#bits and baubles

[tearsoftime0086]

Small Heartsteel Settphel fic inspired by some fun idea bouncing with friends :) Sett's mother is really harping on him to go out and find love - what she and Aphelios don't know is that he already has someone in mind...

~

“You’re almost 30, Settrigh! It’s time to start thinking about settling down. Having a family.”

Aphelios peeks through the half-open door to Sett’s room. He’s resting lazily in bed, phone in one hand and twirling earbud wires in the other. The two of them match eyes.

“Your mother?” Aphelios signs. Sett grins and nods.

“Ma, you make it sound like I’m two steps away from my deathbed.”

“You never know! It’s best to be prepared about these things.” comes her chirping voice over speakerphone.

Sett shakes his head and laughs. It’s a deep belly laugh, one that tells all three of them he’s not taking her seriously. “I’ll keep it in mind, Ma.”

“I just don’t want to see you lonely, Settrigh. Who will you have when I pass on?”

It’s at this point Aphelios realizes he should come back later, but Sett holds out a hand to stop him. “One sec,” he mouths, before turning back to the phone. “Now don’t talk about that, Ma. You’re gonna outlive all of us.”

“Tch – you shouldn’t say things like that to your mother. It’s improper for a parent to bury their child.”

“You’re taking this way too seriously,” he responds, “But I’ll keep it in mind, Ma.”

“You should. And don’t eat too much of that protein mix! It’s bad for your skin.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sett murmurs, “Hey Ma, I’ll call you later – something just came up. Love you.” He stares at the phone fondly before looking back up at Aphelios. “Sorry, did you need me for something?”

The remnants of Sett’s fondness remain on his face – the soft curve of his smile, the crinkle around his eyes. Aphelios freezes, before realizing Sett’s now talking to him. Haphazardly taking out his pad, he writes, “Wanted your thoughts on some instrument tracks, that’s all.”

 “Sure, I can take a listen,” he says, standing up and moving over to his desk. Aphelios shuffles over as well, trying to grab his laptop out of his bag on the way.

Cursing his luck, Aphelios realizes he exited the song file and needs to load it again. “Sorry,” he signs rapidly, before writing out the rest of his apology. “Didn’t mean to waste your time.”

“You’re not wasting my time,” Sett responds. A small pause, before scoffing. “Has Ezreal been on your case for that?”

A hesitant nod, but one, nonetheless.

“Don’t worry about it. It's nothing personal – he’s just used to the idol circuit. Everything’s so streamlined there.”

“I also cut the call with your mother short,” Aphelios scribbles.

“Ah that?” Sett laughs, patting him all too firmly on the back. “You did me a favor. If I'd talked with her any longer she would’ve gone into the ‘You’re going die single and alone’ part.”

The file’s fully loaded at this point, and Aphelios debates whether or not to go straight into business. But no, he has to satisfy his own curiosity.

“Are you interested in anyone?” he writes, the plainness of the text hiding his sheer anxiety in jotting down each word.

Sett hums. “Maybe. Maybe not. Why do you ask?”

He feels his cheeks go red. Aphelios ducks, trying to hide it under his bangs. “For band reasons. The media wouldn’t like it if they found out you were dating a fan.”

“Well, I never said it was a fan,” Sett says. “But hey, looks like the song’s done.” He shakes the pair of earphones in front of him. “Let’s take a listen through these first. You know, average listener and all that.”

As Sett passes him an earbud, Aphelios lets himself imagine that he’s the subject of Sett’s feelings. Just thinking about it causes his heart to race. He takes the earbud, almost sure his face is flaring red right now. He has to snap out of it – stay professional, for god’s sake. Sett’s one of the biggest stars in the world, and he’s just the lucky instrumentalist in his concept band. They operated on different scales.

 Sett coughs lightly. When Aphelios flips over to him, there’s a humorous glint in his eyes as he gestures to the play button.

For a moment, it makes his pining wish seem like a reality.

#bits and baubles #league of legends #settphel #sett #aphelios #I don't know the exact lore on this skinline so I took a couple liberties ^^ #heartsteel

[agooberscanons]

“Yes, this is-? How do you all say nowadays? When I got back on track. Properly so.”

“..........”

“I WAS SO FUCKIN’ BACK, YEEEEEESSSSSS!!”

(Yes, that IS K.Rool’s original VA from the cartoon. Alex works some damn miracles, honestly. Please go give this a watch and enjoy it!)

#bits and baubles #krool #not safe for garek

[singer-smiles-101]

Aight y’all so here’s the deal. Saw a lot of people in the fandom were drawing the lovely @tulipsempai’s Iris, went, “ooh that looks fun I wanna try,” and got so into designing the outfit that I had to develop a whole concept behind it. The concept? Underwater themed masquerade. (because imposter = disguises = masquerade)

#zari artz #iris the imposter #oh boy y’all here comes an over analogyyyy #ok SO. this outfit. is probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever drawn but ANYWAYS #yknow what if. what if just for one night Iris added a bit of color? #and if there’s gonna be color why not do it with some glowing baubles that resemble coral and/or bubbles? #while we’re at it let’s add a wide brimmed hat (for obvious reasons) and a big ol’ feather for that musketeer vibe #she’s holding a paintbrush #the dress kinda looks like a spider web (a web of deception if you will) #she’s painted waves in one arm. seaweed on the other. octopus tentacles around her neck like a necklace and bubbles on her face #truly went all out for the underwater thing #y’all when I tell you I had insane amount of joy from making this- #masquerade style outfits make me so happyyyyyy #there’s typos in the tags but they’ll lose the sincerity if I retype them so for all you human Grammarlies like me I’m sorry ;0;

[sunswathe]

hi hello i am not a stranger things blog BUT i've had this idea kickin' around in my nog for like. months? and today the first part just beamed itself into my brain and i spat out 1000 words for it. i know i'm not the first to write this concept, but here's my take on the "steve sees dead people" au!

i want to write more for this, but i have a terrible track record for finishing fics (i have like. 13 drafts?? for stranger things fics??) so this is tentatively part 1 of an undetermined amount. it is supposed to be steddie, eventually. if i make more, i'll post it to ao3!

anyway, enjoy! <3

------

December 1984

“What the hell are we looking for out here, exactly?”

It’s fucking cold out, and Steve’s fingers are starting to ache where they’re wrapped around the handle of his bat. 

“I don’t know any better than you do, Steve.”

Steve scowls and roughly swings at a low hanging branch. It’s thin and bare and twiggy, and it catches on the pristine nails he drove through the barrel. He uses that hold to bend the branch forward and out of his way. His bat sticks when he walks past and he growls as he yanks it free.

The winter-brittle wood snaps with a loud and distinct crack, and Steve locks up.

When nothing jumps out of the shadows at him, Steve shakes the fresh tension from his limbs and continues his trek. The thin scattering of snow that managed to blanket the dead foliage despite the tight clusters of trees isn’t offering Steve any sort of direction.

No sign of anything. Not of squirrels or deer or fucking wolves or whatever the hell else lives in the woods surrounding Hawkins. Steve doesn’t know and he doesn’t really care.

All that matters is that there’s nothing to show for the thing he’s trying to find.

“The fuck do you mean ‘don’t know any better’ than me?! You,” Steve bites out, jabbing an irritated finger at his unhelpful shadow, “are the only one who’s actually seen it!”

Barb rolls her eyes as she sidesteps Steve’s accusatory point and wanders past. Half of her body has to phase into the thick trunk of a nearby tree for her to successfully maneuver around him, and that just peeves him further.

Steve’s out here getting whipped by and stuck on branches, and she doesn’t even have to worry about the trunks.

The petty jealousy fizzles and dies just as quickly as it came, though. It’s easy for him to forget how serious death really is. How permanent it’s supposed to be, for everyone except him.

Steve sighs and tromps after her.

It’s mid-December, which means the forest is quiet. To an extremely unnerving degree. There aren’t any insects or frogs or midnight birds to fill the hush, only the clack of branches rustling in the light wind.

“You don’t even have, like,” Steve steps over a fallen tree, slick with ice, “the teeniest, tiniest idea of what the— what the thing looks like? No more details?”

Barb scoffs. It’s odd, because she doesn’t make a sound, even as Steve hears her. Her voice doesn’t penetrate the stillness of the night, but Steve knows what she says, what she sounds like, her cadence and tone clear as if spoken aloud.

He doesn’t like thinking too much about the mechanics of it all. It gives him headaches.

“Nope,” Barb snips. “I’ll make sure next time I’m ripped to shreds I get a better look at the thing doing it, yeah?”

Steve watches her from behind, and sees her form flicker. He catches glimpses of bloody, shredded clothing over deep gouges in her back. His stomach turns. He looks at the ground under her feet. There’s no shadow to be cast under the faint moonlight, and the snow is undisturbed.

“Right,” he sighs.

“Maybe I’ll stop and take some notes. I could ask it a few questions before it kills me. Whatever makes this easier for you, Steve.”

“Yeah, okay, I get it!”

What they know about the whole situation isn’t a lot. But it’s more than the police, or Barb’s parents, or anyone else on this goddamn planet.

“So are we looking for like,” Steve ponders for a moment, “a den? Or something?”

They know that Barb isn’t just missing.

“A den?” Barb drawls, brow raised.

They know that whatever took Barb was big, at least. Grey, probably, but it was dark so maybe not. Toothy, with long, claw-tipped fingers. Barb wasn’t able to get the best look at it, before she was dragged away, so most of what she’s able to describe is how the different parts of it felt tearing her open.

“Don’t— come on, cut me some slack, here! I’m not a fucking… professional hunter or whatever. I don’t know what I’m doing!”

They know that Barbara Holland is dead.

“Clearly.”

Which is arguably, the most important piece of information that Steve has.

“Do you think we’ll find like… blood? Dead things?” Steve hates to even think it, let alone say it, but he’s not known for his tact, so. “...you?”

The most important piece of information and Steve can’t even share it, not without either going to prison or a fucking psych ward, neither of which Steve is particularly keen on doing.

Barb doesn’t dignify his question with any kind of response. Not even a twitch.

Steve’s hands aren’t getting any warmer. He looks up, through the branches and to the sliver of moon visible despite the clouds. Changes tracks and barrels forward. “Do we have a plan past ‘find the thing’? Or is that as far as this whole hunt goes, right now?”

Barb stops and offers him a flat look. “We?”

Steve scans the shadows when he stops, too. “Uh, yeah,”  he says, face scrunched in his best duh expression when he finally makes eye contact with her again. “We’re trying to find the thing that killed you, so I’d say it’s a team effort, here.”

He doesn’t appreciate the deeply judgemental look she levels at him. “Steve. I’m dead.” 

Barb’s form flickers again, almost as if she’s proving her point, but Steve knows it’s involuntary. Steve cringes when he sees her battered face. One of her eyes is hidden (or missing— probably missing) in a mangled mess of dark red that Steve can’t stare at or think about for too long before feeling ill. Her jaw and throat are ringed with deep bruises and scraped raw.

She’s back to normal in an instant, looking exactly as she had a month ago. Her glasses intact, clothes and skin pristine and undamaged, not a hair out of place from where it’s pinned.

Steve clears his throat. “Yeah, and I’m an idiot.” Steve lightly swings the bat at his side. “There is not a chance I can figure anything out alone. You know that. You told me that.”

“Yeah, because it’s true.”

“So yes, ‘we.’ This has to be a team effort. You make a plan. You tell me the plan. We find the thing. I hit it with this fucking bat.” Steve swings said bat more forcefully, aiming it at Barb. It swings straight through her. She doesn’t flinch. “Boom. Handled. Done.”

Barb looks physically pained. Or like she sucked on a lemon. “I cannot believe my only hope of getting closure is Steve Harrington,” she says to herself, for what feels like the thousandth time.

Steve flexes his fingers, hoping to bring some feeling back. Tonight is obviously going to be the first of many nights he ventures into the woods behind his house, so he’ll need to pick up some gloves. The ones he has are too bulky, and make using his bat unwieldy.

But cold does the same, so he’ll need to figure something out.

Steve sighs.

“Yeah. I’m your only hope, so it’s shit if I die of hypothermia on our first search.”

Barb doesn’t fight him on it, when he turns around and follows his tracks the hour it takes back to his backyard, even though she looks agitated.

They don’t talk the rest of the night.

The image of Barb, mauled and bloody, sitting on the diving board of his empty pool with her spine hunched and head hanging, glues itself behind Steve’s eyelids.

Steve shuts the sliding glass door behind him.

I cannot believe my only hope of getting closure is Steve Harrington.

“Yeah,” he breathes. “Me either.”

-------

YEAH so it's not an exact au. like. i fucked with the timeline and it's not just canon divergent its like. a monster hunter AND no upside down au? its COMPLICATED

just important that i say that because i made it december 1984 On Purpose. it takes place steve's senior year instead of his junior year.

hope you liked it! lemme know your thoughts if you did!! <333

#not super confident in my characterization of barb OR steve but yknow how it is #also not sold on the way i ended it but its whatever. its FINE. im proud of it regardless #stranger things #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfiction #steve harrington #barbara holland #steve sees dead people au #i feel a little bit like a liar but uhhhhhh #steddie #steddie fic #baubles writes things #<- new tag. i have never posted my writing on tumblr #i will not be tagging people for following parts because that sounds intimidating. sorry?

[depoteka]

nothing quite like the smallest things filling you with Rage on a saturday evening

#the tiniest bit of my tooth chiped off! the part that i had fixed 2 months ago! what the fuck!! #nothing serious. it's still fully ok but it made me worried something is gonna happen to this tooth again #i don't even use that side of my mouth for biting anymore!! #do i grind my teeth so hard for no reason #the other thing absolutely pissing me off is that my computer has been extra slow for the last 3 days for no apparent reason #like the browser just freezes at random moments. everything barely opens on the computer #why... #i dont want to deal with any of that rn uuuughhh #i think i will finish crocheting a christmas bauble. fold my laundry. take a shower and go to bed because uuuughhh

[rogarte]

Here's a picture of my fossil, I'm very fond of it

#paleontology #ammonite #my favorite thing i own #my collection of bits and baubles grows

[photozoi]

Plant shelf pics

#plant shelves #onion rooster #piggins #spider plant #succulent #3-2023 #glass bits #photozoi #baubles #orig pics

[yourlocalbanana1]

Four looks fat.... Ummm, that's probably ok

#legend of zelda #loz #link #linked universe #I refuse to believe that Wild and Hyrule know what baubles are #bit cartoony #Four looks a bit ill #Wind's foot is doing its own thing #I want Xmas so bad #I know it's not even Halloween yet but I don't care

[thedragonagelesbian]

also love that luc receives one (1) whole rose from alistair and immediately incorporates it into his aesthetic motifs for the rest of his life. he has zevran give him a tattoo of it he has like 5 different dangly earrings with roses he starts incorporating floral swatches into his robes its SO normie of him

#luc posting #btw i think the circle apprentices diy clothes modification game is out of this fucking world #you're a bored 14 year old and you want to ~*~express yourself~*~ but you're stuck wearing these bland uniform robes #we're talking patches we're talking safety pins we're talking recycling and reusing fabric #working with whatever scraps and bits and baubles you can get your hands on rips tears distressing #templars crack down on dress code from time to time but for the most part irving is quite permissive #magic stones fade-touched swatches metal from old staves completely aesthetic rings and buckles #luc starts a fingerless glove trend among the apprentices #which lasts until he gets his hands on a pair that leave just the middle finger exposed #'what no gregoir im definitely NOT flipping you off its an ORLESIAN design i read about it in the library'

[stylishgods]

fun fact. because i am cringe and free he also has a sister. who ends up dating expunged. old woman yuri

#i gadda redesign marie a bit though i think. ive been meaning to for a little while #in the bauble lore oc universe thing. things work a BIT differently??? its a lot closer to gapple edition. b #because it. builds off gapple. yeah

[tearsoftime0086]

While it's on my mind, I think the reason why Millennium Actress is my favorite Kon movie is because the film itself is a love letter to fanship.

Take Perfect Blue, where fanship is depicted as either a distorting, malignant obsession, or merely the starting state before society's eventual cruel indifference. Memania is deadly, and Mimarin's fans almost equally so; at least in the callous way they speak of her "death" as an idol. Paprika briefly touches on fanship, representing the titular character as the "woman of your dreams", but the subject takes a backseat.

However, when Kyoji and especially Genya are immersed into the world of Chiyoko Fujiwara's works in Millennium Actress, fanship is met with perhaps one of the best outcomes possible - complete appreciation and reciprocation. One of my favorite cuts is where Chiyoko and Genya are visually snapped back to reality, but the two of them are still passionately renacting a scene. Genya's elation (and his tears), is contagious to the viewer; such is the power of loving a piece of media. Genya and Chiyoko go on a thrilling adventure through the world of cinema, and it's through the sheer joy and passion of this journey that Chiyoko and the audience understand that yes; what you "really love is the chase".

To watch, to adore, to feel - that is fanship. And that is what I really love about Millennium Actress.

#satoshi kon #millennium actress #after all #what i really love is the chase #random musings #bits and baubles

[agooberscanons]

"Pheeeeew, talk about your candid photos! Catching me in the gym, even? Scandalous~."

#submission #etriansquad yssey #daisy #naughty #shenanigans #bits and baubles

[trashbaget]

“you’re a good friend,” my brother says once, in goodbye.

i tell him again, “i love you,” and i can hear the static in my voice. he doesn’t hear me at all—probably expects i’ve already hung up the phone—he’s singing so loudly. “enjoy your movie,” i say a bit louder. he shouts, “okay,” and i press the red button.

over a hundred miles away, in a hollow apartment, the quiet of loneliness is rustled by a mouseclick when i close a results page.

#not sure what to say of this except i love my little brother to fucking death #he is so sweet and lovely and he just melts my heart #one of my best fucking friends truly #he called for a quick emotional support pep talk because my family’s kittens are going to their forever home #he quickly spiraled mentioned he couldn’t remember the title of a movie and rambled out bits and baubles #i blinked and was opening google before i’d properly realized i had no idea what movie he was talking about and would Need to google #i am on the other side of the state spelling g as in grandma n as in nerd #i want to sob because i am. all the way over here and he is. all the way over there. and i can still be there for him???? #i am loved?????? #i have love to give????? #i am my little brother’s emotional support buddy and he is one of the most important people to me and i’m just really Feelingsed about it rn #i’ve just been in a really fuckin tough place recently and this seven minute phone call filled me with so much hope and happy #shut up im holding the trashtalking breadstick

[onefriendeveryday]

Bauble - 29/12/2022

The two hundred and thirty fifth friend. A little bauble, hanging on a tree. He likes Christmas and gets excited. He spends most of the year in a box in the attic. He has company from the other decorations so he isn't lonely, but it's still dark. The box keeps them all warm for most of the year, but it gets cold in the winter. The attic is draughty and a cardboard box can only do so much in minus temperatures. It's also very cramped in the box. All the ornaments are just piled on top of each other with little space. He enjoys the freedom that being out of the box beings. There is also the warmth of the house and the lights on the tree. However, his favourite thing is the joy of the people who live there. He loves the care with which they hang him up and the love they have for each other. It's a love he never managed to find with his fellow ornaments and it makes him happy to see it for others.

#art #bauble #Christmas #decoration #Christmas decoration #I'm quite happy with this one #the background was interesting to do #I had to come up with a way to make it look like a tree #that was fun #I also liked the shading on the orb itself #that was nice #I'm not very happy with the top bit or the reflections of the lights though #I couldn't get them to look right so I has to leave them as that #they look decent though #they are good enough for me

[miss-what-a-d0ll]

🪞💋✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚

#some bits and baubles from my weekend #makeup #perfume #too faced #anastasia beverly hills #girly #pink #pink aesthetic #pink dollette #dollette #princess #not the best lighting but whatever

[haonqq]

I think i found.... The desk im gonna get.....

#qqlife #has some nice shelving space for some decorative clutter #also for my bits n baubles #and a spot for my tower #wehehehe no more mainstays wobbledesk....