuality to any jewelry collection.

Timeless Appeal: Mother of pearl has transcended trends and remained a popular jewelry material for centuries. Its classic beauty ensures it will never go out of style. 

A Glimpse into Fine Color Jewels' Collection: Unveiling the Significance of Mother of Pearl Necklaces

Fine Color Jewels offers a captivating selection of mother of pearl necklaces, each with its own unique symbolism and design elements. Let's delve into the stories behind some of our most exquisite pieces:

Mother-of-Pearl Ruby Clover Pendant Necklace: This necklace combines the captivating iridescence of mother of pearl with the fiery brilliance of a ruby. The four-leaf clover, meticulously carved from mother-of-pearl, is a universal symbol of good luck and fortune. The ruby gemstone adds a touch of passion, energy, and vitality. This necklace is ideal for those seeking a piece that embodies prosperity, good fortune, and a touch of fiery spirit.

Mother-of-Pearl Sapphire Clover Pendant Necklace: As mentioned earlier, the mother of pearl clover symbolizes good luck and fortune. In this piece, the clover is accentuated by a dazzling sapphire gemstone. Sapphires are traditionally believed to symbolize wisdom, truth, and loyalty. This necklace is a perfect choice for those seeking a symbol of good fortune enhanced by the virtues of knowledge and loyalty.

Mother-of-Pearl Emerald Pendant Necklace: This necklace features a breathtaking piece of mother-of-pearl, paired with a vibrant emerald gemstone. Emeralds are traditionally associated with love, growth, and new beginnings. When combined with the symbolic meaning of mother-of-pearl, this necklace represents a beautiful fusion of nurturing love, personal growth, and a touch of good luck in new endeavours.

Mother-of-Pearl Heart Pendant Necklace: The heart is a timeless symbol of love, affection, and compassion. This simple yet elegant necklace showcases a gorgeous piece of mother of pearl carved into a heart shape. The iridescent nacre adds a layer of depth and complexity to this symbol of love, making it a perfect choice for expressing your deepest emotions.

Mother-of-Pearl Dragonfly Pendant Necklace: The dragonfly is a creature often associated with transformation, adaptability, and self-realization. This stunning necklace features mother-of-pearl meticulously carved into the delicate form of a dragonfly. The iridescent material enhances the ethereal nature of this symbol, making it a captivating choice for those on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

Mother-of-Pearl Pendant Necklace (For Her) : While the specific design of this necklace may vary, the essence of mother-of-pearl remains constant. As discussed earlier, mother-of-pearl holds symbolic meaning across cultures and is often associated with femininity, purity, and emotional balance. This necklace, with its shimmering mother-of-pearl centrepiece, can be a thoughtful gift for any woman in your life, offering a timeless symbol of beauty and inner strength.

Mother-of-Pearl Pendant Necklace: Like the previous piece, the specific design of this necklace may vary, but it still embodies the core essence of mother-of-pearl. This simple and elegant necklace can serve as a powerful symbol of inner beauty, self-discovery, and the ever-changing nature of life, reflected in the captivating iridescence of the nacre.

With its diverse selection of mother-of-pearl necklaces, Fine Color Jewels offers a piece that speaks to your unique style and resonates with your personal aspirations. Visit our website to explore the full collection and discover the perfect mother-of-pearl necklace to add a touch of shimmering beauty and symbolic meaning to your life.

Discover the beauty and symbolism of mother-of-pearl jewelry at Fine Color Jewels. Explore our collection and find the perfect piece to adorn your neck and express your unique style.

Source- Fine color jewels

[shivaniboutique]

Ball gown dresses are elegant, full-skirted gowns typically worn for formal occasions like balls, galas, or weddings. They are known for their fitted bodices and voluminous skirts that flare out from the waist, often made with luxurious fabrics such as silk, satin, tulle, or organza.

Here are some key features and variations of ball gown dresses:

Bodice Styles:

Strapless: A popular choice for a timeless, elegant look.

Off-the-Shoulder: Adds a romantic and slightly vintage vibe.

Sweetheart Neckline: Creates a heart-shaped neckline, enhancing the décolletage.

Illusion Neckline: Features sheer fabric with intricate detailing like lace or beading.

Corset Bodice: Offers a structured, figure-hugging fit.

Skirt Styles:

Tulle Layers: Creates a soft, ethereal look with multiple layers of tulle.

Organza Overlay: Adds texture and a delicate shimmer.

Satin or Silk: Smooth and glossy fabrics for a classic, regal appearance.

Ruffled or Tiered: Adds volume and movement with layers of fabric.

Embellishments:

Beading and Sequins: Adds sparkle and glamour to the gown.

Lace Appliqué: Adds intricate, feminine detail.

Embroidery: Provides a personalized and ornate touch.

Sash or Belt: Defines the waist and adds a pop of color or contrast.

Colors:

Traditional: White, ivory, or cream for weddings and formal events.

Pastels: Soft pinks, blues, or lavenders for a delicate and romantic look.

Bold Colors: Rich reds, deep blues, or emerald greens for a statement-making appearance.

Ball gowns are often associated with fairy-tale princesses due to their grand and dramatic silhouette. They're perfect for occasions where you want to make a memorable entrance.

[barongsrus1]

The modern barong Tagalog is a contemporary evolution of the traditional Filipino garment, combining classic elements with current fashion trends. Here’s an overview of what makes the modern barong Tagalog distinctive:

Key Features of the Modern Barong Tagalog

Fabric and Materials:

Diverse Fabrics: While traditional barongs are made from piña (pineapple fiber) or jusi (a type of silk), modern versions might use a range of materials such as synthetic fibers, cotton blends, or even high-tech fabrics that offer improved durability and comfort.

Comfort and Breathability: Modern materials are often chosen for their comfort, breathability, and ease of maintenance, making the barong suitable for various occasions and climates.

Design Innovations:

Color Variations: Unlike the classic white or cream barong, modern versions come in a wide array of colors. These vibrant shades can range from bold hues to subtle pastels, allowing for more personal expression.

Patterns and Embroidery: Contemporary barongs might feature innovative patterns and embroidery, including geometric designs, abstract art, or even fusion styles that blend traditional motifs with modern aesthetics.

Tailoring and Fit:

Slim and Tailored Cuts: Modern barongs often have a slimmer, more tailored fit compared to their traditional counterparts. This change caters to contemporary fashion preferences and provides a more streamlined silhouette.

Customization: Many designers offer customization options, allowing individuals to personalize their barongs with unique designs, colors, and fits.

Occasions and Versatility:

Casual to Formal: The modern barong Tagalog is versatile and can be worn for a range of occasions. It’s suitable for formal events like weddings and official functions, as well as more casual settings or cultural celebrations.

Day-to-Night Wear: The versatility of the modern barong allows it to transition from day to night, adapting to various dress codes and events.

Fashion Integration:

Pairing with Modern Wear: Modern barongs are often styled with contemporary fashion pieces, such as tailored trousers, loafers, or even sneakers, bridging traditional Filipino attire with global fashion trends.

Innovative Styling: Fashion designers sometimes incorporate elements from other global fashion trends, creating a hybrid look that resonates with both local and international audiences.

Sustainability and Ethical Production:

Eco-Friendly Materials: Some modern barong Tagalogs are made from sustainable or eco-friendly materials, reflecting a growing trend towards responsible fashion practices.

Ethical Production: Emphasis on ethical production practices is becoming more prevalent, with a focus on fair labor practices and local craftsmanship.

Notable Designers and Brands

Rajo Laurel: Known for integrating traditional Filipino elements with modern fashion, creating barongs that are both stylish and contemporary.

Francis Libiran: Renowned for his luxurious and innovative designs that often include modern twists on traditional attire.

Randy Ortiz: Offers modern takes on traditional garments with attention to detail and contemporary styling.

The modern barong Tagalog represents a dynamic blend of tradition and innovation, reflecting the evolving nature of Filipino fashion while preserving its cultural significance. Whether for formal events or casual outings, the modern barong Tagalog provides a stylish and adaptable option for contemporary wardrobes.