#dahlia batch

[kokorozasumono]

[beasblues]

more doodles and sketch pages! started going through some of the requests I got on my stories, such as the first batch of gumshoes and the last slide, featuring the two dahlias ^^

[goldenchocobo]

Next batch of Flower Pieces, the Seasalt Trio Family!

I already technically did their flowers back in the Organization XIV flower piece, but I wanted to draw them stand alone, out of their Organization outfits, and in the same style as the current remakes I'm doing- this is the third time I've drawn these guys with flowers!

Here's the two comparisons: Original Seasalt Organization XIV

-

They've all kept their original flowers, as I thought it still fit with them perfectly.

Axel has his alstroemeria for his strong drive for his friends, and periwinkle for him wanted to keep their good memories together alive.

Isa's only kept his yellow tea roses. Once again, I felt them apt, as they both denote jealousy as well as friendship, a journey Isa has gone on.

The orange zinnias in Xion's piece is for her strong endurance through tough times, and everlasting friendship. The forget-me-not symbolism is obvious.

Dahlias in Roxas' piece are for staying strong and kind through difficult times, something Roxas has experienced over and over. The yellow Begonias are for harmony between friends; a struggle he went through as the Organization's plans for him and Xion grew more and more.

[velnna]

The more I learn about your comic... The more I fall in love with it. Especially your bugs! Like can you explain more about them? I'm really curious about them (from the full bugs to the hybrids and anything else that comes to mind).

Anyway your art is wonderful and I adore seeing it on my dash. And you can info-dump too. If you want ofc.

Thank you!

The worldbuilding is a work in progress (as it always is, but the first chunk of the comic itself is pretty self-contained so we've been slowly tinkering at the rest of the world and creatures as we go without affecting it much), so we mostly have loose rules and ideas for the bugs as a species. Or anything in between for that matter.

For all intended purposes, bug people are all the same species and can usually cross-breed within mechanical constraints, as well as mix with the elves we threw into the mix. Genetics? Don't know her. We operate on Sims logic here.

A full bug has roughly a human lifespan, with some variation depending on the type of bug it's closer to and some type-specific quirks. The one we've explorer the most, as it pertains to Ashton and the latest batch out of the oven, is the ability that some types might have to undergo metamorphosis, usually at the expense of lifespan. This is Ashton btw

And this is Ashton pre-metamorphosis:

Something like this isn't super common tho! So despite me drawing a bunch of butterfly or moth people they generally don't get to that point and stay looking more like funky lizards with many arms

Bugs can have many arms or legs or eyes, funky colours, exoskeletal bits, antennae, or look pretty close to your average human/elf with hidden bug features. Dahlia for instance is a vaguely spidery bug but can easily hide a bunch of her eyes and secretes venom thru hidden glandes so you could mistake her for an elf

Meanwhile it'd be very hard to mistake someone like this guy for anything other than a horned bug

If u catch my drift.

Some bugs are small! Some are huge. Some are out there committing atrocities

Some dont look like bugs at all

They're generally not as physically strong as the average elf but more resilient in a cockroach kinda way. They can have a chaotic range of circulatory systems and internal organs that sometimes just make them really hard to kill and its also pretty hard to keep track of every variation of the species and their quirks.

That being said in a lot of places they're super common and coexist with elves just fine, mix up and it's also not super uncommon to have half breeds like our man Staeve (the ThUG edition). The closer you get to elf the longer you live and less "non human" traits you have. There's also a bunch of different types of regular ass elf and it all falls under the elf category unless we decide to name them something else down the line.

Then you've got a smaller category of super elves that have been isolated for so long they never blended with anything else, are more attuned to magic and in general have a sort of mythical status amongst everyone else. They also have the longest lifespan at around 250 ish years.

That's sort of the TL;DR for now! Ollie and I have started to put all the info we've got into a single repository and do want to start sharing it (probably as patreon posts for now) because comics are slow and the scope might not encompass that much of what we want to explore of this world. And the chaotic idea machine never stops

Here's a metamorphosis meme for ya

[unaarista]

another batch of doodles from my and @des-no9's Magma sessions

Featuring Dahlia @corvitine, my boy Ram, many Vanquishes @des-no9 and Vosses, Lae'zel, Kir'y, young military Voss from Cyberpunk AU

[silver-velvet-860]

From left to right:

Top row: Teenage Dream C2, Jerk It Out, Liza Friday (Last Friday Night (TGIF)) C1

Bottom row: Dahlia (Don’t Start Now), Don’t Start Now Extreme, Blair (Bad Guy), Billie (Bad Guy (Billie Version))

I realized a while back that I’d only made Teenage Dream’s first outfit and Liza Friday’s second outfit, so I decided to make the other two in this batch. The others are just coaches I’ve wanted to make for a while.

Standout: Blair. I haven’t made a lot of JD2020 coaches, so im hoping to remedy that. I really like the way her long coat turned out.

Difficulty rating: 4/10. This group was relatively average when it came to difficulty, mostly in shaping.

Current coach total: 664

BONUS! I remade Teenage Dream’s first outfit. I really didn’t like how I made the glasses look like sunglasses in the original version I made, so I decided to fix it!

[elcvatedhorror]

“ La Seine and I „

|Summary: You get ready for your date with Wednesday, only to find out it wasn’t a date after all.

|Warnings: (my shot at angst???) tyl*r, panic attack

(No pronouns really used ! <3)

|AN: I wrote this while listening to La Seine that song is a masterpiece for real. Anywho. enjoy :P

Your eyes scan over your outfit for the night. Simple but not white tee with a brown wooly-patterned vest covering it, along with your signature converse completing the outfit.

You were confident about your date tonight with Wednesday. You've been dying to go out with her since forever. Ever since you transferred to Nevermore the only thing you've been fixated on was her.

You were only meeting her at the local coffee shop in Jericho, so it was a start, but you had gotten her a batch of black dahlias, and made her a custom cello bow just for this special occasion. Surely you hadn't thought you'd gone over the top, but what does it matter now? You finally got the girl.

At least - not yet. Even though you had asked Wednesday out that last week, she seemed hesitant to accept, but you didn't care because you figured that's how she usually was. Just dead inside, and brutally honest. That was Wednesday Addams for you.

So back to you, you were finishing touching up yourself and you blew out a breath you didn't know you were holding. You smiled down sheepishly, booming with excitement.

It was now 7:20, and the date with Wednesday was set up for 7:30, so you exited your dorm and started the walk to the coffee shop.

The walks to Jericho were always calm. You found peace here. Even though there were shitty pilgrim boys, and whatnot flinging around, you still found it to be your favorite place to go.

Approaching the seemingly empty coffee shop, you scanned over the entrance. The coffee logo beaming with light, and the makeshift vines surrounding it.

Well here goes nothing. Taking a deep inhale and exhale you opened the coffee shop cupping the flowers & bow in your hand. Then, there was a sight you weren't expecting to see.

Wednesday kissing Tyler.

"Wednesday?" You called out, voice cracking in the middle of your sentence.

The two broke apart quickly, and Wednesday looked at you with wide eyes, Tyler on the other hand looking just as surprised.

"Y/N." Wednesday said, rather to quickly. "It's not what it looks like."

You scoffed, tears brimming your eyes. "Not.. ? Not what it looks like? I.." You paused seemingly unable to breath now as the tears finally fell, and you dropped the items you had gotten for Wednesday, and quickly walked out of the shop. You turned around momentarily to hope see if she was following you but she wasn’t.

Your heart ached.

You had rushed back to your dorm and slammed the door shut. Lucky your roommate wasn’t here yet.

You clutched your chest, and tried to rub the ache away, but it was no use.

You were hurt.

But you should’ve known.

Wednesday would never like someone like you.

She only agreed so you’d get out of her hair.

Fuck.

You were so stupid.

You sniffled, and tried to control your ragged breathing as you slumped to the ground, crying.

You’ve been heartbroken before.

But never this bad.

might do a part 2. let me know if u guys want one!!

[tiredandkindaoverworked]

I have work in 8 hours so instead of sleeping.

Now presenting:

Redactedverse and Noodles

David prefers to cook for Angel to make sure that they’re properly fed. It’s the provider Alpha in him. However, they both have nights that run rather late and they’re both pretty exhausted. On these nights, whoever gets home first will create a double batch of instant Laksa noodles and throw in some dumplings or leftover protein. Nutrition be damned for one night, they’ll have delicious noodles and each other.

——————————————————————————

Sometimes, when Damien gets stressed, Huxley decides he wants to cook for him and take his mind off things. Seems counter-intuitive, right? WRONG. Hux, knowing how Damien is, elects to cook before Damien gets home, cleaning up his mess along the way, just to ensure that Damien doesn’t try to insist on cleaning up because Hux cooked. He’ll make jjajangmyeon, a dish Damien had mentioned his mom making whenever they would celebrate a big accomplishment. Dames is super touched that Huxley would go to such efforts to comfort him. He also gives Huxley the sloppiest head later.

——————————————————————————

Ollie and Baby have a Friday night tradition of starting their weekend off with chinese food and binge watching shows. A beautiful shared ritual. Baby orders their food over the phone. An orange chicken plate with white rice, a beef chow fun plate, and two hot and sour soups. Ollie picks it up and tips well and the owner hands them a bag with something extra in it. An order of steamed dumplings. Just like clockwork. Ollie tries to tip more and the owner lovingly shoos him out with a promise to see him next week. What a beautiful, vicious cycle.

Baby and Ollie conspire on how to sneak the owner more tips.

——————————————————————————

On the night of Anton’s return, Love makes him a feast. Through their culinary prowess, one dish shines through for Anton. In passing, Anton had previously mentioned a dish made by his babička called nudle s mákem. He’d made it previously, but was never able to recreate it the way his babička had. So for his Love to have not only remembered, but gone out of their way to find and make it for him? His heart swelled at the thought of their efforts. And for the first time in his adult years, he had a taste of home right in his kitchen.

——————————————————————————

With their newfound freedom, Avior and Starlight have vowed to spend as much time as they can doing new things, within reason of course. They’ve made their foray into coffee making, gardening, biking, hiking, and most recently cooking together. Avior mentioned he hadn’t had a lot of different cuisines seeing as he didn’t particularly need to eat. So far, Starlight’s introduced Avior to arancini, ribollita, tiramisu, and most recently, spaghetti alla puttanesca.

Avior’s a big fan of the sweet/savory combination. He puts extra pepper flakes into his portion. He likes the kick.

——————————————————————————

Asher and Baaabe love going out to their local pho spot. It’s a family owned restaurant and the owners are long-time friends of Frank’s. They treat Asher like family and by extension, Baaabe as such as well. Asher’s go to order is their house special with all the fixings. He’ll get the combination and add everything on the side too. Beansprouts, jalapeños, thai basil, lime, he’s even got the little side dish for a mix of hoisin and sriracha. The family takes care of him, especially knowing that Asher’s family pretty much all moved away from Dahlia. When he’s there, they’re his family away from family. Depending on the day, Baaabe will either get pho or bun rieu. They’re forever thankful that the owner’s daughter introduced them to bun rieu.

——————————————————————————

Dear introduced Lasko to khao soi on their third date. Lasko was under the weather and dreaded calling Dear to let them know he wouldn’t be able to make it to their date. Dear asked if he wanted company and Lasko jumped at the idea. 30 minutes later, they showed up with a bag of groceries and a warm smile that could make Lasko melt into a puddle.

They insisted that Lasko lay down and rest while they made him something to eat, but Lasko stubbornly sat at the island, out of their way as they cooked. Dear explained their parents’ lives in Northern Thailand and how the dish was always made for them when they were sick.

Lasko immediately fell in love with them the mild taste of the coconut milk in the broth and the slight burn of the spice as it traveled down his throat. When he recovered, he asked Dear to teach him how to make it. Now, when either of them are sick, the other will make khao soi for the other.

——————————————————————————

When Guy and Honey first moved into their new apartment, money was a little tight considering all the things they had to replace. A lot of costs stack up when you move into a new place. So on their first night, Honey made the two of them simple Indomie with frozen veggies topped with a fried egg. A delicious meal, cheap and easy. They make it every year on their anniversary now.

——————————————————————————

A/N: ok, i’m going to bed now good night LMAO this was a fun idea, i like doing little blurbles of just random shit.

[hircines-hunter]

Irene for @sanza-17 , Thorne for @umbracirrus , Veryn for @moriche , Dahlia for @thequeenofthewinter , Jia for @bougainvillea-and-saltwater , Brenda and Ebony for @madamefluffnstuff

I plan on drawing more! This is the first batch! Thanks to everyone for letting draw their babies! I love you enjoy them! It certainly helped me feel better! Which is why I will continue to draw more.

[wonderlandleighleigh]

Schniders in Stars Hollow Lenny arranging bouquets from flowers in his garden for his loved ones.

They eventually retire to Stars Hollow fully. Midge refuses to sell the brownstone in the city, but it's mostly for the kids and grandkids to use now.

This, of course, means that Lenny gets to tend to his garden all year round. Plants beets in the fall, and in the spring, by May, most everything is in bloom.

Probably a little too much this year, so Lenny clips and prunes and soon, the kitchen table is covered in Dahlia and tulips. Coneflower, lilies and marigolds, petunias and alium.

The roses won't pop for another month or so (in time for Midge's birthda), but there are plenty of beautiful flowers that aren't as well known to go around.

He settles a bunch into one of Midge's vases with some water and carries it into her office, settling it on the little coffee table in front of the couch she's sitting on as she takes a phone call. She beams up at him and tugs him down for a light peck, pulling away quickly. "Susie, I was not making out with Lenny."

"She was a little," he says into the phone.

"Stop trying to get me in trouble!"

He chuckles as he heads back to the kitchen. "Gonna drop off more flowers."

And he does.

*****

The Dragonfly is busy this weekend, and Lorelai grins at him from behind the front desk after handing a couple from Milwaukee the key to their room.

"Hi, Stranger, Midge kick you out?" She teases.

"Not yet," Lenny chuckles. "I wonder when she'll get around to it. No, I come with a gift." He holds out a bunch of flowers, held together with a little hemp rope.

"Oh, wow," Lorelai marvels as she takes them. "These are amazing. Let me grab a vase out of storage, these are going right here at the desk."

He chuckles as she hops off and comes right back with the promised vase, a little water in the bottom. "Rory home? She can have one, too."

"No, Rory is still in New York," she tells him. "She'll be home next weekend."

"There are always more flowers," Lenny promises. "See you later, kid."

"Bye, Lenny, thank you!"

He waves her off and heads out.

*****

He finds Liz at thr diner and hands her a batch, and she gasps, hugging them.

"I swear you're a whiz in that garden, Lenny. I don't know how you do it. I wind up killing all my flowers."

"Patience," he says. "Attention. It's like raising kids, but instead of being mouthy, flowers just wilt if they're pissy."

Liz laughs at that. "Don't get me started. Dula is four going on twenty-four, I swear."

"She's a little firecracker," Lenny agrees. "Speaking of mouthy, how is Jess?"

"Good, I think," Liz smiles. "He's been busy on that book tour, though. He's supposed to be back in another week or so."

"Yeah, he texted Midge before he left, but we haven't heard from him since," Lenny nods.

"He's fine," Luke tells them, bringing over a coffee cup and filling it for Lenny. "I annoyed him into calling me yesterday. He's in Raleigh. He'll be here next weekend after the tour wraps."

"My baby's coming home!" Liz crows. "I should cook him something special."

"You should not," Lenny tells her.

"Hey!"

He sips his coffee. "Buy him a nice sweater. For the love of God, do not cook."

"What he said," Luke agrees. "Don't I get flowers?"

"You don't own a vase," Lenny reminds him. "Until you buy one, you don't get flowers."

*****

Babbette and Mory get a bunch. Miss Patty, too, against his better judgement. Taylor gets a few. Kirk is allergic to everything so he gets none. He drops a batch off with Jackson for him and Sookie.

He's tired when he gets home. Winded in the way that comes with old age. He blows out a breath and wanders around, finding Midge in the kitchen.

"How'd it go?" She asks.

"Fine. Rory and Jess will both be home next weekend," he informs her.

"I'll have to do up a nice dinner for them," Midgr grins.

"I know that grin, Mrs. Bruce."

Midge smirks. "Do you, Mr. Weissman?"

"Oh yes," Lenny nods. "That is a look much like your mother used to give when she thought she was being terribly clever about her matchmaking."

"I have no idea what you mean."

Lenny chuckles. "Of course you don't."

[my-little-safe-corner]

What could have been?

This time I'm going to discuss deleted script and ideas from Wish, however by that I don't mean major plot points such as "evil Amaya" or "humanoid Star", but rather (at least mostly) minor things that have been scrapped from the general plot as we know it.

I'll be using the (digital) graphic novel adaptation for my observations, which I assume is supposed to be similar to the Junior Novelization, albeit maybe a little shortened.

Disclaimer: Any haters in the comments / responses will be blocked!

When it happens: Just after "Welcome to Rosas". The tourists do get food in the movie, but Asha never explains where it comes from.

Why it was deleted: Not sure, maybe because Dahlia is the one whose wish is to be the greatest baker according to what I read (though it's never mentioned in the movie itself and even if it were, no one says multiple people couldn't have the same wish). Then again, it could be just to shorten the movie since it's not significant to the overall plot, only expands upon the idea of granted wishes a bit.

When it happens: Pretty clear from the image, since Gabo does say something similar in the movie. However, the rest of the conversation is not there.

Why it was changed: In this version, it seems no one takes Gabo seriously when he tries to warn about Simon. While it could serve to explain why and how everyone is content with their family / friends losing a part of themselves all around the kingdom (they either make up some excuse for it or simply don't notice at all), it was flipped in the final version so that everyone actually agrees with Gabo. It was probably done to get the audience to better understand Simon's condition and what happens to people after giving their wishes.

(BTW, in the Junior Novelization, Gabo even says that most people become boring following their wish ceremony, maybe it was changed to focus on Simon)

When it happens: Asha does blow flour at Gabo, but Safi's text is not in the movie.

Why it was deleted: In this version, Dahlia can be seen getting the batch of cookies out of the oven, but the teens don't take them. In the final version, this sentence would cause a contradiction, since if Safi can't have Gluten, why was he even going to eat a cookie? Instead, Dahlia warns him it has lemon.

When it happens: Read the scroll's text. In the movie, Asha sees only one reflection.

Why it was changed: I really don't know. It's supposed to hint at Magnifico's fascination with mirrors even before we meet him in order to establish his character, so why change it?

And now there's a big skip, and I'm moving to Act 2:

When it happens: Amaya trying to convince Magnifico to not use the dark magic book.

Why it was deleted: Maybe to make the dialogue consist of shorter sentences for each character in order for the scene to be more flowing and dramatic, and also to show again Magnifico's tragic past and his motives.

When it happens: Asha and Valentino entering the observatory to find her family's wishes.

Why it was deleted: Because it's just a joke that doesn't affect the plot. There's also another joke he says earlier ("Chaos! I love it!") that I didn't include.

When it happens: It's clear from Magnifico's text, but what Simon says is not in the movie.

Why it was deleted: In the movie, he just says "What?" and there's a bit of a focus on his face. I think it's actually enough to hint that he's going to betray Asha, so no need to keep this text. Plus, it actually paints Simon as more loyal to the king from the beginning ("he must really be worried"), as opposed to only after his wish was granted, whereas in the final version he acts purely for selfish reasons.

When it happens: Just after "This is the Thanks I Get".

Why it was deleted: Maybe to finish the song ominously, and for Amaya to not catch him reading the book.

When it happens: Just after Sabino absorbs back his wish, before Magnifico breaks into the house.

Why it was deleted: I'm sure everyone has already seen this deleted scene, and I really don't understand why it was cut at the last minute. Maybe because they didn't have another song for the credits? Also, notice what Sakina says, Sabino completely forgot his talent after giving his wish, I think it's good there's another example of what it does to people in addition to that of Simon, and again, shouldn't have been cut.

When it happens: Just after Magnifico creates his staff. He does have a very similar text in the movie, but doesn't see Amaya's reflection, just notices her behind him.

Why it was changed: Another reference to Magnifico's love for mirrors, we do see his own reflection in the staff, and I'm really not sure why not Amaya's, since that raises the question how he noticed her (his new powers?).

When it happens: Just before Magnifico's second assembly.

Why it was changed: Maybe to save on animation and just show the teens near the stage.

And now I'm reaching the climax of the movie. This was originally a much longer scene that has been changed a lot to get what we have in the final version.

When it happens: After Magnifico traps Star and Asha.

Why it was deleted: I really can't think of any reason for this other than to shorten the movie, which is already very short. It gives us another peek to Magnifico's tragic past, and shows he wanted to capture Star to not only have its power and get rid of what he perceived as a threat to his kingdom, but also because he envied Asha for getting the help he desperately needed when he worked hard for his own wish, which is very understandable, at least for me. It's a real pity this text was cut, I don't get you, Disney!

When it happens: After Magnifico asks Asha how taking her wish into her own hands is working out for her.

Why it was changed: In the movie he just says he doesn't actually care. Maybe they didn't want to show kids how he enjoys torturing and mocking her.

When it happens: After Magnifico sucks Star into his staff.

Why it was deleted: Again, maybe to not show him savoring over Asha's pain. It's a pity because it shows Star was a representation of her wish, so when it was lost, she felt the same pain in her heart as all the other people who got their wishes crushed.

When it happens: Just after the last image.

Why it was deleted: I guess to shorten the movie, making the reference to the "At All Costs" song at the beginning lost...

When it happens: That's Magnifico's response to what Asha says in the last image.

Why it was deleted: For the same reason, though this text seems to be somewhat unrelated. In the Junior Novelization, however, his answer is longer, stating he needed the wishes to feel happiness, which is also a reference to "At All Costs", and now he doesn't need them and the citizens of Rosas anymore, making it a sensible response.

When it happens: Quite clear from the images, but they don't mention Amaya's wish to serve Rosas.

Why it was deleted: According to Disney Wiki and Heroes Wiki, she was formerly a ballerina, i.e the same one we see in the beginning of the movie with Magnifico granting her wish, so it makes sense to remove that.

When it happens: Everyone celebrating their victory.

Why it was deleted: Because that implies Sakina gave her wish only after Asha had been born, which also means the family moved to Rosas not that long ago, but then Sabino wouldn't have waited "decades" for his wish to be granted...

And that's all! There are some other differences I didn't include, but they are not really meaningful in my opinion, just small adaptation changes. Also, since I had started this long post, I finally got the Junior Novelization, and there are more changes there, which I may write another post on.

[caught-in-the-vortex]

SKULLGIRLS REDESIGNSSSSSS

/headcanons.

Batch 1

Black Dahlia

Peacock

Annie

Painwheel

Squigly

[beasblues]

more doodles and sketch pages! started going through some of the requests I got on my stories, such as the first batch of gumshoes and the last image, featuring the two dahlias ^^

[itsfairly]

Flowers, then Bread // Nanami Kento

Word count: 765

Notes: drable, gn! reader, sfw, fluff, just Nanami being such a sweetheart.

Nanami never had a reason to visit the flower shop next to the bakery he frequents.

Why would he? He would only be able to see the flowers the day he got them due to his line of work that keeps him away from home. He wouldn’t be able to change the water or put them where they are supposed to be to keep them as fresh as possible for longer. They would just wilt in a week or so. Hence, why the flower shop had yet to receive a visit from him.

It was just a point of reference that told him how close he was to getting bread.

Flower shop, bakery, enter.

Flower shop, bakery, enter.

And it remained like that for a while.

Until you two started dating.

Until you accompanied him to get some bread and the dahlias got your attention, the flowery smell lingering on your nostrils before turning your attention to the bakery’s door he opened for you.

Even if you thought not much of it, he did. A lot.

The way your idea looked at the flowers with awe, how your chest heaved in a deep inhale, or how you sighed at the pleasant smell.

It wasn’t a brainer, he got you the sorted bouquet of dailies after walking out of the bakery. He didn’t take your “you don’t have to.” He absolutely had and wanted to. He didn’t take your “you can just get them for another day.” He thought how foolish it was for you to think that. as if he could only give you flowers on special dates.

The bouquet was in your hands in a split second after he paid for it. “I wanted to get them for you today. No other reason needed.” He said sternly as if his heart wasn’t doing laps on his chest when you took a whiff of the flowers and smiled at him. God, you were beautiful.

His routine was forever changed when you two moved in together. Boxes littered all over his apartment as you two meshed your life together in one more way.

He saw you pull some vases from a box, staring at them before putting them back in the box. To you, his place did well enough without them.

To him, that just won’t do. He wanted to see pieces of you all over the place, pieces that not only reminded him of you but also made you feel at him. But most of all, he wanted to make it evident that this was not his place anymore. It was both of yous place.

Flower shop, enter. Bakery, enter. Home.

Flower shop, enter. Bakery, enter. Home.

Flower shop, enter. Bakery, enter. Home.

Every day he got a new batch of bread was a day he came back with new flowers. At first, you thought it was just the excitement of living together, waking up together, and sleeping together. But a couple of weeks later he still brought flowers with the bread. It was weird considering that the times you have visited his place before, there were no signs he was into bringing flowers home.

He had two reasons to do this. One, your vases deserved to be used, to not gather dust while they held pretty flowers. Two, it was a habit at this point. Every time he walked past the flower shop, he remembered you smiling at the dailies and the way his heart reeled at your smile. He remembered how much he loved seeing your surprise at the new flowers despite months of this routine.

A place once laced with the smell of fresh bread and the occasional pasties he bought was now a home that intertwined the warmth of the bread with the freshness of the flowers. Flowers that filled the scene with not only color, but memories of you.

It was more than just buying flowers and bread. It was seeing how perfectly your worlds came together, how well you two worked together. How great you two were for each other.

Nanami never had a reason to visit the flower shop next to the bakery. Until you.

The flower shop was now an important stop for him to make. He wanted to make you smile, wanted to keep that mix of you and him at home, wanted to smell the flowers like the many times you have told him to.

Flowers were you. His memory of you. A memory he made part of his routine.

Who would’ve known that bread and flowers were such a lovely errand to do?

[tumblingdownthefoxden]

"The Assistant and The Star"

Chapter 2: The Queen and King

Quiet as a mouse, a tall blond boy browses the grand pantry of the castle's kitchen with deviance on his mind. He knew he wasn't allowed to take snacks from the pantry. Dahlia had banned him from even entering the pantry after the night that he alone ate the pantry into needing a new shipment of food before the scheduled time. But he was in dire need for food after his short breakfast and work with his dad. His father made him leave home early to organize the Ceremony list. The boy named Dario didn't know why he had to get up early just to gather the names and picture of people he had to look out for when the ceremony was at sunset but his father insisted that "the early bird catches the worm" so they needed everything completed as soon as possible. And in his father's defense, it took quite a while to gather the name and portrait of anyone who had already given up a wish the previous year.

'But the second mouse gets the cheese' Dario thought as his arrival to the castle was soon after the breakfast rush. The kitchen was clean and stood vacant of any cooks that could stop him. Only other person there was Simon, snoozing at the bench against the wall after completing his 8 hour shift. He scanned the shelves holding baskets of fruit, jars of jams, boxes of cookies and bowls of bread for anything to soothe his cravings. He took a box of cookies from the shelf. A batch of Kingly cookies, shaped like the face of King Magnifico. He took 2 from the box but then had the temptation to take the whole box with him. Dario's cravings will act up again later, they always did. There were 5 more boxes of Kingly cookies and the king was a patient man, surely he wouldn't mind one missing box.

Before he left the pantry, there was a knock. Dario spun around to the ajar door of the pantry. No sign of anybody there. He sighed in relief, he couldn't let Dahlia see him. 5 more knocks (in the rhythm of "How to Build a Snowman" from Frozen) sounded. He looked and saw a hatch on the floor. He knelt down and knocked on the door as well. The knocking came back. He looked at the the handle and saw that the door was padlocked.

Dario hid the cookies in his shirt and went to look for a key. After every opened drawer, opened cabinet, there was no sign of a key. He considered waking up Simon to ask him if he knew of the key, when the three girls ran inside. "Hey guys, how are you?" Dahlia said before going into the pantry and pulling out a ring of keys. One swift move and the padlock was opened. Dahlia opened the hatch and emerged Asha. Dario jumped back at the sight of the black figure with an Ibex face but relaxed at the sight a little goat in their arms.

"Thanks Dahlia." Asha said, letting down Valentino. Dario grimaced, he never could get over that disguise. He ran away from Asha once when she first wore it to their outing during the Winter solstice festival. He was told off for it but could you blame him? If you saw La Muerte walking up to you, wouldn't run like a cat with a flaming branch tied to its tail?

"Hey Dario. How is everything?" Asha asked, taking off her cloak. Dario lifted his hands and signed, "I'm okay. What of you? No one followed you here?"

"No, not this time." She folded her cloak and placed it on the bench next to Simon, putting her mask on top of it. Bazeema walked over and sat down on the other side of Simon. "Should we wake him up now? We need a favor." She asked.

Dario snorted. "If you can wake him, be our guest." He signed. When Simon was napping after his shift, not even a trumpet could wake him up. He tried.

Bazeema leaned over and whispered into his ear, "Simon, Dahlia just made a fresh batch of cookies!" In a singsong tone. His snoring stopped and his eyes briefly opened. "Cookies?" He mumbled. Dario stared, mouth agap with how easy that was.

"No, she doesn't have cookies but we need to ask you something." Bazeema said, referring to her and Asha. "But first, I need to ask something." Dahlia budded in, intendly staring at a shelf in the pantry. "Has anyone seen a light blue box like the ones from the pantry? One of them is missing." The others were silent but Dahlia's eyes were on Dario and his bulging shirt. "Nobody happened to see a box of cookies from the shelf?"

"Maybe someone stole it overnight." Dario signed, glancing to his side. Dahlia left the pantry and walked up to him. "Oh, really? Because I checked the pantry this morning and saw all 6 boxes in place. No one other the cooks can even enter the kitchen during the Breakfast rush. You just so happened to be in the kitchen when I arrived and the only other person in here was asleep so where is the box?" Dahlia asked again.

Dario stood still, leaning back from her short but imposing stature. Dahlia still glared at him.

"Must be a mystery..." He signed with a shrug. Dahlia grumbled and held out her hand.

Sighing his defeat, Dario pulled out the cookies from under his shirt and handed it to her. She opened it to inspect how many were there. Only 2 were missing. "I swear Dario, you're going to make me loose my job one day!" Dahlia said, putting the cookies back. "I only took one box, would the King even notice?!" He signed. "The King might not care but the citizens at the festival will. I cannot get another avalanche of complaints because we ran out of Kingly cookies too soon." She explained. "At least, you didn't take the Queenly cookies. Then we really would've been in trouble."

There was only 1 rose gold box of the Queen shaped cookies next to the Kingly cookies but they were the most important. That box was for the royals themselves, and the King was critical about their condition. The last baker that ruined a batch of those cookies is currently in the dungeon. If Dario did eat from there, Dahlia would have to rush to make a new batch, but that would've been after she killed him.

"With that out of the way. Simon, could you help us take Asha home tonight please? Just before your shift?" Bazeema asked.

Simon rubbed his eyes. "Asha needs me to take her home? Is it that bad?"

"It will be so we could use your sword and shield."

"For the people or the woods? I can fight a person but a bear would be difficult. Are the bears active at night?" He asked, sitting up. "I'm not sure what to do about my nap before shift. I can't pass out on my rotation again."

"There's no pressure at all. If you still need to sleep, it's fine." Asha reassured, holding her hands out. "I-I can run home. I can handle myself."

"No no, it's alright." He said, standing up to stretch. "I would love to help you home. The mission will be good for me anyway. I can just take a nap sleep sooner and the travel will wake up."

Asha shifted on her feet. "Oh, thank you."

Hal bounced over to Asha's side. "Hey! Do you think it's possible to go to the festival for a few minutes. My cousins are performing a Kaolack dance in town square after the Ceremony. I would love for you to see it."

"Don't you think that's a little risky?" Questioned Dahlia.

"The crowd dies down after the Wish Ceremony and with the rest of us, we could keep an eye Asha and other people. She needs to have fun! She can't keep living like this!" Hal took Asha by her arms and turned her to face Dahlia. "You see her shoulders! The tension in her stand! Our lady is stressed! She has been working and running from antagonizers all week! Asha deserves some form of a treat from the festival!"

"Would you like that Asha?" Asked Bazeema, popping up behind them. The two girls jumped at her sudden appearance from Simon's side but Asha nodded. She would like to find something for her Saba in the market and since her employment, she couldn't enjoy the festivals like before. "Okay then, it's set!" Hal cheered.

"Oh, hey, could someone start a fire please? I should have time to make tea for the King." Said Asha. It was routine for her to bring tea to the King during festivals. It was a hard time for both of them but tea makes everything manageable. Simon opened a drawer and pulled out a box of matches that he handed to Dahlia. Once she lit the fire, the others went about preparing mint tea as Asha kept the fire going. 10 minutes later and Asha was squirting lemon into the porcelain tea cup from the King's tea set on a tray. "Okay, it's ready!" She chimed with a smile.

There was a knock at the door and Dario went to open it. One look at the visitor and Dario staggered back before bowing down. At the door, stood Queen Amaya in her rose gold gown. The others saw her and bowed as well. Asha rose her head. "Good morning, your majesty. I hope you're well. Wait. Am I late for the King?" She asked.

Amaya smiled warmly. "No, you're fine. I wanted walk around the castle and see who was here right now. Would you like to see the King now?"

"Oh, yes, thank you." She took up the tea tray and walked up to the queen before turned back to her friends. "I'll see you guys later. Could you watch over Valentino please?" Dario picked up Valentino and gave her a thumbs up. "Thank you!" She said and walked. Dario shut the door and handed Valentino over to Simon, who was back on the bench. "I need to meet with my dad later today, I'm gonna leave him with you, okay?" He signed. Simon yawned and nodded as he took the little goat. "Yeah, I got all day." He began stroking his head. "We'll have a good time. Oh... Valy. Was your fur always this sof..." Simon dozed off again. His arm around Valentino and his hand fixed on his head. Effectively trapping the little goat under his weight.

Perplexed by his circumstance, Valentino bahhed for help. Dahlia giggled. "Sorry buddy but I can't have you run around the kitchen. And the last time we watched over you, you escaped into the city and got lost for 3 hours. You'll be safe with Simon. You do seem cozy in his arms!"

Valentino gave her a look.

He was going to remember this indignation.

---

"I'll admit, the advisor of the English King is charming but he is so dull. When we weren't talking about trade negotiations, he would go on and on about his polo games." The Queen ranted to the Assistant.

"But polo games have such fine horses." Asha used to read about horse when she was 12. The English breeds were pretty to her.

"Indeed, he loved his polo pony. He spoke about the strength and agility of his pony with more delirium than about our trade." -She glanced to Asha- "Honestly, anything is better than trade negotiations."

"Did the advisor really lift a statue during your lunch break to impress you?"

Amaya chuckled. "Yes. He even asked to lift me! But I declined."

"And Magnifico wasn't there?" Asha whispered in shock.

"That advisor better thank the heavens every night that he wasn't."

"Much about him sounds like a horse. From his strength to his food intake."

"Ha. When he first arrived, you would've thought he was a horse by his stench."

"Queen Amaya!" Asha choked. Surely, the Queen has gone too far in her ill manner speak of a nobleman.

"Oh, how will he know." She waved her hand.

It was a long way to the King's study at the top of the castle but it was worthwhile for the conversations with the Queen.

They arrived to the grand wooden doors of the King's study. "Are you ready?" Amaya asked. Asha nodded.

She opened the doors and let Asha pass by. It was a clean space with a wall of black mirrors across from her but King Magnifico was nowhere in sight. Asha set the tray down on a table next to the book shelves. She looked and noticed something off. Along the wall was a glass case holding the King's staff. Along the edge of the edge we're designs of what looked like dragonflies. The staff had fallen from the handle holding it and lied diagonal inside the case.

Thinking nothing of it, Asha touched the edge of the glass, searching for a handle or anything that could open the case so she could fix it.

The design on the glass glowed and the bugs emerged, immediately swarming Asha. She held her arms to shield her face but stayed still. Dragonflies were harmless and should leave you alone if you're still, right? Then Asha felt sharp, stinging pain biting at her body.

Those weren't Dragonflies!

Asha began screaming and waving her arms as the hornets continued to relentlessly attack her. She reached into bag and pulled out a thick book, trying to whack the devil bugs away but to no avail. There was a shifting sound behind her as the mirrored wall opened like a sliding door. From this doorway, emerged the King of Legend, Magnifico. "Is someone in here- oh my goodness!" Magnifico was puzzled at the sound of screaming in the room until seeing his Assistant being bombarded by the protection spell for his staff. He couldn't have been at her side in less time

"Oh shoot, Asha! Wait! Hold still. Hold still!" Magnifico stammered, ducking to avoid the flying boot that was launched at the hornets. "I got it!"

He gathered the light blue bugs in his hands and sent them back into the glass. Asha stood panting while holding her book. "Thank you, sir." She said. "You're welcome. Are you okay?" He asked.

Asha examined her skin to see red spots where she was stung. "Well, nothing I can't fix." Magnifico chimed. With a snap of his fingers, something blue wrapped around her arms. It disappeared and the red spots were gone. "Thank you, sir." She said again, going to take her boot from the floor.

"Huh. Was it always like that?" Magnifico pondered as he looked at the fallen staff. He waved his hand, the glass door opened and the staff floated out into his palm. He closed the case and turned to the tea on the desk. He smiled at her constant consideration.

"So, did anybody see you on your way here?" He asked, pouring another cup of tea.

"A hunter but they couldn't catch up with me." She replied. "The cloak and mask are working but they're catching onto me."

"Again!" He handed her a cup of tea on a saucer. "I swear. This is an arms race between predator and prey."

Asha just looked down at her tea. Too hot to drink but keeps her thoughts in order. He sat down on the floor. Asha followed suit.

Asha thought back to the heckler that was outside the castle exit waiting for her, and 3 days before that, she had a run in with a crowd asking her to convince the King to take their extra wishes. She had made a list of names and their extra wishes to tell the King about. It is 43 pages long.

"And how are your trips home?" He took a sip of tea.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"...okay." He whispered empathetically. He stood up and took Asha's empty cup of tea. "You know what? Meet me in the Grand Hall after the Ceremony. I know someone who can help you get home." He set the cups down on the tray. "It's almost noon. Do you want to test the spells now? I have the vials and spellbooks in the hollow."

Asha stood up. "Certainly."

Waving his free hand, a circle in the floor opened up. Revealing a spiraling staircase made from cobblestone, alight with torches of blue fire. "Shall we?"

Asha nodded and the two made their way down below.

A/N: This was the most fun chapter I've written so far. I don't why my brain decided Dario should be the Shaggy of the group but it suits him.

I decided to keep repurpose the evil lair but I don't know how to make an evil lair less evil. This is getting fun but Tumblr needs to stop posting my chapters without its final edits when it fails to save!

@annymation @signed-sapphire @wings-of-sapphire @mythartist21 @oh-shtars @kstarsarts @uva124 @chillwildwave @queenamayasimp-deactivated20240 @ahomeinthestars-wishrewrite @rascalentertainments

[aheathen-conceivably]

🥛🐈(ik you have cats this is just me using it as a way for you to pretty please show pictures of them🥺👉👈) 🐝

Eeeep! My lovely friend! Hello! Thank you for these! 🫂

🥛 Milk: What is a food you find comforting when you are sad? 

Hands down, my grandma’s gumbo. For the big holidays she makes huge batches and freezes us portions to last us through the year. I always find myself defrosting some when I need a little comfort and it always does the trick.

🐝 Bee: What is a video game that you find comforting? 

So for all my love of the sims, I wouldn’t call it “comforting” 😅

When I need a cozy game or when I want to lean into video gaming to help my anxiety, I always play a game called Banished. It’s just this simple little town building game with such a pleasant and soothing soundtrack that it always makes me feel relaxed.

🐈 Cat: Do you have any pets? Are there some pets you really want? 

An excuse to send cat pics?! You really do know me so well! 🥰

I have two cats, Primrose and Dahlia (who I showed off when they were little bebes). They’ve gotten SO big now and are often little menaces, but also the most lovable beans I have ever met. But you ask a cat lady for cat pictures, cat pictures you shall receive…