#i've been browsing pinterest and i have some new ideas

[tues-dayy]

Midnight is not the tallest out there and, flanked by her first officer, she looks even shorter. The fact of her height doesn't matter at all when the way that she holds herself, shoulders back and chin up, makes her seem larger than life. Her presence extends from her body like a tangible thing, pressing into the walls and crowding around the empty spaces between officers. Claire’s breath goes a little thin as Midnight makes her way deeper into the shuttle bay. Jason, on the other hand, is half there, like an extension of Captain Midnight. He’s smiling and relaxed (if an AI could actually be relaxed) as he hovers just behind Midnight. He’s vibrant in a way that Claire knows is intentional, programmed into him by some higher up engineer that doesn’t want any AI to go unrecognized. “My interns!” Captain Midnight exclaims, arms wide open. Her smile is almost blinding in its intensity, and a few of the Ensigns around Claire grin in return. “They’re called ensigns, Captain.” “Enough micromanaging Jason, let me greet our interns.” Jason, instead of sighing or looking annoyed, just smiles at the Captain. It’s indulgent, fond, overall very sweet, and unlike anything Claire’s encountered during her training. There’s always respect between a Captain and their First Officer, and Claire’s seen it in many different shapes and forms, but this goes beyond simple respect. They’re more than just coworkers, that's for sure. She wonders what exactly she’s gotten herself into as the Captain, tailed by Jason, goes down the short line and gets everyone's names.

Part of my current Space Rocks! wip because I'm losing my mind over here.

some more excerpts (and doodles) below:

Sitting innocuously in her inbox, is [If you’re free, come to the brig.] Claire frowns and rereads the message once, twice, and then gives up on trying to figure out if the Captain is being serious. She sends back a simple, [Brig?] and waits. [The Captain means to say bridge!] Jason messages soon after. Considering that it’s a direct message with Captain Midnight herself, Claire figures that Jason spends at least a small percentage of his power on reading everyone’s messages. Or maybe just the Captain’s messages. Either way, Claire wonders what exactly privacy means when the Harmony’s computer is this tapped into the messaging system.

She doesn’t know how long she’s there zoned out and doing nothing, but eventually a chime brings her out of her foggy mind. “Duncan to Claire.” “Claire here.” “Canelli went back into the holodeck.” Claire sighs, even as she feels a smile tugging at her lips. “On my way, sir.”

Featuring my first shot at an Engineer design -who I've been calling Duncan, based on this spreadsheet- that is very self-indulgent (I have so many headcanons about this guy and I will post about it in time, trust 🤞).

The fic is Claire-centric and it explores what life might've been like on the Harmony before Groovatron V. I wanted to see the crew dynamics and put the experience of Space Rocks! into the Star Trek universe. It's far from finished and it'll be a while 'til I actually end up posting it, but I wanted to put some thoughts out there because my mind is just full of Space Rocks! and I needed to do something before I exploded.

The technology displayed in the drawing are not accurate to the actual date in Space Rocks! but I haven't even touched ST Discovery so I don't have a clue what the technology looks like in that era. I'm just making things up as I go atp

#space rocks #play it by ear #pibe fanfic #fanfic #wip #fanart #art #this has very quickly become a Thing for me #the uniforms are definitely subject to change #bc while i first based them off the existing state of st uniforms #i've been browsing pinterest and i have some new ideas #for now tho these uniforms will do

[nevarroes]

HI i hope this is okay to ask but your anatomy / posing is genuinely so fucking fantastic you’re like my number 1 art inspo rn and i was just wondering where you find references / if you use them or any specific tips you have? happy valentines day to gortcas btw

gosh thank you so much🥺

I do use references yeah always, I honestly try to freehand as little as possible even because it helps me to constantly figure out and learn new things without doing studies (as in I'll always try to find the specific angle of an arm or whatever even if I think I know how it'll look just to make sure)

I find my refs ermm... everywhere really. I spend hours just browsing images sometimes nd file them away cause I don't mind doing so, its kinda fun 2 me💜 the only thing I kinda try to avoid is pinterest due to the fact that it mostly shows the same shit over nd over so there's a lot of repeat and recognizable stuff but I do still use some generic pinterest poses sometimes, nothing wrong with it just a personal preference atp but you do need to kinda.... learn what is good reference and what isn't for pinterest specifically imo😖 Recently I've been taking most of my base reference pics from videos instead of stills tbh, porn, movies, stock videos etc. so I do recommend doing that it's been quite helpful!

as for tips I only have one really, which is that photobashing and mixing refs is really, really helpful. Especially with Gortcas I haven't been able to use a single ref at all anymore due to both of their bodies being rather extreme, meaning you can't just apply average poses usually. So what I'm doing a lot of the times is use a "base ref" to set the angle and then just build on top of that, posed 3d models for limbs or even the whole other person, then photobash some more on top of that with actual images for parts that don't really move realistically with the 3d model, hands, face 3d models etc etc. Usually I will do a rough to kinda see if I can make a pose idea work and then I will make a bash to use as an actual reference after. I hope this helps at all!

#blakemail

[flowersandbigteeth]

Hiiii 😭New in blog!

Do you have any tips/source in writing orcs?

Bc planning to do some bc got the spark your fics an inspiration 😩😩🙌

Halllooo! Welcome! 🥰 I started answering this question and it got so long 😭 I could honestly write an essay on this, there's so much to think about. So my candid thoughts are below 👇🏽

As far as pop culture goes: I generally like Durotan in the warcraft movie as my favorite Orc "look". I'm not too inspired by Tolkien's Orcs personally, but technically the DnD Orcs are based on that description. I started out basing my Orcs and half Orcs on the DnD races and elder scrolls online (orsimer are an orc like race) and then it grew into developing my own lore.

The DnD community is great because there are a lot of OCs to consider for reference and spin off games and lore, though (not saying you would, just for those who need to be reminded) you shouldn't steal other people's OCs. You can browse OCs on toyhouse and Pinterest, as well. Warhammer, Magic, and Warframe also have orc type characters to look at for character design ideas. Tolkien originally developed his Orcs from old English monsters, so that would be an interesting rabbit hole to jump down for inspiration.

Aside from the aesthetics there is a big pitfall to look out for when writing Orcs specifically:

Orcs started out as a villain race, but I find that extremely reductive. Orcs deserve culture, art, motives, and a spectrum of personalities. Tolkien's Orcs have been criticized as well as DnD rules about Orcs. I'm not going to do a deep dive into that because there is a lot to parse through. You can look it up if it interests you. There is far, far more discussion on it than I'm going to get into right now.

But my ultra, ultra simplified take away from what I've read is it's important to acknowledge the personhood of any character you write. And that's true for any writing really. Not to say you can't write an orc as a villain, but, for example, there is difference between writing a mindless killing machine and a villain with a personality, motive, strengths and weaknesses, and backstory if that makes sense.

If they are a mindless killing machine, there should be a reason other than Orc=bad. What happened to them to make them that way? Is there a societal expectation that they are trying to live up to? Do they have an internal struggle about it or do they feel justified for their violence? Are they under a spell or brainwashed? Why is that?

Villains are tricky because you want a satisfying ending, the villain may be complex, but they have to reach a point of no return where the hero has to act. So what was it that sent them off the edge? Vanity? Greed? Revenge? Etc.

Separate from Orcs it is a good way to look at all monster writing. As the counterpart to "born sexy yesterday" I think "born evil yesterday" is also kinda blah.

I'm not at all going to say I am great at this, it's often hard to create full, complex characters in short fiction but it's something to strive for. I'm sure I have characters on this blog I could have developed better, but I try to keep it in the back of my mind the more I learn about writing.

It's the same for an Orc hero. Orcs aren't dumb, malleable studs. I personally like expanding on Orcs canon skills (strength, loyalty, stamina, leadership) and flesh them out. Saber is strong, but he's also nimble and charming. Reven is big and can be scary, but is skilled in style and fashion, as well as being steadfast and loyal. Cedar is a warrior but studious and kind. Golmad loves weapons and is a leader but also gentle and good humored.

For visual ideas, I look at a lot of different styles and cultures, but it usually has a lot to do with the environment. I like to look at ye olde hairstyle and clothing ideas relevant to the place the Orcs are from, if that makes sense? Like if they lived in the artic you'd look for cultures that live in cold weather and draw inspiration from the materials they would have at hand for processing, sewing, and decorating.

In general, I tend to lean on more traditional depictions of mountain Orcs, but jazzed up? I don't like ripped, careless dirty rags, but clean, utilitarian and neatly cut leather and furs, as they are big hunters there rather than farmers. If they live in a village or town they'd wear whatever is in fashion, cotton or linen. Where are they from, their social class, and what types of clothes would be best for that environment are good questions to ask when developing costumes, next their personality. Whether they are vain, utilitarian, or cocky and like to roll around with their shirt off. 😸 I think keeping the environment and personality at the forefront of your mind, you won't fall into cliche traps. There's nothing wrong with having dirty ripped clothes but if it doesn't make any sense in the context of the world you're building it flattens the character. The assumption that Orcs are filthy or unskilled at tailoring by nature doesn't work for me.

Idk without going on too long, I hope some of that helps?

#sweet asks #sweet anons #orc lore #orc headcanons #orc boyfriend #monster romance

[party-in-the-front]

eyyyy *finger guns* got any tips for art block? the struggle has been real for a bit, and i've exhausted my usual tricks. i would send you ten packs of twizzlers in exchange for your knowledge, but i am broke. thanks for any/all advice you may have and for making incredibly dope art :)

Hard one, everyone has a different relationship to art!

Depending on what's causing the block (sometimes it may not be clear), some things can help:

Vacation. Sun, beach, trees, whatever is possible, good food, and don't carry the tablet!

A walk through nature/the city with the camera, collecting elements to use in collage or reference

Trying out something new that's artistic and may complement the art. In my life I've done music, short story writing, game development and diorama building. It can unlock new playgrounds.

Spending some time finding new inspiration. I keep a folder or inspiration artists (each in a sub folder), mostly retro stuff. I can spend hours on pinterest scouring for images to enrich these folders, often finding new artists. Problem: AI is really starting to spoil it.

AVOIDING AT ALL COSTS long sedentary periods in front of the computer with a blank canvas feeling burned out but pressuring my own output with only the internet for inspiration and browsing socials full of 10x more prolific peers.

Other relevant facts for motivation: I don't keep a sketchbook, I don't like to doodle randomly or the self-imposed discipline to carry and fill pages. When I left that burden behind me I felt relived. I take written notes and reference photos, and ok, the odd inscrutable doodle so I don't forget some idea, when I'm inspired and on the move.

[robotsprinkles]

It's been somewhere around eleven years and I still have no idea where I first got the idea that tailgate was a girl.

Logically it's most likely something to do with the MTMTE "the ingenue" thing, but that doesn't feel right. If nothing else because,

a) I didn't start reading about mtmte on tfwiki until some time in 2013-2014 (I say "about" because I didn't manage to actually read anything more than tfwiki articles and previews and pinterest/google images panel and page excerpts until around 2015-2016) so I'm pretty certain I never saw the promo that called him "the ingenue" (I've no memory of seeing it prior)

b) I didn't know "ingenue" was feminine until I saw the tfwiki article about it

c) I have concrete memories that when I did start reading the tfwiki articles I was like. "wait what? why are they saying tailgate's a guy? tailgate's a girl. she's a girl. where did they get the idea she's a guy?"

having just checked my copies of the dreamwave transformers universe profiles (which were in chinese because I got them as a gift when I was a kid for I think lunar new year), which was my main theory for where I got the idea that Tailgate was a girl (that the translators might've switched some of the characters' genders since that's a thing that happens), I can say that unless I misread something, the chinese translations of the dw tf universe profiles were not what gave me the idea

(and the art used for tg in the book looks like this so I don't think it was a case of kid me seeing the art and going "yeah that looks like a girl")

(on the other hand I still get "tailgate is a girl name" vibes in my head when I see it written down/think about it)

(I know this isn't a case of me misremembering or confusing myself or anything because up until like. 2020 I still had a thing in my brain that would try to automatically correct every instance of tailgate being referred to with he/him to she/her)

my current theories are that I either got the idea from youtube comments under a random video (which I think is unlikely considering that tailgate basically didn't exist to most people prior to 2012 and I mostly watched toy reviews and clips/episodes of tfa, cybertron, and armada)

or that I somehow stumbled on a forum where people were discussing the ingenue thing and got the takeaway that tailgate was a girl (possible, but I didn't really browse anything other than youtube prior to 2013)

or that I read about or saw the tfp arcee backstory about arcee and tailgate and somehow misinterpreted it as arcee and tailgate being lesbians (possible, but I think I remember getting annoyed at tfp for making tailgate a guy/cliffjumper repaint. though if this theory is right it might've been a case of "reads tfwiki article about tfp arcee's backstory and seeing the tailgate bit, somehow getting 'tailgate is a girl' out of it, then later seeing the actual episode or going to the tfp tailgate article and seeing that he was a cliffjumper repaint and being annoyed". I still don't think that's the case though)

#transformers #tailgate #random robot rambles #I had the same thing with acid storm as well (thought AS was a girl) though that was a case of me getting AS confused with slipstream #(this was before cyberverse made acid storm canonically genderfluid) #originally I would mentally replace tailgate's name with tailpipe (the thought process being 'tailgate is a girl and tailpipe is a guy') #but that stopped working when mtmte revealed that tailpipe was a guy that existed #(yes technically there was a tailpipe from dotm but he was toy only and basically didn't exist so)

[jinxxedwammys]

In celebration of 100 followers I present to you

Wammy boys in oddly specific AUs I found on pinterest and stuff.

Warnings: Swearing (mostly in Mello’s part as usual lol)

L

"I mistook you for my best friend and jumped on your back in public and now I'm embarrassed"

🎂🍨🍦🍭🍮🎂🍨🍦🍭🍮🎂🍨🍦🍭🍮🎂🍨🍦🍭🍮🎂🍨🍦🍭🍮🎂

It was during the Kira case when L was closely investigating Light Yagami at To-Oh University that this extremely awkward encounter occurred. The sun was high in the sky, locusts and could be heard and cherry blossom littered the wide walkway leading into the school.

You had your heavy bag slung across your shoulders. It was filled with textbooks and papers (some of which you had forgotten to turn in) as well as a few personal items. You weren't really paying much attention to your surroundings until you spotted one of your male friends!

You hadn't seen him since the beginning of high-school. To say you were excited was an understatement. In your excitement you took a running jump onto his back knocking him to the ground. He let out a yelp and that was when you realized...

This man was NOT your friend.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry I thought you were someone else" you hurriedly said pushing yourself up and on your knees an apparent redness in your face.

He seemed to be unbothered for the most part, he turned to you, crouching in a sort of fetal position.

"It's alright I understand" He replied.

"No, no its not.. I'm an idiot I should have realized" you shoved your face into your hands covering how red your face now was.

"It is alright, I'm uninjured and it was an honest mistake" you frowned a little not entirely trusting his forgiveness, but this time, you took it.

He gave you a polite smile before standing up and helping you to your feet. He wished you a good day, and left, but not before sneaking a note containing his alias and phone number.

Mello

"I lost my little sibling Matt in Ikea and I need your help finding them"

🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫

"Fuck.... Shit... Motherfucker" You heard from the other side of the store shelf as you browsed through various decor items. This mystery person had been spewing profanities for the past five minutes. You sighed with slight annoyance placing the wooden model hand you had been staring at for God knows how long back, making your way to the neighboring isle.

"Hey, you've been cursing up a storm... what's going on?" You asked, hand on your hip awaiting a response. Mello looked up at you with a look of anger and exhaustion on his face.

"I'm looking for my idiot friend. He got hopelessly lost in the chair section and I've been trying to find him for like an hour now" He ran a hand through his hair pushing his bangs to the sides of his face.

"I can help you look for him!" You offered.

"You don't have to"

"I want to! I don't really have anything else to do, so it's fine. To be completely honest I don't know why I came here." He shrugged. "Oh my name's Y/N by the way"

"I'm Mello" He replied before setting off out of the isle leaving you to sprint a but to catch up. His pace was fast and he seemed to have some plan on how to tackle this, but you weren't exactly sure.

After what seemed like an eternity of silently weaving through the labyrinth of shelves and furniture displays, you spoke up.

"So... how old is your friend?"

"We're both 19... His name is Matt." You kept walking until he stopped directly in front of the office showroom section.

"He might be here, so keep an eye out for a tall brunette idiot with goggles." You nodded keeping close to Mello. Again you snaked through isles. Eventually your search devolved into looking into cabinets, drawers, anything that would open, but to no avail.

"Where the fuck is he?" Mello said under his breath as he slammed shut another cabinet.

That was when a tall brunette wearing goggles walked by dual wielding hotdogs... You sighed heavily before approaching Matt.

"Matt?" You called out gaining the attention of both Matt and Mello. Mello stood beside you before going on to scold his friend almost as if he were an unruly child.

"Sorry about that I hope looking for him wasn't that unbearable... would you like to meet up sometime again in the future?" Mello asked. You nodded in response.

"I'd love to! This was quite fun actually. Though let's not go to an ikea next time."

Near

"We both like walking In the park at night and I think you're a stalker so I accidentally attack you"

🤖🎲🃏🪀🤖🎲🃏🪀🤖🎲🃏🪀🤖🎲🃏🪀🤖🎲🃏🪀🤖🎲🃏🪀🤖

It was 2am, the night was calm yet you were restless nothing you tried allowed you to fall asleep. It was like this most nights. You would then go to the park near your house to get some fresh air and tire yourself out... and on a night like this, that seemed like a perfect idea. You didn't even change out of your pajamas before you left. As you entered the park, you felt... odd. As if someone was watching you and sure enough, as you turned your head to look behind you you saw a man following about two yards behind you.

Naturally your thoughts went wild with what ifs and possible escape plans. Yet you calmed your mind opting to check if this guy was really following you. With every corner you turned your heart sank. Panic started to set in and you rushed to get together an improvised weapon.... Your housekey! You gripped it tightly in your hand as if it were a knife and swiftly approached the man going to jab him in the eye, yet he caught your arm with ease, turning it behind you and pushing you to the ground, similarly to how a police officer would apprehend a resistant assailant.

"Why did you attack me" he questioned, plopping down just above your hips.

"Let me go, stalker!!!" You yelled at him thrashing around attempting to escape his grasp.

"What are you talking about? I'm not stalking you." He calmly said.

"That's exactly what a stalker would say! Let me go!" He sighed lifting himself off of you and crouching beside you. You rolled over and sat with your legs crossed.

"I swear to you, I was only out for a walk. I take nighttime walks sometimes, though this was the first time I've been in this park."

"Then how come every time I turned you followed?"

"I did? I'm sorry, I didn't even realize" He stated plainly. You sighed he seemed truthful.

"Fine... I'm sorry too, I probably shouldn't have assumed you were a stalker or something and attacked you" you admitted. He shook his head.

"It's alright, I understand... I can be scary" you snorted and laughed. The light of the nearby streetlamp lit his features. A frail, sweet looking man with long white hair who seemed to be somewhat reserved. You felt a little silly that you thought someone like him would hurt you much.

"You're not scary... In all honesty you're quite cute!" You admitted, reaching out a finger to poke his nose.

"Thanks, you're actually quite cute as well, maybe we could meet up here in the morning?" He suggested.

Matt

"I come here when I want to be alone and I didn't think anyone knew about it so where the hell did you come from"

🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮🚬🥽🎮

This day was aweful. Work was extremely stressful. Your coworker put important documents in the shreader for the 10th time that week and you were the one tasked with rewriting, tracking down, requesting new copies and piecing together ones that couldn't be recovered otherwise. And of course your boss made every minute of it a nightmare. So after work, you drove to your favorite place. An abandoned warehouse off the highway about 5 minutes from your house.

It was virtually untouched by people now that the walls were covered in graffiti and the place had been ransacked for leftover valuable items. You made your way inside noticing something was off... there was a leather couch that wasn't yours, a coffee table... even a TV and game console plugged into a power supply, another handheld game on the coffee table next to an ashtray with a few cigarette butts, one of which was still smoking.

You were beyond confused. From the last time you were here someone had basically moved in... it had only been a week since you last came here. You warily approached the couch. Well... whoever left it here probably won't mind! you thought I just hope they didn't sabotage it or something. You then sat down noting that it was a perfectly normal couch and you were just paranoid.

That was when a guy came in, he was tall and lenky, had brown hair and was dressed in a striped shirt, a frankly hideous vest with fur lining, black pants and goggles atop his head. He had been holding a can of coke and a cigarette, yet those were both dropped as he saw you.

"Who are you?" He half shrieked.

"Who are YOU? You yelled back.

"I asked first!"

"My name is Y/N.. I come here all the time when I'm stressed and want to be alone I didn't think anyone else knew about it"

"S..Same but.. I come here to get away from a friend of mine... he can be quite aggressive and it's scary" He sat down beside you picking up his handheld game. "Oh and my name is Matt!"

"Hmm.. then let's share this space from now on, Matt!" He nodded in agreement.

"Yea! I hope we meet again soon"

Beyond Birthday

"We live in the same apartment complex and I accidentally leave my laundry in the washer for a minute too long and you decide to take out all my wet clothes to put yours in just as I walk in"

🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪🩸🔪

It was late night. You had been putting off laundry for the past week, but now you were down to a pair of underwear and your nightgown, so you had to do your wash.. you reluctantly gathered your clothes and made your way to the communal washer and dryer. You threw your clothes in and put a coin in the coinslot then set the washer to start.

You sighed and made your way back to your room to relax a little while your clothes were still washing. It had been about two hours and your laundry was probably done. The timer you had set went off and you gathered yourself and brought the remainder of your clothes as well as your box of dryer sheets.

The moment you walked in your eyes widened in horror. Some odd man sat frantically pulling your clothes out of the washer onto the dirty floor.

"What the hell are you doing??!!" You yelled rushing over to stop him. He peered up at you from his crouching position.

"You left your clothes in too long, its my turn now" You blinked

"Only for a few minutes... it just got done less than 5 minutes ago.. now my clothes are all dirty again.. damn it"

"Sorry" He said. His beady eyes were wide and innocent looking. "I'll let you do yours again... I'll pay" He said before shoving yours back in and starting it again.

When that was done he pulled a jam jar out of seemingly nowhere and perched on top of the washer dipping his hand inside the jar and licking his fingers clean of jam. It was disgusting... But you decided to not pay any more attention to it than you had to.

The rest of the time you spent with him was in silence, all you heard was the washer and his lip-smacking. When the washer finished you silently transferred your clothes to the dryer.. this time without your oddball fellow tenant interfering much. Though when he got his own clothes in he did crawl away which freaked you out.

#wammy boys #wammy boys x reader #wammy kids #l lawilet #l x reader #l lawliet x reader #near #near x reader #near death note #l death note #nate river #nate river x reader #mello #mello death note #mello x reader #mihael keehl x reader #mihael keehl #matt x reader #matt death note #mail jeevas #mail jeevas x reader #bb death note #bb x reader #beyond birthday #beyond birthday x reader #death note #death note x reader #thanks for 100 followers #100 followers

[this-is-katrin]

Guess what! I have another sewing project and I'm SUUUUPER EXCITED! We have a small comic convention coming next month hosted by my local library and community center. Now, when I say "small" I mean it's all for kids/teens and to promote literacy in all forms (because comics and manga are AWESOME things to read). There will be costume contests for the kids, a panel on costume making, face painting, and children's activities as well. And it's all FREE. I'm actually really proud of my community for putting this together. I've never been to a convention (unless you count observing JFAX at GVSU from a distance as a student), so this is a way to dip my toes in the water.

Anyway, on to my sewing project. We have decided to be superheroes for this convention (kids love them all), so I needed to find something that was NOT skin tight or spandex. Do you have any idea how hard that is? As a plus size woman with body image issues, I really don't feel like showing the world every bump and roll. I know there are things to help with that, but not wearing spandex is tip numero uno. So I did some searching on Pinterest, Google, and even Tumblr for plus sized superhero cosplays. It came up with a lot of sailor moon and wonder woman cosplays that were women who wear like size 16. Sorry, but that's average in the US, not plus size. HOWEVER, I did find one that I loved.

I don't know who this is, and I'm sorry I'm not able to post the link (maybe later), but I LOVE her adaptation of wonder woman. I love retro dresses and style so this was like hitting the bullseye for me. I fawned over this picture for like 3 days and asked my friends if I could pull it off. Everyone said "F*ck yes you can!" Now, if those aren't good friends, then idk who is. So, phase number 2 began. I had to find a pattern. This may sound easy, but I promise you it's not. McCall's had no pencil skirts unless you count stuff with frills and buttons. Sorry, but I want an invisible zipper and simple skirt. Then I went to Simplicity and found one that sorta worked. It would need altering, but could be usable. Then I went to sewing crafter's candyland: Joann's. I found a pattern by NewLook that was basically perfect and I'll probably use it multiple times if I like how this dress turns out.

Instead of doing a separate skirt, shirt, and belt, I'll just do a dress! One and done! I wasn't sure if this was going to work in case the bodice and skirt were one piece, but it could easily be fixed if that was the case. However, it wasn't, so I'm in the clear! The only real drawback? The sizes are Misses. That means a 20 is a plus size 16. I have to add 2 sizes. Yes, you read that right. I have to basically make a whole new pattern. No, i am not happy. But it's simple enough. I found a tutorial on Youtube by SewToFit. She's very fun to watch and gives great tips on altering patterns.

The last thing I needed was fabric. My friend got like 8 totes FULL of random fabric from an estate sale for FREE and she sent me a bunch. I was lucky to find a bright red and yellow. That meant all I needed was the blue star skirt pattern! Yes, it was a huge blessing. So while I was at Joann's I browsed their seasonal section (yes, I went in June on purpose because when better to find patriotic themed fabric?) and found exactly what I was looking for! They had several patterns that would have worked, but I picked the most simple since I didn't want to make the bottom too awful busy with such a plain top.

I now have everything I need to start my project! I may have to go back for some red thread (I used most of it on the last costume), zipper, and stiffer interfacing for the midriff/belt, but otherwise I'm set! I'm crazy excited to get started!

I know this post is all about MY costume, but I promise I have things planned for my kids as well! Check back in a week or two for theirs!

#costume #diy #sewing #handmade #wonder woman #cosplay #joannfabrics

[studywithlizz-blog]

Distractions and the Student: Phones or no Phones?

Personally, I love the internet! I know how I feel when I cannot connect online with people! Life becomes boring and slow and basically lifeless! And I also know how it feels to post things on the net and have people comment and to reply them! I also know how it feels to stream YouTube videos!

The other side of the coin!? Are you ready? Okay, this is it! The internet really takes my time!😭😭 It eats into my study time and I end up doing too little and feeling unproductive! I sleep every night knowing I could have done better than i did and feeling guilty for wasting time!😖😖😔😔😔

So I thought, how else to solve my problem than to share it? Is it not as they say; a problem shared is half-solved? I think it does work! So, basically tonight, I'm writing about how I solve my own phone addictions! Let's skip the drama, almost every student that has an internet accessible device( every student actually does) suffers from this addiction once in a while and I think this article or blog post is going to help someone out there as it is going to help me too!

I'll start with this confession:

I just love to browse the net and do many fun stuff on it! I download videos a lot! Now, to reduce my guilt of wasting time, I spend my internet time watching study motivation videos at the expense of STUDYING for my own real-life classes and exams! I know, I know! I'm not the only one! So let's round it up to this; distractions are not basically streaming YouTube mindlessly and doing activities that eat into your productivity time, it could even be reading this post when you know you should be studying😱😱 but before you run off (because I caught you there) why don't you go away from this page with some useful tips for eliminating distractions or if not, reducing it to the barest minimum? (Just saying😉😉)

I will talk about two principles I have discovered for myself over time!

Principle 1:

The "mind over matter" rule:

What does that mean? It means that your mind can defeat the matter! Here's an extreme case; my friends know this about me. When they ask me if I have eaten and I say "no". They are like ," what!? Since Morning?" ,I'm like, "yes dearies"! And they ask " are you not hungry?" and I smile at myself( that kind of "accomplishment" smile) and say; "nope! I'm not hungry because I am not thinking about food!! It's my mind over the matter! The only reason why you get hungry is because you think about food" Case closed! Hahaha! That's an extreme but seriously, I was not thinking about food because I was concerned about the school work that I forgot about food! That's the principle!

The trick here is to work on your mind to prioritize studying! Sad truth is that I cannot do that for you because I cannot work on your mind from my tablet here! But that is the trick! If I'm not thinking of anything other than studying, the issue of my phone does not come to mind not to talk about surfing the net! You don't think about your phones in a hot exam condition!

So my first rule is to work on your mind! We cannot do without our phones as students! We need them! They are essentials and whether we like it or not, we need the internet! So rather than uninstall all the apps on your phones that tend to distract you like Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and LinkedIn and the rest, work on your mind to prioritize studying as much as possible! It's a daily exercise and resolution!

Principle 2:

The "out of sight is out of mind" rule!

Now there are some times the matter wins over your mind! It's called "matter over mind"! Like you're pregnant, you cannot deceive your mind that you're not! If you manage to try to, it only means you're a lunatic in the making! Some cases can't be overcome in the mind! That is where this principle comes in!

We all know the cliché that says " out of sight is out of mind"! So, for me, that could mean 2 things:

a. Putting your phones away! Give it to your friend to keep for you for some hours or hiding it far away..far away(music in my ears)

b. Uninstalling an app: Two nights ago, I uninstalled WhatsApp messenger and got it back yesterday night because I needed a break! The distraction was becoming uncontrollable and my mind was not working on the matter so I had to take that bold step! Actually, it took some nerves! I don't regret doing so anyways!

I hope you're learning some new ideas?

Now let me break it down and come to a more familiar level!

You want to take a study break on YouTube for 15 minutes because you felt like rewarding yourself for all those hours of STUDYING? Fine! Okay! No qualms! But you ended up staying for 3 hours because your favourite YouTuber on Studying posted new videos and the thumbnails were so enticing and you could not help but click on it! Or because the titles were so catchy: "how to eliminate distractions", " how to stop procrastinating"? I've been there! So that is why I came up with this idea! Since we cannot block out all the distractions, then maybe we could manage it and give it a time frame to fester? Did you feel me there? I mean TIME YOUR DISTRACTIONS! USE A TIMER FOR SAY 15 MINUTES AND ALLOW THE DISTRACTIONS TO FESTER FOR JUST 15 MINUTES AND ONCE 15 MINUTES IS OVER, STAND UP, STRETCH YOUR BODY AND TIE YOUR HAIR UP( for the ladies), MAKE A CUP OF TEA AND START WORKING! Do you still feel me?😂😂

Alright guys, that's all for now! I poured out my heart into this writing! I'm presently sitting on the floor and just typing! It's around 11pm and I am behind my study schedule but I felt this could be a way to motivate myself to continue studying afterwards! ( I am kind of a night owl anyways😂😂)

Bye guys

Xo Lizz😘😘😍😍😍😚😚😚

Night night👍👍👍

#student #studymotivator

[barcaavengers]

So I've seen a couple of people doing a list of what they have been doing these quarantine times, so thought to do some of my own as well. Mostly because while I'm holding off just fine, most of my friends are going crazy and running out of things to do. I was normal until last week I got Lay Off at work and now I have extra time for everything. So here are a couple of my own suggestions and how I'm holding up.

1. Read Books. Even those you have already read, go back to it. Read that book you have been postponing.

2. Movies Marathon. Watch all those sagas, watch them in order now that there is a pause in movies. If they have series, add them too. You got suggestions? Add them below! Some ideas:

Star Wars

Harry Potter

Twilight

Pirates of the Caribbean

Predator

Marvel

DC

Jurassic Park

Terminator

Bad Boys

Toy Story

Matrix

Shrek

Star Trek

Lion King

Disney Movies

Saw

Purge

Indiana Jones

3. Clean your room. Throw away/Donate those things you don't need or use anymore. Check all those clothe if they still fit. Organize and redecorate. Change the layout. Organize drawers. If you haven't done it in a while, find out how you'd like to paint your room. Go a little bit more and go for your house.

3. Don't stop in your room, go to the kitchen, laundry room, etc.

4. Learn drawing, do some sketches, practice!

5. Watch Series. All those series in your Netflix List? Take some time to watch them. Got suggestions? Add them below!

6. Write a fanfic. Best way to spend time because your mind will keep giving you scenarios at some point.

7. Board games! Cards! Try doing a card house. Play with your family.

8. Play games online. Download apps. There is a bunch of games to play and one can test your typing skills and race against others. https://play.typeracer.com/

9. Spa Day! Treat yourself! Feel good! My resource has been Pinterest. And good thing is that you start looking for something and find somethinf else that calls your attention and its like "Oh I should check that later".

10. Play Stop with your friends either if its conference or video call. I did it through video call and it was a blast. For those of you who don't know Stop, it a game in which you do a table of several columns with the titles od Name, Last Name, thing, animal, place (country or city wise), food or fruit, color, and you may keep adding on. Do it your own! After the table, someone says "A" outloud and continues the rest of the alphabet in their mind. Someone else says stop and they have to say in which letter they were stopped at and said letter will be the one to use to fill the table.

11. Nails! I am a person that loves to try new designs and things with nails. Mix colors, find idea, try doing a theme based nail art on your favorite movie or series. If you like it? Upload it to give ideas to others! My current one is something easy for Pirates of the Caribbean. I watched the movies the other way and still got two left to get ideas. You don't need a whole nail kit. I started with toothpicks and broken pens.

12. Talk with friends. Just a quick passing by to see how they are doing.

13. GAMES! If you have a console, go ahead and play. Have fun. Meet people. Finish those levels. Start a new one. Start a new game. Do it!

14. Look for crafting ideas. You can do things with newspaper. Just with things that you have home. Youtube can help with this and just Google in general.

15. Find fun ways to do your hair! I am one that my hair is what they call "dead". If I curl it 20min after I got nothing. Find different hair styles to rock for when this is over!

16. Cook! I don't cook at all, mom either (at least not in a daily basis, more like 2 week basis), so I don't think a good outcome would work. But try it!

17. Play. With. Your. Pets! Give them love! Shower them. Train them. JUST LOVE THEM!

18. Learn a new language! I have Duolingo and it has been quite productive. I do it in a different way though. You have an unused notebook? Take it and put it to use. You know how Duolingo divides what you learn? Ex. Pronouns, past, present, basic, etc.? Divide your notebook like that. Write the word, write the translation in your language (or another language if you want to spice things up), and write how you hear it/would pronounce it. Go up the highest level in each or try to do them in the same level a.k.a. Pronouns level 3, Nouns level 3, etc.

19. Learn something new! So the University of Harvard has a page where they have small courses of different topics. Best of all? IT IS FREE! Take one and learn! I'm currently doing one of the Pyramids of Giza! Super interesting! Page to view them: https://online-learning.harvard.edu/catalog/FREE?page=4

20. Plan your next or first trip! I have one planned for London, Paris, Spain for November this year. I still have my hopes up cause I have planned this so well. I don't want to give it up, I'm in denial. So what I do is check the places to go. It doesn't have to be for this year, but plan it out! Check places to visit and plan your budget! I might open a blog for trips (honestly a little bit of everything) so I'll keep you updated but if you have any questions on planning, hit me up! I do it in a way that even mom's friends trust me to plan everything for them.

21. Call your relatives! At least those you get along with. Make sure they are alright. Even if you haven't called them in a while I'm sure they will love to hear you are doing okay!

22. From the newspapers take out the Sudokus, Crosswords, Word Finders, have fun!

23. Write your future goals! Reflect on them!

24. Exercise! But do it in a fun way! Walk the dog. Go to Youtube and check those Dance Central, Just Dance exercise routines with your favorite songs!

25. Plan your next plans! What upcoming events you want to go to when this is over? Write them in the calendar and check information and follow up!

26. Read Comics online! There a few sites that have them free, the old ones and some of the new. Look them up!

27. Learn new games!

28. Sleep!

29. You miss sports? Rewatch your favorite matches.

30. Funny videos on Youtube! I found with my manager Shark Puppet and we couldn't stop laughing so find funny videos to watch by yourself or with friends, family and coworkers!

If anyone wanta to add ideas or suggestions or comments do so! If I find more I'll add them as reblogs. ❤

Stay safe everyone! Stay Home! Have Fun! ❤

#covid19 #quarantine #things to do #to do list #entertainment #stayhome #coronavirus #(mine) #ideas #suggestions