#back long sleeve shirt mockup

[neel-sajib]

The Ultimate Guide To Long Sleeve Shirt Mockups

#black long sleeve shirt mockup #white long sleeve shirt mockup #long sleeve black shirt mockup #long sleeve polo shirt mockup #long sleeve shirt mockup front and back #back long sleeve shirt mockup

[mdnayanali619]

Full Sleeve PSD Dress Shirt Mockup

#Full Sleeve PSD Dress Shirt Mockup #Men's Long Sleeve Dress Shirt Mock-Up #Formal Dress Shirt Mockup #Long Sleeve Dress Shirt Mockup PSD #Long Sleeve Shirt Mockup #Folded Full Sleeve Shirt Mockup PSD #Men's Long Sleeve Dress Shirt Back View Mockup #Men's Long Sleeve Shirt Mockup

[portsandstars]

I recently got an ask about how I made my Vere cosplay, so I thought I'd write an (overly descriptive) explanation about what I did! Note that I have very minimal sewing and cosplay experience, so it's quite possible that there are many better ways to achieve the same look.

If you're interested in recieving the pattern that I used, please DM me, and I'll send you the files. Note that the pattern is only made to my measurements(I am very tall and small chested) and I have also altered the pattern after working with it some, though not altered the PDF.

Some of my explanations won't be the most clear, I'm happy to explain more in the comments or dms- I'm just limited on the number of pictures:)

Below the readmore because u guys this is going to be a bit exhaustively long :>

The pattern pieces for the top

I got a pattern after commissioning someone on Fiverr for about $60 dollars (let me know if you want their contact info). They were not very interested in reference photos and instead wanted me to sketch the garment I needed. I made a mock-up in a day after receiving the pattern files (took me about 8-10 hours lol). I requested a few edits from the pattern maker and recieved a second pattern. From there, I made multiple mockups and edited the PDF pattern to:

- shorten the smallest sleeve

- increase the curve of the front shirt edge

- add an unofficial collar band to increase collar height

- change the angle of the piping seam to enter the armhole at much more of a slanted angle

- increase the height and shape of the side waist openings (they are still lower than is accurate).

- add a sleeve gusset bc I couldn't move my arms (the sleeves are still tough, I'd recommend altering the dark purple sleeves if you make this)

- making the floatly sleeves way more voluminous.

Here are some photos of the top. I bought a crotch snap bodysuit premade and cut it after someone helped me pin the top to it. This is to help keep the top "tucked in" to the belt without bunching, while still allowing you to go to the bathroom. There need to be snaps because I taped the top to my skin, so you don't want to pull the top off your shoulders as you would a romper.

Ok, now let's see where the pattern pieces go to the shirt:

Fabric

I used a satin fabric for this top. I chose this primarily because it looked the closest to the right color that I could find (rather than being interested in the sheen). I'd say that it kinda sucked to work with because it frays exceptionally easily, though it does look pretty. The lilac fabric is a cotton fabric that I used throughout this project to add weight and stability - the color doesn't matter. I also used a medium weight black fabric (?), Silver pleather, and lightweight interfacing.

- back of the garment was purple satin underlined with lilac cotton

- front (orange) piece was purple satin with lightweight iron on interfacing

- collar (blue) was purple satin with the lightweight interfacing not in the seam allowances.

- front (red) piece was purple satin, iron on interfacing, and underlined lilac cotton.

- black boarder on the front (green) was a thick black fabric that was in a discount bin. Highly recommend you use a thin black cotton because the thickness of this fabric gave me a lot of trouble. Interfaced the center of these pieces.

- facings for the side opening (front and back of garment) were made from the lilac fabric and interfaced with lightweight interfacing EXCEPT for the seam allowance.

- tiny sleeve (yellow) was interfaced to give it structure, but not in the seam allowances

- I really struggled with the tension on my machine so I never sewed the satin alone. On the long, dark purple sleeves I added iron on interfacing ONLY to the seam allowance to give the seam stability so I could sew it.

- the silver piping around the collar and glued onto the front is made from a silver pleather. On one hand, this sucked to work with because my strategy involves sewing through ~10 layers of it at least, which is very hard(thimble needed). BUT, If you don't use silver pleather, I'd say your silver fabric MUST NOT FRAY for you to use the techniques I used.

STEPS TO CONSTRUCT (~30-40 hours).

You definitely need to make a mock-up unless you are very experienced. I made about 4-6 (would alter one sleeve but not bother changing the other, etc).

1. Cut all pieces except for facings, black boarder, and floaty sleeves out of purple satin.

2. Cut cotton support fabric for the following pieces - back, red, gussets, side facings (4 total)

4. Cut black boarder/facing (4 total).

3. Cut and iron on interfacing - center of collar, red (not seam allowance), orange (not seam allowance), tiny sleeve (not seam alloance), black boarder/facing- only needed on the outside ones(not seam allowance). Interfacing for the side facings. If you have issues with sewing the satin, also iron on interfacing on the seam allowances, and add it to purple satin that is alone (the long sleeves).

4. Baste all underlining fabric to the purple satin by hand (back, sleeve gusset, red).

5. Stay stitch in the seam allowance all pieces

6. Zigzag stitch all pieces.

7. Lay the lilac side facing on top of the right side of front orange piece, interfacing of the facing touching the right side of the fabric. Sew together along the inner curve. Notch the seam allowance here so it can bend easier. Flip facing to the wrong side of the garment. Iron flat. Pull the notches to the facing side and understitch. Iron again. Sew the top and bottom of the facing edges into the seam allowance of the side seam of the garment and the hem of the garment so they don't flop as much. Do the same thing on the the second orange piece (mirrored). Then do this twice, once for each side curve on the back piece.

8. Yayyy now it's time to attach the black edge. Choose your prettiest of the two of each mirrored piece to be the outside ones. Hem the longer edge of all 4 black facing pieces. Lay the facing, right side facing up, on top of the right side of the orange piece along the front hem. Sew directly on top of your hemming stitches so it is attached about an inch in. Try to not go out of the hem stitches at all. Then, lay a second facing on TOP of the facing u just sewed, wrong side facing up. Sew along the edge through all three layers. Notch this seam. Flip the top facing to the inside of the garment and iron flat. Understitch the inside facing. Iron again. Sew along the black facings inside the seam allowance of the top edge of the orange piece. Below are my notes to myself about this if they would help you LMFAO.

9. U can hem the orange piece now if you want to, I chose to not bc there is sooo much more stuff to do!!

10. Hand baste the red piece to your completed/with facings orange piece along the bottom edge of the red piece/top of orange. You're gonna have to rip this out later but you need to add the collar and measure the length of the piping that will go here and it needs to be attached to do this.

11. attach the back of the top at the shoulder seam. you can also pin or baste the side seams now under the arm hole but note that the size will be really different here with the sleeve gores later added. this turns it into a vest yayy its taking shape

12. iron all the seams u got going on

13. Hem the interior edge of the red pieces so that the collar can attach over it. Use a basting stitch bc you're going to have to undo part of this later 🙃

13. make the collar. tbh I'd recommend watching a tutorial for this, it is pretty similar to any men's dress shirt, especially a mandarin collar. sew the collar along the neckline of the garment.

14. Measure from the side seam under the arm, along the hem of red all along the back collar, to the other side seam under the other arm to see how long your piping needs to be. You can make it a bit longer than it needs to be. i chose to use piping because I couldn't find a silver cord that resembled this detail going around the collar of his shirt, and this seemed like the best solution. It would be far easier to use a silver cord if you can find it tho :). If you found cord that you liked, you could simply sew red to orange directly.

15. make the piping! This whole part is the worst part of the whole garment. You should have a thimble and strong handsewing needles. And probably pliers to pull the needle through. I cut long strips 4 of the silver pleather and bought 2 mm wide nylon cord. I then folded the strip around the cord and handsewed really close to the cord with white thread. You could machiene sew this but personally I found that it wasn't "tight" enough to the cord for me. Two of the piping strips you should cut most of the seam allowance off, the other two should be a normal amount of seam allowance on the piping.

16. Line up your 4 piping strips into a stack and measure across them to determine their width. You next want to create the ILLUSION of more piping. The way I did this was I took a wider strip of silver, the width of the 4 piping strips + one hypothetical extra piping on the top and one on the bottom and cut a strip this wide + lots of extra seam allowance that was about the length of the shirt collar. Then, I hemmed it deeply, so my hem stitches would be close to the center of the strip. There's NO cord in this piece. Then, I hand sewed this flat piece to the collar of the shirt.

17. Next, I bent my piping strips in half and marked the center points on each with a pin. I took one with long seam allowance and laid it flat so the seam allowance lay facing right, and then laid the other piping with seam allowance overlapping the previous piping facing left. Then the piping with very small seam allowance goes on top of this. Diagram crossection below, with the circles representing the cord of the piping, and = representing the orientation of the seam allowance.

O O

O=====

======O

In this way, the piping can be sewn into a continuous strip that is sturdy, without the seam allowance showing. I handsewed the piping pieces together, working from the center, for about 5 inches of length, snaking sideways through the cording of the piping with white thread so it's joined into one continuous strip. Then, I began to handsew this piping to the collar on top of the silver flat fake piping that u already sewed there. Make sure the center of the piping goes to the center of the collar. From there, you alternate handsewing the piping to itself into one continuous strip, and then handsewing it to the collar.

18. As you work, you're going to have to sew it along the edge of the red piece once you're done with the collar. You can initially sew it to the hem that you established before on the red piece. However, when the red piece meets the orange piece (at the black fabric) you need to undo the hem of the red piece there and cut a slit in the fabric (visible below). This is because the hem of the red piece now needs to hang down and attach to the orange piece, so you need the material. Your piping here will go between the red and orange pieces. You also need to cut your basting stitches here so u can sew it for real. You should gradually and evenly spaced - end each line of piping along the top of the orange, so that by the time you're at the armhole, only one piping line is remaining. I chose the bottom silver line on the collar to be my longest piping strip, as this matches (more) of the reference photos). Rather than sew through all 12- 14 layers (...) I found it easier to do a stairstep method. I sewed my first piping strip to the red, then I sewed my second piping to the first piping(but NOT to the red), my third piping to the second, my fourth to the third, and my orange piece to the fourth. Throw in some stitches that bridge more layers as a failsafe and be diligent here bc the structure of the garment depends on it lol.

19. Fantastic ! U made it through the hardest part! Hem the long purple sleeves. Gather the top of the floaty sleeves. Sew the inner seams of the floaty sleeves. Sew the inner seams of the 2 long sleeves together. Leave the length of the V of the gusset unsewed at the top of the sleeve seam. Hem the edge of your tiny sleeves (yellow).

Now you need to attach the sleeves. I sewedthe gauze to half the gusset by hand first. Next I handsewed the gusset to both the long sleeve and the floaty sleeves, leaving the other V half of it unattached to later put into the side seam under the arm. Next I pinned all three sleeves into the armhole of the top. Tbh ... The size of the armhole seemed wrong so I needed to pleat the top of the of the long sleeve to make it fit (😐). Then I handsewed all three sleeves on each side into the arm hole, and then sewed the gusset into the side of the garment, and then finished the side of the top's seam (where the side facings meet) by hand too. I think it'd be possible to do this by machiene but with all the layers, gathering, and difficult corners from the gusset, it was way easier to handsew it imo. Now do the other sleeve wow so fun

20. Get a silver ribbon /string and handsew the sleeve decorations in place. I've found that piercing the silver cord tends to make it get ugly and split so instead I sewed the ends down and then went around the cord like belt with belt loops. Leave a tiny amount of give here so it doesn't strangle ur arm. Try and make the other sleeve the same lol.

21. Cut EVA foam (very thin mm foam) into LONG strip for the vertical silver detailing. Handsew the Eva foam to your top where the silver detailing is. Honestly I might wait to do this until your belt is done bc the position of the bottom half of these lines depends on where your belt sits. But, the purpose of the Eva foam is that it provides a solid base for your silver fabric to glue to that will bend with the garment well and the glue won't stiffen or distort your fabric. Afterwards you'll glue it to the foam with contact cement or fabric glue (needs to be able to flex).

22. Personally I sewed snaps that connect to the chest harness on the inner black boarder because 1) this allows a bit of the weight of the harness to be taken off of your neck/collar, and 2) allows your top to be held closer to your body (lower chance of flashing people). Make sure to only sew them to the interior black facing, not showing to the other side. I also sewed tacking stiches through the interior facing (hidden in the hem stitching) to hold the interior black facing down. My harness was waistband elastic, stabilized with cotton so it's not stretchy, with velcro attaching to itself through the ring. So each side of the harness at the ring is velcro folded back onto itself after being looked through the ring.

23. I also sewed the snap crotch thing to it. You need to wear the top and the body suit and have someone pin the top so that it's pulled somewhat taut by the bodysuit. The small section between the left and right side of the top (by the bellybutton) of the waistband of the bodysuit I stabilized with cotton again because you don't want that part getting stretched out and widening over time. If you're someone who maybe doesn't have boobs or doesn't care about flashing people, you could just sew it to some shorts. The idea here is to keep it held down AND be able to use the bathroom later WITHOUT pulling all ur fashion tape off in the stall and then reapplying it each time.

Look here for the part two (belt/skirt explanation).

#touchstarved #touchstarved cosplay #vere #touchstarved vere #cosplay #mine #personal #ask #touchstarved game

[arminizewithme]

Coronabeth update!

I did a muslin mockup to test the waters.

Since this is a book cosplay and I'm sort of designing as I go, I wasn't totally sure how I wanted the shirt to look. I wanted a poofy, piratey shirt with long sleeves and a plunging neckline to show off the jeweled net shirt. I tried out a commercial pattern from my stash and it worked really well! I shortened the length and took in the volume a bit (it was a little Too poofy) and I think we're good to go.

I'm working on cutting my fabric for the real thing now. My main fabric is this off-white silk shantung I picked up in the NYC garment district (left). It's very light and airy and has a nice sheen, so I think it will be really pretty. I'm planning to back the yoke, collar, facing, and cuffs with cotton to make them a little sturdy. Originally, I planned to use muslin, but I found this cool gold-printed cotton (right) in Joann's quilting section. The shantung is a little sheer, so the gold underneath could add some sparkle. It makes me happy to know it's there, either way 🥲✨️

That's all for now! I want to add some embellishment to the yoke and collar, so I'll figure that out as I construct it.

#cosplay wip #tlt #tlt cosplay #coronabeth tridentarius #locked tomb cosplay #my cosplay

[honorary-fool]

Nameless Bard Cosplay Breakdown

Why? Why not (I want to share my creation especially with seeing so many tiktok cosplays of them, but never any guides/posts about how people. did stuff for them /lh)

I..don't know how well screen-readers will handle such a long post. I hope it works out okay.

Note: final image does not have alt image text at the time of posting, but I intend to add it later on

add alt text to images (all minus final since that would be a picture from the morning of)

Cloak

This thing is LONG. I'm about 5'1/155 cm, and this thing goes down to my KNEES (& big hood too!)

The inside fabric is from old off-white/beige bedsheets, and the outside fabric was from joann's (link).

I used a pattern from Aliceincosplayland on Etsy (link) (note: you don't need to buy a pattern to make a cloak- I bought it because of the different options between the lengths & hood sizes) ; for mine, I used the knee-length pattern & the larger hood size.

The large covered hook & eye also from joann's (link).

POCKETS! There's 2 small pockets close to the edges, & a bigger one I added this year to fit things like my PDM, testing kit, battery pack, etc. The smaller pockets have wooden buttons & button holes, the bigger one has a snap w/ a wooden button hot-glued on top because I didn't wanna tinker with the button hole foot.

Windblume Flower

I forgot what I traced but I made patterns for the leaves and petals & used a tutorial to make the tassels with red embroidery thread.

It's made of felt, hot glue, and I hand-sewed some bits like the button in the middle. It's also removable & fastens via safety pin sewed into the back.

Shirt

I gotta be honest, I forgot to work on it and tried to finish it about a week before the con. It looked like it was going well, but little errors made it look not up to the standard I was holding myself to and I hated it. I didn't even add the finishing touches with the shirt's collar's closure, or the ruffles on the cuffs of the sleeves. Instead, I'm using the original shirt I got off amazon last year (link), which I'm glad I kept intact when trying t make the second version's pattern.

I wanted to make another variation that was closer to his canonical outfit and was not made out of that plasticky fabric material (not that it was uncomfy, I just thought it'd be better for a convention center with a lotta people). The arm holes were a bit too big, the neck hole was a bit snug, and I botched the collar almost entirely. Lesson learned, make mockups and do not procrastinate on your projects until the week before the event.

I have the picture of it in this post.

If it counts, last year I made a slight alteration to the original shirt in which I sewed part of the slit in the top so it didn't go as deep. That's about it, honestly.

Shorts

Honestly, these weren't too bad overall. I cut the triangle panels out of white fabric, used embroidery thread for the criss-cross bits, and hand-sewed said panels onto the shorts.

It's great 'cus it has pockets and it's adjustable with the drawstring on the inside.

Wig

This fucker (part 2)

I combined a wig off Amazon (link) with wefts from hair extensions (link; though it comes with two I used just under one weft for both briads) to get the general shape

I went into detail on how I redid it here (also where the pictures are) but to sum it up: washed out hairspray/gel from last year, trimmed & rebraided the longer strands, used hairspray to do the bangs & gel to fix the ends.

Belt

I had this old brown fabric from an old sewing class project that I used. I measured the length by putting the rest of the costume on and using a measuring tape, overlapping a little so there was room to add the snaps for a closure. I think I used the trim from an old bedsheet and put it on either of the longer ends, then painted it yellow to match the bard's. Semi-reliable snap closure sewn in later, then boom, belt!

Lyre Prop

I forgot what I traced to make this pattern too, but I made it out of felt, essentially a stuffed toy. The little bar bit at the top is a separate pattern piece, as I tried making it all into one and was unable to turn it inside out. I forgot what kind of cord/string I used for the lyre strings, I just remember using mod podge to stiffen it as a finishing touch.

I used it last year as a prop, but I ended up just carrying it around so it might be best to leave home unless you plan to take a lotta pictures.

Miscellaneous Parts

Corset Belt: bought off amazon (link) ; It's comfy for the most part. liked the idea of a faux corset as opposed to the vest

Boots: last year I used a different set of boots that I've had for years, this year I'm using slightly newer boots that I got off my brother since they're small on him. They're timberlands I think? A li'l bit of height, lace-up, slight heel, feels 3% more badass /j

Makeup: I... know very little about makeup. I highly doubt the bard used makeup back then (/j). With that in mind, I really just use black eyeshadow & an eyebrow brush to fill my brows in and that's it. I use an old eyeshadow palette, but I also have an eyeshadow stick from the dollar store that works if you wet it slightly (mostly because it's a year old and is dried out by now..probably).

Wisp Prop: Touched on in this post, I like to take along one of my wisp dolls- the second one I've ever made, specifically. Made with my own personal pattern, he's easy to tuck away into a smaller pocket with just his head sticking out. I'll never forget the excitement of the Bennett and Fischl cosplayers I ran into last year when I took the wisp out to show them. 100/10, easily my favorite prop. The only real change made to him is that he has glow in the dark paint on his eyes, which probably won't do much in a convention setting but I still think it's cool.

Sword Prop: Very unnecessary & impromptu, but also very fun. At last year's con there was a vendor selling foam game/anime weapons and I got a foam Freedom Sworn. At the time of writing this out, I'm unsure if I will be taking it with me this year or not, since I can't exactly store it under my cloak when I'm not holding it.

Final Reveal!

(like I said at the top, this image is the only one w/out alt image text; I'll add it later)

(face scribbled over for comfort reasons)

#genshin impact #cosplay #genshin #nameless bard #old mondstadt #genshin cosplay #nameless bard cosplay #og posts #cosplay genshin impact #long post #sewing #cosplay guide #today's the day of the con & I'm fuckin' pumped >:33

[jadaboutiquedesign]

[technoxenoholic]

shirt pattern update: all the tough parts (sleeve cap, armscye, shoulder area in general) are how i want them to be! now it's just a matter of figuring out where i want to put all the various body/sleeve style lines and how much (if any) to curve them, which just requires putting the mockup back on and pinning/drawing the lines out, then transferring those all onto my pattern.

and, if i figure out a way to hack the hip section (because the pattern i started out with isn't actually long enough to fit the hip area lol oops) then i won't even need to make another mockup before i can start making fitted knit shirts and dresses with infinite variations that all actually fit me properly >:)

next steps: a slightly less fitted version for sweaters, and a slightly more fitted version for ultra-stretchy knits (like swimsuit material)

#stfu blue #fashion #sewing #reborking is prohibited #i'm doing prince seams instead of straight side seams so that i can do color-blocking in a nice way #and even when i don't do color-blocking with it and use the same color i just think it's nicer to have the double seams #most garments have a side seam. heck my pants are all going to have side seams #so if i can avoid my SHIRTS having side seams then that saves me the pain of a bunch of side seams all on top of each other digging into me #i'll probably still do a side seam version of the pattern as well for undershirts for much the same reason. just staggering seams #and also undershirts simply do not need color blocking options lol #anyway follow me on pillowfort if you want to see pictures of any of these future shirts if/when i take some

[afrogfxmockups]

Black Long Sleeves Front and Back T-shirt PSD Mockup Download

#design psd free freemockups mockup freebie photoshop graphicdesign art logo branding designer download Afrogfx

[josiecarioca]

On Severus’ robes, wizard and muggle clothes and the importance of fashion in “Post War”

In my post about Evelyn's teenage crush and Severus wizarding robes (makes sense in context), @hayalee8 asked me wether Evelyn will, at some point, wear wizarding robes.

Imma just take this opportunity to ramble a bit about fashion in “Post War” (because I was supposed to be doing something else, so this is what I´ll do now).

Some of you may have noticed that fashion is kind of a big deal in this story. 

Evelyn- I have talked in another post about how Evelyn performs her “traditional” femininity as a way to assert herself. Basically she dresses to feel powerful, and in some ways to control how other people react to her,  She dresses up for business meetings, parties and events in the same way a warrior would put on a suit of armor to go to battle. When she has lunch with Pavel/Dmitri to discuss the book deal she wears a hyper tailored purple dress (purple being the color of royalty, and the meticulous tailoring as a display of power). In her two first “official” dates with Severus she choses contrasting outfits: a white lace dress with a pink princess style coat (she´s meeting him in a church on Christmas, and goes for something that looks angelic, and makes her look more approachable) and for Severus birthday she wears a form-fitting emerald green dress with a plunging neckline (green is his favorite color other than black, the cleavage shows off the silver-green crucifix on her neck, slytherin colors, and by then their relationship has taken on some sexual elements, so the dress is more provocative.  Through the story she wears bright colors, particularly shades of red, high heels and bold jewelry in stark contrast to Severus who wears the same simple shapeless black outfits. She’s like a force of life bursting in when Severus is trying to figuratively “remain dead” . In the chapters that take place in Spain (when she and Severus are in a established relationship) her fashion choices also change slightly, she still wears loads of red, but there´s less structure and more sensuality: bare shoulders, long sundresses, sandals, loads of stark white, splashes of orange and blue and loads of rich, flowy fabric and flamenco inspired cuts.

Severus- Severus’s fashions are much simpler but they also tell a story. He starts the narrative wearing mostly slacks or jeans and turtlenecks, all in black (or very dark denim for the jeans). After the war,he´s left Hogwarts, and has lost much of his identity: he´s no longer a spy, no longer a teacher, and he´s hidding from wizard society, so in a way he´s no longer a wizard. But he doesn’t know how to be anything else, he´s built his entire persona on being a spy, a teacher and a wizard. Living among muggles he can no longer wear his robes, so he wears a “muggle version” of them, a sort of mockup. The black turtlenecks not only hides his neck scars, but they aslo serve as a simplified version of his teaching robes and figuratively keeps him “buttoned up”. The long sleeves and jackets hide the dark mark, but also cover him up in a way a cloak would have done before. When he leaves the house all he does is add layers, as if trying to protect himself from the outside world: scarves, jackets, boots. All black or grey, all clunky, shapeless and heavy. Is like he´s trying to turn himself into a shadow, to disappear. The first subtle change is the jumper Evelyn’s mother gives him as Christmas gift. It´s a moss green woolen Aran sweater with Evelyn´s family pattern on it (each family has its own knit pattern and this is an early indication that Severus will be part of this family soon). Originally it was meant for Evelyn´s father, but he died before it was finished, so in a way this foreshadows that Severus also symbolically steps into his shoes as  a male presence in a family that currently has none (as all men in the family passed away). From there on Severus receives small, subtle additions to his wardrobe. As his relationship with Evelyn grows closer the turtlenecks are replaced by button-up shirts or boatneck long sleeved shirts. Navy blue, lighter greys and different shades of green start to appear. Sometimes he rolls up the sleeves, leaving his forearms bare. Then, much like it happens to Evelyn, we get to the Spain chapters and his style changes significantly. He switches his color palette from dark blues, dark greens and dark greys to lighter blues, lighter greys and blueish greys. The Black is still there (pants, shoes, belts), but now there´s the final addition of white. It starts with white shirts and t-shirts, but then there’s *THE* white linen suit. This is Snape in all white. This is Snape ready to transition into a new life and come clean about his past. It´s a rebirth of sorts.

Soooooooooo...when he goes back to wearing wizarding robes, It IS going to be a big deal. Because this will be Snape reclaiming his old identity, but under new terms. He´s not a spy or a teacher, he’s a war “veteran”, a hero, and now he’s inequivocally one of “the good guys”. Also, with Dumbledore gone, he and Minerva are as close to a moral leadership as the trio and te former Hogwarts alumni have. More importantly, he´s the man Dumbledore trusted literally with his life. In a way, Dumbledore’s near “sanctity” has rubbed off on him a little. He won’t be wearing teacher robes, instead he´ll be wearing regular robes which have more color and richness to them. He doesn´t need to hide in all black now. He´s not Dumbledore´s shadow anymore. He is himself, finally with his own independent identity.

Which brings me back to @hayalee8 ´s question: Will Evelyn ever wear robes? 

Evelyn’ s persona, her sense of self is expressed through her clothes. It´s an important part of how she build her identity, and how she feels safe and confident to move in life. And those clothes are and have always been muggle clothes. That´s what she wore her whole life, it´s the “suit of armor” she´s comfortable with, and she knows exactly how to use and manipulate it to her own advantage. She *KNOWS* clothes and their impact, be it color, cut, lenght, pattern...So getting her into wizarding robes would be complicated, at least at first. It´s too foreign to her, too unlike what she´s used to, and the fact that her body is a huge part of her self-expression would mean that hiding it under yards of fabric would throw her off at first. HOWEVER, the magic world is also part of her ancestry, something she´d been chasing after her whole life even without knowing and her relationship with Severus reiforces the fact that this is her world too. She descends from wizards and witches, and she´s in love with a wizard. She can´t *just* be a muggle anymore. And as I said, Evelyn KNOWS what looks good on her and what impact she wants it to have.

So to answer the question: Yes, she will wear robes, but they will not be what an average witch would be wearing. They´ll be tailored to her, to the cuts, colors and patterns she knows work best from her experience with muggle fashion, and they´ll have a lot of muggle elements to them. 

#Snapedom #Severus Snape #snape discourse #fanfic discourse #Evelyn black #fashion #Post War #My fanfiction #Post War Headcanon #long post #a bunch of ramblings nobody asked for #but I wrote anyway #because I'm bored

[highsviolets]

the sweet secrets of loving

summary: Obi-wan returns from deployment with a sweet surprise

word count: 1.8k+ (what)

cw: brief mention of war/deployment 

A/N:  after discussing Obi-Wan’s culinary abilities with @thespareoom​ and @obitwo​, this little one-shot popped into my head last night and it wouldn’t leave me alone. this is so soft and i just -- if you need me i will be yearning // shout out to @afogocado for finding this gif (if it’s yours pls lmk so I can credit you!)

the sweet secrets of loving, a fic by corellians-only 

Silver keys seemed to dance in your hand as you fumbled with the lock, the metal glaring in your face as they reflected the merciless fluorescent lights bearing down on you with foreboding.

After several agonizing moments spent twisting the key, trying to locate the elusive sweet spot that would permit access to your apartment, the stubborn thing acquiesced and the door swung open.

He was already there. A feeling like a soft summer breeze swept over you at the sight his buzzed auburn hair, his pride and authority etched into his shoulders like the precise stitching of his combat uniform still clinging to his back. He was staring out the window, and you could tell from the way his thumb curled around the unit insignia on his left ring finger that he was anxious.

“Darling?” you called out, mustering the last dredges of your willpower to not sprint to his side.You simply waited by the door, setting down the cumbersome black box of files your boss had insisted you take home this evening, no, really, it would be most helpful if you could compare the spring and fall mockups tonight. The box of responsibility rebounded off the hardwood floor and skidded slightly, blending in with the muffled closing of the door behind you.

It was no matter, anyway. The box had barely escaped the protective gaze of your fingers when he was pulling you into him. His head bowed down to nestle in the crook of your neck and you laughed as his fine hair tickled your cheek. You pressed a kiss to his sheared locks. “Hello, Obi-Wan,” you whispered, as though speaking any louder would bring a curse upon you both, would take him away from you again.

At the sound of his name, Obi-Wan straightened and took your face in his hands. His thumb drew angels across your cheekbones. “Darling,” he breathed. Aquamarine eyes met yours. It felt like getting caught in the hail — confusion, wonder, a homecoming of understanding, a bite of pain.

When the two of you video chat during his deployments, his eyes are always darker. They’re steel and iron and the reflection of your keys in the hallway and the torment of a sea during the storm as it fights against the waves.

Every time he comes home, they change. They become lighter, the way his body does without the Kevlar bulletproof vest.

When he looks at you like that — like the world would burn and he would still go to war to fight for you alone — your resolve shatters, the way a window must when his bullet crashes through its pane, searching for the sniper.

Your fingers grasp his wrists and tug at the end of his sleeve. The pink of your painted nails contrasts horribly with his camouflage, and the absurd thought makes you laugh even as he dips his head in acquaintance to your nonverbal command.

The first kiss is simple, like the routine act of walking from the metro to you apartment. Routine, familiar, but not unexciting. A expression of the vibrancy of life. Your lips meet his, like an embrace, and stay there for several long moments.

A second kiss, the third, the fourth: these are more demanding. The way his hands slip under diaphanous emerald silk tells you that this is more like a carefully timed assault. His mouth is precise and exacting, his tongue pushes back against your claims to dominance, his fingers press into skin and yours clutch at the unforgiving fabric of his uniform.

You disconnect and he smiles, a steady, even thing that shows his teeth. Even so, it threatens to split his face in two, and the dust that seems to be shedding from his laugh lines makes you wonder the last time he was truly happy.

But you ascend to your tiptoes and kiss his cheek and banish all thoughts of his deployment, at least for tonight. “C’mon, Obi-Wan.” You take his hand and start dragging him to the kitchen. “Let’s eat.”

____

It is not until later that evening that you discover his secret. Padding into the kitchen, you open the fridge to retrieve a new bottle of sparkling water when something strange caught your eye.

“Obi?” you say. The hike in your tone matches the spike in your anxiety and unease. “You didn’t happen to pick up some tofu in miso when you went to store earlier, did you? There’s uh —“ you pause, staring at the blob in apprehension — “something…weird in the fridge.”

“Ah.” He follows your path into the kitchen and steps behind you to better see the object in question. “I see you’ve found dessert. I wondered how long it would take.” Amusement colors his tone, and you turn your head to see a smirk decorating his lips.

“Oh.” The unassuming expression is the only thing that enters your vacuous mind, consumed by the strangeness of the oval-shaped yellow-and-caramel colored mass. You run your fingers through your hair — now freed from its stuffy updo — in an attempt to wrest some meaning back into your existence. “What, um, what is it?”

Obi-Wan extends his arms and catches you in an embrace from behind. “It’s a flan, darling!” he says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Obi-Wan squeezes your waist in excitement and you lean back into his chest, comforted that its soft cotton of an old t-shirt that greets you, rather than his fatigues.

“Oh.” Emptiness returns, and now the exoticism of the strange food is coupled with curious revulsion that Obi-Wan is so interested in something that seems so…unappealing.

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes and gently scoots you out of his path and puts the platter on the counter. You watch him as he gathers plates, washes fresh utensils, and meticulously cuts the thing, taking care to add extra sauce to each slice. He thrusts a plate at you. “Try it,” he urges.

You don’t like dessert. Never have. You’d rather eat something savory than something sweet, and after years of failed attempts, Obi-Wan has largely given up. But here he is, staring at you with those aquamarine eyes, practically begging you to try this foreign sweet treat.

So you do. The custard is smooth, like the silk of your top, and flecked with spots of intense vanilla flavoring. Caramel oozes into every bite, rich in tone and balancing the tenderness of the egg and sugar.

“Oh my god.” You meet his eyes, and you can tell he’s valiantly staving off another grin. He never presses his lips together like that otherwise. “This is — Obi, this is amazing. Like, vintage Chanel kind of amazing.”

He laughs aloud at your comparison, taking the two plates and reassuming his previous position on the couch.

“I’m glad to hear you enjoy it, sweetheart.” He erupts into another round of chuckles when you moan around the next bite.

“What did you say this is?” you point to the concoction with you spoon.

“Flan, dearest,” he says mildly, taking a bite himself. “Ah, you’re right, it did turn out rather well today. My mother would be proud.”

The statement gives you pause, and you set down your spoon. “Your mother? Wait — did you make this?”

Obi-wan looks at you, surprise evident in his half-smile and narrowed eyes. “Of course I did! Where did you think I got it?”

“I didn’t know you could bake!” The statement is bald, and childish, but you don’t care.

“How did you think all the cookies and tray bakes appeared, then?” He raises an eyebrow mischievously. There’s nothing he loves more than poking holes in your logic, especially when you cling to it so resolutely.

“Oh, I don’t know!” you splutter. “I suppose I thought you bought them, or something!” You throw him a mock glare. “Not my fault you never told me that you bake.”

He launches himself forward and drops a conciliatory kiss to the tip of your nose. “I’m very sorry, darling,” he says seriously, but there’s a twinkle in his eye so you shove him away from you. The gesture is playful and wondrous in its innocence, and for a moment you feel as though you are in university again, staying up late in the student lounge talking, long before uniforms and obligations and separations. You want to say something but the words get caught in your throat as you remember your promise to leave the boots behind. At least this one night.

“What is flan, anyway? When did you learn to make it?” you say instead, forcing the words out and taking another bite. The sweetness caresses the bitterness lingering in your mind.

“It’s a long story,” he says, shifting his gaze to the window.

You place an hand on his bare arm. “I want to hear it,” you say, and you do.

So he tells you. He tells you of his French mother spending her childhood summers across the Pyrenees in Spain, learning dishes like arroz con pollo and tortilla española and flan. The family cook become a grandmother to her, he says, and again he plays with the unit insignia on his ring and you know he misses his mother more than ever.

Flan became his mother’s speciality, he explains. He points to the sheen on the custard and talks about how his mother learned how to perfectly beat the eggs and how she favored the caramel sauce against the hard caramel on her native country’s creme brûlée and how the family cook in Spain gifted her with her very own flan pan when she was eighteen years old.

You ask him how he came to bake such things. He smiles again and despite its joy, your heart aches because you never knew. While his father was deployed, he would bake with his mother to keep her company, and she taught him tarte tatin alongside flan and the Bakewell tarts his father so enjoyed.

“It was how she told people she loved them,” he says with a shrug, finishing his portion. “She would bake for the other women whose husbands were deployed, or for the family next door, or for my best friend’s cousin’s birthday, or if I had a bad day at school there would be something sweet waiting for before I went to bed.” Obi-wan rests his head on his hand, considering. “I guess I’m the same way. I came home and I wanted to do something nice for you, to tell you I love you.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you, Obi.” The pun is bad and you both know it, but he laughs and kisses you anyway. He knows what you’re trying to say.

“I love you too,” you murmur against his mouth. “Will you bake me something tomorrow?”

“Darling,” he presses a kiss to the edge of your lips. “I will bake you something every single day if that is what makes you happy.”

And you say you want him to, because you want him to love you forever.

#obi wan x reader #obi-wan x reader #obi wan x you #obi-wan x you #obi-wan imagine #obi wan imagine #star wars fic #character: obi-wan kenobi #YES I LOVE FLAN #DONT COME FOR ME #my abuelita's flan is >>> #honor kink #cris writes

[wkx-costume-sewing]

Shirt pattern

Here's what I'm working with right now for the shirt:

Notes below the read more:

I did start out using the base robe pattern, but ended up making a couple more changes than I originally expected to, especially to the sleeves, which were a little trickier than I had originally expected.

To figure out the measurements for the sleeves, I had draped my tape measure around my hand/wrist/arm to figure out the circumferences at the cuff and the elbow. I've had trouble before with shirts that are fitted properly to my forearms having only barely enough elbow ease because I have zero arm muscle, meaning my elbow circumference is proportionally larger than patterns seem to expect. I ended up with the opposite problem here: if I left the sleeve base the same as in the base robe, the taper of the sleeve to get to the correct wrist width left a massive amount of extra room at the elbow. I ended up drawing the bottom line of the sleeve to connect to the armpit, and using that taper for the sleeve base. That still leaves more ease through the elbow than I originally wanted, but it's comparable to a couple of shirts I wear regularly so I think it won't be bothersome.

Part of the compromising on the sleeve fit definitely comes from the style of sleeve I'm using. Although we don't get to see anything more than the collar and a tiny bit of the cuffs of this particular shirt, when we do get see the shirts from other outfits, they mostly have raglan sleeves, which... I could probably manage to figure out by draping, or by modifying something from FreeSewing, but I'm hoping this will work fine (especially given that it's mostly not meant to be seen).

The upper part of the shirt is essentially the same as the base robe, but the neckline is higher, and I changed the angle between the waist and the hem to be the same as the first draft of the base robe pattern instead of the wider version in the second draft -- no need for more hip bulk. I still left it with enough ease through the hip that I should be able to either leave the bottom part of the side seams split or sew all the way to the hem without problems. I'm leaving out the waist seam for this one: I don't think it matters much here, and will make for less work.

While working on this pattern, I remembered that How to Make Sewing Patterns (Donald McCunn) has a bit about collars that stand straight up like these ones do, so I took a look back at that section. My original plan was to use a single long strip for the collar piece, but I had been worrying about that attaching smoothly to the body of the shirt. Based on the collar section in the book, I think that I will end up needing a curved collar piece -- not to avoid puckering, but to make the collar lie neatly against the neck as it narrows upwards.

(A moment of laughing at myself: I had assumed that the collars for basically everything must be rectangular because of a combination of wishful thinking about easy patterning + because we don't see any seams joining pieces... but there almost certainly must be a center back seam that we just never see because of everyone's long hair. Dang it! At least my pattern book has what looks like a pretty straightforward method for drafting collars, so the curve should be doable).

I think for this one I'm going to finish the mockup as though it's the real thing, because if it fits okay, I can just use the mockup as the real thing if I don't have the time (or budget... wooo grad school) to make the actual version out of nicer fabric. My mockup fabric is white muslin that I know doesn't shrink in the wash, though it does wrinkle terribly... it does sort of recover with ironing, especially parts that have fusible interfacing attached. If I make myself use interfacing in the collar (so uncomfortable ughhhhhh + more work), since the collar is the only part that needs to look respectable, it'll be fine.

Knock on wood I haven't just jinxed something... I really want this part to just work on the first try with the muslin.

#word of honor #wen kexing #shl #wkx #wkx shirt progress

[muffinsandpages]

Waitress Clara cosplay from Doctor Who (pattern tutorial)

 Sooooo, I’ve had this project in my mind for ages, but I never actually made it beacuse I lacked

The skills to make a pattern

The right fabric

I still haven’t found the perfect fabric, but while I waited I learnt how to draft patterns, se here we are! Hopefully before the Plague hits again and closes every store, I’ll be able to get my hands on the right fabric and make an actual tutorial on how to sew the thing. (Note: I wrote this months ago, in the meantime stores have closed and maaybe reopened, not sure? Still, I haven’t yet found the fabric)

To make the pattern on your exact measurements you’ll need pre-drafted patterns for 

a basic skirt with darts

a basic bodice with darts (a shirt one should work)

a basic sleeve

There are many tutorials online on how to design those, or you can get one in your measurements from a normal sewing magazine.

THE SKIRT

Start by cutting your basic skirt pices and then cutting from the end of the dart to the hem of the skirt (along the dotted blue line that I marked on the picture)

Then, close the dart with some tape; this will allow the cut to open and thus to create larger skirt pattern without darts. Patch the cut with some paper to create a “stable” pattern, and repeat the process on the other skirt panel.

Once you’ve done this, trace the pattern on a new piece of paper, in order to have a clean, solid pattern. There, you can also draw the apron shape (blue on the picture) and the the hem (dotted purple). The skirt that Jenna Coleman wears is rather short, shorter than I’d be comfortable wearing, especially at a con, so I'm going to keep the pattern pretty long and decide where to hem it once I’ve tried it on.

You can put your skirt pieces away (and maybe try not forget where you put them, like I did, lol)

THE BODICE

Trace the shape of your bodice on pattern paper. Mine has two darts on the front and one on the back, but you should be able to use any tipe of bodice!

Here’s the work i did on the front bodice: I lowered the neckine (blue line) looking at a picture of the costume as a reference; then, I traced a (red) line for a new dart. I cut the bodice and along the red line, then I closed the shoulder dart (as you can see in the second picture) to open the new dart (this doesn’t really make sense when you talk about it, you have to actually try it with the paper) 

Then I fixed the shoulder, which had a small “step” due to the closed dart

Finally, I cut the two parts of the bodice, basically leaving out the darts. They will probably have some sharp edges; try to round them a bit to avoid the ���ponty boob” effect when sewing (I made this mistake at least once!), and if you’re still not sure about it you can make a quick mockup with some scrap fabric.

The back bodice will need only some minor changes. I marked the width of the  shoulder of the front part on the back part to make sure they had the same width; then I fixed the neckline, lowering it a little bit, and rounded the arm shape to adjust it to the new shoulder width

Then I taped together the front and the back and traced the collar shape, making sure to leave half a centimeter between the collar and the neckline

SLEEVE

The sleeves only need a bit of volume on the top: trace the red lines on the sleeve pattern and cut along them. Then open the pieces to give the sleeve a little bit of volume and trace the pattern on a new piece of paper.

THE END

Aaaaand, you’re done! Now, I’m terrible at managing my time and uni has taken up the last five months, so I haven’t worked in this project since the summer. I’m not even sure I know where I put the pattern pieces :’)

However now I have a some free time, so I’ll see if I can put my hands on some blue cotton and sew the costume. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like we are going to have a comicon any time soon, but I can’t wait to work on it. Until then, good luck with your projects!!

Love, Anna

#cosplay #cosplaypattern #claraoswald #claraoswaldcosplay #claraoswaldcosplaypattern #doctorwho #doctorwhocosplay #doctorwhocosplaypattern #waitressclaracosplay #hellbent #doctorwhohellbent

[gnarlynat]

Guerilla Advocacy Campaign material. Design Rational under the cut!

Protect LGBT+ Youth, as the name suggests, is a campaign to bring awareness to the challenges kids, teenagers, and young adults face as LGBT+ people. I chose the specific topic of youth because I feel that it is a group that is underrepresented in LGBT+ discussions. This campaign explains this issue by presenting facts and statistics about said challenges, and how these challenges have negative impacts on young people as they grow. To present why this subject needs to be advocated for, I used the word “protect” to imply that LGBT+ youth, as a group, face many dangers. Throughout my campaign materials, I make clear that this group needs to be protected because youth is a very vulnerable and impressionable time in a person’s life. The system I’ve created for the audience to get involved includes self-education on the topic, involvement in school boards and other local public affairs, and helping LGBT+ youth on a personal level. 

When thinking about visuals, I looked for inspiration in vintage LGBT+ rights posters, magazines, and pins. I was drawn to the simple, flat, yet dynamic colors and organization, so that’s what I strove to do with my campaign materials. Knowing that flags are an important aspect with deep ties to the community, I used a ribbon or flowing flag-like motif with pride colors to tie in all of my campaign materials. They also serve the purpose of guiding the viewer’s eye throughout the text. When thinking about font choices, I wanted to use something that had an old-fashioned feel to tie in with the vintage inspiration. I chose Cooper Black for titles and Bernard MT Condensed for headers because both of these are pretty large and bold, so they were both good choices for their purposes. For the smaller text, I wanted fonts that were easily readable and sans-serif. I feel like Arial Rounded MT Bold for the body text and Bahnschrift for statistics and facts fit in well. Overall, I feel like these design choices were effective because they tie together the historic fight for LGBT+ rights with modern issues in a specific area of the community. 

My process started with research. To design an advocacy campaign about something requires knowing about it well. Once I had my research, that allowed me to plan out how I want to present information and how to organize it on the materials. The process of creating the visuals was a fun challenge. Using Adobe Illustrator, Getting the striped ribbons to curve in the correct manner required precision and was tedious. It was worth it, though. By the time I got to working on the process materials like the tote bag, t-shirt, and mug, it was smooth sailing because I had most of the visuals ready to put on. A problem I ran into with the t-shirt was that originally, I wanted the sleeve cuffs and collar to be rainbow-striped. Unfortunately I could not figure out a way to do this and have it look nice at the same time. While I omitted this feature, I’m still happy with how the t-shirt came out. Another problem I encountered was that Adobe Photoshop started to crash any time I tried to import an image for the backgrounds of smart objects, so I had to opt for solid color. Overall, it was a fun process.

I could see this turning into a non “guerilla” advocacy campaign as an annual month-long charity drive that occurs during June, pride month. Each June, campaign materials such as the t-shirt, totebag, and mug could be donation initiatives. The money would go towards building resources for LGBT+ youth, such as clubs, organizations, and education efforts, and for supporting the passage of laws and legislation in favor of LGBT+ rights. To do this, I would create social media accounts and a website to offer further resources and readings, and gather people interested in joining this effort to create an organization of sorts. 

I feel like I succeeded in designing this campaign. When I look through my collection of materials, it makes me think back to those vintage LGBT+ rights posters that I was inspired by. I’m especially proud of the crisp striped ribbons seen throughout the collection, because they look satisfying and took a lot of effort to make. I’m also happy with the research I put into it and how I presented it on the poster and brochure. It makes me imagine that if I was a kid looking through these, I’d feel comforted and represented.

RESOURCES USED:

Pocket T-Shirt PSD MockUp: https://graphicburger.com/pocket-t-shirt-psd-mockup/

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

[ansgar-martinsson]

The Best Intentions - Part 3

The Best Intentions

Part 3

“It is no imposition, believe me,” Ansgar replied. “As much as I despise the fact that your building is suffering problems, I do enjoy solving them now and again.” He surreptitiously allowed his gaze to follow the path of her hands as they straightened out the denim of her skirt. He saw a strength in her movements, a power in the way her muscles shaped beneath the fabric - a power matched by her forthrightness. Not overwhelming, mind you… not false… not pretentious… just… present. This one - she knew what she wanted and how to get it, that much was obvious.

And admirable.

“Perhaps,” he continued, “you would like to change into something more suitable for structural investigations before we begin.” With his eyes, he indicated the Louboutin pumps, still lying discarded on the stage floor. “Why don’t I go take a look at the sprinkler heads installed backstage, and you tell me where to meet you when you’re done.”

Jo’s comfort came in the form of a pair of old broken in trainers (stained with paint from the tech shop), faded, ripped jeans (exposed knees from load-in from her last theatre job in Paris) and a ratty, old, black short-sleeved t-shirt (sprinkled with holes). She kept a wardrobe on hand in her office for days like this. Box office days, she dressed smartly, prim, proper for all the old biddies spending their pension on Puccini. Tech days, she wore black from head to toe. On opening and gala nights, she felt at home in a little black dress or a gown. Dressing for an office meeting felt like work.

The computer and its dancing screensaver called to her in the corner to research the lighting issue. The ramifications meant long hours of interviewing new candidates for her design or technical team. But that would have to wait… the rest of the repairs needed another pair of eyes, the haunted blue of the engineer. Something weighed on him, a brooding quiet, a dark hurt, a something that she couldn’t quite read yet.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the oh-so-soft denim whispered against her skin. She blew a kiss at her borrowed Louboutins, promising another night in them… soon-ish. She returned to find Ansgar wandering around backstage, making notes on a clipboard, knocking on walls with his fist, shining his torch this way and that, and testing the pulley system for the flies.

“Thank you,” Jo said announcing her presence, “I… this works.” She threw her arms out beside her palms out, displaying a tattoo on her left forearm. “Much more me for days like this.”

“Where do you need me?” he tucked his notes under his arm. His gaze followed her arm and the flash of color he saw.

“Ah, under the stage.” She pointed below her feet. “The sprinklers may have caused water damage? The hydraulics for the turn table works only when it wants.”

“Temperamental,” he commented with a chuckled grunt. He took control, leading them off stage right to the staircase for the other area. “Have you used the pyrotechnics down there?”

Jo followed closely at his elbow, anticipating questions about the integrity of the areas she showed him. “Not since… not last season.”

“Any of the directors turn in specs for it for the upcoming?”

She shook her head though he didn’t look at her. “Not yet. The designers haven’t either. We still need to find a team for The Flying Dutchman.”

Jo asked Ansgar to look over the box seats and the arrangement of it. The dip of the seats had started scaring some of the older audience members, fearing they’d fall into the orchestra below. The wall between dressing rooms seven and eight had begun to warp. The floor in the rehearsals spaces needed patching and sanding. She toured through with a careful ear listening to his tips and concerns, and possible hidden agendas amongst her crew.

When they were through the laundry list of items, Jo found some relief. She stood at the top of the orchestra, hands gripping the back of a red velvet seat. “I love my work, Herr Martinsson. I haven’t an ounce of talent of my own, but I love this place. I’d love to see it sparkle again. And so would Harold.”

Ansgar stared, his focus narrowing on her. “I’m sorry. Harold?”

“The opera ghost,” she teased. “He’s been with us the entire time.”

He humored her and offered her a good natured laugh, stepping in to stand beside her, looking over the sea of red. He placed his hands on the seat beside her. “Well, Joline… and Harold… I think I can help.”

She looked down and quieted the tiniest of swells of disappointment in her belly when she saw a wedding ring on Ansgar’s left hand. Attractive men were always married; she should know, she’d married one. “We both appreciate it. Harold and me.” She pushed a smile to her lips and brushed his shoulder with hers.

“Well,” he said, “we’ve a duty to our ghosts; to make sure they’re happy with the things they’ve left behind, don’t we?” Ansgar’s speech slowed as he spoke, the impact of his own statement not lost upon him.

His thumb, in an autonomic motion, tucked into his palm, the tip of it rubbing against the underside of the golden band that remained around his finger.

“I’m sure Harold will be supremely happy,” the woman by his side quipped. Ansgar’s lips quirked into a small smile, partly at her praise, partly at the fact that she had missed his passing discomfiture altogether. Or so he’d hoped.

In further hope of distraction, he raised his clipboard, running his finger down the list he’d made. “Well, Froken Lindberg,” he said, “if that is all of the issues, then, I think I ought to get back to the office and get this to my project manager. Get her on contacting the subs and suppliers immediately, get warranty claims made and bond claims if need be.”

“You mean Froken Wiessing?”

“No,” Ansgar shook his head. “But I think… well, Julia and I will have some other things to discuss.”

“Anything I need to worry about?”

Ansgar looked down at her and smiled. “Not anymore. Listen,” he said, “I apologise for all of this happening, I apologise for my company being so unresponsive, it’s… it’s not like us… not like me at all. Quite the opposite.”

“I know,” she shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s all being sorted now, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” he affirmed. “Are you sure?”

“Well,” she grinned up at him. “There is one more thing you can do.”

“Name it,” he challenged.

“Take me to lunch. I’m starving.”

Ansgar laughed. It felt good to laugh again… very good. Truly, honestly good. “Of course,” he bowed his head, smiling. “You name the place. It’s the least I can do.”

Jo discovered Carousel her first week as House Manager. The Mediterranean outdoor café suited her low-key wardrobe and Ansgar’s higher end threads. The grilled rib-eye tasted of heaven on a plate but Jo loved making a meal of the appetizers instead of gorging herself on mains. As she angled into the wooden bench, she wiggled-slid behind the oblong table, “The gazpacho and watermelon should be a sin.”

Ansgar folded himself into the chair at the head of the table, to her left. Grinning at her, he took in the colorful and lively atmosphere. It all seemed so… normal. So ordinary. Comforting normality of his home.

Her voice dropped to a sensual moan. “The sweet and the savory…” She rolled her eyes skyward. The grumble in her stomach wasn’t just hunger but curiosity about her lunch companion and this need to prove herself worthy as House Manager. After months of chasing attention at Martinsson Construction, she now felt consumed by this mad drive to show him that the house and how it ran remained safe in her hands.

“I brought the mockup of our final mailing and advert campaign… the last push to get asses in the seats for the new season.” Ticket sales and revenue secured her position. As it was her first full season as manager, it was final examinations on her worth. “We open in September with The Marriage of Figaro.”

His finger traced along the glossy production photographs of women in wide elaborate frocks and taller wigs. The text read clean and concise, listing titles of the upcoming operas, dates, the box office website, and other means to purchase tickets or sponsor levels. “Impressive,” he nodded.

“Did you get your invitation to the opening night gala? My staff sent them round to all the executives at your company.”

“Uh… no… no. I’ve been away,” he repeated his mantra from earlier. “I’ve not caught up on correspondences. I assume that Britta has added it to my calendar.”

Jo wrinkled her nose, “This is boring to you.”

“Not at all. Your… passion is admirable actually.”

Her wide blue eyes met his and kicked herself for flirting with him. She shouldn’t encourage this. She couldn’t.

But it was one lunch. One lunch couldn’t hurt.

It’s only lunch, Ansgar thought.

But it was true what he’d said, he admired her passion. it seemed to permate every inch of her, seep from her pores. Passion - well, it was extremely attractive. Her passion for her job, her passion for her art - for it was her art, he knew. Even if she wasn’t the Prima Donna, or a visual artist or a composer or even if she wasn’t a musician or a set designer or a lighting designer, it was still her art.

Like his work with steel and glass in structural engineering, he knew her expression of her self came with the craft of engineering logistics.

“Tell me,” he said, stabbing up a forkful of spinach salad, “what’s your talent utilisation style?”

She cocked an eyebrow at him over the rim of her water glass. “My what?”

Ansgar swallowed and nodded. “I mean… your management style. How do you… how do you manage to keep all those….”

“Artistic types in line?” She chuckled. “Sometimes it’s like herding cats… cats who have been rolling in catnip and have eaten an entire bag of Smarties. You just have to know how to use the right toys to fiddle them out and get them to pay nicely together.”

“Oh.” Ansgar laughed. “Sounds a bit like my situation, except sometimes my cats have been chewing on the Valium tablets or tippling at the brandy. Most sluggish, and they simply do not want to come out of their hidey holes.”

She inhaled through her nose. “So I’ve noticed.” She flashed him a closed-mouthed grin followed by a slight cringe at the brazenness of her words.

Which again made Ansgar laugh. “Touche,” he tossed. “Okay, change of subject,” he smirked. “This Gala of yours, this opening night do you’re organising.”

She shrugged. “What of it?”

“Well, I suppose I’d like to know when it is.”

“Why, do you want to go?” Her sudden burst of eagnerness made her grimace. “I mean,” she composed herself. “Do you plan to attend?”

Here goes nothing, Ansgar thought.

“I believe I do,” he said, plainly. “That is, if you will allow me to accompany you for that evening. It’s the very least I can do.”

Jo pushed her spoon through what was left of her gazpacho, watching the bits swirling round the bottom of the bowl. She smirked, her head bounced slightly on the sound of humor. “When I stormed your castle this morning…” She chanced her gaze back up, “I… well, uh… I didn’t think…” she spread her hands wide and circled around the half eaten dishes they’d consumed, “this would happen.”

Ansgar laughed with her, matching her mirth. The exaggerated and animated gesture unexpected but none the less amusing. He dipped his head in an almost bow. “Admittedly, this wasn’t my agenda for the day.”

She pointed upwards and nodded, dropping the last of her pride, and then shrugged, “It was the least I could do.”

The imitation of him was spot on and he gave into a good-natured chuckle at his own expense. He’d extended that precise statement to her more than once, to assuage his guilt, to be the attentive and present CEO that he should’ve been, to be the man he believed himself to be. “Fair play, fair play.”

As their laughter faded, Jo addressed the elephant that sat between them, pink and plump and ripe for a tickle. She chose her words carefully, mincing them so as not to wound or offend. “I don’t want your obligation.”

Then she waited, stealing another glance at the ring on his left hand, curled around a pint.

Don’t entertain it, Jo. Not for a breath, not for an afternoon, not for a thought or some scorching hot sexual fantasy. Your mother had a sense of humor, naming you after Dolly Parton’s other woman, but don’t be that woman, Jo.

You’re not that woman.

Clearing her throat, she covered her pause and stray thought. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I do actually want your obligation.”

This was met with a furrow of his brow and his fingers brushed the sexier than sin stubble at his chin.

“My professional self would feel satisfied… I’d get off—I’d celebrate it!”

Pull it together… Jesus, Jo!

“As CEO of the company that built my building,” she carefully spoke without a trace of arrogance, “I absolutely want your obligation. But me? Jo, me?” To illustrate her point, she splayed her hand over her heart, inadvertently accentuating her breasts. “She… she doesn’t want your obligation.”

Ansgar lowered his pint from his lips, his movement slow and controlled. He seemed to consider her words as if each one were a bead of condensation that hung on the glass. “I think you’ve misunderstood me…” That was the moment he struggled with a way to address her.

“I understand it. Your company and your name are in jeopardy, but I’m not looking for that kind of publicity. I won’t say anything to the press. As long as the work in the theatre is fixed by opening,” she waved her finger between them, “we’re sorted. Hell, make it a restoration special, to the press if you want… your good deed for the community, for Stockholm. We’re square.”

Ansgar couldn’t help but smile at her take on his invitation. A diplomatic and thoughtful, perhaps even pragmatic solution to the complication that brought this woman trampling down the door to his office. If he read her correctly, he’s piqued her interest, if the lack of drink thrown in his face were a sign. She remained his lunch companion, another indication that he hadn’t piqued her anger. He couldn’t use work obligations to spend an evening with her.

Using a different tactic, he began, as his grin intensified, “Well, as long as we’re square—“

Before he could say anymore, she cut him off, “Hey! I got an obligatory lunch for my efforts.” She grinned over a piece of seasoned bread she shoved into her mouth. “That was the least you could do. My gala,” she shook her head, her speech muffled by bread, “would go above ‘the least.’”

#the best intentions

[cup-half-full-of-anxiety]

Taron Fic - Working Title (Chapter Three)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Authers Note: 

I promise a title will come soon, not sure why it has been so hard for me to come up with one for this. I’ll also be updating again in the next couple of days. I have chapter four done and since my family is going to be in town for the Thanksgiving holiday so I will be busy but I want to give you lovelies a little some some early. 

A little Taron in this. More in the next chapter. 

The next 4 days flew by with the wind. Eleanor had pouted when Adelaide first sat her down and told her she would be going away for work for a little while. It had been a year since she had had to travel for gigs. Most of the productions she had been lucky enough to be a part of were in California.

“I don’t want you to go” Eleanor’s lip quivered as she finally stood in front of her mom, saying goodbye at LAX. Adelaide knelt to her level.

“I know Little Bird but remember what I told you” She gave a squeeze to the teddy bear Eleanor was clutching, trying to get her to look at her. The toy she had made for her out of an old t-shirt before she was born held the little girl’s attention.

“You are going to stay with Gran for a few weeks and then you guys are going to come be with mommy” She reminded her.

“Why can’t I just come with you now?” Elea rubbed her eye sleepily; it was far too early for her liking.

“Because Darling, mommy has some adult things she needs to take care of before you come out” Adelaide kissed her forehead.

“I promise we will talk every day; we can facetime at night so I can read you a bedtime story. Then, before you know it you and Gran will be in London with me” She smiled reassuringly as she wiped the few tears from her daughter’s cheek.

Adelaide stood up to hug her mom.

“Thank you for everything”

“I’m always here for you my Little Bird” Margret gave her a tight squeeze.

She quickly checked her watch.

“I should get going” She said, giving one last hug to the two most important women in her life.

“You be good for your Gran” She kissed Eleanor one more time and headed to check-in.

 Adelaide has made the flight from both LAX and Detroit Metro Airport to London more times then she can count but no matter how many times she did, her stomach would always end up in knots over the whole thought of flying over the ocean so once she was old enough to she took on her mother’s pre-flight ritual. 2 bloody Mary’s at the airport bar. Lucky for her all those flights also awarded her the luxury of having access to the Virgin Air upper-class lounge, she had herself tucked into a comfy chair in the corner of the lounge, drink on the table next to her and her laptop out going over files Tilly had emailed her in regards to the make-up department.

Mockups and ideas for the outfits for the productions. Digital renderings of how they wanted Taron to appear to age. He would start playing Elton at the age of 17 and into his early 40s. She jotted down her ideas for some of the looks that came across, she couldn’t help but laugh as she imagined Taron in some of the costumes.

She kept Tilly updated during her hour-long wait to board her flight. Tilly let her know that Matthew had announced to the crew yesterday that she had joined on to the production. She had to wonder if her name had gotten back to Taron, how he felt about her joining on but then Tilly told her that Taron had been gone for the week working on some last-minute stuff for the Robin Hood film he had coming out soon. She was almost relieved he didn’t know yet.

“Now boarding flight VS5178 Los Angeles to London-Heathrow Departing on time at 8:34”

Downing the last of her bonus third bloody Mary and feeling good, Adelaide packed away her laptop and made her way for the gate.

Just a little over 10 more hours and she would be back in her second home.

 Tilly unsurprisingly showed up to Heathrow with a giant sign that read:

‘Welcome home from rehab

It works if you work it’

“I really should hate you” Adelaide laughed as she hugged her best friend a little tighter than necessary. She even received a few pats on the back and a thumbs up from a few random strangers that had read the sign.

“You should but you just can’t” Tilly smiled in return.

“Let’s get your shit and get out of this bloody zoo” She flung Adelaide’s carry on over her shoulder and began marching in the direction of the baggage claim.

After a game of real-life Tetris, all of Adelaide’s bags were packed into Tilly’s car. It was bad enough having to pack for a few months’ worth of life but also having to pack all her make-up and supplies she brought to every film she worked on made it even harder.

“I am so happy your Gran is bougie enough to have an elevator in her house. There was no way I was carrying any of this upstairs” Tilly joked as she slammed the trunk closed.

The 40-minute drive to her Gran’s home in Chelsea was filled with laughter and singing. No matter how long the two of them were apart, once they were back together it was like no time had passed.

The girls stopped off at Starbucks for some energy. They knew the adrenalin they were feeling from being reunited wouldn’t last long and neither of them was the perkiest of morning people. After 2 elevator trips, the bags were in and Adelaide and Tilly plopped down onto the plush couches.

“We have to go shopping” Tilly said as she adjusted herself on the couch, her legs dangling over the armrest, a throw pillow under her head.

“For what?” Adelaide asked as she laid in the same position on the oversized chair, sending a text to her mom.

Made it to Grans. Call me when you wake up <3 -A

It was only 1am in LA so she knew a reply wasn’t coming anytime soon.

“We need to get you an outfit for the cast and crew mixer this weekend”

“What are you talking about? We just brought up 6 suitcases, 4 of those are filled with clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and my personal make-up, thankfully I have extra work supplies here or I’d have another 2 bags. Why on earth would I need to go shopping?”

Tilly gave her a ‘duh’ look.

“Cause we need to go find the perfect outfit to show off those hot mom-curves you have now so we can get you and your man back together” She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Adelaide sat up in the chair and looked at Tilly.

“Tilly that’s not why I am here. Would I be happy if it did? Yes, but I am here for Eleanor. I am here to finally tell Taron the truth. Outside of making money to support my daughter and our life, this is not for me.”

“And I respect that, but please let me just have one night to have my ‘Parent Trap moment’ as you put it the other day. You’re doing this whole thing for them. Let me do this part for you”

Adelaide gave her best friend a very annoyed mother look, but she gave in.

She throws her hands up.

“Fine”

How could she say no to shopping with her fashion-forward friend?

Giving in is how she found herself, 2-days later standing next to the bar of The Sky Garden in a peony-print long-sleeved mini dress, a black clutch in hand and a pair of black Jimmy Choo’s that helped show off her legs and bum, Tilly’s favorite of her physical attributes as she always made sure to remind her.

She was waiting for Tilly to make her way back from the restroom while she waited on their drinks. She messed with her naturally wild curls that now hung tamed just below her ears, her brown roots fading to blonde ends. Her makeup was flawless as always, eyebrows arched for the Gods’, the smoky green eye shadow matching the green in the flowers on her dress also brought out the green in her eyes. Her lips painted in a matte taupe color, she was not a conceded person, but she knew she was beautiful, she had worked hard for it and she took pride in making herself look good.

Having been at the party for close to an hour now, Adelaide had met a few members of her make-up team; everyone was so welcoming. She had been introduced to Jamie Bell and Brice Dallas Howard. She hadn’t seen Richard yet but him she knew from meeting through mutual friends in LA when she was first getting back onto the scene. They had kept in mild contact.

The venue for the party was incredible, the 38-story building showed a breathtaking view of the city. The Sky Garden took up 3 of those story’s, overlooking the River Thames. It was magical but the anxious feeling clawing at the back of Adelaide’s mind kept her from fully enjoying everything. She knew Taron could show up at any minute and she was trying to prepare herself for that.

“Hey Ladie” She jumped slightly when Tilly tapped her shoulder. She turned around, taking in Tilly and the man standing next to her that she knew from photos to be Dexter Fletcher the director.

“I wanted to introduce you to Dex before everything gets too crazy tonight” She laughed.

“Dex this is Adelaide DeFay, one of my oldest mates and the best make-up designer I know. Ladie, this is Dexter Fletcher our fearless leader”

“It is an honor to get to work with you Mr. Fletcher. I am a fan of your work” Adelaide put her hand out to shake.

“What’s this mister bit?” Dax asked in his gravelly voice “Mister is my old man, I’m just Dex here. It is lovely to meet you darling” He took her hand, giving a firm shake before pulling her into a hug.

His ringing cellphone pulled him away.

“Oh, it’s our leading man” Adelaide froze when Dexter looked at his phone, he was none the wiser. “If you’ll excuse me ladies. Must see what has the boy held up.” He said before answering the phone.

“T!” he greeted as he walked away.

“I need to go outside” Adelaide said quickly, grabbing her clutch and leaving Tilly and their drinks behind.

 She stood looking over the side of the balcony, hands grasping the railing. She took in a deep breath in through her nose, holding for a 3 count and breathing out for a 5 count. She needed to get her thoughts under control. When it felt like her heart was beating at a normal rate she turned around, seeing Tilly had made her way out, sitting at one of the tables with their drinks.

“Figured you might need this” She said as she gestured to the forgotten Gin and Tonic.

“I think a joint might help more” she joked.

“Ohh a joint. It has been years since I smoked weed. I think it was back when you were working on Guardians, that lighting guy from California had it. Man, those were the good old days” Tilly reminisced.

“If we knew then what we know now”

They fell into a comfortable silence, but it only lasted a few moments. Sudden cheers from inside pulled their attention. Everyone began to gather, facing the elevators, blocking both Tilly and Adelaide’s view but neither of them needed to see to know what was going on.

Taron had arrived.

The panic rose again in Adelaide.

“I can’t do this” she said suddenly. She stood up, her eyes wildly looking around for a way to exit but unless she had a parachute stashed in her clutch the only exit was blocked by the exact reason she wanted to leave.

“I can’t do this” she repeated.

Tilly stood in front of her, one hand holding her shoulder, the other on her cheek making her look her in the eyes.

“Yes you can. Breathe with me”

Tilly had worked Adelaide through plenty of panic attacks over the course of their friendship, she was one of the only people that knew how to bring her back when everything else seemed too much. Her and one other person but for the past 5 years, that person has been the main cause of them.

“Breathe in 1-2-3, breathe out 1-2-3-4-5. Repeat. Breathe in 1-2-3, breathe out 1-2-3-4-5”

Tilly spoke softly

“Remember you are doing this for Eleanor”

“Breathe in 1-2-3, breathe out 1-2-3-4-5”

Her breathing finally leveled back out

“I don’t know what I would do without you” Adelaide finally felt like she could speak again.

She pecked Tilly’s lips

“Thank you”

“I am going to go in and get us both another drink” Tilly told her “Do you want to come in and get some food or are you fine out here?” She asked.

“I am going to wait out here” She answered but her attention had been pulled. Tilly watches as Adelaide’s eyes locked on Taron’s frame when he came into view. He was dressed so handsome in what looks like navy blue pants and blazer with a white button-up, the top few buttons were undone. He looked as amazing as ever.

Adelaide watched him as he weaved in and out of the crowd. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched him smile, listening intently to each person that he talked to. It was one of the characteristics she had fallen in love with. Taron knew just how to make someone feel like the center of the universe.

She gasped when his eyes suddenly swept the balcony as he moved to another group, he looked right at her for a moment then moved away, she turned away quickly before she saw him doubletake, but he shook his head.

Just another moment of wishful thinking on his part. 5 Years and he stilled looked for her face in the women around.

When Adelaide turned back, he had already moved on. Lost in the sea of people.

She jumped for the second time tonight from Tilly tapping her shoulder.

“Hey Frogger, need another?” Tilly teased

She thankfully accepted the drink.

 Taron stood talking to Jamie and Richard for a moment. A drink hanging loosely in his hand. It had been a great night. He really was excited to get the ball rolling on filming. He had put so much work into this project already, he couldn’t wait to show the world, but he also wanted it to last forever.

“Croatia may be one of the most beautiful places I have gotten a chance to shoot” Richard added to their conversation.

“Ah I haven’t been there yet. Would love to vacation” Jamie said, “Didn’t you film some of Robin Hood there mate?” he asked Taron

“Yeah, it was bloody cold while we were there, but it was beautiful” he answered just before his attention was pulled away. He watched as a curly head of hair made its way through the crowd from the bar and out the revolving doors onto the balcony. It was the second time he had been drawn to her; he didn’t catch her face this time though.

“Oh no, blokes got eyes for the new head of make-up” Jamie joked as he nudged Richard and pointed out toward Adelaide.

Taron watched her walk up behind another woman, when the woman turned around to accept a drink from her, he saw that it was Tilly. He hadn’t bumped into her yet tonight. He was excited to be working with an old friend on a project that meant so much to him. It would make things more relaxing to have as many people he cared about around him.

“Oh yeah, that’s Adelaide. She just signed on a few days ago” Richard filled in the blank and Taron’s blood ran cold.

“Adelaide?” he asked, his voice sounding miles away.

“Yeah, Adelaide DeFay. She’s an amazing make-up artist. You should introduce your self at some point tonight” Richard said.

“Yeah. Introduce myself. Ha” Taron mumbled as he walked away from the guys, his body on autopilot as he made his way to the balcony.

Richard and Jamie were left puzzled.

 Tilly’s smile dropped as she looked over Adelaide’s shoulder, Taron stepped out of the revolving door onto the balcony, his face as if he just saw a ghost.

“Doll?”

Tilly moved like lightning, grabbing Adelaide’s glass as it slipped from her hand at the sound of his voice.

“Is...is that you?”

Chapter 4

@xceafh

#Taron Egerton #Taron x Reader #taron egerton fanfiction #fanfiction #rocketman

[emilyplaysotome]

Chapter 20 - Hard Choices

Catch up on all Chapters here: http://emilyplaysotome.tumblr.com/post/173554646607/down-the-voltage-rabbit-hole-the-sequel-master 

It was nearly impossible to concentrate at work considering the morning I’d just had. Here I was, supposed to be excited about seeing Zyglavis and my heart kept aching at the thought of Hijikata.

On top of that I heard my own nagging negative ego spoken in Meg’s voice echoing my head, playing devil’s advocate.

“Why do you even care about either of them? If you weren’t so insecure you’d try to find something real instead of falling into the same otome traps over and over again.”

I glanced up, through the glass walls of my office and looked at the activity beyond it.

Young men and women milled about, living their lives - no doubt dealing with all the difficulties this world presented while for the past few years I’d retreated into a fantasy land. I wondered how they’d been strong enough to do it. I wondered if it had been luck or perseverance that had brought them theoretical happiness and as I judged myself for having neither and not really trying these past few years.

In a sense, the games coming to life bled into my instinct to avoid “real” men in this world on apps or through other means. They provided a perfect excuse to erect walls around my heart and never leave seeing as how inside my world I happy and safe. Before I’d even landed in the otome-verse I’d used the games to avoid putting myself out there for years and so in a sense my prayers were answered when I’d been inexplicably thrust into this strange but familiar world.

However at this point in my life, I was being forced to ask myself what I really wanted.

I’ve never thought of myself as a cowardly person, but I’d recently come to realize how fearful I was in my personal life. I had a narrative that it never worked out with the people I liked, but when I thought back on who those people were I realized that these relationships were often doomed from the onset.

There was something about choosing people that deep down I knew would never be right as a way of protecting myself. This wasn’t about me having bad taste or liking the wrong things - it had to do with me running away from success and failure. Time and time again I reached for the man who was emotionally unavailable and when he disappeared it hurt, but not as much had been ready and decided to go with another.

In a way, dating and living within the otome world was no different and Meg had brought that to my attention. Both options kept me sheltered from putting myself out there in a meaningful way and thus, feeling the sting of rejection that came with someone knowing you for exactly who you are.

Yet, having lived this way for so many years it was going to be hard for me to just reject what they provided all of a sudden. Beyond being comfortable for me, it also felt hasty and when I really searched my feelings I couldn’t say honestly that the things these otome men made me feel were less real than what my experience might be with someone of this world.

If anything, it wasn’t about feelings or success or failure when it came to my current situation but this question of choice that Meg had harped on.

She had me questioning if it was possible to pursue a relationship with an otome man all the while understanding that the nagging voice in the back of my head might never be quelled? That years from now, should I marry and procreate with them would I wonder if for not this miracle if I would have been strong enough and worthy enough to find happiness with another...

“Naomi!”

The voice shook me from my thoughts and I saw a concerned looking Toma standing in front of me.

“Sorry - what’s up?”

“Are you alright? I was calling your name again and again...”

“Just thinking about stuff. Do you need something?”

Toma gave a brusque nod and slid an iPad over to me.

“Oh nice. The mockups look great.”

“Yeah, I worked with Cara and Roxie on the visuals. We have a few copy placement options for you to pick...A,B, or C.”

Toma flicked through the different layouts as he spoke. There were several options of each.

“More than a hotel,” had become our main tag and then depending on the image there was additional copy. “An exclusive fitness club for NYC VIP” was overplayed on an image of a boot camp happening on the roof, under the stars. “An oasis in the city” fell over images of the luxury spa - our option for Nee Yorkers who couldn’t necessarily afford a membership but wanted the occasional pampering. “A restaurant worthy of New York” showed off some of the delicacies from the flagship hotel eatery - mouthwatering images of truffle gnocchi with fresh chickpeas and perfectly presented filet, still tender with potato whip and garnish.

“Toma - these are amazing,” I finally said. “I defer the placement to what the team likes, but I’m leaning towards B if you really want my opinion.”

Toma brightened at my praise and retrieving the iPad said, “Us too.”

“Great! B it is. I’ll confirm with Anita what time the presentation tomorrow is but we’re in a great shape.”

“Are you sure?”

“What do you mean? Is there something you feel I’m missing?”

Toma flashed me an abashed smile and shook his head, “I just feel like there’s a catch...it’s not even lunch and we’re feeling good about this stuff. I’m used to a guaranteed late night before a presentation of this magnitude.”

I smiled and shrugged, thinking of my time at Addison & Rhodes and how often I saw the people around me putting in crazy hours.

“I don’t give feedback for the sake of feedback. If you feel like there’s more to do by all means, I won’t stand in your way. I love what the team has done though.”

Toma blushed a little at the mention of “love” and saw himself out, feeling good about being to relay such positive feedback to the others. With the knowledge that the LT Hotel account was in good shape, I tried to refocus on my other work that needed attention.

For a solid hour and a half I managed to put emotional blinders on and commit to my work and when I’d finished I realized that the clock read 3 pm and I’d forgotten to eat. On top of that, I grabbed my phone and saw that I had a missed call and voicemail from Terek Bishop, the NYPD officer who’d arrested Soryu.

I was curious as to why he’d be calling and put his voicemail on speaker in my office as I got ready to grab a quick bite.

“Hi Naomi, this is Terek Bishop of the NYPD. I got contacted by a Jin Namba who is trying to locate Soryu Oh and said he was working on your behalf. If you could give me a call back I’d like to discuss this with you directly rather than go through a proxy. Thanks.”

I figured Terek wanted to confirm that Namba was indeed working on my behalf so called Detective Bishop back immediately. When I did he advised me against working with a PI and informed me that he was concerned that our meddling might affect Soryu’s case.

He admitted to not knowing Soryu’s whereabouts but confidently relayed that he didn’t think he would pose any threat to me. Having missed his court date, Soryu was now a wanted man and would have a hard time flying under the radar let alone committing another crime.

“I understand and respect your desire for justice,” Detective Bishop said, completely unawares as to the real situation, “but please leave this matter in the hands of NYPD professionals.”

“But Mr. Namba is ex-NYPD!” I insisted. “He used to work at the TriBeCa precinct. If you don’t believe me you can ask Patrick Fitzgerald. He goes by ‘Fitzy’ - he’ll tell you there’s no better person to help you.”

There was a pause and I could tell Detective Bishop was slightly taken aback by my passion before he said, “Alright. Usually we advise against this but maybe we can figure something out. I’m doing this for you though…”

Perhaps I’d been around too many otome men the past couple of weeks but there was something that last statement that made me wonder if there was more to what he was saying. He agreed to talk to Jin so long as we didn’t get in the way or derail the NYPD’s investigation and we hung up shortly thereafter with a promise that he’d update me in a couple of weeks.

I didn’t think much of it, but figured I might as well stop by Jin’s office before picking up lunch just to let him know I’d spoken with Detective Bishop.

“What can I do you for little bird?” Jin asked plainly.

He was looking through various letters that littered the surface of his usually clean desk, sitting casually on the edge rather than his office chair.

“I wanted to let you know I spoke with Terek Bishop - the officer who arrested Soryu,” I said only a few steps in from the door, feeling as if I’d interrupted something.

“Ah yeah. I left a message for him.”

“He said he’d be willing to work with you so long as we didn’t get in the way. I guess Soryu skipped his court hearing so he’s in more trouble than I thought.”

Jin nodded at me and I instantly saw that there was something different about his demeanor today.

He was wearing a nicer dress shirt than usual, but he’d rolled the sleeves up and unbuttoned a few buttons making it feel less dressy than it actually was. The light blue of his shirt was complimented by fitted navy slacks, and resting on the corner of his desk was a folded up tie that he’d obviously removed before my arrival.

He didn’t seem as lighthearted as usual, and I couldn’t tell if this was about a different case or something personal but reading the room it made sense not to wear out my welcome.

I smiled at him and quickly said, “That’s all. I figured he’d be in touch soon but I might as well swing by.”

I turned to leave but Jin called out, “Hey wait. Can I ask you something?”

I paused and spun back around only to see him looking at me with a conflicted expression.

“Fitzy and I got lunch today and he asked me how it was going with all this,” he said gesturing between me and him. “I…how come you won’t tell me how we knew each other?”

The question was asked in earnest, but I was unsure how to answer it. He was clearly searching for something specific but I was unsure as to what that might be and I didn’t think the king would appreciate me telling him the truth.

I thought about the history we had back in his world, as well as the memories we’d made in mine. I thought about the last time together in the onsen, and the look on his face in the penthouse suite when I told him that I was choosing Zyglavis.

I kept returning to this idea of choice that the spirit of Meg had been torturing me with, and how it felt that out of all of the men Jin always had the emotional maturity to make it clear that he always choose me - no matter how free his will actually was.

Not wanting him to hear I’d broken his heart time and time again, I felt like all I could do was smile and say, “Someone once told me it’s best to let memories return as they’re meant to, but if there’s something specific you want to know and if I can help I’m happy to try.”

It was obvious by the way he looked at me that he could see through me. His eyebrow twitched slightly and with a scoff he said, “This city is filled with beautiful women, you know?”

Unsure as to what he was getting at I stood uncomfortably near the door and nodded. He ran his fingers through his hair as he spoke, and his movements made it all the more evident that his muscled physique was still very much intact from what I remembered back in the otome world.

“This weekend I went out with one - smart as a whip, sexy as hell, and kept throwing compliments my way the whole date.”

The comment took me completely off guard and left me taken aback to say the least.

This was the first time I’d heard about the secret lives of these otome men, now that they were away from me. If Jin was going out on dates I had to assume the others were as well. It was a strange thought that some woman unbeknownst to her would go out and not realize or understand who she was actually with.

It was selfish of me to feel possessive over them all when I’d made my choice all those months ago but I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness as he spoke. I did my best to hide what I was feeling from him but as a result I felt as if my smile was plastered on, and I was too afraid to move for fear he’d see how much the thought of him on a date bothered me.

“Yet the whole time I was with her I was thinking - why do I feel so indifferent about her...about this? She was everything anyone would ever want from a partner. When we said goodbye, she kissed me and I was surprised at how little I felt. I’m a man, you know? Most men are wolves.”

He said the last bit in a tone that I was more familiar with. He was flirting with me, being playful and goading me to see what my reaction would be. I responded by daring not to move as he continued speaking.

“And then today at lunch Fitzy brought you up and ever since I can’t shake the nagging feeling that...well, that I was never indifferent about you.”

The way Jin delivered that statement made me momentarily weak at the knees.

It was self-assured, fearless, and direct in a way that provided the type of validation any woman would want. No matter what I may have felt about him he was secure enough to let me know that his feelings were steadfast and true. It took real bravery and a complete lack of ego to say such a thing to a woman you barely knew and hardly remembered and it made me recall why I’d been so drawn to him in the otome world.

This was a man in the truest sense to me and under his direct gaze I felt as if I owed him some sort of transparency shy of the whole story.

“You’re right. You never were.”

“Then?”

“I was engaged.”

“Was?”

I nodded, my eyes finally falling from his.

“I see.”

I found the silence that followed that statement to be awkward but couldn’t find the right words to say. As I struggled to form a reply I failed to notice that Jin had gotten up from his desk, and gently taking my hand said, “So I guess this is the part where I go for it, eh Little Bird?”

He lifted my hand to his lips, and gently placed a kiss on my ring finger.

“Jin…”

He gently lowered my hand back to my side, and placed his hand on my waist. Gazing into my eyes our faces drew closer together until his passed my lips and instead came close to my ear as he whispered, “Oh no. I’m not that easy. If you want me, you need to choose me.”

Choose.

There was that word again.

I stood stunned, frozen and stammering as he pulled away, chuckling as he took a seat behind his desk.

“I’m a PI Naomi Lee. I know everything that I could know right now…and while I’d love to take you right here on my desk and pleasure you until you can’t think straight, I don’t mess around with women who juggle men the way you’ve been doing. Let me know when you’re done with all the others and I’ll consider taking you on the best date you’ve ever had in your life.”

My face must have been bright red, but Jin was no longer paying attention to me. Instead, his eyes were on the papers in front of him and he went back to work as I slinked out of his office and onto the street, realizing that choice was something that went both ways.

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