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milkweedman · 1 year

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hi, sorry if this is something you've answered before, but how did you get started with spinning? and do you have an reccs for beginners? i'm not a fiber arts person (yet) but i think the skills are mind-blowingly cool. i have a few friends that are into crochet also and while i don't do so i think it would be nice to be able to make them yarn etc :)! thank u <3

Hi ! I got started with spinning about 5 years ago now--I ordered a turkish spindle and some andean highland wool from knitpicks, tried it out, and really sucked.

Like. really sucked. couldn't even make bad yarn bc it just kept falling apart (due to undertwisting ! if your yarn is falling apart in your hands, it's undertwisted. there, i just saved you about a month of misery, if you're me lol). Put it away for a while, tried again, was still bad at it, rinse and repeat for about a year. eventually something clicked and i started being able to make more than like, an armspan of yarn before it became disastrous.

not saying it's that hard for everyone (i've watched some people pick it up in like... 5 minutes), or that it'll be that hard for you ! that's just how it went with me.

I do have some recs for beginners which will hopefully help ! (i didn't have this community on tumblr at the time, and didn't know there were forums on ravelry, so i had no community help or knowledge, which did not work in my favor).

Get a basic drop spindle with a hook on the end, if you can. Drop spindles come in many different forms, but the two main categories are top whorl and bottom whorl (meaning, where the circular whorl is placed on the shaft of the spindle). top whorl spindles spin faster but for a shorter period of time and can be more unbalanced. bottom whorl spindles spin slower but for longer, and are typically more balanced (physics, idk). everyone has their own preferences--i tend to recommend bottom whorl spindles to beginners because it kind of slows the process down, which can be helpful. if you've got a little extra money, buying a top whorl and a bottom whorl spindle could be a good idea. they're pretty cheap on etsy, esp if you get a very plain and simple one and just decorate it yourself.

spindle weight matters a lot. the heavier the spindle, the thicker the resulting singles will be. (singles are what you spin first, then you ply them together if desired). the lighter the spindle, the thinner the singles. this means if you get a very heavy spindle and try to spin something fine on it, it'll likely snap under the weight. and if you try to spin something thick on a light spindle, you'll be constantly flicking it and not adding very much twist (so it may just fall apart into sad fluff). my favorite all-purpose spindle for yarns that won't be particularly thin weighs about 2 ounces (55 grams). that will be too heavy for fine yarns, but works well for making like, worsted weight 2 ply. i would recommend a spindle somewhere in the 1-2 ounce range (30-55 grams) for a basic beginner spindle. once you get the hang of it feel free to go for the very light spindles or the heavier plying spindles.

don't buy roving for your first fiber. almost everyone does that, and many people end up with really low quality (and sometimes even compressed or partially felted) roving. roving can be great for spinning once you know what you're doing, but it's kind of... uniquely unsuited for beginners, in my opinion anyway. firstly because it is the most common preparation, it's not really treated with care by many companies when it comes to storage (hence the compression or felting). secondly, it's really easy to felt it in your hands when you're doing the beginner sweaty-hands-deathgrip-drafting-with-all-your-might thing (i'll get to that later). thirdly, again because it's the most common prep, there's a thriving market of garbage shitty roving, and it takes a little experience telling the difference between decent stuff and garbage stuff based on an internet page. I would highly recommend spending a little bit more money on a batt. this is like a large pillow of carded wool, which you pull strips off of to spin. they are sold in a far less-compressed state (which makes for easier spinning) and are, as far as im aware, made by humans with experience, rather than machines.

the breed matters a lot when it comes to spinning. some breeds have finer, more slippery wool, and some have grabby wool. grabby wool is better for learning (it means less of your yarn just slipping apart and breaking). some good beginner breeds are shetland, corriedale, jacob, romney, or other similar wools. the fiber market is inundated with merino (either a great thing or a source of misery, depending on who you ask), which is not a particularly good beginner breed (it's definitely on the slippery, finer side).

once you've got all your materials, it's spinning time ! find a youtube tutorial or a written tutorial (check your library for books on spinning. i have no recommendations--i did not learn from books). you could also check and see if there's a spinner's guild in your area. it depends on the guild (some are kind of, uh... snooty, for lack of a better word ? most seem pretty friendly and happy to help newcomers) but you might be able to show up to a meeting and get some help. ideally get some practice with the spindle first though.

lastly, some tips for spinning. A) keep the fiber supply held loosely in your hand, or better yet, draped over your hand so that the fiber you're drafting is only held in your fingertips. if you hold it tightly you won't be able to draft evenly. you may also compress and/or felt it by holding it, especially if your hands are sweaty. B) try spinning using the 'park and draft' method while you are learning. this is where you add a bunch of extra twist to the already-spun yarn (or leader, for the first length), pinch the twist to hold it in place, and draft fiber, allowing the twist to travel up the wool as you draft it. this is a good technique for learning because it isolates the actions of spinning, letting you focus on one part at a time. trying to keep the spindle going while drafting when you're brand new is not easy, and can lead to a lot of frustration and mistakes. once you've got the hang of drafting, then it's a great time to figure out how to do it all at once. C) work slowly and thoughtfully while you learn. what you're doing at first is twofold: you're figuring out the process and what works and what doesn't, but you're also building muscle memory, which is what spinners (really, pretty much everyone who practices hand crafts or hand work of any kind) rely on. i can get high af and zone out and spin and end up with a usable (sometimes even pretty good) yarn, because even when my brain isn't working, my hands know what to do. this is not the case for someone without the muscle memory. pay attention, step away if you get frustrated, and work slowly. as you build muscle memory, it will become easier and easier. D) your first yarns don't have to be good. they don't even really have to be yarn, as such--if you ended up with something thats rope at one end and thread at another, that's ok ! you're learning ! the purpose of your first yarns is just to teach you how to spin. if they look like shit, it's ok. (mine looked awful, for the record ! i don't think i've seen anything quite as bad as my very first yarn, actually. wish i'd kept it though xD)

hope this was helpful ! there's also this post about how to tell if your yarn is under or over twisted, which might be of use, and this post about finishing your yarn as well. and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or another spinner (the overwhelming majority of us are very happy to help a new spinner) for advice or help !

#i have answered this before but i couldn't find the post sadly #anyway yeah ! good luck ! i believe in you !#spinning #advice

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notexactlyrocketscience · 4 months

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I hand-knit the folklore cardigan so [with my v important pointers] you totally can, too!

Pattern

Taylor Swift's folklore the "Cardigan" by Lion Brand (free)

I have several qualms about this pattern, and though it’s easy to comprehend for the most part, I kind of hate it. But! I have tips below so that you can use this free pattern and OG cardigan reference pictures to make the perfect finished project. It’s also super easy actually even if you’ve never done cables or a large project before.

Materials (used as recommended by the pattern)

Needles: Takumi Clover US 9 (5.5 mm), 29" circular needles—My first time trying bamboo needles and this brand, I LOVED it. It made continental knitting so easy and fluid. I would recommend longer cables to make the button band part less stressful, and perhaps smaller diameter needles to make the ribbing prettier

Lion Brand Wool Ease: see rant below

Buttons: 3 1.25"-diameter La Mode buttons (there are prettier ones out there though they can get frighteningly expensive, pick what you like)

A summary of issues

the sizing runs very large

the button band (and, by extension, side panels) is all wrong for sizes other than S/M (the whole pattern is based aound S/M with suggested alterations for other sizes)

the arms turn out way too long for any size if you follow the instructions

the back cables (and possibly some others) are spaced distinctly differently from the OG folklore cardigan from Taylor’s site

the suggested yarn (Lion Brand Wool Ease) is scratchy on sensitive skin, stiff, thicker, more fuzzy than the folklore cardigan (and sheds a lot!), and stretches a lot which makes the cardigan larger than expected

Biggest tips (if you want to knit a cardigan similar to the OG)

CHECK YOUR GAUGE

measure yourself to pick size, and size down

find a bunch of pictures of the OG cardigan in the size that you want & count the stitches from the photos + graph the Lion Brand pattern, and compare before you begin

make alterations as needed

DO NOT BLIND BUY LION BRAND WOOL EASE

My best advice would be to just do a big guage swatch (as recommended on the pattern), run it through the wash, block it, measure it, plus assume that the cardigan will additionally stretch out on your body whenever worn. (Also if you’ve never knitted a garment before, the individual pieces absolutely look bigger once assembled and seamed than when they do on the needles while being knit.) The button band will add some width as well.

The button band is the current object of my misery. The cardigan fits like a cute tent, but the buttons beginning near my stomach is a no-go. I would definitely recommend double checking the spacing of the buttonholes on the button band because I kind of wish I’d altered them a little bit according to how I want the front to look. But then, the side panels would have to start slanting higher up towards the neck, so the whole neck should have been a smaller V. And I don’t have the heart to frog all the way back to to that. Still wondering if I should just shift the buttons higher and redo the button band, but I might just leave it as is and call it a day.

The recommended yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease, but actually I regret using it because it’s so stretchy and bulky, so the cardigan turned out a lot more chunky (and a lot more stretchy too I’m guessing) than the OG. I even found the finished measurements on the pattern misleading due to the cardigan stretching due to its own weight.

The pattern also calls for very long arms so I would advise just doing 4.5 diamonds for the back and then 4 diamonds for the arms, just like the OG! I thought 4 diamonds would be too short but the off-shoulder fit makes 5 diamonds incredibly long for me, and 4 would have been perfect!

I’m not sure why the instructions were that misleading with the sizing—Partly it’s me messing up with my guage, but I’m thinking it might also be because Lion Brand was basing it off the OG folklore cardigans from Taylor’s website, which I’ve heard run immensely large in a similar fashion. Still, I’m not sure exactly how the sizing compares to that of the XS/S and M/L OG cardigans

I usually am an S for perfectly fitted T shirts, and I get M sized crewnecks/hoodies for a perfect, comfy, borderline oversized fit that isn’t snug over layers. I was confused between knitting the S/M and L/XL because I wanted an oversized fit. I worried the S/M might be too snug and figured it was better to err on the side of it being a bit larger than expected because it’s still possible to style that, while a too-small cardigan would just be unwearable. But I think sizing down is the best way to go for that pattern and yarn if you’re picking between two sizes. The S/M pattern would probably produced something that fits more like a regular L/XL you would expect to see in a store.

Also, the yarn is fuzzy and pills a lot! It’s also slightly scratchy even after conditioning. So I would say just pick a durable yarn that creates a fabric that you love first before you start the project!

The Lion Brand pattern’s back cables are spaced slightly differently from the OG cardigans. (The OG had some moss stitched space between the two left cables on either end and the group of other cables in the center.) There might be other differences too. I know there are some other patterns out there you can pay for and they might be more accurate to the OG, but I would recommend simply looking up pictures of the OG cardigan in the size that you’re aiming for, and then taking note of the differences and making the alterations yourself! The stitches are fairly easy to count!

I have a breadth of regrets about this project (and some of it is just post-project blues, y’know?), but you live and you learn, folks! And I definitely learned a lot from this project. :) Will come back here and update once I add the (very expensive) silver star patches I’ve been procrastinating to buy because I’m so broke and so sad about how it turned out. I’m confident all the time I’ve spent on her will culminate in me surely falling in love with her soon enough. <3

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returntheoriginaljellyteam · 5 months

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Trying to decide how I want to do xandra's tail. Xweetoks are based on chipmunks but they're not rodents, they're a bit catlike. Maybe like ferrets. I don't quite know what shape I want, if it should be upright. I would kind of imagine it perhaps like a squirrel tail, but she's wearing a cloak, so I need to work with that shape.

Like you can see art wise her tail goes right through her cloak. It doesn't have a hole in it or anything. So on xandras art its super big and fluffy but in a good amount of feral Xweetok art it's much thinner. Weigh in here

I think this look great, closest to what I want, and I think it's using layered long pile fur? Or maybe yarn? I'm not sure how I would do this or confident in my ability to replicate this technique.

This is big and upright and flat but again.... The cloak.

More traditional shape... Cloak again though and also this might be super cumbersome to wear.

Yarn tail with a wire. Poseable, very light. But difficult to get sharp clear markings on like hers, especially with spots. Also, I know because I've made them before, they might be great in photos but Jesus they can get scrumpy easy and look super lame.

This is much smaller and curved down and stuff but it still just... Doesn't feel right

Or perhaps a serial tail? The shape is a little like a lions but it's thicker and fluffier and it has a noteable upward curve.

Thoughts?

#neopets #neotag #fursuit

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nogenderonlychair · 3 months

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So I might be starting a business…

(Question for SmallBusinessOwners at bottom!)

For the last few days I’ve been trying new things to knit/crochet and it turns out im not horrible at it! I made a tiny little “sweater” for my meditations (Its a tiny little basket looking thing that has a sewn together bottom and no sleeves, but I still call it a sweater.) and it turned out really well!

I suck at making hats but I think That’s because I had super this yarn. I have a slightly thicker one now and I might try again soon, but im currently making a scarf.

I’ts really short right now (for a scarf) so I can’t tell if its going to turn out well, but im very proud of it so far.

I’m thinking 10 dollars an hour for whatever projects I sell, is that an acceptable price?

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space-arts · 1 year

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This is a kitty I made... years? ago... I cannot even remember if I ever posted her or not, because the idea was I’d make her clothes right after finishing her and just... never did. My inspiration with her kind of died when, despite using the same weight of yarn, the white came out thicker/bigger which at the time was a disappointment. Obviously nowadays I understand more about yarn and it’s not a huge deal even she just looks cute and dorky, but still! At the time I was like :(. I also could not think of what outfit and colours I wanted for her, so she just sat in the wip bin forever. I finally decided to pick her up since I’ve been working on a bunch of LCR patterns, and with the help of my wife and mommy (wife with the clothes mommy with the colours) she finally has an outfit!

The only thing left is I’d like to make her some matching shoes, which might take another few years but I digress.

#kyle shits out art #knitting

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pokemon-researcher-alexander · 11 months

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[it's package time again—in fact, there's two of them!!! both show up in boxes instead of bryony's usual paper bundles. the larger one is addressed to alexander and tied with a dark green ribbon. there's a blanket inside, crocheted out of thick, soft, dark green yarn with tight stitches, tall enough to fully cover him once it's unfolded, wide enough that some Pokémon can make themselves cozy too if he's willing to share. there's a rhododendron tree embroidered across the front of the blanket, wide and sprawling, taking up more space than not, with scattered petals at the bottom. the back is a bit of a mess and the branches are a little clumsily-done in places, but a lot of care has been put into the detail of the flowers; thicker yarn embroidered in for outlines, thinner thread for the detailing. look closely and there's a little leafeon sticking its head out from between the flowers! sitting on top of the bundle is a full-size instead of sample-size tin of slippery elm bark tea.

there's a handmade card, as usual, reading, "Hi Alexander! It turns out I WAS up to something suspicious!! I know your birthday is a mystery that I guess goes without celebration but I hope you will still accept this as some kind of equivalent gift. This was going to just be a throw blanket and then I realized maybe since you are so tall it is hard to find blankets that are the right size? I hope that is not presumptuous of me!! Thank you again so so much for the gift you sent me too, I know I said so before but it really is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. All this time and I still hardly know what to say! I really really am happy I get to be your friend though. I think I am so lucky that I got to meet you. Take care ok? I am always here if you need me. ♡ Bryony"

the other package is addressed to Sage, with a magenta ribbon wrapped around the whole thing. inside there's a crochet Pokéball—done, of course, in magenta instead of red. it even opens, connected with magnets at the front, with extra loops of braided yarn at the top and bottom one could theoretically put paws through or grip with their teeth if a lack of opposable thumbs made opening it a struggle otherwise. the Pokéball is stuffed and lined around the inside edges so it keeps its shape, but hollow inside otherwise. It's packaged with another tin, though, this one full of thin crocheted sachets in different colors with different floral patterns embroidered on them. each sachet has been filled with different dried herbs, matching the plants embroidered on the sachet, but there's a sheet of paper with a guide, too. the handmade card included with the whole thing says, "Hi Sage! Thank you very very much for the needles! That was so thoughtful of you. I made a little sachet for them and now my closet smells so fresh all the time! I thought you might like to have more nice-smelling things around too, but I was not sure what smells you might like best, so I picked out a whole bunch of herbs from the garden and thought I would let you pick! They should fit perfectly in the Pokéball, and maybe you can share the ones you do not use. I hope it is easy enough to open and close. If it is too tough let me know or get Alexander to tell me and I will try again ok? Take care! ♡ Bryony"]

I can say with absolute certainty that, not only is this not presumptuous, it is the best gift I’ve ever received. Too warm for a blanket this time of year, but I’ll put it to good use in the colder seasons. (I’ll also apologize in advance for all of the fur that’ll end up on it.)

Sage was a bit hesitant about his gift, since he hates going into his Pokéball so much, but one he realized it wasn’t a trap, he was all over it. I think the basil’s shaping up to be his favorite.

Thank you, Bryony.

#pokémon irl #pokéblogging #never really understood birthdays #not like you get the entire year of experience on that one specific date #got bad memories attached to mine too #so i just decided to abolish it

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plush-rabbit · 3 years

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Taking Care Of Tomura Shigaraki - Headcanons

Request: can i request tomura with a s/o thats always buying/making clothes for him, cutting his hair, doing his skincare and just caring for his appearance in general

A/N: i tried knitting once, i wasn’t good at it immediately and i gave up:(

Tomura isn’t one to care for his appearance, not because he’s lazy or unable to do something about it, but rather because he is apathetic about it. The dry skin does have it’s setbacks- itchiness, cracking skin that bleeds easily and brittle skin- but it’s nothing that he minds too much. At this point in his life, he’s used to how he appears- he doesn’t hate his appearance and he’s made peace that any product applied to him just makes him feel uncomfortable. However, when you come along, you dote over him, wanting to take care of him and make sure that he feels his best whenever possible.

You don’t try to change, but rather help him feel a bit better. You’ve dealt with your fair share of skin problems and even just having dry skin is enough for you to feel uncomfortable. You do your best to find the best creams for him, making sure to figure out what textures and scent she isn’t fond of and what ingredients he reacts negatively to. While the experience takes time away from his duties as a leader, he doesn’t mind it too much. He has you with him, sitting on his lap with your hands pressed against his face- cupping at his cheek or twirling with a piece of hair- so he’ll sit still and lean into your hands as you take care of him.

You’ve gotten into habits of knitting and sewing so when his shirt has a hole in it or his sweater sleeve, you’ll patch them up. You make sure to add a match color so nithing stick outs. It’s then that you realize he has no clothing prepared for the winter cold and that he’s left with just a thicker sweater to wear. You decide to buy yarn and stitch something for him- a sweater to keep him warm and it’s a bit oversized and a few loops out of place towards the end, but it's made with love. He’ll take it in his hands and give you a sort of wide eye look as you explain that you wanted him to have something personal. You wanted to make him gloves but you’re sure knitted gloves wouldn’t work well with a missing finger hole or two and that it sort of defeats the purpose to keep him warm.

It’s a bit of a mess when taking care of him. He’s independent and apathetic about his appearance so when you approach wanting to try to give him a semblance of love and care, he is at a loss for words. He allows you to do what you want, but he feels as if he has to repay you back in some sort of way. He’ll hold your gifts in his hands, his pinky lifted and eyes narrowed as he asks what it is that you want in return. He can’t promise he’ll get it by ethical means, but he can promise to get it. He doesn’t understand the nature of a gift, he wasn’t given gifts when he was under the care of AFO without some sort of repayment. He had to do something good to earn things so when you appear gifting him knitted clothes, he stares at them, not knowing what you want or what he did to warrant something nice. He can only nod his head and give you a rough kiss on the cheek when you tell him its gift and that you expect nothing in return.

His closet is filled with similar types of clothing so, you like to buy him outfits and at first it was more about a bit of selfishness by dressing him in things you like and changing to things that he’s more comfortable in. You buy outfits that are dark in order to keep up the villain's attire to playing around with it and gifting him turtlenecks and different types of jackets. While you wish you could play around with color for his more noticable outfits, you know that he relies on stealth for a decent part of his work. You tend to give him colors for his sleepwear or even outfits for him to relax in. It starts off with bursts of color, wanting to see which one you think he will look nice in- you end up choosing warmer tones like reds and oranges and a few cooler tones like dark and light purples and dustier types of blues. You want him to have fun and you also want him to be happy with his style and feel seen so you decide to buy more gaming related things for him. Rings with a symbol of a console attached to it or mirroring one from a game, to shirts that have a logo or even a panel from a manga or scene that he likes. You like gifting him accessories just a bit more. It’s nice to see him wear something small and be reminded that he actually enjoyed the thing rather than just stuffing it into a drawer.

For the most part, he doesn’t really touch his hair, choosing to let it grow out rather than messing with it. On the rare occasion that he does cut his hair, he does it on his own. He isn’t a fan of having other people touch him, especially with something so sharp close to him. When he does cut his hair, he’s a bit reckless with it, seeing it as a form of expression rather than wanting to make it look something proper. Music will blast from his phone speaker, drums and loud screaming that matches his mood as he stands in front of the mirror, a pair of scissors in his hand as he snips around, fluffling up the sides and twirling the ends. While he isn’t one to care for appearances, his hair is the closest that he’ll take autonomy in, wanting to decide for himself how to style it.

Touch is something that he can be rather odd with. He craves it, wants it and will press your hand close to his nody desperate to just have you touch him, but there are other days where he is repulsed by it, touch so toxic to him that it makes his throat close and acid burns his tongue. One the occasion where he does enjoy touch, and he’s too tired to cut his own hair, he’ll drag you to the bathroom. He’ll sit in the shower, the tile cold underneath him as your hands run through his hair. Shivers will run down his spine when you press your lips to the crown of his head. You’re much gentler with his hair than he is, trimming at the ends and fluffing it with your hands, asking for his advice and wanting to follow it. He doesn’t let you do any more than just trimming the ends and sections where the hair is split, but even then, he appreciates that you did it for him.

Despite being in a relationship with you, he always expects you to turn away from him, to reject his touch or to simply grow bored of him. Yet, you’re still with him, gentle and caring, pulling him close to you and washing his hair. Your nails scratch against his scalp and you make sure that no soap reaches past his eyes, your voice a low hum as you mumble a song between your lips. It’s these moments where he can just fall asleep, he’ll lean into your touch and close his eyes, teeth piercing into the insides of his cheeks, desperate to hide his growing smile when the cool water rushes down. You might push, but you care for him.

He’s told you his sob story, has mentioned how he was raised under All For One and how he was denied things until he did what he was told, but he never expected anything from it. He hadn’t realized that you would want to care for him in ways that he had never been cared for before. Your hands are gentle, pressed against his face in a soft kiss, cream thin on your hands as you rub the cooling gel against him. Your hands hold his as you clip his nails, pressing your lips to his knuckles once you’re done. You give him love, your tenderness showing through and your smile gentle as you don’t expect a thing in return, only for you to kiss at the scar under his eye and pull away with a cheeky grin.

Time and time again, he’s been under your touch, welcomed and in awe of it when you are still gentle with him as if it were the first time. You call his name, a lilt in your voice as you pull out various things from your bag, gifting him various items with a smile wide on your face. He’s kissed you before, your lips soft compared to his, sweet like honey and making his teeth ache but he never tires of it. Your touch is something new to him, something old and wanted, something so heavy and intoxicating that he’s sure you are too good to be true. Shigaraki holds you close, his eyes half-lidded as your hand combs through his hair while he lays on your chest. He can feel your heartbeat through his chest and it’s his own personal lullaby listening to the rythmic thumping of it. His face will be red when you call him pretty, your hands still on him and his name on your tongue. Hidden from your view, he’ll smile and feel tears prick at his eyes.

#bnha #bnha imagines #bnha headcanons #tomura shigaraki x reader #tomura shigaraki imagine #shigaraki tomura x reader #tomura shigaraki #bnha shigaraki tomura #shigaraki tomura #tomura headcanons #i wanna care for him #please hori #just give the man a bubble bath #i think all the viilains deserve it #they deserve tenderness #please #i wanna give him a scarf

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stiltonbasket · 3 years

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can we have some nielan for the art thief au? author's choice :D

(this is more lxc-focused but there's still a dash of sweet nielan! (≧◡≦) ♡ click here for AO3 link)

Twenty years ago.

The last time we celebrated Muqin’s birthday with her, it was twenty years ago.

Upon later reflection, perhaps the realization ought not to have affected Lan Xichen as it did. But twenty years is long enough to be called a long time by any measure of reckoning; and Lan Xichen is thirty now, an orphan for fully twice the span that he had either of his parents, and sometimes it feels as if he no longer remembers how it was to call for A-Niang, and Fuqin instead of Shufu, or not have to explain to new acquaintances that his parents have been dead for nearly two decades.

What did he and Wangji do on Mother’s last birthday? Lan Xichen remembers their father making a cake—a flourless one, because Mother wanted to try a new recipe she found at the library—and Wangji lay down on his stomach in the living room and labored over a card for her all morning, squeaking in dismay when Mother pretended to peer over his shoulders to see what he was doing, and then he wrapped it up in silky tissue paper and presented it to her with such delight on his solemn little face that Muqin refused to let go of him for the next twenty minutes.

Xichen was in the kitchen helping their father with the cake, he thinks. Fuqin handed him three little bottles of food coloring and told him to color the frosting, which Lan Xichen did with breathless care to ensure that the frosting turned out their mother’s favorite shade of buttery yellow.

None of them knew then that it was the last birthday they would celebrate together as a family. Mother died only two months later, quietly in her bed at Fuqin’s side, and a heart attack carried their father off six months after that.

Mother’s birthday has always been something of a private holiday within the family. When she was alive their father organized quiet celebrations for her, and Lan Xichen always spent time with Wangji that day after she passed on. But today his brother has been caught up with grading at the university where he works, so Lan Xichen is celebrating the bittersweet anniversary alone.

“You would have been fifty-six today, Mother,” he says, as he burns incense at the family memorial altar and puts a pair of red-bean buns on a platter in front of her photograph: one for her and one for Father, who loved mother’s sweet baozi so much that Shufu used to tease him about it at family dinners. “Shufu and Wangji are doing well, and so am I. And Jingyi is big enough to fit into that sweater A-Jue made from the yarn you were saving—do you remember when you took me and A-Zhan to help you pick it out?”

His mother’s smiling face looks down at him from her wedding picture, as silent and tender as she always is. Muqin is resplendent in the old qipao dress she wore that day, the only luxury she really had for her hasty wedding; Lan Xichen can almost feel its smooth embroidered flowers and pankou under his fingertips, since she often took the dress out to look at it and show it to her two sons. It was eventually put away in storage along with the rest of her belongings, but Lan Xichen found the qipao while he was preparing for his own wedding some fifteen years later, and he brought it to the house he moved into with his husband just after their son was born.

Prodded by some strange urgency, Lan Xichen makes his way to the bedroom and rifles through his closet, pulling out the long silk sleeve where the qipao dress has lain undisturbed for the past eighteen months. The dress, when he removes it from the sleeve, is mostly unchanged: only creased at the spots where it was folded, and a little dusty-smelling from being in the closet.

He shakes it out, breathing in the familiar scent of his mother’s perfume clinging to the collar, and then he walks over to the full-length mirror by the bed and holds the qipao up in front of him.

For a moment, it almost looks as if—

Lan Xichen stares at his reflection, bewildered.

“Oh,” he gasps, holding one of the bedposts in a vice grip. “Oh.”

_____

When Lan Xichen was in his teens, Shufu hired a family friend to teach him how to do makeup: mainly how to make his face more angular, and deepen the shadows around his nose and eyebrows, and render his eyes just a little narrower than they truly were with highlighting powder. But it was an art like any other, so Liang-popo showed him how to do different kinds of makeup, too: how to make his cheeks look rounder, and his chin smaller, and call more attention to his lips and eyes than natural light did on its own. Lan Xichen never expected to use that half of what Liang-popo taught him, but he still remembers the basics: and his own face, still smooth and unlined by the sun thanks to the skincare regimens Nie Huaisang keeps coaxing him into, accepts the blush-toned powders and creams like paper soaking up ink.

Moisturizer, primer. Foundation, and concealing cream under his eyes. He took off his glasses and replaced them with contacts earlier, and tied back his long hair while he smoothed on a pale red lip tint; and now, with most of his makeup finished, he paints a small, dark mole high on his forehead—one that his mother had, but neither he nor Wangji inherited—and mists his face with setting spray.

He yanks his hair elastic out with shaking fingers, groping in the vanity drawer for bobby pins before putting his hair up into a loose chignon, and then he finally lifts his eyes and looks into the mirror again.

If he were not sitting, Lan Xichen thinks dizzily, he would have fainted dead away.

With shaking fingers, he removes his pants and shirt (one of A-Jue’s thicker pajama tops, since the weather was chilly last night) and divests himself of his binder, tossing it onto the bed with the rest of his clothes before he unbuttons the qipao and pulls it on. The dress fits like a second skin despite being several inches too short, but the side slits are so high that it hardly matters, and the collar encloses Lan Xichen’s pale throat exactly like it did his mother’s in her wedding photograph: just lax enough that he can’t really feel it, but smooth enough not to bother him either way.

Lan Xichen pads back towards the mirror, his bare feet dragging over the carpet as he goes, and then he looks up and meets his mother’s eyes for the first time in twenty years.

The resemblance, so far as it goes, is astounding. Mother was shorter, but she seemed quite tall to the ten-year-old son she left behind; and she had the same eyes and brows and nose and even the same cheekbones, with slightly fuller lips which were never thinned by parenthood as Lan Xichen’s lips have been. But then again, Wen Mingyan was a schoolteacher and not a harried lawyer who doubled as a museum thief by night, and her children were not so accomplished at getting into trouble as Lan Xichen’s own tiny son is.

At the thought of his baby, Lan Xichen hurries into the next room where A-Yi is fast asleep in his crib, with his thumb in his mouth and his pudgy little legs sticking straight up in the air. He rolls into Lan Xichen’s arms without waking, like a ball rolling into a comfortable hollow in the ground, and nestles happily under his chin on the short trip back to the bedroom.

Lan Xichen pulls a chair up in front of the mirror and sits down with Jingyi yawning in his lap, gazing at what could have been a window opening onto the past: his mother, young and strong and still with the bridal blush on her cheeks, cradling a fluffy-haired toddler that could have been the Lan Xichen of twenty-eight years ago.

He presses his lips to A-Yi’s chubby nose; and in the mirror his mother, seemingly overwhelmed by some kind of great feeling, kisses him.

Lan Xichen’s lips quiver. “Muqin—”

Suddenly, a door bangs on the ground floor, and Lan Xichen jolts back to full awareness just in time to hear his husband and brother talking in the kitchen. Mingjue seems to have returned with armfuls of grocery bags, which crinkle so loudly that A-Yi blinks awake and starts to fuss, tugging at a lock of hair that slipped out of Xichen’s loose updo.

“A-Huan?” Mingjue calls, followed by the swift thuds of his feet and Wangji’s coming up the stairs. “A-Huan, is A-Yi…”

And then both of them screech to a halt on the landing, gawking through the open door at Lan Xichen’s soft hair and make-up and the red bridal qipao. For a moment, Lan Xichen wonders what the picture looks like—he hasn’t worn a dress since before Wangji was born, and he’s certainly never worn make-up like this, so for all he knows it might look like some strange woman broke into the house to kidnap baby A-Yi.

But then Mingjue lets out a quiet breath and comes over to kiss him, brushing aside the tangled curls A-Yi pulled down, and wraps him up in a tight hug that smells of soap and sawdust from Mingjue’s woodworking studio.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he breathes, pressing his cheek to Lan Xichen’s. “I stopped to pick up dinner and fetch Wangji from the university after I left work.”

“It’s fine,” Lan Xichen murmurs back, as Jingyi stares at the large buttons on Mingjue’s sleeve before testing his tiny white teeth on them. “I got some egg porridge ready, earlier. Do you want to eat a little before we get dinner started?”

Nie Mingjue opens his mouth, probably to declare that hot vegetable congee with pidan would be delicious after being outside in the cold; but he never manages to say so, because Wangji makes a choked noise from the hallway before taking a shaky step forward.

“Xiongzhang,” he says hoarsely. “You look, you look just like—”

Mingjue takes A-Yi into his arms, and Lan Xichen reaches out towards his brother. When Wangji staggers into his embrace, all Lan Xichen can think of is that their mother never had the chance to see A-Zhan grow up so well, or know what a name he would make for himself, or even how his face would grow into a perfect meld of hers and Fuqin’s after his baby fat melted away.

She would have had to wait many years to know that last, Lan Xichen smiles to himself. A-Zhan’s cheeks were as round as A-Yi’s until after he started college.

“Ge.”

Lan Xichen pats Wangji’s shoulder. “Mm, A-Zhan?”

Wangji hugs him impossibly tighter.

“Thank you.”

#nielan #lan xichen #nie mingjue #the untamed #mo dao zu shi #art thief au #my fic

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woodelf68 · 3 years

Text

Lessons Learned And Praise Well Earned

@lokijiro prompted: "Frigga regularly reads books to her tiny sons. One day, she realises that Loki can read, even though she hasn’t really started teaching him yet." Loki is around the equivalent of 3 years old here, and let's say Thor is somewhere between 5 and 6. Word count: 5918

----------

Odin eyed his eldest son. Thor was not usually one to dawdle over meals, but he was quite clearly dawdling now. Since he wasn't putting any more food on his plate, Odin assumed Thor was done with his breakfast, but instead of saying anything he was just sitting there quietly, fiddling with his spoon, as if he didn't want to call attention to himself.

"If you're finished eating, Thor," Odin said, not ungently, but very much aware of the time, "I will walk you down to your tutor." It was not far; they had set up an unused room at the opposite end of the family wing as Thor's new classroom, but Odin wished to personally introduce Thor to Master Egilson and see his son settled in before descending to the lower levels of the palace and beginning his own day's work.

Thor sighed and put his spoon down with a clank and pushed his chair back. He wasn't sure how he felt about starting formal lessons with a tutor. On the one hand, it meant he was growing up and was one step closer to being able to train as a warrior, on the other hand, he wanted to go outside and play as he usually did every morning instead of going to sit in a stuffy old room learning...well, whatever it was that he was going to be learning. He had been trying to take a cautious wait and see attitude towards it all, except every time he looked at his little brother, Loki looked so forlorn at being forced to stay behind in the nursery that Thor felt horribly like he was deserting his brother.

"I'm ready," he said resignedly, standing up without any enthusiasm whatsoever.

Odin got to his feet as well and clasped a reassuring hand on Thor's shoulder. "It's all right to be nervous on your first day," he said. "But I'm sure you'll do well."

"It's not that," said Thor. "It's just that Loki -- "

As if one cue, Loki jumped up from his place at the table, his own breakfast nearly untouched in his unhappiness. "Are you sure I can't come too?" he pleaded, looking at his father. "I'll be good; I wouldn't cause any trouble."

"Oh no, sweetheart." Frigga rose and stepped up behind him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You're too young. But we'll have fun while Thor's gone, I promise, and it's only for a half day. He'll be back for lunchtime and then you can have the rest of the afternoon to play before dinner."

"But it's not only a half day," protested Loki. "It's a half day every day." He could feel the tears starting to gather on his eyes and his lower lip trembled. "For... forever ."

Odin's lip twitched. "Not quite." He didn't mention that Thor's half days would at some point become full days of lessons, because he could see that Loki was quite distressed enough already. "Yes, your schooling will go on until you grow up, for there are a great many things that you will need to learn as princes of this realm. But you will be able to join Thor in his studies long before that, and then it won't seem so bad, eh? But for now you have your own very important job to do, right here."

"I do?"

"Mm-hm." A few steps took him from Thor's side to Loki, and he bent and reached down, Loki immediately lifting his arms in response. Odin picked him up and settled him on his hip, looking Loki in the eyes. "I know you're going to miss Thor, but your mother was telling me just this morning how glad she was that she would still have you to keep her company while Thor went off to his lessons. And I was glad too, for I don't like to think of your mother being sad and lonely any more than I want you to be."

"Oh." Loki twisted around and looked back at his mother.

"It's true," Frigga confirmed. "I've been looking forward to the chance to spend some time alone with just you, the way I did with Thor before you were born."

"Oh," said Loki again, his brow furrowing. He hadn't thought that his mother might miss Thor, too. "So my job is to keep Mama company? So she's not lonely?"

"It is. Can I rely on you to do that?"

Loki nodded. He didn't want to think of his mother being sad, either. "Yes, Papa."

"That's my good boy," Odin said approvingly, and kissed him before handing him off into Frigga's waiting arms. "Now, Thor." He held out his hand, and Thor slipped his own smaller one into it without hesitation. "Let's not keep your tutor waiting."

Thor took a deep breath, but he did feel a little better about leaving Loki now. He squared his shoulders. "All right. I’ll see you later, Loki.”

"’Bye." Loki gave a tiny wave.

"Have a good day, my son." Frigga went over and pressed a kiss to the top of Thor's head. "Loki and I will come and get you at lunchtime; stay with your tutor until then."

“I can walk back to the nursery on my own.”

“But we might not be in the nursery. And besides, I wish to speak to your tutor this first day and I think Loki might enjoy seeing your classroom.”

“Oh. Very well.”

Frigga waited until Thor had followed his father out of the room before turning and surveying the remains of Loki's breakfast with a frown. "Hey." She jiggled him gently. "Do you think you can eat a little more of your breakfast now? And then when you're finished, we can go down to the garden."

And Loki, his throat feeling less tight than it had earlier, found that he could.

----------

Outside, without Thor to pull him away into whatever game he wanted to play, Loki stayed close by Frigga's side, following her around as she tended to the plants, a subdued and quiet little shadow. She didn't bother trying to draw him out, figuring that would come naturally after Thor returned from his lessons in the afternoon; instead she filled the silence by telling him the names of all the herbs and flowers, and what they were good for -- cooking and medicines and scenting things, teas and potions and dyes. When he roused enough to express interest in the last, she gathered enough material to make up a small dye pot, bundling it with a length of twine and placing it in her basket, figuring she would let him help dye some raw wool and then spin it into yarn for him to play with, a special project just for the two of them while Thor was at his lessons. After that, her clever little son proved he had been paying attention to what she was doing when he began pointing out spent blossoms for her to snip off with her pruning shears, his lower vantage point making it easy for him to spot all those that were closer to the ground.

“Thank you, my darling,” Frigga praised as she bent to snip another dead flower head off, tracing back its stem to where a new bud was forming and making the cut above that. Loki beamed and circled around the shrub, easily navigating the tight space that would have caught at her skirts.

“Here!”

There were three crumbly brown flower heads grouped closely together, half-hidden at the back of the shrub. As soon as Frigga had snipped them off, Loki moved to the next bush, his sharp eyes seeking out browned or drooping flowers, and Frigga had to hasten on, what was usually a leisurely stroll for her turning into an attempt to keep up with Loki’s pointing finger and expectant face as he embraced the hunt like a new game.

“Where next, Mama?” Loki asked as they reached the end of the next row, ready to scamper on ahead.

“Hold, wait a minute,” Frigga said, straightening up and stretching, her back beginning to ache from repeatedly bending over. She thought how much simpler it would be to simply let him snip the dead heads off himself. He was a careful child, far more so than Thor had been at his age, and she thought he might be able to handle a pair of pruning shears safely without hurting himself, at least on the easier to trim plants -- nothing thorny, or that had thicker, woody branches. “Loki, if I could find or have made a smaller pair of shears that would fit your hand, would you like your own pair so you can trim off the flower heads yourself?”

Loki’s face lit up. “Yes!”

“I’ll see if I can find some, then. You’ve been a very good helper to me this morning. What say we do that area under the trees and then go back inside and you can pick out some books for me to read to you?”

Loki turned and skipped backwards in front of her. “When will I get my shears?”

Frigga laughed and dropped her own into the pocket of the apron she wore to protect her clothes. “I’m not sure; I’ll ask the head gardener if they can know where I could get any small enough for you, but I really think the smith might need to make them special. Perhaps in two or three days; it depends on how busy they are. Here, turn around and watch where you’re going; I don’t want you to trip.”

It was cool and pleasant in the shade of the trees after being in the warm, bright sun, but by the time they got back to the nursery, Frigga was ready to pour herself and Loki glasses of the cold lemonade that she had sent for, and then settle herself in the comfortably cushioned window seat, a light breeze blowing in fresh around them. Loki scrambled up to sit beside her with the selection of books he had chosen and leaned into her side, looking at the pages of the picture books as she began to read. When she noticed it was time to go pick up Thor, Loki jumped down and made for the beautifully carved wooden door leading into the corridor, bouncing impatiently on his heels as she put away the books.

“Come on, Mama,” he said impatiently, and Frigga smiled as she pushed the door open and took his hand in her own.

“There, it was not so bad spending the morning with just me, was it?” She swung their arms together as they walked towards Thor’s classroom.

“No,” Loki admitted. “It was nice. Did I keep you from being sad?”

“You did indeed, my darling. Thank you.” She saw the door at the end of the hall had been propped open and released Loki’s hand, pointing. “Go on.”

Loki ran ahead and into the room, his eyes quickly finding his brother already standing next to a small desk and talking to a pleasant-looking young man. “Thor!” He threw himself at his brother.

A wide grin split Thor’s face as he caught his brother up and lifted him briefly from his feet in an exuberant hug. “Loki! I missed you!” Lowering him back down, Thor put his hands on Loki’s shoulders and turned him towards his teacher, beaming with delight. “Master Egilson, this is my brother Loki.”

“Hello, Prince Loki,” the tutor said with a smile. “Your brother has been telling me a lot about you.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hm. According to Thor, you’re the best little brother in the entire kingdom.”

Loki flushed with pleasure.

“What about me?” asked Frigga from the doorway, smiling. “Did I rate a mention?”

Master Egilson turned and bowed respectfully to her. “You did indeed, your Majesty.” He picked up a paper covered in Thor’s blocky writing from his own, larger desk and read from it. “ My mother is the queen and she is very beautiful and very kind. Everybody loves her .”

Frigga felt her own cheeks pinken. “Oh. Well, what else have you been doing all morning besides saying flattering things about your family, Thor?”

“We did reading and writing and numbers and Master Egilson told me the story about how Asgard was created.”

“I can write,” Loki informed the tutor.

“Can you?” Master Egilson smiled and fetched a clean slate, laying it on Thor’s desk along with a piece of chalk. “Do you want to show me?”

“You don’t have to -- “ Frigga began.

The tutor shook his head. “Nonsense, I would be pleased to see the skills of a future student.”

Loki climbed up onto the chair, kneeling on the seat, and picked up the chalk. The tutor wasn’t surprised to see him begin to write his name -- it was the first thing most children learned -- but instead of scrawling “Loki” in large runes over the whole of the slate, they were unexpectedly small, and neat. He saw why as Loki started a second tidy row underneath them, hesitating briefly over the cross stroke of the nauthiz rune before angling it in the correct direction and finishing up. Loki Odinson , the slate read. The youngest prince glanced up at the tutor expectantly.

“Very good,” Master Egilson said warmly, and meant it. “Your parents must be proud of you.”

“We are,” Frigga assured him, and held out her hand towards Loki. He scrambled down from the chair, looking pleased with himself, and took her hand.

“Can we go now?” asked Thor. “I’m hungry.”

“We may, and lunch should be waiting for us as soon as you wash up. Master Egilson, may I have Thor’s paper to keep?”

“Of course.” The tutor handed her Thor’s writing practice sheet, smiling and tousling Thor’s hair as he took his place at his mother’s other side. “You have good boys; Norns willing, I look forward to many years of teaching them.”

“They say mothers are prejudiced, but I quite agree with you. I couldn't wish for any better.” Frigga smiled down at her sons. “Good day, Master Egilson. Come on, boys.”

Thor chattered animatedly all through lunch, telling them all about his lessons and what he had learned of his tutor. Master Egilson had an older sister, and a young nephew and a niece on the way. His parents were bakers. He, Thor, liked him very much. After they were done eating, Frigga took up a basket of needlework and led her sons outside to the wide lawn, where Thor immediately took off running, calling to Loki to chase him. Loki shot off after him, and Frigga simply sat watching them for a while as they ran about yelling, Loki’s screams of delight just as loud as his brother’s every time that Thor turned and chased after him, Thor deliberately keeping just behind his brother for a while before speeding up and swooping Loki up in a hug that tumbled them both to the ground. When Thor had burnt off the worst of his pent-up energy from the morning, he began practicing his latest accomplishment, setting his hands to the ground and kicking his legs up into the air in a handstand, managing a few wobbly steps forwards before toppling back to the ground. Loki, of course, tried to imitate him, and Thor ceased his own efforts to help, holding Loki’s legs straight up while Loki walked forwards on his hands. Frigga heard him cheer Loki on and felt as if her heart would burst with love for both boys.

“I see the princes are in high spirits today,” a voice said from behind her.

Frigga turned and saw the Lady Gná, and smiled, gesturing to the place on the bench beside her. Lady Gná sat down gracefully.

“They are; they were kept apart from each other for the entirety of three hours this morning while Thor had his first lessons with a tutor and are still rejoicing in their reunion.”

Lady Gná laughed. “How did the lessons go?”

“Quite well, I think. Both the tutor and Thor seemed cheerful enough when I collected Thor. And I think Loki will benefit from having some time where my attention isn’t split between the two of them every day.”

“Mm.” Gná took out her own needlework from a bag hanging at her waist. “I dare say you might enjoy the break, too, or am I wrong? Meaning no disrespect, but your Thor is a boisterous one.”

Frigga laughed and finally took out her own project, although her eyes rarely left the boys for long. “You’re not wrong. Loki was such a blessing in more ways than one; I can’t imagine the handful Thor would be if he didn’t have a brother to play with. It at least gives me a chance to sit down occasionally and just keep an eye on them.” She took a few stitches in her embroidery and smiled in reminiscence. “No one was happier than Thor when Loki started walking -- and I’m sure Loki learned as early as he did because he wanted to keep up with his big brother.” She glanced up again and grinned. “And now look at them.” Both boys were, briefly, upside down at the same time, legs waving in the air.

Lady Gná laughed. “Truly we have a pair of ambitious and talented princes. Who amongst us can say we sought to learn to walk on our hands once we had mastered doing so on our feet?”

Frigga chuckled, and then gave a small exclamation as Loki overbalanced and thumped down hard onto his butt, knocking Thor over as he did so. Nonplussed, the boys righted themselves and looked towards her.

Loki ran over. “Mama, Mama, did you see me? I was standing upside down on my own!”

“I did indeed; we were both very impressed.” She ruffled his black hair. “You remember Lady Gná, don’t you? Sif’s mother?”

Thor made his best bow. “My lady.”

Loki looked around, as if to make sure the aforementioned girl wasn’t here. “Sif bit me,” he said accusingly.

Lady Gná sighed. The last time she had brought her little hellion over to play with the princes had not ended well. “I haven’t forgotten, Loki, and I am sorry. We are trying to teach her better manners, I promise you.”

“See that you do,” he said sternly, and it was so obviously a phrase that he had picked up from his father that both adults had to smother a laugh. Loki leaned against his mother’s legs, suddenly tired now that he had stopped moving.

Frigga smoothed a hand over his curls. “Ready for your nap, sweetheart?” With the disruption in their usual schedule, she’d been waiting to see when and if he looked like he needed one.

Loki frowned. He usually had a nap after lunch, but he also had usually had the whole morning to play with Thor.

“Here,” said Lady Gná briskly, rising and putting her needlework away. “Why don’t you just lie down on the bench and lay your head in your mother’s lap? Close your eyes for a few minutes and if you don’t feel sleepy, then you can get up and start playing again. I shall take a bit more of a walk while Sif is down for her own nap.”

Frigga looked up at her friend gratefully. “Thank you, Gná, and tell Sif hello from me. Come on, Loki, that sounds like a fair suggestion, doesn’t it?” She patted the space beside her, and after a moment, he climbed up and settled himself as suggested.

“Just for a few minutes,” he said.

“I’ll be here when you wake up,” Thor promised, and went in search of a stick with which to practise sword moves. Frigga began to sing softly, and her youngest was asleep in her lap before she’d finished the last verse of the song.

The days fell into a routine. In the mornings, Frigga enjoyed her time spent alone with Loki, working in the gardens or reading to him or pursuing any other paths his interests went down. He had his own specially-made gardening shears now, sized to fit his small hands, and was careful never to put them away dirty. And she’d shown him how to dye wool, and how to make a simple braid from the yarn she’d spun from it, and he had yet to grow tired of wearing the yellowy-green bracelet he’d made from it. In the afternoons the boys played together, and Loki would take a short nap, and then after dinner, they would usually spend some time at the child-sized table in the nursery where the drawing paper and other art supplies were kept, although Thor was now also using it to do small assignments for his tutor on occasion. Frigga often saw their fair and dark heads bent close together, but one night when she came over to see what they were doing, Loki quickly pulled a blank piece of paper over whatever it was he had been working on, and Thor straightened back up in his chair, a list of vocabulary words in front of him.

“Are you making a surprise picture for me?” she guessed.

“Yes,” said Loki, and looked at her expectantly until she took the hint and left them to it. She did get a picture later that night, but she couldn't see why he would have been hiding it; it was fairly similar to his usual offerings, though no less cherished and saved for that. But since whatever was absorbing her boys' interest was giving her an hour or so of peace and quiet every evening, she was perfectly willing to leave them to it.

----------

"Always be polite to a bilgesnipe, there’s really no call to be rude; Always be polite to a bilgesnipe, and he might not decide that you’re food!"

Frigga gave a little "rawr!" in Loki's ear as she read to him from one of his favourite picture books -- the words and pictures silly enough to delight a small child while still conveying the importance of good manners -- and he giggled from his position in her lap, where he was curled up quite happily. A few weeks into Thor’s new schedule of morning lessons, Loki now sent him off quite cheerfully in the mornings, seeming to enjoy the time alone with Frigga as much as she did, seeing her little boy open up about all the things he was interested in now that he didn’t have to wait for a chance to be heard amidst Thor’s chatter. And he obviously relished being able to choose more than one book everyday for storytime, more than content to sit still and listen long after Thor would have gotten restless and begun interrupting with commentary or jumping up to enact out exciting portions of the stories that he’d chosen.

Frigga turned the page and kept reading until she got to her favourite set of pages in the entire book, the illustrations showing a larger boy boosting a smaller one up so that he could reach the plums hanging from a low tree branch. What made the pictures especially endearing to her was the fact that Thor, years ago, had very carefully coloured in the smaller boy's hair -- originally fair like his own -- so that it matched the black of his new little brother's.

"Always be nice to your brother, remember to say 'thank you' and 'please', and if you are nice to your brother, he'll help you pluck fruit from the trees!"

"'Might help'" corrected Loki, pointing at the page. "You left out a word."

Frigga looked at him in surprise. His finger had hovered directly above the word "might".

"You're right," she said. "So I did." Thoughtfully, she turned the page. "Can you read this one?" she asked.

He could, not perfectly, hesitating on some of the bigger words, but he was undoubtedly reading. Frigga hugged him tightly when he had finished reading the rest of the book, Frigga helping out whenever he stumbled on a word. "I am so proud of you! When did you -- " Yes, he had been pointing at and asking about some of the words in the books lately, but -- “Oh! You and Thor, in the evenings! Has he been helping you with reading?”

Loki nodded. “The more I learn now, the less I’ll have to catch up on when I start lessons. So Thor and I can study together.” His chin jutted out with determination, and Frigga’s heart melted as she hugged him again, already planning to do the same to Thor as soon as she saw him next. It was the walking all over again, Loki not wanting to be left behind, and Thor doing everything that he could to make sure that didn’t happen.

“Well, you have made a very good start of it, and now that I know you’re ready to learn to read, I’ll help you with it every day, too.” Her eyes sparkled. "Shall we practice a bit, and surprise your father tonight?"

Loki's face lit up with pleasure at the thought. "Yes, please."

----------

“Papa!”

Two small bodies ran at Odin as he entered the family quarters and collided with his legs. He leaned down to hug his sons, the cares of the day slipping from his shoulders in the face of the boys’ happiness in seeing him. It was always one of the best parts of his day.

“Hello, boys. Did you have a good day?” He straightened up and ran a smoothing hand over each boy’s hair.

“Yes, Papa,” they chorused.

Odin looked at them closely, Their smiles seemed even brighter than usual, a certain simmering of excitement under the surface suggesting that they had something to tell him. “Well, let me freshen up and you can tell me all about it at dinner.”

However, once they were all gathered around the table in their private dining room and tucking into a delicious meal, Odin began to wonder if he’d been mistaken when nothing unusual was mentioned when they shared what they’d been doing during the day. That is, until the boys finished eating ahead of everyone else and didn’t ask to be excused, merely sitting and waiting and watching him. Odin took his time enjoying his dessert, once more sure that something was going on as Loki began to fidget in his chair. But it wasn’t until he leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh that Loki looked at his mother hopefully.

“Now, Mama?”

Frigga smiled. "Yes, now."

Loki jumped down from his chair. "Would you like me to read you a story, Papa?" he asked, nearly bouncing with excitement.

"Don't you mean you want me to read you one?" Odin asked.

“No, I’m going to read it to you,” Loki said firmly.

“Ah, very well, then,” Odin said indulgently, thinking that Loki was simply going to recite it as best as he could from memory; Norns knew he was pretty sure he had the entirety of some of the boys’ most favoured books stuck in his own head. “Shall we adjourn to the nursery, then?” He got up and Thor immediately jumped up as well, Frigga rising more gracefully with one of her cryptic smiles on her face and taking his arm when he offered it.

“Papa, does “adjourn” simply mean “to go”?” Thor asked. He knew its general meaning from what Master Egilson called the context of a sentence, but he was learning to pay more attention to the specific meanings of words.

“It means, in this case, that we are moving from one place to another. It can also be used to indicate the stopping of a meeting to be resumed later, for instance “the meeting is adjourned until after lunch”.”

“That’s how Master Egilson used it the other day,” said Thor thoughtfully. “He said classes were adjourned till the morrow.” He liked the sound of the word; it sounded grown-up and important.

Odin nodded, Loki ducking under his arm as he pushed open the heavy door into the hallway and dashing ahead to wait impatiently by the nursery door. “That is a correct usage. Go see if you can help your brother.” He watched as Thor and Loki both put their hands to the nursery door and leaned in, managing to push it open between the two of them. Loki ran to get his book and Odin went to sit down in his usual chair facing the hearth, Frigga taking the other. Thor plopped down on the rug in between them and picked up one of the three dimensional puzzles from the basket on the hearth, fiddling with it.

Loki came back with his book and Odin took it, setting it down next to him before leaning over to help lift Loki up onto his lap. Loki squirmed around for a moment until he was tucked comfortably in the crook of Odin’s arm and held out his hands.

“Ready.”

Odin gave the book to him and Loki opened it and began to read. And Odin’s eye widened as he realised that Loki was indeed reading it, no doubt helped by the familiarity of the verses, but not missing a single word on any of the pages. Occasionally he paused, but never for long, and Odin looked from the book to the expression of concentration on Loki’s face to Frigga, whose cryptic smile had given way to one beaming with pride. Even Thor, sitting at his feet and listening, grinned up at Odin when Loki finished the book in triumph.

"Loki can read!" Thor announced needlessly. "Did he surprise you?"

"He did indeed." He looked back down at Loki, who was gazing up at him expectantly. "That was very well done, Loki; I am most impressed. I didn't even know that your mother had started teaching you to read yet."

"I hadn't," said Frigga dryly. "He partly picked it up all by himself, just following along when I read and asking the occasional question -- and partly because Thor has been helping him ever since he started his own lessons, because Loki doesn’t want to waste any time catching up once he’s allowed to join him.”

Odin looked from one son to another in amazement. Mine, he thought with a fierce surge of pride. My boys. He spared a second to think scornfully of Laufey, and what a fool he had been to so casually throw away the great gift he had been given in Loki. His now, though, and he would make sure that Loki’s intellect and talents were nurtured instead of wasted.

“I am so proud of both of you,” he said warmly. “You, Thor, for helping your brother, and you, Loki, for learning to read so early! My clever, clever boy." Giving him an extra tight squeeze, Odin kissed the top of Loki's head and saw the tips of Loki’s ears redden in shy pleasure at the praise, but he was grinning as he gave a little wriggle of delight in Odin’s lap. Odin decided to tease him a little. "Does this mean that you won't need me to read you any more stories now, though?"

"No! I like it when you read them to me too," Loki hastily assured him.

Odin’s eye twinkled. "Very well then. Why don't you pick out another one and I'll read it to you and Thor this time."

"I'll get one!" Thor jumped up and raced over to the low bookshelves that held their books. "Is this one all right, Brother?" He pulled one out and held it up for Loki to see.

Loki nodded, too content with his position in his father's lap to get down and pick out another. He drew his legs up and turned so he could lay his head against his father’s chest, Odin’s arm tightening around him and holding him secure. Thor came back and offered the book he’d chosen to his father and leaned comfortably against the side of his chair, folding his arms atop the chair’s leather-padded arm and resting his chin atop them.

“I Want To Be A Warrior,” Odin read. The book’s cover showed a young boy looking up at a man clad in the armour of the Einherjar. The book spoke of what it meant to be a warrior, to swear oneself to the defense of the kingdom, and went on to describe all the things a boy training to be a warrior would learn as they grew to manhood. Thor had already memorised what all the different pieces of armour and the different types of weapons were called with all of the single-minded focus that a young child could turn on something that they were deeply interested in.

“I want to be a warrior,” Odin read. “I want to serve my realm, and my king. I will fight to protect my home, and my people.”

“I must be strong ,” recited Thor. “I must be brave." His eyes were bright with fervour.

Glancing at him, Odin had no trouble imagining his son grown tall, clad in bright armour and with a sword sheathed at his side. Thor listened with rapt attention and an occasional interjection, and Odin had reached the unlabeled illustrations near the end of the book which allowed a boy to test his memory before he wondered if he should have been involving Loki more in the reading of this book. He glanced down at his son, but Loki looked contented enough snuggled against him, his head resting right over Odin’s heart and a sleepy half smile on his face. A soft smile touched Odin’s face in return as he remembered learning that trick, that an unhappy baby could be soothed by the sound of their parent’s heart, recalling all the times he had half-dozed off himself in the nursery with a sleeping babe sprawled atop his chest, afraid to move lest he wake them before he could return them to their cradle or cot. Loki especially had seemed to crave that close contact even more than Thor had, and Odin had often wondered darkly in those early days how long Loki had lain there alone in that temple before he had found him, before Loki had learned the sound of his father's heartbeat and that it meant comfort and safety and no longer being alone, even before he had learned the sound of his mother's. It still filled Odin with satisfaction that even now, with Loki happy and flush with accomplishment and the success of his surprise, that his son obviously found comfort in the sound, in his presence. He rubbed Loki’s back gently; he would miss it when his boys were no longer small enough to hold entirely within the safety of his own arms.

“Papa, turn,” Thor prompted, when he realised his father had become distracted.

“Hm? Oh, sorry.” Odin turned the page and Thor touched the illustration of a sword, moving his finger along it as he named the parts of it.

“Pommel, hilt, crossguard, tang, blade,” Thor rattled off, no doubt dreaming of the day when he would have a real sword of his own.

“Very good,” said Odin, and briefly ran his hand over Thor's silky hair as Thor moved on to enthusiastically list all the various types of polearms shown on the facing page. Glancing up, he saw Frigga watching them with the same deep contentment in her eyes that he could feel in his heart. No doubt one day both their sons would be fine, strong warriors. But for now, he liked them exactly the way they were.

#loki #thor #odin #frigga #ficwoodelf #lokijiro #marvel fic #lessons learned and praise well earned #tumblr prompt fics

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bluecloudious · 3 years

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would u ever consider making a tutorial on how you make those cute litol crochet grunts? : o

Oh, hell yea, I figured out a very specific technique on making them!

The tutorial is under the cut!

(It's long and as thorough as I could make it.)

Materials you'll need:

Yarn (color of your choice, but more than one ball preferably JIC) (Try to use the most regular yarn you find at craft stores, that doesn't make you itch. Anything thicker or thinner usually makes the process a bit more complicated. Not impossible, it's just a bit of extra work)

Stuffing

Crochet needle (depending on the thiccness of your yarn)

Sewing needle (With a beeg hole so you can stick yarn through there comfortably) (Mine also has a dull end, which I honestly recommend as it keeps away from injury, yet still works like a charm.)

For added details you may use pipe cleaners, buttons or whatever else you see fit. Your plushie after all.

Keep in mind that I am not a professional. I don't even know what the different loops are actually officially called, especially not in English.

Here's a lil image of what I will call the different loops in this tutorial, though:

Also here's how to do a long (the green is yarn, that isn't already part of any loops):

A regular/single is this but skipping over steps 1 and 2.

A double is two singles in one premade loop.

A negative is two premade loops pulled together with one single.

Also, important side note, leave there a little ending of yarn every time you start or finish a section! It stops your entire plushie from falling apart and in certain parts can be later used to sow parts of it together, if left long enough! And don't worry about the little useless seeming danglies, you can just pull them into the plushie and noone'll know they're even there, yet your plushie stays perfectly in shape :))

Also, don't follow along before reading all of it first! I add crucial details after I first mention doing something! Read the whole thing first and then, if you want to, do according to the proper instructions!

Now, knowing the terms and conditions, on with the tutorial:

So, first things first, the Ball-Head.

It depends on how big ya wanna make the grunt, but for the ones I've already made...

You make the first loop and then you go back into it and create eight (8) regulars, forming a nice compact circle.

The next row continues from the first single of these eight loops. This row will be a double over single aka double, single, double, single, and so on.

Repeat this process about three or four times until your thing (head-ball) starts to curve a bit.

Now, you shall do three rows of regulars. (The middle row is allowed to be with longs, if you think that'll shape the head properly to what you need :>)

After these rows, you start doing rows of negative over regular aka same as double over regular, but with the opposite goal- decreasing the amount of loops rather than multiplying them.

Repeat this process until you have a hole that you can fit three or so fingers in. Stuff the head through the hole to your liking and squeeze the head to see how soft it is. (I usually make them soft enough to kinda squish but firm enough not to lose their form.)

After stuffing, finish the head by continuing the rows you were already doing.

You can do the cross now, if you so desire, but frankly I'm gonna show how to do it later, cause it's usually the last thing I do. Holding onto the body and then sewing the head is frankly easier than holding that ball and having your fingers dangerously close to the needle.

Onto the next body part!

The Torso!

When I originally wanted to make the grunt, I had a whole other plan of attack planned, but I accidentally came across a way easier method, so...

First thing you're gonna wanna do is a chain. How long this chain'll be is up to you, cause this is how long the body'll be + you gotta make two rows extra (will explain why in a bit).

After the chain is done, do not connect it with anything! Start doing back and forth rows of singles instead! Do as many as you think you'll grunt will be thick!

(Touch the last and first row you've done together every so often to see how thicc the lad is so far. You gotta account for stuffing a bit, but only in the mid-section really. The first and last row will be the most resistant to stretching.)

Once you think you're done, leave a long ending of wool past your last loop before cutting. You shall be using this to sew the body together.

Now you just stitch from the top to the bottom, leaving two round holes in said top and bottom, but don't cut the thread yet!

Now, sew the hole that you reached while stitching shut. Closer and more intricate stitches are recommended.

Once that's done, end + hide that end of the thread and start stuffing the body. (Add however much stuffing you want, as long as you think the plushie will look right afterwards.)

Now, grab your sewing needle and a cut thread of yarn, cause you're stitching this bad boy to the head now!

How'll you know you sewed it in the right place to make the plushie look right? Trial and error, I'm sorry to say. I make all of my plushies ever so slightly tilted cause I have barely any sense of centralization!

(Main tip I can give is that you can check the rows on the head to make sure you're centring it properly, as I know nothing else that can accurately tell you that.)

Now onto the next two body parts!

The Feeties!

Despite me drawing only one of them, you will probably be making two, so beware.

Ball-technique as used for head? NO, WRONG! We'll be using the same technique as we did for the body instead!

Start with a chain. Now, keep in mind, this'll be the length of the foot. Not width, lenght. All the way around.

The width will be how many rows you make this time + extra rows for both sides.

Leave yarn to sew with once you're done, but remember- This time you'll sew all the holes shut, so make sure you stuff the foot in between your sewing.

Once that's done, where exactly will you attach the legs?

Well, that entirely depends:

Do you want your grunt to sit?

Attach the legs to the corners that your sewing left.

(Make sure you don't leave them too dangly though. That could make them come off easier.)

Do you want them to stand?

Attach the legs to where you made your seam, a little bit a part from one another.

(You might wanna make sure you left the legs either flatter or just bigger, cause otherwise your grunt'll always need a backrest or some other type of support to stand up.)

Now, finally the last detail I'll be talking about...

The Cross!

This'll just be made by stitching, so get your needle ready again.

First, finding where the centre of the face'll be.

I mean... I already told you I suck at centring shit. If your feeties are in place, then they'll be your safest bet to tell where the face should be, probably. (If, for some reason, you don't have your feet in place, cause you wanted to place the feet according to the cross instead, then you're fresh outta luck from me, friend.)

I usually start from the bottom, as I can leave a little space from the body, and have the grunt's face be in proper place that way.

Now, sew in the way shown in this image:

(The dotted line shows the yarn that's inside the plush/not visible. It's not supposed to connect yet, hold on.)

Now, once you reach where you think the top of the cross is, come back down, but the opposite way, making a little ××××× formation.

Once your back in the bottom, you can grab your crochet needle again and pull that thread through all those exes!

Like this:

If it doesn't look proper, then do a loop around the last X and go back down. That oughta leave you with a proper line right across this grunt's face.

The crossing line do the same way, just on the opposite axis.

Now just hide the thread, and voila! By all means, the base of your grunt is now done!

Hope this was helpful or at least just interesting to read through :))

Edit: Also, forgot to mention that if you want to speed up the body-making process, then you can use longs :))

#madness combat #madness combat grunt #crochet #tutorial #info #if I left anything unclear or ya want extra info then I am happy to help :))

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milkweedman · 1 year

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Ok so ! Some experimentation is afoot (pun intended). I've blended several potential fibers with southdown babydoll roving in an attempt to find a good thread to hold alongside the toe of the next sock.

Context for the newcomers--i wear through the toes/ball of the foot of my socks ridiculously quickly, and have been trying on and off to design a sock blend that is kolya-proof for the last several years (mostly to no avail. I do a lot of sock mending 😔). @swords-n-spindles suggested i hold a thread alongside. I want it to add some support to the rest of the yarn, but it also needs to be stretchy enough that it will still conform to the shape of my foot. So, im currently trying to find a good blend to spin into a thin singles (perhaps even a felted singles, in honor of the yarn design spin along since i still havent done february's).

I'm using southdown babydoll because thats what the socks im currently knitting are made of, but i also think it might have been a good choice anyway, since sdb is extremely elastic and fairly durable.

Everything was blended using combs and pulled off without dizzing, bc my elbow already hurts.

So, from top to bottom: plain southdown babydoll roving. Then sdb + firestar (aka nylon). There's a little sample of it so you can see. Then sdb + kid mohair combing waste. I chose waste specifically bc the staple length of the mohair is about double the staple length of the sdb, which does not lead to good top. So the waste was the much shorter bits, which integrate a lot better.

Then we've got sdb + bactrian camel hair. I have a bit of partially dehaired bactrian camel down floating around in my room, and i used my combs to skim the hair off, to reasonable success. The bit on top is just the partially dehaired camel down as i got it, the bottom is partially dehaired camel down that's been de-downed, if you will, so that it's mostly hair. Now, these are much shorter and finer hairs than what youd find if you got a totally intact piece of bactrian camel fleece, but i sadly don't have any. If this sample works out i may need to acquire a piece of intact fleece and see how that goes (i'll need to cut the hair to a suitable staple length, but still). Lastly, we have sdb + karakul fleece. The staple lengths were identical and it blended really nicely.

I plan to spin each sample on my supported spindle, as fine as i can reasonably manage, and see what looks most promising.

My predictions:

FIRESTAR: i'm a little wary of this bc i couldnt blend it effectively. The firestar is very slippery and the sdb is not, so it's not well integrated. I think this sample will end up uneven, with sections of entirely firestar and sections of entirely sdb. I may need to make another sample where i cut the staple of the firestar in half and see if that helps at all, at least when doffing the comb.

MOHAIR: i think it will look and behave almost identically to the 100% sdb. The problem with mohair for these kinds of things is that it is extremely inelastic, so a mohair blend needs to be very sparing with the mohair if you want to retain any elasticity. I could probably have added a little more, though, so if it is identical i will make another sample with more mohair, and see how it is.

BACTRIAN CAMEL HAIR: really excited about this one. Camel hair is very very durable, and of course, quite inelastic. I added as much as i thought i could get away with. I think it will be a little wiry, but very strong.

KARAKUL: also excited about this one. Karakul is extremely durable as well, tyoically used for rugs and such. I added a fair amount to the sdb. I think it will be smoother than the camel hair, but hopefully just as strong. The one caveat is that the micron count is pretty high (30 is average, but i think this might be on the thicker end), which limits how fine i can spin a singles from it. So it may end up a little too thick for this application, but we'll see.

I'm going to spin these either tonight or tomorrow, and perhaps take a stab at felting them. I'll report back when they're spun and all :)

#kolya's ongoing saga of wearing through all its socks absurdly quickly #wool processing #sock knitting #wool combs #southdown babydoll #firestar #mohair #bactrian camel down #bactrian camel hair #karakul

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sparklytastemakerwitch · 3 years

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The ancient fabric that no one knows how to make

In late 18th-Century Europe, a new fashion led to an international scandal. In fact, an entire social class was accused of appearing in public naked.

The culprit was Dhaka muslin, a precious fabric imported from the city of the same name in what is now Bangladesh, then in Bengal. It was not like the muslin of today. Made via an elaborate, 16-step process with a rare cotton that only grew along the banks of the holy Meghna river, the cloth was considered one of the great treasures of the age. It had a truly global patronage, stretching back thousands of years – deemed worthy of clothing statues of goddesses in ancient Greece, countless emperors from distant lands, and generations of local Mughal royalty.

There were many different types, but the finest were honoured with evocative names conjured up by imperial poets, such as "baft-hawa", literally "woven air". These high-end muslins were said to be as light and soft as the wind. According to one traveller, they were so fluid you could pull a bolt – a length of 300ft, or 91m – through the centre of a ring. Another wrote that you could fit a piece of 60ft, or 18m, into a pocket snuff box.

Dhaka muslin was also more than a little transparent.

While traditionally, these premium fabrics were used to make saris and jamas – tunic-like garments worn by men – in the UK they transformed the style of the aristocracy, extinguishing the highly structured dresses of the Georgian era. Five-foot horizontal waistlines that could barely fit through doorways were out, and delicate, straight-up-and-down "chemise gowns" were in. Not only were these endowed with a racy gauzy quality, they were in the style of what was previously considered underwear.

In one popular satirical print by Isaac Cruikshank, a clique of women appear together in long, brightly coloured muslin dresses, through which you can clearly see their bottoms, nipples and pubic hair. Underneath reads the description, "Parisian Ladies in their Winter Dress for 1800".

Meanwhile in an equally misogynistic comedic excerpt from an English women's monthly magazine, a tailor helps a female client to achieve the latest fashion. "Madame, ’tis done in a moment," he assures her, then instructs her to remove her petticoat, then her pockets, then her corset and finally her sleeves… "‘Tis an easy matter, you see," he explains. "To be dressed in the fashion, you have only to undress."

Still, Dhaka muslin was a hit – with those who could afford it. It was the most expensive fabric of the era, with a retinue of dedicated fans that included the French queen Marie Antoinette, the French empress Joséphine Bonaparte and Jane Austen. But as quickly as this wonder-cloth struck Enlightenment Europe, it vanished.

By the early 20th Century, Dhaka muslin had disappeared from every corner of the globe, with the only surviving examples stashed safely in valuable private collections and museums. The convoluted technique for making it was forgotten, and the only type of cotton that could be used, Gossypium arboreum var. neglecta – locally known as Phuti karpas – abruptly went extinct. How did this happen? And could it be reversed?

A fickle fibre

Dhaka muslin began with plants grown along the banks of the Meghna river, one of three which form the immense Ganges Delta – the largest in the world. Every spring, their maple-like leaves pushed up through the grey, silty soil, and made their journey towards straggly adulthood. Once fully grown, they produced a single daffodil-yellow flower twice a year, which gave way to a snowy floret of cotton fibres.

These were no ordinary fibres. Unlike the long, slender strands produced by its Central American cousin Gossypium hirsutum, which makes up 90% of the world’s cotton today, Phuti karpas produced threads that are stumpy and easily frayed. This might sound like a flaw, but it depends what you’re planning to do with them.

Indeed, the short fibres of the vanished shrub were useless for making cheap cotton cloth using industrial machinery. They were fickle to work with, and they’d snap easily if you tried to twist them into yarn this way. Instead, the local people tamed the rogue threads with a series of ingenious techniques developed over millennia.

What is flannel fabric?

Essentially, flannel fabric simply refers to any cotton, wool, or synthetic fabric that fulfills a few basic criteria:

Softness: Fabric must be incredibly soft to be considered flannel.

Texture: Flannel has either a brushed or unbrushed texture, and both textures are equally iconic.

Material: While many materials can be used to make flannel, not all materials are suitable for this fabric. Silk, for instance, is too fine to be made into flannel, which is supposed to be both soft and insulative.

Flannel in history

It’s believed that the word“flannel” emerged in Wales, but we know for a fact that the term was in common usage in France in the form “flannelle” as early as the 17th century. While flannel was periodically popular among the French and other European peoples throughout the Enlightenment era, interest has waned elsewhere while Welsh flannel use has only increased.

Flannel today

These days, types of flannel are often known by their association with certain Welsh towns or regions. Llanidloes flannel is very different from Newtown flannel, for instance, and Welsh flannel varieties vary significantly from all other European flannel types.

Blanket

Sheet, usually of heavy woolen, or partly woolen, cloth, for use as a shawl, bed covering, or horse covering. The blanketmaking of primitive people is one of the finest remaining examples of early domestic artwork. The blankets of Mysore, India, were famous for their fine, soft texture. The loom of the Native American, though simple in construction, can produce blanket so closely woven as to be waterproof. The Navaho, Zu?i, Hopi, and other Southwestern Native Americans are noted for their distinctive, firmly woven blankets. The Navahos produced beautifully designed blankets characterized by geometrical designs woven with yarns colored with vegetable dyes. During the mid-19th cent. the Navahos began to use yarns imported from Europe, because of their brighter colors. The ceremonial Chilcat blanket of the Tlingit of the Northwest, generally woven with a warp of cedar bark and wool and a weft of goats' hair, was curved and fringed at the lower end. In the 20th cent., the electric blanket, with electric wiring between layers of fabric, gained wide popularity.

How to Properly Use a Bath Mat

Whether you’ve just remodeled your bathroom or you’re looking to spruce up your existing space for the season, accessories like a handsome bath mat, perfectly patterned shower curtains, or the plushest of bath towels will take the room from everyday necessity to serene spa destination. While just as important as the others, the lowly bath mat can get overlooked. But don’t make the mistake of opting for the first white terrycloth style you see. The right bath rug won’t just help you avoid the unpleasant shock of stepping onto bare tile after a shower. It will give your floor—and the whole room—an extra hit of much-needed personality. Here, we’ve gathered bath mats that are soft, absorbent, and beautifully designed. Think geometric prints, cheery stripes, even a cheeky banana-shaped option—plus many more.

First off, everyone had some great suggestions as to why we use bath mats at all. They soak up water, yes, but they also keep us from slipping and smashing our heads through the toilet, and act as a temperature buffer for our toesies between the hot shower and the ice cold floor. Gee, bath mats are pretty swell!

When it came to usage, the general consensus was that this is the wrong way to do it:

Finish shower

Step out onto mat

Grab towel

Then dry off

It leaves the bath mat soggy and wet for whoever showers after you. It also makes you much colder during the drying process.

Most people seemed to agree that this is the right way to do it, though:

Finish shower

Grab towel from inside the shower

Dry off inside the shower

Then step out onto the mat

But you all suggested a few excellent additions, like keeping your towel within arm’s reach of the shower so you don’t have to get cold to grab it, squeegeeing your hair and body to remove excess water before you dry with a towel, keeping the curtain or shower door closed while you dry off to stay warm, drying off from the top down (hair first), and hanging up the mat over the edge of the tub or shower when you’re done so it can dry without looking like a random wet towel on your floor.

What is the Difference Between Fleece and Flannel?

As you already know, the main difference between fleece and flannel is what they are made of. Fleece has synthetic fibers, and flannel features loose cotton threads. But because of their different fibers, these fabrics and finished products have several unique characteristics.

Take a look at this in-depth comparison of key features such as warmth, softness, and sustainability for each type of fabric.

Warmth

Most of the time, fleece has a thicker nap and also provides more warmth than flannel. Now, flannel is quite a cozy and warm fabric in its own right! But in comparison, fleece usually wins the warmth contest.

The exception to this rule is that some high-quality types of flannel contain wool fibers, and these types of flannel provide intense warmth!

What makes fleece so warm? Its many tiny, raised polyester fibers trap heat and hold them in the loose, velvety surface of its pile. If you have ever stuck your hand into your dog’s fur in the middle of winter, you know how all those tiny hairs hold immense warmth against your pet’s skin! Fleece fibers work the same way when you wear them against your skin.

Softness

Fleece is often softer than flannel, but if you have sensitive skin, you may find that its synthetic fibers also have a slightly plasticky feel. Of course, you will find exceptions to this rule, especially in flannel made with silk fibers. This will probably feel much softer than even the softest fleece!

Because both types of material go through a napping process, they both feature an incredibly soft texture on at least one side of the material. Fleece usually has a thicker, deeper pile, while flannel has a faint fuzziness on top of its woven surface.

If you rest your hand on top of the fleece, you feel as if your fingers can sink into the thick surface, at least a little. When you rest your hand on a piece of flannel, you typically feel a cozy fuzziness.

Blankets

Both fleece and flannel make excellent blankets and throws! You can find soft, pretty fleece and flannel blanket in pretty much any color or design you want.

That said, you should probably go with flannel for a baby blanket, as synthetic materials can sometimes cause allergic reactions.

If you plan to sew a blanket, though, you will want to use fleece. Flannel unravels super fast due to its loose weave, making it challenging to cut and sew. Fleece does not unravel when cut because it has a knitted construction with threads looped over each other.

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alixanonymous · 4 years

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How A Demon Commissions An Angel ~ A Daminette FanFic ~ Chapter 6: A Need For Clarification

From the phone of Damian Wayne:

Chat Name: Unknown Number

Unknown Number: Hi, Damian? This is Marinette…

Me: You’re late.

Unknown Number: I know, I’m so sorry! There was a bit of an emergency…

Me: Oh?

Unknown Number: Yeah, sorry! I know you said you’d only be free for about another hour right? Can we work fast maybe?

Me: I suppose it’s better late than never, but in the future, know that I don’t tolerate tardiness.

Unknown Number: Look, things in Paris are kind of crazy right now. I can’t promise I won’t have to change plans unexpectedly but since we only have an hour to get things done, could we leave that talk for another time? I’ll try to let you know beforehand if something comes up. Okay?

Me: Fine, one second. I need to change your contact name.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Okay, let me do yours too!

Me: Do I want to know what you put me in as?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I bet you could guess :)

Me: …

Me: It’s not Arthur’s little sister, right?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Well, it wasn’t! :P

Me: No.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Yes.

Me: Change it back!

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: You don’t even know what it was originally!

Me: Anything is better than that.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Fine…

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: But that means you can’t complain about what it is since you’re the one who told me to change it back.

Me: Fine, I don’t even want to know.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: But I do! What do you have me under?

Me: …

Me: Your initials.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Isn’t that a little too on the nose?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: (Not to mention totally uncreative)

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: But also, what if your brothers see?

Me: Well, not those initials…

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: ???

Me: Weren’t you the one who talked about how we only had an hour to do this?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Right! Sorry! Are you ready for some fast questions?

Me: Yes.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Okay!

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I’m going to start with Grayson’s sweater.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: What in your opinion constitutes a “tacky Christmas sweater”?

Me: Aren’t you the fashion designer? Shouldn’t you know this?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Well, I can’t say “tacky” is a style I’ve had much experience in sooo…

Me: Right…

Me: Well I guess I’d imagine it’d have to have a lot of bright colors.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: But you said Grayson likes navy blue, right?

Me: Right.

Me: Well before he liked navy blue, he used to wear a lot of neon red, yellow, and green.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: …

Me: You know, as a child.

Me: Plus they’re sort of Christmas colors in a way, right?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I see…

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: So when you said bright, you meant traffic-stoppingly bright?

Me: I suppose.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I see…

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: While I can’t say I would have ever thought to put those colors together before, if he wore them as a child I guess they would have kind of a sentimental value, like a nostalgic factor.

Me: In a way, it’s like an inside joke too, I suppose.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: How so? Me: Well, you see…

Me: After I moved in with my father, I needed clothes so I wore some of his.

Me: Well, they were clothes in his image.

Me: Of course, they weren’t hand-me-downs.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Huh. Whenever I pictured you, I can’t say it was in traffic light colors

Me: You picture me?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Hahaha, no! Silly, it was only a figure of speech.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Right! Well, we only have an hour so we better get back on track! I think the colors are a very good personal detail!

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: So beside those, what else makes it a tacky xmas sweater?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Do you want a holiday design? Like Santa or a reindeer?

Me: Perhaps?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Or are there any other images you’d think he’d appreciate more?

Me: Well…

Me: Maybe a bird?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: A bird? Like a penguin?

Me: No! Definitely not!

Me: A robin

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: A robin? Why?

Me: As a child he also really liked the superhero Robin.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Oh! Batman’s sidekick, right?

Me: He’s Batman’s partner!

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Right. Is that also where the traffic light colors come from? Me: I suppose you could say that, yes

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Well, doesn’t he have a logo or something? Would that be what you want on the sweater?

Me: No, he’s an adult now, even if he doesn’t act like it.

Me: I think if the design’s the actual bird it would seem more subtle.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: And thoughtful too! Less generic.

Me: I suppose so.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Cool, I’m starting to picture it. So do you actually want any Christmas aspects? Like do you want me to put a santa hat on the robin or maybe some wording on it like Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Me: No, no santa hat and not “Merry Christmas” either.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Okay. Any text?

Me: Could you put “The First” on it?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I could… Why?

Me: Well, he is the oldest. So he was the first.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Right, no that makes sense.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: But I wonder…

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Hey Damian, is your brother as… formal as you?

Me: No.

Me: Definitely not. He has no manners.

Me: Why?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Well, a lot of young people use the term OG now. Maybe he would like that more.

Me: …

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: It means like the original.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: You know, I think it actually stands for original gangster…

Me: I see.

Me: You know what, that’s actually very fitting.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Really?

Me: Yes. It seems like I should be grateful for not only your fashion expertise but also your knowledge of popular culture.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Thank you?

Me: Very well, is that all for Grayson?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Uh, just a few more things. So no Christmas details then?

Me: Nothing more than similarities in the colors and style.

Me: What I’m picturing, at first glance, one might think it looks like a tacky Christmas sweater but if they were to look closely, there wouldn’t be actual references to the holiday.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Got it!

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: So no hoods or pockets for this one?

Me: No. I think they’d be unnecessary.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Okay. Now, the main detail left is the thickness.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I’m going to have to knit this by hand so would you prefer I use a thin or thicker, fluffier yarn?

Me: I guess it would depend.

Me: Would a thicker material be scratchy?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: No, Damian. Nothing I make is scratchy.

Me: I see.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: The only differences would be a thicker yarn would make for a thicker and fluffier sweater and it would also be a bit warmer too.

Me: Oh well Gotham is pretty cold most of the time.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Gotham?

Me: It’s where my family lives. Well, Grayson also spends a lot of time in Blüdhaven.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Oh, I see why you guys like Robin now! He and Batman are based in Gotham right?

Me: Yes.

Me: Paris doesn’t have any superheroes right?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Oh no, we do.

Me: I’m sorry, excuse me? I’ve never heard of any!

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Ladybug and Cat Noir are the main ones.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: And our mayor tries his best to keep it out of international news to keep tourism going.

Me: So you’re telling me that those outlandish stories on the Ladyblog are true?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Most of them, yes.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Wait, you read the Ladyblog?

Me: I came across it while I was doing research on you.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I see…

Me: Is this a joke? If there’s supervillains in Paris, why hasn’t the Justice League gotten involved?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I don’t know?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I’m not really the person to be asking about this stuff.

Me: Right, sorry. It’s just hard to believe.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Yeah, I get it.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: That’s actually why I was late today. There was an akuma attack earlier.

Me: What?!

Me: Are you okay?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Oh I’m fine, Ladybug’s powers reverse all the damage.

Me: …

Me: I think this is going to take some time to sink in.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Right, well should we get back to the commission?

Me: Yes. Let’s.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Okay, so you’d prefer the thicker material then?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: It will cost more by the way.

Me: Yes, and money is never an issue.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Okay, then I think I have enough to get started on the sketch! I know we have two more brothers to go through but it’s getting late here and I still have some things to get done tonight…

Me: Of course.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Would you be free to talk some more same time tomorrow?

Me: I believe so.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: I’ll try my best to not be late this time. :)

Me: I understand now that it may be out of your control.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: Unfortunately, but hey what can you do?

Me: Right.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: If you have any time before we talk again, I’ve been thinking it might help if there’s any reference pictures you could show me.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: You know if you see anything online or in a store or even if there’s any pieces your brothers’ already own that you’d want me to take some inspiration from, could you maybe send me some pictures so I can have a better idea of what you’re looking for?

Me: I see. I’ll do my best.

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: That’s all I can ask! Goodnight, Damian! Talk to you tomorrow!

Me: Goodnight, Marinette.

Google Search History

What does P.S. stand for?

MDC

MDC Fashion Designer

The Ladyblog

Albert Einstein Human Stupidity Quote

What does fyi mean?

Aesthetic

What’s an aesthetic?

Aesthetic Urban Dictionary

How To Delete Search History

OG Urban Dictionary

Parisian Superheroes

Ladybug and Cat Noir

Ladyblog

What’s an akuma?

How To Get Paris News Updates

Chat Name: Father

Me: Father, were you aware that there are superheroes in Paris? Why hasn’t the Justice League done anything?!

Father: I’m sure the Justice League is monitoring the situation. There’s no cause for concern, son.

Me: Right. Of course, Father.

From the phone of Jason Todd:

Chat Name: The Boys (Minus The Demon)

replacement: ummm… sooo…

replacement: just walked into my room and guess what I see?

big bird: A mess?

replacement: no! the demon’s standing in front of my closet taking pictures of my clothes!

big bird: ?

Me: uh wat

big bird: How the hell was I supposed to guess that?

replacement: so then I ask him what he’s doing…

Me: anddddd

replacement: and he doesn’t even look at me but just says research…

replacement: ???

big bird: (shrugging emoji)

big bird: Maybe this is a good thing? I mean what if he is doing research for Christmas and actually paying attention to what we like?

replacement: okay???

Me: i dont know he has been acting weirder lately

Me: like when i came home he was glaring at his phone and kept checking it for like five min without noticing i was there

big bird: Oh!

big bird: I passed him in the hall earlier and get this: he was smiling at his phone as he typed!

Me: what1!!

replacement: why didn’t you warn us?!

big bird: Because guys? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t like a threatening smile. I think it was an actual like happy smile.

Me: yeah right! demon spawn doesnt know how to do that

replacement: do you know who he was texting?

Me: ?

big bird: No! And I didn’t want to ask…

replacement: well we need to figure it out.

Me: agreed

big bird: Unfortunately, because she helped him with the encryption, Babs can’t hack into his phone.

Me: well then well ned to steal it

Me: he has patrol with you guys tonight right

replacement: yes…

Me: ill get it from babs after you leave

replacement: good plan but we don’t know his password…

big bird: Oh, it’s I’m Batman!

Me: duh its im batman

replacement: ???

replacement: How do you know that?!

Me: like your password hasnt been it at one point

replacement: …

big bird: We’ve all been there!

Me: its practically a right of passage

replacement: *rite

Me: shut it replacement

Chat Name: carrot top

carrot top: do I even want to know why you stole the demon brat’s phone?

Me: uhhh no?

carrot top: great

carrot top: just make sure you return it before he gets back

carrot top: I have no wish to get stabbed with a katana tonight

Me: great thx babs!

carrot top: oh and by the way, its programmed to delete all unsaved data after five hours

Me: what!!!

Me: is there anyway you could retrieve his texts?

carrot top: of course I could!

carrot top: but Im not gonna

Me: why not???

carrot top: one word:

carrot top: katana

Me: fineee

From the phone of Damian Wayne:

Me: who is this?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Damian, it’s five in the morning.

Me: who are you and why are you texting this number?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Uh, it’s Marinette.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: remember me?

Me: hello, marinette.

Me: why are you in damians phone as t.g.y.t.t.b.?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: uh, I have no idea. it’s too early for this.

Me: so, tell me…

Me: what business do you have texting my brother?

T.G.Y.T.T.B.: ???

T.G.Y.T.T.B: oh, you’re Damian’s brother then?

Me: Yes, i’m Jason.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: You mean Grayson?

Me: i think i know my own name

Me: but to answer your question grayson is our other brother

Me: demon spawn likes to call by our last names

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Oh I thought it was just more…

T.G.Y.T.T.B: nevermind

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Wait, Demon spawn?

Me: damian

T.G.Y.T.T.B: thats…

T.G.Y.T.T.B: ironic.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: and kinda mean

Me: trust me he loves it

T.G.Y.T.T.B: So which one are you, Todd or Drake?

Me: todd

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Wait, why do you guys have different last names?

Me: uh cause all of us were adopted except for damian

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Oh

Me: but back to my question

Me: why are you texting my brother?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Uh well I’m not…

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I wasn’t…

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I was trying to sleep…

T.G.Y.T.T.B: And then I was texting you sooo

Me: Right but you were texting him earlier right?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: What does it matter to you?

Me: What business do you have texting my brother?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: None of yours

Me: …

Me: Im his brother!

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Exactly, his brother.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Not his parent

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Not his warden

T.G.Y.T.T.B: So if you really want to know why I’m texting Damian, maybe you should ask him instead of stealing his phone and bothering innocent girls at five in the morning.

Me: well to be fair its only 11 over here

Me: how was I supposed to know?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: By talking to your brother instead of stealing his phone?

Me: how did you even know I stole it?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: …

T.G.Y.T.T.B: really?

Me: hey now

Me: im only doing this because im concerned

Me: the kids been acting weird lately

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Gee, I wonder why.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Do you think it maybe has something to do with the fact that you’re all threatening to send him away?

Me: he told you about that?!

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Yes.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: So if that’s all, how about the next time you feel like sticking your head where it doesn’t belong, try talking to your brother first.

Me: wait

Me: can’t you give me anything to work with here?

Me: why did he tell you that he might be sent away? he barely mentions it

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Why does he even have to tell me in the first place? What kind of brother lets his sibling be shipped away?

Me: look

Me: you only know what damians told you

Me: there’s another side to the story.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I’m sure there is.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: But Damian is my friend not you, so I don’t particularly care to hear what you have to say.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: To me, you’re just the person who wants to send my friend away even though you say he’s your brother.

Me: So you’re demon spawn’s friend?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: No, I’m Damian’s friend.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Good night, Jason.

Me: wait

Me: i don’t really want him to be sent away or anything

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Have you done anything to help him stay?

Me: i’m trying to right now.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: How is any of this helping him?

Me: my brothers and I are trying to figure out what’s he getting us for xmas so we can make sure its good enough to satisfy dad

T.G.Y.T.T.B: How about instead of that you have some faith in him and try to convince your father to stop threatening to send him away?

Me: our old man isnt really the type to change his mind

Me: again i dont want him to leave or anything but he does need to get better

Me: i mean hell he broke a kids hand! that stuffs gotta stop

T.G.Y.T.T.B: …

T.G.Y.T.T.B: WHAT?!

Me: i see he didn’t tell you that

Me: look hes my brother

Me: i dont want him gone but things cant keep going on like this

Me: i know your his friend but he has to change and our dad is just trying to do what he thinks is best for him

T.G.Y.T.T.B: That’s enough!

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I told you I didn’t want to hear from you.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Damian’s my friend. He gets to decide what he tells me and when and it was very wrong of you to breach his trust like this. T.G.Y.T.T.B: Whatever Damian has done, it doesn’t mean you have the right to call him a demon and steal his phone. I want you to return it now.

Me: …

Me: your right

Me: im sorry.

Me: i guess we’re all just trying to do what’s best for him

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Maybe you should stop assuming you know what that is.

Me: i cant promise anything

Me: but im glad damian has you as friend

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Well…

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I’m glad that he has a brother who wants him to stay.

Me: he has three

T.G.Y.T.T.B: That’s even better.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Surely the three of you would be enough to change your father’s mind?

Me: its not as simply as that

Me: but i can promise you our dad wants whats best for damian too

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I’ll hold you to that promise.

Me: Im sure you will, spitfire.

T.G.Y.T.T.B: ?

Me: thats your nickname

T.G.Y.T.T.B: I see

T.G.Y.T.T.B: :)

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Maybe one day I’ll tell the very first nickname I gave your brother.

Me: anyway that day could be today?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Considering it’s now only eight o clock and you woke me up at five in the morning, no. I’m afraid not.

Me: wait

Me: it hasn’t already been three hours has it?

T.G.Y.T.T.B: It wouldn’t have been if you responded faster…

Me: uh oh

Me: crap crap crap

T.G.Y.T.T.B: What’s wrong?

Me: demon gonna kill me

Me: night sunshine

T.G.Y.T.T.B: Bye?

From the phone of Alfred Pennyworth:

Chat Name: Master Bruce

Master Bruce: Alfred, please hide as many of Damian’s weapons as you can.

Me: On it, Master Bruce. May I ask what happened?

Master Bruce: Jason stole Damian’s phone and used it to text one of Damian’s friends.

Me: Oh, I see.

Master Bruce: Hey, has Damian mentioned anything to you about a girl?

Me: A girl? No, not that I can recall, Master Bruce.

Me: Is that who Master Jason was texting?

Master Bruce: Yes, but I wasn’t aware Damian made any new friends.

Me: Neither was I. Perhaps he is progressing?

Master Bruce: I suppose we’ll see.

Me: Indeed.

I literally posted this just so I could say that chapter nine is on AO3!!!

Master List

#MariBat #Daminette #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Damian Wayne #FanFic

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