#maybe i will print the red one on a shirt for my hypothetical show

[indemne]

The Eras Tour posters inspired by 1970s festival/concert ads. One for each Eras 1/2

[tsukifanbase]

Obey Me! Brothers Realize They Don’t Want M/C to Leave Devildom

Authors Note: aaaaaa not much to say here except.... enjoy!

Warnings: fluffffyyyy, lil bit angsty but like so is all of my writing hehe, nothin too bad

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Lucifer:

- idk i feel like luci already kinda suspected he had fallen head over heels for you

- i alsoo feel like he probably tried to push you away after he noticed you had stolen his heart

- never fear though, dear (m/c)! because lucifer didn’t quite account for how difficult it would be distance himself, either because you kept popping up at just the right time or because he subconsciously missed you :)

- anywhosie roll the tape lol

- lucifer vaguely wondered where all the time had gone

- just a few moments before, he was grinding through a ton of paperwork for your return to the human realm, and it hit him like a ton of bricks

- you were leaving

- it stunned luci, sure, he had known you were leaving at some point, and he was literally signing papers confirming that very fact, but it hadn’t quite clicked for him yet

- for a moment, he felt no sadness about your leaving, only shock and confusion

- not about how fast the past year had moved, more so, luci found himself hating the thought of not having you by his side

- it stunned him, keep in mind, all this time luci thought he was keeping you at a distance, when in reality, maybe you were so easy to love that he hadn’t even noticed when he let you get closer

- lucifer snapped out of it, and glanced around his office, his eyes landing back on the paperwork that he had abandoned

- the date printed across the paper was the same one he had memorized so long ago, the day you were leaving

- luci pushed himself away from his desk, and practically ran walked quickly to your bedroom

- you didn’t notice when he walked into the room, you were distracted, staring at a framed photo of the brothers and you at some event you went to in the past

- you were smiling, and lucifer felt himself melt when he saw that

- and in that moment, it didn’t matter that luci used to see you as a distraction

- because he realized that he loved you

- and with that new knowledge, his next move came easily

- after all, lucifer would never allow someone he loved so dearly to ever slip through his fingers, ever again

- “lucifer?”, your voice broke his train of thought, he was smirking at you, you weren’t quite sure when he had begun observing you, it wasn’t that you really minded though

-”is something troubling you?”, although he had that flippin gorgeous smile spread across his lips, you always had a knack at knowing when something was wrong

- lucifer didn’t stop smirking, but he made his way over to you

- “may i?”, luci gestured for you to hand him the photo, which you did pretty much immediately 

- luci lifted the photo up closer so he could see you better, and then he chuckled as he handed the item back to you

- he pointed at mammon, “i seem to recall having to pour my drink on him that day”, lucifer chuckled to himself

- you looked surprised for a second, then squinted your eyes at mammon in the photo, his shirt was half drenched in an unknown, red liquid

- “i always wondered how he got soaked!”, luci smiled at you, then crossed his arms knowingly

- “do you want to know why?”, lucifer’s eyes remained glued on you, you were seemingly caught off guard, you then nodded

- “why?”, you asked, tilting your head slightly

- “he planned to ask you to dinner with him that evening”, luci seemed embarrassed for a moment, then his smirk returned 

- “so why did that warrant getting a drink poured on him?”, you questioned, and lucifer took him eyes off you for the first time since he had entered the room, he sighed, then brought his gaze back to yours

- “because i recognized how much i hated sharing someone that was mine”, he chuckled, a light pink spreading across his cheeks, “especially with mammon”

- now i wish i could say you looked shocked, you didn’t, you looked smug as hell lolol

- “i don’t want you to return to the human realm”, lucifer lightly picked up your hand that wasn’t holding the photograph, he figured he would be straightforward

- you grinned at him

- “then i guess i’m not going back to the human realm”

Mammon:

- okay okay so lets be real here we all flippin knew mammon had a crush on you

- that included mammon actually

- he didn’t suppress his feelings like luci, in fact mammon had always been pretty open about the fact that he liked you, a lot

- mammon also realized you were leaving soon

- and that put faze one of his plan into action

- his logic was pretty flawed on this one y’all, but mammon figured, you couldn’t leave if hypothetically your transfer papers weren’t signed, or you were late for school that day, orrrr... i think you can see where i’m going with this

- mammon was determined, he would not let you leave devildom that day

- and that brings us to you, an hour late for school already, because your alarm hadn’t gone off

- you pulled on your uniform, and double checked that all your bags were packed, before making a mad dash out of the house of lamenation 

- you checked your watch as you ran to the school, yes, you had definitely missed most of first period, but as long as you were in the school by the end of the day, you would be returning to the human realm without an issue

- or so you thought, turns out mammon had a million different things planned to keep you by his side indefinitely

- he had bribed your first period teacher to give you detention for being tardy, since he knew the teacher probably would have let you off the hook, seeing as it was your last day

- and yes, mammon spending his money on someone other than himself was usually unheard of, but who can say? desperate times call for desperate measures

- sometime before lunch hour, you wandered into the bathroom, making sure you looked decent, after all, you hadn’t really been able to check your appearance that morning

- in the mirror behind you, you saw three lower class demons wander into the restroom, giving you an evil smile that you just knew meant you would be late to your next period

- it was then that you realized something abnormal was clearly wrong

- the demons that had entered after you hadn’t said anything, nor made any more to hurt you, they simply stood by the door, knowing you weren’t going to take any chances with trying to get past

- they were keeping you in there, so what was their motivation?

- someone must’ve put them up to it 

- eventually you were able to leave, the demons seemingly lost interest, you sighed and made your way to detention- it took place during lunch hour

- you took your seat in detention, and after a bit, you heard your teacher, that was supposed to be monitoring you, leave the room

- the teacher didn’t return, and the bell for your next class rung 

- you walked over to the door, and attempted to open it

- the door was jammed

- because of course it was

- instead of yelling for help, you sighed and pulled out your phone

- you had a pretty good idea of who could’ve been behind all the bad things that had happened to you that day

- your phone barely rang once, before mammon picked up 

- “hey, (m/c), what’s up?”, you could almost feel the nervousness dripping off his voice

- “mammon, why am i locked in a classroom right now?”, you replied, and just as you could hear mammon’s nerves, he could nearly hear the absolutely terrifying, ‘im gonna kill you’, smile that you had on your face

- mammon chuckled nervously, “sorry (m/c)! it’s for your own good!”, then he hung up

- you scowled at your phone, then went to call levi to tell him to come let you out

- it was pretty clear that mammon didn’t expect to see you sitting in your last class of the day, one of the classes the two of you shared

- he walked in with a big, smug smile on his face, which very quickly turned to a look of surprise, then fear

- mammon nearly walked out of the classroom, luckily the teacher was there to drag him back in by his jacket

- he sat down next to you, and attempted to pretend like nothing was wrong

- “hiya (m/c)! how’s my favorite human’s day been?”, you stared at him blankly

- the teacher still hadn’t started the lecture yet, so it gave mammon time to finally admit and explain his master plan to you

- he was sheepishly glancing away from you by the time he was done whisper rambling, he mumbled out a quick and quiet, “’m sorry, okay?”

- the teacher finally started lecturing the class about devildom history of something, when you broke out into a fit of quiet laughter

- mammon completely disregarded the teacher, blushing furiously, he thought you were laughing at him

- “hey it’s not that funny”, he pouted a bit before you seized your laughter, and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself

- “you know you could’ve just asked right?”, you giggled a bit after you whispered that to him

- “huh?”, that caught mammon off guard

- “you could’ve just asked me to stay here with you”, pink dusted your cheeks, “i like you too mammon”

- you just killed him good job

Leviathan:

- ok ok ok levi is bb

- it took a little while for levi to actually trust you

- cos we all know that it takes a while for babe to warm up to people

- but hun when he finally does start wanting to be around you, you can bet that you’re his new bff

- it’s so cute like 

- by the end of your stay in the devildom, you’re hanging out with levi pretty much every day (i say pretty much bc he is an introvert, he likes his alone time, so while you spend most of your time together, expect that he’s gonna want to be by himself sometimes)

- anyways

- you two got to know each other really well through hanging out so much, and levi caught feelings really quickly

- you were the first real person to ever show interest in the things he liked, and the first person to really listen to him 

- you were kind to him, and also assured him that you enjoyed your time spend together, even when levi tried to insist you would never want to hang out with a yucky otaku

- so that brings us to the day you had to leave 

- you had spent the morning in levi’s room, and had noticed that he was being clingier than usual (although ‘clingier than usual’ for levi literally just means that he was sitting like an inch closer to you than usual lol)

- the two of you were just about to beat the final boss in your favorite video game

- you hadn’t really noticed how much levi was staring at you, after all, your focus was completely trained on something else

- but i assure you, levi found himself glancing at you every few seconds, almost like he was trying to make sure you were still there

- it flustered him, and levi found himself blushing at the thought, but he cared for you more then he ever could have imagined

- remember, levi hadn’t ever really had a true friend, other than henry, of course

- he had been lonely for so long, and now that he had someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life beside, who could blame him for not wanting to let you out of his sight?

- and while that could’ve been deemed as possessive, it seemed levi was just acting out of fear

- he was afraid, because he really didn’t want to see you go

- you dealt the final blow to the boss, causing the credits for the game to roll, and you let out a sigh of relief

- you turned to grin at levi, and give him a high five in celebration, you lowered your hand when you noticed that levi was already staring at you

- his expression not quite blank, levi looked sad 

- “levi?”, you tilted your head at him curiously, that seemed to snap him back to reality, and caused a deep red blush to settle on his face

- you smiled briefly before standing up to put the controller on a side table

- “is something wrong, levi?”, you turned back towards him to ask your question, “you’re not exactly as happy as i thought you would be after beating that boss”, you giggled to yourself when levi covered his blush with his hand, he was probably embarrassed that you had noticed 

- “no, nothing’s wrong”, you could barely hear him, he was mumbling 

- you went back over to where levi was sitting, kneeling so you were at his level 

- “you’re sure that nothing is wrong?”, you placed a hand on levi’s knee in a soothing manner, his blush deepened, any physical contact usually did that to him

- levi was covering his face with both his hands now, then he said something, his speech was muffled by his hands, you couldn’t make out what he said

- he huffed, then dropped his hands from his face to cross his arms across his chest

- “could you stay with me?”, levi whispered, “please?”, this time you heard him clearly, and you smiled in a way that made him go fuzzy

- you carefully raised one of your hands up to levi’s cheek, cupping his face, then you pressed a kiss to his other cheek

- “i thought you’d never ask”

Satan:

- okay so pretty much here’s the run down

- satan typically wasn’t one to share his reading time with anyone else

- while it was extremely easy to ignore outside distractions while he was concentrating on a book, satan still preferred to read in isolation

- something about the calming atmosphere, no other care in the world but his book, it was satan’s getaway from the hectic life he lived

- he never was willing to share that getaway until he found you reading in the library about a week into your stay in the devildom

- it was the first time that he wasn’t even remotely annoyed by another person’s presence during his reading session

- of course you weren’t silent, but he found himself comforted by your being there

- ever since that point, it was pretty common to find the two of you reading in the library together

- although satan found himself drawn to you even when neither of you were reading, sometimes he would find himself sitting on the edge of your bed, doing his schoolwork while you played a game on your d.d.d.

- if satan was being honest with himself, you were probably the first person he had never gotten angry with

- you never gave him any reason to get upset, and he adored that about you

- you were like a breath of fresh air

- that brings us to the evening before your departure

- you had slipped into satan’s room while he was sitting at his desk doing schoolwork, he noticed you entered, but it was so normal for the two of you to seek each other that he really didn’t feel the need to comment on it

- you settled yourself on his bed, and quickly lost yourself in your book, not noticing when satan would occasionally peer back at you over his shoulder

- it was probably about an hour after you had entered the room that satan finished up the paper he was writing

- he glanced over at the clock, internally sighing at how late it had gotten, then he turned in his chair to look over at you

- you had your head propped up on your hands, but your eyes were closed, and your breathing steady- you were asleep

- satan walked over to where you were lying on his bed, lightly taking your book from you and placing it on the bedside table, before he pulled the covers over you

- satan sat down on the bed beside you, carefully, so he wouldn’t wake you

- he smiled when you mumbled something in your sleep, and moved a strand of your hair from your face

- “i wish you wouldn’t leave me yet, my dear”, satan turned away from you to turn the lamp off, allowing the room to be engulfed in darkness

- “so who do i ask to rip up my transfer papers?”

Asmodeus:

- hmmm well we all know that asmo adored you in every way

- he finally had someone to go shopping with! someone who wouldn’t eat his things or steal everything once he paid

- the two of you were pretty much inseparable, it was cuttteee

- you were a regular on his social media, and all his fans loved you just as much as he did

- asmo insisted on helping you do your makeup and choose your outfit one day early in your stay, and from that day on, it was pretty normal for him to burst into your room each morning to help your fashion game 

- and pretty soon he was taking you to all his favorite shops and treating you to delightful food (he wanted to take pictures of it for his fans)

- the day you were supposed to leave the devildom, asmo woke you early, as if this were just any other day

- he decided to treat you to a special going away shopping trip, and said that anything you desired was as good as yours

- let’s get to the scene!

- asmo was holding up a shirt that was exactly your style, he had always been good at picking things you liked

- needless to say, you weren’t really focused on the shirt, and asmo would’ve been delighted to know that he was clouding your mind

- you didn’t want to leave the devildom, not only because you had come to see the brothers as family, but because you didn’t want to leave asmo

- all the time you had spent together had made you realize just how much you cared for him, and you were pretty much just waiting for asmo to ask you to stay

- “hmm? what’s this? my dear (m/c) you’re not getting distracted by my beauty, are you?”, he teased, glancing over the shirt before placing it back on the clothing rack. 

- pink spread across your cheeks, and you shook your head, before going to look through the accessories 

- you were close enough that you heard what he said next

- asmo let out a deep sigh, “i just can’t seem to focus today, knowing that i won’t be able to shop with my dear anymore”

- you turned to face him quickly, speaking before either of you really recognized what you said, “then why don’t i stay?”, you covered your mouth after those words slipped past your lips

- you looked up at asmo nervously, and found him staring back at you with utter awe, then it turned to joy

- asmo dropped whatever clothing he was holding and ran over to hug you, his grin brightening the room 

- “do you really mean it?”, asmo asked hopefully, to which you nodded, and he squeezed you into another hug, you sunk into his embrace 

- “i’m so glad”

Beelzebub:

- ok other than asmo, i think beel was probably the fastest to warm up to you 

- although that could’ve been because of your talent with cooking (honestly you could just be making box mac and cheese and beel would still love that you were cooking for him XD)

- it was probably a few days into your stay when beel was casually complaining about being hungry, he was usually ignored by his brothers when his stomach rumbled, so needless to say, he was a little bit surprised when you offered to make him something

- he nodded, followed you to the kitchen, and boom you got yourself a lovable, hungry boy as your new bff

- from then beel pretty much came to you ever time he was hungry between meals, because while he could make himself food, he enjoyed your company and honestly just liked it when you cooked for him

- that means we talkin about midnight snacks, brunch like every day, afternoon meal, you and beel were spending a lot of time together

- beel started coming to you not only because he was hungry, but because he wanted to see you

- you would tell him stories about the human world and about your life while you made cooked, and beel started to love the faraway look in your eye as you reminisced

- he found himself drawn to you, your familiarity, something about you felt like home, although he wouldn’t have put it that way

- beel only realized that he liked being around you, and when he found out you would be leaving him soon, he only seeking you out more

- you guys were sitting in the kitchen, it was early in the morning, before breakfast

- you were making pancakes, still rubbing the traces of sleep from your eyes

- little did you know, that was probably the first time ever that beel didn’t really feel like eating, and he zoned out staring at a pancake thinking about that very fact

- if he wasn’t hungry, then why did he ask you to cook for him? why did he seek you out, and wake up early to go ask you to do something that wasn’t necessary?

- “beel?”, you asked, noticing that the pancake you had set in front of him a few minutes prior was still untouched

- you walked over to where beel was sitting and placed a hand on his shoulder gently, he felt himself relax into your touch, “are you okay?”, you asked him quietly, you were just a tad bit concerned that he wasn’t eating, you had never seen a piece of food survive in front of him for more than three seconds before

- and just like that, beel spoke before he even truly realized what plaguing his mind himself

- “can you stay in the devildom?”

- you stared at him in brief surprise before your face broke into a smile

- “sure, if you eat the pancakes i made you”

Belphegor:

- ok ok ok ok so we all know that belphie had some trouble with humans when he first met you

- butttt as soon as you two became friends, he started noticing all the things he used to love about humans, all within you

- you found joy in little things, lived your life taking on every new challenge, one after the other gracefully

- you were empathetic, and it always stunned him, but you never got angry with belphie after he tricked you

- if anything, you treated belphie with more kindness than he deserved, because you recognized that he tricked you, and kinda sorta tried to kill you, because he was in pain

- because he needed to blame someone else for his sister’s demise, so it wouldn’t break him

- anyways, once belphie began trusting you, he wanted to be around you constantly which you were totally okay with haha

- you reminded him of someone who was dear to him once, and it made him want to stay by your side forever

- okkkk so needless to say, belphie was 1000% a bad influence on you haaa

- like he was clever enough to get away with things he shouldn’t have gotten away with

- for example, lazy boyo was lazy, so he would show up to class late pretty much every day

- however, unlike other students, belphie would just kinda appear in his seat at some point during the class

- it made the teacher question if they were going crazy or if belphie had just been there all along and they hadn’t noticed

- like the teacher would literally do a double take, like they’re scanning the room to ask someone a question and their eyes land on belphie, and they just go, ‘hang on’

- you rarely saw belphie doing his school work, yet he would always have perfect grades

- anyways back to the original point

- belphie had curious ways of getting what he wanted, and that was no different the day you were scheduled to leave 

- the two of you were sleeping, it was nearly noon, and you had been contemplating your escape from belphie’s arms for the past hour

- you had to be at RAD by the end of the school day, and at that rate, you would have missed the goodbye ceremony completely

- so it was either risk upsetting diavolo, prince of the devildom, or your sweet, sleepy boy

- you decided to take your chances with the one you knew better, and began the process of removing yourself from belphie’s grasp

- you took a deep breath of relief once you were out of bed

- it wasn’t like you didn’t enjoy cuddling with belphie, deep down you probably wished you could stay curled up with him forever, but you knew that you had to leave 

- you wandered into the bathroom connect to belphie’s room, and started brushing your teeth

- when you finished brushing, you turned back towards the bathroom door, where belphie was leaning, rubbing his eyes and yawning

- you froze, and then you gave belphie a guilty smile, “good morning, bel”

- belphie crossed his arms, “where do you think you’re going?”, he never liked being woken up early, it always put him in a bad mood

- you looked at belphie curiously for a second, had he forgotten you were leaving? now that you thought about it, he really hadn’t ever acknowledged that you would be returning home, not once had you ever talking about it

- “i-”, you started, unable to finish your train of thought, as bel interrupted you

- “you’re leaving?”, he asked, but instead of sounding angry like you expected, his tone with playful, and you finally noticed a folded slip of paper bel was holding between his fingers

- you tilted your head at him, “bel?”, he smirked at you and stepped closer, holding out the paper for you to take

- you took the paper from him carefully and unfolded it, scanning over the printed words

- it was a document, one regarding your residence in the devildom, and at the bottom of the paper, was lucifer’s signature

- “bel? what is this?”, you glanced up at him, he was staring at you in the most loving way you could imagine

- “the paperwork that means you can stay”, belphie said carefully, picking up your hand and playing with your fingers

- you stared at him in disbelief before pulling him into a hug, “thank you, bel”

[chaoticdisater]

Red white & royal Blue Favourite quotes

“How many times do I have to tell Y’all not to discuss your murder plots in front of a sitting president” their mother interrupts “Plausible deniability. Come on” (Pg 64) 

I don't know WHO you think you're kidding, you Hufflepuff-ass bitch, (Alex to henry over text pg 69) 

“‘put the turkeys in my room’  ‘No.’ ‘put them in my room, put them in my room, put them in my room -’  later that night as Alex stares into the cold pitiless eyes of a prehistoric beast of prey, he has a few regrets” (Alex and his mother Pg 76) 

“’he- Oi! Not for you Mr.wobbles! those are mine!’ more rustling and a distant offended Meow, ‘no, Mr. wobbles you bastard!’” (Henry at his sister's cat, pg 80) 

“Dec 8, 2019, 8:53 PM  yo there's a bond marathon on and did you know your dad was a total babe HRH prince Dickhead  I BEG YOU TO NOT “ (Henry and Alex over text Pg 84) 

“’ the options Id like...’ he says dragging the words out. ‘they don't quite seem to be options at all’” (Henry Pg 107) 

“’ christ you're a thick as it gets’ he says and he grabs Alex's face in both hands and kisses him.” (Henry Pg 107) 

“‘Seventy-eight percent probability of latent Bi-sexual tendencies. one hundred percent probability this is not a hypothetical question’” (Nora pg 118) 

“‘am I? do you think I'm Bi?’  ‘I can't tell you that Alex!’ she says ‘that's the whole point!’” (Alex and Nora Pg121)

“she slants a look at him ‘is this a diabolical scheme of seduction?’ she asks ‘if so, yes.’“ (Nora Pg 130) 

“Alex knocks the candelabra off the table next to them and pushes henry onto it so hes sitting with his back against - Alex looks up and almost breaks into a deranged laugh - a portrait of alexander hamilton.” (Pg 132) 

“‘im going to die’ henry says helplessly.  ‘im going to kill you,’ Alex tells him.” (Henry and Alex pg 133) 

‘”and if you fucking ghost me again, I'm going to get you put on a fucking no-fly list. got it’” (Alex at henry pg 134) 

“worst of all, Henry is good“ (Alex's thoughts on henry playing Polo Pg 147) 

“’I’m gonna go, Uh’ Alex says ‘say hi to henry’ Amy's mouth settles into a grim line ‘Please don't elaborate’ ‘Yeah I know’ Alex says ‘plausible deniability’” (Alex and Amy Pg 148) 

‘A <agcd@eclare45.com>  to Henry  his royal highness prince of whatever,  Don't make me learn your actual title’ (Alex’s email to henry Pg 152) 

‘Henry <hwales@kensingtonemail.com>  to A Alex, first son of inappropriately timed Emails when I’m in early morning meetings’ (Henry’s email to Alex Pg 155) 

“when he shows up to a briefing two days later Zahra grabs his jaw with one hand and turns his head, peering closer at the side of his neck. ‘is that a Hickey’ Alex freezes. ‘I . . . um, no?’” (Zahra and Alex pg 162) 

“‘Do you have a last name?’ Alex has never actually offered a greeting when calling Henry  ‘What?’ the usual bemused elongated one-syllable response” (163 Alex and henry over the phone) 

“‘Baby’ its become a thing: Baby he knows it’s become a thing. hes slipped up and accidentally said it a few times, and each time, Henry positively melts” (Alex Pg 166) 

“‘I miss you,’ Alex says before he can stop himself he instantly regrets ut but henry says. ‘I miss you too’” (pg 173) 

“she flung her arm out emphatically enough to upset an entire potted cactus on her dresser and says ‘Because until now you weren't fucking the prince of England’” (June pg 177)  

“‘you should try saying some of that stuff to Him’  ‘stop trying to Jane Austen my life’” (June and Alex Pg 180) 

“’ is now a good time to point out henrys very hot Very rich best friend is basically in love with you?’ Alex says to June ‘hes like some kind of billionaire genius manic-pixie-dream philanthropist. I feel like you would be into that.’ ‘Please shut up,’” (Alex and June Pg 182)  

“‘yes, yes, Pez, we know there's nothing you cant do,’ says henrys voice off-camera ‘no need to rub it in’“ (henry Pg 184) 

“‘oh I haven't had vodka since uni,’ henry says ‘it tends to make me erm, well-’ ‘flamboyant?’ Pez offers. ‘uninhibited? randy?’  ‘Fun?’ Bea suggests  ‘Excuses you, I am loads of fun all the time! I am a Delight’“ (Henry Bea and Pez pg 190)

“’yes Beatrice, we shall behave in a manner befitting the crown,’ henry says. his eyes are slightly crossed ‘don't be a tosser’“ (Henry and bea Pg 195) 

“He likes taking henry apart but there's something incredibly intantament about sitting on the bed they wrecked the night before, the only one who watches him create Prince Henry of Wales for the day.” (Pg 200) 

“‘So this is the gang now, huh?’  and through it all, Alex realizes with a start: he has friends now.” (Cash pg 201) 

“How is a man to get anything done knowing Alex Claremont-Diaz is out there on the loose?” (Henrys email to Alex pg 203) 

“yours in sexual frustration  Henry” (henrys email to Alex pg 206) 

“once again, how had he ever convinced himself he was straight,” (Alex pg 213) 

“‘just so we’re clear,’ Alex said ‘Im about to have sex with you in this storage closet to spite your family. Like that's what's happening?’“ (Alex pg 217) 

“your Brave I could use some of that” (Pg 218) 

“Because that's what he would do if he were here in this palace to fall in love Henry” (Pg 220) 

“Zahra doesnt even look up from her phone ‘that was my boyfriend and no, you may not ask me any further questions about him’” (Zahra Pg 223) 

“If he’s some anonymous normal person removed from history he’s twenty-two and he’s tipsy and he’s pulling a guy into his hotel room by the belt loop. He’s pulling a lip between his teeth and he fumbling behind his back to switch on a lamp and he’s thinking I like this person”  (Pg 228)

“You still are. Because you still bloody care so much.” He leans down and presses a kiss into Alex’s hair. “And you are good. Most things are awful most of the time but you’re good” (Henry Pg 230)

“’Seriously?’ She hisses ‘your literally putting your dick in the leader of a foreign state who is a man at the biggest political event before the election in a hotel full of reporters in a city full of cameras in a race close enough to fucking hinge on some bullshit like this like a manifestation of my fucking stress dreams and you’re asking me not to tell the president about it?’” (Zarha pg 233)

“The next slide is titled EXPLORING YOUR SEXUALITY: HEALTHY BUT DOES IT HAVE TO BE WITH THE PRINCE ENGLAND? she apologizes for not having time to come up with better titles Alex activity wishes for the sweet release of death” (Pg 237)

“History huh? I bet we could make some.” (Alex’s email to henry Pg 241)

“The pair of you share and an alarming number of traits by the by: passionate determination, never knowing when to shut up, &c &c,” (herny’s email to Alex Pg 242)

“Regards Haplessly romantic heretic prince henry the utterly daft” (henrys email to Alex pg 243)

“‘It’s math,’ Nora says ‘Math has no authority here,’ June tells her ‘Math is everywhere June’” (Nora and June Pg 247)

“Henry is tipsy and shirtless and attempting to referee” (pg 252)

“’Some times you just jump and hope it’s not a chiff’” (Alex dad Pg 256)

“Well, Alex is so in love he could die.” (Pg 257)

“He’s been falling in love with Henry for years probably since he first saw him in glossy print on the pages of j14 almost definitely since Henry pinned Alex to the floor of a medical supply closet and told him to shut the hell up.” (Pg 257)

“’Fuck off five nine is average’” (Pg 258)

“’H?’ He whispers ‘you awake?’ Henry sighs ‘always.’” ( Pg 260)

“He’s got a distinct feeling of something being pulled out of his hands right before he could grasp it.” (Pg 263)

“something rises in Alex's throat - anger, confusion, hurt, bile. Unforgivably, he feels like he might cry” (Pg 270) 

“’Fuck I swear you don’t make it fucking easy but I’m in love with you’” (Alex Pg 271)

“’I never thought I’d be stood here faced with a choice I can’t make because I never ... I never imagined you would love me back’” (Henry pg 273)

“He’s in Henry’s face now if he’s getting his heart broken tonight he’s sure as hell going to make Henry have the guts to do it right ‘tell me you're done with me. I’ll get back on the plane. that's it. and you can live here in your tower and be miserable forever, write a whole book of sad fucking poems about it, whatever just say it’” (274)

“He’s in stupid unbearable love and Henry loves him too and at least for one night it matters, even if they both have to pretend to forget in the morning” (Pg 275)

“He tells his too fast brain: don’t miss this time he’s too important” (Alexs thoughts Pg 275)

“henry’s hands-on him are unhurried and soft and they make out lazily for hours or days.” (Pg 280) 

“Alex sighs ‘i don't think I told you but she uh. well, when she fired me she told me that if I wasn't a thousand percent serious about you. I need to break things off.’  Henry nuzzles his nose behind Alex's ear ‘a thousand percent?’” (Alex and Henry Pg 282) 

“‘Diaz you insane hopeless romantic little shit’ says the voice of the president of the united states, muffled in the bed ‘it had better be forever. Be safe’“ (Pg 284) 

“hes cut off mid-sentence because Alex has stopped in the middle of the corridor and yanked him backwards into a kiss” (pg 286) 

“’its funny’ henry says ‘i always thought of the whole thing as the most unforgivable thing about me but you act like its one of the best’“ (henry Pg 289) 

“he takes the chain off his neck and slides the ring on next to the old house key. they click together gently as he tucks them both under his shirt, two homes side by side” (Pg 291) 

“I opened my blasted mouth and said ‘because I'm not like the rest of the men in this family beginning with the fact that I'm am very deeply gay Philip’  once shaan managed to dislodge him from the chandelier Philip had quite a few words for me,” (Henry’s emails to Alex Pg 298) 

“just leaving, not coming back. maybe burning something down on the way out. it would be nice.” (henrys emails to Alex pg 299)

“I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire” (henrys emails to Alex (describing how he felt when he first saw Alex) Pg 300) 

“20. the fact that you have loved me all along.” (alex’s email to henry (the list of things alex loves about henry) Pg 303) 

“‘Oh my god Z what is That? did you get engaged?’  Zahra looks down at the ring and shrugs. ‘i had the week-end off’” (June and Zahra pg 305)

“’you and me and history, remember? were just gonna fucking fight. because your it okay? Im never gonna love anybody in the world like i love you,’“ (Alex pg 312) 

“‘I swear to god if you say I'm too young I'm gonna lose my shit,’“ (Alex pg 315) 

“What did he do ‘be more specific’“ (Alex to Zahra pg 321 ) 

“’the president is sitting down with as many members of the office of communitcs we could drag out of bed at three in the morning’” (Zahra Pg 323) 

“‘pack a bag’ she says ‘we’re going to londan’” (Zahra Pg 334)

“she (Zarha) seems confident Shaan will agree to it and willing to physically overpower him if not.” (pg 334) 

“still the cocky shit head part of him is slightly pleased to finally have claim on henry. Yep, the prince? Most eligible bachelor in the world? British accent face like a greek god, legs for days? Mine” (Pg 336) 

“‘youre giving my ulcer an ulcer’“ (Zahra pg 336) 

“‘Im running on nothing but black coffee, a wetzels pretzel, and a fistful of B12. Do not even breathe in my directrion,’“ (Zahra Pg 339) 

“He leans up and kisses the underside of his jaw, finding it rough from a full fitful day,” (pg 340)

“‘What kind of family, that says we’ll take the murder, we’ll take the raping and pillaging and the colonizing, well scrub it up nice and neat in a museum but oh no you’re a bloody poof? That’s beyond our sense of decorum’” (Henry pg 347)

“Bea seizes the pot of tea from the center of the table and dumps it into his lap ‘Oh, I’m terribly sorry Pip’ she says grabbing him by the shoulders and shoving him sputtering and yelping toward the door ‘so deardfully clumsy, you know I think all that cocaine I did must have really done a job on my refexes!’” (Bea pg 357)

“Henry pulls Alex close and kisses him whispers, ‘I love you I love you I love you’ and it doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if anyone sees.” (Pg 358)

And that’s when I gave up I do have more but well I didn’t want to make this list any more

[capsulecloset]

Shopping for a suit:  Hypothetical suit styling 3

Well, here I am entertaining yet another idea for a “suit” investment.  Although this one isn’t really a true matchy suit.  But I became obsessed with this instagram post because it’s so classic, and thought maybe I should scoop up this Steven Alan jacket to pair with my black joggers.  It would be a potentially interesting combo of vintage and modern vibes, and it’s secondhand at a great price, (aka my greatest impulse weakness).  While the check print has such a vintage vibe, it also seems of-the-moment, with plaid and gingham suiting popping up at Nina Ricci, J.Crew, Paul Smith, Gabriela Hearst, Stella McCartney, Argent, and Banana Republic.  

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

Here are some formulas I found:

PARTY - tank + sandals + big watch + fun lip color.  Although the jacket is neutral, it’s a lot of pattern, so I have to keep the tee and shoes simple.  I can’t decide if Birks totally work, but I think they do?  The joggers are sporty enough to bridge the gap, right?

CONCERT / ART SHOW - crop top + bandana + sneakers.  All-white sneakers make this super fresh, and I like doing black on black with the crop top.

WORK - sweater + satchel + loafers.  Again, I probably wouldn’t wear this outfit to work (still too fancy).  But I would totally wear this jacket with jeans to work.  And I like it with this cashmere sweater a lot.

WINTER EVENT - long-sleeved blouse + clutch + black heels + red lip.  Didn’t change a thing for this one.

FALL EVENT - white shirt + plaid pants + necklace + oxfords + mini purse.  I like the idea of mixing plaids, and alternatively, could do solid pants and a plaid shirt (buttoned all the way up, of course).

HOT DATE - lace top + favorite lip color + low heels + necklace.  This jacket might be a bit too business-y to work in a super sexy way, but it could still function as a “coat” that I take off when I get where I’m going.

SPRING EVENT - light button-up + pink lip + clutch + open-toe booties.  I really like pink silk with this, to lighten it up.

SUMMER EVENT - light button-up + bright lip + low heels + clutch.  Some very subtle pattern-mixing.  (And I just realized I may have subconsciously ripped off this).  The baby blue works nicely with this, and I’d probably throw the pink bandana in, too.  In a perfect world, I’d have some colorful slides or strappy sandals for this outfit, but just working with what I’ve got here.  

PROS:

Only need to buy a jacket, and it’s a great price.

I know it comes from an “ethical” source, and a company that makes really nice things.  Even second-hand, I feel pretty confident about the quality.

I love that it’s double-breasted.  Such a cool look, especially when left open and boxy.  Major Diane Keaton vibes.

It’s a neutral color and a very classic pattern.  Because it’s cream and not white-white, it’s not as severe with the black.  I dig the masculine vibes a lot.  Overall, this feels very “me.”

As with the silk option, I already know the pants are very comfortable and would definitely work for events with big meals.  The cropped ankle and high rise are also very flattering.

I would definitely wear the blazer with tons of other outfits, styled more casually.

CONS:

The black bottoms might be too severe for warmer months.  I would be tempted to invest in some gray or khaki trousers (would my clyde pants work?), so this might not be the most lean closet-friendly option after all.  Maybe even colored trousers?  I can’t decide if my silk navy pants would work, too.  

Not returnable.  So still a risk, if it doesn’t look right, even though it’s cheap.

It’s not a true matching suit.  I think matching trousers existed at some point, but it might be unlikely to find them for sale (and in my size).

The option I found for sale would be a size up.  Because I could potentially still alter the jacket, it might not be a big deal, and I love an oversize look anyway.

I ultimately have to decide whether having a true matchy suit is important to me right now.  I sort of feel like...maybe this would be a “punt”--getting me through some dress-up occasions while I have more time to save up for what I really want. 

What’s been really enlightening (and frustrating) about this whole comparative exercise is realizing that there’s not one perfect answer here.  There are a number of ways I could go.  It’s kind of like life choices, haha.  I could pick any one of these and probably be cool for a while but not totally satisfied, because, well, nothing’s perfect.  It’s all about choices.  

[dippedanddripped]

As a fashion customer, you accept waiting as just part and parcel of buying your clothes. You wait as omniscient figures in penthouses play a high-stakes game of Red Light, Green Light and wave on or turn away the trendiest styles, hottest designers, and game-changing technologies. You wait as investment firms, luxury conglomerates, swagless executives, entrenched designers, and retailers all get to take a crack at a brand and its clothing before you ever get a say. Kickstarter’s biggest in-an-ideal-world promise is that they’ve done away with all the waiting. Unlike clothes shopping, the crowdfunding platform gives you the chance to peruse a marketplace of ideas. “People on Kickstarter aren't shopping,” says Kickstarter spokesperson David Gallagher. “They're supporting the creation of something that doesn't exist.”

In the fashion space (the site’s seventh largest category, but a “strong and growing” one, Gallagher says), the promise of the crowdfunding site is that a creator—shaken loose from the chains of powerful investors or the ruling luxury conglomerates that own the luxury houses where creators are forced to cut their teeth for years and years before finally getting the chance to install their singular vision—can easily connect directly with you, a paying customer.

“I love Kickstarter because they're opening it up,” Josh Gustin, founder of Kickstarter-funded denim brand Gustin, says. “If you have a good idea, give it a shot. You don't have to win the approval of Barneys anymore.” Instead, you need the approval of the masses, or at least enough of it to reach your funding goal. But what does that look like?

This summer, it looked like a romper, for dudes. For a brand that was seemingly met with near-universal ridicule, Romphim raised an awful lot of money—just over $350,000 from a single campaign. That would have been an impossibility without Kickstarter. Daniel Webster-Clark, one of the brand’s founders imagines asking a friend for funding: “Hey, can I borrow $200,000 to make some male rompers?" The next step might be to pitch a VC fund—“Hey, we've got a great idea,” Webster acts out the hypothetical pitch. “The next big thing is male rompers”—but it’s hard to imagine getting past slide one. The Romphim is something that maybe wouldn’t have existed without an army of individual backers, but is this really the future Kickstarter promised? Since Kickstarter’s launch, $127 million total has been poured into Kickstarter fashion projects, birthing jeans and jackets and, yes, male rompers. But is Kickstarter creating new product categories in fashion or merely clickbait clothing?

The Sweat-Absorbent Office Shirt

Aman Advani tells me that the inkling for Ministry of Supply came when he found himself cutting and discarding the bottoms of dress socks and splicing the tops onto athletic Nike socks, in the hopes of creating a more comfortable sock to wear to work. It’s a creation only someone so far removed from the fashion industry, like say an MIT engineer such as Advani, could love. But he saw the beginnings of a company.

Before Ministry of Supply raised almost $430,000 then landed a $1 million investment, there wasn’t a precedent for fashion brands on Kickstarter. “Ministry of Supply was definitely a trailblazer,” Gallagher says. Advani didn’t even bother researching other fashion Kickstarters at the time, and instead tried to emulate successful tech projects. Advani says there are two types of projects that can potentially go on Kickstarter. The first is “[insert whatever thing here] but better.” These sorts of projects don’t need Kickstarter. “You already know the market likes blank, they're definitely going to like blank on steroids, just go build it,” Advani says. The second sort of projects are the challengers that aspire to upend entire categories.

Technology masquerading as fashion is one of the cornerstones of Kickstarter’s apparel projects. Ministry of Supply’s gear—moisture-wicking dress shirts that Advani calls “performance professional” fits into this category. Flip-flops are instead 3D-printed marvelsengineered for your feet, hoodies and T-shirts are made out of something called Filium to shrug off odor and stain, and magnets are put to work in order to eliminate the scourge of belt holes. On Kickstarter, the is less What does this fashion item look like? and more What can it do? The majority of projects on Kickstarter aren’t launched by legit designers, but rather entrepreneurs promising “disruption” of your closet.

“What we're trying to do is say [if] business casual is dead, then business comfortable is next,” says Advani. “If Brooks Brothers is right, then so be it. It will have been a risk well taken.” But consumers have embraced Advani’s concept to such an extent that others are now trying to get a piece of the pie. Since Ministry of Supply’s launch in 2012, plenty of other fashion-first brands have added, or tried their hand at, blended performance and formalwear: Gant Rugger has its Tech Prep line, Calvin Klein makes one, and even Brooks Brothers experimented in the space. At the very least, Kickstarter opened a pathway for Ministry of Supply, and the concept it’s heralding, to make some noise.

Other companies aren’t as fortunate to wake the sleeping giants and live to tell the tale. Kickstarter frequently functions as a place where large companies pillage ideas, or wait for concepts to prove their viability. The most prominent example is Pebble, a leader in the smartwatch space that was once valued at $740 million but is now out of business. The company debuted on Kickstarter in 2012—three years before the Apple Watch hit the market. Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky, who now works at startup incubator Y Combinator, declined to comment.

The Forever-Kickstarting Jeans

When Gustin launched with the promise to sell $81 raw denim, Josh Gustin was already running a denim brand—but he was selling jeans in stores for $205 and gaining no traction. Part of the reason Kickstarter has been able to bend the menswear industry is that it gave a different route to people with nontraditional ideas—if not about jeans, then about ways to sell them. “I like the fact that it gives people a shot in an industry that can be very difficult and closed,” Gustin says. “I love Kickstarter because they're opening it up. If you have a good idea, give it a shot. You don't have to win the approval of Barney's anymore.”

And while direct-to-consumer wasn’t brand-new when Gustin launched in 2013, the sales pitch hit a nerve with customers. The company raised $450,000 after loudly blaring its sales model, along with the promise items would be sold to customers at more than half typical retail prices. With Gustin, the conceit wasn’t just that customers were getting denim at a value pricepoint. It was that Gustin had created a more efficient model for them to buy those jeans. Buying them, then, didn’t just make customers feel more stylish. It was a way for customers to feel like they were outsmarting the fashion industry, and everyone who was paying $200 for raw denim, in one fell swoop. “The tech community values efficiency as well,” Gustin says. “So they want that product but they're like, ‘Hmm, it's interesting that you have a more efficient model around it.’” And Gustin’s able to keep customers once it gets them in the door. The comments on the brand’s Kickstarter page are largely positive beyond some gripes about customer service and the denim nerds over at Heddels describe the product as “a quality pair of jeans at prices that won’t break the bank.”

And Gustin’s philosophy is that once you’ve made a customer feel like a big brainiac, you should continue to do so. In this way, Kickstarter can have its own effect on how a brand is run. Gustin continues to use the Kickstarter model for every one of its products launches. “The one wrinkle for us was, we think people are kind of missing the point,” Gustin says. “A lot of brands go on Kickstarter and they leverage the crowdsourcing model, but then once they move on they abandon it. And our whole plan was, ‘No, no, no, the whole point is the crowdsourcing model is what's so powerful.’”

The Nine-Pocket High-Functioning Jacket

The Adv3nture hoodie is a hooded sweatshirt. It is also a bottle opener, a pillow, a mini pen holder, a passport transporter, and a neoprene-lined drink cooler. By any standard, this is an over the top product—one that’s either ridiculously epic or just ridiculous.

The hyper-functional hoodie, launched by Zane Lamprey in September 2016, accumulated just over $1,850,000 in backing and is still the most-funded fashion Kickstarter ever. Lamprey has launched three wildly successful projects total, ranging from the hoodie to a TV show that eventually landed on National Geographic.

“[Kickstarter customers] want to make a difference,” says Lamprey. “It's like, ‘Hey, man. You seem pretty cool, and I like your product, and I'm going to back this because I want to help you out.’” Kickstarter also believes people are seeking out more than a shopping experience when they visit the site—they’re looking to create something totally new.

The Adv3nture jacket represents Kickstarter at its most promising and frustrating. Kickstarter can engage a consumer who isn’t interested in fashion, and can open the floodgate for every weird—and potentially industry-changing—idea. Yet the most funded product in the category’s history puts a bottle opener on a zipper.

Lamprey argues a jacket would be a harder sell in a department store. On Kickstarter, he can produce a video that explains how it works, and why you need it. “You can't just say like, ‘Hey, look at my cool shirt,’” Lamprey argues. “You need to say, look at my cool shirt, here's what it does. Right? So it's not really about the fashion, it becomes more about functionality, and so I think crowdfunding has really changed the view on how functional apparel can be.”

This stands in contrast to the way the majority of the fashion industry has operated forever, though. Reed Nelson, the content manager at San Francisco’s Unionmade, worries about what we lose in trading fashion for function. “In a basic-necessity-for-society sense, I'm sure these utilitarian things make a lot more sense in the same way that everyone in WALL-E wears the same clothes, right?” he says. “Style has always been a form of self expression but I think if the only idea you're trying to convey is that ‘I'm efficient,’ it's just a less interesting place to be.”

Whether the gatekeepers like it or not, Kickstarter is presenting a vision of style outside the established norms. That products like the function-first hoodie raised over a million dollars proves they are viable. “In a town where people drink Soylent for three meals a day and want to slim down on everything and swear by Acronym stuff, not because the silhouette but because of the functionality,” Nelson says of San Francisco, “there's definitely an audience for that.”

The Viral One-Piece

No matter what you think about the necessity of performance formalwear, disrupted denim, and travel-ready hoodies, Kickstarter has proven that there’s a desire for them. “Finding out if ultimately there is market pull for your idea is critical, right?” Ministry of Supply’s Advani says.

The Romphim may not have the category-busting, undercutting, or straight-up functional qualities of the above items. But it, too, wouldn’t exist without thousands of regular non-investment-company-owning people coming out of the woodwork to endorse it.

And, surprise, some of these people just want something to wear. Romphim’s Webster admits it was hard to find precedent for the Romphim among former successful Kickstarter campaigns. “They were of more about pioneering a new manufacturing process, or trying to bring together new technologies in a way that hadn't been done before,” Webster says. “Versus what we were trying to do, [which] was really just trying to jump into a place where menswear traditionally hadn't been.”

They set their sights on reinvigorating a style—yes, male rompers—that they felt was underserved. If this inclination were wrong, Romphim wouldn’t have raised over $350,000, and retailers like ASOS wouldn’t have started getting in on the action with dude rompers of their own.

It’s okay if you think it’s stupid; in fact, that’s the whole point. The entire point of Kickstarter is the principle that what you think is stupid, someone else might pay for. Social-media humiliation can scare corporations out of ideas, but Romphim suggests that for every hater there’s a backer. And if the Romphim is a stunt, it’s also a wildly successful one. It’s clothing as clickbait—and a whole lot of people clicked.

When you survey Kickstarter, you see that the fashion category’s problem of funding clickbait is endemic on the platform. The most-funded projects are a device with the same functionality and look as an iPod but with better sound quality, and a super-chilling cooler. One highly-funded project aims to bring back Reading Rainbow. There are few true category challengers, like Pebble, or even Ministry of Supply. And fashion is an even more challenging category to upend with instant audience approval. After all, the fashion system generally requires designers to spend years in the trenches for the opportunity to plan months and months in advance—predicting what the customer will want, rather than giving it to them in this exact moment. Kickstarter promises a revolutionary future that doesn’t need to cede to the requirements of the industry. But for now, its biggest success stories are items that cater to our most momentary whims.

[alyssalovestaylor1989]

These are so cool

The Eras Tour posters inspired by 1970s festival/concert ads. One for each Eras ½