#honore bellerose

[cherrirui-official]

BIRTHDAY ART RAAAAAAAGH 🗣️🗣️🗣️🎉🎉🎉🔥🔥🔥‼️‼️‼️

It's me and @shadowaj s birthday today so I drew this featuring our funny OCs YAYYAYDHDJDI, now go and hit shady with a stick like a pinata for me please.

[ladyspottedray]

"Clothing really does make the man, don't you agree?"

Honoré Saint-Bellerose is an electro catalyst user and a fashion designer and historian/scholar from Fontaine. His creative mixing of past trends has led to him being a common name in the Fontaine fashion circles. He has exceedingly high standards and demands quality from everything he does.

Design notes/rambling under the cut!

Finally getting around to doing splash art of my Genshin ocs! Honoré was one of my first (despite Fontaine not even being out at the time lol).

He was designed with the French 18th-century Rococo style in mind, as most of the Fontaine npc characters at the time seemed to take most inspiration from the 19th century Belle Époque style. He does have some elements of older and younger periods, such as his coat embroidery being more French Baroque styled while his boots take inspiration from 1910s spectator Oxfords. Also I couldn't stand the stupid breeches from the Rococo and gave him pants, though his boots work to create a similar silhouette.

Of course now that the playable characters are out and also have Rococo elements, he doesn't really have that "antique" air about him anymore, but you can pry the cravats and lace out of my cold dead hands.

Honoré is also impossible to pose for splash art, so for this particular drawing I gave up and said "fuck it he's doing fancy fashion standing." Most of the composition movement had to come from his coat and the background, which gave me no small amount of grief.

Honoré would use the smaller male Genshin model and his attacks are themed around spectral scissors, needles/pins, and thread, all crackling with electro energy.

He is quite strict and professional when it comes to his work, though outside of it he is more relaxed and affable, perhaps even a bit shy. The only time he does not conduct himself with poise and politeness is when he's around people he finds personally attractive, where he becomes a hot mess.

[spare-stories-archive]

Braid Buddies

I just love them ok? Ok.

Abaddon sat patiently on the plush pink carpet, his back resting against the foot of the massive bed as Pyrrha brushed his hair. The little princess had been insistent on braiding his hair, as she needed to practice according to her nanny. He understood the reason, braiding was an important skill to learn for those with longer hair. It was a way to protect one's hair from damage, and it taught patients and was good practice for when she had to learn other skills that required nimble fingers. He didn’t think nearly 5 minutes of hair brushing was needed for him, but she seemed content, so he wouldn’t comment.

“Abba?” she asked, running the brush through his now silky smooth locks.

“Yes, your royal highness?” he replied, tilting his head a bit to look at her.

She kept brushing, but it seemed less rhythmic now. “Do… you think mother will want to see my braiding skills? Perhaps let me braid her hair? And she might braid mine?”

Ah. Always a sore spot for the child, and for him. He knew the pain of parents who didn’t care, knew how it hurt to try too hard to gain their approval, just to be shunned. “The Queen is a very busy person.” he hummed, his face neutral, though he was saddened for his young charge.

“Yeah… I know.” she sighed, putting down the brush and finally parting his hair into three sections and loosely braiding. “Am I… bad for wishing she’d be less busy? For wanting her to spend less time on the kingdom and more on me?”

Oh damn his heart. “No, your royal highness. You are not bad for wishing such things.”

She braided his hair in silence for a time, till she tied it off with a ribbon and laid down, her head resting on his shoulder. “I wish mother cared like you do Abba.”

“She cares very deeply, your royal highness.” he said automatically.

“Just not about me.” she hummed sadly, tilting her head so her long red hair draped over her face.

He couldn’t refute it, he’d seen how her parents treated her. They acted as though she was nothing but a toy, or a prized poodle. Just something to be shown off at events, or gawked at by strangers. She was just an item to them, not a child.

He gently tilted his head, bumping it to hers, which was very much not protocol. Though with Pyrrha, there was hardly any real protocol he could follow. “You know… the kitchen is about to be done making dessert. And… I’m feeling a bit tired, I might have to shut my eyes for a moment.”

Pyrrha’s head snapped up, and she grinned at him, the little sparkle in her eyes he loved to see. “Weeeeell, if you’re thaaaat tired. I won’t say anything, and I’ll stay riiiiight here, the whole time.”

He nodded respectfully, “Thank you, your royal highness. I only need a few moments.” He tightly shut his eyes, pretending not to feel her chin leave his shoulder, or hear her giggles as they got further away from him, and he pretended he didn’t hear her chamber doors open and shut. And he pretended not to be smiling as he got up and followed after from a distance. 

[prkavenueprincess]

Introducing..

ᴀᴜʀᴏʀᴀ ʙᴇʟʟᴇʀᴏꜱᴇ ᴍ. ʟᴏᴜᴠʀᴇ

─── Aurora Bellerose Marseille Louvre was born in Cap d’Ail, France in the Côte d’Azur on October 3, 2004. She was born to a mother of Argentine, Venezuelan and French descent and a father of French, Greek, Danish and Italian descent. However, due to reasons kept privately, her parents passed away while her mother was still pregnant with her which left Aurora to be born through a Postmortem Cesarean Section (PMCS) procedure. Luckily, she was delivered safely and was adopted at nine months old by a very kind, loving (and super rich!) family. Little did any of them know the absolute phenomenon that was to come.

- Birth Name: Aurora Bellerose Marseille Louvre

- Last Name Pronounced: bell-ah-rose-AH

- Nicknames: Rory, Bellie, Belle, Lou-Lou

- Birthdate: October 3, 2004

- Current age: 20

- Chinese Zodiac: Monkey

- Western Zodiac: Libra

- Birthstone: Opal

- Birth flower: Peony

- Angel Number: 222

- Birth Place: Cap d’Ail, Côte d’Azul, France

- Hometown: Los Angeles, California // Paris, France

- Nationality: French-American

- Ethnicity: French, Greek, Danish, Venezuelan, Argentine, Italian

- Current Resident: Los Angeles // New York City

- Owned Residences: Milan, Italy // Paris, France // New York City, US // Los Angeles, US

- Fav Vacation Spot: Saint Tropez, France or Cagliari, Sardinia

- Height: 5’9 1/2ft (177.53cm)

- Natural hair color: Golden Honey Blonde

- Current hair color: ^

- Birthmarks: zero

- Occupation: Actress, Supermodel, Singer, Producer, Somgwriter, Director, Artist, Poet, Designer, Dancer, Performer, Muse

- Education: Institut Le Rosey (Switzerland) // Juilliard University (United States)

- Certificate: French Baccalaureate (Le Rosey) // Dual bachelors with honors (Salutatorian and Summa Cum Laude) from Juilliard Univeristy receiving a BM in Music Technology (minored in Vocal Arts & Opera) and BFA in Dance in Dance Performance (minored in Musical Theatre)

- IQ: 178

- Estimated Net Worth: $38 Billion (inheritance + trust fund)

- Gender: Female

- Pronouns: She/Her

- Sexual Orientation: bisexual

- Relationship Status: Single

- Significant other(s): n/a

- MBTI: ENFP

- Enneagram: 3w2

[skitchdoods]

Bellerose de Beauchene — Her Eternal Radiance

“...for it was true that she had beauty so disarming and none like any other, a mind as sharp as a blade made by Hephaestus, and a heart as gracious as a spring-kissed flower blooming under the sun’s gentle morning rays, yet the Beast could not stop himself from falling for her gentle wisdom, more for her stubborn wit, and most for her unbridled, nearly reckless courage...”

Born to a Lousanian Artist, Maurice De Beauchene, and a textile merchant from the Agarabhan city-state of Shirabad, Saundary Vishyan, Bellerose de Beauchene had always proven to be a brilliant mind with an innate understanding of engineering and machinery. She was the first female apprentice allowed entrance in the prestigious Lousanian Guild of Automatonry and Enlightened Pursuits, though she was never allowed to become an official Matoneer because of her sex.

She was known for many of her inventions, most importantly harnessing Wild Sprite (boundless and chaotic magic) into Spark, revolutionizing energy away from coal and steam, in 1798. However, what many still know her for and what many would most associate her for is her namesake—Beauty.

From her mysterious but unsurprising rise as Queen of Rosedor—the largest, richest, and most ancient of the Gaulian kingdoms and the Mecca of Daphinian Civilization, Philosophy, Invention, and Progress—to her final days, no historical recounting would dare remiss mentioning her alarming beauty, one that did not fade until the end.

Of the three historically preserved portraits available, not one was said to truly capture her beguiling visage. However, one cherished story among Rosedoreans tells of the portrait hanging in the Royal Summer Palace of Rosecoeur, where many would say that the beloved queen looked as though she was about to sneeze. It is said that Belle was notoriously bashful with regards to her looks and being painted, but that on the days that she had to sit, venerable King Adam II, would make her laugh, much to the painter’s chagrin.

Historical accounts suggest that the couple had a loving union, marked by many hushed conversations and laughter between them in any event they were invited to. Staff also remarked the couple’s sharp wit and entertaining debates at dinners, King Adam being a renowned architect himself who had studied in Richepierre, the capital of his kingdom under a common name. They were near inseparable, even in death, as Belle died two months after her husband, whom she would affectionately call “Ma Bête.”

Though there is no dearth of their relationship as leaders, in truth, much of the couple’s history is unclear with most of their supposed courtship occurring during the Great Forgetting, where the Kingdom had supposedly been enveloped in dangerous fog and briar, ceasing possible interactions with its neighboring rivals and all but deserting its role as the central trade route between East and West. The phenomenon continues to be shrouded in mystery as not even documents from other kingdoms make mention of the fabled occurrence—and more shockingly—the kingdom itself between the years 1792-1798…except for the correspondence of letters between the King and Queen themselves and their journals.

But many Rosedoreans have their own generational tale of how the Lousanian Matoneer met the Rosedorean King in the form of a Great Beast, of how their love had broken a Great Curse of disrememberance and volatile ennui. Despite the lack of historical evidence, many honor such heritage by holding balls on the Royal Couple’s anniversary and dancing Master Concerto Monsieur Guillee de Forte’s composition known as ‘La Valse de La Belle et La Bête,’ supposedly written to inaugurate the rebuilding of the Rosecoeur’s legendary ballroom during their courtship.

Many theorized that Belle would have chosen a very specific fabric, fabled to have been solely produced by her mother’s company before it burned down in 1791—colloquially named, the Solaris Weave—as the Royal seamstress, Madame Fifi De Garderobe-Forte makes mentions in her later years of making such a dress with many embellishments more accustomed to Shibarad for the exact occasion.

To this day, only a swath of the fabric exist, displayed in the Richepierre museum. At 3PM, the seemingly ordinary piece of gold fabric is placed under the sun, showing its hardly understood property to reflect fractals of light despite not being speckled or beaded. Though many to this day try to replicate the exact fabric, the national conservatory has yet to allow proper studies of the material, fearing losing it and the very heritage of Rosedor.

More Under the Cut

This piece means a lot to me being nine years in the making to the date. It may seem trivial, but I've never invested on one singular idea for as long as I had this one dress. It's one of the main reasons I've taken breaks from art in a deeply personal sense, because I would start it and finish something and hate it after two days and redo it, only to not finish anything. It was a bad cycle to say the least.

Within those years, I have grown so much in terms of knowledge and respect for fashion as a whole art form, most especially in costume design more than just historical recreation and research. At some point, I just grew tired of slapping on a robe du cour and calling it a day. I love BTAB and I love Belle and the more I felt like, simply putting on a historically accurate garment with some fantastical embellishments was half the work. So, part of this personal journey had been coming to terms of what I wanted to do.

I'd like to think that the approach I've developed for these Princess Gowns moving forward is that I want to design a dress that fits for the character at that moment in their story—who they are, what it means to be wearing that dress, and the whole context of their journey and the world they live in. It was understanding what Belle has gone through in the movie in my head, parading as producer, writer, director, AND costume designer to a fictional film stuck in my head—inspired by the greats like Sandy Powell, Terry Dresbach, and Anthony Powell and Rosemary Burrows.

It includes having an understanding of her character, of how she relates to others, of world building, and even the fashion CULTURE of the region at large, because by then, I had completely forgone trying to write a story WITHIN our world and found so much more possibilities by writing these Disney stories outside of our world and reality.

So, we have this dress. A glittery gold dress of dreams that has been nine years in the making, a dress that represents Belle at that pinnacle moment—and maybe even my own 'closing of the book,' if you will.

I designed this gown with a healthy understanding that throughout her 2-3 year stay in the castle and forest, she would have had so many dresses of so many colors and styles. I was focused more on contextualizing different decades of 18th century fashion to become region fashions with the redingote and a la Turque being something more used in the kingdom's capital, while more pastoral a la reigne being what could have been 'it' with the court, amongst others.

A lot of this dress was designed with the rest of her wardrobe in mind in an attempt to differentiate it from others. No other gown will have the same neckline, the same silhouette, the same volume, and the same color. Not even her hair and makeup would be similar to the other dresses. So, it feels like a 'step forward' in fashion within the trends and context set up in the story by all the other gowns worn by her and others.

For Belle's dress, I gravitated towards the silhouettes of the 1730s-40s, where the hip wasn't too angular and flowed more naturally like a...bell (that's an unintentional pun). I think that it's the more pleasing option, though Belle would be wearing more panniers throughout the story too. I wanted something that made the Waltz (which in this universe, had already been developed) elegant and not too cumbersome and panniers just felt too bulky, because the dances associated with it didn't need close contact. So, in the mechanics sense, I found that this would work best.

I maintained a dose fo 1950s-60s references in my head. I would love Belle to wear something like a re-imagined Dior New Look gown while strolling with Adam in the greenhouse or pull up Lacroix for dinner, de Garderobe being a very 'keen' fashion innovator with Belle as her muse.

But in my story, she would stay away from one specific color—yellow/gold. It was her mother's color and, in grieving, she refused to touch it and anything that could harken back to her mother, like south-asian style embroidery and motifs. But I think as Belle develops her own style and the more Adam and her bond, the more she comes to terms with her mother's death.

There's a lot to the story I can't share at the moment, of how they meet and how they bond, and why they're stuck in the forest. There's too much to discuss, but be assured that a lot had been retconned.

So this dress was her 'bringing' her mom to meet the man she fell in love with, even if she can't admit it. It's her coming to terms with what happened and carrying her mother with her instead of looking back with nothing but heartbreak.

And she looks damn good with her mama's color, I'll tell you that much. I know that on one hand, gold can be a color of greed and temptation, but for me, I think gold is 'pure' and 'luminous.' I wanted her intentions, those she cannot find the courage yet to speak, be clear and transfixing.

Another aspect was the symbolism of her and Adam's relationship. I know that flower garlands were in use in some gown throughout the 1750s-60s. I also know Lehengas are sometimes worn with a copious amount of flower garlands too, so I had this idea of just overflowing her dress with jasmines, which are a very common fixture even here in the Philippines with a context of spirituality as we usually put it on sacred images and statues. So, while on the shallow sense, it may come as a merging of two cultures, for me, there's a bit of sanctity, the same image evoked as Belle and the Beast danced under heavens and smiling cherubs.

In a story sense, the rose on her left chest represents her heart blooming for Adam, as if sprouting forth the gold, illuminating her like the sun as he is her sky...her space. It's as much a love letter to him as it is to herself and her mother, because I wanted to emphasize her POV in their story too, of how she felt safe and loved, away form ridicule and prejudice.

And lastly, the hair. Okay, so part of the journey was figuring out her hair. With a 1950s facade, for the longest time I focused on maintaining the curls of the rococo period and conflating it a lot with the waves of the 1950s, so you will see a lot of sketches with that. It wasn't until I tried understanding the overall silhouette of court fashion that I had my eureka moment and realize that the volume was more important than what's...within said volume. And, funnily enough, after trying SO HARD to avoid the hair bun...I ended up with a hairstyle that unintentionally pays homage to it.

My only regret is not finding a way to highlight the shoes HAHAHHAHAHA. I'm mad, because I really wanted to draw the shoe but I didn't want to ruin the way the gown flowed already.

TIMELINE

2016-2017: "Bitch, They've Hit the Pentagon."

As a kid, I was always exposed to fashion magazines since my mom used to be subscribed to a whole lot of them. I would look at Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, smell the perfume samples that came with them. I've always had a sort of inherent, passive interest in fashion but not enough to know the designers and the motifs.

But then, I saw a leak of Belle's gown in the 2017 version and...I lost it. I was convinced I would do a better job designing it, but hell, I think anyone would. Back then, i was obsessed with simply remaking the original dress and making it 'pretty.' Of course, as you can see, I based some on the broadway gown and afterwards, it sorta developed into this romantic, 2000s punk dress with lace fingerless gloves and whatever. HAHHAHAHA, at that time, I didn't really care for 18th century fashion...so...

2018: "Roco-NO? I think you mean, Marie Antion-YAS!"

I think the biggest step during this era was me falling in love with the fashion of the 18th century. I was exposed to Outlander and other shows and I started watching youtube videos deep-diving into court fashion, so I started veering away from anything vaguely 1840s-60s and literally went a hundred years BACK.

Sadly, it came with hang ups too. IDK what the hell I was doing with faces, honestly? Also, I was really forcing the off-the-shoulder V-boob neckline far too much, even when it was...very hard to make sense off construction-wise.

2019-2021: "Wait a minute...Desi...Belle?"

At this point, I've fleshed out the story in my head for more diversity, not just because diversity matters, but I wanted more things to be different in the settings and the world the Disney Heroes are based in. I wanted the idea that trade and intermingling of cultures was far more common and recognized and I thought that Belle being biracial was a good choice, and something I related to.

I guess that's what was the most important development during this period. Though note how I initially wanted her to have henna on her hands but I decided that that would be better at the wedding. In addition, there was little effort to make the actual gown reflect her heritage.

2022-2023: "Screw it, I give up!"

During this time, I was doing my internship, so I lost interest in designing and art in general. It was just hard to concentrate, really, but still, I think that there were a lot of aspects to these deigns that ultimately lead me to the final design.

2024-NOW: "And They All Lived..."

So now, we're here at the present. It's been such a long time coming and I feel relief to be able to share this and move on, so to speak. Even if I have a lot of creative energy and a better relationship with my art, I've come to realize that I can't make a dress I love without having a whole ass story to fantasize about.

Sure, I have a few designs for the other princesses with their own huge stories that make it easy to find direction, but I can't confidently say that I would want to keep making stories for all princesses moving forward. I would love to, of course, but I don't want that to be the whole reason for my blog to catch attention.

Keep your eyes peeled for more disney gowns, but I do hope you stay for some other projects i want to do, maybe some muscle daddies in cute dresses, fashion designs I wish were on the National Costume category for Miss Universe or DRPH, and maybe some studies here or there and gay pinups.

I hope that for those who have stayed here reading all of this to have a wonderful day and to never stop creating and chiseling away at your block of marble.

Maraming Salamat!

[the-babygirl-polls]

Babygirl Polls Lineup: Week Six

Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for being patient with Week Five and the fact that life was shoving me in a woodchipper during that time. Without any further ado, here is the lineup for Week Six! Thanks to everyone who submitted their babygirls!

Arkadiusz Czerepach (Ranczo)

Patrick Jane (The Mentalist)

Harvey (Stardew Valley)

Johnny Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Elias Bouchard (The Magnus Archives)

Cultist Travis Phelps (Sally Face)

Pale King (Hollow Bean)

Harry Fitzgerald (Dayshift at Freddy's/Dialtown)

Neon J (No Straight Roads)

Steven Stevenson (Dayshift at Freddy's)

Rocko (Rocko's Modern Life)

Barnaby (Dogma)

Loki (Dogma)

Bruce Banner (Marvel)

Lio Fotia (Promare)

Hesperia/Betterfly (Miraculous World Paris: Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir)

Todoroki Shouto (My Hero Academia)

Vivia Twilight (Master Detective Archives: Raincode)

Yakou Furio (Master Detective Archives: Raincode)

K1-B0/Kiibo (Danganronpa V3)

Rob Lucci (One Piece)

Enel (One Piece)

Juliet Capulet (& Juliet)

Anne Hathaway (& Juliet)

May Bellerose (& Juliet)

Angelique (& Juliet)

Del Cassidy (Caroline in the City)

Charlie (Caroline in the City)

Caroline Duffy (Caroline in the CIty)

Howard the Duck (Howard the Duck)

Beverly Switzler (Howard the Duck)

Benvolio Montague (& Juliet)

Pavel Chekov (Star Trek: The Original Series)

Professor Natquik (Octonauts)

Ketheric Thorm (Baldur's Gate 3)

Corco Attano (Dishonored)

Elim Garak (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Jhudora (Neopets)

Julian Bashir (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Vlad Masters (Danny Phantom)

Ghost Writer (Danny Phantom)

Zhou Zishu (Word of Honor)

Han Ying (Word of Honor)

Pa (Bad Buddy)

Slippy Toad (Star Fox)

Nawin (Laws of Attraction)

King (Bed Friend)

Sean (Not Me: The Series)

Babe (Pit Babe: The Series)

Daniil Dankovsky (Pathologic)

[dustedmagazine]

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet — The Way Out of Easy (International Anthem/Nonesuch)

The Way Out Of Easy is the second album by Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet. The combo, which comprises Parker on guitar and electronics, Anna Butterss on double bass, Josh Johnson on alto sax and electronics, and Jay Bellerose on drums, took its name from ETA, the Highland Park, Los Angeles oyster bar where it held down a periodic gig on Monday nights devoted to open-ended sets that were both unscripted and unified in intent. Like its predecessor, Mondays At The Enfield Tennis Academy (Eremite), it’s a double LP that captures the band stretching out and seeing where the vibe takes them.

The fact that the IVtet was able to sustain such a run says something about what making music this way means to its members. Not only does it take commitment to reconcile calendars beholden to the touring schedules of Tortoise, Robert Plant and Makaya McCraven, among others. It’s absurdly difficult even for players working at that level to get a regular gig in LA. It’s an industry town, and anyplace that capital concentrates, it’s liable to hog art’s oxygen. ETA, which had neither a stage nor a PA, was one of the very few places in LA where one could go to hear bands make music in real time, and when it closed at the end of 2023, the city’s heads mourned.

One ETA regular was a lapsed studio engineer named Bryce Gonzales. Burned out on the computer-bound processes of modern recording, he had dropped studio work in favor of hand-building compressors and preamps. When he heard Parker and crew at ETA, he found himself lured back into recording by the challenge of capturing a live band in a very particular and unforgiving setting. Gonzales’ liner notes for The Way Out Of Easy go into detail about the mixer that he built specifically for this job, which he has now performed twice for the IVtet, but you don’t need to know anything about signal paths to grasp what he ultimately learned from the journey; that in order to capture the band’s essence, you have to keep out of the way of their real-time rapport. Producers tend to be dubbed honorary bandmembers when it is obvious how they’ve shaped a record’s sound; Gonzales earns said honor by making sure by leaving no trace of his fingerprints.

Played back-to-back, the new album doesn’t sound drastically different from Mondays At The Enfield Tennis Academy. Once more, Parker’s unfussy and adroit guitar playing suspends lyric phrases within a matrix bound by Butterss’s supple lines, the peanut butter and jelly tonal compound of Johnson’s combination of sax and signal processers, and Bellerose’s endlessly inventive rhythmic variations. But the feel is different, not in kind but in quality. The quartet’s already natural grooves and spaces feel more like the product of a single organism, breathing and flexing in response to collective effort. Each reed + circuit smear, each contrapuntal bass figure, chain of plucked phrases that don’t change until they do, and each shift of percussive emphasis adjusts the music as inevitably as a rock thrown into one end of a pond ruins the sleep of the frogs on the other side. Parker gets plenty of cred for the production acumen he has exercised with Tortoise and the New Breed; his work with the ETA IVtet affirms his mastery of making music that feels and is felt in real time.

Bill Meyer

[cryptid-killjoy]

Random need to post this since Easter got passed by in my health crisis: Our muses always do holidays. But HC: They usually do Pastel Puke games over at the Laveaus, but something tells me they'd still be stocked with too many turnips from Ireland than they knew what to do with and would be painting those up for Zombie Bunny Day too, putting rabbit ears on them, making use of the last ones that hadn't gone bad before tossing the rest in the woods for the animals to enjoy. I'm sure they invited the Belleroses over, but Bastien would have done the whole going to the Cathedral first and ringing his bells thing. It would have taken precidence this year wanting to catch up on doing his own thing, hiding eggs for their kid, and walking around the town in the bunny suit he got last year. He's still obsessed with it. The mascot head remains in a place of honor in one of his special hoard houses. He's still seen off an on walking off season in it for no apparent reason because he has the sort of mind that just loves reliving good memories and does this. But, since it was his moment he'd be about it. He also would have to admit it's hard to breathe in and ultimately start using make up and bunny ears as an alternative. Thus born the pics of him in the rabbit ears. Bastien is the Easter Bunny. He will always be the Easter Bunny to his daughter in his mind and this is a very serious role to take on. This is a very Bastien thing not to be messed with. Just saying. He's the Easter Bunny. He takes on repping the bunny as seriously as he does The Reaper. The only difference is he was never convinced the Easter Bunny was real as a kid just like Santa Clause, but now that he knows Christmas Town exists and knows Delta's elf from the North Pole, he's pretty sure if he's repping the bunny, he should do a damn good job and take it super serious. His kid's happiness depends on it for one, but there might just be a bunny out there watching. It's only logical to him.

[doomandgloomfromthetomb]

Dave Easley - Ballads

I loved Byways of the Moon, pedal steel virtuoso Dave Easley's previous record for Big Ego — so when the mensch Chris "Psychic Temple" Schlarb asked me to write the liners for Easley's Ballads LP, I said yes immediately. What an honor, ladies and gentlemen.

As great as Byways was, Ballads might be even better, with pedal steel-led versions of tunes by Ornette Coleman, Duke Ellington, Sonny Sharrock and more. And it's got guitarist extraordinaire Jeff Parker, ace bassist David Tranchina and expert drummer Jay Bellerose ... what more do you need? An instant classic, if I do say so myself. The record comes out on October 20, 2023 — go preorder it, for heaven's sake!

If you need a sample of what's in store, check out the above in-studio video of Duke's deathless "Fleurette Africaine." What a tune, what a sound.

[pinkhairandpokemon]

📰

[A screenshot from an online news article, dated back to about three years ago:

BREAKING NEWS: Trainers Hospitalized After Bravely Saving Kalos From Destruction

“Yesterday, Kalos experienced a shocking revelation when Lysandre, CEO of Lysandre Labs, revealed himself to be the leader of the infamous criminal organization known as Team Flare. Not only that, but the region was blown into widespread panic when he threatened to unleash the power of the “ultimate weapon”, a doomsday device dating back to the ancient Kalosian war, onto the region- which would have effectively wiped out at least half the global population.

Interpol was sent scrambling across the region trying to find the weapon and apprehend Lysandre before he could activate it, but in the end it was all thanks to a group of five heroic young trainers- Tierno Bonheur, Trevor Lambert, Shauna Allaire, Auberi Bellerose, and ex-Galarian Champion Blake (last name requested to remain anonymous).

The teens supposedly had intel on the whereabouts of the weapon, and rushed into action. What exactly went down within Team Flare’s headquarters in Geosenge that day is still unknown, but the device was successfully weakened, only allowing it to unleash a far less powerful blast that struck the underground base and caused damage to the surrounding houses.

Shauna, Trevor, and Tierno were all able to escape thanks to the help of a mysterious Pokémon that has yet to be identified:

[A somewhat blurry photo of Shauna dismounting Xerneas right outside the Geosenge crater, with Trevor and Tierno collapsed on its back. Beside her are a concerned looking Greninja and Delphox.]

Nearly an hour later, Blake and Auberi emerged from the ruined base as well, unconscious and being delivered on the back of yet another unidentified Pokémon:

[A photo of Yveltal landing at the scene, with Blake and Auberi secure on her back.]

Many believe these two mysterious entities to be none other than the legendary Pokémon; Xerneas and Yveltal, but there is no further evidence to prove this claim as of yet. The two trainers were left gravely injured, but before they could receive emergency medical attention, the pair of strange Pokémon took off into the wilderness and disappeared with them.

A search for the two teenagers was conducted, and two hours later they were found wandering in the middle of the woods surrounding Geosenge, with the majority of their major injuries miraculously healed. They were still rushed into the hospital later that evening, but hopefully by either tomorrow or the day after, they will be discharged and allowed to resume their gym challenge.

Once this year’s League Challenge draws to a close, the celebratory festival after will not only be held in honor of whomever emerges from the tournament as champion, but also the five courageous, young heroes who stepped up to save Kalos in its darkest hour.”]

[gcldfanged]

📃 FOR WHOEVER HAND EM OVER

If you slip in a little 📃 I will discuss one scenario that had been living in my head rent free [ACCEPTING]

Aerith: -Jae and Aerith kind of having a deal/agreement that he looks the other way and lets her sneak out of the Cetra Babysitter Squad's (Turk Edition) range to get up to shenanigans. He's actually well known at the Leaf House and acts like he hates kids, but is really good with them since he doesn't treat them like they're simple. He's definitely taught the bullied kids how to throw down. His greatest achievement: Being called "cool" by the orphans but Aerith doesn't let him show off in front of them with his weapons, like his handgun (Jae: IT'S NOT EVEN LOADED! COME ON, THEY CAN PASS IT AROUND-).

He thinks Tseng's one-sided crush on her is hilarious, but he'd never say that to his face ever <- good blackmail material, Aerith *COUGHCOUGH*

Cid Highwind: "UGH, LIBERALS WITH YOUR 78 GENDERS" versus "OK BOOMER, SURE YOU GOT YOUR COLOSTOMY BAG ON PROPERLY???"

Cloud: Two guys who honestly just fucking HATE each other, Jae is well aware he's not a SOLDIER and recognizes him from a Before Crisis timeline escort mission which puts a damper on Cloud's 'I'm the Main Character" act.

Jae is not at all interested in Cloud, but makes faux-flirtatious banter with him anyway because the way Cloud reacts is funny as fuck.

Sephiroth: Idk man, like just DESTROY Jae- Kick him like he is the football!! I never get to write Jae getting the shit kicked out of him, it's fun.

Tseng: Big Bro and annoying younger sibling energies, but make it between Team Leader and Coworker. They talk shit about each other all the time, but as soon as someone unrelated makes a disparaging comment, they're like "HEY, PAL- ONLY I GET TO CALL THEM STUPID NAMES".

Zack: OOOH, OOOH- Jae was there and stayed behind to destroy evidence of the Nibelheim Incident with Verdot, Zack could remember seeing Jae and Veld before he passes out and associates them with Shinra baddies/maybe gets angry and tries to fight him when they meet up in remake continuity?

Dion: Bahamut, King of the Gays meets weird little scrungly assassin man who works with The Undying, Jae is totally the one who kicked his soldier through the tent entrance- Joshua is too Nice(tm) for that.

Jae doesn't have to be Leviathan's dominant in this AU since idk how the DLC is gonna fuck it up, or we COULD go with that and have fabulous laser dragon + twink water snek whombo-combo fighting together against Ultima and his weird Oedipus-complex himbo goth, Barnabas.

Jill: Maybe Jae helps Clive save Jill and is a Gav-like rogueish companion as they travel? Can be Levi dominant or not, but I think that's funny because they'd be the elemental trio of "fire", "water", and "water, but like, really cold bruh". THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE! j/k

Sleipnir: I just like the idea of them being totally obnoxious at each other since they have similar-ish personalities, like Clive and Barnabas are fighting all macho manly man beeg swordboner style and then you have the two fucking smarmy twinks strutting around and Shady Lady-ing at each other.

Terence Bellerose: If we're roping in @phoenixshards, then I can see Joshua and Dion having tea and calmly discussing the threat at large while Terence and Jae glower at each other from across the room all "OH, HE'S PRETTY... PRETTIER THAN ME?!" style over their respective boyfriends. THE SHIELDS ARE FIGHTIIING-

Or idk Terence is a little weirded out Joshua has a literal criminal as his Shield and Jae's underworld funk vibes get up his knightly snoot. He's a man of honor, Jae is the exact opposite- Sparks may fly?

[redlips-blooddrops-deux]

Not many would have honor to speak to her, especially since she is a very picky woman and if someone can talk to her longer than 5 minutes, well you achieved something.  The blue eyes gazed at him, studying ever inch of his towering figure, he was imposing indeed, but he took enough space  that would accommodate him. Which cant be said for everyone though...

“if  I told you I sang tonight, that would simply ruin the effective our little meeting dont you agree? “ she would ask with a small smirk. 

Noticing that his drink was empty she waved her hand to the nearest waitress pointing at him and herself making sure that the young woman understood what they want.  To his compliment she would simply offer a small nod of her head, she was used to these sort of kind words over the years it became a common occurrence. 

“My I suppose you do deserve that treat ...” humming she offers him her slender hand with well polished long nails colored black.  “Lilith Bellerose, do hope you remember that~”

The half dragon man leaned on his hands, smiling at the woman with an intense gaze but a friendly smile.

"I heard there is a performance i should absolutely not miss taking place today. Am i in the right place?"

Glancing at the rather, imposing man, she would give a soft hum followed by a brief nod as she would turn her attention to the sheet of paper in her hand. "You heard correctly, I suppose our marketing team worked hard to spread the word " she chuckled while casually tucking the hair behind her ears.

She was standing in front of the entrance of Thron Rose Cabaret, an establishment she owned, pride and joy that welcomed anyone eager to enjoy quality entertainment.

"I take it you consider to join us for the evening darling?"

[thedovahcat]

And then the big collage of them four. I did them all maybe like 2 years ago but for references I tried to grab their 2015 counterparts which are even older so, Anyway

There! Yeehaw ridem cowboy! They’re OCs, but they also have warcraft and wildstar AUs too cuz I am uncreative and just reuse charas forever. JUST THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE.

[aquagirl1978]

Sorry for making so many requests but if I can just have one more so I have one from each section that would be great. Can I please have Arthur and the prompt of tucking a strand of hair behind their ear please. No pressure if you don't want to do 3 prompts asked from me.

Morning Coffee - Arthur Conan Doyle x Reader (Ikemen Vampire)

A/N: Part of my 500 Follower Celebration (yes, I found I still had a few of these left so I'll be finishing them up soon)

Pairing: Arthur Conan Doyle x Reader

Prompt: tucking a strand of hair behind your ear

Tags: fluff

"Hey luv, that smells delicious." Arthur dangled a coffee mug from his pinky finger before you. "Think you have enough for one more cup?"

"For you? Of course." Sebastian had taught you well about Arthur's addiction to the caffeinated beverage and to always have coffee prepared for him. You had noticed Arthur had been spending more time in his room and less time in the dining room during meals, which meant only one thing - he was on a writing spree, and thus required extra coffee. Hence the large pot of coffee you brewed for breakfast.

With a bright and  genuine smile, you took the mug from his hands, and poured him a generous cup, the rich, warm aroma filling your lungs.

“Tell me about the story you’re working on,” you asked as you handed him the mug.

Arthur leaned against the counter lazily as he told you about his most recent tale involving a mystery surrounding some missing children from the local orphanage. 

“And what happens next?” you asked animatedly, hanging on to his each and every word.

Arthur pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Well, that’s for you to read when I finish this story.” He laughed when you immediately frowned. “I’ll let you be the first to read it?”

“Deal,” you said with a smile, warmth filling your chest at the thought of having such an honor.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “It isn’t often that someone around here is so interested to hear about what I’m writing.” You felt a momentary pang of sadness, realizing how rare it must be for Arthur to share about his ongoing works. But that feeling was quickly wiped away when he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. The gesture was gentle and unexpected. But not unwanted. You felt your cheeks flush as you savored his soft touch.

“Well, I better get back to work,” Arthur said, spinning on his heel. Was that a hint of reluctance you heard in his voice?

Hiding your disappointment as he left, you couldn't help but notice Arthur walked away with a spring in his step.

And he hadn't even taken a sip of his coffee yet.

Tagging: @redheadkittys @kissmetwicekissmedeadly @chaosangel767 @atelieredux @ikehoe @kpop-and-otome @lucyw260 @queengiuliettafirstlady @kisara-16 @lordsisterxotome @violettduchess @umi-adxhira @bellerose-arcana @crypticbibliophile @yarnnerdally @tele86 @nightfoxqueen

[azure-wolf-227]

Hamefura x Pokémon AU: Arena Champions & The Pokémon Tourney

In the original post for this AU, I mentioned that The Pokémon Tourney is the equivalent of the Pokémon League in the world of Fortune Lover.

The Pokémon Tourney has existed almost as long as the Kingdom of Sorcier. It was first established as a way for Sorcier to demonstrate to the other Kingdoms how powerful they were and discourage attempts of war.

Originally, the Pokémon Tourney only allowed Sorcieran Nobles to participate but for the last 100 years, commoners and foreigners have been allowed to compete.

Trainers must be at least 15 years old to participate in the Tourney.

To qualify, Trainers must acquire at least eight Honours - the equivalent to Badges - by battling against the Arena Champions - the Gym Leader equivalents. 

Note: There are more than eight Gyms/Arenas in Sorcier, so some of the Arena Champions’ Type Specializations overlap with the Elite Four’s Type Specializations.

Edit: Changed Isadora Alarie’s speciality from Steel to Fighting.

The Arena Champions are all the Heads of Noble Houses and this title is often passed down to their heirs along with the noble one. Sometimes, the Arena Champion position is passed on to someone besides the heir if they are deemed unsuitable for it.

In Sorcier, all Pokémon Types have a family and Arena Champion that officially specializes in it, except for the Dark-Types as there are some negative associations with them.

The Tourney itself works pretty much like any other Pokémon League, with Trainers battling against each other until only one remains. And just like at the end of any Pokémon League, the winner gets the chance to battle against the Elite Four and the Champion.

The Elite 4 are formally known as the Council of the Four Elites - taken from ‘Conseil des 4′, the French name for the Elite 4. Defeating all 4 consecutively earns you the right to challenge the League Champion.

In Sorcier, the League Champion equivalent is called The Maître Champion/Championne or the Master Champion - taken from Maître, the French word used for the League Champion. They are considered the most powerful Trainer in the Kingdom of Sorcier and recieve high honors and respect from the nobility.

The Master Champion and the Elite 4 also have the responsibility to protect the Kingdom if it is ever threatened. They all have the authority to order Sorcier’s soldiers, knights, and even high-ranking nobility if they deem it necessary. The only people who outrank them are the Royal Family.

Unlike regular Champion Leagues, the Master Champion keeps their title even if they are defeated. They just past on the responsibility of battling the Tourney’s winner to the new Master Champion. Older Master Champions mentor the younger ones on their responsibilities of protect Sorcier.

Arena Champions

Main Arena Champions - these would be the ones you face during the ‘game’

King Owen Stuart - Type Speciality: Fire - The Stuart Family has held the position of Fire Arena Champion since the kingdom’s founding.

Duke Luigi Claes - Type Speciality: Ground & Rock - The Claes family are an oddity as their Arena specializes in both Ground and Rock Types.

Prime Minister Dan Ascart - Type Speciality: Flying

Marquis Joaquin Hunt - Type Speciality: Grass

Duke Elio Burke - Type Speciality: Electric

Marquis Edmund Randall - Type Speciality: Psychic

Marchioness Dieke - Type Speciality: Ghost

Viscount Giovanni Terni (the Queen’s younger brother) - Type Speciality: Water

Other Arena Champions - these do not appear in the ‘main game’ but would be part of a DLC. In the real world, you can get Honours from them the same as the ‘Main’ Arena Champions

Maquis Natalio Flores - Type Speciality: Poison

Marquis Jacques Alarie - Type Speciality: Ice

Duchess Leonaurora Adeth (Millidiana’s older sister) - Type Speciality: Dragon

Marchioness Radella Bellerose (Radea’s younger sister) - Type Speciality: Fairy

Baron Bradley Shelley - Type Speciality: Normal

Baron Eugéne Faucher - Type Speciality: Fighting

Count Hiram Grant - Type Speciality: Steele

Baron Louis Vallier - Type Speciality: Bug

Elite Four

Queen Giulia Stuart - Type Speciality: Ice

Duchess Millidiana Claes - Type Speciality: Dragon

Lord Radius Bellerose (former Marquis Bellerose) - Type Speciality: Bug

Dame Isadora Alarie - Type Speciality: Fighting

Master Champion(s)

Prince Geoffrey Stuart - Type Speciality: None; his Team contains a variety of Pokémon - Currently the only Master Champion and he holds the responsibility of battling the Tourney’s winner if they defeat the Elite 4. He has remained undefeated ever since he won the title.

[autochthonousone]

Prompt 6: Onerous

“Oh you have got to be— BELLEROSE!!”

The weary fury within the voice spoke of a soul that had uttered this words far too many times and had grown exceedingly tired of it long before now. All the while a tall, youthful, young man was in the middle of bolting across the barracks with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His destination?

The objective superior bunk at the far end of the building. The one that let me see the training yard from the window. The one where he’d occasionally see Temple Knights and Knights Dragoon honing their craft. It was exactly what he — a young squire — always hungered to see. He wanted to soak it all in.

That was going to be him out there one day.

He’d swear on the Fury by it.

“Bellerose.”

Basile winced slightly as the reality of the situation caught up with him and he had to place over his shoulder. Any normal squire and child would immediately don an expression of regret and remorse for their ill-conceived behavior. They would have immediately begun to sputter our apologies and reassurances that it would never happen again by their honor and their family.

But Basile was … not that smart.

“Sorry, Ser Bonfil, but I’m not giving you my spot.” He flashed a grin, “I won it fair an square.”

The absolute contempt in Clovis Bonfil’s expression was to gaze into the eyes of the Fury herself.

“And I will show you what else you won fair and square, boy.”

It was worth it in the end. At least by Basile’s reckoning.

And at least the outhouse was spotless now.