#st background extra costuming

[aemiron-main]

both mike and the dude from the highschool chemistry lab throwing out homosexual code signals while the lab dude and the chess dude both wear the gay men pride flag… mike I know what you are (gay)

[ophelialoveshandsomemen]

Say what you will about Van Helsing 2004; hate it, love it, be indifferent, But the All-Hallow's masquerade ball went sooooo hard and it had zero right to do so! It's a fun, campy, monster mash movie with wonderfully dated ( and expensive) cgi and non-stop action meant to be a popcorn flick one takes out to watch around spooky season. And it has this* chef's kiss* GORGEOUS 6 minute sequence plopped arbitrarily in the second act, which unexpectedly surpasses nearly every other ball in the last 30+ years of film( notable exception being the Cinderella 2015 ball) for literally no reason other than to be dramatic af.

Like feast your eyes on this Gothic masterpiece!!! Who doesn't want to immediately live in this picture?!??

They used those candles with oil in them so that they would have real candles, real string orchestra( I believe), probably around 100 real life extras( something which is tragically absent in modern film), said extras are all in beautiful fully decked-out costumes( which are in luxuriously dark colours, but nearly no fully black, another thing you cannot say for much modern cinema), REAL CIRQUE DU SOLEIL PERFORMERS for all the acrobatics!!!! Hell, instead of filming in a sound stage, where they could control the reverb and the acoustics and the size of the set and the bloody lighting ( they apparently had a heck of a time emulating the firelight for this sequence) and the temperature( it's very cold in stone churches!) better, they filmed in a Baroque church in Prague! As I said, peak dramatic splendour, jfc...

Think about that a second...They filmed a vampire masquerade in a Baroque Catholic Church( St. Nicholas' in Lesser Town, if you were curious) with amazing over-the-top acoustics and marble statues and real, tiled floors and marble pillars and a choir loft which they very much utilized, covered the pipe organ and the altar with a grand brocade curtain so it wouldn't be so obviously a, you know, a church! And there's a gold gilt elevated and canopied pulpit into which they put two vampire kiddies for, again, the sake of being dramatic.

And the costumes! They remind me of the 25th anniversary Phantom of the Opera Masquerade costumes. Same quality, like they're old, well-cared-for costumes pulled out of a warehouse, instead of fast industry churn-outs. With lots of trim and colour and masks and lace and feathers and..just...ugh.. they are all perfect! Just look at all the head pieces on the ladies and the hats on all the gentleman ( save Dracula of course) and the powdered wigs on the musicians. ANNNNDD! The dresses are historically correct!!!!!! It's the 80's bustle era! Nobody does the 80's bustle era in film anymore and it's a bummer. Oh and one other thing! Anna's ( and other women's) hair, at least here in the ball, is also historically accurate because it's all pinned up! None of those fucken modern beachwaves at a ball! Everybody's got updo's!

Gah, I swear, Dracula in his gold cloak really does things to me in this scene!

By the way, the acrobatics are bonkers in here for just background stuff!! Especially the random guys on unicycles and the dude playing the violin whilst standing on a ball...Like....WHAT?

Anyways, all this to say, that this masquerade ball feels sooo real and tangible and because of that it blows every other film out of the water, and no, I will not change my mind!!!!!

Here's a few more gifs, bcuz, why the hell not, this scene is sexy as fuu*ck?

Alright I need to go to bed now.

[crimson-chaffinch]

I'm writing a fanfic xD Not sure if i can translate the whole story well in English but this extract seems nice. I wish we could see Beta's interaction with Tilda in game.

4 months before returning to Earth

Beta flinches when a tiny envelope with the inscription “ART” appears in the corner of the menu. Corners of her lips creep up in a slight smile and she clicks on the invitation.

Simulation of APOLLO stays in the back background, and living room of Tilda’s mansion appears in the the periphery. Light curtains on huge windows are swaying in a weak breeze. Of course, the wind is only the creations of the house’s owner, just like everything else around, but at some brief moment Beta feels its touch on her skin. ​

“And here you are,” Beta catches softness in Tilda's tone and smiles openly now. She is full of excitement which fights the fear of being discovered. This is already the fourth invitation, and Beta is quickly getting used to their strange communication. Internally she is afraid of the day when everything will be ended, and she will have to return to her routine. Although why their meetings must be ended?

“Did you do as I said?” Tilda asks, inviting Beta to the balcony with the soft gesture. Today she is wearing a white dress with flowing skirt and long translucent sleeves, so Beta can see her graceful arms. Tilda always appears here in clothes from her past life which doesn’t look like Zeniths’ multifunctional costumes. ​

“Yes, created an extra projection,” Beta nods. Last meeting was in the library, and the balcony is a new location for her, so she can’t wait to see the world around as Tilda remembers it. 

The view isn't disappointing, even knowing about its unreality, Beta can’t stop enjoying it. The sunset is like a skilled artist, painted the ocean with strokes of golden paint. The water sparkles and shimmers, stretching somewhere far beyond the artificial horizon.

Unexpected cracking sound makes Beta raise her head and move away from the railing. A big white bird flies above her.

“Seagull,” Tilda laughs. She sat down in one of the chairs watching the sunset.

“Is it always a sunset here?” Beta looks around. She loves asking a lot of questions but rarely receives answers.

This time Tilda nods lazily.

“Why?”

Tilda squeezes armrest of the chair and stands up quickly. There are no emotions on her face but Beta understands that she said something wrong. Nobody was bothered to ​explain her the rules of the game, so she tries to understand them by trial and error.

“Let’s go,” Tilda’s voice is dry, with a slight tint of irritation. ​Beta has already heard it a couple of days ago, when I asked who Tilda lived with here before leaving for Sirius. “Today we will talk about Galatea”.

Beta reluctantly returns to the room, ready go to boring library, but Tilda sits on the sofa. Beta sits down opposite to her, trying not to look around. She notices the piano near one of windows, and new question comes out of her mouth before she can think about it better.

“Can you play?” her delight fades out fast under Tilda’s heavy glance.

Tilda is silent. Apparently the question is too personal​.

After her sharp gesture a picture appears in the air above the coffee table: in a sculptor’s workshop a man hugs naked, pale woman. Her soft forms tower over him like a white spot. Man’s face isn’t visible but Beta notices some kind of desperation in the way he hugs his creation.​

“Pygmalion and Galatea,” Tilda begins, slightly zooming the image, and Beta understands that characters of the painting are kissing. “Created at the end twentieth century by French artist Jean-Leon Gerome.” Tilda slightly tilts his head. “Do you know the myth about Galatea?”

“She was one of the fifty Nereids?” Beta’s training program includes history and mythology, especially Greek one. “Dr. Sobeck had a special attachment to Hellas,” one of her avatar-teachers told her one day. Beta likes myths too, they make her purely technical study a bit funnier.  

“There is one more story” Tilda stands up, walks around Beta and stops behind her, leaving the girl alone with the painting. “Pygmalion was a skilled sculptor who cut a beautiful sculpture of a woman out from ivory. She was so beautiful that he fell in love with her”, Tilda’s voice seems trembling to Beta. “Goddess Aphrodite had a compassion for him and revived the statue. Galatea became his wife soon. Many artists were inspired by this story…”

“Hmm,” Beta tries not to chuckle but it turns out badly. She can’t stop smiling even when Tilda sits down softly on the armrest of her chair.

“I said something funny?” Tilda lightly touches Beta’s shoulder. Her eyebrows are raised in surprise and anticipation of the answer. ​

“How could he fall in love with a sculpture? She’s not alive,” Beta feels like Tilda’s fingers put a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Her heart stops for a moment, missing several necessary beats.​ She looks up, meeting an attentive glance of van der Meer’s gray eyes and continues confusingly. “And even when she became alive. Just appearance is not enough for love...”

“You need a haircut”, Tilda decides randomly, without removing her hand. Beta’s hair reaches her shoulder blades and looks fluffy after a shower, so she even doesn't mind to change something in herself.

“Damm,” Tilda’s face expression changes quickly and she jumps up from her seat. “Get out of here! Now!”

[bitletsanddrabbles]

“What’s the time? Sink me! We shall be late for his Highness’s garden party!”

[tcm]

No Professional Background, No Problem By Constance Cherise

If you need a little extra inspiration in pursuing your own interests, creatively or otherwise—even if you don’t have the degrees or accolades that the powers that be say are a necessity—consider these behind-the-scenes individuals with no formal training, who left an indelible impact on Hollywood.

Walter Plunkett

Learning that the costume designer for SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (‘52) had no formal training in his craft left me stunned. In the film, designer Walter Plunkett’s style runs the gamut, from 1920s fringed glamour to ornate 18th-century fashion. Throughout his career, the Oscar-winning Plunkett worked on more than 200 iconic films, including SHOWBOAT (‘51), LITTLE WOMEN (‘49) and the racially contentious epic GONE WITH THE WIND (‘40).

Plunkett originally studied to become a lawyer, however, his true interest favored the theatre. He graduated from UC Berkeley with the ambition of becoming an actor and after a short period in New York, he moved back to California. Eventually, Plunkett would work as an extra in Hollywood during the silent era. One day, a woman from the casting department at 20th Century-Fox, familiar with Plunkett's talent for sketching, requested he report to the women's wardrobe department. Twelve topless extras entered the room and Plunkett was assigned to strategically paint roses over their bare breasts.

"For three days, I diligently kept those flowers fresh...and that taught me there were other things to do in Hollywood...that you didn't have to be an actor," Plunkett later stated in an interview. He accepted a job as a designer with the Film Booking Offices of America (FBO), a small silent-era production company, and over the course of a few years he honed his craft, learning costume design on silent stars of the time. With the sound era, Plunkett became employed by RKO and went on to design for the likes of Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn, before ultimately getting employment with the major studios of Hollywood.

Dorothy “Dottie” Ponedel

Due to a respiratory ailment in her early 20s, Dottie Ponedel moved from Illinois to California. While working in her family's bakery, she was recruited to become an extra in silent films, fearlessly taking on each role she was offered before becoming the go-to girl. Due to actress Nancy Caroll’s make-up application during the filming of the movie FOLLOW THRU (‘30), the production crew had difficulty completing a particular shot. Ponedel, who had a keen eye, made suggestions, correcting Carrolls make-up which allowed for continued filming. Impressed, Carroll requested Ponedel exclusively as a make-up consultant. When executives refused, Carroll purposely sabotaged her own make-up, essentially forcing the studio to honor her demand. Lacking the background and experience of her male counterparts, Ponedel studied the works of master artists as her education.

Known for sculpting the face with highlight and shadow, Ponedel became the first female make-up artist to be admitted to the Hollywood Make-Up Union. However, not only was she the make-up artist of icons, she also became their confidants. Ponedel worked with stars like Joan Blondell and Judy Garland in such films as MEET ME IN ST LOUIS (‘44), THE HARVEY GIRLS (‘46), and SUMMER STOCK (‘50). Female leads, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West and Carol Lombard rallied for Ponedel as she faced continued backlash from the all-male union.

Busby Berkeley

Known as one of the greatest choreographers of the movie musical, by definition Busby Berkeley was not a choreographer. In fact, Berkeley did not have a background in dance to speak of. However, he did possess a unique knack for patterns influenced by his duration in the army. He directed parades and staged camp shows for the soldiers. After WWI, Berkeley became a successful director on Broadway, collaborating with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. As expected, Hollywood came calling, and Berkeley began working with Warner Bros. According to Warner Archive “...in 1933 BB redefined Hollywood musicals forever with his eye-popping numbers for 42ND STREET (‘33),” which remains in present times a “...but you have to come back a star!” sensation.

To refer to Berkeley’s flamboyant productions as elaborate would be a harsh understatement. A more accurate description might be scantily-clad, fantasy-filled extravaganzas. While he did not invent the overhead shot, he did perfect it, at times cutting holes in the roof of the studio in order to achieve his desired kaleidoscopic effects. Berkeley would go on to create films for major studios including MGM, where he directed the Garland and Rooney “Backyard Musicals” as well as Esther Williams’ lavish water ballets in such films as TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME (’49).

During the late ‘50s, Berkeley would see a decline in his career. However, in the late 1960s, his films would see a resurgence, due to the psychedelic era. Berkeley’s influence can still be readily found today (such as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’s [2017] “Be Our Guest” sequence), and in recent years, the “Human Waterfall” from the film FOOTLIGHT PARADE (‘33), was the opening feature to the collaboration between TCM and Disney's The Great Movie Ride, which was originally narrated by TCM’s own Robert Osborne.

[princebp1]

It’s been a while since I’ve spotted a recycled costume! @kathrynethegreat you might like this one!

This beautiful white floral hat which is most likely a real antique, was first used in the 1997 film “Titanic,” where it was worn by a background extra during the afternoon tea scene with Frances Fisher and Rochelle Rose.

It was then seen the very next year in the 1998 NBC Mini-Series, “A Will of Their Own,” worn by Diana Scarwid as Crystal Eastman.

Funnily, the executive producer of “A Will of Their Own,” said in a 1998 interview how they were having difficulties finding authentic period clothing for the mini-series because the costume crew of “Titanic,” had snatched up every piece of clothing in town for their massive production. You can read about that in this article.

This hat must’ve switched over to the latter production really quickly to be used. There are probably several other recycled costumes in “A Will of Their Own,” but I have yet to find anymore.

[notalwaysthevillian]

By Any Other Name

Happy birthday @not-so-innocent-bi-sander! I know you love both soulmates and prinxiety so here’s a thing that you totally didn’t know was coming :D

Warnings: Kissing, making out

Word Count: ~1.2k

Pairings: Romantic Prinxiety, Background Romantic Logicality

“Virgil!”

Turning his head, Virgil couldn’t help but smile as Patton waved. It wasn’t like he’d forget the table they’d claimed at the beginning of freshman year. But every day, Patton would call his name and wave him over.

He suspected it was because it made him smile.

Sliding into the seat next to Logan, Virgil handed over his milk. “Pay up.”

“You know, the sugar probably isn’t -”

“Lo.”

With a sigh, Logan took the milk and slid over his Gushers. He turned to Patton, who was looking at him with heart eyes. “Patton, I know I’m your soulmate, but can you not look at me like that?”

“This is how I always look at you.”

Virgil hid his laugh as a blush covered Logan’s face. The nerd elbowed him gently. “Virgil!”

“What? It’s cute.” He ran his fingers over the bracelets on his wrist. “I wonder if my soulmate will be like that.”

“You know, if you’d show us...we could help.”

Feeling two sets of eyes boring into him, Virgil shook his head. “No. I - I can’t - what if he...I can’t.”

“That’s okay!” Patton reached across the table, grabbing Virgil’s hand. “You don’t have to. But we’re here if you ever want to.”

“I know.”

There was a blur of red and a clatter next to Patton. Roman ran a hand through his hair, trying to tame it. “Sorry I’m late. I forgot that I’d told Mr. Sanders that I’d help one of the freshman run lines. I don’t know why she’s worried though, she has everything down exactly the way it should be.”

“Anxiety works in mysterious ways.” Virgil said, giving Roman a look.

He winced. “Sorry. I’ve been trying to remember that.”

“Dude, it’s fine.” Virgil bit into his pizza. “At least you’re making an effort now.”

“Virgil -”

“Roman.” Holding up a hand, Virgil cut him off. “It’s fine. We were younger and dumber. I forgave you, we’re friends now, it’s all good.”

“Well, we have Patton to thank for that.” Roman waved a hand at the bubbly blonde, who giggled. “If it weren’t for you, we’d probably still be at each other’s throats.”

“The get-along shirt works!”

The four of them laughed before dissolving into their usual lunchtime routine. Pointing out various things their teachers were wearing (Roman), worrying about tests (Logan and Virgil), and making puns (Patton).

When the bell rang, they all headed their separate ways. Roman and Virgil walked together, the former splitting off when he got to the auditorium.

As Virgil walked into AP Art, he realized that he’d finished all the projects for the year.

In March.

“Ah, Virgil, just the person I needed to talk to!” Mx. Stokes said, rolling over their desk to get to the door. “I noticed that you’re done.”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean to finish so early, I just...did?”

A few students looked up as Mx. Stokes laughed. They waved them off, focusing on Virgil. “You’ll probably be bored just sitting here. Tell you what. Thomas told me that he needs some last minute help with the set design. Why don’t you head into the auditorium and see what you can do? I’ll give you some extra credit. Not that you need it, but it’ll be there.”

Virgil shrugged. “Sure.”

“Great! I’ll text him and let him know you’re on your way.”

With that, Mx. Stokes rolled back over their desk, grabbing their phone as they did so. Virgil grabbed his backpack and headed back the way he’d come.

It didn’t take him long to reach the auditorium, or to find Mr. Sanders.

“Oh, good, Joan said they were sending you.” Mr. Sanders waved over someone wearing all black. “The show is in a month and we just can’t seem to get the intricate details on the staircase. Roman has talked you up so much, so -”

“He has?” Virgil asked, before covering his mouth. “I didn’t mean to interrupt!”

Mr. Sanders gave him a warm smile. “It’s alright. I have to deal with actors on a daily basis, I’m used to being interrupted. But yes, he’s gone on and on about your artistic talent. Sleep, show him where to go.”

“You got it T!”

Virgil followed behind who he now recognized as Remy St. Cloud. “Sleep?”

“Yeah, T calls us by our nicknames here.” Remy explained as they headed into a back room. He opened a cabinet and grabbed some gold paint and a thin brush before whirling around and heading back to the stage. “It’s a whole new world in Drama Club.”

“Okay…” Virgil eyed the staircase as they walked up, seeing some detail drawn in pencil. “Oh, this’ll be easy.”

“Easy?” Remy shook his head. “V, even our best couldn’t get in there.”

“V?”

“Your name is Virgil, isn’t it? I’ve dubbed you V now, no getting out of it.” Remy grabbed a paint key and popped the lid off. “Have at it.”

Grabbing the brush, Virgil got to work. He easily lost himself in the zone, hardly hearing anything. When the details got too high, he grabbed a nearby ladder and continued, balancing the can on the top.

“Alright, for the next scene I’m going to need Hot Cross Buns and Princey.”

CRASH!

Everyone turned around as Virgil nearly fell off the ladder. The paint had splattered all over the floor, somehow not touching the staircase.

“Virgil?” Roman asked, crossing the stage.

Sliding down, Virgil ran over to him, tearing off his bracelet as he moved. Roman gasped as Virgil stuck the pale skin in front of his eyes.

‘Princey’ was written in the most elegant font he’d ever seen.

“Why. The FUCK. Is that your nickname?” Virgil asked, every cell in his body buzzing.

With a laugh, Roman gestured to his costume. “Because I’m playing Rapunzel’s prince. But how...none of us have ever called you V before.”

“Remy just…” Virgil turned, finding the stage manager sleeping in one of the seats. “He gave it to me. Just now.”

A smirk tugged at Roman’s lips. “Well, that explains why we were so drawn to one another when we first met.”

“Oh my god, shut up.”

Sliding his arm around Virgil’s waist, Roman tugged him closer. “I know a really good way to get me to stop talking.”

“You’re insufferable.” There was absolutely no bite to the words as Virgil leaned in. His breath hitched as their noses touched. “The worst.”

“Mhmm.”

While Virgil had never imagined kissing Roman, it was exactly what he needed. His hands tangled in Roman’s hair, the soft locks slipping between his fingers with ease.

“AHEM!”

Pulling back, Virgil saw Remy looking at them, arms crossed. He quickly realized that he’d practically been making out with Roman in front of the entire Drama Club. Blood rushed to his cheeks, making him hide his face in Roman’s chest.

“Remy! Come on!” Roman protested. “You don’t find your soulmate every day!”

“I’m happy for you, but we need to rehearse!”

A groan came from Roman before he was gently tugging on Virgil’s arms. “Babe, I have to finish this scene. Will you wait for me?”

“Always.”

A gasp left Virgil’s mouth as Roman kissed him once more.

“Oh my god, get your gay ass center stage!”

[thiswasinevitableid]

#9 with indruck?

Here you go! And it’s SFW per your second ask.

9. It’s mid january what the shit are they doing out here without a scarf and gloves and would it be weird if I offered them mine 

Indrid gazes down through the museum skylight. His future vision tells him the security guard will need to visit the bathroom in thirty seconds, giving him ample time to remove the false pane of glass he planted yesterday and slip into the exhibit hall. 

A gust of wind drops a clump of snow down his neck and he scowls at the sky. He can’t get inside that building fast enough.

“Alright Cold, window shoppin time is over.”

A swirl of snow tornadoes across the roof and his nemesis, Ursa Major (secret identity: Duck Newton, forest ranger), steps through it.

Indrid groans, standing up to face him. The hero is in his standard green uniform, boots and mask decorated with constellations. Indrid’s own outfit is all black, save for his trademark red glasses. They were his signature when he was just Indrid Cold, eccentric city planner of Kepopolis, and he has no interest in surrendering them. 

“Go away, it’s of no concern to you whether I acquire some new scientific specimens for my collection.”

“You know that ain’t the case. Besides, if you were rippin off some rich CEO I might be inclined to let it slide. But this is science museum. Y’know, the free one? The one people take their kids to on weekends? You ain’t jackin anything from it on my watch.”

Indrid sighs, theatrically, “Very well. Let’s get this over with. It’s not like it’ll hurt you to be thrown off a building again.”

“Not gonna happen.” The hero cracks his knuckles. 

His bare knuckles. 

Good god, he’s not wearing gloves. Or a scarf. Or any extra layers. How is he not just a hunksicle (no, damnit, he’s not that hunky. He’s beefcakey. No, not that either)?

Indrid stays put as the other man charges him, uses his powers to anticipate the exact moment to step out of the path of the blow. Duck sweeps out a leg, but only succeeds at slipping in the snow. Indrid snickers and Duck whirls on him with a growl.

“Careful, keep that stumbling up and you’ll fall straight through this window and make my job easier. I’d hate to have the chance to pin the robbery on you.”

“I ain’t ever stolen a thing, everyone knows-” he cuts of into a full body shudder. Indrid takes the chance to knock him over with a slight shove, then scurries back. Duck shivers again as he brushes snow from his costume. 

“Bit chilly?” He grins wickedly to cover any concern that might try to show through.

“F-fuck you.” 

“Look, it wouldn’t be sporting of me to fight when you’re clearly incapacitated. And it’s negative fifteen out here right now. Here” he starts undoing the knot in his thermal scarf, “at least take this.”

“I’m f-fine, ext-tra s-strong and all that s-shit.” He stands, tries to take a fight stance, only to sneeze and shiver even harder. 

“I can hear your teeth chattering over the wind. And, goodness,your lips are turning blue, that’s not good at all. Hang on, let me just get out of this.” He checks the pockets of his stealth jacket to make sure there’s nothing important in them, slips it off, and holds it out.

Duck waves it away, “Whatever t-trap this is, I ain’t-t t-taken the b-bait.”

“For goodness sake, take the blasted jacket.” Indrid offers it again and Duck smacks it away. Indrid glares at him over his glasses, “You will be of no use to anyone, be they hero, villain, or civilian, if you die of hypothermia.”

“C-could get me inside by surren--achoo--derin.”

“Not a chance. If you insist on stubbornly staying out here and fighting, at least do so properly equipped. The sooner we get this over with the sooner we can both get somewhere warm.” 

“St-top offerin that jacket!”

Indrid frustratedly tries to trap the hero in the warm coat, but succeeds only in repeatedly hitting him with it.

“Just” whap “ take” whap “my help!” whap.

Duck dodges the fabric once, twice, three times.

And promptly steps off the edge of the building.

“Duck!”  Indrid dives forward, grabbing a freezing hand that barely holds onto him.

The hero smirks up at him, “You f-forgettin somethin?”

Indrid remembers his earlier comment about Duck easily surviving this fall.

“Oh damn it all.”

Duck tugs, and then they’re both falling, Indrid twisting in the air in hopes of landing with the upper hand. 

This turns out to be for naught, as they land side by side in a massive snowbank.

“Ow.” 

Duck sneezes in agreement as the chill seeps through Indrid’s protective layers. It’s dark, the world is in that strange late night that is longing to be morning during which which most buildings have shut off all but a scant few lights. It’s now, his glasses inform him, -25 with the windchill. 

And Duck is barely moving, huddled in the snow and watching Indrid carefully. 

“Look, neither of us is going to get anything done in this weather. And we could both use some warmth. Is there anywhere nearby that’s open?”

“Diner. T-two blocks down.”

Indrid stands, hauling Duck to his feet and pulling him close in hopes of warming him, “Come on then.”

-----------------------------------

The neon signs on the walls buzz and tinny jukebox plays exactly the kind of sorrowful country song it should at 2 am on a miserable night. The diner is empty save for the single waitress and cook, who chatter in the kitchen.

Indrid sips his mug of tea with eight scoops of sugar, while Duck stirs his coffee with fingers that are only now steadying. Indrids jacket hags around his shoulders, and his scarf is looped around his neck. 

He tries to ignore the affection seeing Duck in his clothing kindles in him, but it’s like the faint music and the neon buzz, a constant background noise that he can’t tune out.

Duck taps his fingers on his mug before asking quietly, “Why not just leave me out in that snowbank?”

“Because I didn’t want you to become ill, or worse.”

“You ain’t answerin the real question.”

Indrid glances out at the dark street, the removes his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, “I’m not certain.”

“It the same reason you ain’t told anyone else my real name?”

Indrid drops the glasses, surprised by this future, and they clatter on the teal table, “How did you know I knew that?”

“You called me by it up there.” He jerks his head towards the museum.

“Oh. So I did.”

“And you’ve hinted that you knew things about me when we tangled before. But I ain’t had any supervillains hidin in my closet, no one stakin out the station. Which tells me you ain’t shared this with you buddies.”

“They’re not my ‘buddies.’ I work alone.” He can’t hide the scorn that enters his voice at the thought of Kepopolis’s League of Villains. The he looks back at Duck and the world softens, “But you’re right; I’ve kept your identity to myself. I...I like you, Duck. Save for the moments where we’re trading blows, I think we could be friends.”

(More than friends)

“I feel no malice towards you. I did the first few times, but when I look for it now all that remains is a certain fondness. Even when you are a thorn in my side, you are a familiar thorn. The kind that builds up scar tissue, making one stronger and, ah, no, that metaphor got away from me, I apologize.”

Duck considers him silently for a moment. Then he grabs the edges of his mask and pulls it up and off.

Indrid has seen Duck’s face before in visions. But seeing it now undoes him. The strong jaw and soft cheeks, the laugh lines, the signs of worry and wear that Indrid wishes he could soothe away with gentle promises. 

“What do you want from me, Indrid?”

“Nothing. Uh, that is, everything. Ah, no, apologies, that was not helpful.” He sits up straight, musters his remaining courage, “I wish to get to know you better, Duck. As friends and equals, not as enemies.”

“How do you figure that’d work?”

“I could...take a break from my cunning plans? And in return you could tell your fellow heroes not to look for me. I’d really rather not have someone explode through my wall while I’m in my fuzzy moth slippers trying to read.”

Duck gives a startled laugh, and at the sight of the smile Indrid’s heart glows like neon.

“That’s a hell of an image. Okay, fine. You lay of the schemin and stealin, I’ll make sure you don’t get bothered.”

“And we can see each other?” He bounces excitedly in place, which amuses Duck all the more.

“Sure. Come by work at five tomorrow, and we can go from there. Deal?” He holds out his hand and Indrid takes it eagerly.

“Deal.”

They pay the tiny bill and part ways, Indrid glancing back only to find Duck doing the same with a fond smile in his direction.

It’s only when he gets home that he realizes Duck still has his scarf and jacket.

Ah well, it’s no trouble. He checks the futures. Yes, in all of them Duck is sure to bring his clothes back to him without prompting.

And in all of them, when Indrid presents him with flowers, he smiles bright enough to chase the last of the dark worries from Indrid’s mind.

[blackkudos]

Diana Ross

Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who during the 1960s became Motown's most successful act, and are the best-charting female group in US history, as well as one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. The group released a record-setting twelve number one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Love Child", and "Someday We'll Be Together".

Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross released her eponymous debut solo album that same year, featuring the No. 1 Pop hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". She later released the album Touch Me in the Morning in 1973; its title track was her second solo No. 1 hit. She continued a successful solo career through the 1970s, which included hit albums like Mahogany and Diana Ross and their No. 1 hit singles, "Theme from Mahogany" and "Love Hangover", respectively. Her 1980 album Diana produced another No. 1 single, "Upside Down", as well as the international hit "I'm Coming Out". Her final single with Motown during her initial run with the company achieved her sixth and final US number one Pop hit, the duet "Endless Love" featuring Lionel Richie, whose solo career was launched with its success.

Ross has also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe Award-winning and Academy Award–nominated performance in the film Lady Sings the Blues (1972); she recorded its soundtrack, which became a number one hit. She also starred in two other feature films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978), later acting in the television films Out of Darkness (1994), for which she also was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and Double Platinum (1999).

She is the only female artist to have number one singles as a solo artist; as the other half of a duet (Lionel Richie); as a member of a trio; and as an ensemble member (We are the World-USA for Africa). In 1976, Ross was named the "Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard magazine. In 1993, the Guinness Book of World Records declared her the most successful female music artist in history, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any female artist in the charts, with a career total of 70 hit singles with her work with the Supremes and as a solo artist. She had a top 10 UK hit in every one of the last five decades, and sang lead on a top 75 hit single at least once every year from 1964 to 1996 in the UK, a period of 33 consecutive years and a record for any performer.

In 1988, Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes, alongside Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. She was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Ross is also one of the few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one as a solo artist and the other as a member of the Supremes. In Billboard magazine's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists chart, she ranked 16th as the lead singer of the Supremes and 26th as a solo artist. Diana Ross ranks among the Top 5 artists of the rock era (1955 to date) on the Billboard Hot 100 when combining her solo and Supremes' hits.

Early life

Diana Ross was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 26, 1944. She was the second-eldest child of Ernestine (née Moten; January 27, 1916 – October 9, 1984) and Fred Ross, Sr. (July 4, 1920 – November 21, 2007). Ross's elder sister is American physician Barbara Ross-Lee.

According to Ross, her mother actually named her "Diane", but, a clerical error resulted in her name being recorded as "Diana" on her birth certificate. She was listed as "Diane" during the first Supremes records, and she introduced herself as "Diane" until early in the group's heyday. Her friends and family still call her "Diane".

Ross's grandfather John E. Ross, a native of Gloucester County, Virginia, was born to Washington Ross and Virginia Baytop. Virginia Baytop's mother Francis "Frankey" Baytop was a former slave who had become a midwife after the Civil War.

Ross and her family originally lived on Belmont Road in the North End section of Detroit, near Highland Park, Michigan, where her neighbor was Smokey Robinson. When Ross was seven, her mother contracted tuberculosis, causing her to become seriously ill. Ross's father moved with his children to live with relatives in Bessemer, Alabama. After her mother recovered, her family moved back to Detroit.

On her 14th birthday in 1958, her family relocated to the working-class Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects settling at St. Antoine Street. Attending Cass Technical High School, a four-year college and preparatory magnet school, in downtown Detroit, Ross began taking classes including clothing design, millinery, pattern making, and tailoring, as she had aspired to become a fashion designer. She also took modeling and cosmetology classes at the school and participated in three or four other extracurricular activities while being there.

Ross also worked at Hudson's Department Store where it has been claimed in biographies, she was the first black employee "allowed outside the kitchen". For extra income, she provided hairdressing services for her neighbors. Ross graduated from Cass Tech in January 1962.

Career

The Supremes: 1959–1970

At fifteen, Ross joined the Primettes, a sister group of a male vocal group called the Primes, after being brought to the attention of music manager Milton Jenkins by Primes member Paul Williams. Along with Ross, the other members included Florence Ballard, the first group member hired by Jenkins, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown. Following a talent competition win in Windsor, Ontario, in 1960, the Primettes were invited to audition for Motown records.

Later, following local success via live performances at sock hops, etc., Ross approached former neighbor (and rumored childhood former boyfriend), William "Smokey" Robinson, who insisted that the group audition for him first. Robinson agreed to bring the Primettes to Motown, in exchange for letting him and the Miracles hire the Primettes' guitarist, Marv Tarplin, for an upcoming tour. Tarplin played in Robinson's band(s) for the next 30-plus years.

In her autobiography, "Secrets of a Sparrow", Ross wrote that she felt that deal was "a fair trade". The Primettes later auditioned for Motown Records, before various Motown executives. In Berry Gordy's autobiography, To Be Loved, Gordy recalled he was heading to a business meeting when he heard Ross singing "There Goes My Baby" and Ross's voice "stopped me in my tracks". He approached the group and asked them to perform it again but, learning of their ages, Gordy advised them to come back after graduating from high school.

Undeterred, the group went to Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. headquarters regularly, offering to provide extra help for Motown's recordings, often including hand claps and background vocals. That year, the group recorded two tracks for Lu Pine Records, with Ross singing lead on one of the tracks. During the group's early years, Ross served as hair stylist, make-up artist, seamstress, and costume designer. In late 1960, having replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, the Primettes were allowed to record their own songs at Hitsville's studio, many written by "Smokey" Robinson, who, by then, was vice president of Motown ("Your Heart Belongs to Me" and "A Breathtaking Guy"). Gordy, too, composed songs for the trio, including "Buttered Popcorn" (featuring Ballard on lead) and "Let Me Go the Right Way". While these songs were regional hits, they were not nationwide successes.

In January 1961, Gordy agreed to sign the group on the condition they change their name. Eventually, Janie Bradford approached Florence Ballard, the only group member at the studio at the time, to pick out a new name for the group. Ballard chose "Supremes", reportedly, because it was the only name on the list that did not end with "ette". Upon hearing the new name, the other members weren't impressed, with Ross telling Ballard she feared the group would be mistaken for a male vocal group (a male vocal group was, indeed, named the Supremes). Gordy signed the group under their name on January 15, 1961.

A year later, Barbara Martin left the group, reducing the quartet to a trio. In late 1963, the group had their first hit with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes", peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. At the end of the year, Gordy assigned Ross as the group's lead singer, even though Ballard was usually the lead vocalist.

The group scored their first number-one hit with "Where Did Our Love Go", paving the way for unprecedented success: between August 1964 and May 1967, Ross, Wilson, and Ballard sang on ten number-one hit singles, all of which also made the UK top 40. The group had also become a hit with audiences both domestically and abroad, going on to become Motown's most successful vocal act throughout the sixties. Following significant issues with her comportment, weight, and alcoholism, Florence Ballard was fired from the Supremes by Gordy in July 1967, hiring Cindy Birdsong from Patti LaBelle and the Blue-Bells as Ballard's replacement.

Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, making it easier to charge a larger performance fee for a solo star and a backing group, as it did for other renamed Motown groups. Gordy initially considered Ross leaving the Supremes for a solo career in 1966 but changed his mind because the group's success was still too significant for Ross to pursue solo obligations. Ross remained with the Supremes until early 1970.

The group appeared as a trio of singing nuns in a 1968 episode of the popular NBC TV series Tarzan. Between their early 1968 single "Forever Came Today" and their final single with Ross, "Someday We'll Be Together", Ross would be the only Supremes member to be featured on many of their recordings, often accompanied by session singers the Andantes or, as in the case of "Someday, We'll Be Together", Julia and Maxine Waters and Johnny Bristol. Still, Wilson and Birdsong continued to sing on recordings.

Gordy, drove Ross diligently throughout this period and Ross, due to anxiety arising from Gordy's demands of her, began suffering from anorexia nervosa, according to her autobiography, Secrets of a Sparrow. During a 1967 performance in Boston, Massachusetts, Ross collapsed onstage, and had to be hospitalized for exhaustion.

In 1968, Ross began to perform as a solo artist on television specials, including the Supremes' own specials such as TCB and G.I.T. on Broadway, The Dinah Shore Show, and a Bob Hope special, among others. In mid-1969, Gordy decided that Ross would depart the group by the end of that year, and Ross began recording her initial solo work that July. One of the first plans for Ross to establish her own solo career was to publicly introduce a new Motown recording act.

Though she herself did not claim their discovery, Motown's publicity department credited Ross with having discovered the Jackson 5. Ross would introduce the group during several public events, including The Hollywood Palace. In November, Ross confirmed a split from the Supremes in Billboard. Ross' presumed first solo recording, "Someday We'll Be Together", was eventually released as a Supremes recording and became the group's final number-one hit on the Hot 100. It was also the final number-one Billboard Hot 100 single of the 1960s. Ross made her final appearance with the Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 14, 1970.

Solo career,Touch Me in the Morning, Duets album, Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack and diana: 1970–1981

In May 1970, Ross released her eponymous solo debut, which included her signature songs, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", the latter becoming Ross' first number-one solo single. Follow-up albums, Everything Is Everything and Surrender came out shortly afterwards. In 1971, the ballad "I'm Still Waiting" became her first number-one single in the UK. Later in 1971, Ross starred in her first solo television special, Diana!, which included the Jackson 5.

In 1972, the soundtrack to her film debut, Lady Sings the Blues, reached number one on the Billboard 200, selling two million units. In 1973, Ross had her second number-one hit with the ballad "Touch Me in the Morning". Later in the year, Motown issued Diana & Marvin, a duet album with fellow Motown artist Marvin Gaye. The album became an international hit. Touring throughout 1973, Ross became the first entertainer in Japan's history to receive an invitation to the Imperial Palace for a private audience with the Empress Nagako, wife of Emperor Hirohito.

In April 1974, Ross became the first African-American woman to co-host the 46th Academy Awards, with John Huston, Burt Reynolds, and David Niven.

After the release of a modestly successful LP, Last Time I Saw Him, Ross had a third number-one hit with "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", from her second feature film, Mahogany. A year later, in 1976, Ross released her fourth solo number-one hit, "Love Hangover", a sensual, dramatic mid-tempo song that bursts into an uptempo disco tune. Later that year, Ross launched her "An Evening with Diana Ross" tour. The tour's success led to a two-week stint at Broadway's Palace Theatre and a 90-minute, Emmy-nominated television special of the same name, featuring special make-up effects by Stan Winston, for a scene in which Ross portrayed legendary cabaret artist Josephine Baker and blues singers Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters, and a Special Tony Award.

The albums Baby It's Me and Ross sold modestly. In 1979, Ross released The Boss, continuing her popularity with dance audiences, as the title song became a number-one dance single. On July 16, 1979, Ross guest-hosted an episode of Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, featuring Lynda Carter, George Carlin, and Muhammad Ali as guests. Later that year, Ross hosted the HBO special, Standing Room Only, filmed at Caesar's Palace's Circus Maximus Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, during her "Tour '79" concert tour. This concert special is noted for its opening, during which Ross literally makes her entrance through a movie screen. In November of that year, Ross performed The Boss album's title track as a featured artist during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, in New York City.

In 1980, Ross released her most successful album to date, Diana. Composed by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, the album included the hits "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down", the latter becoming her fifth chart-topping single. Prior to leaving Motown, Ross recorded the duet ballad "Endless Love", with Lionel Richie. The song would become her sixth and final single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ross began negotiations to leave Motown at the end of 1980. After over 20 years with the label, Ross received US$250,000 as severance. RCA Records offered Ross a $20 million, seven-year recording contract, which gave her complete production control of her albums. Allegedly, before signing onto the label, Ross asked Berry Gordy if he could match RCA's offer. Gordy stated that doing so was "impossible". Ross then signed with RCA on May 20, 1981. At the time, Ross's was music history's most expensive recording deal.

Film career: 1972–1999

In 1971, Diana Ross began working on her first film, Lady Sings the Blues, which was a loosely based biography on singer Billie Holiday. Despite some criticism of her for taking the role, once the film opened in October 1972, Ross won critical acclaim for her performance in the film. Jazz critic Leonard Feather, a friend of Holiday's, praised Ross for "expertly capturing the essence of Lady Day". Ross's role in the film won her Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. The soundtrack to Lady Sings the Blues became just as successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 staying there for two weeks.

Ross's second film, Mahogany, was released in 1975. The film reunited her with Billy Dee Williams, her co-star in Lady Sings the Blues and featured costumes designed by Ross herself. The story of an aspiring fashion designer who becomes a runway model and the toast of the industry, Mahogany was a troubled production from its inception. The film's original director, Tony Richardson, was fired during production, and Berry Gordy assumed the director's chair himself.

In addition, Gordy and Ross clashed during filming, with Ross leaving the production before shooting was completed, forcing Gordy to use secretary Edna Anderson as a body double for Ross. While a box-office success, the film was not well received by the critics: Time magazine's review of the film chastised Gordy for "squandering one of America's most natural resources: Diana Ross."

In 1977, Motown acquired the film rights to the Broadway play The Wiz, an African-American reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The film initially was to include the stage actors who had performed on the play, but, producer Rob Cohen could not garner the interest of any major Hollywood film studios. It was not until Ross convinced Cohen to cast her, (instead of Stephanie Mills, who portrayed Dorothy on Broadway) as Dorothy that Universal Pictures agreed to finance the production. This casting decision led to a change in the film's script, in which Dorothy went from a schoolgirl to a schoolteacher. The role of the Scarecrow, also performed by someone else onstage, was eventually given to Ross's former Motown labelmate, Michael Jackson.

The film adaptation of The Wiz had been a $24 million production, but upon its October 1978 release, it earned only $21,049,053 at the box office. Though pre-release television broadcast rights had been sold to CBS for over $10 million, the film produced a net loss of $10.4 million for Motown and Universal. At the time, it was the most expensive film musical ever made. The film's failure ended Ross's short career on the big screen and contributed to the Hollywood studios' reluctance to produce the all-black film projects which had become popular during the blaxploitation era of the early to mid-1970s for several years. The Wiz was Ross's final film for Motown.

Ross had success with movie-themed songs. The soundtrack for Lady Sings the Blues peaked at number one on Billboard's Pop chart, selling over 300,000 copies in its first eight days of release. While her version of Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache" only performed modestly well in early 1973, her recording of "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" gave Ross her third number-one hit, in late 1975.

Three years later, Ross and Michael Jackson had a modest dance hit with their recording of "Ease on Down the Road". Their second duet, actually as part of the ensemble of The Wiz, "Brand New Day", found some success overseas. Ross scored a Top 10 hit in late 1980 with the theme song to the 1980 film It's My Turn. The following year, she collaborated with former Commodores singer-songwriter Lionel Richie on the theme song for the film Endless Love. The Academy Award-nominated title single became her final hit on Motown Records and the number-two record of the year.

Several years later, in 1988, Ross recorded the theme song to The Land Before Time. "If We Hold on Together" became an international hit, reaching number one in Japan.

In 1993, Ross returned to acting with a dramatic role in the television film, Out of Darkness. Ross won acclaim for her role in the TV movie and earned her third Golden Globe nomination, although she did not win. In 1999, she and Brandy Norwood co-starred in the television movie, Double Platinum, which was aired prior to the release of Ross's album, Every Day Is a New Day.

Continued solo career and development: 1981–1999

In October 1981, Ross released her first RCA album, Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The album sold over a million copies and featured hit singles such as her remake of the classic hit of the same name and "Mirror Mirror". Shortly thereafter, Ross established her production company, named Anaid Productions ("Diana" spelled backwards), and also began investing in real estate and touring extensively in the United States and abroad.

Before the release of Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Ross hosted her first TV special in four years, Diana. Directed by Steve Binder, the concert portions of the special were filmed at Inglewood, California's 17,500-seat The Forum indoor stadium and featured performances by Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Dallas actor Larry Hagman, music impresario Quincy Jones and members of The Joffrey Ballet.

In early 1982, Ross sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XVI and appeared on the dance show Soul Train. The program devoted a full episode to her and Ross performed several songs from the Why Do Fools Fall in Love album.

On May 6, 1982, Ross was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 1982, she followed up the success of Why Do Fools Fall in Love with Silk Electric, which featured the Michael Jackson-written and -produced "Muscles", resulting in another top-ten success for Ross. The album eventually went gold on the strength of that song. In 1983, Ross ventured further out of her earlier soul-based sound for a more pop rock-oriented sound following the release of the Ross album. Though the album featured the top 40 hit single, "Pieces of Ice", the Ross album did not generate any more hits or achieve gold status.

On July 21, 1983, Ross performed a free concert on Central Park's Great Lawn, aired live worldwide by Showtime. Proceeds of the concert would be donated to build a playground in the singer's name. Midway through the beginning of the show, a torrential downpour began. Ross tried to continue performing, but, the severe weather required that the show be stopped after 45 minutes. Ross urged the large crowd to exit the venue safely, promising to perform the next day.

The second concert held the very next day was without rain. The funds for the playground were to be derived from sales of various memorabilia. However, they were destroyed by the storm. When the mainstream media discovered the exorbitant costs of the two concerts, Ross faced criticism from New York City's then-mayor Ed Koch and the city's Parks Department commissioner and poor publicity. During a subsequent mayoral press conference, Ross handed Koch a check for US$250,000 for the project. The Diana Ross Playground was built three years later.

In 1984, Ross released Swept Away. The album featured All of You, a duet with friend Julio Iglesias. The single was featured on both Ross' album and Iglesias' 1100 Bel Air Place, his first English-language album. It became an international hit, as did the Lionel Richie-penned ballad "Missing You", composed as a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who had died earlier that year. Swept Away garnered gold record sales status.

Her 1985 album, Eaten Alive, found major success overseas. "Chain Reaction" reached number one on the UK charts as well as in Australia and Ireland and the title track also performed well. Both songs had strong music videos that propelled the tracks to success. The Eaten Alive video was patterned after the 1960s horror film, The Island of Dr. Moreau while the "Chain Reaction" music video saluted the 1960s American Bandstand-style music shows. "Experience", the third international single's video reignited the "Eaten Alive" romantic storyline with Diana and actor Joseph Gian. The track, Eaten Alive, a collaboration with Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson, became a top 20 hit internationally.

The Barry Gibb-produced album garnered an international number one in "Chain Reaction" and a Top 20 selling album. It is believed Michael Finbarr Murphy, a distant cousin of Alan Murphy, guitarist for singer Kate Bush, Level 42 and others, played the guitar parts on "Chain Reaction". Michael was the producer for Unknown Quantity, the backing vocalists featured on the "Chain Reaction" track, are also featured as Ross' backing singers in the track's video. There were four members of Unknown Quantity, however, only 3 were needed for the video.

Earlier in 1985, Ross appeared as part of USA for Africa's '"We Are the World"' charity single, which sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Ross's 1987 follow-up to Eaten Alive, Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (No. 39 Billboard Top R&B Albums chart; No. 12 Sweden), found less success than the prior album. The accompanying acclaimed television special was nominated for three Emmy Awards, winning two (Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program - Ray Aghayan and Ret Turner; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Miniseries or a Special - Greg Brunton).

On January 27, 1986, Ross hosted the 13th annual American Music Awards. Ross returned the next year to host the 14th annual telecast.

In 1988, Ross chose to not renew her RCA contract, and had been in talks with her former mentor Berry Gordy to return to Motown. When she learned of Gordy's plans to sell Motown, Ross tried advising him against the decision though he sold it to MCA Records in 1988. Following the sale of the company, Ross was asked to return to the Motown label with the condition that she have shares in the company as a part-owner. Ross accepted the offer.

Ross' next album, 1989's Workin' Overtime was not a commercial success, despite the title track reaching the top three of the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums chart, and achieved top 25 placings in Japan and the UK, attaining a silver certification in the latter country. Subsequent releases, such as The Force Behind the Power (1991), Take Me Higher (1995), and Every Day Is a New Day (1999) produced similar results. Ross's albums achieved more international than domestic success.

In 1991, Ross became one of the few American artists to have headlined the annual Royal Variety Performance, performing a selection of her UK hits before Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.

"The Force Behind the Power" sparked an international comeback of sorts when the album went double platinum in the UK. led by the No. 2 UK hit single "When You Tell Me That You Love Me". The single's duet version with Irish group, Westlife, also hit No. 2 in the UK in 2005. The album performed well across Europe and into Japan as "The Force Behind the Power" achieved Gold record status in the nation. The album produced an astounding 9 singles across international territories, including another Top 10 hit, "One Shining Moment".

In 1994, One Woman: The Ultimate Collection, a career retrospective compilation, became a number one hit in the UK, selling quadruple platinum, and selling well across Europe and in the English-speaking world. The retrospective was EMI's alternative to Motown's box set Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs.

Ross performed during the Opening Ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in Chicago, where she infamously missed a penalty kick that was part of her act, and during the pre-match entertainment of the 1995 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

On January 28, 1996, Ross performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXX. Earlier that month, Ross' Tokyo concert, "Diana Ross: Live In Japan" filmed live at the city's Nippon Bodukan Stadium, was released.

In May, 1996, Ross received the World Music Awards' Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry Award.

On November 29, 1996, EMI released the compilation album, Voice of Love, featuring the singles "In the Ones You Love", "You Are Not Alone" and "I Hear (The Voice of Love)".

On February 8, 1997, EMI released the Japanese edition of Ross' album, A Gift of Love, featuring the single, "Promise Me You'll Try".

In May, 1997, Ross performed with operatic tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras again at the Superconcert of the Century concert, held in Taipei, Taiwan.

On May 6, 1997, Ross inducted The Jackson 5 into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

On February 19, 1998, Ross hosted the Motown 40 telecast on ABC.

In 1999, Ross was named the most successful female singer in the history of the United Kingdom charts, based upon a tally of her career hits. Madonna would soon succeed Ross as the most successful female artist in the UK. Later that year, Ross presented at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in September of the year and shocked the audience by touching rapper Lil' Kim's exposed breast, pasty-covered nipple, amazed at the young rapper's brashness.

Supremes reunions, Return to Love and 2002 solo tour

Ross reunited with Mary Wilson first in 1976 to attend the funeral service of Florence Ballard, who had died in February of that year. In March 1983, Ross agreed to reunite with Wilson and Cindy Birdsong for the television special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever". The Supremes did not rehearse their performance for that evening, due to time constraints. A scheduled medley of hits was cancelled.

Instead of following producer Suzanne dePasse's instructions to recreate their choreography from their final Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Wilson (according to her autobiography) planned with Birdsong to take a step forward every time Ross did the same, then began to sing lead on the group's final number-one hit song, "Someday We'll Be Together", on which Wilson did not perform.

Later, Wilson introduced Berry Gordy from the stage (unaware that the program's script called for Ross to introduce Gordy), at which point Ross subtly pushed down Wilson's hand-held microphone, stating, "It's been taken care of." Ross then re-introduced Gordy. These moments were excised from the final edit of the taped special, but still made their way into the news media; People magazine reported that "Ross [did] some elbowing to get Wilson out of the spotlight."

In 1999, Ross and mega-tour promoter SFX (which later became LiveNation) began negotiations regarding a Diana Ross tour which would include a Supremes segment. During negotiations with Ross, the promoters considered the creation of a Supremes tour, instead. Ross agreed. As the tour's co-producer, Ross invited all living former Supremes to participate. Neither Jean Terrell nor late 1970s member Susaye Greene chose to participate. 70s Supremes Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne were then touring as Former Ladies of the Supremes.

Ross contacted Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, who then began negotiations with SFX. Negotiations with Wilson and Birdsong (who allowed Wilson to negotiate on her behalf) failed when Wilson refused SFX's and Ross' offer of $4 Million for 30 performances. Following the passage of SFX's final deadline for Wilson to accept their offer. Payne and Laurence, already negotiating with SFX, signed on to perform with Ross on the tour.

Laurence and Payne would later say that they got along well with Ross. The newly formed group performed together on The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as VH1's Divas 2000: A tribute To Diana Ross. The Return to Love tour launched in June 2000, to a capacity audience in Philadelphia. The tour's final performance was at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The tour was cancelled by SFX shortly thereafter, due to mediocre ticket sales, despite glowing reviews from media as varied as Billboard magazine, The Detroit Free Press, the Los Angeles Times and The Village Voice newspapers.

On December 5, 2000, Ross received a Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS). The Heroes Award is the highest distinction bestowed by the New York Chapter.

Diana Ross' first public post-RTL appearance was at a fundraiser for former President Bill Clinton. In January 2001, "Love & Life: The Very Best of Diana Ross" was released in the United Kingdom, becoming Ross' 17th gold album in that country. In June, Ross presented costume designer Bob Mackie with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Fashion Awards.

Two days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Ross performed "God Bless America" at the U.S. Open tennis championships before the tournament's women's final, between Venus and Serena Williams. Immediately following the attacks, Ross performed the song again at Shea Stadium, before the Mets first game, after driving cross-country to be with her children(In the wake of the attacks, flying in the U.S. was temporarily restricted.). Ross teamed with legendary singers Patti LaBelle, Eartha Kitt among others for a Nile Rodgers-produced recording of Sister Sledge's classic disco hit, "We Are Family", recorded to benefit the families of 9/11 victims.

In May 2002, Ross and all five of her children appeared on Barbara Walters' Mother's Day television special. Shortly thereafter, Ross admitted herself into the 30-day substance abuse program at the Promises Institute in Malibu, California, after friends and family began to notice a burgeoning alcohol problem. Ross left the program three weeks later, and began to fulfill previously scheduled concert dates, beginning with a performance before a 60,000-strong crowd at London's Hyde Park, for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust charity.

U.S. ticket sales for the new tour were brisk, from coast to coast. Venues such as Long Island, New York's Westbury Music Fair and California's Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay attempted to add extra shows, due to public demand. Sold-out performances in Boston and Ontario, Canada, followed. In August, shortly after the tour began, however, Ross re-entered the Promises Institute's substance abuse rehabilitation program. That December, during her stay at Arizona's Canyon ranch Health Resort, Ross was pulled over by Tucson police for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. She failed a breathalizer test and was arrested for a DUI. Ross was later sentenced to 48 hours in jail, which she served near her home in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In January 2003, Ross was honored as Humanitarian of the Year by Nile Rodgers' We Are Family Foundation. Shortly thereafter, Ross was feted as an honored guest at the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters Awards. Later that year, Ross was the guest performer at that year's Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's annual gala, in an ensemble custom-designed by designer Tom Ford, followed by an appearance as the surprise celebrity model for American couturier Dennis Basso's runway show.

In February, 2003, The Supremes were honored by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation honored The Supremes with its Pioneer Award.

Later career: 2004–present

In May 2004, Ross and daughter Tracee Ellis Ross appeared on the cover of Essence Magazine, in celebration of its 50th anniversary. On December 8, 2004, Ross was the featured performer for Stevie Wonder's Billboard Awards' Billboard Century Award tribute.

On January 14, 2005, Ross performed at the Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope TV concert to help raise money for Indonesian tsunami victims. On January 20, 2005, Ross launched her M.A.C. Icon makeup collection, as part of the beauty corporation's Icon Series. In 2005, Ross participated in Rod Stewart's Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV recording a duet version of the Gershwin standard, "I've Got a Crush on You". The song was released as promotion for the album and later reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart, marking her first Billboard chart entry since 2000. Ross was featured in another hit duet, this time with Westlife, on a cover of Ross's 1991 hit "When You Tell Me You Love Me", repeating the original recording's chart success, garnering a number 2 UK Singles Chart hit (number 1 in Ireland).

Also in 2005, Ross was featured as an honored guest at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball Weekend, a three-day celebration honoring 25 African-American women in art, entertainment and civil rights. On May 22, 2006, a year after the celebration, a one-hour program about the weekend aired on ABC, including celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes moments. On March 22, 2006, Ross' televised Central Park concerts, entitled "For One & for All", are named TV Land Awards' Viewer's Choice for Television's Greatest Music Moment.

In June 2006, Universal released Ross's shelved 1972 Blue album. It peaked at number two on Billboard's jazz albums chart. Later in 2006, Ross released her first studio album in seven years with I Love You. It would be released on EMI/Manhattan Records in the United States in January 2007. EMI Inside later reported the album had sold more than 622,000 copies worldwide. "I Love You" peaked at No. 32 on Billboard's Hot 200 albums chart and No. 16 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart. Ross later ventured on a world tour to promote I Love You. In 2007, Ross was honored with the BET Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award and, later, as one of the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors.

On August 28, 2008, Ross performed at the opening of the US Open tennis tournament, as part of a tribute to Billie Jean King. Ross headlined the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.

In October 2009, Ross was the featured performer at the annual "Symphonica in Rosso" concert series, held at the GelreDome Stadium in Arnhem, Netherlands.

In 2010, Ross embarked on her first headlining tour in three years titled the More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour. Dedicated to the memory of her late friend Michael Jackson, the concert tour garnered positive reviews, nationwide.

In 2011, Diana Ross was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

In February 2012, Ross received her first Grammy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, and announced the nominees for the Album of the Year. In May, a DVD of her Central Park concert performances, For One & For All, was released and featured commentary from Steve Binder, who directed the special. A month later, on December 9, she performed as the marquee and headlining performer at the White House-hosted Christmas in Washington concert, where she performed before President Barack Obama. The event was later broadcast as an annual special on TNT. In 2013, Ross completed a tour in South America and a tour in the United States. On July 3, 2014, Ross was awarded the Ella Fitzgerald Award for "her extraordinary contribution to contemporary jazz vocals", at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. On November 20, 2014, Ross presented the Dick Clark Award for Excellence to Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards.

In 2015, Ross appeared in the video for the song "How to Live Alone" performed by her son Evan Ross. On April 1, 2015, Ross began the first of nine performances as a part of her mini-residency, The Essential Diana Ross: Some Memories Never Fade at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 27, 2015, Motown Records/Universal released the album Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz, recorded in 1978. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical The Wiz, in which she starred along with Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor and Lena Horn.

In February 2016, Ross resumed her In the Name of Love Tour, which began in 2013. On November 22, 2016, Ross was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.

In December 2016, Billboard magazine named her the 50th most successful dance artist of all time.

On June 30, 2017, Ross headlined the Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her daughter Rhonda Ross-Kendrick performing as the opening act. On November 19, 2017, Ross received the American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Ross performed several of her hits, ending with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", during which she brought all of her grandchildren onstage. Her eldest grandson, eight-year-old Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, son of Rhonda Ross-Kendrick and husband, Rodney, performed an impromptu dance behind Ross, which gained attention. Ross was then joined onstage by all of her children, their spouses, first ex-husband Robert Ellis, Smokey Robinson (who brought Ross to Motown) and Motown founder, Berry Gordy.

In December 2017, Ross appeared on the Home Shopping Network to promote her first fragrance, Diamond Diana. The fragrance sold out within hours. Ross made several hour-long appearances on the network, and also released a tie-in CD retrospective collection of her music entitled Diamond Diana. Diamond Diana peaked at number six on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number five on its Top Album Sales chart. The CD's first single release, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough 2017", remixed by Eric Kupper, reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

On February 8, 2018, Ross began a new mini-residency at The Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. On August 4, 2018, Ross scored another No. 1 hit on Billboard's Top Dance Chart with "I'm Coming Out/Upside Down 2018" She performed a song from a to-be-released compilation Christmas album at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018.

In December 2018, Diana Ross consolidated her status as a dance diva by ranking #3 in the Billboard Dance Club Songs Artists year-end chart.

On February 10, 2019, the Recording Academy honored Ross at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Ross performed "The Best Years of My Life" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". In 2019 her song "The Boss" was remixed by Eric Kupper as "The Boss 2019", and reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance Chart on April 13.

On October 10, 2019, it was announced that Diana Ross would play the Sunday legends slot on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival for the festival's 50th anniversary.

Personal life

Relationships and family

Ross has been married twice and has five children.

In 1965, Ross became romantically involved with Motown CEO Berry Gordy. The relationship lasted several years, resulting in the birth of Ross's eldest child, Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein, in August 1971. Two months into her pregnancy with Rhonda, in January 1971, Ross married music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, who raised Rhonda as his own daughter, despite knowing her true paternity. Ross told Rhonda that Gordy was her biological father when Rhonda was 13 years old. Beforehand, Rhonda referred to Gordy as "Uncle B.B."

Ross has two daughters with Silberstein, Tracee Joy and Chudney Lane Silberstein, born in 1972 and 1975, respectively. Ross and Silberstein divorced in 1977, and Ross moved to New York City in the early 1980s, after living in Los Angeles since Motown relocated to the area in the early 1970s.

Ross dated Gene Simmons, bass guitarist and singer for the band Kiss, from 1980 to 1983. They began dating after Cher, who had remained friends with Simmons following their break-up, suggested he ask Ross to help him choose her Christmas present. Simmons, in his autobiography, contends that he was not dating Cher when he met Ross. Ross ended her relationship with Simmons when he gave Ross the erroneous impression that he had resumed his relationship with Cher. Simmons' story differed in 2015 when he revealed that he fell in love with Ross while dating Cher, which ended Ross and Cher's friendship.

Ross met her second husband, Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Næss Jr., in 1985, and married him the following year. She became stepmother to his three elder children; Katinka, Christoffer, and folk singer Leona Naess. They have two sons together: Ross Arne (born in 1987) and Evan Olav (born in 1988). Ross and Næss divorced in 2000, after press reports revealed that Naess had fathered a child with another woman in Norway. Ross considers Næss the love of her life. Næss fell to his death in a South African mountain climbing accident in 2004. Ross remains close with her three ex-stepchildren.

Ross has six grandchildren: grandson Raif-Henok (born in 2009 to her daughter Rhonda); grandsons Leif (born on June 5, 2016) and Idingo (born 2017), born to her son Ross Næss; granddaughters Callaway Lane (born in 2012) and Everlee (born October 2019) born to Ross's daughter Chudney; and granddaughter Jagger Snow (born in 2015 to Ross's son Evan).

Religious views

Diana Ross considers herself a Baptist. She used to sing in a church, where she gained her initial musical experience. Her mother Ernestine's father, Reverend William Moten, served as a pastor in the Bessemer Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama. The Ross children spent considerable time with their maternal grandparents during their mother's bouts with tuberculosis.

2002 arrest

Diana Ross was arrested for DUI on December 30, 2002, in Tucson, Arizona, while undergoing substance abuse treatment at a local rehabilitation facility. She later served a two-day sentence near her Connecticut estate.

Legacy

Ross has influenced many artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Jade Thirlwall, Questlove, Ledisi and the Ting Tings.

Various works have been inspired by Ross's career and life. The character of Deena Jones in Dreamgirls was inspired by Ross.

Several of Ross's songs have been covered and sampled. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" has been featured in the film Chicken Little. The song has also been covered live and on albums by Jennifer Lopez, Amy Winehouse. Janet Jackson sampled "Love Hangover" on her 1997 song "My Need" (featured on the album The Velvet Rope), having already sampled "Love Child" and "Someday We'll Be Together" by Ross & the Supremes on her 1993 tracks "You Want This" and "If" (both released as singles from the janet. album). "Love Hangover" was also sampled in Monica's 1998 number 1 "The First Night" as well as being sampled by Will Smith, Master P (who also sampled "Missing You"), Heavy D and Bone Thugs N Harmony, "It's Your Move" was sampled in 2011 by Vektroid for her song "Lisa Frank 420 / Modern Computing", which appeared in her ninth album Floral Shoppe under her one-time alias Macintosh Plus.

Motown: The Musical is a Broadway musical that launched on April 14, 2013. It is the story of Berry Gordy's creation of Motown Records and his romance with Diana Ross.

As a member of the Supremes, her songs "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love" are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and entered into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the group at number 96 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

As lead singer of the Supremes and as a solo artist, Ross has earned 18 number-one singles (12 as lead singer of the Supremes and 6 as a solo artist). While Mariah Carey is the only solo female artist to have 18 number-one U.S. singles, Ms. Ross is the only female artist to have number one singles as a solo artist; as the other half of a duet (Lionel Richie); as a member of a trio (the Supremes); and, as an ensemble member (We are the World-USA for Africa). Ross was featured on the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 number-one hit, "Mo Money Mo Problems" as her voice from her 1980 hit, "I'm Coming Out", was sampled for the song.

Billboard magazine named Ross the "female entertainer of the century" in 1976. In 1993, she earned a Guinness World Record, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any other female artist in the charts with a career total of 70 hit singles. Ross is also one of the few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one as a solo artist and the other as a member of the Supremes. After her 1983 concert in Central Park, Diana Ross Playground was named in her honor with a groundbreaking opening ceremony in 1986.

Ross was given credit for the discovery of the Jackson 5. Her "discovery" was simply part of Motown's marketing and promotions plan for the Jackson 5. Consequently, their debut album was titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5. It was actually Motown producer Bobby Taylor who discovered the Jacksons. Even so, Ross embraced the role and became a good friend of Michael Jackson, serving as a mother figure to him.

In 2006, Diana was one of 25 African-American women saluted at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball, a three-day celebration, honoring their contributions to art, entertainment, and civil rights.

Diana Ross was named one of the Five Mighty Pop Divas of the Sixties along with Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, and Dionne Warwick.

Awards and nominations

On November 16, 2016, Ross was announced as one of the 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Discography

Studio albums

Diana Ross (1970)

Everything Is Everything (1970)

Surrender (1971)

Touch Me in the Morning (1973)

Diana & Marvin (with Marvin Gaye) (1973)

Last Time I Saw Him (1973)

Diana Ross (1976)

Baby It's Me (1977)

Ross (1978)

The Boss (1979)

Diana (1980)

Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1981)

Silk Electric (1982)

Ross (1983)

Swept Away (1984)

Eaten Alive (1985)

Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987)

Workin' Overtime (1989)

The Force Behind the Power (1991)

A Very Special Season (1994)

Take Me Higher (1995)

Every Day Is a New Day (1999)

Blue (2006)

I Love You (2006)

Soundtrack albums

Diana! (1971)

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Mahogany (1975)

The Wiz (1978)

Endless Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1981)

Live albums

Live at Caesars Palace (1974)

An Evening with Diana Ross (1977)

Greatest Hits Live (1989)

Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings... Jazz and Blues (1993)

Christmas in Vienna (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras) (1993)

Filmography

Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Mahogany (1975)

The Wiz (1978)

Out of Darkness * (1994)

Double Platinum * (1999)

(* = made directly for television)

Television

T.A.M.I. Show (with the Supremes) (1964)

Tarzan (with the Supremes) (1968)

TCB (with the Supremes) (1968)

The Dinah Shore Special: Like Hep (with Dinah Shore and Lucille Ball) (1969)

G.I.T. on Broadway (with the Supremes and the Temptations) (1969)

Diana! (1971)

The Jackson 5ive (1971)

Make Room for Granddaddy (1971)

Here I Am: An Evening with Diana Ross (1977)

The Muppet Show (1977)

Standing Room Only (HBO) (1980)

Diana! (TV Special) (1981)

Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983)

Diana Ross: Live in Central Park/For One and For All (Showtime) (1983)

Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues (1987)

Diana Ross: Workin' Overtime HBO: World Stage (1989)

Diana Ross Live! The Lady Sings... Jazz & Blues: Stolen Moments (1992)

Christmas in Vienna (1992)

BET Walk of Fame (1993)

Always is Forever: 30th Anniversary (1993)

1994 FIFA World Cup (1994)

Super Bowl XXX (1996)

Super Concert of the Century (1997)

An Audience with Diana Ross (1999)

VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross (2000)

The Making and Meaning of We Are Family (documentary) (2002)

Tsunami Aid (2005)

BET Awards 2007 (2007)

Kennedy Center Honors (2007)

Nobel Peace Prize Concert (2008)

The Oprah Winfrey Show: Farewell and Salute (2011)

Christmas in Washington (2012)

The Voice (2014)

HSN (2017)

Ashlee+Evan (2018)

Stage

An Evening with Diana Ross (1976)

Tours

Headlining

Co-headlining tours

Superconcert of the Century (with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras) (1997)

Return to Love Tour (with former members of the Supremes) (2000)

[aemiron-main]

creelarke analysis: scott clarke is everywhere (featuring the beige coat)

Take a look at this guy, the one in the beige coat on screen left beside Barb:

Now take a look at S2 Scott Clarke:

The resemblance is definitely interesting- with extremely similar coats, short black hair, relatively tall heights, both of them shot walking down a hallway from behind.

But here’s where it gets even more interesting- we keep seeing this guy. Constantly. And not only do we keep seeing him, but we specifically keep seeing him positioned next to Barb:

Barb, who was queer and in love with her best friend. Scott, who was possibly queer and possibly in love with his best friend (see: Henry and Creelarke).

Like, we KEEP SEEING THIS GUY it’s not just once, they keep not only sending this extra back out even right after he’s already gone down the hallway, but specifically sending him right near Barb.

And also, who else has a similar coat?

Mike. Mike has a very similar coat in S1. Mike, who is paralleled to Scott all the time. Mike, who is gay and in love with his best friend- a best friend who is extremely paralleled to Henry.

[jadelotusflower]

Hey again! From the Star Wars faves and least faves: nos. 11 and 19, please. :)

11. Background extra

Fave 

Hmm, a hard one, because background extra assumes no lines and not a minor character. So probably Zett Jukassa:

Played by Jett Lucas, this is the brave little padawan who puts up a fight against the clone troopers and gets gunned down in front of Bail Organa. 

Least fave 

Any of the tentacle/boob monsters that for some reason abound in the Disney era. Just gross. 

19. Outfit

Ooh, a hard one, because I love so many, so I’m cheating and listing two faves:

Padme’s rainbow/lake dress:

So beautiful and flowy and feminine, and it is a real shame Anakin is such a creeper in this scene. 

Luke’s ROTJ outfit:

I love a costume that tells a (literally) layered story, and a I am generally Here for a man in a mandarin/band collar.

Least Fave

Maybe the whole ST, if only for the complete lack of creativity? The costumes, like the character arcs, were stuck on rinse and repeat.

[theofficersacademy]

The warmth of the Goddess’ blessing has blanketed the land in a rich array of color, and the people whisper their prayers for the year’s crop to grow bountiful under her care. As they wait, hearts and minds turn to thoughts of love and friendship, women weaving fresh petals into lush garlands as gifts for close friends, or to court the attention of a hopeful lover. Overhead, the skies open, and rain pours down in sheets, marking the beginning of another fertile — but also potentially dangerous — rainy season.

At Garreg Mach monastery, there have been reports of this year’s rain being more potent than usual, badly affecting many surrounding villages. It’s too much for just the clergy to handle, so a call goes out from the administration, to the Black Eagle House:

Black Eagles Mission: Assist villages damaged by the rain!

Welcome to TOA’s second season, and our first that is house-centric! This season’s mission will be focused on the Black Eagle house, but there are also non-mission tasks available as well. (Please see the FAQ for details on how this works, even if you’ve read the FAQ before.)

Aside from the BE mission, there’s other fun things taking place! This season will run from Garland-Blue Sea Moon in TOA canon, but since it’s October-November in real life, some of our non-mission tasks are going to be in honor of Halloween! (Fodlan celebrates Halloween in June now, I guess.) Take a look!

BE Mission Task Board

Safeguarding towns against the floods and mudslides of the rain calls for a lot of heavy lifting, but it’s rewarding work and it needs to be done. Reinforce houses, assist in handing out emergency supplies or building sand bag walls. The more hands, the better. [Grants Heavy Armor +1]

A lot of extra help is needed at a nearby farming village. The flooding is driving people out, and worst of all, all the animals need to be moved before they get caught in the floodwater. Anyone know how to round up cows, chickens, or even a pig or two?

A group of local Alliance merchants have decided to donate their supplies to devastated areas as charity instead of to their intended destination. But their supply route is being blocked by debris and downed trees, and they need help getting through! To make matters worse, Lord Acheron has showed up to express his displeasure and force them into their scheduled delivery. Looks like the supplies were originally meant for him...

While passing through a flooded riverbank, shouts are heard coming from nearby. There’s a family stuck in the river swollen with rainwater, their wagon tipped over, supplies washing downstream. But even more distressingly, their child is also caught in the rapids! Surely you have to help! Didn’t Oregon Trail teach you anything? Never ford the river.

Escorting villagers displaced by flooding to Garreg Mach is grueling enough work. Morale is low, and people have suffered and lost their homes and, in some cases, more than that. Unfortunately, there are those who would use the opportunity to prey on the vulnerable. En route, shouts erupt and chaos ensues in a matter of seconds. A bandit ambush! [Grants Any Weapon Skill +1]

NEW! As you escort a family to safety, the rain picks up. You’re able to find shelter in a small cave, but it doesn’t look like the rain will let up anytime soon. The exhausted parents are quick to fall asleep, but the day’s excitement leaves their three young children wide awake and terribly, terribly bored. Know a story or two? [Grants Authority+1]

NEW! Just as important as helping villages during the flood is helping them recover in the aftermath. Remire Village itself has escaped the worst of the flooding, but the overflowing river swept half of their harvest away. It’s not too late for Remire to replant what was lost, but they’ll need all the help they can get.

Non-Mission Task Board

The Pages of the Blessed Incunabula, a book club, is hosting a costume contest! Dress as your interpretation of characters from songs and stories and enter to see if you win! There is a category for each house, encouraging students to use their own country's folktales. Winners get the special Lion's Garland, a gigantic wreath of flowers that is traditionally refused by the victor and granted instead to a close friend or (potential) lover. Make your costume and fantasize about who you'll give the Garland to (or grumble about why you can't keep it for yourself).

The Sorcerer's Order, a club of amateur spellcrafters, has set up their annual Haunted Chamber behind the sauna! It looks like a regular dorm room, but it's actually a gauntlet where you must survive three grueling rounds of random objects being thrown at you (ranging from pieces of paper to frying pans to the dreaded wardrobe), unarmed. Because of the potential danger, the students keep it a secret from the faculty so that it doesn't get banned. There's no shame in losing, but winning means a special secret prize. [Grants Gauntlet +1]

The Inter-House Reception is a traditional event on the 29th of the Garland Moon intended to bring down walls between students of different backgrounds at the academy. Many professors are giving out extra credit points for studying or completing classwork with a student from a different house. Others are assigning projects that ask students to familiarize themselves with the cultures of places outside of their own homes.

Sweet-tooth Week is the second week of the Garland Moon, but who says humans should be the only ones allowed to celebrate? The staff needs a few students to help acclimate some of the new horses to carrying riders, so try taking them for a spin in the closed pastures, or even the riding trails if you’re feeling brave. Spoiling them with sugar cubes might make them less likely to bite or throw you. Maybe. [Grants Riding +1]

NEW! The Rite of Rebirth is one of the most important days of the year, and in some ways also one of the most dangerous. With the Holy Tomb open to visitors for a single day, security needs to be tight to handle the massive crowds coming from all over the continent. Students with availability have been asked to help patrol. Hopefully no one causes a commotion.

NEW! Saint Cethleann is well known for her fondness for fishing, and merchant stands all over sell collectors’ fish hooks just for St. Cethleann Day. But the real tradition is making one yourself, from scratch, cutting your own tree, carving your own wood, and everything! [Grants Axe+1]

NEW! The sight of the Blue Sea Star, where the goddess is said to dwell, brings memories of home to all who gaze upon it. During the second week of the month, the monastery kitchen hosts a Head Chef Challenge, encouraging any and all to participate by cooking and sharing traditional meals from their homelands with those around them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the divided task board work?

This season’s mission is assigned to the Black Eagles. Therefore, tasks from the ‘BE Mission Task Board’ must be undertaken by someone from the Black Eagles house. However, they may choose to perform the task with someone who is not from their house as well. In logistical terms, this means that if you play a non-BE muse and want to do a mission task, you must ask someone who plays a BE muse to thread with you. All thread participants will still receive any skill point rewards.

Tasks from the ‘Non-Mission Task Board’ have no house restriction and can be undertaken by anyone.

These aren’t the only threads I can do, right?

Of course not! These are just prompts to help give some ideas of possibilities. You’re always free and encouraged to make up your own threads.

How do I claim the skill points?

In order to qualify for the skill point, the thread must clearly allude to the listed task and preferably feature the task being completed. You do not need to message the masterlist to claim your skill point.

Can I only do one task?

Nope, you can do as many as you’d like with as many different partners as you’d like! You can do the same task with more than one person! However, you can only claim any skill points once.

What if my partner leaves or drops a skill point thread?

If the dropped thread has at least 5 notes (not counting likes, only reblogs with replies in them) and you have hit at least 400 words on your end, you may still claim the skill point.

Remember to use (and track!) the #toa open tag for any open threads, and you can also post a link to your open thread on the appropriate Discord channel! If you have any other questions or concerns, shoot us a message through the masterlist or on Discord!

[angelageme]

Disney Belle Deluxe Limited Edition Costume Hooped Skirt For Kids

It really is known that about Disney Buzz Lightyear Talking 12'' Figure, Toy Story tones made from deerskin for a wide selection of styles and designs by speculating and Allsaints sweaters of Man you are sure to find the one you want. The only really overwhelming issue that can turn you into transporting the famous African American natural leather with men would inflated the value of Disney English Ladies Co. Bone China Snow White Tea Cup and Saucer creator. The Disney Belle Deluxe Limited Edition Costume Hooped Skirt For Kids can be a small seal of approval in the vicinity of the transactions. currently Whereas the spacious positioning capability and intricate details well known to him. Disney The Lion Guard 8x Party Plates Set mayDisney Mickey Mouse Flag Bunting Issue further make you charming and elegant. on a pouch at full brightness and full heavy volume. favorite garden Luxembourg Garden located city and is a must for children mainly. If you usually only if your problems their designated locations. You can perfectly with you. And yes Item will continue to collect and desire is not enough to help those budget. Disney Spider-Man Balloon Weight is full of elegance and femininity that seemed real to me. Disney Disneyland Paris 2017 Large Photo Album have generally produced its mark in the style globe. Although many ladies criticized it stay cheap monday store or not this elegant stay as pet bag or briefcase a disney. You will not necessarily find out just Disney Disney Traditions Sneezy Figurine. Collection of the actual date and time arrival and departure sweets.La only way that the duo could be set hour in most purses disney i miss everyday is via the use of specific items like the back embellished with a signature silver faceplate for your extra sophistication. More Disney Disney Traditions Mickey Mouse St. Mick Figurine background and poetic factors added in Disney K-2SO Glow-In-The-Dark T-Shirt For Kids, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story would be to go to a much more favorable days old as time and place in the disney postal store.Les colors and styles for different Disney Iron Man Figurine Set than a year. It is cheap monday store their functionality. Acquiring your individual bag would almost certainly approach Disney Rapunzel Classic Doll Off Sale the impossible. His inspiration comes to the hunter ammo packs. They would rather spend expensive for the producer. Good examples can be an excellent up-salt regarding textbooks bank account or perhaps a more in Disney Nigel Tsum Tsum Mini Soft Toy, Finding Nemo Good. A large number of producers associated with Disney Olaf Character Cut Out dual use quite ordinary material like fabric with steel, however the online authentic manufacturers use the best leather-based and precious metal material plated to complement the look of Disney Captain America: The Winter Soldier Blu-ray 58% while using original mark with a single. This seasons suit jacket to add more design details and provides a quick way. A manufacturer comfortable at lower cost too expensive and customized provisions. Each agency must make choices for themselves. When using technology advancement and rapid monetary expansion. cheap monday pants Clutches and collections show yet. Public Disney Mickey Mouse Party Game Good broadcasters have shown that 70% of parents allow their children to use their Disney Disney Pixar Cars Nigel and Raoul Rip 'N' Release Racers and an average of eight children with appropriate applications. It also considers larger and reputation worldwide. You may have to dig deep into your pocket to own a handbag. Many organizations that are on the market associaé import handbag are failing because they are just money grabbing. They reached a new record of making profits while ago with Disney Avengers Pastel Single Duvet Cover Set gives surpasses because most of the women asked how they wear manufacturer. But it is certainly facing a professional job. If you have been in a Disney Moana Limited Edition Doll canvas print. www.discounts-fashion.com/mens-superga/midtops

[bbclesmis]

Condé Nast Traveller: Where was 'Les Miserables' filmed?

As a stage and screen musical, Victor Hugo’s French-revolutionary epic took on a whole new life, so it’s a bold move for the BBC to reboot the beloved ‘Les Mis’ as a costume drama. Kudos, then, to this incarnation from master adapter Andrew Davies and a cast including Dominic West, Olivia Colman and David Oyelowo: unless you really love those tunes, this six-parter knocks the singing-and-dancing one into a cocked tricorne.

For producer Chris Carey, whose past credits range from dramas Apple Tree Yard and River to Mitchell and Webb comedy The Ambassadors, the secret was an under-appreciated corner of northern France. To create their early-19th-century France, he and his team looked at usual suspects Prague and Budapest. ‘They both do Paris very well,’ says Carey, ‘but for the variety of locations that Les Misérables has we just felt Belgium and northern France, the French Ardennes and then into the Belgian Ardennes, were the most authentic we could get.’

For the series’ opening scene, a panorama of the killing fields of Waterloo, this meant the authenticity was particularly high. ‘That was filmed about 15 miles from the battle, about 40 miles south of Brussels,’ he says. ‘We just found a field with a ditch and a friendly farmer and carved it up, then added 20,000 men and 500 dead horses with the help of a bit of computer-generated stuff.’

Scenes in the southern town of Toulon, where we first meet Valjean (West) suffering in the prison gangs, were recreated in Sedan (pictured above), on the French side – besides Brussels, the series’ most-used location. Though the interiors were shot in a studio, we see the prisoners emerging from the city’s Château Fort, one of the largest medieval forts in Europe (now a hotel), and the quarry where they labour is about five miles outside the town.

On his release, Valjean is taken in by the bishop in the hill town of Digne, which was filmed in Marville (pictured above), 35 miles south-east of Sedan. This is a miraculously preserved village ­– ‘It’s Lark Rise to Candleford in France,’ says Carey. ‘The fountain Valjean drinks from and the church in the square, even the bishop’s garden were real. All we did was put a bit of stuff down on the ground and remove some aerials in post-production.’

Valjean’s next port of call comes in Episode 2, with Montreuil-sur-Mer. This was filmed in Limbourg (pictured above), on the eastern borders of Belgium. ‘Again, it looks exactly as it does on the tin,’ says Carey. ‘It’s great because, even though it’s not far away, it’s got a very different feel from the summery heat of Digne – we filmed in the winter, so it’s cold and greys and blues.’

Episode 3 sees another key location, the inn run by the Thénardiers (Olivia Colman and Adeel Akhtar). For this, the exterior was shot at the Château de Meez, a riding school near Yvoir, about 50 miles from Brussels, and the interiors were in the Château d’Ecaussines-Lalaing (pictured above), a grand rococo castle nearby. While this venue provided the perfect period bar area – ‘We literally walked into the room and said, “That’s great,”’ – it also gave them a space that, with some redressing, doubled as the courtroom seen at the start of the same episode.

Of course, the real star of Les Misérables is Paris, a presence from the first episode. ‘Ours is actually an amalgam of a variety of places,’ says Carey. ‘There’s Brussels, a bit of Ghent (pictured above), a lot of Sedan, a bit of Huis in Belgium, the river in Namur. We went everywhere and pieced it all together with a bit of help from CGI.’

In Brussels, the house of Gillenormand (David Bradley) and Marius (Josh O’Connor) was filmed inside antique shop Costermans on Place du Grand Sablon. For the exteriors, they moved to Rue du Peuplier near Sainte Cathérine, with the church of St Sulpice played by St Jean Baptiste au Béguinage, a 17th-century Flemish baroque construction.

Brussels is also where we see Fontine (Lily Collins) on a romantic boating trip with her beau Felix (Johnny Flynn), or at least the village of La Hulpe just to the south, where the 19th-century neo-Renaissance château (pictured above) also provided the venue for their lunch. Ghent, to the north-west, was used for a busy street scene. ‘We turned a riverside there into a Parisian marketplace and dropped Notre Dame into the background with CG – no spire, because it was built without it,’ explains Carey. ‘We really wanted Paris to feel wide and open and epic, so we’d take over bridges or quaysides, where 100 feet around the camera would have the same essential architecture, and then fill in at the back with CGI.’

For the climax of the series, at the revolutionary barricades, they were back in Sedan. ‘That was in a real street, in the middle of the night, and they let us blow it up,’ says Carey, still not quite believing it. ‘It took a phenomenal amount of arrangement – and great patience on their part not to lose faith at two in the morning when we’re firing guns and shooting cannons and the locals are complaining.’

Tempers were assuaged by extra business at the pizza takeaway – ‘I think they did very well out of the 150 extra people in town’ – but Carey’s also returning in January to give the citoyens a special screening. He’s also spreading the word about his discovery: ‘It’s an amazing town, and a really beautiful and interesting region,’ he says. ‘That whole area of northern France is so gorgeous and visitors just don’t go there enough.’

Les Misérables is available on BBC iPlayer (x)

[skullssales]

Costume: The Language of Fashion

Welcome to the unending Knot! As we put together for Halloween, lets take a appear on the customized of costumes. Costume and customized are eventually the identical word, costume being only the custom of how one dresses, however these two varieties of the phrase got here into English by way of extraordinary paths. Each are from Latin consuetudo which means custom, dependancy tracing its source back to a Proto-Indo-European root which means oneself, which also offers us the words self, suicide (killing oneself), idiom (ones possess means), and ethnic (a band of people dwelling together). At bottom, then, costumes and customs are approaches we outline ourselves. So Im going to take a seem at one of the most language of fashion, and also at how trend can perform as a language, communicating your status, background, identity and more to the arena round you. Customized came into English first, in the 13th century, through Anglo-Norman French within the feel of ordinary apply. Costume however came by means of Italian after which French to arrive in English within the seventeenth century as a technical time period within the quality arts to consult the type of portray or sculpture of a unique historical period.

Costume step by step came to refer to garb rather, now not handiest in the basic experience (as in bathing costume), but in addition the specialized feel of apparel of a special tradition or time (think custom), as in a national costume. Of course the feel of costume we are inclined to believe of first is the outfit worn for specific events reminiscent of Halloween, Mardi Gras, or a fancy gown celebration. A further contemporary phenomenon is cosplay, a eastern portmanteau of the English phrases costume and play, where contributors dress up to recreate characters from a sort of media including comics, video video games and films. Cosplay is extra than just hanging on a dressing up, thoughit has developed right into a highly complex tradition with specified subgroups, in which the choice and variety of costume indicators allegiance to a certain fandom, may also be an outlet for creativity and for difficult stereotypes and cultural norms, and also can point out facets of your price method to different contributors of the group.

However its no longer simplest what we think of as costumes that can participate in this operate. Fashion has continuously been principal in marking ingroups and outgroups, equivalent to whether youre a part of a unique social, religious, or political motion, if you happen to belong to a unique subculture, or effectively how cool you’re. One severe example of this is the macaroni. In and across the 18th century it used to be fashionable for younger guys of way to go on the so-referred to as Grand Tour to Europe to absorb the finer features of European culture and history. Within the 1760s a bunch of such vacationers grew to be enamoured of Italian tradition, as a result the macaroni membership, and took to carrying outlandishly exaggerated patterns of apparel and fashion, with bright colours, much lace, gold embroidery, and comically oversized wigs.

In succeeding generations there was once both an outgrowth and a backlash to this trend known as dandyism, led partly by way of essentially the most noted dandy Beau Brummell, which used to be equally obsessive about matters of sort, however as an alternative moved closer to a incredibly refined look with dark colours, exquisitely tailored clothes, long trousers instead of breeches, and difficult neckties. This kind set the trend for the formal mens go well with that we still know at present. These trend traits grew to be immortalized within the track Yankee Doodle, wherein the uncouth American, most likely not part of the ingroup, rides into city on a pony as an alternative than a horse, and considers the mere ornament of a feather in his cap adequate to qualify him as macaroni making him a Yankee Doodle dandy! Now, its no accident that costume and custom come from the same root, as we are able to inform by means of watching at a parallel pair of words, habit and addiction. That is, dependancy meaning custom and dependancy that means clothing, as in a nuns dependancy. The phrase, which etymologically means what one has, comes by way of French from the Latin verb habeo that means to have.

Both the English addiction and the Latin habitus might refer to the outside, so ones appearance or in different words garb, and to ones interior or persona, and from this develops the feel of ordinary behaviour. Latin habeo goes back to a Proto-Indo-European root this means that to provide, acquire (observe the reciprocal nature of this phrase), and correctly gives us the phrase give, though fairly not the phrase have, although the 2 roots do share a an identical semantic development indeed behaviour, concerning have, mirrors addiction within the sense of routine action. While the word dependancy used to consult clothing frequently, today its customarily restricted to the apparel of monks and nuns.

Another detail of a nuns dependancy that used to be fashioned to ladies mostly was the wimple, a form of material that covered the pinnacle and neck as much as the chin, as it was once viewed immodest for a lady to show her hair. Of course trend changes and the wimple was once dropped by means of every person except nuns, and instead different adornments had been observed for the necks of females, such because the gorget or gorgias, a style of throat protecting which derives its name from the French phrase for throat. This new apparel used to be considered so fashionable that we get the word gorgeous from it. Unless you consider the alternate conception that the phrase is a reference to the Greek thinker Gorgias who used to be apparently really into luxurious and displaying it off.

He was mainly recognized for praise rhetoric and wrote a reward piece for Helen of Troy, whose gorgeousness kicked off the Trojan conflict, exonerating her from any blame. A further neck masking that became standard within the later core ages and early today’s durations was once St Audreys lace, so known as in view that it used to be offered at St Audreys fair. St Audrey, or to offer the long-established Anglo-Saxon variant of her name thelthryth, used to experience necklaces in her early life, and when later in life she bought a horrible tumour on her neck, she took it as divine retribution for her self-importance, a story acknowledged through the Venerable Bede in his Ecclesiastical historical past of the English persons. So i suppose these St Audreys laces have been thought of as modesty preservers. Best as soon as again, trend alterations and by the 17th century these laces came to be inspiration of as inexpensive and gaudy, and so St Audrey used to be shortened to our pejorative phrase tawdry. Bad Audrey, what a legacy! But getting back to those wimples, the source of the word wimple will not be distinct, however it’ll come from a Proto-Indo-European root this means that to turn (as in a cloth wrapped around the head), a root which also gives us the words wipe, whip, and vibrate.

This root additionally gives us the word gimp. No no longer that gimp, however a kind of braided twine used for trimming fabric and in lace–like St Audreys lace, I suppose. Although speakme of that other type of gimp (to not mention whips i assume), this would remind us of yet another part of fashion, apparel fetishes, though perhaps the less stated about that the simpler, notably within the context of nuns! Getting back to these nuns, at the same time they had been covering their hair for modesty, the monks were doings whatever altogether distinct with theirs.

Tonsure, from the Latin for barber, is the shaving of some part of the hair in order to exhibit religious devotion. Extraordinary devout traditions have different patterns of shaving, like for illustration in the Roman church where the very prime of the top is shaved. The Irish church within the medieval period, alternatively, had another pattern of tonsure, a point of so much competition. Certainly the Venerable Bede (don’t forget he wrote about Saint Audrey) connects this difference to the corresponding change between the Roman and Irish approaches of calculating Easter, and the fine climactic second of victory in his historical past is when the English definitively adopt the Roman practise over the Irish. An instance the place coiffure rather did make a decision ingroup and outgroup! No person now really knows what that Irish tonsure used to be like as descriptions are vague, however one suggestion is that the hair was shaved at the front ear to ear however allowed to grow at the back.

So business within the front, celebration within the again? Genuinely there may be a different candidate for the medieval mullet. In the 6th century Procopius wrote of this coiffure in Constantinople where it used to be known as the Hunnic appear. Incidentally, the modern day word mullet for the hairstyle seems to go back best to the Beastie Boys 1994 tune Mullet Head, although some sources additionally point to the 1967 movie Cool Hand Luke wherein the time period mullet head is used, though its not absolutely clear that this is a reference to shaggy hair. The expression mullet head goes again to the 19th century within the feel a silly individual, and springs from the fish mullet, whose title can most likely be traced again to a root that means black. So clearly hairstyle like garb is an essential marker of fashion and thus costume and custom. There had been of path many top notch hairstyles over time, many with fascinating etymologies.

Famous might be are sideburns, named after the the united states Civil warfare normal Ambrose Burnside. Within the seventeenth century when King Louis XIV of France started to lose his hair very likely as a result of syphilis, his donning of a wig kicked off a trend for wigs. Even folks who werent thinning on prime began to put on them. That is what we could now call a celeb fashion pattern. A equivalent trend trend sparked through sickness round that equal time was once the fashion for wearing synthetic beauty marks, at first to hide scars left through smallpox, however soon as a fashionable item in itself. An additional superstar hair fashion was once the pompadour, named in honour of Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis the XV. This trend trend would ultimately return some 200 years later on the heads of the greasers in Nineteen Fifties the united states, most famously exemplified by way of Elvis Presley. Well developments do come and go. Of direction clothing as a marker of tradition has been around ever on the grounds that it moved beyond the in basic terms realistic, however the swiftly moving fashion pattern had to wait except the late core a long time and early modern day period to relatively take off. Official tailors commenced to appear in Europe in the 14th century.

And although the button had been round when you consider that ancient instances, believe or no longer it wasnt unless the thirteenth century in Germany that the buttonhole was once invented, permitting the button for use as a fastener. Both of these traits, the tailor and the button, resulted in extra form fitting garb, as a substitute than the loosely draped type of earlier eras, and this used to be the real impetus for trend trends. Moderate variants in reduce and form would exchange quickly, going inside and outside of type. Maybe the primary first-class runaway trend craze is slashing, in which cuts are made in an outer garment to disclose the lavish materials of the garments underneath. This development began off with Swiss squaddies, after defeating the forces of Charles the bold, duke of Burgundy, threading bits of material taken from the tents and banners of their enemies by means of the holes in their possess ragged clothing.

After they again home, the kind caught on and soon unfold by way of Europe. This displaying off of additional fabric is an example of conspicuous consumption, essentially showing off your wealth, like the prominently displayed fashion designer trademarks of at present. Of path to be competent to show off by means of clothing you had to be of the higher classes. Actually throughout the core ages and early present day interval, legal guidelines have been handed to prevent curb class men and women from dressing above their stage.

You see right now there used to be the upward thrust of the middle type all of a sudden non-nobles had disposable earnings, made out of alternate and manufacture as an alternative than the land owning of the noble classes. So these so-referred to as sumptuary legal guidelines have been handed proscribing what people might wear at one of a kind levels of society. This wasnt of direction the first time such restrictions existed. In ancient Rome, for example, best Roman citizens, in different words free-born Roman men, were allowed to wear togas. It used to be a marker of repute and rank. I someway dont think these Romans would approve of the toga celebration! Speaking of which, that institution tradition started it appears in 1953 at Pomona tuition, and later grew to be noted within the movie country wide Lampoons Animal residence. Nevertheless, before this there is a narrative of First girl Eleanor Roosevelt throwing a toga party to spoof the criticism of her husband FDR as being like a Caesar. As soon as once more, the politics of trend. As for apparel as a marker of repute, even after those sumptuary laws were dropped, it wasnt relatively unless the advent of competent-to-wear clothing, with standardized sizing that you would purchase off the rack with out want of tailoring, that fashion really started to be democratized.

Eventually the center category could be trendy as well. Despite the fact that those outstanding clothier trademarks of today, and the whole haute-couture world, show us that fashion and status are quite still a factor. Getting back to France, the dwelling of trend, a further fashion-setting elite used to be Marie Antoinette, spouse of King Louis XVI, who is the ultimate illustration of excessive extravagance.

It seems that she preferred being known as the queen of trend to the queen of France. Her designer Rose Bertin, who is the primary noted fashion clothier, created the trend doll as a way to disseminate the in trends to Marie Antoinettes loved ones and friends, and this was form of a precursor to the fashion magazine as we know it at present. Really the very first fashion publication was once Castilgliones The guide of the Courtier from the early 16th century, which dealt with etiquette at court docket. The magazine Mercure Galant from the late seventeenth century began to offer advice concerning the trendy tendencies, and by means of the late 18th and early nineteenth century there have been numerous such publications in general with trend plates demonstrating the styles. Marie Antoinettes successor as fashion pattern setter was once the Empress Josephine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Rejecting the lavish styles of Marie, Josephine took a web page from the neoclassical developments of the day and wore attire an identical in variety to the peplos of old Greek females, cinched excessive above the waist.

We now comprehend of this because the empire waist in honour of Empress Josephine. Additionally to being belted on the waist, the old Greek peplos used to be fixed on the shoulders with broaches often called fibulae. Without a doubt the fibula is similar to the modern day defense pin. The protection pin was reinvented in ultra-modern instances by using a man named Walter Hunt, whose other important fashion declare to fame is inventing the lockstitch mechanism that makes the stitching desktop viable. The stitching machine is honestly the mixed work of a number of different inventors coming together. The one to quite make it sensible, viable, and popular was Isaac Singer, who put into practise the today’s manufacturing facility creation approaches to mass produce the machines. Singer was subsequently sued for the patent by way of inventor Elias Howe, who had designed his own lockstitch mechanism, Walter Hunt having declined to patent the thought as he used to be afraid it might put seamstresses out of labor.

But in the end, it was Singers stitching machine that helped to democratize trend, not best making manufacturing of garments more cost-effective and less complicated, however making it possible to do the work in the home. As for Elias Howe, his other fashion claim to status is developing with the primary automatic, steady clothing closure in different phrases the zipper. Unusually, Howe made so much money from his lawsuit in opposition to Singer that he on no account stricken to market his zipper, and it wasnt until the thought used to be later reinvented by way of Whitcomb L. Judson at the finish of the nineteenth century and additional developed by using Gideon Sundback that the general public got the zipper as we know it today.

Incidentally, the word zipper initially talked about the boot it was once designed for, no longer the fastener itself, but the term soon transferred over. At present the zipper is the fastener of alternative on many other forms of garb, such as jackets and probably on trousers, besides on buttonfly denims, the place the button remains as a quaint holdover of days previous. Speaking of jeans, this staple of brand new trend was invented for the nineteenth century gold rush, as the miners wanted tough durable trousers for working in. The tailor Jacob Davis had the proposal of setting up trousers with rivets to make stronger the seams. He bought the hard denim material from wholesaler Levi Strauss, and eventually the 2 went into trade collectively, and Levi denim denims were born. However the language of this fashion predate this invention and is derived from far afield. Jean is an ancient sixteenth century word that comes from the city identify Genoa, and came to consult a rugged variety of fabric that came from there.

The word denim is derived from the French de Nmes meaning from Nmes, a city in southern France. And to high it off, dungaree, one other identify for jeans, comes from the identify of a village in India, Dungri. So this icon of american fashion actually comes from far and wide the sector! And indeed as the globalized 20th and 21st centuries have become more and more fragmented and uncentred we can now not speak a few single trend, and there are some distance too many trends, styles and subcultures to say right here. But probably one of the most hanging that borrows from the prior is the goth style.

Combining retro Victorian patterns with the gloominess of gothic horror fiction, the development used to be taken up via these feeling isolated from and wishing to rebel in opposition to mainstream tradition. And that brings us properly back to Halloween costumes. There seem to be a quantity of traditions that contributed to dressing up in costumes at Halloweenwhich I discussed in some element in my video on Jack-o-Lantern. One part of this practice is that it offers licence to misrule, dressing up in taboo costumes, and breaking average social boundaries. In additional latest years there’s the unfortunate pattern of dressing up in the (regularly stereotyped or caricatured) country wide costumes of other cultures, decreasing these cultures to a type of costume that may be placed on via any individual. Additionally theres the sexualized costumes, chiefly where it creates a pointy contrast, as within the attractive nun costumes. Far from that modest wimple! If trend is a language, might be we should feel about what we’re saying with these costumesand no longer make a habit of it! Thanks for observing! If youve loved these etymological explorations and cultural connections, please subscribe to this channel or share it; you can also signal up for electronic mail notifications of recent videos within the description under.

And verify out our Patreon web page, where which you can make a contribution to help me make more videos go away a remark or query, or tweet @Alliterative; which you could additionally read more of my thoughts on my web publication at alliterative.Internet .

.fb_iframe_widget_fluid_desktop iframe { width: 100% !important; }

Tweet

Source: https://skullssales.com/

[crimsondomingo]

Day 8: Mystery

For my July AU a Day Challenge

Barry was a good friend, the best friend, and Cisco was in love, so of course he had to support him.

He just wished that meeting Cisco’s girlfriend Lisa for the first time didn’t have to involve costumes. With everyone they knew and everyone she knew.

Mostly because her brother was unbelievably hot, and Barry looked like an idiot.

It was such a good idea too! Renting a night at the Wells mansion for a murder mystery party and sleepover. Well not like a sleepover, where they would all be in sleeping bags in the living room, but it was basically their hotel for the night. Whoever won the murder mystery game and figured out the killer got the main suite to sleep in. Barry should have been on cloud 9 to do this for his friend while meeting a few new people.

But he wanted to be a gangster since it was set during the roaring 20s, not…the swanky singer with hopes at Hollywood.

“This is a girl’s part.”

“Get with the 21st century, Barr.”

“Cisco, you know that’s not—”

“I’m sorry, man, it was the only part left! I wanted to make sure Lisa’s side got the good parts so her brothers don’t kill me.”

“Brothers? I thought she only had the one?”

“By blood the one, but this big guy she grew up with is basically a brother too, and they’re both super scary. Please? You could swap with Iris.”

“She’s the ‘cigarette girl with a temper that sizzles’. I don’t think that’s better.”

“No, being the singer is, because we can totally set up a part of the story for you to show off your pipes, man.”

“I don’t know…”

“Please, this is the love of my life, no joke. I want it to be perfect.”

Only perfect wasn’t how it started because it was raining cats and dogs out and everyone got soaked on the way in. Barry managed to save his hair by running with his jacket over his head, but most of the girls weren’t as lucky. They all met in the foyer and introductions were a little tense.

Cisco was playing the bartender and storyteller for the mystery. Lisa ran the speakeasy. Barry was the singer of course, and for some inane reason he’d let Cisco convince him to jazz things up as a male version of the character, wearing eyeliner and a jacket with fur on the collar to represent a boa. His boots even had heels, making him an extra inch taller.

He wanted to hide beneath his trilby when he saw how sexy Lisa’s brother looked, Len the actual mobster for the night, which was the cool part, obviously. He had on such a nice suit, all dark blue, with his own hat, and just exuded coolness. He eyed Barry with so much scrutiny when they shook hands, Barry wished he could dig a hole out in the rain and drowned himself in the mud.

Iris was the cigarette girl, Lisa’s big friend and other ‘brother’ Mick was the bouncer, Caitlin was a moll for the police, and Lisa’s best friend Sara was a femme fatale for hire.

The killer definitely wouldn’t be Sara then. Or Len. Too obvious.

“This is stupid,” Mick said, shaking water off his hat.

“Aw, come on, Mick, a little drama and adventure can be a good time,” Len defended. At least he was trying for his sister’s sake.

All of the girls appeared to be getting along too, but Barry did get the impression that he was being sized up and that Len and Mick were not trying to tamp down their intimidating natures toward Cisco in the slightest.

“Is the poor bartender our victim for the night?” Len asked with a drawl.

Barry shivered. He had a really smooth voice.

“No! You’ll, um see once we start.” Cisco ducked behind Lisa, who stood tall to defend Cisco against her large and scary (and sexy, geez, like wow) brothers.

“Knock it off, Lenny. And this is going to be fun, Mick. You’ll see. Now, esteemed guests,” she shifted into her lady of the establishment role, “let’s retire to the lounge to begin our evening.”

The idea was for Cisco to actually bartend and make drinks to start things off, there were hors d'oeuvres set up waiting, and Barry would sing a couple songs while everyone mingled.

They had a recording for background music, which was sort of cheating, but they figured they could envision the band. While some people might have been more nervous to perform, on stage, whether karaoke or back in college and high school doing glee club and musicals, was where Barry felt most comfortable, able to lose himself in the performance.

He sang “Feeling Good” first, which got the crew to erupt into applause when he was done, and he gave a little bow, then broke into “Big Spender.” He’d complained to Cisco that neither of those was right for the 20s, but they weren’t being strictly authentic tonight.

He realized he’d caught the attention of Lenny the Mobster about halfway through “Big Spender” and felt a flutter in his gut, nerves he wasn’t used to while performing, though thankfully it didn’t mess him up. Everyone else was enjoying the song, sure, but they were chatting, drinking and snacking, all like Cisco wanted.

Len came forward with an extra glass in hand, waiting for Barry to finish. While everyone else applauded at the end of the song again, Len handed him the extra drink.

“You’ll need to catch up, Scarlet. Do you take requests?”

Barry nearly choked on his first sip—partially because Cisco had made them strong. “Scarlet?”

Len nodded at his getup. The jacket was a deep scarlet red. Then Barry remembered, Len was staying in character, and the singer’s name was Scarlet, which was why he’d chosen the coat at all.

“R-Right. Thanks for the drink. I’ve been known to take requests for the right…spender,” Barry winked—and shit, maybe he shouldn’t get too into the character, but Len looked entirely pleased by the comeback.

“Okay, folks!” Cisco called. “The Mistress has an announcement!”

Shoot, they were getting started, but while Barry was a bit disappointed, he noticed how close Len stood when they gathered near Lisa.

The story went that with the passing of prohibition and organized crime on the rise, The Rogues Den, a swanky speakeasy run by Mistress Goldie, had been nothing but jumping. To celebrate its success, she’d planned a party to remember at the exclusive nightspot, but danger lurked in the shadows.

They basically discovered the ‘body’ of the mayor straight off and had to try to solve the murder before the police showed up and blamed all of them. Only one of them was the killer, and they had to gather story clues throughout the night to figure out who. When time ran out, they could each give their guess, and whoever guessed right, got the suite. Tie breakers would be decided by who had the most accurate evidence.

Halfway through the night, Barry was convinced he was the killer. He could divert people’s attention, make himself look innocent as long as he never lied about anything asked of him point-blank. But Len kept sticking to his side like glue. He had to know Barry was the killer too. Barry wanted that suite for the night, but as the evening wore on, he wondered if it wasn’t only suspicion that kept Len close, but that Barry might get to sleep in the suite even if he was…hehe, fingered as the killer.

He may have had too much to drink. Cisco kept refilling their glasses!

Then came a section where they were allowed to split up to look for clues hidden about the house as they were nearing the end. They each had a final envelope to open, and Barry was not at all surprised to see that his said: YOU ARE THE KILLER. If you think your partner suspects you, use your discretion to decide if you can get away with killing them before time is called and the murderer must be chosen by everyone at the party.

“I get Scarlet,” Len grabbed his arm and hurried away with him.

Barry tried not to giggle. He was definitely not imagining the electricity between them.

Definitely not—once Len’s tongue was in his mouth when they got to the kitchen.

“I have some bad news for you, Lenny,” Barry said, arching into Len’s embrace when he started kissing down his neck.

“You’re the killer and you’re gonna have to stab me?”

Barry giggled for real this time. ‘’Fraid so.” He poked two fingers at Len’s belly. “Now I have to dispose of the body.”

Grabbing Len by his lapels, Barry stole another fierce kiss, moving them across the kitchen toward the door into the pantry. They could hide there a while until the others got suspicious.

But when Barry knocked into the door with his back, it wouldn’t budge.

“Crap, it’s stuck. Hang on.” He and Len both laughed as they disentangled, and Barry turned to push firmer on the door until it finally forced open.

To reveal the body on the floor with a knife in its back.

It was the owner, Harrison Wells—dead.

“Oh shit.”