The People's Republic of TentooRose Discord Server is thrilled to anounce that we're once again organising a gift exchange stretching across various mediums, exclusively for our favs in Pete’s World💞🥰
Kurt Wylde cosplay update: Orange highlights and the Tumblr Tailor’s curse
Injured Kurt is mood.
We’ve all heard of the AO3 writer’s curse, but I’m coining the Tumblr Tailor’s curse, because in the course of trying to make this cosplay I have:
- Been served an eviction notice
- Had my commuting bicycle crushed by a piece of a building falling off
- Had a family member go to hospital
Everybody involved is okay and will be okay. My bike is being replace by the people that owned the building, and I have a new place to move into, but beware the Tumblr Tailor’s curse.
With that obligatory warning out of the way, onto the fun stuff!
Today I sewed on the orange shoulder pads and the orange waist details.
I started with the shoulder pads, where, to make the rectangular shape as on Kurt’s jacket, I folded the u-shape into a rectangle and pinned the layers together before holding them in place with a tacking stitch.
I then laid them flat on a section of orange fabric cut to the length of the jacket’s shoulder and double the width.
I tacked the underside of the shoulder pad to the fabric, split the orange fabric in half to sandwich the shoulder pad between them, and pinned the pieces in place.
I stitched the orange pieces together with a back stitch and repeated for the other shoulder.
I pinned these to the shoulders, and sewed them in place with orange thread.
I accidentally trimmed too much excess material on the first shoulder pad, so it came out a bit short and required a patch job once it was attached to the shoulder of the jacket.
Next up was the waist!
With the help of a tape measure, I estimated the length of material around the jacket’s waist, and I based the height of the orange sections off how high the pocket zipper started so that I could still use the pockets.
With the trusty Deora II paperweight, I traced out the template on my orange fabric.
It was a literal pain in the butt to pin these pieces in place, since I don’t have a mannequin, and I needed the elastic waist of the jacket to be stretched correctly… so I pinned them to myself while wearing it, and I got caught in the crossfire a couple of times.
Nevertheless, I succeeded (with limited loss of blood) and sat down to stitch the pieces in place.
The orange has really made the jacket finally start to come together. I was feeling a bit disheartened by it not quite looking like I envisioned it, but the addition of the orange has massively changed that, and it’s genuinely starting to look like the final vision.
There’ll be one more update before the post for the con itself.
(me when something stops me working on my cosplay)
It’s only taken me since Saturday, but with assignments piling up, it’s been a struggle to find any time to work on my cosplay.
Fortunately, I’ve reached a major milestone!
I started stitching on the TEKU logo with the K, completed that, and moved on to pinning the letter E in place over the jacket sleeve and shoulder, which was where things started getting interesting.
In order to simulate my arm being in the jacket (and being sans mannequin), I made do with a cardboard tube.
I later employed this same tube when pinning on the U to simulate the curve of my ribs around the side of my body.
To prevent the letters peeling up near the corners, I did a quick little back stitch to lock it in place, before continuing on along the edge of each letter.
Where the letters would have covered up the pocket zipper and main zipper, I simply cut the letter and shifted its other half slightly to the other side of the zipper, as seen on the K and the U, and the top of the T that wraps all the way around the body.
It’s been a long process of pinning, and stitching, and pinning, and stitching, but I got there in the end, and I’m majorly pleased with the results.
There’s a strange piece on the back in all of the reference photos that seems to be some odd piece of the letter U. I added it in, and it can be seen on the back photo under the left shoulder.
There are a lot of fraying edges around the letters, a consequence of not double-layering the letters as I had planned to. Some of the stitches are a little loose, some are a little too tight.
I daresay that anyone with a modicum of sewing talent could have done a better job going 300 miles an hour in the boot of a car with a torch held between their teeth, but I poured blood (I have several pricked fingers), sweat and tears into it, and I’m really happy to have reached this point.
Next up are the orange details on the shoulders, sleeves and waist!
Shaping the paper letter stencils for Kurt’s TEKU logo took wayyy longer than I thought it would, but I finally managed to size and shape them all to fit across the jacket.
With those prepared, I was able to lay them out and trace them onto my white poly-cotton fabric that I got to make the white details on Kurt’s jacket. I laid the letters out face-down, so that any marks I made on the fabric with my pencil to trace them (I forgot to buy tailor’s chalk) would be on the side attached to the jacket.
With the help of a trusty paperweight in the form of a mainline Deora 2, I traced out all of the letters. If some of them look crooked or too curved, it’s because I’ve accounted for the curve of my body so they look flatter on the jacket itself.
Once I’d cut all the letters out, I laid them out in order and set about pinning the first letter to the jacket: the K. I started with this one, since it was the only letter without a lot of curves, and I’d based the position of all the other letters off where the K sat, so it would be easier to position the final pieces correctly with K attached first.
I made a cut along the K to divide it across the zipper of the jacket, much like Kurt’s, and I pinned the resulting pieces in place.
I started sewing with a basic running stitch, because I have a lot of stuff left to do, no sewing machine, and too little time to do something neater and more secure.
I also originally wanted to double-layer the letters, stich both sides together and turn them inside out to sew on so the letters wouldn’t fray at the edges nor have a visible seam.
Regardless, I’m really pleased to finally be putting the letters on, and I have a feeling I’ll have another update very soon.
Kurt Wylde cosplay update: Pin the Letter on the Jacket!
I decided to start sketching and cutting out the letter stencils on printer paper to rapidly prototype and test the sizing and placement of each letter for Kurt’s TEKU logo.
And oh. My. God. It’s horrible.
The letters themselves are twisted and stylised, and having to account for the curve within the design so that it appears flat and linear when worn is so difficult.
I measured some relative distances across my own torso and compared it to where the letters sat on Kurt’s jacket to estimate how big I needed to make the letters for my own jacket.
I sketched an estimate, cut it out on paper, pinned it to the jacket, tried it on and noted any refinements I needed to make.
I had to go through about five versions of each letter, adjusting the lengths and letter widths for better proportions, and making sure to account for body curvature on the stencils.
The letters E and U were particularly challenging, since the E is warped by the shoulder, necessitating a lot of curved lines, and the U is stretched and twisted to wrap around the side. Again, the stylisation of the letters adds some complexity here, and for the U that wraps around the side, it was particularly difficult to get clear reference photos.
Here’s an indication of how warped the final U stencil has to be in order to look ‘right’ in comparison to the K, which sits comparatively more flat across the chest.
I only managed to do the letters E, K and U, because I ran out of time last night, so the T and the cross of the T that runs all the way around the jacket are tonight’s job before I can sew the letters on and move on to the orange details.
Earlier in the year, I bought a matching plain blue polyester tracksuit with the intention of making this cosplay.
I also ordered a cheap set of padded ski shorts to cut the protective padding off and secure to the sides to make the black side panels in the reference photo. I pinned the panels to the sides of the pants and got sewing.
I initially was using a thicker curved upholstery needle to do a basic running stitch more easily, but the material was providing too much friction, so I switched to the finest straight needle I have and was able to poke through much more easily.
I used black polyester thread as opposed to cotton, since all the material I’m using is synthetic. The stitching is also a little questionable, but it holds well.
I had to position the panels a little lower than Kurt’s to be able to access the pockets, but the jacket sits low enough to hide some of the gap.
I’m currently undecided on whether I’ll do the fully black sections below the knees, since that would basically require a second pair of pants, and I’ll need to see how I go for time.
Comic-con is nearly upon me, and I thought I’d share my cosplay inspiration:
Kurt Wylde from 2005’s Hot Wheels Acceleracers series.
Time to break out the high school Home Ec classes once again.
First progress update under cut!
I’ll be posting progress shots of my costume, which will be slow-going without a sewing machine, starting with the gloves!
I obtained a cheap pair of white and black motorcycle gloves and some blue and orange Sharpie paint markers. I took a few artistic liberties with the gloves compared to Kurt’s, but I’m pleased with how they turned out. It took a couple of coats to get the right depth of colour, and I may adjust some of the colours a little closer to the date, but for now, they’re finished.
I think if the first doctor, given an opportunity to pick out a pronoun pin, would stand there for ages thinking about it REALLY hard. & Then carefully select he/him.
This is in contrast to the second doctor who would just grab a handful of badges, attach them all to xyr braces and coat, and get on with her day without giving it any more thought.
While desire to use multiple pronouns is a factor, Two is also motivated by a magpie like desire to attach lots and lots of coloured badges to themself
Nine chooses she/her and Rose is like haha for real tho and Nine's like who says it's a joke Rose is like lol ok and then spends half the event hiding in the corner taking an 'am I a lesbian' quiz on her phone
if the tenth doctor's layers and layers of clothing are exoskeletal manifestations of his aloofness and emotional distance, what about the rooftop scene in the runaway bride where he offers his jacket to donna the day he met her hmm
“It is concluded that paradoxical undressing might be explained by changes in peripheral vasoconstriction in the deeply hypothermic person. It represents the last effort of the victim and is followed almost immediately by unconsciousness and death.”
Three and Ten are the only ones who would care, and the TARDIS wasn't working properly in Three's run. But yes, she absolutely messed up Ten's spiky hair when he was being an ass.
Summary: After preparing for the arrival of her new housemates, the last thing Rose expected was for one of them to be the man whose flat she had snuck out of the night before.
Hey guys, I'm sorry this took so long to get finished. I had to put this on the back burner while I deal with my grandmother hospitalized, my new job, and some medical issues with one of my dogs. It got done, however, and @demdifferentstories-29 is a wonderful beta for waiting patiently for over a month for me to actually sit down and get this chapter written.
Also, a shoutout to @raz-writes-the-thing for helping me figure out some of the scenes to add into this chapter. I had a lot of little ideas and Raz seriously helped me narrow them down and get the best snippets to put in here.
If you enjoy, let me know! The more engagement keeps me writing!
Read here on AO3
Rose’s laughter at their shared mortification echoed throughout the dark room. While she had found the entire situation hilarious, it was obvious that James’ pride was a bit hurt. However, she could confidently say that she was no longer in the mood she had been in two minutes prior while she was climbing into his lap.
She wasn’t sure what was worse: The fact that James’ sister — who also happened to be her housemate — just caught them in the act? Or the fact that she knew Jack was about to hear all about it.
Rose watched as James stood up on shaky legs and made sure the door was closed. He untangled himself from the pyjama bottoms that had wrapped around his lower legs and tossed the offending garment to the side near his laundry basket. Rose couldn’t help but admire his bare form as he made his way back to the bed, the slight moonlight offering a clear silhouette.
He turned on a lamp on the bedside table, illuminating the room in a soft amber glow. Happy with the low light in the room, James plopped onto the bed with a huff, his legs sprawled out over the dishevelled sheets. “I’m sorry,” he began, rubbing his hands over his face. “I didn’t even think to lock the door.”
“It’s okay, James,” Rose reassured, still holding the duvet against her chest. Her failed attempt to stifle a yawn caught James’ attention as he glanced up at her.
“You’re tired, aren’t you?” The satisfied smirk on his face quickly melted into a warm smile. “It’s okay, really. I’m pretty knackered myself.” He matched her yawn and stretched before his eyes met hers. “You could stay here with me tonight?”
Rose could feel her stomach flip. On one hand, she so desperately wanted to stay with him. Fall asleep in his bed and just enjoy being next to him through the night. On the other hand, he may not feel the same way.
What if she’s misunderstanding this whole thing?
It seemed like James had sensed her hesitation, quickly adding to his offer, “If you don’t want to, it’s okay — I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” He rolled over fully so he was properly facing her in the semi-darkness. “I wouldn’t mind the company of a friend, though.”
A friend.
With fake exasperation, Rose sighed. “Okay, I suppose I could stay. I definitely don’t want to run into Donna right now.” She couldn’t help but smile as a grin crossed his face.
“Brilliant!” James exclaimed, bouncing up and making his way over to the dresser she had barely seen earlier.
As she followed him and moved to grab her knickers, Rose nabbed the t-shirt that he had been wearing, not realising it wasn’t hers in the darkness of the room.
James began to pull on a pair of pants, grunting as he hopped on one foot while fighting the other. As soon as he was able to get his underwear properly on, he turned to head back over to the bed. He was met with a sight that left him slack-jawed.
Rose Tyler was standing before him, hair beautifully tousled from sex, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and knickers.
His t-shirt.
“You okay, Doctor?” Rose teased, walking over to grab his hand. She so badly wanted to pull him down for a kiss, but thought better of it. ‘ Just friends ,’ she reminded herself.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” he coughed. The dim light allowed Rose to watch as he swallowed thickly before letting out a whoosh of air. She could nearly feel his eyes roving over her body. The slightest pressure of his hand squeezing hers, almost imperceptible, further tempted her desire.
As she pulled the covers back enough to comfortably slide to the other side of the bed, Rose smiled and got comfortable in the soft, warm bed. It seemed more plush than hers — the thick duvet was a very welcomed weight and the sheets were so smooth.
Rose figured that she could get used to this, and that was a very dangerous thought to have.
As James slipped under the sheets to join her, he reached over to turn the lamp off, which offered Rose another unobstructed view of his naked torso before he rolled over to face her. Though the moonlight offered barely any illumination, Rose could still make out the dark chocolate eyes she loved so much. The eyes that had her absolutely smitten with this wonderful man.
James smiled as he moved onto his back, holding his right arm out. An invitation — he wanted her to lay with him. Not just with him, but against him. In a cuddle. A nearly naked, post-sex cuddle. And he wanted her to go to sleep with him while they cuddled.
The level of domesticity that he was offering was more than she could have ever dreamed of. The intimacy wasn’t lost on her either — cuddling in his bed after mind-blowing sex was very different than just laying against him while sharing a blanket during a movie.
Before she could even think, she was in his arms. James had wrapped around her instinctively, pulling her even further onto him — her arm over his bare chest and her leg draped over his. Rose catalogued every sensation that she could process. How his fingers traced circular patterns on her arm while his heart thundered under her ear.
It was fast enough to match her own.
James gave her a light squeeze, quickly pulling the blankets up over them fully before readjusting his arms to fit perfectly around her again. “Good night, Rose,” he murmured, voice thick with sleep as he pressed his nose into her hair.
“Good night, James,” she echoed, whispering into his naked chest. Rose could feel his breathing even out, and she realised that there was no better feeling than this. Here she was — laying in James Noble’s arms, in his bed, while they went to sleep together.
She had never felt more safe in her life.
—
Sunlight filtered through the blinds, pulling Rose out of her sleep. She had been having an amazing dream — that she and James had spent the night together.
But then she was suddenly aware of the warm body that she was currently pressed against. Oh, god, it wasn’t a dream. She was in James’ bed and wearing nothing but a pair of knickers and a shirt. His arms were tight around her, and she could feel his heartbeat quicken as she stirred.
‘ He’s awake ,’ she realised, warmth filling her chest. ‘ He’s awake and he stayed in bed with me in his arms .’ She stretched lightly, just enough to indicate that she was beginning to rouse from her sleep.
“Hi,” she groaned as her eyes adjusted to the morning light. She made no effort to move from his arms, choosing to instead crane her neck up to meet his gaze.
“Hello,” James responded with a smile.
Rose couldn’t help but admire the way the sun shone through the room, illuminating his face. His rich, soft eyes — like warm espresso — looked at her with an emotion she couldn’t quite place. His arms wrapped around her tightly, not like a vice, but rather protectively and intimately. The lighting accentuated his freckles, allowing Rose to truly count each one like she had longed to do.
He was absolutely beautiful.
“Earth to Rose? Are you alright?” His voice pulled her from her reverie.
“Oh, yeah, I’m okay,” she lied, trying to suppress the heat pooling in her stomach at the situation. “‘M just wondering what time it is.” James turned, trying not to jostle their positions, and grabbed his phone.
“Ah, it’s about nine o’clock.” Almost on cue, his stomach let out a loud growl. He sheepishly winced at the noise.
“So, it’s breakfast time, then,” Rose teased. In an attempt to make things not awkward, she moved on to another topic. “I think it’s about time for me to have a shower. I’ll meet you downstairs?”
As he nodded, she reluctantly pulled himself from his arms. Leaving the warm covers was hard, but not as hard as looking back at James — shirtless with a soft grin on his face, the very tips of scratch marks on his shoulders that surely left angry red streaks down his back from the night before.
Grabbing her sleep shorts off the floor, Rose made sure to open the door quietly and peeked around the hallway to make sure it was clear. She offered James a brief smile before closing the door and briskly walking to her own bedroom, closing the door once she made it in.
Immediately going to her en suite, she turned the shower on and waited impatiently for the water to heat up. Her thoughts continued to morph into memories of the night before — his teeth on her shoulder, arm wrapped around her to keep her as close as he could while he buried himself inside her.
Steam began to fill the room as Rose let out a desperate sigh, moving to strip her few remaining clothes off. As she pulled her shirt off and went to toss it to the side, she stopped. In her hands, pulled off her body, was not her shirt.
It was James’.
The t-shirt was a simple maroon, soft and worn. Very obviously well-loved. Everything about it was so very James.
Rose brought the shirt up to her nose and deeply inhaled. She was immediately surrounded by the scent that was growing familiar to her. James smelled warm — woodsy and comforting. She wanted to be greeted by it every day. By him every day. She clutched it close to her chest, smiling as she kept her face buried in the cosy fabric.
She decided to keep it for now.
As she pulled her knickers off, Rose reminisced about the intimacy she had shared with the man she had fallen so hard for. The way he kissed her — hot and passionate. How his tongue felt against hers. She found herself fantasising about his tongue a lot. Not wanting to wait any longer, she stepped into the hot shower. Her hand wandered down to her clit as she let her desire overtake her. She was already so wound up that it didn’t take long for her to get close to the edge.
“Mmm, fuck, James ,” she whispered, imagining her fingers were his as she reached down and felt how wet she was. ‘ All for him, ’ she thought as she remembered how his hand trailed down her body, slipping his fingers inside her. His words echoed through her head as she approached her orgasm.
“ What I would do to taste you properly. ”
It only took a few more circles over her clit before the waves of pleasure crashed over her. She quietly moaned his name like a prayer, doing her best to keep herself standing.
Remembering that she was supposed to meet James for breakfast, Rose washed her hair and finished up her shower. As she stepped out onto her bathmat, she grabbed a fluffy pink towel that was hanging on the rack next to her.
She grabbed James’ shirt from the counter where she had set it before her shower and made her way into her bedroom. Rose slipped the garment under her pillow and turned to grab a pair of knickers from her dresser.
As soon as she dropped her towel to the floor, the familiar creak of her door opening reached her ears.
Of course she forgot to lock the door.
Standing just past the doorway in her room was James, who sported a bright red blush. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t realise— Fuck, I should’ve knocked. I’m sorry,” he spluttered.
Rose quickly grabbed her towel as he spoke, covering herself as she found herself with a matching blush.
In reality, it shouldn’t be this awkward. They had both seen each other naked. Less than twelve hours ago, she had been in his bed while he moaned into her neck, slamming his cock into her as they came together.
But naturally, things had to get weird now.
James kept his gaze averted. “I, erm,” he muttered. “I came in to tell you that I also showered and that I’m heading downstairs.” It came out in a rush, his tongue desperately trying to keep up with his brain. “Again, I’m so sorry.” With that, he closed the door and scurried off.
The chance to see her starkers and he ran away ? What happened to the cocky bloke who had been whispering all the dirty words in the darkness of his bedroom? Rose found that she was utterly stunned, frozen in place at the fact that this man with two doctorates could be so bloody thick.
As Rose put her knickers on, she grabbed a simple t-shirt and jeans with a sigh. Just as she thought that maybe, just maybe, her feelings were reciprocated, James acted like last night hadn’t even happened.
By the time Rose made it downstairs, everyone had already found their places in the kitchen. Jack and Donna were chatting away at the table, Donna’s hands flailing around during her conversation while Jack listened intently. James, however, was leaning against the counter when she walked in, gaze overly focused on the cuppa he had in his hands.
As soon as she was noticed, the room fell quiet. Jack and Donna’s eyes met hers and she felt her breath catch in her throat. James moved to take a sip of his tea, only sparing her a nervous glance. Though it was only a few seconds, the silence was deafening.
That was until Jack broke it.
“So, was it as earth-shattering as I figured it would be, Rosie?”
James choked, quickly turning to move to the sink to set down the cup in his hands. Rose groaned, burying her face in her hands and went to sit next to Donna at the table as Jack smirked at her.
“God, Jack, don’t even start.” Jack turned to Donna and held his hand out expectantly.
“Told you,” he laughed as the ginger woman moved to dig through her purse.
As she pulled out a bank note, Donna sent a pointed glance at James. “You,” she grumbled as her brother turned around, “made me lose ten quid, you prat.” She slapped the note into Jack’s outstretched hand with a huff.
The American quickly pocketed the money. “Good doing business with you.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Donna scoffed. She grabbed her purse and pushed the chair out, standing and moving towards the doorway. “Anyways, I’m going to Tesco. I’ll be back eventually.”
Jack also stood to leave. “How convenient, I also have to go to Tesco. Mind if I join you?” he asked, sending a subtle wink Rose’s way. Before he followed Donna out, he made his way over to James, leaning in and smacking him square in the centre of his back.
James winced, turning to glare at Jack. “Ow!”
“Make sure to lock your door next time. If I see you two having, I may have to join in.” With that, Jack made his way out.
You could hear a pin drop with the silence that blanketed the room. Rose bit her lip as she sat at the table, an anxious habit she had picked up as a child.
“So, uh…” James said awkwardly, looking up at Rose sheepishly. “That was…”
“Yeah.”
“Are you okay?” Rose’s brow furrowed.
“Am I okay? Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” The man in front of her shrugged, pushing himself off from the counter.
“I don’t know,” James breathed as he took a couple steps over to where Rose was sitting. “Just… Didn’t want things to be weird after everything, you know?”
“You didn’t want things to be weird?” Rose let out a laugh. “You’re the one making things weird!”
“Me?” James asked incredulously as he placed his hands on his hips.
“Yeah, you!” She stood up abruptly as she attempted to mirror the man towering over her. Blimey, he was tall.
“How am I making things weird?” James cocked his head. “I thought I’ve been perfectly normal. I mean… there isn’t really a manual for what to do when you shag your best mate, is there?”
It was like a record scratch. Rose was shocked at his admission.
“I’m your best mate?” she asked. James looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“I mean,” James stammered, “if you’d like to be? We’ve been nearly inseparable since we sat down for chips. I know it hasn’t been very long but…” He swallowed thickly. “I don’t know, there’s just this thing about you. I feel like I’ve known you forever.” His eyes searched hers desperately. She could tell he was looking for any sign of discomfort or apprehension, but there was none. She felt it was like a weight being lifted off of her shoulders.
“Me too,” she breathed, a smile forming on her face. Still, she couldn’t help but feel the disappointment at the fact that he saw them as ‘best mates’. Rose took a deep breath, meeting his intense gaze with a smile. “We’re okay, yeah? You and me?”
James grinned as he moved to grab her hand, his thumb moving softly over hers. The soft, domestic gesture was a stark contrast to their earlier interaction when she was fresh out of the shower.
