#10 Beginners Machine

[fitnessmentor]

Abs Workout: How to Get Started with an abs Workout

Embark on a transformative journey towards a chiseled core with our comprehensive guide to ab workouts! Discover the secrets to jumpstart your abdominal training and sculpt those enviable washboard abs. Whether you're a beginner or looking to revamp your routine, this step-by-step guide provides expert tips, practical exercises, and proper form to maximize results. Unleash the power of targeted abs workouts to strengthen your core and enhance your overall posture and stability. From planks and crunches to innovative twists, we've got you covered. Embrace the challenge and start on your path to a firmer, more defined midsection today!

[becomingthatgirl111]

How to Start Working Out (Even If You’ve Never Trained Before)

Starting your fitness journey can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re not sure what to do, where to go, or even what to wear. I know that feeling so well because I’ve been there too. Whether you’re planning to hit the gym or work out at home, I’ve created this simple, beginner-friendly guide to help you get started the right way, without stress and without pressure.

Why You Don’t Need to Be “Fit” to Start

Let me remind you: you don’t need to be fit to start—starting is what makes you fit. What matters most is consistency, not perfection. Whether you want to build strength, feel more energized, or simply take care of yourself, working out is one of the best gifts you can give to your body and mind.

Gym vs. Home Workouts – Which One Is Better?

The answer is: the one you’ll stick to.

• The gym can give you access to more equipment and a motivating environment.

• At home, you save time, feel more comfortable, and need minimal space or tools.

Both are valid, and you can switch between them depending on your mood, schedule, or goals.

Beginner Full-Body Workout (No Equipment Needed)

Here’s a simple full-body workout you can do at home or at the gym. You can repeat this 3 times a week to start building strength and stamina:

Warm-Up (5 minutes):

• Arm circles – 1 min

• Jumping jacks – 1 min

• Bodyweight squats – 1 min

• Hip openers – 1 min

• Neck & shoulder rolls – 1 min

Full Body Routine (Repeat 2–3 rounds):

• 12 squats

• 10 push-ups (knee or full)

• 15 glute bridges

• 12 lunges (each leg)

• 30-second plank

• 15 bird dogs (core + balance)

✨ If you’re in the gym, you can do the same routine but using dumbbells for squats and lunges, and machines if you prefer. Don’t be afraid to ask for help—everyone was a beginner once!

Tips to Stay Consistent

• Don’t wait to feel motivated—create a routine and show up for yourself.

• Wear an outfit that makes you feel confident.

• Follow fitness creators or playlists that inspire you.

• Track your progress (even just writing “I moved today” counts!).

• Celebrate small wins like completing your weekly workouts or feeling more energy.

Want More Routines Like This?

If this post helped you and you’d like more beginner-friendly guides, let me know in the comments or send me a DM/message. I love connecting with you and would be so happy to create more full-body or targeted workouts (legs, arms, abs… whatever you need!).

💌 You can always message me if you need a little extra help or motivation.

Would You Like a Website Where You Can Find All the Blog Content (and More)?

I’ve been thinking about creating a space where everything is organized and easy to find—routines, guides, mindset tips, healthy habits, and more.

Would you find that helpful? Let me know below! 👇🏼

Your opinion really helps me grow this community and support you better. 🌱💖

Let’s become our strongest, healthiest, most confident selves—one workout at a time. You’ve got this! 💪🏼✨

[steelestallion]

💪Ryder Steele’s Muscle Gain Instruction Manual. 💪

A surface-level yet comprehensive beginner’s guide to working out/body building/gaining muscle written by a tboy with a degree in human physiology, with tboys in mind. Speed training, toning, and cardio/lung health training will not be explored.

(Part 1) Diet. Talking about food, their molecules and how the body responds.

An aspect of bodybuilding/exercizing that is just as important as the weights and workouts themselves. Generally, the more a human does, the more nutrition they need in every sense.

Protein is needed to survive as a human, 0.8 grams per kilogram of weight MINIMUM. (source) To gain muscle you need to consume more protein than that. 1 gram per pound of body is a good goal.

There are additional ingredients, Amino Acids, you can ingest to give your body more of what it needs to build muscle. The most common is creatine, and it can be found naturally in foods or bought alone. 14mg per pound is a good dose, (source) but you could do as low as you like.

Carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water are other things essential to keep you running, but aren’t the building block of muscle.

For vitamins, minerals, and water be sure to get the daily recommended dose. It’s worth considering a little more than recommend water, potassium, magnesium, and sodium in your diet for adequate muscle usage before and during working out. Also, a bit more calcium in general for muscle movement and the strength your bones must gain to support stronger muscles and weight loads.

For carbohydrates and fats, it’s important to have adequate levels of these. The body uses carbohydrates for energy first and mainly, then uses fats, then proteins. How much? Well it depends on how much you care about the image of your body, and what your goals are.

The Bulk is for people who want to gain muscle and mass a bit quicker. There is clean bulking and dirty bulking. Dirty bulking is eating a lot without much regard to amounts. Clean bulking is to gain muscle mass while keeping your body fat percentage at relatively the same level.

The Cut is for people who want to reduce their body fat percentage. Eating at a slight/moderate deficit to force the body to consume fat cells as energy. High protein is still consumed.

Before working out, you should consume something 30-40 minutes before starting. Preworkout, a caffeinated substance, or complex carbohydrates to give you the energy needed to begin and not crash.

After working out, you should consume a good portion of your daily proteins 30 minutes to four hours later.

(Part 2)Working out. Utilizing and ripping the telomeres of your muscles and forming neural pathways.

To build muscle, you need to utilize the muscles. To get bigger muscles, your body needs to move with more resistance than what it normally does. Weight acts as the resistance.

Warming up is an important first step to working out, as you need to prime your body’s systems and cells. Heart rate is the primary thing to warm up, because using muscles requires your heart pump harder and faster. 5-10 minutes of warmup minimum of cardio is best. The intensity of this cardio is your choice. Dancing, fast walking, jogging/running, jump rope, cycling, etc. are good. Stretching is also a good precursor to the warmup as the warmup uses your muscles also. It’s a process, but its important to warm up properly to avoid tightness, cramps, or even things snapping.

The weightlifting a complicated and highly discussed thing. There are hundreds of motions across gym machines, tools, and muscles for you to chose from. Which ones you do depend on what is available, and the muscles you want to work. Write stuff down if you must. Here is an exercise dictionary.

Muscle names are good to know to decide which motions to do. Look at this diagram to learn, and build your own encyclopedia and routine.

Frequency of working out is important. If your body does not use muscles, they deteriorate. You can work certain muscles more frequently than others. Just keep adequate rest. You may see things like push/pull day, arm day. This is the type of motions and muscles focused. Dedicating a workout session/day to one muscle group helps keep track of avoiding overuse. See Rest for more. Once a week at minimum you should work a muscle group to keep it from deteriorating. Here’s an example: Sunday rest. Monday arms&core. Tuesday whole back. Wednesday rest. Thursday whole arms. Friday rest. Saturday whole legs.

Duration of working the muscle during a session/day impacts its growth. A rep is one time going through a motion. Sets is how many times you do a group of reps. 3x15 pushups is I’m doing 15 pushups. Rest. 15 more. Rest. 15 more. Three sets of fifteen. To build endourance, lower weight at higher reps. To build mass and strength, higher weight at lower reps.

Finally, the weight heaviness. You should slightly push your muscles to start, then base your weight patterns off of what is a good amount of strain for you. The more you challenge/strain yourself, the more it will hurt and build muscle mass. Also, the faster you increase the weight your muscles fight against, the higher the risk of injury. However, if you stick to a weight that is not challenging, your muscles will not grow. There must always be some element of challenge your muscles must always be chasing to keep up with. Thats what growing is. For example: I’ve been bicep curling single dumbbells of 10 pounds for months. 12 pounds is a comfortable challenge, and I can do 15 also but not the whole set. So, I may warm up with 1 set of 10lbs. Two sets of 12lbs, then finish with one set of 15 at lower reps. The number of reps per set could be 15,12,10,6. Decreasing reps while increasing weight to prep the body, but not injure too much.

(Part 3) Rest. Your body building new muscle, and preparing to work again.

In between sets of exercise, you need to rest your muscles for enough time for them to become reloaded with their energy, ATP. ~1 minute for heavily lifting. Ensure you’re breathing well also to give your blood oxygen. Deeper, healthy breaths during rest is good.

After training it’s recommended to give a muscle group ~48 hours of rest to rebuild the fibers. Rest means not training it, but of course if you need to use them, use them. Additionally, you can still be active and rest, doing a thing called active rest. Doing nothing at all, which has its benefits, is called passive rest.

Sleep is your body’s way of storing information and taking out the cerebral trash. During sleep your body produces growth hormone, your brain works to retain all of the information you and your body learned during the day, and generally refreshes itself. Napping can be beneficial also if it doesn't interfere with getting the minimum 8-10 hours depending on your age group.

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions, would like help creating workout plans, or would like a bit of praise or encouragement feel free to reach out. Also if there are any errors. Now go have fun!

[saintobio]

⊹★⋆ two wheels and a hot guy.

pairings. gojo satoru, fem!reader tags. 1k wc, biker boy x biker girl au, non-sorcerer au, crack, fluff, dirty jokes (?), satoru rides an s1k, biker!sukuna mentions, same au as my other fic. sparked by a random idea bcos why haven't we thought abt biker!gojo honestly? he would be so funny on tiktok if he was a biker boy lmao

You’ve all heard about Biker!Sukuna. That famous biker boy on biketok who has tattoos and rides a blacked out Yamaha R1. 

But have you heard about Biker!Gojou? 

Well… For starters, Satoru Gojou wasn’t a seasoned biker. 

In fact, he was more of a poser than anything, but you’d never catch him admitting that. His prized BMW S1000RR, the crown jewel of superbikes, was more about image than skill. The sleek, aggressive lines of the machine, combined with the prestige of the BMW logo, were all he needed to keep up appearances on TikTok. And he learned that appearances were everything, especially when Sukuna, with his obnoxious face tattoos and natural charisma, hogged the limelight (especially from all the girls!) with every post, even with a girlfriend already in tow. The sheer audacity of that scum was enough to drive Satoru up the wall. Fine, he had to admit. He was jealous of Sukuna’s popularity and the fact that he snatched a cute booktok girlfriend as his backpack. 

Suguru, his best friend and fellow biker, didn’t let him forget it either. As they stood by their bikes outside Barnes & Noble to spot booktok girls, Suguru glanced at Satoru’s liter bike and smirked. 

“Pretentious motherfucker,” he muttered, slinging a leg over his Yamaha MT-10, the less flashy but undeniably badass naked bike. Unlike Gojou, Suguru didn’t care about clout. The MT-10 was all about raw power and agility, the kind of bike a real rider appreciated. “You only got that thing because it’s a BMW. You gonna actually ride it for real one of these days?”

“Shut up.” Satoru rolled his eyes, adjusting his white Alpinestars riding gloves while holding his phone up to go live on TikTok. Starting with a 1000cc as a beginner bike wasn’t a very wise choice, but still... “People love the S1K, you know that.”

And let me tell you about Satoru’s favorite time of the day (or night). It was whenever he would go live, and the comments would pour in as soon as his stream started. That was when he could lavish in his social media presence the most.

user19463: Bro, when are you gonna show us some actual riding content?

anon875biker: All that thirst trapping. Bet you don’t even take that thing out of the garage. 

harleysRbetter: U punks R ruining the riding community! 

Gojou grinned at the screen, winking at both his followers and haters. “Alright, boomers, calm down. I’ll post some riding content soon. Don’t cry too much before then, yeah?”

r1.skn: Sir, can you do wheelies? 

Suguru found that comment hilarious, recognizing the username and knowing exactly who it belonged to—Sukuna. But Satoru’s competitive nature kicked in instantly while he continued to scroll through the comments. “Yeah, I can do wheelies. Ignore Sukuna, guys. Focus on me!”

msbikerluvr: Still looking for a backpack, Gojou? Lmao.

“About the backpack… you know, I’m just waiting for the right one. Applications are still open—” He was about to launch into another witty retort when a sound cut through the chatter of his stream—it was a deep, throaty rev that sent a shiver of excitement down his spine. Satoru’s head immediately whipped to the direction of the sound, just in time to see a flash of race blue zipping down the street.

There you were, riding a Yamaha R7, your black Dainese jacket hugging your curves as you leaned into the wind. The way you handled the bike, so smooth and confident, it was as if the motorcycle was an extension of you. 

“Damn, she’s hot.” Without a second thought, Satoru ended the live stream abruptly, “Gotta go, guys. Someone just stole my heart,” and pocketed his phone.

“Did you seriously just—” Suguru started, but Satoru was already mounting his S1000RR.

“Catch you later, Suguru!” he called, gunning the engine without even looking at his best friend. Soon enough, the 1000cc bike roared to life when he shifted into first gear, and he sped off in pursuit of the blue R7.

He caught sight of you at the next red light, the signal holding you in place just long enough for him to catch up. Thank God there was no sign of a biker boyfriend around when he pulled up alongside you, visor down, adrenaline still kicking him alive. He tried to get your attention by revving his S1K, and you turned your head slightly, barely acknowledging him as you pulled your visor up and revealed the prettiest eyes Gojou had ever seen. 

Satoru flipped up his visor too, then flashed his most charming grin. “Hey there,” he said, trying to keep his voice smooth and casual. Like it was a normal encounter. “You’re fast. I like that.”

You may have rolled your eyes, but he could tell you were smirking underneath the balaclava as you talked through the Cardo intercom linked to your AGV K1s. “And you’re obnoxious. I don’t like that.”

Oooh, she’s spicy. He laughed at the silly thought in his head, unbothered by your dismissal. “Come on, don’t be like that. I’m just trying to get to know the girl who stole my heart in the middle of a live stream.”

“Your heart, huh?” you teased, revving her engine just slightly. “Sounds like you’re more interested in what’s under my jacket.”

“Now that’s a baseless accusation,” he retorted, leaning in slightly. “I don’t do anything on the first night, you know. I usually wait until the second, after a nice dinner. I’m a gentleman like that.”

His remark made you snort, shaking your head at his boldness. “You’re a ridiculous guy.”

“But I’m also serious,” he added, his voice sincere despite the playful glint in his eyes. “Let me take you out, just dinner. No strings, no funny business—unless you’re into that kind of thing. I don’t mind that, either.”

Your laughter sounded like a sweet melody to his ears. “You’ve got guts, mister. I’ll give you that.” Has anyone told you how hot you looked while leaning into your bike? Damn. Satoru was distracted, checking you out for a moment until you spoke again, “Fine. One dinner. But don’t think you’re getting into my pants just because you ride a fancy bike.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised, grinning from ear to ear.

The light turned green, and without another word, you revved your engine and took off with Satoru right on your tail. The chase was on, but this time, it wasn’t just about the thrill of the ride. 

For Satoru Gojou, it was about something far more exhilarating—winning the attention of the most intriguing biker girl he’d ever met. 

And perhaps, the biker boyfriend and backpack girlfriend content he’d been hoping to post on Tiktok may slightly change into a different direction than he expected. 

[just-a-sketchbook]

First Quilt!

It has been a lot of fun and a lot of trial and error but it's done!!!

It's roughly 1.20 x 1.20m (which is a number of feet I can't be bothered to look up but let's say it's about child sized and it'll be great to chill on the couch).

I want to thank @langdon813 who I've never talked to (sorry if you hate being tagged) but whose gorgeous Drunkard path quilts made me wanna do it too :)

I had never done any quilting before (but I did sew), so here's what I've learned, if any beginner is interested in jumping off the deep end the way I did and wants advice from someone who has freshly acquired experience but will also not use any confusing technical terms (with pictures!) :

Fabric picking : so most advice I read was to go for pre-selected bundles of fabric that already go together, but I'm contrary and like to do my own thing so I used wax fabric (the blue ones on top the pile) I had laying around, which I strongly recommend: it's very easy to cut due to it being waxed, and I added a few fat squares from the shop, plus I also had the orange and blue floral and I based the coulour scheme on it. One thing that's true is it would have been easier to work with fabric of the same thickness, and the floral was givne to me by my ma who got in on trip to Thailand and it was alot thinner than the rest which didn't help.

Cutting: I got a rotary cutter for the occasion and it's great! Do not maybe push too hard on it and give yourself nerve damage the way I did (temporary but still), it's actually ery sharp and easy to use, so long as your template doesn't slip you're fine

Piecing :Yes you can do curved piecing even if you have zero experience, you just gotta make a template and

pin it a lot.

1/4 inch margins is the standard so I rolled with it because I don't like converting, but when you're strictly metric it is kind of annoying but doable because my machine does have a 1/4 inch mark and if you stick a length of tape along it it's pretty easy to follow, even for curved piecing.

Layout: At some point you've got to decide the layout is done, because I've re-arranged the blocks at least 6 times and it's a very good way to go insane. (For rough reference, my plan was to have no repeat fabrics in any of the circle-in-a-square blocks, and I only made one mistake which I clocked too late to change)

Chain piecing!! Meaning you pile your blocks together in a specific order (that I personnaly wrote straight up on each piece with a very sophisticated letter/numbers down/across system) and then just sew them together in a line without having to cut the thread between each pair. Looks a little like a fanion banner and at some point it feels like you'll be forever tangled into it but then it's magic :) It's not that hard actually and will save you a lot of time + there's a lot of online tutorials you can use.

Basting! (which it took me while to understand is the part where you attach the backing, the fluff and the quilt top together) : you need more safety pins. Safety pins will save you from the wrinkles and the unfortunate oopsies of realising you've caught your backing double folded into your quilting stitch, which I did a good three times and was not fun to undo. Also, I forgot to tape the backing to the floor and it probably would have helped with the wrinkling...

Backing : I used an old linen table cloth I got for 10€ at a charity shop, and I've still got about 2/3 of it left, so I recommend that, it's sturdy but soft enough, doesn't thread easily and can be washed at very high temps, if that's a thing you do.

Quilting! Well, my machine came with a quilting foot for free motion quilting (which means you're the one moving the fabric along in whichever direction and you can sort of draw with your stitches) and it seemed fun so I did that, and here's what I learned : curves are hard but doable, also my machine doesn't like to go back (kept skipping sitiches for some reason) so it involves a lot of shifting the quilt around, which isn't easy considering the bulk. And also, drawing the quilting pattern you want so you can follow it while quilting actually does help, I used an iron/heat-erasable pen and it worked just fine. Check your stitch tension, mine was too loose and I realised too late so there's spots where I could pull on the thread and it looped, had to stitch back over that.

Quilitng pattern : I wasn't sure what to do, supposedly your batting (aka: the fluff) comes with instructions on how tight you should quilt to avoid it coming apart through use but I got mine cut at the fabric shop and forgot to ask so I just rolled with a rough 10cm maximum distance in between stitching lines but tried to do less in most places. According to many blogs : the tighter your lines the stiffer your quilt, so I kept it loose for comfort. (Picture is halfway done, I added a smaller square/circle inside each square/circle and if you look at it you'll see it's actually diagonal lines form one end of the fabric to the other.)

Binding is boring, and there's nothing to it. I got a length of pre-cut bias binding, machine-sewed it front to front to the quilt top side of the quilt and the folded it back and secured it by hand to the back with a ladder stitch. Took me roughly and entire rewatch of the Last Of Us. There's a trick to doing the corners that's fairly simple but I've lost the tutorial...

Overall : I got myself a quilting book with techinques and such and it helped, but there's a ton of stuff online, and once you get over the very Christian American mum vibe of most of the blogs, it's all very helpful (and gorgeous!) (no offense meant to Christian American mums, it's just a bit of a culture shock from where I'm standing).

[ladykailitha]

The Harrington Pattern Part 13

This is it guys, the chapter of this fic. I have had an absolute blast writing and even more so reading all the comments and tags.

This last chapter is dedicated to all those who wanted the moms to bring Steve into their fold. This was also chance for Steve to rip on the haters without fear of his parents ire.

Thank you so much for all the love and support for this little story.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

****

Claudia was waiting at the Byers�� front door when Eddie pulled up in his van and Steve hopped out.

“Eddie!” she cried happily. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Hey, Mrs. H,” Eddie said with a wave. “I’m just dropping Stevie off. We’re hanging out later.”

“That was sweet of you, dear,” Claudia cooed.

Steve in the meantime was pulling things out of the backseat of the van. Eddie looked over at him.

“You need help, darlin’?” he asked over his shoulder.

Steve shook his head. “I’ve got it. Thank you, though.” In lower voice he muttered, “I love you and I’ll see you later.”

Eddie gave Steve’s forearm a squeeze and then waved at Claudia. He backed out of the driveway and was soon gone from sight.

“We’ve got all sorts of surprises for you today, Steve,” she said gleefully clapping her hands together.”

Steve grinned at her. “Mrs. Peterson here yet?”

Claudia shook her head. “She’s always at least fifteen minutes late. Something we were banking on actually.”

Steve cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

But Claudia just ushered him inside. He set his stuff down and then handed her a tray.

“I made blondies,” he said, “I hope you ladies like them.”

She peeled back the foil and gasped. “Steve they look amazing!”

Joyce came out of the kitchen wiping her hands. “What looks amazing?” she asked peering over Claudia’s shoulder. She, too, gasped when she saw them. “Steve, you didn’t!”

Steve grinned. “Your sons always eat the ones I send home with them before they even get home, so I figured you’d appreciate these.”

She kissed his cheek. “You are a dear.”

Claudia laid them out on table next to all the other treats.

On the coffee table were a bunch of things under a large sheet with clowns on it.

“The three of us,” Karen began, “wanted to do something extra special for you after hearing what fun our children had at the Fair because you made sure they did. So we each contributed something toward your love of sewing.”

She lifted the sheet. Underneath was a beautiful sewing kit in navy blue, a light green Singer sewing machine that looked older than he was, and a stack of old patterns.

Steve’s lip wobbled as he raised his hand to his mouth in shock.

“You didn’t have to do this, ladies,” he whispered.

“The sewing kit is from me,” Karen continued. “It’s a beginner’s kit, but it has fabric scissors, a seam ripper, bobbins for your thread and different kinds of needles.”

Steve sat down and pulled it onto his lap. He opened it and as he lifted the lid, the top tray pulled back revealing the tray beneath. “Thank you.”

“The sewing machine,” Claudia said proudly, “is the first one I ever owned. When I got married I got a new one and I’ve been using that ever since. But this ol’ girl has a lot of love and life left in her, and I want you to have her.”

Steve looked up at her, tears forming in his eyes. “Aren’t you worried that I’ll break it? Or that my parents will find it and destroy it?”

Claudia knelt in front of him. “It’s gonna be kept at my house until you get a place of your own. You’re there all the time to see Dusty anyway, no one is going to notice that you’re there to sew now, too.”

“Plus,” Joyce said with a grin. “It’s a Singer. They’re a little hard to break. They’re one of the best machines and it will probably outlast your children. So don’t worry about it, okay?”

Steve nodded, his lip quivering. Claudia kissed his forehead and stood back up.

“The patterns are from me,” Joyce said. “Whenever I would have a little extra money I would pick up a pattern or two at the drug store and bring it home. I picked a handful that I thought you’d like since you’re primarily making costumes. And if those work for you, next week I’ll bring another handful you might like.”

Tears started flowing down his cheeks. “Thank you. All of you. This is best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

“Oh honey,” Joyce said softly and suddenly Steve was being hugged on all sides by the moms.

They stayed like that until there was a knock on the door.

“That must be Olive,” Claudia said with a sigh. “I bet she brought those brownies that are totally store bought even though she insists it her grandmother’s recipe.”

Steve snickered. “My mom used to do that. I don’t think she fooled anyone either.”

Joyce grinned over her shoulder as she went to go answer the door. “Olive, dear! We were just getting started.”

“Oh?” the bright voice on the other side of the door cooed. “You’re usually in the full swing of things by now.”

Steve bristled. That meant she knew she was late and was doing it intentionally. He hated people like that. Acting like the rest of them were peasants meant to be waiting on her.

“Steve was just showing us the costumes he made for the kids for the Fair over the weekend,” Karen said sweetly as Steve hurried to get the things he brought to show off out.

Olive stepped into the house with a sneer. “I think it’s so sweet you’re indulging the boy, but I doubt he can hold a candle to Claudia’s years of experience.”

Wow, Steve thought. Not only did she insult him, but she insinuated Claudia was old. What was with this old bag?

Claudia smirked. “It’s true that I’ve been doing it for longer, but Steve has a real talent for it. Come see.”

Olive walked into the front room and Steve was struck by how much she reminded him of his mother. She had perfectly curled hair with not a single strand out of place. Her clothes were fitted and showed off her figure. Her makeup was flawless.

In short, Steve hated her on sight.

Joyce handed her the shirt he had made for underneath his tunic. It was flawless but understated.

Olive took the shirt and scoffed. “You couldn’t have done this, Harrington, you shouldn’t lie to your betters.”

Steve was already seeing red. “I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you then.”

Joyce clapped her hands together. “All right, let’s get started. Steve, you can eat as much as you want, but just make sure to keep it away from other people’s projects.”

Steve smiled at her sweetly. “Of course!”

He knew that what she was really saying was that Olive Peterson might try something.

He sat in the armchair away from her and she glared at him.

“Is it all right if I work on my project first before you teach me how to use the sewing machine?” he asked just as she was taking a drink of punch.

Olive was forced to turn away and cough into her hand to avoid spraying everyone with the lemonade that Claudia had made.

Karen’s smile was feral. “I don’t see why that would be a problem, right, Claudia?”

“Of course not, Steve,” she replied warmly. “Just let me know when you want to learn and I’ll come over and help you.”

Steve nodded. He pulled out the materials that Eddie suggested he bring and got to work.

Eddie really liked that Steve’s bags had a lining because it protected the dice better, so Steve had brought along some materials he could use for that as well.

About halfway through his first bag, Joyce called out.

“Steve? What’s that pattern you’re putting on the bag?”

Steve’s eyes lit up. “It’s my signature! I embroider it on everything I do to make sure people can’t pass it off as their own.” He handed the bag over to her.

“Oh!” she cried in excitement. “This is the design you put on Will and El’s costumes when you did their alterations, right?”

Steve nodded. “I hope you don’t mind. I know you made the clothes, but I thought it was a cute way to tie the two together like they were twins.”

“It was perfect,” Joyce said. “El still hasn’t stopped talking about how pretty your design made the dress.”

Steve blushed as he took the pouch back from her.

“I was talking to someone at the Renaissance Fair,” he said shyly, “and she wanted me make them clothes and things that she would sell for me. She even told me to make business cards in case someone wanted to commission me directly.”

“Oh Steve!” Karen cried. “That’s wonderful!” She clapped her hands together and tilted her head. “I have to admit I’m a little jealous. That pattern is beautiful. I would love a handkerchief with that on it.”

Steve straightened up. “Yeah?”

Karen nodded.

“What color would you like?” he asked excitedly.

Karen tried to protest but he wouldn’t let her. In fact he managed to convince all but Olive to let him make them one for them.

It did, unfortunately take him to the end of the two hours, but he was excited to come next week.

“I’ll even host it at my place!” he said with a grin.

Olive sputtered. “Well I won’t be there if it’s at this young man’s house. That’s so inappropriate.”

The three other ladies looked at each other and then shrugged.

“Your loss,” Karen said dryly.

Olive stormed out of the house vowing that as long as Steve was part of the group she would never come back.

“Well that is a relief,” Joyce said, “I’m not the kind to speak ill of anyone, but we really got quite the upgrade!”

Karen clapped her hands. “Indeed. I can’t wait for next week. I’ve got a new project I’m starting and I found the best recipe for a chocolate mousse that I’ve been dying to try out.”

“Same time next week, ladies?” Steve asked.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Claudia agreed.

Then there came a loud honk.

Steve looked out the window and smiled. “Looks like my ride is here.”

He gather up his stuff, including the patterns and sewing kit and walked out to Eddie’s van.

He slid into the front seat.

“You have fun today, sweetheart?” Eddie asked, pulling out of the driveway.

“Yeah,” Steve said looking fondly at the house. “This has been the best weekend ever.”

Eddie grinned. “Well, it’s about to get even better, just wait to you see what I have planned for us today.”

Steve smiled as Eddie regaled him with his plans and nodded along.

Life was really looking up. He had a platonic soulmate, good friends, an amazing boyfriend, a hobby he enjoyed and could make real money from, and now a group of people to share that hobby with each week.

And to think it all started with a flier about the Renaissance Fair coming back to Hawkins.

“I can’t wait,” he breathed once Eddie was done.

Eddie smiled that sweet smile at always turned Steve’s insides to mush.

Yeah, Steve could honestly say that he was happy.

****

Tag List: @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

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[wandaluvstacos]

I am begging people to stop buying this damn sewing machine for anyone older than 12.

As a toy for children, it's acceptable. If you ACTUALLY want to sew something, do not get a cheap piece of crap from Walmart for $35!! You'll work on this thing for 15 minutes, it will suck, you will get frustrated, and then you'll tell yourself that you are simply incapable of sewing and that it's too complicated for you. But it's not your fault-- you are working with a child's toy. That's like giving up on driving a car because your Barbie Jeep's battery dies the first 5 minutes you're in it.

My two recommendations:

First and most recommended: You get a LIGHTLY USED modern plastic machine for cheap off Facebook Marketplace or your local sewing machine repair shop. I'm talking less than 10 years old. You ask the seller "do you use this regularly" or "has this been serviced". Try to buy from someone who has used the machine recently because they'll know its ins-and-outs. You can find a modern machine for like $30 on Facebook Marketplace from someone who has actually used it (I would not recommend Goodwill or anywhere you can't speak to the person who used it before you, if you are just starting out). One highly recommended modern machine for beginners is the Singer Heavy Duty.

It's $200 new but you can easily find one much cheaper used. It's simple to use and will hold up to basic sewing for the time it will take you to decide whether you want to sew or not. Other modern Singers suck ass; save yourself the trouble. Go with the Singer Heavy Duty or a Brother, or even a Janome if you can find one cheap enough. Stay away from anything that's not a time-trusted brand.

The Brother CS6000i is a decent beginner's machine.

Again, do not buy machines off eBay unless they make it CLEAR that it has been fully serviced and is in perfect working condition. They honestly aren't much cheaper used on eBay than they are new, so best to buy it from someone on Facebook Marketplace or at a sewing machine repair place.

Second recommendation: Buy a VINTAGE METAL machine that has been fully serviced or in perfect working condition. These are more difficult to find serviced, so I wouldn't recommend it unless you find one on FB Marketplace (though the one I got on eBay worked perfectly out of the box). There will be TONS of very cheap vintage machines on FB Marketplace, but the problem with these is that they've often been sitting in a cabinet for 20 years, unused. Not great for learning on. You can also buy one of these machines and have it serviced, but having a machine serviced will cost more than the machine is worth, more often than not.

There are benefits to a vintage metal machine over a modern plastic one. it will last your lifetime. It can sew through thick, difficult fabrics. They're much better looking imo. They likely won't break unless you drop them down a stairwell. However, the oldest ones only do a straight stitch, and speaking as someone who has vintage and a modern machine... the automatic buttonholer and overlock stitch are nice to have! But the vast majority of the stitching you will do will only be zig zag (for stretch knits/elastic) or straight stitch. The zig zag feature became available in most domestic sewing machines by the late 1950s.

Any vintage machine made before 1970 will be fine to sew with; everything was pretty good quality back then. 1970s era Kenmores are ugly and basic but they are cheap while also being excellent machines, and they're the "newest" domestic machine you can get that's still all metal.

Any Singer will have easy-to-replace parts, have easily findable user manuals, and every sewing machine repairman will be able to fix them. The uglier ones in the 1960s are dirt cheap, if you make sure it's not younger than the 628 or 337. Both of these machines are the cheapest vintage all-metal Singers you'll find and they work fine (and they do zig zag stitches).

Do NOT get a Touch n Sew or Stylist made in the late 1960s or later. Generally if it has plastic buttons, it's got something plastic inside (not always, but with Singers, often). These Golden Touch n Sews are in fact Touch n Throw (away).

Any old black machine will be fine and very simple to use, and I think they look gorgeous, but they only straight stitch, so you won't be able to sew your own leggings on them. If you only want to make curtains, quilts, or bags or something, they will work fantastic for that. Just make sure they're serviced, as these things usually are not.

I'm going to talk to my younger, beginner self: Just because it's a used, older machine does not make it worse!

Even used modern plastic machines can work fine. It's rare that people are selling a machine as WORKING when it doesn't work. People tend to be honest about it. Usually they are selling it because they lost interest, it was given to them by a family member, or they just don't use it enough to keep around. Buying used is almost always the best, cheapest option for a beginner. Stop buying these cheapo gadgets on Amazon! They will only make you hate sewing machines.

[therealagustd]

Suguru fluff for the soul (and because we all miss him)(ft. Satoru):

You wore his clothes

Suguru is the type to see you wearing his clothes, then smile and say, "It suits you." Maybe you were cold, and it was close by, so he'd leave an extra hoodie or jacket around after that.

Just in case.

And if Satoru saw, he'd be dramatic as hell about it and put his own jacket over you and say, "There, now you're properly dressed." and Suguru would be like, "It's not a competition, Satoru" and Gojo would be like, "It's always a competition, Suguru".

He caught you dancing

Suguru's the type to cross his arms, smile, and lean against the doorway. If you noticed him, he'd laugh and go, "Do continue, I believe you were just getting to the best part?". If you asked him not to tell anyone? "...I dunno, Satoru might need to see this..."

Festival prize winning

Suguru would see Satoru trying to win you a prize, being his dramatic self and telling Suguru to sit this one out because he's already the best and "not to embarrass himself" (Gojo messes up the first few times.)

Meanwhile, Suguru easily finished the festival game in a swift move, and he just hands you the gift with a smile and says, "No theatrics, just results. Enjoy."

Amusement park bumper cars

(Okay, this one's kinda self indulgent. Have you ever been to an amusement park, but you hate or can't handle the big, dramatic rides? Same.)

You're in a bumper car, Suguru's in one, and so is Satoru. And here comes Satoru, trying to smash his car into Suguru's, yelling about "This is for all the times you rolled your eyes at me!" or something similar. And during the whole speil, Suguru's effortlessly making sure you don't get bumped and you eventually team up against Satoru and chase him in the bumper cars until he's screaming about betrayal.

Claw machines

Alright, Geto's on the move. You've failed at least 10 times with this thing, and it's not even a payout one!

But before he can, Gojo swoops in and takes over, boasting about how he's the best at these.

And in his rich boy energy, he's trying over and over, promising you that stuffed creature inside.

"Alright, this is how a pro does it. I've got the precision, the timing and... oh come on! This is clearly rigged."

And because Gojo is Gojo, he spends way too much money on the machine until he wins you a prize and is all smug and says, "All in a day's work - I'll accept my repayment in the form of snacks."

Meanwhile, Geto calmly walks to the machine and wins a prize in the first try.

Trying to fight back a laugh at Satoru's expression, he hands you the prize and goes, "It's about angles and patience. That's all."

Gojo's telling him that he had just gotten beginner's luck.

You keep both prizes on your bed.

Painting together

You agreed on a painting session. You and Geto were supposed to be doing it together, but of course Gojo had to come and crash the party.

So now Satoru's boasting about his painting (a self portrait), and how he made a masterpiece.

And you check on Suguru, and he's painted the most beautifully detailed purple flower, and he smiles at you before gently tapping your nose with the handle end of the brush so you'd snap out of it and go back to painting.

And you do.

He's glancing over at you and your painting, happy that you're by his side.

[cartierre]

ICED OAT LATTE | ma11

SOCIAL MEDIA!AU marcus armstrong x fem!novalak!reader (fc: sabrina carpenter)

side note: this is a bit on the shorter side but otherwise it felt like just dragging it out for nothing. there are two twitter threads though so i think that kind of makes up for it?

♡ liked by clementnovalak, marcusarmstrong, screamingmeals and 17,347 others

tagged: screamingmeals

y/n_novalak my segment on screamingmeals "y/n's coffee corner" launches this week! try out different kinds of coffee with me, send me suggestions how you like to drink yours and let's have a little chat together! we're going to start off strong with my all time favourite: an iced oat latte 🧊☕️

view all 82 comments

user1 watch y/n become the next emma chamberlain

user2 i don't like coffee but maybe y/n can come up with a way for me to somewhat enjoy it ⤷ user3 y/n should definitely do an episode on how to get into coffee as a beginner!

screamingmeals we never knew coffee could be so expensive ⤷ y/n_novalak i won't settle for cheap coffee beans

clementnovalak first you stole my best friend and now you get your own corner? ⤷ y/n_novalak go cry me a riverrrrrr ⤷ user4 y/n and clem being siblings, part 1933829

user5 i love an oat latte, but warm instead of cold!

♡ liked by clementnovalak, felipedrugovich, marcusarmstrong and 16,283 others

tagged: marcusarmstrong

y/n_novalak i'm the proudest girlfriend on the planet right now. to see marcus race here in st. petersburg makes my heart bloom. happy indycar debut babes! (psa: giving the coffee a 6/10 because it was overpriced)

view all 72 comments

user6 ugh i cannot they're literally perfect for each other ⤷ user7 i'm so glad clem introduced them to each other

clementnovalak for the record: i am still a bit salty you didn't come to my race this weekend ⤷ y/n_novalak should i hold your hand the next time since you're such a crybaby? ⤷ clementnovalak i'm telling maman that you're mean to me

user8 i never know if y/n and clem are being serious or not with their banter ⤷ user9 i have a brother and lemme tell you we're the same

marcusarmstrong with you by my side, i feel like i can achieve anything comment liked by y/n_novalak ⤷ y/n_novalak stop it i'm getting emotional

user10 *crying in single*

♡ liked by clementnovalak, marcusarmstrong, screamingmeals and 18,293 others

tagged: screamingmeals

y/n_novalak we're going into round two! this time on "y/n's coffee corner" we're going full traditional: we're taste testing the cappucino. a classic. the cappucino shines with a foamy top and lots of aroma. you can never go wrong with it. (spoiler alert: it's not marcus' favourite 😱)

view all 67 comments

user11 y/n needs to start a whole blog about coffee

user12 marcus doesn't like a cappucino? 🚩🚩 ⤷ y/n_novalak that's what i was thinking ⤷ marcusarmstrong i'm sorry

clementnovalak the way you only put a heart on yours and marcus' coffee and i got a blop of nothingness is actually hurting my soul ⤷ y/n_novalak you're always mean to me you don't deserve a heart

user13 i have the same coffee machine! comment liked by y/n_novalak

user14 i'm more of a latte person myself, but you can never really go wrong with a cappucino!

user15 back when i wasn't allowed to drink coffee, my mum always gave me her foam on her capuccino because i was so sad that i couldn't get one myself

♡ liked by clementnovalak, marcusarmstrong and 15,948 others

tagged: clementnovalak, marcusarmstrong

y/n_novalak visiting this dickhead this weekend in jeddah because he cried about me not attending his last race

view all 74 comments

user16 imagine being stressed because you cannot decide whether to visit your brother or boyfriend at different places for races ⤷ user17 she's living every motorsport fan's dream

user18 the lipstick stain is so real. men will never understand.

clementnovalak you made it sound like i begged you to come ⤷ y/n_novalak did you not? your messages say smth else ⤷ marcusarmstrong actually he cried because i wasn't able to come ⤷ clementnovalak that is correct ⤷ y/n_novalak okay since when is it "gang up on y/n" day?

user19 marcus using his free weekend to support clem is so sweet!

user20 i just know y/n was exhausted after a whole weekend with clem and marcus comment liked by y/n_novalak

[fires0ut]

some eddie headcanons that no one asked for:

eddie thinks he’s bad with tech and hates anything advanced bc he strongly believes nothing should be talking back to him, but he actually just refuses to read instructions. if he's ever given a smart toaster, or a smart anything, he ends up returning it because it was “too controlling.”

has this irrational rivalry with the mail carrier because they once accidentally gave important mail to a neighbor. he now watches them from the window like a dramatic telenovela villain.

he refuses to admit he’s a lowkey swiftie, but he strangely knows every lyric to all too well ( 10 minute version ) and once got a little misty during the bridge. he blames it on “long shifts”, “low electrolytes”, and buck.

whenever he's sick, he watches old westerns and insists that it’s “just to relax,” but he narrates them out loud with new dialogue. chris finds this confusing but entertaining.

eddie keeps a secret scrapbook for chris' “sick day art,” where he glues every random drawing chris makes when he’s home from school. he adds fake captions like “crayon untitled no. 4, an emotional study in purple.”

secretly amazing at claw machines, but he downplays it so buck doesn’t drag him to every boardwalk arcade. one time he pulled out three plushies in a row and said it was “beginner’s luck.”

he accidentally got locked in a fancy candle store once and now has strong opinions about scents. he won’t admit it, but he buys a “coastal driftwood” candle every fall and tells people it’s “for the guests.”

eddie does not trust clowns. he got stuck in a kids’ party rescue once with a mime and now refuses to enter any space where “face paint and balloon animals are happening at the same time.”

he's hyper-aware of exits and vantage points in every room. a habit from the military that he can’t break. he positions himself in rooms where he can see the door. not out of fear, just instinct.

he struggles to call people unless it’s about logistics. text is easier, though both he's not big on. phone calls are harder unless they’re necessary, like confirming pickup times for chris or responding to a shift change.

eddie ends up perfecting his tres leches.

[liesmyth]

do you have any tips/resources for a beginner who wants to get into weightlifting?

thank you for asking!! I love this question. I love lifting! It's Good For You (helps increase bone density & metabolic rate, and it's good for injury prevention and developing functional strength). It's also a really great confidence boost. 10/10 would rec lifting to every single person reading this — if it's an option for you, give it a try.

TLDR: familarise yourself with common exercises. pick a beginner program. follow it. profit!

A more involved answer, with resources and details, is under the cut

familiarise yourself with common exercises

There are hundreds of possible exercises out there to target each specific body part. However, most of those are what's called "accessory" movements, as opposed to "basic" exercises that will pop up over and over in most lifting routines. Ideally, you want to know how to perform these movements, using light weights or just your bodyweight until you feel comfortable with it.

CORE BRACING (ft deadbugs. genuinely lifechanging skill!)

Squats.

Hip hinge. This is useful for deadlifts, romanian deadlifts, kettlebell swings & similar movements

Push movements (for example: dumbell chest press, shoulder press etc)

Pull movements (dumbell rows & many others)

That said. Please don't stress too much over "good form". Each exercise has infinite variations and especially as a beginner, you won't be lifting heavy enough weights to make form optimisation a big concern. All bodies are different and our individual stances vary a lot depending on body proportions, flexibility levels etc. You just want to know HOW an exercise is supposed to be performed, in terms of: which muscles it activates? what am I supposed to get out of it? how to do it safely? Your bodyweight squat doesn't have to be flawless, it just has to be good enough.

BTW, you know when I said that there are hundreds of possible exercises out there? Here is a very detailed masterlist + exercise guide for exercises impacting each muscle group.

learn your way around a weight room, if you aren't familiar with it already.

Broadly speaking: the free weights (bar, dumbells, kettlebells) are good for compound exercises that involve multiple muscle groups. The various machines are ideal for "isolation" exercises that target fewer specific muscle groups.

If you already know what's what, then skip this bit! But I've talked to many people who feel a bit intimidated by the weight room because they feel out of place in it, and in my experience familiarising yourself with the general layout is a good way to take away that discomfort.

And, in case this is something you need to hear: you deserve to be there, you're not taking space, and most gymgoers just want to finish their workout and shower, and won't pay specific negative attention to you. Most gyms have a weight room manager or floor trainer, at least during some shifts, and they WILL be happy to help you. If you're someone who doesn't want to be bothered while exercising, just preventively introduce yourself, say you're new

pick a program

I highkey recommend following a pre-made program instead of just fucking about on your own. Here's why

programs are well-balanced in terms of volume and muscle groups, to ensure you don't overtrain one body part and leave other lagging

they have a built-in "progression scheme" that will allow you to move to a higher weight in an optimal way — basically, you'll see strength advantages sooner

they help navigate information overload. There is SO much information about fitness out there that acts as an entry barrier. Following a pre-made program really helps with that.

If you have a gym membership, you may have the option of one "free workout program" made by a trainer who works at the gym. If that's in the cards, I'd recommend going with that.

Otherwise, I strongly recommend the "programs rec guide" over at r/xxfitness, the female fitness subreddit (the name is 15 years old but it's a queer friendly, trans inclusive space). I haven't personally done any of those, but Meg Gallagher of Before the Barbell is very solid, and that's the one I'd suggest.

get ready for DOMS

Also known as delayed onset muscle soreness. It happens 1) when you go to the gym after a while or start exercising for the first time 2) when you train a different muscle group than usual 3) when you up the intensity of a workout.

Basically, you wake up in the morning and you go OUCH!! ACHEY. That's DOMS. It happens because your muscle fibres are suffering microtears and reknitting (stronker!!) and you will feel very stiff and possibly very swollen (muscles retain water).

It'll take a few days for it to go away. IT IS SAFE TO EXERCISE THROUGH DOMS; the only thing limiting you is if you're too achy to move effectively. I recommend eating something protein heavy (more on that below) and doing some gentle exercise to make it go away faster (walking, at home-stretches or yoga, swimming if it's an option, etc.)

You DON'T want to stay in bed the whole time, because that'll only make you more stiff and make it last longer. Note that "post exercise achiness" is something that WILL go away after the first couple of weeks or so, depending on your recovery (again, gentle exercise and/or going to the gym again when you're still a bit achey is actually preferred than being completely at rest until they're fully gone away). Long term, you're NOT supposed to feel high-level soreness after working out. "No pain no gain" is mostly bullshit.

evaluate your program!

I'm always saying this, but the best exercise is the one you actually stick with. If your exercise plan is dull or fills you with dread, it doesn't matter how good for you it supposedly is — ditch it. Give yourself a few weeks of whatever program you pick, then re-evaluate: what are your favourite exercises you've done so far? Which ones you don't like? What would you like to do? Programs can and should be modified according to your preferences, and it's a lot easier to customise something that works for YOU once you're a bit more familiar with everything. For example, maybe someone at your gym is doing kettlebell swings and you think it's cool and you'd rather do those instead of crunches for your abs. Why not. Just note down what's working and what isn't, and then re-evaluate (with gym trainers if that's an option, but also, I mean it, HMU whenever).

odds and ends!!

None of these things are a big deal, but they make your life easier:

Hydrate during a workout. If you're hydrated your body works better. You'll also probably sweat during your workout. Getting through 1L of water during a 1 hour / 1 hour and a half gym session is perfectly normal.

Warm up before lifting. Something like this for a general body warmup + lighter warm-up series before going up to the weight you actually want to lift. For example: if you're squatting the bar (20kg) I'd do one bodyweight squats series, and another series holding a 10kg kettlebell or dumbell. Cool down or stretch after!

Mobility work on a day off is a good idea, even if you're no longer suffering through soreness. This is my current go-to routine, I do it about 2x week.

If possible, eat protein the evening / day after a workout. Protein is great for building muscle, and you WILL see a noticeable difference in energy level and speed of recovery by upping your protein intake. Basically: if you usually eat lentils or fish twice a week, try to make one of those times your post-gym dinner.

(In general, as a beginner you WILL see results regardless, and you don't need to optimise nutrition or anything (not to mention, it can be overwhelming / complicated to deal with.) But if you're interested in the specifics of nutrition & exercise, HMU)

keep track of your workouts! I really recommend this; it can be very inspiring to have a backlog you can look at when you want to track your progress, and you want to establish a benchmark with yourself. It can be as simple as writing down gym days & numbers in your journal if you have one; personally I use the Strong app to save my routines, and every week when I log in new workouts I modify the values depending on what weight and # of reps I hit that week. For reference, this is what a week looks like on the Strong app for me

IF I'VE MISSED ANYTHING SHOOT ME AN ASK.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Snom?

Snom! While there isn’t a wide breadth of data about this relatively recently discovered species, there is little indication that they would be a bad pet. On the contrary, so long as you are able to provide them with a fresh supply of snow, they are pretty easy to care for!

Like many bug-type pokémon, snoms are a great size for a house pet. While the body of a happy and healthy snom is constantly coated in spikes made of ice (Shield), these spikes don’t appear to make handling them dangerous as they are rather dull. That being said, I hope any potential snom adopters don’t mind the cold! You might want to wear mittens when handling this species.

Snom care is not exceptionally difficult, but in most peoples’ contexts it may take a hefty initial investment. You see, snoms’ diets are made up primarily by snow that they scavenge off of the ground in frigid environments (Shield, Scarlet). Snoms can be picky about the snow they consume, preferring freshly fallen and pure snow (Scarlet). As a snom owner, there are two main ways you can provide your pet with this much-needed food. First and foremost, if you live somewhere where it snows regularly all-year, you could easily allow your snom to graze on snow outside (under supervision for their safety of course). If, like most people, you don’t live in such a place, a snow machine or even a shaved ice machine may suffice. I would consult with a veterinarian about what consistency of snow is best for snoms, but their main food source essentially being water makes their ease of care pretty great in the long run. Like mentioned earlier, their icy coating of spikes is a great health indicator: the bigger the spikes, the better feed the snom (Shield). As far as housing needs, there isn’t much of an indication about whether or not snoms need to live in places that are generally cold. They like to sleep in tree branches by suspending themselves in the air with sticky thread (Sword), so I would recommend providing your snom with lot of places to climb and rest, but so long as they are provided with sufficient snow to eat they should be okay. You’ll likely need to create a waterproofed eating spot for your snom, perhaps with a tarp, if you intend to feed them inside.

Snoms use the snow they eat for more than just subsistence: using specialize internal organs, snoms can extract frigid energy from the snow they consume and use it for self-defense (Violet). Their icy coat, generated from the snow they consume, acts as a disguise when they sleep, making them appear like an icicle (Sword, Violet). They can also use this energy to use the move Powder Snow to fend of predators, a mid-power move that has a 10% chance of freezing a target solid. This is by no means a harmless move, but it is the only threatening move that snoms know instinctually, so it doesn’t do much to harm their overall score. Generally, snoms aren’t that dangerous, let alone aggressive. As far as ice-types go, that makes them a great beginner pet.

As long as you have the means to provide your snom with a consistent supply of snow, they would be a reasonably easy pet to care for. They’re also pretty cute!

[jalicefanficblog]

Dr. Wu x female reader?

A/N: Yay my first Jurassic World Request :-) I hope you like what i made out of it! (Requests are open)

Overtime Hours

It was completely silent in the lab. Most of the employees had gone home for a well-earned rest—home to their families, their partners, their friends. Perhaps the hardworking scientists, geneticists, bioengineers, and animal caretakers working for Jurassic World were enjoying a glass of wine or another alcoholic beverage to toast the end of the day.

Likewise, a large portion of the public was in their hotel rooms, reflecting on their impressive experiences at the world-famous theme park. Or they were in one of the many restaurants and bars located on the main road leading to the Innovation Center. Who would still be working now?

Dr. Henry Wu, theoretically, should have finished work two hours ago. But the passionate scientist was standing in the back of the sprawling lab, dealing with overtime.

The dark-haired man didn't mind staying a little longer—besides, he wanted to double-check the work of a new employee. These employees were known to make mistakes. And it would be a shame if, for example, an Ankylosaurus were to emerge with yellow scales instead of dark green.

It was Henry's responsibility to ensure that these complete beginners didn't make any fatal mistakes.

And for precisely this reason, the scientist stood over the 'Hammond XP 20' – ​​the technological machine responsible for compiling dinosaur DNA – carefully checking the last DNA input for any errors. "It's the wrong code number."

It was nothing more than a quiet murmur, and the error had immediately caught his eye. Even though scientists in the lab were now able to create the DNA of a new dinosaur in under an hour, they still had to be careful not to make any ridiculous beginner's mistakes. And entering the wrong code number was something Wu couldn't tolerate.

Now he was allowed to take care of this problem, because with an unfinished DNA specimen in the technological acquisition phase, the prototype only remains 'stored' for two hours before it degrades into its basic structure.

The dark-haired man activated a few fields on the touchscreen and set to work correcting this annoying error himself.

"This card is not authorized for this area, Miss."

The security guard was surprised that anyone still wanted to enter the lab at this time of night. Apart from the employees, who were generally understaffed during the night shift, there was hardly anyone who wanted to enter the area of ​​the lab that was not visible to the public.

He himself had been called in because there had been a silent security alert. Someone had tried to use an employee card for the area responsible for the park's food storage facility—here, the entrance to the lab for employees.

"Can you show your ID?"

Another question the security guard asked the young woman in casual clothes and red sneakers.

"Everything you need to know is on the card. I'd like to see my friend—he's probably working overtime again. Dr. Henry Wu," - the young woman replied, watching as the security guard's expression changed from surprised to skeptical.

"You want to see Dr. Wu?"

The stranger couldn't blame him for asking this question—anyone who knew Henry Wu knew he was so focused on his work—didn't talk about personal matters, and was fascinated by science and what it could achieve.

"Yes—I thought the access authorization override they wanted to grant me had already been done. I studied biochemistry and currently work in the feed warehouse—so, technically, I've been working here in the park for two days, and Miss Dearing told me they were taking care of the access card issue," - the stranger explained, and the security guard didn't know whether to believe her.

Of course, he could have asked his superior, but he certainly wouldn't be thrilled if he were called at 10 p.m.

"Here—if that's not proof, then call him—I'm sure Henry loves being disturbed while he's working," - the stranger added, holding out her smartphone to the security guard a short while later.

It took a few seconds for the security guard to read the details on the smartphone screen. But the stranger's statement was true—because the photo showed Dr. Henry Wu and the blonde, both elegantly dressed, sitting at a table in an upscale restaurant, smiling at the camera.

Henry had gently placed his hand on the young woman's.

"I'll let you in—but you should speak to Miss Dearing again about the card issue."

"The security guard entered a code, and a few seconds later the door opened.

"Thank you," the blonde thanked him, and he'd find Henry somewhere.

A deep sigh escaped Henry.

The error hadn't just affected the code; the new employee had made other unacceptable errors besides entering the code incorrectly, and for a split second, Henry regretted not having just let the matter rest. As much as he loved his work and the recognition he received for it, he couldn't help thinking about his girlfriend.

Phoebe was so understanding that, at best, he could come to her small apartment on the coast of Mexico on Sunday afternoon for a few hours from a six-day work week.

She was surely home by now—taken the last ferry to the mainland. But no, he wasn't going to waste any more thoughts on the blonde—there were so many problems that still needed to be solved. So Henry straightened his shoulders and refocused.

"May I help you with your overtime hours Dr. Wu?"

The scientist paused mid-movement—he'd been in this lab too long that, thanks to the overtime, he was now imagining her voice. Perhaps all Henry needed right now was a cup of freshly brewed tea. However, when Henry heard footsteps approaching, he slowly turned around and realized he hadn't imagined Phoebe's voice.

"A new employee has made mistakes that are beyond uncalled for—I'm afraid you wouldn't be much help," Henry said honestly, and most people objected to his direct manner, but not the blonde.

"Then you should tell this 'newbie' that such mistakes can be fatal," Phoebe replied, seeing the tiredness in the scientist's dark eyes. She approached him, gently stroked his cheek, and then blew a kiss on his lips.

The emotions triggered in the overtired and overworked scientist by this unexpected action overwhelmed Henry for a moment, although he automatically returned the kiss.

Henry carefully placed a hand around the younger woman's waist, pulling her closer to his body and feeling Phoebe seek his closeness. Her hands tried to open the white shirt he was wearing while they kissed – so Henry felt the strong urge to give in to lust.

He didn't want to dwell on the mistakes that weren't his own at the moment.

"I've missed you, Phoebe," - Henry said quietly once the kiss was over and Phoebe had settled down on his lap.

The blonde had laid her head on the older woman's shoulder and closed her brown eyes.

"Me too," Phoebe said, enjoying her boyfriend's touch as he gently stroked her neck with his index finger. Henry had such wonderful, gentle hands, and the time they could spend together was simply too short.

"There's an extra ferry to the mainland at 1:00 AM – since the new tourist rush, they've had to work later there too," Phoebe whispered, reaching for Henry's hand.

"You want to stay here and take the last ferry?" Henry asked, gently squeezing the girl's hand.

"You do have a rest room, right? Or was it a break room? In any case, there's a bed there." A brief, loving smile graced the younger girl's lips, and Henry understood what she was getting at.

"Maybe this is just the thing to distract me from these—mistakes," the scientist murmured quietly, and a moment later, he felt Phoebe give him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

The overtime and the new employee's mistakes could wait – Henry just wanted to enjoy the coming hours until they both went to the ferry that would take them back to the mainland.

THE END

[freeonlineworkouts]

Are 5 Exercises Enough for Chest Day?

Yes, 5 exercises are enough for chest day if they effectively target all areas of the pectoralis major and minor, ensuring balanced development. The key is to choose compound and isolation movements that work the upper, middle, and lower chest while considering factors like volume, intensity, and recovery.

How Many Exercises Should You Do for Chest?

The ideal number of exercises depends on your experience level, training frequency, and goals:

Beginners (0-6 months): 3-4 exercises (8-12 reps, 3-4 sets)

Intermediate (6-18 months): 4-5 exercises (8-12 reps, 3-4 sets)

Advanced (18+ months): 5-6 exercises (6-12 reps, 4-5 sets)

A well-structured 5-exercise chest workout can be sufficient for muscle growth, provided you train with progressive overload and proper form.

5 Best Chest Exercises for Maximum Growth

Here’s a well-rounded 5-exercise chest workout that hits all areas:

1. Barbell Bench Press (Flat or Incline)

📌 Muscles Worked: Middle/Upper Chest, Triceps, Shoulders 🔹 Sets & Reps: 4 sets of 6-10 reps 🔹 Why It Works: The best compound movement for building chest strength and mass.

2. Dumbbell Incline Press

📌 Muscles Worked: Upper Chest, Triceps, Shoulders 🔹 Sets & Reps: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps 🔹 Why It Works: Helps develop the upper chest, which is often lagging.

3. Dumbbell or Machine Chest Fly

📌 Muscles Worked: Inner & Outer Chest 🔹 Sets & Reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps 🔹 Why It Works: Stretches and contracts the pectorals for improved chest width and definition.

4. Decline Press (Barbell or Dumbbell)

📌 Muscles Worked: Lower Chest 🔹 Sets & Reps: 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps 🔹 Why It Works: Adds fullness to the lower chest and enhances overall size.

5. Dips or Machine Dips

📌 Muscles Worked: Lower Chest, Triceps 🔹 Sets & Reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps 🔹 Why It Works: Excellent for finishing your workout with a deep stretch and contraction.

Additional Considerations

✔ Progressive Overload: Increase weight, reps, or sets over time. ✔ Proper Form: Prevents injury and ensures muscle activation. ✔ Rest & Recovery: Chest muscles need 48 hours to recover. ✔ Nutrition & Protein Intake: Essential for muscle repair & growth.

Final Verdict: Is 5 Chest Exercises Enough?

Yes! If you choose compound and isolation movements strategically, 5 exercises can be optimal for building size, strength, and definition in your chest. Keep your training intense, progressive, and balanced for the best results.

Would you like help structuring your weekly chest training routine? Let me know! 💪🔥

[otherworldoutpost]

How to Grow a Rope (And Other Mandatory Survival Skills)

Hello again, readers,

It’s official—I passed probation! The Chief confirmed it via paperless fax (which, yes, is just a fax machine that growls and projects expressions directly into your retinas). Their verdict? A thumbs-up and what might have been a smile. Or indigestion. Hard to tell when your boss communicates in telepathic emoticons.

Anyway, I feel I must give you all a bit of an update from the breakroom zipline. I survived the breakroom zipline! My reward? A semi-sentient rope burn (it keeps whispering ‘worth it’) and a shiny new badge: ‘Zipline for Beginners (No Deaths Yet)’. The Chief was so proud, they manifested a single confetti ball over my desk. It exploded into glitter that spells ‘CONGRATS’ backwards when viewed in a mirror.

After breaking out of the break room, I received another paperless fax containing the week’s itinerary of chores. Nothing too strange, my first task was to explore the campsite and make sure that the “Legion of survivalist scouts” had safely exited the camp. Now, as you would think, dear reader, I do not know what these scouts look like, but the Chief, in their infinite wisdom, told me I can spot them by the little red feather on their berets.

So I collected my Ranger pack and off I went down the track, and I stumbled upon the beret-wearing scouts with the red plume of feathers and made a friend in the Leader Richard Johndoe, he coaxed me into sitting by the fire with marshmallows where I earned my 's’more lore telling and lying ’ badge. It was quite simple, really. Leader Johndoe was telling me and the Scouts his time as a Royal Marine, and I told him about the time I was an Air Cadet and nearly lost my walking boot to Quick Mud.

I think this impressed him and he probably felt a little underqualified as he asked me to go back to my outpost, and it was a good job I did considering on the way back I found a cave full of berets—red feathers still attached, still perched on skeletons in suspiciously ‘at ease’ poses. Now, I’m no forensic expert, but I’m pretty sure wool doesn’t fossilise. I did what any rational person would: gathered them all, dumped them in Lost & Found, and ate three marshmallows to cope.

Rolling onto the next day, I was told I was doing a talk about Ropes and how to grow them with the scouts before they venture into the Riddler’s Cave. Turns out, rope-growing is 10% horticulture, 90% negotiation. Leader Johndoe kept insisting, ‘ropes don’t grow, they’re made,’ but then the Static Cord in the breakroom hissed at him, and he shut right up. Here’s what I learned:

Natural Rope Varieties of the Outpost

Whispering Vine Ropes

"Harvested from the Perimeter Fence (do not listen to their advice)."

Static Cord

"Grows in the breakroom corners. Only visible at 3:03 AM. Resists knot-tying out of spite."

Chief-Approved Synthetic

"Issued in khaki. Glows when near dimensional weak points."

Pretty neat stuff, right? Well, Leader Johndoe said he would teach me how to grow them once he finishes surviving the Riddler’s cave.

The rest of the week was blissfully uneventful—just chores like ‘reorganise the vending machine by eeriness level’ and ‘defrost the Chief’s coffee mug’ (it was never frozen). But before I go, here’s a mandatory memo from the Chief.

This is Ranger J signing off - See weird, Say weird, Stay weird.

EDIT FROM CHIEF: Ranger J’s probationary grade: B+. Points deducted for excessive marshmallow consumption during fieldwork.

[a-clockwork-confession]

HCs on the type of undies the droogs wear and how pungent their scent is

Pete:

Probably boxer-briefs. Unremarkable smell, just like his personality. He actually looks like he'd be the least smelly out of all of them. The scent is mostly just laundry soap and old fabric, maybe a bit of sweat. Changes them regularly. Not much to write about. 3/10 intensity.

Georgie:

Medium to above average smelly. Briefs. Changes semi-regularly, so they get to absorb a fair amount of sweat and dickscent before they go in the bin. I'd say a little cheesy smelling, with traces of sweet due to minor urine stains. 7/10 intensity.

Dim:

Boxers. Oh, that guy stinks. Look how oily he is in the movie. Too stupid to think of proper hygiene, probably would not bathe at all if his parents didn't force him. Also plenty of hair down below to trap the smell and intensify it. Taking a whiff, you are immediately assaulted with the aroma of stale sweat, piss and probably semen stains. Not recommended for beginners. 9/10 intensity.

Alex:

Canonically white briefs. Looks like he'd have just the right amount of aroma without it being overwhelming. He appears to take decent care of himself and likely changes his undies regularly, but due to his overactiveness and nightly fun he'd work up quite a sweat. The perfect balance between sweet and salty, often accompanied by that moist stench of sex since he is a whore. 5-6/10 intensity.

Bonus: Billy

Words are not needed, for it is known. The absolute filthiest, most rancid stench to ever have violated your olfactory receptors. One sniff is enough to bring tears to the eyes of any untrained connoisseur and make even the most seasoned ones gag. It's weeks worth of stale sweat, ammonia upon ammonia, mystery (and not so mystery) stains on stretched-out boxers that haven't seen the inside of a washing machine in many eternities. The final understanding, the last judgement. Unmeasurable intensity.