#I made it before midnight whew

[kiyomitakada]

“Light,” L says through the messaging spell, “don’t get any closer. Watari will handle this.”

“My dad’s in there,” you counter, and dodge another fireball. “You know how my dad is!”

L sighs. “I know how you are,” she mutters. “Be careful.”

“I’m always careful.” You dance forward, avoiding the craters that have scorched into the ground around you. Higuchi is perched on top of the studio, dragon wings spread wide, peering down at you all with avid delight; he’s got Matsuda in the vice grip of one claw, but he’s being distracted right now by the prospect of getting to kill you all instead of just one measly human.

Reason number 102 you could never have been Kira, damn L’s amnesia theory: you would have taken whatever the dragon transformation deal was immediately.

(Not if you wanted to keep your family, a voice whispers in your head. And you know you would.

You shut that voice away. You are Light Yagami, golden boy. You would never become a serial killer in any universe.)

Suddenly Higuchi roars in pain, rearing upward. You squint to see past the smoke and realize that the dot on his back is your father. He’s stabbing wildly at the claw that’s holding Matsuda captive. It weakens, and Matsuda tumbles onto the floor.

“Fool!” Higuchi shouts. “No man—”

Whatever else he says is drowned out by the crackling fires around him as you dash into the studio and look for a way to the roof.

“Take the elevator,” L suddenly says.

“What? Why?”

“The stairs from the second to third floor are gone.”

You hesitate. It’d be an extraordinarily easy way for L to get rid of her prime suspect…

“Trust me,” L says, and the urgency in her voice must override your survival instinct because you take a right and elbow the elevator button as quickly as you can.

The doors open with a ding. You dart in, hit the button for the roof, and wait for ten seconds of agonizingly cheerful elevator music before the doors pop open again.

The scene is chaos. Higuchi is trying his level best to scorch your father into a nice Soichiro s’more, but Dad’s found a vantage point right behind Higuchi’s head so he’s always behind the fireballs. Matsuda has crawled behind an air conditioning unit and is readying the grenade Watari had passed to him this morning, hands shaking. There’s fire everywhere. The security guards up here are probably dead, you think. Oh well.

Matsuda’s face brightens when he sees you. “Light!”

“Matsuda.” You notice the three deep gashes in his shoulder; no wonder his hands are shaking. That’ll definitely scar. “I can throw that grenade, give it here.”

“That’s not the problem,” Matsuda hisses. “I can’t throw it without blowing Chief up, too.”

You mutter a swear. He’s right. Magical grenades work purely on range-of-effect rules; there’s no way your father would survive.

You calculate your options. Get your father to jump down — no, it’s too high up, and besides it’s good for Higuchi to be distracted. Throw the grenade somewhere further away — no, still too risky, either both or neither of them will die. Throw the grenade anyway —

You told your father once that if Kira ever hurt him, you’d hunt down Kira yourself.

You can’t hurt your father. You can’t.

You draw your knife.

“What are you doing,” L says in your ear.

“Ambushing Higuchi. It’s our best opportunity.”

“But Light,” Matsuda says. “He said that no man could kill him!”

“What?”

“He did say that,” L confirms.

Why is magic so goddamned weird? “Fine, whatever. L, you’re—” You remember that Matsuda is there and he doesn’t know L prefers she/her on some days. “You know what you are.”

“Light-kun truly needs sensitivity training.”

“Shut up. I’m going to stab him and you get the gun from Watari and shoot while he’s down.”

You don’t mention that the only reason L hadn’t already shot is because she and Watari are too far away to take good aim. L stays silent.

“But aren’t you both men?” Matsuda asks, confused.

“Higuchi’s probably lying,” you lie. “It doesn’t make sense for any artifact to give him so many different powers, right? Even the Death Note. Besides, how would he know for sure he’s immune to being killed?”

“Right, that makes sense,” Matsuda says, relaxing.

Higuchi roars again.

“I’m going,” you say, tightening your grip on the small knife. Watari said it was coated in poison. It’ll bring Higuchi down for the count, even if you can’t kill him.

“I think his main vulnerability is probably the break in his armor right over his chest,” Matsuda says quickly. “And shout for backup if you need it.”

“Right.” You don’t mention that you knew both of those things already, because you’re a kind person. “Ready, L?”

“Ready,” she says, so you start running.

It’s almost too easy, weaving around the flames and smoke and craters, your shirt halfway up your face so you don’t breathe too much bad air. Higuchi isn’t looking in your direction at all; your father’s pulling him the other way, still stabbing at the various spines of his back. You grimace. Either your father’s not making any significant contact or Higuchi was entirely correct.

Too late to change the plan. You get within distance and wait until he turns—

Now.

You leap into the air.

You hear your father shouting your name in surprise, but it’s too late. You were always good at sport, which included tennis and the high jump.

And darts.

The knife sails in a perfect arc through the air and sinks into Higuchi’s flesh.

“Now!” you yell, waiting for L to fire—

But the shot never comes, because Higuchi collapses.

You were expecting it to be a slow corruption. Instead he crumples all at once: your father yelps as Higuchi’s head hits the concrete of the roof, then his body, then his tail. His wings shrivel. You watch in faint awe as a dragon crumbles away into dust.

The last thing you hear of his voice is an all-too-human groan of pain:

“How?”

He’s looking at you.

You swallow a sudden wave of — nausea? Adrenaline? Euphoria? “Did you,” you say.

“I didn’t do anything,” L confirms, a little breathless.

“But I’m not—”

“Perhaps I should start calling you Light-chan,” L muses. “How would you like that?”

You open your mouth to yell at her. Instead you hear yourself say, “Use it in a sentence.”

“Hmm.” L pauses. “‘Light-chan saved her father today.’”

Oh. Oh god.

“I’m a man,” you say, mostly for your own benefit. “I have to be.”

“‘Light-chan is a girl of many talents,’” L continues. You stand there, shaking a little. “‘Including killing a dragon, being top of her class, murdering thousands of people, and tennis.’”

“I’m not Kira,” you say quickly.

L snorts. “Let me have some fun sometimes.”

“Like accusing me of being a murderer?”

“Like cracking an egg,” L says.

“What egg?”

“Light!” Your father. He’s jogging over, face sooty. “I’m so glad you’re alright!”

“Later,” you say, and L’s laugh makes you far too warm.

[ @deathnotetober day 15: crossover (with lord of the rings) (sort of.) ]

[enhani-ki]

Bad MF part i - reader x ni-ki

warnings: smut, nsfw, dry humping, explicit languages, etc.

you've been in love with ni-ki for a long time now, and recently, it finally felt like all your patience, all your hard work, was already starting to pay off.

he was actually acknowledging you, paying attention to you now.

because before, ni-ki would always reply late, always busy, barely sparing you more than a few words and there were so many times you almost gave up, so many moments where you thought,

"maybe i should just move on."

but you really, really like him.

even though you didn't really have the right to expect anything, you hoped and pretend he can still be your man no matter how many mixed signals he gave you, no matter how confusing or frustrating he was, you stuck around.

ni-ki, on the other hand, had just gotten used to you.

you're always praising him, you say you feel different when you're with him, you tell him anything.

always making him feel good about himself.

and whenever he feels lonely, it was actually nice to have someone checking in on him, asking how he was doing. and whenever he was bored? well, you were always down to accompany him anywhere, anytime.

you make him laugh. you're a little wild (which is an understatement btw) and always keeping things interesting.

so, without even realizing it, ni-ki had let you become a part of his routine.

y/n: i'm curious tho :(

ni-ki furrowed his brows, typing back.

riki-san: hm, about what? :)

y/n: how many kids do u want me to give you?

his mouth fell open. "what the-" he just stared at his screen for a moment, completely appalled. he was not one to share his texts, let alone let others peek into his phone, but this?

he just had to.

he turned his phone around to show your text with others in disbelief. "hyung, look at this," he scoffed.

heesung let out a low whistle while jungwon, on the other hand, immediately facepalmed. "oh my god…"

you sat there, waiting. kicking your legs in the air.

even if he was busy, even if he slept all day, you were always there, waiting for him to respond.

though, what ni-ki didn't know was that you actually wanted to blow up his phone just to ask what he was up to.

luckily, you didn't… whew.

you haven't seen ni-ki for so long, and when he finally came back, it felt like you were still missing him. every time he texted or replied, it was always after you had already fallen asleep. his schedule was a mess, and judging from the headaches he had been getting, it was starting to take a toll on him.

so when he asked if you wanted to spend some time at their dorm, of course, you agreed without hesitation.

the plan was just to play video games, maybe take a quick nap together, but the moment ni-ki laid down, his exhaustion won. he was knocked out almost instantly, breathing steadily and deeply as he curled up in bed.

your phone buzzed, a while later. then again. and again.

heeseung: yo, come out and eat with us?

sunghoon: why are you guys still in there?? we’re starving.

you glanced at ni-ki who's still lost in sleep, his expression seemed completely relaxed for the first time in weeks. you hesitated, but your stomach already made the decision for you.

y/n: yeah. i'm coming out, sorry.

the boys were already gathered when you stepped out. "he's still out cold?" jay asked, and you just nodded.

they all chuckled, and you let out a small laugh before eating dinner with them. their conversations were nonsense but somehow still entertaining, and even though you enjoyed yourself, you felt bad because ni-ki didn't get to eat with everyone.

and by the time he finally woke up, the dorm was already silent. it was near midnight, and everyone had already gone to bed. he stumbled out of his room, eyes barely open with his messy hair. his body moved on autopilot as he walked to the kitchen to reheat some leftovers.

he ate alone at the counter, scrolling through his phone in between bites, texting you, apologizing how he didn't get to take care of you.

he sighed, rubbing his face before clicking his phone off but just as he was about to head back to bed, he saw you sleeping in the couch.

you stayed.

he sat beside you, brushing a few strands of hair away before pulling a blanket over you.

he grabbed the remote, and switched on the tv, immediately lowering the volume.

the soft glow illuminated both your faces as he clicked on a baseball replay, slouching further into the cushions.

ni-ki's jaw tensed as he watched the game unfold. "oh, what the fuck?" he muttered under his breath when a player completely fumbled an easy play.

you moved slightly, shifting in your sleep.

he glanced at you, immediately biting back any of his further commentary but every now and then, he couldn't help it—sharp exhales, quiet cursing, groaning in frustration whenever something stupid happened.

you started waking up, not fully, but enough to recognize the occasional, "eh?" and "tsk, are you serious?" from beside you.

you never thought you'd be a little rude to him, but you had just woken up too, and your entire body ached from uncomfortably lying on the sofa. so with a frown, you mumbled, "is that live or a replay?" totally annoyed.

ni-ki stiffened, suddenly feeling bad for being so loud. "replay. why?" he answered, looking away from the screen.

"then watch it tomorrow…"

his grip on the remote tightened slightly. "i- i just have… 40 minutes left."

"you could watch it tomorrow though," you repeated.

he shook his head, his lips forming a small pout. "no way."

you, however, were also not having it. "riki…"

no response, he's barely even looked at you, leaning to the side to keep watching the game.

you tried to stand up but the second you moved, dizziness hit you. you vision went blank for a second, your body were still sore and stiff that before you knew it, you lost your balance.

you stumbled, ass landing right onto ni-ki's lap.

his hands instinctively shot out, gripping your waist to steady you.

and holy shit, you felt it.

you already knew it was big—you'd seen the print in his gray sweats plenty of times but now you were actually sitting on his lap, fuuuck, you could feel the size pressing up against you...

ni-ki was definitely packing.

he sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers twitching against your waist. "don't move."

you weren't moving. you couldn't, and you wouldn't, not when you could already feel inches of him beneath you. heavy and starting to throb against your ass.

then, as if you lost all your shame, you rolled your hips just slightly. making ni-ki hiss your name out, "y/n..."

your core clenched at the sound of his voice.

his hands flew to your shoulders, his fingers digging into your skin as his head fell back against the couch.

a soft moan escaped your lips as you rocked your hips again, grinding against him, rubbing your ass against his clothed length.

"oh, that feels good, y/n..." he groaned. his voice deep and strained.

the way he said your name sent more heat straight between your legs.

you stood up just to sit in his lap but it's to grind while facing him this time. your clothed cunt was pressing right against his length. a sharp gasp left your mouth at the direct friction and fuck yes, it really feels so good.

ni-ki's dick grew harder and longer under your ass, his hands were gripping your waist to steady not only you, but also himself.

oh, and he bet you were already so wet down there too.

you stared into each other's eyes, chests were rising and falling, both just breathing together.

he was looking up at you, then he gently grabbed the back of your head and crashed his lips onto yours to kiss you sloppily.

your first kiss with him.

messy, heated... he's pushing his tongue into your mouth desperately.

you whimpered, grinding harder against his cock, rolling your hips like your life depended on it.

ni-ki groaned into your mouth, his looking up at you, watching the faces you make while riding him on top. his hands were squeezing on your tits, then trailed down to grip your ass, pushing your body more down onto him.

your pleasure was building fast, burning hot in the pit of your stomach all because the friction was perfect—the fabric of your thin shorts rubbing against your soaked panties, his thick length pressing right into your clit, right where you needed it.

your movements turned frantic, your head was swinging in all direction while chasing your high that is already within reach. "oh, shit- ah-"

click. the light's turned on

"fuck-" you panicked, shoving him away, and he pushed you back.

you quickly hid. ni-ki sat up straight, grabbing a pillow and shoving it into his lap, covering the very obvious problem straining against his sweats.

both of you sat there, frozen.

"what are you two doing?" sunoo asked, standing there, still groggy, his lips forming a small pout. "i swear i heard..."

ni-ki rolled his eyes, cutting him off. "you're weird for even thinking about it, hyung…" he said, trying to gaslight his sunoo hyung.

sunoo squinted at him suspiciously.

"yeah, yeah, that's crazy…"

but shit- you can't stop cumming right under that blanket.

sunoo crossed his arms. "i'll tell the others tomorrow. you're so dead, y/n. especially you, ni-ki." he threatened and walked away, leaving the two of you even more frozen in place.

you sighed, cupping your blushing face and without another word, you got up and made your way to the kitchen, needing a drink of water... and probably a moment to process what just happened.

you can't blame sunoo, because even yourself, you can't believe you just did something like that either.

you can't believe you dry humped ni-ki, using him like that just so you can cum.

the realization was awful, heat started rushing to your cheeks even more as you gripped the glass in your hands.

it's too embarrassing to even think about going back. what would you even say to him? how would you face him?

but then a pair of arms wrapped around your waist from behind. ni-ki's warm lips pressed a kiss to your cheek.

"hentai."

you squeezed your eyes shut in pure embarrassment. "i'm so sorry…"

but it's okay, ni-ki always knew just how down bad you are for him.

you decided to go home after. ni-ki sat on the couch again after, running a hand through his hair, feeling his body still burning from everything that just happened.

he glanced down at his lap, his cock is still a bit hard but it was also painful because you already left, leaving him with the first worst case of blue balls in his life.

his mind flashed back to the way you were riding him... wishing you can come back and take responsibility for this.

everyone gathered in the living room the next morning, forming a very obvious intervention circle with ni-ki. he sat in the middle, arms crossed, his legs were spread out, looking all nonchalant.

sunoo had already spilled everything, being the absolute snitch. now ni-ki was being forced to sit through the most painful conversation of his life.

"ni-ki, as the youngest, you need to be responsible..."

"we know you have needs, but please be discreet..."

he sighed, nodding along, pretending to listen but their words were just coming in one ear and going straight out the other.

he wasn't trying to be disrespectful, but did they really think he wanted to be here, listening to a sex talk from his own members?

"and always remember, protection is key..."

"you don't wanna end up on some news-"

ni-ki nearly choked. "hyung, what?!"

jake shrugged. "there's also those shows where young couples get unexpected babies..."

jay nodded, completely serious.

sunghoon sighed dramatically. "imagine the headlines, man-"

jay smacked sunghoon on the arm, stopping him from making the talk serious. "bro-"

he doesn't wanna hear it, he loves them but hell no... they don't know any better? so as soon as he escaped to his room, he grabbed his phone to text you.

riki-san: they already talked to me :)

you stared at the message. a smiley face? okay… so it must've gone well. it's probably not that serious, right?

y/n: great…

riki-san: just great?

you groaned, scratching your head in stress and embarassment. "what does he want me to say?!"

then another message popped up before you could even think of a reply:

riki-san: can i come over to get the record?

a/n: back from the dead. read part two ;

masterlist:

taglist: @dolliewon @ziiao @17ericas

[sirhamburrger]

akari - daichi sawamura x reader (spotify wrapped + bday + new year's fic LMAO)

>> in which daichi needs a little push from you to confess his feelings. >> tags/cw: reader’s gender unspecified, reader is a third year in daichi’s class, set right before nationals, daichi is whipped and reader knows it >> wc: 766 >> a/n: (my first hq post in a hot minute WHEW) for spotify writing challenge - number 13 + a karasuno third year for @stellar-headquarters!! mbmb this was so long overdue but i’m really killing knocking out three birds with one stone here LOLOL || dividers by @cafekitsune

”something i thought i could find anywhere // exists only here between the two of us” ~ akari (soushi sakiyama)

it’s new year’s eve, fast approaching midnight, and daichi thinks his heart is going to explode.

you’re both sitting cross-legged in foldable chairs on asahi’s balcony, holding cups of diluted lukewarm fruit punch. while your classmates party inside, whooping and yelling, it’s quiet here out under the night sky. peaceful. you take a sip of the bland concoction.

“so how does it feel to be going to nationals in four days?”

he tries not to let his eyes linger too much on how the residual punch makes your lips glisten in the low light.

“surreal,” he admits. “i never thought we’d get this far.”

you hum as you swirl the liquid in your cup around, seemingly satisfied with his answer. 

“and how does it feel to hide from me that your birthday is today?”

the cup raised to his lips, he nearly chokes. 

“relax,” you say, leaning back in your seat. “i didn’t tell anyone else. i know you wouldn’t want people knowing. but honestly, let people spoil you once in a while, y’know?”

he finds himself heaving a sigh of relief mixed with just a little exasperation. “thanks.”

daichi has been classmates with you for three years. you haven’t ever really been connected with volleyball in any way, but somehow he feels that he’s closer to you than any of his teammates. so it’s no surprise you found out about his birthday. what you probably don’t know, though, is that he really wants to kiss you right now, and he’s wanted to do that for the past one and a half years.

how could he not?

you both hear suga yelling at asahi to dance like his life depends on it, and you chuckle, eyelids fluttering shut. 

“i’ll miss you guys,” you murmur. “when you’re gone for nationals, i mean.”

there it is again - that strange ache in his chest. “i’ll miss you too.”

“so, i’m gonna give you this.” you fumble around in your pocket for a bit, then pull out an acrylic bear keychain. it’s clearly handmade - one of its eyes is smaller than the other, and one of its ears is a little squished. 

but he loves it already, because you made it.

“thank you,” he says, attempting to take it from your outstretched hand. but you pull away at the last second, clutching it back to your chest with a devilish smile.

“tell me first, and then you get this little guy over here.” you loop your finger through the chain attached to kuma-chan’s head (because that’s what daichi has named him in his mind, kuma-chan), spinning the little bear around.

he frowns. “tell you what?”

“tell me what you’ve been hiding,” you say, your voice light but your eyes gleaming with intent. the bear spins lazily on its chain still, catching the faint glow of the streetlights below.

“i don’t know what you mean,” he tries, though his voice wavers enough to betray him.

you arch a brow. “really? wow. and here i thought captain daichi was a good liar.”

he feels cornered, his pulse hammering in his ears. the crowd inside grows louder - ten seconds until midnight, the rest of the party shouting numbers at the top of their lungs. 

in this moment, he realizes he has two choices: deny it and spend another year pining after you, or just say it and hope he doesn’t ruin everything.

“five! four!” the crowd chants.

“fine,” he blurts out, leaning forward, his cup clinking awkwardly against the side of his chair. “i like you. no, i - i think i’m in love with you, and… and i think  i have been for a while now, so -”

“three! two!”

you’re grinning now, wide and mischievous. “that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

“one!”

and then you’re leaning in, closing the gap between you, pressing your lips to his. it’s soft, sweet, and everything he’s imagined and more. for a second, the world falls away - no yelling classmates, no cold night air, no lukewarm fruit punch. just you and your peppermint chapstick making his lips tingle.

when you pull back, his head feels like it’s spinning. you drop the bear keychain into his hand, smirking.

“happy new year, daichi,” you whisper, smile saccharine. “and happy belated birthday.”

he looks at you, at the way your eyes sparkle, and he can’t help but smile back.

“happy new year.”

for the first time in all the years he's known you, the ache in his chest is gone.

a/n (again): my new year's present to all the daichi lovers out there (and loml stellar ofc!!)(i have learnt that i literally cannot spell daihci right. diachi. d a i c h i .)

haikyuu masterlist || general masterlist

© sirhamburrger 2024

[carelessflower]

Ranking Magnus's love interest in the bane chronicles on how much they affect him

I was scrolling Instagram and I saw this post, it's so cool you should check it out! They are doing edits of each of the stories in the bane chronicles and Magnus's lover so I randomly have this idea to rank them. This ranking will be purely dependent on the lover's appearance, description, and impact on Magnus in the bane chronicles, anything outside is frankly irrelevant so please just keep an open! Now let start!

8. Kitty

Appearance: What Really Happened in Peru

Impact on Magnus: not that much, though they did have a very fun summer conning people together, she ranks this low cause I feel they both know it's not gonna last

7. Woosley Scott

Appearance: Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale (mentioned)

Impact on Magnus: Magnus's on and off bed partner! He ranks higher than Kitty because while Magnus and he also know what they have gonna be purely physical they did go back together a couple of times and he's the last werewolf Magnus ever dated, which is a worthy flex! (Also lowkey laughing how Alec was semi-correct in his guessing, Magnus just knows every important figure that founded something even more important up close and personally)

6. Axel von Fersen

Appearance: The Runaway Queen

Impact on Magnus: Look, Magnus helps the literal aristocrats escape during a revolution made to behead them because he's fallen for the pretty black-haired hair blue-eyed boy, that gotta count for something. Also, I would make the case that he's the one that gives Magnus the black hair and blue eyes kink

5. Alec Lightwood

Appearance: The Last Stand of the New York Institute (mentioned only), The Course of True Love (And First Dates), What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything, The Voicemail of Magnus Bane

Impact on Magnus: Listen, before you stone me to death, this is based on the entrance of Alec in The Bane Chronicles, like the literal diary Magnus gave him. To be honest, compared to other stories, Alec's stories are kind of not very showing the emotional impact on Magnus. Their first date is cute, but without the werewolf trouble, Magnus is going to bail on Alec. And again, the Alec birthday one, is cute, but it's like a school crush figuring out how to buy them the perfect present stuff, not very romance that transcends time over here, and again Magnus's gift is literally a gift to Isabelle, like can't you both spell her whip and give Alec a sweater or something? And the impact of their breakup just simply doesn't devastate Magnus like with the higher-ranked on this list relationship, Magnus just literally dumped Alec and moved on with his life lol (Alec in Voicemail my cringefail queen)

4. Imasu Morales

Appearance: What Really Happened in Peru

Impact on Magnus: I always think of effort as incredibly romantic so the fact that Magnus willing to learn to play the charango for Imasu, whew. And also he was on the verge of asking Imasu to live with him and after the breakup he drink himself to a manic stay where he propose to cactus and think he's Aladding on flying carpet

3. Unnamed Woman

Appearance: What Really Happened in Peru (mentioned)

Impact on Magnus: The first lover to stay by his side and die in his arms. Magnus was unable to settle anywhere thirty years after her death, so yeah, it's pretty big shoes to fill

2. Etta

Appearance: Saving Raphael Santiago, The Fall of the Hotel Dumort (mentioned), The Course of True Love (And First Dates) (mentioned), What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (mentioned)

Impact on Magnus: He asks if she wants immortality to be by his side, he left the country because it's so unbearable for him and she's the last person he ever love for half a decade

Camille Belcourt

Appearance: Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale; The Midnight Heir (mentioned); The Rise of the Hotel Dumort; Saving Raphael Santiago (mentioned); The Fall of the Hotel Dumort; What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (mentioned)

Impact on Magnus: To be honest, should I even spell this out look at the gigantic appearance list, she's constantly on Magnus's mind even after he dates another person (Alec in this case). Like she hurts him badly but also a part of him will always love her and care for her type, also the sight of her in pain literally hurts him so bad he asks to get his memory wiped, the only instance we know of him doing this so it's possible to assume this is the only lover that truly has that effect on him

The list's done! I'm quite satisfied honestly, definitely tell me what you think :333

tag list: @magnus-the-maqnificent @literallytypogod @hoezier-than-thou @sociallyineptbibliophile @queenlilith43

@khaleesiofalicante @wandererbyheart @raziyekroos @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @alexandergideonslightwood @andrwminward

@noah-herondale-lightwood @elettralightwood @dustandducks @deliciousdetectivestranger @delightfullyterrible

@letsgofortacos

@kita-no @thelightofthebane @secrettryst @goldendreams3 @cityofdownwardspirals

@stupidfuckindinosaur

@i-have-not-slept @rinadragomir @potato-jem @kasper-tag @cam-ryt

@banesapothecary

@sheisntyou @izzysimcns @culiehua

[edenspoem]

patterned palmistry ⋆ | ellie williams headcanons

༺ ellie x witch!reader headcanons/scenarios ༻ ☽𖤐☾

✧˖ ° 🕯 bright blessings!

an: being the witchy little gremlin i am i just had to throw some hcs together for myself but ofc i'd share them here🙄ive been practicing witchcraft since i was 15 so it felt fitting to incorporate it whenever i brace my delusions at the bootycrack of midnight that r all abt ellie 💀 regardless this def isnt gonna be my only witchy hcs post i just didnt wanna spoil all my ideas right away <3 tags: MDNI, slight nsfw (no detailed smut), boob jokes, witchcraft (obv), tarot, palm reading, mostly convos, flirting, not mentioned in the writing but u 2 r alrdy dating, playful bickering, more natural casual writing with some bigger words, no specific religion tied to the practice, generally a fluff piece, lowk cute moments. °________________________⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆__________________________°

I. ☆ ellie definitely had a peak in curiosity the first time you mentioned you immerse yourself in the world of the craft, her ears perked figuratively and were tuned in to learn what that entails. she may not forfeit a nip of skepticism right away but she's more than happy to engross herself in the idea of it. you'd stay up till first light rambling on about the 'rituals', 'divination', the history tied to it and why you practice it. you'd be lying in bed adjacent to her, heavenward to the ceiling, but interwoven in a warm and loving cuddle with her palm residing on your lap whilst you chatted.

"mmmmh-" ellie's hum churns 'round your bedroom, "so that's why you collect rocks."

"crystals."

"same thing," she drones an inwardly giggle, "which crystal will give me superpowers?" a witty remark springs from her tongue.

"babe.." you pout, acting offended yet none is taken.

"didn't mean it like that, y'know I believe you, it's all just new to me." ellie tapes an assuring kiss to your temple, "tell me about your favorite crystals, hmm?" 

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

II. ☆ now because of this, anytime you're out on patrol and delight the opportunity of scavenging, she always keeps in mind to find you flowers, rocks, unused candles and other oddities of nature.

"hey babe! I found a black candle for'ya." ellie bolstered a long glass cylinder filled with an opaque charcoal wax, wick still intact, "and- ..some wild lavender." her other arm swings from behind her back, twines of dusty purple lavender upheld in a pinch.

"fuck yeah, needed this stuff.." you graciously tweak the lavender from her, whiffing up its poignant scent.

"always on the lookout.." her voice resembles her proud countenance outwards, essentially, a dorky smirk.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

III. ☆ obviously, the second you mentioned the art of tarot to her, she begged for a reading. whenever a card flew from your shuffling motions, she'd patiently wait for you to place it before her and then she'd swipe it up and admire the art piece detailing the cardstock.

"whew! look at the boobs on this one!" 

"oh- my god, of course you'd point that out." you snatch the card from her, shamelessly ogling the nude depiction that had her attention.

"you're looking at them too!"

"cuz' you said something 'bout it!" you flick the card towards her face, noting, "those are some nice boobs though." 

"why thank you~" 

"wasn't talking about you, idiot!" 

"eh, but.. urs' are the best." her hoarse tone binds a nonchalant flirtiness in its rumble.

"oh really? should we compare the.. four?"

that really stole her attention.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

IV. ☆ the first time you entertained her with a palm reading, it had her all dappy and touched to the essence at the paltry contact you made with her hand. your fingerprints drafting her calloused palms with such a gentle focus on every river lining her hand. she just wanted to smother you with kisses.

"and… this is your heart line." your finger hovers the crevice of her palm-pads stretching from index to pinkie, "ah.. it's a broken one.."

"is that.. bad?" her juniper eyes study your expression meticulously.

"it just means u're closed off, stubborn, have some emotional trauma.. stuff like that." you mindlessly fiddle with her fingers, "lines can change though, so.."

she nods, taking in the insight. she licks her slightly chapped lips clean, "am I stubborn?" her voice rises partially an octave, bending playfulness in her question.

"mm.. no."

"why'd you hesitate?"

"well- the only times ur' stubborn is refusing to let go whenever you hug me- ur' a life-size sloth!" 

"I like huggin' you though." a puppy pout frowns on her lips, "you're like a pillow!"

and oh, how your heart capers a beat, "is that all I am, williams?"

her swift speech conjuncts, "whaddid' I say about that name?!"

"I don't know, I think you like it." 

"nuh-uh I don't!"

you pepper a haste kiss to her knuckles still forcepped in your clasp, totally deterring the crime you've just committed when a half impish half taken aback smile creaks her lips.

"c'mere." vaults from her tongue before she lunges her body forward and tackles you in a saucy position riddled with love bites. guess you'll be reading her palms in a different way tonight.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆ V. ☆ an bonus hc, you'd totally mention out of the void about her tattoo n the mystic meanings surrounding moths, like, its for sure one of the topics you'll ramble about one night cause you just feel so wise for knowing. "y'know, moths play a pretty large role in the metaphysical world." "really? i mean, i knew they had some kind of.. 'symbolism' to them-" ellie's hand rolls over the knoll of her forearm, reading the bumps glamoured in that beautiful inking. "yeah, like- luna moths represent transformation, renewal.. oh! and death-head moths are an omen of death.. an- and black witch moths mean either good luck, or bad-" ellie is amused at your prattle shown by her raspy giggles, legitimately having to conceal her scrunched face. "what?" "nothin' you- you're just so cute." "stop.." the embarrassment catches up to you, now having to hide your face to the shadows beneath your hands. her finger cranes out to hook and uncover your nerdy grin, assuring, "never stop tellin' me bout this stuff, ok babe?" a wide delighted beam syncs on her cheeks. goddess above, her dimples and nasal lines are to die for. ⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

𖤐

in general; she's a curious dork n will ask you oh so many questions, i mean, she loves space and a futuristic sci-fi comic for crying out loud, she's alrdy so imaginative so ofc she'd be open to a realistic amount. she'd also be so respectful and helpful n defend ur practice with so much love. maybe she'd pick up some little traditions and customs like folding letters a specific amount of times, drawing little pentacles, mixing liquid in specific directions, just the simple things that grow on her.

[biibini]

Could you possibly write something for modern mizu with a gf that bakes alot during the odd hours at night due to insomnia to past the time :^ due to this, mizu gets gifted a bunch of sweets and pastries

modern!mizu x baker!reader (request)

a/n: this is such a cute idea omg,,, personally im more of a cook over baker (my roomie bakes more than me) but i do like a good pastry. time to add my fav gif of mizu … isn’t she just so dreamy 😻

the first few times u stayed over, u were able to sleep in peace with mizu

surprisingly, ur insomnia didn’t keep u fully awake while ur gf was sleeping

feeling her warm arms wrap around ur body made u feel more secure as u started to slumber

u weren’t fully knocking out every night but it became easier to fall asleep and stay asleep for a good duration of the night

it felt so satisfying to finally sleep through most nights

as midterms became closer & closer, the quality of ur sleep began to decrease dramatically

most nights spent with mizu ended up into some

and then some nights became few

at first, u attempted to hide ur insomnia with using homework and projects as an excuse

initally, they weren’t excuses but u had played the card so much that it started to become one

It was a week and a half before midterms week, aka hell on earth. You and Mizu had just finished dinner, now relaxing on her bed. While she was busy on her phone, you were preparing to find the best way to fall asleep successfully. Staring into your laptop in front of you, you felt her get up from the bed.

She walked over to the bathroom and getting ready to go slumber. You on the other hand, are still mentally stuck on how well you will sleep tonight.

Having insomnia meant having many off days and nights. During high-school, it was more difficult to manage your sleep schedule due to the amount of extra-curricular activities and schoolwork you had to balance while growing up. You’ve found a few ways and simple tricks to fight against it.

One way that helped you calm down during high school was baking. A messy task, yes, but the end result was worth it. It had been a few years since it’s gotten this bad. Junior year was a while ago, and the thought of college during that time sent your stress levels through the roof.

Maybe bringing back baking wouldn’t be so bad…

“Hey baby?”

You snapped out of your empty stare and look up at Mizu.

“Yes?”

“Are you going to wash up soon? It’s past midnight and you have a 9 AM tomorrow.” she reminded. Mizu knew how grumpy you could be the next day if you stayed up too long.

“Yeah, um” you glance at your computer only to find a title slide on a history presentation, “I’ll sleep soon, I just want to finish my part of this project.”

Mizu nodded as she turned off every light except for the night next to you. You look up to her, a small smile growing on your face.

“M’kay,” she placed a hand on your cheek and planted a soft kiss on your forehead, “Just not too late.”

She moved to your lips, giving them a good night kiss.

“I’ll try.” You say as you reach for her face to share another good night kiss. You lower the brightness of your laptop as Mizu tucks herself in next to you.

An hour later, you end up finish your part of the presentation. You check your phone to let your group know about your completion. Putting it down, you read the time. 1:30 AM.

Fuck, you should really get some sleep for tomorrow’s lecture.

You slowly get out of bed, checking to make sure Mizu hasn’t waken up from your movement. All you hear is a turn to the other side away from you.

Whew.

You plug in your laptop quickly on the desk, making sure that all the lights in the apartment were closed. You gently tugged at the sheets, tucking yourself in as quietly as you could. As you started to close your eyes, you took a deep breath.

In. Out.

In. Out.

In. Out.

A grumble could be heard from Mizu, turning back towards you. You feel her hands try to find you, slowly grabbing what she could find. As she pulled you closer, you continued to relax your body.

Eyes closed, mind empty.

Yet, your mind does reach a thought. An anxious thought.

What if I wake up tired, like before?

You try to shake away the thought, enveloping yourself with Mizu’s presence. Forcing your eyes shut, you continue to take slow & deep breaths.

2:30 rolls in and you’re still stuck trying to fall asleep. Technically, you should be in dreamland right now instead of being awake. Your eyes are heavy but they not too heavy to completely close. Your body is still yet your mind keeps racing.

You trusted your old tricks would help you fall asleep. Hoping that they would work, your mind finally begins to clear up and rest.

as the days went by, it got progressively worse and worse

it went to the point where u were just always up, maybe spare an hour or two for a nap, and then the nightly attempt to fall asleep next to mizu

ur aware of what was happening yet ur mind wouldn’t stop running at full speed

u wish ur mind would just shut off

and if it wasn’t ur mind staying awake for once, it was ur body keeping u awake

it was so tiring to think ab peace night after night after night, hoping for a good nights sleep but to end up feeling drained and half awake once the sun rose

on nights where ur mind or body wouldn’t shut down, u ended up succumbing to ur old habits and took out the baking pan & sheets

u thought u could stay quiet like a few years before

on the other hand, mizu began to notice the slight changes in the house

whenever she would wake up for morning workouts, ur laptop would open and on ur lap

or the baking pan and whisks and mixing bowls would be dripping wet on the drying rack

once she found a new loaf of bread in the pantry, something was up

she figured u were just up cleaning late at night as a break from the late night homework grind

but with the random loaf, it didn’t quite fit the story she had in mind

one early morning, she heard a metal noise mid toilet and tiktok session in

(a/n: i’m guilty of doing that too sorry)

concerned, she went go check in the bedroom to find an empty bed

“Y/N?” she quietly called into the hallway.

God damnit.

You had accidentally banged the baking pan on the oven’s metal rack. You quickly slid the pan into the oven, hoping the croissants u had just prepped wouldn’t be seen. You peeked over your shoulder to see Mizu’s eyes half awake, trying to comprehend what she was seeing.

You quickly checked the time on the clock. No way it was already time for her workout.

5:30 AM.

“Morning, Mizu.” A weak smile spread on your face. You felt blood rushing to your cheeks, stemming from the embarrassment of getting caught in the act.

“I just went to the bathroom and heard a noise. What’s going on, Y/N?”

She looked down into the oven, spotting the croissants.

“Did you want a sweet treat that badly?” her voice questioning you and slightly concerned. She walked towards you and gently pressed your hand.

“No, it’s just that…”

“That?”

You took a deep breath as you glanced down at her hand grasping onto yours. You look up to her eyes, ready to tell the truth. Her blue eyes seemed more awake and ready to listen, almost glowing in the dark.

“I have insomnia.” You let the truth spill out. “It hasn’t been this bad since high school but coping with it has been a bit difficult these days. I’ve tried so many ways to shut my mind off but nothing’s working.”

“Aw, baby…”

“And the best way I managed it back when it was worse was baking. It helped me keep my mind off things and pass the time.” You took a step back to find your phone and put on a timer for 12 minutes.

“So here I am. Back to old habits.” You ended, sighing in relief. You weren’t sure of what Mizu’s reaction would be. A little part of you was frightened, anxiously waiting for her response.

You didn’t expect her next actions. She let go of your hand and headed toward the sink, calmly washing the bowls and other dishes that have collected over the night.

Stunned, you watched as she continued to wash up. You looked over to see her reaction only to find a calm face.

“Mizu?” you asked, still confused about her response.

She looked up, her hands still cleaning the mixing bowls you had used.

“Did you need help with anything else before I go to the gym? I know insomnia must be hard to cope with but if this is what helps you pass the time,” Mizu finishing the final bowl, placing it gently on the dishwasher rack. “I’d like to help out in any way I can.”

“No, I’m okay but thank you for cleaning up for me.” Coming up to her, you give her a kiss on the cheek. She smiles at you and nods.

“Anytime, hon.”

She takes a glance at the clock. 5:40 AM.

“I’m gonna get ready now. Let me know if you need anything or any ingredients.” She hurries into the bedroom, getting ready to change into gym clothes.

“Okayyy.” You say, checking your phone for the timer.

A thought comes to mind.

“Actually, there is one thing you can do.” You say, following her into the bedroom. Mizu, mid-tying her hair, paused and gave you her full attention. “You can be my little taste tester.”

She chuckled as she fixed her hair into a bun.

“I get first dibs? For lil ol’ me?”, she says playfully as she grabs one of her light zip-up jackets from the closet, completing her workout outfit.

You nod happily. “Mhm. You can even request a recipe or two.”

How enticing, Mizu thought.

if u were up during her workout days, she would always find a fresh batch of pastries sitting on the dining table

on days that her or ringo had classes, u would leave a little bag or container of pastries that they go bring to school

u would always leave a little love note with a little heart and a “To my Mizu”

mizu loved the little gifts, especially if they were at her request

one night, she asked for a peach cobbler pie

woke up the next morning to find a slice in a container and a sticky note atop reading “a request for my love ♥︎”

she placed the sticky note by her desk

and brought the slice to school with her

after her class she shared with akemi, they decided to get some late morning tea by the coffee shop nearby

mizu’s eyes widen after the first bite settled in

it was bomb

peaches were practically bursting in her mouth

she continued to eat, trying to contain the deliciousness of the pie

she would text u later ab how good it was

in full detail

many paragraphs

many positive critiques

and end with a thank you for ur baking ♥︎

[safftums]

W- will we ever get to hear about your ant OC ? :>

i am so glad you asked. so, uh. stick with me, there’s lore. and thank you so much for your patience!

i ALSO was too lazy to shade or do a complicated background. this was done at like. almost midnight. so here she is!

while she doesn’t have a name yet, she’s a honeypot ant based on myrmecocystus mexicanus, the mexican honeypot ant.

(btw, name suggestions will be considered. please help.)

lore dump under the cut!

so a bit of worldbuilding about this world, and YES it gets to have worldbuilding:

the ants refer to themselves as myrmidons, created by their goddess, myrmex, who based them off the much smaller wild ants. while not possessing the sheer strength of their wild ancestors, the myrmidons made up for this with their intellect, ingenuity, and cooperative spirit from their colony structure.

they developed bodies just as varied as these progenitors; to name a few examples: potent toxins in bites, sprays of formic acid, asexual reproduction, and of course, the ability to become a massive living larder.

their world has recently grown unsafe and political tensions between colonies have reached a fever pitch for reasons i’m still figuring out. maybe a surge in tectonic activity? something that’s starting to further limit the amount of livable land in the world.

enter our girl.

her colony is nomadic - the queen is protected by her guard, and they wander between temporary shelters between arid mesas. one of the things done during these stationary periods is the naming of honey-mothers, the workers who live as reserves. this is, understandably, a big sacrifice on the worker’s part. they don’t get to leave if they want to see the wider world, and they’re largely helpless without those guarding them.

honey-mothers are revered by their colony, and are given a life of comfort and luxury. they’re always the first to eat after the queen, given a comfortable communal space, waited on by attendants…which is understandable, considering they’re mostly sedentary, save for emergency situations where they HAVE to give up their nectar for mobility’s sake. a lot of raiders will go for them first, so their heavy protection allows them a moment to lighten the load before they can escape.

now, there’s going to be an inciting incident to the plot - the raid of one of these temporary settlements, with her taken captive - but i wanted to draw her before the story starts (whatever form it takes, i still haven’t decided), during some more relaxed times.

whew! sorry for the wall of text! i didn’t expect i’d give them a lot of lore, but then i got into ant colony structure and how goddamn COOL ants are, and now it’s a whole world, with mythology and cultures and all that.

anyway off to draw her harem traveling buddies!

[solazu1]

AT YOUR COMMAND! BEFORE YOU HERE I STAND!! MY HEART IS IN MY HAND!!.. eugh!

Happy 2024 besties! Made this an hour before midnight but like… wtv. Whew,, haven’t posted since last year!

Dreamslayers stays winning as one of my favorite aus, apathy and void here doing a tango while also wanting to murder each other! Btw, not ship art! I hope yall are having a good time!

[enigmadungeon]

@heropartnerweek day 3!! finished at half an hour before midnight. whew..

New Teammate

Team Dazzling finds another shining pokemon to join them in their journeys!

hero is eevee (Gleam), partner is pikachu (Shiny)! As you can probably guess by now, their fun little gimmick is just Being Shiny Pokemon. Cause i really like shiny pokemon so i made a pmd team about that :]

[fairykazu]

SNEAKING 'ROUND WITH YOU FT. KAEYA contents // snowman building, friends to lovers, confessions, pining, christmasy event note: i listened to w2e's album, 0.1 flaws and all, while writing this but this song fits better: somethin' stupid masterlist

you were waiting outside, hoping that the ring doorbell didn't trigger the notifications on your parents' phone. you bundled yourself up in a puffy jacket and some sweats, hoping that kaeya would arrive just before the cold wouldn't freeze you to death. as the snow fell from the midnight skies, you used the sleeves of your puffy jacket to make mini snowmen, naming one 'snowy' and the other, 'cup of noodles'. man, waiting for kaeya felt like forever to a point you named your snowbaby as cup of noodles. "'it takes twenty minutes' he said." you mocked kaeya as the cold bit your cheeks, reddish hue on your face. even though, kaeya probably wouldn't had, you feel like he just left you hanging.

it's gotten colder as your teeth clattered together, making each step on the patio of the house harder and harder to reach. only making it to the first step to the patio, you sat down and waited for him.

a kick of snow landed on the wooden steps as you looked where it came from, kaeya was hunched over, carrying a plastic bag of random items from the nearest shop, he was out of breath. "whew, oh my god."

"oh my god..." kaeya turned to you as your very cold face morphed into disbelief. "you killed cup of noodles-"

"how did you know i got that in the bag?" kaeya asked as he lifted the bag to show you.

looking at the instant noodle packaging made you drool a little. "oooh thank you, wait no! you killed my baby!" you cried, pointing pile of stepped-on snow next to snowy. kaeya quirked a brow,

"um, the really ugly mounds of snow?"

"yes, my beautiful baby i made while waiting for you asshat!" you sobbed dramatically as kaeya sat next to you, placing the bag of knickknacks next to him. "i am very sorry about your beloved baby, princess. but to make you feel better, i got you, hand heater packets!" rummaging through the bag, he opened the hand heater packaging, showing you the heater.

"i semi-accept your apology."

"i am very gracious, princess. as you warm up with that, i will help you create a better 'cup of noodles' snowman."

"better?" you questioned. "are you implying that the baby cup of noodles i made was stupid and bad?"

he fell down dramatically, draping his hand on his face. "princess, of course not, i will never say that. ummm," he tried to appease you with something else in his bag. "chocolate?"

"sure." you were enjoying thoroughly being pampered. he handed you the chocolate bar as he rolled a snowball in his hands, shaping it unevenly. "instead, of um, late 'cup of noodles' being here. let's make a new one?"

you quietly snorted as you agreed, "yes, you should make me a big snowman in honor of cup of noodles." he furrowed his brows, scratching his head with his other hand,

"like how big?"

you placed down the unwrapped bar of chocolate on the patio stairs and stood up. "like this tall!" you pointed to the floor to the patio's celing.

he laughed nervously, "princess, i fear that that would be too tall for me to make. what if i die instead?" his face grew ruddy from the cold, you stepped closer to him. wrapping your scarf around his neck, feeling the breeze bite you from your turtleneck, you tucked the scarf inside of the loop. kaeya flushed a little but it's not like you noticed anyway. you exhaled a laugh, tugging kaeya to your height,

"it would be okay because you died in honor of 'cup of noodles'." you two's faces were abnormally close. inching away from each other lips, you felt his cold breath ghosting your lips.

kaeya didn't try to do a flirty line with you, having you hear every sound around you. as the snow falls, dancing with each other, forming the flakes and your heart beat a bit faster than before. kaeya, thankfully, broke the ice, "so, princess, if i die, who would give you wonderful gifts?"

naturally, you guys pulled apart as kaeya took a step back. but you took a small step closer, you smiled, "you mean, peace offerings?"

"same thing, isn't it?"

---

you two were a bit further from your house, outside of your room. your window was open as the wind billowed the curtains in the room. you two eventually decided to build snowmen who were not as tall as the patio's ceiling to the concrete floor but instead mini snowmen like snowy and cup of noodles.

kaeya suggested that you two should collect branches for the little arms and rocks for the eyes for the snowmen. you agreed as along if the snowmen were you two together.

you replied, "we should make them look like us."

he smiled, his blue eyes glimmering in the moonlight. if you were mistaken, he could've been an angel too. um, snow angel. "sure."

kaeya was acting like the branches he had collected were logs twice the size of yours. "name, princess, can you help me lug this for me?"

you rolled your eyes and replied back, "if im the princess to you, why should i help? aren't you my shining knight in armor?"

kaeya hid his face into your scarf, hoping you would notice his flushed cheeks was a result of the cold. he cleared his throat, "you are so right, princess." giving you the so-called branches, you carried them in your arms, confused.

he lifted you up, carrying you in princess style. you nearly shrieked in fear as kaeya shushed you with his finger, "hey, we don't want to wake up your parents, now do we?"

"okay, kae." you retorted as he silently snorted. regardless, you dug your face into his nape or really, your scarf. you heard every beat of his heart as he hummed and rubbed circles into your back.

---

he carried you until you two reached the patio once more. you slipped out of his warm embrace as he left you to the cold, he told you that he'll be right back. you sat down against the wall of the house, placing the little branches on the other side of you. out of boredom, you started to make a few little balls to be your base for your snowmen with kaeya. the rocks he picked out somehow matched your shade of eyes, making you question if the pebbles actually turned out to be gems.

after a while, the blue haired male walked back with the plastic bag in hand and your chocolate from earlier in the other. "princess, i got you something, i forgot."

you fiddled with the hand warmth heaters in your pockets as kaeya rummaged through the bag to find a beanie. "if you're worried about your hair, it's like silk lined here." he flipped the inside of the beanie out, showing you the fabric lining. "that's very sweet, kae."

"well, i would do anything for you..." your heart stopped as kaeya's face fell to the ground, trying to cover up his slip up. "because you're my best friend. my, wait, the princess, y'know?"

"yep!" you popped the 'p' at the end. kaeya placed the beanie on your head, covering your eyes for a while. "wha?? kaeya what was that for?" you asked, trying to yank the beanie upwards but kaeya's hand had it stay put in place.

"um, just wait here for a little bit." kaeya answered, taking one of the sticks next to you. you heard him trip, face first into the snow. "GAH!" he shrieked as you shushed him,

"kae, we don't want to wake up my parents, now do we?"

"don't use my words against me, princess." as he struggled to get up from the snow, he took the branch he previously had and drew something around you.

"or what? what are you going to do? aren't you my shining knight in armor, what are you going to dooo~?" you retorted back, trying to lift the beanie up to see what he was doing. you don't know how but he was already there to stop you, "keep this down for now and turn facing the house."

"huh?"

"just do it for a surprise!"

---

he was so glad that you kept the beanie to cover your eyes as he drew a bad heart around you, taking the heart shaped chocolates out. he collected the snowballs you made prior and stacked them. smoothing out the edges as he puts your little branch arms into the snow and his snowman's arms around yours. or at least attempted to fit his stick arm near your stick arms. he took out a bow he bought before and placed it near your snowman and a little toy sword next to his.

"name, you can take off your 'blindfold' now and turn around." he told you as you followed the order. adjusting the beanie so it wouldn't make your hair too flat. did he call you by your first name? it feels strange after all, he called you 'princess' since the beginning of middle school. when he declared that he would be your shining knight in armor.

"kaeya?" you turned around and saw kaeya standing with a chocolate box, swallowed his breath. you looked around and saw the mini kaeya and name as snowmen in a small, badly drawn heart. "what's going on?"

you looked down and the badly drawn heart was around you too. kaeya only managed to laugh, unable to speak to you even though he had practiced what to say beforehand. in the bathroom, forcing diluc proofread his speech to you and even making lisa make sure it's as heart felt as he wanted it to be. he only stammered out words you couldn't even hear.

the words 'i like you' scrambled out of his mouth as "i whah wuah." he wanted to hit himself because it didn't turn out right.

"kaeya, are you okay?" you stepped out of the heart carefully, making sure that you didn't kick over the mini snowmen. his breath hitched as your perfume filled the atmosphere, he's sure that the stars are burning red at this point. "your head is so warm." you pressed your colder fingers against his forehead as he gulped,

"name, i like you." you paused for a moment, glanced into his midnight eyes, the stars could exist in his eyes. wait no, you're looking for a trace of jokes but found none.

you wanted to say "i like you too." but your thoughts were caught in your throat and instead of the statement of requiting with his feelings. you replied, "what?"

nervously, he cleared his throat, "princess, i like-like you." you smiled, he wanted to engrave that into his head forever. he awaited your response and it felt like an eternity. but an eternity he'll wait to hear your response. if you reject him, it's fine because at least he could stay by your side until now.

you tried to fight the words to tell kaeya you like him back. again, the words were just stuck but actions are bigger than words. so instead of telling him, you'll just show him. stepping closer to kaeya, your lips ghosting where his were, you pressed your lips against his. dropping the chocolate box on the snowy grounds, kaeya's eyes widened but returned your kiss. you tangled your fingers with his hair as he was tapping on your shoulder.

pulling apart from the kiss, kaeya was out of breath, "oh my god," his cheeks were warmer. you giggled, "i like you too. that's what i mean."

"im so glad, princess, but also it felt like you were trying to steal my soul." you wrapped your arms around him as he tried to catch his breath. "oh my god."

"kaeya, you're so cute." kaeya looked like he forgot something, "wait."

"again?"

"yes. i promise it's good." kaeya replied as he took out a rose from the plastic bag. it feels like that bag was unlimited with the items he had bought. "name, can i be your shining knight in armor forever?"

"yes, until the world ends." he put the rose behind your ear, if you're worried about if the thorns are there. don't worry about it. he painstakingly took them out by hand until he realized he could've used gloves. you dug your face into the nape of his neck, placing a kiss there. he felt your smile against his skin. "i love you kaeya."

"i love you too, name."

[hiccupscloud-26]

Hicvember Day 17: Midnight

Hey everyone! Yay for consistency! Not for long though, lol.

Just Indyko and Calliope, you know the drill, lol

Hicvember prompts: midnight/induced

CW

Induced hiccups pt 2

Painful hiccups

Playful teasing

Usage of safe word

Stomach worship(?)

Soda bloating

Burping and belching

Without further ado, enjoy!

Alternate ending to Hicvember prompt: self-indulgent

“Thank you,” Indyko added, placing a kiss on her forehead, “oh, and, uh…your hiccups are gone~”

Calliope gasped, but chuckled, “you tease…but yeah, I think I spooked them away….bummer.”

“Well, if you wanna do an encore, I'm always down for watching a soda bloat,” Indyko half-joked.

“How'd you know I used soda?” Calliope tilted her head confused.

Indyko pointed to the bottle of soda on the floor, “I used context clues.”

“Mm,” she looked at the time on her phone as she stopped the recording, “it's midnight.”

“Noted, we can move to the bed while I, um…watch,” Calliope watched their resolve fade slightly as a light blush reached their cheeks.

“Very well, let's do it,” she grabbed their hand, and her soda, before they made their way upstairs.

Quickly making it to their room, they both lounge down, their backs on the headboard.

“Are you ready?” Calliope asked as she opened the soda.

“Mmm, actually, is it alright if I were to…lay on your stomach?” Indy blushed, “it's totally fine if you say no, I know this is new and if you wanna go slower-”

“Indy, go ahead, I don't mind as long as you don't mind all of the inevitable bouncing that's going to happen,” the woman smiled at them, and that was enough of an invitation if any.

Indyko quickly lay their head down on her stomach and smiled as they began to rub it, “oh my goodness, so plump and soft. This is my new pillow. Forever.”

Calliope chuckled while opening her soda, “once these hiccups start back up, you'll regret ever saying that.”

And without any hesitation, she chugged her bottle of soda. Indyko watched, hearing the soda drop into her stomach, joining the rest of the liquid already there. Taking a break from the carbonation, Calliope released a huge burp, making her tummy gurgle and bubble. Indy was entranced.

“Huh, weird…I don't feel any hiccups coming,” Calliope frowned. “Maybe they're just done for tonight-” she was interrupted by another belch, covering her mouth. “Whew, excuse me. How are you doing down there?”

“I'm great, thank you,” Indyko nuzzled into the marshmallow paradise that was Calliope's tummy. Or maybe it was more like soft clay.

They decided to find out for themselves, rubbing her tummy and gently grabbing her muffin top and playing with it, mesmerized by all the folds and the rolls.

Calliope chuckled slightly, “babe, that tickles.”

Indy gasped and stopped, blushing immensely, “s-sorry! I got caught up, I should've asked first-”

“You're ok, Indy. Just relax, you're allowed to play around, experiment. I'll let you know if I don't like it or need a break, ok?” Calliope reassured them.

Indy slowly nodded and smiled as they continued playing with her tummy. Calliope got to work finishing up her soda. Gulp after gulp, she suddenly felt a familiar pressure and she stopped drinking just in time to release a *HIP'CAH!grrrrrulllpULP!HU'OP!*.

Indyko's head bounced off every time Calliope's stomach bounced with a spasm, but they didn't mind. It just added to the experience. Though, they did ask, “you ok? Those sound pretty strong.”

“*HICKIM!* Ye-*HULP'AH!*-mm, *hhhHMKMH!ggmmmmplHMK'AH!*IC!*” she couldn't even put together a sentence because they were so fast. She nodded at Indyko, implying to them that she was alright.

“They came back with a vengeance, huh?” Indyko joked slightly and rubbed the constantly jolting tummy. “Poor Calliope, can't seem to stop hiccuping~” they teased lightly.

Calliope moaned quietly, “In-*HINGK!*-Indyk-*ic'KULP!*‐Indyko-*m'GUP!*-ooh *HULPAH!HOLP!GAUP!*-ah fuck.”

“Awww, they just make her bounce like crazy,” Indy continued the commentary. “And she can't even say my name without being interrupted.”

They looked up to see Calliope gripping the sheets as her head kept jerking back against the soft headboard. It wasn't just her head, though. They noticed her whole body moved immensely at the mercy of her hiccups. The whole bed would shake.

“Careful, wouldn't wanna break the bed~” Indy found themselves playing around with her navel.

“*HUCK!HEEEKRRRP!* mm, I'll *HU'UUUP*-mm try——y, fu-*HUCK'L!*-fuck,” Calliope closed her eyes, feeling her blood flowing towards a different region. “The-*HEE!*-se are so *HUCK'ILP!HOLK!IP!*-ngh bad.”

“So deep and strong and loud and beautiful for you, aren't they?~” Indy smirked and kissed her stomach, pleasantly surprised when it attempted to kiss back. “Your tummy loves me!”

“I *HILP!* lo-*HUCK!HUPAH!*-love you *himpka!* too, whew,” Calliope noted the weaker hiccup and slightly sighed in relief. She hadn't realized a back to back case like this would make her so tired. Though, it made sense with how strong both of her cases were.

“Aww, getting tired already?” Indyko lightly teased her tummy, rubbing it again gently. “You slowing down on me? You don't wanna hiccup?” they gently tap on Calliope's tummy.

“*HICK'um!*” was the response.

“Oh? What a discovery,” Indy tilted their head as they experimented some more, “hiccup?”

“*HIUP!*” it happened again.

“Fascinating,” Indyko chuckled quietly, before smirking, “hiccup hiccup.”

“*HIP!KOLP!* Indy-”

“Hiccup hiccup hiccup!”

“*HOUP!HIYUP!HICC'P!* Pops-*IC!*-popsicle!”

Indy immediately sat up and looked over to Calliope, “I'm sorry, are you okay? Too far?”

“It's okay, ju-*huck!*-ust need a bre-*hick'ah!*-break…*holp!holk!icKOLPgrrrup!*-mmf, excuse me-*ic!*,” Calliope groaned. Maybe inducing a second case wasn't the best idea, these were starting to hurt now and they weren't fun when they hurt. “I think-*hingk!* my body's had eno-*huckuck!*-enough. I'm g—gonna try getting ri—d of them.” She winced before sucking in some air and holding her breath.

Indyko watched curiously, seeing her body still jerk with the muffled thumps still trying to escape. But they noticed the hiccups slowly calming down until they eventually went away, though she'd had to release the air sometimes before holding it again. After she slowly released and recovered from what she considered a hiccup attack, Calliope yawned and lay down.

“Yeah, I think I'm done for tonight,” she announced.

“Yeah, we should probably get to sleep before we're here walking around like zombies,” Indy chuckled and moved over, kissing her cheek. “Are you sure you're ok?”

“Yeah, that second case started to hurt after a while,” Calliope admitted and rubbed her chest, “and I think they were about to calm themselves down…until they wanted to listen to their leader down there.”

Indyko blushed profusely, “sorry! I got carried away! It was just…so interesting how they listened to me like that…it's like your body wanted to please me or something, I dunno.”

Calliope held her partner close, snuggling as she closed her eyes, “well, feel free to experiment more next time…maybe on a milder case than this one was.”

Indy smiled and kissed her cheek, “yeah…next time.”

And the two of them drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Fin~

[salsflore]

i’m going crazy. basically a one shot where taru calls her and then he explodes. (this is because i miss him)

word count: 602

it’s already well past midnight when the phone rings. its noise jolts mika awake, who sits up and impatiently snatches it from her nightstand, then holds it up to her ear.

“good morning,” is the first thing that leaves his mouth, followed by a “sorry, did i wake you?”

“ah—” her eyes flicker to the clock hung up on her wall, she dozed off and by this point, had been asleep for almost two hours. “—um, nope, i’ve been awake for a while. was just about to go to sleep.”

“aw. waiting for me to call, were you?”

“maybe.”

unbeknownst to her, his lips tug into a small smile, knowing this was probably the closest he’d ever get to an admission. perhaps, he thinks, the distance between them made it easier for her to be honest.

now fiddling with her hair, mika coils a strand around her finger and looks back at the clock, quietly counting backwards. “what are you doing up?”

“just got back, and i’m totally beat.” childe sighs and slumps into the back of his chair, gaze directed towards the stack of papers on his desk. “had lots to do today. can’t say i didn’t enjoy myself, though.”

“when will you return?” she sinks beneath her blanket. though the warmth it provided couldn’t possibly compare to the one his presence brought, it’s good enough for now.

“don’t know for sure, but hopefully sometime within the next two weeks. that’s not too crazy, right?”

“oh, i see.” the hint of sadness in her voice is not lost on him. it stings childe to even think about. “yes, i guess you’re right. barely anything.” is her pitiful attempt at reassuring them both — but neither buy it.

mika’s eyes flutter shut, tire beginning to come back to her. focusing on his voice should stave some of the loneliness off, at least. “so, what are you up to now?”

“going to write a report, then head to bed once i’m done. tomorrow is going to be yet another long day for me. you?”

“i’m just in bed.”

“oops, right,” he straightens himself, “you were about to sleep. sorry. want me to go?”

“no, don’t. i—” mika hesitates for a moment, but eventually relents, voice quieter this time. “stay on the phone with me for a little bit longer, it’s fine.”

“my, missing me that badly?”

a grumble. “it’s not that.”

that response elicits a small laugh from him. “suure. i hope you know i miss you too,” childe lowers his gaze to focus on the ring worn on his finger, rubbing against it with his thumb. “don’t worry. before you know it, i’ll be back by your side with plenty of gifts.”

she lets out an unsatisfied hum in response.

the next half hour is spent mostly in a comfortable silence, save for the occasional, random question she’d ask to keep her sleepy self awake.

the trick works for a while, but she inevitably succumbs to her fatigue, and her snores become the background noise he finishes his report to. afterwards, childe turns the light off. “whew, i’m finally done.” he announces in a whisper, as he settles himself into bed. the mattress is soft, but not nearly as comfortable as the one back home.

“thanks for waiting for me, i’ll call you again tomorrow, for sure.” he knows she can’t hear him — or at least, can’t reply — but it doesn’t matter. though it may be the equivalent of talking to himself, it’s enough.

“night night, mika. i love you.”

childe presses a kiss against the phone, and hangs up.

[mysticsparklewings]

Obscutober 2024 Day 8: Inflorescence 💐

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Inflorescence (n.)

the flowering part of a plant or arrangement of flowers on a stalk; the time and process of budding and unfolding flowers.

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So begins Week 2 of Inktober! 🖋️

I am pretty pleased with today’s art, but my posting time probably says it all: Not everything was coming up roses in the making-of process. 😅

Click the "Keep Reading" and we'll talk about it! ✨

⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

---------- Whew boy Sparklers; If I seem a little "off" or this description comes out a bit short, that's because (to the surprise of absolutely no one) I got a bit of a later start on this mandala than I'd hoped and it also ended up taking longer than I wanted. 😅 Thus I am now very acutely aware that I have much less time to get this description type and everything cross-posted than I'm really comfortable with.

Granted, this isn't the Cinderella-esque race against Midnight that I've very "used to" from Inktobers' past, but in some small ways that almost makes it worse because I know I've technically been doing much better than usual this year and the further I push that "better" envelope, the more anxious I become. 🫠

So let me stop wasting time rambling about that and get to talking about the art!

I think the main reason this one ended up taking so long is because I hyped it up too much—The idea of getting to draw a mandala made of flowers àla Adult Coloring Book-Style was so enticing that I did that thing us artists tend to do sometimes; I got in my head about it being "good enough" and "right" and all that, as if this is somehow the only opportunity I'll ever have to make a flower mandala so it "needed" to be perfect. 🙄

And, in a strange kind of other sense I think I had a little too much confidence going in because I recently spent quite a bit of time drawing intricate flowers in a similar style for a project you Sparklers haven't seen yet but my Ko-fi Members have. [And hopefully you Sparklers will get to see it soon, too, I've just been too busy to squeeze it in yet!] Mostly, I underestimated my own standards for what translating those flower drawing skills into this mandala format would be like. 😅

I also kind of hurt myself in that I decided I really wanted to get roses in here somewhere on top of trying to make sure I got at least one flower that had more obvious stages of blooming (per today's deifnition), rather than all of them being full-bloom. Naturally, I picked the most difficult option of having the roses be said multi-stage flower. 🙃 I'm sure I don't have to tell any of you Sparklers that have attempted to draw them before that roses are among some of the trickier flowers to draw, particularly in a more doodle-y style like this. I have semi-successfully handled roses before, but I think it's been literal years since the last time I drew any. 🫣 [Maybe not, but I don't feel like I have the time to dig through my posts and check to be sure right now!]

You can see that I did manage some results I'm decently happy with in the end, of course, but I probably spent about half of the total time I worked on this mandala on the roses specifically. 😵‍💫

And then of what was left, probably about half of that was spent on the "final" swirling vines that have different little pink flowers on them. Which is to say I think that was the second most challenge part to draw, even though it's one of the more simple elements present.

I could have stopped before adding those final swirls and it probably would've been fine, but the outer corners just felt so empty compared to all the flower and leaf stuff going on elsewhere, particularly the center-most ring. (That's what I get for adding lines to look more like a vague suggestion of roots below the big leaves!) I wanted to fill just a little more space badly.

If I hadn't felt timing ticking down so strongly, I would've definitely bothered to figure out something a little more involved for those swirls, but it just wasn't meant to be today. I couldn't stop thinking about the time and it seemed like every other false start I has either wasn't right or tested my patience too much.

I very nearly put some more sunflower-esque flowers in the corners instead, but I didn't like the idea of looking myself into a more specific color palette in that way and I didn't like the idea of not being able to either "attach" them to the rest of the mandala or the fact that I couldn't think of a way to make them more vine-like on their own. Therefore, the sunflowers sat this one out. [And besides, they already had a small cameo last week!]

The leaves, fortunately, didn't give me much trouble. Those largest leaves that I put down first where probably the most difficult, but only because they were made using a criss-cross line method I observed in some mandala techniques on Pinterest, rather than other more typical ways I go about drawing leaves. They really weren't too bad, though. And I think they were the right choice because they kind of set up a shape foundation that directed a lot of the rest of the mandala.

Likewise, this may have been the easiest color scheme to decide apart from Day 1 because of the leaves. I set up with that green foundation, pushed it to be a little more teal/aqua, and then went with most pink flowers since that's complimentary, but then a soft blue for the...They're sort of lilies-of-the-valley but maybe not exactly. I think the blue I picked is a touch too dark for that, but since I was very sold on this off-white/cream background, I went with the deeper blue so the color would be more obvious.

I will admit I originally wanted to avoid pink or red roses, but I made the outermost flowers pink first, dared to touch the roses with a bit of a darker pink, and promptly threw that plan out the window. I did try to mix a little purple int here so they weren't a super-traditional rose pink, but I think I overblended it so that effect was mostly lost. 😅 But I did stand firmly behind no-red roses, though. Against many fibers in my Alice-in-Wonderland-loving being, but it felt too stereotypical and like a bad fit for the more aqua-green leaves, which I really didn't want to change at that point.

Yesterday and Day 2 are still gunning for my favorite, but this one isn't super far behind despite the choices I maybe would've handled a bit differently if I'd felt like I could afford more time to puzzle over them. If anything, I think this will be my favorite as a coloring page, if I do end up making coloring pages out of these. [Which yes, is an idea I've been toying with—I think I mentioned it on Day 1? Maybe?]

You Sparklers will have to tell me if that sounds like something worth bothering with. 😉

Let's see...I think that's everything I wanted to mention for today, so I should probably be getting on with that cross-posting now; I'll see you Sparklers tomorrow, hopefully at least a little earlier in the evening... 😅 🤞

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See the Prompt List

Artwork  © me, MysticSparklewings

Obscutober Concept Inspired by nikolas_tower

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⭐️ Like My Art and Want to see more of it? Here's All My Links! ⭐️

[lilypadlys]

Domestic December Day 31 - Happy New Year!

The Ghouls' NYE celebration

Notes: Prompt list by comp-lady. See prompt list here

Holy fuck we made it. Whew! This was a wild month but I'm so happy I managed to get here. Thank you so much to comp-lady for the prompts. Thank you for reading. Happy New Year to you all!

NYE party and kissies below the cut or on AO3

The ghoul’s new years eve party is in full swing. All the ghouls as well as Copia, have gathered in the common room to mingle. They’ve got gold tinsel left over from yule strung around the common room, party poppers enchanted with quintessence to emit harmless colored sparks when pulled; Copia even tracked down enough champagne to keep ten hell beasts occupied for at least a couple hours.

Cirrus and Cumulus are cuddling on the couch, feeding each other h’orderves. Sunny is watching/egging on Dew and Swiss as they see how many flutes of champagne they can down before they get tipsy. Rain and Mountain disappeared to a closet a while back after they both got more than tipsy. Phantom and Aurora are eagerly eyeing both the clock and the poppers and noise makers that had to be placed on a high shelf so they didn’t use them all up at once. Aether and Copia are chatting and keeping an eye on the others (Swiss and Dew) to ensure the chaos doesn’t get out of hand.

Fifteen minutes to midnight, it’s finally time to head outside. Phantom and Aurora lead the charge to the lawn where siblings and clergy members alike have gathered on blankets in preparation for the fireworks. The rest of the pack follow close behind with Copia bringing up the rear. They find an open spot and settle down. They pass around the party poppers and noise makers as Phantom and Aurora beg Copia to check his watch for the umpteenth time. Five minutes to midnight.

Finally a hush goes over the lawn when the minute countdown starts. Someone yells out, “Ten! Nine!”

The crowd quickly catches on.

“Eight! Seven! Six!”

Party poppers and noise makers are grabbed.

“Five! Four!”

Everyone pulls their friends and lovers close.

“Three! Two! One!”

The chapel bells begin to ring out.

“Happy new year!”

The sky is lit up with quintessence aided fireworks. Everyone cheers. The ghoulettes hug and immediately start exchanging kisses. A very inebriated Rain and Mountain start full on making out. Swiss kisses Phantom on the mouth as Aether pulls Dew close and they exchange a tender kiss. Then everyone turns to Copia, sitting on the edge of the blanket watching the fireworks.

“Bring it in Papa.” Aether beckons.

Copia makes to shuffle over but there’s no need. All ten ghouls immediately smother him in a dog pile of hugs and smooches.

“Happy new year Papa!” They all cheer.

“Happy new year to you all, my ghouls.”

[victorluvsalice]

-->So it was back home for the trio, where Victor fed Toothy AGAIN (hungry hungry cowplant), while Smiler went to sell the painting they’d made earlier and Alice sniffed around and had a scavenge, finding some literalite (a rare, very-cool-looking purple metal) –

Before heading to the jewelry-making bench to make her first set of jewelry! I decided to keep things basic for her first piece – quite literally, in fact, as the simplest set of jewelry you can make is the “Basic” set. XD I thus had her make a Basic metal bracelet out of the silver she’d picked up on her travels – I didn’t want to mess with anything more elaborate, in case it ended up botched (and thus couldn't be charged later on the crystal grid). Fortunately it didn’t, and she ended up with both an excellent-quality metal-wrap bracelet and Gemology skill 2. :D Maybe next time we’ll try something with a crystal in it!

-->As for Victor and Smiler – well, Smiler was feeling rather flirty after getting a message from a friend about a successful date she’d had, and Victor was full of confidence from having his familiar and getting a new spell. So, while Alice was making her jewelry, I had Victor go give Smiler a suave kiss, and sent them upstairs to Victor and Alice’s bedroom...

For a pillow fight! XD Okay, I was looking for the “Bed Makeout” interaction you get with the Cute Romance mod, but when I saw that I was like “I have never tried that and it seems like the kind of thing Smiler at least would do.” XD So yes, they went upstairs and promptly started thwapping each other with pillows until Victor ended up yielding to Smiler’s superior pillow skills. THEN they went ahead and had a bed makeout session (the interaction’s actually under the “romance” category when you click on a Sim – “Physical Affection,” natch). XD Once they’d had their fun, Smiler went to have a bath in their nice tub, while Victor dismissed Darkwing (who was probably like "can you dismiss me before you get frisky next time?") before heading down to his cauldron to do some experimenting. Alice finished up her bracelet while he was doing that and headed upstairs to resume writing her latest book, “Who Stole The Tarts” (on Smiler’s computer, of course), while Smiler headed downstairs to fix a wind turbine before going to chat with Victor and see how his experimenting was coming...

And that is where I left them, as it was getting a bit late and it was officially past midnight in the game. XD Whew – busy day, but a fun one! I am getting into them traveling around the various worlds in the game with their food stand and selling all sorts treats – it’s good gameplay, and makes sure I get them out of the house on the regular. XD Though speaking of their house, I’m starting to wonder if it’s time to revamp their lot...or perhaps move altogether. I like their little farm, but I don’t know if it really has the space for everything I want to do there. At the very least, it would be nice to add a basement for the nectar-making and aging...I’ll have to think about this some more!

However, next time we don't have house revamps – instead, we have party fun! Because I wanted to have Smiler send summer out on a high note, and because they hadn't seen some of their other friends in a while. What kind of party did they host? You'll have to find out next time –

But I will give you this hint: if you know anything about my experiences in Sims 4, you will know I consider this party at least LIGHTLY cursed.

[hyuccubus]

Happy STS! Seasons are changing. Tell me how one or more of your characters would react. Are they dressing cozy? Obsessed with everything pumpkin? Have they been prepping for Halloween since last year?

Whew, many characters to dream up feelings about this. Sounds like fun, though! All the characters are from Target Practice

Swift: It's been a while since Swift got invested in the spirit of the season. He's not a curmudgeon, he just longs for the most important aspect of the holidays; a complete, happy, content family. He's more of a "go with the flow" sort of celebrator over the course of the novel as it happens. "Oh, you're making hot chocolate? I'd love a cup. No, no, don't bring it over, I'll get up." "Oh, we're carving pumpkins? No, I know I didn't bring one, I'll just watch everyone else. Here, let me get your pumpkin guts out of the way." "Oh, we're decorating for Halloween? I'll get up on the ladder to put up the spider webs." He has a habit of giving himself the undesirable tasks, on the one hand to make sure no one else gets it, but also so everyone knows he's reliable.

(I understand you, Swift)

Patches: Oh my GOD there's so much to do, we have to take in every single aspect of this season while it's around, we can actually be outside most of the day and not want to die! We gotta stop by that food stall that only opens during the autumn in the park, they have those pumpkin spice cake pops!!! Plays in the park auditorium at dusk, community trick or treat events, Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight screenings! THE WORLD IS OUR OYSTER!

Ira: Ira would rather die than admit this to present company, but she adores the holidays. Like a metronome, she has drifted from one pole to the other due to past traumas. She will suppress holiday cheer in order to avoid the disappointment that comes with knowing she can't celebrate them with her birth family, but about a week before the big day, she'll swing to the other extreme, guzzling hot toddies and making spooky ghost cookies, forcing the entire group to share ghost stories (much to Specs and Rat's chagrin). She can't help herself.

Lumo: Lumo's all about tradition. It can seem like he's limiting his fun to an itinerary, but structure is fun to him.

"We're decorating cookies at 11, then we're going to the pumpkin patch at 2:00 to pick one that we like, and the appointment is at two sharp, so we're leaving at 1:15, and then when we get back, we're going to carve them right away, 'cause otherwise they'll just be sitting around. I have a playlist I've already made, all the greats, Monster Mash, Flying Purple People Eater, the classics. Then we'll roast the seeds, which will be done in time for a double feature of Nightmare Before Christmas and Wendell and Wild, and it's going to be amazing and no one is going to complain."

Gharial: Gharial, like the eternal cinnamon bun he be, gets into the Halloween spirit the moment the first leaf changes color. Pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters, watching Hocus Pocus on repeat, and tormenting Rat with matching costume ideas. Families might change, but holidays are always there, and rather than live in the past, Gharial prefers the prospect of making new memories with the people he loves right now.

Rat: Guys, can't we slow down with the decorations?

...I didn't say I didn't want to help put them up.

Specs: Wake me up on Halloween night. I am dressing as Oracle from Batman. That is all.

Bruja: The perfect celebration buddy. Down for whatever, whenever. Haunted Forest? I'm gonna make the chainsaw clown laugh. Hayride? I'll bring the blankets! Movie marathon? I've already got popcorn in the microwave. Since Specs and Bruja are together so often, Specs is often along for the ride, though it's less to do with the spirit of the season than it is the blood of the covenant.

Thanks for the ask, Tori! Even after ten years, I'm learning new things about my characters every day.