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arjaandsimoni · 1 year

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Hunting in Eternal Darkness

Brittany, on the Northwestern Coast of France

Nelen looked out the window of the car that they were riding in, the warlock dressed in a rather nice three-piece suit with a pair of black gloves hiding Merihim’s bandages. A bit bulky but easy enough to remove in emergencies. Next to him sat Arja and Simoni. It was a fairly wide car, not a limousine but the sort of car that said the person who owned it had money, and so had their ancestors. Arja grumbled, toying with the golden object on her wrist. A Haath Phool, a bracelet connected to a ring around her middle finger, set with a ruby where the chain and bracelet met. “Someone is gonna ask, I just freaking know it…” she grumbled.

Simoni looked at her own, though her’s had a shining emerald on it. “Yeah, I mean I looked it up online after Iravati showed me mine… I thought it looked really gorgeous but…” she blushed, “Well… yeah, jeez…” she coughed awkwardly.

Arja growled, “It was a symbol of royalty and nobility in old Rajasthan but just because some weird old British assholes with East India noticed the chain part…” she grumbled, flopping back and folding one arm tight over her middle, the other holding the hand with the bracelet out infront of her. “I mean this thing belonged to my father’s great great grandmother! It’s a family heirloom… but you know… YOU KNOW someone is going to ask why I’m wearing a…” she made a face, “… ‘slave bracelet.’”

Simoni sighed, then put her hand on Arja’s shoulder, “Arja, its also possible that they might know what it really is. House Roche is a house of scholars and researchers.” she smiled, “Lets give them a chance first, hm?” she tried, “Just… please don’t set anything on fire. They’ll likely know what actually did it.”

Arja looked pointedly out the window, fidgeting. “I make no promises.” she muttered.

The girls had heavy winter coats to wear out to the cars, but had swapped their boots for sandals once they got in. The Roche Manor had a large, heated garage for them to get out in, despite the outside world being buried in snow even deeper than back in Cincinnati. Simoni had been surprised at this until Nelen had shown her on a map that they were actually further north than the northernmost tip of Maine now. Still, a visit to a stately manor for a business dinner meant they had to play the role of Rajesh’s daughters. At least it was likely to just be a peaceful visit, given that it was just the three of them.

Ahead, through the snow, they could see the mansion that the Roche family lived in. A massive building, four stories tall, with a huge glass dome at the top and vast gardens infront. Even Arja’s house back in Jaipur was small by comparison.

Back at the hotel

“Siiiiiiiiiis… this is boooooooooring… can’t we go hunt something?” whined Dusk, flopping into his back and kicking his legs in the air.

Dawn huffed, looking over at him in her human form, the girl actually wearing her pajamas for once and not complaining about having to put on clothes. “C’mon Dusk. I griped too when I was your age, but it really is useful to know how to read! You wanna prove to Nelen you deserve thumbs too, right?” she asked.

On the TV, a young LeVar Burton strolled through a hat store. “Woooow, look at this! Every kind of hat you can imagine! Straw hats, top hats, cowboy hats… even books about hats!”

Dawn grinned at her little brother. “This one was actually pretty fun, and if you do convince Nelen you’re gonna need to learn about hats. Trust me, hiding the ears is REALLY hard.” she nodded.

Dusk sat up, hissing a little in annoyance, “Fiiiiiiine…” he huffed, curling up next to her to watch the show. After a minute she did catch him humming the theme song though. She had griped at first too, but there was something about Reading Rainbow she couldn’t deny was charming. The shows reached across many lines; races, creeds, countries… and though the show’s creator may not know it, even species.

As she lay there she winced, then glanced back, “Huh… my tail is doing the thing again…” she muttered, then shrugged. A minute later Dusk’s began doing it as well.

A Mansion on the French Coast

Eventually the car pulled into the garage under the manor and the driver got out. They wore a pure white uniform and cap, gloves and all, and moved with a precision that suggested military training as they opened the back door and stood aside for the two girls and their bodyguard to exit. Nelen nodded respectfully to the driver as they did, then the trio followed them through to what turned out to be an elevator. Rajesh had arrived a few moments ahead of them, having had better luck with the lights leaving the nearby city of Brest.

As the elevator went up Arja nodded to Simoni, then began speaking to her pointedly in Hindi so their escort wouldn’t understand them. “Okay, gotta do this right or dad’ll gripe later. He knows I hate doing it, but I know it’s important to keep up appearances if we want to actually get this to happen and it’ll be a huge boon for Jaipur. Remember, we’re dealing with wealthy aristocrats. Mostly they’re idiots with too much money that their families made before they were even born but every so often you get someone smart.” she warned.

Arja continued as Simoni nodded, looking a bit worried at how irritated she was. “When dad introduces you to someone, put your hands together and give a small bow. They expect it.” she said, and Simoni could hear the annoyance in her voice. Arja was the heir to King Hanuman after all, bowing to any mortal aristocrat really stuck in her teeth.

“Stay quiet by and large, don’t speak unless someone speaks to you first. Indian girls are supposed to be the whole submissive stereotypical crap as far as westerners know, but it’s the westerners who have the damn money so we gotta pretend.” she nodded, “We can talk to each other of course, but make sure to stick to Hindi so nobody can understand us. We’ll get looks, especially from the older ones, but mostly they’ll just assume we can’t speak English or French or whatever.” she sighed.

Simoni nodded, then carefully made sure to let the ear clip she wore match her language to what Arja was speaking before she continued. The ear clips Nelen gave them were designed to ‘Protect from the Curse of Babel,’ the mythical curse that Yahweh, the Christian god, inflicted upon humanity to make them speak in a multitude of tongues for daring to build a tower to usurp heaven. Whether there truly was a curse or not didn’t matter, enough people believed and that fueled the magic. Whenever Arja and Simoni wore them, they would instinctively understand what was spoken to them and speak back in the person’s language with perfect fluency.

“Right… bow, stay quiet most of the time, play the meek little Indian girls, don’t piss off the money, and expect the older white guys to be old and white about it.” she nodded, replying in Hindi.

Arja smirked, “You learn fast.” she replied, “But yeah. Dad will do something nice for us when we’re done, he always makes a point of it. I can tell he really hates having to make us put up with it, but its just how it works for this sort of diplomacy. Unless they do something REALLY far out, something he can call them on and make it stick… just play along.”

As she finished the elevator reached the third floor where the guests were… and the two emerged with Nelen walking along behind them.

Standing there was Rajesh, Arja’s father, wearing a three-piece suit with a red and gold tie, talking to a man in a cream-colored suit with a pale blue tie. “Ah, and these must be your lovely daughters I’ve heard so much about Rajesh.” said their host. He was a sturdy looking but older man, black hair slicked back and streaked with grey, with a trimmed goatee. His frame had no excess fat, clearly he exercised still despite his lifestyle.

“Indeed they are Ryan, allow me to introduce my two daughters… Arja and Simoni.” he smiled.

As Arja instructed her they put their hands together, then did a small bow, and Simoni could hear a faint grumble as she did… and then Ryan laughed.

“Please please, no need for all that. So stifling! Besides, if I understand I should be the one bowing to you given what transpired in Ireland last summer.” he chuckled.

Simoni and Arja paused at that, glancing at each other as they straightened up.

Ryan smirked knowingly. “You did tell them, didn’t you Rajesh? My family is ‘in the know’ when it comes to certain aspects of reality.” he chuckled.

Rajesh nodded back with a slight grin. “I did mention it, but it is often the case where we must keep up appearances when abroad.” he replied, “My daughters could not be sure if we might have witnesses around who were mundane.”

Ryan chuckled, “Keep up appearances, ah don’t we all…” he smiled down to the girls, “But yes, there will be no need for that for now. We will be hosting a dinner party later this evening, but for now… please, be as you normally are.”

Arja looked a little taken aback by this, but Nelen just grinned at them, then nodded to Rajesh.

“Ah and of course, my daughter’s bodyguard. Ryan, may I introduce…” he started.

Then the door opened, and someone walked in, a tap-tap-tapping sound coming from nearby. “I smell old spice, bad liquor, and copper.” came a young woman’s voice, “That can only mean one person is here. Nelen Fullmoon…”

Nelen looked over, then chuckled, “I was wondering if you would be here for our visit.” he said.

Standing there was a woman in her early twenties with long dark hair, wearing a white turtleneck sweater and black slacks, a pair of black leather flats on her feet. She had a pair of black glasses over her eyes and carried a cane in her right hand. “As if I would miss the chance to meet the two girls who shattered one of those magic eating horrors, the Wulfshead was going nuts for weeks after that! We got BBS posts from places I’d never even heard of before!” she giggled.

Walking in next to her was a woman in a black suit with a deep bloody red tie around her neck. Unlike the other staff members, she wasn’t French by ancestry… rather, she appeared to be South American. She stood a bit taller than Alice with dark skin and long black hair tied into a single braid. She had dark brown eyes, and a somewhat wider figure as well. She wore gloves on her hands as well and tucked into her breast pocket where a pen might go was a scalpel made of some shining black rock.

“Ah! Daughter, you’re just in time. Arja, Simoni. Let me introduce you to my lovely daughter and current representative of House Roche, Alice… and her partner in crime and many other things, Nochtli-Huehueteotl…” he coughed a bit, “… I believe I pronounced it right that time.”

The South American woman gave a curt nod, “We’ve been over this before Sir. I prefer ‘Nessa,’ unless the situation requires formality.” she stated, though she sounded quite formal.

Alice chuckled, walking into the room… and that was when it hit Arja. The cane wasn’t because she had trouble walking, it was so she could tap out a path ahead of her and make sure if there was or wasn’t something there!

“OH! Er… sorry, I didn’t realize your daughter was…” she started…

Alice smirked, “Oh? Nelen, you didn’t squeal for once!” she beamed at him, then nodded and slid down her glasses. Her eyes were pure white orbs, as if she had some kind of huge cataracts. No color or iris could be seen. “I certainly am young lady. From the day I was born…”

She wouldn’t comment on Arja’s jewelry, she couldn’t even tell what jewelry she was wearing, or what color her saree was, or even that she was wearing a saree to begin with… or anything about her appearance at all, nor Simoni’s, nor Nelen’s, nor anyone’s.

Alice, the representative of the hunter family, and Nelen’s friend from the Wulfshead Club… was blind.

A bit later...

The Roche family gallery was a massive part of the house, an entire wing really. Arranged on walls was a collection that dwarfed Rajesh’s own. Trophies taken from across the European Union, the Americas, Africa, anywhere that France had set foot in during the past several centuries, a Roche had come, seen, and while possibly not conquered, they had collected.

Portraits of several prominent members of the family hung over their contributions, one a few hundred years back even apparently showing the Roche member shaking hands with none other than Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France at the time. Under their portraits were collections.

The Roches however did not take gemstones, nor did they take gold or jewels or silver. Rather… they took true treasures. Under one was relics liberated from the French nobles who fell to the guillotine during the Revolution, another held a folded blanket gifted to the family by a tribe of Native Americans during the early days of the colonization… along with a modest plaque stating that the family made a monthly and very generous donation to a charity supporting what remained of their tribe in their memory.

Another case held a selection of strange relics found on a Caribbean Island. It was uninhabited when the Roche of their time arrived… but clearly had not always been so. They recorded what they could, took a few samples, and left the rest where they lay. They would have donated them to a public museum, except that the artifacts were clearly not made by human hands.

A more recent display case even showed some memorabilia from the 1940s. To say that House Roche was a supporter of the French Resistance was an understatement. The bulk of the Third Reich never made it close to their mansion. Those that did were never heard from again, and judging by what was inside the case it was clear that the Roche family knew a few of the nastier techniques of the Arcadian Gentry. Whatever was in there could still technically be considered alive, and it was certainly not happy about that.

Arja stared into a display case under a portrait painted around the eighteenth century, inside it rested a talwar, an Indian sword! “This… hey! I know this one! That’s a Vanara blade!” she shouted. “Its…” she read the inscription on the sword, “… grandpa Akul said the sword was gifted to a powerful warrior who helped us drive back a pack of monsters who came with the British aristocrats.” she murmured.

Ryan chuckled, “Yes indeed… some of the aristocracy got their power through pacts with one of the vampire courts of the time, and… well… let’s just say India isn’t the only country that isn’t very fond of Great Britain.” he explained, “My ancestor said he was most honored to be considered worthy by one of your line.”

Arja stared at the blade, it was clearly a Vanara sword, the handle specially designed so that one could wield it multiple ways. In their hand, foot, or tail… meant for the agile and cunning kin to King Hanuman. “Dang… should’ve told me that one from the start, I’d have been a lot more eager to come…” she murmured, looking at Ryan with newfound respect.

Ryan smiled, nodding to Arja, “Yes, you will not find anything that was stolen from your lands here, only what was given or earned. We are no plunderers. Our trophies are either taken from the hand of a monster we were forced to dispatch or gifted to us for doing so. We are already one of the wealthiest families in all France, why would we need to steal from other lands? To add to a pile that we could already not spend in six generations? But this… this is the most important piece of our collection.” he nodded, gesturing to the far wall.

They stood before a large tapestry, showing some distant ancestor of House Roche. Standing before him was a tall and powerful looking woman depicted with pointed ears and a shining crown on her head. “About one thousand years back, my ancestor formed a pact with one of the Gentry. It was a dangerous decision, but the other fae lords and ladies were wreaking havoc on France in those days and we needed some way to beat them back… even if it meant using their own powers against them.” explained Ryan.

“Thus, the pact was made, and in every generation of Roches since two children are struck blind at the very moment of their birth, their eyes taken by our faerie patron. In exchange however we gain preternatural stamina and agility, among other useful benefits… and the faerie ensures our fates are always going well indeed.” he nodded. “A few generations later Emperor Bonaparte recognized our family as defenders of the French Empire and we gained an official sanction and lands.” he smiled, puffing out his chest a bit.

Alice chuckled at her father, smiling a bit mischievously as she twirled her cane in her fingers, “I always thought it went more that Napoleon said, ‘you people keep the weird shit under control so I can deal with keeping everyone else under control.’”

Ryan made a face, but chuckled, “That is the… less official version, yes.” he admitted.

Arja glanced up at Alice, the girl standing ahead of them. “It just seems a bit… I dunno… grim. Like you have to sacrifice something so important.”

Alice shrugged, “I can’t miss what I never had. Besides, it does come with some perks. I’m very aware of whats going on around me you see…” she grinned, “I can hear your heartbeats, your muscles moving and contracting, despite being blind I am very VERY hard to sneak up on.” she grinned.

Arja sighed, rubbing a bit nervously at her cheek with her fingertip, “I dunno… I mean…” she started.

Nelen saw Alice’s expression, then grinned, “Oh this is gonna be good…”

Alice smirked, folding her arms over her chest, and spoke with total confidence. “Arja is touching her finger to her cheek.” she said, her back turned to the girls.

Arja froze, her eyes going wide. She glanced at Simoni.

Simoni blinked, then stuck her arm out to the right.

“Simoni just held her arm out.” said Alice.

The two girls glanced back, then…

“Arja is holding Simoni over her head.” said Alice, “Now they’re standing back-to-back with one leg out infront of them.” she continued, “Now they’re just standing there. Now they’re…” she tilted her head, pursing her lips. “… Nessa, what was that amusing dance you described for me that Harlow found on youtube from that video game? The one that ‘Hildibrand’ character was known for?”

“’The Manderville Mambo,’ Alice.” she replied with a bemused smirk on her face.

“Yes, they’re doing that if I’m not mistaken… or something very similar.” she nodded.

Arja and Simoni froze in mid-moonwalk, their backs bent and their index fingers pointing at their heads from opposite sides as they heard her.

“And now they’ve stopped.” Alice finished confidently.

Arja blinked slowly, “… how…” she started.

Alice chuckled, “Its very quiet in here and you’re very easy to hear right now. That helps. I can’t do that in the middle of a fight, but I can tell precisely where an opponent is coming from and how fast. The rest is reflexes and recognizing what an oncoming attack sounds like.” she explained to the stunned girls.

Rajesh and Ryan chuckled to themselves as Nelen grinned at the girls. “You should have seen Dawn the first time we met her. She didn’t give up trying to stump Alice for half an hour.” he said.

“To be fair I was very surprised when she started doing that Russian dance across the ceiling, I didn’t know she could manipulate her own gravity like that.” Alice admitted.

Nelen grinned widely, his shoulders shaking a bit at the memory, “She griped for a week. She hates finding someone who can wig her out harder than she can wig them out.” he nodded, “But yeah, remember girls. I know Alice and Nessa from the Wulfshead Club. They have to be capable hunters in order to even be in there to begin with.”

Arja nodded, “Huh… um…” she blushed a bit, shuffling awkwardly.

“Sorry…” admitted Simoni, “Its just… yanno… being handicapped… just…”

Alice chuckled, “It makes people feel awkward and anxious, I know.” she replied, “It does help in a hunt though. So many things underestimate you when you can’t see them.” she explained, walking past them as she tapped her cane a few times, listening to the echo it made from across the room. In her mind it drew an image of the shapes around her. Her patron took her eyes, but she gave much back… and those whose eyes she took got the most in exchange. The rest of House Roche would just be extremely good fighters, but she was a hunter who could go into the dark places of the world without fear.

… because for her, the entire world was a dark place.

Eventually however, the dinner guests did begin to arrive and Arja and Simoni had to do exactly as Arja had feared, pretending to be meek little Indian girls for the patrons of the family. Ryan guided Rajesh off to introduce him to a rather portly man with grey receding hair named Andre, who he said was the current mayor of Paris, and the two began discussing financing and favors for doing so.

Arja and Simoni had eaten their fill pretty quickly, thankfully the cooks were warned ahead of time that beef would not be acceptable for their guests, but Simoni had never gotten a chance to try French cooking and was quite pleased regardless of what was served. Thanks to the ear clip that Nelen had given her she knew what she ate was ‘Rooster in Wine,’ but it was quite delicious no matter what it was called.

“But yes Rajesh, I would be delighted to discuss matters further with you.” smiled Andre, “Why I know many people who would benefit from a new technical college with strong ties to France… ah, infact here’s one right now! Gabriel, let me introduce you!” he waved.

Nelen was standing near Rajesh as this went on, and his eyebrows went up as a man in a cream-colored jacket and red slacks walked over, a striped tie on his throat. He wore glasses and had white slicked back hair. “Rajesh, this is Gabriel Agreste, one of the top fashion designers in the entire European Union. He and my wife Audrey have worked together for years now. His work requires only top of the line computers equipped for graphics design. Doesn’t it?” he chuckled.

Gabriel nodded, “Indeed. It is a pleasure to meet you, Rajesh.” he replied, though his tone suggested it was a mild inconvenience at best and that he’d have rather not been there, and as he stood there he glanced over, “Hm. Nelen Fullmoon is it not?”

“Hello again.” replied Nelen curtly, nodding back.

Andre looked between them in surprise, “Oh! You two have met? I wasn’t aware your bodyguard was so well traveled, Rajesh.” he chuckled.

“Yes, I attempted to commission him to obtain something for me last summer… sadly he was unable to deliver.” replied the fashion mogul.

Nelen shrugged, “I’m afraid Mr. Agreste wasn’t aware of the unusual nature of what he wished to obtain and that we were unable to reach a satisfactory agreement. It was disappointing, but it happens sometimes in my old line of work.” the warlock nodded to the fashion designer. “No hard feelings Gabriel.”

Gabriel’s expression said nothing, “Hm… I suppose so. Rajesh, I would recommend perhaps a more thorough background check on your hires in the future.” he nodded curtly, “Excuse me gentlemen.” he said, turning on his heel and leaving.

Andre winced a bit at that, then chuckled nervously. “I do apologize for that Rajesh. Gabriel is extremely talented, a true artiste, but… well you know how artists can be…”

Rajesh however shook his head, “It is quite alright Andre, I have had far worse interactions. Perhaps we could discuss things further some more of that delightful chicken dish…” he smiled, guiding the man back to the buffet.

Nelen shook his head as he watched Gabriel go, then stepped out into the hallway and sighed to himself. “Jeez what an asshole…” he muttered, stretching.

About ten minutes later an odd butterfly flapped its way through the building…

The strange purple butterfly soared through the air above the partygoers… pausing every so often as if to examine its surroundings.

It sensed Nelen’s annoyance, not much to work with… but there was something bubbling just under the surface far more potent. Slowly it began to descend… and then Nelen heard a sound like a pair of scissors closing as he looked up to see a dinner knife vibrating over his head, buried halfway into the wall and pinning the creature to it.

Alice walked towards him, cane out infront of her, the woman wearing a white silken top and long black skirt for the dinner party, still chewing a bit of cake. “You alright Nelen?” she asked.

Nelen nodded slowly, “… that is something of yours I’ll never get used to seeing Alice.” he replied.

“I could sense it’s aura. Does it look like a purple butterfly?” she asked, looking up to where she threw the knife. She couldn’t see it of course, but any magical creature would generate enough of an aura for her enhanced senses to pick up. It wasn’t just hearing for her, though it did help.

Nelen looked up at it, adjusting its glasses. “Well, it did, but it just turned white… and now it just looks dead.” he said. He could tell it was magical, and clearly not something the Roche family did either given Alice’s reaction to it.

“Hmph, another one. They’ve been showing up in Paris recently. We’re pretty sure a rogue mage is behind it, possibly using a faerie artifact of some sort, they seem to be drawn to concentrations of negative emotions so that’s what we’re going on. Our scouts are still investigating the issue… don’t know what on earth one is doing here though. We’re over five hundred kilometers from Paris, and its not exactly good weather for any insects right now.” she shook her head, “Oh well, in any case it can’t hurt anyone now. We’ll just have to hope that there’s not a nest or something.” she sighed, then held out her arm. “Care to escort me in, good sir? After all I am blind.” she smirked.

Nelen smirked back, then gently took her arm, “My pleasure, Madame.” he chuckled, helping to ‘guide’ the blind girl in among the mundanes who would only see a gentleman helping out a handicapped woman.

Further up the hallway Gabriel Agreste emerged from the lavatory, washing his hands and scowling, then rejoined the party.

Eventually the party ended and the group bid farewell to their hosts, Nelen asking Alice to keep him updated on that strange insect that she had killed. He had a hunch about that one, and after years of surviving assassins he’d learned to trust them. It may not be important now, but it could be very important very soon.

As they drove back to the hotel Arja stretched out on the carseat, “Huh, okay… didn’t expect them to actually be pretty cool.” she said.

“Yeah… they’re practically supernatural nobility really, and I saw Alice in action a few times when I was still doing contract work. Nessa is the really impressive one though, if only in terms of how flashy her stuff gets.” he replied.

“Really? She seemed super stiff and quiet though.” replied Simoni, flexing her wrist and hand a bit after having removed the bracelet. She thought it was quite lovely, but it was also solid gold and very heavy.

Nelen chuckled, “She takes her job a lot more seriously than Alice, think me and Dawn in reverse. Trust me, her powers are something else… maybe if someone starts some shit while we’re here you’ll get a chance to see.” he replied, taking off his gloves and flexing his own fingers, which had gotten hot and sweaty in the black leather.

As they got back into the hotel and up to their room they found Dawn chomping away on a package of fish sticks as Dusk watched the TV, singing along as he did.

“Buuuuuuuuuutterfly in the skyyyyyyyyy! I can go twice as hiiiiiiiiiigh!” sang the kitten, “Take a look! Its in a book! A Reading Rainbooooooooooow!” he grinned, his tail swishing.

Nelen sighed, “Great, gonna have that in my head all night now.” he snorted.

Dawn just shrugged, “Hey, I told him he’d wanna learn to read if he was gonna get to be human-shaped someday.” she replied, “Besides, you were right, it really was useful!” she nodded.

Simoni giggled at the sight of Dusk singing along, the girl walking over and stroking his ears as he began to purr, Arja flopping down onto the bed.

“Well, so far this trip ain’t bad other than the fact that its even freaking COLDER here than in America… but as long as nothing causes trouble we’ll probably be fine.” she nodded.

Nelen nodded back, “Yeah, Rajesh is wanting to meet with Ryan and his family again tomorrow. Maybe we’ll get to find out some more about the current supernatural situation in the area too. I wanna work out if anything strange has been happening since all those things got released from Claiomh Dorcadas.” he said.

Simoni winced at that, looking back at her brother, “Yeah… I hope not… I mean, I’m glad we smashed it, like… really glad. I just wanna hope that most of what was in there were guys that shouldn’t have been like Dawn’s family.” she sighed, looking worried.

“There’s no way of telling sis. Jeannie said that Clan Fullmoon threw it into the ocean thousands of years ago. We’re talking way before the rise of Christianity. It could’ve travelled most of the world before it wound up wherever Franklin found it.” he replied.

Simoni nodded, picking up Dusk in her hands and looking down at the kitten. He looked up at her, then extended a tiny paw and tapped it against her nose. “Boop!” he grinned.

Simoni blinked, then giggled and booped him back with her fingertip. It would be worth it, she had to believe that. Whatever horrors might have been in the blade, she had proof in her hands that the sword did not discriminate. She had to believe that breaking it had done far more good than harm. Perhaps there would never truly be a way to tell.

#supernatural adventures #modern fantasy #fiction #lgbtq

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deckmains · 2 years

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#Botas tony lama

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plounce · 2 years

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Do u have tips for getting into like Clothes and Outfits and stuff? I have exactly one outfit and it's one of several identical pairs of pants and almost identical shirts 😭😭

i like to go to secondhand/vintage stores because it makes looking for clothes feel like an exciting treasure hunt... (plus it tends to be less overpriced, plus i don't buy from fast fashion stores)

ive got a cheapskate brain so i loooooove to buy anything that has a pattern. so i have a lot of patterned blouses. basically i like to buy clothes that have visual interest to them. otherwise my brain goes "this is not worth money". which means i have to force myself to buy solids (so i can wear patterned pants without a competing and probably mismatching shirt pattern) (not that you can't wear two patterns at once. i just think that if one part of my outfit is the star of the show, i don't want to take focus away from it. this is why jeans and black pants go with everything)

i guess my tip is... when i make an outfit, i pick a general vibe or color palette or theme. ms frizzle it. ive got a lot of fun brooches and earrings so i can say "ok i wanna wear a cowboy brooch, what kind of cowboy outfit can i throw together?" and ill throw something that's dusty and orange together. basically accessories (a hat, earrings, a scarf/bandanna, socks, shoes, etc) can help make an outfit feel like it's got a Fun Theme! and that makes it fun to wear the outfit!

so yeah. find pieces of clothes that excite and delight you - maybe it has a fun print on it, maybe it has some cool embroidery, maybe it's your favorite band, maybe it's a color palette you like, maybe it's got an interesting cut... and then pick things to go with it!

there's a primary color... a secondary accent color... and then maybe one more color in small doses. red shirt with embroidery on it... black pants and black scarf... gold earrings

basically fashion goes between "big shirt and tiny pants" and "tiny shirt and big pants". apparently society is currently on the latter. i don't really care.

im not really into shoes - i basically only wear my costco outdoorsy birkenstock sandals, and secondarily my Big Black Boots if the day calls for it. but i know many people are!

as i said in my last outfits post (and a recent catcrumb), going on an outing means that i can wear a fun outfit! it's a big plus if i'm hanging out with somebody, but even if i'm just going out by myself (which i like to do most of the time, ive realized that i enjoy solitude, for better or worse)

i also realized a few years ago that i can never look Cool or Hip or On Top Of The Instagram Trends, but you know what i CAN do? to the hilt? with joy? i can look like a teacher / librarian. and leaning into that idea of my style has made me feel a lot more joyful and free in fashion. i'm not in high school anymore. you look good if you look like you're wearing clothes with intention. also it doesn't matter if people think you look "weird" or "bad" if you aren't going a job interview or a date. so like. whatever. strangers have no impact on my life

i guess that's my advance. but this is just my personal approach to Fashion, which comes from my love of Themes and Visual Interests. someone else would give you different advice! plus i was rambling as per usual. so. hopefully some part of this helps! thanks for asking! i appreciate that you think i have advice to give!

#chirps

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shopvisitor · 7 years

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flea market shoes.

#flea market finds #thrift #adventures in thrifting #shoes #vintage shoes #sandals #mary janes #chunky heels #boots #lace up boots #red boots #cowboy boots #style #things i should not buy #this is why we thrift #philatory thrift

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mudhorn-djarin19 · 4 years

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Mission: I Do - Chp. 2 (Agent Whiskey x f!reader)

Summary: A new mission has come up and you are sent off on it with Agent Whiskey as your partner. However, you have to go undercover as his fiancee. What will this mission mean for you and your harboring crush on him? This chapter is the set up to the mission. This chapter's not the most entertaining and I apologize for that. It's basically a build up/keep the flow going chapter lol. Rating: Teen Warnings: Language, alcohol usage (tipsy), poisoning, mutual pining (please let me know if I missed any) AO3 Link | Masterlist | Join my taglist here! Chp. 1 - more chapters to come! (Will be added here and in taglist) You awake the next morning to yourself being enveloped in warmth. It was comforting but definitely something new to you. You shot your eyes open to find yourself snuggled into Jack’s chest. You nervously panicked and slid back, waking him up in the process.

“Mhm. What’s wrong?” He groans, his voice raspy with sleep. He then notices his hand placed on your hip. You both look up and eye each other before he removes it. “Well… not sure how we got like that. But my apologies.” He chuckles lightly, removing his hand. “It’s okay. I uh.. I somehow moved in my sleep as well.” You chuckle nervously. “I’m um...going to go get dressed for the day.” You say as you spring up from the bed.

Jack rolls over and looks at the clock to see it’s 10am “Yea better we get dressed, head down for some breakfast and then make our way down to the convention. Get this show on the road.”

You crawl from the bed and head over to the closet where you had stored your clothes for the trip, going over what you think would be best to wear. You wanted to look nice but nothing too over the top. “I’m going to change in the bathroom and put my makeup on.” You as you step in and shut the door behind you. “Alright, I’ll get dressed out here a while. Jack replies.

Several minutes past before you return from the bathroom. You decided on a simple white sundress with some sandals. You find Jack laying back on the bed. Fully dressed in his normal attire he wears when off duty. Jeans, a plain white t-shirt, boots and his favorite black cowboy hat. He sits up and whistles when he sees you.

“Well don’t you just look gorgeous. All dolled up.” He smirks, eyeing you over.

You blush slightly, looking down to try to hide it. You didn’t think you had done anything too crazy. You were just wearing simple casual clothes in your opinion. But, apparently to him you looked amazing. “Thank you Jack.” You respond, blushing lightly.

“I’ve ordered us room service breakfast so it should be here any minute now. We can go over the case a bit more while we eat.” He says.

Not long after breakfast arrives, you two sit at the little table in the foyer of the room and go over the mission. Jack pulls out his file from his suitcase, going over pictures of the main culprit and anyone else Statesman had pulled files on that are working with the culprit.

“So we need to find the main guy, what company or companies he controls and any of his crew. Take them all down and prevent anymore kidnappings or bombings. The other agents were sent out to spots designated where anyone kidnapped previously been noted to do rescues.” He says, closing the file. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Champ said we have a few locations to keep in our peruse. The convention, a local restaurant, the hotel here itself and a local club. We have a week to complete the mission which is more than enough.”

You nod listening to him explain as you sip your coffee. This is going to be a long and interesting weekend. Surely is going to be pulling all sorts of ways at your heartstrings. Looking at wedding stuff, sharing a bed and who knows what else for a potential week. You two finish your breakfast and gear up for the day. Jack tucks his whip and lasso to his belt so they’re hidden, while you strap a pistol and knife to your thigh. Always got to be prepared for any potential danger.

Arriving at the venue, you see it’s a large warehouse building full of tables and tables of business to help you plan your wedding. From venues, catering, clothing and more. You hope someday you can actually experience this for real, and hope even more than it could be with Jack who stands beside you. As you take everything in, you feel Jack’s hand grip yours gently, sliding the ring onto your finger. “Forgot that this mornin’. Might need it to keep the cover.” He says. “Oh. Right, sorry. Thank you for remembering.” You respond.

“Of course darlin’. What else is a future husband for?” He smirks, sliding his hand into yours. Interlocking his fingers with yours.

Lord have mercy… this mission might actually kill you if Jack keeps up his flirtiness on top of everything else.

“Shall we get to perusing?” He says, motioning his hand to the venue. You pull him through the aisles, stopping at a few tables to look at things to seem like actually wedding planning. You decide to stop at a dress stand to look over some dresses for the lady running the booth seemed to match the description of one of the crewmates. “Honey, come look at these!” You shout to him, waving your hand. Jack looks in your direction, noticing why you called him to that booth. He slips on his glasses and hits the button to activate the hidden camera before coming over. Making sure while he made his way over to get the lady’s face in frame and the name of the supposed company. “What do you think of this one?” You ask. Pulling out a long lace sleeved, off the shoulder dress. “Would you like to try it on?” The lady asks.

“Oh uh… I-” You start to say.

“Go on. Try it on. I like it very much. Why you do so, I’ll discuss things with the lady here.” Jack smiles.

You nod and head into the little changing rooms the lady has while Jack talks to her, hopefully getting some good information out of her. After a few minutes and working to get the dress on you step out from the changing booth to stand in front of Jack and the booth lady. Jack's eyes widen and he about drops his jaw to the floor before he quickly straightens himself out and clears his throat. “Wow darlin’, you look… beautiful.” He smiles, eyeing you over.

“Th-thank you.” You blush, looking down.

“That dress suits you very much! Allow me to give you my business card for future fittings if you’re interested in the dress.” The lady smiles, handing you the card. You gladly take it. Solid, got a location of where potential kidnappings could be happening. You smile and look yourself over one more time before heading back into the changing booth to change back into the clothes you arrived in. You exit the booth and make your way around to some other booths, seeing if any of the runners catch your eyes as crewmates or the main culprit. You go down a few aisles until Jack pulls you into a venue booth. “You know darlin’ I always dreamed of a barn wedding. Something about them is just so simple but elegant all the same. What do you think?” He asks.

As you enter the booth the host greets you and you instantly recognize him to be the main culprit. Thank god Jack still has his glasses on and is recording the whole thing so you can send it back to Ginger later tonight and inform her you found him.

“Hello sir. Ma'am.” He nods his head to you. “I see you are interested in our venue?” He asks.

“Yes sir. Always found myself fond of a rustic barn wedding. But, the decision of the venue is ultimately up to my fine lady here.” He says turning to you.

“I think a barn wedding sounds very nice honey.” You smile. “I’d love to get more information on the venue if we could.”

“Certainly.” The guy smiles, handing you two some pamphlets on the venue, going over information with you and etc. “The venue is my own family's barn. It’s a 200 year old property but we keep it well maintained and we have a bed and breakfast on the property for you and your family to stay at the day and night before.”

“Sounds lovely to me.” Jack smiles. “We shall take this information and discuss but I think I’m hooked already.” You nod in agreement and part your ways from the guy. Jack leans down to whisper in your ear as you walk away, but hiding it so it looks like he’s kissing you instead.

“That’s definitely him. Hopefully we can run into him again later to corner him and take him down. Good job on finding the other lady. Let me know if you spot anything else and I will do the same for you.” He states.

You nod in response and continue to work your way through the aisles. Looking around to some venues, not really seeing any other people you recognize to be suspicious. But to keep your cover you do pull each other into some booths. Jack pulls you into a catering booth when he sees some good looking food to try. You chuckle as he tastes just about everything there is, handing you pieces to try as well. You manage to pull him into a few booths too, one being a ring booth that caught your eye. You don’t notice him watching you as you eye over your favorites.

Once you two have perused most of the aisles, not finding anything else and realizing it’s getting pretty late in the day you decide to call it a day for the convention. “It’s getting close to dinner time. I’m hungry. How about you?” He asks.

“Definitely. Those little bites of food here and there didn’t stick with me much.” You chuckle.

“Come on, I know of a good place you should try.” He says, leading you to the car.

Jack decided to treat you to a local fast food favorite, Whataburger. Being a man from the south he knew of all the popular joints. You were raised in the big city of New York, only ever having traveled to new places once joined the Statesman. So any chance you could get to check out a regional thing when on a trip you took the opportunity. You two sat in the pickup truck that was rented for the weekend, chowing down on your food in silence.

“See I told you it was some good shit.” He chuckles.

“Mhm” Is all you can make out as you continue to devour your food.

Once finished eating and back at the hotel you scramble around trying to figure out what to wear. You were to go to the local club up the street tonight to see if you could catch the culprit or anyone there by chance. You’ve been to clubs before on many missions but, you always have a hard time deciding what to wear. You want to fit in but also don’t want to stand out too much. Jack layed back on the bed, sending the information from today over to Champ as you paced back and forth in the room from the dresser to the bathroom. He had already changed as soon as you got back. And by changed, he swapped his white t-shirt for an army green t-shirt and threw on his go to black leather jacket. You finally settled on another dress and slipped into the bathroom for the final time to slip it on and fix your makeup some.

“Um Jack?” You step out of the bathroom.

He sits up on his elbow from his spot on the bed and about drops his jaw at the sight of you, for the second time today. Whistling at you once again.

“Damn darlin’... You keep shocking me with your looks. Everytime I think you can’t get more beautiful you do.” He smirks, eyeing you over.

You chose to wear a silky and almost skin tight all black dress that stopped about mid thigh and had thin spaghetti straps. You blush at his compliment.

“Thank you. Um, do you mind helping me zip the rest of it up?” You say as you step closer and turn your back towards him.

“Not at all.” He says standing and helping you zip the rest of your dress up, knuckles brushing lightly against your skin as he does which sends shivers through your body.

“Thank you. Ready to go?” You ask and you walk over to the door to slip on your pair of heels.

“Yup. Got your weapons just in case?” He asks as he pats his torso then back knowing his are secured in a hidden pocket of his jacket and belt.

You point to your purse where you had your weapons stowed away as they wouldn’t be hidden too well on your person right now.. “Yup. All set.”

“Alrighty, well then let’s goin’!” He says and you both step out to head to the club up the street.

You two walk into the club, Jack has his arm around your waist and leads you over to a free table where you both sit and take a look over of your location. So far no culprit or crew members to be seen. Hopefully they’ll show up eventually.

“I’m going to get a drink. Want anything?” He asks.

“Um sure. A cocktail please. Anything.” You smile.

He nods and heads off to the bar, leaving you at the table. As you wait you see some of the crew members walk in. Recognizing them from the pictures. Two males and one female. Jack returns shortly with a margarita for you and a glass of his namesake for himself.

“Jack, three arrived.” You nod your head towards them. The guys standing at the bar and the girl making her way to dance on the dance floor. “I’m going to try to talk to the girl. I’ll be back.”

You down your drink in one sitting and make your way to the dance floor. This will surely bite you in the ass later but for now who cares. He watches as you make your way over and then focuses his attention back to the two men. You find your groove to the music and work your way over to the girl and start to strike up a conversation with her as you dance.

“Hey! I like your moves.” You smile at her, starting off friendly.

“Thanks, you got some good ones too. And your dress is very pretty.” She smiles back. “Not from around here are you?” “No. I’m here for the bridal convention with my fiancee.” You nod your head over to Jack sitting at the table, sipping at his drink.

As she turns her head to look in his direction, you quickly drop some poison provided to you and Whiskey both by the agency into her drink. She seems so nice and you hate to do it to her but she is working for the enemy and you need to weed them all out one by one no matter the means.

“Well congrats girl.” She smiles back. “Welcome to town. Hope the planning is going well.”

“Thank you. What’s your name?” You ask, giving her yours.”

“I’m Nicole. Nice to meet you.” She smiles.

“Are you from around here?” You ask and start to delve into a conversation with her, getting to know her, slowly picking her brain and getting some useful information out of her that she slips up on about the culprit and other crew members.

Once you wrap up your conversation you make your way back over to Jack who has now moved himself over to the bar.

“Okay. Got some information out of her and dropped the poison in. Did you get any information from the guys?” You ask.

“Yup. We can compare notes when we get back to the room.” He says, sipping his new glass of whiskey the bartender hands him.

He slides another margarita over to you as well, having ordered one for you in your absence for when you return. You smile and nod in a way to thank him for it but as you start to sip on it you realize the mistake you made. You can already feel the last one you downed far too quickly hitting you, this one is surely to knock you off your feet. But, you shake it off and continue to sip on it as Jack does his.

“We can probably head out of here whenever you are ready. The poison will kick into them within an hour. No more action needed to be done to them and between the both of us we probably got more than enough information until we come across their boss or other crew members.” He says.

As he says this you really feel the alcohol kicking into your system. Your sensibility going out the door as the buzzed feeling takes over you.

“Jack, I wanna dance.” You state.

“Okay? So then go dance. Ain’t nothing stoppin’ ya. I said we can leave whenever you want to. If you want to stay and dance some go for it.” He says.

“No. I wanna dance with you.” You say smiling at him.

“Well now I’m not much of a dancer darlin’. I ain’t got no rhythm.”

You pout at him, and finish off the rest of your drink. You grab his hand and tug at him a bit, trying to get him to change his mind and budge off the stool. He sighs deeply and finally stands, giving into your needs.

“Fine fine. I’ll join ya. But don’t complain at how bad I am.” He chuckles, waving his hands at you.

You grab his hands and drag him to the dance floor, wrapping your arms around his neck and swaying to the music. He places his hands on your hips and sways with you as best as he can. He doesn’t have much rhythm but he’s not as bad as he made himself sound out to be. You two sway and dance to the music for a while until you start to feel sick. Man you knew you were a lightweight but you didn’t know it was this bad. How strong were those margaritas?! You stop dancing and look up at Jack.

“I feel sick. Can we go?” You pout.

“Certainly. Going to be okay to make it the short walk back?” He asks.

You make your way back to the hotel and as soon as you get back you crash onto the bed and pass out. Whatever was in the drink was strong and was killing your head. Taglist: @sarahjkl82-blog @ickleronniekinsemotionalrange @blackberries45 @hailmary-yramliah @prideandpascal

#agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey x you #jack daniels x reader #jack daniels x you #agent whiskey #jack daniels #kingsman #kingsman golden circle #fanfic #pedro pascal #ao3

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atreegrowsinnorthnywrites · 4 years

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A little v-day love story

I was on my second helping of Dad’s infamous enchiladas when my older brother, Sam, clapped his hands together and declared, “We’re going out!”

My fork clattered to the half-eaten plate and I gave him a stern shake of my head.

“Come onnn, Em,” Sam whined, precariously tipping back his chair so it hovered on two legs. “You can’t sit around and mope forever. Silas and Sean will come too.”

I looked to my two other older brothers with a challenging raise of my eyebrow as Dad leaned forward and cuffed Sam over the head.

“Hell no I’m not,” Sean said without hesitation. All four legs of Sam’s chair returned to the ground with a disappointed thud. “I love you and I’m here for you, Em, but no.”

I chuckled at my eldest brother’s immediate reaction. With a family of his own, and an hour and a half drive back to Tucson, I was not surprised in the least. Silas’s lips were pursed and he actually appeared to be considering.

“Just say no,” I muttered as Sam egged him on.

“I have to text Paige,” Silas said slowly, “but if she doesn’t mind.”

“YES!” Sam pumped his fist triumphantly. “Dad?”

I looked to our patriarch, mid-lift of his beer to his lips, who snorted. “I’ll pass, but so thoughtful of you.” I stifled laughter at Sam’s disappointed face.

“Alright, Em. Go get ready.”

“I’m not done eating?”

My plate disappeared with a quick swipe of Sam’s hand and he waved me away with the other. “You are now.”

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

An hour later we were pulling out of the long driveway that led to Dad’s ranch. I was wedged in the back seat of Silas’s truck between his work boots and tools, Chattahoochee blaring through the speakers, Sam and Silas arguing about the best bar in Bisbee on a Friday night, and it hit me this was the first time I had ever gone out with my brothers.

If I thought about it more, it wasn’t that surprising. After the divorce-court mandated summers in Arizona with my dad and brothers had ended my senior year, I never came back for an extended period again. My mom, my friends, and college were all back in Michigan. Once I met Thomas my sophomore year at Michigan State, I had spent my holiday weekends with his family in Chicago instead of visiting my own.

“You need more air, Em?” Silas asked from the front seat, smiling at me in the rear view.

“I’m good,” I murmured back, a wave of guilt flooding me.

Guilt that reminded me the five years of my life I had spent on Thomas had been a waste, and when the engagement and subsequent wedding had been called off, it had been my dad and three older brothers who had welcomed me home. It was my dad and brothers who had no judgement or questions.

“You better not sulk all night,” Sam warned, whipping around and eyeing me warily.

“I won’t.” I crossed my arms and scowled.

“Good.”

It had been three months since I had broken down in sobs at a dinner with Thomas and proclaimed I couldn’t marry him. Though I would die before admitting aloud any of my brothers were right, it was indeed time to get out of the house.

After Silas parked the truck in downtown Bisbee, we made our way down the string-light filled main street toward a packed bar with live music. Wafts of cigarette smoke, and definitely weed, greeted us outside the door. Silas and Sam shuffled me inside, pushing passed bodies to inch our way towards the bar. The crowd was far more eclectic than I would have guessed for my western brothers, with a band that sounded more like folk rock than country.

“What’ll it be?” Sam shouted over the music.

“A margarita,” I yelled back. “Spicy, if they can.”

He gave me a thumbs up and approached the bar while Silas waved to a group of guys from across the bar that had recognized him. During my summers on dad’s ranch, the only friends I ever really made were friends of my brothers, but I had not seen any of these guys since high school. The band played the final notes of their song and the crowd cheered enthusiastically as they announced a short intermission. Then I heard a high-pitched whistle.

“Ho-ly shit.”

I turned at the curse and came face-to-face with a brown haired, short-bearded, six-foot-or-so man wearing a white t-shirt, dark jeans, and vans. I squinted, and then he said my name.

“Emmeline Collins.”

There was only one person I had ever heard drag the “i” in my name that way.

“Lane?”

My stomach was in my throat. I remembered, very clearly, the last time I had ever spoken to Lane Diaz. He was smiling despite my memory, his right hand wrapped around a bottle of Corona and his left in the pocket of his jeans.

“Didn’t recognize me?” He asked with a laugh, and I debated admitting the truth. He looked great. Better, actually. But his southern accent had faded, and his cowboy look from all the years romping around the ranch with Sam was gone.

“Diaz!” Sam cried as he approached with two bottles in one hand and my cocktail in the other. He distributed the drinks for Silas and me, and then gave Lane a hug. “What’s up, man?”

“Just getting reacquainted with Em.” I frowned. Were we though? “Y’all didn’t mention your little sister was back in town.”

Sam looked down at me and then back to Lane. “Oh, right! You two haven’t…since…oh...right.” Sam took a long pull of his beer, and I stared him down the entire drink.

“Weekend visit to see the family?” Lane asked politely.

“Uhm,” I sipped my margarita for courage. A bite of jalapeño, just the way I liked it. “No. I’m uh, here for the summer.”

“Just like when we were kids,” Lane observed. I took another drink.

“Oh, hey!” Silas announced loudly, moving towards the crowd, “I see uhm...yeah I’ll be over here.”

Silas hurried out of sight, but when Sam went to follow, I dug the heel of my sandal down into his foot.

“What’s it been? Six years?” I asked Lane, taking a third sip and willing the alcohol to hit quickly.

“Seven in August, actually.”

Oh, he remembered.

“I’m going to let you two catch up,” Sam declared bluntly, extracting his foot from under my heel through gritted teeth and patting my shoulder as he walked by. The band was returning to the stage. Lane nodded to a pair of empty seats that had just vacated next to a window, on the far side of the bar from the band. I was trapped and agreed with a jerky, awkward nod.

“You look as surprised to see me as I am to see you,” He noted as we sat down.

“My brothers didn’t mention you were still around,” I replied. I was not entirely surprised he was, considering the rate of people who never leave a small town, but Lane had always seemed different. It was what had attracted me to him all those years ago.

“I moved back last summer,” He shared as the band started up again.

“Where were you before?” I asked over the growing sound.

“Army.”

Now, that, I did not expect. We had talked about going to college together on the west coast before everything happened.

“And you?” He asked, “What are you doing here?”

The question was edged with a coolness I deserved. His face was serious, his warm, brown eyes watching me intently. I did not want to rehash my screwed up, disappointing life with my ex-boyfriend, of all people.

“Another drink, hon?” A waitress asked from behind and I realized I had drained the cocktail in my hand.

“Yes,” I agreed quickly, “Margarita with jalapeño.”

Lane chuckled as the waitress walked away.

“What?” I asked him defensively.

“Why am I not surprised Em Collins’ drink of choice is tequila and spice?”

Ouch.

“The same reason I’m not surprised yours is Corona. What are you on vacation in Rocky Point?” I scoffed.

“You know I asked for a Pina Colada, but they gave me this instead.”

I laughed, and his stoic expression split into the friendly grin I had seen when he first caught sight of me in the bar.

“How long were you in the Army?” I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. He had a knowing look on his face, aware that I had dodged his question, but polite enough not to call me out. Yet.

“Four years.”

The waitress returned with my drink, and I made sure to put it on Sam’s tab.

“Good for you,” I replied, “Thanks for your uh…service.”

Lane cringed and took a sip of beer while I briefly contemplated throwing back my entire drink so I could at least claim my awkwardness was from blacking out.

“So, where’s your fiancé?” He asked.

I froze mid sip of my drink and looked up at him. We had not been friends on social media since my freshman year of college when a few months into dating Thomas I did an inventory of old photos and took down all of those with Lane and removed him as a friend. A little dramatic, thinking back on it.

“How did you…”

“Sam and I are still friends, Em.”

Duh. My stupid brother had probably told him ages ago. The alcohol was starting to go to my head, making me light and loose-lipped. I didn’t even know why I was skirting around this. I had nothing to prove to Lane Diaz.

“I broke off the engagement a couple months ago. We’re not together.”

It was the most abrupt way I had said it yet. It felt painfully final. Despite my boldness, I could not look at Lane’s face and so I followed it with a shrug and stared out the window.

“Damn. I’m sorry.” Lane said gently.

“It was for the best,” I said quickly, glancing at him and seeing furrowed eyebrows, “Trust me.”

“Doesn’t make it any less hard,” He noted. No, no it did not.

“It sucks, but what do you do,” I replied pitifully, taking yet another drink.

“Is that why you’re back?” He pressed. Lane was never scared to push me. I remember that about our two summers together. He always asked the questions I did not want to answer. Challenged the things I thought and believed.

“Part of it,” I admitted, “Honestly, uhm...I’m having a bit of a quarter-life crisis.”

“I see.”

“I knew my dad would be more understanding...”

A look of recognition crossed Lane’s face and he winced for me. I had almost forgotten our daily phone calls nearly every night of my junior year.

“How’d your mom take it?” He raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“You’re a jackass,” I said with a flourish of my straw, flicking droplets of my drink in his direction. “Because you know exactly how well she took it.”

He coughed on his drink of beer and we both broke into laughter.

“Still a little high strung then?”

“A little?”

“Worse?” Lane gaped.

“After I told her we broke up, she called me back and said I needed to beg for Thomas’s forgiveness. Tell him I was having mental health issues or I would fracture my future.”

“Jesus.”

I finished the rest of my second margarita at the memory of my mother’s shrill voice on the phone. We had spoken once since, and that conversation had been even worse.

“How’s your ma?” I asked, desperate to change the topic.

“She’s good. She was sick last year, but she’s feeling better.” He paused at the look of my face, and I bit my lip to keep from asking more. I had my assumptions with the smoking habit his mom, Eileen, had back then. “She would love to see you.”

He placed emphasized on the word love, and I looked away, uncomfortable at the very thought of going back to Lane’s childhood home where we used to hang out alone when his mom was working nights. Lane seemed to regret the statement and drained the rest of his beer. Regardless of my discomfort, I was not heartless.

“I’d love to see her too,” I added, and Lane relaxed. When his tense shoulders fell, I noticed how much more muscular he was than when we were kids. His brown skin wasn’t as tan anymore though, so he must work indoors. My eyes subtly trailed down to his hand, where I noted no ring on any fingers.

“Another round?” The waitress asked and Lane opened his mouth to answer, but instead gestured to me to decide.

“Sure,” I agreed, and she winked at me, obviously assuming we were on an early date.

“You don’t have to,” Lane said. “I understand if you rather go find your brothers.”

Maybe it was the tequila, or maybe it was pure curiosity, but I shook my head. “No, this is…nice.”

He gave me his iconic frown smile I remembered well. “Well, alright then.”

The waitress returned with our drinks and when he offered up his credit card, I placed my hand over his and smiled sweetly at her, “Put them both on Sam Collins’ tab. That’s S-A-M.”

When the waitress walked away to do just that, I realized my hand was still on top of Lane’s, my body angled close enough to his I could smell his minty aftershave. He smiled softly and I dropped his hand, quickly reaching for my third drink. The most sour margarita they had made me yet. My mouth puckered and I shivered as it went down.

“There’s the girl I remember.” I tilted my head with curiosity at his comment and Lane laughed, taking a drink instead of elaborating.

“I’m nothing like that girl anymore,” I declared defiantly.

“Good,” Lane said, his smiling fading as he set down his beer. His eyes softened, and his voice dropped. “Because that girl broke my heart.”

#writing community #romcom #romance writing #soft romance #love story #writing prompts #writing prompt #writing ideas #fiction writing #writeblr #short story #prompts

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let-me-love-you-loki · 5 years

Text

Take Me Out (One Shot)

I gave myself a once-over in the mirror one last time. I’d spent most of the last hour meticulously curling my hair into perfect ringlets, which I’d promptly finger combed through and twisted into a ponytail at the back of my head. My makeup was subdued, the tones and hues chosen to highlight my eyes. He’d said it was casual, so I didn’t want to go overboard.

That’s why I’d chosen a loose-fitting cream dress, a brown belt cinched at my waist, a short denim jacket and sandals. I had no clue exactly where we were headed. Part of me wished I did, but another part was glad that he’d kept it a secret. There was something ridiculously sweet about it.

The clock ticked toward four o’clock. My heart picked up, nervous for the first time since he’d asked me out. It was all finally sitting in as real.

I jumped at the knock on my front door. I took a deep breath and smoothed the front of my dress. Just before I reached the door, I snatched my travel purse from the hook on the wall and settled it across my chest. It thumped against my hip as I pulled the door open.

He looked adorably handsome. His wavy blond hair settled against his shoulders, slightly fluffy from an air dry. It looked like he’d trimmed his beard. His hazel eyes swept over me just as I looked him over. He wore a navy-blue button-down shirt tucked into a pair of perfectly faded jeans. I didn’t have to look down to know he was wearing well-worn cowboy boots.

“Hey,” I said, feeling a blush climb up my cheeks. “You look nice.”

Adam Page grinned, looking sheepish. “You look… fantastic,” he replied, shuffling his feet on the threshold. “Are you ready to go?”

I nodded and stepped toward him, pulling the door shut behind me. He moved aside while I made sure my apartment was locked. From the corner of my eye, I watched him stuff his hands deep into his pockets and rock back on his heels. I couldn’t help but grin softly. It seemed he was as nervous about this as I was.

“Is this okay?” I queried, gesturing to my outfit. “You didn’t tell me where we were going, so I hope I’m not underdressed.”

Adam smiled, making his hazel eyes crinkle. “You’re perfect. I mean—” he stammered, looking away from me, “For what we’re doing. You’re dressed fine.”

I blushed and wrapped my fingers around the strap of my purse. “Okay.”

We stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither of us knowing what to do. Adam rocked back on his heels and chuckled. “I guess we should get going.”

He dug his hand out of his pocket and hovered it just out of touch of the base of my spine. There was a low, calming heat radiating from his palm as he guided me down the stairs. I focused hard on my feet so that I didn’t fall flat on my face during our first date. Flowy dresses weren’t my normal attire, and I was terrified I was going to make a fool of myself.

A silver pick-up truck sat on the curb in front of my building. Adam stepped around me to open the door for me. He grinned, a faint blush riding up his cheekbones, as he held out his hand.

“Runner’s high,” he said by way of explanation. “Don’t want you to fall.”

I grinned back, wondering if I was blushing as well. “Trust me, I’m going to trip at least once.” Still, I slipped my hand into his and held tight as I stepped up onto the truck runner. By the time I slid into the passenger seat, I was at eye level with the six-foot cowboy, which somehow made me feel like butterflies had burst into flight in my stomach.

He took the time to tuck my dress out of the way of the door. “Good thing I’m here to catch you.” He seemed to realize what he said, as he shut the door carefully and quickly and walked around the front of the truck, running his hand through his hair.

I kept my fingers tangled together in my lap as we drove. Adam was quiet, though he hummed along with the country station playing in the background. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, my heart beating hard in my chest.

“Where are we going?” I asked finally, unable to hold back the curiosity.

“It’s right up here,” he said, pointing over the steering wheel to a dirt track just off the paved road. A wood rail fence lined green fields on either side of the track. A painted sign on the arch said Hangman Ranch.

But it wasn’t the sign or the dirt road that got my attention. It was the animal standing near the fence, its silky tail swishing back and forth. The chestnut horse lifted its head as Adam turned onto the dirt road, dust spitting up behind the tires.

“Are you sure I’m dressed for this?” I whispered, turning in my seat to keep an eye on the animal.

Two others walked smoothly into view. One was dappled. The other was jet black. They, along with the chestnut, trotted lazily toward the fence line as Adam let the truck roll to a stop. He turned toward me, a light in his hazel eyes.

“I’m sure,” he replied, grinning. “You want to come say hello?”

I smiled, nodding vigorously.

“Good,” Adam breathed. He hopped down onto the ground and walked around to open my door. He held out both hands, gesturing for me to climb out. The moment my feet touched the runner, he settled his hands on my waist and lifted me to the ground.

He stood close enough that I could smell the scent of his cologne and feel the heat radiating off him. His fingers splayed against my hips. I took a deep breath, feeling as if the world was spinning out of control around me. The only solid, steady thing was Adam and his touch.

For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me. His gaze was a physical thing, and I knew without a doubt that it was settled on my lips. I couldn’t lie. I’d spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to kiss Adam Page. But he drew away before my thoughts could become reality.

He slid his fingers around mine and tugged gently, leading me toward the fence. The horses leaned their heads over the rail, whinnying gently as Adam made soft clucking and clicking noises to draw their attention. I watched him, seeing the slow grin that curled the corners of his mouth. He put out his hand as he approached the dappled horse.

His voice was soft and gentle when he spoke. “There, there, girl.” He slid his hand up the side of the horse’s head and petted her along her neck, just behind her ear. The horse dipped toward his touch, watching us with her dark eyes.

“Emily, this is Paisley,” Adam said, smiling broadly at me. “Paisley, this is Emily.”

He drew me closer to the rail fence. I could scent the musk of the horse. She smelled like rainstorms and fresh grass. Adam slid his fingers from mine and moved to settle them on my back, guiding me forward. Paisley tilted her head and stretched forward, the velvet end of her nose bumping against my very startled cheek.

“She’s a good girl,” he said at my shoulder. “And she likes it when you rub her nose. Start that that big grey spot just under her eyes and then go all the way down to her nostrils.”

My fingers shook as I did as he said. Paisley hoofed at the ground and pushed her head closer to me. I grinned, feeling bolder. With one hand, I stroked her nose. With the other, I patted her gently on the side of the neck.

“She’s beautiful,” I murmured. Her coat was silky over the rippling muscle beneath. And she was wonderfully warm.

I turned to look at Adam, but he was no longer beside me. Instead, he was a few feet away, drawing the attention of the other two. Paisley bumped her nose against my shoulder as I watched Adam step up on the bottom rail of the fence and expertly hop over the top. He landed with grace, his hair bouncing from the impact.

“C’mon, boys,” he said with a deep, throaty drawl. “Out the way. It’s ladies’ night.” He gave them playfully rough rubs along the neck before walking around beside them and giving each a firm smack on the rump. They let out loud whinnies and took off into the field.

Adam turned, pushing his hair back out of his eyes, and caught me watching. His cheeks went pink, his hazel eyes skipping sideways. He walked through the field slowly, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

“You feelin’ up for a ride?” he asked, leaning against the top rail.

Fear spiked in my gut. “I’ve never…”

He grinned. It was like his whole face lit up. “You won’t be goin’ it alone. And Paisley, here,” he said, patting the dappled mare on the side, “she’s as sweet as they come.”

I took a moment to catch my breath. I’d always wanted to ride a horse as a little girl, but those daydreams had faded away when I’d grown up.

“It’s all right if you don’t want to,” he said reassuringly, a lazy smile set on his lips. “We can turn right back around and go into town for something to eat.”

“No!” I gasped, jumping and yet not startling Paisley in the slightest. She just nudged against my shoulder again, almost as if she were encouraging me to be brave. “Are you going to ride with me?”

Adam nodded. “If you want. It’s sidesaddle for you in that dress, though.”

I looked down, frowning. “You said I was dressed okay.”

He hiked one leg up, planted his boot firmly on the top rail, and swung back over. A little puff of dust blew up beneath his feet when he landed. “Ladies been ridin’ horses in dresses longer than there’s been dresses, Em. And ain’t neither of us gonna let you get hurt.”

The longer he talked, the more his voice started to deepen and slip into a sweet Southern drawl. He was looking at me with bright, expectant eyes. I couldn’t say no to him, not when he watched me like that.

“As long as you promise you’ll be right there,” I said, reaching out to take his hand.

He swept his free hand through his hair and smiled bashfully. “Promise. Now, you stay right there.”

He planted me firmly next to Paisley and went back over to the truck. He leaned over the lip of the bed and lifted out a thick-looking blanket in one hand and what I assumed was a bridle in the other.

Paisley danced in place as Adam hopped the fence again and began saddling her. The blanket went first, settled on the center of her back.

“She just stands there?” I queried, surprised that the horse wasn’t fighting the whole process.

Adam glanced over his shoulder at me, pride in his eyes. “Nah. All these horses are used to it. Besides, she’s a good girl, aren’t you, Paisley?”

She dipped her head as if in agreement. He smoothly stepped in front of her to slip the bridle on. He made sure that it was settled on the right spot on her nose and firm around her ears. Paisley lifted her head, tugging on the bridle held in Adam’s hand. If I hadn’t known any better, I would think she was helping him make sure it was tight enough.

When he was satisfied that she was kitted out appropriately, he gave her a pat on the neck and whispered to her in a low, smoothly voice. Then he turned his attention to me. “Probably best you ride in front. I’ll help you up.”

He took the reins and looped it loosely over the fence, although I doubted that he actually needed to. Adam reached out both hands, and I settled my fingers into his firm hold. He steadied me as I climbed clumsily over the fence. When I made to step over the top rail, Adam stepped into moving my hands to his shoulders.

“Don’t be scared,” he said as he gripped me firmly by the waist and lifted. It was no secret that he was well-muscled and strong, but I was still surprised at how easily he bore my weight and swung me up onto Paisley’s back. “Not on her withers, just a little bit behind. There.”

It was an odd feeling to be on the back of a horse. I could feel the animal breathing beneath me. And it was so strange to be looking down at Adam. I was so used to looking up.

He loosened the reins and tossed them carefully over Paisley’s head and neck. Then he put them in my hands. “Hold her steady,” he instructed, watching me intently.

Before I had a chance to think about what might happen if the horse took off with me, Adam had hefted himself up behind me, swinging over with practiced ease. He took the reins from me and put one hand on my waist.

“Turn just a little bit. Rest your knee on the withers—the space between her shoulders—there you go,” he said. His body seemed bigger now that I was cradled in front of him. His cologne was sweet and sharp. He put his arms around me, holding the reins in both hands. “Relax. You’re safe with us.”

I fought the urge to lay my head back against his shoulder as he snapped the reins and made a firm clicking noise. Paisley walked forward slowly, her shoulders rolling gently side to side. I felt Adam cage his arms around me, his elbows against my ribs. His chest pressed against my back; his jaw settled just at my ear.

Adam was quiet for a while as we rode through the fields, loping slowly away from the fence and the dirt road. His presence was steadying, and I couldn’t help but think about how romantic a first date this was. Of course, I shouldn’t have expected anything less.

“You all right up there?” he asked at last.

I craned my neck to look back at him, surprised to find him so close. His mouth was only a few inches from mine. My breath caught in my throat, making it impossible to speak. All I could do was nod.

He watched me with those blue-green eyes of his and grinned, one corner of his mouth tipping upward. I swore he dipped closer, his gaze on my lips. “Good,” he said smoothly, snapping the reins again. I jolted as Paisley picked up her pace. I must have let out a gasp of surprise, because Adam was suddenly speaking softly in my ear. “Relax. Paisley ain’t lost a rider yet. And neither have I.”

I was glad he couldn’t see my face, because I knew that my face was bright red. My mind suddenly snapped to things that had nothing to do with horses.

Adam tightened his caged arms around me as I started to bounce jerkily. He pulled me a little more tightly against his chest. After a few moments of the brisk bumping pace, I felt him kick gently against the horse’s sides. We sped up again, this time in a quick one… two… three… rolling gait. I felt every second that I was going to fall off and break my neck, but Adam was so confident, hardly shifting as Paisley moved faster. I was certain he would be breathtaking on a horse with a saddle. I wouldn’t mind sitting on that rail fence and watching him race through the field.

All too soon, Adam was pulling Paisley up beside the fence. She stopped slowly and smoothly. My heart was in my throat—not just because of the thrill of riding a horse for the first time but from being so close to Adam for so long. His cologne was making me dizzy in the best way.

He swung down gracefully, looping the reins over a fencepost. He looked up at me, eyes bright, face flushed, hair tangled by the breeze. I sighed, feeling like one of those horrible romantic heroines in a paperback. Adam smiled slowly as he stepped up beside Paisley and put one hand on my bent knee.

“How was it?”

I smiled back. “Amazing. Absolutely amazing.”

His fingers skimmed up the outside of my thigh toward my waist. “Down you get, then,” he purred. He took my weight as I slid down from Paisley’s back.

I’d been steady on my feet for nearly a minute before I realized that his hands were still settled on my hips. He was far closer than I could manage. He was too warm, too solid, his cologne turning my senses to mush.

“Adam…”

He lifted one hand to my face, fingers gently tucking stray wisps of hair behind my ear. My pulse hammered just beneath my skin. His palm skimmed along my throat, his thumb pressed gently beneath my jaw, tilting my face up toward his.

“Em…” His chest expanded as he drew a deep breath, threatening to pop the buttons on his shirt. He closed his eyes, as if he were trying to work up his courage or keep himself steady. “Could I… would you mind if I…”

I felt a surge of adrenaline spill into my veins. I rose to my toes, nodding. Adam grinned joyfully as he dipped his head, his lips meeting mine for the first time. It was a wonderful feeling—the softness of his lips and the gentle scratch of his beard. My arms wound around his neck as he cradled my head with one hand, pulling me closer with the other slipped around my back.

My heart was going to beat out of my chest. I just knew it. Adam skimmed his thumb along the tender spot behind my ear and I shuddered. I could have sworn that he made a faint groaning noise in the back of his throat.

He drew away slowly, gently brushing his lips against the corner of my own. When he finally let space form between us, it felt like the world had tipped sideways. He smiled, flashing bright white teeth. I blushed, wishing he would kiss me again.

“You know what, cowboy?” I said coyly, pressing my hands against his broad chest. “You can take me out again anytime.”

Tag List

@mox-made-me-do-it @easyobsession @alyhull

#hangman page #adam page #hangman adam page #aew #aew fanfiction #one shot #emily king (ofc)#ofc #oc #romance #first date #horse rides #cowboy #cowboy shit

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kpop-fanatic-lover16 · 5 years

Text

Go ~ Wong Hendery ~

Words: 2375

Genre: fluff, angst

Warnings: violence, achohol, bullying

Sweaty bodies and loud shouts of cheering drowned your ears as you stood on your tippy toes, trying to see the football field and the activity playing on it. Within several minutes, you finally got a glimpse of the star football player crossing the touchdown line, winning the last game of the season in a perfect winning streak. The crowd erupted into cheers again, proud of the team for doing their best. This however, was not your top priority, as you were practically bolting down the steps of the bleachers to get to the field. Soft grass hit your sandals when you jumped onto the plane field; your boyfriend turned away from the huddle of football players and spotted you running toward him. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to realize what your intentions were making him pull off his helmet and open his arms. He accepted the bone crushing hug, lifting you into the air with the happiest feeling he's had all season.

"You did it!" you cried, pulling back to look at him. His face was sweating from the hard playing he had been doing and his breath was ragged. His arms dropped you gently onto the ground and his lips came down and kissed yours in a sort of grateful way. It didn't last very long, because some of his friends broke it off. The action made you pull back from the wild boys; you didn't mind the excitement because they had worked for it all year. Someone to the left of the field caught your attention, as they were slumped down on the bench, looking emotionally torn. Discarding the wild group, you made your way over to the person and plopped down right next to them.

"I know what's bothering you." you said, looking at his dropped head.

Yang Yang sighed deeply and straightened up to look at you. "Then tell me what you do."

"I already have," you replied, referring to the many times this conversation as come up. "Ask her out. She won't hate you, I know."

"Y/n, I'm too scared."

"You know," you began, thinking back to when your boyfriend asked you out. "When I was asked out, do you know what he said?"

"What?"

"He told me he was absolutely terrified to ask me. But he also said he was even more terrified about waiting too long and losing me forever."

"Wong Hendery has the bravery to follow his guts, I don't," Yang Yang sighed, linking his fingers through the face grate on his helmet. There was zero hope in trying to convince him to relieve his stress. At that moment, Hendery came running over with a huge smile on his face.

"Hey," he murmured, leaning down and kissing your lips, before he knocked Yang Yang in his shoulder. "There's a celebration party being held at Taylor's house, let's go!"

Yang Yang got up from his seat and jogged over to the locker rooms to shower and change, disappearing around the stone hall by the bleachers. Worry rippled through your chest. You wanted Yang Yang to just go and ask the girl he liked so much out on a date. So what if it didn't go as well as he would like? He'll never know until he takes the leap. Hendery squeezed your hand, telling you that he'd be back soon and then ran after Yang Yang to go shower as well.

A little while later, you were starting to feel bad. Your stomach had decided to play cramps on you and your head was spinning, but your condition wasn't bad enough to need the comfort of home. Currently, you were standing outside of the boy's locker room, waiting for Hendery to finish up. When he did, he was wearing a pair of ripped blue skinny jeans, a black men's silk blouse with gold designs and a leather jacket with black cowboy ankle boots. His hair was damp, his bangs, that parted down the middle, fell into his eyes as he looked to the right down the hallway and then left trying to find you. His eyes landed on you and another sun catching smile lit up his face as he made his way over to you, engulfing you in a hug.

"Are you ready? he asked, kissing your forehead sweetly. A nod was the confirmation before he pulled his duffle bag of gear back onto his shoulder and took your hand. The walk to his car didn't take very long and before you knew it, the car was driving on the road to Taylor's house for the after party.

Music was blaring from inside and out through the windows and there was already drunk kids on the front lawn. At this point, even Hendery was having doubts about attending this party; something just wasn't settling with him and it was almost like it was subtly giving him a warning. Unfortunately, you both ignored this warning and proceeded to walk into the party, even when that unsettled feeling was still boiling in the pits of your stomachs. It was loud inside and difficult to see where everything was. Hendery gently grabbed your waist and guided you over to the living room area where half of the football team was stationed. They all cheered when they caught sight of Hendery.

"The star player has arrived!" one of them smiled, proud to have Hendery as a teammate. Hendery nodded his head in a 'cool' way at the kind comment. One of his best friends, Lucas, was also sitting on the couch laughing and enjoying the celebration.

Hendery turned you slightly, speaking into your ear, "Sit with Lucas while I go get drinks. I don't want to loose sight of you."

The trust worthy bond you had with Lucas gave you no hesitation to go sit next to him. Once Hendery was satisfied that you were safe, he wiggled his way through the crowd to find drinks. With a happy smile, Lucas opened his right arm and offered one of his famous hugs. It made you feel slightly better, but not by much. This is when Lucas caught on that you seemed sick.

"Hey," Lucas's tone turned serious. It caught you off guard when he set his drink down on the coffee table in front of you and put the back of his hand to your forehead. "You are warmer than normal. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," you replied, telling him the truth. You didn't feel good, but you weren't in a horrible condition. If the feeling got worse, you would take action. Lucas decided to keep an eye on you, but went back to enjoying himself. Hendery came back with two bottles of water and a random cookie. Of course, he couldn't control himself. You laughed mentally.

"Hendery!" one of the football players called over the music. It caught Hendery's attention right as he finished giving you the water. He let you curl into his side and rest your head on his shoulder. "We should go out on the town after this."

"Hey, you know I don't do that anymore," Hendery rejected, wrapping his arm around your frame and holding you close like he didn't want to ever let you go.

A little back story on this topic. At the beginning of your Senior year in high school, you met Hendery and his friends. The interesting thing about this story is that Hendery was actually abusive and a delinquent within the school. When Yang Yang met you in the library one day, he wanted you to have lunch with him and his friends. It was surprising to say the least that Yang Yang was friends with the most feared kid in school.

But things quickly started to change the more you hung out with Yang Yang and his friends. Hendery, hated you with a passion for starting to change his friends perspectives on life. It raged him so much that one day he cornered you planning to beat you up, but something stopped him. Something deep inside of him struck at his heart and all of the things you had taught and told him and his friends about kindness and the world, flooded his brain. He let you go, having no intention of hurting anyone ever again. This is why he was so afraid to ask you out after months of him being a changed person. He thought you hated his guts and would never want someone like him. But there was that voice again telling him that if he didn't make a move soon, he would loose you...forever. Since then Hendery has tried to be a better person for you. He stopped drinking and smoking, as well as putting a stop to violence.

"Oh come on, just one night." the guy started pushing the situation a bit harder, making you worried. "Why is it that once you get a girlfriend you change? Those of us who have girlfriends didn't change."

"Those girlfriends didn't change your life for the better good like mine did." Hendery defended you without missing a beat. That's just how he was now.

"Well let's hope Yang Yang doesn't get a girlfriend," the guy joked, slapping a hand on the youngest. Yang Yang's mood went down another forty percent after that comment, making you angry.

"Packer that's enough." Ten warned, kicking Packer's knee. This made a light go off in Packer's head.

"No," he began coming to terms with what he was thinking. "Let's see if the old Hendery is still in there."

Your eyes widened at the sentence. No, this could not be happening. Packer stared at Hendery for a moment and then decided to strike when he saw Hendery clench his jaw. "Your girlfriend –no, side chick– is a bit of a drag. I'm sure Mommy and Daddy would let her stay home when you feel burdened."

"Enough." Lucas warned, catching on to the conversation very quickly.

"Hey," Packer looked at Lucas with his eyebrows raised. "Hendery is a big boy. He can fight his own battles."

"You better not," Ten threatened, already knowing that Hendery would immediately go back to his ways to defend you. There was no doubt in his mind that Hendery would kill someone if it meant protecting you.

"I mean look at her she just leans into you all the time. She actually looks pretty sick right now. Sickeningly, clingy."

Hendery tore out of his seat and jumped over the coffee table before attacking his oppressor. Horror struck your body as you watched Hendery beat the living soul out of his fellow teammate.

"What do you know about her?!" Hendery bellowed, grabbing the guy's collar and pulling him close. "She bends over backwards for everyone! But one thing is for certain, I wouldn't let her do anything for you because you don't deserve it."

At Hendery's words, you began to cry. Everything you had done to change Hendery had been washed away by his anger. Ten and Lucas immediately knew why you were crying and proceeded to remove you from the party. Now you were feeling worse and just wanted to go home. Sobs rocked your body as you held onto Lucas who held on tight to you and right then and there, you wished you were at home.

The next morning, you woke up to the sound of your bathroom sink running. You glanced behind you to see Hendery washing his face and slowly recovering from his hangover. When he finished up, he came back into the room and startled at your awake figure.

"Good morning." he mumbled, climbing on top of the bed and kissing your forehead gently. Last nights events came flooding into your mind and you immediately sat up and grabbed Hendery's knuckles.

"I didn't hurt him or myself, my love." Hendery promised, watching you examine his hands and face.

"Hendery you scared me!" you scowled, dropping his hands and rubbing your face with a huff.

"I know I did and I apologize for that. But I wasn't about to let him talk trash about you." Hendery defended, squeezing your shoulder. "I love you too much."

"I love you more."

"Yang Yang asked out your best friend last night." Hendery spoke on a lighter note. Joy filled your sleepy body at the news. Finally, Yang Yang had gotten the courage.

"What did she say?" you gasped.

"She said yes." Hendery smiled. "They're having a coffee date this morning to get to know each other better. Yang Yang texted me before he went to go pick her up."

"I'm so happy for him." you sighed, falling into Hendery's chest and closing your eyes.

It was silent for a while, just the two of you. Hendery apparently had come in through your window last night and slept on the couch just to protect you from any harm and to also avoid the last night arguing at his own home. No matter what you had gone through to end up with Hendery, moments like these were worth that long fight. Even nights like last night weren't enough to tear the two of you apart. Hendery told you the story after the party when Yang Yang had said he was tired of people making fun of him for not having a girlfriend. His main motive for dating was not however the pressure and poking from his friends, but a true liking towards that beautiful girl in his history class.

"Hendery." you whispered.

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

"But...we have to get to that Scollarship Brunch you agreed to go to."

"Oh crap!" Hendery yelped, jumping up from your bed and rushing over to the couch to snatch his shoes and get them on his feet. "Do I need to wear a suit?"

"Just wear something nice." you urged him to hurry since he still needed to shower and get dressed back at his house which was fifteen minutes away.

"Do I come pick you up?"

"Hendery, GO!" you laughed, accepting the air kiss he sent you before ducking outside of the window and climbing off the roof to his car.

"Goofball." you whispered under your breath.

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gracesfashion · 4 years

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Bell Bottoms

The first trend I’m gonna talk about is one of my favorites! Bell bottom jeans

https://pin.it/4YUeEw8

I love bell bottom jeans! They are so cute and they are coming back into style. They are great for making your legs look super long. They are just over all vert flattering

Things to Wear With Them.

I think little cropped tank tops are my favorite thing to wear with bell bottoms.

https://pin.it/2VtBky0

Here is a great example. Something girly and dainty looks super cute. It also creates a really pretty silhouette with a tight top and bottoms that flare.

Something else that would be super cute if you want less of a girly look is an over-sized graphic t-shirt. You could tie it up, tuck it in or just let it flow!

Here is one I thought could go really well!

Any little shirts like these are great especially if you’re really going for that 70s vibe!

Here are a few styles of shoes I think go great with these pants

Cowboy boots

Platform sandals

Vintage sneakers

Heeled booties

I would personally wear a very 70s inspired outfit if I was gonna style bell bottoms just because I would want to go all out if I was already stepping out there with my outfit.

Overall I love the style of pants. I’d recommend them to everyone! They are so flattering and fun I can 100% see why they’re back in style. These are my favorite pants to wear.

Here are some of my favorite outfits!

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amphtaminedreams · 5 years

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S/S 2020 Fashion Month: A Basic, Uneducated Fashion Heaux’s A-Z of Everything Noteworthy (Part 2/3)

Hi to anyone reading,

Back at it again with the giving my unsolicited opinion on 2020′s spring/summer offering, I’m gonna hop straight into part 2 of my fashion month review!

Sorry to start with an underwhelming few but my compulsive tendencies are making it really hard to break out of this alphabetical structure (cry laughs whilst thinking about how long it took me to face up at my retail job last night because it would give me vaguely homicidal urges and make my fingers tingle every time a customer moved something slightly out of line), so I’m gonna whizz through a handful of collections. First up, Halpern:

Not much to say but I’m envious of the heavy liner (my hooded eyes could never) and I like the colour scheme. As for the 80s style metallic pink dress?

Helmut Lang:

And Hermes:

Of these 3 collections, Hermes is definitely the most interesting. I like the colour scheme and the utilitarian shapes and the tan coloured jackets are an absolute shoot. This is how you make safari look fresh, D&G take note.

Isabel Marant was okay. It’s cute, sure, reminds me of something Mary-Kate and Ashley would’ve come out with/worn in the 2000s, and there’s definitely some things I would wear, but I wouldn’t say it looks all that luxury. Pricey, sure, but like, Free People pricey, not designer pricey. As a collection, it’s not all that conceptual, unless the concept is L.A girl does a Starbucks run after her bikram yoga class. What I will say though is that some of the S/S 2020 commercial trends are becoming clear: white cheesecloth pieces, peasant blouses, cowboy boots, scrappy sandals, neutral tones, and bandana print.

Now onto the darling of high fashion Twitter: Jacquemus.

As far as presentation goes, this has to be one of my favourite set-ups of the season; a hot pink runway running through a lavender meadow is as canny and serene as those who sing the praises of Simon Porte Jacquemus would have you expect, and the clothes were easy, breezy and beautiful, even if there is an element of getting dressed in the dark going on with the styling which put me off including a few otherwise gorgeous pieces. It might not be 100% my style but you can tell this is a brand of the future which is only going to go from strength to strength.

And everything was beautifully and purposefully crafted on the runway with J.W Anderson this year. The pieces are graceful and timeless whilst still easy to envision as something a modern woman would throw on to (very fashionably) run some errands in the city. This was also one of the handful of shows (IIRC! This might be a case of extreme deja-vu!) where we saw the sandal straps tied over the trousers, I’m guessing to accentuate the ankles, and...I’m surprisingly here for it? Though in a sense it kinda resembles when I accidentally get my work trousers tucked into my slipper socks, it’s an interesting touch and adds a bit of a shape to otherwise billowing bottom halves.

Following Jacquemus’ lead (or vice versa, I’m way too deep into this fashion month haze to work out who went first at this point), Lacoste also put on a co-ed show. Otherwise crisp and preppy as per, the neckerchiefs (even if seeing them all next to one another does give off a bit of a Disneyland Main Street barbershop quartet vibe) and vinyl/wet-look/PVC/I’m still not sure what differentiates the 3 coats were an out of the box touch for them and I really liked it. It’s athleisure, but more like something Hayley Bieber would’ve worn as part of her Princess Diana inspired shoot than anything I’d wear to the gym.

LMAO, as if I go the gym. But you get my point. Next, Loewe:

Delicate, feminine and all around delightful, the S/S 2020 Loewe collection is up there with Chloe and Brock when it comes to most spring appropriate. More chiffon, lace and doily-like detailing, please, the old woman in me lives for this kinda thing made fashionable. Like with J.W Anderson, you can tell the design team wanted to do something different without just throwing shit onto their pieces for the sake of being wacky, and so we end up with these dramatic, slightly geometric waistlines and almost angelic Victorian nightgown inspired dresses that kinda make me wished that 1). ghosts existed and that 2). I lived back in that era so I could die some tragic death wearing any one of the dresses on the left in the top 3 rows and then haunt the shit out of everyone. That would really be an iconic fashion moment. Also wonderful, imo, was Louis Vuitton:

The mix between 60s and Edwardian I never knew I needed, as opposed to Gucci’s forward thinking take on the former decade, Louis Vuitton takes it back even further and throws in late 19th/early 20th century structures and references. I adore the what seems to be a mix between brocade and paisley print and the exaggerated collars are a very cute touch. The jacket on the top left is a highlight, a more neutral version of the similar catsuit seen at the Longchamp show (I couldn’t personally pick enough highlights from that to include it), and I now more than ever really want to try and pull off a sweater vest. The shoes might not be the most exciting thing ever but they’re also a personal favourite, from the knee high boots to the loafers with the LV moniker.

Maison Margiela was very cool and again, I’m in love with the shoes and just the accessories in general, ESPECIALLY those hats. I don’t know if I’m way off base here but this show is almost a modernised, fashionable version of a 1940s period drama about WW2 pilots and evacuees. Yes, maybe I am just getting that solely from the trench coats and the naval influences and the exaggerated collars but I think with that list I made quite a case for that perspective, right? Right.

And completing this holy trinity (appropriating the term I usually reserve for Emma Watson, Emma Stone and Emma Roberts is not without careful consideration) is Marc Jacobs. One of my ultimate favourites of this season, this collection is absolutely EVERYTHING: kitschy, dream-like, whimsical, over-the-top, and totally appropriate for your slightly eccentric aunt who always drinks too much wine and talks a lot of shit every time she comes over for dinner. I really feel like I walked into wonderland looking at this collection, and in the best way possible, it gives me a female Russell Brand in the 2000s’ wardrobe on crack. On the one hand we have these insanely beautiful and ethereal chiffon floral dresses but then we also have fricken top hats. Basically, it’s everything I love about fashion and I don’t know if anything can top it. Periodt (and I type that with a totally straight face).

Next, onto another personal fave, Marchesa:

Which is as always, beautiful. I was going to write that if Disney princesses came to life and lived in the modern world (so, in other words, Elle Fanning), they would be wearing Marchesa and then I remembered that the film Enchanted exists and had a lightbulb moment and thought OH MY GOD IF THEY REMADE THAT IN 2019, THE DRESS ON THE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE ROW WOULD BE A PERFECT LEVELLING UP OF THE CURTAIN DRESS.

Anyways, favourites of the favourites are the bottom row; I would die for that feather trim.

BUT where Marchesa is everything opulent, overly ornate and err-ing on “fussy”, Margaret Howell’s S/S 2020 collection is completely stripped back and just as effective, if not as to my taste. Very cool, very current, and altogether effortless (in a good way!), with this show Margaret Howell made mid-20th century utilitarianism relevant. I never thought I’d be praising the combination of bermuda shorts, crew socks and a beanie and yet here I am. Character development.

Next is Marine Serre:

Which I really like! The bottom row isn’t really to my personal taste but I can acknowledge that if I saw somebody wearing any one of those outfits I’d think they looked sick, and as for the first two rows, those mesh tops and the slightly chintzy florals are right up my alley.

Marques Almeida put out a really strong collection, imo. The blending of luxurious silhouettes and fabrics with street wear inspired prints and styling is a really interesting and unique contrast and if Billie Eilish ever decided to stop wearing those tweenie clothes and wanted to actually seduce somebody’s dad (I LOVE BILLIE EILISH AND I KNOW WHY SHE DRESSES THE WAY SHE DOES, IT’S A JOKE, PLS DON’T HATE ME), I’d love to see her wearing something like this. It’s a blend of punk, urban, and 2019 e-girl and has the kind of edge that Topshop has lost over the past couple of years that used to make it so aspirational to my 13 year old self. Of all the shows, it also probably has the most personally wearable accessories, and a shit tonne of cool make up looks I’d love to try if it weren’t for my lack of visible eyelid, lol.

Make up looks were a highlight of the Max Mara show too, for me anyway.

I otherwise wasn’t hugely keen on the collection, it being a little too matronly/Miss.Trunchbull-esque for my liking (wild card fashion inspiration of 2019, apparently?). The light paisley print dresses are very dreamy, though, and I can never resist a good suit.

As for Michael Kors, dare I say it, but the basic bitch in me loved it. I know as a designer he’s not held in very high regard by the fashion community and I'm not saying it’s at all original but it did what it set out to do well; I mean, it’s quite fitting that he cameo-d in an episode of Gossip Girl because every outfit would be perfect for the Constance attending incarnation of Blair Waldorf, which is probably why I like the collection. Like yeah, it’s a bit of a Polo Ralph Lauren/Lacoste rip off but it’s daintier and more feminine and so I’m not gonna lie, I’m on board with it.

Next, Miu Miu.

One of the collections I was most excited for, I was a little disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the collection, but I have never once disliked anything Miu Miu and I usually love it. There are things I love about this line too: the cream, floral lace-up boots, the off-the-shoulder cardigans, the houndstooth oversized coats and of course the fur-lined gilets. My mum used to buy me similar ones when I was a little girl and so they give me childhood nostalgia in the best way possible. I mean, the collection is as girly and eccentric as ever. I think it’s just a little too on the primary school librarian side for me, this time round. Sorry Miu Miu xoxo

Now I’m just gonna speed through a couple, starting with MM6 Maison Margiela, the younger sister to the more expensive regular Maison Margiela line:

And Monique Lhuillier:

So that I can get to one of my other ultimate favourite collections for S/S 2020: Moschino.

Oh my god, where to even start. Firstly, I might be reaching, but if this show is even remotely to thank for art nouveau mesh tops showing up in the Urban Outfitters new in section, then a very sarcastic thank you to Jeremy Scott. You just made ethical shopping a lot harder. HOW am I supposed to not buy an Alphonse Mucha top? HOW!? I mean, I’m sure I’ll manage (I’m on month 3 without a shopping spree I can’t actually afford now and yes, I am very much patting myself on the back), but HOW!?

But on a serious level, if renaissance was the print of 2019, which I’m still very much into BTW, bring on modern art as its 2020 replacement. The Pablo Picasso inspired show not only livened up a generally pretty predictable fashion month but it’s also got me searching up other times art has met fashion on the runway and thrown me down a particularly aesthetically pleasing wormhole I’m not sure I ever want to escape from (https://frontrowmagazine.ca/art-inspired-looks-were-all-over-the-runways-of-fashion-week-a74e8bc7ff0d and https://www.vogue.com/article/spring-2017-ready-to-wear-fine-arts-trends are good starting points!).

Mugler was also up there with the best of them, imo:

See, if the Moschino collection was all about dabbling in art class, Mugler’s S/S 2020 collection is its more mathematically inclined sister, all about sharp lines and deconstructed silhouettes and symmetry all whilst looking hot as fuck. So very Mugler, basically.

Now, this reference might be slightly off because I haven’t actually SEEN Ex-Machina yet but I imagine if Kim Kardashian were to channel that movie for a costume party she’d end up wearing something from this collection. That sounds like a roast because Kim has worn some questionable outfits but I blame Kanye for most of that and I’m referring to her on a good fashion day, alright!?

As for Off-White, it’s obviously a lot more commercial than most of the lines I’ve reviewed so far. Like, I can see a lot of these outfits on a mannequin in Urban Outfitters (no, I am not being paid to namedrop them, about 3 people in total read this Tumblr so any kind of sponsorship money would be severely wasted on me). That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and I love all of these looks; it just seems unfair to compare them to the the Mugler or Moschino collections, for example.

The stand outs for me are all on the bottom row: I would buy the utility vest, leather blazer and the all mesh turtleneck under washed-out tie-dye on the spot if I saw them in a high street store. Unfortunately, I feel like that’s kinda where they belong. You just expect collections to be a bit more conceptual, and this one is a little watered down, as much as it’s my style.

Oscar de la Renta was beautiful, of course. Not like I’m shook by how beautiful it is but kinda just what you’d expect from a brand with a name as poetic and fun to say as Oscar de la Renta. The silhouettes are dreamy and the details are as fit for a fairy princess (lmao) as ever. Plus can I just say how happy I am to see butterflies on dresses for adult women again!? And dresses worn by Blanca Padilla nonetheless!? Very here for it.

Next up is another on one of my fashion month highlights: Paco Rabanne.

LOOK AT THIS SHIT!

I mean, don’t get me wrong, something about this collection (I’m pretty sure it’s the knee high coloured socks) is giving me primary school teacher vibes, but I'm not mad about it. It’d be the kind of teacher who’s actually really good at their job and has loads of cool hobbies and a really hot boyfriend or girlfriend or wife or husband who you secretly want to be then you grow up/and or have a huge crush on.

Like with Marc Jacobs, there’s obvious flower child elements here, and whilst on the whole the former took my breath away slightly more, this is a lot more wearable. My favourites are the paisley print dress and cape on the left in the very bottom row and all the chainmail pieces (which remind me of the dress Naomi Smalls wore in that whole club ninety-sixxxxx skit on drag race), plus that floral cut out dress with the trailing flute sleeves, which is absolute PERFECTION.

The 70s influence was clear in Peter Pilotto’s S/S 2020 collection too from the abundance of tie-dye to the knit v-neck dress, zany colour and print being the very on-brand focus. That being said, this is definitely more of a street-style inspired collection than usual and whilst the floral suits and dresses on the 3rd row down are very typical Peter Pilotto, the tie-dye corset and combat trousers on the far right, second row from the bottom, are very Jaded London. As for the reoccurrence of the bucket hat, I’ve remained steadfastly against them for several years now (even when our Lord and Saviour Miss Robyn Rihanna Fenty started wearing them) but the way they’re done in this collection even I could definitely get behind; all in all, the show surpassed my expectations.

The same goes for Ports 1961, which was a lot more eccentric than I gathered is the norm from a few google searches. Honestly, I hadn’t really heard of the brand which, upon reading up on it, I feel very dumb for considering it has been around since (in the shock twist of the century) 1961.

Yes, I know how that sounds! But forgive me, I’m still learning:)

Anyway, the fishnet detailing alone pretty much sold the looks I picked out. Seriously, I got a pair of those bloody tights, like, 2 years ago when they became a thing again and now any outfit where I have my legs out feels incomplete without them.

Next is Prabal Gurung, which, as far as presentation goes, was fucking STUNNING:

I mean, you could say that I’m easily impressed and that the presence of the bouquets won me over (and you’d definitely have a point there), but it’s also this year’s Givenchy haute couture-esque feathers, the trailing pearl necklaces, the exaggerated shoulders, the dreamy colouring, the everything looking like it could’ve grown off a very fashionably-inclined tree. Like, there’s a lot to love here, from the naturalistic elements, to the context behind the show, an ode to American fashion history and those cast out of it (and the notion of “being American” in general) for so long.

Going from a high to a (personal) low, however, next we have Prada:

I don’t know, I get that it’s supposed to be simple and stripped back and dignified and whatever and I like the looks I picked but it’s just a bit blah for me. The bonnets that kept cropping up just didn’t do it for me and almost ruined what is an otherwise nice skirt suit (top right). Nonetheless, I like the silhouette of the sheer black dress and the the brocade print suit is really luxurious looking, even if the pattern is a *little* Wetherspoons carpet.

Anyways, here’s a quick overview of Rag and Bone:

So that I can stop moaning and get onto a collection I REALLY liked:

I am of course talking about Ralph and Russo. See, this is kinda what I expected from, like, Chanel and yet it’s Ralph and Russo that delivered. Also, it gives me Alessandra Rich vibes which is very much a compliment considering how much I love her designs. I mean, if Valley of the Dolls were to get another film remake in 2019, this is exactly what I’d like to see the female leads wearing, from the pastel suits to the satin kaftan style dresses. The yellow feather trimmed dress is practically a copy of something Marchesa has already done but it’s cute all the same. In my top 10 collections of the season, for sure.

Rick Owens was another strong collection; it goes without saying that it’s not the most wearable but that’s not really what Rick Owens is known for, so I wouldn’t expect anything else. If you want fashion on an alien planet, or something Lady Gaga would’ve worn in 2010, he's your man.

Next, Rodarte:

Obviously the dresses are beautiful and the set is magnificent, BUT...I’m really not a fan of the whole celebrities filling in for high fashion models thing. I like Lili Reinhart and I adore Kirsten Dunst, she’s been in a load of my favourite films, but in a similar vein to Dolce and Gabbana’s influencer show, it’s just distracting from the actual garments, if even worse because I don’t WANT to be distracted here (the same can’t be said for the D&G show, lol). If anybody has read this far, let me know your thoughts!

Roland Mouret was nice, and I always like a coed show, especially when a designer isn’t afraid to blur the lines of masculine and feminine. It’s fresh, lightweight and luxurious looking, Cannes film festival street style eat your heart out, and I love the colour palette.

Similarly, colour was my favourite thing about Sally LaPointe’s S/S 2020 collection.

I would never think that teal and burnt orange would work together, let alone in some kind of faux leather, and yet here we are. Orange is in itself always an interesting colour choice, perfect for the summer with a tan, and I really love monochrome outfits, even though they’re something that ends up being quite pricey to put together; slight differences in tone are okay but if you just randomly throw together a few things and they’re too off, it really doesn’t work and you’d have been better off wearing contrasting colours. For that reason, I’m just gonna admire that all-pink outfit from a distance.

As for Schiaparelli, it’s one I always look forwards to for the sheer weirdness. RTW isn’t quite as kooky as haute couture but still, the interesting choices are still there; what at first glance appears to be flame print is actually coils of hair, and paired with a water print suit is a sequinned jacket emblazoned with a paradisiacal mirage. Ornament-like facial decorations as seen in the over-exaggerated glasses worn with the pony hair suit are also one of my favourite new things to happen in the high fashion scene in the past couple of months and I can’t wait to see how they get watered down to become more approachable for us...regular, non-structurally blessed folks who can’t pull off anything and everything.

Simone Rocha was STUNNING. Romantic and ethereal, it’s druid goddess crossed with upper class Victorian woman of leisure, equal parts delicate and grungy, like a modern, fashion version of Lady Gaga’s Scathach in the Roanoke season of American Horror Story. You know, in the flashbacks, not in present day when she was all gross and like...scalping people and shit. Each dress is so ornate and has such an interesting structure, and the fabric choices give off an organic kinda vibe that create a handmade feel; the collection is, imo, really worthy of being shown under a haute couture heading. When it comes to my favourite element of the show, I’m torn between the petticoats and the hair accessories. I’m just gonna give a cop-out answer and say both.

Stella McCartney on the other hand, is very much a clear ready-to-wear collection.

It’s pretty, for sure. The pastel blazers paired with delicate white mesh tops underneath are a gorgeous combination for spring and I like the reoccurrence of the chain glasses (Gucci, right?). But I mean, when you go from Simone Rocha to this, it’s a bit anticlimactic. Plus, if I’m honest, kaftans are always going to remind me of Honey Mahogany from season 5 of Drag Race. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure she’s a lovely person but her runway looks aren’t really ones I look back fondly on, and you’re lying if you say you enjoyed them for anything other than meme purposes.

Temperley is equally meh, though the return of the Erdem-style boating hats is getting me excited that high street retailers might actually pick up on the trend and bring out some cheap ones for me to embarrass myself by wearing.

I also love a good 70s suit, the neckerchiefs are cute and there are some really delightful prints here that are a more unique approach to florals for spring.

Coming towards the end now, next is Thom Browne:

I LOVE this. Like, don’t get me wrong Rick Owens was cool but I adore how on the nose the concept is here; time to bring back all the Marie Antoinette puns I didn’t get to use in my Versailles Instagram post. I don’t know if it’s the history buff in me or the Sofia Coppola Stan but I will always be willing to sign any kind of treaty for anything related to the excesses of the 18th century French monarchy, and this is that turned up to 1000 infused with a dash of the Teletubbies, which sounds like a nightmarish concept, I know, but as high fashion it WORKS.

Tory Burch was very commercial, seemingly half inspired by Monterey yoga moms and the other half by Hamptons socialites.

And then there was Valentino, which was fucking exquisite, imo. LIKE, CALLING DOCLE & GABBANA: THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE TROPICAL PRINT INTERESTING. YOU MAKE THE VELVET MONKEY’S ARM THE FRICKEN WAISTBAND.

Seriously, though, I am enamoured with this colour palette; all the whites and golds are angelic and fr, I didn’t know until now that you could make neons this elegant. I’m also getting an almost clerical feel from a lot of these looks, with the plaited waistband on the black dress that’s 7th row down in the middle, the stunning red cape and the multitude of exaggerated neck ruffs. I think I’ve mentioned before but I always love religious references in clothing-I don’t think I’ll ever get over the 2018 Met Gala-and so whether I’m reading too much into it or not, this collection really did it for me.

Whilst it’s probably as far removed a collection from Valentino’s S/S 2020 contribution you can get, I also loved Vera Wang this season. It might purely (I PROMISE THIS IS MY LAST GOSSIP GIRL REFERENCE) be because it gives me Jenny Humphrey vibes and *controversial* she did have my favourite style of any of the main characters, but sue me, this is just the right amount of late 90s/early 2000s grunge. Deconstructed trashy goth it girl is an interesting concept to see on the runway and I completely support it.

Versace on the other hand was very hit or miss. The looks I picked out I really loved but ultimately, for one of the household name brands, a lot of the actual garments were a bit pedestrian. I will say though that for me, it’s a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. The slicked back mermaid hair and the pops of colour in the makeup and the interesting necklines meant that when it was good, it was GOOD. However, overall, still a bit too 80s Miami businesswoman, and please GOD, can we leave that hideous J-Lo dress in the past, it should really not be the climax of the show in 20-fucking-19!

As for Victoria Beckham, I liked it, but it’s a bit of a Gucci copy, no? And no way near as interesting?

And on that note, I’m gonna have to cut this off. Super annoying but with only 5 collections left that I want to talk about, Tumblr is being a little bitch and will not let me add anything more to this post. So, see you in 5 for the final post!

Lauren x

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