#vintage doll case

[beary-good-finds]

✨ Barbie & Midge doll carrying case, 1963 ✨

[bishonenspit]

custom bancoran & maraich dolls ♡

[barbie-edits]

Barbie cases that I need because of ✨️reasons✨️

[falled-over]

[kindaokartchannel]

Reorganised and dusted the doll shelf

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

I made a custom Tintin doll! I used a Chat Noir doll as a base because that's the one petit male doll I could find that was articulated and still affordable. The amazing @bubblekidaesthetics photographed him as seen above!

Details about my process below. Warning for weird doll photos.

His jumper is made out of a pair of baby socks, his plus fours are made from an old tablecloth, his shoes are made from cardstock, his socks from some trainer socks and his trench is made from a pillow case I found on offer during a sale! The shirt is the one item I didn't make, it's a Ken shirt but as a result it's a bit too big for him.

I had to hack Chat Noir's head down with a box cutter because I found the vinyl too tough to pull off, then I sculpted over the remaining head stump with tin foil and a mixture of milliput and green stuff.

I painted him with acrylics for that vintage doll feeling rather than using pastels and MSC - he's orange in the second picture above because I was colour correcting the green putty.

Snowy was made with a My Little Pony, armature wire, tin foil and hot glue!

[astrow1zar6]

Astro Observations- 23

In some cases your mothers moon sign is usually the same sign as your 7th house

Libra Venuses are really into cosmetics, whether that be skin care, makeup products, hair care. They are most likely to go into beauty school as a career

Venus in 1st house men can be very feminine, I know a lot of male hairdressers and beauticians (that are straight) with this placement. The men with this placement really appreciate feminine beauty.

On the flip side Mars in the 1st house women tend to be pretty masculine. I had a friend who would only wear boy/baggy clothes because she believed her body was too “masculine “ so she believed feminine clothes looked bad on her. They most likely grew up tomboys.

I know a lot of aqua moons that are highkey fruity but never come out the closet. It’s very consistent with this placement idk why. most of them I notice never come out or not till later in life but it’s obvious usually.

Mars in the 5th house individuals start their relationships really fast just for them to end just as quickly

The sign in your 8th house is usually the sign you’re either extremely attracted too to the point where they’re intimidating or your very repulsed by this sign.

Cancer suns can be more obsessed with finding love then Libras (especially with a Leo moon)

Leo moons have an easier time finding their soul mates than most I notice. I think their hearts are so authentic and genuine that attracting someone with the same vibe is usually effortless with them.

Venus conjunct the ascendant in the 1st house are huge pick me girls. If u met someone with this placement ik uk. Especially when it’s in libra or Gemini. Very aesthetically pleasing to look at though.

If I had a dollar for everytime a Virgo moon complains or corrects you I’d probably solve world hunger.. but seriously these people are always complaining or nagging about something. These people are also not afraid to correct you a 100,000 times, u say one thing logically incorrect and they will go on a lecture on how it’s this & not that. They do make good points but it can be extreme sometimes.

Venus in virgo 🤝 being celibate for no reason even when in a partnership

Virgo placements either look like foxes or vintage dolls

Aqua moons/Venus have the most outta pocket playlists. They will listen to the oddest music lol.

Pisces moon men don’t know what to do unless they have someone constantly helping them. They can be very lazy & have abnormally low energy at times. They usually do better however when dating someone. They can be very codependent tho (unless that have a lot of earth & fire placements)

All cancer sun women remind me of Cassie from Euphoria (don’t kill me cancers)😭

Jupiter in the 8th house is probably the most difficult house for Jupiter to be in. Jupiter is literally expands the 8th house thru your life and 8th house themes can be quite ruthless. You could however receive a big inheritance somewhere in your life.

[the-witchhunter]

DP x DC: Homme Fatale

Noun. homme fatal (plural hommes fatals) An ultimately seductive and dangerous man; a womanizer.

On a bit of a Film Noir kick right now, so blame that

Imagine, if you will:

Danny, a private eye in Gotham, ever the hard boiled detective, sitting in his dark office, drinking coffee you could use to tar a roof. The office isn't in a good neighborhood but rent still ain't cheap. He's fixing to get a new case on his desk soon

Enter one Timothy Drake-Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprizes. He walked in shirt unbuttoned dangerously low in a suit sharp enough to cut yourself on and bags under his eyes to large to be counted as carry on. Mr. Drake has a job for him, one he wants to keep quite, and one important enough that he's willing to add a couple zeros to Danny's usual rate. This job is a dream come true... almost too good to be true...

or

Tim Drake aka Red Robin(yummm) needs plausible deniability on a case tied to his civilian identity and so hires a PI and lays down a trail of clues for him. All the while playing up the Noir tropes to flirt with the cute detective.

why doesn't he just take care of it as Red Robin? Shhhhh... the detective is cute and he's having too much fun playing the homme fatale

Bonus: Immediately after wrapping up Tim's case Kon walks into Danny's office dolled up in a vintage dress, period appropriate makeup done, all to play the part of the Femme Fatale and do the exact same thing Tim did. Does he know Tim literally just did that? Maybe, maybe not

[beary-good-finds]

💙 Image 1 - Barbie and Ken doll carrying case, 1964

❤️ Image 2 - Skipper doll carrying case, 1964

[noneorother]

There's a *puppet* show going on in the magic shop, and it looks awfully familiar...

(Insert unhealthy number of rewatches here) The magic shop in S2 is a real jewel box. There's so much symbolism and so many easter eggs, it starts to make your head spin. But I found something really weird going on with the puppets (or should I say angels) in the background...

Here's 1941 : you can see on the left what looks like closed red curtains, and a coatrack with puppets behind Crowley here.

Where am I going with this? Well, don't those puppets look familiar?

For my money, they really look like silly versions of Crowley and Aziraphale, with a few other familiar puppets hiding on the other side of the rack.

Now here's that exact same shot in the present. The red curtain falls away to reveal: An extremely symmetrical arrangement of truly weird puppets. The puppet in the glass case near the back is the same.*

It probably just looks like a creepy display, with our familiar Aziraphale and Crowley puppets, until I do this:

To me at least, this arrangement really looks like a depiction of a synaxis of the hosts of bodiless powers (i.e. angels) before Jesus. If you study European art history, you can't escape medieval religious iconography. It's kind of a big deal. I've put this example of Mary flanked by the nine ranks of Angels from a Cathedral in Exeter above, but you can find 100 examples of this kind of eerily symmetrical and hierarchical ranking of angels with god, Jesus, Mary etc... Before I break it down, you have to know that in the medieval period, and especially in religious art and iconography, the relative size and position of figures is WAY more important than realism or accuracy.

Obviously the costumes don't match one to one, but you get enough of a vibe that once you start seeing it you can't UNSEE it. The relationships of position and size here are fascinating to me. For one, what the hell are two Crowleys doing in a host arrangement in present day? He's not even an angel. In the second row we have archangels Gabriel, the flopsy twins Uriel and Michael, and a slightly larger Saraqael head in the center. Is Saraqael actually more important here? Technically Jim is still an archangel, so he gets the mirror of the Gabriel position, but as a sad clown wearing a tartan blanket. We also have two tiny dolls (not puppets) with star name tags, one keeled over wearing brown, and one sitting up and smiling, wearing blue. I've named them tentatively Adam & Jesus for now, because that's the vibe I'm getting, but who knows. Here's the usual position of the Jesus in a synaxis for comparison.

In the lowest row, we bizarrely have arguably the most powerful angel, The Metatron (shown here with a dark floppy overcoat hiding the fact the doll has no body) and what I can only imagine is Maggie with blonde hair and blue eyes? What? Now, the doll I'm calling God in the middle for the large size, and the fact their head is always cut off above the framing in the shot. God is clearly looming large over the rest of the host, but is in a lower hierarchy (with Muriel, Crowley & Aziraphale being fairly low ranking at this point in the show) and also has NO HANDS, a clown face and BLOOD SMEARS on their overalls. Yikes. If you take a look at the top-down shot of the dolls, you can see how they had to completely redo the god-doll's hair. This is a specific vintage English doll called "Bimbo the clown". You can see the original hair always has a fringe, and the yarn locks are usually much bigger. Compare with the new hair in the top view of the present-day shop.

Hey. Does that hair style look familiar to anyone?

Look. I don't want to go claiming something THIS insane from one doll's hairstyle in a background shot. I'm not trying to convince you this is irrefutable proof that there's some sort of storyline where Nina is actually God. But it's interesting they took the trouble to re-make the doll's hair (and costume) to look like Nina's, even when it is almost never seen, much less noticed. The fact that the god-doll is also a clown got me thinking of the Gabriel and Jim dolls, and that maybe there's another doll in the shop that should double with Bimbo? *Here's the only other doll with a name card in the magic shop in either time, the one in the glass case :

Even though we barely see it, we can tell it's wearing the same outfit as the 1941 magician. Why? If this one is the equivalent of the real god, and not the sad clown version, and if it's locked up in a box somewhere, unable to free themselves, is that why we haven't heard from them in season 2....? So many questions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks to @kimberleyjean and @embracing-the-ineffable for additional pictures.

[coqxettee]

Coquette Winter Gift Guide:

🎀 Gift ideas for yourself or your friends who love the Coquette aesthetic:

Clothes/Fashion:

1. Anything from Brandy Melville (Amara heart lace pyjamas)

2. Bailey bow uggs or normal uggs

3. Ralph Lauren sweaters

4. A ballet wrap

5. Floral pyjama sets, Cami’s & Long sleeve shirts

6. Grandma cardigans

7. A cable knit sweater

8. Legwarmers/pretty tights

9. A pair of cute gloves

10. ANY clothing from “Mymummadeit”

11. ANY clothing from “Favourite child collective”

12. Any clothing from the “Cutey” section on Romwe

13. A dress/anything from “Selkie”

14. Any slogan tee’s / baby tee’s from small businesses and independent brands

15. Victoria secret Pyjamas/Robe

16. Pink puffa coat

17. Tiffany & co earrings or necklace

18. The “Mymummadeit” puffa bag

19. Kate spade heart bag/Vivienne Westwood one or just a heart purse

20. A printed tote bag

21. Ted baker bags/cosmetic bags

22. Any dresses from - Cider, Motel rocks, Pretty little thing, Oh polly

23. A ballet skirt

24. ECOSUSI summer garden romance bags

25. A cape/fur shaul//A glam doll coat

26. Vintage nightgowns/nightwear

27. Cute earmuffs & things to decorate them with

28. Mary Janes & frilly ankle socks

Beauty:

29. Any products from “Glossier”

30. Dior (addict) makeup products (Lip oil’s, Blush, lip balm,

31. Anything from “Flowerknows” “Etude house” “Too faced” or “Charlotte Tilbury” “C beauty mall products”

32. Chanel lipstick

33. A quilted floral coquette makeup bag

34. W7 Tinted kiss lip oil

35. Miss Dior perfume

36. Chanel mamoiselle perfume

37. Any of the Ariana Grande perfumes/body sprays

38. Penhaligons “The favourite”

39. Oriana “Parfums de Marly”

40. Victoria secret body sprays

41. Paul & Joe Cinamoroll collection

Homeware:

42. The Amazon floral bedsheets

43. A heart mirror

44. Love shack fancy homeware items

45. Anything from Paris Hilton’s new cookery line

46. A ballerina/music box jewellery box

47. Pink/Vanilla Yankee candles

48. FreePrints photos to make a wall collage

49. Roccoco style picture frames

50. An angel tray dish

51. Fake flowers

52. Pretty Cushions / A large throw fluffy blanket,

53. Caroline medium jewellery case

54. Fake cake jewellery boxes

55. Tall candles and a candle holder

56. Posters of celebrity’s/artists etc

57. Any pretty art that can be displayed/put into frames

Self care:

58. Spa headbands, and wrist bands (Kylie skin headband)

59. Inn is free skincare products

60. Philosophy shower and skin products

61. Chanel eye patches

62. Mulberry silk eye mask (pink)

63. Look fantastic heartless hair curlers

64. Dior prestige skin products and body lotions

65. Baylis & Harding products

66. Angel tangle brush

67. Charlotte Tilbury skincare gift sets

68. Elasti - cream

69. Embellished claw clips

70. Sol de Janerio body cream

71. Mugs, hand warmers, face masks, lip scrubs

Miscellaneous: ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚

72. AirPod max

73. Wildflower phone cases & airpod cases

74. A pink waterbottle (Stanley or Lululemon)

75. Lana del rey vinyls

76. Coquette notebooks

77. Dior & Chanel fashion books

78. My year of rest and relaxation

79. The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo

80. Jellycats

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛

I hope this helped you think of some ideas of things you want to ask or get someone for Christmas 🎀✨🎄

Merry Pinkmas coquette doves

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛

[astrobiscuits]

Astro observations part 7

🦚Every Virgo Sun ik has started a business at some point

🦚Most Gemini Suns i've met have got brown eyes

🦚Venus trine Uranus individuals are the type to change their fashion aesthetic every day and still pull every style off

🦚Cancer Moon individuals are the type to collect family memorabilia. If you ever go visit their house, they probably have displayed lots of vintage photos, porcelain dolls, books from their parents/grandparents etc. If not, then they probably still have their fav plushie since they were like 5 (cute)

🦚Ik people say Moon square Moon is one of the worst placements in synastry and i agree, but it's not how you might imagine. In my case it was always more of a "i'm ignoring you because ik we're not compatible" thing than constant fights

🦚Venus in 10th house and Capricorn Venus conjunct Rising peeps have the best smile you've ever seen, mostly due to wearing braces or getting different dental procedures (but it can be natural too! i wish i was you). They might also be featured in toothpaste ads or on the cover of dental clinic ads

🦚I noticed that all boys who have got Sun in 1st house have an absent father. Not like permanently absent from their lives, but more like seeing their dad 3-4 times a year

🦚This is more of a theory of mine, but I’ve noticed that a lot of siblings have their rising signs degree in the same element. For example, I’m an Aries Rising at Capricorn degree (10), while my brother is also an Aries Rising, but at Virgo Degree (6)

I’ve noticed this pattern repeating itself in the members of the British Royal family too. Prince William has got a Sag Rising at Gemini Degree (27), while Prince Harry’s (ik he’s not really part of the royal family anymore, but for the sake of the example hear me out) Virgo Rising is at Aquarius Degree (11). Both Prince George and Prince Louis have got their Rising signs at Gemini Degree (27) [guess who got it from their dad]

I hope you enjoyed today's post!

Stay safe, don't forget to drink water and hide from the heat!

See you soon! ૮ • ﻌ - ა ˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

[petalsource]

⋆        barbie fever . . .  by petalsource .

. . . a complete blog makeover inspired by barbie .

hi, barbies! today, i bring you a complete makeover fully inspired by our favorite pink lady, barbie herself, to allow all of you to bring your own characters into her world in plastic!

feel free to  tweak and adjust to your needs, add different background colors and overlays, but kindly  do not  claim as your own or use it for commercial purposes. feel free to tag me on your creations with this on  #petalsource! seriously... i can't wait to see what comes of this!

💐  click the  source link  to  get it as a package or individually on  deviantart  or  payhip  !

and . . . keep reading to find more details about the graphics, hq live previews and important tips to use the templates !

✩ about the items!

➷ think pink! -- a two-picture promo template inspired by the iconic 2023 movie posters. you'll need: two pngs of your faceclaim of choice, and the custom fonts (listed below). the glittery polygon of the first picture is available in 7 different glitter colors! high quality examples.

➷ this barbie -- two options of transparent dash icons; one matching the "initial" poster and one matching the "glittery polygon" poster. high quality examples.

➷ so plastic -- two options of centralized headers; one matching the "initial" poster and one matching the "glittery polygon" poster. to use it at its best quality, disable the "stretch header image" option when uploading the header. high quality examples.

➷ magenta -- version 1.0: pinned post (or miscellaneous) banner inspired by the 2023 barbie poster. version 2.0: pinned post (or miscellaneous) pair of banners mimmicking the layout of a barbie doll box. one banner goes on top of the postbox, insert pinned post or text, and the other banner goes on the bottom! high quality examples.

➷ doll up -- lookbook template inspired by the barbie doll box, featuring a "doll" picture and six customizable objects / accessories. you'll need: full body png of your faceclaim of choice, custom fonts (listed below), and 6 pngs of random objects or clothes to "come with" your doll. i've added a short tutorial down below on how to find and use some easily! high quality examples.

➷ pink ipod -- playlist template inspired by the barbie ipod, featuring a cover art and nine songs. high quality examples.

you can purchase all items as a package (deal price) or individually!

✩ important tips & useful information!

➷ needed fonts: bartex, cocogoose.

➷ object pngs + removing background of images: i found a super useful pinterest board with photos that can be used on your graphics: oxfordcommah's object pngs. additionally, the clothes png search on p*nterest is really diverse, and you can narrow your interests like "pink clothes png" or "vintage shoes png" and find a lot of options. once you found your images, go to remove.bg and paste their urls in there. it'll remove the background of those images for you and you can just paste them on your template and have fun!

➷ used coloring psds: the beautiful and super pink psds i used on the previews were not made by me and are NOT included in the downloads. in case you want to use them, they can be found here: dreams, 003.

➷ styles: the download includes two styles, one for a subtle drop shadow used in a few layers and one for the plastic box effect in the lookbook template. you can install them by opening the styles tab on photoshop > the four lines > load styles > find the barbie styles on your downloads!

➷ in case you have any questions, pop into my inbox or ims and i'll be happy to help you!

[toyshrine]

Ideal Pepper Doll Case

[winter-dayz]

The Ring

Pairing: Han Jisung x Reader (ft. Kim Seungmin) Ghost AU; Possession AU Genre: Fluff Words: 1451 Warnings: suggestive content; strong language

Masterlist | Fictober Masterpost

Taglist:  @soobin-chois

“Don’t tell me you’re actually gonna buy something from here. This place is low-key creeping me out, Jisung.” Seungmin eyed the slightly-older boy with judgment. They’d been exploring one of their tour cities and had come across an antique shop. It was littered with dolls and other children’s toys—all of which Seungmin felt like were staring him down. There was also vintage furniture and electronics. The cameras did sort of pique Seungmin’s interest, but he already had a really nice modern camera. Besides, this store was really starting to freak him out.

Why did all the dolls have to be so scary?

“Just let me look through some of the jewelry… These rings are cool, and they’re so high-quality.” Jisung reasoned, never able to say no to a new piece of jewelry.

“Yeah, ‘cause you totally need another ring to add to your collection. You definitely don’t have over a hundred rings that you’ve never even worn because you always wear the same ones.” Regardless, Seungmin left to let Jisung pick out rings, deciding to go further into the store to escape the many glass eyes.

Jisung was trying to narrow down his choices between three rings when he suddenly spotted one that he hadn’t seen before. He put the other three back and walked over to the cashier’s glass desk.

“Um… Excuse me?” He called for the attention of the owner and then pointed towards the ring. “How much for that ring?” The old lady walked over, peered into the glass, and then looked up to Jisung with a wary look. She eyed him for a moment, almost as though considering something.

“It’s about five dollars, but are you sure about that one? It’s quite old…” But Jisung thought it looked nice, and he had a good feeling about that one. It really stuck out to him.

“Yes ma’am, thank you.” He insisted, pulling his wallet out to pay. When she began to package it, he told her he was fine wearing it out.

🎃

Despite Seungmin’s claims—which were not entirely baseless, Jisung did have a shit-ton of rings back home he never wears—Jisung wore his new addition almost daily. So much so that he started growing a weird attachment to it in some of the other’s eyes.

He cleaned it often, even polished it sometimes. Though, he never took it to performances in fear of it getting stolen or lost; instead, when he wasn’t wearing it, it had a special home on his nightstand.

One morning he woke up, reached out to put his ring on, and came up empty handed. He did a double-take when he didn’t feel his new favorite ring anywhere near its usual spot. He looked all around his nightstand, underneath his bed, and tore his blankets off in case he accidentally fell asleep wearing it.

Nothing. He could not find it anywhere. As he re-made his bed, he tried to remember if there was anywhere else he may have left it. He checked the bathroom sink, just to be sure, but he was ninety-nine percent sure he had put it on his nightstand, just like he did every night.

Then he took to checking his roommates' fingers. None of them were wearing it, so he asked if any of them took it without asking first.

And then he began to panic. He wondered if he had carelessly taken it to a performance or shoot and left it behind. When he went back to his room to try and think more, there it sat right where he always put it. The things all around it were still a mess from his hasteful search earlier, but it sat perfect and pretty in its proper position. Strange.

🎃

Jisung elected not to take it on tour with him. After somehow misplacing it, he didn’t want to risk actually losing it in travels. He packed some of his other rings to accompany him to Japan instead and left his favorite ring to wait for him on his nightstand as usual.

What he didn’t expect to return to, was a woman sitting comfortably in the middle of his bed as though she lived there. He wasn’t sure how exactly she got in either since he locks his room every time they leave, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around to ask her.

Instead, he rushed to get Chan, explaining that somehow a sasaeng must have gotten in and was currently sitting in his room. When they returned with a manager that lived in the building, the woman was gone. The only thing that was different was his favorite ring sitting in the center of his bed rather than the nightstand.

🎃

The other members were still convinced it had been a sasaeng, and she must’ve snuck out somehow. When Jisung brought up the fact that nothing was missing and the only thing that had moved was his ring, they claimed she was likely planning on taking it since Stays knew it was his favorite. He was commonly seen wearing it in selfies and livestreams, so it wouldn’t be that far fetched of an explanation.

Jisung was not convinced. He wasn’t unaware of his quick attachment to the ring. And he knows that he never forgets to put it on his nightstand at night. The newest incident was just the cherry on top.

But what kind of ghost possesses a ring? A house, sure. A mirror, believable. A doll, seen thousands of times. But a ring? Jisung needed to know why, and why it… she chose him.

🎃

He didn’t have to wait long. The next night he woke from a rather peaceful sleep to the sounds of shuffling around his room. When he peeked his eyes open, the same woman was rifling through his drawers.

“Um… hello?” He whispered out, scared to disturb the quiet atmosphere of his room and not wanting to wake his other members. “Are– Do you live inside my ring?” He asked, but he got his answer when he noticed his ring was once again missing from its place.

“Well, technically it’s my ring, but you bought it so… yes.” She responded, putting the clothes she was holding back in the drawer and closing it.

“What are you looking for?” He decided to ask first, too nervous to ask the other questions on his mind yet. She shrugged and moved closer to his half-sitting, half-lying figure. “Why are you in the ring?” He tried asking next.

“Like I said… It's my ring.” He thought she was going to stop there but then her features softened, and she spoke up again. “It was my fiancé’s ring… but he passed away before we could marry. We believed in reincarnation, and I wanted to see him in his next life, so here I am.” Jisung felt his heart break at the story, though not yet outweighing the anxiety of having a supernatural being in his room.

“So… why me? You’re the reason I noticed the ring in that shop I assume… and the reason I’m so attached.” The woman smiled slightly, but shook her head.

“I can’t make you do anything. It’s all on your own volition. Jisung, is it?” She waited for confirmation, and when he nodded, she continued. “Jisung, do you recognize me at all?” He studied her features for a moment.

“You were in my room the other day when we all got back from Japan.” He said, not knowing any other answer to give. She snorted a bit, before it settled into a smirk.

“I’ve manifested this form more than just that time. But do you recognize me?” She asked again; and again, Jisung analyzed her, trying to pick up on any familiarities. Eventually, he shook his head, and it seemed like the woman’s face fell slightly. He wanted to ask her about it, but decided he might not be ready for whatever answer she gave.

“So, can you feel and see when you’re inside the ring too, or only in this form?” He decided to ask instead. The woman seemed to consider his question. Her face lit up in amusement, and Jisung assumed she was remembering something.

“The short answer is yes, I can sort of feel things when I’m inside the ring.”

“And the long answer?” Curious, he couldn’t help but ask. Her lips twitched with a humored smirk.

“The long answer… Maybe don’t masturbate with the ring on, Ji.” His face flushed with embarrassment and he moved to hide underneath his covers. “Trust me, you have nothing to be embarrassed about that for.” She teased and he felt like his entire body lit on fire all at once.

[lou-struck]

Haunted or Creepy?

Reo Mikage x reader

Flufftober Day 5: Little Doll

~ After wandering into an antique shop, Your boyfriend notices a strange doll has caught your attention. . 

All of the well-kept trees in the plaza are adorned with the most breathtaking collage of leaves. They rustle slightly in the wind, still too stubborn to fall. It’s beautiful, but you know that Reo Mikage has them all beat. 

Your soccer star boyfriend has elected to forgo his training clothes in favor of something a bit more his style for your date today. You are sure that his plain yet perfectly fitted sweater costs more than your entire wardrobe, but judging by the way he hurries over to you with the two full cups of hot apple cider in his hands, he doesn’t care in the slightest about getting dirty. 

Especially if it’s for you.

“Here, for your hands.” He smiles, holding out one of the cups for you to take. Wisps of his rich purple hair fall delicately onto his face, somehow making him look even more handsome.

“Thank you,” you say gratefully, taking the paper cup. Its spiced warmth helps you realize just how chilly your fingers have gotten in this wind. 

“Is it just me, or has it gotten a lot colder since we started walking out here?” He asks, looking up at the deceptively sunny sky. As if hearing his words, Mother Nature sends a bone-chilling gust of wind your way. The cold air penetrates through your light sweater and sends teeth-chattering shivers down your spine.

You tense up and place the paper cup up to your cheek in an attempt to warm yourself up. “D-definitely n-not j-just y-you.”

His eyes widen in concern as he pulls you closer to him. “Let’s head inside one of the shops where it’s warm. I’ll call my driver to come pick us up.”

“You’ll call your driver?” you giggle, leaning into his warmth, “You really are a pretty rich boy.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” he coos, placing his chin on top of your head. Would you rather walk?” 

“Nope,” you say quickly, not wanting to be out here freezing your ass off. “D-drivings good.”

An amused chuckle slips past his lips as his hand slides securely on your lower back, guiding you towards a weathered wooden door. “This place looks open; let’s check it out.”

You nod and glance down at the simply drawn chalkboard sign that rests on the pavement. “It looks like an antique shop.”

“Interesting,” he hums, reaching towards the faded brass knobs. “I don’t think I have ever been in one of these.”

You snort and shake your head in amusement. Of course, he had never been in an antique store before. You have only met his parents a few times, but they don’t seem to be the type of people who are interested in buying someone’s old wedding china or vintage bedroom furniture.

“Well then, I’m glad that I get to be here for your first time.” you wink, bumping into his cashmere-coated chest. 

“I feel so supported,” he laughs, playing along with your antics. His arm stretches over your head to hold the door open for you. 

The shop is dimly lit by rustic floor lamps. The light reflecting off of the blown glass shades creating patterns on the thickly carpeted flooring. Gone is the harsh chill of the wind as it is replaced by the heavy scent of dust. It surrounds you, and you can’t help but feel in your gut that something is off about this place.

“Woah, look at these lunch boxes,” Reo says, looking over at a glass display case filled with printed metal lunch boxes with various cartoon and comic book characters posing on the front. He puts his hands up on the glass and peers in closer to get a better view. “I saw one like this at a charity auction a few years back, and they made a killing. I wonder if these are the same kind?”

“That’s so cool.” you grin, trying to focus on just how adorably excited your boyfriend is and not on the strange feeling of dread that has clung to you ever since you have walked into the store. 

“I wonder what other cool stuff they have in here?” he grins, taking your hand and pulling you deeper into the shop. 

“I wonder,” you hum, playing with the tassels on a beaded lampshade as you are guided deeper into the store. You pass the checkout counter and a rather distracted employee who is tapping furiously on their iPad. The unmistakable sounds of Candy Crush playing through the muffled speakers. 

Turning the corner, you notice a tall glass display case sitting on a polished wood dresser. Your stomach seems to be tying itself in knots as you continue to take step after apprehensive step. If Reo feels the same way, he does not show it. 

Have you ever looked at something and said, ‘Yeah, that is totally haunted?” 

The porcelain-faced doll in the display case just screams it. It’s deep dark eyes glimmer with sinister intent and makes your skin crawl. You want to leave, you want to be as far away from this toy as possible, screw it if it’s cold outside you don’t want to be here another minute. But you feel that if you take your eyes off this thing even for a second, it’s gonna get you. 

“Woah, cool doll.” Reo says innocently, tossing an arm over your shoulder. “You’ve been looking at it for a while; let me get it for you.”

“No!” you say much louder than you initially meant to. Your eyes grow wider and wider in fear as you imagine what it would be like to take that creepy thing home, hiding it away in some far-off closet or crawlspace only for it to find you in your room when you least expect it.

Reo looks concerned at your outburst and takes a step back, raising his hands up in the air innocently. “Woah, I guess not.” he chuckles. 

“Do you not see how creepy that thing is?” you huff pointing at the case. “There is no way it’s getting anywhere near my place or yours.”

“What?” he asks, his lips twitching as he tries and fails to keep from laughing. “It’s a bit creepy, but it’s got some charm to it.”

“Charming? That doll is one hundred percent cursed, or possessed, or whatever.” you say seriously. Making the mistake of taking your attention off the doll to watch the wonderful way Reo’s amethyst-colored eyes twinkle as he laughs. 

“Oh come on, it’s not that…” he turns to look at the doll, and all the color drains from his face. “It just moved.”

“Stop messing with me.”

“It. Just. Moved.” he repeats again with a deadly serious tone.

You look back at the case and want to hurl. Just seconds ago, the doll was staring blankly ahead, but now her head has twisted to the side, exposing her copper-colored ringlets and staring right at you. Those dark eyes boring into your soul. “It moved.”

“We gotta go now,” he says worriedly, taking your hand and pulling you away from the item. His strong legs lead you out of the store and down the walkway for your lives. 

“W-wait.” you pant, lungs burning as you dig your heels in. As a professional athlete, his stamina is much better than yours, so he probably could’ve dashed the two of you all the way home. 

“Yeah, that thing was definitely haunted.”