#the waist pieces clipping most of the time is not great

[rizardofether]

Found out you can preview all skins in-game so I used it to dress up all my new main guys in WoW!

Still unfortunate how few parts dracthyr get... At least they have the most CC options.

Dressed up Verne as well even though he's always in cat form. Well, he'll need hands sometimes I'm sure so he'd wear something very covering for those times.

[talesof-old]

bathroom conversations | j.p.

pairing(s): james potter x reader

warning(s): mentions of cheating (not by james or reader), mentions of rude coworkers, reader has hair that is long enough to “lay flat” after being straightened, not proofread or edited

word count: 663

a/n: the second request for my thousand followers and birthday celebration (i still have four slots open!! please request 🙏)

masterlist

james potter + doing hair for a night out + gossiping

Comfortable silence filled the hair, save for the clicking of your flat iron as James helped you straighten your hair. While he was still learning how to properly blow dry your hair, you were more than happy to let him do this part. You glanced up from your book to stare at him in the mirror.

“Should I get the camera, love? You’re staring an awful lot.”

You rolled your eyes, reaching back to elbow him in the ribs, ignoring his laughter. He leaned over your body to press a kiss to your cheek, warm skin pressed against yours. You hummed.

James stood shirtless behind you, claiming that the blow dryer made it too warm in the little area you called the bathroom. Teaching him to do your hair had proven to be great bonding time, if not a little distracting.

“So she was flirting with him the whole time?”

The exasperated expression you responded with was enough to send him howling with laughter. Susan, your least favorite coworker, was most certainly not invited to your birthday dinner, not after her horrid behavior over the past few weeks. First, she’d made moves on one of your friend’s boyfriends. Then she started making comments about James. Yesterday, she’d flirted with another one of your coworkers while he was at the restaurant meeting his girlfriend’s parents.

“Yeah! I mean his girlfriend was just right there, and Susan wouldn’t stop. I felt so bad for that girl.”

He shook his head, giving you another kiss on the temple before moving to the next section of your hair.

“I’m surprised you didn’t say anything, especially after Thursday.”

You huffed. He smoothed out the next part of hair to perfection, letting it fall down and lay straight. You closed your book.

“I wanted to! But then I remembered what she said about you and I would’ve caught a charge, rest assured.”

James snorted, letting down the next parting to have a go at. It didn’t take long to finish as he started to get into a groove.

“I just can’t imagine how she’s had a boyfriend for so long, surely he’d break up with her after realizing what she does?” You tsked, wincing slightly as your hair got caught on one of the clips.

“Sorry.”

You shrugged, letting him work as you contemplated your coworker. She was beautiful, in a conventional way, blonde with blue eyes that she lined like Twiggy. It made her look trendy and cute, but she was a right piece of work. Mean to the point of cruelty and entitled in a way you’d only expect from a small child.

“Do you think she even realizes what she’s doing?” You blinked, glancing up into the mirror to stare at James.

“Maybe? She seems to get a kick out of pissing people off.” He nodded along with your words, making his way through to the last section of hair. You stretched your back, joints popping. James winced at the sound but continued on, soldiering through the battle that was doing your hair. It wasn’t hard by any means, it just seemed to take forever.

As he straightened out the last few partings, you went ahead and grabbed your hair oil. The glass bottle clinked against the counter as you settled back onto the stool that you were sure was going to bruise your arse.

“Wonder if she’s actually cheated on him, the poor bloke. Can’t imagine how it must feel.” You giggled a little.

“He’s just as bad, if I’m honest.”

James clicked his tongue as he shut off the flat iron, setting it on the counter to cool. He pressed up against you again, arms wrapping around your waist to let your hair cool. He was careful to avoid getting your hair wet, his own hair still a touch damp from when he’d styled it.

“Everyone does have a match I suppose.”

You nodded, all but melting into his arms.

“I suppose they do.”

[torupinwheels]

⊹♡ BREAKING NEWS: TORUPINWHEEL’S MAP OF KINKTOBER ISLAND DISCOVERED!

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ - welcome to torupinwheel’s first ever kinktober map! ever since discovering the aforementioned map, our geologists have been hard at work and have found a mysterious island full of steamy spots! we've managed to piece together some of the old writing on the back of this map so adventurers like you can have fun.

hope everyone has a great tour of the island--

𐙚₊˚ taglist open!

𐙚₊˚ as always, this is 18+ content: minors do not interact! you will be blocked accordingly.

📍October 6th: Breathless Hill

werewolf! toji fushiguro & asphyxiation.

𐙚₊ summary - the big bad wolf is after you and you have to do what you need to survive, including choking him out. but in a twisted turn of fate, looks like he might just be into that. the air is getting hotter and as you notice his claws tighten on your waist, maybe you can show him a new kind of hunt.

cw: werewolf au, blindfold, manhandling, physical tussling, penetration.

📍October 10th: Speed Freak Creek

racer! suguru geto & car sex.

𐙚₊ summary - you'd like to remind your boyfriend that most people have car sex while they're parked. not during one of the biggest races of the season. you scoff at his bashful grin but can you really call him a pervert? after all, why did your breathing get deeper when his hand ghosted over your thigh?

cw: car racer au, car sex, reckless driving, penetration.

📍 October 16th: Smooth Arch Bay

satoru gojo, wax play & foot fetish.

𐙚₊ summary - you're getting real tired of Satoru messing with you and turning his infinity on to avoid consequences. after wracking your brain, you come up with the perfect punishment. you've seen the way Satoru not-so-subtly adjusts himself when he sees you massage your feet after work. why not show him what infinity really feels like?

cw: footjob, wax play, orgasm denial, masturbation.

📍October 22nd: Tombstone Beach

kento nanami & ghost sex.

𐙚₊ summary - working the overnight shift isn't supposed to be this dangerous or romantic. when a curse finds you at your part time bakery job, you're eternally grateful that Kento stopped by. but what's this? he's been turned into a ghost and the only way for him to get back to normal is to release his inhibitions in more ways than one. of course you offer to help as a good samaritan. it has nothing to do with the way his back ripples or the moon bouncing off his cheekbones, right?

cw: penetration, ghost sex (phantasmal dick), praise kink.

📍 October 28th: Port Fig

keigo takami, food & temperature play.

𐙚₊ summary - you worked hard to get here: a michelin star restaurant, an admiring staff, and the respect of almost every chef in the city. so when a clip of the #2 hero dismissing your food as "lacking sensuality" goes viral, needless to say you take it to heart. but you didn't become the #2 chef in the country by giving up. you invite Keigo to a private dining experience with high hopes. after all, from the way he eyes your every sway and turn, it seems like your first bad review could turn into something more.

cw: penetration, gratuitous use of food play, temperature play, descriptions of food, descriptions of fire and cooking.

📍October 31st: Ginger Haven

hiromi higuruma, scent kink & body worship.

𐙚₊ summary - it's halloween night and where are you? working late at the office yet again because of your boss. of course, you admired his persistence at his job but you were hoping to make it to your friend's party tonight, even going as far as to buy a mysterious "love perfume" to celebrate. little do you know, the perfume is working its wonders one office door over. no one's at the office except the both of you, why don't you check in on Hiromi?

cw: penetration, questionable office dynamics, scent kink, desk sex, oral (both receiving), body worship.

Taglist open!

TORUPINWHEELS 2024

dark blue divider - @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

[thevegandarkelf]

QOTU Profile: Lydia Rae Vector

Those of you that know Vec & read her original profile may notice some tiny details I changed in order to fit the AU. Most of them are exactly the same though. Her personality remains unchanged.

The face claim I chose for her is a streamer I watch. She streams fantasy games like Baulder's Gate 3, Skyrim, and Dragon Age if you're into that. Her handle is rikkichuu on IG, Tiktok, & YouTube. I couldn't find a single clip of her wearing glasses, so just pretend she has some lmao.

The IG reel I made the GIF from

Also LOOK WHAT @dixons-sunshine MADE (she used Picrew to make it). She brought my sweet lil’ unhinged angel baby to life. I love her so much, look at how cute she is 🖤

TW: mention of suicide, mention of death while in the line of military service

➼ Nicknames: Vec (everyone except Georgie & Scud), Dia (Georgie), Vee, Buttercup (like the Powerpuff girl), my little bee/bumblebee, the Mrs. (Scud)

➼ She got the nickname ‘Vec’ in high school because of all of the Lydias in her graduating class.

➼ Her birthday is July 6th (she’s a Cancer bby)

➼ She was born and raised in the small town of Swanton, Ohio before moving to Atlanta for med school.

➼ She's 5 foot 7 with blue eyes and long black hair that reaches her waist

➼ She worked as a trauma surgeon in an emergency room at Atlanta General before the outbreak.

➼ If she hadn't chosen trauma surgery as her specialty, she would've gone into OBGYN

➼ She decided she wanted to become a doctor when she was just three years old. Her oldest brother was in an accident, and at the hospital, she saw a surgeon in a floral dress and white coat & asked her if she was a princess. The doctor told her yes, and she decided in that moment that she wanted to be a princess when she grew up (which she later learned was a doctor) and save lives like this woman saved her brother’s.

➼ She's passionate about women's rights and access to healthcare

➼ Her strengths include her empathy, compassion, and understanding, which helps to make her a great doctor

➼ She's 30 when the outbreak begins

➼ Her and her best friend, Georgianna Marianne Hawkins (Georgie), have been friends since they were little.

➼ She has three older brothers--Preston (5 years older than her), Jay, and Eli (3 years older than her. Jay and Eli are twins, Jay being two minutes older)

➼ All three of her brothers were Navy SEALs and taught her how to fight

➼ Her dad is an astronaut and was launched into space a couple of weeks before the outbreak began

➼ Her mom and her brother Preston passed away (in separate instances) about 5 years before the outbreak. Preston was killed in the line of duty during deployment, and her mom was unable to cope with his death and took her own life two months later.

➼ She blushes very easily and frequently

➼ She exclusively calls Rick 'cowboy'

➼ Daisies are her favorite flower because they symbolize the purity of love and new beginnings/fresh starts.

➼ Her favorite color is blue

➼ She’s very outgoing and talks a lot

➼ Her favorite music artist is Ke$ha

➼ She collects sex toys & buys a new one after every bad hookup. Georgie will sometimes help her pick a new one & offer her opinion.

➼ She’s very sex-positive and has zero shame in discussing her bedroom activities with people she’s close with.

➼ She likes to write and always has a notebook and pen on her at all times.

➼ She loves fantasy films like Lord of the Rings and attended many ren fests before the outbreak.

➼ She was once on a date where she sneezed and a spaghetti noodle came out her nose. Now, she can't even look at a box of dry spaghetti without getting queasy.

➼ She can sing as well as line dance. She had a friend in medical school who wanted to learn how to line dance, but they didn’t wanna do it alone, so they convinced her to do it with them.

➼ She has four tattoos--line work of a bouquet of daisies on the front of her right hip, line work of the moon on the front of her left hip (a bff tattoo with Georgie), a sternum piece of vines with blue flowers, and a cluster of bumblebees on the back of each of her thighs (hence why Scud calls her ‘my little bee/bumblebee’). She's incredibly selective with who gets to see her tattoos.

➼ She's no damsel in distress, she can handle her own & is hyper-independent.

➼ Her mom gave her the middle name 'Rae' because she was her only daughter and therefore her 'ray of sunshine.'

➼ Other than Georgie, her best friend in the group is Aaron. She's also very close with Maggie, Michonne, & Rosita.

➼ She's a wildcard and bit of a spitfire, and she certainly doesn't take shit from anyone, men especially.

Georgianna Marianne Hawkins belongs to @dixons-sunshine

Taglist: @raddydaddydude @lovenormandixon @angeldemoncrowley @negansbestie

Hit me up if you want to be added to/removed from the taglist

Top GIF banner was made by me, QOTU divider and (c) below were made by Krys

[atths--twice]

Chapter Two

2006

“It’s full of candy, Grandma,” William said. “And we have to hit it to get it out.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun,” Maggie said with a chuckle and Mulder smiled as he secured the gray alien piñata to the tree near their picnic table at the park.

Maggie winked at him when he turned around and reached out to help her put the tablecloth down, holding it in place with some clips.

“He’s very excited,” she murmured as William stared at the alien with a smile.

“He is indeed, and so am I. There’s some good candy in there.”

“Fox,” she laughed, shaking her head and swatting him with a pack of napkins.

“Here’s the last of it,” Scully said, pulling a wagon carrying the ice chest that held the container of William’s birthday cupcakes along with the bottles of water.

“Mommy! Look at my alien piñata!” William called out as he ran to her, throwing his arms around her waist.

“It looks great, honey,” she said, kissing the top of his head as she hugged him.

“Hey, hey…”

Everyone turned and saw Langly and Frohike walking toward them, presents in hand. They were greeted with hugs and high fives, Maggie laughing at something Frohike said.

A dog barked and Monica’s voice rang out, telling him to heel. She and John walked down the small hill as William ran to pet their dog Max, laughing when he tumbled to the ground and Max wiggled excitedly, licking him anywhere he could reach.

“Agents, hello,” Byers said, walking up to join them, holding Susanne’s hand, her golden hair shining in the sun.

“Max!” William giggled, squirming around and getting up, backing into Skinner who had also just arrived. “Uncle Skinner!”

“Hey, Will. Happy birthday,” Skinner said, scooping him up in one arm, his gift held in the other, and carrying him back towards the picnic table as William laughed, his arms held out like Superman.

Everyone gathered around the table, laughing and saying hello again, the presents set on the card table Mulder and Scully had brought with them.

Max barked, begging for treats. William gave him the most as John led him through the commands Max had recently learned.

Conspiracy theories were discussed, Maggie’s eyes widening as she looked at Scully, who rolled her eyes even as she smiled. Mulder and Skinner talked about a case in low tones until Scully, seeing the expression on Mulder’s face, touched his back and he smiled at her with a nod.

“Who’s ready for the piñata?” he called, squeezing her hand, and William shouted in excitement.

He took the bat Mulder handed him and after he was blindfolded and spun around three times, he took his first whack at the piñata amid the cheers of the adults and Max’s happy barks.

John took his turn, cracking the alien in half, and William and Langly both dove for the candy, fighting playfully over pieces as they grabbed for them.

The cupcakes were placed on the table. A blue number five was added to one of them and lit with a lighter as happy birthday was sung. William sat up on his knees, leaning forward to blow out the candle when they were done.

Gifts were opened and exclaimed over, the new radio control car from Skinner tried out immediately, all the men wanting a turn as the women sat at the table and caught up.

A couple of hours later, everything was packed up. Mulder carried William in his arms, whose eyes were drooping with every step.

“I’d say he had a good birthday,” Mulder said as he and Scully waved goodbye to everyone and then got into their car.

“Yeah,” she agreed, looking back and smiling at their sleeping son, his bag of piñata candy still held in his hand. “He did.”

[cosplaytutorial]

Ulala from space channel 5, her classic white crop top and skirt outfit? I’m new to sewing and idk how I should do it

Hello there!

This is a very timely ask because I've been off and on considering remaking my own Ulala cosplay (RIP to the one that I wore so much the fabric disintegrated) and might finally do it.

My first piece of advice is: this costume is somewhat advanced just because of the materials involved, but if you don't mind using different materials, it's not TOO bad.

I'll start with the shapes and types of patterns you should look for, because thankfully the shapes of this are easy. The top should have princess seams, likely armhole princess seams. This will get you that tightly fitted look over the bust, and you can take in the side seams and the princess seams just under the bust for a tighter underbust fit. The collar is probably a quarter or half circle -- mess with shapes on paper scale mockups until you get one that looks right.

The skirt looks like a half circle to me, but again, play around with paper patterns to get the right shape. Use a circle skirt calculator to get the measurements you need for the skirt and for your collar. (Be sure to use the waist measurement where the skirt sits, not your true waist!) These are used by taking a string or measuring tape and drawing a circle using the radius it tells you -- the waist radius is the inside of the donut and the full radius is the full length.

I'd recommend getting a pattern for gloves that have finger gussets, and basting the gussets in by hand before machine sewing. Since you're doing the white version, you can probably purchase boots rather than making bootcovers, and use a paint like Angelus leather paint for the platform.

The 5 logo can be painted on with fabric paint or ironed on with HTV. If you don't have an HTV cutter, you can do it by hand or find a friend with a die cutting machine (Cricut, etc.) to do it. If you choose to stencil, I'd recommend the freezer paper method.

Fabric is the hard part.

The way the costume is drawn makes it look like shiny PVC vinyl type fabric. This fabric is what makes it a bit advanced -- vinyl type fabrics (I'm including shiny, smooth stretch pleathers here that have the same look even if they're PU or a material other than vinyl) require some different techniques -- but switching the fabric to something less perfect for the look but easier to sew would greatly help. A shiny spandex would work if you added structure to the skirt, but you may find it difficult to sew.

I'd go with a slightly shiny but still structured woven material for a beginner sewist. A bottomweight cotton sateen would work quite well. If you don't mind something a bit more slippery but that is shinier, I'd go with a peu de soie (a type of heavy satin).

If you choose PVC, I'd personally go with something more structured than a thin stretch one, but not TOO thick because of the gloves. Order swatches when ordering online. The official costumes from the promo events when the game came out seem to be made of a similar material. (Look at those for reference!) If you go with PVC, you need to use a teflon foot or a walking foot for your sewing machine, otherwise the fabric will stick, and you need to be VERY careful about sewing and pinning because needle and pin holes will not close back up like with most fabric. I'd invest in some cheap sewing clips.

Regardless, the skirt and collar will need some added structure -- I'm looking at using fusible foam (like Pellon Flex Foam) for mine, as I just did a cosplay with fusible foam in the skirt and the shape was great. Just make sure you test it ahead of time to be sure it plays nicely with your chosen fabric.

I hope that helps! Good luck :]

—Fabrickind / Q&A Staff / Twitter

[kyman4lyfe]

Stan helps Craig dye his hair

Stan and Craig recently got an apartment in NYC together. They’ve been living there for about a month, and so far everything’s been going great. They’re all settled in with their furniture and have unpacked for the most part.

Craig is in the bathroom looking at himself in the mirror, tugging at and parting his hair in different places. His blonde roots are starting to become TOO noticeable and he’s realizing he’s going to have to touch them up soon. There’s just one problem… his mom usually does this for him and she’s on the other side of the country. Craig sighs, knowing he has no other choice but to ask Stan for help.

“Hey babe!” Craig calls from the bathroom. Stan is in the bedroom hanging up some posters when he hears Craig calling for him. He stops what he’s doing and goes towards where he heard Craig’s voice come from. Once he gets to the bathroom, he sees Craig standing in front of the counter with a little bowl, brush, and tubes of hair dye set out.

“What’s up?” Stan asks, looking puzzled at the array of items on the sink. Craig sighs and turns to face him.

“I need you to help me touch up my roots… my mom would usually do it for me, but, you know…” Craig says hesitantly. Stan cracks a small smile at this and giggles.

“Of course I’ll help you, honey. Why don’t you go put on a shirt you don’t care about?” Stan says, ushering him out of the bathroom. Once Craig comes back, Stan has a black towel ready to put around his shoulders and clips out to part his hair with. Craig sits on the closed toilet and looks up at Stan with wide eyes, ready to just get this over with.

“Alright, I’m going to mix up the dye and then I’ll start touching up your roots,” Stan states while intently reading the instructions on the dye box. Craig doesn’t respond, he just stays seated with his leg bouncing anxiously. Stan finishes mixing the dye and approaches Craig. He wraps a towel around his shoulders to try and avoid getting dye on his shirt and then starts parting his hair and clipping sections off.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Craig asks nervously, looking up at Stan with glassy eyes. Stan smiles at him reassuringly and caresses his cheek.

“Yes, baby, I’ve done this dozens of time,” Stan says, giggling at how cute his boyfriend is. Stan then begins applying the dye to Craig’s roots. He’s very meticulous about it and makes sure he doesn’t miss any pieces. After the dye sits for a while, Stan helps him rinse it out of his hair using a makeshift salon bowl setup, consisting of Craig leaning his head back into the kitchen sink and Stan using the retractable faucet head to wash his hair. After all the dye is out and his hair has been washed, Craig uses a towel to squeeze out the excess water while walking back to the bathroom.

Craig looks in the mirror, once again inspecting his roots as he just was an hour ago. When he sees how good of a job Stan did he feels his previous anxiety melt away. Stan comes into the bathroom a few minutes later after cleaning up in the kitchen. He stands behind Craig, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. They make eye contact through the mirror and smile at each other.

“See? I told you I knew what I was doing,” Stan teases, reaching up to ruffle Craig’s hair. Craig laughs and lightly elbows him in the rib.

“Thank you for your help, babe. I really don’t think I could’ve done that on my own,” Craig replies gratefully. Stan then spins Craig around in his arms so they’re facing each other. He leans up to place a soft kiss on his lips and then the two spend the rest of the night finishing up decorating their apartment together.

[roxie-roo]

Bird of Prey Chapter Four: Til Death Do We Part

(a/n: Hey friends! Decided to put this out early!! taglist: @carry-on-my-wayward-gays, @bluiex, @devorakian-guilt, @teslapenguini, @majickth )

"So... what now?"

What now indeed. There the two of them were, sitting down on the bed in the ranch, staring at the communicator until it blinked off. They'd been staring at it since Jimmy got back from Scott's death. They'd won.

There wasn't an overwhelming sense of joy, like was normally felt when winning. Was this what it felt like? What even was the point of winning if it just meant emptiness.

No. Not emptiness. Tango was here with him, Tango would go where he goes. And Tango meant he wasn't alone. He never would be, not again.

Jimmy soon broke into a smile and stood up tugging his soulmate up with him. "Come on.. We don't have too much longer left... the evening is young. Let's make the most of it."

Tango couldn't help smiling as well. The once jaded canary had some brightness back to him. For once, the bright yellow wings didn't look artificial. He took Jimmy's hand and kissed the back of it gently. "Let's... I think I have just the thing."

The night went pleasantly. Tango fixed up a jukebox and custom discs, similar to the stuff they were playing with in Hermitcraft. The two danced all evening, Jimmy blushing in particular when he heard Tango whisper to him the words of the song.

"I don't want to set the world on fire, honey.." He crooned, and Jimmy felt himself melt. "I love you too much.. I just want to start a great big flame, down in your heart..."

And he had. Jimmy hadn't felt more alive in one of these games since being paired with Tango. Alive, and full of love and confidence, a feeling he'd never felt in one of these games. Not since the first time.

As the clock ticked away, Jimmy threw his arms around Tango's neck and brought him down into a kiss. Bold and tender and sweet. Tango let out a surprised little "meep" before it happened, but he melted into it all the same, arms settling around Jimmy's waist as he smiled.

This was home.

And in the time they had together, they decided they'd make something to remember this world, this life, each other by. Tango worked with metals, bending and shaping them with ease. Rummaging around other people's areas lead him to find netherite, exactly what he needed for this. Not for tools or armor, no, there was no point to that anymore. But there was something else he could do with it. Two thin pieces of the material were bend into a ring. One for him and one for Jimmy. A promise that no matter what world, what life, they'd remember this moment. This bond. Their soulmate.

Jimmy was busy at work too, gathering up the molted feathers that were scattered around the ranch, and making sure the animals were well fed. They deserved that much at least.

He gathered a few feathers together, some of the muted yellow and some of the bright yellow, and tied them up with string. That string was hooked to a small, thin piece of iron, and clipped to a short point.

When the time came for them to exchange gifts, Tango insisted Jimmy go first. Sheepishly, the avian handed the feathers over. "It... I'm not the best with metalwork- and you may have to tweak some things, but it's.. it's an earring. I know you like wearing them,, and it's my feathers, so.. a part of me is always with you."

"Buttercup.." Tango smiled, warm and sweet and making Jimmy's face turn all sorts of red. "I love it.." He carefully put it in and grinned. "Looks good, huh?"

"I'll say..." Jimmy muttered under his breath. Tango snorted, shaking his head as he took Jimmy's hand carefully. "Here's my gift..." Carefully putting it on, he watched as Jimmy stared down at it, his voice hitching.

"Tango-... is that a ring?"

"A promise ring." He confirmed. "A little reminder that we'll always have each other. No matter what world.. I'll always love you. You'll always be my soulmate, my rancher."

Jimmy, at this point, shouldn't be faulted for the floodgates of tears that opened almost as soon as Tango started talking. He threw his arms around Tango and hugged him tightly, burying his face into his soulmate's shoulder. "I love you-" He said, voice weak and shaking. "I love you. I love you." He couldn't stop repeating it. Not until Tango carefully brought a hand up to rub his back and play with the ends of his hair.

"I love you too, songbird.. it's okay.. deep breath, baby." He soothed. "Deep breaths.. it's okay.."

Jimmy eventually stopped staining Tango's jacket in tears, though that definitely would not be the last time. "It's just-" he sniffled as Tango brought his face out from his shoulder and thumbed away his tears gingerly. "Everyone's always seen me as the curse,, the stupid canary,, not a real player. But- you... you made me feel alive..! You believed in me- everyone thought I'd get out first, but you.. I felt like I could actually make it.. Thank you.."

"Of course.." Tango kissed the top of his head and smiled. Warm and comforting. Tango was always warm. "I love you so much,, and I know we don't have much time left in this world, the game is over after all. And when we go to sleep we'll wake up in new worlds... but, I promise to find you. We will always have each other.." He held up his own promise ring, allowing Jimmy to put it on him as he kissed the tip of his nose, smiling as it scrunched up slightly. "I promise you that.."

And things were peaceful. They were quiet, and they were home.

The peace, however much they wanted it to, wouldn't last for much longer. If they slept, the Watchers would decide who won. And neither of them wanted that.

"You should take the win." Jimmy blurted out. Tango couldn't stop the shocked laugh that escaped him.

"What?"

"You-... you should take it.. only one of us can." Jimmy muttered. "You've... given me something worth so much more than winning the game.. You gave me hope. You showed me that my curse, though cruel, isn't something that I should let hold me back. You believed in me... What's more powerful than that? There's nothing I could ever do to make up for that... but I can let you win the game.."

"I think you deserve the win more than I do, buttercup.." Tango laughed softly and shook his head. "You've been working for this the whole game.. Fighting the odds, biting the hand that feeds, and ripping it from the arm that enforces.. You've shown them you're not just their canary, but a real part of this game.. Besides, against you, I don't even want to win. I was okay with dying at the start, and I'm okay with it now.. You take it, baby."

"I- I don't think I can do that.." Jimmy whispered, his voice breaking again. "Not when I know what it's like to be with you... Now that I have you in my life, how could I ever give that up? I don't think I could live without you."

"You won't lose me forever, Jimmy.. I promise.." Tango smiled knowingly. "We've got other worlds... We'll see each other again. I said I'd find you in the next world.. And I will.."

Jimmy nodded, leaning into his comforting arms and relaxing with a shaking breath. He looked up at Tango and thought for a moment, before whispering, "we go out together."

"Neither of us win.. Neither of us lose." Tango looked down at him and kissed under his eye.

"We can even go out the way we went in... with a bang."

"I'll get the tnt."

It was decided.

The tnt was placed around them in a small ring. Tango held onto Jimmy's hand and helped him inside the ring, smiling at him a little bit. "Well... This is it."

"Yeah.." Jimmy whispered. "This is it... This is the end.."

Tango tilted his chin up to look him in the eyes properly, smiling down at him and brushing his thumb against his cheek. "I'm so glad I got paired with you.."

"Me too.." Jimmy held Tango's hand to his cheek. "We probably shouldn't be wasting anymore time.."

"Right.." Tango struggled to light one of the bundles for a bit, eventually striking the flint against the steel right and lighting one of the fuses. Then he went right back to Jimmy, taking both of his hands gently. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Hand in hand they went out. Til death do us part, as the old saying goes. Just as the seconds ticked down, Jimmy yanked Tango down into a kiss.

And it was over. Everything went white around them, no sounds could be heard but the hissing and popping of tnt.

[TangoTek was blown up by TangoTek]

[SoldarityGaming died]

[broken-bottle-chandelier]

" And now here I am, to my waist in water and getting drowned on the regular. "

Looks to the Moon being reminiscent of memories she no longer has... ...Featuring, my design take on Moon! Yaaay! This is my first time actually sitting down and fully coloring and fleshing out the look, wow!

This was originally for the Rain World art month, but as it approached the end of the month I just decided to finish it on my own time, and as is often the case, my own time is usually about a month- TT+TT [Though drawing the very last-minute background that I had NO planning beforehand other than the realization "Oh, right, Twitter doesn't do transparent images" most likely did not help...]

Despite having said all that, I actually am kind of proud of how long this took me! I tried a lot of new techniques for this! For instance: I knew I wanted to show motion with Moon's wires and incorporate them into the piece but I wasn't really satisfied with how I draw wires, and drawing two parallel lines by hand would have taken substantially more time. SO- to counteract this I did some research into properly making my own custom brushes for my software, I use Paint Tool SAI so I don't necessarily have the luxury of softwares like Clip Studio Paint to have catalogs of brushes sadly, and was able to make my own 2-point brush! It definitely needs some tweaks and revisions, despite being the 5th one of its kind that I made for this piece, but it served itself well for this piece and was a great help! The texturing was also a custom brush, made by someone else but heavily tweaked to match my preferences so that I could replicate skin refracting the rain. That in itself took a LOT of time studying references and watching tutorials and tips. [Thank you Sinix Design for all you do for the art community...]

However, there's more that I wish I could've done for this piece and it is FAR from perfect. I really wanted to make the red parts of Moon's body much shinier to show that they are a different property than her skin. Part of me really wanted to add in some rain falling from the ceiling too, to better sell the look of her being in the middle of an active rain cycle. Alas, my art program was really struggling to keep up with the number of layers I already had on the canvas and... also I didn't want to spend another few hours learning how to draw raining in free fall... there was also that... [Also I promise I am much better at drawing water and waves than this, I DID NOT plan how that shape would look in a third dimension at ALL and it suffered as a result- Oops--]

But! She's done and I'm comfortable enough with how this turned out! I'm glad to have finally properly drawn an iterator finally! It only took 6 years...

And thank YOU, yes you... for reading all my ramblings on my work and the process I went through!

[mapleleavesart]

Oh You’re Warm Blooded? Great, Welcome to Being My Personal Heat Pack

Mikey x Yokai OC (Mei)

Word Count: 2258

Content warnings: fluff, a freezing cold-blooded turtle, kissing, fluff, cuddling, Mikey's hands get placed over/around Mei's stomach/waist cause he feels like a corpse, concerns about mental health/ implied depression, do any of these really need to be warned about? Probably not but imma state it anyways

Was going outside in the dead of winter a bad idea? Yeah, probably. The four turtle brothers only ever went out for snow days in the first few weeks of cold, snowy weather, just enough to get a taste before holing up inside and brumating for the worst of NYC’s winter. Even when they did leave, all of them had several jackets on. And they were only out for a few hours at a time, lest they start slowing down and go into brumation early. Did they have to huddle together under the heat lamp for hours afterwards to recover? Yep. Did Mikey tell anyone he was leaving?

… Well, he told Pops and Draxum he was going out (they were sharing a pot of tea; nobody else was to be seen). They told him to put on an extra jacket, stay safe, don’t be too long or go too far, etc. Parental fretting. You know how it is.

 Did Mikey leave the lair anyways, simply because he wanted to see his most favorite person ever?

Also yeah.

The Hidden City didn’t get snow. Natural snow, that is. Sometimes the witches from Witch Town cast weather spells to mimic the surface’s weather, or for certain festivities. Not today, thankfully. That didn’t make the underground cavern any less cold though. 

Mikey shivered. His right hand was tucked into his coat pocket while the other held steaming-hot cocoa, he had a beanie on his head, and nearly every piece of winter clothing he had in his closet on. His breath lingered in the air like he was a fog machine

But Mei was enjoying herself, so he wouldn’t say anything.

“Ooh~ sparkly.” Speak of.

Mikey stopped to look at the store window the Qilin was looking through. Many pieces of jewelry were on display, all beautiful in their own ways. Kinda like people. “Something catch your eye?” He asked.

“Well, obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped and gone ‘ooh, sparkly!’” Mei retorted with an eyeroll and small snort . Her lavender scales glinted in the cold light. It was mesmerizing. He forced his gaze away and back to the display. 

“Anything worth taking a closer look at?” He asked. Sure, girls typically loved jewelry and sometimes impulse-bought pretty things, but Mei was pretty good at thinking things through.

Mei gave a small hum. “No. They’re pretty to look at, but I don’t need any more,” she decided. She turned from the shop window and continued walking. Mikey followed. Mei took a sip of her drink- hot cider of some kind. Her muted orange turtleneck sweater hung off her frame, loose and thick and soft-looking and probably very huggable. Thick, beige pants that most certainly were fleece-lined were plaid-striped with various shades of coffee with various amounts of creamer. The pastel colors made her teal eyes really pop.  “So, conversations,” Mei started, knocking him out of his thoughts of ‘i’m cold but she’s beautiful i don't want to leave but i’m freezing down here, holy shell-’

“Mhmm?”

“How are you doing? Mentally, I mean,” she added as an afterthought.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Mikey answered, giving her a small smile.

“You sure?” She tilted her head at him, voice and eyes softening. “You’ve been awfully quiet today. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I’m not majoring in psychology without good reason,”

Oh. Had she really noticed his quietness? Was it that obvious?

“Oh, I’m not- no, I mean-” Mikey took a deep breath to calm his flustered heart. He focused on the soft clip-clop of Mei’s hooves. “Yes. I know you’re here for me if I need to talk. No, it’s not that. I’m good, really, it’s just…” Mikey shrugged, “...cold.”

“Cold,” Mei repeated. She looked around the street. Most Yokai were still inside, but a few were out and about, hurrying from one destination to another. “Not… sad, bored, upset, or exhausted?”

Mikey hummed his agreement, taking another sip of his sweet hot chocolate. “And it has nothing to do with you, I swear,” he added oh-so-helpfully.

Her head tilted the other way. He spared a glance at her. How was she not cold? The tips of her ears looked paler than normal. Her eyes flicked up and down his body. Her scaled eyebrows furrowed. “But you’re dressed up in, like, ten more layers than I am. How are that cold? How’s that work?”

The question wasn’t demeaning or rude, just genuine and curious and worried  and without harm.

Mikey turned his face up towards where the sky was supposed to be. “Cold blood," he shrugged. "You know how it is."

Mei stopped again. This time to stare at him like he grew a second head. "No, I don't," she blinked. Then held a hand up, palm forward, "wait, backtrack, you're cold blooded?" 

Mikey also stopped and also stared. The realization smacked him in the face. "You're not!?"

"You are?!"

"I'm a reptile, of course I'm cold blooded! How are you not?"

"Most Yokai are warm blooded! I never would have asked you to come out in the cold if I had known!" She made her cup float and reached for him. "Show me your hands,"

Mikey obliged, taking his hand out of his pocket and resting it on one of hers. She lifted it closer to her snout and turned it supination- palm up.

“Spirits, your fingers are almost blue! Why didn’t you say anything?” Mei demanded in an oddly motherly tone, wrapping her own hands around his. Her hands were so warm… no wonder she wasn’t as cold as he was.

“You were enjoying yourself… I didn’t want to ruin it!”

“You could’ve said something!” She shot back, tone now creeping toward concern. “This is very worrying! We can go shopping some other time, we could’ve stayed inside! I don’t want you to just- I don’t know, drop to the floor in brumation like you’re dead or something,” she rubbed his hand as if trying to get his blood flowing again. Because that would help.

“Sorry,” Mikey apologized. “But I didn’t want you to feel bad for accommodating me. I want to spend time with you. I wanted to make you happy, ‘cause when you’re happy, I’m happy.”

Mei let out a little whimper-like noise, or perhaps it was a coo? “Mikey…” her expression couldn’t land on an emotion. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped when Mikey shivered again, and she stopped herself. “Here, let’s get out of the middle of the walkway.” Mei didn’t let go of his hand and dragged him over to a nearby bench. Her cider followed her in the air. She sat down, her long tail curled to outline the spot next to her, and tugged him down next to her.

Mikey of course obeyed, because who was he to deny her?

Mei wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Her tail plopped itself into his lap, a comforting, heavy weight. Mikey could feel a tug on his mug- his previously only source of heat- as Mei’s magic pulled it out of his hand. It watched it go up to hover alongside hers. “You’d better not mix those up, hot cocoa is sacred,”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. Should I ask Shangti to come pick us up? I’m sure he won’t mind taking us - well, you - back to the manor. Or I could carry you back. Or levitate us back-”

“Shangti have a car or s’mthing?”

“... a what?”

“Carrying it is then.”

~~~

Ten minutes later and they were drifting down from the air. The Tian Manor stood below them, seated on a cliff overlooking the rest of the Hidden City. He’d never been inside before- at least, outside of the times where he snuck onto Mei’s bedroom balcony just to see her, back when they were still a secret.

The building itself was almost 100 feet tall with three floors and ionic columns made of white marble marching up the sides. The walls were made of dark green stone- malachite, if he remembered from Mei’s history ramble- with a marble-like swirl pattern within it. They went through the front doors, through a mud room, and entered a huge foyer. They went under the landing of the two giant staircases circling the foyer.

“You have such a pretty house…” Mikey murmured, his voice muffled from his nose being tucked into his jacket and pressed against Mei’s front from the way he was being princess-carried.

“Glad you think so. Hopefully you’ll be ‘round here more often from now on. You know, when you decide against freezing to death.”

“Oh, please, it’s not that cold. At worst my heart stops beating for a while and I go comatose for a few days.”

He was promptly dropped onto a couch. “Sorry. What?”

“Box turtle thing,” Mikey exclaimed, making himself comfortable against the armrest. Mei disappeared from his sight, presumably to find some blankets or something. Their cups still floated in the air.

The mutant took the chance to examine whatever room he was in. The couch faced something that looked like it might be the Yokai version of a TV. Closer to him was a coffee table a shade lighter than the dark red-brown leather of the couch. Underneath the screen was a fireplace. Over to his left was something akin to a pool table.

“Game room?” He guessed.

“Hm? Oh, I suppose you could call it that. We call it the den,” Mei replied, popping back into sight with a bundle of rich, emerald green throw blankets. She helped him wrap himself up comfortably until it felt like he couldn’t move. Then she helped him free his arms so he could drink his now-room-temperature chocolate.

Mei, the solution to all of his problems today, crouched down by the fireplace and cast a small fireball spell. The hearth bursted into dancing yellow flames. His cocoa was once again torn from his grip and went to hover by the fire to reheat it. 

Mei sat down next to his blanket burrito and took his hands. “You feel like a corpse,” she noted.

“Happens to the best of us,” he replied with a small smile. She gave him a look before scooting closer. She took his hands and pressed them against her sides, under her sweater and against her scaly skin. Her elbows tucked against his hands to keep them in place.

Mikey’s eyes widened. Holy shell she was so warm. Is this what warm blooded creatures felt like all the time?!

He felt Mei’s muscles stiffen. He glanced up at her face to see it scrunched up, probably in effort not to recoil from his undoubtedly cold hands. He was pretty sure he was making a weird face too.

“What, never touched a corpse before?” Mikey tried to joke. It was Mei’s turn to shiver. Mikey was pretty sure he was blushing, if that was even possible.

“Miguel,” the yokai scolded. “Enough with the death jokes. They’re not funny.”

To you, he thought. Out loud, he apologized. “Sorry. Leo must be rubbing off on me.”

Mei huffed. Mikey shifted how his hands were positioned. It could've been ten seconds or a minute or an hour before he managed to compose himself enough to mumble, "your scales are soft,"

"... Thanks."

Mei didn't meet his gaze, but her cheeks were darker than they were supposed to be.

"What, I can't compliment my gorgeous girlfriend?"

Mei's face darkened further. It was adorable. "You warm yet?" She asked to avoid the question.

"Hm… mostly. My lips are still a little cold," he started, blinking up at her innocently, "care to help me with that?"

Oh, if only he could record the look she gave him. It made him want to giggle like they were fifteen all over again. So he did. And in the process of that, he pulled Mei by her waist so the Yokai flopped into him with a strangled yelp of surprise.

"ACK- Mikey!" She complained, wiggling against his hold. But alas, he was a building-thrower and the most Mei worked out was when she practiced her archery. Within a second Mikey had one arm wrapped firmly around her torso, pressing her against him now. Mei quickly gave up and lay limp against his plastron. Her tail flopped around clumsily behind her.

Mikey pulled out his most charming grin. "Can I get my daily dose of kisses now, my love?"

All of Mei's muscles melted with her annoyance. Her face and gaze softened into something adoring. Her hands moved to rest against Mikey's chest. Mikey moved his hand to rest against her warm cheek in turn. 

She sighed dramatically. "Oh, if I must." 

Then she leaned forward and pressed a gentle, warm, long kiss on his lips. It left his green skin tingling. "You're such a dork." All of the love in the world was stored in her voice. Mikey could feel his tail beginning to wag from its confines.

"Yeah. But I'm your dork, aren't I?"

"Yeah," she pecked his lips again.

And so they stayed like that, cuddling and trading sweet kisses, until the two fell asleep, until the sun reached its peak, and until a dark teal Qilin adjusted their blankets and answered the texts blowing up Michaelangelo's phone. They stayed like that as Shangti reassured the little box turtle's worried family that he was okay, that the Titans would take care of him, and that the two would return as soon as they awoke.

And so, they stayed.

[cleverhottubmiracle]

One full year into the Covid-19 pandemic, Alyssa Hertzig has discovered a new way to practice self-care…and it’s about as old-fashioned as it gets. In this month’s “Life with the Girls,” she shares how she stumbled across a way to cope that keeps her hands busy and her mind at ease. (And no, it isn’t not baking banana bread.) Alyssa stitching her latest WIP. There was a time as recently as 2019 P.C. (that’s pre-Covid, of course) when I was cool. As a beauty editor, I spent my days attending fancy launches for new lipsticks, nail polishes, or anti-aging creams. I wore pants without drawstring waists and dresses that weren’t designed explicitly for naps. I had my hair blown out weekly in a salon, a practice that now somehow seems alien, dangerous and heavenly all at once. Then the pandemic hit and, as it did for countless others, changed my life overnight. Events were canceled, budgets tightened, assignments disappeared. My life suddenly revolved almost exclusively around two things: 1) worrying that I or someone I loved would get sick, and 2) acting as a de facto school principal tasked with policing my first grader during remote school. Now, instead of lip gloss launches and article writing, my days were spent with my voice at an 11, screaming at my son to “KEEP YOUR FACE IN THE SCREEN!” and “LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER!” As it turns out, I’m a super mean principal. I felt stressed, angry, lost, and somehow both busy and bored. I desperately wanted a way to relax and temporarily escape, but with my usual go-tos like massages, pedicures or drinks with friends off the table, I was at a loss. (And showers are not self-care, don’t even go there.) In the early weeks of the pandemic, I tried to chill out by reading, but I’d read the same page three times and retain none of it. Though I normally read at a clip of eight or ten books a month, I found myself taking weeks to slog through one. I needed a new form of quieting my mind—something that would relax me, but that I could also engage in as I sat in on virtual school—and it ended up coming from a surprising place. One afternoon while scrolling through Instagram, I noticed one of my favorite fashion bloggers proclaiming her newfound love of needlepoint. I was shocked. Needlepoint was trending?? It wasn’t exactly new to me: I come from a family of avid needlepointers. My maternal grandmother was a prolific, longtime stitcher, as is my mother. I grew up in a home where their work was ever-present anywhere you looked, from Christmas stockings to Kleenex box covers. But the tradition had stopped with me. Who knows why–I wasn’t crafty? I wasn’t interested? It seemed hard?–but needlepoint just never became my thing. Until Covid hit. Suddenly, I found myself ordering a canvas and some threads online and watching a few YouTube tutorials. Before long, I was hooked. It was actually really simple to learn. Sure, it can get complicated when you delve into more intricate stitches, but it doesn’t have to be. At its most basic, needlepoint is easy—mindless, even. For me, that’s its joy. Needlepoint has become my personal form of meditation. Sure, Headspace is great and all, but have you ever chilled out to the rhythmic symmetry of repetitively pulling thread through canvas over and over again? Have you ever taken out your frustration at the world by stabbing something socially sanctioned over and over again? Stitching forces you to slow down, focusing solely on one thing as you move slowly and steadily in and out, in and out. It’s almost like breathing. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and needlepoint has been one” [/perfectpullquote] And unlike actual meditation, with needlepoint, you have something tangible to show for it afterwards. This kind of meditation comes with a parting gift: a handmade ornament, pillow or framed piece of art you’ll have forever. The “grandmillennial” canvases out now are fun, beautiful and even cheeky. ‘Pointing is also the rare hobby that lets me multitask. Though sometimes I stitch in silence, more often I do it while listening to an audiobook or podcast. If you’re the type to feel guilty about taking a few moments for yourself, this helps. You’re getting so much done at one time! Needlepoint is unexpectedly social. I’ve joined Facebook groups and follow fellow needlepointers on Instagram–and they’re almost all younger than me! I’m even using community lingo, busting out insider-speak like “ndlpt,” “WIP” (work in progress) and “stash” (the collection of canvases-in-waiting that expands faster than you can stitch. For example: “If my husband ever figures out how much I’ve spent on my ndlpt stash, I’m screwed.”) If you think the first thing I did once I fell in love with needlepoint was to share this news with my mother, you would be wrong. When I started stitching early in the pandemic, I figured I’d surprise her when I saw her in person. Surely this whole thing would be over by June or so, right? (Of course it wasn’t.) So I stitched in secret for months. Finally in December, after two weeks of total isolation and Covid tests all around, we were able to see my parents. On Christmas Eve, I gave my mother a small gift bag containing my first project: an ornament shaped like a Starbucks cup, personalized with her name. She unwrapped it and responded with an oh-this-is-a-cute-Etsy-find sort of “Awww!” I realized that she hadn’t even considered that I might have stitched it. “Do you know who made it?” I asked. She was visibly perplexed until you could see it slowly dawning on her. “YOU??” she screamed. She was giddy—and shocked. So now I’m fully out as a needlepointer. My mom sends me links to cute canvases and is turning one of my projects into a pillow for me (nope, I never learned how to sew either), and my parents gave me a gift card to a needlepoint shop for my birthday. While I do love the meditative aspects of needlepoint, maybe the best part about it is that I feel like I’m continuing a legacy that my mom and grandma started. I love that my chosen form of self-care has become the thread that binds us together across generations. 2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and this has been one. Not only has the last year allowed me to spend so much more time with my family and teach me to appreciate the small things, it allowed me to fall in love with this pastime that noticeably lowers my blood pressure as I begin to thread the needle. But I’m hardly forgiving the past year, which took so much more from us all than it gave. That’s why my latest project is an ornament shaped like a dumpster on fire. I’ll be stitching the numbers “2-0-2-0” across the bottom. Source link

[norajworld]

One full year into the Covid-19 pandemic, Alyssa Hertzig has discovered a new way to practice self-care…and it’s about as old-fashioned as it gets. In this month’s “Life with the Girls,” she shares how she stumbled across a way to cope that keeps her hands busy and her mind at ease. (And no, it isn’t not baking banana bread.) Alyssa stitching her latest WIP. There was a time as recently as 2019 P.C. (that’s pre-Covid, of course) when I was cool. As a beauty editor, I spent my days attending fancy launches for new lipsticks, nail polishes, or anti-aging creams. I wore pants without drawstring waists and dresses that weren’t designed explicitly for naps. I had my hair blown out weekly in a salon, a practice that now somehow seems alien, dangerous and heavenly all at once. Then the pandemic hit and, as it did for countless others, changed my life overnight. Events were canceled, budgets tightened, assignments disappeared. My life suddenly revolved almost exclusively around two things: 1) worrying that I or someone I loved would get sick, and 2) acting as a de facto school principal tasked with policing my first grader during remote school. Now, instead of lip gloss launches and article writing, my days were spent with my voice at an 11, screaming at my son to “KEEP YOUR FACE IN THE SCREEN!” and “LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER!” As it turns out, I’m a super mean principal. I felt stressed, angry, lost, and somehow both busy and bored. I desperately wanted a way to relax and temporarily escape, but with my usual go-tos like massages, pedicures or drinks with friends off the table, I was at a loss. (And showers are not self-care, don’t even go there.) In the early weeks of the pandemic, I tried to chill out by reading, but I’d read the same page three times and retain none of it. Though I normally read at a clip of eight or ten books a month, I found myself taking weeks to slog through one. I needed a new form of quieting my mind—something that would relax me, but that I could also engage in as I sat in on virtual school—and it ended up coming from a surprising place. One afternoon while scrolling through Instagram, I noticed one of my favorite fashion bloggers proclaiming her newfound love of needlepoint. I was shocked. Needlepoint was trending?? It wasn’t exactly new to me: I come from a family of avid needlepointers. My maternal grandmother was a prolific, longtime stitcher, as is my mother. I grew up in a home where their work was ever-present anywhere you looked, from Christmas stockings to Kleenex box covers. But the tradition had stopped with me. Who knows why–I wasn’t crafty? I wasn’t interested? It seemed hard?–but needlepoint just never became my thing. Until Covid hit. Suddenly, I found myself ordering a canvas and some threads online and watching a few YouTube tutorials. Before long, I was hooked. It was actually really simple to learn. Sure, it can get complicated when you delve into more intricate stitches, but it doesn’t have to be. At its most basic, needlepoint is easy—mindless, even. For me, that’s its joy. Needlepoint has become my personal form of meditation. Sure, Headspace is great and all, but have you ever chilled out to the rhythmic symmetry of repetitively pulling thread through canvas over and over again? Have you ever taken out your frustration at the world by stabbing something socially sanctioned over and over again? Stitching forces you to slow down, focusing solely on one thing as you move slowly and steadily in and out, in and out. It’s almost like breathing. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and needlepoint has been one” [/perfectpullquote] And unlike actual meditation, with needlepoint, you have something tangible to show for it afterwards. This kind of meditation comes with a parting gift: a handmade ornament, pillow or framed piece of art you’ll have forever. The “grandmillennial” canvases out now are fun, beautiful and even cheeky. ‘Pointing is also the rare hobby that lets me multitask. Though sometimes I stitch in silence, more often I do it while listening to an audiobook or podcast. If you’re the type to feel guilty about taking a few moments for yourself, this helps. You’re getting so much done at one time! Needlepoint is unexpectedly social. I’ve joined Facebook groups and follow fellow needlepointers on Instagram–and they’re almost all younger than me! I’m even using community lingo, busting out insider-speak like “ndlpt,” “WIP” (work in progress) and “stash” (the collection of canvases-in-waiting that expands faster than you can stitch. For example: “If my husband ever figures out how much I’ve spent on my ndlpt stash, I’m screwed.”) If you think the first thing I did once I fell in love with needlepoint was to share this news with my mother, you would be wrong. When I started stitching early in the pandemic, I figured I’d surprise her when I saw her in person. Surely this whole thing would be over by June or so, right? (Of course it wasn’t.) So I stitched in secret for months. Finally in December, after two weeks of total isolation and Covid tests all around, we were able to see my parents. On Christmas Eve, I gave my mother a small gift bag containing my first project: an ornament shaped like a Starbucks cup, personalized with her name. She unwrapped it and responded with an oh-this-is-a-cute-Etsy-find sort of “Awww!” I realized that she hadn’t even considered that I might have stitched it. “Do you know who made it?” I asked. She was visibly perplexed until you could see it slowly dawning on her. “YOU??” she screamed. She was giddy—and shocked. So now I’m fully out as a needlepointer. My mom sends me links to cute canvases and is turning one of my projects into a pillow for me (nope, I never learned how to sew either), and my parents gave me a gift card to a needlepoint shop for my birthday. While I do love the meditative aspects of needlepoint, maybe the best part about it is that I feel like I’m continuing a legacy that my mom and grandma started. I love that my chosen form of self-care has become the thread that binds us together across generations. 2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and this has been one. Not only has the last year allowed me to spend so much more time with my family and teach me to appreciate the small things, it allowed me to fall in love with this pastime that noticeably lowers my blood pressure as I begin to thread the needle. But I’m hardly forgiving the past year, which took so much more from us all than it gave. That’s why my latest project is an ornament shaped like a dumpster on fire. I’ll be stitching the numbers “2-0-2-0” across the bottom. Source link

[ellajme0]

One full year into the Covid-19 pandemic, Alyssa Hertzig has discovered a new way to practice self-care…and it’s about as old-fashioned as it gets. In this month’s “Life with the Girls,” she shares how she stumbled across a way to cope that keeps her hands busy and her mind at ease. (And no, it isn’t not baking banana bread.) Alyssa stitching her latest WIP. There was a time as recently as 2019 P.C. (that’s pre-Covid, of course) when I was cool. As a beauty editor, I spent my days attending fancy launches for new lipsticks, nail polishes, or anti-aging creams. I wore pants without drawstring waists and dresses that weren’t designed explicitly for naps. I had my hair blown out weekly in a salon, a practice that now somehow seems alien, dangerous and heavenly all at once. Then the pandemic hit and, as it did for countless others, changed my life overnight. Events were canceled, budgets tightened, assignments disappeared. My life suddenly revolved almost exclusively around two things: 1) worrying that I or someone I loved would get sick, and 2) acting as a de facto school principal tasked with policing my first grader during remote school. Now, instead of lip gloss launches and article writing, my days were spent with my voice at an 11, screaming at my son to “KEEP YOUR FACE IN THE SCREEN!” and “LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER!” As it turns out, I’m a super mean principal. I felt stressed, angry, lost, and somehow both busy and bored. I desperately wanted a way to relax and temporarily escape, but with my usual go-tos like massages, pedicures or drinks with friends off the table, I was at a loss. (And showers are not self-care, don’t even go there.) In the early weeks of the pandemic, I tried to chill out by reading, but I’d read the same page three times and retain none of it. Though I normally read at a clip of eight or ten books a month, I found myself taking weeks to slog through one. I needed a new form of quieting my mind—something that would relax me, but that I could also engage in as I sat in on virtual school—and it ended up coming from a surprising place. One afternoon while scrolling through Instagram, I noticed one of my favorite fashion bloggers proclaiming her newfound love of needlepoint. I was shocked. Needlepoint was trending?? It wasn’t exactly new to me: I come from a family of avid needlepointers. My maternal grandmother was a prolific, longtime stitcher, as is my mother. I grew up in a home where their work was ever-present anywhere you looked, from Christmas stockings to Kleenex box covers. But the tradition had stopped with me. Who knows why–I wasn’t crafty? I wasn’t interested? It seemed hard?–but needlepoint just never became my thing. Until Covid hit. Suddenly, I found myself ordering a canvas and some threads online and watching a few YouTube tutorials. Before long, I was hooked. It was actually really simple to learn. Sure, it can get complicated when you delve into more intricate stitches, but it doesn’t have to be. At its most basic, needlepoint is easy—mindless, even. For me, that’s its joy. Needlepoint has become my personal form of meditation. Sure, Headspace is great and all, but have you ever chilled out to the rhythmic symmetry of repetitively pulling thread through canvas over and over again? Have you ever taken out your frustration at the world by stabbing something socially sanctioned over and over again? Stitching forces you to slow down, focusing solely on one thing as you move slowly and steadily in and out, in and out. It’s almost like breathing. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and needlepoint has been one” [/perfectpullquote] And unlike actual meditation, with needlepoint, you have something tangible to show for it afterwards. This kind of meditation comes with a parting gift: a handmade ornament, pillow or framed piece of art you’ll have forever. The “grandmillennial” canvases out now are fun, beautiful and even cheeky. ‘Pointing is also the rare hobby that lets me multitask. Though sometimes I stitch in silence, more often I do it while listening to an audiobook or podcast. If you’re the type to feel guilty about taking a few moments for yourself, this helps. You’re getting so much done at one time! Needlepoint is unexpectedly social. I’ve joined Facebook groups and follow fellow needlepointers on Instagram–and they’re almost all younger than me! I’m even using community lingo, busting out insider-speak like “ndlpt,” “WIP” (work in progress) and “stash” (the collection of canvases-in-waiting that expands faster than you can stitch. For example: “If my husband ever figures out how much I’ve spent on my ndlpt stash, I’m screwed.”) If you think the first thing I did once I fell in love with needlepoint was to share this news with my mother, you would be wrong. When I started stitching early in the pandemic, I figured I’d surprise her when I saw her in person. Surely this whole thing would be over by June or so, right? (Of course it wasn’t.) So I stitched in secret for months. Finally in December, after two weeks of total isolation and Covid tests all around, we were able to see my parents. On Christmas Eve, I gave my mother a small gift bag containing my first project: an ornament shaped like a Starbucks cup, personalized with her name. She unwrapped it and responded with an oh-this-is-a-cute-Etsy-find sort of “Awww!” I realized that she hadn’t even considered that I might have stitched it. “Do you know who made it?” I asked. She was visibly perplexed until you could see it slowly dawning on her. “YOU??” she screamed. She was giddy—and shocked. So now I’m fully out as a needlepointer. My mom sends me links to cute canvases and is turning one of my projects into a pillow for me (nope, I never learned how to sew either), and my parents gave me a gift card to a needlepoint shop for my birthday. While I do love the meditative aspects of needlepoint, maybe the best part about it is that I feel like I’m continuing a legacy that my mom and grandma started. I love that my chosen form of self-care has become the thread that binds us together across generations. 2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and this has been one. Not only has the last year allowed me to spend so much more time with my family and teach me to appreciate the small things, it allowed me to fall in love with this pastime that noticeably lowers my blood pressure as I begin to thread the needle. But I’m hardly forgiving the past year, which took so much more from us all than it gave. That’s why my latest project is an ornament shaped like a dumpster on fire. I’ll be stitching the numbers “2-0-2-0” across the bottom. Source link

[chilimili212]

One full year into the Covid-19 pandemic, Alyssa Hertzig has discovered a new way to practice self-care…and it’s about as old-fashioned as it gets. In this month’s “Life with the Girls,” she shares how she stumbled across a way to cope that keeps her hands busy and her mind at ease. (And no, it isn’t not baking banana bread.) Alyssa stitching her latest WIP. There was a time as recently as 2019 P.C. (that’s pre-Covid, of course) when I was cool. As a beauty editor, I spent my days attending fancy launches for new lipsticks, nail polishes, or anti-aging creams. I wore pants without drawstring waists and dresses that weren’t designed explicitly for naps. I had my hair blown out weekly in a salon, a practice that now somehow seems alien, dangerous and heavenly all at once. Then the pandemic hit and, as it did for countless others, changed my life overnight. Events were canceled, budgets tightened, assignments disappeared. My life suddenly revolved almost exclusively around two things: 1) worrying that I or someone I loved would get sick, and 2) acting as a de facto school principal tasked with policing my first grader during remote school. Now, instead of lip gloss launches and article writing, my days were spent with my voice at an 11, screaming at my son to “KEEP YOUR FACE IN THE SCREEN!” and “LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER!” As it turns out, I’m a super mean principal. I felt stressed, angry, lost, and somehow both busy and bored. I desperately wanted a way to relax and temporarily escape, but with my usual go-tos like massages, pedicures or drinks with friends off the table, I was at a loss. (And showers are not self-care, don’t even go there.) In the early weeks of the pandemic, I tried to chill out by reading, but I’d read the same page three times and retain none of it. Though I normally read at a clip of eight or ten books a month, I found myself taking weeks to slog through one. I needed a new form of quieting my mind—something that would relax me, but that I could also engage in as I sat in on virtual school—and it ended up coming from a surprising place. One afternoon while scrolling through Instagram, I noticed one of my favorite fashion bloggers proclaiming her newfound love of needlepoint. I was shocked. Needlepoint was trending?? It wasn’t exactly new to me: I come from a family of avid needlepointers. My maternal grandmother was a prolific, longtime stitcher, as is my mother. I grew up in a home where their work was ever-present anywhere you looked, from Christmas stockings to Kleenex box covers. But the tradition had stopped with me. Who knows why–I wasn’t crafty? I wasn’t interested? It seemed hard?–but needlepoint just never became my thing. Until Covid hit. Suddenly, I found myself ordering a canvas and some threads online and watching a few YouTube tutorials. Before long, I was hooked. It was actually really simple to learn. Sure, it can get complicated when you delve into more intricate stitches, but it doesn’t have to be. At its most basic, needlepoint is easy—mindless, even. For me, that’s its joy. Needlepoint has become my personal form of meditation. Sure, Headspace is great and all, but have you ever chilled out to the rhythmic symmetry of repetitively pulling thread through canvas over and over again? Have you ever taken out your frustration at the world by stabbing something socially sanctioned over and over again? Stitching forces you to slow down, focusing solely on one thing as you move slowly and steadily in and out, in and out. It’s almost like breathing. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and needlepoint has been one” [/perfectpullquote] And unlike actual meditation, with needlepoint, you have something tangible to show for it afterwards. This kind of meditation comes with a parting gift: a handmade ornament, pillow or framed piece of art you’ll have forever. The “grandmillennial” canvases out now are fun, beautiful and even cheeky. ‘Pointing is also the rare hobby that lets me multitask. Though sometimes I stitch in silence, more often I do it while listening to an audiobook or podcast. If you’re the type to feel guilty about taking a few moments for yourself, this helps. You’re getting so much done at one time! Needlepoint is unexpectedly social. I’ve joined Facebook groups and follow fellow needlepointers on Instagram–and they’re almost all younger than me! I’m even using community lingo, busting out insider-speak like “ndlpt,” “WIP” (work in progress) and “stash” (the collection of canvases-in-waiting that expands faster than you can stitch. For example: “If my husband ever figures out how much I’ve spent on my ndlpt stash, I’m screwed.”) If you think the first thing I did once I fell in love with needlepoint was to share this news with my mother, you would be wrong. When I started stitching early in the pandemic, I figured I’d surprise her when I saw her in person. Surely this whole thing would be over by June or so, right? (Of course it wasn’t.) So I stitched in secret for months. Finally in December, after two weeks of total isolation and Covid tests all around, we were able to see my parents. On Christmas Eve, I gave my mother a small gift bag containing my first project: an ornament shaped like a Starbucks cup, personalized with her name. She unwrapped it and responded with an oh-this-is-a-cute-Etsy-find sort of “Awww!” I realized that she hadn’t even considered that I might have stitched it. “Do you know who made it?” I asked. She was visibly perplexed until you could see it slowly dawning on her. “YOU??” she screamed. She was giddy—and shocked. So now I’m fully out as a needlepointer. My mom sends me links to cute canvases and is turning one of my projects into a pillow for me (nope, I never learned how to sew either), and my parents gave me a gift card to a needlepoint shop for my birthday. While I do love the meditative aspects of needlepoint, maybe the best part about it is that I feel like I’m continuing a legacy that my mom and grandma started. I love that my chosen form of self-care has become the thread that binds us together across generations. 2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and this has been one. Not only has the last year allowed me to spend so much more time with my family and teach me to appreciate the small things, it allowed me to fall in love with this pastime that noticeably lowers my blood pressure as I begin to thread the needle. But I’m hardly forgiving the past year, which took so much more from us all than it gave. That’s why my latest project is an ornament shaped like a dumpster on fire. I’ll be stitching the numbers “2-0-2-0” across the bottom. Source link

[oliviajoyice21]

One full year into the Covid-19 pandemic, Alyssa Hertzig has discovered a new way to practice self-care…and it’s about as old-fashioned as it gets. In this month’s “Life with the Girls,” she shares how she stumbled across a way to cope that keeps her hands busy and her mind at ease. (And no, it isn’t not baking banana bread.) Alyssa stitching her latest WIP. There was a time as recently as 2019 P.C. (that’s pre-Covid, of course) when I was cool. As a beauty editor, I spent my days attending fancy launches for new lipsticks, nail polishes, or anti-aging creams. I wore pants without drawstring waists and dresses that weren’t designed explicitly for naps. I had my hair blown out weekly in a salon, a practice that now somehow seems alien, dangerous and heavenly all at once. Then the pandemic hit and, as it did for countless others, changed my life overnight. Events were canceled, budgets tightened, assignments disappeared. My life suddenly revolved almost exclusively around two things: 1) worrying that I or someone I loved would get sick, and 2) acting as a de facto school principal tasked with policing my first grader during remote school. Now, instead of lip gloss launches and article writing, my days were spent with my voice at an 11, screaming at my son to “KEEP YOUR FACE IN THE SCREEN!” and “LISTEN TO YOUR TEACHER!” As it turns out, I’m a super mean principal. I felt stressed, angry, lost, and somehow both busy and bored. I desperately wanted a way to relax and temporarily escape, but with my usual go-tos like massages, pedicures or drinks with friends off the table, I was at a loss. (And showers are not self-care, don’t even go there.) In the early weeks of the pandemic, I tried to chill out by reading, but I’d read the same page three times and retain none of it. Though I normally read at a clip of eight or ten books a month, I found myself taking weeks to slog through one. I needed a new form of quieting my mind—something that would relax me, but that I could also engage in as I sat in on virtual school—and it ended up coming from a surprising place. One afternoon while scrolling through Instagram, I noticed one of my favorite fashion bloggers proclaiming her newfound love of needlepoint. I was shocked. Needlepoint was trending?? It wasn’t exactly new to me: I come from a family of avid needlepointers. My maternal grandmother was a prolific, longtime stitcher, as is my mother. I grew up in a home where their work was ever-present anywhere you looked, from Christmas stockings to Kleenex box covers. But the tradition had stopped with me. Who knows why–I wasn’t crafty? I wasn’t interested? It seemed hard?–but needlepoint just never became my thing. Until Covid hit. Suddenly, I found myself ordering a canvas and some threads online and watching a few YouTube tutorials. Before long, I was hooked. It was actually really simple to learn. Sure, it can get complicated when you delve into more intricate stitches, but it doesn’t have to be. At its most basic, needlepoint is easy—mindless, even. For me, that’s its joy. Needlepoint has become my personal form of meditation. Sure, Headspace is great and all, but have you ever chilled out to the rhythmic symmetry of repetitively pulling thread through canvas over and over again? Have you ever taken out your frustration at the world by stabbing something socially sanctioned over and over again? Stitching forces you to slow down, focusing solely on one thing as you move slowly and steadily in and out, in and out. It’s almost like breathing. [perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and needlepoint has been one” [/perfectpullquote] And unlike actual meditation, with needlepoint, you have something tangible to show for it afterwards. This kind of meditation comes with a parting gift: a handmade ornament, pillow or framed piece of art you’ll have forever. The “grandmillennial” canvases out now are fun, beautiful and even cheeky. ‘Pointing is also the rare hobby that lets me multitask. Though sometimes I stitch in silence, more often I do it while listening to an audiobook or podcast. If you’re the type to feel guilty about taking a few moments for yourself, this helps. You’re getting so much done at one time! Needlepoint is unexpectedly social. I’ve joined Facebook groups and follow fellow needlepointers on Instagram–and they’re almost all younger than me! I’m even using community lingo, busting out insider-speak like “ndlpt,” “WIP” (work in progress) and “stash” (the collection of canvases-in-waiting that expands faster than you can stitch. For example: “If my husband ever figures out how much I’ve spent on my ndlpt stash, I’m screwed.”) If you think the first thing I did once I fell in love with needlepoint was to share this news with my mother, you would be wrong. When I started stitching early in the pandemic, I figured I’d surprise her when I saw her in person. Surely this whole thing would be over by June or so, right? (Of course it wasn’t.) So I stitched in secret for months. Finally in December, after two weeks of total isolation and Covid tests all around, we were able to see my parents. On Christmas Eve, I gave my mother a small gift bag containing my first project: an ornament shaped like a Starbucks cup, personalized with her name. She unwrapped it and responded with an oh-this-is-a-cute-Etsy-find sort of “Awww!” I realized that she hadn’t even considered that I might have stitched it. “Do you know who made it?” I asked. She was visibly perplexed until you could see it slowly dawning on her. “YOU??” she screamed. She was giddy—and shocked. So now I’m fully out as a needlepointer. My mom sends me links to cute canvases and is turning one of my projects into a pillow for me (nope, I never learned how to sew either), and my parents gave me a gift card to a needlepoint shop for my birthday. While I do love the meditative aspects of needlepoint, maybe the best part about it is that I feel like I’m continuing a legacy that my mom and grandma started. I love that my chosen form of self-care has become the thread that binds us together across generations. 2020 was so awful in so many ways, but it did bring some gifts, and this has been one. Not only has the last year allowed me to spend so much more time with my family and teach me to appreciate the small things, it allowed me to fall in love with this pastime that noticeably lowers my blood pressure as I begin to thread the needle. But I’m hardly forgiving the past year, which took so much more from us all than it gave. That’s why my latest project is an ornament shaped like a dumpster on fire. I’ll be stitching the numbers “2-0-2-0” across the bottom. Source link

[aliasrocket]

Okay so since some of you guys have been asking to see the details I’ve found—this is probably more important to me than most bc I have a kink for hands BUT I SHALL DELIVER NONETHELESS

So you guys remember the scene in vol. 1 where Rocket helps the entire team escape right?

I took the liberty of slowing down these clips the first one might look a little choppy but only bc I had to accommodate to Tumblr’s 10MB max limit BUT ANYWAY I want you guys to look at it and tell me what you observe.

if you’ve figured it out, great! Have fun reading rocket fics with this new information in mind.

If you haven’t, I’ll zoom in for you.

Okay so why is this important? It’s important because in both clips Rocket was looking away almost the entire time and yet he knew EXACTLY where to press and even flexed the fingers over the buttons he knew NOT to press. It’s a very small but very specific detail about Rocket’s … AHEM … dexterity.

Besides that, in vol 2 I’ve made some very very professional (lie) measurements of … him …

My guy’s chest size is twice of his waist size. If you don’t believe me, check his vol 2 scenes one more time.

The last piece of evidence I have to provide regarding Rocket’s sexiness is his endgame suit.

everybody knows if a suit is tight, it’s going to hug the natural curves of your body, right? But since Rocket has fur, it’s a little hard to see the natural shape of his arms.

UNTIL ENDGAME.

(I’m going to reblog this again to show you the zoomed in pictures bc I ran out of picture slots AND I HAVE ONE MORE CLIP TO SHOW FOR THIS.)

I like the part in Vol 3 at the beginning where Rocket very slowly takes his shirt off while winding down for the night. The way his lil hands clasped the scruff of his shirt before slipping em off, the way he moves is always eye candy

Yes omg the scene was too short AUGH it’s the reason I kept rewatching Rocket scenes because like … I need more of him GENUINELY

Also there’s a few lil details of Rocket’s mannerisms I noticed from all the … rewatches of clips of him and I was wondering if you guys would like to see them HAHAHA it looks lowkey obsessive but it’s a good few details about him you guys might wanna know about.