#dressmaker of joy || angel

[idv-murder-mystery-utopia]

“In the eye of the beholder, she will do everything in her power to change the world for her wish to come true.

Even at the expense of her own life.”

Adalyn Adlere's A tier skin: “Myne.”

Skin designed by @ask-idv-tailor

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Empires on the Horizon Epilogue

Jason is a CEO: Epilogue

When i started this fic (around 9 months ago-- holy hell we could have had a whole human in that time) i didn’t expect it to go in the directions it did or to produce the characters and story it did. While it’s not one of my more action-packed fics it is still very special to me because 1. it’s my first jason centered fic (of which we don’t have much of); 2. it’s my first really long multi-chap (the longest before this was 10 parts); 3. i got to explore so many of my crackships and dynamics of friendship i may not have been able to if we (for example) stuck to canon; 4. most importantly i love this fic because it started out (the very first chapter) as an original story that just was not going anywhere but when i decided to make it a fanfic, suddenly ideas were pouring from my fingers like wine from a split barrel. these characters feel as much mine as they are Rick’s (which is a dangerous path to go down and i’m not actually claiming they’re mine-- gods please don’t sue me). in short i love this fic dearly, i’m so proud of how far all these little babies have come (especially jason) and i hope you feel even a smidge the joy i feel over this, as you go on to read the very soft conclusion to Jason Grace as CEO.

masterlist; my links

[image has alt text]

There was something almost magical in the gleaming silhouette of the Manhattan skyline. There was something hopeful about it too. 

Jason Grace stepped out of his car, relishing in the sound of the gravel crunching under his feet and the babble of people all around him. His suit—  a deep blue, dark enough to look black, and glittering with tiny silver diamantes that looked like stars— clung to his shoulders and hugged his legs. The theme of the evening was “Starry Night”. He figured coming as the actual night was accurate enough. Drew and Silena had done a beautiful job on his outfit, to no-one’s surprise. He would see them here tonight, along with their husband, and the rest of his friends. And tomorrow, oh tomorrow, he would be off to Rome, with the man that filled his life with overwhelming light.

“Jase,”  Someone called out from the darkness, “Are you hiding from us because you put two different shoes on again and are too embarrassed to say?”

“Shut up Annabeth,” He laughed, “I’m coming.”

He walked towards the group of silhouettes, making out Leo and Annabeth, and Nico and Will, and coming from behind them were the dressmakers and their Charles. Hazel and Frank would be making an appearance later in the night.

“You all look beautiful.” He smiled, hugging them, kissing cheeks and foreheads, relishing in their closeness and their comfort, as he has always done. And they did in fact look beautiful. Annabeth in a dress of blue swirling around her and pooling at her feet— the colours matched the sapphire on her ring finger; Leo in a matching floor-length skirt and a sheer polo-neck that showed off every clean brown line of his skin; Nico and Will, in contrast, were complete opposites, the former in a black suit with silver jewellery, and the latter in an off white with gold accents; Silena, Drew and Charlie all had on suits with various parts of the galaxy embroidered in gold, threading a spectacular tapestry through the emerald green. All in all, his friends were really hot.

“Y’all ready?” Will drawled, tilting his head to the entrance of the hotel a little way away.

“Let’s go celebrate!” He winked in response.

And then they’re walking towards the bright lights, launching into conversations and updates and work and jokes. It was familiar in the way driving home after a long time away was, or catching a waft of the specific smell of your elementary school art room, or seeing someone from your childhood and slipping into a comfortable back-and-forth.

“Jase,” Charlie scooted next to him, breaking away from his conversation with Nico, “How’s the construction for the new section of the outdoor center going? I heard you hit a snag last week with the design?”

“Yea there was a few centimeters off with one of the structures and it caused the whole area to be off balance,” He scrunched his nose, remembering the horror from last week. “I’m just grateful we caught it in time.”

“I can’t believe it’s been a year since that center went up,” His friend marvelled, eyes wide with the disbelief of time. He knew the feeling well.

“It’s crazy. I came back from my holiday and then everything was just on fast forward.” He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m happy though, with the progress and how far we’ve come.”

“You’ve just burst and grown and brightened,” There’s that soft smile, the one that made all of Jason’s insides turn to mush. The one that told him he was loved in every capacity.

“I know.” He felt the blush creeping up his skin, pale after the long winter months. “I don’t owe it to myself though. All of you guys have—” 

“No way mister,” Annabeth chimed in, “You absolutely owe it to yourself. You got yourself there, we just cheered you on.”

“Yea,” Leo nudged his arm, a gentleness shimmering in his brown eyes. “You were the hero of your own story.”

He muttered thank you’s and tried to embrace the blush but their love and joy and pride still drowned him. Before anyone else could pile on the sincerity they were walking into the lobby and being ushered to the large, elegant ballroom three doors down.

There was a collective gasp from their group, audible even above the low hum of chatter, and the soft jazz drifting through the speakers. The entire room had been made to look like they were standing inside the middle of “Starry Night”. Like they were the townsfolk parked outside their houses witnessing the strange and magical sky above them. Swirls of blue in the draping curtains and circles of yellow in the chandeliers and wisps of the cypress trees growing from the walls as if the very room had been built around a tree.

“This is—” He didn’t even have the words to fully express his awe. If he were an art major he would have died from the beauty of it all. As it stood he could barely keep himself up.

“I know,” A voice said quietly from behind him. “It’s almost divine.”

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even turn around to see who it was. He simply stepped back and let arms envelope him. He didn’t need to check, because he knew, he would always know. In the heat of their skin, and the hum of their voice, and the love that radiated between them like scorching summer sun.

“Moró mou,” He sighed, tipping his head back to rest against a shoulder. From this angle he could see blazing green eyes and jet-black curls, and impossibly high cheekbones, and a jaw sculpted by Michaelangelo.

“Hello my love,” Percy Jackson smiled. “How are you?”

“Happy.” He muttered, lips brushing against his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Good,” The man nodded, squeezing his waist where his arms still wrapped around. “Are you going to be okay tonight?”

“I will not just survive through it,” His eyes crinkled at the corner as pure joy washed through him, “I will live through it, and I will enjoy every minute of it.” He knew the reason for the question, for the concern. But tonight it was not needed. He was nothing but excited and elated for the hours, and then days, weeks, years to come.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

A glass tinkled somewhere to their right, grabbing their attention. And then Zoe and Reyna were stepping together and drawing people towards them as if they were gravity, magnets, the center. They looked it certainly: Zoe in a stark white dress, hugging her figure, shimmering like stardust every time she moved; and Reyna in a watery blue, gauzy and flowing in time with her body, where she goes it will ripple behind her.

“Thank you,” His lawyer started, giving them a dazzling smile. “For being here. All of you.” She looked them each in the eye, her own filled with love and… were those tears? From his no nonsense, boss lady lawyer? Oh he was so going to give her a hug and then tease her endlessly about it. 

“We have a thousand people to thank for all of this,” She gestured to the room, “And a thousand more to thank just for being here, but that will come in the form of surprise take-me-homes at the end of the night.”

“However,” Zoe’s voice, still as strong and quiet as ever, rang out across the room. “There are two people we would like to thank right here, right now.” Her smile lit up the world as her eyes landed on them. “In typical us fashion, it’s a little out of the ordinary but please can both our ex-boyfriend’s come up here.” 

The crowd burst into laughter, him and Percy with them, as they detangled themselves from each other and walked hand in hand to the front of the room.

“As you can see,” Reyna grinned. Jason held in the groan he knew would accompany her next words. “We did a Partner Swap.”

The laughter only loudened, people whistling, and clapping in time with their amusement.

“I will spare you the sordid details,” Zoe’s own giggling softened to a smile, “But two years ago, after Jason and I had broken up, I called him in a panic asking for help. And despite being on a much needed holiday where he happened to meet a certain someone,” She winked at them, eyebrows waggling comically, “He listened to me, then made use of his contacts and connected me with Reyna.”

“And after I charmed the suit off of her, and won her lawsuit,” Reyna stepped in, grinning wildly, “She agreed to pop open a bottle of champagne and celebrate our win.”

“I’m not quite sure about the charming part, angel.” Zoe quirked an eyebrow, “But yes one champagne bottle and the rest was history.”

“In conclusion to this whole ordeal,” His lawyer turned to them, “Jase, Percy, we have a present for you, to thank you for loving us, and for loving us enough to let us go, and furthermore for bringing us together.”

Zoe handed them an envelope but before they bothered to open it they pulled the women in for a hug, thanking and congratulating them. He would not change what they had for the world. He will be grateful forever. He will love them even longer.

Percy ripped open the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. He leaned over his boyfriend’s shoulder and read with him.

The universe has a funny way of pulling stars together but we know with certainty that the four of us are born from the same constellation. Thank you for everything. We know we can never really repay you but please accept this as a start. 

Tucked into the last fold of the paper were two plane tickets to Japan. The holiday they had discussed once, a Saturday game night that ended with the four of them huddled around the fire in Zoe’s apartment, chattering softly about this and that. Printed in small font at the bottom of the page was a cherry blossom branch and more text that read,

Get married losers, we want joint holidays so we can get the couples packages.

He bubbled with laughter at that, and looked up at his friends, tears pooling in his own eyes.

“Alright everyone!” Reyna clapped her hands, gathering the attention of the humming crowd. “Let’s get this engagement party started.”

And then music filled the room and people dragged each other to the middle of the space and there were cheers as the song came into focus and truly Jason understood the meaning of life that night.

After they had thanked Reyna and Zoe again, and chatted with their other friends Percy pulled him to the dance floor.

“Jase,” His boyfriend cupped the back of his neck, arranging their bodies into a work of art. “We have wonderful friends.”

“The very best,” He agreed, swaying their hips in time with the beat. “We have built an empire with them by our side.”

“Will you be the emperor then?”

“There is no monarchy in this kingdom,” He smiled, blue eyes glittering and bright. “It is just us, and our love, and everything beautiful the world has ever had to offer.” He saw oceans reflecting back at him, wonder soaking in his words, happiness pressing against his lips.

His boyfriend pressed their foreheads together, bodies still moving to music far away. “And if we look further?” Percy breathed, “Past the empire, to the horizon beyond?”

“It is all home,” Jason Grace smiled. “We are home, my love.”

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

Okay there are so many people to thank and you best believe i’m going to thank them all because this fic would literally not exist without them.

@nishlicious-01​​ my favourite person, my biggest supporter and the only person who gets to shout at me when im writing fanfic at 1am because i’m not sleeping but also because ‘why am i not reading it ciara????’

@queen-of-demons-and-hell​​ for every comment, every like, every complaint you took when the writing demon was on strike. you have my heart. id be lost and a little lonely without you.

@leyontheway​​ your comments on this fic were golden and i often came back to them just for that extra burst of motivation and serotonin. i found a friend in you and now i can’t imagine my life without you.

@msdrpreist​​ Sky, mi cielo, you are one in a billion and i cannot believe i found you (and you me) across all this space and time. thank you for your unwavering support and your wonderful thoughts.

@larrikin-is-a-himbo​​ when we started this fic i believe you were @/queenbrunnhilde (or something to that effect) but although your username has changed your loveliness and endless support hasn’t. Thank you for sticking along for the ride

@spoopylucy​​​ Lucy... what do i even say to the person who singlehandedly changed my day, week, mood every time i saw a reblog from them? your tags were the start and the end. they made every upload an exciting task. and i knew no matter what happened in the fic or how long it took as soon as i got a notif from you i couldn’t be anything but happy. thank you my Luce, you’re an angel!

@not-hiesenberg​ for being my ‘ciara what the fuck even does this say? do you know how to spell?’ checker when i was too tired (more like too lazy) to do it myself.

@lesbian-peanuts​​ thank you for the love! you were one of the first people interested in this little universe and i can never thank you enough for that​

@legendary-cupcake​​ your spam when reading this was such a happy moment in my life and im ecstatic that you stayed for the ride! thank you​

to all the people on my tag list, who have liked this fic, and especially those who have commented: i see you, i love you, and i thank you with a heart full of happiness. you changed my world.

[silent-era-of-cinema]

Olive Mary Borden (July 14, 1906 – October 1, 1947) was an American film and stage actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was nicknamed "The Joy Girl", after playing the lead in the 1927 film of that same title. Borden was known for her jet-black hair and overall beauty.

At the peak of her career in the mid-1920s, Borden was earning $1,500 a week. In 1927, she walked out on her contract with Fox after refusing to take a pay cut. By 1929, her career began to wane due to her rumored reputation for being temperamental[4] and her difficulty transitioning to sound films. She made her last film, Chloe, Love Is Calling You, in 1934 and moved on to stage work for a time. By the late 1930s, she had declared bankruptcy and stopped acting. During World War II, she joined the WACs. She was later honorably discharged with distinction after sustaining a foot injury during service. Borden attempted a comeback in films, however, she was hindered by her alcoholism and health problems.

In 1945, she began working at the Sunshine Mission, a home for impoverished women located in the skidrow section of Los Angeles. She died there in October 1947 of a stomach ailment and pneumonia at the age of 41.

Olive Borden was born in Richmond, Virginia on July 14, 1906. It was often erroneously reported that Sybil Tinkle was Borden's real name until the 1990s, when it was discovered that another woman had been confused with Borden. In a 1910 census report, her name is listed as Borden. Her father Harry Robinson Borden (1880–1907) died when she was a baby and she was raised by her mother Sybil "Sibbie" Shields (1884–1959) in Norfolk, Virginia, and Baltimore, Maryland, where she attended Catholic boarding schools. Through her father, she was a fourth cousin of Lizzie Borden. As a teenager, she persuaded her mother to take her to Hollywood to pursue a career in show business. To support themselves they opened a candy store and Olive worked as a telephone operator.

Borden began her career as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties in 1922 and was soon appearing as a vamp in Hal Roach comedy shorts. Producer Paul Bern chose her for an uncredited role in his film The Dressmaker from Paris (1925). She was signed by Fox after being named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1925 (along with her cousin, Natalie Joyce). Borden quickly became one of their most popular and highest paid stars earning a salary of $1,500 a week. She had starring roles in eleven films at Fox, including 3 Bad Men and Fig Leaves, both of which costarred her then-boyfriend George O'Brien. 3 Bad Men has also been featured at the Museum of Modern Art. During this time she worked with some directors who would go on to achieve major fame, including John Ford, Howard Hawks, and Leo McCarey.

Paramount Studios began a policy of 10% paycuts on any salary over $50 to recoup production costs, when Fox tried the same and cut her salary in 1927, Borden left the studio.[12] By this point she was a major silent film star. In making the transition to "talkies" she worked with a voice coach (to suppress her Southern accent). She was less successful, but still remained in demand as an actress, continuing to work for Columbia and RKO. She had cut her trademark hair into a short bob, and turned herself into a modern flapper. But Borden had trouble with the new look, losing her identity; she couldn't find her audience and this confused her waning public.

She made few movies in the early 1930s and her once promising career stalled, producing but one picture in 1932 (The Divorce Racket), and three in 1933 (Leave it to Me, Hotel Variety, and The Mild West ). Her last screen credit came in the 1934 film Chloe, Love Is Calling You, where she played a woman kidnapped at birth and raised as a child of mixed race. Some say that this once-lost film "is so bad it should've stayed lost." A pre-code movie made under Will Hays, it had little box office success and in some states (mostly southern) it was banned at the time of its release. Borden then moved to New York, where she had a brief stage career, and made a living on the waning vaudeville circuit.

During her acting career, Borden was one of the highest paid stars. She spent her money freely and by the late 1930s, she was broke. Borden then found work as a postal clerk and mail carrier and also worked as a nurse's aide. In December 1942, Borden joined the WAC's (the Women's Army Corps, the only place women could serve in the Army at that time) where she served as an ambulance driver and received an Army citation for bravery in turning over an enemy ammunition truck. Her Army career ended in 1944, with an honorable discharge after she was hospitalized in Walter Reed Medical Center with a severe foot injury. After her discharge, she attempted an unsuccessful comeback in films.

Borden struggled with alcoholism and numerous health problems. She spent her final years in the skid row section of Los Angeles working and living at the Sunshine Mission, a home for women alongside her mother Sibbie, who got Borden the work.

Borden had several relationships with men, in and out of the motion picture industry. For the majority of her life, she lived with her mother, Sibbie, who was known as a "stage mother", helping Borden with most decisions and spending of money until Borden's death. From 1926 to 1930, Borden was romantically involved with actor George O'Brien and the press reported they were engaged. She also dated director Marshall Neilan, producer Paul Bern, and had a long affair with Arthur Benline, a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Construction Battalion.

Borden was married twice. Her first marriage was to stockbroker Theodore Spector, whom she married on March 28, 1931, in Harrison, New York. The marriage was rocky from the start, and the couple separated in early 1932 after news of scandal broke that she was involved in a love triangle. Spector had not divorced his first wife, Pearl, whom he married in 1919, and he was arrested for bigamy after his first wife came forward and claimed they were still married. In November 1932, Borden petitioned the court for an annulment, which was granted on November 22. Spector was ultimately cleared of bigamy, but Borden with the marriage annulled, moved on from the entire incident. She married her second husband, 26-year-old railroad technician, John Moeller, in November 1934 under the pseudonym Mary Borden. That marriage ended in divorce seven years later.

Olive Borden died on October 1, 1947 from complications of pneumonia at the age of 41. The only possession she had when she died was a signed photo of herself. Borden's funeral was held on October 3 at the Sunshine Mission home for women where she had worked and lived since 1945. The mission's founder, Essie Binkley West, officiated at the service. Borden was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Her mother was interred in the grave next to her when she died of a heart attack in 1959.

For her contributions to the film industry, Borden has a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard. She was one of the first eight stars chosen to receive a star in 1958.

[thefashionteam]

Fashion is Art

The word "art" refers to a wide range of works, from paintings to sculptures, architecture to design, and, more recently, digital art. We all know that, everyone can appreciate and marvel at art, but because art is subjective, different forms of art appeal to different people.

Sad to say, with our 22 years of existence, from the knowledge that we have from the definition of art, when we are asked what art really is. The first thing that immediately comes into our mind is the usual art that we know, such as painting, sculpture, drawing, poems, and etc. But if we really look at it, is this really the only art? Are painters, sculptors, architects, etc. the only artists?

Art can be seen everywhere and sometimes we are just not aware of it because it’s not the typical type of art that we know. Both Artists and Artisans use their skills in order to create and curate their own art. Nowadays, artisans are making a huge impact in the industry, they are the make up artists, hairdressers and even fashion designers. You might not recognize, but their works are considered as an art; it is a kind of creativity that has been proposed by various of being one-of-a-kind and intricate.

Sandy Odo

HAIRSTYLISTS

Sandy Odo, is known for being the hairstylist of a Filipina singer/artist Angeline Quinto, and a Filipina artist Kathryn Bernardo. She has been doing her passion for almost 4 years. According to her, she started her career, being a hairstylist in 2016 after she graduated from Ricky Reyes Learning Institute. She started first as a hairdresser in a salon of Bambbi Fuentes. Working in a salon is where the door of showbiz opened for her, because according to her, Bambbi Fuentes is known as the showbiz makeup artist of famous celebrities. Fuentes is one of the reasons why her talent was seen and introduced to different clients.

Her passion for hairstyling has reached different famous celebrities. Actually, her first client in showbiz was Angel Locsin in the teleserye Immortal (2011). After that, her projects with ABS-CBN followed one after another. Until she became as well as the personal makeup artist of Daniel Padilla in the teleserye Princess & I.

When we asked, who inspired her to become a hairstylist, she answered “I thought of this job because I've always been a fan of celebrities. I really want to work with them.” Which inspires us, because it seems that because of her dream, she used her passion to reach for it. She showed that it is not really impossible. Especially because of this dream of her, she was able to show and share her talent as an artisan. She shared the gift she received from the Lord, which contributed to seeing how beautiful an art is.

Moreover, Sandy Odo being a respectable hairstylist in an industry said, until now, she has not stopped dreaming. She still wants to get a career in Hollywood, because she really wants the bigger world of showbiz. She even wants to show more of her talent in hairstyling and in doing make-up, not only in our home country, but hopefully around the world. For her, being in Hollywood will be the best event of her life as an artisan; hairstylist and makeup artist.

Jaz Cerezo

Fashion Designer

Coming from a family that specializes in fabric textile making in Dagupan City, it’s no surprise that Jaz Cerezo is becoming a popular icon in the Fashion Industry. She’s a natural for she has been proficient with drawing ever since and she loves dressing up barbie dolls. Her passion for fashion was further nurtured when she decided to pursue a degree in Fine arts and took up dressmaking afterwards as well. It is believed that she gets the female body more than other female designers in the field. No wonder she has this knack for understanding and expressing one’s self through styling and putting up clothes.

She started her career when she joined Project Runway Philippines last 2008. It has opened a lot of doors for her because ever since it took place, she has started joining fashion shows, getting calls, being featured in magazines, and even being introduced to the most notable personas in the industry. Everything just sort of went into place from there on, it all connected like it was really meant for her.

Currently, she’s now working to have a Ready-to-wear clothing line in order to expand and reach more people. It gives her pure joy and contentment to see people sporting and rocking the clothes she made because really, it takes so much hard work and dedication to produce a single piece of clothing. What we most admire from her is that she greatly respects the fashion industry, that it is visible in her works. You can see all the years of practicing and perfecting, marvellously channeled into her pieces. It brings us great pride and delight to acknowledge a remarkable designer such as herself. She gives so much hope to aspiring creators to continue striving for their dreams.

Archie Valencia

MAKE-UP ARTIST

Archie Valencia is currently working as a make-up artist of the Filipina singers/artists Angeline Quinto and Vice Ganda. He has been doing his passion for almost 13 years. According to him, he started year 2009, by collecting make ups and brushes as a preparation to consider it as a career. Because of his dream to be a make-up artist, he went to a make-up school, Maquillage Professional at BGC Taguig. He also considered taking advanced make-up classes, such as make-up era, avant garde, photo make-up, hd make-up, studio make-up, and etc. With the help of his make-up school, Valencia’s talent in doing make-up was enhanced and developed. Since they are all beginners they don’t pay for the selected students that were helping them to do photoshoots, fashion shows and high society events. It’s all about the exposure and learning the trade of the industry as he said. Considering this as the line of his career he met a lot of people who work in this field, such as fashion magazine editors, stylists, models, and even celebrities that he worked with in fashion editorial, and in all of the existing magazines.

With all his knowledge and skills he still wants to learn more, because according to him products evolve and so as techniques, it is a non stop learning because from time to time demands also change. He is also looking forward to publishing a book or doing some masterclass in order to share his knowledge to young and aspiring makeup artists.

From their stories, we would like to show our appreciation to the artisans like them, such as makeup artists, hair stylists, fashion designers, and etc.. Without them, events in our life will not be colorful and meaningful. They are the one who help us stand out, to feel ourselves, and to get rid of our insecurities. They're building our self confidence through their artworks. They know what best suits your personality and what perfect look we should be at different events. Their artwork is one of the reasons why we are able to appreciate and be aware of the trends and fashion in this world. As well as to go outside our comfort zone. They enhance your appearance and your confidence. Therefore, we are really grateful for them, for being dedicated to their work, talent and to their God’s given gift. They show the true beauty of art, through sharing their talent to everyone and they are the people behind the curtains that don’t usually get recognized.

[ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes]

Burned Part 16

Summary:  Alfie Solomons is in need of a secretary. Tommy Shelby mentions a young woman in need of employment. From there the two step into a dangerous dance together.

16: The sound of joy and gladness, the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride.

           My Dearest Alfie,

           Tuesday is our wedding day. I’m anxious to see you. I wonder if you’re happy yet nervous like I am. But there’s nothing to worry about. I know I’m truly marrying my soulmate. My best friend. The man who makes me feel so special.

           I love you,

           Soon-to-be Mrs. Solomons

           Alfie smiled and read through the letter a few times. He studied her familiar handwriting, the swooping penmanship that danced across the page. Looping letters and embellished swirls to finish them off. Ishmael had delivered it to him that night, the night before the wedding. The week had dragged on and it was hard to bear another night. But the reward for his seldom-practiced patience was worth it. Absence truly did make the heart grow fonder.

           Alfie picked up the framed picture of Louise that always sat on his desk in their Camden home. Her soft smile shone even in the black and white photograph. His thumb grazed over the glass frame and he couldn’t wait to see her in white the next day.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           Louise never imagined she would wear a wedding dress. When she married Daniel, she wore one of her everyday dresses for the legal ceremony. But she assumed it was love so she was content. After realizing her mistake, she didn’t see a way out and that meant she would never really find the man she was meant to be with. When she met Alfie, she couldn’t have guessed he was the one for her. Even when she fell for him, she didn’t imagine herself marrying him until he admitted he loved her. Now the seemingly impossible was coming true.

           She had the wedding dress made to reflect her mother’s dress. Lily and Robert’s wedding portrait hung in the parlor of Inglewood. Lily wore a Victorian style gown with a train that trailed out of frame; the front was a typical ball gown skirt with a gathered front. The fitted corset and long sleeves were very outdated. So Louise enlisted the help of Nessa, a skilled dressmaker in Camden.

           She’d cried when she first tried on the dress. The skirt of the dress was much slimmer than her mother’s but it ended in a similar train. The bodice was fitted with quarter sleeves to both honor her mother and keep it modest. It was simple but beautiful and Louise was overcome with happiness.

           “Did you sleep at all last night?” Evelyn asked as she carefully took out the curlers in Louise’s hair. “I heard you get up a few times.”

           “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Louise winced. “I just kept tossing and turning, I thought it would be better to walk around.”

           “S’alright.” She smiled. “I can imagine you’re excited.” Her delicate fingers made sure every curl was perfectly in place.

           “I’m sure you’ll be just as excited the night before your wedding with Ishmael,” Louise replied coyly.

           The young woman blushed and shrugged. “If he ever proposes. My mother is getting more impatient than I am.” She giggled and gathered up the curlers to put away.

           “He will soon.” Louise knew this for a fact. Alfie had heavily hinted to his driver that he should grow a pair and propose. This included several threats that if Ishmael hurt Evelyn, Alfie would beat the shit out of him. But that was to be expected.

           Evelyn smiled and sat back down to pin the veil into Louise’s hair. “I can’t wait to see Mr. Solomon’s face when he sees you.”

           “I can bet what he’ll say.” Louise laughed softly as Alfie’s voice echoed in her head. The same phrase he used whenever she showed him a dress or lingerie piece that he found particularly pleasing. Fucking hell.

           “And you’ll be off to Paris tomorrow morning! How exciting.” Evelyn sighed softly and made sure the veil hung perfectly.

           “I’ll make sure to buy you something nice,” Louise promised and ran her fingertips down the lace veil. She took Evelyn’s hand to stand up, making sure she didn’t step on the hem of the dress. “What time is it now?”

           “Just after noon.” She answered and knelt down to adjust the train of Louise’s dress. “They should be ready downstairs soon. I think Alfie's greeted all of the guests.”

           Louise had greeted the guests earlier that morning. An array of people, some she knew and some she had never met before. They were all gracious in their blessings even if Louise wasn’t the typical Jewish bride. She had a feeling that those who really had a problem with it either wouldn’t show up or wouldn’t say anything in fear of Alfie’s reaction. They gave her wishes in Yiddish, some of which Louise started to pick up on. She hadn’t mentioned it to Alfie, but she’d tried to learn the language of his parents and Russian as well. It was slow because of the unfamiliar alphabet, but there were three words she learned by heart. The words she would say to Alfie a million times over.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           Inglewood’s garden was bursting with colors. Birds fluttered around the lawns and bumblebees buzzed from rose to rose. That afternoon, the hum of wedding guests joined the calming but joyful noise of the countryside. It was a warm day, not a cloud in the sky and hardly a breeze to feel. It was as if Alfie had threatened Mother Nature herself to make the day absolutely perfect for his bride.

           But he was still nervous. He fidgeted in the front room, waiting to see Louise and perform the Badeken. An older man employed by Alfie was officiating the wedding so Jewish traditions had to be adjusted. At that point, the gangster was too anxious to marry Louise that he hardly cared what people thought about the event. He was just itching to tie the knot and escape to Paris with her.

           The door opened and Evelyn nodded for her employer to come into the parlor. The veiling was a tradition that he wanted to share alone with Louise. But it was tradition to have family members around. So Evelyn and Ollie stayed in the parlor as Alfie entered. Louise was standing near her parent’s wedding portrait. She positively glowed when she smiled.

           Alfie stopped dead in his tracks. His chest tightened and he inhaled sharply. Everything about her looked like a dream. He had no idea she looked so perfect in white. For a brief moment, he wondered if he was still awake and being visited by an angel.

           “Fucking hell.” He whispered.

           Louise giggled softly and reached out a hand to him. “You look so handsome.” She murmured.

           He had to remember how to move his feet to approach her. He took her gloved hand and kissed the satin over her knuckles. “You look fucking gorgeous, love.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Can’t believe you’re marrying me.”

           “Who else would I marry, you silly man?” She touched his cheek. “I only love you.”

           “Say it again.” He pled softly. He needed to hear those words from her. There was no way in hell he'd ever get tired of hearing them come out of her mouth.

           “I love you.” She repeated herself in Yiddish.

           His lips parted and his eyes widened in shock. “Where’d you learn that from, clever lass?”

           She only shrugged and smiled coyly. It was a little surprising that he hadn’t seen any of the books she’d been sneakily reading to learn the language.

           He laughed and kissed her forehead. “I love you.” He echoed in his native tongue. He touched his forehead to hers for a moment, savoring the quiet moment with her. “Are you ready?”

           She nodded, her skin brushing against his. “More than you’ll know.”

           He smiled warmly and reached up to place the veil over her face. He kissed her hand one more time. “See you out there, then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

           “The sound of joy and gladness, the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride.”

           Most of the wedding guests had never seen Alfie Solomons smiling so much. They were much more accustomed to the hardened man. But he softened considerably when he was standing beside Louise. Not that he was paying any attention to the people around him. He only had eyes for his wife. And once he shattered the glass under his foot, he realized he was a married man. Everything his mother had ever wanted for him was starting to fall in place.

           ‘Mazel tov’ echoed across the lawns of Inglewood, adding to the joyous summer afternoon.

           Alfie lifted Louise’s veil and touched her cheek. Her hazel eyes were warm and shining in the sunshine. He said fuck it to tradition and kissed her so everyone could see. The world needed to know that Louise was now his and he was hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~

           While the reception commenced, Alfie and Louise retreated to their bedroom to observe the Yichud tradition. But he promised her that the first time they made love, as a married couple would be in Paris.

           “Mr. Solomons?”

           “Yes, Mrs. Solomons?” He beamed and shut the door behind him. A few of his men stood guard at the stairs to keep the rest of the wedding party at bay.

           “Everything was perfect.” She drew him close and kissed him deeply. The day had brought her into such a state of bliss. There wasn't anything else to think about other than how much she adored her husband. It seemed Inglewood had the ability to completely remove her from the chaos that was London.

           He took her face in his hands, indulging in every sensation that rushed through his bloodstream. When they parted for a breath, he affectionately stroked her cheek. “Nothing but the best for me wife.”

           “Will you finally dance with me tonight?” She asked hopefully. “I think you’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

           He chuckled and brushed a curl away from her face. “Men and women usually don’t dance together at Jewish weddings.”

           “Then dance with me here.” Louise didn't want to have Alfie go through any more grief than he already had about his interfaith wedding. A few men teased him about it and he nearly blew up. Some of his mother's friends scolded him. But he wasn't swayed.

           “Can’t hear the music from up here.” He shrugged. “Guess we’ll have to dance downstairs in front of everyone.”

           “Alfie, your friends and family will never let you hear the end of it.” She sighed and shook her head.

           “Well, it’s our fucking wedding, innit? They can all go home if they don’t like it. N’fact we could just sneak away now and go to Paris early.” His eyes lit up with mischief.

           “We have tickets for the morning, not tonight. You’ll have to be patient and entertain your guests until then.” She scolded teasingly. Her arms looped around his neck to keep him close.

           “Rather be entertaining you, love.” He growled playfully and scooped her up in his arms.

           “Mr. Solomons!” She squealed. “I’m a married woman!”

           He laughed and set her down on one of the sofas in the master bedroom. “Have to say though, we’ve neglected one of me favorite English traditions.”

           “And what would that be?” She tilted her head to the side as he knelt down in front of her.      

           “S’a little scandalous for this lot, but I’ve got you all to myself, don’t I?” He slyly slipped a hand under her skirt.

           Louise jumped a little in surprise but didn’t stop him. “Alfred Solomons, are you attempting to steal my garter?” She accused in faux shock, pressing a hand over her heart.

           He replied by hooking her leg over his shoulder. “Was patient this week, weren’t I?” He grinned and continued to run his fingers up her leg, just barely grazing over the sheer stockings.

           “I suppose you were.” A deep red blush spread over her cheeks. Electricity shot up her spine and made her shiver. “You stayed in Camden like you were supposed to. I half expected you to show up before the week was over to come and see me anyway. I guess you really restrained yourself. I know you probably missed sleeping next to me.”

           “Yeah, instead I had Cyril taking up most of the fucking bed." He shook his head. "And after this, I hafta go out and entertain this lot. And I ain't really looking forward to it, right, 'cause s'fucking dull, innit?” He pulled a bratty face until he reached her garter, snug against her thigh. With a smug smile, he tugged it down to her ankle. Taking care so it didn’t snag, he guided the lace garment over her heel.

           “Are you going to put that back?” She cocked an eyebrow.

           “Nah, love.” He stood up and pocketed the garter with a sneaky smirk. “S’mine now. Finders keepers and all.” He flashed a grin and held a hand out to her.

           She took his hand to stand. “Cheeky.”

           “You wouldn’t have me any other fucking way.” He kissed her hand, his blue eyes looking up to her. “C’mon then, I’ll show you how fucking awful of a dancer I am.”

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

           To save some face, Alfie and Louise ducked out of the reception and into the cool summer night. The sun had just fallen and the sky was dyed a lovely shade of rose and lavender. The celebration was in full swing, loud cheers of congratulations bounced back and forth even though the bride and groom had snuck off. It seemed Alfie’s community would give him shit about the marriage a little later. That night was reserved for having fun and enjoying the company of friends and family.

           The bright lights from the newly furnished Inglewood lit up the patio a bit. The music could be heard from outside and the sun had left a lasting warmth.

           Alfie drew his wife close, resting a hand on the small of her back and the other holding her hand. He made sure there was little space between them. He pressed his cheek to hers, the touch intimate and affectionate.

           “I think today might just be a dream.” Louise murmured as they began to sway back and forth together. It was a little offbeat from the music but they were more focused on each other’s touch.

           “Well if we wake up tomorrow and it’s a dream, we’ll have to do it again.” He smiled.

           She laughed softly and cuddled into his chest. “Alfie, you’ve made me so happy. I just want you to know that.”

           “You’ve made me happy too, Lou. Never thought I’d be married, yeah, let alone married to someone as perfect as you.” He kissed her temple and ran his fingers up and down her back.

           They danced for a bit in silence, content to only listen to each other’s heartbeats. After a song or two, Louise picked up her head and glanced over Alfie’s shoulder.

           “Oh, look!” She gasped softly. Her eyes lit up in joy.

           “What?” Alfie turned as she drew away from his arms and walked past him. He followed her into the garden. “You see something?”

           “It’s a lightning bug!” She made her way past large rose bushes, making sure her dress didn’t snag on the thorns.        

           Alfie stooped down to pick up the train of her dress. He was sure she didn’t want it to drag through the dirt but she seemed too thrilled about whatever she’d seen. “What’re you after, silly girl?”

           “Sh, you’ll scare it away.” She reached out into a thatch of foxgloves, cupping her hands over something Alfie hadn’t noticed yet. She turned and let him peer into her clasped palms.

           Inside a black bug began to light up. “Bloody hell, don’t see those in London.”

           “In the summer, my father and I would bring out jars to capture them in. Only for a little while, just to see them glow a bit.” She smiled warmly and watched the insect light up a few more times. “You knew it was summer when you’d see them in the gardens.” She opened her hands to let the lightning bug fly away.

           They both watched as it marked its path, blinking every so often. “I’m so happy to be back here.” Louise murmured and took Alfie’s hand. “Especially now that you’re here with me.”

           He lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles. Surrey was beautiful, the countryside was a great change of scenery from London. But Alfie knew that he could live anywhere as long as Louise was by his side.

~~~~~~~~~

           Louise was thirteen the last time she had seen Paris. She often dreamed of visiting again. Daniel scoffed and said it was a waste of time and money. What was there in Paris that wasn’t in London?

           Alfie seemed to appreciate the city much more. Frankly, he was just happy to see his wife in awe of all the sites. There was much to see and do, but shopping, museums, and the nightlife could wait.

           Alfie and Louise made themselves at home in the luxurious hotel suite that had a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. Anticipation built as Louise took her time to freshen up after the journey. Never a patient man, Alfie did his absolute best to wait for his wife. When she finally came out of the bathroom, he found it was well worth the wait.

           Louise was wearing a silky lilac slip with lacy stockings. The number was feminine but the short skirt added a note of mischief that had Alfie reeling.

           “Fuck…” He uttered in a low growl. “Look at you.”

           “Amethyst.” She chewed on her lower lip and turned in a small circle to show off the little number.

           He dragged a hand over his mouth and walked towards her. “Yeah, can see that.” He lightly rested his hands on her hips worried he would tarnish such a delicate beauty with his calloused hands.

           “Don’t be gentle with me now, Mr. Solomons.” She purred. Her hands rested over his to make him assert his hold on her.

           “Oh…Lou.” Alfie groaned and captured her lips. Heeding her prompt, he didn’t hold back. He picked her up and pressed her against the wall.

           Louise’s lips bruised against his as she wrapped her legs around his waist and knotted her fingers in his hair. There was little to nothing holding them back at that point. They were alone, married, and far away from London and the bakery. The rest of the world could fuck itself.

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

           The newlyweds tested their limits, hardly breaking apart for the rest of the morning and afternoon. Finally, it took Louise’s hunger and Alfie’s sore hip to bring them out of honeymoon bliss. Alfie let his wife rest while he went to get her a late lunch from a café across the street. She ate in bed while he dozed off for a bit. Once she was satiated, she lazily kissed Alfie’s jaw and neck until he woke up.

           “Will you take me out for some fun, Mr. Solomons?” She murmured.

           “’Course, love.” He kissed her softly and sat up. “Fuck, where did the sun go?”

           Indeed, the sun had started to dip below the horizon. The night air rolled in, breezing through the open windows.

           “That’s what happens when you waste the day away with your wife in bed.” Louise teased and got up to get dressed.

           “Oi, ain’t a waste. In fact, I think fucking you is the best use of my time.” He grinned.

           She rolled her eyes. “Well, if I don’t tire you out with dancing then you can have another go at it tonight.”

           That was more than enough of a temptation to get Alfie up and out of bed.

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

           Alfie knew he had everything in the world. Used to be he was never satisfied. He always craved more power, more money, more control. But now, he felt content with what he had.

           Louise turned heads and Alfie was delighted to have her on his arm. She wore a gold dress influenced by all the new styles. Short fringe gathered around her waist and beads adorning the bodice. She wore a sparkling headband with feathered accents, heels, and the glow of a newlywed. Before they’d left, Alfie had slipped a diamond necklace on her. Yet another wedding gift and not the last one by any means.

           Paris was dazzling at night. The city stayed awake with the bustling nightlife. Loud jazz music could be heard from nearly every door they passed. After dinner, they wandered around, taking in the artistic night scene. They ended up by the Eiffel Tower in a small park, with a lawn overlooking the monument. It was a bit quieter than the streets, so they found a bench to sit for a while.

           Louise felt like the city was perfectly in sync with her own heartbeat. She glanced up at Alfie smiled warmly at him.

           “What?” He murmured softly.

           “I’m just very happy.” She replied.

           He kissed her forehead. “It’ll stay like this.” He promised and took her hand in his. “Everything I can do, yeah, to keep you happy, I’ll do. This bit with the Changrettas, I can deal with. But I won’t be doing anything to harm you.”

           Louise was content on ignoring that looming worry during her honeymoon. But it was difficult to turn a blind eye to something that could send London and Birmingham into chaos. She didn’t want to get caught up between the Shelbys and the Changrettas. And she didn’t want Alfie picking a side. But she was still unsure how the game was really played. “I know you can’t just step to the sidelines.” She looked down. “I know they’ll try to use you.”

           “Ain’t no one gonna use me, love.” He ran his thumb over her cheek. “They sure as hell ain’t fucking using you either. You’ll be protected.”

           “I’m not worried about that.” She shook her head. They were safe in Paris; hardly anyone knew they were there. But it was hard to shake the feeling that they were being watched by potential foes. “I’m worried about what will happen to you or the company.”

           “Lou, nothing’s gonna happen, eh?” He tucked his fingers under her chin so she would look at him again. “I just don’t this to make you regret marrying me, s’all.” He admitted sheepishly.

           “That won’t make me regret marrying you.” She studied his blue-green eyes. There was a hint of guilt in them that she couldn’t ignore. “As long as you’re honest with me I won’t ever regret this. We’re stronger together and I know we can weather any storm.”

           Alfie sighed lightly and rested his hand over hers. His wedding band glinting in the streetlamp light. “Well, won’t hafta worry for the rest of the trip.” He straightened up and steered the conversation away from London. “I want you to enjoy yourself, right, else it wouldn’t be a holiday would it?”

           Louise smiled and nodded. “I’m already enjoying myself. Although I think I’ll be rather sore in the morning.”

           He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. “Well, it’s a honeymoon, innit? Got to get in all the fucking we can ‘fore we become an old married couple.” He teased.

           “Think we’ll ever lose the spark?” She rested against his shoulder and looked up to the top of the Tower where the French flag flew.

           “Nah.” He shook his head and kissed the top of her head. He knew that for a fact. Any morning he would wake up next to his Louise was a reminder of how kind God could be. But it was also a reminder of the things he could lose.

Permanent Tag list: @sansajonsastark @giftofdreams

Tag list: @vehement-care​ @kimmietea​ @eleventhdoctorsangel​ @fire-treasure-iii​

Masterpost

PB Masterlist

[judymusgrove]

New Post has been published on https://judysbusinessblog.com/luxurious-way-of-living/

Luxurious way of living

Style is an expression that lasts over many seasons and is often connected to cultural movements and social markers, symbols, class, and culture (ex. Baroque, Rococo, etc.). Fashion is a popular aesthetic expression at a particular period and place and in a specific context, especially in clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body proportions. Whereas a trend often connotes a peculiar aesthetic expression and often lasting shorter than a season, fashion is a distinctive and industry-supported expression traditionally tied to the fashion season and collections.

Style is an expression that lasts over many seasons and is often connected to cultural movements and social markers, symbols, class, and culture (ex. Baroque, Rococo, etc.). According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, fashion connotes “the latest fashion, the latest difference.”

“One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress.” —Karl Lagerfeld

Even though they are often used together, the term fashion differs from clothes and costumes, where the first describes the material and technical garment, whereas the second has been relegated to special senses like fancy-dress or masquerade wear. Fashion instead describes the social and temporal system that “activates” dress as a social signifier in a certain time and context. Philosopher Giorgio Agamben connects fashion to the current intensity of the qualitative moment, to the temporal aspect the Greek called kairos, whereas clothes belong to the quantitative, to what the Greek called Chronos.

I don’t design clothes. I design dreams.

Exclusive brands aspire for the label haute couture, but the term is technically limited to members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. It is more aspirational and inspired by art, culture and movement. It is extremely exclusive in nature.

With increasing mass-production of consumer commodities at lower prices, and with global reach, sustainability has become an urgent issue amongst politicians, brands, and consumers.

“A retailer is a business that presents a selection of goods and offers to trade  them to customer for money or other goods.”

Early Western travelers, traveling to India, Persia, Turkey, or China, would frequently remark on the absence of change in fashion in those countries. The Japanese shōgun’s secretary bragged (not completely accurately) to a Spanish visitor in 1609 that Japanese clothing had not changed in over a thousand years. However, there is considerable evidence in Ming China of rapidly changing fashions in Chinese clothing.

Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.

I spent summer in Australia’s city.

“Shoppers’ shopping experiences may vary, based on a variety of factors including how the customer is treated.”

Online shopping allows the buyer to save the time and expense.which would have been spent traveling to the store or mall. According to technology and research firm Forrester, mobile purchases or mcommerce will account for 49% of ecommerce, or $252 billion in sales, by 2020.

H1: Fashion is what you’re offered four times a year by designers.

The notion of the global fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Before the mid-19th century, most clothing was custom-made. It was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors.

H2: Fashion Book makes me more productive

By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

H3: 9–5 is not optimal

This is my average total monthly spending from one year living in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, one year living in San Francisco’s Upper Haight, one year traveling to 20 countries, and one month at a hotel in Bali. It is much cheaper for me to travel. Since the majority of my costs are from trains and flights, it’s significantly cheaper if I stay in one place.

H4: Fashion expands my cultural bubble

By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

H5: Fashion week is not the same as vacation

The notion of the global fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Before the mid-19th century, most clothing was custom-made. It was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors.

H6: I became a nomad by fashion

By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

Heading H1

Heading H2

Heading H3

Heading H4

Heading H5

Heading H6

I spent summer in Australia’s city.

Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe and America, as of 2017, it is an international and highly globalized industry, with clothing often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold worldwide. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the clothes manufactured in Vietnam, finished in Italy, and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to retail outlets internationally. The fashion industry has long been one of the largest employers in the United States, and it remains so in the 21st century. However, U.S. employment declined considerably as production increasingly moved overseas, especially to China. Because data on the fashion industry typically are reported for national economies and expressed in terms of the industry’s many separate sectors, aggregate figures for the world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the clothing industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output. The fashion industry consists of four levels:

The production of raw materials, principally Fiber, and textiles but also leather and fur.

The production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, and others.

Retail sales.

Various forms of advertising and promotion.

These levels consist of many separate but interdependent sectors. These sectors are Textile Design and Production, Fashion Design and Manufacturing, Fashion Retailing, Marketing and Merchandising, Fashion Shows, and Media and Marketing. Each sector is devoted to the goal of satisfying consumer demand for apparel under conditions that enable participants in the industry to operate at a profit.

“Americans spent over $83 billion on back-to-school and back-to-college shopping.”– Maya Angelou

The joy of dressing is an art.

Fashion trends influenced by several factors, including cinema, celebrities, climate, creative explorations, innovations, designs, political, economic, social, and technological. Examining these factors is called a PEST analysis. Fashion forecasters can use this information to help determine the growth or decline of a particular trend. It helps to know more about the Fashion arena and lifestyle in the modern world.

Though there had been distribution of dressed dolls from France since the 16th century and Abraham Bosse had produced engravings of fashion in the 1620s, the pace of change picked up in the 1780s with increased publication of French engravings illustrating the latest Paris styles. By 1800, all Western Europeans were dressing alike (or thought they were); local variation became first a sign of provincial culture and later a badge of the conservative peasant.

Although tailors and dressmakers were no doubt responsible for many innovations, and the textile industry indeed led many trends, the history of fashion design is generally understood to date from 1858 when the English-born Charles Frederick Worth opened the first authentic haute couture house in Paris. The Haute house was the name established by the government for the fashion houses that met the standards of the industry. These fashion houses have to adhere to standards such as keeping at least twenty employees engaged in making the clothes, showing two collections per year at fashion shows, and presenting a certain number of patterns to customers. Since then, the idea of the fashion designer as a celebrity in his or her own right has become increasingly dominant.

Header 1Header 2Header 3Header 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4

[crypterion-moon]

Red Wedding

Summary: The land is aglow on this day. The citizens of Gotham and visitors from far and wide have come to celebrate, the Red Wedding. Timothy and Todd's wedding and even sour ties are laid aside.

A lot of things are left ambiguous here but what is certain is their history and the setting. It's possibly low fantasy category. But definitely not the Red wedding you might be thinking of.

AN: fluff, past rivalry, marriage, fantasy, low fantasy

My fill for the batfam bingo

==============

Crimson streamed above the proceeding crowds as they came from far and wide. Banners and blooms stained the walls and plastered the grounds as if the stones themselves were covered in blood, a grim visual if it weren’t for the celebratory event in which they represented.

A Red Wedding for the Red Ones. After years of war and turmoil, their everlasting love would finally culminate on this day. The Prince of Blood and Majesty and his Knight of Fire and Passion, to be forever wed and bonded.

Many came bearing the two gifts of gold and roses, the two things that both Timothy and Todd loved so very much. But these gifts would not be received yet, as the veil still stood, draped between them and the world.

And they too, would not bear witness to one another until it was time to come before God and sanctify their union.

However, Brave Jason still felt the anxiety, an unfamiliar boiling within his gut. He would not regret this decision, no, but the very thought of bearing them both to the strangers and friends alike was a nauseating notion.

He had almost wished they had run off to their own private wedding where no one would interrupt them or watch with such expectant eyes.

“Come, Jason, do stop fretting and let me help you into the armor.”

Despite the frown, he obeyed and stood in front of Richard though not without some choice words.

“I do not understand this, why would we need the entire land to come bear witness to our wedding?”

Richard, the bastard, laughed at his distress as he fumbled with the straps and holds, unused to so much armor and one of such troublesome a make. He really should call for help, but Richard had inherited some of the King’s stubbornness during his time growing up with the man he’d come to call Father.

“I do swear, you and dear Timothy are certainly made for each other, not long ago did he protest the same.”

“What is there to say? Both he and I are more sensible and practical than most of our family.”

“Hush, do not be like that. Bruce has long awaited a day as this when you both would find yourselves the happiness you deserve,” Grayson tugged harshly on the strap that held the breastplate in place, “Granted, he did not quite expect you both to find that in each other, but he certainly could not be happier.”

“Nor I, Richard,” Jason said, thinking back wistfully when he finally laid the blade aside and instead pressed his hand against the porcelain of Timothy’s skin, his blue eyes pierced through the green haze that clouded Todd’s mind, finally breaking through the spell of death and hatred. It took many years for their fight to cease and for their anger to turn to passion, and many years more for their bond to take root and grow.

“Nor I,” he said one more time.

“Come, I believe we are finished.”

“I hope you have not made a mess of this, if we are to be united before hundreds of thousands, I would prefer to not humiliate myself the moment I step outside. And Lord forbid I do so as I stand before my love.”

“Calm yourself, such little faith in my skill.”

“Your skills are narrow, Richard, and donning armor sits outside of your realm of expertise. Might I remind you of when you once believed our King had gained forty pounds as you failed to put on his plackart?”

Richard threw his head backwards, amusement and memories dancing through his deep blue eyes, “And he had, I could swear it!”

Even Jason could not hold the smile that tugged at his lips. Grayson’s love of humor was indeed infectious and Todd, for one, was glad for it.

Unbeknownst to the men both, the King had stood by the door, watching them both with a soft smile and an indiscernible expression that seemed to cross between the lines of fondness and concern. Grayson nodded his greeting and graciously vacated the room, leaving both the groom and the King.

Bruce said not a word as approached, his steps terrifyingly light for a man of his build and bulk. This, Jason could understand, was where his love learned his light-footedness, perfected further into Timothy’s signature phantom steps that never failed to unnerve and awe all who witnessed him.

A large hand reached towards the armor and tugged, earning a grunt from the King as he inspected Richard’s handiwork.

“There is much room for improvement,” he says curtly.

“So I have told him.”

Much to his surprise, Bruce began to fix the armor himself, in the stead of servants despite it being unheard of for the King to ever engage in such a menial task.

“Would it not be better to call for the servants, your majesty?” Jason remarked with a raised brow.

“There is no need, I missed donning armor for another that was not myself.”

And so the King worked in silence as Jason swallowed and allowed him this luxury just once, though it did not quash his nerves. He may be a man who loved the simple things once in a blue moon, but it was usually against the tradition for King to indulge a subject like so. Still, it would not do to deny him either.

“I...it is difficult to believe this,” Jason finally said as he finally remembered the words he held for too long.

“Believe what?”

“That you...would be so gracious as to allow me to ask for Timothy’s hand. I expected...much disdain.”

Bruce reworked the strap that held the pauldrons together, tugging firmly but gentle to avoid injury, “I, also, can hardly believe myself. For the longest time, I feared that your misplaced rage would destroy my son as it was destroying you. I feared for him. Timothy is strong but he is also vulnerable.”

The King's eyes glanced up briefly to meet Jason's, “He would give up his life in a heartbeat, if it meant saving you.”

“The knowledge of that burns me still.”

Jason could not honestly deny the guilt that still ate him from time to time, the voice of regret strongest on the quietest of nights. But each time, the crystal blue of his darling Timothy’s eyes would pull him back from the edge of the shadow. A strong warrior, a loving Prince and a passionate companion. He was indeed a blessed man.

A heavy hand set on his shoulder as Bruce’s eyes bored into his own, not full of shame and disappointment but relief, joy and pride. His death had changed the man as it did to those who knew him as bright young man with the dream of becoming a knight. But though his return had brought them all pain, it also brought redemption.

“I would do the same, for you Jason,” he said, memories of grief and loss flashed across like a shadow across the sea, “I am glad that you have returned to us and that you at last, found happiness.”

“And I will be forever grateful, for welcoming me home, for all that you have done, Bruce.”

Bruce gave a gentle squeeze of his shoulder and patted the boy, now a knight. Though many things were yet unsaid, they had time still to discuss it, “Come, it is time, we shan’t keep your husband-to-be waiting.”

They made their way along the passage, draped over with red cloth depicting battles of valor and depictions of creatures and magnificent beast embossed in gold as the King had requested, just as he had also commissioned silk and fine veils to be laid across Timothy’s own path, with soaring birds, phoenices and roses embroidered into the fabric. An idea that Barbara herself developed, and would have incorporated into her own wedding if the color had not been blue. Though she certainly could not complain as Richard had purchased for her the most magnificent blue gown. Bruce struggled to avoid bursting with glee, as he imagined the expression Todd would wear when he laid eyes on Tim in his own wedding wear, one that had been painstakingly designed by his daughters, further realized by the talents of his son Damian, who had taken a surprising interest in tailoring and dressmaking. A welcome break from the swords and knives and little else.

The finally reached their end of their respective paths, all that lead to this one moment. Their highest appointed head of the palace, Pennyworth was given the honor of addressing the crowd

“My dear friends, Ladies and gentlemen from afar. We gather here today to witness a most joyous occasion, one of undying love and loyalty. We have see many bonds form and fall where there was nothing to hold fast, but today, we bear witness to one forged in fire and strengthened in blood. Sanctified in holy passion before our Lord. Come bear witness to the union of our Prince Timothy and our Brave Knight returned Todd!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the veils and curtains were finally raised, revealing Jason and Timothy, facing each other on either side of the altars. The moment Jason had at last gazed upon his love, his breath was stolen away.

Before him stood Timothy, dressed in rose red breeches that fit into black boots that reached past his knees, displaying long shapely legs. A gold embroidered, wine overcoat that was cut sharply, further accentuated his tight, lean figure fanning out ever so slightly so as not to hug too tightly to his hips, somehow adding to the allure of their slimness. Trailing behind him, perhaps the most breathtaking piece was the cape that settled on the pads of his shoulders. Catching the wind, they distended revealing red wings that caught the light, a tribute to his title and bloodline. Lastly, crowning his raven hair was a wreath of gold and silver feather that gave the image of wings sprouting from his beneath his locks. An angel in red, an appropriate image indeed. He must discuss this with the ladies at some time in the future.

For now, if the armor didn’t make a fool of him, then his own traitor mind did, as Jason was certain his mouth was still wide and gaping. Eyes matching to take in every detail. He mustn’t me the only one.

Finally, with a nudge, he collected himself and approached the altar, Timothy also taking his place beside him, smile bright and lovely. The words were a blur but he remembers clearly the moment the question was pressed.

“Will you take Prince Timothy of Drake-Wayne forevermore to be your husband?”

“I do,” he replied without hesitation.

“And do you, Prince Timothy take this loyal Knight Jason Todd of the Order to be your own, husband forevermore?”

A breath, “Always and forever.”

“With this, you are now joined together in the strength of the Lord, may he guide you side by side to the end of days.”

Overjoyed and unable to contain himself, Jason wrapped his arms around his now husband’s waist just as Timothy threw his own to pull his love close for a tender kiss. Cheers erupted from the crowds. Tears flowed with joy that not even Bruce could quite contain.

A magnificent pair they were indeed, that even after years of strife, their love had only grown. And even as the cheers and praises rose above, both cared little but for the one he held in his arms. Jason and Timothy, together for eternity.

[medialists]

Mamma Mia

Atomic Blonde 

Filth 

Regression 

Colonia 

El círculo 

Beauty and the Beast 

Trance 

Victor Frankenstein 

Atonement 

Starter for 10 

Becoming Jane 

The Conspirator

The Last King of Scotland 

X-Men.

Glass 

The Last Station 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 

Big Fish 

La desaparición de Eleanor Rigby 

Submergence 

Thor 

The Avengers 

Intensamente 

Las ventajas de ser invisible 

IT. 

Inception 

Harry Potter.

At eternity's gate 

Catch me if you can 

Her 

Pulp Fiction 

Xavier Dolan 

Memorias de una Geisha 

Ready player one 

Battle angel 

Taxi Driver 

El doble 

Shutter island 

Cube 

My week with Marilyn 

Noé 

Ballet shoes 

El diablo viste a la moda 

Cazafantasmas 

Les miserables 

Lady Bird 

The Truman Show 

Irene, yo y mi otro yo 

Call me by your name 

The Favorite 

La la land 

La chica del tren 

Jolene 

Winter's war 

Tomb Raider 

Ex machina 

El código Da Vinci 

Ángeles y demonios 

Mean Girls 

Mulan 

Coraline 

Mujer Bonita 

E.T. 

Crimson Peak. 

Extraordinario. 

Las de Marvel que faltan 

The Room 

A quiet place 

Blade Runner 

Animales Nocturnos 

Animales Fantásticos  

La Propuesta 

A star is born 

Begin again 

Anon. 

From Russia with Love

Goldfinger

Thunderball

You Only Live Twice

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Diamonds Are Forever

The Man with the Golden Gun

For Your Eyes Only

Octopussy

Never Say Never Again

A View to a Kill

The Living Daylights

GoldenEye

Tomorrow Never Dies

The World is not Enough

Die Other Day

Casino Royale

Quantum of Solace

Dawn of the Dead

Blade II

RED

The Dark Knight Rises

Kick-Ass 2

Die Hard

Scarface

From Dusk till Dawn

Face/Off

No Escape

Impostor

Death Race 2

Jobs

Les Quatre Cents Coups

The Wolf of Wall Street

The Murder of Princess Diana

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Fight Club

My Sister's Keeper

Ida

Loreak

Sowon

Gran Torino

All About Eve

The Nun's Story

The Sunset Limited

A Clockwork Orange

Kingsman.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Lords of Dogtown

Unbroken

Ip Man

Million Dollar Baby

Concussion

The Great Gatsby

Lilting

Birdman

The Theory of Everything

War and Peace

Collateral Beauty

The Children's Hours

Moulin Rouge!

Dolls

The Bridges of Madison County

As Good as It Gets

Me Before You

Before Sunrise

Before Midnight

Carol

The Reader

Like Crazy

New York, I Love You

Anna Karenina

Pride & Prejudice

Bridget Jones's Diary

How to Marry a Millionaire

Bus Stop

The Prince and the Showgirl

Ladies of the Chorus

Roman Holiday

Prendimi l'Anima

The Young Victoria

Sabrina

Ed Wood

My Life Without Me

A Woman of Paris

Metropolis

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Fantasia 2000

Punisher: War Zone

Robin and Marian

The Unforgiven

Green Mansions

Live and Let Die

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

To the Bone

T2 Trainspotting

La Grande Bellezza

Men, Women & Children

Lost in Translation

Ghost World

Before Sunset

Evil Dead

Army of Darkness

After Earth

Hulk

Get Smart

Raiders of the Lost Ark

The Dark Crystal

Labyrinth

300

Mononoke Hime

Edge of Tomorrow

Death Race 2050

L'Écume des Jours

Paris When It Sizzles

The Seven Year Itch

Down with Love

Monkey Business

Dead Alive

Monty Python's Life of Brian

Vertigo

They All Laughed

Love Among Thieves

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Let's Make Love

Funny Face

On the Town

The Sky's the Limit

A Damsel in Distress

Shall We Dance

There's No Business Like Show Business

It's Always Fair Weather

My Fair Lady

Don't Bother to Knock

Monte Carlo Baby

Las Dos Caras de la Verdad

Ciudad en Tinieblas

El Bebé de Rose Mary

The Chuck Net Atrapado Sin Salida

El Experimento

Holy Motors

Mindscape

Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me

Antichrist

Bottom of the Worlds

High Rise

Southland Tales

Magnolia

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy

Inherent Vice

The Lobster

The Number 23

They Look Like People

Upstream Color

Twelve Monkeys

Minority Report

Los Cromocrímenes

Predestination

About time

Blue Velvet

Pi: Faith in Chaos

The Box

Identity

The Life of David Gale

The Gift

Lovesong

Miss Sloane

The Meyerowitz Stories

The Big Sick

Efectos Secundarios

The Notebook

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

The Little Mermaid

Manchester By the Sea

Silence

Moonlight

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Snowpiercer

Star Trek Beyond

Moonrise Kingdom

No Country for Old Men

The Exorcist

The Darjeeling Limited

House of Sand and Fog

Napoleon Dynamite

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Armores Perros

La Dictadura Perfecta

Frida

El Crimen del Padre Amado

El Estudiante

Cilantro y Perejil

Perfume de Violetas

Arráncame la Vida

Como Agua para Chocolate

Solo Con tu Pareja

El Callejón de los Milagros

Rojo Amanecer

La Ley de Herodes

Un Monstruo de Mil Cabezas

Las Horas Contigo

Maquinaria Paramericana

Ella es Ramona

El Jeremias

Sopladora de Hojas

Los Insólitos Peces Gatos

Guten Tag, Ramon

El Infierno

Mientras el Lobo No Está

Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas

Miss Bala

Cronos

Después de Lucía

Qué Culpa Tiene el Niño

Nosotros los Nobles

La Jaula de Oro

Y tu Mamá También

Canoa

Amar te Duele

Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo

Transformers

Harry Potter

Old Yeller

Legally Blonde

Miller's Crossing

Faustrecht der Freiheit

It's Called Murder, Baby

Heathers

The Love Witch

Southside With You

Pink Flamingos

Hr's Just Not That Into You

Windstruck

What's Your Number?

There's Something About Mary

When Harry Met Sally

Forgettin Sarah Marshall

Say Anything

Pretty Woman

Not Another Teen Movie

Kate & Leopold

Sleepless in Seattle

Pretty in Pink

Serendipity

Four Weddings And A Funeral

50 First Dates

Bridget Jones' Diary

Something's Gotta Give

Pánico Antes del Amanecer

Cumpleaños Mortal

Viernes 13

La Quema

The Slumber Party Massacre

Campamento Sangriento

Curtains

Siete Mujeres Atrapadas

The House On Sorority Row

Detrás de la Máscara

April Fool's Day

Lovecraft

Bubba Ho-Tep

Thor Ragnarok

Lo Que Hacemos en las Sombras

Zombies Party

La Noche de los Muertos Vivientes

El Regreso de los Muertos Vivientes

Army of Darkness

Pasion Infernal

Terroríficamente muertos

El Baile de los Vampiros

Braindead

Creepshow

El Jovencito Frankeinstein

Gremlins

Un Hombre Lobo Americano en Londres

The Edge Of Seventeen

Murder of Cats

The Book of Love

Atomic Falafel

Buddies

Tiempos felices

Illegal

Nise: El Corazón de la Locura

Kill Command

The Blind Side

The Fundamentals of Caring

The Danish Girl

Miss You Already

Fantastic Beasts the Crimes of Grindelwald

Side Effects

Requiem for a Dream

Constantine

The Island

The Box

The Tall Man

Oblivion

Gods of Egypt

Twilight Zone

Dusk Dawn

Jeepers Creepers

The Descent

30 Days of Night

The Midnight Meat Train

VHS

Minority Report

Terminator

Avatar

Midnight Sun

The Book of Henry

Lady Bird

Truth or Dare

Adrift

Stronger

Every Day

A Nightmire on Elm Street

REC

Monsters

American Mary

Found

The Witches

Let Me In

Let the Right One In

Oculus

Insidious 4: The Last Key

Trainspotting

Night of the Living Dead

Life of Brian

Drive

Snatch

Blade Runner

Scarface

Lord of the Rings

Ben - Hur

Cantinflas

Tin tan

Pedro Infante

Gone With the Wind

Indiana Jones

Salon Kitty

The Wild Bunch

Harold and Maude

The Warriors

The Long Goodbye

Deep End

Coonskin

The Bestia in Calore

La Cage aux Folles

Badlands

The Brood

1941

Eraserhead

Labyrinth

Legend

The Sound of Music

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Enemy Mine

Cannibal Holocaust

The Evil Dead

Lola Montes

King Kong

Rock and Roll High School

Blood In Blood Out

Easy Rider

Heavy Metal

Pink Floyd The Wall

Wicker Park

Lars and the Real Girl

The Cable Guy

Sophie's Choice

Brokeback Mountain

A Wrinkle in Time

Scream

Presagio

Señales

Titanes del pacífico

Clint Eastwood

Dirty Harry

Chappie

The Greatest Showman

Safe Heaven

Across the Universe

Thirteen

Perfect Sense

A Life Less Ordinary

Shallow Grave

No Reservations

The Holiday

Ali G in da House

The Reader

The Dressmaker

Brigsby Bear

Cast Away

Romeo + Juliet

What's Eating Gilberte Grape?

Body of Lies

Little Nemo Adventures in Slumberland

Apt Pupil

Stand by Me

Shawshank Redemption

Excalibur

Hearts Beat Loud

Velvet Buzzsaw

Nightcrawler

Chungking Express

Twin Peaks

Throne of Blood

Harakiri

2046

Tokyo Story

F for Fake

Allegrophobia

Lost in Translation

Hereditary

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Rear Window

West Side Story

Manhattan

David Lynch Cooking Quinoa

Ikiru

Midnight Cowboy

Bonnie and Clyde

The Straight Story

Annie Hall

The Great Dictator

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

M

Y tu Mamá También

Paddington

Paddington 2

Birdman

Autumn Sonata

To Kill a Mockingbird

Barry Lyndon

It's a Wonderful Life

The Wrestler

The Florida Project

Rashomon

It's Such a Beautiful Day

Paths of Glory

Kung Fury

Boogie Nights

Gone with the Wind

The Prestige

Shaun of the Dead

The World's End

In the Mood for Love

Handmaiden

Intolerance

El Bola

Celda 211

El Olivo

Las 13 Rosas

Blue Valentine

Closer

Like Crazy

(500) Days of Summer

Le Mépris

Match Point

Ruby Sparks

Once

Revolutionary Road

Happy Together

Sleepy Hollow

Vampyr

Black Sunday

The Hunger

The Haunting

Rebecca

Crimson Peak

The Crow

Pan's Labyrinth

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Drácula

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

A Cure for Wellness

Horror of Dracula

The Bride

La Novia

Flavors of Youth

Dead Poet's Society

Mary and Max

Dear Zachary: a Letter to a Son about His Father

Big Fish & Begonia

20th Century Women

The Villainess

Touch of Evil

Christine

Zero Dark Thirty

The Stranger

Hannibal

El Autor

Short Term 12

Grave of the Fireflies

Cinema Paradiso

My Girl

A Ghost Story

Hasta el viento tiene miedo

El libro de piedra

Veneno para hadas

Pearl Harbor

Infierno azul

Guerra de Novias

El Bar Coyote

Needful Things

Sense & Sensibility

El Diario de Carlota

Batman vs Superman

Black Panther

Dredd

Scream

Valentine

Camino hacia el terror

Sé lo que hicieron el verano pasado

Joy Ride

Jeepers Creepers

La reunión del diablo

Viernes 13

Another Earth

A Quiet Place

Mississippi en llamas

The breakfast club

The revenant

birdman

sing street *

frida

roma

catch me if you can

dead poets society

the age of adaline

changeling

brooklyn

good will hunting

artificial intelligence

paranoia

to the bone

the danish girl

90 minutes in heaven

while you were sleeping

james and the giant peach

Crimson peak

pretty woman

summer days with coo

the breadwinner

summer wars

the gift

cargo

julie & julia

spirit

8 mile

raw

okja

schindler's list

blue valentine

the hateful eight

the untouchables

old boy

ghost in the shell

sophie's choice

ip man 2

frances ha

the tree of life

amanda knox

hail, caesar!

Janis: little girl blue

my beautiful broken brain

noah

the badadook

origin: spirits of the past

project almanac

the thing

bird box

death note

death note ii

1922

death note: light up the new world

pandora

american gangster

the nightmare

pasión por las letras

le dîner de cons

la grande vadrouille

la traversée de paris

le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain

El secreto de Adeline

La boda de mi mejor amigo

Loco por ella

Quédate a mi lado

The mexican

A él no le gustas tanto

El regalo

Lo imposible

Con derecho a roce

Mi segunda vez

Canta!

El examen

El número 23

The game

Clown house

Km3!

Macario

Once upon a time in Mexico

Wes Creaven's New Nightmare

Don't look now

Eyes without a face

Como si fuera la primera vez

El diario de Biridget Jones

500 días con ella

Juno

El descanso

Virgen a los 40

Eterno resplandor de una mente sin recuerdos

Realmente amor

Ligeramente embarazada

¿Cómo sobrevivir a un ex?

Mensajero del futuro

El imperio del fuego

El libro de Emo

Oblivion: el tiempo del olvido

La última esperanza

Escape de NY

El expresó del miedo

Soy leyenda

El último camino

Cuando el destino nos alcance

Sunset boulevard

North by northwest

The artist

The good the bad and the ugly

Highlander

Hair

The Maltese falcon

The road

Independence day

Armageddon

28 dias después

Hijos de los hombres

La guerra de los mundos

Stake land

Take shelter

Snowpiercer

2012

Supersalidos

American Pie

Rumores y mentiras

Todo en un día

Chicas malas

El club de los cinco

El exorcista

El descenso

The babadook

La matanza de Texas

La cosa

Martyrs

Rec 2

El conjuro 2

Pulse

Evil dead

Voice from the stone

Clinical

Dig two graves

Kidnap

Black butterfly

Grey Lady

Dans la maison

Memories of a murder

Incendies

The prestige

Gone baby gone

El secreto de sus ojos

Mystic River

[ficsandpieces]

(for the prompt fest!) Papa!Camus ♦: Slow dancing (with his bby girl PLEASE OH PLEASE OH PLEASE 😭)

Congratulations, I don’t know how it happened but you’ve made me soft for papa!Camus now. (*´ ▽ `*)

* * *

Prisms sparkled in the light of the little girl’s eyes, the same light blue as her father’s shining as she peered with wonder into the beautifully inlaid wooden box.

“Papa, what are these?”

“Pick one and see, angel.”

Curious eyes darted between the shining crystals, each one lovely and tempting in its own way. Little hands finally chose and closed around one. Candlelight glinted off its ends, sharp and pointed as two rapiers placed handle to handle. She looked up inquiringly at Camus. Long fingers reached forward and stroked the top of the prism, eliciting a gasp of delight from his daughter on his arm when it glowed blue and white, the tingling notes of a harp flowing forth from it. 

“Do all of them play music, Papa?”

A rare smile tugged at Camus’ lips. Passing his free hand across the remaining crystals embedded in the box he was holding, a running scale sounded up and down, lights glowing and winking like fairies dancing under his palm. His daughter clapped her hands in delight, the prism she had chosen still clutched in one fist. 

“What would you like to listen to, darling?” he asked, idly tapping a crystal at random, elaborate notes floating from it into the air. 

The way his daughter’s eyes lit up when she heard it was so much like his wife’s that he felt himself falling in love all over again. 

“I like that one. It sounds like the song you and Mama danced to when you got married!”

“Ho?” Camus marveled, one hand casually selecting the diamond-shaped crystal out of the box. “Now how would you know what that sounds like, angel? I don’t recall you being there. Has someone been showing you things behind my back?”

Dropping the prism she had been holding back where it came from, the little girl threw her arms around Camus’ neck and looked up at him pleadingly. 

“You mustn’t blame Mama, Papa. We were taking measurements for my new dress when the dressmaker said that the pattern we chose reminded her of the bridesmaids dresses for the wedding. I was the one who begged Mama to show me how they looked like so she did.”

Camus was half-way wondering when his wife had learned to work the magic needed to use the crystal the extravagant wedding was recorded on (which he had to admit took much longer than both of them had anticipated to plan because they couldn’t agree on so many things. It was nothing more than a miracle blessed from the Queen they had been able to compromise enough to have held it in the end) when he remembered the existence of something called a Blu-ray player in the house. 

“Besides, it was so beautiful,” his daughter said dreamily, her head leaning against his chest, her hair soft under his chin. “Mama’s dress was so wonderful, the train sweeping so elegantly across the floor when she danced with you. Papa, you looked so handsome too! Just like a king from a fairy tale!” She sighed in longing. “I wish I could have been there. I would have liked to dance with you too.”

Camus’ expression was carefully schooled as he processed the implications this scenario hinted at.  

“Well then,” Placing the crystal in his hand on the mantelpiece where it balanced perfectly by itself, he closed and kept the box away, his daughter perched on his arm while his free hand caressed the diamond, making it glow silver and white. “I would not be much of a king if I could not fulfill such a simple request from my little princess.” Letting her down so that her feet touched the floor, he bowed, one hand sweeping the air, the other behind his back, elegantly enough to put most butlers to shame. “May I have this dance, my small lady?”

He felt a warmth blossom in his chest at the smile spreading across his little girl’s face at this gesture. 

“Of course. My first dance with Papa!”

She dropped into a curtsy, slipped her hand into her father’s waiting one and straightened up. 

“I’m not very good at dancing yet though. It would be terrible if I stepped on your feet, Papa.”

The music started from the beginning again, piano and harp tinkling into existence. Camus held on to his daughter’s hands fondly. 

“Do not worry, my snowflake. All will be well if you follow my lead.”

“I know.” His daughter’s trusting smile up at him made his heart clench again. “I trust you.”

Her feet were sure, following where her fathers’ went without hesitation, her steps graceful despite her young years. Candlelight lit by magic reflected off her face, so very much like his and his wife’s. 

The pride Camus felt leading his daughter around the living room threatened to overwhelm him, and it was with much difficulty that he forced it down, his body language never betraying the struggle within. He took it slow, his strides measured, his sweeps small to accommodate his little daughter who was leaning into him, her full trust in him evident in every movement. 

“This is fun, Papa!” His daughter beamed up at him as he lifted his arm to spin her carefully. “Was it like this when you danced with Mama?”

Camus allowed the slightest smile to escape, the memories of his wedding resurfacing with every step he took with his little girl. “Your mother was not as good a dancer as you are, my darling girl. I’m afraid she may have much to learn from you. Perhaps I should be sending her to your dance lessons instead.”

“Oh Papa,” The sound of her laughter warmed him to the core better than any fire could. He was loathe to admit it but his daughter had been the one crack in his armor since the day she was born. “You are always so stern with Mama, but I know you don’t mean it. Not truly!”

“Oh dear,” They whirled past the mantelpiece, Camus casually running a finger over the crystal in passing and renewing the music. “I must be losing my edge, if I am so easily seen through.” He bent down slightly, his daughter giggling and letting go of his hand to touch his hair falling over one shoulder. “Shall we keep this a secret between us, my little snow bell? Something that only us father and daughter have knowledge of.”

The sheer delight that lit up her little face made her shine brighter than the brightest star to his eyes. A secret between her and Papa! Something that belonged only to them! 

She nodded eagerly, her composure broken as she bounced on her feet in excitement. 

“Oh yes! Let’s do that! I promise I won’t tell anyone!”

It was with great effort that Camus kept his face stern. His daughter remembered then they were still in the middle of dancing and stopped, her cheeks burning as she peered up at her father.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stopped while the music was still playing.”

The way she apologized, her little hand slipping back into his bigger one, made Camus’ heart ache. It reminded him of himself at a slightly older age than she was now, surrounded by adults and expected to behave like one of them as well. She would never be able to grasp just how large an impact her existence was on his life. To him, her being here, her little hands in his, was more magical than anything he could ever conjure up or even dream of.

His wife had asked him once, in a rare tender moment between them, if he would give their child the freedom he had never known in his own childhood.  

Now with his little girl in front of him, doing her best to dance as she had been taught, her steps following his unerringly, the memories of his wedding, his strict childhood, his daughter’s birth and the wonder of watching her grow up without the shadow of obligations, happily and carefree with a joy that he never had and could give her now, the answer was so obvious it made him wonder why he hadn’t been able to reply back then. His daughter made a sound of surprise when he broke his own posture to bend down and scoop her up in his arms.

“You never have to apologize to me, my darling little girl. You may tear out my heart, stab me in the chest and break every bone in my body yet I will always, always forgive you without question. You must always remember this, my angel. You will always be my pride and joy, no matter what you do.”

Relief mixed with delight flooded her face. Throwing her arms around her father she happily buried her face in the crook of his neck, dancing completely forgotten. Camus hesitantly lifted a hand and gently stroked her hair, still swaying slowly to the music playing out its final notes. 

“I love you the most, Papa!”

Much to his surprise, Camus found that he wholeheartedly returned the sentiment and meant every word. 

[robot-unicorn-attack]

CHAPTER 01 - SUPERNOVA

(written by @interluxetumbra)

... CHAPTER 01

The benefit of being a goddess, ergo an immortal being, could supposedly be boundless patience, which Supernova had as a heavenly entity.

Assana, however, as a mere mortal with fraying nerves, did not.

And she was reaching her limit with ruffles.

Standing stock still on a tailor’s stool in the centre of her (low-luxury almost) penthouse apartment, As stood awkwardly as two girls, probably no older than her eldest daughter, flitted about the voluminous skirts of her cloud-like dress for the evening’s event, fitting and tucking and readjusting to an exhaustive point. Experience told her not to move a hair, although these two didn’t seem as vindictive as the old harpy who had once been part of her team when she first started racing. (The vicious older woman – although now that As thought about it, she was probably now the same age as her former dressmaker – never hesitated to stab young Assana with pins if she even dared breathe during a fitting.) Even more awkwardly still was the arm stretched out and away clutching an untouched glass of somesuchsort (she hadn’t been paying attention) pressed into her hand the moment her agents and publicists invaded her home. Whatever current brand of alcohol RISE was courting was likely to be in that cup trying to lure her away while everyone was casually “forgetting” that she would imbibe no such thing these days.

And that bastard Atraxys let her stand there like that, fully aware of her feelings on the matter idly scrolling away on his holopad, his boredom making itself more important than her discomfort.

Blowing away the ruffle closest to her face for the umpteenth time, Assana decided she had had it.

“Okay that’s it, I need some air,” she declared, stepping down from the dais, waving the young stylists away from her as she moved. They looked at her in surprise, near frozen on the spot until Atraxys’ deep baritone flowed from his place on the couch: “Give us the room.” Assana struggled to storm for the kitchen gathering her dress up roughly as the stylists scuttled out, their heels scuffling the floors, and one whispered, “She’s kinda old. Does she like … need a break or something?” as they disappeared out the door.

Biting down to stop herself from screaming in frustration, As dumped the contents of her crystal cup into the sink, rinsed it out, and filled it with cool water. She drained the cup greedily, not realizing how hard her other hand was gripping the edge of the counter until she released, the tension crabbing her hand for a moment. 

“Are we having fun yet?” 

As looked up and gave her manager a withering glare that would never see the outside of that apartment before softening with resign as she took a deep breath.

“It’s just a lot to take in,” she replied. “There’s so much more to wrap my head around - especially all this media and appearance making. The body mods - who’s idea was that?”

“The business is evolving,” Atraxys shrugged.

“But so quickly? I know I retired, but I wasn’t gone that long.” Assana picked up her personal holopad from the counter where it had been abandoned when the stylists descended. “And the fanbase - it spreads much further than I ever thought.” She flipped through open tabs to find what she was looking for. “It used to just be magazines and videos, minor promotional things. But now the collective is filled with pockets of fans talking, arguing, and creating things - all dedicated to their adoration of racers. There’s fan-made art -” She held up the holopad to show him an image of a hyper-stylized version of Supernova and MK II as a goddess and pegasus heading to war against a brilliant sunset sky, other racers somewhat identifiable in the background. “- this looks like it could be a RISE promotion, but it’s not - someone just made it in their home on their own time for their own amusement. There’s even someone who composed an entire symphony - a symphony, Trax - devoted entirely to Flower,” she told him, flicking through saved pages. “You should give it a listen - I actually broke down in tears when I listened to it, the whole thing was so moving and beautiful. It’s unbelievable, the amount of talent and obsession out there in the collective, just being shared between groups of fans.”

Atraxys looked somewhat amused, which was not quite the reaction she had hoped for ... although, if she was honest, she wasn’t sure what she thought his reaction would be.

“Creative expression is quite the highest compliment, especially from other worlders,” he mused, looking over Assana’s shoulders as she flicked through even more. 

“This is nothing, there’s someone who has designed and is selling figurines of all racers, past and present, and they look stunning - I was even tempted to order one.”

“Really? Who? Supernova past?”

“No, gods no.” Assana bit down on her lip to prevent herself from supplying an answer. “The thing is the level of consumption is much bigger than I expected. It’s insane and awing at the same time.”

“It is impressive. But, people will always create devotional items to their idols.”

“True. It’s not just visual art, though.” She looked up from the holopad and grinned lopsidedly. “Have you ever heard of fan-fiction?”

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

Spending the past decade on a private spacious estate had not done well to help her re-adjust to the claustrophobic nature of Unicorn City and the celebrity lifestyle. Surrounded by an entire retinue of people she barely recognized, As straightened out her posture, held her head high, and became Supernova as she glided through the front doors of the Neon Demon. Trying not to flinch at the constant flashing of camera drones and her name being shouting over like waves crashing over one another as people tried to touch any small part of her as reverent fingers reached out to touch her, to lovingly graze a fragment of her dress, upturned eyes all eagerly roving her face - or rather the hologrammed amalgamation -  as if the barest contact or look from Supernova would grant them some celestial blessing. Those of her retinue even adjusted their positions ever so slightly, allowing fans through, gently jostling aside only those who overstayed their welcome. She tried not to cringe as hundreds of fingers reached out and sought flesh, not having been touched so much in awe since she had carried Indigo, the sheer memory of the constant onslaught of people touching her pregnant body as if they could draw energy from the extra life she bore repulsed Assana, but Supernova could not feel as such. Although she wanted nothing more than to fold into herself, to shrink away from the awed masses, the most serene and benevolent smile she could summon spread across her lips, eyes meeting with as many worshippers as she could, accepting their devotion and repaying them with nothing but her presence, which would sate them for days. 

This was far worse than the fan-works on the collective - at least those could be separated, the safety of the screen providing a protective barrier. Do you not have real gods to devote to? she wondered, overlooking the zealots with gold painted into their hair, angelic wings painted around their eyes in honour of Supernova’s grand circuit win almost 15 years ago. They called her name like a prayer, brushing her arms as she ascended the dais at the back of the club to join the other gods racers, repressing the desire to find a quiet corner to clean herself off. Instead, her beglittered arms were now smudged with track marks from adoring fingers. She looked quickly over her shoulder to see through the crowds now filling in the space that had been parted for her, a group of younger girls: one held her hand aloft and was crying with hysteric joy as her friends clung to her, all either crying as well or on the verge of some sort of actual ecstasy. They all looked to be Jaina’s age, which would have bothered her more if the girls hadn’t made such a display of tears. 

Things are much different now, everything is in extremes, she thought, turning her focus away from her congregation to the other racers and their entourages. As she passed by some crystal curtains, she spotted Flower sitting on a couch, her ever-present tattooed shadow nearby. It was a relief to see a teammate, almost grounding her after what had happened moments ago, a reminder that it was all a façade. Breaking stride momentarily, she nodded her head and gave a small wave to the younger racer. As she did, Flower spat out her drink - in surprise? Assana flashed a goofy grin before it collapsed back into a goddess’s smile for the people, trying not to reveal an honest personality. Aura was so odd, but endearingly so. Even the fact that she had puked on As during Supernova’s first official outing after the announcement of her comeback hadn’t diminished this feeling. 

Sunbeam, on the other hand, she felt strange being around. Sometimes it seemed like she was looking into a mirror directly linked to the past, like the character of Sunbeam was Supernova in her early years, but almost heightened in a way. She was what Assana had strove to be, the true daughter of Sky World, representative of all the morals and values her people prided themselves on … but she had always felt she failed that image somehow, and now Sunbeam was there as a tangible reminder. She didn’t dislike or begrudge Sunbeam for it, the girl was the embodiment of Sky World values both as a caricature and as herself it seemed, and As didn’t have it in her to hold it against the girl.

Finding herself with yet another drink placed into her hand, Assana settled in to watch the other racers. Snow Princess - or, Snow, rather - was there, listening to an overly animated woman. Diamond eyes caught As staring at her, mid-sip, and As could only nod in acknowledgement to her, the only other racer outside of RISE that she knew from before. As had watched Snow’s reemergence onscreen like most others, wondering what had happened to her in truth, not the Twilight version of it. Snow gave a curt nod in reply before returning to her companion. Assana’s attention drifted between whatever inane conversation was happening around her to the surrounding activities. She spotted Nyx across the dais, her molten eyes blazing like twin suns from the darkness. Assana found it hard to look away, observing the dark girl as she spoke with those around her, as if her eyes had a magnetic quality that meant to pull you in before destroying you. They suddenly turned in her direction, and within seconds As looked away, embarrassed to be staring for too long whether Nyx noticed or not ... someone else probably did.

Masking her embarrassment, she tried to focus on the discussion before her, something about trying to get back a contract with Alix Estelle’s fashion house, one that had been a late sponsor just before Supernova’s retirement, when Glimmer touched her arm lightly, startling Assana. Without speaking, her PA showed her her holopalm, which glowed a soft blue with an incoming call - the kids. Assana took the holopalm and turned to leave, pausing only when Atraxys snagged her arm.

“You’re not leaving right now, are you?” he asked, golden eyes glowing with disapproval. Assana pulled her arm out of his reach. 

“I am. You’ve got a handle on this,” she replied dismissively. She tore away from the group, seeking a quieter space to take the call, heart racing, worrying that Draca would have something to say if she missed it, worrying that her children might be disappointed in her for not talking to them. Desperate anxiety carried her to a small corridor near the bathrooms, the music muffling slightly as she rounded the corner. Frantic, she punched in the call while tucking herself into a tight alcove and fumbling with the switch for her holocollar (she couldn't bear to have them see that face). Immediately the crowded faces of her three children appeared, a faint blu-ish pallor to them from the holographic light as they excitedly shouted their hellos.

“Mummy, you look so pretty!” cooed Indigo, his face growing larger as he leaned closer, inspecting the screen back home.

“Thank you, baby,” As replied, trying not to cry with relief at seeing their faces. “Did you guys have a good day? Jain - how was your first day at the Lyceum? Indi, sweetheart, can you move back, your sisters can’t see … Xan - what’s that, did you paint that?”

Assana grinned broadly, laughing with them as they recounted their days and doled out advice when needed. You could call her a lot of things, but As would be damned if anyone tried to say she wasn’t present - or as present as she could be while off-world. Making sure she spoke to her kids every night was the most important thing in her life and no amount of public appearances was going to stop her. 

“Mum - where are you?” asked Jaina, cutting through Indigo and Xanthippe chattering about something trivial between the two of them.

“Um, just a club, it’s a promotional thing.”

“Mum.”

“I know, I know! But I can take a break to call you guys, it’s not a big deal.”

“You sure?”

“Of course! Anyway, I’d rather be back home with you guys.” Assana immediately clamped her mouth shut, realizing her mistake. The happy chattering stopped immediately as the three faces sobered.

“I wish you were here too, mummy,” replied Indigo. “Mom can’t sing me to sleep like you could.”

“Mom can’t sing - it’s pure torture listening to it,” quipped Xanthippe. 

“Mom’s trying, and that’s the main thing,” As replied, fighting down a smile. Draca was probably the most tone-deaf person in the galaxy, but it had never stopped her before. “I love you all, and I’d be there if I could. Maybe in a couple weeks we can ask mom if you guys can come for a visit - how’s that sound?” The holograms erupted with excited chattering before they exchanged farewells and good-nights, the hologram fizzling out as the call ended. The sudden silence in the hall was deafening and isolating. It was her own fault, this exile, she knew. Scuffling a few stray tears out of her eyes without a care for her make-up, Assana straightened up, forced her mind clear, and breezed back out into the main hall of the club, the pulsing music dragging her back in.

Taglist: @ayzrules @bebemoon @jay-swagsby @filthysoulls @shiftyprincess @kzombi3 @now-on-elissastillstands 

[liachois]

24 hours (or maybe 12) | na jaemin

ft. na jaemin x female reader

sequel to crackers & crushes

genre: fluff, prince au!

word count: 2.2k

it was the day after you met prince jaemin, a week before the winter ball. all the maidens living in the castle were allowed to return to town, just for 24 hours, to visit their families and individually find the dress they were going to wear for the ball.

luckily, one of your close friends was a dressmaker and a seamstress who worked at one of the finest dress shops in town, so your dress was prepared way ahead of time with her help. after picking up the dress and dropping it off at your parents’ house, you spend your evening strolling around town, dreaming about the ball and your previous encounter with jaemin.

at some point, the streets become almost deserted, and the lights are dim as you exit mark’s bakery with a loaf of bread in hand. after some moments, you feel as though you are being watched.

you ignore it at first, thinking it was just you getting paranoid. but as you slightly glance to your left, you notice a figure following you in the shadows.

dropping the bread, you make a run for it. however, the mysterious figure calls out to you.

“wait!” the voice is deep, not too deep, but at a level that seems almost too familiar to you-

something hits your back with a large smack sound, causing you to trip on a loose stone on the ground and fall. groaning as you reach your hand behind your back, you realize that someone threw your loaf of bread at you.

the figure catches up to you and is by your side before you can get up and run again.

“so sorry about that, miss y/n! let me help you,” the figure extends out his hand. you look up, and there he is- na jaemin, but with soft brown hair instead of the bright pink you saw the day before.

“jaemin?! what the hell are you doing here?” you say as you take his hand.

he pulls you up. “i came to see you, obviously.”

“w- what? how did you even find me? and why so late at night? and what’s with the hair color change?”

“woah, don’t get too excited to see me.” jaemin says, chuckling.

“i’m not! i’m just surprised.”

“whatever you say, miss y/n. to answer your questions, though, i dyed my hair because the ball’s next week, and pink hair might be a little too noticeable. and i’m the prince, duh, so i had to escape at some time where not much people would be out.”

“you- wait, escape?!”

“shh, you can’t tell anyone, but i have connections with one of the guards.” he winks at you  mischievously. “anyways, i was walking around for maybe 15 minutes, and then i luckily reached the bakery that that mark lee boy works at, and he told me you went this way.”

“... you talked to mark lee?”

“yes, why do you sound so surprised?”

“nothing, nothing. but… what were your first impressions of him?”

“... i mean, he’s nice... and handsome…. wait, why do you care so much?”

you grin as you playfully slap his shoulder. “you’re still jealous, aren’t you?”

“i- i’m not! he was just very handsome, that’s all.”

“you’re handsome too, you know.”

“i know, but… fine, maybe i was jealous that he got your attention so much.” he mumbles the last part.

you giggle at how cute this boy is. at the same time, you can’t believe how easily the prince gets jealous. “jaemin, trust me. mark and i are just friends. besides, he likes my friend, anyways. she made my dress for the ball next week.”

jaemin perks up at the mentioning of the winter ball. “can i see it?”

“see what?”

“your dress!”

“are you kidding me? it’s at my house.”

“so? let’s go then.”

you stare at him. “you want me to take you to my house?”

“i don’t see why not.”

“jaemin, you’re the prince. how are my parents going to react when i suddenly bring the prince to our house?”

“well… you don’t have to say it’s me. just introduce me as nana, and say i’m… i dunno, mark lee’s brother.”

“nana?”

“it’s a nickname my parents gave me,” he blushes, and you laugh.

“nana it is then. alright, let’s go.” you pick up the loaf of bread you left laying on the ground. “by the way, did you have to throw this at me?”

he smiles. “i had to get your attention somehow.”

-

as you near the front door of your house, you pull jaemin back. “i just want to warn you about my parents… especially my mom. please don’t mind if they’re a little weird.”

jaemin grins. “don’t worry. even though my parents are the king and queen, they still get a little embarrassing too sometimes.”

you nod, grateful that jaemin understands what you mean. as you begin to walk again, jaemin grabs the loaf of bread from your hands. you give him a questioning look, and he shakes his head.

“you’ll see.”

after a few seconds, you open the door to your house, letting yourself and jaemin enter before locking it again. as jaemin takes a look around, a voice calls out to you.

“y/n? is that you?” it’s your mom, who enters the room that you two were in. seeing jaemin, she gasps.

“y/n, is this the boy you were gushing about earlier? the one who you refused to name?”

you blush madly, noticing jaemin’s arched eyebrow and emerging smirk.

“yes, mom. mom, meet nana, he’s mark lee’s brother.”

“nana! pleasure to meet you!”

jaemin bows. “thank you for having me in your lovely home, miss. it’s a pleasure to meet you too.” he holds out the loaf of bread in his hands. “please take this loaf of bread as a gift, it’s from the bakery my brother works at.”

your mother graciously accepts it, raving over how “well mannered” nana was. you gape at jaemin in shock of what he did with the bread that you bought, and he just laughs. that boy….

“so, nana, how did you meet my daughter?”

“well, it started when-”

“sorry, mom, but nana and i have to get going,” you explain quickly as you drag jaemin past your mom.

“alright then… don’t do anything inappropriate, you two.”

you roll your eyes. “of course we won’t.” you push jaemin into your room and shut the door.

you turn to jaemin, a light blush on your cheeks. “sorry about my mom…. you weren’t supposed to hear that part in the beginning.”

he grins. “no problem. i’m glad i heard that part, actually.”

your face flushes even more. “let’s not talk about that,” you joke.

“but i-”

you interrupt him, pulling your dress out of your closet and holding it in front of your body. “here’s my dress!” you say.

jaemin stares in awe, as it reminds him of the angelic aura you gave off when you first met him. noticing his gaze, you frown.

“do you like it?”

“i do.” he blushes, and smiles shyly. “i think it suits you a lot.”

“thanks, jaemin.” you laugh a little, trying to clear the awkwardness in the air. “now you’ll be able to find me next week.”

he grins, and points at the dash of pink on the dress’s side. “was that supposed to match with my hair?”

“n- no! that’s a coincidence.”

jaemin laughs. “sure, sure.”

“hey, i’m serious!” you grab a pillow from off your bed and smack his head with it.

jaemin jokingly gives you a look. “you shouldn’t have gone that way, miss y/n. i have martial arts training.”

“yeah, but i’m specially trained in pillow fighting! think you can top that?”

“why don’t we see for ourselves?” jaemin grabs another pillow, holding it up and bracing himself in an attack position. within seconds, his pillow makes contact with your shoulder, and you’re lying on your bed from the blow.

you shriek with joy, and soon after you two are in a vicious battle of the pillows. after some time, when your hair is messed up, your faces are flushed, and pillow feathers scatter the room, you hear a clicking of the front door, meaning your dad has returned from wherever he was at.

you freeze, not knowing what to do. your dad was normally ok with having people over, but having boys over late at night was not necessarily something that fit under that category.

“quick,” you whisper, opening up a window in your room. “go through there.”

jaemin hesitates, pouting. “i can’t stay over for the night?”

“unfortunately, no. i think my dad would freak if he saw you here, considering it’s almost midnight.”

he nods, and after whispering a goodbye, he goes through the window.

you tidy your room a little bit, fixing things that got knocked over and kicking the pillow feathers under your bed. then, you hop into your bed, just moments before your dad knocks and opens your door.

“hi, y/n,” your dad says warmly. “i heard some noises in hear, everything ok?”

“yep! i was just getting ready for bed and got excited for some reason.”

he laughs. “i mean, the ball’s a week away. i’m sure everyone attending is just as excited as you are.”

“yeah, probably.”

he winks at you. “you know, isn’t the prince supposed to choose someone to be his partner there? wouldn’t it be amazing if he chose you? imagine that, my daughter being the next queen of the kingdom.”

you totally forgot about that part, to be honest. but more importantly, you’re surprised jaemin hasn’t mentioned that to you either. you smile nervously. “well, there’s so many others who will be competing for that title. there’s a slim chance, but of course we can hope.”

your father nods at your response. “either way, your mother and i will be glad if you at least have fun at the ball. goodnight, y/n.”

“goodnight, dad.”

he closes the door, and you close your eyes and roll over into a comfy position. however, a few minutes later, you hear a thump by your window and, seconds later, someone tucking themselves into your bed right next to you.

startled, your eyes pop open and are met with jaemin’s. you almost scream.

“jaemin, what the hell? i thought you were going back to the castle!”

“i was, but i got cold,” he says. “besides, i think i would have gotten lost if i continued walking.”

“yeah, but that doesn’t mean you can just stay here for the night!”

“why not?” he says, pouting. god, you hate when this boy pouts.

“because- what if my parents walk in here and see you? what are they going to think?”

“here, i’ll just cover myself with the blanket. like this,” he lowers himself so that only a few tufts of his hair remain on the pillow.

“is… that comfortable?”

“i mean, it’s warm, and that’s what i came for.”

“ok… but what about tomorrow though? what if someone finds out you’re not in the castle?”

“oh, they won’t. trust me.”

“... fine. well, goodnight then.” you close your eyes.

“wait!”

your eyes pop open again. “what now?”

“where’s my goodnight kiss?”

you almost choke on your own saliva. “p- pardon?”

“i’m kidding. unless you’re actually down for it. but i’m kidding. goodnight, miss y/n.” after a second, he closes his eyes.

unable to answer, you close your eyes as well, thinking about what jaemin said until you fall asleep.

-

the next morning, you wake up as the sun shines through your still open window. you wonder if jaemin left already- until you realize he’s right next to you. with your arms wrapped around him. and jaemin’s staring at you.

startled, you remove your hands and sit up immediately. jaemin chuckles.

“good morning, miss y/n. everything alright?”

“g- good morning, jaemin. um, how did we end up... like that?

“you tell me, y/n.”

you blush and look at the time. it’s a little after six, just before the kingdom starts to wake up and start their day.

“jaemin! you need to leave, quick. before the streets get too busy.”

you abruptly push him out of your bed.

“if you were awake before me, why didn’t you leave earlier?”

“i tried, but your arms kept me from going too far.” he smirked.

you rolled your eyes, pushing him towards the window. “you could’ve just forced my arms away. i wouldn’t have minded.”

“well, i’ll take note for the future then. how about a good morning kiss, though? since i didn’t get one last night?” he puckers his lips, waiting expectantly.

“jaemin, are you insane?” you can feel your face turning bright red.

“i’m kidding, y/n. you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed. anyways, bye!” and with that, he’s out the window and gone.

your head feels light headed as you take all of what just happened in. you tuck yourself back into bed, smelling jaemin’s scent on the pillow, as you try to fall asleep again for another half hour or so.

but, all you can think about is that you’re a day closer to the winter ball, and that the ball will definitely have a lot in store for you and jaemin.

part 3 comin' soon

[stainedglassgardens]

Favourite woman-directed films I saw in 2018

It’s funny because when the year started I thought I could never watch 52 films by women, considering that I usually barely watch fifty films a year, total. Then I watched 306 new-to-me films, out of which 105 were directed by women.

I saw so many good woman-directed films that I thought it would be hard to choose ten to make this list, but then I realised that I only had to include those films that absolutely blew my mind, and bam! Ten already.

Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)

On Body and Soul (Testről és lélekről, Ildikó Enyedi, 2017)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011)

River of Grass (Kelly Reichardt, 1994)

The Midnight Swim (Sarah Adina Smith, 2014)

Raw (Grave, Julia Ducournau, 2016)

M.F.A. (Natalia Leite, 2017)

Daisies (Sedmikrásky, Věra Chytilová, 1966)

Always Shine (Sophia Takal, 2016)

Revenge (Coralie Fargeat, 2017)

Very broadly speaking, these ten can be divided into three categories. There’s gorey, imaginative, feminist genre -- Revenge, M.F.A., Raw; there’s visually and/or narratively boundary-expanding cinema -- Daisies, Always Shine, The Midnight Swim, We Need to Talk About Kevin, On Body and Soul; and then there are the indie stories about marginalised people, which might be my favourites of all -- here, River of Grass and Winter’s Bone.

When 2018 started I had only seen one film by Kelly Reichardt, and none by Debra Granik. Now they’re both among my favourite filmmakers. When I saw my first Kelly Reichardt film, years ago, I thought Wow, some people do make films about actual people. I’ve seen all of them now, and I liked all of them, but it wasn’t that hard picking River of Grass for this list -- there’s something so Carson McCullers, so Flannery O’Connor about the story, and visually it is so dreamlike.

I put Debra Granik together with Kelly Reichardt because their stories feel similar in many ways (and both feel similar to Agnès Varda’s), and seeing Winter’s Bone I was just completely blown away. It’s one of those films I would unreservedly call a masterpiece, and recommend to absolutely everyone. What places it above Leave No Trace (which I put as my number one new release of 2018) is the plot, and the ending especially, both completely surreal and mundane, like a cherry on top of spectacular acting and visuals worthy of Dorothea Lange .

Another slap in the face was We Need to Talk About Kevin. Together with a few other films in this list, it made me ponder what film can really do in terms of creating intricate, media-specific experiences that ultimately serve to provide a more rounded understanding of reality and what it means to be a person. We Need to Talk About Kevin was the first of these and probably had the biggest impact on me. Lynne Ramsay really is one of the few people with a completely unique vision.

I put Daisies, Always Shine, The Midnight Swim and On Body and Soul in the same category, although they don’t have a lot in common with each other, because they all have this aspect of visual and/or narrative boundary-pushing. It is so incredible that Daisies still feels like that to a first-time viewer today, even though it came out more than fifty years ago.

I saw Always Shine and The Midnight Swim around the same time and keep associating them in my mind for the nods to David Lynch, indie feel, and non-linear storytelling. Probably The Midnight Swim impressed me more, because it was the first time (and only, so far) that I saw a first-person narrative that looked quite like that.

On Body and Soul belongs in the same area of this mental map mainly because of the dream sequences. Before I saw it I probably would have found it impossible to talk about dreams in a way that didn’t feel recycled, but this managed just that. The juxtaposition of the wild forest animals at night with the cattle in the slaughterhouse during the day walks such a fine line between surrealism and social commentary, and the slaughterhouse sequences are all filmed with such incredible tact -- which only serves to make them more shocking.

Then there are the great genre films. Raw was fantastic, in part because it is so rare for a French person such as myself to find a French film to her liking, but also because everything about it felt so different -- it is firmly set in the horror genre, but it also draws from such a wide range of influences. M.F.A. and Revenge mirror each other in many ways, because they’re both rape-revenge films, a sub-genre I am incredibly glad and grateful that women are tackling in such interesting and challenging ways. I liked M.F.A. better, maybe, because it felt more real, and the ending better-thought-out, but if anything, I’d recommend a double-feature night to watch both.

Great films that didn’t quite make the cut, in no particular order:

Addicted to Fresno (Jamie Babbit, 2015): best sex comedy about actual grown-ups

I Think We’re Alone Now (Reed Morano, 2018): best post-apocalyptic “everyone is gone from the surface of the Earth but us” film

Ginger & Rosa (Sally Potter, 2012): best Cold-War England drama

Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, 2010) : best contemplative Western

Into the Forest (Patricia Rozema, 2015): best post-apocalyptic survivalist feminist film

Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi, Agnès Varda, 1984) : best film shot in my area of France

Khadak (Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth, 2006): best science fiction film that takes place in Mongolia

Over time, I’m finding it easier and easier to watch more woman-directed films, both because I know where to look and because I’ll find it easier to relax and get into any genre at all when I know there’ll be infinitely less chance of rampant misogyny ruining an otherwise perfectly good film. It seems barely believable, now, to think that five years ago I didn’t know one single woman director, when clearly the quality and the variety are there, the work is there, and it stands so tall on its own.

Full 105-film list under the cut!

The Bad Batch (Ana Lily Amirpour, 2016)

Gas Food Lodging (Allison Anders, 1992)

Red Road (Andrea Arnold, 2006)

American Honey (Andrea Arnold, 2016)

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante, 2016)

Addicted to Fresno (Jamie Babbit, 2015)

The Selfish Giant (Clio Barnard, 2013)

Novitiate (Maggie Betts, 2017)

Bird Box (Susanne Bier, 2018)

Blue My Mind (Lisa Brühlmann, 2017)

Daisies (Sedmikrásky, Věra Chytilová, 1966)

The Kindergarten Teacher (Sara Colangelo, 2018)

Valley Girl (Martha Coolidge, 1983)

Palo Alto (Gia Coppola, 2013)

Lick the Star (Sofia Coppola, 1998)

The Beguiled (Sofia Coppola, 2017)

17 GIrls (17 Filles, Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin, 2011)

The Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig, 2016)

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (Alexandra Dean, 2017)

Madeline’s Madeline (Josephine Decker, 2018)

Desert Hearts (Donna Deitch, 1985)

Raw (Grave, Julia Ducournau, 2016)

On Body and Soul (Testről és lélekről, Ildikó Enyedi, 2017)

Mustang (Deniz Gamze Ergüven, 2015)

Revenge (Coralie Fargeat, 2017)

The Spy Who Dumped Me (Susanna Fogel, 2018)

Deidra and Laney Rob a Train (Sydney Freeland, 2017)

Twinsters (Samantha Futerman and Ryan Miyamoto, 2015)

The Trader (Sovdagari, Tamta Gabrichidze, 2018)

The Lifeguard (Liz W. Garcia, 2013)

Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig, 2017)

They (Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, 2017)

Tig (Kristina Goolsby and Ashley York, 2015)

The Deuce of Spades (Faith Granger, 2011)

Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)

Leave No Trace (Debra Granik, 2018)

Casting JonBenet (Kitty Green, 2017)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Amy Heckerling, 1982)

Axolotl Overkill (Helene Hegemann, 2017)

The Firefly (La Luciérnaga, Ana Maria Hermida, 2015)

Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman, 2017)

The Fits (Anna Rose Holmer, 2015)

The Land of Steady Habits (Nicole Holofcener, 2018)

Slums of Beverly Hills (Tamara Jenkins, 1998)

Private Life (Tamara Jenkins, 2018)

The Quiet Hour (Stéphanie Joalland, 2014)

Cameraperson (Kirsten Johnson, 2016)

By the Sea (Angelina Jolie, 2015)

Sweet Bean (あん, An, Naomi Kawase, 2015)

Lovesong (So Yong Kim, 2016)

I Feel Pretty (Abby Kohn, 2018)

Radius (Caroline Labrèche and Steeve Léonard, 2017)

Irreplaceable You (Stephanie Laing, 2018)

The Feels (Jenée LaMarque, 2017)

Breathe (Respire, Mélanie Laurent, 2014)

Galveston (Mélanie Laurent, 2018)

Octavio is Dead! (Sook-Yin Lee, 2018)

M.F.A. (Natalia Leite, 2017)

Aloft (Claudia Llosa, 2014)

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (Jodie Markell, 2008)

A New Leaf (Elaine May, 1971)

Dude (Olivia Milch, 2018)

The Dressmaker (Jocelyn Moorhouse, 2015)

I Think We’re Alone Now (Reed Morano, 2018)

Woodshock (Kate and Laura Mulleavy, 2017)

Girl Asleep (Rosemary Myers, 2015)

Tout ce qui brille (Géraldine Nakache and Hervé Mimran, 2010)

I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)

Ginger & Rosa (Sally Potter, 2012)

Beneath the Harvest Sky (Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, 2013)

Angels Wear White (嘉年华, Vivian Qu, 2017)

Cargo (Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke, 2017)

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay, 2011)

You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay, 2017)

River of Grass (Kelly Reichardt, 1994)

Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006)

Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, 2010)

Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, 2013)

Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt, 2016)

Into the Forest (Patricia Rozema, 2015)

Before I Fall (Ry Russo-Young, 2017)

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (Lorene Scafaria, 2012)

The Riot Club (Lone Scherfig, 2014)

Cracks (Jordan Scott, 2009)

Everything Beautiful is Far Away (Pete Ohs and Andrea Sisson, 2017)

Waitress (Adrienne Shelly, 2007)

Laggies (Lynn Shelton, 2014)

Outside In (Lynn Shelton, 2017)

Berlin Syndrome (Cate Shortland, 2017)

Lipstick Under My Burkha (Alankrita Shrivastava, 2016)

The Midnight Swim (Sarah Adina Smith, 2014)

Buster’s Mal Heart (Sarah Adina Smith, 2016)

The Lure (Córki dancingu, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, 2015)

Always Shine (Sophia Takal, 2016)

Shirkers (Sandi Tan, 2018)

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (Emily Ting, 2015)

Kedi (Ceyda Torun, 2016)

Cléo from 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7, Agnès Varda, 1962)

Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi, Agnès Varda, 1984)

Love, Cecil (Lisa Immordino Vreeland, 2018)

Jupiter Ascending (The Wachowskis, 2015)

Mr. Roosevelt (Noël Wells, 2017)

Woman Walks Ahead (Susanna White, 2017)

Khadak (Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth, 2006)

Salesman (Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 1969)

[danganronpaimagineslol-blog]

Danganronpa Halloween Imagine

| V3 cast going trick-or-treating with S/O

pairing - V3 cast x S/O

genre - fluff 

warnings - none!

requests - CLOSED

A/N - It’s that time of year! This wasn’t a request, but I was just soooo in the mood to write a Halloween imagine, so I just had to. I hope this will put you all in a spooky mood! Apart from that, I am so sorry I haven’t posted lately! I’ve been having a bit of a writer’s block, I’m hoping this post helped it though.  Also, I have deleted any Halloween requests we’ve gotten, mainly because we won’t have time to write them before Halloween is over, I’m sorry :( Also also, we usually don’t write full casts. At most we’ll do either boys, girls or a maximum of 8 characters. - Oh, and I decided to change the way my posts look!

Happy Halloween!

GIRLS

Kaede Akamatsu

Such an overly excited ball of energy! 

Kaede would definitely be the type of person to make a big deal out of holidays and would always put tons of effort into making it perfect and absolutely flawless.  

This year Kaede was extremely stressed out with everything else going on at the same time, so as much as she wanted to put enough effort into cute couple costumes, she just didn’t have the energy or time to do that. 

Kaede felt miserable knowing she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on good costumes for this year, but right as she thought everything was ruined, her s/o showed up with 2 perfect skeleton costumes that looked exactly like the ones she had pictured in her mind. 

“I can’t believe you did this for me!” 

Kaede was overcome with joy and couldn’t put words to how happy she was feeling.  

They didn’t waste any time. 

As soon as Kaede’s s/o revealed the costumes they quickly got changed and went out trick-or-treating for the rest of the evening.

It was the first time Kaede felt stress-free in the last while. 

Angie Yonaga

Angie’s s/o wanted to go trick-or-treating with her, but they weren’t sure if she even celebrated Halloween because of Atua. 

As if Angie had heard her s/o’s thought, she then spoke up. 

“You’ll come trick-or-treating with me right, s/o?” 

How could they say no to Angie when she asked in such a cute voice. It was impossible. 

Angie soon revealed her idea for the costumes. She wanted to paint her s/o into a living pop art figure, and so she did. 

Obviously, it turned out beautiful and Angie copied her work onto herself afterward.

It maybe wasn’t the best costumes for trick-or-treating, but they looked amazing and enjoyed their time together anyway. 

“I don’t care if people didn’t compliment our looks, I know you did an amazing job” 

Blushing Angie 

Himiko Yumeno

Himiko was convinced they didn’t need any costumes and that she could use her magic to get them candy. 

Of course, Himiko was delusional to the point of no rational thinking, but that was a common trait of Himiko. 

“How about I just quickly run down to the store and get us some costumes?” 

“Nyeh! We don’t need that when I have my magic” 

In the end, Himiko’s s/o gave up and just went with Himiko in her normal outfit, but it all worked out since it looked like Himiko was dressed up as a witch anyway. 

“I told you, s/o. We didn’t need any costumes!” 

Himiko’s s/o would just shake their head and laugh at her silliness.  

After collecting candy for many hours, Himiko was exhausted and they had to return home. 

Himiko’s s/o would carry her on their back. 

Himiko would mumble compliments about her s/o in her sleep

Kirumi Tojo

The second Kirumi’s s/o mentioned Halloween and trick-or-treating, she offered to prepare costumes for them both. 

“Kirumi, you don’t have to” 

But naturally, Kirumi insisted. 

Kirumi prepared 2 costume sets. The costume theme was ‘Red Riding Hood’. 

The costumes were extremely good quality and had no flaws whatsoever. But nothing less was expected from someone as talented as Kirumi. 

The costumes fit perfectly and were comfortable as well. 

Most of the night consisted of Kirumi following her s/o around and carrying their bucket to store the candy. 

Kirumi didn’t mind at all, in fact, she enjoyed following her s/o around and watching them be happy.

At the end of the day, Kirumi is a maid and her duty is to help others and please them. 

For her s/o, she didn’t even have to try. 

It just happened naturally. 

Maki Harukawa

Convincing Maki to go trick-or-treating would take some effort. 

Maki did love her s/o with all of her heart, but Halloween and festivities reminded her of her youth and days before becoming an assassin, so she had stayed away from all of it completely. 

“Maki I am begging you. You never have to come with me ever again! And you don’t have to wear a costume either” 

Soon after, Maki let out a deep sigh and got up from her seat. 

As promised, Maki went wearing her normal clothes. Her s/o decided to dress up anyway. 

Maki followed around her s/o the entire evening, walking from door to door.

As much as Maki didn’t enjoy it much, it meant a lot to her that she could make her s/o happy like this. 

Maybe this wouldn’t be the last time she gave it a chance. 

And it wouldn’t be 

Miu Iruma

Miu would be pretty excited for Halloween this year. 

Usually, Miu never went trick-or-treating and instead would create varies inventions to scare the kids away from her accommodation.

But this year was different. 

Miu’s s/o wanted to dress up and go trick-or-treating this year, so Miu had to come up with ideas for their costumes. 

It didn’t go too well and the first attempt failed. After all, she is the ultimate inventor and not dressmaker. 

In the end, they had to run to the store instead. 

10 minutes before the store closed, they ran inside at full speed and looked through the costume possibilities. 

“Miu just grab something, let’s go!” 

Miu quickly grabbed 2 costumes and ran up to the register right after. 

They changed into their costumes in the store’s customer bathroom.

As much as the costumes didn’t fit completely and were also pretty silly, they enjoyed their time together anyway. And that’s what mattered. 

Tenko Chabashira

Tenko couldn’t care less about the costume, the candy (maybe not the candy), but definitely the costume. 

When her s/o mentioned that she wanted to go trick-or-treating this year, her protective instincts would kick in right away. 

“But what if you get attacked? Everyone is dressed up, it could easily happen!” 

Tenko was overreacting, but it’s pretty natural of her to do so. She must protect her s/o from any degenerate males, dangerous people. 

Tenko would go with her s/o when they went trick-or-treating, but only to protect them. 

It overall wasn’t a very fun experience because any person that looked at her s/o would immediately receive a death glare from Tenko.

In the end, things worked out and when they got home, they snuggled up on the couch and watched a scary movie where Tenko could protect her s/o in peace. 

Tenko didn’t act this way to shield her s/o from having fun, she is just a very protective and jealous human being and it comforts her protect someone so meaningful to her. 

But her s/o knew that and also loved her for it. 

Tsumugi Shirogane

I mean it’s already obvious, Tsumugi would be so hype for Halloween and would plan her cosplay/costume months in advance. 

“So, I figured we could go dressed up as an angel and a devil” 

“Oh I already planned out our costumes, s/o” 

Tsumugi would quickly leave the room and return mere seconds later with 2 almost identical costumes in hand. 

It was a simple black dress/pants with a t-shirt. On top of that Tsumugi had handcrafted butterfly wings for them to wear on top of that. Needless to say, she had outdone herself.

“Well, let’s go!” 

Throughout the evening, they got neverending compliments at every door they knocked on. 

The day was a success and in the end, they were both exhausted and went back home to get a good nights rest. 

BOYS

Gonta Gokuhara

Gonta’s first priority would, of course, be his s/o and their happiness. 

When his s/o mentioned that they wanted to go trick-or-treating for Halloween, Gonta’s protective instincts kicked in. 

“But for Halloween everyone masked. Gonta can’t protect s/o if s/o gets attacked!” 

“Please, Gonta I want to go more than anything else” 

And that’s all they needed to say for Gonta to give in to his s/o’s adorable begging. 

Gonta wouldn’t dress up, he would just wear his normal clothing. 

His intention wasn’t to join the trick-or-treating, he wanted to protect his s/o while they went around from door to door. 

His s/o didn’t mind much as long as Gonta was there with them. 

In the end, the evening was a success and Gonta did not fail at protecting his s/o. 

Kiibo

Kiibo was extremely confused when his s/o explained how Halloween works. 

His knowledge of Halloween was based on the original story about how Halloween started, so he just assumed that it would still be the same. 

“You don’t even have to wear a costume Kiibo, just please come with me!” 

Kiibo was conflicted. He wanted to make his s/o happy, but he was also afraid of trying something new and something he wasn’t quite sure what was. 

Nonetheless, he gave in and they went as a cute robot couple. Kiibo was confused and didn’t know what the small balls wrapped in paper were. 

Kiibo didn’t get much out of it since, of course, he isn’t able to eat and wouldn’t be able to taste all the delicious sweets, but it didn’t matter to him. 

Kiibo felt happiness when experiencing new things with his s/o, that’s why they meant so much to him and why he always makes sure to protect them no matter what. 

Even if he doesn’t get to eat the candy

Kaito Momota

Kaito would probably be way more excited about going trick-or-treating than his s/o. 

He was dead set on them going as astronauts. His mind could not be changed no matter what. 

So his s/o wouldn’t even bother trying to suggest another costume idea, they gave in to their boyfriend's needs. 

“Look how perfect these costumes are! We are going to get so many compliments s/o, especially you” 

Kaito’s s/o would just roll their eyes at his cheesy compliment, it meant a lot nonetheless. 

As soon as the costumes were on, Kaito was dragging his s/o with him out of the door.

“Come on keep up!” 

It was like going trick-or-treating with a small child. Kaito was just so excited about everything, it was absolutely adorable.

It also resulted in Kaito being so energized that by the end of the night he was so tired that his s/o almost had to carry him home, but it was okay.

In the end, seeing Kaito this happy was all that mattered. 

Kokichi Oma

In Kokichi’s opinion, he didn’t have to go dressed up for Halloween.

If he just appeared in front of other people they would immediately bow to him and give him all the candy they possess.  

Kokichi’s ego was already big enough so his s/o had to throw him off his throne. 

“Let’s go dressed as flight pilots! You would look so handsome” 

Immediately Kokichi would be flustered and would try to cover his face from all the blushing. 

Kokichi loved being complimented as long as people didn’t call him cute, so hearing his s/o compliment him for being handsome would get his knees weak right away. 

“Okay, s/o! but just for you” 

What originally was supposed to be Kokichi’s s/o dragging him around excitedly, would turn into the exact opposite. 

His s/o didn’t mind tho, Kokichi was always a ball of energy and one hell of a trickster. 

They ended the night with cuddles in bed. Kokichi would quickly fall asleep in his s/o’s comforting arms. 

Korekiyo Shinguji

Korekiyo wasn’t at all interested in dressing up for Halloween, he barely cared about the holiday itself. 

Well, he of course cared about the origin of Halloween, but not the modern version. 

But he completely changed his mind when he saw his s/o wearing a beautiful traditional Japanese mask and some traditional clothing. 

He couldn’t take his eyes off his s/o, they were beautiful. 

“What is this? You dressed up for my taste?”

Korekiyo knew that had to be the case, why else would they look so beautiful on such a modern washed day. 

“Please come trick-or-treating with me. I have a costume for you”

He couldn’t say no. The costume he was presented was just as beautiful as the one his s/o was wearing. 

In the end, Korekiyo was convinced and went trick-or-treating with his s/o. He didn’t care about the candy or much else, he just couldn’t take his eyes off the beauty his s/o was wearing.

Rantaro Amami

Being the laid back person Rantaro is, he probably wouldn’t get too overly excited about getting costumes or going out trick-or-treating. 

All he wanted, was for his s/o to be happy and enjoy their day more than anything else. It was a definite priority. 

Rantaro’s s/o mentioned wanting to go trick-or-treating and Rantaro didn’t hesitate to accept his s/o’s offer. 

He wasn’t a very creative person, so his s/o had to figure out the costumes. 

Since neither of them were creative-minded, they went as police officers/cops.

It didn’t look bad at all and they matched perfectly just like 2 puzzle pieces. 

They received lots of compliments that night and also lots of candy for their matching costumes. 

After a couple of hours of walking around in the cold weather, they went back home to snuggle on the couch and watch a scary movie before they fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

Moments like these made Rantaro realize how lucky he was to have his s/o in his life and how much they meant to him. 

Ryoma Hoshi

He couldn’t care less about something as silly as ‘Halloween’. 

But the second his s/o mentioned it to him and said they wanted to go trick-or-treating this year, Ryoma instantly shook his head knowing what question would follow up to their statement. 

“Please come with me?” 

Ryoma just kept shaking his head. 

“Ryoma come on. You never do anything for me” 

These words hit Ryoma pretty deeply. Didn’t do anything for his s/o, is that true?

These words had Ryoma’s thoughts wandering. He was trying to think of the last time he went out of his way to make his s/o happy and he couldn’t remember when. 

“Okay I’ll come with you s/o” 

So then Ryoma’s s/o went out and bought them matching cop costumes. 

Oh the irony 

Although, they went back home after about an hour and snuggled on the couch while watching a scary movie. 

Shuichi Saihara

Would be shy about going out dressed up in a costume, but lowkey wouldn’t mind if his s/o went as well.

Couples costumes??

“Can’t we just go as the same thing?”

Shuichi’s s/o gave in to his begging and they decided to go dressed as salt and pepper canisters. 

He would be so shy when someone complimented their costumes but seeing his s/o filled with joy, would make him loosen up. 

The night was over and they were cuddling in bed, eating some of the candy they had collected that day. 

And of course, they would wake up with tummy aches the next morning because they had been eating candy until very late at night. So they would stay in bed and cuddle all day. 

And eat more candy

~ Mod Ibuki

[whatisthiswitchcraft]

books I read in 2018! (not including rereads, favorites are bolded!)

Shortcomings - Adrian Tomine

Skim - Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Tina’s Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary - Keshni Kashyap

Turning Japanese: A Graphic Memoir - Marinaomi

Killing and Dying - Adrian Tomine

Take What You Can Carry - Kevin C. Pyle

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee

Riotous Flesh: Women, Physiology, and the Solitary Vice in Nineteenth-Century America - April R. Haynes

Finder: Voice - Carla Speed McNeil

Witches Abroad - Terry Pratchett

Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas

We Are Never Meeting In Real Life - Samantha Irby

Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood

What We Lose - Zinzi Clemmons

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours - Helen Oyeyemi

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead - Rick Riordan

Strange Practice - Vivian Shaw

The Best We Could Do - Thi Bui

Kindred: A Graphic Novel - Octavia Butler, Damian Duffy, John Jennings

Will Do Magic for Small Change - Andrea Hairston

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee

Her Body and Other Parties - Carmen Maria Machado

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt

Salt Houses - Hala Alyan

March: Book One - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

March: Book Two - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

March: Book Three - John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell

Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward

The Power - Naomi Alderman

Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White - Lila Quintero Weaver

Blood Justice: The Lynching of Mack Charles Parker - Howard Smead

Warriors Don’t Cry - Melba Pattillo Beals

Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection - ed. Hope Nicholson

Monstress: Awakening - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda

Boundless - Jillian Tamaki

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South - Michael W. Twitty

Speak: The Graphic Novel - Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll

A Raisin in the Sun - Lorraine Hansberry

Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me - Janet Mock

Bingo Love - Tee Franklin, Jenn St-Onge, Joy San

Vietnamerica - G.B. Tran

Incognegro: A Graphic Mystery - Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece

Arab in America - Toufic El Rassi

Diary of a Reluctant Dreamer: Undocumented Vignettes from a Pre-American Life - Alberto Ledesma

Tell the Wolves I’m Home - Carol Rifka Brunt

The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin

The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson

Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng

The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley - Malcolm X and Alex Haley

All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes - Maya Angelou

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body - Roxane Gay

Deer Woman: An Anthology - ed. Elizabeth LaPensée and Weshoyot Alvitre

Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War - Wallace Terry

The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror - [Daniel] Mallory Ortberg

It’s All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I’ve Drawn It Instead - Ruby Elliot

The Book of Unknown Americans - Cristina Henríquez

Through the Woods - Emily Carroll

The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America - Isaac Butler and Dan Kois

Tributaries - Laura Da’

On the Bus With Rosa Parks - Rita Dove

Full-Metal Indigiqueer - Joshua Whitehead

Whereas: Poems - Layli Long Soldier

Not Your Villain - C.B. Lee

My Body is a Book of Rules - Elissa Washuta

Mis(h)adra - Iasmin Omar Ata

All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages - ed. Saundra Mitchell

This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare - Gabourey Sidibe

Crazy Brave - Joy Harjo

Harriet the Spy - Louise Fitzhugh

The Lesser Blessed - Richard Van Camp

A Burst of Light: and Other Essays - Audre Lorde

The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart

My Brother’s Husband, Vol. I - Gengoroh Tagame

When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead

The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 1)  - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

Honor Girl - Maggie Thrash

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang

Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) - Amy Spalding

How to be Black - Baratunde Thurston

Bury What We Cannot Take - Kirstin Chen

No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach - Anthony Bourdain

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook - Anthony Bourdain

Our Dead Behind Us - Audre Lorde

The Wicked and the Divine: Imperial Phase (Part 2)  - Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6'4, African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian - W. Kamau Bell

There There - Tommy Orange

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl - Andrea Lawlor

Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead

Just the Funny Parts: ... And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into the Hollywood Boys’ Club - Nell Scovell

Perma Red - Debra Magpie Earling

Toil and Trouble - Mairghread Scott

Kissing God Goodbye - June Jordan

Wade in the Water - Tracy K. Smith

Reincarnation Blues - Michael Poore

Nepantla: An Anthology [Queer Poets of Color] - ed. Christopher Soto

Not Here: Poems - Hieu Minh Nguyen

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession - Alice Bolin

Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir - Kai Cheng Thom

Taproot: A Story about a Gardener and a Ghost - Keezy Young

The Witch Boy - Molly Knox Ostertag

The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson

Don’t Call Us Dead - Danez Smith

Bright Dead Things - Ada Limon

The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo

Citizen Illegal - Jose Olivarez

American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin - Terrance Hayes

for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf - Ntozake Shange

The Carrying - Ada Limon

Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury - Lesley-Ann Jones

Unclaimed Baggage - Jen Doll

A River of Stars - Vanessa Hua

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

Spinning Silver - Naomi Novik

Barbie Chang - Victoria Chang

Corazon - Yesika Salgado

Chemistry - Weike Wang

Number One Chinese Restaurant - Lillian Li

Lucy and Linh - Alice Pung

My Favorite Thing is Monsters - Emil Ferris

The Plant Messiah: Adventures in Search of the World's Rarest Species - Carlos Magdalena

The Incendiaries - R.O. Kwon

Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home - Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Dumplin’ - Julie Murphy

How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? - N.K. Jemisin

My Sister, the Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite

Unapologetic: a Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements - Charlene Carruthers

[culturegazing]

Cinema | 52 Films Directed by Women

Women in Film had a challenge for anyone to pledge to watch 52 films directed by women in a year. Women should be given more opportunities to create films and be supported for their efforts. Directors deserve to be able to be called directors, no prefixes or suffixes. Attaching the word ‘female’ automatically makes us feel like females create certain types of films and males create another. Yes, they may be different, but not of lesser quality or ability. Filmmaking should not be based on gender identities and should be inclusive of all voices and opinions. To make it a practice that divides itself between genders, binary or non-binary, limits our exposure to art created by those who are human and essentially, those with the same structures for a brain and a heart. 

I hope that I won’t have to go out of my way to find films directed by women. I hope there will be an even distribution of films created by anyone where we don’t even have to think about what gender a director identifies themselves with. I hope that filmmaking transforms into an open and accepting industry that gives anyone the opportunity to share their stories in a non-restrictive way. Most of all, I hope that you, whatever you identify yourself as, are not afraid to create and express yourself in any form of art. 

Here is my 2018 list:

Frida (2002) directed by Julie Taymor

Mustang (2015) directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Sister (2012) directed by Ursula Meier

L’avenir (Things to Come) (2016) directed by Mia Hansen-Løve

Lady Bird (2017) directed by Greta Gerwig

Mikey and Nicky (1976) directed by Elaine May

Girl Asleep (2015) directed by Rosemary Meyers

Hannah Arendt (2012) directed by  Margarethe von Trotta

Le Père de mes enfants (Father of my Children) (2009) directed by  Mia Hansen-Løve

Old Joy (2006) directed by Kelly Reichardt

The Hurt Locker (2008) directed by Kathryn Bigelow

A Wrinkle in Time (2018) directed by Ava DuVernay

Mamma Mia (2008) directed by Phyllida Lloyd

Death Defying Acts (2007) directed by Gillian Armstrong

The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017) directed by Angela Workman

Breathe (2014) directed by Mélanie Laurent

Citizen Four (2014) directed by Laura Poitras,

Daria: Is it College Yet? (2002) directed by Karen Disher

Suffragette (2015) directed by Sarah Gavron

Whip It (2009) directed by Drew Barrymore

The Bookshop (2017) directed by Isabel Coixet

Bright Star (2009) directed by Jane Campion

Meek’s Cutoff (2010) directed by Kelly Reichardt

Mountain (2017) directed by Jennifer Peedom

Planetarium (2016) directed by Rebecca Zlotowski

Before the Leaves Fall (2014) directed by Mineko Okamoto

Madame Bovary (2014) directed by Sophie Barthes

Toni Erdmann (2016) directed by Maren Ade

The Dressmaker (2015) directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse

Design is One (2013) directed by Kathy Brew and Roberto Guerra

Un beau dimanche (Going Away) (2013) directed by Nicole Garcia

The Tree (2010) directed by Julie Bertuccelli

An Angel at my Table (1990) directed by Jane Campion

Night Moves (2013) directed by Kelly Reichardt

Raw (2016) directed by Julia Ducournau

Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry (2012) directed by Alison Klayman

Beach Rats (2017) directed by Eliza Hittman

Everything, Everything (2017) directed by Stella Meghie

Hou Lai De Wo Men / Us and Them (2018) directed by Rene Liu

Julie and Julia (2009) directed by Nora Ephron

Miss Stevens (2016) directed by Julia Hart

The Breadwinner (2017) directed by Nora Twomey

A Very Murray Christmas (2015) directed by Sofia Coppola

Set it Up (2018) directed by Claire Scanlon

To all the Boys I’ve Loved Before (20180 directed by Susan Johnson

Little Forest (2018) directed by Yim Soon Rye

The Proposal (2009) directed by Anne Fletcher

Girlhood (2014) directed by Celine Sciamma

6 Years (2015) directed by Hannah Fidell

Marie Antoinette (2006) directed by Sofia Coppola

Kedi (2016) directed by Ceyda Torun

Before I Fall (2017) directed by Ry Russo-Young 

[judymusgrove]

New Post has been published on https://judysbusinessblog.com/hairstyles-that-are-easier/

Hairstyles that are easier

Style is an expression that lasts over many seasons and is often connected to cultural movements and social markers, symbols, class, and culture (ex. Baroque, Rococo, etc.). Fashion is a popular aesthetic expression at a particular period and place and in a specific context, especially in clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body proportions. Whereas a trend often connotes a peculiar aesthetic expression and often lasting shorter than a season, fashion is a distinctive and industry-supported expression traditionally tied to the fashion season and collections.

Style is an expression that lasts over many seasons and is often connected to cultural movements and social markers, symbols, class, and culture (ex. Baroque, Rococo, etc.). According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, fashion connotes “the latest fashion, the latest difference.”

“One is never over-dressed or under-dressed with a Little Black Dress.” —Karl Lagerfeld

Even though they are often used together, the term fashion differs from clothes and costumes, where the first describes the material and technical garment, whereas the second has been relegated to special senses like fancy-dress or masquerade wear. Fashion instead describes the social and temporal system that “activates” dress as a social signifier in a certain time and context. Philosopher Giorgio Agamben connects fashion to the current intensity of the qualitative moment, to the temporal aspect the Greek called kairos, whereas clothes belong to the quantitative, to what the Greek called Chronos.

I don’t design clothes. I design dreams.

Exclusive brands aspire for the label haute couture, but the term is technically limited to members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. It is more aspirational and inspired by art, culture and movement. It is extremely exclusive in nature.

With increasing mass-production of consumer commodities at lower prices, and with global reach, sustainability has become an urgent issue amongst politicians, brands, and consumers.

“A retailer is a business that presents a selection of goods and offers to trade  them to customer for money or other goods.”

Early Western travelers, traveling to India, Persia, Turkey, or China, would frequently remark on the absence of change in fashion in those countries. The Japanese shōgun’s secretary bragged (not completely accurately) to a Spanish visitor in 1609 that Japanese clothing had not changed in over a thousand years. However, there is considerable evidence in Ming China of rapidly changing fashions in Chinese clothing.

Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.

I spent summer in Australia’s city.

“Shoppers’ shopping experiences may vary, based on a variety of factors including how the customer is treated.”

Online shopping allows the buyer to save the time and expense.which would have been spent traveling to the store or mall. According to technology and research firm Forrester, mobile purchases or mcommerce will account for 49% of ecommerce, or $252 billion in sales, by 2020.

H1: Fashion is what you’re offered four times a year by designers.

The notion of the global fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Before the mid-19th century, most clothing was custom-made. It was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors.

H2: Fashion Book makes me more productive

By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

H3: 9–5 is not optimal

This is my average total monthly spending from one year living in Seattle’s Capitol Hill, one year living in San Francisco’s Upper Haight, one year traveling to 20 countries, and one month at a hotel in Bali. It is much cheaper for me to travel. Since the majority of my costs are from trains and flights, it’s significantly cheaper if I stay in one place.

H4: Fashion expands my cultural bubble

By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

H5: Fashion week is not the same as vacation

The notion of the global fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Before the mid-19th century, most clothing was custom-made. It was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors.

H6: I became a nomad by fashion

By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine, the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores—clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices.

Heading H1

Heading H2

Heading H3

Heading H4

Heading H5

Heading H6

I spent summer in Australia’s city.

Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe and America, as of 2017, it is an international and highly globalized industry, with clothing often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold worldwide. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the clothes manufactured in Vietnam, finished in Italy, and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to retail outlets internationally. The fashion industry has long been one of the largest employers in the United States, and it remains so in the 21st century. However, U.S. employment declined considerably as production increasingly moved overseas, especially to China. Because data on the fashion industry typically are reported for national economies and expressed in terms of the industry’s many separate sectors, aggregate figures for the world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the clothing industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output. The fashion industry consists of four levels:

The production of raw materials, principally Fiber, and textiles but also leather and fur.

The production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, and others.

Retail sales.

Various forms of advertising and promotion.

These levels consist of many separate but interdependent sectors. These sectors are Textile Design and Production, Fashion Design and Manufacturing, Fashion Retailing, Marketing and Merchandising, Fashion Shows, and Media and Marketing. Each sector is devoted to the goal of satisfying consumer demand for apparel under conditions that enable participants in the industry to operate at a profit.

“Americans spent over $83 billion on back-to-school and back-to-college shopping.”– Maya Angelou

The joy of dressing is an art.

Fashion trends influenced by several factors, including cinema, celebrities, climate, creative explorations, innovations, designs, political, economic, social, and technological. Examining these factors is called a PEST analysis. Fashion forecasters can use this information to help determine the growth or decline of a particular trend. It helps to know more about the Fashion arena and lifestyle in the modern world.

Though there had been distribution of dressed dolls from France since the 16th century and Abraham Bosse had produced engravings of fashion in the 1620s, the pace of change picked up in the 1780s with increased publication of French engravings illustrating the latest Paris styles. By 1800, all Western Europeans were dressing alike (or thought they were); local variation became first a sign of provincial culture and later a badge of the conservative peasant.

Although tailors and dressmakers were no doubt responsible for many innovations, and the textile industry indeed led many trends, the history of fashion design is generally understood to date from 1858 when the English-born Charles Frederick Worth opened the first authentic haute couture house in Paris. The Haute house was the name established by the government for the fashion houses that met the standards of the industry. These fashion houses have to adhere to standards such as keeping at least twenty employees engaged in making the clothes, showing two collections per year at fashion shows, and presenting a certain number of patterns to customers. Since then, the idea of the fashion designer as a celebrity in his or her own right has become increasingly dominant.

Header 1Header 2Header 3Header 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4Division 1Division 2Division 3Division 4