#other notable outfits include

[heavencasteel420]

List of Nancy's Outfits in Drive All Night

Brown wool skirt and tan cashmere sweater

Letty Lynton gown

Sexy black mourning dress

Housedress (I don't think I describe it but I imagine it being pale pink with a small floral pattern)

Landlady-impressing navy suit with colorful blouse (in my mind it's kelly green)

Violet or lilac (NOT pink) rayon crepe dress

Cashmere coat (with bootleg-liquor-funded fur collar)

Slinky sky-blue gown

Lacy peach brassiere and drawers

[soldiersgirl]

AT YOUR SERVICE .ᐟ

summary ⭑ he needed your help and you needed his. would be a shame to deny the soldier boy, his right to serve his country and you in the most delicious of ways. (based on this ask) / (part two) / (part three). cw ⭑ pornstar!reader x pornstar!soldier boy. payback era. 18+ smut (mdni). porn with some plot. mean soldier boy. veiled threats. joint smoking. goofy pornstar name. kissing. (slight) knife play. tit play. oral/face sitting (f & m receiving). fingering. protected p in v (safe sex work is important). pet names (bunny, doll, honey, sweetheart, bitch, toots). mentions of taking virginity (just part of the act). word count ⭑ 3,023 words.

the 70's and 80's were a wild time for anyone, but even more so with the increase of supes across america. no matter where you were or what you were doing, you couldn't avoid vought adverts and merchandise and especially not in new york; the epicenter of all things capitalism. but this also meant that you couldn't avoid the scandals that followed supes like the plague, and most notably, america's #1 and leader of payback, soldier boy. drugs, fist fights, sexism, alcoholism. god, you name it and soldier boy had certainly done it and given the pr team a run for their money.

you had never really cared for or about supes, not more than you had to. but the more your career took off, the more letters you received begging for you to include supes in your movies like other adult actresses had done. your fans were desperate for you test your boundaries and reach the level of fame, they knew you could. you had never considered it, not until vought reached out to you in desperation. they needed to rebuild soldier boy's female fanbase, as recent controversies had tanked his numbers, and what better way to showcase his best talent than with you?

you stared at yourself in your pink vanity mirror, trying to convince yourself that this was still a good idea. it would help your numbers, sure, and what's the worst that could happen? you ran your fingers through your styled hair, giving it a bit of life before leaning in and checking your lipgloss before sending yourself a little kiss and a wink before your peace was disturbed. a knock and before you could answer, your pink dressing room door swung open and there he stood, in his full supe-suit with his helmet and shield alongside his trademark joint dangling from his lips; the man of the hour.

"well, well, well." with each word he took a step closer to you, his eyes scanning your barbie-pink dressing room before finally landing on you. you. in the cutest little outfit he had ever seen. baby-pink platform heels, long white-knee socks with a white crop top to match that barely covered your perky tits and pink panties with a little cotton-tail stuck on the back. "aren't you the prettiest lil' bunny around?" he rests his gloved hand on the handle of his pocketed hunters knife, puffing away as you gaze up at him, unimpressed.

"do all supes lack manners or is it just you?" you sigh, turning back around to gaze into your mirror, not wanting to pay attention to him or his snide remarks. a loud chuckle followed by a clap and a shake of his head.

"i'm gonna fuck that attitude outta you, don't you worry." he leans in and admires himself in his mirror, copying the way you pout and pick at yourself. his cloud of smoke follows suit making you cough and splutter at the overwhelming smell. he runs his fingers over his moustache, taming it into place. "grew this just for you. gotta look the fuckin' part, don't i? pornstar gotta have a pornstache to match." he catches your eyes in the mirror and you notice it, that flicker of mischief in his eyes.

"please don't flatter yourself." you scowl. "got a name to match that monstrosity you're growing on your upper lip?" ben almost flinches at your words, scowling at your reflection before turning on his heel. before leaving, he puts out his half-smoked in your favourite orchid pot with a ghost of a smile, taunting you.

"you'll have to wait and see." he never turns to acknowledge you before slamming your dressing room door behind him, leaving both you and the room shaken. you mutter "prick..." under your breath as you swallow the last of your pride and follow behind him onto the set that he decided and the storyline that vought curated for him. you felt like just another pawn of capitalism, but the pay was good and honestly... soldier boy was handsome enough to let it happen, just this once.

you sit cross-legged on the prop bed as the director, hired by vought, frantically explains the plot as the crew hurries behind him to get the cameras and lights set up to soldier boy's expectations. you catch your manager's eye and you both raise a sceptical eyebrow at one another, sharing the same silent message.

what a fucking nightmare.

"so, the commies who had kidnapped you for ransom money from your rich father but soldier boy swooped in and saved you in the nick of time. you're so grateful and thankful and you want to show him that by le–"

"by letting him fuck me, yeah. i know the drill by now." you wave your hand and sigh, feigning boredom. "this isn't one of your dumbass vought movies. i know how this works. this is literally my job." you bite back, but before either of you can say another word, a manager yells "quiet on set! talent on set!" signalling soldier boy's arrival.

"ACTION!"

like before you sat cross legged on the set that was meant to resemble the make-shift tents that was used during the war to accommodate the soldiers. beds line both sides of the tent and the prop department had spared no expense by hanging oil lamps, calendars and pin-up girl posters around the tent on various cork-boards, alongside military-time radios and walk-talkies littered across the tables placed in the middle. you twirled your hair and bit your lip as your character was meant to be as "quiet, jumpy and naive as a button-nosed bunny" hence the cotton-tail. you weren't crazy about the character but for one hour and the pay check you're getting from vought? you could be anyone they wanted.

the tent flap flew open and in stepped soldier boy, his famous all-american smile plastered across his face as he slid his shield into place upon his back, before dramatically turning his attention to you and falling to his knees at your bedside. he carefully removes his burgundy gloves before slowly stroking your hair, attempting to comfort you despite his apparent lack of the skill. his strokes harder and rougher than need be, but you play it off to the camera.

"did those bastard commies hurt you? are you alright?" his hands slide and skid over your body before resting on your thighs, his thumb gently stroking your sticky skin. the summer heat was getting the better of you, but even under all of his layers, soldier boy seemed just fine. you shook your head and pouted up at him, placing your hand over his herculean one, mimicking his strokes.

"you saved me, my brave soldier." you enthusiastically lean in so that your forehead touched against his cold, metal helmet that only accentuated his deep, forest green eyes that you felt you could drown in. "how can i ever thank you, mr...?" you trailed off. soldier boy only replied with a twisted curl of his lip before peeling his hands off you and assuming the salute position.

"Major Cock, at your service, miss." with a nod of his head and a strong salute, he rests his hands on golden utility belt and lets his eyes hungrily roam your body. you unfurl your legs and sit spread-legged at the edge of the bed as your hands shoot up and rest upon his once again, with an innocent twinkle in your blown pupils. your eyes could make the strongest of men fall to their knees and bend to your will, but soldier boy was no ordinary man.

"oh, Major Cock, thank you." you sigh as you chew on your bottom lip and batting your eyelashes at him like trouble wrapped in cotton and purity, which you were anything but. "how could i ever repay you? my father is very rich and he'll pay you whatever you desire."

"what i desire ain't money, honey." his sincere grin turned almost sinister as he grabbed your hands tightly in his as you dramatically yelped in fake-pain. the people certainly weren't going to watch this for the acting, so there wasn't a need to try too hard. "i'm sure we can agree on a different form of payment. wouldn't you say so?"

"whatever are you thinking, Major Cock?" you feign naivety as you cock your head in consideration.

"why don't you show your saviour here," he reaches for his hunting knife and pokes the end of it under your crop-top, that was doing a horrible job of covering you up in the first place. "what you're hiding under here? gotta make sure you're not carryin' any weapons from the state enemy, don't i? or else i wouldn't be completing my service and we don't any problems, do we sweetheart?" he digs the tip into your soft chest and your heart hammers against your ribcage. this psycho hadn't used the prop-knife like agreed upon. he drags it down your stomach and stops at the waistband of your little panties, sighing with content admiring the red line that formed underneath. your fake fear quickly morphed into real fear as you reminded yourself to breathe.

"i don't want no trouble, no sir. i'll cooperate." you slowly remove your hands from his belt and pull your crop-top off with an urgency like never before. a small gasp fell past his plump lips as your breasts spilled out and laid bare for him to use. he reaches one hand down and gropes at your chest, squeezing and enjoying the fullness of you in his palm, before turning his attention to your already erect nipples. he roughly pulls and tugs on them, earning a whine from you and another smirk from him. he brings his knife up and gently taps the tip against your nipples before circling them. you hiss at the coldness of the blade against your sensitive buds, jerking with each flick of his knife. he tosses the knife to the side and you sigh a breath of relief that you didn't know you were holding before he dives down and connects his lips with yours, taking you by surprise. like a man starved, his mouth devours each of your moans as his hands continue to play with your tits. he sits down next you on the bed and dips his head to lick, kiss and bite your exposed chest, groaning as you roll back your shoulders and give him unfiltered access.

"no wonder they wanted to kidnap you with tits like these." he sighs in between enthusiastically sucking and kissing your erect buds. "they're nearly their own fuckin' weapon." he roughly laughs before biting down on them making you gasp and push him away in defiance. he swats your hands away and continues his torment, admiring the assortment of bite-marks that slowly bloomed on your skin. "wonder how good your pussy could be, if your tits are this great." he mumbles as his calloused fingertips find their way down to where you needed them most. angling you so that the camera could catch it all, he spreads your legs even further and hungrily observes the way your body flinches as his fingers ghost over your damp core. "pussy so good that men would kill for it." he hums, leaning in and pressing feather-light kisses against your neck.

"please be gentle, Major Cock. it- it's my first time." you hiccup as you nestle your heated face against his stubbled cheeks. your words almost made soldier boy double-take; the way you wore innocence like a second skin was deceivingly perfect, making him forget the reality of the situation. soldier boy tsk'ed and shook his head before caressing your cheek.

"don't you worry, soldiers always take good care of civilians. especially those as soaked as you." he muttered against your pulse as his fingers pulled aside the thin barrier that separated you from the remaining modesty you had left. the two of you groan in bless as he collects your wetness on his fingers and smear it all over your cunt before slowly easing them past your slick folds into your tight hole, inch by delicious inch. you immediately feel him scissoring his fingers, getting you ready for him and you could barely wait. his eyes barely left yours, he was too busy drinking in all your twitches and the way your breath hitches at his touch. he could do this all day.

after a few minutes of passionate kissing and vigorous finger-fucking, soldier boy couldn't wait anymore. he needed to taste you and it needed to be now. like a feather that weighed nothing, he pulled you on top of him as he laid down and positioned you so that your dripping cunt was right above his panting mouth. god, you smelled intoxicating, like rich honey during a summer's evening. your hands shot down and tried to cover yourself and the trimmed bush peeked out under the underwear, that clung onto your hips for dear life. he yanked your hands away and held them behind your back as he tugged you down so your folds rested on his full-bodied lips.

"didn't you want to pay me back? i risked my life for you, sweetheart." he murmured against your folds, his tongue delving in between. you hid your face in your shoulder as you absent-mindedly nodded and moaned in agreement. your body took over as you grinded your heat into his face, his tongue splayed out and ready for you to use for your own pleasure. he lapped up and welcomed each orgasm that washed over you as he eagerly sucked on your clit and explored your cunt with no shame. as the overstimulation hit you, you lifted your hips for a break and the sight beneath you took your breath away. his pornstache covered in your cum and slick. he kept direct eye-contact as his tongue peaked out and ran along the bottom of the stache, gathering your arousal and retreating back into his mouth with a wicked grin that showcased his deepening smile lines and crows feet. "i could eat this pussy all fuckin' day. but now i deserve that thankin' you were talkin' about, i think."

"huh?" is all you could manage before he flipped you back around and towered over you, still fully dressed in his supe-suit as you laid there with only your knee-socks and platform heels left on. he wasted no time in pulling down his zip and revealing his cock. the tip a glistening, soft pink that begging for attention as pre-cum had smeared all over it. he guided it to your lips and tapping them, tap tap tap, as if asking for permission. "i've never..." you mutter against his tip, giving it only a kitten lick making him loudly hiss.

"don't be shy, open that fuckin' mouth and show me how thankful you are." a choked gasp erupts from him as you wrap your glittery, pink lips around his tip, letting your tongue roll over it and taste him. your doe eyes gazing up at him in awe as you slowly took him, deeper and deeper, until he hit the back of your throat. the way you gag and splutter only spurs him on and his hips slowly buck into your hollowed-out mouth. "fuuuuck..." he drawled out as he threw his head back in pure bliss. tears threatened to form but before they had the chance to spill, he abruptly pulled out. "can't fucking wait any longer." he sighs as he pumps his cock, coating himself in his precum and your spit. he pulls a condom from his back pocket and expertly rolls it on before clutching your thighs with urgency and positioning himself in front of your entrance. your cunt stretched out and sucked in the thick head of his cock with no hesitation and soldier boy was sure it was the prettiest thing he had ever laid his eyes on. his strokes start out slow as you wince and whine underneath him. he clamps a hand over your mouth and shakes his head, wagging a finger right against your nose.

"can't let the others know, otherwise i'd get in trouble. they all wanna piece of you, but i don't fuckin' share." he leans down and in so that his mouth rests against your ear and whispers quietly enough, so that only you could hear. "told you i'd fuck that attitude out of you. bitch." his hips pick up their pace, your plush walls taking his thick cock so well, whilst you frowned and groaned underneath him. he messily pressed the pad of his thumb against your clit and rubbed in tight circles, laughing as you squirm and writhe in pleasure. your heels bounced against each other and clacked in unison with his deep and strategic thrusts. "i'm gonna keep you for myself, no one else is gonna get to fuck this pussy." he darkly chuckles. "mine now." he grunts as he watches your eyes flutter and your pussy clench at his words. with a few more deep strokes and the right amount of pressure on your clit, he spills into the condom as your final orgasm engulfs you. he connects your lips in one final, deep kiss before leaning his head against yours; your noses touching and shallow gasps mixing together. "that was one helluva thank you." he gasps.

"i thank you for your service, Major Cock." you say with a giggle as you give him a small salute with two fingers.

"CUT!"

your manager rushes forward with your signature pink bathrobe and envelopes you in it as soldier boy pulls out, chucks the condom to a poor intern and tucks himself back into his suit. you tie the robe shut and copy him, standing up and analysing him with a slight frown.

"give me a call when you're off, toots. think we could have more fun together." he gives you a curt nod before storming off set, interns and producers scurrying after him. and you can't help but think that he is right.

a/n: well. i hope u all enjoyed this!! i hope it's somewhat accurate as i've never written anything like this before! LIKES, FEEDBACK & REBLOGS are appreciated, if you loved this! -`♡´- tag list: @bluemerakis @legalmente-loca @faiszt @vmiina @emeraldcrs @briiverse @figthoughts @sl33pylilbunny @jasvtsc @silverwoodlynx @kayleighwinchester @bejeweledinterludes @yooyieu @nperoconelcositoarriba @lanasgirlfr @velvetdandeli0n @iluvdeanwinchester @cowboysandcigarettes @daylighted @valjy @littlesoulshine @mostlymarvelgirl @syrma-sensei @rositaslabyrinth @blossomingorchids @deansbbyx @mads-ackles @lunaleah @diawinchester217 @sunnyteume @drakulana @k-slla @deansbeer @h8aaz @samslovebug (comment or inbox me to be added)

[shortnotsweet]

This technically applies to my Stepmother AU in which Alicent is around six years older than Rhaenyra, and occupies a wicked stepmother role as opposed to ex ‘friends-to-first loves-to-enemies’. Despite lacking the foundation of shared girlhood, both find simultaneous comfort and rivalry in one another, and undergo a gravitational pull. A young Rhaenyra’s eagerness to participate in swordplay and political affairs at a young is accommodated for, and she grows up with a sword in one hand and the weight of experience in another, which further helps pave her way to the throne.

Alicent’s Costuming

Alicent’s clothing is almost entirely bottle, emerald, or forest green. While there is layering present in her skirts and jackets, the accent should always be a darker green than the base color. The fabric is deep, rich, and retains an undeniably high-quality luster. Look to velvets and silks. Gold embroidery lingers around her sleeves, neck, and hemline to elevate the coloring.

Metallic embellishments should be almost military-like, and appear heavy. Contribute to the imagery of chains or shackles in addition to her status

Draws inspiration from historically accurate stiffness and Victorian shapes, with a tapered waist, imposing, puffy sleeves, and a high neckline. Despite inaccuracies, this shape is evocative of someone elegantly and conservatively feminine, repressed, and capable of exerting power over others. Reference a classic, trussed hourglass shape. Skirts should be notably heavy and full; may make noise in movement

The coloring and shapes remain relatively consistent but lack variation; this is to demonstrate a lack of freedom and exploration, as well as an adherence to conventional feminine roles

Despite these limitations, her costuming should always be put-together, coordinated, and unquestionably fashionable. Tight sleeve cuffs may be accompanied by a more traditionally medieval fan sleeve

Shoes should stick mostly to slippers, or flat designs

In this AU, her hair leans more towards a dark brown instead of auburn, as her show counterpart. This is mostly due to faux-book accuracy and to simplify the sketch process, since keeping her hair darker in comparison to Rhaenyra’s lighter hair translates more easily in uncolored renderings.

Keep her hair either in a tidy bun or pulled back and loose; avoid too many intricate shapes, braids, or styles. Occasionally, the hair will hang loose. Lean into medieval or royal headpieces, clips, coverings, etc.

Rhaenyra’s Costuming

Rhaenyra’s clothes are primarily black and red, occasionally accented or substituted with neutrals such as beige, white, or gray. Exceptions may include blue or yellow, but she generally stays in this color palette.

Strong focus is drawn to her shoulders and neckline, sometimes with embroidered or embellished detailing. She often has strong, angular shoulders in her dresses or jackets, occasionally theatrically pointed. Off-the shoulder necklines emphasize her collarbones and a certain broadness.

There should be decent variety in her clothing; there is a hypothetical outfit for every occasion and more (for battle, for riding, everyday, formal, feasts, everyday, etc.), and most should be composed of multiple pieces and utilize generous layering. This includes under-fabric, belts and corsets, jackets and doublets, draped fabric for aesthetic purpose, and even functional capes.

Most of her clothes should provide visual aid for movement; additional fabric to her skirts, for example. Her clothes should be highly stylized but still easy to move in. In riding and battle gear, it is presumed that she wears pants and boots under her skirts, even if they are not visible.

Shoes lean more into boot cuts, still practical but should have a sleek and uniform quality to them. When she walks, she should make some kind of noise. Shoes should usually be black or potentially red, the latter for decorative purposes.

Overall her style should be more contemporary and lean into the fantasy element. She’s not opposed to oriental details or showing skin, and her costumes should reflect both couture-height drama and period-reliant aspects. Longer lines and diagonal hems mean she is not as devoted to an hourglass shape, and her high collars should always be decorative in some respect.

Keep her hair long and mostly loose, sometimes pulled back. Small braids should be implied as incorporated. Occasional hairstyles feature complicated braids. With the exception of highly decorative braided styles, simple buns should be avoided unless accompanied with very high necklines.

Avoid headpieces that are not either a) her crown or b) ceremonial.

[nahimjustfeelingit-writes]

SOON COME…

Charleston Dance

Elias ‘Smoke’ Moore x Zora

Warnings: Smut, Angst, Violence

At the beginning of the 20th century, most Americans kept things pretty buttoned up, figuratively and literally. Sure, some took in a vaudeville show, and perhaps one of those acts would involve early burlesque dancers showing off their calves, but the skirt-lifting tended to stop there — and dancers' legs were usually covered with stockings to boot. It may have been shocking to at least some folks at this time, but burlesque dancers in just a short time would be doing far more than lifting their dress a bit and telling cheeky jokes. By the 1920s, some would even be getting very close indeed to the audience while wearing almost nothing at all…

Kita ‘Kitty’ Daniels is Chicago’s favorite mulatto burlesque dancer and singer. She loves performing on stage, her enigmatic voice and captivating smile stunning the audience before her. As sweet as she may seem, she’s a bitch to the core. She viewed the other dancers as beneath her. Every one—white and black—came to see her perform in Chicago.

Ringing in that roaring, raucous and ragtime flair to your party. Performing high energy, fully choreographed Charleston routines, The Show Girls are sure to add that air of elegance and energy to your evening. These ladies are the “hostesses with the mostest…

Zora itched to be a star. The swinging era of glittering Jazz and loosening morals with its sumptuous sparkling costumes and tongue in cheek Charleston routines she craved. Zora worked closely with Big Mama as well as cleaning the dressing rooms and the stage after The Show Girls performed. Stitching costumes and creating feathered headbands and feathered boa’s and elaborate feathered fans. She was the back bone of the show, and yet she was overshadowed.

The 1920s saw a rise in organized crime, with numerous prominent gangsters gaining notoriety during Prohibition. Notable figures included Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, Bugs Moran, and Bugsy Siegel. These individuals and their gangs were involved in various criminal activities, including bootlegging, racketeering, and violence, often targeting rival gangs...

Elias ‘Stack’ Moore was the muscle for The Chicago Outfit. His suit was made of expensive fabrics such as wool and silk and were tailored to fit his body perfectly. His suits were adorned with pinstripes and lapel pins, possessing a bravado that garnered attention. His slick mouth and boisterous laugh displayed fashionable teeth jewelry. He loved the vaudeville scene, it matched his playful energy. His red fedora with its sharp brim gave style to his gangster ways.

Kitty adored him, but Stack wasn’t a man to tie down.

Especially when he had eyes for a certain Wallflower.

His Dahlia.

It's the idea that a flower can be so beautiful and resilient, but in the end it withers away…

[yeri-luvr]

TUNNEL VISION

pair: idol!sana x high fashion model!reader

wc: 3k

includes: alcohol consumption, scissoring, oral (reader receiving), overstimulation

Sana was ready to hit the bed as soon as she arrived at her 5-star hotel, but there was no time for her own plans since she had to attend fashion week.

She could curse her managers for making her arrive in Italy 3 hours before the show started, but she can’t lie she still held the excitement she always had when going to a foreign country.

Milan held Sanas favorite gelato shop, a vivienne westwood boutique she shopped in every visit, and perhaps beautiful models she never forgot to pick up after certain events.

What got sana through her hair, makeup and styling process was the possibility of an after party, or planning on the side quests she’d attend to during her free time.

Luckily, Sana had a love for fashion and was grateful to attend such events. The notable pieces of fabric piqued her interest every single time, and sometimes a pretty model would catch her attention.

Skimming down an outfit that captivated her, she failed to notice the face that adorned the clothing.

You had a face that kept her focused longer than any other model that walked the same stage. The clothes you were modeling were easily shadowed by your beauty and the rbf you displayed didnt help shift her focus back to your clothes. Easy enough to say, Sana was hooked.

It felt like you were off the stage quicker than you got on, and Sana regretted wasting her time focusing on other outfits you shared the stage with, but was grateful you caught her eye last second.

All she could do was hope to run into you somewhere else, maybe somewhere along the streets of Milan or even better, an after party.

The rest of the show was a bore for her thanks to you. She believes her eyes wandered around the room 10 times, checked her nails 5 times, and thought about you even more times before the show came to a close with the designer thanking everyone for their attendance.

Stepping out of the event was less of a hassle compared to when she arrived since most fans dissipated, except the ones who stayed till the end of the event in hopes of seeing Sana once again. Per usual, she waves towards fans, thanking some for showing out and supporting her, and finally steps into the black SUV that would take her to her next run in with you.

You on the other hand were on cloud 9. Yeah, modeling was fun and a passion you’ve been pursuing for about 3 years, but you thought the scene that came with it was even better. Your timeless features paired along with the duality of your runway walks led you to being on the front cover of magazines, opening luxurious fashion shows, and an extravagant lifestyle you’ve yearned for since you were a little girl.

Getting off the catwalk was a relief since you were able to finally slip off your heels and your mood suddenly lifted once you remembered your planned whereabouts after this.

Stepping into the function was like a reward along with the champagne that was served to you right at the entrance. This was a playground for socialites, networking, and public figures mingling with others on the same level as them. You on the other hand did not come for networking or mingling with other well -known people, but for the free drinks and a good time with your small circle.

You usually don’t find yourself sharing a bed after nights like this, but you weren’t opposed to the idea either, you typically just went with the flow.

Heading back towards you friend group after grabbing a shot from the bar, you slowed your pace once you notice the unfamiliar face next to one of your closest friends. She calls out, “Y/N! Come here, I want you to meet someone.” You barely process what your friend says, instead focusing on the girl you’ve never seen before. Her hair had slight waves with one side tucked behind her ear that exposed her sharp yet soft jawline, and her eyes pierced yours as if she was waiting for your arrival. Sliding in the booth, you turn to the unknown girl and push your hand forward, “I’m Y/n, it’s nice to meet you!” She takes your hand and smiles, “I’m sana, you looked great on the runway earlier today!”.

It was hard to find your words when she was giving you such an endearing smile, making you focus on her pink lips that were recently coated with lip gloss. Shaking out of your trance, you realized how familiar the name sounded.

Your friends head peaked out behind Sanas, “Shes in that girl group I told you about how much I love, Twice! Remember?” That made your eyes light up and turn back to Sana, equally excited as much as your friend was.

“You don’t understand how much she talks about you guys. We were recently talking about flying out to Japan to go see you perform!”

Making further conversation with the girl came easy, you two were both interested in each other’s careers, sparking many questions and soon enough compliments that couldn’t be avoided due to each other’s flirtatious personalities. You couldn’t help but feel as if you stole Sana away from your best friend, but that became the least of your worries when you saw her drunk crying and being consoled by one of your other friends.

Sana soon put her open palm towards you wordlessly and after putting your hand in hers she leads you to the main dance floor. The heat radiating from the group of people dancing did not bother either of you since you two were wrapped up in each other’s worlds. The song, sensual but upbeat, lead your back to her front and your hips swaying side to side against her. You were thankful you had made a friend who didn’t mind being touchy, but it made you wonder if that would end in you guys becoming a one night stand.

You didn’t push the idea away and instead found yourself wanting it to manifest into reality. This urged you to turn back around to face sana and wrap your arms around her neck.

The red strobe lights made her look like the devil in disguise, a sin to indulge in, and a face you wished to see more often. You find yourself becoming grateful your friend ran into her and introduced her to you, or else you wouldn’t have been able to see her face leaning in towards you, making her forehead come in contact with yours.

Your eyes trail down to her lips and once you look back up into her eyes, hers are already focused in on your lips.

You kissed her with only your liquid encouragement and a dream, but in your favor she returns the kiss with even more assertiveness. Remembering that you’re out in plain sight, you pull away leaving sana to chase your lips, but you pulling away made her come back to her senses and realize her whereabouts.

“My place or yours?” You get out as quickly as you can. Sanas quick to decide on her place and calls up her driver to get you out of the club and onto her bed.

Ushering you out of the place, Sana grips your hand and pulls you towards where her driver was waiting. Thankfully, no fans or paparazzi were there due to the late hour. Getting out of the club was not that difficult, but sitting next to sana for a whole 15 minute ride to her hotel was hard. She was scrolling through her phone while dragging her hand up and down your thigh, too close for comfort as if it was nothing.

The car ride felt agonizingly slow as her hand built up your anticipation, leaving you resisting the urge to cross your legs. Sana took notice when you suddenly tensed up, all she did was smile knowingly.

It felt like the car barely came to a stop when Sana dragged you out the car. You didn’t notice you arrived at the hotel because of your hazy state, trying to focus on everything but Sanas hand on you the whole ride.

You let her guide you since you were unfamiliar with the place. She seemed to glide smoothly and kept her resilience impressively. You wondered if she had gotten soaked as much as you had. The thought made you flush, thinking of her seeing how wet you had gotten embarrassed you a bit.

This was a foreign feeling since you were always the most confident one in any hook up. You’ve never met someone who chipped away at your confidence and made you feel the need to submit. Sanas classiness didn’t falter once all the while she was the one doing all the touching.

She remained calm as she opened the door to her room, lead you to her bed and motioned for you to sit down on it. It made you eager to find out what was to come next.

“I’ve been eyeing you since the show,” To Sana, it was like tunnel vision. That whole day, she chose to barely acknowledge anyone who wasn’t you. Besides your friend, she exchanged pleasantries with her but that was all because she saw you come in with her.

Her hand tucking the hairs that framed your face behind your ears, she finds comfort in sitting on your lap and pushing you back by your shoulders.

No words needed to be exchanged when her hands reached for the zipper of your dress and effortlessly dragged it off. She follows suit and feels like she has just opened a christmas present.

Her eyes trail down from your face to your bra, eyeing the lace detailing that kissed your skin. Your panties left drenched with her to blame, she eyes the wet spot

You unwillingly boosting her ego, Sana took pride in managing to get you so wet with barely any work. When she started moving her hips on top of your heat, you were already whimpering so lightly that your deep breaths were heard more. She grips onto your shoulders as she lowers her upper body onto yours and was disappointed as she felt the fabric of your bras blocking contact from each other.

Removing hers then yours, she’s pleased with the feeling of your bare nipples rubbing against hers along with her hips rotating on top of you. You felt constricted as she used you for her own pleasure, almost feeling like a doll with the way she humped you.

She felt your nails lightly scratching her sides, they had a sense of urgency, begging for more of her attention. She puts your hands to a stop and places your fingers in her mouth. You look at her fascinated while she works her tongue up and down along your skin. She pulls them out with a pop and removes the rest of your garments.

She brings your two wet fingers onto her core and helps herself by dragging her lips along them, back and forth.

You glided over her clit, making her breath hitch but not making her stop. The tip of your fingers met her hole, leading sana to tease her entrance with your own hand.

You barely felt like you were alive, almost in a trance like state. You didn’t notice her hands placing yours besides your head followed by the feeling of warmth where your cunt was practically leaking. Your back arched as your clit came in contact with the girl on top of you. All you could focus was on Sana, you couldn’t pay attention to anything else but her face showcasing pure ecstasy and the sound of her slick mixing with yours.

Your legs felt like they were in a jumbled mess, but everything else felt just right. The feeling of sana moving back down for her breast to make contact with yours, her tongue searching for yours along your lips and her fingers sliding down between the two of you to feel how wet you were against each other.

Her moans were raspy and were drowned by your lips over hers. You break apart the kiss to breath since everything was overwhelming. You tried to voice out your words and what you wanted to say to her, but all that came out were hyperventilated breaths and incoherent sentences.

“Shh, breath baby. it’s okay, I’ve got you.” Sana cradles your face and slows down her movement. You whine when the pace slows down and you finally catch your breath “Go faster please, I promise I can take it.” She contemplated for a few seconds then picked back up her pace. Her muscles burned but she didn’t mind, she was glad to do the work while she got the perfect view of you falling apart.

Sana could’ve gotten off just by the faces you were making under her. She wouldn’t be surprised if the neighboring hotel guest heard you, but she didn’t care and was glad you didn’t hold your noises back.

You reaching the edge purely by clit stimulation wasn’t what you had expected, but here you are clutching sanas wrist up to your chest. “Fuck- I’m so close, don’t stop.” You proceed to move your hips upwards, chasing your high and taking sanas thumb into your mouth. You used her thumb to silence yourself, truly believing you were going to scream once you came under Sana.

Sana was fascinated by how easy it was to glide herself on you due to how much more wet you got right before cumming. She focused on grinding her hips down harder against you, making the pressure against your clit just enough to bring you over the edge. Sana kept her movements up, not slowing down as she focused on finishing herself on you.

You were limp on the bed as she continued using you to get herself off. You never came that hard before just by scissoring, and you were on the brink of tears as she slowed down against you.

Sana leaned down and kissed the tears that fell due to the overstimulation you felt. Feeling like that wasn’t enough for you, she made her way down your body and arched her back to come face to face with your pussy. It was a mistake looking down and seeing the view in front of you.

Her face was in front of your pussy that was once again being played with by her fingers, softly drawing circles on your puffy clit while she eyed down the milky liquid coming out of you.

Her tongue went straight to work at your hole, savoring the taste of you once your slick was welcomed into her mouth. Licking away at your entrance, sana closed her eyes and sighed getting lost on your taste.

You began whining for the nth time, realizing she was probably pussy drunk with the way she didn’t notice your hand pushing her head away. Her ministrations didn’t stop there and she continued to help herself by eating you up.

It’s almost as if she enjoyed bringing you to tears, you laid there on the bed once again crying for her. You tried your best to take it all, her persistent licking on your sensitive bud, two of her fingers pistoling in and out of you, and her deep groans that vibrated against you.

The familiar liquid that came out of you motivated sana to keep going. She chased the taste of you and the way your legs shook around her head almost made her want to keep going once you came again.

She focused on hitting the spongy spot that made your eyes roll to the back of your head and your back arch.

What brought you to the edge was her her lips wrapped around your clit, switching between sucking on the bud and circling her tongue around it. Your senses were fucked up and you needed to grab onto anything to keep you grounded, which unbeknownst to you, made you grab her hair.

She groaned while attached to your pearl at the feeling of you tugging at her hair. Leaving her tongue out for you to grind on, she watches as you get lost on the feeling of her.

Sana let’s herself have a little more fun with you by cleaning up your slick, her tongue tracing patterns along your spent hole and not shying away from your bundle of nerves.

You truly did not have the energy to move yourself away or to bring her to a stop. Your makeup had to be ruined by now due to the amount of times you had already cried that night, but your tears felt uncontrollable while she licked away as if she hadn’t already pushed you beyond your limits.

Opening your eyes, you’re met with the view of her licking your juices off of her fingers, one by one. The sight made you close your eyes, knowing if you continued to watch you’ll get horny all over again, and it was better off that way since your sensitive cunt couldn’t take her anymore.

Going up to your body, Sana peppers delicate kisses over your collarbone making goosebumps arise. You two laid there in silence with you finding comfort on top of Sanas chest, the rhythmic beating of her heart lulling you you to rest.

Waking up left you disappointed once you realized that Sana was not in bed with you. You’ve been through this routine a good amount of times by now, what’s the difference now?

You tried to remind yourself how you shouldn’t have expected any different from Sana but the thought of waking up besides each other, getting breakfast and exploring the city was an experience you wanted to share with the girl to get to know her better. In the process of picking up your thrown garments you notice a piece of paper on top of the bedside table. Picking it up, you read the written text with the prettiest handwriting you’ve ever seen,

“I pushed the checkout till 2 in the afternoon so you can rest up longer. If you’re ever in Korea, text me (xxxxxxxxx)”

Feeling relief and excitement, you smile to yourself knowing you’ll reconnect with the girl who left a lasting impression.

[khaenriahn-anthropologist]

We're going to be looking into Kaeya's design elements from his game model and to some of his notable talent designs. This is focused on the visual elements and what information they can provide about him to the viewer.

Kaeya has many details in his game model which can be a little overwhelming at times but let's take a note of how many layers he wears in his outfit. This is something that I feel points to the complexity of his character, a desire to hide something, the layers you need to peel away in order to uncover what he is at his most vulnerable.

As we know, Kaeya is a very secretive character and one that's rather terrified of showing his true self to others. In this way I feel the layers symbolize this.

Continuing on, another odd detail to note about his character is the number of belts, chains, and cuffs that he wears.

Kaeya wears a choker, with a chain beneath it, multiple belts, shirt stays for his sleeves, wrist cuffs, an added cuff on one, a hanging chain, he also has cuffs on his ankles.

While many might assume that this is a fashionable statement in game, we the viewer knowing his backstory can feel that these motifs represent being restricted. This could be from Kaeya's inability to feel that he can express his true self, or feel the weight of his original purpose in Mondstadt to act as a pawn for the Abyss Order.

He is both physically and emotionally restricted. It could also represent his guilt over feeling like a traitor or an outsider to the place he resides in.

We must also take into consideration that it might have something to do with his passive talent: Hidden Strength

The meaning of the passive stays the same in CN as well which could elude to the idea that perhaps Kaeya is under some sort of seal, barring him from using his full abilities.

Kaeya is strange too in the fact that he wears an eyepatch but lacks a sufficient reason for doing so and has consistently worn one since he was a child.

We know the eye was injured during his fight with Diluc, however in letters it is confirmed that the eye is not at all deeply affected by the injury sustained.

In his character quest: Secret Pirate Treasure, he tells the traveler that the eyepatch is inherited by his grandfather and is proof of his lineage.

Now, we know this is a half lie as Kaeya often does not tell the truth, it is likely that the eyepatch is indeed something passed on to him but due to the eye underneath. This speculation is not new, but I will go into some detail for why I think this eye is most likely red in color.

In CN this talent name actually refers to having noble blood and several of the game's references to King Irmin in the game (who is likely distantly related to Kaeya) have a red right eye.

Both Princess Fischl and the Deathly Statuette representing Odin/King Irmin have a red right eye. It should be noted that in Fischl's normal model it is her right eye that is covered instead, hiding the red eye underneath. Kaeya's new skin also includes a red bead on the right side, perhaps hinting at the color it would be beneath his eyepatch.

Ororon and Kaeya also share many similarities, the dark hair with gradient strips is extremely uncommon in genshin, he also has one reddish right eye and one blue. His entire design is deeply tied to Nihility, the undead, and the abyss. His soul is incomplete and was originally going to be used to be sacrificed to the night kingdom to bring the souls back to the living.

Though it is only speculation, we still have no idea what Kaeya's specific purpose was and why he would be Khaenri'ahn's last hope. But we have seen before that previous Alberich's were used to create the Loom of Fate, so who knows but it might have originally been similar to Ororon.

We also see that in his Sailwind skin that if Kaeya's hair was not cut short that he would have more strips of gradient hair all the way down to the end. We have mostly only see this on characters that are gods so we will see if it becomes relevant later on but it could speak to some lesser divinity that Kaeya possesses.

In fact the Tenebrous Mimiflora has featherlike appendages that resemble the peacock feathers with rings of multiple colors centering a dark 'eye'.

What is its 'evolved' form takes the shape of a tree full of eyes and the three diamonds/stars as well, and peacocks are often depicted in mythology as having one hundred eyes of Argus, tasked with guarding Hera, the queen of Gods. The fact that Kaeya is depicted both in constellation and in design as having these peacock elements is interesting when Oculi in Genshin are referred to as God Pupil/Eyes.

Even the material it drops actually eerily resembles elemental Oculi with an eye in its center, gazing out.

This creature seems to have evolved to mimic Irminsul, as you can see the branches of destiny and fate.

Even there in the center of its branches you can see that familiar design depicting the Nihility symbol found on Ororon and through various other characters in Genshin.

If Kaeya's connection to the eyes is some sort of connection to Irminsul or the mimicry of Irminsul we can also take a look at something else interesting about him.

The fur is tied closely to Abyss Mages, but also fur is often a sign of royalty and power historically. Especially white furs which are a symbol of royal authority.

Kaeya's cape is interesting, for one, the feathered part resembles that of which we see in many divine beings and statues in the game.

This winged motif is found on Paimon, on Statues of the Seven, Celestial Nails, Abyss Entities, and even in Dvalin and other Draconic figures.

But what about the layer underneath? Believe it or not, but this symbol is also present in many aspects of the game.

The symbol of a line dotted in diamonds is present in the eyes of the Unknown Goddess, Phainon (From HSR aka Kevin Kaslana)

And Istaroth, the goddess of Time

He also has the three star motif on his shoulder pauldron:

Kaeya also has more connections to the Statues of the Seven, as even his elemental skill heavily resembles Phanes and the Four Shade imagery on the statues.

It even has the same fanned star formation.

In all he seems to have many odd connections between both 'celestia' and the Abyss. Even his other talent Glacial Heart which resembles a snowflake is actually the Triquetra we see in game:

We see it on both items that are affected and touched by the night realm and the abyss in the form of flora and likely has some tie to the three moon sisters as the Triquetra is formed by three carefully layers circles (moons in our case) and represents an unbroken loop.

If anyone is interested in hearing me cover more or would like to talk details, let me know. I'd love to chat about it.

[6nipplesisanormalamount]

Ben Florian x Reader

“Right this way, ma’am.” You looked up from your phone to see a well-dressed woman pointing her arms in the directions of the conference room.

Your parents were grooming you to take over the company. They’ve been dragging you to meetings since you were 16, hoping you would soak in some information, and as your father put it “learn from the best”. You were in college now but your father still had you sit in on certain meetings.

Today was one of those meetings. A yearly negotiation with their fiercest competitors. It was basically a civilized version of a turf war- who would have what area of the land, who could sell what. Each year, they switched which building it was held at, so no one could claim some sort of an unfair advantage.

You sat down next to your father, flanked by lawyers, assistants and other important people. The other half of the mirrored yours, including the man who sat across from you. Ben Florian. His parents were the rival CEOs, grooming him to take over the business. He had also been coming these meetings since he was 16 as well.

You smiled at him through your lashes and he gave you a smile back. You grabbed your phone and stealthily started texting as the room around you erupted in talk about yearly profits, collaborations, other things you were quickly drowning out.

You-

“A three piece suit? Don’t you look appetizing.”

You shot off the text and waited for his response, feigning interest in the current topics. He grabbed his own phone off of the table and you watched as his eyes flicked over your text. He smiled and his own hands went under the table to text you back.

Ben-

“I have to make an impression, don’t I?”

His hands pause, he looked up and then back down again.

Ben-

“You’re one to talk, wearing that dress.”

You smiled down at your phone. You might have chosen your outfit with a specific intent in mind. A black dress, just short enough to be provocative, but long enough to be not entirely inappropriate for a business setting.

You-

“I think it’s more notable what I’m not wearing.”

You sat your phone in your lap and let the conversation hang while Ben’s father gave some sort of pitch on product placement.

Ben bit his lip and adjusted his legs and you had to swallow a satisfied smile. You knew he would be thinking of that for the rest of the meeting.

When he was finished, your own father turned to you. “The rest of this is just shop talk with the lawyers. You can head up to the sky lounge if you want, get some lunch?”

You nodded to him and tried to act like you weren’t tingling with excitement. Ben’s father turned to him and encouraged Ben to do the same. “Why don’t you go with her, Benjamin? We can handle it here.”

He made a sound of acknowledgement, stood up and strode over to the door, holding it open for you. You thanked him and bid the room goodbye.

Once you were down the hall to the elevators, past the prying eyes of the glass office, Ben grabbed your hand and brought it to his lips, giving it a soft kiss. He kept eyes to yours as he did so. You blushed but held his stare.

The elevator dings, giving warning the doors were about to open. Ben steps back and you hope you look as composed as he does. The doors open to reveal the elevator is empty.

Ben grabbed your hand once more and pulled you softly into the elevator. You followed him, your heart fluttering at the contact. Ben uses his other hand to pick the button for the roof.

The doors had barley closed before Ben was on you, his lips smashing into yours. He pinned your body to the wall with his, one of his hands resting on your waist, the other cupping your cheek. You squeaked in surprise before pulling your mouth reluctantly from his.

“What about the camera?” You asked, pointing to the device in the corner.

“It’s the weirdest thing, it stopped working this morning.” He gave you a naughty smile. “Techs can’t make it out until tomorrow.” He punctuated the last word with a kiss to your shoulder, kissing his way up your collarbone to your neck.

You moaned softly and relax, the threat put out of your mind. You grabbed a handful of his hair, and forced his head up, his lips meeting yours. He kissed you hungrily, like a man starved. You open your mouth, letting his tongue rub against yours. You could feel his clothed cock rubbing against you. His hands were roaming, as if he was studying every curve of your body. You savored his touch. Your own hands were busy loosening his tie and unbuttoning his vest. His hands were headed under your dress when the elevator dinged, alerting you that you had reached your destination.

Ben groaned but pulled his mouth from yours. He put his hand out to stop the doors from shutting and let you lead the way.

The roof was mostly empty, to make way from the helipad. The only other things up there were three utility sheds, one of which Ben’s father had given him free range of, as they were rarely used.

When Ben was a teenager, he made it into his own little hidey-hole, a place to go when his father dragged him to his office. Now that Ben was older, he had had it upgraded.

When he had to stay at the office too late or needed a break, he would head up to the roof. He outfitted it with a bed, a tv, air conditioning. It was truly his own little home away from home. It was also where you would go to have mind blowing sex.

It became a tradition of yours years ago. It started out as simple kisses, curious teenagers who were left to their own devices. A friendship that became more.

But as you grew, so did your relationship. You would slip away together, at every shared conference, meeting and charity ball. He was your first and you were his.

You had both had relationships in between, with a mutual understanding that either of you could put this on pause, and it wouldn’t damage your friendship. Though you hadn’t had to put it on pause for 3 years in a row now.

You led Ben to the door and Ben stood behind you, kissing your neck as he entered the code. The door opened with a beep and before you could step in Ben flipped you around, he grabbed your hips and walked you into the room backwards, his lips connected to yours the whole way.

The back of your knees hit the bed. Ben cupped your ass, lifting you without breaking your kiss. You kick off your shoes. He lightly tossed you on the bed, and you giggled in response. He stops for a moment and removes his suit jacket.

He stood in front of you admiring your disheveled state. You took the chance to do the same, you leaned on your elbows and took all of him in. He was truly beautiful. His pupils were blown, his normally hazel eyes almost black. His hair was wild, his tie hung loosely off his neck. He was just in his very wrinkled undershirt and pants now. Pants with a very prominent tent. You couldn’t help but smirk at how hard you had gotten him. A smirk that was not lost on Ben.

“Proud of yourself?” He asks. You nod in response. He licked his lips and gave you a wolfish smile. He finished taking off his shirt before he falls to his knees in front of the bed. He grabbed your legs and drags you to the edge of the bed. “God, you are….” He seems to consider a moment. “Delectable.” He finished with a kiss to your ankle. He kisses up your leg, teasingly slow. You squirmed, trying to push yourself up towards his lips and he tightened his grip on your ankles. He made a tsk-ing sound, chiding you for your impatience.

“You know better than that, princess.” He said, placing a single kiss on your thigh. “If there’s something you want-“ Another kiss, just inches away from your entrance. “I need to hear that beautiful voice of yours.”

“Please, Ben.” You begged. “I need you.” Ben groaned in response but didn’t move.

“Need me to what?”

“Ben.” You whined, frustrated by his teasing. He chuckled then gave in, finally giving you what you needed. He dove his face into your thighs, his tongue immediately finding your clit. You moaned at the contact, pleasure blooming through you. The noises spurred him on and he started licking more enthusiastically, working hard to make you come undone under him.

Ben loved hearing the sounds you made. He loved being the one to make you make those sounds. He had power, money, and to be honest, girls often threw themselves at him. He was an accomplished man. But nothing made him feel more accomplished, more powerful, than when he was able to make you dizzy with pleasure. To feel you shake beneath him. Which is exactly what he was doing right now.

Ben slid a finger in you, earning his loudest moan yet. He groaned as you squeezed around him. “Fuck, I can barely get a finger in you.” He pumped his finger into you, while continuing to flick your clit. Ben pulled his face away from you, and his chin glistened with your juices. You grabbed his chin, lifting his head up to meet yours. He looked so beautiful, so perfect.

You kissed Ben passionately, his fingers still pumping into you. You reached your own hand down and began stroking Ben, trying to reciprocate the pleasure he was giving you, back. He stalls for a moment, hissing at the new sensation.

After enjoying your touch for a moment more, Ben pull away. You frown at the loss of contact, but aren’t waiting for long when Ben picks you up, laying you back down on the bed, at a better angle. He then climbs on the bed himself, caging your body in with his. He lines his head up with your clit, then slowly thrust himself forward, teasing you. “Fuck, baby.” You groan. You thrust your hips forward, hoping your entrance would find his cock. Ben ignores your attempts. You swallow hard.

“Please, fuck me.” Ben follows your orders immediately, sliding himself into you. You both gasp, then you curse as Ben continues to work himself inside you.

Ben had learned, over time, that he was too big to just push in all at once. However, on the list of problems to navigate, this was one he had no problem remedying. Your breath caught in your throat as he bottomed out, then he sat for a moment letting you both adjust.

He always made you feel so full. It felt like you were made for each other, his cock hitting every space, just right. After a beat, Ben gave an experimental thrust.

When you responded eagerly, his thrusts grew deeper, finding a rhythm that pulsated pleasure through both of you. Waves of euphoria crashed into you, and threatened to send you over the edge. Ben caught your mouth with his, keeping his thrusts steady.

You clawed your nails into Ben’s back. Ben knew you well enough by now to know that meant you were close. He groaned and began thrusting harder. Your orgasm hit you all at once, like a truck. You all but screamed, lost in pleasure, your walls fluttering around Ben’s cock. Ben follows right behind you, his own hips stuttering as he fills you.

You both sit still for a moment, trying to catch your breath. Ben pulls back taking in your flushed and panting form before he kisses you, passionately, tenderly. He continues to kiss you as he pulls out of you, you both groan as he does so.

He flops down next to you, pulling you into his chest, kissing you on the forehead. You snuggled into him, savoring his touch. You hear his strong heartbeat thumping loudly through his chest.

“You know,” you began. “They’re going to get suspicious if we keep disappearing together.” You giggle.

Ben grabs your hand and kisses your engagement ring softly, chuckling. “I think it’s perfectly natural for me to want to hide away with my future bride, especially when she’s so beautiful.” You roll your eyes then kiss your fiancé, long and hard.

“The future Mrs. Florian.” Ben smiled down at you. “I can’t wait.”

[autisticshadowthehedgehog]

Isn't blaze based on Middle Eastern cultures or something

Like Easter Blaze is cool and all, but there's gotta be a more fitting holiday to give her for april

She's distinctly South Asian, most likely Indian.

In the middle bottom row in the pic above, you can see her wearing Shalwar, (maybe shalwar kameez? it’s hard to tell what kinda top she has) which is a popular Southern and Central Asian fashion.

Her final design includes a straight-up bindi– listed as such on the Sonic wiki. Bindi are a mark on the forehead worn by women in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, and occasionally Islam (notably in Pakistan during Eid). While obviously anyone of any race can be of any religion, as the bindi originated in Southern Asia, it’s highly associated with that area and is worn by, well, a crapton of people in South and Southeast Asia, for both cultural and religious reasons.

Also, her kingdom: we don’t see it much in the games (in Rush Adventure, they’re mostly traveling through outlying islands and ruins), but we do see it in the IDW comics.

It seems very inspired by Mughal architecture, an Indo-Islamic style developed from Indian, Islamic, Iranian and Central Asian traditions.

In the mobile game Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Blaze is given a costume for Lunar New Year, as is Silver. Lunar New Year is associated mainly with China, but is celebrated in several other Asian countries, including Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. We also got THIS tweet from the official Sonic account in November 2020, showing her having tea in her palace. @penosh-wom​ pointed out to me that the patterns in the room are “VERY reminiscent of India,” and that the scenery outside looks very much like the Asian coast.

The caption is in Japanese, but translating it to English shows that the descriptive is literally “Indian summer with calm waves.” An Indian summer is a term for unusually long hot weather in autumn, but like. Come on.

With that, I would say Blaze is most likely Indian, though the coding is a little vague. She is at the very least Asian, likely South or Southeast.

All that to say. Where the fuck is her Diwali costume. You absolute cowards. It's literally the festival of lights. People literally light candles the entire time. She is the fucking princess of fire. If I don't see a Diwali outfit this October I'm gonna start lighting Sega on fire

[coochiequeens]

I know this blog focuses on TIMs invading women’s sports and locker rooms but Saving Women’s Sports means more than that. Like calling out sexist bs when companies give men real clothes to compete in and women get basically underwear.

The Nike Air Innovation Summit in Paris on Thursday.Credit...Dominique Maitre/WWD, via Getty Images

By Vanessa Friedman April 12, 2024

Ever since the Norwegian women’s beach handball team turned the fact that they were required to wear teeny-tiny bikini bottoms for competition into a cause célèbre, a quiet revolution has been brewing throughout women’s sports. It’s one that questions received conventions about what female athletes do — or don’t — have to wear to perform at their very best.

It has touched women’s soccer (why white shorts?), gymnastics (why not a unitard rather than a leotard?), field hockey (why a low-cut tank top?) and many more, including running.

So it probably should not have come as a shock to Nike that when it offered a sneak peek of the Team U.S.A. track and field unies during a Nike Air event in Paris celebrating its Air technology on Thursday (which also included looks for other Olympic athletes, like Kenya’s track and field team, France’s basketball team and Korea’s break dancing delegation), they were met with some less-than-enthusiastic reactions.

See, the two uniforms Nike chose to single out on the mannequins included a men’s compression tank top and mid-thigh-length compression shorts and a woman’s bodysuit, cut notably high on the hip. It looked sort of like a sporty version of a 1980s workout leotard. As it was displayed, the bodysuit seemed as if it would demand some complicated intimate grooming.

Citius Mag, which focuses on running news, posted a photo of the uniforms on Instagram, and many of its followers were not amused.

“What man designed the woman’s cut?” wrote one.

“I hope U.S.A.T.F. is paying for the bikini waxes,” wrote another. So went most of the more than 1,900 comments.

The running comedian Laura Green posted an Instagram reel in which she pretended to be trying on the look (“We’re feeling pretty, um, breezy,” she said) and checking out the rest of the athlete’s kit bag, which turned out to include hair spray, lip gloss and a “hysterectomy kit,” so the women would not have to worry about periods.

When asked, Nike did not address the brouhaha directly, but according to John Hoke, the chief innovation officer, the woman’s bodysuit and the man’s shorts and top are only two of the options Nike will have for its Olympic runners. There are “nearly 50 unique pieces across men’s and women’s and a dozen competition styles fine-tuned for specific events,” Mr. Hoke said.

Sha’Carri Richardson

Women will be able to opt for compression shorts, a crop top or tank and a bodysuit with shorts rather than bikini bottoms. The full slate of looks was not on hand in Paris but more will be revealed next week at the U.S. Olympic Committee media summit in New York. The Paris reveal was meant to be a teaser.

Anna Cockrell.Credit...Dominique Maitre/WWD, via Getty Images

Mr. Hoke also pointed out that Nike consults with a large number of athletes at every stage of the uniform design. Its track and field roster includes Sha’Carri Richardson, who happened to be wearing the compression shorts during the Paris presentation, and Athing Mu. And there are certainly runners who like the high-cut brief. (The British Olympic sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, another Nike athlete, told The New York Times last summer that while she opts to run in briefs, she also leans toward a leotard style, rather than a two-piece.)

What Nike missed, however, was that in choosing those two looks as the primary preview for Team U.S.A., rather than, say, the matching shorts and tanks that will be also available, it shored up a longstanding inequity in sports — one that puts the body of a female athlete on display in a way it does not for the male athlete.

“Why are we presenting this sexualized outfit as the standard of excellence?” said Lauren Fleshman, a U.S. national champion distance runner and the author of “Good for a Girl.” “In part because we think that’s what nets us the most financial gain from sponsors or NIL opportunities, most of which are handed out by powerful men or people looking at it through a male gaze. But women are breaking records with ratings in sports where you don’t have to wear essentially a bathing suit to perform.”

The problem such imagery creates is twofold. When Nike chose to reveal the high-cut bodysuit as the first Olympics outfit, purposefully or not, the implication for anyone watching is that “this is what excellence looks like,” Ms. Fleshman said.

That perception filters down to young athletes and becomes the model girls think they have to adopt, often at a developmental stage when their relationships with their bodies are particularly fraught.

And more broadly, given the current political debate around adjudicating women’s bodies, it reinforces the idea that they are public property.

Still, Ms. Fleshman said, “I’m glad Nike put this image out as the crown jewel of Olympic Team design,” because it may act as the catalyst for another conversation that has been long overdue.

“If you showed this outfit to someone from the W.N.B.A. or women’s soccer, they would laugh in your face,” she said. “We shouldn’t have to normalize it for track and field anymore. Time’s up on that.”

[wheelwheelwheel]

To the anon who asked for my thoughts on Egwene's wardrobe, tumblr ate the ask before I could answer it so hopefully you see this post :(

One thing that really stands out to me about Egwene's outfits in season 3 is that she does not fit the pattern of color-coding that virtually all the other Aes Sedai characters have (including Nynaeve and Liandrin’s Black Ajah group) where they generally wear the color of their Ajah for all of their scenes. Unlike Nynaeve who has been color coded from the first episode, Egwene’s outfits vary between being multi-colored (in season one) and being dark colored and monochrome (since season 2) outside of the Novice whites. As I mentioned in this post I think it's a very interesting choice that a lot of Egwene’s outfits in season 3 include elements of her damane outfit from season 2.

The main outfit that Egwene wears in the first half of the season is this black top with leather accents and a harness that goes up to her neck over it. To me this look invokes the damane collar as well as Lanfear’s all black Tel'aran'rhiod outfit from season 2. We know that at the beginning of this season the Seanchan and Egwene’s trauma from being a damane is on her mind, especially due to her repeated nightmares, and I believe that is why we see this influence in her main outfit. As for Lanfear, she is literally influencing Egwene’s mental state at the beginning of the season by using Egwene’s trauma against her and causing nightmares that are making Egwene more sleep deprived, more paranoid, and more distrusting.

We see two other variations of this base outfit, her coat from the first episode that she also wears on the way to the Waste and the shawl that she wears specifically on the journey to Rhuidean. In my opinion the coat, which is dark but appears multicolored, invokes Brigitte’s outfit from the books. To avoid too many book spoilers I will mostly just say that she is a character who is very protective of her friends and has a strong connection to Tel'aran'rhiod, both of which are things that can also be said about Egwene. Her shawl is very similar in style to the one she wears once she starts training with the Wise Ones, but it looks like it is a different fabric and is a slightly darker color.

After Egwene starts training with the Wise Ones she switches to her second half of the season outfit. This outfit is notably lighter in color than what she's been wearing so far with a white blouse and a lighter tan shawl over it. Notably, this shift occurs around when Bair and Melaine start teaching her about Tel’aran’rhiod and how to protect herself. Because of that, I believe that the shift in outfit colors also indicates a shift in her mental state as well as a visual cue to show that she is no longer being influenced by Lanfear.

Overall I think there are very interesting things being done with Egwene’s costuming this season. I believe the change on the color and style of what she's wearing over the course of the season indicates the level of influence that Lanfear has over her. I am also very curious to see her outfits in further seasons to see if she ends up getting the Ajah color coding after all or if this is an early hint at her path being different.

BONUS: Egwene's Amyrlin outfit. This outfit appears twice this season, once in her Accepted’s Test (where she is also wearing a braid) and once the first time she consciously enters Tel'aran'rhiod. What I think is the most interesting about this outfit is that while it is still obviously an Amyrlin's outfit, it is a very different style than what we see on Siuan (and later on Elaida). The other Amyrlin outfits usually have a lot of decoration and added sequins or beading but Egwene’s is simpler and most of the decoration is from the repeating flame pattern on it. Also notable is that this outfit is yet another example of Egwene picking an outfit with a collar

[mysteryanimator]

Castlevania : Nocturne - Eye Colour and their Purpose

This was originally a response to @xshingie asking for my thoughts on the artist choices for Edouard and Richter's blue eyes! The post they made about it can be found here!

So woah, my main focus is Edouard, but I do end up talking about a ton of other characters as I go on a tangent but the Castlevania eyes. This is a very casual thing since most of it is just copied and pasted from a discord message (thank you to the Castlevania Creatives server for reading my paragraph-long rambles) but I do have evidence for my claims so there will be pretty pictures.

So this is just presumptions on what I've seen because i can only guess, but every single character colour palettes communicate all different things, never the one same thing (but there is a ton of overlap), especially their eyes i mean theyre SOOO DETAILED, down to the treatment of everyone's eyelashes (i say this because mizrak's eyelashes are so absurdly detailed and in the first Castlevania, Alucard's eyelashes have shadows).

To bring up the point for Edouard's eyes and why they arent a different colour, an example like green is because Olrox's colour palette is very strictly purple and green, not only in his outfit/design but the locations he's apart of are dominated by all different types of green to showcase the power in the dynamic between him and Mizrak (the courtyard, the breakup hill anddd every other location in season 2 including the bed scene).

Myst why are you pulling up this image, Olrox isn't here BUT YOU CAN FEEL HIS PRESCENE. Not only does the dialogue help, but the act of green in a scene makes his presence feel that much stronger like it's literally looming over Mizrak.

Due to this, Olrox just ends up being associated with all types of green rather then just one vibrant one for his eyes and earrings. By having Edouard and Olrox overlap in this way, it would confuse Edouard's personality and goals since funnily enough, Edouard and Olrox are quite the opposite. Richter and Edouard are allowed to overlap because they fight for the people and their connection to Annette which Xshingie covers.

(Also side note, for a long time due to print colour limitations for comics, villains were often coded as purple and green, think Joker and the Green Goblin. These are complementary colours opposed blue and red, colours given to heroes like Spiderman and Superman. It's one of the reasons why purple and green is associated with antagonists today.)

He cannot have pink because thats for the supernatural anddd drolta + maria are coded pink.

Turquoise also belongs to Maria and Tera, but its very important to have those colours focused on them for the fact that Tera's eyes change to being more misty. This comparison is diabolic because they're both closeups of Tera smiling almost both centered but the clear humanity in her from season 1 to season 2 is so starkly different, most notably in her eyes.

Brown is way too human, which is why Mizrak and Annette has them, and Edouard needs to have his character give the air of mystic and ethereal before his transformation as a way to foreshadow it AND that's already something innate in his character, especially with how Annette frames meeting him.

^^ characters tied to their innate humanness and the fight for people

(Literally, Edouard's introduction is his eyes)

Greyish blue is for Emmanuel but also I don't think it'd end up communicating life that Edouard has because they end up so dull. Also Emmanuel's lack of having a strong eye colour comes into great effect when Ezerbet's eyes reflect into his because it shows how Emmanuel has no power against her, lets say in comparison to when Olrox's eyes reflect into Mizrak's. Olrox still gives a ton of power to Mizrak.

In season 2, a lot of the locations he appears in like when burying the monks are really soft and light colours and make you feel like this is more where he belongs. They also really help to contrast whenever he's not in those environments like the prison cells or when he stares at his reflection in the knife because you have this utterly dark interior, violence being threatened against such soft colours and such a disheartening expression. Despite his imprisonment both literal and physical by having him transformed into a night creature, having a clear remanent of his human self shine through as all-encompassing in his eyes is very important. His entire body is made of nudes and brown, and often then not, 'seems' to blend into those environments. The chateau, the prison, the march into Paris, intentionally so, yet his humanity shines through and that's what needs to be communicated to the audience.

His eyes also end up being somewhat similar in shade to Frozen Shade, which then alludes to his influence on her to because they're both connected literally because Emmanuel both gave them their night creature form and Edouard would come later to influence her to lead the night creature fight. In a sense, the colour for freedom and revolution are tied to Edouard's eye colour.

In the same vein that Olrox's green is tied to his presence (and Mizrak/other stuff but itll get too long), the yellow/ish hues when Annette fights in the temple against the creature in which showcases her immense power (the temple name and creature is alluding me so bad)

Something something, eyes are the window to the soul, and this lighter blue helps to communicate the exact mystical airy otherworldly vibe Edouard has as a character. The vibrant blue from Richter feels to me to communicate a lot heavier physical magic aspect that @xshingie touched base on in their post!

Anyways that's my ramble. This is my personal take as an artist who noticed the importance of character colours not only in design but how it comes into play in setting and creating those strong connections so that even in their absence, they can still be felt. So I can totally off-mark here but it is what ive gathered (also kind of preparation as I begin writing the analysis for s02ep8 haha)

[fountainpenguin]

Dimmsdale Rich Families Analysis

Misc. musings that haunt me daily...

I love Dimmsdale's rich families... You've got the Dimmadomes who are all about real estate, fancy buildings, hosting city events, and (Thanks to Dale) they got into tech and shipping.

Contrast that with the "old-fashioned pencil and paper" vibes of the Leadlys, plus the Buxaplentys running the trains... It's a triangle of supporting each other's businesses (and thus, the rich get richer).

This post written under the assumption we're treating these episodes as canon, though I cherrypick "Country Clubbed" in my worldbuilding and I use Dimmsdale's founding year from Season 3 over the one given in Season 9.

General Background

Several flashback episodes imply the FOP world exists in a timeline where the English settled at least part of the west coast in 1665 (as opposed to the Spanish).

- Presumably, this is one of the unique things a universe-hopper like Jimmy Neutron would identify this world by. - On that note, people are heavily implied to "stand differently" in the FOP world, which is why visitors from other dimensions react with surprise when they see their bodies (and fall over before they get their footing):

Just some fun "alt reality" vibes. Enjoy your visit; sea legs required.

Notably, this is also a universe where trains existed on the west long before they existed in ours, but we'll get to that.

Today I'm discussing the Dimmadomes, Leadlys, and Buxaplentys, but for anyone who's interested in learning more about rich families, Season 9's "Country Clubbed" namedrops a bunch.

Dimmadome Family

We know the Dimmadomes for their impact in the modern world- they're always innovating, hopping from one thing to the next. Dale does seem to have consistency in the businesses he owns (though I am DYING to question what his plans are for that indoor amusement park).

Doug doesn't seem able to commit to anything for long, though we know he's very proud of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome. He hosts many events throughout the series, from music shows to wrestling to demolition derbies.

Dimmsdale was founded in 1665, named after Dale Dimm (following him throwing Alden Bitterroot the witch down a well). It's possible Dale Dimm is an ancestor of the Dimmadomes, given what we know about:

- Dimmadomes having their hand in things (including the founding of Dimmadelphia). - One Dimmadome ancestor using the surname Dimm ("Lost and Founder's Day"). - Dale Dimm's very tall, barefoot figure is a hilarious ancestor choice for Doug "tall hat" and Dale "boot obsessed" descendants when you think about it.

While it's heavily implied Dale was born into generational wealth, we can't confirm whether that was (or wasn't) true for Doug. It's possible his family helped him get his start, but he seems to have kicked off his own success story by mining for gold (Presumably at a young age given that was back in 1953 and the main FOP series kicks off in 2001).

I like to think Doug (prior Dale's birth) changed his family's surname to Dimmadome to move away from the negative connotation of Dimm and commit himself fully to his big and shiny brand image.

Doug's a pretty interesting character! He's not afraid to get involved in his projects and work hard personally, as opposed to outsourcing- a trait he and his son Dale seem to share.

Doug also seems pained to surrender a check to Timmy in "Odd Ball" (even asking for a minute to say good-bye to his money), which isn't far off from Dale's attitude towards stocks.

He was even down to move to Alaska to follow the Ballhogs basketball team. He loves throwing all his chips on the table and doesn't back out easily. He also goes all-in with promotional outfits, like the parka above or his chicken costume in "Chicken Poofs."

That said, he might have some "sunk cost fallacy" views towards some of the stuff he buys. While the basketball team cheered they'd won the game by a close shave, Doug's first remark was that now he'd have to figure out what to do with all the stuff he bought in prep for their move to Alaska. He immediately started eating the Blubber Nuggets he would no longer be able to sell.

In "Chicken Poofs," when Doug sees the town inside his restaurant's chicken-dunking cages, his first thought isn't "Oh my gosh, I have to save these people." It's "These people stole my chickens- I'm ruined!" However (at Timmy's advice), he comes back from the loss of his chickens by selling the eggs they left behind. He wasn't about to go home empty-handed.

I'm obsessed with Doug's chicken-dipping machinery having labels so the thing one step up from Deep Fry is The Sun, and the step up from Sun is Lava. When would he ever need a dial that goes that high?

A "waste not, want not" attitude is fascinating in contrast to Dale being so incredibly wasteful, he brought two single-use helicopters on his trip to the park in "Stanky Danky." Is Dale rebelling against Doug's "We have to make the most of everything" parenting style? I think that plays really well into my vision of Dale being the first born into excessive wealth, while Doug possibly worked his way up after striking gold in 1953. Dale is wasteful, Doug more practical.

Doug is also over-the-top ridiculous and would sooner work around his love for tall hats than stop wearing them.

He owns a boot-shaped phone and a laptop with an armadillo logo, apparently. I'm not sure what they were going for with the armadillo - it's probably just random or meant to represent high security - but I looked it up and in Mayan folklore, armadillos are perceived as cunning critters that outwit people and dodge consequences thanks to their shells, which... Yeah, I think that sums the Dimmadomes up pretty well. Fun fact, but armadillos are one of the only things Fairy magic can't affect ("Teacher's Pet") because magic bounces off their shells. My Anti-Fairy biology incorporates pink fairy armadillo biology because we know Anti-Fairies are also immune to most Fairy magic. Just kind of a "Hm" implication, especially since "Crock Talk"' here and "Teacher's Pet" are both Season 7 episodes. I guess the other horrifying option is that Doug eats armadillos the way you eat apples, but...

I'm also of the opinion that Doug torched things in the Learnatorium, given what we know about the Learnatorium's interior ("Totally Spaced Out") and this scene of Doug "destroying childhood memories" in "Odd, Odd West"

In fact, it's not even a reach to say Doug takes pride in destroying people's cherished childhood memories. He seems to "look down on wasteful, childish things" and seems to value anything that is more useful in performing a task or turning a profit. Again, that's big "Everything must be useful and we can't waste space" energy (and presumably reflects on his offscreen parenting).

Where my fanworks are concerned, I love the idea that Doug paid for personal tutors to help Dale adjust to society and/or some basic schooling. Say... maybe an elementary teacher to start with? I don't think it would be unreasonable to theorize Crocker was involved with that, at least at first, as it helps justify the money he would've needed to expand the Crocker cave in the early days. -> We know from S4's "Genie Meanie Miney Mo" that Mr. Birkenbake states he can't afford a garage because he "doesn't make Crocker money," implying resentment... which is pretty interesting when you consider that Crocker also doesn't have his own place because he moved back in with his mom after university, and not even to his old room (Instead to a room above the garage). -> We know from S6's "Wishology Pt. 2" that Crocker stole the money intended for "the school's new science wing" and used that to pay for some of his tech, like his rocket. Both these episodes come well after S2's "Nectar of the Odds," so it's interesting to consider Crocker getting money earlier to support his tech pursuits in Seasons 2 and 3.

Dale seems to feel strongly about his dad- If it's not love, it's obsession and Grade-A Daddy Issues. His tent is shaped like his dad's head - despite Doug not being present at the event as far as we know - and even his house features statues of his dad.

Considering the nervous, over-the-top, aggressively money-chasing person Dale turned out to be, it's no surprise we can see a lot of Dale in Doug. While Vicky did a number on Dale's psyche, there's definitely some Doug influence in his behavior too.

Fun Fact: The Dimmadome gives off Roman Colosseum vibes, so it's fitting that one of the ancestors we saw in "Lost and Founder's Day" is an ancient Roman!

I would also be remiss not to look at the Dimmadome fortune, glance at the sheer number of businesses Doug is constantly opening... and question if there's some money laundering going on there. Seems kinda sus, ngl...

I'm just saying, Doug with a ton of "disposable income" (gold) because he ended up with a lot of it very quickly seems like a "great" way to get into gambling. Shout-out to the Dimmadomes and their obsessions that hint at addictive personalities. Actually, that makes Dev's game addiction so much darker and now I'm horrified. He could get into trouble so easily...

Also, in "Engine Blocked," Doug literally tries to pay Vicky with a bunch of [I assume fake] money with his face on it, so that's questionable...

One last interesting note is that the Dimmadrones (called such in "Stanky Danky" when chasing Cosmo, Wanda, and Hazel) are clearly based on the early model of Amazon delivery drones.

I think the obvious assumption is that Dale* built them for Dimmazon, but repurposed a few of them for Dev's caretaking (as opposed to them being built for Dev in the first place).

* It's possible the robots were built by a team, but knowing Dale programmed the statues in "Lost and Founder's Day" & Dale's seeming preference to do things himself rather than outsourcing, I'm going with the "Dale built them" theory.

This repurposing might be backed up by Dev referring to the ones that hang out with him as au pairs - a phrase meaning "caretaker" - and even claiming his au pairs are Au Pair #1 and Au Pair #2. While that might just be convenient shorthand since those are the two he interacts with, maybe those are a different type of Dimmadrone that was designed (or tweaked) specifically for Dev's care.

In a previous post, I discussed my headcanon of Dev having hypoglycemia and referenced the au pairs having the ability to "alert on him," or at least use both visuals and noise to signal him, as in this screenshot from "28 Puddings Later" showcasing a glowing exclamation point:

We also know Dev has specific food needs (Lactose intolerance), that he's very picky with his food (Even a treat like cupcakes that you would expect a 9-year-old to enjoy regardless), and that the au pairs are capable of food preparation (since Dev tells Hazel in "A New Dev-elopment" they can make sushi).

The au pairs are probably the most advanced, expensive, time-consuming models (compared to the ones that simply need to be mass produced for package pick-up and put-down).

I do like the thought that - for all his faults I didn't touch on here - Dale does care enough about Dev that he took the time to design two robots that could look after Dev in his absence... and specifically, took the time to think of what a child actually needs.

Dale probably thinks "I spent 7 years struggling... I would've loved the comfort of knowing my base needs like food were taken care of."

In my hypoglycemia post, I said the au pairs seem to know what hugs are and can recognize when Dev wants comfort. That implies Dale put a lot of thought into the design of the au pair and its ability to assess Dev's needs. Dale's not oblivious to what a child needs, like safety, appropriate food, and physical affection... He just lets the au pairs handle Dev.

Dale definitely gives the impression of someone who's making a genuine effort to parent, considering he missed out on healthy role models for at least 7 years of his life (Not to mention Doug is a wild character and probably fell short of being an excellent parent himself).

Along with designing the au pairs to look after him, Dale involves Dev in his projects, greets Dev, and answers his questions, and that's so interesting when you compare him with people like:

- Remy's parents (after the shipwreck in "Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary"'s closing scene) opting to count their surviving money and open a luxury hotel while still dressed in rags, forcing Remy to forage for his and their survival - Vicky and Tootie's parents opting to stay with perceived cannibals rather than disobey Vicky ("Timmy's 2D House of Horror"); they consistently let Vicky run the show and beg her forgiveness when they upset her. You could 100% make an argument that Vicky is Tootie's actual caregiver. - The "Fairy Idol" alt version of Bucky (Chester's dad) who lost his house and went off to party instead of securing food or shelter for his son. Also, Regular Bucky canonically feeds Chester animals he stole from the zoo or aquarium ("Who's Your Daddy?") and I think we should talk about that. - A.J.'s parents are fantastic in many ways, but there's something incredibly dark about the way they don't like A.J. going outside where there are germs ("Who's Your Daddy?"), they have a laser set up in front of their house to vaporize visitors ("The Big Scoop"), and A.J. seems to believe they dislike Chester (given his long silence after Chester asks why A.J.'s parents' security system got more aggressive after finding out he was Chester). - Later-season neglectful Timmy's parents (though I acknowledge I don't love that flanderized aspect of their character unless viewed from the 'got burned out after 50 extra years of parenting' lens, personally). - Clark and Connie who walked out on their daughter having an anxiety attack (and sent Chloe into a dissociative episode 3 times in the first episode they appeared). - A distracted adult Timmy ("Channel Chasers") leaving his kids with a robot Vicky babysitter despite the sight of weapons and his children begging.

Dale IS an antagonist and a neglectful parent. This post is not meant to take away from that or excuse it, but I think it's interesting that within the bounds of FOP characterization... He is pretty consistently in line with how parents in this show behave, and he does have many positives alongside his flaws. I totally understand why child protective services have not taken Dev from him.

Disclaimer: All characters are morally gray and this list is for amusing discussion purposes. I'm not calling these characters "bad parents" so much as highlighting interesting behaviors for consideration.

FOP's characterization leans into adults being foolish and neglectful - Dimmsdale is named after the idea that the adults are dim, after all - and I think it's worth evaluating all the FOP parents within that framework.

Related Dimmadome Posts:

- This post where I had the thought that Doug might have ADHD/OCD comorbidity (Hilariously, something I'd already decided to do with Dale and Dev...)

- This post comparing Doug and Dale body language

Leadly Family

S9's "Dog Gone" is a bonkers episode, and I love it so much. Notably, it's the episode that confirms Leadly is personally rich- Not just Pencil Nexus as a company, which has multiple branches in other states and can afford a jet.

In fact, Leadly is so rich, he offers to buy Sparky from the Turners for 17 million dollars, just because Sparky gave him the Heimlich maneuver and Leadly thought it was neat.

My personal headcanon for Leadly is that he's somewhat aware of magical beings and is actively seeking them.

The Leadly mansion is pencil-themed, of course.

The Dimmadomes and Buxaplentys are both confirmed to have generational wealth. We have no proof one way or the other for Leadly. It's likely his is too, but it's not impossible he founded Pencil Nexus and committed to its branding because he's proud of what he does.

Leadly doesn't have many appearances, but we know some very important things about him:

- He's convinced he's being haunted by a hot tub ghost, reason being that Cosmo likes to use his hot tub at night (whether Leadly's in it or not). Sparky also claims that he had an accident on Leadly's lawn (Crashing his car), but that Leadly blamed the hot tub ghost.

- He's super buff.

- His company is literally the only thing keeping a [presumably magical] forest from overtaking Dimmsdale, considering that when Pencil Nexus reduces their tree chopping in "The Boss of Me," the forest overtakes the city within a couple hours.

Did some godkid out there just wish for renewable trees and now Dimmsdale is cursed and suffering??

Leadly just flexes like this and has massive muscles, but his aren't as big as the people affected by the Everleadys.

The episode makes it explicitly clear that people's massive muscles are magic and aren't going away (Hence the lawsuits and decision to remove Everleady pencils from the world), but Leadly's muscles do fade when he stops flexing. His are natural.

Despite the jokes that he flies the company jet around to goof off, it's not unreasonable to think he's out there personally chopping trees and I respect him for it.

Y'know, I did wonder how on earth selling pencils made him rich enough that he can afford to spontaneously buy things for 17 million dollars (and keep a pet snow leopard that he apparently rides, considering it was tame enough for Timmy's Dad to ride it home from work and he parked it outside his house and it just stayed there).

Did he fight the snow leopard? Did he raise it? I'm afraid of him.

Conclusion: Ed Leadly has a monopoly on an infinitely replenishing wood source. His company can never take a break or the city will be overtaken by magic plants. Big "curse of Midas" vibes.

I can't stop thinking about how in "T.U.F.F. Puppy," it's implied that Petropolis exists in the same general location as Dimmsdale... Los Angeles county:

- Los Angeles' population in the 2010 census was 3,792,621. Dimmsdale's hillside letters parallel the Hollywood sign. - 91502 is the Burbank area code, where the Nickelodeon studio is - Jorgen claims in "Meet the OddParents" that the power he has to do that was vested in him by both Fairy World and Whittier, California. This seems to match the city borders seen in "Fairy Idol" while he's zooming in on Chester to assign Norm as his godparent.

This implies parallel universe vibes, though in my lore, I have all four Hartman shows blended into one continuity.

See my 2019 post, "A T.U.F.F. Timeline" or the shorter "How Hartman Shows Co-Exist" post if you want details on that

Here's the thing... In "T.U.F.F.," it's implied the forest near the city has been allowed to spread and evolve. Its bizarre flora and fauna certainly give a "non-natural evolution" vibe, so it's not implausible magic could be at play.

It's made very clear in "T.U.F.F. Puppy" that this show is still set on Earth, yet "Flower Power" refers to the Petropolis Rainforest. That implies this forest exists around the city. In fact, we know it's separate from the Amazon, which is referenced in "To Bee or Not to Bee").

Interestingly, the episode "Til Doom Do Us Part" depicts Petropolis being overrun by brightly colored flowers once weddings are mass canceled-

- which implies the florists are keeping the creep of nature back from Petropolis.

I feel like this is especially cursed in my lore where "T.U.F.F." exists in a post-FOP future... Leadly, your woods!! Oh no, he can't hear us... He's been gone for 2,000 years...

Shout-out to Pencil Nexus keeping Dimmsdale safe, one pencil at a time. And shout-out to Leadly's unique body language of gripping the sides of his coat, because he does it a lot and it makes me smile every time. He is just some background guy with a pencil-themed gimmick, but he has a special body language quirk and I love it.

Related Leadly Things:

- If you haven't watched S9's "Dog Gone," I recommend it. It's silly. There are some late-series episodes that give secondhand embarrassment vibes, but for some reason "Dog Gone"'s bizarre energy is so charming to me.

- Leadly appeared in these one-shots of mine, if you're interested in my portrayal of him hunting down magical creatures (and just generally being entitled and getting in the way): "Opportunity" & "Trying Too Hard"

Buxaplenty Family

The Buxaplentys have been running the railroads ever since Dimmsdale's early days, with Orville Buxaplenty the first to do so. Timmy's distant grandfather (Ebeneezer) mocks trains by claiming they're "just a fad" and there's no future in them- Thus, he chooses not to involve himself with trains and leaves Orville to do so alone.

This establishes the Buxaplenty wealth as being generational through these trains. Presumably, Dimmsdale has a large train station, as this seems to be where the Buxaplentys have set up shop.

If the Dimmadomes have businesses spanning Los Angeles to Dimmadelphia, it's very likely the trains play a key role. Assuming we take the 1665 founding date of Dimmsdale as canon ("Which Witch is Which?"), the trains may have been essential at moving resources from Dimmsdale to later found Dimmadelphia. -> See also, respawning magic woods (?) Rich people crossover of the centuries??

Notably, their family takes some heavy hits in "Country Clubbed" when Mr. Buxaplenty is forced to watch the destruction of the club, his mansion, yacht, and limo in quick succession.

The surname Buxaplenty is clearly a play on the phrase "bucks aplenty" (and I want to shout-out a 'fic I read many years ago - but unfortunately do not remember - that had a whole thing about Remy's surname actually being Buxley and everyone just calling them Buxaplentys in a derogatory way, because that's hilarious).

A neat detail about Remy is that in the Spanish version of Fairly OddParents, his surname is Cajallena, which (to my understanding) translates as "full cash register."

In my lore, I made Cajallena the maiden name of Remy's mom.

I did some poking around. Apparently, Remy is based on comic/cartoon character Richie Rich, popular from the 60s to the 90s or so (and who still shows up in modern reboots of things today).

I'm not familiar with this series, but both are blond, the only child in their family, and wear big red bows. After brief research, I get the impression Richie was at least a little associated with trains... even owning a toy trainset that costs 1 million dollars (and paying 8 million to buy the factory that makes a part of his set that broke).

I want to highlight this comparison:

From the Hanna-Barbera cartoon, I believe, and it looks like Richie owned other gold vehicles like a boat as well.

As for Remy himself, I believe I read a few years ago that he's designed around the concept of "green-eyed envy," so he has literal green eyes. I think envious is a very good way to describe his character, considering that his immediate reaction to learning Timmy has fairies was "If he has fairies, he could wish himself richer than me; I wish his fairies were gone."

This is a minor detail, but I rewatched some Remy scenes (especially the lunch scene in "Remy Rides Again" and the breakfast scene in "Stupid Cupid") because I could've sworn Remy said at some point that he likes caviar. That might be true - I didn't find it in my hasty rewatch - but I definitely laughed when I checked and saw that instead of eating caviar for lunch like I'd remembered, he ate steak. Kid knows what he wants.

We also know Remy enjoys Crimson Chin and Crash Nebula. Specifically, we know that he's a fan of Cleft the Boy Chin Wonder, but that when Remy ventures inside the comic world, he made the character more relatable to him by making Cleft rich... in addition to minor costume changes, such as slapping the Buxaplenty logo on him in place of Cleft's usual C.

Remy sees something in Cleft that connects with him, but that extra "I want Cleft to feel like me" bit is interesting. Admiring Cleft isn't enough. He needs to be "I am Cleft's secret identity. I, Remy Buxaplenty, have this alt life." The Crimson Chin can't seem to tell the difference between Timmy and Remy as Cleft - unsurprising since he's a comic character playing his role - but Remy saving the Chin from falling is one of the only acts of kindness we see him engage in. That implies Remy does value the Chin and/or feeling like a hero in some way... or if nothing else, he values the praise the Chin gives him.

As parents, the Buxaplentys are pretty interesting. Even by "dim FOP parents" standards, they're exceptionally bad at being loving - or even effective - parents.

- Remy's dad is so awkward, he's not even sure how to address Remy when we see them in "Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary." It's his wife that suggests he try "Son." Also, Remy's parents time themselves so they spend no more than 2 minutes per day with him, which they tell him openly.

- Remy's dad calls him "Liam" later, which isn't close to his name... but Remy's grateful to be acknowledged anyway, which has interesting implications. Remy takes anything he can get; putting up with what little scraps they offer to avoid the risk of turning them off the idea of reaching out to him.

- At the end of the episode, Timmy wishes Remy could spend more time with his parents. We can assume Cosmo and Wanda didn't want to hurt the Buxaplentys on purpose - especially given what we know (from episodes like "Boys In a Band" & "Go Young, West Man") about Da Rules preventing godkids from harming others directly.

So that begs the question... Was shipwrecking the Buxaplentys the only option to get them to pay attention to their son? That's kinda dark... Angela will turn down a book pitch to care for sick Hazel, but "Remy gets sick and a parent tends to him" was seemingly not on the table. Which does make sense in-universe- After all, there are plenty of butlers and staff who wait on Remy.

Remy even tells us that his parents stopped paying attention to him after about 3 seconds despite being stranded with him on a desert island, which is pretty bad... but it gets worse when you realize Remy was stranded between Seasons 2 and 5.

When he returns in "Remy Rides Again," he asks Timmy to "guess where he's been," and informs him he "just got back from an uncharted island."

Combining that with Remy's claim that his parents only paid attention to him for 3 seconds - and looking at the scenes of Remy foraging for food while he wears rags and his parents get involved with business despite being stranded - That's..... just awful.

That's a long time for Remy to be without the comforts of home or the comforts of Juandissimo while struggling to survive (and keep his parents alive along with him). Depending on where you personally place Timmy's time freeze, it can get way worse.

And Remy was just happy he had time with his parents... Happy to forage for food... Happy to get a headpat... and for what? They don't deserve you, kid.

For all his greediness and schemes, he is pretty grateful for what little he has. In addition to looking forward to spending time with his parents, when Remy is venting to Timmy at the end of "Remy Rides Again," not once does he mention "And I didn't have my nice things." He says "I didn't have my fairy, Juandissimo, to comfort me."

Remy's parents don't even take care of themselves, let alone pay attention to his needs. They chose not to leave the deserted island - and apparently took their sweet time calling for clothes to be delivered - and Remy seems to be the one in charge of food.

Also, the implication here is that Juandissimo gave some part of his physical form up so Remy could eat, which is horrifying?? Did that happen multiple times, considering these scenes take place immediately after the shipwreck and later after Remy's mom opens her luxury resort, so definitely different days? Did... did Remy reach the point where he was struggling to find food - or the more awful option, struggling to find food for himself because he was giving it to his parents first - and Juandissimo said "F that" ??? ... help.

On top of all this, the official canon is that Juandissimo couldn't hold a job after being separated from Remy because he was so hung up on Remy's situation (and his own shame that he failed), he couldn't stop crying, so he bounced from job to job.

It's the thing I love most about Juandissimo, because when he's introduced in FFQC, he's a huge lapdog for Da Rules, even going off about how not following them would lead to madness. But we learn one very, very important thing about Juandissimo in "Remy Rides Again"... which is that Juandissimo openly broke Da Rules to return Remy's memories.

He's very clear about this: "I decided to help you no matter what Da Rules say, so I gave you back your memories." Because he loved him... and he knew Remy's situation wouldn't get any better if he sat and did nothing. The godparenting program and Jorgen weren't going to help, so Juandissimo - who LOVES Da Rules - broke them.

We know Juandissimo returned those memories while Remy was on the island. That suggests Remy's parents had no intention to return to Dimmsdale... and presumably, they also didn't care Remy was missing school.

We know Remy got real clothes again at some point on the island, and we can assume he had food and a bed because his mom opened a luxury resort, but there's more a child needs... Schooling, medical care, social interaction with peers... everything about that situation just screams neglect. Serious neglect. "We literally do not care" levels of neglect.

Even when Remy's parents do return to Dimmsdale and care about his schooling again, they send him to a military school full of older kids and adults. And that seems at least a little reasonable on the surface - After all, Remy's been a brat, so of course they'd send him to a school for ne'er-do-wells - but that begs the question...

... What has he ever done to upset his parents?

Remy's envy leads him to be rude, sure. And he's presumably committing some kind of fraud or deception crimes in the background due to the implication in "The Big Bash" that he bribes people with checks, but puts stops on them later so they don't go through. These are things that happened when he was doing magical stuff away from home.

But all signs point to him being extremely respectful towards his parents even when they're very dismissive of him... even when he's been placed in terrible, scary situations like being shipwrecked on an uncharted island, not knowing if they'll survive. Remy is polite, does what he's told, never talks back, and volunteers to find food.

It's almost worse that his dad acknowledged Remy finding food was a good idea and still didn't lend a hand in that. The Buxaplentys are such concerning people, and that's just my recap of things that happened in Season 2 and Season 5.

According to Season 9's "Country Clubbed," Remy's dad hits "classless saps" with his limo on purpose every month - which sounds horrible even without the next part - and he does that so he has an excuse to invite them to the Fancy Schmancy Country Club and he and his friends can mock them (under the guise of allowing them access to the club in exchange for them not suing). He heavily implies he'd like to hit Timmy later since he didn't get him while hitting his parents.

That's really messed up... WHAT is going on in the Buxaplenty parents' heads?

The only slightly relieving thing from that statement is that presumably, they don't run over Remy because we can assume Remy isn't a "classless sap," but I don't think "choosing not to run your son over because he shares your wealth" is a real point in their favor.

I make no claims that Dale is a fantastic parent, but the weird thing is... I don't think Dale is outside the range of how other subpar parents in the FOP universe act. Except the Buxaplentys- They're pretty much the lowest of the low.

There are so many concerning things going on in the Dimmadome house, like terrible safety rails, and Dale does cut his son off, dehumanize him, and make him feel unwanted. This is all true.

But at least Dale knows Dev's name and calls him that. It's very possible he's aware of Dev's lactose intolerance (seeing as Dev had to get his allergy card from somewhere). At least Dale provided the au pairs to look after Dev and gave them the ability to cook and recognize when he wants a hug. Even if Dale doesn't go out of his way to hug Dev, he seems to like him enough that he's happy to clap a hand to his shoulder and talk to him. At least he seems interested in talking to him and hearing about his day.

Dale even tries to get Dev outside, but didn't snap at Dev when Dev lay down to play his game instead in "Stanky Danky." That was their father-son thing, though it would've been easy to leave Dev at home.

Dale arguably took charge of Dev's care during that event, seeing as the au pairs don't hover around Dev. idk if Dale made his 9-year-old walk home himself across a very busy road while he chased after Danky, but that's not the point.

The implication is that Dev tags along on Dale's walks to Signal Hill - and has done so many times - because Dev knows Dale's calls drop up there. It's implied Dev plays on that hill when his dad is on a call because Dev knows the grass makes you itchy if you roll down it. He'd probably played there recently since that was the first place to come to mind during the treasure hunt with Hazel, and he remembered the itchiness of the grass.

Dale even makes donations to Dev's school, which is more than the Buxaplentys ever did (See also, Remy likely missing school while shipwrecked).

Remy could die and his parents probably wouldn't spend a cent on his funeral... or get his name right in a eulogy without a lot of note-checking and effort. In fact, it wouldn't shock me if they hid his death so no one found out, because a dead son would be bad press.

Actually... It's very sad to imagine them putting more effort into hiding Remy's death than into caring for his life.

Shout-out to Chapter 10 of the 'fic "Buy Me Love" by DeliverUsFromEvie where Remy addresses two mansion employees by name, but they're confused to find out their boss has a kid and that said kid has been in the house this whole time. I think about it constantly. hey. what on earth.

This 'fic has one of the most brutal interpretations of Remy I've ever seen, and Evie has this and several other awesome works, so consider checking them out!

All of this said, there's something else that's interesting here, so let's talk "Turner Back Time."

I can't stop thinking about how when Timmy wished his ancestor (Ebeneezer) had decided to work with trains rather than dismissing them, that led to a timeline where the following things happened:

- Timmy's Dad still married his beloved Timmy's Mom (lol). Yeah, you're not prying him away from the love of his life for anything.

- Dimmsdale fell to ruin because Timmy's Dad wouldn't play the Rich People game right (Supporting the city's growth) and instead opted to drive trains off the tracks and crash them through buildings.

- The Turners lived in a mansion, but Timmy's bedroom is exactly the same, presumably because in the timeline where his family's rich, he needed a safe space untouched by his parents' branding.

- Despite Timmy's effort to become miserable, Dad kept showering him with affection and toys, so Timmy didn't qualify for fairies until he was tied to railroad tracks with a train hurtling towards him.

- The first thing Timmy did in his attempt to become miserable enough to qualify for fairies was decide not to eat... Same energy as when he felt guilty and refused to sleep in Season 1 ("Dream Goat").

There is something here about Timmy's Dad ignoring the train system, but being attentive to his son, while the Buxaplentys ignore their son, but Dimmsdale isn't in ruins.

I'll say 1 and only 1 positive thing about the Buxaplentys: At least their trains are on the tracks instead of careening through hospital walls. Honestly, the bar is so low, it is below the floor.

Timmy's Dad became a greedy person in that timeline, but he still chose to marry someone of lower social status, have a son, and be kind to his son- He's happy to greet him, encourages him to enjoy their wealth, and gifts Timmy lots of nice things. In that timeline, it's the Turners who have generational wealth. Dad was raised by generations of Turners and he still makes time for Timmy. Come on, Buxaplentys... Is it THAT hard to speak to your son like you're happy he exists?

Closing Thoughts

The Buxaplentys are definitely an old money family while the Dimmadomes and Ed Leadly give off new money energy (to me).

Neither Doug nor Ed was seen at the Fancy Schmancy Country Club in S9's "Country Clubbed." All the people who were there have names that play on wealth. They also dress in a much more "upper class" way than Leadly with his flashy yellow suit or Doug with his Southern/Western theme.

The Dimmadomes represent business-related wealth and big company vibes, and I'd call them eccentric. Compare Doug's precariously perched cliffside estate (S3's "Engine Blocked") to Remy's telescope-

I really hope he decorates that hat for the holidays

The energy I get from this is "Doug doing whatever he wants just because he can"... which is also the impression I get from the "Crock Talk" scene that shows his hat stretching through the limo roof. Doug does business things and hosts events, but keeps to himself unless he's doing business things.

Comparatively, Leadly is all-in on his pencil branding, and the Buxaplentys flaunt their wealth in everyday life. As in, they buy the most expensive version of anything they want and like to showcase their wealth.

But while Doug and Dale have "Do what I want" energy, the Buxaplentys seem more restricted by social expectation.

That is, the Buxaplentys dress very nice and dine with fancy people- even their 11-year-old wears a tux, bowtie, and cummerbund. Buxaplentys are very "Flaunt wealth & do what people expect of us." They don't go out of their way to do "silly, eccentric" things like putting a hat on their mansion, but they sure will buy golden, diamond-studded things.

Well, that wraps up my analysis on Dimmsdale's wealthy families, who each intrigue and frighten me in their own unique ways... whether that be money laundering, holding back a magical forest, or being absolutely awful parents.

Thanks for reading!

[fug0th]

We're back boys! Another day another Epithet Erased cosplay

After 2 years I decided to remake my yoomtah cosplay! This outfit took a little over 4 month and 140 hours of work.

I had some fun with this outfit, as always I wanted to make it different. This time I wanted to make it so it could change colors and glow, so I had some fun with uv glow and LEDs. I soldered LEDs into the cheeks, wig, belt, back of the neck, and boots. To get the trim to glow I used neon wig weft, a florescent protein dye, and painted details with uv glow paint.

I also had fun adding details that are only visible in black light, including on the back of the suit. I wanted to add in some cuttlefish like elements so I added yoomtahs cheek marks onto her back as well.

I had a lot of fun adding in details, for instance using devore on the black strips to chemically burn designs into them. I also had fun hand embroidering the collar

The collar does glow

Something that was really important to me when making this outfit was making the cybernetic arms and legs. Using Eva foam, foam clay, and fabric I was able to make arms and legs that looked metallic while staying mobile

I also made the buttons for the suit from scratch using a type of glassblowing called lampworking. I've used lampworking in some other outfits, notably naven

Anyways thank you so much for reading!

[henrycangelbaby]

In which: “It's not that the amount of love I had changed, but I feel so proud about it now, like that I want to shout from the rooftops and tell everyone of my loved ones how much I love my wife, MY wife, ya know?”

Or

An interview gives unique insight into Pedro Pascal and his vast amount of love for his wife

I make my way through meeting the cast of HBO's unexpected hit “The Last Of Us” rather easily.

Bella Ramsey lives in a far nicer apartment in London than anything I would have been able to afford at the same age. Despite their fame and talent, they remain settled and down to earth, dressed in an outfit a little too cool for me to understand and eager to show me around their lovely apartment that is decorated in a way that I quite liked but I'm sure my baby boomer father would find offensive. I even end up meeting Ramsey's girlfriend, a fellow actor (who I admittedly had never heard of) who is equally as young and pretty as Ramsey is. They are both lovely and down to earth, a sentiment I don't often find relatable working with celebrities.

Kaitlin Denver is in her late 20s and still looks like she could be in high school. She lives in a shared house with her sister, whom she also shares a music career with. Despite the controversy surrounding her character in the show, she seems to remain completely unfazed by the backlash and threats that surround Abby Anderson. Denver merley shrugs when I ask her how she deals with it, leaving me to assume her vices when it comes to dealing with unprecedented hate.

I meet other stars of the show too. Gabriel Luna has all the southern charm of Tommy Miller and more, making me question whether he really does any acting when playing the sweeter, younger Texan brother. Isabela Merced is very beautiful in person and is also far shorter than I had imagined. What she lacks in height she makes up for in personality and charm.

Of course, when you think of the stars of The Last Of Us, there is probably someone else that comes to mind. Securing an interview with Pedro Pascal is probably one of the harder things I have had to do in recent years. It's not that Pacal is hard to come by; in fact, in recent years we haven't been able to escape him. I originally doubted that I would even be able to secure an interview with the internet's "daddy." Pascal has had a busy few years, and this one is no different. With multiple projects coming out this year, including the new season of The Last Of Us and his highly anticipated entry into the MCU as the iconic Richard Reed, it seems that everyone wants a piece of him. While all the other actors on this list do have notable careers outside of the show, the point of this interview series was to be able to interview the main cast members of the show in anticipation for the new season; however, I found that same sentiment hard to carry across when interviewing Pascal. I don't want to spoil the show for anyone, but I will just say that he won't be back next season. Whether that's due to internal conflicts or simply being too booked, we’ll never know.

I was rather ecstatic to receive a phone call from someone on his team letting me know the time and date for our interview. Like normal, I'm given an NDA to sign before receiving any personal information, such as his address (which I did require for the purpose of the interview). But everything else seems to go off without a hitch. 

I was admittedly nervous to meet him. In the best way possible, his reputation definitely proceeds him. Pascal is only ever described as kind, loving, funny, and any other positive synonyms for a massive sweetheart that you can think of. I personally have been a big fan of his work since he played forever thirsted over narcos agent Javier Paner. I know they say you shouldn't meet your idols (and trust me, I've had my fair share of heartbreaking realizations that someone I once admired is actually a piece of shit), but I had high hopes for meeting Pedro. And I am happy to report that it did not disappoint. 

I arrived at his home in Los Angeles ten minutes earlier than I should have. Not that I'm kept waiting, as before I can get a second knock in on the door, a young woman flings it open, smiling at me tightly. She quickly lets me in, introducing herself as Pascal's assistant, offering me tea or coffee, and ushering me to sit down on the comfy-looking couch while I wait for her boss to arrive (which she insists should not be too long). I take a moment to look around the room while I'm waiting. The room is sweet and welcoming, much like the rest of the home, which feels very well... homely (like stepping into your best friend's house and chatting with their parents at the dinner table). It's a hard feeling to describe, such a sense of nostalgia from a place that I had never been in before. It feels fitting though that a man so beloved as Pedro Pascal should have a home that feels so nice. I snoop to get a closer look at the photos that hang up on the walls and sit on cabinets. Most of them seem normal. There are a few faces I recognize within the photos; Oscar Iscac can be spotted alongside a younger-looking Pascal in one of the photos on the wall. I spot John Favro amongst a few people in a photo that looks to have been taken on the set of The Mandelorian, but apart from that, the photos seem normal. They depict family and friends in various places over various years; it appears that Pascal cherishes his relationships with loved ones above all else. 

I'm stopped in my snooping by another face in one of the photos, a face I recognize instantly, a face that has been all over the internet and tabloids for some time now. Pedro's wife. The photo is the first one in which she features prominently, sitting alongside what I can only assume to be one of her husband's sisters. It's a sweet photo, one that I can imagine Pedro was on the other side of, grinning wildly while taking. Y/N Pascal is an elusive figure that the media and her husband's fans have been trying to know better for a few years now. She is what is best described as a "normie," that is to say that she is just like you and me; that is perhaps what makes her so interesting to fans. She doesn't appear to have any ties to the industry; she isn't some big-wig producer's daughter; in fact, despite their insistence, fans have been unable to find anything on her. She has no public social media accounts, no company profiles online, and no one she went to high school with has come forward with a tik tok horror story (yet!). The couple are shrouded in mystery; no one seems to know how they met, where Y/N is from, or even the highly shrouded question of her age. She certainly appears younger than Pascal by a good few years, and I'm sure that I could find thousands of posts online speculating (or being downright nasty) about how young she is. But out of respect for the happy couple, I leave it a mystery. 

The sharp heels of the sensible shoes that Pascal's assistant is wearing suddenly come back into earshot. She warns me to be ready with my stuff as “they” will be home soon. I don't think twice about her words before hauling ass back to the couch and trying to pull myself together. It's not long before I hear the front door open. Amy (Pascal's assistant that I had only just remembered the name of) runs to the door. I walk slower behind awkwardly, not wanting to intrude (despite the fact that I had spent the last ten minutes snooping around what was essentially a stranger's house). I peek round the corner to be greeted with Pascal's broad back. He is facing away from me, talking to his assistant lowly. His assistant finishes speaking and moves past me, wishing me luck in passing. Pascal doesn't turn around to greet me yet; in fact, he drops down onto one knee to reveal to my utmost shock his wife. Neither of them pay me any mind as he begins untying her shoes for her, ever the gentleman everyone believes he is. 

It's not a second later that the man of the hour turns around to greet me. He smiles widely at me, and I find myself blushing slightly at his unwavering eye contact as he introduces himself. He only introduces himself by his first name, not something I find often when meeting famous people; they are often eager to give me the name that everyone knows and loves them by. It seems a bit of a strange phenomenon in Hollywood that has missed Pascal. His wife then steps forward to introduce herself. I hate to be the bearer of bad news to the millions of jealous fans, but Y/N Pascal is strikingly beautiful; even as I meet her in her own home with no makeup, she glows ethereally with a striking smile that looks like it belongs on the cover of a magazine. In that moment meeting her I quickly see why Pascal holds her in such admiration.

Much to my disappointment, that is the first and last time I see her during the interview. Pedro ushers her away somewhere out of sight with a protective arm around her shoulder. I can hear him mutter to her lowly, promising to be quick. Before kissing her goodbye with an "I love you." It makes my heart ache with a longing. Much like the rest of the internet, I wish I had a man like Pedro Pascal. We chat for a while, while exploring his house, he speaks passionately about his career, which he clearly loves. He has a flame behind his eyes as he speaks about his long-winded love for the cinema. He tells me stories of his famous friends that are featured on his walls. We laugh together, and he very much reminds me of an old friend. Even though I should be interviewing him, I let him talk, rambling on about things that I didn't find important enough to put in this interview, but they certainly put a smile on my face. 

The house is beautiful; it's decorated nicely and feels authentic and homely. It's not massive, not overly obnoxious in the way many celebrity houses are; it's still big, the kind of size that screams loving family. I don't mean to make assumptions, but it almost feels like it's been brought with the idea of a growing family in mind. I complement the house easily. Pedro smiles at me. For the first time in the interview, he refers to his wife. He tells me that he hadn't cared where they lived; “anywhere is home when you are with someone that you love,” but insists that she had loved the house the moment they first saw it. "She has better taste than me,” he tells me with a loving glint in his eye. "She did a good job.” I compliment, he nods and smiles, "always thought I was biased 'cause I’m married to her, but glad to know it's not just me." I feel awfully privileged to get an insight into Pedro's fondness of his wife. It's not often that he speaks about her publicly; she gets mentioned in passing during interviews and is often spotted at events with him, safely away from the cameras, but it's clear to the general public that his marriage is a part of his life that he wishes to keep away from public scrutiny. 

Its towards the end of the interview that I do ask him about his marriage. We walk past a wedding photo that depicts him and his lovely bride squashed together on one seat, smiling widely at the camera. He doesn't say anything when he notices me peering at the photo. I ask him carefully if he thinks being a married man has changed him. He ponders for a second. "Probably,” he answers me carefully. It's not the response I had expected from him, so I quickly encourage him to go on. "I suppose it has in a way,” he continues. “It's not that the amount of love I had changed, but I feel so proud about it now, like that I want to shout from the rooftops and tell everyone of my loved ones how much I love my wife, MY wife, ya know?” I smile and nod at his explanation. I understand what he is saying—such a sweet sentiment that it makes my heart warm. 

We don't speak for much longer after that; he briefly mentions a few upcoming projects, which he seems excited for. I ask him what he has planned next, after his next few big projects are done. He hesitates for a second. “Truthfully,” he says, “I plan on taking a step away for a bit.” I ask if he wants to settle down more. “Yeah, that's part of it; I mean, I’m not getting any younger.” He tells me, “Things are changing soon, and I just want to be settled with my family.” He finishes. I wonder for a moment what he is referring to when he mentions these soon changes; I don't ponder on it too long; much like a crazed fan, I have a few theories floating around in my head. 

We wrap up the interview from there; he is as polite and gracious as he has been the entire time, shaking my hand and thanking me for my time. I try to thank him for the interview and for letting me into his house, but he simply shakes his head at me, insisting it was his pleasure. He disappears soon after that, saying he has something to attend to (and speed walking in the direction that his wife disappeared to). I'm left to see myself out; I don’t snoop too much after I’m left alone. I make my way back to the front of the house, peering around as I go. I peek inside one room that appears to be in the middle of some kind of renovation or do-over. There are multiple pieces of yet-to-be put together furniture on the ground as the walls look to be in the middle of being painted a pastel purple color. 

I’m about to leave when something catches my eye—on the table by the front door, which has various bits and bobs scattered over it, but none of these catch my eye. I step closer to get a clearer view of what appears to be a small black and white photo. I quickly realize what it is: tucked beneath the wallet I had seen Pedro place down before our interview began is an ultrasound. I smile knowingly as my theory is proven correct; the Pascal family is about to be adding another member. 

Congratulations to Pedro as his wife on the upcoming addition to their family.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Mimi Tachikawa's clothing style - a meta analysis

While their clothing styles are arguably an underlying theme in both Koushirou's and Sora's ways of self-expression (even if it's never at the forefront of their arcs), no other character lives and breathes the idea of expressing themselves through fashion as openly as Mimi. So after Taichi, Yamato and the two redheads, let's take a closer look at Digimon Adventure's very own fashion queen, shall we:

Adventure (+ Our War Game), age 10/11:

If there is one thing the viewer can immediately tell about Mimi, it's probably her favourite colour: Through the course of Adventure, you will rarely see her wear an outfit that doesn't include one pink item of clothing (or at least an accessory) at minimum. While she also has a preference for red shades, she absolutely loves pink in all its variations - on her everyday outfits as well as on her pyjamas! In terms of style, Mimi loves to combine comfort with "being fashionable". The feminine red cowgirl dress and beige-brown - assumably - shearling boots are not exactly the most practical items to wear during a camping trip; but they perfectly complement her favourite item, the pink cowgirl hat she hides her long, wavy hair under in a ponytail. In general, hat(s), dresses/skirts and boots are a repeating theme for her, as we will see later on.

Mimi didn't exactly start Summer camp unprepared, as she wears brown gloves (in a similar colour as her hair) and carries around a brown bag with camping equipment all the way. On the other hand, as Mimi grew up in a sheltered household, at the beginning of Adventure, she is very prone to let everyone around her know when her comfort is being disrupted. Thus, it's no surprise that she got coerced into exchanging her travel-ridden outfit (probably sweaty and dirty at this point) for a fancy white-pinkish (!) princess dress, as PicoDevimon's intrigue aimed to corrupt her. After all, she was overwhelmed by the situation - and loves pretty clothes and being comfortable, so she (understandably!) gets lost in the convenience of luxury for a bit. Thus even Taichi telling her how "impractical" the dress would be as a traveling fit couldn't shake her out of it for a while. However: As a mix between red's passion and white's purity, pink symbolizes love, nurture and compassion - and so it shall also come as no surprise that Mimi (encouraged by Sora) eventually found her way back to the right path and leave the spoilt attitude behind for the sake of her duty.

Even though she'll leave the beloved hat behind with Palmon in the Digital World at some point as well - it won't be the last hat she'll own. And also not the last pink one!

02 (+ Diablomon Strikes Back), age 13/14:

The transition phase between Adventure and 02 already shows Mimi getting a little more experimental with colours, as she actually added white, blue and green - her signature colour - to the mix. However, the viewer is not prepared for just how experimental Mimi would turn out to be! And neither were the animators, as several of Mimi's incredibly varied concept outfits didn't make it into the anime - but let's go through it step by step:

At the beginning of 02, we learn that Mimi's family has moved to the USA - and if the cowgirl aesthetic hasn't been an indicator before, 13-year-old teenage!Mimi will go all out on the American aesthetic and a style that couldn't be more early 2000s: Wearing a crop top that couldn't be closer to the US American flag if she tried, a white short skirt and high heels with white kneesocks. Most notably, for the majority of the season, her favourite colour pink will be a permanent part of her - as she chose to dye her (a little shortened, but more voluminous) hair pink. Additionally, she has adopted the star motive for herself - which we have previously only seen on Taichi! Mimi herself wears them either on her shirt - or as small hairclips in her hair.

Speaking of hair - unfortunately, the viewer won't get to see most of her hair experiments (namely the dark brown dreads, the highlights and the space buns). In one episode, her strawberry blonde perm (and pants!!!) can be witnessed at least - and eventually, we'll see her return to her natural hair colour. She also returns to the cowgirl aesthetic in Summer, once again wearing a pink hat (!), a white cowgirl dress, boots - and pigtails.

In general, one can tell that Mimi undoubtedly enjoys her youth abroad, as she seemed fascinated by American culture and the idea of "expressing herself freely" as a 10-year-old already. In the Adventure novels, it is already implied that Mimi stood out among her peers in school and - similarly yet differently to Koushirou - may be considered an "odd" in contrast to more "more traditional" Japanese customs (such as Sora's kimono-wearing mother as a traditional iemoto). Mimi also never fit into lifestyle aesthetics like Gyaru or Lolita, but definitely thrives in experimenting with extravagant, less traditional clothes and hairstyles through Summer that draw attention and display her personal interpretation of femininity; outfits that are funky, stylish (mainly crop tops, short skirts/shorts and high boots) and, most importantly, individualistic.

By the end of the season and the start of winter, she goes in a bit of a different direction: Her winter outfit is probably one of her most iconic ones - as well as the most high-femme she's ever been: Mimi fully commits to the spirit of Christmas by wearing a pine green goat and hat, accompanied by her long(er) flowy hair, a mahogany red skirt and light brown boots - it's cozy and mature and very Christmas-tree-y! A similarly mature vibe is maintained during Diablomon Strikes Back, as she wears a yellow turtleneck, a mahogany red skirt, a star necklace and brown boots. She doesn't exactly grow out of the experimental expressionist phase - but gets more balance into it. It's all very symbolic for 02!Mimi, who isn't just incredibly self-confident, but has also grown out of her "spoilt princess" tendencies. Instead, she has her own mind and insists on it - in a constructive, self-assured way!

Tri, age 16:

Tri!Mimi is mostly consistent with the majority of style elements we have discovered so far and actually adds a fashion-related element to her arc. First, let's focus on the things we are familiar with - and add the aspects that are new:

By now, Mimi has stopped dying her hair regularly and mostly sticks to wearing it open and/or with a headband. Sometimes, she does wear a ponytail, still cherishes the cowgirl hat whenever it fits - and in one scene, is even seen wearing unconventional bangs (and bunny ears that almost let me doubt that it was her for a moment, but since she actually wore stars - for the first and only time in Tri -, we can tell that it's her!). Thus, she still likes to experiment with variety!

Clothes-wise, she still prefers (mostly short!) dresses/skirts/shorts, (sandal-)boots - and of course the colour pink in most of her everyday outfits (with splashes of red, green and blue in between), including yukatas! Tri also lets her wear jeans for a change - but rather rarely.

Her school uniform includes exactly two aspects that differentiate her from the way Sora wears it: First of all, she adds a splash of colour by wearing red-white sneakers (whereas Sora wears standard loafers). Second, she wears rolled-up long sleeves in Summer - and is the only one who does so besides Yamato.

Last but not least, let's talk about the formerly mentioned US American influences that got her in trouble for a bit: After transferring back to Japan, she suggests hosting a Hooters-like café for the school festival - and thus her outgoing, funky (and undeniably more revealing) ideas clash with her more traditional, reserved Japanese classmates.

Her general sentiment is that she doesn't see the use in holding back or hiding her true feelings and thoughts for the sake of pleasing others. It's her sense of sincerity, which gets perceived as egotism by her classmates, that requires her to balance herself out again (and not just in terms of fashion, as she also got into a fight with Koushirou over priorities as well):

She has to find a way not to give herself up while simultaneously not stepping on everyone else in the process - and just like when she got seduced by a princess dress at age 10, things eventually get resolved. Working with Sora and Meiko to create an orange-purple cheerleading outfit, her performance and enthusiasm doesn't just impress her classmates, but help her to reconcile with them. Even though the outfit may have shown more skin than they initially anticipated, it was still a good mix between practical, fun and cute for them to seem more open to the idea of experimentation themselves. This subplot also greatly contributes to Meiko's character development, helping her to get a little bit more confident herself!

To quote Mimi in the English dub here: "Fashion demands courage."

Kizuna, age 21:

Kizuna represents a small shift in Mimi's expressionist attitude - or rather, as she stepped into the world being an entrepreneur, running her own online business, she interprets some of her prior style elements a little... Differently, depending on the situation:

She still loves (short) dresses and will never give up on pink - however, her everyday outfit appears a little different than what we are used to with her. It's still colourful and funky, complemented by earrings and bracelets with splashes of colour. But gone is the cowgirl hat - and the hair she used to wear open for most of the past ten years has been tied back into a (loose) bun. The style is very difficult to describe and even though it's very much Mimi-esque in the way it's individualistic - it looks a little more kindergarten teacher-esque as well. In contrast, her business meeting outfit - a strapless long-sleeve shirt, a black belt and a high-waist skirt in burgundy red - combines familiar elements of Winter02!Mimi and Tri!Mimi.

The epilogue, approximately age 38:

38-year-old Businesswoman-slash-experimental-TV-star-cook!Mimi elaborated on the look of 21-year-old Businesswoman!Mimi - and while her look definitely evolved, she also returned to her roots again, finding a balance between "more traditional" and "individualistic": She's back to wearing her hair open, it's a little shorter and, depending on how she styles it, either wavy or frayed. The pink cowgirl hat is back too - as well as the whole cowgirl aesthetic, because, let's be real, she would always find a way back to it, considering how it had become such a reoccurring theme for her.

Final thoughts (and headcanons):

Mimi being as experimental as she has always been, trying out all the different things - in both fashion and life itself - absolutely stands for her honest, pure nature. She absolutely has her own mind and trusts her intuition a lot - and this experimental yet straightforward mindset will lead her to make decisions in the end: It helps her to learn exactly what she wants/likes and what she doesn't want/like. Go big or go home, don't hide who you are deep down inside!

It's a very progressive, empowering mindset - and so it shall not even come to any surprise that it's mainly (but not exclusively!) female characters she inspires with her way of thinking. Whether it's Miyako who heavily idolizes and wishes to be like her as she blushes and smiles serenely to herself; Meiko who gains a lot of self-confidence through Mimi's support and encouragement and kisses on the cheek, so she bursts through her self-destructive thoughts and gets "out of the closet box" at least a little more; her female classmates who actually adore and admire her school festival outfit and performance; or, last but not least, there is Sora, who used to take Mimi under her wing, and is, as an adult, reassured by her in return to "spread her wings freely" herself. Personally, it's very difficult for me not to see Mimi's influence and general theme as a metaphor for self-discovery in terms of gender-representation and sexuality as well. (I've made similar points for Sora and Koushirou in their respective analysis posts as well; the former is such a strong contrast to Mimi not only in the way their personalities, styles and arcs contrast each other, but in how Sora struggles so much with her own self-representation in return. The latter's temporary crush on Mimi may even play into the idea of self-discovery as well, but that's a topic for another day. Mimi - in my personal opinion you don't have to agree with! - actually has a lot of aroace energy, as she never actively pursues romance herself in the series. But at the same time, the wlw vibes she causes when she's in the same room with other girls cannot be overlooked! Also, not to say that she doesn't inspire male characters - such as Jyou, Koushirou and Taichi - at various points as well, but that's the beautiful part of Mimi's theme: even more empowerment AND power to the bisexual vibe!)

However, as it is often the case with themes of self-discovery, that kind of sincere, outgoing attitude may not be to everybody's liking. It may even cause Mimi's more revealing/emotion-based choices to clash with other people's preferences and ideals. And, as Tri suggests, it may even be controversially considered self-centered and indecent instead of self-confident and empowering by some.

For example, the fact that she spent most of her early teenage years in a - in comparison to Japan - more open society in terms of fashion choices may be met with suspicious eyes among some of her Japanese peers. 02!Mimi did pick more revealing clothes after all, which were typical for Western teenagers in the 2000s - and Tri!Mimi was 100% used to that kind of style, liking to show skin and feeling free and happy while doing so! Which definitely collided with Meiko's more closed-off clothing choices.

(On a different note, it shall not be ignored that she was also the focus of a lot of heavily sexualized/objectified marketing materials back in the Tri era. So while her wearing crop tops, short skirts and high boots absolutely IS a Mimi!thing, Tri's half-naked fan service promo art can and should be taken with a grain of salt. And while it's not exactly linked to her clothes, Mimi had already faced a lot of Digimon (!) back in Adventure hitting on her as a 10-year-old - such as Numemon and Sukamon -, trying to date her in a rather scummy fashion. So her being the center of weird "fan service" and uncomfortable encounters has always been a thing.)

On the other hand, her learning/knowing exactly what she wants also includes her having reoccurring preferences she will always come back to. And thus, as she grew more mature and self-assured, Mimi never gave up on her own personal roots: The comforting power of pink - let's remember: as a mix between red's passion and white's purity, it symbolizes love, nurture and compassion. And, of course, the nostalgic cowgirl hat that will always link her to her literal soulmate - who wears a pink, almost hat-like flower on top of her head.

[yumeka-sxf]

It's been a while since I made a merch post 🙂First items I want to share are these adorable pin+acrylic stand sets featuring the Forgers in their resort island outfits from the cruise arc ❤️

Next is some merch from the Anime Extra Mission event from June. I got a clear file (which I scanned in a previous post), a fan, and a copy of the pamphlet.

The pamphlet has some nice content, including interviews with all the voice actors, transcriptions of the live reading scripts they did at the event, and a cool chart of all the current anime episodes. Here's a few pages:

Not sure if I'll ever get around to translating all of it, but detailed summaries of the live reading stories are available on the Spy x Family Fan Wiki.

Next is some goods I got from the Nijigen no Mori collab that's been going on in Japan. I got a hat, an umbrella, a mug, a water bottle, and a clear file (which I also recently scanned).

I was thankful that the hat just about fit my fat head/thick hair!

The umbrella is really nice too! I'll definitely use it during the three days a year it rains here 😅 I could use it for sunny days too I suppose, lol.

Next is the CODE: White home video release! I liked the bonus merch that came with both the Toho deluxe version (left photo) and the Amazon JP deluxe version (right photo). So I got both.

Unfortunately, I had a mishap with my copy of the Amazon version where FedEx delivered it to the wrong house! I got the notification that it was delivered, but it wasn't at my front doorstep, plus the photo they shared was of a completely different front door, so I started freaking out. I drove around the block trying to find any neighboring houses that looked like the one in the photo. After I couldn't find it, I submitted an issue report to FedEx. They said they would try to track down the driver and figure out what happened. I wasn't too hopeful and was debating ordering it again, but decided to wait a bit. And much to my surprise, the next morning the driver found the missing package...but unfortunately the house he delivered it to had kids who opened it already. So he brought it to me in a different box with all the pieces loose. Luckily everything was in good shape and accounted for...or so I thought. The deluxe version came with a lot of extras and I didn't realize until later that day that I was actually missing a couple of things, notably the nice slipcover box for the discs and the art booklet. I was of course really mad about this, but I was able to find someone on Mercari selling a copy of the movie with these items for a good price, so I bought it.

The booklet is really cool - it has concept art, key frame sketches, and other neat info~ Here's a few pages:

By this point I had three copies of the movie on blu-ray (one of which had fingerprints on the discs from the grubby hands of the kids who opened my package 😑 At least the discs still worked) So I gave the extras away to friends.

I threw in the below little lenticular bookmark with one of my Mercari orders. It was given out at this past NatsuComi expo in Japan.

And lastly, some smaller items: postcards (which I also scanned) and a Twiyor pin~