#she looks like a princess from the gothic era I love it

[vivipuri]

༻¨*:·.𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓪 𝓝𝓸𝓽𝓽𝓮!𝓩𝓪𝓽𝓼𝓾𝓷𝓮.·:*¨༺

🖤Project Diva Arcade Future Tone recolor mod showcase❤️

based on a doodle I drew back in May, but the mod itself is by my friend @berry_aft on insta!

please credit if you use these screenshots~

[havg02]

Fem!Batman headcanons (part 1)

◇Still similar to Bruce. Bryce is still as cold, prissy, reserved, stoic and can be distant--although more scolding but only when she's Batwoman because it's the only where she gets to show her 'undesirable' side/get to speak bluntly as she pleases. She has a childish side too, but it's brushed off as being 'cute/haughty' and rather than broody, she's more gloomy like there's grief in the air around her that makes you feel sad too, and she's less likely to yell in an argument since she gets kind of emotional. If she's done something bad, she'll just be quiet as she's yelled at, but if she's in the right, she'll raise her voice but she'll usually give them this passive yet scolding glance as she sparingly doesn't berate them and simply brushes past the one at fault--the fact she doesn't bother scolding them makes them feel more hot in shame.

◇As Bryce Wayne, she's also the same except she gets to be shy as there's no need to hide it bc people just brush it off and even found it charming since she's a girl. Maybe she's also more humble/vulnerable since woman tend to face more criticism (ESPECIALLY if they're 'too confident') making her passive, elegant, refined, ethereal, lovely, fragile, dainty and soft--just pleasant to look at/be around that will make everyone immediately turn into a gentleman/gentlewoman--a sharp contrast to Batwoman so that no one would ever compare them together. She'll pretend to almost faint at the sight of blood or make herself pale when anyone talks about unpleasant stuff so that people would think she's too soft/weak to ever do something as brutal as Batwoman.

◇Bryce would either be the snobby queen of Gotham or be the Princess Diana of the DC comics by donating to charities/orphanage and be every mother's favourite celebrity. And rather than a playboy she gives more of a princess from a fairy tale vibe whose struggling to find the perfect prince to marry, but Bryce definitely made rumours of being a secret man-eater just so that men would stop courting her/scare off any creeps who like 'pure, shy, innocent' girls like her. Bryce Wayne=coquette/old money. Batwoman=dark feminine/gothic. But they both are give off victorian era style because its affiliated with death/grief. She dresses up like Elle from Legally Blond, like in the movie Pretty Woman or those vintage barbies-- just classy 1930s or 2000 fashion.

◇She speaks in a pretty silky lithe voice with some childishness to it bc she's still sort of mentally a child due to her traumatic childhood. Yet when she's Batwoman, it's more low/breathy (cuz she tired yet full of adrenaline) that makes criminals immediately freeze. It's a lot more dramatic change than Bruce and Batman since a lot of their traits can be excused as just simple common man traits but she's still just as admired and respected, though probably more feared. But even though Bryce's so intimidating she's so ethereal in appearance that no one can help but stare at her secretly at how lovely she is, and the vulnerable sadness about her which isn’t so secretive when she can't help show it when she thinks she's alone doesn’t help either, only charming everyone even more into gaining a soft spot just for her.

◇Shares the same trauma traits too ofc (unhinged, avoidant, pushes away, paranoia.....etc) but displays them in a different 'less obvious way' since I feel like as a girl she would hide all these 'imperfections' behind a 'proper lady-like' appearance like being dainty, level headed, gentle, kind.....etc, in a way that won't ruin the mood in the air and it wont make her look weaker as it's hard to look tough as a woman, and since she's born in a wealthy family it would be ingrained in her to act like a mature lady. Because of that, Batwoman is known to be quiet, cold, elegant with a shy side. I'd like to think Bryce isn't as strong about the no-killing rule as Bruce is, especially if it regards children due to her motherly instincts but still preaches it anyway for more people to not resort to killing despite rough times as she doesn't want people to start thinking they're just killing anyone, let alone go to jail for it as well.

◇This is a joke, but if everyone all have a sort of crush on her, that'd be hilarious-- The Justice League will be troubled as they'll have to be around her the most. She drops something? Flash will pick it up for her before it even hits the ground. There's a giant robot terrorising everyone and she needs help but is too prideful to ask? Superman will destroy within a second to save her time and energy (and lowkey impress her). Her safety is compromised due to an injury? Wonderwoman will guard her! Is the batplane broken? That's okay, Green Lantern will carry her like a gentlemen!--they all just show support in a way that won't make her mad and tell them she doesn't need help and when she catches them staring with her appraising eyes, they immediately look away blushing while internally freaking out. Even her enemies speak to her with a bit of politeness as if they can't help it and they hate it!

◇This lady is the it-girl of Gotham, the queen bee. The gothic version of Princess Diana. She'll spend most of her cash on orphanage and schools when she's got money to burn from all the photo shoots with fashion/cosmetic companies like Dior, Chanel, Victoria Secret, YSL, Kate Spade.....etc. But the number 1 thing she uses is perfumed body powder to help her suit not stick/sweat, like she would use a big swansdown puff to dust it on her and I could even imagine her make her own one with soothing ingredients/chemicals/scents which instantly calms victims that it becomes a well known smell of comfort in Gotham and Batwoman signature scent. So when the police goes to a scene, they know Batwoman was here because they'll smell it in the air or when someone is getting mugged, they don't have to worry because they'll know that she's around.

◇But scent could reveal her identity, so Bryce makes the body powder washable so no one can smell it on her when she's in public. The scent is purposely made to be comforting/familiar like childhood so it would be powdery like baby powder and floral like your mom's makeup or flower garden at home/school, warm spicy with cinnamon for the nostalgic smell, yet intimidating with gunpowder. It may even contain a chemical that can turn violent urges into fear to lower the criminal's defences. But overall it's supposed to be such an amazing scent that it helps release calming/dopamine chemicals from your brain to distract you from the traumatic smell of blood or pull you out of dissociation. And it works, there's been so many people online looking for a perfume that smells like her and begging her to tell them the name of it.

◇But alas, Batwoman can't tell or else criminals might mistake them for her and hurt them. She couldn't anyway since it's made for her where it only smells good on her skin that the Batfam are lucky that they're close to her. It's the iconic smell of Batwoman that lingers in the Batcave. Another thing, bc of the calluses and scars, Bryce has SERIOUS hand/skincare. She always wears hand masks full of sweet almond oil, rose wax, lotions and violet water to bed and put nail oil/ handcream to keep soft pretty hands. As for her scars, she knows a bunch of beauty tricks or goes to special clinics to be pampered since again, she'll face more critism about her appearance as a woman and it'll be suspicious bc it's not common for a rich lady with a famous malevolent personality while men just can be brushed off as a lot of mens interests consist of a lot of workout. Sure, she'll still use expensive stuff like Erno Lazlo, Elizabeth Arden, Estee Lauder, Lancome and Jill Stuart.

◇And that brings up the rest of her body appearance. She's bound to have a muscular figure from all that training so Bryce would probably find workouts where she can stay slim while strong at the same time but her muscles obviously end up still showing so she has to make excuses to people that she's working out in hopes of staying younger and in good health now that she's getting older or that she just wants to 'tone up' her arms. She'll maybe even upload videos of her doing exercising to explain it all at once to everyone and claim she wants to help change people's views that women can be just as strong. Also, I think after she finds out that she can't carry her kids again soon anymore when she realises they could be too big to be carried anymore, like Jason who's already tall as her, she'll keep training just so that she could still be able to hold them incase there's danger.

◇Jason definitely mocked she won't be as dainty like she used to be anymore, until he has a flashbacks in the middle of a battle where he just wants to hide somewhere small and Batwoman flutters down, landing softly like a petal and her cape fluttering behind her like butterflies. She'll envelope him in a firm protective hold like a warm blanket with her cape as his nose fills in with her scent that instantly pulls him out of his state back to reality with immediate feeling of pure relief as he knows Bryce will go through hell and back to make sure her kids are okay as she gets him out of there. The Batfam won't dare say it outloud because of their pride but they really love snuggling & hiding under her cape like they used to as kids bc it's the first coping mechanism they used to do when they first started being vigilantes.

◇Bryce is clueless to this and just thinks of it as a sign that her kids still love her but if she ever asks, they'll deny it and low-key gaslight her into self-doubt and Bryce will get flustered while using prepared excuses. This is probably what makes up the terrible traits of Bruce that Bryce doesn't have, she gets manipulated her kids easily or let's them go more easily with a little firm scolding as she's more sensitive about how she is as a parent than Bruce (motherly instincts are stroong) and her cluelessness to dealing with youngsters is a lot more endearing because she tries so hard to figure out on her own but ends up asking Damian for help in defeat/embarrassment with hot rosy cheeks. Everyone teases her about it lightheartedly while Dick cooes at her in reassurance as he's chuckling.

◇Is more thoughtful/considering regarding to her kids feelings than Bruce because Bryce's just scared of being a bad mother as mothers tend to be more judged than fathers who can get away with things like being too busy to play with their kids, and fully knowing how she is, she heavily relies on giving them affirmation or just actions as it's the least thing she can do--like when she first adopted Dick, she was hesitant to speak to him and avoided him by going to work during the day and going to patrol during the night from worrying about how awkward she might come off but when Dick asked if she only adopted him to make her look good in the public eye, she felt so terribly sorry for him that Bryce decided she wouldn't care how awkward she'd look anymore since she found that seeing her kids feeling reassured and not left hanging was much better.

◇And it can be about anything, just speaking honestly. Like casually telling them she's been worrying that she might be suffocating with her overprotectiveness and telling them to make sure to tell her if they ever feel frustrated with her since she admits she still needs to be told off as well despite her pride since she loves her kids that she'd rather admit defeat than them to resent her. Scared of looking silly due to being unable to communicate<<<<<Just get used to communicating. She sucks it up as she fears hurting them more than herself, so it's highly unlikely she'd ever raise her hand at them unless they crossed a line or something really bad. But she'll still end up accidentally saying something pretty harsh out of frustration, too. If she can't say I love you at the moment, Bryce will just go up to cuddle/kiss them randomly and everyone has gotten used to it.

◇She's a purse mom, she's got EVERYTHING like snacks or coffee candy for anyone feeling tired, a sewing kit to fix costumes, an mp3 with soothing music or white noise, mini umbrella, chargers, hand sanitizers, heat pads.....etc. like a real life Mary Poppins. When she sees a child in distress, Bryce has the exact things needed to calm them down. And honestly it surprises the batfamily themselves but ofc, she's the Batwoman so everyone jist accepts it. But it can't be helped when she pulls a thermos full of hot cocoa out of nowhere, despite it being perfect for warming up nonetheless. She carries those lavender or lilac smelling salts for herself though, cuz coffee can't really be enough sometimes.

◇Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian all suffer from the hot-mom syndrome, everyone is drooling over Bryce, as Bryce Wayne AND Batwoman so they can't escape it in normal life and in vigilante life--like they are so OVER their friends asking about her and not so secretly crushing on her. But they mostly get bothered at how people look at her. There have been so many accidents of them punching someone in the face or breaking some bones as a civilian, and all of them are solely because they were saying something jaw dropping-ly sick or misogynistic, it brings this different type of rage in them. ESPECIALLY when they see them say it to her face and Bryce can't help but simply stand there with sad eyes despite the default kind gentle smile on her face, and just take it with grace. But not on their fucking watch, unbeknownst to everyone, these kids have their own personal level of anger issues.

◇Her relationship with her kids is the same except she's less of an asshole, just a suffocating mom who can't help but worry. With Dick, Bryce too made many mistakes with him the most with the one example above and tried to make up for it by spoiling him until she realised that was a terrible idea because the freshly grieving young Dick needed help and love, not be left alone and only given presents. She was also paranoid thinking he might think she's replacing his mother which she didn't like the thought of either so she made sure to tell him that she doesn't want to replace his mother and he can call her by her name, look at her as a mom, big sister or simply like an aunt. And she sees Dick understanding what she means, she's so relieved.

◇Bryce ofc tries to prevent ways to stop him from being a vigilante but when he leaves her no choice but to make him a vigilante, she's afraid what he might do if she still says no so she gets an idea and makes him a deal; she would train him until he at least became 16 where he would at least be almost an adult by that time. So she trains him as a way of also helping him with his grief which she enjoys because she feels like this is what she can really do as it was something they had in common. But the funny part is when Dick first sees her training, he's like ??? How does a dainty woman do something brutal like this?? Oh and we all know how angry Dick was as a kid that it made Bryce often not regret taking him in for his safety because she worried at the thought of him acting like that with someone else and be mistreated/misunderstood because of it then realise she's the perfect person to help him.

◇But Bryce still at least lets him join the young justice league/form Teen Titans as a way for him to experience firsthand and when he grows up to looking like he's actually doing well off, she starts to see his potential and relaxes, even thinking she could raise him to be better than her. Until one day when Dick gets shot, she realises she's been playing around her luck and the world had come to remind her of it so she fires Dick out of fear, like she fully has a silent panic attack which surprises Dick despite being mad. But being a kid, he doesn't understand and just wants to get out of her shadow so even though they don’t have a fighting match, he leaves, leaving her lonely again for the longest time but when she hears from Babs that he's doing well as she didn't dare ask him personally as she felt like she didn't have the right to, she's relieved that he's at least alright/happy.

◇Yet before Dick leaves, Bryce who knows she may not see him again after he spoke hurtful words to her, still asks him to graciously give her a chance to let him know that even if he wanter to leave him alone from now on, he's still welcome in this manor as he was everything to her. She even sent him birthday gifts/letters through Superman after he left since he was his favourite superhero, in hopes he'd let her do this too, saying how proud she is and what a good decision he made to leave her side as she admits to also needing to be 'faced with reality'. At first Dick is unsure what to think of her words at that day before he moved out and just ignored the presents but when he grows up to understands and reads the letters, he immediately kneels over, clutching his chest with heartache for her--maybe feeling guilt too as she wasn't as special as his mom, she was still one for the rest of his childhood.

◇He quickly returns to the manor to apologize at least for the hurtful words, only to be met with her gentle, forgiving smile and be embraced in welcome sorry arms that he didn't realised he had missed. He also missed being overprotected by her and secretly longings for her dotings again as it reminds him of his mother so he might be a little jealous of Jason at first, thinking she's shown him more love to him than she did with him. But Bryce is too scared of making him leave again so she doesn’t baby him again unfortunately, after all she appreciates him so much because he's like the blueprint for her in parenthood, he opened up/caved a way for her to know how to raise kids/deal with her kids moving on/to get used to viewing them as equals. Bonus points when she finds it funny when she sees Dick take on a parent role for others.

◇Dick in canon feels like he can't get away from Batman and his shadows and I think with Bryce, he'd feel the same but without having to fulfill a role. After all, its Batwoman and he's not a woman. BUT people might still be expecting a Batman to be debuted anyway cuz patriarchy says there's got to be a guy when there's a strong woman as if she's not allowed to be self made 😮‍💨 and that annoys Dick a lot since he knows the whole purpose of Batwoman being made to be alone in the first place, but again! I have this idea that when Bryce dies, people are going to wonder about the new batwoman or a Batman to fill in the space so if Babs or Kate somehow doesn't take her role, Dick or Jason might end up becoming the first Batman. But if Dick and Jason don't, then he'll just simply feel like he's always kind of affiliated with her, at least.

◇So Dick turns out a little better than with Bryce but he's still finds his life being raised by her bittersweet/gloomy than lonely in canon. He's still terrified of disappointing her ofc but he warmly knows she'll slap him for thinking that. But when Bryce meets Jason, she adopts him only temporarily at first after finding out the orphanage she sent him to turned out to be sketchy. And with her knowledge about his life, she makes up for it with infinite patience/love while she finds another orphanage for him so when she sees him open up for the first time, she's charmed by just how lovely he actually is. After the scare with Dick getting shot, she doesn't turn him into Robin and doesn't want Jason who was raised with violence be met with more violence. If he did, she'd make it clear that she doesn't expect him be as good as Dick so he wouldn't feel pressured/unconfident so he wouldn't grow to resent her like Dick did from being in her shadow.

◇When Jason starts to call her mom, she's anxious/touched/heartbroken for him knowing that he didn't have anyone to tell what a good boy he is so she always made sure that he knew that, and Jason was bewildered by her passion by it at first then left feeling awkward/little sad/comforted cuz y'know. Bryce was surprised when Jason turns out to be more sweeter/good at grades than Dick despite his brashness and she didn’t expect anything from him but she loved him so much she went to find his mom Sheila because she believes he deserves to love with his real mom as she firmly believed a child should always be with their biological mother for that special bond that would affect the way they live in the future. And before she gets them to meet, she trains Jason basic self-defense so that he could learn to defend himself and maybe let him be Robin for a few times so she could test him. Or just not at all.

◇And when Dick gets mad, she's very guilty since she knows how personal the mantle is to Dick but at the same time protects Jason from Dick's words and makes sure to direct his anger at her/explain it was only just a few times for a test. This probably puts Dick in a bad light to Jason as he hates seeing her cry. After Jason is reunited with his mom, Bryce feels so relieved as if he would be safer with Sheila than with her but when she finds out that Sheila might be working with Joker, she immediately stops/alerts Jason as she invesitgates. And when Jason tries to stop Sheila anyway and dies, she just crashes. Bryce feels like anything she does just goes wrong and is meant to be alone, and dissociates with a panic attack again. I don't want to change Bryce too much but once again, motherly instincts are strong so she'll make sure to kill Joker or won't.

◇Then she'll spiral because she had just killed so Dick/Clark is there for her and either of them try revive Joker to help her but Bryce's still very unwell and unsettled for a long time, which hurts Dick to see. She'll notice that his body is missing in the coffin as she'll visit his grave often with the huge mom guilt she carriew, and freaks out again bc she just lost him again and tries to focus on Tim until Jason comes back. Maybe Jason will let her go as he has a soft spot for her since Bryce had been a better mother than Sheila and he still desperately longs for her but he will still feel like Joker should've been dead completely if she doesn't kill him. Bryce is apologetic anyway as she tried to make up the love he was missing his life yet she couldn't prove that he was to kill for. If she does kill him, then all is well but......

◇She's hesitant when Jason says he's going to live as Red Hood and insists on killing bc she's worried he might die again but he's quick to shut her up bc she did all she could do/gave him a reason to live. It's only until she sees a wind of his skills and is proud. Remembering that he was never apologized to as a kid when he was being abused and his death making it worse, Bryce can't have the heart to scold him but still tells him not to kill too often as she doesn't want him to go to jail. She’s so sad that she couldn't see him fully grow but seeing him as an adult so tall/strong, she's just so happy he's alive. So Jason doesn't resent her as much here, yippee.....? But due to her guilt, Bryce probably tries to please Jason a lot by letting him kill and even hope he moves back to the manor despite her happiness for him when he's living fine with the outlaws.

◇This annoys Dick so much that he argues with her as she stands there infuriatingly quietly as she knows she's doing something bad but Jason defends her calling him the usual Dickhead insult which she can't help but find it funny even when she scolds him. She may have called Dick that one time. Yes it was personal and yes Jason is proud of her while Dick stands there stunned/butthurt. Jason will be the one to kill for her when she can't for her comfort. BUT when he's having troubles, he'll immediately run into her arms where he turns into a little boy again and gets to be vulnerable as he pleases. Bc of Jason's death Tim doesn't debute as Robin (more of this bit below and in part 2) so Jason doesn't go after Tim's throat or resent him this time, except help Bryce on what to do with him when she introduces him and tells him how he managed to follow them to the batcave. Cue Tim fangirling and them having a better relationship at the start.

◇Bryce is immediately alert after finding out Tim managed to follow them to the batcave and interrogates him rather scarily to scare him off. She's incredulous at how a kid like him managed to track them down and would be impressed if she weren't disheveled by the loss of Jason and speaking of which, she does NOT like this and tries to figure out a way to stop Tim from convincing her to be Robin. Dick doesn't bother suggesting on making Tim Robin to help move on from Jason like in Canon because she'll give him a look that could kill. At the end up Bryce will just do what she did with Dick (training Tim until he reaches at least 16) due to the paranoia that this boy could get into danger now that he knew everything. So, Tim doesn't debute as Robin yet and is kept a secret from the world until Jason comes back to life.

◇Being careful, Bryce is worried thinking she might treat Tim coldly out of grief and voices it to Dick but he just smiles softly reassuringly that if she were worried about this even before training him then she wouldn't and besides he would help. At these times she's reminded that Dick is capable on his own but soon after finding out Tim's life, she has what she thinks is some affection for him out of pity which she feels guilty since he deserve better treatment from her than but in reality it's motherly love mixed with guilt of moving on from Jason. She really does her best to not be mean and just at least speak level-headed with Tim. Only after Jason comes back, she realises she did care for him and is so relieved that she did her best on still being kind to him and remember to still make sure to praise Tim despite distancing from him when they weren't training.

[pink-evilette]

thanks so much for the tag! @20thcenturystarlet ♡

1. What artists (musical or visual) have made a big impact on your aesthetic & continue to inspire you?

Lana Del Rey (alwaysss), Mika Ninagawa, Ethel Cain, Loona, Mitski, Olivia Rodrigo, FKA Twigs, Marina and the Diamonds, Věra Chytilová, Marina Abramović, Troye Sivan, Sofia Coppola, Petra Collins, Junji Ito (and I'm sure there's more but I can't think rn) ♡

2. Who is an artist (musical or visual) who is a newer discovery to you that you're obsessed with right now?

I recently discovered the song 'ceilings' by Lizzy McAlpine and it absolutely destroyed me (I'm obsessed). and for visuals I'm loving Kyoko Okazaki's work right now (I'm thinking of a tattoo inspired by her art soon) 🎀

3. What films or TV shows have made a big impact on your aesthetic & continue to inspire you?

(let's go this will be a big one)

Lolita 1997, Clueless, Moonrise Kingdom, Submarine, X, Heavenly Creatures, Blame 2017, Orphan, Wild Child, Daisies 1966, The Secret Garden, Legally Blonde, The Princess Diaries, She's the Man, Pride and Predjudice 2005, Sucker Punch, Helter Skelter 2012, American Honey, The Love Witch, Assassination Nation, Bones and All, Pearl. 💋

4. What is a film or TV show that is a newer discovery to you, that you're obsessed with right now?

I recently watched Sugar & Spice for the first time (I have reblogged it lots already I know lol) and it was so funny, very similar to Drop Dead Gorgeous if you like darker comedy high school movies!

5. What is a fashion movement, era, or item, that has made a big impact on your personal aesthetic?

90s fashion is my FAVE always and I love everything from that decade, I also love the 1960s 'Dolly' fashion, Kinderwhore, Gyaru and anything girly, but with a bit of edge to it. Anything with frills, lace, pink, mini skirts and cute prints have my heart 💓

6. What is a fashion movement, era, or item, that you're currently obsessed with?

at the moment I'm really excited for autumn so I'm looking forward to wearing turtlenecks and plaid skirts again, plus the twilightcore aesthetic is one of my faves for the season!

7. What is a book, poem, essay, etc. that made a big impact on you?

Lolita absolutely, blew my mind when I first read it and I never knew books could be written in such a way. when I was about 10-14, Jacqueline Wilson's books were everything to me and especially the ones meant for older kids such as My Sister Jodie, Love Lessons and the Girls in Love series were my favourites (also she's a queer icon so hell yeah). and Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews introduced me to the gothic genre and I fell in love with it ever since. Recently, Sula by Toni Morrison was a book that pushed the boundaries of what I even thought could be possible in Literature and I adore her writing!

8. What is a "classic" coquette trend that you'll never let go of?

Heart shaped sunglasses! they will never die ♡

I'm tagging whoever wants to do it ♡

[imperiuswrecked]

Since she's had so many over the years, what's your favorite look for princess fen?

I don't think anything will ever be better than Jae Lee's Fen from the 90s series (although this wasn't the real Fen, but a bodyswitcher witch, Artys-Gran, using Fen's body I still think it counts) Lee went Undersea Gothic (my favorite vibe) for the Atlanteans and I wish we could get more like this in future stuff, especially Fen's headdress, it's something I'm lowkey obsessed about.

Namor, the Sub-Mariner (1990) # 30-40

I even commissioned @ecairnsart to create a royal look for Namor's Hellfire Gala with inspiration from this era.

Also I commissioned @makajinjin to create a Namor & Fen art for me that included this headdress.

As for my other favorites, I am a "Fen has dark black hair" truther, I know the comics have shown Fen with everything from blonde, orange, red, brown, to black hair but I know in my heart that Fen has black hair. (Also we have Dorma, Andromeda, and Mystique in Marvel Comics who all have red hair/blue skin, so I like Fen's hair to be black like Namor's)

The Defenders (2012) #5

I love this one panel look for Fen, because I love when Fen is decked out in crown/jewels!

The Order (2007) #7

Fen's look in King in Black: Namor (2020) 4-5 is so pretty. Benjamin Dewey is a great artist and I really enjoyed the past Namor sequences and Fen's cameo.

But I think that Fen in Saga of the Sub-Mariner (1988) #1 was amazing. That is definitely the best comic for her because it focused on her character and her slowly falling in love with Leonard.

I actually do think that if Fen doesn't have black hair then she should have brown hair, but again I don't want her with lighter hair colors. lol. However I do think her look here is very cute, during this time period according to the comics Fen would have been an outcast and in exile from Atlantis, so this would have been her raising Namor in the wilds of the ocean. History of the Marvel Universe (2019) #2

[dilettantereviews]

Here's my 2022 Best Of! Yup, that's right, 2022. Better late than never, huh?

Rico Nasty- Intrusive

I heard good things about Rico Nasty for years but her other projects were a little too repetitive for me to fully commit or enjoy her work. This mixtape sees her replacing her industrial rap sound with a more varied approach. She sings over drum and bass and acoustic music. If you enjoyed Princess Nokia’s Metallic Butterfly or Azealia Banks’ Broke with Expensive Taste, then I recommend this album for you. My favorite songs are Messy, Easy, and Focus on Me.

Sasami- Squeeze

After her work in Cherry Glazer and her 2019 solo debut, Sasami finally (somewhat) broke through with this album and it’s no wonder why. Mixing influences as varied as Sheryl Crow and industrial, Sasami showed us about opening up your heart or wanting to destroy someone else’s. My favorites are The Greatest and Skin a Rat.

Charli XCX- Crash

As her first proper album since 2019’s Charli, this album had a lot of expectations placed upon it since True Romance is her best received official album. Fortunately, it all worked out for her and for us. This album sounds like you are scrolling through the Dance Dance Revolution song selecting screen around 2005 with songs you don’t realize you know until you hear it again years later. My favorites are Constant Repeat, Used to Know Me, Selfish Girl, Good Ones, Baby, and of course, Beg for You. 

Beyonce- Renaissance

This album was a victory lap for Beyonce. Not that she slacked off this era, but after creating two innovative video albums, Beyonce wanted to have a more upbeat album after the pandemic. As someone who prefers her uptempos (in a fun club kid way, like Haunted, 7/11, Formation, Six Inch, and Partition instead of the stan wars “go back to Dr. Luke!!111” way), I’m here for it. My favorites include All Up in Your Mind and Pure Honey.

SZA- SOS

I have a general policy where if someone takes over 4 years to release their next project, I develop some kind of object impermanence about them. Not even maliciously, but for every Sky Ferreira (side note: This was written when we still thought Don’t Forget was a part of an era) or My Bloody Valentine, there’s a synthpop band from 2016 that stubbornly sits on the second page of my Last.FM with 189 plays. And I like SZA! CTRL got me though 2017 and 2018 but I completely forgot her rerelease and in between singles until I was preparing this review. So when I heard she was releasing a 20+ track album I was skeptical. It turned out to be great. I enjoy the developed and detailed instruments and her personal lyrics. My favorite songs are Kill Bill, Blind, Shirt and Gone Girl.

Fontaines DC- Skinty Fia

Fontaines DC had a well deserved bigger break out in 2022. I don’t really have a thing to say about this album but I like the way they mix post punk music with a mix of their own Irish culture and gothic and industrial sounds. What could’ve just been a couple of lads at the pub is a unique and informative look at the band and their culture. U2 and Inhaler are shaking. My favorite songs are Jackie Down the Line, Skinty Fia, and How Cold Love Is.

Vero- Unsoothing Interior

I learned about Vero on Popjustice… at least 5 years ago? For a while, it seemed like they would drop a single heavily influenced by Poe and disappear without a follow up or any momentum. I understand it’s hard for new artists to make things work logistically, but they even had repetitive cover art so we couldn’t just joke that there was a wait between the EP and debut. That’s why I was so confused when the album was dropped in 2022. Hailing all the way from Sweden, Vero has vocals that remind me of Shirley Manson and Kim Gordon with post punk music I heard NPR describe (someone else) with the term “fleabag-core”. My favorite songs are Sex and Me and TV shows and Exit 2.

Coco and Clair Clair- Sexy

People always say nostalgia does too much heavy lifting in music now, but the right references can truly justify the most Tweet Deck derivative works. Coco and Clair Clair, who I was very surprised to learn are from Atlanta instead of the UK, have a very retro inspired album that could’ve just been lost in the hyperpop Y2K space with everyone else but they have a different reference pool that elevates them. Hypnotic girl group whispery vocals over whispery chillwave and drum n bass beats truly take me back to the person I was in 2011-2012. If you have a Tumblr photoblog with a convoluted layout that only showed pictures and no captions, this album is for you. If you keep up with McBling depop, this album is for you. If you ever described LAMB by Gwen Stefani as a hip hop album, then this album is for you. I would recommend this album for fans of Kitty and Niki and the Dove. My favorite songs from it are Bad Lil Vibe, Pop Star, and Be With U.

Alvvays- Blue Rev

I didn’t really listen to them before this and I only knew them for the …unique spelling of their band name and a Tumblr post that heavily implied that they should be kept in 2014. Well, this album should put all of their critics to shame. This album was recorded after the band lost their old demos and instruments in a robbery and they were still able to record this album. Pairing dreamy landscapes over fuzzy guitars, Molly Rankin’s confessional lyrics deal with the unexpected nostalgia of running into your ex’s family members in public (a sort of Dan Fogelberg moment for our generation) or justifying a creative career. Besides Pharmacist and Easy on your Own, I recommend Very Online Guy, a leftfield song about male internet behaviors (a self drag, but I want to see how many men wrote about that song and the album). If you only know them from Marry Me, Archie (a song I would personally not leave in a time capsule or box set for indie pop music from 2010-2014), I strongly suggest that you give this album a chance. Fun fact: In addition to being a great meeting spot for coanchors to meet each other, Good Morning America also has a year end best of list and put this as their #1 album. A few years ago, they put the solo project of Soul Coughing’s frontman’s project. So maybe GMA is our new Pitchfork, NME, and Spin Magazine combined (side note: I wrote this before the Pitchfork reshuffle happened, oops).

Shygirl- Nymph

Shygirl has finally released her long awaited debut after releasing her stellar debut. This time, she ditches the electronic and abrasive sound of her 2018 EP and enters her Manny Santos sensual R&B era while still sounding futuristic. Firefly is a song that sounds like it was a Britney 2001 deep cut dusted off and released in 2172. Nike is my other personal stand out.

Hatchie- Giving the World Away

On her sophomore album, Hatchie continues her dream pop and shoegaze sound and expands into some darker palettes that wouldn’t be out of place on the altronica playlist. If that album transported you into a daydream, this album is a moody walk in the rain. My favorites are This Enchanted, Till We Run Out of Air, and Giving the World Away.

Soccer Mommy- Sometimes, Forever

This was sort of a new sound album for Soccer Mommy, with a little more focus on the production. Working with OPN, she had a darker, hazier, more detail oriented production. My favorites include Unholy Affliction, Don’t Ask Me, Feel it All the Time, and Darkness Forever (which gave me Portishead’s second album vibes). This album is more Madder Rose than Massive Attack but you should still give it a shot.

Momma- Household Name

Nostalgic guitar based indie rock that sounds right out of 1994. Reverb guitars, harmonics, and shoegaze pedals. Recommended if you like Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins or Bully’s debut. Speeding 72, Lucky, Brave and No Stage are my favorites. 

Luna Li-  Duality

Psychedelic alternative R&B with a chamber/art/baroque pop edge. I love how she mixes her vulnerability on songs like Flower with strong guitar moments like Alone but not Lonely and What You’re Thinking. This album feels like if you mixed Kali Uchis with Kadjha Bonet. Recommended if you have only used emojis as captions.

Kilo Kish- American Gurl

Kilo Kish’s last official album was released back in 2016, but her pair of consecutive EP’s that came out in 2018 and 2019 were a more focused and cohesive electronic sound. On this album, she went back to her unique existential pop with irreverent Adult Swim vibes. With her kitchen sink production, detached vocals, and quirky irreverent sound, this album has a lot of reasons to not work but somehow puts everything together and keeps you overstimulated like a TikTok video. Recommendations include Choice Cowboy, New Tricks, and American Gurl. Recommended if you like Santigold or Imani Coppola.

Vitesse X- Us Ephemeral

Growing up, I hated electronic music. Did I listen to it or seek it out specifically? No, not in the slightest. But it was just annoying as I saw my beloved Radio Disney pop rock acts just be seen as cringe as what I call ‘unts unts’ music went on the rise. Also, I just thought the fans were annoying. Maybe it was just in my community, but there were a lot of teen DJs who just got jobs hosting or playing cultural events and sweet 16s and posting pretentious memes that made me roll my eyes. I’ve never seen a MLM girl in real life, but I’ve seen DJs talk about how school is just there to mold you and as a DJ, they can be their own boss. Also, just growing up in the teen club/4 loko/Ed Hardy era just made me think it was all try hard “OH, you’ve never been to a festival?’ stuff. But eventually, Charli XCX helped open my mind to new electronic acts while trip hop and deep house helped open me up to older electronic genres. Then I had an “if it’s retro/ironic it’s okay” mentality but now I can regularly like electronic music. That leads us to Vitesse X. Her art deco style of electronics invokes the sleek future, through her stage name and hi tech titles. Is she making a concept album about how technology was supposed to bring us together but is bringing us apart? Is it a scifi story? Did she promise us a video for each song that made a movie but she stopped and hoped we would forget about it? No! She’s making music you could hear at Zara’s, in your car, or even at a party or club. In this age of hot takes, think pieces, and more, a concept like nepobaby can go from a fun internet only in joke to a “reclaimed” term that loses all meaning. Vitesse X helps prove that sometimes, saying less really is more. My favorites are Potential Energy, Centrifuge Me, and Us Ephemeral.

Piri and Tommy- Froge.mp3

The drum n bass duo that came out of the blue and right back into it. Words is the best positive motivational affirmation dance song since Show Me Love by Robin S. I also like Silver Lining and On & on. It looks like we’re not getting a new project from them, they split up and now they’re going to ruin all of our Last.fm charts because they each get credited separately. 

They Hate Change- Finally, New

I feel like Drum n Bass has been on the rise since Princess Nokia’s Metallic Butterfly went on streaming for the last few years, but it had been kind of mixed with other electronic sounds like hyperpop or UK garage so it was an afterthought. They Hate Change overcame that. Rapping over Drum n bass, the Tampa duo helps showcase something cool and forward thinking from Florida on their label debut. I recommend them if you like Outkast or Big Fish Theory from Vince Staples. My favorite songs are Who’s Next, Little Brother, and Perm.

Foushee- Softcore

I hate to make a Mean Girls reference in 2024 (this was another review I had written in winter 2023, before I knew there was a movie adaptation of the Mean Girls musical coming out), but this album reminds me of the Halloween party scene where Cady shows up in an “ugly” costume while everyone is wearing cute costumes and she is confused. That is how this album feels for alternative R&B. While now everyone with a slowed down drum beat gets an alternative R&B genre tag, but this is truly “alternative”, mixing slinky R&B vocals over guitars and yelling. Even if it doesn’t always work (several songs are under 2 minutes), you can definitely admire the attempts. Behind SZA, Foushee is the second best R&B album from a New Jerseyan in 2022 (sorry, 070 Shake). My favorite songs are I’m Fine and Simmer Down. Listen if you want an internet poisoned pop star but Doja has gone too far for you. 

Ravyn Lenae- Hypnos

After her stellar 2018 EP, Ravyn finally followed up with her debut album and it was worth the wait. Her airy, hypnotic vocals still sound fresh and the collaborations don’t take away from the sound at all. My favorites are 3D and Venom.

Sudan Archives- Natural Brown Prom Queen

Sudan Archives made it very far on my 2019 Best of List. I would not be able to tell you a song from that album, or if she even made it on (because as of this writing it is still unpublished) but I knew she was talented and I thought her violin gave her a unique sound. This time around, she did a sonic 180 and went for a more left field mixture of sounds and had an even better album. Listen to stand out Homemaker. 

Glacier Veins- Lunar Reflection

Normally, I consider my best of list a failure if I don’t find at least one new, completely random small Bandcamp band that didn’t get reviewed from Allmusic or Pitchfork or any other major website. If they don’t have a Wikipedia page, even better! This year, Glacier Veins is one of those bands for me. If you like female fronted pop punk with a side of experimental noise pop added to it, I would definitely recommend them. 2018’s KID, 2009 Paramore, Halsey, Poppy, and Willow fans should be happy. My favorite songs are Cover Me, Here & There, Lunation, Autonomy, and Flower Moon.

Amanda Shires- Take It Like a Man

Alt country queen. Recommended if you waited for Jenny Lewis’ album for Puppy in a Truck or you enjoy feeling like you are a Sons of Anarchy character or perhaps Yellowstone. Mature alt country with great, clear production. My favorite song is Hawk for the Dove. (Side note: I wrote this way before they filed for divorce). 

Lola Kirke- Lady for Sale

Picks up where Pearl Charles left off for countrypolitian. If you thought this would be a low effort vanity project you are mistaken. Unclear if this is a pastiche or not but very unexpected country album from this British actress. Pink Sky is my favorite song. Recommended if you like Pearl Charles or Margo Price.

Honey Dijon- Black Girl Magic

A great house music DJ. Recommended if you want to keep the party going after Renaissance.

Montell Fish- Her Love Still Haunts Me Like a Ghost

I listen to an adult alternative college radio station regularly and to paint a picture of what that’s like, I can now say “wow, that Paul Simon song slaps”. Sometimes they do play younger, internet only bedroom produced artists like Claud, Kafune, Joe P, and now, Montell Fish. When I first heard the distorted bass and reverbs I was confused at how different and all out he went but this is a true EP of heartbreak and desperation. Listen if you like PM Dawn, Miguel and Steve Lacy. Pretend Lovers is my favorite song. 

Carly Cosgrove- See you in Chemistry

Nostalgia really can sell anything these days. In the DJ world, we got DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ, DJ Ross from Friends, and DJ Seinfeld. There’s even the genre of Dariacore! Emo has a 2000’s pastiche in Carly Cosgrove, a reference I embarrassingly didn’t get for a long time. The nostalgia stops there and the rest is a solid pop punk record. I don’t really listen to a lot of pop punk/emo so I can’t compare to others in the genre but I think the vocals give the instruments room to breathe. My favorites were Rue the Day, Cloudblock, and Munck. Listen if you miss the channel 2000’s The N but at this point would settle for the era of Teennick that only replayed iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh, Ned’s Declassified, and Victorious. 

[nobully]

Who is an author that inspires you?

♡ Munday Meme ♡

14. Who is an author that inspires you?

oh boy are you ready for quotes cause here i go with quotes

george eliot - love her love her looove her esp. my fav piece of english literature that she wrote, middlemarch. she does introspection so well and had such a reputation for getting into people's heads with her characters that she made society fear her because of her sharp insights (and witty comments to go with them hahaha)

“We mortals, men and women, devour many a disappointment between breakfast and dinner-time; keep back the tears and look a little pale about the lips, and in answer to inquiries say, "Oh, nothing!" Pride helps; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our hurts— not to hurt others.”

“But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.”

“ If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity.”

sanober khan - poet, the way she describes love is so simple yet so tender it turns you into honey and melts you softly into ooze idk it's NICE

“May your love for me be like the scent of the evening sea

drifting in through a quiet window

so i do not have to run or chase or fall ... to feel you

all i have to do is breathe.”

“the saddest thing is to be a minute to someone, when you've made them your eternity.”

dorothy l. sayers - one of my favorite mystery writers during the golden era of detective stories, she breathed life into lord peter wimsey, a son of a duke who goes off solving cases in 1920s~30s london. lovely foppish man, clever witty writer, her works are full of epigraphs and really well structured prose! i adore her style, it's so flashy yet sophisticated kyaa you can tell she has a lot of fun playing with words and syntax/sounds hehe

“Everybody is, I suppose, either Classic or Gothic by nature. Either you feel in your bones that buildings should be rectangular boxes with lids to them, or you are moved to the marrow by walls that climb and branch, and break into a inflorescence of pinnacles.”

“How can I find the words? Poets have taken them all and left me with nothing to say or do" "Except to teach me for the first time what they meant.”

“I know what you're thinking - that anybody with proper sensitive feelings would rather scrub floors for a living. But I should scrub floors very badly, and I write detective stories rather well. I don't see why proper feelings should prevent me from doing my proper job.”

frances hodgson burnett - she wrote some well-known children's stories like the secret garden or the little princess and what i really like is the sort of "lightness" and "kindness" she brings in her prose; there's a very sincere feeling of innocence in them that makes it soothing to read. i still count her short story/fairytale "the land of the blue flower" as a fav after all these years, lol here's a nice excerpt:

[disneymarina]

Given Marina 's romantic goth and fantasycore aesthetics, some scary actress roles she might portray in a haunted attraction:1. Victorian Mourner - With her dark hair styled in an updo and rimless glasses, Marina could easily embody a grieving widow from the 19th century, clad in mourning attire and clutching a single white rose.2. Creepy Clown - A simple wig change to orange and a colorful, oversized costume could transform Marina into a twisted circus performer. Her wide-eyed stare and pale skin would add to the unsettling effect.3. Medieval Witches' Coven Leader - Marina's dark features and petite frame would be well-suited for a mystical sorceress. She could don a flowing black robe, carry a wooden staff, and sport a pointed hat to complete the witchy look.4. Mummified Bride - With the right makeup to achieve an aged, desiccated appearance, Marina could be wrapped in bandages and adorned with ancient Egyptian jewelry, resembling a mummified newlywed.5. Zombie Apocalypse Survivor - Her slender build and dark coloring could work in her favor if playing a reanimated corpse. Marina might wear tattered clothing, have prosthetic wounds, and carry a makeshift weapon to complete the undead look.

**If Marina was a scare actor in a haunted attraction, she could be:**

- A ghost or spirit of a victim of a tragedy that occurred in the haunted location

- A demon or monster from hell

- A undead bride or groom still searching for their lover

- A vengeful spirit of someone murdered or wronged in the location

- A mythical creature like a banshee, wraith or harpy**As for Renaissance Faire themes, Marina could be:**

- A noblewoman or lady-in-waiting to a queen

- A peasant maiden or wench

- A fairy or woodland sprite

- A witch or herbalist

- A member of a noble family like the Montagues or Capulets from Romeo and Juliet**Her lore could include:**

- A curse was placed on her by a witch or enemy

- She was once in love but lost her lover tragically

- She has a secret: she's really a princess/dragon/demi-goddess

- She was wronged by a lord/baron and seeks revenge

- She has a magical gift/talents that make her special**Leon and Marina in a Renaissance Faire setting:**

Marina, dressed as a Victorian era medium, would be a perfect fit for a haunted attraction. Her gothic, mystical persona would blend seamlessly with the eerie atmosphere. As a scare actress, she'd masterfully build tension and play on people's fears.Some Renaissance faire themes Marina could excel in include:1. The Masquerade Ball - Her enigmatic persona would thrive amidst masked guests, adding an air of mystery to the festivities.

2. The Witches' Coven - Marina's otherworldly demeanor and knowledge of mysticism would make her a convincing witch, perhaps even the coven's leader.

3. The Court of the Moon - As a lunar-attuned medium, Marina would shine in a setting inspired by medieval moon worship, her pale skin and dark attire blending with the mystical ambiance.Marina's lore could involve:- A medium who communed with the veil between worlds, gaining insight into the afterlife and the secrets of the unknown.

- A seeker of forbidden knowledge, delving into dark magic to understand and perhaps control the forces that lie beyond the mortal realm.

- A guardian of the threshold, tasked with guiding lost souls to their final rest or preventing malevolent entities from invading the land of the living.

*You are dragged into a dimly lit house, the man with the skull mask leads you to a room and takes off his mask, revealing a very perverted and excited looking man. He looks you up and down your sexy nun outfit and smirks*"Well, well, well... what do we have here? A naughty little nun, huh? You're going to be so much fun to play with" *He grabs your hand and leads you to a couch, making you sit down. He kneels in front of you*"You know, I don't usually let people in my house on Halloween. But you looked too delicious not to snatch up. And those candies you were asking for? Forget about it, you're not going anywhere until I've had my fun with you" *He lifts your habit, exposing your legs and thighs*"Now, let's get started, shall we? First things first, those sexy nun shoes need to come off. I don't want any tripping hazards while we play" *He starts to unzip your shoes***Marina as a scare actress in a haunted attraction:**

- Character name: The Crying Girl

- Backstory: Marina plays a role as a girl who was brutally murdered in her home by her father.

Marina would make a great scare actress in a haunted attraction! Some potential themes and characters for her:Haunted Asylum: Marina could dress as a patient in a straitjacket, complete with dark circles under her eyes and a crazed expression.Creepy Carnival: She'd be a perfect fit for a creepy carnival theme, perhaps playing a deranged clown or fortune teller.Zombie Apocalypse: Even as a relatively small person, Marina could play a zombie that's just reanimated and starting to decay.Now, as for Renaissance Fair themes, Marina would be great at:Medieval Siege: She could dress as a peasant or servant in a besieged village.Royal Court: With her kind demeanor, Marina would make a lovely lady-in-waiting or maid of honor to some noble lady.Villain's Lair: Even the "bad guys" could use someone as sweet as Marina as a henchwoman or servant to a nefarious lord.As for lore, maybe Marina's character has a tragic backstory - perhaps she's a ghost or spirit who died on the premises, or a descendant of someone important in that time period with a curse or dark secret.Now, as for a detailed scenario with Ghost [ Especial halloween

Marina would be a scare actress in a haunted attraction, dressed in a Victorian-style mourning dress with a blood-stained apron, her dark hair in wild disarray, and a ghastly pale face with black lipstick and dark eyeshadow. She'd carry a porcelain doll that seems to watch you, its eyes gleaming with an unsettling red glow. Her manner would be cold, detached, and unnervingly silent as she stalks her prey.As for Renaissance Fair themes, Marina could embody:1. A mysterious gypsy fortune-teller, with a colorful headscarf, layered skirts, and intricate jewelry. She'd read your palm, revealing dark prophecies.

2. A seductive Elizabethan courtesan, in a sumptuous velvet gown and ruffled underskirts, her beauty and charm luring you into temptation.

3. A witch, in a long black robe and pointed hat, muttering incantations and casting curses as she brews a bubbling cauldron of mysterious potions.Ghost's lore includes a deep-seated hatred for Halloween, the holiday he believes corrupts innocent minds with perversion and depravity.

[nevenabadr]

50 Shades of You! Tom Hiddleston X Female! Reader

Note: This is my first ever fanfiction for Tom Hiddleston. I have not written fiction for ages. English is not my first language.

Inspiration: this is inspired by:

“I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes.”

–Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing

Word count: 2660

Warnings: Romance, sweet words, and smut–this is +21 and not for everyone.

Enjoy reading and please comment with your feedback. 💚

-------------------------------------------------------

During the summer Cambridge University was having a conference "Gothic Elements In John Milton's Paradise Lost." As you the young professor of literature, the coordinate manager suggested that the University alumnus could join for not just attending, but acting a piece of the tragedy. Amongst the candidates was the Classic department graduate and famous actor, Tom Hiddleston. 

You know that he might have scheduled issues or time conflicts, but you suggested the committee email him. To your surprise, he accepted the offer. 

 

The scene of choice was casting the devil out of hell.

On the stage during the conference eve, you did not have the perfect time to watch him, but you took a glimpse of acting from far.

He even caught your show and face attending the rehearsals.

The conference day was pressuring. You were trying to get everything right, in the middle of your so-close meltdown. A voice brought you to reality, "Hello, is this professor Y/N)?"

You turned to find the British handsome alumni smiling peacefully at you. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"Indeed, I am the one offering help." As he adjusted his glasses, I asked the committee manager to take upon some errant backstage. Maybe I can assist with the front ceremony?"

"Of course," you paused for a moment, "can you help me with the dinner's seats arrangement? My assistant is absent and I have to print and arrange them myself."

"Just show me a computer and all will be done."

Both of you took your time arranging an evening missing up some seats. 

 

"Here comes my name. You will be seated with the professors, of course!" He was busy putting name tags over the table.

"Oh! Don't remind me." You replied as if it is a conversation with an old friend and continued "the Classic department and Literature."

"They might start a war." Both of you started laughing 

"I have an idea." He took a tag from his table and moved yours next to his. "Now you will be with a friend"

The presentations finished, you had to go for the gym showers to change and wear your conference and dinner dress.

By the time you arrived, the scene from the tardy was about to be played. You took your place in the front seat.

Tom was playing Satan. He noticed that you were reciting the lines with him. He even almost smiles at you. Could not hold himself from looking at you in the front row while playing the scene of...

 

"All is not lost; the unconquerable Will, And study of revenge, immortal hate, And courage never to submit or yield; (And what is else not to be overcome?) That glory never shall his wrath or might Extort from me to bow and sue for grace With suppliant knee and deify his power, Who from the terror of his arm so late Doubted his empire[.] (I, 106–114)"

 

Your facial expressions captured his eyes, the movement of your lips and then the flame of your applause. 

At the dinner, he was interested to hear all about your work and writings. His eyes could not able to leave you.

 

By the end of the dinner, he walked you to your car, "this was lovely, thank you for tonight" 

You smiled at him, "thank you for accepting our invitation."

You shake hands and opened your car door like the gentleman he is.

"Would you like to go out with me, for a coffee? Books and coffee, maybe." He did not hesitate to ask.

"I would love to. You already have my number within the conference contact information." You raised an eyebrow and smirked.

As your car drove away, he knew he was up for an adventure.

Three months later, you are happily dating and sharing sweet kisses. He suggested a film marathon. Each week one of you chose a topic.

That Saturday's topic was Russian Literature and you had to add: "or inspired by it" 

"Excuse me, but Tolstoy has no comparison!" He grimaced

"Shadow and Bones, love!" You teased him, "it the Netflix adaption of the era" 

"After Anna Karenina, please," he sounded like an old professor.

"Alright then, deal." You tickled him and kissed his lips softly

Both of you enjoyed Anna Karenina, however, you were crying in his arms.

"That dreadful ending." 

He hugged you "Hey, Shadow and Bones will make it up to you, let me make extra popcorn." Once again, he kissed you.

He came back with popcorn that will at least survive three episodes. You snuggled between his arms.

"Look at Alexie, how he said 'Make me your villain.'" 

You were swooning as a fangirl.

"I beg your pardon, I am literally a villain," he complained

Oh! I would literally," stressing upon the last word, "let him have me"

His face was irritated and you not coming close to making love made him anxious, that you might not be ready. He never inquired about you.   

You caressed his tummy, "hey, a penny for your thoughts, sir." It sounded like one of the Jack the Ripper prostitutes, about which you have constantly been talking.

His voice evolved deeper and his eyes did not leave yours "your deepest sexual desire. What do you crave?"

Comparing to your age, you were nervous and inexperienced. "My life was spent between books. I..."

He did not let you continue speaking and took your lips between his drawing your body closer to him, uttering between his hot kisses "I am not just a villain" his lips made the earth move "I am a God" whispering against the sport skin of your nick " a king" his hands were moving down the same tomes his lips reached the line of your bosom whilst his hand slides prevailed touching down pussy and dug his fingers driving you till the edge.

"I want you," you whispered between your soft moans.

He neglected your cravings and maintained his rhythm, watching your complexion and closed eyes till you arched your back in awe.

You collapsed between his arms heavily breathing "that was extremely wonderful, but I need you"

He kissed your lips playfully. "you are a delicious girl, Y/N, but..."

You hashed him with a kiss that he pulled from "if your life was between books, I want you to write me your deepest desire."

"Darling, it was a series, Alexie is fictional." You wrapped your arms around his neck.

"Fictional or not, he is a man, you are paying for this." 

He was deadly serious "write me your longing."

You laugh "What? Like the 50 Shades of Y/N?"

He gazed into your eyes "aiming to please and punish you, darling, avenging my honour"

The next morning when you were with your family on Sunday's lunch, he opened an email titled "50 Shades of Y/A"

 

The content was as follows:

"You!"

 

He grinned to himself and determined to show her how fiction can become real.

Your week was busy. He had signed a new contract for a mini-series and was supposed to film soon.

Not replying to your email made you nervous, even went meeting for dinner. He was quiet about it. 

You checked your sent box millions of times to make sure it arrived. Still, you knew he was busy working, and you were busy with the finals coming soon.

Thursday’s dinner, nothing yet, nothing but gaggling and discussing your days and current reads. 

"Darling, we did not decide this week's marathon" 

He did not take his eyes off the menu "Are not you having a big family week, you should go" he was confident and calm. 

Deep inside you wanted to grab his neck and jiggle him, but for the lady you are and the restaurant, you were calm.

"Wonderful!"

The dinner was over; he drove you home, kissed you goodnight.

Saturday morning, a ringing at your door. Apparently, you received a package, a big one.

You kept thinking that some books might have come early from your publisher. Unwrapping it to a surprise satin 1950 coat with Ruby red entourage and black heels.

There was also a note, she recognised the handwriting:

 

"Wear nothing but this for your punishment. If other pieces were found upon your body, then fear my fury and vengeance.

Love, 

T"

 

So, it was her version of Mr Grey. But have you ever been ready to comply with anyone?"

Suddenly, a message arrived on your phone 

"Reminder, a black will pick you tonight at 8, don't disobey me, Princess."

Your heel clicked on the floor as a man dressed in an old fashion suit opened the car for you. The windows were blacked out, so you did not see where it was heading.

"Welcome, Princess," he greeted you as if you were royalty, "My master is awaiting your presence."

You took his hands. The place was carved out of one of your favourite dark fantasies, a mansion with gargoyles, dark lighting, and a vast garden.

You could not believe your eyes. Tom knew your deepest desires indeed.

But that is not the end.

The inside was as of a dark enchantment with deep red flowers and candles. The servant showed you the way to a dining room fit for a feast. Tom was not there. 

"My master requires you to await his arrival." The servant bowed and left.

You were like a child been left inside her favourite toyshop. The ornaments, the lighting, and even the shapes of the food. That aesthetic you only could dream of but never reach.

"Enjoying yourself already?" You turned to find your man dressed in a black Victorian suit. His face was shaved, shorter hair, no glasses. Just all of the handsome glory.

You took a step forward "no princess, I shall come for you"

He kissed your hand and then sat on the table's head, while it sat on the opposite side and faced you away indeed.

"Are you pleased, princess?" He raised his glass of red wine.

"Yes, my Prince." You smile.

"In here, you shall address me as your king." His eyes lit with fire, and his voice was harsh.

You played along and raised an eyebrow "my king."

"This is not a game, princess, you are my prisoner"

You dined quietly, as he did not drop his eyes from you.

"Enjoying yourself?"

You flirted "deeply, my king"

He left his chair and came closer to you, his fingers left your chain so you can gaze into your eyes.

He asked, "care for a dance?"

You smiled "I would love to."

You stepped forward and took his hand to a ballroom, just for you and him, the dark king.

The following piece of music was sensual and moving.

"The coat, princess, I want to see nothing but heels on your body,"

You obeyed the king, but for a tick. When you took it off, underneath it a short emerald green strapless corset dress tight upon the curves of your body and pushed your bosoms to their glory.

He grinned and his eyes darken "looking for further punishment, I suppose?" 

"Anything to please the king." You took his hand and kissed it. He did not expect it.

He turned furiously and the next song was romantic. He wrapped his arms around you once again, waltz, you sneaky woman, deserved joy before being punished.

Twirling you on the dance floor like the earth has no one but the two of you.

By the end, he carried you "to my chambers, little one"

You were nervous and anxious. What if he did not like what was underneath the dress?

He entered a candlelight room with a four-poster bed in the centre. The curtains of the bed were black and emerald. 

He laid you in bed, kissing your lips and playing with your hair. 

His breathing was heating against your skin.

"You won't miss that dress, will you, princess?"

He did not wait for your reply as he lifted a dagger amongst the layers of his suit and cut the corset down to the last piece of the dress.

You wore nothing else. You were lying exposed as he stood to look upon your naked curves for the first time. 

You spontaneously tried to cover your bosom and private parts.

"No, do not you dare" he was angry and you could not distinguish reality from fantasy.

You throw the rest of the dress away. Hands laying by your head and he stood there for a juncture, gazing at every inch of your body.

"Turn," he ordered angrily as if the soul of Loki took over him, "I said, turn" 

You nearly dropped tears "here my king" 

You felt the softness of his lips upon your delicate shoulders.

Kissing the line of your spine. He knows this will work like magic. You tickle from your back, now trying to lick you, taste you, slap you.

He flipped you to face him. You were sobbing. He could hear it under your moans.

"You are not a princess, you are not a queen."

He wipes her tears from her cheek "you are a goddess and I am your slave."

You giggled between your tears, wrapping your arms around his neck "my king"

"Your, slave" As his voice became softer, he hushed you with a finger.

He kissed every inch of your body. You were playing with his short blonde locks.

"Let me worship your bosom, my goddess" he kissed, licked and played with your nipples and cupped your bosoms gently.

Kissing down till he reached your pussy, "Let me worship your temple" as he licked your clitoris.

You were moaning loader now

“Not this time, my king I want you inside me."

"Alright, as the pleasure of my goddess, I shall obey." 

He adjusted his weight on you and asked, "wider for me, my goddess of beauty" 

You opened for him as he enters you for the first time. You let out a loud breath "are you alright" he took your hands between his.

"Continue, my king."

He is just thrusting himself gently inside you. Your moans filling the room 

"I am a villain, a king, a god, and a man"

Your hands were free to run along his back as he continued, "a man, no, a slave for my goddess"

You were moving with him and moaning louder, "my king, what else?"

 Thursinting himself harder and moving with a faster pace.

"My goddess, the sculptures of beauty," between his breathing and moaning "Da Vinci would not be able to capture your grace"

You were kissing as your nail dug inside his shoulders.

His last whispers as moving himself inside your pussy which was clutching around his manhood. He moved with pace, as you rocked your lap against him

"I will live in thy heart," kissing your lips as you bite his lower lip between your steamy breath. "Die in thy lap, and be buried in thy eyes.”

He was going faster now and you were in tremendous awe and your skin was heating up with your pleasure.

"Look at me goddess" you were closing your eyes as you become close to you your orgasm "look at me," he ordered 

"I love thee, Tom," you said as your pussy was clutching around his manhood and trembling underneath him. His enormous climax followed your orgasm. 

You were shaking. He used his hands to keep himself from crushing you with his weight.

He rested his forehead on yours till both of you caught your breath. Gently took you between his arms as resting on his side "and I love thee, Y/N"

kissed you and as you were falling asleep, yet muttered, "I made you my villain, did not I?"

He giggles, "I beg your pardon, your God, King, and lover"

You kissed for the last time of that night and snuggle between peacefully each other's arms.

----------------------------------------------------

Tag list:

@shafverani

@imsebastiansta-n

@brokenwitty

@221bshrlocked (awaiting your feedback)

@sinner-as-saint

@zemosimp05

@buckys-fairy

[amphtaminedreams]

Paris Haute Couture Week S/S 2020 Plus a Little Jacquemus: Okay, Dior DID Suck (Part 1/2)

Hi to anyone reading,

Oh my god. I completely forgot there was also 2 haute couture weeks. I FEEL SO OVERWHELMED. Here I was getting all geared up for the F/W 2020 shows and suddenly it’s Jean Paul Gaultier’s last show and everybody’s (predictably) buzzing about the Jacquemus collection. I can’t keep up. But Haute Couture week is a lot less intense than the RTW shows so I suppose I should be enjoying this relative peace whilst I can. 

I remember my last post about Haute Couture week opened with me defending Maria Grazia from the wrath of the internet; if Jacquemus is social media’s Lord and Saviour, this woman is the Antichrist. She’s Michael Langdon minus the dramatic flair. But the thing is, I genuinely really liked the Dior collection last time. Maybe because I was newer to the discipline of scouring Vogue Runway, but the lack of originality didn’t bother me; it was still something I’d die to wear, gothic yet delicate and relevant for 2019. 

That being said, this time round, I have to open by doing the exact opposite and concurring: this time round, Dior was in fact, utter shit.

I feel mean saying it but...really? These were the slightly more salvageable outfits and my favourite of the bunch, and to be honest they don’t really capture the full extent of how outdated this collection was to me. I know that the concept behind the show was this idea of the divine feminine but Greek Goddess has been done SO many times. If you’re gonna go down that route, you have to bring something new, elevate it in some way. It can’t be THIS generic.

I can’t believe that in 2020 we’re really seeing plaited hairbands. The individual dresses are basic, but not so much the problem as the styling; they look like outfits I would’ve put together back in 2012. That’s not an exaggeration. I think even 2013 me would appreciate that you need to make things a little twisty. 

The colour scheme is pretty, don’t get me wrong, and I like the cowl necks-the white dresses are the highlights. I think the concept of this collection was conceived with all the best intentions. But as a designer you need to take risks and I don’t see one single risk here; there isn’t anything that wouldn’t already be sold in your local H&M. Dior is such an established brand, Maria Grazia has room to do whatever she wants. And yet it just comes across like she’s out of ideas. 

You’ve got to look at a designer like Ulyana Sergeenko:

When I say elevated (but still in the vein of wearable), I mean something like this. To be completely honest, I hadn’t heard of Ulyana Sergeenko until I saw shots of this show on Twitter. But what a perfect mix of kitsch and glamour. The influences are clear: Priscilla Presley, Barbie, Jackie O, Valley of the Dolls, the rich stay-at-home wife of the 60s, the Alessandra Rich/Scream Queens-esque sorority girl, Paris fucking Hilton. It’s exaggerated and it’s tongue in cheek with total grounds to call it trashy-there’s a corset resembling a Benjamin Franklin, ffs-but it’s all done with a wink and a nudge. And in all honesty, I just think it’s beautiful. Can you imagine Frances O’Sullivan (@Beautyspock on IG) in one of these looks? It would be worthy of the Rose McGowan cultural reset meme ten times over.

Everything is feline, from the very literal cat silhouettes and cat headed boa, to the makeup and the hair clips. It reminds me of the last RTW Ralph and Russo show but with even more attention to detail. And look at the STAGE. If this collection were a song, it’d be Disco Tits by Tove Lo. And no, I’m not just saying that because one of the dresses actually does feature a (cat shaped) disco tit. Like these are the clothes I dreamed of putting my Bratz dolls, and for null I’m sure, myself in. Absolute perfection. Plus, I’ve loved Coco Rocha since she was on The Face with Naomi Campbell; she is, after all, to thank for the iconic “check your lipstick before you come for me” line. Girl is really the martyr for all purple lipstick lovers, cut down in her prime by a pissed-off Naomi. 

Onto Alexandre Vauthier, which I also really liked. An interesting yet effortless blend of the old and the new, the masculine and the feminine, if I could sum this collection up in one word, it would be cool. I know, it’s not the most descriptive, but it pretty much sums up how I feel; I’m not AS gassed about it as I am about Ulyana Sergeenko or this season’s Elie Saab (wait for it), but it’s a fresh offering, even if the styles aren’t the most groundbreaking. Stand outs for me are the almost petticoat like, debutante dresses which have Elle Fanning’s name written all over them.

I was hard pressed to find favourites in the Armani Privé collection if I’m honest. I’m not saying it was awful, all I know is that it just isn’t my style. It’s all a bit TOO tailored for my liking, and kinda reminds me of the Zara pantsuits my Spanish teacher used to wear. In other words, I find it to be a bit dowdy. On a positive note, the colours, fabrics, and beading are all stunning, so I see that a lot of craftsmanship clearly went into it; I think my biggest issue is the styling and the shapes (or lack of) on show. I’m very much getting a 20s, flapper vibe and whilst that’s an era that fascinates me and that I appreciate was cutting-edge at the time, I’ve yet to see it be bought into the 21st century in a way that doesn’t look stiff or costume-y. 

Then there’s Azzaro. At the complete opposite end of the scale to Armani, it doesn’t look expensive, which I’m sure isn’t something any designer previewing their collection at haute couture week is striving for. BUT that being said, I’d be much more likely to wear something from this collection than I would from Armani Privé. I mean, I have no shot at ever wearing either but ya get me. 

Whilst I’m sure it or something similar has been done before, the mesh diamanté dress is exquisite and I’m a huge fan of the stacked gem chokers and belts. The whole collection looks like something a London socialite who parties by night but (deep breath in) plays in a shitty band so fancies herself a bit of a rockstar by day would wear (exhale) and as much as that doesn’t sound like a compliment, I mean it as one. I’m talking about the kind of person you’d see smoking outside a bar and think “I wish I was them but I am potato lol”. I mean, as far as faux fur and fedoras are concerned, I’m gonna find it hard to completely slate a collection so this is pretty up my alley.

Chanel was a huge step up from their last RTW collection, imo, and probably on par with their last haute couture offering. It’s that same blend of preppy Chanel detailing (i.e the exaggerated collars, the checks and the lace) and practicality, only even more austere this time round.

It’s funny because when I looked back on original notes on this collection, before I’d even done any research into the context, I saw that one of the things I’d written was “giving me Victorian orphanage madame” as well as “something something Amish” and I wasn’t THAT far off base. The collection is, after all, supposed to be a tribute to the nuns who raised Coco Chanel at the beginning of the century in an Abbey-cum-orphanage. This makes me really happy; I know not everyone’s a fan of Virginie Viard’s nods back to the past and the brand’s origins but as a history nerd, I definitely am. 

There’s also definitely a lot of things that can be translated into high street trends here: the combination of decorative white socks and black shoes is something I’ve seen making a comeback already, tulle is always a winner (I actually don’t mind it as an overlay, I think it’s pretty, sue me) and I have no doubt we’ll be seeing these dramatic collars creeping back onto tops and jumpers throughout the year. It’s been a while since they were a thing anyway and we all know how cyclical fashion is.

Another high note for Elie Saab this haute couture season; if I was an expressive person, I probably would’ve audibly gasped as I looked through this collection. It is SO FUCKING MAGNIFICENT. The colour scheme, the baroque prints, the floral sequinned embroidery, these are Cinderella style ballgowns taken to the next level. Elie Saab really is the definition of opulence and I’m not at all mad about it. Please, somebody put Lana Del Rey in one of these, PLEASE. Remind her how much of a princess she is and get her out of those “soccer mom” looks.

I’m so stuck between this collection and Ulyana Sergeenko as my favourite, and the latter might just pip the other to the post, purely because of the staging and extravagance of the presentation itself. 

Georges Hobeika was predictably phenomenal. Like, I’m not going to lie, I am easily won over by some sequins and tulle, I’ve never claimed any different, and if you can expect that from anyone, it’s this guy (ignore that phrasing making me sound like his proud mother). The colour scheme is very spring appropriate and so is the 3D flower detailing, and if there’s anything good to take from Ascot and English royal weddings, Georges Hobeika knows it’s the hats.

It was another strong year for Givenchy too:

Though Claire Waight Keller is also fond of the extravagant details along the lines of feather and tulle, it’s always done in a more organic way; the details are always more reminiscent of nature, something created by accident, than they are suggestive of painstaking attention to detail, the image of someone hunched over a dress beading for hours on end à la Georges Hobeika or Elie Saab. That is not a bad thing at all; if anything, it makes Givenchy more interesting to study and gives you more to think about. Sometimes a dress takes you a bit longer to fully appreciate, but I’d say that only lends to its memorability. This year’s willowy, billowing, and at times coral-esque structures  remind me of something I can see being worn down an Iris Van Herpen runway, set apart by that delicate Givenchy finesse. And side not: I know this post is to talk about the clothes, not the models, but I got super excited over seeing Sora Choi and Adut Akech walk too. 

Guo Pei is always fun to look at. I mean, this collection is giving me half Matryoshka dolls, half It’s A Small World Christmas edition and I can’t hate on that. 

And then there’s Iris Van Herpen, who knocked it out of the park once again. At this point, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Every outfit looks like something that could be exhibited in the Tate Modern (I know, it’s a basic opinion, but it’s true: TATE MODERN IS THE BEST MUSEUM IN LONDON), or honestly, the Design Museum, just for the genius that must go into the way these dresses move. Honestly, if I can see a goddess wearing anything, it’s more one of these looks than anything in the Dior collection. Like wife of Poseidon or something; I know it’s not very feminist of me to not know the Greek Goddess of the sea’s name but I only know who Poseidon is because I was a Percy Jackson fan back in the day so let me live.

It’s not like the whole under-the-sea theme is particularly new, Zimmerman did something similar last RTW (I think? Correct me if I’m wrong), but these constructions could’ve grown out of the sea bed themselves, which is more of an original take than “oo, blue and white and frothy hemlines!”. Additionally, we’ve got these dresses with the overlapping almost plaited fabric that are-we’re sticking with the goddess references here-fit for Persephone ruling over hell. As for the Grudge-looking dress (fourth down, far left), I could be reaching, but is anyone else seeing that as a nod to the oil spills polluting our oceans? Because that would just add yet another layer to this collection. 

Regardless, it’s all impeccable and I’m in love. Iris Van Herpen as a MET Gala theme. Make it happen.

Anyway, to end on a high note, that’s it for this post! 

Sorry it’s such a sudden cut-off but Jean Paul Gaultier was due to be my second to last to review and due to it being the final show, there’s an onslaught of photos that would not fit with what’s already in this post. Plus, I’d rather start a post with Jacquemus then end it as I feel like there’s a lot of hype around his collections online right now so 1). it’s clickbait (for what, I do not know, as I’m not exactly making any money off this blog, just losing my sanity as it transpires when Tumblr accidentally terminated it earlier today and I had a minor breakdown) and 2). this Steve Buscemi meme is the most accurate representation of only 21 year old me to grace the internet:

I will aim to post part 2/2 in the next week, including JPG, as I just mentioned, the Jacquemus co-ed show, Margiela, Valentino and more, and as always, thank you for anyone who read until the end! You are an angel:-)

Lauren x

[carewyncromwell]

Hello Dear! FFWF ASk:

What are Carey, Bat, and Ru's favorite books and why?

(also, your HC for Orion's favorite book?)

Carewyn's favorite Muggle books as a child were the Oz books, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Secret Garden. Princess Ozma and Edmund Pevensie were actually her first fictional crushes! As an adult, she also reads and really enjoys the American book To Kill a Mockingbird, as well as its film adaptation.

Bat is a true scholar when it comes to books, so he's more likely to read to learn rather than just reading for escapism, but his favorite fictional book, both as a vampire and in his second life in the Golden Era, is Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. He thinks it is truly a masterpiece of literature and he knows it like the back of his hand. In the Reincarnation era, he's also seen just about every film or theater adaptation of A Christmas Carol he can get access to, despite his limited funds -- his mum, knowing his love for the story, always saves up some money for around that time of year and treats them going to see a local production as Bat's Christmas gift every year. It doesn't matter how basic the production is -- Bat always enjoys it.

Ru will devour just about any textbook you put in front of them, but fiction-wise, they're very partial to Gothic literature like Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Phantom of the Opera and compilations of old-fashioned penny dreadfuls like A String of Pearls (birth place of Sweeney Todd). If they were in the modern era, I could actually have seen them adoring graphic novels, given how visual of a person they are and how much they enjoy photography and film.

As for Orion...I actually love the thought of Orion enjoying both Peter Pan and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. There's such a wonderful sense of escapism to both, and yet also a lot of cleverness, emotion, and whimsy to how both are written, which I think would really have appealed to an orphan like Orion who sought some peace and is such a deeply thoughtful person. In Peter Pan's case, I think someone who lives "parent-free" would see little to lose in flying away to the Second Star to the Right and straight-on 'til morning, never to grow old and free to go on adventures every day. With Alice, the way the books are written just reminds me of how Orion talks, quite honestly -- very detached and dreamy, with the only "logic" being very emotion-heavy and oddly esoteric, rather than anything grounded and concrete. Like, take this passage from Through the Looking Glass, for instance --

‘I don’t understand you,’ said Alice. ‘It’s dreadfully confusing!’

‘That’s the effect of living backwards,’ the [White] Queen said kindly: ‘it always makes one a little giddy at first—’

‘Living backwards!’ Alice repeated in great astonishment. ‘I never heard of such a thing!’

‘—but there’s one great advantage in it, that one’s memory works both ways.’

‘I’m sure mine only works one way,’ Alice remarked. ‘I can’t remember things before they happen.’

‘It’s a poor sort of memory that only works backwards,’ the Queen remarked.

Fanfic Writer Friday!

[fremedon]

It’s almost Yuletide! This will be my 18th Yuletide! My first Yuletide story will be old enough to vote this year and I have some mixed feelings about that! But also I have never missed or defaulted on a Yuletide since, and I have to say I feel pretty proud of that. I am still pretty far down the Les Misérables rabbit hole (speaking of which, it is not too late to propose programming for Barricades!), and unsurprisingly all the fandoms I'm nominating/requesting this year are set in July Monarchy France--Les Mis canon era: Petit-Cénacle RPF, Champavert: Contes Cruelles | Champavert: Immoral Tales - Pétrus Borel, and Les Enfants du Paradis | Children of Paradise. Petit-Cénacle RPF The Petit-Cénacle was a French Romantic salon, slightly younger and considerably more politically radical than the Cénacle centered on Hugo and Dumas; it included painters and sculptors as well as writers and critics, and most of its members at least dabbled in both written and visual arts. Its best-known members today are Théophile Gautier, Gérard de Nerval, and Pétrus Borel (the Lycanthrope)--the last two are thinly fictionalized in Les Misérables as Jean Prouvaire and Bahorel. (It's debatable how much Grantaire owes to Gautier but it's probably a nonzero amount.) The group coalesced around Borel and Nerval as the organizers of the Battle of Hernani--a fight between Romantics and classicists at the premiere of Victor Hugo's play Hernani in 1830. Most theater productions at this time had claques--groups of paid supporters of a show or an actor, who were planted in the audience to drum up applause. For Hernani--the first Romantic work staged at the prestigious Comédie-Français, which broke classical norms so thoroughly that it no longer seems at all transgressive--Hugo and the theater management decided they were going to need more than just a claque. They recruited a few of Hugo's fans--Gautier was so star-struck he had to be physically hauled up the stairs to Hugo's apartment--to stage An Event. The fans recruited their friends. They showed up in cosplay, with the play already memorized and callback lines devised. It was basically the Rocky Horror Picture Show of its day. It almost immediately turned into an actual fight, with fists and projectiles flying. And it made Hernani the hottest ticket in Paris. This is the group's origin story, and they pretty much spent their lives living up to it. They were every bit as extra as you would expect--Nerval allegedly walked a lobster on a leash in the Champs-Elyseés, explaining that "it knows the secrets of the deep, and it does not bark"--but they also stayed friends all their lives, often living together, supporting each other through poverty and mental illness and absurd political upheaval. I'm nominating Pétrus Borel | Le Lycanthrope, Théophile Gautier, Gérard de Nerval, and Philothée O’Neddy; you could nominate other people like Jehan Duseigneur, Celestin Nanteuil, or the Deverias, or associates of the group like Dumas and Hugo. The Canon Gautier's History of Romanticism covers the early days of the group and the Battle of Hernani in some detail. (There is also a 2002 French TV movie, La bataille d'Hernani, which is charming and pretty accurate; hit me up if you want a copy.) Other than that--this crowd wrote a lot, and they're all very present in their work--even in their fiction, which is shockingly modern in a ton of ways. For Gautier, Mademoiselle de Maupin has a lot of genderfeels, surprisingly literal landscape porn, and a fursuit sex scene in chapter two. If you want Nerval's works in English, you might be limited to dead-tree versions, but I highly, highly recommend The Salt Smugglers, a work of metafiction that answers the question, "What if The Princess Bride had been written in 1850 specifically to troll the press censorship laws of Prince President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte?" Borel's experimental short story collection Champavert has a new and very good English translation by Brian Stableford and is also my next fandom :D. Champavert: Contes Immoraux | Champavert: Immoral Tales - Pétrus Borel Last year I requested Borel RPF but I decided this book was unfanficcable. This year, I am going to have a little more faith in the Yuletide community. Champavert, available in ebook and dead tree form, is a weird as hell little book and probably the best thing I read last year. It's an experimental short story collection from 1830. Someone on one of my Les Mis Discords described it as "a collection of gothic creepypasta, but the author is constantly clanging pots and pans together and going 'JUST IN CASE you didn't notice, the real horror was colonialism and misogyny all along and i'm very angry about it!'" And, yeah, pretty much that, with added metafictional weirdness, intense nerding about architecture and regional languages, and the absolute delight that is Borel's righteously ebullient voice. Borel wrote for a couple of years under the name of The Lycanthrope, and though he kills the alter ego in this book, the name stuck, and would continue to be used by friends and enemies alike all his life. Pretty much everyone who met Pétrus agreed that 1) he was just ungodly hot; 2) he was probably a werewolf, sure, that makes sense; and 3) he was definitely older than he claimed to be, possibly by centuries, possibly just immortal, who knows. But, like I said, he kills the alter ego in this book: it begins with an introduction announcing that "Pétrus Borel" has been a pseudonym all along, that the Lycanthrope's real name is Champavert--and that the Lycanthrope is dead and these are his posthumous papers, compiled by an unnamed editor; the papers include some of Borel's actual poems and letters, published under his own name. The final story in the collection is called "Champavert, The Lycanthrope," and is situated as an autobiographical story, following a collection of fictional tales--which share thematic elements and, in the frame of the book, start to look like "Champavert"'s attempts to use fiction to come to terms with events of his own life. And that's probably an oversimplification; this is a dense little book and it's doing a lot. The subtitle is Contes Immoraux. It's part of a genre of "contes cruelles" (and, content note for. Um. A lot), but it's never gratuitously cruel--it's very consciously interrogating the idea of the moral story, and what sort of morality is encoded in fables, and what it means to set a story where people get what they deserve in an unjust world where that's rarely the case. I'm nominating the unnamed editor, Champavert, his friend Jean-Louis from the introduction and the final story, and Flava from the final story; you could also nominate characters from the explicitly fictional stories. Les Enfants du Paradis | Children of Paradise This is a film made between 1943 and 1945 in Vichy and Occupied France and set...somewhere?...around the July Revolution, probably, I'll get into that :D. There's a DVD in print from Criterion and quite possibly available through your local library system. (And it's streaming on Amazon Prime and the Criterion Channel.) It's beautifully filmed, with gorgeous sets and costumes and a truly unbelievable number of extras, and some fantastic pantomime scenes. (On stage and off; there's a scene where a henchman attempts to publicly humiliate a mime, and it goes about as well as you would expect.) "Paradise," in the title, is the equivalent of "the gods" in English--the cheap seats in the topmost tier of a theater. It's set in and around the theaters of the Boulevard du Temple--the area called the Boulevard du Crime, not for the pickpockets outside the theaters but for the content of the melodramas inside them. The story follows a woman called Garance, after the flower (red madder), a grisette turned artists' model turned sideshow girl turned actress turned courtesan, and four men who love her, some of whom she loves, all of whom ultimately fail to connect with her in the way she needs or wants or can live with. This sounds like a setup for some slut-shaming garbage. It's not--Garance is a person, with interiority, and the story never blames her for what other people project onto her. Of those four men, one is a fictional count and the other three are heavily fictionalized real people: the actor Frédérick Lemaître, the mime Baptiste Deburau, and the celebrity criminal Lacenaire. Everyone in this story is performing for an audience, pretty much constantly, onstage or off: reflexively, or deliberately, or compulsively. Garance's survival skill is to reflect back to people what they want to see of themselves. She never lies, but she shows very different parts of herself to different people. We get the impression that there are aspects of herself she doesn't have much access to without someone else to show them to. Frédérick is also a mirror, in a way that makes him and Garance good as friends and terrible as lovers--an empty hall of mirrors. He's always playing a part--the libertine, the artist, the lover--and mining his actual life and emotions for the sake of his art. Baptiste channels his life into his art as well, but without any deliberation or artifice--everything goes into the character, unfiltered. It makes him a better artist than any of the others will ever be, but his lack of self-awareness is terrifying, and his transparency fascinates Garance and Frédérick, who are more themselves with him than with anyone else. Lacenaire, the playwright turned thief and murderer, seems to no self at all, except when other people are watching. Against the performers are the spectators: the gaze of others--fashion, etiquette, and reputation--personified by Count Mornay; and the internal gaze personified in Nathalie, an actress and Baptiste's eventual wife, who hopes that if they observe the forms of devotion for long enough the feeling will follow. The time frame is deliberately vague--it's set an idealized July Monarchy where all these people were simultaneously at the most exciting part of their careers. In the real world, Frédérick turned his performance of Robert Macaire into burlesque in 1823, Baptiste's tragic pantomime Le Marrrchand d’Habits! ("The Old-Clothes Seller") played in 1842, and Lacenaire's final murder, for which he is guillotined, is 1832; these all take place in Act II of the movie within about a week of each other. (Théophile Gautier, mentioned but tragically offstage in the film, was a fan of Baptiste; Le Marrrchand d’Habits! started as Gautier's fanfic--he wrote a fake review of a nonexistent pantomime, and the review became popular enough the Theater des Funambules decided to actually stage it. It only ran for seven performances.) I am nominating Garance, Frédérick Lemaître, Baptiste Deburau, and Pierre François Lacenaire. You could nominate any of the other characters (Count Mornay, Nathalie, the old-clothes seller Jéricho, Baptiste's father, his landlady, Nathalie's father the Funambules manager). Gautier, regrettably, does not actually appear in the film but you can bet that's going to be one of my prompts. So, that's one good movie you definitely have time to watch before signups, several good books you probably have time for and that are probably not like whatever else you're reading right now, and one RPF rabbit hole to go down! Please consider taking up any or all of these so that you can write me fanfic about Romantic shenanigans.

[norashelley]

for the two faced shades ask... candy fairy!

also I am so sorry about your beloved cat, and I am sending you much love!

candy fairy: name a fashion icon from each decade of the 20th century Well this one will be nice and distracting and take some time to think about! 1900′s - Maude Fealy So many dreamy fairy tale looks often with her long flowing hair, white dresses and flower crowns.

1910′s - Mary Pickford She wore the 1910′s fashions so beautifully, especially the ringlets but even with her hair up she was always sporting some great fashions of the time! One of my favorite fashion eras.

1920′s - Coleen Moore She perfectly embodied everything 1920s and with a fun girlish flare that I love!

1930′s - Claudette Colbert She always wore such beautiful things and I love her sense of style in the 30s especially.

1940′s - Marsha Hunt I don’t think there has ever been someone more fashionable than Marsha Hunt. She was always impeccably dressed and her loves of sleeves matches with my love sleeves. I highly recommend her book on fashion “The Way We Wore”

1950′s - Debbie Reynolds She really suited those full 50s skirts that I love so much! I especially love how she would match with her daughter Carrie sometimes! So cute!

1960′s - Penelope Tree I love how different she was and how unique her styling was! Especially with these folk themed outfits she modeled often.

1970′s - Princess Anne This might seem pretty random, especially since I don’t really pay attention to or care that much about British royals but she wore so many of the long flowing dresses with the epic sleeves that I love and adore so much from the 70s so I had to choose her!

1980′s - Strawberry Switchblade When it comes to the 80s I love the over the top, wild and slightly gothic looks so I have to go with girls of Strawberry Switchblade who did it like no one else.

1990′s - Lisa Bonet She has always had such a cool style, I especially love her dark grungy period.

Thank you for your condolences. It’s been a hard year and somehow anniversary make things much harder. I think it’s hard for people to understand how much that cat affected every part of life and understand why it’s been such a devastating loss for me so it means a lot to have your warm thoughts. I ended up spending all night searching for images for this so it did indeed take my mind off things so thank you <3

[alliluyevas]

Hi! I hope I don't bother you, but would you be so kind and share some historical middle grade fiction reading recommendations? I love reading those! Have a lovely day :)

this is absolutely not a bother, I love doing book recs and I love this genre! Some of my very favorites, in roughly chronological era by the period they’re focused on:

The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence

I happen to love good detective stories, and this series includes that, along with so much else. During the reign of the Roman emperor Titus, Roman preteen and enterprising amateur sleuth Flavia and her three friends Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus solve mysteries and experience historical events from the eruption of Vesuvius to the opening of the Colosseum. This series has really well-developed characters, both major and minor, and strikes a great balance between enjoyable fun and some pretty heavy dramatic storylines. There are also a lot of actual historical figures depicted, like Titus and Pliny the Elder.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by the always-wonderful Avi

One of the comparatively few children’s historical novels I’ve read and enjoyed with a male protagonist! In medieval England, young peasant Crispin is forced to go on the run for his life after the steward of the estate he lives on declares him an outlaw for mysterious reasons. With the help of a traveling musician who he meets and befriends, he attempts to clear his name and discover why there’s a price on his head to begin with. Beautifully written and thrilling.

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Also set in medieval England! This book is written in a diary format by the narrator, Catherine/Birdy, a young noble girl who records her daily life, her struggles with becoming a proper young lady, and her fears about her upcoming arranged marriage. The narrative voice is really unique, snappy and humorous and deeply engaging.

The Tudor Women series by Carolyn Meyer

This is a four-part series focusing on the childhood/adolescence through young adulthood of women in the English Tudor dynasty: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Queen Mary I, and Queen Elizabeth I. My personal favorites are/were the Anne and Mary books, but I think they’re all very worth reading. They’re quite well-written and the author has a real gift for characterization. These were my introduction to the wild world of the Tudors!

The Lady Grace Mysteries series by Patricia Finney

Another middle-grade historical detective series! (Technically, I think I’d consider both of the Tudor series middle-grade bridging to young adult, but I’m counting them both here). Lady Grace Cavendish is a bright, mischievous young maid of honor in the court of Queen Elizabeth I who solves mysteries, including plots against the queen. The world of the Tudor court is very well realized and a lot of the mysteries are very clever.

The Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Isabelle, the young daughter of a struggling family of lacemakers, visits Versailles to deliver lace and is stumbled across by Marie Antoinette, who selects her to be a playmate for her own daughter, Therese. As she travels between the world she once knew and the world of royalty, she has to decide who she is and where she belongs, as outside the palace the French Revolution is brewing. (Note: Marie Antoinette did actually bring ordinary children to play with her kids, but Isabelle is an invented character). I feel like this is a quite compassionate and nuanced take on the time period and the complicated friendship between Isabelle and Therese was very interesting.

A Drowned Maiden’s Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz

Maud, a difficult and awkward preteen orphan during the Victorian era, is finally adopted by a pair of spinster sisters who work as spiritualist mediums. At first, she is thrilled, but as she realizes the two are con artists who plan to use her in their rigged seances to scam grieving parents out of money, she has to decide whether this new family is worth having. I feel like this book really tapped into the spirit of Gothic novels for a middle-grade audience, it was really delightfully creepy as well as quite emotionally affecting.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Esperanza, a wealthy young Mexican girl, is left mourning and destitute after her father is murdered by bandits and her uncle forces her, her mother, and her grandmother off the family estate. Along with a family who formerly worked as servants on the estate, her family immigrates to America as migrant agricultural laborers in California during the Great Depression. Esperanza has to adjust to her difficult new life and find strength and hope where she can. This book is very captivating but is also absolutely beautifully written, very poetic. It also provides a very important look at a demographic of people who are not as frequently talked about when we discuss the period of the Great Depression.

Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Set in the Soviet Union during the Stalinist-era purges. Nine-year-old Sasha is an ardent admirer of Stalin and thrilled that he’s about to become a Young Pioneer--until his life is turned upside down when his father is accused of crimes against the state and arrested. As he struggles to make sense of these events, Sasha accidentally damages a bust of Stalin at his school and tries to cover it up with the help of other children of “enemies of the state”, who are outcasts at the school, as Sasha has now become. This is a really thoughtful book that combines acerbic, surrealist humor with deep compassion, and it’s a great look at a really horrible period in history that isn’t talked about much in the United States, tailored very well for the developmental level of middle-grade readers. Also, Sasha’s father is an NKVD officer who is later denounced and purged himself, which was a pretty common scenario at this time, and I appreciate the author’s choice to show how the lines between victims and perpetrators weren’t always very clear.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

This is a coming-of-age story about Louise, a tomboyish teenager living in a fishing village on a remote island on the Chesapeake Bay during World War Two. This is hands-down my favorite children’s novel (I think it bridges middle-grade and YA) and one of my favorite books after. It is an incredibly poetic and poignant story, both uplifting and heartwrenching, about a girl struggling to discover her own identity and carve out a place in the world, as well as a really captivating portrayal of an insular community that is both comforting and crushing.

In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord 

Nine-year-old Shirley Wong immigrates from China to Brooklyn in 1947 along with her parents. She struggles at first to fit in with her classmates and neighbors and misses her large extended family back in China, but she eventually finds ways to make friends and thrive in America while being true to herself. Also, she falls in love with baseball! This book is partially based on the author’s experience as a young Chinese immigrant. The way that Shirley navigates a very foreign and confusing world is depicted in a funny, poignant and accessible way and the clever, scrappy Shirley is a vividly written character who definitely goes against common stereotypes about Asian American girls. 

Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Eleven-year-old Penny feels caught in between the two sides of her family--her mainstream 1950s Anglo-American mother and grandparents, who she lives with, and her father’s relatives: a large, loud, very Italian, very Catholic immigrant family. As she grows up, she begins to uncover the family secrets that contribute to the tension between the two sides of her family, including uncovering the story of her father’s death when she was a baby. This is a really beautiful, moving story about love, trauma, and the things that families often find too painful to talk about, and it’s also a really vivid picture of 1950s Americana as a whole and Italian-American families in particular. Also, Penny is partially based on the author’s mother as a child and her own family history which I thought was sweet and pretty compelling.

[upontheshelfreviews]

Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn’t share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being “it has the same plot”. I’ll admit, there are some surface similarities that even the most casual viewer can pick up on: a fairytale where a princess is forced into unconsciousness and wakes up with some necking, the comic relief and villain being the most beloved characters, a little frolic in the forest with animals, the antagonist plunging off a cliff, you get the idea. In fact, Sleeping Beauty even reuses some discarded story beats from Snow White, mainly our couple dancing on a cloud and the villain capturing the prince to prevent him from waking his princess. Yet despite that, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are two wholly different movies shaped by the era and talents of the time.

I’ve discussed how Walt Disney was never one to stick to a repeated formula, no matter how successful it was. He must have noticed the parallels between his first movie and this one, but decided to make one crucial change for Sleeping Beauty that would forever differentiate the two: the look. We all know the traditional Disney house style: round, soft shapes, big eyes; charming as it was and still is, Walt was sick of it after several decades. Meanwhile, artists like Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle were producing gorgeous concept art that rarely made a perfect translation into the Disney house style.

Walt wanted to make a feature that took the pop artistry of their designs and made the animation work for it instead of the other way around – which brings us to another animation studio that was doing well at the time, United Pictures Animation, or UPA.

UPA didn’t have the kind of budget Disney normally had for their animated projects, but what they lacked in fluidity they made up for in style. Watch The Tell-Tale Heart, Gerald McBoing-Boing and Rooty-Toot-Toot to see what I mean. UPA were pioneers of limited animation, taking their scant resources and creating some striking visuals with bold geometric designs. Through this, they defined the look of 50’s animation. Though perhaps unintentional, Sleeping Beauty comes across as Disney’s response to UPA, or what would happen if UPA had the funds they deserved. The characters’ contours are angular but effortlessly graceful, defining their inherent dignity and royalty. And the colors, ohhh the colors…

Because of the immense amount of work required to animate in this difficult new style (and in the Cinemascope ratio, no less) as well as story troubles and Walt barely supervising the animation studio now that he had his hands full with live-action films, television, and a theme park, Sleeping Beauty had a turbulent production that lasted the entirety of the 1950s. For a time, Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame was set to direct. Director Wilfred Jackson suffered a heart attack partway through production and Eric Larson, one of the Nine Old Men, took the mantle from there before Walt Disney replaced him Clyde Geronimi. And even after that, Wolfgang Reitherman teamed up with Geronimi as co-director to get the film finished after no less than three delays. Also, Don Bluth got his foot in the door as an assistant animator for this feature, beginning his short-lived but impactful tenure at Disney. Did all this hamper the movie, or did they succeed in what they set out to accomplish?

Well, one of the reasons why this review took so long was because I had a hard time not repeating “MOVIE PRETTY” and “MALEFICENT AWESOME” over and over. Make what you will of that.

The story begins as most fairy tales do with your typical king, Stefan, and his queen suddenly blessed with a baby girl after years of wishing for a child. They christen their daughter Aurora (middle name Borealis, localized entirely within their castle) and throw a huge celebration in her honor. People come from all over the kingdom to pay homage to the princess and OSMKFKSBFHFGILWBHBFC…

Movie pretty…

Movie pretty…

MOVIE PRETTIEEEEEE…

John Hench, Academy Award-winning special effects man and art director, turned Walt on to the idea of basing the look of Sleeping Beauty on classic medieval artwork. Thanks to him and Eyvind Earle’s insanely detailed designs and backgrounds, this is one of Disney’s most visually distinct and beautiful films. A single still from this feature wouldn’t feel out of place up in The Cloisters.

Among the party guests is King Stefan’s old friend King Hubert (Bill Thompson) bringing his young son Prince Philip. Stefan and Hubert wish to unite their two kingdoms and formally announce Philip’s betrothal to the infant Aurora.

“We were going to do it during the second trimester, but we decided to wait until she was more mature.”

By the way, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Aurora’s mother, Queen Leah, alive and well and named. And frabjous day calloo callay, she even gets some lines! The most common joke about Disney princesses is that they don’t have moms (even Ralph Breaks The Internet went out of its way to highlight that), so as a hardcore Disney fan who often has to put up with this generalization, Leah’s existence leaves me feeling vindicated.

Once that happy revelation is out of the way, we’re introduced to our main protagonists.

Oh, you thought I was referring to Philip and Aurora? Nonononono, my friends. THESE are the true heroes of Sleeping Beauty, the Three Good Fairies.

The fairies started off as one-note side characters sharing the same personality. Think pre-Ducktales-reboot Huey, Dewey, and Louie in dresses. But the studio had a difficult time giving Aurora more depth and was having a lot more fun developing the fairies. Naturally, they became so fascinating and appealing that more screentime was given over to them. Now the story’s carried by three wonderfully fleshed out ladies who are distinct in both looks and personality: Flora’s the pragmatic tradition-adhering leader, Fauna’s the sweet scatterbrain who mediates, and Merryweather’s the feisty young upstart.

With the plot now focused on characters who held a traditionally minor role, it’s easy to read this as a perspective-flipped version of the fairytale, but there’s more to it than that. Remember in my Clash of the Titans review how I mentioned the gods literally play chess using the heroes as pieces? I tend to view the main conflict of Sleeping Beauty in the same way. The Three Fairies and Maleficent are in a constant game of good vs. evil, moving Aurora, Philip, and the rest of the royals as pawns in their plans. There’s plenty of plotting and intrigue, with both sides constantly guessing and second-guessing the other’s next maneuver, and even if you’re already familiar with the story’s trajectory you’re still left on the edge of your seat as it inches towards the fiery climax.

And dare I say it but…the fairies and their power dynamic make this Disney’s most feminist film. Yes, really. You could argue that some of the other animated movies from the Renaissance and Revival period have more notable, stronger female protagonists, and many of the live-action remakes try to be woke without really grasping the concept, but consider this: The cast of Sleeping Beauty is mostly female, the leads aren’t objectified in any manner (that is if you count Aurora as a supporting character), nor does their gender factor into their competency, each one differs in age and body type, and most of them are working together towards a common goal as opposed to against each other. Name a movie in the past decade that does the same and still manages to be entertaining (no, really, I’d love to see it). There’s even one scene that unintentionally provides great commentary on the divides in the feminist movement, but more on that later.

Flora and Fauna bless the baby with beauty and song respectively which are accompanied by a short chorus and some sumptuous graphics. I don’t think I need to reiterate that when this movie goes extra with the visuals, it GOES EXTRA with the visuals. Next comes Merryweather with her gift. To this day, no one knows what Merryweather intended to give Aurora. Flora’s the most traditionally feminine of the three so her giving Aurora beauty comes as no surprise. By comparison, Merryweather is the most forward (or unconventional, depending on your point of view). I wouldn’t put it past her to favor Aurora with intelligence, or humor, or passion, or creativity or humility or confidence or decisiveness or physical fitness or great swordsmanship or telekinesis or ice powers or one million YouTube subscribers or comfort in her female sexuality.

Me personally, I think I’ve got the best gift of all:

“O Princess, my gift shall be…getting all reviews posted on time for once!”

Alas, before Merryweather can bestow such a wondrous quality upon the child, she’s interrupted by a horny party crasher.

Maleficent. The Mistress of All Evil. Chernabog’s right-hand witch. The Disney villain all Disney villains strive to be. She has it all – the looks, the poise, the power, the laugh, the cunning, the ruthlessness! She doesn’t even need to sing a song because she’s already awesome enough without one. Marc Davis’ gothic design cuts a fine figure and Eleanor Audley’s subtle icy voicework is trés magnifique. As much as I enjoy Audley as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine was but an appetizer in comparison to the four-course banquet of pure villainy that is Maleficent.

This leads to a small point of contention some viewers have with Maleficent in spite of hitting top marks elsewhere: her motivation. Putting a hit out on a child for not getting invited to a measly party? Not exactly compelling, is it? And yes, it isn’t a deep motive…is what I would say if I wasn’t well-versed in folkloric tradition. In the original fairy tale and the movie (though it isn’t outright stated in the latter), the party for Aurora isn’t just your average royal kegger, it’s a christening. Back in ye olden days, christenings were very big deals. To not receive an invitation to one was a grave insult, so not extending an invite to your semi-omnipotent magical neighbor is just asking for trouble. In the fairy tale’s defense, no one had seen the evil fairy for years and assumed she was dead, though I can’t imagine how nobody thought Maleficent wouldn’t find about it eventually.

“You dare to deny me, foolish mortals? Very well, then! I shall have my own christening! With blackjack! And strumpets!”

Maleficent is proof that sometimes you don’t have to have an elaborate backstory, a god complex, a tragic past or the unfortunate luck to be on the wrong side of a conflict. Sometimes all you need is some magic, brains, class, and a whole lot of flair to be a perfect, intimidating, and unquestionably iconic villain.

Basically what I’m saying is these movies never happened. Got it?

Maleficent is disarmingly polite over being snubbed, even after Merryweather bluntly tells her nobody wanted her to come. She even brought her own gift for the baby – sixteen years of life cut short by the prick of a spinning wheel spindle, because why change into a dragon and destroy everyone all at once when you can draw the torture out over an agonizingly long time and deliver the coup de grace in the prime of a young woman’s life? That’s how Maleficent rolls, baby. She could dole out capital punishment when she has to without batting an eyelid, but causing human suffering is her bread and butter.

Stefan begs the fairies to undo Maleficent’s curse, but it’s too strong for them. Flora and Fauna insist, however, that Merryweather can use her gift to lessen the spell’s potency. Now instead of dying from that fatal prick, Aurora will sleep until she receives True Love’s Kiss™. Stefan’s not one to throw caution to the wind though, so he orders all of the kingdom’s spinning wheels to be burned in the meantime.

I just pray his kingdom’s economy wasn’t based on textiles otherwise they’re screwed.

As the peasantry celebrates Guy Fawkes Day several centuries early, the fairies ponder their next move. They’ve been around long enough to know that removing spinning wheels from the equation won’t put a damper on Maleficent’s scheme. This scene is incredibly effective in establishing two things:

Maleficent’s near-omniscient presence in the film

How well the fairies’ differing  personalities play off each other

Maleficent rarely miscalculates her opponents, and that guile puts her one step ahead of the heroes, making her one of the few Disney villains to nearly reach their goal. The only mistake she makes in the entire movie is trusting her henchmen to do their jobs when she isn’t directly supervising them, though that’s more on them than her. The different methods the fairies propose to deal with Maleficent fantastically illustrate what kind of people they are. Fauna believes she’s just a miserable soul who could be reasoned with if they talk things over. Merryweather would rather take the fight to Maleficent and turn her into a toad. Flora, however, is wise enough to know Maleficent’s too wicked to plead to, too clever to bargain with and too strong to face head-on, so their best course of action is to focus on protecting Aurora through any means necessary. Her initial idea is to enchant the princess into a flower (her namesake is her specialty, after all), but Merryweather reminds her that Maleficent enjoys creating bitter frosts just to kill her flowers.

“Well we could try that but stick her in a castle with a beast for a while…nah, that’ll never work.”

Yet never one to give up, Flora alters the plan so they’ll raise Aurora as a peasant girl out in the woods. This means disguising themselves as humans and giving up magic for sixteen years so as to not attract Maleficent, but that amount of time is like twenty minutes to the fair folk. Stefan and Leah reluctantly agree to the plan, and the fairies spirit little Aurora away from the castle that very night.

Sixteen years later, Maleficent is infuriated that her minions have failed to locate Aurora, even more so when one reveals that they’ve spent the whole time looking for a baby instead of a maturing woman. In an interview with the Rotoscopers podcast, Don Bluth called Maleficent a very flat antagonist because she surrounds lackeys dumber than her so she could be the smart one among them and, again, her supposed lack of motivation. But come on, let’s not entirely condemn the bad guys for having too much faith in their underlings. It’s difficult to find minions smart enough to carry out orders but dumb enough to stay unquestioningly loyal. Usually you have to register as Republican in order to get some.

Maleficent gets her anger out in the most therapeutic way – throwing lightning bolts at her orcs, awesome – then leaves the job of finding Aurora up to her trusty raven Diablo. We then finally see the grown-up Aurora herself, whom the fairies renamed Briar Rose as a nod to the Brothers Grimm version of this tale.

I know I’ve made the occasional case for the princesses from Walt’s era compared to the present day, and yet I have a hard time defending how…I don’t want to say bland. Bland would mean there’s nothing interesting about Aurora, and that’s a lie. She’s gorgeously designed and drawn, and even in her peasant dress she has an air of elegance and sophistication. She carries herself like a queen; her innate royalty reveals itself in her graceful movements. Mary Costa also gifts her with an excellent set of pipes. Hearing her song echoing through the forest is nothing short of magical. She’s a flower child who can talk to animals. She has dreams of escaping her adopted aunts’ loving but stifling care and being allowed to grow up, see the world, actually talk to people, and even find a life partner. She has some strong potential. It’s not that Aurora’s boring, she’s just not quite as developed as we’ve come to expect our animated female protagonists to be. I’m grateful for what we���ve got, but I only wish we could have more. What was her childhood like? How did she learn to communicate with animals? When did the fairies trust her enough to let her spend time out on her own? Did the fairies ever subtly teach her lessons in royalty through lessons and games? Heck, nobody bothers to keep her informed about Maleficent or her curse, and they act surprised when she’s shocked to learn she was a princess the whole time. I want to see what Aurora could have been like if she had known the truth already and what kind of steps she would take to defend herself. Blame the source material for this; it’s difficult to write a compelling main character when she’s supposed to sleep through most of her story.

The fairies send Aurora on a fetch quest so they can plan a surprise birthday party for her. Merryweather wants to bring their magic wands back out for the job, but Flora insists on taking no chances now that they’re in the home stretch. Fauna gets to live her dream of baking an elaborate cake (it’s thanks to her referring to a teaspoon as a “tsp” that I do it too), and Flora insists on making Aurora a gown fit for a princess using Merryweather as a dummy. And we also get one of the best burns in the Disney canon:

Merryweather: It looks awful! Flora: That’s because it’s on you, dear.

The fairies fall into reminiscing over raising Aurora and get teary over having to let her go soon. I see where they’re coming from, they’re the ones who raised her for sixteen years. They must have so many fond memories, not to mention they put all that work into learning to properly raise a child let alone live like normal human beings seeing how two of them still can’t sew or cook without magic. I wonder what that was like –

No, NO, you CGI abominations DO NOT exist! Go back to the fires from whence you came!!

“Ugh, I’m gonna need something strong to expunge that from my eyes.”

There we go.

Aurora wanders through the forest, drawing out the usual bevy of cute woodland critters with her singing. She also catches the attention of a grown-up Prince Philip (Billy Shirley) who’s more dashing and considerably less blonde than he was sixteen years ago.

By this point, the Disney animators were far more confident in their ability to draw realistic but expressive leading men, hence Philip’s expanded role from the story. He’s also the first Disney prince to have a personality; not a terribly deep or defined one, but it’s a step up from his nameless plot-device predecessors. There are some signs of him being a hopeless romantic, he gets a few funny lines here and there, has a sturdy friendship with his horse Samson, and is fiercely determined when it’s time to kick some ass. He does have the same problem as Aurora in he randomly decides to stop talking for the rest of the movie once he reaches the midway mark (at least Aurora has the excuse that she’s sleeping for that remainder), but I suppose you could chalk this up as to him wanting to spite Maleficent with his silence.

The animals steal some of Philip’s clothes so they can pretend to be Aurora’s dream prince. Aurora plays along as she sings the movie’s standout song, “Once Upon a Dream”. Philip and Samson watch until he smooths his way into the dance. Once Aurora discovers the switch, Philip gets a little too up in her personal space for my liking, constantly grabbing her hand so she doesn’t run off and pulling her closer to him. Not as horrible as what the prince does to the sleeping princess in the original story (a questionably consensual kiss is a trifle compared to how the scumbag of a prince treats her there), but still a bit iffy.

“It’s a good thing my aunts taught me to never go anywhere without a loaded pistol taped to my back.”

But once Philip backs off a little and joins in her song, they both dance together and OEHSGBJSGBLL…

I think I’m going to need surgery to get my jaw off the floor back into its proper place thanks to this movie.

As per Disney tradition, Aurora and Philip’s waltz means the two are head over heels in love with each other. But when it comes time to finally exchange names, Aurora panics and runs away, though she sticks around long enough to tell Philip to meet her family at the cottage that evening.

Back at home, the party preparations aren’t proceeding as planned. Flora’s dress looks as good as my attempts at dressmaking, and Fauna’s dessert wouldn’t feel out of place on Cake Wrecks.

A fed-up Merryweather reads Flora and Fauna the riot act and convinces them to finally take up their wands again. This produces more desirable results, though Merryweather still gets stuck with cleanup duty.

Enchanting a broom to come to life and do your dirty work? I don’t see this going wrong in any possible way.

Things start to go south when Flora and Merryweather argue over the dress color and it escalates into a full-blown wizard’s duel. This gag was supposedly based on the animators’ arguments over what was Aurora’s proper dress color. I think they should have compromised and combined both colors to make purple, which would go lovely with Aurora’s violet eyes, but what do I know. I’m just the illustration major writing a blog. Unfortunately, while the fairies remembered to cover every door, window, and crack that could expose their magic, they overlooked the fireplace. The sparkly residue of Flora and Merryweather’s fight fly up the chimney, alerting Diablo to their hideaway.

Going back to what I said earlier about this movie providing some commentary on feminism, consider this: Flora is obsessed with pink, a traditionally female color, and she gives Aurora an attribute that is oft preferred in a woman but not the most important quality, beauty. Merryweather, on the other hand, is all about blue, a color usually geared towards boys, and she has much more common sense and practicality about her. Though Merryweather and Flora are able to put aside their differences in personalities and approaches for a common goal, it’s when they refuse to compromise and begin prioritizing which color – ie. which ideology and extension of themselves – that they want Aurora to step into that they lose sight of what’s important, and allow everything they worked for to collapse on itself. It’s played for laughs very well, sure, but if not’s symbolic of the dichotomy between traditional femininity and modern sensibility that tears apart the feminist movement then I don’t know what is.

The fairies manage to fix their messes in time for Aurora’s return. She’s thrilled with their gifts but shocks them all when she announces her new boyfriend is coming over for dinner. They come clean about her heritage and betrothal to Prince Philip, and Aurora runs up to her room in tears over the fact that she’ll never see her one true love again. That and her entire life has been a lie and she’s being carted off to meet parents she knows nothing about to marry a man she’s never met and rule an entire kingdom with no prior experience or knowledge. But mostly the true love thing.

Meanwhile, Stefan and Hubert are making wedding plans over wine with “Skumps”, the preferred toast between me and my friends. Also adding to the humor is a minstrel who keeps stealing sips until he literally drinks himself under the table.

This was also his way of getting through the Black Plague, co-opted by the rest of the world six hundred years later.

Philip returns and Hubert goes to greet him. He thinks his son is thrilled at the prospect of marrying Aurora but is disappointed to learn that he’s fallen for an anonymous peasant.

“At least tell me if she’s royalty in disguise so you don’t elope to Sicily!”

Philip rides back into the woods for his big date, leaving Hubert with the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to Stefan. As for Aurora, the fairies smuggle her into the castle and prep her for her homecoming. She’s still blue over having to ghost her forest hubby though, so the fairies give her some time to herself.

Biiiiiiiiig mistake.

So imagine you’re me, growing up watching this movie on tape on a television set with a very standard but not spectacular sound system. Then years later you download the remastered soundtrack and give it a listen while you’re falling asleep. You’ve got the whole score memorized, the volume is nice and low, it’s all good.

And then, just as you’re drifting off, you hear a ghostly voice singing in your ear “Auroraaa…Auroraaaaa…”

That reminds me, I haven’t had a chance to talk about the music yet, haven’t I? Forgive me for waiting so long to do so but my reaction to it is equivalent to the visuals. The score is taken straight from the Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky, the same composer as The Nutcracker, and it is lush, sweeping, sumptuous, just…

While George Bruns was mostly faithful with how the score was represented within the context of the ballet, at certain points he took the same approach as The Nutcracker Prince and rearranged the music order to underscore totally different scenes to staggering effect. The beautifully ominous music where Maleficent appears as a ball of green flame and leads the hypnotized Aurora to her doom? It’s from one of the ballet’s divertissements where Puss in Boots dances with his girlfriend. But tell me which is more fitting for a musical composition such as this – two cats pirouetting around each other in a crowded ballroom, or eerie pitch-black spiral staircases illuminated by green fire as a cursed princess inches closer to her dark destiny against her will?

The fairies realize their error and frantically search the maze of secret passages for Aurora. Though the princess resists Maleficent’s commands for only a moment, they are still too late to save her from fulfilling the curse. Maleficent gloats and leaves the fairies to wallow in their failure. It’s made even worse as the merrymaking from the oblivious revelers below ring out while they put Aurora to bed in a tower and mourn over her. It’s heartbreaking: they raised and loved her as if she were their own daughter, and they still couldn’t protect her. Everyone talks about “Baby Mine” and Bambi’s mom as huge tearjerkers, but why is this scene constantly forgotten?

Stupid onions, stupid stupid onions…

Fauna and Merryweather can’t even begin to imagine how heartbroken Stefan and Leah will be, but Flora has a solution: put the kingdom to sleep along with Aurora until she is woken up. I understand her wanting to spare Aurora’s family some pain, but conking out an entire principality for god knows how long to cover up their failure? AND at a time when Europe was all about invading and conquering itself? Are we sure this isn’t just part of Maleficent’s overarching plan for revenge? This sounds more like something she would come up with instead of the leader of the good guys.

“So what happens if one of the neighboring kingdoms decides to attack while everyone’s sleeping?”

“Then we’ll put them and their armies to sleep, too.”

“And once Aurora is saved, both kingdoms will immediately wake up to find themselves thrust into a war they’re barely prepared for, is that correct?”

“Oh, you’re right, that’s a terrible idea.”

“Finally, thank you.”

“I’ll just turn them all into flowers.”

“THAT’S NOT AN OPTION!!!”

The fairies flitter about the castle grounds spreading their spell over the unwitting royal court, even putting the candles and sconces out. We have another reprise of the “Gifts of Beauty and Song” chorus now altered to sound like a lullaby, providing an interesting bit of symmetry between it and its earlier use in the film. Whereas it first underscored their blessings upon Aurora, now it plays as the fairies are giving the “gift” of sleep to the entire castle.

While Flora knocks out the throne room, she overhears Hubert muttering about Philip eloping with a peasant girl and she makes the connection. The fairies speed to the cottage just as Philip arrives there. But once again Maleficent beats them to the punch. Her goons ambush Philip and she watches them wrestle and bond him with fiendish glee.

You magnificent, kinky bitch.

Maleficent was only out to capture the one man who could break Aurora’s curse; the fact that he’s really the son of her nemesis’ allies is just icing on the cake. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather resolve to rescue him from Maleficent’s fortress in the Forbidden Mountain.

Some movies reach the brink of greatness only to falter when it comes to the final act. Sleeping Beauty is not one of them. Everything that happens from the moment we slowly zoom in through the purple mist on to the Forbidden Mountain itself up until the storybook closes is perfection. The perfectly paced action, the animation, the music, Maleficent’s hideaway in all its decaying glory (I swear it’s like Jean Cocteau meets Frank Frazetta meets Giotto) all make for the climax of climaxes.

The fairies shrink to insect size and silently sneak through Maleficent’s creepy domain, narrowly running into guards and gargoyles at every turn. They traverse the stronghold until they find her overseeing a hellish bacchanalia in honor of her supposed victory.

“My old gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now.”

Soon Maleficent gets bored and goes to “cheer up” her captive. Then we have it: The Moment.

I’ve talked about this before, that one small, devious step further the villain takes to make themselves more heinous in our eyes. It’s the Wicked Witch taunting Dorothy with visions of Aunt Em. It’s the Beldam hanging Other Wybie’s remains. It’s virtually everything Heath Ledger’s Joker does. And it is this simple scene where Maleficent details what she plans to do with Philip. She spins “a charming fairy tale come true” of Aurora sleeping without aging, waiting for her prince to come to wake her. And Philip will escape the dungeon, ride to her rescue and prove true love conquers all – in one hundred years, when he’s a broken old husk of a man on the brink of death. DAMN. If you want to know why Maleficent is considered the best of all the Disney villains, it’s not just all her previously praised qualities, it’s her sheer sadism and the pleasure she takes in it.

The fairies enter and free Philip once Maleficent departs. The course of true love never runs smoothly though, so they arm him with the Shield of Virtue (licensed by Carefree Maxi-Pads), and the Sword of Truth to aid in his escape.

“So, why’s it called the Sword of Truth?”

“Anyone who’s subjected to it speaks only the truth…as they bleed out and die, of course.”

“Cool, cool. On an unrelated note, I think I’m gonna go to DC for my honeymoon.”

Diablo sounds the alarm and the Battle With the Forces of Evil kicks off with Philip slashing his Sword of Truth through Maleficent’s goons.

“I steal lunches from the break room fridge!” “I broke wind last Tuesday and blamed it on the dog!” “I cried like a little girl during The Good Place finale!” “I only wash my hands for NINETEEN seconds at a time!”

Philip makes his getaway on Samson and the music reaches truly operatic levels as Maleficent does everything in her power to end him. Yet Philip soldiers through it like a boss. Crumbling mountainsides, Maleficent hurling lightning from the sky and summoning a forest of thorns to block the way? Fuck that shit, he’s gotta go save his girl.

Then, as Philip cuts his way through the briars, Maleficent looks at her watch, realizes it’s No More Fucking Around O’Clock, zooms over to the castle, throws down the most intimidating challenge ever  –

“Now you shall deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of HELL!!”

– and with that, she takes her final form: a massive fire-breathing dragon.

Every Disney villain who’s gone kaiju in the final act owes everything to this gorgeous terrifying beast. The dragon is an awe-inspiring unholy fusion of style, power and darkness. There’s a reason why she’s the final boss in Fantasmic; the chance to watch a live dragon battle is too cool to pass up.

Speaking of battles, Maleficent’s dragon form was animated by Woolie Reitherman, who previously brought us such gargantuan monster clashes as the T-rex brawl in Fantasia and the escape from Monstro The Whale in Pinocchio. And when you have a dragon confronting a fairytale prince, well, you know what’s coming.

Maleficent backs Philip on to a cliff surrounded by flames, leaving him only one desperate shot. With a little extra magic from the fairies, he throws his Sword of Truth at Maleficent and it plunges right into her heart.

“I liked…Frozen 2…more than the first one…”

Maleficent’s spells die with her, clearing the way for Philip. He gives Aurora that wake-up smooch and everyone in the castle slowly rouses, owing their inexplicable simultaneous twenty-minute blackout to the unusually strong wine.

He can attest to that fact.

The royal families are happily reunited, and the film ends on Flora and Merryweather fighting over Aurora’s dress color yet again as she and Philip waltz together on the clouds using animation Beauty and the Beast would borrow thirty-two years later.

Sleeping Beauty is a movie I can never have on in the background because the moment I look up from my work I am spellbound by it. Do I need to elaborate on how this is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding movies Disney’s ever produced? Sleeping Beauty is the swan song of Disney’s first golden age of animation. For better or for worse, their animation process would switch to the rough, cost-cutting Xerox process starting with their next feature, 101 Dalmatians, and few films would reach Sleeping Beauty’s level of gorgeousness ever since.

Though a massive financial and critical hit on release, it wasn’t enough to make up for the monstrous production costs, not unlike Fantasia. Thankfully, home video sales revived interest and made it Sleeping Beauty of the top-selling VHS tapes of the decade, cementing it as a bonafide classic. It’s one of my favorites from Disney for its stunning visuals, gorgeous music, phenomenal villain and overlooked but great cast characters. Revisit it if you haven’t already.

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please consider supporting this misfit on Patreon. Patreon supporters receive great perks such as extra votes for movie reviews, movie requests, early sneak-peeks and more! Special thanks to Amelia Jones, Gordhan Rajani and Sam Minden for their contributions!

Artwork by Charles Moss.

Screencaps from animationscreencaps.com

March Review: Sleeping Beauty (1959) Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn't share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being "it has the same plot".

[telesthisia]

HANDY DANDY RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET FOR PRINCESS ZELDA (A Link to the Past)!

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

mun name: Amber!!  ooc contact: My DMs are always open for mutuals and non-mutuals alike (I think at least, if not don’t be afraid to send in asks either I try my best to get to them ;v;)! I do have a personal blog but weeps.... me no longer active on there. And a twitter but weeps once again, it’s an oc twitter despite my yellings of off topic things. MY DISCORD TOO!! Though my activity is very inconsistent somedays I’ll be on others not so much! Don’t be afraid to ask for that uvu 

who the heck is my muse anyway?

HOHO!!! For those who never touched The Legend of Zelda in their lives, I’m sure it’s pretty dang confusing to see more than one design of both Zelda and Link, I’ll try my best to explain this! The series follows a very, very convoluted timeline filled with plotholes, as such the Links and Zeldas we see throughout different titles of the game are actually reincarnations who are destined to seal away whatever darkness may threaten the lands known as Hyrule.

The Zelda I play as is the princess of Hyrule during a point in the timeline known as “Downfall Era” where the Hero of Time in OOT lost against Ganondorf in the final battle; Ocarina of Time is the reason for why there’s multiple timelines with each having their unique era depending on the choices in that game. The Downfall Era is known for having games known as A Link to The Past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Time, Link’s Awakening, A Link Between Worlds, Triforce Heroes, The OG Legend of Zelda, Annnnd Adventure of Link! The Zelda I play as comes from A Link to The Past as well as the Oracle series and I guess Link’s Awakening despite having no appearance. The events of A Link to The Past and Oracle Series has deeply affected my Zellie in that she suffers from unspoken traumas as well depression. See, before the events of ALTTP there was a war known as the Imprisoning War, that war ended where the seven sages seal away Ganon. Peace reigned for a while until a series of plagues and droughts struck which affected the kingdom. It wasn’t until the antagonist of the game, a wizard by the name of Agahnim, would put an end to the misfortunate blighting Hyrule with his magic, gaining favor with the king. He was able to worm his way into court and from there act on his plans in breaking the seal to the sacred realm where the triforce and Ganon rest. Doing so, he must capture the seven maidens who are descendants of the seven sages and sacrifice them in order to break the seal and well, guess which princess happens to be one of those seven maidens? Suffice to say, he was successful in breaking the seal with Zelda being the final sacrifice. Here we find out that he’s actual the alter ego of Ganon (don’t question it too hard) and we also find out she’s not dead! Hooray! But she is trapped in a plane known as The Dark World, once the sacred realm corrupted by Ganon’s greed. So as all LOZ stories goes, Link saves the day. Happily ever after, right? Well... no, see unlike in the game where the ending is happy and everyone who died is alive I follow both the 90s comics and Himekawa manga where those who died in the games did not come back to life. This includes Zelda’s father, Link’s uncle and some of the maidens. It’s very bittersweet in that, the day is saved and Ganon is gone forever but at the cost of loved ones no longer coming back. 

Well... Ganon comes back! In the oracle series! Two years after ALTTP, Twinrova tries to resurrect him by using the blood and body of Princess Zelda, meaning she can actually die this time around. But Link saves the day once again. Which leads us today, the main verse of the blog which is a year after Oracles and three years after ALTTP! NOTE: That my smash verse more or less follows this timeline I have in place for this blog. 

things you should know

I sound like a broken record but. She’s a glass canon of sorts. Where she’s very powerful thanks to blood of the seven sages, the light force, and having hylia’s blood in her veins. As such, she’s very powerful and her magic super potent which is why so many people wanna sacrifice for dark rituals... BUT!! She has super power health issues that affects her magical stamina and body as such she can’t even use half her powerful magic and this upsets her greatly. It’s a small headcanon of mine because in the games and manga, she doesn’t really do much despite being a powerful magical princess. Keep in mind that ALTTP came out before the retcon that is Skyward Sword and before they decided to add more to Zelda’s abilities throughout the course of the series... so my brain went to: she’s powerful but can’t use magic too much due to poor health. It worked!! Before smash came along but I swear I’m not at all salty. To be fair, it was my fault for assuming things but imagine: glass canon Zelda. It sounded super cool at the time! 

She represses a lot if only for the sake of her nation and to appear as a good leader for her people. As such, she’s almost always calm and has a gentle smile on her face despite radio static sounds resounding in her thoughts. Give her time, she’ll open up and show you her playful side! 

She’s been surrounded by death considering before ALTTP, during ALTTP and kinda with Oracles if you count Twinrova, as well as having a connection with the spirit realm due to freaky PSI powers. So, she doesn’t really have a negative view on death and has actually gained that edgy romanticist view as the result of her life experiences. She’s very much someone who likes to live life to her fullest as the result... and well, it doesn’t help that she’s aware of her short life span thanks to her future vision. Something she won’t reveal to anyone more than likely as to not worry them. She’s more or less accepted her fate... speaking of which

She hates fate/destiny/etc but accepts whatever happens because again clairvoyance has proven that there’s no changing what’s been planned. So, she doesn’t bother fighting against it. But, what impresses her are those who manage to overcome destiny, something that Link does sometimes which is why she looks up to him. He’s that variable that the future can’t keep track of due to how ever changing he is. 

 She loves exploring creepy places, ruins, caves, and dungeons that are scattered throughout her kingdom, for both history and the spooky aesthetics of it! So if you see her outside the castle she’s more than likely getting ready to explore some spooky place. She’s almost always wearing her cloak but there are rare moments where she’s not either ;v; she’ll always go by the name Elle... worth mention she doesn’t bother hiding the mark of the triforce on her right hand.

Speaking of which, only people from the capital known as Castle Town and even some from Kakariko village as well know of the princess’ appearance. Various small towns throughout the land of Hyrule however, only remember her appearance from ALTTP where her hair was a more golden blonde rather than the platinum color that it’s taken from the various fear and stresses from her life. And also, she’s more freckly due to not wearing coverup when outside the castle. Ok well,,,,, here’s the best side by side comparison I have...

If you ask her what the light arrows are, she’ll look at you funny. She comes from a time where silver arrows are a thing :’) the few things that can defeat Ganon

Closet romantic, as in she loves love and wishes for a romance of her own but when it comes to her own feelings she’s an idiot due to repressing feelings.

what she’s been up to:

main verse: Which is during the events of Skyward Sword, as such she’s no longer in Skyloft nor does she have the full knowledge that she’s Hylia but Zelda is suspecting that there’s a connection there. She does not know how to wield her magic as it comes and goes in spurts. She’s seen throughout the Surface so she can be anywhere! Even in other timelines due to using the Gate of Time, we can just say that something screwed up causing for her to end up in another time period or even verse! LOZ series is pretty flexible in time travel.

where to find her:

Graveyard + Sanctuary: It’s a soothing place to visit and also to pay respects to the fallen in ALTTP. 

One of the three provinces (my rendition of Hyrule is a little bigger than the in game map so don’t be afraid to add places that aren’t in ALTTP but in other titles, I know I tend to do): aka anywhere in the fields, she’s a woman plagued with wanderlust and doesn’t like being confined to one place

Kakariko: the villagers who know her true identity are hella nice to pretend that it’s not the princess but Elle! Guards tend to be here after a certain time though, so to avoid them she always avoids going to the village when it’s nearly sundown

Ruins, catacombs, abandon shrines etc: again she likes creepy or historical places or both! 

Haunted Grove: Well... it’s haunted! So :’)

Castle: it’s possible to meet her here too! Whether as princess or someone sneaking either out of the castle or back into it. 

current plans:

Lead her kingdom to the Golden Age, something her father tried to do before his demise. While wishing to see Link once more. 

desired interactions:

I would love the usual adventure threads!!! 

FRIENDSHIP!! She needs friends, pls!! 

ENEMIES!! It’d be fun to write a more angry Zel who doesn’t get along with someone! 

ROMANCE!! I’m a sucker for cuteness ;v; and slow burn ;v; 

HORROR AU!! HORROR AU!!! 

Creepy gothic threads of Zelda running into a creepy cryptid in a gothic castle on a stormy night.... this is very specific but listen, cries... 

Comfort thread ;v; 

things that bother me:

People who know she’s the princess right off the bat ticks me off ngl. A-ok if you muse is unaware of her otherwise! 

PEOPLE WHO KNOW THAT SHE’S FROM A BLOODLINE OF A GODDESS AND SAGES DHSJAKJADB no one really knows that the royal family actually did descend from gods, unless your muse is an immortal and is aware of the events that goes on they shouldn’t know this fact. The only thing the public is aware of is how the royal family have mystical powers different from the population. 

uhhhh that’s about it? Mostly metagaming pft, not too much bothers me now that I think about. 

tagged by: i pirated it ;v; from myself! 

tagging: whomst ever! i recommend doing this since it’ll help a ton with those who still are unsure with your muse but feel too nervous to ask questions.

[lightdusk96]

Wayne Manor

Gotham, despite it’s legendary criminal rate, contained buildings of incredible architectural design. From it’s spires to it’s gargoyles, the city looked like a high gothic painting when seen from a distance. Wayne Manor, however, was an exception. It looked like a blend of modern, post-modern and medieval designs, with 10 times the size of your normal Gotham house.

Inside said manor, an alien princess and an acrobat were snuggling on one of it’s gigantic beds, Yes, Robin and Starfire, Teen Titans, were inside Wayne Manor, safeguarding it while it’s master, Bruce Wayne, was away on a mission to take down a massive smuggling ring under the guise of Batman. Robin was to come on his own, but he couldn’t resist bringing Starfire to his former home, eager to share his life with the one he loved.

But as they held each other close under the covers of the victorian-era bed, his mind couldn’t help but wander off…

Starfire noticed his brief blanking out. “Robin? Can you hear me?”

Robin’s mind refocused as soon as he heard Star’s voice calling to him. Her lovely voice always had a soothing effect on him, from the moment they met.

“Yeah, sorry Star. I was just… pondering a few things.”

Starfire rose her head from the pillow and laid her back against it, turning her face to his, giving him her undivided attention. «What is it that troubles you, my love?»

Robin mimicked her postion, scratching the back of his head. “It’s not exactly troubling me, but it’s something peculiar I noticed… that the Manor doesn’t really feel like home now.”

Starfire tilted her head towards the said a bit. “Can you elaborate?”

Robin’s eyes met the ceiling as he recalled his thoughts. “Well, it’s just that… I have a lot of memories from this place. Many of them were good ones, too. I mean, after I had gotten used to the place, since it kept scaring me with it’s size and all. I can remember playing in the halls with Bruce and Alfred, helping in the kitchen as Alfred taught me how to cook, playing hide and seek in the garden… and that’s without even mentioning the training I went under Bruce to become Robin. By all means, I spent a very important part of my life here and I always thought of this place as my home”.  His eyes met Starfire’s. “But ever since I found the Titans, I found myself missing the manor less and less.  Even now, I can’t really bring myself to call it home in the same sense as before, if that makes any sense. Are my memories here really worth sharing if I can’t connect myself to them anymore? Have I really become a stranger to a place I used to call home? What does that say about me?”

Starfire  took notice of every word he used and found herself sympathizing with Robin, for she found herself in that position more times than she would care to remember. The feeling of becoming a stranger to your own home and forgetting what made your life so wonderful when it first began. During her stay on Earth and over the course of her relationship with Robin, however, she came to a conclusion that brought her some piece of mind.

Starfire put her hands of each side of his face, trying to get him to focus on her. “I know how that feels. And I can say that it is perfectly normal. As people evolve and grow, they tend to leave pieces of their past behind to live better in the present. I felt that conflict of identity when I first returned to Tamaran.’

“To marry that jello squid.” Robin couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory.

Starfire joined him in mirthful giggles. “Yes, that. I found myself getting disconnected from some of the ways of Tamaran, missing my happiest memories of it. But I realized that I would not trade any of the memories I have made here on Earth for any other on Tamaran. I got used to the idea of Earth being my home more and more. A person’s identity is not bound to any one location, because it is bound to their spirit. As long as one is happy, they are where they belong.”

Robin  listened intently to her words, admiring her way of thought. Starfire was always the most emotionally mature person he’d ever met, admiring her outlook on the human psyche. “There’s a phrase we have here on Earth that describes that feeling. We say that ‘home is where the heart is’”.

Starfire smiled warmly. “Oh, that is a wonderful saying! It truly fits!” She snuggled against his chest, listening to his heart beat. “So… where is your heart now?”

Robin found himself smiling back as he wrapped his arms around Starfire’s shapely form. “I think you already know the answer to that. And I can say that that’s where it will stay forever.”

Starfire lifted her head at his declaration, leaning in for a passionate kiss that he was eager to return. No matter the place, they always knew where they truly belonged: In each other’s arms.

1st entry to RobStar Week is done! Hope you all enjoyed reading!