#pretty much the only thing i will be sewing is the cape + collar

[koushisun]

y'all the coco cosplay is officially happening lets gooo!!

[1bringthesun]

alright. we’ve reached deranged o’clock. today, i, tai, will be dissecting the garb of Fyodor (bsd). if someone has done this already, oops! let’s begin.

to start, an image of Fyodor for reference.

so i’m kicking us off with his hat, because that’s probably the easiest part. the fandom has collectively agreed that it’s an ushanka, and yeah, i tend to agree. it pretty much looks exactly like this (image pictured below: white ushanka from this link).

so that’s that. to balance it out, i’m doing his cape next, because what the fuck. it looks like a pretty normal cape at first glance. one with fur lining. like this (image pictured below: a black cape with fur lining at the top near the collar from this link.)

but i urge you to go look back at the reference image, because not only does Fyodor’s cape not attach at the top, not only does it have buttons along the edges, but it has a notch lapel (a type of collar lapel; basically those foldy things by the sides at the top of a trench coat). and once again, it doesn’t attach at the damn top.

so that leaves us two options: either it’s an unbuttoned coat with sleeves that don’t show because it’s so dark and a fur lining, or it’s a really weird cape. and please spare me, because i know nothing about fashion. i’m doing this all for fun. so let’s explore each option.

it could definitely be something like this, except with fur added (image pictured below: soviet officer’s naval uniform from this link)

except… you know. it doesn’t have sleeves. but his cape doesn’t have anywhere to clip onto at the top, and it also has that collar lapel, and also buttons, so it barely looks like a cape at all! what are you WEARING, Fyodor??

there’s one last possibility, but it’s not a style of cape so much as it is one specific thing i found that looks like the discolored version of what Fyodor is wearing. because i know i’m going to hit the image limit, i’m just going to tell you to visit this link if you wanna see what it looks like. it’s just a lora piana cape.

in any case, his cape does look like a personally tailored version of something that originally came from the russian military, so there’s some food for thought. moving onto his shirt.

the one clothing item that looks most like what he’s wearing is a qipao/cheongsam top. for all intents and purposes, the style and everything looks quite similar—the buttons and how they’re in the middle, where the purple-colored trim would go on Fyodor’s shirt and how it aligns with the sewing, etc. here is an example.

(image pictured below: a white qipao/cheongsam top that honestly looks a lot like what Fyodor is wearing from this link)

that looks pretty similar, right? right?!?! but damnit Fyodor, you had to make things complicated, didn’t you?! because … because your collar? that is NOT a qipao/cheongsam collar. (image pictured below: official art of Fyodor holding his hat and smiling with no cape on from this link)

the only thing that would explain how this was still a qipao/cheongsam top was if he was wearing a fengxian collar. and even then… it’s not quite right. (image pictured below: woman wearing a red dudou with a fengxian collar from this link.)

…but putting so much effort into styling one single shirt… i mean, i couldn’t find any men’s examples of the fengxian collar because styling your qipao is more of a feminine thing to do. so let’s visit russian fashion again.

ah, but there’s the slight kicker. 19th century russian fashion was, to my knowledge, influenced by asian fashion. for example, the khalat, also known as a russian cape, which— huh, do you think he could be wearing a khalat?

….i finished talking about his cape. and as i was writing about the weird collar on his shirt, i remembered this official art, which i grabbed and saved directly from the manga so i don’t have a link source. (image pictured below: newish official art released in the manga—Dazai and Fyodor standing next to each other with yellow paint(?) severing their heads from their bodies and TV screens with various pictures surrounding them.)

Fyodor’s collar! look, it’s straight! maybe he IS wearing a cheongsam! the cape still has that weird collar lapel (goddamn it) so i can’t really say anything enlightened about that, but… the shirt!!

cool! alright! his pants! so this is really straightforward. idk if it’s pants that come as a pair with the shirt or something, but they just look like normal white linen pants to me. (image pictured below: linen, white pants on a woman from this link)

finally, his shoes. i only have one image left before i hit the image limit, so i hope you’re willing to scroll back to the top, where you’ll see his shoes look very strange, but surprisingly, they’re easy enough to label.

i think it’s likely he’s wearing Renaissance boots, given how they look almost identical to his sans the fact they’re disconnected in the front, but Renaissance boots DO have gaps, it’s just not pictured in the specific image of these specific boots i chose. (image pictured below: Renaissance boots from this link.)

yeah, they’re a little short, and maybe they don’t look EXACTLY right, but you can’t deny it’s the same style. if you think the shoe quarters look a little less attached to the vamps, then i’d just tell you to consider the fact he’s wearing spatterdashes and call it a day. (more about spats here.)

and finally, if you’re interested in 19th century/historical russian fashion, given Fyodor’s outfit seems pretty inspired by that, i advise you check out this link, which goes into some detail about things i didn’t.

of course, i hope you enjoyed my disorganized insanity, and may you have a good sun-out time or moon-out time!

[burnwater13]

Din Djarin repairing the Razor Crest on Maldo Kreis. Image from The Mandalorian, Season 2, Episode 2, The Passenger. Calendar by DateWorks.

Grogu sighed. He missed the Razor Crest. Not just because it had a multi-species privy either. Or a private cabin for his hammock. Or a food preserver. Or a fresher. In fact, he wasn’t a big fan of freshers in general. At least not the ones that used sound to clean the dirt off you. 

Sure, his feet weren’t covered in sand or dirt anymore, but the base of the fresher was and then he always ended up tracking it all over the ship and that didn’t make the Mandalorian any happier than he ever was. It just inspired Din Djarin to tell him stories about how Mandalorian younglings learn to clean everything and that when they developed the syllabus for Grogu’s apprenticeship, cleaning methods, techniques, and selection criteria were certain to be a large portion of the practical application courses. Uff. 

Of course the Razor Crest did have a second fresher that had been perfect for Grogu. The Mandalorian called it a ‘sink’ but given Grogu’s size, it was more like a tub and he really enjoyed it. It wasn’t deep enough for him to do a somersault, but he could float on his back and he could practice swimming, although the sink really wasn’t regulation anything in length.

The only downside to the sink/tub was that the bounty hunter complained at him about leaving a dirt ring in it.

“Buddy, the point of a bath is to get clean. I’m not sure that’s really happening here. Where did this dirt come from?”

It was a fair question. Grogu was often surprised at how easy it was for him to get dirty on a ship that was in the middle of hyperspace. One time he’d tried to blame the purrgils, but Din Djarin wasn’t buying it. Not even a little bit. 

“Buddy, I don’t even believe in Space Whales, but I still know they didn’t somehow transport dirt into the Razor Crest just so you could walk in it and track it all around both decks. I thought that coverall of yours actually covered your feet?”

It had covered his feet. Once. But you only had to spend so much of your time walking around places like Tatooine and Nevarro to have that be pretty much a thing of the past. He had held up the edges of the hem so the bounty hunter could see what it looked like. The deep sigh spoke volumes. 

“Listen kid, you really need to let me know when stuff like this happens. This is the sort of thing that was an easy repair when you had the first little rip or hole. Now… well now I need to see if I even have enough scraps left over from the last time I repaired my second layer to make you a big enough patch. We might have to stop on Joona and see if they have fabric we can purchase to fix this or maybe even make you a new coverall.”

A new coverall?! Wow. 

Grogu had no idea that Din Djarin could sew. Or at least he thought if the Mandalorian had been capable of sewing then his own cape/blanket wouldn’t be in tatters all the time. He certainly hadn’t been fixing it when the problem was small. It was more like he was waiting for the whole thing to disintegrate before he replaced to save time. 

But if the Mandalorian was going to make him so new clothing, Grogu really wanted to provide some solid input on the selection of the fabric and pattern to make sure it was comfortable, durable, and stylish. Most people thought he was a walking sack of tubers. He knew he’d been sold as just that at least twice while he was still on Arvala-7. 

The Jedi weren’t really known for their style. At least not the Jedi he knew. And none of them could sew a fastener to a belt, let alone to leg coverings or a shirt collar. They pretty much covered themselves up in criss crossing layers of stuff and hid it all under a huge cape or cloak, depending on their nature. Open, happy Jedi (there really had been a few of them) used a short cape and it just kept their tunics and leggings from getting dirty. The more serious, battle hardened folks had a cloak with a deep hood that kept all but the most determined from seeing the grim visage that reminded everyone of a cross battle droid. Ready for action but never eager for it. 

Grogu always thought it was a pity that even his favorite Jedi Masters stuck to color palette that ranged all the way from sand colored to mud colored. For the truly adventurous you might have an accept color that was most reminiscent of dried blood. Any critters dried blood, it didn’t really matter. 

Grogu wanted something more colorful. Like rainbow even. Bright stripes. Dots. Maybe a criss cross pattern. It would be loose, but not like a balloon because he didn’t need to go flying across a sidewalk like that one time he grabbed the cloak Obi-Wan dropped. Good thing he could use the Force, otherwise he’d have been on the other side of Coruscant before anyone could catch up to him. 

It would have deep pockets for snacks; a mechanism to pull his hem up so it wouldn’t get wet in every stinking puddle he walked through, and sleeves that didn’t impede his arms from being able to reach out and collect items of interest. You know, things that were shiny, tasty, or willing to talk, like Anzellans. 

Finally, it would come with a pair of sturdy, made to measure sandals. Not boots. Not shoes. Sandals. He liked to feel the water squish between his toes and the wind blow them dry as they trotted from location to location. 

Grogu wondered if that’s what the Mandalorian had in mind. 

“Great news buddy! Remember that cape I used to clean you up when you got sick eating all those cookies in class that day on Nevarro? I just found a good sized chunk of that. Once I wash it I can use that to fix your coverall. I have no idea how it got stuck under my pilot’s seat, but its a lucky find for you.”

Yippee… Grogu just hoped it was still blue from the cookies. Fingers crossed. 

[switch]

For the fate character thing: Moriarty and Vlad just bc I like hearing you talk about them

oh boy you're not getting any prompts skipped with this one! it's gonna be a long one.

Vlad:

favorite thing about them

everything. he's tall, he's 45, the eyeshadow, the eyelashes, the beard, the hair, the skirt, the thigh high boots, the cool tattoos, the aquiline nose, the turtleneck, the pointy teeth, the earrings, the fluff, the deep voice, the chest window that one time, the sewing thing, he's tsundere, he's scary, he's smug, he's cool, he's weird, he's cute, he has incredibly unique lore, he has fun gameplay, i have never loved any character more than i love vlad.

least favorite thing about them

HIS SPRITE SUCKS AAAAUGH I COME TO WORK AND I HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS MESS

favorite line

the legendary,

brOTP

vlad and tamamo, vlad and siegfried, vlad and shakespeare, vlad and moriarty, vlad and crane, vlad and carmilla... vlad needs more people to hang out with...

OTP

vlad and male mc........... and vladcha.......

that aside, i've also enjoyed vlad x siegfried and vlad x georgio. those are cute.

nOTP

i'm going to hunt darnic for sport. also, not a fan of him x carm, considering... his uncle-niece relationship with liz. but, i do also get that some people really don't like fgo mashing carm and liz together and prefer to interpret them separately, which is fair enough. just not my thing. i prefer their relationship as familial, i think it's nice.

random headcanon

he hangs out in mc's shadow a lot (based on his quick card animation i feel like he should be able to do something like that, i've seen other servants interpreted as being able to do this as well).

unpopular opinion

he's best husband

song i associate with them

WOE, CHARACTER PLAYLIST BE UPON YE

favorite picture of them

that's really difficult. there are a lot of very different, but still good vlads. honestly, maybe just his ascension 3 art if i had to pick one?

i mean, this is the vlad i see every day in fgo. that's my husband right there.

Moriarty:

favorite thing about them

once again pretty much everything. he's 50, the mustache, the eyeliner, the eyelashes, the glasses, the cool cape, i like how his outfit blends fantasy elements without being too made-up, ulysses butterflies are my favorite, the military touches are neat, he has pointy teeth for no reason, how deep his voice can get, the RAITA hands, the black gloves, the shoes, the skirt-apron thing in gray collar, the coffin, he's funny, he's cool, he's evil, he's weird, he's smug. he represents a real high point in FGO with shinjuku.

least favorite thing about them

do i even have to say it. well, he's pretty much in joke character hell now, his sprite is really outdated, and his kit is awful to play with. sigh. eh well.

favorite line

where do i even start lmao

brOTP

i don't think anyone actually really likes him but moriarty and vlad, moriarty and shakespeare, moriarty and babbage

OTP

moriarty and male mc. again. what do you want from me. and vladcha. leave me alone.

i've also enjoyed moriarty and moran. people have to make up their own moran for this one, though.

nOTP

it's not a proper "nOTP" as the kids would call it, but (and i must stress that this is my great mouse detective bias showing) i prefer moriarty and sherlock having a sort of "bitter exes" dynamic (even if they were never actually involved) instead of romantically pairing them.

for one thing i just think it's really funny, but also i do find the idea of moriarty trying to "get over" someone he was literally made to exist around compelling, and i think especially post-shinjuku makes that another viable route to take with his character.

random headcanon

autism.

unpopular opinion

they really need to let him be more evil again instead of just the funny endearing dad the audience likes. i get that there's only so much he can get away with in chaldea but come onnn they've been doing this for years now, i'm worried the writers are gonna forget at this point. i want him to do something fucked up again. i miss it. him caring about mc does not inherently preclude him from doing something fucked up.

song i associate with them

ditto, character playlist

favorite picture of them

that's also really tough since he has a LOT of official art. probably a tie between Eyelashes Book Cover VS Gray Collar Fuckhands

[twinkuraba]

3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 29 and 30 for the art asks 💖

Ehehehe nice nice >:P This is gonna be a long one probably so prepare for rambling under the read more:

3: My obsession with anything high fantasy; I was always surrounded by dragons and mysticism when I was little (and my folks were always encouraging of my imaginative play, even when it involved their probably very breakable in the hands of a young child ornaments), so pretty much anything I do now I can't stop myself from adding a little magic to it, especially involving long, epic quests and old civilizations.

4: Character design. I like designing characters but deciding their looks and outfits and general appearance is always the hardest part especially when I don't have a particular aesthetic or idea I want to do with them.

(Phoenix and Lucius were easier to design for me bc I had a particular aesthetic/theme to base their appearances off, while a character like Conall or Serendel are harder because they don't really have a design category like that hjfdhj)

6: Oh lots of things, probably. I know I've started favouring chunky lineart instead of my old thin/fuzzy lines based off @yoshiyakiryu's art style, And my current anime-esque style is probably subconsciously drawing influence from any number of them I watched as a kid; Naruto, Bleach, Vampire Knight, Wolf's rain- who knows for sure jhfgdjh

To be honest, I don't really retrospect my style much so this question is hard for me to answer myself, would be interested in seeing what influences other folks can see in my art though :P

7: Anything involving physical mediums. Any sort of sculpting, smithing, embroidery, sewing, hacking ect. Not that I wouldn't give em a go if I could, I just don't have the space for that sort of thing at the moment, and I don't have the spatial awareness of how things look three dimensionally to do something like wood/stone carving jhdfghj

Tattoos are another one, I love the aesthetic of them and the skill behind them.

10: Swooshies and capes/cloaks. Folds are fun, easy way to make characters look epic (and a convenient excuse to hide parts you don't want to draw) :P

But recently I'm also going into my slut art era so lots of collars and earrings and other accessories with tight fitting cropped tops and short bottoms so ayyy

29: Paints and crayons; on one hand they're easy to use, but on the other I just don't really like that I can never get them to do what I want them to, so they're fun to work with but not something I feel drawn towards :V

30: Hah, honestly I think all my works get about the amount of attention I'm happy with for the 'reach' I have :P Most of it is fan art for a small fandom, or original art, and I'm a small-follower-amount account so I was never gonna get large numbers, so shrugging off that expectation has at least let me be happier with the attention my art does get.

Sure, it's normal to be a little bitter when your art doesn't get the attention you wish it would, or if you have other arty friends who get more, but I personally found constantly focusing only on what I wasn't getting instead of what I had managed was a big contributor to why I was so. Art blocked.

I'm not 100% there yet, but I've started getting ideas again that at least trigger a little bit of a spark (even if I don't end up doing anything with them jhsfhj), so it's baby steps :P

[appledew]

Pecan is all set!

Made for @sparradile on here and Twitter!

This plush is made of minky, with some custom dyed colors, short pile minky and a small bit of hook-and-loop. There is plastic and wire armature in this plush to make them posable. Pecan stands at about 18 inches from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet. The brown overshirt, cape, collar and hat are removable. The belt isn’t sewn down to the base plush and is fitted loosely to tuck the overshirt under the belt.

I LOVE Pecan’s design! She is just too cute! Qo Q

Her concept art took a little bit since I didn’t know which direction I wanted to take it. I decided to just go with slightly accurate to reference  with a few artistic flares, haha! What my speed paint didn’t show was all the trashed ideas I originally had that didnt pan out. ^^;

Aside from that I just jumped straight into patterning the night I was playing around with concept art. There weren’t many bumps in the road in patterning, aside from the head coming out oddly “long”!

Embroidery was also a breeze! The only hiccups were my machine deciding to have some tension issues that I’m still working on ironing out!

Dyeing was mostly successful too! I consistently have issues getting brown dye to stick properly and not come out weirdly patchy (the dye seems to favor the outer fiber tips of the minky and doesn’t soak into the bottom layer or backing *shrug*) but I’m happy to not have tie-dyed minky! The colors dyed were the two base body colors, and the pants. I do kinda wish I could have worked on achieving a better shade of brown on each color, but I’m still quite happy with the results!

Moving onto the armature... after waiting for it to arrive, it did take a tiny bit of time to install, especially because the arms are wired. I had to unstall the armature twice after the arm wire felt too short because i made the silly mistake of overwrapping  the wire where I attached it to the plastic ball joints. ^^; Now the tail... that’s interesting.

The tail is basically its own “strand” of armature; I jokingly have been calling it a “floating bone” haha! The tail ”bone” is attached to the base armature (that runs through the whole body) attached with wiring to keep it in place-- the tail armature just runs a few joints parallel to the base and the wire is wrapped around those few joints. I was nervous about shifting, but there is little to no shifting! One cool “feature” it caused was the tail can actually be moved left and right a little more! :)

Now the clothing. Again, it was something else I was nervous about since I have struggled with removable clothing in the past. Despite the amount of time it took to make, it was pretty easy! BUT one thing stumped me hard. The shirt, cape and collar were supposed to be one piece, with the fastener on the back. The shirt fastener was easy to hide since it was behind the cape, but I had ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE, how i could hide a fastener for the collar and cape.

I ultimately decided to separate the shirt from the collar and cape. The original idea was the add hook-and-loop around the perimeter of the neckline to attach the collar and cape, but I was anticipating there being too much bulk. I scrapped that idea and separated the shirt and collar+cape completely. My next idea was to just hide the fastener behind the neck tie on the front... and by absolute accident, I realized that the collar and cape could be slipped on and off easily over the head! So I just sewed everything together and went with it. ^u ^ It looks almost seamless with no hook-and-loop all over the place!

backtracking a tiny bit to the hat! WOW! Was it easier than expected! Again, very time consuming! The line details on the hat and cape were satin stitched on using my sewing machine. HONESTLY, I am a bit peeved that you can tell that the satin stitch was done manually, but unfortunately the pattern pieces were too large to fit on my embroidery machine and I felt that breaking up the pattern would make them look clunky at the seams since the brim of the hat and cape are flat. I’m still extremely happy with the final results, though! ^u ^

Aside from that, (i hope my words don’t get twisted around but--) it felt like I really had to put my all into this plush! Quite a few things I’ve learned that I still struggle with in one plush, and I’m OVERJOYED with how Pecan came out! I know I say that about a lot of plush, but testing my strengths and major weakness in one plush-- I can’t believe I actually did it/made this! :)

_________

More intimate WIPs can be found on my Ko-fi!  :)  https://ko-fi.com/appledew

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AppleDew_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apple.dew

Tumblr: http://appledew.tumblr.com/

Furaffinity: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/appledew

deviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/appledew

[buriedbybooks]

Finished my Jiang Sect inspired wrap cape this afternoon!  Thanks again to @piyo-13 for writing Emergency Help Wanted, which gave me this idea.  Re-read the fic in between stages and it is just as fun the second time around :D  Made the collar contrast light blue in homage to Lan Xichen’s design in the fic.

The cape did end up being reversible!  Success!  I’m very much looking forward to wearing it in slightly warmer weather.

I’ll include a few more technical sewing notes/narration/thoughts on the process after the cut for anyone interested.

These notes are points that I found particularly important/entertaining while making the AD 1910 wrap cape.  There are many YouTube videos out there on making this particular pattern, each with it’s own fantastic advice (I watched many of them before getting started and they were very helpful!) and are far more comprehensive than the notes below.

Resizing: Looking at the pattern as originally drafted, I decided that a mock up was critical: my shoulders are broader than the pattern allowed for, so I knew I’d have to make some adjustments to the shoulders, back, and length of the wrap pieces.  I ended up adding width to the pattern at the shoulders instead of the center back (thus avoiding having to redraw the neckline and collar).  I altered the front pleats by redrawing the angles, keeping the top points at the same height, but shifting them to be equally spaced across the added width of the piece.  I also extended the pleats to their original width at the bottom of my longer wrap pieces (marked in red below).  Luckily, these adjustments worked well and I was able to move on to the pretty fabric (one layer is cotton, the other is polyester crepe-backed satin).

Top stitching: Top stitching is listed as a possible finishing touch in the pattern directions.  I highly recommend it; it makes the cape look much more polished and feel more stable.  I pressed and pinned the whole cape to make sure that my edges were clean before I started to sew.  I also used this as the opportunity to sew the ribbon ties into the ends of the front wrap pieces and close the five inch gap that I’d left in order to turn the cape right-side out.

I don’t want to know how many pins I actually used at this stage... all I know is that I stabbed myself a few times while doing it...

Almost oops: My last piece of advice is one of those things that is blatantly obvious in retrospect: make sure you have enough of the correct color of thread!  I apparently picked up a small spool of thread (only 100 meters) and only realized that this might be a problem as I watched it dwindle as I top-stitched...

Thankfully I did make it (just barely!), with less than two feet of thread to spare on the spool.

[synchlora]

several stories of tommys adventures in embroidery and mild (temporary) theft

bc i can't get them out of my head hhhh

back in the beginning of l'manburg, tubbo scraped up his knees a lot (a combination of young clumsiness and working on construction projects a 12 year old reasonably should not be allowed to) and, as you'd imagine, the knees on his pants got pretty ripped up. and while tommy was still honing his skills in sewing, he offered to stitch up some patches for his friend. the fabric the patches were made of didn't match the pants in the least and the thread was just a few shades too light in comparison to the color, the stitches spaced a bit too far apart, but they worked. and tommy, always one to add a flair to everything he does, used some extra green and purple thread he had to stitch some musical notes around the edges of each patch. tubbo has long since grown out of those jeans, but small musical notes still adorn various patches on his newer clothes. old habits die hard and so do nostalgic ones.

when fundy first came out, tommy wanted to do something special for him, something to make him smile. and so, he offered to sew up the old black jacket fundy never takes off. and while the fox boy was hesitant, he eventually conceded (after much pestering on tommys end) and tommy got to work on it. the jacket wasnt in too bad of shape, just needed more of a wash than anything. but for the parts that needed stitching, he used blues and oranges and pinks to patch it up. and along the front collar, he embroidered a bright trans flag. the colors weren't exact, it's not like he had many resources for new ones, but it was clear enough what the patch was. nowadays, when fundy is alone and feels (no, knows) he is forgotten, his claws absentmindedly drag across the now worn, soft patch that is fraying at the edges. and he doesn't know it actively, but somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he knows there is some love for him left out there yet.

the battle of manburg v pogtopia claimed all sorts of things, one of the more serious tragedies (/s) being jack manifolds signature blue-and-black hoodie. the damn thing was in tatters and tommy could not stand the sight of it, thinking through exactly how he could easily fix every time he saw it, if only jack would stop being so stubborn and let him sew it up. so tommy did the reasonable thing and stole it. the right sleeve was nearly disconnected from it and it was just torn up in general. and so he fixed it up with bright red thread, re-attaching the sleeve and darning a few singed holes in the fabric. and then he went about embroidering a circuit-like pattern that he'd seen jack work with before. he's not sure what any of it means, but whenever he sees wires and circuitry he thinks of jack. and right over his heart, he sewed sparks in golden thread erupting from the fabric. tommy returned the jacket in the middle of the night later on, keeping himself hidden while still ensuring the jacket made it's way back to its owner. jack never wore the jacket again.

in another feat of thievery, tommy stole nikis torn up cape for a bit. he imagined it'd only take him a day or two to fix up and then he'd be able to return it discreetly, no need for any fanfare or big, drawn out apologies (he HATES big drawn out apologies). but upon getting it, he quickly realized it'd take much more time than that. the cape had previously belonged to wilbur and that was quite evident in the deteriorating state of it. it was practically falling apart and he'd need more fabric if he was to even begin to fix it up. he chose a soft blue fabric to repair along the edges, intending to appear like calm ocean waves, though they turned out looking more like blue fire lapping at the edges. the other tears and small holes were fixed with some orange threads, and he decided a flair of some white tulips along the collar would accent it nicely. he returned it-- two weeks later than expected-- to a very pissed off niki. looks like a long, drawn out apology was due after all.

once, tubbo requested he fix up a vest of ranboo's that had gotten damaged from... well tubbo wouldn't say but the strange mix of burn holes and frantically cut slashes didn't clear up the history of the garment any more. still, as much as he wasn't entirely sure of ranboo at the time, he decided he was going to fix it for tubbo and tubbo only. he took out pink and blue thread to fix along the various tears. as strange as the damage was, he will admit it was quite easy to fix with such clean cuts to it, probably some of his best work. it was done a few days early and tommy sat stubbornly staring at the vest. as adamant as he'd been about not doing anything special for ranboo of all people (after all, he'd stolen his best friend, what'd he owe him?) tommy felt like the fabric was tragically empty. so he decided to compromise. and several months later during some insignificant moment doing some insignificant task, ranboo happened to glance a flash of purple in the corner of his eye. and he spotted several tiny, delicately sewn alliums inside the chest pocket of his vest.

wilbur was always a very dramatic person, feeling the need to not only narrate his actions with flair, but also to go about said actions with whimsy. whimsy that tended to get his clothes in a bit of a mess. just about every day, he'd come up to tommy with yet another new tear or hole in his clothes which tommy would endlessly feign irritation over before taking the garment and sitting around the fire with the rest of the small nations members and chat along as he sewed. wils old l'manburg outfit-- the casual one, the working jeans and leather jacket, soft with sun damage-- is covered in tiny embroidery work, random filigree designs, some shaky birds that gradually got more bird-like as tommy improved, even a small wing pattern sewn across the back of his jacket. every tear is sewn across in teal, the older rips faded to baby blue and the newer ones a bright cerulean. his old jacket is filled with stories, with love quite literally sewn through the fabric. but wilburs jacket from pogtopia is far more blank. it's sewn up, sure, but it's done with simple threads. basic sewing patterns in threads that match the fabric so well they practically blend in. if you know what tommys work looks like, it almost doesn't look like his. it's bare minimum, it's practical, and it's empty. but there is one single pattern that tommy has sewn onto it. it's a more recent addition, made since wilbur has... returned, for lack of a better word. a shakily sewn outline of a heart made in deep, indigo blue thread, it's weary pattern making it almost appear to be melting. wilburs not sure when tommy did it, but he's quite sure he knows where he got the thread. he cuts the knotted ends and tears the threads carefully from their place.

[darkhymns-fic]

When Life is a Song

Genis narrowed his eyes, looking up at Lloyd and Colette both. “You two… What kind of dancing was that?” He frowned, standing on his tip toes, trying his best to be tall, though in comparison to his already tall friends, this only slightly worked. “How about we leave some room for Martel, huh?"

In which there is awkward dancing, awkward confessions, and awkward musings about a sleeping Goddess.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel, Genis Sage, Raine Sage Rating: G Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: This was a secret santa gift made for @poesby​ for the Colloyd discord server! Thanks so much for being a part of it! I had so much fun with this prompt.

-

It was at a school dance that Lloyd first realized he was in love with Colette.

That dance happened just a year before Colette would be off on her journey to regenerate the world, Lloyd remembered. No oracles had come down to Sylvarant, and no Desians had gone to attack the Martel Temple where she would train and take her lessons on the scriptures of the Angels. It was still just in the tail-end of spring, before the air would grow more humid with the coming of summer. The farmer’s crops had yielded their share, and the treaty still kept them safe, as far as everyone was concerned.

It was the Professor that had arranged the school dance to begin with, which had always confused Lloyd back then, even though she claimed that it was to celebrate a successful school year. Only years later, after the journey, would he realize that perhaps this had been his teacher’s way of giving Colette what had been denied her for so long. Never allowed outside of the village, with sometimes her entire days being holed up in that temple, Colette barely got to just relax and enjoy the normalcy that everyone else had. 

But of course, Raine had to make that be a part of school somehow.

“Lloyd! Why are you so late?!” Genis was standing at the wooden door to the Iselian schoolhouse, hands on his hips, and looking very displeased. The air around them was warm, even in the early evening, carrying the scent of the oak trees that surrounded the village. “The party started a half hour ago!”

“Gah, sorry!” Lloyd said, rushing up to the entrance as if he had just run all the way from his house. Which, well, he did! Once he realized he was late… “Noishe doesn’t like to walk around the forest at night, and it’s really dark! Monsters are also kind of a pain…”

Genis wasn’t convinced. He eyed Lloyd’s outfit. “And you just wore the same thing you wear every day to a party ever since you were 13?”

“It’s not the same thing!” Lloyd proudly pointed at his familiar red jacket, but specifically at the buttons that lined up his torso and sleeves. “See? These are golden buttons! This is my fancy jacket!”

“…That’s stupid. You can barely even tell they’re different in the light!”

“At least I’m not wearing a lame bowtie,” Lloyd argued back. Bright red and decorating Genis’ little suit like he was a doll, Lloyd would have teased more had he not felt Raine’s sudden smack across the back of his head, his only warning being the slow smile on Genis’ face just a half-second before.

“Don’t be rude, Lloyd. And you are very late. This is going to affect your grade, you know.”

“What?! I’m being graded for a school party?!” But he barely got to argue, already being pushed along into the schoolhouse by Genis. To think that he’d have to go to school still on a weekend…

He hadn’t realized how that night would be so important to him then.

The schoolhouse wasn’t big, containing only one room for the entire class. But with the desks put away, replaced with tables of home-cooked food from local chefs in the village, and fun party decorations that lined the walls, it looked so entirely different. Streamers that were a multitude of colors flowed down from the ceiling, and even some balloons were tied around the place, some having cut loose and now floating way up high to the wooden beams overhead.

And honestly, to Lloyd, it still felt a bit like another school day with the other students here too. The girls who always gossiped in the corner were chatting away in the very same place, but wearing different dresses that looked like the colors of the grass outside. And the boys that he remembered being part of Professor Sage’s fan club were milled about in a small group, sneaking occasional glances towards the door where Lloyd and Genis came through, groaning when seeing their teacher wasn’t with them. They always had more and more members than he thought…

But the ages of everyone also ranged all over the place, from those being as old as him, to others as young as seven. He could already see a group of the youngest students trying to play tag with each other while flitting about the tables, treating the party as if it was just another recess period. That was what happened when everyone in the village had their classes at one place and with just one room.

But through all that, through all the people he recognized and the color that brightened the walls, he searched for her, barely finding a trace.

“Where’s Colette?” he finally asked Genis.

The boy pointed to the back of the classroom-turned party hall. “Over there when I last saw her. She tripped, and well…”

Lloyd winced, knowing exactly what that meant. “Ah man, again?” Hopefully she was okay, but then again this was the usual for her.

“She didn’t mess with my decorations at least, but I made sure Raine healed her of any injuries.” Genis nodded, looking proud of himself for that decision. “Anyway, I don’t think she’s moved from their since.”

“Why aren’t you hanging out her? She’s probably been really bored of this party!” Now Lloyd was starting to feel bad about being late if Colette had been by herself this whole time.

“Hey! It’s not boring!” Genis argued. “Besides, I can’t hang out as I’m in charge of chaperoning. Well, sis is, but I’m helping out!”

Lloyd tilted his head. “Chapa what?”

Genis frowned. “...Just go to her.”

Honestly, Lloyd didn’t need to be told twice, already heading off while Genis was still talking. “Whatever you say!!” Saying the last bit in a shout was not exactly the smartest move, the sound traveling easily in the room and making heads turn; from the kids playing tag, to the boys still gossiping, openly wondering why Raine wasn’t here yet…

It made her head turn too, just in time.

Underneath the dim lights of the set table lamps and the stars outside, he saw Colette, still brushing away the wood chips from her dress. A familiar-shaped hole was just behind her, which was about her very height and width. Maybe something that Lloyd could help fix up later…

But it was at his sudden shout, bouncing across the room that took her attention, made her turn to see him coming over. “Lloyd! You finally made it!”

And for one moment, Lloyd slowed his steps.

Back then, maybe Lloyd hadn’t understood what he felt just yet. Colette’s dress was different from her usual one, still covering her from head to toe. But it was more flowy than her usual, the edges trimmed with lace, her hem printed with star-shaped patterns. It was a summer dress perfect for the warm air outside, the kind that would let her feel the summer breeze. Her hair was also tied up in a bun, showing off more of her face, such as the red on her cheeks, and the dimples that formed whenever she smiled.

Lloyd hadn’t understood why his heart had beat so strangely back then, why he took a moment to speak… and why he suddenly felt a little ashamed at how he dressed, wishing he had gotten something cooler, like a cape, or maybe even a party mask… “Uh, hey Colette! Why are still over here?”

Colette laughed, though she looked nervous as she did so, still brushing away more invisible dust from her dress. “Ah, well, I messed up…”

She gestured to that hole, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. “I’m not even sure how I did it this time!”

“Oh right… It must be all these balloons here,” Lloyd offered as an explanation. “They’re in the way of the floor a lot!”

“Aw, but they’re really cute. I was afraid I’d pop them if I get too close.”

Lloyd reached out to one balloon floating nearby, its pink color so bright and pastel-shaded that it drew the eye a bit. “Nah, there’s no way these can just pop that easily!” He took its string, pulling it to him quickly. “You just gotta-” Pop!

The sound made both Lloyd and Colette flinch, along with a few other people who stood nearby. From the front of the room, he heard Genis yell out to him. “Lloyd! Careful with those!”

“Er, sorry about that!” Now Lloyd held a completely deflated balloon by its string, smiling at Colette shamefacedly. “Guess we both should be careful…”

Colette giggled. “It’s okay, I’m just happy you’re here. I thought that maybe you wouldn’t come.”

“No way! I uh, did kinda forget for a little bit, but then I remembered!”

Her smile was gentle in that dim light, and it was different than what Lloyd was used to, even though he was always seeing Colette’s smiles each day. How come…? She spoke again, breaking the brief little spell he was under. “And you have new clothes too! I really like those golden buttons.”

Lloyd stood there in shock. She noticed! “Y-yeah! It’s my fancy set! See, look, look!” He turned around, showing off the white ribbon strips that streamed from his collar, looking the usual to the untrained eye until…

“Oh! There’s patterns on it!” Colette said, reaching out to hold one of the ribbons, so softly in her hands. “They look like little dogs!”

“Hehe. I was using Noishe as a subject to make these! I still gotta get better at sewing though…” He turned back around, while Colette still held onto that ribbon, tracing the shape along the surface. He stared at what she wore as well, so used to her thick overcoat and not the dress that fluttered about her legs freely. “And, uh, you look pretty great too!”

“Hehe, thanks. Usually the Church doesn’t want me to but… they said it was okay for tonight.” Her voice lowered a fraction, her fingers still twiddling with the ribbons until the note of a flute floated in the air. She dropped it in surprise, raising her head. “Oh!”

Lloyd turned around, seeing some of the other students gathered near the very front of the classroom (party room?); one girl was holding up the flute that played softly, while a spectacled boy was by her side, strumming a guitar, and another was holding up a triangle, waiting for the perfect moment to strike it… “Isn’t that the music club?” he asked aloud.

“Oh, they’re playing for the party! That’s so nice.” Colette clasped her hands to her chest as some of the other students moved from their groups to go out into the middle of the room. The music was still in its beginning phases, but the tune was finding its place, delivering a rhythm that even the youngest student could jump around to. The song was simple, the beat easy to nod heads to.

“Wow…” Lloyd hadn’t expected this party to be much of anything, but the music stirred something in his chest. Did Iselia do stuff like this often? Was this what he was missing living so far off in the forests with his dad? He looked at Colette, finding her suddenly very quiet, eyes rapt to the front of the room.

“Colette, what’s up?” he asked.

“Hm? Ah nothing! Well maybe just, um, Lloyd…” Her voice held something soft that he didn’t understand, not just yet still, but it made him give her his full attention either way. The candlelight within the lamps shone off her tied-up hair, illuminated the stars on her dress, all as the music stirred louder around them. “Do you think… you want to try dancing?”

Lloyd only felt a twinge of nervousness – just a bit. But not enough to make him hesitate or refuse. With a grin, he held out his hand for Colette to take. “Yeah! Just uh, I haven’t ever danced before.”

“Hehe, that’s okay! I haven’t done anything like this before either, I think.”

“So that sounds like a pretty good excuse to try it then,” he teased, feeling her hand go in his. It always felt so natural to hold her hand like this, like it was just the right size when her palm pressed against his. His heart went ba-dump! all the sudden, but he only focused on Colette, walking with her to the floor, hearing that same flute play with more energy, the student musicians giving it all they had.

On the way, Colette caught the edge of her shoe against a small pile of confetti on the ground. Lloyd reached out with both arms to catch her, pulling her up. “Oh, uh, watch out for those!” It was literally just paper Colette had tripped on but somehow that was enough…

“Ah, I’m sorry… I’m just too clumsy.” She bit her lip. “Maybe this is silly…”

“Didn’t you just say you wanted to try?” Lloyd asked, genuinely wondering. And they were already here, weren’t they? A brief glance to their surroundings showed him how everyone else danced too; many of them just excitedly moving around each other in erratic patterns, while others interlocked their arms together, skipping across the floor. Genis was to the side, arms crossed, looking out over the place with a certain pride, with Raine finally not far behind. She was taking a red pen to a piece of paper she held in her hand… She really was grading people right now!

He had a few ideas on how he couldn’t fail on this.

Lloyd quickly looped his right arm into Colette’s left, keeping her close. He heard her lightly gasp, but she didn’t move away, her cheek brushing against his shoulder as she turned to him. “How about this? You definitely can’t fall if we dance this way!”

Colette looked radiant before nodding in approval. The warm light over her hair made it glow, and she gripped Lloyd’s arm back just as tightly. “Okay!”

Lloyd had no idea what song was playing, or if it was a mish-mash of many at once. (The students were still learning, after all). But as he took Colette out to the floor, he made sure to keep her standing upright. The most he knew about dancing was a few dwarven jigs, and Lloyd quickly kicked out his legs to imitate such a thing, moving to the beat of the song(s). “Dad taught me this!”

“Oh, I wanna try!” Colette saw and then attempted to follow through. The hem of her dress flew along with her, and already Lloyd could see her tilt a bit backwards at the motion. But he kept hold of her fast, and even when she lost her balance, soon she was falling back against his arm safely. “Ah! I almost fell again…”

“But you didn’t! See? I won’t drop you, promise.”

Colette’s face was nearby, a few stray blonde strands already slipping from her bun. “Okay, I trust you!”

Even as they tried out their dwarven steps that a few people raised an eyebrow at, Lloyd felt the night rush around him. They were clumsy on their feet, and they bumped into other pairs that were also out on the floor. But even through all the stumbles, Lloyd felt his cheeks ache with a constant smile.

Even for a party that he was being graded on, this wasn’t so bad at all.

Still, there were a few hiccups along their dancing journey. Colette would somehow, through by her own little miracles, accidently step on someone else’s toes, earning a complaint from the victim. “Sorry!” she’d say, and then trip over another person, and then sometimes, even accidentally planting her heel against the tip of Lloyd’s boots.

“Ah! Oh no…”

“Hey, that’s nothing!” Lloyd reassured, the pain simply brief and then forgotten. But he’d have to carry her closer, or hold her nearer to avoid everyone else. “Just follow my lead!”

“I thought I was…”

“Oh, watch out for that other balloon!” he warned before neatly whisking Colette off her feet, saving her from accidentally popping the party decoration. “Phew. Just in time.”

“S-Sorry about that!” Colette giggled, hands placed on his shoulders as he held her up by the waist. Her cheeks were red from their dancing, and she was catching her breath, all while she grinned so wide.

Lloyd didn’t move for a few moments, staring at her before finally getting the idea to set her down. “No more apologizing, remember?” he teased, one hand slipping from her side while the other lingered. Because they were going to keep dancing! Unless she was tired? “Did you wanna keep going?”

Colette nodded, and the relief in Lloyd was so palpable, he wondered then just what he would have felt if she had said no. The music still went in their same beat, bringing everyone else on the floor into more energetic movement. A pair of young children swerved around them both, one of them bumping against Colette’s leg and offsetting the precarious balance she always had.

With hardly any sound, she fell forward. Lloyd caught her deftly by the waist once more, because it was natural to do so. She was always so light between his fingers.

“Still not letting you fall,” he said to her with a smile, helping her stand up just a bit. “No matter how many little kids run into you!” In this room right now, that was a very high probability.

“Hehe…I’ll do the same for you!” Colette said, straightening, but only a bit. She was leaning against his chest, head tilted downward. He still held her, and she felt perfect against his palms. “Wow, those buttons are really shiny…”

“Told ya they were!” Lloyd said with pride, having made sure to extra polish them before coming over. But even with that, and the frenzy of the students around them who still danced to the music, he felt a little calmer then usual. Colette hadn’t moved away and he didn’t want to question why.

“Sorry,” she whispered again, hands reaching up to clasp before her chest. But her knuckles just brushed against the front of his jacket. Her fingers loosened their hold on each other. “Just trying not to trip…”

She was shuffling her feet across the floor. Lloyd found that he did the same, keeping the slow, slow pace with her.

Were they still dancing? It didn’t match the music, or everyone else around them…but he liked it.

“Dork, don’t apologize,” he chided once again, but softer. Would she be able to hear him through the noise? But she was so near, she must have. Her hands finally let go of each other to press against his jacket lightly. “But, this works out, doesn’t it?”

“Hm?” Colette, eyes half-lidded, raised them to meet Lloyd’s own.

“If you’re tired but don’t wanna stop dancing, we can just do this.” This seemed like the perfect solution, that and holding Colette this way made him feel so warm. “Right?”

“Yeah, hehe.” She nodded, her cheeks still a bit red, her hair still reflecting the dim light of the room. “Just tired… And, you don’t mind?”

He had more to say, but the way she looked up at him made his words catch in his throat for a short moment. How to say that he really, honestly, liked this so much? “I don’t mind…” he told her, and as she lingered in his hold, he wanted to say something more. “Hey, um…”

Colette gave him all her attention, a hand now over one of those bright buttons of his. “Yes, Lloyd?”

Something that his voice was doing, his own brain barely able to catch up. But with Colette, it felt natural still. Along with…

“Do you think…that maybe you and I could-”

“Noooope!”

And then he felt a sudden force between them, with Colette somehow further away from him? But she looked just as confused in the position, her hands held up in the air with surprise. Huh? What is-?

It was only the tell-tale peek of silver hair that brought Lloyd’s eyes down to see Genis was right in-between them, hands pressed against their stomachs as he pushed. “Red flag, you two!”

Both Lloyd and Colette blinked, looking down at their tiny friend, who was doing all he can to stretch out his arms. “Oh, Genis!” said Colette, smiling down at him, even though she was still very confused. “Um, is something wrong?”

Lloyd was less nice about it. “Yeah, what gives? Ow!” Also, Genis was pushing on his stomach way too hard!

Genis narrowed his eyes, looking up at Lloyd and Colette both. “You two… What kind of dancing was that?” He frowned, standing on his tip toes, trying his best to be tall, though in comparison to his already tall friends, this only slightly worked. “How about we leave some room for Martel, huh?”

That… made no sense to Lloyd at all. “What are you talking about?”

“But… Martel isn’t here though.” Colette argued, though she sounded just as confused. “I mean, I guess she is everywhere technically… Oh, Genis! Can you talk to Martel? Is she dancing with us?” Then a softer question, her concern so apparent. “Are we squeezing her too tight?

“N-No! It’s an expression!” Genis sighed, putting down his arms but still standing in-between them. “You’re getting way too lovey-dovey in here. You’re just lucky my sis isn’t watching right now.”

And that was it, the moment Lloyd completely understood what he had been feeling all evening just then. He could only hope the light was dim enough to not show off his blush, and that the crack in his voice was unnoticeable. “K-Knock it off!” Had that been it all along?

Colette also looked a little shocked…. Though maybe for different reasons. “I didn’t know Martel would be so angry…” She bowed her head to Genis. “I’ll tell her I’m sorry.”

“Colette, I just said it was an expression! Agh, forget it.” Genis still hadn’t gotten out of their way, which probably made Lloyd more annoyed at his friend then he had ever been. “I have to watch out for you guys all the time.”

“No you don’t!” Lloyd argued. “We’re older than you!”

“Sometimes I honestly wonder about that.”

Colette was more patient than Lloyd, but her hands still hovered over her chest, fiddling with her fingers as she could only just stand and wait. “Um, does this mean we’re not allowed to dance anymore?”

Genis sighed and waved away the question, already stepping away. “Go ahead, but again: No lovey dovey stuff. It’s weird!”

Lloyd was about to protest that it wasn’t that lovey! Even if the memory of holding Colette close got his heart racing just a little bit… But Colette stepped forward, taking Lloyd’s right hand in her left, while placing her other hand on his shoulder. The way she took over made him lose his very track of thought.

“Is something like this okay? Oh, maybe you can dance with us too, Genis!”

Genis flushed then. “No way! I’m still chaperoning! So you two better keep those hands where I can see them!” Pointing at his two friends, Genis walked off, maneuvering easily between other dancing pairs across the floor.

Lloyd stood there now, gripping her hand tightly in his, unused to this somewhat fancy dancing position she had gotten them into. “Is he still watching us?” Lloyd asked Colette, who still faced the direction Genis had gone off to.

Colette leaned past his shoulder slightly, the loose collar of her dress falling gently across her neck. The sight made him consider a few new feelings in him. “A little bit… But he keeps looking at the musicians a lot!”

“Genis always wanted to play that flute,” Lloyd said, letting his other hand fall to her waist again. Again, fitting so perfectly against his palm. “Um, did you still wanna dance?”

She smiled up at him, and even though she wasn’t as near, the sight of it got him feeling warm. “Only if you want to.”

So Lloyd took her hand and they tried again to dance across the floor with the others, not as slow as before, but careful to not trip Colette’s feet. Still, he had to swerve her out of the way of an excited third-grader, or another couple that kept stepping too near their pace. It was only a matter of time before Colette tripped again!

“If we danced outside it’d probably easier…” he whined aloud, needing to make another quick swerve to the left to keep Colette from running into a table. “More room to move around, also way less stuffy than in here!” That was also one other issue; having so many people packed into one large room made him yearn for fresh air.

“Hehe, and the moon outside looks really pretty too.” Colette turned her head to the windows, where the torches that served as Iselia’s light helped illuminate the dirt roads outside.

“You think so? I guess it kinda does.” Lloyd looked too, then back to Colette. She blinked up at him as he shifted his hands to hold both of her own. “Is Genis still watching?”

A soft pause, but she looked again past him. Her loose hair tumbled just past the shell of her ear. She then giggled. “He’s now trying to play the flute too!”

Perfect. He shared with her a grin, all while still holding her hands, that he had shared with her so much over the years, the kind that he knew Colette would recognize what it meant.

“So,” he started to ask, tilting his head towards the door. He had again seen the night sky outside, how inviting it looked, with the stars so intensely bright, with even the upright torches so warm. “Wanna sneak out?”

The party was festive, with music that was now accompanied by a few off-beat tunes from a certain flute. But it was always nicer when it was just the two of them anyway.

“Oh…” Colette breathed, and then he saw the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. “You think we could?”

“Genis is distracted.” Another piercing flute note that made Lloyd wince slightly. Yeah, he was definitely distracted. “It’s now or never!”

He barely had to wait for Colette to decide – who already locked his arm in hers, head just slightly touching his shoulder.

“Just so I don’t trip,” she said, winking at him.

Lloyd knew exactly what he was feeling then, and it only made him smile. “Yeah!”

With the two of them together, they had all the awkward grace of a stumbling newborn deer, but it hadn’t mattered much. They had rushed out from the schoolhouse, once again underneath the soothing dark sky. Lloyd quickly ushered Colette, their boots stepping hard on the wooden doorsteps. “Come on, come on!”

“I am!” Colette agreed, but her eyes had caught something else, just behind them as they finally got out into the open world before them. “Oh, is that the Professor…?”

Lloyd swore he felt his blood leave his face at the mention of it. He dared to turn, saw that familiar frown framed by silver hair as their teacher stomped after them. “Uhhh let’s go right now! Hurry!”

“Waa! O-Okay!” And somehow, in their mad dash away from the schoolhouse, Colette didn’t trip or slow down. She held fast to Lloyd’s arm, and rushed alongside him down the Iselian roads. Dirt kicked up at their travel, but neither really cared at all.

-

“Okay…I think we lost her,” Lloyd said as stopped at a nearby hill to catch his breath. It was a place that overlooked Iselia, but still stayed clear of the forests where monsters roamed. He winced then, remembering. “Man…I probably got detention for a week now.”

Colette was also panting a bit, but each breath she let out was like an airy giggle, making her shoulders shake. “We ran so fast! I think I tore my dress a little too!”

“Huh!?” Lloyd snapped his head up towards her, and then immediately saw that tear on the hem of her outfit. “Dammit, it must have been when we ran past that tree and a branch got you… Argh, I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Colette asked, sticking out her tongue at him. “But if you really wanted, maybe you can fix it for me later.”

“Oh, yeah! I can do that!” Lloyd figured he could use the practice at sewing. If he could stitch up the face of a dog into his ribbons, he could fix up a dress!

“And besides, we can dance out here.” Colette reached forward to grasp his hands. “Like you said?”

“Heh, already? There’s no music this time, but we don’t need it!” And he went to grasp her hand in his, the other settling on her waist. “And no people to trip you.”

“Yeah! Unless you do.” Another tease, prompting out a ‘Hey!’ from Lloyd but she only laughed, and so did he. The night air was comfortable, and the flowers that were near surrounded them with the scent of pollen, mixed in with the pine from the forest.

And then – another trip.

Colette this time got her boot caught up in a tangled nest of grass stalks and weeds. She fell back, pulling Lloyd down with her until they were both sitting on the grass, legs askew.

“You let me fall!” she told him with a grin.

“I didn’t think you could even fall now!” Lloyd protested. He sat up straighter in the grass, hands still on Colette as he helped her do the same. “I want a do-over.”

It must have been something from before that made him still keep his hand in hers, that made his thumb brush against her dress, now not only torn, but stained from the grass. He hoped she wouldn’t be in trouble, not with her grandmother, or the Church, or with Professor Sage who had just saw them sneak out…

“Lloyd…” Colette asked, and her voice was now more serious than before. It made him pause, wondering. Maybe he was being too weird with her now, and she didn’t like it and- “Didn’t you want to ask me something before?”

Oh. He hadn’t expected that. There was no warm candlelight to color her hair, but the moon made it shine even more, highlighted the many ruffles and folds of her dress.

“Haha, um…” He did know. He knew exactly what he wanted to ask, even before he understood the significance. “It’s too lame though.”

“I won’t think so,” Colette reassured him.

“Why do you say that?” he asked, curious.

“Because it’s you, Lloyd. I know I’ll be okay with what you want to say.”

She was okay with being with him too, away from the party, their hands still clasped.

“Ah well…” he hedged, feeling suddenly so childish in all the wrong ways. “Maybe it’s a weird thing to ask.”

At that, Colette only looked even more curious, looking up at him. No crowd to continually make her trip, or the well-meaning friend of theirs to keep them from getting too close, or the teacher who probably already had their grades set.

It was just Colette, and no one else.

“Do you think, um…” Lloyd started, worried for an interruption; from the sky, from the forest nearby, or from Colette. But she waited for him to move on, to be brave enough in what to say. “Do you think you and I could be…I dunno, uh… more than…” It was sounding worse by the minute, even as he couldn’t stop holding her. “More than friends?”

It was the best he could say, and he only hoped that the silence that followed would be merciful enough. Maybe Colette would only make fun of him a little bit.

“Lloyd, is this your way of asking to kiss me?”

Huh?! Wait, is it?! He blinked, staring at Colette, who seemed to have also made her own little gamble on what should happen next. Her cheeks were still flushed, even long after they had stopped dancing and running, and laughing…

Maybe it was dumb, to take her bet just then. But he leaned down to kiss her, just like he wanted to at the dance so suddenly before being pushed away. It was quick and tinged with a bit of panic, but he felt Colette press against him, not turning away.

He was already laughing in mid-kiss, pulling away only to cup her face in his hands. “You’re really a dork.”

“So are you,” she told him, matching his smile. But then there was something so sad in her eyes then, that it made Lloyd pause.

“Oh…was it that bad?” he asked. It had been his first kiss! Not exactly something one could practice…

“No, not that! It was… really nice.” Colette reached up to brush her fingers against his hands, happy to keep him near. “I’m just thinking about what Genis said.”

Lloyd’s mind stilled. “You were thinking of Genis when you kissed me?”

“Not like that!” she argued with a pout. “It’s just, what he said, I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Lloyd let his hands fall from her cheeks to rest on her shoulders. “You’re gonna have to remind me what he said because I completely forgot.” Really, Genis was the last thing on his mind right now!

Colette wavered, hands now brushing from his wrists down to his arms, always continually touching him. He hoped she would keep doing that. “Lloyd, do you think…Martel would be okay with this?”

That had been unexpected, a weird splash of cold water that just got dumped on his head. “Um, why are we talking about Church things right now?” As if talking about Genis after their kiss wasn’t weird enough!

“Maybe she wouldn’t… Because I’m supposed to…” Then she trailed off, stopped.

Lloyd saw the defeat her eyes, a pain in them that he hadn’t understood back then. There had been so much he didn’t truly get until it was too late.

Maybe what he said next was careless, but the feeling gripped his ribs, wanting to be known. “It doesn’t matter what Martel thinks,” he said, and saw Colette’s eyes widen. “I mean! Well…this doesn’t have anything to do with her, does it?”

Colette blinked, her hands gripping his tight. “It doesn’t?” she repeated, thinking it over.

“I mean, not that she’s not important!” All he ever heard about Martel was how important she was, especially to Colette, a Chosen! He didn’t want to make her feel bad, but how best could he explain? “It’s just, well, this isn’t part of being a Chosen. So… it doesn’t have anything to do with her, right? Just us.” He paused, thinking it over again, liking that so much suddenly. “It’s just us right now.”

Colette still hesitated, and suddenly he was understanding that whatever she struggled with now, she had struggled with for years and years. All of it unraveling right before him, in his very hold.

“But anything I do… has to do with Martel.” She looked down, right at those golden buttons of his. “So, shouldn’t I…”

Lloyd tried one last thing, a thrown-out fact in class that he had somehow been able to retain. “But Martel is asleep. Would she even know what you’re doing?”

Colette didn’t say anything, silent, considering.

“And besides…” Lloyd continued. “Martel is supposed to be good and kind. So, even if she was awake and everything…why wouldn’t she want her Chosen to be happy?”

Still Colette stayed silent, still, she would not say anything.

Lloyd worried just then he had messed up, but he couldn’t take back what he meant. “But it only matters if you like this.” He grinned nervously, his lips still tingling from remembered warmth. “Because I definitely do.”

“…Me too,” Colette said, staring up at him again. The words came out fast, all as she looked up at him. “I- I really liked it!”

He hadn’t expected such intensity in her eyes. “Colette?”

“I do too, I really do, I-” she said it even faster, as if she was releasing something held insider her for so long, and then she moved to kiss him again, surprising him with the force of it. But he was eager to learn, eager to take whatever Colette was giving him right now. He held her close, kissing Colette underneath the many stars.

And if Martel really was watching and disapproving them right now in her sleep, Lloyd thought, then he didn’t care. Not if Colette wanted this too. She deserved to want things, and he promised since then, that he would keep helping her believe that with every part of her heart.

[megucarecord]

Rating Genshin Impact Character Designs (Pt. 1)

Hey y’all! I’ve been thinking of doing this for a really long time and I decided to finally stop being lazy and do it. So this is going to be a review of all the playable characters in Genshin Impact from a design perspective. I don’t really have any prerequisites to make this list worth anything (unless you count one year of a fashion/sewing class in high school lol) but hey idk, seems fun?

Gonna be super long (10 characters) so putting everything under the cut.

Disclaimer: I don’t actually hate any of these designs, nor do I consider my opinions “fixing” them, this is just for fun. 

Character: Lumine

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about this design. The hair and basic build are fine, very generic but that’s unsurprising for any character that is working at least partially as a pseudo self-insert. The color scheme is also very bland - and is one of the reasons I originally thought that Aether was automatically Geo traveler and Lumine was Anemo traveler. I think that adding more colors would’ve been a good thing, but also would’ve required a revamp of the dress itself, so maybe not the most practical thing, even if I think the dress is a bit too busy. The biggest changes I would make would be to get rid of the fancy part of her stockings as well as the extra flow/ruffled back of the skirt, which is just a bit too much considering the top layer of the skirt is already quite detailed (in a very nice way) and that could’ve just been extended. I also have to admit that though the scarf is very impractical and showy, but it reminds me of a costume from a series I like so I actually like it a lot, although you could definitely term it unnecessary.

Rating: 7/10

Character: Aether

Okay ngl this character design kinda slaps. Firstly, I love that Aether has long hair, it’s a good contrast to Lumine’s cut (and contrast should be super important with characters that are siblings/parallels of one another) and idk long braids are kinda cool. I love that the outfit has distinctive colors, which give the character personality and keeps him from being washed out. The design is much more streamlined than Lumine’s, and although I’m not a huge fan of midrifts (a theme in this post I’m sorry) there’s not actually much I’d change in this design. Except maybe make the cape a scarf to better match with Lumine. This is definitely the superior design in terms of the siblings in my opinion and I think the lack of intricacy fits the image of “traveler” better. It’s not my favorite and there isn’t anything that really stands out in the design, but it’s really solid and I like it.

Rating: 9/10

Character: Albedo

This design has a lot of potential, but I think in the end it’s just a bit too busy (which will be a theme in this game haha). I like the hair - in general I’m glad Genshin isn’t scared to try a bunch of different lengths and styles on guys because if not everything would become painfully boring. I also like the clothes for the most part. The boots are especially sleek, and I like that despite being a Geo character they gave Albedo a bluer, darker color scheme. I think it fits with his mysterious sort of quietly menacing vibe (this man is Frankensteining something I know it). But it really starts to get a bit too much with the coat. I think he needed a coat, again it fits the character, he’s in the middle of a frozen tundra and he’s also a magic scientist man, he needs some sort of coat. But I think the chain and the strap across the front is a bit too much. If I were the designers I would’ve continued with a sleeker theme, make the sleeves longer, the gloves shorter, if you wanted some ornamentation maybe a pack of vials on his belt. Overall very good design, greater color scheme, too busy. Also can we appreciate his banner art? It’s so good I love it.

Rating: 8/10

Character: Amber

Okay first I’m gonna say her card art is super cute. Love the pose, love the style. All gut. Now let me say that this outfit had potential but then it sorta... fell flat. I like the color scheme for the most part, except the white cause idk white is boring and in the game it looks kinda latexy, but I understand wanting three colors and black might be too close to brown. That being said, I hate stockings. Stockings are just the worst, they’re impractical, hard to put on, uncomfortable, should only be worn with dresses. No knight of Favonius needs stockings. Might I suggest pants or shorts? Or like cool pseudo armor plates like with Lumine. Also though I do like the jacket and the leather stomacher design, I think a bomber jacket might suit the character better, because idk they’re cool and they make me think of Amelia Earheart, although that’s such a culturally distinct thing I can’t blame them for not thinking that way. Again the jacket is still very cool, love the stomacher, and love the cuffs.. The belt is lovely and like I said love the embossed designs, but ultimately this design is too impractical, and too bland to get away with being impratical for me. So... yeah.

Rating: 5/10

Character: Barbara

Barbara! Our fav crazy nun. First I’m gonna thank her for having an attack of pure magic then I’m gonna say I hate the color white apparently because I also didn’t like it here. I’m pretty sure she’s supposed to be a novice (could be wrong), so I’d flip the colors, have the accents be white and the main color navy. But idk that’s just me. Overall I quite like her design. It’s a pretty good balance between simple and detailed. I don’t even hate the stockings. I’d say the least good part is the top, the bow and the weird collar is just... ehh? but I don’t think getting rid of the collar would help though. I’d say ditch the bow, make the dress connect to the collar, keep the off the shoulders cold sleeves. I really like the ruffled part of the top skirt. Idk it’s the best part of the design. The hat makes her look like a nurse not a nun though. maybe make the hair ties for the ponytails little veils, might fit better. Overall mostly nitpicks, it’s a strong design.

Rating: 8/10

Character: Beidou

Firstly I’d like to apologize to the Beidou I pulled before never using her (forgive me ily); next I’d like to admit I don’t love her design. I haven’t really harped on the lack of armor on these characters - because I’m not sure how I’d integrate armor into all them without making them bland af, no one wants people running around in full plate armor how tf you supposed to climb in that - but I still wouldn’t’ve put her in a leotard and boots only when she’s a canonical fighter, without even the armor accents on most of the other character. I know that traditional qipao would probably be terrible to fight in, so I’m not going to complain about them slitting it - I actually quite like it I think it’s cool and sleek and fits her vibe - but I will complain about them putting her in a leotard underneath. As someone who dances I can assure you no one in their right mind would want to fight in a leotard, which yes I know isn’t the point and I can’t blame them for not thinking that way. Anyways, I think leggings/stockings and tall boots are quite cool so that’s prolly what I’d do, streamlines the whole design too, gives it a sense of connectivity (idk I’m weird and I don’t look at this character often so yeah). I like the top of her design, although I’d prolly replace the fur on the cap with a large collar, sort of pirate-y or Navy-like. Also let me just say I love the hair and eye patch. Fits her reckless sort of character to hate her hair whipping around, and the eyepatch really sells the concept of her having fought for years. The hand guards didn’t need to be flared, but I don’t mind them being there. Especially since handling a Claymore would definitely rip up your hands if you didn’t have protection. Also the boots though impractical are very cool so... yeah.

Rating: 6/10

Character: Bennett

One of my main team and prolly the closest thing I currently have to a DPS I have conflicting opinions on Bennett’s design. I think it’s a pretty good design all things considered. His belt and all his packs would be busy if you didn’t know Bennett’s character, but considering he’s a wanna be adventurer, I think it works pretty well. Although I don’t know why his extra belt straps are so long... or even exist?? Idk kinda weird. His top is... ehh? I don’t really like it, I think partially because I don’t think Bennett would wear a midrift shirt like this (midrifts where there shouldn’t be midrifts or, as I like to call it, being MagiReco-d) and partially cause the color, though understandable in such a busy design, is kinda bland. I think that’s why the collar works instead of being too busy, we needed some color. If I had to changed the design I’d get rid of the midrift and get rid of those weird extra belt things. Also that one random dagger star thing on one side of his blue collar is just so weird and random and like why does it exist? But overall I like the design, and it doesn’t bug me when I’m playing with him. I think it’s a good example of how busyness can accurately portray a character. Well done.

Rating: 8/10

Character: Chongyun

Another character who I own but have never played, though my friend has him on their main team and they look super cool. I’m not gonna lie I love this character’s design. Firstly the color palette is so good, the white feels like it works to offset all the blue hues - which I love that even the darkest parts of his design are blue not black - so it doesn’t feel bland or irritating, especially with the gold giving it a sense of luxury. I also like the choice to have a tunic that extends to the pants, I think having only white pants would be too bland - again white it a meh color for designs - so it really gives it some necessary details and color. I also like the jacket, again it gives the design a sense of detail while being simple enough not to feel like too much. Also I have no idea what the outfit would look like without the jacket and I have a feeling that answer would be Not Good, so... yeah. Some nitpicks; the left arm band thingie golden cuff is kinda too much and seems impractical and irritating. And... that’s it. I know the slippers are impractical, but I think they work, he is an exorcist not an adventurer after all. Overall, probably second favorite design in the game. Great job

Rating: 10/10

Character: Diluc

Give Diluc a high ponytail, I’m begging you. Lol anyways personal preference aside (which is impossible this entire post is personal preference) I like this design. I think the color works and the whole outfit is a good reflection of Diluc’s character, closed off, luxurious while also a bit ragged and uncontrollable. Yeah. I like it. I do think the thing chain accessory is kinda random, and I don’t think there’s anything about the design that knocks me off my feet, but I do really love the design overall. Also the gloves, good gloves. Suggestions? High ponytailed Diluc. Nothing else. Also though he’s not in this post I like that this outfit is very streamlined and simple compared to Kaeya, it’s a good portrayal of their differing views and opinions through fashion. Because unlike with the traveller siblings I think these brothers have a dynamic where contrast is better than parallel.

Rating: 9/10

Character: Diona

Okay so though I’ve never interacted with this character I skimmed the wiki and I love her backstory it’s hilarious. Also since I never interact with her I don’t have many opinions about her design except why does she only have one sock on? Honestly relatable moments. I think the extra ponytail is kinda weird and excessive considering the hat and I’d prolly make the hair orange to match the ears but overall very cute design. What do bartenders look like? Idk. Oh and also there are a bit too many colors roaming around, but I get it. Overall fairly generic but kinda cute. I still think midrifts are bad.

Rating: 7/10

And that’s it! I hope this didn’t come off as “lol these designs are gross and I’m superior and we should fix them” because no. No one should take any of these suggestions seriously. Except maybe the ponytail one lol. Anyways I hope at least one person likes this cause this took forever and I kinda burned out after a while. Next post if I make it will be interesting cause it includes my least favorite design. May you all have lovely playing and if you love a design I don’t honestly more power to you. Bye!!

[harry-sussex]

KATIE’S TOP 10 15 WORST ROYAL WEDDING DRESSES OF ALL TIME

15.  Silvia Sommerlath in Dior by Marc Bohan (Sweden, m. King Carl XVI Gustaf, 19 June 1976)

I love a good simple wedding dress, but this thing needed a tailor from the heavens to save it.  It looks like she’s wearing a bedsheet, or a nightgown.  The veil is fine, but I hate the little short part just dangling from the Cameo tiara in midair.  I don’t hate the whole look in theory, but a lot of adjustments needed to be made for it to work, especially since she went from commoner straight to Queen.

14.  Marie-Chantal Miller in Valentino (Greece, m. Crown Prince Pavlos, 1 July 1995)

This is a case of way too much going on.  It looks like the designer took pretty parts of multiple wedding dresses and sewed them together without seeing that the individual concepts worked well together.  This thing has mismatched lace, I mean, come on.  Also, the corset does her no favors.

13.  Sophie Rhys-Jones in Samantha Shaw (United Kingdom, m. Prince Edward, 19 June 1999)

Beaded jewelry - especially a cross - does not belong anywhere near a royal wedding.  The dress is way too plain, even for my ordinarily plain taste.  It looks like a nightgown.  The bouquet and veil were nice, but that necklace is just terrible.  Combined with quite the unfortunate tiara, this bridal look missed the mark in a lot of ways.

12.  Charlotte Casiraghi in Chanel Haute Couture and Giambattista Valli (Monaco, m. Dimitri Rassam, 1 June 2019)

I couldn’t decide which of Charlotte’s two gowns (excluding the short Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello from her civil ceremony) was worse, so I chose both for this spot.  The Chanel didn’t fit her anywhere, and those shoes need to be burned in a fire.  The fabric is wrinkly and heavy and the bodice drowns her.  The Giambattista Valli looked like all of the elements of a typical boho beach wedding, but all sewn together in some haphazard, last-minute fashion.  There’s just too much going on - lace and mesh and ruffles and appliqué and polka dots and tulle and wide sleeves.  I genuinely hate them both, especially since I had such high hopes.

11.  Mabel Wisse Smit in Victor & Rolf (The Netherlands, m. Prince Friso, 24 April 2004)

I don’t hate the silhouette, but that super short veil and those bows have to go.  The bows literally ascend in size down the train - I just don’t get it.  I can’t get it.  This could have been a success if it wasn’t so heavy (weighed down by those ridiculous bows) but the small details just kill the entire thing for me.

10.  Marilène van den Broek in Pierre Yves (The Netherlands, m. Prince Maurits, 29 May 1988)

Wedding dresses should never have collars, and you should never see the ribbing of the corset through the fabric.  It looks like Pierre Yves missed the entire midsection of fabric and just decided to let Marilène walk out with her lingerie showing.  The collar would be weird on a shirt, let alone on a wedding dress.  I hate it.

9.  Sarah Ferguson in Lindka Cierach (United Kingdom, m. Prince Andrew, 23 July 1986)

The 80s were a terrible era for fashion.  I hate satin with a passion - it is possibly the ugliest fabric on the face of the earth.  Combine that with shoulder pads and puffy sleeves... yikes.  The skirt of the dress looked wrinkled (satin is the least forgiving fabric) and her veil swallowed her entire head and her hair - which is almost impressive, considering one can ordinarily see Sarah’s hair from the International Space Station.  Also, those bows on the veil... nope.  Bows just seem so juvenile for such a massive event.  This is just a case of 80s fashion gone wrong - at least the proportions were right, but the rest of it completely missed the mark.

8.  Masako Owada in Jun Ashida (Japan, m. Crown Prince Naruhito, 9 June 1993)

Another case of too much happening at once.  The lace is pretty but combined with the excessively ruffled collar, buttons, elbow-length gloves in a mismatched fabric/color, matching handbag (??), and over-the-top necklace and tiara (which I love, but not with this), the look in full is... unfortunate.  Also, I hate with a passion when royal ladies in gowns cover their sashes.  This was the day she became the Crown Princess of Japan - that sash is a lot more important than that ugly little overcoat!!  The sash should always go over the outfit.  Period.  

7.  Letizia Ortiz in Manuel Pertegaz (Spain, m. The Prince of Asturias, 22 May 2004)

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again - wedding dresses should not have collars.  For someone whose fashion almost always knocks it out of the park, I’m flabbergasted that Letizia chose this look for her wedding day.  It looks like she’s wearing a camisole underneath to bring up the neckline... I used to do that when I was 13.  It wasn’t a good look for a teenage American, and it’s not a good look for a future Queen on her wedding day.  Also, the fabric swallows her petite figure alive.  The shape is closer to a nightgown than to a wedding dress.

6.  Princess Märtha-Louise in Wenche Lyche (Norway, m. Ari Behn, 24 May 2002)

Wedding!! dresses!! should!! not!!! have!! collars!!!  The only thing worse than a collar is a jacket... Märtha-Louise went with both in this case.  The color is unforgiving and the jacket doesn’t match the slip dress beneath it.  I think I like the tiara individually but it just does not work with the dress/vampire cape thing she has going on.

5.  Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in Édouard Vermeulen (Belgium, m. Prince Philippe, 4 December 1999)

Honestly, I’m getting tired of saying it, but... wedding dresses should not have collars.  The color is pretty but that’s about all I can say about this dress.  What’s with those polka dots?  Who on earth would think that polka dots and ruffles should go in the same veil?  With lace?  And tulle?  It looks like the designer took all of the leftover fabric from his past designs and stitched them into a ridiculously mismatched veil that was paired with an extraordinary simple dress (that would have been fine on its own, had the collar/coat thing been totally eliminated).  Seriously, these collars make all of these gorgeous royal ladies look like Dracula.

4.  Rania al-Yassin in Bruce Oldfield (Jordan, m. King Abdullah II, 10 June 1993)

This like something you could get at Party City for $75.00 so a child can call herself “The Bride of Franken-Elvis” while trick-or-treating on Halloween.  Seriously, what is it with these ladies and their collars?  That embroidery... no.  It’d be bad enough if it was white or silver, but the fact that it’s gold?  Just no.  And it’s repeated on her shoes!!  Short-sleeved jackets are simply the worst, especially over a wedding dress.  The fabric is unforgiving (I hate satin) and the whole thing looks like it was just pulled out of a suitcase before being thrown on the bride.  The bouquet is terrible, the earrings are terrible, the hair is terrible... why does it look like the veil is both pulling on Rania’s scalp and strangling her beehive?  I don’t get it, I hate it, I can’t imagine why anyone would think any part of this ensemble looked good.

3.  Mary Donaldson in Uffe Frank (Denmark, m. Crown Prince Frederik, 14 May 2004)

By far, the worst wedding ensemble of all the modern royal brides.  Mary has such an incredible fashion sense, which is why this one hurts so much.  What is going on here?  A bad case of wedding hair, for one - suffocated of course by an ugly tiara, excessive earrings, and a veil that looks like it just came out of someone’s attic, unpreserved and yellow-tinted.  The same goes with the dress - what’s wrong with the color?  Why does it look like it’s been sitting in a studio with a bunch of chain smokers for a year?  The color just washes her out completely.  The shape isn’t horrible but those weird panels on the front look like they were sewn on the morning of the wedding as an afterthought.  I hate the fabric, I hate the sleeves, I hate the fabric, I hate the design execution, I hate the veil, I hate the bouquet, I hate the accessories... overall, I hate the whole thing.

2.  Soraya Esfandiary-Bahktiary in Christian Dior (Iran, m. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, 12 February 1951)

Feathers... just no.  Nope, no way.  I have nothing good to say.  I have nothing to say.  Just no.  

1.  Lady Diana Spencer in David and Elizabeth Emmanuel (United Kingdom, m. The Prince of Wales, 29 July 1981)

The epitome of god-awful 80s fashion.  I get that hindsight is 20-20 but I can’t believe that anyone on Diana’s design team would think this thing would age well.  It looks like it weighed more than Diana ever did!  Puffy sleeves, ruffles, mounds and mounds of ridiculous, wrinkled fabric... it’s a wonder she wasn’t sucking wind by the time she got to the altar!  It’s like a workout!!  Who needs to go to the gym when you could just put on Diana’s wedding dress and walk a couple hundred feet?  For such a young, beautiful bride - this entire thing missed every mark.  It wore her, not the other way around.  She was barely out of her teens when she wore this and it just aged her... I could do this forever.  This is one of the worst royal wedding dresses of all time, then and now, and I can’t fathom anyone ever approving this design much less wearing it down the aisle during the wedding of the century.

[dr-astormylasthurrah]

questions and answers...

done over discord, collected here for archives!

(also, a reminder that the askbox is always open~)

“Does anyone like to collect or hoard things?”

CHIYO: I really, really like collecting headbands!! I’ve got a frankly embarrassing collection at home, from Hello Kitty styled ones to more “mature” looking ones. My grandma gave me a lot of my collection, so they’re really important to me! AMAL: I don’t really have time to collect things. Collecting postage stamps would be a nice hobby if it didn’t get so expensive with limited runs or whatever. TATSUMARU: ... Why would... why would I want to spend money on things I don’t need or want? SENTAROU: I collect interesting yarn. But you didn’t hear that from me and if you ever tell anyone I’m legally obligated to kill you. IRIS: Um... hair clips? I have a few sets depending on what I feel like doing! And I buy more every year for my birthday. It... might be a problem. ASTER: Bold of you to assume I know anything about myself, let alone what I have at home. Bold of you to assume I know where my home is, too. I hope past me collected rocks. Not gemstones or anything, just funky rocks. CLAUDE: If it exists in collectible form, I have a few. Don’t even ask me to pick a specific thing, ahaha. My room’s a mess. Wait, Kinder egg toys! Those are fun. HIRONO: I don’t really collect things, but I do keep a lot of physical photographs of places I’ve been to and people I like. Photography reminds me of Megumi, so I like doing it! ALEXEI: Feathers. Call me predictable, but I prefer “dedicated” or “has a very clear idea of what I want in life”. RIRIKA: I collect anime girl PNGs. Never, ever play gacha idol games. Don’t make my mistakes. TSUKINO: I have a TON of plane tickets!! Well, most of them aren’t mine, and sometimes I just beg them off people at airports and they look at me weird. It’s so neat knowing that these little papers can take you anywhere and that they’re from so many cool places, too! BRENDAN: I hoard anything I can fit in my toolbelt and save for later. So like, odds and ends. I, uh... may have a problem with never throwing things away. TIANA: A lot of my jewelry is from lot sales conducted by my aunt. I suppose most of the reason I have so much of it is to feel closer to my family, though I make some of it myself, too. RYOUJI: I collect... what do I collect, actually? I collect dust from sitting in one place for so long. Haha. I’m kidding, I’m always on my feet, please god send help I just want to sleep. TRISTAN: I don’t see the point in keeping so much stuff. Not to sound like a cleaning show host, but collecting things is such a waste of time, space, and money. No offense. KANEMORI: I don’t usually care about things but I got one of those little, what are they called, aquabead bracelets? From a sponsor? And suddenly my house is full of cheap bracelets. Especially those thin vinyl ones, those are the best. Why has my life come to this though.

“Do they dress for looks or comfort? What’s their fashion angle?”

CHIYO: I’d say looks are... most of it? I mean, of course I want to be comfortable, but ultimately I don’t think I’m ever going to stop worrying about passing. It does help that I genuinely like skirts and dresses and stuff, although I’m still kinda insecure about showing too much skin. I like the aesthetic of Howl’s Moving Castle, so I think that’s the kind of fashion I’d like to wear - something simple and crisp. AMAL: For me, fashion is definitely comfort over appearance. I haven’t really thought about what I wear in a while. Bates says I look like a wannabe TA who’s currently sucking up to the professor and I am ACTIVELY CHOOSING to view that as a compliment. Fuck you, Bates. TATSUMARU: In all honesty, what I wear every day is only a slight modification of what I wear onstage. I haven’t even thought about what I would wear if not this. Although this cloak is nice. SENTAROU: Are you kidding? Comfort all the way, but because of my stupid job I have to look at least somewhat professional. Hence, the tuxedo jacket. This is my life hack or whatever, I just toss it on if I need to look fancy. If I had my way, I’d be wearing T-shirts and jackets all the time. I’m not interested in looking nice for other people’s enjoyment, thank you very much. IRIS: As much as I’d love to dress up, I don’t leave my house very often, so there’s really no point in wearing anything fancy. I guess off the shoulder tops would be cute? I don’t really know. Oh, but if societal standards weren’t a thing, I’d love to have a pair of those kiddie butterfly wings! ASTER: ... I mean assuming what I’m wearing right now is close to my normal clothes, I guess this is looking a lot like function over form. But given the option, I think I’d wear more patterns. Like, yeah, I like simple clothing items, but I also want to wear some kind of personality, y’know? I’d keep this jacket, for example. But I want patterns on my pants. CLAUDE: It’s a mix of both for me! Just, y’know, my idea of “comfort” doesn’t exactly match with other people’s. I try to go for an approachable but fashionable vibe! Thin, large sweater tops, scarves, I’d basically be the poster child of every men’s fashion catalogue if I could be, ahaha. HIRONO: Definitely comfort. I’m used to being overlooked, so I may as well be comfortable. Though I’m told if I dress in a suit and fold my arms, my glare is impressive enough to melt holes in steel. I guess that’s kind of cool, but I’d still rather have people to talk to, y’know. ALEXEI: Comfort. Yes, this includes the cape. The cape is comfort. I am comfortable being dramatic and unknowable to man. Fuck off if you have a problem. RIRIKA: Looks, of course. It’s a little hard for me not to be detail oriented, considering my talent and everything, and besides, dressing nicely makes me feel more confident. I like layering things and using repetitive colors or patterns to tie outfits together. Sometimes I’ll focus all of my energy into an outfit in order to kill God or something. I don’t know. TSUKINO: I don’t know what this is! I wish I could be more punkish when I’m flying with like spikes and everything but noooo apparently that’s a “safety hazard” and “a distraction to the instructor”. Well, joke’s on you, safety instructor, but my normal flight clothes have studs on them ANYWAY. I’m gonna fight the establishment in every way, bitch! BRENDAN: It’s comfort. It’s absolutely just for comfort. I’ve had this jacket since I was 12, 13...? I bought it two sizes too big and it’s so worn out now that I’ve had to sew patches into it, but I hate throwing anything away so I just keep it. So I guess my fashion sense is just... “shabby”. I don’t mind, though! I think it gives me character. TIANA: Looks are MUCH more important than comfort when it comes to clothes. A good outfit can make or break someone’s perception of you. Though I don’t like to wear full business attire every day and I can’t imagine doing so at this time, I think it’s wise to at least have a decent collared shirt at all times. As for my shorts and socks... I think I just have a look going on here. Besides, gyaru fashion is quite cute. So roll with it. RYOUJI: Uh... At this point, imma keep it real with you, my fashion sense is a game of “how androgynous can I go without my parents suspecting anything”. I’m kind of dying in this, considering the heat of wearing two layers and a binder, but I also don’t care anymore. I guess I’m okay wearing T-shirts and stuff if I don’t have anywhere to be, but I’d like to at least LOOK competent, you know? TRISTAN: I’m wearing socks and sandals as we speak. So take a guess. I look exactly like a stereotypical gamer because it’s true. KANEMORI: Weird as this is to say, I favor both. I’m never far from a spotlight, between me and my parents and everything, so I have to look at least kind of presentable at all times. Which sucks, but it’s what I grew up with, so I guess that’s just how my life is. I’m used to just wearing T-shirts and stuff. If I had to wear a tie I guess I’d just choke or something.

For Hirono: What's your favorite genre of music?

EKYOU: Uh... anything, I guess? I have what’s described as “eclectic” taste. But I promise I’ll listen to anything people show me, and I’ll do my best to like it!

Uhmm for Iris: How would your ideal romantic date be?

SUMITAMA: E-eh?? This is super cheesy, but... I like the idea of a traditional date! A fancy dinner with candles and everything. SUMITAMA: Oh, but outside of that, I’d really enjoy a date where I can do things I love with someone I love! Walking around a botanical garden, or having a library day... As long as it’s free. I need to save money for textbooks. College courses are evil, don’t do them.

for ryouji: do you keep your room as clean as you keep the kitchen?

ATSUI: HAHAHAHAHA no I wish. ATSUI: The kitchen thing isn’t so much my rules as my parents’ rules, but it’s good to follow - if your kitchen is a mess you’re going to knock something over and regret everything. This may or may not be from personal experience. ATSUI: But my room?? That’s my HOME. That’s my PRIVATE AREA. I’m going to trip over everything in it and no one can say shit. ATSUI: I should probably start picking up all the laundry though.

Alexei, what is the most beautiful bird you have ever seen and why do you think is the most beautiful?

BAZHANOV: Pigeons are underrated. They have iridescent feathers and yet we as humans still consider them nuisances. It’s a shame. BAZHANOV: I would say something real deep about the nature of humanity to ignore beauty but I’m pretty sure that people hate them because they shit everywhere. Which is fair enough, I suppose.

For Chiyo: This is going to sound really dumb, but do you like to read? If so, what sorts of things do you like to read (genre-wise)?

CHIYO: I like kids books a lot more than young adult stuff. You know how young adult novels these days are always either “gritty sci-fi suspense” or “vaguely Eurocentric fantasy” or “heartwarming realistic fiction”? Kids stories are a lot more creative. And with a lot less pointless death. CHIYO: As for what kind of stories, I think fantasy/sci-fi is nice! Especially books that lean on fairytale elements and mythology, it’s like a history lesson and story at once! CHIYO: But, uh, I don’t understand that series with the talking cats. I tried to read it a few times but I think that’s just something you have to get into as a child.

(This is going off Western genres I don’t actually know shit abt Japanese novels)

Tsukino, do you have a celebrity crush?

CHISAKI: THE LEAD SINGER OF R3BELS OBVIOUSLY.

Does Alexei just have the one mask or does he have multiple for different outfits/occasions

BAZHANOV: Just the one. It’s surprisingly hard to track down decent and inexpensive masks for dramatic occasions. I wish I had more, but it’s also not as if I have the money to procure them. BAZHANOV: ... Unrelated, how feasible is it to break into a bank?

hirono, how did you start ōendan?

EKYOU: After... well, after some family things happened, my oldest brother Rousei thought that I needed something to do. He said ōendan would be good because I’m good at cheering for people, and he said it’s what he did in high school, too. So... I guess I gave it a shot? I’m glad I can encourage people to do their best!! But it’s just not something I’m super into for the sake of myself. But I’m at HPA now, so I shouldn’t be ungrateful, it’s just.... Yeah. EKYOU: Plus, I haven’t had time to pursue photography... It’s kind of driving me up the wall.

If tsukino could do anything other than her talent hat would she do?

CHISAKI: It would be my GOD GIVEN RIGHT as an individual to join some kind of band and go break some hearts and make like ten million dollars! But I’m kinda tone deaf! ... Not like that matters for the kind of music I’m into but hey!!

[whispersafterdusk]

The Master’s Apprentice - ch 13

Over the two days they'd thus far had to themselves Brelyna and Onmund carefully danced around the subject of 'what happens next?' and in Onmund's case he felt his thoughts had to be a lot...grimmer, darker, than anything Brelyna might be imagining. He had seen the crown and felt its allure - had felt it trying to ensnare him.  He had an idea of what it did and could do, and the more he fretted over what Varea might be doing with it as they waited the more he thought of Cedrore.

Cedrore had already been at the College when Onmund arrived - already an Adept in fact, and because their schedules and skill level differed they'd rarely found time or a reason to speak to one another.  He remembered the dark haired, slender Breton as a quiet man with a habit of fixating on things to such a degree that he could probably tune out a volcano erupting if what he was reading was important enough to him, and that he seemed to just absorb knowledge like a towel absorbed water. Onmund had been pretty certain that Cedrore was the Arch-Mage's favorite student even before the Eye of Magnus was discovered and many shared that opinion (albeit quietly, but not because of jealousy or out of malice...it was just...something that was, like the sun rising). ((Continued below cut))

Because of the favoritism and trust that Cedrore enjoyed he had been the one tasked with locating and retrieving the Staff, and ultimately had been the one who took Ancano down. The problem was that Cedrore hadn't survived that battle; in those few moments between striking Ancano down and the others rushing into the hall he'd died of his injuries...too quickly to even explain where the Eye had disappeared to when they'd found him alone. The similarities between the danger of the Eye and the crown had Onmund wondering if he was destined to be the next Cedrore -- the hero who saves everyone but dies in the end.

Then again, why should he think he'd be the hero at all?  Varea had sacrificed the others to empower herself and had "killed" Kestrel, what if she did that again?  He imagined (or hoped) that Kestrel would have a plan to prevent that from happening a second time...but he wasn't Kestrel.  He wasn't at that level of mastery, and maybe he wasn't even at Cedrore's relative skill level either.  Varea could very likely kill him before he even got a spell off -- some hero he'd be then, right?  

But he knew Brelyna was correct in that he couldn't go into this already expecting to lose; it was just...he couldn't see himself as more than another soon-to-be casualty.  Whatever came next was almost certainly going to hinge on Kestrel's power and have nothing to do with him, and while he could admit to himself that it would be best if he was simply an onlooker and stayed out of the way he hated the feeling of uselessness that came with it.

It took three more days before Kestrel emerged a second time; her illusions were in place and she looked like her "normal" self though Onmund could see a tension in her body language and a steely determination in her eyes when she'd looked him up and down (after startling him by barging into the sitting room where he'd been reading) and wordlessly gestured for him to follow her to one of the few remaining doors he'd never been through.

The door she went to appeared like the others - wood with bronze and iron bands, a latch, and no bigger or smaller than what you'd find in a normal home - but listening to it grind open he realized it was actually about six inches thick, was charged with a magical energy that hadn’t been apparent until it’d opened, and that the latch was actually just for show: she touched the door in a few specific places to trigger the magical lock to release and then it took all of her weight to budge it.  All the noise prompted Brelyna to poke her head out of the library and soon she was standing beside Onmund in the hall as they watched Kestrel push the door open wide enough to allow them to enter; she disappeared into the darkness inside and Onmund followed a moment after, and was blinded when all the candles, lanterns, and a fireplace roared to life within it all in the same instant.

As he blinked the afterimages from his eyes the hair on his arms stood on end -- somewhere very nearby was a source of energy powerful enough that he could feel it without needing to search for it, and once his vision finally cleared he found himself standing in a very narrow and long room, lined to either side with racks of dusty weapons and armor interspersed with trunks and cabinets (and, of course, all the sconces and lanterns and the singular fireplace)...it looked very much like an armory - one he hadn't sensed from outside the room - and as he stepped further inside he suspected that most (if not everything) here had to have once belonged to Kestrel's apprentices as he noted the varying sizes and styles of the objects inside here.

From behind him he heard Brelyna's voice "what IS all of this?" and he waited to hear Kestrel's answer; for a long moment there was no response -- Kestrel was quickly striding to the far end of the room (this room felt more like a hallway than the actual hallway did) and was grabbing pouches and satchels as she went.

And then, "apprentice - find something that fits."

"...what?" came his bewildered response. He looked again at all of the armor around him -- most of what was here were...really, really fancy, really fortified-looking robes, though he did see a few scattered pieces of what he guessed was chainmail, and a single platemail shoulder guard.  "You can't be serious."

She stopped to fix him with a chilling glare and he decided that maybe it'd be best to listen to her and hurried to look over the armor that lined the walls; robes would probably have the best chance of fitting him - they could be tucked, folded, or cinched to adjust for size - and the material of the armor didn't matter much when it was raw magic coming at you.

...well, maybe if it were a conjured blade then it'd make a difference, since that was both magic as well as a physical aspect, but he doubted that Varea or anyone else would bother getting into close range with him.

He found a set of armor that seemed to be a combination of cloth and leather - it had a sort of hood and half cape that covered the left shoulder and part of the thick, stiff chest piece, with the lower half an open wrap over studded leather pants, and the boots that matched (which looked too small) even had metal caps on the toes.  It was an equal balance of warrior, mage, and a lighter touch of a scout's leathers, and the craftsmanship on it was such a high quality that he felt awkward even looking at it -- this sort of thing wasn't for mere apprentices, this was the regalia of some kind of...of...war mage.

When Kestrel noticed he'd stopped in front of that set she left off what she was doing and came over to begin removing it from its stand.

"I - wait, this- I'm not a fighter."

"You've been taught how."

"What am I supposed to do against someone who defeated you?"

Kestrel scoffed and grabbed him by the collar, jerking him around to stand more in the center of the aisle that ran down the middle of the room.  "You will not be handling her, I will.  Now do I have to dress you like a child or merely handle the straps once you've got it on?"

That made him feel only marginally better; he began to pull the armor on and found that it wasn't quite large enough but wasn't so uncomfortable that he couldn't wear it (and the rest of the robes and gear here definitely looked too small for him - if only the apprentice that had come before him had had armor...Onmund WAS wearing his clothing after all and while it was slightly too big he'd rather have it loose than it being this tight).  Kestrel loosened all the straps as much as she could and helped tuck the pants into the tops of his boots (he definitely could not wear the too-small footwear), then made him spin in a circle once it was all on.

Onmund had felt odd looking at the armor before but wearing it was...he wanted to describe it as "mind expanding" but that seemed too grandiose.  What he DID know for certain was this gear was heavily enchanted and he felt fortified, energized, and strangely secure in it even though it was somewhat ill-fitting, and the energized sensation increased when he pulled the hood up.

"Who did this belong to?" he asked; he looked down at himself and flexed his fingers -- it was such an odd feeling wearing this. Onmund glanced back to Brelyna then and felt his ears grow warm at the look of admiration and curiosity on her face.

"An old mentor of mine," Kestrel answered.  Seemingly satisfied (and completely ignoring the look of amazement on Onmund's face) she went back to gathering pouches and the like before heading down the far end of the room. "He'd be tickled pink to know I'd kept it all this time AND that it's still functional.  He made it himself," she explained further, glancing back to him briefly with the first smile he'd seen on her face since she'd re-emerged from her coffin.  "The entirety of my base knowledge of enchanting came from him, and you'd have been amazed to watch the man sew."

As he watched (and very carefully stretched and shifted about to see if he could stretch out the leather and fabric some) Kestrel opened a cabinet and removed a layered set of robes that, as she sorted the pieces and let them drop to a table, thudded loudly against the wood; when she shook them out and started to pull them on the fabric folded and caught in oddly defined patches -- were those metal plates sewn into padded pockets?  That's definitely what it looked like.

"What's our plan, then?" Onmund asked after a pause (he politely waited until she had her head pushed through the neck of some kind of padded undershirt).

"I will handle Varea, and YOU-" she said, emphasizing the word as she looked to him, "-will make certain no one gets close enough for her to claim their souls and empower herself again.  I've no doubt in my mind that she'll be a difficult opponent with just the crown and her own wits but I've no intention of letting her pull her little trick a second time and add more bodies to the pile.  --where DID you put those bodies?" she asked after a breath.

Brelyna answered before he did.  "-down in the lower level, in those empty coffins.  What about me?  What should I do?"

Kestrel didn't even bother to look at her.  "Stay as far away from the fighting as possible...if you've been taught the same things Onmund was then you won't stand a chance - you're just a corpse that's still upright so far as I'm concerned."

"But-" Brelyna started, looking insulted.  She immediately paused when Kestrel fixed her with a glare.  "-I want to help," she went on a second later.

"That's a fine and noble sentiment to have but believe me child, you're ridiculously under-trained and outclassed," Kestrel replied in her usual matter-of-fact tone.  "A will to help won't make up for a lack of skill and training and I don't want you becoming a distraction to my apprentice.  You're lucky you're still alive to begin with."

A silence fell then and a thought occurred to Onmund.  "-Kestrel...why didn't you kill me when I was taken out of here?"

Again there was quiet save for a soft rattling noise of the buckles as Kestrel methodically strapped her robes in place.  "--well, to be honest, Onmund...I tried. It seems there's a limit to the range of my spell - just another little variable I wasn't aware of, much like how the tether between us sent my soul to your body and disrupted centuries of recovery spells already in place."

He winced at that -- he supposed it wasn't all THAT surprising, but he'd hoped...  "Oh.  Well...ah... I mean, I feel I should be mad but..."  He trailed off, sighing heavily.  "--COULD you tell the spell was being messed with?"

"That I could, and believe me, when I realized that I couldn't trigger it from a distance I was determined to retrieve you, however... I couldn't leave the crown unguarded, and once she had you the attacks on my defenses increased.  I suspect she might have had those in her sway helping her with that as they were near-constant with wildly varying degrees of finesse to them."  She cinched her sash into place and a belt over that, and then began to sort through the pouches and satchels she'd gathered, clipping some onto her belt and sorting the contents of others into different containers.  "...I know how...coldhearted it sounds.  I really do.  And if it makes you feel any better I cried over it.  Here I was, in the worst possible position: unable to kill to keep the secret of the crown, unable to leave to save my apprentice.  Poised to lose no matter what I did.  If I could have snatched you back - and that IS the first thing I tried - I would have..."

She trailed off, shoulders slumping, then looked over to him.  "I have no desire to lose another apprentice to this damned thing.  I despise being in the position to even make that choice. Whatever you might think of me, Onmund...know that I highly value you, as I have all the others.  I don't make the choices that I do lightly.  And I am genuinely proud that you did not break under the pressure."

For a moment he just stared - the praise gave him a funny feeling in his stomach...not quite embarrassment, not quite pride.  "I did what you taught me to do."

"I know.  That is why I'm proud."

He felt his face warming and knew he was tinging red, and quickly cleared his throat.  "So...what's our plan?"

"As I've said I will handle Varea and the crown and you will keep everyone else at bay."

"That's...not really a plan."

"Until I actually determine what we're up against I can't give you a plan, Onmund. And no plan survives contact with an enemy so even if I DID have one it's not likely to work.  You're well trained and your job is to save lives while mine is to end one...that's as best as I can do."

"All right.  And, Kestrel...when we get it back, and destroy it, can we get out of this hole in the ground?"

She slowly turned to look at him, eyebrow raised.  "...don't let idle day dreams of the future distract you from the present, apprentice.   One step at a time."

Onmund managed a weak smile.  "I know.  It's just better to look at the positive side, right?  We can't go into this expecting to lose, and having a goal in mind at the very least makes it seem worthwhile."  

It was then that Brelyna stepped back up beside him, eying everything around them.  "-if I can't help then what should I do?"

"Well, you could stay down here and risk starving to death if something should happen to us both and you aren't able to climb out, OR you can return to the surface with us and find somewhere to hide far, far from the fighting and someone will go retrieve you eventually."

"I'll...find somewhere to hide that isn't here," Brelyna said after a pause.

"Wise," Kestrel muttered.  

She ushered the two of them back into the hall then returned to what she was doing; Onmund kept stretching and tugging at the armor, finding that easier to focus on that what they were inevitably going to be heading into soon.  The plan they had wasn't much of one and it occurred to him that she'd said his part in this was to keep the others out of Varea's reach...if only he'd found a book about portals before now then maybe he could dump everyone into a hold's jail and call it a day.

The thought was just amusing enough to chuckle over and he feared that this one stupid thought might be the last thing he ever laughed about.

[chimpukampu]

A Dork Named Adrien, Day 4 - Fashion

For @seasonofthegeek Adrien Appreciation Week challenge

AO3 | Fanfiction | Wattpad

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

BTW in France, they call their tuxedos as smoking same with other European countries but I'll stick with the American English term instead to avoid further confusions.

This chapter is about Adrien and his male classmates, 'coz canon failed to focus on their tight friendship. Also, lots of fashion tips for men…and bad puns.

Slight S2 spoilers.

"You need a what?"

"A fashion guru, man. A fashion guru. One who knows about fashion," Nino told him casually "You're a fashion model so you're very much familiar with suits."

"Nino, I do Haute Couture. It's not similar with Prêt-à-Porter."

"Who cares? They're both articles of clothing anyway." Kim interjected but was nudged by Max.

"Prêt-à-Porter is a high quality, factory made fashion that is only available pre-seasonally, catering to climate and economic changes. Haute Couture, on the other hand, is a high-quality custom-fit piece made for a specific client and is regulated by a French law."

Markov settled himself on his bespectacled master's shoulder and added "Haute Couture houses are committed to present collections twice a year of at least thirty-five pieces of – "

"Will you two just stop explaining irrelevant things?" the jock scowled much to their chagrin "It's not helpful."

"Hey!"

"Can we just drop those fancy names and simply call Prêt-à-Porter as 'ready-to-wear' while Haute Couture as 'high-end fashion'?" Nathanael offered, which earned a nod from Ivan.

"I'm a bit confused. I don't understand why you all want my advice," said Adrien who was scratching the side of his chin "Why can't you just approach Marinette? She's an aspiring fashion designer and she knows all about tailored suits."

"No way we will ask Marinette about this," his best friend shook his head with a grimace "Even if Marinette kept this as a secret, Alya will still be able to pull the information out of her mouth. Alya can even interrogate a mute and they will tell her everything. You have no idea how scary she is."

"I'm pretty much aware of her cape-abilities."

"I'm going to let your pun slide, Agreste. Don't make me strangle you."

"Once Alya knows this," Ivan interrupted their banters "No way she will never share it with the girls, especially to Mylene."

"Or to Chloe," Nathanael added.

"Okay, I think I get what you mean," the blond model chuckled "Who doesn't want to dress to impress their girl? Am I right, Nino?"

"Shut up, you filthy rich brat."

"I don't need to dress to impress," Kim patted his chest proudly "Because Ondine is already proud of me – OUCH! Max, what was that for?!"

"Nobody wants to know your icky love story," the bespectacled boy sneered as he unrolled the magazine that he used to hit his friend's head "It's not helpful."

The boys' raucous laughs erupted when Kim's cheeks turned into an overripe tomato.

Mayor Bourgeoise made an announcement that his beloved daughter will be celebrating her birthday party in Le Gran Paris, and since it was a black-tie event, it was expected that there will be some famous celebrities, politicians and the press attendees there.

Despite the glitz and glamour, Chloe extended the invitation to her 'peasant' classmates. And of course, the class wholeheartedly accepted it.

"We better not screw this up," said Nino who was forced to slouch on the car seat as Ivan's large arm occupied almost half of the backrest "Not only for our girlfriends' sanity but also for our dignity. I bet there will be reporters there that could capture our mess and ruin our future."

"C'mon man, live a life! Yolo guys, Yolo!" answered by Kim who was sitting on the opposite side "Nobody cares if we'll do something funny there."

"No Kim, Nino's right," Nathanael defended glumly "Unlike you who has a scholarship grant, us here have to avoid any controversial issues that could reach to our prospect schools and lead them to cancel our application. Universities are quite sensitive to mass media nowadays."

Kim grumbled incoherently then slumped in his seat.

"This is a nice change of pace after our horrendous Bac," Ivan commented as he stared at the windows.

Nino groaned while cradling his head "Please don't remind me about that."

Adrien was supposed to be commuting with his friends, but when they learned about Gorilla's presence, they pleaded him to take them for a ride in his limousine.

He couldn't say no to their loud whines.

Now the six boys and a floating miniature robot – plus an undisclosed kwami in the pocket – were all cramped at the passenger's seat.

The ride to Haussmann-Saint-Lazare-Opéra was quite short. Considered as the commercial heart of Parisian shopping, this urban center is a home to major department stores and cheap deals, especially on men's clothing.

"According to the data that I have gathered last night, Manteau et Cravate sells the cheapest yet high-quality tuxedos in town," Max said as he swiped something on his phone. "They also have tux rentals too."

"I don't think I'll have another chance to wear a tuxedo after Chloe's party," Ivan mumbled, with eyes skimming on the store displays that they've passed. "As this is just a one-time event."

"You can still wear a tux on some formal occasions like weddings or anniversaries," their jock classmate supplied "We never know, Chloe might invite us again next year."

"Hmm, you might be right."

"Maman said that the jacket might not fit me after a year or two." Nathanael told them "So I'll just rent a tuxedo instead."

"So rent we shall do," said Nino, pushing the store's glass door open.

Shopping with male friends is way different than Chloe's, Adrien bemused as he observed the ruckus that was happening inside the shop. For his childhood friend, shopping means hopping from one store to another, multiple dress fittings and carrying several tote bags as they marched to another boutique.

Nino and the gang, however, prefer to stay at one place that could cater all of their needs. No window shoppings, catalog viewings, dress fittings or side trips like cafe and restaurants.

He never realized that hanging out with a group of boys for shopping was pretty straight-forward until now.

It was quite refreshing.

"What the hell is the difference between tuxedos and suits?" Kim complained as he rummaged the jackets that were hung neatly on the display racks "They all look the same!"

"Tuxedos have satins while suits don't," the blond model explained, "There are few exceptions to the rule though, but I think you'll find it sew-fisticated."

He guffawed when someone socked him with a pair of rolled socks. Thankfully, they were unused.

"Hey, Adrien," Nathanael called his attention behind the shelves "Which of these bow ties do you think would match on my dress shirt?"

"Bow ties?!" the jock reacted "Ew, that's for oldies! Why can't we use long neckties?"

"That depends on your jacket and shirt collar, Kim," reasoned Adrien. "Though most tuxes are best suited with bow ties."

"I hope you did not say that to deliver a pun," he deadpanned.

"Hey, all of my puns are intended."

This time, it was Nino who socked him with a belt.

Ivan emerged in front of them, holding two pieces of black garments "Adrien, waistcoat or cummerbund?"

"For you?"

His huge classmate nodded.

When he showed him a double-breasted coat, he answered: "Waistcoat would be tear-riffic on your attire."

Ivan made a non-committal hum as he left for a dress fitting.

"Can I use suspenders?" Max asked, showing him his single-buttoned jacket with silver lapels. "What colors should I use?"

"You can," Adrien answered, "But suspenders should never be visible and must be hidden completely beneath the waist covering and jacket, so it denim matter if it's a black or white."

Kim hastily shoved some lapel accessories on his face "Hey, I want a flower like what I saw on the ads! Can I use a flower on my jacket, Adrien?"

"Y – You mean Boutonnière? Of course," was his cringe reply after removing an artificial petal from his mouth "Just stick to a single flower, preferably red or white."

"Can I use yellow?"

Adrien gave him an impassive look for a moment before he sighed defeatedly. He turned his head around and noticed Nino on the other side of the room with a blanked expression.

"Hey dude, are you okay there?" he asked, tapping his best friend's shoulder lightly.

The DJ groaned inwardly "I'm having troubles on selecting tux here, man. They're all the same shade of black yet I'm not sure if any of these will compliment my skin complexion."

"I know what you mean," said the blond as he began to examine the tuxedo sets on the racks "You can wear a dark jacket and trouser to play safe, but if you're asking for my opinion, I'd prefer if you wear an off-black one. Like this."

Nino eyed the articles that he pulled out from the hanger "Are you sure about this, dude?"

"I'm a fashion guru, remember?" his friend announced proudly then flashed him a lopsided grin "I'm well Versaced in this area."

"I have no idea what Marinette sees in you," he retorted dryly.

The blond crossed his arms as if offended, "There Armani things that Marinette sew in me. And if she knows about this, I bet she would be very Prada me."

"Adrien, no."

Before the boys left the shop, Adrien reminded them of their shoes.

"Does that mean I can't wear my sneakers?!"

"No, Kim. You can't," the blond retorted with a straight face, "That's a fedoral offense."

[ryviri-cosplay]

Hey! So I know some of you were asking for some advice on a Chrom cosplay so at last I am here to help. Sorry it's a bit late, but let's get started!

Here's the front of the shirt! The shirt and pants are made up of some dark blue spandex-ish type fabric, and I got about 4.5 yards of it. The shirt is actually two layers, the under layer being the part with the sleeve and folded collar. I used just a basic long sleeve shirt pattern for that but instead of sewing on both sleeves, I only did the one and just hemmed off the one missing the sleeve. The collar was simple too, I just used YouTube for collar tutorials since I never made one like this but it's very basic and is easier to make than you might think. Now, the top layer is a sort of poncho that I made out of the same fabric that I lined with bias tape as seen above and connected the buttons and other collar to.

Chrom is weird and has two collars, one being the folded one (that I sewed on the bottom shirt) and the other being a sort of Sailor Moon or Anime School Girl collar which I connected to the top layer, the poncho. The flatter, school girl collar was simple to make as well and just used more tutorials on YouTube, you can make these however you want or in what way you want, but that's how I did it! So the funky-shaped poncho went over the shirt and that's the base of the shirt!

The bias tape is actually made by me, I bought the fabric I wanted for it which was some silvery-gold satin and used a bias tape maker to get the even strips of fabric that are free of frays on the outside. Then I literally just hot glued them onto the shirt lol.

The buttons are made of craft foam and worbla and I just hot glued those on as well. Sometimes the simplest/laziest methods work the best! 

This is the back of the shirt where you can see that school girl collar much better. To get the designs, I used some thinner cardboard/cardstock and cut out the shapes, then I took the same fabric as the bias tape I made and covered the cardboard pieces with it. (The cardboard could be like the backs of notebooks or cereal box cardboard, that's what I used) I tucked the edges of the fabric around the back of the cardboard and glued it down so the fabric didn't fray, then I just hot glued the pieces on, nothing fancy at all!

Here are the pants, I already talked a bit about them in a previous post but here they are again! The base of it is just leggings I sewed, then the part on the thighs are strips of that blue fabric that I put bias tape on and glued together and wrapped around my legs. So they're like an extra layer that I just hot glued on top of the leggings. I also stuffed them with a bit of stuffing to give them that pantaloons shape that Chrom has. (So yes, these are pillow pants basically) The little buttons are buttons that I covered in that same fabric and glued on as well.

Here's the back of the pants where you can see how the fabric is wrapped around from the butt and all the way around the front and to the inseams. It was very awkward to make, but they're comfy!

These are the belts that go around the chest area! I got about 2-2.5 yards of this I think... The base is just some white vinyl I picked up and folded over (and glued) so it had nicer edges. The buckles are made of craft foam and worbla and the buttons are googly eyes that I painted. There's also a decorative button that I sewed onto it as well.

It looks like a jumbled mess now, but if you take a look at a reference of Chrom, this all makes much more sense where everything should be placed! You can also see Velcro on there where I attach it to the bottom part of the belt that goes around the waist, which you'll see in a second.

Only one of the buckles I made actually functions like a buckle in case I need to use it getting on the costume or taking it off, but usually I don't need to unbuckle it at all.

Here is the other belt I mentioned earlier that hangs lower on Chrom's waist and sort of loops around his thighs. You can also see the Velcro here where I keep it attached to the chest belts. Nothing fancy here either, just a strip of fabric with lines on it. The lines are black fabric paint that I very carefully painted on because for some reason, I didn't want to sew on the black lines since it was leather-y fabric. It took a lot of patience lol.

Moving along, these are the gloves and the little wrist band thing that goes on his sleeve arm! I literally bought some gray gloves off amazon, cut them down to size, then made little cuffs and sewed them on (that are lined with the same gray fabric as the wrist band). Then the wrist band is just a strip of fabric I hemmed and sewed in a loop that I just slide onto my wrist. It also has some tiny buckles on it that I believe I bought from Etsy, I just got a little package of like 12 of them since I used them more later on.

Here are the leg things! Leg sleeves? Leg bands? Leg warmers? I have no idea. Either way, you can see that the little buckles come into action again here and I just stuck them through little hemmed strips of fabric, then (you guessed it) hot glued the strips down to the base of the leg thing. The longer leg thing is just sewed in a tube and hemmed, once again nothing fancy there, then the top is a band that I sewed in a tube shape as well and sewed black lines on for details. As you can see, I also added on the cuffs just like the gloves made of that same gray fabric (that I got about 2 yards of). So I made two identical bands with cuffs, but one has that weird leg sleeve thing, otherwise they're exactly the same and just slide onto the legs just below the knees!

Now getting to the cape, you can see the little brooch he has that I made out of clay and then painted with acrylics and sealed with mod podge. The brooch is hot glued to some weird rope stuff I found at a craft store, however, I braided the rope so it was thicker, sturdier, and got a similar effect to Chrom's. The other end f the rope is hot glued to the inside of the cape on the edge there, where there is also another decorative button I just sewed on.

Here's the pauldron/shoulder armor! I could have done better on this but whatever. It's made out of craft foam and worbla and I just shaped it to the way I wanted and added on the details. The details are little strips of worbla that I heated up and rolled into noodles, then I just attached them  and shaped them to the surface of the pauldron. No glue there since worbla sticks to itself! If it looks uneven, you can always heat it back up and move the pieces around!

I also just glued the pauldron to the cape because I was lazy and when I was looking at references, I didn't notice any straps or anything that Chrom has so that's what I did!

And this is the cape! You can see the black patch in the top right corner there, that's just more Velcro that connects to the back of the brooch, which of course also has Velcro on it. You'll see that in another picture as well. The cape is made up of some nice cotton fabric and it's two layers of the same stuff that are just sewed together. I made sure it was cotton because that's the easiest to dye since the bottom gray-ish part is gray Rit Dye that I dipped it in to gat the worn/burnt/dirty effect. The edges are all trimmed in random directions to give it the cool effect.

After that. I decided to take it up a notch! I actually rubbed that bottom part of the cape in some dirt and grass as well to get some real dirt effects. (which you can't see as well in the picture, but it's the thought that counts) Then I had some help with a blow torch and singed the edges of the cape to get an even more battle-worn and burnt look to it! This was the most fun part of making the cosplay tbh.

Here's the backside/inside of the cape! It's made of that same cotton fabric, but I dyed it blue! (Fun fact I had this fabric and it was dyed blue already before I even thought about making this costume because I was going to use it for something else but never did lol) You can also see the sloppiness of the cape bunched up where the pauldron is because that's where I glued it, but it looks fine from the outside which is where it counts! And you can also see the patch of Velcro on the back of the brooch that I mentioned before so I can keep the cape on and take it off with ease.

Next is the shoes! These were fun to make too! I just used a cheap pair of boots I bought from Saver's for the base and decorated them with the same dark blue and gray fabric from before. I added on some cuffs just like the leg bands and gloves, and of course I covered the front and back with some gray fabric which took a long time to get that smooth effect. With the leather-y boots, I used super glue to glue down the fabric and I only used the super glue along the edges so it didn't bleed through in random spots in the middle.

As you can see, they also have a band that I attached to the cuff part and I used Velcro so I can put them on and take them off easily. The Velcro especially helps keep them on my feet since I had to manipulate the original boots and cut them down to get them to the shape I wanted!

Almost done! These are the fake tattoos I made that I use for his Brand of the Exalt on his shoulder. I'm going to be honest, I went into Microsoft Paint (before I got a tablet and Paint Tool Sai) and took a picture of the brand and just colored it to that light red-ish color that I wanted. Like I said, sometimes the simplest methods work the best! Afterwards, I put the picture onto a Word document and got it to the size I wanted. Before I printed it on the special tattoo paper, I monkeyed around with the shade of red I wanted and the size and printed it on normal paper first to double check everything. Once It was settled, I fit as may little pictures as I could onto the Word document and printed it with the tattoo paper. There are instructions with the package, I just looked up "temporary tattoo paper" on amazon and it was the first one I'm pretty sure. This was an easy part of the cosplay too!

Last but not least, the wig! This is a Magnum wig from Arda wigs in the color dark blue, from what I can remember. It was very easy to style and I know I can always trust Arda to have some amazing cosplay wigs!

Besides the Falchion, that's basically it! The Falchion is made of poster board with foam and worbla details, but since there are 100 million ways to make swords, I won't go into depth unless you guys are interested.

Just let me know if you have any further questions and I'll try my best to answer them! Thank you so much for all of your support and great questions, I'm always happy to help!

[project-runway-rankings]

Season 16 Episode 3- Dancing Around the Sponsors

So normally I would just skip over the tacky sponsors of any given episode, but this one was so convoluted and ended up seeming extra cheap and tacky (yes cheaper and tackier than JC Penny and pens).  I’m sure that Leap! is a lovely movie, but did Project Runway really need to go there for a sponsor?  Normally Lifetime just pimps their other shows and tv-movies, but this time we had a B-rate, low grossing (like very low grossing) kids’ movie.

But that’s not all!  Let’s get the dancers of Hiplet on the stage for a nice 10 second treat for the designers to also inspire them!  I would have preferred the designers go to a full performance of Hiplet and just be inspired by that.  So is the challenge movement?  Or dance inspired?  Or inspired by the movie?  But also it needs to be innovative!  Pretty much designers just go make whatever you want!

I have to say given the odd parameters of the challenge I was actually quite impressed with the looks this episode, so let’s get into them.

14. Deyonte

In my opinion this was by far and away the worst look on the runway.  That color could have been great, but it does not work on Liris’s skin tone, and for some reason none of the fabrics really match in tone.  Given his construction abilities I’m sure that he did not make the bran underneath the top which means this really is not a wearable.  Had he not won the first challenge (which I still can’t wrap my mind around) I think he may have been out this episode. When the look is better after the only real piece of design (the collar) is removed, you have a very unsuccessful look.  Even if this was executed perfectly it would still have no taste.

13. Kudzanai

But I really can’t argue with this being the eliminated look.  I can’t help feeling like Kudzanai had a lot more to offer, but this look was doomed from the start.  I don’t think the construction is as shawty as the judges wanted to say because I think it’s supposed to look like that.  With an editing eye I think this idea could be turned into an editorial look.  So long Kudzanai, you are better than half of the designers left but this one really got you.

12. Claire

A poor mans version of Margarita’s red carpet look.  The straps look wholly unresolved as do the sleeves.  The color is nice though, but there is nothing tuly innovative about this look.

11. Shawn

The other half of the most annoying thing to hit project runway made a sweat suit.  She looks like she is warming up for a dance performance, which I guess kind of meets the challenge. It’s well made which I can’t say for the three looks below this.

10. Kentaro

Though not in my personal bottom three, I can’t fault the judges for placing it there.  It is well constructed but I it’s pretty basic in all of it’s designs.  For some reason this poor model can’t get a designer to make anything flattering for her body.

9. Aaron

I had high hopes for him this season, but he has yet to make anything that really grabs me.  Once again the ideas of this look are obstructed by his poor execution and unwillingness to change an idea once it seems to go awry.  A different color and texture fabric on the flowing inserts would have made a world of difference.

8. Ayana

The ideas here I love, however the final result leaves a bit to be desired.  The picture makes this look a lot better than it did on the runway.  I don’t think those tiers moved as well as Ayana had wanted, but the textile she made for the look was sublime.  I was fearing it would be way too much, but it workes under the layers of fabric.  The top part really is amazing, but the bottom looks like a black wedding cake.

7. Michael

If you can’t sew silk, don’t buy silk.  This could have been done in a light weight cotton or linen and the result would have been much more appealing.  The design however is pretty cool, and the jacket was pretty great from what I could see. But if I was Michael I would be so pissed at the model for dropping that jacket as soon as she hit the runway.  But maybe he told her too because I’m not sure the jacket and dress go together. 

6. Amy

Heres the thing about Amy: she is a great designer with interesting ideas, but she sometimes gets too caught up in these ideas to think if they really should be executed.  Is the idea of a jumper turned sweater piec e cool? ��Yes.  Would many people actually want to buy this?  I can’t say for a fact that they would.  And much like Michael, I dont think the outer piece really works with the under garment, though both are pretty cool.  I am hoping that she steps it up, but I am getting a serious Fade/Samantha S13 edit on this one.

5. Samantha

This is the “edgy” version of Claire’s red carpet confection.  The detailing is beautiful up close, but it’s black and pretty much invisible from afar.  I also wasn’t sure what the big transformation was when she unzipped the skirt, probably because it was all in black.  I’m getting a little bored with this silhouette from her, though I’m willing to give her a few more episodes because like Amy the girl sure can get a lot done.

4. Kenya

This became less impressive once I realized that she did not create the textile, but I am still awed by the construction.  The design looks like its for a fashionable woman aged 60 to death, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  I expected her to be in the judges top 3 because she seems to be a golden child this season already.  However this just missed out on my top 3, and probably the judges, because it has little relevance to the challenge.

3. Margarita

I have to say that I completely agreed with the judge’s top 3 for the first time this season.  This look was so fun and fresh, and I adored the styling.  I was super worried when I saw the sketches, but the final product was a slam dunk for a dance challenge.  The sleeves, though not the most innovative, added just enough oomph to boost this into the top 3.  And the decision to place the red ruffles under the skirt instead of over was inspired.

2. Batani

I had a really tough time deciding which look to put at number one because both Batani and Brandon created inspired and show stopping looks.  These photos do not do this look justice, as the best part is the butterfly cape with mesh inserts.  Batani could have easily gone for a black or dull fabric due to the high design, but she took a risk with a wild print and it paid off.  My one issue is the weird metallic blue waistband and trim, which is hard to see in this photo.  That was the one thing that kept this from the top spot.

1. Brandon

This jacket was inspired, sublime, and 100% Brandon.  The sleeves were just the right length to make it interesting, the button loops without buttons was thoughtful, the colors were beautiful, and the whole look was just a major wow.  This is fashion to the level which we rarely get to see on this show anymore, and I am wondering if Brandon may be too good for this show.

Judge’s Top 3: Brandon, Batani, Margarita

Judges Bottom 3: Kentaro, Deyonte, Kudzanai

So finally I agree with the judges on pretty much everything this episode!  I would have eliminated Deyonte, but I can’t argue with sending Kudzanai home.