#I mean they're way too big to be a button with this pattern they're like the size of my hand BUT

[solarpunkani]

Ani's Crochet Projects Right Now

It's Day 3 (well by the time this gets posted it'll probably be Day 4 in my timezone) of Solarpunk Aesthetic Week so I wanted to talk about the crochet projects I'm working on!

I started learning how to crochet literally a week ago, I'm by no means an expert, I literally have very little idea of what I'm doing. But I'm doing it!

My first project is a tote bag, inspired by the bag that Fennopunk is working on. This is quite literally the project that got me to make the leap into crocheting! It's not really together in any solid form, but I have many pieces.

Here's the granny squares I have so far! I used a video tutorial on how to make solid granny squares (and some written instructions kindly typed up by a friend) to make these! I still have to attach them together, but I wanted to wait until I had all the pieces ready to do that! Teeechnically, I made all the granny squares before Solarpunk Aesthetic Week started, but the project's not finished so I'm sharing them anyhow.

This is the strap! I made it yesterday (Tuesday) while watching Netflix with a homie. I wanted it to be wide so it didn't dig into my shoulder (though my mom thinks I made it too wide and not long enough) when I wore it, and I'm following a video tutorial to try and make it as not-stretchy as possible. I still have some other stuff to do to it (additional stitches, adding a cloth back, etc.) before it's 'done' but I'm kind of tired of looking at it so I moved on to something else and will be back later. (or so I claim).

This is my latest project, which I started earlier today (Wednesday) actually! It's currently a strip of double crochets, but with time and some 'what the fuck is going on here'-ing, it'll be a cool hooded scarf! Here's the written pattern, and here's a video on it! I am currently stuck on row 2--I'm supposed to be making the hood, and the first row was on both sides of the initial chain, but now I'm confused on how I'm supposed to do that... again??? I'll figure it out. I have to. I want a cool hooded scarf (and I also wanna someday make a cool cloak with this pattern) so I'm legally required to figure it out. Cross your fingers for me!

But yeah! This is probably the most tangible stuff I've been doing for Solarpunk Aesthetic Week so far! Until I figure out how to print a sewing pattern, at least. Excited to see what everyone else is up to!

[luveline]

Omg ok Jade my love can I request a princess soulmate au with Steve? Where reader is Prince Steve’s soulmate but maybe she’s not royal herself and is struggling a bit with being the future princess?

Almost like similar vibes to some of the loser gf with rockstar Sirius things you’ve done

thank you sm for your request! (sci-fi fairytale au) prince!steve

cw talk of losing weight to fit into a dress 

Prince Steven sits across from you with a bowl of grapes and a pair of embroidery scissors. He's going to stab me, you think morosely. I'm wretched and boring and he's going to stab me and then the stars will give him another soulmate and he'll forget this whole misfortune.

He seems lost for words as you are, or uninterested. You think he's going to talk and he eats another grape instead, hair fluttering in the breeze that filters in from the balcony, his eyes trained on the holoscreen. He's pretty —soft face, softer hair, almond shaped eyes that seem perpetually amused— but more alarmingly, he's fit. Physically fit from years of sports. Royals do all manner of olympiad competition, evident in his toned shoulders and his sun-kissed skin. 

"How's your embroidery?" he asks suddenly. 

You startle, pretending you'd been attending to that rather than staring at him uselessly. "It's going well, Prince Steven," you lie. You've never embroidered before —you have practical sewing skills for darning scuffed trousers and patching elbows, but embroidery is a labour of time. Time is a luxury you haven't had. 

"Steve," he corrects. 

"Do I… Is it really okay for me to call you that? Won't people think I'm presumptuous?" 

"Ten dollar word." He slides the bowl toward you, a beautifully glazed ceramic piece that likely cost more than your month's rent. "Well, they usually let me have whatever I want, and I want you to call me Steve. And to relax. And eat more." 

"I can't. They said I need to fit into my wedding dress." 

"The wedding dress needs to fit you," Steve says, the simple cut of his button down pulled snug to his chest as he leans back in his chair. "Not the other way around. Is that why you didn't eat much at breakfast? Or was it just gross?" 

"It wasn't gross," you say softly. 

"You don't have to do any of that stuff, either, if it's boring." 

You run your finger down the creamy linen stretched between your bamboo hoops. "I don't know if it's boring. I can barely do it." 

"You're too mean to yourself," he says. 

Steve stands and puts his arm behind his head, pushing his elbow until something clicks. Embarrassed by his dismissal, you stare at your hands and fume at yourself when they begin to tremble. 

It's too much. All of it. The cruel Palace attendants who know you're not good enough. Steve and his good nature. The wedding dress, the fine China, your wonky stitches. 

Steve steps to your side. He holds out his hand, and you pass him your embroidery without meeting his eyes. Your mood worsens at the sharp slink of snipping, sure that Steve will cut your pattern from the sketch and tell you to start again. 

"Sorry, your white knot at the back was bothering me. Pass me a slimmer needle? I'll tuck it behind your stitches." 

Astonished, you pass Steve a smaller needle from the pin cushion. His brows creases gently as he works, rewiring the white thread with patience and efficiency. 

"There. It looks really nice, honey. You're a fast learner." He passes you the hoop. You take it a beat too slow and he either doesn't notice or doesn't make a fuss, chucking you under the chin softly. "Don't worry so much. I'll talk to Cordelia about your wedding dress, the idea that you need to fit into it like it's one size fits all is dumb. It's made for you. Like, what are they expecting?" 

"They're probably hoping this is all a big mistake." 

"Did someone say that to you?" 

"Nobody had to say it to me, I can tell from the way they look at…" Steve takes your face into his hand, effectively killing anything you'd been trying to say.  

He seems royal, then. Used to getting his way, maybe, the disapproving lining of his otherwise sweet eyes. You get a flash of a memory, the morning you'd been presented, Steve in his finery with his platinum crown like a beacon in brown hair, you in your best dress, embarrassingly drab in comparison, your hand offered. He'd been meeting with eligible women all week. 

You were there as a formality. Never for a second did you think your soul mark would react to his, lines of light around your opposite wrists. 

To think you'd worried about touching him. You could never imagine how beautifully careful he is, how tender. You didn't know men were like this until Steve showed you, his niceness apparently bone deep and in everything he does. 

"If people are being jerks, you have to tell me." You never imagined how casual and vulgar he'd be either. "What's the point in being a princess if people don't respect you?" 

"I'm not a princess," you say. Your heart is a hummingbird as he turns his hand and strokes your cheeks with the backs of his fingers. 

"You will be. Nothing can change that. You're going to be a princess, and you can do as much or as little as you want, because those dorks left me in charge and I say so. I can decree it, if that makes you feel better," he says, dropping his hand, the phantom of it lingering like static shock. 

"What if I'm not meant for this?" you ask quietly, shy but terrified enough to ask. 

"I was meant for you," he says, tone matching yours in timidity. His sleeves rolled up as they are, you can see the soft light of his soul mark taking a pink hue. "Right?" 

Your soul mark glows a gentle pink to match his. Because you and Steve don't know one another well, not yet, but the feeling is there, thrumming under the skin like a pulse. Not love, not not love, a glowing desire. A want to know him.

There have been moments where you wished he wasn't a Prince, but then there's no guarantee you ever would have met. 

"Right," you mouth, offering him a small smile. 

"We were meant to be together…" Steve bends at the waist, meeting your eyes. He's yet to kiss you in the week since you met, but his touches come braver everyday, the unfamiliarity between you melding into butterflies. His smirk shakes them awake. "So let's be together the way we want to. Think of princess-ing as optional." 

"And you as mandatory?"

"I'm also optional," he says with a warm laugh. "But dinner is not. I need to know what you like, if we're going to get married."

You practically gulp. Right. You're going to be his soulmate, his princess, and his wife. 

"Don't be scared. I'm not cooking it, chef Joyce is." Steve brushes hair from his eyes like a model from the giant holo screens, unaware of his own attractiveness. "I'm a shitty cook. My talents lie in other things," he drawls grandly, "like lacrosse, and neck massages." 

He winks. You laugh genuinely for the first time since you met him, and his face splits with glee.  

—

if you want to request anything for this AU please do! steampunk princess soulmate and her smitten prince is my new fave thing

[mayakern]

hello! I have watched your videos and I am sorry the preorder is going so poorly. You all have poured so much time and care and thought into these, and if anything I think you're doing *too much* in the way of trying to accommodate customer requests when it comes to color/pattern specifically. for all that you are so open with your back-end processes, you guys are always going to be able to see the big picture better than anyone. Also, you have way more at stake in your design decisions than your customers do.

all this to say - don't make your pattern decisions based on polls! Use demographic data, sales data, seasonality, info about what colors (and complementary items) are currently popular in other stores - polls might have a place in there, but they're not super trustworthy and they can't bear all of the weight, because ultimately you know more than we do.

I also want to tell you that I'm so appreciative of the lengths you're going to to provide us with lovely, sustainable fashion for all sizes and texture tolerances, and I hope this doesn't discourage you for long!

i appreciate your thoughtfulness.

previous to this experience, polling our customers has been very effective. it just sucks that wasn’t the case this time because this was the time where we really needed to make sure we had a hit because the shirt and dress are SO expensive for us to make.

in the past we have just kind of done our own thing and said screw it. most of our customers aren’t super concerned with being on the cutting edge of trends, which is good, because that would be an impossible standard for us to follow when production cycles take minimum 2 months AFTER product development is complete and trend cycles seem to change every other week with the advent of shein and other fast fashion sites being able to pump things out super fast and the life cycle of everything on tiktok being super short, in part due to the generational shift from subcultures to aesthetics.

we’ve been having a lot of internal conversations about this situation and what to do going forward. in large part i think what we’ve learned is that any more complicated pieces (like the shirts) we need to make with less expensive fabric. the cost of a garment isn’t just about how much fabric it takes, but how many lines of stitches are required and if any specialty processes or materials are used (sewing in buttons, adding zippers or gussets, etc). ultimately the shirts are expensive not just because of the high quality material, but also because they are a complicated garment made by people who are being fairly compensated for their labor. we can lower that price slightly in the future by changing the materials we use, but by and large this means we will be trying to focus on less complicated garments in the future.

[mickittotheman]

Maybe #6 ...on a falling tear.

But maybe smut 😅

Ahem. Um. Yes.

Putting this under a read more cut for obvious reasons 😶

6. ...on a falling tear (but definitely smut)

It’s Ian’s day off, the house is empty, the vibrating anal beads they splurged on finally arrived in the mail, and they're having a great time.

It’s obvious, from the way Ian is grinning wide, eyes sparkling, laughter huffing from his lungs, that he’s enjoying this. 

Mickey’s enjoying it too, of course. It’s just that he expresses joy a bit differently than most people. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck you, fuck you, Ian, gonna fucking kill you, fuck.”

Ian laughs again, and his warm breath puffing against Mickey’s spit soaked nipple gets an interesting response, so he follows it up by pursing his lips and blowing out a long, cool stream of air.

“Fuck. Ian,” Mickey whines, voice keening and plaintive once more. 

It’s one of the many, many things Ian loves about his husband: the way his mood flips on a dime even during sex, especially during sex, how he’ll go from growling threats to pathetic pleading to blabbering praises and back again.

“So good, it’s so good, Ian, please, love you, you're so good.”

“Yeah? You like this, baby?” Ian pulls back to get a better view of Mickey’s face. It's quite the sight to behold: skin flushed and brows furrowed and mouth swollen and slick, plush lower lip bitten hard by one sharp little canine tooth. 

Mickey tips his head back against the pillow. Shakes it frantically. “No, I don’t fucking like this, I hate this, fuck, I hate you.”

“Oh? You don’t like this?” Ian hums. Rubs one big hand soothingly up and down Mickey’s heaving chest. “Hm. Maybe we oughta try a different setting, then.”

“Wait–”

Mickey’s eyes fly open just in time to see Ian grin as he presses the button on the remote.

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck, Ian, Ian, please–”

“Please what? Put it higher?”

Ian presses another button without waiting for an answer. Watches in awe as Mickey’s back arches, as his muscles tense, limbs straining against the restraints, as his cock jerks untouched against his stomach, come dribbling down to join the other spatters in varying states of drying.

Ian clicks the remote again. Drops the strength to the lowest setting, switches the pulse pattern to something steady and predictable.

Mickey sobs, just once, and Ian’s grin widens. 

When Mickey cries during sex, that means Ian is doing his job really, really well. 

It’d freaked him out the first time. Made him panic. Made him think he’d hurt Mickey in a way he hadn’t intended to.

But that was years ago.

Nowadays, making Mickey cry is one of Ian’s favorite activities.

“So good, baby,” he gushes, leaning in to kiss Mickey’s forehead. “You’re doing so good. You were fucking made for this, Mickey. Made to be tied up and pleasured and used all day long.”

Ian can physically feel Mickey’s skin heat up against his lips. Can feel him shudder and shake. Can feel him nod, just a tiny, jerky little motion. 

Ian pulls back again, wanting to drink in the sight of him, wanting to see it forever and ever and ever. “Fuck, baby. I should take a fucking picture. Actually, I should just keep you like this 24/7.”

Mickey’s breath stutters, his eyes fluttering open to peer up at Ian blearily, the tiniest little noise clawing from his throat. 

Ian smiles softly at him. Brings a hand up to cup his face and swipe at his tears with his thumb. “You want that, baby? Yeah. Maybe you’re right about not needing a job. Maybe I should just keep you tied up like this all day instead, ready for me to use whenever I want. Would be a great stress relief, after a long day of work. ‘Course, some days I’d be too tired to fuck you, but that’s okay. I can just leave you like this, right?”

Mickey whines in protest. Shakes his head. 

“Shh, it’s okay, Mick. I’m just teasing,” he soothes, ducking down again to kiss the fresh tear rolling down Mickey’s cheek. “I’d never be able to leave you completely untouched. I’d have to do something. Something like this, maybe.”

He clicks the remote again, ramping the vibrations back up to level five, switching the pattern to an unyielding bzzzzzzzzzz.

“Fuck!”

Ian laughs. Palms at his own dick, just to take a bit of the pressure off. “We’re almost done, babe. Promise.”

“Yeah?” Mickey pants, melting a bit in relief even as his wrists flex against the leather cuffs fruitlessly.

“Ian! Fuck, fuck you, please please please, I need you, I love you, Ian–”

“Yeah,” Ian assures him. “Just gonna make you come one more time with these in.” He pauses. Cocks his head. “Well, and then of course I’ll have to pull these out of you, one by one, and fuck knows how many times you’ll come during that. Plus, I’m obviously going to have to fuck you at least once. Maybe twice. I’m feeling pretty worked up, y’know?”

This time, Mickey comes with a high pitched whine and a steady stream of tears.

Oh yeah. They are definitely having fun.

send me a number~

[henrysglock]

You Can Respawn Fabric, but You Can't Respawn Your Hair? Makes Sense.

I absolutely hate watching this scene because it makes me cringe to hell and back (and that's probably intentional, Stav mentioned to me a while back that it mimics Dr. Manhattan's transformation scene). So like. Give me a little love on this one because it was TORTURE for me. I didn't mean to go so in-depth here but...the details just keep coming.

I love/hate how fucked up this man's jumpsuits are.

So this guy clearly starts out as Jamie (we've all seen the BTS of him in the harness for this part).

But by the end, he's transformed completely into someone who looks distinctly like Brenner, as I've said both here and here.

However...the singe pattern just straight up changes. This is not the last time we see a singe pattern completely change. He respawns fabric by the right sleeve, too. This is also not the last time this happens.

And all while he gets a handsome-Squidward style facial reconstruction...

...Until he doesn't?

The next time we see him, we're back in Jamie-face territory.

And, of course, here's the other time the singe pattern has changed. We also have some more respawned fabric (like I mentioned earlier). The shape of both holes, shoulder and left-chest has changed entirely.

It's not the same scorching.

(We've also added a brand new random singe on the right arm. Which, before you say "oh he's probably been down there a while/maybe he burnt it one the planet"...there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of fire on the planet. Maybe he got zapped more on the way down or something, I don't want to misattribute anything.)

Either way, the scorches, the fabric, and...yes, once again: the blood spatters.

In the Dimenson X Pattern, notice those two distinct dots under the scorch?

Not present in the Zapping Scene Pattern.

And it shows up in the big spray too, specifically near the buttons and the shape of the big drips:

But the blood pattern throughout the zapping scene seems to stay consistent, even if the scorching doesn't.

So at the very least we can conclude that: whoever reached out the the Shadow Monster and whoever we're told became Vecna are likely two different people.

Which, with Dimension X having this sort of planar mirroring...I don't think it's too massive of a stretch to say something weird is going on in a pair.

Especially when earlier I spoke here and here about having 2 of each interdimensional event (or lack thereof in the gateless version).

We see 2 dematerialization events based on the orientation of the shards, and we know from ST1 that dematerialization yoinks you into the Blue UD. We don't know where the dematerialization may have lead us here.

We know that the gate leads to Dimension X, since we visually follow Bren-Hen-Ward through the gate and into Dimension-X. Two Gates.

And then the no-gate timeline (timelines? there are at least 2 blood-free Bren-Hen-Wards).

And of course. As per usual with this godawful episode. His cheek and ear blood straight up disappear (not to mention his ears and eye socket shapes changing completely).

Either it got scorched off at some point when this side is facing away from us, or there's something else going on. I'm putting a pin in this one. I don't have the brain space for it right now.

Before anyone comes in with production error talk, I'd like to remind us all:

As we've discussed before, we know how particular they are about both blood spatters (Em has talked endlessly about this particular subject)...and they're the same way about scorches:

So whoever they are, those two Dimension-X guys aren't the same guy.

[moe-broey]

Here's my thought process. Because my Alfonse and Sharena plushies are made of felt and whatever material I had laying around for years, I think I have to keep in line with that philosophy. Even the embroidery on the face was stuff I already had, and I improvised in some areas where I didn't have proper embroidery thread for it (pulling apart black thread of something thicker/for jewerly making, layering sewing thread for the freckles, pulling apart yarn for the eye shines, ect).

Like what I'm getting at here is that the design philosophy is almost ragdolly in a way! And I def think they're more doll than plushie actually. I almost kinda think of Yoshi's Wooly World/Crafted World, for the aesthetics -- the "gimmick" is that they Look crafted by hand, using whatever you have on hand (which is. As I'm saying it. Literally just What I'm Doing LMFAOOO BUT WITH INTENT 😤😤😤)

So. That in mind

From the start I had the idea of using this fabric for the blue undershirt. You won't see much of it, if any at all though.... so I was gonna use it for the cape, too. But then my nana stopped by, and gave me A Bunch of fabric, including..

Like. The perfect shit. Just out of whatever she had on hand. The dark blue with gold sparkles is SO PERFECT for the inside of the capes..... and it doesn't even shed glitter!!!! It's good stuff!!! The shiny satiny gold material is thin, but hefty. So like. Even though you can see it fraying (and it does look. Intimidating.), I feel like if I'm smart I can make it work. My idea for the armor was to layer some fabric on top of sturdier fabric, anyway, to add/hold shape (but also very much crossing that bridge when I get to it).

Now, for the white fabric...... well. I've run into some issues. One of which was material that was from a thinly knit scarf, had that ragdoll vibe, but was way too flimsy. Not even gonna bother.

Digging around...

There's this fabric. It has a nice sheen to it, that doesn't really show up on camera. But you see how it fucking frays. You see how it's imprisoned by a hanger. You see the crinkles. This shit is going to be a fucking Nightmare to work with. It's lightweight, yeah. Too lightweight. I COULD use this for something else, but using it on a Fuck Around and Find Out project where I'm not even using patterns is a Death Sentence. I would Die. Badly. Next

I found this soft material I got Years Ago, big dreams of something else that never came to fruition. It would be very good plush material. I was really ruminating on it. However... I feel it may be too flimsy to use button joints on it. And even though it's not thick material, on this scale.. it's probably too thick to work with. And going back, to when I said they're more doll than plush... I have other big dreams. Of a Plush plush. I only have so much of this material, I think it would be smarter to save it. Probably will save me some grief, too. ENTER.

Pant leg. With some effort, I could probably find the rest of it. I actually do think this could work, though! It's that sort of stretchy fake jeans material, and it does have a nice visual texture to it irl. Very subtle. And I feel, fits very well into the "shit I just had laying around" ragdoll aesthetic. LITERALLY ACTUALLY...... made of rags..... and again, them being more for display than they are like, cuddly. I mean, they're also very much for Holding. I do want them to be very holdable. BUT. Idk may be onto something here...

ALSO. That red ribbon is a bit on the thick side, BUT...... it has potential. With enough fucking around I could have something, there...

LIKE I mentioned it a little bit, but I think the thing that's REALLY gonna make these guys shine is having a variety of dif patterns and textures, primarily visually. Although I do think about having to make three layers of clothing on these guys and my brain explodes. Badly. Like. I'm resigned to making one layer the bodice. We can skimp on the realism. But that still means.. the white over shirts... AND the armor..... and the capes. Help. 🧍

I leave you with this.

She's so helpful...... so good at that.....

[kndrules]

What fashion types would Sector V have? Going beyond "core" type stuff. What would they feel most comfortable wearing? Bonus if it's for both causal and "going out"/fancy.

I definitely have thought about this a lot let's see

Nigel- Well, Nigel is weird because his canon clothing choices are baffling. But you gotta respect it. Shorts in the winter?? Sure. I think Nigel always leans towards looking "put together". Even his most casual outfits will have a clean, sharp quality to them. I definitely subscribe to the idea that he wears leather jackets as a teenager, but as he gets older his style becomes more like "library employee". Sweater vests and always an ironed pair of slacks. Cozy but classy sweaters.

Here's some examples from raverly cuz this is how my brain works now I guess

Another important point about what Nigel wears is that he converts to Judaism as an adult when he marries Lizzie. So throw in some cute fair-isle kippahs.

I always imagined Nigel prefers muted colors, of course leaning towards warmer palettes.

Nigel's formal and casual outfits definitely overlap, but we see in the show that he enjoys dressing black tie given the opportunity (though, notably with a bowtie, not a necktie haha). So in a very formal setting, he's breaking out the James Bond style suits.

Hoagie- I had to rethink the way I make Hoagie dress after my gender headcanons changed for her rather dramatically. But in high school, it's the same because she's not fully out yet. She relies on button down shirts with fun patterns and ironic graphic tees so that she doesn't have to spend much time thinking about what she's wearing, and during this time in particular, I imagine she had a somewhat emo-lite style going on (a lot of black in that waredrobe).

After she starts dressing in a way that's more comfortable for her, I like to draw her in loose, comfortable blouses. I think she still prefers pants over skirts so that she can move freely. And a comfortable pair of sneakers or loafers with added support is important.

This is again a circumstance where casual and formal outfits can overlap. I could see Hoagie not being very good with dressing very formal, preferring to be comfortable. I need to play around with all these ideas for her though.

Kuki- Big, oversized, comfy!!!!!! and CUTE!!!! She loves skirts and tights, not a huge fan of pants but will wear shorts if she has to (shorts with thick leggings underneath if it's cold out). She likes her clothes to be roomy for sensory reasons, and she loves to flap her long sleeves. Another sensory thing is texture- the clothes that touch her skin gotta be soft. I project a lot of my sensory particularities onto her, so she hates denim and any thin, plasticy feeling material. She won't wear something if it's not cute. Bright colors are preferred.

She loves dressing up as a teenager. Knee-length prom-style dresses with frills and glitter are fun!

As she grows up, she has to dress more refined. She still doesn't wear pants, preferring dress suits instead. She doesn't actually like wearing dress suits, but she has to for work. The second she gets home, the comfy clothes come on. There's always a little trace of her personality still on her work and formal clothes as an adult- a little hint of color or something.

Wally- This kid barely gets any new clothes through his adolescence. His sweatshirts and pants are all old, worn out, dirty and gross. This is partially because his parents can't afford much, but he's also resistant to change like that. He likes the clothes he has, they're comfortable and worn-in. He doesn't like the idea of new stuff. Wally likes oversized clothes, too. Baggy sweatshirts and baggy blue jeans. His jeans either have to be hemmed shorter by his mom or they get all muddy and ripped up at the bottom, because they're too long for him. He doesn't care about looking "good", he only cares about looking "like a boy" (based on his own definition of what that means).

Don't bother asking him to dress nice for a formal event. He's just gonna show up in one of these:

In med school and as a doctor, he has to conform to some degree. I've always had this ridiculous headcanon that in med school he starts wearing polo shirts with popped collars, like a classic douchebag. He starts caring about his clothes getting ruined, because clothes have become a status symbol thing to him, and also because he's not used to the idea of "just buying new ones". His clothes still stay comfortable as much as possible, though. He will wear jeans and a t-shirt any time he can. And of course, scrubs are a must. As an adult, he can get through a formal event, but only just barely. He will never know what he's doing in that regard.

Abby- She's a stud, this is so important to my version of her. Her style is kind of "butch-athletic", with relaxed jeans, big t-shirts, jerseys and jackets. And nice sneakers.

(images from pintrest)

(Note that unlike these images, Abby doesn't wear makeup)

A good real life style reference for Abby is the musician Syd

Abby also prefers to keep her hair in protective styles as much as possible, for ease. Since she can't keep her hair like that all the time, in-between styles she still keeps it gently out of the way.

Her style is always pretty casual, but it's easy to dress it up with smart blazers! As an adult, she leans towards casual-ish pants suits. Blazers with regular undershirts and relaxed slacks.

[safyresky]

BUD-A-BOOP-BOP! TWINS!

boy HOWDY have some THURSDAY NIGHT SCRIMBLES! 🥳 Now in magical TECHICOLOUR! It's older Twins! Fino and Fiera!

Design stuff below the cut 🤗🤗

My god I'm having fun with these markers. But the colours are LIMITED as I only have like 2 starter sets and they're FUN but deffs I could use a few more in betweens.

ANYWAY. DESIGNS.

Fino

Doing my boy first bc we already had fun with Older Fiera ages ago lmao

I'd been wanting to share his older design for AGES tbh! Had it in me head around the same time as I shared the older twins and Jacquie scribbles lol. ANYWAY

He is SEMI fancy! Big fan of button downs and vests/waistcoats!

Doesn't ALWAYS wear the vest

His shirts 9/10 times have funky patterns. Like fungi or flowers or just the weirdest fucking designs you EVER did see. His siblings and orc friend (Kenothy) all make it a fun game to find him the most OBNOXIOUSLY WEIRD SHIRTS. His collection is HUGE and VARIED and HURTS THE EYES FIFTY PERCENT OF THE TIME

he is like a walking mullet but the business is on top, the party is below. He is a jeans man through and through and you can pry his converse/kicks off his cold, dead feet tbh. they are ALWAYS red. he probably has like 10 pairs like some kinda cartoon character

belt is pink bc fiera's magic! the inside of his cloak is rainbow, like his twin's fire :D

the cloak also does have a big old hood and covers his whole him so he can look mysteriouse

and then give people whiplash when he whips the cloak back and pulls the hood down and. well. on fire colourful schemey looking young man

everyone's usually like "i didn't expect the freckles. or the fungi shirt"

the fungi shirt is his fave

plz picture a fungi pattern all over his shirt!

when he uses his staff, the flame turns rainbow too and the snowflake glows :3

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Fino's warlock aesthetic is "i live in your local forest and i love my family and i'm making it everyone's problem"

the outside of the cloak is a nice forest green! bc he likes forests (if that wasn't obvious lol)

he's pretty chill but has resting plotting face. generally if he's looking like that he has examined every angle of a situation and is about to make a bigger one. or fix the current one. or both!! and is VERY proud of himself!!!! (as he SHOULD be!)

he and Fiera ARE the same height but I drew Fiera first and started Fino top down as you do but neglected to watch the height lol. so just know. they are BOTH tall and BOTH the same height!!!!

He is the BEST warlock of the current era he is warlocking in. If Uncle Pyros was around he'd be mad jealous. Same with Granny Frost tbh. Grandpa Winter would like, lift him up like Simba like "THAT'S MY GRANDBSON! THE BEST WARLOCK IN THE WHOLE WORLD!"

(if the bio grandparents were around, you bet it would be a big case of "the in-laws don't get along" lmao)

Fiera

pink is her fave colour and the colour of her magic, so her shirt, shoes, AND hair ribbons are all pink, but it's a lil light, innit? like i said, limited colours lol

BUT WE'RE HAVING A GRAND OLD TIME DOWN THIS WAY.

EVEN IF MY NOSE SMELLS LIKE ALCOHOL ALL THE DAMN TIME

RIGHT. FIERA.

HOT PANTS! SHE'S GOT HOT PANTS!!! They're not that dark blue, bit of a lighter wash for her denim (but I don't have a lot of blue options lol)

suspenders are red bc FINO'S MAGIC! one is always hanging off of her, the other is always up. she doesn't do this on purpose it just HAPPENS bc she doesn't actually really need them? it's the FASHION. the STYLE.

sometimes hair ribbons are red too, bc Fino magic :3

ALSO wears converse but the boot like ones, bc I've always wanted a pair of boot converse! They look SOO COOL and SOO INCONVENIENT, AND THEY ARE COLOURFUL! I mean. Fiera's are pink but I'VE SEEN ALL THE COLOURS. AND I WANT.

I mean. why make OCs if not for them to wear the things you can't have/afford/pull off?

huehuehue

she's not THAT buff tho she is pretty strong. i am a writer by trade so my doodles are not to scale (read: scrimbly). anyway, she's probably usually a tank/halter top person??? this doodle just really wanted to be a t-shirt!

both twins have elements of their outfits inspired by the fam, not TOTALLY on purpose but it did make me cackle as I noticed them so TAKE THIS QUICK SYNOPSIS:

Fino:

dress shirt, belt over suspenders: blaise vibes

big ol cloak: winter vibes

comfortable shoes: jacquie vibes

vest: jack vibes

Fiera:

suspenders: jack and blaise vibes (both are known to wear them as an accessory instead of for their intended purpose of keeping pants up)

hot pants and boot like shoes: jacquie vibes

hair buns: winter vibes

man, I love the older twins. the SHENANIGANS they get INTO! they're a dream team, you won't know what hit you by the time they're through with you 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[calamity-bean]

wait, do you have advice/resources for beginning to sew clothes? i self drafted a totebag and have made a few small bags, but am hoping to branch out

Make mockups; do lots of test fittings throughout the process; finish your seams; clip your corners and curves; stitch the most visible and trickiest bits by hand, not machine (unless you're good enough with a machine!); learn the main properties of different fabrics; when you really wanna hold your fabric in place nicely, baste rather than pin; adjust the fit via triangles and curves; it's only fabric; it's okay to fuck up; accept that you WILL fuck-up and WILL have to undo and redo things and that that is OKAY.

^ Some things I personally have benefited from and wish I'd learned earlier!

Seriously, though — I should preface by saying that I myself am also a beginner. I follow some really brilliant costumers and cosplayers here on tumblr, and I am nowhere NEAR their level. (And I would welcome any advice/resources more experienced clothes-makers would like to share!) It's only in the last few years that I've gotten more into sewing, starting mainly with alterations of existing clothes and then moving into making things from scratch. I've figured out a lot just via trial and error — as well as by taking existing garments apart and looking at how they're made.

But, honestly, my main resource has been YouTube. There are tons of tutorials on there for specific techniques and garments, of course, and I do watch those. But I've also learned a LOT from the more entertainment-focused sewing content — the ones where the sewist isn't really trying to teach you how to make something, just making something cool and showing how they made it. There's so much knowledge to be gleaned just from watching them work and listening to them talk about why they used a certain stitch, how they resolved a fit issue, etc.

Some favorite creators include:

TheClosetHistorian: Makes stunning vintage and high-end fashion; big proponent of drafting your own patterns, and has tutorials on how to do so as well as on things like darts and seam finishing. Plus I find her voice and aesthetic very soothing.

Bernadette Banner: Focuses on using period-appropriate methods to create her garments (mainly 19th and early 20th c.), which means a lot of hand sewing. I've picked up a lot of hand-sewing tips and tricks from watching her work.

Vincent Briggs: Mainly 18th century garments, with very excellent tutorials on decorative buttons and buttonholes in particular. And how to make an adorable leaf-kerchief!

Morgan Donner: All-around crafter with a particular focus on medieval garments and other aspects of medieval culture. Does lots of non-sewing craft content I enjoy as well.

Rachel Maksy: Less focused on technical sewing skills and more so on costume making and other crafting, but she's very inventive and fun to watch and shows a lot of creative problem solving.

And a few specific tutorials:

Circle skirt drafting by Mariah Pattie

Making a split-side adjustable skirt by Ash L G

Seam finishing by Evelyn Wood

There are honestly too many good channels to list... Sewstine; The Stitchery; Nicole Rudolph; Shannon Makes...... Beyond the sheer entertainment value, what I really love about watching all of these creators is that each of them has their own particular specialties, preferred ways of doing things, etc. Some of them went to fashion school, some are self-taught. Some are very technical and precise, some of them work organically and messily. And I think that just as the measured, detail-oriented approach of someone like Bernadette Banner offers much instruction, so too (in a very different way) does the chaotic approach of someone like Micarah Tewers, who perhaps can make garment construction seem less intimidating by demonstrating that you don't have to precisely follow a step-by-step guide.

Right now, I'm almost done (SO CLOSE TO DONE) making a skirt. It's not a crazy difficult skirt, but it does have pockets, pleats, gathers, a zipper, an attached waistband with elastic, and a plaid pattern to consider the direction and matching of, so it required thought and planning. I had originally been planning to make the whole skirt using a hand-me-down McCalls pattern, but then decided I didn't like the fullness of that skirt, so I took only the pockets from that pattern and drafted the skirt itself using the circle skirt tutorial linked above. I used a quarter-circle with a 175% waist measurement for the front half, which is pleated, and a 150% waist measurement for the back half, which is gathered. I did frequent test fittings and had to take apart and redo a couple things. And whenever I wasn't exactly sure how to do something, I'd just Google it and find lots of help.

Like I said, some of my mutuals on here are far better at this than I am, and I feel a little silly talking about my skirt like it's some grand accomplishment and a little unqualified to offer resources/advice. But I guess I'm hoping that my experience can still be helpful precisely because I am still a beginner and am very much still in the phase of figuring it all out. And my method is basically to take in information and inspiration from a lot of different sources, find the courage to try things out, learn from my mistakes and try try again.

Congrats on your tote bags, anon, and best wishes on your sewing journeys to come!

[vinceaddams]

top five clothing items you wish you'd wear more often, please! and the five you do wear the most, please!

Oh heck! I still have asks from that ask meme thingy I reblogged 2 weeks ago, sorry for taking so long!

Hmm, tough to choose specific things I wish I wore more often. I do have a bunch of fancy 18th century things that sit in my closet most of the time, but usually when I leave the house I'm either going to work or to the grocery store, and I don't feel like being super fancy for that. Cuff ruffles would get in the way of all the hand washing and such, and breeches would be annoying at work because I use machines with knee levers.

I guess I wish I wore my nice shoes a bit more often than just for photos, but they were expensive and I don't want to wear out the leather soles. Maybe I ought to get little rubber soles added.

Oh, and my embroidered monster waistcoat! I wish I wore that more, but it's from an older pattern that doesn't fit me very well. The embroidery is also a bit worn out in places, alas.

It's a bit difficult to know which things I wear most frequently, but here are my best guesses for right now. (My summer answers would of course be different.)

1. This brown wool waistcoat from early 2019. I wear it all the time in the cold half of the year.

Just like the monster waistcoat, it's made from a pattern I drafted before top surgery, so it really doesn't fit me anymore. It's also getting pretty shabby. I've been meaning to make some new everyday plain wool waistcoats for a while now.

(I wear that green shirt pretty often too.)

2. This cap. It's just two pieces of linen, and I made it in 2018. I like wearing caps indoors when it's cold, and also under my wool hat outdoors. It adds an extra layer of warmth, is softer than the wool hat, and protects it from my very oily scalp.

I have 3 of these caps, but this one is my favourite. It's also something I ought to make more of.

3. These pants. They're just plain black cotton fall front pants.

I could pretend I'm wearing them the most because they're fully lined and therefore warmer than my other pairs, but the fact is I've got 3 other pairs of pants with holes worn in them that I need to patch and have been avoiding for a shamefully long time. It's a pretty easy thing to fix, and I will likely put it off for several more weeks, if not more.

I feel the need to point out that not all of my wardrobe is in such a miserable state, I at least have a good amount of shirts!

4. I don't think I have any pictures of it, but my winter coat is just a plain medium grey modern (by which I mean at least a couple decades old) wool one. Here's an image I found on google of approximately the same coat.

It was my grandfather's, and is a bit too big for me, and the lining is getting pretty worn out. Someday I want to completely pick it apart, recut it, and re-sew it with a new lining, but I can't do that until I have a backup winter coat.

5. This poor flannel nightgown which has finally worn out! Just a few days ago it developed a huge hole in the back panel, and a small one by the button placket, so it's destined to be cleaning rags and/or firestarters.

The buttons might end up on another nightgown though. So I guess this is no longer a thing I can wear frequently :( In the linked post I actually made 3 nightgowns from the same pattern, and that was the medium weight one, so now I'm down to the very heavy fish print flannel one and the light rayon one, and need to make more. (A very common theme with my wardrobe things, alas. I am slow.)

But I did just finish a new nightgown this week, made from a completely different pattern that I'm quite excited about! I'll get some pictures soon!

[purplekoop]

I'm noticing a concerning pattern when it comes to balance discussion in Overwatch 2 (that's really been a thing for years, but feels more notable in OW2 as so much has gone into fixing this problem with the changes so far):

Balance and fun factor are both important.

Too often lately I see people in the community, especially big name community members yes mostly that one parading the idea that you should exclusively change a character in relation to balance. To these people, the only thing future adjustments to heroes should be concerned about is adjusting the dial of power in the context of a high-level meta.

This is stupid. I don't have a nicer way to put it than that.

Balance is a terrible way to exclusively design a game, because that completely overlooks every other possible aspect when the conclusion is just "well if it's all balanced then it's fine"

The hot-button topic right now is Brigitte, a character with a long and contentious history of balance changes, but who exemplifies this concept of "balance is not the exclusive factor" very well in my book.

See the thesis of that one big-name community member is that because Brig is good right now in Overwatch League, that means she's good. She's fine. She might even need a nerf because if something is good, that means it needs a nerf, right?!

But. No. The problem with Brigitte isn't that she's functionally bad, it's that she feels bad. She's designed like a half-tank that can soak up damage and brawl on the frontline while putting out solid passive healing as she does so. But, her health is so low that outside of her new Ultimate, she just gets chewed through if she tries to play like how her kit is designed. But she's ""good"" right now because instead of doing that fun thing, her optimal "high value" playstyle is to sit back in the backline, wait for the fight to come to her, and act as a bodyguard for the other support, who has the ability to actually contribute in the fight without getting torn to shreds for trying to be a tank without the numbers to be a tank. She's ""balanced"" because you can play her in the most boring way possible and still be ""effective"".

That's not. good.

I'd call it a "failure of design" or something but frankly that seems a bit harsh, I think it's just an issue that she's not properly balanced.

Reiterating, Brigitte may be effective in high level play, but not fun in low level play. As far as I'm concerned, one of those is a lot more important than the other, and I think skewing the overall "voice" of the community to the former is a very dangerous prospect that undermines the actual feel of the game for the MAJORITY of its playerbase.

And this isn't a foreign concept to the devs, in fact for this I'd actually say they're more aware than those big high-level players because hey they're actually... making the video game! and want it to be fun! So when I see the big players acting like a pouty child over even the possibility of a fun-oriented balance change to a hero they may just plainly not like, it's a little concerning, but thankfully the devs know to stick to their guns at the right time more often than a lot of people would give them credit for.

I dunno, random rant, but as someone who intends to get into some kind of game design, this is a thing that annoys me about Overwatch balance discourse because it's just so one-dimensional and ignorant of a way to look at things.

[scurvgirl]

The VMA fashion this year was so bad I have to talk about it. Under the cut for length. If you liked the fashion this year, feel free to move on. Also, this is about the FASHION and NOT the people. And these are just my personal thoughts - I am very much just someone who casually enjoys fashion but damn. I have THOUGHTS right now.

Nicki Minaj in Dolce & Gabbana.

This isn't 100% hideous because waist up, it's beautiful - the viel and the bustier are lovely. Waist down is a different story. The panty is so boring and then the V to mid-thigh seam is just...SO BAD. SO SO BAD! It looks like a cheap, grandma curtain. There are four different lace patterns here and they're not blending well at all. The color is nice on Nicki's skin but I cannot look away from those seems, they are so so bad.

Taylor Swift in Versace

Girl I am so sorry they did this to your boobs. They look lopsided and just...bad. Otherwise, this is a really boring black dress. the buttons are...there I GUESS. But the rushing looks so frumpy around her right hip and it's just...bad.

Cardi B in Dilara Findikoglu

This would be 100% better with 66% less skirt. As it is, it looks EXTREMELY uncomfortable and the balance of this kind of material to skin is off for me.

Doja Cat in Oscar de la Renta

This isn't fucking fashion. I don't care if it's Oscar de la Renta, this looks like she walked through one of those bagged spiderweb things you get for your bushes on Halloween. Just because your tits are out and you're wearing nude shoes and a thong and your head is shaved doesn't mean that everything you put on your body is fashion. This isn't against Doja Cat, this is just...not fashion. There is nothing inspiring about this.

Megan Thee Stallion in Brandon Blackwood

We've seen this. It's not bad, Megan looks great. But it's boring.

NSYNC

Isn't the point of coming out of the closet to embrace your true gay self and to make sure your fellow boy bandmates don't dress poorly? I mean, this is just...sad.

Charlie D'Amelio in Shushu/Ton

I actually don't mind the dress, but the hair with it is just...and the pose...something feels sinister here. Janelle Monae could have rocked tf out of this but instead we get this.

Sofia Carson in Alexandre Vauthier

Alright sequined Cookie Monster, come through. I see you. The color is great, I like the play on small to big sequins, but the design of the bottom half is bizarre to me. They look like dragonborn legs meets harem pants.

Bebe Rexha

Girl, why'd you hot glue a horse tail to your ass?

Karol G in Ashi Studio

I actually like the dress and coat (contrast to Doja's, there is structure and interest to this beyond just using Karol's body). I'm just putting this here because it is clearly so heavily inspired by Kylie Sonique Love. The doors she has opened.

Quincy Combs

The depressive state of men's fashion in one photo. Just...ugh.

Nicky Hilton wearing something a middle aged mom in Dillards would see and go "Kaylee!! This is so cute!"

Jennifer Aydin

Wearing something you pick up on the Jersey Shore for a shotgun wedding.

JT in Mirroir Palais

Someone help my fellow big tittied girl, if she takes a breath, those puppies are breaking loose. Dear designers - please fit thine cups properly. Girl is slightly hunching too to keep it together. Yeesh. (Love those shoes though)

Kaliii

What is with this trend of cutting at the mid-thigh? It's terrible! It's disjointed, confusing, and not in a good way. I am all for fashion that is just WEIRD, I'm here for it. But this isn't that, this is seriously trying to be pretty and it's just not. Also, girl, there is a better shade of orange out there for you, get something with a dash more red so it doesn't wash you out.

Not all the fashion was this bad. So here are some notable wins in my book.

Prince Derek Doll - understood the fucking assignment. This is stunning!! I WISH they had dropped the designer's name because they deserve recognition.

The Warning. I don't know who you are but I am gay and no immune to latex vampire dress vibes and chunky heels. You look great and I'm gay, so gay.

Maneskin because fuck gender, I'm gay, and YEEEEEEES.

Shensea. This gives me huge Him vibes from the Power Puff Girls and I am HERE for it. I love everything here, there's camp with the tiny bag and the glasses, sexiness, and just overall FUN. It's great.

Chris Olsen. I think men need to dress like this more often. If we're gonna see lady tits, I also wanna see man tits.

Coco Jones in Moschino. I love the early 2000s R&B vibes, the sleekness, the overall vibe - just great.

All photos are from E!online

[normal-thoughts-official]

I've already made a post about this outfit but it's so beyond ugly that I need to make another because this is literally keeping me up at night.

First of all. The goth neck brace + funerary radar dish combo. Outfits to give your dog when it has arthritis AND a flea infection. What does Marguerite have against our neck. Is there even a reason for the grey reverse V thing with not one but THREE buttons, one of which is in the INNER part of the cervical collar in an emo phase, or is it just to constantly bother MC? Their chin is gonna chafe and that's just embarrassing. And I do mean their chin because this spinal cord injury contraption is thick enough to reach the very tip of their obnoxiously long jaw. And the button isn't even VISIBLE unless the expectators are going to be sniffing MC's shoulderblades as part of the show. All in all, traumatizing

The pattern on the coat itself makes me mad because it could be something if it... were something, but it's not. Pick. A. Pattern. You can't start with one and then randomly change your mind halfway through, especially when neither of them are good patterns to begin with. It's like she Frankestein'ed her grandma's favorite dish towels and made it silver. Why are there buttons on the lapels (and the neck brace) when the coat doesn't have buttons anywhere else? Why is there a ZIPPER that clearly can't be used due to said buttons, especially when she decided to just hold the coat closed with one of those childrens backpack's handles? And it is clearly TOO TIGHT. This is at least the third CoP2 outfit with a butthole in it, and all I have to say is WHY. Why go out of your way to draw a butthole for your outfit so it looks like it DOESN'T fit right???? This is the fashion equivalent of a stroke simulator

The sleeves are also too long which is just. I mean, seriously. It can't be that hard to locate a wrist and have the sleeve end there. Why is this shit nearly reaching their palm. This isn't fashion this is immobilization fetish gear. Maybe Marguerite is the murderer and she plans to suffocate us with the death belt while we're unable to move our hands and neck. Holy mother of jesus I just realized the turtleneck has stripes. I don't even have the time to unpack that

The cobra ring is just record breakingly ugly. Not to mention big enough to cover MC's ENTIRE KNUCKLE, and everyone knows Choices men have yaoi hands

And then there's the pants. It's like she saw that shoe-pants meme and thought "how can I make this worse". Why would you have zippers that cover the entire leg? Zipping this up would be more effective than most hair removal procedures. A perfect hairless straight line on each leg, just what I've always wanted. And why is it so lumpy? Is MC hiding snacks in their thighs? Do they have leg spikes? WHY would they draw this? Again they're going out of their way to make this seem ill-fitting and weird and then asking us to pay to wear this. It'd make more sense to hold us at gunpoint and demand ransom money to allow us to take this off

In short: Mags, I love you, but STOP FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS. Go work at IKEA. I can't do this anymore

[simeonist]

The Uniforms

This one almost goes without saying, right? It's bad. It's symbolic of the coming horrors. The teeny glimpse of cape, the medallions, the heavy belts, the yellow arm spikes, the gold trim on one collar, the black slashes on the sleeves, the red embroidery button holes, the little hook-button-holder detail that would be neat for like, a close-up shot the player would rarely see, the teal button-ups that don't complement the colors of any of their neckties - what is the point of all this? There is so much shit going on in such a small space and for what?

I can't even say it would be better if they dialed it back a bit so everything wasn't competing with each other because most of the details are ugly on their own - Belphie ends up looking the best simply because he's doing the least with it and wearing it properly.

Even the simplified Nightbringer chibis feel like they're drowning in details.

They're chibis! They're not supposed to be detailed!

The uniforms are also customized, made to show off each character's personality quirks, like how Mammon is fashionably sloppy, Levi is... sloppy in an unfashionable otaku way, and Beel is... um... also sloppy... but uh. In a gluttonous way.

If Solmare were smart and not a company eager for their own demise, they would have switched to their not perfect but significantly less awful gakuran suits.

Demon Looks

I'm going to leave out Mammon and Beel's bdsm wear since... idk, I think they succeed at being bdsm wear. Asmo also gets a pass because this game frequently has this 2000-ish anime aesthetic and his belted legged demon form is a rare moment where they execute it all right.

The rest of them?

Hell no. Lucifer's comes out on top because his is comparatively boring, but that doesn't mean it's good, with the mismatched peacock feathers and the hip belt. Somehow he looks like when cosplayers don't adapt anime outfits for how they might look irl and go the literalist route. The same is true for his everyday outfit. It looks like cosplay even though he's 2D.

Diavolo... is... I feel like this is offensive in some way, but I'm not sure why. Maybe just to my senses.

But Levi.

You might think that Levi's demon form, with the open belly hoodie that shows his rippling abs, the mesh panel revealing his rippling abs, and the suspenders that clearly aren't holding up or onto anything but emphasize his rippling abs, might tell us something about his character. After all, Lucifer's kinda hints at his prideful, stoic, nature, Diavolo's at his male big-boobed extrovert personality, Belphie is a cow, Beel is a jock, Asmo's kinda horny, and so on.

And it does! His demon form tells us... that Levi has some vague connection with reptiles that won't really be expounded upon in-game. We know this because his jeans carry a reptile skin pattern and he has a lizard tail. also has antlers, which is a bit like a lizard, when you think about it.

Sorry if you were expecting answers for why the depressed debilitatingly shy boy you have to pry out of his shell before he'll do cosplay is introduced in slutwear.

White Suit

I have to call this one out. It's the only costume where I can't find a single nice thing to say about a single one of them. They are all bad. Across the board.

Like the Frankenstein Butler costumes are bad, BUT! If you got rid of the random ass frakenstein stitches, they'd be tolerable - they even have some subtle design markers I appreciate. The Arabian clothes are Solmare at their absolute worst wrt their bad habit of cramming way too much detail without consideration for cohesion or flow, BUT! I like the top half of Barbatos', I like the vibrant colors, and I'm happy with more visible skin.

I have nothing for the white suits. The first time I saw Diavolo's, I started howling. Like the appeal of a white suit is in its simplicity, right? They're not supposed to be art deco'd out. They don't even go together as a cohesive theme - Diavolo with houndtooth, fur, and glitter, Satan with...holographic tails? How are Beel and Solomon's even WHITE suits?

A Surprise for You

I'm calling this one out because this is my favorite event and I recommend you play it if you haven't. Well worth the 20 dp.

It is insane how bad most of them look. These are 2D cartoon images and they ALL look like they're in the kind of 70s polyester they literally don't even make anymore because technology has advanced past itchy sweaty fabric! Their outfits evoke a heavy, unbreathableness, the colors muted and gross. Diavolo is dressed like you're granddaddy out for a night on the town which ngl is charming in its own way and I love his permanently cocked trilby. What the hell are Mammon's butterflies?

(Hey remember when Solmare had a chance to redeem their original shitty crossdressing event and instead they decided no, we're good with using the above sprite to indicate Mammon's in girl-mode? Just wanted to remind you lol)

I will again give Asmo a pass because I genuinely liked his high waisted pants, turtleneck, and heels. If I squint my eyes, Simeon also looks good.

Satan

You knew he was getting his own section.

We all had that moment. The first time you see his demon form, it's "What's with the ribbon skeleton? Is that a boa? Wait the JEANS?? Where did he even get that belt???" But you got over it. Someone had to be the worst.

Then comes his everyday outfit and it's not THAT bad, honestly. I mean, you can't say you like it, and sometimes you find yourself staring, something niggling at the back of your mind. You could argue Belphie or Asmo's is worse, you tell yourself. Sure the spring green of his sweater is kind of off. Sure, his hand pose highlights that the designer really, seriously picked the wrong shade of green for his nails and they especially don't go with that fit. Sure his belt is weirdly flashy for his personality and will you please just wear your jacket normal? Put your arm in the fucking sleeve. Hold on. Are his jeans studded? On the side?

And then you play through the old events. Maybe it's his cat outfit. Maybe it's the time he wore a button-up over his swimsuit. Maybe you got through the later seasons and finally saw his human world look.

And it dawns on you. This is who he is. In a game drowning in terrible costumes, he's still the worst. Even when the others are bad, he stands out. Out of everyone, he's the one that makes you consider that he has to be wearing this on purpose. He wakes up and puts on his skeleton, his boa, and continues about his day.

Honorable mention

Levi and his stupid giraffe pants.

i would like a full breakdown of why nearly every single outfit in obey me is ugly. its not even moderately ugly, If i were to be in public with them, i would be embarrassed. i look at their sprites and am immediately filled with rage.

[not-not-asia]

How to add a sexy vibe to any outfit.

We all have had times when we wanted to play up our sex appeal. Maybe you're going to happy hour or getting ready to go on a date with a guy you met off Bumble. or maybe you want to surprise your partner. It doesn't matter which occasion you want to get all sexed up for. There are five main things that you need to incorporate to make you bring out your inner goddess of love.

Fabrics

The fabric/ texture of your clothes can make or break the vibe of the outfit. This doesn't mean that fabrics like knit, flannel, and linen can't be sexy, they definitely can, it's all about balance. Fabrics that drape well like satin and silk are amazing. Fabrics that cling have spandex and elastic and show off the body's natural form. But of course, it's all about balance and the sex you're going for.

Let's imagine that there's a body con midi dress with long sleeves. Now imagine that dress with a chunky knit dress. Now imagine that dress in latex. Those dresses have two different vibes. The knit one has more comfy cozy vibes. The other one makes you think of a sexy dominatrix femme fatale vibe.

So when you're figuring out if you should go with your satin button-up or your Cotton one go with the satin.

Pattern Size/ type

Pattern size and type are (in my opinion n) the most overlooked detail in styling. People forget that you can use patterns to your advantage. patterns can extenuate your shape or subtract attention from it.

For example, you have two dresses both long sleeves and body con. One has newspaper printing and the other has a thermal print on it you will want to go for the more thermal-looking print.

The pattern size might also play a huge role in what brings out your inner succubus. If the pattern is small and may look buzzy removing the focus from your natural features but if it is too large it may swallow you whole.

Color

While color won't ruin your outfit. It can elevate to push it over the top. You might be thinking "Sexyxy colors … I'll just wear black, or fire engine red that will do the trick". That is a very misguided assumption. Black and fire engine red might look sexy with high-contrast coloring but if you don't have that it will look a bit off and disjointed. Especially if you don't have things that follow these guidelines. If you don't know what your colors are I recommend you use this app called Dressika (not sponsored) or if you have that coin you can get your colors professionally analyzed.

Fit

Most people might think that the title of the clothes is the sexier you look. So you should just buy tighter clothes. I'm here to tell you that's not the case for everybody. Some people that have curvier bodies or box bodies won't look good and skin type clothing. One might look too gauche another one might look like they're trying too hard almost like a caricature. A lot of the time you can look sexier in loose clothes. Depending on the fabric's opacity seeing the shape under can be just as good as the contours of the body.

Details details details

If you use anything from this post remember that details elevate everything. Things like a touch of lace, leather, sheer fabrics, and bare skin can take your outfit. From "Oh there fine" to "The room stinks". For example, you see a fine-ass they/them mf in the standard gay uniform. Combat boots, cargo pants, and a white tee. But there wearing stacked rings got the sleeve on the white tee rolled up to show off the bicep. I don't know about you but I'm going crazy.

Another example is a woman wearing Black jeans and a brown lace corset top. You know that alone gives sexy, but the black bottom hit her natural waist creating a gorgeous hourglass shape.

TLDR;

Fabric is the easiest way to create a sexy outfit. Patterns can be used to accentuate/ mirror your body shape. Fit whether big or tight can add to your sex appeal. Details can be the cherry on top of the already perfect outfit.

[h3rmitsunited]

There's something about this look that really strikes me

Like on one hand yes, as I've said previously, there something that is just inherently attractive about that pushed up sleeve button up look, and Dirk looking so soft in this lighting and sitting on the couch next to Todd like they're normal buds for the first time in the show which is very cute

But

I think I figured out what is also very distinct about this particular look

Because he looks like just a... guy. Like a normal everyday pass him on the street kind of guy.

And if you've seen any bit of Dirk Gently, you know that Dirk Gently is not an everyday normal pass him on the street guy. He is a Character, large and vibrant and filled with wild rambling eccentricities that you can't ignore.

In all these other moments, he's bright jackets, collared shirts, a patterned tie. He had a Look, like a cartoon character their signature appearance with these small changes, but he's presenting as something, putting on a costume.

And, oh my god, I'm big braining as I'm writing this, but we see in the scene before this in the death maze where Dirk's mask starts to slip, panicking in the light room, having to take off his signature jacket, stripped down to his underclothes as they're electrocuted. He loses that layer of armor that was keeping him in this larger than life Dirk Gently, holistic detective persona because he's scared, he doesn't know what to do, he's gotten himself into another dangerous situation he doesn't know how to get out of AND he's gotten Todd trapped down here too. There's this vulnerable nature that just bursts out of him without the protection of his clothes, his mask.

So after the death maze, he's out, sitting on the couch, looking dazed and he's quiet. There's no big wild activity, no frantic rambling. He's a guy that almost just burned to death with a guy he hopes will be his friend and he's trying to just... cope with that. He doesn't have the energy to put the mask back on, so while he could have put on another jacket, he goes for something normal, softer, more casual.

And hey hey hey, when do we see the second appearance of casual Dirk clothes?

That's right... I'm a fucking genius.

Dirk after the hospital, after solving the case after Todd told him that he didn't want to speak to him again expecting that this is the end of the brief attempt to make a new friend. I mean, the vulnerability is just pouring off this guy, just drowning in it. Like I dont think I really have to explain how much it just parallels with that other scene, how he's feeling, how he can't get the energy to be the Dirk Gently detective man right now.

But... and now I'm gonna cry because Todd arrives and what does he fucking bring with him?

Yeah, the yellow jacket.

Here's Todd saying hey, sorry we had a fight. That case was crazy. I'm not going to let you do this alone and I brought you this jacket back, let's keep doing this. And Dirk accepts this metaphorical mantle again, whilst also integrating Todd's shirt into his wardrobe, an element of something casual and also a symbol of his new friends, to show that he isn't just the solo detective, stringently sticking to this big wild character, but he is also a man with friends, that can show his vulnerability, his need for connection (lol), and has a way to show that in how he presents himself in the world.

And I think that's just so beautiful.

This is already long, but I definitely think this still works in season 2 with different implications, so maybe I'll write a follow up post if people are interested in that. 😏