#short hairstyles for ladies with glasses

[bellaxgiornata]

Falling For the Devil [Part ten: "The Growing Insecurity"]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Summary: You meet up with Matt for coffee to deliver some documents you'd uncovered to help one of his cases.

Or

You feel insecure sitting with Matt while two women continually check him out. But Matt knows how to make you feel better.

[Series of one-shots about Reader meeting, falling for, and dating Matt Murdock.]

Warnings: 18+ for this series; contains humor, fluff, romance, angst, smut (like...a lot of it later in the series), language, some violence

Word Count: 3.1k

a/n: Bit of light angst in this one, friends! Don't worry, Matt makes everything better at the end! And as usual, you can find the full list of installments for this series on tumblr here!

Matt's hand was wrapped around your bicep as you maneuvered the pair of you through the coffee shop. You were currently trying to steadily carry both of your coffees in each hand while also precariously holding a folder filled with a handful of papers to your chest with the arm that was not guiding Matt. You could feel the folder slowly slipping down your chest with each step. 

As you swerved past a table with two women, you internally cringed at the way both of their heads shot up, their eyes immediately landing on Matt beside you. The long-haired woman's brows rose, a small smile pulling her lips up at the corner at the sight of him. Next to her, the lady with the short bob hairstyle bit her lip, her eyes obviously following the pair of you as you walked.

You felt a sinking feeling in your stomach, your face falling just a bit as you neared a booth in the back of the little shop. Of course you weren't foolish enough to think women would suddenly not notice Matt just because the two of you had gone on a few dates. It's not like the word 'unavailable' was stamped on his forehead. But it still stung each time you were out with him and saw the looks thrown his way or the comments that sounded just a tad too flirtatious.

But there had been a few times–three times, exactly–where women had openly flirted with Matt while you were right there. And yes, he had politely declined each time and even pointed out that he was with you, usually while throwing a possessive arm around your waist as he did. But then they'd usually glare at you or shoot you confused looks, obviously noticing the nervous way you carried yourself beside a man as attractive and confident as Matt. Which ultimately made you even more self-conscious and nervous. If Matt had ever picked up on it, you'd never heard him say anything.

"This should be private enough to discuss things," you told Matt as you stopped in front of an empty booth. "At least considering we're in a public coffee shop."

Matt released his hold on your arm, beginning to fold up his cane. "Thanks for looking into this for me," he said. "You're really good at finding the hidden details when I need them."

You flushed under his praise, setting Matt’s coffee in your left hand onto the table in front of him. "Thanks," you murmured. 

"Maybe you missed your calling as a lawyer?" he teased.

You snorted, shaking your head and trying to grab onto the folder while setting your own coffee onto the table. You miscalculated the movement though, the folder slipping out from underneath your arm and quickly falling towards the floor. Before you even had a chance to do more than inhale a sharp breath of dismay, Matt’s hand was already darting out and catching the folder like it was instinctual. He held it out to you, a small smile flashing at you underneath his dark glasses.

"Thanks," you whispered, accepting the folder from him.

You slid into the booth, the cold of the faux leather chair on your bare legs causing you to shiver just a bit. Knowing you'd be meeting Matt this morning for coffee, you'd opted for a dress instead of your usual jeans. Of course Matt couldn't exactly see what you were wearing, but he had noticed the fabric and realized that you were in a dress–apparently based on how it had sounded as you moved. He had told you that he thought you looked beautiful this morning and you'd delighted at the compliment knowing he meant it. As you’d both walked to the coffee shop, you’d felt like you were walking on air with him at your side, a large smile on your face. 

But now as you situated yourself in the booth, Matt sliding in across from you and setting his folded cane further down the table, you could feel the two womens' eyes on you from a few tables over. As you quickly glanced in their direction you noticed your suspicions were correct; they were both indeed staring. You focused back on the folder before you, tucking some hair behind your ear as Matt took a drink of his coffee. 

“So uh,” you began nervously, half your focus still on the women nearby, “I found some articles that correlate with your Mr. Girsham. Took a bit of work,” you continued, opening up the folder in front of you, “because I had to really dig around some old papers Ellison has horribly stored away at The Bulletin.” You shook your head, smiling slightly. “He really needs an actual filing system. But anyway, I scanned copies and emailed them to you and Foggy. I wanted to find a way to convert them to a text that would make them more accessible for you, but I figured you’d appreciate the articles sooner rather than later. But,” you continued, pulling out the few pages of printed braille text and sliding them across the table to Matt, “I printed out some of the documents for you that I found filed away strangely and conveniently improperly at the county clerks. Which took some real digging because I didn’t know what was even out of place at first.” You noticed Matt’s hands were running along the pages of braille in front of him and you bit your lip, pausing. “I’ll give you a minute to read them without my incessant chatter.”

His hand abruptly paused, his head rising up towards you. “You’re not incessantly chattering,” he assured you. 

You smiled softly, your attention turning to the coffee you’d yet to drink. Picking up the cup, you took a long sip of the warm liquid, eyes momentarily closing as you enjoyed the drink. This shop always had good coffee, but today it was made even better being able to drink it with just Matt. Normally when you’d grabbed coffee with him, Foggy or Karen, if not both of them, were with you. This was a welcome change. 

You swallowed down the warm liquid, eyes opening as you reveled in the comforting warmth of the cup between your hands while taking in the sight of Matt before you. He’d told you that he stopped into the office early this morning so he was dressed in a white dress shirt with a thin red tie and black dress pants. His hair was just ever so slightly windswept from the walk here and you’d contemplated at least five times reaching up and fixing it for him when you’d both waited in line to order your coffee. You chewed your thumbnail now, resting your elbow on the table as Matt’s hands continued to scan over the documents, contemplating how he’d react if you stretched across the table and carded your fingers through his hair, fixing the few out of place strands. Would he mind?

Laughter from the table over caught your attention and you glanced over your shoulder. The two women were giggling, hands thrown over their mouths. The long-haired woman glanced over to your booth, her eyes lingering on Matt. You felt heat rise to your cheeks ever so faintly, that sinking feeling returning to your squirming gut as you ducked your head, chewing harder on your nail. You wondered if Matt heard what they were talking about; were they laughing at you? Or maybe they were making comments about him, just as Katy had done the night you’d met him. You sighed gently, your eyes focused on your coffee cup in front of you.

“You okay?” 

The question caught you off guard and your eyes darted up. Matt was staring at you, the papers shuffled back together in front of him. His head was tilted to the side a bit, his brows pulled together and his lips pulled into a thin line.

“I’m fine,” you told him softly. Quickly clearing your throat you asked, “So is any of that helpful? I mean I know you don’t have the articles here, but do those help your case? Connect some missing dots?”

“Yeah, actually. I owe you, really,” he answered, picking up his coffee cup. “I’ll have to tell Fog to check out the news articles when we finish our coffee.” He shrugged a shoulder, taking a sip of his drink before shooting you a smile. “But that can wait a bit. I’m quite content to just enjoy your company for a bit longer if you’re not in a rush.”

“I’m not in a rush,” you replied easily.

“And I suppose I do have one more bit of business,” Matt said, resting his elbows onto the table and leaning in towards you.

Curious, you leaned in towards him a little as well. “Which is?”

“Figueroa,” Matt barely uttered the name. “I’m close to getting a thumb drive full of information on his dealings in Hell’s Kitchen.”

“How close?” you asked, eyes narrowing.

His fingers tapped lightly along the table, his covered gaze still on you. “Tonight, if I’m lucky,” he finally answered.

Your eyes went wide. You’d been working on that case for more than a year, but after Matt had shown up as Daredevil and saved you from Figueroa’s men you’d grudgingly dropped it. At least, for the most part. But if Matt had a big break, actual proof you could use to out him and his illegal trafficking of women, you could throw him in the spotlight at The Bulletin. Get the police on him and get him arrested once and for all.

“So you uh, you need to do the whole going out and punching bad guys thing tonight to get your hands on it?” you asked him.

He smirked, one corner of his mouth tugging up at your question. “I believe that’s a vast oversimplification of what I’m going to do, but yes, in short, that’s what I plan to do tonight,” he answered. “And I was thinking that tomorrow night maybe you could come over, I could order us some food, and we could go over what’s on it?”

Your heart sped up a little. You hadn’t gone to Matt’s apartment before–not alone at least. Your eyes dropped down to the hand he had on his coffee cup, briefly remembering what he’d done with them not too long ago. Remembering the way they’d touched you, worked you up and gotten you off so damn easily. Sweat dampened your palms as you gnawed on the inside of your cheek. Would they be on you again if you went there tomorrow night? Your breath came in short at the thought, eyes still focused on his hands. Would you actually be able to touch him ? He shifted in the booth, the movement catching your eye. The smirk grew just a little wider on his mouth and you held the coffee cup just a bit tighter in your hands in response.

“Someone thinking about the other week?” he asked, voice suddenly deeper than it had been a moment ago.

Face flushing, you re-tucked the hair already behind your ear nervously. Your mouth opened to respond, your stomach twisting in anxious anticipation, but another voice cut you off.

“Hey!”

Your mouth snapped shut, your attention turning to the long-haired woman from the table nearby standing at your booth. You grimaced at the way she was focused on Matt, bright smile flashing at him as she kicked a hip out. Her friend at the table was leaning over the back of her chair staring at Matt, entirely ignoring you. 

You felt invisible and lousy, your thumbnail making its way up to your mouth. Eyes averted to your coffee cup, you wished you could just slip silently out of the booth and get away from this situation. It didn’t matter that this had happened three other times before, it hurt every damn time. You were literally sitting right there with him, why did she feel the need to interrupt?

“Can I help you?” Matt asked.

You noted his tone sounded a bit sharper and more unpleasant than usual, seeing his head turn towards the woman out of your peripheral. 

“I uh, I just wanted to say I saw you come in,” the woman began, seeming to lose confidence as she continued. “I wondered if maybe you’d like to get coffee sometime…?”

“As flattered as I’m probably supposed to feel,” Matt answered, his tone still a little sharper than usual when he dealt with women flirting with him, “I’m clearly in the middle of having coffee with my girlfriend.”

You saw the woman shift beside you, her surprised gaze landing on you. 

“Oh, I didn’t…didn’t know…” she said slowly. “Sorry,” she whispered.

She turned and hurried back over to her friend’s table. Your eyes lingered on them, watching as they gathered their coffees and purses and quickly left without a second glance. 

“That bothers you, doesn’t it?” Matt asked.

Slowly your eyes slid back to Matt across from you. He’d taken his glasses off, the dark frames laying on the table beside his coffee. You could see the concern and distress in his eyes as they scanned you. Glancing back down at your coffee cup, your nails nervously tapping along the cup, you shrugged a single shoulder.

“Not really pleasant feeling like I’m part of the coffee shop decor instead of a person sitting across from you at the table,” you muttered. “You can’t exactly help it though.”

Matt began sliding out of the booth, his coffee, cane, and glasses still on the table. You frowned, shooting him a questioning look.

“What’re you–”

“Move over,” he ordered as he got out of the booth.

“What?” you asked.

He was standing at your side of the booth now with a smile on his face. “Move over,” he repeated.

You began scooting towards the wall, a confused look still on your face. “Matt, what’re you doing?” you asked him.

He began sliding into the booth beside you and he didn’t stop until his thigh was pressed against the side of yours. He reached out, pulling his glasses and coffee back towards him on this side of the table now. And then he turned just a bit in the booth, one hand on his coffee cup and the other slipping down to rest on your bare thigh. You inhaled sharply when his hand affectionately squeezed your leg under the table.

“I honestly hate that,” he said.

Your brows furrowed. “Hate what? Beautiful women hitting on you?” you asked skeptically.

He rubbed the hand not on your thigh across his mouth for a moment as his eyes rested along your neck. Eventually a slow smile made its way across his lips. “You know that night we met at Josie’s? I overheard that entire conversation between you and your friend.”

You groaned, your head rolling back to land against the booth. “Come on, Matt,” you complained. “I feel shitty, why’re you trying to make me feel embarrassed, too?”

He chuckled softly, his hand squeezing your thigh again. “I’m not, just hear me out,” he said. 

You grunted in response, your eyes closing. If you had to listen you’d at least pretend he wasn’t sitting right there. Though that warm palm on your thigh was hard to ignore, especially when it reminded you of another night…

“I heard everything between the two of you that night,” Matt continued. “The comments she made about me. Teasing you about finding me attractive. And you know what? Not once did you actually make inappropriate remarks about me.”

“Says the guy who wouldn’t stop bringing up his ass the other week,” you muttered under your breath.

Matt chuckled beside you. “My point being, sweetheart, I appreciated that. Do you know how often I have to overhear what women say about me?”

“Not helping,” you mumbled.

His hand squeezed your thigh again. “My point being, the flirting like that? The objectification? I grew out of enjoying that shortly after leaving Columbia. But you–you didn’t do that.”

“You can’t hear my thoughts,” you blurted. 

Abruptly your eyes widened, realizing you’d said that aloud. Your attention nervously shifted to Matt beside you, but he was just smiling deviously back at you.

“Yeah?” he asked, his hand sliding up your leg just a bit. “Why don’t you tell me about some of those thoughts?”

You’d lost the ability to respond the moment his thumb slipped down to rub a circle along the inside of your thigh. Breathing was requiring all of your focus now. As if he could sense that, he laughed lightly and turned his attention to his coffee. His hand remained, though.

“Maybe you can tell me about them tomorrow night, over dinner at my place?” he asked. “I never did get an answer.”

“I…I’m free tomorrow night,” you whispered.

“Good,” he replied.

You took a deep breath, leaning forward onto the table and picking up your coffee cup. Taking a few deep drinks, something he’d said abruptly stood out in your mind. Setting the coffee back to the table, swallowing the drink down, you focused on Matt beside you.

“Since when am I your girlfriend?” you asked.

Shaking his head, he laughed. “You know, that took you longer to comment on than I thought it would,” he said.

“That wasn’t an answer,” you said, eyes narrowing.

“You’re right, it wasn’t,” he replied, leaning his arm onto the table and smiling warmly back at you. His eyes were creased at the corners and he looked boyishly handsome as he focused along your left shoulder with his beautiful eyes. “Do you want to be?”

“This feels like high school,” you said awkwardly.

“That wasn’t an answer,” he said, repeating you.

You couldn’t resist the laugh that came out in response, the entire ordeal with the women flirting and making you feel uncomfortable completely forgotten now. With the way he was sitting here, hand on your thigh, his sightless gaze focused entirely on you, you felt seen.

“If I said yes, would that make you my boyfriend?” you asked him.

“I’m pretty sure that’s how that works, isn’t it?” he teased. His brows rose onto his forehead as he asked, “So?”

You tried to bite back the smile but ultimately it broke across your face as you gazed back at him beside you in the booth. “Yeah, I’d like that,” you answered softly.

He leaned forward towards you, one hand still on your thigh as the other reached out, gently cradling the side of your face as he gradually closed the distance. His mouth was on yours briefly, connecting your lips in a sweet, small kiss. He pulled back just a fraction, his lips still brushing yours as he spoke.

“So would I,” he whispered.

Stomach suddenly bursting with a thousand nervous butterflies, you reached up and ran a hand through his hair, flattening a few of the windswept strands. Satisfied, your hand lightly gripped his chin before you leaned in and kissed him again.

[alexcors]

Tentazione

Sunday morning was pampered with coolness, even in the habitually stuffy, impregnated with the aromas of incense, wax and oak, the parish of a modest provincial church. The priest's voice fell in low notes on the sonorous singing of the tiny choir, over the whisper of the voices of the parishioners who read the prayer aloud.

Damian was standing a little behind, no longer trying to listen to the mentor's speech, as his deacon's rank and the duty of a righteous Catholic ordered. His gaze from the first minutes unmistakably found the one that had occupied all his thoughts for the last month and generated desires, which he renounced by entering a monastery.

Young Ravena Rothi.

The daughter of Sicilian aristocrats, sent by her father to this provincial Italian town with only governesses and companions, she was a true temptation for the future priest. A real creature of Hell in the guise of an angel. And Damian had served Satan long enough to understand such things.

A former member of the League of Assassins, from an early age he established himself as one of the best, thanks to diligence, skills and hot Saracen blood that flowed in his veins. True to the ideals hammered into him almost from birth, by the age of sixteen he managed not just to get his hands dirty in blood, but almost drown in it.

An endless series of broken destinies under the cover of darkness turned Damian's life into one continuous night, becoming unbearable, forcing him to wander in the darkness in search of at least a drop of light. And it seemed to the young man that he had found it, subdued his rage and thirst for blood within the walls of the monastery, and then the church, where he was about to take the priesthood.

But, at the crucial moment, She appeared.

A temptation sent to him by the Lord, the Devil, or both at once, apparently designed to test the fortitude of his spirit. And a body in which the familiar flame flared up again, as on those nights when Damian chased the victim like a hungry predator stalking prey.

A light draft, seeping through the cracks in the patterned stained-glass window, pulled a curl that had escaped from her hairstyle, shiny as a raven's wing. He ran it over the creamy white skin of her shoulder, slightly covered by the light, like sea foam, fabric of her dress. Again without the stole, which hung in folds on the girl's arms, leaving the neckline, shoulders and neck under Damian's greedy gaze.

And as if there were no three years of asceticism and humility! The young deacon shifted from one foot to the other, closing his eyelids for a moment, involuntarily wondering how such an innocent creature could push him into the abyss of all mortal sins at once? But, as soon as he opened his eyes, the answer was found in the same second.

Her gaze that was now gliding over the lines of a written prayer. Not meek and weak-willed, but direct, bold, almost audacious. Lilac-blue, like a forest blackberry, burning with magical lights in its dark depths. Damian couldn't help but remember seeing those eyes for the first time when Lady Ravena first came to church with the other young girls. Her polite but short bow, instead of a modestly lowered head, a soft but confident voice when talking to his mentor, a glance gliding around and burning with curiosity. That's what the former assassin caught that day. Like an arrow at the chest, which seemed to be aiming at the heart.

Then, having first mentioned the Lord in vain, the deacon walked around the altar, deliberately casually touched the edge of a dark blue stole with his fingers and threw it over the girl's open shoulder. Now his fingers tingled with the desire to repeat this gesture, to allow himself to touch the alluring skin of the charmer, at least through the fabric. The young man cut off more frank thoughts with prayer, like an old family sword.

The almost harmonious chorus of voices, the memorized text in Latin that Damian hummed with his lips, allowed him to even out his breathing and calm his overly restless heart a little. By an effort of will, the deacon forced himself to immerse himself in a personal copy of the Holy Scriptures, when the former killer's gut tugged at the inner strings.

Damian was always clearly aware of surveillance, whether it was colleagues, enemies or monks. But now a sharply upturned gaze caught an unabashed pair of violet eyes, forcing their owner to suffocate with surprise. To lose the rhythm, but to continue to whisper something with her deliciously pink lips, while a blush blooms on her cheeks, and her fingers pull at the corners of the pages of her prayer book. And all this without letting go of his gaze.

He'd better go away. To go down to his room, close himself in his cell and pray to the Lord for help, because the deacon's own endurance was thinning and melting, like the wax of a church sich, with every deep breath of Lady Ravena, which lifted her chest so seductively. But apparently his trials are not over for today.

"Damian?" – the mentor called when the final prayer finally subsided and the parishioners, under the creaking of benches, moved to the exit.

"Yes, Padre."

"Can I leave you to take care of the parish for a couple of hours? Madame Chantal asks to consecrate her house."

"For the fifth time?" - The deacon chuckled.

"Don't blame the old people for wanting to brighten up loneliness, my son."

"You're too kind to her, Padre," - Damian glanced briefly at an elderly woman dressed in the fashion of young ladies. - "This crazy Frenchwoman is just in love with you."

"And what is it? Love for one's neighbor is beautiful in all its manifestations."

The young man did not express his thoughts on this, only nodded briefly, promising to take care of everything in the absence of a mentor. Which the cheerful old lady immediately grabbed under the elbow, referring to her age, fatigue and, as if accidentally dropping the edge of the golden stole from her shoulder.

The long-awaited silence enveloped the church with the last slam of the high doors, giving the former murderer a couple of grains of much-desired peace, which, oddly enough, smacked of disappointment. And Damian tried to convince himself that he was disappointed by his own lack of restraint, and not by the missed opportunity to cross paths with Lady Ravena once again.

But it was worth, even mentally, remembering his personal Devil…

"Padre?" – a slender figure in a thin dress, tied under her breasts with a satin ribbon, slipped into the church with the ease of a shadow.

God help me!

"The Lord commands you to be more modest in His house, child,"- Damian said in a stern tone.

"Did He send you to report this or punish me?"

"Did you want something, Lady Rotti?" - The deacon asked as evenly as possible, ignoring her cheeky tone, the tip of the ribbon swaying in time with her breathing and the tingling on his fingertips.

This tantalizing piece of burgundy satin… He could untie the knot in one motion, forcing the light snow-white fabric to slip off the sloping shoulders. And watch as a pinkish haze of embarrassment spreads over the porcelain skin. How the breath is lost, forcing her tender lips to open a little…

God!

"Padre Riccardo," - Ravena's voice pulled him out of his sinful fantasy. - "He allowed me to borrow one of the parish books."

"For what?"

"I… wanted to teach the servants to read and write."

Damian didn't remember his mentor telling him anything like that. He could (should have!) to refuse this temptress, citing his ignorance, employment or something else. Because the very thought of a short solitude with her scared and caused a thrill, almost making you burn from the inside. And that scared me even more.

"I'm not sure…"

"Please?" Ravena took a step toward him, standing so close that Damian could smell her skin. Light, floral, mesmerizing.

How could he refuse this charmer when she looked at him like that, asked for it like that?

"Well," - the deacon stepped aside, motioning the girl to follow him. "Since the padre promised, I suppose you can take one."

Lady Ravena, with an easy gait, followed, first ducking under the canopy shifted by the young man, which fenced off the narrow staircase from the parishioners. For a brief moment, Damian allowed himself to enjoy the sight of her slender legs, barely showing from under the hem of her dress. Later he will have to atone for another sin…

In the lower room, the air was thicker, diluted with the smells of burning candles, ink and parchment. Among the dark wood that covered the walls and covered the floor, Lady Ravena seemed like a vision, a light white cloud, for some unknown reason, descended from heaven.

Damian watched as the girl concentrated on choosing a book, reading the titles and touching the spines with the tips of her elegant fingers. She glanced at some with an indifferent, almost bored gaze, glared at others with her eyes, as if wanting to take away not one, but several books at once.

Finally, a book slipped off the shelf, which in no way suited either a young lady, or, even more so, illiterate maids. But judging by how impatiently Lady Ravena opened the first page, and the look of violet eyes ran over the lines, this fact did not bother her a bit. The deacon chuckled: so a sinner got into offending him? It seems that he is not the only one who will need prayers today.

"Teach the servants to read and write a philosophical treatise?" - he asked, closing the distance between them. - "And in Greek?"

"Oh," - the girl abruptly closed the book. - "I'am…"

"Liar," the deacon breathed, leaning almost impermissibly close. His temptress smelled so delicious-lavender and foliage after the rain, clean and fresh.

"Why do you need a book, Lady Ravena?"

The edge of the stole slipped down again, exposing the shoulder of the girl, whose hands were busy to return the fabric to its rightful place. Damian's breath touched her skin, causing goosebumps and a barely noticeable shiver.

"I like to… read," - Raven muttered, clearly embarrassed, but not looking away.

"In Greek?" - The deacon ran his fingers over the letters on the cover, barely noticeably touching the hand with which the girl was holding the book to herself. So gentle…

"And in five more languages," - the lady lifted her chin, apparently wanting to sound smug, but it turned out only to expose her neck.

"This does not allow you to sin in the house of the Lord," - Damian hissed, through his teeth, with which he wanted to pierce the point above the pulse.

For God's sake, what's going on with him?!

"No… Does not allow…"

The exhalation touched his face, the candlelight reflected in the lilac eyes and tiny drops of sweat on the girl's temples. He could tell her to get down on her knees right now to atone for her sins. And she would have obeyed, sinking to the floor in front of him, revealing a delightful view of the inviting cleavage between her breasts.

"So confess me, Holy Father," - the stole slipped off the second shoulder, exposing smooth skin.

So hot…

"Forgive you, child?" His swarthy fingers slid down her arm, brushing and slightly shifting the tiny sleeve, catching the unruly burgundy fabric at the wrist.

"I'm sorry… For I am a sinner…"

"What is your sin, child?" Damian felt her pulse quicken, heard her breathing quicken, and seemed to be losing control of his own.

"In words. And in my thoughts," at the last word, her gaze dropped to his lips, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Go on."

"I lied in church, Padre," Ravena's voice dropped to a whisper. – "I Lied To You… I'm Sorry."

"I absolve you of this sin, because the Lord is merciful," - the learned phrase sounded lower than decency allowed, from which the girl shuddered, and the deacon's heart missed a beat. – "What was in your thoughts?"

Lady Ravena squeezed her eyes shut, almost making Damian growl–he wanted to see her gaze, watch it darken and shine, reflecting the candlelight and his own flame. But before he allowed himself to voice a demand to the girl to open her eyes again, she did the unthinkable – she licked her dry lips with the tip of her tongue.

The light and quick movement almost awakened the beast in him, who did not want to humble himself and give forgiveness. Just take it. To take away the book behind which this temptress was hiding, to steal a kiss, to give free rein to his hands and, finally, to untie this damned ribbon! Enjoy the view of her lovely curves, try it with his own lips and tongue. Listening to Ravena repeat his name like a prayer, while Damian's fingers would touch her in the most forbidden places, squeeze and gently stroke her skin under a snow-white dress… He wanted, literally longed to kiss her thin neck, and then bite his teeth, leaving a trace as bright and vicious as her tongue, just moistened pink lips.

So hot, so sinful and so…

"Amazing".

"What?"

"You're amazing, Lady Ravena," Damian forced himself to take half a step back. – "Young and… lovely."

The deacon's fingers finally pulled the stole up, hiding the shoulders and even the neck of the girl from his own hungry gaze.

"Such girls are chosen by the Devil to inspire bad thoughts. Swoops down like a hurricane on a thin peach tree…"

"Do you think my thoughts were a temptation, Padre?"

You're a temptation!

"I think you should pray harder before going to bed," - Damian breathed, diligently chasing away thoughts of Ravena, in the thinnest nightgown, kneeling by her own bed.

God… Why her?

"Thank you, Holy Father," - the girl nodded slightly, still deliciously rosy.

She took a step forward, heading towards the stairs, and the young deacon, absorbed in his own feelings, guessed to move only at the last moment. And the lady had to hit him with her hip as she passed by.

Damian didn't know what he was praying for more that second-that he wouldn't moan loudly or that his temptress wouldn't notice the obvious bulge under his cassock.

Ignoring the rules of decency and not seeing the girl out of the church, he almost fell on a hard chair, again seeking salvation from Heaven. And forgiveness. And strength, because God knows Damian won't be able to resist this temptation forever.…

That night the deacon prayed three times–twice before going to bed, and once in the middle of the night, when he jumped up from his hard bed almost in a feverish sweat. In the darkness of the cell, images flashed before his eyes, from which his breath was knocked out and painfully throbbed in his groin.

God…

Damian could still see how her raven-colored hair spread out on the pillow, how her slender body bent under his pressure, and sweet moans and tender lips alternately touched his face. He saw, almost felt, and desired against all the laws of earth and heaven. He had no right to do this – not only to a young charmer who had been spinning his head for a month, a depraved nymph entering his dreams, but also to give up the only opportunity to find forgiveness. And peace.

@reverseoforah, I LOVE YOU!!!!!

[thatmarvelobsessedteen]

Not planned...at all

Cassian x reader

Azriel x OC!reader'scousin

Short Summary: Two girls, cousins, somehow find themselves inside a slightly modified version of their favorite book saga ACOTAR. What will happen to them, things have changed and not just their situation but themselves...are those pointy ears they now have?

Long Summary: Leonor and Roxanne had only planned their usual afternoon, reading fanfics on the floor of Nell's room and chatting about their favorite love interests. Doing weird hairstyles and screaming the lyrics to various Nickelback songs was on the schedule but nighttime they both learn a very valuable lesson. Don't go looking too deep into the internet!

Roxy and Nell both pay the price when finding themselves in the middle of...nowhere? That is until they walk through the snow for a bit and notice that they are now direct spectators of the very scene they'd been about to read!

Chapter 1

Growing up and moving out had never stopped two good cousins from acting like kids and sharing a flat for their studies certainly wasn't gonna stop Roxanne or Leonor from having sleepovers in each other's room.

Tonight was Nell's turn. The plan was simple! Celebrate the ending of second term globals with weird ass skincare products they'd never even touched before, blast music low enough for no neighbors to come complaining, and mix up sweets and energy drinks while devouring sour candy and Takis.

Nothing new or out of the ordinary, most time these sleepovers didn't involve as much food but today was special. Roxanne had gotten second place in a large judo tournament that took place in their city, the black long haired girl was almost vibrating with excitement at the news so of course her older cousin and roommate had taken it upon herself to make tonight specially fun.

"We could've got drinks?!"

Nell was snapped out of her intense focus by Roxy's words, it's true Roxanne's 18 and she's 19 going on 20 in less than two months. Feeling up to a teasing mood Nell pulled unnecessary hard on Roxanne's pitch black long straight hair with a smirk as she continued the intricate hairstyle she'd been working on for the past hour, this was their second attempt at perfecting.

"What's up with the comment? Are you feeling alcoholic young lady?! Meh didn't feel like buying that, energy drinks are more of a rush and it did feel kind of depressing to think of us both having a pijama party just to drink wine like old widowed wives."

Roxanne didn't really react to hair pulling, I mean the woman could put down a fully grown man without any weapons it was to be expected that she didn't feel bothered by Nell's petty hair pulling. She did hum in agreement with Leonor when hearing her reasoning and chugged another drink at her glass.

"How much left? Not that you're pulling too harshly but my neck feels sore in this position"

"Give me five more minutes, I like your hair, this type of stuff can't really be done on my hair! Or at least I can't manage on myself unless I spend a full hour untangling this bird nest"

Nell complained referring to her thick brown curls that were struggling to pull out under their containment from the hair claw she had on.

It wouldn't usually click to people, that she and Roxy were actually cousins at least not until they saw them interact with one another.

Roxanne was the absolute definition of a black cat type of girl, with her straight black hair and resting bitch face no one would expect to see her running into Leonor's arms for a hug to celebrate her victory. She loved dressing in black and wouldn't think twice before pulverizing someone's ego if she deemed it necessary. Standing on 1'64 meters she could somehow still manage to look down on anyone twice her size with her icy blue eyes.

Leonor on the other hand was usually all smiles and apologies, almost like a reflex at this point.

[stardewremixed]

Shower Thoughts

Abigail is a shower girl, singing her favorite punk rock songs slightly off key. Switches up her hair dye every other month. Otherwise, a pretty simple routine. Has mastered the perfect cat eyeliner and a little mascara.

Alex is a soak after a long, arduous workout, and drowns himself in Old Spice products. Uses an exotic scented shampoo - guava.

Elliott is a long bath kind of guy, complete with candles and rose petals, and a writing tray to capture his thoughts. Spends hours on his hair, nails, skin, etc. Immaculate self-grooming habits.

Emily has a whole wind down routine, complete with warm shower, meditation to find her Zen, and lofi sounds to lull her to sleep. Quick shower before work in the morning, fluff drys her hair. It's just that perky.

Harvey is particular about his grooming routine. Cleanliness is next to godliness. He's a shower-to-wake-up-in-the-morning kind-of guy and a shower-to-wind-down-at-night kind-of guy. Frequently shaves and grooms. Doesn't wear cologne so not to disturb his patients with allergies.

Haley spends hours in the bathroom, primping, curling, mani-pedi touch ups, fogging up the mirror with steamy hot showers. Heavy on the perfume. Light floral scents. Flawless makeup.

Sam is a quick cold shower in the morning kind-of dude. Whatever's on sale for cologne and deodorant. Showers daily and uses hair gel. Would totally play with Vincent's rubber ducky if he takes a bath.

Maru is a Navy shower kind-of gal. Freaky fast. She has better things to do with her time. Light sunscreen and a little lip gloss.

Sebastian takes longer than his sister. Rolls out of bed half awake and stands in the shower for a few minutes to be more alert. Thinks about weird stuff in the shower. Like the Reddit argument he had over how to pronounce GIF. The best ingredients for sushi. The weird dream he had last night about the Wizard, a clown, and a ghost dog walking into a bar...

Leah would skinny dip in the lake. Fresh water. Moonlight. Liberating. Not that she does it too often. Otherwise it's a short shower. Turns the shower off when soaping up to save water. Has the same hairstyle since middle school. Lip gloss, brush of dewy foundation, mascara, a little light earthy toned eyeshadow. There. Ready.

Shane avoids it as long as possible. Heavy heavy heavy on the Axe. Does the whole scruff thing. It works for him.

Claire falls asleep in the bath, with a glass of wine, reading a book. Wakes up in cold water realizing she needs to evaluate her life. Buys cheap cosmetics with her employee discount.

Victor is clean shaven... always. He's a normal shower guy, uses aftershave, a little citrus cologne. Sends out his dry cleaning.

Olivia is a luxurious bath lady. Loofah, bubbles, champagne, candles, facial, classical, sit back and soak... ahhhhh! Victoria's Secret perfume. Something strong and vanilla. She's got her makeup routine down pat. Red lipstick is her signature. Looks like a different person when she doesn't wear any makeup.

Penny is sad the plumbing doesn't work half the time in the trailer. She enjoys long soaks in the spa, sweating out her toxins, listening to nothing but the water when showering in the locker room. It's a nice change over her mom yelling at the game on TV.

Lance likes his spiked hair. Lots of mousse and gel to get it perfect. He's a shower-under waterfalls-bathe-in-the-ocean type of gent. Uses a sea salt scrub. Rugged deep woods scented cologne.

Magnus - why shower when you can just use a cleaning spell? Such a time saver! But if he must, he will set up his tub in the woods and soak under the stars.

Sophia - has a grape chapstick she loves, special orders her pink hair dye, washes her feet nightly, showers every other day, no look is complete without her cotton candy blush.

[sonkitty]

The Sideburns Scheme Post #57

(For reference: The Sideburns Scheme)

Crowley, Good Omens 2, Episode 4, The Hitchhiker, hook

...

Sideburns Check

I brightened the third of the above images, which are mostly from Crowley sitting after he took his hat off.

The sideburns are long. I think the long sideburns are the "human" reading during the minisode as a reversal compared to the present day.

Since the space is the bookshop, it's worth a closer look. In the present day, the bookshop varies the length, dependent on the context of the scene.

That happens here too. The bookshop is Aziraphale's home, and the present day bookshop knows Crowley is a demon. It gave him short sideburns with Muriel due to Muriel's literal lie about being human.

So, what's happening here?

Based on the contained story of the show itself, we don't know if Crowley has ever actually been in the bookshop up to this point.

Aziraphale proclaims himself as an angel in the dialogue, however, the same is not done for Crowley.

In fact, Crowley makes a literal claim otherwise by saying hes a lonely American G.I. Contextually, he means it as pretend, but the bookshop has already given him long sideburns, and he keeps the long sideburns while inside the space. He and Aziraphale have an appointed encounter with humans later that will take place outside the bookshop with the intent to appear human then too.

Crowley is first shown with his right arm and shoulder against a pillar, his hat still on, and a hand in his pocket. Pockets are very tricky, advanced mechanics, but the main place I know of where they help cause the sideburns to change length is Crowley's first present day scene because the tassel tips, the thumbs, of the Tied Hands are probably used to activate Door Mode with the newspaper while Crowley's sitting still.

Otherwise, other factors seem to be what actually cause the length to change, such as non-pocket thresholds, character presence, and a radius of the car or radius of the bookshop.

...

Brighter Red Streak Check

Crowley removes his hat during the scene, so the more saturated red streak of hair is visible. It's easiest to find when he his sitting down.

...

Hairstyle Changes

The sideburns are still long.

Compared to the previous scene, the top hair doesn't go upward as much. It's not as smooth in its tilt to Crowley's right and curl downward.

...

Earthly Objects

(For reference: Earthly Objects | Earthly Objects Study - Crowley's Sunglasses )

This scene is mixed in with something that's probably rather advanced for complex window scenes.

All the same, Crowley starts off with his right hand in his pocket while against a pillar. His left arm is touching his torso with his left index finger "making a point." The index finger doing that can often be found in a retying process for the Tied Hands though not always.

I don't know if the hat is a substitute Belt Head, but whether it is or isn't, Crowley does have three lights above his ear and to his left, which makes them potential overhead lights.

Aziraphale touches his glasses by removing them.

Soon after, he puts them back on.

The two talk some more. Crowley's still at the pillar. Aziraphale has a self-touch with his hands and eventually removes his glasses yet again. They are set down in the desk.

Aziraphale says the name, "Nefertiti" and the number, "three."

He grabs a book.

Crowley has a touch on his hat as he removes it.

Aziraphale puts his glasses back on and touches his vest. Then he reads the text that includes his "Mr. Fell" name.

The scene cuts away to the zombies.

Once back to the bookshop, Crowley sits down, opens his jacket, and touches his tie. He says, the "Ladies of Camelot," which might qualify as a name.

Aziraphale is still touching the book in his hands though he has changed the nature of the touch itself.

Crowley addresses Aziraphale as "Mr. British man," which also might qualify as a name due to the title.

Aziraphale sets the book aside, and removes the glasses from his face again. I think that's the third time by now, so a Rule of Three is met.

He says the number "one" as part of a question about him allowing himself a miracle during his act.

He probably sets his glasses down again though the camera doesn't show it as clearly. He is understood to be reaching into his pocket to bring out the coins for his demonstration to Crowley.

As he starts to show the trick, the scene cuts away to the zombies. We'll go over those magic words soon with The Door Catch clues. One of the zombies got a drink while at the pub.

With the scene back to the bookshop, it's time for a clue about The Sunglasses Trick. The Threshold Tricks are currently on hold with the forming connection in the present day story. However, this part helps establish the difference of what makes those touches the ones for The Sunglasses Trick and this touch not for The Sunglasses Trick.

The thumb is hidden during the actual touch so that helps ensure Accessory Mode is in use. The index finger is what actually touches the sunglasses. The sunglasses are not fully removed from Crowley's face. The thumb tip does appear once the touch itself is off the sunglasses.

Aziraphale is shown holding one of the coins.

Crowley has a touch on his own leg and eventually kicks such that his shoe is briefly visible on screen. Eventually has a question with, "But that's a trick for close quarters, eh?"

He has self-touches as he shifts in the chair.

Aziraphale says the name "Will Goldstone" when bringing up the magic shop.

Crowley pushes his sunglasses back up. This time, the thumb is visible, but the index finger is still the main digit touching the sunglasses, and the part touched is not an end piece. The end pieces are the thresholds. Given the context of the touch, I think it's an acceptable accessory touch.

Crowley also said the name "Nefertiti" while standing up.

...

For paying attention to the pockets...

I already mentioned Crowley had a right hand pocket touch. This one had the right hand fully in the pocket instead of any of the digits still on the pocket's outside. I also mentioned the potential overhead lights. His left hand was making a pocket with itself when it had the index finger extended.

I mentioned Aziraphale taking the coins out of his pocket.

When Crowley pulls the sunglasses partly down, he does make a little pocket with his right hand. When he pushes the sunglasses back up, a pocket he was making with his left arm and body actually closes before that index finger touches the sunglasses.

...

(For reference: The Rainbow Connection Part 4: The Door Trick and The Door Catch)

I said this minisode had clues for The Door Catch, so let's look for clues about The Door Catch.

The magic words are said by the zombies watching the scene from the window of the pub.

The way the magic words work is they are used before The Door Catch actually starts.

Instead, they are part of The Door Trick and how Aziraphale is eventually linked into the Pocket Chain. This play is hard because it's so conceptual. It's based on looking, very visual, and using one's imagination.

The words themselves are not said by anyone. Instead, each word is associated with a human as part of a representation. They don't go in order either.

These are my guesses:

"Banana" is a human wearing a yellow shirt with his left arm in his pocket. The shade of the yellow and position of the arm in making a pocket with that human's body is why I visualize that association.

...

"Fish" is a human holding an orange bag with a skirt that has a scale-like pattern. The pattern looking like scales is why I visualize that association.

...

"Gorilla" is a human wearing all black and hunched over as she crosses the street. Generally, the humans have a stronger, visible presence on Crowley's side of things. But if the game is being silly—and it tends to do that, Gorilla visually crosses paths with a human I refer to as "Tie Swinger" who does have a big role to play. The human in question could probably be "Jane" because of her swinging arm, as a Tarzan reference. Tarzan is associated with gorillas. That's a recent idea, by the way, and not in my actual post on the Rainbow Connection yet.

...

"Shoelace" is a human wearing an orange jacket. One day, not yet, I will post about my silly shoe locker theory. For now, just know that she is the only human with that part of her shoe actually visible when the almost-color-wheel is used to hit Yellow twice. She is a clue about The Door Catch's Ground Zero cut.

...

"A dash of nutmeg" is a human wearing mostly black. She wears a hat and has a visible red something going down her front. The "dash of nutmeg" is based on the color of her bag and that the strap itself aligns with the pocket of a human pocket user near Aziraphale. That's when I think the actual link happens for bringing Aziraphale into the Pocket Chain.

...

The sixpence and farthing trick might have more to do with The Door Catch than I know, but I can at least point out that there are six Threshold Tricks. The Door Catch is an extra Magic Trick linked to the fifth of those six. It could be something like Aziraphale is the "farthing" since he "vanishes" to leave Earth and go to Heaven.

...

Before this scene was one with the zombies that gave the clue about Brown in the findable poem that's a quatrain. I'm just going to copy and paste my notes on that from the The Rainbow Connection Part 4 link:

For Brown, the clue is gross—and I am not a fan of gross things, so you're really going to have to use your own imagination because I am not going to spell it out completely. The old man the zombies kill is singing about farting. They kill him and one of them ends up borrowing that guy's voice to sing some more. You figure it out from there. Okay, fine, I will give you one more hint: it is a crappy joke. Nonetheless, Brown borrows.

...

Story Commentary

The scene has a lot of earthly object touches, which is a clue to the lacking earthly object touches in the bookshop argument of the Final Fifteen.

The bookshop clock near Aziraphale's desk has the two dots and downward curve on the clock's face that makes it look like the clock is frowning. That's one of the reasons I said the 1941 minisode seems to be experiencing a "bleed-through" effect in my previous post, Post #56 (broken).

...

That's it for this post. Sometimes I edit my posts, FYI.

...

Main post:

The Sideburns Scheme

[starrysnowdrop]

Character Profile 🌊✨

Hali Aloke

Since this will be pretty long, it is under a cut. If you do read all this, thank you so much for taking the time out to do so!!! 🥰

**NOTE: Hali is an adult, she experiences sexual attraction and desire, has consensual sex, and she is in a long-term relationship with a non-lalafellin NPC. If you have a problem with that, then I suggest going no further. Everyone else, you may proceed.**

Updated as of Dawntrail Patch 7.0: 08/16/2024

BASICS//

Name: Hali Aloke

Name Pronunciation: Hal-lee Ah-low-kay

Name Meaning: Hali = “Sea; Ocean” in Greek; Aloke = “Light; Radiance; Enlighten” in Sanskrit

Nicknames: Little Star (Her family’s pet name for her) and Snowdrop (Aymeric’s pet name for her)

Unsundered Name: Urania (See HERE for info on Hali’s Unsundered Self)

Titles: Warrior of Light, Warrior of Darkness, Hydaelyn’s Chosen, Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Champion of Eorzea, Eikon Slayer, Savior of Ishgard, Liberator of Doma and Ala Mhigo, Lady of the Stars, Future Viscountess of House Borel

Age: 22 in ARR, 29 as of beginning of Dawntrail

Nameday: 31st Sun of the 2nd Umbral Moon (April 29th)

Gender: Female, Cis

Race: 3/4 Lalafell, 1/4 Hyur

Tribe: Appears Dunesfolk, but has both Plainsfolk and Dunesfolk blood, along with 1/4 Midlander Hyuran ancestry

Nationality: Native to Sharlayan; Descended from Thanalan, Mhach, and the South Sea Isles

Languages: Eorzean Common Tongue and possesses the Echo

Profession: Adventurer and Scion of the Seventh Dawn

Education Level: Graduate of the Studium in Old Sharlayan

BLOODLINES//

Father: Taito Aloke (50 in ARR)

Mother: Lalani Lani (48 in ARR)

Siblings: None

Extended Family: Nanani Nani - Maternal Grandmother (75 in ARR) and Jovian Carraway - Maternal Grandfather (Deceased by ARR); Also has distant relatives in Thanalan that have no current contact with Hali’s close family (See HERE for more info on Hali’s Family)

In-Laws: All in-laws deceased

Children: None; Will have three children with Aymeric in the distant future

Pets: An alligator named Boudreaux who also serves as Hali’s mount, a crab named Beignet, and Aymeric’s black cat named BonBon.

ROMANCE & SEXUALITY//

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual, Male Leaning

Romantic Orientation: Biromantic, Male Leaning

Significant Other: Aymeric de Borel, in a long-term monogamous relationship as of the end of 6.0; Will marry at some time in the future

Past Relationship: None in Present Life; On and Off again complicated relationship with Hermes/Fandaniel for some time Pre-Sundering

RESIDENCE//

Place of Birth: Born and raised in Old Sharlayan, more specifically in Labyrinthos

Current Residences: Borel Manor in Ishgard since the end of 6.0, a small cottage in the Empyreum since 5.3, and an island sanctuary in the Cieldalaes since 6.1.

TALENTS AND SKILLS//

Canon Battle Jobs: Astrologian and Pictomancer

Canon Land/Hand Jobs: Fisher, Botanist, and Culinarian

Canon Non-Battle Jobs: Dancer and Conjurer (Jobs that Hali knows but she doesn’t use in battle)

Abilities: Astromancy, Divination, Healing, Painting, Dancing, Singing, Cooking, Fishing, and Botany.

Bad At: Thaumaturgy/Black Magic, melee combat of any sort, technology, mathematics, keeping her mouth shut when it’s better to stay silent, and hiding her feelings on most subjects.

APPEARANCE//

Hair: Bright, rose pink in color, long and straight; usually somewhat messy in a wide variety of hairstyles.

Eyes: Large, wide, expressive seafoam green eyes that shine in the light; glass-like Dunesfolk eyes.

Face: Round, with a small, button-shaped nose and short, upturned, pointed ears

Lips: Small, thin lips

Complexion: Fair, and absolutely will burn with direct sun exposure for long periods of time.

Blemishes: None

Scars: Just small ones here and there over the years from battle.

Tattoos: None

Height: 4 fulms (Approx. 1 fulm taller than max height for female Lalas)

Weight: 120 ponze

Build: Normal lalafellin body shape and build

Usual Hairstyles: Hair usually worn down long and loose, pulled up into two large pigtails, or pulled up into an assortment of large ponytails with or without braids.

Usual Face Look: Doesn’t wear any makeup unless forced to for a special occasion.

Usual Clothing: When not in battle, it’s casual clothes for the most part, with her favorite outfit being a pink hoodie and blue jeans. Hali also wears her Astrologian robes most of the time in battle. She also occasionally wears cute dresses in shades of pink, white, pastel green, purple, or blue.

Face and Voice Claim: Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald in Doctor Who) for both Face and Voice claim.

PERSONALITY//

Introverted / Extroverted / Ambiverted (bold what applies)

Positive Traits: Outgoing, friendly, energetic, happy-go-lucky, kind, compassionate, empathetic, open minded, optimistic, honest, loyal, faithful, and trustworthy.

Most Positive Trait: Hali is hope incarnate. No matter how grim a situation might seem, she wholeheartedly believes that things will get better. She tries to have a smile on her face and spread her positive outlook on life wherever she goes. Hali thinks that her hope is probably the only reason she’s still alive after so many years on the battlefield.

Negative Traits: Overly emotional, Tends to not think logically when making decisions, Nosey and gets into other’s business, Gossipy, Insecure, Jealous, and Possessive.

Most Negative Trait: Hali sees the best in everyone except for herself. She’s very insecure about herself, especially in terms of her appearance and her self worth. She doesn’t see that Aymeric could ever possibly love her the way that she loves him, and she doesn’t think she could ever be good enough for him. Even after they are officially together, Hali still struggles with being kind to herself.

Fears: Her loved ones dying and either she was the cause of it, and/or she’s not able to save them; feeling helpless and not able to act when there’s a threat to others’ safety. Also voidsent, sin eaters, and blasphemies; ie: transforming into a monster.

Aspirations: To get married and have children someday; To see all of the lands and cultures that she has never seen before; To learn more fields of magic and to get stronger in order to help others.

Traumas: Hali had lived a pretty normal life in Sharlayan and didn’t have any traumatic experiences growing up, outside of her parents being workaholics and overprotective, so the traumas she does experience is after she becomes a Warrior of Light and sees how people are suffering due to primal summonings, war with Garlemald, the Dragonsong War, the Sin Eaters in the First, and the blasphemies during the Final Days.

Hobbies: Cooking, Fishing, Botany, Painting, Swimming, Ice Skating, Going to the Theater, Attending Balls, Dancing, Singing, Reading fairytales and adventure books, and Playing card games.

Vices: Eating too much junk food, Daydreaming, and Laziness when not doing her Scion duties.

Faith: Agnostic and only understands religion in an academic sense, but respects others’ religious beliefs and practices.

Turn Ons: Courage, Kindness, Emotional Strength, Humor, Beautiful eyes, Large chests (of any gender), Sexy voices, and Unique Features

Turn Offs: Prejudice, Narrow-mindedness, Dishonesty, Disloyalty, Deceitfulness, Cruelty, Superficiality, Greed

Temperament: Sanguine

MBTI: ENFP-T

Soul Type: The Server

Tropes: The Chosen Many, Rose-haired Sweetie, Pink Heroine, Cheery Pink, Badass Adorable, Everything’s Better with Sparkles, Star Power, The Medic, Squishy Wizard, Art Attacker

Songs: “Drops of Jupiter” by Train (This one is also her OC tag), “Someday the Dream Will End” from FFX, “Part of Your World (Reprise)” from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, “How Far I’ll Go” from Disney’s Moana, and “Dedicated to Moonlight” from FFXIV

Character Inspirations: Tidus and Rikku from FFX/FFX-2, Rinoa Heartilly from FFVIII, Moana from Disney’s Moana, Ariel from Disney’s Little Mermaid, and Tsukino Usagi from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (See HERE for more info on Hali’s inspirations)

FAVORITES//

Book: Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid and Grimm’s Fairy Tales

Deity: Halone the Fury

Holiday: Starlight Celebration

Month: 6th Umbral Moon (December)

Weather: A clear, night sky that is perfect for stargazing

Time of Day: Midnight

Places: Labyrinthos, Old Sharlayan, Ishgard, Sea of Clouds, Churning Mists, Azim Steppe, Il Mheg, The Tempest, Thavnair, and The Moon

Sounds: Crickets chirping, waves crashing on the shore, rain falling, waterfalls, thunderstorms, church bells ringing, and Aymeric’s deep, sexy voice.

Scents: Ocean breezes, salty sea air, scent of fresh fallen rain, flowers of any kind, and musky cologne.

Foods: Grilled Mahi Mahi and other kinds of fish; light, creamy pastas like Shrimp Scampi; warm, creamy broth from soup; hot chocolate and marshmallows; anything sweet, but favorite is raspberry cheesecake.

Drinks: Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Smoothies, Boba Tea, Pink Drink, Hot or Iced Chai, Hot Chocolate with lots of marshmallows

Feels: Rain and/or snow falling on her skin, warm water, fluffy pillows, warm blankets, soft plushies, and Aymeric’s hands and/or mouth on her skin.

Number: 7 (Lucky number, and there are seven heavens and seven hells)

Colors: Midnight Blue, Lotus Pink, Pure White, Celeste Green, and Lavender Purple

SYMBOLISM//

Elements: Water and Darkness

Gemstones: Aquamarine and Chrysoprase

Animals: Pink Dolphins and Axolotls

Mythological Creature: Mermaids

Flowers: Water Lilies and Snowdrops

Season: Spring

Land, Sea, or Sky: Sea

Astronomical Object: The Stars

HISTORY//

History (Pre-ARR): Hali was born to a loving lalafellin family in Old Sharlayan, and more specifically, her parents are researchers working in Labyrinthos. She lived most of her life stuck in Labyrinthos except for when she went up to the surface to study at the Studium or to relax and eat at the Last Stand. She dreamt of seeing the outside world but her parents would never allow it. One day, Hali’s grandmother Nanani makes an arrangement with an older Lalafellin man who is a gleaner, and he agrees to smuggle Hali out of Sharlayan so that she could be an adventurer and see the world for herself. (For more details regarding Hali’s family and her background, see this post HERE.)

OTHER//

Smokes: Never

Drugs: Never

Drinks: Only drinks wine and certain kinds of cocktails, but tries to only drink when she’s not busy with her Scion duties the next day, as she is a lightweight and gets drunk easily.

Mount Issuance: Hali was never given a chocobo, because she said she didn’t need one! She always used a magical umbrella that allowed her to float above the ground and fly her to wherever she needed to go. Later on, Hali found her pet alligator Boudreaux on her Island Sanctuary and she rides him most of the time now.

Been Arrested: Yes, Hali was arrested for being a fugitive that snuck back into Old Sharlayan after being banished for helping to bring Sharlayan Astromancy to the Eorzeans. She was found sneaking around Labyrinthos in order to discover the secret project that her parents were hiding from the public at large.

UNSUNDERED AND SHARDS//

Unsundered: Urania, Seat of Azem

Source: Hali Aloke, Warrior of Light, 8 times rejoined

First: Lamitt, rejoined during ShB 5.0

Second: ???, rejoined in 3rd Calamity (Fire)

Third: ???, rejoined in 4th Calamity (Earth)

Fourth: ???, status unknown

Fifth: ???, rejoined in 1st Calamity (Wind)

Sixth: ???, rejoined in 5th Calamity (Ice)

Seventh: Aerith Gainsborough, rejoined in 7th Calamity (Bahamut)

Eighth: ???, status unknown

Ninth: ???, status unknown

Tenth: Tidus, rejoined in 6th Calamity (Water)

Eleventh: ???, status unknown

Twelfth: ???, rejoined in 2nd Calamity (Lightning)

Thirteenth: Durante, AKA: Golbez, alive

(See HERE for more info on Hali’s Shards)

CURRENT STATUS//

As of patch 7.0, Hali and Aymeric accompanied Wuk Lamat and assisted her during the Rite of Succession, and then helped in the events following her and Koana’s Succession, including participating in the battles against Zoraal Ja, Queen Sphene, and the forces of Alexandria. Hali and Aymeric are currently staying in Tuliyollal so they can have a proper vacation.

NOTE: Hali’s story follows all major events of the MSQ as she is a Warrior of Light and her unsundered self was Azem. The major canon diversion is that in her canonverse, there are multiple Warriors of Light (namely my other WoL Yume Aino @firelightmuse and several of my friends’ OCs). As such, Hali might or might not be the main WoL of focus in some arcs of the MSQ, and she might not be involved with some side storylines at all. Feel free to ask me for any specifics in this regard.

[profbittybob]

Found

Hi everyone! I hope you enjoy this short story I wrote about two teens. I might also write more content about them in the future, so be on the lookout for more stories like this!

My hands clench as we pull into the parking lot. My mom turns the car off and gets out, meaning I have to as well. I want to so badly, but I am terrified. I slowly climb out of the passenger seat and find my mom waiting to go in with me. I grab her hand and hold it tight as we maneuver through the parking lot to get to the salon. I don’t care that I am a 16 year old. My mom is here for me when I am scared and I love her for it.

She pushes open the door and we take a seat in the waiting area. My leg starts bouncing and I twirl my ring, the one that Ellis gave me, the one that reminds me every day that I am not alone. I am wearing my actual personality today, but it isn’t helping anything. The bell on the door rings and another guy walks in and sits down. My mom goes to talk to the hairdresser and I look at the picture on the wall. It shows a femboy with a dress and makeup on. The next one shows a lesbian couple holding a newborn baby. I realize that my mom booked an appointment somewhere where I can be myself. My mom sits back down right beside me as the door opens again and a lesbian couple walk in, holding hands. I focus on the bottles of product that are directly across from me. My mom says that it will be a 15 minute wait before we can be taken care of. It doesn’t matter. I am here. This is actually happening.

I hear the door open again but I don’t look up this time. I hear my mom greet the person but am too focused on not having a panic attack that I don’t listen to a word she says. All of a sudden, I feel the familiar hand rest on my knee. I look down and see his painted black nails, his rings, and his scar on my bouncing leg. I turn to see my boyfriend sitting beside me, smiling. I take in his cute little glasses, his pastel rainbow sweater, his light jeans, all opposites from my contacts, black T-shirt over a white turtleneck, my black jeans with all kinds of rips and holes in them, and my chains all over. I feel myself smile. He is here for me, too.

The three of us sit in the waiting area for a few more minutes before we are finally called back. The hairdresser takes us back to a chair in the corner and I sit in it. She puts my cape on and I start to hyperventilate, but my boyfriend slips his hand underneath the cloth to interlace our fingers. I show the lady my inspo and give her my phone to look at the entire time. I close my eyes and squeeze my boyfriend’s hand. He squeezes in return and I hear her start snipping away. I feel the hair fall around me and the hairdresser switches to a razor. I hear it buzz and more hair falls away. I feel her put some products on my curls at the top. My boyfriend whispers to me, “Ok, my little ivy, she’s done. You can open your eyes now.”

I open my eyes and my contacts adjust. I see my dream hairstyle on my head. No more heavy, long locks. I finally look like a boy, just how I wanted. I smile and move my free hand to feel the back of my head, where my hair is the shortest. I love it. I get up and stand next to my boyfriend, still holding his hand, as my mom pays. The three of us leave the salon and stand on the sidewalk, discussing transportation for a few minutes. Eventually, my mom decides that I can spend the night at my boyfriend’s house. She leaves us alone and I finally get to talk to my boyfriend without it being awkward.

I turn to him and before either of us say anything, I kiss him. I let him know how happy I am and how I love every part of today. I pull away and he runs, dragging me with him.

We zig-zag through the mall until we get to the greenhouse. I breathe in the clean air and look at every plant I can. I run with my boyfriend until we make it to the corner, to our spot. We both smile as he sits on the edge of the ginormous planter and pulls me onto his lap. We kiss again, this time not restrained by the rules of society. We make out like never before and I love it. Whenever we stop, I slip off his lap so only my head is laying on it and the rest of my body is on the side of the planter.

He starts playing with my curls and I ask the question I’ve been wanting to ask. “Ellis, is this actually ok? Like, are you ok with everything unfolding like this?” He immediately responds, “Of course I’m ok with everything. I still don’t understand why you question that. I mean, all that’s happening is you finding out who you are. You were a masc girl who is bisexual and now you are transmasc and pansexual. It doesn’t matter to me. It just means that my girlfriend is now my boyfriend/partner, depending on the day. You are still my Talen, still my little ivy, still the person I love.” I think for another moment before responding, “Yeah I guess you’re right. I just thought that maybe because I wasn’t completely the same as when we first started dating you might not want to continue. But what you are saying makes sense. I was never not myself, I just was lost, but now I am found.”

[maneaterwithtail]

Concept of the 3 forms of Koku in one place

A fiery one-eyed serpent coils about idealized Texan landscape or setting. Its head foreground (so beneath) his two human forms in the center. The mouth is open, positioned as if emitting or swallowing them.

The humans face to the viewer, one a young man with a Pac-Man shaped lantern shield on one arm with a gada in the other wearing armor reminiscent of Japanese lacquer, or urushi. The other an old man with a scarred eye with iridescent replacement stone/monocle with a metal bladed umbrella

This may be further framed or set as if appearing in Old Man Koku's mirror

Detailed here

Koku – elder form

Outline of the character

Name Koku

**Gender **Male

Age 65 years of age

Physical Appearance 4’5”, 150lbs (shape), Japanese, His skin warm weathered, but refreshed with honey skin tone. His full head of hair is restored and its bright vibrant white, he has a visibly scarred and special right eye.

Scene

Pose This is more about attitude, he keeps his legs wide and knees slightly angled out but really has a casual and pleased posture

Facial Expression Impish and piercing as if analyzing or inspired Veiny or creased bare neck

Background (If needed.) ****May use his Mirror as background or framing of the illustration

Facial Features

Eye colorWhile he may wear wide sunglasses in public he does not need to wear them for this picture. Have them be present. His lost right eye may be replaced by an iridescent opal or similarly colored an expressive brown-rimmed iridescent coke lens monocle (like Bubbles’s from the Trailer Park Boys, or a Magikoopa’s eyeglasses but radiant/colorful) with no hook or chain but holds were last hand places it. The lids or lens can flex squeeze and keep features of the eye and surrounding parts like an expressive mask or Duckman’s glasses or spider-man's eyes. The left eye is a normal dark brown

Hairstyle and colorBright vibrant white color Aside from being full now his head of hair is the same as always but he may tie it to be ‘fashionable’ or go for a “daddy style” that appeals to ladies

Facial HairBushy thick eyebrows, mustache that is longer than similarly shaped and colored beard. Snowy white color

Shape of the face.Creased brow with head shaped like a turnip.

Clothing and style (KEEP IT SIMPLE)

BaseKoku dresses in short sleeved loud button up shirts. He now keeps them open to display his smooth, jacked, virile body. His bottoms are darker than his tops. He wears them tight at the thews and glutes, but can be wide at the ends. They may go past his knees but end above his ankles. He’s got it and he flaunts it. some. His footwear may be simple sandals or fuller shoes if he’s in a colder or wet environment. May or may not wear a knit beanie/winter hat with a crest on its upturned brim (Hawaiian lounger or slacker?)

Overall color scheme Simple colorful top, darker plain bottom, honey alluring muscularly creased skin His shirt is open and shows hint of his sexy body in contrast with apparent age but must focus to get it.

Accessories and JewelrySunglasses, Broforce Iron Eagle Tattoo or accessory where fit, Hat (refer to the sunglasses link), Sandals

WeaponsIt is grey/white/silver and black colored metal umbrella with a rose sphere with a kanji in it. Search for Brolliequinox an umbrella on the webpage linked (may ignore all else)

Physical Appearance4’5”, 150lbs, Japanese, His skin warm weathered, but refreshed with honey skin tone. His full head of hair is restored and its bright vibrant white, visibly scarred and special right eye.

Background and personality

Fanfiction version of a character from Flame of Recca Copied from fan wikia Kokū (虚空) is one of the creators of *madōgu, and a Hokage Flame Master and leader of the Flame Dragons before Ōka. He and his rival Kaima competed to create madōgu, but he is forced to kill his rival once the latter succumbed into further madness.* Personality He is often portrayed as perverted but also very wise. As one of the creators of the madōgu, Kokū is knowledgeable about the many different types of powers each madōgu possess including ones that his rival Kaima created such as the Tendō Jigoku. He appears to possess great insight as he realized that Kurei was far stronger than Recca and opted to train him on how to properly utilize each of the flame dragons' powers. Abilities Kokū demonstrates his power. Among all the flame dragons, Kokū is the only one that is capable of manifesting his human form outside of Recca's body. the most unique. Kokū's power takes the form of a giant, concentrated laser beam. He has a mirror that allows a person to enter their mindscape. As one of the original creators of madōgu, Kokū knows a great deal about each madōgu's strengths and weaknesses. Trivia His physical appearance as well as characteristics resemble that of Master Roshi from the Dragon Ball series.

Personality TraitsImpish, inventive, bemused and filled with deep conviction about power, research and its use

Background HistoryFounder of the Hokage ninja and developer of the Madogu, rescued from full dispersal as ancestral spirit by Jumper. He researches his craft and enjoys a ...pleasurable retirement

Loved onesHokage, Renge, Jumper, cohort, his apprentices

OccupationRetired vagabond, in his words, but more craftsman foremost

Interests and HobbiesWomen, food, puzzles, collecting, and sight-seeing

Koku – younger form

Outline of the character

NameKoku

GenderMale

Age20

Physical AppearanceHe is 5' and 165lbs. His body is dense roaring bronze, robust, and made of solid carved muscle. He is a Japanese young adult with bronze tone skin with only veins and muscles, no wrinkles or spots. He’s slicked back pointed hair and thick eyebrows and a strong jaw but with an oddly boyish face. Fireplug build and shape.

Scene

PoseFlexing for the audience with a gada in one hand, other arm in Pac-man shaped Lantern-shield. He is bare-chested but for corded necklace, his mouth open.

Facial Expression Mouth open in a howl or hoot of power. Seems remarkably boyish while brutal

Background (If needed.)If in planned picture in on the plains of Heavenly Texas with his fire dragon self coiled about the scene with its mouth over to right side resting almost at foot of his younger and older self .

Facial Features

Eye colorSame as older

Hairstyle and colorBristles that seem to spike from his head at an angle. They have yellow-red tips that seem to darken to untreated black as gets to head.

**Facial HairCheeks are bare. He has dark, thick, angled-pointed **eyebrows

Shape of the face.Rounded block but with strong chin and plump nose **1****, **2

Clothing and style (KEEP IT SIMPLE)

BaseBare head, neck, chest, and shoulders. Only armored skirt and boots The armor looks like red-orange, gold, or black urushi-e. Plates of perfectly smooth finished japanese earthenware/pottery. Overall color scheme and how it contrasts the background (if present.)

Accessories and JewelryBead ear piercings,

Thong necklace,

Hokage symbol or Broforce Eagle as accessory or bodyart that is not on his head

WeaponsA Dark color and rose Gada in one hand with a Pac-Man shear lantern-shield/vambrace redesigned for his combat style(Remove the extending points out the glove or shield. And the part of the shield towards the shoulder more cut in like open circular shears to catch or cut weapons) on opposite arm

Physical AppearanceHe is 5' and 165lbs. His body is dense roaring bronze, robust, and made of solid carved muscle. He is Japanese with bronze tone skin with only veins and muscles, no wrinkles of spots. He’s slicked back pointed hair and thick eyebrows and a strong jaw but has an oddly boyish face. Fireplug build and shape.

Background and personality

This is the part that is less likely the artist will read, because even with these restrictions, this is still an awful lot of information that will take more than one day for any artist to digest. We’re not dumb, it’s just that we have to actually do the words-to-images reasoning. Feel a bit freer here, since all the essential information should be already written.

Koku Fire-Dragon forum

Outline of the character

Name Koku

Gender

Age???.

Physical AppearanceDragon form is still one-eyed. His sclera like the iron core of a sun with contrast color for pupils so on. Show his his body shifting in solidity and hue the farther from the “core” until clear his serpentine form wreathed in clear and white tinged blaze.

Scene

PoseCoils about setting head foreground (so beneath) his two human forms mouth open a bit to them as if emitting or to swallow them

Facial ExpressionThis one on the dragon

Background (If needed.)Is the background

Facial Features

Eye colorDragon form is still one-eyed sclera like the iron core of a sun with contrasting color for pupils so on

Hairstyle and colorSolar blazing style with similar colors for tresses or hair wish depict on dragon body

Facial HairN/A

Shape of the face.Strawberry shaped head

Clothing and style (KEEP IT SIMPLE)

BaseOverall color scheme Red-orange with white-blue to clear periphery and black core.

Accessories and Jewelryn/a

WeaponsN/A

Physical AppearanceShow his his body shifting in solidity and hue the farther from the “core” until clear his serpentine form wreathed in clear and white tinged blaze.

Bad diagram example

[mire1li]

What? Why are you taking my picture?

Ever wondered how everything looks like from the eyes of a background character?

You had recently dyed your hair a pretty shade of blue and were now talking to your brunette coworker who was thinking of dyeing her hair too, although she couldn’t quite decide on a colour. 

You recommended her some you think would fit her, she seemed quite happy with your input, though, eventually your conversation drifted into one about your work. 

You each had stuff to do, but that was for later as it was currently your break. After a short while of discussing what Asta had given you both to do, a female with grey hair and golden eyes came up to you, looked at you both and took out her phone, then taking a picture of the two of you. 

You heard the shutter sound, but before you could react, she’d already run off… the two of you wondered why she took your picture. 

Your coworker suddenly, chuckled and suggested the woman was gonna sell your pictures on a different planet. Why are your coworkers so strange… it seemed as if they all had their own ridiculous ideas! 

You laughed, suggesting a different, completely ludicrous idea, you both, now just laughing and joking around, throwing around outrageous stories of why she took your photo. 

Eventually, though, your break had come to an end and your supervisor came to find you… let’s just say you got in trouble… although Lady Asta is quite a forgiving lady. 

A few days later, you saw the grey haired woman again, she was talking with Miss Esther about glasses and contact lenses.    Then… you heard Esther ask her to go ask around the space station for opinions. And suddenly it all made sense. Esther wanted to change her appearance! 

You smiled at the thought of Esther with a new hairstyle or contact lenses, you thought brown hair would suit her. 

Well… no time for thinking about this now, you had work to complete, though you were incredibly curious about what she’d change!

Word count: 329

[swagging-back-to]

sims 4 cc lists for individual sims - skins, makeup/tattoos, presets, poses, hair, clothes

Links will come eventually. Some are listed by file names, some are listed by official titles. Creator username always comes first, and may be abbreviated or shortened if i use a lot of their stuff. Typically has a description of what type of item it is.

// skins and presets //

suzue ear preset n 3

suzue ear preset n 2

minimalsim small tattoos n1

alfgray male body presets 01

helgatisha model poses 32 posepack and CAS

couquett admire me posepack

beto_ae0 sleepover with friends (pose pack)

kiellessa rin okumura's tail

thecomic voltron face markings

daria_glass tattoo lunar cycle

jovelyng japanese flower tattoo

gossipgirl-s4 japanese tattoo

wistfulcastle cosmic dune - mtattoo

s-clubts4 WM tattoo back 01

-merci- tattoo n01

merci tattoo n10

alix dekostube s#ign symbols v1

azurenika grunkle stans tattoo

shazzqr mixed design tattoo pack #1

sugar owl the sun tattoos

sugar owl the moon tattoos

sugar owl the star tattoos

sugar owl the chariot tattoos

sugar owl the devil tattoos

sugar owl golden bracelet tattoos

SO garden of roses tattoos

so love is on the line full body tattoo

so under the sea full body tattoo

so see the good full body tattoo

so carnival joy face tattoo

so children of the night

so here comes the sun full body tattoo

// hair //

Wings fluffy long curled

wings frizzled updo

wings fluffy male curl

wings curly hair with double buns

wings natural curly short

wings echo

wings OE0818

wings fluffy male hair

wings TO0418

wings TO0326

wings TO0220

wings TZ1028

wings ER0805

wings TO0729

leah lilith joie

leah lilith soundwave

leah lilith juliette

anto angelo (adult & child)

anto ivory

anto lizzo

anto momsen

anto arya

anto daisy

anto maggie

anto blossom

-merci- triandal hairstyle

darknightt dahlia hairstyle

viviandang kojiro hairstyle

// clothing //

---> tops

christopher067 temptress top

belaloallure_lili blouse

lace up crop top

cleotopia lace top bralette crop

cleotopia accessoiry bra tops

belaloallure_ cassandra top

cleotopia lace top flora

charlindy peasant blouse

the perfect night side ruffle top

SLYD cuban collar shirt

pizazz ladies bouse N 08

amaranthwaffle mabel pines sweater

plumbobs n fries maddox sweater

plumbobs n fries Nikolai jacket

plumbobs n fries santos

plumbobs n fries thalia sweater

toksik kaliah top

kks4 sweatshirts 03 fm

slyd cropped tank top estelle

jwofles-sims oversized hoodie

oranostr print sweaters

fesege shingeki no kyojin all

---> bottoms

belaloallure_ alaina pants

belaloallure_zafaria shorts

belaloallure_fai pants

belal19972 danial pants

wicked_kittie halloween themed leggings

pizazz cropped sweat pants

SLYD culottes noel

plumbobs n fries lewis shorts

plumbobs n fries frankie pants

pnf sierra pants

trillyke flashback pants

trillyke take off pants

trillyke love me right cropped

trillyke hi high pleaded skirt

trillyke my little black skirt

sims2fanbg 332 ripped skinny jeans

pinkzombiecupcake winter black ripped jeans

sentate mortimer biker pants

serenity-cc pearl slit pants

viy_sims pants mi - vic

---> full body

esyram floral applique tulle dress

its leeloo lace up suede dress

plumbobs n fries brandy outfit

toksik bailo dress

slyd ondria dress

pinkzombieunicorns reinas swimsuit

---> accessories

christopher067 lovato necklace

christopher067 nouveau earrings

wisteriasims gothic moon choker

minimalsim grace earrings

minimalsim trekant necklace

sugar_owl arya halo

serenity-cc elisa glasses

pralinesims shine forever glasses

pralinesims xoev glasses

pralinesims mobius necklace

nightcrawler layerable hoops

trillyke wolo fishnet tights

toksik euphoria rings

toksik kamil headband

sugar owl pine tree stud earrings gravity falls

yealuis pine cap

Winter sporty socks

helsoseira joko thigh high socks

pinkzombiecupcakes winter tights

plumbobs n fries celina earrings

---> shoes

madlen puricelli boots

ShakeProductions leather sandals

arltos long boots

MinimalSim Ivory shoes V1

dissia mrand boots

slyd superstar sneakers

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Character Profile Full name: Rose Takami

Pronunciation: RO-se Taka-mi

Meaning of Name: Rose means flower (as a duh) and Takami means "tall" or "expensive"

Hero/Villain Name: Lady Phoenix

Nicknames: Ro-Chan, Baby-Bird, Firebug

History of Nicknames: Ro-Chan is a nickname by many though Baby-Bird and Firebug are nicknames only her patents call

Nationality: Japanese

Quirk: Wings of Fire; She gained wings like her father, pro-hero Hawks, but they're small and weak looking on their own until she uses Wings of Fire that'll make them grow connected to roaring flames of fire. She also has another part of this quick where she shoots ice that burns people. Sometimes her wings can grow in ice or frost that she wraps around herself or others as a shield though it's not tested enough.

Birthday and Astrology Sign: April 16th 21XX, Aries

Age: 15

How old do they look: 15-16 Gender: Female (she/her)

Orientation/Sexuality Preference: Bi-sexual

Birth place: Kyoto, Japan

Appearance: Eye color: Chocolate Brown

Eye shape: Almond Shape

Do they wear contacts or glasses?: No Hair: Honey Strawberry Blonde in a choppy long style usually done in cute hairstyles

Height: 5'3

Weight: 86 lbs

Body build: Lean and somewhat fit

Body shape: Hourglass

Complexion: Soft tan skin

Cup size: B to C-Cup

Blood Type: O +

Handedness: Right handed

Hand type: big hands, tiny hands, delicate hands, long fingers, short fingers, calloused hands, etc.

Nails: Long, clean, slightly pointed like talons

Movement: Easy flowing and simle

How do they walk: Rather airy and simple

Posture: Straight spine with her shoulders naturally slightly pushed forward

Flexibility: Decently flexible

Speech Mannerisms: She speaks very calm and respectful though she tends to accidentally switch and say certain lingo from Australia or slip and curse out

Scars: None

Birthmarks: Her two small black or dark brown triangles on both lower corners on each eye

Piercings: Three ear piercings on her left ear and two on her right ear

Tattoos: None

General face structure: Good and even facial bone structure some say she looks a bit like her grandmother, Rei Todoroki, or even her aunt, Fuyumi Todoroki

Defining physical traits: Her hair and small red feathered wings

Clothing: Uniform: She wears the UA female uniform

Casual outfit: A pink tee-shirt and light washed blue jeans that stop her mid-shin that has small pattern design of stars and star signs on the edges, black sneakers, and a black jacket of a reused martial

Preferred outfit: A white sun dress with black leggings and brown combat boots

Hero/Villain costume: A black turtle neck skin tight body suit with white shorts that stop above her mid-thigh and a dark orange and red thick harness, a skin tight sleeve and upper body yet flowing lose lower body jacket of dark brown and black patch works with the hood and sleeves resembling Hawk's jacket and the jacket's tail resembling villain Dabi's jacket though she claims it isn't, light orange square shaped goggles and a black mouth guard with neon orange gas mask style breathers on the ends of either side of the mask, her hair is not in a cute style but instead if fully down

Equipment / Support Items: She has a first aid kit with her at all times hidden in her coat, her black boots have a sort of air support to help he run faster or jump higher in her hero form

Characteristics:

Personality: Very sweet and kind, ideally adorable and gentle though has a history of mean or harsh tongue

Big Five personality traits: Sweet, smart, protective, bubbly, pretty out-spoken

Most prominent personality trait: Sweet

Best traits: Sweet, kind, adorable, smart, bubbly

Worst traits: Foul-tongue, she cusses out people easily when mad

Likes: Spicy ramen, aquariums, the summer and winter, the beach, her friends and family, pop music Dislikes: Tomatoes, her grandparents on either side, someone picking on others, someone picking on her friends, someone talking shit about her family in anyway, slugs, anything slimy or very greasy to touch

Quirks:  (not the superpower but little silly things they do) When she gets really excited her wings flap some as she makes high pitched noises, when she eats a diner mean she puts her fries in her hamburger first after one of her friends or dads remove the tomatoes, she taps her nails or drums her fingers when she thinks hard or is very happy Fear: She's scared to be left behind or not protecting everyone, her grandfather's wrath and greed, being compared to her family's ugly bits and nothing else, tight dark places

Hobbies: She sings, draws though not as good as Kohaku, cooking

Skills/Talents: She sings very good and is told to make the best ramen dish

Strengths: Her ice part of her Quirk is very strong and good and will dissolve faster if she makes it, she also can fly very fast when she has her wings in full strength Weaknesses: Her wings and her family and friends

Reason to keep on living: Her family and friends, primarily her dads and Uncle Shoto

What is their self-image like: She has a slight self image issue where she doesn't think she's pretty or strong enough

Coping mechanisms: Lemon grass and lavender scented oils and singing her heart out to her music

Favorite things: Spicy ramen, her dads items such as jackets and random shit, turtle plusies, roses

Health:

Physical: Pretty healthy

Mental: Pretty healthy though has slight depression

Emotional Stability: It's meh-

If faced with crisis, what is their go-to: Verbally fight first and then physically fight

Nutrition: Pretty even balance

Habits: See her quirks above, she has a body pillow she sleep with her arms and legs wrapped around it while she sleeps on her chest/stomach like a kola, she runs her fingers through her hair a lot

Family History: Thanks to her grandfathers and grandmothers, though many argue are better now, she's too scared to use her Quirk much like her Uncle Shoto and her father has

History, Background, and Future:

0-4: She was brought to the world via a special science method that mixed her fathers' DNA to make her and for the first years of her lived she was raised very loved and heavily doted by both of her dads as they knew what not to do raising their children

5-8: At age 5 she was forced to meet her grandfather, Enji, and been scared since. At age 7 she discovered her full Quirk in a bad way where some mean kids in her in a storage closet after dumping some slugs and wet noodles on her, her panic of trying to get out accidentally triggered the fire side of her Quirk and burnt down the wall pretty bad to the point school was closed for a while. How she wasn't burnt was cause of the ice side of her Quirk. She spent the summer with her Uncle Shoto who helped her learn and understand her Quirk much better so by the time she returned to school she understood it better and had some good training

9-11: On her 9th birthday is when she was informed of what happened with her dads that resulted in her father Dabi being at a "hospital"(an evil reinvention/therapy center) for some parts of her earlier years and why he was technically on house arrest until she was 6. She slowly began to get close to her other family members in the Todorki family after this, not can't get close with her grandfather no matter how much either party tries

12-14: She began to study harder than ever after making plans to try and go to UA to become a hero, not a pro-hero just a hero in general, dreaming to be a staple of better treatment so people wouldn't become villains or better ways to turn villains good since she now knows her father Dabi suffered a lot

15-Present: She got in UA earlier than planned thanks to her hard work and currently live at a apartment with her dads near campus that they moved into just for the reason

Did they like their upbringing: She very happy although she wishes it didn't have the bad memories

How has their upbringing shape them: Pretty strong and open minded

What did they enjoy most about their childhood?: The summer with Uncle Shoto, a special autumn day with both her dads taking her to Kyoto for the while season, or the many sleepovers with her childhood best friends

What did they hate most about their childhood?: That one visit with her grandfather and the incident with the bullies

Current Dream: Work hard and become a hero or a voice of equal rights for all, hero or villain

Long-term goals for Future: Same as above

Home: An apartment near the UA campus with her dads and her (2)cats, Smokey and Sushi

Home Life as a Kid: Loving and supportive

Home Life Now: Loving and supportive

Quick Family background: Any Friends: Kohaku Usagiyama, Yuzuriha Midoriya, Zora Midoriya, Mitsuri Ashido-Sero, Tsuki Bakugo, Hoshiko Bakugo, Arashi Jiro-Yaoyorozu, Chiharu Jiro-Yaoyorozu, Hachi Kaminari, Gou Iida, Sakura Todoroki Any Family: Dabi and Hawks (dads), Rei Todoroki (grandmother), Enji Todoroki (grandfather), Fuyumi Todoroki (aunt), Natsuo Todoroki (uncle), Shoto Todoroki (uncle), Sakura Todoroki (cousin), Gou Iida (cousin), Smoky (their black cat), and Sushi (their orange and white cat)

[fynned]

Today the world made me feel the need to speak up again. So I will raise my voice now:

I went to the hairdressers today.

I had an undercut with about 1.5 centimeters length on the sides. On the top I had about chin long hair. I usually wore my hair in a man bun. I have only ever seen that kind of hairstyle on men.

I wanted a shorter, even more boyish haircut, since i get constantly misgendered and I really wanted to have short hair and felt brave enough to cut it now.

Here to say, I am not far along in my transition. I haven't even started T yet.

So today I took a friend with me and went for it.

At the beginning everything seemed fine, but as an autistic guy, I sometimes just realise that people have been rude or just acting friendly after talking to them.

So I sat down in the chair, not even having a picture, being really nervous. And I told the lady that was about to cut my hair: I don't really know which hairstyles work with my hair, but I want the classical boys haircut most guys you pass on the street have.

Here I have to say I was very nervous and she probably realised that. I was kinda hoping for her to have those old-school little books with hairstyles in there, but they didn't.

So I was stammering around a bit more.

Then she cut my hair.

If I am honest I am actually pretty happy with the cut. She was seemingly nice but not doing any smalltalk. I got confused about that so I tried to make smalltalk with her. Spoiler alert: It didn't work out.

So after the cut we went to pay. I was very happy at that point. Until the "young lady" from the woman at the counter.

I said then "That is not quite right."

Then she said I have to pay 56€ for a Neuschnitt (new cut).

There is a lot wrong with that. It kinda was a new cut, yes. But also it was pretty much only shortening the top. I only sat there for like 15 minutes. Also I went from a pretty much boys haircut to a boys haircut and still it was so expensive. Usually a womens haircut is about twice as expensive as a mens haircut. So they definitely did charge it as a womans haircut.

Additionally to that, the other hairdressing salons near here would charge about 23€ (for a women haircut, without washing and styling on short hair). And I am very sure they would not charge that much anyways. I have read in reviews quite a lot about people being happy with the price.

Of course I was in shock at that moment, so I didn't ask questions, paid quickly and went away, which I regret by now.

After getting out of there, when I got to think about everything, I realised that they just acted their kindness, which makes me sad now.

All in all I am happy with my hair, but I got a huge gap in my budget. I have to say I am really angry about that and very disappointed.

I think it really is a shame that lots of shops still are homo- or transphobic and you, the queer self you are, can't know where you are welcome or not.

So my idea would be:

Dear shop owners, if you are openminded and accepting and want to show the lgbtqia+ community that they are welcome inside your store, you could put a little progress flag somewhere into your store window or onto the glass next to the doors.

We, the community, would really be thankful and happy to see something like that and feel very welcome in your shop.

Thank you for reading this. I really hope you never had an experience like this and never will have. When we act now, we can save the next generation from painful experiences.

Help make the world more colourful. And be proud for who you are!

[longoutlet]

Modified wedge haircut

#Modified wedge haircut full#

#Modified wedge haircut tv#

Brush the backside from beneath to create an airy, puffy look. How to style it: It looks more powerful in dark colors. Ideal for: Ideal for oval or square shaped faces, this bold, dramatic hairstyle creates a presence. Hair is parted at the top to give height. Go for a dark-colored top half and light bottom half.Įnds are shaved and the volume of hair increases upwards. How to style: Ask your stylist for short layers on a wedge haircut, making a distinct weight line between the top and bottom halves of your mane. Ideal for: Women who wear glasses who don’t mind an edgy, unique haircut. You can quickly run your fingers upwards through the layers to get a powerful look.Ĭombine short layered hair with a distinct weight line to flatter your specs. How to style: Brush the hair at the tip while pushing it behind to set it perfectly. This is a hipster addition to wedge haircuts for over 60 years old ladies. It makes a unique and modern appearance as a hairstyle. It is arranged majestically with intricate highlights. Adding a band or clip on one side can be an elegant addition to this hairstyle. How to style: You can heat the curves to make them curly.

#Modified wedge haircut tv#

Even TV stars portray this haircut as a classic choice for that age group. This style is a popular wedge cut for women over 60 years old or in their early 70s. Create the messy look by running your fingers through your hair. How to style: Brush the hair one way and set it up. Ideal for: Women who like messy, fashionable looks. This is a low maintenance wavy layered look for short hair. It looks the best with short hair, so it also gives an organized, fresh look. How to style: Use hairstyle protection gel to set hair. Ideal for: Women with busy schedules or family duties. This is a classic choice that is taken for short bob hair. How to style: Smoothly brush the bangs and curves to keep a natural bounce to hair. The bangs nicely finish the look of a round mushroom-like cut. This wedge haircut has pop with highlights and layers with bangs. Here are 27 of the most trendy wedge haircuts for women over 60 years old to rock short hair like a pro. Looks are a part of the first impression we make, so make sure you’ve got a trendy look you love. The perfect choice that suits you will be the crown for your appearance. These haircuts are easy to manage and look adorable. If you like this article, you might be interested in some of our other articles on Emo Girl Hairstyles, Shag Hairstyles, Bob Hairstyles With Bangs and Angled Bob Hairstyles.The choice for wedge haircuts for women over 6o years old is slowly getting the spotlight. Have fun playing up or toning down your wedge hairstyle with danglers in your ears, or a touch of highlights in your hair. The play with volume and layers also makes wedges great for experimenting with hair colors. Get a side parting that lets the bangs hide some of your forehead for a trendy modern look. To draw attention to the top part of your face you can also go for wedge haircuts with short bangs. You can also go for an inverted wedge style that keeps your hair longer in front and gets shorter at the back. They break away from the regular haircut to give your hair an asymmetrical look that can be easily styled in layers with a good pair of scissors. For a slightly offbeat style that’s cool and contemporary try modified wedges. These classic wedge haircuts are great for straight or slightly curly hair, and give your hair a balanced and even look. There are a variety of wedge haircuts that give you an everyday chic look without being too casual or messy. Plus, wedge haircuts are usually super easy to maintain, and just a few strokes of the brush is all it takes to get you going for the day. While not so short as to look completely boyish wedges are fashionable and gently tease your cheeks and chin with the longer hair strands, giving you a sweet and pert look.

#Modified wedge haircut full#

Are you planning a style makeover for your hair that makes you look sassy and confident? Short and stylish, bouncy and full of volume a Wedge Haircut can be your answer.

[anodyne-sunflower]

Here you go, anon. Me, and my old lady face 👵🏻

❤️

[dreamgrlarchive]

Self Care 101 🦋

In this post I’ll be outlining my current routines as they relate to self care. I’ll cover everything from head to toe making sure not to skip your spirit. You cannot be a girl of ANYONE’S dreams if you aren’t taking care of the most important person in your world: you.

mornings:

wash face with gentle cleanser from curology, tone with organic Mamonde rose water and finish with rich moisturizer and spf30

brush teeth with activated charcoal toothpaste by Crest and baking soda for whitening and gum clarity

take vitamins : woman’s one a day, hair skin nails, biotin, vitamin c

drink glass of water then a cup of tea

black tea, raw cane sugar, a lemon slice, ginger

good for energy, immune function, and detox

showers:

this may sound so extra (😅), but depending on my hairstyle, I sometimes like to let the shower run for about five minutes with the door closed to create a sauna effect. this is especially if I have a mask on my hair.

my showers usually are about 20-30 minutes

I have a back brush, pink exfoliating gloves, a loofah, and tree hut body scrubs and I use them ALL.

I wash first with my dove beauty bar to assure clean skin before washing with EITHER my OGX Shea So Soft body wash or Dove Renewing Peony and Rose Oil body wash to add scent or silkiness to my skin.

hair removal:

I haven’t yet mastered the art of waxing myself so I’m still riding the shave wave. *when I do I’ll make a post 4 that*

I exfoliate throughly before AND after shaving

I shave my entire body using Tree Hut Shaving Oil and a nice conditioner I’m not using. This leaves my skin super soft and silky and helps the razor to glide without skipping. I use Gillette Venus. no less than five blades, anything less is ASKING for nicks and a hard time.

when I don’t feel like shaving, I use Nair. use at your own risk. yes, I Nair my ENTIRE BODY. only leaving it on for about 7 minutes I rinse in WARM (not hot) water and exfoliate afterwards. it is imperative to moisturize after to avoid irritation. however, Nair is much easier to do than shaving and seems to last an inkling longer.

after shaving, once a month, I pull out my KENZZI. it’s an IPL device and it has helped to slow the growth of my hair. it’s noticeable for us long, thick haired chicks. I use the second to lowest setting as a melanated babe, as the higher settings could burn me.

I know many endorse the hair on women movement and I can understand it. But I personally love my skin silky, hairless, and smooth.

nights:

after eating dinner, I wash my face and apply the tiniest bit of glycolic serum and my curology night cream. my skin has been the best it’s been in a few years. then I brush my teeth and rinse with peroxide.

every four days I give myself a facial

my favorite face masks:

The Ordinary Salicylic Acid mask

The Ordinary AHA + BHA mask

all Tony Moly sheet masks *luvvvvv those*

GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD clearing treatment *fav*

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme mask

Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel mask

Peter Thomas Roth Irish Moor Mud mask

Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel mask

ORIGINS Clear Improvement mask

An at home honey and aloe mask

I apply a rich facial moisturizer and get to bed.

I then write in my planner my new plans and what I did that day if I hadn’t already. then after that I script and make mood boards in my diary. then I read a little. currently reading: Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin, and Live Like a hot Chick by Jodi Lipper.

emotions:

I talk to my grandmother about my feelings, she helps me sort things out. please try to find one person you trust to talk to, my messages are always open. 💓 I often overthink. I suffer from anxiety and clinical depression. sometimes these things make me FEEL limited. these experiences wax and wane. I remind myself that the darkness is temporary.

I write in my diary what I feel and track my emotions for potential patterns. I don’t manufacture or sugar coat my feelings, I just talk.

sometimes you need a good cry. let it out. clean your slate. you’ll always feel better, sometimes great after a hard, deep sobbing cry.

I try to get out of the house and get some sunlight. it helps brighten my mood sometimes.

baths:

LOVE taking baths I don’t care what the status quo is about dirt. just rinse off. I love wrapping my hair up and soaking in warm-hot water.

first I run the water. as it’s running I add my bubble bath, then body wash, then my Shea Moisture fragrant coconut oil. it smells soooo good, literally yummy. then I inevitably scream from dipping my toe in the hot water. finally I get in, scrub down my body, emphasis on feet. then I wash, and just relax. I’ve even fallen asleep in the tub once, I was so zen.

careful not to soak too long or overdo it with your products. synthetic materials lingering in your lady bits for too long cause cause infections like bv or uti

some women add tea tree oil, acv, or even Aztec clay to their baths for wellness purposes. I love adding essential oils to my baths to relax and the natural scent is just great 🥺

when I get out I always put something that feels lush and soft on. *invest in super soft, comfy bath towels, they’ll make you feel so luxurious and soft after a nice relaxing bath*

flower:

the yoni is something sensitive that needs to be taken care of thoroughly, and differently than the rest of your body. it’s not recommended to use soaps down there, it can unbalance things and make you itch. also make you prone to infection. this is why I use clear warm water to clean. if I use soap it’s a sensitive, gentle formula. don’t ever try to clean the cavity. she’s a self cleaning vessel.

to shave, I trim my hair down as close as possible and use a FIVE BLADE razor with conditioner and take my time. making sure not to pass a spot twice, I apply moderate pressure and move slowly. when finished I rinse and scrub gently. I PAT not rub dry. to finish off I apply TendSkin, and salicylic acid to avoid ingrowns. once that’s soaked in I apply shea butter. very soft and pretty 🌸

⚠️ DO NOT PUT ON TIGHT PANTIES OR RIGHT PANTS AFTER SHAVING. it restricts the hairs and causes irritation and ingrowns. throw on some comfy loose shorts for a while, let it breathe

dietary needs:

drink plenty of water

cranberry juice

vitamin c

minimal red meat

probiotics

at home vagacial for the high maintenance girlies:

*make any necessary extractions with pointed and slanted tweezers *

scrub: 

brown sugar, tea tree oil, a little shea butter

exfoliating and anti inflammatory

mask:

baking soda, fresh lemon juice, vitamin e oil, papaya juice, gelatin

fixes discoloration and brightens the skin while softening

moisturize:

aloe vera gel, rose hip seed oil

smelling sweet:

ah yes, my favorite part. I love fragrance so much. I love to smell like you could literally break off a piece of me and eat it.

I find that using fragrant washes and oils make your scent more strong and help it linger. I already mentioned the body washes I use. the tree hut scrubs I use smell amazing also. I alike to add essential oils and man made scents like strawberry and chocolate to my Shea Moisture oil (so yummy).

I also use a fragrant lotion, eau de parfum, and fragrance mist.

here’s a list of some of my favorites:

perfumes:

jimmy choo fever

coach floral blush

yves saint laurent mon paris

victoria’s secret bombshell

victoria’s secret scandalous

valentino

fragrance mists:

victoria’s secret velvet petals, pure seduction, warm and cozy

bath and body works a thousand wishes, fiji pineapple palm, warm vanilla sugar, black raspberry vanilla

oils:

coconut

sweet almond

peppermint

chocolate scented essential oil

strawberry scented essential oil

orange

grapefruit

eucalyptus

sweetest combo ever:

vanilla extract, coconut oil, shea butter, and your favorite perfume. you’ll be smelling like a warm cupcake with extra sprinkles and icing 🧁

layering:

oil, lotion, eau de parfum, mist

pulse points:

inside elbows and knees, in between thighs, inner arms, behind ears, back of neck, ankles

hair:

it’s super important to keep your hair moisturized. quenched tresses move, grow, shine and bounce. dry hair is limp, lackluster, and extremely fragile

my fav diy deep conditioner:

a banana, half an avocado, three spoons of honey, an egg, a spoonful of mayo, a spoonful of coconut, olive, and castor oil each

strength from egg, avocado, mayo and olive oil

moisture from avocado and honey

cover damp CLEAN hair and scalp in mixture and cover with a plastic bag, then towel for an hour, rinse thoroughly, and seal in moisture

fav hair products:

castor oil

fusionplex conditioner and mask

Aussie conditioner

wella goji berry mask

coconut oil

style booster edge control

helpful tips:

when shampooing, concentrate on the scalp and wash thoroughly twice, as the suds will naturally cleanse your stands without drying and stripping them

rinse hair with apple cider vinegar every now and then. it restores your ph balance, smooths the cuticle, clarifies the strands, and adds shine

always add oil and leave ins to DAMP hair, never dry; this will ensure you’re sealing in moisture

try to use smooth fabrics to dry your hair, bath towels encourage frizz and breakage

hands and feet:

and last but not least, let’s cover manicuring and pedicuring.

it’s super important to make sure your nails are either DONE or filed, shaped, and smooth. at home maintenance is super easy. make a point to scrub your hands and feet well when bathing. make sure to stay on top of your cuticles by trimming or pushing them back. I like the look that pushing them gives. I use an orangewood stick, metal pusher and cuticle softener to make the process super easy and safe. after I’m done I add my pineapple scented cuticle oil. I do this on my fingers and toes.

invest in a rasp and pumice stone for your feet and use these gently every two weeks after soaking them in warm foot salts. rough usage can cause cuts and irritation. in between treatments keep your feet soft by slathering them in a moisturizing foot cream, cocoa/shea butter then oil to seal it all in. buy some soft thick aloe infused socks and wear them to sleep. you’ll thank me 😉

for info on how I do my nails click this

well, that’s all I’ve got. I truly hope you enjoyed my post! it’s always fun sharing my advice with you all. any feedback is appreciated and question is welcomed ♡

[audreydoeskaren]

I don’t know if you do costume reviews for (parts of) dramas, but if you’d be interested, 玉楼春 /Yu Luo Chun/Song of Youth is set in the Ming Dynasty and looks like it might falls into the early end of your time periods of study. I think remo-ny’s blog on here has a number of stills from the show also if you just need costume visuals.

I've been hearing about 玉楼春 so much recently I'm dying to analyze its costumes! Thanks for requesting it.

Song of Youth (2021) 玉楼春

This is a new drama that just came out so I won't include a synopsis, it's just important to know for the costumes that it's supposed to be set in the Longqing era (1567-72). Since Longqing's reign was so short the costumes should be very specific to these couple years. However, seeing photos of the costumes on Tumblr and elsewhere they very much look like a mishmash of many different eras from the Ming and even Qing, so we'll have to look at some specific outfits. I'm generally more well versed with Qing and republican era fashion so unfortunately I won't be able to tell you exactly what Longqing era fashion looked like, though I can identify which outfits are not from the Longqing era. As usual, if I say anything wrong feel free to correct me, I’m just going for the general impression here.

Before we begin, I just have to say that I absolutely love the costumes in this show and the inaccuracies I spotted don’t necessarily detract from that. I think it’s a huge improvement to older dramas set in the Ming Dynasty and looks fabulous. All the screenshots are from their official (?) Youtube uploads.

From @remo-ny on Tumblr

This pretty much sums up the costuming in this drama. Everybody looks beautiful and great but in this shot you have three looks from three different centuries. The first outfit from the left looks very mid 18th century with the middle parted hair, 璎珞 yingluo necklace and the 立领长衫 long robe with standing collar plus sleeveless 褙子 beizi combo. The sleeve width and little embroidery patterns also scream Qianlong era, which isn’t even in the Ming Dynasty. If it had a 挽袖 wanxiu or folded cuff design at the sleeves, it would be a very historically accurate 1730s or 40s outfit, a far cry from the 1567-72 frame the drama is set in. 

Source here

Screen from the early to mid 18th century showing very similar outfits.

The lady in the middle is probably wearing some variation of the outfit from this iconic painting. Interestingly, I still haven’t been able to find out when exactly this painting was made. If somebody knows please tell me I’m begging... It’s probably some time in the 15th century; I’m not sure but I think the chances of it landing in the Longqing era are pretty small.

Source here

However, her hair has the early 17th century 三绺梳头 sanliushutou (coiffure in three sections) vibe going on, making the outfit rather anachronistic. The early 17th century clothes have been given to the lady to the right. My problem with the robe worn by the lady on the right is that the collar is too high; Ming collars weren’t meant to be worn folded so they should be significantly lower when they are folded.

Source here

Late Ming illustration for the novel 醋葫芦 showing the giant front closing robe with huge sleeves and 三绺梳头 hairstyle.

The lady to the right sports a coiffure that’s either from the Qianlong era or worn by servant girls in the late Ming, neither of which are Longqing era.

Source here

Qianlong era reverse glass painting showing the hairstyle with the sectioned middle part.

Wow this is really great!! She’s wearing a shirt/robe with a standing collar underneath a 圆领袍 yuanlingpao or round collar robe, which was appropriate ceremonial wear for some occasions. Again the collar looks too tall and somewhat forced, like they probably added hooks and eyes inside so it would stay folded like that, but in the 16th century you would usually not intentionally fold and even iron the collar. The embroidery on the outer robe looks more Qing than Ming to be frank? In the mid 16th century, fabrics with colored threads woven into them like 织金锦 gold brocade, 妆花 zhuanghua or 缂丝 kesi were still more popular than embroidery, which thickens the fabric and gives it a different texture. The women in the back are wearing gold brocade which is great, though I think robes with standing collars have become the norm in the mid 16th century already, so their clothes look a bit 15th century and outdated. Her headpiece is probably supposed to be a 狄髻 diji (狄 isn’t written like that but that character doesn’t exist in the language anymore), which is a very common and elegant headpiece for upper class Ming women but somehow never gets represented in other period dramas. A cookie for the costumer here. A diji is a conical headpiece made of metallic threads or fake hair which would be used as a base for various decorative pins. My only problem with the diji here is that it could be bigger and sit closer to the forehead, and the hair at the front could be pulled back tighter to show more of the forehead. The placement of the individual pins look correct, you have the long, horizontal piece at the bottom, the giant one in the middle, the round piece at the top and the smaller circular pieces at the sides. I’m not great with the terminology of each piece but here is a random diagram I found on the internet which looks legit.

Source here

A generic diji.

Ok this Ming emperor look is legitimately the best I have ever seen in a drama. For once, they finally didn’t give him the annoying 帽正 maozheng (round jewel at the front of the hat) or a completely gold hat, which already elevates the costuming in this drama to a whole next level. The 双龙戏珠 shuaglongxizhu or two dragons playing with a ball motif is really unfussy and well done, with the correct materials, textures and placement for the time period. He has the red collar of the under robe which you sometimes see in portraits, and for the round collar robe they chose a 云肩 yujian (cloud collar) design which (correctly) extends down to the sleeves. Although I don’t think you would pair this particular hat with this kind of outfit? It would have been more standard to pair this hat with a 衮服 gunfu (or any garment with roundel motifs) instead, though it also depends on the occasion. I know nothing about Ming court dress regulations soooo I can just say that the clothes look good.

Source here

Portrait of Emperor Longqing in a 衮服 gunfu. Contrary to popular belief the emperor wasn’t stuck with a yellow robe for life, he wore outfits in different styles and colors to different occasions.

The officials look fabulous, I’m living. They’re wearing 补服 bufu with colored 补子 buzi or square badges which were popular in the late Ming (not sure if the Longqing era was late enough for that though). There is also only one bird instead of two in the buzi, popular from the late Ming til the end of the Qing. Their belts and hats also look legit. The cut of the clothes and texture of the fabrics with the shimmering tone on tone decoration are just *chef’s kiss* perfection. Also can we just appreciate the sleeve length and shape here, it looks quite authentic; a lot of older dramas had sleeves that were way too short and straight. I just love that the costume designer didn’t add any unnecessary details and actually aimed for historical accuracy, a rare quality among Chinese period costumers indeed.

Source here

Part of the painting 徐显卿宦迹图 from the adjacent Wanli era showing officials in bufu. You can see the emperor here wearing a similar robe to that from the previous scene but he pairs it with a white undershirt.

Yayy they also have 网巾 wangjin representation!! In the Ming, men would wear this gauze net tied at the back to keep their hair in place before putting on a hat or headdress. Though this particular style looks more like the style popular in Korea at the time? Chinese wangjin was bigger and covered more of the head instead of having this headband shape which was en vogue in Korea. Chinese wangjin was also usually worn higher than the Korean style, meaning it would be concealed when wearing hats.

Source here

Illustration from 天工开物 showing working men wearing wangjin.

This must have been based on Wanli era artifacts, which means the time period isn’t far off. The collar here is way huge though, and the yingluo necklace is again 18th century. The pattern should also either extend down the sleeves or cover all of the fabric. The girl has bangs and loose hair but that’s excusable since she’s young. Children and teenagers could do almost whatever they wanted with their hair.

Source here

Reproduction of a similar robe (with a rectangular collar) from Emepror Wanli’s tomb at Dingling.

This scene looks fabulous but it would’ve been better had the second lady from the right not worn the 披风 pifeng, which was more appropriate for the 17th century. Pifeng also started out as casual outerwear, so it would be less formal than the round collar robes the other ladies are sporting here.

OMG YESS they’re wearing hats!! It’s so great to finally see male characters with head coverings. Historically in China no respectable man would leave the house with his hair and head exposed. So some male characters are wearing headdresses while some aren’t, though in paintings from this period you usually see everybody unanimously wearing head coverings. Still great though and I especially love the variety of hats.

Famous incorrect coordination, in womenswear you shouldn’t pair a cross collar robe with a pifeng. Robes with standing collars were the norm when pifeng was popularized in the late 16th/early 17th century.

17th century portrait showing the mainstream coordination.

Another example from episode 2.

Ok with this we’re back to peak Qianlong era. Please stop doing this.

This outfit of this lady (not sure how to translate her title, she’s a high ranking consort) is in the right direction with the 大衫 dashan, 霞帔 xiapei and 翟冠 diguan (?) but I think it would be better with a standing collar underneath instead of a cross collar? I’m really bad with court dress.

This again feels like time travelling, albeit in the earlier direction. The short cross collar robe and puffy skirt read very much as 15th century.

Source see watermark

Portrait from the early Ming, presumably 15th century. I don’t know when exactly this was made but it was not the Longqing era.

If this were a drama set in the 1730s I would give the costuming 11/10. It perfectly captures the atmosphere of the early Qianlong era, and even thoughtfully gave the old lady a 抹额 mo’e, an accessory popular in the Kangxi/Yongzheng era to show the difference in age. No drama set in the Qing Dynasty has ever achieved such high levels of historical accuracy. Honestly though pifeng should never have been worn in the Longqing era and neither should yingluo, this tall hairstyle nor the floral trim at the pifeng collar.

Source here

Painting from the series 雍亲王十二美人图 from the 1710s or 20s showing mo’e and the embroidered collar trim. I think the costuming here might be a reference to the 1987 adaptation of 红楼梦 Dream of the Red Chamber, which was set in the 18th century. People rave about the accuracy of costumes in that show but they were actually very generic, based off of Chinese theater costumes instead of historical artifacts, it’s just that Chinese theater costumes at the time happened to resemble 18th century clothing in some regards. Even then a show set in the 1560s shouldn’t reference a show set in the 18th century so literally.

To be completely honest with you, the main male character is very relentless and some scenes makes me semi uncomfortable (also I cannot relate to the romance because gay) so I don’t want to watch more of this drama. Let me offer some concluding remarks before coming to a rating.

The costumes in this drama are extremely well made. They obviously put a lot of effort into finding quality fabrics and materials. The color scheme is very comfortable and aesthetic to look at, desaturated but still colorful. I’ve heard some people say it’s too dark and depressing but you know what, I would take this over older period dramas that were either full neon colors or only brown and black with no in-betweens any day. The costumes here look very organic and realistic and actually resemble something historical people would wear. The extras also look really good here and their costumes are on the same level as the main characters.

In terms of historical accuracy, it is a massive improvement to, like, 99% of Ming Dynasty dramas that came before it. They managed to achieve the bare minimum of at least letting the audience recognize that it is obviously set in the Ming Dynasty and not some fantasy alternate universe, which, surprisingly, most dramas fail to do. They masterfully avoided a ton of costuming mistakes that most dramas set in the Ming Dynasty would normally make, such as loose, flowy hair, the round jewel on the hat, too short sleeves, golden hats and clothes for the emperor and skirts worn on top of robes for womenswear etc.. Yes my bar is very low.

There are of course major problems with the accuracy, especially the use of outfits from other parts of the Ming Dynasty and even the Qing (save those gorgeous costumes for a show set in the Qianlong era please), as well as a couple coordination faux pas, but overall it is so refreshing and satisfying to see and the time travelling could be overlooked. I absolutely adore how unfussy and straightforward the costumes are, the costume designer refrained from adding a shit ton of unnecessary details that are neither historical nor helpful to characterization. You can see that the designer had specific historical looks in mind when making the costumes and didn’t rely on stereotypical outfits from Chinese theater, which was traditionally how movie and drama costumes were designed.

I think this is a great starting point for Ming Dynasty costuming to become better at historical accuracy, I would rate it a 7/10.

In order to show you how refreshing the costumes here are, I’m gonna add some images from older Ming Dynasty dramas to give you an idea of just how shite the costumes looked.

Source here

The hats have the round jewel and the trim decorations are just completely unnecessary and ugly. The buzi are miserably incorrect. The emperor struts around with exposed hair and a robe that makes him look like a 19th century actor.

Source here

Loose hair, go away from me.

Source here

This show tried to be historically accurate but failed miserably. Are the shoulder pads going for a Japanese menswear impression?

Source here

Look at the womenswear wtf is going on!! Also you can smell the plastic and neon paints from across the screen when watching these older dramas.

Source here

This show is childhood memory and awesome but just from the costumes I would not be able to tell that it was set in the Ming Dynasty at all.

Anyway the costumes in Song of Youth are great despite its problems and aesthetically speaking I would highly recommend this drama.