#she gives me marie antoinette vibes

[sarahsartistportfolio]

God...Furina just looks like one of those people who waits til the last minute to get ready 🙄😂

Like "FURINA the event starts in 10 minutes!!! It takes 20 minutes to get to the opera house what the FUCK are you doing??!!!"

Furina, relaxed as a gentle afternoon rainfall, meticulously putting on her eyeliner in front of a big ass vanity "Relax your Grace. They wouldn't dare start without me there. We'll just be fashionable late."

???😡😡😡

Oddly tho when you two do arrive over an hour and half later...everyone there is on pause, patiently waiting(out of fear) for Furina arrive

[princesssmars]

i'd love just about anyone, so why was it you?

a victoria neuman x reader

your talent for singing is finally starting to take you places in the city of lights. so why did it have to introduce you to a woman who might ruin it all?

wc : 10.248

contains : fxf relationship. readers hair and skin aren't described. fluff. angst.nsfw including sex and language. the french. barely proof-read.

a/n : i cant believe there are no fics for this fine ass woman yet but i am nothing but a pioneer idk. in my daydreams this was like mafia au victoria but i literally never write or dream of those so i opted out lmao. go watch gen v. everyone always talks about how good the cover is but nonante-cinq by angele is a beautiful album so i recommend listening to that for french vibes. enjoy <3

it was the most stereotypical and overplayed song ever, but damn did you love la vie en rose.

just the concept of the song was romantic to you. to live every day like it would be magnificent, like you could know a day would be your last and look back at it and not regret a single thing. it meant looking at the world with a positivity that these days was mostly faked or artificial.

after the life you've lived, the things you've seen firsthand, you need that positive light in your life more than anything else. especially right now, as your manager is hounding you over the phone about your next gig.

now you loved your manager, nancy, you really did. she took you in and was honest when no one else would be, stood by you when no one else wanted to give you a real chance. but sometimes it felt like she didn't really believe in you. obviously, she believed you had talent, or else she would have 'left you in the dust for the rats to pick apart,' in her own words. it was almost like she couldn't fathom that what you had was real, like you didn't truly deserve all the things that were coming to you.

but as long as you were paying her, she didn't bother to speak up on it.

you were listening to her drone on and on into the speaker from your phone, holding the object up to your ear with one hand as you hold a menu to order something from the cafe waitress who's waiting beside you.

"ill have an uhhhh... le marie antoinette, and a coffee with sugar and cream please," you hand the menu to the waitress after she writes down your order, heading back into the cafe with a smile. this cafe was one of your favorites, nestled below an apartment building in one of the inner city arrondissements so you could sit outside beneath an umbrella and admire the city before you. "nancy, i don't see why i can't just...politely turn it down? it sounds like it's a glorified pin-up girl gig, le bellevilloise is offering for me to sing there exclusively for three months-"

"no, that's what im trying to tell you if you'd let me finish." you can hear nancy's telltale sigh through the phone. she had a short temper when she was stressed, something you sadly had in common, and you could hear her clicking a pen through the receiver. "this is an international gala slash fundraiser, attended by the one percent of the one percent. billionaires, senators, diplomats, everything. the event organizer asked for you specifically, so turning it down is a bad look. aka, you're doing it. go out and get a pretty dress. ill send you more details later."

the phone shut off and you let out a huff of air, crossing your right leg over your left beneath the table. once you have your meal and bite into your pastry you can't help but close your eyes at how good it tastes; the combination of the crunch of the macarons, the near-overwhelming sweetness of the cream, and the savory juice that leaks from the raspberries never gets old.

you don't know how you feel about this whole gala thing. sure its a great way to make connections and earn a fat stack of cash that will probably last you few weeks, but you've learned before that the people that you most admire, celebrities, politicians, even superheroes, can't be trusted. and being in a room full of them to perform wasn't at the top of your christmas wish list.

but like everyone else in the world, you were finding money hard to pass up on. just by the lowball nancy told you, you'd be able to comfortably pay the next month's rent and fix up your electric scooter, maybe even enough to save up for that beautiful flat you saw online with the grand windows and nice floor plan.

it'd only be a few hours of singing and kissing up to a bunch of snobs and you'd be done. easy peasy.

finding a dress wasn't to hard. your modeling connections from before you started to focus on singing gave you access to a few, good quality clearance pieces for your picking. you figure that the people you were performing for would prefer something classy and elegant, so you picked out a sleeveless black dress with black opera gloves, accessorized by a diamond necklace and earrings. one of your stylist friends, alex, who you asked to help do up your hair told you 'you're definitely gonna shag a rich man looking like this, just ask them if they have any friends for me!' and after a quick 'please don't wish that upon me' and a spritz of perfume you were ready.

the hours before you got on stage were nothing short of both nerve-racking but exhilarating. you rode in a standard taxi, your slight jitters noticed by the slightly balding man in the front. he eyes you pretty oddly when you got in the car before using you if you were a model, telling you that his daughter would like an autograph if you were. you felt slightly flustered when you had to tell him you weren't, but gave him some tips to tell his daughter if she wanted to pursue it. after around twenty minutes of driving through the city the car stops and you're escorted by a crew member into a grand building, those types you pass by and dream of getting the chance just to step into.

after that its a rush of meeting the event planner who gives you another run down of the evening and then meeting with the band members, a nice group of jazz players who you had heard about on the news for their blends of old and new methods of performing music. they played you a piece on their instruments in their dressing room, and it felt like hanging out with old friends listening to tunes as one twirled you around and the others laughed and the air felt warm and fuzzy.

later its time for your set, where you'll sing as the guests come in and take occasional breaks to save your breath and let whoever is hosting this talk. so you get up on your mini stage, make sure you look alright and you're in tune with the band, and then you do what you do best.

you've never felt better than how you do while you sing. every time you do so you tell a story, tales of success and tragedy and love and heartache. while you sing your favorite thing to do is to admire the crowd. when you were younger it gave you horrible stage fright, but as you grew up and saw just how much people loved your voice it made you confident, if not the tiniest bit narcissistic.

as you look out at the guests of tonight you see what's expected. important and powerful men donned in suits, their wives standing on their arms in glamourous gowns, you swear that you even see some fairly famous celebs in the mix, and they were all listening intently to you and your voice.

and that's when you saw her. near the back of the room with a glass of red wine in her hand, dark hair flowing over her shoulders, and darker eyes trained on you. in this profession you get used to people staring at you for hours on end, but something about this woman unnerves you slightly.

a short while later your set is over and after a round of applause the organizer tells you to enjoy yourselves, and that you're free to indulge in whatever food is left. after a brief touch-up in the dressing room and making sure you look presentable, you head out to get yourself something to eat. you keep getting stopped by people telling you how beautiful your performance was, how they'd love to get in contact with your agent to book you for future events, and your regular dose of creepy old guys hitting on you. but besides that things were going pretty well.

some servers were waking around with trays of champagne, but you figured since everything was complimentary you would treat yourself to something stronger. you head to the bar and order yourself a strong cocktail, and as soon as you finish your order a figure sits on the stool next to yours.

"get me a scotch on the rocks, thanks."

you glance at them from the corner of your eye and feel your heart beat faster when you see

it's the woman from before. from this close distance, you can admire her entirely, and god is she gorgeous. she looks so put together, not a hair out of place, and wearing a perfectly tailored suit that makes you guess she's some kind of wealthy businesswoman.

after not so secretly checking her out, she turns her body towards you and looks at you with a smile.

"im sure you already know, but you have an enchanting voice."

you look down bashfully, thinking the same about her. she speaks like she's so sure of what she's saying like there's no room for debate or argument.

"thank you. no matter if i know or not, it doesn't take much to make me a little nervous every time i perform."

the bartender brings over both of your drinks and she tilts hers to you.

"trust me, theres no need. you're nothing but a natural, one of the best singers i've ever heard."

"ah, now you're exaggerating. is there a reason you're complimenting me like you're being paid to do so?"

she shakes her head, setting down her glass of liquor with a clink. "not anything nefarious, if that's what you're thinking. just glad i get to talk to a beautifully talented woman."

jeez, she was laying it on thick. normally this was coming from some fifty-year-old man with greasy skin and weird teeth, but it felt nice coming from her. she was obviously gorgeous, leaving her body language open in case you wanted to decline and she would walk away in a moment's notice.

"im glad i get to talk to you too, miss?"

"victoria. its a pleasure to talk to you, miss y/n."

for around an hour or two the both of you sat at that bar, blocking out the fake laughs of investors and boisterous noises of people who got a little too friendly with the free champagne. she was so attentive to you. asking about what got you into singing and what brought you to paris by your non-native accent. you normally kept the finer details of your past a close-guarded secret, but you figured there couldn't come any harm from telling this attractive stranger a few things about yourself before never seeing her again.

"you're telling me at only sixteen years old, you flew to paris by yourself and made a living for yourself? you've got balls on you, sister."

"yeah yeah, but im nothing special. i just got tired of all the bullshit in the u.s., y'know? the greed, the cynicism, the-"

"superhero bullshit?"

you giggled while she smirked, observing your smile and how it made your eyes squinch.

"well i wouldn't put it like that but...superheros? really? its just, they make it so american, in a really really annoying way. i just couldn't deal with that being a reality. and where better than paris? it seems like voughts all but forgotten about it recently, thank god.”

"i understand. and i know we just met, but it does suit you. 'beautiful runaway finds passion, life, and love in the city of lights'. best cliche there is."

"and what a damn good cliche it is to be. although i haven't been that lucky on the love front."

her eyebrow raises and her nail traces around the rim of her glass.

"im sorry but i simply cant believe that. someone like you would have people lining up for a chance to talk to you, let alone date you."

you dryly chuckle before taking another long swig of your glass of champagne, dancing just on the edge of being intoxicated. you understood why everyone else was drinking this, it was sweet but strong.

"people have tried, of course. but sadly most of my escapades end in tragedy. very melodramatically. but enough about me, I'm guessing this isn't gonna go my way and you have someone waiting for you at home?"

"im offended you still think so low of me. but no, there was someone but it didn't work out. now its just me and my daughter."

god, she was a milf. if there was a god you prayed he would let you get lucky tonight.

"well, im sorry to hear it didnt work out."

"are you really?"

she looks at you with a smirk on her face.

"no, im not."

that was all she needed to ask you to come back with her to her hotel.

and not just any hotel, she was rich enough to be spending two weeks in the damn ritz. asking again what she did for a living didn't get you very far, the only hint you got being that it helped her change the world. ominous but whatever. it had to be legitimate if she was invited to that gala.

the cautious and common sense side of you is snuffed out for the night the moment she set her hand over the covered skin of your thigh in the car, the feeling of her hand on your lower back leading you through the pristine lobby of the hotel, that same hand helping you take off your dress and take you apart slowly over the rest of the night.

when you wake up the sun is peeking through the curtains, the softness of the sheets your laying on calling you back to sleep before you get up and look around.

you only got a few seconds to admire the room last night before victoria was on you, and now in the light of day you could truly take everything in. you find a note left by the woman, letting you know she had to leave temporarily for an important job thing and that she'd be back my lunch, inviting you to call up room service and enjoy the room intil then.

you were expecting for her to tell you to pack your shit up and go, so despite the oddness this was a nice surprise. besides, there was no way you were gonna pass up on ordering a five-star breakfast you didnt have to pay for.

after indulging in a meal brought by room service and finding ways to pass the time, you text your manager after she happily lets you know that your night was a success and that your payment should be cleared shortly. while you're in the middle of wondering if you should answer her query about the host wondering where you wandered off to last night, the sound of a door opening makes your head jerk towards the small entry area, victoria coming in through the doorway dressed in a tan suit and carrying a large black briefcase on her arm.

"ah, youre still here!,” she sets her bag on a glass table near the door and strides into the room, eyes connected with yours the whole time. you weren’t feeling nervous before, but under her gaze you wonder if maybe you should have taken that free meal along with some tiny soaps from the bathroom and headed back home.

“yeah, figured i’d stick around for whatever. besides, i had to stay and blame you for my manager thinking i got kidnapped.”

“i’ll make sure to apologize and send her an edible arrangement. besides, i hope to take up more of your time in the future.”

your eyes bulge so hard you’re sure you look like a moron. you cover it up by getting up to get yourself another cup of coffe from the tray the food came in on.

“well i should’ve guessed this was more than a one night stand when you allowed me to order up breakfast. but now i have to admit i’m slightly scared you’re actually plotting to traffick me.”

"trust me, that wouldn't be good for business. id just like to see you some more, if that would be alright with you.

was that an actual question? after the night you had and the way she’s been treating you, you didn’t see much of a choice except to say yes.

she tells you that a few hours later she has a flight back to america, but that she wouldn't mind spending the day with you if you're free. you agree to get a little bite to eat and it turns into a whirlwind day of showing her around the city you call your home. she has to wear giant sunglasses the whole time and have a mysterious security detail not too far behind, but you wouldn't change anything about it.

at the end of it all, she bids you goodbye in front of your taxi, admiring the cute outfit she bought for you so you wouldn't have to go home in your dress from the night prior, promising that she'll keep in touch with you once she gets settled in back a new york, jokingly telling you she'll send you a postcard. as you sit in the back of the taxi, your heart inflates a little as you take in the events of the last day. you never liked to mix business with pleasure in this way, partly because most of those business people were gross perverts and also that it could damage your career beyond repair, but with victoria you can't help but think that it was worth it.

eventually, a few days pass by, and the only calls you've gotten are from friends congratulating on what they heard was another great performance. and as nice as all the praise and the new gigs you started to get felt, the longer you heard no word back from victoria, it started to eat away at you inside.

back at your favorite cafe you sit with two of your oldest friends, jamie and chloe, as they ramble about the details of their changing lives and jobs. you don't know when you zoned out but eventually, chloe's manicured finger lightly pokes at your cheek, giggling when you make a playful motion to bite it.

"where'd you go just now? take me with you before jamie keeps talking about his new lover."

"hey!" jamie pouts, "you're just jealous because i've been regularly having passionate sex allll night long while you're still vying over your boss." you hear a shocked gasp behind him and you all turn to see an elderly couple looking at jamie like he's said the most blasphemous thing they've ever heard.

"really classy, james." you snort.

"what the hell! you're supposed to be on my side! everyone has noticed how you've been in a better mood since that gala. alex told us how they checked up on you afterwise and you showed up a day later with a new outfit and a hickey on your neck."

"that is- god, that’s so intrusive and so like them,” you rolled your eyes. you knew as soon as alex saw you that morning that they’d be gossiping to everyone about the state they saw you in. “and i don’t kiss and tell like that. at least not in public like this.”

“ok, so we’ll stop by your place tonight with some wine and talk all about it tonight. agree?”

“what? no-”

“agree!” chloe beams and shakes hands with jamie across the table, blowing you kisses before leaving her share of the bill on the table and leaving with some excuse of having to be somewhere. you glare at jamie as a warning before he gives you a kiss on the cheek and does the same. you grumble before biting into your muffin.

a few hours later you’re sitting on your soft sofa with jamie’s head in your lap and chloe on the other side, talking and laughing about old stories from your jobs. you take a sip of merlot right before jamie brings up what you were hoping they’d forgotten about by now.

“ok ok, enough chatter. seriously, chlo, you cackle like a seagull. y/n, when are you going to tell us about this mystery lover of yours? do you need another glass of wine to start talking?”

“don’t even think about pouring me another glass. look, there’s not much to say, ok? i was singing, she was staring at me from across the bar, we flirted a little, that was it!”

they stared.

“you want more?”

“how could we not? we haven’t seen you like this with anyone! not since we took you on that tourist tour on the seine!”

that…that took you for a spin. you remembered it clear as day, them tugging you along when they’d heard since you came to paris you’d been focusing on building up your image and working. it was more a joke, but the lights of the boat, the sky and the lights made you feel like you were in the most perfect moment of your life. hearing them compare that to how you looked now had a nervous feeling building in your gut.

“we spent the night together. and it was…good. really good. she let me stay while she went out, bought me a new outfit then said she’d be in touch.”

your friends are silent. way too silent. you’re afraid they’re about to laugh and judge you before they’re squealing and tackling you, pulling back when you groan after you almost spill your wine on your clothes.

"god, why are you always the lucky one? this isn't fair! at all!" chloe groans while dramatically resting her head on your shoulder, jamie still giggling as the wine clearly starts to take an effect on him. "please, please tell us what happens next before i scream."

"no thats- i mean, thats it. so far. for now." you stutter along your words as your friends' faces go blank yet again, except this time without a hint of a chuckle or smile.

"what the hell do you mean 'that's it.'? she ghosted you?" jamie gasps.

"no, she didnt ghost me-"

"sweetheart, im sorry to say this but you have been ghosted. in a really dickhead way."

"its not like that! she's a busy person with a serious job and a kid and responsibilities!"

you briefly hear chloe snicker "milf?" before you roll your eyes.

"she's gonna contact me. and even if she doesn't, maybe it was just a nice one-time thing! everyone knows I'm great at those."

jamie snickers before chloe smacks his shoulder in a second.

"why? why did you laugh?"

they share a look before she smacks his shoulder again.

"would you stop? i have pains, you know this. but y/n, we know you. we love you. but your latest stints haven't been...the most successful. or left you in the best headspaces."

"he's right, honey. remember the last girl, hannah? one of the worst situationships i've ever seen. you told us you would be alright when she broke it off and then we found you at that lousy bar at eleven in the morning..."

you start biting at your lip. there was nothing you hated more than when they told you the truth about how you could act. it wasn't your fault that all the time your relationships got messy, or that you got attached a little quickly. people didn't understand but a life like yours could be lonely. standing up on a stage and performing for people who want you to do just that and only that: sing and look like a glamourous pin-up doll. most of the time its the other performers who even bother to ask if your throat is alright after singing for hours.

so yes, sometimes you rushed into relationships. and you might have done it again in the dumbest way possible.

"i just...she let me stay after, y'know? and she came back and brought me with her again. why go through that effort just to leave me behind like trash?" your friends pouted before closing in to comfort you, rubbing your back and giving you small affirmations.

for a month you go into a rut. unless it's performing or going to the dentist for a checkup you don't leave your house. you become pretty good acquaintances with the grocery delivery boy, benny, who started panicking when he realized he forgot one of your items until you assured him it was fine. it wasn't the first time you'd grown so oddly attached to a romantic prospect, and it wasn't the first time you'd gotten hurt by it. you spend your time moping on your couch and binge-watching your favorite show for the third time when your phone buzzes from beside you.

nancy schmancy : call me.

you rolled your eyes. she could have just called you in the first place, but no. she had to be extra about it. you press the call button and don't have to wait even five seconds for her voice to ring in your ear.

"do you want to know what mister barbier just emailed me?"

"i think you already have that answer for me."

"he said, and i quote, 'tell y/n i send my best wishes. her performance last night was hauntingly beautiful, and i'm hoping it was one of her greatest acts yet.'"

"if you ask me, it sounds like i did a pretty good job."

"it sounds like he thought you were singing your damn suicide note!" she groaned, and you could hear her face scrunching from over the phone. "i don't know what is going on with you recently, and i don't want to sound insensitive, but if you can't manage to keep your work and personal life separate, even i can't help you make it far in this business. clients may say they want you to be expressive but they only mean so far. unhappy music means unhappy customers, capeche?"

"i understand, nancy. ill send a personal apology to mister barbier."

"good. ill call you soon to let you know about any new gigs. take care of yourself. seriously."

the line clicks and you toss your phone onto the couch and take another sip of sauvignon blanc from your rose-shaped wine glass. it pained you to admit it, but nancy had a point. if you kept letting yourself mope in your feelings you'd run out of people who wanted you to sing, and if the point came where you were out of gigs...you didn't even want to think about it. if you weren't singing you weren't living.

only a few hours after that call you manage to get back to normal. you go out and get your own groceries, deciding to indulge yourself and buy the ingredients for some recipe you saw online months ago. one of your clients cries at your performance, ecstatically telling you they'll be in talks with your manager to set up a stable contract. things really start to look up. two weeks later you even manage to get the number of a cute girl, elise, a tall woman with dyed hair who reached for the same vintage music box as you at an open market.

you're smiling as you look down at the messy ink on a slip of paper, the numbers and tiny smily face distracting you as you enter the hallway to your apartment. so distracted that you nearly trip over a object on the floor, looking down to see...a bouquet?

a really gorgeous bouquet you notice as you bend over to pick it up. its a collage of dusty blues and off-colored ivories, and when you brought it closer to your nose for a whiff you felt a sense of bliss. you bring it into your apartment with a skip in your step before you spot a piece of paper among the flowers, plucking it from the collection and reading it over.

upon closer inspection, you can see its a postcard, the cover a flattering shot of the statue of liberty with text that reads "love from new york city!". you try to calm your heart down at the location and the 'love' part, but you've already gotten your hopes up when you turn the card around to read the message:

xxx-xxx-xxxx

sorry for the wait. i'll make it up to you, angel.

you'd never felt so conflicted as you did in the past five seconds. half of you was vindicated that yes, this attractive woman didnt leave you high and dry and did actually have a deeper interest in you, but the other part was angry. and embarrassed that you were angry, because again, you spent less than a day with this woman, she didn't owe you anything. but also yes the hell she did.

before you could get yourself together you were harshly tapping the number into your cell, biting at your lip as the phone slowly rings.

"y/n, is that you?" echoes from the line, victorias voice sounding and running over your head like soft silk. no, no, stop it. focus.

"howd you know it was me? im sure you have other people who'd be calling you this late."

"certainly not anyone with a phone number from paris. besides, i was hoping it'd be you."

"well, i would have been flattered two weeks ago but unfortunately i dont think your words could phase me right now."

she sighs and the line goes silent. you feel bad for being catty for a few seconds before you brush it off. she's the one who played with your emotions and promised to call you but never did. she had this coming.

"im sorry, really i am. i've been busy with things at work and my daughter-"

damn it, she pulled the kid card again.

"i just...dont like being lied to. or led on. maybe its my fault for beeing too clingy-"

"no, no. dont apologize. if it means anything youve been on my mind for weeks now."

"yeah, same here. except my thoughts havent been all that nice." you laugh.

"deserved. and id like to make it up to you."

"oh yeah? let me guess, this time we'll spend two nights together?"

"close. how about two weeks. in new york."

you don't know if you should laugh. you feel like you should, so you do. but she isn't.

"you...you're being serious."

"im being serious."

what do you even say? what do you even do? of course, whatever higher power there is would make your life stable and steady for the past few months then throw this in to shake you up. you really should have been expecting it, considering...

you shake yourself back to the present. victoria is still waiting on the other line, unwilling to rush you into a decision, apparently. you'd applaud her for her chivalry if you weren't so stunned.

"victoria, come on. we've only met once, and while it was nice it was brief. now you want me to upend my life and career to jet off to america? it sounds crazy."

"you make me a bit crazy, honestly. besides, you were telling me in bed you haven't been in the states since you left, i have a feeling you miss it more than you let on."

you shuffle in your spot, reminded that you're standing in your cold-ass kitchen and you haven't changed out of the outfit you wore out today. but half of your uncomfortableness is from a feeling gnawing at your chest because she's right. at this point you can barely remember the night you left your childhood home, but you know it was rushed. you wanted to forget everything.

"i think you're also forgetting that i have a blossoming career here. are you gonna pay my definitely going to be pissed off manager her wages? plus i was supposed to be first pick for this really good gig-"

"i'll pay for everything, i promise. dont forget that i have connections. in two weeks they''ll be singing you praises across the globe."

you close your eyes and take in a breath.

"can you make my ticket first class?"

-

one thing you didnt miss about america? just how...much everything was, all the time.

your flight was quiet. victoria didnt hesitate to book you an expensive ticket, almost taking offense to your request for a nice one and scheduling you for business class, sending you a text to get lots of rest in the ultra-luxe beds on the plane. it was probably one of the best nights sleeps you'd had in months.

when you got off the plane there were two tall escorts holding a sign with your last name on it, taking the suitcases from your hands before you could say anything and leading you into a sleek black car. a voice in the back of your head starts screaming but you ignore it. for now.

the men in the car give you some basic rundowns, how they'll constantly be hovering over you during your stay for your "protection", and that they'll be taking you to settle into a hotel until victoria makes contact, and the little voice starts freaking out again and telling you that you've slept with and are fraternizing with a mob boss. at least it's more exciting than your last few flings.

the car goes silent after that, and you put in your earbuds as you watch the city go by. you weren't from new york, but you loved watching movies set in the bustling cityscape. the buildings really are humongous, and you see so many different types of people it sets your brain on a whirlwind.

you look back down at your phone after the fifth 'the seven' advertisement in one block.

yet again you're led into a clearly extremely expensive hotel, breezing through reception before you are led to a luxuriant hotel room, the bodyguards ignoring you as you giggle and flop onto the bed, waving them off when they tell you they'll be posted outside.

the sheets feel heavenly on your skin, and with the soft sunshine from the window beaming down on you and the gentle hustle and bustle of new york outside, you think you could fall asleep in a minute. but, begrudgingly, you peel yourself form the bed and open your suitcase to start putting your clothes away before taking a quick shower in the giant bathtub.

just as you exit the shower and wrap your body in a towel, your phone starts ringing and as soon as you read the 'v' in the contact name you push answer and bring it to your ear.

"hello? vic?"

"hey, hon. eager to talk to me?"

"you called me. and 'hon'? really? we've moved to petnames already?"

"figured id start making up for those weeks with no contact. and id like to do so again tonight. i wanna bring you somewhere."

your mouth quirks up in a smile as you re-adjust the towel around your body, the phone nearly slipping from its quick placement between your phone and ear, "id really like that. i hope its out to dinner, i didnt care to eat any of the plane food."

“yes, it’s to dinner. but its up to you if you want it to be fancy or casual. i know its tacky but there’s this pretty cute french place near where i live...”

“that vaguely sounds like an invitation to your place, but ill let it slide. are you gonna pick me up or are your special agents going to escort me everywhere for the next few weeks?”

“special agents? what agents?”

a bead of water drips from your neck down your back and it feels like the tip of a knife. a pressure builds in the back of your throat and your fingers grip the fabric of your towel. “what…that’s a joke, right?”

her laughter rings in your ear and you are seconds away from hanging up the call.

“sorry, sorry. i sometimes have a weird sense of humor. you'll get used to it.”

“i doubt it.”

“and i'm hopeful. i'll let you go so you can get ready, i'll be by in under an hour.”

you hang up after a sweet goodbye and gently sit on the toilet. your brain is rushing to catch up after the conversation like your body goes on autopilot when you hear victoria's voice. its terrifying and its thrilling. and you don't know why a part of you likes the feeling.

after you brush your teeth, do some quick skincare, debate over shaving just in case, and spend twenty minutes picking out a cute outfit, you finally hear the gentle knocking on the door while you're double-checking over the content of your purse.

rushing to open the door, you're greeted with the sight of a smiling victoria, her hands tucked into the pants of her clearly expensive pinstriped pantsuit. you're admiring the look of her hair tucked back into a ponytail when she's reaching forward and pressing a soft kiss to your cheek.

"you look perfect. come on, i made us a reservation."

and it turned out to be a perfect night. she did end up taking you to the french place, allowing you to order whatever you wanted. that place was weirdly empty, only a handful of other patrons inside. you were pleased to see that the waitress was french herself, having a small chat about the customs and foods she missed while she praised the authenticity of the food at the restaurant.

only a day and you had already forgotten how forward the people back home could be, because the waitress throws a subtle look at victoria and compliments you on finding such an attractive woman. when she leaves vic just smiles.

“ok, id say at this point we’re doing pretty good with the communication thing, right?” you ask, taking a sip of the pricey wine your date ordered.

“yeah, id say that.”

you finger the rim of your glass, the nerves getting to you before you ask your question. "i want you to tell me what your job is. your actual job, not some vague ass title. you have security following gus around, so i feel like i should know."

"no, no, you're right. i just didnt wanna scare you off. or have you think differently of me once i told you." she sighs, thumbing the napkins on the table. "i work in the government. i'm a congresswoman, to be exact."

you don't doubt she's a politician for a second, because she shows no hint of nervousness at your lack of emotion.

"are you...a good congresswoman?"

"i don't really know how to answer that." she laughs.

"i'm sorry. i knew you were important enough to be at that gala, but a politician is...tricky."

she reaches across the table and lays her hand palm up, smiling when you rest yours on top of it. "look, i get it. i should have told you sooner but please understand why i didn't. i wanted to get to know you as normally as possible, without all of the press and politics in the way."

"normally as possible, huh? that includes sleeping together on the first night?"

you're trying to show your acceptance of the situation with your humor, but you can tell victoria can sense your uneasiness at the situation. here you were thinking you had found some under-the-radar millionaire to dote on you and instead, you'd roped in someone whose job was entirely in the public eye that could be put in danger at the flip of a switch.

"how about we finish up and take this back to my place? i'll tell you everything that you wanna know about me. no matter how personal."

you stare into her eyes for a few seconds and decide that she looks genuine, getting confirmation that her daughter is staying with a friend before ending your meal and following her to her place.

for the amount of money she's ready to spend on you, you're surprised to see that victoria lives in a chic but quaint townhome only a twenty-minute walk from the restaurant. she gently takes off your coat and instructs you to sit with her on the couch, pressing on a remote to turn on her fireplace.

after a few hours and two more glasses of wine, victoria had opened up to you about nearly everything in her life. the mysterious death of her birth family, being adopted by a man who helped pushed her to go into a political career, her polite but loveless marriage with her ex. she even shows you a picture of zoe that she has in her wallet, taking the chance to gush over her daughter. she seems like such a sweet girl.

maybe it's the wine or maybe it's the way vic is opening up to you so freely, but you decide to tell her more about your past. how you always wondered why you barely stuggled moving to another continent at such a young age, or the fact that you dont even remeber why you had the drive to leave your parents home in the first place. you didnt even remember the last words you said to each other.

and throughout it all she's nothing if not attentive, she doesnt ask questions unless you give her permission too, keeping her eyes on you and gently placing her hand over yours.

you feel a turning in your stomach when she moves a stray hand of hair behind your ear. you told yourself to try taking things slow this time, but your body is starting to feel fuzzy and shes looking at you like she wants to devour you.

she decides to indulge you and gently brushes her lips against yours, smiling at the way your breath staggers. your head moves forwards to finaly get her to kiss you but she jerks her head back.

"i want you to tell me what to do."

god, your stomach feels hot. this is new, but a really arousing style of new. the last time you both slept together she had taken a careful but unwavering charge, unraveling you with a steady hand a sweet smile.

"cmon just...please?"

"no. tell me what you want me to do."

you sigh and bite at your lip. "i want you to lay me down and fuck me. right now."

so she laid you down and she did. there were no words to describe how much you enjoyed that night on her couch, the way she could read your body like a book and brought you to ecstasy again and again and again...

and when you wake up a soft blanket is draped over your body, a brekfast of coffee and some crepes set in front of you.

the days after are a whirlwind. discreetly as possible victoria takes you on a tour of new york city, to more expensive restaurants and hidden jewels that most tourists skipped over.

youre lounging in your hotel room when you decide to inform your friends of how your trip is going. while slightly hesitant they seemed more than happy that you were enjoying yourself with someone who took a genuine interest in you.

until you told them her job.

"my love, are you insane? a politician?"

"an american politician?" chloe gasps, continuing off of jamies shock.

"hey, im american too dont forget!"

"of course you are, but please, you understand why this is not good, no?"

"you know how fishy they are, especially with all the supe business going on. that place is getting more dangerous by the day, and i dont think you should be seeing someone whos contirbuting to that."

it pained you to admit it but jamie had a point. the three of you would always laugh in amused horror at how badly things were going on in your birth country, and the politics...it was less than pleasant.

not to mention the supe business. every corner of the world had to deal with the annoyance that was vought and their "products", even france. but so far you'd just had to deal with a few perverted looks from traveling supers and talks of some stupid theme park a few miles out of the city. meanwhile, it seemed like every day a new superhero was being introduced to the American public. it unnerved you.

"i understand. i appreciate both of you looking out for me. trust me, i'll be on my guard for now on." you mumble, picking at the material of your sleeve.

"of course, songbird. we'll call again soon."

the call ends and drop your phone on the nightstand. you look at the eiffel tower cutout in your phone case and your heart aches.

the next morning you're eating a a breakfast of coffee and fruit crepes when your phone rings, dragging your atttention away from the trashy dating show you were watching on the bedroom's tv. when you see nancy's name you hesitantly answer the call.

"nance? is everything alright?"

"everything is great. i'm just here to check in about your next gig."

"my next- nance, im on vacation. please tell you didnt forget and booked me for a job when im across the ocean."

"no, im not that stupid, hon." she sighs. "i didnt even arrange this job, victoria did. im just the messenger."

you blink once. then twice. you remember vic saying something about helping you with a job but you honestly just thought that was bullshit to get her to come stay with you.

(or get in your pants. but you don’t think you’d be too upset about that now.)

“ok. thank you, nancy. tell me the details.”

it’s a lot more extravagant than you expected. victorias friend, an actual senator, was holding a fundraising event for some government program he and vic were both involved in. nancy wasn’t told what the program was, but that you would have to go through a security debrief before being told you'd be given a team to help you prepare. and picking from a selected closet of dresses. fun.

you ignore the feeling of nervousness that’s building up in your gut. because while all of your gigs were important, they were never this important. you push it down as you call victoria and thank her endlessly, when you tell your friends the minimum amount that you can tell them, and when victoria picks you up from outside your hotel twelve hours before the event even starts.

she pressed a small kiss to your hand, laughing at the grumpy and tired mumble you let out when you sit in the car seat. it only passes once she gives you a coffee she picked up, the caffeine waking you up and putting a smile on your face.

the content feeling turns into shock when you enter victorias' place and see zoe, vic throwing a short explanation of “busy babysitter” over her shoulder as she heads into the kitchen.

its a bit awkward at first, sitting on one couch as she plays on a black nintendo switch on the other. it helps when you ask her about whatever she’s playing, the girl diving into a rant about the farm game she’s playing and how she’s trying to catch a certain type of fish.

victoria comes back with a tray of breakfast for the three of you before asking her daughter how school is going, how her friends are, etc. its nice to get a glimpse into victories private life during the morning, the close bond she has with her daughter. you notice some tension but decide not to bring it up.

the morning goes by too quickly, zoe being picked up to be dropped off at a friend's house after giving you a sweet goodbye and you getting rushed upstairs as the team comes to the townhome to help you prepare. its a nice change, having other people doll you up instead of having to worry about trying to do everything correctly and by yourself. and its a perk you don't have to spend your own money to do it.

the team members are nice but punctual, finishing your hair and makeup in record time with not a second wasted. you barely get time to notice yourself in the mirror before you're ushered into a gorgeous gown, soft fabrics and a chic and elegant style.

when your finished you’re finally allowed to observe yourself while your transportation and is prepared, and it feels like you’re looking at a dream version of yourself.

as you admire yourself in the mirror vic comes up next to you, clearly enjoying herself as her eyes slowly drift up and down your body.

“you look…ethereal.” she whispers, pressing a small kiss to your cheek after you turn to smile at her.

“only because of you. i don’t know how i could ever make this up to you, vic. this is just…”

“trust me, you’ve already done enough.”

while you knew there would be some press at the event, you didn't expect over two dozen paparazzi to quickly start flashing their cameras in your direction as soon as you got out of your ride. questions about who you were wearing, the relationship you had with vic, etcetera etcetera. you would've buckled from the sudden pressure if it weren't for victoria’s steady hand on your waist, the press of her arm through her red pantsuit.

the venue is downright insane, so grand you start to wonder if you're in one of those gilded age mansions you used to read about in new york magazines. climbing pillars and art on the ceiling of the main hall, which you don't get to admire since you’re yet again whisked away to get ready.

after a few more touch ups you aren’t afforded a minute to prepare, guided to the edge of the performance area. the sinking feeling is back in your stomach. the biggest moment of your life and you feel like you’re going to be sick.

the lights dim and you glide onto the stage, able to see the shadows of the guests faces from the flickering table lights. it’s eerie, the amount of them staring up at you with eyes you can’t even see.

you were given a set list a few days prior, only a couple of songs for the payment you would apparently receive after this. the songs piqued your interest, a collection of classical melancholic pieces from around the fifties. vic told you her friend was a vintage nut, but you didn't know why he chose these for you to perform when the event seemed to have an uplifting aura.

either way it felt…different, singing this time. the spotlight was on you and you’ve never felt as beautiful as you did in this moment. everyone was watching you, so hooked on the melodies escaping your body that you could see the emotions brining some people to the edge of their seats.

you don’t let it show but you grow a bit anxious at the sight of supers in their uniforms in the crowd. you don’t see anyone from the seven, but you do notice a woman you recognized from some commercial about climate change and earth preservation, the green of her dress and the nature motifs in her outfit give you a clue as to what her power was.

just when you feel yourself about to slip, dangerously close to hitting a note at a weird pitch, you see victoria, getting deja vu at the sight of her staring at you from the bar like the first night you met. she's looking at you like she's never doubted you for a second, like you're an angel sent from above that's blessed her life.

you hold her gaze when you sing. noticing the soft smile on her face when you sing a lyric about how the feelings in your heart feel so intense you fear you're going insane.

when the first song ends the lights come back on and you're met with a polite yet thunderous applause, the smile on your face so wide your cheeks start to hurt. the presenter comes back on stage, praising your performance with a swipe at his eyes before telling the guests that the host would be on shortly, and after he gives a short speech you'd be back to sing some more. with a gentle nod and wave, you step off the stage.

you feel like you're walking on air, with no doubt that was one of your best performances yet. your emotions got a little intense there but nothing you couldn't manage, and everyone seemed to like it anyway.

you're able to send a quick text and a picture to jamie and chloe before you hear the sound of the door to your quaint dressing room open, not able to turn around before you feel hands around your waist and plush lips on the side of your neck, the sight of victoria wrapped around you in the mirror making butterflies swarm in your stomach.

"i take it you liked my singing?"

"like doesn't even begin to cover it," she mumbles into your neck, raising her head slightly to be able to hold eye contact through the mirror. "i'm so lucky i found you, y'know that?"

you playfully brush her off, telling her you have to freshen up for some mingling before you get back on stage. she gladly helps you with your makeup, and while you weren't expecting her to be so touchy tonight you definitely aren't complaining, especially when her hand starts to drift closer to the space between your legs. it takes an embarrassing amount of mental strength to deny her, promising you'll continue once you go back to her place.

once you're finished getting ready she leads you back out to the hall, introducing you to numerous business people, politicians, celebrities, etc. you try not to fangirl when you meet a singer whose songs you've been obsessed with lately and when she asks you to perform at her cousins wedding. victoria just smirks when she leads you away and you let out a tiny squeal under your breath.

once the networking is done you're able to take the time to sit down and eat some of the catered food, almost moaning at the tastes of the food. you sometimes forget just how good food could be in the states, and these rich people pulled out all the stops. you try not to eat too quickly or impolitely as victoria talks with her tablemates, some people from her job apparently. after the first introductions and praises they gave you you mentally tapped out of the situation. she luckily covers for you when they question your mood, laughing when she tells them you've had a long day of being treated like a singing barbie doll.

everyone in the room quiets down when the hos taakes the stage and starts his speech. he introduces himself as robert stendham, and you feel a little embarrassed that this man gave you the chance to sing here and you didn't even know his name. you're thinking about how odd it is that you weren't introduced before this when he mentions something about the program and you perk up.

"...extend a personal thank you to general jameson for finding the time to escape his duties to fly in and be here with us tonight, and a special thanks to director neuman for helping me with this project and finding the beautifully talented y/n to perform for us tonight."

there was a brief few seconds of applause, victoria looking around and giving out smiles while you wondered what the hell she was the director of.

"as you can see, we have a few supers with us tonight. people like hazelwood, whose efforts against climate change have lead to over a dozen organizations plating millions of trees and clearing millions of pounds of trash for the ocean. because that's what supers are supposed to do-protect us. not act like degenerates who get to do what they want because of their abilities."

your eyebrow twitches, sensing the slight anti-supe propaganda from the end of his speech. well, not anti every supe, just the ones who act like gods among men, which you could understand. but you still felt an uneasy feeling rising in your stomach. you feel vic's palm rest over the top of your hand under the table.

"which is why im incredibly honored that director and congresswoman neuman has extended a hand to me to invest in the federal bureau of superhuman affairs, and to further extend that hand to you to help participate in this monumental institution..."

everything is a fog and your brain taps out once he starts talking about what this burerua does, how they closely monitor supes and jail the ones who've caused public harm. your head feels hot and your chest feels cold, and you can't stop your body from going on auto-pilot and excusing yourself to the bathroom before finding some balcony on the higher floor.

the cold air of new york shocks your body back into normalcy, but the pounding in your head persists. it feels like a panic attack ut so much worse, like your fight or flight has been activated without anything even happening. had you rushed into all of this? chasing a girl and a dream like you were a teenager again?

yet again the door opens behind you and someone comes to stand next to you, able to tell who it is by the scent of brown sugar and the glimpse of dark hair blowing with the slight breeze.

"you alright? mr. brandon from the tech startup was asking about you, tried to make me invest in some room light plant grower hybrid-"

"why did you bring me here?"

you cut her off and the air is quiet, save for the sounds of cars and the city and the wind. it's weird, standing in a tense silence like this with her.

"how are you feeling?" she whispers .

"are you- " you turn, nearly giving yourself whiplash with the speed at which you turn to look at her. the look on her face, like she's just observing you and how you're reacting. it only upsets you more. "are you being serious?"

"yes, i am. tell me."

"no, answer my question first. why are you avoiding it?"

she sighs, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face before reaching to grab your hand, which you hesitantly let her hold.

"as you heard, im part of a buereau that monitors supherhumans, keeping track of them, making sure they cant use their powers for harm. so far we've only had to deal with supes here in the states. until one day, this couple comes in that believe their daughter has used her powers on them."

she reaches for something in her pocket and your grip tightens. she pulls out a polaroid and holds the picture up for you to see. you feel like you're going to vomit when you see you, smiling, standing with your parents in a backyard.

"what...what is this? how'd you get this?"

"the couple gave me this picture, and told me how weird the least few years have been. friends and family asking where their daughter went, how she was doing, a daughter they didnt even remeber having."

you bring a hand up to your head, hopelessly trying to dissipate the splitting headache that's forming.

"but then they said the memories started coming back. glimpses of a child running in the grass, birthday parties, graduations, talent shows-"

"stop, please just stop." you gasp, hunching over as good as you can with the restrictions of your gown. it doesn't even feel like the world is just spinning, it feels like its being played in some celestial game of pool. "so what, you're saying...you're saying i did that? to my parents?"

"yes," she reaches for the side of your face, guiding you to look up at her. "and you can do so much more. you already have."

this can't be happening.

"why do you think people react so emotionally to your singing? you think its just because you're amazing? that's not even half of it."

your breathing is picking up again.

flashes of memories start appearing in your vision. so many happy times with your parents that you forgot, friends that you left behind. how your parents didn't support your half-thought-out plan to become a singer, how you made them forget. made yourself forget.

"i don't want you to think i did all of this just for what i want. i didn't. i care about you, and i want you to help me. but you need to trust me."

the blood is rushing back and from your head, and you think about how weird her eyes look against the backdrop of the city before you pass out.

finally. FINALLY. ong i wrote like 1k in the past day because i said just get this shit over with but its done! 5 months later! hope you enjoyed :)

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

EAH was one of my very favorite cartoons as a kid, and I've been enjoying it's renaissance very much, so REDESIGNS!!! (I've done a bunch over a couple months and put them on Instagram, but I figured I'd move them here cause Instagram sucks, so if you've seen them before over there that's why)

I think the original designs are aesthetically pleasing, but they're not super practical for the characters- case in point! Gay icon Darling Charming

I'm gonna put all my design notes under the cut so if you don't care about that carry on, have a nice day

Darlings original design is fun, but it doesn't serve an obvious purpose, at least not that I can see. She clearly wears armor on the outside of her outfit, the Marie Antoinette poof is a bit strange to me, and she has very little visually tying her to Dexter and Daring. I wanted to emphasize her secrecy, but also her passion for puzzle solving, riddles, combat tactics, ect. when she's around the people she trusts (as if the queer metaphor wasn't obvious enough)

Here are some details that just make me happy

-First, the hair. I knew I wanted to give the White Knight a more unique look, and I wanted to simplify it overall. I LOVE the original armor, but it would be a huge pain to animate, and I don't have the patience for that, so I went for a masquerade-ball-three-musketeers-vibe. The braided bun is still a fancy, regal style, but it's a lot easier for her to manage in her uniform

-I tried to synthesize the color schemes of the Charming siblings. They all have a pit of yellow, a bit of pinkish red, a bit of blue. The twins lean heavy into yellow and blue, with splashes of red where thematically appropriate. Darling doesn't really communicate with Daring much, so she has the least amount of red. I think having more muted colors in comparison to her brothers also emphasizes the fact that she's hiding herself. She is very much defying her family with her ambitions, and she has to work hard to keep it under wraps. Sort of related, I gave her a tooth gap, because it's a cute design detail, but also to act as a "flaw" to contrast with Daring. Daring's primary physical trait is his ungodly perfect teeth, so I thought it'd be fun to give her an "imperfect" trait, like Dexter and his glasses. There's nothing actually wrong with them, but it's a failure to reach the insane expectations that the Charming family has cultivated over the generations. Basically the Charmings are petty and I feel bad for the youngest generation.

-Speaking of concealment! There are a couple bits that I thought would be fun to hide throughout her outfit. First, the skirt is flowy enough and the shirt is positioned just right so that you can't tell, but she has pieces of leather armor on at all times. She saves the plates for wonderland. She also wears gloves to hide the callouses on her fingers from swordfighting! She also probably keeps knives in her hair somewhere. Pulling a small switchblade out of the base of her bun just seems like something she would do

-Final thing, I gave her a scar! From what I can tell, she's always been very rough-and-tumble, so I gave her a scar over her brow. She likes to pretend it's from a Mysterious Incident to mess with her friends, but really she was wrestling Daring when they were like, 4 and 6, and she bonked her face into a table. She got over it real fast, but Daring got a long lecture about it, and that's when he started getting over-protective about her

[evilwriter37]

Do you think Hiccup got emotional when he had Zephyr? Especially when he met quite a few Lady leaders. He gives me the vibe of “chain breaker” a bit. Like he acknowledges most of Berk’s leaders were men and he is happy to finally have a girl, whether or not she would choose to be a leader. I think of this quote from a Marie Antoinette, “You were not what was desired. But you are no less dear to me. A boy would be the son of France. But you Marie Therese shall be mine”.

Even if a female leader of Berk isn’t part of tradition and/or if the village favors a male leader, Hiccup is just happy to have a child of his own and not put a burden or pressure on them to become a leader.

Sorry this is sad. It’s something I think quite a bit when the subject of female heir or child of monarchies.

No, no, this is a good ask! I love it! I can definitely see Hiccup being emotional about Zephyr for a number of reasons, and her succession to chief being one of them.

It’s why I wrote this fic almost 2 years ago. I love female leaders and the drama that comes with the territory so much! It just hits a certain spot that I really enjoy. Thank you for sending this!

[dollsinvogue]

have you seen the new mattel creations lenore doll? what are your thoughts because i think shes really pretty but definitely not 75 dollars pretty

ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH $75

I first saw her and I really enjoyed the concept, me and @toychest321 were talking and we said it gives haunted mansion vibes and I was obsessed with that movie as a kid so of course I thought Lenore was cool looking! I also thought she gave “mourning Victorian lady” vibes and I can’t remember where but there was a show where a mourning mother came out of a lake and she gave me that vibe at first, not whatever a “garden ghost” is

As for her design, like you said I definitely think she’s pretty and I definitely like elements of her design (those glitter tears are my fave!) but certain elements of her are not great, unpainted accessories? Really?she is so not worth $75 for what she is!

Again, toychest321 and I were discussing things and neither of us really like her hair, I believe that because Rebecca Shipman designed her with a Victorian aesthetic in mind she should definitely have a more elaborate Victorian hair style, or maybe even something dramatic like a Marie Antoinette style hair! Maybe even her having completely slick “wet” hair would be cool but I’m definitely just thinking of her as some sort of “emerged from a swamp” ghost and I don’t know why, but I think it’s an amazing concept!

[iiikaruz]

New CH episodes have made me officially decide to stop caring about the actual cast of the show </3 (/hj but i wish it was /j)

Anyway would you like to share some of your headcanons/scenarios for the side/minor characters ? It always makes my day 💚💖(/nf)

dude i feel you on these new episodes. wtf is going on over there. anyways, i’ll gladly dump this 10 ton stack of headcanons on you that i wrote down!! Marie Antoinette: 

loves hyperpop and 90s house music. she’s so slay (i have a playlist lol)

into european weirdo cinema like Gaspar Noe’s but she also likes chick flicks (her fave films are Climax (2018), Daisies (1966), and But I’m A Cheerleader (1999).)

frequents on lolita forums and goes to really shady places just to get cute lolita items.

has absolutely mastered voguing. super into ballroom culture.

has a pet borzoi (those groovy long-nosed dogs.) her name is “Vanille” and Marie loves her dearly.

wants to study fashion. she especially loves Vivienne Westwood and Moschino.

Jesús Cristo:

is a juggalo, and he indoctrinated Van Gogh into it as well.

says “it is what it is” at any minor inconvenience.

had a mental crisis at 13 as a product to the stress of living up to his clone father. similar to joan’s breakdown in s1e3 but 10x worse. he tries to ignore it when people bring it up.

designated driver on any road trip. for some reason.

into bands like The Cure whilst also bopping to Cypress Hill.

his fave video game is Parappa the Rapper.

accidentally punching holes/nails into his hand is a common occurrence. seems like it just keeps happening, so he’s learned to just roll with it. he’s also a pretty good nurse bc of it.

Marilyn Monroe:

is always down for the school play. BUT she usually just does script-writing and tech. 

into conspiracy theories and video essays. (all gorgeous gorgeous girls love video essays).

is a dedicated Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani stan.

SO “COQUETTE LIZZY GRANT DIOR RETRO” in her fashion choice.

she also gives “elle woods from legally blonde” vibes. straight A student right here.

CERTIFIED GIRLBOSS <3

Thomas Edison:

is obsessed with American Psycho (2000). he has a poster in his room and he’s weirdly obsessed with Christian Bale (very 🍎🍉🍊 of him, but he always excuses it with “oh no, i just idolize and worship him. there’s absolutely nothing gay ab it.” he’s lying.)

also he’s SUCH a pretentious film bro. he has a whole library of stupid film facts shoved in the back of his mind (im totally not projecting).

he only listens to: 80s new-wave stuff like New Order, Oingo Boingo, Beastie Boys, & Talking Heads OR Lana del Rey. There is no in between.

he worked (past-tense bc that shit is GONE in 2023) at a blockbuster video store next to the mall and he liked being a total bitch to people about it (example: “you really rented this shit? this movie sucks, dude”)

after getting unfreezed, he was ECSTATIC over how easy pirating movies is nowadays.

Napoleon Bonaparte:

member of the speech/debate club and he is THE WORST TO BE PAIRED WITH. he’s foaming at the mouth the moment someone gives a rebuttal he didn’t think of. some meetings end in him trying to beat up someone. 

into 80s rock like Metallica and Black Sabbath. he has an electric guitar. he also FUCKING LOVES ABBA AND JAMIROQUAI. like… too much.

unlawfully good at Just Dance. he absolutely fucks it up on the dance floor.

adores fantasy films like Conan (1982) and The Never-Ending Story(1984). he’s so lame/ pos.

he bakes really well. that’s all he’s got going for him.

he either found his napoleonic military uniform at party city or at a thrift store with Marie Antoinette; his story changes depending on who he’s talking to.

he cut his own hair when he was 14. the following conversation after he did so was with caesar, and it was just the haircut scene from fleabag . he then continued to keep his stupid haircut to what it is now.

is a hopeless romantic. he can make up entire love poems & sonnets in his head about a girl he’s crushing on, but literally cannot talk to people without sounding like a douchebag unless he’s super comfortable w/ them.

Ivan the Terrible:

is an avid deftones, sewerslvt, & duster listener (i, unfortunately, ALSO have a playlist.)

spends his nights scrolling on 4chan and arguing w/ people. him & topher have accidentally argued w/ each other AT LEAST 5 times.

literally refuses to take off his ushanka in any weather. it doesn’t matter to him if it’s 90 degrees, that thing is staying ON.

kins Travis Bickle and Shinji Ikari. i mean, just look at this dude and how he presents himself. average NGE & Taxi Driver enjoyer/ hj.

fave video games are Postal 2 and osu!. he plays osu! phenomenally, to the point where it’s impressive. (pls put that energy into a job or something).

and yea that’s all the energy i have to write this down :]

[lupins-hehim-pussy]

Must know your Furina thoughts cause I’m forever a Furina defender. I see her as different from Focalor and like… I get why Focalor did what she did but god I’m so… I don’t like her

I have more thoughts but I’d like to know yours and then I’ll explode

Heyy hiya hi hey! Sorry for getting back to this a bit late, I have been in a hole. You know how shrimps are

But the short answer is, regretfully, MHY's writing made me really viscerally dislike her, at first. There was definitely resistance in my heart and that was frustrating in itself, because I do not hate Her exactly and I see why a lot of people liked her a lot (my friends liked her too. I was pretty solitary in my extreme disdain of her). I just hated the story that MHY is trying to tell with her, I hated what she represents (to me, at least), and I hate that I'm seeing people being a lot more forgiving with her (compared to Ei) because she's shown to be more emotionally vulnerable, which makes her more relatable (this isn't so much as like, a 'her fans are bad!' take from me, just to clarify. More so, it is an observation about how MHY is able to very easily use their storytelling to sway the audience and keep their attention on certain narratives, and I don't like the effect of their writing decisions).

Disclaimer, though, I hate, hate Marie Antoinette and that "sad, helpless, rich (white) woman" archetype, so when Furina/Focalors clearly has some inspiration (and when I see the audience immediately make some of that connection), it was immediately rigged against her in my head, lol. She had no chance.

In retrospect, though, the Marie Antoinette reference isn't that strong, but I don't know if that's because MHY really chickened out of the French Revolution inspiration, or because they just vaguely wanted the vibes of it without ever intending on committing to it, and I end up looking silly because I'm making connections where there are none. MHY writing is notorious for making people do that because it expects you to extrapolate from minimal and vague writing at times.

Anyway, then I started writing her. I wrote her into the family dynamic of the WRLT family, streamer modern/future AU thing I've got going on, and even for my canon rewrite/reinterpretation/filled-in-the-shit-I-didn't-like-and-made-it-work-for-me fic where she shows up very briefly at times, I couldn't exactly make her completely villainous either. That role I reserve solely for Focalors (who, arguably, isn't portrayed as a villain in canon, either. I just hated her more, and she's specifically written as a scapegoat for Furina Criticisms by MHY, anyway, so she's literally used, narratively, as an excuse for Furina's action as the ruler of Fontaine, so. It's functionally the same shit as Ei being like "erm that was the robot, not me..." just much, much better executed).

And she's really grown on me! Like, if I'm not so hung up on her whole "I may be the ruler of a police state, but I have feelings, too" thing, I think her personal story of having to perform a role, and having to meet an expectation that just gets further and further out of reach, and how she was shown to quite literally fall apart under that pressure was (through gritted teeth) well done. I Guess. I liked the way they unravelled her on a literal stage at the end of the MSQ. If anything, I will give it to MHY for their understanding of effective visual storytelling.

In her defence, Neuvillette also had the whole "I may be the ruler of a police state, but I have feelings, too" thing going for him. In many ways, you can argue that he's Worse because he's the actual, functional facet of Fontaine's Justice System, while she was treated more as the theatrical side. But, I will Say, MHY tried to sneak it in there that she also does work behind the scenes to help vulnerable people, and they also tried to say that she takes her job very seriously behind the scenes as well. She just acts like she's all fun. But, once again, because of their writing, I think it's horribly executed. Because aside from those Few Specific Moments where they showed her doing these things, no actual impact of her leadership was ever shown within Fontaine aside from the way she represents the Theatre-Court thing, BUT EVEN THAT MEANS NOTHING ANYWAY.

(So once again, in the same way as my Neuvillette ramble, you have MHY being like "is she actually helpless? Is she not? Can she actually make changes, can she not???" and they end up playing Accountability Hot Potato between her and Neuvillette where they're like, No, Actually. You're the one In Power! No You! No You! I'm a clueless Sovereign, I don't know humans, you're the Archon! But you are the one people actually take seriously as the Iudex, you're the one with actual political influence, and I'm not the real Archon anyway! Then Focalors is like, Wah, Celestia! That's the actual party you should blame! I'm actually the martyr here! Feel bad for me! And if Celestia pops up with playable characters you know they're gonna be like erm, actually, we also have clones who's been acting as us who's the actual evil ones, but it's not us I prommie.)

Like how the fuck have they not figured out about the Primordial Waters shit, like, a hundred years ago. You're telling me they are so damn good at their jobs, but it took them this long? To realise??? The Primordial Waters can be a big ass problem in the future that they should have prepared for in the past? It's almost like a nod to how IRL governments will ignore global warming and line their pockets allowing big corpo to continue wrecking the environment at the cost of the common people— oh wait, MHY vaguely suggested that too in the world lore about pollution caused by Fontaine's rapidly growing technological landscape, but they didn't do anything with it, because the Government that would get narratively criticised in Fontaine is Entirely Made Up of the Two Characters Products they're trying to Sell?

Oh, you're telling me the way Oratrice Mechanique D'Analyse is feeding off the people's belief in Justice while it literally hoards all the energy of the nation in order to fulfil Focalor's plan can almost be seen as commentary on how Media like True Crime commodifies Justice while platforms like TikTok literally profit off your engagement— oh wait it falls apart the moment you try to say that Focalors did this out of necessity in order to give Neuvillette back his sovereignty because those vaguely evil, undefined Ceslestia people?

And I'm sure someone could pop up and say like That's The Point! They're trying to show that someone is always above someone else, pulling the strings, and that Everyone has to do a little evil sometimes! As if that's not the easiest excuse for MHY to wave off writing accountability into their character stories.

But you know what poisons all of their writing to me? Knowing that they make products first, stories after. Every writing decisions they make, I am sitting there like, "This is designed for an audience, this is specifically made this way to sell to the most people possible." I can't look at Furina and think "they're trying to make a sympathetic and relatable character" because I Know there is a board of Rich Guys somewhere who sits there and say "but she has to be redeemable, she has to be relatable, and she has to be just a little bit of everything to be palatable to the widest swath of people."

Like, all the "flaws" of Genshin's writing are barely "flaws" at this point, in terms of intention. There's no one sitting there being like "this is what we wanted to achieve, but we went about it wrong", it's more like "this is good enough to make us money. Some people might complain or look into it deeper, but most are still gonna buy and keep using our product." And they're right. Fuck, I might come back for Natlan just to see what the fuck they'd do. And I hate it lol

[sheriffofwestwood]

Habsburgs Coupled Daughters (2020) Part 1

Guess who's back? *uncovers some old dust*

Get in fashion lovers, a documentary with dropped on Netflix about the daughters of the House of Habsburg. And they have played out scenes.

Keep in mind that documentaries have small budget. On the other hand, documentaries try to teach us history, shouldn't they be held to a higher standard than entertainment?

Anyway, buckle up your shoes and tighten your corsets as we take a look at this piece of work.

Part 1: setting the mood

While setting the mood of the documentary we are presented with this scene of young girls having fun. From the set, the hair and the vibe I would say somewhere in the 18th century. While the girls on the left looks a bit too much of middle class for a court setting the right one looks good. Bonus points for hiding behind the champagne.

But in the loving fuck is Little Miss Habsburg wearing? (by my best guess it's Marie Antoinette?)

Like these sleeves? What are they? There were sleeves like this but not certainly not with those straps. With the bodice it gives me 19th century fancy dress vibes. The bodice is completely unadorned. Why.

Bonus points for back-lacing though. I'll refer to it as Blue Fancy Dress.

And then we also get the Sad Brown Sack dress.

It's just an ill-fitting Regency dress? Something its off. The waist line? The neck line? The weird necklace under the dress?

Switching to two woman standing close together in 19th century clothing. Not sure who they are and what they are hiding.

And then we get a close up top this dress:

I'll call it the Fancy Golden Carpet Dress. Not sure which century if any at all.

Part 2: Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria

Ohh we do love a dressing scene? Where do we start? The ill-fitting and wrongly shaped maid on the left? Carolina's missing chemise under her corset? That the wedding dress is white?

What are they doing?

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH HER HAIR?? A GIANT ASS HAIR CLIP?

The final dress looks atrocious. Ugly. White all white wedding dresses weren't even a thing yet. Where's the gold? The silver? The pearls? The Shiny Rich People stuff? Not even the back-lacing can save us.

What what year have we? 1768 you said? You mean a dress like this?

(Actual Maria Carolina from 1768)

But we have a pink dress at home:

THE HAIR CLIP AGAIN. AHHHHHH. THAT NECKLACE.

Modern wedding hairdo spotted. Who needs powdered hair?

A decent Robe á la Francaise spotted underneath the cloak. Why are you hiding the sleeves? What am I not suppose to see?

Too bad she's not her sister Marie Antoinette and it's not a little bit later.

Ahhhh, these sleeves. Ugly! No! Suddenly we are a century behind with the off-the-shoulder-look. Why. Why is the bodice in such a weird shape?

Part 3: Archduchess Marie Antoinette of Austria

Blue Dress girl confirmed to be Marie Antoinette.

What are they hiding under the cloak? Why is this dress oddly shaped? Do I want to know?

Buckle up. It's 1770!

(That's Marie Antoinette in 1769)

Marie Antoinette is famous that she had to change her complete dress at the French border. You know what that means?

Dress changing scene! Into the Blue Fancy Dress!

WHAT IS THIS?

IT WAS A JOKE WHEN I SAID 19TH CENTURY FANCY DRESS.

MARIE ANTOINETTE WAS A FASHION ICON.

BUT THIS IS A FULL BLOWN LATE 19TH CENTURY BUSTLE GOWN.

AHHHHHHH.

(Still like the hair. Better than her sister's modern wedding hair.)

Nevermind, she gets her wedding hair as well.

Part 3: Anne of Austria (1601 - 1666)

What we expect:

What we get:

You didn't even try at all. That looks maybe mid-19th century. If I'm really generous.

We jump to the Golden Carpet Dress.

What is this bodice shape????

The front looks kinds okay. We just ignore the sad droopy Stuart Collar and the sleeves. All hopes lost for the hair.

Ouch. :(

Part 4: Margaret of Austria

I can't. Just can't.

This is Margarete at the age of 10 in 1490.

We are talking early Tudor fashion.

What we get:

Assignment? Failed.

Undone uncovered hair. French Hood hair band. Female Da Vinci cosplay.

Continues in Part 2 because I reached an image limit.

[ritzcrackee]

may tbr post yayy

rereads are marked by a ☆, new reads are marked by a ♡, and new acquisitions are bolded

physical tbr: 15

more letters from a nut - ted l. nancy ♡

fahrenheit 451 - ray bradbury ♡

little (grrl) lost - charles de lint ♡

dracula - bram stoker ♡

dune - frank herbert ♡

dune messiah - frank herbert ♡

frankenstein - mary shelley ♡

juilet takes a breath - gabby rivera ♡

sense and sensibility - jane austen ♡

stories of people and civilization, greek ancient

origins - lindsay powell, j. k. jackson ♡

the silent stars go by - dan abbet ♡

touched by an angel - johnathan morris ♡

the handmaids tale - margaret atwood ✩

the testaments - margaret atwood ♡

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the

universe - benjamin alire sáenz ✩

digital tbr: 4

pandora's jar: women in the greek myths - natalie haynes ♡

providence girls - morgan dante ♡

cemetery boys - aiden thomas ♡

if you could see the sun - ann liang ♡

read: 11

an education in malice - s. t. gibson - 3.5/5

i have,,, conflicted feelings on this book. it was good, the action was interesting, the characters were complex, the vibes were impeccable, but,,,,, idkkk.... i can't even verbalize it but there was something about this that just made it a slog to get through.

i can't help myself from comparing it to a dowry of blood, which i feel had a much cleaner execution of very similar themes. dracula felt charasmatic, he felt gravitational, he felt like a person you would give up humanity for. de lafontaine felt,,,, like a mean professor. carmilla and laura constantly wax on about how brilliant and intoxicating she is, but i never felt that. s.t. gibson can write an obsessive, imbalanced, interesting relationship! they can write it very well! so i don't understand why this fell flat for me.

overall, i think this book was disjointed. it felt like a collection of vibey scenes and quotes to put on your instagram. (which, to be fair, the quotes are banger. and the vibes are so so vibes.) i liked it, but i don't know how long it'll stay on my shelf.

maneater - emily antoinette - 2.5/5

tbh i don't have much to say abt this 👍 it was an ok book 👍

hot button issue - catrina bell - 2.5/5

i liked seeing more of this world! the couple wasn't really my thing but thats more of a me issue (get it? no? ok) i do wish there was a little more roller derbying but overall this was cool.

wild is the witch - rachel griffin - dnf

cool concept but the writing style was too repetitive for my taste 👍

luxuria - colette rhodes - dnf

i didn't like this book whoopsies. i wanted to actually try fantasy romance instead dismissing the entire genre but ummm. yeah no i don't like fantasy romance. not my thing. paranormal besties please take me back ill never stray again 🙏

garron park - nordika night - 1/5

ok so. well. where do i even start with this book. extremely silly to, at 25 years of age, call someone your enemy. are you five? are you five years old? everyone certainly swears like a five year old. tiny baby writing tip: maybe keep the word fuck to, like, once a paragraph.

additionally, you can create tension without violence sometimes! if your main characters have confessed their undying love to each other, probably they can talk to eachother for four seconds! probably they don't need to punch eachother as much! probably, a change in their actions and words would show the audience how much their relationship has grown.

i also wasn't super into how many times the main characters brothers brought up how sexy they were? kind of a weird move. certainly not something i would choose to say about my own brother, nor my best friends brother! maybe thats just me though who knows

it was genuinely just edgy k-pop wattpad poverty-porn yaoi but? i did read 300 pages in one sitting so? points for that? you get 1 point for that.

rebel girls - elizabeth keenan - 2.5/5

second pro-choice book i've read this month so thats cool! guess we have a theme going. tbh i don't have much to say about this. the characters were interesting, if lacking in depth. the plot was fine, if lacking in depth. the messaging was good, if lacking in depth. i guess this book was overall, lacking in depth. i'm sure my local free little library will appreciate it. 👍

undergrounders - j. e. glass - 2.5/5

this is just the month of the perfectly average books huh? everybody's getting 2.5 stars skdisjdj.

anyways, i wanted to see if my issue with luxuria was actually its genre, or if it was the overwhelming hetero of it all. so i read a queer fantasy romance! with all of the tropes i like! and i still didn't enjoy it :(. i am glad that i tried this, but i can say with absolute certainty now that fantasy romance is not for me.

the main couple was sooooo cutes though and the side characters were sooooo cutes and the worldbuilding was v v v cool! if you like sapphic fantasy romance? absolutely reccomend this book!

the ballad of songbirds and snakes - suzanne collins - 3/5

girl this is why u reread books bcus i used to tell people that this was my favorite book ever. it is not. idk why i thought that.

ANYWAYS this was alright. i liked how easy the themes were to pick up on, the ambiguous ending, and listening to coriolanus justify his weird evil behavior. that was cool. i didn't like um lucy gray. not because she was bad, but because she felt like a non-character yk? i thought she had some pretty cool characterization in the beginning, especially surrounding her being a performer (being a parallel to coriolanus) but then she kind of fell off and just became a stock Trusting Girlfriend. which was meh. i'm excited to watch the movie, snow lands on top or whatever 👍

cultish: the language of fanaticism - amanda montell - 4/5

this was very cool to learn about and easy to digest 👍. not a full 5/5 because it was nonfiction so i wasn't obsessed with it, but definitely more engaging than most other nonfiction books I've read.

fox court - nora sakavic - 1/5

started reading this because i heard that it was like,,, bad but addictive? like full wattpad nonesense but u look up and you've finished the whole series in one sitting yk? it was,,, not that way for me. i thought it was boring, confusing, and the characters were sooo unlikable. ik this has a pretty big fandom on here please don't come for me sowwyy um. yeah

last months goal: finish a reread

WOO HOO i did it this time! gold star for me, best reader in the whole world. this was really easy, because i genuinely couldn't remember a single thing about a ballad of songbirds and snakes, so it felt like i was reading a brand new book. i also said that i wanted to carve away a more sizable chunk of my tbr this month, which i kind of did? i only read 3 physical books, but i got rid of almost an entire shelfs worth because my family was having a yard sale! so yk. vibes.

this months goal: ... finish dune

LOOK LOOOK STOP THROWING TOMATOES AT ME LOOK ok. last time this was a lofty goal filled with folly and big dreams and it was stupid. THIS TIME i literally only have 257 pages left. which is actually so reasonable. if i read 50 pages a night before bed that's only 5 days of reading. i can straight up do this one this time I PROMISE.

[margridarnauds]

Unrelated to the writing asks, have you ever thought about bringing 1789 to broadway? Who would you cast? Any specific staging ideas?

God, I've thought about it so much over the years.

From this post from 2019, here was my dreamcast at the time:

After hearing Reeve Carney in Hadestown, I’m actually curious about what his Ronan would sound like, even though I think that I would never be fully over “OH MY GOD, RONAN’S SPIDERMAN.” But Reeve Carney has the chaotic twink vibes that I feel like Ronan needs. I still feel like he needs more GREMLIN, but I can’t think of anyone who could really give me the gremlin vibes I NEED. I don’t know, I don’t follow Broadway all that much these days since I switched to Toho/Zuka/French musicals. Lazare (1) For a Toho-esque Lazare, I really, really like Norm Lewis as a possibility. I think that he could NAIL Lazare, and he’s already played Chauvelin and Javert, so it’s like…the Trio must be completed. He has the voice, he HAS the stage presence, and he does a PHENOMENAL job at playing authoritarian assholes who nonetheless remain nuanced. Any racists who want to argue about plausibility can and will have a brick-length biography on the Chevalier Saint Georges *delicately* applied to the back of the head. (2) Ramin Karimloo, for a more Carnot-esque bent. Look…I KNOW, I KNOW that he tends to be in everyone’s Top 10 Fancasts For Everything, but…I DO think that he has the voice for Lazare, he has the stage presence, and he has the fanbase. My only concern is whether or not he’d bend my son a little too much towards the dark side. (3), which is obviously dead serious, Patti Lupone. Because she would be TERRIFYING. Marie Antoinette - SPEAKING OF EVERYONE’S MOST OVERUSED OPTIONS, I genuinely do think that Sierra Boggess could do a good job. Look, her enunciation sometimes bugs me and I’m not going to pretend that she’s my ULTIMATE FAVORITE CHRISTINE EVER, but she has a fun, sparky attitude, with the range to also do Antoinette’s more somber moments, she has a high enough range that I wouldn’t be TERRIFIED of her high notes (not to name names, but…you know who), and I just genuinely think she would have a fun time in the role. Olympe - Eva Noblezada Solène -Mandy Gonzales. Artois - Josh Young

And I'll add, since I've thought about this more over the years:

Camille Desmoulins - Derek Klena

Lucile - Philippa Soo

Artois - Tam Mutu

Danton - Josh Young

Robespierre - Aaron Tveit

I would follow the Toho production more than the French -- We want something that feels contemporary and modern, but that isn't too abstract, with a solid 2 act structure. French musicals can be a tough sell to American audiences and I refuse to explain the apocalyptic furry tea party sex nightmare. I honestly think that this would be the perfect time for 1789, just because a lot of things that it was doing 10 years ago are now popular courtesy of Hamilton. I've seen a lot of people, even in French reviews of it, call Molière l'Opera Urbain "French Hamilton" and I'm here like "Okay, clearly they did take inspiration, you can see that from the logo, I'm not saying they didn't, but also, French musical theatre did Hamilton before Hamilton. We're seeing American influences strengthening a pre-existing French framework."

The dancing can stay the same, the overall style can say the same, I would probably borrow and refresh the costuming ideas from the French, making a style that keeps the silhouettes from the time period while also modernizing them and giving them a sleek, luxurious feel. Silks and satins for Olympe and Marie Antoinette, Robespierre can keep his black velvet coat and his red and black color scheme.

We're living in the age of projectors in musicals -- I think we could do more with that. I'd love to see a creative combination of physical staging and projectors to really highlight the extreme highs and lows of France at the edge of Revolution.

My gold standard doesn't actually come from either France, Japan, or America, but from Russia, with the staging of the Anna Karenina musical. (The entire musical just. Looks like this. Legitimately one of the most gorgeous stages and blocking I've ever seen in a musical *anywhere*)

We know that in my ideal world, I would pay Attia and Chouet a hundred million dollars or something so I could totally rewrite 1789 and make Peyronan canon, but since I CAN'T do that, there are a couple of things I would fiddle around with lightly, such as emphasizing the close relationship that Ronan and Solène had before everything went to shit and giving Solène and Olympe the stage together during Pour la Peine. Something that was done really well in a bootleg Japanese production I have was that they did have Lazare getting wounded during the Storming of the Bastille, with Ronan giving Solène the choice on whether to kill him or not. I would cut out the plotline to both Japanese productions on Solène becoming a Respectable Woman and let her stay as a sex worker.

Something potentially controversial, and that I'm not even sold about, is minimizing the historical figures -- it isn't that I don't like them, it's that (1) They create a lot of clutter and (2) They will not mean as much to an American audience. To a Japanese audience who are used to Rose of Versailles (and to an audience of Japanese musical theatre fans, who might have watched the Takarazuka Robespierre musical, Azure Moment, the Scarlet Pimpernel, The Poem of Love and Revolution, and Marie Antoinette) they are already familiar with Robespierre, Danton, and Desmoulins. They are Standard French Revolution Figures, we expect to see them.

...for an American audience? It isn't like I think that they're DUMB, but I'm saying that 1789 would face the same issues that Elisabeth would face on an American stage -- trying to make this part of history that Americans do not know all that much about, that isn't really part of our national identity, and to make it appealing and fun. That's a tall order. There's a reason I always said Rebecca had the best chance of being adapted of all the Kunze and Levay musicals (though maybe Lady Bess, especially on the West End), and it's because it's an adaptation of a book that is required reading for a lot of students. (It also isn't lost on me that it feels like this is only an issue. With American audiences.)

...I don't want to cut any of the three of them, not really. I love Au Palais Royal, I love A Quoi Tu Dans, I love the original staging for Ca Ira Mon Amour, but I feel like Danton is kind of the most expendable of the main cast. He can be cut, while Papa du Puget's role can be slightly emphasized more, both to emphasize Olympe's family life and to shed a little light on what the politics of the Bastille were like, since he was a very interesting man who was involved in a lot. Make Necker a ghost character who's mentioned but not seen. Cut Antoinette's love affair with Fersen, possibly give "Le Temps s'en Va" back to Ronan and Olympe, making it a sort of love at first sight situation before shit hits the fan. Tie the show's two villains, Lazare and Artois, closer together so it doesn't feel like two messy plots.

They're painful changes to make, I'm not sold on them (except for cutting Fersen), but I think they might create a slightly stronger show. In the absence of the audience being really familiar with the show, we have to settle for creating sympathetic, likeable leads and a strong love plot. If we don't have that, the show flops.

[mermaidsirennikita]

did you see the priscilla teaser? it honestly looks more like a lana del rey music video than a movie to me. very 2010s aesthetics tumblr moodboard.

I mean, c'est la Sofia Coppola, lol. There are elements of her work I like--I like Marie Antoinette in terms of vibes and aesthetic, though I think it is a real missed opportunity to give Marie the proper narrative she's never gotten. The Virgin Suicides has moments, though again I think it's rather distant. I've never been impressed with Lost in Translation. The Beguiled was.... a mess. I'll be real, Sofia benefits a lot from her father's name.

But yeah, it's...... just a vibe. And you know, I get it, the Elvis mystique is based largely on aesthetic. Baz's movie was largely aesthetic. The difference is that there was a lot of weight and luxe-ness to the feel of the movie (which is in part because Baz's wife, Catherine Martin, does an amazing job with costume and set design)... and of course, it's anchored by a truly fab performance from Austin Butler. I think it does put a lot of style over substance at points, but that performance helps you get into the emotionality and a level of like... the tragedy of anyone being so desperate for love yet so messed up that they seek it from fans who don't really know then, versus people who know them warts and all. Even if they do horrible things, as Elvis did.

I..... do not think these actors are going to be able to give us that. Maybe I'm wrong! But I don't know that I am.

[gryffsposts]

A really random thought, I recently watched Marie-Antoinette 2006 and I fell in love with the movie. I am also a fan of Pjo and in my mind there was forming an idea of which goddess's/god's child she would be and even if at first look it might look like Aphrodite or Demeter, she gives me much more Hebe: goddess of youth and cupbearer of Zeus vibes. What do you think? Do you agree?

[oraclekleo]

Kleo's Oracle Decks [01]

Hello!

I have in a way promised I will share with you, which oracle decks I have and use in the readings. You have seen some of the cards on the pictures I occassionally post together with the reading but not all decks were included in those.

So let's see with what I work when crafting those readings you like!

The Spirit Animal Oracle

Colette Baron-Reid

This oracle deck was my first one and that's why it's Czech language version (my mother tongue). It's beautiful, I love animals and I must say, the oracle is super accurate for me. I often use it for daily draw and even my mom likes this one and sometimes asks me whether she can pull an animal in the morning. 😊 It's truly lovely and there are different messages for upright and reversed position of the card.

Green Witch Oracle

Cheralyn Darcey

This is such a useful oracle deck. I absolutely love it, it's got amazing energy and I love the design. The guidebook includes even gardening tips on how to grow these plants, the signs they are related to, oracle message and deities related to the plants. It's beautifully colourful, the cards are good quality. You can remember I used this deck for the October 2022 Oracle-Scope.

Botanical Inspirations

Lynn Araujo ^ Illustrated by Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840)

Pierre-Joseph Redouté was born to a Flemish family of decorative painters. As a young man he went to Paris, where he began painting the flowers of the royal gardens. Marie Antoinette hired Redouté to decorate the walls of her château. This deck includes his illustrations but also short stories behind the plants and oracle messages. It's such a lovely oracle deck. You have probably noticed I love nature. The deck uses the "flower language" meanings to give beautiful messages.

The Seed & Sickle Oracle Deck

Fez Inkwright

This is one of my newer oracle decks. It's beautiful (nature again, lol) and it comes with two guide books - Dawn and Dusk guidebook. Dawn will tell you what action to take and Dusk is more about introspection. It's pretty handy. You can either ask question with intention to read one of the versions or you can interpret reversed cards as Dusk... Anything is possible. I must confirm this deck is a great help to me when I try to make a decision.

Starcodes Astro Oracle

Heather Roan Robbins ^ Illustrated by Lucas Lua De Souza

This is one of two astrological oracle decks I recently purchased. The design is absolutely breathtaking, the illustrator is, among others, a tattoo artist. You can notice the perfection and geometry being used in the illustrations. It perfectly suits my perfectionist taste. I'm still learning how to work with this oracle but so far I have good experience.

Heavenly Bodies Astrology

Lily Ashwell

This is my second astrological oracle deck and its design is so soft, pastel, elegant. It's truly lovely. You might have noticed I often used it in the Ideal Partner readings to tell the likely zodiac sign of the person. Unlike the previous deck, this one includes cards for signs based on related element, their quality and more. I'm still learning to handle this deck but it's got such a calming vibe.

Isis Oracle

Alana Fairchild ^ Illustrated by Jimmy Manton

This is one powerful oracle deck. The artwork is stunning and the messages are deeply spiritual. The guidebook includes rituals and incantations for each card so if you are big on divine work and a fan of Ancient Egyptian mythology, this is a deck for you. The cardstock is super high quality, too. For me, it's not very suitable for daily use, as the messages are often deep and require some time to better understand them. The guidebook suggests meditating with the cards but because meditation isn't my hobby, I don't do it. Lol.

Kali Oracle

Alana Fairchild ^ Illustrated by Jimmy Manton

One more deck from the same author. I must say, this deck is super intense. When I got it, I put it under my pillow and it brought nightmares. When I was working with it I suffered from headache in the beginning. However, I'm more hardheaded than Kali and we found our way to successful cooperation. Some of her forms are still pretty nightmarish but the oracle became one of my favourite ones. It's genuinely empowering.

Deep Dark & Dangerous: The Oracle of the Beautiful Darkness

Stacey Demarco ^ Illustrated by Kinga Britschgi

You probably have noticed me using this deck in my readings frequently, it's also one of the decks I use for my I, Villain tarot game. It's truly beautiful deck and I love its vibes. While it's one of the darker ones, it's somewhat really positive and vibing with good energy. The booklet is not super rich when it comes to divinatory meaning of the cards but it's great for intuitive readings as the imagery is pretty interesting.

Divine Animals Oracle: Deep Wisdom from the Most Sacred Beings in Existence

Stacey Demarco ^ Illustrated by Kinga Britschgi

Deck from same authors. It's one of the new ones I recently got and haven't used it in readings here on Tumblr, yet. But as you know, I love animals and this was a must for me. Once again, the imagery is pretty meaning-rich and one can read the cards intuitively same as checking the guidebook. This time the guidebook is thicker and with more information on the divinatory meaning.

Goddesses and Sirens

Stacey Demarco ^ Illustrated by Jimmy Manton

Same author as the previous decks but illustrator is Jimmy Manton, who also illustrated the Isis and Kali Oracle above. You probably have seen me using this deck once in a while, especially for personal readings. It's one of my favourite ones and it truly gives a powerful vibe. I love all kinds of deities and I keep learning about those I haven't been exposed to during my growing up (African and Asian deities are still on my learning list). I love to pull a card daily from this deck so I know which goddess or siren is going to influence my day ahead.

Gods and Titans

Stacey Demarco ^ Illustrated by Jimmy Manton

Of course I need the male deck as well. I mean, what a confidence boost when you pull a Thor card in the morning. Funnily enough, I have actually never pulled Jade Emperor so far. I probably don't need more organization than I already have. Lol. This deck really helps me to balance my masculine energy. Most decks are pretty feminine and this is one of the few I have, that actually gives some masculine (in some cases even macho) vibes. I might receive some hate for this but I believe that it's good for mental health to keep both - masculine and feminine - aspects balanced.

Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards: The Complete Spiritual Toolkit for Transforming Your Life

Tori Hartman

This is also one of my newest decks. I haven't used it much so far but it's truly beautiful and I can't wait to learn more about chakras and healing. I have made my first attempts a while ago but I needed a proper tool and because I love using cards (more than crystals), this was my go-to deck. I'll probably start includind it in my personal readings soon, to see how it works.

Messages from Your Animal Spirit Guides Oracle Cards

Steven D. Farmer

One more very new deck but I have already used it in a personal reading here. And it truly feels good and works well with my other decks. I love animals and what's really neat about this deck is the fact that the short message is already printed on the card. It does come with a guidebook and you will find more detailed meanings of the cards in it but if feel like the short message is actually all you need at the moment, here it is and no need to reach for a book. I also appreciate that it includes more unorthodox animals like kiwi or camel, those are not often seen in oracle decks.

Mythic Oracle: Wisdom of the Ancient Greek Pantheon

Carisa Mellado ^ Illustrated by Michele-Lee Phelan

Yes, yes, another mythology related deck. Oracle decks are supposed to reflect your personal interests. This deck is very new for me, I haven't used it much yet, only did a mini interview with it. It looks like we have a good journey ahead of us. And yes, one of the reasons I got it are the abs. 😂 So what! Feel free to judge me. I'm actually looking forward to start using this deck more frequently as I truly love Greek mythology. Instead of reading some lame fairy-tales with princes and princesses, my mom used to read Greek myths (a children friendly version) and later on I watched the Hercules and Xena series on TV which were my favourite ones (yes, I know they weren't super accurate but Kevin Sorbo and Lucy Lawless were my heroes when I was a kid). I especially loved when the god Ares showed up. He was so hot and cruel! 😂 Sorry... This got out of hand. So yeah! A new deck.

Odin and the Nine Realms Oracle

Sonja Grace

Yes, I also love Scandinavian mythology. You know what. I spent my childhood playing the PC game Age of Mythology and it affected me a lot. Let's just accept it and move on. This is also one of my new decks (I have made scens of the new ones because the older ones are in a drawer I can't access at the moment because Easy is sleeping in front of it and if I try to open the drawer she would wake up and had to walk away... You surely understand I can't possibly do that to her). I haven't used this one much yet but I'm looking forward to do some readings using it and my Runic Tarot deck.

Oracle of Mystical Moments

Catrin Welz-Stein

You might have noticed that I also have a Tarot of Mystical Moments by the same author. Both the tarot deck and this oracle one are one of those very feminine ones. It truly gives sort of soothing and nurturing vibe. I have this oracle deck for a while and I have used it in personal readings. The imagery is absolutelly stunning. I love how the old paintings and photos are used and edited into other-worldy images.

Oracle of the Radiant Sun: Astrology Cards to Illuminate Your Life

Caroline Smith, John Astrop

I use these cards a lot in personal readings. They are one of my favourite astrological decks. The imagery reminds me of The Monty Python's Flying Circus and the animated parts done by Terry Gilliam (yes, I know that Monty Python is ancient history for most of you but they taught me English language when I was a child). This deck is super helpful and the guidebook is very complex on the topic. If you are interested in astrology, like seriously interested in it, I would recommend you considering getting this deck. It's few levels above the Heavenly Bodies or Starcodes Astro oracle decks.

The Moon Oracle: Let the phases of the Moon guide your life

Caroline Smith, John Astrop

Same authors but this time we focus on the moon phases and mansions. The imagery of the cards is once again pretty impressive, although in this case I can't really go without the guidebook. Luckily it's very thorough and again, if you take astrology seriously, you might actually want to put your hands on this deck. I don't use it that often as it truly gives a sort of sacred vibes to me. Maybe it's just my personal impression, though.

Believe in Your Own Magic

Amanda Lovelace ^ Illustrated by Janaina Medeiros

This is a truly beautiful and humanly diverse oracle deck, heavily promoting self-love and healthy boundaries and positivity. I truly love this one and I usually grab it when I'm feeling low or disheatened myself. It has the power to cheer me up or to give me the more positive perspective of things. I think it was meant for teenage girls but honestly, anyone can use the messages it contains.

Legendary Ladies Goddess Deck

Ann Shen

My little obsession with goddesses is pretty prominent by now. This is such a lovely deck. Once again, it's probably meant for children or teenagers but I have a young soul. The art is stunning, the messages are short and sweet and direct.

Magic of Marvel Oracle Deck

Insight Editions, Casey Gilly

You might have seen in the post about the tarot decks I have, that I have a DC comics deck. Well... I also love Marvel. I couldn't find a tarot deck but I have a Marvel themed oracle deck. It's pretty decent, the messages are clear and direct and short enough for those who don't have time to dive into metaphysics and deep philosophy. It can be used daily, to be honest. I'm not sure if I would use for shadow work or something like that but it's good for the daily pull.

Oracle of The Roses

Cheralyn Darcey

One more oracle deck from the author of Green Witch Oracle. I love this deck so much and you probably saw me using it during personal readings. The guidebook contains not only divinatory meanings or deities and symbolics but it also gives tips on growing the roses in your garden. If you love roses, this is a deck for you.

Oracle Of Visions

Ciro Marchetti

You certainly seen me using this deck. I love it. Ciro Marchetti's artwork is absolutelly stunning. You might notice that the cards are only numbered without any title on them. That's for you to be able to interpret them purely intuitively if you wish so. No labels, you simply interpret what you see. The deck comes with a guidebook, though. So if you are uncertain, you can always find the meaning of the cards in it. It's one of the most interesting oracle decks I have and I truly love using it as each card carries so manny messages.

Prism Oracle: Tap into Your Intuition with the Magic of Color

Nicole Pivirotto

I would call this a minimalistic oracle. As you see, it's a massive contrast compared to the complex and rich imagery of the Oracle of Visions. You might think it's gonna be difficult to work with this oracle and yet I use it pretty often. I usually like to use oracle cards combined with tarot to simply clarify and direct the meaning a little more and this deck works fantastically in this sense.

Sacred Destiny Oracle

Denise Linn

This is such a beautiful and deeply meaningful deck. The imagery holds meanings by itself but it does come with a guidebook. The messages are lovely and encouraging most of the times and I would actually recommend this oracle deck to someone who's seeking for their first oracle deck. If it grabs your attention of course and you feel drawn to it.

The Citadel Oracle Deck

Fez Inkwright

Another deck from the author of Seed & Sickle Oracle deck. This deck is one of my recently received and I'm still getting to know it. It's not only an oracle deck but clearly can serve as a game play deck as well. As you can see it's sort of a role or archetype deck. I love the artwork. I'm going to further explore the possibilities here.

The Elemental Oracle

Stacey Demarco ^ Illustrated by Kinga Britschgi

This is such an interesting deck. I haven't really seen decks that would have Atoms card or Black Hole card in them. Once again, I love the rich imagery of the cards. They are easier to read intuitively rather than following the guidebook. That one is pretty thin and not very meaning-rich in this case. Some oracles really need a guidebook but some oracle cards are just super aesthetic and you can read them better intuitively.

Everyday Witch Oracle

Deborah Blake ^ Illustrated by Elisabeth Alba

You know I have the Everyday Witch Tarot deck as well. The cards are so super cute and just soothing. I love this oracle deck. It's got some truly beautiful messages in it. The guidebook isn't like super complex but it contains Action, Divination and Spell paragraph for each card so you can read the oracle cards in three different ways. It's so genuinely nice and useful. I would recommend the Everyday Witch Oracle and Tarot deck to beginners but once again, it really depends on your personal preferences.

The Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch Oracle Deck

Elsie Wild ^ Illustrated by Chinkal Pareek

You know that when there is a tea oracle deck, I have to have it. This deck contains not only tea cards but also herbs and plants that can be used for making a cup of tea. You can use this deck for multiple purposes. You can practice divination with it as the guidebook will give you the messages regarding each card. You can use the cards as an inspiration for your cup of tea. And you can also use it for magic rituals or meditation. It's such a calming deck. Like a hot cup of tea.

These were my oracle decks (some more are on their way to me so this post will be updated soon, same for the tarot decks post).

Oracle cards are always pretty specific.

Tell me whether some of these caught your attention.

Do you use oracle decks? Which one is your favourite? Do you connect well with oracle cards? Do you combine oracle cards and tarot?

Share with us!

I personally combine tarot and oracle only in specific cases, I don't really have a spread that would include both types (with the ideal partner spread exception). Do you have ideas how to include any of the oracle decks in the existing spreads? Feel free to give your suggestion.

Check part 2 of my Oracle Deck:

Kleo's Oracle Decks [02]

Check the Tarot Decks:

Kleo's Tarot Decks [01]

Thank you for reading!

[more-than-a-princess]

@ultfan asked: ❛ You're not who I thought you were. ❜ (this is giving early post-tragedy vibes, but if you can think of another verse to set this in go for it!)

The Fall of the House of Usher starters - Still Accepting from Mutuals!

She wasn't sure what she detested more: the fact that she'd, with the hammer in her hands, managed to hit a hole in the drywall of the currently-convalescing Mahiru Koizumi's cabin wall, or the fact Nagito Komaeda had both witnessed it and found reason to comment upon it.

Dropping the hammer and offending nail (well, it offended her in the fact that she couldn't hit the head of it for the life of her) into the corresponding toolbox, Sonia sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. He seemed so unsure of everything: what to do, how to regard the rest of them, and now he apparently was dissatisfied with her. Or so Sonia thought, not that it would be much different from the Future Foundation representatives who took up residence on Jabberwock Island. In her paint and dirt-stained jeans, sneakers, and button-down shirt, Queen Sonia of Novoselic was the most spectacular example of failure.

"That rather seems like the theme to every member of the former Class 77-B," Sonia replied, turning to face him. A stack of framed photos leaned against the recently-painted wall, photos that Hajime had entrusted her to hang to welcome Mahiru back to her cabin once she was released from hospital. It was one of the few things he, and the members of the Future Foundation, could think for Sonia Nevermind to do that was both a necessity and didn't involve a catastrophe. It had taken two weeks for the newly-awakened survivors to realize that the former Ultimate Princess was useless at best in the kitchen, an outbreak of food poisoning at worst. Cleaning was also an exercise in frustration: she mixed up the cleaning products, overloaded washing machines, and could never figure out how to iron anything without deep, black iron marks in the fabric. She could perform basic first aid and assist Mikan, once she was awakened, in some hospital duties but she wasn't a qualified medical professional. Or a cook, or a cleaner, or a builder, or a fixer, or anything else they truly needed on Jabberwock Island.

She knew formal etiquette, how to carry on proper conversation, the right way to sit and stand and pour a cup of tea. How to dance a waltz and exactly which fork and knife and spoon to start with in a proper dinner service. She knew how to give speeches to an already-captive audience and organize charities with a team who did all of the hard work. Sonia Nevermind knew how to do all of that.

And yet, in a world after The Tragedy, it didn't matter. None of it mattered. The only negotiation she ever did now was with the Future Foundation, to extend her stay on Jabberwock Island in order to avoid returning to a recovering Novoselic, alone, where half the citizens believed she was brainwashed by Junko Enoshima and half wanted to bestow upon her Marie Antoinette's fate. In any case, the volatile state of the kingdom meant she'd be confined to Novoselic Castle, presumably for the rest of her life with the hope that her eventual heir would continue a once-admirable legacy, one she managed to fuck up all on her own. With her own two hands.

It's what they were good for it seemed: making a mess of things. Her country, Mahiru Koizumi's cabin.

"It is almost impressive, really," She continued, forcing a tight-lipped smile onto her face as she tried to ignore the hole in the wall behind her. To Sonia, it felt like it stared at the back of her head, another reminder of her lack of place in the new world. "I am quite adept at shooting a gun and applying first aid in the midst of any potential battle, but I cannot even seem to be a proper interior decorator. And I just wanted to do something kind for Mahiru-san when she is able to move in here: they did not trust me with the likes of fixing the porch or the plumbing, you see."

Her smile didn't reach her eyes. It never did, not anymore: there were too many regrets, too many reconciliations that had yet to come, too many people she'd hurt. Sonia brushed some loose tendrils of blonde hair out of her eyes, strands that had escaped the loose braid they'd been confined in. Maybe he just wanted someone to talk to, a friend. She used to be good at listening, allowing others to confide in her and advise where she could. She could try it again.

"May I help you with something, Nagito-san? If you feel the same as I do, I imagine you might be feeling like this is all rather...strange, to be on this island where our friends died. But that was all a dream: the reality of it is far more depressing."

[itzizumi]

I can’t even lie I’m a SLUT for vanilla fragrances I’m 99% sure it’s the reason I started questioning me sexuality in middle school like oh my god toes curling but you def give off mysterious vibes I love it

THANK YOU HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

anywayzz i like vanilla too but only when it’s a middle or base note, nothing too sweet hahahaha (maybe if its a powdery scent tho👀👀)

also i feel like the y/n from this fic (which i can’t get over 😩 @haitani-wrld ) wears this exact perfume

Delina is young and modern. pretty much smells like her flacon tells you she will: gorgeous, rococo, feminine, spring-like, a sea of blush-toned roses. reminds me of Sofia Coppola’s movie Marie Antoinette. i have to be in a very “people-pleasing” mood for her… happy and chipper and feeling pretty. she’s very playful but there is a hint of malice in there, if yk what i mean ;)