#she looks like one of those fainting Victorian ladies but in her underwear

[flippysquid]

Still a WIP. I can’t draw backgrounds and for some reason I really, really struggle with color so I have no idea why I decided to paint them next to a hot spring with rocks and water and all that crap. T.T

Also I don’t know what’s going on with his tattoos. Just messing around with them they may be different once it’s further along. Teldryn and Zo from my fanfic.

Good news I finally get to go home next week after a month and a half in the hospital!!!!

[kilesplaysthings]

Fashion history time!

Or, what IkeVamp’s MC should be actually wearing!

So, after seeing this fantastic post about what year ikevamp probably takes place in, I began thinking, what would the MC actually be wearing instead of that too-modern blouse/skirt ensemble? Like, I get she would wear it after first going back in time, but she can’t wear the same clothes (and underwear!!) all the time. Not to mention, it’s an established fact that Comte buys her clothes all the time lol

So, let’s go! The above mentioned post estimated that ikevamp takes place in the late 1890s, like 1896-1899 or so. Here’s some info about the 1890s from the Fashion History Timeline site:

The 1890s were a period of change. As the century drew to a close, the world began to move away from the stiff, moralistic, Victorian Era. Urban centers were growing, and new technologies, such as the introduction of electricity into clothing manufacturing, produced a boom in the ready-to-wear market. Women were enjoying new levels of independence; during the decade the number of women employed outside the home almost doubled. The “New Woman” of the era was an intellectual young female who worked, cycled, and played sports.

As the nineteenth century wore on, the complex set of rules governing dress became ever more intricate, resulting in a dizzying array of recommended ensembles by the 1890s. The general delineations of morning, afternoon, and evening wear held throughout the decade. Morning wear featured high necklines and long sleeves, while afternoon clothing opened at the neck and featured shortened sleeves, and finally, evening wear bared the chest and arms. The simplified silhouette was present throughout the day.

Here’s a look of women’s regular day war from 1895. These ladies seem to be library workers!

And another example of a day-gown from 1897-1898:

Women also began to participate in more athletic past times, especially biking! Here’s an example of an 1895 biking outfit that I can imagine MC wearing. Can’t you picture her racing Arthur or maybe even Napoleon down the road outside of the mansion? hehe!

And here’s some elegant examples of evening gowns from 1896-1898 that MC would actually wear when attending one of Comte’s balls. These were owned by the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, but I could so imaging Comte buying her something very similar. 

Now, as for hair:

Women generally arranged their hair in high, neat chignons with soft curls at the front. Hats were an all-important accessory, and were available in a variety of styles. Usually, 1890s hats were wide and heavily trimmed with tall upwardly curling feathers, ribbons, and flowers...Often hat trimmings were excessive; a common decoration was an entire stuffed bird. Toques, a hat without a brim, were also fashionable, worn perched at the top of the head.

The “Gibson Girl” became a fashion icon style in these years. Based on drawings of women by Charles Dana Gibson, this became a fashion icon that originated in America that represented a strong, athletic, independent, and confidant woman. Apparently, this icon is not to be confused with the “New Woman,” which was a woman icon based on more “radical” views like the suffrage movement and other political interests.

Some actresses from 1896. It’s a good example of those fantastic hats:

Now when it comes to undergarments, that is something I think the MC would have the most culture-shock towards. By the time of the 1890s, women wore several pieces, both for modesty, for support and to maintain the stylish silhouette of the day. They first wore bloomers or drawers; pant-like underwear that was split down the middle for when the lady needed to relieve herself. The pants would usually go down below the knee. She would also wear a chemise, which was basically an undershirt for skin protection before she would put on the corset.

Of course, she would wear a corset, but instead of the wrongly cliched reason of thinning the waist, it would usually be for support, like an old version of the bra. It also helped with posture. There were many different types to wear throughout her day, from biking to evening parties. She would also wear a petticoat, which would help accentuate the skirt of the dress.

Interestingly enough, by the late Victorian period, an undergarment called “combinations” emerged, which was an undergarment of bloomers and the chemise combined. It looked kind of like a romper. They ranged from plain designs to nice and frilly, and I’m sure it shaved off at least a few good minutes of the morning toilette. To be honest, I imagine our time-traveling MC would much prefer this than to putting on various pieces of undergarments lol

Complete that with a pair of stockings and shoes of the day and there we have MC’s actual wardrobe! While I’m sure a lot of people would hate having to wear all of this, personally, I would have a ball! pun intended XD

Here’s some sites and channels used for further ref (oh, and for the gothic ikevamp feel, I definitely recommend the film Crimson Peak). I highly recommend the two channels I’ve listed. These women make historical clothing, explain historical fashion and explain the real reason corsets were worn instead of what became the cliched horror stories of fainting ladies and misplaced organs.

1890′s Fashion

Victorian Underwear

History of Fashion tumblr

Bernadette Banner

Karolina Zebrowska

[themurphyzone]

All Time Travelers Go to Heaven Ch 1

Welcome to another AU! Inspired by All Dogs Go to Heaven! I’m not changing their species to dogs though. Everyone’s still a human. 

Ch 1- Jailbreak

In hindsight, knocking over that rich lady with the expensive mink coat while fleeing from the police had not been his greatest moment. And he’d saved the British royal family from the terrible fate that surely would’ve befallen them had they kept ownership of the Hope Diamond. But were they grateful for his service? 

No, of course not. The Hope Diamond had been stored with the rest of the Crown Jewels. Heavily guarded, but a minor inconvenience for an experienced time traveler such as himself. That part of the heist had been successful, at least. 

However, he had miscalculated the time when the Queen would be passing through on her way to the royal garden. Upon discovering him with the Hope Diamond, she’d collapsed in a dead faint while her servant girl screamed for someone to nab him. 

And that sparked a horse-drawn carriage chase through the streets of London. Balthazar had hoped to reach the countryside. The police in this time period never concerned themselves with the surrounding villages. 

Those hopes were dashed when a rich lady stepped out in front of the carriage, and Balthazar had been forced to yank on the reins so he didn’t run her over. The force of the sudden stop had thrown him off the driver’s seat and into the lady. 

He’d almost lost his hearing when she started screaming about his reckless driving. Somehow he’d managed to send the Hope Diamond back to headquarters with the Temporal Transporter while she smacked him over the head with a lacy parasol. 

Then the police surrounded him, leading the lady away to take a statement. 

Another job well screwed up.

Now he was locked up in the Tower of London. The least they could do was tell him what he was being charged with. But it probably didn’t matter anyway. Balthazar didn’t have the money to bribe the authorities into letting him go. 

The cell was tiny and disgusting. A wooden rack that served as a poor excuse for a bed was attached to the stone wall by two clinking chains. A small wooden bucket stood in one corner, Did they really expect him to use that? 

Gross. 

The only light came from a tiny window, much too small for any human to fit through. Unless the door slot the guards pushed mush through counted. 

Balthazar didn’t think it did. 

He couldn’t teleport out with the Temporal Transporter either. The guard in charge of bringing him food had confiscated that when he arrived. The first order of business was getting it back. 

“Dakota, any time would be nice. If you don’t spring me out by the time the British Empire crumbles, then I’m not paying the cable bill and you shall have to deal with missing the season finales of your foreign soap operas,” Balthazar muttered. 

He heard keys jangling from outside. The door to the cell rattled as someone unlocked it. The door slowly creaked open, a guard in an ill-fitting uniform signaling him to stand up. As the guard moved behind him to restrain his hands, Balthazar saw a flash of tinted glasses peeking out from underneath the giant black hat. The guard made a shushing motion with his hand, adjusting his fake mustache, which was tilted to the right. 

“Is the fake mustache necessary?” Balthazar hissed as they walked down the flight of stairs.

“Yes,” Vinnie replied. “I just wanted to see what’s it’s like having hair on my upper lip. And it’s really inconvenient. How do you eat without getting food everywhere?”

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “It makes me look more distinguished. Moving on to more important matters, I need to get my Temporal Transporter back.”

“Do you know who has it?” Vinnie asked. They passed by a guard in his underwear, struggling to free himself from a rope. “Oh, sorry about stealing your uniform. Especially when it’s kind of drafty in here.”

“The one who’s been tasked with bringing me that disgusting prison food,” Balthazar said. “But I have no idea where he is now.”

“Hey, you!” a large man called out. “Why are you out of your cell?” He blocked the only way out. They were surrounded by stone on all sides. And Balthazar didn’t know how far off the ground they were either. 

Vinnie chuckled nervously. “I was ordered to. By the Queen.”

“Oh, really?” The guard blocking their path crossed his arms in disbelief. Now that his arm was out of the way, Balthazar could clearly see the tip of the Temporal Transporter poking out from his belt. “And how come this is the first time I’ve heard that order?”

They wouldn’t even need to reach the bottom of the stairs. Once Balthazar had the Transporter, they could just teleport out. And he’d be a free man as long as he avoided the Victorian Era. 

“Dakota, do you have the knockout gas?” Balthazar whispered. 

“Sure, right, uh-” Vinnie felt around his uniform. “Oh, I must have left it in my jacket by mistake.” Balthazar glared at him. “Well, this was the best way I could think of to get in! Which, now that I think about it, is kind of anticlimactic. Movies always made jailbreaks look more exciting than this. And I just realized he can hear everything I’m saying, so I’m just gonna zip my lips now.” 

The guard let out a battle cry and charged at them. In the narrow passageway, there was no room to dodge, and Vinnie was squished under Balthazar as they lost their balance and toppled over. Balthazar rolled off his partner and barely blocked a punch, just inches away from his chest. 

“I’m a lot stronger than I look,” Balthazar retaliated with a punch of his own, though it sank into the material of the thick uniform and did nothing. 

“Give it up, old man,” the guard growled. “You’re no match for someone in the best Royal Guard in the world.”

Balthazar swept his leg underneath the guard’s, knocking him on his back. Then he unhooked the Transporter from his belt and checked it to make sure it wasn’t damaged. The screen was slightly dusty, but otherwise it was fine. For good measure, Balthazar punched the guard in the face while he was dazed from the impact. He moaned in pain, clutching his broken, bleeding nose.

“And that’s for calling me old,” Balthazar said, calibrating the Transporter for the Bureau. 

“Whoa. At least you didn’t push him down the stairs,” Vinnie commented. 

Balthazar shrugged. “Believe me. It was tempting. Anyway, I managed to successfully get the Hope Diamond to headquarters. I just didn’t account for the Tower of London, that’s all. Now, let’s get out of here. This place is terribly drafty. Besides, I do believe we’re overdue for a hero’s welcome.”

The familiar blue portal opened, revealing the Bureau among the swirling mist. “Does the hero’s welcome include hot dogs?” Vinnie asked. “Because I stopped at a pub on my way, and the fish and chips were terrible.”

“Yeah, sure,” Balthazar said as they stepped through. Once they were safely on the other side, he cut the connection, the other time period fading away. 

A successful mission meant praise, and possibly a promotion. And that would lead to being able to afford a house, or a mansion, or a cool car, and Vinnie would get all the food he could stuff himself with.

After all this time, his goal was to save the world was being realized. It was a noble pursuit, one filled with action, danger, and fame. 

Balthazar was getting closer. He could feel it.

The Hope Diamond is real by the way. And CURSED. Dun dun dun!