#the students got t-shirts printed and everything

[samgirl98]

Mending a Family 26/?

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The first back-to-school meeting happened a month after school started. Jason decided to attend. He wanted to be on top of Danny’s education and ensure everything went smoothly. Parents were encouraged to bring in snacks for the kids.

Jason made chocolate chip cookies. He even made gluten and nut-free ones in case any of the kiddos were allergic.

He entered the school with the cookies and sat them on a table, making sure the labels were correct. Danny ran off to find his friends. Jason smiled. He was glad his son had people to talk to.

Jason turned around and came face-to-face with a blond woman. She was in her mid-thirties and wore a prim suit. She wore a pearl necklace. Three more women dressed similarly were behind her. She looked Jason up and down. He had worn his best pair of jeans, a clean T-shirt, and a leather jacket.

“Hello, my name is Avril Dubois. I’m the president of the PTA. I’ve never seen you here before, are you lost?”

Jason gritted his teeth at her question while she and her cronies laughed.

“No, my name is Jason Nightingale. I’m Danny Nightingale’s father. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said while putting out his hand. Avril ignored the hand and gave a look of distaste at it. So what if he still had grease under his nails? Her ignoring the handshake was rude.

“Right, I’ve heard about Danny from my little girl. Where’s his mother,” she asked while looking around. Wow, nosy much?

“She died while giving birth to him. It’s just me, Danny, my sister, and my niece.”

“That poor boy doesn’t know the touch of a mother’s love. It must be hard for you, especially since you’re so…young,” she sneered at the word young.

Judgmental to boot, she was the whole package.

“Don’t worry, I give my son enough love for two people.”

“Still, being a single must be tough. Well, I’ll talk to you later. Or maybe not. Ta-ta.”

Jason was glad to see the women leave.

He looked for Danny and saw him talking to a group of kids. Jason smiled once more, feeling how happy Danny was, which made Jason feel so much better about his decision to send him to school.

“Say goodbye for now, Danny. The assembly is about to start, then we can go to your classroom, and you can show me around.”

“Okay, daddy. Bye guys, see you later.”

Jason sat through the meeting assembly. It was a bit boring, but he was glad to see how the school operated. Danny was busy playing with a 6x6 Rubik’s cube. After the assembly, Jason went to Danny’s classroom, where he officially met the teacher.

Mrs. Duma was a friendly, middle-aged teacher who had been teaching for seventeen years. She spoke about how well-behaved and smart Danny was. His best subject was math, and Mrs. Duma had to print 12th-grade-level worksheets to keep him entertained. Well, that made sense.

 Jason couldn’t help but preen at the compliments Danny got.

Then Avril Dubois came up.

“Mrs. Duma, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Mrs. Dubois, what a pleasure to have you as a parent to one of my students again,” Mrs. Duma said through clenched teeth. Aw, it wasn’t just Jason who didn’t like the woman.”

“Excuse me,” Jason left the two women and looked for his little boy. He was showing a little blonde girl with glasses his Rubik's cube.

“Daddy, this is my friend, Sarah.”

“Hello, Sarah, I’m Danny’s dad, Jason.”

“Hi,” the little girl said shyly.

“Wanna see our drawings, daddy?”

Danny showed Jason his paintings. They were good. Then he showed them the models he had built. He knew his little boy was talented with his hands, but some of the things he had built looked very advanced. Hmm, maybe Jason should invest in buying Danny more things to build.

Seeing the models, he knew Danny would love working on the car with him.

“Mommy, look what I drew,” Jason looked up to see Sarah talking to Avril. The little girl was being ignored by her mom as she talked to a group of moms. Now that Jason paid attention, the little girl looked like a miniature version of Avril. The poor girl was shooed away from her mom without getting any acknowledgment.

His heart went out to her.

Danny went to Sarah, “Is everything okay,” he asked.

“Yeah,” the little girl answered, “mommy is just busy.”

“Can I see,” Jason asked. The little girl brightened at having an adult’s attention. It was a good painting.

“Wow, kiddo, that looks great!”

The little girl smiled, showing her missing teeth.

“Sarah, what have I told you about speaking to strangers?”

Avril took her little girl’s hand, ignoring the squeak of surprise she gave.

“Listen, I don’t know what your game is or how you were able to put your child in this school, but I would appreciate it if you don’t speak to my child.”

“Lady, Danny is Sarah’s friend. He was introducing me to her. Maybe if you paid more attention to your child, she wouldn’t be talking to strangers.”

The woman honest to God clutched her pearls, “How dare you? Come, Sarah.”

“Bye, Danny,” the little girl said while being dragged along.

“Is everything okay, daddy?”

“Yeah, ignore her. She’s a b—not a nice person.”

Thankfully, the rest of the parents weren’t like Avril and her little clique. They all seemed to welcome Jason.

At the end of the meeting, Jason went to sign up for the PTA.

“Are you sure you want to do this,” the woman scoffed, “We meet every two weeks. I’m sure you’re busy doing other things. We also engage with the school and teachers. Fundraisers, school activities, things like that.”

Jason smiled at the woman as he signed his name, “When’s the first meeting?”

Jason had a new nemesis. Her name? Avril Dubois.

Someone suggested that Jason has a PTA-style rivalry, but I cannot for the life of me find the comment to give the credit. So, to whoever suggested this, thank you! Anyway, now that we have Avril, does anyone want to see anything between the rivalry between the two?

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[arse-crack-thistle]

rwrb characters and their eras tour outfits

so i saw this tiktok asking what we think alex and henry are wearing to the eras tour, so here’s what i think the super six would do if they were all going together (in new york, i assume)…

(in my head they all choose an era and base an outfit on that…probably nora and pez’s idea)

alex - he fights for reputation and wins. i’m thinking black, sparkle, and chains. leather jacket with a black rhinestone snake on the back and a black mesh crop top underneath. black distressed jeans cuffed over combat boots. chains around his neck and hanging from his jacket and pants. thin black sunglasses that he later uses to hold back his curls when the house lights go down. oh and he definitely has the sharpest black eyeliner on his lids.

henry - he has a choice: either live in his reputation era with alex or be his complementary opposite. so he chooses lover. i’m thinking ‘80s high school student with lover energy. light-washed jeans with white chuck taylors. tucked in, a loose-fitted pastel button-up with cuffed sleeves. maybe it has splotches of color or faded butterflies on it…idk some kind of print. on top, a hand painted jean jacket with “london boy” in loopy pink typography on the back. a glitter lover heart around his eye (bc nora insists).

nora - speaking of, i’ll keep this simple for her. a fully identical ring leader costume to what taylor had on the red tour. she may be an irl chaos demon but i think she’s anointed herself the unofficial leader of “super six does eras tour 2k23” so this fit is appropriate for her. i mean she almost made them all wear matching t-shirts like they’re a depressed cishet family at disney world but june talked her down.

june - the queen of fashion herself. this is the trickiest for me bc june wants to do folklore and just wear shortalls and the silver star cardigan to be comfy, but she’ll be damned before she doesn’t match the energy of the others. june goes with evermore and all in on “cowboy like me” to piss alex off since he almost went with rodeo wear. cropped cream fringe jacket with an elegant ivy embroidery on the back and trim. underneath, a bustier and shorts of the same fabric with the same embroidery. of course she’s wearing a cowboy hat, cream with the ivy details. and caramel cowboy boots (rounded toe bc she’s a utility girl). everything but the boots are custom made in austin.

pez - “this night is sparkling! don’t you let it go!” yeah so as soon as he saw taylor in all of her enchanted ballgowns, he knew he had to be her nigerian billionaire glitter prince. and that’s exactly what he does. he commissions a nigerian designer to make a suit and headpiece using akwete fabric in the colors of the speak now era’s visuals. all accented in rhinestones of course. he’s also all about the accessories with a watch, bracelets, necklaces, shoes, and glasses from various luxury brands. he does the absolute most, and everyone loves him for it.

bea - angel is in her midnights era, and i am here for it! bc of bullshit princess rules she couldn’t wear a bodysuit like she wanted. but no matter, she’s still going to shimmer. having not seen anyone do it yet, she literally learns to sew and diy’s a mini dress version of taylor’s yellow dress at the end of the bejeweled music video. it was totally, incredibly frustrating but she nails it! complete with lace, bows, and a little more sparkle, the dress hits so hard. she pairs it with sparkly louboutin boots and replicas of the hair clips and choker she bought off etsy. june helps her do taylor’s hairstyle from the video, while she does the makeup, beauty mark included.

so yeah that’s what i got. what do you think?? bc this is such a fun prompt and i could see each character doing like fifty different things lol <3

[asherloki]

Different yet special

Stephen strange x reader

Warnings :- smut! Age gap!

Merging these two requests together!

Requests:- Stephen is all for the classical music, even some pop songs, so meeting a young reader who is all about rock music is about to turn his whole life around! (And maybe drive him crazy during training sessions lol) - anon !

And

Hi! Saw you're asking requests! How about smut with Doctor Strange? 8 and 43 pretty please- anon

A/n :- the smut request was from inexperienced prompt list and I'm not doing that at the moment, rather this trope list is what I'm looking forward to write for. Hope you like it !

Y/n first met Stephen as his student. She always had a thing for older men perhaps, that's why she found him attractive. Yet she discovered his tastes are too different from her own. Especially music. Y/n is a big music freak and her favourite genre was perhaps mostly the rock genre when Stephen prefered classical. He would just be annoyed while she'd play those loud songs on speakers. Her drums would just make his ears almost go deaf. He used to be really annoyed until he started to find himself getting a little attracted to her. Her chirpy quirky nature, and her energy, everything. But he still couldn't stand those loud music. Perhaps the difference made him drawn towards her and so was in her case.

The realisation took time but Stephen acted on it quickly. He asked her out on few dates and they got to know they're exactly opposite to eachother. And that was perhaps, amazing! They likes one another way too much that y/n knew she was falling for Stephen, and Stephen was too, atleast his eyes said so. One night they stayed up till late, roaming around the garden and talking. It felt like they don't wanna go to their own rooms, and Stephen had a good idea popping up in his head. He invited y/n to join him in his room, but sex wasn't on his mind, perhaps a sweet chirpy night was. She agreed to join him.

Y/n entered Stephen's room. She walked inside with wide eyes, how different it is from her own, no vibrant LEDs, no comic book characters printed on bedsheets, no posters on the walls. Nothing like her own room.

"You think you'll be comfortable here?" Asked Stephen from behind.

"Oh" replied she, a little startled, "yes, your room is a little old fashioned in it?"

"Better than the rooms your generation has" he teased, "obviously you have those rockstar's posters in your walls don't you?" He asked being a little annoyed.

"Yes I do, oh Stephen, give them a listen, they're good". She urged.

"Mmm no thanks, my classical musics are fine, rather you should try it." He replied thoughtfully.

"Nah, they're boring." They always argue playfully over music.

Stephen thought it was time to make the first move, he took a few steps forward and cupped her face,

"Stephen?" Y/n was stunned, at this sudden approach but she liked it and let him place his lips on hers. y/n kissed him back softly. After the sweet nice tender kiss, Stephen couldn't help but say, "I thought you'd be more aggressive like those aggressive songs of yours."

"Oh well, no I... It's um.." y/n couldn't tell him the reason though, and the reason is she's a virgin and has barely kissed two or three men before.

"Oh I see" Stephen said observing her.

"You see what?" She replied.

"Not much experience?" He said.

Y/n looked down and shook her head. Stephen held her chin between his two fingers and raised her face to him.

"Am I allowed to be your first?" He asked smiling.

Y/n knew what was coming and it didn't seem bad at all. It seemed hot for some reason, her cheeks turned red as she nodded. With her consent Stephen kissed her again, this time more passionately. And scooped her in his arms. And put her on his bed, climbing on top of her. His lips again touched hers and then he started to mark her neck. Little gasps escaped her lips. And his hands wasted no time to unbutton her shirt and throw it somewhere in the room. He unclasped her bra revealing her breasts, at this moment he lifted up his face staring at her tits and that sight made her let out a small whimper. He wasted no time placing his lips around her nipples, sucking and licking softly. Pleasure made her arch her back, not knowing more to come. After paying attention to both her tits he got up and unbuttoned her jeans, throwing it down to join her shirt and bra.

"Mm fucking wet, I can see through your tiny thong." He whispered making his voice sound even more sexy. He literally ripped that fabric away and got down between her legs. Kissing her thighs and sniffing her arousal.

That was enough for her to moan and she did. As soon as his tongue touched her clit. She grasped the pillow and her other hand pinched her own nipples. Stephen ate her out like a starving man. He took her hand and gestured her to tug at him. She did tug his hair and grind herself on face.

"Ah Stephen.." she moaned his name out loudly. And that encouraged him even more. The older, hotter , sexier man eating her out, ah! Paradise.

"Yes baby girl" he finally said against her pussy and that vibration sent shivers down her spine.

"Look at this little pussy, begging to be fucked." He whispered as he got up undressing himself, now y/n could see him bare, and how sexy looked unbuttoning his belt and taking off his trousers. And then finally she saw his member all ready to make her feel good.

"Ready baby girl ?" Stephen asked.

Y/n nodded and then played her trick while she whispered, "yes daddy."

How exciting was that to Stephen. He climbed on the bed and positioned himself, and uttered, "You want it from daddy?"

"Yes daddy, make me yours."

And then he slide himself in her tight pussy. She almost screamed in pain, "it might hurt a little baby, but don't worry, daddy will take care of you." And he started to rock his hips. and it took a little time but ultimately the pain turned into pleasure. "I've been wondering how it feels like." She said to Stephen.

"Is it anything you've imagined?"

"Everything and more Steph... I mean daddy."

And that smirk on Stephen's face was priceless.

"May I go a little faster?"

"You may".

And he fastened his pace. The thrusts became stronger and then after sometime the thrusts made the bed shake rapidly. The room filled with alot of unholy sounds, moans, whimpers.

"Are you sure this is your first time baby girl?" Stephen asked.

"Yes why?"

"You are taking me very well."

"Yes daddy, you're making me feel so good."

"Aww baby, look at you, you're talking like a slut".

"Oh fuck... daddy right there daddy".

And he fucked her until he felt she was close and with a loud moan she had her release, Stephen pulled out and released on her stomach, painting it white. He rolled over and layed down beside y/n.

They both panted and finally Stephen said, "you good?"

"Yes I am Stephen." Said y/n.

"The old fashioned bedroom isn't that bad no?" He teased her, making her giggle.

"No, it's good, but you still should listen to my type of songs Stephen."

"Ah fine, I will." Then he kissed her cheek and went to get a towel so she cleans herself.

"Actually, Stephen?" Asked y/n as he pulled the sheet over both of them.

"Yes?"

"Your songs might be not that bad either." Now at this point they knew no matter how different they are from eachother, nothing can create a barrier between them, as they have started to embrace the opposites.

[fellshish]

ok so your on stage rip story reminded me of a NOT first kiss story but a first (and only) jeans rip story

i was project lead on a huge event to welcome new students to uni and we were out shopping for groceries for the department wide barbeque. we're talking excel spreadsheet shopping list printed out, the whole thing. we pick up veggies & fruit at a pakistani grocer's bc they're cheaper and have a huge selection, located in a main square right by a busy busy tube stop.

the manager immediately notices us picking up stuff by the tray with a shopping list in a binder and gets a clerk to get stuff for us from the back (bless them it was so conveniant for all involved parties. they didn't have to restock the front & we got to move fewer individual items). everything goes smoothly and we're ready to get things to the car & leave in record time.

we've loaded nearly everything into the car, just a few melons & some herbs left, and i'm working on getting the watermelons to the car. now these are serious watermelons. they are about the size of a three-year-old and weigh about as much as a six-year-old, so naturally i squat down to lift with my legs. i'm on melon number 3 when i squat down, but on the way up i hear a ripping sound. and feel a sudden. breeze.

i can't let go of the melon, because it would shatter and it would be a mess, so instead i balance it on one hip and use one hand to pull my t-shirt out from where it's tucked into my skinny jeans and pull it down as far as it will go. i secure the melon and i do not look at anything or anyone while i walk the 30 metres to the car.

once there i ask one of my co-organisers who thank god decided to wear a zip hoodie even if it was 27*C outside that day if she could maybe just. stand behind me. with her hoodie. as i put down the melon. she is understandably confused by the request, but complies, and quickly ceases to be confused. i put the melon down, tie the hoodie around my waist and go to get the last two melons.

once back at the department i discover that the melon hauling rsulted in a rip that makes my jeans stretch to a fetching 10cm x 10cm diamond window and that i have put on panties with a lace panel in the back on this day. luckily i packed shorts that day because of the heat.

BLESS YOU this story is amazing and made me feel a bit better about my ripping moment lol

[justatypicalwizard]

Wants Within | S. Shinazugawa | Chapter 13

✦ Sanemi Shinazugawa x femReader!, college au, reader is adult

✦ Synopsis: You're a college student taking classes with a very strict lecturer- professor Shinazugawa. Because of an unfortunate even you got on his bad side so now you're trying everything to regain in his eyes. Well, you most certainely didn't expect that kind of attention.

✦ Word count: 1k

18+, minors do not interact

The academic year came back and you found yourself back in Shinazugawa's classes. It was the first time you would meet him after the night. A few days passed and your head was a mess. On one hand you were scared, but on the other, you were so excited. There was a foggy thought in your head about doing it once more.

Beside the obvious thought clouding your mind there was another one. Due to the new semester, you would have a different group for these classes. You were interested in who would sit next to you.

A lot of people passed by, some alone, some in groups. You glanced from time to time at everyone. Noone sat next to you yet and Shinazugawa was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, you heard the chair next to you begin to move. Looking up you saw a guy who also darted his eyes your way.

''Is this seat taken?'' He asked.

''No.'' You shook your head, still looking at him.

Damn! A cutie next to you. The guy smiled and sat down. The boy had rather short, black hair with some red clearances. You wondered whether it was natural or did he dye it that way. He wore a black t-shirt with a chinese dragon print and some black pants. He also had a scar covering a big part of his forehed. The most unusual part of his appearance were the hanafuda earrings that he had. They were big and stood out. Still, they looked awesome, giving the confidence that the guy emitted.

''Hey, my name's Tanjiro Kamado.'' He greeted you, unpacking his things.

''Hi, I'm Y/N L/N.'' You gave him a brief answer.

''You won't mind if my friends come and sit here in a while?'' He gave you a pleading look.

''Why would I? I don't own the chairs.'' You laughed a bit, uneasy with how he was asking about everything.

''Thanks! You're so nice.'' He grinned at you.

Wow, you just literally gave him the seat, that was not yours... well, whatever, maybe he was just nice. You quietly hoped that Shinazugawa wouldn't eat him alive, he seemed like such a cutie.

''Hey! Gonpachiro!'' You heard someone shouting.

A bunch of people flooded the row you were sitting in. One of them, a girl with black hair, pushed a guy aside and squeezed herself in front of him. They all started to take the places and the poor, shouting one was left without a chair.

''Fuck you all.'' He huffed.

''Inosuke, there's a chair here.'' The Tanjiro guy showed him the place on your second side.

''Don't tell me what to do, you're not my dad.'' The shouting one made a weird, fighting stance and started to walk your way.

Before you could process what was going on, he was already by your side. Turning your head around, you looked at Tanjiro.

''You said my friends could come.'' You sweatdropped.

''Yes, indeed.'' Sighing, you let it go, someone would sit there one way or another. You just felt a little bit stupid sitting between them like that.

''I can change seats if you want, so you guys can sit together.'' You started and everyone looked your way.

The group was rather big. Beside the Tanjiro guy with hanafuda earrings there were four of them. Inosuke next to you had longer hair that was blueish at the ends. He had a simple hoodie and jeans. His backpack looked empty, he also didn't put anything on the desk so you guessed he was not the type to take notes. Then there was the girl that sat just next to Tanjiro. She had long, black hair tied up in a ponytail. Her bands covered her pale forehead. She was dressed very girlish, in a white and pink, flowery dress, white tights and small, classy boots. There were dozens of hairpins attached to her ponytail. She stared at you intensely. Only now did you spot that one of her eyes seemed blacked out. Behind her was yet another girl with black hair, this time she had it shorter than the first one. She was dressed more basic compared to her friend. She had a dark blue, cotton sweater tucked in a pair of jeans that fit her butt very well. She gave you a lazy look, not really caring about the whole situation. Finally, at the end was a blonde guy. He was staring at you very intensively. His hair was sunny and messy. He had a shirt and chequered trousers. He paused his writing just to gaze at you.

Then, it hit you.

It was the same blonde guy that you met in front of Shinazugawa's apartment. The same guy that saw you together on the New Year.

Panic flashed through your body. You had to talk to him later!

''Inosuke, do you want to switch seats?'' Tanjiro asked, pulling you out of your dark thoughts.

''No. And don't ask me! You're not my mom!'' He became angry instantly.

''Okay.'' Tanjiro smiled at him like he didn't see his fury. ''If you'd need anything tell me.''

You looked at the Inosuke guy, not sure whether Tanjiro really wasn't his mom.

''What are you looking at? Go stare at Gonpachiro!'' Inosuke moved his face close to yours, huffing at you.

''That's not a playground!'' You heard an angry voice. It was Shianzugawa who just entered the class and gave you and Inosuke a glare.

''Sorry.'' You felt double stupid now.

''Pff, scared of the Professor?'' The Inosuke guy snickered.

''You better be too, at least this one.''

As the lecture started you saw that the blonde guy was still glancing at you from time to time. Moreover, he was kinda tracing between you and Shinazugawa. On lord, did he remember? Please, let him be too drunk that night!

With the mess in your head you knew you had to talk to Shinazugawa first, before going after the blonde guy. But what if he tells his friends and they tell everyone? Okay, first you had to talk to the blonde and then with Shinazugawa, or maybe with both of them at the same time. You didn't know!

Figuring out, you wrote a short message to Shinazugawa, hoping he would read it before the end of the lecture. Luckily, he was sitting beside his desk, not talking right now because you guys had to figure out an equation.

SOS, the drunk guy we met is sitting next to me.

You hoped he would figure out this message. You didn't want to write too much via normal texts. You always have to be careful.

Looking at your professor you prayed he would pick up his phone, and he did. He read something but didn't look at you. Then, you got a text.

Figure it out. Then come for my office hours.

Figure it out? What the heck, Sanemi.

SERIES MASTERLIST

Taglist:

@secretxchive @vesperazhier

[itsbubbleteataro]

Paw Prints and Eraser Shavings

Previous

(b/n) - Band name (y/n) - your name

The next day - U.A

This is one of the days Shota had students in his classroom. He sat at his desk, waiting for the minutes to click by so he could start class. He could have sworn his ear perked up when he overheard one of the students talking about the band you were a part of.

"Did you hear? They say the reason Jacob quit was because he wanted to move to Japan!"

"No way! Why do you think that is? Oh oh! Maybe he has a secret double life!"

"Highly unlikely. Who knows why he quit. Man it's a shame we won't get to hear any more of his music"

"Yeah what a shame he was so-"

Shota inwardly sighed, glad the bell cut the gossip off. He stood up and began his class.

A week before the festival

You used the time after students left for the day as your practice time. You knew your brother would be less than thrilled at the idea of you breaking all of your illusions but you were tired of living in lies.

You sent out messages to your old band mates, asking them for help and when's the soonest they could come to Japan. You set your phone down, books in hands. You had some pratice to do if you wanted this to go off without a bitch, and you had to figure out how to sneak three people into the school festival with the tightest security you've ever seen.

You knew you would have to use your quirk on them, at least attempting to disguise them as students. Problem was, you didn't know if you could. So here you sat at your desk, trying to make a stack of books look like apples while keeping your own illusion up. At least it was after hours and if your own happened to fall, no one was likely to walk in with a book in need of return.

You were close, watching the edges of the books waver, a sure sign that it would work, when your phone dinged, shattering your concentration on the books. You looked at it and replied to your band mates, letting you know they could make it out and had booked flights and hotels for tomorrow.

You smiled and turned your attention back to the stack of books. Everything seemed like it was falling into place.

You packed up and left as the first rays of night shown in through the windows, scurrying home.

----

Much later in the evening Shota arrived in his apartment after patrol. He headed straight for the shower, cleaning all the sweat and grime off him from the day, changing into a t shirt and grey sweats after he dried off. He walked over to his couch, running a hand through his damp hair. He pulled out his phone to text Hizashi asking if you were still in America, not wanting to go to you out of fear that he would wake up up somehow, or bother you at all.

His eyes widened at the notion that you had returned home. He quickly opened his laptop to cancel his flight and his hotel, before feeling rage. His best friend hadn't told him that you were even thinking about moving back. He pinched his nose, stressing over it and deciding it best to just ignore it. If you came back to Japan you would have told him right? Surely you were just traveling, enjoying your time.

The next night

You met with your old band mates in a hotel room, not bothering to keep any illusions up. They knew and they had kept your secret. You informed them all of your plan and then spent the rest of the night getting a feel for casting an illusion on other living breathing people.

After a few hours you left them to sleep and adjust to the time. You got ok your phone, calling a certain fluffy principal just to make sure he was okay with the idea too for good measure. You walked out of the hotel not knowing a certain onix eyed man was watching while on patrol.

Surely his mind was playing tricks on him again. He closed his eyes and shook his head, looking back at where you would have been. He sighed. Of course you weren't there. You weren't in Japan. It was just fate playing another cruel trick on him again.

He ended up going home directly after patrol.

------

The School Festival

Shota held Eri in his arms, up so she could watch the performances on the stage he was close too. Jiro and her group had just finished up, high-fiving eachother and settling near the front of the stage.

He watched as a few students he didn't quite recognize shuffle on stage, setting up for their own song. He looked at Hizashi who stood next to him, looking just as puzzled as he felt. He hummed, turning his attention to the stage as they did a quick sound check.

Deku walked up and took Eri, giving Shota time to roll his shoulder back. You stood right behind the two, watching them through your illusion. You've said nothing, more focused on keeping everyone's illusions up.

(Please read with this song here playing)

You heard the strumming start, you took that time to breath. Taking deep breaths while your band started to get the crowd ready. With a sharp exhale you dropped the illusion on your band, eyes snapping up when the spotlight landed on you.

"I'm not gonna miss you when yo ur dead and gone"

You sang from behind them in a voice you can only now describe as "Jacob". Your brother made eye contact with you, eyes wide. You smirked. Much to his horror, you would do it. You were going to shatter all of thoes well placed illusions.

"Not gonna talk about you over and over and over"

You ran fingers through your hair, reverting the illusion to look like "Jacob's" hair. This was it. Your final performance as the quiet librarian. "Jacob's" final performance. You stepped out from behind the men, sticking your tongue out at your brother and flipping him off behind your back.

Shota raised an eyebrow. He wasn't aware that the American pop sensation had a quirk, let alone worked for U.A. He didn't think that "Jacob" would be so disrespectful.

"Not gonna file you under latest nostalgia"

You made your way to the front of the stage, walking past the glittering eyes of the students. Shota looked over at Hizashi, taking in his expression. He questioned if the two of you were close, he thought that it may make sense, as he did tend to play (b/n) a lot on his station.

"Nor happily ever after"

You pulled yourself up on stage. Picking the mic off the stand. It did look kind of silly, the wild punk like face and hair of "Jacob" and the tame reserved dress and body of the librarian.

"Don't wanna listen to your played out songs

Not gonna think about you over and over and over

Don't wanna read about the latest fads on your trendy blog

I want nothing to do with that"

Looking over at your brother, he looked mortified. You smirked. He knew you were tired of living like you were someone else. Tired of being in someone's shadow, tired of not being in your own skin.

Shota noticed his friend looked, how mortified he seemed. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up at you. What could the quiet librarian possibly be thinking?

"Cause you made a mess of everything

And I'm not listning!"

You winked. Right at Hizashi and Shota.

"You're not a hero!"

Raising your hand above your head, you let a small circle of green form, almost looking like a magic circle. It's not however, it's yet another one of your illusions done to emphasize what you are about to do.

Motioning your hand back towards the floor, the green circle making it down towards your feet. As it moves, your appearance does as well. Almost in a sort of green flash, your librarian clothing changes to that of the ones "Jacob" wears onstage.

"Your a liar Your not a savior, you're a vampire Suckin the life out of all the friends you've ever known You're just a train wreck, not a winner Up on your soapbox, preaching down to the sinners a saint without a cause we're not listening, we're not listening"

Smiling down at your brother, you raked your fingers through the hair of the illusion, replacing the ears for your very own vixen ones. Relishing in the thought that you are one more step closer to saying goodbye to your illusions, to finally live as you.

Shota raised an eyebrow. He knows he's seen those ears before. What he hasn't seen before hand however, were those toothy fangs you were not sporting. He had finally grown more and more suspicious. He wants to think its you, the one he's had a crush on since he was in school, but he had to think logically. You had to still be in America where it was safer right? If so then why does Hizashi look so nervous?

"I'm gonna start a revolution of convoluted disillusion I'll lead a war with no conclusion in the final hour I'll be a confident coward. Cause if we stand for nothing, we'll fall for everything!"

You sang the chorus again, reviling in the confused look of Shota, the terrified look of Hizashi, yet also dreading the look the fans. How they went feral for a person who was both you, yet nothing like you. How you were excited to shed it all.

After the last bridge, the final chorus came up. You raised your hand, dropping first the illusion of your voice, letting it return to normal,

"You're gonna miss me when im dead and gone they're gonna talk about me over and over and over They're gonna file me under latest nostalgia and happily ever after I'm not a hero, I'm a liar!"

Finally you dropped all of you're illusions, it was you, finally, you. Yes you were dressed the same as your illusion but you did not mind one bit. Hizashi had a mix of terror and pride, scared that now his little sister's identity was out, it could be used against him, while Shota stood with his mouth wide open.

It really was you. You were back in Japan. It wasn't a dream, you were preforming for him again in the flesh. A mix of emotions flooded his system, but he knew one thing for sure, he was going to see you after the show.

the fans in the crowd went wild, seeing now the you behind the illusions, the real you. They loved it, you loved it, and that was all that mattered to you.

you finished up the show, smiling wildly as the last chord was struck. You introduced your band and thanked the show for coming out to the very last performance they would have.

leaving the stage, you made eye contact with Shota. Walking up to him, you moved some hair out of your face.

opening your mouth to speak, he cut you off, engulfing you with is arms. Smiling, you retunred the embrace.

---------

Its been a few months since the performance, you two kept busy and spent what time you could together. Currently, you two are cuddled up on Shota's bed, him fresh from the shower after finishing his patrol, and you happy as can be just to have him in your arms.

Humming softly as you played with his hair, the two finally reunited after many many years apart.

The two of you, happy as can be

Like paw prints in eraser shavings

Fin

[oh-phineas]

Boulevard of Broken ACLs | Self Para

Date: 19 August 2023 Warnings: Mention of surgery/medical stuff (not graphic)

Phineas begins his recovery.

Cheating death is supposed to feel a lot cooler than this, Phineas reflects as Patrick The Physical Therapist guides his leg in the correct motion for the five hundredth time that day. It’s actually pretty mundane. One minute, you’re being hauled to your feet by a girl you kissed at a party one time, being dragged through burning streets while your life flashes before your eyes, and the next you’re spending three hours a week in a rehab gym staring at the ceiling while a grad student chatters on about cricket. He came to Swynlake for adventure, and he’s pretty sure being snatched from the jaws of Hades (the mythical one, not the ex-mayor) is supposed to count for that. But he almost died, and all he got was this shitty Swynlake General Hospital Physical Therapy T-shirt. 

He tells himself that he can make the best out of any boring situation, that this is his superpower. That he never needed to travel the world because everything he ever needed was always in his backyard. And maybe that’s the worst part of all of this: that Phineas is supposed to be the eternal optimist, and he didn’t even get it that bad compared to some people, and still he feels this deep, awful, burning feeling that he is trapped. 

“Whoa, dude, slow down,” Patrick chuckles as Phineas races through his points-and-flexes. “What’s the hurry?”

The hurry is that Phineas wants to be out of here thirty minutes ago, but instead he just smiles. “Not in a hurry,” he says through his teeth. 

“Alright, well, you gotta take it slow to get the full benefit. It isn’t a race!”

Nah, it isn’t, because if it were a race, at least it would be fun.

The fact that he has the meeting with his doctor later to determine the next step feels like a fake milestone. It’s the end of a week of prehab, but it could be the beginning of more weeks of it, if the doctor recommends surgery. And if he doesn’t, there are still dozens of weeks of Patrick’s company ahead. Nothing’s really going to change, Phineas reminds himself as he goes into the exam room. 

“Well, there’s good news and there’s bad news.”

Of course. There’s always good news and bad news.

“Why don’t you just tell me the good news?”

The doctor chuckles. Phineas was kind of serious, honestly. He didn’t want any more bad news. But he was a responsible adult or whatever, so sure, he’d do the prehab, he’d do the surgery, he’d shove the instructions that the doctor printed out for him into the bottom of his backpack and actually dig them out later and show them to his parents and let them stick it to the fridge with a magnet. 

The surgery is set for three weeks from today, putting it squarely between the freshers week party and the networking event. Phineas considers texting Ed and Pip about it, then changes his mind. He doesn’t want either of them to think this will impact anything, because it won’t, because Phineas is determined not to let it. He considers texting Fawn, but then the remembers the announcement about the forest, and feels silly bothering her about this.

His parents have already moved onto talking about the plan for dinner, so while they’re not watching, Phineas hobbles out to Jolene on his crutches and drags himself into the back seat so he can prop his leg up. The car blinks to life hopefully.

“Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride Nobody gonna slow me down. I’ve got to keep on moving.”

“Aw, c’mon, it’s not funny,” Phineas grumbles. The dials spin mischievously, and then slow down. And then slowly, the volume climbs, like Jolene isn’t quite sure this is the right call.

It’s an old Green Day song. Phineas remembers jumping around his room and singing it a lot when he was younger and angry about all the things he didn’t understand, all the things he couldn’t disappear with optimism. He’s surprised Jolene even comes up with it. At first, he’s singing along quietly, but by the bridge, he’s practically yelling— and it feels good. 

He collapses back into the seat, breathing hard. “Thanks, Jolene,” he says. 

The lights just blink in response, and next up is an angry Fall Out Boy song. “Oh, fuck yeah.”

[cleverhottubmiracle]

I get a lot of startup founders wanting to make custom t-shirts. And when I suggest they go the organic cotton t-shirt wholesale route, so they can buy t-shirt blanks for a fraction of the price it would cost to develop them from scratch… their answer is usually, “Absolutely not.” “My brand is special,” they say. “My brand needs a custom fit and will have only premium fabrics. No one will take my brand seriously if I use pre-made shirts.” But as someone who has been in this industry for well over a decade, I can tell you that this mindset is so, so wrong.  Learning how to understand the world of t-shirt blanks could be the difference between a brand that launches and is successful for years to come, and a brand that fizzles out before they get their first sale. So, if you have been thinking about starting a sustainable t-shirt brand, this post will cover everything you are going to need to know.   BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED... I love helping startup brand founders succeed, so I created a bunch of free guides that will help you with your business. They won’t be free forever, so make sure to grab them while you can. What You’ll Learn: My inspiration for this post (because I know some of you like hearing the tea before I get into the fashion details) What are blanks, and how are they used in the industry The pros of using blanks  The cons of using blanks  Looking for blanks? – here is who I recommend   NO TIME TO READ? CHECK OUT THIS 60 SECOND RECAP...   I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS ON THIS T-SHIRT SUPPLIER’S RADAR . . . Oh, little old me?  Even though I should kind of be used to it by now, I still get surprised when people know who I am. A little bit ago, I even got stopped on my run because someone recognized me.  Anyway. I get so many spammy emails from brands asking me to feature them on the blog. And I rarely respond. I just delete them. Because, honestly, they are a bunch of buzzwords and greenwashing. You know the type – we invented the most sustainable hoodie ever, and our clothes empower women . . . buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. But the other day, I got excited when I recognized the brand on the other end of the email for once – Original Favorites. Because, for years, I have recommended that my clients and students check out Original Favorites for organic cotton blanks.  SO, WHAT ARE T-SHIRT BLANKS? Blanks are pretty much what they sound like. Blank garments that are ready for customizations like screen printing and or dying - they are literally a blank canvas.  It’s kind of like buying a 5-pack of Hanes Deep V-necks (literally my uniform in college, along with some Hard Tail leggings and Ugg boots). Except it’s on a bigger scale, A LOT cheaper, and blanks are intended for brands to purchase and customize. How it all works is that a company, like Original Favorites, puts in a huge order for a few styles of t-shirt blanks. Because their order is so big, they get really good prices on the shirts throughout the entire supply chain. From fabric to sewing to shipping – the bigger the order, the better the prices. So, they take advantage of that. They then pass on those giant bulk order savings to you and take a small cut.  So instead of you having to order tens or hundreds of thousands of the same shirt to get a good price, you can order just a few – like 10, and still get a much lower price than you would ever be able to get trying to produce 10 t-shirts on your own (I’ll break down the math in just a minute). Blanks are made to be customized. So, you can add your own designs and even labels.  And the cool thing is, blanks aren’t just for t-shirts. You can buy blanks in almost any type of garment. Scarves, dresses, skirts, sweatpants, hoodies, polo shirts, tote bags – the options are limitless.  4 PROS OF USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. NO DEVELOPMENT COSTS A lot goes into developing a single t-shirt. And if everything is custom, there isn’t much you can do to cut development corners. You need to source everything, have patterns made and graded, and have various samples made to check the fit. Then, you need to make sure there are no issues for your customer.  This gets pretty expensive, especially when you are making garments domestically. In the United States or Europe, this will all cost anywhere from about $400 - $1,000 just for a t-shirt. And developing more technical items could cost up to $3,000, depending on who you work with and how complex the garment is. The other thing worth mentioning is that development costs are fixed. So it costs the same whether you develop 100 shirts or 10,000 shirts.  Here is how the development costs of a shirt break down... For example, say it costs you $500 to do all the development work and perfect your t-shirt and you only want to make 50 pieces. And in production, each piece is $10. Well, on top of the $10 production price, you would need to add in your development cost. So, $500 divided by 50 is $10. That means the real cost of each production piece is $10 plus $10 for development = $20 total. Now, if you are making 1,000 pieces, we would take the $500 divided by 1,000 pieces, and the development cost per piece would be just 50 cents. So, your total unit cost would be $10 plus $0.50, which is a total of $10.50 per piece. To be clear, I would never recommend a new startup brand buy 1,000 units on their first order. But hopefully, you get the point I am trying to make . . . development costs are costs that effect your bottom line, and they are expensive! So, by using blanks, new brands can completely cut out that development cost, lower the overall cost of their product, and still get low MOQs (minimum order quantities). 2. NO SURPRISES Even if you work with the best factories, I can promise you that things will not be perfect. In your sample and development process, there will always be small things you need to tweak or reevaluate. And that is exactly why you must have a development and sampling stage and can’t skip it. One of the most disheartening things for new brands is when they finally open their box of samples after months of work and feel like everything is wrong. Us industry pros know that it’s all part of the garment game – alterations need to be made and new samples need to be submitted for approval. But for newbies, it is sometimes so disheartening (and expensive) that they give up completely. The other scary thing that sometimes happens is brands will think they have a perfect sample, place their production order, and then realize something is wrong after they receive their bulk order. Now, they have hundreds of defective t-shirts to deal with. When you are buying t-shirt blanks, you know exactly what you are getting. You can buy a few (like 1 or 2), make sure you absolutely love them, and then buy larger quantities.  And the best part? Every time you reorder, you have the assurance that you are getting the exact same item because someone else is taking care of all the quality assurance for you. 3. THE BEST PRICING ON SMALL ORDERS I already told you about how much money you can save in the development process by using t-shirt blanks. Now, let’s talk about how much more money you can save on production. Here is the reality of fashion and the secret behind why fast fashion and other big brands can offer such low prices. The more you buy, the more you save. That is for a few reasons. Let’s start with the fabric. When you give a fabric mill a huge fabric order, they can program the machines once and let them run day and night (new fabric orders require cleaning the machine, re-programming the machine, and in general, a lot of downtime). It is extremely efficient to run just one fabric for a long time for big orders. And the more efficient you can be, the faster things can get made, and the more money you can save. People become more efficient too Garment sewing at a factory becomes more efficient with larger orders as well. Factories like big orders because it gives their workers time to get good at making your product. If you only want 50 pieces, by the time the workers find their groove, the order is done. But with an order of 10,000 pieces, every day, the workers get better and better at making the product from all of the repetition. They also get quicker, so you get a lower price.  Factory workers can go from making 15 pieces daily to 30 just by repetition and getting to know the product inside and out. On large orders, when workers become masters at making your product, the work becomes almost mindless for them. They can laugh, joke, and listen to podcasts while working.  So, when you order blanks, you get a product that’s been replicated many times and produced more cheaply, thereby cutting production costs for you and your customer. Versus placing a small custom order with a factory, which means garment sewing will take longer and production costs will be higher. 4. GREAT FOR RE-ORDERS Worried about selling out fast and running out of product?  When you have a custom order and want to order more, it can take quite a bit of time. You first need to re-order the fabric, which can take anywhere from a month to 3 months. Then, the shirts need to be sewn, which could take another month or two. With blanks, they are usually always in stock. So as soon as you need more, you can order them and get them immediately.  This can be great for customer retention because, the longer customers have to wait for a product on backorder, the less likely they are to place their order.  It’s also great for your cash flow because it allows you to get product out quickly and not tie it up while waiting for new items to be made. 2 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. “NO CUSTOM FITS OR FABRICS MEANS MY CUSTOMER WON’T GET WHAT THEY NEED” “But Melanie, I have done all the research, and know that the exact shirt I want to develop isn’t out there right now. There is a need for my custom design.” Here is a hard dose of reality. I need you to check your ego and listen up. I get that you want to make the same shirt you have in your closet, but you want the sleeves 1 inch longer, the body 2 inches shorter, and the fabric just slightly heavier. Because, then, it will fit you perfectly. But here’s the thing. Most people who are buying your shirt do not have your exact measurements. When you make those sleeves 1 inch shorter, even though they’ll fit YOU perfectly, they might be way too short for someone else (read, a paying customer). The truth is, blank companies have done all the research. They are so confident in their research that they’re ordering probably millions of units of the same style. They know what sells. Lean into that expertise.  “From operating their clothing brand, our founders realized the perennial items that sold-out every season were t-shirts and hoodies. They're the most accessible styles for any demographic and often the most-worn and loved by customers. We expanded our fleece styles from there but never ventured too far away from the classics and never changed our silhouette.” Rachel, Original Favorties What that means is that based on tons of sales data from their past and current businesses Orignal Favorites was able to assess what customer really want and make that. 2. “PEOPLE WILL THINK I'M NOT A ‘REAL’ BRAND” Yes, you will. Period. Full stop. If you are making printed t-shirts, all people really care about is the print or the logo. That is what they are buying.  I have one student in LMCL who started her business using a print-on-demand service (basically, a company that will print your designs on blanks). And, IMO, it was the smart thing to do.  While others were struggling with their first patterns, she was already testing product. And when her cohorts were finally just launching, she was already scaling and hiring her first employee.  The bottom line. Using this method allowed this student to launch and scale quickly, and her customers didn’t even know she was cutting design corners. Think about it.  The last time you bought a shirt with a cute design on it, did you email the brand to confirm they paid for the development and design of the shirt? No. Because that would be bananas. So, if you don’t shop that way, why do you think your customers would? I’m telling you, top brands do this to make their lives easier - and you should be considering it too! The other cool thing with blanks is that with a lot of them, their labels are meant to be ripped out, so you can sew in your own brand label. If you sew in your own label, this gives the final product a more branded and polished look. MY FAVORITE T-SHIRT BLANK SUPPLIERS Okay, now that you know all of the pros and cons of using shirt blanks and why I love them, here are a few of my favorites (move over Gildan and Bella Canvas) for women, men, unisex,and even kids! But one last tip before I go. With blanks fiber content is important for the type of printing you plan to use. If you want sublimation printing for vivid colors and detailed photoreal designs, you will probably need to use 100% polyester. So, if an eco product is what you’re after, screen prints, and some types of digital prints can be done on blends and pure cotton. ORIGINAL FAVORITES Organic cotton and Supima blank options at competitive prices. And, with this brand, you don't have to stress about your supply chain practices because you know you are getting sustainable t-shirt blanks! Bonus, they have pre-vetted resources to help you customize your blank apparel, like printers, dyers, and more! PS - Did you like the blanks in the pictures on this post? They are all from Orginal Favorties! HEA NOW Because they work with Chetna farms (which I love), these blanks are made using Indian Chetna 100% cotton, which is not just organic but also biodynamic!  And, they even come in different colors to choose from, so you can skip the garment dying and print right on top CREATE FASHION BRAND For my European readers. These are some of the best quality blanks you can get in Portugal. They are known for their heavy cotton jersey fabric options. And as an added bonus, they even do low MOQ custom orders! DHARMA TRADING For everything blanks and wholesale clothing, not just short sleeve t-shirts – I’m talking dresses, scarves, tank tops, etc. So much blank variety on this site!  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you going to give blanks a try for your startup clothing brand? Let me know in the comments! Source link

[norajworld]

I get a lot of startup founders wanting to make custom t-shirts. And when I suggest they go the organic cotton t-shirt wholesale route, so they can buy t-shirt blanks for a fraction of the price it would cost to develop them from scratch… their answer is usually, “Absolutely not.” “My brand is special,” they say. “My brand needs a custom fit and will have only premium fabrics. No one will take my brand seriously if I use pre-made shirts.” But as someone who has been in this industry for well over a decade, I can tell you that this mindset is so, so wrong.  Learning how to understand the world of t-shirt blanks could be the difference between a brand that launches and is successful for years to come, and a brand that fizzles out before they get their first sale. So, if you have been thinking about starting a sustainable t-shirt brand, this post will cover everything you are going to need to know.   BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED... I love helping startup brand founders succeed, so I created a bunch of free guides that will help you with your business. They won’t be free forever, so make sure to grab them while you can. What You’ll Learn: My inspiration for this post (because I know some of you like hearing the tea before I get into the fashion details) What are blanks, and how are they used in the industry The pros of using blanks  The cons of using blanks  Looking for blanks? – here is who I recommend   NO TIME TO READ? CHECK OUT THIS 60 SECOND RECAP...   I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS ON THIS T-SHIRT SUPPLIER’S RADAR . . . Oh, little old me?  Even though I should kind of be used to it by now, I still get surprised when people know who I am. A little bit ago, I even got stopped on my run because someone recognized me.  Anyway. I get so many spammy emails from brands asking me to feature them on the blog. And I rarely respond. I just delete them. Because, honestly, they are a bunch of buzzwords and greenwashing. You know the type – we invented the most sustainable hoodie ever, and our clothes empower women . . . buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. But the other day, I got excited when I recognized the brand on the other end of the email for once – Original Favorites. Because, for years, I have recommended that my clients and students check out Original Favorites for organic cotton blanks.  SO, WHAT ARE T-SHIRT BLANKS? Blanks are pretty much what they sound like. Blank garments that are ready for customizations like screen printing and or dying - they are literally a blank canvas.  It’s kind of like buying a 5-pack of Hanes Deep V-necks (literally my uniform in college, along with some Hard Tail leggings and Ugg boots). Except it’s on a bigger scale, A LOT cheaper, and blanks are intended for brands to purchase and customize. How it all works is that a company, like Original Favorites, puts in a huge order for a few styles of t-shirt blanks. Because their order is so big, they get really good prices on the shirts throughout the entire supply chain. From fabric to sewing to shipping – the bigger the order, the better the prices. So, they take advantage of that. They then pass on those giant bulk order savings to you and take a small cut.  So instead of you having to order tens or hundreds of thousands of the same shirt to get a good price, you can order just a few – like 10, and still get a much lower price than you would ever be able to get trying to produce 10 t-shirts on your own (I’ll break down the math in just a minute). Blanks are made to be customized. So, you can add your own designs and even labels.  And the cool thing is, blanks aren’t just for t-shirts. You can buy blanks in almost any type of garment. Scarves, dresses, skirts, sweatpants, hoodies, polo shirts, tote bags – the options are limitless.  4 PROS OF USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. NO DEVELOPMENT COSTS A lot goes into developing a single t-shirt. And if everything is custom, there isn’t much you can do to cut development corners. You need to source everything, have patterns made and graded, and have various samples made to check the fit. Then, you need to make sure there are no issues for your customer.  This gets pretty expensive, especially when you are making garments domestically. In the United States or Europe, this will all cost anywhere from about $400 - $1,000 just for a t-shirt. And developing more technical items could cost up to $3,000, depending on who you work with and how complex the garment is. The other thing worth mentioning is that development costs are fixed. So it costs the same whether you develop 100 shirts or 10,000 shirts.  Here is how the development costs of a shirt break down... For example, say it costs you $500 to do all the development work and perfect your t-shirt and you only want to make 50 pieces. And in production, each piece is $10. Well, on top of the $10 production price, you would need to add in your development cost. So, $500 divided by 50 is $10. That means the real cost of each production piece is $10 plus $10 for development = $20 total. Now, if you are making 1,000 pieces, we would take the $500 divided by 1,000 pieces, and the development cost per piece would be just 50 cents. So, your total unit cost would be $10 plus $0.50, which is a total of $10.50 per piece. To be clear, I would never recommend a new startup brand buy 1,000 units on their first order. But hopefully, you get the point I am trying to make . . . development costs are costs that effect your bottom line, and they are expensive! So, by using blanks, new brands can completely cut out that development cost, lower the overall cost of their product, and still get low MOQs (minimum order quantities). 2. NO SURPRISES Even if you work with the best factories, I can promise you that things will not be perfect. In your sample and development process, there will always be small things you need to tweak or reevaluate. And that is exactly why you must have a development and sampling stage and can’t skip it. One of the most disheartening things for new brands is when they finally open their box of samples after months of work and feel like everything is wrong. Us industry pros know that it’s all part of the garment game – alterations need to be made and new samples need to be submitted for approval. But for newbies, it is sometimes so disheartening (and expensive) that they give up completely. The other scary thing that sometimes happens is brands will think they have a perfect sample, place their production order, and then realize something is wrong after they receive their bulk order. Now, they have hundreds of defective t-shirts to deal with. When you are buying t-shirt blanks, you know exactly what you are getting. You can buy a few (like 1 or 2), make sure you absolutely love them, and then buy larger quantities.  And the best part? Every time you reorder, you have the assurance that you are getting the exact same item because someone else is taking care of all the quality assurance for you. 3. THE BEST PRICING ON SMALL ORDERS I already told you about how much money you can save in the development process by using t-shirt blanks. Now, let’s talk about how much more money you can save on production. Here is the reality of fashion and the secret behind why fast fashion and other big brands can offer such low prices. The more you buy, the more you save. That is for a few reasons. Let’s start with the fabric. When you give a fabric mill a huge fabric order, they can program the machines once and let them run day and night (new fabric orders require cleaning the machine, re-programming the machine, and in general, a lot of downtime). It is extremely efficient to run just one fabric for a long time for big orders. And the more efficient you can be, the faster things can get made, and the more money you can save. People become more efficient too Garment sewing at a factory becomes more efficient with larger orders as well. Factories like big orders because it gives their workers time to get good at making your product. If you only want 50 pieces, by the time the workers find their groove, the order is done. But with an order of 10,000 pieces, every day, the workers get better and better at making the product from all of the repetition. They also get quicker, so you get a lower price.  Factory workers can go from making 15 pieces daily to 30 just by repetition and getting to know the product inside and out. On large orders, when workers become masters at making your product, the work becomes almost mindless for them. They can laugh, joke, and listen to podcasts while working.  So, when you order blanks, you get a product that’s been replicated many times and produced more cheaply, thereby cutting production costs for you and your customer. Versus placing a small custom order with a factory, which means garment sewing will take longer and production costs will be higher. 4. GREAT FOR RE-ORDERS Worried about selling out fast and running out of product?  When you have a custom order and want to order more, it can take quite a bit of time. You first need to re-order the fabric, which can take anywhere from a month to 3 months. Then, the shirts need to be sewn, which could take another month or two. With blanks, they are usually always in stock. So as soon as you need more, you can order them and get them immediately.  This can be great for customer retention because, the longer customers have to wait for a product on backorder, the less likely they are to place their order.  It’s also great for your cash flow because it allows you to get product out quickly and not tie it up while waiting for new items to be made. 2 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. “NO CUSTOM FITS OR FABRICS MEANS MY CUSTOMER WON’T GET WHAT THEY NEED” “But Melanie, I have done all the research, and know that the exact shirt I want to develop isn’t out there right now. There is a need for my custom design.” Here is a hard dose of reality. I need you to check your ego and listen up. I get that you want to make the same shirt you have in your closet, but you want the sleeves 1 inch longer, the body 2 inches shorter, and the fabric just slightly heavier. Because, then, it will fit you perfectly. But here’s the thing. Most people who are buying your shirt do not have your exact measurements. When you make those sleeves 1 inch shorter, even though they’ll fit YOU perfectly, they might be way too short for someone else (read, a paying customer). The truth is, blank companies have done all the research. They are so confident in their research that they’re ordering probably millions of units of the same style. They know what sells. Lean into that expertise.  “From operating their clothing brand, our founders realized the perennial items that sold-out every season were t-shirts and hoodies. They're the most accessible styles for any demographic and often the most-worn and loved by customers. We expanded our fleece styles from there but never ventured too far away from the classics and never changed our silhouette.” Rachel, Original Favorties What that means is that based on tons of sales data from their past and current businesses Orignal Favorites was able to assess what customer really want and make that. 2. “PEOPLE WILL THINK I'M NOT A ‘REAL’ BRAND” Yes, you will. Period. Full stop. If you are making printed t-shirts, all people really care about is the print or the logo. That is what they are buying.  I have one student in LMCL who started her business using a print-on-demand service (basically, a company that will print your designs on blanks). And, IMO, it was the smart thing to do.  While others were struggling with their first patterns, she was already testing product. And when her cohorts were finally just launching, she was already scaling and hiring her first employee.  The bottom line. Using this method allowed this student to launch and scale quickly, and her customers didn’t even know she was cutting design corners. Think about it.  The last time you bought a shirt with a cute design on it, did you email the brand to confirm they paid for the development and design of the shirt? No. Because that would be bananas. So, if you don’t shop that way, why do you think your customers would? I’m telling you, top brands do this to make their lives easier - and you should be considering it too! The other cool thing with blanks is that with a lot of them, their labels are meant to be ripped out, so you can sew in your own brand label. If you sew in your own label, this gives the final product a more branded and polished look. MY FAVORITE T-SHIRT BLANK SUPPLIERS Okay, now that you know all of the pros and cons of using shirt blanks and why I love them, here are a few of my favorites (move over Gildan and Bella Canvas) for women, men, unisex,and even kids! But one last tip before I go. With blanks fiber content is important for the type of printing you plan to use. If you want sublimation printing for vivid colors and detailed photoreal designs, you will probably need to use 100% polyester. So, if an eco product is what you’re after, screen prints, and some types of digital prints can be done on blends and pure cotton. ORIGINAL FAVORITES Organic cotton and Supima blank options at competitive prices. And, with this brand, you don't have to stress about your supply chain practices because you know you are getting sustainable t-shirt blanks! Bonus, they have pre-vetted resources to help you customize your blank apparel, like printers, dyers, and more! PS - Did you like the blanks in the pictures on this post? They are all from Orginal Favorties! HEA NOW Because they work with Chetna farms (which I love), these blanks are made using Indian Chetna 100% cotton, which is not just organic but also biodynamic!  And, they even come in different colors to choose from, so you can skip the garment dying and print right on top CREATE FASHION BRAND For my European readers. These are some of the best quality blanks you can get in Portugal. They are known for their heavy cotton jersey fabric options. And as an added bonus, they even do low MOQ custom orders! DHARMA TRADING For everything blanks and wholesale clothing, not just short sleeve t-shirts – I’m talking dresses, scarves, tank tops, etc. So much blank variety on this site!  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you going to give blanks a try for your startup clothing brand? Let me know in the comments! Source link

[ellajme0]

I get a lot of startup founders wanting to make custom t-shirts. And when I suggest they go the organic cotton t-shirt wholesale route, so they can buy t-shirt blanks for a fraction of the price it would cost to develop them from scratch… their answer is usually, “Absolutely not.” “My brand is special,” they say. “My brand needs a custom fit and will have only premium fabrics. No one will take my brand seriously if I use pre-made shirts.” But as someone who has been in this industry for well over a decade, I can tell you that this mindset is so, so wrong.  Learning how to understand the world of t-shirt blanks could be the difference between a brand that launches and is successful for years to come, and a brand that fizzles out before they get their first sale. So, if you have been thinking about starting a sustainable t-shirt brand, this post will cover everything you are going to need to know.   BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED... I love helping startup brand founders succeed, so I created a bunch of free guides that will help you with your business. They won’t be free forever, so make sure to grab them while you can. What You’ll Learn: My inspiration for this post (because I know some of you like hearing the tea before I get into the fashion details) What are blanks, and how are they used in the industry The pros of using blanks  The cons of using blanks  Looking for blanks? – here is who I recommend   NO TIME TO READ? CHECK OUT THIS 60 SECOND RECAP...   I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS ON THIS T-SHIRT SUPPLIER’S RADAR . . . Oh, little old me?  Even though I should kind of be used to it by now, I still get surprised when people know who I am. A little bit ago, I even got stopped on my run because someone recognized me.  Anyway. I get so many spammy emails from brands asking me to feature them on the blog. And I rarely respond. I just delete them. Because, honestly, they are a bunch of buzzwords and greenwashing. You know the type – we invented the most sustainable hoodie ever, and our clothes empower women . . . buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. But the other day, I got excited when I recognized the brand on the other end of the email for once – Original Favorites. Because, for years, I have recommended that my clients and students check out Original Favorites for organic cotton blanks.  SO, WHAT ARE T-SHIRT BLANKS? Blanks are pretty much what they sound like. Blank garments that are ready for customizations like screen printing and or dying - they are literally a blank canvas.  It’s kind of like buying a 5-pack of Hanes Deep V-necks (literally my uniform in college, along with some Hard Tail leggings and Ugg boots). Except it’s on a bigger scale, A LOT cheaper, and blanks are intended for brands to purchase and customize. How it all works is that a company, like Original Favorites, puts in a huge order for a few styles of t-shirt blanks. Because their order is so big, they get really good prices on the shirts throughout the entire supply chain. From fabric to sewing to shipping – the bigger the order, the better the prices. So, they take advantage of that. They then pass on those giant bulk order savings to you and take a small cut.  So instead of you having to order tens or hundreds of thousands of the same shirt to get a good price, you can order just a few – like 10, and still get a much lower price than you would ever be able to get trying to produce 10 t-shirts on your own (I’ll break down the math in just a minute). Blanks are made to be customized. So, you can add your own designs and even labels.  And the cool thing is, blanks aren’t just for t-shirts. You can buy blanks in almost any type of garment. Scarves, dresses, skirts, sweatpants, hoodies, polo shirts, tote bags – the options are limitless.  4 PROS OF USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. NO DEVELOPMENT COSTS A lot goes into developing a single t-shirt. And if everything is custom, there isn’t much you can do to cut development corners. You need to source everything, have patterns made and graded, and have various samples made to check the fit. Then, you need to make sure there are no issues for your customer.  This gets pretty expensive, especially when you are making garments domestically. In the United States or Europe, this will all cost anywhere from about $400 - $1,000 just for a t-shirt. And developing more technical items could cost up to $3,000, depending on who you work with and how complex the garment is. The other thing worth mentioning is that development costs are fixed. So it costs the same whether you develop 100 shirts or 10,000 shirts.  Here is how the development costs of a shirt break down... For example, say it costs you $500 to do all the development work and perfect your t-shirt and you only want to make 50 pieces. And in production, each piece is $10. Well, on top of the $10 production price, you would need to add in your development cost. So, $500 divided by 50 is $10. That means the real cost of each production piece is $10 plus $10 for development = $20 total. Now, if you are making 1,000 pieces, we would take the $500 divided by 1,000 pieces, and the development cost per piece would be just 50 cents. So, your total unit cost would be $10 plus $0.50, which is a total of $10.50 per piece. To be clear, I would never recommend a new startup brand buy 1,000 units on their first order. But hopefully, you get the point I am trying to make . . . development costs are costs that effect your bottom line, and they are expensive! So, by using blanks, new brands can completely cut out that development cost, lower the overall cost of their product, and still get low MOQs (minimum order quantities). 2. NO SURPRISES Even if you work with the best factories, I can promise you that things will not be perfect. In your sample and development process, there will always be small things you need to tweak or reevaluate. And that is exactly why you must have a development and sampling stage and can’t skip it. One of the most disheartening things for new brands is when they finally open their box of samples after months of work and feel like everything is wrong. Us industry pros know that it’s all part of the garment game – alterations need to be made and new samples need to be submitted for approval. But for newbies, it is sometimes so disheartening (and expensive) that they give up completely. The other scary thing that sometimes happens is brands will think they have a perfect sample, place their production order, and then realize something is wrong after they receive their bulk order. Now, they have hundreds of defective t-shirts to deal with. When you are buying t-shirt blanks, you know exactly what you are getting. You can buy a few (like 1 or 2), make sure you absolutely love them, and then buy larger quantities.  And the best part? Every time you reorder, you have the assurance that you are getting the exact same item because someone else is taking care of all the quality assurance for you. 3. THE BEST PRICING ON SMALL ORDERS I already told you about how much money you can save in the development process by using t-shirt blanks. Now, let’s talk about how much more money you can save on production. Here is the reality of fashion and the secret behind why fast fashion and other big brands can offer such low prices. The more you buy, the more you save. That is for a few reasons. Let’s start with the fabric. When you give a fabric mill a huge fabric order, they can program the machines once and let them run day and night (new fabric orders require cleaning the machine, re-programming the machine, and in general, a lot of downtime). It is extremely efficient to run just one fabric for a long time for big orders. And the more efficient you can be, the faster things can get made, and the more money you can save. People become more efficient too Garment sewing at a factory becomes more efficient with larger orders as well. Factories like big orders because it gives their workers time to get good at making your product. If you only want 50 pieces, by the time the workers find their groove, the order is done. But with an order of 10,000 pieces, every day, the workers get better and better at making the product from all of the repetition. They also get quicker, so you get a lower price.  Factory workers can go from making 15 pieces daily to 30 just by repetition and getting to know the product inside and out. On large orders, when workers become masters at making your product, the work becomes almost mindless for them. They can laugh, joke, and listen to podcasts while working.  So, when you order blanks, you get a product that’s been replicated many times and produced more cheaply, thereby cutting production costs for you and your customer. Versus placing a small custom order with a factory, which means garment sewing will take longer and production costs will be higher. 4. GREAT FOR RE-ORDERS Worried about selling out fast and running out of product?  When you have a custom order and want to order more, it can take quite a bit of time. You first need to re-order the fabric, which can take anywhere from a month to 3 months. Then, the shirts need to be sewn, which could take another month or two. With blanks, they are usually always in stock. So as soon as you need more, you can order them and get them immediately.  This can be great for customer retention because, the longer customers have to wait for a product on backorder, the less likely they are to place their order.  It’s also great for your cash flow because it allows you to get product out quickly and not tie it up while waiting for new items to be made. 2 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. “NO CUSTOM FITS OR FABRICS MEANS MY CUSTOMER WON’T GET WHAT THEY NEED” “But Melanie, I have done all the research, and know that the exact shirt I want to develop isn’t out there right now. There is a need for my custom design.” Here is a hard dose of reality. I need you to check your ego and listen up. I get that you want to make the same shirt you have in your closet, but you want the sleeves 1 inch longer, the body 2 inches shorter, and the fabric just slightly heavier. Because, then, it will fit you perfectly. But here’s the thing. Most people who are buying your shirt do not have your exact measurements. When you make those sleeves 1 inch shorter, even though they’ll fit YOU perfectly, they might be way too short for someone else (read, a paying customer). The truth is, blank companies have done all the research. They are so confident in their research that they’re ordering probably millions of units of the same style. They know what sells. Lean into that expertise.  “From operating their clothing brand, our founders realized the perennial items that sold-out every season were t-shirts and hoodies. They're the most accessible styles for any demographic and often the most-worn and loved by customers. We expanded our fleece styles from there but never ventured too far away from the classics and never changed our silhouette.” Rachel, Original Favorties What that means is that based on tons of sales data from their past and current businesses Orignal Favorites was able to assess what customer really want and make that. 2. “PEOPLE WILL THINK I'M NOT A ‘REAL’ BRAND” Yes, you will. Period. Full stop. If you are making printed t-shirts, all people really care about is the print or the logo. That is what they are buying.  I have one student in LMCL who started her business using a print-on-demand service (basically, a company that will print your designs on blanks). And, IMO, it was the smart thing to do.  While others were struggling with their first patterns, she was already testing product. And when her cohorts were finally just launching, she was already scaling and hiring her first employee.  The bottom line. Using this method allowed this student to launch and scale quickly, and her customers didn’t even know she was cutting design corners. Think about it.  The last time you bought a shirt with a cute design on it, did you email the brand to confirm they paid for the development and design of the shirt? No. Because that would be bananas. So, if you don’t shop that way, why do you think your customers would? I’m telling you, top brands do this to make their lives easier - and you should be considering it too! The other cool thing with blanks is that with a lot of them, their labels are meant to be ripped out, so you can sew in your own brand label. If you sew in your own label, this gives the final product a more branded and polished look. MY FAVORITE T-SHIRT BLANK SUPPLIERS Okay, now that you know all of the pros and cons of using shirt blanks and why I love them, here are a few of my favorites (move over Gildan and Bella Canvas) for women, men, unisex,and even kids! But one last tip before I go. With blanks fiber content is important for the type of printing you plan to use. If you want sublimation printing for vivid colors and detailed photoreal designs, you will probably need to use 100% polyester. So, if an eco product is what you’re after, screen prints, and some types of digital prints can be done on blends and pure cotton. ORIGINAL FAVORITES Organic cotton and Supima blank options at competitive prices. And, with this brand, you don't have to stress about your supply chain practices because you know you are getting sustainable t-shirt blanks! Bonus, they have pre-vetted resources to help you customize your blank apparel, like printers, dyers, and more! PS - Did you like the blanks in the pictures on this post? They are all from Orginal Favorties! HEA NOW Because they work with Chetna farms (which I love), these blanks are made using Indian Chetna 100% cotton, which is not just organic but also biodynamic!  And, they even come in different colors to choose from, so you can skip the garment dying and print right on top CREATE FASHION BRAND For my European readers. These are some of the best quality blanks you can get in Portugal. They are known for their heavy cotton jersey fabric options. And as an added bonus, they even do low MOQ custom orders! DHARMA TRADING For everything blanks and wholesale clothing, not just short sleeve t-shirts – I’m talking dresses, scarves, tank tops, etc. So much blank variety on this site!  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you going to give blanks a try for your startup clothing brand? Let me know in the comments! Source link

[chilimili212]

I get a lot of startup founders wanting to make custom t-shirts. And when I suggest they go the organic cotton t-shirt wholesale route, so they can buy t-shirt blanks for a fraction of the price it would cost to develop them from scratch… their answer is usually, “Absolutely not.” “My brand is special,” they say. “My brand needs a custom fit and will have only premium fabrics. No one will take my brand seriously if I use pre-made shirts.” But as someone who has been in this industry for well over a decade, I can tell you that this mindset is so, so wrong.  Learning how to understand the world of t-shirt blanks could be the difference between a brand that launches and is successful for years to come, and a brand that fizzles out before they get their first sale. So, if you have been thinking about starting a sustainable t-shirt brand, this post will cover everything you are going to need to know.   BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED... I love helping startup brand founders succeed, so I created a bunch of free guides that will help you with your business. They won’t be free forever, so make sure to grab them while you can. What You’ll Learn: My inspiration for this post (because I know some of you like hearing the tea before I get into the fashion details) What are blanks, and how are they used in the industry The pros of using blanks  The cons of using blanks  Looking for blanks? – here is who I recommend   NO TIME TO READ? CHECK OUT THIS 60 SECOND RECAP...   I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS ON THIS T-SHIRT SUPPLIER’S RADAR . . . Oh, little old me?  Even though I should kind of be used to it by now, I still get surprised when people know who I am. A little bit ago, I even got stopped on my run because someone recognized me.  Anyway. I get so many spammy emails from brands asking me to feature them on the blog. And I rarely respond. I just delete them. Because, honestly, they are a bunch of buzzwords and greenwashing. You know the type – we invented the most sustainable hoodie ever, and our clothes empower women . . . buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. But the other day, I got excited when I recognized the brand on the other end of the email for once – Original Favorites. Because, for years, I have recommended that my clients and students check out Original Favorites for organic cotton blanks.  SO, WHAT ARE T-SHIRT BLANKS? Blanks are pretty much what they sound like. Blank garments that are ready for customizations like screen printing and or dying - they are literally a blank canvas.  It’s kind of like buying a 5-pack of Hanes Deep V-necks (literally my uniform in college, along with some Hard Tail leggings and Ugg boots). Except it’s on a bigger scale, A LOT cheaper, and blanks are intended for brands to purchase and customize. How it all works is that a company, like Original Favorites, puts in a huge order for a few styles of t-shirt blanks. Because their order is so big, they get really good prices on the shirts throughout the entire supply chain. From fabric to sewing to shipping – the bigger the order, the better the prices. So, they take advantage of that. They then pass on those giant bulk order savings to you and take a small cut.  So instead of you having to order tens or hundreds of thousands of the same shirt to get a good price, you can order just a few – like 10, and still get a much lower price than you would ever be able to get trying to produce 10 t-shirts on your own (I’ll break down the math in just a minute). Blanks are made to be customized. So, you can add your own designs and even labels.  And the cool thing is, blanks aren’t just for t-shirts. You can buy blanks in almost any type of garment. Scarves, dresses, skirts, sweatpants, hoodies, polo shirts, tote bags – the options are limitless.  4 PROS OF USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. NO DEVELOPMENT COSTS A lot goes into developing a single t-shirt. And if everything is custom, there isn’t much you can do to cut development corners. You need to source everything, have patterns made and graded, and have various samples made to check the fit. Then, you need to make sure there are no issues for your customer.  This gets pretty expensive, especially when you are making garments domestically. In the United States or Europe, this will all cost anywhere from about $400 - $1,000 just for a t-shirt. And developing more technical items could cost up to $3,000, depending on who you work with and how complex the garment is. The other thing worth mentioning is that development costs are fixed. So it costs the same whether you develop 100 shirts or 10,000 shirts.  Here is how the development costs of a shirt break down... For example, say it costs you $500 to do all the development work and perfect your t-shirt and you only want to make 50 pieces. And in production, each piece is $10. Well, on top of the $10 production price, you would need to add in your development cost. So, $500 divided by 50 is $10. That means the real cost of each production piece is $10 plus $10 for development = $20 total. Now, if you are making 1,000 pieces, we would take the $500 divided by 1,000 pieces, and the development cost per piece would be just 50 cents. So, your total unit cost would be $10 plus $0.50, which is a total of $10.50 per piece. To be clear, I would never recommend a new startup brand buy 1,000 units on their first order. But hopefully, you get the point I am trying to make . . . development costs are costs that effect your bottom line, and they are expensive! So, by using blanks, new brands can completely cut out that development cost, lower the overall cost of their product, and still get low MOQs (minimum order quantities). 2. NO SURPRISES Even if you work with the best factories, I can promise you that things will not be perfect. In your sample and development process, there will always be small things you need to tweak or reevaluate. And that is exactly why you must have a development and sampling stage and can’t skip it. One of the most disheartening things for new brands is when they finally open their box of samples after months of work and feel like everything is wrong. Us industry pros know that it’s all part of the garment game – alterations need to be made and new samples need to be submitted for approval. But for newbies, it is sometimes so disheartening (and expensive) that they give up completely. The other scary thing that sometimes happens is brands will think they have a perfect sample, place their production order, and then realize something is wrong after they receive their bulk order. Now, they have hundreds of defective t-shirts to deal with. When you are buying t-shirt blanks, you know exactly what you are getting. You can buy a few (like 1 or 2), make sure you absolutely love them, and then buy larger quantities.  And the best part? Every time you reorder, you have the assurance that you are getting the exact same item because someone else is taking care of all the quality assurance for you. 3. THE BEST PRICING ON SMALL ORDERS I already told you about how much money you can save in the development process by using t-shirt blanks. Now, let’s talk about how much more money you can save on production. Here is the reality of fashion and the secret behind why fast fashion and other big brands can offer such low prices. The more you buy, the more you save. That is for a few reasons. Let’s start with the fabric. When you give a fabric mill a huge fabric order, they can program the machines once and let them run day and night (new fabric orders require cleaning the machine, re-programming the machine, and in general, a lot of downtime). It is extremely efficient to run just one fabric for a long time for big orders. And the more efficient you can be, the faster things can get made, and the more money you can save. People become more efficient too Garment sewing at a factory becomes more efficient with larger orders as well. Factories like big orders because it gives their workers time to get good at making your product. If you only want 50 pieces, by the time the workers find their groove, the order is done. But with an order of 10,000 pieces, every day, the workers get better and better at making the product from all of the repetition. They also get quicker, so you get a lower price.  Factory workers can go from making 15 pieces daily to 30 just by repetition and getting to know the product inside and out. On large orders, when workers become masters at making your product, the work becomes almost mindless for them. They can laugh, joke, and listen to podcasts while working.  So, when you order blanks, you get a product that’s been replicated many times and produced more cheaply, thereby cutting production costs for you and your customer. Versus placing a small custom order with a factory, which means garment sewing will take longer and production costs will be higher. 4. GREAT FOR RE-ORDERS Worried about selling out fast and running out of product?  When you have a custom order and want to order more, it can take quite a bit of time. You first need to re-order the fabric, which can take anywhere from a month to 3 months. Then, the shirts need to be sewn, which could take another month or two. With blanks, they are usually always in stock. So as soon as you need more, you can order them and get them immediately.  This can be great for customer retention because, the longer customers have to wait for a product on backorder, the less likely they are to place their order.  It’s also great for your cash flow because it allows you to get product out quickly and not tie it up while waiting for new items to be made. 2 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. “NO CUSTOM FITS OR FABRICS MEANS MY CUSTOMER WON’T GET WHAT THEY NEED” “But Melanie, I have done all the research, and know that the exact shirt I want to develop isn’t out there right now. There is a need for my custom design.” Here is a hard dose of reality. I need you to check your ego and listen up. I get that you want to make the same shirt you have in your closet, but you want the sleeves 1 inch longer, the body 2 inches shorter, and the fabric just slightly heavier. Because, then, it will fit you perfectly. But here’s the thing. Most people who are buying your shirt do not have your exact measurements. When you make those sleeves 1 inch shorter, even though they’ll fit YOU perfectly, they might be way too short for someone else (read, a paying customer). The truth is, blank companies have done all the research. They are so confident in their research that they’re ordering probably millions of units of the same style. They know what sells. Lean into that expertise.  “From operating their clothing brand, our founders realized the perennial items that sold-out every season were t-shirts and hoodies. They're the most accessible styles for any demographic and often the most-worn and loved by customers. We expanded our fleece styles from there but never ventured too far away from the classics and never changed our silhouette.” Rachel, Original Favorties What that means is that based on tons of sales data from their past and current businesses Orignal Favorites was able to assess what customer really want and make that. 2. “PEOPLE WILL THINK I'M NOT A ‘REAL’ BRAND” Yes, you will. Period. Full stop. If you are making printed t-shirts, all people really care about is the print or the logo. That is what they are buying.  I have one student in LMCL who started her business using a print-on-demand service (basically, a company that will print your designs on blanks). And, IMO, it was the smart thing to do.  While others were struggling with their first patterns, she was already testing product. And when her cohorts were finally just launching, she was already scaling and hiring her first employee.  The bottom line. Using this method allowed this student to launch and scale quickly, and her customers didn’t even know she was cutting design corners. Think about it.  The last time you bought a shirt with a cute design on it, did you email the brand to confirm they paid for the development and design of the shirt? No. Because that would be bananas. So, if you don’t shop that way, why do you think your customers would? I’m telling you, top brands do this to make their lives easier - and you should be considering it too! The other cool thing with blanks is that with a lot of them, their labels are meant to be ripped out, so you can sew in your own brand label. If you sew in your own label, this gives the final product a more branded and polished look. MY FAVORITE T-SHIRT BLANK SUPPLIERS Okay, now that you know all of the pros and cons of using shirt blanks and why I love them, here are a few of my favorites (move over Gildan and Bella Canvas) for women, men, unisex,and even kids! But one last tip before I go. With blanks fiber content is important for the type of printing you plan to use. If you want sublimation printing for vivid colors and detailed photoreal designs, you will probably need to use 100% polyester. So, if an eco product is what you’re after, screen prints, and some types of digital prints can be done on blends and pure cotton. ORIGINAL FAVORITES Organic cotton and Supima blank options at competitive prices. And, with this brand, you don't have to stress about your supply chain practices because you know you are getting sustainable t-shirt blanks! Bonus, they have pre-vetted resources to help you customize your blank apparel, like printers, dyers, and more! PS - Did you like the blanks in the pictures on this post? They are all from Orginal Favorties! HEA NOW Because they work with Chetna farms (which I love), these blanks are made using Indian Chetna 100% cotton, which is not just organic but also biodynamic!  And, they even come in different colors to choose from, so you can skip the garment dying and print right on top CREATE FASHION BRAND For my European readers. These are some of the best quality blanks you can get in Portugal. They are known for their heavy cotton jersey fabric options. And as an added bonus, they even do low MOQ custom orders! DHARMA TRADING For everything blanks and wholesale clothing, not just short sleeve t-shirts – I’m talking dresses, scarves, tank tops, etc. So much blank variety on this site!  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you going to give blanks a try for your startup clothing brand? Let me know in the comments! Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

I get a lot of startup founders wanting to make custom t-shirts. And when I suggest they go the organic cotton t-shirt wholesale route, so they can buy t-shirt blanks for a fraction of the price it would cost to develop them from scratch… their answer is usually, “Absolutely not.” “My brand is special,” they say. “My brand needs a custom fit and will have only premium fabrics. No one will take my brand seriously if I use pre-made shirts.” But as someone who has been in this industry for well over a decade, I can tell you that this mindset is so, so wrong.  Learning how to understand the world of t-shirt blanks could be the difference between a brand that launches and is successful for years to come, and a brand that fizzles out before they get their first sale. So, if you have been thinking about starting a sustainable t-shirt brand, this post will cover everything you are going to need to know.   BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED... I love helping startup brand founders succeed, so I created a bunch of free guides that will help you with your business. They won’t be free forever, so make sure to grab them while you can. What You’ll Learn: My inspiration for this post (because I know some of you like hearing the tea before I get into the fashion details) What are blanks, and how are they used in the industry The pros of using blanks  The cons of using blanks  Looking for blanks? – here is who I recommend   NO TIME TO READ? CHECK OUT THIS 60 SECOND RECAP...   I DIDN’T REALIZE I WAS ON THIS T-SHIRT SUPPLIER’S RADAR . . . Oh, little old me?  Even though I should kind of be used to it by now, I still get surprised when people know who I am. A little bit ago, I even got stopped on my run because someone recognized me.  Anyway. I get so many spammy emails from brands asking me to feature them on the blog. And I rarely respond. I just delete them. Because, honestly, they are a bunch of buzzwords and greenwashing. You know the type – we invented the most sustainable hoodie ever, and our clothes empower women . . . buzzword, buzzword, buzzword. But the other day, I got excited when I recognized the brand on the other end of the email for once – Original Favorites. Because, for years, I have recommended that my clients and students check out Original Favorites for organic cotton blanks.  SO, WHAT ARE T-SHIRT BLANKS? Blanks are pretty much what they sound like. Blank garments that are ready for customizations like screen printing and or dying - they are literally a blank canvas.  It’s kind of like buying a 5-pack of Hanes Deep V-necks (literally my uniform in college, along with some Hard Tail leggings and Ugg boots). Except it’s on a bigger scale, A LOT cheaper, and blanks are intended for brands to purchase and customize. How it all works is that a company, like Original Favorites, puts in a huge order for a few styles of t-shirt blanks. Because their order is so big, they get really good prices on the shirts throughout the entire supply chain. From fabric to sewing to shipping – the bigger the order, the better the prices. So, they take advantage of that. They then pass on those giant bulk order savings to you and take a small cut.  So instead of you having to order tens or hundreds of thousands of the same shirt to get a good price, you can order just a few – like 10, and still get a much lower price than you would ever be able to get trying to produce 10 t-shirts on your own (I’ll break down the math in just a minute). Blanks are made to be customized. So, you can add your own designs and even labels.  And the cool thing is, blanks aren’t just for t-shirts. You can buy blanks in almost any type of garment. Scarves, dresses, skirts, sweatpants, hoodies, polo shirts, tote bags – the options are limitless.  4 PROS OF USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. NO DEVELOPMENT COSTS A lot goes into developing a single t-shirt. And if everything is custom, there isn’t much you can do to cut development corners. You need to source everything, have patterns made and graded, and have various samples made to check the fit. Then, you need to make sure there are no issues for your customer.  This gets pretty expensive, especially when you are making garments domestically. In the United States or Europe, this will all cost anywhere from about $400 - $1,000 just for a t-shirt. And developing more technical items could cost up to $3,000, depending on who you work with and how complex the garment is. The other thing worth mentioning is that development costs are fixed. So it costs the same whether you develop 100 shirts or 10,000 shirts.  Here is how the development costs of a shirt break down... For example, say it costs you $500 to do all the development work and perfect your t-shirt and you only want to make 50 pieces. And in production, each piece is $10. Well, on top of the $10 production price, you would need to add in your development cost. So, $500 divided by 50 is $10. That means the real cost of each production piece is $10 plus $10 for development = $20 total. Now, if you are making 1,000 pieces, we would take the $500 divided by 1,000 pieces, and the development cost per piece would be just 50 cents. So, your total unit cost would be $10 plus $0.50, which is a total of $10.50 per piece. To be clear, I would never recommend a new startup brand buy 1,000 units on their first order. But hopefully, you get the point I am trying to make . . . development costs are costs that effect your bottom line, and they are expensive! So, by using blanks, new brands can completely cut out that development cost, lower the overall cost of their product, and still get low MOQs (minimum order quantities). 2. NO SURPRISES Even if you work with the best factories, I can promise you that things will not be perfect. In your sample and development process, there will always be small things you need to tweak or reevaluate. And that is exactly why you must have a development and sampling stage and can’t skip it. One of the most disheartening things for new brands is when they finally open their box of samples after months of work and feel like everything is wrong. Us industry pros know that it’s all part of the garment game – alterations need to be made and new samples need to be submitted for approval. But for newbies, it is sometimes so disheartening (and expensive) that they give up completely. The other scary thing that sometimes happens is brands will think they have a perfect sample, place their production order, and then realize something is wrong after they receive their bulk order. Now, they have hundreds of defective t-shirts to deal with. When you are buying t-shirt blanks, you know exactly what you are getting. You can buy a few (like 1 or 2), make sure you absolutely love them, and then buy larger quantities.  And the best part? Every time you reorder, you have the assurance that you are getting the exact same item because someone else is taking care of all the quality assurance for you. 3. THE BEST PRICING ON SMALL ORDERS I already told you about how much money you can save in the development process by using t-shirt blanks. Now, let’s talk about how much more money you can save on production. Here is the reality of fashion and the secret behind why fast fashion and other big brands can offer such low prices. The more you buy, the more you save. That is for a few reasons. Let’s start with the fabric. When you give a fabric mill a huge fabric order, they can program the machines once and let them run day and night (new fabric orders require cleaning the machine, re-programming the machine, and in general, a lot of downtime). It is extremely efficient to run just one fabric for a long time for big orders. And the more efficient you can be, the faster things can get made, and the more money you can save. People become more efficient too Garment sewing at a factory becomes more efficient with larger orders as well. Factories like big orders because it gives their workers time to get good at making your product. If you only want 50 pieces, by the time the workers find their groove, the order is done. But with an order of 10,000 pieces, every day, the workers get better and better at making the product from all of the repetition. They also get quicker, so you get a lower price.  Factory workers can go from making 15 pieces daily to 30 just by repetition and getting to know the product inside and out. On large orders, when workers become masters at making your product, the work becomes almost mindless for them. They can laugh, joke, and listen to podcasts while working.  So, when you order blanks, you get a product that’s been replicated many times and produced more cheaply, thereby cutting production costs for you and your customer. Versus placing a small custom order with a factory, which means garment sewing will take longer and production costs will be higher. 4. GREAT FOR RE-ORDERS Worried about selling out fast and running out of product?  When you have a custom order and want to order more, it can take quite a bit of time. You first need to re-order the fabric, which can take anywhere from a month to 3 months. Then, the shirts need to be sewn, which could take another month or two. With blanks, they are usually always in stock. So as soon as you need more, you can order them and get them immediately.  This can be great for customer retention because, the longer customers have to wait for a product on backorder, the less likely they are to place their order.  It’s also great for your cash flow because it allows you to get product out quickly and not tie it up while waiting for new items to be made. 2 MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT USING T-SHIRT BLANKS 1. “NO CUSTOM FITS OR FABRICS MEANS MY CUSTOMER WON’T GET WHAT THEY NEED” “But Melanie, I have done all the research, and know that the exact shirt I want to develop isn’t out there right now. There is a need for my custom design.” Here is a hard dose of reality. I need you to check your ego and listen up. I get that you want to make the same shirt you have in your closet, but you want the sleeves 1 inch longer, the body 2 inches shorter, and the fabric just slightly heavier. Because, then, it will fit you perfectly. But here’s the thing. Most people who are buying your shirt do not have your exact measurements. When you make those sleeves 1 inch shorter, even though they’ll fit YOU perfectly, they might be way too short for someone else (read, a paying customer). The truth is, blank companies have done all the research. They are so confident in their research that they’re ordering probably millions of units of the same style. They know what sells. Lean into that expertise.  “From operating their clothing brand, our founders realized the perennial items that sold-out every season were t-shirts and hoodies. They're the most accessible styles for any demographic and often the most-worn and loved by customers. We expanded our fleece styles from there but never ventured too far away from the classics and never changed our silhouette.” Rachel, Original Favorties What that means is that based on tons of sales data from their past and current businesses Orignal Favorites was able to assess what customer really want and make that. 2. “PEOPLE WILL THINK I'M NOT A ‘REAL’ BRAND” Yes, you will. Period. Full stop. If you are making printed t-shirts, all people really care about is the print or the logo. That is what they are buying.  I have one student in LMCL who started her business using a print-on-demand service (basically, a company that will print your designs on blanks). And, IMO, it was the smart thing to do.  While others were struggling with their first patterns, she was already testing product. And when her cohorts were finally just launching, she was already scaling and hiring her first employee.  The bottom line. Using this method allowed this student to launch and scale quickly, and her customers didn’t even know she was cutting design corners. Think about it.  The last time you bought a shirt with a cute design on it, did you email the brand to confirm they paid for the development and design of the shirt? No. Because that would be bananas. So, if you don’t shop that way, why do you think your customers would? I’m telling you, top brands do this to make their lives easier - and you should be considering it too! The other cool thing with blanks is that with a lot of them, their labels are meant to be ripped out, so you can sew in your own brand label. If you sew in your own label, this gives the final product a more branded and polished look. MY FAVORITE T-SHIRT BLANK SUPPLIERS Okay, now that you know all of the pros and cons of using shirt blanks and why I love them, here are a few of my favorites (move over Gildan and Bella Canvas) for women, men, unisex,and even kids! But one last tip before I go. With blanks fiber content is important for the type of printing you plan to use. If you want sublimation printing for vivid colors and detailed photoreal designs, you will probably need to use 100% polyester. So, if an eco product is what you’re after, screen prints, and some types of digital prints can be done on blends and pure cotton. ORIGINAL FAVORITES Organic cotton and Supima blank options at competitive prices. And, with this brand, you don't have to stress about your supply chain practices because you know you are getting sustainable t-shirt blanks! Bonus, they have pre-vetted resources to help you customize your blank apparel, like printers, dyers, and more! PS - Did you like the blanks in the pictures on this post? They are all from Orginal Favorties! HEA NOW Because they work with Chetna farms (which I love), these blanks are made using Indian Chetna 100% cotton, which is not just organic but also biodynamic!  And, they even come in different colors to choose from, so you can skip the garment dying and print right on top CREATE FASHION BRAND For my European readers. These are some of the best quality blanks you can get in Portugal. They are known for their heavy cotton jersey fabric options. And as an added bonus, they even do low MOQ custom orders! DHARMA TRADING For everything blanks and wholesale clothing, not just short sleeve t-shirts – I’m talking dresses, scarves, tank tops, etc. So much blank variety on this site!  WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you going to give blanks a try for your startup clothing brand? Let me know in the comments! Source link

[theuniformhub]

Uniforms for All: Schools, Nurseries, Hospitality, and Beyond

At The Uniform Hub, we specialize in providing high-quality, customizable uniforms for all industries, catering to both staff and students. From school uniforms and nursery uniforms to hospitality uniforms, workwear, and more, we’re your one-stop shop for professional, durable, and stylish solutions.

Whether you’re a business looking to outfit your team or a school seeking quality uniforms for students, our wide range ensures you’ll find exactly what you need.

School Uniforms for Students and Staff

School Uniforms Suppliers In Uk are about more than just appearance—they create a sense of belonging, equality, and pride. At The Uniform Hub, we offer uniforms designed for both students and staff to keep everyone looking sharp and feeling comfortable throughout the day.

Our school uniform options include:

•Student Uniforms: Durable, comfortable, and available in various styles, including blazers, polos, trousers, skirts, and more.

•Staff Uniforms: Smart, professional attire for teachers and administrative staff, complete with branding options like embroidery and logo printing.

•Custom Branding: Add school logos and emblems to create a cohesive and professional look.

•Affordable Pricing: Competitive pricing makes it easier for schools and parents to invest in high-quality uniforms.

Nursery Uniforms for Staff and Children

When it comes to nurseries, both staff and children need uniforms that combine comfort, practicality, and durability. At The Uniform Hub, we provide:

•Soft, Child-Friendly Fabrics: Perfect for active, playful children who need comfortable clothing all day long.

•Practical Staff Uniforms: Easy-to-care-for options for caregivers and teachers that withstand busy, hands-on environments.

•Custom Options: Add your nursery’s logo or branding to create a polished, professional image.

Our nursery uniforms are designed to suit the unique needs of both children and their caregivers, ensuring everyone is comfortable and confident.

Uniforms for Hospitality and Service Industries

Make a lasting impression with our premium hospitality uniforms designed for hotels, restaurants, cafes, and event staff. Our range includes options for both front-of-house and back-of-house staff, all tailored to balance style, functionality, and durability.

What we offer for the hospitality industry:

•Customizable Designs: Add your business logo with high-quality embroidery or screen printing.

•Head-to-Toe Solutions: From chef jackets and aprons to reception staff uniforms, we’ve got everything you need.

•Durable Fabrics: Designed for the demands of fast-paced environments.

•Comfortable Styles: Perfect for long shifts and active roles.

Uniforms for All Industries: A Solution for Every Workplace

At The Uniform Hub, we supply uniforms for all industries, including healthcare, retail, corporate offices, construction, and more. Whether you need smart business attire, practical workwear, or custom logo T-shirts, we can help.

Our key offerings:

•Branded Workwear: Add your company logo to create a professional and cohesive team image.

•Durable Fabrics: Suitable for demanding industries like construction and manufacturing.

•Comfortable Options: Lightweight and breathable materials for active roles.

•Wide Selection: From polos and shirts to jackets and trousers, we provide uniforms for all job roles.

Why Choose The Uniform Hub?

1.One-Stop Shop: We cater to schools, nurseries, hospitality, healthcare, and more.

2.Customizable Options: Personalize uniforms with logo embroidery, screen printing, or other branding solutions.

3.Durable and Reliable: Our uniforms are made from high-quality fabrics designed to last.

4.Affordable Prices: Competitive pricing for businesses, schools, and nurseries.

5.Exceptional Service: Our team is here to assist you every step of the way, from selecting the right uniforms to ensuring fast, reliable delivery.

Custom Logo T-Shirts: Versatile for All Industries

Custom logo T-shirts are a cost-effective and versatile solution for businesses and organizations looking to promote their brand. At The Uniform Hub, we provide premium T-shirts for:

•Staff Uniforms: Perfect for casual workplaces, retail teams, or promotional events.

•School and Nursery Staff: Comfortable and easy-to-care-for options with custom branding.

•Brand Promotions: Create brand awareness at events with eye-catching, high-quality logo T-shirts.

With options like embroidery or screen printing, your logo will stay vibrant and professional, ensuring a polished look every time.

Choosing the Right Fabrics for Comfort and Durability

At The Uniform Hub, we know that comfort and durability are just as important as style. Whether you’re outfitting schoolchildren, hospitality staff, or construction teams, our fabrics are chosen to meet the demands of your industry.

•Breathable and Lightweight: Ideal for long shifts or active roles.

•Durable and Easy to Maintain: Perfect for high-demand settings.

•Moisture-Wicking: Keeps staff cool and comfortable, even in busy environments.

From soft cotton polos to tough polyester blends, we have the perfect materials for your team.

Whether you’re looking for Custom School Uniform Suppliers, nursery uniforms, hospitality workwear, or uniforms for any other industry, The Uniform Hub is your trusted supplier. We offer high-quality, customizable options designed to meet your unique needs and budget.

With our wide range of products, competitive pricing, and exceptional service, we make it easy for you to create a professional, unified look for your team or students.

Visit www.theuniformhub.co.uk today to explore our full range of uniforms and start building a cohesive, professional image for your organization!

[elena-writes]

Business Interview | Week 5-6 Insights

1. Paper Station

Representative: Rose Marie Vicente | All-around Staff

Tucked away in Divisoria, Paper Station is like a hidden gem, especially for students. The moment you step in, you feel the familiarity—the store has been around for 35 years. They’ve got everything from school supplies to sports gear and even baking tools, but what really stood out to me was the warm atmosphere. Paper station is a place where customers return not just for the items, but because they feel welcome. Their secret? Fair prices and genuine care for the people they serve. In a world of ever-changing trends, Paper Station stays steady, holding on to the values that keep it going strong.

2. GadgetPro

Representative: Joseph Espinosa | Technician

GadgetPro a tech repair shop. Located in the Goking Building, it’s clear that this place is trusted by many. The technician, Joseph Espinosa, knows his stuff—whether it’s fixing iPhones or laptops, he handles each device like it’s his own. What’s more is, they offer a longer warranty on their repairs, which not all shops do, giving their customers peace of mind.

GadgetPro immediately stands out for me because of its clean and refreshing atmosphere. Walking in, you're greeted by a space that doesn’t just look organized but also smells surprisingly good—something you wouldn’t typically expect from a repair shop. It's a small but memorable detail that sets them apart from others in the same business.

4. Print Creation

Representative: Ruby Tapayan | Graphic Designer

At Print Creation, the sound of printers and the smell of fresh ink welcome you. It’s not just a print shop—it’s a place that promises to meet every deadline, no matter how tight. Ruby Tapayan, the designer, is full of passion for her work. Whether it’s tarpaulins, t-shirts, or plaques, Print Creation takes pride in delivering high-quality prints for both businesses and personal needs. What makes them stand out is that they put customers first. They’re reliable and fast, making sure every job is done right. It’s clear why their clients keep coming back.

5. Sureflo, INC.

Representative: Vanessa | Secretary

What makes Sureflo stand out is their focus on giving each client exactly what they need. They don’t sell the same thing to everyone—they customize their services to fit each project. By visiting construction sites and offering personal service, they keep their business strong in a very competitive field.

[lgcbk]

( NINA )

bk is already seemingly beginning to set up, their allotted slow of time ticking closer and closer with each boom of the base. "hey—" she calls out to him, voice louder than normal as to be heard over the noise. "—sorry, i meant to get up here sooner to help but . . . i was busy." that's all she'll say. "anything still need setting up or are we ready to go?"

Byeongkwan had lived at least five lifetimes in the course of two hours. 

From ruining three dates in one night and almost getting his ass kicked, to winning ( okay, so he lost, but he had the most fun doing it so who really won here? ) a dance battle and somehow still managing to have time to slip his number to some random dancer before heading back to the stage - He was having a pretty good night in the midst of all the chaos.

And this DJ set? The grand finale.

“Hey!” he greets Nina with a tired grin. “Yeah, yeah, no worries. I’m running a little behind myself. I was, uh…” his gaze falls to his black t-shirt courtesy of promposals by Doyoon™ ( a small business venture run by his team’s doofy goalie ), the sort of flattering photo of Ahn Yoona printed on the front staring back up at him. “...Changing.” Could be worse, he thinks, glancing out at the crowd to see if he could spy the student he ended up gifting his unicorn costume to.

“Everything’s set up! For the most part, anyway. The last DJ took the laptop stand with him so I had to improvise,” he snorts, gesturing to his pc placed haphazardly on top of a chair and a few encyclopedias he found tucked away in one of the storage rooms.

“Got your USB? You can load up and kick us off, and I’ll - “ He lifts a hand as if to drop an invisible mic, making a few explosion noises. “Set this place on fire.”

[luvdsc]

august.

Bad habits are hard to break, and you’ve made a terrible one of loving him.

pairing :: liu yangyang x reader genre :: fluff, angst ⋮ best friend + college au word count :: 10,500 words warnings :: none. playlist :: time lapse (taeyeon) ⋆ 2 kids (taemin) ⋆ daydreams (exes) ⋆ sharing you (lany) ⋆ august (taylor swift) ⋆ too close to love (will hyde) ⋆ sad stripped (lany) ⋆ strangers (taemin) ⋆ the 1 (taylor swift) author’s note :: can you believe that i literally wrote this entire 10k fic in one day aka today ??? whew this gave me the same rush that i got when i wrote my research paper in the class it was due for the day of, printed it out during break, and handed it in at the end of class :’) ↳ part of the almost collaboration series.

Liu Yangyang is jumping fences to escape late night parties, shared laughter over childhood favorite cartoons on February mornings, midnight dancing in the refrigerator light, and November kisses stolen in between the shelves of the nearby 7-Eleven. He is obscure doodles in the margins of your physics notes, good intentions laced in December’s mistakes, strawberry lemonade and broken truths wrapped in summer bliss, and September endings with honest lies.

He is your August, he is your everything, but he isn’t yours.

AUGUST 2018.

August has barely begun to fade away.

You’re eighteen years old, and you’re drunk off of your first taste of freedom, one toe already dipping into the shiny pleasures of adulthood. Your new roommate, Karina, has excitedly told you about the famous beach night themed frat party that kick starts every school year at your university. Everybody who’s anybody would be there, and your heart already races at the thought of going to your very first college party.

“Coral or blue?” Karina holds up a solid colored neon blue bikini and a striped, bright pink one for you to choose between.

“Blue.” You nod towards the first option, and she discards the other one back into the open drawer. You pull out a marigold yellow one and a black one lined with white strings, wordlessly gesturing towards them, and she immediately points to the latter.

“That one is gonna look so cute on you. Well, both would, but I love that one.”

You grin at her, silently thanking whoever decided to pair the two of you together for the random dorming. “Perfect, thanks. Do you know any of the guys hosting the party?”

“Yeah, Dejun? He’s really sweet and a year above us. I met him in the music elective I’m taking.” She turns to take off her shirt and tosses it to the side, pulling on her bikini and wriggling into a pair of ripped jean shorts. “You?”

“Kind of? Jaemin is in my project group in Intro to Engineering. He’s rushing for that frat.” You quickly change out of your outfit and into your chosen swim top and daisy dukes. You make sure to grab a pair of black flip flops from your closet. The bundle of nerves in your stomach grows as you step out of your dorm with your new friend, a bit anxious but also excited to attend your very first party.

Thank goodness for summer weather. It’s still a nice, warm 75 degrees Fahrenheit according to your weather app when you and Karina finally make your way to the frat house. The sun barely begins to set, but the party slash dayger had started earlier and is in full swing. There’s a DJ set up out front, blasting some sort of EDM music, and the lawn is absolutely covered in foam. You see the source of it shakily set up on the roof of the patio along with a couple of boys sitting up there, Hawaiian shirts barely covering their figures. You catch the eye of Jaemin, who happily waves at you from his vantage point, and you wave back at him.

“Oh my god, I love college,” Karina says, grabbing your arm excitedly as the two of you step into the foam. You reach down to pick up some of it before flicking it towards your roommate, who squeals before scooping some up and throwing it in your direction as well.

“Ready for our first shitty college drink?” You pull her through the mass of other students and towards the horribly decorated tiki bar stationed in the corner of the patio.

“Hell yeah, let’s do it.”

The two of you stumble over, still throwing handfuls of foam at each other amidst giggles before making a full stop in front of the bar. The older boy behind the makeshift counter lazily grins at you both, a shell necklace hanging loosely around his neck, and his unbuttoned orange Hawaiian shirt gives you a nice flash of his toned abs.

“Hey, I’m Johnny. What can I get for you two?”

“Two vodka shots, please.”

“Alright, ID?”

You freeze, and Karina’s grip on your arm tightens, and then Johnny laughs, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Relax, I’m just messing with you, freshie. Two vodka shots coming right up.”

He pulls out two small plastic cups and pours out the drinks for you. “How many do you want?”

“This is good for now, thanks.” You and Karina pick up the drinks, smiling a little nervously at him. He flashes another amused smile at you. “Alright, come back anytime if you want another.”

You move away from the patio, and Karina follows close behind. The two of you throw back the drinks and dispose of the empty cups quickly. The burning sensation in your throat disappears after a few seconds, and you turn to your roommate. “Should we find our friends?”

“I think I see Dejun back there! Let’s go say hi, I can introduce you to him.” Karina drags you through the rising foam, the bubbles clinging to your skin, and when you go past the DJ stand, you feel the pounding bass reverberating in your chest harder than ever. You trek past the gate and into the backyard where the foam has risen to your waist, thanks to the enclosed fences. She taps on the shoulder of a boy with the prettiest almond eyes you have ever seen, and you shyly smile at him when he greets you.

“Hey, I’m Dejun.”

Oh my god, even his voice sounds pretty. Older college boys are definitely better and hotter than high school boys. Heck, they’re better than freshman boys. Nobody wants to date a freshman dude, not even the freshman girls.

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” You extend your hand, but then realize how stupid that must be. You hastily start to retract your hand, but he laughs and warmly grasps your hand. Smiling at you, he shakes it firmly, squeezing your hand gently before letting go.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N.”

The butterflies in your stomach grow in volume as the conversation goes on, and you’re positively enamored by the end of the night. Karina had given you a look earlier before walking off with Dejun’s friend and joining the dancing crowd. With the addition of his phone number in your pocket and a promise to show you a new song he’s working on with his guitar next Friday, you’re walking on cloud nine.

“Do you want something to drink? I need a refill, and I can go grab you one,” he asks, and you’re about to offer to go with him, but then you remember the teasing upperclassman and simply agree, asking for another shot of vodka.

After he disappears, you look around, eyeing the crowd and wondering if you can spot your roommate anywhere. You bump into someone lightly and turn around to apologize. Your eyes meet a pair of curiously bright ones.

“Sorry about that, I’m looking for my roomie.”

The boy gives you a Cheshire Cat grin. He’s wearing one of those dumb Hawaiian shirts, too, and it’s unbuttoned, but he has a white T-shirt layered underneath it. “No biggie, it’s a massive party and it’s crowded. Who are you looking for?”

“Ah, I don’t know if you know her, but Karina? She went off with this dude, Kunhang, I think?”

His eyes light up at that name. “Oh, I know him! I saw him earlier by the keg stands inside. Your friend might be there, too. I can—”

“THE COPS ARE COMING!” A loud voice bellows, and you freeze up. Suddenly, the music is shut off as everyone starts running away. You start to panic, the terror rising in your chest, and the boy in front of you grabs your hand and pulls you with him. “What are you doing?! Don’t just stand there! We gotta go!”

“Wait, but Kar—” You start to object, but cut yourself off when you bump into his back as he abruptly stops. He scans the backyard, quickly assessing the situation before turning to you.

“There’s way too many people trapped in here, we’re not gonna make it to the gate. We need to climb over the fence. I’ll hoist you up, and you can help me up from there.”

“I don’t even know you,” you protest, and he throws you a look.

“Hi, I’m Yangyang, nice to meet you, I don’t want to get my ass hauled out by the police and continue the icebreakers in jail, so let’s move now. We good?”

“Yeah, okay, we’re good,” you say faintly, mind still whirling around as you try to grasp the situation. “I’m Y/N.”

“Great, now up you go.”

He immediately picks you up without any warning, and you almost fall backwards, arms flailing before you grasp the top of the fence and pull yourself up. Balancing precariously on top of it, you grab his arm, tugging him up until he’s sitting right next to you, too. The both of you swing your legs over the fence and jump down to the other side. You let out a sigh of relief, squatting down as you clutch your heart.

“Oh my god, we made it. I didn’t get arrested at my first party.”

“What an amazing accomplishment.” Yangyang brushes off the back of his shorts. “We aren’t going to jail. Freshman year is gonna be a breeze if your bar is set this low.”

“Hey!” You frown at him, standing up and crossing your arms over your chest. “How do you know I’m a freshman?”

“It’s written all over your face.” You give him a look, and he relents. “Only a freshman would be this scared of getting caught.”

“So are you an upperclassman?”

“Nah, this is my first party, too. I’m rushing for Nu Chi. Hold on, wait here.” He sneaks around the edge of the fence, peering around for a few seconds before jogging back towards you. “Okay, the police are over there. I’m gonna have to wait a while before going back in.”

“You have to go back?”

“Part of tonight’s rush process,” he sighs before turning to you. “Do you live on campus?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna walk back now,” you answer, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. “It’s late, and I’m not in a partying mood anymore.”

“I can walk you back,” he offers, and you shoot him a grateful smile.

“That’d be great, thanks.”

The two of you start the trek back, an awkward lull in the conversation making itself known. You wrap your arms around yourself, shivering slightly when a soft breeze picks up. There’s a light rustling noise, and you pay no mind to it until a soft cloth is draped over your shoulders. Eyes widening, you notice the colorful, palm tree-printed button down shirt wrapped around you and the boy next to you, looking straight ahead with his hands shoved into his pockets. Smiling to yourself, you slip on the shirt, loosely buttoning the front of it.

“So, Yangyang,” you casually begin, testing his name on your tongue for the first time. You decide you like it. It’s cute. He turns to you, raising an eyebrow, and you continue, “Since our lives are no longer in jeopardy, we can continue the icebreakers, right?”

His lips curve into a smile. “Alright, shoot. What’s your first question?”

“Captain America or Iron Man?”

“Oh, Iron Man, hands down. He’s so…”

You meet him in August.

FEBRUARY 2019.

“Hey, where’s your cereal? The Reese’s one?”

February marks six months of your relationship with Dejun. It also marks six months of your friendship with Yangyang. It is time for your weekly Sunday rituals of watching old cartoons and eating breakfast, and you could’ve sworn that box was still half full last week. You rummage through the top drawer Yangyang had designated for snacks and other foods in his dorm as he takes out the milk from his mini fridge and carries it over to his desk.

“I ran out a few days ago. There’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch somewhere in there though.”

With a victorious cry, you manage to pull out the slightly crushed box of the aforementioned cereal from underneath the packages of flamin’ hot Cheetos and spicy nacho Doritos and triumphantly bring it over to your best friend. He already pulls out two bowls (which were stolen from the dining hall) and hands over the plastic spoons in his grasp (which was also taken from the dining hall).

“Thanks.” After dropping a spoon into each bowl, you shake out the sugary cereal squares before pouring the milk because you’re not an absolute heathen who puts milk in first, like Sicheng. Yangyang clambers up to his top bunk bed, and you carefully pass over the two bowls of cereal, milk sloshing precariously near the edges. You climb up afterwards, and he gives you your bowl once you settle down.

“So, Scooby Doo or Pokémon?”

“Mm, we watched Pokémon last Sunday already, so let’s do Scooby Doo this time.” He nods in agreement, pulling up the cartoon from the queue in Netflix, and the two of you lean back against the ginormous mound of pillows and stuffed animals of his that occupy nearly half of his bed.

You’re shoveling a spoonful of cereal into your mouth when he casually asks, “So how’re you and Dejun doing?”

Choking slightly, you quickly swallow. “We’re doing good. I think he booked a table at the Italian restaurant down the street for Valentine’s Day. Are you doing anything for Valentine’s?”

“I’m forcing Renjun to come watch that “‘Happy Death Day’ movie with me.” The faint sounds of the Scooby Doo theme song plays in the background as you hum in acknowledgement, mouth twisting into a mischievous smirk.

“That’s so sweet. So who confessed to who? Not gonna lie, I thought you had a crush on Hyuck, not Jun.”

“... I would shove you right now, but I just did my laundry, and rewashing my comforter is expensive and I’m out of quarters.”

You stick your tongue out at him, and he rolls his eyes before lifting his bowl up to sip the best part of having Cinnamon Toast Crunch: the milk infused with all the cinnamony, sugary goodness. You let your spoon fall back into your bowl with a soft clink, a sudden worrying thought popping into your head.

“I bought him some customized guitar picks and a pretty composition book. Do you think he’ll like it?”

“That’s a pretty basic gift, isn’t it? It feels like something Kun would get him,” he teases, but his heart falls when he notices you chewing on your bottom lip, spoon held limply in your hand.

“Hey, I’m just joking, of course he would like it. He’s completely whipped. He’ll love anything from you.” Yangyang’s voice grows softer, and he fiddles with a stray thread on his comforter, avoiding eye contact with you. “I know I would.”

He looks up slightly and sees you smiling gratefully at him, eyes shining bright. He quickly ducks his head, turning away slightly to hide the hues of pink blooming on his cheeks. He feels you leaning over to rest your head on his shoulder with a quiet sigh, and his breath hitches in his throat.

“Thanks, Yang.”

Replaying the sight of your smile in his mind makes his stomach flip flop, and he resists the overwhelming urge to tell you you’re pretty, pushing it back into the farthest crevice of his mind.  Your head on his shoulder makes him feel like he’s carrying the entire world, and he doesn’t know what to do. He paints on a tight smile of his own, silently hoping you can’t hear the way his heart nearly pounds out of his chest.

Yangyang knows that having feelings for his best friend, specifically one of his good friends’ girlfriends, is something he absolutely should not be doing, but he can’t help it. His stupid heart refuses to listen to his brain. For now, all he can do is desperately hope that this dumb crush of his goes away soon because while 99% of his friends are oblivious (including you), Ten and Donghyuck are not. They’ll be able to spot his feelings from a mile away, like how Kun always knows when there’s a good sale going on at the Asian supermarket downtown (This week, it was the 50% off bean sprouts and chili paste).

Letting out an inaudible sigh, Yangyang carefully rests his head on top of yours. Clutching the empty bowl with one hand, he shoves his other one under his thigh to stop himself from reaching over and tangling his fingers with yours. He stares at the screen, watching until the bright colors blur together.

“Anytime.”

He likes you in February.

AUGUST 2019.

The earth spins around the sun for another time, and August makes its presence known once again. It’s Thursday night, and you’re sitting on the countertop in Nu Chi Theta’s kitchen, swinging your legs back and forth as Yangyang struggles to make some scrambled eggs because the half filled carton of eggs the two of you managed to find is the only thing that isn’t expired (besides Jeno’s protein shakes, but neither of you are gonna touch that cardboard tasting monstrosity).

“Maybe I should make it.” You peer over at the frying pan, wincing when you see the full damage of your future meal. “Did you use oil?”

“Of course I did!” he exclaims indignantly before pitifully pushing around the nearly charred mess of yolk and whites around with his spatula. “I’m not Mark.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” you mutter, waving your hand around to dissipate the acrid burning smell, and Yangyang throws you a dirty look. He grabs a fork and stabs a small chunk of the eggs. Picking it up, he brings it closer to his mouth before hesitating. His eyes dart to you, and you raise your eyebrows at him, a silent challenge in your gaze. The sad piece of egg hovers in the air for a few more seconds before he defeatedly drops it back into the pan.

“Okay, what if we just Uber Eats some McDonald’s?” Turning off the stove, he then tosses the remnants of his cooking into the trash and drops the pan into the sink.

“Stellar plan. Best idea you’ve had all night.” You hop off the counter to stand next to him, propping your chin on his shoulder to see him pull up the app. He immediately puts in your usual order along with his before holding it up for you to see it better.

“Looks good?”

“Looks perfect.”

He clicks the confirmation button, and the delivery is set to come in 30 minutes. You’re suddenly hyper aware of how close you are with your chest pressed against his back and hastily move away, warmth spreading across your cheeks.

Glancing over at your best friend, you don't miss the way Yangyang smiles down at something on his phone before his fingers fly across the screen. When he looks up, you immediately turn away, focusing your eyes on anything but him.

“Hey, you’re going to the Alpha Sig formal, right?” Yangyang calls out, and you throw on a teasing grin.

“You mean Alpha Sigma Psi, also known as the sorority I’m in?”

“Ah, right, yeah.” He flushes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “But you’re going, right?”

You nod, the sudden realization creeping up on you. “Oh yeah, I am, thanks for reminding me. I completely forgot to ask, but do you want t—”

“Ningning just asked me to go with her,” Yangyang blurts out, and you freeze, failing to hide your shock for a split second before you regain your composure.

“Oh wow, that’s great, Yang! I’ll see you there then.” You try to give him a convincing smile. He wrings his hands, biting his bottom lip. Something is on his mind. You can tell. He’s not someone to hold back with his words, but this time, he is.

“I… I don’t know if I’m gonna go,” he says at last. Your heart picks up a little at that. Does that mean he doesn’t want to go to the dance at all? Or does he not want to go with Ningning? If you asked him now, would it make a difference?

“I’ve never slow danced,” he confesses, leaning against the opposite counter, and your heart drops. So that was it. Of course, he wouldn’t reject Ningning. She’s an absolute goddess, heck, you wouldn’t say no if she asked you either. You stamp out that last flicker of hope.

“What if I suck at it?” he continues, absentmindedly carding his fingers through his hair. “Oh god, I bet Yukhei and Kunhang are never gonna let me live it down. I can do choreographed dances, but I’m gonna mess up over a stupid slow dance. But where am I supposed to put my hands?! Like on her shoulders? Her waist? Do I hold her hand?”

Your eyes follow the way his hair ruffles slightly, and you wonder if it’s as soft as it looks. You swallow hard before saying quietly, “I can teach you?”

His hand pauses mid-movement, and your eyes fly down to meet his. His eyes widen, and he contemplates your offer for a split second before nodding excitedly. “Yeah, that’d be great! Can you teach me right now? While we wait for our food to come!”

“S-sure,” you stammer, flustered at the sudden acceptance and his eagerness. “Um, here? In the kitchen?”

“Yeah, why not?” He shrugs before straightening up. “The lights should be dimmed, right? We can kind of mimic that here to set the mood or whatever.”

He goes over and fiddles with the light switch, flicking it on and off, and you laugh, walking over and placing your hand over his. “What are you doing? Some kind of Kevin Nguyen mating call to look for a rave bae?”

“First off, I’m offended that you think I’d be one of them,” Yangyang narrows his eyes at you. “Secondly, I’m trying to make this feel more formal dance-y. Oh, wait!”

He turns off the lights for the last time and reaches over to pull open the refrigerator doors, the artificial fluorescent light pouring out and mixing with the faint beams coming in through the window from the street lamps outside. He grins at you, satisfied. “Romantic, huh?”

You roll your eyes, but the amused smile on your face gives away your true feelings. “Wow, Romeo, you swept me off my feet. The food is gonna go bad, and Kun is gonna kill you for the high electricity bill.”

“What food? Jeno’s protein shakes probably never expire.” He snorts before standing closer to you, his hands resting on either side of you on the counter. You can see the pretty gold flecks in his irises, and your breath gets caught in your throat. “And I guess this means you gotta teach me fast before we waste more electricity, right?”

You place your hands on his chest and lightly push him away, and he laughs, stepping back. You let out a shaky breath, remembering that your lungs need oxygen in order to, you know, continue living.

“Okay,” you clear your throat before pulling out your phone and putting on a slow song. “Ready?”

“You chose Ed Sheeran? Thinking Out Loud? Really?”

You raise your hands up defensively. “Hey, he’s the king of sappy slow songs that all girls want to be played at their weddings for their first dance.”

When your legs don't work like they used to before,

And I can't sweep you off of your feet,

Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?

Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?

“Is this the song you want played at your wedding?” He raises an eyebrow at you, and your face grows warm. You ignore the question, and this time, you’re the one taking a bold step forward, a few centimeters now separating you and your best friend. You see his Adam’s apple bob as he gulps lightly before meeting your eyes.

And darling, I will be loving you 'til we're seventy,

And baby, my heart could still fall as hard at twenty-three,

And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways.

“So, your hands go here.” You take his hands and place them on either side of your waist. His arms freeze up. “Relax, Yang. Precious cargo here.”

He lets out a chuckle, loosening his grip as he starts to relax. You reach up and slide your arms around his neck, interlocking your fingers. You gaze back at him, saying softly, “Now pull me closer.”

He does so.

Maybe just the touch of a hand,

Oh me I fall in love with you every single day,

And I just wanna tell you I am.

“And now follow my lead. We’re going to take one step. And then another. We’re just slowly turning in a circle.”

After a few spins and steps, you stop leading and let yourself be led. Yangyang continues to hold onto you carefully, and you can hear him muttering a 1, 2, 3, 4 count under his breath until he finally gets the hang of it. He grows a little braver, pulling you even closer.

So honey now,

Take me into your loving arms,

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars.

“Are you going with Dejun?” he asks quietly, and you stiffen at the mention at him before shaking your head.

“No, we broke up in July.”

Yangyang falters in his step before recovering. “Oh. You never told me.”

“Yeah.” You struggle to keep your voice level. “I just… he’s your friend, and I didn’t want to make it weird.”

“You’re my best friend though,” he says firmly, looking you directly in the eyes. His grip on your waist tightens. “It’s his loss. That dumbass just lost the best person who’ll ever come into his life.”

You give him a tired half smile, one that doesn’t quite meet your eyes. He hugs you closer to him, wrapping his arms around your waist and securing you against his chest. You rest your head in the crook of his neck and hope that he doesn’t feel how quickly your heart beats in your chest.

Place your head on my beating heart,

I'm thinking out loud,

Maybe we found love right where we are.

“Thanks, Yang,” you whisper, your breath tickling his skin. He envelops you tightly, and the two of you continue to spin in slow circles, quietly dancing in the refrigerator light as the remaining verses of the song warble in the background.

You think you finally understand what Dejun meant when he said he’s breaking up with you because your heart was already occupied by someone else.

You fall in love with him in August.

NOVEMBER 2019.

[ 12:54 a.m. ] yang 🐏🤪: hey you up?

[ 12:54 a.m. ] yang 🐏🤪: 7/11 in ten mins?

Tiredly rubbing your eyes, you stumble out of your dorm building, one of Jeno’s sweaters draped over your figure. November nights are cold, but this one seems chillier than usual. Yangyang stands near the front steps, and he stiffens up when he notices whose hoodie you’re wearing. He makes no mention of it though when you join him.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” He glances over to you as the two of you walk side by side to the small convenience store just on the edge of campus. You shake your head, shoving your hands into the front pocket of your sweater.

“I was up cramming for midterms. I could use a break anyway,” you shrug. A wisp of your hair falls in your face, and Yangyang starts to reach out to fix it, but forces himself to keep his hand by his side. You reach out to carelessly brush it away, tucking it behind your ear.

“What about you?” You look over at him, noting the bags under his eyes. “Rough night?”

He smiles tiredly at you, shoving his hands into his pockets as he kicks a stray pebble along the sidewalk. “More like rough week. Two more midterms left, and they’re for electromagnetic theory and linear systems.”

“Oh god, good luck. I took linear systems today, and it was absolutely brutal.” You wince, brightening up when you see the familiar neon orange, red, and green lights up ahead.

“Maybe I should just withdraw and take it again next quarter,” your best friend grumbles, kicking the stone as far as he possibly can.

“You really want another quarter with Hwang?”

“You’re right,” he sighs, “I just need to get a C+ to maintain my GPA. C if I’m pushing it.”

The two of you hurry over to the 7-Eleven, quickening your pace, until you reach the store doors, and you pull them open. Entering quickly, you push the door open slightly wider, and Yangyang slips in behind you. The cashier doesn’t even look up, texting away on his phone. You make a beeline towards the chips aisle, grabbing a bag of flamin’ hot Cheetos and a pack of sour gummy worms.

“What are you getting, Yang?” You call out over your shoulder, eyes zeroing in on the Red Bull stand at the end of the aisle. When you hear no response, you halt in your steps, turning around. Yangyang stands in the middle of the aisle, looking dazed under the fluorescent lights.

Putting your items back on the shelf, you approach him, reaching out and touching his arm gently. “Yangyang, what’s wrong?”

He jerks back before silently holding up his phone for you to see. There’s a slew of text messages from Ningning a few hours ago, and a quick scan tells you all you need to know. Your heart weighs heavily in your chest when you look back at him, a forlorn expression on his face.

“She dumped me,” he says quietly, shoving the phone back into his pocket. “She said our relationship was like a friendship. She didn’t feel anything. She said we could still be friends if I wanted to be though.”

He jabs a large bag of Lays potato chips angrily as his voice raises slightly higher. “But I don’t get it. Do friends take each other on dates? Do friends spend the night? Do friends hug each other and hold hands walking to class? Do friends spend three hundred dollars to do a surprise weekend trip for their birthday?”

He whirls around to face you, and he’s so close that you can see those pretty golden sparkles in his eyes again. Suddenly, his hands are cupping your face, and the next thing you know, he’s kissing you. Your eyes widen for a fraction of a second before they flutter shut, and you press your lips against his. The 90s pop station music playing overhead seems to fade away, and all you can focus on is that your best friend tastes like spearmint gum and grape soju. He pulls away abruptly, the realization of what he’s done finally hitting him as his chest heaves up and down.

“Do friends kiss like this?”

His voice is barely a whisper, but it cuts through the silence. You feel like you’re spinning out of control, a split second from careening and crashing.

“No, we—they don’t,” you mumble, and Yangyang sees the starstruck look in your eyes, and he wants to apologize: to say sorry for kissing you. But he doesn’t. Because for some reason, he doesn’t feel sorry. He closes his eyes, curling his hands into fists before exhaling slowly. He sees you looking back at him this time, and he wonders if you feel as equally lost as he does.

Because you’re right. Friends don’t kiss each other like that. Friends don’t feel like this about each other.

He kisses you in November.

AUGUST 2020.

The sun still shines bright late into the day, and August greets you like an old friend. You’re absentmindedly doodling in the margins of your notebook designated for Quantum Mechanics. Yangyang sits next to you in the lecture hall, making a bunch of origami cranes before tossing them at Renjun’s head right in front of him. When the bird reaches its target for the sixth time in a row, the annoyed boy whirls around in his seat, glaring at your best friend.

“Stop that,” he hisses, and Yangyang innocently raises his hands in the air. Renjun angrily frowns at him before turning back around in his seat. After a few minutes, Yangyang flicks another crane towards his friend. If this was a cartoon, you would see steam blowing out of your friend’s ears. You silently watch as he wordlessly picks up his phone, seething as he presses on a particular number.

Suddenly, Travis Scott’s SICKO MODE starts blasting, amplified by the large auditorium-like room. The professor goes silent, and everyone turns to see Yangyang scrambling to pick up his phone. He fumbles around for a few seconds with it before finally shutting it off and putting it on vibrate mode. Cheeks burning red, he meekly puts his phone back in his bag and squeaks out a “sorry” before sinking down in his chair (You can see the culprit grinning like the cat ate the canary right in front of him. Karma’s a bitch who also goes by the name of Renjun).

You pat his arm consolingly as he sulks next to you for a few minutes, mouth jutting out into a pout. You decide to take pity on him and lean closer to him, whispering quietly, “Would it make you feel better if I bought you boba after class?”

Immediately, he brightens up. “One oolong milk tea, half sugar with white pearls and coconut jelly?”

“Yes, I’ll pay for your overpriced drink,” you huff, thinking about how his one seven dollar drink could buy you a whole rotisserie chicken that’ll last you a week. At least the fluffy dog at Cloudy with a Chance of Boba is cute and fun to play with. “I’ll even get the honey waffle fries.”

“Heck yeah!” he whisper-yells, fist pumping quietly before he suddenly deflates. “Wait, I can’t. I promised Lia I’d get lunch with her.”

Ah, right, there’s Lia now. Yangyang’s new girlfriend: the only other student who went to Düsseldorf, Germany to study abroad over the summer, and inevitably, the two of them became close. All you really know about her is that she’s pretty, she’s in Iota Theta Zeta, and she followed you on Instagram a few weeks ago (of course, you followed her back because of the unspoken best friend and girlfriend policy).

Her page looks carefully curated, and there’s a common pink tinted theme going on throughout her feed. She has over a thousand followers, and it seems like Yangyang fits perfectly in her magazine curated life, judging by how he occupies nearly every picture taken in the summer with her or how he’s tagged as the photographer. You can’t deny that they look good together, pointedly shoving the green eyed monster back under the bed.

You take a peek at your messy Instagram page where you only post pictures when you’re half drunk, so there’s no semblance of uniformity anywhere. You shrug at him, pocketing your phone.

“No biggie. I’ll see if Karina is up for some boba. She’s been holed up in the dance studio already, and it’s only week two of classes, can you believe it?”

“I remember Ten was the same way,” Yangyang hums, eyes fixated on his phone and fingers tapping away. He laughs quietly, lips curling into a pretty smile, and you glance over curiously.

“What’s so funny?”

“Hmm?” Yangyang finally tears his eyes away from his screen for a split second to look at you before another buzz takes his attention away. He’s distracted, lovestruck, and you wistfully smile before turning back to your notes.

“Sorry, what’d you say earlier?” he loudly whispers a few minutes later, and you barely glance up from the large bulbasaur doodle you’re in the progress of completing right next to the chart marking the wave functions for a bouncing ball that you had copied down from the blackboard.

“Oh, I just asked what was so funny,” you murmur, coloring in the flowers you drew around the Pokémon with your blue ballpoint pen.

He looks confused for a moment before lighting up. “Oh! It was just a German joke. It’s not really funny if I translate it though.”

“Got it, no worries.” You notice the professor starting a new example problem, and you abandon your drawing, focusing on the formulas rapidly filling up the chalkboards in front of you. A quiet chuckle echoes in your ears, and you pause in your note taking to look over and see your best friend still typing on his phone. You make a mental reminder to create a copy of your notes for him later on when you pass the library on the way to the dining hall.

“Hey, Y/N.” Yangyang nudges you gently. “Rain check on the boba?”

You offer him a soft smile. “Of course. Anytime.”

He gives you a quick grin in return before his attention returns to the device in his hand—or rather, the pretty girl behind those texts. Your best friend is sitting right next to you, but you’ve never felt so far away. You know distance makes the heart grow fonder, but you don’t think it’s possible to be even fonder of him than you are now. Bad habits are hard to break, and you’ve made a terrible one of loving him. No wonder it’s beginning to hurt so much.

You lose him in August.

DECEMBER 2020.

December is the coldest month of the year, yet it is also simultaneously the warmest with all the holiday festivities it brings. If Yangyang were to choose a month to describe you, it’d be this one. You are a walking paradox, a conundrum he might never solve, an oxymoron come to life. He doesn’t understand how you can be his best friend, yet feel like a stranger; a friend who he wants as a lover; someone who has created such an impact in his life, but disappears seamlessly here and there.

He wonders when you’ve gotten so distant. He wonders why he never noticed the way you seemed to slip away through the cracks until it’s now nearing the end of the year, and the last time he’s seen you in person was before the November autumn break.

But you’re here.

You’re standing right next to the punch bowl filled with spiked eggnog, wearing a garish knitted button down jumper with brightly colored Christmas lights decorating it. It’s perfectly in theme with the Ugly Christmas Sweater party Nu Chi is holding, and Yangyang is beyond ecstatic to know that you’re attending. He had texted you an invite two weeks ago, and you merely reacted with a thumbs up.

Yangyang swears he was going to follow up with you on that, but he got so caught up with midterms, then meeting Lia’s family for Thanksgiving, then studying for finals, and then finally, preparing for this party. Buying enough beer for twenty-three keg stands is a lot more difficult than it seems (Donghyuck’s car broke down halfway during one trip, and they all had to carry back the packs of beers to the house in 40 degree weather in their Sperry boat shoes and Patagonia long sleeves that definitely weren’t cut out for this kind of weather).

His girlfriend is somewhere in the room, wearing the other half of the reindeer sweater she forced him to put on, but all he can focus on is you. He hurriedly makes his way over, skidding to a stop in front of you, and you’re startled before a smile spreads across your face.

“Hey, you, I haven’t seen you in a while.” You grin at him, reaching out to poke the reindeer tail sticking out from the front of his itchy sweater (Lia got to wear the head half of the reindeer, while he was stuck with the behind).

“Yeah, how have you been?” He reaches around you to pick up a cup and pour himself some eggnog. He offers you one, but you decline with a small shake of your head.

“I’ve been doing good, a bit tired with finals coming up, but what’s new?” You joke, grabbing one of the sugar cookies from the table. You’re secretly surprised that they actually have real food (No, Hyuck, Jell-O shots do not count as real food). You suspect Jaemin has something to do with it. He always contributes to the annual Greek row bake sale.

“Are you here with someone? Did Karina come?” he asks, curiosity coating every word. He looks around for your roommate, but she’s nowhere to be found.

You shake your head. “No, I actually came with—”

“Me!”

Yukhei bounds over, slipping an arm over your shoulder. He hands you a new cup of apple cider, which you accept gratefully. He grins happily at Yangyang, who freezes up at the sight of his tall friend. “I asked her to be my date for the party, and she agreed. She also made our sweaters! Aren’t they so cool? There’s even lights that spell my name and play Christmas songs. She did a bunch of cool programming tricks to make them work.”

Yangyang realizes with a start that the two of you are indeed wearing matching sweaters, and that leaves a rather sour taste in his mouth (and it definitely wasn’t because of expired eggnog). The corners of his lips tilt downward as he presses his lips together tightly.

“So… you two are together?” He gestures between you and Yukhei with a forced laugh. Jealousy never did look good on anybody, and unfortunately, he’s not an exception.

“We’re just seeing each other and seeing how it goes for now,” you answer quietly, noting the way your best friend reacts. You have always been good at reading him, and you tread carefully now, not wanting to make a scene. Drunk Yangyang never holds anything back, and he’s had quite a few pre-game shots already (It definitely doesn’t help that he’s a lightweight, too).

“I see. How did you guys meet? Or I guess, start talking?” He attempts to look intimidating, staring down at Yukhei, but it’s a difficult feat to accomplish, especially when he’s trying to stare down a six foot guy who’s more like an overgrown puppy and his friend.

“Oh, she came by for one of your boba runs, but you were still out with Lia. So I asked if I could go with her.” Yukhei flashes his pearly whites at you, and you chuckle, leaning your head against his shoulder.

“I said yes, and we hit it off, I guess.”

“You guess? And you took him on our boba runs?”

“You were out with Lia,” you say defensively, and he blanches when he hears his girlfriend’s name come out of your mouth.

“You could’ve waited,” he mutters, but you still hear it, and you give him a scathing look, finally too tired of this push and pull game that’s been going on behind the scenes for nearly three years now.

“I did. I waited over an hour here for you, but you didn’t show up or even text me that you were gonna be late. Yukhei was nice enough to offer to go with me.”

He stays silent, and you gnaw on your bottom lip, unsure of what to say next. Yukhei looks at you in concern, but you reach up and squeeze his hand reassuringly, which your best friend doesn’t fail to notice, his lips pressing into an even thinner line.

“I don’t understand what the deal is,” you finally burst out, startling both boys. “What’s the big deal about me and Yukhei going out?”

Something inside of him finally snaps. “The big deal is that you’re basically sleeping through my list of friends and then breaking up with them! First Dejun, then Jeno, now Yukhei? Who’s next? Should I give Renjun a heads up? Pencil you into his planner? Or Sicheng?  Sungchan? You have a class with him, so you’re bound to flirt with him, too, right? When are you gonna stop fucking around with my frien—”

He gasps, stopping mid-outburst as he stares at you in disbelief. Apple cider slides down from his hair, dripping onto his face and soaking into his sweater, the sticky juice clinging to his skin uncomfortably. You’re absolutely seething, the empty cup crackling in your clenched fist. Shocked, Yukhei carefully tugs the plastic away from you and places it on the table before replacing it with his own hand, his thumb caressing circles on the back of your hand soothingly. Yangyang doesn’t dare to meet his furious gaze, lifting his chin to look at you instead. The entire room has hushed down by now, all eyes staring directly at the three of you in a mixture of surprise and slight terror.

“Screw you, Yangyang,” you say lowly, voice shaking with anger. Tears form on the edge of your waterline, but you blink them away before hastily brushing a stray droplet from your cheek. “They asked me out. I said yes. We went out. It didn’t work out. We move on. Just like how you’ve gone out with my  friends. And they didn’t work out, so you moved on. So what’s so wrong about that? What’s so wrong about trying again to find love?”

He can’t answer you, curling his hands into fists until his fingernails indent miniature crescents in his palms—until the pain overtakes the feelings that are threatening to spill from his heart. Yangyang may not be yours, but he doesn’t like the fact that he can’t call you his either.

Love. That’s what you want, that’s what you crave, but not if it’s from him. So what is he supposed to do with love that’s unwanted? It’s bursting at the seams, and he has nowhere to hide it anymore.

He loves you in December.

AUGUST 2021.

August sneaks up on you this time around, and you find yourself in Kunhang’s apartment. All of your close friends are here, starting the last year of youth with one final first day party. You think back to that day three years ago: when your eyes met a pair of equally bright ones for the first time.

Curled up next to Yukhei on the couch, you look across the room and meet those very same eyes, although they seem hazier this time around. Lia is wrapped around his arm, and you think it’s quite ironic how both your and his relationships remain the same after all this time. Perhaps you both were bad luck for each other, leading to the other’s demise with short lived relationships. He looks away from you.

The rules of truth or dare are simple. You cannot ask the same person again until three other people have been asked first, and no one can be asked more than three times in each round. And, for reasons you can’t understand, everyone seems to take the code of truth seriously.

“I’ll start,” Kunhang announces, leaning back in one of the several beanbags he has in his place. “Goeun, truth or dare?”

Goeun sighs, leaning back on the palms of her hands. “Dare.”

“You and Mark, seven minutes in heaven.” Hendery points towards the coat closet, and the immediate reaction of hoots and wolf whistles has the girl rolling her eyes. With an exasperated huff, she stands up and pulls a red faced Mark along with her.

“Wait, you gotta pick the next person!” Donghyuck calls out, and she stops in her tracks, throwing open the closet door and shrugging. “You can choose for me.”

With that, she and Mark disappear behind the door, and Donghyuck turns toward the rest of the group, eyes glimmering mischievously. You pay no attention to him, absentmindedly playing with Yukhei’s fingers. You tug one of his rings off his finger, and he smiles, plucking it from your grasp carefully before holding your hand. He carefully slides it onto your right ring finger, but it falls off. Grinning, he pretends to try it on every single one of your fingers until finally settling on your thumb. The ring fits snugly there, and you admire it, wriggling your thumb around.

“Well, look at that. It fits you. I think that means we’re meant to be,” Yukhei says, smiling broadly, and you laugh, interlocking your fingers with his again before glancing down at the silver engraved band resting on your finger. The weight of the metal feels heavy resting against your knuckle.

“Yangyang, truth or dare.”

Donghyuck’s voice cuts through your thoughts, and you instinctively perk up in your seat at the sound of his name before freezing up in your spot. Yukhei squeezes your hand softly, and you tighten your grip around his fingers.

“Truth.”

“You’re no fun,” Donghyuck sighs, slouching back against the armrest. Yukhei leans over and whispers something in his ear before settling back next to you, shifting slightly to wrap his arm around you. Donghyuck lifts an eyebrow at your boyfriend before shrugging. “Okay, here’s an easy one. Are you in love…”

“Yes.”  is his immediate response, and you notice how Lia absolutely preens next to him.

“… with Y/N?”

Your breath hitches in your throat, and you immediately turn your head to look at Yukhei, your eyes growing wide in horror. He looks apologetic, shoulders drooping. “I’m sorry, but just the way he looks at you, it’s so obvious, and I had to know.”

You whip around to face the boy in question. With bated breath, you look at him, but Yangyang stares at the center of the floor, struggling internally. Everyone is quiet, and it reminds you of the calm before a storm. At last, he looks up, gazing right at you, and you can almost swear that you see those pretty little gold flecks in his irises from here.

“Yes,” Yangyang confesses quietly.

There’s almost a collective gasp rippling through the room, and Yukhei lets out an inaudible swear under his breath. Your grip on his hand grows slack as you fumble to get a grasp on the entire situation.

He loves you. He loves you. He loves you.

The words echo in your mind like a mantra until it grows so loud that you can’t hear any of your own thoughts anymore. Lia is in absolute hysterics, demanding an explanation from him, but he merely shrugs her off. Standing up, he quickly moves to leave the room, glancing at you one more time before disappearing out the front door.

It’s like your body is on auto-pilot after this. You drop Yukhei’s hand, immediately standing up and rushing after your best friend, paying no mind to the hushed whispers that only seem to increase in volume once you leave. You step out onto the porch, and there he is, sitting on the steps.

You quietly stand behind him, contemplating what to say and carefully choosing your next words. But there’s only one question on your mind.

“Why did you say that?”

He stays silent for a moment, staring out at the moon shining brightly ahead. “Because I meant it.”

Your heart wrenches in your chest. “You shouldn’t.”

He finally turns to look at you, an indescribable look in his eyes. It reminds you of heartbreak. “But I do. And I tried not to for the past three fucking years, but I can’t anymore.”

“Since freshman year?” You feel the tears well up in your eyes, and this time, you let them go. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Yangyang grips onto the edge of the stairs tightly, frustration ringing with every word that falls from his mouth. “Because I was scared. And I thought you never felt the same way. You’re my best friend, and I didn’t want to lose you.”

“Yang…” You whisper, hand reaching out as you let it hover over his shoulder for a few seconds. Then, you pull back, curling your fingers into fists, pressing crescent indentations into the palms of your hands.

He stands up, whirling around to look at you, desperate. “Tell me I’m not too late. Please, Y/N.”

Something inside of you breaks. You open your mouth and start to say something when the door opens behind you. Turning around, you see Yukhei. His eyes widen when he sees the two of you standing there.

You know this is it. This is the moment. This is where you have to decide.

“I, I was just looking for you. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Yukhei awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, taking a step back. “I’m sorry, I’m gonna go back in and—”

“No, wait, it’s okay,” you gently interrupt him. You reach out and slip your hand into his, and he relaxes, giving you a relieved smile. You smile softly back at your boyfriend before turning to face him, eyes apologetic.

“I’m sorry, Yangyang.”

He and you are asymptotes: two lines curving towards each other, but never touching; two hands reaching towards each other, but never interlocking; two people tangling their red strings of fate, but never tying.

You give him one last glance before going back inside with Yukhei.

You break his heart in August.

SEPTEMBER 2021.

September is supposed to be a new beginning: the transition from summer to autumn. Yangyang doesn’t think he can let go of you as easily as the trees shed their green for gold and red. Wherever he goes, wherever he looks, little reminders of you bloom in every crevice. You’re absolutely everywhere and nowhere, and it drives him crazy.

He thinks he’s gone completely insane when he hears your laugh while he’s walking to the laundromat one day. He shoves his airpods in and continues on his way until he sees you. Walking across the street, there you are. You’re on the phone with someone, and he contemplates going over to say hello. But suddenly, you’re hanging up the phone and waving eagerly at someone. When he turns his head to look, his heart drops and gets buried six feet under. He hurriedly ducks into a nearby bookstore and watches as you run up to Yukhei, slipping your hand into his like it’s second nature to you now. The two of you walk off together, and Yangyang is left standing at the window of the store until the shop owner politely asks if there’s anything he needs.

He doubts a time machine is something they have in stock, so he silently shakes his head and steps out onto the street once again. It is now silent and empty.

He loses you in September.

AUGUST 2022.

A lot can change in eleven months.

You’re twenty two years old, but you feel like you’re eighteen again. You know you’re going to see him for the first time since September at Kun’s housewarming. You had repeatedly assured Yukhei that you’d be fine. After all, life goes on; the world doesn’t stop just because you had a falling out with your best friend, even if it may have been a little more than that. Nevertheless, a year has nearly passed. Time is known to be the best healer, and perhaps your heart has shed its old skin and habits.

Your hand is safely enveloped in Yukhei’s, and the two of you walk towards your older friend’s new apartment. He playfully swings your interlocked hands back and forth, and you giggle, tightening your grip around his fingers. You stop in front of the door, the muffled sounds of a party slipping through the cracks. You suck in a breath, shoulders tensed. He’s in there.

“Are you okay?”

Yukhei squeezes your hand gently, voice laced with concern. You remember to breathe, exhaling slowly and relaxing before nodding. You smile up at him. “I’m okay.”

“If you want, we can go back home now, have another NCIS marathon, and drink this by ourselves.” Yukhei waves around the nice bottle of wine the two of you had brought for Kun. “We can even stop by the convenience store and get some ramen.”

You laugh quietly, the corners of your lips upturning with mirth. “It’s okay, I’m fine, Yukhei, I promise. Plus, I have you, right?”

He brightens up at that, practically beaming at you, and your heart skips a beat. “Right!”

You reach out and knock on the door. Kun greets the two of you, and you enter his apartment. Yukhei still doesn’t let go of your hand, and you follow behind him as you weave your way through the living room, greeting some of your friends. You hear Kunhang calling out to your boyfriend from the kitchen and feel him hesitate next to you. You squeeze his hand gently before letting go and nudging him in the direction of his friend. Yukhei gives you one last look, but you wave him off, smiling goodnaturedly and silently assuring that you’re okay. He swoops down and leaves behind a soft kiss for you before going.

You walk over to the alcohol table, pouring yourself something to drink. Leaning against the wall, you take a sip of your drink, your eyes flitting over the rim of your cup and slowly scanning the room. It feels like forever, like everything is moving in slow motion, like the world is submerged underwater, but it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.

You find him easily. After all, it’s hard to forget someone whose features you’ve memorized over the past four years. Your eyes map the delicate outline of his face once more, and for a moment, you wonder if red is still his favorite color, or who he shares a carton of Ben and Jerry’s with nowadays. You wonder if he thinks of you sometimes, too.

But then, you wonder where Yukhei is. You search around until you see your boyfriend still standing in the kitchen, laughing at something your mutual friend said. Your eyes soften when you see him grab your favorite snack. You turn back around, your heart swelling in your chest tenfold, and your lips curl upwards, an endeared expression on your face.

That’s when you notice that he’s looking at you.

You brace yourself, waiting for the tidal wave of emotions to wash over you and the quickening of your heart rate to greet you like an old friend. Because that’s what always happens when you’re around him. After all, he is the biggest what-if in your life. He is someone you almost loved forever, someone you almost stayed for.

And yet, nothing happens. You wait a little longer. The world still goes round, and you’re still breathing. There’s no shortness of breath, no erratic heart palpitations, no sweaty palms, absolutely nothing. Liu Yangyang is a stranger in a familiar body, and your heart remains still.

You give Yangyang a faint smile, nodding towards him, and it feels like a sudden jolt in his heart. Time stops, and all he can see is you. You look beautiful. You have always been beautiful. This is his chance. Whatever higher entity out there has taken pity on him and given him a second try to make it right. He finally takes a step towards you, and the tender, encouraging expression in your eyes gives him the strength to take another one. After all, the eyes are the windows to the soul. Clutching his drink in hand, he pushes his way through the crowd. He’s only eight, seven, six, five steps away from you now. A smile grows on his face as relief curls around his heart like a bandage. You’re standing there, waiting for him, smiling at him.

And suddenly, you’re no longer looking at him.

You stopped looking at him.

Yukhei makes his presence known next to you, excitedly chattering about something and gesturing towards the kitchen as he hands you something to eat. It’s a snickerdoodle cookie. Your favorite. Your eyes are fixated on the tall boy, positively sparkling as you beam at him.

Yangyang feels like he can’t breathe. The bandage is ripped off, and all he can feel is excruciating pain like a thousand pinpricks into his heart before the numbness hits. He freezes, rooting himself in that spot on the scratched hardwood floor as his colleagues and friends continue to jostle around him. As his world crumbles around him, he can’t tear his eyes away from you. They stay on you, the barest traces of nostalgia lingering in the dimmed golden flecks of his irises that you had still admired all those months ago. It’s like he’s trapped in a silent film, stuck in a fish bowl and swimming in circles, and he watches in horror as you outstretch your hand and intertwine your fingers around Yukhei’s, leaning up to press your lips against his tenderly. Your boyfriend looks at you like you hung the stars in the night sky yourself (He would believe it if you said you did).

You don’t look at him like that anymore.

Yangyang remembers when you used to. When you used to love him. When you were almost his. He feels something inside of him break for a second time.

The world continues to spin, and yet, he’s still not moving. He’s stuck in quicksand, sinking deeper and deeper as everyone around him moves on—as you move on. He desperately tries to keep you in his view, and his feet finally pick up as he lurches forward. He’s not fast enough. You’re slipping away, walking away from him, hand in hand with Yukhei, disappearing around the corner of the hallway, and he can’t do anything about it. It’s too late. He’s too late. The sticky remnants of cheap beer run down his wrist, and it finally registers in his mind that he had crushed the flimsy plastic cup in his hand sometime in between now and then. In a crowded room full of people, he’s left standing there, alone and lonely.

Almost is the worst way to love someone, Yangyang bitterly realizes. It hurts to lose someone you almost love. No, it was never an ‘almost’. He most certainly loved—loves—you. And it should be impossible to lose someone who was never his to begin with, yet he has. All this time, he thought he had you, but it had always been the other way around.

He was your August, he was your everything, and he is yours.

But you will never be his.

You let go of him in August.