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clanwarrior-tumbly · 1 year ago

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i love the pumpkin decor from anura and the skulls from silk cradle !! even though its not even close to halloween,,,(its always in my heart lmao) i was thinking about bishops (+narinder and/or labert, if your up for it) platonically with a child! black cat reader (who is kind of like in the spooky month skid and pump mindset LOL, but the town they grew up in, possibly outside the lands of the old faith, is very halloween-centered)

i hope this isnt too specific !!

Don't worry, Halloween's ALWAYS in my heart haha. I love those decorations too! And the ones from the blood moon ritual. Can't wait for that event again

.........

Heket

With pumpkin patches flourishing in her domain, it only makes sense for her to have celebrations and rituals surrounding the harvest season.

Yet she knows nothing of this "Halloween" you've rambled on about to her followers, nor why you became so excited upon discovering that Anura's environment reflects the autumn season.

That's because the town you're from is centered entirely around the holiday, with you living among ghouls, skeletons, demons, crows, and (of course) other black cats.

To you, every day is Halloween and you're loud and proud about it!

You introduced the idea of jack o'lanterns to Heket when she discovers you carving a pumpkin, sticking a candle inside after you gutted the entire crop, much to her confusion and annoyance.

"You there..why do you waste precious food?" She accuses, but you're completely oblivious to her anger.

"Where I come from, we always carve pumpkins! And we make cool things like this!" You show her your finished product: a Yellow Crown carved onto the face of the pumpkin. "I offer this to you, Lady Heket."

"I see, but...what am I to do with it?"

"You put it outside your home to ward off scary spirits! Like those who wanna wilt the crops!"

She had her doubts about these traditions of yours, but she grows to like this "jack of lantern" and puts it into effect almost immediately.

More followers join in, learning how to carve their own pumpkins and place them outside their homes.

It actually gives the incredibly superstitious and paranoid some comfort that they won't be haunted or plagued by negative spirits/energy.

Heket made a point to allow an overabundance of pumpkin patches during Halloween season so there's enough for both food and carving.

She also discovers people are willing to pay for the best-looking ones, so she allows the elders to run stands by the fields and make some coin.

Ofc, a good chunk of the profits go directly to her.

Shamura

Skull piles and skeletal decorations are commonplace in Silk Cradle, being trophies of wars and intimidating those who dared wander into their domain--grim reminders that it could be their own skull next.

You, however, find them nonthreatening as you've had similar decor back in your little town of Halloween (/ref).

Fake or not, you loved them all the same (plus the cobwebs, even though most are just part of the natural environment) and had to ask Shamura if Halloween was celebrated all year here, too.

Although their brain struggles to recollect things, they have books on holidays and their ancient origins..so they are aware it exists.

But it's not one they ever cared to implement.

Nevertheless, they permit you to decorate your home to your heart's content with whatever skulls and bundles of silk you found--as well as pumpkins shipped from Anura.

They're nicer to you bc you remind them of Narinder back in his youth, fascinated with the spooky and the taboo.

All the giant axe traps and toxic pits scattered throughout Silk Cradle never bothered you, as you've seen them back in the spooky dungeons of your hometown.

Usually the resident bugs would freak out any newcomer shelling in new traditions..but Shamura told them that you, specifically, are not to be harmed under any circumstance and that they allowed this.

You've actually befriended Hauras, sewing them a spidery Halloween cape for them in place of the gray rags they wore.

They wear it with pride to every sermon from there on, not caring who judges.

Kallamar

This bishop's paranoia is a force to be reckoned with.

Even if one hapless follower said the words "red crown" in any context, he'll strike them down for "preaching heresy". He's easily scared of the taboo and misfortune falling into his realm.

So Halloween is definitely the last thing he wants to hear about, especially with its association of black cats (who are in turn associated with bad luck and Narinder).

He keeps trying to shoo you away when you try explaining that's a common myth.

If he sees you using bones and skulls as decorations, he feels sick to his stomach and orders you to take them down.

Those can be used to forge weapons or intimidate potential dissenters! They're not yours to keep!!

Yet you never listen, oblivious to his demands as you try telling him they're harmless.

Would he ever punish you for disobeying with sickness or sacrifice?

No...or at least not at this stage in your life.

That would damage his already-fragile reputation as a leader even further.

But if you grew up into an elder and continued with these "twisted traditions", however, he'd punish you as retribution for the "torment" you've brought upon him.

He just wishes you'd follow his ways and his ways alone.

Fortunately for you, that retribution never comes as he's brought into Lamb's cult during your teen years...with you keeping the Halloween tradition alive and well.

And Kallamar has a more open mind now, although he's still easily spooked by the decor Lamb brings out during the Blood Moon Festival.

The first time he partakes in it, someone pranked him with a fake ear and it traumatized him so bad he cried and hid inside his shelter.

But you comforted him, forgoing the festivities and sharing your candy until he was okay.

You just show him how to carve a jack o'lantern for the remainder of the night, and he's in awe as it glows.

Every year since, Halloween becomes less and less scary for him--and it's all ironically thanks to you.

Leshy

As a young bishop, he's open to ideas for traditions, holidays, etc. for his followers to enjoy.

So when little kitty cat you hailing from a distant land of Halloween propose celebrating it...he's all for it!

The only problem is, well, his sight.

With the Green Crown, he can see the general forms of followers, his siblings, and most structures within Darkwood, but he wouldn't be able to see the tiny details that gave Halloween its magic.

But you explained how you could go for bigger and brighter things. Like jack o'lanterns (made of both pumpkins and turnips) and skulls of giant beasts!

He approves of it and lets you lead in decorating the village nearest to his temple.

Followers initially questioned why they had to listen to a child, of all folks, but they're grateful it's something genuinely fun.

From your town, you've also brought scented candles to really enhance everybody's spooky spirit.

Especially for your Lord Leshy, who finds the smells delightful.

The pumpkin spice ends up becoming his favorite.

You've got him completely fixated on this event.

Plus it's a good opportunity for chaos to reign: with followers pranking one other and scaring each other half to death, dressing up like ghouls and skeletons.

The Bonfire Ritual is one Leshy likes to conduct to boost both his strength and cult morale (he's gotta benefit from all of this somehow too, of course).

Lamb

Not only did Lamb's cult know about Halloween...but they also celebrated it with the Blood Moon Festival.

You fully participated in the ritual every year, rushing outside just in time to see the moon turn blood-red and the sky darken for several days.

The ghosts of deceased followers usually terrified the living, yet you greeted all of them with smiles, waving goodbye as Lamb exorcised them with their book.

Crows, cattle skeletons, and even demons flocked to the cult as well, having been residents of your hometown, too.

And the decorations?????

You were obsessed and jumping for joy, wanting to decorate your little shelter and help everybody else with theirs!

And of course you participated in the many activities going on, including bonfire rituals, apple bobbing, and passing out soul cakes (yep you had a recipe for that from your hometown, too).

One year, Webber showed up and was initially scared since everyone was just staring at them and the spiders scattered around their feet..

But you greeted them warmly, showing them around the cult grounds and what the festival was all about.

Lamb themselves is impressed.

You're only half the age of most of their followers, yet you're active and very responsible (although only if your tasks have anything to do with Halloween).

So as a gift, they bless you with a jack o'lantern necklace. Not only does it light up at night, but its magical properties allowed you to lift up any pumpkin no matter its size with ease!

You vow to carve the biggest jack o'lantern the Old Faith's ever seen.

#clanask #anonymous #cult of the lamb x reader #cotl x reader #bishop heket #bishop shamura #bishop leshy #bishop kallamar #cotl lamb #child reader #cat reader #platonic #headcanons #halloween

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nitw · 2 years ago

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Any games like NITW you like? Similar tone/story?

i've seen disco elysium clashing with nitw a lot, and even though that sounds kinda like a stretch i honestly get it. the way nitw portrays its existentialist and political themes might be a bit easier to identify with, and the setting is more familiar to our world too, but i can't stress enough that if you're a fan of either one of these games, you'll PROBABLY love the other.

oxenfree is another short little indie game that i ADORE, and it's crazy how much it reminds me of nitw on multiple aspects. between loads of unique and interesting dialogue choices (which in oxenfree's case actually matter more in the end than in nitw!), the tone and aesthetic and reality-warping visual effects, the overall gameplay, the comedy, and the story of some troubled but ultimately innocent young people being thrown headfirst into a nightmare that they should never have had to take responsibility for??? VERY nitw!!!!!!

i don't know how much i can compare nitw to oneshot thematically, but i have to mention it anyway just for being another life-changing experience that makes you connect with the world so intimately, and also blurs the line between physical reality, fiction and the subconscious in SUPER SPOOKY AND COOL WAYS!!! you also play as a nonbinary cat(?) with big eyes!

TAKE THIS LAST ONE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT because i haven't actually finished it yet, but va-11 hall-a is a very immersive game that also deals with mental health and the way capitalism and social media/news can affect it. it's also just sexy as hell i really need to pick it up again lol

#thanks for such a cool ask!!#asks #no1withablog #nitw #night in the woods #de #disco elysium #oxenfree #oneshot #va11halla #va 11 hall a

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blasphemous-lies-and-deceit · 4 months ago

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Flufftober Day 20 - Alternate Prompt: Gravestone

"Oh, this one's so pretty."

"Pretty mossy," Gerry agreed, stepping over another patch of weeds to stand next to Michael beside the mossy monument. It was a rather classic shape, a cross carved above the rounded stone with space for an inscription. The stone was so aged and weathered that it was impossible to make out the words carved into it, but it was still beautiful, in a rather gloomy way.

"Is this the one?" Michael asked eagerly, brushing fallen leaves off the top of the headstone with gentle motions of his gloved hand.

"I think so," Gerry agreed, pulling out his mobile and snapping a picture. The creative urge was blooming in his chest, thrilling and exciting even though he was nowhere near his easel. A spooky abandoned graveyard was an odd place for most to find inspiration, but it was certainly fitting for him. He lowered his mobile and studied the gravestone again, crouching for a better look. The texture of stone and moss would be tricky, but a fun sort of tricky. "You wouldn't mind if I hang the painting in the flat, would you?"

"Of course not, it's lovely," Michael assured him, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet, expression peaceful and serene. He seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as Gerry was, soaking in the vibes and atmosphere with relish. "This whole place is beautiful."

"It is," Gerry agreed, swinging their arms up so he could spin under them, dead leaves crunching under his boots and his jacket swirling out around him. "Just like you."

Michael beamed and pulled him close, wrapping his arm around his waist as they began to dance, carefully weaving between grave markers and headstones. Gerry followed along with him, ducking under low branches and nearly losing his footing only to be saved by his tall boyfriend's arms. The cool air smelled of dirt and dead leaves, biting at his nose and cheeks, and Michael's face was similarly flushed, both of them reflecting the other's joy as they spun to a stop beneath a large tree, hidden under its dark branches.

"I've always wondered," Michael panted, his breath clouding the cool air as he took both of Gerry's hands and tugged him closer, until they were each other's space. "Is it disrespectful to make out in a graveyard?"

Gerry had to fight the urge to burst out laughing. That was not the correct reaction, at least not in the moment. "Not for me," he said instead, squeezing Michael's hands and tilting his head back to gaze up at him. "I think it's practically required of me."

"That's what I thought," Michael murmured, his eyes heavy and wanting. He used both their hands to hold Gerry's chin in place as he leaned down towards him, bringing their lips together for a kiss that started soft but quickly became deep. Gerry moaned into his mouth, feeling overwhelmed and claimed in the best way as Michael devoured him, grabbing him by the waist to pull him flush against his body. It was delightful, it was addictive, it made Gerry want to pull him down onto the dead leaves littering the ground and give himself up fully, damn the appropriateness of the location. He wanted more.

Michael pulled back with a moan, pupils blown wide as he stared down at Gerry. "Are we done here?" he asked, sounding just as wrecked and wanting as Gerry felt. "I have to take you home right now."

"You don't want to do this here?" Gerry laughed breathlessly, cutting off with a gasp when Michael ducked his head to mouth at his neck, his hand keeping him pressed close to his body.

"I'm not goth enough to fuck in a graveyard, my love," he moaned, kissing the underside of Gerry's jaw. "I need a bed with at least three pillows on it, to start with."

Gerry could no longer hold himself back, laughing brightly up at the branches overhead. He felt light-headed with love and delight, completely at odds with their surroundings, but that was simply the effect that Michael had on him. He was the brightest joy in his life, no matter their surroundings, and Gerry sent a silent thanks to whatever good that was out there for bringing Michael into his life. All of the misery in his life had been worth it, just because Michael had been there afterwards. He wouldn't change a thing.

#flufftober2024 #Day 20 #the magnus archives #gerrymichael

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pokemoncardcritique · 7 days ago

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DARKRAI EX Illustrated by: Oswald KATO

Mwahaha… I covered that gorgeous Cresselia card the other day, but I also had a plan to cover its spooky Darkrai counterpart! I do definitely like the Cresselia's gorgeous and magical scene more, if not partly because this is representing a more distressing situation of a poor young boy about to have some really Bad Dreams! It's a little hard to understand Darkrai though, many Pokedex entries say it causes nightmares as a way to defend itself, and yet here this scene looks pretty malicious! I won't hold it against it, the framing of this card is excellent for something very haunting.

When I first saw this card, I thought the shadow looming over the sleeping child was a bit more subtle, but it really is just a giant flagrant Darkrai manifestation with its claws poised above the little boy like its grasping him. The kid seems to already be feeling the haunting presence and dark dreams too but I think the Darkrai shadow could have been even more eerie if it wasn't so stark. Something less crystal clear in its form, or maybe a darker room to better hide it. I do think it is a very cool way to represent the effects of its power though! I wonder why it's stopping at this house in particular, its glowing eye makes me think this is an active nightmare inducing effort rather than a passive nightmare aura running rampant.

Funnily enough, this kid's room kind of does what I said I'm glad the Cresselia card art didn't do! This little boy's room is filled with Pokemon stuff! The portraits are of a Dugtrio and a man with an unclear Pokemon, there's a Magikarp and Poke Ball on the blanket, the kid is cuddling with a Snorlax plush, he's got Poke Ball wallpaper, there's even a Clefairy Poke Doll beneath the windowsill! The only thing here that isn't Pokemon themed is that cactus! That's one other reason I preferred the Cresselia full art, there was a little story hidden in the pictures on the wall. We don't know much of anything about this kid besides I guess that he likes Pokemon. I want to know why he's getting the bad dream visit in particular!

Maybe that's the mystery here. Darkrai is often inscrutable and its motivations up for debate. Maybe there isn't a deeper darker purpose, this is just Darkrai spreading terrifying dreams as it explores, the poor boy just happening to be on the way. I do feel like this card needs a bit more of an edge or deeper meaning if it wanted to stand toe to to with that lovely Cresselia, but it still executes on its spooky premise well enough that it catches the eye and would make you feel thrilled to pull it from a pack! Darkrai's the kind of Pokemon you want to look fiendish and evil, and that massive looming shadow does that job well!

★

#Darkrai #pokemon #pokemon cards #pokemon tcg #awesome #pokemon tcg pocket

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inventors-fair · 10 days ago

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Discoveries of a Lifetime: Brave New Beasties Winners

Our winners this week are @curiooftheheart, @harunakokomi, and @izzet-always-r-versus-u!

@curiooftheheart — Wunderpus Mimic

I did actually recognize the wunderpus when this was first shown off in the workshop. And while it's a pretty close relative of the more recognizable mimic octopus, I assumed (and you later confirmed) that it was primarily for the name. Which, fair enough. Still, this is a fun little cephalopod we've got here. Clones that are different from what they're copying have always been my jam—heck, I ran a contest on it not too long ago—and this serves as a great example of that. Tacking on a buy-one-get-one-free deal to all of its triggered abilities is equal parts unique, powerful, and versatile, and I'm thoroughly enjoying the implications.

@harunakokomi — Graveturn Caecilian

"Salamander Worm" is both a hilarious type and an excellent way to describe this curious creature, so immediate kudos to that. I do always love me some prehistoric sea life. I'm immediately suckered in by the effect acting as sort of bizarro blink, hurling the creature through the graveyard along the way. That alone opens up a lot of possible targets, and as previously mentioned I'm enjoying thinking through the implications. I also like that this retains the ability to "blink" your opponents' creatures, something that modern blink cards often move away from. It's not generally something you'd want to be doing, but it comes up enough that having the option is appreciated. Plus, the inherent violence of making it a near-death experience rather than a quick jump into the ether means it feels a lot more appropriate to point at enemies as well.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Chorus of Crickets

Oh! Fun fact, the collective noun for crickets is actually an orchestra! Not particularly relevant here because "chorus" captures roughly the same thing, but if you thought I made this contest because I didn't want to share cool animal facts I don't know what to tell you. Still, this is very fun. Bringing back OTJ's draw-go archetype is a welcome sight, and this makes for a fun twist on that. Rather than either set you up to have interaction and/or make their bodies more threatening for next turn, this one opts to itself be the interaction, using the army it generates to precisely harry your opponent's board. Plus, adding more of a type to a color it's not commonly seen in is always a fun exercise, and this does plenty to make itself solidly white/

There's still a few more animals in this parade, so don't go anywhere! —@spooky-bard

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #winners #new animal contest

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yourfavoritewitchbitch · 1 year ago

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Only the Night Knows

This little baby blurb popped into my head, and I just had to get it out to kick off this spooky season! Enjoy!

Word Count: 735

Not long after the gates were finally closed, you began having dreams where he visited.

These dreams were so vivid, you still felt the effects long after waking.

You couldn’t tell the others, they already worried too much over you as it was. This would just be another reason to fret over your fragility. Just another nail in the coffin, confirming you actually were certifiable.

“Hey sweetheart. Missed you.” He smiled up at you as you walked over, taking the seat beside him on the bench overlooking the lake. It was dusk. You’re favorite time of the day. The sun setting over the water’s edge with the most brilliant colors of golden hues dancing on the glassy surface.

“Hey Eddie.” It went like this most nights, small hellos. Not many words shared between you. The presence of each other had always been more than enough. But tonight was different.

“They all think I’m crazy.” You were looking out onto Lover’s Lake, afraid to meet his gaze. He took your small hand in his. His fingers seemed longer; nails almost claw like. His skin was colder, but his touch still comforted you. Grounding you there as you continued to speak.

“When you…” tears beginning to well, biting back a sob threatening its way through, as the acidic bile tried to rise in your throat. You still couldn’t say it out loud.

“When it happened, they had to tear me away from you. I thought I was going to go right along with you.” He squeezed your hand a little tighter. “But now, they’re all worried about me because this is the only place I can find you and all I want to do is sleep.”

“Sweetheart, look at me.” He took his free hand, lifting your chin to meet his gaze.

He was Eddie, but somehow changed. His eyes, those warm, inviting orbs had lost their light. They were almost black and you could have sworn you saw flecks of red glinting back. His teeth were longer, sharper. Almost threatening. Although he had always been pale, his skin was so white you could see the blue of his veins as if he were almost translucent. But he was still your Eddie, at least what was left of him.

“I love you more than I loved anyone else in this world. Even now, you’re the only reason I’m still here. If it weren’t for you, I would have fully turned by now.”

You looked up at him, confusion written all over your face.

“I know you don’t understand, but you will soon. I’m sorry. Just know that I will never hurt you.” He leaned into your space, moving his hand to caress your cheek, kissing your forehead with parched, cool lips.

“Eddie, what does that even mean?”

He stood then, letting go of you entirely. As he walked away, you shouted after him.

“Eddie, please! Don’t go! Please. I love you! Please just take me with you.”

He looked back over his shoulder, his teeth had somehow lengthened, and his grin looked even more deadly. The red in his eyes now more prominent.

“Soon,” passed from his lips as you startled awake.

You were trying to catch your breath, body sweat soaked and heart beating too fast as you sat up in bed. Alone once more. You looked around the room, trying to take in the now familiar surroundings.

No, you couldn’t tell the others. They wouldn’t even believe you at this point. After all, they’re the ones that committed you to this place. Padded walls, barred windows. No, they wouldn’t believe you. Maybe they would once the carnage began. They would realize all too late.

You stood and looked out onto the lawn of Pennhurst. The moon shining bright enough, you could see his silhouette by the gate. Those same eyes from your dream already on you, glowing blood red. You watched in awe as he unfurled and stretched out his massive wings taking flight into the night sky. You thought he was beautiful in life, but he was magnificent in death.

For the Eddie you knew was long gone, but this Eddie would bring Death in his wake with you by his side. You would gladly follow him into Hell.

You could hear a faint echo in the back of your mind as his wings carried him further into the darkness.

“Soon.”

#vampire!eddie munson #eddie munson #kas!eddie #eddie munson blurb #vampire!eddie x reader #kas!eddie x reader

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hi-im-elli · 2 years ago

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okay okay I’ve seen lots of people talk a lot about the characters in the Lockwood & Co. show (completely deservedly, and I agree that they’re awesome and I love them), but I haven’t seen many people talk about other aspects of the show that are just super cool??

That house is its own character in its own right and I commend the set designers for making it look so incredibly and realistically lived in by a couple of teenagers. That scene with the apple core added so much to the characterization of Lockwood & George!!

Their swords. Their swords. You don’t learn how to use a sword (or whatever they call them, I forget) in a day, they show in the beginning that it takes time and training to master it. Not only do they look so so cool, but carrying a sword showcases that these characters have a level of skill, and in effect, confidence in their ability to use it.

I also just love the mix of older & newer technologies, I think it’s neat.

Oh, and you can see in the night time scenes. That’s awesome.

All the ghost scenes are spooky as fuck, and I love it. Especially the scene when the cult (I think it was a cult I don’t remember) were all chanting in the basement? the build up of voices made it so much more tense

The cinematography was gorgeous. Night time walking down the street with Lockwood & Lucy? The yellow-orange light from street lamps reflected on the wet asphalt?? The pure coziness of that house? Lucy’s room? The kitchen table?? How dreadful the house that Lucy’s classmates (ghost hunting mates? Yknow) die in is? The uneasiness in the fog while on the boat with Flo & George??

I love this show 😭

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #lockwood & co netflix #lockwood and co netflix

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dastardlydeacon · 3 months ago

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I got a lot of asks :0

1- can you give some d-sides scrapped idea, something from when you were doing v1

2- what happened to spike and pierre (the goths that was killed by cassandra before she trun into her penilian form), are they still dead?

3- if ZEUS's chromatic is gonna be changed, god feast is gonna get a v1.5 too?

4- how would be d-2020bf ?

5- is there a dmajin ?

6- does dfrank drives another vehicle?

7- how is the v3.5 development going?

Also, i really love d-sides as an au, it is really good :P

i love asks with like a bunch of questions like these so thank you!!!

1) really nothing from 1.0 got scrapped, unless you wanna count chucklefuck?? but he's not really scrapped, we have plans for him later. there WAS a really early iteration of bf where he also had a :3 mouth kinda like gf, but that got scrapped when leo started making the final assets for 1.0.

2) truth be told i actually didn't know those characters existed when 2.0 was developed, or when i was writing the lore for pico's school. i probably would have included them in some capacity, but we can just say "they're still alive and cool with pico, but didn't take up his offer to live in philly under the radar".

3) yes!!!!! get very very excited!!!!!!! (it hasn't been started yet, we're trying to focus on the base game stuff before cycles 1.5 gets finished and gfeast gets started)

4) 2020bf exists to be a shitty "sonic.exe" equivalent to base fnf; the main character kills other characters and he's scary and evil. if we were to go with what we did for zeph in d-sides, using a lesser known character to flip everything on its head, i suppose you could use senpai or spirit instead? i'm not sure, this is all spitballing so don't take it as gospel. i'd probably make him generally the same but use d sides bf as "the vessel" instead.

5) tenma effectively IS "d-sides majin". in sonic cd, when you put in that sound test code, tenma shows up instead. i know THAT bit is confusing, since zeph and zeus aren't xeno and lord x, but in tenma's case, he pretty much is majin.

6) the spooky month guy? i think it'd be funny if he had the antithesis of a van, and he just drove a shitty scooter or something. something you'd see a pizza boy drive, except he's not a pizza boy. he just owns one.

7) slow, but happening. its still to early to give a potential release date, but progress is trudging along.

thank you for the questions :)

#fnf d sides

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miasmaghoul · 2 years ago

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chewing on swiss and cumulus

uh oh

i was bitten by the somno bug

swiss using his spooky shadows for nefarious (but consensual) purposes under the cut

She looks so pretty when she sleeps.

Well, she always looks pretty, but especially like this.

Bathed in moonlight, pale skin and snow white curls shimmering against deep navy sheets. Her ample chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm, pale pink lips parted just enough for him to hear her soft sighs. She's uncovered, blanket bunched by her feet, clad only in a set of thin shorts and matching camisole.

She looks so peaceful. So delicate.

So vulnerable.

In truth he's been waiting since Cumulus got his attention in the common room. Since she wound her tail around his calf while they watched a baking show with Aurora and Mountain. Since she'd given his leg a surreptitious squeeze, just enough to draw his attention, before loosing an exaggerated yawn.

He's been here for a while now, leaning by her open window and simply...watching. Well, waiting may be a more apt term, but both apply.

"Think I'm gonna turn in early," she'd murmured, stretching enough that her shirt slid up, exposing her soft tummy and the bare undersides of her breasts.

Swiss had pretended to keep watching the show, but all of his attention was squarely on the ghoulette at his side. On the way she squeezed his hand, the way her tail slid up his leg. The way its feathery tip brushed over his crotch.

"Aww, c'mon Lulu," Aurora had pouted, raising her head from Mountain's thigh, "it's the semi-final! Don't you wanna see?"

"I've watched this season four times, snowflake," she'd replied with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I'll watch more with you tomorrow."

She'd sauntered over to plant a quick kiss on the other ghoulette's cheek, leaving Swiss no option but to stare at her ass. Mountain had made a soft chuffing sound, and of course she'd had to give him one too. Swiss had smirked.

"What, no love for me, Lus?"

Swiss had put on his best puppy dog eyes, and all three of them had snorted. Everyone knew those only worked on Rain. Maybe Dew, on a good day. Still, though, it had the desired effect. Cumulus had swished her way behind the couch he was on, leaning over to plant a kiss on his temple.

"Knew I was your favorite," he'd said, and had earned a playful smack to the back of his head for his troubles. She'd yawned again then, just as obvious and showy as before, and Swiss knew that the sparkle in her entrancing silver eyes was meant just for him.

"Good night," she'd sighed to the room in general. Mountain had echoed the sentiment, while Swiss gave her a wink that the others couldn't see.

"Sweet dreams," Aurora had called after her, blowing a kiss that Cumulus happily caught. Her smile was lazy, sweet, and aimed right at Swiss.

"I'm sure they will be."

Finding her door unlocked an hour later had been the only further invitation he'd needed.

A cool spring breeze rolls through Cumulus's open window, rustles sheer drapes, and when it ghosts over her ethereal form Swiss has the singular pleasure of watching her nipples stiffen. They poke through the pale blue silk of her camisole in a drool-worthy way, and the ghoulette gives an unconscious shiver. Poor thing must be chilly.

Swiss will make sure she doesn't stay that way much longer.

He likes to take his time when Cumulus allows him this freedom. Likes to watch, to absorb. To burn her serene visage into his memory for later use. Someday he'll have to ask if he can photograph her like this; she's just so beautiful, it's a crime she can't see for herself.

Swiss smiles to himself when she shifts, readjusting so one arm rests over her belly and the other by her side. Her soft curls have fallen into her face, and he can just make out the edge of a drool stain on her pillow. Deep asleep and completely oblivious.

Perfection.

Swiss palms himself as he pushes off the wall, striding on silent feet to the foot of the bed. He's been chubbed up since Cumulus teased him with her tail, had to hide it from Aurora and Mountain with a strategically placed pillow. One he certainly hadn't been tempted to hump, not even a little.

His shadows follow, a hazy aura of darkness gathered around his shoulders and dripping down his arms. They float when he moves, fluid in the way smoke is. It's rare that he gets to flaunt this little skill of his - few know about it, and he'd like to keep it that way. Every ghoul has their secrets, it's true, but getting to let loose always sets his skin buzzing.

Swiss takes a deep breath and focuses on the scent of the air, the feel of hardwood beneath his feet, the sound of Cumulus's gentle breathing. Makes himself one with the space around him in every way possible. Slowly, so very slowly, the shadows begin to move, to spread. They coat his arms, his chest, weaving intricate patterns over his skin. He doesn't really need to be naked for this, but it's not surprising that he is.

Dark whorls snake their way down his thighs, his calves, bleeding into the shadows at his feet. It's a jarring feeling, but not an entirely unpleasant one - his influence may be magickal, but the shadows themselves are like an extension of himself. He can feel all manner of things through them, depending on his point of focus. Can slip them into someone's silhouette to parse their emotions. Can smell bitter fear and taste sugary-sweet elation. He can listen too, sliding his unearthly ears wherever the dark allows.

If Imperator knew the secrets Swiss carries with him, he'd be banished before he could blink.

He sighs heavy through his nose when they find warm skin, a thin snake of darkness slithering its way over Cumulus's outstretched ankle. It shouldn't be so warm, wouldn't be if he were just using his hand, but like this? Like this she feels hotter than Dew.

His favorite thing, though, is this.

Touching. Feeling. Exploring. Letting his wispy tendrils get acquainted with his surroundings. It's easier now than it once was, Cumulus's chambers have long since become familiar territory, and in no time at all Swiss can guide his shadows creep up the legs of the bed frame. Onto the mattress. Over the sheets.

It takes no effort at all to guide his magick up her leg, tattooing her with his power in delicate swirls and ripples. He's gotten more adept at directing them since they started doing this, and Swiss takes a moment to draw a sweet little heart on her knee just because he can. It won't stay, of course, but it's the thought that counts.

The shadows continue, slipping up her plush thigh to tease the edge of her shorts. They sit high on her hips, exposing so much decadent skin. Swiss focuses, licks at the air, and finds his mouth filled with the taste of honey and lavender - Cumulus's body oil, the one Mountain makes just for her. No wonder she's shimmering in the moonlight. It suits her.

Cumulus adjusts in her sleep again, smacking her lips and making a soft sound that can't quite be called a word. Dreaming, he imagines. He can't tell, that falls more into Aether and Aeon's realm of expertise. His own sliver of quintessence gets him this far, and Swiss can't complain. Would he like to see inside her mind? Of course. Will he complain about sneakily getting in her pants instead? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

It's easy to slide under the hem of her shorts, reaching into the little pocket of darkness beneath them. A second shadow creeps its way up towards Cumulus's arm while the first explores the hidden skin beneath soft silk, wrapping itself around her elegant fingers as if it wants to hold her hand. A little bit of tenderness goes a long way, Swiss thinks. Even at times like this.

His own hands are busy doing some exploring of their own. Impossible not to when every fiber of his being can feel Cumulus's warmth. It radiates from his toes to his scalp and everywhere in between - Swiss would be concerned for anyone who could keep their hands off of their dick under these circumstances. He holds his at the base, twisting two fingers around the last inch or so just for the sake of pressure. His other hand mirrors the path of his first shadow, creeping up his own thigh, over his hip, up to his happy trail. He should be feeling coarse hair and his own delicately twitching stomach muscles.

Instead, all he feels is her.

His second sliver of shadow slips over her shoulder just as the first wriggles its way out from under the waistband of her shorts. It curls along her belly, just visible where her top has ridden up. Her breasts spill out from the edges of the camisole, pale fabric hugging the soft mounds, their tips still peaked with the chill of the room. That worming shadow sneaks along her neck - Swiss finds his nose filled with sweet perfume - and down over her chest, sliding beneath lace and silk to trace her curves.

He takes a moment to drink her in, coated in his power and yet still sleeping soundly. No reason she shouldn't be, this part is more for him than it is for her. It allows him to surround himself in the ghoulette, to revel in everything she is. Sometimes he'll take a few extra minutes to glide his magick along her horns, her tail, her feather-tipped ears. Really soak in the sensation, occassionally sending pulses of magick through the shadowy appendages to find her sensitive spots so he knows just where to press.

Tonight, though, he's already leaking onto the hardwood floor. Besides, he's done this enough to know her body. Better than she does, even. Cumulus would argue that fact whenever she needed a quick cum - after all, Swiss was more than eager to prove himself.

He takes a deep breath through his nose, fills his lungs with a heady combination of lavendar and ozone, and on exhale pushes more magick into those searching tendrils. Inch by inch they thicken, gain density. They shift from dark but translucent to opaque black, the new weight of them settling into her skin and forming bulges beneath her pajamas. The rush of it makes him dizzy - this is Swiss's newest skill, he's still not an expert - and the ghoul has to catch himself on one of the bedposts. It's hung with gauzy white fabric held by shiny blue rope, and Swiss briefly finds himself wondering if Cumulus would let him use them on her.

A thought for another day, surely. It makes his balls ache just the same, and Swiss has to give himself a lazy tug. Not too much, the best part is coming up. He wouldn't want to ruin it by getting too excited now.

Cumulus makes a soft sound when Swiss nudges the bed, but doesn't wake. He cocks his head as he takes in the shape of her, the curves and lines of her body. His tentacles - that really is a better word for them in this solid state, Swiss thinks - follow them, so striking against her skin. Gently, slowly, he urges the one in her top to move. To slither its tapered end up the curve of her breast, his eyes tracking each movement under that silk as it moves. As the flexible tip wraps around the stiff bud of her nipple, Swiss rubs his own. The sensation of it still reflects on his own body, but its dulled now that the shadows have solid form. It's something he's grown to expect, but Swiss likes to think he's come up with a creative solution.

He may not be able to feel all of Cumulus's pleasure, but he can sure as hell imitate its cause.

With a shivery exhale from Swiss, a third dark tentacle sprouts from the pool at his feet. It wraps its way up his calf just as Cumulus's tail had done earlier in the night, cool and smooth against his skin. He watches it crawl upwards, looping around his thigh and brushing against his heavy sack in the process. Swiss groans with it, a barely audible sound, guiding its length up his chest to tease his nipple. He makes it squeeze, makes the one on Cumulus do the same, and the combined sensation takes Swiss's breath away.

He can feel how heavy his eyelids have gotten, knows his breaths are already coming in harder. He can't help it, playing like this does something incomparable to his brain and body alike. And it's not like Cumulus isn't getting something out of it too; she'll wake up with wet shorts in the morning and know exactly why.

Swiss swirls a finger in the air and the slender appendage at her chest wraps itself around her full breast, squeezes, and Swiss mirrors every bit of it on his own pec. It's unconscious now, syncing them up. He'd struggled at first, made things a touch awkward, but now it's second nature.

Just like the fourth tentacle now coursing its way up his other leg, the thing wasting no time in matching how its twin rests on Cumulus's stomach. Hers wriggles over her beautiful pudge to press into her navel, prodding at the divot with teasing intent. Swiss smiles when his does the same, mostly because he feels the way it tickles her.

Cumulus makes her first real noise when Swiss rubs at her nipple again, the thin tip of his shadow flicking over the taut nub. It's no more than a soft, sudden inhale, barely noticable, but Swiss feels it in every inch of his body. She's never really noisy like this, but he's learned the ones she does make by heart.

The gasp she looses when he squeezes her nipples.

The quiet "nnh" sound that escapes when the second tentacle curls around the side of her shorts and tugs them slowly down just enough to expose her pretty pink cunt.

The breathy "oh" that marks the moment that dark, squirming arm slides its tip along her slit.

That one is his favorite.

She's slick to the eye, and Swiss's stomach swoops when he thinks about Cumulus touching herself before she dozed off. Got herself worked up, probably got so close, but didn't let herself cum. Probably stroked that gorgeous, fat clit of hers until it was aching and her whole body quivered. Until she was nice and slippery and open for him. Just for him.

Oh, Swiss will let her do whatever the fuck she wants to him tomorrow.

His own tentacle still follows, gliding up over his hip to settle at the base of his cock, replacing his tight fist. Swiss immediately grips the bed frame instead, still holding its post with the other, hunching with a choked gasp. It all feels so much better than it has any right to, he swears it. Even still, he allows the tentacles to move; Cumulus's dips itself between blushing lips to gather her slick, glistening in the low light, before Swiss directs it to the beautiful length of her clit. It's still reddened and puffy from Cumulus's own ministrations, and the second that tentacle glides over it, his own tickles his rapidly purpling tip.

They both make sounds then, Swiss a nearly-silent curse and Cumulus a low "ooh". Her tongue pokes out between her fangs when he repeats the motion, the corner of her eye twitching. He sucks his lip between his teeth when she starts getting stiff for him, that little bit of length going firm the more he works her. His own matches it, working his thick head and wriggling against his frenulum enough to milk drop after slippery drop of pre onto her soft sheets. His cock bounces with each one, Swiss giving a wholly involuntary rock of his hips when Cumulus throbs. He watches her hole clench and knows for certain that this will not be a long session.

Good thing he knows her so well.

The tip of the tentacle between her thighs stays at their apex, but further down, where things get just a bit thicker, the body of the thing starts to bend. To fold over on itself, doubling up into a curve of not-small girth. Not as thick as Swiss, of course, but enough to feel and a thousand times more flexible. His cock gives a hard twitch when the rounded end of it slips between her folds, his own working it's way down his shaft in response.

Fuck she's so warm inside, so velvety. He feels it tenfold like this, heat blooming low in his belly when his shadow presses into her welcoming hole. She lets out a brief groan at the stretch, the pressure, but Swiss doesn't relent. He invades her body with his power, matches it on his own, and only stops when the end of his tentacle wraps around the thick base of his cock. A pale imitation of the real thing, perhaps, but something about fucking her like this makes Swiss ache.

The first shallow rock of his hips is a revelation.

Evey time they do this, he swears he'll make it last. Tells himself that this time he won't fall apart so quickly. That he won't lose his composure like a teenager sticking his dick in a warm hole for the first time. He tries, he swears he tries, but -

"Fuck," he squeaks out, throat tighter than the slippery length squeezing his cock, "so wet, you're so wet Lus, shit."

She can't hear him, he knows she can't, but the way she flutters around him and huffs seems to suggest otherwise. She's so responsive like this, weak to every twitch of the ropes of darkness helping themselves to her body. Her chest has started to heave just enough to notice, her cheeks stained pale pink, and Swiss can't hope to keep himself from rolling his hips.

He's close so quick, the tentacle writhing around him in a perfect facsimile of Cumulus's wonderous body dragging him swiftly higher. He moans deep in his chest as his balls start to tighten, gritting his teeth and focusing all his attention on the ghoulette before him.

The tentacle on her chest has since wrapped itself around her other breast, rock hard nipples still jutting against the fabric as it teases them. Swiss's matching one does the same, little shocks of pleasure zipping straight to his groin with each touch.

The one between her legs works expertly to draw utterly unconscious moans from her parted lips, Swiss curving it just enough to drag over the places that he knows will have her soaking the sheets. Cumulus has started getting noisier with each thrust, so Swiss keeps them slow and even. The only measure of control he has left.

It doesn't make him last longer, though. The feel of it is too maddening - Swiss has to let himself go, he simply has no other choice. But he's nothing if not a gentleman, and he's certainly not going to cum before she does.

That wouldn't be proper.

Swiss has the tip of that slick tentacle working her clit again in a rabbit-quick heartbeat, flicking over the stiff head of it just the way she likes best. Swiss mirrors it with his tongue and drools as the taste of her fills his mouth, hips stuttering when his dick kicks hard. Honey-sweet musk overwhelms his senses, and Swiss has to hang his head as he humps the air with jerky, amateurish motions.

It's no time before the tentacle undulating around him goes telltale tight, and Swiss's whimper is impossible to hold back. He chokes on his exhale when Cumulus's breathing goes harsh, and with one last pump of his eager hips he's shooting hard and heavy onto her bed.

It hits him like a truck, an orgasm that feels like it starts in his toes and ends at the tips of his hair. Swiss paints her sheets with pearly white stripes as his cock bobs and jerks around, leaving a huge mess behind. He couldn't care less, not when Cumulus shudders and grunts through her own orgasm, a hot rush of fluid coating his shadow while her thighs quiver. Every inch of him throbs with it, his cock drooling out everything has.

He's so dazed he can hardly see straight, entranced by the way she twitches through it, the way her breath catches. He works himself right into writhing oversensitivity in the name of wringing every last drop of pleasure from her. He'd stay like this forever if he could, lost in their combined buzz of sensation and blessed relief.

One of these days he'll last more than five minutes.

Swiss waits until she's breathing normally before he lets his shadows retreat, sighing as they slip slowly back into the dark. The one that slides from her cunt leaves a shiny, wet trail along her thigh and Swiss drools down his chin.

Exhaustion hits hard once the magick fades away, makes him sway in place, and with a mighty yawn Swiss forces himself away from the bed. He shuffles alongside it as he blinks impending sleep from his eyes, a dopey smile firmly place as he takes in Cumulus's lovely face. Perfectly relax and deeply satisfied, obvious even in her sleep. He leans down to tuck a stray curl behind her ear, and has to press a quick kiss to her forehead on his way back up.

Swiss gathers her bunched up blanket then, tucks the ghoulette in right up to her neck. Blocks out the returning chill and relishes the soft hum she gives in return.

He doesn't fix her pajamas, though. Leaves her top askew and her shorts around her thighs. A little something to make her throb when she wakes up, before she even feels evidence of him. He knows it'll pull the loveliest chiming giggle from her, one he's heard before, and even the thought sends a delightful shiver down his spine.

He stumbles back to his room on drunken legs, flops face first into bed, and knows that when he wakes up in about a dozen hours it'll be to her mouth on his cock.

Swiss falls asleep with a smile on his face.

#miasma's work #the band ghost fic #swiss ghoul #cumulus ghoulette #swiss/cumulus #swiss x cumulus #this is literally a full fic wth #god when will i learn #ugh #anyway #here there be #somnophilia #be forewarned of that is not your thing

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usernamesuggestionsarefunny · 1 year ago

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Wish spoilers ahead.

The start of Wish is exactly like that of Encanto but without all the heart. It is literally the meme of "Can I copy your homework?" "Yeah but change a few things so it is not too obvious."

Also Asha deserved a pretty dress in the end like wth are you going to sell to little girls Disney you are all about money and you failed miserably even at that.

And it is for real soooo unfair how the queen did get a pretty dress the whole movie and Asha only got some lazy ass sparkles added to her boring ass dress.

Asha... not bad, ok, but she is copy paste Anna, Mirabel, and Rapunzel. Youtuber ModernGurlz is right about Disney's "adorkable" problem. All their main girls since Rapunzel have the same "quirky" personality save a few details. I have liked them all but it is getting boring. Give me a princess with a monotone, sad personality, give me a shy princess who only smiles and talks around close friends, give me back the classic super girly personality Aurora and Snow White style, give me an angry girl with a brutal sense of humor like Merida. Be creative, please!!!

I love the queen's design, super gorgeous. Too bad her character added nothing. Her help was barely needed since Asha's friend had already sneaked them into the castle and it was her who deciphered the king's magic. A super villain couple would have been way more fun.

Oh, yeah, Asha's friends. There were so-damn-many of them and only like 3 were rememberable or needed for the story.

The villain is a complicated issue. I appreciated Disney's attempt at another fully evil character, I liked how he wasn't yet another badly set up "twist villain" revealed only at the end. But I didn't like the end result that much.

His backstory was super underdeveloped and to "get" his motives better, if they really wanted to make him evil-yet-complex, they should have shown us a flashback of him losing his family Encanto style (They copy pasted the start might as well do the same with the antagonist backstory.

What the hell was the missing piece of tapestry for if it wasn't going to have any significance later on? Did the writers just forget or what even?

Worst part for me: The stakes were low as fuck. Disney doesn't respect its target audience, nowadays it thinks that children can't handle anything worse than a main character getting disappointed. The worst this "super evil" villain does is make people sad temporarily, for like two minutes (Kid you not), like one character stays sad for longer but MOST people in the kingdom seem happy and normal after giving up their wishes, he legit just makes people sad a few minutes (Again, I kid you not, no one dies, the wishes he "eats" to make himself stronger come back, nothing he does has a permanent, devastating effect, he is not even revealed to have killed Asha's father in a dramatic way or something). Yeah he makes people forget their wishes which is pretty sketchy but up to that point he seemed to have complex reasons for that, reasons that seem to disappear or have never even been there the second half of the movie when he magically becomes more evil due to a forbidden green spooky magic he uses, and then suddenly he becomes Maleficent (The cool, perfect villain version, not the woobie one) style evil in a very, very rushed and over the top way. I feel like he should have started up as fully evil with no backstory (Just a simple, Gaston or original Maleficent style, self centered guy, who wants more and more power and adoration), and simply gotten worse and stronger OR given more complexity as to why he became that way, but instead we got this weird thing in between where it is clear he just wants power and love from the people for the sake of it and yet he has this half-made sob story on how his family died.

There was a great lack of originality in this movie at the climax as well. Anyone watched "The little mermaid II"? That was pretty much it. Villain gets power boner, says he will enslave everyone (Worst thing he does in whole movie and yet no one trying to defy him dies at least off screen or gets hurt in any meaningful way). Then heroine saves the day.

The funniest part of this movie is that the villain's fate is worse than anything he ever did in the movie I swear. He gets trapped in a freaking mirror and then locked up in a cell (Similar to the Little mermaid II villain's end too lol). That is straight up torture till death, it is so fucked up. And his wife who literally sees how the green spooky magic is the main thing responsible for his bad day (If we are being honest that is all it was, other than the taking wishes part he seemed to be a good king) leaves him to rot and becomes queen Catherine II style, it is hilarious. Like girl, you turned against your husband like five minutes ago because apparently through decades of seemingly loving marriage, you never knew he was evil but now somehow you are ok with him rotting in solitary confinement till the end of time? So dorky and silly. So bad, so bad.

Lastly, that goat was annoying as hell.

#disney wish #wish #asha #asha disney #disney princess #disney prinesses #rant #disney rant #wish rant #wish review #disney wish review

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immoralimmortals · 5 months ago

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A Song With Ten Names

Chapter 35: Turn the Lights Off

Chapter 1 ☆ Next chapter ☆ AO3 ☆ Featured song playlist

Summary of chapter: Why do we take comfort in what scares us? Why do we like our skin to crawl, blood to boil, viscera to spill? Maybe it's because it helps us look inside ourselves just a little bit better.

A woman that loves the Akatsuki was, of course, already predisposed to adoring that which makes others afraid.

Author's Note: This is an idea I only just came up with, writing late fall, but also I've wanted to use this song for forever. Hope you enjoy. The song is Turn the Lights Off by Tally Hall.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Don’t go in there, you’ll become one

Freaky creatures, monster party

Eyes of yellow, scales and feathers

Tails and tethers

Turn the lights off

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Itachi’s crow is in the window’s sill, a draft of cool air combing its wings before reaching inside to chill the two men it stands to guard this dreary night. The Uchiha has his eyes closed, back to the wall as he sits on the floor. Kisame he rolls over on the mat, aware that his friend will catch the feeling of his gaze even if he does not see it. The leaf's most infamous is such a good liar that even his hair is down, drifting in the breeze so that strands of coal brush against his nose. It bothers Kisame.

Resistant, there is silence. Only the two of them and the crow would have any idea a conversation was happening at all, if anyone else were to spy in, as it merely looks like one man staring at another who so peacefully sleeps. But Kisame knows better. Eventually, he swallows back his usual compliance to Itachi, anxious hand fumbling the pillow underneath his head. “...You should really try to sleep,” he prods, continuing before having the opportunity to be retorted, “For real. I can tell, you know.”

…

“You don’t look like that when you’re really asleep.”

…

Caught red handed, the man who sometimes has the same color for his eyes raises their lids. And indeed, just as the shark already knew, he looks exhausted. The knight’s brow curls, delicate with the man as pale as porcelain. “What’s wrong, Itachi-san…?”

A lot of things, really...but he can’t say so. He’s burdened the woman at "home" enough as it is, forcing her to sleep even when it scared her so. How do you admit that? How do you confess you did that, and what’s more the same thing happens to you? Nightmares every time you let sleep in, like a demon in a portal, a monster from under the bed. It’s too shameful, and so he keeps his mouth shut and hopes Kisame, of all people, may understand that some secrets are his own to keep.

And while Kisame does, but that doesn’t mean he is capable of liking it.

A flutter of velvety black wings interrupt the silence, cutting short anything that the drop of water could say to coax the lick of flame.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Bend the nightmare, you control it

Artful dodger, easy does it

Shut the closet, get under the covers

Snakes and lovers

Turn the lights off

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You can only tell the morning has come merely because you can begin to see outside. The fog is thick, much thicker than before, and it has sunk closer to the ground. A shadow of wings flickers past the peripheral of the woman’s vision as she takes her turn looking outside, elbows on the open sill and palms carrying either side of her face. With a small startle, she watches the cascading effect of dry, brown maple leaves noisily detach from twigs, little by little making the trees above more bare. Something so simple...it makes the traveler lose her breath. Ohh, how atmospheric…! With a small kick in legs that kneel on a sideways chair, the performer hears the last few footsteps of someone approaching from behind.

"Wow...this fog sure isn't going away, huh?" she tells them, regardless of which ninja it is. "How spooky…!"

Deidara blinks. “What’s that, Takara-chan?” A tilt of his head, glancing through the opening from behind to see what she sees. Nothing particularly special, really...not if you're as well traveled as he is, flown through the clouds so often that there's little difference between them regardless of distance off the ground. “What...thick fog like this freaking you out?" he guesses, sincerely. She still gets antsy every so often, after all, being kidnapped like that and nearly killed. Maybe she's paranoid about what's out there, now that it can't be so easily seen...? "We can close all the windows and head to one of the inner rooms if you’re really that worried about what’s out there, un.”

“Oh?" A break in her concentration and a look over her shoulder, and it becomes clear to the artist that no fear hides in her expression; in fact, if he were to guess...it seemed-- if not distantly-- bright. "Uh. Thank you!" How does she explain this...? "But...well, I wasn’t even thinking about that.” A glance to him so soon taken away, looking back into the melancholy forest ahead. “I guess I’m just...getting a bit nostalgic.”

“Ohh…?” he coos, smirk already growing on his face. He can't pass a line like that up, so clearly wishing invitation to play out. “Nostalgic for what, exactly?”

“Oh, just the holidays coming around," the woman shrugs casually.

An audible ‘huh’ snaps her to a realization, and Deidara will note for later how oh so quickly now she looks back to him; if she was bright before, it's tenfold now with stars glittering in her eyes.

“You...you don’t have Halloween...do you?”

Halloween... Deidara rolls the word in the back of the tongue within his mouth, trying to see if it's familiar. "I don't believe so," he finds, rubbing his chin in contemplation. “Not unless I’ve been living under a rock! Though I guess technically…”

She stares blankly, even as his drawling concludes and there's ample time to figure out the play on words. Oh. Right. Probably went over her head. Let’s get away from the jokes and go back to the matter at hand:

“Well? You can’t just bring it up without saying what it is, darling.”

Oh goodness gracious! She's so excited that she stands up on the chair as if it were a stage. “Where to BEGIN!” she cheers up on a dime, enough so that a questioning grunt comes from around the corner, Kakuzu entering the foyer with his hair down, mask off, and a glass of morning water in his hand. “Okay, okay! It’s SO much fun!" Two hands clap together, as if it's helping her concentrate. "It’s about ghosts and it’s about ghouls and gore and spiders and—”

“You sound insane right now,” Sasori chimes in, unasked for from the coffee table where he and her first made eye contact with his "real" body instead of Hiruko. Deidara gives a dismissive hand-wave, telling him to be quiet and let her continue. Despite a "tsk", he thankfully abides, no matter how tactless and ungraceful she looks.

“Sorry, it’s just!” she stutters not with embarrassment but rambling delight, clearly not sorry at all, “It’s the ONE time of year it’s socially acceptable to be weird and go wild! My uh—” she tones down a bit, eyes pinning to the corner of a floorboard in memory. “My dad didn’t let me celebrate when I lived with him...but…” An injection of liberty and she’s good to go, remembering her past restrictions are nowhere in sight. She is a grown woman with a house, a heart, and her own pack of friends. “...But the few times I got to participate myself...those were the best times of my life.”

Inevitably, the rag doll softens, both he and the currently skin-toned skeleton rounding the corner unaware at the moment how her associations of them with characters are so befitting for the festivities in mind. Hidan raises a brow, pondering his angel’s purpose.

“Religious holiday?” But she wavers her hand with a noncommittal hum.

"Long, long ago. Doesn't really mean that in the popular sense...though the traditional Samhain is quite wonderful, too." Of course, her fellow religion aficionado perks up at this, so she continues, using her hands to talk, too, with spins and waves and points. "So...long ago, people called pagans started the tradition of Samhain, which both celebrates the deceased and marks the turn of seasons, as things get colder and the days aren't as long. Some pagans still celebrate Samhain as intended, but there's a much more popular secular version that's a mishmash of a whole bunch of cultures and rituals, along with paganism."

Kakuzu blinks. "Celebrate the dead, huh...?" She nods, aware of the irony and trying to be warm about it.

"Remember them," the dead dreamer smiles at the zombie, "But also...just kind of fuck around and have fun! Think of it this way: there's no light without darkness. So...in order to know good, you have to know a little bit of evil. So that means there's good in the dark and spooky, too! You let loose, metaphorically engage in the taboo, and appreciate with humor and style everything this life has to offer."

"Ohhh," Deidara coos yet again, leaning in his his hands gripping the back of her chair upon which she stands. There's a similar spark in his electric blue eye as he looks up to her. "Sounds positively fascinating! What do you do to celebrate?" She cocks her head and begins to count with her fingers.

"In the traditional sense...light candles, pray, perform rituals to keep ill will at bay...in the modern sense? Eat candy, dress up, watch scary movies!"

"That sounds FUN!" Tobi butts in from no where, getting nice and close to the lady of festivities. It's thankful Deidara is already on the other side, able to provide balance by pushing the chair back in place, gripping the woman by around the legs as they both shriek in surprise. "You said it's supposed to be NOW?!" the goofball continues without skipping a beat. "We should do it! We should...ah...what did you call it again?"

The performer catches her breath, still recovering from almost being knocked down to the floor and pressing a hand to her racing heart. "Uh...Halloween?"

"Well that's a dumb name!"

And she, in a show of emotion most present are unused to, retorts in offense. "It's short for All Hallow's Eve—!”

"That’s even WORSE!"

A hum and a pout, she folds her arms. "I quite like it, but…” she shrugs passively, exhaling long and hard as she attempts to let go of the past. “I guess since it's a new world...we can call it whatever we want..." Tobi's solution, as ever, is unbelievable:

"I got it! The Takara Festival!"

And even Sasori and Kakuzu chuckle at that, if only because of how ridiculous the idea is. She's flattered, giggling with a hand to her mouth and feeling her face burn like a candle in a pumpkin. “No!!!”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Everybody likes to get taken for turns

To see how bright the fire inside of us burns

And everybody wants to get evil tonight

But all good devils masquerade under the light

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A whizzing sound comes from the ceiling, in particular from a very interesting looking spider. Deidara’s style of art is, indeed, something to behold, a couple of round orbs and some paper-thin flat legs glued together, weaving spiderweb with the same clay the creature itself is made of. You can’t help but marvel, really, and so the blonde watches the musician rather smugly in the corner of his eye as she tilts her chin up to watch his sculpture in motion.

"Wow!" she sighs, a big grin plastered on her face. He asks himself yet again if it measures up to how she looked at the butterfly before. "How'd you get it to do that?" Deidara shrugs nonchalantly, though his boosted pride is all too easy to see.

"Once the art is made, the rest is instinct,” he explains. One creature down; what else is there to do to impress the lady…? “So...is there anything besides spiders that are around? Un?"

"Hm..." A snap of the fingers and she looks like she's receiving visions from the triple goddess herself. "Jack-o-lanterns!"

Blink blink. "Oh?" Deidara only briefly attempts to decipher this mentally, without help, with no success. "What are those?"

"Sooo," she trails, tapping a finger to her chin. "You carve spooky, simple faces unto pumpkins and put candles inside! It's so that...when everything is dark, all you see are faces looking back at you. It's really cool! I've even seen some artists go further, making whole scenes out of carvings."

"Wow. Uh." Deidara tries to imagine it, glancing up to the ceiling and watching his arachnid at work. It threads a few more lines together, making a beautiful net so as to replicate age and dust and decay. Perhaps they should have just kept the building as it is, he internally jokes. "That's certainly creative...I'll see what I can do. Anything else?"

"Bats!!!"

Well, that had no hesitance whatsoever; must be iconic for the season. "Bats, got it."

"And vampires and werewolves and—"

And Deidara isn’t sure just yet if this is going to be one of the most fun explanation sessions of his life or the most grating, what kind of smile he's supposed to be wearing as he listens and agrees to her vision of art and spectacle. Only one way to find out.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Can’t they take it? Should be stronger

Books abandoned, breathe the water

Mind distracted (Bad girls)

Sons and daughters (Good boys)

Out for slaughter (Bad guys)

Turn the lights off

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"This is silly." And he doesn’t mean it in a good way like Kakuzu now does.

"Sasori-senpaiiii,” an orange mask whines, clasping his hands together and lowering himself to plead upwards at the puppet; he looks absolutely pathetic. “Please????"

The named man is unflinching. "No. There's no point to it. Why would I make costumes just for a single day?"

“But—”

“It ridicules my art," the scorpion asserts, firm and poisonous with a narrowing gaze of wood eyes.

Tobi absolutely deflates, sinking his knees onto the attic floor in defeat. "Awww…” and he sighs, just barely under his breath. “…Takara-chan was really looking forward to it..."

And with that, the spiral is allowed to slink down the ladder and out of sight like the tiny worm he is. Not much later, the woman of the hour passes through Sasori's vision, the little hole in his workshop. "You.”

The lady glances side to side, holding a box of books and empty picture frames. “Huh?” It isn't until her head raises to the correct direction that the redhead speaks again:

“Come here, girl."

With the raise of one eyebrow, it’s decided that the scorpion’s tone and expression are, predictably, so hard to read as he looms down at her from his hide in the dark. Who is she but to abide? With a couple of nerves firing in the back of her brain, she sets down the few items she was scouring through (that he had so uncouthly ejected from the attic when he first moved in) and takes the climb up. His stare quickly becomes unnerving, alongside his voice.

What...? Another second or two is all it takes until the woman is suddenly oh so aware she’s not wearing his cape, having taken it off so as not to overheat from the effort of decorating. Just as lips open to apologize...his arms stretch and Sasori draws close.

A line is raised from shoulder to shoulder...and then flipped perpendicular from the top of her collarbone to the base of her torso. Wait...no, it’s unmistakable. He is taking measurements...!

"Tell me...what sort of costume do you intend to wear?" the tailor asks his mannequin of preference; he gifts her his glance up, choosing to take time to look at her if only briefly instead of focus on the work ahead. "If you're going to do this, might as well do it right."

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Sparkles and shines on the water

Seeps through the cumulus brume

Tingles and tears while we’re gazing

Vanishes soon after bedtime for good

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It's just like the day they first arrived, stopping just at the edge of the clearing, peering into the house before getting any closer. There's a shakiness in Kisame's breath, an exhale that fails to be rid of the burden he feels so heavy in his chest. Big, mean thing like him...it's pathetic, really. Long ago the nickname “princess” was on his tongue to ridicule, to belittle, to make it known who is in charge and who is simply pretending to be. Now it's stuck in his head like sap on a tree to the point other shinobi have made fun of him for it. But he couldn't stop, he always has to double down. Not apologize for existing.

He can only hope that she's making her way to that goal too, leading for her example. Has she been okay without him? Is Tobi enough, looking out for her all on his own against other brutes so inconsiderate and unkind...?

"Kisame?" And just like that, Itachi has woken him back up. The named man sighs one last time and nods, firm and as prepared as he'll ever be.

"...Time to get back to it."

Itachi, though himself sad, pondering sleep, death, and what differences they do or do not have…he too accepts it is, indeed, time to return to their domestic bliss and hell. As soon as they shift, a shadow scampers at the bottom of the window just right to the front door.

"Shh!" someone behind the bookshelf says.

"Be quiet!" someone else reminds urgently. "Hide!"

Lights unlit and sun setting outside, Tobi sputters, limbs outstretched and head twisting to search for cover. Suddenly, the door creaaaaaaks open, and the orange mask shakily double takes to look behind him, a whimper in the back of his throat. A massive shadow cascades over him, bright red light of a sinking star whisking past blowing fog that trails inside like wisps of incense.

"A-A-AH!!!"

Tobi falls to the floor at the scary sight, and soon the woman is skittering from behind the corner, kneeling by his side, surprises be damned. "Tobi!" And simultaneously, his head in her lap, the performers look up to two small fish eyes that blink in a combination of absolute confusion and a dawning warmth.

“Ah? Hello, you two. What do we have here…?” Tobi is underneath a...white sheet? Okay then. Takara herself…well, that's another issue entirely. Kisame’s breath hitches once a weary stare takes in the details. “Takara...hime…!”

His observation is blown out of the water before he can say a word more. As Itachi enters the threshold, a blob of white moves in the corner of his vision. With a gasp, ANBU instincts take over.

The explosion is marvelous as Itachi spins in a flash and kicks one of Deidara’s spiders out of the front door, sputtering whiffs of fire until, miraculously, fully into the open field outside of the mansion. In it’s wake, everyone comes out of their hiding places, ghouls and ghosts and monsters alike all sharing the same wide gaze in this foray as Itachi whips his head over his shoulder to look back inside for answers, orange and black smoke so appropriately dyed for tonight's events. Deidara, his precious décor so disrespected— he was WAITING for the right moment, dammit, and that wasn't now— is the first to narrow his eye and speak:

“That was a bit overly dramatic...un.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Don’t you like it? (Day’s gone)

I know I do (Night’s on)

How about you? (Day’s gone)

What do we know? (Light’s passed)

Tiny patterns (Day’s gone)

Hypnotizing (Night’s on)

Terrorizing (Light’s gone)

Turn the lights off

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Nighttime. Everyone together, for real this time.

It isn’t quite the sort of Halloween party you see on TV, but it’s pretty close, the woman called Takara thinks. Most of them were willing to do at least a little something whimsical for the occasion, either wearing the attire Sasori whipped together from spare fabrics or letting Deidara paint on their faces. To see them all melt like this…

It’s impressive what an interdimensional siren can do.

Unwitting of his split heart, Zetsu is led into the living room by a lady who smiles back at him, so gleeful and earnest. She says something to him before joining the rest. Everything after that, in the plant’s head, is mute to his own colliding thoughts. He wonders why she didn’t ask him to do anything, like she did of the others, having instead given him a long, long glance up and down before muttering she’ll think on it and not returning to the concept at all.

Perhaps he’s monstrous enough as it is, then.

In the heart of the festivities, there she sits, beautiful red dress with a thin veil over her face. A beetle's bride is what she called herself, something so distinct it must be referential to a story specific to her repertoire, though perhaps merely another excuse to play dress up and pretend she is loved. But no, she knows, she feels...she doesn’t have to pretend. Hidan holds his pendent in the corner and cracks open an eye to give her a smile, silver held up to the open space between two black and white striped lapels. Kakuzu was willing to wear a shirt that represents a third-hand idea of a character he’s never seen, patchwork yellow and blue and dusty red, his face covering pulled down to show the way his stitches move every time he speaks. Kisame warmed up to the idea right quick, finding a bit of both irony and sincerity in making use of his sharp, sharp teeth and telling him he’s meant to be a werewolf…whatever that is, and throwing a fur around his shoulders.

Itachi doesn’t really look that much different, to be quite honest told by the woman he’s a magician— the kind from her world— and given a silky black and red suit and a stuffed toy bunny. It’s held lazily in his arm now much the same way he slings his arm in his usual Akatsuki cloak of the same colors, a hand with a bloody ring idling petting the plush with one finger.

Deidara, in a most predictable fashion, asked to become the most stunning, showstopping, bombastic thing you can be for this "Halloween"...and so here he sits as Takara’s favorite monster of all, carefully-placed unable to detonate bits of clay lengthening his canines to look more like fangs that stick over his bottom lip. The finishing touch is borrowed, the artist wearing a black cape, frilled with a pink-red broach that clasps around the neck. With some admonishment, Sasori allowed it, saying it saved him the work of making something more cheap-looking in such a short period of time. His own eyes glimmer, like the "sleepovers" they've had have a joy increased tenfold now with a full roster of people to talk to through the night.

"Say it!" the woman says, already practically rolling over herself with giggles. "Please? I'll owe you!"

A sky-colored eye ringed in black liner rolls, the vampire getting the distinct idea that this isn't exactly a flattering look on him. But, if she'll owe him...well, that makes it worth it. So he spreads his cape, claws his hands, and sticks all three tongues out; even his hands have fangs, and it's all too perfect. "Bleh!"

And then there’s the doll himself, living up to the title as he watches over the woman nearly ready to explode as she holds in belts of laughter. He should have expected it, really, that he'd be selected to participate as well. The woman sat him down, leaned so close with those fluttery lashes of hers, and pressed little dots of red at the corners of his mouth, twisted his red locks to knot together just a bit more. “Raggedy” is the word she used, an insult in itself, but after a look in the mirror, Sasori’s bitterness subsided. Especially as she came close behind in that view of the glass and looked so perfect within the shared frame.

So here we are now, red, bloody fabric like waves puddling around her as she sits on the floor and tells stories of things both terrible and joyous beyond comprehension. Tobi reaches from under his ghost costume to raise the cloth for a better look, laying on his stomach as she smiles down at him. Soon enough, though, she returns her attention to the small crowd. In lieu of scary movies, she’s gone about describing them instead. It doesn't bother him one bit that she looks away, just so long as she keeps being happy.

“—And then his chest cavity RIPS OPEN just as the guy is about to electrocute him back to life! His hands slam down and the ribs become teeth and chew them OFF!”

A combination of groans and wows and snorts at the grotesque notion. “And you say that they put this into film? Like...it happened in person to record? How?!” Deidara interjects, half sitting, half kneeling from the chair he usually sleeps in most nights.

“Oh, oh!" the performer answers so readily, "There’s a whole department of art called ‘special effects’! Really, any time there’s a horror movie worth its salt, they have the best in town! One of my favorite effects was when—”

Without any shame or hesitance, the dainty little lady describes a rig allegedly made from a cow fetus made to look like a deformed, irradiated human child with no skin to hold in its organs. It’s about here that everyone— if they hadn’t already— realizes she is no ordinary woman. Perhaps she was just the very right— or wrong— thing to fit so flawlessly into this little hell hole of nightmares, gore, and sin that this universe calls...The Akatsuki.

They are a group only someone like her could love, though she thinks it's the other way around.

Her eyelids crack open in the middle of the night. The fog has sunk even lower, beginning to clear out the sky. A crescent moon watches her from above, beaming its cold light and adoration through the bare branches and panes of old glass, dusted some days before just for them to pretend they have cobwebs stuck all over again. She glances around. A snore is in her right ear, a low grunt in her left; Hidan and Kakuzu flanking her on either side as the three of them fell asleep sitting up. She feels a hug around her legs and spiked black hair between them, Tobi once again finding the strangest place to sleep. Across are three people, Deidara with all mouths wide open dangling himself over either arm of upholstered chair. Kisame and Itachi sit side by side, the former holding the latter around by the shoulder.

Tick, tick, tick.

In the corner, back to her, Sasori tinkers with something at a small table meant to place a cup or a lamp, as always unable or unwilling to sleep. Is someone missing, she wonders...? The owl that arrives some of these nights hoots an answer she doesn't understand, and with an evaluation of the room around her, she decides that this is how it should be. How long they've come; part of her feels guilty. Surely it had to have meant something to have suffered so much, and to be distressed either shouldn't have happened at all or shouldn't have been remedied so easily. To her, it doesn't feel as long as it has, to begin to forget the days where she could hardly speak or move. But either way, the days will pass, and so that's all the traveler needs to pick up and move on regardless of what should or should not be. Her lids feel the heft of unfinished sleep, and she realizes how warm she is, protected and touched and swaddled in two or three Akatsuki cloaks. Nightmares did not come tonight, and there is an understanding that somehow, some way, she is guarded against them as she enters dreamland once again.

...

And the feigning Itachi opens his eyes just as hers shut, recognizing the face in the window behind her head. The carnivore smiles, so softly yet so wistfully with yellow eyes that glow in the dark. The crow sputters away from behind a head of green hair. With that, one creature of the night acknowledges the other, Zetsu's grin widening ever so slightly at the Uchiha before the flytrap closes and he sinks down, down, down, into frosted earth.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Chroma diamonds, twinkle brightly

Dance in darkness, blow the nights off

Sleepy child, spark desire

Walk the fire

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

#akatsuki x reader #sasori x reader #deidara x reader #obito x reader #itachi x reader #kisame x reader #hidan x reader #kakuzu x reader #zetsu x reader #LITERALLY EVERYONE IS HERE THAT CAN BE IN THE TAGS RIGHT NOW GO HAM ITS PARTY TIME #ASWTN fic #songfic #naruto fanfiction

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