#handpainted face up

[calochortus]

Enchanting Entrance by Dolldom Photography Via Flickr: with DAE Original's Viola

[lovebugism]

hi! reader doesn’t like kids at all, but somehow eddie’s child is just different and the cutest sweetest child who warms their heart

✶ ┄ MAYDAY ! [ the beginning ]

summary: when steve harrington brings you as a plus-one to a munson birthday party, he forgets to tell you it's for eddie's four-year-old, maeve. (1.8k)

pairing: dad!eddie munson / f!reader

tags: strangers to lovers (eventually), slow burn, mutual pining, idiots in love, meet ugly-ish, fluff, girl dad eddie munson™, r is not used to being around kids (and it shows), baby blurb turned spin-off universe <3

When Steve Harrington invites you to a birthday party, he fails to mention it’s for a four-year-old. 

The tiny trailer is decked out in decoration. A fusion of black and rainbow, of bats and unicorns, of vampires and Tickle Me Elmo — like no one could land on a singular theme. 

Steve guides you into the home with a golden hand on the small of your back, his other clutching a sparkly black bag with Count von Count’s face on it. You stop very suddenly in your tracks. Happy 4th Birthday, Maeve! reads a handpainted sign draped beneath the ceiling.

You become very hyperaware of the whiskey bottle in your right hand, something you figured would be the most sufficient thing to gift someone you’d never met before. You just hadn’t expected the stranger to be a child.

“What the fuck, Steve?” you bite under your breath, glaring at the boy beside you. “I thought you said this was your friend’s birthday party?”

“Maeve is my friend,” he answers with a stupid shrug. “Though, to be fair, I did say it was my friend’s kid’s birthday party.”

He most definitely hadn’t.

“What the hell— I brought booze!”

“That’s okay,” assures a wild-haired boy with a pretty pink grin as he walks up to the two of you. The friend in question. 

Eddie Munson wears a silver ring on each finger and a thick leather jacket despite the warming spring season. His laughter sounds like sunshine. His smile is bright enough to give you a goddamn sunburn.

“Maeve’s been getting presents all day— It’s about time someone got somethin’ for me,” he jokes.

You grimace while the two boys laugh. “Sorry…” you murmur as you pass him the bottle, shrinking inside yourself in an attempt to hide from the moment. I’m never letting Steve convince me to leave the house again, you think to yourself.

Eddie shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. Seriously. I’ll go stick this in the kitchen— Make yourself at home.”

Your racing heart quells only slightly. He must be more of a good guy than Steve made him out to be, if he’s willing to keep you around after you brought booze to his daughter’s party. Though, you’ll contend that you were only half at fault for this.

Steve bites back a chuckle as he walks you to the back door, standing with you on the little wooden deck lined with sparkly streamers. There’s a picnic table off in the distance, covered in a bat-patterned cloth and set with Sesame Street-themed utensils. A small crowd of teenagers gather around it, and a couple of their parents, you figure.

The spring breeze only half soothes your burning skin.

“See?” he lilts, trying not to laugh and failing. “He likes you already—”

You swat his chest with a less than kind hand. 

“Ow!”

“I’m gonna fucking kill you, Harrington, I swear to—”

“What’s your favorite animal?” a tiny voice asks from behind you, a smidge too loud and confusing their R’s with W’s.

You look over your shoulder, face flooded with horror. A kid with wild chocolate hair stands at less than half your height, wearing the tiniest Ozzy Osbourne shirt you’ve ever seen beneath a rainbow tutu. You don’t know what to say, so you just blink at it for a moment — at her.

“Hey, Maeve,” Steve greets with a curt wave.

The girl beams, missing her very front tooth. “Hi, Uncle Steve!”

“Wha— Huh?” you stammer mindlessly. ‘Cause you’re not exactly the best at talking to people your own age, let alone to children. They’re too honest. And too loud. And beyond still feeling like a kid yourself most days, you don’t have anything in common with them.

“What’s your favorite animal?” Maeve repeats in the same inflection, smiling until a dimple appears in her freckled cheek. “Mine’s a Hefflelump.”

“Hef… Hefflelump?” you echo quietly, only vaguely registering Steve’s laughter as he disappears through the screeching screen door, leaving you all alone. You’re definitely killing him for this.

“Yeah… From Winne the Pooh!” she says like it’s obvious.

“Oh… Okay…”

“What’s yours?”

You stumble over your words to find an answer. “Um… Uh… I don’t— I don’t know…”

“Everyone has a favorite animal,” she scoffs like some kinda critic with a speech impediment. She tilts her chin to her chest and peers up at you with a pair of doe eyes, so brown they’re almost black. You shift your weight on your feet, visibly uncomfortable beneath her unwavering stare.

“Maybe like a… A blobfish, or something?” you shrug.

Her tiny face screws in disgust. “Gross,” she spits.

You flinch. “What? Why is that gross?” you retort, crossing your arms over your chest, more defensive than you’d like to admit.

“They’re so ugly,” Maeve giggles.

“Why?” you squint. “‘Cause they look differently than we do?”

“No!” she laughs, loud and golden, just like her father. “’S ‘cause they’re so slimy.”

“Well— You— You’re slimy,” you stammer.

The wild-haired girl grins with all her baby teeth (well, besides the front one, anyway). “You’re slimy!” she echoes with a mischievous twinkle in her chocolate eyes.

The screen door squeals open again, the rusted hinges screeching in protest. “Who’s slimy?” a male voice questions from behind you, a smile audible in his voice.

“You are!” you and Maeve chorus at the same time. 

You whip your head around a second too late. Your heart drops to your ass when you find Eddie lingering in the doorway behind you. You stumble over your words while Maeve giggles. “Sorry! I thought— I thought you were Steve! I’m so sorry!”

A chuckle sputters from Eddie’s mouth. He’s nearly as grieved by it all as you are. “He just left,” he tells you with a lopsided smile, cocking his thumb over his shoulder. “I think he’s helping Wayne out front. They’re putting together Maeve’s d-o-l-l-h-o-u-s-e.”

His eyes flit upward as he tries hard to spell the word correctly. Upon your confused look, he says, “I can’t say it, or she’ll know what I’m talking about.”

“Right,” you nod.

Eddie crouches and holds his arms out for his daughter. Maeve’s tiny feet patter against the wooden deck as she rushes to him. He huffs at the weight of her — heavier than he remembers and getting bigger every day (which is weird ‘cause she was a newborn, like, a week ago). He grunts when he picks her up, propping her weight on his side.

“What were the two of you talkin’ about, then?”

“Blobfish!” she shouts with a beam.

Eddie breathes out a faint chuckle and turns to you. “She’s forcin’ you to pick a favorite animal, huh?” he wonders, then laughs a bit louder when you nod. “Yeah, she’s been doing that all day. It’s her new thing,” he says, nuzzling the tip of his nose into her curls. 

Realization seems to him then, and his brows furrow when he looks at you. His face, all twisted in confusion, is an exact replica of Maeve’s. 

“Wait— Your favorite animal is a blobfish?”

“That’s what I said!” the girl laughs.

You shift your weight on your feet and cross your arms over your chest. “I’m… feeling very judged in this moment…” you murmur under your breath, only half joking.

“I think that’s the most creative answer we’ve had yet, huh, Mae?” Eddie chuckles.

You scoff. “Well, I think Hefflelump’s pretty creative considering—”

The boy clears his throat, seeming to sense the rest of your sentence. His eyes widen in a lighthearted glare before he nods to the girl on his hip. Only then do you realize the words sitting on the tip of your tongue. You swallow them down immediately.

“Right…” you nod instead. “Nevermind…”

“Here—” Eddie huffs as he sets the girl down again. “—Go find Aunt Robin, alright? She’s probably decorating your cake as we speak.”

Maeve rushes off at the word cake, tottering on lanky, ungraceful legs. The two of you watch her go and linger in an awkward silence. Neither of you is quite sure how to make conversation without her there. You decide to start with an apology.

“I’m, uh, I’m sorry, by the way. Again,” you laugh awkwardly at yourself, scratching at the back of your neck. “I’m not… I’m not really… great with kids. If you couldn’t already tell.”

Eddie grins, pink and lopsided and pretty. You don’t feel deserving of the warmth swimming in his button eyes, glimmering beneath an early setting sun. “It’s okay. Seriously. You should’ve seen Robin and Steve the first time they met her— they were hopeless. And now they’re… Sort of alright, I guess.”

You force a faint chuckle. “Yeah, I’m— I’m just not used to being around them, I guess. I don���t even think I’ve talked to a kid her age since, like, elementary school.”

“I was the same way. ’Til I had Maeve and all…”

“Well, I couldn’t tell,” you assure him with a wavering smile. “You’re, like, a total pro. You’re great with her.”

He ducks his head to hide his blushing cheeks. The apples of them speckle warm and pink beneath the weight of your compliment. 

“Well… thank you,” he says, deflecting from your praise with that stupid, posh, D&D accent he always uses when he gets nervous. You don’t notice him grimacing at himself because you’re still stewing in your own embarrassment.

“And sorry for the booze, too. I seriously didn’t mean to bring— I mean, Steve didn’t even tell me that—”

“Stop apologizing,” Eddie chuckles warmly. “That part’s not your fault, alright? I don’t know if you know this or not, but your boyfriend’s a total idiot.”

Your face screws up. “Oh, he’s not— Steve’s not my boyfriend.”

The boy’s smile ebbs. “No?”

“No. No way!” you laugh before you mean to. “I’m pretty sure I’m just, like, his replacement best friend since Robin started dating Vickie.” 

Wide-eyed and distantly relieved, Eddie stammers like a teenage boy. “Oh. Right. That’s… That’s cool. Yeah.”

“Yeah…” you echo.

“Well, uh— I’m gonna see if Wayne wants any help,” he blurts despite knowing he’s been barred from doing handy work since he nearly drove a nail through his own finger. He just needs a way out, lest he keep stumbling over himself and lose all of his cool points with you. 

He saunters backward through the opened door and nearly trips over the frame.

You bite back a laugh. He forces a wavering smile. 

“But, um, I was thinkin’ about cracking open that bottle you brought. You know, after Maeve’s in bed and everything. If you— If you wanna hang around that long…”

The silence makes him as nervous as a teenage boy, all writhing and uncomfy in his skin. You nod in agreement, and his sparkling chest swells all over again. “Yeah,” you reply, lip quirked in a poorly hidden smile. “Sure. I’d— I’d like that…”

He smiles, all proud of himself. “Good. That’s… That’s good,” he stutters, then swallows hard and scurries off before you change your mind. 

Before he shuts the squealing screen door behind him, you hear Robin’s voice exclaim loudly from the kitchen. “What the hell’s a blobfish?!”

if u have any other ideas for hijinks these two idiots (and maeve) can get into, feel free to leave 'em here! (⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

[2frosty4you]

Hi! I wasn't sure if your doing requests right now so I'm so sorry if you aren't, feel free to ignore. I was wondering if you could write a fluffy headcanon list/mini story about how the mercs would react to a teen reader who's super shy and skittish gifting them trinkets they have made out of clay?

Hope this made sense! English is not my native language. Thank you so much.

-🎾

Mercs reacting to skittish teen!reader giving them clay trinkets [PLATONIC]

| All mercs & Skittish TEEN!reader | 945 words | masterlist | request-box |

AW saw this in my inbox and had to do it cause i also love making things out of clay <3

Ty for the request 🎾anon!!

╔═════════════════╗

Scout:

He's never been close with you, since you're always hanging around engineer and heavy more.

He kinda notices how its like you avoid him, he just wants a friend

But if you were to walk up to him and shakily place a small clay trophy with a baseball bat peaking from inside of it he'd be elated.

I'd say he's jumping for joy, and is probably crying when you hand it to him because he had just lost the team the match few hours before.

Would shove it into the other mercs faces, pointing at it laughing that they're not cool enough to have gotten a trophy.

Keeps it on his window sill next to a photo of him and his ma.

Soldier:

(Skittish kid vs Loud USA citizen who would win)

Jokes, but soldier wouldn't get along too well with you if you're always hiding away from him and keeping lengths away.

But when you and pyro were hanging out, you had found clay heavy had brought you and were just laying on the floor of pyro's room making little clay figures.

And you had made this poor looking eagle, with a misshapen American flag on it.

And when you offered it to soldier he was ecstatic, and by ecstatic I mean holding it up to the sky laughing in pride.

Even if the eagle looks like a fat dove he loves it, (USA! USA! USA!)

Keeps it in one of his pockets

Pyro:

Pyro gets along with you, they're a tad strange but easy to hang around

Since pyro loves to do crafts I expect them to already have made many things for you.

But when you gift them a clay Balloonicorn they cry

cradling it in their hands and sobbing.

They'd place it down carefully and then hug you, like bone crushing type hug.

Would try and make something for you as well

Engineer:

He's like your dad, and through your shyness you've stuck to him.

He's an engineer (duh) so he's probably made some things to just make your life easier

He lets you stay in his workshop if the rest of the team overwhelm you.

One day he came back from a losing battle he looked down at his work desk to see a small shotty looking sentry figure, clearly made out of clay and handpainted. A little poorly, as it looked like it was constantly painted over and fixed up.

But he loves it, keeps it on a newly built shelf so it doesn't get damaged.

He's a proud father

Heavy:

You hand him a small Sasha made out of clay and he doesn't know what to do.

He'll chuckle and pat you on the back, thanking you saying you did a great job.

You already were about to nervously dart away when he didn't respond for a while.

He keeps it safe, making sure no one touches it. Like it was the real Sasha.

Second proud father

Demoman:

Stopped drinking too much when you came to the base, to make you feel a bit more comfortable.

He doesn't let you in his workspace because he doesn't want you to get hurt by any explosives or harsh chemicals. (heavy would kill him if that happened)

You make him this small eyelander out of clay, it wasn't the right colour and its a little misshapen but its the thought that counts.

If the eyelander mentions anything wrong with it, he's locking it away again

Sniper:

He doesn't like kids, doesn't matter if you're a teen, scout is enough to make him feel like he's 30+ (even if sniper is the youngest merc)

You are shy, and like to hang around outside under some trees to get away from scout

And near there is where he likes to practice his aiming, and where his perch is

Few weeks later, he comes up to his perch to go on lookout, and at the bottom of the ladder is an owl figure.

He'd be confused, but could see you peaking from around a tree.

Keeps it in his van, on the dashboard stuck down with superglue.

Medic:

He's a little too unhinged for you

But you like his birds so you hang around just to watch them/hang out with them.

He'd show you each bird, joyful when he can show off his pets and second in command.

Medic would be holding like 3+ small dove clay trinkets which you placed into his hands and skidded off, cooing at them as he would show them all to the actual birds.

Archimedes would try to eat one

Shows them to heavy with pride

Keeps them in his office, constantly batting Archimedes away while he tries to eat them.

Spy:

He doesn't like you

And you never see him so its hard if you're going to make anything for him

He doesn't like teenagers, and with your skittish nature you're always already across the room when someone other than Heavy, Engineer or Demoman is trying to talk with you.

When he notices the other mercs with these clay trinkets he snobbishly dismisses it, saying the maker clearly was a child.

And when he gets into his smoker room there is a little clay trinket on his mantel place, a spy crab.

Wouldn't admit it to anyone but it's stayed there since it was put there and he cannot fathom to remove it.

╚═════════════════╝

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ If you see any typos pls tell me! If you wanna be tagged when i post next do tell me!

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Tag List: @therobloxmafia Posted 31.05.2024

[lorre-verie]

« 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗺'𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 ♡

warnings: none

╭┈—— note: when i write about a character i love to imagine every single aspect of what they would canonically be like and i see neteyam as someone who would have different levels/stages in his relationship with his s/o which evolve as he gets to know them more. so i gracefully present to you…

『 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟭. 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 』

neteyam knows not to jump into relationships so soon, all the romance books and movies his dad brought from his old home taught him that. before he even considers dating you, his number 1 priority would be quality time to get to know you better. this is the stage where he'll ask you to go on walks with him, hunt with him, spend time with his family, everything. he wants to get to know your true essence and self before he lets himself get carried away. 

he would be enamoured by you at first sight, something tugging at his heart and pushing him to go and talk to you everytime he sees you. the most notable thing you will see in the first stage is the way he looks at you as you ramble on beside him, telling him about your life. he will look at you as if you handpainted the entirety of the night sky all on your own, designing each part of the universe. he will look at you as if you are his creator, because each moment he spends with you gives him life.

『 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟮. 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 』

stage two will initiate itself after you’ve successfully captured his heart. he will do tiny favours for you at first; putting his hand above your head so you don't hurt yourself when bending underneath something, holding a tree branch or a leaf up so that you don’t get hit by it, getting you some food if you are not present at dinner, or even surprising you with a little flower that he picked up that reminded him of you. this will be his way of showing you that he cares deeply about you, that you are on his mind constantly. 

if you do not get the hint, which you won’t, because he is extremely subtle, he will move on to greater lengths for you. if you are carrying something heavy he will take it from your hands without even offering you help, instead asking you about your day if you dare protest. if you are running errands he will assist you in the best way he can, ensuring that others will think that you’ve done a magnificent job. he will offer to massage your shoulders after a long day, and he will constantly check on your health. 

during this stage he will also examine your reactions to his acts, determining whether you also feel some sort of mutual attraction for him (which you do, cause you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t). he smiles to himself if you get flustered as his strong fingers relax your shoulder blades after a long day, feeling you melt into his touch. if he thinks you return his affections, he will move on to stage 3.

『 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟯. 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 』

this is the stage of his confession. he will take you for a calm walk along the beach, and as eclipse falls he will gently take your hands in his, looking deep into your eyes. your words will trail off and he’ll take a deep breath in, ready to confess his undying love for you. 

by the end of it your face is just so hot because really? the son of Toruk Makto, the finest man in the village, the kindest, most loyal, bravest, most talented warrior, just confessed. to you. you just look at him flabbergasted and he laughs, throwing his head back, taking that as a sign that you like him back. he’ll ask you if you’re okay with him kissing you, and all you can muster is a small nod before he gently pecks you on the lips, afraid that if he shows you the full extent of his fervor for you he’d break you into a million pieces.

from that day forward, he is much more touchy with you. lingering touches on your back and on your arms, sometimes pressing a kiss to your forehead or wrapping an arm around your waist when you both are alone. if there's something stuck in your eye he’ll blow into it in an attempt to help you, but it just ends up with you both rolling on the floor laughing, somehow. you help him with his hair and he’ll help you with yours. he takes pleasure in feeling your hands working on his hair, expertly braiding them. he also enjoys taking rests on your lap as you caress his cheek lovingly, relishing in your touch.

『 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟰. 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 』

this is the point of no return. you have chosen him and he has chosen you. this is the stage of his love where he starts officially courting you, gifting you wonderful shells, flowers, even shiny and uniquely shaped rocks. he will create gorgeous headpieces, necklaces and waist chains for you, staring at the shocked look at your face when he presents them to you, spurring him on to make more. 

he’ll have a stupidly handsome smile on his face when he’s making something for you, him getting all giddy inside at the thought of seeing you wear what he’s created for you. when you gift him something of your own making, he makes it a point to wear it the very next day and show it off, openly updating his relationship status. 

『 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟱. 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 』

the words “i love you” or “oel ngati kameie” are simply not enough to explain how the two of you burn for each other; like twin flames dancing with in tandem, burning bright enough to overcome even the dampest, darkest of spaces. you are the first to initiate this stage. when you lay beneath the tree of souls with him underneath the dazzling night sky, you will whisper to him lovingly, “you are the sun that warms my skin and the moon that lights my path. neteyam, you are the universe that gives my life meaning and purpose.” 

you’ve killed him, he’s speechless. words of affirmation mean so much more to him than he could ever express, as this is the final and most intimate stage of his love. after that day, he will always whisper loving sentences to you, reminding how much you value in his heart. “your eyes are the stars that light up my gloomiest nights,” he will whisper in your ear after a long and tiring day. “my love for you is a flower that sprouts eternal,” he will say to you as you wake up, eyes still groggy. 

the beauty of your smile casts light upon his world, the jingle of your laughter filling him up with joy and sustenance. his love for you is a symphony that crescendos with each beat of his yearning heart, and he will never let you forget it. 

masterlist 

dayum i really turned into shakespeare that last part…i just really wanted to post this cause y not 😭 seriously this went from one whole different concept to another. It was originally supposed to be possessive neteyam headcanons but it transformed into this somehow?? i hope you enjoyed reading this, feedback and reblogs are much appreciated! when people comment it really does help me figure out whether the content i put out is good or not, so i profoundly cherish every person that has left a comment on my posts before.  as always, thank you so much for reading to the end. much love, lorre.

[riboism]

seni oilai

♔ pairing: servent! j.wy x queen! reader

♔ genre: smut, angst

♔ wc: 2.5k

♔ content: royalty au, sexual servitude, fingering, nipple play, penetration, lots of teasing, unsaid feelings, secret established relationship

♔ a/n: no read more tab because tumblr hates me :/

The bathroom ceiling was decorated with beautiful and intricate designs, all handpainted by the Royal family’s personal painter. You’ve been told that the painter had spent days lying on his back to make the scenery that currently overlooked your bathtub. The inspiration came from the first spring after the long, brutal, and deadly winter your Kingdom endured many years ago. Your eyes followed the swells of white clouds that stretched over the light blue paint and the flocks of birds that stretched their wings and embraced the rebirth of warmth and beauty. Of course, that was just what the painter pictured it to be. But to you, the painting was nothing but a cruel reminder of what you could never have. You stared up at this grand ceiling from your bathtub every night, growing sick from the constant reminder that you were stuck. You felt like a bird being held prisoner in its cage, forced to look at everyone else flap their wings and fly away from this godforsaken place. 

After the untimely death of your parents, and there being no male heirs to the throne, the Court decided with great hesitation to pass the crown down to you. No one wanted a girl Queen. Just the thought of you as a ruler gave the Kingdom great anxiety. A girl Queen meant a vulnerable Kingdom, and no one was equipped to handle an invasion. Understanding this sentiment at such a young age, you made it your duty to prove everyone wrong. You wanted to show them that you were capable, if not more capable than your father, of being a leader. Even with your accomplishments at peace and prosperity during your years of reign, that sentiment remained unchanged. You learned that no matter what you did, no one would take you seriously as Queen. And with that, your efforts faltered and you went on autopilot.

There were whispers in the court about an unnamed Prince who was interested in her Royal Highness. The lone Prince was said to have been planning to propose to you and merge both Kingdoms under one rule. The Court took a likeness to the idea. You were bombarded by them, along with the Chief Minister to at least consider marrying him. There were too many reasons not to say no: More land, financial security, and of course, more respect and stability with a man by your side. It amazed you just how much they trusted and respected someone they barely knew all because he had a dick.

You sunk yourself lower into the bath, resting your achy neck on the edge of the tub. You were under a lot of stress tonight after the Chief Minister announced to you that he invited this bachelor for you to meet tomorrow. You were angry, of course, but you were used to him doing things behind your back like this. He was a good friend to your father and looked to advise you as best as he could. But sometimes, he made you feel like you had no say in anything you did. You were just the face of the Kingdom, a puppet for him to puppeteer. As much as you wanted to fight it, you knew that at the end of the day, he would get his way and you will have to walk down that aisle sooner or later.

Honestly, there was no reason to be bothered by this in the first place. Being Queen was a difficult task. To have someone else take the wheel would be a godsend, and could finally take some stress off your shoulders. So why were you so upset?

Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard the bathroom doors open and shut from behind you, followed by a hesitant few steps forward. You knew exactly who it was from his timid footsteps.

“You’re late.” You sighed in exasperation. Shutting your eyes, you sunk yourself even deeper into the water, sending some bubbles to splash out from the tub.

“I know. I apologize, Your Majesty.” After a beat of silence, Wooyoung walked over to the bathtub. Your eyes were still shut but you knew he was hovering over you now, most likely with a playful grin, with his hands tucked neatly behind his back as he obediently awaited his next order. However, when you fluttered your eyes open, you were met with the sight of your humble servant gazing down at you with a look of concern. It always amazed you just how beautiful he looked wearing any emotion- anger, sadness, contentment- it was worth more to look at than the eyesore that took over your bathroom ceiling. But of course, your favorite look on him was the look of lust. His half-lidded eyes, rosy cheeks, and parted lips while you sank down his length- that was a sight worth looking at.

“I won’t be needing you tonight. I’ll be retiring to my chambers soon. You should do the same.” You closed your eyes again and waited to hear his footsteps trail away. But he didn’t move.

“Is something the matter?” he asked.

You wished he’d just obey and leave you alone. When you two first started, it was supposed to be just a physical relationship. But now it was intimate in a way that you never intended. And you worried if maybe he was too emotionally attached to you. Or maybe it was you that was attached to him.

“Everything’s fine.” You prayed that was sufficient, but to your dismay, Wooyoung wasn’t satisfied and he took it upon himself to sit on the edge of the tub and quietly wait for you to tell him what was really wrong.

“Wooyoung,” you whined, “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Are you calling your Queen a liar? I’m pretty sure that’s treason.”

Your quick-witted reply earned you a chuckle and you were relieved to see him soften his expression for once that night. “Fine. Don’t tell me.” Wooyoung dipped his hand into the warm bath water and traced his fingertips up your thigh. You bit back a moan as his hand inched closer to your bare heat. “But at least let me help you relieve some stress.”

Wooyoung rubbed your inner thigh and waited for you to part your legs. Hesitating at first, you eventually obliged and spread yourself open for him. He made an experimental swipe over your slit which already had you rolling your eyes back. He spread your lips apart, pouting when he saw your aching clit.

“You spend all day taking care of this Kingdom, but who takes care of you?” He poked. It drove you mad when he spoke to you like this, a soft and barely audible whisper like he didn’t want to talk over your moans. After massaging over your clit, he slid his fingers down to your entrance and pushed two fingers inside of you, smiling to himself as he watched you struggle to hold in your gasps.

“Wooyoung!” You gripped his forearm tightly as he pumped his digits in and out of you. His pace was unforgiving and you tried desperately to hold on and control his movements. But Wooyoung was pissed and there was no way to tame him when he was like this. He didn’t like when you kept things from him. He knew you were hiding something and he doesn’t particularly like being out of the loop.

“Shh..” he cooed, “just relax and let me take care of you.”

He began curling his fingers inside of you, and this time you weren’t able to hold in your moans. You were usually good at keeping quiet, afraid of nosy servants hearing what you were up to and spreading rumors that you took a lowborn as a lover. But Wooyoung thought if he couldn’t get you to talk about what’s bothering you, then he deserved to hear your loud and delicious moans as a replacement.

“Too fast…gonna cum” you squealed, sending more water out from the bathtub as you jolted your hips up and down.

“Already?” He grinned. “I barely even started.”

You opened your mouth to tell him to stop teasing, but the feeling of his thumb pressing over your needy clit took the words right out of your mouth. One hand gripped the bathtub, while the other was still holding onto his chiseled arm. Heat pooled in your lower stomach and Wooyoung could tell that it would only take another couple of pumps before you came undone for him. As much as you loved his skilled fingers swirling over your clit, you didn’t want to finish so quickly and go back to another night of sleepless worry. You grabbed onto his hand to stop him from going any further.

“Not like this” you breathed. Wooyoung smirked, his fingers still deep inside of you.

“No? Then how would you like me, My Queen?”

“You know your place.” You pulled your legs up to your chest, hinting at him to get in with you. Nothing else was said as he quickly unclothed himself before slipping into the bath. Before you could climb over him, you took some time to admire how heavenly he looked right now: Wet hair slicked back with a few strands kissing at his forehead, and the way his collarbones glistened from being in the bubbly water. Wooyoung was second to none, incomparable to even the richest of Kings. You never admitted it to him, but sometimes you imagined him in a crown sitting beside you on the throne. Anyone who saw him wouldn’t second guess that he belonged up there with you.

You straddled over him now, taking him into your hands to help him get ready for you. He kissed down your neck before making home on your breast, rubbing his lips gently over your nipples. They were more sensitive and raised now from being in the water for so long, and Wooyoung took advantage of that. He took your bud into his mouth as you stroked his stiff cock, the vibrations from his moans sending goosebumps all over your skin.

Wooyoung took his cock from you and lined himself up with your core. You let out a string of low and shaky moans, waiting for the moment that he’d finally enter and fuck all the useless thoughts out of your head. But Wooyoung had no intention of giving you what you wanted. Instead, he rubbed his tip along your slit in an agonizingly slow tempo, carefully brushing over your clit as he did so.

“Woo…please, can’t wait any longer.”

He looked up at you with hazy eyes, waiting for you to make eye contact with him. But you couldn’t get yourself to look him in the eye. “First tell me what’s on your mind.”He demanded.

You sighed, unhappy when you understood that he wasn’t going to give you what you wanted unless you confessed. But the truth was, you yourself weren’t sure what was bothering you. You just knew that you wanted to see him tonight and have him close. Part of you worried it would be the last time.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

He sprayed your chest with soft kisses, speaking into your skin in a low voice. “Don’t play dumb. I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s wrong.” He was circling his tip over your clit now. He knew it drove you crazy, all this stimulation when all you wanted was to feel full from his cock.

“Wooyoung.” You hated begging. You hated that he wouldn’t give you what you wanted, but you were too under his spell to do anything about it other than whine pathetically as he toyed with you like this.

Wooyoung only hummed in response, lips still nipping at your sore breasts. At first, you thought he finally gave up when you felt him push his tip into your entrance. You held onto his shoulders and anticipated the stretch but the anticipation soon turned to frustration once he pulled out, leaving you feeling empty again.

Defeated, your face fell to the crook of his neck and you groaned in annoyance. “I should just have you beheaded.”

He chuckled into your ear. “Then who’ll make you cum?”

Wooyoung continued on with his game, pushing just the tip into you before pulling himself back out. So many thoughts raced over your head, some making sense, some not, but one thing was for sure and that was that you couldn’t bare to go on like this anymore.

“It’s you!” You admitted. “You’re always on my mind and I’m so tired of it! I hate you for making me feel this way, if I could go back in time I would stop myself from ever getting involved with you! Now will you just shut up and obey me for once?!”

Wooyoung was utterly dumbfounded. Although he understood that the true nature of your relationship was purely sexual servitude, he couldn’t deny that he’d often wondered if you, like him, felt something more. After thinking it over, he understood your frustrations. He had heard the rumors about the proposal. He tried not to take it personally. He knew where he stood in this relationship. Being a Royal was stressful as it was, and it was his job to offer some much needed stress relief to the Queen. Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a little depressed after hearing of your coming marriage.

Now that he knew your true feelings, Wooyoung thought about asking you to run away with him and finally free yourselves from this cage. But he also knew where your loyalties lie, and they were tightly knotted within this Kingdom. He wished you knew that his loyalties laid with you. If he told you, would it make a difference? He wondered.

He had so much he wanted to say. But he knew in the end that nothing could be done in your situation. In an effort to make things easier, he decided to finally do as he was asked and help you forget about your troubles- as well as his. Giving you that boyish smirk of his, he lined himself up with your core once again.

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

With your slit covered in anticipation, and with the bath water around you, he slipped into you with ease. Both of you moaned once he bottomed out. You stayed still, connecting your lips with his, sharing the same hunger he had for you with him. His hands fell to your hips and he guided you over his shaft. The pace was slow but perfect. You didn’t want to finish so quickly, wishing to savor every bit of him for as long as you could. But all the moaning, kissing, touching, as well as having your bud being rubbed against his abs every time you came up and down his length made it impossible to stall your release.

When you were both done you remained as you were in the bathtub with your head laying against his chest whine he traced his fingers up and down your spine. He let you play with his other fingers as you both came down from your highs. You thought his fingers were still pretty even though they were all pruny from the extended time in the water. “In another life, I would’ve.” You broke the silence. You said it so quietly that you worried if he heard you or not. You didn’t think you had it in you to say it again.

Wooyoung sighed, taking a break from tracing your back to just stay still and hold you. He wondered what awful thing he did in his past life to be born as a servant. But there was nothing either of you could do about it now, other than to enjoy the night before you two went back to being strangers in the morning.

“In another life.” He agreed.

🎧 seni oilai- ALPHA

[jennsterjay]

Punkprowler where Hobie and Miles G hang out in each other's dimensions and Hobie shows Miles his handmade patch collection and Miles shows him his secret handpainted bottlecap fandom pin collection

They trade pins and patches and Hobie goes home with about ten new pins attached to his battle vest and guitar case, and Miles G walks away with ten new patches that he slowly starts adding to his backpack, pencil case, and one of his hoodies over the next couple days and people in his class notice and start talking to him about how cool they are (cue Miles G opening up more to his class), and when his mom does catch him on a rare off day she notices the new colorful additions to the things he's had for years, and notices there are more relaxed smiles on his face and that warms her heart

Then months fly by and Miles G and Hobie hang out when they're not prowling around town or fighting fascists on a Tuesday night and then they both look at each other with a smirk like the teenagers they are and are easy-going sitting on the roof of a high building as the sun sets and Miles G asks him about his piercings. Hobie joyfully explains each one and waggles his eyebrows asking Miles G if he wants his ears pierced. Miles G, feeling particularly rebellious, says yes

Cue night time where Miles G returns home with his hoodie on and gets a soda from the fridge while his mom is in the kitchen, and when Miles G turns his head his mom catches something sparkle in his ear past his hoodie and she slowly pulls his jacket sleeve towards herself and looks into her son's 'caught with his hand in the cookie jar face' as she slowly lowers his hoodie, and two small regular studs are now glittering in Miles G's ears.

His mom carefully inspects each one and breathes in and sighs thoughtfully and then she says:

"Okay mijo who is the girl?"

And Miles G almost chokes on his soda right then and there

[dolljunk]

Porter Geiss is one of of my favourite one off characters from Monster High so I feel a bit compelled to make various versions of him in a What If situation. One of the designs I've been mulling over is a swim class/Beach fashion for him.

His shorts and tank top are Creatable World pieces but altered by me. For his shorts I added a draw string make from twisting up some thread into a cord and adding them to give them some more detail, while I removed the graphic from his tank top and handpainted my own design.

The design is of Porter's cancelled pet Racoon Huebert with a graffiti style look to it.

I also added some zinc style patches on his face as a fun detail.

For his hair, I have very similar wavy hair as his basic doll, but when I go swimming my hair becomes wild and curly, so I decided it would be fun to give him a messy curly hair do.

[httpsjeonglvr]

hi!! i saw ur requests were open and i really loved the Pierced request u did,,, and i was wondering if u could do one where the reader is alt but subtly so??? like a lazy day or maybe a work day where they have to tone down their style

bc like usually if ur subtly alt and encounter a more obviously alt person in public there’s this moment of “I Know What You Are 🤨🤨 <3”

i’m totally going on a tangent but i think a scenario with those vibes would be kinda neat

I Know What You Are

h. brown x alt! reader

A/N: I tried my best to do alt reader but since I don't have much experience I failed so I’m sorry if you don’t like it

Usually, when you are hanging out with your friends or coworkers your style is slightly darker than theirs and when you became close to Miles and Pav. You were a bit hesitant to grow close to the others but Miles and Pav had convinced you after numerous times.

Today was your day off and the group decided to invite themselves over except Miguel who claimed to be to busy for useless events on his day off. The group was sitting in your living room eating your snacks and fighting over the TV, you had walked out in a pair of sweatpants and a black halter top with a handpainted skull on it, and a scowl was etched on your face as you watched the chaotic people mess around your living room. You had noticed they invited the spider punk who you haven’t gotten introduced to yet.

Hobie turned around at the sound of your footsteps and his jaw dropped he hadn’t seen you in such casual clothing before, he was used to your alternative outfits and makeup when the group hung out outside of work. You made eye contact with the punk and nodded in acknowledgement before sitting next to Pav on the floor.

While you and Pav made conversation Hobie couldn’t take his eyes off you and that made you uncomfortable so you turned to look at him and his eyes held a look as if he was telling you something. You knew what he was saying ‘I Know What You Are’

A few weeks later you and Hobie started to hang out on your own and you both bonded over your love of the alternative style and beliefs about the world. He absolutely loved the fact that someone else was into his style and glad that you felt comfortable enough with him to open up about your personal life,not that you weren’t close to miles and them but you weren’t sure how they take your all the shit you’ve been going through.

Hobie asks you to move into his apartment, sadly that would not be possible, your universe needs his spider-woman.

"Hobie my darling, I can't stay" you whisper between kisses as your boyfriend slides his big hands under your shirt but it’s actually his.

You and him had been living in content until a certain canon event which led to him losing the only thing he lived for. You

I will rework on it anon

[asurashi]

There's just something abt Lewis Hamilton

Something about how this man from lower class roots knocked his way into the karting scene, with his father taking up 4-5 contract works at a time just so they can afford to send him into races and tourneys.

Whose father handpainted his helmet a bright neon yellow just so they can track him in the thick dust of the race track. I keep thinking about his tiny hands gripping the steering wheel, eyes on the track, yellow identifier, going 'I'm here! I'm here! Are you watching?'

I think about this child, just 10, barely out the cradle, newly crowned champion with steady eyes and trembling hands going up to the CEO of McLaren Group asking for a seat in the racing team.

I think about this child in his teenage years getting expelled for something he didn't do, whose headmaster said 'I finally have enough to get rid of you', who had to face the harsh reminder of forever being the 'other' throughout his life.

Sometimes I think about him, fresh faced and hungry, winning 4 races in his debut season and a world championship title just the next year, a monster rookie, legend in the making.

I think about Micheal Schumacer, 7 time World Champion, when asked about Lewis breaking his record, he replied with 'You've seen him drive, you would know. [...] I'm not bothered. Records were meant to be broken.'

Often I think about him; biting, clawing his way through the years, race after race in spite of the boos and the slurs; always at fault, damned if you do, damned if you don't. How he kept his head high, Maya Angelou inscribed on his back, 'Still I Rise', for all the world to see.

I think about him, soft-spoken with a bite, not perfect but always trying, striving for improvement. I think about him, music lover, fashion enthusiast, NASA dork, giggling with his RC car on the paddock with his dog trotting along. Grown ass man, child at heart - living his dream.

Sometimes I think about him still being the only black driver in the grid. How vocal he is about activism, how he's aware of the power he holds, of how many eyes are watching. I think about how he had half of the grid kneel with him, and how Mercedes changed their car from silver to black in a show of support.

I think about how even until this day, he's still one of the few drivers that constantly give back to his community, opening the doors for others, speaking out for the sport to do better.

Is this an overly romanticized reading into his public persona? Perhaps. Could he be an asshole in private? Maybe.

But numbers speak, achievements shine. He is a trailblazer, endlessly chasing greatness.

Steady hands with a wink and a smile.

'Here I am. Are you watching?'

[finkinthisfrew]

Anything (pt.1)

A Matty Healy Fanfiction

cw: nightmare, boring plot set up (I promise Matty comes in, pls bear w me)

Chapter 1

I woke up shivering. Sweating. Stomach-churning. Sitting up and shaking my head, I grabbed the book from my nightstand and started reading to distract myself before I could register what I had dreamt and let the tears that had welled up in my sleep fall. I knew the pattern well and I wasn't going to let it ruin yet another morning. Thankfully these dreams happened less often than they used to, maybe once or twice a month now, yet somehow they never seemed to upset me any less.

After a few minutes of reading, I picked up my phone- 48 minutes until my alarm was meant to go off. 

Well, I guess it could've been worse. I sighed to myself. 

Trying to ignore my exhaustion, both emotional and physical, I tore off my sheets and hopped out of bed to start my day. 

Shuffling into the bathroom in my oversized sleeping shirt and thick knit socks, I turned the tap on and plugged the sink, letting the water pool. Splashing water on my face I tried to shake off the sleep that still bogged down my mind. 

The dreams definitely didn't help much with my terrible sleep schedule, though they weren't always the cause of it. I'd always struggled with sleep, ever since I was a child. I was always an anxious kid growing up which led to countless restless nights. I'd gotten better as I'd grown older, but my recurring nightmare set me back into my old habit of staying up too late and waking up too early. Unfortunately, it's something I've grown accustomed to.

As I looked up at myself in the mirror, I saw two green eyes with dark circles under them staring back at me. My dark brown curly shag haircut was messy from the tossing and turning in my bed, the ends dripping wet from the water I'd splashed on my face. 

Suddenly I wasn't there anymore, my vision was replaced with a flashback to my dream, black eyes staring back at me. 

Gone as quickly as it appeared, I once again stared back into my own green eyes, now filled with panic. I dove back into the basin to splash more water on my face. 

I took a deep breath and turned back into my bedroom. Determined to not let my recurring nightmare dictate the rest of my day, I decided I would treat myself. Today I would put on my favourite clothes, do up my hair and makeup and take myself to my new favourite coffee shop.

I opened up the door to the beautiful handpainted wardrobe I'd just bought last week and began to sift through all the hanging fabrics. Picking out my favourite jeans and a long sleeve shirt, I closed the door to my wardrobe and stepped back to admire my new apartment.

I had just moved to London a month ago for a six-month-long residency at an art gallery. I had been shocked when I was first offered it but jumped on the opportunity immediately. A six-month trip to London with free housing and endless hours to work on my art? It was a dream come true. 

The housing that the gallery supplied me with wasn't anything extravagant, but it was definitely charming. My apartment was on the top floor of a three-story walk-up, boasting giant slanting windows that brightened the single-room apartment even on the gloomiest of London days. I had found various charming vintage pieces of furniture and art to spruce up the bland basics I'd originally been supplied with, and it had finally started to feel like a home away from home. 

As I glanced one last time into the full-length mirror, I admired my outfit. My vintage light-wash perfectly worn-in Levi's fit me like a glove, and my new beige fitted long-sleeve mock neck looked effortlessly sexy, the semi-sheer knit material showing my black bralette in a casually immodest way. After I put my thin black sunglasses over my now brown smokey eyes and slid on my black vintage cowboy boots, I popped my AirPods in as I locked my apartment door.

Singing along to the opening lyric of an upbeat playlist, I started to get excited about my little trip to the coffee shop. I had just discovered it last week, finding out that they sold what I believed to be the best cookies I'd ever had in my life. Noticing the sun peaking through spotty clouds, I quickened my step down the stairs into the tube as I decided I'd take my coffee and cookie to a park to finish my book and maybe draw up some new ideas for pieces to make. 

Twenty minutes later I found myself saying "I'll have three cookies please" to the friendly barista, trying and failing to not blush at the fact that I knew that the extra two cookies I was buying for later wouldn't even make it home. 

Excited that they hadn't run out of cookies yet, I stood at the counter, humming and letting my toes tap along to the music in my ears while I waited for my iced latte. Considering how my day had started, I was positively chipper. 

I had already begun to daydream about some new pieces I wanted to sketch out as I stepped out the door of the coffee shop. I was about to turn to walk towards the park when suddenly something slammed into me and I lost my footing, falling straight to the ground. 

Disoriented, I gasped for breath as the air had been knocked out of me. Looking around to see what had hit me, I was met with a pair of chocolate-coloured eyes. 

"Oh fuck! I am so sorry! Are you okay, darlin'?" the eyes asked me earnestly.

I opened my mouth to answer yes before I noticed the searing pain that engulfed my entire chest. 

I winced, and then, I blacked out.

[verndusk]

OKAY, i gave up on the group photo so I'm just gonna introduce them here - the clone boys are first then I'll introduce the Jedi seperately! All you need to know is that the Jedi's name is Shoga Ki, who is a togruta, and her human padawan is called Towa! Without further ado! I introduce the Tsunami Squad!

Descriptions below!:

Sergeant Twilight | CT-2472

Twilight is the "Leader" of the Tsunami Squad. He is the most experienced out of all of them, barely just passing Spire in the amount of sucessful missions. He is thoughtful and quite internal, though he can be firm and a little cold emotionally. Shoga, their Jedi, took a liking to his squad especially after seeing their potential and how unique each one of them was. He's quite practical, and hardworking - sometimes a little clinical and doesn't like breaking nor bending the rules (though he doesn't get much say about then when the Jedi is around). He appreciates whenever the Jedi can be honest with him, and not put on an optimistic face for the rest of the squad.

Twilight's face markings were hand painted by him to resemble Shoga's out of respect (he asked for permission first, of course). All of the armour for the 298th was handpainted by the clones, or Shoga and Towa themselves, including Twilight's! Their default colours were the pale red, but the blue and yellow were added on, as well as the designs.

Twilight is always a little worried about his squad, whether it's how much sleep Mir is getting, or if Tide is getting along with everyone else. He keeps a notepad of how each one of the squad is progressing and what they need to work on next. He swears it is NOT a diary!

Spire | CT-6741

Spire is the medic of the squad and a close confidant of Twilight. They've been together for as long as the can remember, and is always by his side. He can be a little oblivious sometimes, but Twilight is always there to remind him of important things. The two had argued plenty of times before, but it's nothing that they couldn't resolve over a drink or two.

He appreciates Shoga a lot as a Jedi, and is weirdly very enthusiastic about the whole beach and ocean theme they have going on. Like Shoga, he loves oceans and if he wasn't a clone - he'd probably be relaxing on a nice sandy beach somewhere. He enjoys a good sunset, and can find a way to feel relaxed in the most tense situations.

Stasis | CT-3455

Stasis isn't the chattiest, perferring much more to listen than talk, and most other clones are quite intimdated by him. Fortunately, the Tsunami squad knows him better than that, he's actually quite soft on the inside. If he wasn't made to wear clone armour, he'd be wearing chunky sweaters and reading a book somewhere around a cozy fireplace. Despite his personality behing quite internal, he's the most likely to disobey an order, especially without telling anyone what he's planning first. It… usually works out well enough though! It has led to multiple arguments between him and Twilight, but they've all been interrupted by the other clones as they congratulate Stasis for helping them get the job done.

He's the lead explosives expert for the squad, Beetle and Shell being his back-up, and he's fluent in Shyriiwook!

Beetle | CT-2112

Beetle is sociable, witty, and charismatic. His favourite part of being deployed on different planets is exploring their local fauna and learning more about insects. He's not the biggest fan or reptillian or mammal creatures, but goes wild over anything with an exo-skeleton.

Despite his nickname, beetles are not his favourite insect, he much prefers the 「butterfly-like」 species. Those that eat as much as possible before pupating and becoming a different form. He took this as a philosophy for himself, always striving to learn as much as possible to undergo a metamorphosis of character and become a better soldier. He keeps this to himself mostly, but sometimes talks about philosophy with Shoga, and likes to help Towa with her fear of spiders and insects.

Tide | CT-8333

Tide is the youngest clone in the squad, he still has a spark in his eye that the others have lost long ago. He is… a little annoying to the others, but they still treat him well. Ripple especially took a liking to him, in a friendly big-brother kind of way, with lighthearted bullying to pair with it. He treats the padawan, Towa, like a younger sister - redirecting the bullying he gets from Ripple onto her. She acts like she hates him, but she actually enjoys his company - as she doesn't feel like she quite belongs with all the old people around.

Mir | CT-8212

Nickname coming from 「Mi-mir」, because he is a sleepy boy. Please let this clone take a nap, he really needs it. 2nd best sniper, and enjoys a good coffee or energising drink. He often walks around the bunk with a blanket on him, as he tries to sleep whenever he can. However, he usually gets only around 3-4 hours a day when not out in the field, and when lucky. Twilight is worried about his sleeping habits and often makes him to go medical just in case they can find what's up with him, but he's somehow pretty healthy. The others rotate on 「Carry Mir to his bunk」 duty, with Shell being happy to do so most often. They joke that he should have an energy drink dispenser attatched to his helmet.

Apart from that, Mir enjoys the company of his squad, maybe apart from Stasis - as his silence often makes him uncomfortable. Mir favours having some white noise when resting.

Ripple | CT-6714

Ripple is tough and rough, he thinks his scar is really cool and always makes up a different story on how he got it. No one but Shell knows the true story, that he got it during his cadet days after failing to disarm a live explosive. He looks quite intimidating because of the scar and partial loss of vision in his eye because of it, but he can be quite genuine and gives out good advice. "Don't play around with live explosives." Younglings and young padawans are especially susceptible to his games, but Towa knew better and immediately caught onto his lying about the scars - they hang out often as a trio with Tide.

Senn | CT-2414

Senn is shy and reserved, he's one of the newest additions to the squad, along with Tide. He's quite sensible, and overall a little big of a pathetic man (saying this with the most affection possible). He's the main sniper of the lot, with Mir being 2nd best. They hang out together often and exchange sniping tips when Mir isn't sleeping. He likes sniping from high up, and is always trying to find the best hiding spots when entering a new area. He's a little sensitive, and getting the tattoo was an absolute nightmare for him, but he's glad he got it - and likes to maintain a good hygiene routine to keep it looking as good as possible (to avoid touch-ups!). The tattoo on his head is representative of an ash angel bird. He likes to make lists and categorising things, often helping Twilight and Shoga with journalling or note-taking.

Shell | CT-5311

Shell is a loud and boisterous clone, even more so than Ripple. He joined Tsunami Squad after he recevied his scar, which was caused by him being attacked by a creature during a mission. He doesn't talk about the incident much, and prefers to keep the helmet on most of the time.

He likes to spend a lot of his free time at the 79's with Stasis, Senn, and Beetle - but often goes by himself too, it's one of the only places where he doesn't feel understimulated. When not out, he needs to keep himself occupied otherwise he gets grouchy, there's a large collection of puzzles on his bunk that he plays with before and after sleeping. He likes Shoga's attitude, as she is capable of keeping up with him in terms of energy - but knows his boundaries and limits when it comes to Towa, the padawan.

[mikiyochii]

Fiore will be for adoption on Sunday, 4th of June, 6 p.m. CEST GMT (18.00 h / German timezone).

Important: Please send me an email along with your country for estimate shipping costs if you want to adopt her. I don’t answer mails before the written date and time.

Email: pullipcustom@mikiyochii.de

First come, first save. No reservations.

All mails between 6 and 7 p.m. will be answered (even if you don’t get the doll). Please understand that I don’t answer mails after 7 p.m. anymore. If the doll is not sold in this time I will notice it on FB and Instagram.

I don’t response to mails which are not about adopting this doll.

Fiore will come with… - herself (MIO kit fair skin - Body/Head/Eyemech) - Face up and carving on mouth and nose by me, Mikiyochii, with new eyelashes - Certificate of birth - Beautiful Eyechips by Pikarina - Blond Mohair Wig by Leekeworld - Outfit by The Rover (includes: headband, 2-pcs dress, socks) - Necklace by me - Shoes by Obitsu/Parabox - Wooden box with cushions for a safely trip - some little extras~

Before buying the doll, please note: - the face up is handpainted and therefore it may have some flaws - handle the doll and the outfit carefully as it may contain delicate items - NO doll stand inclusive - the wig is mohair (natural wig) and some hairs may naturally be loose - the wig is not glued and only fixed with wig stoppers; However, you can always glue the wig with a waterbased glue - Layaway is possible (max. 3 times within 3 months; first payment must be 250 € and is non-refundable). - shipping worldwide (within Germany 7 € / within EU 16 € / Outside EU from 50 €+) - payment must be in EURO

PRICE: 700 Euro All prices incl. taxes and paypal fees. Shipping usually within 5-7 business days.

[haldenlith]

The Road to Giving Ardwynn [a] Head (Pt 1)

So I've been learning Blender, and while the Donut Tutorial was a nice introduction, I learn better with something to hyperfixate on, and I do love my dumb boy, Ardwynn.

Which led to me to make the decision to jump into the deep end and model his head/bust, and learning how to do it all along the way. And not just in a stylized style, but aiming more for realism. My guiding star is the level we see in the Destiny 2 cutscenes. In fact, Forsaken Uldren is my reference for how to approach a lot of Ardwynn's Awoken features, since they (by accident) have similar features.

I figured I'd share this with you guys in segments. (The Discord I'm in gets the annoyance joy of realtime complaining.) A Tumblr Exclusive, if you will.

For the record, I have almost no idea what the fuck I'm doing. I know what UV Maps and Texture Maps are, and what Alpha Maps are, and that's.... about it.

I'm sure it'll be fine. This can't be too complicated, right? Right?

Narrator voice: It's extremely complicated. I highly recommend working your way up to this, not jumping to it like I have.

For the record, this is a lot of cobbling information from Youtube tutorials together. These ones are the ones I can remember that I've had some success with so far. I'll probably mention more as I go/as I remember.

"Sculpt a Realistic Head in Blender" "Ultimate Guide to Realistic Eyes in Blender" "Handpainting Stylized Textures in Blender" "Using a Cage for Perfect Baking" "Face Retopology" (This is in Maya, not Blender, but the concept still applies)

Anyway, long post is long.

Thank goodness Blender lets you make new little windows inside the application, and open up images and stuff. I made a new boring reference sketch of Ardwynn's head just for this. Working from big shapes to fine details is... tough, because I have a tendency to go ZOOM into fine details. I tunnel vision real bad, so this is at least a good practice into NOT doing that.

Progress, but something feels off. Giving more Patrick Stewart, less Ardwynn. The sculpting tools are surprisingly easy to use, by the way. The real trick is knowing when to hit "Remesh".

Spoiler Alert: I don't. This is a problem that bites me in the ass later....

Mmmm, yes, it's all coming together. That looks more like my boy. The scar was easier to do than I expected, though I'm not sure how to approach his split lips, as the way his scar is, it stretches his mouth up, leaving a bit of it perpetually open. I'll just treat it like the eyes and just model a tiny cavity. It's not like anyone's going to see that. I can fix it later if it's an issue. A future me problem, if you will.

Are you seeing a trend here? Because if you're thinking "oh, they've already said they had problems down the line, and now this is another bit of foreshadowing", you're correct. Again, another spoiler alert: it was a future me problem.

I've learned from doing art for forever that focusing too long on one thing gives my brain some sort of creative fatigue. "When you start to hate or feel bored with something, work on something else in the picture" is probably the best advice I've ever gotten, and I'm applying it here, too. I decided to tackle how to model glowing eyes. At this point, I've grabbed Uldren/Crow's low-poly in-game mesh and picked it apart specifically to look at his eyes. I'd kill to get the high-poly cinematic one, but that's not available to the general public, so it'll have to do. I apply a little of what I learned and tada! Budget glowing eyes. They work for the purpose of learning Emission nodes and all that shit in the Shaders section of Blender. They're placeholders for now. I'll make better eyes later. And look! They fit! Mostly.

Do you smell that? More foreshadowing.

I mess around with more than basic flat color shaders for skin, and turn on Subsurface Scattering (SSS). Mm, yes, nice. I also made some teeth for the moment to see if the scar needs tweaking. It did, but overall things are shaping up nicely!

But Blender is starting to crash and run real slow. Weird.

I try out Texture Painting and it just isn't working, so as I start to get really frustrated, I decide to bounce back to the Compositing tab, remembering what I learned about it when doing The Donut Tutorial. Ah, yes, this will make his eyes glow very nicely. Though I'm not super satisfied with it. I move on to seeing if I can't start to decipher the mystery that is hair.

Blender still isn't doing too hot, and though the hair is a fun side-tangent, I'd like to have the skin done and dusted before I move on. With some googling, I find the most common suggestion is make a UV map. Okay. I try that and it's a mess. More googling and I find the common suggestion if you're using a high-poly sculpt is to "retopologize" it. Okay, so I look that up. Fun fact, the first video I follow along with is not what's linked. It's super basic and I found didn't really explain much when I had to redo the mesh.

Redo the mesh you say? Well, you see, I spent 8-9 hours building a low poly version of this bastard's head (with the Mirror modifier, don't worry), and I had an addon suggested to me: RetopoFlow. Curious, I got it, and tried to use it to speed up finishing the mesh up, because I was beyond over it. It was, by far, the most boring fucking process of this whole journey so far.

I, in my infinite lack of wisdom, did not, in fact, make a copy of my work. I somehow end up fucking up the mesh and trying to push too far ahead with it, meaning fixing the fuck-up is too far back to undo to. I also hit save, because I chronically save every five seconds due to paranoia of the program crashing. I lament, delete the mesh, start from scratch, but this time inside of RetopoFlow from the start, and with a new video to guide me. However, I notice a warning pop up from RF that the "mesh was too large (> 1m)". Confused, I check it. I also notice in the video the guy mentions needing a "lower poly version" of the sculpt to work with. "Let's go with 75K."

My sculpt can't be that big right?

Aha. Ha ha. Hm. Ahem.

So I might've hit "Remesh" too many times. I learned why Blender was crashing and having issues, needless to say. I learned how to use the Decimate modifier to... not be at 5M faces/vertices. I have to literally just walk away for it to work, because it took Blender 30 minutes to do, but it did work. Eventually I get to retopo'ing it, this time with a much more organized and nice looking topology. Huzzah! But I lose out on details this way. Oh? I need something called a "normals" map? I learn what that is, but again so many of these videos seem to neglect to mention important information, like how it works and why you're not supposed to have the high-poly mesh showing through the low-poly. I... spent a while working on an issue thanks to lack of information. I eventually make a cage and try baking a new Normals map this time, with much better results exceeeeeeept.

The split in the lip is the new problem to bite Future Me. No pictures for this portion, because I didn't take any screenshots for this. I eventually had to go in and carefully redo the topography of the low-poly mesh around the lip scar area and make it open. I also had to cut it open on the high-poly sculpt. After that, the Normals FINALLY baked right and stopped giving me some very weirdly textured lips.

Finally, I was able to move on. I made a UV map, made a shiny new texture for Ardwynn's skin and face... It was going good.

But that wasn't the end of my problems. When I finally made new eyes, which looked very cool...

Something about the properly sized eyeball no longer worked in the eye sockets I made, and not in a little way, as little fixes never looked quite right. I did manage to fix it, but that meant I had to retopo the eye area, and update the UV and the Normals, and fix the texture because it no longer really looked good. (On the plus side, I painted more details into it, so that worked out.)

I'm really happy with the eyes, though. Bless whoever put close-ups of Uldren's eyes in Forsaken cutscenes. They helped immensely.

The skin wasn't fully sorted out, as I needed to do a few more detail items, but I decided to bounce to something else for a bit after fixing all of that. I needed a break. I took my knowledge from mucking around with hair earlier to start working on eyelashes and eyebrows, to make Ardwynn look a little less odd. I had some success, but hm, they still seemed way too thick. Time to consult Youtube.

(I stumbled upon a video on eye tracking and went ahead and set that up, just to make eye positioning easier later. It's not perfect, but it is easier than trying to position the eyes manually.)

Found a tutorial, by the same guy I went to for figuring out the proper shape of the eyes. Buuuut I also took the time to deal with the weird light leak and SSS issue I was having around the eyes. The pitfalls of glowing eyes on a model, I guess. And now I'm at the "fighting with the eyebrow" stage. I'll probably have to hit up a tutorial for that, too, since it looks less like an eyebrow and more like someone glued a piece of a shag rug to his face.

Also I see more issues that need fixing. This time with the ears. Ugh, this feels like it's neverending... 😩

I'll come back later with more progress in a separate post. Fall classes have started, so my free time to fight work with this is about to diminish considerably.

[the-fiction-witch]

20th Bad Luck

Media Godless

Character Whitey Winn

Couple Whitey X Reader

Rating Cute

Halloween Day 20

I hummed my little tune as I made my little soup for the day, and I heard a loud knock on my door. "Come in" I called back

"'iya Y/n" Whitey smiled as he headed inside my little wooden house,

"Hello Whitey" I greeted "What appears to be the trouble?"

"No trouble, I just fancied comin' to see ya" He smiled

"That's very sweet whitey"

"I figured I could come see ya, maybe sit and play with your cards"

"Play?" I smirked

"Ya know what I mean"

"Alright go sit up at the table then" I smiled cleaning off my hands on my apron and heading over to the table where he had planted himself I grabbed my little wooden box and lit a candle. I opened the box unfurling the purple cloth, flattening it across the table. I took my red drawstring bag opening it up and letting the deck cascade across the cloth. I returned the bag and took the deck in hand shuffling it through before laying the deck across the table face down and offering it to him "Select a card, Mr. Winn"

"Alright," he smiled eagerly taking a card from the deck and flipping it over to reveal the handpainted artwork "Oh? That bad?"

"Ten of swords... You have yet to see the worst but the worst is ... the bottom of the barrel of bad"

"Oh. Shit."

"Kinda. take another"

"Alright," He says perking up again "The tower? Is that good"

"The tower is forboding, often a sign of sudden change"

"That would be comfortin' if not the for yet to see the worst one that's probably the sudden change comin'"

"Awww look at you go connecting cards" I smiled "Go again"

"Alright, Oh shit- okay I know that's bad," He says having revealed the devil

"That's recklessness and toxicity." I laughed "What kinda bad juju are you bringing into my house whitey?"

"I don't know!"

"Uhh here," I said grabbing an incense stick and lighting it from the flame of the candle and using the smoke to cleanse his hands and my cards setting it in a holder "Okay, let's go again maybe there was just some bad energy"

"Right, Ten of Wands... is that good"

"Suffering and struggle"

"Fuck!"

"Have you broken any mirrors lately whitey?"

"No,"

"alright go again"

"Okay, Ohh moon, is the moon good?"

"change"

"Okay,"

"uncertainty"

"I'm feeling pretty uncertain"

"Fear and anxiety"

"Yeah! The fuckin' cards are makin' me feel that!"

"Have you failed to reply to any letters? eaten thirteen of some berry? Have you received a clock or timepiece as a gift?"

"No"

"Ummm odd, Try another"

"I'm not sure I wanna"

"Come on it can't get much worse"

"Alright, Ohh hell no!" He jumped moving away from the table having drawn the hanged man

"Do you-"

"I know what it means."

"What is goin' on with you?" I glared

"I don't know!"

"I thought you were always lucky"

"Yeah, I did too! I don't wanna play anymore"

"I'm not gonna lie whitey I'm a little worried about you" I laughed "One more come on you don't finish its back luck"

"I think I have enough bad luck right now," he says

"Come on then" I smiled tapping his chair

"Cleanse me again," he says sitting back down

so I smoked and cleansed him as much as I could, even rubbed his hands with clean oil, and rubbed a clear quartz on him "There we go, it should all be just you"

"Okay" he nods sheepishly flipping the last card

Death.

"uhhhh" he whined his face turning white

"Holy shit."

"Maybe it's like not that bad? ya always say cards aren't as bad as they look"

"Yeah, but that's when drawn with other cards! problem is every card you drew is bad"

"what's wrong with me?"

"I don't know, but out you go," I said grabbing my broom and sweeping him to the door

"Hey! hey! y/n!"

"You ain't bringing whatever bad energy you've got into my house whitey, go on get!" I said hitting him with my broom to get him out onto my porch

"Oww! Oww! y/n!"

"Go on now, GET! take your bad Juju with you"

"Maggie help me!" He complained as he spotted Mary Agness walking past

"What did ya do?" she asked

"He drew, Ten of swords, The tower, the devil, Ten of wands, The Moon, Haunged man and death" I explained "Off you go with your bad energy"

"I mean I don't even know much about tarot but ... Ooohhh that's bad, "

"See go on get!"

"Alright I'm goin', can't I have a kiss?"

"No. I am not risking it"

"Please?"

"One" I warned so he smiled and gave me a little kiss but when I pulled away I saw in the sky the birds that had been flying off to their left suddenly turned to the right, "Nope! Get whitey! come back when you're energy is sorted" I told him pushing him off my porch

"How do I fix it? you're the only person in town who understands this stuff!"

"Just fix it!" I told him slamming my door and grabbing my moon water and my sage "Now I gonna cleanse my whole damn house now, Thanks Whitey" I sighed 

[hypnagogicwriter]

005 — the wind

There was absolutely no need to storm your mother's office. Kimiko had warned her, she had also said that you had to discuss something serious. Your mother was totally excited when you stepped through the office door. She got up frantically and took you in her arms. She gently rubbed your back and smiled gratefully at Kimiko over your shoulder. At that point, your mother didn't know anything and you didn't want to tell her in the office either. 

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Your mother's foot appeared to be stuck to the accelerator as she drove the three of you home.  Kimiko held onto the dashboard as usual while you rocked back and forth on the back seat.  Every now and then your mother looked in the rearview mirror to gaze at you worriedly.

Thanks to your mother's fast-paced driving style, you arrived at your home within minutes (surprisingly alive). The way to the front door dragged on because your mother tried to straighten every flower and plant in the front yard. When the three of you arrived at the door (after ages), your breaths froze. She observed the special gift stiffly. 

"That's not why you took me home-"

Your mother stopped mid-sentence as she interpreted the expression on your face. She closed her eyes briefly to compensate for the upcoming tears. Not in the front yard.

Your mother stared at you in shock, then at Kimiko.  She bowed her head and blinked on the floor. Taking a deep breath, she jumped just outside the front door and unlocked it. 

"Come in over the veranda"  she mumbled and nodded to both of you before she disappeared into the house. Slowly you walked around the house. Kimiko swallowed hard. It was like your stalker noticed that you wanted to talk to your mother.

Your mother had already set the little table on the veranda. It was the wedding tableware that your grandma had handpainted. Tea calms the soul, Y/N, my darling. Then the old woman had adjusted her glasses and threw a mischievous smile around them. This is exactly what your mother was trying to copy now, with the aim of calming you down.

"Then let's get started."

"Tell me why there is a decapitated cat on our doorstep." Your mother smiled gently as she poured your tea into your mugs. As if this would be a usual topic, you'd discuss it on regular basis. Though, it wasn't. Not for you, at least. Kimiko hold back a chuckle because this whole situation was too bizarre.

"Look, as your mother I care about you over anyone and anything else. You are my one and only child. You seemed a bit off. The last few months. Let me help you or at least don't let me run around in darkness and ignorance anymore, my darling."

At this point, you weren't sure if there was worry in her eyes or eyes in her worry. Yet you felt the worry, with every cell of your body, and it was nearly torturing.

"I received gifts. Beautiful, loving ones at first. You know, gifts you would give your significant cant other. I noticed that there was someone. Wherever I was, I wasn't alone. The person spied on me. They were asking my friends about me. What kind of books I'd like and—" You stopped, your voice was shaking so much, that you couldn't finish properly.

"And we are not even halfway through it all, Mrs. L/N," Kimiko whispered and decided to talk from now on, after exchanging nods with you.

"I got confused when you told me Y/N doesn't have a tutoring job. Why would she lie to me? I waited at the school bus stop for her. However, she didn't come. So I waited for the bus to drive without me to look after my only friend. We walked home that afternoon... We always do since then." Kimiko made a pause to take a sip of the tea and tried to smile warmly at your mother but she terribly failed at it.

"I felt those glances too. And Y/N kept the letters and presents and -coming directly to the next point- screenshot all chat conversations. Just if you don't believe us."

Your mother shuddered in shock. How the hell could Kimiko say she wouldn't believe you. Shivering, she grabbed your hands and tried to hold the four as tightly as possible. As a mother you can feel when your child is suffering, you could say, but that's not true. Some ailments are so quiet that they cannot be heard unless they are talked about. Your mother wasn't angry with you because of your silence (maybe a bit disappointed), but just glad that she now knew what was on your mind. She sighed in a relief moment. Before she remembered the dead cat and the way you had been adoring cats for a very long time. This certain somebody was about to meet one of your mother's fists soon.

The silence enveloped you three and a gentle breeze freshened the air.  Slowly you closed your eyes and exhaled with relief.

Maybe it's the wind that uses the leaves of the cherry tree as its instruments. Maybe it's the warm tea between your hands. Maybe it's the fact that your mother knows and believes, that made your spirit free and light for the first time in months.

———

004 <<<<< do you see me >>>>>006

———

©@hypnagogicwriter on Tumblr. 2023

[countessofravenclaw]

The 2023 writing Advent calendar: Day 3

3. Past

“I think we absolutely nailed it,” 9-year-old Luna dropped the wooden ball that she had been painting to the kitchen table. “Now, let me see yours.”

“I think these are the greatest things in existence,” 12-year-old Simon nodded they looked proudly on their work. They had been handpainting Christmas ornaments. “Mom!”

“What is it?” Carla walked into the kitchen. 

“We made ornaments!” Luna rised hers up in the air. “Look!”

“Looks great,” Simon’s mother smiled. 

“We wanna put these on the three.” Simon said.

“Oh, we can do that,” Carla nodded, “But lets wait till Dad’s gets home. Those will need to dry first. You two should go get cleaned up. Luna you’re staying for dinner?”

“Sure!” Luna nodded, “Mom and Dad won’t mind.”

“Lets me call them to confirm,” Carla nodded, “Maya! Can you keep an eye on the stew for me!?!”

“Yeah! Whatever!” A voice came from the living room. 

“How long do we need to wait until these dry?” Luna grunted. 

“I don’t know?” Simon poked at the ball. He had tried to paint a guitar on his… It looked more like a split of green and blue. “Ten minutes?” 

“I don’t want to wait ten minutes.” Luna groaned, “Can’t we speed it up somehow?” 

“No way! That is so like…” Maya, Simon’s 15-year-old older sister walked to the kitchen. The lowered her brand new Blackberry 8520 off her ear. “What happened to you?” 

“We painted ornaments!” Luna smiled proudly while her paint stained hair fell on her face. 

“Cool.” Maya just nodded simply.

“How can we make these dry faster!!” Luna slumped her head onto the table. 

“Try a hairdryer.” Maya shrugged and walked out of the kitchen, “Yeha, I know right? He as so cute… Don’t say that…”

“Where can we find a hairdryer?” Luna juped up from a table. 

“I don’t know,” Simon shook his head, “I think Mom has one… maybe?”

“Can you go get it?” Luna pleaded, “I wanna put these in a tree now!”

“Okay,” Simon said and ran off. 

“What are you doing?” Simon asked as he walked back with the hairdryer. Luna was standing in the living room and hanging their ornaments on the tree.

“Well, I though that they’d be easier to dry of we hang them firt,” Luna started explaining.

“That’s actually smart,” Simon nodded and handed Luna the hairdryer. “How do you use this?”

“I don’t know,” Luna shrugged. “I though you knew.” 

“I have never used this,” Simon looked at the hairdryer, “Have you?”

“No,” Luna shook her head, “Mom always dries mine.”

“Well…” Luna kept staring at the hairdryer, “Do you have to plug it in?”

“Maybe?” Simon turned his head around, “We have an outlet right there. Lets try.”

Luna crawled under the Alvarezes’ tree and connected the wire to the outlet. the hairdryer suddenly became alive and started wheeling hot air. 

“What do I now?!” Asked Simon over the noise. 

“Just point at them,” Luna yelled back. So Simon pointed the hairdryer at the tree and let it blast…

Unfortunately, the hairdryer for some reason had so much power that it started blasting the tree’s brance so much that they started bending. The ornament kept swinging unser the blast. 

“Is it supposed to do that?”

“Yes!” Luna yelled, “Keep going!!” 

“There is too much power!”

“No there is not! Now they will dry faster!”

Now the tree was swaying alarmingly. It was bending left to right. 

“It’s going to fall!” 

“No it won’t!”

Unfortunately, Luna’s willpower was not enough to hold the tree together. The swaying got stranger and the tree fell in Luna and Simon. 

“What is going on here?” the door opened and they heard a voice. 

“Hey Dad!” Simon greeted. 

“Hi Mr. Alvarez,” Luna tried her sweetest smile on the floor. It didn’t really help as they were both laying under a fallen Christmas tree. “We were just drying our ornaments.”

“How did you make the tree fall down? Are you okay?” Luna and Simon couldn’t really see but they could still hear the hairdryer going off where Simon had dropped it. It finally got silences as Diego had probably shut it off. 

“Yeah, were fine… but uhm,” Simon continued, “We’re stuck.” 

“Seems like it.” Simon’s dad continued, “Simon, you’re twelve, you should know that you shouldn’t try something like this while Mom or I aren’t around. You could have gotten hurt.”

“Don’t blame him,” Luna continued, “This was my idea.” 

“Oh my god!” Carla’s voice sounded from another direction, “What happened?” 

“Kids had apparently some sort of a crafts project going on.”

“I told you to wait before putting the ornaments on the tree.” 

“We thought they would dry quicker with a hairdryer,” Simon continued as his dad started lifting the tree off of them. “It was Maya’s idea.”

“Sure it was.”

***

“Uhm, so, the tree fell on you because you blew it with a hairdryer?” Matteo questioned after Luna and Simon had finished telling the story. “That actually happened? No way.”

“It did,” Luna insisted. 

“What kind of hairdryer did your mother have?” Ambar was also looking pretty unconvinced. 

“I don’t know the brand,” Simon shook his head, “But I don’t think she has used it since… Again it was all Maya’s fault.”

“She didn’t tell you to hang them on a tree,” Ambar pointed out. 

“I thought it made sense,” Luna shrugged. “It would be like drying laundry.” 

“Makes sense,” Matteo leaned back on a couch. 

So, this went to a complete different direction that I originally planned. They were supposed to dance around the tree, not blew it over but here we are.