#* A WOLF IS A WOLF; EVEN DRESSED IN SILK 「AESTHETICS」

[sapphiredhearts-a]

tag drop : vampire academy

[quill-pen]

So, we talk about fashion a lot for the girls and the Scroogeverse. So I’m curious if you have any hcs for pajamas/lingerie.

Do you see any of your girls having preferences? Do any of the guys have preferences (for their ladies or themselves)?

Ooh, good question! Slightly NSFW content?

Wolf:

No throwing on a random pair of boxer shorts and T-shirt for him; this man likes actual pajama sets. Two piece sets, long-johns, nightgowns, he's not particular of the style, so long as it's comfy. Flannel, cotton, linen, he's not the biggest fan of satin or silk to sleep in. On himself anyway--he loves it on his lady. (Who could blame him? Bess stuns in it.)

He sleeps commando under his bottoms.

He used to always have a top on in bed because he likes to be cozy. (Despite how well he seems to ignore it, the man isn't a fan of the cold.) But now, with the human heat pump that is Bess cuddled beside him, he's more apt to forgo a shirt, especially since the pair thrive on skin-to-skin contact.

Bed socks are very much a thing for this man.

He does have some spicy undies to wear for Bess.

Some see-through things.

A banana hammock or two.

Maybe some jock-straps and a thong.

Bess isn't the biggest fan of such cuts on men, but Wolf pulls them off quite well with his cute little ass cheeks and fine endowment. And they're only worn on occasion, which naturally makes them exciting.

Her favorite is a particular little piece that cups the jewels but leaves everything else bare and free to admire and play with.😏

Bess:

Unlike her hubby, girl will make PJs out of anything comfy. She actually doesn't really have pj sets, except for some holiday themed ones.

She does have a bit of a thing for nightgowns; they make her feel like princess. So she owns several of those.

Winters, she will dress a little more warmly for bed, but summers, she's perfectly comfy in a tank top and knickers. Sometimes not even a tank top, much to her man's pleasure.

She has a penchant for grabbing a pair of Wolf's briefs or a shirt of his and hopping into bed just in that.

She does have some cute pajama pants in her collection, but most of those are worn more as sweats than they are worn to bed. She'd end up kicking them off through the night usually anyway.

It goes without saying, Bess has a bigger lingerie collection than Wolf does: After all, lingerie just fits the female figure better.

Of course, these are not ever for sleeping in, they're for fun, sexy times. She ends up getting stripped completely of them in the end and falling asleep naked anyway.

Girl has a little bit of everything in her collection except latex. She's not a fan of the aesthetic. And, more to the point, Wolf actually has a mild allergy to it.

That's okay, though, they make up for the lack of latex with some hot leather pieces.🥵

I don't have a whole lot of ideas for everyone else, yet, but I will say, the Cratchits have His and Hers pj's. And the Huffams have an entire collection of couple onesies.

[itgirlmind]

｡ﾟﾟ･｡･ﾟﾟ｡ ﾟ。 𝒶𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓂𝓃 𝒻𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒𝓈 　ﾟ･｡･ﾟ

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ hello loves! autumn is nearly here, and I am taking this most cherished day to reflect on my favorite material items for the blessed season ahead of us! join me as I express gratitude for all that I do have, and all that I will come to hold in my life!

but before we start, let us start with a simple affirmation and a quick quip expressing the many joys of this moderate season!

♡ "I am so grateful for what I have and excited about what is yet to come"

♡ "I am grateful for the opportunity to align myself with peace, joy, and prosperity"

♡ "I always find a way, solutions and blessings always come to me in multitudes"

"the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves. we have had our summer evenings; now for October's eves!" - Humbert Wolfe, poet

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ these are a few of my favorite things

♡ my black patent leather Miu Miu platform heels; a beautiful pair of shoes that I am absolutely in love with. I am genuinely so blessed to be able to add another pair of my dream shoes to my collection!

♡ my GrandeLash eyelash serum; truly a lifesaver for natural beauties as I've heard too many horror stories of damaged eyelids from lash extension appointments to ever give in and schedule one, despite the strong temptation. what's better than an eye full of long, graceful, fluttery lashes? I admit, I haven't been nearly as consistent as I should be with this little bottle but I promise you the results are magnificent

♡ my glow recipe watermelon pink juice moisturizer; the cutest and best smelling moisturizer I've ever had the pleasure of owning! personally, I choose not to wear any skin makeup as I'm afraid of inducing an acne flare up but this moisturizer gives me the most radiant look a girl could ask for nonetheless

♡ my La Roche-Posay 60 SPF anthelios sunscreen; SPF is the most important skincare item you can possibly own! investing in your skin now and preventing damage from UVA and UVB rays will save you from so much stress in the future

♡ my new Mes Demoiselles Paris silk dress; my loves, I have been oh so obsessed with silk lately! it is the perfect material even as the weather turns nippy. I'm a bit conflicted as I want to wear it to attend thanksgiving dinner with my partner's family but I would hate to dirty it running around with the little ones as I simply cannot control my inner child when faced with a gaggle of smiling giggling toddlers terrorizing the yard

♡ my Its A Ten leave-in spray; particularly the blonde bottle! I've recently graduated from Olaplex to Its A Ten as my hair repair treatment of choice, mostly because Its A Ten rests much lighter on my hair and has a soft but sensational scent that hovers around you all day

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ what I'm looking forward to

♡ cooler weather and more opportunities to broaden my style

♡ my skin continuing to glow and look better and better the more I take care of it

♡ wearing my beloved vintage leather jacket again (thrifted, I pinky promise)

♡ knee high boots, tights, plaid skirts, and cute oversized sweaters

♡ the smell of burning leaf piles

♡ toning my hair to a cooler shade of blonde (bye-bye miss sunshine)

♡ lattes! lattes! lattes! being able to enjoy a toasty chai tea with oat milk cold foam first thing in the morning

♡ the feeling of defrosting when coming inside from the cold

♡ celebrating holidays with my partner and I's families

♡ pumpkin, cinnamon, and apple flavored everything

♡ wintering somewhere warmer (I promise I'll elaborate more later, my loves, once my plans are finalized)

♡ seeing the Christmas lights with my loved ones as we drive around (everyone here puts up their lights so early as they always have such elaborate displays)

♡ the warm tingly sense of joy as we get closer and closer to the holiday season

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ well, I'll be signing off here! below is a collage I compiled on the shuffles by pinterest app (I do implore all readers to pop by my personal pinterest to see if the aesthetics suit their fancy) of all of my October favorites!

Much love, Auden♡

[kennheir]

tag drop!

* THE WOLF IS GENTLE-HEARTED     「ISMS」

* ALL STORIES ARE ABOUT WOLVES     「IC」

* A WOLF IS A WOLF; EVEN DRESSED IN SILK     「AESTHETICS」

* SHE'S MORE SOUL THAN SKIN     「STUDY」

* SHE WAS BORN WILD AND CURIOUS     「MIRROR」

* A MIND FULL OF THOUGHTS      「HC」

* HEY THERE DEMONS! IT'S ME; YA BOI       「OOC」

* HOWL YOUR MELANCHOLY QUESTIONS       「MEMES」

* COME GET Y'ALL JUICE       「STARTER CALL」

* IT’S LIKE CHRISTMAS!      「MEME CALL」

* I LOVE THEM SO SHOULD YOU!       「PROMO」

* IT'S TIME FOR AN UNWANTED OPINION!!!       「META」

[fearedreign]

princess  elora  solenne  vane  &  the  fashions  of  ventria. edit  two  /  ??

[wartorne]

i .   tag drop   ,   rake .

[strxydxg-blog]

Tag dump

[warwaged-moved]

* tag drop: lorna crowley.

‣ muse { lorna crowley } —  ❝ GILNEAN ROSE. ❞ ‣ character study { lorna crowley } —  ❝ A WOLF IS A WOLF‚ EVEN IN A CAGE‚ EVEN DRESSED IN SILK. ❞ ‣ isms { lorna crowley } —  ❝ BEFORE I LEARNED CIVILITY I USED TO SCREAM FEROCIOUSLY. ❞ ‣ in character { lorna crowley } —  ❝ AS BRAVE AS THE WOLF. ❞ ‣ aesthetic { lorna crowley } —  ❝ HEART AS WILD AS A ROSE. ❞ ‣ physique { lorna crowley } —  ❝ THORN BUSH WITH ROSES BLOOMING. ❞ ‣ dynamics { lorna crowley & gilneas } —  ❝ AND I CAN GO ANYWHERE I WANT‚ ANYWHERE I WANT‚ JUST NOT HOME. ❞

[wallflowerimagines]

(I'm sorry I keep sending stuff, I promise no rush) The Lords reacting to Reader in formal wear/dressing up in much nicer clothes than they're used to

Y'all, I'm sorry, but THIS HIT ME SO HARD IT BUMPED TO THE TOP OF THE LIST. Dress up time, Let's goooo

Alcina Dimitrescu

Well now, don't you look absolutely darling!

There's a good chance she gave you the outfit herself, so that's just as much of a compliment to you as it is to her own taste, but honestly? Valid. You do look amazing. Alcina knows how to dress you.

She likes you best in sharp lines and classic looks. A lot of structured tops and loose, more flowy skirts and pants. When you also make a point to accommodate her aesthetic and use her House Colors?

She knew she liked you for a reason 💕💕

Alcina also takes this opportunity to flirt with you a bit.

Compliments, compliments, compliments until you're lightheaded with the praise.

She likes to play with your hair a lot normally, but now she's also straightening the lapels of your jacket, or undoing the ribbon on your skirt to lace it up 'properly'.

She is HANDSY.

She even pulls you in front of a mirror to make comments about how good you look next to her. A real pair, wouldn't you say? Maybe you'll dress up for her a little more often...?

With attention like this, I don't know how you'd say no...

Donna Beneviento

Oh, you like to dress up? You like to dress up and you didn't tell Donna?

She's taking this as a personal insult.

(Big Miette vibes 😠)

Angie cackles, because you're in for it now. All the dolls in the Manor have been a victim of Lady Beneviento's dress up moods at one time or another, now it's your turn!

Donna ushers you into a little room, tosses a bunch of different outfits in behind you, and tells you not to come out until you've changed. It's the most passionate you've seen her about anything.

She's given you dresses, suits, kilts, skirts, saris, pants, you name it, all in different styles, but all of it is in your size?

Turns out, Donna has been making clothes for you in her spare time. She didn't know what you liked, so she just...made everything?

You pick out something you're comfortable with and step out of the room, and Donna makes a happy little squeak noise.

YOU LOOK GREAT❤️❤️❤️!!! And it's something she made for you, so that makes it extra special!

Could you...try on something else for her? Maybe? 👉👈

(With a resigned sigh, you go back into the room. Looks like you have to cancel your afternoon plans...)

Salvatore Moreau

Respectfully, 👀👀👀

Moreau looooves you getting all dressed up. You don't have to, but you did! He's so flattered that you showed up at the reservoir in something so fancy. The fact that you think he's worth the effort is just... so nice!!!

He wishes he could host you somewhere other than his rinky dink little house, but he'll make the best of it!

(He also wishes he had something of his own that was even just a little bit fancy. If the both of you dressed up he could almost call this a date...)

His favorites to see on you are loose, airy silks or comfortable, soft textures. It's so delicate, it feels like a perfect fit for you!

He also loves the way the wind goes through it, it makes you look like a painting ❤️

Because he's going on and on about it, and he's so obviously enamored with the idea of feeling of it between his fingers, you let him touch your outfit. He puts his hand on it, letting out little appreciative noises, when suddenly his fingers press down a little bit, making the fabric slide gently against your skin and--uh--

😳

Salvatore needs a minute. Maybe even a long swim.

Karl Heisenberg

Well shit, now he has to mess you up! 😔

You do look very nice, and Karl will definitely give you a little wolf whistle in appreciation, but he is also a gremlin with very little impulse control. You're getting a noogie, do not attempt to resist.

Smack his hands away all you like, but the minute you let your guard down, Heisenberg will mess with a part of your outfit. He'll undo your tie, pop open a button, steal a piece of jewelry, just make a general menace of himself. If you really complain, he'll stop and apologize, but he's satisfied since you look a little less formal.

Actually... Something about you dressed to the nines but with your hair all ruffled and a big grin on your face, uh... Kind of does it for him?

Like, he was the one who popped open the button on your jacket and made it fall open. He was the one who snapped the strap on your dress and gave you that mark on your skin. He made you breathless from laughter with his comments on your 'fancy schmancy' outfit.

You were so put together, and he made you just a little bit undone.

...Karl shakes off his blush and throws an arm around your shoulder. These are thoughts for later.

[yui-kuromori]

Mafia AU aesthetics

Based on this AU I wrote.

Because Hatter is extra like that, he likes to keep a very specific wonderland aesthetic for his group, and works hard to keep it while fitting their own personal tastes.

Danma Takeru – Mad Hatter - Hatter goes all out. He has this colorful, patchwork trench coat he wears all the time and multiple color lenses sunglasses he changes every day. From time to time he’ll wear an actual top hat. He sometimes uses temporary hair dye to get some colorful streaks. When he does have to wear formal clothing, it’s a brightly colored suit. The only other outfit he owns are psychedelic boxers and silk robes. It’s not unusual to see him walking around half naked in the gang’s hideout. He has typical yakuza tattoos mixed with bright, watercolor abstract tattoos from his arms, to his shoulders to his chest. Every member has a specific piece of jewelry and his is his “boss” ring.

Aguni Morizono – Bandersnatch - Listen. Aguni doesn’t like to dress up. He owns five black tank tops he wears in rotation, no matter the weather. He does have the Bandersnatch tattooed on his left shoulder blade. He will sometimes wear fuzzy socks that imitate the beast’s pattern. He also has an apron with it printed on him, that has mysterious stains that no one has the guts to question. His custom piece of jewelry his a thin chain with a claw charm that he wears under his shirt.

Chishiya Shuntaro – Cheshire - Chishiya is surprisingly open to Hatter’s antics. Because his work is mostly going undercover, he can’t have anything that’s too flashy. He has Cheshire Cat smiles embroidered on the edges of all his hoodies. He has very minimal, single line tattoos behind his ears, and Niragi’s been talking him into getting his neck covered. I feel like he’d have custom stamped sneakers and a cat eared hoodie. Smudgy eyeliner, always. His jewelry is a simple hoop earring with a smile engraved on it.

Kuina Hikari – Caterpillar or Absolem - Kuina is a fashion queen. She takes one look at the movie’s caterpillar and goes with the blue color pallet for most of her outfits. Butterflies, butterflies everywhere, in her tops, in her bras, even in her makeup, with butterfly shaped glitter around her eyes. She has a puffy jacket that imitates the caterpillar’s body. She has butterflies tattooed on her upper arm and shoulder and the trans flag on her ankle. Her piece of jewelry is a cocoon shaped charm that she hangs on her hair.

Niragi Suguru – March Hare - This man’s fashion sense is a mess, crazy shirts, colors and tight pants. His guns are all engraved with hares and hare ears. He has this blood red coat inspired by the animated movie that Hatter gave him. He has patchwork tattoos all over his body. His piece of jewelry is surprisingly simple, his tongue piercing that Aguni did when he first joined the gang. That’s why he’s always so proud to show it.

Samura Takatora (Last Boss) – Jabberwocky - Scales, scales everywhere. On the hilt of his sword, on the leather of his vest, on the soles of his shoes. His tattoos are very obvious, so when he’s on civilian duty, he actually has to cover them up with makeup. He looks so different that he can easily slip by police. His piece of jewelry is a dragon shaped ear cuff.

Ann Rizuna – White Queen - Pristine white suits and shirts and blood red lips. Her iconic white lab coat gave her her codename. Her sunglasses have little crowns on the frames. She has the human skeleton tattooed from her shoulders, across her chest and stomach to her hips. Her scalpels and tools are all engraved with icons representing the other members and she’s named them after them (a small sharp one named Arisu, a loud bone saw named Last boss). Her piece of jewelry is actually her sunglasses, that are way more expensive than anyone would guess.

Kodai Tatta – Dormouse or Arganaz - His cap has little a little mouse embroidered on the flap and he’ll often wear a loose purple bow tie around his neck. He has mouse keychains and teacups painted on his sneakers and coats. He wears a lot of jeans and T-shirts and he lets Hatter and Arisu paint whatever they want on them. He has a needle thin small knife he barely uses, that is covered in Ann’s special brand of poison. His tattoos are small and scattered. Spirited away smooth spirits on his wrist, starts behind his ears. His piece of jewelry is a small Dormouse ring he wears on his pinky finger.

Usagi Yuzuha – White Rabbit - She has rabbits everywhere! Surprisingly cutesy stuff too! On her peach hoodie, on her tank tops and gym shorts. She has a soft pink bunny stamped baseball bat that definitely became red once or twice. Hatter tried to get her to wear bunny ears, but failed after one glare from her. Kuina does her nails every week, and it’s their cute little moment. She gets sparkly sailor moon inspired stuff. She has cherry blossoms tattooed on her back and a letter from her father on her forearm. She also has a quote from Alice in Wonderland on her wrist that matches Arisu’s. Her piece of jewelry are customized brass knuckles Aguni got her and a pocket watch from hatter.

Arisu Ryohei - Alice - Pastel blues, white and red. A lot of trump card inspired accessories. He wears a lot of T-shirts and he has graphic stamps for every character from the books. His computer has Alice’s silhouette on the back of it. He’s got a pastel blue hoodie that he may have or may have not stolen from Chishiya. He has flowers tattooed covering up his top surgery scars, a minimal homage to “Pong” (first videogame ever) in one ankle, and a small wolf on the other (Shibuki, Karube and Chouta all have sheep. It’s an inside joke no one ever figured out), and an Alice in wonderland quote that matches Usagi’s. His piece of jewelry is a bracelet with the trump suits charms.

Extra: sometimes, when he’s working, he’ll get into the zone and not notice what’s around him, and Kuina will jokingly put Usagi’s bunny ears on him. He’ll just spend hours working and walking around with them on, not understanding the weird looks he’s getting.

[the-dreadful-canine]

Thanks for the Six Sentence Sunday tag @varric-tethras-editor @emerald-amidst-gold and @oxygenforthewicked 💕 it's Monday and the sun is long gone, so I'm going to pull a WIP Whenever >:v

I'm gifting @little-lightning-lavellan @noire-pandora and @dungeons-and-dragon-age with a free WIP Whenever ticket 🎫 (but only if you want to 💖)

Lemonade under the cut. 👀

Pls don't judge me too hard if it is shitty, it's still unedited :'D

Contains: Feels, praise, ropes, unorthodox use of magic, good ol' smut

[...] The dying sunlight trickled into their chambers by the time Elizabeth finished the last of knots, and the moment she pulled back to admire the work, her breath caught. His freckled skin was painted in spots of saturated gold from the sun, and streaks of crimson from where the light hit the silky strings binding the wrists over his head.

“Gorgeous.” she exhales, tracing the knotwork covering his forearms, before cupping his face in both hands to press a kiss to the forehead “That’s what you are, ma’fen. Gorgeous.”

“Thank you, but I carry only the beauty your eyes give me, vhenan.” Solas answers, heat spreading over his cheeks at the heartfelt compliment.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Elizabeth takes her sweet time admiring her handiwork, pleased at the aesthetic of the result. The rope was a stark contrast against pale skin, and the simple but elegant knots and shiny silk looked like red vines around his limbs. Laying over the black sheets, he looked nothing short of a piece of art set up for her sole appreciation.

Knowledge that he’d willingly lay there -vulnerable- for as long as she wished, eager to please in any way she considered fair? Having such power over a man such as him could be intoxicating, she thought, goosebumps breaking over her skin.

Solas fought to keep his breath steady while Elizabeth watched, but it was a losing battle. The dying light caught in the eyes he loved so much, turning hazel into embers. And they seared his body like a physical touch, nearly burning away what little fabric covered his flushed skin.

Biting back a discontent whimper when she turned away, he grieved the loss of her attention. He squirmed then, moving over the dark sheets, thighs spread as far as the bindings allowed, back arched and eyes pleading a shameless request:

Look at me.

His eyes follow her deliberated movements around the room. The curtains are pulled closed, warding off the cold that the fire under his skin didn’t let his body register. The appreciative look he gets when she whirls around is like a breath of fresh air. Then she’s at the nightstands, lighting candles even when both could see well enough in the dark. But ‘well enough’ would not fit this night, would it?

The swaying hips pull his eyes like a magnet as she walks to the door and his heart skips a beat. Please don’t make me wait, I need you. But the powerful surge of mana filling the air makes it race for a whole other reason when he catches a familiar pattern being etched over the door. A silence glyph. Oh.

Glyph activated, she turns around to face the bed.

Dark, primal satisfaction blooms deep in her chest at the sight of her bound lover. Cheeks flushed, hooded eyes, heavy breathing and completely spread thighs glistening from his leaking arousal are an offer she can’t find it in herself to deny.

Beautiful.

The inferno raging in her veins spurs her to move, having enough of looking. Dress discarded to the floor, she stalks to the bed, chuckling low when the view of her bare body snaps his control. A blue stream of elvish fills the air in between deep breaths while he tries to call back the thin layer of frost covering the red binding his wrists. No indomitable focus, vhenan?

Solas watches with bated breath as she stalks over him, her favored form bleeding on the fluidity of her movements, like the huntress ready to pounce on prey. In any other situation, he might have laughed and teased at the irony of playing halla to her wolf. But the blazing eyes and the thrill of the hunted bewitched him, no words of humor coming out of his mouth.

And when she settles over him, her thick thighs caging his hips and slick center pressing right over where he needs the most, his frayed thread of control finally snaps. Every rational thought drowns under a wave of need and he tugs at the bindings, the urge to touch and thrust overriding her command to stay still.

At the outburst she kneels and holds him down by the hips with her hands, cutting short the desperate rutting threatening to take over him. Maybe she did tease him too much this time around, the poor pup. But stopping anytime soon was not on the plans.

The dawn was still ages away, after all.

Deciding to leave his weeping cock alone for now, his thighs are straddled instead. Tracing the pointed ear tip rewards her with a needy growl from her lover, and she smirks, repeating the motion, reveling in the shudder of his body. He nuzzles her palm when she caresses his flushed cheek, and her smirk melts into something softer. The fire in her veins gentling to a soft warmth in a wave of pure affection that fills her chest to the point she fears it might burst.

She opens her side of their connection and he gasps before mirroring the action. The meeting of lips is soft and intense as the bond swirls inside them in a dance, intense and wild like a winter storm. She is the first to pull away from the kiss and close the connection, keeping their foreheads connected while they catch their breaths.

“Ar lath ma, vhenan.” she whispers, kissing his forehead once, twice, before resuming her hand’s journey.

He tilts the head when her hand trails down his face and she accepts the offer, grabbing his jaw between two fingers, the rest covering the side of his neck. She squeezes lightly, humming in satisfaction when more than just his pulse jumps and throbs under her touch, reacting to the pressing of nails on the vulnerable skin.

Small chains of lightning charge palm when she runs it down his body, and she can’t help but watch in a trance to the impromptu display of elvhen flexibility. Solas’ torso arches off the sheets in a chase for her touch, but his hips barely shift on the mattress, locked between her muscular thighs. Her mind races with all the ways she could enjoy this newfound talent, but a chocked moan brings her back to the moment.

Solas is squeezing his eye, lip caught between his teeth, a face of total concentration as he fights to stay still while her lightning teases his throbbing cock, the head shiny, dark and sensitive, weeping a mess every time a spark brushes against it.

“Ah ah ah.” she tuts, her thumb tugging his lip free from his teeth “No hiding your voice, ma’fen. Let me hear you sing.” a spark running straight to his sac on her last word, lifting his hips out of the bed.

“VHENAN, PLEASE!-”[...]

*takes a big sip of holy water*

[flowerflamestars]

i would LOVE an author commentary for atlas 🖤

OOOO ask and you will receive!

She didn’t disappoint.

The whip crack of Narcissa’s apparition that he’d oh so careful taught the wards when he was all of sixteen, the heady scent of her perfume. Sillage or shadow? SIRIUS RAN AWAY/GOT THROWN OUT AND IMMEDIATELY MADE SURE HIS SAFE PLACE COULD ALSO BE HER SAFE PLACE

Both, he thought, the sheer brightness of her in firelight casting the whole room darker.

Silver, gold, Cissa- the blue of enchantment. She is still wearing the necklace! Taken off after childhood, found again and worn every day of the hateful war. The surprise was not in the end that she’d come- he hated her, he loved her, he’d never believed for a second she’d stay away but he’d been wrong before- but the sleeping bundle in her arms, downy blond curls visible.

She didn’t even look at him.

Three spells, in perfect silence. Couch cushions to a palatial crib, Draco tucked safe inside, a shimmering net encasing what she had created: protection, silence, home-brew magic not unlike what Sirius had done to the study to keep all comers but another Black away.

Narcissa is VERY VERY good at magic. She did well in school- but also, like Sirius, doesn't care very much for boundaries or rules and it shows. It's all a little more...mystic. Raw. She's not a textbook caster.

The picture of damnable grace, Narcissa Malfoy sank to the floor beside Sirius, scrupulously outside the range of blood splatter his magic-strong body was still seeking to spurt.

She looked at him, purposefully chosen beautiful robes pulled rakish and now ruined. The hair Sirius would pretend he wasn’t vain as all hell about, falling over his face and painting even more improper his bared collar, shifting tattoos running across Sirius’s ribs. SIRIUS GOT DRESSED FOR HIS WEIRD DATE, OKAY? he is TOTALLY not subconsciously tapping the fact that this middle of the night, secrets and magic thing was like...their entire relationship. Fawn, stag, wolf, owl- Lilly, James, Remus, Narcissa-

She looked at the blade, sunk deep to bone, and raised one perfect brow. “Is that one of Cedrella’s?”

At one point I answered an ask about Sirius's style? This. Yes. Here is his open collar and really pretty hair and antique magic murder hand-me-down, tattoos racing beneath midnight blue silk- A grimace, a smile. The incoming blackness had absolutely nothing on meeting her silvery gaze.

Cissa tapped the bloodslick hilt, perfect manicure ringing faintly on spell forged steel. “One of her poisoned daggers.” It wasn’t a question. She held Sirius’s fluttering eyes with hers for one more endless second, and scoffed. “Idiot. Reckless, dangerous, foolish, idiot.” Cissa is enjoying this. On the second repetition, she ripped out the knife. She healed the wound, nails biting into his thigh, punishing grip sealing shut his rended skin. GOOD AT MAGIC...and hmm... hello plot confusion, touching him. It's almost like Narcissa did something about that contract with all her clever power. And then, without giving Sirius a second to blink as his body threw off the shock, as pain melted away, Narcissa slapped him across the face. BABE Hard, but with the open hand that she wore not a single ring upon. the fact that Sirius notes this! the clear fact this is a choice because she is PRECISE just like he is in these not immediately knowable ways. Ears ringing, Sirius grinned. “Hello, Narcissa.” y'all this is the best Sirius has felt since he was seventeen. Temper- he saw it, he knew it, he felt it- flashed like lightening across her face, and gone. “Don’t call me that.” What do we think Lucius calls her? hmm? It's sure as fuck not Cissa. “Lady Malfoy.” She stood up, dawn-colored silk fluttering to reveal long bare legs, peignoir a perfect match. They are both SO into aesthetics. Risen from her bed, Sirius could understand, robe thrown on hasty- to check on her son? To grab her son, to take with her, because she didn’t trust to leave him behind? Not quite...but not wrong. Draco's nursery is magically probably one the safest places in Britain. When Narcissa isn't present. Draco in her arms, haste enough to not even tie it shut, for worry? Yes, actually, Sirius. She wasn't sleeping and then you rang up mortal peril time He was eye level with her knee and Sirius- Sirius had to shut his eyes. That was an ancient tumblr post I am now realizing: I love even your knees? Correct. Which she evidently watched him do, by the acidic hiss that emerged from what he knew to be a perfect mouth, “Sirius.” WHAT HE KNEW TO BE- jesus. One breath. Not enough. He wanted a cigarette. A drink. Another fucking stab wound for her to grab. “Cissa.”

Like I said, Sirius is ENJOYING himself. But also, god Sirius, you think you need a drink??

He's just kneeling there. Bloody. Grinning. In the firelight. Her animagus form is tattooed over his heart alongside his chosen family- he got her here via warning enchantment of death! He just tossed back his stupid, stupid, pretty dark hair and, visibly effected, shut his eyes at the sight of her bare legs. Narcissa is like, drinking cognac and watching him swallow.

It is not a coincidence that three sentences later Narcissa is taking a drag off a shitty muggle cigarette, the same brand they used to steal from her sister.

It is ALSO not a coincidence that the moment Sirius actually, finally, calls her Cissa, they move onto actual business.

[radiant-flutterbun]

Lair review for Kesten

@heckling-hydrena​

Thank you for the food you get 20 dragons reviewed!

I read your profile bio first so without even looking at your lair I made a beeline for this dragon because HOLLYLEAF! It’s been a long time since I’ve read warrior cats, but with it being my first fandom it holds a special place in my heart. Hollyleaf was my all time favorite (With Jayfeather being a close second). She did not deserve all the pain she suffered. But your dragon does her justice. She looks great and a gaoler was an excellent choice for her! i also appreciate the green bean toes.

Thomas REAL!!!! Ok I promise I’ll get to your actual lore dragons now

“Clan founder who abandoned her clan” Is this your custom progen? Progen or not she’s a very pretty genone! It’s a shame her tert is basic, There’s a lot you can do with purple! I think okapi would look really neat on her. But also basic can be good too!

And I’m going to guess that this is you random progen? If so his colors are pretty nice! Even coral (my least favorite FR color) looks good on him. Probably because it’s mostly covered by his apparel, but what little that shows is balanced out by his rust secondary. And I love the layering you’ve done with his apparel. The mix and match of the different apparel sets looks very cohesive on him!

Omen is another really well dressed dragon! He has a lot of apparel on, but he doesn’t look cluttered at all. He has a nice Western vibe to him.

For being a Wind dragon Tempest sure does have the Shadow dragon vibe. She would blend right in with the glow shrooms. I just love the blend of bright blue and darker purple.

Cicada! I love Cicada for her name alone. She’s covered head to toe in apparel, but that’s ok because the apparel you gave her is perfect. I like how the plague doctor mask resembles the sparrow skull on her shoulder, and then again the vulture skull of the Hazebeacon.

“A jeweler drowning in anger and wine” Mood. Joking, joking. Vendetta is a very lovely dragon. I love how python and morph brings out blues in him. He really looks like a living flame. The familiar matching with the phoenix familair is on point too.

I want to go to the Memento library. I’d probably die reading something I shouldn’t, but ii would be worth it. Now onto Shrike, why is there a wraith in the library? Is that allowed? Are they the reason you shouldn’t read certain books there? Well anyway they’re a neat looking dragon. I like how their accent gives them horns.

Cecilia 100% succeeds at looking like a rich widow. I love her. She’s so elegant. What’s the story behind her being widowed though? Did she kill her partner?

Estelle is elegant AND vibrant. She gives off royalty vibes. The starsilk was a perfect choice for her, and the accent literal makes her glow.

Rye  gives me Halloween vibes. I think it’s mostly the fire swirl eyes. The accent too. They’re a very pretty, though slightly spooky lad.

I like the general aesthetic of your tunnel tab. Moira has to be my favorite dragon of yours in that tab. I really like the cobwebs layered underneath the wingplates. It gives her a look of some ware and tear. She’s ready for a fight, and she will win. I also love that her spider’s name is Charlotte.

Catfish’s eyes are the main reason I chose to review them. They’re just so spooky, I know it’s from the mysterious cowl that you layered under the garb, but I didn’t realize it at first. It’s a clever way of layering to give your dragon a really unique look!

Did somebody say ghost? hello yes any type of undead dragon automatically holds my attention. I like how the skull from Sandstone’s accent is half hidden by his hat. It makes him look very mysterious and spooky!

Egg! Ok I’ll admit what drew me to this dragon was primarily the name. The creature of the deep part is what really hooked me to this dragon. I’m just a sucker for any sort of ‘monster’ or spooky dragon if you havn’t caught on yet. As for what I think of the dragon itself, I like how well the skulking wings blend in, as well as its fins!

Oracle dragons are cool too! Is Eurydice hiding her eyes because her element is Plague and not Water? She’d be a nice fit for a water dragon. Everything else about her is very water-y. I love the mix of the brighter blues such as the lanterns and will o wisp with her darker abyss coloration.

As a retired adventurer Dodola must have a lot of interesting stories! I can imagine hatchlings gathering around her as she weaves and tells tales of her adventures. She has a very serene look about her. As a weaver, her being covered in silk fits.

I love deity dragons! Being the deity of the breeze and harvest sounds pretty cool. But maybe that’s just because i love the fall season. He definitely has a unique look to him. I don’t often see non Christmas themed dragons with red and green,and I rarely see the warrior face masks being used. I like the balance of the red and greens. I just really like the usage of apparel sets not usually used together!

Svirep: A see a Shade creature and I must look. Everything about them is just so GOOD. First of all wine/wine/pink is a great color combo. Second ghost is the best tert. Third the combination of Arcane fest items, the wolf pelt AND the grasp? A perfect combination of eldritch Arcane vibes. I’m digging it.

[atxlxs]

Beyond The Veil: Chapter 6

A glance at the time told Eras that Muska was still stuck in the meeting. Unsurprisingly, but also disappointing. She had hoped the meeting would go faster so Muska would get home an hour ago. She really wanted to get food started so she could relax, the nerves of Musa going to a highschool had eaten at her all day.

Great, she was starting to sound like an actual mother.

*sigh*

Pulling out her phone, Eras opened the phone app and pressed call on Muska’s contact. Conveniently titled ‘parasite’. It rang for a total of 3 times before it clicked, suddenly two voices flooded through the phone. One, that was Muska, the other was definitely Nedzu. So the witch put her on speaker phone. Nedzu was probably trying to get her to answer more questions then they agreed to answer.

The chirpy “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your meal but if I may inquire, is your guardian real or not? I know you're older than most of us but as you said you are a minor for your kind. We would like to get you in a safe environment for the time you spend learning here and research revealed nothing but a name, Viridis Eras if I remember correctly.” was surprisingly soft and sounded genuinely sincere.

Maybe, Eras wouldn’t have to worry constantly about her friend.

“I am very much a real person, Nedzu.” She said simply, her voice coming across smooth and melodic. The other side of the line went dead quiet. It almost made her chuckle but she refrained. Intimidation was hard to maintain through giggles.

“Hey Eras, what's up?” Muska asked, a hint of relief in her voice. Ah, Nedzu definitely was trying to pry more details out of her.

“The person that actually needs to eat physical food is not in my house to eat it. Since school ended 2 hours ago and my parasite wasn’t here yet despite me stating it was a pasta night, I got worried.” Eras responded, ignoring the soft “actually need to eat?” from the background of the call.

She wasn’t lying. After school had ‘released’ she had been checking the clock every 10 minutes. Anxiety over what could be happening kept her from focusing so she had sat down on the couch and glared at the fireplace for the entire 2 hours.

So what if she was overly worried, and for nothing it seemed? She has had bad experiences and experience is always the best teacher.

“Awe, was my sugar mommy worried about me?” Muska said, her tone teasing and Eras could pick up the faint sounds of choking from the other side of the line. Of course she would throw that term around in front of others.

“You wish, gremlin child.”

“Old woman.”

“Bitch witch”

“What kind of pasta?”

“Spaghetti, homemade, and with a homemade roasted garlic seasoned meat sauce. As well as a salad but Who knows if you’ll have the appetite for it. It’ll be there though.” Eras had gotten up at this point and was shuffling around the kitchen. “Will you need a ride home?”

“Nah, Nedzu is practically vibrating in his place at the thought of another veil member, which he has correctly hypothesized you are, and would most definitely stalk the gate for you.” Muska returned, amusement bleeding into her tone as Eras caught snorts from around the room she was in.

Suddenly, a cough snapped her attention back to the conversation as said rat cleared his throat.

“As amusing as this is, Before you leave would I be able to ascertain who or what you are? Considering the age of the witch present, for her to address you as ‘old woman’ I assume you must be someone who has lived far longer.” Nedzu stated, interest coating his words.

Before she could respond someone in the back of the room, a gruff voice that was deep as fuck holy shit, spoke up with a warning present in his voice.

“Nedzu, I don’t believe interrogating them will get you any of your answers.” the voice said, agitation and resignation in his tone. He was probably well versed in Nedzu.

“Thanks Aizawa-sensei.” Muska said, a little choppy on the sensei but that was expected honestly. Well, nice to know the name of the voice. However, Eras wanted to make the rat suffer a bit. He spent a few hours interrogating so she might as well dangle an interesting opportunity in his face and not allow him to reach for it.

“Yes thank you Aizawa-san, I don't mind telling you what race I am , Nedzu. I am also much older than the teen witch in front of you at the moment. Yet, alas,” she said with faux disappointment and sorrow, “I seem to be needed somewhere else. The pot that hasn’t even begun to boil yet is very threatening to me so I simply must end the call here. See you at home bestie.”

With a response of “You got it bestie.” the line clicked and went dead. Snickering to herself as she finally started the stove.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aizawa Shouta has had several revelations as the day passed. First of all, the broken bone boy was very determined to keep his place in the heroics class. He’s going to be a problem child, he has a sixth sense for them at this point. Secondly, one of his students is an enigma. She looks to be a bit older than 16, maybe 17, yet is over 2 and a half fucking centuries old. When he had first come across the term ‘beyond the veil’ he knew there were probably things that far surpassed humans in different areas but that old? That counts as a teen?

With a heavy sigh, Shouta sat through one of the wildest faculty meetings he had the displeasure of being forced to attend. That was saying something considering his employer was Nedzu. Granted, he wouldn’t have skipped this one anyways when knowing answers to the veil would be given. Understandably, not all of the answers, but now they had a firm idea about what actually lived beyond it. Also understandably, the new information was perplexing. Shouta wouldn’t touch any more information with a ten foot pole until whatever he was just given was processed.

As Viridis left the room, thankfully less chaotic than when she had entered, Shouta let out a sigh of relief. He rubbed his hands down his face and contemplated what he just heard. Finally, they had an overall summary of the types of races present in the veil and a somewhat structured hierarchy that would have to be explained further at some point in case they stumbled into the veil now but that could wait.

Shouta shivered as he remembered how oppressing the air had gotten in the room during Viridis’s talk about the forgotten. He had met hardened villains that had less presence and conviction then she did during her rant. They would need to hear about the taboos as well, he really didn’t want to be branded thank you very much.

Luckily, the goblin of a teen did actually have a guardian that existed. (No ‘Zashi, his jaw was firmly in place and had not dropped when the person spoke, even if it did that was warranted because he's sure he saw even nemuri marvel at how smooth it was, and no he did not snicker when they obviously baited Nedzu.) They wouldn’t have to worry about finding a place for them to stay safely while attending their school. This brought up some new considerations though. Groaning he slammed his head onto the table dramatically, the other teachers swiveling their heads to snap their gaze to him.

“Nedzu, she’s probably already done with the general education curriculum. If we don’t find a way to occupy her, we’ll have to deal with whatever chaos she makes to entertain herself while bored in class.”

All the teachers nodded in agreement. Fear flashing through their eyes at the idea. The flashy pro’s were unusually subdued after that showing. Whether from the presence of something completely unknown to them that was downright terrifying, or just the way Viridis acted and spoke to Nedzu, Shouta wasn’t sure.

Honestly though? Rat-man was his new favorite nickname to call the chimera in his head, it was stuck and was hilarious.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning of the second day of Muska's highschool life, Eras felt off, like something bad was going to happen kind of off.

When she had ‘woken’ from her vegetative state that morning everything just felt wrong. Then as she got up to start the day things just kept happening. None of them were good.

First, she found out that Tibbles had knocked over her higher end coffee grounds. (Accidentally of course, Tibbles may see them as servants but he was smarter than most and knew better than to ruin something a vampire enjoys. Eras could hold a grudge and it isn’t pretty) Next, she was informed that she had 4 business meetings, back to back, since there was a supply disruption and her pseudo-bosses that she pays to handle shit like this were out of their depth and had never experienced this before. Great.

Rushing, Eras made the coffees out of the cheaper brand and it hurt her soul to do it, coffee was sacred, and ran back to the observatory where her closet was to get dressed.

Grabbing out one of her many business related outfits, she threw on the first one she saw and paced over to her full length mirror to adjust it. A forest-pine green silk button down, the top three buttons were left open and a mesh underbust corset tied it together and tucked it into black dress pants. She tugged on black platform heels that came to a stop above her ankles. A charcoal black coat that stopped at ankle length hung off her shoulders. Since fall was starting to approach, the days have gotten cooler so it was there just in case.

Not that she actually felt the cold, she was technically undead, but the aesthetic was important.

A few extra accessories to tie it together, a silver chain necklace and several statement rings that were scattered on both hands along with earring sets, and after fixing her middle part she was done. Black circle sunglasses were grabbed absentmindedly through habit as she left the room. The sun was bright and Eras’s eyes were made for the night.

When she walked back into the kitchen to grab her thermos filled with a caramel macchiato she heard a wolf whistle from the dining table. Spinning around, she noticed Muska staring at her with surprise.

That was warranted, Eras dressed like a gym obsessed hobo most of the time.

“Holy shit, Lookin hot as fuck, Damn bestie. where are you heading to?” Muska said as she idly sipped her coffee while the phone she was scrolling through laid on the table, opened up to some kind of story based on the paragraphs of text she was seeing.

“Thanks, I have 4 business meetings that are emergencies because apparently a food supplier that I relied on had to recall everything, so I have to go down and explain what to do and listen to suggestions all day. I should be done by the time your school gets out so I’ll swing by and pick you up if time favors me.” Eras rambled a bit towards the end while fidgeting with her cup.

She was never able to gracefully accept a compliment outside of a text message, no matter how many years Muska’s been with her and hyping her up. Grabbing her keys, this time to her car and not the motorcycle (no matter how much she loves that bike she doesn’t want her hair ruined before she gets to the meeting, she's about to rip into some people.) She turned to Muska.

“Want a ride there?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

A total of 3 minutes passed as Muska’s sleep-addled brain caught up and she nodded, downing the rest of her coffee like a shot and slipping into her room to change into the uniform.

That was also a new weird thing, Eras was definitely not used to seeing Muska in anything but various black outfits with the occasional color. She missed seeing the edgy outfits and platform heels that were always an unneeded height since Muska was fucking taller than her. (she could change that but she was comfortable with 163cm)

Once Muska came back out, a quick pet to Tibbles given on the way which gave them a meow (Muska immediately glared at the cat. Sadly, Eras was at a loss as to what the cat was saying. Again.) and they both walked out of the door. Despite living on a mountain, they had a stone path that led to a fairly sleek building that blended in with the surrounding trees and mountain terrain. Once inside, parked along the furthest wall and facing the exit were three vehicles. The motorcycle that Eras had driven Muska with on the exam day, a military grade jeep that was blacked out and decked out, and finally, a 1970 volvo. It was a pastel mustard color and belonged to Muska.

Swinging open the door to the Jeep, Eras climbed in and started the car. Opening the garage door with the touch of a button and left the moment Muska was strapped in.

The ride to UA was easy and calm, except for the blaring of Muska’s playlist that Eras didn’t dare tell her to turn down because it was one of her favorite songs and she was loudly singing along. Pulling up a block away from the highschool, Nedzu precaution, Eras waved Muska out of her car and yelled another “KICK ASS WITCH BITCH!” before cackling as she drove away from a very aggressive middle finger from her friend.

Time to go deal with meetings that could have been a conference call.

“I AM-” A loud voice sounded from the hallway, startling Muska from her glare down with PomPom, “COMING THROUGH THE DOORWAY LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!”

That is, not how normal people enter a room what the fuck?

The newest blond in the class stood at around 200 fucking centimeters tall and wore spandex like a second skin. In american colors. Muska had never paid attention to the #1 Pro hero before but the more she looks at this walking american flag the more she’s grateful for not paying attention. Then something caught her attention.

The man had the same leaking weird energy as the twink from the faculty room.

How the hell did the solid brick wall of meat turn into the skeleton of a man she had seen literally yesterday????? Not only that but the leaking energy seemed to travel through the classroom, as if closer to the source of what's gathering it. As she followed the line of energy she noticed it stopped in front of her, going right into greenie….

What did she just stumble upon?

This feels like national secret type shit.

She tuned back in to hear the hero describe the battle trails they would be facing. 2 on 2 battles with full quirk use and indoors with a fucking bomb to locate. Paper mache but still, this was kinda advanced. She did, however, perk up when he mentioned costumes.

That, she was extra excited about.

Despite not really coming to UA for the hero aspect but more of the quirk training aspect, Muska still felt pretty excited about the costume. Also, she would legally be allowed to beat people up as a hero as long as they were classified as criminals or villains. That sounds like a good stress reliever within reason. She wasn’t going to just maul them. That’d be an abuse of power.

After being dismissed to change, Muska ran up to snatch her costume and bolted to the locker room. She had some say in the weapons but Eras had actually taken the time to design the costumes basics in order to cover everything that might be flung after her. It was also a way to help placate her. For some reason Eras had been extra fidgety ever since she started going to school. There were some things she didn’t know about Eras’s past, but she definitely knew that there was some kind of trauma there, and whatever caused it happened in a school setting.

Opening the case, the first thing Muska noticed were the knee high steel reinforced combat boots that had armor built into it to act as knee braces as well. Next to them was a pair of mirror sunglasses that were purple, placed on top of a letter.

[You’re probably wondering about the glasses. I sent them into a support company for a little upgrade to help you out on the field. They're not necessary so if you want to skip wearing them that's fine but at least check out the surprise I’ve added ok?

Kick ass witch bitch

-E.V ]

Placing the sunglasses on her face Muska almost jerked them off in surprise as a cat mascot character appeared on the right side and waved before jumping across the glasses and they powered up, showing an HUD layout. Something said ‘put on suit to connect’ but that was ignored in favor of the other abilities. The right side had facial recognition software and a tracker for things that are marked in view. There was also a marker that she could activate to aim weapons, like a video game. The left had the ‘connect to suit’ warning at the top but underneath that was a mini map of the surrounding area using a fucking satellite. How the fuck?

Taking them off for now, Muska went and picked up her suit to throw on. There were Two layers. First was a black body suit with colored accents that glowed when wanted, right now they were purple but they could change colors. It was Kevlar and another special type of alloy to make it shock resistant, fireproof, frost proof, and immune to knives and bullets. Next, was a cropped hoodie and shorts which stopped at the upper thigh. The cropped hoodie was purple and the hood part of it looked like a witch hat, the long point fashioned after the stereotypical black witch hat.

There was a tactical belt that wrapped around her waist and connected to two belts that wrapped around her thighs below the shorts. The belts that went vertically on the side of her thighs held pockets of medical supplies and smoke bombs. The previous on the left and latter on the right. The belts that were wrapped around her thighs carried the pockets that held her brass knuckles. The belt around her waist held the whip so it dangled while coiled up off her right hip. Slipping on the boots and lacing them up surprisingly quick, the full outfit was on.

Putting on the glasses once more Muska discovered why it said to put on the full suit. At the top left of the sunglasses was a full body scan that continuously displayed her vitals. It was green for now but if she retained injuries it would slowly move between green to yellow to red. Red being critically or fatally injured.

Holy SHIT Eras! This is some Tony Stark shit?!?

Tags:

@baguettehead

[fearedreign]

👑 --- tag  /  quote.

👑 --- aesthetic  /  the night is silent and raw divinity spills from the skies. 👑 --- character study  /  forged in fire and darkness and imploding stars. 👑 --- desires  /  holy hands will they make me a sinner? 👑 --- headcanons  /  i am learning to sharpen my teeth and rule kingdoms. 👑 --- wardrobe  /  a wolf is a wolf even in a cage even dressed in silk.

[peremadeleine]

Droopy Sleeves and Tiny Bonnets: Watering Down the Romantic Aesthetic in BBC’s Les Mis

I wasn’t exactly blown away by the costumes in the BBC production of Les Mis, and Cosette’s in particular, cute as Ellie Bamber is, were thoroughly “just okay.” But I didn’t put much more thought into it...

Well, not until Gentleman Jack--set in the exact same time period--blew BBC’s Les Mis out of the water with its costume design. Then more recently, when I started researching the fashion of the early 1830s, all the ways in which poor Cosette’s costumes fell short became glaringly obvious.

Disclaimer: I am not as much of a stickler for historical accuracy in period drama costumes as this little essay is going to make me out as being. I’m not a Frock Flicks kind of gal; I just want to be entertained and look at pretty clothes. So as far as I’m concerned, as long as the basic silhouettes are there and the costumes are nice to look at, I’m there. (I find the wildly inaccurate costumes of The Tudors a lot more visually appealing than the ones in Wolf Hall. And everyone knows Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette was highly stylized, but those costumes are to die for and still embody the rococo aesthetic very well.)

That said, Cosette is a character who’s very invested in fashion, and the general look of the 1830s isn’t unknown to English productions, being the setting of Queen Victoria’s adolescence, Jane Eyre, Wives and Daughters, and many a Dickens adaptation among others.

So where did they go wrong?

Being honest, most of the Les Mis productions from the past two decades or so failed to put Cosette in high-fashion or even noteworthy costumes. Only the 2012 film for all the ways it failed her as a character hit it out of the park. Cosette gowns were damn near perfect--and they were actually pretty to boot! Unfortunately in the actual film you can’t even see the floral gown and you can barely see the blue one...thanks Tom Hooper.

The belts/buckles, the enormous sleeves, the delicate floral prints and embroidery, the lace collars...pat the costume designer on the back! (Her wedding dress was also on-point, but we’ll get to that.)

Claire Danes and Virginie Ledoyen had passable-and-sometimes-good costumes, too. Though Claire Danes’ were generally not very pretty, their overall silhouette was correct. Virginie Ledoyen gets a couple of knock-out, very period-appropriate gowns; the rest sort of fall into the nebulous “well, I guess you tried” category without being unattractive.

But the BBC production just...dropped the ball for reasons unknown.

Now, in the book Cosette overhears some ladies calling her “pretty but badly dressed.” She’s shocked, because she thinks she’s ugly but well-dressed. She then goes on a charming quest to become the best-dressed woman in Paris, and the BBC adaptation even has a scene where she goes to the seamstress. It’s really cute. Too bad that the dresses are...really not.

Here are some fashion plates from 1830-32.  Keep in mind that Cosette lives in Paris, of all places; she would be aware of what was and was not fashionable.

This is the height of Romantic fashion: giant (“gigot”) sleeves and bonnets, full skirts with hems at or just above the ankle, lace accents, silk stockings and slippers, elaborate hairdos. The 2012 costumes, again, capture this quite well. 

And even if the BBC designer had taken liberties and had fun while preserving the overall aesthetic--think what Sandy Powell did in Cinderella, set in roughly the same period--I wouldn’t be making this post. But there’s curiously little 1830s to be found in Cosette’s wardrobe at all.

I guess we should start with the BBC’s Good/Accurate Stuff. This coat Cosette wears is, apart from the deep fur-lined V-neck, almost a carbon copy of the extant coat on the right. And she has a bonnet!

Cosette’s best/most accurate dress is, naturally, the most difficult to see and has the least screentime of all her costumes:

From what I can tell, the sleeves, though delicate and sheer, are very full, as is the skirt, and the whole thing seems both pretty and en vogue...despite the questionable neckline. It’s also detailed--embroidery on the sleeves and with pleats (?) to create visual interest at the shoulders and on the bodice!

Here are a selection of other short-sleeved gowns from the period for comparison (both extant garments and costumes/reconstructions).

Tbh Ellie’s costume should be as stunning as the blue gown (far left) that an extra wore in Cinderella, but...maybe someday, in some Les Mis production, that gorgeous Sandy Powell creation will reappear. *sigh* (Virginie Ledoyen’s best Cosette gown is on the far right, btw.)

Anyway, that’s...that’s about it for the “Good” category.

Next up: her teal/turquoise dress(es). (She also wears a red one that looks exactly like this.)

Someone didn’t tell the costume designer that Cosette was supposed to be a fashionista, I guess. During my research, I did find a couple of dresses that resembled these two...but they would both be several years out of date by the time Cosette was going on her fashion crusade:

Even the yellow dotted dress has more style and “oomph” than what poor Cosette got stuck in--her sleeves look comparatively small, deflated, and underwhelming, all the more so when compared to actual 1830s gigot sleeves.

In the interest of being fair, some extant gowns from the right dates also look somewhat like these two.

But they all look, well...better. They all make me wish Cosette’s gown had bigger sleeves, a more-defined neckline, less wrinkly fabric...anything that would take it up a notch. (Also of note: as plain as some of these dresses look, they would not have been worn alone--accessories like wide belts, shawls, bonnets, etc., would have been part of the outfit when they were actually worn.)

And when it comes down to it, Cosette--who wants, after all, to be wearing the most fashionable gowns, like those in the fashion plates--should be wearing gowns more like...

The detailing, the fabric choices, the tailoring, and (sorry) the size and position of the sleeves makes all the difference here. A little more effort, even just padding for Cosette’s poor limp sleeves and a belt, would be enough to bump her looks from “kind of sad” to “something I believe this character would really wear.”

My personal favorite gown in the production was very pretty, flowing and delicate--and look: I’m willing to accept that Cosette wouldn’t always be wearing a fashion plate while chasing butterflies (something no film Cosette has, tragically, ever done...) That said, it still wasn’t very 1830s.

This purplish gown is the closest extant I could find to something like what Cosette wears here, but once you look at the details of both--fabric, neckline, whatever is happening around waist--all you get is “???” A lovely dress, but one that doesn’t make much sense.

So finally we come to what ought to be the showiest of all Cosette’s costumes: her wedding gown. 

This costume ought to be Stunning for a lot of reasons. The “Fauchelevents” have money! The Pontmercys have money, and they have society friends! Cosette is a fashionista, and she’s head-over-heels in sweet young love! And one an assume that Valjean wants to send off the light of his life, if send her off he must, in style--he’s heartbroken but also knows, from this moment, that he will never have to worry about her safety or well-being again.

With all that in mind, this is what Ellie’s Cosette wears...

Oh. Okay. Is it her freaking wedding day, or is she just going to a church picnic???

At least she IS wearing a bonnet in this scene, but it’s the same color as her hair (?!) and it’s tiny...just like her sad, deflated sleeves. The necklime and waistline both are at least accurate here, but like the sleeves, the skirt isn’t voluminous. Not a single thing about the dress makes a statement...unless it’s a shrug. The impression is, once again, “meh?”

At least a veil (which some women did wear on their wedding bonnets) would emphasize the “wedding day” vibe. How about, if they weren’t going to give it any volume, some detail on the gown...any detail...floral embroidery...a BELT...a contrasting color or fabric (lace, hello?!)...anything??? It’s just so plain and low-key. Just like everything Cosette wears in this miniseries.

Here are some period wedding gowns, two of which Cosette wears in other adaptations. They all have the wow factor this dress lacks.

Big sleeves! Lace! Belts! Veils! Lush fabric! Frills! Different colors/fabrics to create visual interest! Hairstyles that pop instead of blend together! These are the kind of gowns that say “I’m the bride and this is my day.” Not “I’m going to the church picnic.”

I want to reiterate that, after ALL that rambling...my big issues are that a) these dresses are not--by and large--attractive or interesting and b) that they fail to embody Cosette’s love of fashion. The fact that they’re so inaccurate for the time period is secondary. However, paying more attention to the fashions of 1830-32 would, I think, have helped make the costumes prettier and more suited to the character. How you dress a character is also a factor in how their character is perceived and can be a subtle means of character development. No chance of that here. (Post-marriage, Cosette wears such a blase dark blue coat that, sans fur trim, looks identical to her previous one. Yawn.) 

I’m just a fan, yet it still took me only three days of basic research to put this post together. Expecting a costume designer to put in at least a few days of light research is not a huge leap. I’m going to venture a guess and say that this designer did not bother to do that. And it shows.

It’s a shame, because Cosette gets a lot more screentime here--for the first time since the 2000 production--and she deserves so much more than shapeless gowns and barely-styled hair.

And also more than Andrew Davies...but that’s a rant for another time.