#key looking stylish and fine af as always

[lickmylundqvist]

I am speechless I am without speech

[claraxbarton]

MCU Bucky Barnes

So here’s the thing.

I’m a costume designer by trade, and one thing that I actually really love about Captain America: The Winter Soldier (okay, among the things I love) is the costume design and the rhetorical value given to the clothes and, well, costumes in this movie. 

For example - when Sam and Steve have their heart to heart on the bridge that ends with Sam saying “but he doesn’t even know you” and Steve saying “he will” before going to steal his old uniform - the one Bucky last saw him in when he was Bucky. There are some other great costume points in this movie, actually a LOT of them (costumes, not wigs, don’t at me because I KNOW).

But one thing that has always stood out to me, and not in a good way, is the “I’m with you til the end of the line” flashback.

Now, here’s the thing, it’s not JUST about the clothes. We’re in MCU verse, so it’s MCU canon - obviously, the Steve and Bucky duo is drastically different in Marvel comics canon so - and Bucky starts this scene by saying his folks wanted to give Steve a ride to the cemetery.

Which is super cool and nice. So one, we know Bucky’s dad is still alive - and his mom, but two, we know they have a car.

So this is supposed to be when Steve is around 16? So it’s... 1936 (according to MCU wiki it totally is)

So cars.

Crazy popular ever since they started having closed bodies and all that. BUT, were they crazy popular in CITIES in 1936? Especially in the middle of the Great Depression?

There’s some evidence that actually no, that car ownership in a city like NYC was something like 1 car per every 43 people. Then again, looking at the NYC.gov 2015 Mobility Report we see that the population of NYC in 1936 is something like 7.2 million, and the number of registered vehicles in 764,000... or roughly one per every 9.4-ish persons. Which is a pretty drastically different number. This doesn't, of course, account for taxis or fleet cars being registered - so the number might seem inflated. I still think it’s probably something closer to 1 car per every 20 than every 43 but... I’m too lazy to dig that much deeper at the moment. Plus I'm sick, which is fueling this in the first place.

So, anyway you slice it, Bucky’s family was in 11%, 5% or 2.33% of New Yorkers who own cars in 1936. Which says something, I think, about Bucky Barnes that we don’t always - ever? - think of in fandom.

I’m not going to say that Bucky Barnes was loaded. Maybe his family owned a garage or a grocery store or a delivery service or a funeral home...?? or something. So, the vehicle could be occupational as opposed to private usage - but either way it’s a statement. Bucky’s family has money and/or Bucky’s family has steady employment.

I’ve been there. I’ve read the fics where Bucky works at the docks to put Steve through art school and get him his medicine. I love those fics. I love that head canon.

But I... don’t think it’s realistic in light of some evidence showing us that, actually, Bucky wasn’t doing too badly for himself.

Let’s now actually look at CLOTHING. Here’s the whole scene via youtube, if you want to follow along with what is about to get RIDICULOUS.

Actually, before I dive in, who is the costumer for this movie? And should I be like... reading into all this as much as I am?

Judianna Makovsky - fellow New Jersey..Ian?ite?no clue - 3 time Oscar nominee and designer of 5 MCU films and a lot of other big budget movies, including quite a few period pieces dealing with issues of race and class (The Legend of Bagger Vance, Seabiscuit, The Little Princess.. and also like Harry Potter and The Quick and the The Dead.) So, should I have some faith in Judianna Makovsky’s designs? I’m gonna go with yeah, yeah I should. 

So, back to the movie. The scene.

This is post funeral. We’re in 1936. As a general rule, the dress, colors and style of mourning wear was pretty much formalized in the early Victorian era. There was a great - read PHENOMENAL - exhibit at the MET a few years back on Mourning-wear and I’m still reeling from how lovely everything was - but the gist of it is this: you wore black when someone died. If you were a lady, and especially if you were a rich lady, you then went through a few different colors (dull black to SHINY black to purple/mauve and gray and white and then back to color within six months to one year). By the 1930s only the really rich were sticking to the actual rules of mourning - or like, really old people. And, of course, really old rich people. Really old rich WHITE people. Because it needs to be said: these are WHITE customs. I'm not saying people of other ethnicities didn’t follow them, but these are basically British Victorian practices that were assimilated into American culture.

I’m not going to go off on a huge sidebar about American fashion following in French dressmaking and British tailoring, but I need to say at least that much. Everyone who was anyone knew you got your dresses made in France or in the French style and you got your suits made in England - Savile Row in specific. I am NOT implying Bucky’s got himself an English suit, fyi. I just... have to be thorough.

BACK TO THE SCENE:

We’ve got our boy Steve. STEVE. Who just buried Sarah Rogers and what is he wearing...?

For starters, he’s wearing a windbreaker, check out the 1933 ad below, he’s the guy almost giving us the Fonz finger gesture, or maybe guy in the fedora on the end.

This thing isn’t falling apart at the seams, but it’s a very nondescript not really gray, not really blue - maybe was at one point. It also doesn’t FIT Steve. It also, in the ad above, would cost about $165.40 in today’s money.

My guess? It’s Bucky’s old windbreaker. Because it’s not cheap and because it’s just a bit too big on Steve. 

He’s also wearing a shirt that is maybe tan? And a brown tie and maybe - MAYBE black trousers. And if those trousers are black, it’s the only black thing he’s wearing. Not even a black tie, or a black arm band (which I’m pretty sure - but also pretty aggressively atheist so I don’t know - the Catholic Church would have provided for chief mourners and pall bearers right?). We also have our depressing as all shit Depression surroundings to clue us in: Steve Rogers ain’t loaded. Steve Rogers is poor as dirt. Side note: boys. Hiding a key under the ONE FUCKING BRICK on a walkway is not like... a smart idea???

So we can guess a few things here, we can guess that Steve and Sarah were really struggling - this checks out with the rest of MCU canon (wearing newspapers stuffed in his shoes, even when he had nothing he had Bucky, etc.) - and that all money probably went towards Steve’s numerous ailments, food and then the TB medication or treatment, as it was, that was available to Sarah.

We can maybe guess that Steve and Sarah weren’t very religious -but I don’t feel qualified to impart anything except my own agenda here so I’m not taking that stance. But like, real talk, not even an arm band?? 

But, well, let’s move on to the point of this whole long ass thing anyway?

--

Then we go to Mr. Barnes, looking dapper AF. Also, hey, check out this ad from 1933 featuring... pretty much exactly what Bucky is wearing down to the god-damn two-tone shoes:

If you’re curious, yeah $24.98 in 1936 is $475.44. I'm not suggesting Bucky Barnes went out and bought a brand new suit for Steve’s mother’s funeral - for one thing, this ad is from 1933. BUT, that suit fits Bucky. Quite well, and it’s in good shape. He’s also sporting that super stylish mid-late 30s into 40s deeply angled collar shirt - as is our dude up in the ad - and so we know these clothes are at least new-ish. We also can see that the suit is definitely of the mid-30s moving into the boxy silhouette of the later 30s and early 40s and NOT the look of the 20s and early 30s, which has an almost bell-bottom fullness to the legs instead of our straight-leg here (though we can debate nuance if you want to hit up my DMs.)

I should note, Bucky’s shirt is not bright and pristine white - it’s kind of grayish? And I can’t tell if that’s supposed to be an old-timey sepia thing or an indication that Bucky can’t afford to... bleach a white shirt? So that’s an odd choice for sure because we’re still in an age when a crisp, white collar shirt means something (Hey, if you want to hear me go on about the democratization of men’s fashion via shirt collars and 19th century Victorian suits, let me know because I am READY).

All this is to say: I don’t think Bucky Barnes is a poor dock worker. I think Bucky Barnes of MCU canon. Okay, so the MCU wiki on Bucky/The Winter Soldier is an actual mess (because it tells us that Sarah died in 1936 and that’s FINE but I’m not going back to change my math because I’m SICK so just... I went back and changed it. She died in 1936. Fine. The damn wiki also says that “a year later, during their art class, Barnes and Rogers found out that the United States of America had joined World War II. Which, like, I’m sick, but there are a few years between 1936 and December 8 1941... just... I’m no rocket doctor but...

ANYWAY. Bucky is a three time YMCA welterweight boxing champion by this “year later”/ 1941-1942. He and Steve are also in an ART CLASS together. Bucky also trained Steve in boxing at Goldie’s gym before the two of them went to enlist - Steve rejected and Bucky, again quoting MCU wiki, “drafted” (which I'm gonna take to mean he didn’t try to enlist when Steve got rejected, they went home and Bucky got called up later but... hey, who knows?!).

So, I can’t easily find the prices of gym memberships in NYC in the 1930s right now because I don’t feel like wading through all of the articles complaining about Equinox pricing in 2019. But I do know that part of Roosevelt’s WPA (Works Progress Administration) building projects included building more public gyms - as well as libraries, auditoriums, pools, parks etc. Check out your local public buildings - if they are WPA projects they will have a cool plaque like my local NJ library does! All that is to say, there were free or very cheap PUBLIC options where Bucky could have trained Steve.

Bucky trained Steve in a private gym. Do I like to think that this is the same gym Steve and America’s ass are working out in in The Avengers? Yes, Yes I do. Do I like to think that Steve likes to box because it reminds him of Bucky? Yes, yes I do.

But moving on: it’s another sign of wealth.

So is this “art class.” Whether we are in 1937 or 1941 - we’re still in the Depression. Steve still has all of his health issues and presumably accompanying “medication” (wanna talk 1930s medicine? Again, slide into my DMs or shoot me an ask). So Steve either has a side job making enough to cover all of that, rent? and enrollment in an art class.

OR maybe Steve is teaching the art class and Bucky is his model for life drawing instruction (yeah, it’s a fic bunny I’m sharing with the world).

OR maybe... Bucky is paying the rent and other things or Steve is living with Bucky and can afford the class and meds... somehow or...

OR I'm not saying that Steve is Bucky’s kept man because Steve Rogers would punch anyone who dared to say such a thing.

All I’m saying is, Bucky Barnes was not a poor dude. Bucky Barnes... had some money.

And also I’m about to be late for my doctor’s appointment so I gotta run.

At me with your thoughts!

[yodawgiherd]

Melting

Rating: T

>>>Read on AO3<<<

It's hot af here, so I was wondering, what if I made it the same way in my fic? HMMMMMMMMMM? Im a genius dont @ me.

It’s funny how quickly the weather changes. Few days back, he was still wearing hoodies, but now Eren was glad that his car has such a good air conditioning system, allowing him to make the trip back home from work relatively unscathed. Pulling next to Mikasa’s bike, he wondered how the hell did she survive driving that infernal machine in this heat, especially clad head to toe in black leather, her usual biker attire. The house was eerily empty, void of any activity or sounds, making Eren question if perhaps Mikasa wasn’t even home, maybe having an extra-long modeling session or working out too much, as she tends to. But then again, with how large the mansion was, sometimes too big for just the two of them honestly, he should better make sure. A quick search later, Eren was proven wrong, as his lovely fiancé was indeed here, sunbathing in the backyard next to the full pool. She was really looking like the picture of relaxation, stretched on a sun lounger, her porcelain skin in sharp contrast to the strapless black bikini she wore. Stylish piece. Nearing her, Eren couldn’t tell is she was sleeping or not, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses, but his unspoken question got answered, because when he came to stand next to the lounger, Mikasa perked up and pushed the glasses out of her face, blinking at him.  

“Doing okay?”, he asked, watching her smile grew wider as she nodded at him with her half-full glass.

“I’m perfect actually.”

“You filled the pool.”, Eren observed, “How’s the water?”

“Warm, as everything nowadays. When I came home and saw what the temperature was, going for the pool was the only possible option I saw.”

“Smart.”

“I know right? Now that the sun is trying to cook us alive, I have to trade my scarf for the water.”, she snickered, “Which kinda sucks, because the new one you gave me is really comfortable.”

“It’s fine, you can put it back on once the summer is done. Plus, it wouldn’t match that bikini at all.”

“You think so?”, she looked down at her body, trying to imagine how the weird combo of swimwear with a scarf would look like. She should ask Pixis.

“Yep. No need to draw away the eyes of everyone by the aggressive red color when the stuff you wear is so elegant.”

“Aw, thanks, I wore this piece for a photoshoot a week back, the swimsuit season is starting, and I liked it so much that I bought it after.”, rolling left and right to give Eren the best possible view, she looked at him over the rim of her glasses, “Like it?”

“Love it, it suits you. Most of the things you bring home from the model agency do, did you perhaps consider that you might be developing a sense for fashion?”

“Me? Fashion?”, Mikasa gasped, seemingly outraged, “How could you!”

“The people you whoosh past on your bike surely appreciate the tasteful combinations and fitting cut of your leather gear.”

“The only leather gear I want fitted is the one I use with you.”, slowly, she traced the shape of her upper lip with the tip of her tongue, “If you know what I’m talking about.”

Taken aback, Eren just stared at her, the silence interrupted by Mikasa’s loud slurping, as she continued draining whatever was left in her glass, her predatory gaze not leaving his face. Classic.

“Since you’re already here, why don’t you massage my back? Got a few cramps that have been legit killing me.”, she offered, seeing that he was still out of words to say. So easy to get him flustered sometimes.

Shrugging, as he was always down to give her a massage, Eren motioned for her to turn over, sitting on the lounger and shamelessly abusing the opportunity to ogle her ass, as Mikasa was now lying on her front, because that thing was still simply too perfect to be true. Butt that belonged to fiction, on statues and painting, but here it was, delightfully exposed as her bikini bottom dug in-between her ass cheeks, giving him an unobstructed view. Mikasa did not skip leg day, did her squats, and it showed. Mostly to prevent himself from drooling, Eren dragged his gaze upwards, on her back where his hands were hard at work right now, opening his mind and focusing on finding the sore muscles, easing the tension out of them.

“The tattoo project coming along fine?”, he asked, mostly to fill the silence because when they were not talking, it was way too easy to slide his gaze down over the sinful curve of her body and back down to the holy land above Mikasa’s long legs.

“Mhmm. Just finishing the designs now.”, she cracked an eye open, watching him over her shoulder, “You still want it? To have the matching wings on our back?”

“Totally.”

“Then it should be ready soon.”, a bit of a dreamy expression entered her features, “It’s going to look great, trust me.”

“You’re the tattoo expert here, I’ll take your word for it.”

“Having ink on my wrist doesn’t make me an expert.”

“That’s still one more than I have.”

Not sure how to answer that, Mikasa fell silent, closing her eyes and letting Eren work out the kinks of her back, melting into his touch. It felt great, as always, and she almost fell asleep, completely relaxed under the sun. But that just wouldn’t do, as she still wanted to swim, the water was perfect after all, so waking up with a start, she eyed her boyfriend, who stood up to give her room on the chair.

“Come on, don’t stand there like that. Clothes off, the pool’s waiting!”, she ordered.

But Eren was already shaking his head.

“I don’t think I can right now, I have to….”

The feeling of Mikasa’s hands gently but very strongly taking hold of his waist stopped his excuses.

“Baby…”, she whispered, sliding out of the lounger to stand next to him,  “That was not a request.”

Gaze following hers to the water surface and back, the terrible clarity of what was about to happen flooded Eren’s mind.

“You wouldn’t.”, he tried.

She grinned.

“Yes I would.”

“Mikasa no.”

“Mikasa yes!”

And then he was being half dragged half carried towards the pool, with strength he had no chance of resisting, his captor completely ignoring any pleadings. Push came to shove, Eren lost his footing, and flew over the rim, his back hitting the water surface. The sound of Mikasa’s laughter got replaced by the sound of water gushing all around him, as he submerged, whatever curse he tried shouting dying in his throat. Eren wasn’t a bad swimmer, so after a few seconds he easily resurfaced, even with the weight of the wet clothes dragging him down, just in time to see Mikasa’s elegant dive, arcing over him and hardly disturbing the water as she disappeared beneath the blue too. Eren tried frowning at her, when her head appeared above the surface, but her grin was just too infectious, making him unable to stay mad at her.

“I do hope you didn’t have a phone in your pockets.”, she winked at him, “Would be quite a loss.”

Luckily he left both phone and car keys at the kitchen’s table, but she didn’t know that.

“That wasn’t very nice of you.”, Eren grumbled, doing his best to appear at least a bit angry.

“And what are you going to do about it?”, she countered, the tease clear in her voice.

“I’ll think of something…”, eyes narrowing, Eren tried swimming closer, only for Mikasa to edge away.

“Good luck with that, since you’ll have to catch me first.”, and she bolted.

The pool was big, big enough for her to evade him basically forever, since she was both a better swimmer and Eren still had the clothes to slow him down, but after a bit of a chase Mikasa did allow herself to be caught on the shallow end, back to the wall as Eren caged her in with his arms, loving that he was finally able to stand.

“Got you now Ackerman.”, he growled.

“Oh no, whatever shall I do?”, she moaned helplessly, loping her arms around Eren’s neck.

Seeing that she was very much on board with whatever he intended, he repositioned his hands from the wall and slid them down over her back and down, finally reaching that firm shape of her butt. While watching it was great and all, touching it still took the cake. But he didn’t even get a chance to explain his evil plan, because as soon as he dug his fingers in Mikasa took it as an invitation and leaned closer, aggressively pressing her mouth on his. The water helped when she wrapped her legs around Eren’s waist, the weight of her body greatly reduced, so he could focus on licking into her mouth instead, brushing his tongue against hers. It was great, it was amazing, so Eren was surprised when the raven pulled back, fingers working diligently to unbutton his wet shirt.

“Something wrong?”, he asked, allowing her to remove his top and throw it out of the pool.

“We gotta christen the pool properly.”, she responded, hand disappearing under the surface to undo Eren’s belt, “But you have to sit on the edge, I can’t breathe underwater.”

It took him a few seconds to understand what she was implying, but when he did Eren jumped up rather quickly, taking a seat and watching as she pulled his underwear down, eyes sparkling.

“Now what do we have here…”

Hitch woke up alone, the bed next to her empty but warm, implying that Jean wasn’t gone for long. Sitting up, she wrapped herself in blanket and began her search, which was bound to be short considering that her flat was anything but big. Her lover and recent roommate was sitting in the kitchen, next to an open window, a cigarette in hand.

“I thought you quit.”, she said, sitting opposite him.

Jean followed her gaze to the burning tobacco roll between his fingers, as if he just realized that he was holding it.

“I did.”, he sighed, taking another drag, “But I found myself craving  a smoke after the discussion we had. And I wasn’t strong enough to resist.”

Unearthing old pains was part of Hitch’s job, so she was very familiar with the haunted look on Jean’s face, knowing that falling back into his bad habit of smoking is definitely not a solution.

“You should look for him.”, she offered, “Try to reconnect.”

“Marco? I told you, I have no idea if he’s even alive. Waste of time.”

But when Jean tried raising to cigarette up to take another drag, Hitch reached over and plucked it out of his fingers, squishing it against the ashtray.

“Sitting here and smoking is not gonna help.”, she hissed, “What’s the harm in searching anyway?”

“Maybe I don’t want to know what happened to him.”, he murmured, not meeting her gaze, “What if I look for him and find out that he really died?”

“Closure is better than uncertainty.”, Hitch insisted. Reaching over the table, she squeezed his hand, finally making him look up at her, “I’ll help you.”

He couldn’t say no to her, especially now that they were eye to eye, and the warmth and supportiveness in her gaze were undeniable. Doing his best to smile, albeit he didn’t feel like it at all, Jean nodded at her, making her face light up even more. She stood up, tugging at his hand until he followed the motion, and together they crossed the distance back to the bedroom, because it was still late, and they were both tired. The search, whatever that might be, can wait till tomorrow.

The snakes twisting in Sasha’s stomach wouldn’t stop, no matter how much she tried to focus on her work and not on them. The rows of numbers dancing in front of her eyes did nothing to overcome her fear and worry, making even the simplest tasks of accounting nigh impossible. The bar was doing great, that was a good thing, customers were aplenty, and so far no one has suffered any dangerous consequences after drinking one of Hange’s hellish experimental drinks, straight from the lab, people actually seemed to enjoy them, a thing that boggled Sasha’s mind to no end.

But all those facts paled, when she remembered why she was even upset in the first place, fists clenching helplessly. Niccolo was gone. Ever since he tried to dig deeper in their combined efforts of finding Gabi, contact people that he shouldn’t, she hasn’t heard from him since. And that scared her. If anything happened to Niccolo, it was because of her and the stupid quest she embarked on, the young cook had no stake in the game, yet he was nothing but helpful to her. She had to do something, try and locate him on her own, just sitting here crunching numbers wasn’t going to cut it. But looking out of the window, she could see that it was dark outside, night, and beginning anything now  would be rather stupid on her part. In the morning then, she’s going to find him. On her own, if she must.

[solemncadaver]

Friendsim Trolls According to my Girlfriend who hasn’t played Friendsim

Ardata (Cobalt): w... who took bites out of her horns? Can and will kill you in your sleep. Plotting evil plans 23/7 (the 24th hour is for drinking coffee with LOTS of milk and sugar)

Diemen (Rust): Always eating food (why is that hot dog bun GREEN-), will never call you by your name, only nicknames like bro, dude, man etc, probably owns a skateboard but can't drive it

Cirava (Gold): Oo funky! Has a horrible backstory and doesn't talk about it EVER, is chill all the time, likes 70s-80s fashion and actually wears it with style! Is as extra as the fact they've got 4 horns

Amisia (Indigo): definitely an artist! The "weird kid", has not slept in 5 days because she just HAD to finish that one painting, cuts her own hair with scissors not meant for cutting hair yet it looks amazingly good! Probably either super pure and nice or will kill you if you breathe in her direction

Bronya (Jade): The cool big sister, helps you do your makeup and dye your hair, if you hurt one of her friends those boots will land in your face, probably has a tumblr with aesthetic images

Skylla (Bronze): Yeehaw howdy pardner! Isn't only from a ranch, she OWNS one! Can and will punch you for no reason, makes you do her chores if you wanna stay at her place, has never seen a hairbrush in her life

Tagora (Teal): Tries his best to be edgy and frightening, sometimes almost fails at that, could be in one of those "barber: say no more fam" memes, thinks he's an evil overlord but is actually just a delinquent, probably doesn't get a redemption arc and only like 2 people are mad about that

Vikare (Bronze): Wants to be a pilot/is a pilot but DON'T TRUST THEM WITH AN AIRPLANE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, pretends wearing that pilot hat is a fashion choice when in reality they can't take it off again with those horns, nobody has ever seen them sleep and people are concerned

Polypa (Olive): The most feral being (or she fell down the stairs and is mad about it), problems balancing with only one eye able to see, could claw out your heart and not bat an eye, the hole in her horn is from when someone tried to take her out, nobody has ever seen that person afterwards

Zebruh (Indigo): Looks like an ASSHOLE. What are his horns doing they're not pointed that's not how horns should work, very smug! Has a shitty job and is pretentious about it to people w/o a job, looks like the cryptic bartender in a stereotypical drama thriller that the detective has to interview to know who killed the rich guy's wife

Elwurd (Cobalt): Look at those extra af horns! Def owns a motorcycle, flirty but has never received actual affection, has a mental breakdown every 2 days but pretends EVERYTHING'S FINE, makes 5 puns a minute

Folykl & Kuprum (Gold): What a goal: Carry your bud around in your giant ass backpack! I......don't know who is who tbh but! They both have cool spider looking horns! The best evidence for 'opposites attract', the only friends they have are each other, secretly planning to overthrow the government

Remele (Cobalt): The x on her left eye symbolizes that she has found her next victim. It's you. Run. Could probably use her horn as a climbing hook, v passive aggressive, makes her own clothes, works out a lot and is stronger than she looks

Konyyl (Olive): My fight, flight or flirt instincts have been activated. Could snap you in half by looking at you yet can be super soft if she wants to (you gotta be REAL close to her though), likes matcha ice cream and yells at it when it melts, is NOT tidy

Chixie (Bronze): Shy babey. Will probably be interrupted 3 times when trying to speak because she's just so quiet, has been left on her own and now has no idea how to survive yet is too shy to ask for the way. Someone come help her please.

Tyzias (Teal): Bored college student. Will NOT help you in an emergency so don't even ask. Secretly likes cryptids, is Done (tm), nobody has ever seen her outside of campus, roasts people in the most monotone voice ever

Chahut (Purple): F-... fear ':)? Eh, that's probably just paint! Right? Right???... Is probably being forced to do horrible things, can't remember their childhood, looks scary but only unintentionally, I'd still smooch tbh

Azdaja (Gold): Reminds me of that ching prince from FMA:B tbh, has a weird aesthetic going on, has the upper hand everywhere without trying, probably has 3 fake names, is always cool but can slip up and make goofy remarks

Zebede (Gold): Smol round boi! Probably played soccer in 5th grade, now makes v interesting and functional machines from Lego, probably owned a pet hamster at some point, has no sense of danger

Tegiri (Teal): Is that a KATANA-.... Still not out of his weeb phase, is VERY devoted to his aesthetic, talks either in one word sentences or dramatic quotes from a show nobody has seen, shop owner who sells you weapons

Mallek (Cobalt): Oh look it your hubby! He looks like a trickster tbh yet all the fanart looks sweet and pure!? (Also how do you pierce horns-) how many piercings has he though? Is there fanart- 👀... anyways he kinda looks like the popular kid and the emo kid combined, but like in a good way!?! Probably has a secret key for the whole town that he shouldn't have, can store everything in that hoodie pocket (it's like Hermione's bag :3!)

Lynera (Jade): Looks like the weird art/music teacher, v nice though! Has a lot of weird hobbies that her friends politely decline to join, likes to bake for everyone, likes children or absolutely loathes them

Galekh (Indigo): Is this Roman from Sanders Sides? Jdhdkd he looks like the strict angry teacher, will absolutely refuse giving help and does not allow any flaws (both in you and in himself) can spot someone doing illegal things from a mile away, is not afraid to call people out

Tirona (Teal): Look at that spider hair! Looks good 👉👉, is probs v shy and awkward but tries to talk to everyone anyways, has some exotic pets that she doesn't tell anyone about bc someone once said it's weird, just wants to be accepted, clumsy af

Boldir (Olive): Hiding ..... something ...., private but not stealthy investigator, is distracted way too easily, is the detective I mentioned back at Zebruh's, v loyal, will absolutely get you arrested if you're *in the way*

Stelsa (Teal): Looks like a cool but bitchy mom, probably gets a manicure every week, she looks just like my mom which is scary wth, will not hesitate to roast Karen at the school bake sale, those lemon bars are horrible KAREN, why didn't you let your third husband help K A R E N

Karako (Purple): What- ?

I-.... I'm confused! But okay!

Never makes sense, nobody has ever seen them eat or sleep, appears in your room at 2 am when you have sleep paralysis

Marsti (Rust): Probably is like the classic mechanic, can weld 👌👏👉👉👍, is done with everyone's bullshit but will still try to help (occasionally), drinks too many energy drinks and not enough water, everyone asks her for favors and she is having none of it

Charun (Olive): Peaceful gardener, don't stand in their sun and they won't bother whatever you do, just wants a little farm house near a small town with his pet cat, don't walk on their vegetables or they'll chase you with a rake

Wanshi (Jade): Just a nice person. A total sweetheart. Just wants to have fun, very optimistic, the most functional person you'll ever meet, drinks a lot of green tea and hot chocolate

Fozzer (Rust): Nice person but not very bright, doesn't know how electronics work, has a flip phone from like 2006 and that's enough for him, has a lot of houseplants but can't really keep them alive

Marvus (Purple): 👀👀👀 You know how I think about him (😭🍀😏😎🍀💖🌾❤ 11/10 best ti🅱🅱y window would allow him to stab me)

Daraya (Jade): Smol but will fight you. Is super done and will not help you, but also won't stop you. Probably has 2-4 knifes somewhere on her body at all time.

Nihkee (Indigo): Looks like a pirate captain + professional wrestler in one, like! Probably drinks their coffee black just so people respect them more, will show off every trophy they have (a lot) if someone decides to listen to them

Lanque (Jade): 👀👀👀👍 the most dramatic and salty being alive, v stylish, takes 2 hours a day just to get ready, probably has 16 meetings a day, could work as a model, will cut anyone and everyone that says he should change something about him

Soleil (Purple): Ah yes, the obligatory twins. Probably cursed by a spiteful witch at birth, have never been seen seperate, occasionally like to scare people by pretending to be the twins from shining

I’m crying

[miseensceneofthemind]

Killing Them Suavely

Closing the loop with style - the fashion of Looper.

“You're aware we don't have a dress code?”

“Fashion.”

Fashion indeed. In the world of Looper, Rian Johnson's idiosyncratic neo-noir take on time-travel shenanigans, the fashion of 2044 brings to mind the adage everything old is new again. As Jeff Daniels' character Abe puts it, “These goddamn 20th century affectations. Do something new.”

In looking to the past for inspiration, costume designer Sharen Davis does just that. Davis reveals in an interview with Clothes on Film, that the look of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's 'Young Joe' and his Looper cohorts was inspired by a hybrid of late 1940s and 1960s fashion, updating the look just enough to seem futuristic to modern audiences. During a recent rewatch, I was struck by how cool the looper 'uniform' is, much in the same way that the dress attire of classic noir protagonists and prohibition gangsters is alluring in a dangerous kind of way. Just take one look at Young Joe's evening threads, and tell me that isn't just the most stylish gosh darn thing you've ever seen? (No? Just me?)

It got me to thinking, “Where did all the casual ties go?” Ask yourself – when was the last time you saw someone wearing a tie, just for the fun of it? “But Dan, ties are uncomfortable and most definitely NOT FUN,” and yes, while that is most certainly true in one case (*cough* D.J. Trump *cough*), ties are DAPPER AF folks! (I will defend this hill to the bitter end - don't @ me.)

Are you wistfully nostalgic like me? Tired of your current style? Feeling somewhat adventurous, but like the comfort of familiarity? Curious to see if you can pull off a JGL? ME TOO!

Here's how you can approximate Young Joe's casual evening look with just a few key items:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt filming Looper. Image: Sony Pictures

Hair

We have already experienced the resurgence of classic hairstyles with the triumphant proliferation of the undercut, so the idea of cyclical style is not lost on you, dear reader. Nothing is sacred however, and even the undercut will eventually become old again (has it already?) but don't fret! Classics are classics for good reason, and we can take inspiration from Joseph Gordon Levitt's medium taper side-part. With this style, which is essentially what would happen after growing out a ‘short back and sides,’ styling is easy as pie. Throw in some matte pomade, use a wide-tooth comb to style the front into a mini quiff, and you'll have yourself enough hold (and a dash of shine) to effortlessly rock some old-school charm.

Jacket

Never let anything stand between your awesome self, and a good jacket. Seasons come and go, but one thing will always remain: a good jacket. True love may not last forever, but you know what will? A good jacket. What I'm trying to say is, JACKETS ARE COOL. Young Joe understands this, adorning himself in a sleek black leather number that screams simple, understated elegance. Bearing similarity to a racer jacket, albeit with a pointed collar instead the snap variety, this simple well-fitted piece works well with just about any shirt and tie pairing. If you want to get more adventurous (and I'm sure you do!), a military inspired jacket fitted with a standing collar would also look snazzy – just make sure that it is well-fitted, as the key to pulling this look off lies in its form fitting nature. Leave the bagginess to the aviator crowd!

Shirt

Bringing to mind the blue collar landscape of post-depression America, Young Joe pairs his jacket selection with a bluish grey shirt that contrasts nicely against the leather. Again, the simplicity of the shirt works in the ensemble's favour, particularly when considering Young Joe's...

Tie!

Why the exclamation point? Because, DID YOU SEE HIS TIE?!? With unusual patterning evoking art deco fashion of the forties, Young Joe goes full future hipster in his tie selection. It's an amazing piece of custom design, that pops precisely because of the plain shirt and jacket pairings. Want to get the look? Thin ties are the way to go (preferably vintage silk if you want to be as cool as Joe) – scour your local op shop for the real deal. Alternatively, online shops such as AliExpress and ASOS have some unique offerings, and your run of the mill fashion outlet may surprise you. If at first you don't succeed, “tie, tie, tie again.” (SORRY, NOT SORRY.)

Pants

Although Davis' original intent for Young Joe included “high waisted straight pants,” what is on film closely resembles a more modern, non pleated take. You likely even have something close to Young Joe's trousers tucked away in your drawer! The straight leg is eminently practical, comfortable and straddles that fine line between formal and casual. Think James Dean at a dinner party. A dark pair of chinos will always look fantastic and are easy to track down, so no excuses! Pair it with a wider silver finish belt, and you're good to strut.

Shoes

Get some oxfords in your life! Just kidding! (Or am I?) Black leather boots will complete this fine ensemble, and one cannot go wrong with brogue or derby styles. Keep it simple, and keep 'em clean! It is true that you get what you pay for, but that doesn't mean you have to pay through the teeth! Keep an eye out for sales. (Pro-tip: Nzsale often have sales with a variety of styles that won't break the bank).

There you have it! It is said, “dress for the job you want.” I say, “dress like the films you admire.” Just think more along the style guidelines of Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Looper or Inception, and less of JGL in Lincoln. Union Army chic will never catch on... PROVE ME WRONG.

Source: Clothes on Film