#need a name for the early-years-high school era as well

[iii-days-grace]

i gotta draw a fuckin polycule diagram for this now huh, haha

oh and like, do i even HAVE to say that this is on the playlist?

not sure where, i was vibing with early-years high school joey+weds [joey's a bit conflicted about the whole owing his life and Meat to weds, even though it also means he just. got the wish. but now paul's meat is in him like, for real and paul's still right there, coz he's a ghost.]

[omgthatdress]

An Analysis of the Ubiquity of Mall Brands in the late 1990s to early 2000s, or

I Fucking Hate These Guys

by OMG!thatdress

If you were a tween to teenager from roughly 1997 to 2004, chances are, you were left with profound life-long trauma caused by someone wearing Tommy Hilfiger, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Nautica, American Eagle, The Gap, Old Navy, or, if you were came along a little later, Hollister or Aeropoastale.

I cannot overstate to my young followers how over-saturated these brand names were in teen culture at the turn of the millennium, the extend to which EVERYONE was wearing them, and yet, in a weird way, how light the imprint they actually left on fashion history was.

Watching iconic teen shows of the era, you don't see any of them because a.) TV teenagers tend to be way cooler and more stylish than awkward and desperate real teenagers actually are, and b.) these brands were all copyright protected, which kept their names and logos off the airwaves.

Look in a middle school yearbook, however, you'll see it. Look at your aunt and uncle's high school photo albums, you'll see it. Ask any late Gen X or early Millennial. It was real and it was fucking awful.

The big question is why? Why? WHY, GOD WHY?! There's a lot of answers to that question.

First of all, I'm going to cite this absolutely wonderful article from Collector's Weekly about why everyone's grandma had a hideous orange couch in the 70s, and give the most simple and straightforward answer: it's what was available.

This is when the concept of online shopping is still very much in its infancy, and the hub of American consumer culture was still your local mall. If you needed new clothes, you went to the mall. And guess what stores were at every local mall? You guessed it.

For the second answer, I'm going to dig up this utter relic from the early days of internet meme-ing, that has nonetheless stuck with me and had a profound impact of my understanding of how popular fashion works:

I'm pretty sure that the reason Abercrombie & Fitch manages to survive as a brand today rests solely increasingly middle-aged Millennial men whose sense of style has refused to evolve past the shit their mom bought them in high school.

And why the hell would they? Nobody wore Abercrombie because it made them stand out or feel special. I'm still pretty convinced that nobody actually *liked* the aesthetic or thought the clothes actually looked good. You need not look past the basic color palette to understand these were not brands meant for uniqueness or self-expression.

While Britney Spears pranced around stage in her iconic neon colors and body glitter, American teenagers existed in a never-ending hellscape of washed-out neutrals, faded denim, and American flag primary colors.

All of which served its exact purpose: it was safety. It was a way to appear cool if you didn't want to go through the ordeal of actually having a personality or a sense of style. Which, of course, goes back to point number one: it was just shit you bought at the mall because you needed clothes.

It wasn't enough to save you once the school bully caught that whiff of autism and/or queerness on you, but it was enough that you could blend into the herd and pray no one ever noticed you.

Underneath it all was a very subtle undercurrent of class and classism: to wear mall brands was to declare to the world that you could indeed afford to shop at the mall. It meant you weren't, god forbid, poor.

Status symbol clothing goes back to the invention of clothing itself. The concept of brands as status symbols is still very much alive and well, its just more limited to actual luxury brands nowadays. One need look no further than your favorite high-end children's clothing website to see that rich parents still very much think it important that you know their five-year-old is wiping its boogers on Versace.

None of these brands were actual high-end luxury brands, but they still advertised and presented themselves as such. Their ads featured signifiers of "all-american" (read: White) wealth: yachts, skiing, horses, beaches, shirtless dudes with chiseled abs playing verious sportsballs.

The color palettes and cuts mimicked the preppy "Ivy" style of the New England old-money elite, along with their hobbies and lifestyle. You may not actually own a horse, but you can wear a polo shirt. You may not be able to run without breaking your ankle, but you wear the same shirt as the dude holding a football in the ad.

It was an elitist, White and skinny image that didn't age well into the diversity and body-positivity of the 2010s.

In 2003, a lawsuit was filed against Abercrombie & Fitch alleging systematic racial discrimination. People of color were rarely hired, and if they were, they were given jobs in the back, away from customer view. In 2005, the U.S. district court approved a settlement of $50,000. A few years ago, Netflix released the documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch which admittedly I haven't watched yet because my hatred runs too deep to remind myself of its existence.

It was a hatred of Abercrombie & the (white, thin, neurotypical, heterosexual) conformity that it represented that drove me screaming into the loving arms of Hot Topic and Linkin Park. Jordan Calhoun wrote an excellent article for the Atlantic about his experience growing up poor and Black and not fitting in to the Abercrombie aesthetic.

I would be very remiss if I didn't bring up the "urban" mall brands of the early 2000s: Fubu, Sean Jean, Ecko, Baby Phat, among others. They were favored by Black teenagers and White teenagers who wanted to be Black. I know there's a lot to be said about these brands, but I'm too Caucasian to really be able to talk about them with nuance. Maybe someone else will, and I will be very happy to listen.

As much as I hate Tommy Hilfiger, I really do have to give him credit for recognizing the incredibly lucrative "street wear" market and selling power of hip-hop. While most of these mall brands kept their image sparkling White, Tommy made Aaliyah his brand ambassador and regularly appeared in the wardrobes of popular rap and R&B artists of the time.

It'd be very easy and very reductive to say that the changing ideology of the 2010s was the downfall of preppy mall brands, but really, the thing that truly killed them was the downfall of the mall itself. Shopping habits changed, and logos and brand names no longer held the power they once had.

The moral of the story is that being a teenager is fucking hell, and these popular brands both offered the safety of conformity and a status symbol to hold over the heads of the poor and uncool. The irony is that everyone who hated them as teenagers (read: ME) and the freaks who grew up to truly love the power of self-expression through personal style (read: ME) became the truly cool people. If you wore Abercrombie you grew up to vote for Donald Trump.

GO GOTH. PREPS SUCK. THE END.

[sansaorgana]

📻 PLAYLIST — LEADER OF THE PACK

TRACK 1. — HE'S A GOOD GUY (YES, HE IS) BY THE MARVELETTES ⏮ ⏸ ⏭

PAIRING — Benny Cross x fem!Reader

SUMMARY — On the first day of high school you meet a new friend. Your parents say he's from the wrong side of the tracks but you can't be convinced as you develop a crush on him, not knowing yet that it is only the beginning of a much bigger adventure you are going to have with Benny Cross in the next few years.

AUTHOR’S NOTE — The gif is NOT a faceclaim – the Reader's looks are not described. I just wanted the vibe of a retro high school and it's not even the correct era lol I have no idea yet how many parts this story will be but I missed writing for Austin's characters and I wanted to finally write down the idea I've had for a while now. Also, this time I decided to lowkey use the playlist format since this sort of music is one of my favourite genres (old r&b, soul, doo wop etc.) 🥰 Of course you don't have to actually listen to those songs! 😅

WARNINGS — era accurate sexism and mindset of characters (I assumed it would be like late 1950s / early 1960s and they are from a small town), Reader and Benny are minors in this part (they are not even a couple, though)

WORD COUNT — 5,470

ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE.

LEADER OF THE PACK (TRACK 1.)

“Have you made any new friends at school?” Your mother asked with a smile when you were chewing on a steak with mashed potatoes. You nearly sighed at her question, trying very hard not to roll your eyes. Why were parents always asking that?

Well, to be fair, you had never had many friends.

There was Rachel whom you had known ever since you two had been toddlers. Rachel was definitely your best friend. Back in the day there had also been Tammy. There had always been the three of you everywhere but for about a year now Tammy had been acting differently. Ever since she had started dating, that is. Her boyfriend Louis was in the football team and he wasn’t even saying hi to you or Rachel. 

“I don’t know if it counts as making a friend but…” you started, nervously fidgeting with the fork in your hand. The person you were about to mention was a boy and you were scared of everyone’s reactions.

Your mother would tease, probably. Father and older brother would begin their interrogation as if it was anything serious.

“Miss Cooper sat me with this one boy,” you finally revealed and you watched your father lowering the newspaper he had been hiding behind until now. He raised an eyebrow at you after exchanging a meaningful look with your older brother Luke.

“Why did she tell you to sit with a boy?” Your mother smiled.

“What boy?” Your father asked, harshly.

“I’m supposed to help him in class. He’s nice but not the brightest, if you get me,” you tried to explain. “He’s not stupid – just slow when it comes to studying,” you quickly added.

“So he’s stupid,” Luke rolled his eyes.

“No!” You defended your new friend immediately.

“Who is he?” Your father repeated the question, irritated already that you had ignored him the first time and that you were fighting with your brother. Women in that household were supposed to be quiet and obedient.

He hadn’t survived the war for his own daughter to act like a brat – that was what your father was often saying. He was using the war to guilt trip you, your mother and Luke whenever he thought it was needed. 

“His name is Benny,” you nodded at your father. “Benjamin Cross,” you added.

Your parents looked at each other with a quiet sigh.

“What is it?” You asked and looked at your brother questioningly but he seemed to be as oblivious as you were why your parents reacted that way.

“I’m sure he is a nice boy…” your mother started softly, “but he is not from a good family.”

“They’re from the wrong side of the tracks,” your father explained. “Doesn’t surprise me that the boy is slow. I’ve never seen his father sober. I think he’s lost every job he has ever had.”

“And his mother?” Luke asked, curious already. One thing about your brother was that he was extremely nosy and an awful gossip.

“What about his mother? I haven’t seen her in ages,” your father looked at your mother.

“I do believe that Mrs. Cross passed away some time ago,” your mother hummed to herself. “Yes! I remember now,” she nodded eagerly. “She died two years ago. Evie told me about it last winter when we were Christmas shopping.”

“What Evie?” Your father asked.

“You know Evie! The one living down the road. Jack’s wife, that accountant.”

“Ah, yeah, yeah, Jack’s wife,” your father picked up the newspaper again. “Either way, Benny Cross is not your new friend,” he decided as he gave you a stern look. You felt your cheeks heating up. “He’s just a boy that Miss Cooper sat you with to help him. That’s it,” he finished and hid himself behind the newspaper again.

“And if he ever bothers you, just tell me!” Luke pointed his finger at you and you nodded nervously, going back to your meal.

Even though your father had decided that Benny Cross was not your friend, it was difficult to remember about that. Perhaps his grades were not good and his clothes were poor but who ever cared about such things? What mattered was that he knew how to make you laugh even though most of the time he was a quiet guy.

In fact, he was making you laugh so much that Miss Cooper angrily separated you two after three weeks of sitting together. She gave you a scolding look and said those words that would make your blood run cold under any other circumstances:

“I am so disappointed in you, (Y/N).”

But now you didn’t really care. You were just angry that she separated you from Benny. You introduced him to Rachel during lunch break but Rachel was not convinced.

“I don’t mind him. And you know that I couldn’t care less about his family!” She gasped when you accused her of being prejudiced. “It’s just… I think he might have a bad influence on you. On the both of us. We shouldn’t hang out with him for too long. But it’s very noble that you want to help him with his grades,” she assured you quickly when she spotted annoyance on your face.

“Why noble?” You asked her. “I didn’t even think of that. I just want to help my friend,” you explained.

“Oh, admit it!” Rachel giggled. “You fancy him.”

“What?!” Your eyes widened and you stopped walking, adjusting the books in your hand. Rachel chuckled and stopped as well, turning around to face you.

“Oh, (Y/N), come on, I have eyes, too. He’s handsome with those baby blue eyes and golden hair. And I’m sure you haven’t missed those muscles under his shirt. If it’s true what they say about his family, I am convinced he is used to physical work,” she covered her mouth to hide another giggle escaping her lips.

Truth to be told, you had never seen Benny Cross as a potential romantic interest… until now. You swallowed thickly at Rachel’s words, realising they were all true – he was a handsome boy with a devilish smile.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Rachel assured you. “But please, don’t become another Tammy and don’t leave me behind just because you have a crush!”

“I won’t!” You promised her with widened eyes and you grabbed her by her wrist to squeeze it. “I promise.”

Ever since that conversation with Rachel, you began to treat Benny a little differently. When he was making you laugh, you were trying to make your laughter sound more girly as you would throw your head back and fix your hair in a feminine manner. Instead of making silly faces at him, you started to cover your face with your hand to show him how flustered you were becoming. And for the very first time you didn’t spend your pocket money on a new record or a book – no, you spent it on a new pastel pink ribbon for your hair even though you knew that Benny would teasingly pull on it at school.

His hands were often dirty so whenever he pulled on it, he was leaving a small mark on the soft fabric of the ribbon. If it was any other boy, you would get frustrated and angry but you would never get angry at Benny – in fact, you were laying on the bed in the evenings, listening to your dreamy records and brushing the ribbon with your fingertips, tracing the marks left behind by Benny’s dirty fingers.

You never minded the dirty hands – they only meant he was working hard. He revealed to you that he had to do a lot of jobs after school to help his father to earn enough money to get through the month. In the end, instead of getting a thanks, he would often get a beating from his drunk old man. He was never talking kindly about him and you couldn’t blame Benny for that. There was a lot of hatred in your new friend whenever he mentioned his father and those were the moments when you were quite scared but also intrigued – when his pretty eyes filled with sparkles and hatred. He would quickly soften again, though.

It was obvious, though, that he had no time to study after school or do his homework. You were trying to help him but he was too ashamed to invite you over to his place and you were scared of taking you home because your father would not be happy about it. You never said anything about it but it was as if Benny knew anyway – he never proposed to go to your place after school. So, the only time you had to help him study was during the lunch break.

Rachel was sometimes sitting with you two but she was not happy about it. She had you all for herself after school, though, so she was trying to be understanding. When it came to Benny’s friends… Well, he didn’t have them.

Benny was too strong and too mean looking to be pushed around so the kids just left him alone and let him be. However, the boys from the football team – Tammy’s boyfriend included – were often making comments about Benny being stupid, poor or weird. You were always telling him not to listen and he was shrugging his arms, but it was hard to believe that he truly didn’t care about such things. They always had an impact on a person, especially so young.

The school in your small Illinois town was not big so your brother Luke was quickly told that you spend most of your lunch breaks sitting by the same table in the corner of the cafeteria with Benny Cross.

“I would like to ask (Y/N) about something,” he said during dinner on that day and everyone looked at you. You froze, already expecting the worst. You loved your brother because he was your family but you didn’t like him – too often he was trying to act like your father.

“What is it?” Your mother asked, worryingly.

“I was told that Miss Cooper separated (Y/N) and that Cross boy a few weeks ago because they were loud in class. Yet, I still see them spending lunch breaks together,” he revealed and your heart skipped a beat.

“You were loud in class?!” Your father snapped and you swallowed a lump in your throat as your hands began to shake.

“I… I am sorry…” You looked down.

“Don’t be angry at her! I am sure it was that boy’s fault!” Your mother defended you.

“Perhaps. Why does she still spend time with him then?” Your father observed you intensely.

“I… I want to help him,” you explained quietly. “I help him to study, that’s it. He is nice to me and it’s not like he’s stupid, he really is not!” You exclaimed after spotting Luke snorting at your words. “But he doesn’t have time to study after school.”

“Well, that is so noble of you, darling,” your mother caressed your arm but you flinched a little at the word that she used – noble. “We should be glad that our daughter is so helpful and compassionate,” she laid her eyes on your father.

“Being around that boy means trouble,” your father shook his head. “I cannot punish you for having a good heart,” he sighed. “Women tend to be too weak. That is why you have fathers and husbands to show you the right path.”

“And brothers,” Luke nodded but your father did not comment on that.

“I don’t want you to start getting worse grades because you put too much effort into helping somebody else,” your father pointed his finger at you.

“But daddy! I learn as well when I help Benny to study!” You protested.

“While you are repeating the basics with him, you could already study more advanced subjects yourself. Aren’t you always saying that you want to go to college one day?” He furrowed his brows and you shut your mouth. The college argument was always making you feel guilty, too. It was almost as bad as the war one. “I am not saving my hard-earned money for you to go to college only to find out you are wasting your time on a deadbeat Cross boy!”

“He is a lost cause, sweetheart, you must realise that,” your mother was much more gentle when she caressed your cheek but the meaning of her words was the same after all. “I know it’s sad but the truth is he is going to end up like his father and we cannot do anything to stop it. It’s a waste of time to try.”

“Enough,” your father raised his hand. “I don’t want to talk about that boy ever again.”

And just like that the rest of the meal went quietly with your mother occasionally trying to cheer your father up by bringing up some random facts from her boring day full of shopping, cooking and cleaning. 

After dinner, you stayed in the kitchen to help her clean the table and wash the dishes while your father and Luke were free to go and spend that time on whatever they wished.

You were drying the plates with a cloth, biting on your lower lip and waiting for the right time to start a private conversation with your mother.

“He’s nice to me, mommy,” you finally whispered.

“Hm?” She turned her head around to meet your gaze.

“Benny Cross. He is nice to me and he makes me laugh,” you tried to explain in the simplest way possible. “He is my friend now. I can’t just… I can’t just stop hanging around with him. He doesn’t have anyone.”

“He surely has some friends,” your mother furrowed her brows.

“Not at school, no. He mentioned some guys from his street but they don’t go to school anymore,” you explained.

“They’re older?”

“Not much. They just… They dropped out or got expelled,” you lowered your voice and your mother sighed, extending her hand to give you another plate to dry. “Mom! I know what it sounds like but I don’t think he’s a lost cause. I think a push into the right direction could save his life,” you were desperate to make her understand. “We cannot claim that we are good people when we turn our backs on those in need.”

You felt bad for referring to Benny as someone in need and you were sure that his pride would be bruised but you also were aware that it was the only argument that could convince your mother – she wanted to be a good person above anything else. She wanted to be known for her kindness and her nice family as if the whole meaning of her life revolved only around how others perceived her. She wanted to always be soft and feminine – just like your father wanted her to be. And she wanted the exact same from you but you had ambitions that both scared and impressed her. Like the fact you wanted to go to college or you had the courage to stand up for yourself and argue with your father sometimes.

“If it doesn’t interfere with your own studying then I don’t see a reason why you can’t help him,” she sighed as she nodded in a whisper. “However, I don’t think your father should know about it. I’ll try to talk to Luke and make him understand so he doesn’t snitch on you again,” she assured you and your eyes brightened.

“Thank you!” You squealed happily and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Mom?”

“Yes, darling?”

“Can I invite Benny here after school one day? Maybe on Friday? We don’t have many classes so we’d have a few hours before daddy comes back from work and Luke has his baseball practice at that time,” you tried to give her as many reasons as possible for her to agree.

“I don’t know, (Y/N)... I’m not sure if it’s a good idea,” your mother shook her head and went back to washing the dishes. You sighed and didn’t say anything else but you could see that she was intensely thinking about something. “On the other hand…” she started, “...your father is going out with his friends from work for dinner this Friday. He won’t be back until late in the evening.”

“So you agree?” Your eyes widened. “Oh, mom, you would meet him and I’m sure you’re going to see what I see… That he’s a nice boy!”

“Alright… But don’t make me regret that,” she gave you a scolding – but still soft – look.

Benny was trying to play it cool because he always tried to come off as unbothered by anything but you could see that he was nervous. He had one class less than you on that day but he promised to wait for you behind the school building and when you ran up to him with books in your hand, you spotted him throwing a cigarette on the ground before stepping on it with his shoe to put it out.

“Benny!” You gasped at the sight. You had no idea he was smoking. “My mom won’t like it when she smells the cigarette smoke on you!” You pointed out.

“She’ll think it’s my old man’s,” Benny only shrugged his arms and took the books from you to carry them for you. That sweet gesture made you forget in an instant about his awful habit you had just found out about.

You walked down the street to your house and you caught yourself struggling with a very odd mix of feelings – you felt proud walking down the street next to Benny Cross who was holding your books. His jeans were worn out, his blond hair ruffled and his steps heavy – no other boy around here looked or walked like him. And because of that… You felt a little ashamed, too. Just a little. And only because some of your neighbours were looking you up and down after you said good afternoon to them. You just hated the way they were staring.

Lost in such thoughts, you spotted that Benny was looking around uncomfortably. He was watching the houses and the perfectly trimmed lawns, the white picket fences and flowers planted in the gardens.

“Does it look different where you live?” You asked, naively. It was hard to imagine that not every neighbourhood where people lived didn’t look the same.

“You’ve never been there, have you?” Was all Benny asked as he cracked a sad smile with a hint of pity.

“N-no,” you admitted and shook your head, embarrassed of yourself.

“That’s alright, doll. I’m glad you haven’t and I hope you never will,” he nodded firmly.

“It’s here!” Thankfully, you had a reason to change the subject because Benny had nearly walked past your house. You grabbed him by his sleeve and pulled him towards your front door.

You pushed them open and walked inside as he began to fix his hair with his free hand and his face turned a shade paler.

“Mom, we’re home!” You announced and took your shoes off. Benny mirrored you and took his off as well but he seemed to be pretty surprised that it was your custom.

Your mother entered the hallway from the kitchen, wiping her hands in the apron. Her smile was cautious and soft as if she was approaching a wild, stray kitten abandoned by the road.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. (Y/L/N),” Benny straightened his back at the sight of her.

“Good afternoon, Benny. (Y/N)’s been talking a lot about you,” she hesitated but eventually extended her hand towards him and you hissed at her because you didn’t want her to mention such things that you were talking about him and all that. It was embarrassing.

“Mom!” You whined as Benny looked around, trying to find a spot where to put the books he had been carrying for you all the way home. You took them from him with an encouraging smile and he nodded at you before shaking your mom’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Benny said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Benny. (Y/N) mentioned to me you are going to study, yes? Go to her room now and I’ll call you for dinner when the time comes,” your mother announced and your heart skipped a beat. You had no idea Benny could actually stay for the meal.

“Um… Benny, go upstairs,” you handed him the books again. “My room is on the left,” you added. “Wait for me there,” you said and he nodded.

You followed your mother to the kitchen.

“What is it?” She asked you. “I thought you’d be happy that I invited him.”

“I am! But what about Luke?” You squinted your eyes. You knew that your brother would not approve of that.

“He informed me this morning that he is taking Patsy on a date after practice. He won’t be home until evening,” your mother informed you.

“Patsy?” You chuckled. She was two years older than you – just like your brother. And she was everybody’s dream, so you were told. Beautiful, from a good family, obedient, with good grades. A perfect woman and a wife material.

Something you were scared you would never be.

“Yes, Patsy. I am so happy for him,” your mother grinned widely and you smiled, too, although you didn’t care about your brother enough to be happy for him. In fact, you gritted your teeth that everything in his life seemed to go so perfectly as always. Your father’s golden boy.

Would your life be similar if you had been born a man, too?

Either way, you hugged your mom and ran upstairs to join Benny inside your room. He was standing in the middle of it and looking around in a way that made your cheeks heat up. It was a typical girly room like millions of others but now you somehow felt embarrassed about it.

“It’s a bit childish,” you admitted.

“No, it’s very pretty,” Benny shrugged his arms and blushed when his eyes met yours. “I think it suits you,” he admitted and remained standing there awkwardly.

“Thank you,” You sat on the chair by the desk where he had put your books already and you pointed at your bed to let him know that he could sit on the edge of it. He did that but very carefully as if he was scared of making your sheets dirty.

You gathered the books and moved up to sit next to him so there would be no more distance between you two. You started with doing your homeworks together and you quickly realised your father might have been right about something – Benny would be a distraction. You couldn’t stop staring at his face. At his plump lips that made you think of nothing but kissing, at his beautiful, long eyelashes that were dark even though his hair was golden. Speaking of his hair – it was so fluffy and had different shades  of blond depending on the layers. You were counting all the moles on his cheeks and getting lost in his ocean blue eyes. Whenever your hands brushed each other while trying to turn the page at the same time, you couldn’t help but notice his big hands with long, thin fingers. Those were very pretty hands even though they were rough from all the physical work he was usually doing after school.

He was helping people for money – mowing the lawns, fixing sinks, carrying heavy things, all kinds of stuff. But what he enjoyed the most was fixing cars and motorbikes. He had revealed that to you recently and you thought it was adorable that he had a passion and it could actually be turned into a solid job later in life.

The longer you were explaining things to him, the faster he was understanding them. You were pretty convinced by now that he was not stupid at all.

“Benny?” You batted your eyelashes and he turned his head around to look deep into your eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Can you promise me something?” You dared to ask.

“What is it, doll?” He smirked. He would often call you a doll and perhaps you should have been offended by it but in fact it was causing you to have butterflies in your stomach.

“Promise me that you’re gonna finish high school, alright?” You furrowed your brows.

Benny was visibly surprised by your words. He didn’t get to answer, though, because the door opened widely without knocking and your mother walked inside. You and Benny moved away from each other slightly.

“The dinner is ready,” she announced with a smile. She seemed to be pretty happy with the sight of the open books and notebooks scattered everywhere. You nodded at her and you stood up to follow her downstairs. Benny walked behind you. “How was the studying?” Your mother asked when you were sitting by the table.

“It is going well, ma’am. Your daughter should become a teacher,” Benny smiled at her.

“She might! (Y/N) wants to go to college, has she told you?” Your mother asked him while putting salad and chicken onto his plate. “Will it be enough for you, Benny? Such a strong boy like you must eat a lot,” she chuckled before turning around to put the food on your plate as well.

“It is enough, ma’am. It looks delicious, thank you. I can’t remember when was the last time I had vegetables for dinner,” Benny chuckled nervously while you and your mother exchanged meaningful looks. You both were sorry for him.

“Well, you can eat as much of this salad as you wish. My husband and son are not dining with us this evening,” your mother explained softly before taking her seat and you all began to eat.

“Thank you,” Benny blushed.

The rest of the meal went pretty calm since Benny was a quiet boy most of the time. In fact, it made you feel special that he liked to make you laugh because he was not very fun with others around. He was an outsider towards most but you probably had made him like you because you had treated him kindly and you had tried to help him from the very beginning. You hadn’t judged him and you hadn’t made it feel like an act of charity.

Despite being of a quiet nature, Benny was answering your mother’s questions politely and, oh dear, she asked a lot. Lots of her questions were about Benny’s family and you just knew that she was itching to ask about how Benny's mother had died but thankfully she didn’t actually ask that.

She was in the middle of telling a funny story when all of you froze at the sound of the front door opening. You and your mother looked at each other, scared, and that was when Luke entered the dining room and winced at the sight of Benny.

You sighed with relief at the sight of him because your father would be a much worse possibility but it still did not mean that it was alright. You were nervous and so was your mother. She decided to play it cool.

“Oh, hi, honey!” She greeted her son. “How was the practice? How was your date with Patsy?” She tried to sound cheerful.

“Both went fine,” Luke answered with a clenched jaw as he looked Benny up and down. “What is (Y/N)’s… friend doing here?” He asked rudely and your mother gave him a scolding look.

“Well, that is not a nice way to greet a guest, is it? (Y/N) invited Benny to help him with homework and I wanted him to stay for the meal,” your mother explained.

Luke approached Benny with an extended hand as you watched the interaction with fear. You knew that for men it was some sort of a game of dominance. Benny hesitated for a very long and tense moment, staring at your brother’s hand with contempt. Finally, he stood up and shook it back. You could see his knuckles turning white from the strength he was using to show off how firm his hold could be.

“Nice to meet you,” Luke gave him a fake smile.

“Nice to meet you, too,” Benny nodded and sat back on his chair. “You been on a date with Patsy Carter?” He asked.

“Yes. Do you know her?” If Luke’s eyes could kill, Benny would be dead now.

“Nah, never spoke to ‘er but you know, it’s hard not to know who she is,” Benny winked at him playfully as you chewed on the inside of your cheek. You couldn’t understand why Benny wanted to provoke your brother so much. The situation was bad enough already.

“Are you insinuating something, Cross?” Luke’s fists clenched.

“Lucas!” Your mother tried to calm him down.

“Just sayin’ she’s a nice piece,” Benny commented and you looked away, trying to hide your anger.

You couldn’t believe that Benny said such a disrespectful thing about another girl – a girl your brother dated – in front of your own mother. It made you feel like a fool to ever defend him in front of your family. Perhaps they had been right – he was from the bad side of town and his ways were too different to try to change them.

“Don’t test me, kid,” Luke drawled out. Thankfully, that was all he said before walking out of the room. Your mother looked at you, panicked, before standing up and following her son to talk to him.

“Why have you done that?” You asked, sniffling your tears back when you eventually turned your head around to meet Benny’s gaze. He seemed to be confused why you reacted this way. “You have no idea for how long I have been defending you and…”

“Oh, thank you, doll,” he interrupted you and his voice was full of irony. “The tramp you defended turns out to be a bum? How shocking,” he commented and you spotted that awful sparkle in his eye that would often show up whenever he spoke of his father. But why was his anger aimed at you now?

“I didn’t mean to offend you…” your voice began to shake. “I just thought we were friends. You were nice to me.”

Benny sighed. He tilted his head as he examined your face and you just knew that he was thinking of you as naive.

“‘m sorry,” Benny mumbled out. “Didn’t want to make you sad. I just don’t like bein’ treated like your big brother treated me,” he explained.

“I know,” you calmed down immediately. “I’m sorry about him, too,” you assured him and glanced at the clock on the wall. “My daddy’s going to be home soon. I think it’s time for you to go now,” you told him and you were scared he would get angry again at that but he understood. Benny nodded and left the table. You followed him to walk him out.

“Tell your ma that the food was great, ‘kay? And apologise to her from me,” he asked while putting his shoes back on.

“Yeah, sure, Benny,” you nodded and hugged your own self. You didn’t want to say goodbye yet. “See you tomorrow at school.”

“See you,” Benny winked at you and squeezed your arm. “You’re a nice girl, doll. Thanks for everythin’,” he added before going out and those few words were enough to make your heart swell in your chest.

You watched him walk away with his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. You were sure he would go back to his place on foot while whistling some song he had heard on the radio earlier. That was his way.

When you went back to the dining room, your mother was already cleaning the plates.

“Benny’s just left. He wanted me to tell you that the food was great and he wanted to apologise for–” you started.

“Save it,” she interrupted you and looked up to meet your gaze. She was angry and you were taken aback by that. “It was the last time this boy was here, do you hear me?” She asked, harshly, but she gave you no time to answer. “I managed to beg Lucas to keep it a secret but he is not happy about it and I can’t blame him.”

“But mom, I am sure you could see that Benny is a nice boy. He only was rude when Lucas acted like a–”

“I said, save it,” your mother snapped and you shut your mouth immediately. “Help me with the dishes now, will you? Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

MASTERLIST

[sapphanimates]

SapphAnimates Art Recap 2024!

Calling it a little bit early, but here's a quick recap of my art progress for the year ^^

JANUARY

My Alacrity AU designs for Team Chaotix! Espio was one of the new designs I was most proud of at the time (despite the fact I ended up slightly modifying it later on). Hence why I chose him to represent January!

FEBUARY

THIS IS IT. THE ORIGINS OF SASHA. A Sonadow fankid I originally made just for shits and giggles, as many other creators were making them at the time, has slowly evolved over the year to become a pseudo-face for the blog! I wouldn't be where I am right now if you guys hadn't loved her as much as I do, and I'm super grateful for all of your support! Stay tuned for more Doom's Child AU news!

MARCH

Warrior Cats designs! These are some Medicine Cat/Healer designs for fun, though it did push me into a short era of drawing a lot of warriors stuff. I think most of my March was dedicated to Warriors content, actually...

APRIL

I like garten of banban. I needed to share my concept for a darker, psychological horror type of banban story, with a hint of infection au in there as well. please forgive me.

MAY

The end of the Sasha's run in the Sonic Fankid Showdown hosted by @head---ache . She didn't last very long, but the support behind our campaign was insane. Same goes for Zayne's run in the second Showdown. Thank you all so much!

JUNE

I did a "Six Fanarts" Challenge, featuring a mix of Warriors and Sonic characters, this one in particular featuring Sonic, Tails, Shadow, Tangle, Yellowfang, and Breezepelt. Shadow was my favorite from the group, with the bright yellow moon in the background and new Doom Wings (the Doom Powers were recently announced at the time).

JULY

Drew some of the horror adjacent Tails designs from some of the zones in my Project Alacrity AU. Ojo, Maggie, and Tailtrap playing Operation together and failing miserably at it :]

AUGUST

Some scrapped art from an animated shorts compilation video I posted on my YouTube Channel! It features some of the main characters, namely Fallen Leaves from Warriors, a Floragato from Pokémon, and a Mimic and Blarret from My Singing Monsters. Please go check out the video if you haven't yet!

SEPTEMBER

September means school, and school means teachers. And I've never met a more wackjob teacher than my current Chemistry teacher. This picture was one I did as a "Get to Know You" project on the first day of school. Labcoat Sapph.

OCTOBER

My first self assigned school art project, and a photography one! A multimedia picnic, a clay frog, a paper doll coati, and a portrait of a ghostly cat-woman, all sharing a lovely shoo-fly pie. Each character was created in a different medium, and the final photo was taken in my grandmother's backyard.

NOVEMBER

Part of a community challenge spurred by @yourpalsalamander . Asha in Wonderland needed a high af caterpillar, and who better to fill the role than Sasha. Just uh... don't touch her shrooms.

DECEMBER

Mlp horror AUs have had a small comeback lately, mostly on TikTok, but I wanted to throw my hat in the ring and create new evil versions of the entire Mane 6. I haven't come up with a design and concept for Rarity yet, but I've had a great time developing the rest of them! I'd love to turn it into a video series if you guys are interested in hearing my thoughts.

See you all next year! Template is by @zontarzon

[yourjughead]

Red Car

Sweet Pea X Reader

Synopsis: You and Sweet Pea part ways after a Summer fling as you head off to college and he into his final year but is it really over? Or is it all just on pause?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Person - August

Owww ouch yn!"

"YNN at this point you must be hurting him with gauze on purpose" Sweet Pea laughed from the arm chair while watching you patching up his best friend on the loveseat across from him.

"He's just being a baby!" You rolled Fang' head to the side to gain more access to the stream of drying blood behind his ear.

"You're bed side manner is gonna need work before you start med school on Monday"

"Fangs my bedside manner is fine, right SP?!" Sweet Pea put his two hands in the air and looked away bowing out of the conversation.

"You're such a traitor" you laughed going back to your patient.

"You children will be missing me next week, no one to help fix you up as well as I can. You're done, hold this."

"Don't call us children, you're only a year older" Fangs rolled his eyes at you before sliding away and holding the gauze to his neck. You busied yourself packing the kit together before moving to the kitchen to tidy it away.

"How you holding up with that anyways Sweet Pea?" Fangs whispered across to the raven haired boy. Sweet Pea glanced at you humming in the kitchen of the trailer. Your departure from Riverdale was something he tried to push far from his mind. It was better you went on with your future he thought, leave him to fend his way through senior year alone. Fangs rolled his eyes at the silence to his question before standing and throwing on his jacket and heading for the door with a wave. You sauntered from the kitchen over to Sweet Pea, throwing one leg over him to eventually practically straddle the gang member in the chair. Chest to chest you ran a hand down his grinning cheek.

"Are you going to miss me YN?" You groaned leaning backwards from him, his hands around your lower back supporting your waist. Your leaving was difficult for both of you but this once Summer fling that had turned into more was not going to stop you from achieving it all.

"SP, I'm going to miss you more than you could ever know but you're going to have an amazing senior year, and I'll be back again in the Summer" he furrowed his brows to this.

"I wish I could go with you" he held your hand to his face.

"I know"

"I wish we could stay together" he dropped your hand, his eyes following suit. You slid from his lap to stand, catching his and pulling him up with you. He towered above you but in this moment seem so small. His hands snaked once again around your waist and your own arms drapped across his shoulders.

"We...we know this needs to end before I leave, neither of us are good at relationships, especially not long distance" you said quietly into his chest.

"I wish we were good at relationships"

"I wish I could make all your wishes come true "

"Oh YN, you already have" he said leaning down to kiss you sweetly.

~

You loaded your car as the chill of the early morning wrapped around you. Sweet Pea brought the final box from your house and into the boot. Sweet Pea fought back tears as he kissed your forehead. You slipped into the red car and off into the icy air. The end of an era.

~

Senior year flew by like pages of year book. Over time your studies enveloped all of your time and a certain brunette named Josie took Sweet Peas. You just seemed to keep missing one another in time, living up to your reputation of poor relationship maintenance. In some ways it was better to slowly drift from communication, the distance too much for both of you. By Christmas you didn't see sense of coming home to Riverdale, the loss of SP seeming too much to confront so soon to your leaving.

~

June.

The Summer sun began to sink behind the walls of Cheryl's Summer rager. The seniors of Riverdale High flowed from every doorway, the sound of music and cheer carrying through out the town. A familiar red car pulled into the drive of the tall manor. You swung your legs from the car and up the steps of the house. Fangs had contacted you inviting you to the party once he found out Sweet Pea was going with Josie. Fangs hated how he began to shed his serpent skin to fit in with her future popstar persona.

The sound of sweet music coming from one direction and loud scuffling from the other. The sound of drunken arguing growing in volume is where your feet took you.

Sweet Pea POV Simultaneously

Josie sang to the room of us all, so confident, so happy. She is really something special. I had worked so hard to get to a point of being ready for a girlfriend and she didn't want to be fully mine. Maybe that's better. I watched Josie sway from side to side singing her siren song, the same that trapped me months ago. Was this a feeling of entrapment and not infatuation? This thought worried me. The sound of shouting attempted to drown out Josie. The sound of Fangs shouting. Why is he shouting? I ran into the adjacent room, my best friend pinning a Bulldog hockey player to the ground.

"Call me that slur again! I dare you!" I heard him drunkenly shout, before I could seperate Fangs from him, one of the hockey head team mates swung a dinning room chair into my best friend, knocking him clean out. Oh he will pay for that, the greatest of debts. I flew across the room to the culprit, his collar in hand I pinned him up against the wall. As if on que, my fellow Serpents swarmed the room, chaos crushing around the room.

"Sweet Pea, leave him! You can't have any more arrests! " Toni caught me, trying to seperate me from him. This was true, I had had a rough year. I dropped his collar, and watched a smirk grow as I turned from him. I couldn't help myself. I swung back, a clean fist meeting his glass jaw, he sailed to the ground.

"Sweet Pea!" Josie shriekd amoung the madness. Crap. I looked to where some Serpents carried Fangs from the room.

"YN?" I found myself thinking out loud as I saw a y/h/c-ed figure lead the movement of my friend.

"What are you doing?! How do you think this makes me look?!" Josie interrupted my thoughts as her hands came flat against my chest. Before I could answer, Toni caught me by my wrist and hauled me towards the back of the house. A familiar red car came skating around the back of the house.

"Come on Toni, I need to get him somewhere I can look at him better!" YN. Her voice. I haven't heard her voice in so long. She wasn't expecting to see me by the look across her face from the driver seat. I wasn't expecting to see her. Toni dropped my wrist and ran for the car. I couldn't lift my legs from the spot.

"Sweet Pea? Where are you going?" Josie stood at the top of the steps.

"SP, we have to go" Toni signalled for YN to drive on, it seemed to pain her to tear her eyes from me.

Part 2

[kinetic-elaboration]

June 1: Daria/Jane, Winter Break

Hmmmmm, well. A continuation of this.

Daria/Jane, ~700 words, 23 minutes

Sap, sap, sap.

*

The Pizza King is full of high schoolers--a prime example of how they have changed, even though the world, or at least Lawndale, has stayed the same--so they agree that next time, they'll find somewhere else to eat. Over mushrooms and jalapenos, they reminisce about when they were that age, as if they were ages older. They don't talk about how, the night before, they'd accidentally kissed or what that means, and maybe if they don't discuss it, that means it isn't important at all.

If this had happened with anyone else, Jane would be the first person she'd tell.

They spend the afternoon together, stopping by all of the old haunts, feeling old. She notices all the new ways that Jane touches her now, things she'd taken for granted in a new location and feeling like a new self: how often Jane grabs her arm or nudges their shoulders together or even sometimes takes Daria's hand and squeezes it, if she wants to get her attention.

By the time they're back in their own neighborhood, early winter-dusk is starting to fall. The grass is cracked with frost that never melted. Daria has her hands deep in her pockets, her fingers much too cold. Jane seems reluctant to go back to her own place, but still declines an invitation to dinner. "But I'll see you tomorrow," she says. It's not even a question.

When she leans in, she doesn't press a kiss to Daria's cheek, like she usually does, but aims right for her mouth and doesn't miss. Daria kisses back. But it's only a moment. Feels not unlike the other kisses did: like just something they do now, an extension of three and a half years of friendship, of whatever this bond is between them she's long stopped trying to name. The gesture is affectionate, warm. Jane smiles at her after, before she turns around and walks down the drive again.

The next day is frigid by Lawndale standards and the snow flurries look like something that might almost stick. They hang out in Jane's old bedroom because it's where her easel is. But the house feels different now--emptier--even some of Jane's art is gone from the walls, because she took her favorite stuff with her, and it's up in her dorm room in Boston making that place look like home.

They talk about the Trent situation and Daria watches Jane paint and doesn't pretend to do anything else, because it's winter break and she's tired and lazy and this is the only thing she wants to do in the world. When Jane hits a snag, needs a break, she lies down too, on the other side of the bed. They're face to face and staring at each other.

"Jesse would probably move up to Boston with him," Jane says, very quiet and serious, grinding down the unsaid into actual words. "Max would say he would, then chicken out. Nick won't leave his kid."

"So no more Mystik Spiral." It feels heady to say, like vertigo. "Or they could take the whole family."

"Nick and his kid and his ex?" Jane raises an eyebrow.

"Mass exodus."

"I guess anything's possible."

Or it's just the end of an era. Or change is good for people, sometimes.

Jane reaches out and tugs on the lapel of Daria's jacket, like she's trying to straighten it. She doesn't wear it as often up at school--sometimes, but she doesn't need it like she used to. Jane shifts a little closer, and Daria twists the cords hanging down from the hoodie of Jane's sweatshirt idly around her fingers. Her heart's pounding maybe a little too hard, but it's just Jane, so she knows the feeling in her chest isn't nerves.

Jane shifts closer then and somehow they end up curled together, Daria holding her, until fairly soon Jane has fallen asleep. This has happened before, more than once, up in Boston. A part of her wonders why it never happened when they were still in high school.

Daria leaves not long before dinner, and only because her parents are expecting her. At the door to Jane's room, they both linger a long moment; Daria is thinking idly about how their fingers are entwined. Jane's goodbye kiss is on the mouth again. Maybe it lingers. And afterward, she squeezes Daria's hand before she lets go.

[theblimpfruit]

Female friendship in the Cosmere series

So after a few years of being out of the fandom, I got back into Brandon Sanderson books/the Cosmere, and have been devouring everything that's come out in the interim. It's been a fun time! But I've been reminded of something that bothered me back when I was getting into these books and world for the first time, and it still kinda does. This is a bit of a ramble, so bear with me.

Okay, so for those of you who didn't know, Sanderson's posted a draft on his website of "Mythwalker", a shelved novel he wrote very early into his attempts at getting published. It's a clunky read- it's got a lot of flaws, and obviously needs an editing pass, and I can see why Sanderson stopped working on it. I read it anyways back in high school, hungry as I was for more Sanderson.

There's a bunch that'll probably stick out to you if you're a Cosmere reader: the main character Devin has shades of Kaladin in terms of arc, there's the terms skaa and koloss (although here koloss are the nobles), and then there's another plot with "Siri" and "Vvenna". As you can probably guess by their names, these characters and their plot would be adapted into what became Warbreaker.

A lot of the broad strokes are similar: Vvenna is the perfectly poised, in control of her emotions, ideal noblewoman, engaged to a deified Emperor. Siri is the younger, more brash one, and more frequently flouts the rules of high society. But what really struck me reading this as a teen is this difference from Warbreaker: Vvenna and Siri are not sisters. They are friends.

Well, strictly speaking, they're lady and handmaiden, since Vvenna is so high a noble that lower nobles are her attendants, but they're a lot closer than their prescribed roles.

They still have a similarish initial relationship to Vivenna and Siri- fondness for each other tempered by some barbed feelings for each other's personalities, but the fact that they get to be really close with each other but not have their bond be familial really stuck in my head. And I think that was because that sort of connection between female characters was, and is, still pretty rare in Brandon Sanderson books?

I'll admit I don't remember all the details of all the books, but it seems like a consistent thing both in what was out when I read this years ago, and today. Please correct me if I'm forgetting or misremembering other relationships like this, with major characters.

In Mistborn era 1, Vin has basically no other women to connect with, there's Kelsier, his crew, Sazed, Elend.

Era 2 has Steris and Marasi, who are half-sisters. MeLaan is there but is mostly close to Wayne.

Stormlight has Shallan and Jasnah, but they're teacher and student, not really friends, although of course they do care about each other, but it's a different kind of relationship. Venli's main relationships are with her sister/mother. Lift is Lift, Syl by her nature is mostly with Kaladin and other male characters. I can see why Navani and Raboniel captured a lot of people's hearts though.

I can't remember much with Elantris and who Sarene interacts with besides Raoden and Hrathen.

Warbreaker is like I said, Siri and Vivenna are now sisters (and again to be clear I don't dislike the change inherently- it's not a worse relationship/book for it, and the change makes sense with how different the plot is).

I've only read the first graphic novel for White Sand so as far as I know, Khriss hasn't talked to another woman lol

And then, what's there in the others? Tress's major relationships are with Charlie/Huck, then Crow and Fort, and then ig the lady who's really into guns. Yumi's whole deal is that she has no one to talk to besides Liyun who piles pressure onto her, never mind a female friend. In Sunlit, again, Elegy and Rebeke are sisters.

I guess you could say this is a subset of the issues with having few female characters in general (and I'll be the first to say Sanderson is doing better than he has been on this front), but idk. This was something I hadn't even noticed until I read those Mythwalker chapters and found it really refreshing despite the fact that "women being friends and supporting each other" really shouldn't be something that's refreshing!

If you've read this far, I'll reiterate again that I do enjoy these books but this is something that's been really niggling at me, and I'd like to know if it makes sense to anyone else.

[imaginespazzi]

Nivi!!! Since you are so diligently sticking to your schedule (you’re so inspiring babes), I thought I should at the very least try to get this review to you on time too! Imma just combine parts 5 & 6 in this one so apologies if gets too long. Also, I haven’t really had a chance to scroll and read through other people’s reviews for part 5 so I’m so sorry if I end up repeating what everyone else may have already said.

FIRST OF ALL, Back to December as the lyric reference for Part 5 was *chef’s kiss* - mainly because that’s gotta be one of my top Taylor songs of all time, ah the wistfulness 🥲

DREW cameo!! The only one with brain cells. Cause he’s right, they’re all stupid! (But we love them anyway).

“Please don’t get married Paigey,” Drew pleads, gripping his sister’s hand, “please.” ­– this really got me though. Poor Drew, like he never imagined he’d be having to witness his sister ever marry someone who wasn’t Azzi too! He just wanted his pookie back 🥺

Paige finding out about Azzi’s pregnancy through TikTok feels very on-brand lmao (ugh does that mean there were Olivia and Paige edits once upon a time 🥴), and them still commenting congratulations on each other’s post about the engagement and the pregnancy to keep up the friendly act killed me. Could. Not. Be. Me.

Katie and Paige interactions have my whole heart. Whenever I think about them, I always end up thinking about that immunity booster video so I’m glad it got the mention in part 5!

What is it with you and these damn phone calls, Nivi!! “You’re gonna be a wonderful wife P.” “You’re gonna be an amazing mom Az.” – once again, cue “and it would have been sweet, if it could have been me”. WELL IT COULD HAVE IF Y’ALL WEREN’T BEING STUPID (sorry, had to channel my inner Drew there).

“Please don’t speak in riddles. It’s 10 a.m and I’m sad,” Paige whines. She might be in her early thirties but there’s something about Katie Fudd that makes Paige feel like it’s okay to be a bit of a child. – Obsessed with this because I just feel like you perfectly captured their relationship with this line.

“You’re so goddamn dramatic Bueckers,” Katie rolls her eyes –so real for this cause Paige really was being dramatic af since Azzi left with Stephie. Standing on the porch for way-too-long just staring into the distance then breaking down in the fort and not moving for 3 hours. DRAMATIC. But like sad 😔

The comparison between Paige’s expression when talking about Stephie and Tim’s when he first met Azzi. I was waiting for something like this! My heart.

Steph (old) cameo! I’ll allow it, cause despite my hatred for the Warriors, I do loooove that man.

“What defense can a 5 year old play…” – idk why but I had a good chuckle at this, I just love when you pull these one-liners, the comedic timing is impeccable.

Katie with some GREAT lines too.

Pleaseee, not the UNCLE TWIN and TWIN NIECE 😆 I knoww Steph (man) loves the fact that his goddaughter, who’s prolly gonna go on and be a Golden State legend herself, is named after him.

I know it’s super cute, but I do be cracking up a lil everytime Stephie and Paige reunite cause it’s always so goddamn dramatic. Like girly pops please, it’s barely been 24 HOURS 😭

Yeah, Paige gonna be SPOILING her queen and their princess forever.

THEY KISSED.

I may or may not always let out an undignified squeal when I see a high school era flashback. Like those are always my favourites fr. You just never fail to make them feel so nostalgic.

Their first kiss, damn Paige really been a lover girl since 16 huh 🥹 Also the transition from their first kiss to what could be their last first kiss was perfection!

Although, idk if the “slow” that Katie had in mind meant kissing already but hey, they’re moving!

Look, as long as we get at least one cute family scene with our fave trio then that’s all the serotonin I really need for the day (week) and the scene with the flowers and the car seat was exactly that, pure serotonin.

Paige and the Fudds reunion 🥰

Stephie really is ride-or-die for her perfect Miss Buecks!

“Dumbapples” – LMAOOOO sometimes the brain cells just don’t always be braincelling.

And they finally get a redo on that sleepover, where no one leaves, at least not until pancakes have been served.

What’s next?

I’ve been thinking about the break-up too much- like when in 2025? Was it during the season? So before the natty?? But like there’s no way you could be that cruel, Nivi! You couldn’t have them finally winning the natty only for them to be heartbroken while doing so?

Or worse, have them win the natty and make P think she’s got everything she could ever want only for that to come crashing down not long after??

But like definitely pre-draft night maybe?? I guess that would make sense with Azzi overthinking things and worrying about being left behind? Sorry, am just thinking out loud atp!

But like were there already cracks forming even earlier in that year?? Cause if so, I’m curious about Paige’s proposal and the timing of it hmmm. My braincells are attempting to be braincells.🧠

I’m still awaiting that Drew and Azzi reunion cause Drew being so heartbroken that he really tried to stop the wedding all by himself hurt me. I can imagine for Drew too, how much he probably looked to Paige and Azzi as his ideal of what a relationship and love is, only for them to fall apart as well. Plus seeing how close irl Drew is to the Fudds makes me big sad for GH Drew 😞

I can’t wait for Coach P and Player Stephie dynamics!! The favouritism is really not gonna be subtle no matter how hard Paige tries 😃

Soooo, Part 6 was suspiciously too fluffy ya know, I feel like you’re just setting us up. Giving us a taste of joy, only to rip it from us next chapter. I’m on evil writer Nivi watch.

Favourite lines/quotes:

“Did I know that my granddaughter goes to her godfather’s special camp for the sport that her mother plays and she’s obsessed with?”

Because the view in front of them is beautiful but Paige’s eyes are on Azzi and she’s staring at her as if the view is nothing in comparison. – side note: this line and this scene made me nostalgic for the stargazing scene in the UCLA fic 🥹

Alright bestie, this review is a biiig boi but I thought I owed you for being late with the part 5 review so hopefully this makes up for it a little! Also, I’ll prolly be late in reviewing the next one if (when 🤞) it’s out next week cause life is lifing so I’m sorry in advance 😭

Thank you as always for keeping us warm and fed! Hope you’re doing well btw!! Is the baby fever still at a high? Cause I was at the park with my friend and her 1-yr old the other day and omg he was being the sweetest little bean ever and the baby fever was FEVERING but then I realised I’m a baby (adult) too so I promptly brought the fever back to reality 😅

Love ya Nivi, have a great week ahead bestie 💗

-🙋‍♀️

BABES HELLOOO <3 I've been waiting for your thoughts!

This whole fic is very Back to December coded and it's one of my top 5s too and it just fit so well with chapter 5

#FreeDrewBueckersFromDumbassPaigeyAndPookie my poor little man was traumatized and they need to make it up to him immediately

I LOVE KATIE FUDD. And she just gives such entertaining chaotic mom energy and I feel like especially with Paige, she really keep that girl humble (and holds her when she needs it)

The 1 references galore because while I won't subject y'all to an actual depressing fic, I simply can't stop myself from adding the vibes

LMAO Steph is so universally loved I kinda adore that man and he'll be making an appearance again at some point I think.

Listen Stephie and Paige are the definition of matching each other's freak except it's matching each other's dramatics like they're gonna run into each other's arms like they haven't seen each other in years every damn time

Katie tried to nudge them and didn't realize all these idiots needed was a tap to literally full-speed a head (well with some breaks of course)

I cackled writing dumbapples ngl

The marriage proposal is definitely before the draft...that's all you're getting lol

Y'all think Azzi's guilty now when no one's even saying anything to her, just wait for Drew Bueckers and his way with words :)

I am also very excited for more Curry Camp scenes!

I don't think anyone loves or understand the stargazing the scene the way you do babes and I appreciate it <3

Ah lovie, review whenever you can. Even if it's months and month later, I will still be just as excited to read your thoughts!

The baby fever is in fact still higkey baby fever-ing and I don't know how and when it'll stop but I'm not even really trying to stop it.

[tresp4ssing]

(  fivel stewart  .  non - binary  .  they/she  )  .    ⸻   collette seton - gao  ,  a  twenty eight  year  old  ,  has  survived  another  day  in  red  creek  where  they  have  lived  for  eight months  .  the  fantasist  is  known  for  being  luminary  and  reclusive  and  is  often  associated  with  the silence of early morning hours when the world feels like it's your own , every face you see blurring together to your dismay , well - worn wool that has softened with age  .  in  a  small  town  where  they  work  as  a fisherman / market vendor at the red creek fish market  word  travels  fast  .  it’s  hard  to  keep  a  secret  ,  and  it  looks  like  the  boogeyman  knows  that THIS FILE CANNOT BE FOUND  .

PART : 001 — THE BASICS

full name : collette adelaide seton - gao. nickname(s) : people usually call her cole. age : twenty8 yrs old. hometown : providence, rhode island, usa. gender & pronouns : non-binary, they/she. orientation : bisexual, biromantic. western sun sign : scorpio.

PART : 002 — THE APPEARANCE

faceclaim : fivel stewart. height : 5'7". hair color : dark brown. eye color : brown, almost black. distinct marking(s) : mid  -  length  brown  hair  -  the  tips  a  slightly  lighter  shade  from  past  eras  of  collette  frequenting  the  beach  and  having  it  lightened  from  long  days  out  in  the  sun  ;  wandering  eyes,  following  strangers  as  they  pass  by  ;  a  smattering  of  freckles  across  their  nose  and  forehead  ;  eternally  living  in  loose  clothes  and  layers  -  it  gets  cold  out  on  the  lake  easily  ;  a  hurried  gate,  always  walking  as  if  they  need  to  be  somewhere

PART : 003 — DIG DEEPER

likes : early  morning  /  late  night  swims,  antique  markets,  buying  gifts  to  show  their  appreciation,  sci  -  fi  movies,  watching  old  people  play  chess  at  the  park,  cookies  and  cream  ice  cream,  that  specific  sound  quality  you  can  only  hear  when  listening  to  a  record,  roller  coasters, superstitious people dislikes : people  who  approach  them  when  she's  clearly  in  the  middle  of  something,  having  to  change  their  clocks  when  the  time  change  happens,  eating  crawfish,  driving,  finding  holes  in  their  clothes

PART : 004 — QUICK FACTS

nothing  in  collette's  background  brings  up  anything  unusual.  they  grew  up  in  a  small  seaside  town  to  devoted  parents,  that  of  whom  loved  collette  to  the  fullest  and  did  nothing  short  of  encourage  her  to  pursue  her  dreams

both  of  them  were  academics  in  their  own  right,  with  her  mother  being  a  tenured  professor  at  brown  university,  and  their  father,  the  local  high  school's  biology  teacher

eventually  moving  through  the  public  school  system,  collette  wasn't  really  one  to  excel  in  the  classroom.  their  grades  were  passing,  at  best,  and  nothing  truly  sparked  their  passion  like  fields  that  seemed  all  -  encompassing

the  water  is  integral  to  their  livelihood,  having  been  raised  in  a  small,  cottage  -  style  home  just  blocks  away  from  the  shoreline,  and  having  devoted  most  of  their  extracurricular  hours  to  swim  team,  and  during  the  off  -  seasons,  working  part  time  as  a  lifeguard  and  also  a  busser  at  a  restaurant  near  the  docks

it  was  there  they  learned  about  who  would  then  become  their  fishing  mentor,  having  been  promoted  to  a  shipping  receiving  position  at  the  restaurant  and  interacting  with  various  vendors  and  other  fishermen

officially  becoming  an  apprentice  fisherman  from  ages  18  to  20,  they  worked  as  a  market  vendor  in  rhode  island  up  until  recently

years  went  by  and  their  small  town  quickly  grew  stale.  they  were  tired  of  how  meddlesome  everyone  could  get  -  hearing  town  gossipers  anywhere  from  the  church  pews  to  the  grocery  store  aisles.  with  the  encouragement  of  her  parents  and  other  family  members,  especially  their  cousin  who  has  lived  here,  they  decided  that  their  new  venture,  somewhere  they  could  remain  pursuing  their  current  occupation,  was  red  creek

IN REDCREEK ...

keep  your  head  down  and  ears  open  -  there  is  a  lot  of  chatter  that  goes  around  the  fish  market.  with  most  of  them  being  folks  who  work  on  their  own  schedules,  there  are  eyes  and  ears  everywhere  in  red  creek  whose  presence  also  looms  around  the  market's  corridors.  cole  isn't  one  to  outright  state  their  intentions  or  impose  anything,  unless  said  thing  is  a  direct  threat  to  them  in  the  moment.  they  tend  to  reserve  more  hard  -  hitting  questions  for  those  they  find  comfort  in

they  are  usually  seen  around  the  lake  during  early  hours,  either  right  before  or  immediately  after  sunrise,  hoping  to  get  a  last  catch  in  before  helping  set  up  shop  at  their  market  stand.  during  weekends,  weather  permitting,  she  tends  to  drive  up  to  lake  michigan  as  a  getaway  fishing  trip,  usually  staying  at  a  cheap  motel  or  airbnb

much  of  cole's  leisure  time  is  spent  alone  —  either  catching  a  flick  at  the  theater  or  a  meal  at  the  diner  by  themselves  —  they  aren't  reclusive  on  purpose.  it's  just  that  their  job  requires  her  to  constantly  interact  with  other  people,  something  so  draining  for  this  poor  introvert

she  tends  to  be  kind  of  spiritual,  something  drilled  into  her  by  new  england  protestant  parents.  they  don't  attend  regular  mass,  only  really  seeking  out  god  when  they're  going  through  something  or  bored  and  need  someone  to  talk  to

PART : 005 — POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS

npcs

a  relative newbie  in  town,  they  are  unaware  of  a  lot  of  the  town's  history,  only  ever  hearing  about  it  from  callbacks  to  the  '99  murders  as  news  updates  play  on  the  radios owned by other market vendors

daniela  estrada  —  a  highly  infrequent  patron.  long  and  irregular  hours  at  the  hospital  meant  that  she  could  rarely  shop  when  the  market  was  open.  they  would  see  her  sometimes,  weekends  mostly,  usually  with  friends  or  family.  she  was  unaware  of  her  disappearance,  as  collette  didn't  know  her  name.  though,  finally  seeing  the  missing  person's  poster  was  a  big  shock

wanted connections

here.

[dwellordream]

“The instruction of girls was not meant to prepare them to take part in political life. Women were not citizens on par with men in the new United States. Except in New Jersey, they could not vote or hold public office. In most ways the establishment of a republic had left women’s political status unchanged. But in a few subtle areas, progress was made. Women’s work as mothers assumed greater purpose. Mothers were largely responsible for the early education of their children. They could rear either strong, virtuous children who would become valuable citizens or lazy, ignorant youngsters who could be corrupted easily and thus become undesirable members of society.

…For women to do their job properly, they needed to possess high moral standards. They could learn these standards best if they were educated and religious. Ideally, all women should be able to read, write, keep accounts, and think logically about current issues. They were also expected to attend church and heed the moral directions of their ministers. The middle and upper ranks of American society had even higher standards for women’s education by the end of the 18th century. Among wealthy women, poor reading, writing, and speaking skills became unacceptable. Elite men wanted their daughters to receive an education similar to that of their college-bound sons.

…The curriculum of female academies focused a great deal on subjects previously considered frills: rhetoric, grammar, geography, history, arithmetic, and oratory. Now the areas of study that once had been thought essential for elite women--music, dancing, and needlework--were regarded as recreational activities or not taught at all. Although many girls continued to study these subjects and to receive praise for doing so, intellectual development was regarded as equally or more important.

…Soon boarding schools for girls also opened. They appeared in rural areas as well as towns and answered a need for families who did not have relatives living in a northeastern city. One of the most successful was the Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which had a reputation for strictly supervising the morals of its students while providing an advanced curriculum. …Parents were particularly concerned that their daughters receive moral instruction at boarding schools, where girls lived for extended periods of time. At the Moravian Seminary, for example, students stayed for a maximum of about three years, beginning when they were as young as 10 or 12 years old.

…When mothers wrote to their daughters at school, they frequently stressed the importance of diligence and urged their daughters not to waste their time. In turn, many girls recognized that they had been given a privilege their mothers had not enjoyed, and that their absence from home represented considerable maternal sacrifice. After all, during these years they could be of greatest help to their mothers in running their households. For some families, doing without a teenage daughter’s labor must have been as difficult as paying for the cost of her higher education.

…Although girls strove for academic excellence, they had nowhere to employ their education after graduation. Colleges were closed to women during this era, and so were the professions. Women might become skilled healers, but they could not attend medical school and become licensed physicians. They might offer religious instruction in their homes, but they could not serve as ministers for any congregations, except those of the Quakers. They might run successful businesses as single women, but when they married, the law demanded that they have their husbands’ permission to continue working outside the home.

…Under the laws of England as enforced in the United States, married women could not own property in their own name without special (and rare) contracts called marriage settlements. Everything a woman brought to marriage became her husband’s. Movable goods became her husband’s absolutely, and a man could sell or give away his wife’s movables at will. Men’s control over women’s real estate was restricted, however. A husband could not mortgage or sell his wife’s land unless the woman consented and signed deeds stating she did so of her own free will. But during marriage, a man could manage his wife’s real estate and take all the rents and profits for his own use.

…After the Revolution, all the new states made divorces easier to obtain. Some legislatures voted to allow both formal separations with property divisions, and absolute divorces that permitted remarriage. Others provided only for separations. But everywhere it was acknowledged that women and men needed legal recourse for disastrous marriages. …Freedom from English law allowed Americans to institute reforms in marriage that England adopted only in the 20th century. Both women and men benefitted from the new laws, which acknowledged male as well as female adultery and prohibited physical cruelty. American lawmakers congratulated themselves on their liberality to the female sex, but the courts still favored men. They routinely demanded more evidence of men’s wrongdoing than women’s and automatically gave men custody of their children.”

- Marylynn Salmon, “Independence Realized: New Directions for American Women.” in The Limits of Independence: American Women, 1760-1800

[chicvibes2730]

The necessities.

∆ I want to send a deep apology to all my future children. Brown, white, or yellow. I sure have been caught in the ugliest little shorts and pajamas I will ever wear. I know what your thinking. Well sweetheart you need to smell some flowers and wake up pretty early. I proved all these beautiful fashionistas are planning these day to day outfits. If they are not than you are seriously blessed. Right sweet chops I'm trying to complement you because to look fabulous you obviously are fabulous. If not I'm here to talk about essentials. I know about all these fashion tips because of shopping and observational cues. I have been doing my own shopping for about ten years now.

• Let's start with tank tops. Please do not shy away from name branded T-shirts and tanks. I would recommend a very soft fabric like Polo. I sure would also recommend their Beverly Hills Collection. Also do not shy away from a bold red tank top. I recommend getting them in brown, tan, white, and black. I sure did own a bright purple tank top before in my High School Era. This of course was before my Apartment was raided by my immigrant family. That my dear is another topic.

• Black pants are a must. Leather is fine and expensive my dear. Try an outlet store instead of the traditional Zara. Try Nordstrom and the all traditional Marshalls. I know what your thinking. I much rather Nordstrom. I have to tell you that I found the cutest baby blue Toms there at Marshalls. Also snag a look at TJ Maxx. I would bundle up on black jeans. Try buying about five pairs of the good old black Levis jeans. If you cannot find any Levis than try a good Charlotte jean. Black has always been a color to signify death. So be careful on having so much black. Yet, a funeral outfit, is a must.

• White T-Shirt. I recommend printed whites as well. They pair well with the basic jean. Light or dark. Accompany them with more of a Jane shoe. Even the boots that yell out hippie. The color white is a good color for rebirth. It is very traditional. I also would recommend a white button down.

• Comfort Bra and Panties. I recommend the colors Tan and Black. I ain't swearing by them, but they are, the usual traditional colors. Try snagging a pink comfort bra and panties for the sake of girlhood.

• Branded socks. Try Adidas and champion. That I can swear by. For women' try a more snug feel' and men should try a more constructive feeling.

• Recognized Jewlery. Do not shy away from the old snatch of Sterling silver. I know I know. You want gold. I would recommend the site of Etsy. I love the Betsy Jewelry as well. I also recommend the Kay jewelers.

• Printed Apparel. Like the Iconic tree printed Michael Kors shirt. Very epic. I would also like to see more of these women wearing Polka Dots. Just saying.

• Black Shoes. Try one with a buckle. The dearly beloved Coach Brand can help in this.

[hardworkandguts]

Paradise Kiss

(Anime + Manga)

Josei romance by Ai Yazawa

Era: 1990s, 2000s

Rating: B

Plot: Yukari Hayasaka, a serious high school senior focused on her upcoming college admission exams is just minding her own business when she's approached by a punk, Arashi, who compliments her looks and height. She tries to escape, but runs into Isabella, a tall elegant woman with extravagant makeup and passes out. She regains consciousness and sees a cherubic girl with pink hair who introduces herself as Miwako, that they're fashion students from the infamous Yazawa Arts and she's in their atelier, and they find her perfect to model in their upcoming fashion show. While escaping, she drops her student ID, who is returned by George, the leader of the group with striking blue eyes and hair, who makes her reconsider not only her decision to model, but also what she wants from life.

Length: 12 episodes, 48 chapters

Thoughts: If there's one thing we can rely on Ai Yazawa is to deliver are very stylish women and men into arts who make some messy decisions and have to learn to live with them. Not as much of a sequel as a follow-up sidestory to Neighborhood Story, we get a real nice story here as our assortment of ParaKiss eccentrics completely turn the life of their "Caroline" upside down. The main plot point is a coming of age story where Yukari must decide if continuing to suck academically trying to please her mother is worth it, particularly after meeting the ParaKiss crew who made her realise she might have spent a good part of her 18 years living in a "monochrome world" trying to be someone she's not even sure if that's really her, her goal being "entering any college" and nothing beyond that, which is even more striking when everyone she initially mocked on ParaKiss for just fooling around instead of studying "serious things" seems to have a plan where to go next, and how far she's willing to go to challenge that and change her mother's mind on becoming a model. George's plot mostly goes on the eternal question of "selling out" as an artist - are you willing to compromise your vision in the name of commercial appeal or even practical concessions? While George certainly *looks* very well-off, he is forced to consider sidelining a career in fashion in favor of becoming a make-up artist because he loves fashion design too much to compromise, but also understands he needs to take care of her very young mother (who gave birth to him out of wedlock still in her early 20s, abandoning her career as a model) in case something happens to his father, who has been bankrolling their life of confort. On the romance side, it does ask the question (both with Yukari + George and Miwako + Arashi) on what means to be "happy" with someone, or being "right" and if those things even mean the same. In between that, we also have trans woman Isabella, one of George's oldest closest friends which unfortunately seems to be a bit underutilized (we do get a bit of backstory on how he helped her discover herself) but is there to provide Yukari with help in his to navigate both her life with George and also helping her make sense of what she wants in the future, as well helping ParaKiss run smoothly and Hiroyuko, Yukari's link to the "normal" world but unknown to her also an old friend and source of tension between Miwako and Arawaki.

In comparison to the manga, the adaptation captures AI Yazawa's style generally well in the character design, also having a lot of fun in the clothing department, using at times real photography for establishing shots, to understanding when to deploy a funny or very expressive face (style and frequency are very different, however, and it does away with slapstick moments). On the negative side, it has a few too scenes where they settled with voice-over a still image, cheapening a bit what's for the most part a good looking show when it puts the effort. Narratively, It would be interesting if they also kept the fourth wall breaking the manga *thrives* having fun with, and it feels a bit rushed on bits and some tonal changes weren't exactly for the better, still the adaptation is still a good way of enjoying this story, but I've found the manga slightly superior.

Recommended to: Yazawa fans who like a complete story and romance fans.

Plus:

It's a great Ai Yazawa story, that's for sure.

Some incredible clothing on display

Franz Ferdinand as an ED? And the song the videoclip is them crashing an arts party? Perfect.

Minus:

Anime adaptation smooths out the story a bit, as expected.

Quite a few really cheap low-budget scenes.

[tomorrowusa]

Not everybody is a highly informed political junkie. And with the decline of legit news outlets, it's increasingly difficult for average citizens to keep up.

On top of that, people have surprisingly short memories. There are actually some who regard the Trump era as an era of prosperity; they have apparently forgotten that his incompetence botched the pandemic response and sent the economy into almost instant recession.

This lack of credible information along with sketchy memories have given Trump a boost - for now.

Celinda Lake, one of President Biden’s top pollsters on his 2020 campaign, was recently conducting a focus group with swing voters for another client when a response stopped her cold. Lake had asked how the voters felt about former president Donald Trump’s pending criminal court cases related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. “They go, ‘What court case around January 6?’” she recalled. “These were swing voters, and about half of them weren’t sure what we were talking about. And I said, ‘Well, you know, the insurrection and that he was the one that provoked it.’ They go, ‘Oh, yeah. I kind of forgot about that.’” For journalists and the types of highly engaged voters who watch the news every night, Trump’s lock on renomination has been near-certain for at least six months, and his various transgressions and incendiary comments are well known. But it’s easy for political obsessives to lose sight of how little attention many normal people pay to day-to-day politics.

We've all heard the expression "low information voter". This is a problem we need to address.

The New York Times’ Jennifer Medina and Reid Epstein tackled this question earlier this week with a piece aptly headlined “Do Americans Have a ‘Collective Amnesia’ About Donald Trump?”  It’s very much worth a read. They write: “More than three years of distance from the daily onslaught has faded, changed—and in some cases, warped—Americans’ memories of events that at the time felt searing. Polling suggests voters’ views on Mr. Trump’s policies and his presidency have improved in the rearview mirror. In interviews, voters often have a hazy recall of one of the most tumultuous periods in modern politics.”

Another group to take into consideration are younger voters. An average graduating high school senior this year was in the 8th grade when Trump was telling Americans to drink bleach and take quack medicines for COVID-19 in the early months of the pandemic.

Part of the problem is that many voters, especially the crucial bloc of younger ones, simply don’t remember Trump that well. Those turning eighteen and eligible to vote for the first time this fall were just ten years old and in grade school when Trump won the presidency, in 2016; the January 6 Capitol riots happened back when most of them were just starting high school. The rest of us don’t have memories that are as sharp and reliable as we’d like to think—it’s not just Joe Biden and Donald Trump who regularly get names wrong or forget in what year things occurred.

And if this cohort was just 13/14 in early 2020, then they would have been 8 or 9 when Trump started running for president in 2015 when he was calling Mexicans "rapists" and "murderers".

Case in point: When Trump launched his 2016 campaign by calling Mexican immigrants “rapists” and “murderers,” it dominated the news and became one of the most-remembered lines of the campaign. His recent claim that immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” generated headlines but didn’t dominate coverage. On Thursday, he declared in his State of the Union “prebuttal” that Biden is “keeping the hordes of illegal migrants and illegal aliens pouring into the country,” and claimed that “many come from mental institutions, many come from prisons, they’re terrorists.” Few major news organizations wrote stories focusing on the comments.

We can't assume that people may be as informed as we are. We need to patiently explain, while providing sources, how Trump is not normal and is a danger to the country's future.

Of course journalists have to compete with the upcoming tsunami of ads and even disinformation.

Potential voters who don’t read the news won’t be able to escape what could be a combined $1 billion in campaign spending in the swing states. It’s been a lot easier to avoid Trump since he left the White House and Twitter. That won’t be so true in the heat of a presidential general election. Journalists have to keep in mind that voters in swing states may not be thinking of all the details now, but they’re likely to be much more attuned by the time they vote. 

When we run across articles or news vids about MAGA Republicans which are well produced and don't require a lot of background information to understand, we should share them with low information voters we know. If there's a good cartoon which amplifies the points made in the article, send it along. There's no rule which says you can't be informative and entertaining at the same time.

This applies to current stuff as well as the disastrous Trump presidency. Reminding people that Trump sabotaged immigration reform and improved border security through his House flunky Speaker "MAGA Mike" Johnson is essential.

A sure way to lose the election is to assume that we don't need to do anything. As I've said before, the era of slackerism is over; being politically and civically engaged is the price of democracy.

[fashionthroughtimewithlucy]

Woodstock.

Woodstock, the most famous of the 1960s rock festivals, held on a farm property in Bethel, New York, August 15–18, 1969, at the end of the hippie movement. The hippie flower child look from the late 1960's carried over into the first half of the 1970's, in a non-restrictive bohemian silhouette with a heavy folksy influence. Arts and crafts had a huge impact on fashion during this time including tie-dye, batik, knitwear, crochet and macrame.

1970s Gunne Sax dresses.

Gunne Sax's aesthetic has been described as feminine, nostalgic, Victorian, old world and romantic. Though the brand is now closely associated with formal and bridal wear, its origins date back to late '60s San Francisco.  In 1969, San Francisco boutique Gunne Sax needed a house designer. Enter Jessica McClintock, an elementary school teacher with a life-long interest in fashion. When a friend told McClintock of the opening at Gunne Sax, she applied immediately. McClintock was hired despite her lack of formal training in fashion design or clothing manufacture. Herself and designer Laura Ashley popularized the prairie dress phenomenon.

Sometimes referred to as Granny or prairie dresses, a typical Gunne Sax dress of the early 1970s featured a banded Empire waist and a long maxi-skirt. Lace trim, high collars and long sleeves evoked an amalgam of past eras and created an overall impression of demure femininity.

Vogue Italia March 1970.

Twiggy for Vogue 1970

Thea Porter, Godmother of Bohemian Cheque.

Thea Porter, who is credited with bringing the bohemian look to London catwalks. Although Thea Porter is not as famous a name as Mary Quant or Laura Ashley, her influence on the look of her era is just as potent. Her loose, draped shapes and fabrics helped create the style of stars such as Faye Dunaway and Elizabeth Taylor in the 1970s, and they have since become forever entangled with the idea of rock-star self-indulgence. She celebrated ethnic styles in Indian style prints, free flowing breezy gauzy tent dresses and wide legged pants.

Porter's seven signature looks: the Abaya & Kaftan; the Gipsy dress; the Fraye dress; the Brocade-panel dress; the Wrap-over dress; the Chazara jacket, and the Sirwal skirt, as well as important fashion photography from the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar and Women's Wear.

Changing skirt sizes.

This was the year of the changing hemline. There is no longer one length for one woman, but a whole wardrobe of lengths from which to choose. Mini, regular, midi and maxi length. Both emerald and bottle green were popular colours of the 1970s along with rust, wine red, purple, orange, and brown.

Tom Wolfe called the 1970s the "me decade" Across the land, Americans seemed determined to escape from the wars and social movements of the previous decade. Disillusionment with national and global action led many to look inward and find solace in discovering more about themselves. Women demanded respect as equal partners, and began to emerge into the work place. As women asserted themselves economically, socially, and politically, the idea of remaining trapped in an unhappy marriage became less and less appealing. Consequently, the divorce rate soared. An 1974 book entitled the courage to divorce  encouraged individuals to put their own happiness above that of their spouses and children.

Every rule of fashion was shattered in the 1970s. Lapels, ties, and collars, reached record widths. The polyester leisure suit, available in a palette of citrus and pastel colors, was extremely popular among young males. The jacket, pants, and vest were often worn with an open collar to display thick necklace chains nestled in exposed chest hair. A senses of masculine style emerged in the film 'Annie Hall' which created a sensation with Diane Keaton wearing a fitted vest with a collard white shirt and men's neckties.

[prvttygrl]

#prvttygrl — is that nari hwang , rocking the new versace ? wow , she looks just like im nayeon ! last i heard , she is a twenty - eight year old elite from vancouver , canada . she’s a well known fashion designer who likes to go clubbing in her free time , and despises when people compare her designs to other designers . i think she’ll do fine at the berry , since she seems to be passionate ; but i don’t know , others have said she’s quite impulsive as well !

STATISTICS

✱ … the basics.

full name : nari hwang occupation : fashion designer birthday : august 13 1995 age : twenty8 gender : cis woman pronouns : she + her orientation : bisexual + biromantic

✱ … the appearance.

faceclaim : im nayeon hair color : dark brown eye color : brown height : 5'4 piercings : ear lobes & a nose stud notable features : plump glossy lips & a big toothy grin

✱ … the personality.

positive traits : passionate , affectionate , ambitious  negative traits : impulsive , abrasive , stubborn mbti : enfp big three : leo sun , pisces moon , virgo rising likes : going clubbing , early 2000s trashy reality shows , creating a new persona for the night . dislikes : when people compare her designs to other designers , texting people back ( she'll just facetime you instead ) , sitting in complete silence

BACKGROUND

✱ … childhood

august 13 1995

nari was born to hwang manshik & pyeon jiwoo in vancouver, british columbia. manshik & jiwoo being prominent business figures ever since nari can remember, she didn’t see much of them growing up ( or to this day really ) , and due to that she was essentially raised by her older sister, jia. jia was 14 when nari was born, but about 19 when the responsibility of nari fell on her shoulders. nari has always had a close bond to jia, she was her biggest role model, she taught her everything she knows, especially when it comes to fashion. nari had always been all in when it came to dress up, even more so due to the fact her sister let her do it with her clothes, and to this day she has a complete infatuation with the style of the early 2000s, and it comes through strongly in her designs today. some of nari’s most fond memories from her childhood are sitting on the couch cuddled up with her big sister watching project runway and americas next top model, they made sure to cancel every plan they had whenever they were on, it was THEIR bonding time. 

✱ … adolescence

nari started highschool at the peak of myspace, twilight & jersey shore , that era defined her and solidified her love for trashy reality tv, music taste & and the overall dramatics of the early 2010s , other things that are prominent throughout her designs. She loved school, but not for the general studious reasons, she loved skipping class with friends to do whatever teens in 2009 did. she wasn’t fully removed from her studies though , she absolutely adored art & fashion classes , and was the top of her class in both subjects. one day she had an idea that she brought to her fashion teacher , that the class held a school fundraiser in the form of a fashion show , and ever since the last she’s heard, they still hold it yearly. 

✱ … university

nari’s mind never shifted about what she was going to go to university for , since she was young she knew she wanted to study fashion design , it was all she could ever picture doing , due to her high grades and recommendation letter from her fashion teacher , nari managed to get into the bachelor of design program at toronto metropolitan university , which is one of the best fashion design programs in the country . it was hard for her to move across the country without her sister , but she knew it was what she needed to do to pursue her dreams.  while in university nari got VERY into partying , she didn't refuse a good party in highschool but those were a lot less frequent , almost every weekend she was surrounded by new faces, dancing , drinking and having the time of her life. her party girl phase is something she never really grew out of, if you cant find her in her studio she's most likely at the club. during her study period she became almost like a teachers pet, showing her passion and creativity she ended up being able to intern for one of her favorite designers ( thanks to one of her favourite professors putting a good word in for her ) after graduating. 

✱ … now

while interning she was still working on her own designs making a small name for herself in the community by posting her own designs online and having them go semi viral, and with that the rest is history. She decided to move to california & started focusing more on her own passion projects, slowly making moves to cultivate her brand and an even bigger name for herself. due to her online popularity she has been hired by countless different celebrities to design outfits for tours, music videos, events, etc. she is living her wildest dreams, getting to work with and in turn party with some of the hottest names , shes come a long way from the little vancouver girl who used to yell “make it work” at the tv.

CHARACTER INSPO

serena vanderwoodsen ( gossip girl ) , jwoww ( jersey shore ) , violet chachki ( ru paul's drag race ) , andrea sachs ( the devil wears prada ), stacie conrad ( pitch perfect ) , jenna rink ( 13 going on 30 ) , jade ( bratz ) , beth ( john tucker must die ) , myrtle snow ( ahs : coven ) , emily fitch ( skins ) , maddy perez ( euphoria ) , alice ( bodies bodies bodies )

[ausetkmt]

A Florida plantation that had slaves still stands today | wtsp.com

Tucked away on the side of a busy Manatee County road stands the vestige of a defining era in American history.

At its peak, the Gamble Plantation enslaved 190 men, women and children. Federal documents say they ranged in age from two months to 105 years old.

Their stories are not well known. In fact, few locals are even aware of a slave plantation in the Tampa Bay region.

Some historians say it's intentional.

A descendant says it's time for change.

Chandra's Gamble 'This is my history'

One of Chandra Carty's first visits to the Gamble Plantation was during her time as a high school student in Manatee County. 

"We didn't call it a plantation, we called it a mansion. I didn't know it was a plantation until maybe, I don't know, 10, 15 years ago," Carty, who is in her 60s, said. "Growing up, this was a mansion. So, they obscured what really happened here."

Interstate signs leading to the site make no mention of a plantation — only a mansion. It's only upon arrival that a sign reads, "Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Monument" at Gamble Plantation State Historic Park.

"How would the word change from plantation?" Carty asked.

However, Carty's quest for more information about the Gamble Plantation goes beyond the name. A family research project revealed she has direct connections to the site. Her great-great grandmother, Mariah, married Nelson Burton, who was enslaved at the plantation.

"The Manatee County historical records show in 1872, two freed ex-slaves being married, and that's where our family history picks up," she said.

It's history Carty and others who study the site say is missing from the Gamble Plantation, which now as a state park focuses heavily on its Confederate themes and memorial to Confederate cabinet member Judah P. Benjamin. He served as Secretary of State to the Confederacy and stayed at the plantation for a brief time on his escape from the country at the end of the Civil War.

"To be in line with how contemporary historians, contemporary museums, anthropologists try to interpret these public heritage sites, there needs to be a significant push to foreground the stories of the enslaved laborers here," Dr. Diane Wallman, associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida, said.

"As you know, somebody who studies history, and believes in, you know, the thorough and full telling of history, it makes me sad that the stories of particular people that lived here, died here, worked here, are not being told," she said.

Currently, there is little on the site that mentions the experiences of the enslaved. A visit to the plantation's information center does have a typewritten list of the names of all those enslaved. However, unlike other displays, there is no museum label to describe its significance.

"I want to see when I go into the little information booth, to see the story of specific slaves, to see Nelson Burton's story, because life is a story," Carty said. "We need to tell the story the best that we can. Where did the slaves live? What did their day to day activity consist of?"

A big Gamble The rise and fall of the Gamble Plantation

In the early 1840s, Robert Gamble of Tallahassee, Fla., used slave labor to establish a sugar plantation on about 3,500 acres of land along the Manatee River. 

Federal documents show he came to the area under the Florida Armed Occupation Act, which gave away 160 acres of land to settlers willing to develop the area and battle indigenous inhabitants.

According to paperwork filed with the National Park Service, those enslaved to Gamble lived in 57 slave cabins on the plantation. They are credited for the success of the plantation and sugar mill. 

Unable to keep up with "natural disasters and a fickle sugar market," information from Florida State Parks says Gamble was driven into debt by 1856 and sold the plantation in 1859.

A path forward Reconciling past with present

Documents filed with the National Park Service show in the 1920s, the United Daughters of the Confederacy purchased the Gamble Plantation mansion, restored it and made it a Confederate shrine.

10 investigates got records going back to the 1970s that show the UDC made an agreement with the state to limit the plantation's interpretation mostly to its Confederate themes.

When a state park leader proposed changes, he faced resistance. 

"There was pushback from the state government level. There's letters from senators...supporting the UDC and folks and trying to keep this focused on the Confederacy Judah P. Benjamin and Robert Gamble," Wallman said. "it's come up in the 90s, it's come up again now, where we're trying to have these conversations about expanding the narrative here and making it more inclusive."

John Sims, the late Sarasota-based artist who based some of his last projects on reimagining parts of the Gamble Plantation said he would like to see a memorial to the enslaved at the site.

“The state should consider…funding and even through legislation being able to support efforts to memorialize the history of enslaved folks and their relationship to the various slave plantations in the state of Florida,” the late Sarasota-based artist John Sims told 10 Investigates’ Emerald Morrow before his death in December 2022.

“Let’s look at some of these former slave plantations as places that really belong to all of us, particularly descendants of African slaves who have occupied those spaces,” Sims said.

Requests for on-camera interviews with the Judah P. Benjamin chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy were denied, but member Evelyn Hoskins said she believes others will be open to doing more at the Gamble Plantation to honor the enslaved.

"We are all looking for answers," she said. "The slaves were just as much of the Gamble story as anyone else."

10 Investigates also reached out to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park. A spokesperson denied our request for an interview, but said in a statement:

"The Florida Park Service is committed to providing resource-based recreation while preserving, interpreting and restoring natural and cultural resources, and the agency strives to do this in a positive and appropriate manner.

"Our agency is always evaluating how we communicate Florida's unique history across all state parks, including at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park."

Carty remains optimistic. She said her focus’s is not on removing what’s at the site. Instead, she wants to include what’s missing.

"I just want the complete story because this is my history," Carty said. "Why would I tear down my history? Nelson had to build this? Why would I destroy?"

So, she's calling on the UDC, the state park, lawmakers and even the governor to push a more balanced version of history—one she never wants to be forgotten. 

"I'm feeling hopeful," Carty said. "Hopeful that some I see the image of Nelson...the image of Mariah, and they say, 'job well done.' You finally got our story out so everybody can understand what it was like living here."