#the lack of wardrobe changes Actually is on purpose

[illuxtre]

I just finally watched the Making of 1899 and congratulations Netflix I am Even More Hurt

What a WORK that was my God

[enwoso]

SEXIER IN BLACK! — lucy bronze

*something that’s been in my drafts for a few weeks, sorry for the lack of fics but i am writing little bits in between studying but exams are nearly over so should be able to get more done soon<3*

navigation

“black or pink?” you questioned holding up a black satin dress where the straps crossed over the front and in the other some a matching light pink suit. lucy looked up from her phone as she lying on the hotel bed. looking back and forth between the two outfits several times.

you were leaning towards the black dress, it being a while since you had worn a dress or even had the excuse to dress up fancy. so what better excuse than lucy and the lionesses going to an award show. although you weren’t nominated for anything due to spending half the season out with an injury - you still wanted to be there to support lucy and the other girls.

you and lucy went way back and had been friends for a while before any feelings actually came into the picture. knowing of her since you began in england U17s youth teams.

it not being until you were called up to the senior team, and she took you under her wing, lucy having joined a year earlier that you started hanging out more often, until you both confessed your feelings for each other — ever since then the two of you had been inseparable.

the award show was paying tribute to young and upcoming stars both domestically and internationally, the girls being nominated for their work done at the euros. it also being a chance to see new and old faces.

“hmm.. well you do look adorable in pink but-“ your girlfriend pausing, her face deep in thought you could see the cogs moving behind her eyes as she looked between the two outfits still not giving you an answer.

why was the girl so indecisive?

second felt like hours had passed and she was still looking between the two outfits, the clock ticking and you already didn’t have a lot of time to get ready as the two of you decided to have a thirty minute nap which actually was two hours.

“so i’ll just pick the pink then?” you ask, your arms getting sore from holding up the two outfits for so long like some sort of clothes statue.

“no, no!” lucy quickly said as she moved to sit on the side of the bed, “you look cute in the pink but the black.. you just um what the word..” lucy continued, she was dragging it out on purpose now knowing how short of an attention span you had to begin with and how much your hated waiting.

“you look sexier in black” lucy smirks, as your stomach begins to do flips. “so go with the black!” she confirms her answer as you nod satisfied that you had finally gotten an answer from the girl.

“could have just said that in the beginning!” you mumbled, but still loud enough for lucy to hear you as you turned around to move back into the bathroom to get changed.

placing the dress down on the counter as you began to get changed, the black satin dress which hugged your curves just right and for once maybe lucy was right — you did look sexier in black.

not that you would ever admit that to your girlfriend’s face knowing the smug smile you would get if she knew you thought she was right.

the ego of hers did not need to be boosted anymore than it already was on the daily,

fixing the straps to ensure that they sat on your chest in the correct way, feeling a pair of eyes staring you down from the doorway.

moving your head slowly to the direction of the doorway, your eyes were met with lucy as she stood in the doorway a large oversized hoodie which will definitely make its way into your wardrobe later, and some shorts that she always slept in.

little flyaways coming from her bun as her hair was all messy from the nap the two you you had just woken up from but still she managed to look gorgeous, her tattooed arms standing out as she stood with a giant smirk across her face.

“yeah?” you asked wondering she she needed anything as she stood there in her own thoughts, while you began to rummage through your makeup bag for a certain product.

“oh nothin’ just admiring how beautiful my girlfriend is!” lucy smiled as she came and wrapped her arms around your waist her head resting on your shoulder.

“mhm that so?” you mumbled as you began to press makeup into your skin, drawing lines and dots on your face.

“why are you even puttin’ that on your face?” lucy asked, as she focused on you dabbing your face as the product blended into your skin. lucy of course knew the basics about make up but she didn’t wear it a lot — in fact very rarely. the most makeup she wore was mascara other than that her makeup supply was very limited.

“makes me look more put together!” you shrug as she hummed, “you look gorgeous with and without out!” lucy whispered as she placed a gentle kiss to your neck, a grin appearing on your face like a child at christmas.

you carry on with your makeup as lucy does everything in her power to slow the process down by teasing you.

placing sloppy kisses to your sweet spot on your neck, sucking slightly on it every few seconds as you body tried to remain calm, your head had other plans.

“luce, please… you need to go and get ready” you squeaked out. however you weren’t sure if you were wanting her to stop and listen to you or if you were wanting her to carry on kissing you.

your breathing increasing with each kiss she placed on your body. seconds beginning to feel like hours as she removes her hands from your waist, lifting you so you were now sitting on the bathroom counter.

kicking the door shut with her foot, as she placed on hand on your lower thigh and the other moved up to your cheekbone and gently tucks the loose strand of your hair behind your ear.

you swore you could hear her pulse as she brings her lips to yours as you can feel the fire crackle under your skin. the same feeling you get in her tummy as you did when you and lucy had your first kiss appears once again.

if there was one feeling you could have for the rest of your life — this would be it.

you don’t let yourself think about how your going to explain to the rest of your teammates why the two of you are so late.

all you wanted to focus on right now was the way her hands slowly roamed your body, your body feeling flushed just at her touch.

the way her mouth tastes, the way your tongue somehow knows how to follow hers and the way your hands grip her neck to pull her closer into you.

burying your fingers into her hair, tugging gently at it as her hands find their way fumbling with the straps of your dress. feeling the smirk on her face as small whines fell from your lips as she nipped and tugged at your body.

“lucy! y/n!” georgia yells banging on the bathroom door startling both you and lucy as you jump away from each other a the sudden noise. “are yous’ in there” a thick milton keynes accent of leah williamson sung out as they both began to bang on the door at the lack of the answer.

“hang on!” lucy yelled back, while the two of them still banged on the door — probably just to be annoying.

lucy helped you down, smiling as she kissed you one last time before opening the door. both leah and georgia nearly falling over at the sudden moment of the door opening.

“how are the two of you not ready yet?” leah asked as her and georgia stood all dressed and ready while lucy opened her mouth to say something before being cut off by leah pulling a face of disgust, “you know what don’t answer that i don’t wanna know”

“can yous like hurry up, everyone’s waiting and im starvin” georgia complained as you stood their beginning more to wonder how they even got in when neither have a keycard for you door and for a good reason.

"how’d you even get in-" you began.

“okay cool- also lucy you’ve got lipstick on your face!” georgia cut you off before you even had a chance to get your sentence out, directing the last part to lucy as she pointed to your girlfriend. before the two left giggling, quickly leaving your room.

“do i really have lipstick on ma face?” lucy asked turning to you as you smile to yourself reaching to rub it off with your thumb.

“darling you need to get better at puttin’ makeup on!” lucy cheekily says as she watched you fix up your own lipstick.

“and someone needs to learn to keep their hands to their self!” you sass as a gasp comes from your girlfriend as your quick remark.

“don’t wear that dress next time.” lucy mumbled as you stood dumbfounded as she was literally the one who told you to wear the black dress.

“go and get ready, we’re already late!” you smile at lucy hitting her slightly in the shoulder as you pushed her out the bathroom.

[parkermunson]

Something New

Summary: Eddie tells you he wants to try something new, but so do you. [1.5k]

T/W: Smut!!! [18+ only!!!!!], Choking, Handjob, Switch Eddie, Fem reader

A/N: Another choking fic??? Hell yeah.

The room was quiet around you. The seconds turning into anxious minutes that felt like deadly hours. Each moment waiting was another wasted second. He was probably doing this on purpose, building your emotions so far up you'll be unquestionably obedient by the time he opens the door. The silence filling the space around you was deafening, the blood pumping in your ears getting louder with each heartbeat.

You couldn't play into his game, you won't. He wants to "try something different," then that's what you'll do. But it will be your way. You've waited weeks to build up the confidence, months of preparation and research, most of which was just memorizing every move he made.

The footsteps in the hallway were almost too quiet to hear if there were any other sounds to be heard. His eyes peering in the crack in the door looked like glowing orbs from a wolf waiting to devour its prey. He stuck his tongue between his teeth as he opened the door with a smile. "Think I've made you wait long enough...," his voice gravelly and deep. The smile turned venomous, his sultry charm immediately giving way to his dominance. He drew closer to your sitting position on the bed, a ringed finger gliding up your jawline to your cheekbone. Your body was quickly becoming jelly under his height. "Tonight... I want to see how many times I can make you cum before you use your safe word." You could feel your insides flutter, the thought alone sent warmth and wetness to your cunt.

"Actually," your voice shook and your cheeks reddened at the lack of confidence, "I want to try something different."

"Oh?" His eyes widened at you, waiting on your words. The few ideas you brought up became staples in the bedroom. It was you who suggested using handcuffs the first time, and now they were basically a part of your wardrobe behind closed doors.

"Yeah," the nerves finally subsiding. Your voice sounded like honey with the new found confidence bubbling inside you, making your body move of its own accord. You sat up from the bed, moving to stand beside him. He was still taller, but the look in his eyes flickered at this sudden change. Your fingers travelled up his sides to the collar of his shirt, the gentle touch sending chills through him. His eyes bore into yours, an unspoken challenge of power. You held his gaze, unwavering. "Strip."

The twitch in his eye presented his internal battle. He's never been told what to do by a partner. He was always in charge. But the way his cock kicked at your command told him this was worth trying.

Just when you thought he was about to put up a fight, he grabbed at his shirt, ripping it over his head and moving down to fumble with his belt before his shirt even hit the floor. His jeans and boxers fell in a heap around his ankles, the belt thumping against the floor below. He stepped out the pile, leaving his hands in fists at his sides, waiting on the next order. "Sit," you commanded. He sat on the edge of the bed without hesitance. The man who took control so easily, fell into the role of servant just as fast.

You placed a hand on the sheets next to his hip as you leaned over him, your lips just barely grazing his. "Tonight, I'm in control, and you're going to shut the fuck up. Got it?" He nodded slowly, his lower lip falling prisoner to his teeth. There were no thoughts of switching the situation on you. He was at your mercy, and all it took was a few simple words. His eyes were wide with anticipation, and something else you couldn't quite place. You knew Eddie well, but this was something new. Intimidation, perhaps?

Your other hand walked your fingers up his bare thigh starting at his knee. He didn't dare break eye contact as much as he wanted to. The closer your fingertips got to his aching cock, the harder he bit on his lip. His fingers rubbed the sheets below him, the pace growing quicker the closer you got to the location you both desired. Finally, your fingers reached his hip. The soft skin a milky white, flushed with his need. You waited a moment, giving him the same treatment he gave you earlier. The silence still brimming around you, ringing in both your ears, only cut by Eddie's heavy breath.

Then you gripped his base, a small grunt rumbling through his chest. You kept your grip firm as you slid your hand up to his tip. His eyelids fluttered. The arm holding your weight up pushed his shoulder, and he fell against the mattress with little effort. He almost looked boneless, putty in your hands. You spit onto his cock, the saliva pooling on his tip and gliding down his length. Your hand gripped him again, tugging with little friction. "I should challenge you tonight. See how many times I can make you cum before you use your safeword." You smirked up at his scrunched up face. He was enjoying this more than he thought.

Your hand quickened on his length, your wrist twisting at his tip. With each flick of your thumb against the underside of his mushroom tip, he jolted against the bed. The sweat forming on his hairline matted his curls and shined against the lights. His chest was blooming pink, the blood rushing to the surface in his neck. He was gripping the sheets beneath so tightly, his knuckles were turning white. The crease in his brows and the little whimpers escaping him fueled your fire. You climbed over him, straddling his thighs, wanting to feel them shake beneath you. His lip was caught between his teeth again, holding his sounds captive.

It was now or never. You placed your unoccupied hand against his neck, pushing with small effort. His mouth fell open at the new sensation. Your other hand never faltering, merely speeding up its pace. A choked out moan vibrates beneath your fingers, causing you to squeeze just a bit harder. He tilts his head back, giving more space to your hand on his neck. The schlick schlick sound of your hand gliding over him echoed around the room, flooding your cunt with desire. You were on your knees over him, your weight resting on his windpipe as your other hand glided over his cock.

A deep inhale and his eyes rolling back were the first cues before he exploded on his stomach, his juices squirting halfway up his torso. The muscles in his belly so flexed you could see them moving underneath his skin. His mouth was open in a silent moan, his fingers gripping the sheets so hard they were on the verge of ripping. You continued your ministrations against him, waiting for his cock to slow down but the fluid keeps coming, covering his stomach in splotches of white. He's shuddering beneath you, jolting with each inhale. Your fist continues until he's finally spent. His stomach covered in his release, threatening to drip to the sheets below.

You release his neck and he inhales deeply, a small chuckle released at the lack of feeling in his muscles. He's never cum so hard or so long in his life. He could've sworn he left his body for a second there.

Waiting for him to catch his breath, you kneeled over him, watching as he returned back to Earth with a deep flush on his cheeks. It was clear he was a goner for the rest of the night. His body still quivering with the aftershocks. He would do anything to have you dom him again after tonight.

[bowtiepastabitch]

Let's talk costuming: Angelic Robes and The Unreliable Narrator

It's two am, I have to be up at six, but this has been fermenting in the back of my head for the past five hours I've spent doing homework and if I don't get it out I shan't sleep.

The costumes we see representing angelic character in Season Two are VASTLY different from those we see in Season One. (See my post on Aziraphale's Job Robe for an in-depth art history analysis of this individual costume piece.) In season one, the angelic flashback clothing we see is rather humble and uncomplicated. As all things in this show, this serves a very important narrative purpose.

Let's first compare these gorgeous gorgeous girls to their S1 counterparts, shall we?

Just look at the collar on that robe! In S1, we're introduced to Aziraphale in a very plain tunic-style robe with an unfinished neckline. Aside from a slight gold decoration and draping on the shoulders, this could easily be mistaken for rather primitive human garb. S2, by comparison, introduces angelic costume as non-ostentatious but still refined with a gold-trimmed gathered neckline and wide sleeves. The fabric itself, on a textile level, is much finer and softer. Overall, the robes give an air of innocence and angelic purity that is lacking from Aziraphale's S1 'fit. Let's look at another example:

Their Rome costumes are strewn with so many incredible details (check out this incredible post from 2019) but they still retain a bit of that historical ruggedness. Same for these:

The argument could be made for pure historical compliance, sure, but to claim a lack of anachronisms in this show would be a flat-out lie. No, S1 Crowley and Aziraphale are very distinctively human in their dress. The cloth has a wider weave, the ornamentation is minimal, all around it serves to highlight their fitting-in with humans and the humanization of their characters. They're 'going native,' as it were, no doubt about it.

So why, in S2, is Aziraphale suddenly showing up looking like he just popped out of a renaissance painter's wet dream?

Simple. Suddenly, Aziraphale isn't an angel among humans acting human, he's an angel being an angel doing angel things. We get to see the rest of the heaven gang in full angelic decadence as well, a bold departure from the starkness of 'modern' heaven. If this is, as many of you lovely folk have speculated, a series of flashbacks from Aziraphale's memory, the design choices designate very clearly Aziraphale's perception of himself as an angel. A perception which, mind you, would likely be influenced by later human ideas of angelic and heavenly aesthetics. As an unreliable narrator, Aziraphale is showing us not his actual wardrobe as an angelic being but his perception of his past self.

Crowley, too, is affected by this shift in dress. Bildad the Shuhite is everything S1 flashback Crowley is not: fashion-forward, smooth-talking, and impeccably well-dressed. We've got three different fabric textures (that's three times as many as any of his biblical S1 robing) and a definable silhouette. He's practically a fashionista.

If this were all taken as an objective narrative, the shift back to billowing-void peasant Crowley at Golgotha, where we next see her chronologically, would be strange to say the least.

So why is the costuming of the S2 pre-modern flashbacks so much more elaborate? There's three possibilities I can imagine for a change in costume design for any show:

Budget: this is highly unlikely an instant rule-out for me. I've seen what costumers can do on a shoestring budget, and besides the later period costumes make this demonstrably false.

Change in production design team: Technically possible, yes, but if there's one thing Good Omens does well between seasons it's continuity. I mean, they burned the fucking bookshop and then hand-painted tiles to recreate it exactly for the second season. This is not Harry Potter. This isn't it.

An intentional design: Everything, and I mean everything, in this show is intentional. While not everything the wardrobe team does is easily decodable (see Crowley's shapeshifting sunglasses) we've got a pretty comfortable bit of time to figure such things out. This is the only option that makes a lick of sense.

Wonderful, so we've established that this is a narrative choice.

So if it's a narrative choice, and it's distinct from the stylistic choices of Season One, then someone is lying to us. Or rather, we have an unreliable narrator somewhere along the way.

Most of the buzz on ye olde tumblr focuses on the idea of Aziraphale as narrator and memory-holder for S2, and that would certainly make sense from both a story and design. Of course he would see Angel Crowley as adorable and innocent and angelic (the hair is not helping his case either omg I love her), and of course he would see himself as grandly, exaggeratedly, almost dissonantly angelic at the major turning point in his faith.

If Crowley is narrating, then it calls into question why he would choose to remember himself this way. It holds a sort of nostalgic sadness, a memory of a joyful innocence permanently lost to God's cruelty. When we see Aziraphale in angelic splendor later, we're reminded again of what Crowley has lost. It echoes the aesthetic of his former angel self, the gathering and gold trim and bright white fabric, but also introduces a much more elaborate silhouette that reflects the shift toward heaven's new high-and-mighty attitude.

Finally, I'd like to point out that by contrast Season One focuses heavily on themes of humanity rather than ethereality. Narrated by God, no less, who probably has thoughts on their assimilation. While I think we can assume God to be a more reliable narrator than Crowley or Aziraphale, it's not out of the question that She would have her own story to spin about our Ineffable Idiots' shared history.

Ultimately, I think it's safe to say that whatever's going on in costume design is a Clue to the story we're being told in S2 and the one we will be told in S3.

[lady-margaret]

bridgerton season 3 part 1 opinion (as someone who has read all the books + is kathony biased so be warned)

after sitting and stewing on what i just watched for a few hours

i’d like to start this off by saying that due to my disappointment of the writing from the last season, i was way more gracious with this one. kate and anthony were great because of simone and jonathan; i’m not sure the writers had much to do with that.

anyway, what i’m saying is that i already knew not to expect the writers to be faithful to the source material (romancing mr. bridgerton), so i was able to enjoy myself more. additionally, polin’s book isn’t exactly a favorite of mine anyway, so there wasn’t a lot to be too disappointed with in my case.

what i liked:

penelope’s wardrobe; they hyped up the “transformation” so much and i’m glad it did not disappoint.

colin’s hot 😌

eloise’ wardrobe; someone pointed out that it had a lot of philip references, so yay 😀 (it has me worried that it’ll be her story next though, we need ben first)

eloise interacting with the other ladies of the ton was really cute and refreshing; she’s learning that despite them having different interests than her, they are still people of great value. the difference is eloise was raised in a loving and supportive family, unlike most of the others.

sibling’s g&h’s personalities coming through more (they are anthony’s children, truly).

featherington sisters as comic relief.

MARRIED KATHONY CRUMBS 💕💕💕 they carried episode 1 for me.

FRANCESCA 💕💕💕 gorgeous introvert representation.

FRANNY AND JOHN 💕💕💕 (i am both ready and NOT ready to get hurt 🥹)

book references (yay! the bare minimum!)

lord debling’s dope.

i actually do like that they gave cressida a legitimate reason to want to win the competition money to unmask LW in the second part.

the music choices haven’t disappointed yet!!!!!

colin’s line for the season is def the “well are you gonna marry me or not?” line HEHEHEHEHE i ALMOST screamed as loud as i did when john entered when he said that line to pen.

as an army, plus points for dynamite 🤭 i didn’t expect to like the orchestral version and didn’t see the vision of where they would even insert it, but i actually liveddd for it.

what i don’t really have strong feelings about:

mondrich plot; alice is beautiful but the addition of their family storyline didn’t make much of a lasting impact.

the queen; she was very meh so far.

the featherington storyline: the sisters are funny, but their whole situation mixed with the humor leads me not to take it very seriously.

violet x lady danbury’s brother: 🤷‍♀️ i don’t see it.

the “lady danbury’s brother” storyline in general is very forgettable.

what i disliked:

i think nicola and luke could use more chemistry; they fall short compared to daphne&simon and kathony (HEAVY ON KATHONY THIS IS WHY THEY REMOVED THEM FROM THE REST OF THE EPISODES SIGH)

they kinda mischaracterized colin (he spent the last two seasons being selfish and putting himself above everyone else violet, what the hell are you talking about “you never place yourself over others” 🤨)

the lack of ben time?? did he go back to the academy after taking over for anthony briefly??? what did he do besides dodging debutantes all season????

they glossed over benedict running the estate so quickly; this could have been an opportunity to draw out his storyline, especially since he mentioned that he liked having a purpose: WRITERS???? DO SOMETHING WITH THAT!

i also didn’t really care for the ben x tilly arnold plot; unless sophie’s actually a maid of her’s or something, i don’t see her point in the show besides just be another one of ben’s ever changing girl of the season.

im sorry but eloise would never SHOULD NEVER have befriended her (ex?) best friend’s bully, no matter what the circumstances. that is NOT eloise.

honestly, them revealing whistledown in the first season is really screwing with the writing; in this regard, i wish they stayed more faithful to the book and how colin finds out about LW. it all just seems so messy at this point.

so s3 starts when kathony end their honeymoon… how long was this honeymoon? math isn’t mathing cuz it couldn’t have been more than a week given that kate isn’t obviously pregnant yet in the first ep.

i know that colin and pen are longtime friends, but from how they’ve interacted with each other in the past seasons, it’s a bit harder to believe that they were close CLOSE friends; close friends to the extent of helping the other find a spouse through “lessons”? i don’t see it. that’s why i was a bit ??? when i first found out about the plot they were going with for the season (in the book, colin really just starts following her around cuz she was being sus)

i hate that they had to come up with an excuse to get rid of kathony for the rest of the episodes; i get that they’ve been running their separate households alone for most of their lives and want a break but… i don’t think they would abandon their responsibilities for an “extended honeymoon”. knowing them, running the estate isn’t gonna stop them from being wh0res!! they help each other out with the estate and are still sickeningly in love and have time for each other (in the books). i was also really hoping to see kate taking over the viscountess role. i swore they would have done something like that after that cute/awkward moment when they both respond to “lady bridgerton” in episode 1.

i get that it’s established that penelope’s one goal for the season is to get a husband, but as i know her character, she would NEVER get into races (?) or run just so she can talk to a suitor before anyone else does 😭 okay but it was funny.

i am kinda sad that they couldn’t have just let a mean character or a villain character be the villain character; yea sure, i did say that i liked that cressida had a legitimate and well thought out motive for wanting the LW reward money but, idk i could’ve lived without her storyline.

one of the BIGGEST THINGS for me is that i do not think they should have released so many clips/snippets of the show days or weeks before it came out. i understand like 1 clip, but i skipped SO MANY SCENES because i have watched them at least 5 times already on tiktok or twitter.

the two part season idea is dumb.

i’m scared for how messy part 2 will be (in terms of both writing and just how stressed i will be with the revealing of LW plot HUHU poor pen) but i’m still looking forward to it 😇😇😇 and despite all the things i didn’t like, i did still enjoy it. if i do rewatch it or not is still to be decided; s1 & s2 have such high rewatch value.

franny and john were TRULY a standout though. i cannot even begin to describe how loud i screamed when he finally said his name out loud 😭💕

verdict: the writing is getting messier, get jonathan bailey in that writer’s room ASAP

[bodybeyondstories]

dicks keep growing around me - 1 (Myron)

(I couldn't get this phrase out of my head and I thought it was funny, so I'm seeing where it leads.)

Until recently, Myron was oblivious to the fact that dicks would get mysteriously bigger the longer someone hung out with him. He begins putting the pieces together as his boss, Miguel, starts going through all too familiar changes below the belt.

2 - Next

“Dicks keep growing around you?”

“Yes,” I said. “Or at least I think. It’s not exactly an airtight theory, but there are some examples.”

“And it just…happens,” responded my supervisor Miguel.

“Apparently.”

“And it’s happening to me?”

“Pretty sure.”

So I have a theory. Maybe just a hunch, I don’t know. And I’m not doing it on purpose, but I’m pretty sure I’m the cause. For lack of a better way of saying, dicks keep growing around me. And I don’t mean chubbing up, I mean literally growing. Like adding on real, tangible inches with no end in sight. It’s very slow, and I think it comes down to how often we’re in close proximity, but if you spend enough time around me, you may end up with more, sometimes much more, below the belt. I don’t have any idea how this works, but I wish I did. I’m still just piecing clues together.

So I guess Exhibit A would be my boss, Miguel. I do a lot of temporary contract work, which isn’t ideal, but allows me to string together rent while working on some of my own creative freelance stuff. I was hired onto this project six months ago to restructure the data management system of a small, local startup and they miscalculated the resultant shift in office space. After a series of awkward corners and at least one broom closet, they decided to just stick me in Miguel’s office. Miguel requested it actually. He figured I would be of more use working in tandem with him than I would blocking everyone’s path to the bathroom. 

I was less than pleased to look like his makeshift corner secretary, and honestly I’ve dealt with much worse, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he seemed to welcome the company. Miguel kept a tight beard and even tighter fade, always perfectly put together in what looked like one-step-below-designer business casual, with the cherry on top being the neon purple and green barefoot shoes he tended to wear to work. I would’ve been annoyed if not for the fact that he was a genuinely nice, thoughtful guy, and more than just a captivating smile. Plus, I came around on his use of a balance ball chair once I was introduced to his tight butt clad in well fitting slacks. Not that I ever really thought about him that way.

So we shared a space and had a congenial enough dynamic. We both had similar tastes in some of the experimental music scene locally and would even go out to some shows together. Also he’s a self professed menswear expert and started systemically giving my wardrobe a much needed overhaul. So I found it odd when his usual form fitting, modern pants began to lose their flair.

At one point, he chalked it up to seasonal shifts, trying out some new, looser looks for the spring. Not to mention baggier, boxier styles had been taking the place of slim fit jeans and tight shirts, at least according to him. A few times he texted me in the morning, saying he was running late because of a ‘wardrobe malfunction,’ which I never thought much of. I had come to expect him cycling through three or four outfit changes before he finally made it out. 

For a while it seemed like he might’ve just been getting the wrong fit, since he developed a habit of adjusting his crotch often, or even wincing slightly when he sat down too hard. And I had had multiple friends and partners with similar issues, so offered some tailoring tips, but he didn’t want to dwell on it.

I got a good idea why when we went to a show together one evening. A DJ we both liked was playing a set at a warehouse on a Thursday night, and we figured we had to go. We’d bring a change of clothes, work late on Thursday, then roll into the office late Friday morning. We could even call it a team meeting or professional development or something. 

The show was euphoric. I felt like I was rising up and outside of myself as our bodies bounced on the packed dance floor, in so small part due to the haze of surprisingly strong drinks and party drugs. While Miguel seemed to be enjoying it, he was still preoccupied with the constant need to readjust his crotch. I had seen him in this pair of skinny leather pants–his ass alone was unforgettable–but they seemed especially constricting. 

“Told you you’d look great in those pants,” came Miguel’s familiar voice in my ear. He never missed an opportunity to brag about being my personal stylist, but I had to admit I looked better than expected. However, I didn’t expect Miguel’s strong hands to linger on my hips, nor did I expect myself to close the rest of the gap between us. I’d been catching guys checking us out all night and I was feeling myself, so I thought Fuck it, as we began grinding to the rhythm. Maybe it was the fantasy of the moment or whatever I was on, but the bulge in Miguel’s pants felt major, and his crotch was radiating heat.  

Suddenly, Miguel’s hands tensed up and he pulled away, his hand trailing against my lower back as he turned to leave. I asked if he was doing alright and he sputtered something about needing to piss, quickly disappearing into the crowd. I didn’t think much of it, and quickly got lost in the crush of moving bodies, and more than a few lingering caresses just below my hips. To say I was getting hot and bothered was an understatement and eventually I realized that I also needed to relieve myself, aiming in the vague direction of the bathroom but quickly getting lost in the crush of the crowd. Eventually I stumbled into a back alley, a rush of chill spring night air hitting my lungs as the party thumped through the wall behind me.

I turned my head at the sound of a deep sigh of visceral relief, looking to the left to see Miguel, eyes closed and head thrown back as he pissed loudly against the side of the wall. I wasn’t exactly in my right mind, and didn’t stop myself from glancing at his cock, which, semisoft, was hanging halfway down to his knees, jiggling comically as he shook off the last drops. It wasn’t just massive, it was beautiful, majestic under the streetlight, draped in shadow by Miguel’s outstretched arm, other hand bracing against the wall.

“Sorry,” he said, making me quickly realize that while my eyes were hyperfocused on his schlong, his were on me watching me hyperfocus on his schlong. “There was a line to the bathroom and it was about to be a photo finish,” a slight smile turning up his lips as he saw me finally draw my eyes away from his stunning dick.

“I, uh, was just about to join you,” I replied, deliberately keeping my eyes on his as he struggled to fit his prodigious cock back into his pants, by some miracle getting the zipper up after a few tries.

The awkwardness must’ve been my own anxious imagination, as the next day at work he actually seemed more relaxed than he had in a while, his bubble butt perched on his exercise ball chair as he sat with a leisurely spread, his bulge plainly visible. I guess the secret’s out, I thought. At least between us.

—

When the summer sun had come to stay, and my contract was wrapping up, he proposed an office hiking trip at one of his favorite trails, a moderately strenuous 3.5 mile track that led to an impressive waterfall tucked away just outside the city. I hadn’t been, but was familiar with it because my roommate, Ty, worked in the kitchen at a bar nearby that was kind of the post-hike spot. My apartment, according to Miguel, was “on the way” to the trailhead. I begged to differ, but he insisted on the kind gesture of giving me a lift, until we reached the compromise of me getting a ride home with Ty when their shift ended. So Miguel picked me up from my place, decked out in hiking boots, thick socks, a breezy short sleeve button down, and some five inch linen shorts with a sizable bulge. I had already caught a glimpse of his dick, so I wasn’t surprised by what looked like rolled up tube socks tucked into his crotch, but this looked bigger than I remembered. 

And I don’t think I was the only one who noticed either. Miguel was certainly the center of attention when we met up with the others at the trailhead, albeit delightfully oblivious in his excitement to take us on this outing. And it looked like I may have missed the memo about the dress code. All the other guys were wearing similar short shorts, showing off their own respectable bulges–though not as impressive as Miguel’s.

As we set off down the trail, Miguel took an early lead, looking like he had no intention of slowing down. As we settled into a rhythm, I found myself consistently a few steps behind him–admiring more than the view of the scenery–with the rest of the group farther back but still within earshot. I began to think that Miguel should’ve stuck to the breezy bottoms he had fallen into wearing, because he was constantly adjusting the hem of his shorts as they dug into his meaty quads. At times, he seemed visibly uncomfortable. 

As we reached a bend in the trail with a makeshift bench, we decided to take a breather and let the others catch up. Miguel’s shirt was glued to the middle of his back by a trail of sweat that ran down to his butt crack. I had trouble noticing anything else as he bent over and rested his hands on his knees, pushing his tight butt in my direction as he caught his breath.

From behind, the crotch of his pants looked overstuffed and straining at the seams. I thought it must have been my exhausted brain and overactive imagination until with a soft rip, the crotch of his shorts gave out, his dick gracefully bobbing two thirds of the way to his knees, definitely bigger than before and paired with some proportionately huge nuts. Miguel, his cock now freed of its constraints, let out a sigh of relief before apparently coming to the realization of the cool breeze on his oversized genitals. 

Hearing the others approaching, I sprang into action, pushing him off the trail and just behind a stand of bushes, hoping passers by would assume he was relieving himself and keep moving. 

“Sorry,” he said. “I brought up a backup pair just in case, give me one second.”

“A backup pair?” I asked, wanting to respect his privacy but also betraying my own fascination with this super dick that I had now been introduced to twice.

“Yeah, I thought I wouldn’t have an issue yet with these pants, but wanted to be careful.”

“What do you mean issue?” I asked. “And what do you mean yet?”

“I don’t know, I think I need to see somebody about this, it’s like–” he was cut off by one of their co-workers catching up to them on the trail. He quickly finished changing and stuffed his cock back in his shorts, shooting me a brief look of thanks.

—

Thankfully, the rest of the outing passed without incident. We actually had a great time, and Miguel was certainly correct about the waterfall being worth the aggravation. A few of the guys even waded in to cool off, inadvertently revealing some very heavy bulges through the thin, wet fabric of their shorts. Miguel hung back. 

We got drinks afterward and it was obvious Miguel was a post-hike usual. As the afternoon wore on to evening, everyone fell away slowly, until it was just the two of us. He insisted on hanging around until Ty could take me home, and I would’ve staunchly refused if not for how much I enjoyed his company–and how he would’ve stayed against my wishes anyways.

He hadn’t really been drinking–concerned about everyone else having a good time, in typical Miguel fashion–but I had maybe had more than I should. During a lull in the conversation, he leaned in slightly and said “Thanks for the save back there. Would’ve never lived it down at work.” 

“To be honest, I was not expecting all that,” I said, trying to be careful not to push boundaries too far too fast. 

“Honestly, me neither,” Miguel responded, his eyes widening slightly as he glanced into the distance. “TMI, but I’ve been kind of having a late growth spurt the last six months. Or something.”

And well, this is when the pieces finally started to come together. I had had hunches and musings over the years about my propensity to meet some truly noteworthy cocks, but something deep in my brain felt compelled to ask “When did it start?”  

With a thoughtful look in his eye, he glanced at me and said, “Around when you showed up. You might be my lucky charm.”

This is when it finally clicked.

[eolewyn1010]

Downton Abbey Fashion 51 - outdoors fashion in 1924

I actually don’t have mourning dresses for this season (except Edith wears some unofficial black when she finally gets the death news about Michael Gregson, but that’s not enough to warrant an entire post), so we’ll jump right into the coats and walking suits.

Violet in a glorious, rich plum shade introduces her coats of this season as mostly going without the furs she used to flaunt so happily, although not lacking in gravitas for it. In this case, the big folded lapels do the job, or should I say lapel because this is going a little into asymmetry. Plus I haven’t seen this pretty hat before, a sweet velvet number with a floofy feather and a hatband embroidered in gold and purple shades.

I won’t ever be a great fan of the dusty Crawley purple, but the piping work on this is really nice, especially the slanting part on the lower part of the coat. But it actually took me until now to ask: With this fashionable style of the 1920s that leaves a deep V in the front and only has a closure at the hip, wouldn’t they want to wear scarves in certain weather? I imagine it can get a bit cold on neck and chest. Her hat has a nice flowery wrap; she could match the scarf to it.

Familiar hat in this one, new coat. This could possibly be a little blueish, but I think I’ll just go with calling it grey. It looks nice and comfortable, but it’s not doing much beside the mandala-like embroidery on the lapels. Violet sure seems to think it fancy enough to wear it as a wedding guest in season 6, although she does get another fancy hat with plumage and sparkly flowers for the occasion.

Heh, this is a coat we’ve actually seen before. We haven’t seen much of it, so it took me a moment to realize – Violet wore this tweed for a hunting expedition in the Highlands at the end of season 3; the glen check is the same. It’s just that she was in her furs phase then, so this is the first time I see this lovely collar with the plum velvet lining on the lapels. It’s such a nice backdrop for little golden brooches, too! Violet tops it off with a chestnut velvet hat, and the whole look is so neat.

The hat in the first picture hat is one she’s already worn for her garden outfit at the end of season 4, but here it shows a very pretty effect of the translucent brim: Certain light can give Violet a sort of soft golden halo. Since it’s entirely contrary to her snarky and “I’m old enough to have seen literally everything” character, I assume it’s not on purpose, so I’ll enjoy the look without tacked-on symbolism. Also, obviously, another coat, this one in dusty blue and with some white lace on the lapels. I think this little peaked design that repeats on the cuffs and pocket flaps is really lovely. Violet definitely thinks this nice enough to repeat the look for Rose’s wedding, and she gets more wear out of this in season 6.

Help me, meander; you’re my only hope! As I drown in lilac fabrics… It’s a nice enough coat, but without the collar embroidery, it wouldn’t warrant a second look, and certainly not be kept on for season 6 when it’s one of Violet’s go-to coats. The hats are a little better, working out something more intricate with the feathers and applications.

Now that we’re on a walking dress, I should finally address the most remarkable change to Violet’s wardrobe this season: She largely leaves the high collars behind. From now on, her neckline is mostly at the base of her neck instead of just under her chin. Perhaps that’s what had me thinking about scarves. Is this dress more blue or more purple? Does it matter with these dusty shades? I like how the yoke is made up here, two curves of pin tucks layering over each other. And there’s the embroidery strip down the length, black and blue and golden to pop a little.

And now finally for a saturated color: This gorgeous blue coat that’s just a mass of velvet with not much shaping below the shoulders and sleeves because one, this is the 1920s, and two, Violet can afford this amount of velvet. I love this, I want this. Also, fur has a little comeback with that black stola Violet adds to the coat in the second picture. Violet also uses the coat to prompt her memory about an ice blue velvet dress with silver lace that she wore the evening when her ill-fated little romance with a Russian nobleman began, presumably an evening gown in 1870s or 1880s style – would have loved to see that one.

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

Isobel looks so exasperated here; I bet she’s talking to Violet. Pretty solid coat; could do with some shaping, but we can’t have that in this decade. I complain about grey a lot, but the tweed is a thing of beauty. And the lining that peeks out at the collar seems to be brown velvet, which is nice and a little extra on a coat that doesn’t much beside perpendicular-running pin tucks. When she wears the coat again in season 6, I’m not sure if she has a new hat that looks a lot like the first, or she just pinned a little pleated fabric star to the hat she already had.

Another pretty hat in the second picture here; the leaves design is lovely. And I get more blue because Isobel and Violet have synced up at this point. This is the sort of coat I would wear myself in an instant, not ostentatious, but nice to look at, with a clean cut and a pretty collar with a bit of subtle embroidery. Isobel wears it a lot in season 6.

Velvet for everyone! Okay, I’m really weak for this deep red velvet in particular. This is a beautiful walking suit, although part of me thinks she should have chosen a matte hat with this. But anyway. Like Violet’s coat, this isn’t doing anything fancy with the cut; it doesn’t even have lapels or a collar because shiny fabric, you guys. And we celebrate the return of Isobel’s little flower-shaped shell brooch.

Isobel likes dark red and she likes walking suits, so she gets another one right away. Since this one is not as shiny as the velvet suit, it can get away with a small piping motif on the trim and even a hat matching in color. Luckily, this is a suit Isobel repeats in season 6, and she adds some extra nice decoration to her hat. The white shirt she wears under this, either lace or something with whitework all over, seems to always be the same. She probably looked at this at some point and went, “yup, this shirt with this suit, forever and ever, amen.”

This one is a very simple outfit and not exactly made as a match; it looks more like a worn coat and a simple skirt that Isobel doesn’t mind wearing when working in the garden. Everything is a little crinkly, including the hat, and she looks rather comfy. It is apparently also a look fit for receiving a proposal. Now I’m trying to remember if the coat is a leftover from an older outfit, but since I can’t pin it down, just take it as it is.

Last but not least, a walking dress; Isobel shows up in blue. Somehow, the second picture makes this look like it has a little much going on. The brown embroidery, white lace trim, the pin tucks in the the front V, spirals here and pointed cuffs there… I think the front of the dress would have profited from not putting in those extra seams running over the front of the shoulders. I cannot imagine that they had to rely on piecing there; this is a structural seam, and it does the bit of ruffling that my brain takes in as Too Much.

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

And since Lady Shackleton drops by, we’ll have a quick look at her outfit, too. She’s got some brown-golden gown peeking out there that has a high waist seam and a gathered skirt falling beneath it because Lady Shackleton doesn’t know contemporary fashions, but mainly, she’s wearing that black fur cape…because she doesn’t know contemporary fashions and is filthy rich.

[tobiasdrake]

The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Episode 3 - Haruhi Suzumiya!!

Despite my wishes for Yuki to be allowed to be happy, my character is here to fuck everything up and make everyone miserable. Let's go!

Given the lack of supernatural forces in this show, my money's on Love Triangle antagonist.

Oh thank Haruhi, she's still an asshole. Gonna be honest, the pleasant evening Yuki had with her last episode made me nervous that they'd sanded her edges off.

I'm still so nervous. I can feel her getting ready to create conflict.

She's here to get revenge against Yuki for stealing her God powers, by stealing Yuki's boyfriend. Who. Yuki. Also stole from her.

...okay so if Haruhi drowns Yuki in the nearest river it could reasonably be argued to be justified but I still don't wanna let her.

PROCESSING. PROCESSING. PROCESSING.

SYSTEM CRASH

This program has performed an illegal operation and had to be shut down.

You can take the girl out of the robot but you can't take the robot out of the girl.

"Sorry Haruhi but we don't have time to talk about aliens because we need to meet up with Ryoko Asakura."

The show did that on purpose. XD And I appreciate it.

She was going to kidnap Santa Claus! Not just meet him. She planned a full-on abduc--

Yo is that a bag of CEMENT!? Haruhi. Haruhi. I desperately need you to explain what the plan last night was.

Haruhi rejecting Yuki's gratitude on the grounds of, "Fuck you, I'm a selfish prick so you go ahead and take this credit for your personal achievement on yourself. The meanest possible way to build another person up.

This resonates with me so hard. Like. Actually, Haruhi's wrong. This is Individualist propaganda. It's okay to lean on others for support. Humans are social creatures.

But Haruhi's a selfish, violent misanthrope. She's young, stupid, and full of herself. So for her this is super endearing. I love that Haruhi gets soft moments but they're always filtered through the lens of Haruhi's personal shittiness.

HAHAHAHA It's okay I don't think she saw us HAHAHAHAHA

This show is so fucking good oh my god.

Every time I see Ryoko's cooking in closeup, I'm reminded of the fact that anime food must always, always be the most high-resolution incredible art imaginable. We don't want a repeat of the Bad Cabbage Incident that brought cultural shame to anime as a whole.

Thanks to badly drawn cabbage, drawing food so photorealistic that it ends up higher-quality than the animation around it is now a way of flexing in anime.

Oh shit, we're officially her friends.

It was a plot point in the Disappearance movie that Haruhi would have trouble getting in the school. Visibly wearing another school's uniform makes it clear that she's not supposed to be here.

How will Haruhi solve that problem this time around?

Fuck you, rules are fake. Anything is legal if you sprint fast enough.

XD I am so anxietous about my character being back in the show and yet so happy to see her. That's mah girl! She's here to make trouble!

Okay I said it before but.

I was worried last episode that they were sanding off Haruhi's edges. Making her nicer. Less shamelessly criminal. But no. This episode has put all of those concerns to rest.

Haruhi changed both herself and Itsuki into Kyon Gym Clothes Haruhi and Itsuki so fast I could practically hear her saying, "Oi! Kyon! We need to wardrobe-reference the movie so GIMME." In the movie, they had to wear Kyon's gym clothes because they were out in the streets trying to figure out a way to look inconspicuous with limited resources.

Here in the school building under no pressing urgency and with Haruhi's criminal proclivities, I feel like there were a million other ways they could blend in. They're doing this just because they did it in the movie.

Not a fan of that. For the last two episodes, the show's done a great job of blazing its own trail, which is what I like to see out of AU stories. While Haruhi shouting "Kyon! Gym clothes! Now!" so she can change into one of her other Movie Costumes feels inorganic and overly referential.

I love that Itsuki has taken Kyon's job of being Haruhi's luggage. And yet, there is an unmistakable flaw in Haruhi's approach. Well. Two flaws, given that the other is "This is not a magic world".

My bestie likes to feed birds on our balcony. They leave out a bowl of seed, and the birds come by and eat. They also leave peanuts for some of the larger birds like blue jays. Consequently, we have birds coming and going from our balcony all the time.

Our cat is very intrigued by this. During the day in spring and summer, he loves to go out on the balcony and hunt the birds. He can't wait to get his claws into a nice, juicy bird. The idea captivates him.

So we let him out onto the balcony and he hunts. By which I mean, he climbs up on the table and sits his ass next to the bowl. In plain sight. Supremely visible. And then he waits.

And waits.

And waits.

To date, he has never caught a bird. For some reason, the birds are reluctant to come to the balcony when a visible predator is sitting next to their food bowl. His enthusiasm is great, but he has produced a 0% success rate not because birds don't exist, but because birds will not approach under the conditions he creates.

That's her. That is Haruhi. She's dragging Itsuki around by the ear so that she can be nearby when he reveals his true secret nature. Failing to realize that he will never reveal his true secret nature (even if he still had one) so long as she is around to see it. That's what makes it secret.

Last night's Santa experiment is very much the same. Santa never sprang Haruhi's trap. But is that because Santa does not exist? Yes. But more importantly, even if he did exist, Santa would be unlikely to drop what he's doing to go to a random park just because some girl standing nearby wrote a message saying "HEY COME HERE I HAVE CAKE".

Haruhi's methodology needs a lot of work. Her self-absorption deprives her of the subtlety required to create an effective trap.

YUKI NO

DO NOT SURRENDER CONTROL OF YOUR CLUB LIKE THIS

You worked so hard for this. Do not let Haruhi take her powers back control of your club away from you!

Ryoko! RYOKO COME DO SOMETHING

Oh thank Haruhi, Ryoko is here to fuck up Haruhi. We're good. Everything's fine. That girl doesn't even go to our school. There is no way Lawful Menace is going to stand for this.

SHE STOOD FOR THIS WHAT THE FUCK

Ryoko no you were our last hope

I do admit, I'm interested to see where this is going to go. Ryoko didn't get to interact with Haruhi, like, at all back in the original show 'cause it was so Kyon-centric. And also 'cause she died moved to Canada.

I said before that I like it when AU stories go in new directions rather than trying to skew too close to the original source material, and letting Haruhi and Ryoko hang out is certainly a new direction.

(continued in reblog)

[theshippirate22]

All Too Well (Steddie Version)

part 1!

or read it on ao3!

It wasn’t right to say one of them had kicked the other out. 

That wasn’t what happened. It wasn’t that simple. That would be like saying it was just one person’s fault. Like saying it was only one thing that caused it. 

It wasn’t. There was so much more to it than that.

Cold air hit Steve as he fell through the Gate. The hot anxiety deep in his stomach instantly relieved itself as he hit the mattress. Home. 

His arms felt limp and elastic as the weight he’d been struggling to carry fell weightless next to him.

“Steve!” Robin cried, pushing his hair from his face and grabbing his arms. 

He swatted her off weakly, gasping out in a broken, hoarse voice that barely sounded like his own, “Call an ambulance. Not for me… for… for him…”

“We did! We did.” Nancy murmured, watching his body shake and shiver as he came down from his adrenaline high. “Don’t try to talk. Just sleep, we’ll take care of everything.”

“Tell… tell Henderson…” He mumbled. “I got him… he’s gonna be okay…”

“I will, I will…” She crooned. “Don’t talk…”

Steve fell back exhaustedly. 

Eddie laid limp on the mattress next to him, pale and hardly breathing. Steve reached for him again, running his fingertips softly over his bloody, torn cheek before collapsing into unconsciousness. 

It happened so long ago. Back when they were kids. Back when things were so, so different.

“Hey, uh, I thought you’d want this back.” Steve held out the vest, rough in his hands from the blood stains. “I didn’t wash it. I didn’t know if it needed to be dry cleaned or something, but I can pay for whatever-“

Eddie threw his head back laughing, plucking it from his hands. “Dry cleaned? Jesus Christ, Harrington! It’s just a little blood, nothing a little Tide can’t fix. Throw it in there praying and it’ll be good as new.”

Robin called for Eddie from the kitchen, and he set the vest on the back of the couch as he answered her, limping slightly from the tight bandages against his ribs and the aching torn skin. Perhaps the pain was what made him forget it. Steve wasn’t sure how he’d left it there at her house when it was so precious to him. 

“Hey, uh,” Steve twirled the phone cord around his finger the next morning. “You left your battle vest at Robin’s.”

“I know.”

“I can bring it to you this aftern- what?”

Eddie chuckled. “I left it on purpose.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” He paused. “No, actually. I, uh, I want you to have it. Looks better on you anyways, and Lord knows your wardrobe is all but lacking.” He paused. “If you want it, obviously.”

“Really? I mean, yeah, it’s pretty... rock?”

“Metal.” He corrected patiently, chuckling softly to himself. “It’s good luck, you know? It’ll keep you safe from all the creeps around here. Served me well for like three years.”

“I think you need more protection from creeps than I do.”

“But I got you to protect me, don’t I, Stevie?”

He grinned softly. “Yeah... yeah, you do...”

“Keep the vest. I’ll see you later.”

Steve hung the phone up and stood there for longer than necessary, mindlessly running his fingers over the worn, jagged denim of the jacket. The Dio logo stitched carefully into the back and the Iron Maiden patch pressed loosely to the front pocket. 

Eventually, he pulled himself from his trance, tucking the vest safely in the bottom drawer of his dresser so no one would find it. 

It was precious.

Steve stared at the ceiling in the dark. His stomach ached again; it did constantly these days. His body knew something was wrong, even if he pretended not to notice. 

“We’re lost.” Steve finally dared to say aloud, glancing out the window at the unfamiliar red and orange trees, changing with the season.

Eddie huffed indignantly. “We are not. I know exactly where we are.”

“Where are we, Eddie? Where?” He laughed.

“Uh, somewhere upstate.” Eddie shrugged it off. “Trust me, Stevie. I got it covered.” He reached for the radio, turning it up a little to dull out any of Steve’s protests. “Trust me.”

“I do! I’m just...”

Eddie’s hand landed on his leg, the other still on the wheel. “Hush! I like this song.”

Steve bit his lip to hide a smile. He was so charming, so overwhelming. So much energy and excitement and danger, looking spiky and scary to cover such a sweet disposition.

Eddie rubbed his thumb lightly over the seam of Steve’s jeans, dipping to the inside of his thigh, still singing along to the radio.

Steve propped his head in his hand to cover the grin he couldn’t fight. Eddie would just laugh at him if he saw it, if he knew just how thrilled Steve was. Steve would just have to sit there, hiding his mouth and watching Eddie sing with fond, wide-eyed glances when he was sure he wouldn’t be caught.

What had Robin said? It was like pieces falling into place, the way they’d come together.

@maya-custodios-dionach and @long-live-taylorswift

*if you wanna be added to the tag list message me! the whole thing is written and i’ll add a chapter every day*

[thisislizheather]

Winter Wednesdays Vol. 8

BAKING/COOKING

I made this brioche berry bread pudding and it was actually pretty great. I don’t love boring desserts, but this one was a hit.

CRAVING

This baked goat cheese salad. When I first moved to New York in 2005, I ate a similar salad with a dijon vinaigrette but the goat cheese was encrusted in puff pastry at this great (obviously now-closed) French place downtown and I still think of that salad to this day. It should be illegal to be this nostalgic.

EATING

So much parmesan-topped asparagus. Oh! I also made a wildly lackluster cauliflower soup from the NYT. Not many things more disappointing than a giant batch of homemade soup that sucks.

EXPERIENCING

I started mixing body oil with body lotion and… why am I not in charge of more things? Truly life-changing. I always wondered what the purpose of pure body oil was and now everything makes sense.

LOVING

Since I don’t have Spotify Premium anymore, I started making more playlists on my free account so the variety alone will make up for the lack of control. New playlists include a best of the 90s and best of the 00s.

SHOPPING

I didn’t buy one this week. But I am thinking of overhauling my whole closet, there’s just so much I hate about my winter wardrobe.

WATCHING

I just learned that Pluto has a million Twilight Zone episodes available, so that’ll take up the rest of my year.

WEARING

I heard a styling tip that wearing brown stockings instead of black makes an outfit look more put-together (I swear there was some kind of real logic to this that I can’t remember now), so I tried it this week with these Aerie brown stockings and I loved how it looked.

You can read last week’s Winter Wednesdays Vol. 7 over here.

[chaos0pikachu]

Kinn’s Family Is Rich As Fuck - Tankhun Edition

I was gonna do Kinn’s costume meta post first but @moerusai​ requested Tankhun so here we are! 

Ok so we all know that Tankhun is a Fashion Icon in the show, I said in a joke post that his style was a combo of peak Elton John and Lady Gaga (monster era). I hold to that, partially. I think another influence in Tankhun’s fashion is Billy Porter: 

What’s cool about Tankhun’s costuming is that his styling is purposeful. It’s not just a bunch of mix-matched colorful items. There’s thought and purposeful to Tankhun’s style, without being overly complicated. Like, for example, Tankhun wears a lot of sets, patterned pieces, and textures. Which gives me a lot of Randid Rahm, Francis Libiran, and The Blondes influences. 

His style is flamboyant perhaps, but neither strictly what is considered masculine or feminine. He operates in a fashionable in between that resembles a lot of big couture collections. 

Tell me Tankhun wouldn’t rock one of these outfits with some modifications. The cape from Randid is actually similar to the one he wore in ep02 as well. 

Tankhun is supposed to look rich as fuck. 

And he does! And you can see from the following pictures, his outfits work as a unit. Whether they’re a set - like in image 4 - or just complementary pieces - images 1, and 2 especially - there’s thought being put into each outfit. 

What this is meant to instill to the audience is a couple things: 1) set him apart visually from his brothers Kinn and Kim, 2) showcase his wealth, 3) make him visually loud looking which enhances his personality

Tankhun is chaotic, he’s loud, and he’s very separate from the others in the estate. We know that he doesn’t leave the estate because he was kidnapped and as such as developed agoraphobia. This leaves him unfortunately very isolated, removed from much of society and other people. I believe @the-wayside​ had some really good meta on Tankhun and his agoraphobia. 

So what way does he choose to express himself? Via clothing. His clothing is a way to express himself in an otherwise cramped world of walls, suits, and glittering objects. It’s the one form of physical self-express we’ve seen that he can employ in narrative. 

Out of narrative - a Doylst view - his clothing signposts to the audience that this character is LOUD, he’s in your face, but he’s not unlikable. He’s not weird for the sake of being weird, or a punchline. Like his outfits, carefully put together and crafted, Tankhun has personality and character. He’s quite likable and his reasons for staying at the estate are understandable. It also says this character is RICH and places him visually above other characters - namely his bodyguards, Porsche etc as they are all presumably of a middle class to poor background. 

I think what I want to reiterate is Tankhun’s styling is, again, very purposeful. It has influences in couture/runway-esque fashion, it speaks to his personality and his personal self-expression, and it showcases his class status. 

Now, what I’m really curious about is if Tankhun’s costuming will change if his character changes in the show. His character poster was much more toned down in comparison to his in-show looks. 

His shirt and pants are all monochromatic, and he lacks any major embellishments save the fur coat which breaks up the outfit with a strong textural element. It gives a POP while still feeling overall cohesive with his character. But the lack of bright eye-catching colors (as seen above) make me wonder if his character also goes through a minor transformation as the show goes along. Perhaps he gets more comfortable going outside, or being a part of the family business, or begins to recover from his trauma(s). All speculation on my part - idk if he had any major role in the novel - but I’m curious!

When I breakdown Kinn’s costuming I’ll probably talk more about class status as his wardrobe is often directly compared to Porsche’s (especially in the dock scene!! Chucks vs Loafers!!). 

**disclaimer: I am not an expert in fashion, check out ModernGurlz and Mina Le on youtube for an experts breakdown of costuming, I’m just a simple puta that loves costumes and kinnporsche**

[nightingaelic]

I was reading your "Fallout 4 companions meet Arcade Gannon" reacts when I had an idea. FO4 companions reaction to visiting the Mojave Wasteland with the Sole Survivor.

"She was Boston, I was Vegas

She was Crêpes Suzette, I was pie

She was lectures, I was movies, but I loved her."

- Frank Sinatra, 1981, "I Loved Her"

Cait: "I've never been much of a gambler, but where there's gambling, there's usually a good time to be had."

While Cait finds the casinos of the Strip a little too ritzy for her liking, she rather enjoys the smaller, satellite venues: The Atomic Wrangler in Freeside, the Vikki and Vance casino in Primm, even the saloons in Goodsprings and the Mojave Outpost (the latter of which being where she foolishly engages in a drinking contest with Cass and happily gets her ass kicked). Her greatest enjoyment, however, comes upon discovery of the Thorn in Westside, with its arranged bouts between wasteland critters and the opportunity to go a round yourself if you're feeling lucky. Instead of the trapped horror she felt when the Combat Zone was taken over by raiders and she was forced to fight, Cait revels in the glory she reaps when choosing to face off against a fire gecko, a night stalker or a cazador with her trusty baseball bat. By the time the visit is over, she and Red Lucy have grown close, and the Thorn's mistress is going around openly calling Cait "my hunter."

Codsworth: "Ah, Las Vegas! Why, I can recall when you considered a quick getaway to this paradise just before young master Shaun's arrival. It appears we aren't too late, after all."

Codsworth is somewhat comforted by the lack of overt nuclear devastation in New Vegas, but that feeling wears off as soon as the first set of thugs in Freeside tries to corner him and the sole survivor and take their caps. Once the would-be muggers are laid out on the ground, Codsworth abandons his rose-colored glasses and puts his quippy, dismayed personality back on. Still, he loves the Strip, particularly the Ultra-Luxe with its refined guests, decor and hygienic practices, but he quickly sours on their hoity-toity attitudes. Instead, Codsworth turns to the presence of the NCR as a sign that civilization is creeping back into the wasteland. He's also tickled pink by the Kings and the Chairmen, but not the mobster-esque Omertas: They remind him too much of the pre-war mob activity in good old Boston.

Curie: "Excusez-moi, but what is that structure there? The tallest one, with the blinking lights."

Curie is thrilled to be out in the desert, observing the local populace and documenting their survival techniques, social structures and power struggles. She's fascinated with the area's history, and drags the sole survivor along to seek out the Mojave's most (in)famous individuals to record their stories for her research into post-war civilization. This lands her in quite a few questionable situations, but her general attitude of perseverance and wide-eyed wonder about the world open a lot of doors for her. She makes a lot of friends at the Old Mormon Fort among the Followers of the Apocalypse, though most of them assume her frustration about her own "biological reactions to extreme living conditions" is just her complaining about the heat like everyone else. Arcade's pretty sure she's a robot, though he's too polite to ask about it outright.

Danse: "We're close now, to the birthplace of the Brotherhood of Steel. This is an honor I never thought I'd experience."

Though it's boiling hot inside his power armor under the desert sun, Paladin Danse is overjoyed that he's accompanying the sole survivor on this journey into the cradle of the ideology that he's devoted to. He's heard about the Mojave from Brotherhood of Steel veterans, those who traveled with Elder Lyons when they initially came to the Capital Wasteland and those who accompanied Elder Maxson when he was just a Squire, and he keeps spouting off random trivia about the area. Any run-ins with disillusioned Scribe Veronica might leave him a bit put out, but it's overall a fun trip for him through a part of the continent that's a little less smashed to rubble than the rest of the world. He especially enjoys visiting the NCR and Brotherhood military outposts, if only to offer critiques and suggestions to any soldiers that give him the time of day.

Deacon: "Sheesh, visiting the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter, am I right?"

Deacon has been here before. Well, he doesn't actually say he's been here before, but he keeps dropping hints to the sole survivor that he's somehow on a return trip. He knows the legends of the Sierra Madre and the Blue Star treasures offhand, he has a whole conversation with the Securitrons guarding the Strip about what happened to Robert House, he even knows how to competently play Caravan. Every time the sole survivor asks him about how he knows so much, though, Deacon just grins and keeps chugging his Sunset Sarsaparilla. Obviously no one recognizes him by face, but he does have a setting-appropriate wardrobe along that includes NCR bandoleer armor, a coat-tailed tuxedo, top hat and White Glove Society mask, and a black leather jacket to go with his pompadour wig.

Dogmeat: [curiously sniffs everything]

Dogmeat can't figure out why this place is so dang dry, but he's on his best behavior for the sole survivor as they make their way over the dusty roads of the Mojave. He politely greets each other traveler on the roads, who keep asking his companion where they got "a non-cyber cyberdog." For the most part though, the trip is pretty in line with everywhere Dogmeat goes: Big rodents, big bugs, tired people and plenty of ruins to explore. Dogmeat's one outstanding adventure comes in the form of an attempted kidnapping by some of the Kings, who think their leader needs a new dog after Rex hit the road with some fool. The King doesn't take kindly to this, and graciously has the dog returned to his friend.

Hancock: "Oh, man, how does anyone live out here? I'm drying out, I feel like a radroach husk."

Hancock is having the time of his life in the Mojave, apart from constantly complaining about how he prefers the Commonwealth's weather. He's chummy with everyone, but especially with the ghouls he encounters. He buys Raul a bunch of drinks and asks him about his past, he suggests future career paths and hobbies for Calamity, and he is absolutely enchanted with Beatrix the dominatrix. He's also rowdy enough to attract the ire of nearly every casino in New Vegas: The White Glove Society seethes when the sole survivor points out that his Revolutionary War outfit technically meets the dress code, the Omertas howl when he starts encouraging the strippers and sex workers to band together and take over the casino, and the Vault 21 dwellers keep asking if he's liable to turn feral. The Chairmen, however, treat him as something of a novelty and gift him with a seersucker suit to go with his jaunty personality.

MacCready: "You know, I played cards with a guy from out here once. He tried to teach me a game called... what was it, Candyman? Kilogram?"

MacCready has the barest smattering of knowledge about the Mojave Wasteland, and he keeps injecting it into conversations no matter how inaccurate it is. He's fascinated with the sole survivor's recollections of what Vegas was like before the Great War, and his expectations are sky-high by the time they arrive on the city's outskirts. Those expectations are absolutely met once inside the Strip, even if the sole survivor's are let down. MacCready is just tickled by the existence of a city that is solely dedicated to parting you from your caps, and he settles into each new business for the express purpose of people-watching. He only tries gambling once, and immediately quits after he loses all of his pocket change.

Valentine: "Good old Las Vegas. Somehow, I'm not surprised it's still got a reputation as 'Sin City,' even this long after the bombs."

The Nick Valentine of old never visited Las Vegas, but he certainly knew about it well enough for the Nick Valentine of today to draw on those impressions. He's extra-wary about the city as a result, an attitude not helped by the many people staring at him because of his detective getup, jagged edges and golden eyes. Some people are polite enough to walk up and ask what he is: Others offer to buy him off the sole survivor directly, much to Nick's chagrin. When James Garret offers him a thousand caps for "one night of his services," Nick puts his foot down and starts glaring at everyone who so much as walks up to him and the sole survivor during their trip. The exceptions to this rule are Veronica, who is extremely polite and non-invasive with her questioning; Arcade, who is too polite to even mention Nick's synthetic state; and Raul, who finds the whole thing hilarious but admits that his ghoul status has landed him in some similar situations.

Piper: "I've heard plenty of stories about this place, and if even a quarter of them are true, I ought to get a good travel piece out of just about anyone we pass on the street."

Piper's on a mission to track down the history of New Vegas, which, like Curie, sends her on a path toward its biggest political figures. Aside from them, she's particularly interested in the services of the Mojave, like the Gun Runners, the Crimson Caravan Company, and especially the Mojave Express. Piper gets along swell with just about everyone, and she basks in the widespread acceptance that she lacks back home due to her chosen profession. She desperately tries to get Johnson Nash to ship a case of Sunset Sarsaparilla cross-continent for her, but he gently turns her down and tells her that the only courier he knows crazy enough to undertake a trip to the Commonwealth is too busy nowadays.

Preston: "They're not too friendly to outsiders here, or so I'm told, but there are always good folks to be found if you know where to look."

Preston, true to form, offers help to every little settlement he and the sole survivor come through on their journey, which delays their path to Vegas quite a bit. He makes a beeline for the Old Mormon Fort as soon as he hears the Followers of the Apocalypse have a base there, though, and spends most of his visit picking the brain of its leaders about the best ways to aid those in need in the wasteland. He and Arcade get into some spirited debates about the pros and cons of having a civil service force focused on military matters versus civilian matters, and the Minutemen leader leaves the Mojave with a lot of new ideas to carry home to the Commonwealth.

Strong: "Strong not looking for 'good time,' puny human. Strong looking for thing that make super mutants stronger."

Strong hates New Vegas, but that's nothing unexpected. The sole survivor tries to limit their time in the city and take him around the desert to locales where super mutants are more likely to be found, which brings them to Jacobstown. Surprise surprise, Strong hates Jacobstown - at first. Little by little, through talking with Lily, the other nightkin, and Marcus, Strong starts to realize that the super mutants of the town are doing exactly what he values and sharing their resources among each other for the good of the community, just minus the usual violence associated with super mutants. He struggles with this alternative way of life for a bit, but eventually comes to accept that to be a super mutant, you don't have to constantly attack those around you to show off your strength.

X6-88: "Be careful. The Institute's records about this area indicate high levels of theft, murder, and unsavory characters. It would be best to keep our guard up."

Like Nick, X6-88 greets everyone in the Mojave with open suspicion, and can hardly be convinced to leave the sole survivor's side for their entire journey. His dedication to this task leads those around him to joke about him being "a human Securitron," which the sole survivor finds amusing: X6-88 does not. Still, the ability to hire and maintain a professional-looking bodyguard while visiting New Vegas doesn't go unnoticed, and most people assume that means the sole survivor has a lot of money to spend or be separated from by force. Criminals are more likely to be ruthless, hell-bent on stealing the loads of caps the sole survivor surely has tucked away. Business owners, on the other hand, are more polite to the pair on their travels, giving them better service and goods that ingratiate X6-88 a bit more to the common people aboveground.

BONUS!

Ada: "Jackson brought us out here once, when Zoe decided she wanted to try acquiring a Securitron. The leader of the Strip turned us down."

While Deacon is playing coy about his experience in the Mojave, Ada is completely open about hers. She hasn't been to the Strip, the dam, or any of the Mojave's "fun" destinations, but she remembers the Crimson Caravan Company headquarters, the 188 trading post, and many of the small towns along the way. Her fondest memories are of scavenging around the ruins of the REPCONN test site, the Aerotech Office Park and HELIOS One. She also recalls that her caravan friends came to visit primarily to find a Securitron to take apart and repurpose, but won't say exactly what happened when they tried to do so, other than warn the sole survivor "not to invite the wrath of the House."

Gage: "Now this is a town that knows how to run a successful racket. We need to find out who's in charge, see if they can give us some tips."

Porter Gage walks right up the steps of the Lucky 38 as soon as he finds out that someone inside is running the Strip, and demands that the Securitrons let him in to "talk to the boss." The robots aren't impressed, of course, and toss him out straightaway. Gage, not one to be discouraged easily, tries to find information among the nearby raider gangs instead: Fiends, Vipers, Jackals or Great Khans, he's not too picky. The current state of the raiders in the Mojave quickly informs him that they're failing one by one against the power of New Vegas, and he renews his efforts to find the recipient of the endless streams of caps. Thwarted at every turn, he and the sole survivor retire to Gomorrah, where they bemoan their bad luck while the courier sits a few seats down from them, listening in and smirking.

Longfellow: "Just point me to the nearest saloon. If I can't cool down, I'll try to forget I'm hot."

Longfellow parks himself at the nearest watering hole and does his best to avoid the scorching Mojave heat. The Maine-born grandpa is pretty miserable during the daytime hours unless he's sitting in front of a fan with a cold beer, swapping stories about Far Harbor critters with the bar regulars. At night he's a bit more open to adventuring with the sole survivor, when the desert cools down and he can see the sights by moonlight. Although he's not a fan of the hustle and bustle of the Strip, most of the large casinos there have air conditioning thanks to the Lucky 38, so he claims a table in the back and glares at anyone who disturbs him and his drink. He gets along with most of the New Vegas crowd though, if they agree to pick up the tab.

Maxson: "We came this way, when the Elders sent me to the East Coast. I wonder if the chapter here is still persevering."

Elder Maxson is surprisingly reluctant to visit the two things that the sole survivor would've thought he'd be interested to see in the Mojave: The Strip, or the Hidden Valley bunker. If pressed, he'll admit that he's not the type to cut loose and gamble, drink or participate in general debauchery as a result of his upbringing and position of authority, but neither is he keen to drop in on the dying Western chapters of his order and become stifled by protocol and ass-kissing. He prefers to wander the desert itself, seeking solitude among the cacti and under the stars. Given the chance, he'd probably nip off to Quarry Junction and anonymously solve the NCR's deathclaw problem, if it hasn't already been taken care of. He refuses to wear his uniform for the entire trip.

Desdemona: "The Mojave probably wouldn't know what to make of our mission, which is how you know it's a good place to hide. I wonder if any of our rescued synths made it out this far."

This is by far the most relaxed the sole survivor has ever seen Desdemona, and why wouldn't it be? She's so far removed from her usual sphere that she drops her usual, tight-knit demeanor and embraces loosening up. She's still not talking openly about the Railroad's operations, but she is more likely to answer questions both personal and professional. Like Deacon, she knows a bit about the Mojave, but not so much that she can blend in completely. Instead, she embraces being a tourist and does all the usual things that go with it: Visiting the Strip, the Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters, the Thorn, and especially Hoover Dam. When she's looking out over Lake Mead, with the sun getting caught in her hair as it sets on her left, she almost looks happy.

[catnipster69]

Supernatural 6.01 Exile on Main St. Rewatch

The first episode after the late, great Kripke era is…pretty great. We know that Sam is somehow still alive at the end of season 5, but we wait and wait for him to show up in this episode. Instead, we watch Dean going through the motions of regular, apple pie life. First, he wakes up before the alarm goes off with the following expression:

We then get an amazing montage of Dean’s day making breakfast for his new family, driving his truck, and working construction, interspersed with his former life with his old family, Sam. And it is heartbreaking. Heartbreaking is what this show does.

Yup.

Red herring new neighbor is super nosy. I snarked when neighbor douche wondered aloud how Dean got all the chicks when the waitress strokes Dean’s arm and gives him her number (“Have you seen his face?!”).

Dean is still vigilant about monsters, because Duh. Something strange is going on in his neighborhood. Eventually, he is confronted by Yellow Eyes in his own garage! Dean’s reaction is pure disbelief, and he doesn’t put up much of a fight while Yellow Eyes spews verbal poison at him. Finally, finally, Sam shows up to save Dean, and he stabs Dean in the chest with a syringe??

When Dean wakes up, he’s in an abandoned house (ah, just like old times), and Sam is sitting there watching him with a subtle smirk.

Since I’ve seen this before, I know exactly what is wrong with Sam (spoiler: he’s soulless!). So I just want to punch him in the face continually. Souled Sam’s expression and attitude are so different from Soulless Sam’s. Good job Jared on the acting choices here. It’s like a toned down Sam!Lucifer. Apparently walking around vaguely evil gives you smug face. Oh, yeah: the plot. Ends up the syringe was the antidote to actual poison and not just verbal poison. 

We get to meet the completely dickish Campbells: Sam has no soul, but what’s their excuse? (Well, later we find out one of them is actually a Demon, but apparently no one noticed any change in personality.)

Special mention of Dean’s “apple pie” wardrobe. His shirt is tucked in! Buttoned up!

Dean is on his back foot for the rest of the episode. Good job Jensen on his acting choices here. His distress is palpable. Ends up, Sam has been back from Hell for the whole year since Swan Song happened! But no one bothered to tell Dean, to put him out of his misery, as he says. I also want to punch Bobby in the face for keeping this secret; Sam has no soul, but again, what’s Bobby’s excuse? He shows a lack of emotional intelligence.

Blah blah blah plot involving vengeful Djinns (it was the waitress, not the douche neighbor, RIP!). Lisa and Ben shelter at Bobby’s, and Dean tries to break up with Lisa, but she doesn’t want to give up Dean’s cock company. Fight scene, hallucinations, Sam saves Dean again. The Campbells prove to be “up to no good” because they capture a Djinn for some nefarious purpose.

The terrible vibes from Sam (and the Campbells) have gotten to Dean, and he decides to stay with Lisa to protect her and Ben. That final Djinn hallucination where Lisa burns on the ceiling might have contributed to this decision as well.

Sam is mildly disappointed. Dean reverently offers Sam the keys to Baby, and Sam—Dean sputters, is incredulous—Sam declines. He has his car set up how he likes. Heartbreaking Agonizing!

Sam’s plastic car. The fate of this car is a later delight.

[solarstellarstar]

OC Info★

Thanks for tagging me @mukami-kuron-mrsadisticcat :> This was super fun to fill out and I may have even revealed so much information about Solar that not a lot of people know about yet. Tagging~ @secondherrscher (note that I have skipped some questions, you can get the original template from Kuron)

(A. Appearance)

The shape of their eyes? Length/style of Lashes?

Solar has round eyes and she even has aegyo sal. However, she commonly has dark eye bags due to lack of sleep but she can just cover those up with concealer. Her eyelashes are between a short to average length. She curls them often and adds mascara :p

2. Any piercing? How many?

Her ears aren't actually pierced and she uses clip-on earrings. For the time being, she doesn't want that to change.

3. Hair colour? Was it dyed before?

Hair colour is between a very dark brown and black. She attempted to dye one side of her hair purple herself but she eventually gave up seeing how difficult it was.

4. Describe casual outlook/outfit 

A black dress with puffy sleeves that has laced borders + a cardigan of either purple or brown colour. And we can't forget heels. Solar will wear heels casually.

5. Any physical uniqueness?

Permanent bruising and a scar high up on her right outer thigh but she just covers it up with stockings or makeup. If someone were to notice it, she would claim it was from an accident during early training days.

6. Are they confident with their looks?

Typically, she's prideful and confident about looking cute as peers often assure her. But she can be shaken by accusations and insults such as, "plastic surgery monster" from haters or antis.

7. What kind of expression do they usually wear?

A smile with joy in her eyes. But if you looked closer, her eyes show signs of exhaustion and fatigue.

(B. Bout them)

Height? Age? Occupation?

Claims to be either 179cm or 167cm. Neither is true. She is naturally 160cm

Seventeen years old, the second year in high school

Idol-in-training aka idol trainee

2. How would you describe your OC's personality?

Seemingly childish, bubbly and a little outspoken. But in reality, Solar can be extremely envious and clingy as she clings to the small hints of good relationships with people who don't actually treat her right.

According to Hiromi, Solar has changed over the years due to Lunar's harsh and cruel treatment. Apparently, Solar is now pugnacious and quick-tempered due to what happened over the years.

3. Three hidden knowledge or secrets about them.

Hmm... do I spill? 🤔

Nah, not now.

Just kidding I came to expose

Has a major crush on you-know-who (this is probably already common knowledge)

Has been envious and resentful toward Lunar all her life

Her first occurrence with the supernatural was when she visited the Kanemoto manor as a kid. She wandered into an out-of-bounds room and came across a human that had been enslaved for blood purposes. She agreed to help them escape but they betrayed her last second and small Setsuna chased them and accidentally caused them to topple down the stairs. At that moment, she believed she just murdered a person. Present-day Solar does not remember any of this.

4. Talk about their room design

A basic small room with a bed, wardrobe and bookshelves full of albums and fan merch of different music albums. There also are different posters of her favourite idol groups above her bed, one special photo with Lunar hung on the wall and if Solar's shoe boxes can't fit in the wardrobe she'll just stuff them under her bed.

5. Do they have someone that they like?

This is basic trivia at this point. *COUGHS AGGRESSIVELY*

6. Do they have someone that they worship?

Lunar.

7. What are they skilled in; What are they not skilled in doing? 

Other than singing and dancing, she is pretty skilled in hair styling. But she cannot paint or draw at all.

(C. Community)

Do they have many friends? 

Two best friends that she considers the closest are Lunar and Hiromi. All the other friends haven't been "approved" by Lunar but Solar doesn't care at this point.

2. How do they behave towards friends? How do they behave towards strangers?

General friends will get the occasional hug every now and then. Solar may trust them enough to seek comfort or solace from them when upset.

For strangers, she wants to put up a good first impression. She'll be sociable or friendly, but one bad impression can take all of that away completely.

3. How do they behave towards closer friends?

If it meant it would save their friendship, Solar would do whatever it takes to save that friendship. Losing them would be the end of the world. She depends on them. She cannot carry on without them.

4. How do they behave towards their best friend(s)?

Basically same as above.

5. How do they behave towards the ones older than them? 

Usually extremely polite and a little shy. But as time goes on, she may eventually treat them the same as someone that is the same age as her (how is this girl not embarrassed?)

6. Do they like hanging out outdoors?

In a sociable setting, yes. But if it meant she had to stand around outside alone, she wouldn't like that very much.

7. Do they prefer to be alone or with a group of friends?

Ideally, she wants to be around her two close friends all the time but there are those moments when she just wants to walk away from it all: referring to her so-called fans that dig their cakey fingers into her private life.

(D. Diet)

Do they prefer eating rice or noodles?

Not really a preference but she eats noodles more than rice as she doesn't know how to cook rice at home. (Setsuna your parents have failed you)

2. Do they like soft drinks?

Yup! Although she only drinks them around 3 times a month she regularly drinks energy drinks to keep her awake.

3. What are their most hated food; What are their favourite food?

Almonds and purin. Moving on.

4. Are they picky in terms of meals?

She'll take whatever she is given out of respect for the person giving it- but she refuses to eat birthday cakes.

5. Do they prefer sweet or salty food? 

Sweet stuff all the way!

[whatifxwereyou]

The Oncoming Storm Part 21: Huangshan

Liu Kang x Reader and Kung Lao x Reader (gonna do both, two paths!)

Listen, I am giving myself whiplash with how much I keep wildly swinging between whether I prefer Liu or Lao LOL. Hope you guys are having just as much fun! I missed Liu. Lawd, did I miss him. Also I did not intend for it to take this long to get to the CHOICE. It's coming after the part with Liu and some plot stuff that has to happen to trigger it! Also, I miss Chen, so she'll be back after Huangshan. ALSO have you looked at pictures of this place?? SO PRETTY!! Much love, hope you are all well. <3 Thank you for the love as always. I appreciate you so much.

Next Update on Saturday. New story on Sunday!!

Part 20 Part 22 Chapter Index

Kung Lao was a bruised, bloodied, and pale mess the next morning and much of your spare moments were spent tending to wounds and trying to get him to sit for a damn minute. He fought you at every second, as if taking care of himself would somehow make it worse.

The morning dragged on, and you were grateful to check out and make your way to the roof. Kung Lao closed his eyes, praying, and lightning struck the roof for you to travel through. It was still weird and a little beyond belief, but you’d fought a monster last night, so you had to suspend your inner skeptic and go with the flow. You handed over the carefully wrapped bell which Raiden set behind him on a pedestal that had been added since you left.

He thanked you for your duty and you offered Kung Lao a hug and tried to convince him, again, to take care of himself. He insisted he was fine, of course, but also wished you good luck. You wasted no time. Raiden summoned his magic lightning again, offered you a neatly written note from Liu, and then you were alone.

The weather in Huangshan was gloomy, just the way you liked it. The sky was gray and rumbling with thunder, the slightest hint of sun peeking through to offer warmth between the gaps in the clouds. You unfolded the note as you walked along the tourist filled streets. He’d even started the note with niceties. Oh, Liu. He hoped you were well, he found you a place to stay and took some liberties that he hoped you were okay with. He also left you a time and place to meet him. It was the lobby of the hotel that he had booked for the occasion.

You were early and it felt nice to be alone. Your nerves were shot from the lack of sleep the night before and from Kung Lao’s… everything. A walk alone would do you some good. The small town halfway up the mountain was geared toward tourists. Hotels, boutiques, restaurants, and the like.

You’d missed China. Japan had been beautiful but this was home.

You stopped a man who looked confident in his way around town and asked him for directions to the hotel that Liu had written about. You bowed politely as he pointed you in the right direction. As you turned the corner, you heard a choir of angels in your head. Clothing stores. Real clothing stores. This was how you were going to blow the rest of your money.

You spent the rest of your alone time shopping and afterward you were proud to say you’d had enough clothing for an actual wardrobe. Different kinds of shoes, cute and practical, underthings, things to wear to bed, casual things, dressy things. Things you never would have allowed yourself to spend money on before. Money didn’t seem to matter as much as it had before all this. Then you’d bought a little bag to pack it all in and shoved it away. You’d got some other necessities too, things that had seemed everyday basics had become luxuries.

You’d changed after purchasing your clothing and jeans and a t-shirt had never felt so good. Even though you’d bought a bunch of new things you decided to keep the hanfu and gi that you had been gifted. You liked them well enough. It was the lack of choice that had bothered you.

The Huangshan Yeechoi hotel was more modern than the one in Japan had been and much tidier. You felt out of place, but no one gave you a second glance, so you were grateful. It wasn’t that it was fancy, just that it was different than you had expected. There had been no room number in the note Liu had left you, just instructions to meet him in the lobby.

Thankfully, Liu Kang came from the stairwell moments after you arrived. You’d been just about to ask the clerk behind the desk for his room number and so instead you dismissed the clerk and walked to join Liu. He’d gotten new clothes too! How nice. Not much different from what he usually wore but it was novel to see him in something other than the three gi that he rotated daily. It was mostly black, except for the red sash around the middle, a different shade of red than usual, and the sleeves looked like they had been torn off- as if he had been terribly angry that they existed. There was a subtle pattern stitched in white on the side of the gi. It looked to you like an abstract dragon, but you didn’t linger long on it. As always, his prayer beads were wrapped around his wrist.

He greeted you with a smile and stopped just before you with a respectful bow. “It’s good to see you, Y/N.” His smile faded quickly as he stood upright, and you averted your eyes immediately. Bruises. There were bruises and you knew he was going to hate it. You’d briefly forgotten about them with all the other craziness.

“Good to see you too, Liu!” You tried to save face, but it was too late.

“Japan must have been something.” He furrowed his brow with concern and tilted your chin up to get a better look at your neck. Your face was instantly red. “Are you okay?” That had been the worst of it, but you’d barely had time to think of it that morning because Kung Lao had been so much worse off than you were. You should have worn a scarf. Damnit. It looked bad when you thought about it. Like you were either being abused or had a very specific kink.

“It was an adventure but I’m fine. I promise. It’s obviously sore and bruised but I feel great otherwise.” You were tired, so that was an exaggeration, but it felt good to have accomplished something and to be out of the temple. He continued to examine the bruise as if he didn’t believe you, so you swiped his hand from your chin, gave it a squeeze and then set it down. His disbelief faded and his smile returned. Your nerves about your connection, your friendship, returned screaming into your brain.

“You brought a bag?” He gestured behind you. You realized that probably seemed funny since you had no intention of staying for too long.

“…yes.”

“Well, the woman at the front desk will make sure it gets to our room. We have plenty to do.” Liu rested his hand on the middle of your back and guided you to the front desk. You spoke to the clerk there. She was incredibly accommodating. Liu offered her your room information and you handed over the bag. Then you went on your way. He led you from the lobby of the hotel and walked slowly through the streets of the tourist town. “Tell me about Japan.”

Boy, there was a lot to say about Japan, but you figured he probably meant the artifact and how you’d fared.

“There was a monster which I didn’t think existed so, processing that.” You were surprised to hear Liu Kang laugh. You’d had a lot to process that had been otherwise beyond belief. “It was protecting a dotaku which I now know is a decorative bell used in rituals during ancient times. The monster was very grabby.” You gestured to your neck. At least it hadn’t left a bruise when it had backhanded you across the room. The last thing you needed was people looking at you like you were in an abusive relationship. At least the neck thing could be explained away for the most part.

“Tell me about the monster.”

“Monster is maybe not the right word for it uh… okay, never mind, it’s the only word for it. It was made from tar and stunk to high heaven, and it was huge.” You jumped so you could reach the height of the monster, which was higher than your jump, but Liu would get the point. He was an excellent listener.

“How did Kung Lao handle that?”

“Oh, you know, like Kung Lao does.”

“Chaotically?” Liu chuckled.

“I’ve never seen one man thrown through so many doors.” You drifted off and he laughed again. The sound of his laughter was sweet, not as hearty as Lao’s but more under his breath and twisting his face into the cutest smile. You’d made Kung Lao out of ink to protect you. That seemed important but you hadn’t processed it yet, really. Your brain was buffering.

“Really though, is he okay?”

“Much worse off than I was because of all the doors and walls but I took care of him the best he would allow. I’m hoping he’ll actually keep his promise to go to the infirmary.”

“Raiden will make sure he does.” Liu reassured you. “Trust me, this won’t be the first time he has to be dragged there. Or likely the last.” He stopped, looked you over and then continued, purposely avoiding eye contact. “Was he on his best behavior?”

“Is he so often in trouble that I should have been that worried?”

“Kung Lao doesn’t like to listen to directions, and he was with you and I know how he is so…” He glanced at you curiously again and you laughed in disbelief. Liu Kang was fishing for information! Interesting. Now that you knew they gossiped about you, you wondered what exactly the gossip consisted of. They were up to something, and you were going to get to the bottom of it. Maybe you had spent too much time with Kung Lao. Liu Kang had always been honest with you, you thought, and now you were suspicious of every word. “He has a track record for trouble, that’s all. I just wanted to make sure he didn’t give you a hard time.”

“If you have something to ask me, Liu, then you should just ask me instead of this little word dance you’re doing. Are you feeling me out for information and what about?”

“I say what I mean, Y/N.” Liu knit his brow in confusion but still smiled at you. You sighed because that didn’t seem right. Something was off. He could be frustrating too sometimes, you supposed. He had a way of saying things without saying what he meant to say and leaving you guessing at what he had meant. You’d had so many close calls between you now romantically. At least four that you could think of offhand that had nearly killed you. But then it was like nothing had happened. You didn’t talk about it. There was no follow through. If he said what he meant to say, then what did saying nothing mean?

That hurt.

And they’d gossiped about you. Kung Lao and Liu Kang had in some way gossiped about you. You clenched your jaw in frustration. You didn’t have time for this. You had work to do.

“We can talk about it later.” You decided. “Have you figured out anything about where we should go?” That had been the reason he’d gone early you’d been told but you had no idea what was true and what wasn’t anymore. Your head was mixed up and your brain was buzzing.

“Yes. One of the areas from your vision is called the Seas of Cloud. Raiden mentioned that you saw images of deceased emperors, so I was looking into that too.”

“It was in quick flashes. I didn’t understand what they were at first.”

“There are tales about this place and the yellow emperor after which it is named. He used the waters of the springs here to gain eternal life in these stories.”

“Is that your way of saying that you think the springs might be related?”

“Anything is possible, but I figured it was worth looking into. There were springs in your vision too if I recall.”

“Yeah. I saw a bunch of dead emperors and a spring, but it wasn’t… it was different than I expect the ones here to be? It was in a cavern. It felt secret.” You admired the gray sky but still felt tense all over. You had to breathe and let it go but the more you tried the more frustrated you became. “So, we’re narrowing it down to the springs and the Cloud Sea?”

“Yes. We aren’t too far from either of them but it’s still an endeavor to explore. Yet, it is less than the whole of Huangshan.”

“Probably somewhere between if I had to guess. I followed him in my vision through the mountains up to the clouds and into this cavern that had a spring inside it. Oh! Do they have maps of the mountain? Sometimes with places like this they will list caves on the little brochure to explore.”

“I thought of that. Regrettably, the caves are not mapped out and most are off limits without a tour guide.”

“What if we told them that we lived in a cave. Do you think that would help or cast aspersions?” You considered. There you were, trying to defer your frustration and inner struggle with sarcasm again. Liu chuckled.

“Probably the latter. We know what we’re looking for at least and it shouldn’t take terribly long to hike the area. If we don’t find it then we can start to worry.”

“I have a feeling that it’s secret. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to find. Maybe we should try to feel around for information instead of wandering blind?” You stopped walking, trying to take things more seriously. That was hard.

“I suppose that we can play tourist. We’ll stop at the springs and ask an attendant if they know anything about a secret or hidden spring in the caves.” Liu suggested. At least it was a better lie than fake date.

“Fine.” You said flatly and were annoyed with yourself almost immediately. This would be so much easier if your visions weren’t all over the place and fuzzy.

“You seem irritated.”

“Oh?” You bounced on your heels and shook it off. You were sulking. You had to cut it out. “No. I’m sorry, Liu. I didn’t mean to come off that way.”

“Are you sure, Y/N? Because you seem… annoyed and that’s not like you. If I’ve done something to offend you then we should discuss it.”

Oh no. He was good at confrontation. Damnit. “No, you didn’t do anything like that, Liu.” He had but not on purpose, you were sure. You were just touchy after the day before and overthinking. You had to stomp out that inner voice, but it was so loud. Your anxiety hadn’t been this bad since you were a kid. “I’m annoyed with myself. I’m sorry it’s coming out at you. It’s not intentional.”

“Y/N, you…”

“Don’t tell me not to be annoyed with myself, please. If I could navigate these visions in a way that made sense, then we wouldn’t be so lost on where to look and having to spin ridiculous tales and theories of where to go and what we might find. I could just lead us there and that would be that. And if my brain would just calm down, I wouldn’t be so annoyed. It’s a perpetual cycle.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself. Besides, I don’t mind spending a day or two in Huangshan with you, Y/N. It’s a nice change of pace from Raiden’s Temple.” He smiled sympathetically.

“It’s just like you to put a positive spin on everything.” You scoffed.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing!”

“No!” You huffed defensively and then pouted. “I’m coming off grumpy, aren’t I?”

“You are.” He smiled, but amusement danced in his eyes. He thought that your frustration was either funny or cute. You supposed you were grateful for that.

“I don’t mean to. I’ve got a lot on my mind. I’m surprisingly sore from the whole monster thing too so there’s that.” You rubbed nervously at your neck.

“That is a pretty bad bruise, Y/N.” He tilted your chin up again and you grabbed his hand and pushed it away.

“I really should have worn a scarf so you wouldn’t keep pointing it out.”

He laughed and led you through town and along the path that went to the springs. Liu had picked the perfect location for you to begin your search. It was a short walk from your hotel. There were buses that offered transport, but it seemed such a short walk that it was likely for those who were elderly or drunk.

“This is a popular tourist spot. It was difficult to get a room. I don’t usually stay in places like that, but it was the only vacancy that would accommodate us both and be close enough to where we needed to look. I figured that we didn’t know how long it would take us so the luxury would be a nice break.”

“Makes sense.” Why was he trying to justify his selection to you? You liked the hotel. It was nice.

“Grumpy,” he whispered, leaning close on one foot with his hands clasped behind his back.

“I’m trying so hard, Liu.”

You reached the gate to the springs. You couldn’t see the water beyond it, but you could hear people within, and you could feel the steam and heat even from outside. There was a large building with two doors separated by male and female for changing. In front of that was a booth where a young man sat reading a magazine and looking extremely bored.

“Should I meet you inside? We can see if anyone knows anything?”

“Or we could try the attendant first.”

“Him? He’s a distracted kid who has no interest in our questions, Liu. Look at him.” You nodded discreetly toward the young man. He was likely in his early twenties and doing this just for a paycheck by the look of him.

“Yes, but you’re well… you.” He gestured to you, and you looked down at yourself, brow furrowed in confusion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You laughed in disbelief.

“You know what it means.” He turned his gaze away from you, hiding his smile but you saw his cheeks turn pink just enough. As quickly as you had noticed it, it had passed. “Now, go be charming and ask that kid about a private spring in a cavern closer to the Seas of Cloud.” He grasped your shoulders gently and turned you toward the booth then gave you a gentle nudge forward. You stuttered on your words and stared forward in complete awe. What the fuck?

Fine. You’d try but he was biased, at the very least. You weren’t built for this kind of thing. You’d always been awkward and terrible at flirting. Gah, you were blushing now too. This was the worst. Okay, deep breaths. You could do this. You didn’t have to be flirty or cute. You could just ask the question. Liu waited behind you, but you didn’t think he was far enough away to be as subtle as he thought he was being.

“Excuse me,” you began politely.

“Just you? Or your friend too?” The attendant didn’t bother looking up at you from the magazine that he was reading.

“I have a question for you, actually.”

“I’ll try to help if I can. Go ahead.” He closed his magazine and finally looked up at you, looked you over, and then was still clearly disinterested. He was working. You knew he would be!

“I heard some stories that there’s a spring in a cavern offsite. Further up the mountain and closer to the Seas of Cloud. I think that it’s considered private. Maybe even off-limits. I was curious if you knew anything about it.” You did your best to sound curious and charming, but you had no idea how it actually came off since you’d been so damn grumpy. The attendant looked from you and then peered around you to Liu. He closed his magazine, folded his hands, sighed heavily, and gave you a knowing look. Oh no, he’d immediately misinterpreted your intentions.

“Look, I’m going to be honest with you.”

That was a bad start.

“Oh, I think you maybe…”

“I’m just filling in for my sister today. I needed the extra cash, and she has a date this afternoon.”

You laughed nervously and looked back to Liu since that was where the attendant kept looking suspiciously. “I think that you misinterpreted my intentions. This doesn’t have anything to do with him. I just had heard a story and was curious. A private spring sounds really beautiful.” You were the world’s worst liar. You couldn’t even come up with an excuse other than you thought it might be pretty.

“Yeah. Sure.”

“Do you not know then?” You were grumpy again. Damn.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but I can’t help you.”

You were flustered beyond recovery now. He had misinterpreted your desire to see a secret spring and the only thing you could think to do was stutter that he had done so. Then Liu was standing behind you, one hand on your back, the other on the counter.

“Is there a problem?” Liu sounded curious and offered a smile, but the attendant rolled his head back and groaned.

“I am not making enough money today to deal with this.”

Liu straightened his posture in surprise and looked to you for further explanation. At least you weren’t the only one flustered. That made you feel a bit better. You turned toward him and he placed his hand on your arm gently. That was probably not helping your case, but it felt nice. “I asked him about an off-limits spring closer to the Seas of Cloud and now he seems to have confused my desire to see this beautiful spring with something…” You stuttered in a frustrated whisper and couldn’t seem to find the word, the obvious word. Instead, you smooshed your hands together in front of you.

“Oh?” Liu tried to interpret your hand motion and then laughed in realization. “Oh. Intimate.”

“That’s it.” You pointed at him. “That’s the word.”

Liu let go of your arm and leaned against the counter with a sigh. “How much would it take for you to give us an answer?” You snapped your head back to Liu so fast you nearly gave yourself whiplash.

“Look, dude, I don’t even work here usually and…”

Liu Kang placed some yuan on the counter and you stared at it in horror, mouth hanging open. Then you had to close your mouth tight to keep from bursting into hysterics. Your eyes were burning, trying not to cry with tears of laughter. Liu Kang was bribing a stranger to give you directions to a romantic hot spring instead of just explaining himself. Of all the possible outcomes you had expected this was the funniest one.

“Whoa, man… look I…” The attendant stared at the money on the counter and Liu tapped the bills before sliding them toward him. You were dying. This was where you died. RIP. Tears. You blinked them away. Your cheeks hurt from keeping it together. This was amazing. “If you take the main path up it branches about an hour in. Take the left fork and then walk for a bit. As you get close to the Seas of Cloud there’s a few caves. One of them has a spring in it but it’s hard to find with all the trees and not exactly safe. Gives me the creeps. That’s all I got.” He scooped up the bills. “Have fun man and if you get caught it wasn’t me who told you.”

“Thank you.” Liu bowed his head politely and then, hand on your back, led you away from the booth. You started up the hiking trail that had been pointed out to you and then you burst into hysterical laughter, practically hyperventilating from having held it in for so long. Liu pulled his hand back and stared at you with some concern as if he didn’t understand why this was hilarious.

“Y/N, are you okay?” He gently brushed his hand over your shoulder.

“What the hell was that?”

“Oh. I guess it was funny. He was going to think whatever he was going to think, Y/N. Sometimes we have to use other resources to get what we need.”

“Oh my god, does that mean you bribe people often? I didn’t expect this. I’m sorry. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for how funny that would be.”

“Only when they’re more convinced by money than words, Y/N.”

You took deep breaths to get yourself together and cleared your throat.

“How very Zen of you.”

“Come on, now.” He chuckled and placed his hand again at your back to lead you along the path that would start your hike. “We have private springs to find.”

“This day keeps getting weirder by the second.” You blinked away the remaining tears from your fit of laughter.

“Was it really that funny?”

“Liu. My stomach hurts from laughing.”

He shook his head with a smile as you continued on your way.

[dwellordream]

“...First, let’s talk about materials. We can rule out a Steppe Nomad inspiration for any of this right off. The Eurasian Steppe is very large and covers a range of arid climates (that is to say, parts of it are colder, parts of it are warmer), but they all have spinning and weaving technology, by which the supple hairs of woolly animals, or plant fibers like linen, or cotton, or even natural protein fibers like silk can be fashioned into fabric which is more flexible, comfortable, breathable and temperature controlled than the raw leather we see in the show.

...there is a distinct lack here of lots of leather, except in the sort of things that lots of cultures use leather for (boots, fittings, saddles, bags, tents). Instead, clothing is mostly made out of nice, comfortable, breathable textiles, because of course it is. That is not to say, to be clear, that leather or hides or fur were never used – fur especially was used; merely that they were generally used to supplement clothing primarily made out of textile.

...Now Plains Native American clothing does make much greater use of animal skin as a clothing material, but there is an important distinction to be made here. The problem here is with the plasticity of the term ‘leather’ which can technically include a wide range of products, but in practice is understood to mean exactly what the Game of Thrones costume department and literally every piece of official artwork of the Dothraki understand it to mean, which is the product of tanning processes.

I am not an expert, but as far as I can tell, Native American clothing was not made in the same way; animal products were used in a process I have seen described as ‘brain tanning’ (rather than using chemical tannins) and the final product was then smoked. The result – which is often called ‘buckskin’ regardless of the animal source for the hide – is very different from the leather we see in the show.

This is, in terms of material, very clearly not what the ‘vests’ the Dothraki in the show are wearing. Buckskin would also be used to make trousers, as opposed to the “horsehair leggings” of Martin’s wording, which also strike me as deeply improbable. Haircloth – fabric made from horsehair (or camel hair) – is durable, but typically stiff, unsupple and terribly itchy; not something you want in direct contact with your skin (especially not between your rear end and a saddle), unless you just really like skin irritation. It is also a difficult material to get in any kind of significant quantity – and you would need a significant quantity if you intended to make most of your trousers out of it.

...Well that’s for materials, what about patterns? Once again, we can quite easily rule out anything steppe inspired. Again, the Eurasian Steppe is big and has lots of variety, but relatively long robes are generally the norm in terms of dress; where long robes were not worn (see our Scythian above), the common pattern was heavy sleeved garments and trousers with very complete coverage. A common example of the type of long robe-like garments is the Mongolian deel, a long sleeved robe or tunic which provides a lot of protection against the elements. In the case of elites – and Daenerys is, initially, mostly around elites – these could be made of expensive silk or brocade – but poorer versions might be made of wool.

...And there is good reason for these relatively high-coverage garments. Plains or Steppe peoples naturally tend to live on, well, plains and steppes – that is large expanses of semi-arid grasslands. The very nature of that terrain configuration produces fairly extreme seasonal temperature variations (that is, very hot summers and very cold winters) as well as extreme daily temperature variations (that is, hot days and cold nights) because such places are far from large bodies of water and also don’t have tree-cover, both of which serve to moderate rapid temperature changes.

Consequently, as anyone who has lived in a plains state in the USA (or on the Eurasian Steppe, though that is fewer of my readers, but for my brave handful of hits from that part of the world, hello and welcome!) can tell you, you need clothes that can be layered and which can be both warm in the winter and cool in the summer. For us moderns, we mostly do this by owning multiple season-specific wardrobes, but clothing is expensive in pre-modern societies, so multi-purpose garments, or garments that be layered, to turn a warm-weather outfit into a cold-weather outfit are important!

There’s no reason to suppose the Dothraki Sea would be any different: it sits at about the same latitude as King’s Landing so there is little reason to assume it would be warm all-year-round. Parts of the Eurasian Steppe stretch decently far south, sharing a latitude with northern Italy and Spain; nevertheless they do not enjoy the same Mediterranean climate because they don’t have the same exposure to the weather patterns created by the sea. The southern end of the Great Plains stretches down all the way into Texas, but still gets properly cold in the winter with temperatures regularly dipping below freezing in the winter despite the latitude. For a people who are camping and working outside all of the time, warm clothing is going to be a must.

...There is tremendous variety here, but I don’t think any of it could be aptly described simply as “Men and women alike wore painted leather vests over bare chests and horsehair leggings.” Now, if you looked hard enough could you find something that resembled Martin’s leather vests, bare chests and horsehair leggings somewhere in the clothing of Native Americans across two continents? Probably, but among the specific Native peoples that Martin cites as inspiration, it does not seem to be at all common. And if that description was wholly unconnected to anything in the real world, we might well stop there and conclude that, well this is just the ‘dash of pure fantasy’ that Martin was talking about (although as we’ll see, it is going to be quite a bit more than just a dash). But I don’t think we can stop there, because (removing the medallion belts) Martin’s description does adequately describe something that exists in the real world: Halloween costumes purporting to depict Native Americans.

...The vest-and-pants style of Native American Halloween costume seems to be rather rare now, but it was, at least to my memory, much more common in the 1990s, when A Game of Thrones was written (initial publication date of 1996). You can see them, for instance, on many of the background extras in the famous Thanksgiving scene from Addams Family Values (1993) and that vest style was also a part of the outfit for the also-quite-unfortunately-branded YMCA Indian Guides/Indian Princesses program (rebranded as the ‘Adventure Guides’ in 2003 after decades of Native Americans complaining about it) which was also fairly popular in the 1990s.

Now, I am not saying that Martin planned to construct his Dothraki out of Native American stereotypes and bad Halloween costumes. In fact, I am fairly confident he intended nothing of the sort. But in the absence of doing some effective research (and it is going to become increasingly apparent that at least effective research was not done) there was quite possibly nothing else to inform the effort other than what was ‘in the air’ of the popular consciousness. Of course the danger of those often simplistic public stereotypes is that people often do not know that they have them, assuming instead that the vague impression they have is essentially accurate (or at least, close enough for a regular person). And that’s a real problem because it reinforces the popular stereotype, especially given Martin’s reputation for writing more ‘historically grounded’ fiction. And that is a problem because…

The clothing that the Dothraki are described and visually shown wearing is clearly intended to convey things about their society. Returning to our visual comparison above, it is easy to see that the actual clothing of both Eurasian and American ‘horse cultures’ was often bright, highly decorated and generally eye-catching, featuring complex patterns and shapes. It was both nice looking, but also spoke to the humanity of the people that made it and their very human desire to look nice and have nice looking things. By contrast, the clothing of the Dothraki is presented as simple, rugged and unadorned.

...I want to stress this to make the point clear: people in the past liked to look nice! Much of the popular perception of pre-modern clothing assumes lots of dull, drab colors, undecorated or merely adorned with rough pelts, but this is almost entirely a Hollywood construction. The Romans didn’t exclusively dress in white (indeed, the toga candida, the white toga, was an unusually formal thing to wear, like a politician’s suit-with-flag-pin), medieval peasants didn’t wear drab brown (they dressed in bright primary colors mostly), and as I hope the historical pictures for this essay show, both steppe nomads and Plains Native Americans wore nice clothing with lots of patterns, color and decoration. These men next to Khal Drogo are his elite guard of ‘bloodriders,’ the companions of a ruler who wields tremendous power and wealth! And yet they have opted to wear mostly undecorated bland brown leather.

Just to underline this point, think about what a fine set of clothing communicates to an observer (for instance, one of Khal Drogo’s thousands of mounted warrior retainers who are present at this event). Imported goods, like metalwares (which nomads won’t generally be able to make themselves) or fine imported fabrics demonstrate not only trade contacts but also often that the leader has useful ties to foreign leaders (since such things were often gifts or tribute from foreign courts). Garments whose production, due to fine patterns, complex weaves, intricate beading or quillwork, would take many, many hours of production demonstrate that the leader has a lot of subordinate people in their household (in many cases, that would mean women), which both implies the ability to give these people as gifts (either in marriage or because of their non-free status) and also the access to resources (in this case herds of animals) needed to sustain so many people – in short, the sort of leader who can reward faithful warriors richly.

And of course a leader who outfits his closest retainers – his bloodriders, in this case – with such wares (especially expensive foreign metal military equipment) demonstrates both access to military capital and also the ability to reward his trusted lieutenants. In short, the Khal whose person and immediate retainers are decked out in finery looks like backing the winning side, which is a very important thing to assess as one of his warriors. So even if not one of Drogo’s men cares about their personal appearance at all, it is still politically important for them to dress for success.

Which then demands the question, looking at the very fine clothing of historical horse cultures that supposedly provided the inspiration for these Dothraki fellows: Where is the exquisite bead work? The fine quillwork? Where are the carefully made fringes? Where is the silk brocade? Where are the detailed, complex patterns?”

- Bret Devereaux, “That Dothraki Horde, Part I: Barbarian Couture.”