#drawing and shading the scarlet rot bits was fun

[killjo-q]

Malenia my beloved

[noxshade]

Day 30 & 31: Showdown and Anticlimax

“Why don’t you show yourself, ‘Mistress’?”

Reimu Hakurei looked around, trying to find the mastermind of this plot.  The moon had risen by this late hour; not that you could see it clearly, just a pale red glow behind the scarlet fog.  There was a great rumbling in the air, and a cloud of bats flew past Reimu, converging in a swarming mass.  From this writhing, a figure emerged.  

A slender young girl, her skin a bloodless, pallid shade.  She was clad in soft pinks and vibrant reds in an aristocratic, gothic, western style, two leathery bat wings, black as night against the red mist, spouted from her back, lazily flapping far too slowly to support her, but still she hung in the air before her.  She brushed a lock of her wavy, powder-blue hair behind one pointed ear and looked down at Reimu.

“Ah, just one?  I was told there were two human intruders,” she said in a vaguely western accent.  

An outsider then, Reimu guessed, based on her voice. “Sorry to disappoint, but it’s just me for now.  The other one is dealing with your pet wizard,” she said.  She and Marisa had been ambushed by the maid and the librarian, and they had split up to deal with them.

“Oh, so that’s how it all worked out.  I look forward to seeing the book Patchy will bind with her skin.”  The looks of quiet amusement as she said this betrayed her age, thought Reimu.  The hint of bemused malice in her child’s voice and the shadow of sadism that crossed her too-young face told Reimu that whatever this thing was, it was nowhere near as young as it appeared.

“And I assume you’re looking to do something similar to me, yeah?” Reimu asked.  She shifted her grip on her gohei purification rod and stared back into those blood-red, slit-pupiled eyes.  “Something cruel and unspeakable?”

“It’s not polite to assume things, especially about your host,” the girl responded.  She folded her hands in front of her, like they were making polite conversation.  “I’m rather thinking of asking you to leave my manor for this behavior.  You’ve harassed my staff, disrupted their work, annoyed my friend and if you don’t leave soon you may disturb my dear sister.”

“Well, remove the red fog from Gensokyo, and you might make it back to your dear sister in one piece,” Reimu said, drawing a handful of ofuda talismans.

“If you think this is a game, priestess, you’re sadly mistaken,” the girl said.  She flicked her hand and a massive, intricately ornate winged spear flew into her outstretched palm, too fast for Reimu to tell where it had come from.  “This is all too real.”  They both smiled tightly.

“Looks like it's going to be a long night.”

“Looks like it's going to be a fun night.”

~~~

Reimu Hakurei awoke from another dream, again anxious, disappointed and confused.  These dreams of a fantasy land were always so exciting, but when she awoke it all turned back to crushing disappointment as she remembered her real life.

She rolled checked her bedside clock, and despite wanting to stay in bed another hour, she judged that it was time to start her day.  She rolled off her futon and began her morning routine.  Boil a kettle for tea, brush hair, toast bread, find clothes.  As she spread a tiny amount of jam on her toast, she tried to remember what her dream had been about.  Another of her many heroic fantasies, like all dreams they faded almost as soon as she woke up.  But this one had been so intense, was she fighting a vampire with a spear?

She finished her toast, and found some clean clothes.  A once-bright red hoodie, now a deeper, faded color, and an equally old pair of khaki cargo pants, now devoid of almost all color except the dull smear of age.  She slipped into her pair of beat-up sneakers and tied up her hair into a loose bun, tied with one of her keepsakes from her mother, a red, frilled ribbon.  The locals had always talked about her with such admiration, Reimu felt a private shame that she couldn’t remember much of anything about her, but the ribbon and the two red fabric tubes she wore on her long sidelocks felt familiar in a way nothing else did.

Finally dressed, she slid her front door up, and stepped out into the mid-morning fog of Gensokyo, Tokyo.  Tucked away between Shinkaji and Shimokitazawa, the neighborhood was oft-forgotten by the authorities, filled equally with retirees and hipsters.  Reimu grabbed her broom from inside the Hakurei Shrine, and closed the door.  She checked her donation box on her way down the stairs, and pocketed the spare coins; judging them enough for a sandwich lunch from the corner store later in the day.  She set to sweeping the path between the torii and the shrine, trying to keep this tiny corner of nature wedged between urban sprawl clean.

“Um, hello?” came a voice from behind her.  Reimu turned to see a pale salaryman, sick mask over his face, looking around nervously as he stood on the threshold beneath the torii gate.  She turned and answered him.

“Hello, what are you looking for?” she said, leaning on her broom.

“Are you…the manager of this shrine?” he asked, looking around.

“No, but I would be if shrines had managers,” Reimu responded, wondering what this could possibly be about.  Another real estate stooge trying to buy up the shrine?

“Oh well, um,” he stumbled over his words before continuing. “I’ve got a bit of a weird problem, and I was given this flyer about it…” he produced a slip of paper and offered it to Reimu and she took it.  It read in white lettering outlined in red: “Exorcisms and Spiritual Exterminations: Hakurei Shrine Services” with a picture of the shrine and the address.  Marisa had made these for her months ago, and little had come from putting them all over the neighborhood except for one near-signed old woman trying to get Reimu to handle her tatami mite infestation.  Did Marisa print more of them without telling her?

“Where did you get this?” Reimu asked.   

The man looked even more nervous.  “Well, I was out drinking after work a few nights ago, and I may have started complaining about how…” he paused, looking embarrassed.  Reimu gestured for him to continue, and he collected himself.  “About how the apartment above mine is haunted.  One of the other regulars at the bar said that she knew a great exorcist who could settle the spirit, and she gave me that flyer.  Is that you?”

“Yes, that’s me,” Reimu said to try and calm his obvious nerves. “Do you know this regular?”

“Um, I don’t know her name.” Reimu gestured for him to continue again, and the man explained: “Tall, middle aged, blond hair, dressed in a dark purple business suit.  The bartender says she’s a night owl: stays until dawn, then leaves.”  Despite the right hair color, that didn’t sound anything like Marisa.  After thinking it over for a moment and coming up with nothing, she returned her attention to the salaryman.

“So, a haunted apartment above yours?” she asked.

“Yes, I’ve spoken to the building manager, but she doesn’t believe me.  She walked me through the apartment when I lodged a noise complaint, she said it’s empty because of some kind of rot in the floorboards that she can’t find anyone to fix, but…”

“What kind of noises are you hearing?”

“Moaning, scratching, and loud thumps at the floor,” he said.  “At first, it thought it must be someone that was kidnapped, or held against their will, but since she showed me that it’s empty and she keeps the door locked, I’m convinced it’s haunted.  It’s happened every night for two months now, and I can’t get any sleep.”

Reimu mulled the problem over.  She needed cash, but a locked apartment might not be so easy.  She wondered if Marisa still had her lockpicking kit from her B&E days - who was she kidding? Of course Marisa still had it, the girl never threw anything away.  Reimu checked her watch, and tried to remember when Marisa would be out of her classes; not until 5 pm at the latest, which left them plenty of time for a nighttime ritual and exorcism.

“Alright, if you can pay, I can remove this spirit for you,” Reimu said, shifting her tone of voice to her saleswoman pitch.  “Base fee is thirty thousand yen, with additional fees if the spirit is troublesome and takes longer, and a down payment of five thousand yen for materials.”

The man swallowed behind his mask.  “So, you can do it soon, then?” he said as he removed several bills from his wallet.

“Yes, we can do it tonight.  I’ll need my associate, who should be free tonight.” She accepted the five bills with a bow. “And besides, exorcisms are best performed when the spirit is active, so we’d have to wait regardless.”  She pocketed the cash, and directed the man into the shrine to get his address and take stock of her supplies.

While she may not have been as fearless as the other Reimu in her dreams, she was still an exterminator of spirits, and a keeper of Gensokyo’s balance.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29772798/chapters/74911179

(I guess this is as good a place to start an AU.  Focused on an urban fantasy feel, and majorly inspired by this picture, look for stories in this universe here and on my AO3.)

[dgennk]

Undertale: Saving Dreemurrs - Halloween

NOTICE: [I just wanted to write something and post it, to get back into writing. I’m working on an AU for Undertale, cause that’s captured my heart since January, and I just wanted to get my toe wet on something silly. Why Halloween? Cause I had some white Reese’s when I was thinking this up. Maybe I’ll rewrite it for Halloween this year? Anyway, thank you for reading, any constructive criticism would be helpful.]  Friday October 31st, Halloween.��

Within the Underground, this date held no special worth, just another day to live for the next. On the surface however, this date marked a special occasion. As the sun would set, children and adults alike would leave their homes, adorned in costumes for one goal. 

Sugar rush inducing, cavity spawning, sweet candy. 

Sour, bitter, tooth-rotting sweet. Candies and confections were prepared and bought for costumed humans of the night.

Today this tradition held strong, especially with the inclusion of monsters that once called the Underground their home.

This could be merrily seen within the Dreemurr abode, as its children returned from hours of trick-or-treating. Four children scrambled into HOME with pillow cases filled to bursting with sugary delights.

“Your outerwear, children!” their trailing guardian, Toriel, reminds as she shuts the door behind her. 

“Yes mom!” “Got it!” and “Yes, Ms. Toriel!” choired the children, closely followed with the shuffle of clothing. Scarves and jackets, tossed at the basket beside the second entryway, the act hardly slowed their rush.

With a skip into the foyer, Frisk kicks off his final boot and breaks for the right hall. “Last in trades free!”

“Huh?” Asriel gasps while MK lets out an indignant ‘Dood!’ Only for them to be left behind by the other human child.

Chara cackles, their foam forked tail wiping as they turned the corner.

The two boys scramble to give chase, neither willing to part with their treasured trove.

Toriel hummed as she hung her snaily shawl a step from the door. A light thud had her eyes flutter but the bleat that proceeded drew a knowing smile. “Perhaps,” she muses, “I should unveil it a tad earlier.” Her smile grew. 

“That wasn’t fair,” mumbled Asriel, sitting at the center circle mat, sack of candy buried in his lap. He rubbed his snout, slightly bruised from his fumble.

“Come on dude, don’t be sore,” Mk laughed beside him, his candy sack untied from his chest.  “Your mom’s dress was just too long!”

“I needed it for my costume!” proclaimed the prince fervently. He threw his arms around his bag and dug his face deep. It worked in tandem with his wide-brim green hat to obscure his downcast look. “And, it’s a robe, not a dress.” 

“But like,” MK began, a brow risen with a perplexed twist of the snout. “Could have made it shorter.”

“That,” chimed Chara with a playful smile, reclined on the far right bed. “Wouldn’t be authentic.”

A groan escaped the hidden boss monster. “Chara, please stop teasing.”

The jester’s smile grew. “Okay, Az.” Bells jingled with their chuckle. 

Frisk tapped his painted chin in thought, face turned up for the starry-blue ceiling. He hummed and nodded then headed for the down prince. “I change my mind,” he leans down, while reaching a blue hand into his right pocket.

“Hm? Frisk?” The prince peered up.

“Here,” The child placed a treat on Asriel’s bag. A blackish ball, about the size of a doughnut hole, with ovid sprinkles topped on its shell. It was inside a clear twist wrapper, no labels to be seen.

“Where did we get those?” Chara mumbled aloud, with a lean to peer over.

A small smile came over Asriel’s mostly shaded visage as he accepted the gift. “Thanks Frisk.” He opened the wrapping, it was hard and didn’t smell much like anything. He still appreciated it all the same. He slipped it between his teeth and took a small crunch to it.

His reaction was a bit of a surprise to the others watching. 

Chara paused to stare, wide-eyed. Their brother had taken to the candy well. No, that was an understatement. The boss monster moaned in delight, holding his cheeks as whatever piece of confectionery in his mouth seemed to overload his senses. She couldn’t help but twist her head at Frisk, only to stare, numb from his expression. His eyes gleamed scarlet in the shadow of his hair, a telling smile etched onto his face. “... Frisk?”

“Azz, dood,” MK calls, “WHAT is that?”

The boss monster only groaned before turning his head with a bob. “Oh,” he muttered lightly, his voice muffled somewhat. “It's greht, like moh’s pie, but,” he pauses to savor the taste on his tongue. “It's tahfy!”

“Eh?”

“Hey Asriel!” the rubber-clad Dreemurr smiled wider. “You can have more if you want!!” 

“Critical hit!” Chara grunted.

“You ghot more?!” Asriel bursts to his feet, his own candy forgotten to the floor. 

Hook. The thin smile on Frisk’s face had blossomed into a face-splitting grin. “Yeah, a dozen if you wanna trade!”

“Oh,” pauses Asriel, “Righht! Uhm… Do you have sohmethhing in mihnd?”

Line! “Well…” he draws it out before clicking his teeth. “How many of those big Reese's do you have?!”

DEVIL! Chara screams internally.

“Oh, those,” Asriel smiles brightly. “Papyrus and Undyne were giving out the really big stuff, they gave me 5. I think they were… jumbo?” he trailed, unsure and flustered. He hadn’t really read the packages at the time. He perked quick though, beaming. “You can have them! If you want?”

“Yes! Yeah!!” Frisk chirps while pulling a white bag from his candy sack. With palpable eagerness he presents it forward to the prince, only for both to stumble. A blur swooped between and snatched it, leaving the two at a loss!

Chara’s glower twinkled, standing high on the bed parallel to the other. “You sneak!” she accuses. “No one gave us these on our route! Where did you get them?”

Frisk’s brows pulled down with his angry expression. “You can’t take my trade candy! Give it back!”

“You had these since the start, didn’t you!?” Chara ignored Frisk’s demand and instead placed the bag behind their back, their other hand pointed at the miffed blue munchkin.

“N-No I didn’t!” protested Frisk.

“You’re a bad liar!” She giggled angrily in retort.

“Come on guys!” MK yawned at them. “Let’s just start eating candy already!”

Frisk whips his hand out to point at Chara, squinted eyes burning red hot, “Not until Chara lets me get my Jumbo Recess!”

“Your Jumbo Recess?!” Chara repeated with a haughty laugh. “You knew I was going to trade for them! I always trade with Asriel!”

Now the youngest Dreemur pulls back, arms crossed over their chestplate. “I didn’t forget! I got something for you too!” he ends in a huff.

“Wait, what?” blinked Chara.

“I was gonna trade for your Rice Krispie Treats with this!” he finds and reaches into his candy-sack. After a shuffle he takes a deeper reach inside and withdraws an oval shaped treat, just a few inches shorter than his face, covered in a clear wrinkled wrapping.

Chara was speechless, arms falling slack.

“Where did you get that giant egg! Is that chocolate?!” Mk was right by it, looking over the super-sized egg thing.

“I got it from the store,” Frisk started with a matter-of-fact tone. “It was pretty hollow but mom helped me put cream inside, so it’s like those egg things you get from dad.”

“Cadbury... Eggs.” Chara slowly corrects. Realization struck her brain. Frisk and mom had made this for them. 

Her heart swelled in the chest, rosy cheeks now venetian despite the grey paint. “Hey…” She couldn’t look Frisk in the eyes. “Sorry.”

“Trade this for your Rice Krispies and we good!” the boy gave a thumbs up.

“Sheesh,” Chara smiled, and reached for the bag she dropped. “I get it, I get it.” She didn’t meet a paper bag, instead her hands landed upon something fuzzy. She blinked and looked down.

Asriel was draped over his bed. Where the bag once was, his head was now. His green hat now on the floor, forgotten. He was chewing groggily, half-lidded eyes gazing at nothing in particular while a large mass of stringy, sticky taffy laid within his maw. Wrappers with nothing inside laid all over the bed. The bag was on the floor now, torn open.  

Frisk grinned.

MK laughed.

Chara groans.

“...Uh?” Asriel tried to speak, however, the tough candy made it embarrassingly difficult.

“Hey dude!” Mk, popped in front of Frisk excitingly. “You got something big you can trade me?!”

“Fufufu!” The child laughs in the manner of a hero. He turned to Chara and handed them the monster of a creme egg. Then, he turned around and walked to his sack, shrouding it from prying eyes.

MK waited with a held breath as the human slowly rose, his arms held before him but close to hide what laid in his hands. 

“Are you ready for this?” Frisk asked anonymously. He didn’t need to look back, he could feel the intensity of MK’s nods. He could hear the whisper of their draft. “Then get ready…

For the dragon!!”

“YOOOOOO!” Frisk had unveiled a stupidly thick gummy in the crude shape of a dragon head, about the size of, again, Frisk’s face.

“Where did you get these?” Chara balked.

Frisk closed eyes glinted and presented the gummy head with one hand and pointed at the star-struck monster. “For your ring pops, I’ll give you this! Deal?”

MK had like 8 of those. 

“Deal!”

With the transaction concluded, Frisk happily handed the massive wyrm head to the monster who lifted it with his maw alone.

“Fris-” Before Chara could repeat her question, a knock came at the door, drawing all the children’s attention.

A laugh came as the door knob was turned. “I’m sorry to interrupt in on the fun-oh!” Toriel paused, seeing the state of the four. “I can see you’ve already begun trading. Well, I have to ask you to finish your candy for the time being.”

“Uh?” MK whines, gummy the size of a fist in his mouth. “Ow cooh?”

She couldn’t help her excitement. “Well, It was for the party later this evening, but I had so many ingredients I made a second chocolate pumpkin and snail pie!” she clapped. “I thought we could share that between ourselves before the rest arrive.” 

The looks on Chara and Asriel’s faces would always confuse Frisk. Pumpkin and chocolate sounded good but they had a feeling there would be more snail out of the three.

“Hael?” MK questioned. 

Asriel was first on his feet this time, a blur of rainbow met everyone in the room as he dashed out first.

“H-Hey! Wait Asriel!” Chara leapt after them. And MK soon followed after, though with far less enthusiasm than before. This left Toriel and Frisk.

The Boss Monster could only be amused by her child’s expression. She reaches out her hand. “Do not worry,” she gave a wink. “I had made a slice with no snails for yourself.”

And with that Frisk beams, racing for their mother and gripping her hand tight. They were all-but dragging her out now, a toothy smile on their face.

Toriel laughed, “my, my.” And closed the door behind them, to go enjoy a treat with her children.

[daegustreetlights]

Ursa Major

A/N: it’s been a while since i’ve written anything for bangtan so this is really just soft word vomit. enjoy

Genre: Fluff. Downright tooth-rotting sweetness.

Word count: 1,372

Your gaze followed the line that Namjoon drew with the tip of his index finger as he pointed out various constellations and named some of the stars housed within their being. His already melodic voice had softened considerably and dripped from his lips like honey, coating each and every syllable in a sticky-sweetness that had you vying for more. Your head rested on his shoulder, right arm snaking around his torso as you snuggled into his side. His own arm had curled gingerly around your waist, holding you close in an attempt to shield you from the breeze that had kicked up sometime earlier. It wasn’t freezing by any means but the gentle currents that had managed to find their way under your clothes coiled and danced about your bones, making you shudder. After the sun had set and the pink hues it cast across the sky were replaced with that familiar inky blanket that was covered in tens of thousands of handfuls of colorful moondust, the crickets moved from their hiding places and began to sing in hopes of finding mates of their own, the gentle music they created with their wings echoing in your mind. The grass that cushioned your bodies was soft, the remnants of the morning dew that it had collected clinging to a few blades; it tickled your feet, the childlike amusement that accompanied the feeling making you wiggle your toes. The peace that had settled over the two of you washed over your being in waves and with each passing moment, you found that you were more and more willing to succumb to it and let yourself be pulled under. You were warm and filled with a sense of comfort and happiness that had never befallen you during your time with others. "Oh!" Namjoon started suddenly, eyes blown wide with an excitement that was reserved for things that galvanized his inner child. It drew you out of the stupor that you had fallen into, the excited lull that accompanied his words making your heart race a bit, small smile drawing the corners of your lips up toward your ears. You bit your lip, stifling a soft giggle.

"What?"

"You see the big dipper there?" Namjoon started, pointing out the cluster of stars that made up the constellation. You offered him a small nod in response, not quite following; the shape that he had pointed out was arguably the most well-known constellation in the world. Why get so excited over something so bland. Before you had the opportunity to ask him as much he was piping up once more. "It's part of a bigger constellation called 'Ursa Major,' or 'The Great Bear.' The handle of the dipper makes up her tail," he explained. His finger veered off its original course, moving to point out several more stars. You could almost see the thin, chalk-like line that trailed the appendage, connecting the stars that he identified so that the crude outline of a bear had been made visible to you. "If you move out right a little bit you can see the nose, and then down this way," he moved his finger in accordance, "are her legs." You shifted, hand splaying itself across his chest as you lifted your head and focused your attention on your partner. His own gaze was still focused on the cloudless sky that loomed overhead, the stars reflected in those warm, honey-like pools.

“You seem to be pretty fond of this bear,” you hummed.

“It’s my favorite constellation.”

“Yeah? Tell me about it.” You moved again, choosing to rest your head on the broad expanse of his chest as opposed to returning it to his shoulder. The gentle thrum of his heartbeat was the only thing that drowned out the chirp of the crickets.

“Legend says that the bear used to be a beautiful maiden named Callisto. Zeus was so enthralled with her being that he saw fit to pursue her. She even bore him a child, a boy named Arcas. His wife, Hera, soon become aware of his infidelity and to protect the maiden and her young son from her rage, Zeus turned them into bears and threw them into the sky.”

“Don’t you think that’s a little dark, Joon?”

“Of course it is,” he laughed. “All mythology is, really. It’s kind of poetic, though.”

You cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? How do you figure?”

"There's a lot to be derived from that. You can't help by wonder why Zeus wouldn't leave Hera if he didn't seem to hold feelings for her. On the other hand, the mere notion that he loved Callisto so much that he actively worked against the woman he had promised to live beside for all eternity is kind of romantic. You don't see that kind of thing nowadays,"

"Yeeaah, I think people would kind of freak if they saw someone get turned into a bear and yeeted into the sky."

"You know what I mean!" Namjoon laughed. "A lot of people seem to think that type of unconditional love is dead."

"And you? What do you think?"

He shrugged, lifting the uppermost portion of his body so that he could fold his free arm under his head.

"I don't think so. I think you just have to find the right person."

"I think you're right."

"I think I found mine," he mused, voice softening further. You almost didn't hear him

"I-"

"If I'm being honest, I don't just think so. I know so." Namjoon finally shifted his gaze away from the cloudless sky and down toward you, bright smile finding purchase on his lips. Sweet dimples accompanied it, and you couldn't help but think they were deep enough to drown in.

You offered him a warm smile of your own, the sight setting a horde of butterflies free in the pit of his stomach. “Is that to say you’d immortalize me in the sky?”

“That is to say you’ve been immortalized in my heart.”

“Now that’s poetic,” you mused. A faint flush dusted itself across the expanse of your cheeks. The urge to poke a bit of lighthearted fun at him bubbled up within you but you killed the playful ‘you even met all the key elements of poetry,’ before it had a chance to escape you. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same, though.”

“That sounds pretty poetic too. Your iambic pentameter and the flow of your words is simply unmatched.” Maybe you should have taken the jab after all. You scoffed, giving his chest a light smack. “I’m sorry!” Namjoon laughed. He caught your hand before it had a chance to make contact with his pectoral, lacing your fingers. You made no move to pull away, finding comfort in the feeling of your lover’s palm pressed so firmly against your own.

“I mean it, Joon. You make me happier than I ever thought possible. In this great expanse of empty space, you shine brighter than even the most dazzling of stars. I’m glad I found you.”

Your words ushered form another warm smile, Namjoon’s eyes forming small crescents as the grin split his lips. The blush that crawled up the base of his neck and took up residence on his cheeks was an endearing shade of scarlet that complimented the delicate pink that still decorated your own rather well. "You took the words right out of my mouth."

"Why don't I snatch something else while I'm at it?"

Leaning in, you released your hold on his hand in favor of cupping his face and drawing it closer to your own. Namjoon moved with you, sealing his lips to yours in a kiss so sweet you could almost taste sugar. "I love you, Y/N," he murmured against your lips when the two of you finally parted.

"I love you too, Namjoon."

Rather than return to your original position, you moved to lay on your side, propping your upper body up with your elbow. Namjoon mimicked the action, eyes filling with adoration as his gaze fell over you. The two of you lay like this for quite some time, silently admiring the delicate intricacies of one another features as the crickets resumed their singing.