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moongothic · 3 days

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Remember my first crochet sweater from forever ago? The one that turned out like shit?

Frogged it and now it's a knit 😎

So to recap; I tried making a crochet sweater based on a YouTube tutorial like years ago, and although while making it I could tell it didn't seem... right... I just kept on telling myself to "trust the process" and that "it'd turn out okay in the end"

It did not

The sweater ended up being so square-ish and massive I could've fit three of myself inside of, going well beyond "comfy oversized sweater" straight into "clown clothes" territory. It was bad. On top of that, although I tried to get the same yarn to do the top of the sweater in a pastel purple, I ended up leaning about this thing called "dye lots" the hard way, as the yarn I had needed to finish the sweater ended up being a completely different shade from what I had used for most of the sweater.

So yeah. The sweater turned out like shit, and I wore it maybe once before putting it into my closet and refusing to even look at it for like IDK two years.

Now I have some nicer yarn that I'd like to make something with, something preferably knit because I like knit fabric more than crochet, but I don't want to practise knitting clothes with that nicer yarn. And so I figured, if I frogged this crochet sweater I could then practise knitting sweaters, reuse the old yarn (=don't have to buy jack shit), and maybe remake this failed sweater into something I'll actually wear

And so the sweater was frogged, this being all the usable yarn from the project. Pastel purple dyelot on the left while the more pinkish yarn (the stuff I had originally used while trying to convince myself it wasn't pink)

You can see the difference in the hue better here

So yeah. Now admitedly after frogging the sweater I did lowkey think about just trying to re-crochet the sweater and did kinda start on that, but I very soon realized that I probably wouldn't have enough yarn to remake the sweater the way I wanted to, and just trying to crochet with it made me double down on how much I just I don't like crochet fabric as clothes. It's just so bulky, man

So I got to knitting instead. And because I'm deranged I chose to... mostly wing it. I did look at a few YouTube tutorials for top-down raglan sweaters to get an idea of what I was supposed to be doing, but in the end, I do kinda learn the best by just winging it. But what I did make a big note of while remaking the sweater was just trying it on as often as possible, just to make sure I didn't make it as oversized this time.

I did want to make this process relatively simple though and because I didn't want to risk losing out of yarn at an inconvenient point I chose to skip the stripes of the original sweater and just make it a simple two-color sweater. This also had the added benefit where I was able to use up all of the purple yarn on the yolk and just go as far as I could go with it before switching to black.

But yeah, the end result?

It's decent!

Like let's be real, my raglan increases are an absolute fucking mess and the shaping on the yolk is a little funny, AND I did make the collar too big (I was so worried my giant head wouldn't fit through so I made it way bigger than it needed to be, but honestly it's better that way than it being way too small. It looks a little silly but it's not the end of the world), and the sleeves ended up being like maybe 4-5 centimeters too long they could've been a smidge shorter.

But aside from that?

I'm honestly really happy with it

Because the fabric is super soft and nice, it's not too bulky, and most importantly, it fits me. It's not obscenely massive on me, it's just the right size.

And really, that's all I wanted. A sweater I'd actually USE, and yeah, I'm gonna wear the hell out of this next fall/winter when the weather gets cold again. It's not perfect, but it's more than good enough for me. And most importantly, I now feel infinitely more confident in maybe using that nicer yarn sometime soon to knit something

Now what the fuck am I gonna do with the leftover yarn 'cause boy howdy do I have a ton left

#Moon posting #Yarncraft Diary #Yarnblr #They really weren't joking when they said crochet eats up more yarn than knitting does #Perhaps I will knit a little pink pillow for my cat with the leftovers

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moongothic · 3 days

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sometimes you just gotta feel that ache for a fictional man you’ll never touch in order to feel alive

#Reblog #Shitpost #Don't look at me

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moongothic · 4 days

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You think Crocodile's gonna blow his stack when he finds out how shitty Luffy's upbringing was? His baby boy repeatedly got tossed into the jungle to fend for himself against wild animals, as well as off cliffs and left to float into the fucking air on balloons all courtesy of Garp. He got left alone for long periods of time possibly as early as infancy, also cuz of Garp. And oh yeah, he was tortured by pirates, almost burned to death in a giant garbage fire, and went through the trauma of losing a brother.

Like, no matter how stern or distant of a parent Crocodile may be, I don't think he would be content to stand by and let any of that happen to baby Luffy. Also also, Crocodile witnessed firsthand Garp impeding Luffy's attempts to rescue Ace. The Cross Guild wants Garp for his bounty. Crocodile wants Garp for REVENGE.

With Garp I feel like it could go either way because like, let's be real for a second

This is 100% played for laughs.

Like if we're being serious then yes, in the Very Real World this is absolutely child neglect and abuse, Garp's parenting would NEVER fly (🥁) in our Very Real World. But just like Nami can physically abuse Luffy and co for laughts and get away with it, Garp's "training" is very much the same tonally, a Cartoon Slapstick Gag (made even more obvious when Toei animated Baby Luffy flying off into the sky going "UGYAAAAA" (that clip lives in my head rent free it's so funny??)) and a reflection of how this ridiculous old man (who might've been through even more ridiculous training in his childhood) views how a small child can be trained.

And so like. I could imagine Crocodile being like "who the fuck does that to a small child, are you insane" at Garp if he found out how Garp had been raising Luffy, but I think whatever reaction Crocodile might have would be played just as much for laughs as Garp's original comments were

Like IDK if Crocodile and Garp did have a relationship I think it would end up being similar to how Zoro and Sanji interact. Like Crocodile would to some degree be indebted to Garp because Garp did look after his son when he couldn't, and Garp wouldn't have a precious grandson (whom Garp sincerely does love, deeply) without Crocodile, so like. I think there could be like this mutual respect and gratitude for the other. But also it'd be kind of a begrudging gratitude and they would also hate each others guts and what they stand for and probably bicker. Lots. But in a funny way. (Like Zoro and Sanji)

Also I feel like even if Crocodile personally hated Garp's guts I don't think Crocodile would ever try anything to harm Garp. Like he saw how Luffy absolutely shattered after losing Ace, so even if Luffy and Garp's relationship wasn't the strongest, if Luffy loves his grandpappy then I don't think Crocodile would want to take his son's only grandfather, his family, away. Crocodile isn't in any kind of position to "take revenge" on the man who did look after his son for him (even if his methods were questionable at times) (Same for Dadan and the bandits too arguably)

The convenient thing of me letting this ask sit in my ask box for 20 days before actually responding is that I managed to post this thing the other day, and I want to continue an observation from that post; While I do agree Crocodile would probably be horrified to find out about all shit Luffy went through as a child... In the end, what's happened has happened, and I think Crocodile might believe that if he had wanted to ensure his son wouldn't have to go through things like that, then he should've raised the child himself. That Luffy's childhood not being all sunshine and rainbows is kind of his fault.

#Moon posting #OP Meta #Crocodad #I'm like this 🤏 close to writing a meta post about Garp and his actions in Marineford because. I love that problematic grandpa #But also I do feel like Garp is misunderstood by a lot of the fandom. NOT in a “Garp was right actually” kinda way!!!!!!#But like. I feel like a lot of people think Garp is comparable to Judge and Big Mom but (Marine Flavored) when HE'S REALLY NOT #Sidenote but I'd be curious to find out how Crocodile feels about Shanks 1) Being responsible for Luffy eating his Devil Fruit #2) Shanks being the one who inspired Luffy to become a pirate (like his daddy) (instead of a stinky Marine like his grandpappy)#3) Shanks literally saving Luffy's life at the cost of his arm. Like.#Like ohhhhh I wanna know how Crocodile would feel about Shanks. It feels like a juicy relationship right there.

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moongothic · 4 days

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I didn't really READ the spoilers for the next chapter but I did see the last line posted on the spoilers page on Reddit and

#Moon posting #OP Meta #OP Spoilers #Chapter 1113 #The series really is ending in like a 100 chapters huh #I'm going to crumble into dust

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moongothic · 4 days

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#Reblog #Shitpost #Please I only got into one convention this summer I need that late summer/early fall convention so bad PLEASE #Or at least please let me sell out on all the merch I ordered today if nothing else #I look stupid and I make very little money

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moongothic · 5 days

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If being weak is a "sin" in Crocodile's mind, then isn't a painful defeat and maybe even death rightful punishment for it? A punishment you deserve for your crime of "being weak"? That's an intriguing mindset from him because it makes me wonder how Crocodile might view his own past and the things he has gone through? I might not go as far as to say Crocodile "blames himself" for the things he's gone through, as he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who dwells on the past like that. But I do feel like Crocodile has accepted in his mind that things like losing his hand happened because he was weak, and it was his own fault. That he can not blame anyone else for what has happened to him. He fucked around and he found out.

It's just interesting because to some degree, One Piece thematically does agree with this sentiment, this is a world where the strong eat the weak. (One example at the top of my head; Luffy refusing Katakuri's apology when his sister intervened with their battle, saying he should've dodged the attack properly if he didn't want to get hit.) Chaka falling in this scene and being unable to stop Crocodile may lead to the deaths of so many more, including his loved ones, and if that comes to pass, it's is Chaka's own fault. For being too weak. But also Crocodile has twisted that idea; Crocodile is using his worldview here to justify himself and essentially saying he can do this (take over Alabasta and kill a million innocents doing so) and get away with it because he's powerful. When in reality "weakness is a sin" isn't about the survival of the fittest, but how this is a world where the strong are meant to protect the weak. (See: Luffy) (Also how Pell told Baby Vivi in that flashback about how he trains so he can protect the Royal Family; again, he he craves power not to oppress the weak but to protect them)

But, just to get back to Crocodile again, I feel like this worldview might also give us more insight as to how he acts in certain situations post-Alabasta. Like when we see Crocodile towards the end of Miss Goldenweek's cover story, both when he declines to escape from jail and in his Impel Down mugshot, Crocodile has a smile on his face. That really is the face of a man who has accepted his fate, is it not?

"Welp, this is what I get for losing to a child in flipflops"

Or when we see him come collect his debt from Buggy; Crocodile seemed quite relaxed and fully admitted he had assumed Buggy would've ran away before he even got there to collect his money. Of course, considdering his trust issues Crocodile would've been mentally prepared for Buggy skedaddling anyways, but the fact that he loaned the clown money to begin with while assuming he'd probably never get that money back-- like Crocodile knew that was going to happen and he just accepted it. And just rolled with it.

Of course, when things take an Unpleasant, Unexpected Turn, he will blow a fuse. Multiple, even.

Him angy

IDK man this is all just interesting to me

#Moon posting #OP Meta #Sir Crocodile #No I did not really have a proper thesis for this post #More just that like. IDK although I talk about Crocodile probably having a whole lot of Unresolved Trauma #I don't mean that in a ''he cries himself to sleep every night'' kinda way (doesn't seem like something he'd do anyways)#More in a ''shit changed the way he views the world forever in a negative way'' kinda way #Does that make sense? IDK #But yeah he does seem like he accepts what he has gone through and has moved on from it (taking 'important lessons' with him)#Sidenote I did check what he says in Japanese in this scene and the ''unforgivable'' was added by Viz here. Good localization #Also that does tie in nicely to how Crocodile always seems to have backup plans for his backup plans #How he seems to considder every potential thing that could go wrong and tries to account for them.

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moongothic · 5 days

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#Reblog #Shitpost #Gengar My Beloved #Look I'm a basic spooky genwunner and I love that rotund bastard #Shout out to Serperior though. You were my starter in the only Pokémon game I actually played properly and I love you

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moongothic · 6 days

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#Reblog #Shitpost #When Marnie Was Here #I like to pretend the ending twist isn't there because when I do it's a love story about a troubled lesbian falling in love with a ghost #And it made me openly weep like a god damn baby. Just fucking sob (which not a lot of media has achieved okay)#And even now knowing the twist it still fucking does ngl #Now of course because of the twist the story is absolutely not what I described it as being and thought it was when I first saw it #And it makes me so sad (though it is unfair of me to want the movie to be something it's not)#But. Yeah. That movie (especially if if/when I pretend the plot twist isn't there) has a special place in my heart #Also Howl did irreversible damage to my gender to shout out to the King of Male Bimbos. Absolute legend and an icon

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moongothic · 7 days

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I BUILT A CAT TREE

AAAAA

There's this tree on our yard that my parents have trimmed time and time again over the years, and one part of that tree had ended up dying from one of these trimmings. And this part of the tree had like a nice shape to it and it was a decent size (not too thick and tall, not too short and thin), and so around the fall of 2022 when we were getting ready for winter, I figured... This (part of the) tree is dead anyways. Why not cut it and turn it into a cat tree.

And so with dad's help we cut that tree into a big ol' log that I then hauled inside and left in our basement to dry over the winter.

Cut to around August 2023, and while I was working on refinishing that MCM shelf last year (the one that turned out like shit), when I had some time between doing certain parts of that project. Since the wood was dry by then I figured I could start the ever slow process of actually turning the tree into a cat tree. This was very much a side-project while I was doing other shit, something I genuinely could've finished much MUCH faster had I actually focused on it more etc. So while I did start this around August and only finished it the other day, it wasn't because it was a slow, difficult project or anything, I just wasn't focused on it until like this month.

But yeah, first step in the process; removing the bark from the wood

Which was exactly what it sounded like. I just grabbed a knife and started removing bark from it, carving it off.

It was actually quite fun and a relaxing process, especially since the bark was coming off the log quite easily at this point. (Also I collected the bark and wood shavings into a box so we could burn it later lmao. Less clean up, more heat in the winter, a win-win)

And the log cleaned up quite nicely!

Now during this process I did notice that some of the wood was quite rotten at this point, I could dig my nail into the wood in some places and it would come off easily, which... I did find a little concerning. So I did carve out some of the loose, rotten wood off the log

Didn't worry about making it too clean though because this was going to be a cat tree, this is going to end up covered with rope. (But I did also sand the wood to make it nice and smooth, which, if nothing else, made it more pleasant to handle lmao)

One last thing I had to do then was cut the top and the bottom of the log, mainly because the top was a hideous mess (as seen below) while the bottom of the tree needed to be flattened flat.

Now my plan with the cat tree was to attach a wood board to the bottom of the tree so it can stand on its own essentially, then figure out a way to attach the top of the tree to a wall, and then make basically wall shelves that can act as platforms for the cat tree; one at the top and one near the middle so my cat could jump down from the top more safely. So with the log prepped, the next part was attaching it to a wood board on the bottom. And to do that I did need that bottom cut nice and flat.

And this was the most amazing thing I did during this entire project; I cut the bottom of the tree once and I got it cut so nice and even that it could stand straight on its own. First fucking try. It was bonkers (but no I did not take photos, even when I knew it could stand on its own I did not want to jinx it and risk it falling over)

But yes, the bottom piece. I got some wood, figured out how I wanted to position the tree on it and where, cut it to size, rounded the edges and pre-drilled holes through it (and into the log) so they could be attached all nice and cleanly. Honestly this was easier said than done, getting it positioned just right was kind of a nightmare and something I procrastinated on the whole winter. But I got it done eventually and that's what matters

One other thing I did at this point was attempting to re-enforce the log itself. Like I mentioned, the tree had become rotten in places and while I did remove a lot of rotten wood I was still concerned about it being a little soft etc. Now I wasn't entirely sure what to do about the rot, but after watching quite a few videos from Blacktail Studio I do understand that wood can become harder when it has been soaked with epoxy. Another thing is that dry wood can be quite absorbent, and I was slightly worried that if/when I'd eventually start glueing rope to the tree, the wood might absorb too much of the glue and the bond between the wood and the rope might not be as strong as I want it to be (which I do want to be strong, for my cat's safety). Putting these two pieces of information together in my mind, I got curious if the wood would essentially harden (similarly to how epoxy hardens it) if I applied a heavy layer of basic PVA glue onto the wood and just let it absorb it?

I mean trying couldn't hurt, right. So I figured I'd try it.

Applied quite a lot of glue onto the middle section, brushing it out and I let it dry for a few hours.

(Top image the wet glue is on the left side of the wood, bottom image the now dried glue is on the right side)

To my surprise, it actually seemed to work. The places where the wood had still been quite soft, soft enough for me to dig my nail into, were now rock hard.

Pleased with this, and after applying wood wax onto the bottom piece and the bottom of the log, it was time to actually attempt to attach them. And I ran into an issue. Now I had gotten these massive fucking bolts to attach the board to the log, because I wanted it to be really fucking secure, but the ends of the bolts were really thick. So I needed to carve out slots into the bottom of the board, so they could sink into the wood and lay flat.

I attempted to carve the wood by hand.

I could not fucking do it, man. The board was too fucking hard for me to carve with a dinky little knife. So I was going to go and buy the cheapest router I could find. The only reason I didn't was because dad bought it for me. Which. I mean I'm not gonna complain, thanks dad

But yeah, I got a cheap ass router, and after messing around with it for a little while and figuring out how to use it I managed to make enough space for the bolts so they could sink into the bottom of the wood nicely.

And with that, the hardest part of the cat tree was completed! The tree itself was done!

I mean I still had to apply wax to the top of the tree and add the rope and figure out how to attach the top of the tree to a wall BUT THE HARDEST PART WAS DONE!

Next was making the platforms for the tree!

(Sidenote, it seems like I have misplaced my photos of me prepping the wooden brackets for the platforms-- I had prepped those back in fall so they had been done for like 6 months at this point. Nothing special really, just basic, probably-pine veneer brackets that I applied some leftover black-wax onto. Since I still have some from the MCM shelf god knows I'm not using that fucking shit on anything I care about)

Now I wanted to do some interesting cuts for the platforms, things I realized I couldn't actually do with the basic saws we have. And I was getting worried, when I realized. The basic bit for my brand spankin' new router was just long enough that it could cut the wood for me.

Arguably this is not what a router is for, but. I mean if it works.

Also we gotta be real for a second, I did an absolute shit job cutting the wood with the router. Butalso in my defense I'm still learning how to use this thing and free-handing shit with a router isn't reccomended by most woodworkers anyways. Like all things considdered I think I did decent enough as I'm learning

Anyway, I did my first rough cut, checked the measurements/if it fit the way I wanted it to, realized the cut was slightly too small, made the cut a bit bigger (and this time tried to be more careful/make it slightly neater), and on this second try the size looked right

With the first platform cut I did the second one, took a few attempts but I got the size right eventually.

Then with both pieces I rounded the corners and practised using my router some more by rounding over the edges of the platforms (on both sides), sanding them nice and smooth afterwards

After that it was time to wax the wood pieces, one side at a time because I had to wax both sides.

Now white isn't really my go-to color, but the thing is. My cat is white. And if she's going to use this cat tree at all, then there's going to be white fur all over it. And while I actually would've been fine with a natural finish (why bother using a literal tree if it doesn't even look like a tree anymore), I was worried it was going to make the wood look more yellow and darker, so I ended up going with white instead. I just figured it'd be the best option for me. And I used Osmo. Because after the catastrophy with the MCM shelf, I am never using anything but Osmo wax ever again. I can trust Osmo. Osmo will not betray me. Osmo is my one and only friend.

Anyway, here you can see how one layer of the white wax compares to the raw wood (or you would if I hadn't brightened the image too much, don't care enough to re-edit it sorry)

Yes, the cuts are janky as hell. I could have done a better job had I spent more time being careful.

Honestly, it's a fucking cat tree. It's FINE. Honey isn't going to look at it and come to me complaining about me doing a shit job while building her a cat tree, this isn't somekinda fancy furniture piece, it's a fucking cat tree. The bar is so low, it's literally good enough

With all that done, I went and attached rope to the cat tree (I was using leftover rope from when I redid an old scratching post years ago, but I ran out so I had to go and order more before, but thankfully it only took a few days to arrive) and I attached the brackets to the platforms. Once everything was nice and done, the rope had had plenty of time to dry and I had gotten the final missing piece (a way to attach the top of the tree to a wall), I had one last thing to do

Putting a bajillion little furniture pads on the bottom of the cat tree. Look we have a giant bag of these, this isn't even half of them and they're not getting used on anything else anytime soon, so I might as well use some here (+I got to use the awkward leftover pieces (for maximum coverage)) (Also yes Honey was helping me with this vwv)

Brought the tree to my room, attached it to the wall at the top. And yeah this metal piece isn't exactly pretty, but it's fine, what matters is that it's super fucking secure. Although in hindsight I probably could've flipped it the other way around so the metal could go behind the tree instead of over it... But it's fine and this made it easier to attach to the wall

Installed the shelves with help from my dad, badabing badaboom, the cat tree was completed

Now, a few things.

For one, this isn't actually The Spot I'd like this tree to be in, there is actually another spot I wanted it to go in, but my closet sits there right now and making room for it etc etc is a whole different project, we're not gonna go into it. What matters is that I can move this later if/when I have the room for it. But because of this, I did not "design" the tree to sit where it currently is, as such its placement isn't ideal. Like, had I designed it to go in this corner from the begining (with the intent it'd stay there forever), I might've made holes in the platforms so the electrical cable on the wall could go through the platforms and the platforms could then be closer to the window. Similarly the platforms would probably have been shaped differently and placed differently. But I'm not exactly planning on leaving the cat tree here forever, so it's fine. It's good enough. Honey already has another cat tree (one that belonged to my childhood cat) on the other side of the room, next to my bed, where she likes to sit and stare out the window anyways. So this cat tree really there just for her to have something to climb on and sharpen her nails with.

Another thing is that when making the platforms, I forgot one to take one thing into account. The floor skirting.

Now this does create an issue actually, because the skirting forces the cat tree a whole centimeter further away from the wall. Which is fine for the tree itself, but it completely messed with my measurements for the PLATFORMS. See how the top platform goes around the top of the tree? I had measured for the top platform to actually go much lower originally, but because the tree is pushed away from the wall now, the platform doesn't have enough room to go lower, it's already touching the cat tree so its current positioning is as low as it can be. This isn't great, because I wanted there to be enough rope on the top of the tree that Honey could climb to the top using that rope to help. And while she can climb to the top, she actually has to cling onto the top platform and dig her nails into it to get to the top. Now the only way to fix this while still sticking to the Original Design I was going for, would be to buy a new wood board entirely, a much deeper one, and recutting the piece from scratch (this time making the hole bigger and adding more room for Honey to walk around and sit at the top of the tree). OR I could just cut the piece in two and have three different platforms around the tree in different spots, changing that original design. But honestly, I don't care enough to want to put in the effort to do either. The tree is currently in a spot where Honey might not even use it that much so again, not worth it, at least right now.

(Also yes the skirting did add more space between the smaller platform and the tree, but like. It's not really an issue, there's just more space than I intended.)

Despite the glaring issues with the tree though, I'm really proud I managed to put it together, and none of the issues with it are unfixable. Like literally I could take down the platforms and redo them whenever and however I'd like and it wouldn't even be hard, it's just an issue of time and money, and most importantly, my own energy levels and patience. (Although honestly there's some free wood around the house I could totally repurpose to make better platforms with so if I don't mind using scrap wood that doesn't match then I could redo the platforms for essentially free) (But still if I don't feel like it rn then I don't feel like it and I'm not going to)

All that matters is that my sweet little baby Honey has another cat tree to climb (because she really loves climbing) and that she enjoys it, however much or little that may be.

#Moon posting #Refinish Diary #I mean not really but that's my woodworking tag so that's where it's going #Once again reminding y'all that this was a DIY blog before a fandom blog #BTW Honey can jump down from the top of the tree onto the red chair safely so no worries she can get down super easily

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