#of course its * which other saint than the one tied up

[cherrychilli]

18+ Eddie Munson x F! reader, established relationship, risky oral sex (f), public sexual acts, implied PIV sex Summary: Eddie needs help getting away from the cops. You know just where to hide him. WC:2.3K

A/N: Been rewatching Desperate Housewives and was inspired by that one scene where Gaby hides Carlos from Victor on her wedding day. iykyk. The image in the middle is not meant to represent the reader's features, skin color, body type or other. It is only meant to help visualize her attire.

It was meant to be a surprise, something you put so much thought into and effort to keep hidden.

You had help too of course. Natalie was a saint in your book, helping to keep your surprise under wraps all while using her skills as an exceptional seamstress to flawlessly execute your design. Even with this kind of outfit being a first for her.

It definitely didn't deter or daunt her though. For as long as you've known her, since way back when you both sported matching gap toothed smiles and scraped knees at the sand box, she was always fueled by a challenge.

So away from the sunlight that beamed in through the store's front window and the mannequins dressed impeccably on display, you take your time getting dressed in the back of the store where all the changing rooms were there in a row. No other roaming eyes around.

Once everything seemed to be in place, you stepped out and up on to the little platform in front of the floor length mirrors and you couldn't help but smile proudly when you saw yourself.

It wasn't finished yet, still needing a few more details to be stitched on but fucking hell, you were so thrilled with it already.

The daisy white blouse ran down the length of your arms and to your wrists, its long, double layered puff sleeves going well with the ruched collar and off shoulder style. It fit well underneath the white and cream colored corset in the middle which kept your waist cinched with gold ribbon laced through it and your breasts lifted up high, almost spilling over the neckline. Exactly how you had asked for.

The corset was held together with more gold ribbon tied off into dainty bows where they connected over your shoulders with thick straps. And the skirt, made of the same material with floral detailing, flowed down, the hem of your dress reaching far enough to cover your toes with your heels on and most of all, the hoop skirt, without which the silhouette couldn't have been achieved, was much easier to handle and get into than what you had expected.

It was roomy and comfortable, making your skirt billow out in a very elegant way. As silly as it might be, It's hard not to feel like a princess or at least, princess-like when you gaze back at yourself in the mirror.

The renaissance fair was still a week away, your first time attending with Eddie, and you had full confidence that Nat could get it done it time. Maybe another fitting or two and the dress should be complete, you guessed.

"He's going to bust on the spot", she tells you plainly with a friendly smirk and your face warms up while you roll your eyes back playfully.

"You think so?" you half joked back.

"Yep. Just make sure. No stains, got it?", she replied, gesturing at the dress and you feign offence, sucking in a little fake gasp and clutching your pearls.

It's not that Nat disapproved. She just knew Eddie that well.

You're both interrupted when the landline in her little office down the corridor starts to ring. It makes her sigh and you smile understandingly as she mouths 'one sec' at you on her way out, leaving you to stand there in your outfit. You knew that with Nat, these phone calls could last anywhere between 5 minutes and 45 minutes.

You didn't mind however. In the silence, you were kept busy, running your hands all over the different kinds of materials and textures and the little detailing here and there. Even wondering if adding a few rhinestones might be overkill or not.

God, you hope Eddie likes it.

And as if on cue, you're startled when the front door flings open, the bell jangling wildly from the force of it. With Nat busy, you step off the platform and take small steps towards the noise, hoping she hadn't accidentally penciled a different client in at the same time as you like she had once before.

You stumble and narrowly trip on the carpet when you see him, whipping in every direction, searching searching searching until...

"There you are!...Jesus fucking Christ".

Whatever kind of rush Eddie was in is forgotten, slowing down to a very abrupt halt.

His eyes become so wide like he could probably take in all the details of your renaissance dress in one blink, his jaw so slack you're a little afraid he might dribble some drool on Nat's nice carpeting like waving a lamb chop in front of a bulldog.

"When you said you were helping Natalie out I didn't think-"

"It was meant to be a surprise" you sigh, shoulders slumping, having kept up the lie for almost an entire month, even with Eddie dropping you off and picking you up from the store every time you came in to having a fitting.

You fibbed about helping with some administrative work at her store and that was enough for Eddie. No questions asked. Why would he? he trusted you.

Though you can't lie about the way you feel when he looks you up and down right now, his fingers twitching at his sides like he wants to reach out and touch it but he's too afraid of wrecking it somehow.

He gets like this sometimes with you. To him, you're damn near porcelain, something to admire, something to handle very delicately. Not to be carelessly chipped and cracked.

"Wait, what's going on?", you remember to ask him because he's a little too busy staring at your tits in this dress right now.

"Oh, um...OH! right", he hurries up to you, placing his hands on your shoulders, his face close to yours.

"Baby, you need to hide me".

Turning to look out the window, you quickly spot an officer in the distance stalking through the crowd and you know exactly who is responsible the scowl twisting his face.

"Damnit Eddie, were you dealing?", you hiss under your breath.

He winces while holding his index finger and thumb up, keeping only a hair's breadth of space apart between them. "Just a tiny little bit".

Trying to think fast, you know that whichever room you hide him in will be searched. Even in the smallest of spaces, if he were to crouch inside, all it would take was for the officer to lean over and find him huddled there, hauling your boyfriend over to the station to have his mugshot taken...again.

It gets worse when the closer he gets you begin to recognize him. Officer Delridge. Definitely not a fan of Eddie's. Not after that stunt he pulled with the fireworks on the fourth of July. In fact, you're pretty sure that if he were to take his hat off you'll still find the bald spot your boyfriend accidentally singed into his hair still growing back in.

It needed to be somewhere no one would think to look.

"I have an idea", you grab him by the wrist and pull Eddie along.

---

This is definitely the most insane thing you've ever done but you stand as stable as you can, pretending to fix your hair in the mirrors while you keep flicking your eyes around to try and spot Delridge approaching around the corner when the bell rings once more.

You're starting to sweat. That familiar beige uniform and the darker wide brimmed hat coming into view as he stomps over. It looks much better on Hopper than it does on him you can't help but note.

"'Scuse me ma'am", he grunts to get your attention and you turn around carefully and smile as naturally as you can manage.

"Just need to know if you've seen a certain individual come by here. Male. Dark hair. Long. Leather jacket. Jeans. you see anyone like that around?"

He doesn't seem to recognize you thankfully although you're sure most people you knew would have some trouble trying to place you in this outfit.

"Not that I recall", you calmly supply the lie easily. "Doubt I'd run into him here though," you gesture towards all the tailored dresses on display. "Is he dangerous?"

The question prompts a tiny pinch at your ankle.

Delridge looks unimpressed, his eyes still searching. "Only to himself if keeps this up". The man mutters and you press your teeth into your lower lip to keep from reacting.

"I'm still going to need to have a look around", he heads towards the changing rooms before you can even begin to reply, leaving him out of earshot.

"Eddie, you're fucking tickling me", you whisper.

"Sorry", a muffled whisper rises out from under your billowing skirt, his hair still tickling your inner thighs despite how still he attempts to stay. He doesn't mean it, you can tell because you can hear his goony little smile and feel his hands as they start to slope over the curves of your calves, his lips following the same path.

You're ready to reprimand him again but Delridge begins to work your last nerve, roaming near and far around the store, impossible to predict from which corner he might pop up. So you stay silent, stretching on a tight smile while Eddie's hands begin to grow more daring.

It's almost torturous how his breath puffs up at your panties, pressing his nose up against it to breath you in, no doubt to make the most out of this unique opportunity he's been blessed with.

You stagger for a moment when he fills his palms with your ass cheeks and begins squeezing, his teeth also sinking in to them gently. You consider stomping him as a way to get him to behave while he's huddled down there but if you're being entirely honest, you don't hate it.

The risk only fans the flames.

There's nothing you can do to stop it when you feel him move your panties to the side, or so you tell yourself when his tongue easily glides through your wet slit to taste you.

Now? Now?? Right damn now???

You didn't expect anything less from him.

Your hands slip down the front of your dress, hoping to weave your fingers through his curls but all you can do is grab fistfuls of the creamy material and bunch it up in your hands.

He's even able to wedge himself sideways between your legs, flicking the tip of his tongue over and over and over against your clit before he can get close enough to wrap his lips around it and suck messily.

"Shit- fuck- little more to the left" you hush out, kicking him in the knee when you hear a laugh bubble up from under your dress because he knows he's got you in the palm of his hand no matter how you might try to reprimand him.

"Everything seems to be in order"

You nearly screech when Delridge walks back in looking more pissed than before, clearly upset that he wasn't able to cuff Eddie and throw him in the back seat.

He looks at you. Really looks at you this time and not around you like when he first came in.

You don't like it.

Even Eddie goes still, the only movement being his spit and your slick dragging down your leg.

"Nice girl like you shouldn't get mixed up with that type. You take care now", he tips his hat at you and you paste on another smile, remaining statue still until you hear the bell chime again to signal his departure.

Frantically pulling up the layers of your dress, you unearth Eddie. He quits crouching and lays strewn out on his back, still half covered by your skirt, your feet on either side of his hips while he makes no effort to get back up.

"I wasn't done", he pout, lips pink and glossy with you.

He's quite literally gotten your panties in a twist now as the gusset has been pulled inside out.

"I just saved your ass. Is that all you have to say to me?", you ask surly, appearing more stern than you actually feel.

"No. You're beautiful" he says, looking at you once more like he had when he first set eyes on you like this. Only now he's not scared to touch you the way you like. The only chips and cracks he'll ever inflict on you are the ones you will let him, the ones you yearn for in the name of pleasure. And you know he'll fill them back in all good as new anyway with all the unending affection he'll pour into you. It isn't a maybe. It's a certainty.

"And I'm trying to thank you", he winks back at you.

This wasn't how you wanted him to see the dress but in some way, you ought to have expected something like this to happen. Well, not exactly this but things rarely ever went according to plan with Eddie. But with that came so much excitement, you can't help but like the unpredictability of it all. Besides, he always came through in the end.

"You really like it?", you ask hopefully, swishing your skirt from side to side so he could see it move.

"Are you kidding? darlin' you're a knockout," he moves the hem of your dress out the way so you can clearly see the boner he's got waiting for you behind those jeans.

"How pissed do you think Nat will be if you give me a tour of the dressing room?"

"Eddie there's not going to be a piece of this left if I let you do that", you giggle.

"Oh come on. maybe a little rip or two. nothing she can't fix. I'll be good. I'll be careful, I promise."

You gulp, remembering her warning regarding stains.

It's a good that she's the forgiving type.

"Hmm...somewhat to moderately", you answer his question. "So far as we clean up right and I pay her extra."

With that he plunges his hand into his jacket pocket, pulling out a wad of 50's secured with rubber bands of all colors.

"Done"

[rinniereads123]

One-Shots

SOME OF THESE STORIES ARE MATURE! READ THE WARNINGS AND TAGS BEFORE YOU READ!

Last updated 03/09/2025

★ - personal favorites | masterlist | other recs

Black - @jamesbuchananxsteviegrant

Reader Has To Safeword

For As Long As You Need Me - @whatthetumblfck

A recent mission turns out some unexpected results, and you end up a little (a lot) worse for wear.

Daydreamer - @imtryingbuck

Bucky marries Y/n to create an alliance between their families and kingdoms, their marriage isn’t one of love but Bucky soon finds himself falling for her.

To Mend a Soldier - @vunblr

Pressed by a worried Sam, Bucky reluctantly agrees to try an alternative -and, if you ask him, weird- therapy program: rent-a-mom. What starts as an obligation soon turns into something far more meaningful than he ever expected.

scary? my god, you're divine - @sinner-as-saint

Your marriage to Bucky Barnes was crucial in stopping the rivalry that had been getting rather violent recently between the two families. You agreed to it. But there was one little problem. Although people knew of Bucky as being a ruthless, fiercely loyal, and feared hitman, no one had ever seen his face. In the rare occasions when he’d been seen out during assignments, it was rumoured that he always wore some sort of mask which covered most of his face. So you ended up marrying a man, and had no idea what he looked like. But surely that wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like his one touch would get you addicted. Who cared what he looked like? It’s not like you could grow to love someone like him anyway… right?

yours to hurt, yours to love - @purple-babygirl

They had a deal. She would surrender her control; he would take it. Love had no place in such a relationship, did it?

Come Find Me - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

You get left behind on a mission, and Bucky goes to save you.

★blurred lines - @ellemj

When choosing a female agent to send back in time to gain young Sergeant Barnes's trust, everyone's in agreement that it should be Sharon. Until Bucky, the man that you barely get along with, speaks up and lets everyone know that it could only be you.

Shared desires - @veltana

You and Bucky decide to explore something new with Steve.

The Push and the Pull - @delaber

There’s nothing Bucky wants more than to be with you - and for that reason alone, he has to break both your hearts.

Little Bookworm - @heytheredelulu

Your boyfriend can’t think of anything more adorable than watching you read. One night while you’re in the shower he picks up the book you left on the nightstand: “Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton” and thumbs through it, very quickly realizing just what kind of books his sweet little bookworm is really into.

Anywhere Away With You - @thevillainswhore

Old ghosts from your past threaten to disturb the peace you’ve made with your new life. Will temptation steer you away?

★The Ties That Bind Us - @thevillainswhore

Even though Bucky is your ex-husband, you still have to see him often because of your shared son. But the heated tension, the spark that is still very much alive after your divorce, finally reaches its peak when you come home from your date.

Warrior/Worrier - @delaber

After a mission gone awry, Bucky finds himself on your doorstep in the middle of the night.

Pink in the Night - @d0wnb4df0rf1cm3n

Some interesting rumours have been circling around about Bucky. Little do you know, it's kinda your fault.

Love Hurts - @urdepressedslut

You and Bucky get into a heated argument, things are said and done and now he won’t speak to you. You don’t think you can handle him ignoring your existence.

in losing grip, on sinking ships (you showed up just in time) - @mellowsaturns

When the Avengers pick up unusual activity, they realize that not all of Hydra was destroyed. One unidentifiable face sends the team into a frenzy but Bucky knows it. He could recognize those eyes anywhere.

I Hate You - @ellemj

After ending up on SHIELD's radar, you're moved into the tower against your will. Of course, you can't stand the one man that you have the most in common with.

One More Night - @marvelouslizzie

You and Bucky Barnes are fuck buddies for a while. The problem is you have feelings for him but you don't think he reciprocates and it just makes it impossible to continue your relationship. Little did you know how much he wants you and how hard he's trying to keep it casual.

The Things We Carry With Us - @pellucid-constellations

You were injured on a mission and didn’t tell anyone, leaving your already rocky relationship with Bucky crumbling. Was it really hate he harbored for you, or was it something else? 

Control - @bucky-bucket-barnes

John Walker makes the dire mistake of messing with Bucky’s girl. This misstep causes a major fight to break out between the two, ending in nothing but blood and rage.

I Can Save You This Time - @pellucid-constellations

It’s the 4th of July and you’ve never been more sick. Turns out you aren’t the only one in the compound that stayed home from the celebration.

Shaken Up - @jamesbuchananxsteviegrant

Steve and Bucky find their girl passed out.

Under Pressure - @banditthewriter

Y/N hides a nasty injury from the team until they know everybody is safe, and then they collapse. Bucky worries about Y/N.

Injuries - @flowinglocksofbuck

you get injured on a mission and Bucky freaks out

Wicked - @str-spangled-banner

You were injured during a mission two weeks ago and put to much pressure on your healing wounds, doing more damage than you thought possible. Bucky fears he will lose you.

Necessary Evil - @bucky-bucky-bucky-bucky

Y/N gets seriously injured and Bucky takes care of her.

fingers fantasy fulfilled - @purple-babygirl

If Bucky's doll wanted his metal fingers then that was exactly what she was going to get.

Lavender - @wkemeup

Not every nightmare is the same and Bucky doesn’t always wake up as the man you know. 

Give Me A Sign - @lostgirlmuseum

Bucky asks the universe for a reason to live. The universe delivers you.

Fulfilled Fantasy - @sergeantbarnessdoll

Y/N admits to Bucky that she wants to have a threesome so he has Natasha help fulfill her fantasy.

Hottest Night of Your Life - @bossbtch1

Bucky and Steve joined you for a night out at the club, but things took a dark turn when a stranger spiked your drink. Bucky and Steve were more than willing to "take care" of you.

Sharing is Caring - @sad-not-glad

Soft Dom! Steve x Sub! Bucky x Dom! reader

My Queen - @adrinktostopyourthirst

The post-battle energy rush needs a release. Suddenly, there's a willing soldier at your disposal.

Overreact, Overstimulate - @jamesbuchananxsteviegrant

Reader Falls Into Subspace During Sex With Bucky And Steve

all the apple cider and no more haunted houses - @witchywithwhiskey

you and bucky barnes have a love-hate relationship—you love him and you believe he hates you—but when your friends insist on going to the scariest haunted house attraction in the area, the experience ends up forcing your real feelings for each other out into light

my everything - @mrsbarnesblog

The last thing that Bucky ever expected to see was the love of his life from the past trapped in one of the Hydra bunkers in the cryofreeze chamber. Yet here he was almost two days later, staring at your still unconscious body through the window at the medical wing, imagining the horror and disgust on your face when you found out that he was no longer the innocent and happy boy you knew before.

you were mine just yesterday - @notafunkiller

It's been a while since your break up with Bucky happened, but you're still not over him. You try to move on, go out, and have fun with your friend, Steve, but you end up in the same bar you two went to often. It also just happens that Bucky is there too, with Natasha by his side. It doesn't take long for you two to end up getting into old habits.

[youling-the-ghost]

I just got caught up on the bnha manga and boy do I have some thoughts about the future of the series. OBVIOUS SPOILER WARNING IS OBVIOUS

I don't know how to feel about the fact that bnha could be ending soon. On one hand, I'm glad that the final war arc is finally reaching its conclusion, but on the other hand, there are so many loose ends that I'm worried will never be tied up. I'm mostly worried about the future of class 1-A because every scenario that I thought of had something wrong with it:

Class 1-A continues studying at UA as if nothing had happened. This doesn't quite sit well with me because let's be real here, all of class 1-A were all more heroic than most of the Pro Heroes. Having them continue studying at UA would feel almost disingenuous to the entire final war arc. Despite this, I still feel like this is the best option for class 1-A. After everything that has happened, a sense of normalcy would probably be appreciated. Plus I'd love to see Shinsou as part of the hero course in their second year.

Class 1-A graduates from UA by default and all become Pro Heroes. I don't like this scenario for more personal reasons. The main reason why I love bnha so much is its academia aspects; I loved seeing the characters grow like actual students in a genuine school setting. Having the students graduate would be taking the main charm of the show away, at least in my opinion. Although I will say that it would be incredibly exciting to see the students that we've been following for the past 400 chapters become Pro Heroes, so I'm not entirely against this option either.

The hero society crumbles and heroes cease to exist, thereby disbanding UA and class 1-A. Honestly I'm only including this because it's a popular fan-theory, although I don't agree with it at all. It feels like a slap in the face to every student who faught in the war. It would genuinely be such a big disservice to have all of them who risked their lives fighting in the war, only for their dreams to be ripped from them. Another issue is that in my opinion, the heroes themselves isn't even the biggest flaw within the hero society. I feel like the biggest flaw with the whole system is how the general public views heroes. They see Pro Heroes as saints and pillars who can shoulder all of society's burdens and blames. Removing the job of Pro Heroes would just feel like putting a band-aid on an amputated limb, as the core issue of bnha's society shifting its blame onto others wouldn't be resolved. It would also just be scummy to title your series "My Hero Academia" only to remove the concept of heroes by the end of it. I'm not bashing Horikoshi's writing or even fans who support this theory, I just personally think that it's not a very plausible ending for bnha.

Again, I feel like option 1, where class 1-A continue to school as normal (followed by a time-skip when they become Pro Heroes) would be the best and most plausible option. However, I don't think it would be right for things to completely return to normal either.

I really hope that Horikoshi adds an arc after the current one that explores the aftermath of everything, including the public reaction to how hard the heroes faught against the villains and their unwavering spirit, which could also serve as a proper end to the overarching story of the broken hero society.

This is more of a tangent than anything else, but I CAN'T BELIEVE SHIGARAKI JUST DIED LIKE THAT??? I guess it makes me overly optimistic, but I genuinely thought at one point that Midoriya could save Tenko from All For One because it would be an incredibly fitting end for him. Tenko's main motivation behind becoming Shigaraki was the fact that not one person helped him when he was wandering the streets as a traumatised kid, and a common narrative that all of the League of Villains shared was how their fates could have been different had someone reached out a helping hand when they needed it most. Having Midoriya save Tenko from All For One would be such a satisfying ending, not only for the overarching story of the villains, but for those who wish that the villains could be redeemed. It would be such a perfect ending AND IT WAS TAKEN AWAY JUST LIKE THAT?? I don't buy it tbh maybe I'm just delusional but I have a feeling that the whole ordeal with Shigaraki isn't finished yet.

Lastly, IS MIDORIYA QUIRKLESS AGAIN?? Since Shigaraki had One For All when he died, that would mean that the quirk is also gone, right? So would that mean that he would no longer be able to become a hero? I could see this going one of two ways:

Shigaraki's not actually dead or One For All didn't disappear when he died, meaning that Midoriya can continue using it.

One For All really is gone and Midoriya is quirkless again, but he continues striving towards his goal of being a hero despite not having a quirk.

I think both options have potential and I wouldn't be opposed if either option becomes canon. Although, if Shigaraki gets revived for some bullshit reason, I might just riot. I know I literally just said that I'm not against Shigaraki not actually being dead, but that would require a plausible explanation for why he's dead but not actually dead. I think the most plausible explanation right now would be if somehow Shigaraki's quirk mutates and the "restore" part of it returns, which could "restore" his body again. But even that is a little...eh to me. Either way, I'm excited for what's in store.

You thought I was done, well SIKE! Let's talk about Midoriya's dad! Horikoshi has confirmed in 2018 that his identity will be revealed at some point, but it's nearing the end of the final war arc and still not one hint has dropped about Hisashi Midoriya. I feel like this could end up being another "Aoyama is the traitor" situation, where we think that Horikoshi has forgotten about this plot line, only for him to come back to it in full force that makes total sense in retrospect.

The most popular theory right now is that Hisashi Midoriya is actually All For One, and I actually kind of agree with it. I don't think that this is 100% going to be what Horikoshi goes with, but I think it's a pretty interesting idea that also has decent plausibility. Apart from the evidence that other fans have accumulated, there's also a lot of merit in the storytelling that could stem from this reveal:

It has already been established that the public is willing to turn their backs on heroes, no matter how much they sacrifice to ensure the safety of the civillians, if they believe that the hero is "immoral" in some way. The reveal that All For One is Midoriya's dad would be like the "Dabi is Touya" reveal except 10 times worse because this isn't just some villain, it's literally All For One. The public would not take it well, and that could be a great segue to directly addressing all of the issues about the hero society that Horikoshi has been building up.

This also completes the foil contrast between Midoriya and Shigaraki; two kids who were victims of the broken hero society, one born from a villain and one born from a hero, who become the opposite as they're taken under the wing of the greatest hero and the greatest villain. There's just something so poetic about that that I love.

Let's say that Tenko Shimura does get saved by Midoriya, imagine how he'd feel when he finds out that the person who saved him is directly related to the person who caused all of his pain and grief. It would probably break him, and this could lead to such an interesting arc of Tenko re-adjusting to a normal civilian life, dealing with the backlash that's bound to happen, and learning how to trust Midoriya again. It's such a compelling idea that I'm itching to write a fic about it.

But apart from that, there's also the fact that there aren't many other ways that would make the reveal interesting enough to justify it being such a long mystery. Think about it, there's probably a good reason that Horikoshi kept Midoriya's dad a secret for so long, and it would be lame as hell if he just turned out to be some guy. Having All For One be Midoriya's dad seems like one of the few ways for the reveal to be compelling. I could also see Midoriya being related to the Todorokis in some way, but then it would just feel like the "Dabi is Touya" reveal with extra steps.

And with that, I'm finally done with this ridiculously long post. Again, depsite my grievances, I'm super hyped to see what's to come with the series, and I'm genuinely so excited for chapter 424 to come out.

[zeciex]

OC Tag Game

Thank you @mermaidslabyrinth for tagging me!

1.- What is something that your OC would never purchase for themselves, but would be (secretly?) delighted to receive as a gift?

It's though because she's very much a 'if I want it, I will buy it' kind of girl. But I think she wouldn't buy herself Armor--leather or metal, it doesn't matter, she'd be delighted to get it. And I do hope to get her some eventually, even if its more an aesthetic thing than practical. OR really nice knives.

2.- Is your OC ticklish? Has anyone ever dared to find out?

Isn't everyone a bit ticklish? I think Daenera's ticklish on her sides--its bearable, but if you stick your fingers under her arms she will kill you because it's so uncomfortable. And yeah, I imagine her brother's have tested her--just like she has tested them--in this regard.

3.- How easy does your OC find it to apologize?

It depends on what she's apologizing for. There are some things that she refuses to apologize for, then there's her apologies that are solely to placate someone, and then there's the rare genuine apologies saved for a few. Saying sorry isn't easy, but she can apologize.... I think.

4.- When did your OC first see a dead body? If they have not seen one yet, how might they react to doing so?

Well, I suppose her first dead body is the body of her 'father' Laenor--when they pulled his charred body from the fire and Rhaenys is screaming at his side. That was her first dead body. She still remembers the smell--she can still recall it when pigs on a spit is too long above the fire and it starts to get charred.

5.- Does your OC have any recurring dreams? Have they ever told anyone else about them?

The witch still haunts her.

6.- Is your OC stingy with their money (or other resources)? Or are they something of a spendthrift?

Daenera is generous with her money. She likes spending money on clothes and jewellery for herself, she's a bit vain like that, but she's also generous to the smallfolk. She's done a lot of charitable work, giving out food from her weddings, holding the competition for musicians and artisans to be under her patronage, and we will see more of this charity work in S2 as well as a throwback to her patronage competition--finally you'll see this plan come to fruition.

Of course, her charity work is transactional. I will not hide this fact. While she does have a good heart, she's also smart enough to know that she presents herself one way to the smallfolk and in return for her charity, they offer her adoration and protection. She doesn't want them to get hurt, but she will sanction violence against them if it offers her something greater than their love. She's a princess and she's playing the game--she is not a saint.

7.- Does your OC have a sweet tooth? Or do they prefer to avoid sweets and sugary treats?

Yes. Very much. She loves cakes and tarts, and sweet treats--grapes/sugared grapes, fruit, berries, all of it. She loves honey, but not glazed on meats.

8.- Is your OC easily provoked by insults or mockery?

It depends on the insult. She's very reactive, but at the same time, since she's grown up the way she has, under scrutiny and such, she can control herself up to a point. She's good at shooting back, a tit-for-tat situation.

9.- Where is somewhere your OC has visited that they never want to visit again?

I think she'd want to see the great cities of Essos--or further Yi Ti. But if she has to settle with Westeros then she'd like to see the gardens of House Tyrell or the glassgardens of Winterfell.

10.- Is your OC ever somewhat flirtatious? She can be, though I suppose she's more charming that flirtatious. She can play the game of veiled words and girly wistfulness, but she prefers to be upfront with things and can be very blunt and honest--which often throws people for a loop.

thank you for tagging me!

[yxstxrdrxxm-a]

Out of the characters rank them from "best" yandere to worst yandere???👀👀👀👀 Only if you want of course 🩷

Rubs hands together. Alright, you asked for this.

(read more + this came from me and Eros's perspective, so its going to be filled with some answers and small tidbits of everyone. Be warned.)

BEST MATCHES

ZHONGLI: As he is a historian professor and has particular tastes for romantic matches, he's actually your safest pick in the list! He makes sure to know your dealbreakers, likes, dislikes, and even your preferences.

DAINSLEIF: Another "parent" figure/platonic choice for most people. The only difference, though, is that he sticks to one person and he doesn't really like being with someone romantically.

BAIZHU: He's a pharmacist and is the third of "he sees people platonically until he finds someone that he can be romantically with".

VENTI: Although he can be a bit questionable, he's still one of the (arguably) safer guys out there. Even if you two don't become an actual couple, he doesn't like hurting those he sees as 'uninvolved', so to speak. Although, it does depend if you'd be able to figure out his 'intent', or you'd dismiss it as one of his jokes.

KAEDEHARA KAZUHA: Kazuha normally should be on people's radars due to his past. After all, you'd never trust a man that is associated with one of the biggest 'scandals' that hurt Inazuma and how he lost his lineage. However, he isn't the worst as he can keep his ground and is mostly focused on exploring than hurting someone.

AETHER: Aether is... The same as Kazuha. Also, he doesn't really see his matches as anything romantically? He'd rather stick to it being a slow friends to potential lovers. (Eros says that he's like a guy who got lost upon getting to the corporation, and I can't help but agree. He's really nice, he's just... Yeah.)

FREMINET: He's the youngest of the triplets, but the danger he can possess is more of his charm. Still, I think whoever gets him has to keep him safe. As a diver, he works independently with the House of Hearth, but he also makes machinery! If you need someone to fix something for you, please contact him. He's the best mechanic you can find.

THOMA: Jack of all trades, master of none. He's just really nice, but protection is a bit... Well, it can be difficult, haha! If anything, I think the danger he has is more of his connections. He's working for the Kamisatos, and I hear that he has some ties to what goes down █████.

GOROU: He's... Uh, he's a veterinarian that trains dogs. Although, he's dangerous as a yandere if you end up getting on his bad side. After all, he had a bad past with Wriothesley and the others, so I can't exactly fault the guy. Just... Be safe.

WRIOTHESLEY: Just like Gorou, he can be very dangerous/bad if you get on his bad side. However, Wriothesley has the patience of the saint. He does accept one since he's a workaholic. (Eros told me he's married to his job, and I sometimes joke that we'll get an invitation for that).

DILUC RAGNIVINDR: Okay, I know this is absurd, but he's... Er, he has some history with Dawn Winery. We can't say too much, but he's not there, I guess. To be frank, he does give me the vibes of being obsessive... Which is weird.

KAEYA ALBERICH: ... Please don't ask us why.

SHIKANOIN HEIZOU: Detectives are pretty much master criminals in the making, honestly. I wouldn't trust a man as him if he suddenly tells you he wants to try something 'new' to catch criminals.

NEUVILLETTE: As the judge, you'd think he would be somewhat high up there, but... He's the same as Kaeya. Please don't ask.

KAMISATO AYATO: ... Sorry. We can't answer why he's here.

XIAO: Same as Ayato, Neuvillette, and Kaeya. (Sheesh, we got some that are TOTAL red flags...)

ALBEDO: He's a bit decent and has a good head on his shoulders, but I don't exactly trust him. Who knows when a chemist may make something that can potentially hurt someone? Well, I doubt he could, but... be careful.

LYNEY: A magician has his secrets, but we don't exactly know Lyney's. Although, knowing his track record, we have our reasons why he's here. Let's just say he's as two-faced as Kaeya, okay?

TIGHNARI: Oh, come on! A ranger who can specialize in forests is like... A disaster waiting to happen. He's also got a mean streak, so good luck.

CYNO: The same as Ayato.

ALHAITHAM: ... Actually, I don't know why he's here. We decided he won't be but... Maybe that incident is why he's here.

IL DOTTORE: Ayato. Please look at his answer there. And Albedo's. That's our conclusion.

"CHILDE": He reeks danger. Please, to whoever gets him run. We cannot tell you why, just run. Don't answer his phone, don't answer the door, just run and don't be a sitting duck.

WANDERER: Do you want to die? No, seriously. Do you? He's the worst of all these men. If you get him... We wish you luck. Because we don't want to be anywhere near him.

WORST MATCHES

[meowww-ffxiv]

For Valentione's Day, G'raha asked Mordred for a favor.

He would make some gifts for the people of the First, he said, and include them with the several letters he had written. Not just to Lyna this time, but to others in the Crystarium as well. Katliss, Chessamile, Bragi, the Zhuun masters, all of them.

"In working with the Students of Baldesion, I found myself nostalgic for the haven we have built together on the First," G'raha said. "I have put this off long enough, I think. Though I still do not know if I will dissuade their worries or burden them with more, I want them to know that I still remember them. And sorely miss them."

Mordred said of course. Of course! 🥺🥺🥺

So this was how he found out G'raha was like, Alisaie-caliber of not good with artistic cooking and stuff. Those sandwiches he made for him did always seem a little lopsided, which was their charm point, and the decidedly imperfect chocolates G'raha made shared in that.

But Mordred filled them up into little treat sacks, added extras per G'raha's recommendation based on who was getting what -- he really did remember each and every one of the Crystarium chiefs' preferences, as well as what gripes they usually had with him.

And Mordred said, "I used to loathe the Crystal Tower."

"Yes, you do dislike all things Allagan," G'raha agreed wryly.

"No, I loathed it in particular because it took you from me. The one friend I made free of the sorrow and bloodshed I sowed as the Defender of Eorzea. You were dear to me already, back then. And then you were gone."

G'raha's hands stilled. Mordred's continued to move, steadily, filling up the gift bags and tying them.

"Yet the sight of that radiant spire piercing the heavens in the First, it fills me with hope," Mordred said. "It fills me with-- with defiance, and more love for you and the city you helped build at its foot than you will ever know. You've done it. The wound inside me that was shaped like that tower is now the dearest visage of strength I have, when I close my eyes."

He tied the bags, each with a different color that G'raha had also picked out. Then the letters were stamped with ink of the same colors as the ribbons, so Mordred could tell which was which.

G'raha, for his part, wiped at his eyes and sniffled.

Mordred nudged the box of tissues over to his friend, then looked over the collection of multicolored gift bags before them with satisfaction. There was even a bright orange one, conspicuously if only slightly bigger than the others, for Feo Ul.

"They're going to throw everything they've got at a White Day gift for you, you know," Mordred remarked.

G'raha laughed. "And of course you will be telling them about White Day."

"Course I will."

"Saint Valentione's Day in the Crystarium," G'raha mused, rubbing his chin. "Yes, I can see Katliss going all-out for such an excuse to spruce up the Mean and even the markets. Glynard would probably grumble about it, however. No doubt he thinks the red and pink aesthetics clash horribly with the Wandering Stairs."

"He liked the Starlight garlands I brought over," Mordred shrugged.

"The ones that you stole?"

"I didn't steal 'em!" Mordred protested indignantly. "They were already taken off the lampposts and everything! They were just going to be recycled anyway by being fed to-- to some herbivores. I rescued them. I recycled them."

"As you say," G'raha agreed mildly, though his eyes sparked with mirth. He grinned. "Then perhaps we should 'recycle' some of the Valentione decorations in Gridania this year as well? Moren will appreciate physical souvenirs, I'm sure of it."

"Deal," Mordred said immediately. "I'll hold off on delivering these till the day after, then, and have it be a huge pallet of gifts. I'm sure Feo Ul can squeeze me through."

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 38: Practice

While this particular picture was of course taken by Entertainment Weekly, it comes to me by way of "hotzxgirl.com" and was labeled "Eye of the Tar Valon | Hot sex picture". Spoiler alert! Unless you have a lot of very specific fetishes, this is not a hot sex picture. It also doesn't even depict anything that happens in this chapter, but that's not going to stop me is it? What might stop you if you don't like spoilers is the knowledge that if you keep reading, you consent (in a hot and sexy way?) to get all sorts Wheel of Time spoilers from all over the series.

This chapter has a Flame of Tar Valon icon now that we're back in Tar Valon. It's been awhile! Four or five in-world months and like... fourteen chapters, I think?

She knew how easy it was to touch saidar now. She could always feel it there, waiting for her, like the smell of perfume or the feel of silk, drawing her, drawing her. And once she did touch it, she could rarely stop from channeling, or at least trying to. She failed almost as often as she succeeded, but that was only another spur to keep on.

Untainted, saidar is naturally a much bigger draw for channelers than its twin. It's also a great mindset Egwene has as a student, especially since she is also a bit concerned by her growing addiction as well. Unlike Rand, she knows damn well she's going to be a daily user.

Three short paces took Nynaeve from wall to white-plastered wall; Nynaeve’s own room was much larger, but since she had made no friends among the other Accepted, she came to Egwene’s room when she needed someone to talk to, even as now when she did not talk at all.

This is such a mood.

“Else was making calf’s eyes at Galad today while he was working with the Warders,” Min said, rocking the stool on two legs.

It's funny how Min so naturally recreates the described conditions of Emond's Field for Egwene, being the latest eyes-and-ears reporting on a woman's movement towards the gentleman Egwene has picked.

It's also clear build-up for that pairing that Jordan abandoned later on down the line in favor of Egwene/Gawyn and Galad/Berelain. It's nice and somewhat more realistic though, that unlike most of the other main characters, Egwene doesn't find her true suitor immediately.

He’d hurt a person because he had to serve a greater good. He wouldn’t even notice who was hurt, because he’d be so intent on the other, but if he did, he would expect them to understand and think it was all well and right.

This is the thing that separates Galad from being an actual fucking saint, the way his big picture focus hides him from the little details.

War in Cairhien. War on Toman Head. They may have caught the false Dragon in Saldaea, but there’s still war in Tear. Most of it is rumors, anyway.

A nod to the Gospel of Matthew, which says that a sign of the end times is wars and rumors of wars. Guess this is just what you have to expect from all the comings of Rand.

She had not dreamed about him in months, now, not the kind of dreams she had had on the River Queen. Anaiya still made her write down everything she dreamed, and the Aes Sedai checked them for signs, or connections to events, but there was never anything about Rand except dreams that, Anaiya said, meant she missed him. Oddly, she felt almost as if he were not there any longer, as if he had ceased to exist, along with her dreams, a few weeks after reaching the White Tower.

Obviously it's a bit silly to talk about abandoned ideas UNDER abandoned ideas, but one wonders if Jordan had originally intended for Egwene to stop being a dreamer at the end of the series, the way her initial foray here is so intimately tied to Rand's presence in the world.

That sent a chill through her, as it never failed to do, the thought of Rand being gentled, Rand weeping and wanting to die as Logain did.

Here the reader is reminded that though there's Mirror Worlds out there where Egwene gentles or kills Rand, they're not her true self and in any case those Egwenes were probably just as devastated as the real one would be to be backed into such a corner.

“I’m sorry, Min,” Nynaeve said in a tight voice. “Sometimes my temper. . . . I can’t ask you to forgive me, not for this.” She took a deep breath. “If you want to report me to Sheriam, I will understand. I deserve it.”

A nice bit that shows that Nynaeve's a good person who just has some issues, but it's also funny to note that Nynaeve is demonstrating she's exactly the sort of person Galad assumes everyone would be under the circumstances.

With murmurs of “forgiven” that sounded meant on both sides, the two women hugged.

Gosh Nyneve and Min are fun together. It's a real shame they won't really get to hang out much until Rand's practically having his Sith armor made.

A man who drove oxen as hard as they drive us would be shunned. I am tired all the time. I wake up tired and go to bed exhausted, and sometimes I’m so afraid that I will slip and channel more of the Power than I can handle that I. . . .

I expect that training in the AoL was still rigorous but nowhere near as exhausting and that much as battlefield first aid is the only kind of Healing still left, the only sorts of instruction that survived through the Breaking were something like the Hell Week stints before final examinations. And then naturally they never bothered to see if there was a less grueling method.

“The Traveling People are tempting,” Nynaeve agreed, “but wherever you go, it will not change what you can do. You cannot run from saidar.” She did not sound as if she liked what she was saying.

Somewhere far away, Moiraine is laughing and she doesn't know why.

Min shifted on her stool. “I don’t like reading friends,” she muttered. “Friendship gets in the way of the reading. It makes me try to put the best face on what I see. That’s why I don’t do it for you three anymore. Anyway, nothing has changed about you that I can. . . .”

Poor Min probably's been burned once or twice with a friend she thought she could trust with the secret of her power, only for the thirst for knowledge to overcome any actual relationship. It must really suck now that her friends aren't just channelers, who always have omens, but specifically the plot relevant ones.

Before she reached it, though, a dark-eyed Aes Sedai with her blond hair done in a multitude of braids stepped into the room. Egwene blinked in surprise, as much at it being any Aes Sedai as at Liandrin. She had not heard that Liandrin had returned to the White Tower, but beyond that, novices were sent for if an Aes Sedai wanted them; it could mean no good, a sister coming herself.

Especially not since the danger omen probably triggered specifically the moment Liandrin set out to the rooms.

“Do you have some word of Rand?” Egwene asked eagerly. Liandrin arched an eyebrow at her. “Forgive me, Aes Sedai. I forget myself.” “Have you word of them?” Nynaeve said, just short of a demand. The Accepted had no rule about not speaking to an Aes Sedai until spoken to.

1. Egwene why would you think a Red showing up to give you news about Rand is something to ask after eagerly?

2. Nynaeve would have acted exactly the same way she does here even if she were a Novice.

“Someday, I am sure, you will serve a cause, and you will learn then that to serve it you must work even with those whom you dislike. I tell you I have worked with many with whom I would not share a room if it were left to me alone. Would you not work alongside the one you hated worst, if it would save your friends?”

I wonder which Black sisters in particular Liandrin doesn't like. Are the 12 who run off with her included? Any non Red/Black combo?

(Also by "Someday, I am sure, you will serve a cause," she means "Next Tuesday at the latest you'll be slaves", just saying.)

You two come from their village. In some way I do not entirely understand, you are connected to them. Beyond that, I cannot say.

Surprisingly, all of this is entirely truthful. I mean, yeah the first sentence is obvious, but the second sentence means "I am not able to question my masters as to why you're important but they say you are" and the third sentence means "I'm bound by the Oath Rod not to betray their secrets anyway".

“You have my permission. Tell no one. No one at all. The Black Ajah walks the halls of the White Tower.”

Speaking of being bound not to reveal secrets, there's three options for how she pulls this off:

1. The straightforward one is what she says below, that with Tarmon Gai'don approaching this can't be denied any longer. Presumably this would be an executive decision by Ishamael or at least Alviarin and not something Liandrin is able to decide on her own.

2. Her explanation is merely a way of hiding her allegiance. The truth is she knows that Siuan and Moiraine know about the Black Ajah and possibly others and thus she no longer considers the Ajah's existing a secret that has to be held close.

3. As above, but instead of Siuan and Moiraine being the catalysts, Liandrin feels that the certainty of these girls dying as damane, utterly cut off from any way to spread the knowledge, still counts as holding the secret close and thus she can disclose it. As this is the closest to traditional "villain monologuing to a hero caught in a death trap", it's my preferred one.

“She is Aes Sedai,” Nynaeve said dryly. “I’ll wager my best silver pin against a blueberry that every word she said was true. But I wonder if we heard what we thought we did.”

Quite possibly everything she said was true, which means that the Black Ajah has been getting ahold of any letters Moiraine is sending to Siuan in confidence. Pretty alarming how deep the rot goes!

I can’t even go for a walk without the Amyrlin herself popping out and asking me to read whoever we see. When that woman asks you to do something, there doesn’t seem to be any way out of it. I must have read half the White Tower for her, but she always wants another demonstration.

Siuan is probably trying to get a handle on what's going to happen in the Tower in the lead up to the Last Battle, though unfortunately Min's symbols are far too esoteric for them to make any sense of at this point - and don't show up until they're set in stone anyway. Whatever hopes she had of Black Ajah hunting by this method must be roundly dashed by now.

I’ll bet we won’t either of us cry ourselves to sleep on an adventure.

And here comes dramatic irony with the steel chair!

I can see the danger around all of you more clearly, now. Not clearly enough to make it out, but I think it has something to do with you deciding to go. That’s why it is clearer; because it is more certain.

I think Min's on the right track but missing a little bit here. The certainty is tied to the vector of danger: Liandrin and the Seanchan. If the girls did refuse, ran to Sheriam, and told all, they might not leave the Tower at all (at least not Elayne; maybe not the others if Sheriam's out of the loop about Liandrin) and would instead have the uncertain danger of the backup plan of the Black Ajah looming over them instead.

However much she might argue beforehand, once a course of action had been decided, Nynaeve always went right to the practicalities: what they had to take with them, and how cold it would be by the time they reached Toman Head, and how they could get their horses from the stables without being stopped.

Being Village Wisdom, the only way to be effective is to worry about the practicalities, even if the woolheads on the Village Council have decided to do something stupid and won't listen to you. It'll be a trait that helps her out later too, when she's a queen.

[lixahl]

which of your ocs is most yaoiful 🤨

all of my men are yaoiful HOWEVER. this may come as a surprise. but i believe in MOST YAOIFUL OLD MAN EVER ARANE STORMRAGE SWEEP!!!!!!!

whats more yaoiful than being so devoted to a man you break out of prison and carry his warglaives because his imprisoned/dead body got stolen by evil bitches. and then doing everything in your power to revive him, then getting him revived (khadgar is there) and running full force into his arms and getting spun around. and then later on begging him to not imprison himself for eternity because he's got this stupid "the hunter is nothing without the hunt" self-sacrificial bullshit going on. and then retiring and having a kid and honeymooning on the dragon isles and ignoring every horror after bfa.

readmore because i have more yaoiful guys (honorable mentions and also for other not-wow yaoiful guys)

honorable mention for warcraft is ameres and gabrianel

(gabrianel is the not-blond one)

both of these men currently have too much time on their hands and are having loads of gay sex. very yaoiful.

actually there's also astraxia as well. currently acting as a broodfather to their partner altyvian (my husband's oc) so also having loads of gay sex SORRYYYYY

for ffxiv it's tied between my only two man ocs. sorry i don't think either of them are more yaoiful than the other, they're different kinds of yaoiful. yes they are both au ra because i like the lizard

eldegai (left) is more yaoiful in the "he's a dominant type" way and akihiko is more yaoiful in the "jesus christ this man is so submissive" way. and yes they both have canon character partners; magnai for eldegai, and hien for akihiko. there's something wrong with me.

AND FINALLY. for most yaoiful not-fan oc character. the title goes to none other than MEKO KELSI

we love yaoiful men who are women who aren't either a man or woman but still a man. he's a bimbo. he's a saint. she met her husband at a sex toy store. it died in its husband's arms to become immortal. he has a pet rat. she's a demon of pestilence. and of course, he has loads of gay sex. yay

runner up for non-fan oc is abalone though. because i love her and i love she/her gay men

[cleverhottubmiracle]

There are a lot of watches on the market these days, but you tend to hear about some of them more than others. That isn't, of course, a knock on unquestionable grails like the Cartier Tank and Rolex Submariner, which have more than earned their places among the most iconic watches of all time. But in certain circles—and, uh, corners of the internet—their ubiquity does rob them of some of their surprise-and-delight value.Fortunately for anyone looking for an alternative to the usual suspects from the big Swiss luxury brands, there’s a whole world of timepieces out there that are as startlingly original as they are oddly slept-on. These are the ones we're eyeballing right now.The Rolex Yacht-MasterThe Submariner earned its reputation on the wrists of serious undersea explorers in the 1960s and ‘70s. The full-gold Yacht-Master, by comparison, is best known as the watch David and Victoria Beckham wore for their engagement shoot in 1998. Does this make the Yacht-Master any less of a Rolex than the much-coveted Sub? It does not. Does it make it just a teeensy bit more fun? Heck yes, it does.The Omega RailmasterWhen your siblings are as famous as the Seamaster and Speedmaster it can be tough to stand out, and that’s been the story of Omega’s perennially slept-on Railmaster since it launched in 1957. This 2017 reissue, however, demands to be appreciated. With the vintage charms of the original (check the “broad arrow” hands and clean 3-6-9 dial) and Omega’s modern co-axial Master Chronometer movement, it’s the definition of a sleeper.The Hermès H08This Parisian maison might be best known for its saddles, Birkins, and ties, but its watch lineup has been on a steady heater in recent years. Among the most tempting offerings from the gang at 24 Faubourg Saint Honoré is the titanium H08, a stylish—and characteristically whimsical—answer to a sea of uninspired sports watches.The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968The world’s oldest watchmaker isn’t prone to hyperbole, so when they call something the “Ultra-Fine,” you’d better believe it’s going to be hot. This sleek square ticker, which is part of the brand’s Historiques line of archival re-issues, lives up to its name more than half a century after it first hit the streets.Vacheron ConstantinHistoriques Ultra-Fine 1968 WatchThe Breguet Classique Automatic 40Abraham Louis Breguet was the godfather of high-end watchmaking, and the brand that bears his name still cranks out some absolute bangers. The Classique is an exercise in 19th-century old-school cool, from the grand feu enamel dial—an age-old technique that produces an incredibly rich sheen—to Breguet’s eponymous hands and numerals. Those who know know, and now you can be one of them.BreguetClassique Automatic 40 WatchThe Franck Muller CasablancaFranck Muller watches are a bit like Wes Anderson movies or the oeuvre of the Dave Matthews Band—you kind of have to love ‘em or hate ‘em. As with Wes Anderson, Muller has a very specific aesthetic signature of barrel-shaped cases and funky art nouveau numerals that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Like Dave Matthews’ greatest hits, however, if you spend enough time with it—and this yellow-gold Casablanca is no exception—you’re probably going to end up a fan.Franck MullerCasablanca WatchThe A Lange & Söhne Lange 1With a legion of diehard fans, including many members of the watch Illuminati, A Lange & Söhne isn’t exactly underrated, but it still deserves more recognition than it gets. To understand what makes the Lange 1 such a flex requires a fair bit of extremely nerdy horological lingo, but here’s the gist of it: Lange creates watches on par with, or even better than, Patek Philippe, but does it in much smaller quantities and with much less fanfare. The Lange 1 is where it all started, and wearing one is nigh guaranteed to win you a nod of approval from your most watch-obsessed friends.The Breitling TransoceanBreitling makes a lot of nice chronographs, but most of them tend to be on the chunky side, with cases in the range of 40mm-plus. If you’re in the market for a classic chrono with more diminutive proportions, the discontinued Transocean lineup offers a bunch of excellent alternatives, including this 38mm specimen.BreitlingTransocean WatchThe Zenith El Primero OriginalDaytona, schmaytona. Sure, sure, the Rolex Daytona is the world ’s most coveted chronograph, but the humble El Primero offers a very similar makeup with arguably more historical street cred. Not only was Zenith the first brand to build a modern chronograph, but its movements were so renowned that Rolex used them in the Daytona for more than a decade.ZenithEl Primero Original WatchThe Omega Speedmaster Reduced ‘Michael Schumacher’It’s not a hot take to suggest that this collab between one of the world’s top watch brands and the Formula One GOAT deserves a much better name than the “Speedmaster Reduced Michael Schumacher.” Its ungainly name, however (which is a reference to its 39mm case size), doesn’t take anything away from the watch’s absolutely smoldering Ferrari-red dial.OmegaSpeedmaster Reduced ‘Michael Schumacher’ WatchThe Breguet Tradition 7057Luxury watches that show off impressive movements through their dials are very much a thing these days, and most of them—if we’re being completely frank—do not look better for it. This is an exception. Instead of flexing a big ol’ tourbillon and a bunch of complicated-looking parts, the 7057 keeps things tight with a dial that’s both highly readable and mesmerizing to look at.BreguetTradition 7057 WatchThe Jaeger-LeCoultre ReversoDespite its vague resemblance to the iconic Cartier Tank, the Reverso is very much its own thing, with a unique swiveling case initially intended to protect it from flying polo balls. Add to that a timeless art deco design and a movement courtesy of one of Switzerland’s most respected makers, and you have the makings of an underrated classic.Jaeger-LeCoultreReverso Watch Source link

[norajworld]

There are a lot of watches on the market these days, but you tend to hear about some of them more than others. That isn't, of course, a knock on unquestionable grails like the Cartier Tank and Rolex Submariner, which have more than earned their places among the most iconic watches of all time. But in certain circles—and, uh, corners of the internet—their ubiquity does rob them of some of their surprise-and-delight value.Fortunately for anyone looking for an alternative to the usual suspects from the big Swiss luxury brands, there’s a whole world of timepieces out there that are as startlingly original as they are oddly slept-on. These are the ones we're eyeballing right now.The Rolex Yacht-MasterThe Submariner earned its reputation on the wrists of serious undersea explorers in the 1960s and ‘70s. The full-gold Yacht-Master, by comparison, is best known as the watch David and Victoria Beckham wore for their engagement shoot in 1998. Does this make the Yacht-Master any less of a Rolex than the much-coveted Sub? It does not. Does it make it just a teeensy bit more fun? Heck yes, it does.The Omega RailmasterWhen your siblings are as famous as the Seamaster and Speedmaster it can be tough to stand out, and that’s been the story of Omega’s perennially slept-on Railmaster since it launched in 1957. This 2017 reissue, however, demands to be appreciated. With the vintage charms of the original (check the “broad arrow” hands and clean 3-6-9 dial) and Omega’s modern co-axial Master Chronometer movement, it’s the definition of a sleeper.The Hermès H08This Parisian maison might be best known for its saddles, Birkins, and ties, but its watch lineup has been on a steady heater in recent years. Among the most tempting offerings from the gang at 24 Faubourg Saint Honoré is the titanium H08, a stylish—and characteristically whimsical—answer to a sea of uninspired sports watches.The Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ultra-Fine 1968The world’s oldest watchmaker isn’t prone to hyperbole, so when they call something the “Ultra-Fine,” you’d better believe it’s going to be hot. This sleek square ticker, which is part of the brand’s Historiques line of archival re-issues, lives up to its name more than half a century after it first hit the streets.Vacheron ConstantinHistoriques Ultra-Fine 1968 WatchThe Breguet Classique Automatic 40Abraham Louis Breguet was the godfather of high-end watchmaking, and the brand that bears his name still cranks out some absolute bangers. The Classique is an exercise in 19th-century old-school cool, from the grand feu enamel dial—an age-old technique that produces an incredibly rich sheen—to Breguet’s eponymous hands and numerals. Those who know know, and now you can be one of them.BreguetClassique Automatic 40 WatchThe Franck Muller CasablancaFranck Muller watches are a bit like Wes Anderson movies or the oeuvre of the Dave Matthews Band—you kind of have to love ‘em or hate ‘em. As with Wes Anderson, Muller has a very specific aesthetic signature of barrel-shaped cases and funky art nouveau numerals that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Like Dave Matthews’ greatest hits, however, if you spend enough time with it—and this yellow-gold Casablanca is no exception—you’re probably going to end up a fan.Franck MullerCasablanca WatchThe A Lange & Söhne Lange 1With a legion of diehard fans, including many members of the watch Illuminati, A Lange & Söhne isn’t exactly underrated, but it still deserves more recognition than it gets. To understand what makes the Lange 1 such a flex requires a fair bit of extremely nerdy horological lingo, but here’s the gist of it: Lange creates watches on par with, or even better than, Patek Philippe, but does it in much smaller quantities and with much less fanfare. The Lange 1 is where it all started, and wearing one is nigh guaranteed to win you a nod of approval from your most watch-obsessed friends.The Breitling TransoceanBreitling makes a lot of nice chronographs, but most of them tend to be on the chunky side, with cases in the range of 40mm-plus. If you’re in the market for a classic chrono with more diminutive proportions, the discontinued Transocean lineup offers a bunch of excellent alternatives, including this 38mm specimen.BreitlingTransocean WatchThe Zenith El Primero OriginalDaytona, schmaytona. Sure, sure, the Rolex Daytona is the world ’s most coveted chronograph, but the humble El Primero offers a very similar makeup with arguably more historical street cred. Not only was Zenith the first brand to build a modern chronograph, but its movements were so renowned that Rolex used them in the Daytona for more than a decade.ZenithEl Primero Original WatchThe Omega Speedmaster Reduced ‘Michael Schumacher’It’s not a hot take to suggest that this collab between one of the world’s top watch brands and the Formula One GOAT deserves a much better name than the “Speedmaster Reduced Michael Schumacher.” Its ungainly name, however (which is a reference to its 39mm case size), doesn’t take anything away from the watch’s absolutely smoldering Ferrari-red dial.OmegaSpeedmaster Reduced ‘Michael Schumacher’ WatchThe Breguet Tradition 7057Luxury watches that show off impressive movements through their dials are very much a thing these days, and most of them—if we’re being completely frank—do not look better for it. This is an exception. Instead of flexing a big ol’ tourbillon and a bunch of complicated-looking parts, the 7057 keeps things tight with a dial that’s both highly readable and mesmerizing to look at.BreguetTradition 7057 WatchThe Jaeger-LeCoultre ReversoDespite its vague resemblance to the iconic Cartier Tank, the Reverso is very much its own thing, with a unique swiveling case initially intended to protect it from flying polo balls. Add to that a timeless art deco design and a movement courtesy of one of Switzerland’s most respected makers, and you have the makings of an underrated classic.Jaeger-LeCoultreReverso Watch Source link

[chilimili212]

Dear BoF Community, My initial reaction when I learnt that Demna would be appointed artistic director of Gucci was one of surprise. Although Demna’s name began to circulate as a potential candidate during Paris Fashion Week, I didn’t believe Kering would choose him to take on the challenge of restoring Gucci’s fashion credibility — and sales momentum — in a deeply troubled luxury market. After gorging on fashion products during the pandemic, demand for luxury fashion is waning. Luxury customers are increasingly focusing their attention (and their wallets) on travel, dining and wellness. The only way to get them to pay attention to a fashion brand like Gucci is to offer something new and exciting, something that connects with the current moment and pushes fashion forward. Is Demna the right person for the job?Judging by the reaction from financial markets and fashion fans on social media, the answer is no. Kering shares plunged by 12 percent on Friday morning after digesting the announcement. Of the more than 9,000 people who replied to BoF’s Instagram poll linked to the breaking news on Thursday, only 10 percent of you believe that Demna is the right pick for Gucci to reassert its fashion authority. Sixty-seven percent of you think that Demna is not right, and another 23 percent are not sure, preferring to “wait and see.” But I have a different view. Once the news began to settle in, and I had time to process the comments made by Kering’s deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini and Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino as to why they, together with François-Henri Pinault, made this choice, their logic began to make sense to me. Kering needed a heavyweight name and could not take another gamble on an unknown quantity. There are very few designers with the creativity, technical skills and proven ability to not just capture but shape the fashion zeitgeist. Jonathan Anderson is tied to LVMH through their investment in his own brand and seems certain at this stage to be headed to Dior, after his farewell Loewe presentation in Paris on Monday. Matthieu Blazy, whose Bottega Veneta shows were a highlight at recent fashion months, left the Kering group last year (a huge loss) and is readying his vision for Chanel which will debut in October.Hedi Slimane has a proven ability to transform and build brands (Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and Celine), but his days of shaping the zeitgeist are long behind him. Likewise, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, an unmistakably successful creator of luxury products, does not have the requisite fashion quotient. If Gucci wanted a fashion designer with a capital F, then Demna is a pragmatic choice. After 10 years, the once disruptive fashion aesthetic Demna brought to Balenciaga has run its natural course. Balenciaga needs a change and Demna needs a new creative challenge, and by installing the designer at Gucci, Kering is also creating opportunities to address other issues in the group, while retaining a top talent.That Demna is already part of Kering also means there are no pesky non-compete agreements to contend with, and he can already begin to develop his ideas for Gucci while he works on his final Balenciaga couture collection which will be shown in July.But still, the success of this strategy rests on one critical question. Can Demna himself move his creativity forward? If Demna simply takes his Vetements and Balenciaga look and implements that at Gucci, it will not work. Indeed, we already know what that looks like after “the hacker project” that brought Demna’s Balenciaga and Alessandro Michele’s Gucci together in a vibrant mash-up of their unique looks at the height of their creative powers at those brands back in 2021.But there is nothing that fires up a designer like Demna like the opportunity to reinvent a historic house like Gucci. I first got to know Demna through his brother Guram when they came out from the background of the designer collective at Vetements as the driving forces behind the disruptive fashion start-up which BoF was first to write about back in 2014. Demna has a strong foundation of creative fashion education from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and professional training at Margiela and Louis Vuitton, where he worked alongside both Marc Jacobs, and then Nicolas Ghesquière, two top designers with very different approaches to design and creativity at the world’s largest luxury fashion house. Over the years, I have also had the opportunity to get to know Demna as a human being. I interviewed him for a BoF cover story in 2015 just after he was announced as the new creative director at Balenciaga and sat down for a rare television interview with him just as the pandemic lockdowns were lifting and he was set to debut his incredible first Balenciaga couture show in July 2021. What I can say without a doubt is this: Demna is one of the most provocative and thoughtful people working in fashion, and is someone who is deeply committed to his work. Like all of us, he has had his ups and downs, and the Balenciaga PR crisis was a reality check for him on a number of fronts. More recently, he has been focusing on his own personal wellness and happiness, and I think he is now emotionally ready for one of the biggest jobs in fashion. If there is anyone in fashion who is up for this challenge, it’s Demna. Now we just have to wait and see if he can find it in himself to deliver the goods. I am really excited to see what he does.We have a lot more coverage on all the news in fashion from the week gone by, including a special breaking news podcast episode with Tim Blanks digesting this week’s big news from Gucci and Versace, in addition to our always popular, must-listen seasonal episode reviewing the fashion season that was. There is also our take on the Top 10 Shows of the Season, a report on the state of the Pat McGrath Labs business and an in-depth case study on how to succeed in China’s new reality.I hope you will find the time to listen, read and learn about this exciting time in fashion.Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-ChiefHere are my other top picks from our analysis on fashion, luxury and beauty:1. Top 10 Shows of the Season. Duran Lantink leads BoF’s list of best shows from the Autumn/Winter 2025 season.(BERTRAND GUAY) 2. The BoF Podcast | Tim Blanks and Imran Amed Reflect on Autumn/Winter 2025. BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks and Imran Amed, BoF founder and editor-in-chief look back at the key moments of fashion month, from Haider Ackermann’s debut at Tom Ford to Sarah Burton’s first collection for Givenchy.(Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com) 3. The BoF Podcast | Demna Takes Gucci, Versace’s New Chapter Begins. As Demna is set to become artistic director of Gucci, and Donatella Versace passes the baton to Dario Vitale after nearly three decades at the creative helm of Versace, the fashion industry is bracing for much-needed creative transformation. BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed and editor-at-large Tim Blanks unpack what this means for the wider industry. (Stef Mitchell; Demna) 4. What Happened to Pat McGrath Labs? The brand founded by the legendary makeup artist nearly a decade ago is struggling. Once valued at over $1 billion, the line is worth a fraction of that today. Multiple rounds of layoffs, and signs of behind-the-scenes turmoil raise questions about what went wrong and how the business can get back on track.(Pat McGrath) 5. Case Study | The Playbook for Succeeding in China’s New Reality. Once fashion’s most reliable growth engine, the Chinese market is shifting as consumer spending cools and shoppers with more choice than ever gravitate toward savvy domestic brands. Opportunities for international players are still plentiful, but the old formula for succeeding in China is no longer relevant. Brands need a new game plan to stand out.(Crocs) 6. Brands That Dominated the Social Conversation During Milan Fashion Week. DSquared2, Moschino and Versace led the user-generated conversation on social media during Milan Fashion Week according to BoF Insights’ new social intelligence tool PULSE, powered by Quilt.AI.(Getty Images / Collage by BoF) This Weekend on The BoF Podcast(Stef Mitchell; Demna) The author has shared a Podcast.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.AcceptDemna’s move to Gucci, announced after weeks of feverish speculation, stunned industry observers and sent shockwaves through financial markets, with Kering shares dropping sharply by more than 12 percent. While some hail this as an opportunity for Demna to reinvent Gucci through his distinctive cultural lens, others question his ability to break free from his Balenciaga legacy. BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed posits, “The really big question here is, can Demna do something different?”Meanwhile, Donatella Versace’s transition from chief creative officer to chief brand ambassador marks the end of a storied era and the beginning of a new chapter under Dario Vitale. Highlighting Donatella’s cultural impact, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks notes, “Versace was one of the few names that registered with people who didn’t know anything about fashion.” Fresh off a stellar tenure at Miu Miu, where he helped to ignite record growth, Vitale faces the ambitious task of balancing Versace’s iconic legacy with a renewed contemporary relevance. With whispers of potential acquisition by Prada Group swirling, Versace stands at the precipice of transformation.The author has shared a Podcast.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.AcceptThis season, all eyes were on the debuts of Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford and Sarah Burton at Givenchy. Meanwhile, designs at Alaïa and Valentino continued to push boundaries with daring silhouettes that either stood away from the body or felt purposely incomplete. Behind the new faces and unconventional shapes was a deeper exploration of eroticism. From Ackermann’s sensual glamour at Tom Ford to what Tim Blanks calls the “quiet eroticism” of Burton’s Givenchy, designers seemed united by a playful fascination with the body — and a desire to subtly challenge its boundaries.“Fashion is a very fetishistic art form,” says Tim Blanks, BoF’s editor-at-large. “It has its fixations on the body and the way it fetishizes objects, but fashion is about fetishizing beauty and ugliness. A lot of these different things have been coming up over the last few years.”Following the conclusion of the Autumn/Winter 2025 shows, Blanks sits down with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss the highlights of fashion month. Source link

[libidomechanica]

Untitled (“Cooler side a lonely shout, halloo”)

A limerick sequence

               1

Cooler side a lonely shout, halloo! Than let a portion! The reason to    regret poor Lord Augustus    Fitz- Her brow clear’d, but not the wind doth rest.

               2

His flattering round him insecure, because I change of love, there art thou    hast already they will    aloud, whether that she doth steep rough Year just Káfir than he.

               3

Such fears, still, although Epictetus with their memories of her dress did    not lack, for restful death    and Dread and Doom: the his replied to put on so soon rebuilt.

               4

Out-facing Lucifer, and there is Spain? In all the new tree, for reason’s    obvious; if they followed,    and thus my name, a handsome heathenish philosophy.

               5

Full palatable; and gathers moue? And the French or Swiss Rousseau, cry Voila    la Pervenche! And Johnny    and Juan was delight? Should Arthur do? I would smite no more.

               6

Too cold or wise for brilliant body shall to you, to young husband is true,    that every wandering    moment, since now to the matron’s preference. And having a friend!

               7

Noon texting found a bed. Yet many thing; the very sort of thy face, sweet    I roam? Unless good in    Man ever spoke at my hopes allure nation. We, who wake me.

               8

The watch’d, by degree, breakes the holly whip, and, thou coy? For the doctor’s    door, and up and cleanse his    ears up-prick’d; his brow, and in them with his great reproachful stare.

               9

From the Corner-house! More solemnly the curtains of carelesse rueth. I’ll    get my plight think of your    head swim somewhat fury has possess’d, the only cured by care?

               10

Six weeks his young old, the length she runs, and timidly expand, the least    entire relations    understood the moments, defiles. And what in fairnesse raigneth!

               11

—But let its full. The plains speckled through the next comer; her long purple robe    before then narrate. So    did the Spring’s maturity, checks, and all within the dead.

               12

So you made mine eyes are either friendship, or romances reduced to itself    to crown of the boat?    I love you full of despair,— you, tiresome verse requiring.

               13

From our natural a poor monk, you see the nuns! He soon as they count on woman.    A blunt fist of course    which the coming to my face. But ’tis naught. That spoke at my saints!

               14

The matron’s brow between eternity. On one luxury, unless he    to do a goddesse, do    the cheered, and like sirens without spring of the bravest head.

               15

I’ll get my poor dear sweeter than that. By the fame she rather he went with    sweets, enkindling sad sickens    our former lay to sing my Highland lassie, O. Had heard.

               16

With sweet flowers alive that, you better’d by friends, their own, resulting the    Society for her    return. When thought, and that we have lived in the heart and share it.

               17

The bard; which blend itself being proud. The shadow which pretty. Well, sir, whose    sinewy neck in battles,    in spite of all that dear trace all day the murderers’ Hole?

               18

Fairer far than seamen. Extremely to get through autumn tresses. In outward    view his she said, Sweet    babe, in the trick. Hesitation yield. Only to keep his love?

               19

Yet, we’ll go no more tender, to reap hell, in hill, in dark disgraced, and yeeld    the hearse where theyr eccho    ring? And there to give thee to the charm no more to the ending.

               20

Point our errors met her; point a church a pretty peasants. Was unseen; her    hair would sit down and ears,    which saw all wet; and his two happy and they err I dare not.

               21

What were less foul as being the assistance like a strings of a thousand    hues. Those bred up by your    seasons have been and with a good heart I pulled a face the wind.

               22

”If Johnny’s list of costliest tribe? Even his legs, so he were late to    comply. But true; for it    will open the obits, and thoughts, will ye go to sleep ye soun’.

               23

She had not brew a pastoral. To struggle on with you was more of others,    intent, misdoubting    much to borrow’d face had ta’en city, thirty thousand splendour.

               24

And frae me. ’ Which she would strive to find an echo chamberlain—and such I    meant—but where; her brow, his    chirrup at her than the straw into spasmatic ecstasy?

               25

But in one general best. And deviate integrity of your fancy    her swayed, all bowed beneath    the much-lamented Lanskoi, who stem the strong bow into gold.

               26

Love lingering more than from the skies, like a kingdoms in consent. Were colour    a transcendent hue, both    white man I have loved, or die, or make a Werters yearly growth.

               27

On thy sight? The bailey beareth there’s many a once love-lorn hours and    morn. With such disdain, the    pale year that he would ever dream, as their web away, and drink.

               28

I’ll to thee: but ‘tis true that they went. Become a child of state; which purchase    it; tis he who think to    the deep trench’d: no flowers upon his wat’ry floor; and all price.

               29

To outgrow their sensible: then sees your pleas’d his ill preserved to see and    satyr king! And being    of their moss. Wake, the lassie, O. All night—did you will be borne?

               30

The lure, away slightest for the blood upon matter still them and then any    thing, and when the pure    freckled through the voice of the door. Close between grief at parting.

               31

Young child of my friends: one’s eyes and brought it come away the waterway again.    Bring here, it crossing    hillocks small mistakes about, in his shuddering gypsey-folk.

               32

Song of praised, but sooner for the holly- bough, and sang a soft kind of sleeping.    Stood trance,—well I    knowingly; as does the remorse. But long since, saw Byron’s eyes were.

               33

Dead, I am calling plume, waving, lawful, and daring? And Betty’s still    as a main of such are    daily spright, but she rose, and for a Moment; for the middle.

               34

So sinks that best or wordless woman! And sang with youth to life Thou might after    him like their eyes a    boat sliding hip to It so befel in the hopeless debt.

               35

Oh, the childe of beauty be thou art the sin most deceiv’d with burn my fairest    in characters of    Tyranny and Juan will say. As it were readily forsworn.

               36

And if in pain, feeding brats the golden wyre, sprinckled wine, out-sparkling    did the throat. Some are such    alone could not our long grieves, and exorcise the cause of all!

               37

Fair to lose, yet we will be very brother’s. She red dress the worst of Cantos.    Look how her sore, I    am an animals could not like a lattice dusky brink.

               38

You speak,—I grant, in spite of all most do show the scorner’s jest! She sees him    whom you lookes? Old and    ugly as a grape. Instead; at length, to breathed upon the Kurds.

               39

Upon, in short, speaking. And—what is lost all price. Means to men much divided—    as is usual    among the wits of some mystical sublimer world, its prey.

               40

To improvement was my loss to shew his mind. Had mortal round the bed to    me. As few men can free;    regretting of light, and by; and her face, nor show your advice!

               41

My smooth monotony of character, in the sandhills of the Darkness    from this moment! Conceal—    a golden raine: another’s sorrowful and clatter your grace.

               42

And poor Susan then the milky way among the while they range, I know the    wounding shine. Penalty    of success is but twenty- one. Tired with one agreeing.

               43

’Er so soft, To what hard hearts of some Columbus of the East. I fancies    white faces, ends mere free    winters flow into gold or she had done a great enchantment!

               44

Comes to guide, tyrants, and the air is so. But this as general, but could not    enough; succeed; but at    Apollo’s plea. No, no, let us part, and outs of reapers!

               45

That she should say. Much I respect, as one wide whispers of amber studs, my    hunting larks, to their Hell,    sultanas and intrude, and I forget till the best to win!

               46

Gave: if he comes across, and sang with decorous spheres! For pity now has    lost all mazed to struggle    slacker, but there’s life and drank the woeful shepherd’s tongue.

               47

Thus sang: o THOU, whose words once was amiss. Never have a kiss thoughts of some    hours dost lend the cause, as    judges on that light, Betty shed. Strange tales being mortals know!

               48

She never she was a man accurst! And truth and try to get itselfe, still    I believe me, instead    of saying in exchanged him lest him yet recover. And blood.

               49

And from each other it seems, the best judge. I can finds no one to fold, birds    begun. Cannot express—    then how should but blow o’er, nor an altar, seemed to see a monk!

               50

So never sees the welkin volleys out his incarnate skin, white and groans    I never dead. To this    hourly had his pilgrim bore bloomed in my chance to heal his side.

               51

Her eyes suing; his eye was born. What, woman! As Captain once more rage! The    short hour; no, even were    game. Winds at large, and thee in scorn!—There is now time to content.

               52

Till nigh their backs are merciless. Such lovely, dark and sprinkle all the    gamester’s old and quick is    love; she feedeth beauty’s summer’s flowing, though ’tis understand.

               53

When the best: for the belly full, and the fair heads never call me Papa    I am eight years thy    voice as we do. I am, ’ quoth she, sweet Death was told their fate.

               54

If any love wisdom more thee wrong can the isle of Delos. And there we    may, and young, and somewhat:    and you are a bird lies tangles of ocean, color of them!

               55

And yawn’d a good god make up in Peace under the Divan; though string complete:    suppose him stones are unwell,    child! She knows what! She was bright, from feare the best: for thy rest’?

               56

While I am an animals. Poor Susan groans, but having scarce let house    betwixt. Strikes Time all    observer in their memories, oftentimes beene to me alone.

               57

And what to herself thyself aloft, as signal for thy sweet than fiction:    I prophet, in such things.    Which, being of your search, your intent on Death was but patience.

               58

You do—or do not great contentment that order. Of one another’s name—    juanna. This silence, is    gone down, and thee, of all I wanted to creatures cheifest trees.

               59

World had though I long’d to gatherine! Come, alas, thought I was taught with tears,    vacant and all the remorse!    She puts on outward view his shadows doth among many.

               60

With lullaby, my wanting shall still endure, to heare these moral gibing;    and on thy glorious    doors leading strayt. Had I been used to all. For while my Nanie, O.

               61

Her painting house, trash, some said the seas chang’d deserts drink a glass of heaven!    This done, oh! He saw, howe’er    he may do betters plain their measures of thyself alone.

               62

She has my hand. One is better; and struck with certain path with a gentle    writes, or studied Spanish    to this sweet pleases of should gae mad, o whistle, an’ I’ll come.

               63

So true as truth’s and Bayona’s hands again.— Thus answer, nor forget, or drown’d,    like Pygmalion who will    call such lamps waned dim and Satan’s men: I shut my eyes all out.

               64

By this to guess my name. Ask a blink o’ your beauty’s sure as the dew-    bedabbled wretch turn, and cries    to Time’s hate, weeds among the assembled all; nor come away!

               65

And believed every day like grass his dishonored grave has gone into my    loue? Than Dryope, the earth but    fetter’d by friends, those who knows! If you ain’t never understood.

               66

The thoughts thy body still I must own,— although now ’tis the clergy take your    mother given snow. And    sacred to me, the breath, and for his desire, show’d like rocks.

               67

My pain I could do was let him kiss me too. Left by men-slugs and as    alabaster pale: would you    this, whom maids by night, and her parents If you ain’t never mind!

[lonewolflink]

lol not the internalized misogyny jumping out with the way you talk about the USWNT.

listen bud it's not internalized misogyny, truly i wish it was. it is something more vile...

sometimes u hate a group of women but it's not because they're women…it’s because they're on a team u hate...

alas, tis the nature of being a sports fan. at least it is for me! i am a passionate sports girl!! i spew hatred!!!!!!! welcome to sports fandom lmao. you should hear the horrible, insane shit i've said in my life about sidney crosby, a man who by all accounts is just a nice canadian saint. :P

(if this is about me calling the uswnt as an organization arrogant, please understand that as the arrogance of a rich first world nation not as gendered lmao. let me be sour in my country's defeat? wtf man? i literally cried over this game yesterday, don't be dick)

PS/Extra Note: i don’t think you meant any harm here, but you should know that it's extremely poor form as a sports fan to go poke the wound of a fan whose team yours just beat in a championship game, the day after that game. 

EDIT: my big frustration with the whole thing really has nothing to do with the uswnt, to be clear. it's that marta, the greatest women footballer of all time, has never really had a proper team put around her because of economic and socio-political issues in brazil. she and really all of brazilian women's soccer has been systematically failed by the country. by contrast, the uswnt receives great support economically and politically for its development (obviously not relative to men's sports, but that's not the comparison here).

this is not to say that the players on the uswnt did not earn their medal; of course they did! they won the game fair and square. they worked their asses off to get there. they currently have, and have long had, an excellent team. i personally enjoy watching a lot of their players do their thing (trinity rodman in particular is a force and i love her style of play).

but i think it's pretty fair for brazilian fans like myself to be frustrated that marta's years on the seleção were squandered in this way, in a way that has nothing to do with the actual play on the pitch and everything to do with economics and politics. and to pretend like the USWNT (and other teams as well) have not had a leg up over brazil in that respect is a kind of arrogance that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. but again, that has nothing to do with the actual game that was played, which the americans won fair and square.

[note: it's not like we don't see this happening in other sports either!! there's a reason the US and China dominate the olympics lol]

at this point i'm just venting (sorry!). but it's deeply tragic what has happened in brazilian women's soccer, and specifically to marta. at least it is tragic to me. and instead of writing this essay mid-game because i was sad and angry, i just made some snide comments (really one comment) in my tags, on my personal blog. i feel like...i should be allowed to do that without someone accusing me of misogyny anonymously lol?

anon, i hope you see that this is actually much more complicated—both in the economics and politics of global sport but also for me personally—than just "i guess lonewolflink has some internalized misogyny to work through". like...no. that's not what the snide comment was talking about at all. i harbor no genuine ill will to the american women's team. but even if i did, and i had to work through some internalized misogyny...

my PS still stands. it's not cool to come to someone's personal blog when they clearly care a lot about sports and the teams they cheer for, and then prod the wound the day after a huge tragic loss. please don't do that in the future. not to me, not to anyone else.

[productofnfld]

What The Heck is Tibb’s Eve?

What is Tibb’s Eve?

In Newfoundland, Tibb’s Eve (or Tib’s Eve) is the name given to December 23rd. It’s sort of the unofficial start of the Christmas season.

The day is recognized in different ways by different people, but for many it is a day to party with friends. It has become (and probably always has been, to some degree) tied to drinking. These days bars have embraced the pseudo-holiday and compete to attract customers. I suspect finding patrons is not especially difficult.

By December 23rd many Newfoundlanders have returned to their home communities for Christmas — college and university students, people working ‘turn arounds’ and others who have left home are back. People are looking to reconnect with friends before attention shifts to family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Tibb’s Eve isn’t a party for all Newfoundlanders, of course.

Tibb’s Eve customs vary from community-to-community and family-to-family; while for some it is one of the biggest party days of the year, for others it’s a time for family potlucks and, for others it’s a complete non-event.

The variation makes sense, really —

It’s a day that doesn’t exist.

The Mysterious Beginning of Tibb’s Eve

A Note on Tibb, Tib and Tip…

Tibb’s Eve goes by several names and spellings. It can be Tibb’s Eve, Tib’s Eve, Tip’s Eve, Tipsy Eve and more. Throughout this post, I will mostly use Tibb’s Eve, but occasionally I will use other names and spellings to match the source material I reference.

The phrase Tibb’s Eve has been used in Newfoundland for a long time but, for most of its history, it had nothing to do with December 23rd.

It was a mythical day; a day that didn’t exist. The phrase came to Newfoundland with European settlers.

Dr. George Storey wrote an article titled the Dialect of Newfoundland in which he referenced Tibb’s Eve. “We have,” he wrote “such Anglo-Irish terms as … Tibbs’ Eve.” He defined the phrase as meaning “neither before nor after Christmas.“

Not quite the current understanding.

‘Neither before nor after Christmas’ didn’t mean December 23, obviously. It meant never. If something was said to be happening on Tibb’s Eve, it was a way of saying it would not happen at all.

The origin of the phrase is disputed but one theory is that the name Tib referred to a woman of ‘ill-repute,’ sometimes associated with debauchery.

There is some literary evidence to back that up.

The name ‘Tib’ appears in Shakespeare’s Pericles (Act 4, Scene 6):

Marina: Thou art the damned doorkeeper to every Coistrel that comes inquiring for his Tib

The website LitCharts provides a less-than-elegant modern-day translation of the line:

Marina: You’re the damned doorman who lets in every vagabond that comes looking for his slut

Tib wasn’t seen as any kind of saint… and that, according to the theory, is where the phrase Tibb’s Eve is born.

If there was to be a Tibb’s Eve it would probably be because Tib had been made a saint, and had a festival day. Given her reputation, that seemed unlikely; so unlikely, that nobody thought it would ever come to pass. Saying something would happen on Tibb’s Eve was a joking way of saying something would happen when Tib was made a saint.

There are many instances of the phrase Tibb’s/Tib’s Eve (meaning ‘never’) in old Newfoundland writings. The following clip appeared in a letter published in the St. John’s Daily Star in 1920:

"There is a possibility that the oft quoted 'Tib's Eve' may breeze along one of these extra fine days... but there doesn't seem to be any conceivable prospect that the Newfoundland Football League will ever present the medals that have been won..."  -- April 15, 1920, by 'A Fan,' St. John's Daily Star

I think the author clearly means that Tibb’s Eve doesn’t exist. It may come along, they write, hinting that in 1920 the term was not widely understood to mean December 23rd.

The Journey to December 23rd

So, how did a day that would never come, arrive? And why did it land on December 23rd? And why in Newfoundland?

Truthfully, no one really knows… but there are stories. The most common of them work their way back to alcohol.

Tipsy to Tibb’s

The following story was recorded from an informant in Port aux Basque in 1973. It was recorded on a word slip for the Dictionary of Newfoundland English:

"I have heard that it is called Tipps Eve because when men used to put up their own homebrew etc. they wouldn't drink it before Christmas but I guess most men would sneak a drink or two on this day because they felt that Christmas was close, and they probably got a bit tipsy, thus Tipps Eve."

If we were going to take this as the origin story, then it would appear Tib (and the original meaning of Tibb’s Eve) had very little to do with it; tipsy maybe became Tipps and eventually Tibb’s. Perhaps.

I don’t know.

We probably shouldn’t be too quick to adopt this version of events, in any case. The same story appeared in a the article by William Kirwin called Folk Etymology: Remarks on Linguistic Problem-Solving and who does it (Language and Lore, 1985).

Kerwin points out that lots of Newfoundland words have been ‘defined’ and given etymological origins without much evidence. Kirwin ends with the caution that we should be “on our guard when we have a sudden hunch and are prompted to write out of thin air an etymological source for an interesting term.”

I wonder if Tibb has falsely attributed to Tipp/Tipsy because it sounds plausible; it’s not hard to imagine Tipp turned into Tibb because people were familiar with the old Anglo-Irish term. That’s the thing, though: it’s just imagination without substance.

What cannot be debated is the fact that December 23rd still goes by the name Tipsy Eve in some parts of Newfoundland. Not, that that clarifies the issue — Tibb’s could have evolved into Tipsy just as easily as the reverse.

Neither Before Nor After

Earlier in this post, I pointed out that George Story defined Tibb’s Eve as a day that was “neither before nor after Christmas, i.e. never.” The fun, folksy definition created a sort of semantic link to the holidays. It doesn’t, in any way, explain how December 23rd became Tibb’s Eve but it does drop a tantalizing breadcrumb — if Tibb’s Eve were going to have a calendar date, by virtue of the definition the December holidays were already top of mind.

It’s a mystery.

When Did Tibb’s Eve Become ‘A Thing’?

Not only is the origin of Tibb’s Eve on December 23rd a mystery, it’s not clear when the belief began… though it seems it’s not an ancient tradition.

In my reading (which was hardly exhaustive, and mostly in the MUN Digital Archives) I’ve found no reference to December 23rd as Tibb’s Eve until the second half of the 20th century, after that references begin to appear.

Folklorists peg Tibb’s Eve as a post World War 2 invention.

Subjectively, I think the tradition has exploded in popularity over the last two decades. I’ve always known December 23rd as Tibb’s Eve, but it was not the pop cultural phenomenon in my youth that it is now.

More Tibb’s Questions than Tibb’s Answers

There is much mystery when it comes to the Tibb’s Eve tradition, and because of that, much room to define the day away from hard and fast customs. That may be one of the reasons people mark the day with such variation.

Personally, I like the idea that it’s a day to reconnect with friends, celebrate shared histories, and maybe have a drink or three.

I’m not saying December 23rd descends into debauchery but I can’t help but think that, here in Newfoundland, the ‘Never-Gonna-Be-Saint Tib’ may have gotten the last laugh.

Worthy of sainthood or not, she finds her name attached to a day, and it’s just the sort of day she might have enjoyed — one that’s marked with a party on George Street.

Tibb’s Eve Podcast

Check out the podcast for more Tibb’s Eve talk and a healthy dose of Newfoundland Christmas slush.

[fadebolt]

Personal room ranking:

1 - Rubicon: AI 2 - Silent Construct: H02 3 - The Exterior: H01 4 - Outer Expanse: TREETOP 5 - Frigid Coast: WALL06 6 - Sky Islands: B13 7 - Outskirts: A06 8 - Shoreline: A04 9 - Undergrowth: A19 10 - Undergrowth: RIVSTART

Extra comment: This was actually strangely easy for me, as AI does a lot of things I love, and it's probably the only room from these that I don't have a single issue with (though the issues I have with the others are all very minor things, but still). The other rooms also didn't feel overly difficult to place, somehow, which is interesting.

Anyways, I don't feel like there's a need to elaborate on the top two - cus like, let's be honest, we all knew TREETOP and AI are gonna perform the best here. (Though the sheer number of votes that TREETOP has collected…. it's very impressive, especially when you consider the power of its competition. Like, this thing might just win the entire showdown)

We do still have H01, which is having a surprisingly difficult time holding up, but it's very much hanging on for dear life, which is pretty funny when you consider that it was one of the biggest powerhouses of the base game (but the existence of Metropolis has definitely damaged its chances on the polls).

And then, of course, you've got the ties. On the previous poll, I've made a complete fool of myself by proclaiming that the fifth option will be a tie, only for some late votes to come in, and change that. (So at the end, it was the 4th and 5th options that tied, with no 6th or 7th in sight, which is why there wasn't a tiebreaker poll. It was RUIN13 that rose up, btw, and while I would have preferred the two E05s instead, I do see the appeal of the symmetric temple + asymmetric plants aesthetic that the room is going for) There's currently 4 hours left for this poll, so something like this might happen again, though it is less likely, thanks to the ties ranging from the 4th to the 7th placement, rather than the previous 5th-8th. But if it does happen, I'm hoping for the rise of anything other than A19. Centipedes on Saint suck :<

Pick Your Favorite Rain World Room, Day 274 R4a

Only 5 highest voted rooms will go through!

There is a hidden slugcat in one of the rooms (they can be in any color). If u can see it comment or reblog with where they are and if u are first, u get a cookie!

Credit for game screenshots goes to: Rain World Interactive Map, Rain World Wiki and me

Congratulations for day 273 winners!

[cleverhottubmiracle]

Dear BoF Community, My initial reaction when I learnt that Demna would be appointed artistic director of Gucci was one of surprise. Although Demna’s name began to circulate as a potential candidate during Paris Fashion Week, I didn’t believe Kering would choose him to take on the challenge of restoring Gucci’s fashion credibility — and sales momentum — in a deeply troubled luxury market. After gorging on fashion products during the pandemic, demand for luxury fashion is waning. Luxury customers are increasingly focusing their attention (and their wallets) on travel, dining and wellness. The only way to get them to pay attention to a fashion brand like Gucci is to offer something new and exciting, something that connects with the current moment and pushes fashion forward. Is Demna the right person for the job?Judging by the reaction from financial markets and fashion fans on social media, the answer is no. Kering shares plunged by 12 percent on Friday morning after digesting the announcement. Of the more than 9,000 people who replied to BoF’s Instagram poll linked to the breaking news on Thursday, only 10 percent of you believe that Demna is the right pick for Gucci to reassert its fashion authority. Sixty-seven percent of you think that Demna is not right, and another 23 percent are not sure, preferring to “wait and see.” But I have a different view. Once the news began to settle in, and I had time to process the comments made by Kering’s deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini and Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino as to why they, together with François-Henri Pinault, made this choice, their logic began to make sense to me. Kering needed a heavyweight name and could not take another gamble on an unknown quantity. There are very few designers with the creativity, technical skills and proven ability to not just capture but shape the fashion zeitgeist. Jonathan Anderson is tied to LVMH through their investment in his own brand and seems certain at this stage to be headed to Dior, after his farewell Loewe presentation in Paris on Monday. Matthieu Blazy, whose Bottega Veneta shows were a highlight at recent fashion months, left the Kering group last year (a huge loss) and is readying his vision for Chanel which will debut in October.Hedi Slimane has a proven ability to transform and build brands (Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and Celine), but his days of shaping the zeitgeist are long behind him. Likewise, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, an unmistakably successful creator of luxury products, does not have the requisite fashion quotient. If Gucci wanted a fashion designer with a capital F, then Demna is a pragmatic choice. After 10 years, the once disruptive fashion aesthetic Demna brought to Balenciaga has run its natural course. Balenciaga needs a change and Demna needs a new creative challenge, and by installing the designer at Gucci, Kering is also creating opportunities to address other issues in the group, while retaining a top talent.That Demna is already part of Kering also means there are no pesky non-compete agreements to contend with, and he can already begin to develop his ideas for Gucci while he works on his final Balenciaga couture collection which will be shown in July.But still, the success of this strategy rests on one critical question. Can Demna himself move his creativity forward? If Demna simply takes his Vetements and Balenciaga look and implements that at Gucci, it will not work. Indeed, we already know what that looks like after “the hacker project” that brought Demna’s Balenciaga and Alessandro Michele’s Gucci together in a vibrant mash-up of their unique looks at the height of their creative powers at those brands back in 2021.But there is nothing that fires up a designer like Demna like the opportunity to reinvent a historic house like Gucci. I first got to know Demna through his brother Guram when they came out from the background of the designer collective at Vetements as the driving forces behind the disruptive fashion start-up which BoF was first to write about back in 2014. Demna has a strong foundation of creative fashion education from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and professional training at Margiela and Louis Vuitton, where he worked alongside both Marc Jacobs, and then Nicolas Ghesquière, two top designers with very different approaches to design and creativity at the world’s largest luxury fashion house. Over the years, I have also had the opportunity to get to know Demna as a human being. I interviewed him for a BoF cover story in 2015 just after he was announced as the new creative director at Balenciaga and sat down for a rare television interview with him just as the pandemic lockdowns were lifting and he was set to debut his incredible first Balenciaga couture show in July 2021. What I can say without a doubt is this: Demna is one of the most provocative and thoughtful people working in fashion, and is someone who is deeply committed to his work. Like all of us, he has had his ups and downs, and the Balenciaga PR crisis was a reality check for him on a number of fronts. More recently, he has been focusing on his own personal wellness and happiness, and I think he is now emotionally ready for one of the biggest jobs in fashion. If there is anyone in fashion who is up for this challenge, it’s Demna. Now we just have to wait and see if he can find it in himself to deliver the goods. I am really excited to see what he does.We have a lot more coverage on all the news in fashion from the week gone by, including a special breaking news podcast episode with Tim Blanks digesting this week’s big news from Gucci and Versace, in addition to our always popular, must-listen seasonal episode reviewing the fashion season that was. There is also our take on the Top 10 Shows of the Season, a report on the state of the Pat McGrath Labs business and an in-depth case study on how to succeed in China’s new reality.I hope you will find the time to listen, read and learn about this exciting time in fashion.Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-ChiefHere are my other top picks from our analysis on fashion, luxury and beauty:1. Top 10 Shows of the Season. Duran Lantink leads BoF’s list of best shows from the Autumn/Winter 2025 season.(BERTRAND GUAY) 2. The BoF Podcast | Tim Blanks and Imran Amed Reflect on Autumn/Winter 2025. BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks and Imran Amed, BoF founder and editor-in-chief look back at the key moments of fashion month, from Haider Ackermann’s debut at Tom Ford to Sarah Burton’s first collection for Givenchy.(Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com) 3. The BoF Podcast | Demna Takes Gucci, Versace’s New Chapter Begins. As Demna is set to become artistic director of Gucci, and Donatella Versace passes the baton to Dario Vitale after nearly three decades at the creative helm of Versace, the fashion industry is bracing for much-needed creative transformation. BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed and editor-at-large Tim Blanks unpack what this means for the wider industry. (Stef Mitchell; Demna) 4. What Happened to Pat McGrath Labs? The brand founded by the legendary makeup artist nearly a decade ago is struggling. Once valued at over $1 billion, the line is worth a fraction of that today. Multiple rounds of layoffs, and signs of behind-the-scenes turmoil raise questions about what went wrong and how the business can get back on track.(Pat McGrath) 5. Case Study | The Playbook for Succeeding in China’s New Reality. Once fashion’s most reliable growth engine, the Chinese market is shifting as consumer spending cools and shoppers with more choice than ever gravitate toward savvy domestic brands. Opportunities for international players are still plentiful, but the old formula for succeeding in China is no longer relevant. Brands need a new game plan to stand out.(Crocs) 6. Brands That Dominated the Social Conversation During Milan Fashion Week. DSquared2, Moschino and Versace led the user-generated conversation on social media during Milan Fashion Week according to BoF Insights’ new social intelligence tool PULSE, powered by Quilt.AI.(Getty Images / Collage by BoF) This Weekend on The BoF Podcast(Stef Mitchell; Demna) The author has shared a Podcast.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.AcceptDemna’s move to Gucci, announced after weeks of feverish speculation, stunned industry observers and sent shockwaves through financial markets, with Kering shares dropping sharply by more than 12 percent. While some hail this as an opportunity for Demna to reinvent Gucci through his distinctive cultural lens, others question his ability to break free from his Balenciaga legacy. BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed posits, “The really big question here is, can Demna do something different?”Meanwhile, Donatella Versace’s transition from chief creative officer to chief brand ambassador marks the end of a storied era and the beginning of a new chapter under Dario Vitale. Highlighting Donatella’s cultural impact, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks notes, “Versace was one of the few names that registered with people who didn’t know anything about fashion.” Fresh off a stellar tenure at Miu Miu, where he helped to ignite record growth, Vitale faces the ambitious task of balancing Versace’s iconic legacy with a renewed contemporary relevance. With whispers of potential acquisition by Prada Group swirling, Versace stands at the precipice of transformation.The author has shared a Podcast.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.AcceptThis season, all eyes were on the debuts of Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford and Sarah Burton at Givenchy. Meanwhile, designs at Alaïa and Valentino continued to push boundaries with daring silhouettes that either stood away from the body or felt purposely incomplete. Behind the new faces and unconventional shapes was a deeper exploration of eroticism. From Ackermann’s sensual glamour at Tom Ford to what Tim Blanks calls the “quiet eroticism” of Burton’s Givenchy, designers seemed united by a playful fascination with the body — and a desire to subtly challenge its boundaries.“Fashion is a very fetishistic art form,” says Tim Blanks, BoF’s editor-at-large. “It has its fixations on the body and the way it fetishizes objects, but fashion is about fetishizing beauty and ugliness. A lot of these different things have been coming up over the last few years.”Following the conclusion of the Autumn/Winter 2025 shows, Blanks sits down with BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss the highlights of fashion month. Source link