I just wanted to thank all the writers and artists who took part in Richard’s Birthday Challenge. You were amazing!
I hope everyone enjoyed this past week, and that you will join us on our next adventure, whenever that is.
If you have any feedback to give us, or suggestions for future challenges, send us a message! We’ll be glad to hear from you!
In the meantime, let me remind you that we still have the Prompt Challenge running over on AO3, if you’re looking for ideas or want to leave a prompt for the writers.
It isn't too hot a day in upstate New York, but Richard's sweating like hell anyway. They can't get much of a breeze in here, and his arms are sore from pitching dirty hay into the wheelbarrow they're loading up, and for the tenth time he asks himself why he agreed to help Lee clean out the barn. Then he pauses, wipes his forearm over his brow and looks over at Lee's lovely face, and he remembers why.
Title: Traveling Soldier
Rating: Teen +
Pairing: Richard and Lee (Of course!)
Length: 7 Chapters, 10K (total)
Summary:
After completing his first tour as a medic in the US army, Private First Class Richard Armitage is weary of war. An incredible opportunity has allowed him to study for his medical license. He should be ecstatic, but all he feels is numb and lost. On his way home for leave, he stops off at diner in the middle of nowhere, Texas, and is instantly smitten by a young waiter.
Could this mysterious guy be the answer to all of Richard’s questions?
I used this pic (http://orlansky.org/post/148351818713/at-waterfight-nyc) and a P&P Fanfic I read years ago for inspiration.
‘Hold the door, please!’
Lee was approaching one of the elevators in his apartment building. He was struggling with all the packages he was carrying: food, two sleeping bags, two water guns, and his dog!
As he got close enough to see who was inside the elevator and hopefully holding the door for him, he saw a tall, dark and very handsome guy he’d never seen before. All that gorgeousness was trumped by the fact that he was an asshole. Instead of holding the door, the blue-eyed hunk was pressing what Lee assumed was the door close button, effectively closing the elevator door.
‘Asshole!’
——–
Richard was in a sour mood. He had recently moved into an apartment in what was one of the nicer neighbourhoods in NYC, but that did not stop the apartment from having a few plumbing issues. And getting a reliable plumber was a bit of a struggle for an expatriate who knew very few people in town.
‘Hold the door please!’
Richard was approaching one of the elevators in his apartment building. He was struggling with all the packages with the supplies the plumber had told him to buy to fix his shower. He was tired, sweaty, and about to experience a heat stroke, or so he thought.
As he got close enough to see who was inside the elevator, somebody hopefully holding the door for him, he saw a very tall, light brown-haired and very handsome guy he’d unfortunately seen 5 days ago. He had heard a male voice asking him to please hold the door, but instead of pressing the door open button, he had accidentally pressed the door close one. And judging by the guy’s reaction, he, remembered Richard.
The door closed but not before Richard saw his neighbour waving at him sporting a smirk on his face.
‘Bloody git!’
———
‘Hold the door, please!’
Lee was carrying another water gun after he’d remembered that both his nephew and his niece were accompanying his sister on her trip to NYC.
As he approached the door he saw the same gorgeous Brit he’d seen a couple of days ago. Hoping the guy had learned to be more polite, he walked to the elevator confidently only to see both doors close, but not before he had made to place the gun inside the elevator.
Needless to say, the gun was ruined. Needless to say, Lee was pissed off.
‘This is war!’
———
Richard could not be more mortified. Not only had he behaved like a jackass yet again when he failed to hold the door open for super-tall and super-handsome, be he had also ruined what seemed to be an expensive toy. His mum had taught him well, believe it or not, and as soon as he was able to, he had bought a similar water gun. Now all he had to do was find out which apartment his super-handsome neighbour lived in.
‘Am I a creep, or what?’ He cringed at the idea.
He thought better of stalking his neighbour, and decided to leave it with the concierge.
———
Lee got to his apartment building after a long day at work and after finding out the only water gun that resembled the one he had originally bought for his niece had been sold out. He was officially angry at the Brit. His mood matched the weather outside. It had been raining all day long and it had taken him twice as long to get home.
As he got into the elevator and pressed number 8 he heard a voice he hoped he’d never hear again.
‘Hold the door, please!’
The guy sounded frantic.
Lee did not give a rat’s arse.
As he made eye contact with the Brit, he noticed the guy was completely soaked through with what appeared to be dirty water. Good! Lee thought smugly as he raised his cell phone and took a photo of the guy for later use before the doors closed.
He did not feel so smug after he got to his apartment and saw that a box was waiting leaning on the front door to his place. A box with a water gun in it and a note stuck to the uppermost side.
Dear Neighbour,
I know you think I’m a bloody twit, but I’m not, I swear!
I know it’s far too hard to believe, but I was distracted (both times, believe it or not) and did not see you nor did I see the water gun in time to avoid disaster.
I am sorry for malfunctioning twice!
Please, take this as a paltry effort to atone for my sins.
I hope it’s not too late for the intended recipient to enjoy it.
R. Armitage.
Lee grinned.
He was beginning to think he had been wrong about the guy. Perhaps the Brit was not so bad after all!
———
He later learned that Mr. Armitage had given the toy to the concierge, who had delivered it to Lee’s apartment. And while he still did not believe the Brit had been distracted every single time they had run into each other he wanted to remedy the situation and start over with the hot Brit.
He could no longer deny Mr. Armitage’s accent and his extremely good looks were driving him to distraction. Especially now that the Brit had shown he was willing to apologize and take the steps necessary to make up for a wrongdoing. He had actually gone out of his way to pick out a toy that was almost identical to the one Lee had initially bought and he had even written a handwritten note, for goodness sakes!
Lee kept an eye out for the guy.
If he was lucky, he might run into the Brit. He did not want to miss the opportunity to finally make peace and find out whether there was more to him than good looks and kindness.
‘Hold the door, please!’
Finally! Lee thought, now I get to talk to him.
Lee pressed what he thought was the open door button (for he was not looking at the panel), but turned out to be the close door button. As he realized what he had done, he widened his eyes and blushed! As he directed his eyes towards the elevator panel and then towards the man, he saw his neighbour smirking at him before the doors separated them once again.
He now believed the Brit when he’d said he’d been too distracted to function properly.
——-
‘Hold the door, please!’
Why does this keep happening to them?!?!
But at least now he had a very good excuse. His sister, his nephew and niece had just arrived in the city. He’d picked them up at the airport and as usual he’d taken Carl with him. There simply wasn’t enough room for somebody else.
‘Sorry!’ Lee said, grimacing and blushing. ‘It’s a bit crowded at the moment. Otherwise…’ Lee could not stop ogling the guy, he could not help himself. The Brit had apparently come back from exercising and shorts and tank top he was wearing made him look even hotter.
‘No problem!’ Richard answered. ‘I can wait.’
As he said this Carl decided to come close to Richard to sniff him and the latter took the opportunity to pet him.
‘You’re such a good boy. Enjoy your day!’
He then raised his eyes to Lee and smiled.
As the doors closed, Lee’s sister started giggling as she had noticed how both men had looked at each other.
‘Who is he?’
‘My neighbour.’
‘Seriously?’
‘My British neighbour?’
‘You’re a tease.’
‘I don’t know his name, okay?’
‘I don’t believe you!’
‘Fine! I do know his last name, but…’
‘And how did that come about?’
‘Never mind!’
‘But, do you want to know more about him?’
Lee did not answer. He did not want to admit he had been tempted to ask the concierge, one of the doormen, and even one of the neighbours who had been having a chat with the Brit when Lee had come back to the building after going on a walk with Carl.
He decided to devote his attention to his family while they were in town. He could wait before devising a way to have an actual conversation with the guy.
‘I don’t know where to start.’
The elevator reached the 8th floor and as the five of them got out of it and approached his apartment, he noticed a package in front of his door. As he grabbed the box and took a look at the note accompanying the package he recognized the penmanship immediately.
The resulting grin made his sister laugh.
‘Shut up!’
‘I guess somebody knows where to start!’
She winked at him and after grabbing his keys and opening the door, she let herself and the children inside his apartment while Lee debated whether to read the note and open the package right away or to wait until his sister could not make any sassy comments.
———
‘Are you not going to open that?’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘The package tall, dark and handsome sent to you.’
‘I don’t even know whether it was him!’
‘Of course it was from him! You took a look at that note and recognized the handwriting right away!’
‘Stop it!’
‘You should have seen your face!’
‘Stop it!’
‘He might have included his number, but you will never know unless you read that note.’
Lee looked at his sister, that thought had clearly not entered his mind until now. He was not going to humour his sister and have her laugh at him any more than she already did. He’d wait until everybody had gone to bed.
‘Okay, okay…I bet you’ll wait until we’ve gone to bed and sneak out of your room and read that note.’
‘How on earth did you know that?’
‘Old habits die hard, dear brother. You have not forgotten what you used to do when we were teens, have you?’
His sister laughed as Lee blushed once again.
———
Later that night, and just as his sister had guessed, he went out of his room in search for the note and the package.
As he opened the box he could not stop smiling. Inside the box there was a pair of goggles.
Lee was beginning to think his neighbour had done a bit of research. And as he read the note, his smile widened turning into a full-fledged grin.
Dear Neighbour,
I’m given to understand that next Saturday, the much dreaded waterfight NYC will take place. And I have it on good authority that one of my neighbours, along with hundreds of residents, will brave the weather and threats from Central Park’s officials to have a bit of fun. I have never been more relieved, and happier, than when I found out my esteemed neighbour would not have to miss such an important engagement due to a blunder on my part.
Good luck and may the best man win!
Cheers!
Lee could not help but laugh out loud.
‘Game on!’
———
It had been four days and he had not seen or heard from the Brit again.
He was spending most of his time with his nephew and niece and trying to appease his sister. She did not like the idea of a 8 and a 6 year old playing with water guns, but Lee insisted they were old enough and they were going to be under constant supervision for the duration of their stay. And after he told her what he had in store for them, she decided to let them be.
———
‘Hold the door, please!’
Lee was in a bit of hurry, he’d promised his nephew and niece he’d let them come with him and Carl to the park, but before that he had to feed them first.
‘Hold the door sir, pleeeeeease!’
The kids parroted while they ran towards the elevator.
‘Thank you sir!’
Said the young girl.
‘No problem sweetie.’
Lee grinned when he heard the familiar voice and accent.
Finally!
‘You speak funny!’ The boy offered.
‘That’s because I come from English.’
‘Where is England?’ The girl asked.
‘C’mon! You know where England is!’ Lee interjected.
Lee addressed the Brit.
‘They do know where it is. Our school system is not that bad!’
The neighbour laughed at that.
‘I didn’t think it was.’
‘Thank you for holding the door!’ Lee added. He had not noticed that his neighbour was not on his way up, but rather on his way down. When he did, his smile fell away.
‘It was the least I could do. I just moved in, I don’t want my neighbours to think I’m a git, now do I?’ He returned Lee’s smile and actually added a wink for good measure. ‘Well, have a nice day then.’
‘Have a good day, sir.’ Both kids chirped.
‘See you around, then…’ Lee said.
‘It’s Richard.’
He extended his hand for a handshake.
‘I’m Lee.’
Both men shook hands before Richard left.
‘See you later Lee.’
———-
When the trio got to Lee’s apartment, he noticed that there was another package waiting for him.
As he picked it up his sister opened the front door.
‘Hey, how did it go? Did you have fun?’
As she hugged her kids, she noticed Lee was looking at the note accompanying the package. She grinned and opened her mouth to tease him, but her kids beat her to it.
‘We met one of uncle Lee’s neighbours.’
‘You did?’
‘Yes, he had a funny accent!’
Lee’s sister grinned and looked at Lee.
‘He did, huh?’
Lee blushed.
‘Did he say where he was from?’
‘He said he came from England!’ Both kids offered.
‘Is that so?’
Lee could not look her in the eye.
‘Did the elusive neighbour volunteer his name?’ His sister insisted.
‘His name is Richard.’ The boy said trying to imitate the Brit’s voice and accent.
‘So your neighbour goes by the name of Richard!’ His sister was enjoying this too much! ‘Isn’t that a lovely name, Lee?’
‘Stop it!’
Lee remembered he was holding a package that had no doubt been sent to him by the very guy they were talking about.
‘What are you holding there, Lee?’
Her grin was getting wider by the minute.
‘Is it from Richard?’ She whispered cheekily in his ears before following the kids into the apartment.
——–
Later that night Lee opened the note.
Dear Neighbour,
I made yet another error. I’m beginning to think I’m never going to get things right where you are concerned. As I have just learned that you might be bringing along two young apprentices to be trained in the art of warfare…I mean waterfare, I came to realize that I made yet another blunder. I hope the young ones have as much fun in the battlefield as I know only water mass destruction can bring!
Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favour!
He chuckled at the cringe worthy pun and opened the box. Two more pairs of goggles were placed therein.
If he had to hazard a guess, he’d say there would be at least one familiar face at Central Park come Saturday and he could not wait!
———-
Lee wasn’t so sure his great idea was so great anymore.
The day started out as most summer days do. Sunny, humid, hot and miserable, he was actually looking forward to cooling down with the help of a few people. But he was not prepared for the sheer number of people who had gathered in Central Park’s designated area for the battle. Nor was he prepared for the kind of artillery some of those people were carrying.
Water balloons after water balloons were hurled his way.
His very own nephew and niece turned on him, each one of them delivering such a powerful stream of water he lost his goggles compromising his vision for a while.
Somebody aimed a bucketful of water in his direction.
A teenage girl sitting on his father’s shoulders and carrying a water-spraying contraption big enough to intimidate the most seasoned warrior started aiming it at anyone within her reach.
A bunch of teens and kids carrying super soakers delivered powerful jets of water to anyone and everyone. Lee took a hit that made him slip on the slippery grass and fall on the ground.
An elderly couple holding a water blaster each took advantage of that and teamed up with his young apprentices to set up what he deemed The Death Squad with the sole aim to finish him off.
Suddenly, out of nowhere a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and helped him to his feet.
The other man must have taken pity on him and decided to aid him in his plight. And hopefully, help him settle the score with the deadly squad.
As he turned his head to thank the man, a masked woman launched a water balloon in their direction taking both men by surprise and allowing the death squad to annihilate both men with the combined power of four water blasters.
Both men tried to counter their attack, but the masked woman joined the squad. Thereby, deciding their fate.
As he raised both hands to admit defeat he turned to the other man. He could not have been more surprised.
‘We meet again!’ Lee said.
‘It’s a small world!’ Richard answered.
‘Somehow, I don’t think this was a coincidence.’ Lee was smiling like a fool.
‘I’ll admit I had to do some research to figure out what the water gun was for.’ Richard added sheepishly.
‘You didn’t do too shabbily for a guy who’d never operated a water gun before.’ Lee said teasingly.
‘That’s not what I meant!’ Richard chuckled. ‘Plus, we’ve been obliterated by two small children and two pensioners!’
‘Well, there’s always next year!’ Lee added with a timid smile.
‘There’s always next year!’ Richard added with a wink.
———–
Four years later.
‘Richard!’
‘I’m in the sunroom!’
‘Have you seen my new water blaster? I don’t want to be decimated five years in a row!’
Richard chuckled and approached the entrance to the sunroom of their new house.
‘Are you never going to let it go?’
‘You’re just saying that because you don’t have to save face in front of your nephew.’
‘No. I’m saying that because I did get something or out of those battles.’
Richard approached him with a mischievous look in his face.
‘Can’t you guess what it is?’
Lee had an idea, but he knew Richard well enough to know what that look on Richard’s face meant.
‘You better not be holding what I think you’re holding behind your back, Rich!’
Richard pretended not to know what he meant. But soon after he revealed a brand new water blaster that was almost as big as his torso and he was aiming it right at Lee’s chest.
Lee stepped back, preparing himself for the attack when he saw his own water blaster out of the corner of his eye.
Richard, being the gentleman he was, allowed him to get a hold of the contraption before speaking.
‘Well…if you don’t want to go down in history as the most hapless fighter in NYC, I suggest practising.’
Lee smirked; he knew that as soon as they stepped into their garden Carl was going to jump on Richard, thereby ensuring Lee’s victory.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Thorin Oakenshield/Thranduil
Characters: Thorin Oakenshield, Thranduil (Tolkien), Bilbo Baggins, Thorin's Company
Summary:
Thranduil turned back to him, his face completely devoid of any expression. He was made of cold, cold ice, but something in his eyes seemed to shimmer with a heat that Thorin didn’t quite understand.
“I would require a guarantee,” the Elvenking told him. “A deposit of sorts.”
“What are you talking about?” Thorin asked. His tone was severe, but he felt bewildered. “Did you not hear me? You already took all we own! I have nothing but the clothes on my back!”
There was a pause, and then Thranduil said, very carefully: “Then I will accept that as your payment.”
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Thorin Oakenshield/Thranduil
Characters: Thorin Oakenshield, Thranduil Oropherion, Dís (Tolkien)
Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Meddling, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary:
A conspiracy to bring a truce to the unexpected 'battle' between Thorin and Thranduil leads to something more than anybody could have hoped for.
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Richard Armitage/Lee Pace
Characters: Richard Armitage, Lee Pace
Additional Tags: Richard is shy, Lee is not, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, They are not movie actors, But they are still actors, Adults acting like dumb teenagers
Summary:
Finding love on a plane, yeah, right. That only happened in stupid teenage movies, right?
This story is posted for the Richard Armitage Birthday Challenge in Tumblr and AO3!
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Actor RPF, Richlee - Fandom, Lee Pace - Fandom, Richard Armitage - Fandom, The Hobbit RPF
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Richard Armitage/Lee Pace
Summary:
Heya, velcroboyfriends here and excited to bring you some fun Richard-related costume analysis!
Our dear Richard has done a lot of period dramas - today, for this installment of the Birthday Challenge, I thought I’d take us on a chronological trip through his historical films, with a special emphasis on the costumes and what they say about his characters (or, actually, speculate about what they say, because tbh I haven’t seen a lot of these films). So read more to find out!
A long time ago… - Star Wars: Episode I
Okay, so this is more sci-fi than period, but it does say it’s ‘a long time ago…’ The costumes from all the Star Wars films are totally unique and iconic (I mean, just look at that fun nonsense they’ve got on Padme!), so it’s a pity that we only get to see a little glimpse of him here. Still, he’s got some fun detailing - notice the horizontal pleating on his robe/jacket/whatever-it-is? The helmet doesn’t do much for the fellow, however. Maybe we’ll be lucky and he’ll have a part in a future Star Wars movie.
48 BC - Cleopatra
Another very brief appearance. I don’t know much about Roman military costume, but this seems legit. All it tells us about his character, though, is that… he’s a soldier? And that’s probably all the audience needed to know about this side character.
1100s - Robin Hood
Oh, Gizzy, much-beloved character by a lot of Richard’s fans. I’ve never seen Robin Hood personally, but of course as a member of this fandom I’m quite familiar with his many smoldering looks. As a fashion history nerd, most of the costumes on the show make me cringe; so much is just not historical at all!
But from watching a bit of behind-the-scenes material, I know that the designer was going for a more modernized, anachronistic look, and from that standpoint, Gisborne’s costumes work exceedingly well. They tell the audience exactly what to expect of him: a sexy, powerful villain who probably has some dark secrets boiling. And I have to respect a costume that can tell you so much in one glance. Plus look at all that delicious detailing! The wingtip-like punctures in the leather, the tooling around the collar, the rows and rows of grommets… there was definite thought and time put into this garment.
1200s - Pilgrimage
As I’m no expert on medieval or military garments, I can’t speak to the accuracy here - but it looks legit to me, and has lots of cool detailing! I’m especially into the spiked pauldrons and the embroidered crest on his tabard. I like the look of the chain mail around his neck, but it doesn’t seem to be doing much to protect his throat... let’s hope it came off in battle and he doesn’t just drape chainmail pointlessly around his shoulders all the time.
Anyway, I will be excited to see this film when it comes out! The costumes definitely look beautiful.
Medieval Fantasy - The Hobbit
Given that The Hobbit doesn’t take place on Earth, it’s pointless to try to attach an era to it, so I’ll put it in the middle here, in the category of medieval fantasy. If I were an expert on medieval costume I’d probably be able to source elements from different periods, but it’s not my specialty.
Anyway, I adore this costume. It does a fantastic job of making a very tall man look not so tall at all, but still imposing as hell. The huge fur lapels do a great bit of the work there, as do the huge chunky boots that take advantage of all the extra space to add tons of detail. Celtic knot toe caps, the criss-crossing leather straps, the bits of fur that carry that detail all the way down - awesome. And can we talk about the amazing metalwork, from the scale-like (foreshadowing!) armor to his elaborate belt buckle. And of course the hair and make-up make the final touch to transform Richard into a dwarven warrior.
Medieval Fantasy - Alice through the Looking Glass
More ‘ye olde times’ garb, but this look isn’t nearly as interesting. It’s your standard ‘I’m a king’ look, torn straight from royal portraiture. The crown is generic, the robe is generic… honestly, I expected more from Tim Burton. But perhaps that generic quality is the point?
1692 - The Crucible
This costume is absolutely fantastic. I love the grim colors, the tired drape of the scarf, the way the coat is weathered and structured at the same time. There are architectural lines to this look that add to Proctor’s imposing figure: the long vertical lines of the scarf, the high collar of the coat. But the distressed fabric gives him a softness underneath that, a softness that becomes even more apparent as, over the course of the play, he loses pieces, eventually stripping down to his shirt - which by Puritan standards would have been underwear.
It’s not spot-on historically accurate, but that wasn’t what the production was looking for, and as a costume it serves the character extremely well. Plus Richard looks awesome in it, just as he does in any structured outerwear. Good choice.
1855 - North & South
Oh, North & South. A beautifully done period drama that is my personal favorite piece out of Richard’s filmography. There’s a lot to say about Thornton’s clothing in this series, and Feminéma has done an excellent job at her blog here. Here I’ve chosen to highlight two costume moments in North & South that show the progression of Thornton’s character throughout the series.
The first moment is the photo above, in Thornton’s most typical look. This is what he’s wearing in the cotton mill when he is first seen by Margaret, what he wears (in some variation) for most of the series. He’s a column of black here, an imposing figure of stark, even ominous, stature. Every bit of his clothing is meticulous, untouched by the cotton dust that touches everything and everyone else around him. And most importantly, his ascot is wrapped tight around his neck, keeping him - and his emotions - confined.
Now notice how he’s dressed here. The parts are the same - white shirt, black waistcoat - but he’s jacketless, and most importantly, without the ever-present ascot. His collar is even unbuttoned, swinging wide open as if to say - here I am, open to love. Open to you. Compared to his tightly-buttoned clothing in the rest of the series, this glimpse of neck is near pornographic. And this final change of costume is what proves that he is a man who can be emotionally available and be loved by Margaret.
1862 - The Impressionists
Okay. As great as Richard looks in this series, the hair just bugs me. The side part, the layering… it just feels wrong. And look at his ridiculously contemporary friends in the background! Monet did have long hair in his youth, but it surely didn’t look like this. They’re going for the romantic-young-man thing here, but look how dashing the real Monet was with his hair slicked back!
‘Sup, Claude. Richard could’ve pulled that off. But anyway, I love the rest of his costumes in this series. We rarely get to see Richard wear a lot of color, but this movie gives us greens, blues and this lovely look in pink. The embroidery on the waistcoat is fantastic, and I love this textured brown coat - a close match to the original seen in this photo of Monet - that gives him an air of bohemian softness. Plus this series has a lot of great ascots.
1910s - Miss Marie Lloyd
Another delightful look, this time from the Edwardian era, one of my personal favorite eras. I adore this grey jacket with the black velvet lapel - an awesome design detail. And the cravat is very nice. Some other, blurrier, screencaps also show him in a bowler hat - what fun! I love a good bowler hat, although I’m not sure it works well with his very angular look. I love how they’ve done his hair here, as well, with the nice curl in the front.
However, this costume doesn’t say much at all to me about his character. I’ve looked at a lot of images from this film, and I have no idea who this man is, what his personality is like… very bland choices. Perhaps that’s the point; I’d have to see the film to find out, I suppose.
1920s - Malice Aforethought
I love this 1920s look shown here in Malice Aforethought. I haven’t seen the film, but it only took one look at this costume to know who the character is here: a wealthy, sneering fellow. The pale tones of his clothing scream wealth (pale tones are for garden parties and summer outings - plus only a wealthy man could afford to keep his clothes that clean), the v-neck sweater vest is so typical of the 1920s rich set, and the little pencil moustache gives Richard an ever-present sneer. I love the windowpane pattern on the coat that gives him more texture. In his other costumes in the film he is always in stripes or windowpane plaids, a busy pattern that can symbolize someone who is an irritation.
1942 - Captain America
Okay, first off we have to talk about those glasses. How awesome are they? A unique, unexpected ‘40s look - I bet when the designer found those, she was really excited. The double-breasted suit is gorgeous and totally ‘40s, and the pink tie is a nice touch straight out of Heinz Kruger’s depiction in the comics:
Glad they didn’t do the shaved sides or the pencil moustache, though! The pink tie and the glasses really add a touch of specificity to the character that I like a lot. It’s not a look you immediately go to when you think ‘Nazi assassin’, but that’s what makes it work.
1958 - Marple
This is another costume look that tells you a lot about a character at a first glance. Every aspect of his look is disheveled, in distress, dirty. And the hair and makeup crews have done a great job of making him look tired and feverish. The era itself - and the costume itself - is not too interesting, but I admire their work.
1964 - Inspector George Gently
Wow! This is quite a look for Richard. He does well in structured coats like this, and this piece is quite amazingly detailed. The scarf is an unexpected touch that pulls it away from looking too modern, as is the slicked-over hair. I can’t say this look reads especially 1960s to me, but it’s fun all the same.
I hope you’ve all enjoyed this romp through history with me, and perhaps learned some new things about historical costume and the use of costume to define characters! Enjoy the rest of the RABC <3
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Richard Armitage/Lee Pace
Characters: Richard Armitage, Lee Pace
Summary:
As everything he did in his life, Richard planned all in great detail. He would think everything through, write down every move if needed.
There was a time, a year ago to be exact, when Richard made a silent, little wish—something that involved Lee and love and happiness. He didn't think he'd ever get something out of that, but tonight. . .
that all entries for Richard’s Birthday Challenge are due in tomorrow, August 10, so that we can work on a posting schedule based on what we get.
If you’re having trouble finishing your entry on time, please let us know so we can find a way to allow you some extra time, and don’t just think your entry is not coming.
The email with all the info concerning the challenge has been sent. It should answer most of your questions on how this will work, but if anything is unclear or if you need help with something, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
If you have signed up to the challenge but did not receive the email, please let us know. Either we had a wrong address, or never received your details.
If you’re reading this and would like to take part in the event but haven’t signed up yet, it is still possible until the end of the month! All you have to do is click on the following link and fill in the info!
