#traditional australian dress

[dailypearldoodles]

if you'd like something more challenging, maybe a wolf pearl with human tilly?

Day 259

Oh this one really tickled me. I was thinking that Tilly would be an old lady and like, really motherly, but I also wanted her to be a warrior and she has her fair share of battle wounds and stitches. She's also really big. She big lady. Like, Luisa size. She's also maybe like semi immortal? Her husband has died of old age and all her kids have grown up and moved out, so she's just chillin in her cottage.

Pearl, I decided to base her off of those more brownish wolves. She got either separated or abandoned by her pack when she was still an adolescent, and Tilly found her and took care of her. She's also cursed to cause misfortune to those around her. That doesn't deter Tilly tho. The red bandana that she wears used to be Tilly's :D

[laneywrld]

call out my name | Lewis Hamilton

request: heyy, can we get a story with call out my name by the weeknd as the base line of the story .

word count: 3.6k

warnings: none

When you first met Lewis, you had a feeling it'd end like this.

If you could go back and change that night, you would, with no hesitation. You missed the days when Lewis was a nonfactor in your life when you didn't know he existed.

You remember that night all too well. Miami was always alive when the Grand Prix came around, your friends, like the partygoers they were enjoyed taking the opportunity to take on the vibrant nightlife and enjoy the crowds the race brought in.

It was an annual tradition, you could say, to party like tomorrow didn't exist when the lights shut down and engines roared to life.

When you first moved to Miami, you hadn't understood the essence of the sport or the crowds it brought in, until you met an overly enthusiastic Daniel Ricciardo.

You had no clue who he was when he quite literally stumbled into your path; his boyish smile and golden retriever energy made it almost impossible to be mad at him as his drink soaked your dress.

"I'm so sorry!" He calls out, stumbling over himself.

"You're not from here?" You called out as you reached down to help him stand up straight. His thick accent was a dead giveaway.

"No, I'm Australian."

"Long way from home," you shouted over the music, dragging his frame into an open seat further away from the dance floor.

"I'm working." He slurs, smiling up at you.

"Mhmm, doesn't look like you're working," you trail off, "what's your name?"

"Danny. After work fun."

"Ahh," you hum, "okay, understandable. I'm going to get you some water, okay? Did you come here with friends?"

"No. Was actually planning on making some friends." He laughs, and it makes you chortle as well.

"Miami is not the place to make friends Danny." You informed. "Stay here, I'm going to grab that water."

You saunter away, keeping an eye on the lean man as you approach the bar. You order a water, paying for the overpriced bottle with your Apple wallet, and quickly return to the drunken man. You don't know why you helped him; it was just in your nature to assist anyone you could.

Danny smiles up at you with an appreciative smile as you uncap the bottle for him, "Can you hold it, or do I have to give it to you?" You inquire.

"Give it to me, please."

You both break out into childish snickers at his words. "Easy there, buddy," you warn, tilting his chin up and directing the bottle to his mouth.

You pull it away, tightening the cap and placing it in front of him on the table. You then slide into the booth beside, "I'd feel better with myself if I stay with you for a while, just to make sure you're okay."

He nods, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows, "Yeah, I get it; I'm so shitfaced right now."

It is quiet between the two of you for a while, you constantly reaching over to make sure he's hydrated and him smiling at you all dopey-like.

"You from here?" He asks as he starts to regain his sober mind.

You shake your head, "No, just moved here though."

"You can be my Miami friend." Danny grins.

"I'll probably never see you again after tonight, Mr Australia." You joke, nudging his shoulder with your own.

"I come here every year around this time." He announces. "Work."

"Work," you nod. "Right."

"Yes or no?" He prods.

"Have to see if you can hang; it doesn’t look like you can." You joke.

He scoffs, leaning away and eyeing you. "Please, I am a good time, the best time."

"Sir, I've just met you, and I'm taking care of your drunk ass." You cackle.

"How about this, stick with me for the rest of the night, and if we have a blast, every time I'm in Miami, you ride with me."

"You're going to get white girl wasted every time?" You inquire with a raised brow, and he laughs hard.

"Probably."

It was safe to say that Daniel was a blast. Even if he did party like a fratboy, you enjoyed his company. He gave you the energy of a teenage coming-of-age movie, doing whatever and saying whatever with his friends. It was a connection you hadn't experienced before.

And you enjoyed it, you liked spending time with your Australian friend. Which is how you ended up meeting Sir Lewis Hamilton six years later.

Lewis didn't know why he allowed his enthusiastic coworker to convince him to spend a night in Miami with him. The only solace he found in the situation was knowing that he wasn't the only driver there. Everyone was there, in a section booked by no one other than Daniel Ric himself.

It was nice for sure, and Lewis was curious as to how Daniel, of all people, knew so much about the lively city of Miami and their restless nightlife.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Lewis, just felt out of place a little bit, without his usual crew.

"Hey Guys, I'll be back in a second, I'm going to grab my friend."

Lewis rolls his eyes taking another sip from his glass.

He doesn't know who he was expecting, a Ken doll, a high-energy frat boy like Daniel, or even a valley girl with a high-pitched voice. This was Miami, so logically his smartest anticipation would be a surgery-riddled Kim Kardashian lookalike. But not you, Lewis would never expected you to enter the section, arm wrapped around Daniel's waist as you cackle at whatever nonsense leaves his mouth.

He is instantly intrigued, his phone being powered off and stuffed into his hoodie pocket.

You were beautiful with your rich complexion and beaming grin as he walked you down the line introducing you one by one.

His eyes never leave you as he watches you interact with everyone. You cloud his vision as you get closer. His eyes trace your hair and flow down to your brows and your alluring eyes. His view travels down your nose and lingers on your spread lips. And he physically lets out a sigh as he traces over your body.

You would drive him mad. He knows it.

-

As you take the time to introduce yourself to Danny's coworkers, you aren't surprised to see, well, to make it short, people who are not of your crowd.

But to your surprise, they're all friendly and welcoming. You're not surprised to see that you have met some of them before on your trips with Daniel or when you fly out to see him.

When you reach the end of the line you see him and your confidence falters as your eyes meet his. You should've known by the way his eyes were drinking you in that he'd be a problem.

With conviction, you approach him, bearing a sly smirk on your face.

"I'm y/n." You declared, and Lewis returned the same decency.

"I'm Lewis."

Your hands meet in the middle and he has a soft grip on you, refusing to let go.

"What's a girl like you doing with Daniel."

"He's my friend." You reply.

"Just a friend?"

"Just a friend." You confirm, and the way he looked at you through his fluffy lashes was evidence enough of what was to come between the two of you.

-

Lewis wasn't all that the media portrayed him to be. He wasn't overly confident or carefree. He actually worried a lot and was stressed a lot.

You knew that he felt like he had something to prove. You met him at his peak, and even now, when he feels like he's at the worst in his career, you're still here.

"So you're going to leave?" You hum, rubbing your fingers through his parts.

"Do you think I should?"

He looks so stressed out that is it has your heart is aching for him.

He's slumped like a kid in your lap with his face set in a frown. "I think that if you're unhappy and there are ways that you feel can change that, that you should look for something new, yes."

"Did you mean what you said last time?"

You think back to the last time you were in his presence, how he had gotten drunk for the first time in years. You wince internally as you recall how you had to nurse him back to health that night, how he cried like a baby when he mentioned how alone he felt at Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton wasn't used to being an afterthought.

"Yes, I don't think they appreciate you, Lewis. I don't think they are valuing your feedback or honoring your talent. I think they are making you miserable." You confess. "There are so many other teams that would love to have you, who would fight for you to reclaim your eighth. I don't think you should keep going through this with that team. Look at how they have you."

"Is your favorite team still Ferrari?" He opens his eyes and stares up at you.

"Duh,"

When you first met Daniel, you had only heard of the sport, but as time went on, he fully immersed you into the world of Formula One. You quickly took a liking to the red team and its intricate history in the sport. When you met Lewis in 2018, he was shocked that you knew so much about them (and barely anything about him).

"Don't tell me you're considering Ferrari, Sir Hamilton." You grin and he only smirks up at you.

"We'll see."

-

After the eventful first night you had spent with Lewis nearly six years ago, Miami has become a frequent destination of his. And New York of yours. The two of you guys had a chemistry unlike any other, every night filled with breathless pants and chants of each other's names. It was electric and erotic all at the same time.

You were fully aware that you and Lewis weren't necessarily together.

You were fun for him and him for you.

It was a mutual agreement, a bond strictly built from the amazing sex that the two of you had together.

You were aware that when the time came for Lewis to settle down and spend the rest of his life together it probably wouldn't be with you. You had believed you'd come to terms with the fact. But the idea of you two being together in the future still lingered in the back of your mind.

But as you scroll through Twitter, images and small clips of Lewis walking hand in hand with a Brazilian model have your heart tightening.

It wasn't like Lewis hadn't given you that false hope of a relationship, because you'd like to think that all of those little small things were him giving in. Surrendering that stupid ideology of his that made him believe he was a permanent bachelor.

You'd been by his side and in his bed over and over again for the last six years. And you’d be doing the same again tonight.

You almost feel grimy, sitting and waiting for him in his hotel room as he takes another woman out on a date, but a part of you knows that you’d accept anything from Lewis. You had standards and you had morals, but for a man like him, you always seem to throw them all out of the window.

Your phone vibrates and pings as your social media erupts in a frenzy.

That was another thing that had your mind in shambles right now.

How open he was when it came to you.

How quick he was to show you to the public, none of his other flings had gotten that opportunity, well until whoever this chick was.

Before you, Lewis hadn't introduced his "fun times" to his friends or even bothered to take any of them to the track.

That was something reserved only for you, though, you feel sort of naive, watching the tan and leggy woman prance around hand in hand with Lewis as he leaves the paddock.

You feel like you're stuck at the crossroads as you wait for Lewis to return.

He'd flown you out here partly because he claimed he missed you so much and the other half because of how much of a hard time you'd been having with your life in general.

Lewis was also a sort of saving grace for you, when you were with him, none of your other problems mattered. So you were quick to accept his invitation.

You'd never have accepted if you knew that he'd be playing a cruel game with you like this.

When the door creaks open and he emerges with a happy grin on his face, and bags filled to the brim with what you know are gifts for you, you can only grimace. Your attempt at a smile seems good enough for him as he approaches you and places a sudden kiss on your head.

"Hey love," He smiles, "I've got some gifts for you, yeah, knew you'd need a pick me up."

And you can't help to wonder if you'd needed the pick me up from his actions or what had transpired within this last week which was the sole purpose of you going to see him.

"I'm going to wash up, really fast, yeah? And then it'll be me and you tonight."

You say nothing as he places the bags at your feet and rushes into the bathroom.

You don't move, but you allow your eyes to skim through the bags and sigh as you see just how much he spent on you.

You had gone and done it.

Gone and made some glorified elaborate fairytale out of a man, who'd only treasured your body and in return showered you with gifts.

You laugh at yourself as your hand comes up to palm at your forehead.

You were his goddamn sugar baby, not the kind of woman he'd settle down with.

You feel even more stupid at the realization, that all of the nights you'd lay with him and console him after giving him your body were not as you had made them out to be.

It wasn't romantic, it was transactional. Those nights where you offered Lewis emotional solace always came with a hefty reward the next morning.

And now, you feel tainted, knowing that all it took was a simple call of your name for you to come flying to him and land in his bed, wrapped around his body.

You found Lewis in his prime and stuck by his side through his decline. You comforted him throughout his entire descent down the totem pole. Helped him out of that broken place, and gave him reassurance and something to look forward to.

You treasured this man.

Put him on top, time and time again, when he would leave you feeling used after your time together. And if it was up to you, you'd probably continue this cycle. Giving him your all and getting nothing in return.

You really wanted him, you wanted him to want you, which is why you were fine with keeping his bed warm, at least he wanted you in some kind of way, craved you even if it wasn't the way you wished to be desired.

When he emerges from the steamy bathroom, body clad only in a pair of briefs and his body soft and glowing, you swallow back all of your thoughts allowing yourself to take him in.

He nestles beside you on the bed, taking one of your hands in his, "everything okay?"

You can only push out a meek "yeah."

And the night goes on as planned.

The dim light of dusk spills through the blinds of the grand hotel room, casting long shadows that dance across the walls. You sit against the headboard, The melancholic melody of the empty night mirrors the turmoil in your heart.

Six years ago, you met Lewis at a nightclub, your paths crossing in a haze of neon lights and pulsing music. He was charming and mysterious, with eyes that held secrets and a smile that promised adventure. Your connection was instantaneous, a spark that quickly grew into an all-consuming flame. You spent endless nights talking, laughing, and dreaming about a future together. Well at least on your end.

But as the years passed, you began to notice the cracks in your seemingly perfect world. Lewis' past as a bachelor was a shadow that loomed over your situationship, a constant reminder of the freeness he carried within him. He would disappear for days on end with no communication, leaving you in a state of anxious uncertainty, your mind racing with thoughts of where he might be and who he might be with. Yet, you had no right to concern yourself with these sorts of things.

As you lay in bed, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on you, you find the courage to ask, "Lewis, do you love me?" His silence is deafening, and the look in his eyes speaks of a love that is nonexistent, a love that is more of a need for you than a want.

"I care about you," he finally whispers, his voice tinged with regret. "But my heart belongs to someone else. I’m sorry."

Your world shatters at that moment, the pieces of your heart shattering like broken glass. You know you have to let him go, to find a way to heal from the pain of a love that was never truly yours.

You realize that you have been holding on to a love that was destined to fade, a love that has left you feeling empty and lost.

You deserve a love that is real and true.

He’s like medicine, he makes you feel good and at the same time, he’s like poison, running through your system and finding a new part of you to sicken. Lewis is a walking contradiction, you don’t know if he’s helping you or hurting you, if he loves you, or if he hates you. Surely, he hates you, why else would he be okay with making you feel like this?

And as the city lights flicker on, you vow to never lose yourself again.

You shouldn't ask, because you know you can't bear the weight of his answer but you do.

"The woman from earlier?"

He sighs, his response weak, "Yes."

"So no more us? Right?"

"I think this is the last time." He admits and you swallow back your tears.

"Okay."

"I still want to be your friend."

"We were never friends Lewis, and we're not going to be friends after this."

Lewis swallows, sitting up to catch your gaze through the darkness.

For years, you and Lewis had maintained a delicate balance, a friends-with-benefits arrangement that allowed you both to keep things uncomplicated. You cherished the intimacy, the shared moments of laughter, the comfort of his presence. But deep down, you always knew that this arrangement had an expiration date, an inevitable end that you tried not to think about.

And now, that end has arrived. Lewis has fallen in love with someone else. You can only turn away from him.

You stand up, the cool air of the room a stark contrast to the warmth of the bed. You begin to gather your clothes, each movement mechanical, your mind numb with the reality of it all. You glance around the room, taking in the familiar surroundings that now feel foreign and distant.

As you pull on your jacket, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Your eyes are filled with unshed tears, your expression a mixture of sadness and resolve. You know that this is the moment you have to let go, to walk away from a love that was never truly yours.

You think it's kind of ironic.

How you'd been there for Lewis, and when you needed him most, he's leaving you behind.

"Do you love me?" Lewis' voice echoes from his place on the bed.

"No." You lie. "It was fun, was fun being a pit stop for you." You chuckle.

"It wasn't like that-"

"No, it's fine, we weren't anything, you fucked me and brought me gifts in return, I ate that up, that's all. I knew I was only here until you made up your mind, I'm happy you did."

You had a tendency to become a bitch when you were hurt and you knew that your words were low blows, but your pride was too hard for you to allow Lewis to see himself affect you in real time.

In reality, you'd hoped that if the unfortunate and impending doom would occur, that Lewis would have the decency to allow you to fall out of love with him first.

Then it wouldn't hurt.

You knew what the arrangement was, you knew that you and Lewis were technically nothing and you always thought that when the day came for him to finally leave you, you'd be fine. You'd feel nothing. But you do.

It feels like when that one character who doesn't care about dying has a sudden brush with death, how almost dying rids you of every sane thought you have, a person who fears nothing all of a sudden fears death, fears everything.

You always thought you'd feel nothing, but losing, could you even say losing Lewis? 

Being left by Lewis feels terrible, being left by him feels scary, like everything you knew before was not as it seems. 

You always thought you'd feel nothing, but you feel everything you thought you never would.

And in the end, you still wanted him to stay. You wanted him to choose you. Even if he didn't want you.

here you go babes @greedyjudge2 !! I'm sorry it took so long <3

part two in the future fs.

[dovveri]

misunderstandings

bachelorette masterlist - part 1 ▸ part 2 ▸ part 3 ▸ part 4 ▸ part 6 ▸ part 7

synopsis: y/n watches the most recent episode of the bachelorette and is met with something she doesn’t like. sana also seems to be angry for whatever reason and it builds up into a big argument at the end of the night.

warnings: sex! overstimulation, fingering, scissoring, oral sex, degradation, choking, cursing

w/c: 7.1k

a/n: soooo sorry for the delay this will probs be my last update for a while bcs finals season is driving me up a wall (if u see me post another story or part its bcs im actually not studying and u should yell at me for it) i lwk hate the pacing of this chapter i feel like its everywhere but hey! we got some smut!

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

the backlash wonsik gets online is more than satisfactory. apparently, with all the evidence piled up against him, he would most likely be sent away for the rest of his life. which is disgusting to think about, how much crime do you have to commit to get a life sentence? you try to shake those thoughts as you watch the most recent episode with the leftover contestants while sana’s on her individual date as usual. it was tradition now, even more so as the pool of contestants gets smaller and smaller.

after your day off, things had gotten right back to normal.

sana went on a solo date with jacky. good thing it was jacky too because they had the famous ‘conquer a fear’ date. who knew big, australian jacky was afraid of balloons. and in typical bachelorette fashion, producers came up with a romantic hot air balloon date for 5am in the morning.

costume designers had rushed into your room at 4am, turning on all the lights and pulling sana from your arms, not even casting you a second look now that they were used to seeing the both of you cuddled up and naked most of the time they had to come in and dress you.

you were barely conscious as they ran around frantically, pulling the covers over your head and groaning a little, trying to make yourself go back to sleep.

you’re sure sana didn’t feel the best either from the little grumbles and whines you can hear faintly as she struggles to keep her eyes open while makeup artists dab eyeshadow on her eyelids.

soon enough they're off and you drift back into sleep, only to be awoken a few hours later so you can get dressed and attend the group date for the day.

that was also pretty fun. everything was meant to be high-adrenaline, facing your fears, all that sort of stuff today. so the team had booked out a big amusement park and you all had free rein. it was also good because it meant you had a little bit more freedom, not everyone had to stick together so people ended up splitting naturally when they wanted to do different rides and you had even managed to sneak sana away from the cameras for a quick make out session in the toilets.

it was a pretty great day and would make for a nice and light episode after the mayhem that happened with wonsik. there was a rose ceremony as always but this time, only 2 people were eliminated. unfortunately you had to say goodbye to dae and nayeon, sana did say it was getting harder and harder to eliminate people because as the more time goes on, the closer you get, and when there's less people in the house, it also facilitates closer relationships. she had to eliminate those two simply because she felt her romantic connection with them wasn't as strong as it was with some of the other contestants. it was rough but that's showbiz.

after 2 more eliminations tonight, it would officially be the quarter finals meaning it would be time for sana to meet all of her last 4 contestants' families and close ones.

currently, you're enjoying an afternoon tea at the contestants' house. as usual, sana was on a solo date with jiwon but there wouldn't be a group date today because there wasn't enough time to film it. instead, the both of you were allowed a little sleep in after yesterday's rude 4am awakening, and a little more time in the afternoon to dress up before the rose ceremony tonight.

the episode had just finished with jacky and sana's date. jacky still won't go near a balloon and he's probably developed a fear of heights on top of that too now but at least it looked pretty on television.

you had teased him when the episode showed him nervously walking around and inspecting the hot air balloon before sana had to basically yank him into the basket. he had his eyes shut tight the entire time, holding on to sana for dear life while they ascended. it was a little cute when sana finally managed to get him to peek his eyes open once they reached their highest altitude, just in time to catch the sunrise, and in exchange for getting over his fear and not backing out of this date with her, she gave him a rose and kissed him on the cheek.

you heard afterwards from eunji that as soon as they touched back down he had jumped out of the basket and laid face down in the grass for about half an hour, just getting used to the feeling of being on the ground again.

they had caught a bit of him on the floor doing exactly that which was pretty hilarious because sana was crouched next to him, poking him and trying to get him to sit up but he just groaned and mumbled something incomprehensibly in response, his rose still clutched tight in his hand, stretched out in front of him.

they cut it off there though, maybe a little for jacky's reputation but you all knew how long he was there for.

after a short break where they show a few scenes of silly occurrences inside the house with the other contestants, and then finding out everyone was invited on the group date that day, except for jacky who was invited but ended up taking the rest of the day off to recuperate and basically laid in bed in the medical office, even skipping the rose ceremony since he already got his rose.

they shot everyone in the car on the way to the amusement park, asking the contestants what they thought was going to happen, if anyone was scared, trying to pull a few comedic clips together, all the anticipation scenes the audience needed to be excited for the date.

eventually, everyone's in the middle of the amusement park with sana and yourself waiting for them in casual clothes. you shift a little as you recall the way you had her gasping into your mouth and your hand up the blue polo shirt she’s wearing on screen only 20 minutes after the introduction and everyone had split off.

in the meantime, while the cameras were running around frantically trying to find sana, they had filled in the gaps with clips of the other contestants, you laugh when momo is practically dragged onto a rollercoaster by jihyo and jun, she’s kicking and screaming but they manage to strap her in and gesture for the roller coaster attendant to go. its one of those really fast ones where it goes from 0 to 100 in seconds so the force pushes all of them back against the seats, poor momo barely has the time to blink and then its over. she’s gasping with her eyes clenched shut while the other two are laughing and pulling her off and along to the next ride.

it’s great being able to watch what happened when you weren’t on screen, and also what sana was up to when you weren’t with her.

you laugh when they show all the contestants clambering onto the carousel, you had all taken some group pictures and some of them were more than silly.

eventually, you get to the rose ceremony, and just as you were on the night, your breath is taken away again with sana in a stunning red dress. she really nailed being on camera, her face was one that was meant to be on screen.

the night starts merrily, everyone's more of a family now, you’re all happy to drink and talk together, and it wasn’t so competitive to get time with sana anymore because there were less contestants.

you frown a little though when the camera shifts to sana and jihyo, they’re sitting very close in one of the more private rooms inside the house.

jihyo’s playing a joke and sana’s laughing, a little flushed, probably from the alcohol as she slaps jihyo’s arm lightheartedly. jihyo preens at the attention, grabbing another drink and offering it to sana who accepts it gratefully and takes a sip.

she hums in satisfaction before speaking up, “so you never did tell me how you broke up with that gym rat…”

jihyo’s laughing a little nervously, twiddling her thumbs a little, “right yeah… i just realised that i made the wrong decision. i was caught up in the newness of everything with him but after that got old, i realised i still loved-“

sana’s eyebrows are shooting up, she’s setting down her drink and clearing her throat.

“sorry.” jihyo flashes an apologetic look over at sana, but sana shakes her head.

“no no it’s okay. be as honest as you can, please. we’re both here because we’re looking for a relationship right? can’t do that if we have any skeletons still in the closet.”

jihyo’s smiling gratefully and then continuing, “he wasn’t it for me. that’s why i broke up with him. i’m sorry for the way i treated you sana, you didn’t deserve that, you never did anything wrong in our relationship and i never really gave you a reason to why we broke up. i hoped by coming on here i may be able to win back a second chance.”

sana hums again, taking a moment to think while jihyo nervously looks at her with wide eyes.

“jihyo… you hurt me a lot when you left.”

“i know! and i’m so so sorry for that! i never want to do that to you again, all i’m asking for is another chance sana.”

she’s shuffling closer, grabbing sana’s hands tightly and imploring with her eyes.

sana looks down at their hands together, taking a breath before looking back up, "look... i'm not going to lie to you... i never really did get over you completely."

what?

"and i wouldn't have kept you in here for this long if i wasn't curious about what you had to say and if i wasn't ready to give you a second chance."

what the actual fuck?

"it wouldn't be fair though. to the other contestants, y'know? if they knew you had a head start. and i admit i was avoiding you a little because i wanted to even the playing field and get to know everyone else first before revisiting this." she makes a gesture with her hands, signaling between the two of them. "so its nice to finally be able to sit down and get a clear answer about what happened in the past."

jihyo looks more and more hopeful as sana goes on, your hands only get tighter around the fabric of your pants. sana didn't tell you about this conversation last night. sana hasn't mentioned anything jihyo related. whenever you ask, she's always managed to change the conversation or misdirect you with the promise of sex. was this why? is this how she really felt about jihyo? did she think you would disapprove? well you do disapprove but that was besides the point.

all of the other contestants don't seem too shocked with this news. it's not too surprising though because they've all lived with jihyo and the one thing they all have in common is sana so there's no doubt they've all discussed each other's feelings for sana, and jihyo probably told them their history as well.

you're fuming though. you can't believe sana didn't tell you something this important. that you're finding this out along with the rest of the country when you were meant to be her best friend here, the one person who was supposed to know everything before everyone.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

the rest of the afternoon goes by in a blur. you can vaguely tell when someone comes up to you and tries to initiate or bring you into the conversation but your mind is swirling with information about sana and jihyo, their past interactions, whether you could decipher any of sana's feelings from observing her.

eventually, it's time for the rose ceremony again and you're still in your head about everything you thought you knew happened yesterday.

you have half the mind to pull sana aside and ask her about it but when you meet sana's eyes, she squints a little and looks away quickly with signs of a pout in her lip.

the night continues like this, the two of you stealing glances at each other only when you think the other isn't looking. when sana starts pulling jihyo aside though, you don't care if she sees the look of disbelief on your face, she doesn't seem to notice anyway, all cozied up to jihyo.

you're averting your head again and downing the rest of your drink in one gulp.

when it's time to read out who gets a rose and who's going home, you're stiff standing next to sana, she's purposely avoiding your gaze as well. the tension between you two was so thick jiwon had come up and asked if something had happened between you two. and technically nothing did happen so you don't really know why sana seems to be angry with you when you were the one who was hurt by yesterday's episode.

the ceremony is brief, you have to say goodbye to jun, and eunji unfortunately but you can barely give them a proper hug as you stare at jihyo who's now made the final four.

after your goodbyes you quickly make your way towards the car, tapping your foot impatiently while waiting for sana to finish saying her goodbyes so you could both go home.

unfortunately, that takes another 20 minutes and you're just about to tell the driver to leave without her when she's sliding into the car, still avoiding your gaze and sitting on the opposite end of the car. normally she's all over you, needing affection after a big day but now you're pretty sure if she moved any further away she'd be falling out the window.

that was fine though. it’s not like you wanted to have an argument with her while the driver could hear you anyway.

the car’s pulling in and she’s opening her door and stalking inside the house without even a second glance towards you.

what the fuck? why was she mad at you now?

you feel almost childish copying her actions and making sure to slam the door on the way in, but if she was acting like this for no reason that only infuriated you more.

you find her in the kitchen, tapping her foot impatiently and waiting for you to come in.

once you’re standing on opposite sides of the counter, you cross your arms and still. she’s leaning on the counter with her hands, staring you down. there was no way you were going to be the first to break. she was the one who had some explaining to do right now, not you.

sana's stubborn as well though, lips pursed and not backing down.

it goes on like this for a few minutes before you finally break, raising an eyebrow and asking coldly, "so do you have anything you want to say to me sana?"

sana scoffs, the tips of her ears red, "do you have anything you want to say y/n?"

"what? no! i don't even know why you're being like this right now! i'm the one who's been left in the dark here."

"oh you're the one who's been left in the dark huh? unbelievable that you're still lying to my face about this. is that how you really feel about her?"

"excuse me?! it doesn't matter how i feel about her! the whole issue is how you've been dealing with this situation!"

sana sneers, your voices getting louder and louder trying to top each other, "this again? seriously y/n? i'm my own person and i'm allowed to have opinions on who i like and who i don't like! if she's being weird or sneaky or whatever i'm going to call her out on it!"

you scoff, "yeah right. like you called her out on it last night? and tonight as well i bet. why did you take so long saying your goodbyes huh?"

sana goes beet red and you think you've got her, "what?! what are you talking about?! and i stayed behind to say proper goodbyes to everyone! not like you apparently who couldn't care less, you barely talked to anyone tonight, when jun, and eunji, who was one of your closest friends here right?! when they had to leave you didn't even look them in the eye when they hugged you!"

"riiiiiiiiiight and you expect me to believe that? you weren't cuddling up and getting a quickie in before you had to go right?"

"what?! what are you talking about y/n?! quickie- what?"

"with jihyo! you stayed behind to talk to her didn't you!?"

"what?! well yeah i did but what does jihyo have to do with any of this?"

"what?! i've been talking about jihyo this whole time what do you mean?"

she's slipping something out of her suit pocket and sliding it across the counter to you. your phone.

"are you fucking serious y/n? you've been talking about jihyo this whole time? what the fuck? why the fuck are you suddenly bringing her up? you're the one who's been going behind my back getting all flirty and friendly with miyeon! after you told me you were just friends?! calling each other babe and sweetie and honey in your texts, how the fuck did you even get her number anyway? how long have you been talking to her huh? how long have you been fucking me while talking to someone else?"

you're scrambling for your phone, unlocking it and scrolling to your messages with miyeon. fuck. sana must have read everything. you don't even remember leaving your phone behind but it must have been with her since the morning. you scroll down the texts and see the most recent messages miyeon has texted you today and you find that sana has been replying to her.

"are you serious sana?! why the fuck did you go through my phone?"

sana turns her head at that, pouting a little, "i didn't mean to! she just kept on texting and i thought it must have been something important if your phone kept going off so i just went in to make sure everything was okay! how was i supposed to know you were basically sexting her behind my back!?"

"we were not sexting oh my god sana! miyeon is my friend we're just friends!"

"why have you been keeping this from me then?! you must like her or something then don't you?!"

"what?! no! and don't talk to me about keeping secrets right now sana!"

"what secrets have i kept from you?!"

"hello?!" you're waving your hands around frantically, "the whole jihyo situation?! why didn't you tell me you never got over her?"

"i never got over- what?!"

"you said so last night! on national fucking television! don't play dumb with me right now sana, and don't try and change the topic on me!"

"i never said that! are you being serious right now? jihyo and i split and it took me a while but you were there for it all! you saw me at my lowest and you helped build me back up! i am over her!"

"why is she in the final four then?"

"oh my god y/n you cannot seriously still be talking about jihyo! i'm over her! the producers wanted her to make it to the final four because they thought they could add some drama in during the home visits or whatever! jihyo and i talked about it last night and i told her why she was still here because i didn't want to keep leading her on! that's why i stayed for longer after the rose ceremony, i just wanted to check on her and make sure she was okay with all of this because i still care about her! i loved her at one point in my life!"

"that's not what i saw in last night's episode!"

"what?!"

"yeah! you and jihyo were all close and snuggly and she told you she still loved you and you said you were going to give her a second chance!"

"y/n i never said any of that." the rage has lifted slightly now, replaced with confusion.

you're breathing heavily, tired from arguing, you and sana had more fights these few weeks that you've been filming than you've had your entire lives together.

you tap out of your messaging app, going to tiktok and searching up last night's bachelorette episode, scrolling past all the funny jacky moments and amusement park shorts, trying to find the part where jihyo and sana were talking. someone had to have posted about it.

"are you serious right now? are you fucking texting miyeon while we're talking?"

"what?! no! sana i told you miyeon and i are just friends! i'm trying to find a clip of you and jihyo last night to show you what i'm talking about!" you find one then and quickly hold it out for sana to see.

she watches the clip replay a few times while you wait defiantly.

after the seventh replay you take your phone back, sighing when you think she has nothing to say for herself.

“y/n…”

“want to explain yourself now? anything else you wanna divulge while you’re at it?”

“what? no y/n i didn’t say any of that. they edited that together. i didn’t say any of that to jihyo i promise.”

you look at her in confusion, looking back to your phone, and then back to her.

“i did pull jihyo aside and we did talk but i never told her that i didn't get over her. y/n you have to believe me baby i- i can call the producers right now, they'll clear everything up." she's reaching for her phone, but the immense relief that she doesn't still have feelings for jihyo washes over you and brings you to action. moving around the counter and taking her phone from her and wrapping her in a hug.

she stills against you, and you're both surprised when you feel your own tears falling down your face, the tension of the night finally getting to you.

"y/n..."

"i'm sorry. i'm sorry i do believe you. this all seems so silly now i hate when we fight. i overreacted with the whole jihyo thing and it could've been solved so easily if i'd just talked to you instead of..."

sana softens against you, wrapping her arms around your waist and carding a hand through your hair. "it's okay baby. i'll talk to the producers tomorrow and make sure they don't pull anything like that again. and after the home visits i promise jihyo is the one who'll be going home."

you sniffle a little, "you don't have to do that for me sana. i swear i was just being..."

"hmm?"

"i don't know i'm tired sana. can we go to bed?"

she hums against you, pulling you both towards the bathroom for your nighttime routines. once you're done, you're climbing into sana's bed and picking up your phone again, scrolling back to your messages with miyeon while waiting for sana to finish her routine and join you.

y/n: heyy sorry i just got my phone back, sana's had it the last few hours because i left it behind so if i seemed weird over text it's because she was messaging you

miyeon: oh it's okay! i did think you sounded a bit off but i just chalked it up to u not feeling well or something. was sana mad when she found out we were texting?

y/n: 😂 how did you know?

miyeon: well i was on the receiving end of her jealousy when she texted me today so that was one clue 😂

y/n: jealousy?

suddenly your phone starts vibrating and miyeon's name flashes across the screen. you pick up hesitantly, "hello?"

"y/n! hey! it's good to actually hear your voice again!"

you chuckle a little, "you too princess. what's up?"

"nothing really, i just wanted to see where your head's at with sana now."

"what do you mean?"

"remember the conversation we had the night i got kicked out? while you were drunk?"

you squint a little, shuffling around in the sheets, "kinda... why?"

"i noticed the way you looked at her, the way you talked about her, even on the first night i think the reason why no one suspected that you weren't just a regular contestant was because i thought, we all thought you also felt the same way we did for sana."

"w-what?"

"you might not have realised it... but i think you were beginning to see it when filming started. do you get jealous when you see sana with the other contestants?"

"i- well- i mean i kinda just thought i was friend jealous though. or like that i just wanted the best for her which was why i was so harsh on contestants in the beginning."

"the way you talk about her over text sounds like its more than that y/n."

"i don't- what- i'm not jealous-"

you barely register that sana's finished with her routine now, sliding into bed next to you and cuddling up immediately. "what are you jealous about?"

you freeze, looking at her like you've been caught with your hand in the cookie jar in the middle of the night.

"is that sana?" you're broken out of it quickly when you hear miyeon's voice over the phone.

sana bristles though, moving away from you and frowning, "are you on the phone with miyeon?"

"i- yeah-"

sana's snatching the phone out of your hand instantly, bringing it up to her ear and speaking into the microphone with a cold sneer, "yes this is sana. can i help you?"

you can't hear miyeon respond but the way sana's speaking sends a lightning rod of arousal down your spine. your mind is still hazy with what miyeon's suggested, and you're thinking about how you hated seeing sana kiss wonsik, how blinded you felt when you thought sana still liked jihyo, what could this mean? how long have you liked sana for? has it always been this way?

you don't realise that sana's features have become less defensive as she talks to miyeon, almost apologetic even when she settles back down next to you, humming in response to something miyeon's said over the phone. she's within proximity again that you can make out miyeon's voice.

"-but i hope you've been doing well and taking care of yourself with all the craziness that comes along with filming."

"yeah thank you miyeon. really. and again i'm so sorry for all the misunderstandings and i hope you know that eliminating you was definitely a mistake and it was very short-sighted of me but i'm glad that we've finally had a chance to talk where i'm not completely hostile to you."

you can hear the airy giggle of miyeon over the phone, "of course! all the best with the rest of the season sana. maybe we'll see each other on the other side."

sana smiles, "definitely. goodnight miyeon!"

she hangs up and hands your phone back to you, going right back to cuddling as if nothing had happened.

you're trying to pick out what part of that conversation that you overheard bothered you when it hits. "eliminating miyeon was a mistake?" was this the jealousy again?

"weren't you the one saying that?" sana raises an eyebrow at you, brushing her fingers over your side.

"well- i-"

she's giggling now, "i'm just kidding. miyeon just put to rest everything that was on my mind so i have nothing to worry about. i'm sorry for overreacting when i found out you were texting her. you're allowed to have friends, sorry i was trying to micromanage that."

"what was on your mind?"

"hmm y'know... you mostly."

you whine, hitting her lightly while she laughs at you.

"she told me you were just friends and she never meant to make it seem like it was anything else. she also helped me... come to terms with a few things so i'm actually very grateful for that."

"what things?"

"so many questions y/n. are you worried i'm about to steal her away from you?" sana teases.

"what? no! stop teasing-"

she grins, poking your cheek, "i'm keeping that to myself for now okay? i'll probably tell you one day. just not today."

"why not?"

"just because." she smiles, "now let's sleep."

you grumble a little, confused at what miyeon could have told sana, confused with what miyeon told you. there was one thing you did want to test out though...

you lean in quickly and capture sana's lips, taking her a little by surprise but she's quick to reciprocate, closing her eyes and kissing you back.

you're aggressive, climbing on top of her quickly and licking into her. you're trying to figure out if kissing her made you feel anything more. anything that could clue you in on your true feelings for her.

she's breaking away from you panting though, pushing you back slightly when you try to chase after her again, "woah y/n baby baby slow down- what's got you all in a rush?"

your eyes are dark as you look down at her, friends don't normally feel like the world would end if they stopped kissing right? you needed to be back on her, in her, needed to feel her around you, needed to taste her, needed to memorise every single sound she made, you needed her. that was more than just lust right?

"just- just need you please-" you're leaning back in, almost begging.

"no- no y/n stop. tell me what's going on, you're not normally like this."

you groan, head falling to her shoulder, slumping against her. "something stupid miyeon said..." you mumble into her shoulder.

"what did she say?"

you huff against her, "that i had feelings for you."

you hear the gasp sana lets out, her hands at your waist tightening their hold and you groan into her, grinding down a little at the feeling.

she stills you though, hands sliding down to grip your hips, "stop that." her voice is harsh, and you're reminded of the way she talked to miyeon over the phone, all cold and annoyed. it only makes you drip more at the tone of her voice and you whimper a little.

"do you?"

"do i what?" you're distracted, wanting only to kiss her again.

"do you have feelings for me?"

you sigh, "don't know- that's what i'm trying to figure out."

"how are you trying to figure it out?"

"kissing you. touching you. seeing if all of it made me feel something more."

"something more?"

"i don't know. something other than horny."

sana hums before finally loosening her grip. "okay. try it. just promise me you'll tell me what you think afterwards?"

you're quick to latch onto her lips again, mumbling yes and thank you into her.

she bucks her hips up against you and you moan. she was finally giving into her feelings and letting you do what you wanted, expressing herself freely.

“can you- mmf- can you-“

“what what is it baby? what do you need?”

“can you- be mad at me?”

she’s kissing down your neck, nipping slightly as you grind down into her, “i’m not mad at you. we talked about this just then baby.”

“no- i need- can you pretend to be mad?”

she’s licking up to your ear, “i don’t understand baby. can you elaborate?”

“f-fuck sana- can you- just imagine i did like miyeon and i wanted to fuck her-“

you’re scared you said the wrong thing and ruined the mood when she stills under you. then all of a sudden she’s rolling you over and straddling your hips, lips and teeth back at the sensitive parts on your neck. “you like it when i’m mad?”

“g-god yes sana please-“

“whore. you want me to mark you up? make sure everyone knows your mine? mine to ruin?”

“yes yes sana please-“

you moan when you feel her sucking at your collarbone, intending on doing exactly that.

"off." her hands are at the bottom of your shirt tugging, and you scramble up, almost knocking your forehead against hers in haste, you'd laugh but you were so pent up you couldn't think about anything other than her fucking you all night long.

her hands are cold when she slides them up your stomach, cupping your tits and you shiver at the feeling.

"trying to piss me off on purpose bringing up her name into this hm? after we just made up too." she squeezes and you gasp into her, nipples hard against her palms as she runs a thumb over the tip.

"think my pretty baby's going to come for anyone else?" she circles a nipple leaving you twitching, "i'm going to ruin you so that everytime you even come close to coming in the future, you'll only be able to think about me."

she's licking a trail down the middle of your chest, before sucking marks into the sides of your breasts, avoiding your nipples, only tracing them lightly with the tip of her thumb.

you're squirming around under her, begging and crying, eyes clenched shut, hand drifting down towards your folds, trying to alleviate some of the pressure that's built up.

she snatches your hand quickly and pins it above your head, "don't even fucking think about it."

you whine under her, trying to pull away from her grip but she has you completely under her control.

"don't do that baby. you asked for this didn't you? you're going to be a good girl and take it now." her lips come back down on your other tit, sucking and licking again, you're grinding up into nothing, stuck with the feeling of your own sticky arousal.

"p-please sana need- please- more-"

"what do you need baby? this?" she takes a nipple into her mouth then, sucking gently and flicking over it with her tongue, then popping it out of her mouth, "or this?" a hand trails lower, thumbing the waistband of your pyjama bottoms. "maybe this?" a knee comes up then, pressing right where you need her most and you’re moaning against her.

"g-god sana- fuck- all- all of it- god i need all of it-"

"be more specific sweetie. you can do it. c'mon now."

"f-fuck need you to fuck me like you said you would. need to feel your fingers inside me, your mouth wrapped around my clit, your hands gripping my ass so hard it'll leave behind handprints. just need you sana please- please-"

"mmm that's a good girl. begging for me like the slut you are. because you were so pretty i'll give you that. but you gotta talk me through it okay? if you stop i'll stop and i'm going to go fuck myself in your bed and leave you here for the rest of the night."

you whimper, nodding your head.

"words baby."

"yes, yes yes god please just-"

she smirks and then she's back at your nipples, fully sucking on them now and pulling your bottoms off along with your panties, immediately swiping a finger through your wetness. the sudden change from feeling nothing to feeling everything be stimulated was almost too much but also exactly what you needed.

"god sana please- inside- need you inside."

she's pushing one finger in and you feel yourself clench around her, already so close, desperate for her. suddenly you're remembering your actual task, but before you can formulate another thought she's pulling out and thrusting back in with another finger.

"god you're so wet for me baby. how long have you been thinking about this hm?"

"i- fuck- i'm never not thinking about you sana."

sana hums, keeping a slow, languid pace, "is that helping with your little mission tonight?"

"i- w- fuck sana faster please-"

"answer the question first."

"f-fuck i- i don't know- i c-can't think- please-"

she's pulling out and removing herself from you so that none of your skin is touching anymore.

"now? now can you think?"

"sana please fuck- yes! yes it's helping everything is helping please just need you back-" you're making grabby hands at her, trying to pull her back so you can feel her against you again.

she obliges, pushing back into you and humming, "that's a good girl."

"thank you- god sana- thank you- mm fuck thank you-" you're babbling, barely making sense when she speeds up, curling her fingers inside you just the way she knows you like, and rubbing her thumb along your clit each thrust inside.

soon enough, you're coming around her, her name and curses spilling out of your mouth but she's not done. she's crawling down your body, marking almost every inch of skin she can get her mouth on, and then latching onto your clit and sucking, fingers still pounding into you.

"f-fuck! sana! 's too much! f-fuck-"

she only hums against you, the vibrations against your clit only tightening the coil in your belly once more and the overstimulation is too much and you feel yourself coming again.

she's pulling out and you think she's finished but she flips you onto your stomach, slipping a pillow under you to lift your ass up, hands gripping the cheeks and spreading them apart, just like how you had begged her to. but then her fingers are prodding at your entrance again and she slides in, and this angle is so much deeper and you cry out, muffled against the sheets, trying to squirm away from her but she's got your ass right where she wants you.

she's leaning down, pushing in and out of you again, you can feel her chest against your back, the fact that she's still wearing her top fleetingly crosses your mind but you can still feel her hardened nipples against your skin, you arch back into her.

"my baby's not done yet. you're going to give me another one. and another one. until you've finished your little experiment right?"

you're sobbing into the sheets, the delightful mixture of pleasure and pain running through your body, your hyperaware of every single movement, every single place your skin touches, every breath she takes as she ruts her fingers into you.

you feel your third orgasm coming up when a hand is snaking a way back up your body, pinching roughly at your nipples before closing around your throat. you gulp and clench even harder around her fingers when she squeezes her hand lightly, moaning your approval.

"yeah? you like that slut?"

"y-yes o-oh god fuck- sana- fuck-"

she's squeezing tighter now and the pressure is perfect, the lightheadedness from the cutoff of oxygen combined with the overstimulation and you're coming again, thrashing into her as she releases you slowly, heaving in air as specks of black dot your vision.

you feel almost numb when she slides the pillow out from under you, turning you slightly so she can kiss you gently, and you moan at the taste of yourself on her tongue.

she's slipping a leg between yours when you realise that she's taken off her bottoms, and you gasp when the feeling of her wetness glides against your clit.

you whimper against her lips, "sana..."

"shhhh baby one more."

you're helpless against her, whining and pushing yourself into her, relishing the way her breath catches and she moans when your clits drag along each other. she's got one hand at your tit again, pinching a nipple and you need to feel more of her so you slide a hand up her top, grasping at her breast and moaning when she rocks against you just a little harder at the feeling.

your lips never leave each other, even when you're so blissed out you're just panting into her mouth, rutting against her. you're not even thinking straight when you mumble the words, slurred together and mixed with curses, but sana still catches it. "i love you."

she stops immediately, leaving you humping her like a dog, panting into her wondering why she's stopped.

she's gripping your hips, stilling you, eyes wide, "what did you just say?"

"i love you sana fuck- please- please let me come again please-"

her eyes study you, half-dazed, and then suddenly she's rutting against you again, your hands tighten around her tits just to be able to hold onto something because she's pushing against you and you're so close and her hands are basically moving your hips against hers without you even doing anything, she's moaning into your mouth, caught in her own pleasure and it's all too much when you feel her tighten her legs around you, coming with a whine and shaking, you come again, eyes closing and feeling the wave of pleasure wash over your body, twitching lightly against her in the aftershock.

when you pull apart your legs are sticky and filthy and hers aren't much better, stained with your essence, you can't even open your eyes, just letting her plant light kisses across your face and neck, holding her against you and learning to breathe again.

when she kisses your eyelids you manage to peek open, staring at her in wonder.

"did you mean it?" her eyebrows are slightly furrowed, hair sticking to her forehead, bottom lip protruding a little in a pout.

you were overcome with pleasure and overstimulation, but you remember everything you said. "i did. i love you. i'm sorry it took this long to realise it."

she sighs, eyes tearing up, "i love you too idiot."

"what about the season?"

"we'll figure that out later. let me clean you up and we can cuddle and sleep?"

you hum, whining when she leaves you to grab a damp towel, missing her warmth already. it felt painful to be without her. every second you spent apart, you were thinking about her, you can't help but laugh at how stupid you've been. you've been in love with sana for the better half of your life, you were determined to make it up to her. to show her just how much you loved her. just how much you needed her in your life.

you smile happily when she comes back, bringing her into a sweet kiss and letting her wipe at your legs. you were so, utterly, in love with her, and you finally realised it.

[silviakundera]

with the conclusion of Snowfall...

why do i enjoy Republican Era chinese dramas so much?

aesthetics! there is this blend of 1920-30s western fashion influences and traditional chinese garb & architecture that just pleases my eyes.

everyone looks very depressed & dangerous & sexy

chaotic period of transition - no matter if you're in the 1910's, 20's, 30's some absolutely wild historical shit was going down

cars and guns and gloves and swords. rotary phones!

dancing & drinking in night clubs, in glamorous pockets amid the violence & instability outside; a lil touch of mask of the red death vibes

end of empire themes, as a country tries to find its way after the end of the last imperial dynasty

there's those gangster, mob boss vibes from american and british dramas set in the 1920s, except everything is cranked up x100 because of general lawlessness; central government and law & order was a paper thin veneer over warlords

the start of WW2 from an entirely different perspective than the common narratives that I was exposed to growing up in the US (which is 99% stories about the european stage)

sino-japanese war / war of resistance material like Hidden Blade is fucking badass ok 🤷

in a time of resistance to occupation, colonizers encroaching, warlords fighting over cities, brewing civil war.... there are many different options of protagonists and unlikely "heroes" who are picking their battles and discovering what they are willing to fight for

Beautiful 👏 women 👏 in heels 👏and 👏 slinky 👏dresses 👏

Lots of revenge narratives. I love an over-the-top, bloodthirsty & destructive revenge narrative

Depending on the genre, there might be little or heavy politcal /patriotic discourse. But tbh none of the rah rah patriotism stuff distracts me much, because all the american and british produced stuff set around WW2 has rah rah patriotism & propaganda in it, so I just consider that part of the essential genre vibes. It's just another country's version. (Of course, others will have less patience when it becomes heavy-handed. YMMV.)

Dark & Gritty

Hidden Blade (film) - a masterpiece, if you enjoy dark WW2 spy films that play with narrative style and challenge the viewer to follow the story as it's woven. Had to review detailed historical context for the years in question, to be ready to consume. But worth it. I've watched it 3 times. 💀

Heroes (2024) - the very beginning era of this genre/the transition into repulican period. rocks fall, everyone dies. Primarily a tragic wuxia & pre-republican fusion. Excellent enough that I didn't mind the bleak storyline. 💀

Detective-ing

Miss S - adaption of 1920s Australian mystery procedural Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, staring Vengo! ML actor of Snowfall

Checkmate - Agatha Christie stories adapted to the setting & time period, plus bromance. I watched half the episodes w my brother, as we are both huge agatha christie fans. It was fun if you can be chill about adaption changes.

My Roommate is A Detective - for mystery & bromance lovers. Same actor duo as Checkmate.

Detective L - don't know much about this one tbh

Romance arc, with a somewhat happy ending for the 2 leads

Provoke - Gorgeous, glamorous, vibes vibes vibes all day long. Revenge and romance. ❤

Fall in Love - sons & daughters of warlords and their supporters get sexy and dangerous and decide even joining the civil war is better than the prior generation's bullshit. This is an objectively bad drama that I really enjoyed anyway (it helps that I skipped every scene for the 2nd and 3rd couples). This one turns v propaganda heavy at the end, if that bothers you. ❤

Arsenal Military Academy - military training hijinks w a side of cross dressing romance. Xu Kai and Bai Lu! It's soliders and japanese invasion et al, so be prepared for the standard patriotism. Comedy & drama. HE for the FL/ML but expect character death in this subject matter. ❤

Rookie Agent Rogue - Late 1930s spy drama with small romance side-plot. Expect the standard wartime patriotism, like with Arsenal Military Academy. The draw is the lead actress, the FL from Princess Agents, Minglan, Legend of Shen Li. HE for the FL/ML but expect character death in this subject matter. ❤

City of Streamer - Older woman seduces younger man who is the son of her revenge target. Melodrama with people serving looks. ❤

War of Faith* - Young man just wants to join the banking industry and have a subtextually gay relationship with his mentor in peace, but there's a civil war going on. Protagonist would like to be excluded from this political narrative, but ultimately is forced to pick a side. ❤🌈 *(Is it censored gay romance? No, not based on a gay novel. So not officially! But some viewers felt there was a subtextual romance storyline #shenlai ; YMMV. The happy ending is Untamed-esque; implied only)

many, many pulpy mini-dramas about revenge! warlords! ladies with pistols! (Miss Mystery, First Marriage, Maid's Revenge, etc)

Also... (happy ending not guaranteed)

Siege in Fog

Love in Flames of War

Couple of Mirrors - censored F/F 🌈

Stand by Me - censored m/m 🌈

Killer and Healer - censored m/m 🌈

Winter Begonia - censored m/m 🌈

[todayontumblr]

Wednesday February 22.

Harry Styles Drinking From A Shoe.

Stop the press. Roll up, roll up. Gather round, one and all. If you're into #harry styles, shoes, inexplicable Australian traditions, and drinking, then have we got a treat for you this Wednesday. The nation-state is a flawed but proud concept, and the land masses into which we are randomly birthed can become a source of immense pride and identity. This manifests itself in a number of ways, from language, to dress, to cuisine, to cultural traditions. And such is the majesty and madness of our fleshy species that one nation in particular, Australia, devised "The shoey" in which participants drink from their own shoe. Quite the calling requires quite the man to execute such a moment.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man: Mr. Harry Styles.

If you too can't get enough of #harry styles, or shoeys, you can catch all the latest gifs, pix, and sexy, shoey goodness right here as he brings Love on Tour across Australia and beyond. 

[sserajeans]

you are in love | 51. the christmas fair pt. 1 (written)

the christmas fair was an annual tradition for the small town. the same way it was snhs' tradition to have "confession season" around the holidays, it was also tradition to bring dates for the christmas fair. not necessarily romantic ones, but the tickets were good for 2 to encourage company and joy during the season.

now, the fair was very much loud and very much eventful. it was the thing going on in town, and almost everyone was gonna be there within the days it’d be open. from food, to items, to even attractions like the ferris wheel, the fair had it all.

because of its loud nature though, y/n could already hear the faint sound of music and screams as she parked in front of danielle’s house (pestering hyein to move to the back from the passenger’s seat).

just in time, the korean-australian opened the front door, bid her older sister goodbye, and turned around to face lee y/n.

everyone was dressed for the weather; danielle in a turtle neck and bubble jacket, y/n in her “corny” hoodie under the brand new trench hyein bought (surprisingly under budget). the fact that they argued last minute before leaving made hyein sigh, realizing that this was one of the moments were her older sister was really just some high school jock deep down in her core.

"hi." y/n stood straight from leaning against the outside of the car, approaching danielle on the sidewalk. 

the girl smiled, just the sound of her voice could make anyone feel warm inside. "hi! let's get going? your sister and your friends look freezing."

y/n chuckled and guided her date around the car, not forgetting to open the passenger's door for her. "don't worry about them, they'll be fine."

the ’05 liner playfully rolled her eyes as y/n shut the door (gently) and walked over to the other side to start up the car. as she was the last stop, danielle’s house wasn't too far from the fair, so after a few minutes of small talk and a lot of luck with parking, the five waited by the ticketing gate of the fair.

“where are your friends, hyeni?”

"they said they'd just pick me up here with the spare ticket."

"okay... i can wait for them to come before i go in.”

“what? no! you have your date, unnie. plus, i think i can see minji-unnie from the inside…” and fair enough, standing on her tiptoes, y/n could take a glimpse of minji, wonyoung, and everyone else. “wait… is that wonyoung-unnie?! are they hol-“

“okay that’s enough! text me when you wanna go home, okay?”

with jiwoo and kyujin in front of them, y/n pushed the group forward to avoid spilling minji’s business to hyein, danielle walking beside her. y/n stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets, allowing danielle to link her left arm with the older's right as they made their way to the fountain in the middle of the fair.

"you're a good sister, you know."

"i'd hope so."

"i know so."

y/n smiled at the girl beside her, then walking up to a circle of familiar figures. “and there they are."

from the circle, hanni and her cousin, sunoo, were facing the direction y/n and dani came from. as always, the two's eyes met, even if they didn't want to, blank expressions across each of their faces.

following hanni's line of sight, minji turned around and smiled at the sight of the rest of the group walking towards them. the kim ran over to y/n, arm over her shoulders before ruffling her hair aggressively.

“oh thank god hyein told me to not wear the school’s jacket.” y/n rolled her eyes and shoved her best friend away, everyone else around the two laughing at their antics. “god forbid people think we’re dating.”

“in your dreams, lee!” 

"you two would’ve looked like the doosan bears mascots!" jiwoo pointed out as a flash came from her phone's camera. “y/n-unnie's cap doesn't help at all."

once everyone calmed down from laughing at the photo jiwoo took, a much larger circle was formed to discuss their plans for the fair.

"who's the new guy?" y/n asked, referring to sunoo who stood beside hanni, both previously discussing funnel cakes they saw on the way to the meet point.

"oh right! sunoo this is y/n." minji motioned her hand to the respective friend as she said their names. 

"hi! nice to meet you, congrats by the way!" sunoo smiled as he shook y/n's hand. "i'm a freshman at sejong."

"oh! thank you so much, means a lot." y/n's eyes widened in surprise as it was her first time hearing someone she didn't know recognize her from her recent achievement. she's going to have to get used to it.

"this one's danielle, class sweetheart, she's y/n's date today. i think you two will get along, actually." the two exchanged their greetings, minji and y/n not forgetting to privately note how they were both so... sunshine-like.

"this is jiwoo, our youngest. and her date kyujin, who's even younger, i was told."

"god i feel old..."

"sunoo we're the same age..."

"sorry..."

"that's okay, should we get a table and some food?" kazuha suggested, clapping her hands together to end the whole 'nice-to-meet-you' session.

after a full 10 minutes of rock paper scissors, the “food hunting” group and the “table saving” group were decided. danielle, y/n, sunoo, hanni, minji, and wonyoung were tasked to buy enough food that everyone would enjoy, while kyujin, jiwoo, yunjin, and kazuha were to warm the seats.

with two of the usually closest friends insistent on keeping their distance from each other, it was only natural for the group to divide (mostly y/n and danielle walking a few steps ahead). 

the two walked closely side by side, the younger girl’s fingers tugging on y/n’s jacket sleeve to keep them from walking apart. their eyes would light up, fingers pointed, and heads turned whenever they’d walk past a stall with a noticeably fragrant scent or with a well-lit signage.

in the process of looking for what they could possibly buy to feed the group, sunoo tapped hanni’s shoulder. the girl looked at him with furrowed brows as he continued to ask, “are they dating for real?”

once the full question was processed in hanni’s brain, her face, with what was once a “resting happy face”, fell into something more expressionless. like her face when she saw y/n walk in the fair with danielle. the girl gave her older cousin a shrug as a final answer, refusing to spend more energy over what she’s recently lost sleep over.

“even they don’t know. so, don’t bother.” minji leaned over to whisper, filling in what should’ve been hanni responding. "you won't really be getting an answer soon."

“oh.”

masterlist. next.

taglist: @yyeonmis @lostamoeba @jisooftme @yoontoonwhs @awkwardtoafault @lcv3lies @limbforalimb @kaypanaq @manooffline @kimsgayness @justme-idle @mightymyo @sewiouslyz @txtbrainrot @li0ilthecxnt @captivq @paranoxic @sofakingwoso @pandafuriosa60 @haerinkisser @lesleepyyy @haechansbbg @rosiehrs @jiwoneiric @blue4hour @bzeus28

[drivingmebonkas]

Went to the Sydney January 13 protests yesterday and there were so many of us! The streets were flooded with people! If I remember correctly it was the 14th protest in a row.

The speeches were heart wrenching. One speaker wore a traditional dress older than Israel.

All this every single Saturday for months and not a bit of big media coverage! You'd think it didn't happen.

Palestine, the Australian citizens stand with you!

Their next event is on Monday. They're heading down to Canberra for the day to protest outside of the US & Israeli embassies.

[puckpocketed]

2/1/2024 Winter Classic - Seattle Kraken vs Vegas Golden Knights

The Summer I Fell For Hockey - The Perfect Day: On Yanni Gourde and the Narrative

A bank of fog rolls over the new year, over Seattle’s skyline, over the morning of the Winter Classic. T-Mobile park, after weeks of preparation, is transformed; sprouting up from the baseball diamond is a construct of ochre-red wood and glass, freshly frozen paint and ice, and boards that flash with sponsorships. A sea of people all in red, cream, navy and pale blue flood in to fill up the stands, 47,000 strong. There’s the retractable roof for insurance, in case Seattle weather decides to get in character, but for once the air stays dry and sunlight cuts through the fog in time for the match, winking warm and yellow and sweet from behind sparse cloud cover. In the future, today will be remembered as a near-perfect day for outdoor ice hockey. Continents and continents (and a hemisphere) away, the chime of a phone alarm rings out into a damp summer morning. It’s 6:30 am. It’s Kraken game day. I jolt awake.

The Vegas Golden Knights enter the arena dressed collectively as Elvis, shirts split open to the belly button, reflective of their city’s desert-dwelling glitterati. My Kraken come as fishermen, in work boots and hot red overalls, outfits made complete with fluro orange caps and stuffed fish. When it comes time to get onto the rink in their gear, the Kraken are introduced by Sir-Mix-a-Lot in a truly terrible mashup of his hits and ad libbed lines. As they make their way down the faux boardwalk, jets of fire spew forth intermittently, and real fishmongers from Pike Place Market toss fish between the players in an ode to their post-game tradition (the stuffed fish yeet) and the city of Seattle. The anthem is shredded by a 14-year-old local on electric guitar, to the stoic, patriotic acceptance of everyone watching. (Gods but hockey is such an unserious sport, and for this it will have my heart in perpetuity)

The rink is mic'd today, and I’m grateful. I love the sound of hockey; I love the sound of skate blades carving sibilant lines, the way sticks will clack against each other, against the gritty ice; and when the puck hits someone’s tape just right, there’s a now-familiar little zing deep in my reptilian brain that heralds satisfaction. One day, when my city hosts the AIHL (Australian Ice Hockey League), I’ll be right next to the rink and able to hear it all for myself, but for now this will have to suffice.

The Kraken start dominant, winning the first faceoff and instantly initiating a dump-and-chase. Their cheeks are blacked in an effort to stave off ice blindness, but I like to think they’ve donned war paint. In line with this, Tanev starts the festivities by slamming the Golden Knights’ Whitecloud in a brutal check. Today, with the mics hot, every thump and bump gets caught as bodies hit the boards. Neither team is holding back, some mutually agreed upon level of violence dialled up three notches. Unlike the check-heavy games I’ve watched in the past, there is no pall of malicious intent, no thin veneer of civility to cover up simmering anger from the get go. No; today the hits start clean. No penalties are called for first period.

Had it been two weeks ago, I’d have jumped on the opportunity to extol the virtues and skillset of our starting goalie, Joey. Later, the entire arena will shake with cheers of his name. Because I can’t resist, I’ll say this: he’s still unerringly good at trapping the puck to stop play and cause a reset, shuttering any build up of momentum and opportunities for rebounds; still going on his heart-stopping adventures out of the net and catching compliments from the broadcast on his exceptional stick handling; and the puck at times seems magnetised to his glove. Spoilers for the rest of the game: it’s a shutout, and after all those incredible stops I’m sure Jack Eichel will be kicking himself about being read like a book for days. 35 saves (his exact jersey number) and the first shutout in Winter Classic history. The story writes itself.  But enough of that — Joey’s low-hanging fruit.  And besides, I’ve already put pen to paper on the Dacs propaganda; it all still stands.

The hard checks keep coming. I get the feeling that something’s different today, that there’s something in the air apart from the perfect weather. Despite Vegas’ stellar record against the Kraken to date (8-1-0), the Kraken have a vice grip on the game. I’m so used to watching them chase games to stumbling, clumsy victories that this dominance feels surreal. They kill off the Knights’ attempts at transitioning, relentless in their pursuit and determined to play along the boards, keeping the puck largely out of their offensive zone. When the Knights do manage to drag it in, the Kraken d-men spare no effort viciously batting incoming pucks away from the slot, and should that fail — Joey’s right there to remind them just how good he is. It’s still a simple game, a steady and unembellished grind the way the Kraken like to play — but something about today makes me think that perhaps the elusive, gossamer thing called ‘luck’ is on their side. Perfect days don’t exist, until they do.

My Kraken score their first goal off a stylish deflection. Dunner skips the puck at Tolvy from the blue line, over Amadio’s stick and into traffic. The puck sails past a scrambling Knights defence, where Tolvy finds it midair and smacks it down, right into the back of the Knights’ net. The second goal materialises two minutes into second period, and so does the inciting incident for this essay (blog post/diary entry/unhinged hockey breakdown). After winning the puck off a scuffle along the boards Yanni Gourde legs it, sending it into Vegas’ side of the rink. There’s some back and forth, but ultimately Borgy picks up a goal with a slapshot off the rebound.

Gourdo (or Pumpkin, if the pun appeals) is the quintessential Kraken player. From his career, to his playstyle, to how he’s never come close to stardom — he is, to quote Nick Faris, someone that, “[...]embodies who the Kraken want to be.” He catches my attention today because of his tenacity, and because the liveblog tag goes hard for him as future captain. I’ve come to learn that where esports fans call it the Script, hockey fans use a different phrase. It’s all the same underneath: when everything fits so well, when it all begins to rhyme like poetry, when it’s so compelling that surely someone must’ve made it up — that’s the Narrative. 

Gourdo is short for a hockey player, standing at a modest 5ft 9in (175cm). That’s the first thing you’ll hear about him; that he’s at or below league average. The second thing you’ll hear is that he was never drafted. In a league filled with stories of stars — whose fans and media orbit the monsters of the game, a dozen or so point-scoring darlings — here’s Yanni Gourde, the man who was once a season away from giving up the ghost and getting a civil engineering degree, a rookie for the Tampa Bay Lightning at 26. This, too, is Narrative — a different kind I’d say, because when you hear about underdogs you imagine a scrappy, uncut gem finally breaking through to reach the top. Gourdo isn’t some secret prodigy, and the stats he’s put up since he got his chance in the NHL are solid, a career high of 25 goals and 64 points in 82 games during his time with the Lightning, but nothing like your McDavids or MacKinnons. But that’s all just paper. Out on the ice, though? That’s where the real story is happening.

If Sidney Crosby’s story is the Narrative, Gourdo’s story is like if the Narrative was stolen by a side character — which, fittingly, is exactly what some of the best narratives are all about. A quick Youtube search turns up the usual fluff pieces done by team media. A deeper scan reveals an unusual amount of short highlights, largely scrums and fights that he’s been involved with. In one of them he can be seen sporting his big, crooked grin. This is how I find out that Yanni Gourde is a pest. An instigator, a rat. Whatever you call it, Gourde shares hockey lineage with the likes of Brad Marchand.

In ice hockey, games are won and lost off the back of power plays and penalty kills. But with hitting and fighting at an all-time low, how does one draw penalties? Gourdo has it all figured out. He plays his own game, sticking just short of too close and pushing the envelope on interference. He’s gone on record talking about his extracurriculars, how he verbally and physically taunts opposing players after the whistle: “I know most of the time it works them up and they want to punch me in the face a little bit more. If they take a penalty on me, then, I am winning.” Gourdo treads the line of illegality and sportsmanship, and tips people over the edge in his wake, and when they retaliate they’re caught out and sent to the box.

Rats have a bad reputation in the NHL. Honour codes dictate that you back up any insults, physical or otherwise, should another player challenge you to drop gloves — the assumption being that any on-ice beef is genuine — an agitator’s actions are premeditated, calculated to wreak as much havoc as possible. This insincerity leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many. And yet, Yanni Gourde is beloved.

When he was selected by the Kraken in the expansion draft, Lightning fans made tribute videos. When he first returned to Tampa Bay as a visiting player, the arena shook with his fans' welcome. He is universally regarded by teammates, both past and present, as a leader and an overwhelmingly positive force in the locker room; someone who knows how to get silly (krakenblr-core!), who contributes to constructing good attitudes on the ice, someone who has stepped up to fulfil leadership duties when his teammates have been injured.

Beyond his instigation (and his remarkably sparkling reputation in spite of this), most interesting to me is a distinct pattern to the rest of his shot highlights. There’s nothing too complicated about it, even I noticed as a fan who’s still learning: Yanni Gourde has that intangible, ineffable clutch factor. For every clip where he’s in a scuffle, there’s another instance where he’s scored a game winning goal.

My working theory for why? He’s the guy who didn’t give up on his hockey dream even after being snubbed by the NHL and relegated to the AHL, who debuted as a starter 6 years later than most rookies, made himself a nuisance to play against at every turn with his relentless puck chasing and instigating. He’s Gourdo. So of course he’s got the clutch factor; he snatched his entire career from the jaws of retirement in the eleventh hour.

On a day like today, where the weather is perfect and the sticky late game ice has puck bounces going the Kraken’s way, it feels like the right time for something magical. And in a match filled with physicality Gourdo defies expectations, plays his own game and manages a miracle. Early in the third period, the Knights go for an offensive reset on a loose puck in the Kraken slot that goes shooting past the blue line. It looks completely standard. I’ve seen it a hundred times by now.

And then, racing down the ice there’s Gourdo. I expect a check, because that’s the type of game they’ve primed us for. It doesn’t come. Instead, Gourdo slips right up into Cotter’s space, right under his stick. Their skates cross once but there’s no hit, and with the barest brush… the puck is lifted out from under Cotter’s feet.

This blog is named for a silly pun on ‘pickpocketed’, because it was one of the very first hockey concepts that really captured my imagination. I became quietly obsessed with the idea of pickpocketing in ice hockey, fascinated by hulking athletes who know they don’t even need to hit anyone to win. There’s something so delightful about it; the idea that in ice hockey, a game that is notorious for semi-legal fist fights and whose actual rules allow the players to throw their hundreds of pounds at each other in service of victory, you could simply lose the puck to a thief. Whatever you call it — pickpocketing, puck stripping — it’s the result of refs who’ve become increasingly trigger-happy on calls, and a league-wide shift toward protecting its superstars from concussions.

For Gourdo, it’s a matter of necessity. Being smaller than most players, he has few other options. He can’t just rely on checking; he’s part of the new wave of players who’ve bought in on the puck possession game, scrapping and digging to steal the puck away with stick lifts and finesse rather than outright force. (Funnily enough, fellow pest Marchand is named in an article as another player whose game is shifting to focus on puck possession).

In the wider arc of the Narrative, it’s a perfectly Yanni kind of play. He steals the puck away from the Knights right in their slot, and is left almost one on one with their goalie as everyone else on the ice rushes to catch up. It’s not beautiful hockey — there is no well-timed deke, no lethal toe drag release — it’s just Gourdo wrestling control of the puck from the carved up ice, awkward and off-balance. The first shot doesn’t even go in, bouncing off of Thompson’s pad. But Gourdo is right there to catch it off the rebound, never giving up, always holding on, and he scoops it right over and into the net.

I know the game is finished for the Vegas Golden Knights after this. Call me biassed about my Sharks but I’ve seen when a team is still hungry for a win, and the Knights aren’t coming to the table. More than just the number on the scoreboard, in hindsight this goal feels woven into the fabric of the Narrative. It’s gorgeously messy, unexpected. It comes as a surprise to everyone watching, the broadcast barely able to keep up before the puck makes its way to the net. It’s Seattle waking up from a decades-long slumber to remind the world that it’s always been a hockey town, and the Kraken victory a ringing statement. It's another game winning goal for Gourdo, exactly like he’s always done.

It’s not quite perfect hockey, of course, not what people think of as clean or even technically proficient. But if you’ve watched any Kraken broadcasts you know what I’m about to say.

That’s Kraken hockey, baby!

[marine-indie-gal]

I have recently watched the Most Messiest Fairy Tale Crossover Adaptation in all of its Existence made by the Same Company who did their Adaptation of My Recent Favorite German Franchise called "The Magic Riddle" and despite the film's huge wasted potential of going back and forth every single time, all of its Characters are the Only Ones that I liked about the Movie (even some of them can be a bit Annoying) but my god, was this film such an Interesting Acid Trip.

So while this Film's Target comparison has always been "Shrek" because of the idea of Fairy Tale crossovers, though one thing's for sure is how that this Movie came out 1 Year after the Original Shrek book (which in the Original Story behind one of the Most Successful franchises that we all know as of Today, the Real Shrek was never really a Fairy Tale crossover in the First Place as The Magic Riddle had its own Fairy Tale story despite mostly being its own Cinderella adaptation within a Crossover before "Happily N'Ever After" did it).

Technically, I don't blatantly understand why this Film gets compared to Shrek a whole lot, when there had already been Fairy Tale Crossovers or Ones that took place in a Modern setting, way long before Shrek was even born (I mean, "Into The Woods" or the 70s Donkeyskin Adaptation, anyone?). Still doesn't help the fact that a whole lot of people seem to keep forgetting Into The Woods' existence that the DreamWorks' Shrek actually took the inspiration from (Not putting my own Hate towards the DreamWorks Franchise nor the Book, I'm just showing my own personal stance).

So yeah, because despite this Film's Gigantic Clusterfuck of a Messy Plot that feels so much like Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" but with Fairy Tales, I will admit that this film could've had a much better plot convenience if it wasn't so confusing with its Beautiful Foreign Traditional Animation coming from the same Company behind Famous Australian Kids shows based off of Old Children's Books, this Movie did try its own best but at least it's still a cult classic much of its own.

But I gotta admit one thing, despite this Mashup Adaptation of the Cinderella Fairy Tale being a Confusing Mess, this version of their Cinderella character is really Pretty (both Her Design and her Style is Really Adorable) & since I just couldn’t get enough of her Gorgeous style, I’ve decided to create my own personal re-interpretation of her Ballroom dress from the Movie because I didn’t like on how so cheap and lazy it was all for a simple *Insert Fairy Tale Joke Reference Here*, despite Cindy and her Prince’s Romance being Bland, I really really WISH the Movie could've handled their own Relationship much better and not have them fall in love quick.

So I’ve decided to make her own Ballroom dress a Flower themed while also making it close to how I would view the Real Cinderella’s ballroom dress from the Fairy Tale. Had to do a lot of Changing but it was kinda hard to interpret this but then I finally managed to get it over with as I liked how it turned out to be. Especially for a Pretty Interesting Lead Character in a Bad/Neutral Fairy Tale Movie.

But also of note, I feel like this Movie kinda deserves a Huge Fanbase with Big Rewrites like with Disney’s Wish.

Cindy © Flying Bark Productions (since it’s former title was “Yoram Gross Film Studios”)

[destinyc1020]

I was telling other fans that Dune was going to have the highly creative fashion and Challengers was going to be a lot more traditional. We have to remember that tennis is and has been a sport for white rich people. This is a sport that has historically discriminated against black people and has such a snooty vibe that Wimbledon still requires white uniforms and Serena was sanctioned by the French Open for wearing a long pant outfit. Let's also remember how both Z and Law were considered too ghetto for the big fashion houses and they didn't want to dress her. With Challengers fashion, they are showing that they can wear the most traditional WASPY outfits that would belong to a country club and wear them better than any white rich girl. And they are paying homage to pioneers in the world of tennis like Althea Gibson. Still, they have included some whimsy like the custom Jonathan Anderson dress she wore for the Australian premiere, the Lola Bunny callback or the little of the Thom Browne gown with netting in the pleating that evokes the nets of racquets. The Rome neon green outfit was also fun, recalling a neon green bag with all its little straps

We have to remember that tennis is and has been a sport for white rich people. This is a sport that has historically discriminated against black people and has such a snooty vibe that Wimbledon still requires white uniforms and Serena was sanctioned by the French Open for wearing a long pant outfit.

True.....Yea, you might be right Anon, they might intentionally be going very traditional for this press tour on purpose.

Let's also remember how both Z and Law were considered too ghetto for the big fashion houses and they didn't want to dress her.

That still burns me up to this day. 😤😡😡 Zendaya and Law are so far from "Ghetto" it's not even funny. But, because they're BLACK, "Black" automatically becomes synonymous with "ghetto" in some people's eyes. 😒🙄 Give me a freakin' break.

Anyway, you're right Anon, it might be a conscious choice/decision. I saw how they treated THEE GOAT Serena Williams. 😒 Z has had some great looks on this press tour, so I'm not complaining, I just wish racist society would afford her more flexibility to be different on this press tour, that's all.

She looks gorgeous either way though. The blonde hair really suits her imo. 🥰

[thesunwillshineonusagain757]

𝗔𝗧𝗣 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦 𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗜𝗔𝗙 𝗔𝗨

𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗞𝗘𝗘𝗣 :

The Red Keep Championships, commonly known simply as Red Keep, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All Crownland Club in Red Keep, King's Landing, since 1877 and is played on outdoor grass courts, with retractable roofs over the two main courts since 2019. Red keep is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Braavos Open, Dornish Open, and Lys Open.

Red Keep is the only major still played on grass, the traditional tennis playing surface. Also, it is the only Grand Slam that retains a night-time curfew, though matches can now continue until 11.00 pm under the lights.

The tournament traditionally takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, starting on the last Monday in June and culminating with the Mixed Singles Finals, scheduled for the Saturday and Sunday at the end of the second week.

Five major events are held each year, with additional junior and invitational competitions also taking place. In 2009, Red Keep's Centre Court was fitted with a retractable roof to lessen the loss of playing time due to rain. A roof was operational over No. 1 Court from 2019, when a number of other improvements were made, including adding cushioned seating, a table and 10 independently operable cameras per court to capture the games.

Red Keep traditions include a strict all-white dress code for competitors, and royal patronage. Strawberries and cream are traditionally consumed at the tournament. Unlike other tournaments, advertising is minimal and low key from official suppliers such as Slazenger and Rolex. The relationship with Slazenger is the world's longest-running sporting sponsorship, providing balls for the tournament since 1902.

Inspired by : Wimbledon

𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Braavos Open is a tennis tournament held annually at House of Black and White Park in Braavos, Essos. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the Dornish Open, Red Keep, and the Lys Open.

The Braavos Open starts in the middle of January and continues for two weeks coinciding with the Braavosi Day holiday. It features mixed singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; junior's championships; and wheelchair, legends, and exhibition events. Before 1988, it was played on grass courts, but since then two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used: green-coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and blue Plexicushion since 2008.

First held in 1905 as the Bravosi championships, the Braavos Open has grown to become one of the biggest sporting events in the Essosi part of the globe. Nicknamed "the happy slam", the Braavos Open is the highest attended Grand Slam event, with more than 902,000 people attending the 2023 tournament.

It was also the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts, Jaqen H'ghar Arena, Yorko Terys Arena and the refurbished Valar Morghulis Arena equipped with retractable roofs.

The Braavos Open is a major contributor to the Braavosi economy; the 2020 Braavos Open injected $387.7 million into the state's economy, while over the preceding decade the Braavos Open had contributed more than $2.71 billion in economic benefits to the Braavosi economy.

Inspired by : Australian open

𝗟𝗬𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Lys Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in the Free City of Essos. Since 1987, the Lys Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. The other three, in chronological order, are the Braavos Open, Dornish Open and Red Keep.

The Lys Open starts on the last Monday of August and continues for two weeks, with the middle weekend coinciding with the Lys Labor Day holiday. The tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, originally known as the Lyseni National Championship, for which mixed singles and mixed doubles were first played in August 1881.

The tournament consists of five primary championships: mixed singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles. The tournament also includes events for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Since 1978, the tournament has been played on acrylic hardcourts at the Lys Salladhor Saan National Tennis Center in Shayala's Dance, Bazanne Town, Doreah Queens, Myrmadora Haen City.

The Lys Open is owned and organised by the Lyseni Tennis Association , a non-profit organisation, and the chairperson of the Lys Open is Moreo Dagareon. Revenue from ticket sales, sponsorships, and television contracts is used to develop tennis in the Lys.

This tournament, from 1971 to 2021, employed standard tiebreakers (first to 7 points, win by 2) in every set of a singles match. Since the year of 2022, new tiebreak rules were initiated and standardised in the final set for all four Grand Slams. Thus, when a match reaches 6–all in the last possible set (the third for women and fifth for men), an extended tiebreaker (first to 10 points, win by 2) is played.

Inspired by : US Open

𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Dornish Open, also known as Nymeria of Ny Sar, is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Nymeria Martell in Sunspear, Dorne, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and venue are named after the Dornish aviator Nymeria of Ny Sar.

The Dornish Open is the premier clay court championship in the world and the only Grand Slam tournament currently held on this surface. It is chronologically the second of the four annual Grand Slam tournaments, occurring after the Braavos Open and before Red Keep and the Lys Open.

Until 1975, the Dornish Open was the only major tournament not played on grass. Between the seven rounds needed for a championship, the clay surface characteristics (slower pace, higher bounce), and the best-of-five-set mixed singles matches, the Dornish Open is widely regarded as the most physically demanding tennis tournament in the world.

The Dornish Open has been the only major played on clay courts since 1978, when the Lys Open changed to hard courts. Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when compared with grass courts or hard courts. For this reason, clay courts take away some of the advantages of big servers and serve-and-volleyers, which makes it hard for these types of players to dominate on the surface.

On the other hand, players whose games are more suited to jumpier surfaces. In the Open Era, almost only male players who have won both the Dornish Open and Red Keep. Composition of the courts : 1. Red brick dust, 2. Crushed white limestone, 3. Clinker (coal residue), 4. Crushed gravel, 5. Drain rock.

Inspired by : French Open

𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Winterfell Open (also known as the Winterfell Masters, and currently branded as the Winterfell Open presented by Itaú for sponsorship reasons) is a tennis tournament held at Hard Rock Stadium in Winterfell Gardens, Winterfell. It is part of the mixed ATP Tour Masters 1000 circuit, and part of the women's WTA 1000 circuit. The Winterfell Open is usually held between March and April.

The tournament had historically been held at the Tennis Center at Cregan Park in Winterfell town, Winterfell from 1987 through 2018, before moving to northern Gardens for 2019. Behind the Karhold Masters, it is the second event of the "Blizzard Double", a series of two consecutive hard court tournaments in the North at the beginning of the season. They are the only tournaments besides majors where main draw play extends beyond eight days.

Beside the four Major championships, the Winterfell Open is one of a small number of events on the ATP tour where the main singles draw (for the mixed, the men and the women) involves more than 64 players, and where main draw play extends beyond one week. 96 men and 96 women compete in the singles competition, and 32 teams compete in each of the doubles competitions with the event lasting 12 days.

In 2006, the tournament became the first event in the North to use Hawk-Eye to allow players to challenge close line calls. Players were allowed three challenges per set, with an additional challenge allowed for tiebreaks. The first challenge was made by Jon Connignton against Dacey Mormont in the first round.

Inspired by : Miami Open

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 :

The Vale Masters, also known as the The Arryn Open and The Sky-blue falcon Open is an annual tennis tournament usually held in early- and mid-March at the Arryn Falcon Tennis Garden in Flanco Peak, in the Vale, in Westeros. The owner is Jon Arryn, executive chairman and co-founder of Oracle. The tournament director is former world No. 2 player Robin Arryn. The tournament is a Masters 1000 event on the mixed tour, men's tour and is a WTA 1000 event on the women's tour.

Between 1974 and 1976 it was a non-tour event and between 1977 and 1989 it was held as part of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour. The event is one of two tour events , other than the Majors, in which main draw play extends beyond eight days. The women's main draw and men's main draw usually starts on Wednesday and the mixed starts on Thursday. Both finals are held on Sunday of the following week. Both singles main draws include 96 players in a 128-player grid, with the 32 seeded players getting a bye (a free pass) to the second round.

The tournament is played on hardcourt and is the best-attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam tournaments, it is often called the "fifth Grand Slam". It has the second-largest permanent tennis stadium in the world, behind Dragonstone's Aegon Targaryen Stadium.

Inspired by : Indian Wells Masters

𝗛𝗜𝗚𝗛 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦:

The High Garden Masters is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Loras-Cap-Tyrell, High Garden, France, a commune that borders on Dorne. The event is part of the ATP Tour Masters 1000 on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. The tournament is played on clay courts and is held every year in the April–May period.

The High Garden tennis championship was first held in 1897. It became an "Open" event in 1969. From 1970 through 1973 and from 1976 through 1989 it was a major tournament of the Grand Prix Tour. In 1973 the tournament was part of the Rothmans Spring Mediterranean Circuit. From 1974 through 1977 the tournament was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. In 1990 it became an ATP Championship Series Single Week tennis event.

Beginning in 2009, High garden became the only Masters 1000 tournament not to have a mandatory player commitment. Most of the top players still elect to play the event despite this status.Lyanna won the title eight consecutive times between 2005 and 2012, making him the only player to win eight consecutive titles at the same tournament. In 2017, contesting his 11th final against Oberyn Martell, she won the title for an Open Era record 10th time. The following year, Lyanna improved this record to 11 wins in a final against .

Inspired by : Monte-Carlo Masters

𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Starfall Open, currently sponsored by Torentine Starfall and known as the Torentine Starfall Open, is a joint mixed, men's and women's professional tennis tournament, held in Starfall, during early May.

The clay-court event is classified as an ATP Tour Masters 1000 on the ATP Tour and a WTA 1000 event on the WTA Tour. In the past, it has also been known as the Starfall Masters. The tournament is traditionally played on a red clay surface. The event was played on blue courts in the 2012 tournament edition, with the ATP deciding against blue thereafter.

It was proposed and implemented in 2012 a new colour of blue clay for all the courts' surfaces, motivating that it would supposedly be better visually, especially for viewers on television (analogous to some hard court surface events migrating to blue from various previous colour schemes).

Some speculated that the adaptation of blue colour was a nod to the titular sponsor of the tournament, the Dornish insurance giant Torentine Starfall. This controversial change was subsequently granted and began to be used in the 2012 edition of the tournament. In 2009 one of the outer tennis courts had already been made of the new surface for the players to test it. The Open's director had assured that aside from the colour, the surface kept the same properties as the traditional red clay.

Inspired by : Madrid Open

𝗞𝗔𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Karhold Open is a mixed tennis tournament held in Karhold, located along a forested river in the eastern half of the north, south of the Bay of Seals, in the North. Held since 1993, the event is played on four outdoor grass courts and is a part of the ATP Tour 500 series on the ATP Tour schedule.

Between 1993 and 2018 it was sponsored by Karlon Stark. It was sponsored by Karstark & Co from 2019 to 2021. In December 2021, a change of primary sponsor and name was announced. For the years 2022 and 2023, the tournament will be known as the Karhold Open.

The Karhold Open is held at the same time as the Kings of North Club Championships, and the two are seen as the primary warm-up tournaments for the Winterfell Grand Slam tournament, also on grass courts, which begins towards the end of June. The event was upgraded in 2015 from a 250 series to a 500 series tournament.

The Centre Court (the Karlon Stark, Stadion) has 12,300 seats and a retractable roof which can be closed in 88 seconds so that tennis matches can continue with a closed roof when it begins to rain. The stadium is heated and also used for other sport events (handball, basketball, volleyball and boxing) and concerts.

Inspired by : Halle Open

𝗠𝗘𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦:

The Meereen Masters, originally called the Essosi International Championships, is a tennis tournament held in the Free City, Essos. It is one of the most important clay tennis tournaments in the world with the mixed competition being an ATP Tour Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, and the women's competition being a WTA 1000 event on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour.

The two events were combined in 2011. The tournament is played on clay courts, currently during the second week of May. The event is also known as the "Meereen Masters" for male edition, as well as the sponsored name "Koshlōgor hen Mīrīn". Lyanna Stark has won the mixed singles title a record ten times.

The Meereenese tennis championship was first held in 1930 in centre Meereen at the Tennis Club and was initiated by Queen Daenerys Jelmāzmo. The singles events at the tournament were won by Belaquo Bonebreaker and Barsena Blackhair. The championships were held in centre Meereen until 1934.

The Meereen Open became "open" to professional players in 1969. Between 1972 and 1989 it was a premier tournament of the Grand Prix Tennis Tour and was part of the Grand Prix Super Series top tier events. In 1990 it became an ATP Championship Series Single Week tournament, which included the nine most prestigious tournaments of the preceding Grand Prix tennis circuit. It has remained part of this category of events until today, that has changed names several times since, to be now known as the ATP Tour Masters 1000 events.

Inspired by : Rome Masters

𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Casterly Open, also known as the Casterly Open presented by Lannister for sponsorship reasons, is a tennis event on the ATP Tour and former WTA International Tournaments event. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the Jockey Club Casterly in Casterly, Westernlands. It is the only ATP Tour 500 event in Westernland and the only ATP Tour event in Westeros.

The tournament takes place at the end of February and organises a mixed, men's and women's event. The tournament takes place under the patronage of the Casterly Rock foundation In 2001 the ATP upgraded the tournament from an ATP 250 level to a more prestigious ATP 500 level tournament.

On the WTA Tour, it alternates yearly between a WTA 1000 level tournament and a WTA 500 level tournament. Prior to the 1990s there was an annual Casterly Tennis Championship played at the Top of the Rock, in the Casterly Rock Palace Club.

The Casterly Tennis Championships was the third tournament in pro tennis history to award equal prize money for both men and women, before the mixed era.

Inspired by : Dubai Open and Rio Open

𝗔𝗧𝗣 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦:

The ATP Finals (until 2008 Tennis Masters Cup and until 2017 ATP World Tour Finals) is a tennis tournament played annually at the end of the season involving the eight highest ranked players in the ATP world tennis rankings. A doubles version is also played, involving the top 8 doubles players of the season.

Unlike the other events of the mixed and men's season, the ATP Finals is not a direct elimination tournament. The eight tennis players/doubles are split into two groups of four, and each tennis player/doubles player plays against the other three in their group. Then, the two players/doubles with the best results from each group move on to the semi-finals, and the winners of the semi-finals meet in the final to determine the champion.

The ATP Finals is considered the fifth most prestigious event on the mixed, men's and women's circuit, after the four Grand Slam tournaments. It is usually held in Riverrun but it has been also known to be held in Harrenhal.

In the 2009 season the name of the tournament changed from Tennis Masters Cup to ATP World Tour Finals and in 2018, such name changed to just ATP Finals. Tennis players Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark are the tournament's biggest singles champions, both with 6 wins.

Inspired by : ATP Finals

𝗬𝗜𝗧𝗜 𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 :

The Yiti Masters ( also known as Yiti Rolex Masters for sponsorship reasons) is a professional mixed tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts, and held annually in early October at the Amethyst Empress Forest Sports City Arena in the Han District of YIti. The tournament is chronologically the eighth out of nine ATP Tour Masters 1000 events on the ATP Tour, it was the first to be played in eastern Essos.

Inspired by : Shanghai Masters

𝗬𝗨𝗡𝗞𝗔𝗜 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The mixed Yunkai Open (sponsored by Skistar) is an ATP Tour 250 tennis tournament on the ATP Tour held in Center Yunkai, Yunkai in July, it's a challenger-level tournament. It is played on outdoor clay courts, something to note is that the winners of the Yunkai open will be crowned king or queen of the city and will be taken to the top of the biggest pyramid in the city and enjoy a day of being " royalty", after their win.

Inspired by : Swedish Open

𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Lannisport Open (sponsored since 2022 by Hugo Boss and called BOSS Open) is an ATP Tour 250 series professional tennis tournament on the ATP Tour. Between 1970 and 1989, the Lannisport Open was a Grand Prix tennis circuit event. From 1990 to 1999, the Lannisport Open was an ATP Championship Series tournament. The Championship Series name was changed to ATP International Series Gold in 2000, and the Lannisport Open was a part of this series from 2000–2001 and 2003–2008. In 2002, the Lannisport Open was briefly demoted for one year to ATP International Series status, which was renamed to the ATP Tour 250 in 2009, and it has retained the classification ever since.

Inspired by : Stuttgart Open

𝗡𝗔𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗜 𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗦 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Naath Essos Open (formerly Naath Open Tennis Championships) is an annual tennis tournament for professional players held in Naath, Isle of Butterflies and part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour. Before 2021, it is a mixed event. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the tennis centre Missandei Starheart in the Naarthi quarter. For much of its history, the tournament was contested in May, as a precursor to the Dornish Open on the professional tennis calendar. Starting with the 2009 tournament, it has been held in July instead.

Inspired by : Hamburg European Open

𝗣𝗬𝗞𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 :

The Pyke Open (currently sponsored by Erste Bank and called the Erste Bank Open) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. Originally an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit (1974–1989), it is currently part of the ATP World Tour 500 series of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. It has been held annually at the Balon Greyjoy Club, in Pyke, Iron Islands, since 1974.

Iron Island's most successful tennis player, Victarion Greyjoy, never won the Pyke Open, but was a runner-up on three occasions (1988, 1993, 1995), and a semi-finalist on another four occasions (1987, 1989, 1990, 1994). Four Iron Island players have won the singles title at the Pyke Open: Vickon Greyjoy in 1988, Goren Greyjoy in 2009, Dagon Codd in 2010, and Caoimhe Stonetree in 2019.

Inspired by : Vienna Open

𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The DragonStone Championships is a professional tennis tournament on the ATP Tour. Classified as an ATP 250 tournament, the event is annually held at the outdoor grass courts of Dragonstone Country Club in Sant Aegon, Dragonstone, Crowlands in June, a week prior to the Red Keep Championships.

Inspired by : Mallorca Open

𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗛𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖:

The Harrenhal Classic: (currently sponsored by Rothesay Pensions) is a 250-level previously women only but now mixed tennis tournament on the mixed Tour held at the Harrenhal Priory Club in Harrenhal, Crownlads, Westeros. Held at this location since 1982, the tournament is played on outdoor grass courts. It is seen as a warm up tournament for the Red Keep.

Inspired by : Birmingham Classic

𝗗𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡:

The Dreadfort Open was originally known as the Dreadfort Championships or Dreadfort Lawn Tennis Tournament (1887–1967), is a tennis tournament for mixed, men's and women's held in Dreadfort, North, played on outdoor grass courts at the Dreadfort Tennis Centre. After being discontinued in 2008, it was downgraded in 2011 to ATP Mixed Challenger Tour and ITF Women's Circuit. briefly re-established as an ATP World Tour 250 event on the men's tour in 2015 and 2016, before returning to a Challenger event in 2017, and since 2015 it has been an international event on the women's tour. The tournament is held in June as a "warm-up" for the Red Keep.

Inspired by : Nottingham Open

@aemontargaryen-bloodraven

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Naked Megan claims sets off furore online by u/darkdarktimes

Naked Megan claims sets off furore online This is obviously in response to Nigeria’s First Lady senator and her speech.A few snippets “Is it misconstruing and twisting Senator Tinubu’s comments about “nakedness” to connect it with her reference to the duchess? Was the “why did Meghan come here…” line a rhetorical question? And was her point really about the pervasiveness of Western cultural influence and not, as many have decided, a dig at the duchess’ tour wardrobe?”“Two pertinent details here: It would be unprecedented for a First Lady, and of a Commonwealth country no less, to take aim at a member of the royal family, especially a duchess who, as she revealed during an episode of her Archetypes podcast, was “forty three percent Nigerian” according to a genealogy test.”“In a 2018 story about Nigerian style, The New York Times reported that the country “remains politically, socially and religiously conservative. Men and women tend to dress accordingly, in loose fitting garments made from vivid traditional textiles (brocade, adire, ankara) and Western-style business professional attire.”“So, from an Australian standpoint, Meghan’s sleeveless, strapless and summery dresses were pretty damn fabulous. However, how might they have come across against this religious and cultural backdrop?I did not find them damn fabulous just for the record 😬It must be noted that the duchess did incorporate local pieces, wearing, along with Harry, traditional wooden necklaces given to them when they arrived, a one-of-a-kind skirt made by the brand Regalia by FAL made from Aso-Oke fabric (hand-woven cloth created by the Yoruba people) and a shawl gifted to her by the First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.But But ignore the offence created she wore local pieces 🙄Archive below https://ift.tt/PTe1S8I to correct title post link: https://ift.tt/Pb5Q08v author: darkdarktimes submitted: May 28, 2024 at 07:37AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[fromzion]

Making the Switch: Is Bamboo Apparel Worth Ditching Your Regular Clothes Australia?

For years, cotton has reigned supreme in Australian wardrobes. Its breathability, comfort, and versatility have made it a reliable choice for everyday wear. However, a new contender is emerging on the scene: Bamboo Apparel Australia. This innovative clothing option boasts unique advantages, prompting the question – is it worth ditching your regular clothes for bamboo? Let's delve into the pros and cons of both fabrics to help you decide.

Comfort Revolution: Softness Like Never Before

One of the biggest draws of bamboo clothes Australia is their unparalleled softness. Bamboo fibres are naturally smooth and round, unlike cotton, which can sometimes feel slightly rough. This translates to pure comfort, like wearing a gentle hug throughout the day. Whether battling the scorching Australian sun or enjoying a breezy coastal evening, bamboo apparel offers a luxurious softness that's hard to beat.

Breathability Matters: Staying Cool and Fresh

Comfort extends beyond just softness. Australian summers demand fabrics that let your skin breathe, and cotton and bamboo excel in this area to an extent. However, bamboo has a clear edge.  Bamboo Apparel Australia utilizes the naturally porous nature of bamboo fibres, allowing for exceptional air circulation and moisture-wicking properties. This means staying cool and fresh throughout the day, even on the hottest days Down Under.

Movement Matters: Flexibility for the Active Aussie Lifestyle

Australians are known for their active lifestyles, and their clothing needs to reflect that. Traditional cotton clothing can sometimes feel restrictive, especially for those who value freedom of movement. Bamboo Apparel Australia offers a solution. The natural drape and flexibility of bamboo fabric allow for a broader range of motion, making them perfect for any activity your day throws your way.

Style Showdown: Versatility for Every Occasion

Cotton has long been a champion of versatility, easily transitioning from casual to semi-formal settings. However, bamboo clothes in Australia are also proving to be surprisingly versatile. While they may not be suitable for the most formal occasions, bamboo dresses, pants, and shirts can be dressed in blazers and heels for a polished work look.   Pair them with a t-shirt or a flowy top for a casual vibe.  The variety of styles and cuts available in bamboo apparel allows you to create outfits for various occasions.

Durability Test: Can Bamboo Withstand the Aussie Climate?

Australian life can be harsh on clothes. Durability is crucial between the hot sun, frequent washing, and outdoor adventures. The good news is that bamboo apparel Australia is surprisingly durable. Bamboo fibres are solid and resilient. With proper care, your bamboo clothes can become dependable staples in your wardrobe, maintaining their shape and softness even after multiple washes.

Sustainable Choice: Dressing with a Conscience

In today's eco-conscious world, the environmental impact of our clothing choices matters. Traditional cotton production, the primary material in most clothes, requires significant water and pesticides. Bamboo Clothes Australia offer a sustainable alternative. Bamboo is a rapidly renewable resource that thrives with minimal water and no pesticides. The production process of bamboo clothing also uses less water and chemicals than cotton, making it a more sustainable option for the planet.

The Verdict: Comfort Takes the Crown (But Keep Your Cotton Favorites)

While cotton will likely remain a wardrobe staple for its versatility and affordability, bamboo apparel in Australia offers a compelling alternative, especially when comfort and sustainability are top priorities. Bamboo's unparalleled softness, breathability, and flexibility make it a comfortable choice for any activity. Additionally, its surprising versatility and eco-friendly nature make it a strong contender for a place in your wardrobe.

However, the decision doesn't have to be all or nothing. Bamboo clothes Australia can coexist with your existing cotton wardrobe.   Bamboo apparel is a welcome addition to your everyday wear collection for ultimate comfort and a sustainable choice.  For those days where affordability or a specific style is the priority, cotton remains a reliable option.

So, why not embrace the variety? Invest in a few critical pieces of bamboo clothes Australia and experience the comfort revolution for yourself. You might find your new favourite clothing companion perfect for the Australian climate and lifestyle.

[jemeryas]

Valentino's 'Le Salon' is a Lesson in Regressive Storytelling

I never know what to expect when it comes to Valentino and this past Haute Couture show titled ‘Le Salon’ proved why I am so critical towards the current state of fashion. The livestream premieres with flashing lights from Place Vendôme in Paris, France as notable guest like Florence Pugh, Kris and Kylie Jenner also featuring Kylie’s daughter Stormi and founding house father Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani decked in a burgundy velvet suit that gives off exactly what Nicki Minaj would say a lot of you people can’t spell. Couth. 

But the second the circus was over and everyone had taken their seats the real show began. Burgundy seems to be a common color scattered throughout shows recently that I am slowly becoming rather fond of. The color reminding me of the Christmas sweater that Mrs. Weasley would make every year for her son Ron Weasley in the films. It is that kind of consistent love that I am beginning to associate with this color. I am sure that nearly every Harry Potter fan will understand what I am trying to describe. Continuing on an Italian aria echos as the models continue walking down the runway. Tombstone grays paired with egg yolk yellows or neon oranges is only something PierPaolo, the current creative director of Valentino, could envision being paired together. Does that mean that all the silhouettes are terrible? Absolutely not! A dress that was worn by Florence Pugh for her Australian Vogue November issue, and that I would have the fortune of featuring on my own tiktok page, would make an appearance; proving the point in my Dior Couture review that certain pieces would look better on a fuller-sized model and Pugh perfectly captures that look. 

Yet as the show continued on there were only a few more pieces that would capture my eye. A turquoise evening gown brought a smile to my face as I watched a dark skinned model sporting a shaved head, a quicker-than-lightening attitude and a walk with so much elegance that you couldn’t help but give a small, “you better go girl,” under your breath. The gown only an added accessory to the model. This is the type of energy, I realize, is missing from the runway scene. A lack of personality. I guess we can blame Prada for that one, but that’s for another essay. 

The show continued on in tulles, sequins and unique pairings that again, some may say is a work of genius, but I would have to disagree. Now, do not mistaken my disdain for Le Salon as disdain for the creative director. The L’Ecole show still holds a special place in my heart and is shelved right in my top two alongside the Pink PP collection. However, coming off the heels of an amazing show like L’Ecole I had high hopes to see what PierPaolo would showcase and was let down in a tremendous way. In terms of music and performance, I loved the traditional Italian Opera, but when you compare that to, what can only be described as a spiritual conversion to the world of FKA Twigs, I don’t think a younger demographic would care too much for this show once they hear the music. The clothes were, at best, in-cohesive; and at worst, a dumpster fire of the worst color combos you could put together. But just as I was about to write the rest of this show off, Black silhouettes made their appearance and I paused to watch. Each look channeling something that was made specifically for the femme fatale. The Black Swan of her family. I was hooked but by that point the show was over and I was left feeling…underwhelmed. 

In terms of artistry and storytelling this was not it Valentino and PierPaolo. I know that I was a fan of the burgundy and the Blacks but the few good  pieces that were in those colors were so far in between that it just wasn’t enough to save them this time around. The ten’s are replaced with the 6’s in my book for color crimes against humanity. But again, don’t crucify me, this is just my opinion. It’s not like I am Anna Wintour…yet.

[mesmerizms]

Ok I feel like this is gonna be like super problematic or something but I feel like I should just get it out. I welcome comments, discussion, reblogs, and tags.

I find it really hard to talk about my own culture, because white (as in American/Canadian/British/Australian/etc) people talking about their culture has become such a taboo. And understandably so, to be fair, because due to colonization, there are a lot of cultural things that are no longer specific, and are now global in several other cultures that wouldn't otherwise have them.

I often see people in fandom from so many different countries and cultures take characters and put them in their culture: wearing certain clothes, eating certain food, doing certain activities, and so on, and I LOVE it. I love people exploring their love for their own culture and their love for their blorbo(s) at the same time. There's so much joy in it.

There's been several times where I wanted to join in, but felt like I couldn't because I "don't have a culture", as a white British person. But that's just completely untrue? I DO have a culture. It's not one that most people seem to care about, but I do. Sunday dinners, chip shops, pantomimes. Despite growing up in England, my dad is Scottish and I visited his side of the family up in Aberdeen on a regular basis, so kilts (they were worn by most if not all of the men at the first two weddings I remember attending) and bagpipes (I LOVE the sound, they're beautiful when played well) are also on there for me. My accent is a part of my culture too, and I genuinely love my accent (my strange little combination of RP and East Midlands that has people asking me if I'm Canadian...). Don't even get me started on the food (yes it's pretty bland and looks very boring but done right it's tasty and it's filling, yes i think it's stupid as hell that the british empire colonised a bunch of places in order to get spices and now a lot of white people in the UK don't even USE most of those spices)

With a little more thinking, I could probably list a lot more, but I feel like I can't so much as mention it off-handedly without someone showing up out of the woodwork to make fun of lower-class British accents (like when people say "bri'ish" (although I enjoy it when it's used in a neutral and fun way) or when people just completely fuck up and bastardise whichever already-discriminated-against English accent they're making fun of this time - honestly I think RP could stand to be made fun of a bit a lot more), or to make fun of the spices issue (like I said before YES it's stupid, do you think I colonised those countries myself????) and make horrid over-the-top gagging noises whenever "UK" and "food" are so much as mentioned in the same sentence.

I mean look at this. I just wanted to talk about my culture and how it affects me and I feel like I have to have such a huge lead-up and THEN I still feel the need to explain that the british empire sucked and that a lot of our food is quite bland etc etc etc.

With other (non-English speaking/non-white) cultures, people can just mention things and dress their favourite characters in traditional clothes and it's lovely and celebrated. Please keep doing this. Please put your favourite characters in your culture, there is NOTHING more joyful in fandom spaces than spreading your love of your own culture through characters that you also love.

I'd like to join in, is all. I'm not asking for the red carpet to be rolled out for me, I just feel like someone's gonna attack me if I mention my faves enjoying my favourite British food.

But even asking this feels like I'm being White(tm) and throwing a tantrum and whining "WHAT ABOUT MEEE?!?!?!?!" - this is NOT what I'm trying to do here. I don't need attention for it. Honestly the less attention I get the better, it feels like. I've seen some british hate on here that is genuinely horrible and disturbing. And sure, it's deserved for all of the colonisation and the many attrocities, but I didn't choose to be born here????? YES it's terrible but I'm tired of being the punching bag of everything that my country (countries?) have ever done wrong.

Is this entitled of me? It doesn't feel like it, but reading through this post, it kinda looks like it. Am I just insane and paranoid? Maybe. I don't know.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Hello Theitsa, new follower here who just made an account to share my input on a past question about the term 'wog'. I'm a Greek-Australian in my early 20's and wog is a word I've heard used my whole life to describe Australians with Mediterranean/Balkan/Arab backgrounds. but I'd say it's mostly geared towards Greeks and Italians as they were the top 2 ethnic immigrant groups 60 years ago. I remember as a kid in the early 2000's wog was used as a way to derogatorily describe people like me due to the way we looked, dressed, languages we spoke, the food we ate, or the traditions we practiced that were different to the 'white-Anglo' norms. A common question when I was younger was "what is your background?", or "where are you from?" this was asked because me and my family don't 'look Australian', but thankfully now this sort of question is a lot rarer to hear. Back then I was somewhat ashamed of the way I spoke and made an effort to try and speak more 'proper' (an example of this is the youtube channel Superwog if you're curious who do comedy sketches exaggerating scenarios and the 'wog accent'). Nowadays I'm a lot more comfortable with my culture and identity and have embraced the unique way I speak. Mostly in the last 20 years the term wog has been used more and more by wogs as a way to connect with our shared culture and less and less by people using the word with a negative connotation. While I do sometimes hear it being used by non-wogs in a negative way, it's much more commonly used by us. I use the word freely and casually, and have no problems when my anglo or asian friends use it around me. Now it's mainly the intent behind the use of the word, generally not offensive, but it can be used offensively. On the note of experiencing racism as a Greek in Australia I will say that it does happen, definitely not to the same degree as Indigenous or Asian people. Me and my family have experience it in some form, from my yiayiades and papoudes, to my parents, to me and my siblings. Most often you'll hear something about Greeks being shady with money, poor, cheap, lazy, or gay, which is the most basic and surface level type of insult (the first my family experienced plenty owning and working in a cafe). A different example would be my sister and her friends at (a Christian) school being told that Greek's aren't Christian because they worship idols (eikones).

Another similar note would be to look into the Cronulla Riots from 2005, as a very public incident of racism towards wogs. Often groups of young wogs are seen as 'thuggish' or hooligans due to being loud or being into car culture (loud, modded cars). For these reasons wogs are usually targeted a lot more by police especially while driving, I personally feel a lot more at risk of being pulled over while driving around compared to my non-wog friends, not to the extreme of fearing for my life like what many Black Americans experience, but enough that I don't feel completely safe. Sorry for the length but this topic really interests me for obvious reasons, I wanted to share a little of my personal experience as a Greek-Australian and a proud wog. Identity is quite important to me and something I've struggled with for a long time as someone who feels not 100% Greek when I'm in Greece, and not 100% Australian when I'm in Australia, I'm proud of my Greek culture and heritage, and I'm also proud of the country me and my parents grew up in and call home.

Γειαααα! Ευχαριστώ πολύ που έκανες λογαριασμό για να μας εξηγήσεις - και για το follow φυσικά 💙 Πρέπει να είμαστε σε επικοινωνία οι Έλληνες από όλο τον κόσμο 💙