frantumagliia

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it doesn't matter how much time has passed, or even how many wrinkles have settled on their foreheads. when the trinket sisters are together, they return to their childhood selves— blonde little things, blissfully indifferent to the outside world, unconcerned about how they sound or how they look. they look their best, of course, and probably sound their worst, but none of that matters. in those moments, the years vanish, and pina feels ready to throw her adult self aside, guide her sister to her room and show her the new beautiful piece she just got from her husband, some kind of glittery head shawl that covers her entire head like veiled stardust, with long strands of pearls dropping down to her collarbone. she had been planning to wear it to the girls' graduation ceremony at the end of the year, and maybe find something similar so aelia and aíne could wear one of their own. they had been so entranced by the beads...

but then she looks at effie, really looks at effie, and she sees it. the natural aging, the years of worrying about her job, the time she passed hiding somewhere inhospitable, going without any of the luxuries she had gotten used to. then she remembers: peacemakers coming to proserpina's house, asking about her sister, talking about her children. líber playing with his toys in the corner of the room, trying to get their attention, unaware that his dear aunt had been missing, proclaimed a traitor to the capitol people. the girls at school, her husband at work, pina sitting on her couch, sketching the bones of her next architectural project.

she played her part well, told them she knew nothing and that she doubted effie would go to that damned place, and repeated it when they asked her to, but her mind was elsewhere. getting the girls ready for school, teaching líber how to read, playing cards with her friends, pina wondered— where was effie?

there she is. not a traitor, just her sister.

⠀⠀proserpina: it didn't, in our case. ( she offers some kind of comfort, her eyes tenderly tracing effie's features. ) you still look like a bright and blushing young girl. meanwhile, look at me! these little things here ( she points to her forehead ), the kids gave me most of them. aelia and aíne trading their names all the time certainly gave me at least half of them. but you look beautiful, dear. a traitor can't be that fabulous.

there  is  something  about  you  trinkets,   more  often  than  not  she  got  in  her  years   —  something  about  trinkets  that  doesnt  feel  readable  to  the  rest  of  us.  she  used  to  think  it  was  the  heirloom  of  wartimes  past;   women  of  her  very  heritage  had  much  worse  reputations  and  for  much  worse  reasons,  &   for  that  effie  had  to  come  up  with  something  unique  enough  so  that  the  particularities  she  was  judged  for  were  her  own  alone.   in  a  way,  as  little  pina's  ambitions  revealed  to  mirror  her  own,   that  thirst  for  outgrowing  their  bloodline  came,  too,   from  the  need  to  make  sure  proserpina's  name,  when  her  time  came,  would  only  have  her  older  sister's  brilliant  deeds  to  be  compared  to  —   &  nothing  else.

"  oh,  really.  what  are  you  up  to,  proserpina  trinket?  "  features  reign  serious,  suspicious  for  only  a  moment  —   soon  enough  her  purse  is  unceremoniously  tossed  at  her  sister's  bed,  &   her  figure  easily  slips  into  that  welcoming  embrace.  "   what  are  you  planning  to  do  to  your  face?  hopefully  not  something  that  will  make  you  too  unrecognizable  —  what  would  you  do  with  your  time,  other  than  being  recognized  as  the  sister  of  a  traitor?  "

her  tinted  lips  smack  together  with  a  girly  sound,   childish,   the  same  reserved  for  pina  every  morning  at  breakfast  when  they  were  young.  she's  specially  careful  not  to  smear  any  makeup  on  the  other's  features  as  their  cheeks  brush  one  another.  yet  another  delightful  part  of  being  them  trinkets  —  there  came  a  point  when  effie's  achievements,  too,  became  somewhat  of  a  foul  reputation.  prosie  was  the  girl  everyone  was  delighted  to  meet  —  but  in  the  end,  she  had  no  choice  but  to  be  pina:  the  girl  that  couldn't  escape  her  family's  wrongdoings,  her  ancestor's  name,  and  her  older  sister's  features.

effie  sighs  as  she  plops  down  on  the  nearby  armchair.  pout  growing  over  lips,  she  examines  the  other's  face,  &   fingers  move  to  hold  that  perfect  little  chin  as  she  scans  the  long  lashes,  the  lovely  cupid's  bow,  the  dramatic  cheekbones.  "  i  do  mean  it,  you  know.  "  a  sigh.  "  whatever  you  need  to  get  done  must  mean  i  need  to  get  done  a  thousand  times  quicker.  it  always  gets  to  the  oldest  first.  "

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Virna Lisi in Love Me Strangely (1971) Directed by Sergio Gobbi

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never in her life had proserpina been able to hide secrets from her older sister; from i was the one who ate the cookies to you won’t believe what aunt messalina used to be up to, pressure would dawn on her and she would open her mouth like two invisible hands were forcing her to. all the resistance she held on to evaporated when she and effie were alone in the same room, as she gripped her sister’s hands and whispered in exasperation what bothered her.

of course, there came a time in life when they separated. that’s what happens when you get old, when life pulls people in opposite directions. secrets were not secrets anymore, just things they hadn’t told each other yet. an ashamed i lied as they talked about their mother, a proud i slept with her as they had brunch, sipping their colorful drinks. there was no need for confessions anymore, no reason to justify herself, but still, pina pulled the string between them, reaffirmed the place effie had in her life. she had been a discreet, secretive person from childhood; found no good reason to open herself to most people. but of course, that meant nothing when it came to her sister. that was her way of saying you know me. you always will.

it’s been a week since she found out she is pregnant. something has been growing inside for almost two months, they told her. a little blonde creature, just like she had been, or maybe a brown-haired child, like her husband. maybe something completely new. she hasn’t told him yet, unsure how to feel about it, wondering what she has to become to be someone’s mother. all her life, she has been someone’s baby. baby daughter. baby sister. her husband’s dear wife. the thought of herself having a baby, carrying this baby, raising this baby, sits in her chest, heavy and unsettling. she doesn’t hate it, but she’s not crazy about it either. too complex to rationalize.

⠀⠀proserpina: i’m pregnant. ( she finds herself saying the words to @intopearls, carefully pulling the threads of the fancy cloth that covers the table. her voice is low, almost swallowed by the clinking of glasses and laughter from the tables around them. she has never been able to hide secrets from effie. ) you are the first one i’m telling this.

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and of course

@intopearls two effies reunite…

proserpina trinket aesthetics

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proserpina trinket aesthetics

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TRINKETS!!!!!

proserpina trinket worldwide sensation diva of the world !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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why  come  back,   if  the  war  made  sure  her  days  in the capitol  are  well behind her?   a:  because  she  has  a  sister.  there is no other place in this world she could go.

    ￫ effie & prosie pina trinket, aka trinkets! — lovingly keeping @frantumagliia inside my locket ❣️

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pina lets the tweezers drop to her lap with a sigh of frustration. it's undeniable now: reached that inevitable phase of life where women don’t get older, they just get old. plump fruit has turned into wrinkled skin, soon to be uneatable, indigestible. a visit to one of her good friends from the valley days could probably fix it, turn back the clock and smooth out the years, make her look like the older sister of her own adorable children, but she finds the idea absolutely dull; too dull, even for a trinket. a war has just happened, and she's worried about a few lines! what would effie say…

and of course, effie must be around when proserpina feels at her most vulnerable, ready to caress her and bring her own struggles. it wouldn’t have worked so well if they had planned it to happen, but nowadays she can barely find her sister anywhere, jumping from the capitol to the districts so fast pina couldn’t track her. effie was a traitor, people said, but to pina she would always be her big sister, and she could never forget that, if effie was involved in this, it was only because one day she needed her help and she came to her rescue. back then there was no thing as rebellions and traitors on her mind, just how hard she had to work to impress people and show that she was a trinket, never to be underestimated. now she adjusts her robe, eager to be her best in front of her sister.

⠀⠀proserpina: this is funny, i was just thinking about you. ( there’s no need to be enchanting with her sister, no need to pretend. maybe she should be, take the weight off both their shoulders, but she doubts effie wants that version of her right now. she welcomes her like they never spent a day apart, opening her arms. ) come here, before you stop recognizing me!

  💌   closed starter ; p. trinket

  @frantumagliia  —  epilogue.

"  sister?  "  effie  calls  out  slowly,  a  parody  of  a  shadow  of  what  her  voice  used  to  sound  like.  it  was  an  easier  possibility  to  stomach:  if  she  heard  nothing  back,  her  low  tone  was  to  blame,  &  never  dear  pina's  absence.  no  one  in  this  country,  from  the  most  popular  to  the  most  powerful,  could  guarantee  her  sister's  whereabouts.  there  was  no  one  in  this  city  she  could  go  to  —  not  a  single  owner  of  that  knowledge,  or  perhaps  simply  no  one  willing  to  answer  to  one  of  her  pleas.  effie's  days  in  the  capitol  are  over,  she's  heard  it  from  a  most  trusted  source  — &  dutifully agreed.  it  would  probably  be  for  the  best  if  her  sister,  too,  avoided  her  from  now  on  —  but  for  just  how  much  she  misses  proserpina,  effie  is  willing  to  hear  the  hardest  words  as long as she gets to hear them in her voice.

     she  swallows;  moves  slowly,  &  fears  so  much  right  now,  quietly  &  wide-eyed,  specially  back  in  this  unwelcoming  city.  months  spent  earning  for  a home  &  now  none  of  it  seems  like  the  place  she  used  to  know  by  heart;  effie too  supposes  she  barely  resembles  herself,  even  up  close.  then  why  come  back,  if  the  war  made  sure  her  days  here  are  well behind her?   a:  because  she  has  a  sister.  there is no other place in this world she could go.

"  pina,  "  voice  tries  again,  louder,  bolder,  crossing  the  threshold  of  what  used  to  be  their  great-aunt's  living  room  &  shutting  the  door  behind  her.  in  the  mirror  three  feet  to  her  left,  a  blonde  memory  of  herself  stares  back  to  carefully  fix  a  couple  hairstrands  in  place,  adjust  the  mauve  satin  over  those   slightly  thinner  shoulders,   for  her  pina  couldn't  see  her  looking  anything  but  her  best.   not even after everything. not even after war. she  calls  into  the  room,  "  pina,  are  you  there?  i'm  home.  "

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Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac in Les Demoiselles de Rochefort (1967)

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amanda’s doll box to play exclusively with her friend isa. featuring all sorts of complicated woman, mostly inspired by world cinema and literature.

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it’s like looking into a blonder, pinker, more extravagant mirror: effie trinket in all her glory, standing right before romy and moving around the office like she has never left. what would she do without her beautiful, extremely talented friend, romy would never know, and it’s good that reasons to keep her around keep coming, stacking up like the glossy magazine covers effie kept at her desk, making sure she’d never get bored with romy’s antics. the thing is, now romy has gone a bit too far.

⠀⠀romy: and here i thought you’d be happy to have a break from corporate campaigns. ( she takes her heels off, lazily spreading on the couch of her office. it’s going to be a long talk but, if she wants to be honest with herself, she’s quite excited to talk about it with effie. it also gives her a perfectly good excuse to skip the meeting she should be attending right now, letting esme take the responsibility. good girl, she almost mused. ) he was an intern, dear. i have no idea where he came from, but he fucked off to work in japan, from what i know.

his name is samuel, she almost adds, the knowledge that people say he’s been doing pretty good in japan burning on the tip of her tongue. did he find someone to do what they used to do together there? no, she can’t think about him. she has never felt better, but there’s no need to try and take it too far. she’s a wife, a mother, a ceo, someone who is the very image of stability and trust, the kind of woman who does breathing exercises and picks up her daughters earlier so they can do something nice. samuel’s romy is a scandal that will be buried with effie’s much needed help.

⠀⠀romy: you’d be shocked by him, truly. you should've seen the way he walked into the office!

i didn't tell you because i, crazy me, thought it might upset you. / romy

   💌   desperate housewives sentence prompts  —  i.

"  many  things  upset  me  in  this  place,  romy.   odds  are,  i'll  be  upset  with  or  without  your  help  at  the  end  of  the  day.  "   effie  reminds  her  friend,  alarmingly  calm  tone  most  certainly  betrayed  by  the  fingertips  that  tirelessly  nurse  both  temples.  of  course,  romy  was  quite  resolute  on  providing  reasons  for  her  to  worry   —  although  completely  competent  &  a  true  pioneer  in  her  field,  her  darling  friend  &  employee  would  probably  rather  spend  consecutive  weeks  closing  deals  in  her  office  than  one  afternoon  in  front  of  a  friendly  camera.  so,  her  job  is  tiring.  effie  could  use  a  vacation,  romy  said  so  herself.  there  was  surely  no  way  on  earth  this  office  would  collapse  in  her  absence.

  a  sigh.  so  she  thought. "  i'll tell you this: yes. it's bad. but i'll take care of it. "  effie's  explained  countless  times:  her  presence  is  paid  insurance  in  designer  clothes   —  the  kind  of  service  you  pay  for  repeatedly,  in  hopes  of  never  seeing  it  in  action.  but  moments  like  this  do  exist.  everyday  meetings  are  pr  disasters  in  the  making.  "   where  exactly  did  this  ...  individual  come  from,  again?  details,  romy.  &  for  once  in  my  life,  not  the  sordid  ones.  "   a  beat.  eyes  narrow  &  head  tilts,  just  in  time  to  consider,  "  actually,  definitely  the   sordid  ones  too,  later.  " @whenthepwn

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EMILY ALYN LIND as Audrey Hope “Parentsite” — Gossip Girl (2021) S1E6

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The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967)

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Elizabeth Debicki photographed by Steven Meisel for Vogue US May 2024