#ALSO ALSO I have found a rock in every shade okay green grey blue brown white black etc

[jadewritesficshere]

The boy is mine (Jade's edition)

Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Eddie has a plan for a romantic night, but things go awry (2k words)

Contents: Anxiety, Eddie is self deprecating, hurt/comfort (kinda), no gendered terms for reader except mention that their hand is smaller then Eddie's and reader is called beautiful, a literal fire (please look up fire safety), fluff

A/N: So I saw this the first day it was posted and I thought it was a fun idea and saved the prompt by @carolmunson. I've been writing this for a bit,, but like I have had such bad mental fog and generalized pain recently I have been having a hard time focusing...I think I kind of misinterpreted the rules a bit...so here is sad lump of a contribution. Call me Stitch the way I am telling myself "it may be little and broken but still good".

18+ only

The night had started well, at least Eddie thought it had. He promised you a romantic night in. He even prepped for it.

Eddie rented sappy love movies, getting advice by Harrington and Buckley surprisingly. Harrington stated flowers were the way to go, but then started arguing with Buckley. While entertaining, Eddie learned more about the languages of romance from Buckley then he did about romantic gifts. But he wrote down to get flowers.

So he watched the movies. And Eddie was high paid a lot of attention and basically learned to make a grand speech. Big pour out your heart moment. Which, he felt he always talked your ear off, so he could totally do.

Eddie then read those magazines all the cheerleaders gossiped and giggled over. He didn't learn much except some tips for the best kiss. Cup the person's cheek and lean in slowly. Build the suspense. Eddie could do that.

Give you flowers. Make a speech. Cup your cheek as he kisses you. Eddie had this in the bag! Each point written in his little notebook.

And then the reality of you coming to his trailer hit him when you called to confirm the date was still on that morning. He hung up the phone after flirting a bit and looked around his house. Nerves flooded his system as he looked at it with the perspective of an outsider. He didn't want it to look bad. And it was, well, it wasn't bad but definitely could be cleaner.

So Eddie had vacuumed and dusted the entire trailer. Tossed empty pizza boxes in the trash. Sprayed some cologne around the trailer to cover the scent of weed, then cursed himself for using the expensive cologne when there was a bottle of air freshener in the bathroom.

Had picked up his clothes scattered across his room and shoved them all, clean and dirty, into the closet. Had made sure his bed had more then one pillow, grabbing spare throw pillows and tossing them towards the headboard. Even if he didn't think there was a chance you would enter his bedroom tonight, he wanted to be prepared.

Eddie had even started dinner before you arrived. An easy roast that Wayne had made hundreds of times. Thrown meat, potatoes, onions, and carrots into the pot, seasoned it and thrown it all in the oven.

It was newer, this thing between you, and he wanted to get it all right. You'd been friends for years, just recently evolved into dating. It was easy to hold your hand and throw an arm around your shoulder before, stealing those small intimate moments and pretending it meant something more. But now it does mean more. Truly, it always had, but neither of you had said anything. Because like usual, Eddie was the coward and ran.

He spent what felt like minutes (it had been hours) looking back at the notes, the plan. He had even sketched some pictures of you and him as he studied. Gave himself some sweet new tattoos and piercings and muscles while you had hearts around your head. By the time he stopped rereading the same points over and over again, he realized you would be there within the hour.

And he already failed the first point, flowers. It had completely spaced him what with the studying, but he had other things he had been wanting to give you so he figured he could wing it. He rehearsed everything in his mind, having various conversations with you. He would take your coat, be charming as ever, and you would fall for him even more then you already had.

But the plan immediately left his mind when you had arrived. Eddie could feel his face flush as his eyes trailed up and down your figure. All the rushing thoughts in his head suddenly stopped. All he could think was Damn, how'd I get so lucky?

"You're beautiful." Eddie mumbled in awe as you had shrugged off your coat. And then you smiled and Eddie realized he had messed up the plan. He thought he had went through every variable but he hadn't. It wasn't you that was going to fall more in love with him tonight, but Eddie was going to fall more in love with you.

Eddie twirled a piece of hair around his finger, unable to meet your eyes. His heart was beating wildly in his chest and his palms were begin to sweat. He couldn't help but shift from foot to foot. "Oh I uh....got you something," Eddie smiled and turned to leave before hesitating and motioning to the couch," You can uh sit...or stand, standing is good too! I'll be right back."

Eddie cursed himself the whole time he walked away because of how stupid he was. He could stage elaborate campaigns but couldn't seem to form a single sentence in your presence. Eddie grabbed the gift off his dresser and inhaled slowly, mentally yelling at himself to be cool for once in his life.

And faltered in his steps.

Because you were sat on the couch. Not just on the edge of the cushion like those who he dealt to who couldn't wait to get out of his presence. No, you were fully relaxed into the cushion. You looked comfortable. You looked like you belonged.

And Eddie couldn't squash the butterflies that took flight in his stomach. And he sat on the cushion next to you, fighting the urge to wrap you in his arms and hold you close.

"I got you this," Eddie declared as he handed you a rock. A small, smooth stone that fit in the palm of your hand. Your mouth parted but no words came out. Eddie bit his lip as you slowly turned the stone over in your hands, staring at it.

"I saw it and I thought, well, I thought of you and it matches your eyes and-" Eddie huffed out a laugh and shook his head," Sorry, it's stupid just give it back."

Eddie moved to grab it out of your hand but you slapped at his arm and clenched the stone in your hand. "No, it's mine!" You held your hand to your chest and glared at him. "It's stupid," Eddie looked down. "It is not." "It is!"

"Are you serious? If you don't stop we're gonna have a problem. This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me." You beamed at him. Joy and adoration written clearly across your face. Eddie slowly grinned back as you dared to open your palm and look at the stone again. "My precious," you wiggled your eyebrows at him, making him bark out a laugh as he relaxed.

"Let's save a ring for a later date." He joked, even as his mind raced. You quoted Lord of the Rings! You were sitting on his couch holding a rock he thought was the same shade as your eyes and you liked it!! He was done for. Completely head over heels fallen for you. Said he would never marry yet here he was planning his vows and everything.

"Seriously, Eddie, this is so sweet." Your hand grasped his. Your hand was smaller then his, fitting perfectly. Fingers interlocked hesitantly and then more surely. Eddie's eyes fell to your lips. Your tongue darted out slightly and wet them. And he started to lean in.

The air was thick, and not just with the tension, the anticipation. Your lips were milliseconds to coming in contact with his when Eddie's nose twitched as he caught a familiar scent. Your lips landed on Eddie's cheek as he turned so quickly to face the kitchen he gave himself whiplash.

Thick smoke started to waft out of the room. "Oh fuck!" He jumped up as the smoke detector finally started doing its job and screeched out an annoying beep. Eddie ran into the kitchen with you hot on his heels.

Eddie opened the oven door, smoke billowing out," SHITshitshit-" Eddie cursed as he slammed the door shut, coughing slightly. Your hand reached past him to shut off the oven before darting over to the window and throwing it open.

Eddie's eyes darted to the sink below the window. Stop, drop, and roll- wait no that was if you were on fire. But water beats fire in almost every scenario, right? Except oil, shit did he add oil? No, he didn't add anything except the food and the seasoning so it should all be good right?

"Stand back!" Eddie yells over the screeching alarm. Grabbing the pot holders, he throws the oven door open. Smoke billows past him as he makes a mad dash for the pot, grasping the handles and throwing it in the sink. He throws the faucet on, water pouring over the burnt food and pot.

Steam billows up with smoke, mingling in the air before flowing out the window. A hissing sound from the cool water hitting the hot pot fills the air. You fan the flames towards the open window. "Oh fuck." You cough as your eyes fill with tears from the smoke. Eddie winces as flurried apologies fall from his lips.

The pot, not on fire at least, starts to lessen up on producing smoke. Eddie deems it safe to leave and grabs your hand, dragging you outside. His hands on your shoulders guide you to sit on the steps as you continue to intermittently cough. Eddie rushes back into the kitchen, double checking that the oven was off, and quickly grabs a mug holding it under the still running faucet.

Eddie rushes back outside to you, almost missing the step and face planting. And wouldn't that have been the icing on the cake. Would that make Eddie or the embarrassment of faceplanting be the vanilla frosting? Who even created that saying? Cake was good and this was not good. Eddie shook his head of these thoughts as he sank down on the step next to you.

Eddie hands you the mug of water. You drink it in big gulps, a small dribble of water falling out of the side of your mouth towards your chin. Eddie wipes it away with his thumb as he apologizes," I am so sorry, I don't even know what happened."

"Is this Garfield?" You peer at the mug, as if Eddie almost didn't kill you. "Uh yeah, was in a rush, sorry I didn't grab like a nicer cup. I just ran out...to you..." "Don't apologize, I like Garfield," you mumble taking another drink of the water.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asks, hands running up and down your shoulders, eyes checking you over. "Think I hacked up a lung from all the smoke...," you rub your sternum," Man, my lungs do not like smoke...and you like that?" Eddie let out a nervous laugh," Yeah no sorry, only when its weed. Never really inhaled a straight fire before."

You look up into Eddie's eyes that are full of concern. "Well, I'd recommend like not doing that. But I'm okay, it startled me more then anything," You give a soft smile. "You sure?" "Positive." You knock his shoulder with yours.

Eddie's eyes search your figure, ensuring you aren't lying to him. You ignore him, opting to set the mug down on the ground. Fingers brushing against a dandelion, yellow and bright. You pluck it from the ground and twirl it between your fingers.

You're okay. You're holding a dandelion and you're okay. You aren't acting like you hate him. You aren't making excuses and leaving. You aren't leaving like everyone else-

Eddie's shoulders relax as the tension leaves his body. You're okay. Your relationship is okay. He didn't ruin everything. You're smiling at a fucking dandelion while his heart feels like it has run a marathon.

You're oblivious to his plight as you lean over and tuck the dandelion behind his ear," Maybe don't smoke that. Looks pretty on you." "Not that kind of weed." "Yeah dumb joke sorry."

A slow exhale escapes him as he shakes his head,"No it's good I'm just," Eddie waves his hand in front of him," like what the fuck just happened? I am never cooking again. I'll just take you to Enzo's. I fucked up. Sorry for ruining the date."

Your hand cupped his cheek as you ducked down to meet his eyes," Hey, no. You didn't ruin the date." Eddie rolls his eyes slightly," Almost killing you? Yeah, pretty sure i ruined it." You bump your knee against Eddie's, "it's not ruined and you didn't almost kill me. Small food fire, happens to everyone. I lit popcorn on fire once. Besides, if you did happen to kill me, at least I would have died happy and in love. And you'd be stuck with me cause ghost me is absolutely haunting you."

Eddie can't help but laugh slightly," Oh? You think you'd be a ghost and not get another chance at life? Be reincarnated or whatever?" "Well, even if I was reincarnated, I'd find you again."

Eddie scoffs, "C'mon, don't say that.. That's not even true, you'd totally be able to move on. You wouldn't need little old me." You grab his face and peer into his eyes," Eddie Munson, I will always need you. In this life and whatever happens after. You and me? We're it. Maybe it should be too soon to say, but I feel it in my bones. You're it for me Eddie. Together now, forever, and when everything ceases to exist we'll be in nothing together. I will always be with you because I will always love you."

You lean in and Eddie thinks his heart stops. Your hand holding his cheek in place, thumb lightly brushing back and forth. His eyes flutter shut as your lips finally touch his. It was soft and sweet, lips slowly parting and melding together in a dance that sent shivers down Eddie's spine. He sighed into the kiss as you leaned closer into each other. Your hands threading through his hair, his wrapping around your waist. Lips moving in tandem, tongues darting out tentatively.

You only part when you both are gasping for air. Soft smiles and longing glances shared as the sun sets. "I love you too." Eddie traces your cheekbone with his finger. "You better." You joke. Your combined giggles fill the air as you continue to steal kisses from each other.

The night may not have been the most romantic. Or gone to plan, like, at all. But it was one Eddie already knew that when he thought about he would be able to feel his heart swell with love. And as he kissed you Eddie thought, yeah you were it for him.

[basketofverbiage]

Crochet

Here is day 2 of the 2019 Christmas drabble challenge! My mom and I both crochet and I love making gifts for people I love. And the thought of Taehyung and how creative he is hand making gifts for the rest of the guys just melted my heart. So, here you go!

Taehyung was bored. He led an exciting life for the most part, jetting from country to country around the world to sing and perform for ARMYs, but there are only so many movies you can watch, naps you can take, and books you can read on a long flight. It was this need for something new combined with his intense desire to create that brought him to learning to crochet. Honestly, he had planned to learn to knit, but then he remembered that knitting needles weren’t allowed on planes. He ordered a “teach yourself to crochet” set aimed at children from the internet and picked out some brightly colored yarn. It took him several days to finish it, but he finally taught himself enough to crochet a full scarf. He was so excited with his creation that he wore it on a trip to a local craft store. Something about the thrill of creation made him want to do it more.

While he was browsing the yarn section with a basket, he suddenly had a great idea. Even though they usually had to work on Christmas day, they all made sure to have cookies and cocoa and exchange gifts amongst the members. What if he crocheted all the members a gift instead of buying them? Each gift would be custom made for them and no one else would ever have the same item. Plus, his brothers were always more excited about hand made gifts than store bought ones. So that solidified it. He bought several books with crochet patterns, a full set of crochet hooks of different sizes, and all the yarn and other embellishments he’d need. He even bought a stylish new bag to carry his projects in.

Taehyung threw himself into his new projects. Even though he was just a beginner at crochet, there were a lot of YouTube videos that taught him how to make stitches he wasn’t sure about. The worst part was keeping the other members from sorting out what he was making. Luckily, they all tended to distract themselves easily on planes, so he was able to continue his projects without their noticing. Jungkook and Jimin did tease him a bit about his new hobby when he first tried it, but after he finished his own scarf, they were a bit impressed and let him be about it.

The project that took the longest was for Namjoon. He had wanted to make him a beautiful cardigan that was a bit on the longer side, and the worst part was trying to make sure it would fit correctly. He finally got the bright idea to borrow a sweater from him.

“Hey Joonie-hyung! Do you mind if I borrow this brown sweater? It just looks so cozy.”

“Sure, Tae. I never would have thought it was your style, but you can borrow it,” Namjoon replied before diving back into the book he was reading.

Taehyung happily took the sweater back to his room and measured the length of the arms, the shoulders, and the waist of the sweater. He wanted to make sure that it fit perfectly. After tucking away the information, he put the sweater on over his button-down shirt he was wearing so that Namjoon wouldn’t be suspicious. The only other difficult project was making sure that the fingerless gloves he wanted to make Yoongi would fit. Taehyung knew that his hands were larger as a whole but Yoongi had long fingers. He always complained that his hands were cold, but he would either forgo wearing gloves or moan about being unable to use the many touch screen devices in their lives. Fingerless gloves would help with keeping his hands warm while leaving his fingertips free to do the things he needed them to. It was easy to figure it out though, surprisingly. Yoongi was a sucker for holding hands with any of the members, plus it was kind of their thing. So, the next time they held hands, Taehyung looked closer at the way that Yoongi’s hands fit into his own so that he could make the gloves appropriately.

Jin’s project was so easy, but it just took a very long time. Jin stayed cold nearly year-round and constantly had on at least 2 layers if not more. Taehyung made him a full-sized blanket of super soft alpaca wool yarn that he found at a local farmer’s market. Taehyung took walks to clear his head when they were at home, and he stumbled across the farmer’s market one Sunday afternoon. The older lady who was selling the yarn initially caught his eye because she reminded him of his own grandmother, so he chatted with her as he browsed her booth. The yarn itself was so soft and a beautiful shade of pink, but when he learned that she raised the alpacas herself and had spun the wool herself, he bought her entire stock of yarn. Not only was it Jin’s favorite color, but the fact that it came from an alpaca sealed the deal. It would be like RJ had created the blanket and he just knew that Jin would love it more.

For Jimin, Taehyung crocheted an oversized sweater. It was baby blue in color made with yarn that was designed for babies so that it would be super soft to the touch. Instead of worrying about the size, he simply made it so that when he slipped it on, it was a little snug to his torso. On Jimin’s smaller frame, it would be a little bit oversized and comfortable.

Hoseok and Jungkook were his harder brothers to find a pattern for, but after several weeks of searching, he found the perfect projects for them. For Hoseok, he made a literal acorn bag. The bag itself was shaped like an acorn and was lined with a beautiful dark brown satin material that Taehyung hand sewed to the crocheted bag. Instead of crocheting the strap of the bag, Taehyung bought and modified a leather strap meant for a handbag.

Since Taehyung had made the scarf for himself, Jungkook had borrowed it several times, and that’s when Taehyung realized that he should make a scarf for Jungkook too. Since the gifts he had made for his other brothers had been a bit more elaborate, he also made a matching slouchy beanie. Jungkook tended to favor bucket hats when he wore hats, but Taehyung couldn’t find a pattern he liked. Both the beanie and the scarf were a dark slate grey with black flecks through the yarn.

Once he had finished each of the projects, he wrapped them meticulously. Each member’s package was a specific color so that he could tell them apart by sight: Namjoon’s was green, Yoongi’s was black, Jungkook’s was gold, Jimin’s was blue, Jin’s was purple, and Hoseok’s was silver. After he had finished wrapping them, he slipped them out to the tree when the members were all distracted. While he was very excited that he had finished them all in time and he was very happy with how the projects had turned out, he was beginning to get worried that they wouldn’t like them. Maybe he should have bought gifts after all. He got more self-conscious about them when he overheard Jimin telling Jungkook about the Prada laptop bag he’d gotten for Yoongi. Money wasn’t an issue as far as buying gifts were concerned, but Taehyung had crocheted his own love into his gifts for his brothers so he desperately hoped they would like them.

Christmas Day came quickly, and while they worked until late in the evening for a broadcast, they all caught their second wind at the thought of eating the cookies that Jin had made the day before and just having some time together to exchange gifts. When they all got home, they rushed through showers and putting on pajamas, then Taehyung helped Jin in the kitchen with putting some the cookies on a platter for them to snack on.

“You okay over there, Tae? You’ve been rearranging those cookies for like 5 minutes now,” Jin asked.

“I’m okay, Hyung. I’m just a little nervous that you won’t like the presents I have for you this year,” he murmured, avoiding meeting Jin’s gaze.

“You know that we will love it no matter what because it came from you, and we love you, Taehyung,” Jin reassured him. “Besides, we are all dying to know what you got because you’ve been incredibly secretive about it this year.”

“I know I have been. I just hope they are okay.”

Jin hugged Taehyung and cracked a joke to get him to smile a bit. “Come on, TaeTae. Let’s get these cookies and the cocoa out there before JK gets overexcited like he did last year. We don’t want a replay of him knocking over the tree chasing Jimin and Hoseok.”

When everyone had gathered together, they began to get settled in. Every year, they would play paper-rock-scissors to see who would go first, then each member would present their gifts, and everyone would open that member’s gifts before moving on to the next. That way, the member who gave the gifts could see the others’ reactions. Taehyung lost all around, and would be going last this year, and his heart was pounding in his chest at the anxiety. Everyone else had gone all out and bought designer gifts except for Namjoon, who had commissioned artwork for each of them from artisans that he loved. Finally, it was Taehyung’s turn.

“Before I hand these out, I want to elaborate a bit before you open them. This year, instead of buying something, I wanted to make something special for you all with my own hands. I just hope you like them,” he explained. “I’d also like you to open them one by one so I can answer any questions and I hope some of these fit.”

He started with Jungkook, biting his lip as the maknae tore through the paper. He could feel the anticipation of all the others building as Jungkook pulled the beanie and the scarf out of the small box.

“Tae-hyung! You made me a scarf like yours! I love it! Now I won’t have to steal yours all the time!” Jungkook exclaimed as he wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled the beanie on his head.

The others complimented the craftsmanship and admired Jungkook’s gift before turning to wait their own turn. Since Jin was sitting beside the maknae, Taehyung handed him his gift next. Seokjin was more meticulous in opening gifts, always unfastening the tape on the paper and lifting it that way instead of tearing the paper. When he got the paper off and the lid off the box, he gasped as he pulled the soft blanket out of the package, turning to Taehyung with wide eyes.

“I found the yarn from a local farmer’s market. The yarn was spun and dyed by the farmer’s wife after they sheared their alpacas. So your blanket is technically made of RJ’s wool,” Taehyung smiled softly as he watched his hyung wrap the blanket around his shoulders and rub the blanket against his cheek.

“Oh Tae…it’s beautiful,” he whispered.

Jimin was next, bouncing slightly in his seat beside Jin in excitement. While he had worried about the others, he had no doubts about his gift for Jimin. His soulmate always understood him when no one else did, so he beamed as he passed the gift to Jimin. Once Jimin had wrestled the paper off, he squealed in happiness when he pulled the sweater out of the box.

“Your sweater is made of yarn made for babies, so its super soft and won’t be itchy. Plus, you baby all the rest of us, so I wanted to make something to baby you a little bit.”

Jimin pulled the sweater on over his pajama top then launched himself into Taehyung’s arms. “I love it, Tae. It’s perfect.”

Next down the line was Hoseok. Hoseok accepted the package with a big smile, knowing that Taehyung had poured his soul into these gifts. Hoseok would adore whatever was in this box because it was a piece of Taehyung he could take with him. He burst into joyful laughter when he pulled the acorn bag out of the box.

“You always carry those tiny little acorn bags, so I made you a literal acorn bag. And it was horrible hand stitching the interior, but I’m so happy I did, because it turned out great,” Taehyung explained.

“I love it, Tae. It’s perfect for me, and I will definitely carry it,” Hoseok said as he pulled Taehyung into the biggest hug he could.

Namjoon was next down the line. “For Namu-hyung, I made this. I hope you love it.”

Namjoon ripped the paper quickly and pulled the cardigan out. It was made in an earthy olive green and Taehyung had hand stitched big wooden buttons down one side. Namjoon immediately stood up and put it on. The cardigan was made to be a bit on the long side and came to just above his knees. While it looked silly over the top of Namjoon’s Ryan pajamas, Taehyung knew it would look stunning over jeans.

“How did you get the fit so perfectly?” Namjoon asked as he admired Taehyung’s stitches around the sleeves.

“Remember that day I borrowed your favorite brown sweater? Before I put it on, I measured the length of the sleeves, the shoulders, and the waist and hoped for the best on the length.”

Yoongi was last, and while he was stoic with a soft smile, the excitement was sparkling in his eyes. Taehyung nervously handed him the package.

“I know how cold your hands get, but how you hate not being able to use your fingers. So I made these. I hope you like them,” Taehyung said shyly.

Yoongi opened the box, then broke into a radiant gummy smile when he saw the gloves. Taehyung had made the gloves long enough to go midway up Yoongi’s forearms, and tiny pearlescent buttons decorated up the outside edge of the gloves. He immediately pulled the gloves on over his pajamas.

“They are lovely, Tae. Thank you,” Yoongi said happily. “But don’t think for one minute that this gets you out of holding my hand when I’m cold.”

[taylorroger-s]

happy new year // roger taylor x reader

a/n i am a total hoe for soulmate aus. so might as well start out this year with one of my guilty pleasures. the one that i chose is : you can’t see the color of your soulmates eyes (if your soulmate’s eyes are green, you can’t see any green). only their eyes have that color, and you can’t see the rest of the world in that color, until you touch them (is this incoherent? idk i can’t tell). cheesy, but i love it. get ready for a debaucherous (i love that word) queen party, and some good old fashioned eighties bs.

just too clear something up, you can’t see the eye color if your soulmate is in a picture. so if you see a picture of your soulmate, you won’t be able to see the color of their eyes.

masterlist here!

also i got a little carried away so it turned into a little bit of an oc fic??? lmao

enjoy :)

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until new years eve 1978, you were totally convinced that the color blue was a myth.

twenty seven years on planet earth, with still one color missing from your life. and you were used to it. all of your friends had found their soulmates young, always gleefully describing the dresses in store windows and the daytime sky. to you, it was all grey. and you really didn’t mind. sunsets were still beautiful, so were the colorless flowers and pale fabrics.

plus, you weren’t terribly concerned with your personal life as much as you were for your professional life. you weren’t hung up on finding your soulmate, though sometimes you would drift off and wonder what your life would be like if you had already found that one person with bright blue eyes.

you woke up on december twenty-ninth, refreshed and desperate to make it to the weekend. your friend had been hinting that she had a special surprise for you, but wouldn’t tell you until friday. well, it was friday, and you were anxious to find out. you desperately hoped she hadn’t gone searching for people with “blue” eyes (as she had already found her soulmate and knew the color), then set you up on blind dates. you knew all that she wanted to do was help you find “the one”, but you were fine with just casual dates, casual relationships.

it was another grey day in london, with rain streaming down the windows and pooling in potholes. you worked at a diner downtown, one serving more american themed dishes. all you really got there were groups of tourists or drunk people stumbling in during your late night shifts. it kept things quite entertaining. fridays were your easiest shift. nine to three, just having to deal with the light lunch rush. then immediately after, you were scheduled to meet at a local coffee shop with your friend where she would finally reveal what she had been planning.

the one thing you truly couldn’t stand about your work was the uniform you had to wear. it was a fifties style dress, designed to look like one for an old-fashioned housewife. yours was a creamy pastel yellow, with a crisp white apron that held your notepad, a polaroid of your childhood dog, and a pack of cigarettes. you wrestled your unruly curls into a loose updo, topping it off with a yellow headband that matched the color of your dress.

you looked exactly like a mid fifties woman, the light colors of the dress contrasting nicely with your deep brown skin. yawning slowly, you shuffled over to your clock, eyes widening when you realized what time it was. 8:20. bollocks. your commute in itself was nearly half an hour using the underground, which a ten minute walk in your frilly dress, no matter what the weather. if you didn’t leave right then, you would be late for your shift.

throwing on a dark red overcoat, you headed out the door, a granola bar and scarf in hand. you lived alone in a tiny flat right near the outskirts of the city, and the nearest underground station was a brisk walk away. your commute passed in silence, and soon enough you were at your work, just a few minutes before your shift began.

“hello my dear.” crooned a stout woman name rosie as you entered the break room. you gave her a quick smile and a nod in response. she gave you a pat on the back as she passed by, placing her burnt out cigarette on a nearby ashtray. there was a small mirror on the wall, and you walked over to it, adjusting your overflowing curls.

after putting on your “professional” smile, you went into the main dining room. at the front was a group of people waiting to be seated. there was a ridiculously tall man with a wild mane of curls, a shorter man with close cropped curly hair, another man with a particularly bold fur coat, and a lanky woman seated next to someone with fluffy blond hair. you couldn’t quite spot their face as they appeared to be whispering something to the woman that made her giggle and blush. the tallest one approached you, a kind smile on his angular features.

“hullo, do you have a table for five?”

“of course! right this way sir!” you chirped, grabbing five menus from behind the hostess podium. waving the group towards you, your eyes scanned for an empty table. you placed the menus down on a corner booth, giving your brief spiel about the daily specials and if they wanted coffee. you still hadn’t been able to see who the blond haired individual was, but you had other tables to deal with.

after greeting another table, you returned to the table with the five people, the blond one and the woman they were talking with noticeably absent.

“y’all ready to order?” you asked as you poured their coffee. the one with the bouncy curls nodded, flipping to the omelette page.

“yes okay… i’ll have the veggie omelette, and deaky,” he tilted his head towards the man next to him.

“i’ll have the chocolate chip pancakes,”

“and i’ll have the eggs benedict darling! roger must be off with his plaything doing god knows what,” the man in the vivid coat huffed dramatically, taking a sip from his coffee cup.

“just some hash browns for them i guess. thank you so much love.” you gave him a bright smile, tucking a stray curl behind your ear.

“sure thing! that all sir?”

“darling please, call me freddie.” he gave you a wink, and you returned his crooked smile.

freddie huh?

while walking away, you had an inkling feeling that those people were… important in some way, but you couldn’t put your finger on what exactly was bothering you. it took a few more minutes of flitting around before you finally got an answer, from one of the chefs whispering in the kitchen as you went to pick up their food.

“oh my god… is that queen?”

queen. world renowned rock band that broke every expectation and barrier set before them. and you were serving them. at nine fifteen am. in downtown london. holy shit. once you made that revelation, you handed off the dishes, and ducked into the storeroom, back pressed to the wall.

holy shit.

in that moment, you were almost painfully aware of the grey in your vision. the sky would always be grey, no matter the weather. there was one color missing from your life, and all the shades that came with it. sometimes, you only wanted to meet your soulmate in order to make the world whole.

too soon, your little moment was over, and you had to put on the happy face once more. i still have samantha’s surprise, you thought to yourself. plus, your day was already quite nice thanks to the world famous band that you were serving.

however, once you entered the dining room, they were gone, most likely due to the masses that had flocked to your little diner when someone got word of their presence. their plates were half-finished, with a small napkin wrapped package on the table. intrigued, you walked over. in the little package was a hundred pound bill, and a small handwritten note.

‘so sorry for ducking out darling, the crowds were getting a little heavy. here’s some money for your troubles.

in other news, the boys and i would like to extend an invitation to our new years party. you seem like a lovely girl, and stunningly beautiful might i add. i promise you, the festivities will not disappoint.

if you decide not to go, that is fine as well. the party is gonna be in feltham, and i bet you’ll be able to find it. our parties tend to leave a trace.

wish you the best my dear!

- freddie mercury, brian may, john deacon, and roger taylor’

what?

-----

six hours later your shift was over, the lunch rush passing by without much fanfare. due to you heading out the door in such disarray, you had forgotten a change of clothes for your hang out with samantha. so you walked in to the closest pub in a frilly yellow dress. she was leaning against the bar, sipping a moscow mule. once sam spotted you with her sharp brown eyes, she waved you over, beaming ridiculously.

you immediately ran over and wrapped her in a hug, almost spilling her drink in the process. she laughed, giving you a quick kiss on the cheek before hopping up onto a nearby barstool. her fiery red hair framed a grinning face, freckles spotting her nose and cheeks.

“oh my god, samantha, you would not believe what happened today!” you sighed heavily, letting your curls tumble down from your updo. the bartender pushed a pint your way, probably already ordered by sam. she was too good to you.

“o oh me first! guess what i got us an invitation to?” she wiggled her eyebrows, finishing off her drink in one gulp. you shrugged, giving her a “continue” gesture. slowly sipping your pint, you kept your eyes on your rambunctious friend.

“my friend mindy, the hairdresser, happens to cut hair for a certain mr. mercury…” she smirked, taking a sip from her second (as far as you knew) drink.

“long story short… WE’RE GOING TO QUEEN’S NEW YEARS PARTY!!!” sam let out a triumphant whoops, doing a little dance as you and an old man at the other end of the bar watched. you were truthfully too stunned to give a proper reaction, and she soon noticed.

“hellooooo, they’re only one of the most popular bands in the world! and we! can! hang! out! with! them! at freddie fucking mercury’s house! how are you not losing it! i know how much you love them.” you shook your head, laughing quietly to yourself. you soon couldn’t stop, shoulders shaking. sam looked at you, concern evident on her face. before she could question your reason for random laughter, you spoke up.

“funny story now, i may or may not have waited on mr. mercury on the rest of the band today at work.” you could feel a bright smile stretching across your features as your friend’s face fell in shock. the straw fell out of her mouth, drink tipping dangerously to one side.

“aaaaaand he left me an invite as well. and a hundred pound tip.” she soon caught on, shrieking in glee.

“who cares how we got invited. we’re going to queen’s new years party!!!!!!” you both danced around in a little circle, quickly shutting up when the aging female bartender shot you both a withering glare.

you were going to queen’s new years party.

this was gonna be fun.

-----

you spent the night of the twenty-ninth of december having a movie night with your cousin who was in town. you didn’t tell her about the queen party, since it still didn’t feel quite real. on saturday you headed out with sam, searching for some outfits for the party. a high end boutique called biba wasn’t far from when you worked, so after covering an early morning shift for rosie, you headed out.

“ooo this would look so good on you y/n!” sam shoved another short dress your way, yet another shade of grey. for some reason, samantha was absolutely convinced that your soulmate would be there at the party, calling it her “matchmaker sense” but she couldn’t talk, she had found her soulmate at eighteen. she swore to you that everything she picked out was blue, though she could have found silver and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

“davey isn’t gonna be joining us, just not his scene, so it’ll be a girls night!” sam ran around you in circles, tucking in a piece of fabric here, ruffling a skirt there. this particular dress was quite form-fitting, in a medium “blue” that hit you right at the mid thigh. but sheer fabric dripped down the skirt, in a slightly lighter shade, making it appear as if you were fading away. it was truly gorgeous. the dress had a sweetheart neckline in the darker “blue” fabric, then the sheer fabric created long sleeves and a neckline that stopped right at your collarbone.

it was gorgeous. sam picked out accessories made of silver and apparently the same “blue” as most of the dress. you had a velvet choker, jacket style earrings shaped to look like teardrops, and a set of stackable rings in silver and the dark blue. you had styled your own hair, braiding close to your scalp into two even plaits. your eyelids glitter silver, white eyeliner turning up into a cat eye. you had dark grey lipstick, that sam insisted was a dark blue. despite your inability to see the primary color of your ensemble, you were still stunning in all grey, contrasting with your dark brown skin.

you looked like a benevolent goddess of night and stars, a femme fatale that could rule the world.

“puuurrrrfect darling.” sam crooned, obviously doing an impression of freddie mercury and failing with pride. you giggled like a schoolgirl, still gazing dreamily at your striking reflection. sam came up from behind you, resting her chin on your shoulder. she assured you that she already had an outfit picked out, so she was dressed down, ruby-red hair loose around her shoulders.

“okay so plan for tomorrow…” you tore yourself away from your reflection, turning back to sam.

“davey and i come pick you up at nine, he drops us off, and we go get shitfaced!” you chuckled at her unbridled enthusiasm as she danced around, pumping her fist in the air. you carefully took off the dress and various accessories, slipping on your simple street clothes. sam gathered the clothing her arms, insisting that she pay for the outfit. though you put up a fight, she won, and you spent the ride back to your house thanking her profusely. the two of you met your first year of college and had become inseparable ever since. that night was spent like many in your uni days. homemade popcorn, the brady bunch, matching pajamas, and falling asleep on your couch.

-----

sam had been gone the next morning, leaving you to lounge around until it was nearly time for them to arrive. after a quick dinner of reheated chicken tikka masala, you headed to your bedroom.

you dressed slowly, having to redo your makeup a few times due to the incessant shaking of your hand. the idea of where you were going was so surreal. the freddie fucking mercury had invited you, a waitress with a masters degree in physics, to his new years eve party. the thought almost made you laugh. but under that, was an overwhelming amount of childhood giddiness. your reflection looked almost like a girl playing dress up instead of the goddess you looked like yesterday. still beautiful.

after you finally slipped into a pair of “blue” flats and finally got your winged liner perfect, sam was knocking at your door. she was wearing a fringed gold mini dress, long hair pulled into a tight bun. her eyelids and cheeks were dusted with a similar shade of gold, and she wore a red lipstick just barely brighter than her hair. she grinned at you, showing a hint of slightly crooked teeth.

“you ready to get plastered mdear?” her trademark grin appeared once she got a full look at your ensemble, a hint of pride visible in her eyes. your appearance was a result of her handiwork after all. you couldn’t help but match her enthusiasm.

this was going to be a night to remember.

on the car ride to wherever freddie’s estate was, queen blasted from the radio in david’s car. somebody to love was playing. samantha’s fingers were intertwined with her boyfriend’s as she sat in the passenger seat next to him. she sang along with a smile on her lips, occasionally turning around to grin at you.

hearing that particular song, in that particular setting, with those two particular people, made you a little wistful. you didn’t even want a romantic relationship in particular. just the person out there with the soul that fits perfectly with yours.

before you knew it, davey had pulled up to the curb about a block away from the house, since all the parking spaces on the curb were occupied. you and sam said your goodbyes to davey, sam opting for a quick kiss.

as you made your way closer to the house, you started to feel in over your head. there were pairs of people clustered together on the lawn, stumbling around. you approached the doorstep, sam not far behind. you gave her a nervous look, hand coming up too readjust your hair for what felt like the hundredth time. sam took your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“ready y/n?”

“ready sammy.”

she smiled, and with her other hand opened the door and entered the chaos. you followed close behind, jaw dropping when you encountered the party raging on inside.

there seemed to be just a singular mass of people, all moving and tipping to the beat of a bass drum. at first you were too stunned to move, just gazing wide eyed at the party. but you forgot that your hand was still joined with sam’s, and she pulled you gently away from the doorway, slipping between the people. you could feel the thrum of the music in your chest as you walked too where sam was dragging you. it was to the alcohol.

she pulled her hand away to fill four shot glasses with vodka, handing you two of them with a mischievous grin.

“to 1979!”

“to 1979.”

counting to three, you knocked one of the shots back, followed by the second one immediately after. you could feel a warm buzz from the alcohol filling your senses, slightly burning the back of your throat. sam shouted an inaudible goodbye before disappearing, leaving you to take another shot alone and then crack open a bottle of beer. you could feel the alcohol begin to relax you, releasing the tension from your shoulders.

you felt a silly grin paint your features when the next song played, an upbeat elton john record that you had on vinyl back at home. you hopped onto the dance floor, the loose fabric of your dress brushing against your thighs. it felt really good to let loose, since you rarely had a break from dealing with people all day long. now you could relax under the soft influence of alcohol, dancing with whoever the fuck you wanted, soulmates be damned.

you danced your way through the space, randomly spinning into people's arms, giggling wildly. eventually, you stumbled into a break in the crowd, now standing around the edge of a circle of couches. four men were seated there, obviously the center of attention.

queen.

you managed to catch freddie mercury’s eye, giving him a tiny wave that you were convinced he didn’t see. he did, and he came over to you, taking you by the shoulders and giving you two brief cheek kisses.

“you were our waitress from the other day, yes? y/n? oh my dear, i’m so glad you can make it. i hope you are enjoying yourself!”

“definitely! thank you so much for inviting me by the way. and for the tip!” you had to shout to carry a conversation in the chaotic space, constant chatter and music filling the hot air. or maybe you were shouting because of the alcohol in your system.

“anytime love,” just then, fat bottomed girls started playing, and freddie beamed at you.

“now go dance! leave 1978 in the dust with flair!” he gave your shoulder a gentle push, moving you towards the dance floor, which seemed to be everywhere. you gave him one last smile and danced your way into the crowd to the lyrics “hey i was just a skinny lad / never knew no good from bad”

freddie turned back to the band, taking a seat right next to brian. he looked over, spotting roger staring at the place where you had disappeared with an awestruck expression.

“oi fred, who was that?” he turned towards freddie, a hint of childish excitement in his words.

“the waitress we had the other day that you didn’t meet because you were in the bathroom shagging that one girl.” he winced at freddie’s words, but roger still leaned forward, now ignoring the girl who was, up until then, trailing her hand down his chest.

“what’s got you so excited, huh?” deaky glanced over at roger, taking a swig from his beer bottle. roger shot him a glare, but soon went back to his excited and tense expression.

“say deaky, what color was that girl’s eyes?” deaky turned back to roger, eyes wide and jaw dropped.

“you don’t think…”

“i do think.” roger said those words with a finality, finishing off the drink in his hand, the girl by his side completely forgotten.

“i caught a glimpse of her face as she turned away, and her eyes looked, different. they were unlike any color i’d ever seen.”

“holy shit.” deaky whispered, placing his beer bottle on the low coffee table between the couches.

“rog, you can’t seriously…” brian began, getting cut off by roger beginning to speak again. he muttered to the girl by his side, probably a half assed apology due to her immediate storming away from the band.

“yes brian, i am serious,” roger leapt to his feet, anxiously adjusting his half-open button down and hair in the back of a spoon resting on the table. freddie grinned, giving roger a quick hug before patting his cheek.

“go get her rog, i believe in you.”

“thanks, fred. wish me luck!” roger called out as he slipped away, leaving the other three band members a little startled by the sudden change of mood.

“you could see that her eyes were the right color fred, didn’t you?” brian asked, readjusting to look his bandmate in the eye. freddie’s smile was evidence enough that he had invited you on the hunch that you were roger’s soulmate. and it seemed that he was right.

“of course darling, he deserves something steady, and i have a feeling she will be more than capable to handle his energy.”

-----

you had spent the last hour dancing with various people, at one point even exchanging a sloppy kiss with someone on the dance floor following a long slow dance to love of my life. you were then dancing with a small group of girls, including sam, who you found in just a few minutes after entering the main heart of the party.

too soon, it was nearing midnight, and you took a moment to review your 1978.

you had finally completed your masters degree in physics, had a flat all to yourself, a job that helped pay the bills, a best friend who would always be by your side, and more yet to come. though you didn’t find your soulmate in ‘78, the next year and the next year were unable to peer into, so anything could happen.

while gazing off into the distance while everyone danced around you, someone tapped on your shoulder. when you spun around freddie mercury was there, a mischievous smile on his sharp features.

“hello my dear, i truly hope you have a wonderful 2019, and i have a feeling there is much in store for you.”

“and to you too freddie, may you be blessed with a thousand cats and a thousand spot on performances.” he gave you a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing, but there was a person behind him looking right at you. when you looked up to meet their eyes, you nearly had a heart attack. fluffy blond hair framed the beaming face of notorious rockstar roger taylor. but what really shocked you to your core were his eyes.

they felt like a break in the clouds, a cool breeze on a hot day, the missing puzzle piece. he was possibly the most beautiful creature you had ever seen, with the most stunning eyes of a fresh, new color.

they were blue.

blue! the color wasn’t a myth! he looked as awestruck as you felt, lips parted slightly as he took a step towards you. you barely registered the countdown echoing around you as you slowly walked closer to roger. you were soon no more than six inches away from each other, and you were able to smell his heavy cologne, sour cigarette smoke, and the whiskey on his breath.

but most of all those eyes. as the countdown slowly drew into single digits, you felt a single tear roll down your cheek.

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

roger than cupped your face in his hands and crashed his lips against yours, your eyes closing as you felt his hand slip too the back of your neck as he pulled you closer. you felt a tremor run through your body from ever part of your body that was pressed against his. your hands were around his neck, his hands slipping down to your waist. you wanted to stay in that moment forever, your soul finally feeling… well, you didn’t quite know. once the cheers around you had subsided, roger slowly pulled away, resting his forehead against yours.

you opened your eyes, only focusing on the beautiful man you were wrapped up in. he gazed at you with pure adoration, and you could see a smear of your lipstick on his face.

and it was blue.

“hi.” you whispered, unable to look away from him.

“hi.” he responded, warm breath on your cheeks. his arms were low around your waist, toying with the sheer fabric of your dress. your dress! you glanced down, gasping a little at what your dress had become. it was just like sam had described it. you looked back up at roger, smile even brighter than before.

“you are more beautiful than i could have ever imagined. and believe me, i have.”

“i could say the same to you.”

he smirked at your reply, raising his eyebrow in a silent question. you bit your bottom lip in response, leaning closer. as you pressed your lips against his with your fingers wrapped in his hair, samantha was standing to the side, sipping from her champagne glass. she had a triumphant smirk on her red lips. freddie mercury came up from behind her, champagne glass also in hand. he clinked his glass against hers, matching her satisfied smile.

“it seemed as though our plan worked.” she said, her voice high and airy.

“it seems so, darling.”

knocking their glasses together again, freddie was the next to speak.

“to 1979, and our best friends.”

“to 1979.”

she gazed lovingly at the two of you drunkenly slow dancing, roger leaning in to whisper in your ear every once in a while, causing you to giggle before muttering something back. you glanced over your shoulder, seeing her watching you with a bright smile.

of course she was in on this, you thought, as you spotted freddie next to her with a similar look. you turned back to roger, him completely enamored with you.

1979 was going to be the best year of your life, and you were sure of it. but for now, you just wanted to stay in the arms of your soulmate, perfectly content.

⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

hope y’all enjoyed this and i wish you a very happy 2019!

this is just a little one-off, so no one from my ten things taglist is tagged, but if you would like to be on a permanent taglist, i would be glad to start one!

[weedsekatzefollowers]

i am DESPERATE TO KNOW all these babes... are there any little facts about these characters that won't come up in gameplay, won't be spoilerly, but are still 100% true? i wanna know like. what their fave food/drinks are... their favourite colours... where they like spending time the most... but those might come up during the story? is there anything you don't think will come up, little details, not really important things, that you'd be willing to share with us as we patiently(?) wait? :>

Oh anon, ask and you shall receive! As long as I can avoid the Big Spoilers™ I’m absolutely willing to talk!Let’s start with the favorite food and drink, shall we? In some cases there’s definitely some in-game explanations to be found!

Brionna: Anything that’s simple and easily prepared! Serve her sausages and eggs and you’re gonna have yourself a very happy Orc! For her favorite drink, it’s a safe bet to say it’s Mead.Laoghaire: She enjoys simple dishes, too, although she’d appreciate more seasoning than Brionna puts on her food. Other than that, she has a very soft spot for baked goods. Her favorite drink is Rose Herbal Tea.Leesil: Leesil? Favorite food? All of it! He has a very healthy appetite. Also, give him a bottle of Rotmeth to drink and he’s never going to forget!Sadesa: The more effort you put into the dishes, the more she’s going to like them. Only the best for our girl. Now for her favorite drink, any alcoholic beverage should do. But if you want to make her happy, make sure to hand her a bottle of Sujamma!Thelen: Horker Stew’s where it’s at. Horker Stew and Ale, although the guy barely seems to eat and drink at all.Velius: Seafood. The spicier, the better! All kinds of it, really. Preferably self-caught and self-prepared. And Cyrodilic Brandy.

Moving on to the favorite colors!

Brionna: Cool tones are where it’s at! All shades of blue and grey.

Laoghaire: Most definitely yellow! Warm and welcoming.

Leesil: All sorts of greens! Although olive tones are probably his favorite.

Sadesa: Red, yellow and orange! Flashy colors, as far as the eyes can see.

Thelen: Dark blue colors. Picture an early sunrise. Anything from violet to purple, as long as they’re muted.

Velius: Beige. Warm, sandy browns. Incredibly simple, and he’s okay with that.

And, finally. The places they like the most:

Brionna: Any marketplace in High Rock will do! She can spend hours there, just browsing goods and enjoying the atmosphere.

Laoghaire: Countryside villages! Big enough to meet new people every now and then, but also small enough for her to remember each and every face.

Leesil: The jungles of Valenwood! Not too far from civilization, though. He’ll want to return to the taverns from time to time.

Sadesa: The Ashlands of Vvardenfell, Molag Amur in particular! Preferably around Ashlander camps, so she can talk to them.

Thelen: Anything that’s solitary. Away from crowded places and preferably not too warm. The woods of Falkreath, for example.

Velius: The Gold Coast. Somewhere under the sun, enjoying the sand beneath his feet and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

Now, about the little details. There’s many. There’s… a lot. So many I’m almost disappointed I can’t add them all to the game. I’m willing to share them, but I’ll need to find a way to keep myself in check and not just overshare right away. Maybe I’ll type up a small post in the coming days!Thanks for your ask, anon! I hope I could sate your curiosity for now!

[doodlewash]

I’ve just launched a brand new Da Vinci Trio that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I do! (please read on for my marble mixes using these colors as well as lots of sample paintings). Da Vinci Trios are those awesome little artist-curated sets with three 8ml watercolor tubes and mixing suggestions that first launched in April 2018.

My new Da Vinci Trio is called the “Vintage” trio because mixing these colors took me back to my childhood during the 70’s with faded blue jeans, greens and golds, along with pops of orange and brown. Yeah, I contemplated calling it “That 70’s Trio,” but vintage works just fine as well, since it’s not really limited to a decade. But, for me at least, it created a trip down memory lane and the start of a wonderful journey to embark upon.

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Da Vinci Trio

If you did happen to be around during the 70’s, you’ll no doubt remember those shiny kitchen appliances that actually came in a few colors, but two of the most popular colors were Harvest Gold and Avocado Green. These would be nestled into place and surrounded by deep brown wood cabinetry. Yep, even the Tupperware containers were made to match! It was, perhaps, a bit overkill in a single kitchen, but as a palette, I find using Harvest Gold and Avocado green to be really quite lovely. It works just wonderfully for memories of miniature golf or, as it turns out, it’s pretty perfect for painting actual avocados.

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Da Vinci Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Da Vinci Trio

If you’d like to learn more about Da Vinci Trios, please be sure to check out the initial launch post here, or if you’d like to learn more about Da Vinci Watercolors, be sure to read Jessica’s full review here! Read on to learn all about my new trio!

Charlie’s “Vintage” Da Vinci Trio

SO, what are these three wonderful colors that created such fun and nostalgia for me in creating my Vintage Trio? A lovely mix of Aureolin, Vermilion, and Indigo! When I was deciding on what trio to create, I mixed these colors on a whim and was immediately hooked.

Aureolin (Mixture) (PY40/PY3 – Transparent)

This lovely and light yellow is beautiful on its own and creates a nice glow as an underpainting in a light wash. It’s great to add a bit of pop to citrus fruits or to mix with other colors, which is primarily how I use it. Despite its lighter color, there’s a richness and intensity there so a little can go a very long way. With just the tiniest drop of Indigo, you can get a lovely and bright green that almost glows or you can add a bit more to get an earthy shade of green. Similarly, a tiny drop of Vermilion can create a fiery orange glow.

Vermilion (Hue) (PR188/PO62 – Semi-transparent)

This color is definitely one of my new favorites. In lighter washes, it’s a lovely orange shade, but used with very little water or built up with several washes, you can get a beautiful red that can look even redder based on the colors with which you surround it (check out those tomatoes below!) Though this and Indigo won’t combine to give you purple, you will get a gorgeous chocolatey brown that already has a reddish tint to make those food sketches of chocolate treats look even more appetizing.

Indigo (PB27/PV19 – Transparent)

As an illustrator, I immediately fell in love with this deep and rich blue. It’s a wonderful way to quickly add dark contrast to my sketches, while doing so with a hue to keep things from looking too dull. It’s become my a new favorite as well and you’ll find it making an appearance in most of my daily sketches. If you follow daily illustrations, you’ll notice that I like things to look extra bright and happy. In order to achieve those effects, it’s actually the darker tones that make the paper white and lighter colors really pop. So this moody blue is totally perfect for elevating the mood a bit and creating that bright level of contrast.

My Marble Mixing Chart

Here’s a few of my marble mixes you can get from this “Vintage” trio. As I mentioned in my first trio post, my inner child doesn’t like to make swatches, so I always make marbles instead. Because of the quick style in which I paint, often without letting every layer dry completely, these marbles are a bit more accurate to how I actually mix color.

Also, as before, this isn’t a triad, so you won’t be able to get a bright purple from this mix, but you can get just about every single color that was popular when I was a little kid in the 70’s, so that’s why I called this one “Vintage,” which yes, also makes me feel old, but thankfully not old enough to qualify for “antique” yet. Though this trio works quite well when painting them.

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Da Vinci Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Da Vinci Trio

These are not shy colors, so it often takes only the tiniest drop of another color in this palette to transform them. Or a perfectly balanced combo of two of them to get a specific color for a mix. Here’s an example with Aureolin and Indigo. Note, how just a drop of Indigo in Aureolin creates a very bright, almost acid green, while just a drop more quickly moves it to a calmer, forest green. While an equal blend makes for a faded green that I find rather pretty.

When it comes to Neutrals and this palette, you can actually get a gorgeous grey from a delicately balanced combo of Vermilion and Indigo. Adding extra of either color will bring you to the deep blue blacks and deep rich browns that are quite lovely in this mix. And mixing all three with a lot of water can give you some lovely pastel neutrals like a faded green or even a dusty pink.

To be honest, I tend to splash colors about a bit on my palette and don’t approach color in a horribly scientific way, preferring to go by impulse alone. Sometimes, okay most of the time, I grab for the accidental mixes that occur when my paint blends together on the palette. So it’s not easy for me to explain each and every mix, since some of them happen in the messy moment and I’m still finding them and making them up as I go along!

What I always suggest is a fair amount of playing and splashing when you want to try new mixes. It’s in those more playful and less controlled moments that the unexpected discoveries are made. Below you can see some examples of these neutrals at play in an elephant and her baby that was created with only Vermilion and Indigo, and a pen and ink set that adds just a few pops of Aureolin at the very end, simply to give the illusion of having more colors present.

I adore the range that I can get from these colors and the fond memories that flood back to me, harkening back to a time when many of these colors were are all the rage. A bold, yet still more subdued palette before those bright pastels and neons blasted their way into the 80’s.

Charlie’s “Vintage” Da Vinci Watercolor Trio – Watercolor Marble Mixing Chart

Here’s a full chart of my marble mixes so you can get an idea of the range you can achieve with these colors. I make these marbles by first painting with water, leaving white for the highlights, then I jump in with various colors, pushing colors a bit toward the edges to both create the outline of the marble, but also to quickly see the darkest shades as well. The shadow is dashed in with whatever remains on my brush, which often, depending on the colors is a more neutral shade as the colors have then blended together.

I love this technique, because you can create each marble in a quick single pass, an entire chart like this one in less than 10 minutes, and simply wait for it all to dry at the very end to see the final magical color mixes that are revealed. Plus, it’s just really fun to DO!

My “Vintage” Trio – Even More Painting Examples

I had a blast using this trio and found myself reaching for these colors on a fairly regular basis recently. So here are some more examples of what you can make with this little set. When I first began testing these colors, things stayed very vintage, from camper vans to that 70’s sensation of the Pet Rock.

  Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

I quickly discovered that this Vintage Trio can be used to paint just about anything at all, and decided to give animals a try. Yep, these colors will work well for that too, and allow you to paint all sorts of animals, from parrots to alpacas!

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

And lastly, here are some examples of the rich tomato reds and glowing amber colors you can get with this trio, and, I did mention chocolate, right? Below are those delicious browns that might look a bit dated today on kitchen cabinetry, but can make chocolate desserts look really yummy! And a vintage trio would certainly not be complete without paying homage to the TV dinner.

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

  Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio

Conclusion

Painted Using Only My “Vintage” Trio – Available NOW!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my overview of mixes in my “Vintage” trio and I do hope I’ve appropriately wooed you into clicking here to purchase this set for yourself or someone you love! Each trio is only $19.95, with three 8ml tubes, a little brochure with info on the artist as well as a mixing chart (or yeah, marbles in my case). This is a wonderfully fun and affordable way to try new colors, so I do hope you’ll give mine a try and share what you make with me!

I love this Da Vinci Trio project as it’s a blast to do and, most of all, really fun to see what the other artists come up with in their trio. You’ll find many Doodlewash featured artists in the mix, so please check out their wonderful trios and support them as well (dare I say, collect them all!): Jane Blundell, Denise Soden, Kate Powell, Jennifer McLean,and Tonya Lee.

Da Vinci Watercolor Trios are available now! Click Here To Shop Them ALL And Make Your Own #DaVinciMoment!

My NEW Da Vinci Watercolor "Vintage" Trio! has launched! Check it out! - #DaVinciMoment #watercolor #watercolour #artsupplies #artist #doodlewash #WorldWatercolorGroup I've just launched a brand new Da Vinci Trio that I hope you'll enjoy as much as I do!

[hazel-wolfpuppygirly]

Hazel and Avery

It’s so beautiful out this morning! Hazel thought as she walked behind the boarding house in the silent forest. Hazel was wearing a pink t-shirt with a butterfly on it and short blue jeans. She sighed, looking up into the sky. She still had plenty of bruises on her arms and legs, a bruise on her cheek and a fading purplish bruise on her right eye that didn’t hurt as much to blink anymore. The rest of her bruises couldn’t be seen, but there were plenty on her back too, though they too were beginning to fade. She also had a band-aid on her neck from the vampire bite she’s gotten. It’ll heal soon…I may be a werewolf but these bracelets make my healing so slow. Her bracelets were special, as they kept her herself when she became a wolf during the full moon. But they also made her very weak and dizzy sometimes.

She was probably also weaker because of her unusual way of triggering the curse. She limped forward; using the crutches Elena had given her to help her walk. Her ankle was healing and bandaged, it had been broken when the vampire had attacked her before Damon had saved her but it was getting better. I can’t wait till I’m better! I hate walking with these crutches! At least I’m safe now…it still hurts thinking about my parents…I mean…why didn’t they love me? Why did they hurt me like this? But Damon and Elena and Meredith and everyone love me and I have a real family now and I’m going to heal and get better! I don’t want to think about the past anymore!

She lived with Damon and Elena now, her big brother and sister. She usually stuck very close to them. But she’d wanted some fresh air this morning and went outside. She felt so safe here she wasn’t worried. As she walked around, looking at the large trees, she froze when she spotted someone sitting on the ground. With a jolt of shock she realized it was another kid. Hazel walked over to her, wishing she could be quieter but her crutches made a little thumping noise each time they landed on the ground. She saw that the girl looked younger. Younger than her even, and she was ten years old turning eleven soon. Normally, Hazel was shy, but this was a girl younger than she.

She approached slowly, worried. What’s someone so young doing out here? Hazel sniffed the air, and was puzzled when she didn’t catch any scents of a person. The girl doesn’t have a scent? No, she had to be wrong. Hazel took a few steps closer than said softly, “H-hi.” What if she’s lost? Or…did she run away like me? Hazel wanted to help her. I can take her inside, Damon and Elena wouldn’t mind! “Are you okay? What are you doing alone?” Hazel took a few steps closer then gasped in pain when she moved her crutches the wrong way and stumbled a little as a faint jolt of pain shot through her ankle, using a tree next to her for balance. She kept herself a slight distance from the smaller girl, not wanting to frighten her. She felt a little self-conscious of her bruises and how hurt she had to look, but the girl was a lot younger than she was so she knew she shouldn’t be. “Are you lost?” She asked her softly.

Avery sighed, not knowing how she’s gotten herself into this once again. But she knew forests. She knew the trees and the animals that inhabited the green. She was tracing the trees and wet ferns and rocks covered in moss with the tips of her fingers as she slowly walked through the forest. She loved it. She loved every single bit of it. Being here, surrounded by trees and green, it was easier to imagine she was home. Ireland. Whenever she left the house she’s been living in, she was in the forest. And being here, she could at least imagine. The girl was counting the colors, all shades of brown and grey, and even blue. Green the most. From bright green, almost neon, to the darker shades of forest green and emerald. Listening to the sounds made her smile a little, which was rare, for Avery never smiled.

Finding a rather dry spot at a rock, she sat down, watching a few flowers just opening for the day. Dawn was barely breaking and that was Ave’s favorite time of the day. The early morning, when the grass was covered with frost and the chill in the air. No matter where she was, the morning was usually the same.

Startled as she suddenly heard a girls voice. Really? She walked through the forest for countless hours and now she was meeting someone? Another child, for that matter. Bruised and cut, with crutches. Again, she was counting the colors. But this time, not of the forest but the girl’s. A pink shirt. Blue jeans. Light brown hair. Purple bruises, blue, some even black. Others fading into a yellow-ish color and others just red. What happened to her? Avery looked like this when she fell down a slope one time. Maybe that’s what happened to her. Avery herself was wearing a white dress that already faded into grey, for it was really old. It looked old. Vintage. The dress was dirty too, for she’s been in the forest a long time. Avery didn’t mind. She loved nature.

Avery didn’t talk much and just bit her lip as she stood up and faced the girl. “How can one be lost when not having a place to call home?” With that, she didn’t want to say that she had no home. She did, even though it was far away and she was alone. But technically, she had a home. That was all Avery said in that moment, being too shy to speak at all. She never was good with kids, and she mostly kept to herself.

“You don’t have a home?” Hazel asked softly, stunned. This little girl didn’t have a home? She was younger, much younger, than even she. “Do you want to come inside? Just a little further back is my home, it’s a really big house.” Hoping the little girl didn’t think she’d been hurt there she added quickly, “I know how you feel…I ran away...but now I’m with really nice people. They’ve been taking care of me since they found me hurt. They’re like my family now. You can come in, get something to eat if you’d like.”

Hazel hoped the younger girl didn’t think she was one of those bad strangers trying to lure her away, but they were both kids and maybe that would help this younger girl trust her a little better than if an adult had asked. She knew Damon and Elena would help her. Why didn’t she have a home? Had she been abused by her parents too and run away? Or had something bad happened to her parents? She was so young. Elena and Damon would make sure she was okay and help her out. Hazel used her crutches to get a little closer and offered the little girl her hand.

“Do you want to come with me? I promise it’s safe. The people who look after me are good people. They’ll help you like they helped me.”

Hazel watched her carefully, waiting for her to speak. What if the younger girl didn’t want to go with her? If Hazel couldn’t talk her into coming with her she’d have to get Damon and Elena because she couldn’t let a girl this young be out on her own. Hazel hoped she would come, because she didn’t want to just leave the girl, even for a little bit. What if she went off somewhere and Hazel couldn’t find her again?

She put a gentle smile on her face, hoping the younger girl would trust her and come with her inside the boarding house.

[everyonethinksmynameiskayla]

Casa to Barca, part two: Hiking in a cloud

Okay so at this point, I’ve arrived in Fez, which I can tell immediately that I like more than Marrakech. It’s a bit more colorful and doesn’t remind me in parts of a weird suburb in a parallel universe. My hostel was in the medina, so I went straight there from the train station and dropped off my stuff before going out to try to grab a quick dinner and get the lay of the land before it got dark. The Fez medina felt much more alive, there were people everywhere selling everything and giant towering piles of Moroccan sweets dripping with honey and partially obscured by a cloud of bees along the alleys between cafés full of men in white thawbs and yellow babouches. I got some kafta and rice near Bab Boujloud, the big entry gate to the medina, which is exactly what it sounds like.  

The next day I’m pretty sure I was awake even before the hostel staff so I went upstairs to hang out on the roof of the hostel and enjoy the view until other people woke up and they served breakfast (Moroccan crepes, of course). Over breakfast I made friends with the two other guys that were staying the dormitory room (the hostel was a hotel too): Dilah, a Moroccan guy who grew up in Spain, and Nuno, a Portguese guy who had ridden his bike from Lisbon to Fez (yes, I am aware that there is an ocean between the two, he took the boat like I did later).

^The roof terrace of the hostel and Dilah trying and failing to get out of the way of my photo

So we explored together in the morning, which was really nice because since I was walking with two men none of the guys on the street bothered me. We tried to go to the mosque/library/madrassa that is the main attraction in Fez but the King was visiting that day so it was closed. We wandered around and found a spot where you could peak into the main courtyard through some holes in the wall and got a little glimpse. So then we headed to the tanneries, led by a little boy who took us there in the most roundabout way possible. The tanneries are where they make leather and accordingly you can smell them before you can see them. Some nice guys gave us some fresh mint as we went up the stairs to the area where you could look down into the tannery itself so that we could smell the mint to soften the stench of dead animal skin. The part that you can see, that’s in open air, is basically a huge area between the buildings filled with rows of vats. The first section of vats have a pale greenish concoction that includes limestone, which “burns” the skin off the hides before they go into these giant “washing machine” vats with manual turn things to get rinsed. Then they go for about three months into a dark brown mixture that includes pigeon poop, then they are dried on the roofs of the surrounding buildings before being dyed in the last vats. It was really interesting but we didn’t stay up there looking for long because there were a lot of Chinese ladies puking and shoving mint up their noses.

^ The tannery and the madrassa I went to later. There are pictures on Wanderlust too, but I’m including them here too for reference

That afternoon I broke off alone because I wanted to go to another, much smaller, madrassa, which turned out to be way better than I was expecting because I had the place entirely to myself for almost two hours. So I just sat in the courtyard listening to a podcast and enjoying the serenity. The scene outside when I finally left was decidedly not serene, it was very close to the barricade the security services had set up for the King and everyone wanted to get as close as possible so it was total insanity outside the madrassa and I had to be basically shoved through the crowd by the police to get to the other side and make my way back to the hostel. When I got back I went upstairs to the terrace to ask a question, I don’t even remember what it was now, and found the owner up there and ended up sitting with him for hours while he told me about the King and the hotel business and how Arabs are petty (except him, of course) and apparently everyone was so crazy trying to get as close to the barricade as possible because if you get lucky and give your ID card to the King you get some sort of lifelong monthly payment that I can’t remember the word for. We were still sitting up there when the hostel cook brought up lunch (at about 5 pm) so he invited me to eat with them, and it was some sort of big tagine that was alarmingly green but so delicious. It was olives and asparagus, which you ate using Moroccan style bread, which is round and only about an inch thick, like if you sat on loaf of sourdough or something.

The next day I took the bus early to Chefchaouen, about four hours away but a lovely drive into the Rif Mountains. Most of the people on the bus were asleep most of the time and they totally missed out. Once I got to Chefchaouen, which immediately shot up high on my list of coolest places I’ve ever been—it’s a small, mostly blue city nestled in staggeringly beautiful mountains—I basically dropped off my stuff and headed out to get a Grand Taxi to Akchor to hike to a waterfall. The drive there was only about 45 minutes but my god what a drive, we literally drove into a cloud. As we left the city I could see this crazy cloud formation over the mountains to the right, it basically looked like white cotton candy sitting on top of the mountain but it was moving so fast and it would hit a jagged peak and go soaring off it like someone was blowing on it from behind with a hairdryer. I have never seen such low, dense, white clouds. Then we turned and I realized we were going to drive into it. And actually, I did the first hour of my hike in the cloud too. Turns out being in a cloud is very wet and kind of chilly and the sky was this weird white grey color. The hike was spectacular too, probably the greenest place I’ve been in years. It felt like a jungle, with steep red rock cliffs on either side of narrow green valley. The waterfall was also stunning, there are pictures of both on Wanderlust.

^ Driving into the cloud

I spent the next day exploring the medina of Chefchaouen, which is smaller than in Fez by a lot but every wall, every house and sometimes even the path is some shade of blue. The very center is quite touristy but as you get further up the hill life feels more authentic and it was a nice break from the buzz of being surrounded by souvenir shops all the time. I had a coffee on the roof of my hostel, which had a superb view since it was quite a ways up the hill, while I waited for my laundry to dry and the whole time I was sitting up there were three guys taking turns playing the guitar and singing, but they were just making up the lyrics as they went along and it just got sillier and sillier until all of us were just sitting around giggling. Then I had my final tagine on the highest roof terrace in the medina, which happens to be a restaurant, and sat up there until I had to get my things and head to the bus station.

^ Me blending in to various surfaces in Chefchaouen in my new scarf, and my shockingly green babouche slippers (which everyone wears in Senegal too, but I can never find ones small enough for women’s feet since they’re a man’s shoe)

I was taking the bus to Tangier to get the ferry to Spain early the next morning and I was hoping to have a little bit of time in Tangier that evening, but the bus left an hour late and then we got caught in traffic that was so bad that it took five hours instead of two to get there and then when we finally got there the door for the luggage compartment under the bus was stuck so we all stood around for a half an hour while we waited for someone to come and fix it so we could get our things. So by the time I got to the hostel it was late and I was exhausted and in a terrible mood so I basically got a sandwich and went to bed. In the morning I went up onto the roof for a few minutes just to check out the view, but that was basically all I saw of Tangier. The new city part, where I got the bus to the port which is actually almost an hour outside of the city, was super modern kind of like Casablanca had been. And a lot of the people I interacted with didn’t speak French, but Spanish instead, which was interesting.

^ From the roof of my hostel in Tangier

This Moroccan/French woman and I ended up being the only two people on the bus that were headed to the ferry (I knew this because she asked me while we were waiting if she was in the right place and I was like I don’t know I hope so because I’m going there too) and then basically the only people in the station and the only people on the shuttle bus to the dock. There were a bunch more people actually on the ferry but I don’t know how they got there so much earlier. The woman, Jemaa, was friendly if a bit jaded and a chain-smoking adventure seeker who had clearly made some questionable decisions in her day. She was trying to get back to her home in central France as fast as she could because her daughter had called the day before to tell her that her son was in the hospital. Jemaa found a ride up to northern Spain with a truck driver who was on the boat and figured she could get a car share from there. I wasn’t entirely clear on why she couldn’t get a train ticket or a bus ticket but I think she might have had some issues with her identification paperwork because when we went through customs as we were getting off the boat into Spain the police pulled her aside and they were standing around talking/arguing a bit and I waited for a little while but I had a train to catch so I had to duck out and head to the station.

^ Jemaa on the boat

I stopped for a coffee and a cheese sandwich and then got my train to Ronda, a smallish city in the mountains a few hours north of Algeciras, where the boat had docked. Algeciras sort of sticks out into the ocean right next to Gibraltar, so as we got closer the Rock of Gibraltar was on the right and the mountains on the left. Plus the water was so blue, it was lovely.

^ The Rock of Gibraltar and me blending with the water

Also, I talked a lot about and ate a lot of Moroccan crepes so here are some pictures: