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Costume. Chitons.

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Charbel Karam fall 2017 couture

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Khadijha Red Thunder by Yulia Gorbachenko for ColourPop Cosmetics

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Concept Two : Origins

Antapódosi and Xelene

Athena was looking down upon the humans, a great festival in preparation for a war. The sister-city of Athens, Athena decided she must help the efforts of the people, by gifting them a goddess. She called upon Aphrodite to help her in the making of this new deity, who was delighted by the prospect of creating an equally powerful daughter to compliment her son, Eros.

Athena asked the city’s ruler to hand over his crown. In awe of his patron goddess, he gave it up to her without a fight. Aphrodite asked the city’s most beautiful woman for a lock of her hair. The woman, thankful for her beauty gifted by Aphrodite, snipped it off and handed a large sum over.

They threw the two talismans into a golden bowl of riverwater, and from the dewdrops atop the careful weaving, emerged Philia. A goddess of both beauty and brains, daughter of Aphrodite and Athena. She became the city’s figurehead, the goddess of good fortune in war and comradeship. Renaming her Xelene after the distinct sound that rang through the city when she was created, she became essential to their wartime and general happiness. For a long time, the city prevailed in every war.

The city’s ruler died, and his only son took ownership. This son did not respect Xelene, for he felt that she took power from his father. He went to his oracle and asked how to kill Xelene. The oracle said there was no such way, for she is immortal, but he can make her afraid. She isn’t aware that she is immortal, the oracle spoke, and she will be fearful of threats.

He was pleased with this answer. He moved to his plan of action. He told his people that she can be killed, and put into a necklace. Whoever wears that necklace will own her powers. And the mad hunt for her began.

Xelene was summoned so frequently, the people she once blessed now drawing swords to her neck. The city fell into shambles, for their many war enemies now had the upper hand. Without Xelene’s blessings, they were nothing.

A common man by the name of Antapódosi had been angered by the acts of his friends. He had been in love with Xelene since he was a child, and now everyone was out for her blood. He did what he thought was right. He murdered his friends and called upon Athena with their bodies.

Athena was furious with the city, taking her gift to them for granted. Antapódosi made his plea, that he would watch over and protect dear Xelene as long as he could marry her. Athena, unsure of his intent, gave him a quest. He must kill the ruler who started the rumor.

He trekked to high ground, and looked to the sky, begging for help. He stayed there for hours, until midnight, when the constellations were in full view. And thus, Astraea and Dike appeared before him. Astraea asked why he was weeping, and he told her that his love was being hunted to death. Dike asked why they should help him, for he was just a man crying atop a hill. He first plead to Astraea, saying that he was virginal and pure, and he only wishes to protect his dearest. Astraea was pleased with both his words and his recognition of her. She created wings of bone for him, saying that they were so fragile that they would be broken if he was to become impure. He thanked her, and moved onto Dike. He told her how the ruler used his power to hunt his love, and how he must bring justice upon the disgusting man. Dike wasn’t convinced. She gave him a dagger’s handle, and told him to bleed upon it until it becomes a solid dagger. It would prove the ruler’s true evil intent. If Antapódosi used his own blood, he would be able to seal the ruler in the underworld’s unreachable depth, Tartarus. If he used blood of another being, the ruler would live and Antapódosi would be dragged down to the underworld. He thanked her, beginning to rip at his own skin to bleed for his love.

At night, Antapódosi flew to the ruler’s window and stabbed him in the heart with the dagger of blood. Melting into the man’s own blood, the dagger turned him rotten and decayed. He flew out, and was greeted by Athena. She had gave her blessing for marriage, she explained, but Aphrodite had not.

Antapódosi was heartbroken, but not done with his deeds and trickery. He snapped an olive branch off of a tree, and proclaimed how beautiful it was. He kept complimenting it, saying how it would replace Aphrodite when he brought it to the city. She heard these boastful claims and appeared before him, furiously searching for the source of such beauty. He then said that since he will never be able to marry his true love, he can’t see beauty anymore, which is why he mistook that branch as a goddess. Aphrodite immediately called upon her son Eros to make Antapódosi’s true love fall for him. When Eros asked for the name of her, he said Xelene, shocking both Eros and Aphrodite.

Aphrodite was not keen on giving her daughter to a man who couldn’t recognize beauty, but after Antapódosi’s continued proclamations of pure beauty in plants and rocks, she gave him a quest where if he succeeded, he would be able to marry Xelene.

Antapódosi must find the most beautiful plant in the city by nightfall, and sit with it for three days without touching or cutting it. He found a gorgeous Adonis flower with relative ease, but Aphrodite instructed Eros to form the flower into the essence of love and desire. Eros refused, calling to his wife Psyche as why he would never get between a mortal’s love for his sister.

Without Eros, Aphrodite charmed the flower to be the epitome of sexual beauty. For three days, the petals seemed to speak to him, talking him into cutting it and giving it to Xelene when he sees her. Instead, for those three days, he watered the plant and sung songs of happiness to it.

Aphrodite, still believing a mortal man was undeserving of her daughter, struck a deal.

Antapódosi shall always be awake, watching over a sleeping Xelene in the sky and waking her only to attend to combat and give blessings. If he falls asleep, or if she is awoken without someone summoning her, he will die and fabricated images of Xelene will haunt him for eternity.

He agreed to this, watching over the sleeping Xelene. For one year, he stayed awake by sheer force of will. His screams of pain from exhaustion were heard by Hestia, of whom asked him why he was making such a sound. He weakly said that he must stay awake to protect Xelene from harm. She granted him eternal flaming energy and life, as long as his love and dedication to Xelene remained.

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@nyane

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Mohtz on Society6

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Royal Blue Wedding Dresses: No.9 Wedding, Digio Bridal, Z Wedding, Stella de Libero

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Impractical costumes for Xelene’s first appearance

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First Draft : Origin

Ambrosial and Xelene

Aphrodite and Athena were looking down upon the humans, a great festival in preparation for a war. One of their mutually favorite cities, Aphrodite and Athena decided they must help the efforts of the people.

Athena asked the city’s ruler to hand over his crown. In awe of his patron goddess, he gave it up to her without a fight. Aphrodite asked the city’s most beautiful woman for a lock of her hair. The woman, thankful for her beauty gifted by Aphrodite, snipped it off and handed a large sum over.

They threw the two talismans into the city’s lake, and thus out of the pool of water, emerged Xelene. A goddess of both beauty and brains, daughter of Aphrodite and Athena. She became the city’s figurehead, the goddess of good fortune in war and comradeship. For a long time, the city prevailed in every war.

The city’s ruler died, and his only son took ownership. This son did not respect Xelene, for he felt that she took power from his father. He went to his oracle and asked how to kill Xelene. The oracle said there was no such way, for she is immortal, but he can make her afraid. She isn’t aware that she is immortal, the oracle spoke, and she will be fearful of threats.

He was pleased with this answer. He moved to his plan of action. He told his people that she can be killed, and put into a necklace. Whoever wears that necklace will own her powers. And the mad hunt for her began.

Xelene was summoned so frequently, the people she once blessed now drawing swords to her neck. The city fell into shambles, for their many war enemies now had the upper hand. Without Xelene’s blessings, they were nothing.

A common man by the name of Ambrosial had been angered by the acts of his friends. He had been in love with Xelene since he was a child, and now everyone was out for her blood. He did what he thought was right. He murdered his friends and called upon Athena with their bodies.

Athena was furious with the city, taking her gift to them for granted. Ambrosial made his plea, that he would watch over and protect dear Xelene as long as he could marry her. Athena, unsure of his intent, gave him a quest. He must kill the ruler who started the rumor.

He sacrificed another one of his friends to call upon Persephone. He explained the problem, and moved by his passion, she gave him wings of bone and a dagger of blood. This, she said, would seal the ruler’s fate. He would never be able to leave the underworld.

At night, Ambrosial flew to the ruler’s window and stabbed him in the heart with the dagger of blood. Melting into the man’s own blood, the dagger turned him rotten and decayed. He flew out, and was greeted by Athena. She had gave her blessing for marriage, she explained, but Aphrodite had not. They came to a compromise. Ambrosial shall always be awake, watching over a sleeping Xelene in the sky and waking her only to attend to combat and give blessings. If he falls asleep, or if she is awoken without someone summoning her, he will die and fabricated images of Xelene will haunt him for eternity.

He agreed to this, watching over the sleeping Xelene. For one year, he stayed awake by sheer force of will. Hera took pity on him and his dedication, so she granted him eternal energy once she saw that he was going to fail.