#and stores are starting to sell pumpkin things

[solarmorrigan]

The Pumpkin (Spice) King

For the @steddie-spooktober day 24 prompt: Pumpkin Rated: T | Words: 945 | CW: None | Tags: established relationship, this is very silly, fluff Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

The clues had been there all along. Eddie should have paid more attention.

It starts with the candle.

“Why does it smell like a craft store in here?” Eddie asks the moment the apartment door has closed behind him.

Steve, half engrossed in whatever he’s scrolling through on his phone, shoots Eddie a quick, puzzled look. “What?”

“Like cinnamon sugar and spices. Fake fall.” Eddie sniffs the room speculatively. “This is what craft stores smell like every year from September to January.”

“Oh.” Steve rolls his eyes. “It’s not ‘fake fall,’ it’s just the candle I have burning.”

Now that Steve’s mentioned it, Eddie spots the candle on the table, one of the ones you get in a fancy-looking glass jar, the label of which proclaims the scent to be–

“Pumpkin spice?” Eddie utters, nose wrinkled.

“You got a problem with pumpkin spice?” Steve asks.

“It’s–” Eddie starts, then takes in Steve’s single raised eyebrow, registers the catty lilt to his tone, and changes tracks, “–barely September.”

If anything, Steve’s eyebrows get more judgmental, but he looks back to his phone, apparently dismissing Eddie as a threat to his fun, fall-scented good time. “They start selling these things in August," he says. “You should appreciate my restraint.”

“Riiight,” Eddie drawls, deciding to adjourn to the bedroom and leave the living room to Steve and his mass-produced miasma of imitation autumn.

Of course, it doesn’t end there.

Eddie barely notices in time, reaching for the pump of the hand soap by the kitchen sink and stopping just short of using it when the colors register. It isn’t the usual bland bottle with its inoffensive citrus and herb scent, but something brightly-colored, all orange and shiny silver. There are little wheat sheaves and pumpkins on the label, and the scent is, of course–

“Fucking pumpkin spice,” Eddie mutters.

Fine, okay, so there must have been some kind of sale at fucking– Bath and Body Works, or wherever the hell it is that sells this stuff, and Steve had temporarily lost his mind. Or something. Whatever.

Steve can go around smelling like something that wishes it could be cinnamon all he likes, but Eddie will not be joining him. He uses the dish soap to wash his hands instead. His eczema will not thank him later, but he thinks it’s a fair price to pay for his continued dignity.

(And if Steve eyes Eddie’s reddened, peeling knuckles later in the week, and the lemon herb soap reappears next to the pumpkin spice soap, well – that’s close enough to a win that Eddie will take it.)

Then there’s the coffee.

This one is technically the final nail in the coffin, but it takes a bit to really dawn on Eddie. He maintains that he had been understandably distracted at the time – largely because he only finds this one out by drawing the taste straight from Steve’s mouth.

It isn’t unusual for Steve to have been up and about for an hour or two (or three) before Eddie rolls out of bed on his days off; Eddie prefers to keep late hours, and Steve, as much as Eddie loves him, is a morning person. This had caused some friction when they’d first started living together, but it’s been nearly a year now, and they’ve managed to work it out. Often, their first kiss of the day tastes like whatever coffee Steve’s already been drinking.

It’s different today, though. Sweeter than usual.

Eddie hums, licking deeper into Steve’s mouth, trying to place the difference, and Steve groans, tugging Eddie closer by the hips, mistaking his curiosity for passion (and, well – it’s not not passion. Eddie can multitask).

“What’ve you been drinking?” Eddie finally asks when they pull apart.

“Pumpkin spice latte,” Steve answers, and then gives Eddie absolutely no chance to process this information, pulling him back in for another deep kiss.

It’s only later, back in bed when Eddie had barely even been out of it for half an hour, that Eddie has to admit to himself: his boyfriend is a pumpkin spice girl.

And that’s fine! Eddie can be mature about this!

Sure, it’s the sort of thing he’d sneered at back in high school—the conformity of the masses flocking to whatever seasonally-scented item corporations are hocking at the time—but he’s grown up since then. Someone’s preference for a certain flavor or scent doesn’t determine their worth as a person, et cetera, et cetera. Eddie knows this.

But still, he’s only human. He does have a breaking point.

“Oh, baby, no.”

“What?” Steve pulls his head out of the fridge, where he’s been putting the cold stuff away as Eddie unloads the grocery bags destined for the pantry.

Eddie holds up the offending item – possibly the most offending item he’s ever seen.

Pumpkin spice candy corn.

Steve blinks at him. “What?” he asks again after a long moment of loaded silence.

“Oh god, it’s already infected your brain,” Eddie laments, dropping the bag of candy on the counter and reaching for his phone. “I’m calling Robin, we’re staging an intervention.”

“Oh come on, what? They’re good!” Steve insists.

“Objectively, sweetheart, they really aren’t. But don’t you worry,” he leans over and pats Steve on the arm as he searches for Robin’s number in his contact list, “we’re gonna save you from yourself.”

(Later, of course, he’ll find out that Robin has already tried to break Steve of his tendency to buy anything labeled with “pumpkin spice.” His love of the stuff is ironclad. She tells Eddie that he’d better learn to enjoy the taste, or else give up making out with his boyfriend until Thanksgiving.)

[ghostofskywalker]

'Tis The Season

Wanda Maximoff/Reader

Fictober 2024 Day 1 of 31

Words: 756

Summary: How early is too early to start putting up Halloween decorations? According to your girlfriend, never.

Note: happy october everyone! this was one of the first fictober fics i wrote and i knew immediately that it had to be day one :)

Wanda Maximoff Masterlist

The first shock of the morning was the realization that the shades on the windows were pulled up, and that was not how you had left them the night before. The sun was bright today, and the fact that you had just woken up certainly did not make it easier to deal with. Stifling a groan, you turned (with the intention of using your pillow to block out some of the morning rays), but you stopped before you could truly plunge yourself back into comforting darkness. 

The space on the bed next to you was empty, the second surprise of the morning. Wanda was a notoriously late sleeper, and she had a bad habit of convincing you to stay with her longer than you technically had the time for. This wasn’t usually a problem when you were staying at the Avengers’ compound, but the fact that the two of you now owned a house about 10 minutes away meant that you had been more than just fashionably late to some important meetings. 

But now, it was like she had never been there in the first place, despite the fact that you knew you had fallen asleep with your arms around your girlfriend last night. Intrigued as to what had caught her attention, you reluctantly got out of bed, catching a glance at the scene out the window. With leaves lush and green on the trees and pillow-like clouds already in the sky, it was the picturesque ideal of a summer morning. Last weekend, you had gone down to the beach with Wanda, and the early August weather was perfect for an evening bonfire. 

But the third (and most jarring) shock of the morning was the fact that even though Mother Nature had her sights firmly set on summer for the foreseeable future, your home had apparently not gotten the message. Fake pumpkins, leafy autumn garland, and cartoonish malefactors were splayed out along every counter and table in the kitchen, and your girlfriend was in the middle of it all, hands on her hips as she attempted to decide where everything should go. 

Now, things were starting to make sense. Last year, you had gone out with her to shop for a costume, and you could see her eyes light up as the two of you walked through the winding aisles of the halloween store. Now that you had some decor stored away from the previous year, she didn’t have to worry about what the stores had to start putting things up. And besides, she was technically a witch, so you shouldn’t really be surprised that she clicked with the holiday celebrating magic, darkness, and the otherwise slightly austere. 

You yawned, and it caught Wanda’s attention. “Good morning,” she said, walking over to you so she could place a kiss on your cheek. Somehow, she even smelled like pumpkin pie. “I was wondering when you were going to get up.” 

“What’s all this?” you asked, raising your eyebrows at some of the (slightly tacky-looking, if you were being honest) decor splayed out on the table. “Did I somehow sleep three weeks and no one told me?” 

Now it was Wanda’s turn to look confused. “What?” 

“It’s barely August, why are you putting out halloween decorations out?” 

“It’s not ‘barely August,’ it’s practically fall already,” she said, laughing at the face you made. “The pumpkin coffees are coming out soon, so I figured we could get a head start on the festivities.” 

“What about the end of summer?”

“There’s nothing stopping us from going down to the beach and coming home to a sufficiently spooky home.”

There was nothing you could do to resist the face she made, and you couldn’t help the smile that crossed your face. “I do suppose that they’re already selling these kinds of decorations in the store…”

“Exactly,” she said, leaning in to place a soft kiss on your lips. “Now come on, I think I need a second opinion on where to put the ghosts, and then once we clean up a little I’m going to make pumpkin pancakes.” 

Your stomach growled at the mention of food, and you reached down to take Wanda’s hand. You could live with some slightly spooky decorations taking up residence in your home for a little longer than you previously expected, and you also began to mentally plan out the perfect pumpkin picking/jack-o-lantern carving date to surprise Wanda with. 

Though of course, that would have to be scheduled for after the pumpkins had finished growing.

- the end -

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[jujumin-translates]

[A3!] Event | Devil Maid’s Holiday | Episode 1

Sakuya: …

Sakuya: (I’m gonna do some etude practice once I get home today, and then I’ll read the rest of that play I borrowed from the library…)

Izumi: Sakuya-kun?

Sakuya: …Ah, Director!

Izumi: What a coincidence. Are you on your way back from your part-time job?

Sakuya: Yeah! Are you out shopping?

Izumi: I am. I was just about to go to the supermarket to get some ingredients for dinner.

Sakuya: Then I’ll help you carry things!

Izumi: Are you sure? You’re just coming back from your part-time job, aren’t you tired, Sakuya-kun?

Sakuya: I feel totally fine! Let’s go.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: These ghost-shaped chocolates are pretty cute. And this is a… candy box?

Izumi: With Halloween coming up, there sure have been a lot of recipes using pumpkins going around lately. And there are lots of decorations and candies being sold too.

Sakuya: Right, Halloween…!

Izumi: We need to start getting ready for the Halloween party too.

Sakuya: Right. I can’t wait for it this year either.

Izumi: Anyway, we need to finish today’s shopping first. To start, I need to get some pumpkins and… Right, some milk too.

Sakuya: I’ll go grab the milk then.

Izumi: Thanks, sounds good.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

*Door opens*

Izumi: We’re back.

Sakuya: We’re home.

Yuki: Ah, you’re finally here. Welcome back. Director, can I talk to you for a second?

Izumi: Hm? What’s up?

Yuki: Well, I want to talk to you about something, but…

Sakuya: Ah, sorry, if there’s something you want to talk about, I can leave! I’ll get out of your way right away…

Yuki: Do whatever you want. It’s not like I care if you hear. And don’t you need to go put the things you bought in the fridge?

Sakuya: R-Right.

Sakuya: Okay, I’ll go and put the vegetables away then.

Izumi: Thanks, I’d really appreciate that.

Izumi: …Alright, what is it that you wanted to talk about then, Yuki-kun?

Yuki: Remember how I was allowed to sell my costumes on consignment at a specific clothing store one time?

Izumi: Of course. All the clothes were so cute that they sold out almost instantly. How could I forget that?

Yuki: I just got a personal request to create some costumes for someone who bought some of the clothes I made back then.

Izumi: You did!?

Yuki: That’s why I was waiting for you to get back. I wanted to talk to you about it just in case. Do you think I should try doing it?

Izumi: If someone went out of their way to request you specifically, and it doesn’t affect your schoolwork or your work within the company, I think you should do it, Yuki-kun.

Izumi: I’m sure it'll be good for you, and it might come full circle and be good for MANKAI Company too.

Izumi: And luckily, you’ve still got some time before Winter Troupe starts their performance. So I’m sure you’ll be able to pull it off.

Yuki: Thanks. …Alright, I’ll take on the challenge then.

Sakuya: That’s incredible, Yuki-kun!

Sakuya: Ah, sorry… I kinda ended up listening in on the entire thing. I was just so curious…

Yuki: It’s not like I really care. I literally told you that you could stay.

Sakuya: By the way, what kinda costumes is the person asking you to make?

Yuki: They said they wanted costumes for idols to wear for a big Halloween event.

Izumi: Idols? Are you talking about…?

Izumi: Isn’t there that idol group who formed a troupe to enter the Fleur Cup?

Izumi: I think I saw something on social media the other day about a couple of groups performing at a big Halloween event.

Yuki: Really?

Izumi: I only sort of glanced at it, so I’m not entirely sure, but.

Yuki: Hmm…

Yuki: Anyway, they said they wanted me to make just one outfit first, and then they’ll ask me to make more depending on how that one turns out, so I guess I’ll just get started on making one right away.

Izumi: Gotcha, good luck!

Sakuya: I’ll be supporting you too!

[ Next Part ⇢ ]

[sociallyrepressed]

season of the witch

Salem always glows this time of year. As soon as the first leaf departs from its tree, the residents line their lawns with plastic figures and blown-up monstrosities. The neighborhood children gather to bake Halloween cookies and carve pumpkins. Stores open for the flow of tourists hunting ghost stories- which is very lucky for Franco considering half of his business is guiding ghost tours during the busy season. The other half of his job is selling antiques while coming up with creative stories about how the previous owners still haunt them.

They’re not actually haunted- he checks them personally after he got in trouble with Lando for gifting him a potted plant that attempted to eat one of his students. Which is really Lando’s fault for not checking, because why did he put the plant in his classroom without even testing it for magical conformities? Anyways, it led to a traumatic series of events in which Lando had to wipe the child’s memory and tell her parents she got a concussion for misusing the monkey bars, and now Franco checks for traces of spell or curse residue before he sells them.

His thoughts are interrupted by the man himself.

“Are you going to help me put the lights up or not?” Lando’s leaning against the doorframe, hip cocked and eyebrow raised.

“If you tone down the sass I will think about it.” He ducks as his favorite mug is lobbed at his head- bright pink with black letters that read “witch, please”. It came in a matching set; Lando’s is dark gray with bright green letters that spell out “witch bitch” . Franco flicks his fingers to stop its momentum, protecting it from shattering on the floor. “Why do you not use magic to put them up? Clearly it is not above you.”

“Because we have to keep appearances for the neighbors. And also I thought it might be fun.” Lando pushes off the wall and disappears into the back hallway, returning with a bundle of lights and their cat darting around his heels, trying to get at the trailing ends. They are most definitely tangled, Franco sighs.

“You could not get them untangled.” 

“Nope. And also made it worse,” he looks entirely unapologetic as he dumps the lights onto the carpet in front of Franco, plopping onto his knees. He pulls Lucky Bastard (affectionately dubbed by Lando when they rescued him as a sopping pathetic little thing during a storm) into his lap, away from the lights, and pats the space next to him in invitation. And who is Franco to deny his- admittedly incompetent- witch. When Lando doesn't reach out and start tugging at the loose ends, Franco realizes his intended role. “But maybe you could work your magic.” Lando’s got this wide cheesy grin on his face, gap tooth on display. It’s the one Franco likes most because of how unguarded it is; it’s the one Lando weaponizes the most because he knows this.

“Ay, Lando, you are evil.” He still closes his eyes and reaches into his own soul, imagining a bright tangle of lights. He imagines it coming apart, pulling into organized pieces. The magic crackles in the air, and he knows in the silence Lando is watching, enraptured. 

He has his own talents and spells, but he always seems so captivated when Franco uses his magic- he’s been accused on more than one occasion of using some kind of enchantment, until Lando realized the reason for his interest was due moreso to his own feelings than any magical influence. 

It takes a few minutes to completely disentangle, if only for the reason Lando did, in fact, make the knot worse. By the time he opens his eyes, there are long strips in front of him and Lando is leaned forward on his knees, braced on his hands. His eyes are bright and excited, mouth curved into something happy. Lucky Bastard is already attempting to ruin the lights. Franco allows himself to tip forward just enough to press a light, fluttery kiss to the corner of Lando’s lips. He doesn't linger, instead pulling back and laughing as Lando tries to chase his lips and ends up faceplanting right into the lights. He’s scowling when he pushes himself back up, but Franco doesn't feel intimidated when there are imprints of bulbs across the side of his cheeks and temple.

“I thought you wanted to go put them up.” He stands and grabs one of the strings, making his way towards the front door.

“I hate you!” He hears it echo in the foyer, but he can also hear the hasty rustling of Lando getting up and grabbing a different strand. 

“Ah, if only that were true.”

--

“You are not funny, amor. It was not so funny the last four years, and it is not funny this year.” Honestly, Franco doesn't know how he puts up with so much. Lando thinks it's hysterical that he dresses up as a witch for the school’s celebration of All Hallow’s Eve. Witches are common costumes, but he’s still going to get in trouble with the local coven for some kind of appropriation. Last year, it was because “witches don't have ugly warts on their noses or cackle loudly”. (In Franco’s opinion, that describes the pompous witches in the coven perfectly.) Luckily, this year he’s toned it down to a dramatic black velvet robe, a scraggly wooden broom, and an offensively pointed hat that looks like it could genuinely hurt somebody. He’s put on a light layer of makeup to accentuate the shape of his eyes and make him more glow-y, which shouldn’t be doing it for Franco as much as it is.

“All the kids love it, plus I think it’s better than being a vampire.” He cocks his head to the side. “But that's probably because you’re pale enough to look like one already.” Lando reaches around and smacks Franco on the backside, and he can feel some heat rise to his face. “Oh, there’s your lively color!” 

“Do not start something we do not have time to finish,” Franco pushes Lando out of his face by convincing the car keys to collide with his cheek.

“Hey!” Franco is already turned out the front door and in the car before Lando can retaliate. “Cheater.” When he catches up he slinks into the passenger and drops the keys into the cupholder.

“Oh, baby, do not be such a sore loser. One day you will be fast enough to keep up,” he leans across the center console and kisses him. Contrary to what he said before, he’s the one to initiate their make-out session in the car. He has not always been so great with self-control, and Lando is looking at him with winged eyes and glossy lips pulled into a pout. He never actually stood a chance. They don't separate until Franco commits a transgression of the highest degree- he runs his hand through Lando’s hair and tugs a curl until it loosens. He squawks and jerks back, pulling down the passenger side visor just enough to see the top of his head so that he can fix his hair even though it's just going to get covered up by the witch’s hat anyway.

 Franco laughs and he keeps rustling different curls the whole drive (“Stop it! Focus on driving.” “Ah, my love, my eyes are on the road, I am not even thinking of you. I promise I am not doing anything.”). As they’re pulling into the parking lot, Lando is finally once again at peace with his hair. It’s a shame Franco’s one goal in life is to continually cause chaos.

He turns and reaches out again to grab Lando’s face, pulling it in. His pretty eyes are narrowed in suspicion as he leans his own face closer. Franco can feel him shiver when his breath ghosts over his ear, “your lipgloss is smudged, my love.” Lando shoves him away again and smacks his shoulder.

“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”

“You have said this already multiple times, yet I do not believe you anymore now than I did earlier.” Lando pauses his movement just long enough to send him a stink eye. He opens his mouth to say something but Franco cuts him off, “oh, look. The party has started, and we are now late.” The lights in the gymnasium are flashing greens and pinks, some type of loud music permeating the otherwise quiet night.

His witch snorts but gets out of the car, straightening his costume. When Franco moves to get out, his door locks. Everytime he unlocks it, it relocks.

“Lando.” He sends some leaves to flutter around Lando’s head. Suitably distracted trying to protect his hair from further assault, Franco gets out of the car. When they actually get inside of the gym, a group of middle schoolers all flock to Lando, chattering excitedly. He’s content to stand to the side and observe, but one of the kids sees him and points.

“Mr. L, is that your boyfriend?” Lando sputters for a few moments, both to the amusement of the kids and Franco. But when he looks at Franco with wide eyes, he decides to step in and introduce himself.

“Yes, I’m Franco. His boyfriend.” Witches don't usually do the whole dating and marriage thing. When they’re born, their souls are split into fragments, and one of the fragments is used as a courting gift that binds with a soul fragment of another witch. It’s far more intimate than the courting rituals of regular mortals. He does not explain this to the kids. One girl that looks vaguely familiar stares him down, a frown on her lips.

“He may be your boyfriend, but he’s our teacher. So we get to have him tonight since we’re at school, plus we want to win the pizza party.” Franco raises his eyebrows, but Lando’s got this glint in his eyes that can only spell mischief.

“Audrey, Franco is really good at games. He can help us win.” He’s not really listening to Lando because it clicks into place- this is the girl the plant tried to eat. Now he’s obligated to help them win the pizza party since he’s the reason she almost died, even if she doesn't remember.

“Yes. I will help you all win.” The kids cheer and storm through until they get to the side of the gym housing all the carnival games. Franco and Lando trail behind. “You are an evil, evil man.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. Come on, we have to win. I’ll be damned if I ever hear George talking about how superior his class is just because they got a pizza party again.” Franco rolls his eyes, but links their fingers together and they wander over to play games.

Later, they’re back in their house, in their bed, curled around each other. Lucky Bastard is on top of Lando’s chest, purring loudly. Lando presses feather soft kisses to the side of Franco’s face, and he can feel their soul fragment glow warm and soft.

[goatcheesecak3]

Halloween headcanons 🎃🦇🕸🕷

Going thru a few of devon's characters and guessing what they'd be getting up to on Halloween

#1 Adam

He's most likely taking you to some frat party, nothing too special, but he does dress up - well kinda. He puts a little fake blood around his mouth, says he's a vampire and calls it a day. Halloween is more about the parties than the spooks for him.

#2 Freddy Klein

Halloween is a business opportunity for him, knowing that parents are gonna be taking their kids trick or treating, he organises a few spooky games and refreshment to try and get their attention to the dealership. You help the kids play games like bobbing for apples, while Freddy tries to sell cars to their parents. Once the night is over, the two of you celebrate some successful sales wrapped up on the sofa with a couple of beers.

#3 Casper Galloway

Casper HATES Halloween, he's a big scaredy cat. Even the doorbell ringing from trick or treaters makes him jump out of his skin. He's still pretty freaked out from the whole zemon thing, so you go out of your way to distract him on Halloween. You order a pizza and snuggle up in bed to watch anything other than a horror film - he usually picks a rom com because let's face it, this man is a huuuuge softie.

#4 Mike (rip picture quality)

You and Mike go to great lengths to make Halloween fun for Angel. You carve pumpkins together, make her a little boo basket and take her trick or treating. You let her stay up an hour past her bed time on Halloween, so she can watch a spooky film for kids, like monster House. Once she's been put to bed, you and Mike split a bottle of wine while watching a classic horror film and fall asleep on the sofa together.

#5 Dean Taylor

According to Dean, Halloween is just an excuse to go out and raise hell without getting in trouble. He's been known to graffiti people's houses, set people's bins on fire and even mug drunk party goers. He's kinda an ass.

Where are you while all this is going on? You're at home none the wiser, waiting for him to get back so you can watch a movie together. You're under the impression that he's just out getting some snacks.. but now he's been gone an hour and you're pretty sure the store is closed by now.. oh, never mind, he just got back. He always seems to show up juuuust when you start to worry.

#Rodrick Heffley (yeah i made you wait until the very end, I know that's who you came here for)

He's throwing a rager, and you better believe he's gone all out with his costume. He's painted his face to look like a skeleton and ordered a cheap robe off amazon so he can go as the grim reaper. He usually gets pretty drunk at parties, but on Halloween, every time without a doubt, he gets absolutely wasted. It ends up being your job to carry him up to bed and try to wipe his face paint off him so he doesn't ruin his bedsheets. He ends up getting very clingy and insists that you stay and cuddle with him instead of going back to the party - which you have no problem with at all.

A/n happy Halloween everyone! Hope you enjoyed these hcs, and let me know if you think I should do more "How different characters would act in a scenario" type headcanons- because this was a lot of fun to write!

As always, replies and reblogs are greatly appreciated, they help me figure out what sort of stuff people wanna see more of :^)

Requests are still open! Check my pinned post for details

[luci-is-a-bitch-x3x]

Obey Me! Brothers do Pumpkin Carving!

━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━

Welcome! Halloween's here so I have some Halloween content for you! The characters may not be how you imagine! I apologize for any poor jokes, bad spelling, and terrible grammar. Without further ado, please enjoy the content. ♡

━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━

After lots of convincing Mc is able to convince every brother to do some pumpkin carving with them! Mc and the brothers decide to just buy pumpkins from a store, yes going to the pumpkin patch is part of the fun, but Beel might accidently eat all the pumpkins and then everyone would have to foot the bill. Beel wasnt allowed to go to the store to buy his pumpkin with everyone else, but Mc and Belphie promise to pick him a good pumpkin. As promised they pick Beel the biggest pumpkin to carve. Belphie gets a regular sized pumpkin. Mammon, Lucfier and Satan all get regular sized pumpkins as well. Levi gets a large pupmkin, not as big as Beel's just big enough to carve what he wants to carve. Asmo gets both a large pumpkin and a tiny pumpkin. Out of pity an extra couple of pumpkins were bought so Beel could eat them. With the pumpkins bought they all gather in the kitchen in HoL and set everything up so they can carve their pumpkins. Mc set a rule where everyone had to carve a face into the pumpkin, Mc wasn't specific enough and choas breaks out, Mc did this in hopes that competitions wouldn't arise. For the first five to ten minutes everything is calm and collected, it almost feels like a normal family is carving pumpkins, but chaos inevitably breaks out.

It started with.. Asmo and Mammon stencilling the same thing on their pumpkins. Probably a popular pupkin design on Devilgram. The two of them were just arguing at first, but with neither willing to change their pumpkin design a physical fight began to approach. Thanks to Levi's quick thinking the fight was avoided, Levi told Mammon if he went with an orginal or an intricate design he might be able to make some Grimm off his pumpkin. So of course Mammon was willing to switch his pumpkin design, that design wouldn't make Grimm! Mammon ends up not selling his pumpkin because it looks so nice sitting outside next to Mc's pumpkin.

Then.. Levi and Satan started arguing over which one of them got to use the better carving tools. Lucifer didn't want to spend a bunch so only a couple sets of the tool kits were bought. The twins were sharing a tool kit, Asmo and Lucifer were sharing a tool kit, Mammon and Mc were sharing a tool kit, although everyone allowed Mc to use their carving tools, Satan and Levi were supposed to be sharing a tool kit, but instead they both began to horde and fight over the better carving tools. Satan wanted to carve a cats face so he wanted it had to be carved well obviously. Levi wanted to carve Ruri-Chan's face so his had to be carved perfect obviously. The two of them started to argue so bad that they both turned into their demon forms. Levi threatened to summom Lotan when Satan called Ruri-Chan a 'waste of digital space' and a '2'D disaster'. Mc broke their fight up and asked the twins to share with them instead of each other. It wasnt a big deal as Belphie had already began to fall asleep, Beel ended up sharing with Levi and Satan was sharing with a half asleep Belphie.

All was well for a good thirty minutes, everyone was getting into the groove of carving their pumpkins, but suddenly one of the brothers said- 'my pumpkins definitely going to turn out the best' -probably Mammon, Satan, Belphie or Asmo. The others can be competitive but i feel like they were really focusing. The person who said it probably said it to make chaos break loose, and thats exactly what happened. They started arguing while carving their pumpkins, whatever carving tools they had were now theirs, they werent sharing anymore. Unless it, Beel or Lucifer, they didnt care about the competition. Levi kept his tools just so he could carve a good pumpkin, Belphie actually had some good tools and then fell asleep with them in his death grip. Ha, get it?

The last of the time spent carving pumpkins was pretty argumentative and competitive, only a few participants were acting calm and nonchalant. In the end there was no contest, some of the brothers tried to get Mc to judge but Mc said they wanted this to be a 'fun family experience', Mc had to promise to judge a competition on a later date.

How the pumpkins turn out:

Lucifer knew what Mc meant when they made the rule, so Lucifer went with a spooky face. It was simple but also somehow intimidating. It looked rather spooky with a candle lit inside, and when it rotted it looked even cooler. Lucifer's pumpkin only survived until it rotted because Mc begged the Anti-Lucifer squad to not destroy it. Mc wanted to set all the pumpkins out on HoL's porch, Luci's pumpkin was the last to start rotting besides Mc's. Lucifer's pumpkin didn't get to rot for long, his brothers begged to blow it up.

Mammon didnt really know that Mc just meant a regular face, but he didn't do anything crazy. Mammon had to take awhile to think of his design as he couldn't do his what he originally planned to do because of Asmo. Mammon ended up doing a plain goofy face, it wasnt very intricate but if you held it up to Mammon him and the pumpkin have the same goofy grin. Mammon's pumpkin didn't get to rot, it was on HoL's porch one day and the next day it was gone, someone stole his pumpkin. Mammon was upset because if it was good enough to steal it was good enough to sell! He wouldn't of sold it, Mc was too happy when he put his pumpkin next to theirs.

Leviathan didn't fully understand what Mc meant, he understood it had to be a face. Levi was planning to do Ruri-chan no matter what so he just carved Ruri-chan's face. It was probably the most intricate besides maybe Asmo's. Levi did the anime eyes, nose, and mouth, and then he carved out Ruri-Chans bangs. It was a really good carving, everyone was suprised it wasnt the one that got stolen. Out of all 6 pumpkins that got to rot, Levi's was the 4th to start rotting. Levi was extremely sad and held a small funeral of respect, thats Ruri-Chan he has to pay respect!

Satan understood what Mc meant which is why he chose to make a simple cat face, yes thats not exactly what Mc wanted but how could he resist? Satan's pumpkin was adorable. It was carved out like you where looking face to face with a cat, it didnt have to many details, just cat eyes, the little snoot, a simple mouth and some ears. As simple as it seemed it was adorable and he was super proud of it. Him being proud of it and the fact that his pumpkin rotts before Lucifer's enrages Satan. Satan's pumpkin is the second to start rotting, he was fumming when he saw it, the only reason he didn't go on a rampage is because an actual cat sjowed up in time. Satan made a promise to Mc so he couldn't destroy Lucifer's pumpkin, but Belphie and him give Lucifer "his just deserts" by pranking him extra.

Asmodeus didn't understand what Mc meant, and even though he made a big deal out of getting to do the design from Devilgram, Asmo ended up doing his face. To be fair it was like a close up, he carved out his eyes and nose, some of his hair and part of a mouth. Asmo may not have understood that Mc meant a simple pumpkin face, but he slayed at carving his anyways, it was really well done. Asmo's pumpkin started to rot first and he was distraught. How can his beautiful pumpkin, with his beautiful face be the one to rot first?!?!?! He took it as a bad sign for his health, was so dramatic and worrisome over a pumpkin rotting first.

Beelzebub understood what Mc meant, he went with a pumpkin face that was drooling. 'The pumpkin is thinking of food' was Beel's explanation. Beel's pumpkin had two cute eyes but when the pumpkin carving began to take to long, Beel's pumpkin lost an eye to his hunger. Yes, he did straight up take a bite out of the pumpkin, luckily he didn't eat all of it. Mc was actually lucky enough to get a picture of Beel's pumpkin before he ate part of it and after. Everyone was baffled that Beel's pumpkin wasn't the first to rot, as it had a bite chunk missing out of it. Beel's pumpkin actually survived for awhile, it rotted just before Lucifer's did.

Belphegor was half asleep but he understood to just make a simple face. Sadly he fell asleep and was still asleep when everyone started finishing up. When Belphie had been awake he managed to carve a mouth so when he woke up he carved a quick circle above the mouth and claimed he made a cyclops. Even though he was half asleep, and then fully asleep, his pumpkin still looked rather cute. Belphie's pumpkin was the 3rd to start rotting, his started rotting soon after Satan's. Belphie was upset that his rotted before Lucifer's but he wasn't as upset as Satan. Belphie convinced Satan to pull extra pranks on Lucifer due to their pumpkins rotting first. Like thats Luci's fault.

━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━

Thats all for now babes! Hope you enjoyed!! ♡ This is not proofread. Feel free to comment or reblog any thoughts or any add ons you have! Sorry I haven't posted in a bit loves! I wanted to do some Halloween content but I was to busy to actually write any. I will be posting more Halloween content, I'll try and get some more out on Halloween, but it might come a bit after! I know I have lots of content I need to finish and I apologize for that! I hope you have a scary Halloween!! Stay tuned for more! Stay Safe! & Stay Spooky!

━☆*:･ﾟ✧✧ ♡ ❀ ♡ ✧━

⟡˙⋆Masterlist⋆˙⟡

[wormstacheangel]

it's still nov 5 where I am so enjoy this long ramble fix it <3

It started with finding a flower growing by Baby’s tire. He plucked it and placed it on the dashboard as he drove away. Later the flower found itself sitting on Dean’s desk. Seeing the small yellow daisy grow in the cracks of old concrete reminded him of a certain someone. It made him smile. 

So when he saw someone selling flowers on the side of the road he bought a bouquet of them. He then started to keep a 20$ bill on him at all times just in case he saw the opportunity to buy one or two. 

The grocery store owner was throwing away some chipped planters and Dean offered to take them, giving the man the 20$ bill he was saving and buying some random flower seeds. That night he stayed up late looking up how to grow a flower. 

Sam bought him a cactus—it had a little flower growing on top—and Dean added it to his growing collection on his desk. He now had some on his nightstand and over his bed too. Eileen mentioned how bright the place looked. She didn’t mention that Dean was starting to look better too. 

Some plants didn’t make it, a lot of them needed sun and not just those bright lights Dean had to buy. He didn’t find it fair that he trapped all these beautiful things underground. Suffocating them. Ruining them. Killing them. He got a shovel and bought some fresh dirt. A rooftop garden shouldn’t be that hard.

Dean added umbrellas, beach chairs, and a cooler to his oasis. He had a small speaker playing an audiobook while his fingers were covered in dirt. Pulling weeds and encouraging his sunflowers to grow. He was alone and yet he felt surrounded by their presence. In everything beautiful, there was a little sign of his best friend.

Dean always imagined Cas like a natural disaster wanting to be a simple breeze. He didn’t want to break anything. He only wanted to exist in a world where he could watch everything grow. Wanting to help wherever he could. He wanted to be good. He desperately wanted to be good. Dean planted irises. 

Onions, potatoes, and carrots are the next to grow. Jack enjoyed digging them out. He couldn’t wait to see how big his pumpkins would grow. Dean missed the beautiful colors of the flowers but his room still looked bright.

The sun was high up in the sky but Dean didn’t mind. He was singing his favorite song, had a cooling rag around his neck, and a big sun hat on his head. His rooftop garden has grown. There now was a tent shading the flowers that needed it and a little plastic kiddie pool for his feet to rest when he needed it. Right now he was content, seeing his garden so beautiful and full. In that moment he felt whole.

Sam and Dean lay on the beach chairs staring up at the stars. It reminded them of a time when it was just them. They had no home just a job to do. Just chess pieces in a game they had no choice but to play along with. Now they had a choice. Dean decided he wouldn’t soak his hands in blood anymore. Sam supported him. They’ll look for a place in the morning. Right now they’ll enjoy the sky. 

Starting over alone didn’t feel right. The new house was a big fixer-upper but it felt like a place he could grow old in. Dean bought a bouquet of flowers to place in the middle of the kitchen table. Someday it will feel like home and he’ll be happy here.

He set a small table outside. He didn’t know how much he missed constantly being able to see the sky. His routine always involved being able to watch it turn color over the lake. He sat drinking his coffee and eating his omelet. He didn��t listen to the news but instead, he filled the air with his favorite cartoons. He was starting to feel like himself.

Starting a garden was easier when he didn’t have to climb so far up. He tried growing everything he could. Filling his land with edible plants and beautiful flowers. He made a path with some old bricks. He built a garden door. He added a wooden bench. There’s a bird feeder that Eileen gifted him hanging on the tree branch and underneath was a bird bath. Jack gifted him a little garden gnome and Sam brought a rainbow doormat. Dean rolled his eyes but he placed it at his front door. 

It was snowing but it wasn’t sticking to the ground. Dean was in the kitchen cutting tomatoes for soup. He had plans to make the best-grilled cheese and watch Christmas movies. Next weekend everyone will show up to celebrate some sort of Christmas. Dean even had a tree in the corner, decorated with lights only cause his new cat knocked everything off. He didn’t mind. 

Three years passed in a blink of an eye and Dean could still feel the hot grip on his shoulder. It woke him up time and time again, and just like every other time, he got dressed to take a walk. He hated to bother his little munchkin but she was asleep on her side of the bed. Small and curled up on her little blanket. He zipped up his jacket and gave her a little kiss. A promise to come back. He walked down the side of the lake, hands deep in his pockets, the snow was gone but some patches remained here and there. He hasn’t felt so alone in a while. Maybe it was all his guests leaving that brought this on but he couldn’t help but feel someone was missing the whole time. He’s always missing.

Another new year and Dean was in his garden preparing the dirt for the new harvest. His flower garden usually took priority but there’s not much he could do about that during this cold weather. His plants inside were thriving though. He was so into the audiobook that Dean didn’t hear the footsteps. He was on his knees pulling weeds and listening to the main character decide if love was worth the career she worked so hard for. She just shouted his name when he heard his own name being called. Dean jumped, ready to throw the small weeding hoe in his hand but instead, he froze. 

“Hello, Dean.” He smiled. He had longer hair and a full beard coming in but it was him. “Um, Sam told me this is where you live now.”

Dean stood up. He felt cold, his legs shaking but he kept his stare on his visitor. 

“It’s beautiful. Your home.” 

Dean swallowed the lump as he whispered, “Thanks.” He started at him for a bit longer before taking a step forward. “Cas?”

Cas nodded, and his eyes started to water. “I’m back. I’m back, Dean.”

Dean didn’t hear anymore. He ran to him. Wrapping the angel in his arms and savoring every second of it. He felt the long brown hair between his fingers and the smell of rain still lingered on Cas’s skin. 

It was him. Dean took a deep breath. It hurt his chest and he wondered how many years was he holding that in. 

Dean took Cas’s face between his hands and felt himself fall in love all over again. How did he ever think he could live without him? Cas was everywhere in his house but it was never going to be enough. 

“Welcome home, Cas.” He breathed out in relief and Cas chuckled, his hands on Dean’s waist. 

“I’ve been waiting so long to hear that.”

Dean smiled, his eyes remembering every second of this moment. “Fuck, I missed you so much.” He leaned in and the next thing he knew they were kissing. 

Finally kissing. Finally together. 

Dean could taste both their tears as they kissed but they were unwilling to let go of each other. From this moment on they will never be apart. 

“I love you.” Dean breathes into Cas’s lips. Kissing slowly and lazily. “I loved you for so long.”

“Me too.” Cas kisses Dean’s nose. Kisses Dean’s cheeks. Kisses Dean’s eyelids and then his lips. “My heart has always been yours.”

Dean knew that from now on, together they would grow and it would be beautiful.

Time has passed and the sun was high in the sky. They both worked outside, listening to a book about dragons and magic because it was Cas's turn to pick, and they created shade for their flowers. A little green house was next on their list but building the second floor was taking a lot of their time. Still they both enjoyed the outdoors. Dean made lunch for them and they sat outside on Dean's little table for two. They talked about the future with no fear, only excitement. And they held hands across the table, laughing about something stupid and creating memories they never thought were possible. Munchkin sat at their feet enjoying the sun just as much as them. The family will come over for dinner soon so they know they'll have to head inside but right now they're in their own bubble. Content and happy. Surrounded by growing love.

[hetalia-club]

Stardew Mod Alfred Jones (America)

Summary of Town & Buildings you should read this first if you haven't so you're not confused.

Jones Household: Alfred

Alfred (America), His brother is Matthew (Canada) and they are also roommates living on a ranch/ tree nursery together at the furthest end of Cindersnap forest. They own a small farm where America raises cows & Canada has a small tree nursery where he taps trees for maple. They live the furthest away from town so they have space to farm. They come from a family of Ranchers and got a very large trust fund from their parents. Being raised rich he does not really have a concept for money and will often say tone deaf things until you form a relationship with him. (Commenting on your clothes similar to how Haley does) Bakery contribution- Supplies Milk for the baked goods and coffee Drinks. He also makes all the Apple Pie. Alfred Visits the Bakery on Monday morning around 10am to make his milk deliveries. He will stay there for about an hour and then head home opening his store around 12pm that day. Alfred break down: Alfred Loves grindball, cows and eating. He used to be in the military and fought with Kent in the war against the Gotoro Empire. After an injury he was given an honorary discharge and deals with the guilt of feeling like he got out easy. His Milk puns can make for a fun double entendre that he is unaware of. He can come off as self-centered and chauvinistic at times but he means well. This boy loves cows and will talk about them any chance you give him. He’s a cowboy if you will. But just because was a trust fund kid does not mean he’s afraid of getting his hands dirty or hard work. Don’t let his condescending demeanor rub you the wrong way once you break that outer shell this farm boy will love you until the cows come home. The Ranch-His house doubles as a ranch so he sells Barn Animals like Marnie does and Hay + tools like sheers, milk pale and anything else you might need for your animals. He does not have as big of a selection of Marnie but his prices are slightly cheaper if you are willing to make the trek there for your stuff. Animals bought from Alfred are already full grown and there is not waiting period to have them grow from babies as Alfred raises the animals up himself so they will start producing products right away. Keep Reading Down Below >>>>

Birthday- Summer 4 Loves- Pumpkin Pie, Banana Pudding, Survival Burger, All varieties of Milk, Gold Bar and Apple Pie Likes- All universal likes except for flowers and crops that cannot be eaten. All cooked food and all crops that can be eaten with a couple exceptions Neutrals- all universal neutrals, all raw fish (Because they have the ability to be cooked and eaten) Dislikes- all universal dislikes, flowers of any kind (They are not food) Hates- Salad & Moss soup & Universal hates Gift receiving lines- Loved Lines- Wow my favorite! It’s like you can read my mind or something… Liked Lines- Sweet, Thanks! Neutral Lines- Thanks for the gift I guess Dislikes- Um, Okay Hate Lines- Why did you give me your trash? I guess I’ll throw it away for you Birthday Gift Lines- Happy Birthday to me! Thanks for remembering. Unique festival dialog: Egg Festival- I asked Mayor Lewis if we could do a milk festival instead this year. He said he didn’t think the idea would “catch on”. Desert Festival- Every year I misread the flyer and think I’m attending the “dessert festival”. This is still alright though I guess. Flower Dance- *Alfred is busy eating and doesn’t seem like he wants to talk* Ask to dance? If yes- Dance!? With you!? I thought you’d never ask! I mean…dancing is cool sure. If no- Sorry, I have literally anything else to do. Firework Festival (New Event)- It’s my birthday today you know. It almost feels like these fireworks are a celebration for me. If only I had some Banana Pudding today would be perfect. Luau- Can you guess what I added to the pot this year? If you guessed milk you were right. Trout Derby- Does not attend Dance Of The Moonlight Jellies- I don’t get what’s so exciting about a bunch of glowing fish. Now a cow with glowing milk, now that would be cool! Don’t steal that idea… Stardew Valley Fair- (Has a stand with Matthew where they are showing off Cheese, Milk, Maple syrup, and some tree fruits.) Came to stake out the completion, Eh (Player)? Mattie and I are taking home the gold this year I know it. Brew Fest (New Event)- I’m on my 18th shot of espresso. What do you mean slow down? Who are you my Mom/dad/parent? (Depending on which gender you picked) Spirits Eve- I wonder If I could make a Golden Pumpkin Pie from the Golden Pumpkin. Don’t steal that idea… Festival Of Ice- My brother dragged me here. It’s too damn cold out here *Shivers*. Hopefully the cows are warm enough in the barn. Squidfest- Does Not Attend Night Market- I wonder if you could milk a mermaid. Why are you looking at me like that? Was it something I said? Feast Of The Winter Star- *Alfred Is eating an entire Pumpkin Pie from the tin with a fork*. *He looks like he’s trying to hide it from you* Friendship Letters after befriending Alfred: 2 Hearts letter: he will send you a letter in the mail and a bottle of Maple syrup as a gift The letter will say: Found this while going through my brothers stuff. I thought it would annoy him if I gave it to you. 4 Hearts letter: Sorry I was so annoyed with you before you’re actually pretty cool you know. I Got you something little to make up for it don’t spend it all in one place. The letter will contain a Gold Bar. 6 heart letter- Now that we’re such good pals I thought I would share with you my mom’s top secret Apple Pie Recipe. This information is classified. Letter contains the recipe for Apple Pie. 2 Apple 1 Wheat flour 1 Maple Syrup Health+ 80 Energy+ 175 8 Heart letter- When you first moved in I never thought I would even talk to you. But I want you to know you’ve become my best friend. I look forward to seeing you every day. Let’s hang out later okay? Letter contains a Diamond Romance Dialog Receiving a Bouquet- For me? Hell Yeah! That’s so crazy and here I was about to just go buy a bouquet for you. Mermaid Pendent- No way, no way, no way! You seriously want to marry me? I was too afraid to ask you! I’ll get everything set up don’t even worry about lifting a finger baby.

Married Life With Alfred Jones: When married to America his corner of the farm will be a singular cow which is named Big Tex. When married to Alfred there is a chance if you speak to him in the morning he will give you milk and will tell you it came from Big Tex fresh this morning. Three days after marrying Alfred you will get a letter in the mail from ‘In-laws’ with 10k gold congratulating you and apologizing for not being at the wedding. After Marrying Alfred he will still go tend his stores and will hardly ever be actually at your house. Due to the long walk he will warp to and from there and cannot be followed since the slow pace NPCs walk would take him literally all day to get there. Alfred will call you babe from now on regardless of gender. If you go visit him at work he will have special dialog expressing he’s happy you came to see him but you don’t get a discount just because you’re married. Occasionally he will mention the current war saying he ‘hopes everyone is doing alright without him’. On Sundays he and Matthew will meet each other in Cinderssnap Forest by the river unless it’s raining and then they will both stay home.

[cuddlepilefics]

Baby bat

Prompts: @cozytober

24 carving pumpkins, decorating for halloween

Alt 4 “Thanks for putting up with me."

Fandom: Stray Kids

Little: Felix

Caregivers: Stray Kids

No one’s POV.:

Felix was always easily excitable for any seasonal events and even more so when he was in littlespace. Luckily, the members knew about this side of him and loved little Lixxie just as much. As soon as stores started to sell fall-themed drinks, Hyunjin had made it a habit to pick up a special coffee for his dongsaeng on his way to work. Seungmin didn’t mind the Aussie’s scented candles at their shared apartment and even helped to add to their shared candle collection, making their place even cozier. There was one thing Felix hadn’t dared to ask yet though.

Some of his friends had already made plans to go to a Halloween party but Felix had a different idea. He had never spent Halloween in his headspace before but it sounded like a fun experience, so he really wished that some of his caregivers would agree to spend it with his little-self but he didn’t want to keep anyone from attending the parties they had been invited to. One evening, Felix approached Seungmin during dinner and hesitantly asked: “Would you mind if I decorate for Halloween? If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll limit it to my room only but I think it’d be fun.” – “Sure, go ahead. If you want, we can decorate together. Do you have decorations or should we buy some?”, the vocalist chuckled.

Felix didn’t have any decorations yet, so he shared his pinterest board with Seungmin. They agreed on some of the decorations and also showed them to Hyunjin, who agreed to craft some with little Lixxie the next time they’d get a day off. The older was always looking for fun activities to entertain Felix with when he was small, so this was the perfect opportunity. Chan eventually inquired about the boy’s plans for Halloween and immediately promised he’d take care of him if he decided to slip. Predictably, Felix was over the moon when he learned that he’d actually get to experience Halloween in his headspace. Seungmin too was on board and secretly conspired with Chan to have a little Halloween party at their place, partly to show off the amazing décor Hyunjin and Felix had crafted.

Minho and Jisung already had plans for a date at a haunted house and a special dinner, so they sadly had to turn down the invitation but they took Felix costume shopping a week before Halloween. The Aussie wasn’t entirely little during their outing but he wasn’t entirely big either, giddily swinging their arms as he walked between the two of them. He was so excited about the new bat costume, Jisung had helped him pick, that he didn’t even notice Minho sneaking something else into their shopping basket. Not wanting to spoil the surprise, Minho gave the other treat to Chan to give to Felix on Halloween.

Changbin and Jeongin would be going to a costume party during the late evening but wanted to spend as much of the day with little Lixxie as possible beforehand. As soon as Chan had bundled the little up in a thick coat with a scarf and beanie, Changbin took him to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins for him and Jeongin to carve. Felix obviously chose the biggest and roundest pumpkins, which he was completely unable to move off the ground. Laughing at his dongsaeng’s predicament, Changbin carried the pumpkins to the car and praised the little for his pick before buckling him into his seat.

He also helped Chan clean the dirt off the pumpkins, while Jeongin took Lixxie to put on his costume. The little could barely sit still while Jeongin put on his makeup for him and was disappointed when his caregiver insisted they needed to wait with putting his wings on till they were done carving the pumpkins, so they wouldn’t get dirty. The disappointment was soon forgotten though, when they joined their hyungs in the kitchen. Chan and Changbin had already set everything up for their dongsaengs and made sure to stay close by to supervise, not entirely happy with little Lixxie wielding such sharp knives.

Once the pair had successfully removed the seeds from their pumpkins, Changbin set about roasting them with some salt, while Chan assisted Felix, afraid the little would hurt himself. Felix didn’t mind, he was a bit nervous around all kinds of sharp kitchen utensils but he was very clear about how he wanted his pumpkin to look and could even show Chan reference pictures. The leader did his best to match his dongsaeng’s ideas as closely as possible, sweating slightly from the pressure. He wouldn’t have had to worry though because with the way Felix adored him, anything he did would be perfect in the little’s eyes.

Seungmin had already a spice-scented candle, so the apartment was slowly filling with a cozy scent that matched well with the roasted nutty aroma from the pumpkin seeds. Soon, Changbin and Jeongin had to get ready though, so Seungmin helped Felix put on his bat wings and Hyunjin helped him fix his makeup, that had gotten smeared during the hard labor of instructing Chan how to carve his pumpkin. “Lixxie, I got a little treat from Minho and Jisung for you”, Chan announced when Hyunjin carried their baby bat to the living room. The leader had his hands hidden behind his back and Felix giddily wriggled out of Hyunjin’s hold, waddling up to the eldest.

Giving Chan his most adorable puppy pout, Felix squealed when the leader brought his hands to the front and showed him a candy pacifier, decorated with fangs. Chan slipped the treat between his dongsaeng’s lips and cooed: “Now your costume’s complete. You look so adorable.” – “Lixxie nuh ‘dowable. I ish scawy”, the little slurred behind his paci before giggling at the sweet taste. “Alright, you scary baby bat”, Chan laughed, “It’s getting dark out, so how about we light a candle in your pumpkin, so Changbin and Jeongin can see it before they have to leave?” – “Hyungies nuh go”, Felix whined but followed Chan.

When Changbin and Jeongin bid their goodbyes after taking a few pictures with Felix in their costumes, the little clung to Changbin, wrapping his bat wings tightly around the older. He was even more heartbroken when Hyunjin and Seungmin weren’t back yet and him and Chan were alone all of a sudden. Sure, having one caregiver with him was already more than he had expected a few weeks ago but he wasn’t in his headspace a few weeks ago. Whenever he was little, he really depended on affection, so the more caregivers were present and ready to fawn over him, the better.

Hyunjin and Seungmin didn’t take too long though and by the time Chan had Felix picking out a movie he wanted to watch with them later tonight, they returned with steaming takeout boxes and called the Aussie’s for dinner. Seungmin pulled Felix into his lap and plucked the paci from his lips, so he could feed him. They had picked a few different kinds of savory pancakes and let the little try some of each, so he could figure out which he liked best. Not wanting him to go into a sugar rush already, Hyunjin sliced a persimmon for dessert and placed it on a plastic plate.

Felix happily munched on his fruit, leaning against Seungmin’s chest while Chan and Hyunjin cleared the table. When they were done, Hyunjin took the boy to clean up because his hands and face had gotten sticky and they didn’t want him to get the mess on his costume. All the while, Felix happily rambled on about the movie they were going to watch. Not that Hyunjin understood a word, the little’s speech too slurred behind his paci.

When Hyunjin placed his dongsaeng down on the couch, Felix insisted on throwing his legs over the back of the couch and let his head dangle, so he could look at the TV from a different perspective. “Don’t you wanna turn around, Lixxie?”, Chan cooed as he watched the boy’s face redden. Shaking his head, Felix reminded: “’m bat.” – “I know, but not even a bat can eat head down”, Seungmin chuckled, placing two bowls on the coffee table, “Look, we got roasted pumpkin seeds and gummy worms.” That was all Felix needed to know to sit down properly on the couch.

“Wan’ lap”, Felix pouted, scooting closer to Chan, who didn’t hesitate to pull the boy into his lap. Hyunjin brought his dongsaeng’s sippy cup filled with cherry juice and announced: “Hey baby bat, I got you some blood to quench your thirst.” Clapping his hands, Felix clapped his hands before reaching for his sippy cup. “Careful Lixxie, you don’t want to have to interrupt your movie to take a bath or change your clothes”, Chan warned, taking the sippy. He gently tipped it against the impatient boy’s lips and smiled when the younger eagerly suckled.

Chan and Hyunjin slept over that night, partly because Chan had already fallen asleep under Felix before the movie had ended and partly because they didn’t want to sneak out on him while he was regressed. None of them expected the little cauldron-shaped candy baskets, the boy had hidden in their rooms with a neatly written note: Thanks for putting up with me.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #282

Today started out normally. But it ended kind of weird.

J made a bunch of rice not too long ago. Like… a bunch of rice. And on the day we went to the reptile and arthropod expo, we also went to the local food co-op on the way home, because J was hungry. Not being one to pass up opportunities, I decided to snag some natto while I was there. But there were three different kinds, and I couldn't choose, and so in my typical style, I decided "fuck it" and got all three…

...Here's what the contents look like:

...Hey, Sephiroth? Do you like natto? I've heard that it's a very polarizing food; in my part of the world, people usually either really hate it or love it a lot, with very little in between, or so I've heard. I wonder what you think...

Normally, in my part of the world, one gets natto by going to the frozen foods section of the Asian grocery store, if there is one. I live in a place that's pretty diverse (and it's AWESOME), so we have Asian grocery stores, Middle Eastern grocery stores, and Hispanic grocery stores, too. We might have more, but... maybe I didn't find them yet. My city isn't as diversified as New York City, but it's still pretty good. Pretty good...

Well anyway. I don't really like the frozen natto by itself; it's really good mixed with rice, for sure!! But this stuff that comes in these jars... I could just eat it with a spoon. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that it hasn't been frozen first. I wouldn't know. Maybe someday, I should go to Japan and see what natto is like over there; I imagine it's oodles better than whatever we have over where I live!

Anyway, we had a bunch of rice, and we had bacon, because I got some from the local convenience store chain on my way home from therapy on Tuesday; M had left the car in a state with low tire pressure and low gas, so I figured the thing to do was to take care of it before coming home, and the convenience store chain called Stewart's (unique to my region!) has gasoline and free air, and also snacks.

So... after doing the whole "responsible adult thing", I decided I get to have snacks. And I went inside the Stewart's, but nothing appealed to me, so I just got a Birthday Cake Shake for M and a chocolate milkshake for J; Stewart's sells these in bottles, and they're really good! And then I saw the bacon, and since we already had rice, eggs, and natto, I decided to get it! And today, I had enough time and energy to prepare it! So that's what I did!

I like to bake bacon in the oven; it's super convenient that way, and you don't get grease splattering everywhere, and it's easy to get it to cook evenly that way. It's just a matter of arranging it on a baking sheet with some parchment paper...

...You stick it in an oven at 400 degrees F (or 204.4 degrees C) for about 25 minutes, depending on how crispy you like it.

Here's how it turned out!

...And if you're wondering what I did with all that rendered fat? Of course, I put it in a jar!

...I used some of it to cook eggs with nice, runny yolks::

...I also used some to fry up some leftover rice, with all three of the different kinds of natto mixed in:

...The result was an epic bowl of deliciousness! Want some...?

...I spent most of the rest of the day playing Dead Cells. I managed to defeat The Hand of the King in the training room with only 4 Brutality, 4 Tactics, and 22 Survival, for 8 points less than the recommended total; my damage multiplier was less than half of what it should have been, while using a play style that is not well-suited for him, and I smashed him up anyways. If I reach him in one of my next runs, he's gonna be in BIG trouble, lemme tell ya!!

I also made chicken leg quarters today - y'know, the same recipe that I've shown you at least twice before. It's a classic for a reason, haha! I was able to serve it up with some leftover broccoli and carrots that J cooked up the other day, as well as the mashed pumpkin I made yesterday. It was good stuff!!! But I didn't think to take any pictures for you; I'm sorry about that.

And here's where it gets weird.

So... M, and J, and I were supposed to go see that Wild Robot movie today, at 7:10. But when we got to the door of the building, there was a pigeon chilling out there, on the ground. It's weird to see pigeons on the ground this late at night. And it wasn't very mobile; it looked kinda haggard, and it seemed sluggish.

...Well. If you've been reading my letters up until this point, you already know where this is going. You already know that I couldn't just leave it there like that. So I didn't. Needless to say, we ended up not seeing the movie in favor of prioritizing the safety of the pigeon.

The nearby animal hospital is closed this late at night, though. We decided to put it in the upstairs bathroom so that it can have space to move, without any risk of our cats getting to it. We put it in the bathtub with a towel for some soft bedding; we expect that it'll poop, and a towel and a bathtub are easy to clean:

...I think it has some kind of respiratory illness. When I tried to reach out to pet it, it made a weird squeaking wheeze; that's not a normal sound for a pigeon.

We're going to bring it to the nearby animal hospital first thing in the morning; they open at 7:30am. They treat wild creatures. Pigeons are technically not wild; they are feral. They used to be human companions before they were discarded as though they are worthless. Nowadays, despite the fact that they used to be friends to humans, they are treated like filthy, disgusting nuisances; it's not fair. I guess I have a bit of a soft spot for them as a result.

...They deserved so much better than this...

And before you ask - yes, we know better than to give it any food or water; we don't know what's wrong with it, and the last thing we need is to give it things to put into its stomach, only to have it choke on its own vomit or something later. No harm will come to it if it goes to bed without dinner; don't worry.

...I just hope that whatever it's sick with is curable, and that it's not on its last legs. But it being on its last legs seems unlikely; it's still cognizant enough to recognize me as a threat, even if it was too weak to get away. That's probably a good sign. We dimmed the lights in the bathroom and closed the door; it's someplace quiet, safe, and warm. Even if it passes away in the night, it'll still be better than passing away on cold, hard pavement on a chilly autumn evening.

...Incidentally, this will be the third sick pigeon I've pulled off the streets of my city. One of them recovered after being sent to the animal hospital. The other one was sick with some kind of digestive system issue; that one didn't make it even after we sent it to the animal hospital, but at least it didn't have to spend its final moments on the pavement in the cold, snowy December air - back when Decembers in my region used to actually be properly cold.

I'm really glad that M and J don't get upset with me for the fact that I can't do nothing when I see something in trouble. I've had partners in the past who would roll their eyes at me and scold me for caring. The people I was raised by were the sorts of people who would roll their eyes at me and scold me for caring. I can still almost hear them: "It's just a stupid fucking pigeon; you're gonna make us miss a movie for a stupid fucking pigeon?" Or else call me gross for being willing to wrap a "dirty" animal in my cardigan. and try to keep it safe.

...But you know. This sort of thing, besides how great they are at maintaining a comfortable temperature for my body and keeping my pasty white ass safe from the sun, is exactly why I wear them. Like your long coat, it's a utility item. It becomes a backpack, a towel, a pillow, a wrap, and whatever else I can think of in a pinch.

...Anyway, I'm really glad that I'm not around people who will scold me for having basic empathy anymore. We can see the movie tomorrow.

...Well. If we're gonna get to the animal hospital right as it opens, I need to be up early - to the tune of 6:30am. It's already almost 9; I had better get ready for bed. Maybe if I still have a few moments after my CPAP is washed and my teeth are brushed, I'll play a little more Dead Cells.

I'll leave this here just in case:

I love you. So please do stay safe out there, okay? Please come back home to us in one piece. Both your world and my world need you.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[momo-t-daye]

Snapetober 2023?

Autumn is in the air! The daily high temperatures are finally under 100 F (~38 C) and the nights have dipped into the 70s (25 ± 1 C)  and the fall migration is moving through and the grocery store is selling gigantic pumpkins and plastic skeletons! So, I figured I might ask if there’s a Snapetober 2023 challenge list out (or if there is a list that is being complied with plans to share soon) just yet.

If not, then I’ve complied single word Snape-eqsue and autumnal and Halloween-y prompts from old Snapetobers and Inktobers that I’ll use to challenge myself and, if anyone else is interested and I'm not stepping on any toes, I would be delighted to share!

(I rather enjoy Snapetober, it was the event that convinced me to stop lurking about and start making things again after a few years of not really creating much of anything.  Plus, getting oodles of thematically related Snape art and Snape fics and Snape headcanons throughout October is such a treat!)

[birdofdawning]

Pumpkins

Myka Bering and the bank own a house. This is important to the story. It is a small house, but it has a front porch that looks out over a quiet street, and French windows that open onto a small back lawn with an apricot tree in the middle. The house is one-hundred and thirty years old, and in a much better condition now than when Myka Bering had first bought it. Then it was sad and unsightly, with paint peeling off its weatherboards and a tin roof that banged in the wind. When you flicked on the light switch it made noises and when you turned the tap on worrisome things happened. But Myka read renovation books and went to night-classes. She stripped and sanded and repainted the house, replacing its rotting weatherboards. She pulled up the old carpet and polished the floorboards underneath. She hung wallpaper, unjammed windows, replaced panes of glass, and even repaired the plumbing herself. But she got an electrician in to rewire the house; and, though she nailed down the loose pieces of her rusty iron roof herself, she began saving up for a new roof. Now the house is trim and tidy and even smart, in a modest way.

The house is in an old neighbourhood that is currently unfashionable. It still has short, narrow streets lined with telephone poles, which cars are slow to navigate, and a small church or a corner store every few blocks. There are orange trees in some people’s yards and old rusted vehicles in others, each yard separated by a completely different style of fence, or a scraggly hedge, or nothing at all, just a strip of grass. Myka Bering says that that one day, when house prices rise and the area becomes desirable, she will be able to sell her house for considerably more than she paid for it. But after she had built and filled an enormous bookshelf that took up the entire internal wall, spanning from the front windows of the lounge to the end of the small dining room, people had decided that she was probably going to stay.

In the evenings, after she has cleaned her small kitchen, Myka Bering might sit down in an armchair beneath the great bookshelf and read. On Friday and Saturday nights she has a glass of wine and puts cello concertos on the stereo; and if it is warm she will open the French windows in the kitchen and enjoy the scent of orange blossom drifting through the house. Sometimes her friend Abigail will come over and drink wine with her and try and talk her into going out.

“It’s been four years,” Abigail will say, “time to get back on that horse, kid. They’re not all secretly married.”

And Myka will roll her eyes and say “I am perfectly content staying at home.”

“Yeah, no shit,” Abigail will say, “Christ, Mykes. I bet I’m the first person you’ve talked to in days.”

“Not true!” Myka will say, triumphant, “I had an exciting conversation with Mrs Kim about the tinned tomatoes she had on sale yesterday! And anyway,” she will add as Abigail rolled her eyes, “I like living quietly by myself. I count myself lucky to be able to.”

“I’m just jealous,” admits Abigail one evening, “Every week I have to explain to my mother why Josh and I aren’t breeding, and hear statistics on the dwindling fertility rate in women our age.”

“Well, she has to tell you these things because you didn’t become a real doctor.”

“Real doctor my ass,” Abigail mutters, and takes a big sip of wine.

“Kids are nice,” says Myka, who is an aunt. “And other people’s kids, who I can leave with their parents at the end of the day, are the nicest of all.”

And Abigail looks about at the tasteful ornaments and unmarked lounge suite and kilim carpet and finds it hard to imagine children trampling into this oasis of calm.

Myka Bering has done well for herself. When she first started living in the house she would get up at five and rush about, taking breakfast with her to eat as she drove to work in the same old Nissan Bluebird that she had had since college. But now she gets up at seven, turns the radio onto NPR, and leaves it playing as she makes herself a cup of coffee and sits down at her computer in the small office she has set up in the back bedroom. She has replaced her old car with one that she doesn’t have to keep having repaired, and she wears nicer suits on the days when she goes into the city. And after a few years she did indeed hire men to come in and replace the old roof, so that she didn’t have to keep climbing up with her hammer every autumn.

But still she continues to live quietly, sticking to her routine. Perhaps she’s more likely to work late into the evenings instead of sitting in her chair and reading. The walls of the back bedroom-office have slowly accumulated pinned maps and diagrams and lists, and the spare bed has become a place to keep folders and file boxes. Myka buys an oak bookshelf for the room and fills it with heavy textbooks on city design and transport planning, and from time to time as she works she will push her office chair across to the shelf and consult one. But other than these few things the room is sparse. While the rest of the house is filled with lovely rich colours, the back bedroom-office, where she spends so much of her waking time, remains white and utilitarian. 

“You’ve become a hermit. It’s very you, but it’s not healthy,” her sister tells her on one of her occasional visits. She lives somewhere far away, and when she arrives she has a suitcase and Myka changes the sheets and opens the windows of the second-best bedroom.

“I have a very nice life,” Myka replies.

“You have a very nice house,” rejoins her sister, “It’s not the same thing.”

And then they will quarrel until one of them cries, or stomps out of the room in a temper, or they both become distracted by a pop song from their adolescence.

“Well, if you’re happy I suppose that’s that,” says Abigail with a sigh as she puts her coat on one evening. “Are you happy?”

“Of course I am,” says Myka.

One winter’s day Myka Bering is woken up by a phone call. She has fallen asleep curled around the folders and file boxes on her spare bed, after spending days and nights working on a difficult project. It takes her several tries to get the phone to work.

“H’llo?” she finally mutters into the device.

“Myka! Where are you!? I’m waiting in Arrivals!” says her sister.

“Arrivals?” yawns Myka.

“Arrivals! At the Denver airport! Holy fuck, Myka, have you missed the fucking plane?”

“Wha’?” says Myka sitting up. “No, that’s tomorrow…”

“It IS tomorrow you idiot!” yells her sister. “How could you lose track of the day!? You!? Have you just spent the whole week in that house not speaking to anyone!? Oh my god, you have haven’t you!?”

Myka runs into her bedroom and begins hastily packing a suitcase while her sister continues shouting in a tinny voice that she certainly isn’t going to tell their parents that Myka won’t be making it to Thanksgiving, and that Myka needs to sort her life out.

“My life is fine,” mutters Myka as she grabs her keys and drags her suitcase out to the car.

But perhaps it is time Myka Bering’s life had a little bit of a shake-up. We’ll start small, though. We’ll open a gate.

Myka Bering does not consider herself much of a gardener. This is important too. I suspect the deficit is due more to a lack of interest than a lack of ability, because I believe that Myka can do anything she puts her mind to.

But instead she pays Mr Jackson to keep the strip of front lawn tidy and to mow the grass around the apricot tree every other week. And because she mostly works from home now, when he arrives she will leave the back bedroom-office and help him shift the wooden lawn furniture she keeps under the tree into the driveway, and then back again when he is finished.

The back lawn is perfect. It is flat and even, largely because she had hired a roller in her first year in the house, and had spent several Saturdays onerously rolling the ground flat. In the spring and summer, before Mr Jackson is due to cut it, the grass in the back yard grows almost long, with dandelions and clover flowers everywhere and bees happily wandering about. On sunny evenings Myka Bering sits outside in a lawn chair under the apricot tree, and has her dinner and reads.

Other than the tree — and a small shed tucked up against the back fence — the lawn spreads out to the fence line, unmarred by any hedge or flowerbed. Myka has not grown anything else in the yard in the four years she has lived there, other than some night stock that she planted beside the French windows one year so that the perfume would drift inside the house when she hooked them open in the evenings; but night stock is, of course, an annual, and she didn’t bother replacing it the next year. Myka Bering prefers things neat and tidy and low-maintenance.

Now, decades ago the Alvarado family had lived in the house and had been good friends with the Rojas family in the house next door (that is, until Adriana Rojas ran off to New York with Izzy Alvarado to become Rockettes, thus causing a rupture that was never fully repaired). In the evenings, after supper, the parents would sit together on the front porch of one of the houses and drink beer and talk and listen to the baseball or swing music on the radio, while their children ran up and down the street. And when night fell, and they would call everyone inside and bid each other a good night.

And so, when it came time to replace the old fence between the two properties, Mano Alvarado suggested putting in a gate halfway down, so that the families didn’t always need to walk out onto the street and around every time they wanted to go between the two back yards.

Mano and John Rojas were both builders, and they knew their trade. When they built something, they built it to last for two generations and more. And so the gate still stood there, halfway down the back yard fence, when Myka Bering (and the bank) bought the little house. 

Myka had tried the gate once, when she first moved in, and found its old hinges immovable and its latch stuck fast, all fused solid by rust. And deciding that this was as good as a fence she had left it alone. She had painted it, of course, or at least she had painted her side of it; and now it was a fetching bottle green, to match the lawn and the apricot tree. But, not intending to ever use the gate, she didn’t bother replacing the hinges and broken latch, and rarely thought of it again.

And so one afternoon in April Myka Bering is standing in her kitchen putting together a cheese sandwich. It is past three o’clock so she doesn’t allow herself any more coffee, but a snack is permissible. It is spring, and she has the French windows open, and a movement outside makes her look up.

There is a girl in her back yard.

The girl is standing beyond the apricot tree, intently examining a corner of the lawn.

Myka Bering steps out of the house and walks over the perfectly level grass towards her.

“Hello?” she says cautiously, “Can I help you?”

The girl turns to look at her. She is maybe nine? ten? years old and has long, black hair and dark eyes. She is wearing jeans and an adult’s t-shirt that says ‘A WOMAN’S PLACE IS IN THE REVOLUTION’.

“Do you rent?” she asks Myka.

“What?” says Myka.

“Do you rent this house?” says the girl, and then, perhaps supposing that Myka may not be familiar with the concept of renting, she adds: “Does somebody else own your house and you pay them money each week in order to live in it?” She has a vaguely mid-Atlantic accent.

“Oh. No,” says Myka. “I own it. Me and the bank.”

This answer seems to please the girl, though she doesn’t smile. She turns fully around now, so that she faces Myka and holds up an envelope. “Then can I—” she stops, frowns, takes a breath, and starts again “—may I plant pumpkins in your garden?”

Myka blinks. “Well, no. I don’t have a garden… Sorry, who are you? And, uh, where did you come from?”

The girl points with the hand not holding the envelope. The green gate is now ajar.

“How on earth did you manage to open that?” Myka asks. “I was sure it was rusted shut. You live next door? I thought the Menzies were there?”

The girl shrugs. “I don’t know who they are,” she says, “I live there now, with mamma.” She gives an Old World pronunciation to the last word. “Which means we’re neighbours. So can I — may I — plant pumpkins in your garden?”

Myka Bering finds herself looking about for another adult to take over, but her back yard stubbornly persists in containing only the two of them. “Hey, I really don’t know if you should be talking to strangers without your, uh, mamma,” she tries, “You don’t know anything about me. I could be a bad guy.”

“Mamma says it’s perfectly reasonable to speak to people one doesn’t know because otherwise one will never find friends or make one’s way in the world.” announces the girl, “And also that statistically I am in far more danger from family members than strangers,”

“Oh,” says Myka.

The girl nods. “I reminded her that she was my only family member. She said that I would do well to keep that fact in mind.”

Myka looks back at the green gate in the wall.

“So. Mrs Pérez gave everyone in the class pumpkin seeds today, and I want to plant my ones here, please.” The girl, it seems, will not be side-tracked by trivialities like stranger-danger. “She told us that they would be ready by Halloween, and we could make jack o’lanterns.”

“But why can’t you plant them in your back yard?” asks Myka.

With tremendous patience the girl explains. “Because we rent. And Mamma says I can’t dig up the lawn because the landlord mows the lawn himself and he will see. But you don’t rent, and you don’t have anything else growing here, only grass. So can I plant my seeds here?”

Myka Bering tries to think of a reason why the girl couldn’t plant pumpkin seeds in her back yard and fails.

“I… suppose you could,” she says. “Where would you plant them?”

The girl points at the corner she was inspecting. “I thought the pumpkins would be out of the way there.”

Myka examines the spot. It seems as adequate to the purpose as any other.

“Alright,” she says, tentatively, reluctantly. “But right at the edge, okay? I don’t want too much of my lawn dug up.”

The girl nods her agreement. “Thank-you,” she adds, very properly.

“Uh, I think pumpkins need a lot of water. Maybe? You’ll have to look it up. So you’ll have to water them regularly. I’m not going to,” says Myka, trying to regain ground she suspects she has never really had since this conversation began.

“Of course,” says the girl. “I have a watering can.”

“Well then,” says Myka, taking a step towards the garden shed, “Um, do you want a spade or…?”

“I have a trowel,” says the girl. “I only want to make small holes and drop each seed in. You don’t want your lawn dug up,” she reminds Myka.

“No,” says Myka. “I don’t. Well, uh. Okay. G’bye, then.”

“Good-bye,” says the girl, who is already turning towards the green gate in the fence, presumably to fetch her trowel.

Myka watches her disappear and then looks about the back yard. Everything appears quite normal, but she feels a faint apprehension of an approaching change... still beyond the horizon, but inexorably on its way, like the pressure drop before a thunderstorm. After a moment she shakes her head and goes back inside and finishes making her sandwich.

As she carries on with her work that afternoon, Myka Bering occasionally looks out through the window of the back bedroom-office and watches the girl at the end of the yard. The apricot tree obscures much of her activity, but she spends a lot of time carefully digging. And later she has a metal watering can which she judiciously applies to certain spots about her.

That evening Myka goes out to look over the girl’s labours. There, cut into the grass that ran along the fence line, are twelve black holes, each about the diameter of a coffee-cup. Myka looks back at the green gate. It is now shut. Still feeling a little uneasy Myka Bering walks back inside and begins to prepare her dinner.

[nancypullen]

The 23rd

I haven't posted here since September 5th because, quite frankly, my life is just a yawning canyon of nothingness. Dramatic much? Seriously, Monday is just like Tuesday, which is just like Wednesday, and so on. You know I'm a big fan of creating happiness where you are, and I'm killing myself trying to do that. No one likes to read the blog of a sad sack, I know I don't, so there's just not a whole lot to write about. I miss who I used to be. Because it's nearly the end of September, and because the 22nd was officially the first day of autumn, I decided to go all in decorating the porch. I'm not finished, but it's a start. Surely if I build it, fall will come. No more red gingham and pink roses, I'm all about pumpkins now.

I bought one of those $1 pumpkin trick-or-treat buckets and covered him in ModPodge and fall napkins. SO stinkin' easy. After popping a little battery powered votive in him, he glows at night. Cute!

The front steps are a hot mess right now. They need to be power washed, but I went ahead and put a few things out. I still have to get the garland above the door and swap some of that stuff around until it looks right.

Would it have killed the builder to center the damn door? It makes my left eye twitch. Of course I threw down my "Hey there, pumpkin" door mat.

I've only purchased two small mums so far ( and you know how much I love mums) because we're leaving town in a couple of weeks and they'd likely die while we're gone. A neighbor will check on the cats, but she's not a plant person so I don't ask her to water anything. I'm sitting on my hands to keep from filling the steps with pumpkins and mums. It's hard. This is my season and I want to enjoy every minute of it. And by enjoy it, I mean buy all of the pumpkins in the county.

I need an intervention. As much as I'm channeling autumn, Mother Nature seems determined to ignore me. As I type this I'm sitting in my craft room, burning my favorite fall candle - a yummy spicy, warm patchouli fragrance.

It smells like fall in here. Maybe I should crank down the a/c and pretend. Last weekend the Edgewater gang came over and we all took the Little Miss to an alpaca festival. LIke most festivals here, it wasn't much. A dozen or so skittish alpacas in a pasture, a store selling expensive alpaca goods (not even local), an ice cream truck, a handful of vendors selling their wares, a small bouncy house that needed more air, $10 pony rides, $8 face painting, and a free train ride. This was the train.

All that matters is that the grandgirl had fun and she did enjoy most of it. It was too hot and muggy for me. I'd planned to make dinner for everyone, but we just ordered pizza instead. I call that a win. I'm lucky enough to have a sweet daughter-in-law that is an incredible cook and baker, and she brought my favorite cake. It's called Bienenstich Kuchen, or Bee Sting Cake. Honey and almonds, need I say more? It's to die for! So we had a little early birthday celebration and their thoughtful gifts brought me to tears. My sweet grandgirl made a bracelet for me with her own little hands. She chose the beads and made it herself! She's crazy about mermaids, so this is indeed an honor. How precious is this?

Anywho, that's what's been going on here. Days and days of nothing, with lovely sprinkles of sweetness now and then. Did I mention our upcoming trip? We'll leave Baltimore on the 7th and fly to Paris.

We'll grab our bags and clear customs before hopping a train to Strasbourg. That will be our base for most of the trip. From beautiful Strasbourg we'll explore the Alsace region. It's the spot where France, Germany, and Switzerland bump noses. We'll visit Colmar and Riquewihr. Riquewihr (pronounced Rik-a-veer) is the town that inspired Beauty & the Beast and supposed to be one of the most enchanting villages in France! We'll probably take a train to Basel, Switzerland as well. If time and energy permits we can also take a quick train to Heidelberg, Germany - it's just a couple of hours away. Eventually we'll make our way back to Paris for a couple of days before flying home on the 17th. It'll be a whirlwind, but a beautiful one. Since the Alsace region is considered the "wine route", they may be very disappointed in the two of us.

I know I'll sound like, "Dee loo, see voo play." I hope they appreciate the effort. Time for me to sign off. It's 5 o'clock and I've got brown butter carrots in the crock pot that need me. We grilled chicken this weekend and have leftovers, so this meal is simple and quick. The mister has a photo meeting at 6 o'clock and I'll probably sit at my desk and make a few Halloween cards. Still trying to make fall happen. That's it from me, dear friends. I hope that you are all well and happy. If not, trust that it won't last. Good or bad,nothing is forever (except for the fat on my thighs, that's apparently permanent). Sending you lots of love, hope you feel it. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[comicdiaries]

Even though stores start selling pumpkin spice things earlier every year, I like to wait until it ~feels~ like fall to indulge.

[blookmallow]

reviewing spirit animatronics for 2023

i almost forgot again. but here we are

apparently the website doesnt display animatronics that are sold out so im trying to dig for them... this isnt a complete list im doin my best

anyway lets GOooooooo

Gourdo

im gonna start with my favorite look at this silly little guy. something about this design is just incredibly endearing to me and the stringy guts look pretty good in motion too. hes cute and i like him. his description says he was a guy who kept scaring everybody all the time and one day he scared an old lady who turned out to be a witch so she turned him into a pumpkin. and now hes stuck like this bc he could not behave himself. i love gourdo i want him 10/10

Eternal Rest

its a tombstone. theres a sad crying face and it turns into a skull face and screams at you. thats... thats it. it looks fine but its just really basic, this is doing nothing for me

3/10

Poor George

this guy was at my local store for a while. hes pretty fun, he flips around and his face changes. i like his funky stripes. makeup design looks extremely art the clown which is just making me wish they had him instead

its at least an attempt at a unique design. but according to his description, the story here is he was just a nice regular clown who had a terrible accident but somehow survived. you can see his bloody torso when he turns. this isn't a zombie clown monster, this is a man who desperately needs medical assistance

also no explanation for why he has two faces. he doesn't appear to be intentionally meant to be conjoined twins or something so if hes supposed to just be a regular guy im not sure whats going on there

5/10

they also came out with another killer klowns animatronic this year too, hes BIG but i dont have much to say about that one other than it looks good glad to see the klown rep increasing

i guess ill also mention here that they have a mars attacks alien figure now too, which doesn't really do much, it just moves its head a little but the lighting is cool and the design looks really good and seeing it inspired me to go watch the movie, so. shrugs. i like him

Heckles the Clown

here we have i think the first Sad Clown spirit animatronic? i cant think of any others ive seen. he kind of has creepy uncle energy but isn't really scary. hes just sad. he is a pathetic shell of a man weakly trying to sell his balloons and i just kind of feel bad for him. i did not notice in the store that his balloon actually has a light-up face in it which is cool. apparently according to his description hes actually using poison gas in his balloons which is a neat idea but is extremely unclear from the animatronic itself, i never would've known that if i hadn't read the description, so,

his face sculpt looks pretty good though. hes a pretty well designed figure i just think his whole deal is unclear and just makes me feel bad for him. help this man

6/10

Stilts

i do love a scary clown but all of these are starting to look pretty much the same to me. the colors are visually striking (i like the use of the blue accents especially) and i like the bloody bowling pins but at this point it's just kinda like, yep, that's another tall spooky clown. great for all your tall spooky clown needs but its not really that memorable. 4/10

Death Stalker

THIS thing however, looks sick as FUCK and i really want to see it in person. i dont know what the fuck that is. i love it. it breathes smoke and has way too many teeth. the description offhand mentions it lives behind an abandoned doll factory for no apparent reason. i love this thing 11/10

i think it might be built from the same body structure as their krampus figure that i also really liked

The Black Heart

ok i dont know about anyone else but i just find this one extremely confusing all around

he gives off protective dom skeleton boyfriend vibes. in the store i saw this and figured the woman was his victim and hes showing us his kill to threaten us, but it also looks like he's protecting her, so i didn't really get what was going on. the description says she tried to do some weird ritual ive never heard of where you lay in a grave and your true love will arrive to kiss you and wake you up snow white style at midnight, but instead she ended up with this guy as her "master" but it also refers to him as her "partner"

"the fuck did you just say about my wife"

so i guess they have some kind of bdsm relationship going on. which, y'know, if she's into that, id say good for her, but she doesn't move at all, she appears to be dead or unconscious. she also looks like she's emerging from his waist or something bc like, i guess they made her skirt the same color to hide that she's there until he reveals her, but i didnt even realize she had a lower body at all,

anyway the design is really confusing to look at and i don't really understand what their whole deal is. the faces look really good though. 5/10

Leatherface

leatherface in the HOUSE!!! i dont really have a lot to say here other than i think he looks great and i want you all to see him. 7/10

Darling Dolly

i fucking love this thing look at that. salad fingers doll monstrosity what the fuck is going on here. there was one in our store very briefly but it wasn't working and disappeared pretty quickly which just made it even weirder. this has a fantastic "what the FUCK IS THAT" factor and i just wish it had better functionality bc i was really excited to find out what it does and it turns out it pretty much just screams at you. i feel like a slower, creeping movement with spidery fingers and whispering sounds would have been more effective. its definitely scary though. i want more wild designs like this i love this thing

the backstory is... a little girl dug up a cursed doll in the yard and her mother tried to bury it back but got struck by lightning and became nightmareishly fused together with the evil doll which just. doesn't make sense to me i feel like trying to create an explanation for this figure is actively a detriment to it i like it better just as a Horrible Inexplicable Demon

9/10 could have been executed better but great design

The Cauldroness

pretty much just your standard witch. i like the way she's posed, this figure is more interesting to look at than a lot of the standing ones. the movement in her hands looks pretty good. i like her face. she also looks like salad fingers. maybe im just seeing it bc im trying so so hard to manifest him into existence even though i know they'll never make one sfjkg

anyway this is simple but i think it works well, 5/10

Dagger Mike

look at this ridiculous little gremlin. his name's dagger mike. hes got knives. his torso makes no sense. i love you dagger mike 6/10 hes not good but he makes me laugh and i like him

i do like the vintage clown look here though. i just think his body looks stupid and his existence is very funny to me in a way i cant articulate

Floating Spirit

its a ghost. it goes ooooo. 10/10

[hummelig]

NOOOOOOO I MEANT BREAD

but yeah sure I'll memorize this valuable information since I wouldn't want to leave such a wonderful creature without a caretaker

Thanks!

Now onto my second try of writing an essay about German bread, because Tumblr deleted the first one :(

First of all, bread is a very integral part of German culture. We have more kinds of bread (over 3,200) and more bakeries than most other countries and our bread culture is party of the UNESCO heritage list.

Bread is traditionally eaten in the morning and on breaks ("breakbread" is the term for anything you eat in work/school breaks"), also in the evening ("evening bread" is also the term for everything you eat at dinner). You also sometimes eat bread for lunch, especially together with soups or sausages.

(stereotypical German breakfast- but let's be real noone has time for that regularly)

So now onto the ✨History✨

Germany was not the country we know to day until unification started in the 19th century, but rather a cluster of small kingdoms and duchies, all with their own culture, dialect and... bread.

(map of "The Holy Roman Empire" aka Germanys predecessor in 1789)

This federal trend continued throughout history- Germany got more and more unified but until today we have 16 federal states, which are also segmented in smaller regions, with their own dialect, culture and food.

Since Germany doesn't have that much sunshine (as opposed to France eg), wheat didn't really thrive here but rye and spelt did!

Bread served as nourishment for the often cold and harsh weather for farmers and also nobles, which is why the heftier and heartier the bread was the better. And we still make bread this way: "sourdough bread made with rye, spelt and wheat flours and packed with grains and seeds." (source at bottom)

Also, something I only learned today is that this trend never really spread through Europe that much! And German settlers apparently also didn't bring it to America because as far as I know, this thing is called bread:

(we call that toast and it really doesn't deserve the title bread)

Today every supermarket (especially by chains like Aldi, Rewe, Edeka, Lidl, Netto etc you get it) have a local bakery in the front of their store.

(They all usually look like this and are at the front of the store. Through another door you enter the actual supermarket. Sometimes they are also in the actual supermarket with no separation.)

They not only sell bread, but usually also pastries and ✨pretzels✨.

"The variety of baked goods can be a little perplexing when encountered for the first time: there’s farmers bread, mixed bread, stone oven bread, sunflower bread, pumpkin bread, five seed bread and so on." (source bottom).

We also honor the "bread of the year"! This year it was Pumpkinseedbread :)

But I think we can all agree that the best German loaf is unarguably my cat, Ruby. <3

Because I will leave Germany to go to Japan for a year, I vowed to learn to bake bread, because in Japan they obviously don't have German bread and also their bread is sweet, apparently. Also it's nice to be able to create things from your culture and also gift it to others!

That said, when anyone here visits Bavaria hmu and if you're not that far away you'll get a free loaf of bread! <3

(I structured this along this text along this article which is also the source for the quotations: