#janel is so pretty its insane

[bloodpen-to-paper]

Met Gala 2023 Presented By Me

With this year's theme being "in honor of Karl Lagerfeld", a fashion designer whom I'm learning from the fashion community is "ew", lets see what we got:

~The Models~

-Rihanna being fashionably late, wearing an egg?-like top that opens to reveal a simple yet beautiful dress (she's got a baby bump!); the "no shit" was iconic honestly

-Jared Leto fursuit (its cause he was dressing as Lagerfeld's cat)

-Harvey Guillen coming through with a lovely floral suit, I'm not usually one for light pink but his was very pretty

-Who let Lil Nas X have access to the arts and crafts box (but he looked stunning, the mask was gorgeous and he's got more confidence than most to pull off what I'm now calling a Full Bedazzle)

-Kristen Stewart going full butch queer, the eyebrows and hair were rugged inspired and most didn't like it but I think that was the point?

-Pedro Pascal and his knee against the world (as well as spreading the red is superior agenda cause it is)

-^ but with Salma Hayek cause holy shit this is the red agenda

-Bryan Tyree Henry continuing to remind me how much my taste in men has improved over the years because he is so fucking fine ANYWAY-

-Lizzo giving me feminine gender envy despite the odds

-Janelle Monae doing a Janelle Monae as is customary (I'd love to know what the inspo was for her if so let me know!)

-Bella Ramsey you are so gender thank you (and they served too, the Thom Browne suit with the white accents is simple yet very classy)

-Every year I give one (1) free pass for a man to wear a standard suit, this year goes to Ke Huy Quan because I couldn't say anything bad about him if I tried (at least he had some style, the fingerless gloves were cool)

-Obligatory Gwendoline Christie was there and existed comment by me because I am in love and I am not ashamed of it

-Florence Pugh's fit had mixed reactions, the shaved head, headdress and white dress look were really good but I think the way the dress came out had people not fully digging it, I can understand but I'll appreciate it nonetheless

-Anne Hathaway in all her fuzzy glory (the hair's a beehive on a very felted dress but like it worked? marks for originality and being able to pull it off)

-Loved Stephanie Hsu's bedazzled suit, won't be able to stop thinking about it actually

-Tems was stunning, I'm a huge fan of the floating leaves design we need more nature-inspired looks

-Olivier Rousteing and Jeremy pope slaying with their "Karl who?" and cape apparel

-Gotta shout out Yara Shahidi for going with something unique, the pearl's color palette works surprisingly better than I expected with the gold (personally I would have more gold trim in the top half but that's just me)

-Let Lady Gaga's outfit for the Met Gala this year be a lesson in misinformation because the pictures circulating Tumblr are not in fact from the 2023 Met, she didn't attend (it is a stunning outfit though)

-Jenna Ortega looking almost like a dapper pirate in the absolute best way possible the gender envy the style I am going insane

-Doja Cat living up to her name (Cats should take notes honestly the makeup was really good. She also kept answering reporter questions by meowing. Because she's Doja. Anyway.)

-Anok Yai's dress reminds me of those ornate beaded lampshades, I wonder if that's where she/her designer got the idea

-Emily Blunt giving me gay panic once again WHY IS SHE SO GORGEOUS (she's got a giant fucking bow tie that's what clowns wear why is she able to pull it off this is so unfair)

-Conan Gray looked like an actual prince I am obsessed

-I saw someone said Cardi B was giving goth Barbie and that is honestly the best way to describe it

-Yung Miami having a beautiful look cause her outfit was underrated this year

-I thought Emily Blunt and Bryan Tyree Henry were all I had to worry about and then Julia Garner came in with a steel chair

-Ella Fanning's look captivating me specifically

-And cause I can't comment on every person or we'd be here all day, go check out the underrated outfits from Amanda Seyfried, Alton Mason, Glenn Close, Sora Choi, Ava Max, Jessica Chastain, Taika Waititi and many more!

~Final Thoughts~

-The palette this year was very black and white... literally. Lots of outfits in black, white, or both. I'm not really into the fashion community so I wouldn't know but I'm guessing its a signature theme of Lagerfeld's? Let me know! I'm always down to learn more about other communities and their history

-I'm also assuming Lagefeld's got a thing for flowers cause there were a lot of flowers imbedded into the outfits, they looked lovely~

-As well as long flowy dress/coat tops cause there were a lot, and I loved how people mixed it in with the flowers. Lots of the men did it this year and it looked fantastic

-Speaking of, I'm proud of the men for actually dressing up this year omfg its insane how many male celebrities will go to a literal fashion event and pull up with nothing but a plain ass suit and though most of them this year did wear suits, there was much pizazz. Like, actual life put into those outfits. So yeah, you love to see it

-Overall, a very nice Met Gala. The crazy stuff came from the usual people who go all out, and we got plenty of highlights from people who embraced the theme, with the occasional unique look to really stick it out

Thank for reading and see you all next fashion event!

[shaineybainey]

Jumping on the Ask Game Bandwagon!

(hope you don't mind, @texanmarcusdavenport 😅)

⛵️ Favorite ship? Least favorite ship? (Doesn't have to be romantic.)

No favorite ships. I used to really like Donald and Tasha, but throughout the show, there were more times where they were shown to be yelling at each other rather than being cooperative teammates. I know it was done for comedy, but it just...wasn't it.

Least favorite was Janelle & Leo, because what was that? Strung us along for three years, only for their relationship to actually mean nothing to Janelle??

And then Leo was just kind of left in the lurch. Like, 😑

Anyway. As far as brOTP, Douglas + Leo is my favorite, hands down. I don't know what it is. I don't know if Jeremy Kent Jackson and TJ Williams are just that talented, just have that fantastic chemistry onscreen, or all of the above, but man. They made the show so memorable even in its least well-written seasons.

👀 Characters whose relationship you wish was more explored?

Hm. None. They were all explored pretty well in the show, I think.

💥 Favorite crack ship / characters that never met in canon but would've been best friends if they had?

Okay, there is one. I often wonder how things would be like if Bridget and Tasha had met. They have a good number of things in common that I think they would've hit it off and became great friends.

Their friendship would have probably been like a mature version of Amy's and Hartley's on Villains of Valley View.

🐀 Favorite season of Lab Rats? Least favorite?

Favorite: season two for sure. It had some of the funniest lines, best writing, and enough bells and whistles to really keep it fresh and interesting. (Also: Douglas! And I will die on the hill that Parallel Universe is one of the best Lab Rats episodes of all time.)

Least favorite: S3b and S4. It's like most of the writers onboard began seeing writing for the show as a chore. They were bored, so we were bored.

There was one or two writers who wrote pretty good episodes, but alas, they didn't even end up writing a lot.

🏥 Lab Rats or Mighty Med?

Well, both have their own appeal. Lab Rats was just a bit more solid and mature in structure, but Mighty Med had the lore to really open up the extended universe to infinite possibilities.

How the two combined managed to fail is still beyond me.

But yeah. Lab Rats.

🏳️‍🌈 Favorite LGBT+/neurodivergent headcanon?

I don't have any of my own, but someone has shared their hc that Adam is dyslexic. That one, I do share.

📖 An AU/fanfic idea you'd love to see but don't have the motivation to write?

Since the Leo camp in FF had always been small, like the other writers, I've pretty much written anything I've wanted to read because it was just how things were. It was a "if you want to eat it, you gotta cook it" kind of deal.

BUT, there is one AU I've written some years ago that I wish I had the motivation to continue. It was a crossover with DC where Leo is the son of Superman (Val-Zod). Power Girl (Kara Danvers) is his cousin, and Red Tornado (Lois Lane) is his aunt.

It left off at the part where he and Douglas kept it a secret from the rest of the Davenports that he's half Kryptonian (they think his powers were bionics Douglas gave him to help fight Krane and the soldiers).

Oh! And at the end, it was revealed that Marella (Aquawoman) is Tasha's older sister -- which means he's also Atlantean.

I know. It sounds so insane, but I just love that AU so much. It had so many possibilities! I would have loved to write the part where Adam, Bree, and Chase meets the rest of the Wonders.

💭 Favorite headcanon overall?

Leo was raised by women. His mom, his grandmother, his aunt. That's why it's easier for him to develop true friendship with girls and why girls value his friendship. He understands them. He's not inclined to say insensitive things and he doesn't treat them like how other guys would.

The downside of that great quality, though, is that he has his own time of the month. He gets super cranky and sarcastic. It usually coincides with Bree's time of the month, which just puzzles Donald to the full, but whereas Bree can be pacified with chocolate, hot Cheetos, and pain medication, Leo has to shut himself inside his room for two days and introvert to the fullest.

🔥 Hot take/unpopular opinion?

They shouldn't have written in a baby at the end of the show. Served no purpose. I wish they had just let Donald and Tasha enjoy their blended family.

Actually, I wish they had just developed Tasha's relationship with Adam, Bree, and Chase more. Even in the end, the line between them was drawn clear. Tasha was a mother figure, but only because it's logical "since our father married her," and Tasha seemed to treat the kids as her 'husband's children.'

Would have been better if that relationship was worked on more the way Donald's and Leo's was developed.

❤️ Favorite character? Least favorite character?

Favorite is Leo. Least favorite is S3/S4 Bree.

The funny thing is, she's a favorite the first two seasons. So that tells you something.

⏱️ When did you start watching Lab Rats?

From the actual pilot, so February 2012. Actually, I found out about it because it was advertised a lot when I was watching Pair of Kings 😁

Yeah. It's really not a secret at this point that I'm probably one of the older fans in the fandom. I wasn't parent-age then, but I wasn't a kid either.

It made the watch so much better, though. I caught a lot of the adult jokes, but I also remembered a lot of the funny moments that were brilliant because of how they were written and acted.

Maybe that's why I remember so many details about it. I just loved it for what it was. (Until the Bionic Island arc showed up. Then I just wanted to pull all my hair out.)

🟢 Any crossover ideas? Are there any shows you think would've made a better crossover than Lab Rats/Mighty Med?

It's a cheesy idea, but I really wish they had done a four-way crossover with the biggest DXD shows back then. It would have been fun to see Pair of Kings, Kickin' It, Lab Rats, and Mighty Med in a multiverse kind of setting, similar to what they did with the shows in Disney. (Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, etc.)

As far as ideas, got one for Lab Rats/EF and Villains of Valley View. Might not work on that for a long while, though.

🎼 What songs do you relate to the characters/ show?

I...have two whole playlists of that, actually. But it will stay the vault for now since they go with two specific WIPs I'm coming back to soon 😉

🟠 Which character is the most like you? Which character is the least like you?

Douglas lol I'm admittedly a dark cloud in human form, have a bit of a mean streak, and at times have difficulty getting people. But at the end of the day, I'm just a big nerd who loves tinkering with new ideas and doing what I can to be a better, kinder, warmer version of myself.

The least is Donald.

[maraczeks]

tww s5 thread pt 18

[greenorangevioletgrass]

make me feel (h.o.)

masterlist | ko-fi?

pairing: pornstar!harrison osterfield x pornstar!reader

summary: Harrison and Y/N has undeniable chemistry onscreen and off. The question is, how long will they deny such connection and convince everyone that they're just friends?

word count: 4,558

warnings: pornstar!au, friends to lovers, language, drinking, banter, mention of douching & anal, smut! [pegging, praise kink, cross-dressing, dirty talk, slight daddy kink, fingering, unprotected sex, oral (f)]

song inspo: Janelle Monae - Make Me Feel, Damon Daunno & Rebecca Naomi Jones - People Will Say We're In Love, Tom Waits - Midnight Lullaby, James Vincent McMorrow - One Thousand Times, Taylor Swift - False God

notes: finally coming out of my writer's block with this one woohoo! i've been working on this since may, like that's insane??? im pretty happy with how it turns out lol. big thanks to @shipping-not-sailing and @tommysparker who put up with my bullshit brainstorm, and shoutout to @marvelouspeterparker for making a CRAZY pornstar!au fic with tom that inspired me to do this one. happy reading!

***

Y/N has said it before and she would gladly say it again.

Harrison Osterfield is one hell of a fucking sight to behold.

Writhing underneath her as she rocks her hips against his, his statuesque features come to life —cherry red lips hanging open, making way for moans of pleasure to escape him. The veins on his neck, popping out from underneath his black collar necklace. His fingers around her wrists, statement rings against her bare hands.

His eyes, more blue than green today, peering back and forth; to the sleek black strap-on sliding in and out of him, and to the person it’s attached to.

Y/N, in all her glory, wrapped in a lacy bra and a harness around her hips.

“Baby…” She cups his face with one hand. "S'that feel good?"

He catches her eyes and nods, his sparkling galaxy fingernails digging into her hips, wordlessly beckoning her to come closer. Deeper.

Faster.

But instead, she slows down. She pulls nearly all the way back, leaving only the tip of the strap-on inside him. "Use your words."

Harrison lets out a whimper, rose gold and dark bronze eyelids fluttering, struggling to stay open. Peering at her through his mascara-laden lashes.

"God, you're so pretty…" Y/N beams, for a moment simply admiring the view underneath her. Head empty, except for the thought she said out loud. And soon her body moves on its own accord, lips closing in on his. Hips thrusting in and out of him. Enrapturing him in all of her.

For a moment, alone together.

“CUT!” Elena, the director, calls out, and the whole set comes to life. Camera and boom operators stretching their arms and artistic team adjusting the set and people generally crossing over.

"That was beautiful, darlings. Let's move onto the next shot and— I really liked when you just gaze at each other for a bit there," Elena compliments as she walks over. Then, turning towards her director of photography, she says, "Can we keep that for the next shot?"

The two stars of the show blend into the busy set just as quickly as they become the center of its attention. It’s a nice little break among the adjustments of the lighting and camera and everything.

"Hold up, I need to stretch my legs a bit," Y/N sets off to straighten up.

Harrison's hand flies up to her hip almost immediately. "Slowly, slowly, slowly—" his quiet warning is cut off with a sigh as she unsheathes the strap-on from him, as gentle as she can be.

She settles opposite him, both casual and comfortable in their state of undress, drawing soothing circles on his lace stocking-clad ankle next to her.

“So I finally tried marinating my steak with pineapple like you said!” he pipes up, “It’s game-changing, Y/N.”

“I know, right? You’re welcome, by the way.” she flashes a cocky grin his way. “How long did you marinate it?”

“The whole day. Did it first thing in the morning, and then seared it for dinner.”

“Nice!”

“It's so tender and rich and God, I’m starving.” he muses, tucking an arm behind his head.

“You wanna grab a bite after this?”

“Fuck yes!” he reaches her calf, moaning almost as obscenely as he does during his scene.

It makes her laugh. “We can try that restaurant near—”

“Alright, everyone! Next shot. Harrison, Y/N, can we go back to your marks, please?” Elena turns to them, patting the latter’s shoulder on her way back to the monitor.

“Yeah— can we have some more lube, though?” Y/N motions at the production assistant, who promptly hands her a bottle.

It’s a strange lull, watching someone putting on a generous amount of lube for him while another person hovers around for that bottle, but Harrison simply smiles unabashedly at that girl. “Aw, you didn’t have to.”

“But I want to,” she simply shrugs, handing the bottle back to the unassuming PA, who scurries back as quickly as she arrives. Then, Y/N returns to her initial position on top of him and says, jokingly, “Gotta treat my princess right, don’t I?”

But in that exact moment, she feels his cock flexing in excitement. He looks up to find his gaze darken at the pet name. “Fuck’s sake, Y/N…” he turns away to his the blush in his cheeks.

“You got a fine taste, Harrison.” she nods in approval, pleasantly surprised at this revelation, her signature smile taking over her entire beautiful face once more. “Ready?”

The hustle and bustle quiets down and with it, time slows down, too. The call of camera rolling and slate clapping takes her mind into a different headspace. Her body relaxes, readies itself. For the scene. For the sex.

“ACTION!”

He takes her in with an arch of his back, savoring every inch. Gosh, he’s so tight, she swears she could feel him gripping from inside her.

It’s a performance, yes, but it’s also awfully intimate. Like drawing the curtains on the deepest part of herself. And Harrison gives as much of himself as she does hers; she likes that about him. Always equally as vulnerable. Familiarly so.

He is, arguably, the best scene partner she’s ever had.

Even when the novelty has worn off, and the sensation starts to dull out of exertion, there’s still that sizzling connection between them that makes them so fun to watch. It’s not always in the motion of their hips (although it is one of the things driving him crazy at this instant.) Sometimes it’s in the glide of her thumb over his lips, or the way he chases her kisses and traces his mouth anywhere he can, ever so tenderly. A breath of fresh air in the midst of the heat.

Right now, her hand is closed in on Harrison's cock, stroking and pounding into him as he ruts back against her. Among the haze, he opens his eyes to gaze at her, pleading,

"Please, I wanna cum… Daddy..." he whimpers. His eyebrows knot in anticipation —and maybe nerves, since he's going off-script with yet another kink.

But Y/N smiles, her quickening pace a stark contrast to her soothing whispers. "Let go, baby. I got you. Daddy’s got you…"

He sprays his hot mess all over his heaving chest with a breathless moan, his ass gripping her strap-on like a vice. She takes her time lapping up his cum and making her way to his lips with soft kisses, making him giggle hazily.

He finds her lips, indulging in his own taste and how her tongue makes it sweeter. For the longest time, they just stay there; hands in each other's hair, catching their breath in kisses after kisses after kisses… until they part and fall back to the soft surface of the bed, blissfully sated.

"And cut,” Elena says softly, definitively. "That's a wrap for the day, people! Wonderful job!"

It's only then that she remembers the presence of twelve other people in the room with them, applauding and cheering for a job well done. Harrison sits up first, bashfully bowing before lightly elbowing her. Y/N nods graciously at everyone else and applauds right back at them.

The PA scurries back around, this time with some wet wipes and bath robes, and the two of them go on about their own business, cleaning up and going back to their respective dressing rooms, exchanging congratulatory pats on the back with the crew on their way.

Y/N is chatting with Elena when Harrison pops up at her open dressing room door. "Hey. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." she flashes a brief smile her director's way, and then looks back at him. "We're still up for some food, right?"

"'Course! I'm dying for some proper food," he groans dramatically, sauntering in. "Anyway. I'll see you outside and I'll see you tomorrow, Boss."

"Ciao, bello." Elena gives him a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, seeing him out of the room. As soon as he's out of earshot, she turns back to her actress. "You two are so cute."

"We're friends," Y/N rolls her eyes, here we go again. It’s quite surprising how, in an industry where friendships among fellow sex workers are so normalized, they’re not exempt to the light teasing. "Really, really good friends."

"Right..." she replies dubiously.

Y/N absently applies her lip gloss, a ghost of a curious smile creeping up on her face. "What?"

Elena rolls her eyes in relent. "I mean, you know me. I don't do those male gaze-y Gonzo porn. I'm all about sensuality and connection and… I'm just saying," she shrugs, "the chemistry doesn't lie."

"Well," Y/N stands up to bid her farewell, "If it gets you to keep working with us, then we'll keep that chemistry alive, how 'bout that?"

"Such a charmer," Elena shakes her head, laughing. "Go. Your good friend is waiting for you."

She can say that it’s all in day’s work until she foams at the mouth, but all signs point the other direction. The bleak grey London scenery is nowhere to be seen; instead, the golden Roman sunset barely peeks over the rows and rows of centuries-old buildings. And leaning against the lamppost, her so-called good friend is casually checking his phone.

He looks up at her and his handsome features light up, gesturing at his watch as he hurries her. “Hey, come on! Mamma mia, spaghetti carbonara! Vamonos.”

"That’s Spanish and… you’re on your own, pal," she deadpans, turning to walk the other way.

He catches her arm, of course. "Oh no, I’m not. You're not gonna leave me to eat alone like a sad English bastard, are you?"

"But you are a sad English bastard, my darling.”

"Mean." he pouts, and he knows how powerful his puppy dog eyes can be. "Besides, I had a gummy bear diet for a whole 24 hours for you. Shoot water up my ass clean for you! The least you can do is wine and dine me, Y/N."

She bursts out laughing —partly at his dramatic recount of his 'sacrifices', and partly at the idea that this is more than what it is. Two very good friends, who do not shy away from gross conversations, letting off steam after work.

Nothing more.

***

“God, that hit the spot…” Y/N sighs as she takes a bite of her tiramisu, following a hearty spaghetti carbonara as their main course (Harrison was not kidding when he uttered that word so passionately earlier.)

Harrison looks up from his now-empty glass of wine with a cheeky smile. “That’s what she said!”

“Having fun, are we?” She teases him good-naturedly.

“I mean, I could definitely get used to this,” he gestures all around him, “We’re doing something cool and artsy for a change, we’re in Rome…”

“Bumming my dessert…” she stiffly points out as she swats his hand away, although he’s already taken a generous amount of her cake in his spoon.

“Exactly! The desserts here are amazing and I just—” he purposely ignores her and puts the stolen spoonful into his mouth. “What a life, you know?”

She glares at him, although the smile she bites back says otherwise. “You’re just saying that ‘cause I’m buying you dinner.” she finishes her dessert before he beats her to the final bite.

But she gets what he means; it was a truly good day at work, where they got to play dressup and do something experimental and incredibly sensual with a female-led crew. And to do that with one’s most trusted scene partner is… wonderful.

“Would you and your beautiful wife like some more wine, Signore?” their waiter, a friendly middle-aged man, offers.

The pair exchange looks —a pause, and then they burst into laughter.

“No, no, no. We’re not—” Y/N chortles, too caught up to continue.

The waiter looks at her in confusion. “No to the wine or the… wife thing, Signora?”

“Oh, we’re not together, sir.” Harrison clears his throat and smiles politely, “As for the wine… what do you think, love?”

“I think we’re good. Early day at work tomorrow, remember?” she eyes him pointedly. Then, she looks to the waiter, “Can we have the check, please? Thank you.”

The waiter nods, walking away from this peculiar pair at the windowside table of this little restaurant, tucked away in one tiny corner of the city. He comes back with the check a moment later, still quite adamant on offering another bottle of Chianti to go.

Y/N shakes her head, much more composed now. “Grazie mille. The food was…” she makes a chef’s kiss gesture as she links her arm with Harrison’s on her way out.

“I’ve never seen someone openly shipping us so hard,” she muses as they enter their hotel lobby, just across the street.

“Do you think he recognized us?”

“I don’t think so. He doesn’t have ‘that look’, you know?”

“Ah, yes.” Harrison grins knowingly.

It doesn’t happen very often, but every now and again someone might clock them from their films or OnlyFans and they have this ‘I-can’t-believe-you’re-a-real-person’ look on their face, which can be amusing or unnerving sometimes.

“He does have the look of, ‘if you get the wine, maybe you’ll get frisky later’ though,” he adds, briefly nodding at the receptionist who wishes them a buonasera.

Y/N simply laughs it off, pressing their floor button.

The door closes, one of those antique elevators with the metal trellis and wooden finish. And suddenly there’s no noise anymore. Just the low humdrum of the old engine.

They climb past floor after floor in silence. It’s only in times like this —where there’s no one else that the voices start to settle in. The voices that ask them why aren’t they together and point out just how close they are. Arm in arm. Alone together in this tiny little space.

“Does that ever make you feel… I don’t know, weird?” Harrison speaks up, a little more quietly this time.

His nose nearly brushes against her cheek, and it makes her heart skip a beat. It takes everything to keep her composure and say, “What do you mean?”

“You know, like, when people are nosy, I guess.”

“Ah well, it comes with the job, right?” Y/N coolly shrugs it off. “And you?”

She finally brings herself to turn to him, finding him looking ahead, lips pursed, head tilted away from her. He feels her curious eyes on him, and he meets her gaze. At that moment, it seems they are both keeping their cards close to their chests. And neither is willing to budge.

The elevator dings and Y/N opens her mouth. Harrison doesn’t even realize he’s holding his breath.

“You still have some makeup around your eye.” she saunters out of the elevator and towards her hotel room door.

“Fuck’s sake!” he hisses, his voice coming out sharp in the empty hallway.

“Come on, I got some cleansing oil inside,” Y/N motions him over and slides in her key card.

“This is why you’re the fucking best.” Harrison follows her into her room, drops his bag on the entryway with a flourish, and invites himself into her bathroom.

Such is life as Harrison’s friend, she sighs.

“My God, Y/N, how do you live like this?!” he hollers from inside.

She doesn’t rush inside right away. She knows exactly what he’s going on about. And sure enough, she finds him fixing the towel haphazardly strewn on its hanger and rearranging the mess of her skincare products on the bathroom counter. He makes a point to put the toothpaste cap back on in front of her.

“I was in a hurry, okay?” She simply takes the tube from him, replacing it with the glass bottle of her cleansing oil.

“You’re an animal,” he groans, although he lets her push his hair back anyway —carding her fingers through his wavy locks. It feels so good, so comforting, and he secretly wishes she could do it for longer.

But she lets go. She sits by the sink and toys with a fresh towel while he lathers his face with the cleanser. He can see there’s something on her mind, but Y/N is a stubborn little thing. The more one tries to coax it out of her, the deeper it gets buried.

So Harrison stays quiet, lathering his face with her cleansing oil. He can barely see the little knot between her eyebrows in his periphery, but he knows it’s there. Any second now...

“You know, Elena said something similar earlier.”

And there it is. “What’d she say?”

Y/N waits until he turns on the tap, rinsing his face. Perhaps some white noise and mundane activity would be a good buffer. “She asked if we were together. Said the chemistry doesn’t lie, or whatever.”

Harrison turns off the tap, and the small squeak sounds deafening at the moment. “And what did you say?”

“I said we’re really good friends!” she replies matter-of-factly, a little too loud and high-pitched to be casual. Well, at least he’s patting his face with the towel, so she can’t see his face.

Alas, the distraction only buys her 5 seconds until Harrison puts it down. He folds it in two and sets it aside. An extra 3 seconds, but it’s enough for him to muster up the courage to say,

“Would it be so bad if it were true?”

“What?” she looks up from her hands in her lap, for the first time sounding less than cocksure about herself.

He shrugs, absently fixing the row of bottles and tubs in front of him. “I’m just saying.”

“What are you saying?”

“I… like you and I like what we have and —I don’t know. Maybe I want to kiss you when we’re not working.” he wipes his hands awkwardly and leans against the sink.

They’ve been in every intimate situation known to man, with tens of people watching, and yet… in the stillness of this sleek bathroom, bathed in warm vanity light reflected against emerald green tiles, they’ve never felt so naked with each other. So vulnerable.

“Just kisses?” Y/N eventually pipes up, a glint of humor in her eyes —but also a sliver of yearning, too.

“See, that’s the other thing! We already know how compatible we are in bed and, like, we both do the same shit for work; we don’t need to have that awkward conversation about what the relationship will be like between us.”

“What if I want you to quit doing porn?” she crosses her arms, challenging him. Making sure he’s not fucking with her.

He makes a face like he knows her like the back of his hand. “Do you, really?”

And he does, she begrudgingly admits. “No, I don’t,” she sighs.

“That’s exactly what I mean." he lodges himself between her open legs. “What do you say?”

Y/N loosely wraps her legs around his trim waist, hands sneaking under his sweatshirt. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

It’s a valid concern and definitely something he’s maturely considered. “Then we… go back to being friends and co-workers. I mean, at the very worst, I don’t see us ending so badly, we wouldn’t stand to be around each other.”

“I don’t know about that, though. You’re pretty anal.”

“I thought you liked me because I’m anal.” he quirks his eyebrows at the last word.

“Shut up…” she weakly swats his chest, though she keeps her hand there, her initial worries dissipating. Gosh, being with Harrison is so easy. “So we’re doing this?”

“If you want to.”

“Sex without a camera, huh? That’s new.” she smirks at her own remark.

“No camera, no crew, no makeup…” he teases, pulling her in.

Their foreheads rest against each other, and it does calm her nerves a bit. “When in Rome,” she murmurs.

She makes the first move. They must’ve kissed a thousand times today, adding to tens of thousands more kisses in all the times they’ve worked together. But this one feels new. Unhurried. Untethered.

Indulgent, for once.

They eventually move to the bed and Y/N has no qualms with continuing their makeout session right away, but of course Harrison can’t stand the mess of clothes on the edge of the bed. She tuts and pushes it onto the floor, only to find him shooting a dirty glare at her.

“You’re an animal,” Harrison reiterates his disdain for her messy habits.

“Ugh, you’re so anal. Leave me alone!” She groans, stretching out her limbs in her bed.

“I didn’t hear you complain about that earlier,” he retorts, pulling her back into his arms.

The night is young and with no marks to hit, no takes to nail, they just lay on their sides and make out in bed for the longest time. Fingers dancing on the skin under their shirts, lazily peeling away one clothing item after another. She draws an invisible line from freckle to freckle, from his neck to his hip, before eventually resting her palm over his heart. Beating stubbornly under the steady rise and fall of his chest.

Harrison’s hand treads between her legs, knuckles stroking her soft inner thigh. She lets him in, of course, reveling in the way he traces her clit. How his whole body presses against hers, taking in every shift in her movement. Every twitch. Every subtle reaction to the way he makes her feel so fucking good.

Y/N arches up into his touch as he inches closer towards her opening. No words needed to be said; he knows what she wants. And when he spreads her own wetness around her cunt just a little too long, he simply wants to savor her bashful little laugh… and watch it falter when his fingers swiftly enter her.

“Shit…” her hand flies up around his neck, pulling him back into a kiss.

He falls out of the kiss as her jaw slacks at the quickening of his pace, and he ventures down her breasts. Finding his way to her hardened nipple, nipping and sucking to his heart’s desire.

And his heart desires to hear her sweet sighs and feel her fall apart underneath him.

She gives him just that, and it’s the easiest thing ever. Her whole body is overwhelmed with the sensation of his fingers stroking her sweet spot and his thumb lightly —lithely pressing on her clit. Soon enough, she succumbs to the impending release and whimpers his name as she cums. She trusts him to listen to her body and follow the signs, and sure enough… he does. He powers through her orgasm and slows his pace as she winds down.

"Fuck, that was nice.” she falls back into her pillow.

“I know. You’ve been doing a lot of the work today, my love,” he smooths out her hair, kissing her sweetly. “Want me to take the reins now?”

“Mm, yes please.” As bossy as she is, Y/N can’t fight how her limbs feel like jelly after that. And being taken care of really doesn’t sound so bad right now.

And Harrison is more than happy to do so. He lines up his hard, veiny cock and slides it in bit by bit, letting her adjust to his size. He’s always been thicker than he seems, and as sexy as it may be to make her scream with one swift thrust, the promise of slow, vanilla sex sounds way more enticing to them.

Y/N wraps her legs around his waist and eventually pulls him all the way in. Above all, her heart feels full at how tender they are with each other.

“You feel so good…” he hums into her neck, leaving soft kisses in his wake as he feels her walls gripping him like a vice.

“So do you, darling,” she murmurs back, grinding her hips into his.

He starts thrusting in and out of her, easing her into the comings and goings of his cock. She keeps him close, though. Letting herself be enshrouded by his body, his scent. His warmth. It feels grounding.

And when Harrison picks up his pace and inching closer towards their high, she finds herself settling back into the comfort of their relationship. In her haze of it all, she still finds it in her to tease him.

“That’s it. Fuck. Be a good boy and take care of Daddy,” she lazily grins.

He clenches his jaw, the motion of his hips faltering just a little. “Fuck’s sake, don’t do that.”

“Do what?” she blinks up at him, feigning innocence and fooling nobody.

“You know what, Y/N,” he replies with a grunt and a thrust that reaches deep into her core.

And of course, with the big dick energy she possesses, she responds with a sharp smack on his ass. “Don’t be rude, that’s Daddy for you.”

“Fuck!” he feels the clench of her pussy, the sting of her palm, and the sly smirk gazing up at him and he loses all control. Blowing his load into her silky inner walls.

Meanwhile Y/N is rocking a shit-eating million-dollar smile through it all. That little shit.

“That’s a dirty fucking game you’re playing,” he says between labored breaths into the crook of her neck.

“I know.” she kisses his sweat-damp hair.

Harrison, sluggish as he is after his orgasm, lifts his head up to meet her gaze. “I’mma get you for that.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

Y/N feels two things in the span of 3 seconds: emptiness, from Harrison pulling out of her and his weight on top of her suddenly gone just like that. And then warmth, of his mouth on her spent, dripping pussy. He wastes no time devouring the juices leaking out of her like it’s the only thing he’ll ever do. There's no camera to pander the money shot —just his insatiable self and this sexy, peculiar, funny creature that he’s crazy about. And if he spends the rest of his life bringing her to her sweet release and nothing else, he’d be the luckiest man alive.

Her big finish comes as sudden, as intense as her beginning. The kind that takes her breath away and makes her thighs tremble and close in around his head. And he makes good on his promise —he keeps licking her clit as a playful revenge, until she actively pushes his head away from the overstimulation.

“You’re an animal,” she whines, although she pulls him back into her embrace.

“That’s what you get for exposing me!”

“Um, excuse me? You exposed yourself, sir.”

“I guess I couldn’t help it when you’re being so fucking sexy like that.”

They exchange looks, the room suddenly quieting down —and then they burst into laughter, gagging and shuddering at the corny, porn-y pickup line.

“Oh God, Elena is gonna have a field day tomorrow,” Y/N sighs as she settles back into his chest. He makes for a nice pillow, it turns out.

“Ah well, let her,” he smooths out her sexed-up hair gently, pressing a kiss on her forehead, “We’ll be alright.”

And if this is what she falls asleep and wakes up to forever, she’s pretty sure she will be.

***

thank you for reading and i hope you enjoyed it! if you like my work, please consider giving me feedback through reblogs and asks. thank you so much <333

[catboybatman]

btw i tried watching "one of us is lying" on netflix a few days back. i did not come far for multiple reasons. 1rst is that they literally changed the beginning so much to the point that i could barely recognise it from the book. listen, i dont mind creative liberties but to the point that it changes whole ass important plotpoints?? like, the pacing of situations in this book are very important, especially the time and order certain information gets spread, SO HOW DID YOU FUCK UP THAT BADLY?? like. you cant just spill everything in the first 10 minutes that removes very important plotpoints?? like literally the only reason i kept reading is because i needed to know what was going on with cooper and how simons death happened. HOW. HOW DO YOU FUCK UP COOPERS STORY THAT BADLY WITHIN MINUTES??? MINUTES???? cooper story is insanely important to the plot, why would you fuck that up. it was also the most interesting one that lead to the case being solved? why??? why would you change that?? also. they somehow made bronwyn even more annoying. like how?? she was already up to my nose but this bitch really burst through my goddamn skull like jesus christ. nate was also more annoying but like. i literally do not give a shit about him so f. Addy is still pretty much the same but that makes sense bc she really only gets development later on. also janelle?? or whatever simons gf was called. who is this blonde make up less bitch??? why is she talking to addy immediatly after simon died? its like. a big plot point?? like why would you change 2 of the main most important plotpoints?? also extra minus points for not making her goth like what was even the points smh. it also annoyed me shitless that they had detention in an open library. ITS LITERALLY AN IMPORTANT PLOT POINT THAT THEY WERE IN A CLOSED OFF ROOM. HOW DO FUCK SHIT UP THAT BADLY. what also really fucking pissed me off is that they removed coopers iconic pen moment. anyway to sum up: THEY FUCKED UP 3 REALLY FUCKING IMPORTANT PLOT POINTS IN THE FIRST 10 MINUTES. i dont even like this book but this serie got me defending it like a feral raccoon

[2andahalfcatastrophes]

11, 12, 20, 23, 24, 28, 35, 38, 43, 62, 77, 78, 96 (I am a menace, I know <3)

you are NOT a menace ily <33 also sorry this is super late, i had to stop and make pasta lol

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day?

honestly this varies a ton bc sometimes i forget to eat breakfast, but mostly either some fruit or a toasted english muffin with butter :)

12. name of your favorite playlist?

oooo probably either my 80's playlist which is just called 80's or the giant playlist where i toss all my super high energy songs which is called bangers (i do not have very good playlist names hehe)

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

definitely my laptop! im super used to typing so it goes much faster and i hold pens and pencils incorrectly so writing by hand for too long hurts my lil fingeys :( i love the vibes of writing in a notebook tho!

23. strange habits?

when i was younger i watched spirited away (and most ghibli films) a LOT and there's a scene Chihiro taps the toes of her shoes against the ground after she puts them on. I started doing it too because i thought it was Funky and now i do it without thinking lmao

24. favorite crystal?

oh this question made me BIG think... im really partial to most colors of beryl though, they just have nice vibes :) also some opals are really pretty!

28. five songs to describe you?

i kinda went more for vibes than for subject matter bc thats how i experience music so these are kinda all over the place hehee

Vienna- Billy Joel

The Village In May- Joe Hisaishi

Super Trouper- ABBA

Make Me Feel- Janelle Monáe

Wild Young Hearts- Noisettes

35. average time you fall asleep?

I have an Old Person sleep schedule so usually i fall asleep around 10 or 10:30 because I am simply Quite Tuckered Out

38. lemonade or tea?

Lemonade, mostly bc i have very specific Tea Preferences and if im out eating somewhere i would feel bad asking for so many specific things lol

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?

Bomber jacket! One of my favorite coats is a massive leather bomber jacket that my dad gave me, its a vintage WWII reproduction and it is SO cozy in the winter

62. seven characters you relate to?

get ready for a THOROUGH tour of my extremely eclectic media tastes lmao

Annie Edison from Community (because i am also Insane about academic achievement)

Hermann Gottlieb from Pacific Rim for the Hectic energy

Hypnos Hadesgame. He sleeby. I am also sleeby.

Sophie from Howl's Moving Castle. I just really feel that one scene of her angrily cleaning the house and also we are both part of the needlecraft gang

Scarlett from Four Weddings and a Funeral just because of the clothes

Anne from Anne of Green Gables. i read that book as a child and i do not remember much but i do remember relating to anne Very Much

I could not think of another character so i asked my friend and she said Flora from Winx Club :)

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

it depends! If that window gets a bunch of light every day, you want something that thrives on a ton of direct light like jade, sargo palms (poisonous to pets!), herbs like sage or rosemary, air plants, snake plants, or many other leggy succulents. Also if you have pets who eat every leafy plant in the house like my absolute MENACE of a cat then succulents are probably better :)

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

definitely gas station coffee, mostly bc i do NOT trust grocery store sushi even a little

96. desktop background?

A screenshot of the main street of the spirit town from spirited away :)

[robotnik-mun]

So, what happens when I decide to throw caution to the wind and mash together as many fucking Sonic Continuities as I possibly can? You get a big ass tangle of a family tree that needs to be split up into five separate images, that’s what. 

It’s ugly, it’s unpolished, and I made it on a whim. Because the mental image wouldn’t leave me. And because I actually started developing this godforsaken nightmare of a family tree, born of merged continuities, headcanons, and sleep deprivation. 

Now keep in mind that this thing is pure crack- it implies a world where Sonic eventually collapses from exhaustion of having to fight TWO Robotniks. It’s a mish mash of what-if’s, continuity mergers and personal ideas glued together. And I wanna stress it has nothing to directly do with my current setting- this is just like, The Path of Insanity. 

Anyway, yeah. Against my better judgement I made notes for this insanity. Also, you may notice pictures of characters from other franchises being used as portraits for various characters. Those are basically faceclaims of sorts, meant as abstract representations rather than the literal idea of what they looked like... since, honestly, even I’M not cruel enough to inflict my ‘art’ on you. 

Anyway, let’s get the ball rolling- 

“Robotnikhotep”

-Robotnik Ancestor in ‘Mobigypt’. Was probably some big important muckity-muck.

“Julius Robotnikus”

-Probably Mobius’ answer to Caligula. His family eventually fell out of power and was forced to re-settle in what would eventually become Overland. 

Ivo Kintobor

-Yeah, that whole ‘House of Ivo’ thing? This is the guy responsible. Most likely a douchenozzle, as there is a high concentration of that in the bloodline. Basically a minor warlord who unified a bunch of clans to form his own Kingdom, that was subsequently absorbed into Overland during the unification. 

Brutus Kintobor

-Oh wow, a SKINNY Robotnik/Kintobor. This douche canoe attempted to conquer Angel Island for the Overland, but failed miserably. Sent back home in disgrace, a failure.

Gerald Robotnik

- Originally born Gerald Kintobor of the House of Ivo in Overland. He was more interested in science than politics, and after completing college he left that mess behind and immigrated to the United Federation. He changed his name to signify the break from his family history. 

-Explored Angel Island in his youth, where he learned about Chaos Emeralds and the like from the various ruins there. He was even friends with then-guardian Janelle-Li. 

-Started up Robotnik CORPS. He founded it as a way to disseminate his technology to the people of the UF and earn money to fund more experiments. 

-You know the rest. The ARK, Maria, NIDS, Black Doom, Shadow, yadda-yadda-yadda. 

Olga Robotnik

-Gerald’s wife. Duh. 

-She met him while he lived in a spare room her father was renting out. She’d collect his rent. They grew close and eventually had kids and started a family. 

-The shit this poor woman endured is amazing, but she managed to remain unbroken by it, and tried to remain close to her surviving grandchildren. 

Grigory Robotnik

- The first son of Gerald. He wasn’t a genius, but he pursued a career in academics and became a doctor of physics. He had two children, Warren and Maria.

-After the ARK incident he became paranoid and accused the government of covering up what really happened. The obsession to uncover the truth destroyed his physical and mental health, and he died a shunned outcast ranting on pirated radio stations about various conspiracies. 

-Died in a halfway house, but he managed to get ahold of Gerald’s diary before biting it. While he never got to use it to bring down GUN, it still paved the way for Eggman’s eventual use. 

Amelia Robotnik 

-Maria’s mother. After the ARK incident and the supposed death of her children, she fell into a deep depression and eventually committed suicide. In case you haven’t noticed, the story of the Robotnik family is depressing as fuck. 

Warren Robotnik, ‘Warpnik’ 

-Maria’s brother. What a tweest! 

-He was with her on the ARK, and demonstrated a similar scientific gift to his grandfather. He wasn’t close to Shadow the way Maria was. 

-When the ARK was raided, he was captured and subjected to brainwashing treatments by GUN in the hopes of turning him into a loyal, in-house mad scientist. All it did was make him batshit crazy. 

-He escaped some time during the Great War, and is now loose in Mobius, a lunatic geneticist fixated on continuing his grandfather’s ‘great work’... or at least his own warped perception of it. 

Maria Robotnik 

-You know her. You love her. Her life is a tragedy. She’s Maria! Nuff said. Years later, and she still weighs heavily on Shadow. 

Ivo Kintobor

-And here is where things get a bit confusing! Ivo was born ‘Ivo Robotnik’, the second son of Gerald. Long story short, he was a douche more interested in politics and profit, and as such did not get along with his father, who bequeathed the family company to his younger brother. 

-Despite this, Ivo SOMEHOW managed to reproduce. And when the ARK incident happened, he bought the government line hook line and sinker. He changed the family name back to Kintobor and moved everyone back to Overland to start anew. 

-He’s like 50% responsible for Julian winding up the way he did. 

-And yes- he DOES want to bulldoze the puppy orphanage to create a combination oil rig/toxic waste dump. 

-Was murdered by Julian, who disguised it as an accident. 

Lydia Kintobor

-ICE BABY ICE. 

-Julian and Colin’s mom. 

-She 100% supported her husband’s douchery, and was an active participant in tormenting her secondborn son in the hopes of ‘breaking’ him out of being a genius. 

-Killed in the same ‘accident’ that took her husband’s life. 

Colin Kintobor Sr. 

-Born in the United Federation, but moved to the Overland as a child and grew up there. 

-Major league Nationalist and Human Supremacist. Prick. 

-Hated Julian basically forever and was encouraged by his parents to do so. He became their ‘golden child’ and was pushed to succeed at everything. 

-Pursued a career in politics, law, and the military, and eventually served as a general in the Great War. 

-Was eventually murdered by his own brother

Miriam Kintobor 

-Colin’s first wife, via arranged marriage. 

-She was pretty much his opposite, yet despite that fact the two came to genuinely love one another. 

-Died giving birth to their son. Have I mentioned the Kintobor/Robotnik family history is a trainwreck yet? 

Angela Kintobor

-The second wife of Colin. She probably met him while serving as a military functionary during the Great War. She is also the mother of Hope Kintobor. 

-Other than that, I got nothin’. She likely died when Hope was young, by way of Swatbot invasion. Seriously, do NOT become a Kintobor Love Interest. 

Colin “Snively” Kintobor Jr. 

-You know him, you hate him! It’s the Snivster, bay-bee! 

-His mother died giving birth to him. His dad blamed him for this. You can guess the rest. 

-You know most of the story- crappy childhood, admired his uncle Julian, helped him take over the Kingdom of Acorn, spent a decade as his punching bag, etc etc. 

-After seemingly offing Julian during Endgame, he briefly took over the Robotnik Empire.... and promptly lost it to Naugus, forcing him to flee for his life. In exchange for information about Robotropolis’ defenses, King Acorn spared his life but sentenced him to be imprisoned forever.

-Was busted out by a returned Julian so that his uncle would be able to properly ‘thank’ him for losing his empire. Helped the FFs to escape Robotnik’s revenge, and after spending time bumming around with them (and hating it) decided to throw in his lot with Crazy Uncle Ivo. 

-He’s regretted it ever since... though he sticks with him because its either Ivo or Julian, and Julian will ensure his death is cruel, messy, and lingers for years to come. 

Hope Kintobor 

-The second child of Colin Kintobor. She was born during the later years of the Great War and spent much of her early life living in siege conditions as Overland tried and failed to stop the advancement of Robotnik. 

-Eventually she witnessed the death of her father and remaining family at the hands of Robotnik before being saved by Sonic. She had an extended stay in Knothole afterwards, where she slowly learned that much of her people’s views of Mobians was innacurate. 

-She eventually moved to the United Federation as a ward of GUN, serving as the technology expert for Team Dark. She is close to all of them. 

-Seeks to redeem the name of her family so that it’s legacy won’t be one of bloodshed, conquest and madness. She’s got a waaaays to go, to put it mildlry. 

-Despite everything she still cares about her awful, awful half-brother. 

Dr. Julian Robotnik 

-Had a REALLY goddamned crappy....well, life, basically. Take my word for it. 

-Has basically murdered his entire immediate family by this point. 

-Prior to the Great War he aided the Overlander Ministry of Conflict in toppling the legitimate government of the Kingdom of Amunopolis (Aleena’s Kingdom), forcing it’s royal family to flee to the Kingdom of Acorn and re-settle under new identities, with crown princess becoming ‘Bernadette Hedgehog’. That’s right- he’s indirectly responsible for Sonic existing. 

-Blah blah blah evil experiments blah blah war crimes blah blah sentenced to be executed by Overlander government during the Great War and blah blah blah coup.

-Took over a large swathe of Mobius and expanded to conquer more, and for a time seemed like he might conquer the entire planet. The Robotnik Empire is.... not a fun place. Then or now.

-Then Sonic and the FF’s happened. Then Endgame happened, and he was... indisposed for a while, leading to his empire being diminished. While he has returned, he has suffered numerous setbacks since then, and the Robotnik Empire is now greatly diminished from its peak. 

-That being said, he still rules a pretty big part of the planet, and is still the biggest danger to the world at present.

-Hates his cousin Ivo.

-REALLY goddamn hates That Hedgehog. 

Laura Kintobor 

-That’s Doctor Laura Kintobor (nee Ellison) to you, buster. 

-She and Julian both worked as scientists with Overland’s science ministry, where they met and befriended one another. She eventually managed to coax Julian out of his shell, and their friendship bloomed into a romance, which led to the two marrying. 

-She worked in the organic sciences division and was an expert on biology and zoology. In contrast to most scientists, she was very much an outdoorswoman. Even managed to convince Julian to partake. 

-Much like her unfortunate sister-in-law, she died in childbirth... giving birth to a stillborn daughter. 

-Yeah, this shit is grim. 

Theodore Robotnik

-Third son of Gerald. Blatantly named in reference to Theodore Roosevelt, who was used as a visual reference for Eggman.

-Basically a professional beancounter who later inherited Robotnik CORPS. He chose to stick with his original name even after the ARK incident, and struggled to keep Robotnik CORPS afloat in the immediate aftermath of the incident. 

-Set up a trust fund for his son Ivo, and tried his best to raise him to be a contributing member of society. 

-Sufficed to say, that didn’t work. If he’s still alive, he has a REALLY tense relationship with his son. 

-Named his son after his older brother as a passive-aggressive act of spite for abandoning the ‘Robotnik’ name. 

Dolores Robotnik 

-Mother of Ivo. She was a professor of chemistry who decided to put her career on hold in order to be homemaker. 

-Was much closer to her son than Theodore was, and often wound up having to play peacemaker between the two. ESPECIALLY during Ivo’s tumultous teenage years. 

-Sufficed to say she is not exactly pleased with how he turned out, assuming she’s still alive even. 

Dr. Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik

-HE IS THE EGGMAN. HE’S GOT THE MASTER PLAN! Really, do you NEED to know any more? 

-Well, okay, you do. He was born very shortly before the ARK incident and never knew his grandfather. 

-His childhood wasn’t horrible, but it was rough in areas due to his high intelligence making things more difficult for him than they should of be. Loads of disagreements with his dad over pursuing science. Spent years plagued by the derogatory name of ‘Eggman’ due to his weight problems. 

-You know how you fantasize about ruling the world as a kid? He never really left that stage of things. 

-He initially worked as a research scientist in the fields of AI and energy. During the Great War he was approached by GUN to develop weapons for them. His research would go on to form the basis of the robotic soldiers later used by them in the Robotnik war. 

-Began his plot to take over Mobius during his time there, and secretly began to appropriate resources and machines to build a hidden base on the distant South Island. Eventually his schemes were discovered by GUN, but he fled. 

-While his cousin conquered portions of Mobius elsewhere, Eggman began his long term Death Egg scheme as a means of conquering Mobius in one fell swoop with the aid of the Chaos Emeralds. 

-You can guess how it goes from here- he encounters Sonic on South Island and in the Scrap Brain Zone and is defeated, thus setting the tone for MANY other defeats in the future. He eventually took on the name ‘Dr. Eggman’ as a way to differentiate himself from his cousin, and to make the insult that dogged his life into a name to be feared ala ‘Penguin’. 

-When his cousin Julian was seemingly killed and the Robotnik Empire in dissarray, Eggman started new bids to take over the world. He established the Metropolis Zone as his ‘capital city’ and founded the Egg Army to help supplement his Badnik Horde. The Eggman Empire now exists as a terrorist army at the beck and call of Dr. Eggman, though he’s still got a ways to go. 

-Has four sons by three different women. Slut. 

???

-Haven’t got a name for her yet. She was a random girl that a college age Ivo knocked up, which putty much put an end to her collegiate ambitions. She gave birth to two sons, one of whom she bitterly named ‘Ivan’ as a reminder of his origins after failing to get child support out of her babydaddy. She re-married and is currently leading a comfortable enough life. Humors her son because she knows it annoys his biological father. 

Ivan Eggman

-The oldest of Eggman’s sons. In his mid 30s or so. Scientifically gifted, as his father was. 

-Has numerous, numerous issues pertaining to his stepfather, a hard and strict man with little toleration for nonsense.

-Idolizes his biological father and desperately wants to be acknowledged by him, even changing his original surname to ‘Eggman’. Eggman the 1st was NOT amused. 

-Eventually founded a company, Eggman Industries, and grew rich rapidly. Settled by the Bygone Islands where he pursues life as a ‘villain’ now, though really he’s more like a public nuisance than anything. 

-Honestly he’s basically living a ‘second childhood’ of sorts using his scientific know-how and riches, and has vowed to one day impress his father and earn his acknowledgement. As you can imagine, it is.... not working out at all, given that he’s even more of a goober than his pop. 

-Ironically, he isn’t naturally bald- he SHAVES his head. 

Steve  

-Yeah, he ain’t a robot here- Steve is the organic, younger (by about a minute) twin brother of Ivan. 

-Utterly unconcerned with science or any of that jazz. He’s basically a bohemian beach bum, complete with californian accent- he spends much of his time surfing and earning cash from side jobs. 

-Really mellow and easy-going, and doesn’t really dwell on stuff. 

-Utter himbo. 

Mrs. Robotnik 

- Ex-Wife of Ivo Robotnik. Haven’t given it too much thought, but she and Ivo met while working in acadamia, and eventually married. 

-Initially the relationship was pretty solid, and they even had a child together. However things swiftly deteriorated between the two as Ivo’s immaturity and increasing anger at the world strained their relationship, along with him being a lousy parent to their son. She eventually divorced his ass. 

-After going through a rough patch with her son, she has begun to re-connect with him after his years a delinquent, and now happily supports his endeavors. 

Ivo Robotnik Jr. 

-Middle son of Dr. Eggman. Had a nonexistant relationship with his father while growing up, which combined with the divorce eventually turned him into a juvenile delinquent. 

-He roamed with a biker gang for a while, and prefers to be called ‘Junior’ rather than ‘Ivo’. 

-Fell in with Breezie for a while, the both of them unaware of the other’s connection to Eggman. They eventually went their separate ways once Junior began to turn over a new leaf. He still carries a torch for her, though is painfully aware it’d never work out. Their relationship is... complicated, these days.

-Has since become a software security engineer, making a living providing Anti-Eggman/Robotnik software to companies. 

Lindsey Thorndyke

-A famed actress. She and Ivo had a drunken tryst at a wrap party where he’d been invited to act as a consultant on scientific accuracy. To avoid scandal she informed her husband, and they passed off the baby as their own. 

-What more do you want. Its LINDSEY. 

Chris Thorndyke 

-The youngest son of Ivo Robotnik. Spent much of his life completely unaware of his true parentage. 

-Eh, what can I say, I kind like the theory of him actually being a Robotnik in some capacity or the next. 

-When he was a boy, he befriended Sonic and his friends and even hosted them during the days when Eggman’s schemes for global conquest caused him to haunt Station Square for a while. 

-Admired his grandfather Chuck and pursued science to be like him, studying physics and engineering. 

-Thanks to his mom he’s something of a film buff. 

-In college he learned the truth of his heritage. This has put a strain on his relationship with his parents.

Francis Kintobor 

-The youngest of Gerald’s sons. Pursued a career as a schoolteacher. While he changed his name in the aftermath of the ARK incident as his older brother Ivo had, he chose to make a small joke at his brother’s expense over the ludicrousness of the name change by naming his own son ‘Ovi Kintobor’. 

-Named after Francis Mao, aka That Guy Who Made That One Comic Adaptation From 1991. 

Elizabeth Kintobor

-Dr. Ovi Kintobor’s mother. A career veterinarian with a strong love of animals. That’s about it. 

Ovi Kintobor 

- Grew up on Westside Island, among Mobians. Had a pretty happy and contented childhood, and like many of the other various members of the Kintobor/Robotnik clan developed a pronounced interest and skill in science at a young age. 

-Developed a particular interest in researching Chaos Emeralds.

-A Concientious Objector, he served as a medic during the Great War.

-Deeply, deeply shamed by the actions of his more notorious cousins, he has essentially hidden himself from the world to pursue his research and evade their notice, while helping against them in whatever way he can. 

-Has secretly transported people threatened by his cousins to safer places, and once caused a mass sabotage of their respective robotic forces through the ‘Nicenik Virus’. 

-An ally of the Freedom Fighters. 

-Deeply distrusts GUN (which frankly isn’t a bad call).

-Bit of a hippy, but really is a genuinely nice guy who wants to help others through science. 

-In some villages he is known as ‘Mr. Tinker’. 

[blufox3542]

Insane TAZ Amnesty Theory

Aubrey IS Sylvain

Ok so kinda far fetched at first but I do have some evidence for this.

Based on the information we have, I think that when Sylvain was attacked, it’s spirit was caught in one shard: the flamebright pendant. When passed down, the pendant slowly seeped power into the family, then eventually Sylvain’s soul was transferred into a newly conceived Aubrey.

Evidence:

When Aubrey tries to save Deputy Dewey (Episode 24), she is confronted by the magic, which is described to look almost exactly like her. In episode 25, Janelle suggests she was directly speaking to Sylvain.

In episodes 16 and 28, Aubrey is able to bring life into the planet of Sylvain by touching the crystal, but at the cost of nearly dying. It’s possible this is her soul trying to go into the crystal. This is further is evidenced by the fact that Aubrey felt a strong connection to the crystal in episode 9.

Alexandra, the interpreter, is said to be able to communicate with Sylvain. Communication often goes both ways, with information going to both sides. This explains why in episode 16 Aubrey was able to hear her true thoughts, and why in episode 19 she was able to remember one of Alexandra’s memories.

Support:

Aubrey is able to easily use magic. In episode 16, she states that it’s like second nature to her, or a reflex. Meanwhile, the residents of Sylvain still need to put years of work and effort into casting spells.

In episode 19, the Quel speaks through the microphone calmly. In episode 30, we learn there was an emotional connection between the Quel and Sylvain, meaning it likely sensed the energy of Sylvain, calming it down.

Aubrey has a love and care for Sylvain and its residents; willing to do anything to help the Sylphs.

Problems:

The flamebright pendant was in the family of generations, and it doesn’t make much sense why it wasn’t reborn into someone else in the family.

The theory is pretty far fetched.

If you have anything to add or any of your own theories, please share! I really don’t care if this is right, I just love the story so far and hope its finally is as fantastic as the balance arc. 

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Oscar Predictions 2019: Pre-Fall Festivals

oh shiiiiiiiiit

So I usually post my first predictions of the year around August, and I was actually curious as to what my success rate has been, because at this point, everything is conjecture. So just real quick, for whoever cares:

August 2018: 6/8 in Best Picture (missed Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody, LMAO); 4/5 in Director (missed Pawlikowski); 14/20 in acting categories -- so surprisingly not bad!

September 2017: 7/9 in Best Picture (missed Lady Bird and Phantom Thread); 2/5 in Director (missed Gerwig, Peele, and Anderson); 12/20 in acting categories 

July 2016: 5/9 in Best Picture (missed Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, and Lion); 2/5 in Director (missed Jenkins, Lonergan, and Gibson); 8/20 (WHOOO) in acting categories -- this year was rough, clearly.

August 2015: 1/9 in Best Picture (Jesus Christ, I literally only had The Revenant); 1/5 in Director (missed everyone but Iñarritu); 8/20 in acting categories -- BRUTAL

So chances are, most of these will be a bit wrong. But it’s still fun to try!

* All nominees listed in alphabetical order, NOT in order of likelihood *

BEST PICTURE 01. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  02. The Farewell 03. Harriet  04. The Irishman  05. Jojo Rabbit  06. Little Women  07. Marriage Story  08. 1917  09. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  10. Parasite 

I know, I know, ten nominees never happen in Best Picture anymore, but truthfully, I can’t decide what movies to drop. Harriet and Beautiful Day feel like they’re in similar boats, in that they’ll probably make good money (at worst) and get good-not-great reviews (at best) and could potentially make a play for an acting winner (Erivo and Hanks, respectively). The Farewell could end up being A24′s easiest push this year, especially since reviews are glowing and it’s doing really well commercially (and the narrative of being the first ever Best Picture nominee directed by an Asian-American woman is pretty strong). Little Women could be the #MovieEvent of the holiday season. Parasite is a wildcard, but I’m banking on Hollywood’s deep love for Bong Joon-ho (which is very real) and the film’s absolutely insane word-of-mouth potential. 

As for a winner: maybe Marriage Story? It seems like Netflix is gonna go all in on it this year, and both of its leads are potential winners in their categories. Maybe we have our first Big 5 winner since Silence of the Lambs. 

BEST DIRECTOR 01. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story  02. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite  03. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman  04. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Lulu Wang, The Farewell 

Kind of going all-in on The Farewell and Parasite here, only because the next two contenders I can see breaking in are films that I’m not entirely sure about: Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi) and 1917 (Sam Mendes). Waititi has never had a film in the Oscar race before, but this could absolutely be his ticket, and considering he’s Fox Searchlight’s main priority, that bodes well. I’m not sure about if Mendes will feel like Dunkirk redux, but word on the street is that the direction is super flashy and made to look like one shot. 

Wang and Bong are, again, wildcards. Not certain Tarantino will last until awards season. Scorsese and Baumbach are only out if the movies are absolute bombs. 

BEST ACTRESS 01. Awkwafina, The Farewell 02. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet  03. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story  04. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women  05. Renée Zellweger, Judy 

Weird year for this category! I can absolutely see a scenario in which Erivo sweeps, but if Marriage Story takes off (and especially if Harriet ends up being an acting-only movie), I wouldn’t count out ScarJo. Not sure anymore about Awkwafina contending for the win. Ronan should be filler. Zellweger gets a “welcome back!” nomination for a movie with a yellow Metacritic score. 

BEST ACTOR 01. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory  02. Robert De Niro, The Irishman  03. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  04. Adam Driver, Marriage Story  05. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker 

Yeah, I have no idea what to do about Joker. I personally don’t care about it right now, but it seems unwise to write it off. Banderas is a bit of wishful thinking, mostly because he’s never been nominated before and I’d love to have another Almodóvar movie at the Oscars, in whatever capacity. No clue who wins this thing -- Driver if Marriage Story is the real deal?

Next in line: Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 01. Laura Dern, Marriage Story  02. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit  03. Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  04. Meryl Streep, The Laundromat  05. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell 

Alright, I know Zhao isn’t gonna happen, but this category is weird right now, so let a fella dream! Really not sure what to do about Streep or The Laundromat, but it’s generally a bad idea to count her out when she has a movie in eligibility. If Erivo wins in leading, Johansson could win here, especially if Jojo takes off as a top BP contender. 

Next in line: like?? Florence Pugh, Little Women; Octavia Spencer, Luce; Annette Bening, The Report; Janelle Monaé, Harriet; Anna Paquin, The Irishman ????? I have no idea, lmao. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 01. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse  02. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  03. Al Pacino, The Irishman  04. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit 

I don’t expect the Academy across the board to embrace The Lighthouse, but Dafoe has spent the last two years being the only nominee from his movies (and last year was a pretty big surprise), so I kind of see a scenario where he could actually end up winning, especially if Hanks gets snubbed (again) and Hollywood loses steam. I’m not gonna bet on that though, lol. 

And just for fun:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 01. The Farewell  02. The Lighthouse  03. Marriage Story  04. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Parasite 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPALY  01. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  02. The Irishman  03. Jojo Rabbit  04. The Laundromat  05. Little Women 

[ghosty-schnibibit]

WE’RE ALMOST AT THE END FOLKS!!! 

gonna try and get this out before one a.m tomorrow lol. just now looking at the timecode and realizing this is the longest ep since the one where ned died, i am immediately worried, here we go!

"the penultimate episode" holy shit

aubrey ilu my silly baby

"you would be the street" janelle ilu

she sounds just like angus i cry

vincent wtf my dude

“planets don't have hair!!!” does grass count as hair?

thank you duck lmao

arlo you are way too into this

sometimes i forget duck is in his late thirties, moments like that really throw it back into focus

i need art of thacker flossing right now

griffin your music

this is so creepy holy shit

wait what the fuck?????

BIRDS?

what is this junji ito shit

griffin is really amazing at writing really scary shit, i would pay to see the kind of horror movie he would direct tbh

damn, we're getting into late game magnus levels of damage here

THACKER WHAT THE FUCK

griffin my heart cannot take this

nice! go clint :D

GO DUCK! MY BOY!!! :DDD

s w o r d m a n

vincent my sweet scaredy boy, ilu so much

gotta love those good good finale rolls

idk what the story consequences of that are but i love what it does for duck's character, vis a vis him embracing his destiny

god this is so fucking creepy

YAY HEATHCLIFF!

so that post about heathcliff just like... living in hell while the quell was doing its thing wasn't too fuckin far off then huh

juno divine kiss me challenge

GOD DAMN THIS IS SO COOL

HOLLIS MY BABY :D

LEO NO D:

AWW MINERVA :'(

well this sounds super pretty :o

i love these little moments where it's just all in character bickering

loving getting all this backstory

SO THIS IS HOW HE WAS MAKING MAGIC ITEMS

she's so cute and i lover her

duck what the fuck are you even talking about my guy

hi magic, it's ya girl aubrey

oh damn this is weird as hell

she doesn't know what a cannon is

SHE WAS IN THE PENDANT

this is so beautiful, damn

FINALE ROOOOOLLS

THIS MUSIC IS KILLING ME GRIFFIN

duck holy shit i love you so much

"beacon, get him" i love this

DEAR SWORD JESUS

i'm getting some sick ass atlantis vibes here and i love it

jesus fuck thacker. mood, but wtf

aww janelle :')

oh damn that is very quick turnaround!!!

take your time griffin ilu

this is music some nintendo final boss territory and holy shit i love it

well that's not great :T

JESUS FUCK THIS IS TERRIFYING

welp, i'm absolutely horrifying

THAT’S NOT GREAT

wait what the fuck was that underneath it talking??? i swear i heard something that sounded like "help save"

oh boy aubrey i hope this succeeds

it misses her

is this how you’re gonna pull this out justin, is this turning into a dick turpin situation here

OH NO, OH NO, THIS IS SO VERY BAD

"oooh, that's a good point"

GO THACKER!!! :D

okay but how did he help her tho?

3 borat

OH NO THIS IS BAD, THIS IS SO BAD, HOLY SHIT

OH NOT THIS MUSIC AGAIN

AND THERE'S NED AND I’M LITERALLY CRYING

thacker what the fuck :|||

aww baby :'(

s p a c e  d r a c u l a

JESUS THESE ROLLS ARE INSANE

duck you absolute dipshit i love you

i love this so much oh my god

travis you are destroying me right now

HOLY FUCK AUBREY

this music is just so amazing

damn

so she's speaking for sylvain then, cool

jesus aubrey i love you

god damn this is killing me

aww thacker :’)

duck my sweet baby boy

jesus there's still like thirteen minutes left to this episode, how the hell is this going to end in a way that sets up another episode

oh my baby

STERN WTF

so all the exiled sylphs can go home now? nice!!!

i love these girls so much

aubrey i love you so much holy shit

i cannot wait to see all the danbry content that comes out of this

bless you duck my sweet boy

aww duck :')))

... fuck. fuck fuck FUCK, the abominations weren't from the quell, the weird plane with the monsters wasn't linked to the quell at all, FUUUCK

OH NO, OH THE MUSIC, OH NO

NOT THE SHIFTER MUSIC NO NO NO

YES BURN THAT LUCK RIGHT NOW

THIS IS HIS VISION FROM FLASHBACK IN THE WATER ARC

IS EVERYONE JUST DEAD NOW??? PLEASE FUCKING TELL ME THIS IS A VISION

... ARE THEY ALL GOING TO BE STUCK IN SYLVAIN NOW???

OH HOLY SHIT

"you guys ever try c4?" HOLY SHIT DUCK

JUSTIN THESE ARE THE BEST LINES, DAMN MY BOY

HIS NAME IS WAYNE

HOLY SHIT THAT WAS A LOT, HOLY SHIT

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Gatsby! you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Lucius Malfoy

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Reading over your audition was truly a pleasure! You brought him alive for us, and personally there were a few places that you had me falling in love with your portrayal of him. I can’t wait to see what you bring to the dash, and more importantly what having Lucius around is going to be like!

*your faceclaim change to Boyd Holbrook has been accepted

application beneath the cut 

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Name: Gatsby

Age: 24

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Time Zone: EST

ACTIVITY

I am a senior paralegal so, needless to say, sometimes I do become busy. However, I should be able to log on in the evenings unless I have something going on. On weekends, I will be particularly active. I like to write and I like to roleplay. I expect that, provided the roleplay wants me here, I will be able to meet the expectations you have set forth.

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

The tags.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Oh dear, that’s difficult. I suppose I identify most with someone like Sirius: Not quite what your family would expect of you, but content with that. A bit dodgy when it comes to your decision-making skills in social situations, opinionated, but with a heart in the right place.

That being said… I have never actually played Sirius… I prefer Death Eaters.

ANYTHING ELSE?

None.

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Lucius Abraxas Malfoy - I believe, per the naming patterns of the Malfoy men, that the middle name is traditionally the father’s first name. Draco Lucius Malfoy, meaning Lucius would be Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, and Abraxas would be Abraxas Brutus Malfoy.

BIRTHDAY / STAR SIGN

May 16th, 1954 - This puts Lucius pretty firmly in the Taurus range. I particularly like this for the following quote:

“Unlike the Aries love of the game, the typical Taurus personality lovesthe rewards of the game. Think physical pleasures and material goods, for those born under this sign revel in delicious excess. This zodiac sign is also tactile, enjoying a tender, even sensual, touch.”

OCCUPATION

Lucius works for the Ministry. I know this isn’t explicitly stated in the books, but I think it’s fitting. I imagine that his father, Abraxas, probably pulled strings to get him accepted with relative ease rather than letting his son toil for it. I headcanon him as working for the Department of International Magical Cooperation– specifically in the International Magical Office of Law. He is so politik, and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he was some derivative of magical attorney. He knows what can and cannot be said, he’s calculated, and he is very good at getting out of things. He’d thrive in a law office. Additionally, on the international level, he’d be an asset to Voldemort because he can affect the influences leaving Great Britain as well as at home.

FACE CLAIM

I am fine with Sam Claflin, but I tend to use Boyd Holbrook or Jamie Dornan. My preference would be one of the latter, particularly because I think Sam looks a little too boyish alongside Elizabeth Olsen, but if you disagree, that’s fine!

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

I actually have always liked the Malfoys best in Harry Potter. Normally, I’m a Narcissa player, but in playing her I have come to understand the sorts of things I like out of a good Lucius versus a mediocre one.

He’s a character of subtlety, for sure. A lot of the pureblood way of life reads old-fashioned to me. I think that Lucius would understand the expectations placed upon him and would absolutely try to uphold those values, but he would also have reveled in the gifts he was born with. So he would know how to act in front of old-fashioned types, but I think he is also deeply in tune with the world around him. He’s stylish, observant, and calculating. There are very few people that can come between his goals/ambitions and whatever means necessary to achieve those things. I don’t tend to play a Lucius who is particularly nice to people who don’t matter to him, either. While he knows how to people-please and has no trouble groveling when it is the most beneficial course of action, he has pride to a fault. He wouldn’t pander to the Weasleys of the world unless he had something to gain.

Lucius has a way with words, he’s charismatic, he’s flirtatious, and he’s not afraid to get what he wants no matter who he has to step on.

That being said, I don’t accept the interpretation that Lucius would ever abuse Narcissa or the people close to him. He can be an asshole (he’s a Death Eater, after all), but rule number one in becoming an overlord is never turn against your queen or your inner circle. He would not risk his comfort among those with whom he shares status for much.

However, he is deeply principled. Lucius supports the Cause, and he believes in blood purity. His family is Pureblood back to its roots, and that means something. However, he also doesn’t particularly love getting his hands dirty. He’ll kill who he must and wreak havoc where it is asked of him by the Dark Lord, but he lacks the same sadistic streak that some of the others have. He wants to reap the benefits of being a Death Eater, but he doesn’t get off on the chaos.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

Preferred Ships: Lucissa is my OTP, but I’ll entertain anything with chemistry

Sexuality: Pretty stalwartly heterosexual, but I can see him possibly using someone else’s attraction to him to his advantage regardless of gender.

Gender and Pronouns: Male, He/Him/His

Lucius has never been shy about sex. He likes sex, he can and has used sex in the past to forward himself, etc. However, he does have decorum, so even his closest friends wouldn’t know much about his and Narcissa’s sex life–she matters to him, after all. Thus, he would respect their privacy. In school, Lucius likely had several lovers: he’s attractive, charismatic, and manipulative. I doubt he had a hard time getting women to want to sleep with him. He is not unfaithful to Narcissa, however, and left the days of many partners behind him when they were engaged.

He’s definitely distinctly dominant in the bedroom, though. He’s controlling about a lot of things in his life. I don’t think that would change behind closed doors.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER

-A MOODBOARD: http://www.gomoodboard.com/boards/LomwbpC5/share  (hopefully you can see that!)

-A PLAYLIST:

Undisclosed Desires - Muse | “Soothing/I’ll make you feel pure/Trust me/You can be sure”

Sympathy For the Devil - Rolling Stones | “Please allow me/to introduce myself/I am a man of wealth and taste”

Sinister Kid - The Black Keys | “And that’s me/that’s me/ the boy with the broken halo/ that’s me/ the Devil won’t let me be”

NFWMB - Hozier | “Ain’t it warmin’ you, the world goin’ up in flames?/ Ain’t it the life where  you’re lightin’ off the blaze?/ Ain’t it a waste it watch the throwing of the shade”

Fame - David Bowie | “Fame makes a man take things over/Fame lets him loose, hard to swallow/Fame puts you there where things are hollow (fame)/Fame, t’s not your brain, it’s just the flame/That burns your change to keep you insane"

Make Me Feel - Janelle Monae | “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender/An emotional, sexual bender/Mess me up, yeah, but no one does it better/There’s nothin’ better”

Gorgeous - Kanye West | “Not for nothing I’ve foreseen it, I’ve dreamed it/I can feel it slowly drifting away from me/No more chances if you blow this, you bogus/I will never ever let you live this down, down, down"

All These Things That I’ve Done - The Killers | "Another head aches, another heart breaks/I am so much older than I can take/And my affection, well it comes and goes/I need direction to perfection, no no no no"

-A FEW HEADCANONS

Lucius’ mother died when he was in fifth year. His father cared very much for her, and Lucius himself definitely was a mama’s boy until he had to learn to get on without her. He doesn’t talk about her much

When his parents went into talks for the betrothal, he thought that he was going to be saddled with Andromeda. Narcissa was a welcome surprise.

A good portion of his family is French. He spent many summers in France growing up on the vineyard his grandfather owns. He speaks French fluently.

He is a wine connoisseur. Lucius loves wine and can tell you a great deal about it.

When he killed his first Muggle, he had to resist the urge to throw up. He didn’t, but he had never had to do something so visceral before.

-A FEW POTENTIAL PLOT POINTS / CONNECTIONS

Lucius chafing under the more visceral aspects of being a Death Eater would probably attract attention of the others. For a man whose status is the most important thing to him, navigating his justification for any reticence might be fun!

I see Lucius and Severus being close friends–he is the one who brought Severus into the fold, after all. So, assuming the RP’s Severus is interested in that, I think commiseration about their places in the Death Eaters would be nice.

I would love to talk with your Narcissa about why they only have one child. Did she have trouble getting pregnant? Did they only want one? I think there’s a lot to possibly explore there.

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

“Normally, I might leave such things up to Severus. It seems to be a talent of his, after all.“ He ran a hand over his hair, considering carefully. Most of the magical kit he had was sufficient for his needs. "For myself… Perhaps a spell to render someone more gullible might be interesting. It’s not really that difficult to make people believe what I want, but to not even have to try? That might be helpful.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“At risk of sounding redundant, I would likely choose Severus once more. He’d be familiar with the fauna, and he’s known for his even temper even in stressful situations. As for the item… A lantern seems practical. Lumos can only be active so long before you actually need your wand for more useful things.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

Frowning, he lifted a shoulder. “Those decisions that I know will benefit me in the long-run, but may be difficult to explain to my inner circle at the time of making them. Upsetting Narcissa is always something I try to avoid, but if we will be happier at the end of things, sometimes it’s necessary.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“That I’m inconsequential. Without worth.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

((I had some trouble finding this, but I saw that the last applicant mentioned the Daily Prophet being burned down))

Lucius is very busy trying to deal with the chaos resulting from the Daily Prophet’s temporary upset. After all, there is finding out why it happened and also figuring out how best to explain it away. The Ministry is abuzz with questions. Lucius would be focused on trying to figure out how to benefit himself and the Cause, while also minimizing possible inquiries from other countries as word got out.

WRITING SAMPLE: ((I borrowed Narcissa. Hope that’s okay))

The clock in the hall ticked steadily in the silent manor. The dim light in Lucius’ study was the only disturbance in the otherwise serene darkness as the house slept. However, there was hardly time for much sleeping when one thoughts were otherwise plagued. Of course, there was always the interminable question of "what was next”? Surely there would be some recompense for what had happened at the Daily Prophet. Undoubtedly, the Dark Lord was brewing a solution as he sat pondering.

When it had happened, Lucius had been… otherwise engaged. He recalled the raid he had been on the night before, remembering the mudbloods that had been hiding in the floor of all places in some blood traitor house. Bellatrix, per usual, had been wild at the chance to dole out what she thought was an excellent punishment for the crime. Lucius, for his part, had simply wanted to be done with all of it. Still, it wasn’t particularly simple to put out of one’s mind the scent of burnt flesh. Of course, he knew it was for the cause, and it wasn’t his place to question his orders. But could he be blamed for looking to the future? They were a threat, surely, and very few at the Ministry didn’t know that something was afoot, though most were intelligent enough not to discuss it where people might be listening. And yet he knew that a threat was something hardly concrete. He was working to maintain his birthright, just as all Purebloods were, but Lucius Malfoy longed for the rewards.

Of course, he was a loyal lieutenant–he would have to be a fool not to be. When the Dark Lord said to jump, Lucius responded with a blithe “How high?” When all was said and done, the work now would mean luxury later.

The thought had a scoff leaving him. He was no stranger to luxury as it was. Still, to have luxury and security… that he craved.

“Lucius?” Came a familiar voice from the door.

He looked up from his thoughts, tearing himself away from his rumination as a soft light outlined Narcissa’s golden curls. “I’d thought you were sleeping,” he said to her, pushing to his feet to cross to the doorway.

“I was,” she answered, voice soft so as not to disturb anyone else. “But then you never came up.”

Ever the dutiful husband, he was quick to give her a charming smile. He knew what was expected, and he could hardly have her sitting up staring at him while he said nothing at all. “How inattentive of me,” Lucius responded. “Shall we remedy that, Mrs. Malfoy?”

As she took his arm, he gave a wave of his wand to put out the light that still burned at his desk. Musing could wait–and had to, it seemed.

And yet how many would he need to help kill before all the rest of them bowed as they should?

[bishreview]

Top 10 Albums of 2018 (So Far. . . )

Ok, so I’ve decided I’m not going to do a top 10 singles list just because it’s too hard to cull it down, so I’m finishing albums and then going to write up Odette - To A Stranger review. This list is from albums between January and the end of June, so anything released last week isn’t included. This took me a while to cut to 10 and there’s a couple of albums that were late inclusions from albums I didn’t expect to like so much until last weekend. To be honest, this year has been kinda of average for albums, with most albums being in the B- to B+ range and only a couple reaching into the A’s. At the same time, a lot of the releases which were anticipated for me have still been enjoyable. Anyway, here’s the list.

Honourable Mentions: Camp Cope - How to Socialise and Make Friends (AUS), DZ Deathrays - Bloody Lovely (AUS), Janelle Monae - Dirty Computer (US), Middle Kids - Lost Friends (AUS), Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E (US)

10. Pusha T - Daytona (US)

I’ll be honest when I say I haven’t always been a fan of Pusha T, mainly because I’ve never got into the timbre of his voice. On Daytona though, his flaws (almost) disappear, delivering a short but brilliant album. The touch of Kanye (you’ll be hearing a lot of him on this list) in the production is obvious, with Pusha’s voice being moulded around strong instrumentation. Lyrically is where the album finds its success though, Pusha T. flexing his ability with the pen and delivering those words with confidence. 

Favourite track: ‘If You Know You Know’

9. Gorillaz - The Now Now (UK)

Squeezing just into the cut-off date, the sixth album by cartoon band, Gorillaz, is exactly what the year needed. Relaxed, low-key and contained, especially compared to last years saturated Humanz, The Now Now sees Damon Albarn bring his side-project back under his control, allowing his voice to balance delicately over dreamy synth instrumentals. Although the album does feel a bit like fan service, especially after the complaints surrounding Humanz not having enough 2-D vocals, Albarn is able to utilise his voice to create the bands most soothing album yet. 

Favourite track: ‘Fire Flies’

8. Ocean Alley - Chiaroscuro (AUS)

From when I first listened to Chiaroscuro to now, I can say that the album has grown on me a lot. Ocean Alley have seemed to really layered a lot of brilliant moments on this album, often very subtly. Baden Donegal’s voice is a pleasure to listen to, his development as a lyricist and vocalist fully on show on this release. I was really unsure where Ocean Alley would go last year, ‘The Comedown’ being a track which suggest great but different things were coming up. Chiaroscuro sees them evolve as a band whilst also redefining their dub and reggae influences, becoming on of Australia’s best releases this year. 

Favourite track: ‘Knees’

7. The Presets - Hi Viz (AUS)

And with the filthiest album of the year. . . The Presets seemed to be going in an opposite direction when they released Pacifica back in 2012. After popping up at nearly every festival in Australia since, their return to albums with Hi Viz is nothing short of exciting. And with this album they go completely batshit crazy, and it works. With big choruses, heavy instrumentation and a couple of good features, they release their best album in a decade and return to the top of the Australian dance scene.

Favourite track: ‘Feel Alone’

6. Hockey Dad - Blend Inn (AUS)

Hockey Dad’s rise in the Australian music scene over the last few years has been nothing short of exciting. From their humble beginnings, Blend Inn combines all their influences and builds on what their debut Boronia started. Zach Stephenson’s vocals are crisp and he writes some of the best melodies of his career, whilst their music has become thicker, louder and better. The band fully explores their influences, with shoegaze, grunge, pub-rock, and surf-rock all being on show. Blend Inn suggests they are going to be bigger and better and the product definitely proves this.

Favourite track - ‘Where I Came From’

5. Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth (US)

I’m not too familiar with Kamasi Washington’s work, mainly because I’ve never been a Jazz man. The only album I’ve heard was 2015′s The Epic, which I came too late and was really impressed. Despite this, I am familiar with his collaborations, with Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat and Flying Lotus being among the names I’ve heard him collaborate with. So this is why Heaven & Earth stunned me so much. The two and a half hour, two sided album is just a wondrous piece of music, combining Jazz, Blues, Soul, Funk and Neo music with political undertones. The saxophonist isn’t someone I normally end up listening to, as I said, I’m not a Jazz man. Heaven & Earth though is great and I can’t deny a great album when I hear it. Definitely my biggest and most pleasant musical surprise this year.

Favourite track: ‘Street Fighter Mas’

4. Kanye West - Ye (US)

Ye is the oddball of the Kanye discography. Like all of the other recent G.O.O.D Music, it’s seven tracks, and that both is an advantage and a disadvantage. The disadvantage though is just that it’s so short. It’s advantage is that there is no filler, all seven tracks being at least good. It also has some of Kanye’s best phrasings, especially in tracks like ‘I Thought About Killing You’, ‘Wouldn’t Leave’, and ‘Violent Crimes’. Like all of the recent releases though, the production is where the album succeeds. ‘Ghost Town’ is flawless when it comes to the instrumental and all throughout the album, it’s hard to go past how good the mixing and instrumentals are. It may not be Kanye’s best, but it continues the consistency of his discography.

Favourite track: ‘Ghost Town’

3. DMA’s - For Now (AUS)

It was always going to be hard to top Hill’s End, DMA’s brilliant 2016 debut. The singles weren’t spectacular and a sophomore slump wouldn’t have been too surprising. For Now exceeded all expectations though. With a more 80s feel to it, the three piece have crafted another solid, Brit-pop inspired release. The instrumentals are thicker, with synths added to a few tracks, and the vocals and lyrics have improved, Tommy O’Dell really letting his voice shine. For Now might not have as many big moments as Hill’s End, but it’s a more consistent and mature release for the Newtown three piece. 

Favourite track: ‘Tape Deck Sick’

2. Lily Allen - No Shame (UK)

I remember sitting around one June 8th, just after midnight, checking to see if an album (soon to be mentioned) was released yet, only to see Lily Allen sitting there. I remembered the lead single ‘Trigger Bang’ (featuring Giggs) was pretty good and I frothed Lily Allen’s 2009 album It’s Not Me, It’s You when I was younger, so I checked it out. I wasn’t ready for the level of depth that the album reached, especially considering I always thought of her as this sarcastic, cynic that just ripped on anything popular. No Shame contains some of her best material, and definitely her most personal, with songs like ‘Family Man’, ‘Three’, and ‘Apples’ criticising her role as a wife, mother and person. The production is brilliant as well, with a rich, pop, sometimes dancehall soundscape which gives her voice a chance to shine, delivering her best vocal performances of her career. Although Allen does sound broken (despite the positive latter tracks), she also sounds better than ever.

Favourite track: ‘Everything to Feel Something’

1. Kids See Ghosts - Kids See Ghosts (US)

This was the album I was waiting for on June 8th. To say I didn’t have very high expectations would be badly lying. A Kanye/Cudi album has been something I always wanted to hear but never thought I would, with the two artists collaborating many times since 2008′s ‘Welcome to Heartbreak’ (off Kanye’s fourth album 808s & Heartbreak). The album didn’t disappoint either. Rich with beautiful production, especially on tracks like ‘4th Dimension’ and ‘Reborn’, and some of Kanye’s and Cudi’s finest lyrical moments, Kids See Ghosts was such a pleasure to listen to. With a lot of themes detailing personal demons, both artists discussing their own mental illnesses and setbacks in their career, the album is surprisingly energetic and upbeat. At times, especially on ‘Freeeee (Ghost Town Pt.2)’ and ‘Reborn’, it’s celebrating both artist’s ability to survive and defeat their demons, and despite the darker two tracks at the end, ‘Kids See Ghosts’ and ‘Cudi Montage’, there is still this sense of rejoice and victory. From the insane “Grrrat-gat-gat-gat-gat-gat”, to Cudi’s infectious humming in the chorus of ‘Cudi Montage’, the album has a bit of everything, not only becoming one of both’s best albums, but also my number one album of the year so far. 

Favourite track: ‘Reborn’

Thanks for reading

[maraczeks]

tww s3 rw thread pt 6

[sartle-blog]

Art History Meets Fashion at the 2018 Met Gala

  Art history, but make it fashion.

  Is the Met better known for its art collection or for its luxurious annual gala? Yesterday our favorite (and not-so-favorite) celebrities appeared at the 2018 Met Gala for “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” The theme was one of the event’s most controversial yet, and a large number of people didn’t dress accordingly (why anybody would willingly not follow a Met Gala theme is beyond me) while others showed up in outfits featuring bedazzled crosses and halos. A few others went above and beyond to incorporate art into their outfits. Here are some of our favorite parallels to art history in this year’s Met Gala costumes.

  In the most obvious nod to art history, pop singer Ariana Grande displayed the “back wall of the Sistine Chapel” in her gown designed by Vera Wang.

The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536-1541

It doesn't get much more Roman Catholic than this!  The painting that graces Ariana Grande's dress also graces the back wall of the Sistine Chapel, a building at the very heart of Roman Catholicism. The chapel is part of the apostolic palace, AKA the Pope's very own house, and is used for ceremonies such as the Papal Conclave, when a new pope is selected. Michelangelo completed this wall in 1541, some time after he finished the ceiling, and it depicts the final judgment of man in a tumultuous swirl of motion and rippling muscles. The placement of this scene on the East Wall rather than the West wall, where such scenes were typically painted to remind visitors of the coming judgment as they left, was an interesting choice; the only person who went in and out of the door on the East side in the right corner was the pope, which placed the pope's entrance directly inside Hell! (Did Michelangelo have some beef with the pope, or what?) And speaking of interesting placement, check out where Jesus is on Ariana Grande's dress! Not where you usually find Jesus, to say the least. (Though maybe one could say he is directly over her heart, which makes it a little better.)

    As always, Rihanna stole the show with her expensive pope get-up by John Galliano. Her papal tiara looks incredibly similar to one on this mosaic of Pope Clement VIII by Jacopo Ligozzi.

Rihanna's filet-shaped hat is a super-glam version of the Mitre, a type of papal hat worn since at least the tenth century after a long evolution from the Roman camelaucum. There are several kinds of mitre, each worn on designated occasions and differing from each other in level of ornamentation, from the heavily ornamented mitre pretiosa to the mitre simplex, the most plain.  Rihanna's hat is a little more pretiosa than simplex. The only people officially allowed to wear mitres are Popes, cardinals, and bishops. Ri-Ri over here probably didn't get a special dispensation from the Pope to wear that headgear, but since she was one of the overseers of the entire Met Gala this year we'll let it slide.

  Triumph of Religion, John Singer Sargent, 1916

A number of the outfits were heavily inspired by a popular type of Marian imagery called “Our Lady of Sorrows,” which is a religious devotion including specific prayers and meditations relating to seven episodes from the Virgin's life that caused her great sorrow. The standard depiction of Our Lady of Sorrows includes a golden halo or crown, prominent tears, and seven swords piercing her heart.    

  Lana del Ray in Gucci

  Lily Collins in Givenchy Haute Couture

  SZA in Versace

  (we know who really inspired the resurgence of the halo crown though)

Halo crowns weren’t the only type of headwear at the Met Gala, but they certainly did make a splash. The halo, depicted as a disc or small circular nimbus, was used in Classical Rome in the depiction of certain gods and emperors, and while early Christians tried to resist incorporating the halo into their imagery because of its Pagan origins, the Halo was too powerful an attribute to make disappear. I mean, what else could be so effective at representing holiness than this symbolic use of light? By the sixth century CE, the halo was standard in depictions of all the most important saints and angels, and even Jesus. While Michelangelo eschewed halos for his more earthly looking saints, the halo made a big comeback during the Counter Reformation, during which time the Church was using art to reinforce its own majesty and glory.   

Consider these art-inspired headpieces for your next music festival outfit.

  Rita Ora in Prada and Lorraine Schwartz

Ghent Altarpiece, Jan Van Eyck, 1432

  Janelle Monae in Jennifer Fisher

Madonna Enthroned, Giotto, 1306

  Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Ralph Lauren and Anita Ko

Madonna of the Candelabra, Raphael, 1513

Kate Bosworth in Oscar de la Renta and Tacori

Mary with the Child and Singing Angels, Sandro Botticelli, 1477

With her golden hair parted chastely down the center of her head and covered with a transparent, fringed veil, Bosworth looks the very image of a Botticelli Madonna. While Mary is typically shown in a blue mantle over a red garment, Botticelli also liked to show off his skills by painting transparent silk. Her head covering is representative of her virginity, which according to Catholic dogma, she retained her entire life, despite her marriage to Joseph. The virginity question aside, Kate Bosworth shares the Madonna's beauty and regal bearing.  

  Sarah Jessica Parker in Dolce & Gabbana and Jennifer Fisher

The Adoration of the Magi, Giovanni di Paolo, 1460

Sarah Jessica Parker seems to live by the motto “Go Big or Go Home.” The ornate quality of her headdress is reminiscent of many late gothic reliquaries, which were often covered in gilding, encrusted with jewels, and decorated with little figures, including Nativity scenes. The red heart that tops her church of a hat may also be a reference to the Sacred Heart, a common symbol in Catholic devotion that refers to Christ’s divine love of mankind as the reason for his sacrifice.

  If crowns aren’t your thing, don’t worry- the Met Gala’s got you (mostly) covered when it comes to clothes. These outfits were not only dazzling but also took inspiration from major period artists! What more could you want?

  Lena Waithe in Carolina Herrera

The Annunciation, Jan Van Eyck, 1436

The rainbow is a powerful symbol in Christian art, denoting God's promise to never again wipe out all of humankind in a devastating flood. The insanely gorgeous rainbow wings Van Eyck gives the Angel Gabriel in this Annunciation scene may refer to that promise of old while also enforcing the idea of a new covenant God would create with man in the birth, death, and resurrection of His son. Since then, the rainbow flag has been adopted as a symbol of Gay Pride, reflecting the diversity of the LGBTQ community. And who said you can’t have pride and be religious at the same time? Certainly not the Bible.

  Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton

Mariana, John Everett Millais, 1851, Tate Britain

Millais isn’t exactly Catholic art, but the stained glass windows in his painting sure are. The painting depicts Mariana from Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure," a play that takes place in Catholic Italy and grapples with Roman Catholic themes such as chastity, piety, corruption, lust, hypocrisy, and repentance. Mariana waited patiently and chastely for her ex-fiance Angelo after he dumped her when she lost her dowry in a shipwreck, only to take part in a crazy bed-swapping trick to lure Angelo into marrying her. Whether or not Mariana is a good Catholic role model is debatable, but that dress is clearly inspired.       

Jasmine Sanders in H&M

Shrine of the Virgin, anonymous, 1300, Metropolitan Museum of Art

  If this dress wasn’t inspired by this piece, there’s still an uncanny resemblance between the two--the slit in the dress is in the exact same spot as the opening for the shrine. The volume of the dress and its golden color also reflect the Marian imagery found on many shrines, including this one from Medieval Germany that was gilded on wood and opens to reveal a mystical image of the Trinity. What mystical treasures this dress conceals are for Jasmine to hide or reveal as she pleases.

    Misha Nonoo

Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, Sofonisba Anguissola, 1599

  We can only hope this dress isn’t as uncomfortable as it looks--for both of them. You have to give her credit for going the Renaissance Noble route, celebrating the fancy Patrons who would have commissioned all the fabulous art. Sofonisba Anguissola was a rare female artist who actually worked at the Spanish Court in the reign of Philip II, during Catholic Spain's fight for dominion over the Low Countries. Anguissola was able to render her royal sitters and their fabulous clothing and jewelry delicately and soberly. Misha Nonoo, denizen of the London Fashion world and matchmaker to Prince Harry and Megan Markle, takes that classic little-black-number-and-white-ruff Spanish court look, and gives it a contemporary, more subtle edge. The Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia probably wouldn't have been able to get away with a sheer midriff, but it's a perfect update for 2018. 

Christian Combs in Dolce & Gabbana

Portrait of Jacob Boncompagni, Scipione Pulzone, 1574

  If you’re ever wondering what P. Diddy is up to these days, he’s apparently taking his son to the Met Gala. Young Christian "King" Combs is no stranger to the catwalk, and he can pull off pretty much anything. That gold embroidery on black, studded jewels, and velvet crown hearken to the most fancy armor seen in 16th century portraits, making Combs look positively kingly. Such armor, while great for getting your picture painted in, would have been far too costly to wear out and about or, God forbid, in combat. "This is just my fancy dress armor," Jacob Boncompagni would have said. "I only bust it out for things like the Met Gala."

    Zendaya in Atelier Versace and Tiffany & Co. jewelry

Jeanne d’Arc, Albert Lynch, 1903

Roman Catholic attire can't be summed up by silly hats, robes, and jewels alone. There's also a little something called "crusader chic," and it is full-on medieval. While Joan of Arc was no crusader, she is now one of nine secondary patron saints of France due to the prominent role she played in the Hundred Years' War. When just a girl, the peasant Joan received visions of various saints telling her to support Charles VII and help free France from English rule. She attended the military campaigns wearing protective armor, but after several French victories, she was captured by a Burgundian faction working for the English and burned at the stake. Now canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as a martyred saint, Joan of Arc continues to inspire, as can be seen in Zendaya's surprisingly sultry, but very heavy-looking chain mail outfit. Somebody just give her a sword already!

    Katy Perry in Versace

Angel, Abbott Handerson Thayer, 1887, Smithsonian American Art Museum

  Katy Perry looks ready to take flight any minute now. And that's because she did the right thing and went all out for her gala outfit! Despite the fact that the word "angel" comes from the Greek word for Messenger, and there is no standard description of their appearance in the Bible, Thayer's painting largely sums up the popular conception of angels: virginal, dressed in flowing white robes, and with wings, of course! There's no halo here, however, and that may be because the model for this was actually Thayer's own 11-year-old daughter, and he was trying to depict her as the personification of spiritual beauty, not specifically an angel, despite the painting's title. Thayer himself thought art was "a no-man’s land of immortal beauty where every step leads to God." And that's pretty much the same plane where traditional Roman Catholicism places Angels, majestic beings close to God.   

Emilia Clarke in Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda

  The Triumph of Galatea (detail), Raphael, 1514

  The Mother of Dragons always slays, no matter what she's wearing. With its elaborate, curvilinear gold embroidery and frolicking putti, this dress looks like it came straight out of the Rococo. While Putti were originally found on Classical Pagan sarcophagi, the motif was revived during the Renaissance in Italy, where it was utilized in paintings of classical myth, and was adopted into Christian Iconography. What was once a little cupid underwent a conversion experience into an angel (along the lines of a cherub). In the Rococo, Putti also became symbols of leisure and playfulness, which is why Putti often scream of wealth and excess. Dolce and Gabana clearly know that, like leopard print, putti are most tasteful in small doses.

    Stella Maxwell in Moschino and David Yurman

  “Tenderness” icon of the Mother of God, 1521

  Wow. Where do we even begin talking about this beautiful dress? This mosaic-styled gown features various images of Mary that you’ll only be able to find in churches and on prayer candles. Indeed most, but not all, appear to be inspired by Byzantine icons of the Madonna. While most strongly associated with the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, such radiant and opulent images could be found in pre-Renaissance (and therefore Catholic) art in Western Europe as well. Images like this were meant to be venerated as conduits to saint Mary herself, who could then intercede for you. "Our Lady of Tenderness" is one such icon that was depicted, either with the Christ child in her arms, or with her hands over her chest in that heart-felt position.

  Migos in Versace

  There’s too many references in these matching sequin outfits to count! One jacket is covered in solely Christian images while the other two primarily feature classical Greek and Roman artworks. We were able to spot the Venus de Milo, The Victorious Youth, and several variations of Madonna and Child currently exhibited by the Met (shown below).

    Madonna and Child, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1290

Madonna and Child, Berlinghiero, 1230

Madonna and Child, Giovanni Bellini, 1480

Salma Hayek in custom Altuzarra

  Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man, Peter Paul Rubens and Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1617, Mauritshuis

The branch of parrots and white horse trotting in the background scream this classic Brueghel/Rubens collab, even if Adam and Eve are nowhere in sight. The Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man that took place therein are central to Roman Catholic dogma, so this makes a fabulous choice of subject for the evening. Jan Brueghel the Elder and Rubens were both Catholic and their artwork shows the influence of the Counter-Reformation, during which the celebration and cataloging of natural phenomena (such as flora and fauna) was used as a way to understand the divine revelation of God. Nature was how God revealed himself to man, so observing it carefully was good for one's spiritual health. But don't forget, this is the 17th century. Don't get too scientific now--stay outta here with your gravity and Capernican Heliocentrism. You can keep that nice, zoological dress, though.

With so many options for themes, ranging from Roman Catholic dogma, to Bible stories, to priestly vestments, to works in museums and churches, and the patrons who commissioned them, this sure has been a fruitful year for fashion creations. Kudos to all those designers out there getting really funky with it, sacrilege be damned.

  Today’s lesson: if you’re heading to a museum to look at art, the best outfit to wear is art itself. Let us know what your favorite Met Gala looks were this year!

By Alannah Clark and Jeannette Sturman

[bromosapiens]

How much would you hate me if I told you to do every fuckin' one on that ask meme.

a lot

1) Sexuality? 

if you need to ask you obviously havent spent more than five minutes on my blog

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? 

snoop dogg i think we covered this

3) Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17. 

“...de ses plus belles trouvailles. Il semble que certaines réalités...”

4) What do you think about most? 

how fucking insane it is that in america annotating and analysing six essays in the span of an hour constitutes an education

5) What does your latest text message from someone else say? 

“like damn”

6) Do you sleep with or without clothes on? 

mmm usually without cest la vie here in texas

7) What's your strangest talent? 

i can rap all of lose yourself backwards to the tune of the backyardigans theme song

8) Girls.... (finish the sentence); Boys.... (finish the sentence) 

girls are scary and powerfulboys are also scary and powerful but sometimes its hot

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you? 

if you count shitass stoned rambles sure

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar? 

like yesterday

11) Do you have any strange phobias? 

freezing to death

12) Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? 

sure who doesnt

13) What's your religion? 

im a karkatstian

15) Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? 

in front of it bitchbut back in my photography phase both were applicable because all i took pictures of was myself and likerocks

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band? 

crywank rn i just feel em in my soul

18) Do you believe in karma? 

ironically sure but not really

19) What does your URL mean? 

take a wild fucking guess

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength? 

my inability to comprehend literally anything; my mario skills

21) Who is your celebrity crush? 

probably darren criss or pete wentz but only because i still have his dick pics saved on my laptop

22) Have you ever gone skinny dipping? 

hells fucking yes

23) How do you vent your anger? 

ask karkat

24) Do you have a collection of anything? 

swords knives lighters pipes and bandaids with designs on themwhat else do ya need

25) Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online? 

on the phone because video chat is just awkward af

26) Are you happy with the person you've become? 

could be better idk

27) What's a sound you hate; sound you love? 

nails against a wall; incoherent whispering

29) Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens? 

im not so sure about aliens but i can reassure you right now that ghosts are real and they are dicksi have first hand experience

30) Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm. 

i almost knocked over my coffee thanks

with my right id have to reach behind me a bit but the side of the futonbelow my left arm is navy

31) Smell the air. What do you smell? 

coffee and sweatwelcome to my home

32) What's the worst place you have ever been to? 

new york city

33) Choose East Coast or West Coast? 

east coast west coast seems really white

34) Most attractive singer of your opposite gender? 

janelle monae

35) To you, what is the meaning of life? 

taco bell dicks out

36) Define Art. 

art: when people do things so that other people can enjoy those things

37) Do you believe in luck? 

i dont really think so nahreminds me of an old friend though

38) What's the weather like right now? 

its kinda chilly actually and clouds are rollin ingood thing im inside and not outside

39) What time is it? 

about 8

40) Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? 

i do and i have but i wasnt the one that crashed iti was in a crash though

41) What was the last book you read? 

the one im reading rn is A l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs but its for class so im not sure that counts

42) Do you like the smell of gasoline? 

yeah actually

43) Do you have any nicknames? 

avi / asshat / furry / birdfucker / the weird strider / oh him again / god that hurts my eyes / is he okay

44) What was the last movie you saw? 

im pretty sure it was some documentary on bbc

45) What's the worst injury you've ever had? 

uhhhhhhhh i havent really broken any bones or anything but i was stabbed once*multiple timesi was grazed by a bullet once too

46) Have you ever caught a butterfly? 

nah i wish

47) Do you have any obsessions right now? 

ive been playing my horse prince

49) Ever had a rumor spread about you? 

uhhh i dont think so unless any of yall wanna fess upwell there is the birdfucker thing

50) Do you believe in magic? 

listen do you know who i live with

51) Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong? 

not really nookay maybe a bit

52) What is your astrological sign? 

i have no clue im gonna take a wild guess and say sagittarius

53) Do you save money or spend it? 

spend it

54) What's the last thing you purchased? 

...a collar

55) Love or lust? 

why not both

56) In a relationship? 

hells yeah

57) How many relationships have you had? 

five or six i think

58) Can you touch your nose with your tongue? 

nah i wish

59) Where were you yesterday? 

god that sounds so threateningi was at work

60) Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? 

yeah my fuzzy socks

61) Are you wearing socks right now? 

see above

62) What's your favorite animal? 

birds are rad as hell

64) Where is your best friend? 

in nyc probably at home grading papers or doin homework or smth

65) Spit or swallow?(; 

swallow i aint a fuckin wimp

66) What is your heritage? 

white probablynah uhhh my moms actually half black but bros as white texan as it gets so all i inherited was some vague facial structure and borderline full albinismro got a bit more that i thinkand then roxs dad is black so we dont really look alikei dont know anything past my parents so dont ask

67) What were you doing last night at 12 AM? 

god do you really have to aski think i was uhtalking to karkat

68) What do you think is Satan's last name? 

strider

69) Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off? 

if anyone answers no to this i will be very concerned

70) Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend? 

hell yeah life of the party

71) You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do? 

im already getting fired save the damn dogif i wasnt though id leave iti aint no hero aight

74) What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it? 

any fucking song from grease

75) What are the last four digits in your cell phone number? 

0747 try and guess that one bitch

76) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship? 

god i have no clue this is my first

77) How can I win your heart? 

if you have to ask youve already won it

78) Can insanity bring on more creativity? 

i sure hope so cos thats where im headed

79) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far? 

proposing to hex

80) What size shoes do you wear? 

9 1/2

81) What would you want to be written on your tombstone? 

“cest la vie on this bitch of an earth”

82) What is your favorite word? 

bussy

83) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart. 

aardvark

84) What is a saying you say a lot? 

...cest la vie on this bitch of an earth

85) What's the last song you listened to? 

skateboard p (elijah who)

86) Basic question; what's your favorite color/colors? 

fuck uhhhhhhhhhhh idk red

87) What is your current desktop picture? 

88) If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be? 

derrek j fucking strider

90) One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're just standing around your bed. What do you do? 

“so whos going first”

91) You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power? 

probably time travel idk just seems cool

93) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? 

can we just trim my timeline up to about a year ago

94) You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be? 

kevin abstract seems like hed be good in bed tbh

95) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go? 

the bermuda triangle

96) Do you have any relatives in jail? 

i have no clueif dirks in jail no one told me

97) Have you ever thrown up in the car? 

sure fucking have

98) Ever been on a plane? 

sure fucking have

99) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say? 

dont fucking waittime runs out

[tirsu]

Awesome @lunadobby tagged me ^ ^

Rules: Write the first 10 songs that come up on shuffle (no skipping) and quote your favorite lyrics from each song, then tag 10 people.

1. Say Amen (Saturday Night) by Panic! at the Disco

If every night I go to sleep knowing That I gave everything that I had to give Then it's all I could've asked for

2. Jos mä kuolen nuorena (If I Die Young)

Tyttöystävät silmät päähän meikatkaa (Girls, put some makeup on) Ja menkää tilaisuuden jälkeen tanssimaan (And after the ceremony go out to dance) Pojat, laulakaa se laulu (Boys, sing that song) Joka sai mut aina nauramaan (That made me always laugh)

3. Elefantin paino (The Weight of an Elephant) by Ellinoora

Se tekee kipeää, kun elefantin painon alle jää (It will hurt when you got stuck under the elephant’s weight) Eikä kukaan muu sitä nää (And no one else doesn’t see it)

Vaik sut on luotu kantamaan (Even though you were created to carry) Nousemaan aina uudestaan (Always getting up again) Oon pahoillani, en osannut lohduttaa (I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to comfort you) Mut lupaan vielä se helpottaa (But I promise, it will get better)

4. We Are Young by Fun. ft. Janelle Monáe      

So if by the time the bar closes And you feel like falling down I'll carry you home tonight

5. Fuckin’ Perfect by P!NK

Pretty, pretty please Don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than fuckin’ perfect Pretty, pretty please If you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you're fuckin’ perfect to me

6. Pyyntö (Request) by Klamydia

Mulla yksi pyyntö ois (I’ve only one request) Älä vie lapsuuttani pois (Don’t take my chilhood away) Anna mun nauttia aika tää (Let me enjoy this time) Vaikka tieni murheita tois (Even if my road would bring me sorrows) Enkä paras missään ois (And I wouldn’t be best in anything) Anna elää täyttä elämää (Let me live a full life)

7. Kaiken jälkee olet kaunis (After Everything You’re Beautiful) by Olavi Uusivirta

Kaiken jälkeen olet kaunis (After everthing you’re beautiful) Kaiken jälkeen (After everything)

8. Valot pimeyksien reunoilla (The Lights on the Verges of the Darkness) by Apulanta

Kaikki loputon kauneus, (All the endless beauty) Kaikki järjettömyys (All the insanity) Kaikki ruoskivat toiveet, (All the whiping hopes) Kaikki päättämättömyys (All the indecisivenes) Ovat lopulta tarkoituksen palasia, (Are in the end pieces of the meaning) Osa arvoitusta (Part of the mystery) Valot pimeyksien reunoilla (The lights on the verges of darkness)

Älä usko lauluihin (Don’t believe in songs)

9. Sydän jota rakastan (The Heart That I Love) by Juha Tapio

Linnunradalla on tähti (The Milky Way has a star) Jota kiertää planeetta (Which the planet circulates) Planeetalla kaupunki (The planet has city) Kaupungissa katu (The city has street) Jonka varrella on talo (By the steert is house) Sen ikkunalla sinä (In its window are you) Ja sinulla on sydän, jota rakastan (And you’ve the heart that I love)

10. Rainbow by Sia

Here comes the sun Smiling down Here comes the sun Smiling down Here comes the sun Smiling down Smiling down

Tagging: @aamuntuoja, @mypinkandyellowrose, @lullapiee and @vilonal - do this if you want!