#same with my embroidery (I've been doing some embroidery on and off for some time now but I've always just done it for myself)

[abisalli]

Hey guys I'm currently in the middle of possibly opening my very own shop (just for fun!) and so far I've got everything I need to make stickers, prints, pins and even some tote-bags!

But I need your opinion:

[thehaberdasheress]

Valentine's Day for embroidery nerds

Something I love about historical embroidery is how much the present and the past are stitched together. Valentine's Day is one of those things that's centuries old, but still a little new and fresh every time it rolls around. It is what we put into it, as well as what it used to be.

I print patterns onto interfacing that sticks to the fabric while you stitch. Then when you're done, you just dunk it in water to wash the pattern off!

So here are my new festive offerings:

Visible mending patches: Hearts I and Hearts II

I couldn't decide on one, so why not both? These are great if you want an easy way to embroider little wee hearts on things! They really shine when they're used for visible mending. You can use them to attach new patches to holes in old clothes, and look good doing it.

Embroidery Border: Lovebirds High

I wanted something big and fun, so I designed this one myself. Its figurative grandparents are Renaissance blackwork and Scandinavian Rosemaling. I liked being able to combine an existing embroidery border into a bigger pattern. 7.5 cm (3") wide and 16" (40cm) long.

Embroidery Border: Lovebirds Low

Another original design! I've been making a lot of birds lately. To me these feel like office-worker sparrows that have stopped to kvetch together on a window ledge during their seed break. Love... is on the staff meeting agenda. 1 ¼" (3.5 cm) wide and 40 cm (16") long

And finally...

The apple of my eye, the jewel of my crown, Renaissance Hearts

God bless Bartolomeo Veneto (active 1502-1531), who was incredibly good at painting clothing. Because this one, I could make literally the same pattern. I could just go...

The pattern is 3.5 cm (1 ¼") wide and 16" (40 cm) long.

My Etsy Store has even more designs, as well as some fashion accessories. Shipping is free on orders $40 CAD and above.

And as always, I remain deeply grateful for your attention, energy, enthusiasm, and patronage. I am so lucky to have this business; it's changed my life. Thank you!

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

Kat's OG/HC ::: mitsuya would MAKE the teddy bear for the first date thingy.

A/N ::: You. Guys. I'm so giddy about this that you'd think I was the one who just went on a date with Mitsuya. I'm so fucking happy with this - like, I just smiled the whole time I was writing it. Thank you again, @katkitkats for the HC's.

⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣ Funsies ⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣

⍣ I've Been Loving You Too Long // Otis Redding I wholly believe that Mitsuya has a deep appreciation for music and would listen to this song like a dummy who's deep in love. Listen if you want the full effect of the high I got while writing this ⍣

(For the best experience put it on repeat or read really fast lmao - sorry, my sense of timing is horrific).

⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣ TEDDY BEAR PREP ⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣

⍣ Doesn't see the appeal of buying stuff that he can make for you.

⍣ Can make anything he puts his mind to - up to and including a teddy bear.

⍣ Would start out by searching for just the right kind of fabric (I think he'd use minky - so freakin' soft and cuddly and lasts forever and ever if you're good to it - a lot like love 🤔 - it's just insane)

⍣ Works out all the details, drawing out a pattern that he can pin fabric to, cut around the design, sew it together and add the finishing touches then stuff it.

⍣ Hand stitches the bear's arms and legs with an "X" pattern so it looked like "real" stitches, using a special type of embroidery stitch for its little eyes and nose (the nose would be pink and its eyes would be one of each of your eye colors).

⍣ Finally, it would be done a few days before the big first date.

⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣ THE DATE ⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣

⍣ Would pick you up on his bike.

⍣ Has an extra helmet (in whatever your favorite color was because he just so fucking thoughtful I can't stand it) and leather jacket for you if it was cold.

⍣ The reservation would have been made 2 weeks in advance - even though it's at Smiley and Angry's Ramen shop.

⍣ Took the little bear over there the night before because he wants it to be brought out with dessert.

⍣ Wants to impress you by walking in and saying "2 for Mitsuya, please *slips Angry some 💴 for the best seat in the house*.

⍣ Will offer you some of his dish (from his chopsticks/eating utensils!) and ask if you're sure you don't mind giving him a bite of yours, even after you shove it at him - he has 2 little sisters and knows how sacred food can be sometimes.

⍣ Waves at Smiley and Angry to signal he's ready for dessert and the handmade bear to be brought to your quiet little corner/window table.

⍣ Hands you the cuddly snuggly bear and the first thing you notice is not how soft the bear is, but how warm his hands are. You don't want to let go but he seems so proud of this gift that you take it from his hand and hold it close to your heart.

⍣ Tells you about how he made this design and bear specially for you, the fabric was special ordered and it was sewn/hand stitched by him (by the very same warm hands you didn't want to trade for).

⍣ Blushes when he points out the bear's eye color (he didn't even have to see you again or ask anyone what your eye color was because he remembered). You blush back when you tell him it's the first thing you noticed about it.

⍣ Gives you the first, middle and last bite of the cute little dessert the boys whipped up for you two.

⍣ Pays for EVERYTHING.

⍣ Asks what you want to do now - you want to just ride around on some back roads and cling to him - "Go for a ride?" you suggest instead of just prattling off the truth.

⍣ Was praying that you'd say that.

⍣ Smiled so hard when his prayer was answered.

⍣ Rides out to the near middle of nowhere and parks next to an empty field and lays out his jacket for you to sit on while you two stargaze and talk about your interests.

⍣ Catches you staring at him but plays it off like you two just looked at each other at the same time because he was staring at you once and he low-key hoped you wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

⍣ On the ride back to your house, at every stoplight or stop sign he will pat your hands that are wrapped so tightly around his waist and ask if you're "Doing ok back there?"

⍣ Feels his heart skip a beat or two when you just hold him tighter as he takes off again.

⍣ Walks you to your door and stands on the steps below your front porch while still holding your hand.

⍣ Kisses you between your first and second finger knuckle in such a manner that you're so wildly turned on by the gentleness of the gesture that you jump off of the steps and plant a huge kiss on his lips.

⍣ Smiles the whole way back to his place, vowing to never wash his jacket, his hand or his mouth again.

⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣ CUTE BONUS ⍣⍣⍣⍣⍣

⍣ He wrote a little note and sticks it in the center of the bear's belly in all of the batting: "Y/n, I know this is only our first date. But I think you're a really special and beautiful person. I am so excited to see what is in store for us. - Takashi)

@kazutora-kurokawa @southside-otaku @darkstarlight82 @arlerts-angel @viburnt

[goth-ethite]

Tired of people going 'all goth fashion is super easy to diy and everyone should do that instead' because like... yes a lot of it is but some very much not. So some thoughts on how much I'd recommend diying various goth fashion stuff as someone who does a lot of it:

Simple jewellery is definitely much better to diy and particularly chains and stuff. I remember going to dangerfield one time and they had a chain with a bat ornament on in for 20 dollars 🤣 ... you can get a bunch of chain from the hardware store pretty cheaply and the exact same bat pendant on it I had got like 20 off etsy for 5 dollars. It usually doesn't take that long and extra tools e.g. pliers are helpful but not necessary - 10/10 absolutely recommend for all goths or other people interested in gothic fashion

Same thing goes for distressed clothing/fishnet shirts there are tons of tutorials for that kind of stuff, and it generally doesn't require that much time, experience or materials 10/10

Minor clothing modifications e.g. some tailoring, adding/removing parts, mending damaged old clothing, changing buttons - this is something that is really useful in everyday life, usually doesn't take that long and is very useful for turning normal clothing into more spooky stuff 9/10

Designs on clothes or patches: if you get some fabric paint, screen printing ink, bleach or even acrylic you can paint designs onto clothing pretty easily. Personally I like dilute screen printing ink as it gives the nicest surface, but it can be a bit of a pain to use as you have to do a lot of layers, and it doesn't colour the fabric intuitively in the way that fabric paint or acrylic do 8/10 - would recommend very strongly to anyone who enjoys art, and recommend trying at least once to people who don't enjoy art as much (you can always make stencils), but it does take a long time and you need some materials. Also, for patches particularly for small bands it can be better to order them from the band to support the artist, but also lots of bands don't have patches or merch or international shipping to some countries makes it not accessible

Embroidery: often looks really good and professional in a way that painted designs don't, takes absolutely ages. 7/10 - would recommend very highly for people who enjoy textile stuff and maybe trying a bit for everyone but yeah if you don't enjoy it it's a pain

Smaller articles of clothing: I've made some waistcoats and shirts and stuff which have been pretty fun and it's really good to be able to do specific designs you wouldn't be able to buy (e.g. my skeleton one) and get stuff to fit right. They were all hand sewn and took a pretty long time (however you can also do it while listening to online classes or whatever), + a bit of time to learn techniques and stuff. Definitely a cheaper than buying them 6.5/10 - do it if you enjoy textile art stuff but will probably be a really painful experience if you don't and you're hand sewing. Also useful if you've got sizing or dimensions that mean you just... can't buy stuff that'll fit which is how I got into sewing

More complex sewing: I've made 2 (well, finished one and 98% of the way through another) long spooky coats and one cape with really complicated edges and embroidery and stuff. Coat 1 was entirely by hand out of not great fabric and took absolutely ages but was definitely vastly cheaper than buying it from the store, and it fit well and everything. With the cape, I got repetitive strain injury in my thumb that still is a bit of a problem 3 years later! With the final coat it was mostly by machine and then touching some stuff up by hand e.g. edges of the lining, making the eyelets and stuff, but it still took ages. Also, something I never see people talking about with diy goth clothing is how hard it is to get the materials - there were only 3 black brocade fabrics available in my city - One was really bad quality and I tried to make a shirt out of it, but it kept falling apart. One was 150 dollars a meter. The one I ended up using was really nice and reasonably priced, but I got the last 2.5 meters of it so it almost wasn't an option. So when people talk about diying clothing being cheaper it can actually not be that much because a clothing business can get fabrics in bulk + unless your city is really big there are probably not many options, so there's also shipping costs if you then need to order fabric. Out of curiosity I compared how much the coat cost in terms of materials to the price of a similar looking coat off dracula clothing which is a pretty well known and apparently quality materials and ethically made goth fashion shop and it came out a bit cheaper but not massively so (not counting shipping...) so 3.5/10 - fun to do if you enjoy textile art as a hobby, not even vaguely a practical alternative to buying a coat

And then there's other stuff like more complicated jewellery making and leather work which idk much about

[signiorbenedickofpadua]

AI-generated embroidery

I'm starting to see more and more AI generated pics of "embroidered" art popping up, and somehow that makes me even more disappointed than when I spot fake paintings. Of course, a lot of creativity and effort goes into any given form of art, and they all have their limitations which inform the end result, but one can, in theory, paint almost anything (at least in digital painting) while there are far more tangible, physical limitations to what you can make a piece of thread do. One of the best parts of seeing a gorgeous piece of textile/fiber art is admiring how well the artist has been able to cleverly utilise and transcend the limitations of working with thread/fabric/roving/etc., and realising how much time it must have taken.

To then see AI "embroidery" that looks very impressive at first glance before realising that it couldn't possibly be real because it defies the very laws of physics makes me sad. Not only did someone want to generate a piece of art they couldn't be bothered to make themselves, but they then looked at the image the computer spat out and either wasn't interested enough in the craft itself to be able to tell how impossible it was or decided that it didn't matter because the point was just to get some superficially pretty content to share with a mostly unsuspecting audience. It's just... a whole new level of disrespect for a craft that is already niche and underappreciated as it is.

There have been posts pointing out what to look out for in generated "paintings" and "photos", but I have not seen any for embroidery yet, so here's a couple of points off the top of my head:

Can you see individual threads clearly? Do they look consistent in texture (like they're spun the same way). There are a few different types of embroidery thread which are spun in different ways and from different materials, but if it looks like one type of thread was used and the threads still look inconsistent, that's a tell.

If the piece seems to be mixed media (e.g featuring beads or fabric appliqué etc.), do the added materials look realistic? Can you guess at what they're made of or how they may have been attached without the use of sorcery? I have seen a few examples of what looks like a cluster of beads at first glance, but when looking closer they've turned out to be very surreal in shape and get progressively less realistic and more abstract the smaller they get. Then there have been details which I've tried and utterly failed to imagine what material they could even be made from, like decorative vines/borders that look more like 3D-printed plastic than thread or metal wire or anything you might expect to find in an embroidery, even with creative material choices.

Does the motif look very three-dimensional? There are a number of ways to create 3D embroidery, but they all have to follow the laws of physics. Where are those threads going? Do they just end randomly? Does it look like a bunch of normal embroideries stuck on top of each other with no plausible edges or methods of attachment?

I've seen at least one example where most of the image was trying to look like photorealistic embroidery, but then there were a few details that simply looked photorealistic as in, "Wait, half of that bird looks embroidered, and half of it just looks like a photo of a real bird?"

As in other forms of AI art, look at details which you think you know what they ought to look like - especially in parts of the work that are out of focus or far from the center, those tend to be less realistic. If, at first glance, something in the background looks like a rose, look again and ask yourself, "Is that really what a rose looks like, even stylised? Why does that petal look more like a weird tentacle? These shapes make no sense. Was the artist just clumsy and made a mistake, or was it designed like that by a computer?"

Humans like symmetry. If there's a border or something which looks like it ought to feature repeating patterns but turns out to just be abstract shapes without any sort of pattern to it, then be suspicious. Same thing goes for motifs which look like they're supposed to consist of a perfectly mirrored right and left part but have unexpected inconsistencies (say, a butterfly or a crown, for example).

Finally, as always: is there a source in the caption? Does it say something like, "[Title of the piece/description of the motif] by [artist], embroidery thread and [beads/metal wire/leather appliqué/whatever fun material]"? Is there a caption at all? If not, there's a tiny chance that the artist just posted it themselves without a caption, but it's much more likely that it's either reposted stolen art or AI art that wants to pass under the radar, or even stolen AI art (if, indeed, one can steal something that was created by a computer based on other stolen art to begin with).

Okay, rant over. Go forth and look a bit closer at images of embroidery in future! You'll either discover that it's an AI piece, or you'll get the pleasure of really taking in the cool details and techniques used by a skilled, real-life fiber artist!

[frostedclock]

Powder Monkies

Drabble

Warnings: Drinking, Cursing, Suggestive themes. It's pirates guys. Treating Mei and MK like actual young adults. possible Grammer and spelling mistakes. No beta we die like mortals on my blog.

Enjoy

---

" I really think this is a horrible idea. "

It was late afternoon, and the sun was about to die in the west, the dark red sunlight leaked through your open window like streams. You adjusted the sash that held the pants you had decided to wear out, instead of your usual silk robes and jewelry. You dusted the wrinkles out of the soft cotton yi you had found and grinned over towards her. You look to Nezha, who stood with his arms crossed, in clear disapproval.

" Oh it will be fine! No one will recognize me like this. "

" And if they do and your father finds out that you went off drinking in some pub? What even have you the crazy thought that this was a good idea? "

You sigh and smooth out the tangles in your hair as you walk towards the open window. " It's a few drinks. No need to be so serious about it. "

" With a notorious captain. " You heard him sigh out beneath his breath, and his eyebrow twitched some. " Is he really worth all the trouble? You barely know the man."

You stop messing with your hair and you look below at the paved stone path beneath your window, you were only up on the second floor and it would be easy for you to find your way down. " I want to though... " You look back over your shoulder. " I've been stuck in the same routine for most of my life, this one time I just want to do something for fun. You know better then most how my father can be, he controls this island and everyone just sees me as the Emperor's daughter. I just want a few hours with some people who don't look at me like some fragile flower or something. "

Nezha rubbed the bridge of his nose. " He's just short of a pirate- "

" Privateer is what he prefers to be called." You correct but it goes ignored.

"This Sun Wukong. It really isn't that good of an idea to go out and drink with him and his rowdy crew. "

" You think walking around the port is a bad idea to. If it was up to you and father, I would be just stuck in these walls until he found some noble to pawn me off on. " You grip the window sill. " I'm going, " you turn and fully face him, " you can always come with me if you are that worried. "

You offered, but you knew the honorable Imperial Naval Officer Nezha wouldn't be caught dead at some seedy pub on the docks.

Nezha's nose crinkled. He made a deep sigh. " Just be home before morning, I will not cover for you if your bedroom is found empty in the morning. "

A big smile stretched across your lips, you quickly moved and wrapped your arms around his neck. " Thanks Nezha! "

" Just be careful. There are some out there that would take you for ransom. " He said as you pulled away from the hug.

" I am the definition of careful. " You let a laugh escape at the expression Nezha gave you. " I promise, I'll be careful. It's just a few drinks and some fun. "

" The last time you told me that, the stables burned down. "

" I was ten. " You roll your eyes and dust a bit of dirt off the lotus embroidery along his shoulders. Then you made a hum. " And I never expected that gust of wind in my defense. "

" That's what I mean. You never think things through properly. "

You move away and smile as you pick up the small pouch that you had filled with the funds to help your night of fun - without having to depend solely on the generosity of 'privateers'. You made your way back to the window and threw one leg over the ledge and let it dangle, you look back at Nezha.

"I'm a grown woman, Zha-Zha, " you pulled the childhood nickname with a grin pulling at your lips, " I think things through. "

You gripped the ledge next to your hips, as you threw your other leg over. The wind whipped by the large estate, making your hair lash about. You take a deep breath. The world rushed as you let yourself fall down to the paved stone below. You tucked yourself at the last few moments and you tumbled instead of falling flat. It still stung, but nothing except for a few scrapes. You picked yourself up, dusting yourself off from the stray dirt you gathered in your less then graceful landing.

You looked back up at your window for a moment before you turned your back on the large estate and set your eyes on the southern exit, the only person who patrolled there was your cousin, and you knew if he caught you that you could talk your way out of it. You smile and you take the quickest way across the courtyard, you pause only when you see the outside patrolling dog sleeping in front of the southern gate.

Xiaotian, you knew the dog. Faithful only to your cousin, and had a bark that could wake the entire island. You had to quietly pass the sleeping black dog, taking your sandles off to make less noise. You swore you held your breath until you were safely outside of the estate walls.

You look out to the torchlight that danced and signaled the town just below the hillside where the Palace and it's estate resided. It was like looking at a reflection of the sky sprawled out below as the night slowly took hold and the reds faded to blues and blacks. You took a deep breath of the crisp air crawling in from the wind from the sea. It was nice in the town, it was always lively at this time of day. You could hear the sailors and fishermen who had returned from the docks began to enjoy their wines and rums that the pubs and taverns.

Your stomach was in knots as you made your way through the winding streets. People stumbled about, some linked arm and arm, others just trying to make it home. No one really spared you a second glance. Music spilled from almost every corner and alleyway, all muffled by the sound of people attempting to speak over the volume of the music. You tried to recall the name of the pub Wukong had told you of. What had he called it?

Something with fruit in name.

You began to scan to signs as you reach the block of shops, inns and pubs near the docks. You looked for anything that struck your memory, your eyes settle on a two story pub set out by itself, it was settled on the docks itself and had a big sign hanging out front. ' The Rotten Peach' written in whispy script, you blink and look at it. You look up to the second floor to two peering faces.

Then just as quickly as you looked up and noticed them, they were gone in a flash of green and brown. You tilt your head some but you move to the entrance and push the large wooden door into the pub. You smiled as the bright yellow wash of candle and firelight warmed your face as you got inside.

You let your eyes go across the faces of those at the bar and the surrounding tables. You saw plenty of drunken sailors, ladies dressed in hanfu that the slit was only closed by the size of their thighs, fishermen speaking bolstiously about their catch. You didn't see Wukong anywhere in sight, or any of his crew that you had met. You walked in a few steps before you felt a hand on your shoulder. You spun around quickly and was met by the friendly face you often saw by Wukong's side, though you didn't see his partner in crime. MK stood behind you with a big grin, his tail waved about behind him in swishing and twitching motions. He wore his faded red yi and ku, the sash tied around was a bright yellow color. You didn't often see him wearing anything else now that you think of it.

" Hey, MK, damn you startled me. " You made a light chuckle.

" Heh, sorry about that. Come on, Captain sent me down to get you. " MK rubbed the back of his head, " We are all upstairs." He motioned for you to follow. You trailed behind the young simian, the sound of several loud voices broke through the drone of bar patrons as you both reached the staircase to the second floor.

As you both crested the top of the staircase, the voices became recognizable, especially Mei's enthusiastic chanting of 'chug'. You glance at the top floor, it was mostly empty except for the rowdiest bunch you've met on the island. Wukong stood in the center of the group of four crew members, he held a pitcher of some amber liquid that he was drinking straight from the mouth of what was supposed to be a serving glass. When he slammed down the pitcher, Mei threw her arms up into the air with a loud shout, the other three seemed less enthusiastic but made laughs.

Wukong wiped the drips from his chin as you and MK approached. He looked over and his tail waved about behind him as his eyes met yours. " Tao! Just in time!" He let out a snicker.

You let a smile reach your lips. " I can see that, though I think I'm a few drinks behind now."

MK reached over as he reached the table and snagged up an unattended cup, then he swished it about. " Don't worry, I'm sure you can catch up. " He chuckled.

Wukong put his arm around your shoulder and guided you to the empty space next to him in front of the table, " MK's right! We have plenty of time for you to catch up." He pulled over a cup that was already filled to the brim with froth and dark liquor, maybe made with some kind of barley from the scent hitting your nose. He scooted it to your hand and smiled.

Pigsy, if you remembered his name right, made a snort. His snout wrinkled just a little as he looked out of the corner of his eye. " How can she catch up with how you drink? We've only been here an hour and between you, Mk and Mei, you all have already swallowed a barrel full."

Mk made a ' pfft' and took a big drink from his own cup, then he put his arm around the pig-mans broad shoulders. " You're exaggerating, Pigsy. "

Pigsy took a swift from the short stout glass of his own. " Oh I am?"

The dark haired man with the spectacles, pushed the brim of his glasses up his nose. He didn't have a glass of anything, instead he had an empty bowl with a pair of chopsticks across the rim. " Come on Pigsy, don't be like that. We all work hard and deserve a little relaxation time."

The very large, but surprisingly friendly blue man spoke up, his cat wast perched on his shoulder. " That's right, my sweet and sour pigsy. Especially you. " He snickered and pat the top of Pigsy's head much like a child.

Pigsy swatted at the hand and growled, a tusk showing. You had to hold in a laugh and you turn your attention back to your own drink and Wukong, who seemed to look away from you the moment you turned your head and put his face in his own drink. Had he been staring at you? You shrug it off and take a deep drink from the tin cup. It burned on its way down but it tasted of spices and barley. You must have made a face because Wukong cocked an eyebrow at you.

" Have you not had spiced ale before?" His tone was definitely amused.

" Most of the time I drink wine, " You admitted. " But it doesn't taste bad. Just, different I guess. "

Wukong chuckled and his tail swayed behind him lazily. The sound of the music being played below began to get loud enough to seep through to the second floor, some kind of fiddle and a set of singers. You couldn't make out the words, but the tone seemed lively. You hum and tap your foot some as you drink.

" It must be nice. " You speak after a moment and Wukong set his empty cup on the table, he made a hum of acknowledgement.

" What must be?" His thick eyebrow was cocked and his golden eyes shined in the flickering firelight from the candles and sconces.

" Being able to come and go from the island as you like. " You finish your first glass and Wukong was quick to fill your glass back up with one of the many pitchers that littered the table.

He leaned against one hand, his elbow propped on the table. " I suppose it is nice. I've always enjoyed drifting place to place, only returning to my home Flower Fruit Mountain once a year to check up on a few things. No one's there anymore so no point in hanging about there. " He made a chuckle but it almost seemed sad to you.

" Well that's why you have such a colorful crew. " You let out a puff of air akin to a laugh.

Wukong leaned over, letting his hand fall, just a couple inches from your hand resting next to you recently filled cup. " They are from all walks of life, that's true. " His tail twitched some, a smile on his lips. " You could join us too."

You felt your heart stutter in its beats. " I... I would love that... To leave and go off with you, " you saw his smile grow a bit bigger, or perhaps it was a smirk now, " a-and the others. It seems like such fun. "

Wukong made a hum in his throat, his eyes narrowed to where you could more vividly see the streaks of teal on his eyelids. " Oh it can be. "

You rubbed the bottom of your cup like a worry stone. For a moment you listened to the padding of feet behind you as MK and Mei swung about and laughed as they danced haphazardly to the beats of the music below. You smiled softly. " Would you take me? I'm not a fighter but... "

You felt a hand cup over yours and your eyes moved from the ale bubbles popping at the top of your glass to meet glowing gold. Wukong laughed gently. " I would gladly take you with me when we leave,Tao... Tang over there isn't a fighter either. " His grin stretched some into a playful smirk. " You can hide below deck with him. "

You snort a laugh and your shoulders relax. When had you tensed them? Or had they always been so tense? " When? How long had you all planned to stay?" You tried not to sound to eager, but you are sure it still came off that way.

Wukong's tail flicked and waved some. " Another week I think. "

You clasp his hand with both of yours, ale all but forgotten. " Then take me with you when you go."

Wukong's eyes met yours for a moment, and you saw a dusting of pink going across his cheeks. His smile grew impossibly wide, and you felt him pull you closer to him. He was deceptively strong, it almost felt like you had glided across the wooden floor. "Of course, peach. You just had to say the word." He snickered and you felt his tail brush against your pant leg.

You felt hands on your shoulders and you were suddenly shaken from behind, Mei let out a sound not unlike a dragon's roar as she shook you vigorously. If Wukong didn't have a good hold on you, you might have fallen over.

" A new crew mate! Fuck yes! Oh girl! I can't wait to show you around the ship! Just two fancy ladies tearing the sea asunder!" Mei shouted, she let go of you and you had to take ahold of Wukong's yellow yi for more support as the world stopped shaking. . " MK! Go snag that pipa and flute guy from below, this party is about to get wild and we need some good music!"

MK did a mock salute before he took off down the stairs. It didn't take the brown furred youth long to track down the poor sap. When he was unceremoniously set down on the ground, he looked at the mixed company he was in. The sack of gold was one way to get the music playing again, though you weren't sure where MK had been hiding it. The song started up again, the same tone as before.

Wukong laughed and you felt his arm snake around your waist, " Let's dance." He looked at you, his eyes seemed to glow brighter for a moment as your eyes met his.

Your heart felt like it stopped for a brief moment, then you nod. He pulled you along with him to the more clear area of the room, avoiding the two young charges he had on his crew that had begon their rambunctious dance that seemed to become a contest of who could spin the other's drink out of their cup.

The world whirled for a moment as the last few steps, Wukong swung you about so you were facing him and his hands rested on your hips. You made a laugh, and he grinned widely. The music was a fast pace, the strings being plucked matched the movement Wujing began to lead you in. It wasn't like the elegant dances you had been forced to endure during your childhood or even your teenage years. You let out laughs as you were picked up, your legs swung about as he spun you around.

When he brought you back down you tucked your legs against his hips and his hands held you up by your thighs, his hands held you tightly. You ran your fingers through his hair and the smile held on your lips was so wide you were almost squinting.

You hadn't felt felt this happy in a long time. Or ever perhaps.

The song stopped and you were left catching your breath, you felt the heat going to your cheeks as you look into Wukong's eyes a few inches from yours.

" Tao I...." Wukong began.

Your heart felt like it was going to leap out of your chest, your head was dizzy from the dance and the ale swishing about your skull. You placed your hands on his cheeks, the long orange pieces of hair were soft in your fingers. You leaned down and captured his lips in a kiss.

You had to ignore the hoots and whistles from Mei.

[theearlgreymage]

New Year. Same Projects. What a Shock.

Anyways.

I've been tippy-tapping away on my keyboard. Occasionally getting help from one of my cats who think that they can type on my keyboard. (They cannot, but they don't want to listen to me.)

Massive Hello and Thanks to all of you lovely folk who have been tagging me lately. Especially this past Sunday, I feel like EVERYONE was posting then, but me - whoops. @thewholelemon @artsyunderstudy @shrekgogurt @nausikaaa @that-disabled-princess @iamamythologicalcreature @ileadacharmedlife @hushed-chorus @aristocratic-otter

Now. Onto the WIP Wednesday!!

I have TWO WIPs to share today. And one of them is actually Carry On. So sorry for my friends that have had to deal with my latest hyper-fixation these past few months.

Excerpt from Untitled SnowBaz Oneshot

I cannot believe I let Penelope Bunce drag me out here. Every single one of my ancestors is probably rolling in their graves as I cross the threshold to the studio. (Who am I kidding, they've been rolling in their graves since I came out as gay.) I'm shocked by how many people are here, all of them talking to each other as they get settled in front of their easels. Some have pulled up stools to sit on while others opt to stand, and there's two girls that have forgone an easel entire to sit on the floor with their sketchpads in their laps. No one pays us any mind as we walk around the circle of people, finding two unclaimed spots side-by-side. "Are you going to look like that the entire time, Basil?" Penelope asks as she pulls a stool closer to her easel. I scoff at her. "Look like what?" She just rolls her eyes at me. "Like you want to set this place or yourself on fire." "Seriously?" I seethe at her in a hush, leaning in close so no one overhears our conversation. "I accidentally set --" "Penny!!" A loud voice cuts me off as a taller bloke slides in between us. "I'm so glad you came tonight!" Looking over the strangers shoulder at Penny, I'm about to ask her just who the fuck is this, but her eyes are firmly planted on this newcomer. There's an undeniable blush on her cheeks. "I said I'd be here, didn't I?" She challenges the man as she adjusts her glasses. "And I even brought a friend." At that, they both turn to look at me. "This is Basil," Penny motions from the stranger to me. "It's his first time attending a class. Basil," she addresses me this time, "this is Shep - he's the instructor for tonight's class." "Pleasure to meet you," Shep offers his hand and I take it. He has a decent grip. "Likewise." "Are you planning to stay back after the session like normal?" Shep asks, turning his head in Penelope's direction. "Of course!" She answers immediately. And with Shep still looking at her, I can't help but raise an inquisitive eyebrow at her - one that she catches. Really, Penelope? The glare that she sends my way screams oh, fuck off, Basil.

And of course, a piece from the AOT project that has a chokehold on my life still.

Excerpt from Undecided Chapter of May Their Blood Boil

I don’t have a fucking clue what I’m supposed to do now. Every eye is firmly planted on me, and all I want to do is turn and run back down the hallway - find one of the secret passageways that Erwin’s showed me to slip into and wait out the rest of this ball.  Instead, I find Erwin amongst the sea of people. It isn’t difficult, he’s ridiculously tall and his hair shines in the candlelight. Not a single hair out of place, even his eyebrows look as though they’ve been tended to for the event. He’s in a suit that looks as though it was measured to his exact measurements. A soft blue, like that of storm clouds on the horizon with a rich gold embroidery along the edges that hugs his shoulders. What’s shocking about his attire, however, is the trinket on display around his neck. He’s wearing it as he normally does, like a bolo tie, with the emerald encrusted in gold resting on the ruffles of his dress shirt.  Erwin’s eyes worry me though. That mask that he’s been determined to wear is in place again, his eyes dull despite the bright smile plastered across his lips. There’s a glass of wine in his hands, he’s holding it delicately by the stem of the glass, and when he takes a sip of it he looks up towards me. Focusing on his gaze, on the smoldering fire beneath the front he’s put in place, I walk down the steps to join the fray.  I’m so focused on Erwin, I don’t notice Reiss waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. He’s holding out a hand for me, that I want to refuse to take, but his earlier words are still resonating in my eardrums.  Behave. Or I’ll execute every person in this palace who has so much as looked in your direction.  Placing my palm in his, I bite my tongue to keep from reacting to the disgusting clamminess of his hand. His smile at my obedience makes my stomach turn and my every muscle itch for a knife to lodge in his throat.

(Fun Fact - The first 5 Chapters of this fic are on AO3 AND there may be some secret fanart for this scene.)

Tags and Hello's to Everyone are beneath the cut 👋

@confused-bi-queer @cutestkilla @ebbpettier @facewithoutheart @fatalfangirl @ic3-que3n @ivelovedhimthroughworse @ionlydrinkhotwater @j-nipper-95 @johnwgrey @krisrix @larkral @letraspal @martsonmars @onepintobean @palimpsessed @prettylightsbigcity @raenestee @skeedelvee @stardustasincocaine @stitchyqueer @tea-brigade @theimpossibledemon @wellbelesbian @whogaveyoupermission @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[humanpurposes]

These are all my thoughts about the Season 2 teaser, under a cut because I'm mentioning book spoilers and doing some speculating, and also because I have sooooo much to say

Starting off with the first shot of Rhaenyra, standing by Shipbreaker Bay with Storm's End in the distance. The fact that she goes looking for Luke is so heartbreaking, but this is why I'm so excited for the show!! In the book there's not really an explanation of how the Blacks found out about Luke's death, just Rhaenyra's reaction and the "son for a son" line. I do really love the portrayal of Rhaenyra as a mother in the first season, especially her bond with Luke and I can so see her rushing to find out what happened to him.

I'm so excited for Emma D'Arcy in general. I'll be honest, it took me a while to warm up to post time jump Rhaenyra, especially because I felt like the character felt so different to Milly's Rhaenyra, but they really won me over in episode 10. What Emma is able to do with just their expressions is incredible, particularly in the very last shot of season 1, that look of grief and fury was so impactful. I hope we get more 'silent' acting moments from Emma and I think this could be one of those.

I wanna jump a head and mention the parallels between this scene and the shot of Alicent by some lake? I really thought that was supposed to be Alys Rivers until they showed her face. Obviously there's a similar visual there with Alicent and Rhaenyra. My questions are, where is this meant to be? It looks misty and you can't see much in the background, so I'm thinking it could be a dream given that she's dressed very plainly? The other lake that comes to mind is the God's Eye, but in the book, Alicent doesn't leave King's Landing. This bit also excited me because I've kinda used bodies of water as symbol for death and grief in one of my fics haha.

Sticking with Alicent, the first we see of her in the teaser is her speaking with someone off camera, probably Larys Strong because you can see his cane. My girl looks tired (probably because her son started a war whoops) and she seems very reluctant with the "many will die line." Super excited for more Olivia Cooke looking melancholic!!

I hate Criston Cole's haircut, but it's not a big deal.

Aegon on the throne! He still looks miserable lmao. I think of all the interpretations of the characters I think Aegon will end up disappointing me the most. I really don't think they developed him enough last season to set up any meaningful rivalry with Rhaenyra, which I can understand because the focus is on Rhaenyra and Alicent. But I feel like he's been left out of his own story in a way because in the book, he doesn't want the throne, but is convinced by Criston to stake his claim and properly fight for it. I have a feeling HotD is still going for a mopey emo boy. I mean he literally has a chain around him. Also I wish his crown had more rubies, it looks so underwhelming, but the dragon embroidery on his tunic is sick.

Also, dragon shoulder things going on with Rhaenyra's dress? Slay, she's the more fashionable monarch for sure.

0:26, the dragon flying overhead. I think this is Nettles!! Some people have been saying they're disappointed she was left out, but I think could be her looking at Sheepstealer? And she has some stick thing idk it looked like a shepherd's cane to me.

And immediately after that we have a shot of a dragon flying over another lake. It looks like the same one? I was thinking it might also be Jace on Vermax when he's delivering his messages to the Vale and Winterfell? Omg but so many dragons this season!! I'm so excited to see all of them.

Going back to Daemon, he's definitely on a war path this season, we have that first shot of him grabbing his helmet and storming off, presumably to battle, then he's beheading someone in front of a Weirwood tree. One thing I really found interesting about the time jump in season 1 was how subdued older Daemon was compared to his younger self, even when he killed Vaemond he played it off so nonchalantly. But then in episode 10 he's just desperate to make a show of strength and end the conflict quickly and violently, with Rhaenyra being the one who has to restrain him. So I'm interested to see how their dynamic as a couple will play out, and to see a return to form for Daemon as a force of nature.

Aemond being the very next frame after Daemon swings his sword oof. I'll get more into Aemond in a bit because I will talk about him forever and ever amen once I get started. But that LOOK, my man is yearning for the throne and we're all obsessed.

0:38, that looks like Seasmoke to me, which would mean the person standing in front of the dragon is Laenor or Addam of Hull. I don't really have an opinion about Laenor possibly coming back, we'll just see what happens. Would be quite devastating for Corlys and Rhaenys though, after mourning their son for 6 years.

speaking of mourning sons Helaena looks so stunning in 0:40. I tried to avoid those leaks but these look like they're from Jaehaerys' funeral procession. I'm looking forward to more prophetic stuff from Helaena, hopefully get more into her relationship with her family. I just hope she gets the time she deserves in the show because in the book she very much exists in the background, especially after Blood and Cheese. And the audacity of them to show a shot of the Dragonpit before Helaena, that's just cruel 🥺

UM ALSO 0:52. Took me a second to register what was happening the first time I watched this. Something that really stands out to me is how gentle Helaena's expression is (unless I'm misreading Phia's face completely) but that is something that's mentioned in the book, Helaena supposedly met them very calmly. I just know Phia Saban is going to do an amazing job in this scene and I'm absolutely terrified to see it play out.

Ok going back again, there's some battle scene or whatever, that's cool ig.

0:45-0:47 Rhaenys' voiceover, her and Rhaenyra (I'm guessing at Dragonstone) and then BAELA!! Again, I'm really hoping for some canon divergence from the book because I am so down to see Baela being utilised more! That's something I didn't really get about the book, Baela has Morning but they only participate in one battle. I'm thinking this is her at Rook's Rest, seeing Rhaenys die or getting there too late.

0:53 Duel of the Cargyll twins? omg :(

And to finish off, the shots of Aemond, then Rhaenyra, then Vhagar. Excited to see Rhaenyra being more active in the fighting. Although her unwillingness to fight her own battles was something that was used against her in F&B, I think it feels very much in line with what we saw of her in season 1.

Aemond looks SO GOOD, and I know these probably won't be from the same scene, but with the shots of him and Rhaenyra being one after the other, I feel like there could be something there about the (for what of a better word) rivalry between them in the aftermath of Luke's death. If we got to see them face off against each other or have some kind of interaction, that would be insane.

Ok now I'm going to ramble about my war criminal princess 🥰

So we all know one of the biggest talking points of the season 1 finale was the part Aemond played in Luke's death and what this means for him as a character moving forward.

It's really interesting to compare HotD Aemond vs F&B Aemond, because in the book he comes across as a lot more abrasive, ruthless and impulsive. In the show, Aemond is an imposing but understated presence which is so unnerving and so captivating to watch, and then he has these moments where his anger comes out. I think in episode 8, his anger feels deliberate when he reacts to Luke laughing at him at the dinner, it's all a threat and a reminder of what he's capable of. It's all to get a reaction and it works, he insults the Strong boys, laughs off Jace's punch, but the moment he comes face to face with Daemon he backs down. Then we have Storm's End in episode 10. His anger is meant to intimidate again, but the difference is that there's no one to make him back down, so he takes things too far, chases Luke and is helpless to stop Vhagar when she goes in for the kill.

I love what Ewan Mitchell has said about the bond between Aemond and Vhagar, how their bond has changed his view of himself and shaped the person he becomes. He's bonded to an ancient war dragon, he's an ambitious second son who has to settle for being a supporting act to his useless older brother, and he's been through a lot of physical and emotional trauma since childhood, so while he's trying to play the part of Alicent's golden child, he's had all this pain simmering under the surface, which was inevitably going to reach boiling point.

I think it makes perfect sense that Aemond's first kill was 'accidental' considering he's never had any experience with actual combat, but this doesn't mean it has to detract from his character and in fact I think this lends itself to the tragedy of his story. Enough people have said it but I think he'll come back to King's Landing, get a right bollocking from Alicent and Otto, and he'll play it off as though he killed Luke to avenge his missing eye. The alternative is admitting that he doesn't have full control of his dragon, not a great sign considering she is the Green's most important asset in the war. B&C is going to devastate their whole family but with Aemond has to carry the guilt of being the one who drew first blood, and I think from there we'll really see him lean into this persona of The Kinslayer and become more ruthless and overtly violent. AND THEN after Rook's Rest and Aegon's injury, Aemond will become Regent and will be closer to the throne than he ever has been or ever will be.

I think he's just going to become completely insane and even more unhinged and I'm absolutely buzzing to see it all go down. Just please, HBO, for the love of God, give him more than one outfit.

Additional thoughts:

I wonder if they'll keep the GoT theme for the opening credits? I kinda want something new, maybe a bit darker? Either way, so excited for new stuff from Ramin Djawadi

No Daeron which isn't looking good, yikes. Dare we hold out hope he'll show up in a later season? But then there was a shot of the Hightower army in the teaser and he'd be with them

We also have no Cregan Stark which surprised me because I really thought they'd play up nostalgia points with Winterfell

No Sunfyre :(

No Caraxes :( unless we count that quick shot of Daemon in his saddle.

No Dreamfyre, but this is less surprising

I'm nitpicking now, but I would have liked a shot of the Velaryon Fleet too, that would have been cool

[ladystarksneedle]

I am completely thrown off track because of the hurricane that came yesterday. I gotta finish my data analysis before the deadline and I have a headache today, but I still can't stop watching the teaser and the youtube videos analysing it. On the other hand, it felt anticlimactic and like a massive drop in Dopamine for me? like yeah, its over. Whats next?

You already know my favorite two scenes from the teaser: Daemon at Godswood and Aemond's walk towards the throne (Obviously in Michael Gavey's voice). What about yours?

Also, I wish they showed a teeny-tiny, blink-and-you-miss-it glimpse of Alys Rivers. Hoping for another teaser soon, but I reckon they won't feed us until March. Our gluttony has no bounds.

Aah Uz took the words right out of my mouth! I think I was so looking forward to it and now that it's here and I've seen it, I feel a little meh.

I hope your headache subsides soon and you meet your deadline on time, I know you will though and then we can talk and fangirl more❤️

I think the trailer was.. definitely not what I was expecting. For one the vibes are definitely a bit darker, but in a way I didn't anticipate. I'll start with the costumes since I love talking about those

I loved some of the costumes. Alicent is slaying as usual, I loved all her fits, the green dress, the teal, the veils and another crown finally!

Even loved the red dress and dragon rider fit Rhaenyra has with the red and black and her black council outfit with the golden dragon motifs for syrax on her shoulder. It looks like she's wearing a braid in one scene so they're going with the book description of her trying to channel Queen Visenya's whole image of the warrior queen

I think Aegon's could have been done way way better. He's grown his hair and some people commented this is him finally embracing the Targaryen aspect of power. I loved the golden dragon embroidery on his tunic but it seems way similar to his coronation fit and frankly I expected something grander given that he's king now.

Aemond also is in those same black leathers, not really complaining because he's him obviously but I wish they'd done more for him.

He's also not wearing armour while riding Vhagar which has me questioning things.

A couple of people said they're saving it for a big reveal sort of thing and this was just the first look but I'm still a bit bummed as we did see Daemon in armour so that was.. interesting.

As for the plot

Really confused as to the Laenor-Addam thing and syrax vs the grey dragon showdown scene, I wonder what they're going to do about Seasmoke now and I think that's him in the picture.

Also alicent infront of a lake? Super confused about this

I think my favourites would be Aemond and Aegon's strut towards the throne, Helaena's brief appearance and her looking up at Jaehaerys' funeral which has me sad and on the edge of my seat. I'm looking forward to more scenes of her.

Criston executing someone who looks like a black loyalist and Alicent and Otto's conversation.

Things I'm salty about: No mention of Daeron , Alys and nettles. At all. I hope the next trailer gives an inclination of sorts which like you said would probably be around March.

[recreationalfanfics]

Blue Lock Boys × Fem! Native! Reader: You Bead Something For Them

Disclaimer: ANOTHER POST FOR ALL MY FELLOW NATIVES, NON-NATIVES ARE ALLOWED TO INTERACT WITH THIS POST AS LONG AS YOU ARE RESPECTFUL OF OUR CULTURE. Again, all Indegenious/Native Tribes are different so I sadly won't be able to represent all of our people but I am gonna try and keep this as general as possible!

Cultural Context: My favorite part of our culture has always been beading and there are two types of beading: looming (where you use a loom essentially) and applique embroidery, where you just bead on designs with a sewing needle and thread! I will be talking about the embroidery one in this post since its one I've seen my tribe do a lot so I hope you all enjoy!♡

Reo Mikage:

- Your beading has always been so impressive to him. Not only is it the patience you have when you do it but also, the way your hand is so steady, and how creative you have to be with the beads in order to get the picture and design you want.

- HE WILL BUY YOU SUPPLIES, TOO. What fabric do you need to put your beads on? What specific brand of beads do you want? Do you want him to have people make you your own custom glass beads??? Just, like, stuff like that.

- He loves it when you walk around, a pair of shoes flashing an old design you did a while ago. Some beads had broken off and went missing a few times so some of the design was gone but he still liked how it looked on you!

- He also loves the texture of your beadwork, looking at a work in progress design you had laying around from a year ago and asking if it was if he could touch it, admiring the craftsmanship even tho you tell him that it still looks a bit sloppy, he loves it all the same and doesn't understand how you can see any flaws in it.

- You have made designs based off of him, too. Using beads colored purple that are his exact eye and hair color. Whether you made it into an earring or necklace for yourself, he doesn't really care, he just LOVES seeing you wear it honestly.

- So one day you decide that you want to bead something for him. Maybe his shoes? Obviously not his soccer ones but shoes that he wears on his days out or something. Maybe a bracelet that he can always wear whenever you aren't allowed in Blue Lock! Or perhaps just do something on his bag?

- Either way, whatever you decide to give him, HE LOVES IT. He is careful with it however, even if you assured him that you sewed the thread and beads together as best as you could to make the design more hardy but he's still very careful with it.

- HE TRIES TO PAY FOR IT AT FIRST. LIKE, HE KNOWS HOW MUCH TIME IT TAKES FOR YOU TO DO THESE THINGS AND HE'D FEEL SO BAD, but you assure him that you don't really want his money (especially after he already got you such expensive and high grade supplies) and that you just wanted to gift this to him because he means so much to you and that you really appreciate him respecting your culture and being so supportive of you that you just want to give him something in return.

- AND HE LOVES IT BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING ELSS LIKE IT. The design you did was personalized from HIM. The time and attention you spent on this was for HIM. MONEY WILL NEVER BUY HIM ANYTHING THIS SPECIAL. So he will cherish the ABSOLUTE HELL out of your gift.

- He's fiercely protective of it and when he misses you, he just lays and admires it and your handiwork.

Rensuke Kunigami (Pre-Shidou):

- Rensuke is so interested in it, honestly. Like, he'll ask you all the time what designs you're thinking of doing, how you arranged the beads to get them to look like that. Just a whole bunch of questions but he knows you won't get annoyed and will answer all of his questions.

- Doesn't mind sitting in silence as you bead and he's practicing kicking goals into the net. He likes the comfortable silence and sometimes, he'll just smile at you lovingly as you furrow your brows and carefully place different colored beads that join together to create a beautiful pattern.

- He does make sure to check for needles when he's over at your place because last time when he sat on a couch, he accidentally sat on a needle that you placed there so it wouldn't fall or go missing. It didn't hurt that much but, you know, it's a needle. At least you let him know where you place your needles.

- If you ever spill your beads, he will help you pick them up and idk why but its just really cute to imagine him crouching down and helping you pick them and just being REALLY attentive about it. Especially if it was his fault, like he knocked over your plate of beads with a soccer ball or something but POINT IS, HE IS THOROUGH.

- He likes seeing all the bags, shoes, if you have a blue lock id that came with a lanyard (for when you are permitted to visit) then yeah, you're totally beading that too.

- Gets defensive if someone says anything that puts you, your art, or your culture down. Like, you're doing some beadwork and one of the guys just asks why you do something so pointless and Kunigami immediately jumping to your defense.

- "Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's pointless. You don't know how much work and time it takes them." and then he proceeds to just casually beat them in the next match he has with them.

- If you ever give him something you beaded as a gift, he will cherish it. I personally think he'd look cool with beaded necklace with a soccerball on it. You're embarrassed because you think it's really generic but he is absolutely stoked about it!

- Obviously he can't wear it in Blue Lock but anywhere else? He'll proudly wear it with you, making sure the bright patterns are visible for everyone to see and running his fingers against it and feeling the texture and smiling to himself about all the long hours you put into making this for him.

- He also knows sometimes you stay up late to make things though or finish up a few things on your beading but he will definetly urge you to go to bed and when you resist, he just carefully takes the needle from you and wraps an arm around you and you're about to protest but you let out a yawn and sigh and begrudgingly admit that he might be right.

Ryusei Shidou:

- Homie has BEEN asking for something from you ever since he learned that you do that. To be honest, he definetly thinks there are some parts of your culture that are cool as fuck but some of them are stereotypes that you might need to correct him about and he's willing to listen.

- But back to the beading thing, he saw how some of your things had various different tribal patterns or just some designs you thought looked cool and he asked where you keep getting that stuff and is fairly impressed when you tell him you made it yourself.

- "YOU SHOULD MAKE SOMETHING FOR ME. Like, a super badass design on my jersey!"/ "Ryu, that design would probably break. I could do a leash though, that'd be more useful."/ "I could work with that~"

- However when you start working on his gift, he soon realizes that the beading process of it takes your time. Aka, time that you could've spent with HIM. So he'll whine and ask you to pay attention to him and you have to be there like: "Shidou, YOU ASKED FOR THIS." and he's all: "I KNOW, BUT I'M DYING OVER HERE, BABY!"

- He has knocked over your plate of beads before, let's be honest. He doesn't mean to do it, he's just so easily excited and energetic and a huge fucking menace that its sadly the price the you pay for being in love with him. He'll help you pick them up but he's so fucking annoyed with them too because THEY'RE SO STUPID SMALL, HOW DO YOU DO ANYTHING WITH THEM!?

- Also if he ever hears you go: "Fuck!" and hiss in pain, he knows for a fact you probably poked yourself and he walks over to you and PUTS THE TIP OF YOUR FINGER WHERE YOU POKED YOURSELF IN HIS MOUTH.

- You pulled your hand away the first time and said: "RYU, WHAT THE HELL-" to his excuse was "What? Just kissing it better for you.~" So he just does that and you're going to have to accept that. Might teasingly bite your finger when you remind him you still have to work on his gift.

- When you finally finish with it, HE IS SO OBNOXIOUS IN SHOWING IT OFF. Like, he's talking about how great and talented his s/o is and how they're so cool and if anyone makes fun of it, he is gonna need to be locked up again. IF ANYONE TRIES TO TOUCH IT, HE WILL BE IN PRISON FOR LIFE.

- Tbh he might break it during like a fight or he just was too rough so you do have to make some repairs to it and while you're semi-annoyed, you think its really cute how he gets so upset about it until he starts talking about how he's gonna murder the guy he was scrapping with. If he has to wait because you don't have the right color beads, he will be moody with everyone (except you♡) and he'll be patient for when its ready.

- Ryusei loves seeing you wear the jewlery that you made tho, there's something so mesmerizing about you casually representing your culture that just makes him feel some kind of way. Idk why but he'd def like the dangly beaded earrings you wear, they're just super pretty on you. He can't explain it.

[somethingmissingthiswaycomes]

Would it be weird to ask how you plan out your embroidery designs? If not weird and you have the time/spoons do you have any tips?

Oh no worries, I am the OP! @handmadehazefromtheheart is my craft account. ^w^ You were referring to this post, right?

Asking isn't weird at all btw. I like questions. :3 Though I dunno if my answer will be the most helpful, since I'm still pretty experimental with my embroidery.

For the brain, I literally just doodled onto the fabric with a water soluble pen.

For the latest piece before that, I traced the outline + important features of a picture I had of my girlfriend by holding fabric pinned in a hoop up to my laptop screen. Then I flipped the fabric around in the hoop so it was right ways up. I did the same with her music logo, which I made for her birthday this year.

Mostly, though, I've been actually drawing out patterns on paper.

I trace them onto the fabric using a white screen behind it. (I literally just Google "white" and open an image full screen.)

Getting the colors right is hard, but I'm getting the hang of it I think.

For the brain, I decided as I went which sections would be which shade of teal on the fly.

For the portrait, I gathered various shades of coral (the color of the InfiniTints prompt it was for) and then separated them into groups based on where I thought each shade would work best. I had a hair pile and a skin pile, and in each pile I determined which would be used for lighter areas and darker areas based on the picture I was using.

For the In Decay logo, I did pretty much the same thing but with whites and greys, though I haven't shown off the full thing yet. (I'm going to do that in a special way. :3c Stay tuned.) The mouse had the same process. The mouse was actually the first one I did it like that for, and I love how it turned out—and the fact that a duplicate made as a commission came out so nice after.

You can kind of see on the clover pic above that I actually labeled it for where I wanted which shades of green. I should probably do that more.

I've mostly been working with long and short stitch, but working on this pre-made kit has helped me get a sense of how to use different kinds of stitches together.

So far, the brain is the most deliberate in terms of different stitches.

[ID: A two second video showing off the embroidered result of the brain sketch near the top of the post. It's mostly satin stitch, but the outlines are all stem stitches, and there are French knots in some places next to backstitches and split stitches that swirl. /end ID]

I'd say I've improved a lot from my first attempt last year:

Oh... I got away from myself writing that out, didn't I? I hope you got what you were asking for out of it! 😅

[pro-gamer-moves]

I've had this in my head for a loong time and please do a quick writing about it! What if the Links went to a party and there all trying to look their best (most of them at least) like wearing their best clothes, wearing their best makeup and all. While warriors thinks he looks best but wild beats him with some silent princess drawn on his face with eyeliner.

Sorry if that's too much it is kinda specific 😥❤️

-Jiy

Party Time!

(Could be considered a sequel to my earlier fic)

(No worries Jiy specific prompts are kinda better tbh)

The chain emerged from the portal on the outskirts of a village. Wild immediately perked up and began running, yelling back to the rest of the group as he did so. “This is Hateno village, we’re close to my house!”

The others set off after him as fast as they could, only catching up once he was already engaged in conversation. The woman had short blonde hair and blue eyes, and Wild turned back to face them with a wide grin on his face. “Everyone, this is Zelda. We’ve been engaged for three months, but don’t tell Impah.”

Flora smirked and softly punched his arm. “As if everyone in Hyrule doesn’t already know. Nice to meet you everyone— Link’s already explained everything.”

Warriors bowed with a flourish. “An honor to meet you madam.”

Flora blushed. “Please, just Zelda is fine.”

Time held out a hand, and Zelda shook it. “Glad to finally meet you Zelda. Link talks about you a lot. Do you have anywhere in this town we could spend the night?”

Flora looked at Link, who nodded. “Of course! There’s plenty of room in our house.”

Together they led the way to a mid-sized house on the outskirts of Hateno, passing several villagers hanging colorful flags and wreaths as they did so.

“What are all the people doing?” Asked Wind.

Flora looked around to see what he was looking at. “Oh! Today is the first anniversary of Link’s defeating Calamity Gannon, so there’s going to be a feast with dancing. You’re all welcome to join in if you aren’t too tired.” She grabbed Wild’s arm. “I know I’m looking forward to dancing with a certain someone after so long.”

Wild blushed as the other Links exchanged exited glances, all thinking the same thing. A party meant a chance to go completely over the top with outfits and makeup. Nobody said a word, but unofficially the competition was on.

When they reached the house there was a scramble as everyone claimed rooms and shelled off armor. Quite a few immediately ran down to the nearby stream to wash off the dirt of the road, while the others took their time picking out which clothes needed washing before following behind.

Several fights broke out about who got to use which mirror shield, and Time even had to break out his unsettling “screaming face” mirror shield that he refused to tell anyone where he had found. Tension was high as Wind and Four had to completely wash their faces and restart their looks, but soon the sun was kissing the horizon and music began wafting from the village square.

Hyrule was the first out the door sporting his regular green tunic and eyeshadow, with the addition of matching lipstick and fierce winged eyeliner. Wind followed in his lobster tunic with blue and green eyeshadow and blue eyeliner he had borrowed from Time.

Four was next out the door wearing his usual four-colored eyeliner and -shadow and tunic with the gold embroidery newly repaired, with every colored line on his face given an extra flair to stand out in the firelight. After Four was Time, wearing a blue tunic with his facial markings mirrored on the other side of his face.

Twilight wore a bold smokey eye and brown lipstick, wolf pelt freshly washed and brushed and facial markings outlined in gold. Legend had leaned into his pink hair and somehow turned all of it the same rosey shade, with bushing cheeks and pink lips to match. He had also found a pink crop top and skirt somewhere, and was unabashedly showing his midriff.

Sky had opted for a more subdued look, twisting his sailcloth around his shoulders in mesmerizing knots and giving his eyes a subtle glow and a lick of eyeliner. Warriors was second to last, boasting pridefully about how he was the prettiest.

It was for good reason, too. He had apparently been carrying his formal knight uniform with him the entire time and had only now decided to wear it, resplendent in green with gold and blue highlights. His ever-present scarf was wrapped fashionably around his neck, and his hair glittered gold in the firelight. Whatever he had done with his makeup perfectly accentuated his blue eyes and high cheekbones, and a crowd of young women was already gathered around him giggling.

Then came Wild. The moment he stepped into the light everyone stopped and stared to admire the artwork that was his outfit. He wore a dark blue royal guard uniform, with freshly shined boots and his hair twisted neatly into a complicated bun. The real show stopper though, was what he had painted on his face. Elegant Silent Princesses twined their way up his neck and around his eyes, framing them and matching in color. Flora gasped when she saw it.

“Oh Link! How did you know? I love it!”

She rushed over and embraced him, and the dancing restarted in earnest. The other Links were in shock. How had he done such a complicated design? They had never seen him wear anything other than various berry juices smeared over his face before. Even Warriors had to agree, Wild had won the contest fair and square.

(I’m not that great at endings, but I hope you liked it! Thanks for the request)

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Weekend WIP Game

Thank you for tagging me @welcometololaland @alrightbuckaroo and @lemonlyman-dotcom!

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

WIP List:

I have A LOT of ideas. As for things that are actually in progress, I have 4:

TK Project: My project for TK Strand Turns 30. I've been working on this for a few weeks now and should be wrapping up either this weekend or early next week. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out!

A special project that I'm not going to say anything more about here but will be posted in the first week of November.

TK Babe/Baby, a project using my comically large hoop that will feature quotes of every time TK calls Carlos babe or baby--this one has a complete pattern, a hoop all ready to go, and even a single letter stitched in the center so I know where to start. I'll probably start working on it in earnest over the holidays.

Lone Star Christmas Ornaments--so far I've created one pattern for "Catan is spicy." I want to make at least 2-3 other ones.

Then I also have a variety of ideas, some fairly concrete, others vague notions that require more development and simply exist in a list in the notes app on my phone:

Wise Ass/Lollipop--a Gwyn quote from 2x01, heavily inspired by suggestion from @lemonlyman-dotcom--I haven't made the pattern yet, but it's pretty much fully formed in my head.

The third in my Loft Series--so far I've done one involving the bedroom and one involving the dining area. The third will be the same level of detail as the dining area one but involve the loft entrance, couch, table behind the couch, etc. I need a quote for it and I'm thinking possibly "Welcome home, TK" but I have a couple other ideas too. This pattern will likely take a few hours to create and it's something I'm excited to get working on either in November or maybe during the time off I have at the end of December.

A Carlos Project that would be a companion piece to my current TK Project. I have a list of ideas for it on my phone, but that's as far as I've gotten.

A Lou the First cross stitch with the quote "You brought a flesh-eating reptile into our home?!"

Another Lou one that's kind of ridiculous but I would love to do it if I could pull it off. It would be "He wasn't eating it. He was just...hanging out" with a little Lou poking out of a leg 😂

The fourth in my Loft Series--I want something involving Carlos' punching bag and TK's salad from 3x11. That's as far as I've gotten.

Then I have a variety of quotes that just feel like they should be cross stitches but I haven't thought of solid ideas to go with them (and if anyone has ideas, I would love to hear them!):

Marjan's quote "I'm allergic to poor leadership."

Judd's quote "I wasn't even me 'til I met you."

"Hi. You're TK. I'm Carlos. And we're soulmates." (this one is part of the TK Project, but I think it also deserves its own)

"If I'm your friend from work, then what we did this morning was very unprofessional."

"When you're in yoga clothes, I'm not a very good talker."

"In this house, we Catan."

"Tyler, can I say yes now?"

2. Which WIP is your most complex?

Of the ones I'm actively working on, the TK Project is the most complex. Of the planned future WIPs, it would probably be the third in the loft series, as it's intended to have the same level of detail as the loft dining area piece I recently finished. That one was definitely the most complex I've done up until this point.

3. Do any of your WIPs involve you using a technique/style that you haven't used before? What inspired you to try it?

The ones I've listed really don't, but I do have some vague ideas of branching out into some Lone Star embroidery. I'd need to come up with the right idea for it, but it's something I might try working with when I have time off over the holidays.

4. Which WIP do you expect will take you the longest?

Of the ones I'm actively working on, TK Babe/Baby will definitely take the longest. It will probably take at least 4-5 weeks to complete once I really get going with it.

5. Which WIP are you finding the most enjoyable to create?

I'm really loving the TK Project. It's made up of a bunch of little images and quotes, so it's really fun to see it come together as I complete each individual section.

6. Do you have a favourite character to draw/stitch/paint/depict? Are they in many of your WIP projects?

The majority of my projects are TK/Carlos/Tarlos related due to the fact that I often think of little else.

7. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

The loft entrance/third in my Loft Series definitely gives me the most self-doubt. Mostly because it will be a detailed pattern. I'm still fairly new to pattern creation on that level.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of creator's block?

I haven't had any stitcher's block yet, thankfully. I've been stitching non-stop since April and, as I've made clear here, I still have more ideas than I can handle!

9. Do any of your WIPs contain characters outside the main ship? How are you finding creating those?

My first two projects were the Lone Star logo and an Owen quote. Every other one, including the WIPs that I'm actively working on, has been TK/Carlos/Tarlos related. So I guess I don't branch out from that main ship much! I would like to in the future, and a couple on my ideas list do involve quotes from other characters.

10. What emotions are you hoping to convey through your WIPs?

Mostly the joy and love I experience through Lone Star and Tarlos.

11. Are there any features/details you are finding challenging in your WIPs?

A challenging element of TK Babe/Baby will be the use of the comically large hoop. It has a 23 inch diameter so I can only stitch with it while sitting on my bed because I need somewhere spacious to rest the hoop otherwise my arms get too tired.

12. Which WIP has the most complex shading/colouring?

Probably the loft entrance, the third in my Loft Series. The thing that I think will be the most challenging is the couch, particularly managing to show the shape and dimensions of it properly. I'm not sure how I'm going to get it to look right, but I'm looking forward to messing around with it with my pattern making software. I'm not particularly skilled or experienced with using color gradients to show shadows/dimensions, but I guess I'm going to have to learn!

13. Which WIP has the most complex background?

Same as the last answer, since pretty much the whole thing will be background.

14. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for?

Again, same answer. I want it to meet the expectations set by the loft dining area piece I recently finished. I was thrilled with how that one turned out, so I really hope I'll be equally satisfied with this one.

15. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

I don't think I've ever dreamed about cross stitching. I spend so much time doing it that it seems like I would have by now, though.

16. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other art doesn't?

The TK Project involves several French Knots, which is a different type of stitch that can be very finicky. @reasonandfaithinharmony knows what I mean!

17. Are any of your WIPs commissions?

I haven't done any commissions so far. It's not something I'm necessarily opposed to, so if someone is interested, feel free to dm me and we can talk about it! I just have a lot of my own ideas to work through and cross stitch generally takes a pretty long time to complete, so anyone looking for commissions would need to be ok with waiting a while. Also, I might be willing to mail some of my previously finished pieces to anyone who's interested (due to the unfortunate cost of shipping, this is probably going to have to be limited to people in the US and Canada). There are some that I'm not willing to part with, but I think I've almost reached display capacity, even with many finished projects stored in a box under my bed, so it might be nice for some of the others to find a home.

18. Do you have a character that is more difficult to draw/stitch/paint/depict? Are they in many of your WIP projects?

The majority of my projects so far have been centered on quotes. I don't think any one character is more or less difficult to depict in that way. However, I have run into one issue like that...one of my future ideas is for a Carlos Project that's a companion to my current TK Project. I'm finding it a lot more difficult to come up with ideas for little images and quotes to represent Carlos than it was for TK. One problem might be that I'm reluctant to go stitching a bunch of cop imagery.

19. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

The stitched portion of TK Babe/Baby will be about 16 inches x 15 inches in size.

If the third in the Loft Series is anything like the loft dining area piece, it will probably take me somewhere around 80-100 hours of work to complete.

I feel like everyone has been tagged, but I'm going to follow the directions and tag 11 people, one for each of my listed WIPs: @tellmegoodbye @ladytessa74 @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @carlos-tk @inkweedandlizards @rosedavid @thebumblecee @reasonandfaithinharmony @redshirt2 @louis-ii-reyes-strand @carlos-in-glasses

(And here's the original post that has the questions for writers if you need that!)

[exitpursuedbyavulcan]

Hiiiii how have you been doing 🥰🥰

Actually this is my very first ask on this site so 😭😭 just wanna say i adore your Studious series A LOT from the pining to the pace you set to the misunderstanding EVERYTHING

May I ask do u have any plan to post the next parts 😭😭😭 just wandering if u have any new update or a sneak peek maybe 🫣🫣🫣 dont pressure urself pls no matter what u put out i would appreciate it like so much

Pls stay healthyyyyyyy ilu

I am so honored to be the recipient of your first ask! And I am BEYOND flattered by your compliments! 🥰

The next part should be out this week! My laptop was out for repairs basically since I posted the last part, so my writing process has been slowed. I've literally been writing with pen and paper.

(That's actually been very conducive to writing the Aemond diary pieces tbh)

But now, my laptop is returned and fully functional again! So I just have to type up everything in my journal and add some of the in-between bits and viola!

And because you were so sweet, you may, of course, have a sneak peek:

Studious III Sneak Peak

The 16th day in the third moon of the year.

The betrothal has been settled. Finally.

I doubt I could have endured another miserable day of sitting in Grandsire’s study, listening to him read each of the letters sent by lords from throughout the realm, desperate to pawn their daughters off to a Prince of the Realm. Though I suppose I should be grateful he had already whittled the list down to only the two-score ladies he found the most politically advantageous.

Aegon told me that more than a hundred letters arrived. So, it could have been much worse.

Every letter was nearly the same, listing the family’s wealth and assets along with their daughters ‘accomplishments.’ In truth, calling them such seems far too generous. What does a scrap of embroidery or a reasonably well-played song truly accomplish, other than a few fleeting moments of mediocre beauty? It always fades.

Besides, every highborn lady is trained in the same skills, so they are hardly exceptional.

You frowned, looking up from the journal and at the dozens of examples of your own embroidery scattered throughout the room – including on the blanket you laid under. True, they were not always perfect, but you were proud of each and every one of them.

Then there was your little lyre, sitting by the sun. You hadn’t had the chance to play since coming to the capital, and you realized in that moment that you truly missed it. Once, it had been second nature to pick it up immediately upon waking and pluck nonsensically at the strings as your maids readied you for the day.

Those songs – if they could be called songs at all –were always your favourites. Wholly unique creations of your mind, never transposed, never to be played the same again. For a moment, you almost stood and retrieved the lyre, just to see what your hands would create in this moment.

But that would require setting down Aemond’s diary.

You looked back down at his words and frowned again. It took no small amount of time and effort to develop your skills. In fact, you were quite proud of what you had accomplished. No one was born knowing how to embroider or play music.

Neither was anyone born knowing how to wield a sword or ride a dragon.

Your frown faded at that thought, as you imagined how Aemond would look if you said that to him. The memory of him in the library when you snapped back at him, looking like a befuddled fish, returned to you. It was so enticing that you called for one of your maids to bring your diary, a pen, and ink.

Turning to the first blank page, you noted the date of Aemond’s offending entry and wrote out exactly how you would rebuff him if he had said such a thing to you.

Perhaps, when you were done reading, you would tell him. That is, if you wanted to talk to him at all.

[vinceaddams]

top five clothing items you wish you'd wear more often, please! and the five you do wear the most, please!

Oh heck! I still have asks from that ask meme thingy I reblogged 2 weeks ago, sorry for taking so long!

Hmm, tough to choose specific things I wish I wore more often. I do have a bunch of fancy 18th century things that sit in my closet most of the time, but usually when I leave the house I'm either going to work or to the grocery store, and I don't feel like being super fancy for that. Cuff ruffles would get in the way of all the hand washing and such, and breeches would be annoying at work because I use machines with knee levers.

I guess I wish I wore my nice shoes a bit more often than just for photos, but they were expensive and I don't want to wear out the leather soles. Maybe I ought to get little rubber soles added.

Oh, and my embroidered monster waistcoat! I wish I wore that more, but it's from an older pattern that doesn't fit me very well. The embroidery is also a bit worn out in places, alas.

It's a bit difficult to know which things I wear most frequently, but here are my best guesses for right now. (My summer answers would of course be different.)

1. This brown wool waistcoat from early 2019. I wear it all the time in the cold half of the year.

Just like the monster waistcoat, it's made from a pattern I drafted before top surgery, so it really doesn't fit me anymore. It's also getting pretty shabby. I've been meaning to make some new everyday plain wool waistcoats for a while now.

(I wear that green shirt pretty often too.)

2. This cap. It's just two pieces of linen, and I made it in 2018. I like wearing caps indoors when it's cold, and also under my wool hat outdoors. It adds an extra layer of warmth, is softer than the wool hat, and protects it from my very oily scalp.

I have 3 of these caps, but this one is my favourite. It's also something I ought to make more of.

3. These pants. They're just plain black cotton fall front pants.

I could pretend I'm wearing them the most because they're fully lined and therefore warmer than my other pairs, but the fact is I've got 3 other pairs of pants with holes worn in them that I need to patch and have been avoiding for a shamefully long time. It's a pretty easy thing to fix, and I will likely put it off for several more weeks, if not more.

I feel the need to point out that not all of my wardrobe is in such a miserable state, I at least have a good amount of shirts!

4. I don't think I have any pictures of it, but my winter coat is just a plain medium grey modern (by which I mean at least a couple decades old) wool one. Here's an image I found on google of approximately the same coat.

It was my grandfather's, and is a bit too big for me, and the lining is getting pretty worn out. Someday I want to completely pick it apart, recut it, and re-sew it with a new lining, but I can't do that until I have a backup winter coat.

5. This poor flannel nightgown which has finally worn out! Just a few days ago it developed a huge hole in the back panel, and a small one by the button placket, so it's destined to be cleaning rags and/or firestarters.

The buttons might end up on another nightgown though. So I guess this is no longer a thing I can wear frequently :( In the linked post I actually made 3 nightgowns from the same pattern, and that was the medium weight one, so now I'm down to the very heavy fish print flannel one and the light rayon one, and need to make more. (A very common theme with my wardrobe things, alas. I am slow.)

But I did just finish a new nightgown this week, made from a completely different pattern that I'm quite excited about! I'll get some pictures soon!

[prince-rowan-of-the-forest]

Ribbons and Rainstorms

Chapter 4 : Temple of Chores

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<- Previous | Masterpost | Next ->

----

Roman kept going back.

It wasn't hard to keep going back. Not in the slightest, especially during storms when Vi was there. 

Even when Vi wasn't there, Roman found himself more drawn to the temple than he had been before. He had done a fair bit of cleaning, dusting off nooks and crannies (though trying his best to leave the spiderwebs in the corners undisturbed since Vi had expressed his fondness for them).

At the market he had bought some new blankets and pillows to take over and leave there so that he wouldn't have to ferry them back and forth every time there was a storm and risk them getting wet. He had spent almost an entire day gathering and stockpiling inside the temple as much firewood as he could find so that it could dry out. He’d bought more embroidery supplies since Vi had started teaching him too. Some of them stayed in his bedroom, stocking up for a project he was currently just planning out on paper, others he brought to the temple to use for their lessons. 

He spent so much time at the temple, that people actually started to notice. 

—-

"You're late." Came the scornful voice of his mentor, the person who oversaw all his training as a Protector, as Roman stumbled into the arena, clothes a mess and still pulling on his second boot, "Roman Edevane, If you are not taking this seriously enough to consider being on time—"

"I am so sorry Master Pryce, I just— I was busy and I lost track of time— I swear it won't happen again," Roman said, trying in an earnest tone. 

"This the third time in the last two weeks," She said, glaring at him, "Let me guess, the Storm Temple, again?"

"Yes ma'am," Roman said, nodding, "I was sweeping the floors today." 

“I’m glad you’re so dedicated,” She said, smiling a little, “But you really can’t keep being late for training like this, have you been practising since last week?”

“Indeed I have!” Roman grinned, standing up a little straighter, “And I’ll try not to be late, in future.”

"Good." She said with a nod, "Now that you’re here, let's get on with this training session, shall we? You know the warm up, hop to it." 

—-

"Roman, sir," One of the two servants they hired — Immy — said, stopping him on the staircase, "You're not going to come home caked in mud again, are you? You know, if Nessy and I have to wash the same set of your clothes every day for much longer they're going to fall apart." 

Roman winced in sympathy, he really did feel bad most of the time about all the extra work he seemed to always put both of them through. 

"I'm sorry," Roman said, taking a deep breath, "I'm almost done with what I've been working on now, so there shouldn't be much more mud." 

"Oh good," Immy said with a sigh of relief, "If I may inquire, what exactly is the task you’ve been doing to get yourself so dirty all the time?”

Roman paused, before sighing, “I’ve been attempting to clear more of a path from our gardens to the Storm Temple up on the hill so it doesn’t take quite as long for me to get up there.”

“I thought there was already a path?” Immy asked, shifting her grip on the laundry basket she carried.

“There is,” Roman nodded, “But it’s been overgrown and full of debris for years now and doesn’t go directly from the house, which was fine to worry about transversing when I only went a few times a month, but…”

“I see,” She nodded, “Well, good luck with that, Sir Roman, and please try not to get so dirty?”

“I’ll do my best,” Roman said grinning as he hurried down the stairs.

—-

"Roman!" His Ma called from downstairs, Roman shot up from where he sat on his bedroom floor, he dropped his needle and thread onto the fabric he was working on and stood up, rushing towards the stairs to call back.

“What is it?”

“Get down here,” She yelled, “I don’t want to yell through the house!”

Roman rolled his eyes with a sigh before scrambling down the stairs to the hallway where Taz stood, waiting impatiently with her hand on her hip. 

“Yes, ma?” Roman asked, wondering if she was mad at him for some reason, but that couldn’t be right, could it? He hadn’t exactly done anything.

“Wonderful, I need you to make some deliveries around town,” She said, Roman sighed. So he wasn’t in trouble, he wasn’t sure if this turn of events was any better though, he was busy with his project!

“Yes, Ma,” he said anyway, because no matter his projects Roman would probably do anything for his mother, even if he didn’t always show it.

“Good!” She smiled, “I’ve been doing a lot of baking, it’s all packed up and labelled so you can set off as soon as you’re ready.”

Roman nodded, reaching to grab his boots from the cabinet next to the stairs, he pulled them on and moved to retrieve the baskets from the kitchen. He hadn’t run deliveries in a long while, but Roman still knew the routine like the back of his hand. Maybe whilst he was out as well he could take a quick detour to grab a few things for the temple too, he’d been meaning to get a broom he could leave down there since the late fall leaves kept being blown in and he was annoyed at them clinging to his blankets. 

He might even have time to deliver them if he was quick… 

“Oh, and Roman?” Taz said, pulling him away from his train of thought, she had a serious look in her eyes, “No detours.”

“Oh but Ma—" Roman huffed, it was like she could read his mind!

“No, sweetheart, you’ve been spending all your free time these last few weeks either in your room working on that massive piece of fabric for heaven knows what, or at that abandoned old temple, I’ve barely seen you! Which is why I’m cooking dinner tonight and I’d like us to spend some time together.”

Roman sighed, not protesting because… well that was fair, he had been spending a lot of time working on his most recent embroidery project — Vi had given him a few lessons since they had talked and he was really starting to pick it up quickly — or working on his current mission of making the temple into a second home. She was right, they had spent hardly as much time together as of late than they had in the past. He probably owed an afternoon and evening to her and besides, he could get the broom another time. 

“I’ll be back as quickly as I can,” Roman promised, “No detours.”

—-

“You’re here every time,” Vi said one day, this time the storm was bad enough and the weather cold enough that Roman had bundled himself up in blankets and taken up refuge behind the altar where he’d built a small fire. He’d end up stinking of smoke by the time the storm was over he knew, but it was worth it for the warmth. Vi had immediately come and sat down next to him when they arrived and took out a few twines of thread that he seemed to be content with twisting around his fingers to form patterns. 

“So are you,” Roman countered, because it was true, there wasn’t a single time Roman had come here during a storm yet that Vi hadn’t appeared for. 

Vi hummed, considering the statement for a moment before shrugging, “Only because you are.”

“I don’t believe that.” Roman huffed, looking down at the embroidery he was supposed to be practising with. In all honesty, he had gotten entirely distracted.

“Why not?” Vi asked, sounding genuinely confused, “Your company is pleasant.”

“Surely you have better things to do than sitting in silence watching me struggle to embroider.” Roman said, voice deadpan, lifting the barely started embroidery in his hands. 

Vi shrugged with an awkward smile, “Not really.”

“You’re serious?” Roman asked, suddenly feeling a little vulnerable. It’s not like people hadn’t wanted his company before, but it was a little different when that person was a deity, someone who could go anywhere, talk to anyone. Roman had no doubt that Vi could easily do better than him.

“I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t,” Vi huffed, “I like sitting with you, here.”

“Wha— oh!” Roman said, tensing as Vi reached over without warning and took his hand, turning it over and placing something in his palm quickly before letting go again. Roman took a deep breath before investigating what Vi had given him.

…a ribbon?

It was a dark, vibrant red and a little thicker than the ribbons that they usually used for hair ties. With what looked like the same silver thread that had been used on the handkerchief, a pattern was embroidered and when Roman looked closer he realised it was a mirror of the pattern he had embroidered onto the ribbon he’d given Vi. The fabric was almost heavy and unbelievably soft and when Roman moved it, it caught the light from the fire in a way he wasn’t sure fabric normally did. 

“You told me that to accept the ribbon you usually give one back,” Vi said, watching him inspect it, “So I made one for you, too.”

Roman smiled, a vaguely irrational part of him wanted to lean over and pull Vi into a hug, because this ribbon was beautiful and oh goodness he didn’t deserve this. 

“Thank you,” Roman said instead of voicing that last thought, “It’s lovely.”

There was a minute of silence between them where Roman held the ribbon, wondering if he should put it into his hair now or if… maybe…

“May I?” Vi asked eventually, gesturing to the ribbon and Roman barely restrained himself from jolting in surprise. Was Vi really offering? “You did mine, after all.”

Roman took a deep breath and nodded, offering the ribbon back, not trusting his voice. 

“I’m going to tie it around your bun,” Vi told him, taking the ribbon back. Roman nodded again, turning his head so that Vi could reach easier. The ribbon was long enough that even when tied the tails brushed his shoulders and Roman found himself grinning at the mere idea that he’d really been given a friendship ribbon by someone like Vi.

“Thank you,” Roman said, “Really, this is, I— it’s— I mean, it’s beautiful, is what I’m trying to say, I— um— I really appreciate it.”

Vi chuckled, looking back at Roman with a smile on his face that reached his eyes, Roman realised that the markings on their face had lightened multiple shades, now looking almost magenta instead of their usual black, Roman couldn’t help but smile back. 

“You’re welcome.” Vi told him, and Roman realised quite abruptly how genuine they sounded.

----

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