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itsbenedict · 3 years ago

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Two-Faced Jewel: Session 11

Horse On First

A half-elf conwoman (and the moth tasked with keeping her out of trouble) travel the Jewel in search of, uh, whatever a fashionable accessory is pointing them at. [Campaign log]

Last time, our heroes made contact with the Deathseekers, and opted to accompany them back to Barley to take care of some unfinished business. While the high-level adventurers take care of the dragon, the party goes to deliver a book and pick up some clothes from the tailor. No drama here, probably!

In the morning, the party is woken by a visitor to the inn. Looseleaf... acquires a new bit of background thanks to an excellent History roll.

The maid is here to retrieve the party, as the Deathseekers are about to set out. One thing that's somewhat surprising is that the deathseekers aren't riding giraffes, like normal people- they're riding these weird, hulked-out short-necked hornless giraffes that- and there must be some mistake here- are apparently called "whoreses"? It's weird. The best their Nature rolls can get is that they sort of resemble an exotic striped creature called a "zebra", maybe.

Lady Greatholder is there, with two of her maids- one of whom is an elf, who's staring at Oyobi in undisguised horror. To non-elven eyes, Oyobi might look normal, dressed sort of sporty, even- but to an elf's keen sense of propriety, she might as well be wearing an ahegao t-shirt and hammer pants.

Traveling conversation is light.

Looseleaf: "What are these things, anyways? They look like recolored zebras." Benedict I. (GM): You must've misheard something, because Doon says "What, you've never seen a whores before?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "...pardon me?" Looseleaf: "Is this- this is a pun, right? Like, I'm supposed to ask why you call them whores, and you'll answer, 'because we're riding them'? Is that the joke?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: Oh, god, this is an elaborate gaslighting prank. They are going to try to convince Saelhen to call this thing a whore, and then they will laugh, and she cannot even blame them, because that would be hilarious if she did it, probably. Benedict I. (GM): "Is there something wrong with the whoreses, ma'am?" the human girl asks. Looseleaf: "No, like, you're calling these animals whores, and despite the fact that I wasn't allowed to look at those magazines when I was younger, I'm relatively sure that the Common word 'whore' refers to a lady of ill repute of a brothel- I'm making this worse, aren't I." "I didn't learn the wrong word did I. Oh gods I totally learned the wrong word didn't I. The books that taught me Common were messing with me weren't they." Benedict I. (GM): Lady Greatholder and Doon absolutely lose their shit, as does Oyobi, who's been grinning ear to ear this whole time. Kevin speaks up. "Ah, no, it's- H-O-R-S-E. Hor-suh." "They're from up north." Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen covers her faint smile (read: shit-eating grin). "How novel." Looseleaf: Looseleaf emits a quiet buzzing sound not unlike the sound previously emitted by John Human. This is moth for 'quiet screaming'.

The party doesn't really withhold any details about Arnie and the tower- they just make an appeal for Arnie to be treated with as much mercy as they can muster. Doon implies that he was in a similar place when Lady Greatholder found him, so she reluctantly agrees to stay the hand of JUSTICE.

On arriving in Barley, the Deathseekers go over their plan, in the broad strokes: they're going to post up in the tower, and lay a trap for the dragon using Arnie as bait. By Arnie's reckoning, it'll take a little over a week before the dragon's next visit, so the party has some time to kill in town.

Their first order of business is to visit Chitch, a local lizardfolk farmer who was kidnapped by Lumiere:

Chitch seems surprised that they didn't get kidnapped or tortured- and even more surprised when they claim to have information on his missing daughter's whereabouts.

They hand him CHOSS BOOK, the diary of the girl who was raised in Lumiere's tower as his apprentice. He starts reading it, and his tears of joyful disbelief turn to anger as he reads through the contents- which describe an evil torture wizard raising his daughter as his own, and using her as a test subject.

When he's about halfway through, he puts it down, grabs his pitchfork, and starts strapping on his armor- intent on heading for the tower to kill Lumiere. The party has to hastily explain the situation and exhort him to finish reading the diary, please- Lumiere is already dead, and Choss is safe in Wheat.

Chitch thanks them for the information, and presents them with a reward- apparently, before fleeing to Barley to settle down with his infant daughter, he was a lieutenant commander in the fleet of one Umidono Kaiden, an elven naval commander attempting to take control of the lawless Cutthroat Isles. He gives them his jeweled badge, which could sell for a decent chunk of cash or potentially be useful if they ever need to deal with Kaiden in the future. Orluthe is the one to pocket it, as the rest of the party hems and haws over accepting such a gift.

SNext, they head to visit Kensa Kanthalga to pick up Saelhen's torn kimono- and after a lot of paranoid second-guessing re: heading directly for the Kanthalga house via the grass, go through the Temple of Diamode in front of it first, to update Malath on the situation.

They find her continuing to train the town militia in spearwork, in preparation for what she assumes is an impending assault from Wheat.

They... do not mention Arnie, because mentioning the culprit is Arnie could potentially fan the flames with Wheat. Instead, they mention that the murder weapon was found there, as was evidence of a dragon. Malath seems skeptical that a dragon would stealthily kill with a tiny weapon, and somewhat perturbed that Deathseekers are in town, but agrees to notify the town that the Deathseekers are at the tower handling the dragon issue, so no one does anything dangerous like going over there.

(Incidentally, Vayen has vanished, and Looseleaf's bugged medical kit has indicated that he's gone over to the tower. Hm.)

So, they pass through the temple and visit Kensa in her home. Kensa answers the door, wearing...

...ah.

See, Kensa assumed that after they went to the torture tower and didn't come back for several days, that they were dead or torture-enslaved- and like, the dead or torture-enslaved don't need a stylish kimono, right?

So she is suitably mortified when Saelhen shows up at her door, not dead in the slightest.

Benedict I. (GM): Kensa's down pretty quick, wearing the pink dress from before (if somewhat more disheveled), holding a folded kimono. To her credit, it looks very well-repaired- you can't even tell it was damaged. "I- my apologies! Here you are, ma'am!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: Saelhen takes it. "While I have you here, would you like to hear a secret about this dress?" Kensa Kanthalga: "I- er, of course! Thank you!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "When I was of an age comparable to yours..." She leans in conspiratorially. "I hated this thing. I fell down in it in front of a ballroom full of people and I very honestly wanted to take a scissor to it." Kensa Kanthalga: "N-no way...!" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "I keep it because it was a gift and because I sometimes need it. But if it gives you pleasure to wear it, then it is accomplishing far more with you than it ever did for me." Kensa Kanthalga: Her eyes widen. "R-really?!" Saelhen du Fishercrown:"I do still need it, to be clear. I, ah, don't mean to get your hopes up." Kensa Kanthalga: "...Oh." "No, of course..." You totally got her hopes up. Looseleaf: Not only did you get her hopes up, you even got Looseleaf's hopes up. Saelhen du Fishercrown: To be fair, "prove that elves can be assholes too" is right there on her character sheet.

And as far as payment- Saelhen just implied that Kensa would be allowed to cut out a swatch or two of the silk during repairs, which Kensa immediately jumped on without discussing further payment. Except...

Then Saelhen... gives Kensa some advice.

Saelhen du Fishercrown: "Now, in your shoes, considering that I might have been still alive, what I would have done was this: cut out squares, maybe handkerchief-sized, here and here. 'One or two,' as I specified." The places Saelhen indicated on the kimono are... not great places for there to be handkerchief-sized holes. They would render it pretty much unwearable. "I didn't ever specify where the swatches should be cut out, true. And so you could certainly chalk up the issue to youthful enthusiasm and indiscretion." "A lady like myself could never do something so crass as ask you to pay for a dress you'd taken time out of your busy schedule to repair, working to the bone over long hours. And I certainly wouldn't have had use for something I couldn't wear or repair myself." Kensa Kanthalga: "I- wh...?" Saelhen du Fishercrown: "And so you would have had the swatches -- and, shortly, the entire dress with it." Benedict I. (GM): She is so confused. Is this lady trying to give her advice on how to grift her??? "That's- but that'd be...!" "I couldn't do that!" Looseleaf: oh my god is saelhen trying to recruit an apprentice is THAT what this is, Looseleaf thinks Saelhen du Fishercrown: "You could, dear."

Saelhen is trying to recruit an apprentice conwoman.

Saelhen retreats, at this point- they'll be staying for a week or so! There's time to lay groundwork!

Next time: some downtime in Barley, before the night of the dragon fight and the execution of Saelhen's master plan.

#tfj log #twofaced jewel

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otomies · 4 years ago

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Seduce Me The Otome fanfic - “Rose” Pt. 1

(1000 words)

[You are at Part 1] [Part 2]

As soon as her eyes fluttered open to the sunbathed bedroom, the pounding in her head began to rage. Immediately, her palm met her forehead.

“Eugh…,” she groaned. As she sat up, the throbbing only got worse. It didn’t help when her phone suddenly went off.

She glanced around the, for some reason, unfamiliar bedroom. Just where was she again? And, perhaps more importantly at the moment, where was her phone?

Oh! There it was. On top of the fireplace in front of her bed, just below the small TV. Just before it stopped ringing, she answered it.

“Uh...Hello?”

An upbeat voice replied. “Yo, Rosie! So ---”

“Um, sorry, who is this?”

The voice on the phone stopped for a brief moment, “It’s Suzu, ya dingus. I’m with Naomi at the store!”

Suzu. Naomi. Right...Right! They were her friends. Why would she forget her friends?

To which a more muffled, but much more feminine voice could be heard next, who must’ve been Naomi, “Good morning, Rose!”

Suzu continued, “Anyways, so we’re at the store to get chips for the housewarming party, do you want cheddar or barbeque? Or maybe just normal ones?”

Rose blinked, staring blankly at the fireplace mantle in front of her. “Housewarming party? Sorry, Suzu, I just woke up. Maybe I’m still dreaming.”

Suzu chuckled, “Nah, you’re not dreaming, promise. But man, you’re struggling today, Rosie. The housewarming party? Because you just moved into your grandpa’s huuuuuge house?”

Her grandfather’s house...His mansion? She glanced quickly around the room, from the large glass doors leading out to a balcony, to the messy bed with plants on a shelf just above (which, oddly, were half wilted), to the entrance to the restroom, to the closet, to the exit of the room. Like ink bleeding through the fibers of a paper, memories were slowly, but surely, returning to her.

The feelings returning with the memories made her chest feel warm. Her grandfather was the kindest man she’d ever known. He was always looking out for her. Always there to comfort her. Feed her delicious food. Smother her in toys.

Toys. Toys! He was the owner of a toy company! Toys she helped him make; she would draw and design them and was amazed when her grandfather presented them to her in person.

However, the feeling of warmth soon began to flicker away.

The toy company she was suppose to inherit. Because her grandfather couldn’t run it anymore.

Because he was dead.

How had he died? Was it a heart attack? Had he suffered? Why couldn’t she remember?! Why was she --

Clack.

She dropped her phone, as a sudden light that began to glow from it -- or was it from her hand? No, no way -- and as it collided against the wooden floor, the battery fell out, cutting off the call with Suzu.

What the hell was that? Was she seeing things? Well, it wasn’t unlikely. First memory lost, now illusions.

Rose sighed, picking up her phone and placing the battery back in snugly. She walked over and glanced through her closet, throwing on a simple white shirt with a blue ribbon and some shorts. As soon as she had, the phone buzzed, indicating Suzu was calling her again.

“Hey! Sorry, Suzu, dropped my phone.”

“Way to leave me hangin’, Rosie. Hey, so we just decided to get cheddar. Now we’re gonna come over to pick you up to go buy a dress, so I hope you’re ready!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m dressed, don’t worry. I’m just gonna go eat breakfast and then I guess we can go.”

“I hope you remember how to eat!”

“Pshh, thanks.”

Click.

Placing her phone in her pocket, she stepped out of her bedroom to the bright entrance to the mansion. A large, curved staircase was to each side of them. As she walked down them, she took note that they were rather dusty. She would have to clean them. Hopefully she’d get some help sometime? Like some maids? Maybe from Suzu and/or Naomi? This was a huge house, after all.

Then a playful thought poked into her mind -- sliding down the rail! Oh, man, that would be so fun. But, unfortunately, if she broke her neck, she wouldn’t be able to go buy a dress. Or figure out why she’d been seeing flashes of light. Or why her memory was hazy to begin with.

As she walked down the hall, she glanced around to get her bearings. She spotted the kitchen, which meant the dining area had to be close.

Rose wandered into the kitchen, the silence of the large house almost making her uncomfortable. She took a quick peek into the refrigerator -- not much catching her interest except the milk -- so she looked in the cabinet. In the top corner, there was some old cereal. Probably stale, she thought, but better than nothing.

Stale cereal and sour milk. A pleasant breakfast, indeed.

Before the boring silence completely consumed her, it seemed that Suzu and Naomi had come to her rescue when the doorbell rang. Throwing the bowl into the sink, she tidied up her hair, brushed off her shirt, and opened the door.

Suzu was a sporty, short italian girl with short, messy, dirty blonde hair. She wore a small dark green jacket over a simple grey t-shirt. Very boyish.

Very cute. Rose thought, blushing slightly.

Naomi, on the other hand, seemed to be her complete opposite. She was tall, skinny, and had wavy long hair adorned with a white bow. She wore a pink shirt. Very girly.

Oh no, she’s cute too! Rose’s blush grew more intensely.

“Are you okay, Rose? You look really red!” Naomi asked, concerned, making Rose blush even more.

“I guess you can say she’s...as red as a rose!” Suzu giggled.

“Guysss, stop it.” Rose replied, rubbing her cheeks. “I’m fine! I think it’s just allergies. Let’s go.”

“Hahaha, alright, alright. The three musketeers are off!” Suzu yelled, twirling around and marching back to her car. Naomi giggled.

#smto #seduce me the otome #sm:to #sm: to #seduce me the demon war #fanfic #story #self insert #fan fiction

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vee-angel · 6 years ago

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The Sodom Virus Chronicles (Introduction)

Hey, everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything but I’ve felt extra motivated to write lately, so hopefully I’ll be putting out content more often. This is part of a project I’ve had in mind for quite a while. This introduction is part of the basic premise of a series of stories that will have an exciting amount of possibilities. And don’t worry, I’m still definitely going to be continuing work on the Pervert Pentet series (after all, you’ve only met Piper and Nancy so far; there’s still Teira, Sherry, and Bailee). So enjoy this introduction to the world of The Sodom Virus Chronicles! And remember, this is all just for fun and fantasy.

***

In the late 1970’s a strange new ailment appeared in the world.

The illness only seemed to affect females, and its effects were devastating; at first it presented with diminished motor control and cognitive function, a loss of hair, nails, teeth; eventually leading to death a few months later. By the early 1980’s the illness had spread so widely as to become an epidemic, with several countries declaring a state of emergency. Scientists scrambled to figure out the cause in the hope that they could come up with a vaccine, a treatment, hopefully even a cure. Eventually statistical information revealed a surprising fact: Women who stayed chaste deteriorated far faster than those with a male partner. More surprising still, the most promiscuous women deteriorated slowest of all.

A series of experiments were carried out, each with progressively better results. The result that finally showed a complete stop to the progression of the illness was the group engaging in unprotected anal sex at least four times each day. It was eventually hypothesized that the so called “Sodom Virus” was a form of genetic deterioration that, for reasons unknown, was neutralized by the presence of a Y chromosome. Doctors believed that the incomplete genetic material in male sperm was most easily broken down into usable material when administered to the female body This would be consistent with the experimental results; anal absorption was more efficient than vaginal, and much of the material was destroyed by stomach acids when swallowed. Therefore, while anal application was most efficient (with four average sized ejaculations per day being sufficient to stop the progression of the virus), similar effects could be achieved through higher amounts of sperm being administered to the vagina (seven times per day) or mouth (ten times per day).

When the news broke across the world, it was met with mixed reactions. Some were skeptical, claiming it was some misogynistic hoax, others hoped that it could be adapted with some kind of synthetic replacement, even though doctors said that was unlikely to become reality anytime in the near future. Men around the world stepped up, though. Nearly every hospital or medical office adapted large sections to be able to collect and administer sperm. Females who weren’t able to have sex due to age, communicable disease, or other factors were given priority. Women who were healthy and attractive were turned away from such facilities, sometimes harshly. After all, the supply was limited, and no one was willing to let the most vulnerable of the population suffer a slow and unpleasant death because some college lesbian thought “men are gross” or “anal is uncomfortable.” For the first time in history, young women were shamed for chastity.

Practically overnight, pornographers became captains of industry. What was once seen as a shameful luxury became a necessity, as humanity’s survival became dependent upon the near perpetual arousal of men. Donating sperm and fucking women became a civic duty. While it would take time for laws to be amended, nearly the entire world decided to no longer to prosecute rape or sexual assault except in the most extreme of cases.

The cosmetic surgery industry boomed as well, as did gym membership, beauty treatments, cosmetics, and nearly anything that could help make women more attractive. It was an uncomfortable conversation for most of the world to have, but it was a sad truth that a woman’s life expectancy was now correlated to how sexually attractive she was.

A few years after the cure was found, the world had stabilized, knowing they had managed to narrowly avoid species-wide extinction, yet the world was still frantic to adapt to this new society. Supplies of semen were slowly increasing, as drugs to improve sperm production and decrease refractory period became more commonplace, but it still wasn’t enough. Most civilized societies decided to prioritize their young, concentrating the treatment into a daily injection given to all underage girls until they come of age. After that, their health and life would depend on their ability to attract men willing to fuck them.

By the early part of the twenty-first century, the world looked very different than anyone would have imagined. It had been a few generations since the Sodom Virus emerged, and the effect on the demographics of the world was substantial. Even in such a short time, unattractive or prudish women had practically become extinct, and the men with the highest sex drives passed on that trait to the next generation.

The ubiquitousness of pornography resulted in progressively greater extremes, with the average woman expected to be the personal porn-star of whatever man happened to be using her. The now outrageously influential porn-company CEO’s could practically write their own legislation, often making laws that seemed more to serve their own amusement rather than any practical function. While many female politicians had tried to stand firm against society’s hard turn toward misogyny, it had been difficult to take them seriously when they had to beg someone to fuck them in the ass every few hours.

While the vast majority of women under forty were now safe from the degenerative effects of the Sodom Virus, they were still competitive. Partially due to a combination of a genetic predisposition to hyper-sexuality, cultural conditioning, and a general fear of not getting enough sperm to ensure the Virus stayed dormant.

In the most powerful country in the world, feminism was outlawed. Even the barest hint of a belief in women’s equality was punishable by a fate many considered worse than death. Throughout most towns and cities were Repositories where feminists were stored; in truth they were often little more than an outdoor metal post where a small cluster of feminists were chained until such a time that someone borrowed them for some purpose considered beneath even a woman. In a mockery of the their desire for independence, they were unable to be owned. As a result, they lost the only thing that put restrictions on their use. While all women were generally open for sex, heavier use and permanent modifications were at the discretion of their owners. But without owners, feminists were open to any use by anyone of any sex or status. They were often rented out free to perform hard or dangerous labor. Cosmetic surgeons and some of the more extreme sadists practiced and experimented on them to determine if their techniques were survivable and resulted in the desired effect. Some female athletes even used feminists like punching dummies to train for the increasingly popular All-Female sport of competitive rape.

Body modification, plastic surgery, and beauty treatments had become far more commonplace; and given that attractiveness was a necessity to women’s health, government subsidies made it universally affordable. Even girls who grew up in families living below the poverty line were easily able to get beach-ball sized breast implants and regular anal bleaching. In fact, some states even imposed mandatory minimum breast sizes, fearing that some errant flat-chested feminist may attempt to pose as a man as part of some deviant scheme.

The women who thrived in this society were the ones who considered themselves lucky to live in such a world. They read about the dark ages of feminism and prudishness as a backwards time of female oppression. They were finally free from the horrendous burdens of yesteryear; expectations of chastity, dignity, autonomy. Mainstream society agreed that such things were a regrettable mistake to force on women, a relic from a less progressive society. Women needed attention, affection, direction. The modern female couldn’t imagine the evils of a society in which she wasn’t perpetually exposed and stared at, touched, or told what to do. It was generally agreed upon that the Sodom Virus was a miracle of nature that came about to correct an unnatural error of mankind.

Women’s self-expression became unrestricted as well. Now that comfort was secondary to sex-appeal, women of all kinds were able to express who they were on the inside. Fashion became more daring, appealing to the extremes of every male sex-fantasy. Bimbos, punk-sluts, cow-girls, sporty dykes, and a rainbow of other looks and styles became commonplace. On an average day, one could walk down the street and expect to see anything from tattoo-clad goth girls in lolita style french maid outfits to busty Southern belle’s in sun-dresses that weren’t quite long enough to cover their cunt. And of course there were the women who had put so much work into their bodies that they saw no point in hiding any part of it from view with clothing.

The world of entertainment changed as well. While the privacy of female celebrities had never really been respected, the public now felt a sense of entitlement to see their most private or shameful acts. Not only were pictures and videos of every part of famous women’s bodies available at the cost of a few swipes of a touchpad, but they perpetually ran the risk of public outrage if any desirable content wasn’t available. If a female was part of a famous family, for example, it could be seen as an offense to her fans if she didn’t make videos of her 69ing with her sister, licking her mother’s asshole, or pissing in her own mouth. Younger celebrities often had to make frequent apologies for such failings, and hope that it would be understood that the busy job of constantly accommodating the sexual generosity of her fans might cause delays in filming or releasing such videos.

While the number of female politicians dropped swiftly after the rise of the Sodom Virus, there had recently been a resurgence of women in positions of political influence. Many were aging porn-stars, who were looked up to as progressive icons who had led the fight against the perversions of female dignity and modesty even before the Virus. Others were younger girls with even more forward-thinking viewpoints. They believed that the older politicians had become complacent in fighting against the evils of feminism.

All in all, the world had changed drastically from anything it had ever been before.

#sodomvirus sodomviruschronicles #sodomvirus

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mistylane059-blog · 7 years ago

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Challenge 5: Panic, Croquet and Vollyball

A/N: Heya! So this one is a little bit shorter because I had to do this in a hurry. Thanks @nathaniel-schreave , @ladyvenusvale , @fleur-quinn ,@ladyaadamaier and @claraeclair for the RP! Also thanks Skye for finding the pic of Alia that I ended up using! Decided to add a sport to Misty for character development. Anyways sorry for any mistakes and enjoy! Word count:2,430 words

Waking up to the sound of my alarm is not a good feeling. I should be used to this, but it just made me feel like I had to go to school. I grab my phone and turn off my alarm. Scrolling through my notifications I noticed a couple that caught my eye. One was from my dad asking how the ball went and if I was doing ok. Another was another kid from archery. They were just anime memes which made me laugh a tiny bit. The last one was the earliest. At around 4 in the morning. It was from Ambers mom. ‘Shes awake’ is all she said.

I had a flashback to last night. I felt like crap the entire night from the alcohol and probably the dairy. I had a lot going on last night. First I see two of my mains making out in my room, then I find out that my best friend was in an accident. How was I supposed to keep those a secret? I would see Felicity and Belle any moment now. Not to mention the fact that I need to cover up emotion. I used to it though.

My parents went through a hard phase when I was in 3rd grade to when I was in 6th grade. Those were some of the toughest years of my life. I had to go to school, acting like nothing happened and rolling with it. There were so many nights spent locked up in my closet, crying my eyes out. It would always happen in the middle of the night too when I would get woken up by my parents yelling. There were so many times where I had to destroy the evidence. I would have to clean up my tear-kissed face, fix my closet back to how it was, and act like nothing happened the night before. My grades ended up being terrible, later affecting my middle school grades. I changed schools for 8th grade and it sucked. At the time Amber and I went to different schools.

Pulling up the call app I click Ambers moms number. Once again, she picked up right away. “Let me guess, you called me to ask how is Ambers doing?” “I should have known that you would know, but yes, you are correct.” “Well, Amber woke up around four, she was steady but she had to go into surgery.” “SURGERY,” I yelled, immediately sitting up in my bed. “Yes, surgery. One of her bones in her leg needed a pin to heal.” “A PIN!” “Yes dear, calm down. She’s going to be alright. Once she’s off anesthetics and in recovery I’ll call you. But you have to keep your phone on, ok?” “Alright, alright.” “Ok, talk to you later, bye.” “Bye.” She hung up and I got up from the bed. I walk to my bathroom to fix my hair. Grabbing a ponytail holder, I put my hair up. I was still a little hung over from all those glasses of wine. But to be honest, I think we all were. I hear a knock on my door. “Who is it?” “Anaïs, Belle and Felicity.” “Come in,” I respond.

They all gave me a small curtsy before Anaïs started talking. “So sorry I wasn’t here when you woke. I needed to grab something from the laundry room.” “Oh, it’s fine, no need to apologize.” I grabbed a dress and retreated to my bathroom to change for breakfast. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was mostly hangover food.

~~~~~~~~Time skip to the day of the group date~~~~~~~

“Croquet huh,” I say looking at all my dresses, my finger on my chin. Well, it was obvious that my hair would be in a ponytail. Anaïs interrupted my concentration. “La- Misty, we made these for today, but anytime you want to go to the gym.” She was holding a sporty outfit in hand. I had asked my maids to just call me Misty. I felt close to them (besides the fact Felicity and Belle are dating in secret). The outfit, a white top, and black pants. It looked like there were shorts there too. Pants, oh my god! I didn’t think I would see the light of day without wearing another pair of pants. Well, there’s a slim chance I’ll be picked, queen. Granted it had been what, 5 months since the selection started. Wow, has it been that long? It felt like forever ago.

“Oh, thank you Anaïs! This will come in handy today.” “It was no problem. By the way, Belle was fell ill last night with the flu. She will be fine, but Felicity will be taking care of her.” “That’s too bad, and that’s fine. I only really need one maid for my personal needs, will you need any help Anaïs?” “No, ill be fine.” “Oh yeah, before I forget, do you know if y’all have volleyballs and a net?” “I believe we do. I can go check for you when you’re on the group date.” “That would be great! Thank you Anaïs!” She smiled. “It’s nothing. You should be getting ready.” I look at the time. I should. I have to be there in 30 minutes. That was plenty of time. I nod and give a smile.

While Anaïs was doing my makeup, I thought about the girls I would be with. Venus Vale. I hadn’t talked to her really, but she seemed nice. I knew who she was for a long time. People would always ask for jewelry that would go well with a specific look. Most of those looks were by Venus Vale. Aada Maier. I had already met Aada we were on the plane together, so she was one of the first selected I met besides Avalyn. Besides, I didn’t really know Aada. I didn’t know any of the girls, to be honest. Fleur Quinn. I had not formally talked to Fleur yet. I saw her get very drunk during the ball though. That thought made me laugh. Fleur had left me a card under my door Christmas morning too. Clara Éclair. I had not crossed paths with her yet. She seems nice and I have heard her baking is amazing. I’m pretty sure she baked a cake for Marshal or Fleur. One of those or maybe both. ———– I had 5 minutes till I had to be at the date. So far I was successful in finding my way. On my way there, someone grabbed my shoulder. “Misty, it’s me. Can you tell me about what happened to Amber?” I turn to see Eden, a worried look on his face. Shit, what do I do? Take a deep breath, Misty. “She’s fine now. She got into an accident. She was unconscious for a bit and had to go into surgery. They had to put a couple pins in her leg to heal properly.” “That’s too bad. Well, I better be getting back, nice seeing you!” “Nice seeing you too Eden,” I say back.

I had 3 minutes. I knew my way. Thank god I wasn’t wearing heels. Anaïs left my hair down, plus I could put it up. I made it there and pulled my hair into a neat ponytail. Venus was hitting the ball. I walk over to the other girls and give a small curtsy. It was weird curtsying without a dress. Apologizing, I explain that a guard pulled me aside and I couldn’t say no. I look at Vee’s ball. “Wow, your good!” Noticing me, everyone exchanged hellos. Vee admitted that she was a natural. She was though. “Are you sure you haven’t played before Vee?” I had the tendency to use nicknames right off the bat. She looked like she didn’t mind.

Before Vee could answer, Clara started talking. “I was originally planning on going last since I wanted time to watch and learn, but since you came late would you want to go after me?” “I’m fine with any turn,” I respond. Vee got a turn to answer my question. It was her first time playing, but when she plays, she gets competitive and does her best. She also thanked up and gave us a little bow. “That’s true. Now whos next?” I ask. “It’s you or Clara,” Aada replies. “I guess I’ll go since Clara wants to watch.” Vee lifts her mallet and waves it like a flag sort of. “Gooo Misty!” “You’ll do a good job I’m sure,” Aada says with a smile. I laugh, thanking Aada and Vee, grab a mallet and walk up to an unused ball at the start. I look at everyone’s balls and decide which one to hit. I didn’t really pick a specific one to hit. Letting out a sigh, I hit the ball hard enough to go through the first two loops. “Well done!” Aada says. “Thanks!” I reply Vee claps at my hit. “Yay!” Turning her head to look at Clara, “Your turn, hun.” “Good luck,” I respond. She hits the ball passed 2 loops, but went around them, giving a small laugh after the ball came to a halt. “Well it was a good try,” she says. We encourage her saying better luck next time. Vee raises her hand in a high five saying, “You go, girl!” Clara gives Vee a high five “One for you Mist,” Vee says, turning to me and raises her hand. I had never really got called ‘Mist’ before. I actually liked the nickname so I didn’t mind it. Returning the high five, thanking her. She does the same for Aada, but Aada didn’t return it. Instead, she touches Vee’s arm saying, “We should do this more often.”

I raise my eyebrow at the sight. They were giving looks at each other. I knew they didn’t have the best history, but still. I ended up facepalming and shaking my head. It was silent. Vee shrugs, walking to the drink table. I follow her. I felt like I was dying over here. “God its too hot for winter. How do y’all live through summer 24/7?” “We shed our skin every week,” Vee whispers. That made me laugh. She asked where I was from, and we ended up talking out Waverly .

We keep taking our turns talking and having an overall good time. Vee had the idea to do 20 questions, and we all agreed. Turns out Fleur was an extra in Harry Potter. When I mentioned that I had read and watched the movies too many times, she wiped her head toward me as fast she could to ask who my favorite character was. I replied that my favorite character was either Luna or Tonks. We went on to talk about how the sorting hat was the sassiest character. It was true though. We all agreed Dramione is the best ship in the series. Thank god I found people who ship them. All of my Harry Potter friends ship Harry and Draco. I don’t get how that would work. Aada mentioned how Princess Quinn sort of looks like Hermione. The thought had crossed my mind a couple of time, but I hadn’t really thought about it in depth before. Fleur mentioned that she watched the movies before reading the books. I gave her a good lecture about that. Aada hadn’t seen or read any of them so the Harry Potter conversation died down. Nate, surprisingly, didn’t say a thing. He just stood there smiling. He was probably happy that we were getting along.

Aada asked a question on what do see you doing in the future. For me, it would be taking over the shop. I still kind of can’t believe I am in the selection. Vee joked being queen but saying her channel would be a backup. I asked if she was still vlogging and she responded saying she was taking a break. Aada said her and Victoria were moving in together. That took me by surprise. More tension was building up between Aada and Vee that resulted in me facepalming. Fleur wanted to be an actress, ideally with an Oscar. She also brought up on of the ten of us left will princess and eventually, we agreed that it was a weird thought. Vee said she might be the future Queen adviser. Imagining Vee running a selection scared us all. We went on to talk about our heroes. I didn’t really have one. Vee’s was the queen, Fleur and Aada’s were their moms. Turns out Fleur is a lawyer as well as an actress. Aada also mentioned she wanted to go to medical school. We joked that if Aada was picked she would have an epic name. “Her royal highness, Dr. Aada,” Fleur added. Nate asked if we were more of a clean or messy person. We all said clean, but Clara said messy. She was a baker after all. Clara asked if we were more of a cat or dog person. Everyone said dog but I said cat. Vee, being who she was, said exotic animals. When asked what her favorite animal was she answered snakes. Fleur and I agreed she sounded like Taylor Swift.

There was a few more questions and answers. I started to zone out. I was worried about Amber. Getting my thoughts together, we finished our game. I had a lot of fun. I had bonded with so many girls to the point I felt they were some of my really good friends. ————- Making my way to my room I remembered I would practice some volleyball. I used to play a lot. When the selection started, the season was just starting. I still went to my room. Anaïs informed me that they had a court and volleyballs. I would probably see a couple guards at the gym. I stayed in the same outfit because there was no way I was playing in a dress. I could practice for an hour or so till I had to go to my room.

Anaïs showed me the way to the court. There was already a net set up. Finding the cart of volleyballs, I decided I would start off with spikes. I could jump really high, which was a plus. As I spiked another ball, a person came in. The person, probably a guard, was staring at me. “Hello,” I say to him landing on my feet. He stood there. “That was a fantastic spike, Lady Misty.” I took me a minute to register who it was. “Zach, what are you doing here?”

#mistylane #misty tag

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madeline-porter · 8 years ago

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The First Date

Challenge 1 – Prompt: First Date – Madeline Porter

Note: I am sorry this one is up so late! I have been really busy, so I kinda pushed writing this back a little! I hope you still like it :) Thanks to @haidenschreave @aliyatyson and @anastilinskii for RPing with me, you guys are wonderful!

I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. This whole date situation was proper freaking me out. I had never been on a date before.

So many questions swirling through my head. How do I act? What do I want us to do? What can I ask him? What if the conversation dies? What if I fall on my face? What if I say something that might insult him? Oh. My. Gosh. I have to calm down.

My heart was racing. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t talk. My maids glared at me with a worried look on their faces. “Lady Madeline, are you all right?” Chloé asks. “Do you want something to drink, maybe?” Ally adds. They were both so incredibly sweet. They could notice straightaway when I wasn’t feeling my best and then did everything they could to make me smile again.

I push myself up, “No thank you, I am fine” I say not very convincingly. They exchange a glare, they obviously didn’t believe this. Ally opens the door to the bathroom and grabs a glass of water.

“Lady Madeline,” Chloé starts, “your date will be fine. Just be yourself.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me?” I say, “What if I do or say something stupid?”

Ally hands me the glass of water, “Try to see him as a normal person, like a friend and not like the prince.”

Oh, by the way, the fact that I have a date with the PRINCE, didn’t make things easier for me. He must have dealt with a lot of court ladies who were in love with him and tried to charm him.

I, for sure, didn’t have any charm. Unless you think clumsy is the new sexy.

“You have had fun with Lady Aliya and Lady Sophia, right?” Chloé asks. I think back to our trips to the palace kitchens. It had been amazing to see Chef Baguette prepare the most delicious meals. I had already learned so much just from looking at his skills.

The three of us even made a list of food we would love to eat while we’re in the selection. The list was so long that the Chef asked us to stop requesting more. I laugh a little at the thought.

“Look, look! A little colour is coming back to her face!” Ally points at me.

The girls in this selection are all so unique in their own way. They all had charm. Aliya, for example, is so passionate about math and she is a genuinely good person. Then there is Sophia, who is really into food and can probably tell you all about it. Literally everyone has something charming about them. Except for me. I am the most awkward and clumsy person in the world, nothing charming about that.

“Lady, do you want to see the dress for your date?” Ally looks at me, her eyes are filled with excitement. I nod my head and get up from the bed. Ally walks over to the closet, opens it and takes a clothes hanger out. The colour of the dress is outstanding. It’s a special combination of blue and green, something I had never seen before.

I reach for the dress’ material with my finger. “This colour!” “You like it?” Chloé asks, “It’s called teal.” “I love it!”

The upper body is defined with some sort of rough lace. The dress is knee-length. My maids are very smart. The other day I had smashed my high heel through the long dress I was wearing, leaving a big hole in the bottom. They were not going to let me go on a date with the prince, in a long dress with high heels.

The dress is absolutely stunning. I couldn’t stop twirling around, as the layers of the bottom flew around me. With it came a pair of black high heels, simple but elegant.

Ally puts my hair in a loose updo. While she is doing my hair, Chloé did my makeup. I was still surprised that she was such a pro at this. I can’t even apply mascara without stabbing my eyeball.

I look in the mirror. My maids are a gift from heaven. They were able to transform me from looking like a potato head into an elegant young woman.

It is almost half past three, which means my date was going to start really soon. This made me extra nervous. My hands are sweating and I couldn’t properly breath anymore. I look through the window, it has been such a lovely day today.

I walk towards the door of my bedroom. In a few minutes the prince would knock on it and our date would start. I turn around to see my maids talking to each other.

I couldn’t stay in this room any longer. Each second the room got more claustrophobic. I have to leave. I need some fresh air.

I open the door and step into the hall. “Lady Madeline,” I hear Chloé say loudly, “you’re supposed to wait…” That’s when I shut the door and started slowly walking towards the middle of the hallway where the stairs began.

I calmed down a little bit more with each step I set. I walked past doors to the bedrooms of the other selected. I could hear some talking to their maids. I wonder if everyone had already adjusted to life in the palace.

I was about the put my foot on the first stair when my eyes meet a pair of beautiful, warm eyes. The eyes of the prince. All my nerves come back, but then 8 times more intense.

Shit. What am I thinking? I should have stayed in my room! Okay, Madeline, play it cool.

“Hello!” I start a little too loud and a little too excited. Calm. “Are you ready for our date?” I ask as calm and cool as I could.

“Yes, of course, what would you like to do?” he asks. His voice has some sort of warm glow. It’s not like I had forgotten how he sounded after the interview, but the warmness still caught me a little off guard. I had never heard a voice like that.

Oh crap. Question. He asked a question. What do I want to do?

I walk towards him, this gave me a little more time to think of something to do. Thankfully he is some stairs below me. Walking stairs is a really difficult task to do in high heels. I clamp the balustrade as I move my feet.

Please! Don’t fall!

“I would love to go to the gardens and have a look at all the beautiful flowers, if that’s fine with you.” I say when I finally reach him.

“Of course.” He says as we climb down the stairs.

When we finally reach the floor that leads to the gardens, he offers me his arm and I gladly take it. It’s not that I want to touch him, well yes I wanted to but not in a creepy or dirty way or anything. I need the extra balance, to lower the possibilities of me falling.

“So tell me about yourself?” Haiden asks.

Okay, Madeline, you can do this. Calm.

“As you may know I am Madeline and I am from Midston.” I say and I try to laugh a little but it sounded really strange, like some sort of snorting.

Wow. Just wow. Great start.

“I have lived my whole life with my grandparents, who have raised me and taught me the little, but important, things in life like talking, walking and using a spoon.” I continue, smiling at the thought of my grandparents.

Wait. Didn’t I already tell him this during my interview?

“As I grew older I started to help them out regarding the household. That is when I found out I love cooking and baking.” I say as we walk through the doors into the garden.

It really is a beautiful day today, the sun shining and the sky clear blue.

“I’ve never had a knack for baking though.” Haiden says.

This date isn’t going that great. During the interview I felt like we had a connection and that we were very much alike, but I guess I was wrong.

I look at him, “I could help you with baking, only if you want to of course! It is really peaceful and it helps me clear my mind.”

“I doubt you’d want to. I’d burn the kitchen down and Chef Baguette would have a fit.”

Oh man. He’s really up for trying, isn’t he.

“What if we had like a fire extinguisher, that could help.” I say and smile a little, trying to prevent this date from turning into a total disaster. “Though I won’t force you into baking if you don’t want to.”

“Maybe someday you can force me into baking but I’m not sure I’d make a good impression on our first date if I burned the entire palace down.”

This is going better, baby steps, but better.

“I think you will be fine but we will see, someday.”

The gardens sure are beautiful. Blossoming flowers everywhere.

“Do you have any passions or things you love to do?” I ask.

“I love poetry, writing, reading, astronomy, sports.”

Hmm, sports that sure does fit into Midston lifestyle.

“What kind of sports do you like?” I ask.

“I do all kinds of sports, honestly. Mostly now I do gymnastics.”

He is sure build like a sporty person, but I just didn’t know he liked any. I bet he has abs under his suit.

Madeline! Focus!

“You also said you like writing, what do you write? I mean like stories, poetry, something else?” I ask him. “I am really sorry if this comes across as some sort of a cross-examination.” I can feel my cheeks turn red, a nervous giggle came out of my mouth.

“No, it’s fine,” Haiden laughs “I write stories mostly, but sometimes poetry. Historical fiction, that kinda stuff.”

“That sounds so cool!” I say, not sure what else to say. “Do you write for yourself, because you like to do it? Or do you, eventually, want to publish your writing?”

“I’m not sure if it’s really possible to publish something. I don’t want people to give me a good review just because I’m royalty. For now I think it’s better to keep it to myself.”

“I can totally understand,” I say, “you should do what feels best for you.” I look up at him again, our eyes meet and I try to smile.

“That’s what I always like to do if possible.” Haiden says as his eyes focus on the gardens again.

“That’s good!” I say, again not sure what else to say.

We stroll a bit through the gardens, when something catches my eye.

“Oh look at those pretty flowers. Those are lavenders, right?” I bow down and swipe my fingers through the flowers. “I love their scent.”

I look up at Haiden, who is standing a few feet away from me. I get up again. “Do you spend a lot of time in the gardens?”

“As much as I can. It’s so quiet.”

I can see why he says that, it sure is quiet. There are no other people here, except for some guards but I can totally understand why they are here. I might be some serial killer and if I decide to kill the prince, they are right here to, you know. Not that I’m a serial killer or anything.

“What’s your favourite place in the palace, if I may ask?” I try to keep the conversation going.

“The garden, the gym sometimes, the bowling alley, my room. Anywhere there’s not a lot of people.”

There is a bowling alley in the palace? Who would have thought that?

“Yeah, sometimes it is nice to have some place to think and relax,” I say. “But there are also moments when you need good company and someone who comprehends and shares your thoughts.”

“Most definitely, but people aren’t always around for that.” Haiden says. I can see a little frustration spread across his face.

Oh god, I didn’t want the conversation to get a negative vibe.

I look at him again “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll be here. For the time you keep me in the selection of course.” I can’t help but laugh a little.

Haiden laughs as well, thankfully “I appreciate that, thank you. The offer goes both ways.”

That might be the sweetest thing a boy has ever said to me.

I feel something fluttering in my stomach.

What the? No, nope, nope! Those are not butterflies. I repeat, no butterflies. I can’t fall in love with someone, this prince, this really cute and sweet and genuine boy. Nope, nope, nope. There are other girls here to win over his heart. Nope, this is not happening.

My faces turns red. “Thank you! I really appreciate that.” I manage to get out. Looking at him makes me smile.

“I’m glad.” Haiden says as he finds a flower and puts it in my hair. “I think we should head back now, but I look forward to spending more time with you.”

I don’t know what to do. Is this really happening? Why does he have to be so kind?

“Well thank you! I had a lovely time.” I say, my cheeks blushing. Again.

“Me as well.” He says. The big palace door open in front of us.

“Can I give you a ‘see you later’ hug, or don’t you feel comfortable with that?”

No. Madeline, nope. Why did you have to ask that? You should have curtsied and walked away.

Haiden laughs “Uh, if you” he pauses, “want.”

“Okay,” a smile spreads across my face, which I try to hide. But I fail.

I give him a hug, he smells really nice. Geez Madeline, enough with the creepiness. “Thank you.” I murmur.

“No problem” he says “have a wonderful day.”

I try to walk as fast as possible back to my bedroom, where my maids have been waiting for me. I bet they have been standing by the big windows, which are overlooking the gardens.

“That’s a really pretty flower!” Ally says, a bit too enthusiastic, “did he give that to you?”

I didn’t even need to answer that. My maids share a glance and start clapping their hands.

“Let’s put that one in a bit of water,” Chloé says “we have to keep it alive.”

Ally hurries to the bathroom and comes back with a glass filled with a bit of water. She puts the flower in it and places it on my nightstand. It is a really pretty flower I have to confess.

A gerbera is looking at me. It might not sound very special, but the colours are ridiculously gorgeous. It has a white heart, but the colour changes into bright pink near the ends of the petals.

I smile at the flower. “Look! Oh god Chloé did you see that?” Ally is almost screaming “She is in love! Lady Madeline is in love!”

They both stare at me, my face turns red again. “Tell us everything that happened!”

After half an hour, a lot of smiles, giggles and blushes later, I decide to leave my bedroom. It might be time for me to meet some of the other girls.

I knock on the first door I see. “Hello! Is someone in here?”

The door opens “Hi, come in!” a girl says as she closes her book.

“Thank you,” I smile, she seems nice. “I don’t think we have met before, or am I wrong? I am Madeline anyway. Nice to meet you!”

“I’m Ana. It’s a pleasure! How are you?”

“I am great, thank you.” I say as I think back to the date with the prince. I get a warm feeling inside. I can’t even stop it.

“Your room is really beautiful by the way!” I add as I look around me.

We talk for some time in Ana’s room about how beautiful the palace is and how unreal it feels to be here. After that I ask if she wants to see my room as well. We talk for hours and hours in my room about everything really. I feel like me and Ana can become really close friends!

#selectionoc #mrtflr #madelineporter #theselectionmouse #challenge1

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whileiamdying · 8 years ago

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The Babysitters

It is ten years, now, since we rowed to Children's Island. The sun flamed straight down that noon on the water off Marblehead. That summer we wore black glasses to hide our eyes. We were always crying, in our spare rooms, little put-upon sisters, In the two, huge, white, handsome houses in Swampscott. When the sweetheart from England appeared, with her cream skin and Yardley cosmetics, I had to sleep in the same room with the baby on a too-short cot, And the seven-year-old wouldn't go out unless his jersey stripes Matched the stripes of his socks.

Or it was richness! --- eleven rooms and a yacht With a polished mahogany stair to let into the water And a cabin boy who could decorate cakes in six-colored frosting. But I didn't know how to cook, and babies depressed me. Nights, I wrote in my diary spitefully, my fingers red With triangular scorch marks from ironing tiny ruchings and puffed sleeves. When the sporty wife and her doctor husband went on one of their cruises They left me a borrowed maid named Ellen, "for protection," And a small Dalmation.

In your house, the main house, you were better off. You had a rose garden and a guest cottage and a model apothecary shop And a cook and a maid, and knew about the key to the bourbon. I remember you playing "Ja-Da" in a pink piqué dress On the game-room piano, when the "big people" were out, And the maid smoked and shot pool under a green shaded lamp. The cook had one walleye and couldn't sleep, she was so nervous. On trial, from Ireland, she burned batch after batch of cookies Till she was fired.

O what has come over us, my sister! On that day-off the two of us cried so hard to get We lifted a sugared ham and a pineapple from the grownups' icebox And rented an old green boat. I rowed. You read Aloud, cross-legged on the stern seat, from the Generation of Vipers. So we bobbed out to the island. It was deserted --- A gallery of creaking porches and still interiors, Stopped and awful as a photograph of somebody laughing But ten years dead.

The bold gulls dove as if they owned it all. We picked up sticks of driftwood and beat them off, Then stepped down the steep beach shelf and into the water. We kicked and talked. The thick salt kept us up. I see us floating there yet, inseparable--two cork dolls. What keyhole have we slipped through, what door has shut? The shadows of the grasses inched round like hands of a clock, And from our opposite continents we wave and call. Everything has happened.

— Sylvia Plath

#Sylvia Plath #plath #american #in english #poetry

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blancagriswold · 7 years ago

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Bride to be Diaries: Our Maid in Honour is helping to find The Dress!

Hello Cwtchers!

We have the beautiful Gwen back today, your very own ‘Maid In Wales’, with her second instalment on her Maid of Honour journey.

Alys the bride (and also Gwens twin sister) have been busy shopping for The Dress….

The Dress

On the morning of my wedding, as a thank you for all the help and support she had given me as my Maid of Honour, I gave my sister Alys a present and card. In the card I wrote that I was ‘officially handing the Bride-to-be baton on to her’.

She has since taken that baton and run with it.

I have been seriously impressed with her efforts so far and she has been very proactive with setting a date, securing a venue, booking vendors and sending out save the dates (I would have expected nothing less!). In fact, she’s been so on the ball with everything that my involvement has been very limited up until now, when the wedding dress shopping (the fun bit) began.

Over the last couple of weekends I have made several journeys from Devon to Wales (including some seriously early starts for which I should definitely earn some bridesmaids points) to help Alys find ‘The Dress’.

We gathered the troops – the Wedding Team made up of our parents, Alys’ mother-in-law-to-be and me – and hit the shops.

Following a wedding fair research trip a couple of weeks earlier we had booked in several appointments and scouted out some of the best wedding dress shops South Wales had to offer! We started off close to home in Usk with a visit to the very lovely Bridal Lane, followed by up a couple of trips up the valleys, and finally hitting a few shops in the Cardiff area, including Laura May and High Society.

I was really excited about this bit – getting to look at all the pretty dresses and sip the complementary prosecco whilst Alys catwalk modelled all sorts of different gowns – although I think I underestimated how tricky it would be sitting on the other side of the table when wedding dress shopping. It became almost like a game of poker, trying to give an opinion on a dress without giving too much a way in case I didn’t like one that Alys thought was absolutely wonderful, or vice versa. (Thankfully there were only a couple of occasions where Alys and The Wedding Team disagreed on things and most of the time we were all on the same page.)

Having started out with an open mind, each shop helped Alys to firm up her ideas on what she did and didn’t want out of a wedding dress – what shapes flattered her figure most and what designers suited her best. And yet ‘The Dress’ remained elusive.

We found many dresses that had elements of what she was looking for. The dress with the beautiful train. The dress with the lovely neckline. The dress with the most gorgeous lace. But like Goldilocks and the three bears, Alys just couldn’t find a dress that was just perfect. The dress that gives you butterflies.

Then, one day, after many hours of internet research, Alys stumbled upon a shop in Bath called Perfect Princess which had just the kind of dresses she was looking for. So Alys and the Wedding Team headed to Bath during the Easter holidays to hunt down the perfect dress. Sadly I was unable to make the trip as I was stuck in work that day, however the team kept me in the loop with constant text and Whatsapp updates.

And there it was – the dress that gives you goosebumps. As sad as I am to have missed being there for that moment in person, I am reliably informed that this was the dress Alys fell in love with almost instantly, and I couldn’t be happier. She is going to look incredible. Phil really is a lucky guy.

In other news, I also got to take part in the envious task of a taster event with Alys’ chosen wedding caterer – Prickly Pear.

This was a very hard task, which involved a family trip (both sets of parents and the groom-to-be) on a rainy Sunday afternoon to a local village hall to sample the delights of Prickly Pear’s North African inspired dishes and to test out their hosting skills.

Although this isn’t the exact menu Alys and Phil will be having served for their first meal as man and wife, I can confirm that the food was delicious and the catering staff were excellent. I am very much looking forward to eating their food again next April.

It’s a hard life being a bridesmaid.

Liked this? You might also like these! :)

Bride to be Diaries: Introducing Our First Bridesmaid, Maid In Wales

Bride to Be Diaries: The Sporty Bride is having Wedding Dress Isues

Bride to be Diaries: Introducing The Sporty Bride

Bridal Sample Sale

High Street Wedding Dresses

The post Bride to be Diaries: Our Maid in Honour is helping to find The Dress! appeared first on Cwtch The Bride.

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nicholxu-blog · 7 years ago

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sports clothing--2017/07/01

Sportswear is an American fashion term originally used to describe separates, but which, since the 1930s, has come to be applied to day and evening fashions of varying degrees of formality that demonstrate a specific relaxed approach to their design, while remaining appropriate for a wide range of social occasions. The term is not necessarily synonymous with activewear, clothing designed specifically for participants in sporting pursuits. Although sports clothing was available from European haute couture houses and "sporty" garments were increasingly worn as everyday or informal wear, the early American sportswear designers were associated with ready-to-wear manufacturers. While most fashions in America in the early 20th century were directly copied from, or influenced heavily by Paris, American sportswear became a home-grown exception to this rule. Sportswear was designed to be easy to look after, with accessible fastenings that enabled a modern emancipated woman to dress herself without a maid's assistance.

Definition

Sportswear has been called America's main contribution to the history of fashion design, developed to cater to the needs of the increasingly fast-paced lifestyle of American women. It started out as a fashion industry term describing informal and interchangeable separates (i.e., blouses, shirts, skirts and shorts), and in the 1920s became a popular word for relaxed, casual wear typically worn for spectator sports.Since the 1930s the term has been used to describe both day and evening fashions of varying degrees of formality that demonstrate this relaxed approach while remaining appropriate wear for many business or social occasions.

The curator Richard Martin put on an exhibition on sportswear in 1985 at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in which he described sportswear as "an American invention, an American industry, and an American expression of style." For Martin, American sportswear was an expression of various predominantly middle-class aspects of American culture, including health ideals, the concept of democracy, ideas of comfort and function, and innovative design which might refer to historical concepts or leisure attributes. The establishment of a five-day working week and an eight-hour working day in America in the mid-20th century led to the need for clothing which enabled the fullest possible enjoyment of such increased leisure time, and was designed accordingly. A subsequent exhibition of 1930s-70s sportswear, also curated by Martin, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1998, was introduced by Philippe de Montebello as showing pioneering garments, whose modesty, comparative simplicity, and wearability treated fashion as a "pragmatic art."de Montebello carefully explained how significant American designers such as Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, Charles James and Mainbocher, were not considered sportswear designers, as they were not dedicated to the design principles of versatility, accessibility and affordability in the way that Claire McCardell or Emily Wilkens were.

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jasonwanghandsome-blog · 7 years ago

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sports clothing 2017/7/1

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blancagriswold · 8 years ago

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Bride to be Diaries: Introducing Our First Bridesmaid, Maid In Wales

Good morning you lovely bunch!

We finally have the pleasure of introducing our very first bridesmaid! Have you been asked to step up? Are you going to be the Maid of Honor? Are you in need of some inspiration and help for this mahoosive role you’re about to fill?

Well, our gorgeous Maid In Wales, Gwen, is in the same boat, and here to share her journey with you……

Hello! Lovely to meet you all!

I’m Gwen and in just over a year’s time I am going to helping my twin sister Alys walk down the aisle as her Maid of Honour. We’re both 29 and grew up in the Brecon Beacons in a little village called Bwlch.

We went our separate ways for University – me to Exeter and Alys to Cardiff – where we both met local boys who have ended up as our future husbands. I now live in Exeter with my husband Mike and work in PR for a local hospital. When I’m not writing press releases or promoting the NHS to the local media, I spend my time crafting, taking photos, going to festivals, and travelling back and forth to Wales visiting family and friends (I spend A LOT of time on the M5…).

Alys and I have always been best friends, so when I married Mike last August, it was only natural that she should be my Maid of Honour.

I always knew that she would be up to the task and, during one crazy year of wedding planning, Alys turned out to be a ‘Maid of Honour Extraordinaire’! She threw herself in to organising my amazing hen weekend (which remained top secret until the moment my hens surprised me outside Bath train station).

She was a constant support throughout the wedding planning process helping with everything from dress shopping to individually hand painting invitations. And on an emotional rollercoaster of a wedding day (when I was just about managing to hold it all together) she even managed to reduce me to tears by writing a cheesy song and getting my friends to perform it during the reception. All in all – BEST BRIDESMAID EVER.

The trouble is, now it’s my turn. When Alys’ boyfriend Phil popped the question last summer I excitedly (and a little apprehensively) assumed that the time had now come for me to return the favour. Her official MOH proposal came in the post with a card and a customised badge for each of her five chosen bridesmaids. As geographical distance is an issue for Alys’ newly formed ‘Bride Tribe’ (we’re spread out across South Wales, the Midlands and the South West), we all took to Whatsapp to share our reactions to the mail with bridesmaid badge selfies. Naturally we all accepted. So now the hard work begins.

Whilst I am honoured and excited at the prospect of helping my twin sister walk down the aisle next year, she has left me with some rather big shoes to fill. I want to be able to give her exactly the same amazing experience she gave me (which will be quite a challenge!). I’ve already got the engagement party under my belt – I supplied the decorations, helped out with the catering and even made a small speech (public speaking is not my thing) – and attended the obligatory family wedding fair visit which has given us lots of ideas and inspiration for her big day.

As Brides go, she is very on the ball with planning her wedding and already has lots of elements booked in. I, on the other hand, am not quite so sorted with my MOH duties. The prospect of planning a hen party for up to 17 of Alys’ closest friends fills me with dread and I have yet to start any firm preparation. I have a few ideas though, and with the help of my wonderful fellow bridesmaids, I’m confident that we’ll be able to pull it off. Fingers crossed.

We cannot wait to hear more about what you have planned for Alys! x

Liked this? You might also like these! :)

Bride to be Diaries: Introducing The Sporty Bride

Bride To Be Diaries: Our Spring Bride Ali Is Planning

Bride to Be Diaries: Introducing The Procrastinating Bride, Natasha

Bride To Be Diaries: Spring Bride Ali Does All Or Nothing

Introducing Our Crafty Bride Katie

The post Bride to be Diaries: Introducing Our First Bridesmaid, Maid In Wales appeared first on Cwtch The Bride.

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