The loving wife of a diehard mobile game fan recreated the gorgeous Rune Stones from the game, and shows us how to make our own too.

So here’s the thing: sometimes, it’s hard to know what present to give your spouse. You might have spent all your good ideas by Christmas, and then when their birthday rolls around they’ll just have to settle for iTunes giftcards again. We have to take all the hints we can get.

Twitter user @kurumilkcheese (her display name is simply “cheese”) got one such blessing from her husband, prompted by unbelievably popular anime-based mobile game Fate/Grand Order. Her husband has been playing the game since it launched, and she pretty much left him to have fun with it – why get involved with your husband’s otaku fixation?

One day he beckoned his wife over to have her look at a certain Craft Essence card.

Husband: “You think you can make this?”
Ms Cheese: “Oh, definitely!” (My husband wants a resin project from me? That never happens. I’ll make it work!)

-the next day-

Ms Cheese: “Finished! ♡”
Husband: “A-freakin’-mazing…”

She really captured the charm of the beautiful Rune Stones card you can use in-game, and even recreated their positions for her handmade photo-realistic version! The runes are perfectly laid out in gold glitter, and just check out those vibrant colors. However did she manage it?

Don’t worry! @kurumilkcheese kindly provided a guide.

▼ Follow these steps when you need a double buff to your critical star absorption.

She apologizes that her guide is a little sloppy, but there’re photographs for the key steps. First, make and varnish the base shapes for your stones out of clay. Then coat around them with pliable resin; she recommends Iropla or Ayumaru brands. Once the resin has hardened, remove the clay shapes from the resin and carve off the excess.

Now that you have your base resin shapes, you can color them with acrylic paint to get those lustrous jewel tones. Use masking tape to mold the marks for the runes and then write them out in acrylic paint (you can see the glittery gold paint she used in the last picture).

A final layer of varnish and you’re done!

▼ Resin is sturdy, so you can clutch the stones in in anguish when rolling for your fave character.

She clarifies, in a reply to a commenter, that the varnish is to stop the clay from melting (the resin has to be hot to be molded). You can use clear nail varnish to coat the clay shapes in, but Ms. Cheese can’t handle the smell very well, so she used craft coating.

Our friendly runestone seer does remind us that you must be careful when crafting with resin. Make sure you use gloves and a mask, and always do your crafting in a well-ventilated room. You should check if you have any allergies to the products, too.

If you want to add that realistic Fate/Grand Order photo filter… You’re in luck! She reveals her source as the “Servant Frame” app from the Japanese iTunes store.

And not only is she a pro at forming magical stones and beautiful realistic flowers, she has a lot of other interesting gems: like this sinister resin cast she took of Thomas the Tank Engine‘s face.

If all of this has really put you in the mood for some more Fate/Grand Order craft work, don’t forget to check out how to recreate the brawny biceps of Cú Chulainn with nothing but silicone bra pads.

Source: Twitter/@kurumilkcheese via Jin115.com
Featured image: Twitter.com/@kurumilkcheese