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rabiyastudies · 6 years ago

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First step to choosing a backpack that you expect will last you a long time is deciding what you need from it. How many notebooks and binders will you be carrying? Will you be commuting? How durable do you need it? Does it need to have some sort of water protection? Will you be carrying a laptop? How much does the look of it matter? Make a list of everything you need the backpack to have, and then start searching.

The prices I’ve listed are not exact, depending on the store you buy from, they could run more or less expensive. My brother found the Herschel Little America Mid Volume on sale at theBay (Canada) for $60, so keep an eye out and save some money! Also I’ve used the black version of all of these backpacks so pretty colours aren’t an extraneous variable.

Medium Sized Backpacks

Fjallraven Kanken 16L (80USD/100CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This backpack has become everyone’s new favourite and I kid you not, I see at least two every single day. It’s is the smallest out of the ones I’ll be mentioning. This backpack is waterproof, so if you live in a more rainy climate then this may be a good idea! The thick material is very durable and can probably take some throwing around.

What Does It Fit:

It’s got two compartments, one main and one small one as well as two open side pockets. The smaller compartment is sort of on the tiny side, and if you want something thicker like a heavy duty portable charger to fit, it might be difficult. This is a good option for those individuals who may not have many textbooks, notebooks or binders. If most of your life is on your electronic device, this will be a good option for you.The original version we are talking about does not have a laptop sleeve (on their website, they do have a laptop version for 115USD/153CAD, that fits a 15inch laptop or smaller), but the back padding is quite thick, so your laptop should be okay in a good quality sleeve. It also comes in a very wide array of colours.

Aesthetics: 9/10

Practicality: 8/10

Availability: 8/10

Overall Rating: 25/30

Herschel Little America Mid Volume 17L (99USD/110CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

It’s very small, despite the fact that it's a decent size. The zipper and magnetic clasp closure on the small pocket is very annoying, as is the drawstring closure on the main compartment. I find myself being extremely rough with it because the opening and closing isn’t very practical, especially if you don’t have a surface to set it on. I’ve only had it for a year and a half and it’s condition isn’t as good as my Jansport’s condition, after owning it for seven years. This bag is water resistant and waterproof.

What Does It Fit:

It has two compartments, the larger of which has a pocket for a 13 inch laptop. The smaller compartment is quite small, and can barely hold my phone and portable charger comfortably (for reference, I have the iPhone 8 Plus). The most that I’ve been able to fit inside this backpack is two notebooks and one textbook. This is probably better for those who don’t have much to carry. Or, this would again be a good choice for someone who does most of their schoolwork on their laptop/ipad.

Aesthetics: 8/10

Practicality: 3/10

Availability: 7/10

Overall Rating: 20/30

Herschel Dawson 20.5L (69USD/75CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This backpack is quite aesthetically pleasing, with a more minimalist look to it. My opinion on the drawstring is the same with this backpack too, I hate it, but slightly less because instead of having two clasps, it only has one. The material of this bag does mean it’s waterproof, which again, is advantageous to those living in a place where they get a lot of rain.

What Does It Fit:

It has a laptop compartment that fits a 13 inch laptop. It has two smaller compartments, both of which have a clasp enclosure, unlike in the other backpacks I’ve talked about, the small compartment of this bag isn't horizontal, it is vertical. They’re quite deep pockets, and fit a good amount of stuff. It’s one of the bigger laptops in this category, and can fit around 3-4 notebooks and a binder or two. This is really good for people who have different weights to carry each day, because this is comfortable in both situations.

Aesthetics: 9/10

Practicality: 4/10

Availability: 7/10

Overall Rating: 20/30

Jansport Superbreak 21L (36USD/40CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This is hands down the best quality of backpacks that I’ve encountered given the price. It ‘s neither waterproof nor water resistant though. It also comes in a wide variety of designs and colours and are probably the most easily available backpacks on this list. One reason I like this bag is because it’s got a very basic design, so if you get a solid coloured one, it’ll look very chic and the black colour will go with everything.

What Does It Fit:

It has two compartments, one main and one small one. This backpack doesn’t have a laptop compartment, but the backing on it is very thick and sturdy, so even if you put your laptop in a sleeve, it’ll be pretty secure. The large compartment is almost never ending (kind of like Hermione’s bag in The Deathly Hallows). It’s held six binders, four notebooks and two textbooks on one occasion for me. The small compartment is also quite spacious, and has a small built in organizer for pens and other smaller knicknacks. There are no water bottle holders on the sides.

Aesthetics: 9/10

Practicality: 7/10

Availability: 10/10

Overall Rating: 26/30

Large Sized Backpacks

The North Face Women’s Borealis 28L (89USD/110CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This isn’t what I’d refer to as a cute backpack. It’s got this criss cross design on the front made with what they refer to as a bungee system, if needed, you could probably stuff a sweater in this area. Otherwise, it’s just kind of there. It comes in some nice colour combinations. There is also removable buckles, which are probably useful if you’re carrying a bunch of stuff. The straps look the thickest out of all the ones I’ve talked about, and that leads me to believe that they’re much more padded.

What Does It Fit:

This is a large backpack. It’s got three compartments, one very large one with a laptop sleeve that could fit a 15 inch laptop, and the middle one has a bunch of internal divisions for organization, it could fit a calculator, a bunch of pens, even a few notebooks. This divider also has a padded tablet/ipad sleeve. There are two extended mesh water bottle pockets, one of which has quick-draw cell-phone access. The main compartment is very large and could easily fit a large number of books and binders alongside your computer. This is ideal for people with a lot to carry, or commuters who don’t use their own cars.

Aesthetics: 3/10

Practicality: 9/10

Availability: 7/10

Overall Rating: 18/20

The North Face Women’s Jester 28L (70USD/80CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This is again, not the most cute backpack on the list. It has the same bungee cord on the front, and on their site they state: “bungee cords crisscrossing the front of the pack are perfect for stuffing your jacket and bike helmet under for convenient, hands-free walks from class to class”. The bungee cords are more narrow than on the Borealis. There is also some light reflective particles on the backpack, especially the sleeves, which are probably there to make it safer to walk around at night.

What Does It Fit:

There are two compartments, both of which are pretty big. The front pocket has some internal organization the way the Borealis does. It also has a padded compartment for your ipad/tablet. There are two side mesh pockets for a water bottle or just smaller necessities. The larger compartment has a laptop sleeve again, and it fits a 13 inch laptop. The same compartment still has enough room to accommodate textbooks and binders. This is ideal for people with a lot to carry, and as stated in the other review, probably best for commuters who need to be on campus for a lot longer.

Aesthetics: 6/10

Practicality: 9/10

Availability: 7/10

Overall Rating: 24/30

Jansport Big Student 34L (48USD/55CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This is a BIG backpack. It’s got the most volume out of all of the ones we’ve spoken about today, but it’s also physically much wider than all of them. That’s a negative for me, because if you ever fill it up completely, you kind of resemble those middle schoolers in television shows that have backpacks on that are bigger than them. I find that I can fit almost everything from this backpack into one of The North Face ones, and they aren’t as wide. It’s much more minimal looking than The North Face ones.

What Does It Fit:

It has six compartments and two mesh side pockets, perfect for a water bottle. One of these compartments at the very back of the bag is made for a 15inch laptop (I have found this pocket on the American version but not the Canadian version). The other two large compartments can easily hold a multitude of notebooks and textbooks. In ninth grade, where I live, we had to bring seven notebooks and five textbooks every single day, and I found that everything fit in those two zippered compartments. And they were not thin textbooks. The next pocket coming towards the outside of the bag is kind of a reach and grab one in my opinion, it isn’t too deep, and ends at about five or six inches down. Perfect for a cellphone. The next one has a built in organizer for pens and smaller trinkets, as well as enough space for a pencil pouch or a bullet journal. The last compartment is quite roomy too, and would probably be best for gum, hair ties, lip balm, etc. This backpack would be ideal for anyone carrying a buttload of stuff.

Aesthetics: 6/10

Practicality: 5/10

Availability: 9/10

Overall Rating: 20/30

Jansport Right Pack Digital Edition 31L (65USD/70CAD)

Appearance, Size & Material:

This is pretty cute for being such a large backpack. It looks a lot like the Superbreak bag from Jansport. I definitely prefer this look to the Big Student. The colours I can find online are pretty limited in comparison to other Jansport bags. In this specific bag design there is a suede bottom, claiming to help with durability. Also, it’s thicker than the average bottom so your electronics would be more secure and safe from breakage.

What Does It Fit:

There are three compartments. The main compartment has a designated and separate space for both a 15inch laptop and an ipad/tablet, the former of which actually has a strap to lock it into place, as well as some additional room for textbooks and notebooks and such. There’s not really much to say about this pocket because it’s very basic and straightforward. The first smaller pocket has a built in organizer, perfect for putting pens, pencils and other small objects in. This is much better than the one in the Superbreak and looks more like the one in the Big Student. It’s got a zippered compartment inside the organizer as well. The final compartment is just a stash pocket for things like your phone or earphones, etc.

Aesthetics: 8/10

Practicality: 7/10

Availability: 7/10

Overall Rating: 22/30

Winners!

The winners are solely based on the grading system, which is quite subjective. I may not like largeness of the Jansport Big Student, but you might love it. I’d recommend giving your own scores and seeing which one is your winner!

Medium Sized: Jansport Superbreak

Large Sized: The North Face Women’s Jester

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honestlyconkus · 7 years ago

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connor and markus having to deal with the media desperately trying to figure out if theyre a thing or not? love everything you write!

Conkus breaks the internet? HELL YEAH

Ring

On the 3rd ring Markus reached for his phone, groggy fingers grabbing the thin plastic device. His vision was still blurry from sleep. A digital clock glowed brightly and said 8:23am. It was a saturday.

“Hello?”

“MARKUS! OH MY GOD GET ON IRIS RIGHT THE FUCK NOW. MARKUS CAN YOU HEAR ME? MARKUS-“

At North’s screeching tones Markus pulled the phone a foot from his ear so she wouldn’t break his eardrums. She was still screaming at him from the speaker after a minute, her voice occasionally going static because she was speaking so loudly and quickly. When there was a break in her sentences that’s when he’d intercept.

North took a quick pause and Markus latched onto the silence. “Number 1, slow down. Number 2, why are you calling me so early again? Number 3, why do you want me online-”

“HAVE YOU BEEN READING THE NEWS YOU OLD FUCK, THEY’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOU! AND CONNOR.”

At Connor’s name his heart dropped, ice pooling at his chest. Shit. “Connor? What about him?”

“THEY SAID YOU GUYS ARE DATING. SO GET ON IRIS RIGHT NOW AND SET THIS ONE STRAIGHT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.”

“Uhm.”

“DON’T uhm ME YOU SLUT JUST FUCKING TALK TO US,” suddenly North gasped, her voice considerably dropping in pitch and in volume. “Unless Connor is sitting there right beside you, naked?!”

Actually, Connor was in his kitchen cooking him breakfast. He could smell the greasy scent of bacon and faintly hear Connor humming a tune. There were soft noises of kitchenware being moved around.

Markus figured Connor would take awhile, so he decided to go along with it. He’s also pretty sure North would have a heart attack if he didn’t answer at least one of her questions. “No no, he’s not here with me. Fine I’ll get on, just gimme a second.”

He hung up on North and walked to his desk, where it had a computer screen, a small LED bar meant for holograms, and a touchscreen surface for his keyboard. He logged in and clicked on IRIS, which was a video call service meant to talk to people over long distances. The camera took in a person’s image and turned them into 3D holograms, projected onto a patron’s LED. Markus gave them a call and watched as North, Simon and Josh manifested in holographic forms before him.

He could faintly see the walls and decorations of their bedroom. North’s hair was up in a towel, and she wore a fluffy white bathrobe. She seemed to be sitting in Simon’s lap, who was yawning quietly and resting his head against her chest, blond hair a messy bedhead. Josh was sitting from the bed, and Markus could barely see him wearing sweats and a tshirt, slightly smaller than the other 2. He was farther away.

“MARKUS!” Hologram North said, immediately pointing an accusatory finger at him. He moved back when the particles moved towards him, really feeling as if she were standing right in front of him.

“IS IT TRUE? ARE YOU AND CONNOR ANDERSON DATING? IF SO WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US.”

“And why aren’t you wearing a shirt,” Simon whined, eyeing Markus’ body up and down appreciatively. “You know it’s not fair to us, looking so hot all the time. You’re ruining my self esteem.”

Markus raised a hand, a small smile on his lips. “North, stop yelling. I’ll answer your questions when you stop giving me the Look. Also, where are these accusations even coming from? Simon, baby, you are quite literally a model. A Calvin Klein model at that, you don’t need to compare me to you to know that you’re just as hot, maybe even more so.”

Simon blushed and turned his face into North’s robe, who rolled her eyes but patted him on the back. “He’s right Simon stop saying dumb shit about yourself. And stop flirting with Markus, he has a boyfriend now, apparently.” She crossed her arms and glared at him through her webcam.

The likeness of her and her holographic form were uncanny.

“The rumours started when paps found a photo of you taken by someone, and they dropped a name,” Josh intervened, coming closer to view. He gently pushed North and Simon away and began sending him articles, links. “It began to escalate when people saw the articles and started tweeting them at you. I believe this all happened in a duration of 3 days. Did you really not know about this?”

Markus clicked on the messaging system and frowned when links upon links were sent to him. Mainly on blogs, articles, small funky websites. A lot of tweets too, entire threads about Markus and this mystery man. He’s surprised even news coverage was conducted.

Titles included, Who Is This Mystery Man?, Is Markus Manfred Single?, Markus Manfred: Dating?!, Mystery Man with Famous Detroit Painter, Markus Manfred! The list went on and on, each title only a slight variation to the other, and many sharing the same grainy photo; Markus and a man sitting together at a coffee shop, his face obscured by his baseball hat. The coverage was immense, certain sites trying to zoom in on the photo to try to decipher the mystery person. The name Connor Anderson repeatedly popped up, presumably the name the photographer fed sources.

He shook his head, sighing. “No. I was working on a painting the last few days. You know my rules when I paint; no social media until my main idea is done.”

Josh pushed the black wire-rimmed glasses up, his finger rubbing gently across his nose. “Well, it’s gotten big enough people are speculating what it possibly means, who this supposed “connor anderson” is, if he’s even the real connor, etc etc. People are even appearing on North and Simon’s lives and asking if we knew anything.”

“Which we didn’t,” North said, glaring angrily. If her eyes could light someone on fire Markus would be scorched. “Enlighten us, then.”

“Were you guys gonna tell us before the media found out or? Because honestly I feel like I’ve just been betrayed by my own mother. Which I have, by the way, when she ate my pint of strawberry ice cream back in 4th grade but that’s not the point. I mean, how could you do this to us, and more importantly to me?” She turned her nose up in the air and gestured to him, giving him an opening.

Markus opened his mouth then closed it, thinking about how to word the situation properly. He felt bad, he really did. His reasoning was because he didn’t want his friends involved and to end up being dragged along the wrong side of the screen; too many people have tried to do that to Markus already and he hated it.

His life was open to criticism, but he’d be damned if he let the people he loved get in the mix of it too.

“Okay, fine, Connor and I have been dating for quite some time now. Since… June 4th, I think?”

North let out a scream, which prompted Simon to scoot back so she could stand up and glare into the camera. Suddenly Connor entered the room, smiling wide and holding a tray of their breakfast. He set it down on a nearby table and walked closer.

“Good morning Markus- oh! Is that North? Hello North! It’s me Connor.”

From Jericho’s point of view, Connor’s holographic figure was small and dim due to the distance from the camera. When he came into view, hand wrapping around Markus’ neck and waving adorably at them, they all noticed 3 things.

Connor wearing one of Markus’ button downs- visibly buttoned wrong, wrinkled, and nothing else beneath

The small bruises, red and purple, peeking out of his white collar when he leaned forward.

Markus soft smile as Connor walked up to introduce himself, blue and green eyes looking absolutely smitten.

North continued screaming, standing up and walking out of the room for a moment. Connor watched as her little figure disappeared, concern knitted into his eyebrows. Her voice was merely an echo after a few seconds.

“Is she alright?”

The jericho boys nodded, Simon leaning forward, hand on his desk and chin on his hand, smiling. “She’ll be back, she just needs to let off some steam. But wow, congratulations you guys! I didn’t know you were dating.”

“Yeah, we’re sorry about that,” Connor said, taking his seat onto Markus’ lap. “We didn’t want it to become a big deal, and because he has the Manfred name putting this out public so early would’ve been a headache to him and the police department.”

“So we decided to give it a try secretly,” Markus continued. One hand reached beneath Connor’s shirt and gently drew circles with his fingers along the hips. His other hand rested against Connor’s thighs, also covered in marks. “See if we could, you know, make it work.”

“It looks like it did.” Josh winked, staring pointedly at the marks covering Connor’s body. Connor blushed and stood up, looking for a pair of joggers to present himself better. When he left North came back, towel gone and her hair brushed down. She was still wearing her robe, considerably less ruffled but still pissed.

“So what are we going to do?” North asked, sitting back onto Simon’s lap. Her voice was surprisingly clear despite screeching from the depths of her soul a minute ago. “The media is already trying to make this much more fucked up than it should be.”

Markus rolled his eyes. He’d heard the same things over and over again, always accusing him of plagiarism or thinking he’s up to a scandal, like his half brother Leo. They’re always trying to drag his name to the ground but he’d grown thick skin and it doesn’t bother him as much. “It’s fine. I don’t care what they think of me.”

“But what about Connor?” North pushed Josh to the side and began hunting for the harsher articles, the ones intent on tearing her best friend down.

“What about me?” Connor came back into view wearing Markus’ sweats and sat back down onto his boyfriend’s lap, sitting up straight and smiling curiously at North. She smiled back and blew his holographic figure a kiss.

“Hey baby. I’m still mad at you for not telling me anything, but I promise I won’t rip your fingers off when we meet next time. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Anyway,” She went back on her hunt, ignoring the stunned looks on everyone’s faces between their exchange. “I think the media figured out Markus wouldn’t give 2 shits, so they’ve decided to target Connor instead. They’re accusing him of his integrity, thinking he’s being sold out to Markus so Markus could hide his supposed scandals, maybe Connor is sleeping his way through the department to get a promotion, etc etc.”

She sent over the links to the articles, watching as Markus’ face grew tighter and tighter. Blue and green eyes were lit with a raging fury as the media attempt to get under his skin by attacking the one he loved. They went so far in the reach they even tried to link the two’s relationship with Connor’s father, Hank. Asking if his slump a few years back had anything to do with Connor being “bought” to succession in the precinct. It almost worked, until Connor leaned back to press his weight against Markus’ chest, reminding him he’s here.

He turned and gave Markus a quick kiss to the jaw, waiting until the beating heart he could feel slowed.

Connor wanted to laugh at the titles. Is Markus Manfred Hiding A Scandal?, Markus Manfred, Paying Detective Hush Money!, Detective Anderson A Sell Out!, Scandal In The DPD!

“Where these really all they could come up with?” Connor asked, clicking through, unbothered. “You’d think they went to school for this.”

“You’re not upset?” Markus asked, looking down at his lover. “You’re not mad about how the people will perceive you?”

“Of course I’m mad.” Connor said, rolling his eyes and jostling him with his elbow. “I’m mad that they’re attacking me for illogical reasons, trying to start something they don’t properly understand. The fact that no media outlets have reached out to us is ridiculous and embarrassing on their part. I’m mad they can’t even do their research correctly. I’m mad that this will hinder my future investigations, because detectives at the DPD still don’t like me and will do whatever it takes to tear a rookie like me down.”

Markus’ guilt grew at each passing sentence, feeling more and more to blame at getting Connor caught up in this, until Connor’s voice grew strong and he gave Markus a pointed look.

“I’m especially mad that they think they can get away with attacking my lover like this. They will regret doing this.”

Markus smiled, leaning down for a kiss. The crowd before them held a mixture of boos, cheers, and groans. In order: North, Simon, and Josh. Connor reciprocated by kissing him back, a simple kiss because of the audience.

He grew more bold when there weren’t people looking.

“So what do you want to do?” Josh asked, staring at the couple. “The easiest way to dispel the rumours from escalating is clearing anything up as soon as possible. A statement should suffice.” He was tapping rapidly on his keyboard, already looking at analytics for their social media profiles.

“You need to make it public,” Simon added, nodding in agreement. He began to list off ways they could make it happen. “Markus has a platform; Connor can come to us if he wants to say anything to the internet.”

“Whatever happens, we’re here for you Markus.” North concluded, nodding resolutely at her best friend. The rest of them agreed.

Markus felt his heart swell with pride and fierce love for his friends, the people he’d begun to consider family almost a year ago. He looked down at his boyfriend, who was also staring back at him, waiting for a response.

“What do you think Connor?”

Connor shrugged, sitting back comfortably into his lover’s warmth. “It’s up to you Markus. You’re the one with the social media accounts; it’d also make more sense for the public to hear it from you first. Like I said, their words don’t bother me like you imagined they would, but I think going public with our relationship would be a good idea. It’ll create less headaches for the both of us in the future, and I don’t see anything going wrong in this scenario. We can clear up any confusion, confirm the relationship, and hope no one is still homophobic in the year 2040.”

“Are you sure you want this?” Markus asked, brushing a thumb across the back of Connor’s palm. He stared in thought as Connor flipped his hand over, playing with Markus’ fingers until he intertwined their hands together. “It won’t be the same afterwards.”

“Are you kidding me?” Connor craned his neck to the right, looking up. His eyebrows were scrunched in disbelief. “I’ve been wanting to tell the world you were my boyfriend for months. Of course I want this.”

Everyone laughed at Markus’ perplexed expression, Connor grinning mischievously. He reached up and pulled Markus down for another kiss, this one slow and deliberate, tongues out, making the crowd whistle and cat call at their raunchiness. North had to clear her throat when she saw Connor arch his back, which only meant Markus’ hands had gone to discreet places.

“Alright you whores, it’s settled.” She smiled, crossing her arms across her chest. The couple broke apart and sat up, attentive. “We’ll start our plan of attack against those journalist goons with Markus. Beginning with his Instagram. Once you confirm with a cute photo of the 2 of you (keep it PG), Simon and I will also confirm anything on our lives.”

“Josh will handle twitter; just tweet out whatever the people want to hear, maybe do a Q&A or something, thread here and there.”

“Could I use my snapchat?” Connor offered, waving his phone in the air. North’s eyebrows rose in surprise and she chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. They hadn’t even known Connor had social media.

“You know, Connor, sometimes you really surprise me.”

“We’ll keep doing this until someone wants to interview us, I presume?” Markus asked, glancing between Jericho and Connor. They all nod and he relaxed against the chair, pacified.

“Huh.” Everyone held their breath, expectant.

There was a flash of white as Markus unlocked his phone, scrolling through his gallery for photos.

“Let’s do it.”

am I starting another series? I’m starting another series ;)

conkus breaks the internet

asks still open!! I’m trying to get as many as I can so that when college starts I can just post those and stay active for yall lol

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