#matthew derby

[geekcavepodcast]

Spotify Announces New Audio Series “Harley Quinn & The Joker: Sound Mind”

The second Spotify / DC / Warner Bros. audio series is all about renowned psychologist Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Harley Quinn & The Joker: Sound Mind is developed, written, and directed by Eli Horowitz. Matthew Derby and Rachel Khong will also contribute to the script. Christina Ricci stars as Harley with Billy Magnussen as the Joker and Justin Hartley as Batman. Realm will handle physical production on the audio series.

Harley Quinn & The Joker: Sound Mind is an original story told from Harley’s perspective. “When listeners meet Harley, she’s still Dr. Harleen Quinzel, a gifted psychologist at Arkham Asylum in Gotham City determined to help the patients her colleagues have written off. But her dad is sick and in need of an expensive life-saving operation Harleen can’t afford. So, when she meets “Patient J,” a unique criminal who seems to have a strange power over everyone but her, Harleen makes a fateful decision: to use her relationship with J to get what she needs, leading both of them down a dangerous path that will change their lives forever.” (DC Comics)

[sinceileftyoublog]

The Pines of Rome Interview: Sounding the Alarm

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Some reunions happen off the cuff, a band simply finding themselves in the same room again, missing what they had and immediately deciding to get back together. Others, like that of Rhode Island slowcore band The Pines of Rome, seem to happen over a number of years, a result of shifts in modes of thought. Yes, the pandemic caused guitarist/vocalist Matthew Derby to finally reach out to guitarist John Kolodij, but events in his circles both close and broad was what lit the spark.

20 years ago, The Pines of Rome played what was then supposed to be their final show. While they were never a political band, Derby was always involved in the local arts community in Providence, a scene that’s long been uniquely closely intertwined with political organizing through organizations like AS220. Over time, though, not playing music, Derby became less and less involved, ultimately feeling “detached,” as he told me over the phone earlier this year. A day after Donald Trump was inaugurated, one of the stalwarts of the local arts community, writer and activist Mark Baumer, was killed by an SUV while walking barefoot across America to raise awareness of climate change. Though Derby mourned Baumer’s death, he took the time to self-reflect and started to become involved again in the local arts community. And when he started writing songs again, he knew he had to write one about Baumer, which turned into “I am a road”, the first track on what would be come the first The Pines of Rome album in 20 years, The Unstruck Bell (Solid Brass).

After Derby and Kolodij started jamming, they contacted the band’s drummer Rick Prior and recruited a new member, bassist Steven Kimura. They entered the studio with prolific producer Seth Manchester, knowing they had something, not necessarily an album, but a collection of songs that at least continued on the post-rock journey they paused decades prior. “The By & By” featured an interplay among exploding distortion, mammoth snares, and gentle harmonics. “Slick Enhancer” was deliberate, too, featuring guitars that were at once rounded and raw. The comparatively twangy “White Ships” chugged along, but used silence and space like you’d expect from a band inspired by the slowcore acts of the early 90′s. Eventually, though, they decided to shake things up a little bit. “REDACTED” spotlighted shuffling electronic tape loops. “Siren” and “I am a road” featured acoustic, finger-picked guitar. With a little bit of reigning in from Manchester during times they wanted to go too over-the-top with instrumentation (Derby recalls the band wanting to put a harmonium on “I am a road” simply because it was there in the studio, Manchester standing firm and saying no), it turned out The Pines of Rome did, in fact, have an album. The Unstruck Bell was released in May.

The Pines of Rome also have returned to the stage, playing with contemporary kindred spirits like Cloakroom and an album release show at the Columbus Theatre in Providence last month. But before Derby even practiced for those shows, he started writing new material. The band plans to go back in studio with Manchester later in the year. He’ll probably have to be honest with them about their loopiest instrumental ideas. In the meantime, though, they were able to do what they wanted live, and yes, their sets purportedly included a full-band version of “I am a road”. 

Read my interview with Derby, edited for length and clarity, below. He speaks about how it feels to be back, the state of post-rock, political music, and being inspired by new bands.

Since I Left You: Despite the presence of your new band member, does it feel like you never left? Or are you starting anew?

Matthew Derby: There is an element of that kind of cliché. There’s just something about the way John and I write. There’s some alchemy happening with our two guitar parts I’m never able to replicate on my own. When I try to write my own stuff, it ends up sounding like the worst kind of Journey ballad, which is dignifying them too much. Neither of us were able to achieve on our own what we got out of playing together. When John and I started playing again, we picked up right where we left off, and it was a tremendous relief. I didn’t know what I was missing. It felt really powerful to be able to have that articulation or musical language that really only works when we’re collaborating.

SILY: Do you feel like you had any newfound inspirations or influences this time around, whether instrumental, thematic, and/or lyrical?

MD: That’s a really good question. Definitely, in terms of influences, in our first incarnation, the combination was largely the Saddle Creek-style folk stuff that was happening in the late 90′s, and post-rock, which we were really heavily influenced by, bands like Rex, June of 44, and Bedhead. We were trying to combine those two influences. In the 90s, [I thought] that post-rock bands [were] going to stay around and keep making music forever, and [the] new form [would] become folk or jazz or whatnot. Five years later, it was gone completely. All of those bands disappeared. In a way, we started [The Pines of Rome] again because we were missing that. I personally wanted more of that kind of music in the world. At the same time, our tastes have changed over the course of 20 years. The genre striation that was around in the 90s has given way to a much more permissive musical culture, where genre distinctions are quaint and old fashioned. One of the bands we look to as a model stylistically and lyrically and musically is Big Thief. They’ve merged so many genres into this new Americana that’s hard to pin down and describe but feels very much like their creation.

SILY: Post-rock can go two ways, as does slowcore. The Bedheads of the world get the Numero Group treatment, while the cleaner, atmospheric bands like Explosions in the Sky or Mogwai soundtrack commercials. And sometimes you can get more metal or jazzy with it. Do you feel like that’s true to the spirit of the original post-rock, this genre-less style of music?

MD: I don’t know that I would have articulated it that way, but it’s a good summary. There’s more to explore in that space, and we felt compelled to push it in new directions but also retain whatever unique spin on it we could provide to add our voice to the chorus of people still trying to explore that stylistic train.

SILY: The bands that endure or endured, like Low, Yo La Tengo, and Lambchop, are unafraid to embrace things once looked at as cheating, like AutoTune and drum machines, and put it in their music in a tasteful way. It speaks to that lack of purity you refer to.

MD: Invoking genres [in general], there’s a way in which, like AutoTune, you’re bringing in a stylistic quality that’s been celebrated and maligned. Once the hype and the backlash has died down, it’s another way bands can express themselves. When John and I started playing again, one of our rules was, “If it feels good, keep doing it.” It seems like the most obvious aesthetic you could possibly make, but the initial hesitation of, “Are we just going to sound like Bedhead?” or any band popular 20 years ago that sound really dated, was replaced by, “Let’s just pursue this to our logical conclusion.” Run through our filter, it might not sound like anything we’re afraid of imitating.

SILY: Is there a song on the album where the rule of, “If it feels good, keep going,” led to something unexpected?

MD: The first few songs that we wrote were the last song, “Slick Enhancer”, and “White Ships”, which are slow tempo, open and spacious, with this culmination in big, crashing tsunami waves. To us, that was where we naturally go. We started, and thought, “Let’s go with it. This is what we do.” We play these slow, deliberate songs where we carve out negative space and fill it in at dramatic points in the song. Then, we thought, “Uh oh, we’re on the verge of writing a fourth song that does that same thing.” At that point, we deliberately changed course. There definitely is a point where you have to break your own rule because you don’t want to make every song on the album sound the same. We started to challenge ourselves. We said, “Let’s try to write a song in a completely different style.” Someone said, “Let’s write a krautrock song!” John started to come up with a riff that eventually turned into “Redacted”, which is not something anyone would listen to and say, “This sounds like Neu!” Its genesis, though, came from our desire to not want the album to be one note and to explore a different sonic terrain. We took a left turn, and what came out is not at all what we tried to put in, which was a lesson to us. We can try to deliberately rip off anyone we want, but it will always come out the other end sounding like what we do. We loosened up, and have been doing a lot more of it since the album was recorded.

SILY: In hindsight, that shuffling at the beginning of “Redacted” reminded me a little of maybe not Neu!, but Tortoise. It does chug along.

MD: Yeah. The initial impulse was the song “Hallogallo” from the first Neu! album. We originally played it where we all had volume pedals and tried to manually ramp up the volume. It was originally 8 minutes long and...started with the drums barely playing. [When] we brought it into Machines with Magnets, Seth Manchester said, “Guys...I don’t think this is the spirit of the song. Let’s find another way in.”

SILY: It’s an effective second single, though, because if the first taste of the new music was “Slick Enhancer”, which sounds like you never left, this one is a bit more unexpected.

MD: That was what we were hoping. I’m glad that came across.

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the lyrics of “I am a road”?

MD: There was a poet and activist in Rhode Island who used to teach at Brown, Mark Baumer. He was a really influential creative person in the Providence arts community in the early 2000s. He was in the MFA Program at Brown and taught poetry. He was rigorously experimental and did all kinds of weird things. One day, he showed up to his poetry class in his coveralls and just cowered in the corner and pretended to be scared of the class, and that was his poetry class. He was also really involved in organizing. He was part of this group called The FANG Collective, an abolitionist group. They were originally protesting the [Iraq War] and [War in Afghanistan], and he actually chained himself with a bike lock to the door of the headquarters of Textron, a company in Rhode Island building cluster bombs causing horrendous collateral deaths in Afghanistan. He was arrested for that. 

He was a really influential figure. I knew him and was always kind of intimidated by him. We’d go to readings together, and I’d say a few words to him. He had this practice of walking across America barefoot to bring awareness to climate collapse. He went around the country once and raised a bunch of money. In 2016, around the time of Trump’s election, he went out again, and on the day Trump was inaugurated, he was hit by a car and killed. To me, it really felt like he was the first casualty of the Trump administration. The whole Providence arts community was totally heartbroken. It was the beginning of my realization that I had given up a lot. We had stopped playing in the band, and I had drifted away from the Providence arts community. I had become detached. It was a wake up call. I became more active in local organizing and the Providence arts community. The song came out of that.

[Mark] was also an early vlogger. He has hundreds of videos of himself going across America. There is this last video of him on the day he was killed. Because that was the start of a change in me, I used that as the material for that song.

SILY: Are you still involved in AS220?

MD: Not really. Friends of mine are. They’ve gone through a bunch of radical changes over the past 10 years. They’re doing amazing work.

SILY: What sorts of changes?

MD: They’ve always been about supporting the arts community, but once Trump got elected, [they started to ask questions like,] “Whose community are you representing here?” They’ve taken huge strides in becoming inclusive and representing and inviting a greater and more accurate version of what the Providence arts community looks like, demographically and politically. Those things weren’t on the table prior to this recent spade of changes.

SILY: What’s the inspiration behind the record title?

MD: It’s related in a way to “I am a road” and the influence that Mark had on me. We were thinking about the idea of this alarm that hasn’t yet sounded. The potential that a bell holds. It’s a little pretentious, but the bell has all of the potential in it to sound the alarm, but someone needs to strike the bell in order for the alarm to sound. It was a gesture at this moment. John doesn’t want me to reference the pandemic, for good reason. This isn’t a “pandemic record.” The effect the pandemic had in something is undeniable, and we felt like we were experiencing in real time this climate crisis, and it’s possible that we’re already living in a climate apocalypse and we just don’t know it. That’s where that concept of the unstruck bell came from.

SILY: I don’t know whether this album is your attempt to sound the alarm, but, at the risk of sounding reductive, it’s interesting that this style of music could sound an alarm, this slow music. Do you think about that?

MD: Yeah. It’s something I struggle with a great deal. I do recoil at music that is overtly political or tries to push an agenda. My aesthetic sensibility tells me to stay on the John Prine end of the spectrum of making a song that might plant a seed in someone’s mind that would motivate them to take some kind of action, but not urging them to do so. Slowcore and post-rock aren’t traditionally the vehicles--you’re not going to go to a protest and start singing songs from Spiderland. It’s not really attuned to that. But as I’m getting older, the ways in which all of these systems are interconnected, I’m interested in that place where we can create something aesthetically interesting and new [that] tries to take genre tropes in a new direction. Part of that new direction asks, for instance, “Can we just write a simple love song in the time we’re living without it spilling over into all of the other things going on in the world?” It’s something I think about a lot, and I don’t know that we’ve carefully delineated the Venn diagram of talking about and raising awareness of an issue and songcraft, trying to make a song that people want to sing around a campfire. I don’t know where we fall in that.

SILY: If one of the main purposes of art is to create empathy, which I think is inherently political, the observational, humanistic, earthbound songwriting of John Prine falls into that. At the same time, music that’s slower in pace that requires patience to listen to deeply, there’s an inherent humility in that act, too. That’s where I see the Venn diagram.

MD: I really love what you said about patience and listening. Trying to slow things down is an act alone that triggers a different way of thinking. That’s really beautiful.

SILY: It can exist at the same time as the urgency. It has to.

MD: Totally.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art of the record?

MD: John is friends with Will Schaff, the artist. We’d been an admirer of his work. He did the [art for the] Godspeed You! Black Emperor record, [Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven]. He did a [Songs: Ohia] record. He also started to embroider during the pandemic and would post these works he’d been doing on Instagram. I grew up in a Catholic family, and my mom was really involved in the church, and she did a lot of banners and tapestries for the church. The embroidery kind of recalled some of that work. We didn’t really think it through that much, and we gave Will the album title. I think John gave him the songs in their raw state and asked him to make an interpretation. That’s what he came up with. It was a collaboration without constraints. I really love how it came out.

SILY: Do you know what shape your new songs will take?

MD: This might end up being super pretentious and we might back away from it, but our goal is still to split the record sonically between one side all acoustic and the other all electric, as an organizing principle. That’s helped us shape the songs. We found that there were certain things we could get away with stylistically in an acoustic setting we weren’t able to do with a full electric setup. We may continue down that path, but [it could be] a cool idea that has no substance. We do plan to record a bunch more acoustic songs this time around. We’re trying to push out on both ends of the spectrum. We have songs that are a bit more aggressive, like the big middle third of “Slick Enhancer”, and much quieter songs. We’ve really been into the band caroline, and the way they’re able to play this one riff for 7 minutes and make this hypnotic hymn out of it with different movements. I don’t know how they do it, but we’re experimenting with songs closer to that feel.

SILY: What else is next for you?

MD: We’re trying to figure out whether we can get out on the road. Solid Brass, the label that put the album out, are awesome. They’re good friends of ours from a long way back. They’re also just starting up, figuring out how to work a label. We’re trying to figure out to what extent we’ll end up able to get on the road. Honestly, to me, when we re-joined, my single ambition was just to play with the band again and start writing and recording songs. We didn’t have any aspirations of putting a record out, even when we first recorded with Seth. We love working with him and just booked time for the pure enjoyment. We’re trying to keep that same spirit for the next record, keeping expectations of where it will go out of the equation. Once I start thinking about that stuff, it makes it harder to write the songs we want to record and that we’ll have fun playing and figuring out.

SILY: Anything else you’ve been listening to, reading, or watching you’ve enjoyed?

MD: We’ve been super into the band Wednesday. It was one of these moments where they’ve found a way to perfectly merge shoegaze and country music that felt surprising and cool. The lyrics are the best kind of David Berman, incredible plays on words, clever and funny while totally heartfelt and devastating. It’s a lot of what I aspire to and am still working toward.

SILY: A quintessentially Southern voice.

MD: Yes! And not a cliched one. Crystal clear in terms of the poetry and lyricism of it.

[razorroy]

Il pesce puzza dalla testa!

Il pesce puzza dalla testa in Italian means: the fish stinks from the head. This saying is meant for companies. When a company is failing, you say: it starts at the top. Hence, the old Italian saying: Il pesce puzza dalla testa.

But what about in sports? Does this same rule apply? If management or say ownership is poor in their handling of a football club. Or if ownership was negligent in their responsibilities towards management, players, and club supporters. Then could we say that the fish stinks from the head?

If a family was to purchase an extremely successful football club that had previously been without debt. A purchase made via a hostile takeover and a leveraged buyout which instantly sent the club into £660million worth of debt (around $1.2bn at the time), could we then say that the fish stinks from the head?

What if this same family that saddled their new football club with the debt from their purchase then decided to give themselves dividends from profits made instead of lowering the debt or reinvesting in the club's squad of players with these funds. Could we then say that the fish stinks from the head?

What if this same selfish family discovered that the recently purchased club's stadium was in need of repairs. The roof was now leaking water onto the faithful club supporters whenever it rained. But, instead of fixing this leaky roof, these selfish owners asked for local taxpayers to cover the costs to finance a new stadium. And when the owners were rejected, they decided to do nothing at all. And this roof is still leaking today. And getting much worse I might add. Could we then say that the fish stinks from the head?

During a four year period this football club, run by a selfish, greedy, family of owners paid out on average £95million per year in interest to service the debt they created. But took dividends as part of a well earned reward for all their great work. All the work that went into creating over a billion dollars in debt for a once debt free club. Or lack of work maybe? That must be it. The lack of work that goes into not fixing your roof that pours water onto the people that fill your coffers with cash. Could this possibly be a situation where the fish stinks from the head?

What about the support shown to managers that run the first team for the club? Does that matter?

When a club has won titles for years before this leaking, stubborn, greedy family arrived but fails to support this club's managers with their first choice of players to refresh the squad for the upcoming season could this be an example of the fish stinks from the head?

Of course it is! Yes, to all of the questions asked above.

The family and the club that I am speaking of are the Glazer family that currently owns Manchester United. The Glazer family is responsible for the results on the pitch more than any manager or player at Manchester United.

Simply put, the rot and odor from ownership has made its way to the pitch and has permeated the football grounds of Old Trafford. The only way to remove this grotesque smell is for the team to be sold from the Glazer family one hundred percent!

Yet some still don't understand or perhaps smell this.

Consider this. In June of 2009 Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United and their training grounds: Trafford Training Centre (Carrington) for Real Madrid and their beautiful Ciudad Real Madrid training complex. When Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in August of 2021 nothing had changed. No improvements or updates had been made to the training grounds. With one exception. The grass had been mowed! The fish stinks from the head.

After Sunday's 3 - 0 drubbing by Manchester City, football pundits from Sky Sports News, NBC Sports, and ESPN FC (Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards, Robbie Mustoe, Robbie Earle, Jan Aage Fjortoft, Steve Nicol, and Shaka Hislop) placed the blame for the most recent loss on current Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

Tactics, player selection, almost everything but ten Hag's choice of tie and sport coat was given as reason for the failure. One by one as I watched and listened, no one understood the true failure of this club.

Il pesce puzza dalla testa.

The rot has set in and the stench is almost unbearable.

When you compare the squads of Manchester United and Manchester City you see an obvious difference in quality. This difference didn't happen over one transfer window either.

Every year Manchester City has spent maximum dollars to improve their squad. Every year money has gone into the club. Every manager has been supported and not just in their first season as manager either. Manchester City isn't concerned with dividends paid to ownership. Nor are they concerned with who will pay for repairs to their stadium.

The Glazer family seems to support their managers in their first season at the club. Giving money to change the squad to meet the managers' style. Then comes the second season and poof! The money disappears. And so do the prospects of winning trophies.

David Moyes might be the exception. He was chosen to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. Perhaps the Glazers felt he had all he needed when he arrived and there wasn't a need to add to the squad. But, if Moyes had his druthers, he'd have selected Gareth Bale, Cesc Fabregas, Toni Kroos, and Thiago Alcantara. Or at the very least, made a strong effort to acquire these talents. Whatever the reasons. None found their way to Old Trafford.

In Jose Mourinho's first season he spent over 145 million pounds. He begged enough for his second season to garnish Old Trafford with over 146 million pounds of additional talent. Well done. Right? Except this money was spent more on quantity not quality. The actual players he wanted were considered too expensive.  Too expensive? Too expensive for the richest club in the world in 2017?

Jose's third season saw his spending trimmed to over 73 million. With the money the Glazer family saved they surely could have fixed the leaky roof.

Nope!

During Jose's time he racked up a very long list of: what could have been players. Players like: Mats Hummels, Raphael Varane, N’Golo Kante, Renato Sanches, Breel Embolo, Willian, Neymar, Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, Gareth Bale, Ivan Perisic, Justin Kluivert, and Harry Maguire. Maguire was considered far too expensive. So the Glazer family waited for the price to go up and then bought him for a future manager.

Truth!

After Mourinho's departure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was brought in. Ole had an eye for talent. Ole recognized players before they were expensive rising stars. Ole's wish was to purchase them before their price tags became enormous. Perhaps Ole learned about the "too expensive" issues for past managers. But Ole ran into a new issue the Glazer family created. The: that is too much for an unproven player, issue.

So Ole lost out on many players too. Here is the list of players Ole lost out on for one reason or another. Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo, and Harry Kane. Perhaps if these names were in the line up this past weekend, Erik ten Hag may have had a chance. Then again, if these players had been signed for Ole, maybe he'd still be there.

Once the Glazer family parted ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they hired Ralf Rangnick to manage the club on an interim basis and in addition serve as an advisor for player recruitment. Because none of the players desired by the past managers that the Glazer family turned away were any good. Apparently, Ralp Rangnick's suggestions weren't any good either. Let's have a look anyway!

Ralf suggested: Enzo Fernandez, Josko Gvardiol, Julian Alvarez, Luis Diaz, Erling Haaland, Konrad Laimer, Alvaro Morata, Christopher Nkunku, and Dusan Vlahovic. In all fairness, some of these players were on the pitch playing for Manchester on Sunday. They were just playing for Manchester City though.

New and current manager Erik ten Hag already has a list of failed requested signings, after having his budget slashed in ... wait for it ... his second season. His current list includes: Kim Min-Jae, Randal Kolo Muani, Victor Osimhen, Goncalo Ramos, Frenkie de Jong, Mohammed Kudus, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Jeremie Frimpong, Benjamin Pavard, and Ryan Gravenberch.

One can only wonder if ten Hag had been able to recruit at least some of his desired enhancements for this season how his side would have fared on Sunday.

To be fair, not all of these transfer failures are the fault of the Glazer family. However, a great deal are, and will continue to be if the Glazer family continue to govern Manchester United's transfer funds.

Recently the Glazer family struck a deal with Sir Jim Ratcliffe to purchase a stake in the club. Rumors are strong that Ratcliffe paid 1.5 to 1.8 billion dollars for a 25% investment in the club. It is said that Ratcliffe will control the sporting interests of the club. Hopefully Sir Jim has stocked up on air fresheners because Il pesce puzza dalla testa!

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

taylor swift lyrics x colors x textiles in art – blue

Tim McGraw – Taylor Swift // Portrait of Marie-Joseph Peyre – Marie-Suzanne Giroust 💙 Tim McGraw – Taylor Swift // Lady in the Boudoir – Gustav Holweg-Glantschnigg 💙 A Place in This World – Taylor Swift // Portrait of Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester – Jean-Étienne Liotard 💙 Dear John – Speak Now // Young Woman in a Blue Dress – Jacopo Negretti 💙 State of Grace – Red // Portrait of Mrs. Matthew Tilghman and her Daughter – John Hesselius 💙 Red – Red // An Unknown Man – Joseph Highmore 💙 All Too Well – Red // Portrait of a Man with a Quilted Sleeve – Titian 💙 Everything Has Changed – Red // Portrait of the Marquis de Saint-Paul – Jean-Baptiste Greuze 💙 Starlight – Red // Mrs. Richard Brown – John Hesselius 💙 Run – Red // Judith with the Head of Holofernes – Felice Ficherelli 💙 This Love – 1989 // Fair Rosamund – John William Waterhouse 💙 Delicate – Reputation // Miss Elizabeth Ingram – Joshua Reynolds 💙 Gorgeous – Reputation // Marguerite Hessein, Lady of Rambouillet de la Sablière – workshop of Henri and Charles Beaubrun 💙 Dancing with Our Hands Tied – Reputation // George Albert, Prince of East Frisia – Johann Conrad Eichler

Cruel Summer – Lover // Peter August Friedrich von Koskull – Michael Ludwig Claus 💙 Lover – Lover // Lady Oxenden – Joseph Wright of Derby 💙 Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince – Lover // Portrait of Ivan Ivanovich Betskoi – Alexander Roslin 💙 Paper Rings – Lover // Young Woman in a Blue Dress – Jacopo Negretti 💙 London Boy – Lover // Queen Henrietta Maria with Sir Jeffrey Hudson – Anthony van Dyck 💙 Afterglow – Lover // Portrait of Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn – Fyodor Rokotov 💙 Christmas Tree Farm – Christmas Tree Farm // Portrait of Mary Ruthven, Lady van Dyck – Anthony van Dyck 💙 invisible string – folklore // Two Altar Wings with the Visitation of Mary – unknown artist 💙 invisible string – folklore // Portrait of Madame de Pompadour – François Boucher 💙 peace – folklore // Fair Rosamund – John William Waterhouse 💙 hoax – folklore // Portrait of Charles le Normant du Coudray – Jean-Baptiste Perronneau 💙 coney island – evermore // Portrait of the Marquis de Saint-Paul – Jean-Baptiste Greuze 💙 Carolina – Carolina // Mrs. Daniel Sargent – John Singleton Copley 💙 Bejeweled – Midnights // Elsa Elisabeth Brahe – David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl 💙 The Great War – Midnights // Portrait of Françoise Marie de Bourbon – attributed to François de Troy 💙 Hits Different – Midnights // Mrs. Benjamin Pickman – John Singleton Copley

[wintersoldierslover]

my fic recs masterlist

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Bucky Barnes:

all bucky barnes

headcanon  -  blurb  -  one-shot  -  series

dbf!bucky  -  brothers bff  -  bff’s brother

neighbour  -  housewife reader

lumberjack  -  firefighter  -  bodyguard

priest bucky  -  college

football player  -  hockey player  -  boxer

professor  -  teacher  -  librarian/bookshop

coffee shop  -  soulmate  -  royal

other AUs  -  taboo

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Stranger Things characters:

all eddie munson - all steve harrington

eddie and steve (x reader)

billy hargrove - jason carver - mike wheeler

dmitri enzo antonov - jim hopper

robin buckley - nancy wheeler

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Outer Banks Characters:

all Rafe Cameron

all JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron and JJ Maybank (x reader)

Pope Heyward - Topper Thorton

John B. - Sarah Cameron

Kiara Carrera

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Marvel characters:

Wanda Maximoff  -   Kate Bishop

Natasha Romanoff  -  Yelena Belova

Peter Parker  -  Pietro Maximoff

Steve Rogers  -  Stephen Strange

Frank Castle  -  Matt Murdock 

Moon knight  -  Steven Grant

Joaqín Torres - Clint Barton

Loki Laufeyson - Druig

Eddie Brock - Miles Morales

Miguel O’hara - Hobie Brown

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Harry Potter characters:

Sirius Black - Remus Lupin 

James Potter - Poly!Marauders

Lily potter -  Cedric Diggory

George Weasley - Fred Weasley

Severus Snape - Tom Riddle

Draco Malfoy

---

Avatar (James Cameron) charachters:

neteyam - aonung - lo’ak

rotxo - kiri - spider

jake sully - neytiri - tsu’tey

tonowari - ronal - colonel quaritch

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Top Gun chracters:

Fanboy  -  Hangman  -  Rooster - Bob

Iceman

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Wednesday characters:

Xavier Thorpe - Ajax Petropolus

Wednesday Addams - Divina

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Bridgerton characters:

Anthony Bridgerton -  Benedict Bridgerton

Colin Bridgerton

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Criminal Minds characters:

Spencer Reid  -  Aaron Hotchner

Derek Morgan

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The Last of Us characters:

Joel Miller - Ellie Williams

Abby Anderson

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The Devil All The Time characters:

Tommy Matson - Lee Bodecker

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Uncharted characters:

Nate Drake - Sam Drake

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Euphoria characters:

Elliot (Euphoria) - Fezco

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On My Block characters:

Mario Martinez - Oscar Diaz

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Modern Family characters:

Luke Dunphy - Alex Dunphy

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Ted Lasso:

Roy Kent - Jamie Tartt

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NHL players:

Matthew Ktachuk - Trevor Zegras

Nolan Patrick - Tyler Seguin

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Actors:

Sebastian Stan - Joseph Quinn

Jamie Campbell Bower - Danny Ramirez

Drew Starkey - Rudy Pankow

Ben Hardy - Bella Ramsey

Jenna Ortega

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Miscellaneous characters:

Eli ‘Hawk’ Moskowitz  -   Marcus Baker

Rodrick Heffley -  Hunter Sylvester

Lloyd Hansen - Ari Levinson

Nick Fowler -  Tangerine

Rhett Abbott - Hayden ‘Harvard Hottie’

Colin (Not Okay) -   Min Ho (Xo, Kitty)

Ash (No Exit) -  James Maguire (Derby Girls)

Jake Peralta - Nick Miller  - Brian O’conner

Anakin Skywalker - Bruno Madrigal

Tadashi Hamada - Kakashi Hatake

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Miscellaneous real people:

Billie Eilish - AEW Hook

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*Updated whenever there’s a new character <3

[rwrbmovie]

Gold Derby: Meet the Experts - TV Directors Panel

Matthew López participated in Gold Derby's Meet the Experts TV Directors panel, moderated by Sam Eckmann. This video is Matthew's individual interview. There was also a group discussion with other directors. Watch HERE.

[hetalia-club]

Stardew Mod Alfred Jones (America)

Summary of Town & Buildings you should read this first if you haven't so you're not confused.

Jones Household: Alfred

Alfred (America), His brother is Matthew (Canada) and they are also roommates living on a ranch/ tree nursery together at the furthest end of Cindersnap forest. They own a small farm where America raises cows & Canada has a small tree nursery where he taps trees for maple. They live the furthest away from town so they have space to farm. They come from a family of Ranchers and got a very large trust fund from their parents. Being raised rich he does not really have a concept for money and will often say tone deaf things until you form a relationship with him. (Commenting on your clothes similar to how Haley does) Bakery contribution- Supplies Milk for the baked goods and coffee Drinks. He also makes all the Apple Pie. Alfred Visits the Bakery on Monday morning around 10am to make his milk deliveries. He will stay there for about an hour and then head home opening his store around 12pm that day. Alfred break down: Alfred Loves grindball, cows and eating. He used to be in the military and fought with Kent in the war against the Gotoro Empire. After an injury he was given an honorary discharge and deals with the guilt of feeling like he got out easy. His Milk puns can make for a fun double entendre that he is unaware of. He can come off as self-centered and chauvinistic at times but he means well. This boy loves cows and will talk about them any chance you give him. He’s a cowboy if you will. But just because was a trust fund kid does not mean he’s afraid of getting his hands dirty or hard work. Don’t let his condescending demeanor rub you the wrong way once you break that outer shell this farm boy will love you until the cows come home. The Ranch-His house doubles as a ranch so he sells Barn Animals like Marnie does and Hay + tools like sheers, milk pale and anything else you might need for your animals. He does not have as big of a selection of Marnie but his prices are slightly cheaper if you are willing to make the trek there for your stuff. Animals bought from Alfred are already full grown and there is not waiting period to have them grow from babies as Alfred raises the animals up himself so they will start producing products right away. Keep Reading Down Below >>>>

Birthday- Summer 4 Loves- Pumpkin Pie, Banana Pudding, Survival Burger, All varieties of Milk, Gold Bar and Apple Pie Likes- All universal likes except for flowers and crops that cannot be eaten. All cooked food and all crops that can be eaten with a couple exceptions Neutrals- all universal neutrals, all raw fish (Because they have the ability to be cooked and eaten) Dislikes- all universal dislikes, flowers of any kind (They are not food) Hates- Salad & Moss soup & Universal hates Gift receiving lines- Loved Lines- Wow my favorite! It’s like you can read my mind or something… Liked Lines- Sweet, Thanks! Neutral Lines- Thanks for the gift I guess Dislikes- Um, Okay Hate Lines- Why did you give me your trash? I guess I’ll throw it away for you Birthday Gift Lines- Happy Birthday to me! Thanks for remembering. Unique festival dialog: Egg Festival- I asked Mayor Lewis if we could do a milk festival instead this year. He said he didn’t think the idea would “catch on”. Desert Festival- Every year I misread the flyer and think I’m attending the “dessert festival”. This is still alright though I guess. Flower Dance- *Alfred is busy eating and doesn’t seem like he wants to talk* Ask to dance? If yes- Dance!? With you!? I thought you’d never ask! I mean…dancing is cool sure. If no- Sorry, I have literally anything else to do. Firework Festival (New Event)- It’s my birthday today you know. It almost feels like these fireworks are a celebration for me. If only I had some Banana Pudding today would be perfect. Luau- Can you guess what I added to the pot this year? If you guessed milk you were right. Trout Derby- Does not attend Dance Of The Moonlight Jellies- I don’t get what’s so exciting about a bunch of glowing fish. Now a cow with glowing milk, now that would be cool! Don’t steal that idea… Stardew Valley Fair- (Has a stand with Matthew where they are showing off Cheese, Milk, Maple syrup, and some tree fruits.) Came to stake out the completion, Eh (Player)? Mattie and I are taking home the gold this year I know it. Brew Fest (New Event)- I’m on my 18th shot of espresso. What do you mean slow down? Who are you my Mom/dad/parent? (Depending on which gender you picked) Spirits Eve- I wonder If I could make a Golden Pumpkin Pie from the Golden Pumpkin. Don’t steal that idea… Festival Of Ice- My brother dragged me here. It’s too damn cold out here *Shivers*. Hopefully the cows are warm enough in the barn. Squidfest- Does Not Attend Night Market- I wonder if you could milk a mermaid. Why are you looking at me like that? Was it something I said? Feast Of The Winter Star- *Alfred Is eating an entire Pumpkin Pie from the tin with a fork*. *He looks like he’s trying to hide it from you* Friendship Letters after befriending Alfred: 2 Hearts letter: he will send you a letter in the mail and a bottle of Maple syrup as a gift The letter will say: Found this while going through my brothers stuff. I thought it would annoy him if I gave it to you. 4 Hearts letter: Sorry I was so annoyed with you before you’re actually pretty cool you know. I Got you something little to make up for it don’t spend it all in one place. The letter will contain a Gold Bar. 6 heart letter- Now that we’re such good pals I thought I would share with you my mom’s top secret Apple Pie Recipe. This information is classified. Letter contains the recipe for Apple Pie. 2 Apple 1 Wheat flour 1 Maple Syrup Health+ 80 Energy+ 175 8 Heart letter- When you first moved in I never thought I would even talk to you. But I want you to know you’ve become my best friend. I look forward to seeing you every day. Let’s hang out later okay? Letter contains a Diamond Romance Dialog Receiving a Bouquet- For me? Hell Yeah! That’s so crazy and here I was about to just go buy a bouquet for you. Mermaid Pendent- No way, no way, no way! You seriously want to marry me? I was too afraid to ask you! I’ll get everything set up don’t even worry about lifting a finger baby.

Married Life With Alfred Jones: When married to America his corner of the farm will be a singular cow which is named Big Tex. When married to Alfred there is a chance if you speak to him in the morning he will give you milk and will tell you it came from Big Tex fresh this morning. Three days after marrying Alfred you will get a letter in the mail from ‘In-laws’ with 10k gold congratulating you and apologizing for not being at the wedding. After Marrying Alfred he will still go tend his stores and will hardly ever be actually at your house. Due to the long walk he will warp to and from there and cannot be followed since the slow pace NPCs walk would take him literally all day to get there. Alfred will call you babe from now on regardless of gender. If you go visit him at work he will have special dialog expressing he’s happy you came to see him but you don’t get a discount just because you’re married. Occasionally he will mention the current war saying he ‘hopes everyone is doing alright without him’. On Sundays he and Matthew will meet each other in Cinderssnap Forest by the river unless it’s raining and then they will both stay home.

[amphibious-thing]

OFMD Stede Bonnet as a Macaroni: Wealth, Gender and Sexuality in the 18th Century Fashion World

Historical Inaccuracy in Our Flag Means Death? Never!

Historical inaccuracy! I hear you cry. A Macaroni in 1717!?! It is true macaroni fashion was really a late-18th century fashion trend, seemingly reaching its peak in the 1770s. However Our Flag Means Death is nothing if not historically inaccurate. Stede’s costumes seem to take inspiration from across the 18th century rather than worrying about what would have actually been worn in 1717.

Early 18th century suits tended to have round necklines, loose-fitting sleeves with wide cuffs, long waistcoats that stoped just above the knee, and coats with full skirts just a little longer that the waistcoat.

[Left: Matthew Prior, oil on canvas, c. 1713-1714, by Alexis-Simon Belle, photo credit: St John's College, University of Cambridge, via Art UK.

Middle: Matthew Hutton of Newnham, Hertfordshire, oil on canvas, c. 1715, by Johannes Verelst, photo credit: National Trust Images, via Art UK.

Right: William Leathes, Ambassador Brussels, oil on canvas, c. 1710-1711, by Herman van der Myn, photo credit: Colchester and Ipswich Museums Service: Ipswich Borough Council Collection, via Art UK.]

As the century continued we get standing collars and turned down collars but round necklines were still around as well, sleeves got tighter with smaller cuffs, the waistcoats got shorter and the coats lost their skirts.

[Left: Thomas ‘Sense’ Browne, oil on canvas, c. 1775, by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, photo credit: Yale Center for British Art, via Art UK.

Middle: Sir Brooke Boothby, oil on canvas, c. 1781, by Joseph Wright of Derby, photo credit: Tate, via Art UK.

Right: David Allan, oil on canvas, c. 1770, by David Allan, photo credit: Royal Scottish Academy/National Galleries of Scotland (Antonia Reeve), via Art UK.]

Stede’s collars are inconstant some are rounded but others are turned down and Ed’s purple suit has a standing collar. Many of Stede’s coats have wide cuffs, but most have little skirt to them. His teal suit from the pilot has a bit of a skirt but its paired with a short waistcoat.

Most of Stede’s waistcoats are short with the exception of his suits from both the wedding portrait with Mary and the the family portrait. Both suits are very straight giving him a boxy appearance and are pretty different from most of the suits we see him in.

All in all I don’t think they were aiming for historically realistic clothes but with the collars, short waistcoats, and lack of skirts I get more of a late-18th century vibe.

So what was a Macaroni?

A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), defined macaroni as follows:

An Italian paste made of flour and eggs; also a fop, which name arose from a club, called the maccaroni club, instituted by some of the most; dressy travelled gentlemen about town, who led the fashions, whence a man foppishly dressed, was supposed a member of that club, and by contraction stiled a maccaroni.

The macaroni club was said to have comprised of young men who had gained a taste for French and Italian textiles on their Grand Tour (a traditional trip taken tough Europe by upper class men when they came of age). The earliest reference to the club is from a letter from Horace Walpole to Lord Hertford on the 6th Feb 1764:

at the Maccaroni Club (which is composed of all the travelled young men who wear long curls and spying-glasses),

In his book Pretty Gentleman: Macaroni Men and the Eighteenth-Century Fashion World Peter McNeil suggest the club was actually Almack’s. Almack’s was a private club at 50 Pall Mall that was attended by prominent Whigs including Sheridan, Fox and the Price of Wales. (p52) While the name may have originated from the men at Almack’s it was soon used to describe any man who followed the associated fashion trends.

So what were these trends?

Hair

“Still lower let us fall for once, and pop

Our heads into a modern Barber’s shop;

What the result? or what we behold there?

A set of Macaronies weaving hair.”

~ The Macaroni by Robert Hitchcock

Probably the most iconic aspect of macaroni fashion was the hair. “It was the macaroni attention to wigs that caused most consternation” explains Peter McNeil. The macaroni hair “matched the towering heights of the female coiffure, with a tall toupee cresting at the centre front. The wig generally had a long tail at the neck (’queue’), which when folded double was called the ‘cadogan’, all of which required regular dressing with pomade and powder, sometimes in the colours of pink, green or red.” (p45)

The height of the macaroni hair was a point of particular fascination in macaroni caricature exaggerating it beyond what the macaroni were probably actually wearing. Compare below Tom’s hair in the satirical print What is this my son Tom to the self portrait of Richard Cosway, who was satirised by Mary Darly as “The Miniature Macaroni” (a reference both to his height and his career as a miniature painter).

[Left: What is this my son Tom, print, c. 1774, published by Sayer & Bennett, via The British Museum.

Right: Self-Portrait, Ivory, c. 1770–75, by Richard Cosway, via The Met.]

The way Stede usually wears is hair is not particularly macaroni nor particularly 18th century for that matter. The exception to this is his wig from The Best Revenge Is Dressing Well though even this doesn’t have the iconic macaroni hight.

Interestingly both Stede and Ed are wearing flowers in their hair. While there are certainly depictions of women with flowers in there hair I’m not aware of this being a trend in mens fashion at all. However macaroni were known for wearing large nosegays.

While the tall hair was certainly iconic not all macaroni wore their hair tall. Joseph Banks, who was satirised as “The Fly Catching Macaroni” by Matthew Darly, is depicted in his portrait with a fairly typical 18th century hairstyle. Its not the hair alone that makes a macaroni, it was just one aspect of the fashion.

[Sir Joseph Banks, oil on canvas, c. 1771-1773, by Sir Joshua Reynolds, via Wikimedia.]

Suit

“If I went to Almack’s and decked out my wrinkles in pink and green like Lord Harrington, I might still be in vogue.” ~ Horace Walpole to Lord Hertford, 25 Nov 1764

Menswear of the period consisted of the same basic elements; shirt, stockings, breeches, waistcoat and coat. What differentiated the macaroni from others was the fabric, cut, colour and trimmings of the suit. “At a time when English dress generally consisted of more sober cuts and the use of monochrome broadcloth,” explains Peter McNeil “macaronism emphasised the effects associated with French, Spanish and Italian textiles and trimmings”. Popular amongst macaroni were brocaded and embroidered silks and velvets, sometimes further embellished with metallic sequins, simulated gemstones and raised metallic threads. Popular colours included pastels, pea-green, pink, red and deep orange. (McNeil, p30-32)

Far from wearing “monochrome broadcloth” Stede likes a “fine fabric” and dresses in a range of colours, we see him in teal, pink, purple, green, white, red, peach &c.

Tightly cut French style suits known as habit à la française were popular with macaroni. (McNeil, p14) Stede’s suits vary somewhat in cut but some are very French. The peach suit Stede wears in We Gull Way Back particularly has a very macaroni feel to me. Compare it to the English suit (left) and the French suit (right).

From the back you can see the English suit has more of a skirt to it.

Both Stede’s suit and the French suit are somewhat plain but have been paired with a floral embroidered waistcoat, while the English suit has a matching plain black waistcoat.

[Left: English suit, wool, silk, c. 1755–65, via The Met, number: 2009.300.916a, b.

Right: French suit, Silk plain weave (faille), c. 1785, via LACMA, number: M.2007.211.47a-b.]

Fabric covered button’s were common in the 18th century, you can see them on both the French and English coats above. In contrast Stede wears a lot of metal buttons. Steel buttons were popular amongst macaroni, a trend that was satirised in Steel Buttons/Coup de Bouton.

[Steel Buttons/Coup de Bouton, print, c. 1777, by William Humphrey, via The British Museum.]

Pumps and Parasols

“Maccaronies who trip in pumps and with Parasols over their heads” ~ Mrs Montagu

High heels had been popular amongst men during the 17th century. The Royal Collection Trust explains:

In the first half of the 17th century, high heeled shoes for men took the form of heeled riding or Cavalier boots as worn by Charles I. As the wearing of heels filtered into the lower ranks of society, the aristocracy responded by dramatically increasing the height of their shoes. High heels were impractical for undertaking manual labour or walking long distances, and therefore announced the privileged status of the wearer.

(Royal Collection Trust, High Heels Fit for a King)

In 17th century France Louis XIV popularised red-heels by turning them into a symbol of political privilege, which in turn spread the fashion to England. But with the sobering of menswear in England around the turn of the century the high heel and the red-heels went out of fashion. (see Bata Shoe Museum Toronto, Standing TALL: The Curious History of Men in Heels)

The high heel had a bit of a resurgence in the 1770s with macaroni fashion. The Natural History of a Macaroni snipes that the macaroni’s “natural hight is somewhat inferior to he ordinary size of men, through by the artificial hight of their heels, they in general reach that standard”. (Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, July 1777, p458)

Red-heels were reintroduced to England by young men returning from their Grand Tours. A young Charles James Fox (satirised by Mathew Darly as “the Original Macaroni”) wore such French style red-heeled shoes. The Monthly Magazine recalls a young Fox as a “celebrated “beau garçon” with “his chapeau bras, his red-heeled shoes, and his blue hair-powder.” (Oct 1806) and The Life of the Right Honorable, Charles James Fox recalls him in his “suit of Paris-cut velvet, most fancifully embroidered, and bedecked with a large bouquet; a head-dress cemented into every variety of shape; a little silk hat, curiously ornamented; and a pair of French shoes, with red-heels;” (p18) And in Recollections of the Life of the Late Right Honorable Charles James Fox B.C. Walpole recalls him as “one of the greatest beaus in England,” who “indulged in all the fashionable elegance of attire, and vied, in point of red heels and Paris-cut velvet with the most dashing young men of the age. Indeed there are many still living who recollect Beau Fox strutting up and down St. Jame’s-street, in a suit of French embroidery, a little silk hat, red-heeled shoes, and a bouquet nearly large enough for a may-pole.” (p24)

Compare the French style red-heeled shoes of Louis XIV to Stede’s red-heeled shoes.

[Left: detail of Louis XIV, oil on canvas, c. 1701, by Hyacinthe Rigaud, via Wikimedia.]

However most macaroni were depicted wearing the more standard late 18th century low-heeled bucked shoes. Where they distinguished themselves was the size and decoration of the buckles. “Such buckles could be set with pate (lead glass) or ‘Bristol stones’ (chips of quartz), or diamonds if you were very rich.” Explains peter McNeil, “The new macaroni fashion was for huge silver or plated Artois shoe buckles which the Mourning Post claimed weighed three to eleven ounces.” (p90)

While certainly not as iconic has his heels Stede also wears these sorts of shoes. Compare below the shoes from a macaroni caricature to Ed wearing Stede’s shoes (I couldn’t get a good shot of Stede wearing them).

[Left: detail of How d'ye like me, print, c. 1772, published by: Carington Bowles, via The British Museum.]

“A great many jewelled accessories accompanied the macaroni look”, writes Peter McNeil, “They included hanger swords, very long canes, clubs, spying glasses and snuff-boxes.” (p68) Tragically we don’t see Stede with a fashionable dress sword or a cane but we do see him with another accessory popular amongst macaroni; a parasol.

Popular in France parasols/umbrellas were adopted by the macaroni. They were popular amongst both men and woman in France but in England they had a feminine connotation. (McNeil, p129) In the 1780s as umbrellas became more popular amongst men there was a cultural pushback to the perceived gender transgression. On the 16th of August 1780 the Morning Post complains of of the “canopy of umbrellas” bemoaning that “the effeminacy of the men, inclines them to adopt this necessary appendage of female convenience”. On the the 4th Oct, 1784, the Morning Chronicle published a letter complaining of “that vile foppish practice of sheltering under a umbrella”. The author of this tirade writes that while “the ladies should be allowed to secure their beauty and persons from the heat of the sun, or the inclemency of the weather,” because “it is natural, and has a striking effect”, that “to see a great lubberly cit, bounce from his shop, with a coat, hat, and wig that are not together worth one groat,” sheltering “from the influence of the solar beam” was “intolerable.” However:

The macaroni being of the doubtful gender, may in part claim a feminine right; his dress is too delicate to bear an heavy shower, perhaps his person is so too; but a coach, if a clean one is to be found would serve his purpose much better, as there would be less likelihood of his being washed away into the kennel, which he deserves to be kicked into for his d-----d affectation.

Wealth

Born from rich young men returning from their tours with a taste for French and Italian textiles macaroni fashion was expensive. Certainly a working class man would not be able to afford Stede’s wardrobe. Both the sheer amount of clothes he has as well has the fabrics those clothes are made of are indications of wealth. However to say that Stede’s wardrobe is only an indication of wealth would be missing part of picture.

Most rich upper class English men (including colonial) wore plain monochrome suits. Even amongst the gentry macaroni fashion was not the norm. Compare bellow George Washington (left) who was a wealthy planation owner, but notably not a macaroni, to Richard Cosway (right) who was a famous macaroni.

[Left: George Washington, oil on canvas, c. 1796, by Gilbert Stuart, via Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Right: Detail of The Academicians of the Royal Academy, oil on canvas, c. 1771-72, by Johan Zoffany, via The Royal Collection Trust.]

In spite of the expense macaroni fashion was not exclusive to the upper classes. “Macaroni dress was not restricted to members of the aristocracy and gentry,” writes McNeil, “but included men of the artisan, artist, and upper servant classes, who wore versions of this visually lavish clothing with a distinctive cut and shorter jackets. Wealthier shopkeepers and entrepreneurs also sometimes wore such lavish clothing, particularly those associated with the luxury trades, such as mercers and upholsterers -” (p14)

It was possible to copy certain aspects of macaroni fashion on a cheeper budget. The hairstyle in particular was achievable without braking the bank. And there were ways to replicate the effects of certain expensive fashion trends for cheeper prices. For example patterns could be printed rather than embroidered.

[Left: printed waistcoat, cotton, c. 1770–90, via The Met, number: 35.142.

Right: embroidered waistcoat, silk, c. 1780–89, via The Met, number: 2009.300.2908.]

The Town and Country Magazine complains “we now have Macaronies of every denomination, from the colonel of the Train’s-Bands down to the errand-boy.” (McNeil, p169) The Morining Post mocks macaronies that couldn't financially keep up with the trends:

The macaronies of a certain class are under peculiar circumstances of distress, occasioned by the fashion, now so prevalent, of wearing enormous shoe-buckles; and we are well assured that the manufactory of plated ware was never known to be in so flourishing a situation.

(14 Jan, 1777)

In 18th century England, class was about more than just how much money you had. It was about pedigree. “English society was particularly alert to those whom it felt were using clothes to achieve a social status they did not merit” explains McNeil. Richard Cosway was a famous macaroni from modest background. Born to a Devonshire headmaster he was sent to London to study painting at 12. He became a very successful miniature painter and grew rich from the patronage of the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and Whig circles. In Nollekens and his Times J.T. Smith writes of Cosway:

He rose from one of the dirtiest boys, to one of the smartest of men. Indeed so ridiculously foppish did he become that Mat Darly, the famous caricature print-seller, introduced an etching of him in his window in the Strand, as ‘The Macaroni Miniature Painter’

(McNeil, p105-14)

But it was not only the Darlys that satirised Cosway Hannah Humphrey mocks Cosway as a social climber in A Smuggling Machine or a Convenient Cos(au)way for a Man in Miniature which depicts him standing under the petticoats of his much taller wife Maria. In the background there is a picture of Cosway climbing a ladder that rests upon a woman (she is believed to either be Angelica Kauffman or the Duchess of Devonshire). Below this reads:

Lowliness is Young Ambitions Ladder, Whereto the climber upward turns his Face But when he once attains the upmost round He then unto the Ladder turns his back, Looks unto the clouds - scornin [sic] the base degrees By which he did assend. Shak. Jul. Caesar.

[A Smuggling Machine or a Convenient Cos(au)way for a Man in Miniature, print, c. 1782, by Hannah Humphrey, via The British Museum.]

Another famous macaroni not born into the aristocracy was Julius Soubise. Brought to England from the West Indies as a slave he was taken in by Catherine Hyde, the Duchess of Queensbury. She gave him a leisured childhood, in which he was taught to play and compose for the violin, was taught to fence by Domenico Angelo, and learned oration from David Garrick. “Macaroni caricatures of Soubise parodied a foppish upstart whose outfits and entertainments, financed by the Duchess, affronted both racial and social expectations of an African male.” Writes Petter McNeil, Soubise was satirised as “a Mungo Macaroni” an “offensive term meaning a rude or forward black man.” (p118)

[Left: A Mungo Macaroni, print, c. 1772, by Matthew Darly, via The British Museum.

Right: The D------ of [...]-- playing at foils with her favorite lap dog Mungo after expending near £10000 to make him a----------*, print, c. 1773, by William Austin, via Yale Center for British Art.]

The expense of Stede’s wardrobe is a key part of the narrative. Stede has nice fancy luxurious things. Ed wants nice fancy luxurious things. Ed was born a poor brown boy and while he may be rich now he can never truly change his class. He could be as rich as Richard Cosway or Julius Soubise but to the gentry he will always be that poor brown boy.

Gender

As we have already seen in the tirade against men using umbrellas the macaroni was perceived as being of “the doubtful gender”. (The Morning Chronicle, 4 Oct, 1784)

The Natural History of a Macaroni writes that there “has within these few years past arrived from France and Italy a very strange animal, of the doubtful gender, in shape somewhat between a man and monkey,” that dresses “neither in the habit of a man or woman, but peculiar to itself”. The author states that “they are in no respect useful in this country”:

that the minister of the war department would give orders to have them enlisted for the service of America: we do not mean to put them on actual duty there. Alas! they are as harmless in the field, as they are in the chamber, but they may stand as faggots to cover the loss of real men.

(Walker’s Hibernian Magazine, July 1777, p458-9)

A “faggot” being “A man who is temporarily hired as a dummy soldier to make up the required number at a muster of troops, or on the roll of a company or regiment.” (see OED)

[The Masculine Gender & The Feminine Gender, etching with touches of watercolour, c. 1787, Attributed to Henry Kingsbury, via The Met.]

The macaroni wasn’t just considered effeminate because of the way they dressed but also because of their interests and the way walked and talked. Famous for playing fops and macaroni, the actor David Garrick did a lot to establish the character of the macaroni in the public mind. In his poem The Fribbleriad Garrick mocks the men who were offended by his performances asserting, perhaps accurately, that they were offended because it was them he mocked. He portrays a group of angry effeminate men meeting in order to seek revenge on him for his portrayal of them:

May we no more such misery know! Since Garrick made OUR SEX a shew; And gave us up to such rude laughter, That few, ’twas said, could hold their water: For He, that player, so mock’d our motions, Our dress, amusements, fancies, notions, So lisp’d our words, and minc’d our steps,

The macaroni had become more than simply an effeminate man, he had become a new sex. Something not quite man or woman. Something in-between. A new description of a macaroni asks the question:

Is it a man? ‘Tis hard to say - A woman then

          - A moment pray -

So doubtful is the thing, that no man

Can say if ‘tis a man or woman:

Unknown as yet by sex or feature,

It moves - a mere amphibious creature.

(McNeil p169)

Sexuality

Much like today in the 18th century effeminacy was associated with homosexuality. Men who had sex with other men were known as mollies. A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), defined a molly as “A Miss Molly; an effeminate fellow, a sodomite”. In the History of the London Clubs (1709), Ned Ward characterises mollies as follows:

There are a particular Gang of Wretches in Town, who call themselves Mollies, & are so far degenerated from all Masculine Deportment or Manly exercises that they rather fancy themselves Women, imitating all the little Vanities that Custom has reconcil’d to the Female sex, affecting to speak, walk, tattle, curtsy, cry, scold, & mimick all manner of Effeminacy.

“By the 1760′s,” explains Peter McNeil, “too much attention to fashion on the part of a man was read as evidence if a lack of interest in women”. (p152) 

Macaroni were often portrayed as incapable or simply uninterested in sexual relations with women. This attitude is expressed by Mr. Bate in the following dialogue from The Vauxhall Affray; Or, the Macaronies Defeated:

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I always though a fine woman was only made to be looked at.

Mr. Bate: Just sentiments of a macaroni. You judge of the fair sex as you do your own doubtful gender, which aims only to be looked at and admired.

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I have as great a love for a fine woman as any man.

Mr. Bate: Psha! Lepus tute es et pulpamentum quæris?

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: What do you say, Parson?

Mr. Bate: I cry you mercy, Sir, I am talking Heathen Greek to you; in plain English I say, A macaroni you, and love a woman?

Mr. Fitz-Gerall: I love the ladies, for the ladies love me.

Mr Bate: Yes, as their panteen, their play-thing, their harmless bauble, to treat as you do them, merely to look at

While lack on interest in woman does not necessarily mean attraction to men, Matthew Darly takes the implication there in his 1771 set of macaroni caricatures which induces a print entitled Ganymede, a reference to Zeus’ male lover of the same name. Ganymede is believed to be a parody of Samuel Drybutter who had been arrested for attempted sodomy in January 1770. Darly also includes the character Ganymede in Ganymede & Jack-Catch. Jack-Catch is a reference to the infamous English executioner John Ketch. In the print Jack-Catch says, “Dammee Sammy you’r a sweat pretty creature & I long to have you at the end of my String.” Ganymede replies, “You don’t love me Jacky”. Jack-Catch is holding a noose with one hand and stroking Ganymede’s chin with the other. Jack-Catch is soberly dressed in typical 18th century menswear, while Ganymede’s dress is distinguished by his lace ruffles and styled wig. The print is not only suggesting that macaroni are sodomites but making a joke of the execution of them. The punishment for a sodomy at this time in England being death by hanging.

[Left: Ganymede, print, c. 1771, Matthew Darly, via The Met.

Right: Ganymede & Jack Catch, print, c. 1771, Matthew Darly, via The British Museum]

An anonymous letter to the Public Ledger (5 Aug, 1772) says blatantly what others had already implied. “The country is over-run with Catamites, with monsters of Captain Jones’s taste, or, to speak in a language witch all may understand, with MACCARONIES”. The writer warns macaroni who have “escaped detection” as sodomites and “therefore cannot fairly be charged” that they have not avoided suspicion:

Suspicion is got abroad-the carriage-the deportment-the dress-the effeminate squeak of the voice-the familiar loll upon each others shoulders-the gripe of the hand-the grinning in each others faces, to shew the whiteness of the teeth-in short, the manner altogether, and the figure so different from that of Manhood, these things conspire to create suspicion; Suspicion gives birth to watchful observation; and, from a strict observance of the Maccaroni Tribe, we very naturally conclude that to them we are indebted for the frequency of a crime which Modesty forbids me to name. Take warning, therefore, ye smirking group of Tiddy-dols: However secret you may be in your amours, yet in the end you cannot escape detection;

Bows on His Shoes

18th century shoes were typically buckled, laces and ribbons were simply unfashionable. As mentioned previously macaroni were distinguished by the size and decoration of the buckles. So are Stede’s bows simply ahistorical? Well there are references to 18th century men wearing laces and ribbons.

Towards the end of the 18th century laces started to come into fashion. Appeal from the Buckle Trade of London and Westminster, to the Royal Conductors of Fashion (1792) complained that despite how “tender and effeminate the appearance of Shoe Strings” the “custom of wearing them has prevailed.”

Perhaps the most intriguing reference is that of Commissioner Pierre Louis Foucault’s papers where he details the surveillance, investigation and entrapment of "pederasts” in Paris. It is important to note that the word “pederasty” was used synonymously with “sodomy” in the 18th century and did not denote age simply sex. An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1726) defines “A pederast” as “a Buggerer” and “Pederasty” as “Buggery”.

Foucault and the men working with him identified particular clothing worn by men seeking sex with other men that he called the “pederastical uniform”. In Foucault’s papers men are described as being “attired in such a way as to be recognized by everyone as a pederast”, “clothed with all the distinctive marks of pederasty”, or simply “dressed like a pederast”. This “uniform” generally included “some combination of frock coat, large tie, round hat, small chignon, and bows on the shoes.” Jeffrey Merrick in his article on Foucault speculates that these men dressed this way to signal to each other. However when questioned by police they would understandably deny such a purpose, one man when questioned about his outfit responded that everyone “dresses as he sees fit”. (Jeffrey Merrick, Commissioner Foucault, Inspector Noël, and the “Pederasts” of Paris,1780-3)

Conclusion

I’m not saying Stede is intended to be a macaroni. If that were the case they would have given him the iconic macaroni hairstyle. However the costuming team has clearly pulled from fashion trends that were associated with effeminacy and homosexuality. While OFMD is evidently wholly unconcerned with creating period accurate costumes the costumes are still clearly inspired by historical fashions. Perhaps the curtains really are just blue but maybe Stede wears bows on his shoes because he’s gay.

[fishfingersalad]

Rvb skating hcs, bc I miss skating but I can’t figure out how to put the brake back on my blades, and where I live is rlly hilly so I need it or else I'm trapped in the cul-de-sac.

Putting a break cause its a real long list lol

Skateboards:

Alpha Church (Can’t actually skateboard, swears he can but he's sooo wobbly) Tex (Can actually skateboard, makes fun of church) Tucker (Between Church and Tex’s levels, hes decent at it) Wash (Don’t think I need to explain this one) Niner (I’ve seen a lot of wheelchair niner hcs, shed totally do wheelchair skateboarding) Palomo (Falls over a lot, but hey he just keeps on going.) Bitters (Absolutely holds it over Palomos head that he’s better at skateboarding) Theta (canon)

Rollerskates:

Kai (Dunno if this one needs an explanation, she might like derby ngl) Donut (He seems like he’d use them as transportation, just skatin around) South (She’d do roller derby and get so competitive about it) CT (Seen some videos of people doing sweet flips and tricks w skates) Ohio (She gives me the vibe of someone who’s got cool iridescent pink roller skates) Andersmith (Picked up skating cause the younger lieutenants were into it) Matthews (He’s a bit unbalanced, but he’s determined)

Rollerblades:

Carolina (Speed, blades are faster than skates) Simmons (He is shaky as hell, but he is trying. Won’t skate anywhere that’s not flat.) Kimball (Lina taught her, they race) Dr Grey (Dunno, just vibes) Jensen (Much like Simmons but with more uneven terrain) Epsilon Church (Picked blades so he could skate w Lina, and to be different from Wash n Alpha) Omega/O’malley (I'm just picturing him chasing people around at high speeds, cackling) Eta (Wanted to try something new, and to spend time w Theta)

Iceskates:

Florida (Specifically figure skating) Felix (Honestly idk, he’s cold and sharp like an ice skate) Delta (He’d ramble about why it’s an intellectual sport, but actually just thinks its fun) Sigma (He’d be rlly pretentious about it)

Scooter:

York (Guy has no balance but still wants to be included) Iota (Cheers on Eta and Theta, does sick scooter tricks)

Other:

Grif (I think he’d have a longboard that he rides around) Sarge (Quad bike) Doc (Also a longboarder) Idaho (I think he’d prefer dirt bike racing) Iowa (Quad bike, it’s like a mongoose) Caboose (Mountain bike, no real explanation, just vibes)

Doesn’t skate (or bike or anything):

Lopez (He prefers cars, might've made an electric skateboard at some point but doesn't rlly use it) Wyoming (Can’t see him skating at all ngl) North (Cheers everyone else on and records videos) Maine (First aid) Locus (Tried to skate once and fell over. Now he just broods from the benches.) Doyle (Too nervous, prefers to just watch) Gamma (I don’t think he’d go outside much ngl)

[runnning-outof-time]

Birmingham | Tommy Shelby x Reader (Part 6)

Previous Part

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: (Y/N) continues her communication with her mom, turns down a suggestion from Tommy, tries to reason with Matthew, and then receives some help from Ada.

Warnings: language

Word Count: 3645

A/N: so I finished what I thought would be one part, and it turned it to be like 6000 words, so I’ve decided to split it in two. I’m hoping to have the next part posted on Monday (9/26) so that y’all can find out what happens at the derby. Enjoy! :)

Let me know if you want to be tagged in this series!

Dear (Y/N),

It is so good to be able to hear from you and to know how you are doing. Although it hurts me not to be able to see my only daughter in person, I will accept this as a sufficeable form of communication until we can see each other again.

You seem to have settled in nicely where you are living now. Upon your request, I have not shared your location with your brothers or father, although I think it may be beneficial if you allow me to. It felt rather secretive trying to hide the return address from them as I was gathering the mail. Until you tell me otherwise, I will continue to honor your request.

Matthew seems like a lovely man. You said you met him through work...what is it that you do? I find it incredible that you are able to put yourself out into the world like this, especially after the life your father made sure we had while you were growing up. I always knew you were destined for great things, (Y/N).

I also must ask...have you heard anything about the two of our men that came into Small Heath a few weeks back? Their names are Bradley and Steven. Maybe you've seen them around where you're staying. I ask this because they haven't come back to report to your brothers. I've heard some terrible things about Small Heath and Birmingham, and now I'm believing them to be true. Oh, (Y/N), please tell me you are safe.

With Love,

Mum

(Y/N) wasn't sure what she was feeling after she finished reading the letter she'd received from her mother. She was honestly surprised that she'd taken the time to write back, given that the letter she sent was rather vague. She figured she'd have to make it so that if her brothers intercepted it, not much would be given away about her new life...although them seeing the return address would give away the biggest secret; they wouldn't even have to read the letter.

It also worried her that her mother was bringing up questions about the two members of the Weller Boys who had arrived, and ultimately met their fate, in Birmingham about a month ago. She couldn't tell her what really happened to them. What mother would like to see 'oh yeah, those men?...I killed them' in a letter from her daughter?

She moved about her apartment, gathering the stationary that she used to write her letters on. Once her makeshift writing station at the dining table was set up, she uncapped the pen and started her letter:

Mum,

I am delighted that you are choosing to communicate with me in this form. I know it is not your first choice, but it is making me a great deal more comfortable in continuing with talking to you.

She paused, tapping the pen against her chin as she tried to decide what she'd address next. Go for the important things, she thought to herself.

I have not heard anything of those two men, nor have I seen their faces around...

A knocking on the door stopped her before she was able to finish her thought. "Coming!" she called, capping the pen before she quickly stood up and walked to the door. Upon opening it, she was greeted by Matthew's smiling face. "Hi," she greeted him with a smile.

"Hi," he repeated her greeting before he leaned in and kissed her lips quickly. "Are you ready to go?" he asked after pulling away.

"Is it that time already?" she asked with shock laced into her voice, her eyes widening slightly.

"It is," he grinned at her surprise, finding her response to his statement rather adorable.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice. I was in the middle of writing something," she stated, jerking her thumb backwards into her apartment.

"That's alright, love," Matthew brushed her apology off, "we've still got time."

"I'll be quick," she told him, inviting him into the apartment then so that she could clean up her table and get the things she needed for work.

"Ready?" he asked once she came to his side again.

"Yes," she smiled at him, taking a deep breath to slow her heart rate down before they both exited her apartment in order to start the walk to the Garrison.

——

The day passed quickly, and nothing out of the ordinary happened. (Y/N) was busy stocking shelves and unpacking the wares that the pub needed to function. At the end of her shift, she worked hard to make sure that the crates she'd emptied were stacked properly in the corner so that Harry knew he could take them to the trash. Just as she was going to shut off the lights, she noticed Tommy standing in the doorway.

"Mr. Shelby...I'm sorry I didn't see you there," she apologized for leaving him waiting, "what can I do for you?"

"I wasn't waiting long," he brushed off her apology before stepping into the room. (Y/N)'s eyebrows furrowed at the reason behind his presence. She still wasn't sure what he wanted from her and at this point expected anything...given what he'd asked of her just a few days ago. "I was able to get my hands on this..." he continued before producing what looked to be a piece of red fabric from his pants pocket.

"What's that?" (Y/N) asked even though she knew that he'd tell her in a matter of seconds.

"It's the color that Kimber will be wearing to the derby," he explained before holding it out to her, "I wanted to give it to you...so that you could match your dress to him."

(Y/N) accepted the piece of fabric and stared at it for a moment. She flipped it around in her hands as she tried to think of how to word what she would say next. "Have it back," she finally said as she held her hand back out to Tommy.

"What?" Tommy was confused by her statement, his brows now furrowed.

"I will go to this derby with you, but I will not be dressed as a present for that man," she told him, her eyes locked onto his as she spoke so he knew that she was serious. Tommy's lips parted slightly as he tried to think of what to say in return. (Y/N) didn't let him speak. "You're a smart man, Tommy Shelby...you do not need to resort to that to initiate this business," she added, her eyes not wavering from his. She searched his eyes for a moment, seeing them widen slightly as he took in what she had to say.

With a slight nod, he took back the piece of fabric that was still extended between them so that he could return it to his pocket.

"Is there anything else you need from me?" (Y/N) asked after they'd been standing in silence for a few moments, their eyes not yet straying from each other’s.

"Not at the moment, no," he answered with a slight shake of his head.

"Am I free to leave?" was her next question. She knew that Matthew was waiting outside for her, and he'd promised her dinner after her shift was finished.

"Yes," Tommy nodded again, surprise still evident in his features. Truly, he'd been taken back by how (Y/N) responded to his ask. He thought that having her match her dress to Kimber’s handkerchief would be a surefire way to get a foot in the door with the man. Now he had to come up with a different avenue. He was sure that he would, but sometimes it was easier to take the blatant route.

"Goodnight, Mr. Shelby," she then said after she'd grabbed her things.

"Goodnight, (Y/N)," he repeated her farewell, allowing her to walk past him as he stood stagnant with a bit of a dumbfounded expression on his face. It'd been a while since someone other than a member of his family had stood up to him and shot down his idea...surprisingly, in this case at least, he wasn't at all mad about it.

(Y/N) tried to shake the conversation she'd just had as she walked through the bar's main area and out its doors. She must've not done a good job with it, because as soon as Matthew set his eyes on her, his brow was furrowed in concern. "What's happened, (Y/N)?" he asked as he walked over to her.

"Nothing, Matthew," she brushed his question off.

He wasn't satisfied by her response. "Tell me, please, baby," he gently prodded her to share what was on her mind with him, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

"I, uh..." she trailed off, furrowing her brows as she tried to think of how to say what she was going to tell him. "Mr. Shelby just asked a rather unusual thing of me."

Matthew's brows furrowed again, this time out of confusion, as he heard what she said, "what did he ask you?" he questioned, hoping she'd elaborate.

"He had a piece of fabric, the color that Kimber's wearing to the races. He wanted me to match my dress to it," she explained, watching as anger then flashed across his features.

"What?" he questioned, wanting to know if he'd heard her right.

"I guess he wanted to have me match Kimber so that I'd catch his eye...I turned him down, it's really nothing," she said then, trying to deflect the situation.

"He did fucking what?" the anger was fully apparent now, "I'm gonna go talk to him, (Y/N). Is he still in there?" he asked as he then began taking steps back to the doors of the Garrison.

"No, Matthew," (Y/N) grabbed hold of his arm to stop him from going any further, "please don't do that."

"He was going to make you a piece of bait, (Y/N)...that's disgusting," Matthew told her, at this point starting to become appalled at the fact that she didn't want him to go confront the other man.

"I know that it's disgusting, and that's why I told him no," she explained to him, trying to keep a calm head because she could see that he was getting riled up.

"You shouldn't have fucking agreed to this, (Y/N). You shouldn't have allowed him to take you to this."

"He's my boss, Matthew. I can't really tell him no when he asks something of me."

"You just did."

"You know what I mean," she said with a sigh, "I'm going to go with him, but I will do it on my terms."

"Yeah, well I'm coming with you now," Matthew said then, his frustration still apparent.

"What?" (Y/N) asked, confused by the sudden turn of events.

"I don't trust him with you...I'm coming so that you'll be protected," he insisted.

"That's not necessary Matthew and you know that," she disagreed with his idea.

"Tell me why you think that," he asked her to elaborate.

"Because Mr. Shelby hired you to be my protection. He most likely chose you because you could offer the same level of it that he can. He certainly knows what to be on the lookout for," she explained her reasoning, "I understand why you want to, Matthew, but please don't," she added, a pleading look on her face.

He stared at her with a straight face, her words playing on his mind for a few moments before he let out a sigh. Accepting her statement, he nodded his head. "If he lets something happen to you, (Y/N), I swear, I..."

"Do you really think he'll let something happen to me, Matthew?" she cut him off, raising her eyebrows slightly. A small smile formed on her face when she was only responded to with a slight shake of his head. "Can we go get dinner now, please?" she asked him, hoping to finally get past this topic.

"Yes, we can," he nodded, trying his best to put on a smile as he offered his arm for her to take. Her smile grew as she accepted it, and they began walking to their intended dinner spot.

——

"Thank you for coming along with me, Ada," (Y/N) said as the two women approached the doors of one of the more well-known boutiques in Small Heath. "I really don't know the first place to look when it comes to an appropriate dress for a derby."

"It's not a problem, (Y/N)...I'd do anything at this point to get out of the apartment. Freddie insists we stay here, but yet he's the only one who's able to go about his business. I just wish he would...see sense in all of this," Ada answered her, her stress shining through in her words.

"Men hardly ever see sense, do they?" (Y/N) stated as she sent Ada a knowing look, "they just see what benefits them and they run towards it with their blinders up and destination set."

"It was you who got through to Tommy you know, (Y/N). You made him change his mind...made him allow Freddie to marry me. Except we were supposed to marry in any place but here," Ada pointed out as she glanced over at the other woman.

Another knowing look formed on (Y/N)'s face before it faded into a small smile. She was happy that her friend had her lover, and also the father of her child, back in her life, but she hated to hear that there were still obvious tensions between him and Tommy. From what she'd heard about all of it, it seemed like Freddie was really pressing his luck.

"I never got to congratulate you on your marriage, Ada," (Y/N) said then, slightly changing the topic of conversation, "I'm sure you looked beautiful in white."

Ada snorted slightly before saying: "yeah, whatever white was left after I ran through the mud-covered streets."

"A proper Small Heath bride, I'm sure," (Y/N) cracked a smile, her statement making Ada laugh.

"Oh, most certainly," Ada responded, the two women sharing a laugh as they walked to the door of the boutique they decided on stopping in.

"Ok, you need to really help me here, Ada...I'm lost," (Y/N) said after taking in all of the articles of clothing that were hanging on display.

"You say that like I've been to my share of derbies in the past," Ada answered her with a chuckle.

"You've not?" (Y/N) questioned, her eyes widening slightly. Was this a lost cause?

"Derbies are solely the men's business, (Y/N). They'll only bring a woman along when the purpose suits them," Ada informed her friend, making the other woman sigh at her words.

"I seem to be finding that out a little too late," (Y/N) sighed, dropping her gaze to the ground as she shook her head slightly. Was agreeing to this the wrong choice?, she wondered as she looked at all of the dresses again. Between Ada's comment and Tommy's attempt to make her stand out, it was now blatantly obvious why she'd been asked to attend the derby. She couldn't go back on her commitment now though...the derby was only a handful of days away.

"It'll be fine, (Y/N)," Ada attempted to brush the other woman's worries aside.

"I can only hope," (Y/N) huffed, dropping her gaze to the ground for a moment before she took a deep breath to steady herself. Everything is going to be ok, she told herself before she looked up and around the room again. This time, she tried not to let the many choices overwhelm her.

"Is there any specific color you have in mind?" Ada asked after a few silent moments.

"No. I'll look at anything but red," she answered the brown-haired woman, trying hard not to allow a tone of distaste enter her words. Ada sent her a look that asked 'why not?' then, and (Y/N) weighed out whether or not she wanted to disclose the reason. "It's a long story," she settled with a vague response.

"Tell it when you're ready," Ada stated, and (Y/N) sent a silent 'thank you' for the fact that she didn't try to force out the details. She'd been lucky in finding Ada as a friend.

The two women got going on looking through the options, and searched through just about half of the store before their time spent started to get the best of them. "Try this on, Ada," (Y/N) said as she held a blue dress up into view, "I'm tired of being the only one going into the dressing rooms."

"You're the one looking for the dress though," Ada pointed out.

"Yeah, I know that, but...please?" the other woman asked, sending her friend the puppy dog look for good measure.

"I'll look like a whale," Ada continued to dispute the idea.

"You will not. You barely have a bump yet," (Y/N) wasn't falling for it.

Ada pursed her lips as she stared at her friend, who was still pouting dramatically. A few moments passed before she let out a sigh. "Fine. Give me it," she grumbled, reaching her hand out for the garment (Y/N) was holding. (Y/N) clapped her hands as best she could in excitement before she handed the dress over to Ada. "Don't laugh at me when I come out though," Ada stated as she moved back to the dressing rooms.

"Never," (Y/N) answered in all seriousness as she then waited for the other woman to get changed.

"Ok...how absurd do I look?" Ada asked a few moments later before she pushed the curtain aside.

"You look good, Ada!" (Y/N) said, her jaw just about dropping at how beautiful the dress looked on her friend.

"You think?" Ada questioned, looking at herself in the mirror.

"I know," (Y/N) flipped the woman's words around with a grin, "that dress is beautiful," she added.

"Maybe you should try it on," Ada suggested, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"That might be a good idea," (Y/N) agreed before she moved back to the racks where she'd originally gotten the dress to find one in her size. She then quickly changed out of her clothes and into the dress before coming back out to meet Ada again.

"What do you think?" Ada questioned as she looked her friend over.

"I really like it," (Y/N) said with a smile as she looked at herself in the mirror. The dress felt good on her. It wasn't too revealing, fit against her body nicely, and made her feel confident. The royal blue color beautifully contrasted with her features. This had to be the dress she picked.

"See...you would have never chosen it if you hadn't seen it on me first," Ada grinned, proud of herself that she helped her friend pick out the dress she'd be wearing.

"What until I tell your brother this one..." (Y/N) trailed off with a giggle, "if you like the dress, you'll have to give all of the credit to Ms. Ada Shelby," she then jokingly recited what she'd tell Tommy.

"That's Mrs. Ada Thorne, thank you," Ada corrected her, the two women bursting into a fit of giggles then. "So you and Tommy, yeah?" she asked once their laughter had subsided.

"No," (Y/N) responded rather quickly, her eyes widening slightly as what Ada said had sunk in. Ada sent her a look then that had her going even further into defending herself, "he's just asked me to come to the races as a part of business. That's really all."

"I think he'll like the dress," was all Ada said in response before she looked at herself in the mirror, "the dress that I've now got to take off because I'll be walking out of here with it too if I don't," she added before she walked away from (Y/N), leaving her looking at herself in the mirror with a rather dumbfounded expression.

——

(Y/N) was just finishing playing with her hair and making sure it was set properly when a knock sounded off of her door. She grabbed her purse and made her way to it, a smile on her face when she saw Matthew standing outside.

"Wow," he said as he looked over her figure.

"A good wow?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her face.

"A great wow," he corrected her with a grin, his words making her cheeks heat up. "Are you ready?" he asked then, to which (Y/N) nodded in response. "Let's go then," he stated, offering her his arm. She accepted it and they exited the apartment.

They made their way to the Garrison and stood out in front of it like Tommy had instructed her to the day prior. Soon enough, Tommy was approaching them in his car.

"Enjoy yourself," Matthew said to (Y/N), a smile on his face as he helped her into the passenger's side of the car. She smiled at him and he made sure she was situated before he looked at Tommy. "Make sure you keep an eye on her," he told him, sounding much like the child who was telling the adult what they should be doing.

Tommy only glanced between (Y/N) and Matthew before he nodded his head. Matthew, accepting the answer, stepped away from the car then. "Ready?" Tommy asked (Y/N), glancing her over after he spoke.

"Yes," (Y/N) responded with a smile and a slight nod. That was all Tommy needed to start up the car again so that they could begin the drive to the derby.

Next Part

Tagged: @mgcllovdrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @lilyrachelcassidy @notyour-valentine @easilyobessedbutflighty @shelbydelrey @december16-1991 @onlydeadcells @peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @midnightmagpiemama @cillmequick @l1-l4 @chlorrox @lostgirl219 @woofgocows @bdudette @mrkdvidal1989 @stephhevring @hobothejuggalo @fictional-hooman @httyd-marauders @nataliewalker93 @rangerelik @thecraziestcrayon @lovemissyhoneybee

SERIES MASTERLIST

[warrenwoodhouse]

Cliques - Bully Guide (Game Guides) (Guides)

List of all of the cliques in Bully and in Bully: Scholarship Edition.

Main Game

Nerds

Boys

Algernon “Algie��� Papadopoulos

Bucky Pasteur

Earnest Jones

Melvin O’Connor

Donald Anderson

Cornelius Johnson

Fatty Johnson

Thad Carlson

Girls

Beatrice Trudeau

Hangouts

The Library

The Observatory

Preppies

Boys

Chad Morris

Gord Vendome

Parker Ogilvie

Tad Spencer

Derby Harrington

Bif Taylor

Bryce Montrose

Justin Vandervelde

Girls

Pinky Gauthier

Hangouts

Harrington House

Old Bullworth Vale

Glass Jaw Gym

Greasers

Boys

Johnny Vincent

Ricky Pucino

Hal Esposito

Lefty Mancini

Norton Williams

Peanut Romano

Vance Medici

Girls

Lola Lombardi

Hangouts

Auto Shop

Add

Jocks

Boys

Kirby Olsen

Casey Harris

Bo Jackson

Damon West

Dan Wilson

Juri Karamazov

Luis Luna

Ted Thompson

Girls

Mandy Wiles

Hangouts

Football Field

Swimming Pool

Gym

None

Boys

Gary Smith

Peter “Petey” Kowalski

James “Jimmy” Hopkins

Constantinos Brakus

Ivan Alexander

Gordon Wakefield

Lance Jackson

Pedro De La Hoya

Ray Hughes

Sheldon Thompson

Trevor Moore

Girls

Angie Ng

Eunice Pound

Christy Martin

Gloria Jackson

Karen Johnson

Melody Adams

Zoe Taylor

Hangouts

Bullworth Academy

Bullies

Boys

Russell Northrop

Trent Northwick

Davis White

Ethan Robinson

Tom Gurney

Troy Miller

Wade Martin

Girls

None

Hangouts

Bullworth Academy

Carpark - Bullworth Academy

Townies

Boys

Duncan

Edgar Munsen

Clint (aka: Henry)

Gurney

Jerry

Leon

Omar Romero

Otto Tyler

Girls

Zoe Taylor (before re-attending Bullworth Academy)

Hangouts

Add

Townsfolk

Boys/Men

Mr. Doolin

Add

Girls/Women

Miss Abby

Add

Hangouts

Old Bullworth Vale

Add

Police

Boys/Men

Officer Williams

Girls/Women

None

Hangouts

Old Bullworth Vale

Bullworth Town

Add

Prefects

Boys/Men

Prefect 1

Prefect 2

Prefect 3

Girls/Women

None

Hangouts

Bullworth Academy

Orderlies

Boys/Men

Add

Add

Girls/Women

None

Hangouts

Add

Add

Carnival Folk

Boys/Men

Add

Add

Girls/Women

The Siamese Twins

Add

The Last Mermaid

Hangouts

Billie Crane’s Traveling Carnival

Faculty

Men

Dr. Crabblesnitch (Principal)

Mr. Burton (Gym Teacher)

Mr. Lionel Galloway (English Teacher)

Mr. Hattrick (Math Teacher) (Scholarship Edition)

Mr. Luntz (Janitor, Shop Attendant)

Mr. Matthews (Geography Teacher) (Scholarship Edition)

Neil (Shop Teacher)

Dr. Slawter (Biology Teacher) (Scholarship Edition)

Dr. Watts (Chemistry Teacher)

Mr. Wiggins (History Teacher) (Scholarship Edition)

Women

Miss. Danvers (Secretary)

Mrs. Carvin (Librarian)

Edna (Cook)

Mrs. Danica McRae (Nurse)

Mrs. Peabody (Girls’ Dorm Hall Monitor)

Miss. Peters (Music Teacher) (Scholarship Edition)

Ms. Deidre Philips (Art Teacher, Photography Teacher)

Hangouts

Bullworth Academy

[laytonnpcbracket]

Welcome to the Layton NPC Showdown!

This is a bracket to determine which of the many memorable NPCs from across the Professor Layton games are the greatest.

GAMES INCLUDED: Every game except LBMR. Eternal Diva characters are also not included here.

WHAT COUNTS AS AN NPC?: Anyone who doesn't have a puzzle animation. Characters excluded are Layton, Luke, Flora, Clive, Emmy, Randall, Aurora, Des, Espella, Phoenix, Maya, Katrielle, Ernest, Sherl, Hastings, and Emiliana.

WILL THERE BE NOMINATIONS?: Nope! Every NPC will be included.

WHAT ABOUT THE LAYTONMOBILE/MOLENTARY EXPRESS?: No vehicles. Not characters.

WHAT ABOUT THE PUZZLE LADS/LASSES?: I only plan on including characters that we can speak to in-game, so no Puzzle Lads or Lasses. Sorry to the people who like them 😔

WHICH CHARACTERS ARE INCLUDED, THEN?: Anyone who isn't an exception listed above that is in the profiles of the game! A full list is enclosed below.

WHEN WILL THE TOURNAMENT START?: More information forthcoming on that! I have to seed the bracket first :)

WHY IS NAIYA YOUR ICON?: In my opinion, she's one of the more underrated NPCs of the series. I'll probably cycle through some of the ones I have available to me right now.

WHAT CRITERIA SHOULD I VOTE ON?: Whatever makes you happy :)

ARE ALTER EGOS SEPERATE CHARACTERS?: No. For instance, Ratman is not included because his secret identity is in the tournament.

US OR UK NAMES?: I will try to make available as many names for the NPCs as possible! Which includes their Japanese names and as many names in the localizations as I am able to obtain from the wiki and my own sources. I'll probably reliably have the English (both versions where applicable), Japanese, and French names for every character when I do the bracket rounds. The list below however is entirely in English.

And now for a list of the entries! I didn't check all of these for inconsistencies, but I attempted to ascertain that I used the US versions. Some of them might be UK versions though because that's the version of the game I have (specifically Diabolical Box NPCs and Last Specter NPCs -- I know some of their US names but not all).

Franco

Stachenscarfen

Ingrid

Percy

Marco

Ramon

Matthew

Lady Dahlia Reinhold

Gordon Reinhold

Simon Reinhold

Claudia

Beatrice

Deke

Agnes

Pauly

Crouton

Flick

Rodney

Chelmey

Lucy

Zappone

Gerard

Jarvis

Adrea

Pavel

Crumm

Prosciutto

Archibald

Sylvain

Martha

Giuseppe

Augustus Reinhold

Granny Riddleton

Don Paolo

Bruno

Andrew Schrader

Anton Herzen

Katia Anderson

Sophia

Mr. Anderson

Beluga

Sammy Thunder

Macaroon

Chester

Babette

Tom

Ilyana

Geoff

Garland

Nigel

Jacques

Barton

Grousley

Steve

Capone

Mitzi

Lili

Sally

Marjorie

Conrad

Karla

Romie

Dorothea

Clabber

Oscar

Nick

Gabe

Balsa

Wurtzer

Lopez

Laurel

Parcelle

Lulu

Albert

Madeline

Remy

Angus

Kostya

Dylan

Joseph

Rory

Lila

Damon

Felix

Niles

Duke

Hopper

Olson

Derby

Dawson

Joanie

Krantz

Grinko

Marina

Opal

Ray

Gregorio

Narice

Gertie

Hamster

Precious

Winston

Claire

Dimitri Allen

Bill Hawks

Spring

Cogg

Dean Delmona

Shipley

Puzzlette

Beasley

Parrot

Subject 3

Bostro

Family Goon

Lockjaw

Splinters

Marzano

Layman

Fisheye

Silky

Shmelmey

Shmarton

Ward

Smith

Florence

Vito

Art

Niklaus

Anita

Alfie

Hazel (UF)

Adeline

Max

Becky

Margaret

Pallard

Dupree

Natalia

Harold

Horace

Hardy

Cuthbert

Segal

Catanova

Rosetta

Colby

Rudolph

Misha

Dylan

Viv

Pepper

Checker

Avogadro

Maya (UF)

Myrtle

Belle

Graham

Slate

Ernest (UF)

Berta

Minnie

Paige

Raleigh

Beacon

Mark

Rosa

Grosky

Keats

Clark Triton

Brenda Triton

Arianna Barde

Tony Barde

Doland Noble

Levin Jakes

Loosha

Toppy

Crow

Marilyn

Roddy

Scraps

Tweeds

Wren

Socket

Louis

Badger

Aldus

Charlie

Jasmine

Bucky

Fische

Beth

Mido

Clarence

Joe

Molly

Marion

Browne

Hugo

Dominica

Paddy

Brock

Aunt Taffy

Shackwell

Greppe

Goosey

Mimi

Hans Jakes

Maggie

Yamada

Sean

Olga

Finch

Sebastian

Cornelius

Chappy

Hannah

Mick

Colby

Monica

Thomas

Nate

Ewan

Chief Engineer

Naiya

Chippe

Bram

Ghent

Nordic

Gilbert

Roland Layton

Lucille Layton

Henry Ledore

Angela Ledore

Alphonse Dalston

Leonard Bloom

Sheffield

Billson

Mrs Ascot

Pascal

Guy

Lapushka

Gustav

Gonzales

Drake

Tyrone

Sterling

Mordy

Collette

Maurice

Juggles

Puck

Yukkles

Murphy

Cookie

Tanya

Firth

Madelaine

Stumble

Artie

Michelle

Nils

Frankie

Conner

Humbert

Policeman (MM)

Yuming

Esther

Lionel

Doug

Mr. Collins

Leon Bronev

Raymond

Prima

Harald

Donna

Mascha

Georg

Mackintosh

Solveig

Erik

Hazel (AL)

Igor

Sonya

Moos

Larisa

Karpin

Boris

Dariya

Pavlova

Carmichael

Amelie Chelmey

Policeman (AL)

Tommy

Morel

Chestnut

Amanita

Blewitt

Chanterelle

Button

Lepidella

Bud

Javier

Benny

Miranda

Martine

Barbara

Ruby

Scarlett

Flint

Old Red

Jesse

Derringer

Julien

Romilda

Sheppard

Piet

Felicia

Rik

Beatrix

Umid

Banu

Dana

Temir

Mehri

Nassir

Adler

Robin

Macaw

Plover

Grouse

Gannet

Swift

Carmine Accidenti

Olivia Aldente

Allan

Bardly

Zacharias Barnham

Newton Belduke

Birdly

Boistrum

Cecil

Cinderellia

Constantine

Cracker

Cutter

Darklaw

Dewey

Dzibilchaltunchunchucmil

Patty Eclaire

Eve (cat)

Flynch

Foxy

Jean Greyerl

Hoot

Judge

Kira

Knight Captain

Knightle

Lottalance

Lyewood

Lettie Mailer

Balmung

Mary

Muffet

Muggs

Ridelle Mystere

Nozey

Petal

Petter

Ms Primstone

Emeer Punchenbaug

Robbs

Old Rootie

Rouge

Servius

Shakey

Johnny Smiles

Snowy

Storyteller

Tuggit

Price

Wordsmith

Pipper Lowonida

Phineas Barnone

Madame Doublée

Liza Wight

Grant Sloans

Cesar Chance

Mustafa Fulhold

Hans Lipski

Aleks Lipski

Maverick D. Rector

Seymore Fraymes

The Major

Eddie Torre

Hayes

Maid

Wooooster

Bianca Teller

Security Guard

Shadee

Taboras Lloyd

Douglas Dert

Ratboy

Mo Heecan

Mrs Slow the Tailor

Midas Pullman

Declan Swabber

Abel Seamon

Felicity Hastings

Gene Ohm

Billy Kidd

Royall Britannias

Clover Pryce

PC Beate

DC Booker

Waiter

Séan Butchin

Bo Bells

Hessie Tate

Benjy

Bess

Keane Fisher

Bob Bracket

Stripey

Patch

Cat

Yapper

Gudrun Weldon

[corvussei]

Not to merge two of my interests as I always do, but

I feel like when it comes to alt fashion, soft Matthew bounces between that very blurry sweet/classic line in lolita, but also does a lot of mori. He'd look cute in kogal too tho tbh <3 (I think when I make Matthew more tough or more masc etc he would fit more into something in the realm of goth-punk)

Alfred I see much more in bright ass colors like Decora and white/silver based cyber looks or uchuu styles.... they'd be so cute on him. But he can just as easily fit into vintage sort of "preppy" styles. Yknow, the collared shirt under the polo sweater or with the sleeves pushed up and a nice watch and some oxfords or derby shoes. That kinda thing.

And Arthur of course in egl in general!! Classic lolita or aristo/ouji styles would all fit him. Or mori as well ngl, the natural muted colors and jewel tones are good for him.

[rwrbmovie]

Matthew López will be participating in Gold Derby's Meet the Experts TV Directors panel on May 29, 6pm PT. There will be solo chats and a group discussion moderated by editor Sam Eckmann.

🔗 RSVP HERE

[hetalia-club]

Stardew Mod Part 2: Jones House Hold- Canada (Matthew Jones)

Summary of Town & Buildings you should read this first if you haven't so you're not confused.

(Note: all characters have had their personalities slightly altered to fit into the Stardew universe. I tried to keep them as true to their cannon selves as possible and giving them pizazz so they fit in with the rest of the world.)

Matthew breakdown: Matthew loves Grind ball & Nature. His roommate and brother is Alfred (America). He is friends with the bear who appears by the sewers and will mention feeding him in conversation and allude that you should to. He is shy and does not really want to talk to the player until you gain 2 hearts. Then his dialog will be more that a simple “…”. Matthew was raised by a rich family on a very productive ranch. He may say some tone deaf things every now and again but don’t fault him for it. therefore he has little concept of how money should be spent. He is drawn to nature and if he is not working he will be found outside enjoying himself even if it’s raining. He likes trees & anything to do with them. Matthew is friends with the bear who lives in the Secret woods. Who has now been recolored white. Matthew is very intune with nature and will say some cryptic things from time to time. But don’t think about it too hard. He’s just obsessed with bears and trees.

The Nursery- Matthew & Alfred’s house which doubles as a shop. On Tuesdays & Thursdays Matthew will man the counter at he and Alfred’s shop. On Matthew’s days the shop will operate as a tree nursery. He will sell tappers, maple syrup, pine, oak & maple seeds + a selection of fruit tree saplings.

Bakery Contribution- Matthew delivers his shipment of Sugar Pie to the bakery every Monday Morning. He will stay for about an hour and then head out to the river to stand awhile.

More under cut>>>

Birthday- Summer 1 Loves- Pancakes, Ginger Ale, Maple bar, Raw Salmon, & Sugar Pie Likes- All universal likes all forgeable food Neutrals- All universal neutrals and all raw fish Dislikes- All universal dislikes All varieties of cooked fish. Hates- Cave carrots, Moss Soup & Pale Broth & Universal hates Gift receiving lines - (Until you reach 2 hearts with him he will give no response but “…” To gifts regardless if he liked it or not. But with hate and loved gifts the <3 or dust icons will appear above is head) Loves- This is my favorite Thank you! Likes- This is great, thanks Neutrals- A gift? Dislike- Oh, You sure this was for me? Hate- Thanks, I hate it Birthday Gift Line- You remembered my birthday? I feel like everyone always forgets. Thank you!

Unique Festival Dialog: Egg Festival- Marnie didn’t even notice me this morning when I was watching her hide all the eggs. I can tell you where they are hidden if you want. Desert Festival- It’s really hot out here.I’m not built for this weather. Flower Dance- The air here smells sweet. Not as sweet as my nursery though. Ask to dance? If yes- I was planning on just being a wall flower. But of course I’ll dance with you.   If no- *Matthew turns his back to you seeming to be pretending like he didn’t hear you* Firework Festival (New Event)- My brother always acts like these fireworks are for him. He can be so conceded sometimes. Luau- Hello (Player). Oh what did I add? It’s a secret. I’ll give you a hint it’s sticky and sweet. Trout Derby- Don’t distract me right now. Dance Of The Moonlight Jellies- Alfred has been pouting all night. It’s hilarious. Stardew Valley Fair- (Has a stand with Alfred where they are selling dairy products and tree products). We’re totally going to win this year we’ve been stowing away our best products all year. Brew Fest (New Event)- What would make this cup of coffee even better is a stack of pancakes covered in maple syrup. Spirits Eve- Arthur gets really into this festival. He and that strange guy in the tower were setting it up all day. Festival Of Ice-  This is my favorite festival. I wonder what the prize is this year. Squidfest- Don’t distract me right now. Night Market- My brother makes me watch the mermaid show every year.Have you figured out the puzzle yet? Feast Of The Winter Star-  Another year completed. Winter is over and Spring is just around the corner. Just the thought of the pollen is already making my nose itchy. 

Friendship letters after befriending Matthew

2 Heart Letter: Sorry I was so cold to you before. It takes me a minute to warm up to new people. Hopefully this makes up for it. I’ll be sure to talk to you in town from now on. Letter contains maple syrup. 4 Heart letter: I saw you running around town the other day. I was going to say something to you but you seemed really busy. I stole this from my brother’s supplies. I’m sure he won’t miss it (hopefully you look in your mail box before this expires. Letter contains milk. 6 Heart Letter: We’ve become pretty close for not meeting too long ago don’t you think? You’ve become a really good friend to me. I wanted to share with you my top secret recipe. My dad’s Sugar Pie Recipe. (PS. Be sure not to overcook it. If you think it’s not done, it probably is!) Sugar Pie- 2 Maple Syrup 1 Wheat flour 1 Egg H+ 65 E+200 (Letter contains recipe for Sugar Pie) 8 Heart Letter: I’m so glad I get to call you my friend. People in down don’t talk to me much. I always feel invisible, well unless it’s my brother. But when you came everything changed. You brought me out of my shell and I’m grateful for that. Next time you are in Cindersnap Forest meet me in the Secret Woods, you’ve been there right? There is someone I want you to meet. (Letter has no gift and is an invite to Matthew’s 8 heart event)

Romance Dialog

Receiving a Bouquet- You…you’re sure? Wow okay, I would love to.

Mermaid Pendent- I thought you would never ask! I was starting to get worried. I’ll pay for the whole thing don’t even worry about it.

Married Life With Matthew Jones:

When married to Matthew his corner of the farm will be two maple trees with tappers on them. Occasional gifts from Matthew will be a bottle of Maple syrup. Three days after marrying Matthew you will get a letter in the mail from ‘In-laws’ with 10k gold congratulating you and apologizing for not being at the wedding. Matthew will still leave the house every Tuesday & Thursday to tend his shop. Due to the time it takes him to walk there he will warp there and back and cannot be followed. Matthew will hardly ever be home and continue his schedule as usual. Replacing his house with yours. He will still go visit his bear friend by the river and his brother from time to time. He will not become a husk of his former self. Matthew will have coded in ‘grumpy’ days where he will be grumpy and not feel like talking. He may say ‘my brother and I had an argument’ or ‘the bears are mad at me’ don’t worry too much about it and he’ll be back to his regular self by morning.

[sergeifyodorov]

I'm not the leafs vs coyotes cup final anon but I'm going to be thinking about them wishing it into existence for a long time because the coyotes would win the auston matthews derby

absolutely god bless :pray: :pray: :100: :100: :100: the funniest part of leafs v yotes is that the yotes are. going to win the cup