#DO NOT by budget lines from expensive brands

[itistimetodisappear]

After hours, days of research, I have concluded that all aquarium lighting is a scam

[midnight-pluto]

SPOILED!MEGUMI — headcanons

megumi was raised by gojo, he’s bound to be spoiled one way or another

CHAR: megumi fushiguro, satoru gojo

PAIRING(S): megumi fushiguro x gn!reader (can be read as platonic)

A/N: this is a topic that isn’t discussed enough, so I’m writing it and potentially going to elaborate on some more later

i would like to start off by saying i do not intend to paint megumi in a negative light by saying he’s spoiled — but i do intend on putting him in a goofy one

to be honest, megumi isn't that self-aware as he seems

y'all seen that one episode that inspired this post where yuji and nobara freak out over the price of gojo's shirt and question whether it's with tax or not and megumi deadass asks if tax matters? yea interpret that as you will

there is a decent chance that he doesn’t necessarily understand the value of money very well, which probably has something to do with the Gojo effect™️

ngl he probably said ‘print more money’ once and got attacked for it so he never said it again

but he's also so lowkey about it too like you would have never guessed that this boy would be as materialistic as gojo is

like he wears the same shit gojo does that's really expensive quality but doesn't have the brand name plastered onto it since he finds it tacky so you'll just never know unless he exclusively tells you

he also does have a talent of knowing what is good quality and what isn't; he would do great for those cheap vs. expensive videos

can also spot knock-offs from a mile away but never says anything about it since he doesn't have enough in him to care about that kind of stuff

so the first time both of you — including yuji and nobara — hangout at the mall and when you ask what he plans on getting and he just replies with something along the lines of new shoes so just imagine the collective shock between you all when he makes a beeline towards prada

"My boots got ruined last mission so I plan on getting a new pair."

"Okay, what store are you gonna be in so we can find you later?"

"Prada."

"Bitch what the fuck did you just say."

you didn't know what hurt more, megumi not telling any of you about the fact that he was loaded or his absolute nonchalance about the situation

and due to the amount of shock all of you were in, you all followed megumi like little ducklings bcuz his casual nonchalance about it was concerning

he was slightly embarrassed but found it easier to just pretend the rest of you weren't there during his hunt for new boots

it was also quite nerve wracking for you all since yuji only buys things from walmart and though nobara has expensive taste, she knows how to budget while you stay away from all things worth more than rent out of fear of damaging anything and having to pay for it

so it was safe to assume that it looked liked a bunch of kindergarteners in a line following their chaperone during a school field trip — just a lot more quieter and careful which cannot be said for every outing much to megumi’s dismay

megumi didn't take that long before picking out a pair that he liked and began to pay for under three pairs of wide eyes due to the sole fact that he pulled out a black card in order to pay for it

"Don't worry, it's Gojo's."

that statement did not help the situation at all

it also caused the three of you to demand why he isn't spending that money on you all to which his reply is just a deadpan: 'you never asked.'

i feel like this also extends to his taste in food as well

like when you suggest to head to the food court in the mall since yuji was getting hungry; this man has the audacity to disaprove since he doesn't like the taste

now that reasoning isn't the problem, the problem is that he suggests to eat at some expensive ass place an hour away because he was craving it and it was one of the only places gojo introduced to him as a kid which he actually liked

though he was forced to toss the idea aside due to the fact that there was no way you all could split the bill that way and you all weren’t that patient enough to walk an hour all the way to a restaurant you couldn’t even afford

it’s not that megumi didn’t offer to pay, he did, nobara just didn’t like the feeling of having to owe someone

that is until Gojo stumbles across his students and decides to get them food at the same exact place megumi suggested

A/N: writing this made me hungry

[practically-an-x-man]

ok y'know what. I'm tired of all the same questions in ask games so I'm taking matters into my own hands

OC/Writing Art Asks

For the character:

Pencil: does this character have any "sketchy" habits? Have they ever broken the law? Do they regret it?

Pen: what's one minor moment your character regrets? A small mistake, but something they "can't erase"?

Paintbrush: How often does your character "brush over" conflict instead of facing it head on? Is there something specific they don't like to face, or do they avoid conflict as a whole?

Marker: what's one thing your character would never tattoo on their body, even if they were paid a million dollars for it?

Crayon: what was your OC like when they were four years old? Were they loud? Shy? Were they the resident "weird kid" or did they get along with others their age?

Colored Pencil: if given the choice, would this character splurge on an expensive (but potentially worthwhile) branded product, or buy a low-budget alternative even if the quality suffers?

Copics: what is this character's most expensive habit or hobby? Do they ever feel guilty about the money they spend on it?

Graphite: what's something decently common that your character does in a unique or different way? (like how graphite is present in all pencils, but not everyone uses pure graphite)

Charcoal: share any unique physical features about this character that are not scars or tattoos.

Tortillon: does your OC "blend in" with the people around them? Physically? Metaphorically?

Pastels: Give me three colors that best represent your OC. Now give me three colors that your OC likes best. Is there an overlap?

Chalk: what was one activity this character enjoyed with their sibling(s) as a kid? If they don't have siblings, what they did with their neighborhood friends

Eraser: what's one way this character has changed over time? Either over the course of their story, or over the course of designing them as an author.

Palette: list four of your character's primary skills, then share at least two ways these skills might blend or overlap

For the work:

Starry Night: are there any scenes in this work that take place at nighttime? Is this significant, or just the passing of time?

Mona Lisa: oh, it's the fanfic writer's favorite word. Do a find-and-replace on the word "smirk" and share any lines that pop up.

The Scream: are there any moments in this work that you think could scare a reader? Are there any moments where the characters themselves are profoundly scared?

Persistence of Memory: are there any moments in this work where a character's memory plays a strong role? Either an individual memory, or simply a character's ability to recall the past.

Girl With a Pearl Earring: are there any moments in this work where a character's clothing or accessories play a major role?

The Kiss: share your favorite kiss scene from this work. If there's no kiss scene, share your favorite moment of intimacy (romantic or platonic)

American Gothic: what's one relationship between characters in this work that you think people wouldn't expect? (i.e., how the people in American Gothic are not married, they're the painter's sister and dentist)

Guernica: look through a few of your imagery/descriptions in this work. Are they generally straightforward, or are they more "abstract"?

Wheatfield with Crows: are there any scenes in this work that involve birds? Do the birds play a definitive role, or are they simply part of the setting?

Woman with a Parasol: are there any moments in this fic that feel "blurry" to you? Is this a stylistic choice, or would you go back and clarify the descriptions if you were given the chance?

A Sunday Afternoon...: pick one "little moment" from this fic. How representative is it of the fic's tone and story as a whole?

Creation of Adam: choose one character that is not present at the beginning of this work. How did you introduce them into the story?

The Swing: are there any moments in this fic where the characters get to slow down and have fun? If not, why is that?

The Last Supper: does this fic incorporate any symbolism based on religion, theology, or mythology? If so, give an example.

For the author:

Paper: Who do you feel is your most two-dimensional or underdeveloped OC? Why is this? (including those that are still in development/haven't been written about yet)

Canvas: Do you ever "prep" your fics with outlines or warmups before you start writing, or do you just dive right in?

Graffiti: Have you ever had to research something that felt illicit or illegal for a fic? What was it?

Photography: What's one moment from any of your fics that you feel is preserved in your memory?

Clay: Do you usually take time to "sculpt" your OCs before you write them, or develop them as you write?

Film: Which one of your fics do you think would work best if turned into a movie? Who would direct it?

Adhesive: when you write, do you usually "stick" to one character or story for a while, or bounce around various characters and ideas?

Cricut: are there any characters you've had to "cut" from a story? Are there any moments/chapters/stories you've had to "cut" entirely?

Felting: how often do you include soft moments when you write? Do these moments play a role in the main plot, or do you include them as an escape from the rest of the story?

Weaving: are your works typically similar to one another? Pick two works, and share one similarity and one difference between them.

Finger Painting: share a small snippet from your earliest work (or the earliest that you can get back to). How would you rewrite it today? Either share the rewrite itself or just describe how you'd do it.

Creative!: free space! share something you've been dying to share about your writing! Could be an OC that never gets the limelight, a moment you were proud of, or anything else you'd like to share

[gremlingottoosilly]

Not a request just wanted to say I went to emerald city comic con and it was cool and there were lots of cool COD cosplayers. I only really told one I liked there cosplay but they all looked super cool!

Also if I may ask do you tend to buy or make cosplay? I’m an amateurish cosplayer and I’m planning on making a genshin cosplay but just figuring out how to get all the little pieces and details is difficult.(honestly I’m more making it for the validation of other cosplayer since most cosplays I’ve worn have been more or less pretty simple). Anyway thx for reading :D

(don't forget my insta - @captaingremlin) Hello!! I used to sew my own costumes(for Madoka and BlackCat!Diva), but I moved out of my parent's house and out of the country after I finished school, and I didn't want to bring a sewing machine to a rental apartment, so I'm buying costumes now. I usually just tailor them to my needs and do renovations that don't require a lot of manufactured stitching. For example, for my Kokomi dress from DokiDoki cosplay, I sewed another layer of sparkly fabric underneath to make it more sparkly, I reinstalled all the furniture(because the stitches from the seller tend to be kinda flimsy and you need to resew them so nothing would get lost) and added even more crystals and sparkles all around. I tend to be a maximalist cosplayer, so this is my style - as many jewels on the face as possible, ton of wig accessories and reusable details from other suits. It's easier when you have a ton, so if you're going for your first ever cosplay from Genshin, I'd recommend either getting a cheapest possible version(if you're on a budget) and do renovations on your own, OR go for Uwowo and DokiDoki. Uwowo is a bit cheaper if you're living in Europe, and it's much faster than DokiDoki. Just don't order Uwowo from their store at Aliexpress, they are usually 30-40 dollars more expensive there. Genshin is really hard to make on your own, with all tons of details, so you can invest in the wig instead. For wig styling, I just the tiny crimper and a hair straightener, and that's it. Just crimp the wig with tutorials and then decide if you want it to be super fluffy and curly or more canon. I go for curly and fluffy style, since it can cover a lot of imperfections in the wig material, and I cover it even more with accessories. I usually go for non-canon Genshin cosplays from Uwowo and DokiDoki since I don't really like canon designs, so I can only give advice on limited number of characters( I tend to buy every possible costume for the wig that I own, so now I have 5 Kokomi costumes in my closet and another 3 in plans. Also, don't be afraid of using tape!! For my Ganyu cosplays, since I'm barely a B size, I used a lot of push-ups just kinda sticking to the costumes with medical tape, so the costumes would fill up a bit. Also, about the sizes - if you're ordering from a Chinese brand, they tend to be smaller than American/European ones. I'm 47 kg and I usually go for S/M(even though I'm XS in European size) but if you're having doubts, it's better to buy a bit larger and just sew it yourself. Also - petticoats!! You don't have to but a fancy one, just buy some petticoat skirts from party shop, it's literally makes any dress better...and also, please don't forget safety shorts if you're wearing skirts. I was wearing a schoolgirl Kokomi with extremely short skirt while bending over an aerohockey stand and then I didn't understand why there was a line behind me made from teenage boys.... Also - just use lash glue for everything, even if you're sticking something on a wig. It's better than superglur if you want to restyle it later.

[borninwinter81]

DIY budget cyber/industrial outfit - first time in public!

I made a couple of previous posts about this dress here and here, as well as the matching collar, and I thought it would be fun to show how I styled it when I wore it for the first time on Friday. Honestly I was a little concerned it would just look dumb, but when I tried it with the full makeup and shoes I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it.

Apologies for the abysmal photo quality, especially in the first image. I don't have a good camera and I wanted to try and show the full outfit. That blurred mirror selfie is the only head to toe picture I got.

I didn't mention in my other posts but in addition to making patches for the dress I also nipped in the seams so it fit me better (it was my size but kinda shapeless, and I wanted to give myself a waist). This is very easy to do with almost any dress, skirt or top, you just put the garment on inside out, pinch in the side seams so they fit the contours of your body (try and do this equally on both sides) and pin them together. Safety pins are best so you don't accidentally hurt yourself.

Take the garment off and draw a smooth line with tailors chalk connecting all the pins, then sew along that line, either with a machine or by hand. Turn right side out and try it on again. Provided you're happy with the fit, trim away the excess fabric. You may need to be careful if it's a fabric that could fray - I usually go over the seams again with a zig-zag machine stitch to try and minimise this. There are also products you can buy like fray-check. If in doubt, or there isn't much excess fabric you could just leave the seams untrimmed.

The length is a little out of my comfort zone so I wore gym shorts underneath to help myself feel less exposed and reduce the risk of flashing - I tend to do this with any dress or skirt that's above the knee anyway.

Continuing the budget theme, rather than buying any new accessories (again, cyber stuff is mega expensive) I looked through my wardrobe for items I already had that might work.

These goggles are not the usual kind of cyber goggles, but they matched everything else I was wearing. I was given them by a friend who was getting rid of them ages ago so they cost me nothing!

I really didn't feel like making and wearing cyberlox, so instead I just got some yellow hair elastics and did a ponytail.

I made these arm warmers about 12 years ago. You can probably tell that they began life as a pair of skinny jeans. To cut down on the amount of sewing I needed to do I used the existing hem and seams. After cutting them to a length I liked I did the pinch and pin thing to make them fit to my arm, and put in zips along the outer seam to make them easier to put on. As it turned out this wasn't necessary because the fabric is stretchy enough that I can pull them on and off. The zips add a nice bit of visual interest though.

I ripped a hole in each one for my thumb, and I had a pack of extra large hook-and-eyes, so I sewed the "eye" parts down them and added some old bootlaces. I've never been 100% happy with this decoration, but I haven't had any inspiration on how to change them in the last 12 years.

I wanted a necklace in addition to the collar, and couldn't think of anything more appropriate than this. I originally got it for a cosplay, Vasquez from Aliens, and with the big yellow industrial loader from the end of that movie which Ripley uses to fight the Queen alien... it seemed there was kind of a connection there.

I once met Jeanette Goldstein whilst dressed as Vasquez and told her she was my childhood hero and she signed these tags, but unfortunately most of the signature has come off when I was cleaning them.

Lastly, the boots. As with any goth outfit the footwear tend to be the most expensive, particularly if you want ridiculous platform heels like these.

When it comes to footwear, I really would not recommend any alternative brand names like Killstar, Koi or similar. They're often terrible quality, the heels will snap, the soles will peel off, zips will break. In my opinion the only decent specifically alternative shoe brand are New Rock (even they're lower quality than they used to be in the 90s) and although New Rock do make heels I wouldn't wear them often enough to justify spending £200 on a pair. I prefer flats the majority of the time!

The brand of these is Funtasma, and I believe they are intended for use by pole-dancers, meaning they're decent quality and will be up to a night of dancing in a club. I took a change of shoes along with me to put on at the end of the evening but they are surprisingly comfortable for the first few hours.

I got them about 15 years ago on sale, and at that time they were around £40. Not cheap but not super expensive either, and I've definitely got my money's worth out of them. I had them re-soled once with special toughened soles that have extra grip so they're safer to walk in, but that's it. One time I even did the 3 mile walk home at 2am in 6 inches of snow wearing these because I didn't want to wait hours for a taxi (an occasion where I did not take a change of shoes!)

So, not your standard cyber outfit, but one that gives my own spin on this look (which should be the goal with any fashion style - a guideline to create something unique, not a rulebook that you have to follow 100%) and was put together super cheaply. The only new things I bought were the dress, fabric to make the patches, and a pack of multicoloured hair elastics.

[alienaiver]

Hello! For the writting game what about Bakugo + 43?? :D

HELLO! <3 i am so sorry for the wait, but YES! bakugou is so fun.... he'd hate me for calling him adorable BUT HE IS! 🥺🧡

number 43 was "this is the third time you’ve broken a promise to me, I’m starting to think you are doing it on purpose.” so i tried to do something fun with it!!! (i am mostly a fluff writer, after all.....) ✨

there're no warnings and this turned out to be 1.1k words! bakugou is called your work wife tho, he got that energy<3

Your eyebrow twitch as you stare at the notification on your phone. It’s a confirmation e-mail for your purchase of a brand-new refrigerator with the delivery details included inside.

Except, you did not order a new one. At least not yet.

You shouldn’t be on your phone right now, but the notification intrigued you and now you’re just perplexed. It hasn’t even been 45 minutes since you complained to Bakugou about your fridge breaking down and how the expenses for a new one will be astronomical to your budget.

Bakugou Katsuki, the man you’re in love with, is with almost a hundred percent certainty, the one who’s done this without your permission. You scroll down and can’t stop a shriek from escaping you at the total.

If you accept this, it’ll be the most expensive thing you own.

You roll your eyes and put down your phone to massage your temples. This is getting out of hand. He is purposely going out of his way to break his promise to you these days and it’s adding gray hairs to your head and wrinkles to your forehead.

You are Pro Hero Dynamight’s personal secretary, managing everything to do with his Pro Hero life. Sometimes you wish he’d hired a PR manager too, but you digress and just thank the stars you’re good at your job.

Six months ago, you confessed your feelings to him.

It went about as bad as it could go. He’d invited you to dinner, something he’d done often – he doesn’t have many people in his life that doesn’t have to do with his line of work. He can’t find the time, he always says. You’d felt brave and confident when you confessed, but he froze immediately as the confession left your mouth. Stumbled upon words to find a nice way to turn you down while maintaining your current relationship.

He never gave you a proper reason, but you suppose you’ve been fine without one. Ever since that day, he’s been buried in work trying to rise further in the ranks. He’s in the top three now and you’ve noticed he’s slowed down significantly again, seemingly satisfied with his current position. You pretend to tidy up some papers on the left of your desk, to keep your hands occupied as you attempt to calm down before walking into Bakugou’s office to scold him.

You’d only given him two rules back then, promising everything would turn back to normal if he promised not to break them: a) Don’t talk about the confession and pretend it didn’t happen and b) that he should not, under any circumstances, compensate his guilt by buying you things. You’d rather wilt into the ground than let pity run your friendship.

But there’s been a pattern the past few weeks. When you walked home from a dinner party at Kirishima’s place a little over a week ago, he’d teasingly mentioned your crush on him, a tilt to his voice you hadn’t heard before. You blamed it on the wine that evening and Kirishima’s joke about Bakugou being your work wife.

He also bought you a ridiculously expensive kitchen set of pans, casseroles, and knives this weekend after cooking at your house and complaining about the quality of your stuff – or lack thereof, more like.

You puff up your cheeks to try and alleviate some anger but it ends up just festering, growing. Did he forget your promise? That feels out of character for Bakugou �� maybe he does have stress from his hard work.

Maybe he blew a fuse in his brain.

You accidentally startle a passerby when you abruptly stand up, prepared to yell at the most explosive hero in Musutafu. You’ll be fine.

You hope.

Before your anger fizzles, you aggressively force his door open, making him look up in irritation from his documents, but you see his brow relax at the sight of you. It pisses you off even more.

As you approach his ridiculously large desk, he leans back and takes off his reading glasses, fidgets with them in his hands. He knows what this is about. If he smirks, you’ll burn down his office, you decide.

Luckily for him, he doesn’t. He keeps a straight face as you stand with your arms crossed looking down at him. With a petulant sigh, you rub the space between your eyebrows as you speak, “y’know, this is the third time you’ve broken a promise to me, I’m starting to think you are doing it on purpose.”

He leans further back in his chair as he puts the glasses down. He looks almost bored as you chance a look at him. You’re about to back-track (so much for a violent chew-out, your brain adds) and stumble over words when he smiles, all teeth and closed eyes, “I’m busted, huh?”

Huh?

Huh, fucking indeed.

He smirks then, but your brain has already forgotten its prior decision and is instead following his every movement as he gets up and rounds the desk to stand by you. The confidence he exuded on his way over wanes slightly the closer he gets, and not only his cheeks but his ears and neck get redder and redder.

He clears his throat when he deems himself close enough and your brain reminds you to turn your body towards him. You fail to do so but just stare blankly at him.

“When you confessed I…” his voice is unnaturally strained and high-pitched so he clicks his tongue to gather himself, “I’d already planned that I’d confess to you when I would reach the top three…”

Huh?

It seems your brain has lost most of its vocabulary.

He shakes his head to gather himself again before reaching out to take your hand – you let him. Breathlessly, he says your name and you never considered your own name to be beautiful before you heard it in this exact octave.

“I wasn’t sure how to confess… or let you know… and I was afraid your feelings had died down… so I had to do some testing before I was confident…”

Bakugou? Not confident? You accidentally snort out loud and finally, finally your brain catches up and you’re able to move your body so you’re facing him properly. He scowls but squeezes your hand nonetheless, “’m in love with you.”

You must’ve blanked out because he says your name again, this time annoyed as he leans over to see if you’re ignoring him on purpose. You come back to yourself as his eyes are searching yours and that’s the moment you can’t take this anymore. You lean forward to kiss him, and the grunt he lets out makes you smirk, knowing you’re the one with the upper hand right now – even if your heart is beating just as fast as his is.

Maybe it’s not so bad that he broke a few promises. This is the perfect apology.

[cowboyjen68]

how do you size men’s jeans? i always feel like they fit weird because i’m plus size and i wear almost exclusively womens pants

It has honestly been so long I don't remember how women's sizes translated.

Men's pants have clear measurements. The first number is your waist size, where the band of the pants wrap and the second number is then inseam. From your crotch to the where you want the cuff to land on your ankle. It looks like 32 (waist) x 30 (inseam).

When I weighed around `180 I wore 36 x 30. Your inseam does not change. Right now at about 150 34 x 30 are loose. But all that can depend on your body size, shape, height etc.

Loose fit or casual fit are better than those that say "tapered". Wrangler cargo pants are cheap for the regular wear pants and come in a loose fit and boot cut (wider cuff). Farm Supply stores are great places to start. They sell their own brands and a fair amount of farmers are stocky and short so they tend to carry a wide range of sizes. Off brands like Tractor Supply brand are cheaper, sometimes less than 15 bucks a pair.

The common styles are cargo, painter, and casual. Cargo have the wider thigh pockets, painter have narrower "tool" side pockets and casual are like regular jeans with the two front and two back pockets. I love cargo for the room and pockets but everyone likes different things.

There is denim (jeans) , cotton (casual or daily work/dress pants) and canvas (sturdy work pants) in most brands. Canvas can be heavier but very sturdy. Jeans can be heavy but depends on the finish and cotton can be versatile and cheap.

Don't be afraid to shop in the big and tall men's section. They sometimes have lots of sizes you can try on for fit. Wrangler pants go as large as a 60 waist on their website. Jeans up to 66. Tractor Supplies website has casual style work pants for 15.00 and they go to a waist of 44. A very affordable option to try out.

There are more companies coming out with pants made for women that are formed for active (work or play) women. Many of these specialized pants are really expensive (150.00 or more) and are way out of my budget. But for women who need very protective gear and maybe have a "work wear budget you can check places like https://redantspants.com/ https://sheflyapparel.com/ https://dovetailworkwear.com/

For me a pair of Wrangler (flannel lined in winter) cargo pants and a P-Style in the pocket is cheaper and works fine for me. AND i am ROUGH on pants between my three jobs and my acreage. I would love to test drive and support these companies products but my budget says "NO".

I hope some of this helps. Thrift stores are an option once you know what to look for but you can waste a lot of time searching until you've pinpointed what you like and what fits. I strictly wear Wrangler (this is not an endorsement of the company in any way ) because they are widely available locally, affordable, fit comfortably and hold up reasonably well to my life for the money.

[chaifootsteps]

Thinking about how Helluva Boss doomed itself from the start by getting a bunch of expensive voice talent for characters that were meant to be important and recurring. When shows, movies, or other media typically gets those expensive name-brand cameos, either as a voice or the person themselves, they have to get smart with it. The media will either have the actor in a small scene and no more, or in the case of a voice, have them voice a "special" character that will only show up once and never again (and if they do show up again, have them with no speaking roles).

Even big companies do this. The Lion King may have been able to get Beyoncé to voice Nala because of course they could, it's Disney, but in the case of Sugilite from Steven Universe, who was voiced by Nicki Minaj, they had to use that character incredibly sparingly. Even Kung Fu Panda, which I adore, has the issue where Monkey of the Furious Five is voiced by Jackie Chan, so he talks way less than the rest of the Five. Like, in the first film, he only has five lines, which is very noticeable on a second or third rewatch, but not at all on a first viewing because Kung Fu Panda has a million other ways to show you it's an amazing film. The animation, the story, all of it-- so they're able to cover up the fact that Monkey barely speaks.

Helluva Boss can't do that. It tries to give big important characters like Striker and Bee this incredibly expensive talent, which immediately pushes them in a corner the next episode. And sure, the new voices could be harder to notice if it was a better show, but the fact of the matter is that it isn't. The animation errors are getting worse by the episode, to say nothing of the story, and all of the characters are getting butchered to hell and back. Instead of using the show to prop up the expensive voice talent, Helluva Boss uses the expensive voice talent to prop up the show.

Which, of course, is not only a bad idea for even competent shows, but is absolutely disastrous for Helluva Boss. That expensive voice talent leeches from the budget to the point where Loona can't even speak anymore! Plus, all those animation errors! It's like if Vivzie noticed that her show was starting to smoke, so instead of pouring water over it, she got an entire can of gasoline instead and just chucked it in.

But, you know. Whatever strokes her ego, I guess.

If there's one thing that's become apparent, it's that Vivzie will burn that entire goddamn show to the ground to keep her ego warm.

[sirfrogsworth]

I am so confused.

Even when this lens was first released it was $850 brand new.

Does he think people aren't going to check current prices? Did he get scammed and overpay originally? Not to mention eBay gives you a suggestion for pricing.

I really wish I hadn't sold my lenses. There was a point where I had a major decline in my health and I could no longer make comedy for my main website. At the same time, my parents were getting sicker and needed more help. We were also struggling financially. I was so depressed and I was sure I'd never do photography again, so I sold most of my lenses.

We needed the money at that moment, but in the grand scheme of things, the lens money barely made a dent in our situation. Not to mention, we got a small inheritance from my grandmother soon after, so that increased my regret. It took me years of scrounging and saving to build up a collection of 5 lenses. None of them top of the line, but all of them a good value for their performance.

Thankfully I kept the lens I used to take pictures of Otis—my "puppy lens." But my ultra wide, my macro, my tele, and my portrait lens... all gone.

And now I am trying to figure out the cheapest way I can do what I want to do with photography and I'm remembering just how expensive this hobby is. But I think I need to figure this out because I have had a substantial boost in my mental health since I started taking photos again.

A good 50mm could serve several roles. I can add extension tubes for macro. It is about 75mm on an APS-C camera, which is good for portraits. The wide aperture would allow low light photography. Combined with my Otis lens, all I'd be missing is telephoto and ultra wide angle, but honestly I never did much of that anyway. Though ultra wide angle photography is probably the most fun you can have taking pictures—even if the photographic uses are rare.

I did get a Nifty Fifty for my trip to Orlando. I wanted to see if I could get away with using a $100 lens. For the price, it is surprisingly good. And it is the first lens I recommend to anyone starting photography—as almost every camera brand has its own version. But I had several issues trying to make it work for my needs.

It's not very sharp, which is actually fine for shots taken at a distance, but would be a deal breaker for product photos and macro shots which are very close up. Those require as much detail as possible, especially if you need to crop. When you are trying to show people the fine hairs on a bee's body, a soft image just isn't going to have the same impact.

It also does not nail focus consistently and it back focuses (it focuses more behind than in front). Which is a deal breaker for my efforts to use less energy. When I did my portrait shoot with Katrina, I had to do many test shots and look at them on the computer to make sure I was getting them in focus. I was going back and forth and getting up and down. In the end I had to use a smaller aperture and higher ISO to get increased depth of field. And even then the tip of her nose was soft in the photos. Not to mention the added noise from raising the ISO.

This Sigma is a wonderful lens. I'm trying to find a good deal used, but it's still out of reach for now. I have no idea what my financial future is right now and until I know for sure that my brother will release my inheritance in March, I have to be more careful with my budget.

I am going to sell all of my studio lighting gear and use those funds to help me set up a new studio upstairs. I'm hoping that will cover the new lights I will need, but I don't think it will be enough for a lens. Someone suggested a site where I can turn my yard into a dog park, so I am looking into that. I might also see if I can get some gigs restoring photos for people, but it is so difficult finding clients.

Every problem has a solution. And maybe the universe will do me a favor and keep my brother from being terrible just this once.

[gaviicreates]

Craft week in review

Good Morning, and Happy Sunday! Here in the US, we just caught up with the rest of the world with that twice annual clock adjusting we do. Those of you without daylight savings, you know where it's at. In any case, Northern Hemisphere means we got extra sleep today, so not too many complaints from me here. Even the dogs accepted the lie in, which was amazing.

I'm still figuring out how I want to use this blog space. My impulse posts I can't put here, because I used a log in type that requires me to be on my laptop. That means you get the nice pictures, the reflections, the organized WIPs updates, but none of that is helpful in keeping the space active. What are you, blog? An archive, a journal, a gallery?

Please bear with me while I figure it out. I get that the pictures of the finished objects are what tends to inspire people, but I like writing and sharing the journey, even if those musings are not as entertaining. I'm still working on the balance.

~*~

Doilies

Last week, I primarily worked on blocking some finished doilies I had to work on over a couple of days. I only have one set of blocking boards with the circle lines for me to properly measure out the doilies evenly. I'm fine throwing my own stuff on the normal boards and eye-balling it, but not for commissions. With those finished I decided to open up some more local commissions, which quickly filled with family members, and posed the question a bit more in general to the online audience. So four more commissions have joined my schedule, though not all of them need to be in by Christmas.

In the meantime, I started another tree doily, and I plan to take pictures of those pieces soon so I can share them. Here's a phone one to hold you over.

Purchases/Acquisitions

I had a couple purchases last week - and some quick turn arounds. In the yarn world, I placed an order for some Hobbii Rainbow Lace which is one of my go-tos for when specific colors are requested. The yardage is not as much as one might get with Aunt Lydia's from the local JOANN or Michaels, but the shades they carry are so rich and varied. Plus, I'd been eyeing up a rust color I needed an excuse to add to my cart. I also grabbed some dark reds and soft greens to play around with Christmas shades.

Of the hand-dyers, one of the brands I follow is Hue Loco out of Colorado. As with hand-dyed, you're paying for what I consider a luxury material, so as much as I would like to buy everything I do try to splurge sparingly for the sake of my wallet. But I stumbled upon a colorway that was perfect for a project I'd been planning, and since it was going to be a gift for my husband, I didn't mind going the hand-dyed route. The colorway is called "Magpie" and it's a beautiful blend of blues and greys with a sprinkling of browns. SW 100% Merino in worsted. This one came in yesterday, and I couldn't resist working it up right away.

I may have also purchased something for myself while I was on their site. Shh.

I also splurged and ordered some Furls wooden streamline hooks I'd been wanting - in Ebony. One of my dogs got ahold of one of the nice resin colors that were no longer in stock, so I couldn't re-order it when it made unusable.

Expensive week for me! But it'll be the last for awhile while I budget instead for Christmas and start working on the projects these materials were purchased for. For a last hurrah before the holidays, I'm happy with these selections.

Upcoming

The sock DPN class I signed up for starts tomorrow, and knit night at my LYS on Tuesday.

I have one more more doily to block, the next tree one to finish, and the commissions pending.

The new Furls Hooks should arrive next week. Hobbii is enroute.

WIPS: My sky blanket project is making great progress - I've been able to keep up with it and the goal will be to provide an update monthly around the middle of the month. Chevron Scarf was put on hold this week, but maybe I will work on it some today to give me a knitting break.

[sketchesandnonesense]

🍓 tell me things about BB >:3c

Before BB's fun fact, I must explain

some Lore

I still havent figured out the brand name for what kinda robot BB is but! She's a Gen1 of her kind.

There's 3 "generations" of the robots.

"Gen1" was when they first came out, solely coming in more anime-y styles n were solely intended as cute little companion bots/expensive fashion dolls.

They were dolls first, robots second.

Some people who got into the hobby started modding their dolls and, as people tend to do with robots, making them engage in combat. The company saw this part of the community, and decided to lean into it.

Leading to Gen2. These robots were made with the expectation they'd be fighting other robots, and veered pretty hard from the original Cute Anime Girl look. Usually would have visors/screens for faces and a more sleek look. They had the exact same AI as the original generation, though. Just with some updates so they could get into fights without needing modifications first.

These ones were robots first, dolls second.

I don't have any sketches ready for how the Gen3s are for the most part, though they don't have a cohesive design scheme like the previous gens. These bots have the same software, just further built upon.

Gen3 bots can look very cute n bubbly in construction like gen1, or have a more sleek look like gen2, and some combine elements or do something abit different.

Things that are always consistant though for every bot under this brand:

-there's always a sensor on the chest/torso (bots can communicate that way somewhat, kinda like alot of robot toys that have infrared sensors like furbies)

-always have 2 wires coming out of their back in some way for charging and hooking up to computers (they can be removed but are kinda a pain so its best to leave them in)

-always have the chunky lower leg and forearm style. no defined ankles or wrists for these guys, lol.

-Range in height between 10 inches and a foot and a half (the exception being the Mini models like that pink one on the end)

The mini bot models are a budget line that're simpler than their bigger counterparts and aren't built for battles. (though this does not stop people from modding them to fight anyway)

Now, for the BB Specific Lore.

BB is a heavily modded Gen1, and has only had 2 owners. Her first one, who did all the modding, and Beatrice, who recently bought her at an estate sale after her old owner died.

BB's mods are all subtle internal ones, changing out parts to make her more battle-ready without sacrificing her Adorable Looks, and also updating her software to be on par with more modern models. (As well as some other custom upgrades)

She's a fairly impressive piece of robotics, considering the Gen1s are notoriously difficult to mod bc they were never intended to be modded in the first place.

Bonus lore: BB has a "sister" that's also a heavily modded gen1, but with more obvious physical modding to make her more battle ready with armor and to give her a general aesthetic change to better fit the hobby. She doesn't know where her sister bot wound up, seeing as she was sold before her.

[dufrau]

tbh the main reason i wear docs is just because unfortunately most leather boots are either in my size but overly feminine/literally just chelseas (which are not my thing) or my style but not available in my sizing because they only stock in men's and my feet are too small lol

Yeah I hate this. It's so frustrating. I am lucky because my feet are JUST big enough that most brands make mens shoes in my size.

There's not really anything out there that fully matches the Docs aesthetic without getting into stupid expensive custom boots. But there are a few brands making women's boots that arent super feminine.

The most rugged one off the top of my head is Red Wing. They make women's sized versions of their moc toe and Iron Ranger that are slightly modified from the men's versions but still not overtly feminine in any way.

For something dressier, Grant Stone makes the Nora boot, which is a women's version of their flagship men's Diesel boot. Again, it's slightly modified from the men's boot but it's a pretty classic 6 inch plain toe service boot, not noticeably feminine at all to my eyes.

And then Thursday is annoying because most of their women's line is cemented construction, aka not built to the same quality as their men's line, which pisses me off. But they do make a women's version of their Captain, a cap toe service boot, that is again very close to the men's version visually and is goodyear welted. So I wouldn't necessarily recommend most of their women's boots but this one is good!

Anyway I don't know if any of these are your style or in your budget, but these are the recommendations I give for people looking for not-hyperfeminine boots in women's sizes. 🍻

[firespirited]

I was wondering why Mattel is really on my using Saran or Poly hair instead of kanekalon or nylon. Is nylon no longer being used for dolls? I did see that kanekalon has health risks now, so I assume that is why it is not used anymore? I was just wondering if you had some insights/theories as to why those seem to be the only hair fiber found in their current dolls? Or maybe I completely misread the whole doll hair thing…anyways, thank you for your time. :)

Hi! in 2002 Bratz released a couple of lines with cheap Nylon or doll grade Kanekalon hair and it was speculated that it was because Mattel had bought out the stock of saran PVDC manufactured by Asahi Kasei, Bratz used saran almost exclusively until what was deemed budget lines and clear corner cutting (as evidenced by how simplified dolls were compared to prototypes).

The issue's no longer so clear-cut: multiple manufacturers create nylon in high qualities and many colours. The issues surrounding Kanekalon concern it's human sized fiber and high heat which wouldn't be a problem for doll grade kanekalon which melts on the low temp of a hair straightener if you're not really careful.

I can't explain why Mattel has chosen to go with poly hair which feels unpleasant and doesn't hold up to brushing, why Hasbro systematically undermined their own products with terrible nylon that made even Disney princesses with straight hair unbrushable. MGA seems to be favouring Qiyue Kiwi hair (but not on LOL OMGs), is some kind of exclusivity contract why other dolls don't use it? DongGang make a very nice nylon, why hasn't Mattel gone with them? None of it makes sense. Maybe there's a good reason and I have no clue.

Maybe the reason is the same as the short sack-dresses and skirts designed to fit multiple body types: they've chosen to invest in face-molds, accessories and body diversity over makeup, clothes and hair. Maybe there's been a supply chain issue or unknown chemical instability?

It's baffling that we have more direct access to designers than we have in a long time and no-one seems to know about the hair. I'm not sure we will ever get an answer, we never did about the glue-head syndrome. The disconnect between what the designers want to create for people and what a company is willing to produce is wide: we know from pleather and glue head issues that many dolls are not manufactured to be long term collectibles. Some aren't really supposed to be redressed and restyled: the clothes are sewn on and the bun comes down to reveal a nub of hair or an empty head.

I wish things looked like they did in 2002 where the excuse for hard to brush 'Style It' dolls was potential corporate meddling, by 2008 you were lucky if the doll didn't come with a rat's nest on her head. Nowadays, we have these confounding decisions to stick badly rooted coarse hair on expensive collector dolls, on dolls with an implied collector value as long-lasting items and then other dolls priced seemingly at random (collector Rainbow High ranged from $40 to $100 for no discernable reason). It's not even clear when profits are being reinvested into the toy lines and we speculate that some toy lines are operating at a loss to get a foothold in the market.

Let's just say that a bunch of companies have shown they don't even have the sense to invest in brand loyalty with quality product recently, the media companies have exhausted so much goodwill it's embarrassing to anyone who's ever cared about running a business. Even banks can't seem to think five years ahead. It's why I'm delighted MGA is getting sued, yeah it's frivolous and far-fetched but we might get some insight on how they're running things and what the design process might be. It is absolutely not the "collaborative" Monster High/Barbie mermaid "voting process" we've seen on social media and more of a "Oh shoot, we gotta make the Krystal Bailey doll darker skinned, people are furious!"

TLDR It could be that whoever's running these divisions knows nothing about dolls, let alone hair. They just look at numbers and make decisions on numbers, short term ones too, no long term projections or testing.

[richardjohns12]

Features of Specialized Road Bikes

If you see a group of riders or watch a pro race, you will find most riders using scott mtb. Specialized, a California company, is one of the biggest bike brands and has dominated the market since 1974. The brand has developed ground-breaking bikes, won countless races and created a large fanbase.

The company produces all types of bikes, from entry-level to excessive dream bikes. Its expansive catalogue covers all kinds of bikes for various terrains and uses. The ranking of the models from lowest to highest is Base, Sport, Elite, Comp, Expert, Pro and then S-Works.

How will you select a Specialized road bike with so many models? How do you decide which bike is right for you?

Know the purpose: You should be aware of what type of riding you’re planning to do on your new bike. Do you want to race? Or is it for casual daily use?

Specialized build levels

All the Specialized bike models come with different component build levels. These models vary in the element spec level and the quality of carbon used in the construction is different for carbon frames. When you look for Specialized road bike sales, you will find Base and Sport as the entry-level build and are less expensive with entry-level components. On the other hand, S-Works is Specialized’s premium offering with the lightest, high-end carbon and top-of-the-line features.

Distinct models for men and women:

Although Specialized bikes have specific models for women like the Amira, Ruby, Dolce, Era and Rhyme, nowadays, most of the features are similar and don’t deviate far from men’s fits. Sot, Specialized discontinued women’s specific models. Instead, the new models offer various sizes to suit both genders and have different men’s and women’s component builds to address particular touch points.

For instance, the road racing Tarmac bike now comes in sizes ranging from 44–61cm and is available in a Tarmac Men’s and Tarmac Women’s form. The model is race-focused and suitable for both genders but with gender-specific features like bridles and handlebars. Also, Specialized offers different crank lengths to accommodate female riders.

Aluminium vs. Carbon

Many Specialized models are available in both aluminium and carbon frames. Aluminium frames are often used for more budget-oriented models, while carbon is used for higher-end builds. A carbon frame is always lighter than an aluminium equivalent. Few materials can come close to carbon fibre’s strength-to-weight ratio. Using high-modulus carbon, developers produce carbon bikes that are very strong while being ridiculously light.

Rim vs. Disc Brakes

Most Specialized road bikes come with both rim brake and disc brake options available. Rim brakes are typically lighter, less intricate and more affordable. Disc brakes furnish more stopping power and work better in harsh conditions. However, disc brakes are more in use in most bicycles, while rim brakes are more common on entry-level options.

Road Bikes

Road bikes are the most delicate, quickest and efficient for riding on paved road surfaces. The specialized road bike is available in different strengths and each bike serves another purpose.

[uncloseted]

i really like how the olsen twins dress but i am broke. could u recommend some affordable pieces like their style? i prefer ashley olsen's style, more flowy and baggy stuff. thanks in advance <3

I've got you! Allison Borenstein, the creator of the "three style words" method, describes Ashley's style as "oversized, refined, and minimal", so I think those are words to keep in mind when shopping for pieces. You want to look for pieces that are designed to have a oversized look or that are literally larger than the size you would normally wear, but that are crisp and tailored without too much detail. Obviously their brand The Row is great for this style, but if you're on a budget, I would check out COS, Uniqlo, and H&M's Premium line. These are also brand that are pretty easy to find on resale sites if they're still out of your budget. I've seen a lot of COS pieces on ThredUp in the $10-$20 range.

For an example, I'm going to put together a capsule wardrobe of items that I think would fit Ashley's style from high street stores and try to keep it as inexpensive as possible. If you want, you can send me your sizes and I'll do another post where I try to find pieces from secondhand sites, but I thought I'd start with high street stores in case other people are interested in the same items.

First things first, you want an oversized white shirt. These are two options from H&M. One is the Oversized Poplin Shirt which is on sale for $8.99 USD and the other is the Oversized Cotton Shirt for $19.99 USD.

Then we need a pair of trousers. I like the Uniqlo Wide-Fit Pleated Pant for $49.90 USD, which have that perfect tailored but oversized look. You can also try these Wide Leg Pants from H&M for $34.99 USD.

Another staple of Ashley's wardrobe is an oversized cashmere sweater, so let's do this Men's Cashmere Crew Neck from Uniqlo for $59.90 USD. It comes in a ton of colors, which is awesome, and (except secondhand) I've never seen cashmere at a lower price.

For maxi dresses I was kind of struggling, but I would maybe go for a slip dress like the Wilfred Secret Maxi Slip Dress from Aritzia that's on sale for $43.99 USD. It can be worn under a shirt, sweater, or with an oversized coat.

I would also grab an Oversized Blazer like this one from H&M for $57.99 USD. I also like the Cardigan with Tie Belt from H&M for $29.99 USD. I think I've seen Ashley wearing something similar before.

A long oversized coat is a must for an Olsen twin style. I feel like every time I see them, they're in a long coat. I would maybe try this Double-breasted Midi Coat from H&M for $84.99 USD and wear it unbuttoned.

Then I would grab some accessories. I would go for a big pair of sunglasses like these for $12.99 USD and a structured bag like this one for $19.99.

And for shoes, I would grab a sandal like these for $26.99 and a loafer like these for $34.99.

All together, that's between $323 USD and $385. Definitely not cheap, but given that the least expensive thing I can find on The Row's website is a toe ring for $390, I think I did okay 😭

[obsidiancreates]

hiiii sid im thinking of getting into eye makeup, what are the palettes/brands that you use or recommend?

For a more budget-conscious try, I think Makeup Revolution has some good cheap palettes. They're not the greatest quality ever but they're good enough you can practice without much worry about bad pigment or poor bendability. The Revolution x Soph palette is a good mix of some base neutrals and brights so you can play around and experiment!

My personal favorite palette I've ever owned is the Glamlite Ice Cream Dream

This one is mostly color and a lot of pastels, but still some nice neutrals. Glamlite has my favorite formula I've ever tried, ever, but they're only online and a little more pricey (I believe this is $40 or in that range at least).

Along Glamlite lines again I think the original Glamlite x Mikayla is also good for a mix of neutrals and brights! However the neutrals are quite warm-toned for the most part so if you're looking for cooler toned browns it's not the one.

BUT BACK TO BUDGET FRIENDLY AND EASY TO ACCESS!

For eyeliners I usually turn to NYX Cosmetics because they're not super expensive (not cheap either though, usually like, around $8) and have a very wide variety of colors. I've also tried the LA Girl Neon eyeliners and they're okay. All of these eyeliners though, when used in the waterline, are a bit thick and may cause a momentary film/cloudiness of the eye. I usually just blink fast and deal with it, but if it (reasonably) frightens you, just stick to around the waterlines instead of directly in them.

A good eye primer is always advisable. I personally use the Glamlite Eye-cing bases, but they're sold out of a lot of tones of that right now and they're a little thick/wet for beginner bases (sort of a concealer consistency). A lot of budget brands have good eye primers these days, I used Makeup Revolution Prime & Lock for a while and it was good, but honestly most budget eye primers are pretty similar. All that matters is they help with longevity of shadow/smoothness of color application. Just make sure it's not super wet before you start applying shadow, it can make the color patchy.

Here's a link to a vid I made about makeup basics using the first palette I recommended, the Revolution x Soph one! I haven't made a makeup tutorial in a while but there's a few on my channel, most focused around eye makeup since that's my favorite bit to do!

I've also used Profusion Cosmetics, they're a pretty decent brand in terms of formula and the price point, if it hasn't been raised, is phenomenal. Very powdery shadows so there's a lot of fallout, but good color ranges and you can get a 10 color palette for $5.

Eyeshadow can be done entirely using fingers as well, I've done it myself many times, but if you don't want to use them I'd say you need only two or three good brushes for an eye look. A fluffy brush, and a denser brush. If you want more precision, a smaller/more pointed fluffy brush is also good. I personally use Spectrum Collections brushes, but those are pretty pricey and you can find good brushes with a lot of budget brands (stay away from Morphe though they're shady as fuck, overpriced, and all of the people they collab with are of questionable to abhorrent morality).

If you have specific colors you're looking for let me know and I'll make some more specific recommendations!