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loststarphounix · 8 months

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Soudam Week 2023 Day 1: Fear

A/N: I’m back on my Soudam nonsense. I’m gonna try to do all seven days, but if I can do at least 3-4 days I’ll be happy lol

But on to the fic! I’m so happy Soudam Week is still a thing

I did a random wheel generator to pick the prompts, so lets see how I tackle them all ^.^

Day 1: Fear

Fear is something one develops a dependency for. It’s not healthy or even effective, but make someone experience it on a daily basis and one learns to accept and even learn to embrace its claws gripping their throat and heart.

That’s what Kazuichi did. He was very aquatinted with fear. It followed him almost his entire life, it was basically an old friend now, with new names like ‘anxiety’ and ‘depression’ and ‘desperation to be accepted and loved’.

He couldn’t be himself, not without the consequences that the fear warned him about - would whisper and hiss until it finally wore him down. After all, it wasn’t like there wasn’t merit to its cruelty.

It was the reason why his mom left; why he made the mistake of making “friends” with people who only used him as a joke or their own gain. And why his father still influenced his actions, even miles apart with the only way of communication is a phone and even then he doesn’t call him except when he’s really drunk and wanted his punching bag back.

So Kazuichi continued to lived in that crippling fear - to act and strut in the way his father demanded he do because obviously that’s how the world wanted, wasn’t it? That’s how the world wanted him to be.

But then he met Gundham, who was everything Kazuichi was told to hate and saw him thrive. He flourished and was happy, while Kazuichi shivered and died slowly from the cloying sense of dread that refused to leave him. At first, he hated him for being able to live without the fear he couldn’t seem to shake.

How could that goth weirdo be so happy and proud while being an outcast? How wasn’t he afraid to be left out?

But Kazuichi was being left out and he couldn’t help taunting the other, who saw it as some kind of game? The dick wouldn’t take him seriously!

He let fear and people dictate what he should be and somehow it wasn’t enough. Fear kept bringing him down and making his life miserable. It wasn’t fair! Why can’t he be like Gundham, who flaunted his differences and enjoyed taunting others who tried to bring him down? It didn’t make sense!

That’s how it begin, their petty fighting. They would snipe and argue on a daily basis, that it had begun to cause trouble for their classmates and friends outside it as well. It had caused problems, but Kazuichi found himself not caring. After all, the anger was at the moment a more powerful force than the fear, and it always came out around Gundham.

But the funny thing about the anger, was that it didn’t feel like anger. It felt more like…frustration? Attention seeking? All that mattered was that Gundham was the source, the cause and he accepted Kazuichi’s ire as readily as he.

So the fear was replaced by anger, which morphed into grumbling acceptance and soon it became something softer, more friendlier. They went from “enemies” to grudging acquaintances, to now fast friends. Kazuichi sometimes thinks about more - because he’s selfish like that. He can’t have something good and resist the desire the more.

The familiar sensations of fear tightens it’s grip and forces the words to be stuck in his throat. It makes it impossible to ever brooch the subject. He wants more -craves it, with an intensity that only existed when he was young and lived in a home that smelled like beer and motor oil - but his old comfort holds him back. It keeps him from expressing it, for the possibility of abandonment and resentment is so strong and it hurts. And maybe that’s what Gundham senses when, one day, as they hang out after class and safely away from prying eyes, the other asks him:

“Why do you fear?”

And Kazuichi, surprised and genuinely confused, just blurted out the first thing on his head.

“Because that’s all I know.”

And he watched the other’s face shift, his mismatched eyes soften with something that made his heart face and a blush warm his neck.

“Impossible. You are not just simply a creature ruled by fear - but by loyalty and warmth and,” Gundham looks away and it was hard not to notice the rosey hue his pale skin develops as he tries to hide in his scarf. “A-and love. I find it vexing that you do not see what is clearly there.”

And maybe it was a combination of those inpassioned words, the earnest yet shy look the taller teen gave him, or his own intense emotions at hearing them, but Kazuichi didn’t let his nerve shake him as he reached across the space between them. His lips fumbled and grazed the shockingly smooth and cool skin along a high cheekbone, before he scrambled away.

The look of utter surprise- and maybe hope? - made Gundham look almost ridiculous as the lower half of his face was still buried in his scarf, but it was too endearing to be so.

And for once, the claws pulled back from his neck and chest, leaving behind butterflies that made his heart soar and his stomach tighten in elation.

Maybe fear could bring good things sometimes.

#Soudam week 2023 #soudham #soudam #soudam fic #kazuichi souda #gundham tanaka #danganronpa 2 #kazuichi soda #goodbye despair

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youremy-celebrity · 1 year

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a winter story - given

a collection of perspectives of those who have lost, in more ways than one.

angst. each short will have more specific warnings and disclaimers if needed. see the end for notes.

just like the unmelted snow under the shade, protected from the sun, i go on living with these feelings inside me

geto suguru

geto wonders if he could ever break free of "love"

tell me, what kind of words could i use, to close the door on this love

kageyama tobio

kageyama moves on from the karasuno high volleyball team

you've lost your everything, robbed of your tomorrow

oda sakunosuke

oda thinks kids are forced to grow up too quickly

yet it remains wandering through eternity

nakahara chuuya

chuuya reflects on the constants in his life

along with me, who was unable to say goodbye and move on

just like a magic spell that wouldn't break

or perhaps it was some kind of curse, i remain carrying this heavy baggage

tell me, what kind of tomorrow should i anticipate

dazai osamu

the people that dazai had considered friends were no longer

my cold tears that freeze in the sky

pretend to be kind as they brush along my face

someone who was once here has been torn away, that's all there is to say

even if your everything fades away, losing its shape, it remains alive within me for eternity

levi ackerman

levi reminisces amidst the noise of his thoughts and the black tea in his cup

as i move forward again, unable to say goodbye, you are always here with me

main masterlist

an: no surprise i was hit with a brick wall while working on my shinsou smau and this worm of an idea could not be plucked out until i wrote them all so i have an angsty collection coming up! not sure if anyone's done this sort of thing before so lmk if this needs proper credit!

this entire post could have been dedicated to satosugu or to dazai and now i'm even more depressed thinking about them. these "prompts" are the lyrics of the song featured in the anime given, i did my best to translate them myself but i also googled and took parts from existing translations. i will be writing a short with some characters i think embody the lyrics, if anyone wishes to see any particular character under any of the prompts you're welcome to send an ask! or perhaps even write something and tag me!

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bewitcherella · 4 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/bewitcherella/734939288915083264/hii-i-wanted-to-ask-if-i-can-get-a-reading-from

Thank you so much for this and being so nice to me❤️ This is really helping me a lot❤️❤️ wishing you the best🍀🍀🍀🍀

Well I somehow knew that its our destiny to separate because this connection felt so wrong and like a big block for me, keeping me on the wrong path. I will definitely detach from him and everything involving this from now on, so I guess if we will ever talk again it HAS to be initiated from his side. He won't hear from me anymore. About the romantic feelings: I actually would be surprised if he had any (genuine) feelings for me since I am sure that he doesn't care and as long as he has a good life he's happy and doesn't care about others and doesn't think of me. He also has a girlfriend which he seems to protect so dearly, so I guess he does have some feelings? But just not for me. Or these feelings were from last year when we were closer and he was single. But anyways I would actually say that the page of cups rvs is/was me because months ago I had a huge crush on him and I thought everything will work fine but because it was too late and he met someone different it wasn't possible for us and it would be unfair towards his gf. So we stayed friends and I lost feelings. We definitely find each other hot/attractive (not me anymore tho) but I don't think he had any loving feelings towards me. He is selfish, wanted/used my attention and used me for his ego boosts since I confessed the feelings I had back then and now his lying/ego broke our friendship because using me is just not right and disrespectful. I dont trust him anymore. He broke it. This is not how friendship works. He crossed all my boundaries. The energy in this reading is probably just me because back then I was grieving and feeling insecure because of him and a bit used. I should've left this connection at that point but I wanted to be nice to him since I felt like he needs a good friend in his life but that's not the case at all and I realized that 100% now. So I wouldn't be surprised if these are all my feelings in this reading and there's 0 feelings and thoughts coming from him. We don't text each other anymore and I was the last one texting. If he's really the page and feeling all of this, that would be really confusing and really really childish. But he's probably good. Not thinking and feeling anything about this. But If it does turn out to be him then I would be really surprised and totally confused about this. If he would've liked and cared about me he would've not treated me like that. He already said himself that I dont deserve this. Back In summer I felt so empty and depressed. I put everything in this and I was so happy before he shattered my world. Then I was good again until recently after he used me and lied to me and I kind of felt like this again but It wasn't as strong as It was back then when I had such big feelings for him. I think I've never cried that much and had so many emotional up and downs as in 2023 and just because of him. Maybe he is petty right now or is sad and that's why he doesn't write me and became quite. But at the end I put too much energy and thoughts into this and he's totally fine right now and already forgot about all of this focusing on himself and his life only. I just can't believe that he would feel rejected, petty or would even grief over this. But did you really feel like this was coming from his side? Or what did you felt about him, what he might feel?

Well.. I will focus on myself again and I wanna move on so 2024 can be new, refreshing and full of new adventures for me❣️

🍥🍥Thank you so so so much🍥🍥

I’m so sorry that you’re experiencing all of that, and I’m grateful I was able to give you some clarity regarding this. You really do deserve peace, happiness, and honesty. I really hope that 2024 is refreshing for you, and honestly when we’re focused on ourselves the magic of the universe has the chance to truly begin! So it definitely could have been coming from your side or both of your sides concerning the reading. If you’re ever interested in receiving another reading I’ll be doing a special for winter break soon! Sending you all the best, and I really hope we can connect in the future again sometime soon!!!!! xx :’)

#mine #tarot #tarot reading #tarot readings #tarotblr

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wordsaloud · 5 months

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entry 2: feeling your feelings

photo by: @worry-lines-comics

6 December 2023, 12:00am

i feel like for most of us, feelings tend to appear as obstacles– chores, even. something that gets in the way of life.

ugh, why do i have to have a mental breakdown a few hours before my very important deadline? why do i have to feel sad when i’m about to go out and meet my friends? i have so much to do today, i don’t have time to feel this way!

i had therapy today, and we went in depth on how to handle my feelings. ask my therapist and he can tell you all about my tendencies to intellectualise my feelings instead of simply… feeling them and letting them do its thing. i’ve always felt this need to problem solve to quickly get rid of the bad feelings so that we can all move on with our day. if you’re guilty of doing this as well then.. i’m sorry to burst your bubble but it does nothing good for you. nothing permanent, at least.

most of the time i don’t even know what i’m feeling. all i could identify was that they were making me feel bad. and i think i probably had the belief that if i were to pry deeper into the feelings, i’d find worse feelings than just ‘bad’ and i guess a part of me did not want to deal with that. but you know how life is, just a constant cycle of things to be dealt with.

today he sent me a picture of some sort of an emotions wheel that branches out basic emotions to specific/extreme ones. sad -> hurt/lonely/despair/depressed -> disappointed/abandoned/powerless/empty. very kindergaten, i know. but it helped. like i said, most of the time i’m unable to identify exactly what i’m feeling. so how are we to deal with our feelings if we don’t even know what they are?

let that sink in.

during one of our earlier sessions my therapist mentioned ‘taking accountability for your feelings’ to me, which i, at first, was completely offended by. i was saying that xxx happened and it made me feel this way. it made sense right? why was he invalidating me for feeling a certain way because of something that someone did?

after that session i went home and thought about it further. i realised that taking accountability for your feelings doesn’t have to mean the cause of your feelings were invalid or unjustified. i guess it’s more of better understanding yourself and your triggers rather than just dwelling on the fact that it’s caused by that one person, or that one incident. (tbh i’m not sure if this was what he meant, but it makes sense to me so i’m running with it)

frankly speaking, i still struggle to grasp the concept of separating my emotions from the ‘cause’ of them. but i can say that i’m more conscious of the way i approach these negative feelings that come up from time to time. i think one way to handle your emotions better, is to personify them.

think inside out.

all the different emotions in your mind and your heart just trying their best to handle what life is throwing at them. when you feel a certain emotion creeping up, don’t shy away. don’t ignore them. give the emotion the attention it needs and sit with it, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

most importantly, remember– your emotions are not out to get you. don’t treat them as such.

at the end of the day, feelings and emotions are what makes us humans. it’s what connects us best with other humans. being able to feel surprised, content, angry, scared, bored, excited, anxious.. i think it’s beautiful. just like in life, you can’t just have the good stuff all the time. in order to appreciate the happy feelings, you’re gonna have to go through the bad feelings too!

also also! remember, you are never alone. i know my blog has 0 viewers now but in any case this gets the attention of anybody who might need it, my inbox is always a safe space for you.

i hope this has been a helpful sharing! please have a great day and remember to be kind to yourself <3

till the next entry, friends!

nelly.

#feelings #feeling your feelings #sad thoughts #happy #emotions #dealing with emotions #therapy #sad

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amberfaber40 · 1 year

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Elie Saab Spring 2022 Couture Collection

Elie Saab Spring 2022 Couture collection, runway looks, beauty, models, and reviews.

Elie Saab Spring 2023 Couture Fashion Show

Elie Saab Spring 2023 Couture Collection

Elie Saab Spring 2023 Couture collection, runway looks, beauty, models, and reviews.

Elie Saab Primavera-Verano 2021 - Pret a porter

– 71 fotos - la colección completa

Elie Saab Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Elie Saab Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear collection, runway looks, beauty, models, and reviews.

Elie Saab Spring 2014 Couture Fashion Show

Elie Saab Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show

Elie Saab

Elie Saab Spring 2022 Couture Collection Fashion Show Photos of Handbags, Footwear, Eyewear, Accessories, Leather Goods from Paris Couture Fashion Week (Jan 2022). Womenswear collections

A Mediterranean summer seems like a faraway notion when it’s three degrees and the depressing kind of cloudy in Paris, the pandemic adding an extra dimension of souffrance to the current couture proceedings. But Elie Saab, the pioneering Lebanese couturier, is nothing if not forward-looking. He was determined to sprinkle his spring couture collection with organza bougainvillea, the ultimate signifier of summer sunshine at his first physical show in two years. A hearty 55 looks in a lush spectrum of full-skirted silhouettes and bedecked with frivolous feathers, rhinestones, beads, and sequins to a soundtrack of cicadas—the collection is a bid to give his customers what he insists they both want and need more than ever: joy.For spring he’s preoccupied with color in deep bursts rather than the more faded tone-on-tone combinations he has been known to favor. “Clients like color—they like to enjoy life again after hard times,” he said, simply, speaking backstage. So too satin, which he said was a first, and taffeta, which he pumped up with tulle. He also experimented with mini lengths among the mushrooming skirts. One of the best looks was a fringed raspberry and silver minidress, sporting a giant floral corsage on one shoulder Carrie Bradshaw-style; you could see a Hollywood starlet snapping it up for awards season.There was a backdrop of grief behind all the glitz. Thirty-two years after the Civil War ended in Lebanon, the country is battling its worst economic crisis in decades. Saab looked wistful when asked how it felt to represent his country in the highest echelons of fashion. “Optimistic? I tell you honestly, I don’t know. Because the situation is too big,” he said. Nevertheless, he insisted it felt good to be back in Paris. “I feel like Paris is my second home. I feel a big responsibility, [holding a show again] feels like the first time. After two years, a lot of people change their minds about what is precious. I believe this difficult period has let everybody come up with a new plan for their life.”That said, Saab clients all over the world still come to him for dresses that, to borrow from British slang, engineer a “shut the front door” reaction (read: surprise!). In Lebanon, where bridal still remains one of Saab’s biggest categories, newly betrothed women are still clamoring for a jaw-dropping dress, the likes of which closed the show. A wedding might be 100 people rather than 1,000 people but the sense of ceremony remains. Saab shrugged. “We have hope, everything comes back to hope.”

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straycatboogie · 1 year

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2023/02/10 English

BGM: 大江千里 - 塩屋

Today I worked late. This morning, the snowing scene surprised me. Judith had opened her room on clubhouse but I couldn't attend it. It seems that a certain routine of the late day is building in me. I shouldn't hurry up with the spirit of "take it easy", and start changing clothes with Senri Oe's music. Not relying on deep or hard songs, but trying Senri Oe's natural tones which fit my emotion seems good to me. Especially, his "Shioya(塩屋)" fits my awkward emotion well. It has a certain warmth which is good for the great beginning of a day, and I feel that this song always helps me. I also like his song "MAN ON THE EARTH". Now I can enjoy his world which I couldn't understand because I was too young. In summer, I want to enjoy his masterpiece "OLYMPIC".

I read Haruki Murakami's "At Murakami san's place" which was just read in its halfway. A fan asked a question to Haruki Murakami, which was "Why do the people who love reading books read them?" I was interested in this question. Haruki answered that reading books means going to another world or passing through "great stories" and it impresses me. Probably I could answer this question as "I'm bored" and that's all I guess. Haruki seems to believe in the power of "stories" basically and certainly. I think that Haruki's novels became the ones that contain delicious taste as "stories" (especially from his "A Wild Sheep Chase"), and that's the same as his recent works. Is the new novel coming on this April a new "story"? I can't wait for it.

On another question about how to act when we experience hard events, Haruki answers that "we might have to hold that hardship". Now, in Japan, great internet intellectuals such as Takafumi Horie or Hiroyuki would make a brief solution to that kind of hardship. This society would need that kind of instant solution. But I guess that facing the wound we made and learning how I am weak or strong would be needed. Me, learning about autism and also thinking about my limit, noticing that I never am almighty, having a depression, and swallowing that sickness to become strong... all of them become my certain power. Indeed, the instant solution might be ideal before the problems get complicated. But then we need to go out and connect with someone else. In myself, learning myself and connecting with others isn't paradoxical... it is quite complicated!

Today I had a meeting with my job coach. I can't write what we talked about but it was a great one. At my breaking time, I found on Spotify that some of the albums of Morphine, which is one of my favorite bands, are available now. It surprised me a lot so I enjoyed them. Their music was really great, and it reminded me of "Twin Peaks" or Lou Reed. Quite wild and sexy. In my 20s, I used to read a Japanese major music magazine "Rockin' On" and noticed that Morphine was always in a corner of it. They showed a certain brilliance, but at that period I was still into fresh bands like Blur and Oasis so I couldn't understand their coolness and greatness. They are truly underrated so I hope you enjoy their music if you like.

#diary #english #journal

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lchufflepuffcorn · 4 years

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We are family (Rocket Raccoon x Reader)

Author’s note: ... Infinity war/ Endgame spoilers... DO NOT READ IF YOU DIDN’T SEE THE MOVIES AND PLAN ON WATCHING THEM!!! Just so you know, it took me literal years to write this, I’m not even kidding...

Warning: Graphic description of depression, angst, fluff. !! No self-harm!! I do not own the gif, they belong to it’s owner/creator.

Words: 1125

You can find my masterlist here!

There was something that everyone on the Milano knew, some more than others, but still. If (Y/N) was in a bad mood, nobody was to talk about said lousy mood, or they'll be struck down. Peter, Mantis and Drax had experienced that first hand. Well, Drax more than once. Groot was the only one to have said something in his teenager moody moment and had only received a deathly glare. Before being met with a bone-crushing hug mear minutes later.

''I'm sorry Groot, I'm not mad at you.''

Gamora and Rocket were seemingly the only ones to understand that you might not want to talk after a rough day, or just after a dull day. Sometimes you would go to sleep angry and wake up totally enraged at the whole galaxy when you woke up. Other times you would be doing things like normal, and suddenly you'd start crying. For no other reason than you felt down.

Not even Peter could mock Rocket during those moments, not when Rocket was the one stopping your crying. It was no secret that you were the only human that Rocket respected more than himself. Mantis even swore that he was feeling romantic towards you, while your emotions were troubles and in a kind of mist.

On your good days, you would help take care of Groot, raising him. You did a pretty good job, maybe that's why Groot was so fond of you.

Even when they met Thor, he was still better at knowing how to act around you.

''Lady Natasha says it's called being depressed.'' He answered when Drax asked him. He had rolled you in a blanket while you sleep on your chair, after a while of tears. Even Rocket couldn't help you calm down at that time.

You did your job just fine. It was your life you didn't do well. You were dangerous. Otherwise, you wouldn't have met the rest of the guardians in prison. Maybe what made you dangerous the most was that you didn't care about living or dying. It showed when the earth needed you. Fighting with your gun and your feet. Until the snap.

You were so far from both Rocket and Groot when it happened. Crawling on the ground, trying to escape your enemy, protecting the teenager you helped raise from a twig. The wind picked up, and Groot flew away.

He became ashes and disappeared with the wind.

When Rocket couldn't utter a sound, you screamed.

When Rocket was frozen in place with shock, you crumbled to the floor near where Groot stood last, in tears.

Earth was bad. It only had terrible memories. There weren't any distractions. Thought the entertainment wasn't for you, it was for Rocket and you. Days were passing slowly, without any way to go back to space. There wasn't any way to contact the Milano or know if everyone was alright. And Rocket was helpless.

He had already lost Groot once before, and now you were catatonic, non-responsive, dull, practically dead, but breathing. Whatever your situation was called. You literally sat in one place staring at the wall, and all Rocket could do was make sure you ate and drink something during the day. And not lose his patience at you, or you'd cry.

It had already been two weeks and five days since the snap.

Day twenty-one, Nebula came back with a man that the Avengers called Tony. That didn't bring your smile to your lips. Your face was still frozen in a bland look, your eyes lost in the nothingness your mind had become. That night is the first night you speak, however.

You have Rocket and Nebula in the room with you, as you sit on the bed, while they lay there. It's not a very long phrase, but Rocket is glad to hear your voice and Nebula. It seems like three weeks without anyone, but a stranger with her made her prone to be friends with you.

''Where is the rest?''

As glad as Rocket is, he can't help but cry with you. And Nebula takes both of you in her arms. Whispering more too herself than anyone else.

''We'll have them back, one way or another.''

Months pass, and slowly, you start to look alive again. It's not the same, your smiles are not as warm as before, but you walk now, and eat by yourself, so Rocket thinks that it's excellent.

At night, you sleep with him, and he doesn't mind. You keep his nightmares away, and he keeps yours at a distance. Nebula seems to become more and more protective of the two of you, and you start joking about being a tiny and broken family.

One year pass, and still, your smile is not as bright. Rocket can't blame you, he can bearly smile too.

Stark is gone now, everyone from those Avengers is going its own way, and Rocket can only help by going back to space with Nebula, you and James Rhodes, War Machine, whomever. You don't do much but engross yourself in work during the day and cuddle with him at night.

Rocket can only think that you look more and more like who you were with the Guardians, and that's what keeps him going. But while he responds to the 'Avengers assemble,' you don't. You prefer to stay behind in back up. You saw too much already to want to be part of anything more. You only help your little family.

2023, worst year yet. Already five years since they disappeared. You always go catatonic for a week when that day comes around the corner. But this year, neither Rocket nor Nebula is with you—something to do with the Avengers.

Rocket couldn't tell you about the plan they had to bring everyone back, just in case that didn't work. He couldn't imagine the look you would have if all that didn't work. He didn't want to get your hope up for nothing. Until Rocket couldn't keep you in the dark anymore.

The explosion took you by surprise. You were not ready to fell the ground crumble under your feet, and when you open your eyes again, Nebula was there.

No, that was not your Nebula. She looked much crazier than what she looked now, something was wrong with her. It's hard to forget the five years you passed with her as one member of your broken family, but you have no other way than fighting your way out. When you finally get out, all you can see is ruins. Everywhere.

You don't remember much before everything ends, and you collapse in Rockets embrace your left cheek feeling bark and the simple sentence that you missed for so long. ''I am Groot!''

#Rocket raccoon x reader #rocket raccoon #guardian of the galaxy #guardian of the galaxy imagine #avenger #avenger imagine #x reader #fluff #angst #depress #love #writing #avenger one-shot #gotg x reader #gotg one-shot

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biofunmy · 5 years

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Why Won’t Anyone Buy the Most Famous Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas?

LAS VEGAS — On Las Vegas Boulevard, nestled between a motel and tattoo parlor, sits what may be the most famous marriage site in the world: A Little White Wedding Chapel.

Charolette Richards, the chapel’s owner and an originator of the 10-minute wedding ceremony, said she has had her hand in more than 50,000 weddings — in the drive-through window alone — since 1991. The weddings of Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins, Bruce Willis, Michael Jordan and Britney Spears rank among her more notable ceremonies.

She is 86, and, after almost seven decades as the queen of the Las Vegas wedding chapel business, Ms. Richards has put her world-famous site up for sale. Her asking price is $12 million. “I’m retiring soon,” she said, with an expression equal parts saddened and relieved.

The chapel, though, has been on the market since April. And the Las Vegas wedding industry is not the business it used to be. Despite the fact that Las Vegas wedding tourism generated an impressive estimate of $2.5 billion in economic activity last year, according to Lynn Goya, the clerk of Clark County, Nev., that number is at least a billion dollars down from the revenue generated at the industry’s height.

“We’re at about half of what we were at our peak,” Ms. Goya said. “We can’t afford to take our No. 1 status for granted.”

Ms. Goya rounds up the numbers when discussing the toll on Las Vegas’s wedding tourism industry at large, which employs more than 10,000 people. There were 74,534 marriages performed in Clark County in 2018, down 42 percent from the record in 2004: 128,238 marriages.

The sale of Las Vegas’s most iconic chapel, that pinnacle of shameless kitsch and Amour Americana, accompanied by fewer people marrying in Las Vegas, presents an obvious question: Can an industry whose hook is being stuck in the past flourish in the future?

Let’s Get Married (Again)

All you need to get married at the chapel, or anywhere in Las Vegas, is $77, a photo ID and be 18 years old. Great Depression-era legislation allowed for hasty lovers to bypass the usual blood tests and waiting periods and get married within a matter of hours.

For 68 years, 365 days a year, Ms. Richards has been the gatekeeper of an industry built on easing elopement. In fact, it was her entrepreneurial ingenuity that led to the creation of the famed one-stop-shop business model, which became the standard on the Strip.

But it’s no secret that marriage rates in the United States have dwindled significantly in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and that shifting social values coupled with the burdens of student debt have made tying the knot for millennials unfeasible or unappealing, and sometimes both.

“I don’t know what the longevity of the wedding industry is,” said Ron Decar, 61, the owner of the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel, a three-minute walk down the boulevard. Although he was wearing his full Elvis get-up, complete with a bedazzled jumpsuit and black pompadour, his tone was gravely serious.

“March was the 20th anniversary of our being in business here in this location, doing the exact same thing we did 20 years ago,” Mr. Decar said. The chapel’s numbers and revenue, he said, have been decreasing each year for more than a decade.

At Viva Las Vegas, bells chime as you enter. A smiling face will soon inquire about your theme preference. Egyptian? Hawaiian? Harley? Camelot? Intergalactic?

Peek in on an average day and you are likely to witness Mr. Decar emerge from a vertical coffin to officiate a ceremony in a chapel flooded with fog and tombstones. Gothic is one of the most popular themes.

“How many chapels do you know that fly vampires from the ceiling?” he asked triumphantly. Viva Las Vegas performs 2,500 to 25,000 weddings a year, depending on the year, and Mr. Decar has performed half of those as Elvis, James Bond, the Grim Reaper, the Godfather “or whatever else the customer wants,” he said.

His 40,000-square-foot building is the largest free-standing chapel on the Strip. The flamboyant site, once a hotel, has been converted into a wedding complex, complete with a wig-filled costume shop, a 1950s diner for doo-wop ceremonies, and a prop room filled with artificial flowers and all the spray paints used to color them.

Viva Las Vegas is capitalizing on the current saving grace of the industry: vow-renewal ceremonies, which make up half its business.

The tourism industry markets renewal ceremonies aggressively, as yet another fun Vegas activity, and they are proving to be a sustainable way to maintain numbers at the wedding chapels. If millennials aren’t getting married, the reasoning goes, why not convince Gen Xers and their elders to simply wed again?

“People want to do something fun the second time around,” Mr. Decar said. “You know, people worry what their mom will think, but when you’re renewing, the pressure’s off. It’s all about fun.”

Jamie Richards, 58, who is an owner of Viva Las Vegas (and who is not related to Charolette Richards), said that younger and smaller venues — like the Little Neon Chapel, where wedding prices start at $49 — pose an additional threat to their own survival.

“New chapels downtown are really cutting prices and making it difficult for the established chapels,” Mr. Richards said. “A lot goes into maintaining brick and mortar, compared to, say, a cubicle.”

The ease of becoming an officiant through online sites has lowered the barrier of entry for those able to perform ceremonies. Mobile officiants, unburdened with the high costs of venue maintenance, can offer more competitive prices, pulling crowds from the classics on the Strip.

The Old Bricks and Mortar and Ball and Chain

Back at a Little White chapel, Charolette Richards inched her way across her expansive property, pointing to the many facets of her chapel: a flower shop (once, she said, the biggest flower shop in Las Vegas), a tux and gown rental department, a limousine fleet and multiple marriage sites in addition to the main altar.

Employees buzz around the grounds, juggling a constantly ringing phone with a stream of walk-ins, and solving problems as they arise — the flowers are wrong, the dresses don’t fit, the limo driver’s car broke down.

Unaffected by the chaos, Ms. Richards draws attention to her favorite touches: a mural that depicts frogs kissing, corkscrew-shaped topiaries and a plastic life-size, horse-drawn carriage. “Everything I love is love,” she said.

Her waiting room is filled with a diverse array of couples. A pair in cowboy hats sits beside a man with one leg and his wife-to-be. Across from them stands a same-sex couple next to a pair speaking Mandarin.

Ms. Richards makes her grand entrance and begins distributing her complimentary “Recipe for a Happy Marriage,” which includes “2 heaping cups of kindness,” “4 armfuls of gentleness” and “1 lifetime of togetherness.”

The tour ends at a glowing sign commemorating Blackjack Day, July 7, 2007 — that’s 7/7/07, a record-breaking day in which a Little White Chapel performed 547 wedding ceremonies.

Ms. Richards pointed to it with elation, and then sat beside her assistant, who rattled off a number of challenges to address: the sudden death of a bride, a renewal ceremony for six couples at once, the hazards of putting pearl pins in bouquets. Ms. Richards paused business matters to explain that Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner were married in this building several weeks earlier.

The Other Graceland

Dee Dee Duffy, 55, is the owner of Graceland Wedding Chapel, a two-minute drive down the road. She assured a visitor: “We do not do zombie weddings here.”

Rod Musum, 52, the chapel’s vice president, said his chapel is the originator of the Elvis-themed wedding. “We have one of the more quaint, picturesque chapels on the strip,” he said. “We know what our niche is and what we’re good at.”

Their chapel is marked by blue and white gates, exact replicas of the ones outside Graceland. They too are navigating through a lull in the business, but their numbers remain steady.

The bread and butter of the company is a seven-minute Elvis-themed ceremony, which may seem dated. But Ms. Duffy and Mr. Musum attribute their survival of the wedding drought to a personalized approach.

“We never treat couples like numbers,” Ms. Duffy said.

Witness a wedding or 10 there on any given day and you may be surprised to the point of tears by the sincerity of the quickie ceremonies, even in this most saccharine environment.

The Graceland team said that overcoming the quickie stereotype is their greatest challenge. Industry professionals agree that widening global perceptions of Vegas weddings will prove essential in the quest to capture younger markets.

Ms. Duffy and Mr. Musum would like you to know that their weddings are sincere, and that impulsivity contributes to only a fraction of the business.

“Every single day, someone walks in and asks if ‘The Hangover’ was filmed here,” Mr. Musum said. “It’s just not realistic. The business isn’t 24 hours anymore. The graveyard shift ended in 2006, so we rarely get people stumbling in intoxicated, asking to get married.”

“Frankly, it’s illegal to issue a license or marry someone if they’re drunk, otherwise it would be void in a court of law,” said Ms. Goya, the county clerk. “It’s our job to ensure both parties are capable of signing what will likely be the most important legal contract of their lifetime.”

Daniel Vallance, 44, is the director of operations at the Little Church of the West. “We’re a venue that has bookings into 2023,” he said.

The humble structure, modeled after a 19th-century church in an old mining town, was built in 1942 and is thought to be the oldest standing structure on the Strip. The floorboards creaked beneath Mr. Vallance’s feet as he explained the elements of the steady growth of his business, an enviable anomaly in a difficult time.

“People getting married are in their 30s now, which means they have more financial leeway,” Mr. Vallance said. “They don’t want to spend 50 bucks to get married by a fat drunk Elvis. They want something more elegant, and that’s the approach we take and have taken for 76 years.”

Tucked behind vintage candelabras in Little Church of the West are hidden cameras for live-streaming, the mark of a business that has managed to preserve its traditional appeal while adapting to modern demands.

Aside from incorporating cutting-edge technology (Mr. Vallance said he is already looking into virtual reality), the Little Church of the West has made strides to better cater to international couples. The simple act of making its website available in different languages has helped a lot.

“You want to know what the future of the wedding business is?” Mr. Vallance said. “Listen to the brides and be receptive to what they want.”

Venues like the Chapel of the Flowers, the Thunderbird and Paradise Chapel are undergoing major aesthetic renovations. They face the challenge of conveying modernity while maintaining the vintage Vegas feel.

“We want people to know that we’re changing with the times and responding to the new customer,” Ms. Goya said. “The industry is now working together instead of against each other, because we have an opportunity to redefine a global brand.”

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