#everyone just has the same body type and basic face structure

[barblaz-arts]

I don’t know how you do it. But Hazbin is a cartoon. 2D animation. And yet you bring a level of realness to Charlie and Vaggie with your art that’s just so amazing!! Your style is genuine, real, and beautiful. THANK YOU for sharing it and letting us see it.

P.S. drawing Charlie with a realistic body type is awesome

Thank you!!!!

Although I also enjoy seeing artists apply their creativity in their redesigns of characters, I like to stay as "on model" as I can even with the wildly different art style I have compared to the source material. Idk it's kinda similar to how strict I am with keeping things in character with fics I guess. Despite that tho I really do also wanna add some "flavor" to their designs too that make sense to their character, as long as I can stay true to their silhouettes.

So Vaggie's still petite and flat chested and has CHILD BEARING HIPsss... But she has toned muscles because being an ex soldier still has her regularly working out. Charlie has wide shoulders and long limbs and an overall lanky frame, but underneath the suits she's got a pretty sizeable rack because she got em from Lilith and some tummy rolls and love handles because that's just how a skinny person who's healthy and hydrated and doesn't work out looks sometimes. Also, if she's naturally strong because of her genes, then that's even less reason for her to work out.

Ngl I probably got the idea in my head about Charlie specifically because of the chaggie fic Igual. The author made it a important to point out that Charlie's got love handles while Vaggie's inner monologue still raves about how attractive she is and that was just so nice to me.

[readingbythestreetlights]

posting a short snippet of the princess cake wip as a gift for @thechocolatecoffeecollection @crimsonicarus !! thank you guys for all the support!! 💞💞

this is still an early, early draft, so excuse any mistakes/inconsistencies!!

To the credit of his agent, the shoot does actually fly by quickly. Filming wraps up what feels like half an hour sooner than what’s usual for this type of thing. Both Jenson and Nico are now left to twiddle their figurative thumbs while they wait for the media team to clean up. At least, Nico is twiddling his thumbs—Jenson somehow seems immune to the awkwardness that tends to linger in the brief interim period after the cameras are shut off. Nico would like to catch him in a situation where he isn’t one hundred percent comfortable in his body. Something in him tells him such a moment will be hard to come by. It’s not exactly envy that comes over Nico, but it is a what-if sort of feeling. What must it feel like to exist with that much ease? It’s sort of unfair.

“Enjoying the view?” Jenson breaks the silence.

Nico realizes he’s been staring, studying Jenson’s (admittedly well-structured) features as his mind has been mulling over the character of the brunet. His cheeks flush slightly, but he remains composed. His gaze meets Jenson’s, where the older man’s eyebrows are raised in self-righteous smugness.

“I could ask the same of you.” Nico is aware of how he looks. Many a so-called straight man has been quick to switch teams upon laying eyes on him. Causing sexuality crises has gotten boring at this point.

“Yes, then. I very much am.” Jenson smiles, lets any of the embarrassment Nico had perhaps tried to lay on him slide right off. Unfair.

Nico just rolls his eyes. He can’t even tell if Jenson’s joking, is the problem. He’s not in the mood for another man to fall in love with him simply because they think he’s basically a girl, right? He’s also not in the mood for Jenson to be saying it as some sick joke, as if it’s all one big gag and of course it is to Jenson because he lives in America, and southern America at that, and—

God, Nico needs to stop being so quick to judge. Take a compliment when he gets it.

“So, how are you liking New York?” Jenson continues kindly, apparently oblivious to Nico’s internal dilemma—or perhaps he can see it all play out on the blond’s face and finds it entertaining. “It’s not your first time here, is it?”

Nico shakes his head in answer. (If it shakes away some of the negative thoughts residing in his mind, that’s a pleasant byproduct.) “No, no. I was here for a gala a few years back. And yes, I enjoy New York, it has a very distinct identity.”

“A gala, wow, Formula 1 is exactly what everyone thinks it is, huh? Surprised you’re alright hanging out with someone who drives on dirty tracks.”

“I’ll have you know I’m an avid rallycross fan.” And to think, Jenson was doing so well only half an hour before. Now he’s throwing it all away to what? Rub the pretentiousness of F1 in Nico’s face? It’s hard to live the job without being aware of it.

“A man of culture.” Jenson nods in approval.

Okay, that’s one point toward his redemption in Nico’s book. Still a lot of work to do, though.

[endogenicredstar]

The Ultimate Guide to the Red Star System! (AKA: What the Fuck are We Doing?)

Hello, everyone! It’s been quite some time since we’ve made something ourselves, and we figured that it’s high time we try to do that. Today, we saw a post about how someone should post a thing about how their system works, how their headspace looks, etc.. So I, the host, wanted to do just that. It may be mostly me typing this up, but the others may chime in from time to time. I’ll have to color the paragraphs accordingly whenever we reach the final stages of editing this massive wall of text.

(Note: There may be a new face appearing in this document-- I’m not sure if he’s ready to talk yet, but he is here as we type this.)

So, where should we start? Ah, I know!

System Structure

The structure of this system is somewhat based on a sci-fi space crew; think Star Trek. Internally, there are only two sets of ranks so far, but there may be more in the future. These ranks include: Medical Officers, and Security Officers. These rank sets divide further, depending on the headmate’s purpose. For example: if someone has the rank of Chief Medical Officer, it means that their primary job is to make sure that my physical needs, medical or otherwise, are met. They can also ask other Medical Officers, or Security Officers to check in on me whenever need be. Now, let’s look at who’s in what rank in the system!

Members & Ranks

    • Knockout is, as stated in our pinned introduction, the Chief Medical Officer. As I said above, his job is to make sure my body’s needs are met. And, he also counsels me on what actions to take in regards to my health.

(Note: Since he isn’t human, he can’t truly discern what the human body requires to function; aside from organs. So, he always tells me to contact my doctor.)

    • Breakdown is simply a normal Medical Officer. This basically means that he’s a nurse of sorts. His job, like Knockout, is to monitor my physical state, and help me do things to better my health-- mostly through suggestion. He also doubles as a Security Officer, meaning that he protects me from certain things; mostly emotional stressors.

  • Starscream is a Security Officer. However, unlike Breakdown, he protects me from confrontation. If there’s any sign of aggression, he steps up to the front to handle it. Or, he advises me through it while he’s co-conscious. He’s also a Boundary Enforcer, meaning he helps me set hard boundaries on whatever makes me uncomfortable.

    • Nanaki is a Councilor, meaning that he offers advice in times of turmoil or distress. He aids mostly in helping me deal with my anxiety.

    • Cloud is, like Starscream, a Security Officer. However, his duty is to protect me whenever I’m in social situations that involve crowds. So, think crowd control. Whenever I start getting nervous in crowds, he fronts.

    • Miguel is Head of Security. Whenever there is a perceived threat, physical or otherwise, it’s his job to handle it. He’s a lot more aggressive than the other Security Officers, so he may come off as nasty to some.

    • ???: Given what he does in his universe, I’m willing to say he’s a Security officer. (That’s me! Heyyo! :3c)

Are There Any Differences Between Your System Members & Their Canon Selves?

For some, yes. Others, no.

Knockout, Breakdown, and Starscream aren’t all that different from what’s seen in Transformers Prime. However, the one difference with them is that they joined the Autobots’ side some time after the events started.

Cloud and Nanaki are the same as their canon depictions.

Miguel, on the other hand, is a stark contrast to what we see in ATSV. He has a ton of differences, both physically and in regards to personality. For starters, his defining physical characteristics are that he has gray hair on the back of his neck. On his face, are two scars. One over his left eyebrow, and one going kitty corner-- left to right, across his lips. His eyes are red, and he wears a black, white, and red suit. Personality wise, he’s a lot calmer, and a lot sweeter when you get to know him. He’s also not as willing to resort to violence (So no, he didn’t hurt Miles.). He’ll only get aggressive if he has to. He’s also very accommodating to others’ needs (See the Headspace section!).

??? is very similar to what we see in his canon depiction. However, he still has his wings in their entirety.

System Type

Our system is Endogenic in origin, meaning we do not stem from trauma. However, that doesn’t mean we aren’t disordered. As you’re about to read, Shane has some disorders of his own that may have resulted in our arrival here.

The Host

Hi there! I’m the host-- you know, the one typing all this up! You can call me Shane or Sylum. I’m physically disabled-- Muscular Dystrophy, to be specific. I’ve had it since I was born, meaning I can’t do any physical activities without assistance; aside from typing, of course. Aside from that, I also have diabetes. On the mental side of things, I have both anxiety and depression. And, on the developmental side, I have Inattentive Type ADHD, formerly known as ADD. So, as Knockout said up there, I’m disordered. Fun stuff, huh?

So...What’s it Like?

Well, as someone who’s usually really bad at descriptions as it is, I find it really hard to describe my experiences. Compared to able-bodied system hosts, there are so many differences. If I were to list them all out, we’d likely be here forever. Overall though, I think I can say it’s fairly boring.

For able-bodied system members, like me, and well...Everyone else here, it’s kinda unnerving whenever we front sometimes. Knowing what Shane’s body needs, and not being able to physically meet those needs can be upsetting. So, we usually just give him a mental poke when something’s off. Or, we’ll co-front until he does what he needs to. Like now! Most of us are up here, adding our two cents, or watching him work.

Literally everyone’s up here, and it’s making my brain fuzz out like an old, overused VHS tape.

(You’re showing your age, baby! <3)

So, you kinda know what my experience is like, but there’s another question to ask:

What Does Your Headspace Look Like?

Ah, the headspace. The place where you and your headmates/system mates go to hang out and do whatever the hell they do when they’re not busy. For some folks, the headspace either doesn’t exist, or they’re hyper specific and detailed to the Nth degree. For me, it’s somewhere in the middle; it’s there, it might be a tad specific, and it’s somewhat detailed.

Due to my tendency to hyperfixate on certain pieces of media, it tends to change from time to time. Most of the time, however, it stays in one form. If you’ve seen the movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, then you may be familiar with Miguel’s gargantuan base. The tower that’s several miles high, and hella expansive. Well, imagine that, but slightly different. And I mean slightly. The only key difference is that the corridors are painted different colors so that I can find my way around. (I get lost easily in a Walmart for fuck’s sake. Don’t @ me. Lol) The main space, where I tend to hang at, is Miguel’s lab. And yes: He has that raising platform you see in the movie. And yes: It’s as hilariously dramatic as depicted.

The base itself acts as a hub of sorts, where the others can come and go as they please.

So, How Does All of This Work?

Well, there isn’t really a set method to how we do things here. Usually, whoever’s free gets to look after me. It goes down the chain:

Is Knockout busy? Breakdown watches me. Is Breakdown busy? Then, Starscream watches me. Etc. Etc. on down the list.

Who’s the Most Active?

Sometimes, it’s hard to gauge who’s active on any given day; especially when I’m not feeling well. However, going off the short time we used Simply Plural, I’d say both Nanaki and Miguel are the most active. Nanaki’s always free, so he’s usually up front with me. Whereas Miguel briefly fronts to check in and make sure I’m okay. He sometimes sticks around if something triggers my fear response. His presence is very soothing for me.

Recently, the new guy’s been very active, so he’s definitely on par with Nanaki and Miguel already.

Do You Have A Relationship Beyond Systemhood?

Shane’s a little nervous about writing this bit, so I’m taking it from here. He has a relationship with me, Knockout, Breakdown, Starscream, and the new guy. The mechanics of it are complicated–too complicated to really go into here. What I can say is that it’s a very close relationship.

That’s all, Folks! (...For Now!)

Thank you all for reading this, quite frankly, large wall of text! Your patience is greatly appreciated! We hope you enjoyed this little guide to our system, and we hope to see you later! Buh-bye!

( Since you're done here, why don'tcha drop by the pinned post? You'll find my intro down near the bottom a little while after this gets submitted.)

[ink-fireplace-coffee]

Hey

Tell me some stuff about twins. I never do any real person research for my characters but I should really start.

oh wow okay that's a long answer so be mindful of that

also this is all my own experience so if you happen to be part of a pair of twins and wants to chime in, please do so.

Okay first thing first: there are two types of twins. Identical twins and non-identical twins.

I am a non-identical twin. Which means exactly what you can be thinking: my sister and I are nothing like each other physically. She has brown hair and eyes, I have somewhat blondish-brown hair and grey eyes. Our face structure is different, our features are different. Our body is different.

Most of the time people don't even guess we are twins at first! But we are.

Second thing I should probably say: I'm two minutes older than my twin (yes it matters) I'm the older one.

Your set of twins are going to be x minutes apart from the other and that's a number you take to your grave. That's a number you remind them everytime you are in an argument and you want to make a point.

My sister and I grew up in a neighborhood where there weren't any kids out age, so we've spent almost all our childhood together. This translates to use having almost the same exact memories of things, our own language (invented words to refer to something or someone and we talk backwards when we need to say anything with people in front of us), key words that we created when we were little and basically the same childhood!

If you went to my twin and said "the girl and the fence" i know what she's thinking about. And if you told me "Imagine by John Lennon" I can interpret you our own version of the song that we wrote when we were like eight or so.

This means that more often than not we speak at the same time and say the same (I guess you could say it is because we have similar braincell patterns if you want to get scientific, but telekinesis is a much nicer explanation)

Still of course we are not the same person! At all! We both have different hobbies, likes and dislikes and are our own person, even if we still relate to a lot of things. I like to refer to my sister's hobbies as "the same as mine, but in a different direction": we both like reading, but we read different genres; or we both like a sport but for different reasons.

Living with a twin us not living with your best friend. Not always. We fight a lot (as siblings do) over dumb stuff and we are not joined by the hip. Specially not literally since she is in Germany now so...

Maybe this is also just my case, but I've grown so used to people calling me by my sister's name that I answer to it automatically, so maybe that's a twin's thing as well.

In my course, we were four set of twins: two pairs of two boys, us and a pair of a boy and a girl. Of course everyone had different dynamics but I think it's safe to say that almost all of us share that proximity with our sibling the way separate siblings don't do (← can't know for sure cause I don't have a separate sibling just my twin and I)

Somehow, the fact that we shared course, sometimes teachers, a friend group and later on the same class, has made us build our self concept around each other. Being a twin is part of our identity and now that I'm in uni and I'm meeting new people it initially shocks me when they are surprised cause they just found out that I'm not a single kid. Cause I'm clearly half of a set, you know? Still of course I know it's not something visibly clear.

We have a lot (and I mean a lot) of inside jokes, of stories and memories. I think she knows me more than anyone could ever because I've spent all my life with her. There are some childhood grudges as well (like when she ripped the scratch page that smelt like chocolate from my Geronimo Stilton Fantasy Kingdom book)

Aside from that now that we are kilometers away, our day to day conversations usually are either calling the other while we are studying and just talking about whatever or sending us memes and tiktoks saying "that's u" (she just did that as I'm typing this)

If you happen to be part from a set of twins and want to add your own little things or share stories PLEASE feel free to reblog this!!!

Again this is just my humble interpretation of 20 years of being a twin and you might not agree with some stuff which is completely normal!

[krpgossipgirl]

tbh there’s a reason behind all the problematic topics brought up on this blog. rping wasn’t born out of kpop. or real celebrity ppl in general. before then, it was anime characters or OCs without “face claims”. krp grew in the early 2010s when most of us were underage, desperate for romance and had a lot of confusing hormones/emotions. ppl didn’t see idols as humans, more like tv characters (another big rp type then too). I’m sure there’s still teens that get into 18+ krps for the same reason nowadays too but you can’t tell me y’all haven’t noticed most of those rps are filled with ppl almost 30 y/o and full time jobs. the same ppl that helped create what krp is today when they were minors/teens. it’s how a lot of ppl socialized growing up. obviously we all know now it’s weird to be rping real ppl, that’s also why most can’t stand nonau rps. but idk if any of you have tried to rp in other circles (anime, book characters, etc) but it’s a different world. there’s a curated culture in krp that a lot of us have grown up with. I’d love it if the whole community decided to stop using celebrity faces one day but it ain’t happenin. so just don’t fetish, simple. stop caring so much about faces ffs they’re just an aesthetic of a muse, focus on the character a person has created.

as for m/m fetishization… I know I’m not the only trans dude that realized they were trans as a teen by that same medium. but bffr the critique is for y’all writing muses that are basically your cisgender female brain in a male’s body. you’re cis and you like men. you like men that are in touch with their emotions and more feminine than the standard until it comes to smut. you and every other chronically online straight adjacent woman. problem is the same as above, kpop was centered around the idea that idols weren’t humans and the entire structure of it is riddled with gay shipping. krp started with ppl rping their favorite ships exclusively. some of you still are fetishizing two real life ppl that are just coworkers and want to fantasize about them being more for your own emotional/sexual pleasure. some of you might not fetishize ships anymore but still get off on the idea of two men fucking bc you’re insecure about your femininity as a woman in the eyes of men. and some of you are just extra anti women lol. a pussy will not harm you. your muse is not going to be loved any less, be any less creative, or leave you with interactions if they have don’t have a dick. you will not be ignored and given less attention for rping a girl. but you will be ignored for your muses bland personality and character design that you’ve hid behind by signaling to other m/m fetishizers and popular fcs over the years.

I’m all for y’all tackling your issues through rp (trauma, dysphoria, problematic thoughts/interests, etc) but at some point we gotta sit down and say hey y’all cis women have been writing this gay shit for over a decade now, when you gonna ask yourself why? it’s not like trauma rping (for example) is unproblematic, but bro there aren’t entire rps of ppl without trauma rping out trauma-coping muses. there have been more boys only smut rps where 99.9% of muns are all cis women in the past 10 years than there have been m/s krps. come onnnnnn. why are you defending it, I’m sincerely curious. what about writing a/b/o with a straight couple is so unattractive to you?

any way, hi everyone please analyze how you view rping. bc I’m really tired of finding out my rp partner is living vicariously thru their muse, or only built their muse’s character based on what would bring them attention, or doesn’t have a creative reason behind their muse’s fc and it’s just the idol they think is the most attractive. I promise if y’all see rping as just collaborative creative writing about 2 characters that have no real pictures, you’ll find the best rping partners.

[mctreeleth]

Here it is! The instructions to make a pieced and quilted plague doctor mask!

Just as a heads up, this pattern is not really recommended for beginners. There is not a whole lot of explanation of the basic techniques, and it requires a fair bit of precision, two types of fusible interfacing, and an assumption that you can keep a consistent seam allowance and do some hand sewing and know when to sew things right sides together and such.

I am not promising anything, different methods will yield different results, I have never made a pattern exactly as it was written and neither should you. If you want something the same as the next person, go to the shops.

Actually, nevermind, this is a quarantine craft, stay home.

There are two ways to do the piecing for this project. The first is a quilting technique called English Paper Piecing, there are plenty of tutorials online, but it is done by hand and I do not have the patience for it. Still, if you have the time but not the machinery, it is probably your best option for a very good finish. Cut the pattern net out of card, glue the bits onto your fabric, sew them up, pull them out and add interfacing after. I sewed three hexies together once and got bored and gave up.

The method I actually used involves my favourite cheat for sewing: you can use an inkjet printer to print on non-woven fusible interfacing! There are ridiculously overpriced pre-cut packs available, but also you can just cut up some midweight to the right size. I just have a boring old Epson printer, and I can get away with just putting some scotch tape along the edge that feeds in for a bit of stability. Alternatively, depending on the brand, you can “fuse” it onto some non-stick baking paper, cut it to size, and then peel it off without losing too much adhesive. (My pictures look a little different because my original A4 version fits on the page differently than the shared version)

Printing onto interfacing means I know my dimensions are perfect, and I have the markings on the pieces so I know what joins to what. If you only have a laser printer, or your inkjet hates you and wont let you print on interfacing, I still recommend using fusible interfacing for structure and precision piecing. You will just need to keep a lot better track of what is what, because the pieces are all slightly different and they only go together one way.

The actual “pattern” for this project is a geometric net. I highly recommend making one in paper or cardstock first, because we all have different sized heads.  As with most quilting projects, it will generally get to be a little bit smaller again once it is all sewn together, so keep that in mind.

This is a link to the PDF on Google Drive. It is a 4 page document, for printing on US letter size. There is enough space around the pieces that it can also print onto A4 paper: the one inch square should measure 2.5cm. Similarly, the extra space means it can be scaled up a bit before any gets cut off, if you have a particularly large face.

(Edited to add: if you were going to make this in a single fabric rather than pieced together patchwork pieces, I have uploaded a simplified version of the pattern, which has more curved seams which are easier to match. The technique is otherwise the same, but note that these patterns do not have seam allowances - you will need to add them when you cut your fabric so that the pieces match.)

The body of the mask is made up of two mirrored (four total) pieced together bits, plus some circles to go around the lenses. There are two mirrored top pieces, and two mirrored bottom pieces. The top pieces are numbered 1-14, and are split over two pages and need to be joined together. The bottom pieces are lettered A-H. On one side of the pattern the numbers and letters are circled, so you know which side you are working on. There are also small dashes in the corners of the pieces; single dashes connect to single dashes, double dashes connect to double dashes. At the parts that become the edges of the eye holes, there are little dots at the end of the dashes.

Even if you are printing onto interfacing, you will also need to do a paper printout, as it will be used later as a pattern to cut the batting and the lining. The paper printout can also be used to work out your fabric placement, if you are going for a certain look (again, this one was printed as an all in one A4 sheet, but it works the same).

Cutting the Patchworked Outer

If you have managed to print onto fusible interfacing, all you need to do is cut the pieces. Otherwise, do what you need to trace the pieces onto interfacing, making notes of where they go and which sides align to what.

Once you have your interfacing pieces cut and organized, fuse them to your fabrics with at least enough room between and around them for seam allowances on each side.

I use a 1cm seam allowance, but feel free to use a quarter or half inch if that is what you are used to.

Trim all the pieces to have a consistent seam allowance.

Lay the trimmed pieces out on the paper printouts. This will let you know if there are any pieces missing, or any parts where fabric duplicates might share a seam.

Piecing the Patchworked Outer

First, piece together the nets of the bottom pieces. Put a straight pin straight through at the corners of the interfacings of two neighboring pieces, so they are perfectly aligned. Then angle the pin on the right hand side so it comes back up along where the seam will go, and angle the one on the left so that it is going across.

Sew along the edge of the interfacing, aiming for just alongside of it, not on it.

Finger press the seams open, then repeat until all the pieces are together.

The technique for the top pieces is the same, but at any join which ends at an eyehole (marked on the pattern with a black dot on the ends of the dash), backstitch at the end of the interfacing, so that it won’t pull apart at the edge. The seam allowance at this part will be cut off, so it needs to be secured before that point to prevent it from pulling apart.

Batting and Quilting

Properly press all the pieces, with the seams open.

Using the paper pattern, cut out two mirrored top and bottom pieces from fusible batting.

Iron these onto the inside of the pieced parts, so that their edges line up with the interfacings. In my experience, the best way to iron on fusible batting is from the right side, so I pin them in place and flip them over, iron a little bit so they barely stick, pull out the pins, and fuse properly.

Do some quilting. I just went 5mm to the side of every seam, because the next lot of seams need to be topstitched in the same way, and I like the consistency.

Assembly of the Patchworked Outer

Join together the gap in the top pieces. The batting was aligned to the interfacing, so the technique is the same.

Press the seams apart and topstitch the seams to either side.

Trim off the excess seam allowance around the eye holes to the edge of the batting and interfacing. this was why we needed to backstitch earlier.

The next step joins the top and bottom pieces together. The bottom piece attaches to the more curved edge of the top piece - that last seam that was joined after adding the batting will meet these side seams, angled towards the tip of the beak. Sewing the sides is the trickiest bit to do on the machine, so, while I would normally say basting is for cowards, if you want the points to match perfectly, this is a time when pinning will not really cut it. I just hand sew through each point where the seams join, go back through a couple of threads over, and tie it off. 

Then I put pins through the longer seams.

When sewing it with the machine, try to keep the lines as straight as possible, making turns only at the seams where you put a basting stitch.

Once both sides are sewn, press the seams open and topstitch to either side.

Repeat this step for the top centre seam. You can just pin baste this one if you would rather, because the angles match, but it is literally right there in the middle where everyone can see it, so if you are not confident in matching points, baste it.

Press the seams open and topstitch.

The technique is the same for the bottom centre seam, but topstitching all the way to the tip of the beak is not possible, so you will have to do the last bit of top stitching by hand.

It doesn’t matter so much if it is a bit messy, because it is not in a place where it can really be seen, but spitting the seam will help it hold its shape more nicely.

That is the pretty outside bit done.

Making and Attaching the Lining

To make the lining, use the paper pattern to cut two mirrored pieces of the top and bottom pieces, with whatever seam allowance you prefer.

The gap on the top piece will have a maximum possible seam allowance of about a quarter inch, but this is enough for a secure internal seam. The eye holes do not need a seam allowance.

Sew together the gaps in the top pieces, then sew the top seam of the top pieces and the centre seam of the bottom pieces together.

Open up both pieces and sew the sides together. You should have a lining piece that is a floppy, boring version of the outside piece.

I have not included a step for how to make a strap, because everyone has their own preferred methods, and there are plenty of alternative options. If you don’t want to worry about making strapping you can use ribbon or elastic, or put a small loop there to thread something through afterwards. Whatever the choice, pin to the centre of the back edges of pattern pieces #10, facing towards the eye holes.

Put the lining piece, facing right side in, over the pieced outer and the strap pieces and pin around the edges, lining up the four seams of the lining with the seams on the outer.

Sew around the edge.

Turn the piece right side out through one of the lining’s eye holes. You just sort of pull the pieced outer (which is currently inside) back a bit, until the tip of the beak can come through an eye hole, and then try to pull it through as gently as possible so that the raw edge of the eye hole doesn’t get too stretched and frayed.

Then push the lining back into the pieced outer body of the mask.

Pin around the edge, so that the lining is all tucked neatly inside.

Top stitch over the edge.

Eye hole time!

Pin the outer and lining together in the eye holes, and top stitch about 4mm (1/6th of an inch) from the edges. Trim any fraying bits.

Hand stitch 1 inch wide bias binding to the inner edge of the eye hole, just over the top stitch.

Flip the bias binding through the eye hole to the outer, fold the raw edge of the bias binding under itself, and hand stitch it down to the outside. Repeat for the other eye.

This next step is the worst bit, and if you have another method, go for it. Theoretically you could use something thicker that wouldn’t fray, like a felt or leather, so that you didn’t have to worry about lining the eye holes, but it depends on the look you are going for.

Cut out four circles from fabric, two of the biggest size, two of the medium size. Draw the smallest size circle in the middle of the back of the medium sized circle, and stack it on top of the centre of the big one, right sides together. From the fusible batting, cut two donut shapes of the medium size with the smallest circle cut out of the centre.

Using very small stitches, sew around the small circle drawn on the medium sized circles. Fuse the donut of batting to the back of the large circle, with the inside of the donut matching the sewn line. Cut an even smaller hole out of the middle, so that the seam allowance that remains is a slightly smaller width than the batting. Clip this into at least 12 pieces.

Press the smaller circle towards the centre, so that it can be turned in though the hole. 

This will take a lot of careful ironing and pinning. Let it sit for a bit, so that it learns to be there.

Then unpin it, but hopefully the little clipped bits will stay there. Fold the bigger circle down over them – you will need a lot of little tiny pleats – making the outer edge as round as possible.

Then press that smaller circle back down over the pleats, so that it is level with the folded outer edge. If it sticks over in any places, trim it back, but only just.

Pin this donut shape over the eye piece. The inside edge of the donut should be level with the inside of the bias binding, the raw edge up against the outer fabric.

Hand sew around the outer edge of the donut to the pieced fabric. Make sure that the raw edge from the smaller circle is under the donut, but do not let it flip out through the middle. On the machine, top stitch about a quarter inch from the outer edge.

This should catch the raw edge inside, and leave a ridge between the outer eye donut and the bias bound eye hole. From the inside, it should be possible to pop in a round lens from a pair of sunglasses, or an improvised lens such as a circle of clear plastic cut from the lid of an old takeaway container, or some transparent holographic vinyl, such as this stuff on amazon. Repeat for the other eye hole.

Hooray! You are all done!

I am really not sure on the efficacy of this as an actual viable mask. On the one hand, there are a lot of seams through which germs could pass, but on the other hand, the fact that the lining is a bit loose and baggy inside the beak might cancel that out.

Depending on your materials, it should be machine washable, although it will almost certainly look a lot less crisp.

I had a lot of issues with my lenses fogging up after a couple of minutes of me wearing it, but who knows, maybe I am just a very wet breather.

I am not going to charge anything for this pattern, nor am I going to place restrictions on what you do with the items you make. I do not control your right to profit from your work. All art is derivative, and you making your own version transforms this pattern. Don’t let assertions of intellectual property rights be another way you are alienated from your labour. If you decide to sell your work, demand fair remuneration for your time and skills. Someone offering to pay for the materials is not enough. If you have decided to take an activity you love and turn it into work, make it worthwhile.

On the flip side, please don’t try to sell this bit of writing or the PDF of the pattern net or these photographs. They are free for you and for everyone else. Resist society’s message that you should try to profit from your every action, and especially resist the notion that true success is achieved by profiting from anyone else’s labour.

If you want to discuss this stuff further, I would love that! I am researching the commodification of creative knowledge for my PhD, focusing on quilt patterns and designs. Message me @mctreeleth on tumblr and instagram or @sarasewsstuff on twitter for my uni email.

Edit: I have added in a link to a simplified version if you are going to make this with a single fabric rather than patchwork piecing. 

[yanderedreaming]

Adult trio & their ideal type

Hisoka

Looks: Hisoka seems like the type to be attracted to the ones with structured faced, sharp features and more of a sexy appearance. His ideal type of body would be on the curvy /bigger side. I feel as if he’s the type to show his s/o off a lot, it doesn’t mean that he’d be only interested in someone who looks like this, to him looks are what draw him in at first. Enough to observe the person, and if they seem extraordinary or just interesting, he’ll watch from a far for long enough before approaching them. P.s: Hisoka is an ass guy. He loves watching your ass as you walk away.

Outfit: I think this is an important part of it all. He likes showing his s/o off, so he’d enjoy when they’d wear colours that flaunt their skin tone, dresses that are revealing and jeans that give a nice shape to the bum. He’d appreciate their own style, better if its unique.

Personality: He’d want someone who’s a little crazy. Not in the sense that they’d straight up cause a bar fight, but the type that would stir up a little something and watch from the sidelines for example. Basically an instigator, would most definitely appeal to him. He’d want someone fun and quirky, different on all accords and fiercely confident.

Illumi

Looks: Now, Illumi would want someone who looks very normal. Now normal can be subjective, but balanced features, maybe a sharp nose, and just generally looks that don’t stand out, but nonetheless pretty. He wouldn’t care to check anyone out based on their looks, their elegance comes into play much more. P.s: Definitely a back guy. He loves running his hands all over your back.

Outfit: Illumi wants someone who’s elegant, who can carry themselves and look graceful, nothing revealing, he wouldn’t like it when his s/o would wear anything too revealing. When they walk into a room, you might think they’re nobility by their elegant and traditional outfits and the way they have great posture + carry themselves. To Illumi, the way they present themselves would be the most important thing.

Personality: He would prefer someone who’s more submissive, a true housewife. This doesn’t mean he’d be the typical 1950’s husband, he would treat them like an equal almost. Bonus points if they’re family oriented. Now to dive into the actual personality, someone who has their emotions in control, smart enough to read the room quick enough. Gentle yet ruthless at the same time.

Chrollo

Looks: Chrollo is the type to care for looks contrary to what most people think he wants someone who catches his eye, someone with soft feminine features yet ones that stand out. If he wants a treasure, it has to be something that looks beautiful. Now beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone is beautiful, but to him exotic looks are what catches his eye. People who look different enough to stand out, yet not enough to incite too much attention. Soft features yet exotic in a nutshell. He’d eye everyone in the room and a mixture of the persons looks, outfit and the way they act will attract him, he just wants everything to catch his eye, not just one thing. Also I think he’s a boob guy. J.s

Outfit: Now Chrollo would enjoy his s/o wearing feminine outfits; silk dresses, skirts, slit dresses, backless dresses. But they also have to match his aesthetic, its important to him that they compliment one another, he’s the type to match his tie to your dress. Backless dress? Good he can feel your back when you walk together. Slit dress? Good, he can feel your thigh when you sit together. Silk dress? Good, he can run his hands on your sides and feel the soft silk that mimics your own soft skin.

Personality: I’m a big believer that Chrollo likes a domesticated s/o. He won’t ever ask them to do anything like cook for them, but he’d totally melt if they cook for him and present him with a plate of scrumptious food. He wants to feel like the man, so someone who’s not overly independent, they should rely on him, but they have to be independent enough because he has his missions to go to so they have to learn to live on their own. Now its canon that he needs an intelligent and witty s/o, but it doesn’t have to be about stuff he’s into, actually he’d appreciate it if you had knowledge in things he doesn’t know about.

Tagged: @azukoya

[ray-ray-writings]

Visiting Hemlock-Dream

This is a Dream x gn!reader in the dreamsmp! Small thing, hemlock is another type of poison. It is actually the poison that the Greek philosopher Socrates was forced to consume after he was found guilty in his trail. 

Masterlist here

This is a part two to Sweet as Cyanide (here), so if you haven’t read that yet you can check it out . Don’t worry. I’ll wait…..

All good? Okay here we go!

Y/N is finally able to visit Dream in prison. 

Y/N’s POV

“Are you sure about this? You know no one would blame you if you never wanted to see him again,” Niki questioned, a soft hand resting on my shoulder. I had to force myself not to roll my eyes and scoff. Instead, I settled for a fake shy smile and a small head nod, “I know Nik. But I really want to see him. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t help it,” I explained, hoping desperately she would leave it at that. Niki gave me a pitiful smile as she nodded, giving my arm a tight squeeze. “I know what you mean… I’ll be right here when you get out,” She assured, wrapping her arms around me in a quick hug before taking a few steps back. “Thanks Niki. I’ll see you in a bit,” I claimed softly before turning toward the prison. I took a deep breath before making my way to the entrance. 

I let out a deep breath as I reached up and pressed the button, letting Sam know I was there. A noise sounded letting me know I could enter and pass through the grid. I was greeted by Sam at his desk.  “Hey Y/N” Sam greeted me, holding a stack of papers. “Hey Sam,” I greeted back, my eyes scanning around the place. “This looks really nice,” I complimented the warden on his build. “Thank you!” He beamed, handing the papers he held to me. “These are just waiver you need to sign. They basically say that you release the prison from all responsibility if you get hurt and that that responsibility falls on the prisoner you are visiting.” He explained, handing me a pen. I hummed and quickly scanned the documents before signing them. 

Sam quickly took them and tucked them away in his desk before standing up and moving out from behind the desk. “Alright. We’re good to move on.” I followed him out of the room and into a room full of chests. “Please put all your things in this chest here,” He asked, motioning to a chest near the door. I gave him a nod before quickly emptying my inventory. Once I was done, I turned and proved to Sam that there was nothing left on my person. Sam gave me a smile and a nod before we moved on once more. 

My excitement grew as we walked down the path I had only been down once before. My hands seemed to shake at the sight of the lava wall that hid my boyfriend from my view. “Hey, if you’re too nervous to do this, you can turn back around. You don’t have to see him,” Sam comforted, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. He was taking my excitement as nerves… good. I took a deep breath and gave him a shy smile, “I’m okay Sam, really. I want to see him,” I assured the tall man. “Okay… Do you want me to stay here with you or go back to the cams?” Sam questioned, still unsure if he should leave me alone with ‘the monster’. “You can go watch on the cams. I’ll be fine, even if something were to happen you could be back here in a flash,” I claimed with a small smile. 

Sam gave me a small nod, “Alright, here you go.” Sam reached over to the wall and pressed the button that controlled the lava. Slowly, the lava stopped falling, revealing my love. I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sight of the blonde boy that had my whole heart. The iron bars fell allowing me free access to Dream. Sam gave me a pat on the back before he disappeared out the door. 

I wasted no more time and ran to Dream. A smile, a real smile, formed on his face as I raced toward him. Our bodies crashed together with the swift motion, my arms wrapping around his neck, his around my waist. I squeezed him tightly as I buried my face in his neck. I couldn’t help the tears that fell from my eyes and onto his skin. “I missed you so much bub,” I cried into his neck. “Shhh, love,” he murmured, rubbing one hand up and down my back, holding me close. 

“I missed you too. I’ve been so lonely here. I’ve missed your sweet words, your gorgeous face. I miss waking up next to you every morning. I love you so much,” he muttered into my ear, pressing a kiss to my temple. His words shocked me a bit. Yes, I love Dream and he loves me, but he almost never acted like this. “I’ve missed everything about you. I miss your kisses and cuddles. I miss the way you’d threaten everyone for even looking at me in the wrong way. I’ve missed going to sleep next to you, cuddling and waking up the same way. I love you so much too,” I muttered back. 

Dream pulled away slightly, just enough to face me before crashing his lips into mine. My eyes fluttered closed as I completely melted into the kiss and into my boyfriend. I missed my love so much. I missed feeling his lips on mine. His gentle touches, his sweet smiles, his manipulation of everyone around us. He’s mine and I am his, no matter what and no matter where. 

Dream was the one to pull away from our kiss. “God I’ve missed that,” He announced, grinning from ear to ear. I couldn’t help but giggle and return the grin, “I’ve missed that too.” Dream slowly unwrapped himself from me, but quickly reached out and took my hand. He walked me over to his bed. He let go of my hand before sitting down on his bed, resting his back against the wall. I raised my eyebrow at his actions but he simply patted his lap telling me to sit down. I giggled and rolled my eyes at the action, but obeyed. I quickly moved my legs so that there was one on either side of his thighs and I sat on his lap. Once again, my arms moved to wrap around his neck and his came to wrap around my voice. 

“So,” Dream began once we got settled, “How’s it going out in the free world?” Dream asked, teasingly. I could tell that he was both asking about the server, but was also making a joke about the fact everyone thought that I was now ‘free’ from his control. “It’s all fine, I guess. You were right. Everyone began coddling me the second that prison door slammed behind me. I’ve been staying with Niki because they think going back to our house is too painful for me,” I informed Dream, who simply scoffed and rolled his eyes. 

“The more important thing though,” I started, lowering my voice a lot as to not have it picked up by the cameras, “I can’t get a hold of Technoblade. No one has seen him, or at least not that they’re telling me. I went to his house and he wasn’t there, I went to Phil’s house and he said he hadn't seen him. But I’ll keep looking. I’m going to get you out of here.” I promised my boyfriend quietly. Dream’s brow furrowed, “That’s really odd. Especially since Philza hasn’t seen him… He must remember he owes me that favorite. But you have my full trust, love. I know you’ll make me proud.” 

My heart swelled at his words. It was so comforting to hear that. Even though weeks ago, he promised me it wasn’t my fault he was here, I could help but still feel guilty about it. Especially because I had to pretend that I was happy he was gone. I didn’t respond with words, instead leaning forward and pressing my face into the side of his neck and pressing a small kiss there. “I love you.” “I love you too.” 

The rest of the time we spent together was in that position.  I told him about all the new structures that were being built around the server. I told him about how everyone was working together but there was definitely still some tension. Dream didn’t seem surprised at that at all. Dream told me about his days at the prison. He had a small clock gifted to his by Sam. He admitted to me that he would sometimes throw his clock out of his cell into the lava so Sam would come in and bring him a new one, allowing Dream to have some form of human contact. He got three meals a day, but he claimed none have ever been good as my cooking, that made me blush. Dream spent most of his day thinking about me and the things he would be doing if he wasn’t locked up. He kept a little journal in order to keep himself sane. 

In a much quieter tone, Dream also told me of the little things he’s noticed about the prison. How the lava always takes a few seconds before it begins its descent. Dream told me he knew that the redstone sometimes would misfire and Sam would have to take the time to fix it. Sometimes it only took a few minutes but there were also times he’d be gone for many hours. Dream also spoke of where he thinks the elder guardian that causes mining fatigue was being held. I listened very carefully to what he was telling me. Sam is an excellent builder, even better engineer, but nobody was perfect and it sounds like to me that Dream was slowly but surely finding Pandora’s Achilles heel.

It felt so good to be in Dream’s arms again though, even in this circumstance. In the many years we’ve been dating, I’ve never been away from Dream for that long before and it was really hard. Which explains why I was so excited for this visit… But alas, all good things must come to an end. 

“Times up Y/N…” Sam called softly from the platform behind us. I looked over my shoulder and gave the man a nod in acknowledgement. I turned back to Dream, leaned forward and pressed a swift kiss to his lips. “Goodbye my love,” I whispered to the blonde man, tears threatening to fall again from my eyes. A smile appeared on his lips, “Goodbye love,” He returned at the same level. I slowly got off of my boyfriend and walked away from Dream. Once I was out of the cell, I turned back around to face Dream, who had also stood up from his bed “I’ll be back soon,” I promised the blonde boy who remained in his cell. A small chuckle left his lips as the iron bars enclosed him once more, “I’ll be here.” 

With that, I took a few more steps back to stand next to Sam. I gave my boyfriend a small wave as Sam pressed the button to make the lava begin pouring from the ceiling. I could see Dream's sad smile as he waved back at me and then he was gone. 

“You okay?” Sam asked gently, a hand resting on my shoulder. “Yeah,” I sniffed, reaching up and wiping at my eyes, “Yeah. I’ll be fine. Thank you for letting me see him,” I thanked, changing the topic. Sam gave me a soft look as he nodded, “Of course. You’re always welcome to come back. I can even show you around to other rooms if you ever want.” I nodded at his words. “That sounds really cool. I’d love to see them. I’d love to see this whole place,” I told him as cooly as I could. The one thing I could not do right now was raise suspicion. “When we get back to the front desk we can set a time and date!” He offered cheerfully. Once again I nodded, this time a bright smile beaming across my face. “I’d like that. 

I couldn’t help but mentally chuckle at the situation though. I don’t know why after all this time everyone still thinks I’m just so sweet and innocent. Sam offering to show me around like a father would show his child around his work place on bring your kid to work day simply confirmed that thought even more. Little does he know how hard it’s going to bite him in the butt. I’m going to get my boyfriend out of this Pandora’s Vault…. If it’s the last thing I do. 

There you go! I hope you enjoyed! If so, be sure to leave a like! Maybe even reply or a reblog?

[sugar-petals]

When I look at yuzuru he strikes me as a really soft cutesy charming etheral individual not really homme fatal kind of guy that's why I think he's pure romantic rather than TR what do u think? ( love you btw)

i’ve been thinking about it as well, but it’s not a crystal clear case. he’s a sportsman, skating morphs the body in the most uncommon ways which makes it harder to narrow down the type. 

basics first so we get the foundations right: pinpointing the kibbe category he is + isn’t and why, the subtype after.

1. which one of the big 5?

- safe to say, yes: he’s somewhere in the romantic category. nobody does these outfits quite like yuzu. light fabrics, intricate embellishments, he is famous for all that gorgeous princely tailoring. the sport is all about the sequins, he definitely shines in them. every professional figure skating photographer out there will tell you that he hits different and you can see why.

WOW.

i’ve witnessed people complaining that the glitz and glam no longer suits his age, he gets scorn for not dressing traditionally masculine, but i don’t know how it wouldn’t look appropriate. the only valid criticism is that it’s often a hit or miss, but we’d be damned if this isn’t what an ice prince looks like.

he’s the best in the world and his main goal is to put on a show. rolling up in a polo shirt would contradict the objective, being an allround artist first and only then a jump technician. he’s exactly how you’d expect a yuzuru hanyu to look like. if you appear ‘like yourself’, it’s the right kibbe category.

R clothing typically has a sexy edge as well, you can’t put a kid into that. cut out cleavage, transparent, figure-hugging, no way. if anything, most R styles seemed all over the place when yuzu was younger (this is from 2010). yin is meant to be tailored for adults to begin with, you can’t make it teenage gamine.

eleven years later at 26, yuzuru hanyu in 2021, adult man, wearing the hell out of a skating gala outfit. this would be tacky on someone any younger. R is not just light and sweet but also dignified and mature. long story short. he’s grown into a yin-dominant type. fits to a T, a feast for the eye.

- meanwhile: you can easily exclude dramatic. very thick, stable fabrics with large lines are gigantic on him. D clothing is a yuzu charm killer, figures because it’s the type opposite to romantic (pure yang). it washes out the face and is twice as wide as his frame is, bulks out around the shoulders.

- not a natural type either, it feels a bit too simple, underchallenging. ruffled hair appears dishevelled where it’d be just right on a natural. it doesn’t fully highlight him: natural looks aren’t the most memorable on yuzuru even if they tend to be rather neutral and don’t look too off per se, it has a bit of draping after all. 

he looks really good in the below outfit, but his frame doesn’t fill it out. he’s all elegant underneath and radiates ballet while N is a rough, easy-going, and leisurely concept for very bulky frames. the waist gets missing in translation, the mid-section of shirts like these is too wide.

- not a gamine either. he might appear like one and i deliberated back and forth whether he is Pure G or FG, but the material mix, line breaks, and fashion experiments are creating chaos rather than something put-together. it just isn’t as flattering as when he does drapes and florals. the hair being cropped (typical gamine cut) often obfuscates the face. G styles are confusing on yuzu.

his skating is from outer space but this is probably a bit too galactical 😅

- not a classic. something’s not right, suits like these contrast a lot with how round his face is and sit on his body very randomly. missing waist again (yin). the same people who want him to dress more conservatively/masculine have been roasting yuzu for looking like a salary man in that style 🤔 i sense hypocrisy. in any case, classic underwhelms, he’s made to dress up. more points to yin, he he’s too petite to wear C.

now, we got the main category down, time for subtyping. romantic has two options.

2. which romantic?

arguments in favor of Theatrical Romantic:

this type is what he often portrays in the rink (e.g. the phantom of the opera programme) and has become his secret weapon. whether that speaks of his true type is the question. what i mean is, he can pull it off, the seductive homme fatale. compare jimin, people lose their minds over theatrical romantic men. yuzu is in that lane as well.

as in, balance of main yin with a yang undercurrent — the very gentle, princely young man with the soft face who gathers everyone’s hearts, and he is a damn flirt on ice, but who can give a very visceral, dark performance. that shows a tremendous fervor and an edge, with an athletic and taut body.

he does have some yang elements to his physicality. streamlined silhouette, some narrowness, extreme flat muscle, long triangular upper body, some vertical line. also — his color palette (aka skin undertone, cool v warm, hue, chroma, deepness etc) might match TR. on the other hand, it might simply be the black hair giving him the contrast for it. 

the reason why we might get the TR impression is that he often wears all black which suggests dramatic, and the athleticism in his profession has trained away the chubbiness he might naturally have. the face as the only part that won’t be somehow affected by his routine is all yin. 

arguments in favor of pure Romantic:

... as you pointed out. in private life and backstage, he is quite effortlessly sweet- and small-looking. with the delicacy and doe-eyedness you’d expect from pure romantic, very unlike his performance persona. 

if you didn’t know he’s copyrighted BDE on the ice, yuzu seems like he can’t harm a fly, round rosy bean he is. he makes a very innocent and soft 1st impression in candids which no other type except soft gamine does.

facial features, all opposite of yang. not long, not sharp, not planar, not angular, not bony, not narrow. the button nose, full lips, and puffy cheeks is all you see. you’d not think of him as striking (=D, FN).

that’s also why he’s always pitted as nathan chen’s opposite in whatever he does. nate is on the other end of the kibbe spectrum, people probably don’t even realize that their physical lines are contrasting archetypes. it’s subconsciously part of why people can construct such a rivalry. 

study nathan’s face and it becomes apparent. very oblong shape, flat-laying flesh and an asymmetric jaw that couldn’t be any more prominent (=yang). the brows and eyes create a powerful horizontal unlike yuzu’s more wide-set puppy eyes. the nose is longer, the ears, too. nathan looks sharp, piercing, and intimidating rather than soft. you see the exact outline of the bone.

with him, you assume the reverse of what people think of yuzu at first glance. if you didn’t know that nathan couldn’t be any nerdier, you’d believe he’s 1000% jock-off-the-charts. how he has a lot of yang contributed to his on-ice image, too. one’s kibbe type can shape life choices since people see you in a certain way simply based on your lines.

how yuzu is such a visual difference to nathan further points to how he’s closer to pure yin: rather than a subtype that picks up elements from dramatic. otherwise, you’d see some of that angularity. but no: roundness over structure, you see the flesh, not frame. you couldn’t call him a jock by all means 😆 

you won’t see that chiseled geometry and crazy jawline/browline. as you say he’s more cutesy, and a charmer, the whole fandom will agree. pure romantics have everyone wrapped around their fingers (and their booty lmao!) because you want to pepper them with kisses, yin types all look so non-threatening and beautiful. ethereal is the right word. 

and they’re the sexiest ofc, since they’re curvy. R got hips.

sigh... this type is a showstopper. what to do with him. he can beam at ya or he can sway his hips at ya, another unsuspecting hanyu interessee falls for the guy. he does the prince concept and the sexy cutie alike.

he tries to convince us otherwise 😂

sexy aside, he looks great in the respective clothing recs, with waist emphasis and rounded edges. kimonos are often soft dramatic or natural-inspired, but it works out well this way. and again: romantic is not childish/playful clothing of some kind, it can be very official and deliberate.

rather than in edge tailoring which is very loose around his arms and does yuzu no justice. that’s actually the kind of clothing that makes him appear either younger or older depending on if it’s D or C.

TLDR - he might not seem completely yin in his appearance, but that’s because of his excessive sports regimen. since yuzu has been training since he was a kid, we never saw how he’d normally be. he rocks the pure romantic regardless and it’s likely it’s his kibbe type. him wearing R is always a spectacle.

bonus kibbe meme: yuzu, photoshopped to the moon and back, wearing soft dramatic for a toothpaste ad. amazing.

[btsficsforthehumble]

adj.: 1. Modern, unfamiliar, or different

2. Not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed

pairing: reader x ot7

genre: college au; angst, fluff, smut, poly, ot7

Summary: You begin your first year at a prestigious university, set out on achieving your academic goals when a series of men step into your life that change the way you view the definition of love.

Part Five

Warnings: none in this chapter

Word count: 2.3k

A/N: New characters, yay! Just an fyi but I would like to start posting one chapter every week... thots?? Also, I've been thinking of adding a taglist? sksk I know it would be small but I personally love to get tagged when new chapters come out for my faves. If that's something ya'll would like comment so I know!! Alright, back to your regularly scheduled program :)

----

Literature was next. Now this? This you could handle. Always being a bit of an avid reader, you could devour a novel in one night --- and you often did. Finding the hidden meanings between the lines of text, like unwrapping a present, gave you a thrill. You were the person who could debate for hours about the meaning of a symbol in a book, as annoying as that is to everyone else.

Maybe it was the promise of escape, where you could be transplanted into another world, detached from your own, that appealed so much to you about reading. You could lose yourself, feeling the rush of the love affair or the thrill of a dangerous adventure. Coupled with your analytical nature, you felt more than at home in a literature classroom.

With this in mind, you make your way to your next class with more vigor than usual. When you arrive and take a seat, you pull out your materials and wait for class to begin.

Several minutes later, your professor walks to the podium in the front of the room to introduce herself. After several minutes of reviewing the syllabus, she explains the structure of the class. You were to be placed in small groups, to discuss the readings and write a paper at the end of the semester. This made you a little nervous --- having to rely on others to some capacity for your grade always gave you a bit of anxiety.

She began reading out the names of the students belonging to each group, so you listen carefully as to not miss your own name despite your anxious thoughts swirling inside your head.

“... Eum Hee-Young, Gal Ae-Cha, Ree Mun-Hee, you are group seven. Kim Seokjin, Y/l/n y/f/n, Kim Namjoon, you are group eight. Ok Youngsoo…” her voice fades off as you glance around the room, trying to meet the gazes of other searching eyes as your group was announced.

Your eyes meet those of a guy who looked maybe a year or two older than you, with round, wire frame glasses. His mahogany hair was pushed off of his forehead, parted to the side giving him a youthful but put-together look. He holds up eight fingers, looking at you expectedly, and you nod quickly. He picks up his belongings, preparing to move to you as you had empty space in the seats around you. As he slings his backpack over a shoulder, you scan your eyes around the room to try to catch the other member of your group.

To your surprise, your eyes meet those of the same boy you had ogled over yesterday in your calculus class, before it had started. You shyly hold up your own eight fingers, to which he gives a decisive nod to, and begins to make his way to you as well. You can’t help but notice the planes of his back as he bends down to grab his backpack, his wide shoulders tilting making them seem even larger. He is wearing a simple blue button down and jeans, but even through that you could tell his shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, making him have the perfect masculine inverted triangular build.

Slightly embarrassed at your thoughts, you glance at your other partner, now close to you. His oversized yellow knit sweater swallowed him a little, but with the glasses gave him a cute bookish look. His large frame juxtaposed his cute appearance --- he was on the taller side and seemed built as well. You made eye contact, and gestured to the seat next to you for him to sit. The other boy now approaching, you both watch as he takes the other open seat in front of you.

Your group now assembled, you tune back into your professor who was explaining the first text you were to read together. She told you that it was a short love story that relied heavily on symbolism and became a prominent symbol in and of itself in movies and television. Your first assignment was to analyze the symbolism of the text, and come to a more complex conclusion than what the surface of the text presents. You could feel yourself becoming slightly excited to jump into the assignment as she explained.

“You will be given the rest of class to get acquainted with your group members. They will be permanent, bar any issues that may arise. The first assignment is due at the end of next class. While on this first assignment I will be more lenient with grading, please do your best and set a good standard for your groups. Okay, go ahead everyone,” she finishes.

At her dismissal of your attention, you glance back at your group members. The boy with glasses speaks first. “I’m Namjoon, nice to meet you guys.”

“Seokjin, or just Jin,” the other boy gives.

“I’m y/n, nice to meet you both.”

“So, what year and major are you? I’m a third year, and a journalism major,” Namjoon offers. As he speaks, he gives you both a grin that displays deep dimples on both cheeks. He was very cute, you decided. He had a nerdy charm to him, with a build on the beefy side that made you want to cuddle him.

“I’m a first year… and to tell the truth I haven’t decided on a major yet,” you admit, but give them both a smile.

“Ah, hoobae, you are lucky you are with us pros then! I’m a fourth year, and a business major,” Seokjin says with a wide smile.

“Sunbaenim, are you in calculus before this? I thought I recognized you from there,” you downplay a little. You knew he was in that class since you had spent time checking him out in it, but didn’t want to seem creepy.

“I have a recognizable face.” At this he gives a smug look, but is clearly using a joking tone. “Yeah, calculus with Yoo at nine?”

“Yep. That guy goes so fast,” you frown. “But anyways, how do you guys feel about this assignment?”

Namjoon enters the conversation again, “Honestly I’m kind of excited for it. It’s been a while since I’ve done any reading that isn’t research related, which kind of sucks.”

“That does suck. I love to read, that’s why I took this class, actually,” you empathize.

“Yeah? What do you like to read?” Namjoon leans towards you a bit, excited at the prospect of talking about reading it seems.

“Oh, um… I’d say my favorite genre is probably any type of fantasy, I like being able to be in a different world for a bit. Oh, I also like historical pieces, that stuff is always so interesting.” You were a little hesitant to share, afraid he’d judge your preferences.

“I love historical pieces. I think that’s one of the things that lead me into journalism actually, it’s basically writing history for those in the future to look back on. I just think that’s really cool.” His eyes seemed glitter as he talked about something he was obviously passionate about. You felt yourself developing a soft spot for the boy, finding his friendly disposition and slightly nerdy personality to be incredibly endearing. It didn’t hurt he was also very attractive.

“What about you sunbaenim? Do you like to read?” you ask Seokjin, whose head was oscillating between you and Namjoon.

Surprised the attention shifted to him, his eyes widened to give him an owlish look. You are really surrounded by some beautiful men, you think. What do they put in the water here? It would be normal to run across a cute guy here or there, but this is kind of ridiculous. Seokjin himself has a face that is so beautiful it looks like it should have been carved out of marble!

Focus! You have to scold yourself. The boy you were just admiring in your head is now answering your question and you are too distracted to even process what he’s saying.

“... not too crazy, occasionally I guess…” His body language told you that he was slightly embarrassed at not being as enthusiastic a reader as you and Namjoon.

“I’m sure you have hobbies that are cooler than reading then, if I was athletic or creative I wouldn’t read so much either! Namjoon-sunbaenim, I’m sure you agree,” you encourage with a smile, wanting Namjoon to follow suit in making Seokjin feel comfortable.

Thankfully, he catches on quick. “Oh, yeah, I am way too clumsy to do anything more high stakes than page turning,” He chuckles. You and Seokjin both smile at Namjoon’s subtle self-deprecation. They both were sweet, you think. Your earlier fears about working with others subside. “I guess I could say that I do have another hobby though, I actually help out at the school’s radio station for fun,” Namjoon adds shyly.

Jin tilts his head in surprise. “Oh really? I have a friend who…”

He gets abruptly cut off by the professor’s voice echoing through the room, which causes him to stop his thought.

“Hopefully everyone is acquainted now, and is ready to get to work next class. I expect good things from you all this semester. You are dismissed,” your professor says with finality.

The three of you quickly gather your things, ready to merge with the swarm of students streaming out of the door. You give them both a smile, and say, “It was nice meeting you both. See you next class!” to which they give their own farewell.

As you leave, you check your phone out of habit. It seems your intuition is right, as usual.

*Miss me yet?*

Does Taehyung really have nothing better to do?

*What exactly is there to miss?*

You hope that after your curt response he’d get the memo. This guy is such a fuckboy, you think. While you don’t know why he set his sights on you for now, you hope he gets bored soon. While you give that tough persona to him, the truth is you are more sensitive than that. The idea of being used for sex once and then discarded was unappealing, and Taehyung seemed like the type to do just that.

----

Finally home after attending two more classes for the day, which were thankfully much less eventful, you slip off your shoes and let your bag slide off your shoulder to thunk on the floor. You were tired. And hungry, apparently, because your stomach makes some concerning noises as soon as you slip your light jacket off. You make your way to the kitchen at the sound, ready to make a nice dinner and decompress.

When you get there, you see one of your new roommates sitting at the stools for your kitchen counter. This roommate was one that you had connected with immediately, drawn to her blunt but fun-loving aura. Her short stature, shorter than average, gave no warning for her and ‘gives-no-fucks’ attitude. You could tell however, that inside she had a soft heart. Even in your short time together, you had seen glimpses of it here and there.

You learned when you had met that she had moved to Korea from America last year, making her a second year at your university. Her features stood out from the crowd, with brown skin and large curls that framed her face in a halo. She was really quite beautiful. Tia, but called Bean by her friends, which now included you, made you feel welcomed to campus and you were thankful for her.

Wanting to not scare her as you walked into the kitchen, you gave her a greeting. Her head pops up from where it was buried in her phone, which had been drawing her into her own world.

“Hey chickie. Long day?” she asks. Apparently your exhaustion was pretty obvious if she could tell right off the bat. You sigh, bending over to pull some vegetables out of the fridge.

“I just want to know who let me schedule four classes on Tuesdays. They should be in jail,” you complain.

She gives you an amused look, watching you now stand at the cutting board to prepare your food. “I think that person was you, sweet thing.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. If I could go back in time and slap my past self I would,” you grown with your head tipped back. She lets out a laugh at your expense.

“Don’t laugh at me unnie! I’m going to pass away from exhaustion over here!” you try to say seriously, but can’t help but let out a little giggle. “What were you doing with your head buried in your phone, huh? Are you talking to someone?” you tease, pointing your knife at her with your other hand on your hip.

“Why, do you wish it was you?” She wiggles her eyebrows, giving you a side smirk. You knew she was deflecting, so you lift your eyebrow and give her a flat expression, waiting for her real answer. “Ugh, it’s nothing. There was just this really cute girl in my class today, and I tried talking to her but she didn’t really seem like she liked me… and I may have just been looking at her social media,” Tia admitted.

Now at the stove, stirring your dinner, you look over your shoulder to say something that would hopefully ease her anxiety. “You know that you can come on strong sometimes, maybe she’s just a little shy, ya know? Maybe try again with a softer approach,” you offer. “What is there not to like?”

She gives you a wide grin to match your own at your last remark. You both giggle, any tension in the air from Tia’s concerns gone. Dinner now finished, you grab two bowls and serve you both. You both slip into easy banter, almost like you two have been friends for years. You hope that you will be, someday.

[johns-prince]

John also had a lovely mix of masculine and feminine physical traits, though this wouldn't become obvious until 1968. When he was on the skinny side (which I loved, sue me) you could tell how beautifully delicate and dainty his bone structure was, way more than Paul's imo. He had those gorgeous long legs and graceful narrow hips that you most commonly find in fashion models. And I love that until at least 1975, he showcased his body beautifully, especially those legs.

Ironically I feel as if people didn't embrace John's femme beauty as well as they did with Paul. I don't know why. Most people seem to prefer him with the more masculine look of 1966. Which was great as well, he was gorgeous but I am a big fan of the 1968 to 1974 run. Btw, note to fanfic writers: please, show John's body some love, I know Paul is stunning but it's kind of exhausting reading 10 pages about how pretty he is and when it comes to my boy John he barely gets a paragraph 😂

Alright, I feel like I’m probably gonna rub a lot of people in this fandom the wrong way with what I’m going to say but this is my blog and you did send this to my inbox so here we go; At the end of the days these are my thoughts and feelings and I might not articulate them very well or I often ramble till I do!

I have my issues, and a complicated relationship with 1968-70s John Lennon. I love John, and thought him healthy and just right in his body type, basically up until 1968, and it’s spotty onward throughout the 70s. To me, John was naturally masculine looking, there’s not exactly an era or year that I could give you like you gave me [Specifically 1966? What about his teddy boy days? All of the early 60s? Hell even throughout the 70s, to me John still was masculine looking to me] He was a bit awkward in his teenhood, but all the boys were, and gradually grew into his adult body. Boy was built and sturdy, naturally thick and strong. 

So we’re probably split on this, because while you see the positives in 1968-1974/70s John, I only really see the negatives. You say skinny, I say malnourished and/or sickly. Depressed druggie who was pushing everyone and everything he loved away, and becoming pathetically dependent on an individual like Yoko [and the other vultures during that time who were terrible influences] 

George was skinny, John was not well and either starving himself or simply using drugs and alcohol as the basis for his diet. And diets.. don’t even get me started on that, the diets he was on, the unhealthy lifestyle that his wife only seemed to enable and help him get on. 

When I look at George, sometimes I get the need to feed him, like an old Mexican mother. When I look at John, who’d lost an unhealthy amount of weight for what it looked like for his body type, I don’t see delicate and dainty bone structure. I see a man who just, he’s not well, something’s wrong.

I’ll give it to you that 1974 New York photoshoot looked very nice, he had muscle again in his arms, though he was still relatively skinny, he didn’t look sickly, or depressed. So I can give you that period during the 70s, I will give you that [hey he was away from Yoko during this no fucking wonder he looked pretty good here] and that shoot was definitely a model moment, wasn’t it? [Not like he didn’t have many of those moments throughout his life] 

So there moments in the seventies where I think John doesn’t look half bad? Even relatively fine? Certainly, I’m devastatingly attracted to this man, dear God almighty have mercy on my soul yes I am. So I’ll agree that yeah, there were periods during the 70s in which John seemed to hold himself fairly well, I’d still climb it.

But I’m at least willing to admit that when John started his spiraling, in 1968, that he was Not Okay. And I personally believe he wasn’t all that okay throughout most of the 70s too... Maybe my issue isn’t with him being ‘skinny’ as it is I don’t like the underweight/severely underweight look on John, I just don’t. The incredibly unhealthy way he went about losing weight... Physically frail doesn’t fit him, and it only upsets me whenever I see photos of him that show how thin his legs became or how you can see his ribs, just how wasted away he’d look at times throughout the 70s, up until the last days of his life. 

You want a “skinny” or ''skinnier'' John Lennon? A healthy, ‘’skinny/skinnier’’ John Lennon for his body type, is ‘66 and ‘67 in my eyes, and even then it wasn’t a radical change in weight loss; John still looked like John.

And speaking of 1968-1969, or the White Album era; don’t think it isn’t lost on me when I see people making light of John’s unhygienic appearance during the making of the White Album. Boy was depressed and hurting for whatever reason, again, spiraling, and getting lost in Yoko and heroin as a means of escapism and someone to tell him ‘it’s alright it isn’t your fault it’s everyone else’s fault’. Of course he didn’t care much for his personal appearance or hygiene... I will say I appreciate your appreciation for him during that period, instead of getting the whole ‘stinky/smelly rat man.’ Maybe I’m too much of a ‘’stan’’ but I don’t find it very amusing or endearing. 

Don’t find me mocking or ‘’teasing’’ Paul’s depressed ass and his appearance during the breakup period/white album era-- but I suppose it’s because Paul actually tried and wasn’t on hard drugs, and had a good wife, so he was able to wear his depression and struggle with alcoholism a bit better, hmm? I don’t like Paul’s beard simply because I know it was the result of his lack of energy, depression, and falling into the drink-- he simply didn’t feel the need nor had the energy to care for himself, so that’s why he let it grow out. I don’t like it because of that, but that’s as much as you’ll get from me. 

Anyway... Maybe I just don’t see John as characteristically feminine/effeminate as Paul, although he has his moments of acting and wearing clothes that are campy and elegant or give off a softer appearance, specifically around 1968 and throughout the 70s. But otherwise, I can’t agree, John didn’t have the same mixture, or balance of masculine and feminine traits as Paul-- and if it’s only made obvious during the downfall turning point of The Beatles and John (1968), then I don’t think that really counts as a ‘’lovely’’ mix of masculine and feminine traits for the reasons I mentioned. So I’ve got to disagree. John's always come off as much more masculine, or naturally masculine, both physically and characteristically, to me.

You know maybe it’s just the blogs I interact with, but I feel like it’s the other way around. I know I can sometimes come off as aggressive but at the end of the day I don’t necessarily care what one person thinks or believes, since it’s all relatively subjective to our own ideas of things and biases, etc... I have my thoughts and beliefs and theories and whether people agree or disagree with them on tumblr dot com... Well, what’re you gonna do? Nothing, it’s not my problem. 

What I 100% agree on you with is about showing Johnny’s body a bit more love and attention to detail when it comes to writing about him in fanfiction! 

There’s his auburn red hair, a darker ginger, which was thick and fun to watch as it lit up like fire when sunlight hit him, and could easily go wavy and curl when left unkempt and natural. The splattered and scattered galaxies of light freckles up and down his arms, his shoulders, his back, even a couple on his face. His aquiline nose, a relatively square jawline and facial structure, thick, heavy eyebrows which really intensify expressions of rage and hurt, almond shaped eyes which are the color of honey-amber when the light hits them just right and outlined with thick, long lashes, blind as a bat without his glasses but can give a mean squint which either helps scare off trouble, or brings it right to him, especially when he’s got thin bitten lips that could pull off a devilishly cheeky smirk or a no-good, charming grin to showcase teeth with the upper front turned slightly in towards each other, gives that imperfection which truly just perfects it-- a face like that of a tragic hero in a Greek Romance, distinctive and handsome. How he just oozed filthy sex and genuine trouble, sweaty leather and smoky dancehalls and rock & roll that crawls up your spine like an orgasm. Hips that could roll like Elvis and strong legs, thick thighs which would make a lovely place to sit. Broad shoulders, strong arms that could easily manage to lift you up and manhandle you in any way he’d like. Big hands, almost like shovels-- beautiful hands, with fingernails usually bitten short and occasionally had black ink or charcoal under them from when he’d be working on art, and rough, callused fingertips from playing guitar till they split and bleed, add a lovely roughness to any gentle touching he might do. A naturally thick midsection, a normal, healthy layer of fat which covers the sinewy just beneath. Any hair is light, light and lightly colored, on his arms and legs and chest. Cute tush, nice butt, a nice boy butt, slightly muscular bubble butt. 

Fun facts; he had the largest feet out of all four Beatles. John isn’t circumcised. John and George share the same height. John has a surprisingly long tongue. John’s skin tone may be light, but for comparison, he’s much tanner compared to Paul-- he’s a bit more olive or wheat to his skin tone, and tanned very, very well. John’s cheeks could become easily red though. John liked the scent of citrus to wear--  he was also self conscious about the fact he could easily sweat and so usually wore such colognes or scents, didn’t want to smell bad. He started smelling of witch hazel when with Yoko. Despite his issue with sweating, he didn’t smell bad naturally. John was a true romantic, being an artist outside of being a musician/rock and roller-- he just didn’t like to show it, and growing up in his time, you couldn’t. John’s a swimmer, he loved to swim and loved the ocean. 

[sombruhmoment]

the correct ‘hottest character’ tier list

not actually please dont yell at me

E: Unavailable for ranking

Hammond + Winston; Animals

Bastion + Orisa + Echo; Naive, ‘childlike’ robots that just are not attractive.

D: Hot only to very specific people

Widow; My issue with Widow is she’s basic. I’ve seen this dozens of times. Her hotness is artificial - everything about her to shove in your face her hotness, and unless you’re a very meek lesbian or a weird creepy dude, she just isn’t that hot. She’s a gimmick. If she was more professional and less for show, she’d be higher.

Tracer; Yorkshire terrier. She’d be a great s/o and friend, but she’s not exactly hot. She’s plain jane. Only especially hot to very Jane Austen lesbians and again, weird creepy dudes. 

Mercy; Boring. She doesn’t really have much personality in the media she shows up in beyond ‘angel’ and ‘tired’. The latter is the smallest portion of her character, but the most embraced. This is why she’s only hot in the fan portrayals of her in fic or art. She’s too plain and basic to be more than conventionally attractive.

Junkrat; He just ain’t, dude. Unless he’s your type, he isn’t hot. His personality doesn’t lend to his sex appeal, either. Very specific taste needed.

Mei; Only if you’re a butch lesbian or an even weirder dude. Very plain, but the body shape rep is nice. Her personality is probably only attractive if you’re into the same interests as her, or are familiar with your interests being shut down. This relationship will be a lot of gushing about fun science facts and god dang, you go you funky butch lesbians. Still not hot. 

C: Boring + bad idea

Brig; She has a hotness factor from the muscles. She still is not hot because she is so plain. She is white bread incarnate. Her personality of sweet, ‘girl-next-door’ is appealing for a relationship, but she just isn’t that hot aside from her buffness. 

Sigma; He’s often cited as one of the hotter guys, but is he, or do you just like the idea of cosmic horror? Is he hot, or do you want to be a monsterf*cker without actually commiting? He’s a traumatized Grandpa. He’s like an old, white man Mei. I’d go to the park with him and feed ducks. I would not canoodle.

Ashe; Like Widow, but more professional. She’s still boring, but at least the outfit makes her have some intrigue. Her story has the potential to make her more interesting, but let’s be real, she was only made as an attempt to stop the McHanzo shippers. 

D.va; She’s fine. She’s just a young adult. Nothing much to say. Blizzard really wants you to think she’s hot, though.

Hanzo; Look. This man, no matter when you approach him, is in a crisis. Before meeting Genji, he’s stuck in the past. After, he’s gone full white girl reinvention. I wouldn’t be surprised if your hookup was a rebound. If you canoodle him, there will be strings attached. He will call you afterwards and ask if you happened to find one of his nipple piercings in your sheets. You’ll get text messages asking if you want to smoke a joint. He has no skill in this. Until he goes to therapy, wide berth. He’s hot, but the consequences and implications outweigh the good time. 

B: A lil spice to ‘em

Torb; The personality is there. He’s a dilf. He’s a serious, but not without humor, haunted man who loves his family dearly. He gets made into a joke, but guys, this man would be a fan favorite if he wasn’t short. 

Ana; She’s adopted the Grannie personality, which knocks her down a bit, but Ana is hot even as an older woman. Not my cup ‘a joe, but she oozes sarcasm and confidence. Also, strikes fear into the rich and corrupt? Hot. 

Genji; He’s Hanzo, but after therapy. He’s got his ish together. He’ll treat you right. It’ll be the best relationship you’ve ever had because he’s so good at communication. But this isn’t about relationships. He’s hot because he’s vanilla. He’s a simple guy - and lets face it, a bottom. One of the plainer options, but still has some appeal to him with his maturity.

Zarya; Buff woman. Hot. Her personality isn’t for everyone, and her racism is...ugh...but c’mon. Look at her biceps. Look at them.

Moira; Will experiment on you in more ways than you expect. Androgynous, David Bowie. Not for the faint of heart. You’re definitely a lesbian or a femboy. Hot for her evilness. Not so hot for her nails. Not a good idea. Be careful.

Reinhardt; Big grandpa man. A gentle soul. Very loud. He’s hot for his confidence and voice. But, again, sooner feed ducks with him than anything else.

A: Hot

Sombra; Evil, intelligent, mischievous woman who is always one step ahead? Hot.

Doomfist; You are lying to yourself if you think he isn’t attractive. Jerk? No question. But listen to his voice. He’s classy, humorous, and very nicely muscled. Do not pursue a relationship under any circumstance, but look all you’d like. 

Zen; Like Genji, but hotter because of the inherent controversy of canoodling a monk. 

Soldier; Raspy voice, nice bone structure, haunted past, beefy but not too beefy. Kinda basic, but still appealing. 

Roadhog; Voice. Voice. Voice. This man is hot. You are a coward. Dad bod x 10. 

Lucio; Anarchist, fights corps, very kind and sweet. Lean muscle and fierce. Gentle and plays with kids. Cutie.

S: Hottest

Baptiste; Beefy, has some cake, romantic flirt, will take C A R E of you and make you breakfast. Look at him. Haunted past, muscles, nice voice, you KNOW he takes care of his nails and hygiene. Not just a good night, marry this man. Someone else will if you don’t. Hottest character in Overwatch.

McCree; Voice, dad bod, tanned, probably smells like smoke and sand. He’s a sweetie, but has some edge to him. A nice middle ground between Hot Evil and Hot Cute. Beard is definitely scratchy. 

Pharah; Buff woman with a nice voice, cute sense of humor, and sense of loyalty and responsibility? Like a female Baptiste. Go get the ring. Now. 

Reaper; Haunted past, claws, monster/inhuman, and that voice. Don’t pursue relationship. Casual meetups? Sure. Do not catch feelings, this isn’t a Wattpad story and you are not y/n, you will not change him.

Symmetra; She’s kinda confused but she has a good heart, good voice, and very nice legs. She’s dripping charisma and confidence, look at her. You are below her and that is quite an enjoyable experience. Would be a decent s/o, would have a lot to learn but she’d try her best. 

[biomedmillie]

University tips for Freshers from a final-year student

1. Don’t study the course material the summer before the course start date

I’ve known so many well intentioned students to do this (including myself!), but it is a fruitless enterprise that ends up wasting precious relaxation time. For a start, lecturers and course coordinators are constantly changing the material that ends up on the exam year upon year, and so in most instances students end up studying subjects with little or no current relevance for the course they are about to embark upon. Furthermore, course prospectus’ are infamously vague, and on more than one occasion I have studied material based upon the course plan that has no relevance whatsoever! University is stressful no matter what year you are entering, and as a first year you may be facing many other new experiences, such as living on your own, being independent and self-sustaining, that bring challenges and difficulties of their own. So don’t spend the summer stressing; use it as a reset point to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed upon that first week of university, so you can face up to those changes! If you want to be proactive but not waste your time, I suggest looking at the reading lists for each course, and lightly looking over any topics that peak your interest. From my experience, reading lists are much less likely to change year to year, and can provide interesting background information for your course- but keep the stress to a minimum!

2. Try not to party too much in Fresher’s week!

This one is so tempting to do, but there’s a few reasons why this isn’t a good idea! First off, fresher’s weeks or ‘Fresher’s festivals’ are often very overpriced and aimed at getting naive students to spend as much of that new student loan as they can before they realise how expensive food shopping and laundry is (tip; it can get very pricey!). Also, in most universities, and definitely in my case, important orientation lectures are held where attendance is mandatory on that first week of term, and it is vital you attend. In the case of science students such as myself, this includes proper usage of microscopes, lab safety protocols, grading schemes and how markings work, your tutorial assignment and can even be work due the next week! I know you might be thinking ‘I’ve heard all this in A-levels’, but universities operate to a different calibration entirely; marking is ranked on percentages rather than a curve, there are no As and Bs, and lab protocols are ALOT stricter. You are working in a higher academic environment, and as such higher academic conduct is expected of you! And this does not just apply to science students; those studying classical subjects will have specific referencing lessons (science students also have this, but only use the Harvard format), new academic writing styles, research methods etc. With all this important information, you don’t want to be hungover or worse miss the orientation and start off on the wrong foot. But if you’re worrying that not going out every night will mean you won’t make friends, don’t fret; most students, including myself, made friends with those on their course after a few months, or through living arrangements. Freshers is by no means your only chance to make friends, there are plenty of opportunities at university to do that, and after a couple of weeks you’ll find great mates!

3. Wait a bit before buying all those expensive textbooks

I’ve been guilty of this, every single year! The fact is, you don’t need every single item on the reading list, and this can even rack up to hundreds of pounds! You can find out which books you might need to buy in the first few weeks of your course, depending on library availability, how much your lecturer relies on the text for course support and content, and your personal ability in the course. Books that are in high demand at the library and the ones you can never seem to get hold off you may need to pay for, but if the book is available the majority of the time you can often rent for weeks on end, and just renew the rent when the time is up. In that case, there is no reason to buy your own copy if the library has enough to sustain demand. In the case of course content and lecturers, the reliance on the textbooks recommended varies greatly; in one course the textbook didn’t feel necessary whatsoever, in another it was a great supporting body that followed the course accurately, and other times the lecturers had used the entire information within the textbook AS their lecture content. It is only when the textbook can be utilised as supporting information that it can elevate your study, otherwise it can be irrelevant or the exact information you just heard in your lecture. Get used to each teaching style in those first few weeks, and make an informed decision whether the information required by the textbook is already fulfilled, irrelevant or would prove to be an excellent resource. Furthermore, textbooks are dense in information, but lacking in higher qualities of information that can push your grade into those top marks, so adjust your need for the textbook according to ability. If you are excelling at a certain course, the information a textbook can provide will be too basic and I would encourage you to push yourself to reading academic journals and papers to earn those top-tier marks. However, if you are really struggling with a course, stick to the basics and give a good thorough read of the textbook; it is unlikely you will understand those higher materials without at least understanding the basics, and you can still get a good grade without reading those complex sources. Both of these scenarios occurred to me in second-year; I bought textbooks for both microbiology and molecular biology, and while I found my microbiology textbook too basic and looked to higher scientific journals, the molecular biology textbook turned out to be a godsend! Everyone has different natural abilities, so I suggest to adjust your study to those needs, and your wallet will thank you in the process!

4. Find a method of note-taking that works FOR YOU

I’ve seen so many peers struggling because they just haven’t found the right form of note-taking for them, and instead follow a method that most do which I highly discourage! The method in question is where the student preemptively downloads the lecture PowerPoint, and makes notes in the space below of details the lecturer may mention. Now, this method works great if you are really on top of your note-taking and have a lot of extra time, but there’s a few reasons why I don’t recommend it. First off, by only making notes on those specific details students often miss the main body of text that acts as the core material, and as such must complete this mass of information at a later date. From my experience, students don’t have the time to do this and as such the material never becomes completed, leaving notes weeks or even months behind. Another method is handwriting. EVERYTHING. While I do agree that you remember more when you are handwriting notes (because it takes longer), this is way too time consuming and results in the same backlog of the previous methods, where your notes are always constantly behind on the lecture material. What I would recommend is a note methodology that incorporates both handwriting and typing up lecture notes, in a way that is not time-consuming. My own personal method utilises a Cornell template, whereby I copy and paste or type up the main body of text from the lecture the night before, and handwrite details of what the lecturer is saying in the columns. If you have the extra time, try reading through the lecture the night before also, and thinking of questions you have for the lecturer about any information you don’t understand. There are multiple iterations of this that I’ve seen, such as using post-its or writing on typed lecture notes, but all the most efficient in terms of time and memory utilise both typing and handwriting. That way you avoid that nasty note backlog, and can experiment with structures and templates that work with your study style. So don’t follow the crowd, and find a method that works best for you!

5. Have Fun!

University is a life-altering experience where most find their independence, and make friends for life. Whilst you should study hard and invest in your future, I wish I had told myself to go easier in my first year; you can still get a First whilst having fun, and you’re only going to have this period of your life for a few short years before you enter the world of work, so enjoy it! Study should never be your entire life, and those rest days are just as important, so try not to overdo your first year and just focus on enjoying that university experience; you’ll have plenty of time for study and stress in those second and third years! (Trust me...)

Note from the author: I hope this article helped to quell some of those fresher nerves, and gives advice I wish I had known in my first year! Comment below if you’re a second or third year with your advice for freshers, and new students feel free to comment with your hopes for the new academic year! I wish you love and luck!

[brainshock-alpha]

huge list of headcanons about waynes. sure why not

life cycle

their life "cycle" is actually a straight line. waynes do not reproduce

eggs wash up on afterlife beach -- but no one knows where or how they're created. it's sort of taken for granted that nature just Does This

the lucky eggs will hatch into larvae; many others don’t and simply dissolve away. the incubators in the waynehouse basement, a fairly recent invention, improve hatch rate

after a while, larvae bury themselves in shallow pits to pupate and emerge as humanoid imagos

very rarely, an imago will metamorphose again into a special senescent stage with a vaguely centauriform body (two humanlike arms and four digitigrade legs)

but most will eventually die for good and return to the gunk of the afterlife

the life expectancy of a typical wayne is rather short; i’m thinking around 50 or 60 years. old waynes are longer-lived, able to look after several generations of waynes

features

waynes are all autistic

(which isn't to say that only waynes are autistic. plenty of other hylic beings are too)

waynes are also incredibly chill

for the 200 or so years they've been around, waynes have always formed an insular community with little outside influence

at the same time, they're happy to help those in need, e.g. weary and injured travelers are taken into the waynehouse without a second thought

the easiest way to piss off a wayne, short of harming a larva, is to try to grab them by the back of their neck

a wayne larva will relax when picked up by the scruff of its neck; this reflex is retained as an adult. if you’re not a highly trusted friend, touching the back of their neck is considered an incredible violation of personal space

(this is why waynes keep their collars popped)

culture

most cultural aspects of waynes are traditional but none are obligatory

"wayne" is the default name for reasons lost to the mists of time

their usual bespoke pleather garb is made by semi-dedicated wayne tailors. the preference for pleather seems to be ingrained

the wayne community never learned of the concept of gender, though some individual waynes certainly have learned it from outside sources

he/him are the most common pronouns for reasons also lost to the mists of time but any are ok usually; most waynes don't care or even know the difference

those who know gender can choose their own pronouns and that's cool too

variation

skin color, horn curvature, and, like, Bodily Composition in general are all quite uniform across waynes

moderate variation in height, weight, body type, facial structure, voice pitch and timbre

larva eyes are solid black

imago eyes range through sunset colors: from indigo to gold

old wayne has ten small solid black eyes on his forehead plus one large cyclopean eye on his face. the big eye retains imago eye color

tons of variation in presentation of autism, obviously

community

"if almost all waynes are named wayne and dress similar and look similar, it must be hard for them to keep track of each other!" yes, to the point where They Just Don't

waynes take good care of each other and basically form a model commune but are also kinda distractable and laissez-faire

if one gets lost without anyone noticing, the other waynes won't know to do something about it

this can be troublesome if the lost one is a young adult, who tend to be clueless disasters when left alone

(waynes are more orderly and have better judgment as group size increases. not a hive mind thing, they just tend to find it easier to take care of others than themselves)

separation happens rarely, but a disaster at the waynehouse a couple years before h1 scattered a lot of waynes, most of whom never came back

after that, old wayne became more protective over his wards, permitting solo departure only upon completion of a training program

romance

waynes are on the aromantic spectrum

they also consider all other waynes as family and therefore are necessarily species-exogamous

few waynes ever experience romantic feelings, and few people ever get to know a wayne enough to be interested in them anyway

but it does work out sometimes. the people tending the larvae etc in the afterlife are the grown offspring of one past wayne's husband

that’s it for now! thanks for reading everyone!!

“hey wait just a fucking minute bshock you’re saying waynes have existed for only like 200 years? what’s up with these ‘reasons lost to the mists of time’? and where do the eggs come from???”

smiles serenely. You’ll See.

edit: i have by now answered these questions in the form of a 5k-word fanfic. check it out here, if you wish.

[jtsfavslut]

Show Me How II

Description: After countless 'I think she's the one' Grayson loses hope in finding his soulmate. But one girl gives him the hope to try again.

Warnings: None Word Count: 4.5k+

Part One

"Grayson, you can't put three of the same things next to each other," you said noticing how he was putting the same type of decorations next to each other. "You gotta spread em' out evenly," you added before moving over to where he was and spending out the little fake spiders.

"He's so dumb," Ethan shouted making you shake your head as Grayson cursed him out and they began to bicker.

"I didn't know I was taking care of toddlers, I would've brought toys," you sarcastically shouted as Karolina laughed, shaking her head.

"You might want to run away and save yourself while you can," Karo whispered and you shook your head laughing.

"I think I'll stick around for a bit, get some source of entertainment," you replied and focused back on decorating.

"Karo, let's go get some food while these two decorate," Ethan shouted and she nodded her head, carefully putting the decorations on the floor before walking away.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Ethan shouted as they walked away.

"So basically anything with common sense? Got it," you shouted back causing a 'fuck off' to fall past his lips and Karolina and Grayson to laugh.

"You almost done?" Grayson asked you and you shook your head.

"Just a couple of things. Do you guys have a step stool or something? I need to put some things up there?" You asked pointing to the area near the roof.

"No, but you can sit on my shoulders, I'm sure you'll reach," he said and you laughed.

"And crush your body and soul? No thanks, I don't have money for a lawyer," you replied and he glared at you shaking his head.

"Y/N, please don't say that come on," he said and crouched down. You hesitantly climbed on his back and sat on his shoulders and you wrapped your arms around his neck as he rose up.

You carefully placed the decorations as you told him where to stand.

"See, we're done!" He exclaimed with excitement and you shook your head with a smile.

"I am never offering to decorate someone's house again, we've been here for two hours. Two fucking hours," you groaned and laid down on the floor.

"Oh come on? It was fun!" He shouted and you mentally rolled your eyes since your eyes were closed.

"Yeah, says the one that put three things up," you said and he scoffed.

"Shut up before I throw you in the pool," he said and you shrugged.

"Ah yes! And murder me and finish this misery," you joked and heard him chuckle.

"You have class tomorrow?" He asked and you felt him lay down next to you.

"Yeah, it's just one tho," you sighed nodding your head.

"Which one?"

"Organic Chemistry, kinda fun you know?" You replied.

"I don't, I don't even know what that is actually," he said causing you to laugh.

"It's the study of the structure, reactions, and all that other stuff of carbon-containing compounds and shit," you replied and Grayson stared at you with confusion on his face.

"What a carbon-containing compound?" He asked.

"It's a chemical substance that contains carbon, hence the name carbon-containing compound. And a compound is a mixture of two elements. It's basic biology," you said and he nodded his head, still not understanding but not wanting to ask any more questions.

"Holy shit you're smart. Me and E didn't even stay in high school," he said causing you to laugh.

"Well, I'm not going to college for nothing. But you guys had a reason to not stay in school, plus look at this, you didn't even graduate and look at you, meanwhile, look at me, worked my ass off in school and still are busting my ass only to live in a shitty ass apartment, in a shitty ass neighborhood with a shitty add job," you sighed.

"Your apartment isn't shitty Y/N, it's cute. And you're working toward what you want. Have you even made your decision yet?" He asked and you nodded your head opening your eyes.

"Yeah. I'm gonna continue with college. I want to help save people, especially children, I want to help people get a second chance," you said smiling.

"Good, I'm proud of you. And I know you're going to be a great anes- doctor however you pronounce it," he laughed making you chuckle.

"An anesthesiologist Gray, and thank you" you softly replied with a smile.

"We're back bitches," Ethan's voice screamed out as both were shaking you up. "And we brought Monty's and McDonald’s for the meat-eating monster," he added, making you roll your eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Vegan, I appreciate it. And I appreciate you ordering meat at a store, that's really mature of you," you replied, getting up along with Grayson and following everyone inside the house.

"So, Y/N, are you staying in school?" Ethan asked and you nodded your head, holding a finger up as you swallowed whatever was in your mouth.

"Yeah, I wanna help people, and it's kinda too late to switch majors or drop out now. It's only three more months, and finals are coming up as well," you replied and he nodded his head.

"And after that, do you instantly become a doctor?" Karolina asked and you shook your head.

"Not really, since this is medical school, I need to take on a residency program for a couple of years until I'm officially certified as an anesthesiologist. You still get paid but not as much,"

"That's a lot of work," she replied.

"Yeah, but it kinda pays off at the end, it's a high salary and you can retire pretty early. And you get the satisfaction of helping people," you shrugged.

The conversation carried on switching from different topics as everyone ate their food.

"I need help," you softly said, walking back into the house.

"What wrong?" Grayson asked looking up from his phone filler by Ethan and Karo.

"My dumb car won't turn on," you pouted and Grayson got up from his seat following you outside.

"You have jumper cables?" You asked and he shook his head. "How about soda? The battery terminals might be clogged and that helps clean them," you asked and he shook his head.

"No, but how do you know that?" He asked and you smiled.

"After years of getting yelled at by holding the flashlight wrong, you learn a thing or two," you said and he nodded his head.

You spent a good fifteen minutes trying everything you could but the car wasn't bugging. It was almost 2 Am and Uber prices would be through the roof.

"You wanna spend the night here? You can sleep in my room. It's too dark to be driving around, and to our convenience, it's raining," Grayson sighed and you nodded your head.

"It's ok, I can sleep on the couch, I don't want to take your room away," you said and he shook his head.

"I can't let you sleep on the couch, that's rude," he said and you shook your head smiling.

"What's rude is me staying the night," you replied.

"You're our friend and that's not rude, condone we can split the bed or something," he said grabbing your hand and pulling you to his room.

"Do you wanna shower?" He asked and you nodded your head. "I'll get you some clothes, let me ask Karo if she has anything," he said and you nodded your head.

"Grayson, unless it's big on her it's not going to fit me," you said with a smile and he gave you a look which you couldn't read. "I'm not ashamed or anything. I know my size and she's smaller than me," you added sending him a smile and he nodded his head.

"Here's a shirt and some joggers and a pair of boxers, these are new by the way," he said, handing you everything neatly folded. "Oh some socks in case you want them, and a hoodie," he said, handing you more stuff.

"Gray, I'm fine, thank you," you laughed thanking him, and began walking to the Bathroom he showed you earlier.

You quickly went inside, took off your clothes and turned on the shower, which he had shown you the day you had your little pool party, and took a short but long shower before realizing you had no towel.

"Umm Gray," you said, opening the door and standing behind it, only showing your head.

"Yeah, everything's okay?" He asked and you shook your head.

"I need a towel," you softly replied and he nodded his head.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that, I'll bring your one," he said and left the room getting a towel and quickly walking back.

"Thank you," you said as he handed you the towel, his eyes catching a glimpse of your bare tits when you went to grab the towel forgetting you were naked.

"I'm sorry, oh my God," he quickly apologized, closing his eyes and walking away.

"No I'm sorry, I forgot I wasn't wearing anything. God this is so embarrassing," you exclaimed with your flushed face. You just flashed him something no one's ever seen before. You quilt got dressed into the hoodie and joggers he handed you and folded your clothes, placing them on the far back corner of the sink counter.

"Well, that's something new, I've never shown anyone my tits before," you joked walking out the bathroom causing Grayson to blush.

"Wait really?" He asked and you nodded your head.

"Yes, is that so hard to believe Dolan? Ima good girl," you laughed and he shook his head.

"Have you even dated anyone?" he asked and you shook your head laying down on his bed.

"No, I didn't really have time and I wasn't interested in anyone in that way. I was close but it didn't work out," you shrugged and he looked at you in confusion.

"We didn't work out because I was too busy with school. And if I want a relationship I want to make sure I'm putting my best and I couldn't give him that, so I stopped it before it got too serious.

"That's a valid reason, at least I think it is," he said and you nodded your head. "How about now? Do you think you're ready?"

"I think so. It depends on who the person is, you know? And also whether they're serious about it or not," you shrugged.

"I need you to rub that off on me," he sighed and you turned to look at him.

"No Gray. You just need to find what you're missing. Maybe settle down for a while, and when you least expect it she'll be right there for you, and if it's meant to be it'll last and work out." you said and ruffled his hair making him smile, "Just give the universe and God time. Their timing is always right," you smiled at him, making his urge to kiss you stronger.

But he fought it away, it was hard but he didn't. He didn't want to mess up the friendship that was just beginning. You wouldn't have minded tho, not one bit.

"Thanks, Y/N, you're always so wise and have advice for everything, I don't know how but you do," he said and you shrugged.

"I don't know either," you yawned, slowly closing your eyes.

"You tired?" he asked and you nodded your head.

"Let me tuck you in, yeah?" he said, making you chuckled at his sweetness.

The next morning you woke up to a pair of arms wrapped around and your legs tangled with someone else's. Butterflies erupting in your stomach along with a red tint on your cheeks.

You tried to move but he just wouldn't budge making you let out a sigh.

"Grayson….Grayson, let me go," you whispered, shouted and he shook his head.

"Mmm, Five more minutes please," he mumbled, his morning voice hyping up thoughts that you would never admit you had.

"I need to pee, and brush my teeth," you whined, not wanting to be in bed with morning breath.

"You coming back?" he asked with his eyes still closed.

"Yeah, I just need to pee," you nodded your head and he unwrapped his arms from you. Your body immediately missing being in his warm embrace.

"There's an extra toothbrush on the bottom cabinet, now hurry up, I'm getting cold," he said shooing you off and you walked inside his bathroom and did your business.

Only to find him staring at you when you came out.

"What?"

"You look cute in my clothes," he said with a sheepish smirk on his face, causing you to blush.

"Shut up, Bailey," you said and crawled back into bed.

"You smell good," he said as he pulled you into him.

"Thanks, I tried, and I also had perfume in my purse so I sprayed some last night," you yawned and had hatred at the ceiling.

"Going back to sleep?" he asked and you shook your head.

"I can't, once I wake up I can't go back, and I have class at 12," you sighed, then it hit you that you had class and no car, "Oh my God, I have class," you groaned and he chuckled.

"I'll take, what time is it?" he asked, his voice more awake than before.

"No, no it's okay, I'll take an uber or something," you shook your head and he said no.

"I'll take you, taking an Uber isn't always safe," he said getting up from the bed before you could protest.

(We'll pretend that Stanford isn't 5 hours from LA)

"Thank you, Gray," you thanked him as he pulled up in front of the building.

"It's no problem Y/N, What time do you need to be picked up?" he asked as you got out the car and looked back inside.

"At three, but it's okay," you smiled and he nodded his head.

"I'll come pick you up, I'll be right here when you come out," he sent you a smile and your heart melted.

"Why are you so nice? But I'll see you later Gray, I need to go," you said with a smile and left when he said bye and began walking to class.

"Who was that? And whose clothes are those?" your friend's voice asked from behind you making you turn around.

"Good Morning to you too, Alex. And no one, just a friend's," you shrugged and hugged her before pulling away and walking next to each other.

"Friends don't just wear each other's clothes and drive each other to class," she said and you rolled your eyes.

"Don't you have a video to make or something?" you asked before your phone started ringing, you checked the caller ID to see it was Grayson calling.

"Yeoo," you said after answering and bringing the phone up to your ear.

"Hey, you left your purse in my car, do you need it?" he asked and you let out a groan.

"No, it's okay. I don't even have my laptop in it so it's fine. I didn't even realize it," you sighed and heard him chuckle.

"Do you need it? I can go get it for you," he said and you shook your head with a smile.

"No Gray, it's okay, I'll be fine. I'll just type them on my phone,"

"Are you sure? I don't mind," he replied.

"I'm sure, it's not the first time. Now, I really gotta go, I'll see you later," you replied as your friend stared at you.

"OK, bye,"

"Bye," you whispered before hanging up and putting your phone in your pocket.

"So, Gray?" she asked and you shook your head letting out a 'here we go'

"Yes, Gray, and he's just a friend," you said shaking your head.

"Gray, Gray, Grayson? Grayson Dolan? From the party?" she asked and you nodded your head with a sigh.

"Yes, Grayson from the party," you said and she suddenly grabbed your shoulder stopping you in your tracks.

"Are you serious? Do you know who he is Y/N? He's loved by everyone," she said and you shrugged.

"And? He's just Grayson to me, just like you're just Alex to me. And like I said before we're just friends," you said and she sent you a lie telling you, you were lying.

"Where have you been these past two weekends? Whose clothes are you wearing? What does that mean? And called you to ask whether you need a computer or not?" she asked, causing you to roll your eyes.

"Yeah, we've been hanging out. And I only stayed the night because my car wasn't turning on, and he's just being nice Alex," you sighed making her drop it.

"Fine I'll drop it but one last thing, I've never seen you being so smiley and happy around a guy, you barely even talk to guys, so I'm just saying that maybe you like him.

"Of course I do! Have you seen the guy?" you exclaimed, "And he's so nice and everything, but he's way out of my league, and we just met three weeks ago," you said and she chuckled shaking her head?

"Y/N, it's clear that he likes you too, and he's not out of your league, no one has leagues Y/N. You just need to try and go for it, it's time you do," she said and you sighed.

"I know, but I don't want to get hurt, or hurt anyone else. And I've never been in a relationship, I don't know how this works," you sighed before finally entering the building and going to class.

"Your friend is here," she said and nodded her head towards the car she saw you get out of earlier.

"Thanks, I'll call you later yeah?" you said and she nodded her head before you began walking your own ways.

"Hi," you softly spoke as you got inside the car and put your seatbelt on.

"Hey, how was class?" he asked and began driving away.

"It was alright. Not that many notes, which I'm thankful for. What did you do?"

"I went back home, worked out then took a shower and a power nap, and helped edit a video, then we're gonna film later," he replied and you nodded your head.

The rest of the drive was spent talking as the radio played quietly in the background.

"Do you wanna be in the video?" he asked and you quickly shook your head playing with a pillow that was on the couch.

"Absolutely not sir, not that I don't like your videos, I rather stay behind the camera," you said and he nodded his head.

"What are you guys even doing?"

"A vlog, that's what we've been doing lately," Ethan responded and you nodded your head.

"And we're going somewhere and you're coming with us," Karolina said and you nodded your head.

"Ethan, don't touch that, it's poisonous," Grayson shouted at Ethan who was about to touch a plant.

Grayson decided it would've been a great idea to go hiking in a place they've never been to. Karolina told you Grayson thought he was a survival specialist after doing a couple of survival videos which made you laugh like crazy.

"Oww, something just bit me," you slightly shouted because it was hurting your ankle, you quickly looked down but there was nothing in sight.

"Are you ok? Where is it?" Grayson said quickly, moving to stand in front of you along with the rest.

"On my ankle, and it hurts," you softly replied and he crouched down, softly rolling up the bottom of your- well his joggers to look at your ankle.

"Well, nothing bit you, but it's a bee sting, are you allergic?" he asked and you shook your head with a sigh.

"No, I'm sorry for ruining your video," you sighed and he shook his head.

"You didn't ruin it Y/N, we need to put something cold on it, and you need to take Tylenol or something," he reassured you, and you nodded your head.

"It's okay, I can still walk….I think," you said and looked down at your ankle that was swelling up wicked fast.

But when you couldn't walk you let out a groan, causing Ethan to snicker.

"Oh my fucking God, stupid ass bee, that's why you fucking die, bitch," you said and Ethan laughed.

"I'll just carry you on my back,"

"See I did ruin your video because now we have to leave because of a fucking bee," you exclaimed and Ethan shook his head.

"You didn't ruin it, I don't even want to be here anymore, so thank you," he said, earning a glare from you and a playful smack from Karolina.

"I'm glad my suffering brings you joy Ethan," you sarcastically said.

"Okay, Y/N, you need to let us keep this part," Ethan said, replaying the part where you kept saying something bit you.

"Okay but why?"

"Because it's funny, plus your voice and laugh is throughout the entire video so why not?" he replied and Karolina brought you a bottle of water.

"Why is everyone in this house so fucking nice?" you asked, causing her to laugh.

Two days later the swelling in your ankle was better, you could walk, Grayson forced you to stay in his house, saying it was his fault for wanting to go hiking, you protested, but that's when you learned that Grayson was as stubborn as they came.

"Grayson, I'm fine, I can walk now, look," you said and walked around the room to show him.

"I know, but I just- I don't want you to go," he said causing your heart to melt and a blush to spread on your cheeks.

"Gray, I can always come over, I'm your friend, I'm not just going away," you said and walked back to sit on his bed.

"But I don't want to be just friends anymore," he said and walked towards you standing in front of you.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that I've been holding these thoughts since the second week of knowing you. You told me that I would know she's the one because I would feel it, And that once I settle she would come into my life for good and that's you," he spoke rather loudly from the emotions he was feeling, while you were frozen in your spot. "I told Ethan I was taking a break from trying to find her, and then you came along, and told me all those wise words, and I feel like it's you. You randomly became a big part of my life, and I just needed to tell you that and that  I like you, it's okay if you don't feel the same,"

"Gray, I like you too, I just didn't know how to tell you. And I thought you wouldn't have liked me back," you said with a smile and he sat down next to you, grabbing your hands in his.

"Y/N, you have been driving me insane, ever since I first saw you," he said causing you to playfully roll your eyes with a blush.

"So now what happens?" you asked.

"We just let it flow. I'm not going to force things to happen, just let the universe play out," he said and you nodded your head and laid your upper body on the bed while your legs were hanging.

"So, does that mean you're staying?" he asked, earning a chuckle from you.

"I don't know, I kinda need clothes,"

"You can wear my clothes, or I  can buy you more,"

"Buy? No sir, I can buy my own things,"

"But I want to buy you stuff," he said and you shook your head.

"I'm fine with wearing your shirts," you said and snuggled into the white shirt you were wearing, which was his, along with some biker shorts you had gotten from your apartment when he took you there to get some of your things.

"You do look cute in my clothes," he said and you could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Stop, I'm gonna blush," you laughed.

"I'm serious, you look so cute, I just wanna kiss you," he said and that must have triggered a switch in your brain because before you knew it, you were slowly climbing onto his lap, your arms wrapping around his neck while his wrapped around your waist.

"Do it," you whispered, your voice was confident but shaky from your nerves.

And after what felt like a lifetime, you felt his lips press against yours. Soft but rough, containing so much emotion, which you returned by kissing back.

You curled your finger along with the little curls on the back of his head and his fingers gripped your waist, digging deep inside your skin.

"God," he groaned once you slowly pulled away with a sly smile on your lips.

You didn't imagine for your first to be this way, but you wouldn't change a thing either.

"Can you drive me to my place? To get more clothes," you asked causing his smile to widen. You had taken your car to the shop, and it was going to be ready by tomorrow, making you depend on other people.

"So you're staying?" he asked and you nodded your head.

"Yeah, until my car's ready," you replied and he pouted.

"But that's tomorrow,"

"I know, it's also Sunday tomorrow which means it's cleaning day," you said climbing off his lap.

"Your place is clean tho," he said and you scoffed.

"And? That doesn't mean you can't clean, there's a thing called dust Grayson," you replied and he shook his head.

"I know what dust is Y/N, do you clean like every day," he said and you scratched the back of your head.  "You do?"

"I do, damm. Do you know how bad I wanted to clean this house in the last couple of days? It's not dirty it's just disorganized, for example, go look at your closet," you said and he walked towards his closet which you organized while he was working out.

"When did you do this?"

"When you went for your workout," you shrugged, you had color-coordinated everything from white to black, and made sure everything was straight and the longer pieces faded into the short ones and so on. (me af)

"You know it's getting messed up later right?" he asked, walking towards you and wrapping his arms around you.

"And that's why I'm staying another night," you smiled and leaned up, pressing your lips against his.

Tags:  @guiltydols@angelgrayson@fangdolan@ydolanssss@aquadolan@atlas-of-a-human-soul@blindedbythelightt@rhyrhy462@333dolans@dolanissues@graysonsdollface@persistence-ofmemories@evergreendolan@episkygrant@graysonsbailey@simplyxdolxstyles@dolansficsandpics@kinkygrays@babeygray@tadadolan@pineappledols@erodasugar

[duhragonball]

So, Terminator 3.   T2 was such a huge hit that everyone just assumed a third movie was a given, but it took twelve years for it to finally happen.    The Wikipedia article has a section about the delay, but it’s really long and complicated, and I’m not that interested anymore.   The main takeaway is that James Cameron, who directed the first two movies, wasn’t involved in the making of T3.   Apparently, he really wanted to do it in 1995, but by the time the rights and everything got squared away, he got busy doing Titanic and Avatar or whatever else, and he decided that he’d already told the story he wanted to tell in the first two movies.   But he did tell Arnold Schwarzenegger to go for it if he got an offer.  

I guess the reason I’m explaining all of this was because I always thought Cameron did make T3, and the reason Linda Hamilton wasn’t in it was because of hard feelings over their divorce in 1999.  Which sounds kind of dumb now that I type it out.    A fan would think that, because they see actors appearing or not appearing in movies as the ultimate sanction, but for them it’s strictly business.   Arnold was in T3 because they paid him $30 million, not because he desperately wanted to play the character again.   According to the Wikipedia article, Hamilton wasn’t in the movie because there just wasn’t much they could do with Sarah Connor in the story.    Her role was to prepare John Connor for his own role.   This movie features him as an adult, so there’s nothing more for her to do.    Hamilton recognized this, and declined to participate.

I think T3 had a lot going against it, because it had so much to live up to, and fans of T2 had been waiting so long.   I think everyone wanted the T3 movie James Cameron might have made in 1995, but what they got in 2003 was this movie, which didn’t quite live up to the hype.   I’m not sure anything else could have lived up to the hype, though.    T2 had some mighty big shoes to fill.  

The big problem is that it’s basically the same plot structure as T2.  Two more Terminators come from the future and they fight over the life of John Connor.   After escaping the bad Terminator, John tries to stop Skynet from taking over and nuking humanity, and they end up having a final showdown with the bad Terminator along the way.  It really is the same movie in a lot of ways, so it just begs to be compared to T2, which only magnifies its flaws.  

The main difference is that John thought he already stopped Skynet years ago, so he’s horrified to learn that he only postponed the inevitable.    He goes to a lot of trouble to try again, but the audience probably already anticipates that this won’t work.  T2 was ambiguous about this, but T3 actually shows the nuclear missiles launching and destroying their targets.   So it’s kind of a downer to watch.   We even learn that Future John will die in 2032, because the good Terminator in this movie was the one who kills him, before he got reprogrammed to protect Present John.

The other difference is the addition of Kate Brewster, who’s fated to become John’s second-in-command and wife.   The bad Terminator was actually sent to kill her and other would-be Resistance leaders, until it discovers John and changes priorities.    Future Kate is also the one who sends the good Terminator back in time.   I never fully understood Kate’s purpose in the movie, since she’s basically a spare John, but I think they needed a viewpoint character.    In T1, Sarah was the viewpoint character, then it was John in T2.   But in T3, Sarah’s dead and John already knows all about this stuff, so there needed to be a new character with a special destiny.   The trouble is that I don’t think Kate gets a chance to digest this very well, probably because we’ve already covered this twice before already.  

I think this is the movie where the time travel stuff really went off the rails.  T1 was very consistent about establishing a predestination paradox.   T2 hinted that the future could be changed, but never made it clear whether it actually changed or not.   The value was in the attempt, not the result.   But the T-850 tells John that “Judgement Day is inevitable”, and that he only postponed it from its original date in 1997.  So they managed to change the future, just not enough.   Fair, but how does the T-850 know this?   Shouldn’t he be from the same altered future, where Judgement Day happened in 2003?  

Also, this movie introduces more Terminator varieties.   In the first movie, the T-800 is stated to be new in the future.   Then in the second movie, the T-800 admits that the T-1000 is much more sophisticated, because it’s an “advanced prototype.”   In this movie, the T-850 claims to be obsolete, and says the T-X is much more advanced.   So it sounds like Skynet was busily inventing better Terminators for these missions, except it shouldn’t have had time for that.   It lost the war and had to use the time machine as a last-ditch effort.  It’s weird enough that it used the time machine three times, but it shouldn’t have had years to do this.   The Human Resistance captured the time machine shortly after winning the war, right?   I really hope T4 explains some of this.

Roger Ebert called this movie “Essentially one long chase and fight, punctuated by comic, campy or simplistic dialogue."   The first 24 minutes are fairly dull, but once it gets rolling, it’s pretty fun to watch.    But he’s right.   When I watched all the DBZ movies in 2019, I realized that Movie 7 is just one big fight scene, with some slice of life stuff at the beginning to set things up.    T3′s basically the same, with very little else to occupy its time.   T1 had the relationship between Sarah and Kyle, and T2 had Sarah’s hangups and John’s bonding with “Uncle Bob”.   T3 really only has Kate and John hanging on for dear life as their protector drags them through the story.    It’s a fun chase, with lots of guns and explosions and breaking stuff, but there’s not much more to it.  

So what’s good about this movie?  What makes it really stand out?   Well, for openers, the T-X is pretty cool.  The T-1000 was going to be difficult to top, and I don’t think the T-X ever succeeded, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.   She has liquid metal on top of an endoskeleton, so she can disguise herself, but she can’t seep under doors and stuff like that.   Also, she has weapons built into her body, so she’s the only time traveler who could actually bring future weapons with her into the past.   Also, she can control machines, like when she hijacks a bunch of police cars and fire trucks to help her chase down John.   She’s ridiculously overpowered, and she does not give a fuck who knows it.  The previous Terminators at least attempted to keep a low profile, revealing themselves only when ready to attack, but the T-X just wreaks havoc all over the place.    She’s not worried about the authorities or a lack of firepower, or anything at all, so she’s free to execute her mission with reckless abandon. 

Second, I take some solace in John Connors personal crisis in this movie.  He was kind of chill about the whole thing in T2, because he got his mom back and he had a cool robot pal, and they seemed to have the whole Skynet problem figured out.     In this movie, Sarah’s dead, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself.  He can’t quite believe that Judgement Day won’t come, so he lives off the grid and tries to avoid everyone.   He doesn’t want the Future War to happen, but at the same time, his life has no purpose without it.   Later, he becomes despondent and says that he must not be the chosen one after all, because he’s no leader and he never was.  

Except, he is, and he has to be, and he becomes one at the end of the movie, when he finally accepts his fate.   There’s something very powerful about the shot of Kate holding his hand as he prepares to give orders to the other survivors on the radio.  They’re stuck in this dark future now, and they have to see it through together.  

I think, whenever I watched these movies before, that I never really “got” John Connor as a character.  In T2 he was a kid, so I just wrote him off.   He wasn’t John Connor yet, so it didn’t matter much.    In T3, he seemed extremely pathetic, and I took his lack of confidence at face value.   I thought he really wasn’t ready to lead, and he only ended up in that role by default.    But this time around, I see how in T2 he was the moral center of the good guy team.   Sarah was lashing out at everyone and the Terminator only cared about mission objectives, but John kept reminding everyone of the value of human life, and what they were all fighting for.   Even as a kid, he got “it” in a way that others didn’t.   In T3, he’s demoralized, but he still knows how to do this stuff, and how to lead.  He just doesn’t feel motivated until the final act of the movie.  

That didn’t stick with me when I first saw this movie in ‘03, but I’m older now, and less sure of myself than I used to be, and all the validation I get feels hollow and unconvincing.  Like John, I may be aware that I have the capacity to do things, but it doesn’t always feel like it’s enough.  That’s what T3 has that T2 doesn’t.   It’s that crisis of confidence that separates the two films, although it’s subtle enough that it’s easy to overlook.