COMMISSION - FMA: Tickles for Tips (FULL-SIZE + DOWNLOAD) (Patreon)

Hello, Patreon! My sincerest apologies for not posting anything all last month. My new job takes so much out of me, and I still haven't managed to find a good work/life balance. Especially when commissions are still technically work! But I finally made some headway into this piece a couple weeks back, and before long, things started to come together at long last! I'm happy to say she's finally finished!!

Winry Rockbell has been a fan favorite lady from the Fullmetal Alchemist series for going on two decades now, and has been the subject of many a piece like this one in just as many years! Clearly Sauce-E felt it was time she get the ticklish artistic treatment once again, this time by my hand, for once!

The scenario and layout of this scene was provided to me when I accepted the commission, but I had to make some adjustments to the angle and POV to make things more dynamic and interesting! I even had to design my own currency for the nation of Amestris to make this piece make a little more cents! .... sense! Sorry!!

I was later asked by Sauce-E to write up a short two-to-three paragraph story to act as the description for this piece, and I took no issue with doing so... But I ended up writing a page and a half!! It's up ahead, after the break!

Until next time, take care of yourselves, and THANK YOU for your continued support and understanding!

Just when she thought she couldn't possibly laugh any more, Winry let out a shrill squeal the instant she felt the pestering sensation of a paintbrush dipping between her toes. She tossed her head back with such force that she thought she might fall out of her seat. Her laughter was completely unrestrained, though her tortured feet were quite the opposite, left to only wiggle in place as her mischievous benefactor coaxed even more giggles out of her. Still, she didn't protest; they were paying good money, after all.

That is to say, she couldn't protest, until finally, at long last, a clear *ding!* rang out from the timer beside her.

"TIME!! That's tihihihime!! No more!" She was nearly out of breath, but still had just enough in her to bring the shenanigans to a close. "Please... No mohohore~..." The fun had already stopped, but poor Winry could still feel the phantom sensations of that accursed paintbrush, rubbing her tickle tortured toes together in an effort to chase the tingles away.

As the unseen patron silently walked off, Winry, having finally caught her breath, proceeded to unlock her restraints, pulling her feet loose from the stockade wall she had fashioned just for this stunt. "Never again," she groaned, rubbing her ankles where the cuff had so firmly hugged them moments prior. "That was so much more tiring than wielding a wrench all day."

Having slipped back into a comfortable pair of house slippers, the blonde automail mechanic reached up to remove her bandana from her head, softly dabbing the tears from her cheeks. She couldn't even remember the last time she had laughed herself to tears. "Hope this was worth it," she sighed, bracing herself as she turned the corner to see the profits of her fundraiser.

"... Oh~."

The tip jar she had set out that afternoon was nearly brimming full. And they weren’t small bills, either; five, ten, twenty, even fifty cen bills filled the jar, all generously deposited by the countless clients her fundraising attempt had attracted. All those minutes spent behind her homemade stockade had blended into a fog, as countless fingers, feathers, brushes, and other assorted tools assaulted every inch of her feet, filling her wooden prison with endless laughter. She hadn’t even realized how much money those minutes had equated to.

So she started counting.

"Oh my gosh... Oh my gosh..!!"

She had made enough money from one stunt to successfully fund that premium automail toolset she had been eyeing for the last several months. “I’m even going to have some cash left over!” she excitedly shouted aloud, squealing almost as much as she did when that paintbrush was exploring the soft skin under her toes. She couldn’t help doing a little dance as she counted her hard-earned money a second time.

"... Now just a minute…"

The gears had started turning in the mechanic’s head as her smile contorted into a more focused expression. With just a little more money, she thought, I could afford to import that quality lightweight alloy from Xing! Her mind was alight with possibilities, as she realized she was just a few more days of fundraising away from achieving her wildest automail dreams.

With a smile and a pump of her fist, Winry Rockbell had already made up her mind.

"Guess I’ll be opening up the booth a little earlier tomorrow~"