#(but I REALLY should start to work on that bodice if I'm gonna try making even a quick n dirty one)

[blujayonthewing]

I was gonna say I completely squandered today for Projects but then I remembered my new desk organizers came today and I spent several hours rearranging and organizing a bunch of my art supplies

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form: Follow up Re: Gender Neutral World

This is a follow up to a previous ask.

I asked you previous about building a gender neutral society.

Things like clothing, developed speech patterns, and body language - that's very much going to be gender neutral. (But still, there's genetic differences for clothing - if someone grows breasts there needs accomodation, if someone's hips are wider than their waist, they can't wear trousers that fit their waist but be too tight on hips)

It's the hormones that I'm mostly concerned about which is why people keep mentioning their need to be no differences physically.

If only part of the population produces sperm and the other part produces eggs, then there is inherently going to have different cultural thoughts to them. Will one become suprerior than the other? Society will eventually start separating things. Maybe people will try to be gender neutral but it's a difference that will have some people thinking it isn't the same. Not to mention there is always going to be people who do not like their part. You're saying that there are cultures that don't adhere to gender binary, that does not matter. It didn't stay that way. Society has changed because there are parts of the society that obviously didn't agree. I am not trying to build an individual society in one part of my world - it needs to be widespread on the entire planet. These changes and other ideas should not really exist on my planet at all.

As for hormones. That very obviously makes differences. If part of the population have a lot more testosterone than the other half and if it makes those people grow muscles easier,  grow taller, have more body hair, have deeper voices, etc then those people are going to different than the other half. Sure, if some of other half somehow have extra testosterone and are one of the ones that work out, they're going to close the gap somewhere, but it would always be a difference when it all averages out. No matter what, such differences is going to make culture different. If you grow muscles easier, a society is going to see this advantage and make of them be warriors and that would make a difference. So you're saying that anyone can train strength - yes of course anyone can and I'm sure there's always going to be weaker people with more testosterone and stronger people with less testosterone... but on average, if there is an inherent capability, then it's not going to be the same. You mentioned throwing spears. Well, in order to be actually gender neutral, any Olympic javelin throwing competition is going to mix all genders and be completely fair and among top competitors there should be no correlation between gender/hormones. Voices, body hair, etc... just like reproduction - there are going to be differences and ideals and people who prefer it the other way. Again, to be gender neutral - there needs no correlation to whatever hormones you have that make these differences.

Tex: I’m gonna go through this and pick out some lines to respond to, because this is very much A Lot ™.

But still, there's genetic differences for clothing - if someone grows breasts there needs accomodation, if someone's hips are wider than their waist, they can't wear trousers that fit their waist but be too tight on hips

Clothing has zero to do with genetics and everything to do with resource management. Baggy clothes - or at least what comes across as such to 2023-era eyes - are typically made with the least amount of stitching, cutting, or weaving. Ergo, you’re going to see a lot of rectangles, and humans are not rectangle-shaped, so clothes are not always going to have that silicon-dipped silhouette that’s been mostly popular from about the 1960s to today.

Secondly, “form-fitting” clothing in the Western perspective and pre-1960s (ish) has been greatly influenced by the wearing of bodice, corsets, and related undergarments that pre-date the modern bra. Accordingly, clothing has been tailored for that era of undergarments to better distribute the weight of the garments, as synthetic textiles like polyester either weren’t invented yet or in common use for clothes-making and natural fibers for outer garments are heavier on average.

It's the hormones that I'm mostly concerned about which is why people keep mentioning their need to be no differences physically.

If you are referring to sex hormones, those are steroids that are produced by the body in more places than just the gonads (Wikipedia). Hormones, more generally speaking, are cell signalling molecules that perform a variety of functions in order to maintain homeostasis, and can be found in animals, plants, and fungi (Wikipedia).

If only part of the population produces sperm and the other part produces eggs, then there is inherently going to have different cultural thoughts to them.

Is that a part of your worldbuilding that you’re already firmly decided on? What are these inherent cultural thoughts? From what cultures, if any, are you sourcing these ideas? Have you looked into why these source cultures believe what they do?

Will one become suprerior than the other?

Are they supposed to?

Society will eventually start separating things.

Did they not already? How so? What would push them to separate what was apparently unified beforehand?

Maybe people will try to be gender neutral but it's a difference that will have some people thinking it isn't the same.

“Try” to be gender neutral, or “is” gender neutral? The former is performative, the latter is not. Does the internal consistency of your worldbuilding hold up when you replace the words “gender neutral” to “woman”, “man”, or another gender?

 Not to mention there is always going to be people who do not like their part.

How do you mean, with “their part”? Is this aspect of your world something you’ve built to be compulsory, rather than voluntary? Why is that?

You're saying that there are cultures that don't adhere to gender binary, that does not matter. It didn't stay that way.

Why does that not matter to you? What observations have you made as to why it didn’t “stay” that way? Cultural erosion due to outside influences is a widely-known phenomenon - is that what you’re referring to, or something else?

Society has changed because there are parts of the society that obviously didn't agree.

Society is always changing. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t have houses, internet, or taxes. People have also always disagreed with each other - who, in your world, were the ones with a disagreeing opinion, and how much influence did you build for them to have in order to shape this society to such a large degree?

 I am not trying to build an individual society in one part of my world - it needs to be widespread on the entire planet. These changes and other ideas should not really exist on my planet at all.

Logistically speaking, this is nearly impossible due to the lack of constant communication between groups of people over long distances (even more difficult to accomplish without technology like the internet). I very much blame big names like Star Wars and Star Trek for this, though they did do their best with the budgets they had and the amount of time allocated for each installment - homogenization in popular literatures has created a cascading effect on individual writers in that they believe they need to have a single, unified culture for the sake of worldbuilding. (You need not.) (Nor does it make sense in-universe upon inspection past a reader’s suspension of disbelief.)

As for hormones.

Please see the beginning of my response for more information.

Addy: I don't have much to add on to Tex's reply, but there are two fictional cultures that immediately spring to mind: Discworld dwarves and Star Wars Mandalorians.

Star Wars Mandalorians and Discworld dwarves both stand out as societies that don't really have gender roles. In Discworld, that's actually part of why dwarves have a pretty low reproductive rate - the biology of your partner is generally unknown until you're already deep in the relationship. Asking a dwarf what genitals they have would be like asking a human how much hair they had down there. It's just not really something you talk about.

So there's a 50/50 chance that you and your partner will even be capable of having kids together.

For Mandalorians, they're all in armor all the time anyways. They have cool weapons. They don't really care what species you are, much less your biology. They have technological characteristics, yes, but they place an emphasis on the character of the person over their physical characteristics. Mando'a, the Mandalorian language, also has no gender markers or gendered words. For example, "son" and "daughter" and "child" are all the same word. Languages reflects values.

The real question to ask is if the values of your societies would cause someone to rise or fall in social status for bearing a child (whether that be laying eggs, getting pregnant, or otherwise), or if bearing a child would have no impact on social status. Same for siring a child. Gender roles and expectations vary wildly across cultures, and that's with humans. You can make this world whatever you want. What you look for will determine what you make. If you look for reasons for sexism, you'll find them. If you look for reasons to not have sexism, you'll find them. It's your call.

Wootzel: I think we’re all having a bit of bafflement at each other (you the asker, and we on the blog alike) because there are just so many ideas here and there’s no one right approach, and you seem to be asking for a firm ruling on what is ultimately your choice.

I suppose that, in prehistory, at a time when your species are still heavily struggling for survival all the time, there’s a reason to believe that sexual dimorphism would inherently result in different sexes having different roles. As soon as the society or societies gets beyond the point of struggling for survival all the time… well, they have a choice, don’t they? 

Not all species and not all societies need to be as obstinate and individualistic as the modern west. If you want your whole world to just ignore sex, have no such thing as gender roles, and that’s your cup of tea? Shia LaBeouf up and JUST DO IT. 

This is one of those things in worldbuilding where insisting on treating gender a certain way… tends to alienate some people. It tends to alienate those who do not fit on one side or the other of a gender binary. It tends to alienate people from cultures where the gender binary doesn’t exist, or is not a binary, or just does “binary” along different lines than whatever the writer is thinking of.

The reason you’re getting pushback from us and from others on the idea that gender binaries are necessary and inevitable is… this alienation is towards groups that get marginalized already. That kind of thinking legitimately does help prop up real-world oppressive systems that disadvantage people who don’t fit in with the ideas of discrete gender roles. It might just be fiction, but fiction explores and reinforces real-world ideas.

There’s nothing wrong with having gender roles in your stories, mind. There is something wrong with acting like it must necessarily always be this way. Gender roles are an interesting concept, and they’re also one you can discard at will. 

Why does your society have no gender? Because the people in it decided long ago to do away with that kind of thing? That’s honestly all the reason you need right there. 

Mod Note: A reader of the blog also submitted this comment as an ask after we posted the response to the previous ask:

To the person who wanted to create the gender-equal/neutral society:

If you still want them to retain sexes and not be hermaphroditic then in my opinion the only way you can actually have both sexes be on equal footing is if the females don't get pregnant. Pregnancy and caring for very young children is the core reason for most biological, social and cultural differences between human males and females.

If the females lay eggs or have some equivalent way of growing children outside of their own bodies, and if newly hatched/born children aren't reliant on milk (or equivalent), it is more feasible for the males and females of a species to be very similar both biologically and socially.

[1d1195]

i am excited !! the bride is one of my oldest friends, we’ve known each other since we were babies and im super psyched for her, what im gonna wear well…😭 i got this superrrr gorgeous dress which was like moss green with pinkish flowers on the bodice and it had a corset and it was just so pretty, totally giving forest fairy princess, right ?? IT CAME BROKEN D: it was missing a strap ?? (it was NOT a strapless dress😭, it literally had one side with the strap intact and the other was just…gone) returned it ofc and i have a different dress coming in the mail so i’ll let you know how that looks when it gets here

no bc ten in ONE year is a LOT i don’t blame you at all i think id quit them altogether if it got that far LMFAO

summer school sounds like a blast tbh, it seems way more chill than ur average school day and i think summer at a beach is SO awesome, i hope u have a great time !!! honestly i have nothing planned except the wedding so far haha so honestly i don’t really know ?? i don’t work at the moment so until school starts im pretty free. this is actually my first time going back in a hot minute, my family traveled a lot when i was growing up (they’re both immigrants so we’d go back and visit family n stuff) and it kind of messed with my school and during one of our longer trips (a couple of years) when we came back to the states i just never went back and finished so now im trying to go back and get my GED (long overdue lmao) !! i always really loved school and ive been dreaming of going back since i stopped (can you say nerd🤣) but i am kind of scared to go back when ive been out of the game for so long😭 but hopefully it’ll be okay !

if all goes well after that, i have no clue what id like to major in. i feel like the kinds of things im interested in people wouldnt necessarily approve of yk ?? id love to major in something like psychology or english but those are the degrees i ALWAYS see people making fun of and calling pointless💔😭 who even knows if I’ll make it that far though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

hope you’re doing amazing !!

~🎶

I'm sure your new dress is just as pretty but the green and floral fairy look sounds so pretty! I'm sorry it didn't come in tact, that's the WORST.

I'm so sick of weddings tbh. And bridal showers. And baby showers. I'm probs just bitter because I won't be having any of it, but ya know. I've enjoyed every wedding and shower that I've been too. They're all cute and fun but I simply cannot afford this anymore. I'm saying no to my first wedding invite in years--it's too far away and as much as I would love to make a trip of it, I can't do it. It's too much for my stress addled mind.

Learning isn't linear and if it's time to get your GED now, then it truly doesn't matter. That's amazing you're going back and it's awesome that you're interested in it! You're going to do amazing (also if you have any math questions let me know, I love math lol) I'm sure you'll settle right back into things as soon as you get back in the classroom. You're going to do so well, it's amazing you're doing this for yourself. I think it's huge and important and I love that for you! You're talking to Miss Nerd herself over here. There's no such thing! I love school much I chose to teach so I didn't need to leave! There's nothing wrong with enjoying school anymore than not enjoying school. Some people love it, some people don't. I'm happy for you!!! 💕

You gotta do what you like. Psych and English are great choices. They're interesting to you and that's what matters most. You'll figure the rest out as you go along! I would love to go back to school and be a full time student and just collect degrees like Pokemon cards. I would love a psych degree. I think I would be a good therapist lol. Anything you decide to do is not pointless. People that say stuff like that are unhappy with their own lives because they chose to follow something they weren't passionate about. I can relate as you don't know how many people tell me I should have done more than be a teacher and "those who can't do, teach" which is like a knife to my heart every time I hear it. But even if I WERE to placate the idea and agree for two seconds that some degrees are "pointless" someone has to do the job required of those degrees. So how pointless is it really? English and Psych are so important for mental health fields, creative fields, just general societal norms. There's a reason every college student has to take English 101 and Psych classes for anything they pursue.

I hope that doesn't sound offensive. It's meant to sound more like "it's not pointless, in fact it's so pointed, you have to do it because that's what you want and that's more than enough."

HEY I GOT A NEW SONG FOR US. I was watching a show on Netflix and it hit me like a truck! PIRATE RADIO* Jean Dawson I don't know how to describe it, it's just like this romantic/whimsical song. I hope you'll know what I mean if you decide to listen to it!

Hope you're having a good start to your week! 💕💕

xoxo

[milomeepit]

Kiss Me- Moxiety (Highschool AU)

Word Count: 2.3k

Ships: Logince, Moxiety, Decani

Content Warnings: Minor blood/injury, violence mention, sex jokes, homophobic classmates

AN: Should I be working on my Big Bang? Yes. Should I be doing homework? Also yes. But I had the idea and it refused to wait 😂 Also, I'm on mobile so 1) no taglist but I'll reblog it later if I remember, and 2) I think I did the read more correctly but if it didn't I'd like to make a formal apology to everyone who gets this spaghetti mess of a oneshot on their dash

Virgil was somewhat used to the feeling that he couldn't breathe. Be it from panic, anger, or other overwhelming emotions, it was a familiar sensation; his lungs squeezed so tight it felt as if his chest would collapse in on itself. But nothing caused such a sweet ache as Patton.

(Kiss me out of the bearded barley

Nightly, beside the green, green grass

Swing, swing, swing the spinning step

You'll wear those shoes and I will wear that dress)

It had been Roman's idea, to begin with. The asshole. He'd teased Virgil endlessly about his flushed cheeks and soft smiles, directed entirely at Roman's best friend. Virgil had vehemently denied all accusations of love, of course.

"Come on, Danger Drone, you can't lie to me!" Roman teased Virgil from his position sprawled across his bed. "You've got it baaad."

Virgil shot a glare at his brother before returning his attention to his laptop. "No way," He scoffed, shifting on his own bed, tucking a small stuffed cat beside the pillow so it wouldn't be squished by his squirming.

Roman rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out before starting to sing, "Who ya think you're kiddin'? He's the earth and he-" He was cut off by a pillow smacking into his face.

Virgil snapped his laptop lid shut and hopped off of his bed, stalking over to Roman and crossing his arms. "I. Do not. Have a thing. For your dorky friend." He hissed.

"You know, you could really take some acting tips from Dad and me," Roman flashed him a toothy grin as he sat up, sitting nose to nose with Virgil.

Virgil scowled. "You're seriously cruising for a bruising, you know that, right?"

"As if. Logan would kick your ass," Roman winked. "He may be your best friend, but he's my boyfriend."

"As if. He'd be too busy lecturing you on provoking violence. And then you two disasters would probably start bickering and end up making out on the kitchen table again."

"Hey, that was one time!"

[[MORE]]

(Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon's sparkling

So kiss me)

As much as Virgil hated to admit it, Roman was right. He was head over heels for Patton. Who wouldn't be? 

He had such a pleasant way of speaking. Sweet, warm, but not superficial. He was always trying to look after other people, be it upset little kids from the elementary school next door, students freaking out over exams and friendships, teachers carrying things to their car, or lost and distressed animals.

He knew that Patton wasn't always the super sweet, happy, helpful person he seemed. Nobody could be, they wouldn't be human. But Virgil found himself wondering what it would be like to comfort Patton, help him with the little things he was always helping others with. The bubbly boy was always so busy with everyone else, Virgil sometimes worried that he didn't look after himself.

On the plus side, he thought as he trudged to school one morning, Roman was good with that kind of thing. He would nag Virgil to eat, to have his meds, to go to bed if it was too late. It was annoying at times, but he appreciated it. Roman was protective of those he cared about.

Which meant he really should have seen this sort of thing coming.

(Kiss me down by the broken tree house

Swing me, upon its hanging tire

Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat

We'll take the trail marked on your father's map)

"What the fuck happened?!" Virgil gaped at the blood smeared across Logan's face, leaking from beneath the crimson-stained tissues he held to his nose.

"Oh, you know. Charming small town high schoolers," Logan sighed, his voice muffled and nasal, as he gestured to the pencil skirt he was wearing. 

He was in Roman's lap on the cot in the nurses office. Patton was already with them, sitting in a chair he had dragged from across the room, his hands fluttering anxiously as he cleaned up blood from Logan's shirt.

Roman was quiet, his arms wrapped around Logan's waist. "I'm going to beat them into the dirt," He muttered, his eyes glowing with anger.

"That's not necessary, Roman, honestly. I'll just stop wearing feminine clothing to school, it's obvious that was the catalyst here." Logan shook his head.

Virgil perched on the cot next to them. "You shouldn't have to, though. It's hardly your fault that they're a bunch of close-minded assholes."

"Close-minded assholes who should know better than to bully my beloved," Roman growled. 

Virgil glanced at him, noticing his tense shoulders and clenched fists. "Ro, you can't fight everybody who hurts us," He cautioned. "Jock or not, you've got limits like everyone else."

"Well, it isn't like they're going to stop." Logan twisted to face Virgil. "Let's face facts; they'll get in trouble, detention or suspension at worst, and then they'll go right back to it."

Patton pouted. "I wish there was something we could do, though."

The four were silent for a few seconds before Roman lifted his head. "You know," He said slowly, his eyes lighting up, "I might just have an idea of what we could do."

(Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon's sparkling

So kiss me)

Virgil fiddled with his seatbelt nervously in the backseat of the car. "Are you sure about this?" He asked Roman.

Roman didn't respond for a moment, squinting into a compact mirror as streetlights flashed past, illuminating the interior of the car with yellow light. He snapped it shut, apparently satisfied, and turned to Virgil. "Of course! I'd love to see them try to come after us after tonight."

"You two look great," Pops chirped from the front seat, turning to look at them. His glasses obscured his face in the dim car, but Virgil could make out his wide grin. "You're really gonna knock 'em dead tonight!"

"And if by chance any of these bullies don't make it through the night, I have bleach and a shovel in the garage," Dad added with a smirk, throwing a glance over his shoulder before returning his attention to the road.

Pops smacked his arm lightly. "Dee! You can't fight fire with fire like that!" He chided. "Don't encourage them to murder people."

Dad laughed and winked at Pops. "Oh, lighten up, Em. I'm just kidding."

Pops let out an unconvinced hum before turning back to the boys. "Do you guys have everything you need? Phones, water bottles, snacks?"

"Condoms?" Dad added, earning him another smack. "Hey!" He complained jokingly. "I'm just making sure they stay safe."

"The school is catering for the dance, it's fine, Pops," Virgil laughed. "And we're probably gonna grab dinner on the way home, anyway."

"Alright, alright," Pops smiled, turning back around in his seat. "Make sure you guys stay safe tonight, okay? And if anything happens, call us."

"Yes, Pops," They responded in unison, sharing a fond eyeroll.

(Kiss me beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band, and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon's sparkling

So kiss me)

Virgil wasn't sure what he'd been expecting when they walked into the dance. Roman was obviously going to get a lot of attention in the long, hip-hugging, vibrant red dress he had picked out. The lacy bottom of the skirt swirled around him as he casually strutted into the room, white heels clicking against the wooden floor. He wondered suddenly if he should have worn heels.

"Roman! Virgil!" He turned to see Patton and Logan, already posted up by the snacks table, Patton waving wildly at them. As they approached, Logan handed them each a cup of soda with a nod.

"You guys look amazing!" Patton gushed, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked back and forth between the two brothers. "You look really nice in purple, Virge, you should wear it more!"

Virgil felt a blush creeping up his neck as he took a swig of soda. "Uh, thanks," He responded. He hadn't been sure about the floaty violet skirt and silver, off the shoulder bodice when Roman had thrust it at him in the store, but he had to admit it was growing on him. Especially if Patton liked it.

He took a moment to look Patton up and down. Something about the shimmering, wide blue skirt and butterflies dotted across the neckline seemed familiar, but it was hard to focus on when Patton was smiling sweetly up at him, his sparkling blue eyes framed with delicate eyeliner and his cheeks dusted with shimmery highlighter.

"Your dad's really outdone himself with this one!" Roman exclaimed. "Cinderella, right? It looks gorgeous!"

Patton giggled and did a little twirl, the skirt swishing around him as he moved. "Yeah! He's been working on it for a while to sell as a costume piece, but when I told him about the dance, he said I could have it!"

Virgil grinned. Patton's dad was an odd one- a chaotic cryptid with all the self control of a hyperactive monkey- but he certainly knew how to hit an aesthetic. 

Logan reached out to Roman, standing up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "You guys really didn't have to do this, you know," He smiled gently.

"What? And have the world miss out on this view?" Roman spun, the flared base of his skirt brushing against Virgil's ankles, and struck a pose, his hand on his hip.

Logan chuckled. "I suppose you're right. It would be a shame."

"Nothing compared to the potential tragedy of not being able to see you all dressed up," Roman winked, tipping up Logan's chin and pecking him on the lips.

Logan blushed faintly, his hands moving to smooth out his dark blue skirt, the star-like silver dots speckled down the fabric catching the light as he moved. "Thank you."

"Shall we?" Roman offered his arm. 

"This is a dance, after all," Logan slipped his hand into the crook of Roman's arm, and the pair disappeared into the crowd.

(So kiss me)

Virgil leaned back against the wall, swirling his soda idly as he watched couples twirl past, dresses and suits and jewelry shining in the coloured lights.

Parties were... so not his scene, but he supposed it was worth it, between the surprised looks from the brats who'd beaten up Logan, Roman and Logan clearly enjoying themselves on the dance floor, and-

"Heya!" He jumped, turning to see Patton appear next to him. "Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to spook ya," He giggled, and Virgil's heart thudded in his chest.

"It's all good," Virgil responded. "So, uh... I kinda figured you'd be off dancing with your friends. Harley and Brian and all that."

Patton shrugged. "They all paired off for the dance," He explained. "It's okay, though! That means I can hang out with you!"

"Oh," Virgil said dumbly. "Uh, do you... do you wanna dance with me?"

Patton looked up at him with a wide smile. "I thought you'd never ask."

(So kiss me)

He was dreaming. There was no other explanation for this. Patton's arms looped around his neck, chatting happily to Virgil as a slow dance played over the speakers. Dreaming or dead, he repeated as he shifted his hands on Patton's waist.

Roman caught his eye from across the room and winked. Virgil fought the urge to flip him off as Logan laughed.

So what if he liked Patton? It wasn't like this meant anything. They were just dancing together as friends, and that was fine. Virgil would enjoy it while it lasted, and that would be that.

".. rgil? Virgil, are you okay?" He blinked and looked back down to Patton to see a concerned frown on the other boy's face. "You look like you're a million miles away, buddy."

"Oh, uh... just thinking. Don't worry," Virgil blushed. "I'm okay."

"I'd hope so. If I upset you, Roman might revoke his approval," Patton giggled.

"Wait. Approval?" Virgil paused, staring down at Patton in surprise.

Patton blinked, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "Well, ah, I thought you- and he said he... is this not a double date?"

Virgil shot a glare at Roman, who flashed him a sweet smile and twirled away gracefully, vanishing into the crowd with Logan once more. "First I've heard of it," He told Patton.

Patton recoiled and took a step back, his face red. "Oh! Oh, gosh, I'm sorry, Virge, I- you don't have to-"

Virgil pulled him close again, his own face blazing hot. "I don't- I don't mind," He stammered. "Dancing with you. Or the, the date part."

Patton reached up and, after a moment's hesitation, put his arm around Virgil's neck again. "So... this is okay?"

"Y-yeah," Virgil confirmed. "More than okay."

Their faces were inched apart like this, and Virgil felt his breath catch in his throat as Patton bit his lip, his eyes darting down to his mouth. "Can... can I-"

Virgil didn't wait for him to finish the question before he leaned forward, connecting their lips in a soft kiss. It tasted like caramel lipgloss and cheap soda and cheese puffs and Virgil swore he was fucking floating.

When they broke apart again, Patton's eyes were shining in the pink-yellow-blue-green lights swinging over the dance floor. "Wow," He said, sounding almost as breathless as Virgil felt, and rested his head against Virgil's shoulder.

As they spun across the dance floor, the tulle of Patton's skirt flaring around them, Virgil decided maybe parties weren't so bad after all, as long as he got to bring Patton with him.

... Roman was still dead meat when they got home, though.

(So kiss me)

[consplaysuperior]

I'm trying to make a mtmte tailgate cosplay but I've never made one before,and I'm not sure what to use or do. How do you all figure out the proportions and measurements of the costume; and is cardboard ok to use or just foam? Also do you just use a black Halloween jumpsuit under the armor ? Sorry for all the questions. 😐

I’m gonna put this under a readmore because it’s complicated.

First, the easy question - you can definitely use a Halloween jumpsuit under your armor, or you can use separates. For Starscream I opted for gray leggings and an exercise shirt. We pretty much all used some combination of leggings and a shirt, but anything form fitting and thin will be fine. 

Ok here we go.

The way to figure out the proportions is to start from a size you can’t change, and use that for the main structural piece of the costume. For example, you can’t decrease your height (you can add if you must) and you can’t compress your shoulders. Those are your starting point. 

For a boxy character like Tailgate, it’s a good idea to start with a base like football shoulder pads. It will make the costume more comfortable and more durable. So measure your height in whatever shoes you’re using, and measure across your shoulders in the shoulder pads (or just your shoulders if you decided to forgo the pads, as they can be pricey - try and get some used ones).

At this point it helps to also take a photo of yourself from the front and side, and you can sketch the character over the photo. Try to get your sketch to be close to the proportions of the character so you can estimate where the various costume pieces will fit on your body. Once you have that general idea, it’s easier to figure out the next steps, which will use a combination of on the fly fitting, and actual math.

On the fly fitting is used for parts that must fit close to the body. An example might be the waist of a robotic character. Each of our characters has either a shirt that was modified, or a sewn bodice, for their waist, and the armor is glued directly to that. It’s easiest to fit that on the body and trace directly on the cloth, then add a zipper. Tailgate looks like he has 3 layers of plating on his waist/torso. You could also simply make a cylinder of foam and layer up the plating, depending on your build, and if you don’t mind the costume being kind of stiff.

Everything else uses math, and then you adjust your measurements. Tailgate is kind of a broad shape, so widening out his shoulders, chest, and hips will give you some nice proportions. For the math, you need to know the proportion between measurements made on you, and measurements made on your reference. Redo this math if you have different refs with different scales.

Here’s how to find a proportion. First measure the size of your actual body (for example, your height). Then measure the height of your reference, and divide your real height by the height of the reference. Say you’re 5′6″, or 66 inches tall. Say you reference is 6 inches tall. 66÷6=11. That means you are 11 times the size of your reference, and any measurement you make on your reference needs to be multiplied by 11. Make sure you check your units and keep the same units. You might switch to measuring things in millimeters if your reference is small, and that’s fine, but just remember that your sized up numbers will now be in mm as well. For example, say you measure a piece of kibble as being just 3mm across on your reference. On the costume, it’s going to be 33mm, or 3.3cm.

You can also create makeshift angles for shaping your armor, by tracing the angles found on your reference and then extending the lines out longer, based on the proportion you found. Here is a video on how to do that, and I plan on making a clearer one soon since I found my tripod. I’ll post in on this blog when I do.

Don’t worry too much about the math being perfect, since you are a different structure from a robot. You’ll have to make some adjustments to make it fit you. With that in mind, remember to make your patterns on something cheap like poster board or old posters, or even old paper bags. Anything large and slightly sturdy will work fine, and the color doesn’t matter. My mom gave me a whole bunch of old school board election signs and they’ve been great. This part is easier if you have a helper (I didn’t when I made Starscream and it was really hard). Have them tape the pattern pieces onto you and check the fit. You can trim them or tape on extra paper here and there until you like how it looks, then trace them onto your end material and cut them out.

You could use cardboard, but there are things to be aware of. One is that cardboard tends to dent and crease more noticeably, and the other is that it’s harder to do any curves. Tailgate isn’t too curvy, so it should be OK.

Hopefully that explanation helped and wasn’t too confusing. There are a lot of pictures of our process on our facebook page. Soundwave process. KO process. And as always, feel free to send more questions.

~Mod Starscream

[xxtrixster]

Eh quick thoughts on sewing. I love people getting into sewing as an alternative to scrounge for clothes that fit them. However I am always skeptical kf sew influencers about how accessible it js.

It isn't really. A dress I made from a vintage pattern cost me 7$ from the pattern. Then I learned uprising basics of pattern grading, just kinda hoped for the best. Fabric from Amazon four yard cheapest I could find still $30 total. Tracing paper roll $10. Brown paper roll $10. Various sewing guide tools eBay $9? Maybe more

Dress I'm extremely happy and is comfy but required about 3 months of working on the weekends start to finish. I will be making another two of jt at least.

Alot of times when they talk about thrifting fabric, they can find cotton which versatile and can be easily made to swirley skirts or bodice tops without a lining. I buy from Aliexpress and have import fees but usually cheaper then buying in US. More options.

I think the other difference is when I'm considering sewing winter shirts with warm jersey is way easier to find in the states. To do four shirts as I'm planning will cost about 130$ in fabric plus pattern $15. Will it be worth it? Yes cause warm. But I have to plan months in advance of what to spend and when.

I cannot find wool skirts in my size so I'm going tk be sewing some of those to, but point being its a slow building skill accessible if you got free weekends. And time to learn how to get patterns tk fot you if your a bigger size than most standard patterns..

Everyone should be able to sew but without more actual reasonable fabric by the yard making custom clothes is gonna be really hard.

Also recommend looking up professional seamstresses channels. They walk through alterations, finishing and you know can probably alter a peice of clothing you love to fit.

Also try out sew vlogger sew to fit AD Lyn

https://youtube.com/c/SewToFitADLynn

Or Sew Rena