i don’t know who needs to hear this, but here it goes: you don’t have to repeatedly and harshly punish yourself for every little thing you think you do wrong. you don’t have to diminish or eliminate your worth and dignity in order to become a better person and acknowledge your mistakes. please forgive yourself, please keep going and please, be flawed! perfection is unattainable.

They're cute and hilarious I love them 😭💖

saw old shojo manga collection + saw anya and damian official art + feels like drawing = imperial scholar damian and anya

Instagram | Twitter

He's coming back !

Hello everyone I'm sorry I haven't updated you on my project about Lysander, the alternative I found is to make an animation. So it won't be a game since beemov rejected it. I just heard recently that they are releasing 4 new episodes ! Can't want to play that and hopefully my animation will be done by the time those are released ! Thank you all for your support 💙

Well played

Fruit appreciation post 😍

Spy x Family LN Translation: Anya's Nature Class (Part 4)

Last part of the camping trip! Translated from the Viet TL by Thanh & Yanbaka: Source Link + credit

"This is so…annoying."

"I'm hungry. Anya wants to eat rice."

"Don't even say anything, you dolt. The more you talk, the hungrier you'll get."

"Becky's probably worried."

"Yeah. Your friend's probably crying her eyes out right now."

"The teacher's probably going to yell at us."

"Uh-huh… We'll probably get a Tonitrus bolt."

Sitting in the dimly lit cave, with the storm raging on, the two of them are talking to try and forget how scared they are. Even though both are soaked from the rain, strangely, they feel a sensation of warmth. The warmth from their handholding allowed for Anya's tears to dry up.

"Desmond!! Forger!!"

At last, the rain and storm subsided. The two of them stepped out of the cave as Mr. Green and Mr. Henderson ran over.

"Good heavens, are the both of you all right?"

While Mr. Green waved his arm and stepped closer with a smile, Mr. Henderson's expression was one similar to an angry lion.

"Desmond, Forger! How dare you children decide to wander about on your own? Do you understand that the rest of the housemasters are searching for you as we speak?"

He relentlessly continued:

"The storms that happen on these mountains are extremely dangerous. If it weren't for Mr. Green's searching capabilities, I dare not imagine what could have happened!"

With a smile, Mr. Green chimed in:

"I was a part of the Navy. When I was serving in the special forces, I gained some experience following people's trails. But finding you two today was down to a miracle - the rain had washed away your tracks. You kids have your luck to thank."

Mr. Henderson, agreeing with the astute words of his younger colleague, raised his voice:

"Indeed, the fault too lies with our carelessness. No matter how easy these paths seem to be explored, you must have a teacher supervise you. For that, I am gravely apologetic. For now, quickly turn back to the camp and dry yourselves. I will think of your punishments later."

"Teacher…"

Anya grasped onto her teacher's shirt.

"What is it, Miss Forger?"

"Sorry… Anya didn't bring along a map. Anya lead us the wrong way and that's why this happened…"

Anya said meekly, and lowered her head.

"Don't take all the blame, stubby legs."

Damian, who stood by Anya's side, blurted out.

"I'm the one who affirmed her directions, so I'll take full responsibility."

The boy lowered his head in front of Mr. Henderson and Mr. Green:

"I'm sincerely sorry for everything."

"Sy-on boy…"

As Anya looked at Damian doe-eyed, Damian abruptly turned away:

"Hmph! It's just that I don't want to tarnish the Desmond family honor."

Damian mumbled away as his whole face turned red once more.

"How will you punish them, Mr. Henderson?"

Mr. Henderson stood in silence for a moment, before his eyes beamed suddenly:

"The two children will be required to help us prepare for tonight's astrological activities. This will be their punishment. But firstly, let them head back to camp, take a bath, and warm up."

Although the professor delivered his words in a most elegant manner, his inner thoughts were loud, piercing through Anya's mind like needles.

"NOT ONLY DID THEY CAUSE TROUBLE FOR THEIR GROUPMATES, THEY CARELESSLY PLACED THEMSELVES IN THE FACE OF DANGER. THESE REASONS ALONE SHOULD GIVE WAY FOR A MORE SEVERE PUNISHMENT. BUT THE WAY IN WHICH THESE TWO CHILDREN PROTECTED EACH OTHER WAS MOST ELEGANT - DESMOND AND FORGER!"

Although being strict is important, there are times where sensitivity should be taken into consideration, for the children's sake.

Anya anxiously spoke:

"Umm… about… the Tonitrus bolt…"

"In assessing this situation, the earlier punishment is sufficient. It will not be necessary to hand out a Tonitrus bolt."

Yay. No Tonitrus bolts!

Anya sighed in relief, smiling brightly as she glanced at Damian. Damian looked back at her, relief inscribed on his face, but quickly reverted to his prior expression:

"Hey, what are you smiling at! It's all your fault I gotta do extra work tonight, you curse-bringer."

Things went back to normal in that moment, and Damian's insufferability quickly made any good impressions Anya had of him disappear.

"In the end, you're still the worst."

"Hey, what do you mean?"

"Anya's 'gratefulitude' for you is gone."

"Like I need that!! Stubby-legged loser!"

"Goodness grief."

"Now now, stop it. Will you two be quarreling until midnight?!"

Mr. Green cut in, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Everyone has been worried about you, and they haven't eaten at all. You must come back quickly so they can rest assured."

Seeing the remorseful looks of the two children, Mr. Green grinned, and looked up at the sky, saying:

"Look, you two. This is a gift from the storm that just passed."

"?"

"Woaaaaaah."

Anya and Damian looked up, their eyes sparkling from amazement.

The grey clouds had cleared up, giving way to the bluest skies ever. A big rainbow shined in the sky - it was the most beautiful they've ever seen.

-----

Anya stepped off the bus, pacing back and forth in front of her house, afraid to enter.

The "Best Friends" mission is done for.

While the girl walked in circles looking troubled,

"Woof!"

A familiar sound, and a massive, white round fluffy figure jumped to greet her.

"Whooa, Bond!"

"Woof!"

As Anya called the dog's name, Bond looked super happy, excitedly welcoming Anya back home by licking her all over.

"Anya, is that you? Will you not be coming in?"

Loid ran after Bond, then spotted his daughter. It turns out, upon sniffing Anya's scent, Bond ran away from his walk and followed her trail.

"Welcome home. The camping trip passed more quickly than I imagined."

"Anya is back..."

Anya responded, trying not to look Loid in the eye.

Loid raised an eyebrow:

"Are you all right? Are you not feeling well?"

"The world is doomed."

"The world?"

"When we were camping…"

Anya's shoulders slumped.

"Anya left traces. A squirrel ate them all. Anya mixed up her left from her right."

"?"

Loid couldn't understand what his daughter was mumbling about, responding with concern:

"Did you not have fun?"

When asked that question, the memories of the past two days passed through Anya's mind.

There were trees, flowers, birds, and insects she had never seen before.

And the biggest rainbow ever that appeared after the rain.

And getting to enjoy the delicious pot-a-feu with everyone.

And stargazing in the night sky with everyone.

And talking with Becky while eating sweets in their tent at night.

And lastly, the warmth of her left hand being grasped tightly by…

"! It was super fun!!"

Loid was confused from her quickly changing mood, and asked:

"Is that so?"

But when he examined how brightly her face glowed, he felt at ease.

"Then, that's wonderful."

Anya's heart was happy once more.

"Let's quickly go inside. Yor is waiting for you."

"Oui."

"She woke up early today to prepare lots of dishes for you. There are steaks and hamburgers…"

"O…..ui."

The little girl recalled all the "dishes" that Yor had conjured up, and replied reluctantly.

What do I do… Tonight might be the last night I'm alive.

But if Yor made food for Anya, there's no way she can refuse.

Examining Anya's face, which looked like she was preparing for her last supper, Loid reassured her:

"Don't worry. I helped out - in fact, I made most of it. The one thing Yor made was the southern stew you like so much."

"Yaaaay!"

This time, Anya was brimming with happiness from the bottom of her heart.

Inside, she felt a great sense of relief. Suddenly, she also felt hungry.

I gotta go quickly! Mama's stew and Papa's hamburgers are waiting. And then I get to watch Bondman on TV!

"Quick, Bond!"

"Woof!"

"Fast, Papa, Anya is super hungry!!"

"Be careful not to let Bond take any of your food."

Alongside the dog she loved so much, and a father standing behind her who watched her with a smile, the girl with an abundance of energy ran quickly into the house, where her mother was waiting…

Spy x Family LN Translation: Anya's Nature Class (Part 3)

Rough translation from Viet lol ; ; thank u Thanh & Yanbaka Source Link + Credit

"Damn it… that Blackbell showed me up."

"Becky is the best!"

At Becky's advisement: Get water -> Anya, Damian Find wood, start a fire -> Becky, Uin, Emil

While Damian seemingly appears to be disgruntled by these orders, Anya is pleased, secretly grateful to Becky (for assisting her with the "World Peace" mission).

Right now, Anya's mission is to gain Damian's respect by demonstrating that she's good at camping.

Heh. Before we got here, Mama already taught Anya lots of things about camping. Anya will prove her skills with this.

Anya is daydreaming while they're on their way to get the water. Their path is no walk in the park, with branches and bushes scattered about, but for the sake of world peace, it's nothing.

"You, are you gonna be okay?"

"Of course! Anya knows the way."

Beaming with confidence, Anya turns around and looks at Damian. This catches him in surprise and he stumbles a bit, nearly making him drop the empty buckets.

"H-hey, what is it? What are you looking at? Keep moving already!"

"I'm really happy I get to go with you. I gotta thank Becky later."

"!!"

Damian's face turns tomato red as his mouth tries to form words, but nothing comes out.

"Anya is going to become your greatest friend!"

She goes on about doing it "for world peace," but Damian has lost focus by then, distracted by a string of his own thoughts. They appear in Anya's mind:

"W…what's with this girl? I only agreed to help her…because if she gets expelled, then it'll be troublesome for me too… There's no way I… she…"

Damian is flustered. Meanwhile, Anya feels a chill come over her.

Eeh…what's this. Is he sick?

The last time she read Damian's brain, his thoughts were along the same lines. He was rattled, uneasy, and annoyed that he didn't know how to describe it.

"Anya wants to help you! That's why Anya's here with you today."

"You…"

Damian, feeling even more embarrassed by Anya, stammers incoherently. Suddenly:

"NO!! I CAN'T BE FOOLED!!"

Eh?! Whose voice is this?!

A loud voice rang in her head, leaving Anya startled as she looks around. It takes her a second to identify it as another of Damian's thoughts. As for Damian, his heart had nearly reached its limit - and he was stressed to no end.

"Uin and Emil told me already. That girl's just like those other idiots… She's only out to be friends with me so she can get closer to Father."

Huh?! Why? How'd he know?!

It's true that this little girl is persevering so her papa, Loid, can get close to Damian's. However, Damian can't read minds like Anya does. How did he figure out what Anya was thinking?

??

Anya froze in place, confounded. She couldn't at all figure out how he found out. At last, Damian yelled:

"Get going already!!"

As he was saying that, he turned around and started walking forth. Anya, still with her eyes wide in shock, hurriedly followed after him.

. . .

"Hey, we've gone so far but how come we aren't there yet?"

"We're almost there."

Damian, whose legs ached from having not reached the river, was very impatient.

When Anya caught a giant earthworm along the way, in hopes of impressing Damian, the boy's already sour mood had reached its limit. Similarly, Anya also felt like they had been walking longer than they should be to get to their destination. Yet, in front of them, there was only an endless forest to be seen -- they were surrounded by trees, and could hardly see a river in sight.

"The instructions were supposed to be easy. From where Mr. Green was standing, go straight up the path until it splits into three, and then take the left path. We didn't need to use a map…"

Damian, who was fuming, turned pale:

"…Don't tell me you can't tell your left from your right."

"Of course I can."

"Then raise your left hand and show me."

"Oui."

The hand Anya raised was her right. Damian clutched his head.

"That's WRONG! We went the wrong way! That's your right hand, you idiot!"

"!"

Anya was in complete shock. The little girl had mixed up her sense of direction, and coming to a full realization, turned so pale there was hardly any life left in her face.

The forest around them quickly turned unfamiliar and quiet, and the only noise they could make out were the birds cawing from the trees. Faced with the unpleasant sounds, Anya began to tremble.

"Anya…is lost?" she asked in fear.

"That's right. We're lost and it's all your fault," Damian replied bluntly.

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, the trees around them began to move.

"Ah!"

"What the…"

Both children froze. From behind one of the bushes appeared a squirrel with a fluffy tail and chubby cheeks.

"A squirrel!"

"R…really. It was just a squirrel. There's nothing to be scared of."

When he saw a bright smile on Anya's face, Damian breathed a sigh of relief before he returned to a scowl.

"We still haven't gone too far. If we walk back now, we can return to the camp."

Damian had started to regain his composure.

Anya perked up:

"Ah!"

Mama had taught her how to not get lost.

"Going back won't be hard! While we were walking, Anya left traces to mark where we are."

"Oh! Good work."

Surprised that Damian praised her, Anya's face lit up.

"Anya did good? I did the right thing?"

"Don't get your hopes up. It's because of you that we got lost… Say… what did you use to leave traces?"

Anya chuckled in a way that revealed some reluctance, and took out a bag of peanuts from her pocket she had been eating as a snack.

"It doubles as a meal and a trace-leaver. Two birds with one stone."

"…"

Why isn't he saying anything?

"Incredible, Anya! Food that could also keep track of where we are, that's genius!" -- the little girl was so excited to be praised and hear these words.

"What's wrong? Are you hungry? Have a peanut."

"You used…that thing?"

Damian was muttering, his voice shaking, as he turned to the squirrel. Anya also turned to look. The squirrel wagged its tail, a glint of hunger in its eye. It raised its arms, peanut in hand, and happily began munching on it. In normal circumstances, one would think it was a cute sight, however…

"HUHHHHHH?"

Anya screamed in shock. The squirrel jumped in surprise, and quickly ran away - the remains of the peanuts falling to the ground.

It's apparent now that the squirrel had followed the trail of peanuts Anya had laid. There are hardly any traces left for them to go by.

"What do we do now?"

Damian raised his voice:

"Of everything you could have picked, why was it peanuts?! You idiot, you're supposed to use something that birds and animals won't eat!!"

"W…wahhh…"

Hearing Damian chastise her, Anya began tearing up. Soon enough, she was crying. Damian panicked and tried to calm her down.

"Um… Well, the way back isn't too bad. If we start going and try to recall, we'll find our way back."

Right, they have to hurry. They have to turn back now. Anya held back her crying and tried to reassure herself. In that moment, something small dropped on her head.

"Water?"

When she looked up, Anya saw the skies darken and grey clouds, and she began to realize what was coming.

"Oh no… Don't tell me it's rain."

The moment Damian yelled in despair, it began to pour. It rained so heavily, they could hardly keep their eyes open.

"Wahhhh…"

"Hey, get a hold of yourself!"

Damian grabbed a distressed Anya's hand.

"That's right. On the way up, we came across a small cave. Let's go back to it."

"Eh? Wuahh!"

Without waiting for Anya's response, Damian began to run. Although they nearly slipped in the mud along the way, the two children were able to make it into the small cave.

"Let's wait out the rain until it clears up."

"Roger!"

Sitting next to Damian in the small space, Anya let out a tired sigh. Her hair and clothes were completely drenched to the point it could be wrung out like a mop. Her shoes were soggy and made her feet uncomfortable.

"I'm all wet now."

"Me too. Try to wait it out."

The day seemed to turn to night quickly, with the downpour showing no signs of stopping. Although they were temporarily at ease that they found a place to hide in, deep down, they were frightened from the relentless rain.

Aside from us, is there really no one else here?

Anya was scared, and saddled up closer to Damian.

"Don't stick to me like that."

Hurt and sad, she began to sniffle and cry.

I wish Papa were here.

Mama would hug me real tight.

And Bond would lick my cheek…

But here, there's only this kid I hate. Anya is truly pitiable.

As Anya was dreaming away, the sky suddenly flashed brightly.

"What… what was that?"

"What in the…"

Damian's face was one of fear. The following moment, ((more descriptive thunder and lightning u prob don't care for)).

"Curses… It really got this bad."

The sound of thunder was louder than the last, and in the background one could hear an explosion. It was so loud, the two kids shook in fear.

"Wah… uwaaahhh…"

Anya couldn't take it anymore, and she started to sob.

"Scary… It's so scary…"

As Anya tucked her knees closer to her body, she felt something squeeze her left hand.

"D… Don't worry…"

The voice was weak. And the other's hand, not much larger than hers, was also trembling.

"Lightning only strikes high places, and there are lots of tall trees here… This cave is safe, so don't worry."

"…"

Anya's whole body was frozen, but she braved herself to look at her classmate next to her. His face was as white as a sheet of paper, and upon looking closer, there was a tear in the corner of his eye.

"Lightning… Father… I'm so scared. No… I'm the scion on the Desmond family. We don't get scared… Don't be afraid… I'm supposed to be Father's son."

Sy-on boy is also afraid of thunder.

But, this kid is trying all his might to protect Anya.

From this, the little girl's frightened heart felt a little more at ease. When Anya squeezed Damian's right hand, the boy appeared shocked for a moment before looking away.

It's almost as if Damian's hand does have a superpower. Her hand isn't shaking anymore…

…It's warm.

Spy x Family LN Translation: Anya's Nature Class (Part 1)

Please note I translated from a Vietnamese TL (I can't read JP but I can understand Vietnamese l o l) Thank you Thanh & Yanbaka... Source Link

"There's a nature class?"

As the mug of cocoa lands on the table, Yor blinks brightly. Anya takes the mug and cheerily says,

"Next Friday, I get to go camping!"

The little girl whips out the school's flyer as she speaks.

"Hehe, you look very excited, don't you?"

"This is the first time Anya gets to go on an overnight trip for school!"

"Oh?"

Initially Yor was happy, but after hearing that Anya would be staying past the school time, she begins to worry.

"You'll be staying out until the next day?"

"Oui."

Yor's surprised expression fades, as she recedes into her thoughts, allowing Anya to peer inside…

Anya Forger is "Test Subject 007" from a secret organization. She has the ability to read minds of those nearby.

"Anya's only 6 years old. This is the first time she'll be far from home. Having to camp on a mountain might be difficult… It might be best if I teach her how to catch and execute prey, and also, how to scare away bears…"

As Yor was thinking, a visual depiction also followed in Anya's mind. First, kill, then butcher deers with a sharp knife close at hand. Anya was scared imagining the specifics of the "tomato festival" (bloodbath), and felt a chill run over her.

Mama's way of camping seems a little off.

Anya's "Mama" is Yor Forger, a beautiful, gentle lady who works at the Town Hall in Berlint, the capital of Ostania. In reality, she is an assassin by the name of "Thorn Princess." Hunting creatures for Yor is a breeze, but for her child…

"Let's see. You'll have to prepare a very sharp knife, and a rope long and thick enough to capture creatures… Once you catch them, you'll have to learn how to tie them up. As for setting traps…"

Yor mutters to herself.

"I see. It's called a nature class, but it's really just a hunting class. In that case…"

Sitting to the left of Anya and enjoying his morning coffee, Papa Loid Forger gently asks:

"Excuse me, Yor, could I see the pamphlet for a moment?"

"Ah, of course."

Loid - a psychiatrist at a Berlint hospital, is a calm and well-spoken man who can always put others at ease. In reality, he is a spy for the West, currently working in the East during the cold war period between the two countries, code name "Twilight."

Loid doesn't know his wife is an assassin, and Yor also doesn't know her husband is a spy. The only one who knows their real identities is little Anya, as she has a superpower. However, the "husband and wife" have no clue she can read others' minds.

And so, they both stepped into a fake marriage agreement. It has to be said, Anya has no real ties with them, either. Loid had lied to Yor that Anya was his child, and that his wife had died.

As you can see, while the Forger family may seem normal on the outside, they're more complicated - they each hide a secret from each other for the sake of "world peace."

"The trip is two days and one night. The kids will be sleeping in tents. But it looks like the tents will have beds, tables, sofas, carpets, lighting, toilets, and even bathrooms…"

Loid speaks as he calmly flips through the pamphlet.

"Oh my, camping nowadays has all these conveniences?"

"Eden Academy never fails to innovate compared to other schools."

Loid smiles looking at Yor, whose eyes are widened in surprise by this "camping" style.

Eden Academy, which Anya is enrolled in, is one of the most prestigious schools in the East. Each student is from a rich family, of which many are important political figures. The forest the children are preparing to camp in is also owned by the school, to protect students from kidnapping attempts. Furthermore, each class has different study times; teachers are devoted to small class sizes; and finally, the nighttime security is impeccable.

"The weather looks favorable, and it'll be a good opportunity for her. These days, educating children goes beyond just classroom lectures, doesn't it?"

"That's true. Then, my heart is at ease."

After hearing Loid explain in detail, Yor let out a sigh of relief. She enters the kitchen with a smile:

"I'll grab some sweets for us to eat!"

"Anyway…"

Loid's eyes were focused on reading the rest of the pamphlet, and then he turned to Anya.

"… The nature class will have a few group activities like cooking and stargazing, so you should do your best to listen to the teacher, and get along with your friends, okay?"

"Roger!"

Anya replied determinedly. Loid seemed pleased with her demeanor.

"Very good! By camping in the wilderness together, it'll help you and your friends move beyond any quarrels and form bonds with each other."

"Oui."

"Remember, you have to try your best to get along with your friends, all right?"

Papa always says that.

Behind the smile and insistence of her father were the calculated plans of a spy, which Anya easily saw through.

Loid was tasked with a mission from the West's intelligence service (WISE), currently called Operation Strix. The point was to monitor the activities of Desmond, one dangerous figure suspected to disrupt the peace between the two countries.

To reach Desmond, who is very cautious and hardly appears in public, Loid has to be able to attend an event at Eden, where the man's sons are studying. To do that, he'll appear as a parent of a bright student. Plan A that Loid pprepared was to adopt Anya, enroll her in Eden, and encourage her to become an "Imperial Scholar." However, Anya's scores suck, so it's hard to persevere with this plan. Due to that, Loid devised a Plan B: let Anya and Desmond's second son, Damian, become close friends, and from there the families will gradually meet. Unfortunately, from the very first day of school, Anya began fighting with Damian. And thus, Plan B is also riddled with problems.

"If Anya can get along with Damian even in the slightest…"

Paired with that thought, Loid imagines a scene where Anya and Damien become close, the two of them smiling brightly at each other with strong camaraderie.

"Papa, just leave it to me."

"Hm?"

"Anya will try her best."

"Ah, wonderful. Do your best, okay?"

The peace between the East and West depends on you.

"Oui."

Carrying the weight of Loid's tasks and his belief in the "Best Friends" mission on her shoulders, Anya merrily sipped her beloved cocoa and cookies that Yor brought out.

The details of Anya's "Best Friends" mission is as follows:

-> Start talking with Sy-on boy.

-> "Anya, you are the coolest person ever. Be my friend."

-> Come visit his house and play together.

-> Papa goes with Anya.

-> Papa meets the final boss.

-> "Welcome to my family, Forger-san." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Desmond-san."

-> World peace.

"I'm genius!" - Anya while drinking cocoa, smiles proudly as she thinks of her plan.

Meanwhile, Bond, a dog adopted by the Forgers, sneaks closer to get a whiff of Anya's cocoa.

*sniff sniff*

"No, Bond, you can't have cocoa. It's very toxic for dogs."

Loid scolds his dog.

"I'll get some milk for you."

Loid was about to stand up from his chair, but Yor quickly got up.

"Ah, Loid, allow me…"

"No, allow me, Yor - just sit down and relax."

"Ah no, Loid, let me get it. You've been incredibly busy."

(Playing the roles of) a husband and wife who care deeply about each other, they both head toward the kitchen and vie for the privilege of grabbing the milk.

Papa, Mama, and even Bond…

Anya, who escaped from the organization, entered an orphanage, and was adopted and returned many times, ultimately was able to find a special place in her life.

If there is world peace, Loid, Yor, and Bond - they can all live a quiet and peaceful life together.

I really want to stay with them forever and ever.

While her parents are in the kitchen to get a drink for Bond, Anya places her tiny hand on her chest, quietly with resolve.

"Anya will do her best!"

stop making shows about americans in europe… try europeans in america instead. the outrage of not knowing exactly what something costs at a store,, no public transport,, everyone smiling in your face and waiters scaring you by constantly popping up at your table… ice in your water for some reason,, the kind of culture clash i want to see!!

fuck emily in paris i want françois in texas

Everybody lied to me when I got engaged. Being married is fuckin great.

There is a whole other person in my house and they love me

in case people didn’t know this

the Met Gala funds the Met Costume Institute. meaning, basically, the Met’s clothing collection

from what I’ve read, it is the main source of funding for the Institute, which houses over 31,000 garments and accessories from the 17th century onwards

as for why the Costume Institute needs a separate fundraiser from the rest of this vast world-class museum with many high-profile donors…I have often wondered that myself. in the same breath as wondering why the Met has so few and sparse costume exhibits in any given year, and why some pieces on their collections website are outright misdated

but that’s the situation, so. that’s what the Met Gala is for. it’s not just rich people parading around in couture for fun. it keeps a huge museum collection of historical clothing preserved, so people can learn from and be inspired by those garments for years to come

(via ticket sales to the aforementioned rich people parading around in couture. and, in the case of guests who attend for free, the designers who make said couture and pay for tables for their celebrity models as publicity)

I’m not affiliated with the Met or the Met Costume Institute, but I am in graduate school and work in a museum with a substantial clothing and textile collection, so I will take a stab at it:

Storage: Clothing and Textiles (C&T) take up A LOT of space. Garments are usually stored by laying them flat in drawers or by being hung. You can’t fold them, you can’t store them on mannequins long term. They require space and (like all museum collections) sympathetic and specialized storage materials like acid-free tissue and boxes. That stuff is expensive.

Conservation: to put older garments on exhibit, you often need to bring in specialized textile conservators to just prep the garments for exhibition. Some historical pieces are too fragile to go on a mannequin (we have an AMAZING beaded 1920s flapper dress that lives in its drawer because the straps aren’t strong enough to hold it up on a mannequin and the skirt is approximately 600 billion seed and tube beads that need pinned in place). A lot of historic garments need conservation and/or restoration work before going on exhibit ( I spent MONTHS repairing the bodice of a 1950s gown, including recreating the beadwork). One of the common materials from the late 19th century was weighted silk; weighted silk has been treated with lead and other metallic salts. This means it literally breaks down over time. Chunks fall off. It shreds. You have to make sure the object can stand up to the rigors of exhibition before going on exhibit.

Exhibition is stressful for objects. Light is extremely damaging to most museum objects, and exhibition means extended periods for days on end. People coming in and out of the gallery means that the temperature and relative humidity is going to fluctuate, also causing damage to the objects. Just being on a mannequin, and out of its dark, safe, controlled environment is stressful for garments. My museum is talking about putting an exhibit of out 19th century clothing in the next year or so; our C&T curator needs to bring in a conservator to guide the process because we have to make sure the garments can handle it.

Also, textile conservators are expensive and highly sought after. Most museums don’t have one on staff. I don’t know if the Met does. Work on historic garments takes a long time, especially since most of it has to be done by hand.

Mannequins are also expensive. Many historic garments can’t go on adult mannequins; the mannequins are too big and the garments are too small. When C&T in my museum has exhibited 19th garments, we have to break out the kid-sized mannequins, and even then, they’re sometimes too big. Plus you have to store the mannequins when they’re not being used, which takes up mire space.

People: C&T is traditionally underfunded. It often doesn’t draw in the big donors. For things like quilts and other fiber arts, it’s often not seen as art the way paintings are. It’s women’s work, and women’s work is traditionally undervalued. Our C&T curator is constantly trying to raise money for her position’s endowment, to ensure that when she retires, another curator will be hired. There’s a museum about 2 hours north of where I am; they have a large C&T collection, but haven’t had a curator in years.

I don’t know how the Met’s budget is laid out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Costume Institute’s budget was one of the smaller ones.

sharing this again because, as a museum worker myself, I deeply appreciate you adding all the related info!

and as for C&T being underfunded. it’s so true.

one of the museums I work at, a 19th-century historical house, has a collection of amazing period garments and accessories. we have a general curator, but guess who’s the primary person on staff with specialist textile/dress history knowledge?

me

the tour guide/admin assistant/museum tech with no graduate degree who learned textile conservation from working with antique dolls

(fortunately I have a lot of field experience and do independent research, so I do know enough to keep the collection stable, mount garments for temporary display, etc. but still. before me, we had no C&T person at all. after me, we likely won’t have one again. and that’s normal)

this is a huge area of museum work with precious few resources to spare. and it’s not like museums have pots of cash to throw around in general. so sometimes, we have to let donors peacock a bit to get their money

one time while we were in the car andrew said “i basically think your gender is whatever robot body you would choose to have in a transhumanist future, but then again, that would make my gender a featureless floating orb” and i think about that a lot