// Hades 2 Spoilers

It's time for a new Project. This time i wanna be witch from Witch Hat Atelier. I started with the white dress they wear under the iconic big cape. For that i used the pattern 120 from the 08/2011 burda style magazine as a base for the top part and the sleeves.

I added the button placket first to the front part and marked where the 7 buttons are gonna sit. Then i decided a point at the armhole and connected that point to the top and the bottom of the button placket. After that i measured the space and divided that by 7 and marked each line with that result. To each line i added 0,7 cm for the pintucks later. For the back part i did it similar. For the sleeves i split off the bottom part and added space for another button placket. To the top sleeve part i added more space to the middle so the sleeve will be fuller and puffy. In the end my pattern looked like this: (all the dark gray parts got thrown away)

I also constructed a collar for the dress from scratch and for the bottom part of the white dress i used a simple rectangle as big as all the fabric that i had left after i cutted all the parts for the top part. Now to the fun part: sewing! The first thing i made was all the pintucks in the front and the back. That took more time than i thought because i sewed really slow to make them as accurate and neat as possible. After that i pieced the two front parts together and added the button plackets in the front and in the back. Next was the shoulder seam - I hid that one under another pintuck so it's barely visible!  Because the embroidered fabric i chose is pretty thin and see-through i sewed in a lining. After that i sewed on the collar.

Then i prepared the bottom part of the dress by sewing on the lining. I made sure the scalloped edge from the fabric is still visible. I also made this for the bottom part of the sleeves. After that i pinned the skirt part onto the dress. Thought it would be good to use my dress form for that but in the end i just measured the distance between the highest and the lowest point of the V-shaped front part and the A-shaped back part. With that i could mark these points on the side and the middle of the skirt and could connected the points. Then i could cut off the excess fabric. Next i gathered the skirt fabric at the top, sewed it on the top part. Lastly i also gathered the fabric for the top part of the sleeves into a puffy sleeve and sewed that on the dress - then the dress was done~

An equation that only makes sense to those with a genocidal mindset.

Reminder that it has never been about the hostages and that hostages have been used as a justification for the numerous massacres over the past 8 months, the last of which was in Nuseirat today where over 200 Palestinians were killed, adding to the overall number of nearly 40,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza. The horrific massacre in Nuseirat today should be all you need to know to understand what Israel means when they say they want to "free the hostages" by refusing to engage in diplomatic efforts.

you can click on this button once daily to help palestine and support other causes in the middle east for free. it takes literally 5 seconds and could help save lives so please take the time to click and share this link.

people always talk about leaving comments on ao3 like it's a nice thing to do, or the best way to encourage writers to keep writing, or overall like it's how you Do Your Part in fandom

and yeah, all those things are true, but having spent the past few months leaving enthusiastic comments on as many things as i can, i have a different perspective

you should leave comments on fics because it's fun

taking the time to stop and focus on what i like about a story has made me way more aware of what's going on in stories and what i like about them. there's bit more actual comprehension and appreciation and not just beaming content into my eyes to fill time

i like noticing cool little things in fics, or riffing on funny events. i've never been very good at speculating or picking apart characters, but sometimes something clicks and it rocks.

and of course it's pretty nice when you get a response and it's clear you've made another person happy

so yeah, you should leave comments for your own sake, too. it makes reading better!

how to start reading again

from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.

start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.

don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.

go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.

remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)

analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.

read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.

finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.

try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.

forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.

remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!

stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.

AAAAAAAAA IT'S HIM

HE HAS A LITTLE TURTLE FRIEND

AI disturbance overlays for those who don't have Ibis paint premium. found them on tiktok

I'm writing again to bring attention to the GFM campaign of @nourfamily1989, a mother of five in Gaza.

Since the last update, the situation for Nour and her family has gotten a lot worse. The area they've been seeking refuge in has been subject to intense bombing, and they've had to flee again in the middle of the night, with no idea where to go or what awaits them.

The despair Nour is describing is heartbreaking:

We see death every day, every minute, and every second??? We can no longer endure all this suffering, and my children are no longer children. Rather, they have become adults. After all this suffering, they have not taken any of their rights. Rather, they have lost their lowest rights. They have to bear what no grown-up person could bear. How long will all this torment and destruction that we live in?? Every day we move from place to place and we do not know where to go and where to go. There is no safe place for us. Every place is targeted and there is no safety. Please help my children from this bitter torment. Please save us from this destruction. There is no home. There is no future for my children. All their dreams are shattered.

Nour has repeatedly said on her blog that she hates having to ask for help, but that, for the sake of her children, she no longer has a choice.

Let's make sure her pleas now don't go unanswered.

You can make a big difference to the family even with a small donation. If you can't donate, then please help by sharing.

Donation link (GFM)

For vetting info, see this post by @/killy.

Over the course of a week, we've been able to raise a little over $5,000. Let's aim to reach the next $5,000 milestone as soon as possible, so that if the Rafah crossing reopens in the near future, the family will have the funds necessary to evacuate.

Currently: $14,240 / $20,000

Total GFM goal: $90,000

Types of Blorbo Thoughts:

Projection - This blorbo is just like me and therefore every single trait I have is now their traits as well

Incoherent - This blorbo constantly fills my head but if you asked me to describe why I liked them so much i wouldn’t be able to tell you

Music - Every single song I listen to reminds me of this blorbo

Horror - I love this character so much I want to put them through Horrors beyond their comprehension

All of the above - Hell on earth.