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#vest or snazzy button-up?
fella-lovin-fella · 2 years
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im going to a small pride event downtown today and i could not be more anxious man. i never leave the house, ive never really been somewhere alone in like. two years. and i dont know anyone irl :/ im really gonna try to talk to people but at the very least i'll know im not alone here.
(i will be wearing masks and distancing as best i can)
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You make great art!
Your opinions on Vi’s alternate designs?
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I could stare at her all day. Perfection.
Design wise? Her final one is (chef's kiss) SUCH a good balance of showing and contrasting Violet’s personality.
And the alternates show why!
She’s a nerd. Shorthand for that is usually glasses, as seen in almost all her alternative designs. (Think Velma from Scooby Doo.) Not a bad trope.
But at the same time, does her character need a visual short hand for smartness?
Just the way Violet SPEAKS tells you she’s a nerd. She uses big words, and calls people by their full names. When we first meet her it’s in a LIBRARY and her and Webby instantly start switching between various ancient languages.
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We don’t need glasses to know she smart and a nerd.
So unless the show is willing to commit to some moments or gags where Violet loses her glasses / takes them off specifically not to see something / cleans them regularly as a character tick (think Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Conservation of Character Design says get rid of them.
Which the show creators did.
(also her introduction scene includes Quackfaster, and I appreciate that, instead of them both wearing glasses- a thing that isn't actually about smartness literally it's just wanting to be able to see- the thing Violet shares with the Terrifying Librarian is... hair tie / hair band, including the color thereof.)
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(It's a more personal choice. And it's message is "Practical")
Next is clothing style. Most of her alternates have a more fancy, ‘outfit’ kinda look to them. Like this is something she put together to get a specific Look. Nothing wrong with that. Nerds can be fashionable (Ellie Woods queen thereof).
But… there isn’t anything in Violet’s personality, story, or situation that connects to that idea.
Her things are Books, Learning, Forbidden Magics, Honorable Conduct in Contests and Duels, Adopting Stray Shadow Teens Off The Street As Her New Sister, Brining Pie To A Sleepover, Smacking Invading Moon People With A Spiked Mace, and Using Tibetan Breathing Techniques To Survive Eating Three Bowls Of Deadly Hot Spices In A Row.
The closest she gets to caring about her appearance is when her and Webby (and then her and Lena) put on gruesome costume make up and prosthetics for fun.
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So a snazzy outfit, while cool, doesn’t really… jive with the vibe of Violet Sabrewing.
Nerd clothes, like a vest, isn’t needed the same reason glasses aren’t. Also the details would be a pain to draw over and over again. Even Webby’s clothes don’t have that much little bits in them.
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High collars again look cool… but Lena’s already got that covered. Stand them next to each other, and where’s the contrast?
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Violet wouldn’t “pop” next to Lena if they had that on top of Violet’s dark color scheme and Lena’s dark sweater.
Wearing the same thing (to show characters are connected to each other) works best when either the color or the style DOES contrast sharply
(Huey Louie Dewy and May June wearing basically the same thing as their siblings, but in very different colors)
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(side note I’ll make a separate thing for someday: Lena and Webby with button down collar shirts worn under something, but with different style, effect, and colors)
The leggings are seen on two of Violets alternates and I think that got picked for Meta Simplicity and also In-Character Practicality.
They’re athletic, the kind of thing that isn’t at risk of snagging on stuff (befitting an eventual Senior Junior Woodchuck), and the dark color balances out with her hair. And they’re VERY easy to draw. Very good!
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Sweater.
Sweater with turtle neck (unless it���s one of those very loose ones) usually gets used as shorthand for “Comfort over Appearance” (Velma again, contrasting Daphne)
And in this case it’s a contrast with Lena who LOOKS like she doesn’t care at first glance but actually has put maybe the most effort into her outfit (sweater stolen from favorite band, dyed her hair, wears bright colored converse in a world where most people go bare foot)
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and Webby, who is wearing basically a uniform (picked by her Granny or by herself while daydreaming of experiencing Normal School Things???)
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So to balance out Lena’s rebel teen punk look, and Webby’s prim and proper look, Violet has a comfort and practicality look.
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BUT!
They kept the eyeshadow.
A VERY GOOD MOVE.
See, eyeshadow on someone who wears an ‘outfit’ (Lena, Daisy) says fashion minded and image conscious.
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(this includes Beakly the former spy taking up the role of grandmother).
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Eyeshadow on someone who wears a non-snazzy turtle neck and legging with her hair tied away from her face in a simple ponytail says something else completely-
It says, Violet likes eyeshadow, and that is the ONLY reason she wears it.
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Either she doesn’t notice that it’s unusual to do this, or she doesn’t care.  
THAT is showing her personality.
If it’s that she doesn’t know it’s unusual, then that fits with her in the Woodchuck Challenge not knowing about smack talk until Lena teaches her, and in Friendship Hates Magic brining a pie to a sleepover, and in The Split Sword of Swanstantine wondering in the middle of a fight if she should change in to more occasion appropriate clothes instead of, you know, running.
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Smart yes, savvy to social norms? Not so much.
If it’s that she doesn’t care, then that fits with her direct and blunt way of getting what she wants out of situations, never mind others' objections-
-Instantly running to Webby’s loft so she can see the picture of the demon lord and confirm the crookedness of his fang, repeatedly pressing for using the runes to try contacting the shadow realm despite Webby’s nervous boggle deflections, happily employing smack talk so she can learn it properly without stopping to ask what it’s effect on her competitor might be..
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So the clothes of her final design all work really, REALLY well telling new parts of Violet’s personality, without just repeating what we’d instantly know from listening to her talk for half a minute.
Hair.
One of her alternates has loose floofy hair, which I imagine is what canon her would look like without the hair tie, and it rocks.
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But the hair tie is kinda important.
Violet isn’t a book nerd who never leaves the library- She’s active, she gets in the thick of things, she’s happy to jump in a fight, and she’s a Junior Woodchuck. Practicality, again, makes more sense. Keeping her hair out of her face works with her character.
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Her little flop of bangs is really fun to me too because… well…. It reminds me of Lena.  
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Again, it’s different enough to pop while the two stand together, but it’s there. Lena has flopped bang thing. Violet has a curly bang thing. They are sisters. It’s cute!
Also helps her silhouette stand out more against Webby and Lena, who’s hair is pretty smooth and down in general. Gives her this sharp thing that moves around and makes her extra easy to pick out, even when you just see part of her head. Important for a main side-character.
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If you're going to add detail, add it to the silhouette -> very big visual payoff.
Colors! COLORS!!!!
Already mentioned the pants balancing her hair nicely, dark on top, dark below, but then there’s her eyeshadow and sweater!
They ALSO tie her with Lena!!!!
Lena’s shirt, hidden under her sweater, is pale blue- the same color her friendship magic is later- it’s the color of Lena being happy and being connected to people.
And Violet’s eyeshadow, is also blue? And Lena’s eyeshadow is purple! Like Violet!
Eyeshadow! That thing both her and Lena wear, them the Sabrewing Sisters, but Webby doesn’t!
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That’s so cool! That’s a way to show a connection between them AND their personal tastes, before they even become family! And once they ARE family it helps them visually LOOK like one!
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Also, Violet’s green sweater?
Again we’ve got the color contrast compliment thing (huey red dewy blue louie green) this time with Team Magic: Webby pink, Lena blue, Violet green. It helps them feel… individual in scenes they’re all in frame together, while also making them look good next to each other.
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The choice of all of team magic’s colors to be either more pastel or duller than the Primary Colors Trio also lets all six of them work together visually, like in Nightmare on Killmoter Hill.
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But again, LENA.
Lena has two other bright colors tucked into her design, aside from her pale blue.  
The pink in her hair (visual cue to Webby) and her lime green shoes. Green. GREEN. It’s enough of an important color for it to ALSO be in her friendship bracelet.
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And it’s the main color Violet, her adopted little sister, wears.
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Oh my heart….
Finally, it’s looks like they tested out ideas of Violet being some kind of, parrot maybe, or wren, or such.
I love her being a humming bird for one very queer reason.
Female violet sabrewing humming birds are actually green, not purple.
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And Violet.
Is purple.
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Just like her dads.
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(also name puns for the win yeeeeessss)
So on the whole, looking at the designs Violet could have had, I guess I’d say they’d make nice occasional outfits for her...
but if you’re going to make her an important supporting member of the cast and if you have to draw her over and over again, almost always with the same other two characters… and if those characters are Webby and Lena...
Then they picked exactly the right design to go with <3
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A Lady Made of Snow
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DISCLAIMER: I don’t own The Hunger Games franchise, the images above, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, or any of the characters in this fic other than Bellova.
SUMMARY: Coriolanus is snubbed by receiving the weakest possible tribute (or so he thinks). Bellova, who doesn’t care much about winning the Plinth Prize or saving her tribute’s life, gives him a few words of advice, despite being his lifelong academic rival.
Warnings: slight bullying??
“Hi.” 
Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow approached his fellow classmates, smiling politely. He hoped that they could make pleasant conversation and avoid any petty arguments before the reaping began. He really didn’t need any additional stress.
“Finally, the star pupil,” Arachne Crane said snidely, bringing her glass to her painted lips. She leaned forward, inspecting his outfit. “That’s a snazzy shirt. What are those buttons? Tesserae?”
Coriolanus shrugged causally. “Huh. That’s why they remind me of the maid’s bathroom.”
Lysistrata Vickers glanced around the room. “Where’s your rival, Coryo? I assumed she’d be here by now.” 
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she was fashionably late,” Felix chimed in. “Just like she was to this year’s orientation.”
Coriolanus nodded in acknowledgement. “I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t show up at all.” 
Someone cleared their throat behind him. The group of seniors turned to see Bellova Reginelle, looking stunning in her reaping day attire. Coriolanus usually saw her in her Academy uniform, but today, she wore a white button-down with a tight black vest over it, and a skirt that fell just above her knees. Her ebony hair, which was usually in loose curls, was swept into a high ponytail that cascaded down her back. Her sheer black thigh-high socks were paired a set of luxurious high heels that no doubt cost as much as Coriolanus’s rent, and a long silver necklace with an antique pendant hung around her slender neck. 
Bellova stepped between Coriolanus and Festus. “Hello,” she began, looking at her classmates. “I apologize for my delayed arrival, my maid misplaced my shoes. It doesn’t seem like I’ve missed much, though.”
Coriolanus looked at his friend - or enemy, depending on the day. Admittedly, she was the most beautiful girl in their class. Her dark grey eyes were stunning, her posture was perfect, and she always had her makeup done flawlessly. She never failed to turn heads while walking down the Academy halls. 
If she was more humble and less conniving, he would actually enjoy her company. 
“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come,” he said. 
“I would never miss the reaping,” Bellova said, taking a glass of posca from a waiter. “Plus, this is much more important than a normal reaping, isn’t it?” 
The group nodded in agreement. Felix, who was indulging himself with food, licked his fingers clean. 
“Have you tried this lamb? It’s scandalous.” 
“Ugh,” Festus said in disgust. “Only the vulgar eat with their fingers, Felix. What, Daddy not teach you table manners?”
“Maybe he would have if he wasn’t so busy running the country.” Felix’s haughty response makes everyone scoff under their breath. Coriolanus always hated Felix’s snide remarks. They were immature and unnecessary, and reminded him that Felix lived a comfortable, sheltered life. 
“Even a monkey could eat more delicately than you, Ravinstill,” Bellova joked, making Arachne and Festus laugh. 
Felix just scowled, and quickly changed the subject. “Hey, they called us here for the Plinth Prize, right?” 
“Yes?” Bellova answered. 
“Because I heard Dr. Gaul’s in the building.” Felix scoffed. “Plinth,” he said, voice full of contempt. The group glanced towards the Plinth family, who were standing several feet away. “I mean, look at his spawn. Who would have thought that you could buy your way into the Capitol?”
“Well, you can’t buy class,” Festus added, smirking. “Did you see his mother’s outfit? Sorry, his “Ma’s.” 
Felix chuckled. Coriolanus chimed in, saying, “Dress a turnip in a ballgown, and it’ll still beg to be mashed.” 
Bellova snickered, and shoved him playfully. “She’s not wearing a ballgown, Coryo, it’s more like a hideous trench coat.”
“I was using a figure of speech, Bellova,” Coriolanus rolled his eyes. “But I agree, it’s pretty sore on the eyes.”
“Don’t do that, you two,” Arachne said pointedly. “We all know that you like him.” 
“We don’t like him, Arachne,” Coriolanus and Bellova said in unison.  
“We tolerate him,” Bellova corrected her.
“He’s district,” Coriolanus added.
“Tolerate him, just don’t encourage him,” Festus said, as Arachne mouthed ‘okay, sure’ at them. “I hear one more time how immoral these Hunger Games are, I’ll put him in the arena mys…”
He trailed off as Sejanus Plinth, the topic of the conversation, approached them, standing next to Bellova. 
“Sejanus,” Festus said, not trying to hide his disdain. “You made it to the Reaping for once.”
“And you made it to graduation, Festus. We’re both shocked,” Sejanus replied in the same manner, causing Coriolanus and Bellova to laugh. 
“Spill it. Who won the prize?” Arachne said impatiently, pursing her lips.
“Oh, no, I’m not gonna ruin my father’s big day. No one here actually likes him, but they do love his money.” Sejanus looked directly at the girl, smirking slightly. “You know what that’s like, don’t you, Arachne?”
She scoffed, clearly offended. “Funny.”
The television began playing Panem’s national anthem, signaling the students to take their assigned seats. Bellova sat down, smoothing out her skirt and crossing her legs. She saw Sejanus pull Coriolanus aside, and noticed Coriolanus’s sudden change in mood as he sat down next to her. 
“What happened?” she murmured quietly.
“I’ll tell you later,” Coriolanus snapped. 
Bellova rolled her eyes. “You are such a c-“
She was abruptly cut off by the sound of Dr. Gaul’s cackle echoing throughout Heavensbee Hall, amplified by the microphone in front of her. 
Coriolanus and Bellova sat quietly as she addressed the student body. Though Dr. Gaul was indifferent to most of the students at the Academy, they had always been given more of her attention than their peers. 
It was a blessing and a curse to be liked by Dr. Gaul. It never hurt to have the approval of a teacher, but she was off-putting and almost sadistic at times. Plus, she loved pairing her two favorite students together, which meant that Coriolanus and Bellova had an unfortunate history of arguing after High Biology. It had almost gotten physical a few times. Bellova was quick to anger and far too prideful for Coriolanus’s liking. He never laid a finger on her; the fear of being expelled was too strong for that. He did, however, contradict her at every possible turn. He took great pleasure in the muttered curses and insults hurled his way as she stormed off, causing the students around her to move away hastily.
“And now to that end,” Dr. Gaul concluded. “I am honored to introduce to you the creator of The Hunger Games themselves: Dean Casca Highbottom.”
Highbottom took a sip from his small vial, and began making his way through the middle of the student body, clearly inebriated. “Uh…” he cleared his throat. “Select students, faculty, and, of course, Dr. Gaul, I have summoned you all here today for the 10th Annual Reaping Ceremony in which we choose two children from each district to throw into the Capitol Arena to fight to the death in The Hunger Games.”
Bellova smirked. “I can’t believe they still allow him to speak in public,” she whispered to Coriolanus, making him smile slightly. 
“And here,” the dean continued, gesturing to the senior students sitting at the front of the hall. “Sit our own twenty-four top prospects all waiting to hear the results of hard study in this prestigious institution. Eager to learn who’s won that Plinth Prize, no doubt. And a golden future. However,” he said, causing Bellova’s brows to furrow. “I am here to tell you that there has been a change this year. One final assignment to prove your worth. Because… the esteemed citizens of the Capitol have grown bored of the Games and simply aren’t watching anymore. And if the Games are to continue at all, there must be an audience.” A few people chuckle. “So, Head Gamemaker Dr. Gaul has stepped in to… incentivize patriotic values with her own unique flair, starting with you. The Plinth Prize will no longer be determined by who has the best grades.”
“Excuse me?“ 
“But by who is the best mentor in The Hunger Games.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The twenty-four mentors had erupted into complaints after that. After the Dean had settled them down, he read off the names of the tributes and their assigned mentors. Lucky for her, Bellova received the female tribute from District 1. But Coriolanus was humiliated by receiving the runt girl from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. Not only was she small and seemingly malnourished, she appeared to be insane as well. 
As the Academy students filed out of Heavensbee Hall and made their way towards the cafeteria, Bellova approached Coriolanus. 
“I assume Sejanus told you about the change to the Plinth Prize conditions and that’s why you looked so upset earlier?“
Coriolanus nodded stiffly. 
“I see,” Bellova nodded. “I didn’t see it coming either.” 
Coriolanus glanced at her. “Why do you even care about the Plinth Prize, Bellova? You’re going to University regardless.”
She shrugged. “I like winning. But it’s really not crucial in this instance.” 
Coriolanus felt a pang of jealousy at her nonchalant attitude. “It is for me. And with the tribute I was assigned, failure is guaranteed.” 
Bellova frowned. “Are you sure? She made quite a spectacle of herself earlier. Almost everyone is talking about her.”
Coriolanus sighed. “It won’t do any good when she’s dead in five minutes flat in the arena.”
“Perhaps,” Bellova said. “But I know you, Coryo. You’ll do anything in your power to come out on top. It’s infuriating, honestly.”
He smirked. “Only because it results in you losing.”
Bellova pursed her lips in annoyance. “Only on rare occasions. My point is that it’s a good thing, being willing to do anything to win. If you stop doing that now, you can kiss the Plinth Prize goodbye.”
And with that, they reached the cafeteria and parted ways, Bellova’s words of advice still ringing in Coriolanus’s ears. 
……………………..……………………..……………………..…………
TAGLIST: @daenerysqueenofhearts, @squidscottjeans, @euphemiaamillais
Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I have several more chapters finished, I’m just polishing them up atm. I’ll post the second chapter sometime soon hopefully. Let me know in the comments what you think and if you’d like to be tagged!
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lilyginnyblackv2 · 2 years
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T&B Clothes and Style Analysis:
This all started when I was thinking of a way to try and get a better gauge on Ryan’s age, but then it started to kind of become it’s own thing. Basically, something I’ve noticed is how aspects of many (though not all) the character designs are indictive of the decade they grew up in.
Let’s start with the oldest of our heroes (I’m limiting it to heroes so this post won’t be any more massive than I’m sure it will already be).
Kotetsu and Antonio: We know that they are both 38 in S2, so that means they were born in 1942. So their childhood and teen years were the 1940s and 1950s, and you can see the influence of those time periods on their outfits.
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Back in the 1940s and 1950s cowboy inspired fashion was very popular. My grandfather had a bit of this style too, and he was born sometime in the 1930s. Of course, Antonio’s outfit is also meant to reflect his NEXT persona as well, being Rock Bison and having, iirc, a meat sponsor.
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Meanwhile, Kotetsu has that snazzy look about him. Clean cut, button up shirt, tie, sleek and ironed pants,  button up vest - his look is, in a way, rather hip in comparison to Antonio’s look. I also feel is has more of an upscale, blue collar vibe to it than Antonio’s, which style originated with blue collar, “working on the farm,” and legit cowboy types. Of course, Kotetsu doesn’t hold himself in that way, though I do think that his outfit is what adds to the moe gap and charm of Kotetsu. He has this put together appearance to him, but his life is a mess and he can be very immature at times, lol.
(This post is SUPER long and image heavy, so the rest is under a Read More!)
Next, let’s take a look at our newest heroes, since the 1980s influence on their style is obvious. All three of them are teens, so it would make sense that their fashion style and sense would reflect the 80s the most.
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Subaru’s is, imo, the easiest to draw a link to in regards to possible inspiration. The outfits aren’t an exact match, but that puffy life preserver like jacket + jean pants combo just screams Marty McFly. I know he is also meant to reflect the “Red Ranger” trope found in series like Super Sentai and stuff like that, but I also think that Subaru’s problems with being looked down on and such is similiar to Marty’s with his issues surrounding being called chicken and what not. They can both be impulsive and quick to anger in that regard.
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Lara has a school uniform on or, at least, an outfit inspired by one. Obviously, there are some liberties taken with the design, certain elements to make it cuter and more in-line with how school uniforms are often depicted in anime. The blazer top is really what gives it the 1980s Japanese school uniform vibe though. And since Lara is meant to represent magical girls, it makes sense that she would be wearing a school uniform.
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Thomas has the most..anime-like outfit of everyone, imo. His outfit isn’t something you would someone wearing just every day, ya know. I tried looking a bit into high fashion/runaway fashion and the like, but didn’t get very far with that. I think the aspects of his outfit that have some basis in the 1980s though is the combo of “very shiny leather jacket” + tight jean combo like we see MJ wearing in his Thriller MV. 
Okay, so now let’s take a look at characters that we know the exact age of, or have a very good, general idea of how old they are. First up here is Barnaby.
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Listen, Barnaby’s outfit really doesn’t have much going on in the way of 60s or 70s fashion (the eras when he was a teen), but his hair absolutely does! Without a doubt, the inspiration for Barnaby’s hair was Farrah Fawcett and her hairstyle became popular in the 1970s, when Barnaby would have been in his late teens and early 20s. He had more of a general shaggy hairstyle in the few flashbacks we see of him as a younger teen.
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This chunky gold chain is also very 70s. 
Now we are more in the “we have a general idea how old they are range, and it was confirmed via outside sources.” The one that I feel most concretely on this is Karina, who is 19 in S2. That means she was born in 1961 (one year earlier than my parents, lol) and her childhood was in the 1960s and her teen years were pretty solidly in the 1970s outside of 19.
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Whenever I think of Karina’s dress in S1, I my mind just always goes to the kinds of short dresses that were really popular in the Brady Bunch era. Other elements of her design are definitely different, but that dress is such a key aspect. Her S2 design feels more mature and like Mary Tyler Moore-esque.
Ivan, I believe, is 21 in S2. I think it was confirmed, somewhere, that he was 18 in S1. So he is only a little bit older than Karina and his teen years were the 1970s, period. Design-wise Ivan is a complete fish out of water. At least Barnaby had the hair and jewelry tying him to the 60s and 70s. But Ivan is meant to be a Weeaboo, so that whole idea and concept is far later, and his visual appearance reflects that.
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However! Edward Said’s book Orientalism, which goes on to describe the term as:
the exaggeration of difference, the presumption of Western superiority, and the application of clichéd analytical models for perceiving the "Oriental world". This intellectual tradition is the background for Said's presentation of Orientalism as a European viewpoint reflecting a contrived Manichean duality.
(Source: The Wikipedia on Orientalism)
And that fits in with Ivan’s Weeaboo persona quite well. It’s a critical concept that is well known today (and which has a long standing documentation of existing before Said’s book was publish), but was only brought into the spotlight with this book in 1978. 
Edit: Check out my reblog where I have more information on how Ivan’s outfit actually connects back to the time period.
The last character that we have a general idea of around about what age they are is Pao-lin. She was 13 or so in S1 and around 16 in S2.
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The major inspiration for her outfit is obviously Kill Bill, lol. Especially with the martial arts and everything. But, of course, her S1 outfit also takes inspiration from jumpsuits that really gained popularity in the 1970s and tracksuits too. Her later outfits in The Rising and S2 are more masculine presenting and have her wearing tank tops and hoodies, both of which started becoming more commonplace as everyday wear in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. (This could also apply to Ivan, who is wearing a black tank top under his jacket.
Finally, we get into the characters whose ages are vague: Ryan, Nathan, and Keith. Now, Ryan is younger than Barnaby. That’s basically all we have to go off of really, but in The Beginning we can see that he looks in his late teens (he has a slimmer face similar to Thomas and Subaru).
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His outfit there also has a very 70s disco vibe about it. Though the hair and other aspects of it are also a bit late 90s/early 2000s in feel too. His earlier designs were quite 60s and 70s inspired too:
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The one in the top left almost feeling New Wave / Hippie-ish to some extent (a part of me would have loved if they went with that design, but I love his current design too). His outfit in The Rising (and S2, which I won’t even bother talking about here) are a bit more:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ design-wise.
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The closest stuff I could find were like sports jerseys/sport shirts from the 70s and those shorts pictured, lmao. Those shorts are a bit shorter than Ryan’s, and they don’t have the more visually appealing hanging material, etc. But they do show how there were these sort of long shorts/pants in that era as well. Though, visually, Ryan still fits more in the 2000s era here. I started this whole research and post hoping that some of Ryan’s outfit could give more insight into his age...but nope, lol.
More info on Ryan’s outfit! :D
Anyway, our final two are Nathan and Keith. Nathan has made statements that make it seem that she is older than Barnaby and Keith, but likely not quite as old as Kotetsu and Antonio. I’ve always assumed that Nathan was in their 30s. Placing their teen years closer to the late 50s and 60s. 
And while a lot of Nathan’s outfits can just be simplified to the idea of being flamboyant, I feel a lot of Nathan’s presence and the air about them is very similar to the Ballroom Scene of the 60s:
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While the outfits are not one-for-one matches, there are similarities in posing, feathers, mesh, color choices, and just the outlines that are created. I will say that the shoulder pads in Nathan’s S1 outfit are far more 80s though, lol.
Edit: I realized I forgot to explain what the Ballroom Scene even is and how it relates very specifically to Nathan’s gender identity. From the Wikipedia page:
The Ballroom Scene is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latino drag queens began to organize their own pageants in opposition to racism experienced in established drag queen pageants. [...] While the initial establishment of Ballroom mimicked these drag queen pageants, the inclusion of gay men and trans women would transform the Ballroom scene into what it is today: a multitude of categories that all LGBTQ+ people can participate in.
There is a fantastic documentary on this whole subculture and scene called Paris is Burning (link is to the YT video of the full documentary). I watched it back in college in my Queer Studies class. It’s very enlightening and insightful, but it does deal with some heavy topics (SA, suicide, etc.). I definitely suggest giving it a watch if you can though! 
Edit: Some more excellent information on Nathan's and Pao-lin's styles. Pao-lin's connection to Bruce Lee and Nathan's fashion connection to the 1970s glam era + visual kei (his The Rising outfit).
FINALLY! We have Keith. His age is completely unknown. I’ve always felt that he was closer in age to Barnaby than Kotetsu and Antonio. His outfit really doesn’t tell us much. It’s a very “All-American, Hard Worker” guys kinda outfit. Definitely something you would find in the 70s (image pictured above is from the 70s) and 80s, though his pants are more 80s-like than 70s (more straight than flared). 
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(Though, looking at that above image, it seems like Barnaby’s big belt is also very 70s-ish!).
Anyway, I feel I can’t talk about Keith and his appearance and style without also mentioning this: 
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Keith looks like Tom Cruise, and once you see and know that, you cannot unsee it either, lmao.
Okay, okay, let’s wrap this up! I’m going to be including sources and references for the clothes images and that’s basically it. If you have anything else to add, please do, and thank you to anyone who has read all the way to the end! It’s greatly appreciated and I hope you enjoyed reading this! <3 
Sources:
Antonio’s: blue17 and Vintage Dancer
Kotetsu’s: Vintage-Retro
Lara’s: qph.cf2.quoracdn . net
Pao-lin’s: Plaidstallions
Nathan’s: Esquire
Ryan’s: Vintage Vixen and Bored Panda, Dress That Man and The Empire Tribe
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whereismyhat5678 · 4 months
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I know this is weird to dump on y’all but can I vent for just a few minutes? If this is even considered a vent since it’s not anything sad, I just wanna get this off my chest real quick.
(If you don’t want to read the essay I wrote scroll to the bottom and just read the TLDR 😅)
I like being a woman. I do. I like using she/her pronouns. I like wearing pretty feminine stuff. And in general I just like to be feminine. I’m happy being a girl.
But I just always wanted to just- try on a suit- JUST JUST HEAR ME OUT FOR A SECOND-
I wanna look like a dapper young gentlemen- like a very posh man that wears like- like one of those eyeglass thingys-
Like this fellow right here:
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I also wanna have a mustache, LIKE THOSE ONES THAT ARE FLUFFY AND COVER YOUR MOUTH- the- THE PAINTERS BRUSH MUSTACHE!! Or examples like: The lampshade, the handlebar, the Hungarian, OR THE IMPERIAL (that one’s GODAM GORGEOUS-)
But more about the suit- I wanna- I PICTURE myself in a black slick suit with a white undershirt and a silk like tie, with nice shiny black buttons and some white gloves to match the undershirt. To show sophistication. With one of those top hats OH I LOVE THOSE!!
I’d like to see it on me but I wanna look more masculine in it like- like what I just said I wanna have a mustache and OH such a deep voice!! I wanna be those narrator voices that are soothing and just, you can fall asleep to them.
I wanna look dapper, I wanna look snazzy, I WANT TO WEAR A SUIT. I want to have a cane that I can lean onto while standing, I want other men to talk to me like if I were just another guy.
I WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS- that are like, buff but also a bit fat since, ngl I would genuinely like to be a fluffy guy, AND REALLY TALL and look down at people. I want to be tall too not just as a man but as me because I just wanna be the size of my dad. At LEAST 6’0 that’d be AMAZING.
I WOULDN’T JUST WANNA WEAR A SUIT EITHER- I wanna be a gentlemen that wears warm cream colors and a nice soft brown sweater with a beanie and THOSE BOOTS. (You know the ones I’m talking about-). I wanna have big legs and wear those jeans that look HUGE to other people but are normal for you cuz you’re just a big guy! I wanna wear that, THAT AMAZING SMELLING COLOGNE GOD DO I WANT TO WEAR COLOGNE.
Okay- to wrap things up- sometimes, I just want to look masculine AND IF ANYTHING IF I CAN’T LOOK MASCULINE AND APPEALING (and smoke cigars like one of them guys in the movies, drink alcohol or beer even though I don’t like it- OH AND HOW HAVE I NOT MENTIONED WANTING TO HAVE THAT MAN GOLFER FIT-)
OKAY BUT REAL QUICK- I’d want to have like A BUNCH OF PAPER BOY HATS (I already wear them and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH- but if I looked like a man?? 🤯🤯) with like different colors to have one each day to match the shirt I’m wearing- with brown pointed at the tip shoes that are shiny and SO SO HANDSOME!!! I wanna look handsome I want someone to tell me I look handsome in like a vest and a red tie with a paper boy hat and nice cologne and A GOD DAMN SOPHISTICATED ASS MUSTACHE!- And when I go golfing with buddies I have the casual golfer fit, BECAUSE THEY JUST SO NICE AND SPIFFY AND HANDSOME I WANNA LOOK LIKE THAT!!!
I love being a woman, I REALLY DO- I like being a woman because in the future I wanna look beautiful in pretty dresses and nice necklaces and pretty shiny hair (short obviously-) and cute glasses to match my cute outfits! Heck I wanna wear some of these dresses:
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Vintage I know- but you gotta admit they look GORGEOUS!!!
And I’ll admit I’m completely fine with being a woman because of this! I wanna look pretty in dresses, be called beautiful, have a dazzling outfit to make myself look even prettier!
But I also just, wanna look handsome! Wear a suit. Have a mustache. Have a nice deep voice and- funny story- I remember I saw an episode of Steven Universe where Pearl was wearing a suit and I thought she looked AMAZING!!
I ended up telling my mom that when I got to Prom I want to have a suit, which my mom laughed and jokingly said I would look like a lesbian. Of course I don’t like woman like that, I think they’re all beautiful but just not like that. But in general I thought to myself I just wanna see myself in a suit, a tie, nice shoes, a nice hat, with cologne. And I again don’t even have to look masculine, I just want to look handsome and spiffy!
I started liking the idea of having masculine facial hair because I can’t stop thinking about if I did have those things, they would be AWESOME!!
I’m sorry if I ended up writing too much or confusing you with my words, so in long short of it:
I like being a woman, wouldn’t mind wearing a suit, wouldn’t mind having a masculine voice features hair etc, and I wanna look handsome. But I still like dressing femininely.
I’m sorry for the long talk, I just wanted to spill my mind a bit, nothing much to it though 🤷‍♀️
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stitchthesewords · 1 year
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For Laurie @oh-snapperss for voting for my beloved captainsparklez, I give you - Ethubs fluff
---
The house was impressive to Etho, but the same was true of everything Bdubs built. He watched the windmill go around until the sight of the man himself caught his eye. God was the moss cloak and instead he wore a snazzy button up vest and shirt. Etho felt a smile come to his face.
“All dressed up for me?” he asked, pulling Bdubs into a brief kiss as he made his way to him.
“I’ll have you know I’m all dressed up always, thank you very much,” Bdubs said in his usual boisterous voice. Etho hummed happily and nodded his head, though he wasn’t sure if he was agreeing or just happy to hear Bdubs’s voice.
“I’m not used to you being gone for so long.” Etho let Bdubs take his hand and lead him down the path and into the home; small though it was, it was well decorated and it was very clear that Bdubs knew how to use the space.
“I haven’t been gone that long! You disappear for longer all the time!” He looked at Etho over his shoulder and grunted as he ran into something. He turned back to glare at the block that dared to get in his way as Etho began amazed wandering through Bdubs’s abode.
He was quiet for a moment before he turned to look back at Bdubs and grinned. “So, what’re we calling this, huh? Pretty…gears? Conveyor belts?” he asked with a snort. Bdubs joined him in the chuckle, coming up to his side and locking their arms together.
“Something like that. But you should see what Zedaph and Tango and Scar and Keralis all did – Trains, Etho! Giant steam factories – houses on wheels or made of this – wild spinning cube. This is nothing,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. Etho looked around the room and shook his head.
“Doesn’t look like nothing to me,” he said, pulling his mask down only briefly to sneak a kiss on Bdubs’s stunned lips.
The shorter man sputtered and blushed, burying his head in Etho’s shoulder with a smile hidden on his lips. Etho smiled too, hiding his face back behind his mask, and nudging Bdubs with his shoulder. “Come on, I wanna see more of your stuff. Tango told me you had a really cool thing with a gunpowder farm?” He watched Bdubs eyes light up and knew he had him, hook, line, and sinker.
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wildestflowrs · 1 year
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Some GNC Ronance for your thoughts:
• after their first semester at Emerson, Nancy cuts his hair short, but leaves the curls, and Robin finds them even more adorable
• Robin loves wearing ties and suspenders, they give them so much gender euphoria
• Nancy likes to style wide pants with belts and button ups, it makes her feel like a snazzy guy
• They have somewhat of a competition on growing out their body hair (Robin’s winning) but if it gets too competitive and one of them starts feeling down about it the other is quick to shower them with affirmations
• Nancy may or may not have made a couple appearances as a drag king (perhaps accompanied by Eddie in drag too)
• people at their workplace/school are eternally confused about Robin’s partner, as she never consistently refers to them as one thing (‘my boyfriend did this’ ‘my lover and I went on a date last night’ ‘Nance wore the most handsome suit last week, you should have seen her’
• Robin calling Nancy handsome :’)
• Robin getting an undercut
• Buff Nancy Buff Nancy Buff Nancy-
• Shorts being one of Nancy’s favourite things because they can be both masculine and feminine (and being kinda sad when winter comes around and she can’t exactly wear shorts anymore :( )
• they live in a pretty accepting apartment block, and they are affectionately referred to as ‘the shapeshifter sapphics’
• Nancy wearing Robin’s patch jacket and Robin wearing Nancy’s sweater vest
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blankdblank · 1 year
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The White Dove Pt 31 - Cooking With Riot
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The White Dove Masterlist
...
“Alright, Eldfalls, you’re going to have to give me a sort of warning to help me out, and please no over confidence in your status, if it needs replacing could you flame up or buzz or something?” Gradually bit by bit of the unintelligible engine was tapped and checked to be marked off in self proclaimed stunningly near mint condition as you managed to recall what Elliot had shared on the other models similar to this one. Much like human bodies regenerated its own atoms in a cycle of decades remake its own engine parts to keep the star core stable.
The damage to the rudder both inside at mounts and outside for days had your hive slowly printing out in the Asgardian metal was next. The new parts for a video, that blurred out the flame on the adapted welding torch, recorded the new trio of exposed fins you had showed off to duplicate the same pattern etched into it as the original. Sanding and scrubbing next came to smooth out the new connection points ended by a filmed clamber onto the deck to use the rudder control that had each of the repaired fins to move properly.
An alarm however had you off for a promised father son night out with Riot and Venom contained within their Others. With care you locked everything up saying goodnight to Eldfalls, pausing at turning off the light to answer your phone at Eddie’s call. “On my way back now.”
“Don’t forget, the dress code. Women wearing dresses and all that…”
“Why is there a dress code for a cooking class?”
“It’s a Cordon Bleu five star Michelin place with a top chef who wants to have a Julia Child sort of black and white shoot after.”
“Not very fair when you all just have to add suspenders and a tie,” you said making him chuckle.
“I know Sis, see you after.”
“I’m still wearing tights no matter what they say, I refuse to have anything splash on my legs.”
“Good, rhinestone ones? I can wear my rhinestone tie to match.”
“Yes, got my pinstripe dress ready upstairs just have to do something with my hair too. I refuse to have it down.”
It didn’t take long for you to freshen up and ease into the pencil skirt navy pinstripe dress, folds of the off the shoulder straps came to rest over the tops of your ribs to accentuate the bust without flashing cleavage or inhibit lifting your arms. Down the front two rows of black buttons matched the row down your left leg to help the constriction of the skirt. Tights that were sheer to above the knee darkened to black with rhinestones to really pop with your black tall heeled wedges with colorful blue ribbon to tie them. Both sides of your hair were braided back into a zig zagging bun that would not be hindered by your helmet. And due to the tightness of your skirt hindering instant access to your weapon holsters a few more bees than normal were secured in your hair to match the two daggers and grappler chord reachable in between your shoulder blades.
“Now that is snazzy,” Eddie said making you giggle and accept his offered navy and white checkered jacket to pull on for the ride that matched his checkered slacks. His pale blue shirt rested under black suspenders matching the shade of his rhinestone accented tie and polished dress shoes.
“We didn’t have to match, I know you got pressured into buying that suit by your Mate.”
And he held up a finger, “Hup, hup, hup, we are matching, even Riot’s Other is matching us, it is family night and we are going all out since you have to wear a dress. He bought Oxfords and is going full under vest as well.”
“You two are wild, all to keep people from cyanide poisoning,” you said in a shake of your head making him chuckle and guide you to his bike. Two buttons on your skirt were undone to flash enough leg to sit without tearing your skirt as he adjusted his pant legs to do the same while you secured the buckle on your helmet.
Just as he said over a half hour later out of a sports car Riot’s Other smirked in adjusting his vest and crossed the space from where he parked to where you both were waiting. “Now we’re definitely underdressed, forgot my,” he said and chuckled at Riot stealthily easing over his arm to pull the rhinestoned bow tie out of his inner jacket pocket, “Nope, I didn’t. You said rhinestones and pinstripes, all out.” With a giggle you watched him fasten the bowtie in place to the flow of more bodies due for the course dressed more for yachting or the Kentucky Derby.
All of the women at least seemed to be in their silver years and like the famous picture of Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield where the latter was getting side eyes from the former. While you weren’t flashing anything, the fact you had on a pencil skirt opposing their longer flowing or layered skirts and higher heels had them cast some serious shade your way. At least until one of the older gentlemen tried to nudge the elbow of Eddie in wait at the front door of the lavish hotel the eatery was located inside of the ground floor luring his eyes to the man who stated, “Clearly you found a nice night out for your arm candy. Hear they’ve got ample wine for tasting to really spoil her from wandering to your friend there.”
Quite casually to the statement Eddie replied proudly, “My baby sister here is nobody’s arm candy and far too young for wine, so no tasting for us tonight.”
The title for you had his wife look you over again, almost in a new light and ask herself, “Did your parents dress you alike as children?”
“Just us for a decade now and there was a dress code so we all decided to go all out so it’d be fair with the enforced skirt,” he answered.
“You seem so at home in a dress,” another wife stated and chuckled out in addition, “You can’t tell me you’re a tomboy.” The elevator doors opened and you remained silent in being led inside with them to be rested in Eddie’s arms against his chest to grant more space to the others.
.
“I can’t eat anything on this menu,” you muttered to Riot’s Other, who was at the shared counter, while Riot had his hand lifting every knife available from the offered wooden block for his use in sheer amusement. The guiding chefs chattered away on the details of the ingredients’ rare origins tripling the price of them to the point of exclusivity for their usual clientele.
Eddie stepped closer to allow Venom to say through him, “We’ll do the tasting,” after having heard the instructor that each of you would be forced to taste what you make before sending it to assigned people in the dining room who would grade you on them.
Cleaning shrimp was an unpleasant task to begin the makings of a surf and turf meal for the first course. Just a portion of Wagyu steak would be drizzled with a garlic based sauce, and the still bleeding things you were asked to serve medium rare had you grimace in a turn back to the station to finish off the sauce. “Now slap the knife,” you were instructed to crush the garlic clove making you shake your head.
To yourself you muttered, “Not happening.” And simply pressed on the blade rested atop the clove you then grated a section of it into the sauce simmering on top of the burner, that in a spoon you raised to mime a taste for the look of the chef. Then dropped it low to your side so Venom out of Eddie’s side could taste as you offered one of the shrimp from your skillet to Riot, the both of them who sent their comments through their Others that refused to taste theirs either to not trigger a reaction in you later on. Even though you only got reactions from ingesting your allergens when it came to food all the same they didn’t want to risk it, same with the foods like shellfish or filter feeders that simply upset your stomach and didn’t make your throat swell shut.
However they did get some amusement at your being able to sample the naked freshly cooked pasta for the next course and few morsels of rice in the one that followed. For dessert afterwards a bit of a scene had to be made.
By means of touching a still hot cast iron skillet by Riot’s Other, to have the chef glaring at each person intently as they tasted their nut based course follow the man feigning a burn his Other was already trying to bubble out to heal inside the curled fist of the man taking a few steps away. “Just a tap, I’ll just rub some butter on it, right as rain,” he said and the chef snapped his eyes to you as the dish was carried to your waiting judge to hear through you the praising comment Venom had whispered to you seconds after he slithered out behind the counter to sample the ridiculously priced treat.
“Come,” he said with an ordering clap of his hands. “Now we taste the wine, you will drink first.”
“I’m 16,” you said and in a sweep of his eyes over you he made the slightest of scoffs.
“Come, time to learn.”
Nine bottles of rather expensive wine by a waiter were poured and offered to you to smell try and break down the elements of the wines only irritating him more at your being able to detect various things. Just like when you got to the fifth and narrowed your eyes saying, “Smells like someone added raspberry syrup and vermouth to this rose,” instantly causing his neck to grow in patches red up to his ears at your learning some secret additive of the house wine.
“I don’t taste that,” one of the other guests said in a growing conclusion you were deemed wrong for the favor of the chef who now only had one person who knew the house wine secret.
All the same to the end of the miserably held lesson you stuck it out and then went back to the vehicles to go and find someplace with something actually edible to eat and kinder wait staff. Just to help cover the group discussion between yourself, the men and their Symbiotes, to help Riot and his Other grow more settled in their newfound fondness for the possibilities of culinary lessons to become a chef. A career world where one who stabbed their unruly employees if angered wouldn’t be too unbelievable to have happen in case he lost his cool and slipped to harm someone in their new hopeful dream job.
 *.*.*
 Dinner over the presentation of a hopeful space station project for Reed Richards amongst a great deal of Airforce personnel and scientists alike found Rhodey halfway listening to both Reed and his chosen pilot for the mission, Benjamin Grimm, who was sharing about his run in with the famed creator of the Blackhowls Rhodey had piloted.
Stark on his right however drew random glances as the stubborn billionaire continued to look over newer prints on the Goliath system overhaul after the first set became too obscured by his own notes to read the code anymore while full on ignoring the reason he had been invited here. “Still can’t believe you get to fly those. Now I’m gonna be in space for four months and training for the next year before that, no time at all to slip in a test run or ride along.”
Rhodey smirked at the fellow pilot and said, “Are you going to be in California day after tomorrow still?”
“I’ll rent a new room or sleep in a lot on the base if I have to,” Grimm replied making Rhodey chuckle.
“Have to make a run to Antarctica for a supply drop off to a research team there. Not much fun,”
“Oh it sounds like a party bus to me. I don’t care where you have to shove me.”
And Rhodey nodded, “I’ll add your name to the passenger list, one of the Privates always complains in the cold so you’ll have to help unload.”
“All for earning my way.”
And across the table a representative from Harvard supporting a fellow alumni in attendance squirmed again in his seat, as he had the whole time they had been talking over the aircraft and how Grimm had met the inventor of it. Just bursting to ask, “Okay, sorry,” he said luring eyes to him, “Have to ask, why Columbia?”
“I’m sorry, what?” Grimm and Rhodey asked together in Stark’s stolen glance up over the enhanced glasses he hoped to help pick apart the code to not break out his phone and be called entirely rude.
“Why’d she pick Columbia? She was top of our short list and she picked Columbia of all places over Harvard!” Rhodey’s eyes narrowed during the man’s panting exhale to keep himself from growing too excited in his taken slight to his alma matter.
“She lives in New  York.” Rhodey answered.
But Grimm said, “Not to mention one of the scholarships she got was limited to New York schools.”
Rhodey and the man asked, “What?” causing Tony to look up again, but this time at his friend in the hint of tension in his tone at the fact that was news to him.
Grimm clarified, “Someone in the scholarship departments she applied to after the press released the news on the Blackhawks got a price tag on them and they turned her down. Largest one of the few she got out of the stack she applied to had the rule to keep it to New York schools. Said she took it bit hard being turned down for so many, but a teacher knew a guy in Columbia and they helped book a private tour and it’s close to home and work so she went there.”
“Why’d she need a scholarship at all? Those aircraft are a couple mil a pair.” The man asked.
Rhodey answered as his mind reeled, “Military only paid her base Engineer salary up front and put the rest in trust funds, in fact they wanted it all in trust until I went after them once she told me she was the only one working on them that wasn’t being paid.”
Tony said plainly, “Bit sexist,” and Rhodey looked at him, “I was sixteen when I sold my first idea to the military and they paid me in full.”
“What I told them,” Rhodey replied, “But you had a team looking after you is what they said.”
“That’s a terrible copout. What they’re afraid she’d buy too many beanie babies or something fun with that money?” Tony replied and looked back at his papers to Rhodey’s shift on his seat.
“So you’re telling me the military press leak on those aircraft ruined Pluto’s chances at going to any college in the world?” And Grimm nodded, “She could have gone anywhere!” Rhodey scoffed to himself.
And the man from Harvard said, “She could have gone to Harvard.”
Making Tony butt in blindly, “She could have been a TA at MIT with work like that and the OWLS by now.” Turning the page and bringing out the stylus in his pocket to write electronically to be only seen by his glasses notes to look back on later in his lab on the array of screens and room sizable projector Jarvis could help him bounce ideas around to get to the root of this unreadable language.
And the man spoke again, “And she graduates this year?”
“Next year, has to repeat after that midterm vote raised school core requirements.” Grimm clarified, only making Rhodey flop his hands onto his lap.
“I’ll let the guys in enrollment know to get a fund package ready. None of the other schools said anything either about a trust issue.”
“Why didn’t she say something?” Rhodey asked Grimm.
“Didn’t want to cause trouble,” he replied.
“That’s not causing trouble, I could have made some calls to the scholarship boards, explained it. And now she’s got to repeat a year…” making him all but cross his arms mid huff.
“She is a magnet for chaos,” Grimm added with a smirk repeating what you had told him. “Same happened to me,” the Harvard man already was on his phone emailing the others to let them in on the news to get ahead of other schools. And even with needing a fund to aid in studies on their campus they would be more than willing to offer full for what the world could only imagine the teenager capable of even in just the near future.
“I’m talking to her about this, I told her we’d have her back after that leak.”
Rhodey said only making Tony say, “And that’s why she didn’t tell you. She got into Columbia without any degree. Wrote this whole damn code without one too. Degrees are just a bumper sticker to that talent.” He said with a grumble in his tone. “Not even code this bit, all weird bubble symbols, like shorthand?” bringing the page a bit closer to his face to turn the page to the side.
“Have you tried Swedish?”
“I’ve tried every language known to man, this bit is half a line of the original code then it’s twelve symbols and it breaks into what look to be light sequence checks? There is no logic in this.”
“There overlap?” Grimm asked making Tony look up at him flatly, “Like a 4d map?”
“Map of what? The console light bulbs the next line orders to blink in a pattern?” making Rhodey chuckle at the latest failed try to uncover what the logic of it could be.
 *.*.*
 Lively the burger and steak centered eatery had colorful lights, music and decorations everywhere you looked. While fun everyone who came here always seemed to dress up and at the back balcony booth you could see why, one of Kingpin’s main men owned and ran the place settled upon his makeshift throne to look over people sending money straight for his pockets. Still the match of your clothes had more than a few people look your way upon entering, namely the owner and a disguised duo of Agents here to watch a chosen target.
The uncomfortable shift of the bun in your hair that had caught on the neck strap of the apron from cooking found you a new sort of subtle spectacle in just undoing a few braids. Atop Eddie’s shoulder however and reflected off a mirrored wall by the door your bees were recording all angles possible after your notice of the Agents in the back of the place.
A simple fluff of your hair that cascaded down your chest, face and back was all it took and in a glance back at the man along the wall in charge of allowing who was taken as strangers inside the establishment a nod was given to an easy attractive face to lure more men inside.
Two fingers were used to wave you back by the Hostess who turned as you lifted a hand to cover the rest of the bees moving from your palm back to your hair they would keep that side back out of your face.
“Cocktails?” The Hostess said in an offer of their specialty drink list for this week, her eyes directly on you knowing by the kind of nod given you were the reasoning to be welcomed in.
“She’s sixteen,” Riot’s Other said, “I’ll take one of the Flaming Bangers though.”
“We have mocktails for each of them,” subtly implying to you that you had to choose one that had you look at the list.
The third on the list had you giggle and say, “Catatonic Grasshopper, please, and can I have a raspberry tea to follow?” A secondary drink that also could be fancied up to resemble a mocktail as well.
A grin eased across her lips and she nodded, “Absolutely.” And looked to Eddie who said, “Uh, one of the Eroded Blue Lagoon mocktails so she won’t have to carry me home,” making her chuckle to his grin your way.
Pictures and shared comments of your mint green blended drink inside a martini glass and the tall blue fizzy drink with fruit liquors, juices and Sprite he let you taste joined a picture of what a Flaming Banger was to add to your social page. Alongside images from the cooking outing and a piece of the clip of you letting down your hair with a comment on a relax of your scalp now your braids were out after getting snagged earlier.
Out of possible meal choices chicken for you was chosen with noodles, veggies were to come after the opening course of mini stromboli’s and bruschetta you all wanted to sample out of the opening course options you could eat without risk of reaction. Dessert was last to add and then you were free to talk without groups to overhear or interrupt at least for a time. Riot’s Other asked, “There’s a question I’ve been wondering since you shared on your necklace, your ancestor had all those kids, it can’t just be you.”
“Um,” you said lowering your mocktail from another sip, licking away a bead of the liquid left on your lower lip to answer him, “I have an aunt, maternal, but she’s a competitive Ice Dancer on tour, doesn’t want kids. That turned me a bit off writing to her dad, he’s got some standing in Denmark. And an uncle, paternal, who is in a monastery, he um, well he sort of lost it when dad went missing, went to go find himself and didn’t take my first letter very well.”
“First letter?” he asked and looked to Eddie who held up five fingers and mimed a swipe of those fingers across his neck making Riot’s Other look at you again.
“He thought I was lying, but I sent him my social page and he was able to see I have his hair and eyes. He’s still seeking one-ness, but he wishes me the same.”
“He’s five apples short of a Fig Newton,” Eddie said lifting his own drink making you giggle.
“I think he’s on opiates, Dad’s notes say he’s had issues before, like his other brother out in Nevada who is detoxing himself with sunshine and blended cacti.”
“You can’t eat cacti,” he said and you nodded.
“Hence the lack of contact, he loses breaks of time so he’s mentally unfit to have me either way.”
“Oh I’m not asking on a matter of custody, you aren’t leaving New York or Eddie. None of us will let that happen. But, no more relatives than that?”
“I have some older cousins from the cacti uncle in Norway, they comment on my videos a lot. Their mother sort of hates me though by association to him. They work with welding in art and mechanically to make their livings so they send tips.”
“And the ice dancer? No letters?”
“She sent me a poster, but last time we talked she said I look too much like Mom. Mentioned cousins of hers that she lost touch with as kids,” five hints that the Agents were in debate on coming over to interfere with your meal and you let the comments from the guys cover a slip away to the bathroom. Those buttons on your skirt came in handy to not have to take off the dress entirely to relieve your bladder, yet halfway through washing your hands the door opened and Grant Ward slipped into the bathroom locking the door behind him.
“Alright little girl, you’re gonna tell me everything.” To the side you moved to collect one of the hand towels offered to dry your hands looking up at him once it was in hand in his move closer. “Who do you know and why no one comes after you or sends you on any missions, even reports I’ve personally filed have vanished physically and digitally. Tell me, now!”
He came to tower over you and you answered back calmly, “Must be so exhausting being a double agent who is so terrible at both sides of the aisle.” Wide open his jaw dropped and you blindly let go of the hand towel through the opening marked for their return and heard his breath hitch in the ignition of your hair and eyes luring glowing spots into his eyes as you tapped his mind. “You want to change that unimpressive record of yours, when you complete today’s tasks you are going to book a flight to Russia and show them exactly how Bucky Barnes is being held.”
 *
The order was given and silently he turned like a good soldier and didn’t speak a word. Completing his report for the evening details discovered from sleuthing and then went home to pack and book a flight. First thing he was off leaving simply a message behind for his team he caught a lead on how to find Barnes, only to be seen on surveillance footage to have been snatched up off the street. But for the furious star spangled Avenger and Fury alike every detail of his life was being torn apart to find some clue on how he found that location.
Cooper eyed the recorded message his niece was watching once again of her ex said, “Now you have your treasure map,” only turning her head to look at him. “Pluto said you don’t teach your soldiers to think like dead men,” and he pointed at the screen, “You have your tracking beacon.”
“You think they took him where Barnes is? To that Ice place her videos talked about?”
“I know she told you to go to Russia.”
Fury butt in, “Ward went to Russia and got snatched off the street.” Beginning to pace.
“Have you read any of Black Widow’s file reports?” Cooper asked back making Fury turn to look at him.
“Your point being?” Fury asked flatly.
“Common denominator between the files.”
That had Fury turn his head to the looped footage of Ward being snatched up, “Get captured and interrogated.” And he looked at Cooper again, “It’s not a where, it’s where the people who know where Barnes is.”
Steve Rogers cross armed against the wall said, “That makes no sense. She doesn’t dislike me enough to go tell me to get myself snatched off the street.”
Nat cut in, “No she told you to send me to get captured.”
“That-,” Steve tried to talk but was cut off.
Fury said pointing at the screen, “There’s a way to track him. Under his skin, his clothes, drilled into his damn jaw bone, I don’t care, the kid knew we didn’t have a weapon to break in but a way to track him.” He shook his head, “Not about finding any location but a person,” and he looked to Stark who sat up more wondering how he could help, “She told us how to find you, got to be something there.”
He nodded and said, “I’ll get with Rhodey on it,” climbing to his feet to leave the room to find his friend with others in another end of the floor to give them their task.
“I want details, his socials, phone log, messages, bills, even the receipts he uses as bookmarks. There’s a tracker on him we have to find a hint of it.” Fury said and bodies left seats to go and follow his orders, yet still Cooper remained in place behind Fury who asked him lowly, “He’s gonna be dead when we find him isn’t he?”
“He was a terrible double agent anyways,” Cooper said turning Fury around wide eyed to see the former Winter Soldier.
“Who is gonna be on the other end of this rabbit hole?”
“Most likely, more bodies and some useful clues. Just keep Rogers from going beserk he might ruin the wrong wall or piece of furniture before you can look it all over.” He turned and said, “For now, Pluto has a night shift and I’m on watch.” He paused in the doorway to say, “She gives me hope, helps me sleep at night knowing she’s out and about.” His hand patted the doorframe in leaving the confused Agent in place until he turned back to the footage to start taking notes to uncover some sort of clue once added by more and more details.
.
“We got bodies,” Clint said and with a tongue depressor and mini flashlight from a pocket he got to checking tongues on the single female found outside a ring of cryo tubes, one of which held Ward clearly shot in the head. “Not much else,” seeing the place had been emptied and splattered with blood smudges. Rage was palpable in the air even days after the fight that brought about the end of the Winter Solder trainees here, and what sadness was felt in the sight of more teen girls the brands under their tongues binding them to the bloody freed soldiers found with neck kill switches activated.
Tony inside the space said in a gesture of his hand around the room, “Jarvis says they all had hidden kill darts in their bodies, and there’s traces of gas in the air.”
Nat spoke up in her pass through the space to an emptied out file room with a fist warped and bloody door, “Hydra instigates a frenzy and when they want it to end they flip the switch. We need infrared scans, black light, everything you got on you Stark. If a clue is here it’s buried in plain sight.”
Pictures of faces were next to be taken by Clint, who when he crossed Tony’s path said, “I imagine those eyes of yours could be more helpful looking for clues, we’ll take care of the kids in a bit. They’ll understand if we look around first.”
“They’ve been abducted from their homes, the street and hospitals Tony. If they’re here it’s because no one was able to find them, clues can wait three minutes.” Pictures all were uploaded into the database for Fury to run through facial recognition systems only to fill in the rest of your missing dance class students and then some.
The ping from the device as Clint had helped to look and more agents came to load up the jet with the bodies they would take back for proper autopsies and burial had him stop and bring out his phone he turned sideways and sighed at the image the girls were from. “Oh you got to be kidding me,” promptly Rhodey’s side was found and he lowly shared with him the heart dropping news, “Look who they knew.”
“So the girls got snatched up by the same ring, she got out as they got raided by Hydra. That is fucked up.”
Rogers across the room moving a cabinet aside asked loudly, “Any faces get recognized?”
“Ya Steve, they were Pluto’s friends that got snatched from Russia when she left.” Instantly that had eyes not on him dart to his deeply exhaling self in need of a corner to go walk to, “Need a minute,” he said doing just that.
Once there however his eyes and head drifted up to see flashes of yellow light and he could only have his suit shine a light on the ceiling to find a tiny hole apparently inside a pattern of dashes and dots beginning in the corner to branch outwards. “What the hell is that?” Morse code was obvious, but what took hovering up there and breaking the hole larger a small transmitter no bigger than a lemon they would add to their nonexistent sack of clues to inhibit waves out or in to keep from being tracked themselves until they could dismantle it to learn its secrets.
 *
“Alright?” Eddie asked with a smirk as you climbed back into your seat elegantly and as effortlessly as possible, “Managed to get out and back in I see without tearing a seam.”
“You know, while a nice silhouette these are rather impractical, have to nearly take the whole damn thing off in the bathroom if you have no buttons.”
“Not an all day dress,” Riot’s Other said. “Wore one all day at a Rights March and they are wildly uncomfortable to wiggle out of but you do get a fair bit of looks.” Making you giggle to yourself. “More a two hour stunner then have a buddy wiggle you out of it type of cut.”
“I didn’t think this place had such an exclusive feel to it.” You said making him smirk and nod.
“I like it, even if they try to keep me out half the time, me and the big bird up there go way back just likes to pretend he’s playing favorites but he usually slips me in the back room when he needs the place packed with ladies. See, you can only have so many guys in a place before it changes the whole feel of the place. Too rowdy or noisy and ladies tend to make it a mellower vibe and the female staff get treated better and tips go up as the guys want to make good impressions as big shots. All works out, and the drinks help to keep it from being just another burger and steak joint. Halfway between fancy and jersey central on sports days.”
“Sounds very particular,” you giggled in another sip of your mock tail.
And he lifted a finger a moment, “Never shut up about the place back in school. Whole year could quote back and recognize the place just passing by most likely. He dreamed big and he caught it.” His smirk widened, “All thanks to the first purge, dropped on the market for cheap.” Luring a smirk across your lips that eased in the arrival of your first course.
When she left amply thanked you answered. “I suppose everything comes with its positives.”
“Ooh, we have a few more names for the next one, some of the hive moved onto greener pastures to get some heat off thanks to our big red guy.”
“And we can’t do anything?” You asked, “Won’t that bring the King Knull guy here?”
Eddie answered that, “No, latest we heard Knull is facing off against some world absorber to keep Klyntar neutral. Something about Death and that Thane guy messing with things now has his dad moving around and I can’t ever hear more out of that as they all just start screeching back on Klyntar and I can’t make it out.”
“Out of curiosity, what happens if Knull dies?”
“Someone has to claim the black throne,” Riot answered through his Other.
And Eddie added in, “Huge war, all would have to plan a planet to head to so they can fight it out, that is if the others don’t accept the absorber as their new King. But that’s where the screeching comes in,” he cut off Riot in his urgent hiss, “They wouldn’t, and the few who would are being drowned out and reminded eating the planet with the King on it doesn’t count as killing the King.”
“Plus I suppose being part of the hive would be preferable,” you said making them both nod and join you in selecting a snack from the steaming platters of food.
Food now had the main focus of the conversation while inside your hair your bees minded the growing chatter outside and in the front came in the open and close of the door allowing the noise and source of it all inside.
Identical to a fault young Johnny Storm, who was almost a mirror image of Steve Rogers entered the place. A bit more slender but no less toned, with shorter hair and longer hints of sideburns to go with the stubble around the lower half of his face to prove he wasn’t the man with the shield. And just like Rogers his blue eyes and smirk shifted your way, though in the same waitress also manning his table his try to send a new alcoholic cocktail your way had him smile boldly at her mention of your being a minor.
Even over the music and noise of his group of friends he brought with him you could hear him ask, “Purple eyes?” She barely had to answer and he gave his order he chose without much of a care to what it could be in a flash of a glance at the menu and stood to walk around her back, leaving her to take the rest of the table’s orders as he crossed the floor to your booth.
“I can’t go five days without hearing your name and finally I run into you.” He said making your puffy cheeked self mid chew hold a hand in front of your mouth widening his smile upon the fall of your eyes in him. “And if you weren’t still a kid I’d invite you to one of my parties just to show off to the rest of the team. Grimm’s an inch from begging to be on a Blackhowl team before we launch.”
Under the table your foot tapped Eddie’s as you were still chewing and he said for you, “Ya, we heard you’re doing that trip to the station Reed and that Doom guy came up with.”
His head tilted to the side and Storm replied, “Rather be riding my bike cross country testing out all the nightlife scenes I can for half a year but I suppose going up to space could only improve my brag game when I get back down,” and he said to you with a wink, “And you’ll be closer to 18.”
You pointed at him, finally able to answer him after swallowing the still scalding food your throat was now healing the sensitivity from. “Women of my line were won with deeds and honorable hearts not winks from the town whore.” That had him laugh aloud at your answer and nod in respect for that stance, “Besides I’m certain you could find more fun pieces of arm candy for such frivolous outings. I intend to be rather boring.”
“As you should be, someone’s got to keep putting Reed and Doom in their places. How the hell did you shut them up with that code you gave them?”
“Simply said in their argument of who had the broadest horizons of intellect should know what the code is.”
And his smile crept wider asking, “What is the code?”
“Firefly genetic code,” you said making him laugh again and point at you.
“Oh that is brilliant! Going in the vault,” he said miming a key locking across his lips. “Reed has been pouting about it pouring over every physics book he can find assuming it’s got to be with aviation. He is never gonna look there.”
A call from his table had him glance back and nod and then ease onto the booth beside you and hold his arm out starting a small video, “Look who I ran into! Reedykins, Doomybear, I know what the code is, and you’ll never guess it!” His brows popped up and you couldn’t help but giggle to yourself as he mentioned his shimmering silvery blue suit and angled his arm to show the guys with you saying, “Dress code’s blue tonight boys, flash some class and come down to Krinkle Plummet. You’ll never guess who’s been hiding away in the back if you don’t drop in.” He angled back to show just him and you and said, “And now I know who rode in on that stunning tankless bike outside, just maybe I might have the third of this firecracker’s exclusive custom motorcycle line. Drop in on you later guys.” He said signing off the video he added to his social pages and added a slew of tags even finding your page and Eddie’s to tag, adding one for his earlier video circle of his bike in the garage for this place he parked his own bike next to. When his eyes were on you again he said. “I really do want a bike of yours, how well do they run on fuel?”
“Solar and have a kick start momentum setting for cloudy days near empty,” Eddie said dropping his jaw, “Can run days and its great on mileage and off roading too, had it all through our summer trips through the Americas and Africa when our van wouldn’t fit on the roads.”
“How much?”
“Um,” you said and he lifted a finger.
“Okay, what body can you build one on? Saw you fixed a killer one with ape hangars for Johnny Blaze. How much he pay?”
“Any you would like I could alter it, after it’s cleaned out. He gave me 25k to go for my school books and garage costs for a boat I’m fixing.”
“Saw the boat,” he said pointing at you, “Like I said I’ve got training, so I’ll send you some pictures of the model and find the body, one in decent shape, and when I get back l’ll give you 35. I’m a bit picky on paint jobs so I’ll send some ideas for that too.”
“Okay,” you said and he shook your hand in a rise up to head to his table leaving you to begin feeling buzzes from your clutch resting against your thigh. To Eddie you looked making him chuckle at the pop of your brows up to fall back down again. “I can’t decide who I find more cocky, him or Rogers.” You said making the guys chuckle.
“I like how he asked to film us,” Riot’s Other chimed in for his Symbiote making you all chuckle again, “Such a gentleman flashing cash and smiles all around.” Eddie simply stole a quick pat on your lap knowing you were debating to have your bees keep up with the social page issue right now or to just let it pass by and keep calm for your shift you’d have to change for after this.
.
“We have more in the back,” you said approaching the same young woman who had been lingering in the book shop for weeks now on your shifts closer and closer to closing until approached for help by anyone else who would go to talk to her. She wasn’t confused and mainly you ignored her stares as a patient gesture you weren’t going to approach her first. But today having heard of the talk of calling someone in security for the strip mall about her you broke your rule.
A few years older than you the young woman shifted on her feet adjusting the grip she had on the dangling tassles from the cross chest purse strap still in a loss for words. You knew exactly who she was, in fact you knew her mother, aunts, and both twin grandmother and great aunt who had taken turns to flow into your path from Brooklyn. Jamie Barnes, named after the lost Barnes in place of a son unable to be conceived to hold the promise of continuing the name each generation since he was marked as presumed dead by the military.
From the first moment they had been told by Steve of the social page containing proof James was alive electronically and physically when possible one of them was there as if to not miss a single hidden clue if any sort as to where he could be found. And just maybe to bring his only known student into the fold if they just had the nerve to speak to you.
Out of your back pocket, having fetched it from your bag, a Manila envelope the size of 4x6 photographs was brought out to hand over. “Here. I would have posted them, but wasn’t sure if I should, nipple ban online and all,” you joked, and turned to get back to your cart of books to put back in place after people changed their mind in lines or after reading them in the offered sitting section. “And you’re gonna have to buy something,” you said making her stop with hold of the photographs still inside the envelope she’d opened hastily, “They’re talking about posting your picture up for security.”
She nodded and then brought out the pictures, blindly collecting a book on what would be found to be emus to lay under the envelope and captured images of her shirtless one armed great uncle at your side in a shallow wading pool helping to strap gauges on your wetsuit coated legs and arm for the upcoming diving lesson.
Over her mouth her hand moved to cover her trembling lips at the rough meeting point of flesh and metal around his shoulder joint.
In the next image of him with a rod of some sort lodged in his other arm and hold of your ankle by his metal arm, miming you were a caught swordfish, like the one strung up behind you with the other half of the clear harpoon he was shot with. Bringing up more questions on the injury an also bleeding and bandaged Cooper was seen to be binding off above it to contain the trickle of blood spilling out. A confusing but also partly adorable picture of your tiny self they were sure to be keeping calm by adding humor to the event. All to hide the reason of being atop a ship you had overtaken and snuffed out the whole unseen upper crust fishing trip by country officials within neutral waters then to be faked as a boating malfunction the coast guard would find wreckage of months later after extensive searches by their families.
Five images from outside in waterfront locations, to one where he was seen pulling the chord on a chainsaw as you held a broken shovel against your shoulder and a bag in your other hand. Without hint of what you were up to in that tree filled clearing where you ambushed a group of officials on a hunting trip and were now readying a landslide worthy explosion to conceal their real cause of death.
Followed by one where you were clearly seen with screwdriver in hand installing his new metal arm’s neural pathways as he looked on rather calmly atop a kitchen chair sipping on an iced drink. Only adding more questions but also proof he was alive and more than bonded to this strange teenager they never knew about for a good span of your childhood and for Steve more reason to find his now known to be one armed best friend before any more injuries could be gained in time apart.
She didn’t say goodbye, merely bought the book and tipped it like a cheers one would with a drink on her way out having noticed you looked her way and she was off to wake and spread the news amongst her family who would then call Cap to fill him in.
 *.*.*
 “So, how’s school?” May Parker asked her nephew with a spreading grin.
“Alright,” he answered pretending to be distracted by picking at his food.
“You should come do laundry with me this week,” she said making him look up knowing who she meant for him to run into.
“May,”
“Oh come on, you could ask Pluto over for a study date.”
“Uncle Ben make her stop!” He pled to the man who chuckled adding another plate of food to the table off the skillet he’d just left to cool.
“Now you know I can’t do that.” Sitting down across from the teen stealing a kiss in her cheek as he did. “My May loves to stir the pot.”
“I can’t ask Pluto on a date!” Peter fired back.
“Group then, sheesh you know what I meant. Have Ned too and some more of the kids from your team.”
“Not my team,” he muttered and shoved a forkful of food between his lips to chew in a pouting sort of way that had the couple glance at one another.
“You’re friends come on, she could help you out with school and making a solid footing for yourself. I mean you said you joined the robotics club too and you were on the fence about that.”
“You have lunch together,” Ben chimed in off what he’d been told making Peter hastily chew then swallow.
“She eats with the marching band, they’re pretty nice.”
“See! Made friends already,” she said smiling wider only making him huff.
“Don’t be nervous, she seems to like you.”
“We’re not gonna date!” Peter fired back.
“I never said anything about dating,” Ben replied and held back his smirk as May did the same. “You could be great friends, just study group, think about it.”
“Fine, study group, but I’m not going to laundry, that would be creepy, meeting her at school and asking her while we wash things.”
“Just hide the fun boxers,” Ben joked making him stare pointedly at his now chuckling uncle due to the look he got. “Fine, ask at school, neutral ground sans undies.”
Pt 32
@devilishminx328​. @theincaprincess​, @lilith15000​, @jesevans​, @jiminapickle
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thehueofdalan · 1 year
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Now for an obligatory Parable art piece!
Drew Narry in between all of the OCtober mayhem going on this month; figured why not draw him in a snazzy (and Parable-themed) Tyler-esque outfit?
The outfit references several endings in TSP (so I’m putting this under the spoiler tag just in case). The red/blue doors for the jacket (with Zending and Playtest/Art on the inside), and Confusion for his pants. Jewelry doesn’t really have an ending equivalent, moreso there to give the rockstar vibe. Shirt is also different (paisley pattern hey!), as it’s a button-up rather than a vest/sweater. And yes, it has the same color-changing properties of the other shirts.
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greysorg · 1 year
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Suit up simple desktops
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Pair this with a white dress shirt, bow tie, a cummerbund, and nice black leather shoes. Men: Wear a white dinner jacket, in a worsted wool, gabardine, linen, or cotton fabric material. Women: Wear a long gown with white gloves and minimal jewelry. When to wear it: galas, silent auctions, weddings, and formal dinners that have a fun atmosphere. Mix fabrics such as a silk blazer and a dress shirt to create a formal, yet interesting, look. Men: Incorporate trendy prints in with your tie and a dressy shirt. Show off your personality with every detail. Accessorize with the latest trends, such as feathers, sequins, sheer fabrics, and capes. Women: Dress up in a long gown, cocktail dress, or snazzy separates. When to wear it: charity fundraisers, political dinner parties, weddings. Pair with a white shirt and a tie, or a bow tie with or without a vest and a cummerbund. Men: Wear a dark suit or a tuxedo without tails. A very dressy cocktail dress may be acceptable depending on the venue of the event. Women: Gussy up in a floor-length ball gown. When to wear it: charity fundraisers, government ceremonies, weddings, the opera. Men: Wear a short or waist length black tailcoat (tails should reach the back of your knees,) white bow tie, starched white shirt, and a cummerbund (optional). Accessorize with opera length gloves, glamorous jewels, and up-do hairstyles. Women: A floor-length ball gown is a must. When to wear it: daytime engagement parties, business breakfasts, afternoon tea. Opting for a vest instead of a tie adds to the informality of the look. Men: Opt for a dark suit, paired with a French-cuffed, crisp white shirt. Incorporate a jacket or shawl to cover the arms. It should fall to, or slightly above, the knee, and not be too sparkly or low-cut. Women: Wear a dress that would be appropriate for brunch or afternoon tea. When to wear it: adult birthday parties, evening social events. Opting for dark jeans paired with a jacket and tie is also acceptable at some cocktail events, depending on how casual the atmosphere is. The classic little black dress makes for great cocktail attire, and is the easiest to show your personality by accessorizing to suit your mood. Women: Wear a shorter dress with some frill. When to wear it: company party, daily work attire, business lunch meetings. If you so desire, layer with a v-neck sweater, a blazer, or a sport coat. Men: Wear a button-down or a polo shirt, paired with khakis, or dress pants. A casual dress and flats are options as well. Women: Put on a skirt, khakis, or dress pants paired with long sleeve or three-quarter sleeve tops. When to wear it: cruise lines, the country club, friend’s home for dinner, nice restaurant. Accessorize with leather shoes and a belt. Men: Wear an open-necked or polo shirt, paired with khakis. You can also opt for dresses and skirts with minimal accessories. Women: Choose an open-necked or polo shirt. When to wear it: church, dinner, or an invite received via phone or e-mail. Avoid showing up with wrinkles or clothes one size too big, too small, or in a non-coordinating color. Men: Wear trousers and a dress shirt with a leather loafer, oxfords, or a slip-on shoe. Pair with a patent leather flat, or one with nice embellishments such as a bow, buckle, or a print. Instead, opt for silk pants, dress pants, or a skirt. Women: Avoid wearing denim, tennis shoes, and cotton tees. When to wear it: office parties, happy hours, business luncheons. Men: Opt for dressy trousers, paired with a collared shirt and loafers. Women: Wear a pencil skirt or dress pants, paired with a silk or button-down top and high heels. Hunt and Tannya Bernadette, a wardrobe stylist and 2009 Fashion Marketing graduate from The Art Institute of Seattle, decode what to wear for the following dress codes. If you are not comfortable placing a phone call, you can send an email. “If not, there is usually a contact person listed on the invite, including a contact number. “ Depending on how well you know the person who sent the invitation, you can place a call to them directly,” Hunt says. Laura Hunt, an image, fashion, and beauty consultant at Freeway Fashion, says you should always ask what to wear if you’re invited to an event with an unfamiliar dress code. With so many different dress codes out there, it can be difficult to know what to wear, even when the type of dress requested is stated on the invitation.
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elvis-has-been-dug · 2 years
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forget showing up on the first day anywhere in a nice outfit to make an Impression
wear the most gremliny outfit you can get away with
*then* on the next day dress as dapper as can be, really go all out. create as much whiplash as you can. revel in the confusion of people trying to pin your vibes down
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bucketofcursedbooks · 2 years
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K so I've been thinking about wtnv and whenever I see fanart of Cecil they always draw him with a generic guy hair cut and some snazzy clothes but like... If we're being real here Cecil has the absolute worst taste in fashion. Your telling me he wears a white button up with a sweater vest and a bow tie? NO! THIS is how he dresses
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Like, obviously you can draw him how ever you want. I understand wanting to pretend this doesn't exist for fanart sake because the way Cecil dresses is probably a crime I just thought it was kinda funny
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Going job hunting today, like physically going into hotels with resumés in hand because this town is run by old people who don't know how to put a job listing online.
I don't do 'professional' or 'business casual' but I did tone it down a smidge for practicality's sake;
The fit: half-length sleeved button up shirt, plain red jeans, black vest, snazzy red belt
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I do not own practical shoes, so chunky heels it is. They also have alexigender and non-binary flags on the laces in beads.
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Pronouns and pride pin, I will not work for someone who does not respect my identity. Also I'm wearing my mask even though they aren't mandatory anymore because A) it looks dope and B) cases are still going up and my mum's a smoker, dad's over fifty with a dicky heart and they've both had covid before. We're all fully vaxxed but better safe than sorry.
Jewellery is simple and unobtrusive, stud earrings, mostly flat rings, one necklace that sits just inside my shirt and plain eyebrow bar. I'm still wearing my jangly bracelets for fidgety reasons though.
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franklyshipping · 3 years
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The Consequences of Energy ~ A Jacksepticeye Ego Fanfic
Here we have a snazzy anonymous prompt that features two of our favourite septic lads engaged in a battle of the ages! LET’S DO THIS!
Jackie rolled his eyes. He knew this was going to end in tears, but when Chase Brody was happy and excited, nothing in the world could stop or dissuade him by even an inch. Every single day for about three weeks, Chase had been incessantly challenging Jackie to wrestling matches, and every single day….Chase lost those wrestling matches. This is because Jackie was a legitimate superhero with enhanced strength and an intense, consistent training regime….and Chase….well….wasn’t. Chase ended up drained of all his energy every single time, and yet this still didn’t dissuade him from his challenges! So, as Jackie looked at Chase’s half-excited, half-arrogant expression….he decided that during this match, he would have to do something to show Chase that he was well and truly beat.
Chase was excitedly squaring up to Jackie in the training room, wearing a vest and a pair of sweatpants whilst Jackie donned his hero suit, except without the mask. Jackie raised an eyebrow at Chase as he watched the man stretch, and asked with a slightly amused smile.
‘Are you sure you wanna do this again? We must be into the double figures by now with our sparring sessions.’
Chase rolled his eyes, because arguably Jackie was going into the double figures with how many times he’d asked that question. Of course Chase was sure! With every session of wrestling and careful fighting he was getting stronger and stronger, he could just feel it! He grinned cheekily at Jackie as he replied.
‘You’re just scared because you know I’m getting stronger by the day! Don’t worry, I’m not gonna take your job just yet or anything.’
Jackie pursed his lips at Chase’s cheekiness, and planted his feet on the mat as he smiled at him coolly. He couldn’t wait to just put him in his place.
‘I’m not scared of that happening Chase, I just don’t wanna see you cry when I kick your ass into next week.’
‘Oho yeah? Come here and get it then!’
Thus, they began. Admittedly it was a slow beginning, because the two of them circled one another on the mat for a good few minutes, and even when they started, the two of them only gave out a few faux grapples to the other. On Chase’s side this was because he was cautious, and secretly a tad nervous, but on Jackie’s side it was very much strategic. Jackie was trying to lull Chase into thinking he wasn’t fully invested in the fight and that he didn’t plan on giving it his all, so that eventually his defences would falter….and Jackie would strike him down. Of course, with Jackie being a well-seasoned superhero with much experience fighting a plethora of individuals, it didn’t take long for his stratagem to prevail….and Chase’s arms began to lower as he threw out a slightly impatient taunt.
‘Man, you really are a softie at heart aren’t you? Ihi mean you aren’t even going for me, it’s like you’re asking to be taken down!’
Jackie snickered at that, and straightened up, his posture ramrod as he fixed Chase with a cool stare. Chase had to admit that he got a little chill down his spine, getting a feeling that Jackie was preparing for something….and soon enough, that feeing was confirmed when Jackie replied to him with a sneer.
‘That’s funny, I was just going to say the same about you.’
Then, with the speed of someone almost inhuman, Jackie launched himself at Chase. The poor dad had never really stood a chance. In seconds Jackie just had him on the floor, pinning him on his back on the mat, planting his knees either side of his hips as he held Chase’s wrists down above his head. Jackie chuckled in fond amusement, because as ever it was just so adorably easy. Chase grunted and struggled amidst all of this of course, but to no avail. Once again, he was beaten before anything had truly begun. Still though, as he looked up at Jackie, his determination outweighed his embarrassment.
‘Another round! This was barely fair, you didn’t even give me a chance to defend!’
‘Chase I circled you for ten minutes and gave you ample opportunities to attack me whilst giving you faux attacks to practise defending yourself against! You have to admit that this isn’t for you Chase, there’s no shame in being a lover more than a fighter.’
Chase grunted and carried on struggling, yes okay maybe he valued caring for other people, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t toughen up as well! He wasn’t going to give up on what he wanted, even if he had to annoy Jackie to the ends of the Earth to have this continue! He grinned up at Jackie stubbornly, and stuck his tongue out before replying defiantly.
‘Well I’m not gonna stop tryna train with you, you can’t stop me, you know how determined I can be!’
Jackie rolled his eyes fondly, because yes, admittedly one of Chase’s most prominent qualities was how determined his spirit was. However, this determination had riled Jackie to no end for weeks….and he’d had enough. So he was going to have to break Chase in the most loving way possible. He leant down so he was nose to nose with his stubborn best friend, and replied in a low tone with gleaming eyes.
‘Sure, you’re determined….but let’s see how long that determination lasts when someone actually works to break you.’
Chase scoffed. If Jackie thought he wouldn’t be able to handle being pinned down and playfully manhandled then he was SO wrong! He maintained his determined smile when Jackie used one hand to pin his wrists down above his head. But then, Jackie started wiggling the fingers of his free hand in the air above one of Chase’s bared armpits, and Chase’s eyes widened. No…..Jackie wouldn’t do that….would he?
‘….n-no….’
Jackie chuckled as he watched the apples of Chase’s cheeks go pink, and he replied with a sneer.
‘Oh yes.’
Jackie let his fingers descend and scratch ruthlessly in Chase’s underarm, making him squeal and burst out into frantic cackles. He started tugging at his wrists, but with Jackie being a superhero it basically meant that there was no way Chase was going to be able to get free.
‘NOHOHO NOHO JAHAHACKIE!’
‘Awww what’s wrong? Is someone feeling a little less determined?’
Jackie teased with a grin, scratching deep and fast as he relished in seeing Chase laugh. Jackie loved tickling Chase in general, he was so adorable when all he could do was laugh and laugh, but it was especially satisfying to tickle him with a vengeance. Needless to say, Chase was starting to regret having been so cocky.
‘STAHAHAPPIHIT YOHOHOU AHAHASS!’
Chase struggled harder, which only made Jackie laugh fondly as he scratched his other exposed armpit now, raising an eyebrow down at Chase as he replied.
‘I’d be a bit nicer if I were you, you know I know just what to do to make you scream.’
Chase let out a flustered whine, squeezing his eyes shut as he shook his head, trying to block out Jackie’s voice. Because it was true. Jackie knew Chase better than almost anyone, and Chase shuddered to think of how badly Jackie could torture him if he wanted to. He cried out cutely and imploringly.
‘NOHOHO NOHOHOHO PLEHEHEASE DOHON’T!’
Jackie chuckled, and hummed musingly as he let his tickling hand lazily trail down Jackie’s torso. Chase gulped and shivered, whining nervously as he tittered at the teasiness whilst Jackie muttered.
‘Ohhhh it would be sooo easy for me to wreck you…..and given how much you’ve been riling me and bugging me recently, you definitely deserve it….’
Jackie’s fingertips landed at Chase’s waist where they swept back and forth, teasing and tracing the sensitive skin to make Chase squeak and twitch oh so cutely. Chase was red-faced and giggling warmly, restless beyond belief as his cheeks started to ache from how widely and giddily he was smiling.
‘N-Nohoho p-plehehease! Ihihit tihickles s-so muhuch Ihihi cahan’t!’
‘Awwww, poor ticklish baby….’
Jackie crooned, making Chase let out a high pitched, indignant squeak as he retorted adorably.
‘I-Ihihi’m nahat a b-bahaby!’
Jackie laughed brightly, and kept on cooing down at Chase as he softly tickled along his waistline.
‘Who’s a tickly wittle baby booooo, hmm? Who’s got the itty bitty goo-goo giiiiggles?’
Literally Chase wanted nothing more than to curl up and hide for eternity. His blush was creeping down his neck as the butterflies in his tummy rampaged at the baby-talk, this was so unfair, baby-talk was the most evil teasy thing ever!
‘D-D-Dohohohooon’t oho my gohod Ihi’m gohonna dihihiiie!’
Jackie snorted and shook his head fondly down at Chase.
‘Hey Marvin and Anti are the drama queens in our household, we don’t need a third!’
Chase giggled at that, and then couldn’t help but reply with a cheeky grin, his tongue poking out through his teeth.
‘Ihif thehey’re drahama queens thehen you’re the drahama empress!’
Jackie gaped, and pointed at Chase as he narrowed his eyes threateningly.
‘Oh you’d better take that back right now!’
Chase giggled, grinning even more as he replied in a faux innocent way, because by this point he had just accepted his tickly fate.
‘Or what….your majesty?’
Jackie growled under his breath, and to think he was about to be nice! This punk was SO getting it now! Jackie’s eyes flicked down to Chase’s torso, and erode in on one particular little…button.
‘Oh you’re about to find out.’
Jackie wasted no more time. He leant down and attacked Chase’s navel with a torrent of the strongest, most rippling, noisy raspberries that you have ever had the damn privilege to witness. And oh how Chase screamed.
‘AAAAHHHH NAHAHAHA WAHAHAHAAA!!!’
Chase’s eyes bugged out of his sockets as shockwaves of ticklishness shot through his navel and went through his whole body, making him shriek and scream with sweet laughter as he bucked madly. Now he realised what Jackie had meant at the start about breaking him. Jackie smirked into Chase’s taut stomach, eagerly blowing another raspberry before he growled.
‘You ready to take that back yet, huh? Or does the wittle tickle baby need some more of his five a day?’
Chase shook his head frantically as he let out another shriek, laughing brightly as he replied very frantically.
‘AAAHHHAHAH IHIHI TAHAHAKE IHIT BAHAAAACK! JAHAHACKIEEE!!!’
‘And are you sorry for having been a tenacious little brat recently?’
Chase nodded frantically, getting tears in his eyes as Jackie playfully nibbled the rim of his bellybutton, making him snort through his laughter. Jackie only wished he had a camera so he could capture how utterly adorable Chase looked, all laughed to happy tears.
‘YEHEHEEESYESYESYESYEHES!!!’
Jackie laughed warmly, and after giving Chase’s navel a light nuzzle with his nose he finally relented, leaning up and releasing Chase’s hands. Chase curled up into a ball the second that Jackie shifted off him, and the hero fondly stroked his fingers through the childish father’s hair.
‘You good buddy?’
Chase initially just whined into his forearms, which made Jackie snicker, before he scooped the hero up into his lap so he could cuddle him.
‘You are one determined little rascal aren’t you?’
‘Thahank you….’
Chase giggled into Jackie’s chest, humming as the hero kept stroking his hair. Jackie gently sighed, and looked at Chase fondly as he spoke in a soft, tender voice.
‘Y’know, sometimes knowing how to physically fight someone doesn’t actually matter. Sometimes, just have a determined attitude like that is more than enough….you feel me?’
Chase looked up at Jackie, and deep down….yeah, he definitely understood that now. Of course, on the outside he was still a complete goofball, so he rubbed his palms against Jackie’s cheeks as he replied with a giggle.
‘Yeah man I feeeeel yohou-‘
‘Alright that’s it, I’m using you as my bench pressing weight for the rest of the day!’
Chase squealed and laughed as Jackie slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, before indeed bench pressing using Chase as his weight for pretty much the rest of the day. It shouldn’t have taken the whole day really, but for some reason Chase was awfully giggly every time Jackie grasped him and lifted him into the air above him. That’s the thing about happiness, it persists in you for oh so long.
WOOOOOO HOPE YOU ALL LIKED THIS FIC LEMME KNOW IF YA DID WOOOO LUV YOUS XX
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shimshenanigans · 3 years
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Just ONCE I wanna try on a snazzy vest and a binder, button up shirt, and some snappy driving gloves. Like, I wanna see what it’s like when your tits just fucken disappear like I wouldn’t want that all the time, but every once in a while? Put them on the shelf for a day as a treat? Cut my hair short enough to style with putty just a bit but long enough to still be fluffy and run my fingers through it?
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P5/P4AU role-swap AU (Velvet wardens)
Spoilers for Persona 5 & Persona 4: Arena Ultimax!
Role-swap: Sho and Minazuki replace Caroline and Justine (respectively) as Akiren's Velvet attendants.
  Instead of fusing into Lavenza, they become like 'true ending' Sho. (Also change attire to not wear Lavenza's dress and headband probably? Nothing against guys wearing that stuff, but it could just be fun to design him a Velvet suit or other set of clothing. Button-ups and vests are snazzy as heck. xP Alternatively, they could wear a polo shirt or something I guess? I’m a bit fashion illiterate, so I would have to look into different kinds of semi-formal and formal fashion and decide from there.)
  They would still be kids around Caroline/Justine's age as separate components; not sure if they would age-up to a teenager when rejoined or not?
 Minazuki would still be protective of Sho to some degree. If Akiren or anyone tries to threaten him, he steps-in and gets scary..ier. If 'Igor' does as well though, while he'll stay in line as a 'warden', he'll definitely be displeased about it.
  Also in their fight, if you target Sho too much/Sho drops lower in health than Mina, Mina gets a power-up, extra round, or taunt maybe? //doesn't remember the Caroline&Justine fight mechanics so would have to revisit this.
 They would probably be VR-scheme of colors? But kinda tempted to give them each a red streak in their hair, or only after they rejoin into a singular being maybe? (It is a story about rebels after all; what's more rebellious than bringing red into the VR's uniform color scheme? xD)
  Probably have one half of the X-shaped scar each? Might run in the same direction as their eyepatched-eyes? Could go opposite too though I guess, creating a kind of pseudo X-shape illusion.
  Probably a bright-blue Plume-esk ornament somewhere on their post-rejoined outfit though; could be potentially on the pre- ones and then become a 'papillon' accessory, as a reference to both blue butterflies and Plumes of Dusk? (even though neither is a Plume-entity in this, it still matches the color scheme, butterfly theme, and supernaturalness.)
  Sho would definitely get all excited/be enthusiastic about stuff like intimidation, executions, maybe torture?, and etc.
On the other side of the coin... Caroline and Justine in Sho’s vacated P4AU/P4U2 role. I haven’t put much thought into that yet, but it sounds like there could be a lot of interesting or amusing things to work with there.
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