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#i have an idea for a custom doll i might try to make to go along with my medicom akira fudo
cozywritingcorner · 2 months
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The Runaway (BOTW Link x GN!Reader)
Word Count: 3,192
Summary: You only agreed to an arranged marriage because you felt it was your duty. During your procession to the Temple of Time, however, you're met with another choice you didn't know you had.
AN: Another one shot based on a very famous piece of music. I've had a few story ideas for this one, but I ended up writing this one. There might be another arranged marriage story in the future for another fandom lolol.
Read on AO3
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You stared at yourself in the mirror once the servants were done helping you into your outfit. Today was the day. The day that had been plaguing your mind since you had agreed to it nearly a year ago. Your wedding day. Even though you were twins, Zelda was technically older than you, so you weren't the heir to the throne. Not that you necessarily wanted it but you were constantly treated with lower expectations than your twin sister (whether the King wanted to acknowledge it or not). You would be lying if you said you didn't feel a twinge jealous of her. Even with her high, nearly unrealistic, expectations of wielding the power of the goddess, there had been times you wanted that attention. Had Mother been around, maybe you would've gotten it.
But here you were; getting married to another royal from a far-off kingdom. It was custom and not such an uncommon occurrence. You'd read many tales and histories of royal families marrying off their children. It still didn't mean you necessarily wanted this. You shake your head and adjust the adornments and jewelry on your outfit--fixing the crooked triforces and royal crests that were dangerously close to getting tangled up in a giant mess. You looked nice all dolled up like this. You had wished it had gone differently, is all. "Your highness," one of the servants bows, "your escort is ready."
It was Hyrule custom for arranged royal marriages to go through a traditional ceremony. It involved the Hyrulian betrothed to make the journey from the castle all the way to the Temple of Time over on the Great Plateau. Then from there they would travel with them to their new home. This was to represent the journey from one kingdom to the next. At one time you thought it was poetic and intriguing, but now? You knew your anxiety and anguish of leaving Hyrule was only going to worsen during this procession. You were going to have an escort from the Royal Guard with you; maybe you could make conversation on the way? Either way, you had a lot of time of traveling ahead of you. An hours' worth at the very least.
As you follow the servants down the stairs to the main entrance of the castle, your eyes scan the walls that you'll probably never be able to see again. The halls you and your sister used to explore. The paintings that you would make fun of. All those memories would be out of your reach for, likely, the rest of your life. Your footsteps echo in the stone halls and you try your best to keep that in your memory for the future. You were leaving your home forever. Soon enough, though, you reach the outdoors. A horse is awaiting your arrival, and it is also wearing the royal gear normally used for occasions such as this. The gold twinkles in the light as the horse whinnies and clops its hooves on the ground. You also notice a familiar figure petting the nose of your assigned steed. Your heart thumps when you realize it's him.
"Link?"
He looks up from petting the horse and smiles widely. The young knight was assigned to be your sister's protector; why wasn't he at the Plateau with the rest of your family? He gives a silent greeting with a wave of his hand and you hug him tightly. After pulling away you frantically start waving your hands around to start communicating with him through sign language. After living in the castle for many years, he'd taught you and Zelda how to do so. There was an official interpreter, but the three of you spent so much time together that it made more sense to just learn. He knew how to speak, but his voice was weak from an accident as a child, and he usually preferred this silent communication.
"What are you doing here?" You say and sign at the same time
"I'm your escort." Link says as if it's a matter of fact.
"I thought Reginald was supposed to be my escort?"
"He was, but I volunteered to take his place." He gives a pained smile. "I wanted to see you off myself. One last time."
You sigh, relieved you'll have someone you love and trust with you on this final journey. Of all the people in Hyrule, you wanted it to be either Zelda or him. Though, there's a painful tug in your heart. Ever since Link was brought to the castle you had a soft spot in your heart for him. He was endlessly kind and hard-working. Traits you found admirable and drew you to him even more. He was said to be the goddess' chosen hero, and wielded the Sword of Legend, just like a hero out of a fairytale. He was honest and humble, so, many times you even forgot about his legendary status. You never told anyone how disappointed you were when he was assigned as Zelda's personal guard and not yours. Though, it seemed like she saw him as a nuisance or an obstacle, unlike you. Your unrequited pining only made this arranged marriage feel worse for you. It was your duty, though, so you felt that you had to follow through with it.
Link waves a hand in front of your face. You must've spaced off. "Oh. Sorry. Let us be on our way." He helps you onto your horse and then mounts his own right next to you. For the first 10 or so minutes there's no conversation. It was probably in part due to the fact that nearly all the citizens living in the Castle Town were lined up along the streets to watch you pass by. With the biggest smile you can muster you wave to your subjects as they cheer you on. Eventually you make it to the gates and take the path going to your left. After the first fork in the road you come across another and as you start to turn to the right, Link trots ahead and points to the other path.
"Link, that is the long way. We need to go this way."
"Trust me. This way." He turns without waiting for your reply. Your eyes shift from the correct path, then to Link, and groan. Hopefully this didn't add too much time to your journey. After another couple minutes Link waves to get your attention and you turn your head to see what he has to say. "Anything on your mind?"
Obiviously... You grumble to yourself, but shrug while looking away from his blue eyes.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He tilts his head.
You heave a sigh. "Not necessarily." He'd understand your hesitation on this whole marriage thing. He always understood your worries. To you, though, he was a big reason as to why you were having second thoughts. It was a big responsibility, being a child of royalty; the older you got the more you realized this. Not only did you represent your father, you represented your entire kingdom and all its people. You had to act a certain way around people. You had to speak a certain way. If you angered the wrong people it could mean big trouble for your father, and you didn’t want to upset him.
Then there was your sister, Zelda. Father was always harder on her than he was you. Between the two of you she was the one who inherited the power of the goddess and you were left with nothing. You envied the attention she got but didn’t envy the high expectations she had hanging over her; father was constantly trying to get her to awaken her abilities as early as he could and was always pushing her to pray at the springs. Over the years, her visits to the three separate springs became more frequent and she was always accompanied by her trusty knight, your best friend, Link. You always knew whether or not she was successful based on how they came back into the castle; her eyes clouded with worry and disappointment and Link’s posture stiff. She always got an earful from Father—
“Y/N.” Link’s weak voice rasps and you’re brought out from the void that was your spiraling thoughts.
“Huh? Oh,” you realize you’ve stopped in place and he’s several paces ahead of you, “sorry.” You trot back up to him and before you can keep moving forward he starts to sign a message to you.
“Something’s bothering you. I can tell.”
“I’m fine, Link.”
“No.” He answers and you’re once again shocked by the firmness of his raspy voice. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”
A moment passes between the two of you that is so devoid of noise that you can hear the water flowing down the nearby river on the other side of the hill to your left. The crickets chirping and darners flying around buzz in your head madly as you think of how to even steer this conversation away from the topic it’s heading towards. If Link was anything, he was stubborn and persistent, so you knew that it was next to impossible to get him to back off the topic.
“I… don’t want to do this…”
You finally slump your shoulders down as you let go of all the tension you’d been holding in your posture. The front you were putting on was exhausting. Link’s head tilts to the side as he looks on at your pathetic stance.
“I don’t want to marry this stranger. I don’t want to move far away. I don’t want to have this responsibility.” Your words start to meld together as you ramble off everything that’s been plaguing your mind the past several months. You begin to move forward along the path again. At first you thought was your duty to go through with this. You tried to convince yourself several times that it was what you needed to do; what you wanted to do. But deep down you knew you were regretting agreeing to this arrangement. “I want to be free.”
You notice Link’s horse get uncomfortably close to yours and he places a hand on your shoulder. “Then don’t.”
With a shake of your head you start signing back. “What am I going to do—run away?” The look Link gives you tugs at your gut. The storm of butterflies roar inside your stomach when your eyes meet his. You can read his message loud and clear without him communicating it verbally or with his hands. Why not? Is what he’s saying with that slight tilt of his head and the upward arch of his eyebrows. “Link… I can’t…” What about father? That would ruin his relationship with this kingdom, and no doubt bring consequences in the future. What about your duty? What about Zelda? Would you ever see her again?
“Yes you can. You can live with my dad and sister in the village.” Link was seriously giving you a way out. Right here. Right now.
A pause. “But… what if they recognize me?”
“Not many people have seen what the royals actually look like over there. And if they do, I’ll say something about it. You could just be a family friend in need.” Which wasn’t too far from the truth. You’d heard many stories about his father, a former knight that you had seen only a handful of times while growing up. You had seen his sister even less; only from the photo that he had taken of them on his Sheikah slate from one of his visits home.
You start to seriously consider his offer. Your eyes shoot down to your wedding attire. “My clothes will give me away.” Without a word Link sifts through one of the pouches on his horse and pulls out a plain tunic, trousers, and shoes. “Did you bring these for me?” Link shrugs with the ghost of a smirk, but you knew he was planning this. It seems he was more perceptive than you thought. “Link… I… Am I seriously going to run away from my own wedding?” A laugh escapes your lips and when you meet his eyes again you freeze. Link’s eyes are warm and full of adoration. A look you’d seen a few times, mostly when he was eyeing a rather tasty meal or rare cut of meat, but this one was slightly different when it was directed towards you. You could get lost in his vibrant blue eyes any day, and it was happening at this very moment.
“There will always be time for another...” He signs hesitantly then scratches the back of his neck. “Go change. I’ll wait right here.” He halts his horse and you follow suit, sliding off the saddle and hiding behind a nearby tree and bushes to change out of your wedding regalia.
“Um… Link? I need your help…” You call out sheepishly after remembering there were a few parts of your outfit that required some assistance. You hear his footsteps near you, and pause once he’s right next to your bush. “You can look, I’m still decent.” He rounds the corner and helps you take the various triforce adornments and other pieces of your outfit that require his help. Once you’re unbuttoned and unzipped, his hand lingers on the final zipper. You grow rather anxious at the feeling of his breath on the small bit of exposed skin on the back of your neck. “I-Is everything okay?”
“Fine.” His voice barely above a whisper. Link quickly turns to leave you alone and you stand there for a moment to let your heart calm itself down in your chest. Once you return back to your horses, Link helps you pack your clothes into the packs of your horse’s saddle and hoists you up to your place on your steed’s back. Despite being vertically challenged, Link’s strength was unmatched.
The two of you reach a fork in the road once you reach the end of Whistling Hill. To your left is the Owlan Bridge and to the right is the path that will take you through the Forest of Time, and in turn all the way to the Great Plateau. You look to your friend, hoping he’ll give you the last sliver of courage you need to follow through with this. “Head south along the river until you reach the East Post. Go East towards Dueling Peaks and follow the path to Fort Hateno.” He starts to furiously sign his instructions and point on the map of his Sheikah Slate. “Follow the path without taking any turns until you reach the woods. Head east, up the hill, and you’ll find Hateno Village. My house is a secluded one across a bridge in southern portion of the village. Just tell Dad that I sent you.” He points to a house on the map and you nod in understanding.
Your mind is racing at the thought of meeting his family so suddenly. What if he doesn’t believe you? As if reading your thoughts, Link takes your hand, puts it atop the Sheikah slate, and then rests his on top of yours. “When he sees this, he’ll know.”
“What if the soldiers at Fort Hateno recognize me? What if they stop me?” You’re not necessarily looking for excuses not to go, but you definitely don’t want to go alone. Link pulls out one final item from his pack; the cloak he always wears when traveling. Without another word he drapes it over your shoulders and pulls the hood over your head.
“You worry too much.” He chuckles silently which elicits a small pout from you. “I’ll stop by as soon as I can. I’ll need that back.” He points to his Sheikah slate in your hands. “I’ll see you then.” Link gives a light whip of his reigns to indicate he wants to go faster on his horse but you call after him.
“Wait, what are you going to do?” He doesn’t answer, but sports a mischievous smirk as he rides off, turning down the path that leads to the Great Plateau.
This was it. Your final chance to change your mind again and follow through with the wedding... What were you thinking? This was your ticket out, why throw it away? You never thought you would have the chance to just walk away from your responsibility as the king's child, but here you were. The only regret that sat in your mind was leaving your twin on her own. Yes, you had the responsibility of a royal, but hers was tenfold compared to yours. You hoped one day you could see her again to help encourage her to keep trying. To not give up.
You take a deep breath and follow Link’s instructions, double checking your map every few minutes to make sure you’re going the right way. It takes a while, but you finally make it to town and hitch your horse outside his home. So this is where he grew up… Well, before he moved to the castle, that is. It was a quaint house and you could hear muffled voices inside. A gruff man and a young girl. His father and sister, most likely. You go to knock on the door but freeze. What if they all found out where you were hiding? Would his family get in trouble? Would Link get in trouble? You would feel awful if that happened.
Before you could rap your knuckles on the solid wood door, it swings open and a young blonde girl stares up at you with curious eyes. “Daaad. There’s someone at the door!” She rushes back in and you stiffen when you see the burly man that you recognized as Link’s father stroll towards you.
“Hello. How can I help you?”
“Um… I’m a friend of Link’s and, uh, I was in trouble and he told me to come here. Said you would be able to help me…” You fumble for his Sheikah slate to present to him and his father’s eyes are unreadable. You can’t tell if he’s judging whether or not you’re a threat or if you’re even telling the truth. After a rather uncomfortable silence, he simply nods and gestures for you to come in. You sigh, let your shoulders relax, and take your final step as a member of the royal family into the mundane world of a commoner. You weren’t sure what you’d tell him—if you would even tell him the truth—but you knew you had to come up with something. A name, a vague story, but you knew that even if you did lie, your adoration and gratitude to Link couldn’t be faked. As you sat at the dining room table you smiled and thought about the next time you’d see Link. Whenever that would be, it couldn’t come any sooner. Until then, you’d have to pretend to be a normal person in this vast kingdom. You had a lot to learn, but it was much better than the alternative.
Thank you, Link…
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jennay · 8 months
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Misunderstood
Request:
I wanna request rory culkin in lords of chaos being in his record shop and seeing a not so normal customer for such a shop, he sees a pretty girl wearing her pretty mini sundress having her cute makeup and hair done, she looks all dolled-up ykyk. she basically goes there to buy something for her brother but she's so not into it, she so shy and "scared" to go there but she eventually does it and like euro kinda finds it adorable even tho everyone there is teasing her (AH IDK IF THAT MAKES SENSE LMAO, I just need fluff and cuteness and yk maybe a little spicy teasing IDK HEHEHE! hope u have a great day!!!)
Master List
An: I Hope this is what you wanted!
Words: 1700
Warnings: None. Maybe shit talking?
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Shivers ran down your spine as you walked down the dark, dirty street. Why your brother thought it was a good idea to send you to this part of town was beyond you. You understood his foot was broken and needed someone to run errands for him, but you didn't belong with the people he associated with. You weren't into death metal, didn't wear all black, and you definitely didn't rage against the machine. You were quite the opposite. You enjoyed your colorful wardrobe and bubbly music and were more of a rule follower. You NEVER got in trouble or put yourself in a bad situation.
You had heard rumors about the record store and its owner. Some said he was a cult leader who performed rituals in the basement. Others said he was a serial killer who lured unsuspecting customers into his trap. Others said he was a vampire who fed on the blood of young girls like you. He wasn't twenty-five, but innocent people's blood kept him youthful.
Of course, you didn't believe those stories, but you still felt uneasy as you approached the store. It looked like a rundown shack, with faded posters and graffiti covering the windows. The neon sign flickered and buzzed, spelling out "Rock 'n' Roll Heaven." You wondered if that was meant to be ironic or ominous.
You pushed open the door and stepped inside. The smell of dust and mold hit you like a wave. You saw rows of shelves filled with records, tapes, and magazines. You also saw posters of rock stars and bands, some of who you recognized and others you didn't. The place was dimly lit by a few lamps and a jukebox that played an old song you couldn't name. Where the hell did you step into?
You walked along the aisles, scanning the labels and covers. You could feel a few different sets of eyes on you, and you tried to keep your head down but glanced up a few times with an awkward smile, hoping they didn't come toward you.
One man stood at the counter pretending to read a magazine, but his eyes would flick to you. He'd nudge his buddy and whisper something you couldn't hear, making you anxious.
"Sweetheart. I think you stepped into the wrong place." One of them says, staring at you. "You need to go to the record store on Broadwater. They have all that bubble gum pop shit you're probably looking for." You notice his piercing blue eyes carving into your soul, and you try to look away, but it's a trance. His long black hair hangs in his face, and deep down inside, you want to remark how he should stop wearing women's clothing and grow up, but the rumor of him eating people comes back to your mind, and you keep your mouth shut.
You find the name of the band your brother had mentioned, and there are several different pieces of vinyl, each from a different year. Why didn't he tell you the name?
"Do you not talk?" Another one calls from the counter.
You look up at him again, blushing, "I do. I'm just looking for something, and I'll be out of here." Your eyes return to the records, and you grab the newest one. Your brother was a collector, and it was more than likely he wanted the more recent item.
You hear his footsteps walking around the counter, and just to your luck, the bigger one is coming toward you. The one who looks like he might attack you.
He walks up to you with a smirk on his face, holding a cigarette in his hand. He blows smoke in your direction, making you cough. He looks at the record you're holding and snorts. "You're kidding me. You're buying this crap?" He grabs the record from your hand and examines it. "This is their latest album. It's garbage. They sold out to the mainstream. They lost their edge. They used to be good back in the day." He points to another record on the shelf. "This is their first album. This is where it all started. This is real music." He hands it to you and takes back the one you had chosen. "Trust me, kid. You'll thank me later." He winks at you and returns to the counter, leaving you speechless and confused.
Kid? You weren't a child.
You cautiously walk to the counter, noticing two of the three men sitting in the corner watching some gory horror movie, and you do your best not to make a face at it.
You try to play it cool like you weren't in your favorite red and white sundress that you'd just bought, you weren't wearing the cutest sandals you'd ever seen, or you didn't get dolled up for the day knowing where you were going.
You tried to ignore the stares and whispers of the other customers, who looked at you like you were an alien. But you knew you couldn't fool anyone.
"You're brave walking in here looking like that. You look like you got lost on your way to the Barbie convention." He sounds playful, but you'd be lying if you said it didn't hurt your feelings.
You bite your lip, wishing he would just tell you how much you owe him, but he seems amused with you and taking his time. He grabs the record with a smirk and taps on the cash register.
He looks at you with a mock surprise and says, "That'll be a hundred bucks, please." He chuckles and adds, "Just kidding. It's only twenty. But I'll take a hundred if you want to tip me for my excellent service." He winks at you and holds his hand, waiting for your payment.
Your eyes deaden at his joke; you don't find him amusing. He hands you the record, still smiling as you walk away from him.
"Hey, I'm gonna take a smoke break." He tells the others and follows behind you. Was he following you?
Part of Euronymous felt guilty for the way he was acting. He didn't want to admit it, but that was his best attempt at flirting, and he failed miserably. "Hey, wait up." He says, catching you before you cross the street.
You stop, looking back for a second before you sigh and drop your shoulders, "Why so you can continue to be an asshole to me?"
He runs his fingers through his hair, holding his cigarette to his lips. "I wasn't. I didn't…Look, I think your style's cool. I, uh, I don't know how to talk to pretty girls." He admits.
Your brows scrunch together with confusion; you aren't sure what his game plan is. "I'm not really into Satanists or cult leaders, so you don't have to waste your time apologizing to me or trying to make me feel better about myself. I think you're tacky, just like your store."
He looks hurt by your words, but he doesn't give up. "Well, I'm neither of those things." He pulls his cigarette from his lips, "This is weird and I know this is weird, because I'm weird, but, let me at least walk you to your car. It's getting late and I'd feel like a shithead if something happened to you."
You hesitate, not sure if you should trust him or not. He doesn't look like a bad guy, just a misunderstood one. But you've heard stories about people like him, who pretend to be friendly and turn out to be monsters. You don't want to be another victim. "I'm walking to my brother's house, and I'd prefer you not to know where I stay." You tell him, but part of you wants to take his offer. It's creepy at night, and you have no way to protect yourself if something was to happen.
He remains quiet, watching you rethink what you just told him. Why did you tell him that? He could easily follow you and find out where you live. You curse yourself for being so stupid. "If I let you walk me home, promise not to stalk me?" You ask him, hoping he's not lying.
His laughter rings in your ears, "I won't stalk you. Between my band and owning the shop, I don't have time to stalk anyone plus, if you want to see me, you know where I work." He playfully winks. "Come on, let's go. I promise I'll behave." He smiles at you with a charming grin that makes your heart flutter. You wonder if he's as bad as you thought or just a lonely soul looking for company. You decide to give, hoping you won't regret it later.
You make small talk, asking him about his band. He tells you that his band is called Mayhem and plays black metal, an extreme and controversial music genre.
"I'm glad you came in today. I know it can be a bit over the top, and I'd be lying if I said we weren't being judgemental dicks." He laughs, his eyes dart to you nervously, waiting for your response, but you continue to watch the sidewalk. "I hope part of you doesn't believe I'm what everyone says."
You tilt your head up, looking at him with curiosity. You wonder why your opinion would matter. "I think you're misunderstood but you kind of like it that way."
He shrugs and takes a drag from his cigarette. "I do enjoy being a rebel and an outcast. I like making people uncomfortable it's entertaining to see how fearful people are." He exhales the smoke and looks at you with a smirk. "But maybe I also like surprising people and showing them that I'm not a monster. Maybe I like being normal and human."
"You know, nice doesn't look bad on you. You should try it more often." You're able to genuinely smile at him this time. "Well," You say, stopping in front of the apartment doors. "This is it." You don't know how to end this interaction. It's not like this was a date or a friendship.
He nods, "Alright, I'll see you around?"
You shrug with a playful smile as you open the door, "Maybe."
He throws his hands in the air as he walks away from you, "I'll take it!" He says, his voice full of excitement. He looks back at you and gives you a thumbs-up, making you laugh, and he disappears into the night, leaving you with a story to amuse your brother with and a memory that might make you return to the 'scariest' record store in town.
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c0wb0yenthusiast · 9 months
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❝Sweet as pie❞
Phillip Graves x Reader
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So basically me and @sarahs-secrets2 exchanged ideas and I hope I did it justice!
Summary - you're a waitress and you're dealing with a particularly cocky regular.
The sun was peeking over the horizon, hazy colours still swirling in the sky as you parked outside the café and opened up for the day. It was quiet, except for the sound of cars speeding by. It was only a stop n' go after all.
Buttoning up your uniform and now stepping out to see an array of customers filling up the booths, chattering away as you passed to get your notepad from counter.
That was until you heard a distinct voice.
"Hey, doll."
Your head swivelled around quickly to meet with him.
For the past week, this cocky, smart-mouthed man had sat in the same booth. For the past seven days, playing out the same exact routine.
"God, is it just me or do we keep running into each other?", he smirked, removing his aviators from his face and tucking them into his shirt pocket.
"Hi. Again. Do you want the usual?", you rested your hands on your hips, letting out a sigh. You'd met many douchebags in this café and he wasn't any different from the rest.
"Of course. You know me so well, already. Why don't you sit down and we can get to know each other a little more?", he grinned, batting his lashes innocently up at you.
He's just another country bumpkin who's trying to get laid.
"Honey," you smiled back at him, "I'd love to have coffee and hookup in the back of your lovely little jeep parked outside, but I'm actually quite busy because I have a life. Okay?"
He took a moment to process what he heard, before breaking out into laughter.
"Honey? Oh, girl, you're just adding fuel to the fire."
You didn't respond, tapping away at the tiled floor with the sole of your foot. You wanted to stay longer, but this café, the customers and the overstimulation it brought made you bossy and unsociable.
"Ah, are you alright?", the chuckles died down and he now raised a brow at you.
"I'm fine, I just- I really need to get to work."
"Sure thing, doll. Come talk to me when you're free."
The whole time you rushed from one table to another - he was still there. Sitting idly with his cup of coffee, fumbling with the dog tag hanging around his neck. You could feel his eyes boring into you every time you passed by his booth.
He always ordered the exact same thing: 'A black coffee - and keep em coming, darling.'
After running through the majority of the day around the café, it started to quiet down and people were filing out slowly but surely. Only a couple lingered by the afternoon, including him.
Slowing your steps, you approached his table again, he seemed a little taken aback to see you once more.
"Hey."
"Hi.", you breathed, letting out the pent up air you seemed to be holding in this whole time.
"Take a seat.", he nodded in front of him, to which you obliged and attained yourself not to collapse into the booth.
"What's it like?", you blurted out loud, now setting off a panic in your head yet keeping calm - mainly due to how tired you were at the moment.
"Hm?"
"Not having to run around and serve entitled customers?"
He let out a low chuckle, "It's alright, but I'd rather be here than my job."
"How come?"
He shifted in his seat, making his biceps flex under the short sleeves of his t-shirt.
"I'm going to be deployed soon, so I just thought I might enjoy my last couple of days until work. It's nothing, really." he added, seeing the way your expression softened.
"I can't believe you just told me all that-"
"Well-"
"And I don't even know your name!"
This made him grin, before lifting off his dog tag and sliding it across the table.
You caught it clumsily, eyeing the writing.
"Phillip?"
"Mhm, now what am I supposed to call you?"
You let out a fake gasp, "Did you ever bother to read my name tag? Or were you too busy looking at my tits?"
He shrugged, definitely the second option.
"I don't have to tell you, do I?"
Before he could reply, you leaned over the table and pushed out your chest slightly, your badge shining from the dimmed rays of the sun.
Graves blinked, his eyes widening and now reading the name.
"Y/n. That was a.. forward way to ask for my number.", he now fished in his pocket, bringing out a beaten phone with a car as the background.
You snorted, still practically laying on the table to meet him, "Alright, hand it over. Maybe this will help you when you're lonely at work."
Now tapping in your number, you turned the phone over in your hand. "How come it's so broken? I thought you guys get paid."
"Of course we do, but all of that goes to my other stuff.."
".. Like?"
"I don't know, my car, food, er... My car?", he mumbled hesitantly, now listing things under his breath.
You couldn't help but laugh, "That's nice, at least you're not engrossed in your phone."
"Darling, I only have that thing to call people, I don't need it for anything else."
You weren't focusing on his voice, just now seeing the scar on his cheekbone.
"Mhm.."
He caught your lingering stare, "I'd love to tell you the story, but I think you're too special for the tactics I use on all the other women who flock to me."
You grinned, sliding his phone back at him to which he clumsily caught, "You're the one who came to me."
"Sure, darling, have it your way.", he seemed to relax in his seat, gaze still fixated onto you.
After a small amount of silence, you cocked a brow, "What?"
"hm?"
"Do I have something on my face?"
"No, no.. I was just thinking about something.."
"What is it?"
He let out an amused huff, "Why should I tell you?"
"Because I'm bored."
"Alright.", he put his glasses back on his face, "How about we go for a ride?"
What?
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, you're bored and I've already paid my bill so we're off the hook-"
"But-"
"Don't fret, doll. I'll buy you dinner too, okay?"
That definitely shut you up.
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For anyone curious about resin printing prices, I just thought I'd share my 2 cents as a hobbiest printer.
Resin printing requires a lot of PPE (more than filament printing afaik, though that requires some too)! Protective equipment alone can run upwards of $100 dollars. I spent time hunting for good prices and my setup ended up being around $130. You need stuff like nitrile gloves to handle the resin with, masks (ideally a good particulate and VOC filter so you can sand with the same mask you use for fumes), ducting to vent the fumes out somewhere (and everything else venting involves), and so on. There's lots of little things, and they'll add up fast.
There's also other equipment you'll need besides just a printer. Resin printing requires post processing requires something to wash the print in (usually IPA) and something to cure it with (UV light). You can re-use IPA and cure in the sun, but how you choose to process the resin afterwards is still an up-front cost to consider. You'll need containers to store the IPA to save it in, and you'll need a funnel with a good filter in order to save extra resin from prints. (Up-front costs for long-term materials saving. if you skip those, you'll pay more replacing them in the long term.)
In order to have a setup that's comfortable instead of only functional, many people will want extra supplies for their battle stations, like mylar boxes (like indoor greenhouse tents) to contain fumes and hide the printer from sunlight, and silicone mats to protect surrounding surfaces from resin. And omg, you can see how this is starting to take up a lot of space...
That's not even touching the cost of resin itself! even really cheap resin is going to be over $10 a kg. and if you want more than one color, you're either going to need to buy lots of UV-proof chemical bottles to store your different custom mixed colors, or you'll need to buy more colors. (If you mix your own, you'll need dyes.) You'll need to acquire elastic to string the doll, and you'll usually want to purchase metal s-hooks. resin has many strengths as a medium (high detail, etc), but unfortunately, it is brittle, which makes it a poor candidate for tiny objects under a lot of stress. so, 3D printing the s-hook is usually not a good idea. (Unless you're paying extra for, like, some siraya tech tenacious, or something like that. but even then, I'm not sure it's the best choice.) And if you want to assemble the doll with magnets instead of snap fits, you'll need magnets too.
TL;DR Resin printing is a high-investment hobby. It might be cost effective if you're making ten dolls, but if you want one or two, it won't save you money or time. (I still think people should try making their own dolls if they're interested!! :) It doesn't have to be about money. Making your own custom dolls is a rewarding experience! But it's not a cheat code to avoid the cost of this hobby.)
~Anonymous
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trash-bats · 4 months
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I don't often share messy art WIP's, but this is a bit of an ambitious piece I'm nervous about & could maybe use some input from my DF followers over here.
A couple weeks ago, I started what was supposed to be a simple "Trash Bat" illustration of Davey. Instead of just putting some generic trash can or dumpster in the scene, I got the idea to cover a landfill in a bunch of easter eggs. This ranges from old & new merch, references to music videos, old gig posters and ticket stubs, and more obscure things like a page of "Unearthed: The Unused Lyrics of Davey Havok" from the Under the Rose magazines & Jade's iPod (RIP) with titles of unreleased songs on the screen.
The idea is like...yeah, this stuff will one day end up in a landfill, and maybe some of it is things the band don't relate to anymore or don't see the value in. But from the perspective of a fan lovingly filling this scene with these totems, this pile of "garbage" is more like a shrine. Many of us fans will still see the value in everything they've done, even the things they toss aside or that won't see the light of day. He's our Trash Bat, and his trash is our treasure.
I know it looks like a literal damn mess right now -- I'm going to go in with lineart and mess with the contrast more to make certain things pop and make things as detailed as I reasonably can. I originally intended the piece to be b&w, but I'm considering adding some color to help certain things in the pile be more recognizable. I'm also gonna swap out the Death of the Party shirt for the more general AFI skull shirt Davey has also worn during recent performances & do a bit more work with lighting/shadow.
I'm a very nervous artist who has often intimidated myself out of working on ambitious pieces, but this is a piece that has suddenly become important for me to get right. Words alone cannot capture how much this band means to me & for years I've wanted to do that passion justice through art, but feel like I haven't yet accomplished that. Last year was the first time I shared AFI fan art that I tagged Davey in on Insta, and getting a like from him - multiple times! - was pretty mind-blowing for me. I'm grateful for the support I received on those Havok Doll pieces, but I'm not particularly proud of them. While it was a fun concept for me, I feel like the doll idea was more successfully explored by people who can make actual real custom dolls, like Dolly Havok on Insta. I might still go back to it because I really did want to immortalize more of Davey's range of fashion over the years, but there's also so many other things I want to explore in art & with my love for AFI & related projects.
ANYWAYS, if you see this and have any recommendations for anything else that could be lovingly added to the trash pile or some constructive crit, please let me know! I want this piece to be a real love letter to the band's history, and I'm trying to represent as many eras as I can. I'm going to try taking my time with finishing this & bounce between this and other projects to try to avoid burnout (which I am QUITE prone to), but I'm excited to hopefully see this idea through & I hope others enjoy it.
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wonderwomanfantasy · 1 year
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dollmaker
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Sero deserves the whole world as well as his own doll <3
Sero x reader
warnings: miscommunication used for comedy, that's about it
word count: 1,300 (about)
summary: a doll customizer and a hero who wants a doll, it's a match made in heaven!
Hanta knew he wasn’t exactly a popular hero. not that it mattered, he didn’t get into hero work to be famous, he did it to save people. It did sting sometimes when he got referred to as “the tape guy” instead of by his name but that was petty. Besides, it was nice that he didn’t have to hide his face to go out, he knew Bakugou had to hire a personal shopper because fans would swarm him if he went out in public. Sero couldn’t imagine letting someone else know how many Zebra cakes he ate in one week. Besides, that would mean he wouldn’t get to go shopping with you. 
It was small, but Hanta always looked forward to spending that time with you. Sero never thought he’d be the kind of guy who cared what type of trash bags and paper towels his partner liked but here he was, Caring. 
“What are you smiling at?” you asked, kissing Sero’s cheek, pulling him out of his own thoughts. 
“You, pretty,” he answered automatically. Sero couldn’t help but smile when he saw you, you just made every room better, and he couldn’t help it. 
“Sappy,” you snapped back and pushed the cart onward. 
Even though you were grocery shopping you couldn’t escape heroism. Branded cereals, t-shirts, themed Nerf guns, and of course Action figures. Sero didn’t notice but you did, there was nothing for Cellophane. You knew that he had merch, whenever Hanta got some new prototype he always gave it to you before it was released to the larger public. But most of that was online, he hardly ever had stuff on shelves. 
You pulled down an Action figure of Deku, Sero didn’t have anything like this. You carefully turned the package over in your hands trying to see the doll through layers of plastic. You’d had an interest in collecting and making dolls of your own for a few years now, it was interesting to see how these toys worked and pierced together. 
“I thought I was your favorite hero,” Sero scoffed seeing how much attention you were paying to someone else’s merchandise. You put the doll back and stuck your tongue out at him. 
“What gave you that idea?” you teased. Hanta didn’t have anything like that, you wondered if he’d like that, if not a mass-marketed toy then maybe something unique he could have. Your mind wandered to making the doll, it wouldn’t be hard to style a doll with his hair and makeup to look like him. It wouldn’t even be that hard to make modified elbows for him. But it would be a pain in the ass to make clothes. His suit was so detailed it would be difficult to scale it down to the size of a toy. 
Difficult, but you were sure you could do it with a few rough drafts. The real trick would be keeping it from Hanta. Normally you would share your progress with him, but you wanted to keep this doll a surprise, and if it turned out to be a complete failure you could just scrap it without disappointing your boyfriend. You started on your secret project as soon as you got home, pulling out a doll that would make a good base before beginning.
Sero had never thought much about his own action figure, but Kaminari had started prototyping one for his brand and would not shut up about it. It also meant that Sero was the only one in his immediate friend group who didn’t have anything like that. 
He remembered a few weeks ago when you’d lingered over the Deku Doll. he liked it when you wore something of his, and he knew you liked dolls, it might be nice to give you something like that. So he started asking his PR team, and he got shot down. He wasn’t high-ranking enough, making a toy would only be a loss to the company it would cost more than it would bring in. His heart sank a little bit when he heard that. He didn’t care if he was the number one hero, but it stung that his rank meant he couldn’t give you a stupid gift and that he wasn’t on the same level as friends. 
Sero shook his head and tried to ignore the negative thoughts. A Doll of himself was a selfish gift anyways, he was just jealous the Deku doll caught your eye and jealous that Kaminari was more popular. 
He could give you a better gift than that any day of the week. No one knew you as Sero did and he knew what you’d want more than anything; a relaxing night with your boyfriend. 
-
“BABE” Sero called out as he entered your shared home, almost instantly your head popped out of your office, 
“Hey, Hanta! One sec let me clean up a little bit,” you said disappearing again, Sero never minded when you worked while he was home, but Recently you’d been insisting that you wanted to spend time with him every second that he was there and you tired to have your workspace clean by the time he was home. 
Sero loved spending time with you, of course, but it made him a little sad like he didn’t see you enough and it was making you desperate for any scrap of time with him, 
While you were distracted Sero brought in his surprise, it wasn’t anything big just dinner from your favorite restaurant. 
“Hanta!” you gasped, Sero turned and grinned at you
“Surprise baby,” he said then quickly caught you as you threw yourself at him, peppering his face with kisses. 
“You’re too sweet to me,” you gushed. Hanta smiled, basking in your praise. 
“It’s nothing, I just wanted to surprise you,” he laughed steering you both to the kitchen so that you could dig in. 
After eating, Sero pulled you to the couch and into his lap holding you there. He rubbed slow circles against your hips and the tops of your thighs. You had your arms wrapped around his neck and nuzzled into his chest. Sero held you closer.
“I love you, hanta,’ you murmured. 
“I love you more,” he assured you. 
“Well I don’t know about that,” you teased pulling back so you could look at him, grinning mischievously. He knew that grin. 
“What did you do?” he gasped no longer relaxed. 
“What? You surprised me, Can’t I surprise you too?” you demanded laughing to yourself. You tried to climb off of his lap but Sero caught you and didn’t let you go. 
“No, I’m not ready,” he laughed. 
“It’s not bad!” you giggled. 
“But I’m scared!” he protested. You managed to wriggle out of his arms and stumbled to your office, Sero followed you like a dog after his owner. 
“Stay here while I get it,” you ordered. 
“What’s ‘it’? How long have you been hiding this from me?” Hanta demanded. Nevertheless, he stayed obediently outside of the door. 
“Now, it’s not perfect but I hope you like it anyways,” you said shyly with your hands behind your back. Sero dropped the teasing you’d put a lot of effort into this, and he knew he’d love it no matter what it was.
You handed him an action figure, at first he was confused, then he realized it was him. 
“Oh my god, you made this?” he asked, admiring the detail.
“I ended up just painting the suit, it was too hard to sew I just-”
Sero cut you off with a kiss. 
“I love it, baby,” he whispered, Sero knew he would treasure it forever, his own doll.
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brumeraven · 1 month
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🍂: Extrinsic Defect || dolls, witches, conformity, dehumanization, white lies, delusions, was going to have the doll start a fire to act out but that seemed too on the nose
Doll cores are amazing things.
With proper care maintenance, they can provide a constant Flux of motive force for arbitrarily long.
With proper care and maintenance, a doll will not ask how long a task will take nor if it might take a break. It will just do it until it is done.
With proper care and maintenance, doll cores are eternal, perfect, flawless marvels.
Unfortunate just how much heavy lifting that qualification is doing. If it were up to me, untrained consumers would not be allowed to own dolls, though I suppose that'd leave me out of a job.
Some people ignored their dolls entirely. Not the best idea, but most would last long enough to serve their purpose.
Others, though... Others actively made the problem worse with their ill-advised attempts to help. Sometimes spectacularly so, as evidenced by the fool before me.
"Please, Miss, she's all out of sorts. I've tried everything I can think of, but...well, I can't help her through this. I can't make her better."
My eyes narrowed reflexively at the pronoun. Everything you could think of? No doubt about that. Everything and more besides.
The doll was bedecked with what I can describe only as the most heinous fashion imaginable. Garish red and blue clashed here and there in moiré. Gold and silver bangles and rings weighed heavily at every limb. And atop it all, a neon halo flickered sickly with miasmatic light.
The malfunctioning thing bounced and wriggled in place, uncomfortable under my gaze, and a cacophony of chimes sounded from the little bells sewn throughout the horrid clothing, managing somehow to outdo the clattering of jewelry.
"She feels...well, she's sick, I think..."
"It's brumeriven," I snapped, more forcefully than intended. My Words cracked through the room like a lash, and the customer froze as if bound, the doll glancing back and forth between the air above my head and its owner's face plaintively as if suddenly uncertain of its place.
"O-oh, um. W-well, the thing is, I've been trying to help her, but she-"
"No one can see me!" The doll interjected unbidden, waving her jingling arms about. "They made me invisible, so now no one notices me! I know it's true! People walk right by! They can't even hear me now!"
I took a long breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth as a barely audible sigh, and softened my voice for the customer's benefit, adopting that lecturing tone people seemed to find equally condescending and comforting. People expected professionalism, of course.
"It's only discomposition. Doll cores have to be perfect, but Flux causes minor imperfections in the crystal structure of the gem over time; without periodic correction, the whole core stops functioning properly. Things only get this bad from...environmental...factors, though."
"Stop functioning...you mean, like...she'll die?" The lady sounded honestly concerned.
"Nothing like that." There was no getting through to her, no way to explain that crystals were only crystals if they weren't unique. "Don't worry; the core only needs annealing, and then it-"
"No!" The doll interjected, taking a half step towards me, tiny fists clenched at her sides, trembling with a mockery of righteous anger. "That's not right. Someone really is making me invisible! I'm telling you! No one in Windscale can see me! The whole town, I swear! It's a c-"
I turned my attention to the thing for the first time, drawing delicately on the Void that hung just over my head, lashing out with a single strand, straight through the core.
"We know you're there; if we don't notice you, it's because you haven't done anything to deserve it."
The customer yelped at the azure flash and started in fright as the accoutrements of attention-seeking fell to the floor about the now-nude doll.
Me, well, why react at all, beyond reflexive gooseflesh and a slight shiver at the cutting chill that now gripped the room?
None of it mattered. Only the delicate fractals of frost on the thing's now-repaired core warranted a nod of satisfaction.
"I'll take those as payment." My finger stabbed down at the golden frippery all over the floor. "Now go home, and stop telling the thing it's special."
~🍂
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merakimaiden · 2 years
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The Baby Store
Pairing : Din Djarin x fem!reader
Genre : Fluff
Word count : 945-ish
Summary : Din walks into a baby store to get some gifts for Grogu.
Warnings : Happens before Din visits Grogu, Din misses Grogu, Din and reader have thots about each other, mutual pining, Din and reader flirt, me making shit up about star wass currency
A/N : This idea popped up in my head when I was trying to convince my friend to send me some Din requests and the writing might be shitty but I wrote this at 2.50am so- anyway bolded italics are thoughts
(gif from pinterest)
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Din had just collected his latest bounty from Greef Karga in an old cantina. As usual. Hunt, get paid, eat, sleep, repeat.
He was walking in the market, observing people selling and buying various types of food and things. The new and improved Nevarro brought a smile to his face. He had just realised there was a new row of shop lots too. This place really did change.
As he kept on walking through the crowd, his eyes fell on a new store. A baby store.
He saw a mother holding a child’s hand walking out of the store. It reminded him of Grogu.
He was so nervous to meet him in a few days. Was his master treating him well? Is he well fed? Does he get to play? Does he even have anyone to play with? He closed his eyes for a moment to stop overthinking. He stopped in his tracks and touched his trousers’ back pocket that held the tiny chainmail crafted for Grogu. Maybe he should get Grogu a toy too.
As he walked into the store, he felt eyes watching him. Most of the customers were ladies, only a few men were there. His eyes scanned the area, trying to find something that will be a good gift for Grogu.
He reluctantly walked over to the giant toy section at the back of the store. An Ithorian boy was gaping at him but he paid him no mind.
Suddenly it hit him- he’s clueless.
There were so many types of toys on display, from toy ships to dolls of many species, plush creatures, balls and puzzles.
Dank farrik, what would Grogu like?
He stood there for what felt like an eternity when suddenly he felt a presence behind him and he whipped around.
“Oh- good day sir, how may I assist you?” you asked him cheerfully.
Your eyes raked over his form.
Wow, he’s so broad and buff.
He stared at you, speechless.
Damn, she’s gorgeous.
He was busy admiring your features, from your soft hair to your kind eyes, your plush lips and your smile. Your beautiful smile.
“Sir?”
Oh, right.
“Hm?” his voice cracked. Get it together, Djarin.
“I asked if you would like some suggestions?”
“Yeah, that would be great thanks” he said rather quickly.
You smiled. “Alright, first off- how old is the child you’re buying toys for?”
Older than me. He cleared his throat.
“Um, 3?”
Well Grogu acts three. He thought to himself. But- he can’t speak yet so 2? 1?”
“Wait no- 2”
You simply nodded and Din watched you reach up to pick a plush porg from the shelf.
“Here, this sells out pretty quick- kids love this” you handed him the plush toy and he took it.
His fingers brushed yours and your eyes bored into the black T-shaped visor. You parted your lips and looked away immediately.
“Anything else you have in mind?” you changed the topic.
“Clothes?” he asked and you gestured towards the other side of the store.
“Here. Follow me.” you prompted him to follow you.
He trailed behind you wordlessly. He watched you say thanks and goodbye to a family that just finished shopping and then you picked up a brown onesie from the clothing rack.
“This is a hooded onesie,” you explained. “It is available in different colours and you can adjust the hood size according to your preference, and the bottom area is easily unbuttoned to clean up and change diapers”
He wished he could hear your voice everyday.
“I’ll take it.”
“Okay,” you smiled. “Is that all?”
“Uh,” Oh Maker. He wants to purposely make you explain everything in the store if he could. But he should really get going.
“Yes that is all,”
“Oh, okay”
Why were you sad? You thought to yourself. Maker, leave the poor man alone, he surely has a wife and kids! But he’s so hot- Stop it! He’s just a customer.
You scoffed softly, hoping he didn’t hear it and walked towards the cashier counter to check out.
“That’ll be 10 credits sir, 4 for the porg and 6 for the onesie” you placed the items into a paperbag.
He dug into his pocket to grab a handful of credits and placed them gently onto the table.
“Sir, do you have a smaller change? There’s not enough balance for you-“
“Keep the change”
“But- sir there are 20 credits here-“
“I mean it, please?” he convinced you softly, and you pondered for a moment.
“Wait right here,” you came out off the cashier counter to fetch a package from a nearby shelf, then quickly returned.
You scanned the package with a beep, and placed it into the paperbag.
“Here, a bag of chocolates that costs 10 credits, that I bought with the credits you gave me”
He chuckled and shook his head, and you giggled.
“Enjoy these sweet treats, for a sweet person such as yourself-”
Din felt his heartbeat stop.
Did you seriously just say that out loud?
“I’m sorry- I- uh that came out wrong” you stuttered as you watched the Mandalorian take and reach into the paper back like he’s about to leave-
He placed some chocolates onto the counter.
“Here’s some chocolates you bought me that I gave away carelessly to a sweet girl”
Where in Maker’s heaven did you get the sudden confidence from? Din questioned himself but he just smiled under the beskar helmet.
Oh.
You blushed. Hard.
Din’s smile widened when he saw your face flush.
“I- thank you” you whispered softly, grinning ear to ear.
He nodded and tilted his head as he turned to leave.
“See you around, sweet girl,”
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Likes and reblogs are appreciated :)
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yestrday · 2 years
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— COFFEE JELLY ; coffee x gn! reader
there’s no such thing as a favorite customer with the youngest born, especially not someone as mousy and pathetic as you... so why is he sitting with you?
happy belated birthday to the absolute fkin monstrosity that is @josuke8​ ! can’t believe i have maintained an actual online relationship for at least a year, five years, in fact! usually i want to strangle you, but for now here’s a fic for my best boy!
check out her oc’s cafe and get acquainted with the delightful siblings here !
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"oh coffee!” your voice makes the man look up from his phone and over the counter. the first thing he notes is that you’ve put on makeup— you’ve never bothered to do that. the second thing is how you look brighter than usual. “you’re back in the cafe! finals must be over then, huh?”
he makes his usual uninterested scoff but straightens his back to get a clearer look at you. matching foundation, a subtle but glossy lipgloss, perfectly lined eyeliner... what the hell was going on? you usually looked like you dragged yourself out of bed and went out looking as low-maintenance as possible, but today you decided to look decent. he thinks that he might be looking at you for too long and might give you the wrong idea, but you’ve shifted your attention to the menu and started pointing out your order.
“... one strawberry shortcake frappucino, if you please.” you smile at his dumbstruck face and place the money on the counter. “thank you!” 
you leave him to his own devices as you take a seat, bringing out your phone and tapping away with obvious glee. while he blends and pours your drink, he watches you from the corner of his eye as your stupid face twists into several stupid expressions. you’re happy. you’re not the dead-eyed thing that waltzed in every friday evening to get an extra pump of espresso to keep their gear running for another long night of typing out your thesis.
he almost slams the sickly pink drink onto the counter when he remembers that all damage will be taken from his own pocket. he grunts and carefully sets it on a tray, not before glaring at the odious thing. pink. you were all brown and black as you chugged mouthful and mouthful of coffee without any care for your wellbeing.
a tray slams down on your table and makes you jolt and look up from your phone. coffee towers over you, his usual scowl on his face, but his eyes look fiercer than ever. your drink slides in front of you, but you tilt your head in confusion when dessert comes next.
“i... don’t think i ever ordered a coffee pudding,” you smile meekly up at the boy, but he ignores you in favor of taking a seat in front of you. “oh, uh, you’re sitting there?”
“is there a problem?” he snapped and you quickly shrink into your seat, shaking your head no. there is a problem, you’d like to interject, but somehow he seemed to be in a mood sourer than most days. 
the mood becomes awkward when coffee uses this time to scrutinize you, trying to pick out any flaw that he can use to make a snide remark. but no, you’re dolled up to perfection, clearly trying to make a good impression to whoever you’re meeting. he clicks his tongue.
he can see you making quick peeks at your phone that’s laying on the table, fingers itching to make a response to whoever is blowing up your DMs. you take nervous sips of your drink, the sweet drink feeling like ash under coffee’s blatant scrutiny. you flinch when his lips curve into a demeaning smirk, leaning his head on one hand as he finally starts conversation.
“who’s the lucky guy?”
you jolt in surprise. “h-huh? what are you talking about?”
he scoffs. “do you take me for a fool?” he points a lazy finger at your appearance. “you actually look decent for once. certainly room for improvement but hey,” he sneers. “if you can turn that mess into something worth looking at, then i can acknowledge the effort.”
feelings of embarrassment rising up in your throat, you turn down your eyes to stare hard at the table. did you... actually look that terrible before? you tug at your hair unconsciously. oh no... you didn’t bother styling up your hair today. what if your natural hair looked like a disaster?
coffee’s eyes fall on the on the dessert. your strawberry latte is halfway finished but the coffee pudding is still untouched. he furrows his brows, clicking his tongue with such dismay and irritation that you felt that that little click resounded throughout the entire cafe. “what are you doing?” his brown eyes shot up to you. “the pudding is on the house. aren’t you going to be grateful and eat it?” 
you finger your straw and look down. “i... uh, i’ll take it for take out. i’m cutting back on sweets for the time— mph!” 
coffee unceremoniously shoves a spoonful of pudding into your mouth, cupping his palm with one hand as he eyes your suprised reaction.  “a diet?” he sneers and presses the spoon down on your tongue that only flustered squeaks come from your mouth. “you? trying to impress some guy who won’t even look at you twice after this date?”
he pulls the spoon away, a string of saliva connecting the metal spoon and your parted lips before it breaks. you’re cherry red when you look up at him eyes that beg him for an answer, that questions the sudden aggressiveness. coffee had always regarded you with apathy, sometimes making snide comments about your hideous outfit or eyeing your eyebags and messy hair judgementally. now he paid you special attention, attention you didn’t even wanted. 
clear delight turns his lips into a sneer and darken his chocolate brown eyes into a shade hungering and lusting for more. he leans forward and cups your head gently into his palm, tilting your head to face up at him. your teary eyes shake a bit at this forwardness, body trembling to pull away but unable to.
“you’re cuter this way,” he murmurs almost sweetly, then his eyes narrow and clenches his fingers into your cheeks until your mouth gapes just wide enough for him to take a peek at your pretty pink tongue. “open wide~”
he shoves spoon after spoon of coffee pudding into your mouth, never leaving you time to swallow properly. you splutter and gurgle, but it only feeds into his pleasure. the imbalance in power invigorates him, him the shepherd that feeds and you the lost and wandering sheep. you certainly look and act the part with your tears and submissiveness.
once he lets you go, you cough and he leans back into his seat with a sense of satisfaction. coffee isn’t one for impulsiveness— that’s for his maniac of a brother, strawberry— but he catches himself stealing a quick peck on your forehead, more tender than he’d like to admit. a glaze that you find unnatural on him stills him for a second, before he shakes his head and reforms his face back into his usual scowl. he starts cleaning up and once he has everything on the tray, he looks back at your red cheeks and trembling eyes.
“fix your hair and actually find a blush that matches your skin tone,” he says ever so helpfully, with a smile that seems sweet but only sends chills down your spine. “what were you thinking going out in that top anyway?”
before you frantically fish out your mirror pocket and take a look at your face, he adds on, “oh, and you might want to do something about your date outside.”
through the mirror, the man you looked forward to seeing glares at you with a bouquet of crushed flowers under his palm. coffee smiles smugly to himself.
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eldritch-spouse · 1 year
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Hey friend! sorry if ill be ask spamming your blog but I recently fell in love with your universe and I feel like we were born under the same star. But wit that out of the way... here it goes
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Some new strange phenomena have been sweeping the clergy
The Admin is popular with regular clients! Some have even tried to request some personal services. Admin has had enough! She's also sick of trying to act kind while she refuses the clients.
She had an idea though! She could take advantage of her recent popularity and gain the Clergy an extra buck or two. With the help of Patches, the admin released a life-like chibi doll to sell to customers for a limited time only! The price might be a little high, but plenty of customers are still willing to buy. (Is this OOC? Maybe, but I had so much fun with the idea so roll with it please)
I also thought it would be funny if the plushie had a little butt when you removed her dress, like this. With the adorable stiched eye staring at them, the staff couldn't resist! But what exactly do the staff do with their admin doll? (descriptions and NSFW welcome)
[I wasn't born under a star, I'm pretty sure some forest fiend thing laid an egg on my mom's doorstep and she just rolled with it. :)) That's a cute interpretation of her btw.]
I like the idea of a little merch line being started, though it decidedly has to be a little OOC, because Krulu probably wouldn't agree with such childish depictions of his host. Symbolism and imagery are important to siadar, an offensive or disrespectful (even if unintentionally so) illustration can register as an attack.
Some of the staff would be normal about this, emphasis on would be, if the doll didn't somehow smell like you. How did Patches achieve this? Irrelevant, the bigger question is why the pervert thought that would be a good idea...
Morell is decidedly less creepy about it. He'd keep the doll in one of his pockets or his scarf, giving it a squeeze every now and then. You might catch him cooing to it on occasion. If anyone catches him doing this, the shroom will die of shame.
Gallon actually keeps the doll on one of the higher shelves of his bar, maybe the glass rack that hangs from the ceiling. That way, almost no one can reach it. He feels like you're watching over him while he works.
Patches feels mildly gross about it, but he'll hold the doll up to his face when he's trying to get off while thinking of you. It's just comforting, he can almost pretend you're around him, holding him maybe. Hey, at least the doll stays clean.
Vinnel is customizing it. That's his thing. He's going to make a little jester suit for it, and get a little nose, maybe paint her face. It'll be the cutest one by far. Of course, he'll show it to you in hopes that maybe you'd enjoy actually dressing that way.
Santi (I'm sorry, I can only think of this lmao.)
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Grimbly would love it if there was a pinker version, but beggars can't be choosers, right? He's going to hold mini you to his chest when he comes home from long shifts, get in his plush nest and rant about how the day sucked and you should be dating him by now.
No one knows Nebul has one until they see him running after Purpur, who is constantly stealing Admin dolly away to play with. It's kept in an elegant glass case nowadays, spotless.
Belo loves it to pieces, it's probably full of his fur. He keeps it in his room and nuzzles it whenever he can. The angel once was depraved enough to jerk off over it, immediately washed it and didn't touch the doll for a week in total mortification.
Fank-e is not thwarted by the price. He can buy one and find a way to ship himself like 100 3D prints! Hah, checkmate bitch. His doll is covered in stickers and weird stains. It feels mildly radioactive.
Sybastian's poor doll is drooled to not end. It smells like you, so he can't help licking it, which in turn becomes a masturbatory motion because mimic tongues are highly sensitive. So, in the end, you're likely to see him jerking off with the plush in his mouth.
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secretgamergirl · 4 months
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Console Design- Can I have my cake and eat it too?
Recently I spilled the beans that I have a little hobby project slowly brewing away where I am designing a new game console. I'm still not ready to really properly pitch the whole thing, but between sharing that, explaining computer architecture, and seeing people's feedback, it keeps pushing itself towards the front burners over more practical projects I SHOULD be giving my focus to, and while people are paying attention, I might as well try to crowdsource answers to some questions I'm getting hung up on.
So... a lot of what I'm doing here is, I'll be honest, rooted in nostalgia for 16-bit consoles. There's a certain retro appeal to the look, speed, and general immediacy of 8-bit games, and more than plenty of support for making games that evoke that feel, and even recently made free dev tools for people to just make new games for older systems, and as I'm writing this, there is this massive renaissance going on with indie devs restricting them to the constraints of early polygonal-graphics-focused consoles, but we mostly skipped right past that 16-bit period, and all its hallmarks:
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2D graphics with more color-depth than people really knew what to do with. All sorts of hardware-level flashy effects like transparency, resolution changes, neat little raster effects. A soundscape of crunchy FM synth and sparingly used sampling with distortion effects. Just a little taste of support for polygonal graphics. Not enough to go all-in, but enough to make a nice spice here and there. A general push to show off with fancy jointed paper doll sprites, 3D effects from sprite-scaling, just... clear ambitions all over to make low res 2D eye candy. Plus everything was cartridge based, allowing people to add extra custom chips for things they really wanted that they didn't quite have the power for.
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So that's basically what I want to deliver here. A platform where you have more toys and tricks than you know what to do with if you're coming from 8-bit style stuff, but a real tricky set of restrictions to work around from a more modern approach, hopefully with its own look and sound. To that end I've been doing a ton of research into how some of those work... and a lot of it involves fun little tricks between scanlines. In particular, if you look at that mode 7 video above, right around 7:50, we've got this real eye-popping barrel distortion background. What's going on here, on a hardware level, is we have the ability to, essentially, apply one single image as a texture to a single parallelogram, which in this case is just taking a rectangular background and squishing it in towards the center then out towards its regular dimensions... but where doing that squishing and stretching between individual scan lines as we send the video out to the screen. Several changes to the shape before we've even finished rendering out one frame of the video, and tada, weird barrel.
Being able to support tricks like THAT, specifically, is a must-have feature for what I'm working on, and I'm pretty confident I can design the hardware with that exact capability... but the original hardware doing that was, to my understanding, very much working with the peculiarities of how a CRT worked and the exact number of operations it could get done while the beam was swiping back to the left to draw the next line, and I legitimately have no idea if tricks like this are even really possible if I slap together a similar chipset and send video out an HDMI cord to a modern display.
Like, I know I can fake that. I've got a Retron 5 hooked to a cheap flat panel TV with Castlevania 4 plugged in, but my understanding is that's actually emulating an SNES in software on some very-much-overkill for this sort of thing modern processor. What I would LIKE to do is build this with a chipset you really can push to its limits, hooked to modern display, and get this sort of effect. Because while I realize a big chunk of the audience for this sort of thing totally have nice well-maintained CRTs, I don't want to be married to hardware people no longer manufacture. And I'd rather not have some way more capable sub-processor wedged in here just to get the video output of whatever cheap fast legit 16-bit chipset I use otherwise to play nice with HDMI standards.
I'm still sort of in the dark about HDMI and modern display options, to be clear. And you know in a perfect world I'd like to have support built into this if you want to hook it to a CRT, but at the end of the day I need to pick an aspect ratio, and it's probably gonna be 16:9.
A similar fork in the road I may need to pick a lane for before I can really get going is looking at ASIC chips. What I'd really love is to be able to just point people at a design files for the casing and PCBs, and a warehouse of old mass-produced chips that sell for pennies, make the whole thing a neat little home electronics kit where the total price of everything is like, maybe $10 or $20 or something, you get out a soldering iron, and assemble it all yourself. But, I might need to custom design a chip or two in the end, and there's a chance it ends up being cheaper to just build literally the whole system on one chip. Simpler, easier to make a portable version of the whole thing, but it loses that DIY feel.
And of course there's also the risk that the overall architecture and chipset I'm looking at isn't going to have the oomph to do what I want it to do at a nice steady 60 FPS (maybe 120?) I'm just kind of assuming once I commit to a path I'll be able to find a dirt cheap chipset covering all the bases I need it to that'll hold up at a faster clock speed than consoles really ran at in the mid-90s. I want people to be able to do things smoothly that historically really had some slowdown, and you know, I AM planning to have a higher base resolution than the systems I'm taking inspiration from (maybe the same height but clearly more width).
And of course the real pain is going to be prototyping all this since none of it's going to work without hooking display AND something popped into a cartridge slot. I'm at least saving myself some headache starting with a controller I can at least test in other things, but wow there's gonna be so many different potential failure points to worry about at one step in here.
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the-himawari · 1 year
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A3! Rurikawa Yuki - Translation [SSR] marionnette noire (1/3)
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*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi
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Izumi: (Work is done, so I guess I’ll have some tea somewhere and then head home.) (I spy a store with a lovely-looking ambience over there. But I wonder if it’s a coffee shop?) (…Wow, lots of dolls and various other wares are out on display. So this was an antique shop, not a coffee shop.) (Ah, I wonder if ���ANTIQUE” is the name of the store.) (Anyways, everything looks adorable… Yuki-kun might like stuff like this. I suppose I’ll try inviting him next time.)
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*door bell rings*
Izumi: (Ah, a customer came out.)
Mother: Nothing scary is going to happen anymore, alright?
Child: Are you sure~?
Izumi: (Something scary…?)
-pause-
*knock, knock*
Izumi: Yuki-kun, do you have a minute?
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Yuki: Come in.
-pause-
Muku: Good evening, Director-san.
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Izumi: Good evening. What are you two doing?
Yuki: We’re in the middle of packing my goods.
*flashback starts*
Yuki: Here, this is what you asked for. Do they work?
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Yuu: Woah, they’re so cute! Thanks, Yuki!
Yuki’s mom: Oh my, what lovely western-style clothing. But they’re awfully small, aren’t they?
Yuki: They’re for a doll, after all.
Yuu: I asked him to make some clothes for a doll I’m going to gift to a friend. Here you go. The cost of the materials and compensation.
Yuki: Thanks for your business.
Yuu: Doll clothes can cost a pretty penny if you make them elaborate. I’m glad I could stay within my budget thanks to Yuki!
Yuki’s mom: Say, why don’t you start selling clothes for dolls? You sold your handmade clothes on the internet in the past, didn’t you?
Yuu: Great idea! I’m sure there’s demand.
Yuki: … …Well, I had fun making them this time. Maybe I’ll give it a shot.
*flashback ends*
Yuki: …And so, I made some clothes and accessories. And when I listed them on a flea market app, they sold right out.
Muku: They went in the blink of an eye! Yuki-kun really is amazing.
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Yuki: I used the scraps that had no use from the costume-making process, plus I felt bad about throwing them away, so it worked out perfectly. I’m considering doing this as a part-time job in my free time going forward.
Muku: The hats and backpacks are so small, yet they’re extremely intricate!
Yuki: I’m making a good profit, plus I plan to put some of the money I earn aside in case I go over budget in the future and the money-grubbing yakuza grumbles about it.
Izumi: (Yep, our costume designer is talented, alright.)
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lmao
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The Jakks Bruno doll arrived at my local Walmart, and being a fan of Encanto, and because Bruno has a design I almost never see made into a doll, I knew had to get at least one.
The dolls are $13 USD.
This won't be a super in-depth review, but if any of y'all have any questions about him I don't mention here, I'll be happy to answer.
Overall I have found Jakks Encanto dolls to be very very nice for the price point, and have really liked their sculpts.
As far as his outfit goes, it's about what I expect for the price point, especially given he's a boy doll + he has a lot more fabric involved in his outfit than the girls do.
As such, to cut corners his ruana is unhemmed, and the shirt/pants is a jumpsuit is made of a very cheap, very stiff, plastic-y feeling polyester.
On the plus side, I do think you could easily customize the ruana to look very nice if you wanted to. hem it, trim off the fake fringe and sew on real fringe, and it would save you the effort of replicating that pattern. The hood is finished nicely already.
The jumpsuit I don't really like at all. The top is already wearing out from me taking it off and putting it back on again. I don't think it would hold up to being played with very much.
His head sculpt is very interesting, even if it's not completely accurate, I do like it for it's uniqueness, but it also looks a bit big? Even compared to the Jakks Mirabel head, it seems wrong. It especially looks strange when comparing him to my custom Bruno.
His body proportions also look really weird.
Like, it can be hard to get a feel for these sorts of details in the movie, but I don't think Bruno had overly long gorilla arms? Why is his neck so short? Compare this:
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To his animation model:
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That's just not accurate at all. Such weird decisions.
All in all, he's a little disappointing compared to how good their other Encanto dolls are.
That said, my custom Bruno needed a better pair of shoes so at least I got that covered lol.
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If one was not a customizer, he's a passable option for now, but hopefully we'll see a better option in the near future. Maybe the Disney Store will release a version soon.
I do think you could probably customize him to look more accurate, but since I already made a nice Bruno, I'm going to hold that thought for now. I'd rather work on other things than try to make him look better you know?
Though he might be a good base for another idea in the future. We'll see.
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97smol-dreams · 8 months
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hello hello!! I only just learned about LPS hybrid dolls and I'm rapidly becoming obsessed with the idea of making my own lol. There's a lot about this niche that I don't know about and one question I have is what options there were for attaching LPS heads to doll bodies without making any modifications (specifically in regards to what kind of neck pegs will keep the heads secured and still poseable) Since this is an art form I've never done before, I wanted to keep things as easily accessible and beginner-friendly as possible. My priority is towards doll bodies with articulated joints (obitsu, neemo, etc.)
Hello! :D I'm glad you're trying to get into a new hobby/art form, it takes a lot of courage to do that. I can understand not wanting to do any modding to a body or head on your 1st hybrid doll, the possiblity that you might ruin something is quite scary!
Unfortunatly all my LPS head hybrids did require some sort of mod to secure the head to the neck :/
I also dont own (or ever saw irl) dolls like obitsu, pure neemo or any other that i do not display on my blog. So i cant say if those will be ideal for an easy non-modded hybrid, unfortunatly.
The easiest LPS hybrid i ever did was with the Barbie Extra Mini body, since i only had to add a lil plastic circle (or donut really) to the neck-peg. So if you cant find an easier solution, i would go with that!
I'm sorry i coudn't be of much help! Hopefully someone else in the community knows? I recommend looking at or asking @sleepytoycollection or @queenofsquids . They both are really good at doll customs, know a lot about hybrids and all their dollies are lovely!
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meanae · 9 months
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Heya! You seem like the main authority on bjd I know of, so I figured you might be the person to ask...
Does anyone in the community have any good resources for making/sculpting your own doll? I've had a specific dragon in my mind for years now, but (dragons not being popular for some reason and the main makers having all but vanished), there aren't many places to look. None of the offered models were quite what I wanted, either—mine wasn't a feral dragon, quite, but not as on the humanoid side as most dragon anthros are. So I figured I'd try making one, though I have little idea where to start on that. I know a bit of 3d modeling, but not actual sculpting with my hands, so is casting off a good printed model a thing? Are there any resources for what kind of joints would be needed, especially when working with a non-human doll like a dragon tail or wings? She's been a beloved oc for years now, so I wanted her doll to BE her and not a repaint of anything else, but usually my work sticks to digital media so I'm a little lost porting her to a physical object, lol
Anyway, hope you have an awesome day! Your collection of dolls is gorgeous and I love the work you've done on the customs you've shared here
Hey there! these are a lot of questions, lets see where to start... First off - don't (ever) let the hobby intimidate you into not doing what you want to do. Making your own doll is a huge task with a steep learning curve, especially when it comes to joints. As for resources in general, I unfortunately don't have any links at hand. There's the BJD Sculptors group on facebook, and I know that there are a few videos on youtube from doll people on how to make joints in blender and similar programs.
Casting from a 3D print is a thing, yes! You'll have to print, sand and prime the doll beforehand though, or go through a caster who does that for you (like FantasyDoll!). If you plan to make the doll only for yourself though, I wouldn't bother with casting; 3D printed dolls are a thing, as Frapzilla proved (or Eve the cat studio, or Elleodolls..).
There is no 'you need this joint' guide on 4-(or more) legged dolls. Most, if not all joints are basically a sphere in a concave space; it really depends on the design and the kind of movement you want that determines the final shape. Maybe take a look at Dreamvalleys Dragons?
I absolutely recommend sketching out the full doll first to get a feel for proportions before diving into sculpting/jointing. Otherwise you'll have to adjust things later on, and while that's not that annoying in 3D, it's an absolute pain with real sculpting... speaking from experience here x.x I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions :)
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oraclekleo · 8 months
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Kleo's Wisdom 01
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You're gonna hear to grow up, mature and be an adult often, usually from your parents. What they actually mean is 'Do as I say and stop complaining, complaining is childish' and that's a bullshit. That's not being grown up, mature or adult.
Being grown up, mature and act like an adult means you have found your path, you feel confident in your own skin, you build your life the way you want it to be, you fight for what matters to you and you are able to recognize the pointless battles and avoid them to protect your energy. It also means to complain much much more. I don't remember raising so many complaints as I do now when I was a child. As an adult, you complain about things that matter to you because you have grown up and have the idea of how things should and shouldn't be. As an adult, you don't need to follow other people's orders because you are perfectly capable of navigating through your life on your own.
Immature people follow what their parents say and don't complain because they know no better.
So next time somebody tells you to grow up, mature and act like and adult... Do just that! Be yourself! Have your opinions. Walk your path. I'm not saying you should be disrespectful or violent but try to actually think about what it means to be an adult. Adulting is in no way easy but it's a stage we all should reach at certain point and everyone matures in a different way and speed. Respect that.
Being an adult means you CAN have a Barbie doll and stuffed animals collection. You CAN spend evening playing board games instead of going clubing. You CAN eat ice cream sundae for breakfast on Tuesday because nobody can stop you. You're an adult. And you will pay for not eating healthy balanced diet anyway. 😂You CAN play with rubber duck while enjoying bubble bath and sing songs from Seasame Street while doing so. You CAN watch Bob the Builder in the morning while dressing up smartly for the day in the office. That's the thing about adulthood - You CAN do things you like because you're an adult! You know you have to go to work to earn some living but nobody says you can't take a one day vacation without telling your friends and family and just spend the day on your own by PC playing The Sims. If that's what makes you happy, then you CAN do it. Adulthood is not ONLY about being responsible and smart and serious and dedicated and hardworking. It's good if you are all that but you can also have fun, be yourself, disregard other people's opinions (as long as you don't hurt anyone and don't break the law).
Adulthood is the scariest hood but it's worth it! I know that this will sound like an utopia to many of my teenage followers but life actually gets better once you're an adult. Suddenly you are in charge of your life and while it might be tough in the beginning and you might feel like everything is slipping out of your hands and you have no idea what to do... You'll figure it out. Some things pretty soon, some will remain a challenge for longer but you will get to the point where you will be able to live your life your way. 😊 I'm not saying it's gonna be easy - You're going to be responsible for yourself as your relatives will grow old, you probably will be responsible for them as well, you will have to deal with difficult coworkers or customers or neighbours, you will start to be afraid of light because of paying electricity bills, your guts will suffer for days if you eat unhealthy food, you will get genuinelly furious when you want to cook something but your favourite spatula is in a running dishwasher at the moment and you will consider ibuprofen girl's best friend instead of diamonds because those shiny gems are useless for period cramps while you have to maintain smiley face on a company meeting where you do presentation. So yes, being an adult, doesn't mean you always do what you are told and it certainly doesn't mean stopping complaining and whining.
I'm sorry if this came out of the blue but I felt a sudden urge to share.
These are purely my opinions and experiences, please don't come to bash me in my inbox. Being an adult means respecting other people's opinions. 😉
If you have read this far, you're truly... BORED! 🤣
Have a great time!
What is your experience with growing up?
Kleo 🦄
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