#the brand aesthetic suits him really well i think :)

[fullsuneclipse]

220401 HAECHAN (image source 1) (source 2)

[omgthatdress]

the major takeaway from last night is that Karl Lagerfeld was more of a personality than a designer and that Yves Saint Laurent was the clear winner of that rivalry.

For those who aren’t familiar, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent were both fashion wunderkinds who emerged in the late 1950s, both appointed heads of major brands at the same time, and had very intense rivalry. Yves Saint Laurent took over Dior after the passing of Christian Dior, helped cement the brand as a major player in fashion, and then after a disastrous stint being drafted into the French army, built his own fashion brand that went down in history with its unique and diverse and always evolving looks.

Karl was always kind of behind Yves. He designed for a lot of major fashion brands, and managed to establish himself at the top of the game at Chloé, but he didn’t get his full on legendary status until he took over Chanel in 1983. This history of the Chanel brand was already pretty frought, with Coco Chanel modernizing and defining the fashion of the 1920s and 30s, but being forced to shut down during World War 2, during which she collaborated with the Nazis. Behind the Bastards did a pretty great two episodes on her. When the brand returned in the 60s, fashion had changed tremendously. Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Balmain had all taken over mid-century fashion, and now that aesthetic was being taken over by mod, the miniskirt, and the likes of Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin, and Paco Rabanne. So when Chanel came back it was largely seen as a stuffy old lady brand, which it remained until Karl took it over.

Now, this is where Karl actually did something really impressive that you honestly can’t take away from him: he took a fashion house in severe decline, one that had been in its flop era for literal decades, and he made it hip again, while still managing to stay true to the ethos that Coco Chanel had laid out.

Chanel is clean, minimalistic, and classy. It is easy to wear, effortless, and always extremely glamorous, which is what made it so iconic in the 20s and 30s. Given that the 50s and 60s were all about making a fucking effort, the thing that the brand managed to keep doing well was its suits. You know what kind of suits I’m talking about. Tweed jackets and midi skirts, neat tailoring, delicate pastel colors, pearls and camellias and chains. It’s not so much that it was edgy and exciting but it was expensive and it was *Chanel* and people wore it for the status symbol alone. That is what Karl took advantage of and managed to re-invent.

That sort of aesthetic fit perfectly into the you-can-never-be-too-rich-or-too-skinny 80s, when wearing status symbol clothing was everything.

Then, in the 90s, he managed to keep things exciting by following exactly what was on-trend at the time and incorporating elements of street wear and hip-hop.

However, after that, he kind of lost his edge and just rested on “it’s Chanel” rather than actually pushing the fashion envelope. By the time he died in 2019, he was a fucking dinosaur and fashion had long since moved past him. The thing that he was ultimately most well known for was his own very distinctive look and flamboyant personality.

Before I ever started studying fashion, I knew who Karl was because I’d seen him so many times, and I’d seen parodies of him so many times. I knew *him* but I didn’t really know his work. And I think having an incredibly boring Met Gala dedicated to him reveals that: his actual artistic legacy is skinnier than the models he used to berate. Karl Lagerfeld built his brand on his diva personality, and that sort of personality and outlook just isn’t hip anymore. Fashion is always about moving forward, and Lagerfeld’s beliefs should remain fossilized in the past.

[laughing-with-god]

What type of fashion do you think victor bts would wear including victor jungkook

oooh loves this q, if your gonna shift into my universe you prob need some visual help lmao! (i fully expect a report when you do!)

but this is roughly how I picture them;

Jin

I think Jin had a good fashion sense even before the games. his dad was the mayor of District One so I think he's always had to dress "presentable". I don't see him as a fashionista, but he does care about brands. if he was in our modern universe, he'd be the type to find Gucci very tacky and obnoxious but love Hermes and Ralph Lauren. classy and understated. honestly very "old money, country club" vibes. jin is a nepo baby lol

Jimin

there are two jimins - the one at the capitol and the one at district four. when he's in the capitol, he wears whatever his designer team arranges for him. he has lots of sponsors, and many are fashion brands so he's obligated to wear clothes or accessories from those brands. his team likes to market him as very chic and clean, lots of suits with the undershirt open to show his chest. however, when he's at home or just being himself, i think he's very in touch with his ocean roots. i see him in a "surfer boy" aesthetic, pearls, seashells, and free-flowing tops. in my universe, District Four is like a Florida or tropical place- so it's always sunny and hot.

namjoon

sweater vests. turtle necks. slacks. this is it. mainly in black, sometimes blue. very dark academia. does not really understand fashion and just wants to look as smart as he is. feel like he'd also be one of the victors who fired his designer team right away because he didn't get the point and hated being treated like a doll. sometimes he wants to try out diff styles but ultimately I see him being a creature of habit and being like "nah"

Hoseok

poor boy just wants to be cozy and warm. I think I had his games take place in the Arctic? so I think he'd be like really hypersensitive to the cold now. he feels one chill and he'll want to die. he would love oversized sweaters and cardigans. I can see him wearing lots of neutral colors too, browns and creams with hints of green here and there. Very 'coffee shop boyfriend' vibes. also think he's such older bro that he'd carry a lil fanny pack or bag all the time, he carries little snacks and stuff just in case his siblings ever need anything

Taehyung

tough one. I don't think he'd give a shit tbh. but he's from 11 and it's all about agriculture, so i feel like farmer vibes? like boyish cottage core. feel like he likes loose shirts as well, tae doesn't like feeling constricted so no tight clothes. also feel like he loves rolling his pants up and walking around barefoot. country boy to the core.

Yoongi

hoodies, loose fitting and oversized. likes beanies too. I think he has bad blood circulation and as a kid didn't get great access to food, so he's prob anemic and smaller than his Victor counterparts. a lil insecure about it so he covers it up with baggy clothes. another one that prefers darker colors like grey and black. capitol ppl are known for their colorful clothes since they can afford them, and yoongi isn't tryna associate with that.

Jungkook

i never made a victors revenge jk since i didn't know if i was just going to make it qq jk when he won the games lol. either way, i'm sticking with district two for him. so def a career and def a lil cray. i think he'd enjoy looking as intimidating as possible, fully leaning into the 'bloody thirsty career' reputation he has. I see him getting tats and piercings and wearing things like leather jackets and steel-toed boots. probably like "grunge" or "cyberpunk" aesthetic??

[as-i-watch]

Straw Hats as Fashion Trends that makes me go insane*

*you can wear whatever want to express yourself or whatever you like idc. What i hate if when brands™ overprice shit bc is "trendy" or set stupid trends like these. Seriously, dont look up the price of some of these

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Enjoy!

Detachable Shorts

Of course this feature was a need in the trouser world, think about the people with hot knees

I think it would be funny if Luffy wore this and undo the buckles to get into fight mode. The trouser equivalent of putting down the straps in your crocs.

Tits Out. [period]

Your arms are always cold? Hate vests? Well this is for you!

Still, i think this is so fitting for Zoro, we respect our tits out king and adds a little bit of himbo energy i appreciate.

Oda draws weird shit like this all the time

Yes this item was for sale and not on etsy. Why? beats me but here we are

I think its a nice refference to pre timeskip Nami outfits, but it actually fits into the post timeskip fanservice theme. I seriously see Nami wearing that.

Cool but why

Its a cool recycling project but im not even going to talk why brands selling these upset me.

I think i would be a fitting addition to Usopp's funky hats collection. Not only he would pull it off, he would steal the desing and make one himself like the king he is.

Pretty but WHYYY

I really like the effect and sawing this fabric is hard af but is more of a texture thing for me. Also my little practical self is screaming at this gloves but i see the aesthetic pleasing side i guess

So naturally i gave the gay gloves to Sanji. Tell you you cant picture him wearing these with his WCI white suit, come on do it, lie to me.

A classic we love to hate

Not you Chopper you are a delight. Im talking about the clear plastic backpacks. In case you missed thia trend, the issues with this are as clear as the bag itself.

So naturally, bc he always carries one, i gave the backpack to Chopper. Hope he fills it with colorful candy

I have vivid memories of this being a thing at some point

This are more of a pre timeskip item since they are from mis 2000's but yeah. They are useless, impractical and they offend me

Yet, i think Robin could've feature a look in a filler or something with these...anklets? I guess? Not the most far fetched imo

Cut and pin.

Not an issue of looks but of pricing. This are cute little tops but overpriced af, they just cut it and pin it.

Nevertheless, they scream Franky to me. They even kinda follow Franky's own stiches on his chest lmao

At a lost for words

I just dont get it. This is not a price thing, just a ok but why? thing.

If someone can do weird shit and get away with it is Brook and i love him for it. He could show up one day at Sunny wearing his coat backward and i wouldnt question it. I imagine him wearing that as a fancy look in a movie. He already wears high heels on the reg, and idk why but i know he has a pair of fishnets.

This fuck me up to this day

I dont mind the ilusion drawing idea, but seeing a whole rack of these in a sleep deprived state kinda fucks up your mind. I dont think it was a clever trend for clothes tho and im glad it died away.

I dont think Jinbe would wear the shirt, but hear me out. His kimono but in that stile, custom made. One day Usopp, Chopper and Luffy will paint it in and is going to be hilarious to see Jinbe walking around like a Father that let his kids do his hair and nails.

You can find more idiot post like this in my tag #straw hats as i make no promise of quality but i have fun

[sai-lec]

hi i’m salty i like fashion so i want to talk about the ferrari suit painting endeavour courtesy of @ joshuavides ig story

it’s not gonna be detailed or anything just a general overview but alr let’s get started

so i rlly love the idea of letting the guys design their own race suits they took two rather opposing approaches to the design of their suits providing an insight to their perspective on their personal aestheticism, branding and mandated media activity

so let’s start w Carlos . For someone who isn’t actively involved in fashion design or marketing this is impressive . like it sent me down a rabbit hole of trying to figure out carlos’ involvement in his merch design process but dead ends if anyone has anything on that lmk .

carlos’ design is centred on his branding it’s something he would wear during a race to represent not only himself personally through the chilli motif but his career and his achievement as CS55 .

the placement of the logo is phenomenal . ik it’s just a copy of the diagonal placement of all his merch but this could’ve easily been something that stretched simply across the bodice portion. carlos’ design made good use of the space whilst keeping the design simple and recognisable not to mention how challenging it is to maintain freehand lines across separations in the fabric like

i’ve tried my best to apply some guidelines on top of the suit (with a grain of salt- photo perspective and wearability will change line placements) but the precision particularly is super impressive considering i don’t believe he’s painted on fabric before and is doing so without any straight line edge for guidance .

although it’s just a result of no practise the messiness of the painting works with the design it’s refined enough to be recognisable but the imperfection brings through a sense of modern high fashion reminiscent of the haute mess situation in 2022 or mimicking the street art aesthetic not unlike the imperfect perfection of vivienne Westwood . it’s just a good well executed garment i think encapsulating who he is a driver

charles on the other hand is a lot more emotionally driven. the front of the garment seems to be more inclined to imagery that is personal to charles

the spelling of his name separates him from CL16 he’s charles, it’s more personal closer to who he is rather than his brand with his number included to allude to the importance of racing in his life - and also to keep it relevant to the task at hand which was centred around ferrari.

i’ve been seeing a lot of criticism of on this striped section of charles suit but yall just don’t get it . this is his country man . this is his way or representing his country his identity as a monegasque person is dear to him this is his national pride manifested on his uniform . the front is what charles wants people to perceive of him what he fundamentally wants to represent and who he is in his career

as for the back

this is art . it absolutely is . it’s entirely up to the viewers discretion what that art is. the art could be the wearer. it couldn’t be the sport . the race. it could be none of that and just be a funny attempt at trying to justify the decision on the front of the garment . or as the strategic placement would suggest, it could be his ass that’s the art.

i do love this though it’s giving rich its giving runway . it’s giving designer . i’m telling you keep an eye on louis vuitton and vivienne westwood this kind of mildly thought provoking vaguely political commentary handwritten aesthetic dominates modern ready to wear high end fashion. this is the kind of thing you’d see an instgram model take some gorgeous aesthetically pleasing photos in before it ends up in someone’s rebellious girl aesthetic pinterest board . and it’s a serve .

generally i do really love the idea behind this whole task tho it’s fun and expressive and i love the callback to the marlboro day with the red and white suit aesthetic of the 80s and the last vegas grand prix at the caesar’s palace track in 1982 it’s truly iconic and i hope we get to see the boys in their creations

[marquisedegramont]

Who are your top five favorite characters in John Wick?

-🧸 (<- If this hasn’t been taken yet)

[ Ooohhh I think this list would be pretty clear based on who is reading this but yeah here are my top five! :D ]

𝟓. 𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐅 𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐕

It was already a big start when I watched John Wick and really liked Alfie Allen’s performance as Iosef. Only just recently I started to like-like Iosef as a character more. I love his sort of biker aesthetic with the leather jacket and hoodies, which is a BIG difference from the other three big bads of the movie series since they’re all dressed in this formal-business sort of outfit which really goes to show Iosef’s difference in terms of character to literally everyone in the movie series.

𝟒. 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊

The man, the myth, the legend! He’s obviously gonna be on this list because the movies aren’t completed without him and he’s genuinely such a well-written character it’s just that most people (atleast on other platforms) just know John for killing an entire criminal organization over a dog and while yes that’s true, I can literally just yap over and over about how Daisy just symbolizes John’s remaining innocence and his connection to Helen/the overworld.

𝟑. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐃𝐉𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑

Watching John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum and actually noticing everything after watching the fourth movie in the series was like a hit to the face. So Adjudicator— fucking awesome! I loved their entire wardrobe throughout the movies and how they all look so stylish yet refined. And I love the subtle story telling with their dangly earring which represents the fact they don’t necessarily have everything under control and so does the High Table.

𝟐. 𝐆𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐃’𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐎

People truly sleep on Gianna because, hey, she got like ten minutes worth of screentime and had relatively a short time alive for the audience to look at her and like her as a character. But to me, I love her. I love my bitches who show up once and then never again. She’s evil, she’s ruthless, she’s a cunt; Santino’s just mad he can’t do it like her. Aka, be as good as her when it comes to ruling the Camorra. I love her so much, because as much as we were so close to see a truly ruthless individual who is a woman rule something as large and brutal as the Camorra, and also be a canon seat holder in the world of the High Table— Gianna remains one of my favorite due to how beautiful she is and how intuitive she was, her death scene was just absolutely beautiful.

𝟏. 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐒 𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐃𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐓

We all saw this coming. He’s practically my brand, in fact I am him. He is me and he is I, don’t mind the fact he died in 2015 and I got pushed into this world against my will in 2005. Look at him. He’s literally the perfect villain for a movie like John Wick Chapter 4. He’s a cunt, played by Bill Skarsgård, he has a fuckass French accent, he never shows up in scenes without his pocket watch, the shoes are Prada and the suits are Valentino. All his suits are drenched in glitter, and every scene feels like he owns the place. The Louvre? The Louis Vuitton Foundation? The Palace of Versailles? The Palais Garnier? The fucking Tour de Eiffel? He’s always surrounded by his bodyguards, he’s eating cake and living his best life. God, he’s literally me. I am him bro. He is literally me. He’s a ruthless and brutal little cunt ass bitch who finds pain fascinating but I do not have a single fiber in my body that gives a hecking shit. Anna Wintour would have loved him. If there was an Anna Wintour in the John Wick world, Vincent would be her fucking soul son. If you were to tell me the bitch named Keith from Barbarian would suddenly be throwing on a French accent and walk the way he does now, I would have exploded. Vincent is nothing but the pure embodiment of the campiness of John Wick Chapter 4. The suits, the character, the attitude, the sheer level of audacity. He is a mixture of the villains before him, he is the campiness of John Wick Chapter 4, he is Bill Skarsgård having fun, he is an insufferable bitch who deserves the way he died and even then, his death was both relieving and also beautiful. The Marquis, Vincent Bisset de Gramont is everything in a John Wick villain; the design, the European, the mythology references, the hatred for John, the cowardice, the deceitful nature, the ability to serve so much cunt yet be so cringefailure loserboy at the same time. Chad Stahelski made a great decision casting Bill Skarsgård as the Marquis de Gramont because I cannot think of another 6’4 white man who looks like a disturbed Victorian era child who has never seen a cellphone. He looks like he would get pissed off if you called him cunty and he would die if you gave him Sprite to drink. Making a guillotine joke around him would have you executed on site. He has a nice ass and beautiful, glorious hips and thighs that he is gatekeeping from the community using his glittery tailcoats. He is a thirty three years old twink with perfect thighs and even better fashion. His hair has so much hairspray I don’t think that shit was moving for the duration of the movie. The perfect villain to have ended John Wick alongside the legend himself. The motherfucker comes from Southern France and I hate and love him even more because of that. He is such an insufferable little shit that if I were there in the agreements scene I would have done everything in my power to make sure the duel starts now so I can leap across the table and rip him to shreds with my bare hands. I am kissing him with tongue afterwards. I hyperfixated on him and hated him at first but then I remembered that his fanbase was lacking at the time so now I’m him yeah sorry Chad Stahelski himself told me I am him so yeah move out of the way ladies. Or don’t. I’m married to like three women I don’t know because I’m him. His hell is being middle class in Paris because I said so.

[pianostarinwonderland]

Any theories on the new Halloween event? People are saying the boys are going to the twst version of pleasure island.

circus.

that's all i have to say.

No because, masquerade AND circus events, paired together??? That is a literal match made in heaven, especially for Twst. Pleasure Island is also the perfect setting for a circus themed event. Like, just look at this.

It's just so. good. for a circus theme.

Anywho, on any theories regarding how the story will go, hmmm well, Honest John and Gideon were essentially the ones who led Pinocchio to Pleasure Island. They're not the actual villains themselves, in fact, they're hired by the Coachman to lead boys to this island. Maybe in the event, they're also misled, which very much fits the theme of Twst and how its villains aren't simply 'bad' people.

If they're going with Pleasure Island, by God, it's going to be a really complex story. Pleasure Island is a place where bad boys are led to, and they can do anything there: eat to their heart's content, drink alcohol, smoke, etc. Do things that good kids don't do. But the longer they stay, the more they start to transform into donkeys. And once they completely turn into donkeys, the Coachman strips them of their clothes and ships them out to mines where they are made to labor. And according to the Disney wiki, the origin of Pleasure Island is from the original story where the donkey is a symbol of stupidity in Italy. So supposedly, the moral of the island is that boys who don't care about their education and moral code and engage in "jackass" behavior instead will grow up to become men who can't do anything except do backbreaking labor.

It's pretty haunting to think about. Makes me wonder how Twst will twist this to suit the game. Obviously the boys will make it out alive, but I wonder if the themes of the story will be the same. Or will there be some adjustments to accommodate our contemporary sentiments? Regardless, it's really interesting how both Glomas and the upcoming Halloween event tackle themes of morality. Glomas focuses on the high and mightiness of those who think that they're in the right, on the need for atonement. This event is likely going to tackle the other side, people who succumb to their desires too much that they forget their morals, and the consequences.

On the topic of SSRs, a lot of people are speculating Ace and Ortho. Some say Jade. Some say Jack.

I really do hope for Ortho SSR, as much as it may pain Ortho/Ignihyde fans. He and Pinocchio are so similar in that they're not human, yet they are alive in a way. As for Ace, I really see it! I think he fits the aesthetic very well, that's one. But more than that, Pinocchio is also a story of growing up, particularly in growing up to be the kind of person you want to be. You want to be a good person in society? A bad one? Or somewhere in between? And Ace's character arc is definitely ripe for that theme, because as of now, he's not even sure what he wants to be. His chances of being SSR are a little lower than Ortho's, but I still hold on to the idea that he would be an SSR.

I really do want both tweels to be SRs, not going to lie. But something that interests me is that Pleasure Island is advertised to be free. Free food, free alcohol, free tobacco. But it's not. For all that pleasure, you turn into a donkey. There was a price to pay. And that's very on brand for Octavinelle, so Jade being the third SSR is possible.

On the other hand, Jack being the third SSR would be so delicious. First of all, he's a fellow first year, so the theme of growing up would be so good. Secondly, he has strong principles, to the point of being rigid. It would be so good to see him placed in a situation where his morals are tested, where he has to learn the complexities of the real world while keeping his wits and principles about him.

Man, this event is going to be so good. I'm really excited for October. 😭

[heinzpilsner]

Today, there will be no logic, structure and objectivity here. Today I just wanna whine talk about Zuko's character presentation in "The Beach" episode.

Because it never fails in making me cringe.

Aesthetically, being an aimless teenager in a disastrous romantic relationship just doesn't suit Zuko's long-suffering character.

And I can't even tell for sure if it's an inadequate transition of his personality from the previous seasons onto different life circumstances, which only annoys me more.

All I know is that reading the scripts of book 1 with Zuko being an angry brat always makes me smile.

And the scripts of book 3 with similar content only make me groan.

So, "It just isn't fun anymore" is the first clue I can put my finger on.

(This, and the fact that I hate Zuko's emo haircut with passion. Geez, and after this people call the ponytail an abomination!)

Ponytail rights, yay!

But me having or not having fun, as well as my haircut unpopular preferences are not exactly good arguments in an objective character analysis. Which is my primary point of interest. Usually.

Which means I have to take Zuko's behavior in this episode into consideration.

And I kinda hate the fact.

Let's take the situation with Zuko's jealousy, for example.

(I mean... After assuming first that "Zuko being in love with Mai instead of just tolerating her out of loneliness" thing isn't ooc in the first place.

Writers, I still do not quite believe you here.)

I suppose he could become irrationally jealous in a relationship because of his insecurities, especially considering Mai's cold treatment recently, but...

Would Zuko be possessive about his girlfriend to the point of physical aggression?

I mean, he is a hot-tempered young man, and he is prone to physical aggression when angry. We saw it enough times in the past.

But before "The Beach", we could tell nothing about whether he would be a possessive partner or not - just because we never before saw him in a long-term romantic relationship.

So, this is the only precedent we can really judge this aspect of Zuko's personality by. And even with him being in a bad emotional state, this precedent doesn't speak in Zuko's favor.

And... it was introduced why exactly?

Oh yeah, just for the sake of giving Mai a good reason to break up with him for a couple of hours.

But... When I think about it, one little question arises.

Why on earth the writers decided to add new unsympathetic traits to the palette when audience was already hostile towards Zuko?

I mean, after his treatment of his uncle, and the whole Sparky Sparky Boom Man business, the guy already was at his lowest point!

Zuko's character has not yet recovered from the writers' previous assassination attempt, but they decide to deliver another blow on top of that! What a brilliant idea.

Hello guys, have you forgotten you were aiming for a redemption arc here? My sympathy for the guy already shrinked to the point of invisibility, thank you very much! It's not the time to add brand new reasons for the viewers to dislike Zuko!

So, the real problem here is not about whether Zuko is ooc or not. It's about the writers' decisions in depicting the character in certain ways in a certain point of the story.

Hence, the fundamental difference between book 1 fun brattiness and book 3 cringy disaster lies in the dynamic of the character's development.

I wonder - was it just incompetence, or... the creators' willful intent?

/paranoid noises/

(I couldn't help but analyze things in the end, could I?)

Anyway, even if they tried really hard, Zuko's character still managed to survive it. Barely, but managed.

Hurray?

(But after all, what else would you expect from Zuko of all people, lol?)

... What I'm gonna do with canonical fact of his possessiveness though?

Well, on one hand, it could be a nice addition to my 'imperfect zutara' theory. But on the other...

Ahem. Well. I guess I'll treat it just like I treat LoK and the comics!

... Did you ever hear me talking about them? That's it.

Thanks for your attention!

(Hmm. Perhaps I could try to analyze Maiko dynamic in "The Beach" as a theoretical psychological exercise, after all. I suspect I'll have to drink first to be able to deal with this stuff though. Anyway, we'll see.)

And as usual, I'm ignoring all the notifications~

[destinyc1020]

I have noticed a change in Austin's style, I think it could be due to the fact that he's a YSL ambassador now? And they're kind of known for their cuts/ dark colour theme (Which for me personally as a fashion girlie is one of the reasons I love YSL, but also despise YSL lol). I mean for example people like Rosé or Hailey Bieber there red carpet style has drastically changed as well, they only wear black on the red carpet and they are also ambassadors. So perhaps he is just trying to fit the aesthetic of the brand? I know Austin was an ambassador for Cartier during the Elvis press tour so that could be the change as well. As much as the man looks fabulous in black, I would love to see him in his colour palette of more pastel and lighter colours. Like the light blue suit he wore to the Stella Macartney show in 2021 was gorgeous, and I thought it suited him very well.

I know Austin had the YSL cologne campaign late last year, but I didn't think that it meant he had to start only wearing YSL clothing....did it? 🤔

I know he's been an ambassador for Cartier watches, so I just assumed he was still doing Cartier lol.

You might be right though, he might have switched to YSL, cuz I think he mentioned on the red carpet at one of these Dune 2 events that he was wearing YSL.

As much as the man looks fabulous in black, I would love to see him in his colour palette of more pastel and lighter colours. Like the light blue suit he wore to the Stella Macartney show in 2021 was gorgeous, and I thought it suited him very well.

I would love to see him in more COLOR as well lol. 😅 He dabbled a little bit with maroon at the SAG Awards and even in white during the Elvis press tour.... But he always goes back to his tried and true, BLACK lol. I really liked his brown looks for the MOTA press and premiere events. 😃👍🏾

I know the Stella Macartney show you're referring to, and I actually didn't really like the pastel blue?? I feel like it kinda washed him out a bit. But I guess it was a nice change lol.

Don't get me wrong, Austin looks GOOD af in black lol, but all of these over-sized black suits and coats he's been wearing lately are giving me: "Say HELLO to my little FRIEND!!!" 😅🤣

Especially that number he wore in Paris for YSL Lol 🤭

All he needs is a gun in his hands lol 🤣

[fumiku]

Chlonath wips

I have so many Chlonath art and fic wips… I am such a slow writer and I’ve had most of these written down for like 2 years, so I wanna share most of their premises now in case I never get around to them! For joy and prosperity and whatnot, if someone wants to write one of these just ask me first! Someone needs to feed the chlonath masses. My next fic is going to be the camping one I think~

My fave picks:

Your majesty: Despite his bright fiery hair, he was all too easy to erase, to fade into the background. Garish, but unmemorable. Talented, but lame. Chloe decides to change that, takes him on as a pet project as fashion coordinator. "Come on, look at yourself! That hair, those eyes. You were *made* to pop! Everyone’s eyes would turn to you when you’re in the room!" He flushes, was that how she saw him? "But I don’t *want* to be the center of attention..." She smirks confidently/slyly. "Well too bad! Chloe Bourgeois will make a peacock out of this ugly little duckling!". Much later there’s a much quieter, sweeter scene of him voicing not wanting to be that different or flashy and she takes out some accessories that suit and enhance his style, comfy and like him. Eventually oop! She rlly needs a date and it’d go with her pet project, "besides you could use this for networking". "Hm? Oh yeah, a half up half down ponytail would look cute on you, in a street kind of way. But bangs in your face can go for cool and mysterious too. It can give you some personality that goes with or contrasts with your outfit, I guess. But this *is* still a fancy event, so a simple well-groomed swept aside style would keep it prim and formal, and it *is* your first entry into high society... But I *suppose* if you do your big debut with the aesthetic you’ll keep with, it’ll probably help your brand long term, attract the right kind of contract for you right away-" "Wow, where was all this perspective when you were doing the analysis on the blue curtains?" She smirks, "I have more experience in keeping up appearances —and everything it entails— than you think, apparently"

Everything else under spoiler bc I have tons of prompts haha

Chloe becomes designer & coordinator, director, for marc & Nath’s comics! She loves outfit coordinating, set designing, composition etc. Marc handles the writing and Nath the drawing, Chloe helps with the visual design. It starts with Chloe suggesting lil things to Nath when she sees his drawings, like add a common accessory to all the team. And since she was queen bee she can fact check some things. He loses his sketchbook while walking and she picks it up, not in her usual mood, n she sees his sketches and starts rattling off about details and fashion. Nath: "oh I- I’m not very knowledgeable in fashion designing..." she looks him up and down, taking his garish outfit in. "That I could have guessed." He huffs, sarcastic "Well, *thank you*, Chloe. That’s not a half bad idea, I could ask Marinette for some designing help, actually!" He lights up at that idea. She grits her teeth, angry and snatches his sketchbook back. She starts drawing on another page and her drawing isn’t really good but the ideas? Wow, they work. Chloe knows her aesthetics. "Stupid Marinette would *not* know how to arrange queen wasp’s hair, thank you very much. Ugh, this is outrageous! Utterly outrageous! You can keep the changes, and keep your god awful awfully thought out designs out of my sight, next time!" With his open sketchbook shoved back into his hands, he stares down at it n truly appreciate it. Wow, this is some serious good job. He thinks about it, kinda smug, oh I can *definitely* play her. He starts leaving his sketchbook behind on purpose n she starts giving him more and more notes when sabrina isn’t around. At some point she comes to the art room and everyone is silent but she’s shy and makes an effort not to be mean. The art dude takes her a bit under his wing and she starts channeling her time n energy into art, peeps of the art room start tolerating her. She takes Marc under her wing confidence wise, and sabrina tags along and rediscovers a love for scrapbooking. Omll marc & sabrina besties qpr cuties?

Pas de deux: they have a random ballet class in PE and they get paired up for the project and chloe 1) wants a good grade for her dad’s rep 2) is goal-oriented 3) has much less barb when teaching. Also prob a sad side note about impressing her mother with ballet classes as a kid.

But Are the Curtains Blue or Just Your Tear-stained Veil: Nathaniel tended to notice things, notice people. To dissect them, as if they were a comicbook character. What was surprising about Chloe is that while her attitude was bolsterous and always seemed so heated, her eyes were like ice, distant. A deep blue, and curtained off, like she could not let anyone else see what they hid. But Chloe was mean and cruel, and sometimes, Nathaniel dug too deep at wasn’t there. Maybe, they were just blue. He always came back at the mystery of her, though, and was pushed and pulled in a one-sided dance with her like the come and go of waves. //Maybe they just weren’t any curtains, whatever that meant. Maybe he was making everything up. Tags: kinda like The Girl Of the Train tbh

Name ideas:

Buzz off

Sweet as honey: What chloe turns out to love in a man is how sweet he can be

Renaitre

Esquisse

Preen my feathers (peacock holder Nath + motif with Chloe & appearances)

Quick ideas:

"I’ve spent so long hoping to be saved, that it feels weird to save people."

Chloe realizes her mother will never love her, or even respect her. Everything changes. //She lets herself be and experience pain and failure

By fake dating chlonath can make adrienette jealous! A scene: chloe tightens her grip on his arm with a crestfallen gaze at adrienette, nath is like ...? and realize Chloe hated Marinette bc abandonment issues

Sabrina chews chloe out and is done with her when they were on an outing, chloe runs into the nearest building, a museum, to hide and cry her eyes out. She bumps into Nath, and a friendship goes from there.

Ever since nath learned chloe is queen bee, he calls her stuff like yes your stinginess.

Nath brings chloe to a emo concert to throw her off, all hell breaks loose. (She likes it)

Two works linked together, one from chloe pov about nath n the other vice versa. "It’s wicked how sweet you are" and "it’s sweet how wicked you are"

Impression, soleil levant: they have a run in in the museum. Chloe genuinely likes fine art. Nath likes popping color, lineart, contrast and stylistic appeal, more contemporary stuff. Chloe really like impressionism, it calms her down, she could spend a lot of time just watching a painting. When she was a kid her dad would bring her when talking business at the louvre so she ran off with Jean and she knows the museum very well.

Chloe’s dad keeps bothering her about rules and standards and finding a partner, so Chloe resolves to find the lamest lousiest boyfriend. To make a statement, of course, she tells herself so when her eyes keep flicking to the redhead sitting at the back of the class.

What better way to learn to be vulnerable with each other than ice skating, when you’re both awful at it? A date <3

She points out a panel with queen bee when he’s doodling it, she has no context she just chilling "why is her hair down?" Nath answers without missing a beat "It’s a metaphor for vulnerability".

Nath starts disappearing quietly to places more and more, now that he has a miraculous. Chloe susses him out. W-what?? How did you notice it? Nobody ever pays attention to me- Ugh, you’re *impossible* to miss with that fluorescent hair of yours. Well you’re the only person who pays attention to it, apparently. Hah, blame my superior eyes if you must. Well if *I’m* what your superior eyes choose to watch then- U-um, we’re getting sidetracked! W-what are you doing here! Reverse universe where she’s still denied being queen bee so she’s Nath’s sidekick? He doesn’t really have any friends besides Marc which not in this universe bc it comes before, so he wouldn’t have anyone else so lowkey he’s grateful. He notices her really truly changing for the better as they hang out more.

I dig my hole, you build a wall: As Chloe Bourgeois doubles down on being an irredeemable bully, Queen Bee continues to rise on a pedestral of adoration. It doesn’t help, nothing ever does, and it’s getting harder to make herself ignore how miserable she is. Chloe drowns herself in her superhero job, squeezes every drop of appreciation from her fans she can. Nath happens to be one of them, hardcore. She just needs someone to lean on.

26/11/‘22 Chloe gets akumatized into a dollhouse lover like with her teddybear mr cuddles, and she wants to kidnap some ppl and keep them like dolls to play with her and listen to her every want and choice of activities. Sabrina is mad at her so elle la boude. She picks Nath and they have a tea party isolated at Le grand paris etc etc. Maybe after Adrien cuts it off with Chloe so she freaks out amd wants friends, even if toxic controlling, but she’s not shooting for Adrien bc she’s upset at him and ignores him.

Outlined:

He forgets some comic pages behind, vs queen wasp, and goes back to get them and finds chloe reading them intensely, seeming genuinely invested. She’s lowkey having a panic attack n shoos off an akuma?? He’s shocked, but that requires introspection so in the moment he’s doubtful and bitter. She’s panicced and embarrassed about having been found out. He’s like, wtf was so upsetting about my comic?? Jealous of my art? Mad that something isn’t about you? Angry that I have talent and dreams, unlike you? she flinches. She upsetti "you wouldn’t understand." "Oh, try me. I have experience in being put down, after all." He bites coldly. She explains half-heartedly "Oh, here comes the self-pity." Her lips quiver, she looks down. "You’re right. It is self-pity. I’m miserable." The "and I have no one else to pity me but me" is muttered so quietly. Her fists clench, chin tucked in her torso. Then her gaze hardens and she snaps her head up. "Whatever." He blocks her way out. She grits dangerously "*Out*. Of. The way." Her eyes prickle with tears. He doesn’t even flinch "That won’t work today." She’s so close to snapping violently but instead just cries. Blabla "Yeah well, when you’ve dug a hole as deeply as I have, you can’t get out. Not without a miracle, anyways." She says, you could do one about queen bee next, please. N leaves quietly and he’s never seen her so... non-agressive.

Entracte/solo act: Picking on Nathaniel Kurtzberg when alone with him, Chloe found, was a much different experience than humiliating him in public. It turns out, he only unleashes his fury on the most deserving of private audiences. Notes: I headcanon Nath, bc of the reflekto ep, would stand up for himself more if he wasn’t being bullied in public. I feel like having all the eyes on him motivates him to shut up and try to make the ordeal as brief as possible & leave the situation, so when he’s alone and getting sass he has less qualms about snapping and ripping into ppl lol. Chloe goes to the art room and Nath is alone in it. He asks where Sabrina is, she rolls her eyes "She had *something important* to attend to." She goes to see what he’s working on and makes her snide remarks as usual but unlike usual he snaps and rips into her, she loses her haughty attitude real quick. The next time they make eye contact in class, she grimaces and looks away. He wins. But then she gets a fire and glares at him head on. Let the war truly begin. 

To Nathaniel’s and Choe’s horror, the class goes on a mandatory camping trip. It does not go well for either of them. "Um, I’m sorry mme Bustier but I won’t be able to come. I’m sick, yes, cough cough, how unfortunate." Bustier is not amused. She groans when it’s announced they’ll have a camping trip. Nath keeps his in, but for once they agree on something. Ugh.  Nath just wants to draw in his tent, that’s too much to ask??!

Royalties: nath finds out chloe is queen bee and threatens to tell it to everyone so that ladybug will take her miraculous away. In exchange for his secret, Chloe must praise him and his art on her social media, throw his name in at fancy soirées, become his "fan". To Nath’s surprise and Chloe’s horror, it backfires. Royally. Her "Nath is so cool" post was half advertizing half for public humiliation. Being the daughter of the mayor of one of the most famous cities in the world meant she has a lot of followers, quite a few in the elite sphere of Paris. The post’s a bit rebellious on her end because he doesn’t like her calling him Nath. Since Chloe *never* praises anyone and the tone was overeager/affectious, people start theorizing they’re actually dating. He takes the logical leap to be invited by her at an event, but as a plus one because it’s not her party to invite people at. Normally he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with a fancy party, but he begrudgingly has to admit networking is very important as an artist, plus he’d do it to piss off Chloe alone.

Vampire au!! Summary: Beyond her humanity, which Chloe had never truly cared about anyway, becoming a vampire hadn’t really, concretely, taken away anything from her. She was still rich, loved by all of Paris, and beautiful. And yet, she realized then that she had lost herself without knowing when.  //Chloe has been a vampire for a lil while, very upset. Mr cuddly is also a reminder of her past life. She longs to see herself again, she has had to keep out of the spotlight because she has no reflection and can’t be taken a picture of, she asks Nath to draw her like in Mirror, Mirror the awesome fic which I recommend! Nath finds out her new identity so he becomes tied up in it all, he’s the only one who knows so he becomes who she feeds on. "I can pay you. What do you want? A thousand euros per night? The latest drawing tablets? A gallery showing? Publishing deal? Just help me." Right from the start she feeds off from his neck despite his hesitance. She goes "a wrist? Are you kidding me? I settle for nothing but the best." But the reality is she just wants to feel close to someone, one time the bite turns into a hug crying session. -"... Does that mean my blood is the tastiest?" She’s shaken at that, "That- was *not* what I was implying. It’s not like I would know, anyways." She huffs n looks away. "Your blood is... satisfactory." He smirks, from her, that’s a huge compliment. He can just hear it in his mind "My taste buds are only the most refined!! I can tolerate only but the best!!" She does tell him he’s sweaty n stinks the first time tho. He has to hide his neck bite, ppl tease him about hickeys. At some point a classmate figures out it’s chloe that gives him his hickeys and Nath has to damage control and people start sussing they’re a couple.

No lullaby: No one liked her, but she could dream, couldn’t she? The delusions she lulled herself to had never really been dreams, but maybe to reborn anew she could find a lullaby in someone new, too. // based on the song No Lullaby by Siamés. Also La la la by Jason Chen Akuma that calls itself Lullaby, it was made because they have to move away from their parents or smth like that, so it lashes out and makes all kinds of kiddy & wholesome parenthood stuff. It turns people into happy kids/babies by tapping into childhood memories of parents(something like that), but doesn’t affect Chloe. Because Chloe never had her parents be around much, or them being much like parents at all. Chloe is fighting as Queen Bee, of course, in an AU where people know who she is but Ladybug still trusts her to want not to smear her family name by being a bad superhero. "I could be a superhero and my mother still wouldn’t blink my way... Oh, sorry, that actually happened, not much for an hypothetical." Everyone stares at her in shock. "What? I can have a smart vocabulary!" People look at her with pity and sympathy. "T-that’s not it..." Chat says. Anyways they’re fighting it and a lot of other miraculous holders get hit and she does too but is immune bc it taps into their happy parents childhood memories, meanwhile it’s only able to conjure up her plushie for her. Anyways so she gets swinged up to a rooftop where Nathaniel is sitting and drawing Queen Bee, he jolts and goes "Q-quee-Chloe?" but they don’t have much time since the akuma comes swinging in too and gets Nath under its spell. She carries around baby!Nath around because for some reason she feels a sort of duty to people she knows irl. She goes to the building the other holders are in or something but still ends up alone with Nath since everyone got affected, she panics as her miraculous beeps and she’s alone to fix everything, but Nathaniel draws with his fine art colored pencils like kids use crayons and does tons of kiddy imaginative drawings, and starts humming, bringing her out of her torpor. As the tune calms her, she does a “what would Ladybug do?”, "Ugh, I could have used Evillustrator right about now." She strategizes on how to break the spell over Ladybug for purification, and goes in to break the akuma item holder. When Nathaniel comes to, he’s mad to have ruined his pencils, now with blunt deformed tips, but then he looks at his sketchbook in utter confusion he sees pages and pages of kid’s drawings, recognizing his own infantile style, but the most curious are that some drawings include Queen Bee. His feelings are conflicted and he wants to know what happened, but dreads asking her, but he laughs at a drawing of him pulling her ponytail, and stills at the one of her hugging him. End notes: Next time Queen Bee gets swung onto his rooftops by an akuma, Nath jolts but responds to that adrenaline by crossing his leg over his other knee and raising an eyebrow over half-lidded eyes: "Somehow, I’m not surprised." You know, like sometimes when people flirt as fight or flight response lmao.

22/2/‘23 Chloe was trying really hard to be kind like a true superhero now, and with the birthday of her classmate Nathaniel coming up she would have to, painstakingly, do everything in her power to give him the best gift ever. One problem is, she doesn’t really know him, like, at all. She asks him what he likes. She thinks of supherhero stuff and art stuff. She doesn’t know about drawing tablets so she’s like, what about this professional drawing desk I’ll have my bodyguard carry? As if everyone has the privilege to have the space for a new furniture on a whim. She asks Sabrina for help like this close to a meltdown, maybe even Marinette: "The fool was in love with you, don’t you know anything about him that could help??" And then at the end shes like "omg. I can get him an interview with Queen Bee!" Ooh does she get akumatized with some gifter gimmick? Would be neat but naaah. Maybe two parts, idk what the end should be! Copic markers maybe

[fbfh]

steve x reader x eddie hcs

wc: 1k

warnings: one mention of harringrove being "grossly sexual", brief making out, dustin has the brain cell as always

a/n: I just watched st4 vol2 and I DON'T LIKE THIS!!!!!!! CHRISSY WAKE UP!!!!!! also I started writing this after vol1 was released and it was before steddie was accepted as the ship name which is why steveddie comes up (which is terrible) anyway yeah love these boys love their dynamic going to fight the duffer brothers on sight /j

tags @yesv01 @hopefullhearts @littlewinter1917 @thatawkwardlittlefangirl  @Sad-brunnettee @ilikemypolarbear @lubsana @cowboylikekelsey @Ronnasey @the-snake-pit @inqueee

Ooooh girl

You thought harringrove was competitive??

Which like

They are

But harringrove is competitive in a very grossly sexual way

Their arguing is just sexual tension yk

But steddie????

(btw are we decided on that as the ship name bc I REFUSE to call them “steveddie” 🤢🤢🤢)

(it’s giving stevonnie but rancid??? Don’t like it)

Anyway Steve and Eddie kind of actually hate each other at first??

They have VERY clashing aesthetics

Even just their music

Steve can sing along to pretty much any pop song on the radio

Eddie has all of Iron Maiden's discography memorized 

And they scoff at each other’s music taste every time

They get none of each others references 

Which is especially bad for Steve because every time he misses one of Eddie’s nerd references Eddie’s like “I told you this guy has NO taste why are you letting him hang around??” in a way that makes you laugh and makes Steve a little pissy

Steddie are competitive because Eddie is very dramatic and always doing the most, and Steve is like “I can do that too, okay”

Steve won’t hesitate to roast Eddie a little either

“Yeah, well, at least I have better hair”

“...low fucking blow man”

Yeah Steve is competitive and Eddie is dramatic and NEITHER of them can back down from a challenge

You are the one piece of overlap holding them together 

Over time they start grow fond of each other 

Which starts with calling a truce over their shared affection for you

They’re watching you do something cute

Maybe you fell asleep on both of them, maybe you just did something really cute and on brand for you, maybe you’re helping Dustin with girl problems

But they’re both just staring at you, their love obvious to anyone in the room 

Including each other

They both kind of realize hey this guy likes you as much as I do

There’s a shared comfort that you have more than one person to take good care of you and love you like you deserve to be loved

They know you’ll never be lonely, you’ll always have someone there with you

So when Steve sees Eddie with his arm around you at his basketball games

Or when Eddie sees you and Steve giggling and talking a little too close while he’s setting up a dnd meeting 

It now brings a sense of comfort

You’re getting everything you need, all the time

And jesus fucking christ these boys are SUCH loyal bastards

So duh they’ll do whatever they need to to make sure you’re good

To make sure you’re being kissed and cuddled and smiling 

That you always have a hand to hold and someone to help you check items off the shopping list 

You really are the glue that held them together

And now they’re held together by their love for you and respect for each other

You’re probably going to have to remind Steve that he’s cool too

He won’t admit it but boy’s self esteem has PLUMMETED over the past few years

Sometimes he’ll go on these not so secretly self deprecating rants about how EvErYbOdY LoVeS a BaD bOy while he tidies up, dish towel tossed over his shoulder

And of course he’s not cool, he’s the babysitter who wore a sailor suit for an entire summer

PLEASE tell him you think he’s cool AND hot

And wink at him when you tell him you have a thing for babysitters

[cue making out noises]

And EDDIE????? Dear god

He has to stand next to Steve “the hair” Harrington aka the king of Hawkins High and not feel insecure?????

Yeah right

So you sit on his lap and twirl his hair and tell him how unique and hot he is 

And trace his tattoos while you talk too

[cue more making out noises]

Once they finally eventually get on the same page???? 

All three of you are co parenting dustin 

Whenever Steve and Eddie get on his nerves you just hear him yell your name from the other room

You enter with a sigh and before you can ask what’s wrong everyone’s yelling over each other

And Dustin is like “THEY’RE BEING DICKHEADS”

You get them to calm down 

Which doesn’t take much effort, you have a magnetic comforting presence and they all love being around you

And have him explain what’s going on

“...yeah guys that’s kind of dickheadish”

And later at night when you’re all cuddled up on the couch

You’re sandwiched between them watching the movies Steve brought back from family video 

Your head is on Eddie’s shoulder, cheek smushed against the soft, worn denim of his vest

You’re holding Steve’s arm, fingers intertwined

You’re not asleep

Not yet, not really

But you’re drowsy 

You feel them work together to tuck a blanket over you without moving you or waking you up 

You hear their quiet conversation under their breath about how great you are, how much they love you

That silent agreement to always keep you safe and happy and loved strengthens their bond in moments like this

Bonding over you

You’re not asleep yet, but you know you could be

You could let yourself fall asleep like this, squished up between their warm bodies and muscles while risky business or ferris bueller's day off plays in front of you, illuminating you in the flickering light of the screen 

And you would sleep so well

So deep and peacefully knowing you have your Stevie and your dungeon master there to take care of you

Just like they always have and always will

[a-canker-in-a-hedge]

the people (read: like 4 of you) have spoken! musicals only jfj playlist incoming!! brace for impact!!!

curator's notes below the cut, if you're interested in that sort of thing. otherwise, have fun! maybe i'll drop the frmc one next!

Into the Fire, The Scarlet Pimpernel

I think we as a society are sleeping on The Scarlet Pimpernel the musical, it's bonkers. This one's from act 1, where the titular Scarlet Pimpernel (arguably the first masked vigilante in English literature) and his buddies take off to rescue poor trapped aristocrats from the French Revolution. In a lot of ways, it's best read in conversation with Les Mis (the original novel was written by a baroness, it's reactionary as shit), but here I think it expresses an enthusiastic (and to be clear, Bad) English nationalism that speaks to a young JFJ and precisely what he thinks he's getting out of joining the navy. He is Not Correct, as we shall see.

2. Glory, Pippin

I think this one speaks for itself. Patina Miller as Pippin's Leading Player brings a terrifying, seductive irony and contrast to this number, contrasting the horror of war with the rhetoric that convinces people to go die in the name of the king. The narrative here is I think pretty clear; this is what it's actually like to nearly die in battle. It's bizarre and dizzying and confusing and kind of silly, and you'll only make sense of it later when you can build a performance out of the experience.

3. The I Love You Song, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Oh James. If only mommy and daddy loved you. This one breaks my heart. Neglected children will do a lot to fill that void. This song provides context to the previous two. He wants to be loved, and he confuses love with attention and praise and power. And it will eventually kill him. Again too we see the theming of fantasy as a narrative device. James makes up stories about himself, for himself, contextualizing and recontextualizing James Fitzjames to suit his needs, whatever they may be.

4. The Last One You'd Expect, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder

Men Will Tell Such Lies About Themselves. Gentlemen's Guide is so funny, everyone should go give the whole album a listen. I like the conclusion of this one as the high point of JFJ's pre-Terror success. Specifically, I like the struggle to stay ahead of the tidal wave he's built himself that's rolling up on his heels. It can't possibly catch up with you if you keep moving, right?

5. Where I Want to Be, Chess

CHESS THE MUSICAL BABEYYYY I AM NOTHING IF NOT ON BRAND. This is a pair with the previous song, an internal monologue as opposed to the external perception of success we've seen previously. The emptiness, the sense of loss of self, the fear and paranoia of living with one's lies, sacrifices, and the harm one's own ambition has caused those around you. It's also got those big stupid melodramatic violins. Fun Fact! The score for Chess was written by Benny and Bjorn from ABBA! I also think JFJ would have really enjoyed Mamma Mia. This is also the Josh Groban concert version, partially bc if I had to pick someone to be jfj's singing voice in the disney animated Terror, it would be him.

6. 30/90, tick, tick...BOOM!

Oh shit death is coming for you king, You Are Running Out Of Time. I feel like this one speaks for itself, if instead of grey hairs you could see the blood at your hairline. Well, not yet. But soon.

7. Is This What You Call Love?, Passion

Speaking of getting slept on, Passion my beloved. This is the most underrated Sondheim musical imo, and is one of the few songs on this playlist where I had a specific scene in mind when I added it. Yes it is that one. Songs to get punched in the face by your captain to.

8. Totally Fucked, Spring Awakening

Do I even need to say? You get it. We understand each other. Yes. This was the toughest one to fit in aesthetically with the soundscape of this playlist, but I think it works where it is.

9. You Gotta Die Sometime, Falsettos

Oh Shit Death Is Coming For You King. You Are Running Out Of Time. This is the 2nd song from a William Flynn show on this bad boy, which feels appropriate to me, somehow. I can't explain it, it's vibes. I think this song really gives JFJ a beat to breathe, to sit in the inevitability of his fate, and a bitter kind of acceptance. It works for me.

10. Any Kind of Dead Person, Ghost Quartet

And now we're having fun with it! This is the only Dave Malloy tune on here, and it's also one of the most lighthearted. As has happened several times before, this song is in direct conversation with its predecessor. You need to keep going somehow, even if you're only walking to the end. Very Samuel Beckett-core, now that I think about it.

11. I Don't Know How To Love Him, Jesus Christ Superstar

We understand each other. You understand why I have done this. I picked the movie version because I like the orchestration better. I have no other notes.

12. Come to My Garden/Lift Me Up, The Secret Garden

This is the most distant parallel line in this whole playlist, but this one is in conversation with The I Love You Song. Reconciliation with an absent parent, with the wounds of the child. They are calling you on. Make peace with yourself. We are almost there.

13. Love To Me, The Light in the Piazza

Please excuse Matthew Morrison's bad Italian accent. I love this song so much. There's a note in Sondheim's collected lyrics about simplicity, and I think this song embodies it. This song is so much about seeing someone for who they are, and it shows in the lyrics, in the lack of both musical ornamentation and complex text, even in the delivery. If I may have one more direct parallel, this song is speaking to 'more than god loves them.'

14. Finale: Make Our Garden Grow, Candide

Let me preface this by saying that this is not a fix-it ending. James does not live at this time. With that being said, I picked this one for two reasons. One, the resonance sonically and lyrically with the previous two songs, and two, the theme of letting go of ambition/expectation/demand. The acceptance of imperfection. The resolution into the simplicity of the body/existence/the reality of one materiality and mortality. There is no Eden to return to. We have only each other. JFJ has the only peaceful death we see onscreen, and for me, this song resonates with that. The release on that last note. 10/10 thank you Mr. Bernstein. That is all there is no more, thank you for coming to my ted talk. Goodnight <3

[noblehcart]

✨oh fuck yeah make pav smell like things

Send me a ✨(or 'sparkle' if you can't see it) and I will answer with what I think your muse would wear as a fragrance! Multimuses, please specify which muse! @ensnchekov

ok so here's the thing. Pavel Andreivich Chekov is not a basic guy, but he is a pragmatist. He's the guy who ditches the designer level stuff because he is making his mark on the world and his cologne should be just as defined. However, I don't see him going especially unique or daring regarding fragrance. I totally see Pavel going in the direction of House of Creed. Its one of the pillars of niche cologne for men. Its a standard that set the standard of fine cologne/fragrance and an old well established house.

Firstly, Creed Aventus is definitely one I feel like Pavel would start off with. I generally don't push or rec Aventus too often because its very common in the 'niche' market, but its a SOLID cologne that suits Pavel with opening notes of fruit. Its fresh and bright with apple, bergamont and pineapple to add a certain crispness. Middle notes take the fragrance more into nature with woody birch, depth patchouli and heady moroccan jasmine and rose to bring that earlier freshness into something more mellow. The drydown is musk, oakmoss, ambergris and vanille which should bring things down into a more smooth musk thanks to the oakmoss. Its a great 'starter' cologne for Pavel especially considering his age. This is very much a wealthy upstanding young professional scent.

I couldn't pick just one so here's #2: Penhaligon's Roaring Radcliff. So I adore Penhaligon fragrances so of course it made the list. However, I don't really see this brand as being Pavel's go-to or aesthetic, but this fragrance is worth mentioning. Opening notes are rum, bergamont and tarragon followed by the next layer of tobacco, ginger and rose. I really like these middle notes for him because of the russian imagery of men smoking tobacco, some of the home remedies involving ginger and of course rose to soften it all out. Its the base notes that I think are very interesting for him because it softens into a leathery, cinnamon, honey-esque scent that turns a little waxy and a little vanilla thanks to the tonka bean.

Honorable mentions go to Frederic Malle's Uncut Gem (a citrusy ,amber earthy scent) & Frederic Malle's Vetiver Extraordinaire (a woody, aromatic citrus) because I feel like Malle is something Pavel grows into. I think its more his aesthetic but the ones above are more early days Pavel on the Enterprise.

[catb-fics]

If Van decides to pursue a solo career and release a new album, what change would you want to see regarding his music and overall brand (or ethos)? Would you want to change the usual "theme" of his songs and if yes, in what way? Would you want him to explore other genre, other music writing style, or even another theme that is different from his black and white aesthetic? I've seen a lot of comments saying that catb's 3 albums all sound the same so I was wondering that if he ever decides to explore outside his usual stuff, what change would we want to see? And can you envision that change to be refreshing and catchy enough to have us hooked the way his other 3 albums did? I am very curious with your opinion regarding this as I have always loved your content about catb (specially with Van). Thank you! 💗

I really am in two minds about this. It would be exciting to see him changing things up but then this is Van we’re talking about - he’s spent years talking about how he wants to keep things “in the box” and we know how he loves his big guitars and anthemic catchy choruses - and to be honest I think I’d miss it if he was to change things drastically.

More and more I’m getting to think it would be good to step away from the catb name now and make a fresh start. As sad as that makes me feel, a new band line up wouldn’t be catb for me anymore. I want a new era and fresh start away from all the negativity surrounding the band’s split!

I would love to hear him bring out an acoustic album, just stripped back - maybe some piano and strings! He has such a beautiful voice, that would be an absolute dream for me 🖤

I’d deffo not want him to change his aesthetic, it suits him so well and he obviously feels so comfortable with that image and style. I love it!

This is my opinion though, I know there’s loads of fans out there who bang on about the music not changing. Liam G has done it successfully, but then he’s doing that off the back of being in one of the biggest bands of all time! I’m scared that if Van brought out more of the same he wouldn’t be as successful - idk though - what do you think?

I guess I just want him to do whatever’s good for him. I’ve loved everything he’s done so far and would support him in whatever he does next ❤️Sorry this is just a load of waffle ha ha - tell me your thoughts!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Same fashion anon! I didn't mean to imply that I thought the oversized suiting was bad tailoring or even something I didn't enjoy- I don't think any of the houses walking at PFW would ever send anything down with objectively bad tailoring. What I meant was that there seems to be a significant trend towards larger suiting, especially strong shoulders (you see this in the Saint Laurent collection too- which I also agree was elegant and lovely and really well done. In my personal top 5 for sure. I'm glad to see them returning to their roots after the turn towards a more glam-rock style during the mid 2010s. Did you see their SS this year? I liked it more than FW)

When you see a bunch of collections all showing similar silhouettes, it starts to feel same-y after four or five. That's all I meant.

Dior still feels like a weird fit for Jimin for me. Like you, I'd prefer to see him in a brand that's a little more elegant, a little more androgynous. Sports-inspired just doesn't feel like a good match, but what do I know? Saint Laurent is one for sure, I think he would have killed in those Valentino fits Yoongi was wearing, again I like Lemaire for a more casual feel but I doubt they could afford him. Still, I haven't passed judgement yet. Anything is better than LV after the disaster that was all of their styling in 2021/2022. Patiently waiting to see what comes.

Hey, you're back!

Thanks for clarifying your comments re tailoring. I see what you mean now about larger suiting and yep, it is more of an aesthetic choice that looks like it's going to stick for a while anyway. I haven't seen the Saint Laurent S/S, but I'll check it out. I didn't really keep up lately and probably wouldn't have done it now if it weren't for Jimin, but it's an opportunity to go back to my interests from years before.

I still don't see why exactly Dior and Jimin are that good of a match when we know Jimin looks absolutely stunning and has this regal feel to it whenever he goes for something really elegant, with an air of mistery around him. A bit untouchable and clearly the highlight everywhere. The Dior suit didn't really achieve that.

But, leaving aside these complaints/personal opinions, at least there's no more LV in sight. I've had it with those clothes and all the red carpet/event looks. I just hated it because it also came after Jungkook was going into a more genderless style of clothing and he was experimenting with his sillhoutte and then it was all gone. I know he is usually the one who experiments the most and is open to change so I can't blaim LV solely for that, but the timing did no good.

[cybernexus]

what kind of aesthetics does raj appreciate? in terms of fashion and art.. raj seems like the type to appreciate clothes by zolnar. are there certain colors that he gravitates to?

Let's see... he's a big fan of streetwear and futuristic stuff so hell yea!!! If I could make clothes from scratch, since I'm still learning 3D and I can't as of yet, I would make like 1000 more outfits for him that look just like those! I'm very uninitiated when it comes to fashion and don't know brands very well but I loved looking at the pictures I saw of those.

(Cut for length)

He tends to prefer dark colors, with pops of color here and there. He himself is pretty colorful, so he kind of brings the colorfulness in his outfits. IMO he looks great with black, due to how black and red go together. He'll wear more loud colors on occasion, as he doesn't usually care what other people think unless it's someone close to him (just look at that crop top with his pecs out, like damn lol). But usually it's monochrome or black and red. He does like wearing brighter, more flashy colors, but overall he thinks that darker ones suit him.

He goes back and forth between wearing relatively "conservative" clothing as far as skin being covered is concerned, to wearing y'know, a crop top and skinny jeans. And also being naked. Because maybe like 30% of the time he is! Although he wears armor over his cybernetic chassis so unless he's not wearing that, he's never truly "naked." He tends not to think of his body in a manner similar to a human's, so when he's reminded that it's human shaped (especially if somebody flirts with him) he tends to get embarrassed. Lately he's taken to wearing clothes a bit more often. He doesn't really care what anybody else thinks, but god help him if his friends tease him. I guess you could kind of call him a bit of a goth with how much black he wears; but not quite as much as my other muse Aihren does. His style is otherwise stuff like streetwear, techwear, cyberpunk style clothes. He'll occasionally pull off a casual look pretty well (like in that vneck tshirt below).

Here's a sample of what he wears on a daily basis with a bonus formal outfit:

For art:

Despite his rather monochrome choice of attire, he actually really likes colors. He's one of those people where if you ask what his favorite color is, he has a hard time and just can't pick because to him, they're all beautiful. He will legit kick your ass if you try to guess for him and say it's red. Lmfao

He enjoys colors that scare people who are afraid of color (like the kinds of people who paint their whole house white). Cyan and pink, neon green and purple, black and blood red, cyan and gold, ect. He will also go for more traditional, "classy" color combos like black and gold or just monochrome with shades of white, black, and gray.

He's also particularly appreciative of just about every form of art. Especially if it's something he's never heard of before, or from a dying hobby (in the grim cyberpunk future) that's being revived.

Some of his favorite kinds of art are the more difficult to find arts in his futuristic era that require physical materials and aren't digital in nature. In his world, there are simulators that can do just about anything, this means that fewer and fewer people are being taught the real life methods of art. These arts that he appreciates are: traditional painting, stone sculpting, wood working, and so on.

And a last bonus close up of the doodle I made: