#and those were much larger dangle sequins

[sheliesshattered]

The sequin fabric for my I-am-determined-to-make-this-happen cosplay arrived the other day, and since I am still up to my eyeballs in handsewing for my Rhaenyra dress, all I did was open the plastic bag the fabric shipped in so I could check the red color against a few other pieces of the costume. Didn’t even take it out of the bag, just unfolded it a tiny bit so I could see the front of the fabric.

And yet somehow there are already sequins all over my house.

[nokomiss]

Happy 4th! I would love something with Dick and Tim having fun patrolling or working on a case together, maybe with a moment where they have to pull off a little acting for undercover/incognito reasons. Dick/Tim is my favorite but a brotherly dynamic would be great too if you are feeling that instead! Thanks for being open to prompts!

So the morning started out… weird. And by weird, that meant Tim was startled awake by Dick Grayson jumping on his bed while belting out an off-key rendition of “Blue Suede Shoes.”

“Go away,” Tim tried, shoving his face deeper under the pillow and pulling his legs up into the fetal position, attempting to keep from getting bounced on. 

Dick ignored him. “Rise and shine, time to fight crime!”

“Crime doesn’t happen at--” Tim blearily poked at his phone, “Eight-thirty in the morning.”

“Crime is always afoot, Timmers,” Dick replied. He hopped off the bed and poked Tim in the side. “Come on. We’ve got that thing you said you’d do with me. You and me! Incognito! It’s gonna be great.”

Tim had absolutely no memory of whatever mission Dick was claiming that he’d agreed to. “When, exactly, did I agree to this?” 

“Uh, four weeks ago,” Dick said. “When we were patrolling the East End. Remember? The night we rescued those puppies?”

Tim definitely remembered the puppies, they’d been adorable. And Dick had said something about---

He opened his eyes, and actually looked at Dick for the first time. He was wearing a spangled, fringed jumpsuit that wasn’t the infamous early Nightwing costume. It was white, with bell-bottoms and a plunging neckline, with a rhinestone-studded belt. His hair was in a pompadour. And he struck a pose, one hip out, head bowed, arm in the air.

Dangling from the arm in the air was another white sequined jumpsuit, this one featuring a cape with a bejeweled eagle on the back.  

“No,” Tim said, horror-struck, as he remembered with sudden clarity Dick mentioning a tip he’d gotten about a shipment of drugs being smuggled through at an upcoming Elvis convention, and Tim laughingly saying that he’d only go if there were costumes.

“Yes,” Dick said. “We pinky-swore, Tim, you can’t back out now.”

It was true; they had. Tim sighed and got out of bed, taking the jumpsuit from Dick. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“This is easily the best undercover gig I’ve ever had,” Dick confirmed. “Shake a leg, we don’t want to be late!”

Tim dressed quickly. The jumpsuit didn’t feel as weird as it ought, given what he wore out every night, and he kind of enjoyed the short cape.  Dick produced some shiny satin scarves to complete their ensembles -- blue for himself, red for Tim, which made him smile, and even big gold sunglasses.  After his hair had been fixed, he had to admit they both made pretty good Elvises; he doubted anyone would identify them as members of the Wayne family, at the very least.

On the ride to the convention hall -- a mid-sized one, Tim noticed, with minimal advertising, even though, as far as he knew, Elvis impersonation didn’t trigger any of Gotham’s major rogues -- Dick updated him on the case. He’d done a decent amount of footwork on it already. There was supposed to be a major shipment of newly produced narcotics coming in through the con somehow. The only solid name he had was Geezer, and Dick was unsure if that was a description or a name.

“So we’re going to stalk every geriatric Elvis we can find?” Tim said. 

“Stalk is such a negative word,” Dick said. He looked unfairly good as Elvis, and Tim was mildly concerned that they were going to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. Tim himself at least knew he wouldn’t; the jumpsuit he was wearing was too big, and made his lean frame look scrawny instead. It was the trick he’d used in high school to avoid looking too fit, but Dick had not chosen to go that route himself. 

 Tim planned on making fun of him for that.

Arriving at the convention center was a treat, as he and Dick fit in perfectly. Almost everyone in attendance was wearing Elvis costumes, the majority of which were white rhinestone-crusted ones similar to the ones they were wearing, with a few black leather outfits or gold suits mixed in for fun.  

They spent two solid hours moving through the crowds, listening to snippets of conversation and looking for suspicious body language.  They focused on the convention hall with its dozens of booths filled to the brim with Elvis merch.  They were the likeliest spot for surreptitious drug deals, though Dick’s information hinted at a much larger operation than just two-bit dealers.

In actuality most of the time was actually spent trying on ridiculous hats, posing with various other Elvises, at one point joining in on a giant karaoke flash mob to Jailhouse Rock despite not knowing the choreography (Dick hissed, “Just shake your pelvis, it’ll be fine” and lo and behold for once that advice was spot on) and in general having a grand time.

It was, actually, such a grand time that Tim started to become suspicious that this wasn’t actually a drug bust but actually just an outing to an Elvis convention.

“So why didn’t you bring the brat instead?” he asked as they got fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches. Now that he was thinking about the day critically, he was doubting everything. This was exactly the sort of dumb adventure that Dick would normally love to drag Damian to, under the guise of exposing him to quote-unquote culture.

Dick cast his eyes around and said, “I love Dami, don’t get me wrong, but some things are sacred.”

“Oh,” Tim said, “you didn’t want him to harsh your vibe by refusing to wear a jumpsuit.”

“Exactly,” Dick said, nodding. Several hours in and Tim still wanted to laugh when he really focused on what Dick looked like, especially since he’d truly taken to the role and was doing a lip snarl to punctuate nearly every sentence.

“But Jason would have eaten this up,” Tim pointed out. It was exactly the sort of over-the-top nonsense that Jason excelled at, despite denying the fact vehemently. “Or Cass. She would have been an incredible Elvis. She would have crushed Jailhouse Rock.”

“You wanna make this a family outing next time?” Dick’s whole face lit up. “Awww, baby bro!”

“Shut up,” Tim muttered. “There’s totally not a next time.”

“Crime never sleeps, Timmy, and look at how many shady individuals are here.” Dick pointed to a toddler taking a few wobbly steps then tripping over its bellbottoms. “I mean, by next year, there’s a crime lord in the making.”

“Not what I said!” Tim said, laughing. “I just wondered, you know, why me, out of everyone.”

Just like that, the laughter dropped from Dick’s eyes and he straightened up. For one brief second Tim could see how he managed to be a convincing Batman, and then Dick said, “Tim, you’re important to me, you know that, right? I knew this was going to actually be a fun mission for once, and I miss having fun with you.”

Oh. Tim knew logically that they hadn’t spent as much time together recently as they used to, especially as they used to back when he was Robin, but he hadn’t thought that Dick missed it as much as he did.

 “I’m glad,” he said, and didn’t duck away at all when Dick wrapped him up in a bear hug, then continued to lead the way with an arm draped over his shoulder. 

“There’s a panel starting soon about theories on Elvis’s current whereabouts, I bet there’ll be plenty of geezers there.”  Dick led the way to a room off the main convention floor.

Sure enough, given how dated the Elvis-is-alive theory was, most of the audience and the entire panel were decidedly geriatric.  The panelists presented theories that were in depth and crazy enough that Tim almost wanted to look into their veracity, even though he knew that if Elvis had truly not died, some superhero would have surely come across him by now and he would have heard about it. 

The audience was of far more interest. Several of the Elvises would get up, whisper to another, then disappear behind a curtain for a few minutes.  Tim elbowed Dick when he noticed, and Dick nodded.  They snuck around to the curtain, and peeked behind it.

Another Elvis, this time in statue form.

Tim shrugged, unsure as to why people were sneaking in to see a statue of Elvis when there were easily a dozen other animatronic ones at various points on the convention floor.  They approached slowly, but the statue was just that: a statue.

“Weird,” Tim said.

Dick shrugged and looked at it closely. “Pretty good likeness.” He poked it in the chest, randomly poking at various rhinestones, and there was a faint whirring sound from within the statue, and the rhinestone belt popped open like a quarter candy machine and dropped two pills onto the floor.

They stood for a moment, blinking at the revelation that they’d found a secret narcotic dispensing machine disguised as an Elvis statue. 

“Huh,” Tim said, “I’m gonna be honest with you here, I didn’t actually think this was a real mission.”

“I mean,” Dick said, “I can see why it would be outlandish. Guess we wait here and kick the ass of whoever comes to try to collect money from us?”

“What if it’s the old Elvises?” Tim said. “Is it morally okay to kick geriatric ass?”

“We can gently kick their ass, I guess?” Dick said. “Real delicate-like.”

It was a truly embarrassing moment to be a vigilante. The narcotic ring was masterminded by three guys in their eighties who probably had dealt to the King himself, and Dick and Tim had to very delicately immobilize their scooters and zip-tie them before alerting the police. They waited in the little anteroom making sure no one else stumbled across the drugs or dealers until they heard the approach of officers, then slipped out into the crowd just as the dance-off began.

Dick of course insisted they join in before leaving, and Tim had to admit he was glad; it was a sight to see.  

[lightsburnbrite]

Such a Thrill: Part 14/Final

Late. As always.

Leon laughed audibly as he glanced at his phone. He stepped out for a few last minute items and was no more than five minutes away, but Marius was still going to give him a hard time about it.

By the time he made it home, everyone had arrived. When Karina first suggested that they have both their families over, she was initially hesitant due to the space required. Their new apartment was larger than both their separate places but there wouldn’t be enough room to offer an overnight stay.

Then it hit her that she had Marwin’s house. Karina had hired a caretaker for at least until she figured out what she wanted to do with the place but right now, it was the perfect option. She hired a personal chef for the weekend and made sure every family member, including Leon’s sisters and their children, would have a place to stay if they wanted.

When Karina heard the chime signaling that the gate was opening, she dropped everything to meet Leon at the door. As soon as he walked in, she stood there, beaming a smile at him. “Hello, sir.”

“Hello to you too, beautiful.” Leon put the bags he had brought in aside and took one long stride so that he met up with Karina. Cradling her face in his hands, he kissed her deeply followed by two shorter kisses.

“Everyone’s made it.” Karina giggled as she contemplated sneaking off to their bedroom for a few minutes. “I think Elsa’s in love with your nephew.”

Leon smiled as he kissed her one last time. “Linus is a good kid, she’s a good dog. It’s a perfect match. When’s dinner?”

“Soon.” Karina wrapped her arms around Leon’s waist to hug him before he stepped away. “But plenty of time for you to introduce me to everyone.”

Leon let out a laugh as he followed Karina out to the terrace.

Karina had a hard time determining who gave Leon a harder time about not introducing her to them sooner, his mother or his sisters. It seemed like once the initial introduction then gentle scolding had taken place, there were twenty questions for Karina. How did she and Leon meet? How long had they been seriously seeing one another? What did she do for work? How did she like Munich?

“Sorry about the interrogation.” Leon’s youngest sister, Laura walked over and stood by Karina. “It was always a big deal when Leon found a girlfriend.”

Karina smiled and gave a little nod. “It’s ok. We both realized it had been long enough so that’s why we wanted to get everyone together. Obviously you all know Marius too.”

Karina’s smile was to be polite but it was also from genuine happiness. Less than a year ago, she would never have thought she’d be so calm and relaxed over the ideal meeting his family. Granted, she wanted to leave a good impression but it didn’t send her into a panicked spiral like it would have earlier.

***

“So,” Dr. Kattan smiled warmly. “Why don’t we start from the beginning?”

Karina gave a slight nod and inhaled sharply. “I had designed a private gallery for a man and he invited me to the party he held so he could show it off to his friends. While I was there, a man approached me and inquired of I would be willing to do the same for him. I declined because I was very busy with my schoolwork and that seemed to be the end of it.”

Leon rested his hand on her thigh, recalling their phone call where she first described meeting him and he brushed it off as nothing.

“There was one more time where he actually came up and spoke to me after that, I thought I had shut it down completely because I said it was against my job’s policy to do outside work. But I kept seeing him around places, just like in the corner of my eye. First I thought I was imagining it, sometimes I still think that, but it was never long enough to really know for sure. Then Leon and I went away to Amsterdam for the week and when we came back, he had broken in and was waiting for me in my bed.”

Dr. Kattan had been alternating between looking at Karina and taking notes. “It’s obvious that your anxiety has been set off by this traumatic event. That’s half the battle, finding out what’s causing your panic attacks. The second part is retraining your brain to realize this was an isolated incident and it does not need to operate in constant flight mode.”

Karina nodded, everything that was being said made sense. The uncertainty came from if the treatment would actually be successful.

“Now,” She flipped back to a prior page of notes. “I know that you’re currently taking and SSRI and a sedative. How frequently do you use the Xanax?”

“I take them both once a day.” Karina started to question if that was part of the problem. “That’s what my doctor said.”

When Dr. Kattan looked up, somewhat surprised, she had her answer. “The Prozac, yes. But the Xanax should be reserved for when you are actually having a panic attack. Long term use can lead to addiction. Have you been experiencing any side effects?”

“Um,” Karina honestly didn’t know how to answer the question but fortunately, Leon stepped in.

“I don’t like her on them.” He cleared his throat. “She’s not herself, it’s almost as if she’s depressed instead of just calmer. Nothing really seems to interest her, she doesn’t have much of an appetite and we don’t-”

Leon stopped himself but Karina just shrugged, figuring she had nothing to hide, and finished his sentence. “I don’t feel like having sex either.”

“Ok,” Dr. Kattan closed her folio. “Those are things I can work with. For starters, I want you to work your way down from the daily Xanax. Starting with half for a week then moving to every other day, then just as needed. I’m also going to switch you from the fluoxetine to escitalopram to see if that helps as well. It’s still an SSRI form of an anti depressant but it has a different chemical structure. Sometimes that can make all the difference. Now, I’ll come back to your for our next session, but let’s try to aim for the following week in my office? We can set small goals as far as leaving the apartment and work our way up. Leon, you can help with that as well as she obviously feels safest when you’re with her.”

Leon smiled at the thought. He was trying his best not to take Karina’s current state personally, but his ego definitely took a hit when she was indifferent towards him. Dr. Kattan gave him the job of helping Karina to remember five different steps to take to keep herself grounded as she venture farther and farther outside. Leon didn’t realize how much he needed to hear that he had been a huge part of the progress Karina was making. As soon as Dr. Kattan had said it, Karina knew she was right.

***

“I hope he’s taking care of you.”

Karina’s mind had wandered during dinner only to be brought back by Leon’s mother.

“Mama,” Leon interrupted. “Karina doesn’t need anyone to take care of her.”

Karina put her hand on top of Leon’s arm and couldn’t help but to smile as she gave a little nod. “I love your son very much and I can honestly say that I am better for having him in my life. He treats me very well.”

It was unintentional, but Karina glanced over at Marius and she knew she saw the corner of his mouth turn up slightly. Neither he nor Leon had mentioned anything to her, but they had obviously cleared things up between the two of them and Marius was noticeably kinder to Karina as well.

“So,” Marius spoke now. “What was the reason for bringing everyone together like this?”

“No reason in particular,” Karina shrugged him off. “We just thought that it had been a while and I had never been properly introduce to everyone.”

“You’re not pregnant then?” Marius laughed, but Karina knew there was at least some suspicion on his part.

Holding up her glass, Karina smiled. “You do know how much I love my Prosecco, don’t you?”

That got a laugh out of everyone and to both Leon and Karina’s relief, the subject of conversation moved away from them. After everyone had retreated to their quarters, Karina finally felt like she could relax as she went upstairs to the room she would always consider to be hers. She found Leon standing in front of the wardrobe, looking at some of the dresses she had yet to move to their apartment.

“Maybe I should take you out someplace where you have an excuse to wear these.” Leon pulled  her Saint Laurent sequined mini dress away from the others. “Like, I’d love to see you wear this.”

Karina smiled back at him as she placed her hand on his arm and kissed him. “Soon.”

She changed out of her clothes into a silk camisole and shorts pajama set and sat on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling just above the floor. Leon sat down next to her and frowned “Did you ever have sex with him in here?”

Karina only shook her head at first. “No, he only came in her once and that’s when he told me he didn’t want to see me anymore.”

When Karina laughed, Leon looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry,” she laughed again. “I just realized that one of the last times I slept with him, I imagined that it was you.”

“Really?” Leon felt a little surge of pride.

Picking up on that, Karin smiled at him again and stroked his cheek. “This was before you came over for dinner. I wanted you but nothing had happened yet.”

Leon leaned in and rested his forehead against hers before giving her a kiss. “You didn’t think we should tell everyone why we wanted to get them together?”

“There would have definitely been hurt feelings on my mother’s part.” Karina turned so that she was facing him now, resting both her hand on his thigh. “She’s going to be mad no matter what, but I just thought telling her at the same time in front of your entire family as well would have just made it worse. She’d want to think about how her reaction was perceived by everyone else too.”

With a slight frown, he tilted his head to the side. “Why do you think she’s going to be mad?”

“Because it’s not how she envisioned things.” She gave him a simple, reassuring kiss. “Getting married is supposed to involve some lavish ceremony with everyone there followed by a massive party and I’ve taken that opportunity away from her.”

He nodded, obviously Karina knew her parents well enough, but her explanation made sense. “Do you care how we tell my side?”

“However you think is best,” Karina smoothed Leon’s hair back before she kissed him again, leaving her lips to linger on his as she smiled. “You are very clever, you know.”

Leon slid Karina off his lap only to scoop her up and lay her on the bed in front of him. Leaning over, he kissed her before straddling her hips, playfully pinning her to the bed. He moved over again so that he was now laying next to Karina, his arm propped up by his elbow. “Are you happy with the way we did things, Maus? I mean, do you want a wedding?”

“No.” Karina shook her head before she snuggled in against him and closed her eyes. “I feel like I have gotten a millions times better about things, but I just don’t want to have that much attention on myself.”

She sighed before suddenly her eyes flew open and she sat up. “Are you happy?”

Leon offered her a reassuring albeit sleepy smile as he gently pulled her back against him. “You married me, Mausi, what more could I ask for?”

[kathrynkfuller9]

The Top 10 Biggest Jewellery Trends from London Fashion Week AW19

Get ahead for autumn and winter 2019 with our run-down of the biggest trends from London Fashion Week. If you’ve not got your eye on statement earrings, yellow gold and hoops, you may want to think again!

Top 10 Trends: Jewellery AW19

Hosted from February 15 to February 19, London Fashion Week (along with Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week) showcases the accessories trends that will trickle down to the High Street in 2019. Continue reading to discover what will adorn ears, wrists, fingers and necks in the coming months.

1. The Year of Earrings (Again)

When it comes to creativity, colour and character, earrings continue to be the jewellery winners. At London Fashion Week, Peter Pilotto continued his partnership with Italian jeweller, Marco Panconesi, balancing a 1970s colour palette with lovely agate gemstones. Elsewhere, pearls were a strong focus, especially flat-back pearls crafted into unusual floral shapes – perfect for larger, but lightweight designs.

Agate Gemstone as seen at Peter Pilotto

Discover more: The Best Jewels of the Oscars 2019 Red Carpet

Tap into the trend with unusual and statement gemstones, from banded agates and jaspers to malachite (as seen at Milan Fashion Week), charoite, included quartzes and lapis lazuli… ideally swinging from the ears!

2. A Hoop Earrings Era

If one style of earring dominated London Fashion Week AW19 it was the hoop earring. Huishan Zhang showcased oversized and statement options with flat-back pearls, while Simone Rocha presented ruby-red and sparkling versions that seemed to orbit the ear.

Discover more: Top Jewellery Trends of Spring Summer 2019

At Preen, hoops were adorned with monochrome black and white flowers or set with dangling charms that moved with the models. This sense of freedom with jewellery that is free to move, rattle, swing and spin is definitely a trend to watch. For something a little more ‘every-day’, look to the likes of Rejina Pyo and its chunky ‘huggy’ earring that skim the earlobe, and Burberry for hoops that sit flush to the ear in shades of gold and white (perhaps time to reflect on opal, howlite, moonstone and rock crystal gemstones).

3. Shoulder Grazers

Earrings are getting longer… and longer and longer! Long white tendrils skimmed the shoulders at Port 1961 and Roksanda, while House of Holland sent models strutting down the catwalk with slinky lines of silver chains emerging past hairlines.

4. Party of One  

If shoulder grazing earrings aren’t enough, at Roksanda these statement pieces were presented asymmetrically with the other ear completely bare. The single earring trend has been making its mark for the past 12 months but expect to see more experimentation as Christmas party dressing takes hold from November.

Asymmetrical Earrings at Roksanda

Discover more: Met Gala 2018 High Jewellery

5. Chunky Chains

Traditional chains were given a makeover at JW Anderson with exceptionally large proportions in (what appeared to be) a vice-like grip around the neck. At Halpern, chokers were presented adorned with hundreds of fat faceted crystals – a cross between Studio 54 and 1980s excess.  

Chunky Gold Chains at JW Anderson

6. Sunshine Yellow Gold

Whether it was chokers, earrings, brooches, bracelets or hoops, the precious metal colour of choice was yellow gold. It is safe to say yellow gold is enjoying a fashion comeback, especially when partnered with jewel-toned crystals and this season’s most surprising colour, stark white. Look to Victoria Beckham for a slice of realistic, wearable yellow gold in action.

7. Unusual Combinations

At Molly Goddard, crystal chains with a strong 1990s vibe were fastened with safety pins, strung with memento-like wedding bands and charms.

Discover more: Red Carpet Jewels from the Cannes Film Festival 2018

There’s a storytelling emphasis to this season’s jewellery, so expect to see quirky, buildable charm neckwear on the High Street later this year. Customers will be asking themselves: what does this jewellery say about me and how does it tell my story.

8. Florals, Feathers and Sequins

Like dancers from a contemporary Moulin Rouge, models dazzled in feathers, sequins, ruffles and layers in London. Look to Erdem, with its strong combination of pinks and red, clashing patterns and bows, as well as Roksanda with its incredible display of feathers. Of course, the presence of yellow gold goes without saying!

Extravagant Pearls as seen at Erdem

For brooch inspiration there’s Wales Bonner. Think pheasant feathers perking-up shoulders and lapels in eccentric, old-English meets new-English style.

9. Big and Bold or Nothing at All

With so much drama on the catwalk, others took a different approach. At Christopher Kane, there was a notable lack of jewellery, highlighted by a slicked back hairstyle at the ears. Perhaps we are seeing a hint of Duchess of Sussex fever, with a hyper-pared back aesthetic on the horizon? While some may find themselves pulled in this direction, there’s always those of the Kiko Kostadinov school of thought… basically the bigger the better!

Brooches on the catwalk at Wales Bonner

10. Clips, Barrettes and Veils

Although somewhat achievable in the fine jewellery sphere, hair adornments will be big in the fashion realm. Look to Ashish for some of the most creative examples, including geometric rows of crystals worn as close to the forehead as possible.

Discover trend forecasting insights at International Jewellery London 2019. Find out more here

Do you have fashion-worthy jewels to exhibit in the UK market? Speak to a member of our team to find out more about joining us in London from September 1-3, 2019

from Trending Jewellery https://blog.jewellerylondon.com/the-top-10-biggest-jewellery-trends-from-london-fashion-week-aw19/