#Lillie is the only special costume pair I have ;A; | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

crystalelemental · 1 year

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Hey, Crystal, if you don't mind, I'd like a suggestion. You see, Pichu is my favorite Pokémon and in Pokemas I have this Sync Pair MC-Pichu born from an egg. It's a special striker, weak to ground, lv. 150, 4/5 move lv., with Thunderbolt, Thunder, X Sp. Atk and Race up, which increases speed of 2 stages. Who could be its ideal partners? I'm running it with base Rosa and Hilbert, but it isn't working well. Of course, if you need stats too, just tell me. Thanks in advance.

I will do my best, but please understand that this is going to be an uphill battle. MU tends to be best with Tech and Support, Strikers are actively limited in a lot of ways.

General Overview The good news is, Striker Raichu comes with a few nice tools in Piercing Gaze and +1 crit on trainer move. This means, in a pinch, Team Sharp Entry is sufficient to get the job done for crit rate; you're not required to have full crit support. The inclusion of X Sp Atk means it doesn't need full offensive support either. Basically, you have some flexibility for support. Some. Because you can't cap either, you are reliant a bit on both, and special attack/crit is a rare commodity. It's also separate skills to raise each, meaning it's slow to set up, which is generally a problem for Champion Stadium.

Because we're running Pichu over Raichu, we're operating at a deficit of 34 special attack. This is a noticeable decrease in damage, due to how it's calculated as Sp Atk * Move BP. Thunder offsets it slightly due to low accuracy that doesn't matter getting you a power boost. Thunderbolt is, effectively, useless. So your operation is spamming a 3-bar move. Thankfully not a huge issue because trainer move buffs speed. With that in mind, your own trainer move should be a priority when considering support.

The last thing I'll note is Power Reserves 2. This is a small bonus to move damage for being in the red flashing HP zone. Some people love these kinds of strats. I am not one of them. It's a cute bonus when you survive, but mostly I don't love the tradeoff.

Team 1: SS Kris/SC Jasmine/SC Lillie/SS Brendan, MU Pichu, Volkner/SST Red These four are your most critical support options. I'm making a bit of an assumpion here, but from your description, I'm going to guess fairly new? Have been around long enough to have egg move candy, but only to 4/5, and referencing Rosa, so I'm guessing you may not have any of those four. But those are names to keep an eye on for reruns. Sygna Suit Kris is my personal gold standard for this kind of utility. Special Costume Jasmine and Lillie both do really well, with Jasmine having great bulk and special defense drops, and Lillie having tremendous healing. Sygna Suit Brendan has to take first sync to really get your stats maxed out, but is otherwise a more efficient combination of Jasmine and Lillie's strengths.

After them, you'd want Volkner. Volkner is going to be a huge component of what you need for Pichu. Electric Terrain support is the best damage multiplier you can acquire in the game, as a multiplicative 50%. Meaning every other type of buff stacks with the terrain. Volkner is currently one of two options that can set this terrain manually. The other is Sygna Suit Thunderbolt Red from the three year anniversary. If you have him, he is a much, much better option. But I'm again making the assumption he is not in your roster, so Volker is the next best thing.

Team 2: Drake/Cheren/Marley, Pichu, Classic Elesa/Eevee Kris Drake is an option to partner with Pichu, that sacrifices a bit of power for a lot of defense. The benefit here is Team Sharp Entry, which caps your critical hit rate, and is therefore essential. Drake's goal is simply to survive, and possibly to get your defenses up to a point where Pichu survives an opponent's sync, kicking off Power Reserves. Cheren can perform similar to Drake, but only for physical stages. He does have more direct healing, though. His only problem is needing 3/5, which is a tall order when you need to use candy. I'm also going to mention Marley here. Marley gets a really, really nice grid, with Team Sharp Entry as a notable skill. The main benefit here is that Marley also has gradual healing application, and the potential to max out your special attack, unlike Drake and Cheren.

Volkner is still your most accessible option, but I'm mentioning Classic Elesa and Eevee Kris here. Both have the ability to set Electric Terrain, but not as directly. Classic Elesa has the benefit of spectrum debuffs, which can improve Pichu's damage output. Meanwhile, Eevee Kris provides constant terrain by taking every sync nuke, something Pichu doesn't strictly need. They are limited though, so...grain of salt.

Team 3: Pichu, MU Torchic/Falkner, Lucian Because they removed the limit of one of each character per team, Pichu can benefit from the Torchic in main story as well, which can nicely round out its needed buffs. Another possibility is Falkner. Falkner is slower than the Team 1 options, but can cap crit and special attack. Notably, Falkner also has a good flinch rate in Air Slash, which can stall for added actions.

The last slot is a new one. Lucian doesn't set Electric Terrain, but has the next best thing: consistent special defense debuffs. If you ever have access to him, even 1/5, Lucian's Growl utility is out of control. Special defense drops are tremendously useful, and he's able to buff team speed as well, which just removes gauge issues as a concern.

Final Thoughts I've never personally tried to make a striker eggmon work, but conceptually, those are some of your best partners. For Champion Stadium, you really want to emphasize capping crit and special attack quickly, and ideally Electric Terrain for damage. Legendary Arena and Gauntlet can be a bit more challenging, depending on the needs of the stage.

I'll also note, just to give an idea of what you're in for: I went to greater minds than mine and looked at an old Zinfogel video I knew used the striker Raichu eggmon line. He used it in a clear of Electric-weak Aaron, which is fairly impressive...but also partnered with Archie who's doing the bulk of the work. This was the best showcasing I knew to look for, and it's still mostly the partner's work. It's a rough time out there for Striker Eggmons. But, the game tends to be easy enough that it can still work with the right tools.

#pokemon masters #striker pichu #mu pichu #unit teambuilding

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devs-side-blog · 4 years

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On This Day - Sanders Sides Birthday Fic for Virgil!

Fic time! First fic I’ve written in quite a while, woooo! A birthday story for Virgil =D Hope you enjoy!

- - -

Title: On This Day

Warnings: All Sides present, including Deceit and Remus. A shot of angst here and there, especially at the end. Sympathetic to all, I guess? Not really certain on this. Briefest mention of something vaguely gore-ish at the end.

Pairings: No ships or pairings, only friendly and familial feelings

Type: One-shot, fairly short.

- - - - -

Sides didn't really have birthdays. It was hard enough to know when a Side "came together" enough to be considered a Side, let alone when one first emerged at all. It was easy to slip between the cracks and among the shadows of thought without being noticed for a long while. Not just by Thomas, but by any Side that might already be around. So they had mostly defaulted to considering Thomas' birthday their own, if they cared to claim one, even if they had generally been nothing but the vaguest abstract of a "something" that might grow into more later.

Not that all that kept certain Sides from latching on to the idea of everyone getting their own "special day".

"Come on, Virgil. It'll be fun!" Patton bounced on his toes and clapped his hands a few times. He smiled widely at the more dour side currently perched on the stairs.

Virgil sank lower onto his favored step, knees drawn up and shoulders hunched as he glared out from the sanctuary of his hood. His bangs half obscured his eyes. "Nnnn... I'd rather not. Why don't you let Princey have today?" he gestured toward the white-clad Side peering over the banister. "He likes attention."

"Because it's not his day, you sil-" Patton began with hands on hips, though his expression quickly faltered along with his words, "Uh... I mean... besides, the viewers are the one who decided today was yours. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?" Patton lightly pleaded with his hands stretched out towards Virgil. He smiled again, if a little less certainly.

"But they won't even see this!" Virgil protested, his own hands flung wide in a gesture of annoyance. He had been Irritated At Patton for reasons that hadn't yet been aired out, and he found it bubbling up at the light-hearted attempt to guilt him. Still, he tried to reign it in, huffing out, "Besides, it doesn't make any sense-"

"It makes perfect sense. It's the first day you showed up in a video and got schooled by Lilly," Roman chimed in. He stood with one arm crossed over his stomach while the other hand waved in a vague circular motion.

"Roman!" This time Patton's chiding wasn't quite so light.

"What? It's true." Roman allowed his arms to drop to his sides. "There's no shame in being taken down by Superwoman." He dismissively waved a hand. "Have you watched the video? It's classic-"

"Thanks for the thought, Patton, but I'm really not interested," Virgil interjected before the Roman train-of-insult got up enough steam to really get rolling.

Roman clamped his mouth shut with a slight wince and shot a somewhat apologetic glance toward the fatherly Side. He shifted from one foot to the other other, raised a finger, and opened his mouth.

"I think it's fine idea."

Roman snapped his mouth shut again. Lowering his hand, he and the other two turned their attention toward the sitting area.

Logan lowered the book he had been reading into his lap, looking over to the other three from his seat on the couch. He gave his glasses a small adjustment.

Virgil gave him a disbelieving stare. Mood temporarily shifted, it spilled out in his tone. "You think it's a good idea? I thought you didn't like sentimental things?"

"True," Logan acknowledged with a small nod, "but it can be beneficial to be reminded of the... sincere and warm regards of one's friends and family." He closed the book and set it aside. Patton smiled fondly and softly at the last word.

"Warm?" Virgil questioned with a slight raise of both lip and brow as he pointed to Roman.

"Hey..." The already muted expression on Roman's face became more of a frown.

"Yes," affirmed Logan. His gaze shifted ever so slightly toward Roman before fixing again on Virgil through the spindles of the stair railing.

Virgil gave Roman a slightly puzzled side glance before shaking his head at Logan. He held up his hands in refusal. "Thanks but no thanks. I don't think I need it."

"Not true," countered Logan simply.

Now it was the logical Side's turn to get the eyebrow raise. "You missed a chance to yell Falsehood at me?"

"I didn't think it was necessary," Logan said with a one shoulder shrug. "If you're really opposed to the idea, we can skip it. I just think it would good for you to have a day to celebrate yourself."

"Celebrate anxiety?" Virgil pointed to himself, the dubious expression and tone unshaken.

"You're more than that." The response was both surprisingly soft-spoken and surprisingly firm at the same time. Virgil almost ducked away from the unwavering look Logan was giving him. Fortunately, Patton came to his rescue.

The bubbly Side put a hand on his shoulder. "Logan's right, Virgil. We want to show you how much you mean to us. Not just us, the viewers as well!" He gestured at seemingly nothing. His voice softened. "And... if you really do find it too uncomfortable, we can always stop."

Virgil looked from one Side to the other, fast becoming unable to resist the excited pleading in Patton's eyes, the uncertainty in Roman's, and the unflinching belief in Logan's. His lip pulled up enough to wrinkle the side of his nose. He finally yanked down the hood. "Uuughh... fine!" he grouched with a surrendering if agitated wave of his hands. "Let's do this. But since it's also National Emo Day, you all have to dress in black." He pointed at them with conviction. They weren't getting out of this so easily.

"Yay!" Patton fist-bumped the air, already sporting the emo half of the costume Virgil had put on him last Christmas.

“Yes, let's get this party started!" Roman raised his hands in victory, a genuine smile back on his face. He spun into a very un-princely black shirt and pants combo. The briefest discomfort pinched his eyes before disappearing completely but it didn't dim his expression one jot.

Virgil mumbled and groaned as the two Sides pulled him to his feet and down the last few steps. All the protesting, the muttering, it was all for show. The tough guy emo aesthetic still stuck to him, after all, and he couldn't be too outwardly enthusiastic. And it wouldn't be a lie to say he did feel anxious and vaguely guilty at the attention. But he ducked his head down between shoulders as he caught the half smile on Logan's face, knowing at least one of the others had caught on to his act. Logan, now looking scarily similar - and rather intimidatingly - like how he had been in Virgil's room, followed a pace or two behind the three.

Virgil was coaxed toward the table to be assaulted with cake, confetti, and a way over-riffed rendition of the Happy Birthday song by Roman... and a more humorous rap composed by Logan. Patton arranged the few presents and cards, as well as conjuring up black and Halloween patterned decorations. After the unspoken wish the others prodded him to make while blowing out the candles, the other Sides pulled up many of the birthday messages from their viewers, a collection that had Virgil struggling not to blush or laugh or cry but ultimately left him with a cheek-squishing half smile he couldn't quite suppress.

"Thanks, everyone..." he said quietly.

* * *

The screen glowed gently in the dimmed light of the room, illuminating the asymmetrical face clouded by a faint frown and little wrinkle between the brows. Brmm-clack brmm-clack brmm-clack. The sound of chair wheels on wood broke the silence as black-clad figure rolled his seat over to the other. Planting booted feet up on the desk beside an elbow, Remus lounged back in the office chair.

"You know, we could show up and have some fun." He left the suggested "fun" undefined, examining his nails while grinning.

"Sssshut up." Deceit pushed sharply away from the desk and stood, sending his own chair clattering and rolling backward a few feet. He turned quickly, the capelet swishing about his shoulders as he stalked away.

Remus rolled his eyes and dropped his arms over the sides of the chair like he had been shot on the spot. He called out from his position, the volume of his voice increasing as the distance between them did, "Well, I'm going. I'll bring you back a slice of cake. Or a head! What would you like?"

The answer came in the form of a slamming door followed by silence.

"Cake it is!" Jumping to his feet, he sent the office chair crashing to the floor. The noise bounced off the wooden floors only to be absorbed by the somewhat vintage items cluttering the room. With a whistled song and a shouldered mace, he sauntered into the space between thoughts to join the rest.

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #logan sanders #deceit sanders #remus sanders #virgil's birthday #fan fiction #ts fanfic

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imagine-that-one-thing · 6 years

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21 kids and a kiwi.

Authors Note: I really couldn't help myself when I saw the picture on H's Instagram about Kiwi and this has been torturing me in my brain ever since, so here is a lil somethin' to get us through until the next two days until KIWI comes out.

Harry Masterlist found HERE

It was only a matter of time before he became a music enthusiast who aspired to constantly be surrounded by the beautiful, affectionate, innocent eyes of children and their laughter that is astonishingly contagious.

Five years ago when he sauntered through the front door with a crooked grin and enthusiasm through the roof with his eyes overflowing with pure delight, you weren’t surprised when the words, “I am going to be a music teacher.” Escaped his perfectly rosy lips. You glanced over at him with a cup of coffee in cupped in your palms while your body was sat up on the stool by the countertop. You gave him a generous smile and nodded. You certainly weren’t surprised at all.

He needed something to do while he was taking a break from the A-List stardom life of touring and recording.

Over the five years, he triumphantly earned his Bachelor's degree in music, completed a student-teaching experience at the school he went to growing up and received his teaching license. It wasn't as intense as you had thought it would be, you expected him to be as miserable through obtaining his degree like you were years ago, but none of it bothered him, he appreciated constantly being buried in books and papers while discovering more about his passion. He never complained on the late nights he was perched in front of his laptop revising for tests and whatever else he was stuck doing at ungodly hours.

Today, you encounter yourself with your hands and arms grappling to hold everything, car-keys, purse, and many different snacks for Harry’s music class. Since parents were allowing their children to stay after school to rehearse for the winter musical that Harry has been extremely excited about producing. Harry proposed to feed the kiddos snacks. And by Harry volunteering to feed the children, what was really inferred was that you would be left in charge of the food needs of the individual children and their various allergies and desires.

You step into the front office and give the receptionist your typically generous smile as she welcomes you, opening the door for you to enter the foyer that leads to the rest of the school's classrooms. You wander the endless hallway of dim lights, eventually making it to the music centre. As you stand outside the two wide doors, you overhear the laughter of children echoing and the soft tone of the piano playing. You grin to yourself before you manage to force the doors open, instantly causing all the little eyes to stare over at you, "Missus Y/N," a few of the little ones hurry over to you with great joy, their little arms wrapping around your legs.

You catch Harrys chuckles before he's by your side taking the food from your arms, "Hey Missus Y/N," he chuckles with a wide grin, kissing your cheek and making his way to the table that he has evidently set up for the snacks.

You watch as the little ones follow his every step and endeavour to assist him, all of them listening to his every instruction and holding onto his every word.

"What do we say to Missus Y/N for bringing us the food?" He announces to his group of what you like to call, little minions. They all glance over at you and in unison declare thanks with a charming chime of "Thank you Missus Y/N."

You give them a small laugh and assure them that they are welcome before Harry proceeds to help two little girls that are a little shorter than the rest and having a troublesome time stretching for the fruits.

You can't help but relish him with that gorgeous grin on his face as he does everything to help all the kiddos that require his attention, making sure each and every child is taken care of. If you didn't know any better, you'd believe he was the father of all twenty-one children.

Harry stands beside you proudly, "You're going to be blown away, jus' watch." He beams as his eyes stay focused on the twenty-one children assembled in a well-defined manner. "Lilly, sweetie a little more to your left," Harry gestures graciously and she shuffles to her left, "There we go," Harry gives her a thumbs up, "Okay, on three I want you all to show Y/N what we have practised... 1...2...3." Harry counts and a warm and soothing tone of young voices harmonising together and bouncing off the walls. You proudly smile at the wonderfully sounding kids as they sing 'Rudolph the red nose reindeer,' with cute, dainty smiles as they bounce up and down gleefully.

"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, you know Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?" With each name of a reindeer, a little one steps forward proudly.

You allow the adorable singers to finish the song before you give them your own special standing ovation, "Wonderful, each and everyone one of you," you exclaim with such happiness etched into your heart. Little kids carolling Christmas carols is honestly one of the warmest things that you cherish.

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, it is time to get ready for your Mummy and Daddy's to come pick you up, go get your backpacks." Harry gestures towards the other room where the backpacks and belongings are kept, "Don't forget your jackets it is cold outside."

"Can we sing another song?" One girl smiles as she walks closer to Harry and he nods.

"I think we have a few minutes, once you all collect your bags we can sing another one," Harry informs the little girl before she skips off happily towards the other room. "So, what do you think? Cute, huh?" Harry beams as he turns to you with bright eyes that have always brought joy to your fluttering heart.

You nod your head in agreement, his little crew are by far extremely cute, especially when they're singing and enjoying themselves. "Yes, you have done a good job, they can even hold notes."

"Yeah, they're a good little group. So, I was thinking the kids, in the beginning, they have differently decorated reindeer antlers so we know they're Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and the rest."

"Seems like a good idea. All of them outfitted as Reindeer would be so adorable," you admit, already imagining all of the kiddos decked cutely as Reindeers.

"Mhm, I was thinking you could help me with decorating them."

"Harry," you sigh, remembering the last time he said those exact words. You got stuck last time decorating fairy wings while he slept on the couch because you got sick of scolding him and having to redo his creations because...well... he isn't steady with his hands when it comes to decorating small things with glitter glue. He tried, he really did, but he just wasn't brought into this world to decorate things, especially fairy wings. "I love you, I do, but I can't decorate reindeer outfits all on my own within two weeks."

"I know, darling, I will help."

"Harry, do I need to remind you of the fairy wings? Or the Halloween costumes?"

"Y/N," Harry chuckles, "I promise I am better at decorating Reindeer ears than I am pumpkins and fairy wings."

"Mhm, you owe me dinner and a movie night after all this."

Harry nods, "of course, I'll even cook for yeh."

You grin and graciously nod in agreement to his proposal. You can never turn down his propositions to cook. The second best thing to seeing him prepare the children is to observe him dance around the kitchen with nothing but a pair of sweatpants on while he hums along to his favourite songs. It's breathtaking, to say the least.

You and Harry both stand and welcome each parent as they walk in to claim their children with wide grins when they see how the children are vibrant and beaming.

Once the last child leaves, Harry turns to you, "Thanks, thank you for everything you do and allowing me to do this," he gestures his arms around to his little music room that has become his 'safe-haven,' you could say. His safe haven to escape the world used to be the studio, and since he is taking a hiatus with his music career as an artist, he has resorted to his music room as his place. He loves the laughter of children and the vibration of their beautiful voices as he performs on the piano and teaches them new songs. Harry loves observing their faces light up when their favourite songs get played and he especially loves it when they request some of the older songs that he has taught them with parental consent.

His eyes are evermore an eminent shade and his smile is invariably a little bit wider when he gets to spend extra time with the little ones and preparing for small musicals and recitals. He has a soft spot for kids, it is obvious, and there is a part of you that absolutely adores watching him operate his magic with so many young individuals who have a strong devotion and passion for music like he does. He is connected with them on a different level, it's beautiful to witness.

You lean up and kiss Harry sweetly before you carefully pull away, "You always support me. It is no problem. But, next time you want to sign me up for snack duty, don't remind me at midnight."

"Yeah, sorry about that love, I forgot."

"I know," you chuckle, "So, I was in the fruit aisle today, take a guess what I stumbled upon?" You grin cheekily as Harry crosses his arms over his chest and raises his brow.

"Well, darling, I am assuming you stumbled across the fruit."

"Smart ass," you roll your eyes at your husband who is grinning widely at his comment, "I happened to catch a glimpse at some kiwis," you inform Harry and he instantly chuckles while covering his face with his hands, "I got a few, too. I remember you enjoy them quite a bit."

He chuckles and shakes his head, "oh my, I don't think I am ever going to live that down, am I?"

"Mmm, no," you shake your head, "So, can you remind me how it goes again?" you purposely bat your eyes and grin at him as he rolls his eyes and curls his lips.

It has been a while since the all-so-famous song Kiwi has been brought up. You can't really help yourself today, especially considering how at one point he came home with a box full of kiwis thanks to a dedicated fan who was quite the comedian.

Harry steps closer to you, his hands pressing to your waists while his lips caress to the corner of your mouth. Your arms drape over his shoulders and shivers become pulsated down your spile as his soft breath steadily hits your bare neck as he slowly sings.

"She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes. Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect. And all the boys, they were saying they were into it. Such a pretty face, on a pretty neck."

(Tell me what you think, here).

#Harry styles imagines #harry styles prompt #harry styles prompts #imagine harry styles #harry styles blurbs #harry styles blurb #harry styles fluff #harry styles preference #harry styles preferences #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fanfictions #harry styles writing

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w1tchy13itch-blog · 7 years

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For your scholars! 64 through 71 and 74 through 80 please! I'm interested in learning more about your ocs! - Toad Mod

Yo! hehehehe I like this batch of questions too XD

I’ll answer the first half now, and the other half later after classes get out for me!

Lemme see what I can manage:

64: Where were your scholar’s parent(s) or guardian(s) born?

Lillie: Lillie’s dad was born in Yamagata prefecture in Japan, and her mother is a second generation Japanese American from central California.

Vivian&Darcy: Their biological parents (out of the three) were both born then the UK, and their parent’s partner was born in Melbourne, Australia.

Flora: Her mother is British and her bio-father (divorced and deceased) was Irish. Her stepmother is of Indian descent but was born and raised in Whales.

Abigail: Her biological parents were born in Mexico and Texas, but lived in northern Mexico. Her foster parents were born in New York but her foster mother is half Korean and her foster father is Jamaican American. (They moved to Texas, and then Arizona for the warmer climate and a desire to live in a quieter, more natural environment)

65: Is there anything about your scholar’s past that they don’t want anyone to know?

Lillie: Her deadname, basically.

Vivian&Darcy: Vivian hasn’t got any, but Darcy, like Lillie, would rather not have his deadname spread around. He’s far more comfortable in his new body though, than Lillie, but no matter how much you physically feel good, it sucks to have people disregard you and undermine you.

Flora: for the sake of Angus’s privacy and her own, she prefers no one knows she has a child. When she meets, by chance, Angus’s biological father a few years after she’d been attending Arlington and finds out he’s transferred to the same school via a scholarship, she is apprehensive about telling him, but manages to work out an agreement with him to share custody so long as he keeps quiet about the situation.

Abigail: If she could have her way, she wouldn’t let you know what she ate for breakfast. Mainly, she doesn’t want people to know her personal life, she wants them to appreciate her for the character she is on stage and her presence in the spotlight, but wishes for her past with her family and current relationship with Flora to be untouched and protected as much as possible.

66: Has your scholar ever kissed anyone?

Lillie: Nope, purely clean lips here. Familial kisses don’t count, and she’s never really been desired or sought by anyone before that was of the gender she prefers so it’s kind of rough on her. Hopefully Arlington will change that, because there’s a pair of lips named Tadashi Nakano that she is dying to taste.

Vivian: She had a girlfriend who is now just a close friend. (her friend got into the T.V. acting business and is currently the star of a teen mystery drama on a British kids show channel)

Darcy: He kissed a girl for a dare once, and had a boyfriend for 4 days that ended up being one of those “I thought I liked you but i guess i kind of didn’t, and this is awkward now” kind of people.

Bonus: Flora kissed her kid’s dad quite a lot that one specific time, and she and Abigail kiss around 8 times a day on average.

67: What is your scholar’s favorite holiday?

Lillie: Lillie likes Halloween the best. There weren’t many holidays her family celebrated, and Halloween was one of the few they did. She uses it as an excuse to cosplay because she can’t afford to go to real conventions.

Vivian&Darcy: They both love Valentines day and go all out romantic for their significant others or crushes.

Flora: Her and Angus’s birthday. Her parents travelled the world with her so she knows of too many holidays to count, let alone choose one. And so, she figures that her day of birth and her son’s are probably the best ones there are because they’re special days that only the two of them can fully appreciate

Abigail: Halloween and Christmas both. This chick is like ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ in human form.

68: What do they enjoy dressing up as on Halloween? If they don’t dress up or go trick-or-treating, then what do they do instead?

Lillie: She uses Halloween as an excuse to cosplay and has a roster of anime characters that she’d like to cosplay next. She chooses a character from a different anime each year. Recently she went as Rock Lee, and her older sister went as (a very unfit) Might Guy from Naruto.

Vivian&Darcy: ever since being born they’ve gone for halloween in things that come in pairs, from salt and pepper shakers at 2 years old to Sweeney Todd and Mrs Lovett this year (their plan for this year is to run a meat pie, and other baked goods, cafe from within their parents home.)

When not dressing up which is rare, they have been hired to host children’s parties in their local neighbourhood (also part of why they hold a themed cafe or barbeque each year).

Flora: She seldom had time for Halloween as a kid seeing as she was constantly travelling but her favourite country’s practice of Halloween is Britain because of how extravagant they can get, and now that she’s dating Abby she’s learning about the history and significance of ‘The Day of the Dead’. She usually just ends up dressing like a witch with the same costume each year but accessorised differently.

Abigail: La Dia de los Muertos, which isn’t really ‘Halloween’ as most western countries view it, was always her favourite time of the year. In an otherwise rather lacking childhood, most of her good memories came from the festival. Her foster parents upon adopting her researched and studied how to help her keep in touch with her cultural history and tradition, and helped her set up a shrine in their own house so she could still celebrate her Abuela and her older brother who died when she was 6.

69: It’s your crush’s birthday! What does your scholar get/do for them?

Lillie: Aside from generally stressing and not knowing what to do, she probably cooks him something and offers it to him with shaking hands, most likely looking away. Tadashi, being who he is, makes a joke to ask if it’s poisoned which earns him an irritated glare. Then he nearly cries at how good it tastes.

Vivian: She takes you out on a date. Where do you want to eat? What do you want to wear? You wanna see a movie? Late night walk in the park? You got it. She’s on it. Already bought tickets a week ago. Reserved a private table in a restaurant. Gets her parent’s driver to take you places.

Darcy: he’s similar to Vivian, but he does things more personalised like. He sneakily susses out what you want and like all year beforehand and does stuff like make a ghost profile on amazon or pintrest to see what things are in your wishlist etc. He’d probably also make a mixtape of songs that you and him like, or that are important to you (hard to do in his case, since he’s trying to woo Axel though). Also, he’s DTF (Down to fuck FUN!). Just saying.

Flora: Birthdays are BIG deals for her, so she, like Darcy, finds out things you like and want. She is more direct about it though and asks you to your face what you want, or what you would like. She also is good at cake decoration and likes making personalised designs for them. She can also sing ‘happy birthday’ in 4 languages, and on occasion has been able to get ahold of foreign gifts from places she’s visited overseas before.

Abigail: For the very first birthday she spends with you, She puts on a whole personalised performance for you! (non sexually, of course, this is the kind where your parents and kids can be invited too). She gets caterers to help with food, and she buys out a venue of whatever size she needs and you and your whole family and as many friends as you can fit are invited.

For later on in your relationship this only happens again during milestones like 5 years anniversary or something (it’s not a secret, I’m keeping her and Flora together forever). On off years, she just cuddles with you and spoils you with shopping sprees and they buy huge donut boxes or chocolate sample boxes and watch trashy/cheesy foreign romances.

70: How would your scholar react to seeing their crush crying?

Lillie: If somehow, by some, horrific, ungodly force, you managed to make Tadashi of all people cry, She would probably gently ask him if she can help at all. she knows he’s a little bristly, and doesn’t always appreciate her over-empathy, but she loves him a lot and wants to help him.

She gives him the option to turn her away if he needs time alone but wants him to know that she is available whenever he is ready to talk. If he is, by chance, ready, she sits by him and holds him closely, either listening to him talk, or listening to him cry. Kisses and head scratches are also inevitable.

Vivian: She is the person who runs up to you and holds you, asking you what’s wrong. I’m apprehensive to go further because I don’t know much about her crushes yet (Claire and Alistair) so i’ll have to wait and see. I feel like Vivi would probably react slightly differently depending on how her crush displays grief, but on a base level, she’s a hugger and sweet-talker to get you to calm down.

Darcy: It’s time to FIGHT. Who does he need to knock the fuck out? The first few times, his crush (Axel) is probably too busy holding him back to be crying anymore. After a few more times, Darcy is still raving mad, but he keep it in long enough to responsibly evaluate the situation. Still probably ready for low-key revenge, but he’s not as trigger happy with his fists anymore.

Flora: She calmly asks her to walk her through what happened. A future lawyer at heart, she can and will do whatever she can to make sure Abby is done right by via compensation or proper and called for retribution. However, she is fully aware of the fact that sometimes Abigail gets into trouble in the first place because of her own faults. Abby isn’t very good at making friends, but good at making enemies. Definitely not an innocent little angel. Her girlfriend is basically her #1 test client, because of how she is, socially and how much legal drama the celebrity life brings on top of that.

Abby: Abby isn’t good with emotions. She’s not even good with her own, let alone knowing how to help Flora when she’s down. It’s usually the other way around. When Flora is upset, which is very very rare, Abigail tends to leave her alone or to sit quietly by her, super anxious and not knowing what to do at all. Flora doesn’t resent this, because she knows Abby’s limitations and inabilities. She tends to prefer to cry it out until she’s done crying anyway, and typically feels better afterwards.

71: How would your scholar react to seeing their enemy crying?

Lillie: She laughs. Quietly, of course, and to herself, but she’s typically satisfied if things aren’t going well for an enemy. Of course, unless the situation is extreme or a special case. But there is one specific enemy in mind (an OC) whom she’d happily drop kick into the sun if she could, so seeing her cry would be fine by her.

Vivian: She ignores them and moves on. She doesn’t care enough to tempt them when they’re in a good mood, and she certainly doesn’t want to offer her kindness to someone who will probably use it against her later.

Darcy: Same as his sister, but he also probably then asks what happened, usually out of general curiosity.

Flora: She has very few enemies, and being a future lawyer, she is training herself to have less of a bias when it comes to justice (the exception is if you mess with Abigail). She’ll ask if she can help in anyway, or at the very least she’ll ask what’s wrong. Also, she has a deep maternal instinct in the first place, and wants to help out as many as she can manage.

Abby: Abby ignores them like the twins do, not only because of how bad she is around crying, but she might have been the reason some people have cried.

She has gotten into fist fights with people before for her general inability to chill out, and especially if it’s a person she dislikes. She was almost expelled once for grabbing Karolina by the tie and ripping her shirt collar, and has given Axel a wedgie on more than one occasion. Naturally she and Darcy hate each other because Darcy tends to get too protective over Axel. It’s a big, ugly, sad mess.

I’ll continue the other questions in a second post!

#se scholar #sweet elite oc #sweet elite #to be continued

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theconservativebrief · 6 years

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There’s a reason movies employ costume designers, why celebrities hire stylists, and why you changed outfits no fewer than three times before your last promising first date — fashion choices broadcast nuanced details about a person’s identity and personality.

The same, of course, holds true for fictional characters in novels. The choices that authors make about apparel and accessories can bring a character to life, or they can push fiction into fantasy. Remember when Carrie Bradshaw picked apart Jack Berger’s novel because he dressed his character in a then-unfashionable scrunchie? Select the right pieces and your character will feel real; select the wrong ones and readers won’t believe a word.

Scrunchies aside, stylistic choices have turned so many moments from capital-L Literature into memorable scenes. In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O’Hara whipped up an iconic gown out of green curtains during the poverty-stricken days of Reconstruction, when she couldn’t afford to purchase a dress. In Jane Eyre, the protagonist refuses to wear the brightly colored silk and satin gowns Mr. Rochester offers her in favor of the drab dresses she feels are more appropriate for her position as a governess. In The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood immediately divulges by page three that she rushed over to Bloomingdale’s on her lunch break to purchase black patent leather shoes with a matching belt and handbag to prepare for her summer of working at a magazine in New York — that’s how important her accessories are to her. And who can forget The Great Gatsby’s Jay manically tossing up shirts, or American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman reciting a list of designers and brand names with the reverence usually reserved for church?

If these scenes seem particularly vivid to you, it might be because each of these classics has been adapted onscreen, as so many best-sellers are (including two of the books below). That creates further opportunity for these looks to come to life.

I asked the authors of five buzzy novels to select one important look they’ve created for a specific character and dissect what the ensemble means to the character. How does she choose to dress herself, and what does that signify about who she is? The outfits themselves vary wildly from a disheveled 1940s ostrich feather ball gown to a worn-out Lilly Pulitzer tank top, but each author emphasized the same point: Their choices were intentional. Nothing was accidental or poorly thought-out. One author went on an online shopping frenzy to dress her character for a wedding; another even brought in an outside stylist to ensure the clothes were up to date.

The next time you pick up a novel, pay special attention to what each character wears — every outfit is a road map of their values, tastes, history, and insecurities. Below, five authors reveal how they use fashion as a tool in fiction.

Half the fun of zipping through the rollicking family drama of Crazy Rich Asians is the fashion. Kevin Kwan makes it clear that among certain circles in upper-crust Asian society, you’re only worth as much as the labels you choose to wear — and the tackiest thing you can do is to dress above your station. “When I write all my characters, I really imagine from head to toe every single thing they’re wearing,” Kwan says. “If I didn’t already know the piece, I would scour the internet, looking at collections and creating outfits for the characters.”

Astrid Leong in her VBH earrings.

Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel Chu, an American-born professor, who travels to Asia to meet her boyfriend Nick Young’s astronomically wealthy family for the first time. Astrid Leong is Nick’s beloved cousin; she’s a stay-at-home wife and mother, as well as a fashion icon among the elite. She flies to Paris every season for custom couture and had a close friendship with Yves Saint Laurent (RIP), but she’s not afraid to wear a dress off the rack from Zara … as long as it’s styled just so with museum-quality Etruscan bangles.

“Astrid is very much inspired by one person,” Kwan says; he tried to recreate her style for the book. “Astrid sees dressing as her only form of artistic expression. She lives in this very cloistered world where she has to put the right foot forward at all times. Fashion, for her, is a way of being rebellious, and it’s a way of asserting her own creative expression into her life.”

Kwan discovered this Alexis Mabille white peasant blouse back in 2010 and was inspired to dress Astrid in it for a Friday night dinner at her grandmother’s house, where a more relaxed outfit would make sense. She’s dressed down in order to detract attention from her new VBH earrings — a splurge that would make her slightly less wealthy husband uncomfortable. “She pairs the earrings with something that’s just kind of more fun and casual so the earrings look like costume jewelry,” Kwan notes.

While writing the next books in the trilogy, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, Kwan turned to Cleo Davis-Urman, now the Fashion Director of Saks Fifth Avenue, to source apparel and accessories for his characters. “I was so frantically busy trying to meet my deadlines that her help in keeping up to date on the latest fashions was invaluable,” he says.

Crazy Rich Asians hit theaters this summer, with costumes by Mary Vogt (her past projects include Hocus Pocus and Men in Black). Kwan says that Vogt often mirrored exact outfits from the book, like Araminta Lee’s gold jumpsuit at her bachelorette party and the beige linen suit Nick wears to greet Rachel at Tyersall Park for the first time.

Social Creature is what would happen if an overgrown Eloise at the Plaza had a wardrobe full of stained vintage dresses and an eccentric pack of friends — and if she wound up dead. The glamorous thriller follows Louise Wilson, a mousy underachiever whose life changes overnight when she meets Lavinia Williams, a madcap bombshell who frolics at the opera, trades witty barbs at secret bookstores, and dances at a stand-in for the McKittrick Hotel.

“My vision for Lavinia is the little kid who goes into her parents’ wardrobe and comes out wearing everything,” Tara Isabella Burton (a staff writer at Vox) says. She swathes herself in vintage from the 1920s through the ’50s, but she doesn’t have the self-care skills required to preserve her delicate clothes. “She definitely leaves her clothes rumpled in a pile on her floor when she stumbles home drunk. She does not fold things neatly. She is constantly drinking and spilling shit,” Burton adds. From afar, thanks to her class privilege and sheer force of personality, Lavinia succeeds in looking like an effortless sylph. But up close, she’s a mess.

Lavinia with her gorgeous dress caught on a door.

She comes from a wealthy family and veers wildly between using her money to attract and keep friends and feeling self-conscious about her background. She’s likely to spend hundreds at a curated vintage store but lie and say she found a dress at a thrift shop for $5. “It’s very much in the Upper East Side, WASP-y vein to downplay and be like, ‘Oh, this old thing? It was on sale! Of course I didn’t pay for it!’” says Burton.

The first time readers meet Lavinia, she flies into the brownstone she shares with her teen sister, Cordelia, at 6 am. Louise, Cordelia’s SAT tutor, has been up all night waiting for Lavinia to come home to pay her. Lavinia accidentally slams the door on the ostrich feather hem of her 1940s ball gown and sheds feathers everywhere she walks, like an injured bird. Louise is able to mend the dress for her, which sparks the beginning of their dangerously codependent friendship.

At the New York launch party for Social Creature, Burton wore a similar ostrich feather gown in pale pink. She says she didn’t intend to match Lavinia but liked that the gown “felt very Social Creature.” She also Sharpied on a “More Poetry!!!” arm tattoo, like the ones Louise and Lavinia get together in the book. At the party, Burton’s fake tattoo smudged off onto her dress, and she dabbed out the stain with a wet napkin. Unlike her character, she could take care of her vintage duds.

Imagine this: You get stuck in an elevator with your dream guy. He invites you to be his plus one to his ex’s wedding, less than 48 hours away. That’s the meet-cute that kicks off The Wedding Date. To dress Alexa Monroe and the other characters in the book, Jasmine Guillory thought carefully about how their wardrobes would function practically in their lives.

Alexa in her red dress.

Alexa is the chief of staff for the mayor of Berkeley, and her wardrobe is mostly work clothes. She opts for colorful shift dresses and blazers from department stores; she’s a little preppy and likes J.Crew. She’d love to wear a Theory suit, but she’s busty, so blazers don’t always fit her the way she’d hope. For the past few weddings she’s attended, she’s either been a bridesmaid or done Rent the Runway, so she has to scramble for something to wear. She summons her best friend Maddie, a stylist, for a day of shopping.

“I did a lot of mock online shopping for what Alexa would wear to this wedding,” Guillory says. “I wanted her to feel like the star version of herself, like she has a glow about her the whole night.” Guillory — or Maddie — ultimately selects a red fit-and-flare cocktail dress with a low neckline. The cut of the dress was intentional; Guillory wanted Alexa to be able to wear it without Spanx underneath, in case she happened to later undress in front of her wedding date, Drew Nichols. Instead, she would be able to wear the dress with a pretty, sexy bra and panty set.

For Alexa, the dress inspires a serious confidence boost. “Normally, she would think, ‘Oh, a guy like this would not be interested in me,’” Guillory explains. “But with that dress on, she feels like Cinderella. … It’s kind of a magic dress and a magic night, so she might as well flirt with the hot guy. Why not?”

High school freshman Chloe Sayers can fit in with anyone in her small New Hampshire town: She looks like a popular kid, dreams of life as an artist, and is best friends with misfit Jon Bronson, who’s secretly in love with her. Jon is kidnapped, only to mysteriously return four years later with no recollection of what has happened and with strange powers that threaten those around him. Meanwhile, in Providence, Rhode Island, Detective Charles “Eggs” DeBenedictus is investigating a string of seemingly healthy young people who keep dropping dead. The genre-bending novel follows their three separate but interconnected lives.

Chloe in her casual hometown outfit.

More than a decade later, Chloe is a hotshot New York artist whose portraits of Jon have made her a star. She’s been deeply uncomfortable dressing up ever since her high school prom, when she wore a revealing dress she didn’t like. Typically, she’s in paint-splattered cutoffs and big, old T-shirts — easy pieces to throw on when she’s making art. She’s keenly aware that setting and context matter: When she’s back home in New Hampshire, god forbid she dress up and offend people’s casual sensibilities; when she’s out in New York with her Entourage-loving financier fiancé, she knows to dress for his newly urban tastes, even though he’s from her small New England hometown too. “She wishes she didn’t care so much, but she does,” Caroline Kepnes explains.

The morning after her big engagement party in her hometown, Chloe is getting dressed to reunite with Jon. At first, she chooses a little pink dress, but she knows her fiancé’s family would sneer and call her overdressed. Instead, she throws on an old Lilly Pulitzer tank top and denim cutoffs. Her fiancé’s sister-in-law sneers, anyway. “Chloe doesn’t wear Lilly in New York,” Kepnes explains. “She wears it in Nashua to fuck with her would-be sisters-in-law who read Lilly as, ‘So you think you’re better than me, huh?’”

As a teenager, in the wake of Jon’s disappearance, Kepnes says Chloe’s “whole identity was constantly nitpicked and torn apart, so she’s more relaxed. She’s like, ‘No matter what I do, they’re going to say something, so I’m just going to wear what I wear.’” Depending on whom you ask, a classically printed Lilly tank top is either obnoxiously preppy or sweetly nostalgic; for Chloe, in this moment, it’s a form of expression and rebellion.

Lara Jean Song Covey is the 16-year-old protagonist of Jenny Han’s trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (the Netflix adaptation came out this August). A true romantic, she writes letters to every boy she’s ever had feelings for and stashes them away in a teal hatbox given to her by her late mother. When the letters accidentally get sent to each boy in question, well, Lara Jean’s life quickly gets pretty interesting.

Lara Jean in her iconic knee socks and cardigan.

“Her look is 1960s retro meets 1990s meets Asian streetwear,” Han says. “It’s aspirationally romantic schoolgirl, and as an introverted person, it’s her way to express herself.” Lara Jean draws inspiration from Asian fashion blogs, wears clothes that her aunt sends her from Korea, and likes to shop at vintage stores. Han referenced the movie Clueless and Korean fast fashion from sites like Stylenanda to develop Lara Jean’s style. She gave her three recurring style signatures: a hair bow, a heart-shaped locket, and knee socks.

The socks have become such a fixture among fans, Han says, that readers often wear them to book signings as a tribute to the character. “Her style came together in a way that made sense to me because of her romantic nature, her fascination with the past, and her idea of what love looks like,” she says.

This outfit is something Lara Jean wears for a regular day at school. It also appears in the final scene in the movie. “I had extensive conversations with the producers in regard to Lara Jean’s style,” Han says. “I sent them mood boards.” This particular silhouette — a button-down with a short skirt — is used frequently.

Ultimately, Lara Jean’s look is also somewhat influenced by Han’s personal tastes. “It’s very similar to my style,” she says.

Original Source -> How do you choose an outfit for a fictional character? 5 authors explain.

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

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