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RWRB costume/ colour meta!
Ok, lets do this!!
Man have I missed writing costume/colour meta, so its good to have something to write about again! This took me far far longer than it should have - I kept getting distracted by the film while I was working on this - I'd go looking for a clip or to grab a still and end up just watching the film again đđđ but I've finished it and I hope you all enjoy it! Grab a beverage of your choice because this thing is a beast coming in at over 7000 words - I totally understand if you want to skip, but I have ADHD and do not know how to be concise đđđ
Red white and royal blue employs several fun and interesting costume and colour theories (also made use of in the set design) to help tell the story of Alex and Henry. Iâm not going to write a detailed meta for each costume - I just donât have the time - but I am going to look at some costume/ colour details in focus, especially for Henry and Alex as well as highlighting other interesting choices! I also do not have the picture limit (I need more than 30!!!) to include every image I would like to, so if you want to see what I'm talking about, you might have to go check out the relevant scenes (I'll try to give you timestamps where I can!) Iâve kind of tried to do things chronologically, but Iâve left Alex and Henry to the end so if I donât talk about them very much in the rest of this meta - that is why! putting it under a cut because its so long!
The royal Wedding
There are a couple of key themes here, the wedding party (consisting Lady Martha, Bea and Henry) have a distinct colour palette - dusty blue, dusty pink and Ivory, with the exception of Prince Phillip who is in his red Dress uniform - theyâve used a red uniform to make him stand out, convey that he is more important than the bride (what with his being in line for the throne and all that jazz) and hint at power - red is a power colour.Â
Iâm not sure what royal orders the collar and riband that Henry is wearing are supposed to represent as they donât belong to a specific British order - if I had to take a punt Iâd say his red collar is meant to be a AU version of a Knight Grand Cross of the order of the bath but the one heâs wearing certainly isnât a real order in the UK (it isnât meant to be an order of the garter as that is the highest ranking order and Henry would then also be wearing the light blue riband we see on Prince Phillip) the royal blue riband with the red edging is more i line with the night grand cross of the order of Victoria, although in real life that riband should be for in the opposite direction. My feeling is that they wanted a red collar on Henry to play into the red as a symbol of power theme theyâve used on Prince Phillip, placing Henry as having the âpowerâ in his conversation with Alex (as he is on home turf) and the royal blue sash is a deliberate choice that I will talk about later when I focus in on Henry and I think its actually pretty significant as a choice. essentially the order insignia he is wearing are not real orders which is totally fine as this is essentially and au royal family!
We do have to talk about that wedding gown - not royal in the slightest - spaghetti straps and a low back would never be allowed for a royal bride, the dress is also too long on her (but thatâs a different conversation about budgets and rental gowns so weâll let it slide here!!) and her hair should also be fully up - not in the half up do she has going on! The colour is also wrong - she would have been tied to a very limited colour palette of white or ivory - no colour in a royal wedding gown, so the blush colour we see is a no go! I totally get why they did what they did with her gown in terms of colour and Iâm fine with that choice (iâll explain more in the next paragraph), I even get the fairytale princess look they were going for with that dress - but when youâre trying to portray a family so stuck in tradition and history etc, I canât help but feel that they missed a trick to show her as buttoned up, conforming to the crown etc, especially as we never see her again!
At the reception we see pretty much everyone in colour of some description, with the exception on Alex and Nora who are both in black - this is why Lady Marthaâs wedding dress is a pale blush pink colour rather than white. The only reason that the men arenât in colour (if theyâre not in dress uniform) is because they are wearing white tie for the formality of a royal wedding, otherwise I think we wouldâve seen coloured ties or some such on them. This is intentional because the room has a general (muted) wash of colour which serves to highlight Alex and Nora, making them stand out and look like they donât really belong.Â
Its a way of creating a them and us vibe and helps to establish the rivalry between Alex and Henry - we have a British scene, full of colourful clothing and the only identified foreigners are in black and white. We actually only see a black and white colour palette for the clothing of the Americans until Alex returns from his PR fix it trip to London after cakegate, while nearly all the Brits all were colour of some description - we can see this clearly in the hospital - all the children in colour, Henry in blues and - Henrys security in coloured ties while Amy is there totally in black.
Alex himself does wear navy blue but its a dark navy and that jacket is actually two tone - black and navy and its paired with black trousers in this scene - we see it again later - paired with taupe trousers which really helps to establish this idea of colour entering Alex's world once Henry is in it.
Sets
Iâm going to pause on clothing here to quickly talk about the sets in the film and their colour palettes because they fall into three distinct categories;
We have the sage dusty greens, gold and bright reds of the British spaces - they have a regency and victorian air to them, all very traditional, opulent and royal in feel - they are the definition of a gilded cage and are ostentatious and Henryâs bedroom even fits into this mould (its very telling that we only see very limited physical intimacy between the two of them in this space - because its a space that neither of them truly fit or belong in) with its sagely green walls that echo the green walls of the state room the big royal family showdown occurs in.Â
Then we have the creams, taupes and beiges (with a bit of minty green for the walls of oval office) of the America spaces combined with the very intentional colour choice of that rusty orange (there is also the red room but that is a whole other conversation - Iâll go into it later).
The Rusty orange is such a colour choice, its rich and eye-catching. All colours have meanings associated with them - these can vary wildly depending on where and how they are used and have both positive and negative connotations.
Generally speaking, orange is an attention grabber - its energetic and stimulating, but it also conveys transformation and endurance. This orange has brown undertones which means we should also reference brown colour meanings when thinking about what the colour means on screen - brown is a safe colour and it is also strong and reliable, but it can also portray a sense of loneliness - that is something I think is a really interesting concept - we see Henry in Alexâs world (through the text chats as well as in the first blowjob scene) on the rusty orange sofas and one of the underlying major parts of who Henry is, he is enduring like the orange (and his royal status make him an attention grabber without needing to try) but there is that underlying sense of loneliness - yes he mightâve had a crush on Alex since the climate conference, but as soon as the air had been cleared between them during the PR trip Henry reached out and pursued Alex because he was lonely and wanted a friend - not knowing if it could ever be more than a friendship.
Then, finally we have the spaces Henry and Alex occupy - spaces which are just theirs to occupy - spaces when they are themselves - these are predominately yellow and blue spaces, with some deep colours such as the teal we see on the walls of Alexâs room and the red room.
Iâll go into more detail about all the yellow and blue in this film a bit later on in this meta, but to provide a comment on the red room - red is a colour of passion and love, but this shade of red theyâve chosen maintains that orange undertone we see in the rest of the American spaces.
I wrote a post on the choice of red calla lilies and how they are both a symbol of love and commitment, as well as a phallic symbol of sexuality, and I know Alexander Hamilton was on the wall in the book, but he is there not only because he was very likely bi, but also because he was the subject of what is known as the first political sex scandal - something our boys are essentially also themselves going to end up becoming!
Once Alex does return stateside we start to see colour begin to fill his world. This is a really interesting thematic choice - think how the wizard of Oz (a film very much associated with gay culture - âa friend of Dorothyâ was a slang code used by gay men to identify one another and there is obviously the rainbow connotation) begins in black and white and then transitions to colour as soon as Dorothy wakes up in Oz. This film is playing on that same trope/ concept - this is a story essentially told from Alexâs perspective, so Henry and his world is already in colour - its only when Alex enters that world and becomes entwined with it that colour starts to seep into his life - its done in a much more subtle way, but it is there - even during the text bantering they have going one while he is watching a film with Nora - it is a black and white film (âSome Like it Hotâ - its self a film that helped open conversations about queer identity and the queer community at a time when the Hays code was still in operation and when Sodomy laws still existed in the US, but that is a whole other conversation and lots has been written about it before, its one of my favourite films and if you want to know more then head to your search engine of choice or hit up my inbox! Itâs also a film our director Matthew Lopez adapted for the stage which is possibly partly why it was chosen for this scene- as a nod to his other work!)and they are both wearing grey while Henry is in colour (cream and blue - playing into the queer coded yellow blue theming) and sits on the bright orange sofa.
I cannot tell you how much I am in love with the Koi carp on Alexâs dressing room wall because the symbolism - the symbolism!!!!! Koi are seen as a symbol of strength, patience, perseverance, love and bravery they symbolise success through courage. Koi are known to swim against the current and overcome great obstacles - there is a Japanese proverb âKoi no Takinoboriâ which translates as 'koi swim up waterfalls' and as the word Koi in Japanese also translates to mean love the proverb therefore means that love can go against the current and overcome great obstacles and if that isnât the perfect metaphor for Alex and Henryâs relationship then I donât know what is!!
I am obsessed and I adore the set designer for including that wallpaper in general, but especially in their text banter flirty developing relationship - the writing is essentially on the wall for where their relationship is going and how its going to unfold - they are literally Koi swimming agains the current and overcoming great obstacles to be together!!
Back to the costuming!
As I said previously - when Alex returns from the PR trip we start to see increasing amounts of colour and it starts with blue - Oscar is wearing a blue shirt - a colour we only see him in for that scene and then again at the end of the film - during election night. Its an important choice - Henry's colour is blue - its the colour we nearly always see him in some form of blue so for this to essentially be the first colour that appears in the clothing in Alex's world is telling in its own way - it is the beginning of the slow saturation of Henry in the world of Alex. Oscar is always in tan colour-ways apart from those two scenes and generally speaking we see him wearing Mexican tribal and geometric prints/patterns and cowboy boots - playing into his Mexican heritage, but also establishing him as Texan.
Miguel is clearly set out as the baddie to us all - head to toe in black all the time expect at the PM dinner - when he has to wear a white shirt because its etiquette - but they do make sure to give him black buttons on that shirt - which separates him from everyone else in dinner dress very clearly and keeps the undertone of untrustworthiness going.
The other thing to note is the grey fuzzy jacket he wears when being interviewed on the news. Iâve spoken before in my 911 metaâs about how the use of the grey fuzzy patterning is symbolic of confusion or obfuscation and that holds true here - Miguel is called out as being the one who hacked and leaked the emails by the presenter and he tries to bluff his way out - to obfuscate the truth.
We see the idea of green and jealousy play out a couple of times in the film - the flirty girl that tries to commandeer Alex and kisses him at the NYE party is wearing a very blatantly iridescent green dress which sets her apart from the rest of the crowd and then when the crowd drops low we also get the green lights on the DJ desk - while the scene is a play on the I saw you across a crowded room idea, there is also that undercurrent of jealousy - Henry is Jealous of Alexâs ease and that he cannot have him loudly and in the way he wants - highlighting that jealousy helps to build into Henrys later actions when he throws caution to the wind and kisses him under the tree.Â
Ellen Claremont has a narrow colour palette as well - we only see her in black in that first scene and in the ânew Texas strategyâ arguement with Alex, after that her dominant colour is cream and we also see plenty of red which is a power choice - she wears it in scenes when she needs to convey power and status such as at the PM dinner or when she is shutting down his Texas strategy. The cream is the base colour for her - its a colour of elegance, sophistication, it is also a neutral colour - playing into her position as POTUS, but also when she wears it in one on one scenes with Alex, it is a sign of her being a mother rather than the POTUS.
Zahra tends to wear blacks with one blue/grey cashmere jumper and when we do get colour on her they are jewel tones - purple and teal. We also get some more grey fuzzy patterning - again playing into my previous statements - here it is very much about confusion rather than obfuscation - she only wears the fuzzy grey when she finds out about Alex and Henry and has her mind blown by the knowledge. Its a perfect costuming choice for this scene as it conveys so much about where her brain is - that her mind has been blown by this huge thing she as just become privy to and it helps make her facial expressions even louder!
Nora wears a full spectrum of colours, the stand ones are obviously the red bodice and trousers she wears for new years and the pink shirt she wears in the office when Alex is having a mini bi panic and figuring himself and his attraction to Henry out. Generally speaking a characters costumes are meant to be about them and their own character, however with a film like this, everything is a driving point for the two main characters and so, other characters costumes will, at key points be less about the character wearing them and more about driving the story of the mains forward - this is very much the case with Noraâs red outfit (and we have already talked about the green of the flirty girl at new years representing jealousy).The red is very very red, it is meant to stand out and is a nod to romance - for both herself with Pez and for Alex and Henry, but Red is also a colour associated with passion and sexuality as well as fire and heat - essentially it is a marker that things are about to kick into action on the romance scale - we are heading from friends to lovers.
The pink shirt plays into the same theme - its a continuation, but a cooling down - less about the heat and passion of a sexual encounter, and more about the concept of romance and relationships - because that is what the conversation is ultimately about in this scene. We have the bi flag background helping to visually tell us what the conversation is about, but we also need to have that subtle reminder that this is not about fire and passion it is about the potential for romance - for love - because if Alex is going to hook up with Henry, it isnât going to be a hook up, it going to be real. We do of course see things heat back up in the red room (as they should), but ultimately that is the last of the fiery heat we see - from then on anything connected with Alex and Henrys relationship is much more steadfast - the blues and yellows I will talk about in a minute!
Lets talk signet rings!! We see them worn on the male members of the royal family - so King James, Phillip and Henry - as well as Alex when Henry gives him his ring. their use is telling and significant. James and Phillip both wear their signet ring on the little finger of the right hand, while Henry (and Alex) wears his on the little finger of the left hand. in a general sense one would usually wear a signet ring on the little ringer of the non dominant hand - so if youâre a lefty you wear it on the right hand and vice versa if your right handed. This is not what is being portrayed here - all three of them are naturally right handed (yes I did spend far too much time on google to find this out!!) which would in theory mean all of them should have their rings on the left little finger and yet only Henry does.
There is however another explanation -Â a ring worn on the right hand is symbolic of tradition conformity and rigidity and royalty (traditionally the monarch would wear a ring on the right hand and this was offered to subjects to kiss), wearing it on the dominant hand as a sign of power/ dominance. Henry and then Alex wear Henryâs ring on the left hand - the traditional hand that wedding bands are worn - because of the concept of the main artery running from the heart down the left arm and into the left hand, it is a symbol of love and life and connection to another person and is where the concept of the red string of fate comes from (which ties in nicely with Alex referring to the rope in his chest pulling him towards Henry). This all gains greater significance when Henry gives his ring to Alex and that he choses to also wear it on the left hand, its essentially a symbol of engagement and eternity - it is a sort of pre engagement I guess - and is a low key statement from Henry he is giving Henry Fox to someone for eternity - to Alex.Â
Right, shall we talk about the yellow and blue theming that I keep mentioning. This specific theming, tends to be seen more in sets and lighting than costumes - although we do see it used in costuming too (looking at you Bea!!). For those not aware, there is a tendency to use yellow and blue colour-ways for queer story arcs - if you look at Heartstopper (esp s1) they have been using it to great effect , and it can be seen in other shows and films with queer character arcs to such as 911 (and Lonestar), as well as plenty of other mainstream media if youâre looking for it. I donât know when or how it became a colour way associated with queer relationships - especially mlm relationships - Iâve not had the time to deep dive into that particular research spiral - but suffice to say we see it put to very very great effect here in Red White and Royal Blue - we only ever see it used as a colour way when it is regarding Alex and Henry and their romantic relationshipIâve included some of the blue and yellow we see (couldnât fit it all in - 30 pictures is apparently not enough!!!) surrounding Alex and Henry and there is plenty of it. The first time we see this yellow/blue theming come into play is at the turning point - when Henry opens up the lines of communication with his text message. Alex is in his room - the first time weâre seeing into his room - a room painted dark blue and full of yellow accents - the lamp on his desk and the unit to the side of the sofa, as well as the very yellow and blue painting we see above his bed (which was commissioned for the film and so the colour choice was very much deliberate). Just to show how prolific the yellow/blue colour way is here is a list of most of the occurrences - I've tried to include as many of them in the pictures as I can as well.
The copy of People is yellow and blue, the Jacket Alex wears for new year has gold and blue embroidery. The PMâs dinner has blue lighting with gold curtains and there are a lot of blue and yellow dresses being worn in the crowd when Alex is watching Henry. The cushion on the sofa behind Alex is yellow and blue. Then we get to the French hotel room and the Eiffel Tower - it is literally all yellow and blue - everything - even down to the blue (extra safe) condom packets. the New York hotel room is dark blue and gold another is a blue bottle of lube on the side (the condoms and lube are very much a deliberate colour choice - there are a million different colours you can buy both in so if the colour wasnât important they couldâve chosen any, esp as fuchsia and red is the most common colour for both in the durex brand in the UK).
In England - Henry mostly occupies green spaces - in keeping with the royal theme I wrote about earlier - however the room he is most himself and most comfortable in is the music room/ library which is yellow and any time we see him in that space, he is wearing blue. It is telling that when the emails between Henry and Alex are hacked, his sanctuary is full of âold white men in suitsâ and Henry cannot go in there - symbolic that who he is - his true self - has been violated and he is being forced into âroyal codedâ spaces - back into his box as it were!
Back to costumes and he two blue hoodies. Iâm gonna get a bit of hate for this, but the blue hoodie is actually two different hoodies! - they are slightly different shades of pale blue - Alexâs is much more dusty blue, while Henryâs is much more baby blue, they are also different cuts - Alexâs a traditional sleeve cut while Henryâs has a raglan sleeve cut (think baseball tee). There is the idea with these two hoodies that they are at different points in their journeys, but still connected and i love that we see them in them at really key points of crisis - they are a comfort blanket in a way - Alex wears his during is bi crisis and again when he's watching Miguel on the news and figures out who the hack was, while Henry wears his when he lets Alex in - when he opens up and unspokenly confesses his love for Alex, when he agreed to take the step and be brave - both are wearing these hoodies in moments when they need/want comfort the fact that they are wearing such similar hoodies speaks to the fact that in it is the other they want that comfort from (even if Alex doesn't actually realise it during his min bi crisis).
And now to our two mains - lets start with Henry.
Henry
The bulk of Henryâs wardrobe is double breasted suits - a key theme for the members of the royal family - not one else whereâs them - its a fun costuming choice, cease generally speaking the double breasted suit isnât in fashion at the moment - the film fit single breasted suits we see on the rest of the characters is. It's a very clear choice to create a them and us concept in a visual and telling way. the other thing to note about these db suits is that only Henry wears plain fabric - the ones we see on Phillip and James are pinstripe or woven stripe. I want to quickly mention the tie King James is wearing because of its very obvious pattern. it is the only loudly patterned tie in the entire film - all others are either, plain , striped or spotted. In the book Henry says that patterned ties are considered too political (i'm paraphrasing and can't find the actual quote!!) and here we have a king playing with politics wearing a patterned tie - I love tiny nods like this to the original source material that only those of us who love the book will pick up on - its just a tie to the ga!
Henry himself wears pinstripes - when he is at his most royal - so for example when he is taking part in the PR exercise post cakegate. His ties also fit into this theming - he almost exclusively wears striped ties excepting at a couple of key moments - when heâs undertaking skulduggery and the yellow one he wears for the election. at all other times he has stripes on his tie. the stripes get wider or skinnier depending on the situation - the wide ones tend to be for royal events while the skinnier stripes tend to be connected to Alex.
Another thing to note with Henry is the lack of black he wears - the only time is at the most royal of occasions - the wedding - all the rest of his suits are varying shades of blue or grey (and cream) even the tux he wears to the PM dinner is a dark navy with black lapel rather than black - it differentiates him from everyone else in the room (esp Miguel) and shows him as the object of Alexâs gaze. I also want to mention the royal blue theme we see on him - something I love Keith Madden for doing - Henry nearly always has something blue on him and a lot of the time (especially connected to times when he is doing something connected to his status as a royal) we see him wearing something royal blue - its why his riband at the wedding is royal blue rather than the lighter blue of the order of the garter - but we also see it in the royal blue socks we see him in several times, the royal blue pyjamas when the hack/leak comes to light and the blue shorts in Texas when heâs lying on the bed before he leaves to return to England. We also see him in a lot of blue shirts keeping that blue theme connected to him.
Then there is my most beloved check theory - (its a theory connected to 911 for those who donât know my costume metas already) Check is connected to foreshadowing of trouble - Henry wears a check/plaid pattern at a couple of very very key moments - at the bar in Texas - when we see Alex realise his love is the forever kind, when he is back in England having broken his own heart in a misguided attempt to save Alex (gingham shirts in pink and blue) and then the suit he wears when he choses himself over the crown and steps out onto the balcony with Alex to greet the crowds has a subtle check pattern (not sure if you can see it its the pictures but if you watch the scene you should be able to) all of these are moments which foreshadow the upcoming or current trouble in his life.
Yellow roses - symbol of Texas being flipped - from Mexican to independent (and eventually becoming part of US) - symbol of the fact Texas is about to flip blue from red. Yellow roses are also a symbol of good luck more generally and the yellow tie is a great choice to suggest neutrality in the election scenes (at this point in time Henry still has royal status). We see Henry in a grey suit with this yellow tie - this only further highlights his escape from royal life - when he is un the US we do not see him wearing the navy blue suits we see him in in England - the only exception is the dark navy dinner jacket he wears to the PM dinner . In the US he wears either a grey suit or the cream/light blue suit we see him in when he visits the lake house and the light blue linen jacket we see him on his light back to the UK is the only single breasted jacket we ever see him in - I would have loved to have seen the grey suit at the end also have been single breasted, but I'm guessing budget constraints prevented that from happening, as it really would've highlighted the difference between Henry George Edward James Hanover-Stuart Fox and Henry Fox!
At the lake house we get a piece of costuming that I love - the slightly differing short lengths we see on Henry and Alex - it Alexâs shorts are always shorter than Henryâs - it maintains that sense of Henry be more closeted and buttoned up - the overhead shot of them on the pontoon shows it really clearly - the two of them have similar leg lengths which serves me well here to show this point - the shorts Henry is wearing are at least 3 inches longer (possibly more) than Alex's - it isn't just that one pair of shorts - all 3 pairs of Henry's shorts are longer - its a costuming choice thats s perfectly in keeping with their respective characters.
The final thing to talk bout is Henryâs rainbow turtle swim shorts - a cute nod to his being gay - especially as Alex is is his purple bi swim shorts. But there is also the fact that they are turtles. Turtles are a symbol of steadfastness, longevity, perseverance and transformation. they can also be seen as a symbol of everlasting love. there is also the concept of carrying the weight of the world - which is seen in its most explicit way in Terry Pratchettâs Discworld novels - where a giant turtle carries the world on its back. All of these metaphors and symbols perfectly fit Henry and his relationship with Alex - it is a symbol of the enduring nature of their love for each other, the perseverance we will see for them to overcome the obstacles thrown at them, the steadfastness of their love, as well the transformation we are seeing Henry go through - from closeted gay thinking he has to conform to the very rigid and dated ideals of his family - to the freer Henry we see in the US - the real Henry and the version of himself he so desperately wants to be but thinks he canât - he has the weight of the world on his shoulders at that moment a la the disc world turtle.
Alex
Alex, obviously has the largest number of costumes, as well as the largest colour palette, but even that is pretty limited. In the same way we see Henryâs wardrobe go through a subtle transformation, we also see the same for Alex, almost in the opposite direction - while Henryâs wardrobe becomes freer, Alexâs becomes more grown up - more mature and conveys his growth as a person - becoming more certain in who he is. Iâve already written a fair amount throughs this meta about Alexâs costumes, so this section is a little shorter than Henryâs for that reason!Â
We get rebellious Alex to begin with - the leather jacket easily conveys this to us, its almost a universal symbol or rebellion in costuming speak at this point and one of the reasons I like its use here is that it very quickly sets him apart from everyone else in the film - yes its early on, but he is the most casually dressed character by a long way - and this jacket it the antithesis of the buttoned up penguin suit from the wedding - it emphasises how uncomfortable Alex was in that environment and as a result gives the heavy drinking we saw before the cake went flying purpose and visually sets him up as the lead and as a rule/ convention breaker. The same is true of the greyscale with leopard print Hawaiian shirt which is meant to contrast him dramatically with Henry, who is still stuck in that stuffy double breasted suit prison of convention and expectation to behave a certain way - the costuming does a big chunk of the work in giving us rebel v prince in those opening scenes. I actually like that they brought the leather jacket back for the drive to the lake house - it sets up Alexâs falling in love arc nicely - in that it allows the idea of rebellion to continue flowing through the story - Alex wanting to be outing proud in Austin and not grasping that that isnât an option Henry at this moment in time and is a nod to his not really understanding the different places he and Henry are in when it comes to what being out means for them respectively.
Iâve already written about the black and white colour way we see him in until his PR stint when we start see colour appearing in his wardrobe. Iâve put the pictures roughly in chronological order because it helps to show his progression, but it also shows the increasing amount of blue in his wardrobe, especially in moments connected with Henry.
To pick out some of my favourites - the Mexican pattern shirt with the red cardigan is wonderful - we have the shirt hinting at Alexâs heritage - in blue with the chunky knit red cardigan - Iâve written above about the use offered as a colour of passion and how that passion ebbs and flows - this cardigan also plays into that idea - it is the first time their texting becomes flirty - even the text message is in a red bubble on screen. This idea carries on with the orange red tee he is wearing during the turkey conversation - I made a post about that outfit being the same colour way as the turkey in question and how to talk turkey means to talk honestly and openly with someone - the very thing we see in that scene.Â
I adore the subtle yellow and blue jacquard embroidered New years jacket - the moment our boys connect and we move further into the lovers part of the enemies-friends-lovers trope and it keeps the yellow/blue theming an active part of the storyline. - the contrast with Henryâs orange tie is a choice - while there is a lot of colour at the NYE party Alex blends into the background while Henry is quite literally tied into the orange theme weâve already seen in the furniture and sets - orange stands out and now we the audience are being drawn into unconsciously making the same connection that Alex is making - Henry is lonely, but he is an enduring and attention grabbing part of Alexâs life - it only further reenforces the direction of Alexâs gaze - green wearing flirty girl who??
We have a fair amount of Alex and the bi colour ways and we subtly see it coming into play from more or less the moment they start messaging - the light purple tee and purple message boxes, flowing through to the women sufferage wall and the fact he is wearing blue and purple in that scene with Nora in pink to round out the there colours. then we have the blue and purple colour ways he wears at the lake house - bolder and brighter - contrasting with the more muted shades from before - showing that he has recognised and accepted that part of who he is - heâ now out and proud and his parent know about him. Iâve used the old subtle a lot, but this is yet another example of transformation and growth for a character done subtly through colour. We also see him bathed in bi lighting at the bar when he has his 'OH I feel forever about him' moment at the Texas bar - he is the only one in that whole scene lit in that way - Henry is blue lit, while there is a more general lighting scheme that is blue/red dominant for the bar as a whole.
On to Alexâs suits and ties - he seems to have 5 suits and a jacket (not including the formal wear - tux and tails) a black one, 2 navy blue ones (one with a woven pinstripe that he wears in Paris) a bright bluish grey one and a grey one along with the black and blue waffle jacket we see him wear both on the PR trip and at the Polo match. I am obsessed with the fact that when he is in England he wears the navy suits and jackets whereas in the US he wears the other colour s suits - in the same way we see Henry less buttoned up and wearing grey and lighter blues in the US, here we see Alex fitting into Henryâs world and the navy blue suit uniform of the Royal family - its a wonderful piece of costuming that tells so much of how each of them are fitting into the others worlds, especially wen the black and navy waffle one is only worn early on - it is the cross over garment!
The ties have a similar story to tell - we see him wearing 4 ties - a yellow one we see in the beginning in the news reel and never see him in again and then we get the lighter blue striped one at the polo match - the one most similar to the striped ones we see Henry wear - suggesting he is trying to fit into this new world - Henryâs world - that heâs been invited into - its somewhat jarring for his character and plays on the idea of trying too hard - its therefore telling we donât see it happen again - we only see hi in a striped tie again at he end during election night and accompanied by the black suit we saw him in a couple of times on the campaign trail in Texas. the blue tie is the only other tie we see him wear and it nicely connects all the key moments he has while in his suit - key political moments - his speech at the DNC followed by his speech to the press after the email hack and when he is at Buckingham Palace facing up to the King.
The final ting to talk about is the khaki green shirt jacket - I cannot tell you how happy I was with this costuming choice (and not because it was screaming Eddie Diaz from 911 vibes) khaki is so associated with military - with the army - anti is the most perfect choice for this scene - army are about war - they go somewhere to fight - to storm the palace etc so to have Alex - who has never worn anything remotely like this before rock up to KP to fight for his relationship - for his love - is the perfect choice, its a subtle yet clever way of emphasising the Alex has chosen to fight for what he wants - for his relationship with Henry and what makes it more telling is that we only see him change out of it once Henry has explicitly stated that he will try to be brave and that he wants history to include his love for Alex. It is why we see Alex in the yellow and blue Mexican patterned jacket - he no longer needs fight for his love because he has won - this yellow/blue jacket is a piece of costume tied into pivotal moments - we see the jacket twice - when he wins his bid to get the Claremont campaign to focus on Texas and Ellen tells him heâs going to Texas, and again when he has won the day with Henry and they are back together - in some ways that makes this his victory jacket - victory in his own personal battles - battles that are central to who he is and his development and I think thatâs petty neat!
Hopefully you've enjoyed this deep dive into the sets and costumes of the film - I've loved writing it and I can only hope its coherent! Feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments and likes and reblogs are love â¤ď¸đ¤đ thank you for reading and until next time...
#this really is a monster post!!!#rwrb meta#red white and royal blue#alex claremont diaz#henry fox mountchristen windsor#rwrb movie#first prince#costume meta#set meta#meta#long post#kym costume meta#costume theory#colour theory#colour theory meta#kym writes meta
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Man whose definition of "monster" is extremely flexible.
#my art#baldurs gate 3#bg3#wyll ravengard#shadowheart#astarion ancunin#chessa#owlbear cub#fan art#first real post on this one instead of petitelappin#i drew these a while ago but never cleaned them up properly#i was mostly thinking about this as a concept when i (as wyll) released 7000 vampires into the city sewers and i was like#'we may have at some point stopped fitting the definition of monster hunter huh'#but also u know seeing the gur hunter later vowing to do what he can for his vampire daughters really got to wyll#thematically. im sure. anyway!#but lbr his crowning achievement in my playthrough was monster hunting so bad he ended up in a beautiful romance w his target instead
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holding back (part 2)
early access + nsfw on patreon
#just captain/lieutenant things#ghost and price are an on-and-off-again thing#they take care of each other when it comes up#and sometimes to just relieve stress#they have shared trauma from the loss of price's wing#and simon's whole...wraith business#they've known each other for a long time#and were getting closer before simon's incident but afterwards sort of hurtled into each other#it was really intense and co-dependent for a while but it's levelled out now#one day i will do an explanation post on all the dynamics of poly 141 in this au#in the meantime just enjoy price taking care of his hoard#monster 141 au#ghostprice#captain john price#simon ghost riley#cod mw2#giragi art
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was it casual when i sat in your lap in public? was it casual when i said "recently my heart is crying because you're leaving"? was it casual when we decided how your last name would fit with mine? ("yuki tsunoda-gasly" / "no tsunoda, only gasly" / "yuki gasly?") was it casual when we sang adele's "someone like you" together at your going away party? was it casual when i knew it was you just by touching your ass? was it casual when i knew it was you by smell alone? was it casual when "will you miss me?" / "for 2-3 minutes maybe" / "i'll take that. even if it's just 2-3 minutes, i'll take that"? was it casual when that bus was completely empty and we still sat right next to each other, all the way in the back? was it casual when i picked you up multiple times so you could dunk a basketball? was it casual when i begged to come over to your house multiple time and then you finally let me and we cooked fried rice together? was it casual when we played christmas twister together and i said "your big eggplant is touching my ass"? was it casual when we were pressed up against each other on a scooter going two miles per hour? was it casual when-
#edit: tinytauris fact checked my post and they sang 'hello' not someone like you & it was 'your big monster' not eggplant#everyday i think about the fact that yukierre should've been what lestappen is now#i should be able to go on the yukierre tag on ao3 and it should say 'showing 1-20 of 6745'#they were genuinely so fuckingg weird about each otherrrrrr#im being so serious when i say that if they ever came out as gay/bi/whatever i really wouldnt be surprised#literally just 'okay?? fork spotted in kitchen cmon now' moment#anyway i think about that moment on the bus soooo often#will you miss me? / maybe for 2-3 minutes / ill take that then. even if it's just for 2-3 minutes ill take that#hwat the FUCK#i was going 'gay gay homosexual' everytime i saw them together#yukierre#yuki tsunoda#pierre gasly#also im like 90% sure that everyting i worte down actually happened but if i wrote smth down that didnt happen#and my yukierre infested brain just conjured up please let me know#also ive had this is in my drafts foreverrrr (re: since july) so if this has already been done im so sorry#i always feel like such a loser making posts about driver relationships lol#like 'oh look at that weirdo that got too invested in people she doesn't even know'#whatever im getting to introspective now#1k
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ok but for real now. since tiktok has so throughly disappointed on this trend. who is your strangest hear me out / most bizarre crush? freaks and headscratchers only edition
#please đđ I am so fascinated by this.#also I need to know I'm not the only one with double-take worthy and more-than-a-little-embarrassing taste#hear me out#ask meme#polls#memes#original#blorbos#blorboposting#fictional crush#(they dont have to be characters or even people. skys the limit and not even really because space and aliens and stuff)#monster lover#tag meme#(I've posted about some of mine here before but none of you in a million billion years would guess who the newest one is. its not even that#creative or out there just. head in my hands how did I get here kinda situation)
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It's interesting how Laios struggles to remember Kabru's name right away, yet is able to recall the feeling of his grip well enough to immediately understand that something isn't right (Kabru being cuffed)
#dungeon meshi#dungeon meshi manga spoilers#laios touden#kabru#labru#posts that arent rly about labru but could be about labru#this is yet another demonstration of how laios' intelligence manifests in unconventional ways#just like with the shapeshifters he's bad with faces and smaller details but he's still quick to catch on through other means#but it is also v gay of him#if only kabru knew he just needed to crowd laios into a corner of the dungeon if he really wanted laios to remember his name ...#side note it's v cute how laios comes outside without being prompted and asks kabru how he's been even when he thinks it could be a monster#meanwhile chilchuck is like âTHIS IS SUSPICIOUS AS FUCK??â#i dont know which of the canaries thought to use kabru as a lure#(it makes sense for it to have been mithrun after seeing the way kabru talks about laios)#but it definitely worked like a charm
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As someone whose asexual and a monsterfucker and knowing that there is a large subsection of the monsterfucking community that is Ace or on that spectrum, Ford being very Ace-coded and implied to have fucked a a triangle feels accurate to me. representative, even.
#gravity falls#hugin rambles#hugin rambles gf#ford pines#stanford pines#bill cipher#billford#the book of bill#monster fucking#asexuality#asexual#like dude seriously at rhe point where youre like well really whats the difference then between 'attraction' for male and female#why not something else. perhaps in this case a triangle#also the qoute from TBOB of Ford dreaming (multiple times) about being asked what hes attracted too and him saying hes into planning is.#thats so ace coded oh my god dude. being worried about your (lack of) sexuality and feeling the need to defend it...#also 3 cheers to the one person who was also ace and left a comment about it on a different ford monsterfucker post#teratophillia
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Needle felted lagiacrus update
dude looks a little fuzzy cause I haven't trimmed him
#ă˘ăłăăł#monster hunter#needle felting#felting#crafts#fiber art#textile art#work in progress#this little guy made me learn how to shade stuff#I'm really liking how he's looking#also I cannot forget the comment someone made me on bluesky lol#I posted him and one dude told me: ''man this is the only way he's comming back'' lmao!#I honestly want plesioth back more than lagi; I'm sorry lagibros#''then why are you felting lagiacrus instead of plesioth?'' you may ask#gimme some time; I'm still thinking what to do with Plesioth
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Getting older is realizing bill cipher was sexier as a triangle anyway.
#i just think its really fun that with the surge of popularity i have not seen a singl circa 2014 sexy bill cipher#i think its a sign of this websites age#and that we learn from our mistakes#personally i think politicians should take a lesson from this#gravity falls#the book of bill#bill cipher#ford pines#id like to buy the book but my activity in the fandom in 2015 was questionable at best#no one else is embarrassed for me cause i do it enough for myself#ford wouldnt like a sexy young thing anyway the mans borderline a monster fucker#billford#my posts#text post
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Whole thing on A03
It didn't matter how much Steve explained. Not one member of the Party was going to get it.Â
Tommy and Carol would, but then, they were no longer on speaking terms. A fact that hurt even if it was for the best--particularly in times like these, because they got it.Â
They understood how he had been ensnared with the very same wealth people mocked him for. What it meant when his parents demanded Steve drop everything and go on vacation, his own plans be damned.Â
They knew, because their families had done much the same, and so the lives they led also were tethered to leashes made of their parents' design.Â
Dustin, whose mother bent over backwards to try and better her kidâs life, didnât even have a frame of reference for this kind of thing, let alone sympathy.Â
"Do they not understand you have a job?" Dustin asked incredulously, and Steve didn't have the emotional bandwidth to explain that his parents didn't consider working at Family Video to be a real job.Â
As far as they were concerned, Steve could quit if he had to, and then go find another job when they were done using him to play the nice, All-American family.Â
Likely for business purposes.
"They aren't the type to care." Steve said instead.Â
It was easier than getting into it.
(Easier than explaining the BMW wasn't in his name, but his parents.Â
How his money went into a bank account they had access to.Â
That practically everything he owned was actually owned by Richard and Stella Harrington, and both were quick to remind him of that fact the second they felt Steve was acting out of line.Â
And boy, had he been acting out of line.Â
 Getting into fights.Â
Turning their punishment of working a job they picked specifically for the humiliating outfit, into the far worse public embarrassment of being involved in a mall fire--an embarrassment because Steve had "lost" the keys to the BMW, had "put himself in danger" playing hero instead of letting the perfectly capable firefighters do it, then âparaded aroundâ with bruises all over his face, racking up medical bills.Â
Truly a sin for someone who hadnât made it into college.)Â
So no, this vacation they demanded Steve drop everything for was not anything close to a reward, or even something they were doing to spend time together. There was a reason they needed Steve, and as far as they were concerned, Steve was at their beck and call until he shaped up and got his life back on track.Â
His own plans be damned.Â
"That's not fair though!" Dustin burst out and Steve sighed in relief, because here at least, he knew what to do to distract his younger friend.
 âWe planned our trip months ago!â Dustin continued, looking two seconds away from giving in and stomping his foot.Â
The kid might have been smarter than Steve--smarter than most people really--by a hell of a lot, but he was still fourteen.Â
Smarts, Steve knew, didn't exactly equate to emotional intelligence, and it definitely didn't stop rampaging hormones.
Ice cream on the other hand, was a great aid in both areas.Â
"You better be making this up to us." Dustin threatened thirty minutes later, spoon wedged deep into a sundae. âWe canât do, like, half the stuff we were going to do without you!âÂ
âI'm sure you guys didnât need me to play ghost runners or whatever.â Steve said, but was quick to back down when Dustin nearly threw his spoon at him.Â
Rather than antagonizing him more, Steve dutifully raised his hand to put over his heart. "I swear on your mom that Iâll make it up to you.â Â
Dustin rolled his eyes, but otherwise, finally, let the whole thing go.Â
Stupidly, Steve thought this meant the worst was over.
He was wrong.Â
xXxÂ
Mike hadnât cared.Â
El and Will hadnât really either, though both expressed some sadness that Steve wouldnât be participating in the camping trip that the Party as a whole had been looking forward to for the past few months.Â
Erica had simply snapped at him, making him promise much the same as Dustin had that he would be making it up to her sometime in the future. Likewise, she had been bought off by ice cream (even if she insisted it didnât count because Steve owed her ice cream anyways.)Â
Max was the surprising emotional standout.Â
"You can't tell them no?" She demanded, arms crossed over her chest.Â
Lucas was hovering awkwardly at her shoulder, shooting "what can you do?" vibes as hard as he could at Steve as his (currently on-again) girlfriend outright dressed the elder boy down; her shoulders creeping up higher and higher until she seemed to realize she was visually giving away her upset and forcibly relaxed them.Â
Unlike Dustin and Erica, her tirade was very out of character and Steve was growing more concerned by the second that something was wrong the more she spat at him.Â
âI mean for fucks sake, didnât you tell them you had plans!?â She finished, eyes narrowed in rage.Â
Which was rich coming from someone whose stepdad had Billy Hargrove running all over town before heâd run off after the guyâs death, but then, Steve knew better than to bring all that up.
(The image of Max, unresponsive in the hospital with casts on almost every limb, was still too fresh.Â
Even now he didnât like to push her, even if the Party as a whole did their best to take notice when one of them was isolating themselves again.Â
Max, though she was down to one crutch, was still inclined to use it as a weapon and very much enjoyed practicing her swings on peopleâs ankles.)Â
âI did indeed. They donât care and theyâre not giving me a choice, but for what itâs worth I am sorry.â Steve tried to keep his voice even and out of angry-shrieking range, and vaguely prayed it was working. âI swear, I will make it up to you guys, even if we have to go on a second camping trip.âÂ
This was clearly not the correct thing to say.
Though judging by the murderous rage being aimed his way, Steve was pretty sure nothing short of âYou know what youâre right, let me go tell my parents to fuck off!â would make Max happy.Â
âSo youâre seriously just going to drop everything, all our plans, your job, us,â She took a very threatening step forward and despite her being a full foot shorter than him, Steve had to fight not to take a responding step back. âSo you can go play rich boy in the Bahamas?âÂ
âWeâre not going to the Bahamas--â Steve tried, but was interrupted with a loud âugh!â of disapproval.Â
âWhatever makes you happy, Steven.â Max spat, and then turned on her heel, storming off towards the rest of the Party (who had taken one look at Maxâs face and fled into the arcade so she and Steve could âtalk.â) âIâm sorry us peasants werenât good enough to hang around!â Â
âSorry man.â Lucas apologized quietly, on his way to run after Max.Â
Steve just scrubbed a hand through his hair and sighed.Â
xXxÂ
âThe kids are mad at you.â Nancy announced, appearing across the Family Video counter like a phantom.Â
Steve swore, nearly dropping his stack of VHSâs, while Robin (who had clearly seen Nancy approach) cackled at his fumble.Â
âYeah, I did get that memo.â Steve said, after he stabilized his stack, safely moving them from his arms to the counter.Â
Nancy peered around them, her face giving away nothing. âIt is kind of shitty to cancel at the last minute like that. We were relying on you to drive.â
An old fury shook itself awake in Steveâs chest, taking an interest in the conversation the second Steve realized what Nancy was here to do.Â
He took a deep, shuddering breath, and pressed it down, back into the box heâd slammed it in all those years ago.Â
âIâd leave the keys to Robin here, but unfortunately, someone failed their drivers test.â Steve said instead, jamming his finger over his shoulder and blatantly attempting to pass the buck.Â
Robin, who absolutely knew that was what he was doing, faked a gasp and kicked at his ankles.Â
âThat crotchety asshole failed me on purpose!â She protested, spinning to face Nancy. âHe made like, three misogynistic comments before we even got in the car!âÂ
âPointing out that he knew the car wasnât yours wasnât misogynistic, he was just surprised to see me letting you use the Beemer.â Steve shot back, rolling his eyes. âI donât exactly let a lot of people drive it.âÂ
Unspoken was that Steveâs BMW was one of the townâs more unique cars, and thus easily identifiable by the locals at large.Â
âHow is that better!?â Robin returned, but Nancy cleared her throat before they could successfully get the Steve-and-Robin show on the road.Â
âThe point is that we--but really, the kids, were counting on you.â Nancy said, dipping into her patented âIâm upset with youâ tone.Â
A year ago it would have cut Steve to the bone, even if he didnât show it.Â
Now he just stared tiredly at her back.Â
âIâm sorry, Nance, but it is what it is.â He said simply, hoping the apology (even if he knew it wasnât so much a real apology as it was something he said to keep the rage from breaking out and wrecking havoc via his mouth) would soften his ex. âI donât know what else to tell you.â
Given the abrupt narrowing of her eyes, it very much did not help his case.Â
âFor someone who was so vocal about trying to change I have to say this is pretty disappointing.â Nancy said simply, but with just enough of a tone that Steve had to close his eyes for a second.Â
Feel the way that old anger, the one that had powered King Steve, hit the bars of its cage.
Robin stilled immediately next to him, her head ping-ponging between Steve and Nancy both as she too, clocked that Nancy was pissed, and here to chew Steve out about it.Â
âUm.â She said, voice going high in discomfort.Â
Steve grit his teeth. âI donât exactly get a say in these things, Nancy. You know that.âÂ
He had to work to keep his voice even, fighting against the ice that wanted to sharpen his own tone.Â
It was just---Nancy did know.Â
Steve had told her all those years ago, in the safety of her arms, about his parents' expectations. Their predetermined path, the way they dictated large swathes of his life.Â
How theyâd allowed him to pick which sports he played, but required that he play a sport no matter the time of year.Â
That the pool they had installed wasnât for him, he just got to use it as much as he did in part because heâd joined the swim team, and the kind of mental mind games he and his parents played about things like that.Â
Apparently either Nancy had forgotten, or simply hadnât taken it in to begin with because she wasnât backing down.Â
(Not that Steve had ever seen Nancy Wheeler back down.)Â
âI know you have trouble juggling your parents' plans with your own.â Nancy said, and her tone was absolutely icy now. âI certainly remember waiting for a date that never happened.âÂ
Steve sucked in a breath through his teeth, knowing immediately what Nancy was referring to.Â
âI told you they came home unexpectedly.â He said, arms now crossed against his chest, nails digging into his arms as a way to help himself stay grounded. âThey wouldnât let me use the phone until the next day and I apologized.â
âAnd I recall having a lovely conversation with your mother where she said otherwise.â Nancy said, her words punctuated by another high pitched âUhhhh.â from Robin.Â
âFunny how you believe my mom over me.â Steve said and whoops, yup, he definitely sounded mad now.Â
So much for all the effort heâd put in to staying calm.Â
âBecause I look at actions, Steve. Patterns. The same ones you kept repeating.â Nancy was clearly about to escalate, and Robin, bless her, had had enough.Â
âHe-eeey.â She said, wedging herself in between Steve and the counter Nancy was starting to lean over. âI totally get it, youâre both upset, but this maybe isnât the venue to fight about it? There are customers in the store and--sorry Nancy--but I do kinda need Steve for work, soâŚâÂ
She trailed off, glancing nervously between the two of them.Â
Nancy took a breath, blasting it out of her mouth like an academically inclined dragon. âYouâre right. Iâm sorry Robin.â
She then turned on her heel, making her way to the doors. She paused before them, and Steve prepared himself because he knew whatever she was going to say next, it was going to hurt.Â
âI wouldnât care if it was just me, Steve, but the kids donât deserve you pulling this shit. Not after all theyâve been through.â With that, Nancy pushed through the door, head held high as she stormed to her car.Â
As was typical for Nancyâs aim, she scored a direct hit.Â
Steve, somehow, resisted throwing things.Â
âCan you believe her!?â He said, the second the doors were closed and Nancy safely out of eyeshot. âComing in here like that!?âÂ
He ran his hand through his hair, once, twice.Â
A third time for good measure.Â
âYeah, that was seriously public for her.â Robin agreed, sliding up next to him. âLike really public.âÂ
Steve shrugged, because well. Not really.Â
Not anymore.Â
But Robin didnât know that, just like Robin wasnât entirely familiar with the depths Steveâs parents went to save face. They hadnât exactly had time to really dig into it all, given how fast the Vecna situation had hit after Starcourt and the sheer PTSD both incidents had caused.Â
Most nights they spent together was spent trying to avoid reliving nightmares, not discussing ones they were currently still living in.Â
A fact that Steve was more than happy to bring her up to speed on, but to do so involved a lot of backstory, and backstory involved Nancy, and God, he was fucking pissed at Nancy.Â
Soon it was an hour into his rant and he hadnât actually gotten around to the sheer level of shit his parents would pull, too busy with Nancy and old echoes of âbullshit.âÂ
 He only stopped when Robin put a hand on his shoulder, shaking him ever so slightly.Â
âDingus. You know I love you, and I know youâve changed, but you do gotta admit, canceling at the last minute is kinda shitty and I get why theyâre upset.âÂ
It was like the carpet had been pulled right out from under Steve, yanked so quickly heâd have to pinwheel to keep his feet.Â
âWhat?â He said, eyes round in sheer surprise.Â
âI just mean like, I get your parents are dicks but,â Robinâs face screwed up, looking like sheâd sucked a lemon. It was her âIâm going to say something you donât like faceâ and it hit Steve like a punch to the gut.Â
âOur shiftâs almost over and no offense, youâve started to repeat yourself about Nance, and I get it! I do, memory shit is hard!â Robinâs hands moved as she talked, her bracelets jingling as if punctuating her point.Â
âBut I also think admitting you double booked yourself on accident and just taking responsibility for it would help smooth things over. Middle ground, you know?â Robin waggled her hands in a gesture that, for the first time in a long time, Steve didnât understand.Â
He found himself suddenly struggling to breathe.Â
âAre you--are you saying you think I didnât tell them I had a trip already planned?âÂ
Steve wasnât sure how he managed to get it out. Wasnât sure how he was doing anything, given the heat that was shooting through him, a hot mix of confusion and betrayal as Robin fidgeted to his left.Â
âNo! Okay well,â The lemon face got worse for a second. âIâm just saying you did kinda forget to pick me up that one time, and you do kinda blame your parents when stuff like that happens.â She bit a nail, peering at him out of the corner of her eyes. Â
âI donât--â Steve said, completely knocked adrift. âIâŚâ
Robin didnât believe him.
His Robin.Â
Who wasnât--wasnât exactly siding with Nancy, but wasnât saying she was wrong either, or that she understood that this shit was out of his control, and in fact, was kind of implying that Nancy was right more so than Steve was and---and--
There was a ringing in Steveâs ears he wasnât sure actually existed.Â
âIâm sure a lot of it is your brain injury. The doctors said your short term memory can take a while to fully come back and I totally get why you donât wanna say that, I just, I think it would be better if--Steve?â Robin jumped back as Steve finally found his footing, swiping his jacket and punching out before she could catch how badly his hands were shaking.Â
âIâm leaving.â Steve told her, his own words a million miles away, entirely uncaring if Keith fired him.Â
Keith was likely going to fire him anyway, given Steve was about to ask for a week-long vacation not even four months after the whole Vecna ordeal.Â
âWait, Steve, hey--Dingus! I wasnât done, I mean, I had more to say I, dammit Steve--!â Robin called after him frantically as Steve bolted for the door.Â
Steve ignored her, aiming for the Beemer and swinging himself numbly into the driver's seat when he got it open.Â
Put the car in park and avoided Robinâs face entirely as he backed it out, punching the gas far harder than he needed to.Â
The Beemer roared in response, nose rising as it shot forward.Â
Robin was his best friend. His fucking--platonic soulmate, as she kept calling him. The very idea that she agreed with Nancy in general was a blow but in this?
Against his parents?Â
Nausea rolled angrily in Steveâs stomach, matching the sudden wetness that coated his eyes.Â
Angry and needing an outlet, Steve stomped hard on the gas, taking the next corner far too sharp and making the beemer fishtail, tires squealing .Â
He didnât know where he was going.
He figured heâd find out when he got there.Â
xXxÂ
Given what Steve knew about the universe at large, (nevermind Hawkins) it probably wasnât the smartest thing to hang around the Quarry at night.
But then, summer was in full swing. Kids were home from college and itching to find a place to party without parental overhead.Â
Deep to the left side of the water, around a few bends and tucked oh so neatly out of sight, was a place where one could do just that.Â
Party.
This stretch had long been claimed by the college kids of Hawkins, and guarded zealously for it.Â
With the sheer number of drunk people whooping and hollering around the bonfires below the ridge where everyone parked their cars, Steve figured he was safe enough.Â
Even if he was up with said cars, sitting alone.Â
Not like it mattered. If a demodog or demogorgan or demo-fucking-dragon decided to come along, Steve had half a mind to just let it have him.Â
It felt easier than trying to fix the current mess his life was in.Â
So he sat up here, blowing through the alcohol heâd purchased from the one gas station that never carded, drinking his problems away.Â
(That also wasnât the best course of action but with his parents home to spring the whole âvacationâ ordeal on him, it wasnât like Steve had a choice.)Â
He hadnât grabbed a lot--had been so damn upset and struggling to hide it that heâd picked up a four pack of wine coolers instead of the intended beer heâd wanted. It was all he had though, and so he chugged the last bottle with a wince and wished he was a hell of a lot drunker than he felt.
Then promptly caught sight of the person walking towards him, and wondered vaguely if he was drunker than he felt.Â
Of all the people to come and offer him a can of beer, Steve would have never expected Tommy Hagan.Â
He eyed it and his old friend both, before slowly reaching out and taking the can.Â
âHeard you and your parents are doing CoHo this year.â Tommy said casually, leaning up against the front of the Beemer like it was old times.Â
âYup.â Steve replied, drawing the word out.Â
âAngie Tidemanâs parents are going, theyâre bringing her ith .â Tommy said it casually, and had the good graces not to grin when Steve audibly groaned.
âOh god.â
Tommy sucked on a lip, nodding absently. âYeah.âÂ
Then; âIt gets worse.âÂ
Steve, who now knew what this conversation was about, instantly began tearing into the beer can. âHow can it get worse? You know what Angieâs like.â
Angie, whose full name was Angelina, lived a few towns over. Born to wealthy parents who doted on their beloved only child, Angie had more in common with your average shark than she did her fellow humans.Â
A comparison that, frankly, was unkind to sharks.
She was without a doubt the most selfish person Steve had ever had the misfortune of encountering, and the mere idea of being trapped in a room with her made his skin crawl.Â
Their parents were business buddies though, and god forbid he ever insult a business buddies kid,Â
âShe goes to Purdue, you know, with me and Carol.â Tommy said, instead of answering directly. âWe cross paths a lot, party wise.âÂ
Steve stayed silent.Â
Knew how Tommy talked, how his stories meandered. Especially the juicy ones.Â
âSheâs been talking a lot recently. Given you donât look all that informed, Iâm gonna assume the one person she hasnât talked to is you.âÂ
Steve gripped the can of beer, a sudden, sick fear blooming in his gut.Â
âTommy.â He said mildly, not loud enough to really interrupt, but with enough force to let his former friend know to get to the point, now.Â
âGot all super fancy right before we left for summer break. Hair done, whole new wardrobe, nails, you know.â Tommy waggled his fingers playfully, but dropped them when Steve just stared. âWent full whore on us. I swear she was making out with any guy who even looked at her--âÂ
âTommy.â He repeated, this time a hell of a lot firmer.Â
Done pushing, Tommy let go of the proverbial bombshell. âApparently youâre planning on proposing to her this summer. Sheâs gonna return next year as an engaged woman, with you in tow, because apparently, you got into Purdue. Congrats by the way.âÂ
Tommy clapped him on the shoulder, right as Steveâs mouth went dry.Â
For the second time that day, he found himself fighting the burning heat of embarrassment and fury as it rolled through him.Â
âIâm proposing.â Steve said, as if saying it out loud would scare the very idea away. âTo Angie.âÂ
âYeah we kinda figured you didnât know.â Tommy said with a snide little grin. To the average outsider it was mocking, but Steve knew better.
Tommy was uncomfortable, because Tommy had understood what Steveâs parents had done.Â
âWhat Iâd like to know is just how much Angieâs parents paid to get you into Purdue. Thatâs gotta be a minimum fifty thousand dollar donation at least.â Tommy removed his hand, to instead lean his shoulder against Steveâs. Like this was the old times, before theyâd fought. â I didnât think they had that kind of money to throw around.â Â
A past conversation with his father struck Steve, running through the front of his mind like a bad horror movie.Â
âThey sold the estate.â Steve said vacantly, the implications not quite hitting. âThe one theyâve been trying to get rid of forever, over in Cape Cod.âÂ
âOh shit.â Tommy said, blinking as he too, recalled what was likely his father telling him the very same news.Â
âThey sold the place on Cape Cod, and they used part of the funds to fucking buy me like a toy.â And yeah, saying it out loud, it definitely sounded bad. âI didnât think Angie even liked me.â
âDoes Angie like anyone?â Tommy asked, incredulously, but nudged Steveâs shoulder again when his joke didnât net him the laugh he wanted.. âI mean, you had to know your old man had plans to straighten you out. He keeps getting mad at my dad, because the ass won't stop making jokes that Iâm going to take over the company instead of you.âÂ
âAnd this is it. Attaching me to Angie.â Steve said vacantly. âBecause they know if I get marriedâŚâÂ
Heâd put his wife first. His family, first.Â
The one heâd wanted, dreamed of, since he first realized he didnât have one.Â
Heâd been playing checkers the entire time, too busy fighting fucking monsters and Russians to realize his parents had upgraded to chess.Â
In a dizzying array of mental connect-the-dots, Steve replayed the last years worth of conversations. All the odd little things theyâd said. All the dumb things Steve had just ignored.Â
 Theyâd warned him.Â
Had told him he better shape up, or theyâd be forced to do something drastic.Â
That his parents hadnât wasted all this time, effort, money on him, for him to throw away his life like he was.Â
âYou better start acting right and figuring out how to get your life back on track, because you wonât like what happens if I have to fix it for you. You get a month Steven, and after that? Well. Just remember you forced my hand, Steven.âÂ
They knew. They knew him, and what made him tick.
âI think the real question is what Angieâs parents see in you.â Tommy teased, but then they both knew the answer to that puzzle.Â
For all that Steveâs mom complained about her husband, the guy was a shrewd and calculating businessman. Those weekends, then weekdays, then more and more time away hadnât just been so he could go screw his secretary.Â
Richard Harrington had fast tracked his business to the point where it was now getting attention. The business journal, âTop 50 Companies to Watchâ kind.Â
Even if Steve fucked up entirely, he was set to inherit a fortune and a business that would continue adding to it, for some time to come.Â
Provided he did what his parents wanted.
Such as marrying Angie.Â
Thing was, if his parents did what they always did, and held their wealth (his car, his home, his life and all the little things in it) against him like a gun to his head, if Angie got that ring around her finger?Â
 Steve would bow to their whims.Â
 Because they could fluster him into proposing so he didnât embarrass Angie, and her parents and anyone else whoâd undoubtedly be watching. Theyâd make a spectacle of it.Â
Because once he did propose, they wouldnât let him back out, burying him under guilt trips and veiled threats until he was marched down the aisle in a groomsman suite and told to stand.Â
Because against all common sense, Steve wanted a family who loved him so desperately heâd chase it like a dog if he was presented with the opportunity and told to make it work.Â
It didnât matter that Angie was selfish.Â
Steve would try anyway.Â
His parents were maneuvering him as easily as they had back when he was a kid, using love as a tool to get him to do what they wanted and even seeing the nose hanging from the rafters, they knew just the right words to get him to place it around his neck.Â
âThought youâd wanna know.â Tommy finished, pushing himself off Steveâs car. âBefore your parents sprung it on you.âÂ
âSonofabitch.â Steve hissed angrily, a million thoughts racing through his head, the heat of being caught in a trap blasting down his spine.Â
âYeah.â Tommy added, rather unhelpfully. âBut hey, given that youâre about to go on vacation to propose, why donât we consider this,â here Tommy swept his hand, gesturing to the party below, âyour proposal party?âÂ
It was a downright horrible idea.
But then, Steve didnât exactly have a better one.Â
Not when the world itself seemed against him, grinding its heel into his back and laughing about it.Â
He knew the drill. If he went down there, arm in arm with Tommy, then it wouldnât matter that half those kids were from a few towns over, driven in by new college buddies. Â
Theyâd see him as a reason to get wild, absolutely uncaring that they didnât know who the hell he was.Â
Steve needed that.
People who werenât mad at him, buying into the easy lies his parents wove, or who didn't understand the games played against him.Â
âFuck it.â He announced, standing up from the hood of his car as Tommyâs grin morphed into something he used to see in the days of old, back when they were sneaking drinks from their parents' alcohol cabinets. âThis way at least I get a party.â
Not like his parents were going to let him have an engagement party. Or a bachelor party, or likely let his ass back into Hawkins.Â
No matter how long the engagement.Â
Tommy cheered, raising his arms to the sky and Steve grinned wildly with him.Â
Heâd figure out how to get out of all this later--but for now, he wanted just a few damn hours where he didnât have to think.Â
Not about his parents, or Angie, or possible attempts to force him into marriage, like this was the yee olden days and Steve was a Victorian maiden who needed to be brought to heel.Â
Likewise he didnât want to think about the Party, or Russian torture, or how Nancy could be so damn smart in some things and downright stupid in others.Â
He absolutely didn't want to think about Robin.Â
âHey boys and girls, look who I drug up!â Tommy yelled as they approached and soon, word had spread.
This was Steveâs proposal party, and he was here to get absolutely smashed (while encouraging everyone else to do the exact same, in his honor.)Â
Which would be how Eddie found him a few hours later.
Still at the quarry, crossfaded off his ass, a forty in one hand and a lawn dart in the other.Â
âAre you kidding me, Steve?â Eddie grit out, desperately trying to wrestle the lawn dart out of his hand. âYouâre fucking partying with Tommy Hagan!?âÂ
Steve blinked at him a few times, finally catching on that Eddie was in fact, actually there.Â
âWhen did you show up?â He asked, though given the wince on Eddieâs face and just how hard it had been to move his lips, Steve correctly assumed heâd slurred the shit out of the question.Â
Somehow, Eddie understood him anyway.Â
âRobin called me a while ago, gave me a list of places you might be. Almost skipped this one until I stepped out of my van to take a piss and heard the party.â Eddie explained, and somehow while doing so, heâd successfully gotten a hold of the dart.Â
He was now working on removing the 40 ounce.Â
Steve frowned, using his newly freed hand to grip it closer to his chest.Â
âHarrington.â Eddie warned, and oh, wow, they were back to last names huh?
Well why not, it wasn't like his night could get worse.Â
âThis is mine, Munson.â Steve fired back, putting as much vitriol into Eddieâs last name as he could.
This did not detour the metalhead.Â
âCome on man, give me the bottle.â Eddie said firmly.Â
Steve shook his head stubbornly, enjoying the way his hair whipped at his face. âNo.â
Another man stumbled over, a guy Steve absolutely did not know. He frowned, looking between Eddie and Steve.Â
For two seconds, Steve thought they might have trouble, and given the way Eddie was tensing, he clearly thought so too.Â
Instead, New Guy just kind of rocked on his heels. âHey, shove off it, buddy. Itâs this guy's bachelor party, let the man drink!âÂ
Eddieâs face did something complicated then, pulling the sort of expressive looks only he could manage.
It was both adorable and hilarious, and if Steve hadnât just been reminded of the very reason he was drinking, heâd have told Eddie so.Â
âYeah!â He said instead, raising his hand in the air, toasting his bottle of forty against the other guyâs red solo cup. âItâs my proposalengagmentbachelor party!âÂ
Given the second, adorable-slash-hilarious look on Eddieâs face, Steve assumed those words hadnât come out right either.Â
âOkay.â Eddie said hands on his hips in a stance Steve was pretty sure Eddie had gotten from him. âHereâs what's going to happen. Youâre going to put the bottle away. Then youâre going to give me your car keys, and then the two of us are going to my house to sleep whatever is happening here, off.âÂ
At least, that's what Steve thought he heard. It was a pretty un-Eddie like speech, and Steve maybe, might have been the one to say it, because he maybe, might have been mocking what Eddie had actually said.
Maybe.
It was hard to know, given that Steveâs thoughts were a thick soup on a bit of a time delay, and he was having a hard time figuring up from down, let alone what Eddie had been actually saying.Â
Speaking of;Â
 âWhen did I get into your car?â Steve asked, blinking as the vanâs passenger seat appeared before him.
âJust now.â Eddie said, helping him in.
âHuh.â Said Steve, and then he maybe passed out a bit, because once again, he found himself awake and alert at a place that wasnât where heâd just been.Â
âCome on.â Eddie said gently, one of Steveâs arms over his shoulder as Steve leaned heavily into him, guiding the jock up the stairs and into the small house he and Wayne now called a home.Â
The guy might have muttered a few things about bachelor parties along the way, but Steve was too focused on walking straight to really take notice.Â
Part Two
#lol remember when I said I wasnt posting parts to stuff until they were finished#THAT SURE LASTED LONG#pre steddie#steddie#steve harrington#eddie munson#0o0 fanfics#This is very Steve focused#TW his horrible parents#VERY hurt#comforts later#with eddie!#I really wanted to explore Steves Parents#in proper Rich Asshole Controling fashion#TW forced marriage#or mentions of#I also wanted to explore a lot of how the kids#and Nancy and Robin (who are also STILL kids#would react because sure they came up against monsters and the government#but neither of those things want you to like them#theyll let you know theyll eat you#Steves parents#like many rich dicks#want to isolate#want you to think theyre amazing#and its often the inner circle who knows whats up but are also caught in their own chokechain#hence the title of this fic#whiiiich is chokechain#stranger things#tw drinking
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theyre so stupid
IF I SEE ONE MORE PERSON RB THIS WITH A FANART TAG IM GONNA COMMIT A CRIME. THIS IS NOT FANART. I GOT THIS FROM THE WIKI. HERE IS PROOF OF IT BEING OFFICIAL
#and yet theyre the love of my life (i still love grelle dw)#milo belladonna#joy johnson-johjima#calculester hewlett packard#vicky schmidt#monster prom#monster camp#water posts#edit sorry i forgot damien was there i really dont care about him#damien lavey
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i fucking love people here you guys see this dinnerplate-faced daycare animatronic and go "what if they were detectives" and you make all this amazing astounding art and writing and concepts and designs like yeah . sure . im going to be normal abt this and im not going to think about the incredible levels of creativity involved im not gointg to think about how much i love seeing beginner artists using the dca as a way to learn new skills in art and character design Im not going to think about how much joy is in all those AUs and how much artists and writers put aspects of whatever they enjoy in those stupid ass clowns to make these incredible inspired stories and artworks absolutely Brimming with love for what they created &how much i love seeing people in the community huddling around those AUs and hyping them up and making More Art from those yeah im normal. whatever
#im a vanilla dca fan but dear lord some of you draw me in like a rat to cheese#fnaf dca#talking#i think early early on in the fandom i saw a post complaining about this#about some dca content being so far from the original concept that it just doesnt make sense#not to be cheesy on main but i think the love that people have for this character is insane and i think that if you make#incredible ass monster sea monster mermaid WHATEVER designs#and at the heart of it all its because of how mch you love the dca#then thats fucking fantastic#this is probably worded really fucking badly maybe i'll try again another time#its 3 am man im going to sleep
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A SILLY SNAKE!!!
I thought @kitakami-kid gorgon kiki idea was super cute!!!! so i decided to draw it :))) (btw i hope you like it srry if i got some colors wrong lmao)
#pokemon#pokemon sv#kieran#kieran pokemon#rival kieran#gorgon kieran#trainer kieran#au#yeah it counts#my art#kiti art zone#gift art#i think?#it also might count#im sorry i saw your post about colors late#and i already came up with my colors srry if i got any wrong :(#i hope you like it tho i thought the idea was super cute and right up my alley#:D!#unironically the most proud of this is the hydrapple heads#Iâm really build just to draw dragons and monsters lmaooo
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Homicipher shenanigans
I think I got as much out of the demo as I reasonably could
Now I just gotta wait for Nov 1st!!!!!
#art post#homicipher#monster#self insert#mr head#mr gap#mr silver#I customized their names so i technically donât really use these but pfpf#also I made up most of the words btw#homicipher fanart#atama
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another detail for bugliker shuro: in the chapter 60 cover, his succubus is falin with insect wings & legs! a little reminiscent of laios's tbh...
Oh my god youâre RIGHTâŚ
Even at the most mosquito-like we see them be in canon they only have wings and hair-like antennas, not this full fit with collar and extra legs⌠The wings donât look the same⌠Oh my god Toshiroâs ideal is a bug wife
#Dungeon meshi#delicious in dungeon#toshiro nakamoto#shuro#Spoilers#dungeon meshi manga spoilers#i should make a tag for these quick postsâŚ#Nature lover toshiro#You can argue the bug features were exaggerated for the monster showcase. Valid. But idkkkk guysssssâŚ.. đ#Idkkk guys the wings look differentâŚ.. Those arenât mosquito-like đ if sheâs his queen bee thatâd be so cute- anyways getting ahead of myse#Itâd be interesting to dive into the link Toshiro made between Falin and bugs prob stuff to dig into there⌠Thereâs that folk tale on it to#The fact that bug fu- EHEM lover Toshiro is has basis enough for this to even being an entertainable possibility is already so funny#I say bug wife but it being falin does really matter⌠If itâs just bc bugs are why he fell in love with her so it manifests thatâs soâŚ#Dunmeshi succubus
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I've decided to give the MH ghosts some Obsessions :)
(Next)
#monster high#spectra vondergeist#tucker foley#danny phantom#howleen wolf#half normie au#its a fuckin shame I didn't START drawing/posting the haunted high arc here#the foreshadowing coulda been more fun if I'd started in order#but i havent really been posting ANY of the au in order so folks just gonna have to work with me lol
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