“Purely Anthropologically” Part 1

Brief warning before the vignette, there’s some rough fatphobic language being thrown around by a bro-y guy. It’s used for a contrast of attitudes as this little story progresses, but I didn’t want to just have nasty stuff hit anyone who might be too sensitive to it without a heads up in case it bothers anyone. Just a heads up!

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Things are kind of noisy at this party. Chaotic, boisterous, but not crazy or out of order.

You’re a couple drinks in, feeling yourself. But certainly not as much as Logan, holding court around the crowded island in this tiny apartment’s kitchen. As excitable as he was on a good day, it was almost as if he turned into a living cartoon character when alcohol was introduced to the equation.

That’s when she first walked in.

The presence of this mystery woman was hard to ignore, mostly because of the way she carried herself. Such poise, such confidence. She carried herself almost like a supermodel, & moved with a grace that at first seemed as though she knew how to perfectly catch ‘her angles.’ But it quickly became very apparent that in reality, this woman just had very few bad angles to begin with.

Noticing some attention being pulled, Logan became more animated, growing louder as his recollection of events continued. But you’ve heard this story ad nausem at this point, & besides you were there to know what really happened anyhow. So instead, you look back at her. Realizing what she walked in on & listening to Logan’s bro-y antics causes her large green eyes to roll. She shakes her head with a scoffing smirk, causing her wispy hair, cascading from dark roots to straight, light blonde locks, to dance back & forth across her narrow shoulders.

Who is this woman? Where did she come from?

There’s something about her that’s deeply entrancing. An allure of something about her so deeply out of your league. Even if she isn’t exactly your personal type. Classically beautiful? Yes. Without a doubt. But the kind of woman that you’re looking for particularly? Not so much. Still, her visage keeps pulling your attention. At least until the instant she seems to catch you staring. She offers a modest smile before your eyes dart back over in Logan’s direction.

“And that’s when this so & so here was happy to dive on that grenade for me!” Logan guffawed, as if it were a punchline. You loathe whenever Logan uses the term grenade like this, because of the specific context in which he means it. But you’re confused for a second, having lost your place in the story. Wait, in his drunken stupor, had he combined two separate stories? The one where your attention drifted was an entirely separate event. And now…? You stare straightforward, mouth agape, like a student unexpectedly called in class.

“Huh?”

“Her friend!” Logan tries to remind you, as if he needs a witness for this story to drive it all home. “That four hundred pound brunette?”

“That was… a different…” You try to stammer, but you realize you’re killing Logan’s vibe, which is in turn, sort of killing the room’s vibe. But to correct the record, he was embellishing her weight. Not that you would’ve minded, necessarily. “And c’mon, she was well under three hun…”

“Oh, I forgot!” Logan chortles loudly. “We’re dealing with the chubby chick connoisseur over here!” The entire kitchen laughs. And feeling a bit like the brunt of the joke here, you avoid looking to see if the blonde among them. Instead you shrink into yourself for a second until you realize you could probably do with a little fresh air. “Oh c’mon! Where are you going?!” Logan hollers after you. Your departure doesn’t seem to dissuade him from abridging the rest of that tale though. “Well anyway, that night I found myself getting chased by the redhead’s fiancé, while my upset friend here ends up in a relatively happy six month relationship with the landwhale!”

More laughter erupts as you reach the window to the fire escape. Squeezing yourself through the open frame is an awkward way to make an exit. If getting outed like that in front of so many strangers wasn’t embarrassing enough.

The night air is muggier than you would’ve hoped. And standing up on the rickety metal outside, the din of the party inside is still just a little too loud to gather your thoughts properly. But it’s enough for now. You fiddle in your pocket for your vape. You had promised a tolerance break, but if you were going to really hold yourself to one, you wouldn’t have had it with. Then again, you wouldn’t have had it with you had you not anticipated something like this happening.

“Fucking Logan” you think with a deep inhale.

“Hey. Can I join you?”

The voice is unfamiliar. Soft. Pleasant. And just barely audible over the party inside. A little confused, you scan everywhere but the window at first, which ought to have been the obvious place to look.

Oh fuck.

Of course it’s her.

You lose your cool & proceed to cough, offputtingly. And because of that, you don’t have enough composure to offer like a “It’s a free country” or any of a thousand kneejerk cliche responses to such a question. Nope, like the loser you are, you simply ugly-cough while trying to provide a friendly wave. After all who are you to tell her no?

She smirks & hoists herself out through the open window. As lithe & as graceful as she is, it’s a lot easier for her than it was for you. And she even manages to do it with a relatively short skirt, making it all the more impressive. But recognizing that, & her proximity to the window, you offer to trade spots with her, to prevent any prying eyes from inside. She seems pleased you were cognizant enough to catch that.

“Kallista.” She says, offering a thin, extended arm to shake. “I live down the hall.” You are about to respond in kind with your own name in return, but excitably, she cuts you off. “So I won’t like- judge! But do you really like… y’know- girls with some meat on their bones?”

You stare at her blankly, a little unsure how to respond to someone so conventionally attractive, even if she isn’t exactly your particular version of attractive. But you feel your cheeks redden all the same.

She brushes some strands of her wispy straight hair back over her ear...

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From the first part of that WIP I posted not too long ago. At least a two parter, heheh. Was thinking about out making the character very curious about people that prefer larger women from the beginning. And well, things kinda snowball from there.

As for the art, I really like giving characters tattoos but damn is it a lot of work. Like another drawing on top of the drawing. And I get some folks might not like them so much so there are versions without. And that’ll probably happen in later parts too. BUT, given how she will progress over time, I’m thinking her arm tats might eventually grow into full sleeves too. And I gave her a darker hair variant as well. Originally it was just that blonde, but then I added the darker fade & couldn’t decide which to go with so por que no los dos, you know? And personally speaking, not only am I a fan of her general design, but the way she will be progressing as well.

I’m already at work on the part two but I don’t know just how soon it will be with the way this week seems to be shaping up already. But I hope to have it to you shortly.