#thingy will be posted tomorrow probably

[littlepuffy4ever]

"Finally some time to sit down and draw ihnmaims and halman tonight yippieeee"

-> they just stared into their computer while eating dinner and went to bed bc they were exhausted and couldn't do more than just exist atm

[autistickfigure]

today ifixed it up a bit. i just need to add a background a SHIP it you know?

[py-dreamer]

Ooop- so it's almost mid september...

Y'know what that means?

Yea so we have a return of the stickers!!!

Well less stickers and kinda whatever this is Ig

Don't get me wrong I'm still super proud of it! I suppose it was meant to be like stickers from last year but it kinda escalated and sort off got a wee bit out of hand...

...just a tad bit...

Woooh! So anyone who's in the KNY hotpot might recognize this style and yes I did basically use the KNY birthday art format but COME ON!!!

IT'S SO CUTE!!!

LOOK AT MAH BOIII SITTING ON THAT CAKE!!!

I JUST WANNA NOM BIG BITE!!!

(If you can't tell I do really like this cake art)

I promise this time it is really 10 days till my actual birthday unlike the whoopsie 11 I did last year -_-'

And I know it's not Mk's birthday even though it looks like it is, I know. But it's the bloody format of the art and Idk how else to change it. Besides I think they slay in those birthday outfits.

And it was fun to do my sticker style in a bigger thing!

But Idk if it's cause I haven't touched my bloody stylus in ages or I've been swimming in the KNY hotpot for too long BUT WHY WAS MK'S FACE SO HARD TO DRAW FROM THE FRONT VIEW!!!

I HAD TO COMPROMISE, MANS LOOKING TOWARDS THE SIDE!!!! LIKE XIAOTIAN I LOVE YOU AND WANT TO SQUEEZE THEM CUTE LIL CHEEKS OF YOURS BUT WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO DRAW FROM THE FRONT!??!?

HE LOOKED LIKE A BLOODY CAT WITH SLIT EYES Y'ALL!!!

Oml...regardless, I did have a lot of fun with this and had lots of fun with the decorations and such. If you were here last year, your keen memory and astute eye might notice that the cake is the same cake I used in the 'shenanigans in space' birthday stickers I did last year!

@leesbian42, @cats-and-confusion remember that lol?

So the tiny memory flower thing and star candies are an homage to that :)

(btw, pssttt @emerialyncodevenice I know we haven't talked in a while but you mentioned that you liked the bloomin cake and was thinking of using it. Feel free to use this if you like, Idk how just credit me m'kay?)

But anyways, if y'all wanna use this pic, again. Pls credit me.

AND NO REPOSTING PLEASE!!!

The decorations are meant to be sugar cookies and idk what the icing is. Since I'm thinking more of an east asian fruit cake (those really really soft fluffy spongy ones) I was thinking more like light yellow dyed whipping cream and less buttercream.

Maybe even some kinda custard Idk...(does custard go well with cake?)

The orange chunks are meant to be like mango balls or chunks and hopefully the red thingys in the middle read across as strawberries

I had to include the Monkey king plush, he's just so little!

I was tempted to draw in the other characters as plushies since they are as important to MK probably but it's getting late and I'd already been working on this baby for like 3 hours already.

All in all, I do really like this and ngl, pray this doesn't flop.

I know my single stickers don't always do well but pls y'all I like this very much...

It is nice to compare this year's work and last year and I am proud to say I have improved at least somewhat

And as for why I rarely post, well I've gotten back from my holiday but sadly I'm at that age where work and stuff will be my main focus for the time being.

Got a lot of assignments and tests y'know...

(hell I have one due the 17th and tests to do tomorrow and here I am faffing on about legos on tumblr)

And like I said, I have been blipping and dabbing in demon slayer, read a lot more KNY fics lately (I actually have a mini sketch of kamaboko squad as hashiras, heavily inspired off of other designs but even so-, if I'm in the mood I might post that!)

But enough yapping, I'll try my best to keep up this 10 days thing

(if you don't know up till my birthday for 10 days I try to post a sticker or thingy like this one)

no promises since I am busier this year but this was a lot of fun so you'll definitely see some stuff.

(I just realized I have to keep up this level of detail in my other stuff T^T save meeeeeee plsssss)

[kuzuhina1brainrot]

I’ll probably forget to post early tomorrow so doing it now instead.

happy Valentine’s Day!!! ❤️ I love you all.

if you’re one of the people who feel lonely on this day, I’ll feel lonely with you, lmao.

I may post another Kuzuhina valentines thing as a little doodle if I can

OH YEAH ALSO HEART THINGY AND WHATEVER BY STAINEDGE ORGINALLY, MAINLY ON YT AND INSTA. (Check her out if you like horror, fnaf, or something, I’m begging shushwhhahagagfdfdfdfdf)

Stainedge rules bro 💥💥💥

[wrongcaitlyn]

random update on Things - i'll be out of town for the next two weeks!! doing some pre-college thingy so i'll likely be busy, and so i've been planning out my fics and whatnot - SO the greatest of luxuries update will come tomorrow (saturday) instead of sunday! then, next next week, i have a few fics for solangelo week that i'll be posting, but no greatest of luxuries update bc i don't wanna stress myself out by trying to write that :/ so there'll be an update tomorrow, but no update next week (the 23rd), or the week after (30th)!

after that the schedule should return to normal, but then i leave on another trip for most of july.... so yea that'll probably be less hectic but we'll see if i have time to write. i can only plan abt two weeks in advancelkjsdf

[bluginkgo]

Quick announcement (before the diarrhea of information):

I'm gonna go on a semi-hiatus for a week or so. I'll still be around, just not posting any drawings. Need to replenish my energy and drawing reserves cause I'm dead >_<

Sleep behind scenes!

So... Ginkgo why the hell did this take you so long? Sorry, sorry 😅 Here's what happened. I got burned out after like 10 pages (specifically the manor backgrounds killed me, plus having the full gang in the story) and then got sick and was not feeling all that great. Working through the burn out, sick, AND college work on top was quite hard not gonna lie though, but I wanted to finish it ^^

Alright, now as for little unnecessary Easter eggs, I added as nods to the show and my other interests. ^_^

1. Undertale save point. Undertale had me sucked in for a good long while, and for some odd reason decided to re-emerge in a form of the star save. Made it purple for Uzi's effect over N. She made him more rebellious, so he started to question why is it his memories and dreams are strange/corrupted/missing instead of just going with the flow.

2. Ep3 nod. V and N have history, history that I wish we get to see. V was nicer, kinder, in my opinion, prior to the absolute solver going rampage. So it makes sense for them to have some sort of friendship at the VERY least. So I decides to give it a small spin to it too. A direct quote from ep3 ^_^

3. Ep 2 + 5 nod. I kinda pulled the moment when James dismissed N from ep2 together with events that follow after N leaves library in ep5. Chronologically, these events don't fit together, seeing as ep2 is when N first meets Cyn and ep5 is when she's already set up the massacre. But this is exactly what I was going for. N's memories are jumbled at best, so I took liberty in mixing, matching, and editing his memories just as the admin program would probably.

4. Absolute Solver symbols nod. My chats with @absolute-solver (sorry for annoying you with tag 😅) made me realize that the absolute solver ought to have more presence now. It's activated and running systems in the background for Uzi. Whiiiiich means that drawing absolute solver should start now. BUT, it's rudimentary at best. Symbols don't really make sense and are not completed for most of the time. Not until Uzi at least sees the error message in ep2, when she truly starts questioning what that weird symbol on her visor is. I headcanon that N does know or at least feel that the absolute solver symbol is familiar, hence the little comment.

5. Absolute Solver Nori. Why is there so many absolute solver Nori around? I'm certain she went back to normal, just like in pictures Khan showed us in ep4 post core collapse. But I connected the solvers together here. Uzi's absolute solver string is up and running, and because the solver is a hivemind, it'd connect the memories and warp them a little. So that's why Uzi's doodle of her and Nori at the end (and during memory recall) was so full of absolute solver. It's slowly taking root, whether she wants it to or not.

Personal touches/added/cut ideas:

N's tail wrapping around Uzi like a hug. Originally, Uzi was supposed to look more nervous, but not for the reasons you might think. I cut the nervous look to a more upset look so it wouldn't be confused for fear. Uzi's never scared of N (yes, I don't count ep2 either, that was a lot of events at once and very little time to process them). The nervous look was more of a "Why are you butting in?" type, you know? Being a loner makes you cautious, so when N prods at feelings, I figured Uzi would be a bit defensive.

Cyn is fully rendered and yet I glitched her so much I felt bad. So here's full absolute solver Cyn eldrich monster thingy. ^_^

I pulled a Hazbin hotel moment. Did you see it? Abracadabra GONE! All the scraps from first couple pages with NUzi chatting POOFED out of the existence. Did I get lazy and tired? Yes, that was the tell tale sign of burn out, when I stopped keeping track of background details and just kept the pod.

These progress shots show pretty well how the story boarding goes and how I change my mind too easily. 😅 storyboard is still as much of a mess as ever, sketch shows you I was gonna keep Uzi's hat, but decided against it in final product. I figured this. Nori gave Uzi the jacket whenever Uzi got a bigger body + hair. These are the same jacket and hair Uzi has in canon. Uzi's body is just upgraded again and her hair gets shorter in that regard. The jacket would be big on her, and cover her hands, but what's up with the fluff if I draw canon jacket more spiky? And where's the death battery drawing? I headcanon Uzi drew those on once she got into the angsty teenager stage. The jacket is more spiky from wear and tear.

Fun fact! You can sorta tell who's gonna show up in the comic by what memes I post prior. Here's some examples ^_^ Cyn showed up, and that was first practice with maid outfits and Cyn's eldrich form. Closely followed by manor gang, the second/final form of maid and butler outfits and prime practice for those scenes. This example is a bit spoiler for a meme I'm working on right now! I've never drawn Nori before, so I quickly sketched out the idea and continued on with the comic (otherwise, I'd lose my steam and procrastinate on it again). Memes are filler for you guys while I work on the actual projects (comics), and along the way, they give me practice and change in drawing style ^_^

Is it a coincidence that this comic is called Sleep with the release of a certain horror game? Actually, yeah pure coincidence 😅 I had this drafted allll the way back in November, and didn't take particular interest in poppy playtime until I saw lanky boi, which was actually during a stream I watched on release day of the chapter.

(I didn't know tumblr, or at least the phone app, had a tag limit of 30, BOY was I surprised @brookiedaaroacecookie that must have been THE tag city, sorry 😅)

Next comic is Loneliness 1 and 2

This one is split into 2 POVs from both Uzi and N side, thus its 2 separate comics. That one will be more NUzi centered, too, a slight angst and comfort spin to it. That will come... sometime. I have a few more projects I wanna finish up with prior to starting on these guys ^_^

Why are you still reading this? Omg, have a cookie 🍪 you made it. Have a nice day now ^_^

[caspercryptid]

that astarion at camp thingy you made on twine is SO COOL!!!! I love it so much and hope you update soon!! sending good vibes through telepathy

Hey thanks!! this was a little bit of a rough week but I've decided i'm going to make a point of updating Astarion at Camp every sunday, so stay tuned for me to post patch notes tomorrow!

I try to work on it throughout the week but this week it just did not happen due to. Circumstances. (I'm just gonna silently plug my ko-fi as I stare into the middle distance) but i'm feeling pretty jazzed today so hopefully we can make some progress! This week is probably going to be the Gale threesome and expanding drunk sex virginity loss: I'm having a little bit of staring blankly at my screen as i try to figure out how to handle my headcanons of gale and wyll being trans, lol, like. Do I branch off to give you guys options for if you think wyll and gale have dicks? I've been trying to give options for bottoming and topping anyway so I could continue to be a little vague about it but Decisions Decisions. Anyway if anyone has any routes in particular they'd like me to work on, let me know in the comments! I'm not necessarily taking suggestions on where these things should go, since I need to chase my muse, but I'll absolutely try to prioritize the routes people are trying to follow if there's a particular point you're hitting the black screen and going NOOOOOOOOO

[isa-is-asleep]

Disclaimer for my sense of humor, did I tell you I grew up watching comedy theaters. Yeah that's why I can't go 5 seconds in a post without making an offhand joke because most theater humor is not kind. So sorry for that.

Alright so we have it like this:

Imagine you're a Moroccan woman, yeah couldn't be me. I'd rather be a dusty cloud....

But not the matter. You wanna shower and feel hell at the same time since you have adhd.

So you hit up your street shop owner and he hits you up with a soap like supplement called "Saboon Beldi"

Looks like this:

As far as my 5 second google search it says it's made with olive and black olive and is older than one county I can't mention.

And it's literally natural, beldi (بلدي) is a darija word (darija is an arabic slang that will make you lose brain cells, it's the worst best Arabic slang lol).

So you get that and your other girl thingys you use for showering. Idk tell me how y'all do hair care, I wanna grow mine, please 🥺.

And you go to your shower, and or the Public one if you want to shower with your friends if you have ones.

Don't be weirded out by that. Moroccan people (usually women) love these community type things, or just gossip. Yes definitely gossip.

I usually don't go, only when Forced with my brother.

Okay I should stop over sharing.

Now that out of the way, you spread that. I forgot the word for cream, you spread that black thing over you (with water ofc) sinc it makes the process of shedding dead skin easier.

Then you bring out the legendary, exotic Omega weapon that made many Morrocan children weep while getting the life scrubbed because their mothers certainly don't know how to fucking hold back. The glove of truth and power. The legendary Kharka (خرقة) !

Using the Black Glove of Darkness and The Black Concoction that smells way too nice for being made with oil. Seriously how tf did they do that.

You use it to scrub your entire body. Literally.

Can't get to your back? Well you little fucker why don't you just have someone do it for you. And free of Labor.

Isn't it fun?!

And then after 30 minutes or an hour since you're a woman and hair makes things harder if my ass that doesn't know shit knows about long hair shower difficulties is that it will take longer.

Or not cuz your adhd just says fuck it and speed run it.

And when all is finished. You see that the green dead skin or something (I still don't know what it is), you see that You've become the living embodiment of a tomato with how hot the shower and hard you scrubbed your Self.

You end it with doing the Normal shit like doing shampoo, shaving, using soap and the "normal" things you do in a shower.

You leave the shower half faint and in dire need of laying for half a day (seriously it's exhausting, except if you're not me I never get exhausted, just fatigued, wait...shit)

Then when you get your energy recharged. You feel way way better. Like seriously If it was east I'll do it everyday because it makes me feel new and shit but common it's tedious.

If you're interested in learning more Moroccan culture or just weird ass info in a weird humorous way than I am available (probably, if I am not that's cuz school)

Also pray for me that I can make coffee in secret tomorrow.

Goodbye Isa.

Owner of a hell calico cat is out

Also this.

I can't get this song out of my head, been listening to it for the entire day

https://youtu.be/Rec0a1UBz0Q

The black glove of darkness sounds painful, but your skin must be so smooth! Thank you for the bonus cat picture! Your little goblin is adorable

Good luck with the coffee!

[sunsetovertheocean]

Oh also!! In the thingy talk thingy thing she said so many things I’ll probably talk more abt it tomorrow (if anyone wants to hear abt it? It’s fine if no one does I might just post it anyway BC UGH) but ANYWAY:

She said that max and thea and rebecca would be showing up in games untold!!

(I’m sorry I love max she just so djdbwjfmlfr yk?)

[mj-thrush-gxn]

i think in a few days i’m gonna start an actual project. i’m gonna make a separate blog for it and it’s gonna be so fun and cool. i’m gonna make covers for each individual episode in s1 and 2. this is probably gonna take a couple months to completely finish. i am in the planning stage rn and im about half way done with s1 planning and i think im probably gonna post once every 2-3 days on the new blog. THIS DOES NOT MEAN IM NOT POSTING ON THIS BLOG!!! i have something im planning to post tomorrow of the day after!!! AND I WILL ALSO BE RAMBLING AS USUAL!!! AND IM DOING THE DNDADS HALLOWEEN THINGY!!!

[preciadosbass]

29/7/24

woke up at 11, scrolled through mcrblr until like 1 when i started writing this. i then used hot glue and safety pins to make a few pins [while listening to isles and glaciers]. one i drew domo on, one saying brokencyde, and the other with the my digital escape logo thingy. i ended up accidentally ripping some of the brown off domo but when i filled it back in it was a completely different shade so he looks a little funky [pics at end].

after i went outside with boris and texted a few people. this lasted up until around 4 because i ended up watching jordan sweeto + more ronnie radke interviews at the same time/afterwards. i knew today was gunna be pretty laid back considering i can never really think of anything to do/i have no excuse to go out and nothing to do even if i did. so i literally just watched reels until 6 until i had some food and contemplated having a nap.

i went for a 30/40 minute walk with mum and dad and then went back home to drop dad off and have a drink before we left for the beach. i typically hate the beach, it’s a sensory nightmare, but ive been talking about going when the tides in so i can find some pretty shells and stuff.

i don’t know when we left, but it was surprisingly relaxing. i picked up a ton of purple shells as half of the beach was full of them and a few unusually pattered ones that i’ll probably post tomorrow, after they’ve been washed. i flipped over a few rocks and watched some baby crabs too. the sea was really calm and it sounded really nice, i don’t usually like sound of water but these were barely waves so it was all good. we got back at around 10:30.

after a while of watching tv i overheard that my family were fighting so i checked to see where boris was. long story short the argument escalated and the cat wouldn’t come in and went way too close to the road for my liking and i completely freaked out. it took me ages to get him in and i stayed with him trying to calm him and myself down for like 2 and a half hours until my sister finally gave up the argument, and went to sleep. then i comforted one of my moots and asked my parents the questions about boris.

i’ve had a stomachache, migraines, hiccups and my chest has been sort of.. spasming the whole day so i attempted to get to sleep a little earlier than usual. i think it’s definitely something to do with my eating but i don’t want to make things apparent to my parents although i’m genuinely in so much pain. im not at all excited to wake up early tomorrow to see my excessively judgemental provision. [my provision is a person i see one times a week (i have two) ultimately instead of me going to school. i have to do education related stuff with them but i’m new with this particular person so atm we’re just being forced to get to know eachother.]

i said goodnight to boris at 3:14 and fed him his last meal of the day at 3:16. it was super hard because i’ve been extra worried about him today especially because of how stressed he’s seemed. he was acting like his usual self at this point though which is good, i love cuddling him everyday and everynight. went to bed around 3:30/40

have a good day/night -_<

[coeluvr]

I’m super sleepy rn and can’t type but bear wit me

Ok ok so since Vincent likes to draw and stuff, and we can choose MC’s hobbie- how would Vincent react to a MC who also likes to draw?? 👀

like would he ignore it at first but after some time give criticism and hide the fact he’s impressed (whispers painting date??)

and now this gave me another idea, how would the RO’s react to their own portraits MC drew??

idk I really like drawing (I’ve been drawing your characters sm) so I’ve been tihnking about this since you posted the hobby thingy

ANYWAYS LOVE YOU CANT WAIT FOR THE PUBLIC RELEASE TMMRW MWAH

Heyyy, anon!

I think at first he wouldn't care, there are so many people in the world that draw as a hobby he isn't going to go talk to all of them. As their relationship develops I think he would get curious, if MC draws people then he would be curious about what he looks like in their eyes. A lot can be said through art. 😉

Fadiya would probably be a bit annoying and ask MC to draw her pets but if MC drew her then she would get flustered and tell them not to do that even though she secretly likes it.

Helios has a lot of portraits done for him, he is the only heir to the throne after all. But I think a portrait done by someone close to you vs random artists is just different. He would treasure it a lot!

If this was a modern-day thing then I'd say Hunter wouldn't like getting their picture taken so I suppose portraits are also a no-go. If MC did draw them though I think they would keep it because it was drawn by someone they care about. They just wouldn't ask for them.

Soarine would love them even if they're badly drawn. She would show it to others like "out of everyone they drew ✨️me✨️".

ALSO IF YOU'VE DRAWN THEM SHOW THEM TO ME 🥹🥹 Pleaseee 💗

I'm also very excited about the release tomorrow, I've been so good about keeping quiet about what happens in chapter 2 😭

Love you too, mwah!

[fatuismooches]

hi :) i see your responses to my asks :) i see your reblogs :) i am absolutely not about to add sodium to the tea i am having rn :)

in all seriousness though oh my goodness smooches ;; i am glad i decided to take a little break from writing for now and be greeted with an influx of notifications alongside your responses to my asks and reblogs to the little thingies i published, just the perfect obliteration my heart needed to perfect my night <3

in response to your excitement about my kabuki series, ME TOO !! good god you don't know how over the damn moon i am just thinking about tomorrow like .. i should probably get a breather because this much excitement, while not new to me because i'm always excited, is about to annihilate my heart lmao

and now in response to your reblog of my fatui kuni drabble, yes. fucking yes. sorry excuse my language BUT. I GET IT. dearest when i tell you it's something i think about a lot — that drabble is actually what i wrote back when i was taking a walk near the seashore about i believe two weeks ago! but that aside, walks around snezhnaya with scara are like everything to me. like imagine him accompanying you to town or along the outskirts — very and i mean very attentively listens to you musings about everything and nothing because he doesn't have much to offer in comparison to what he wholeheartedly believes to be heaven in your eyes as you talk about very simple things ( i shall cut my rambling there because i have a whole series for fatui kuni that is primarily themed around that concept hehe ).

as for the 'nushi thesis...............

oops ~

no but this bitch had me on a chokehold for SO LONG, that i ended up writing not only lore but many, many other things as well from the small to the big deadass ended up being a presentation because i have arranged a design sheet and even chose a fucking theme for him. but king deserves it so (⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~

there is so much i could say right now, so much i can express but bloody hell i like, can't because i have successfully melted into a puddle out of sheer joy :')

YOUR HCS FOR KABUKI BTW ARE SO SO REAL !! SPEAK YOUR TRUTH QUEEN !!

goodness .. dear smooches, dear mutual, dear fellow tea addict /lh lover, to say that your responses have made my night would be one of the biggest understatements i've ever made in life :') like omg i am thinking of a way i could respond to every little thing you mentioned in your responses to my asks and in your reblogs, but i think the bright smile painting my puffy face rn is more than indicative of how genuinely thankful and happy i am 🤍

thank you and incredible lot. i hope mundanities with kabukimono hits in all the right ways and you get to enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing for it. i cannot wait to walk this journey with you and many others <3

— signed with much ( platonic ) love, ayame.

( don't tell kuni that i almost cried because tumblr ate the ask i previously sent you, please and thank you :') ).

the way i am actually about to cry because tumblr keeps having the ask i sent you just a minute ago as a meal............. i swear to god if this one gets sent unlike the other i am going to swallow a biscuit whole /j /nsrs

AYAME NOOOO IM SO SO SORRY TUMBLR CAN BE AN ASS LIKE THAT SOMETIMES 😭😭 But i am so glad to have received this ask from you omg, i love it sm ❤️ And you don't even need to thank me, I'm always happy to support and gush over your writing :)) I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND ABOUT BEING EXCITED TO POST there have been a bunch of times when i wanted to just post something at that instant instead of waiting (kabukimono series was an example when i literally posted back to back instead of spacing it out, i was SO READY 😭)

AND NGL YOU LITERALLY OPENED MY MIND TO SNEZHNAYAN WALKS WITH KUNI... i never thought about it before but. MWAH. i love the idea because i love walks and the cold especially if Kuni will be there to keep me warm hehe. Him being a silent listener is so so cute and real because you think he doesn't listen but then he brings up something random you said weeks ago and your heart just goes boom. (I propose to you now, you and Wanderer visiting Mondstadt/ Dragonspine and walking along the snowy path there too! Wanderer just has so much overflowing memories of the two of you doing the same thing in Snezhnaya, but you don't remember :( but at least he has a second chance with you to make new memories)

OH MY GOSH THE KURONUSHI STUFF EBWDBEWF bro. i so understand because when i saw him there i was excited beyond words. like FINALLY we were getting some Scara lore after like a year or something?? i also remember being sad that the furniture for the teapot wouldn't change to his picture :( but omg i love your dedication to him sm ITS SO SWEET I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON KURO BC IM SO INTERESTED.

AGAIN IM REALLY GLAD MY SILLY RAMBLES MADE YOU SMILE!! *HUGS YOU* AND I TOO CANT WAIT TO EXPERIENCE YOUR KABUKI SERIES!! ILY TOO!! ❤️❤️

[dangerously-human]

Need some writing post/game thingy tags so I have an excuse to ramble about what I've been working on. Or to get snippets complete enough to share. I've made significant progress on five WIPs this week, probably posting one tomorrow. No idea how long this burst of creative productivity is going to last but I'm really enjoying it while it's here.

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn`t notice

Chapter five. Solstice thingies.

The next week was quite routine. A bunch of small tasks, replenishing the warehouse, hunting for all sorts of monsters outside. Nothing special. And then on Sunday fireside Gale announced the grandiose construction of the century. According to him, the neighboring government had finally agreed with Portia to build a road to Sandrock. For this purpose, a huge bridge and transport network were designed. That sounded like tons of interesting orders and it was promised that orders will be posted tomorrow. For now, I can check materials and prepare.

So on Monday morning I already got the first specific task. Wow, that's a big deal. Fortunately, the deadlines are not as tight as is it customary with external investments. I made a plan, ran around abandoned ruins, and returned home. In the evening I heard a familiar stomp at the gate. Wow, who got here! And I already missed him a lot by now.

“Melissa, are you home?” Arlo kicked the gate a couple of times. Red-block-head, I'll just kill you! I just fixed the fence!

“What, smoking furnaces in the yard are not enough evidence for the great detective?”

“Well, knowing you, they are not. You can easily fire up the grill and go somewhere. I have to look after your stuff from time to time.”

“Come in, stop yelling over the fence. You'll scare away the neighbors' chickens.”

“You asked to knock. So I knock. But usually it doesn't help.”

“OK. What do you need now? Some great feats or something simpler?”

“Personal,” oh, that’s a smile. Okay, red-block-head, you’re off the hook.

“Did you broke new dummy within a week, or is something rotten in the warehouse?” I inquired, while trying not to show embarrassment and excessive interest.

“No! Are you going to the fest tomorrow? I got busy and completely forgot that there was also a snowball battle there.”

“Fest? Tomorrow?”

“Well, yes, Winter Solstice. We celebrate the end of the year, make wishes, and share plans for the next year. This kind of stuff.”

“We just didn’t celebrate this. There was something similar, but it was in the fall. Tell me about what will happen there.”

Redhead told in detail how they celebrate here in Portia the date that I usually call the New Year. The part with the big pot of shared soup is a little unclear to me, but overall it sounds very interesting. It's probably worth going. Wait. He just invited me to a public event. It doesn’t seem like a date; I don’t even dare to consider it so. But it turns out that we will be together in front of a crowd of people all day long, won’t we? Well, if I will not blush too much and stutter, no one will really notice anything. At the same time, I’ll piss off Nora. Moreover, I still don’t know what he decided about her, maybe he has a harem of little sisters formed through my efforts.

“How does it sound? Will you go?

“With you? Yes, with you I'll even go through the jaws of Death. And back.”

“I hope it's unnecessary. So, meet me at Alice's store in the morning.”

“Fine. Why there?”

“Approximately equal distance.”

“Fair point. I don’t need to run to the guild in the morning,” I nodded at the traditional chaos around the assembly site. “I have full bunch of orders until the end of the spring.”

On Tuesday morning I dresses up, grabbed gifts for friends and headed to the meeting place. Holy Mr. Peach, just how nervous I am! This is definitely NOT A DATE, why am I so worked up? Oh, there he is, waving his hand. Somehow I got there too quickly.

“Hey!” Arlo offered me his hand, inviting me to grab his forearm.

“Glad to see you so cheerful. That’s your favorite event, I guess?”

“Sure thing. A city hotpot is a big deal, especially when it's so cold and snowy. That’s nothing better than a hefty pot of hot, spicy soup in such a weather!”

“Is it so very spicy?”

“It depends on how much pepper and ginger the townspeople throw in there. And what?”

“Do they usually throw a lot? I don't really like spiced food while I can still stomach ginger or mustard. But I was sick tired of hot pepper even in Barnarock. For some reason everyone there was obsessed with it. What a nonsense, there is a wild heat all around, and they are still have to put it inside themselves also. Brr.”

“Then it’s better not to. Or grab a portion at the very beginning. Well, it's a pity. I thought you liked it somewhat spicy too. You've been cooking spicy food recently.”

“There was almost no pepper there.”

“And it still turned out very tasty. Maybe you can share the recipe?”

“No way! Then you will stop dropping by.”

“You don’t think I have no reasons to visit you other than dinner, do you?”

“Well... I don’t disturb public order. I don't eat kids for lunch. I don’t slander my neighbors. What else is within your responsibility?”

“Fires, for example. A disgusting thing. In summer, the meadows often burn. Come, help yourself before they fill it up. And I'll wait.”

I poured myself a portion, threw in a communal pot a couple of peppers myself, and together with Arlo we walked away from the cauldron to the bench so as not to disturb anyone. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed church attire in the crowd. I wonder if Nora was staring at me or ogling the redhead now? She was probably not pleased that she wasn’t invited by him. And Arlo didn't seem to notice anything yet. Great.

“Well, is it okay? Not too spicy for you?”

“It'll do. But after my intervention, it probably became much more scalding.”

“What did you add there? I'm not familiar with this type.”

“Duvos pepper. Two full pods. Remy once asked for a spicy crepe with duvos powder. Well, I still had some spare pods lying around.”

“Then I’ll run to try it before it was diluted. Be right back.”

While he was pushing towards the cauldron and fiddling with the plates, Nora suddenly approached me. Surprise. And what for?

“Are you enjoying the holiday?”

“Yes, we don’t celebrate that one where I am from. A curious event. Did you want something?”

“I wanted to challenge you!”

“To challenge me? Such an honor! Aren't you afraid of denting your robe?”

“I mean snowballs,” she hesitated. “After the hot pot. On the field.”

“Don’t you think that you and I are in very unequal conditions?”

“Elaborate.”

“As far as I know, you are from a region where snow is common. But this year, I think, is the first time I’ve seen snow myself.”

Very flushed Arlo loomed behind Nora. I wonder how much did he manage to hear? And how will he react.

“That didn’t stop you from running with everyone else at the last festival.”

“It didn’t hurt to run. But it was inconvenient for you to hide.”

“And I wasn’t hiding at all! Everything according to the common rules by the way! Well, do you accept the challenge? Or are you afraid of embarrassing yourself?”

“Ha. No way I'll refuse! If you want a battle, you'll get it. Just don't cry too much.”

“Are you chatting, girls? Great. I hope you two will become good friends.”

“We'll see, honey.”

Nora shuddered. She chuckled and, looking like an insulted princess, headed towards the gate. What a spirit! I hope Arlo won't be too upset when I’ll make her spit snow. Again.

“What were you talking about?”

“Didn't you hear?”

“In outline. It's quite noisy here.”

“Nora wants a snowball fight with me. Is it time for me to run scared?”

“Just drop it. She's a nice girl. Try to get to know her better and you'll see.

“I will try. But I don't promise anything. Cause I think we have nothing in common, you know.” Well, except for the same crush I guess.“Do tell me what do you think of my secret ingredient? I remember Remy even cried. I didn’t get if it was from nostalgia, happiness or l from mucosal burn.”

“It’s a fine brew. You should at least have given a warning, you hooligan. Otherwise you will have to be detained for sabotage. The children, over there, are just spitting from it.”

“You understand that your flimsy cage won’t hold me, right?”

“It shouldn't. But the fine to the workshop’s rating and the ban on taking government commissions will do better.”

“Oh, so you’re a sly one! You’re looking too pleased for such serious threats,” feigning offense I lightly hit him on the shoulder with my fist.

“Let's go, people have already gathered on the field.”

Now it dawned on me why no one cleaned the scenery from the last feast. The decorations were the same, except that the children had built more snow fortifications around. Today's snowball battle had half the time allocated compared with the last feast. I need to use it wisely.

“Well, are you ready?” Nora inquired capriciously. “I can give you a ten-point head start.”

“I reject. Make sure you don't need an advantage yourself.”

“Redhead, do calm down. You'll scare away all the townspeople.”

“Fine point from a redhead yourself. Are you on offense or defense?”

“I hope to have time to play both parts. Besides, I promised you.”

This sly blockhead first went to the side of defense and throughout the battle looked after and protected Nora from my tried. So, are they dating or not? If they are dating, then why did he invite me? Lost in thought, I missed the hard hit. Ugh! Well, now you BOTH will hear from me.

“Keep your eyes open!” Arlo shouted, made a funny face and rolled into another shelter.

I took the opportunity and landed a fine projectile into his “little sister”. Hey, he didn’t have enough time to cover her this time. And she asked for it herself! I'll make her cry later. I dodged her retaliatory projectile without any problems, as well as the Arlo's attempts to provoke me into a rash attack. Changing my position, I took careful aim, pretending to be aiming at him. As I had planned, he deftly dodged, exposing my real target for my attack. Nora was left without a hat. And then that sly redhead got hit in the face. Victory is mine!

“Kid, is it just me, or are you too aggressive today?” Sam slapped me on the shoulder from behind.

“Blame the hot pepper. Don't worry, I'm cooling down quickly.”

“Ugh, I'm not playing against you anymore.” Shaking out the snow from under his jacket, Arlo said, coming closer. Nora was not with him, so I can hope that she will not dare to take revenge soon.

“You signed up for this yourself. There is sparring. There is the Land Run. There are snow-fights now too. What's left there?”

“Fishing.”

“Ugh, disgusting! Any other options?”

“Ghost hunt. And the harvest festival.”

“You don’t participate in that two. I have a hard time imagining your attempts to grow a champion pumpkin.”

“I can eat up a champion pumpkin. But I do not want to. It's too sweet so I'll have a terrible headache.”

“Guys, the second round is starting, we’re dividing into teams again,” reminded Sam, who had observed our skirmish from sidelines earlier.

I didn’t want to go to the defense of the “castle”. Arlo kept his promise and didn’t play against me either. Somehow, completely imperceptibly, the game turned into “escape from the redheads.” Almost our entire team dropped out early, and the two of us really gave our opponents a cold one by the collar. Take that! Quite suddenly, evening came and it was time for the annual group photo. The townspeople flocked back, gathering under the Wishing tree. Wait, why did Nora decide to stand next to me? Is she trying to befriend me now? Was it HE who advised her to stick up to me? Hey, my opinion is not taken into account? Okay, girl, just smile. Hmmm, well, my face got somewhat too ghastly. I just hope Arlo won’t lay this photo on his dresser.

“Sam, don't go away yet.”

“I wasn’t going to; I’ll just gather our team.”

“Okay, I'll wait by the swing. Let the crowd disperse a little.”

Taking advantage of the respite, I rummaged through my bag. Luckily, all the packages are in place, so I can hand them all over.

“Remy, this one for you. I think it will come in handy,” I handed my friend the package, through the packaging of which the fabric was visible.

“New jacket. Cool, thank you, this is exactly what I wanted. And this is for you, open it quickly.”

Inside the small box I found brand new blue boxing gloves. Unable to contain my joy, I hugged my friend tightly.

“My turn! Here you go, little fella. It's your size, I checked twice. I know that your old one is completely worn out.”

“Wow! It's good that I didn't have time to order it myself. I'll be back in my favorite uniform jacket when it gets warmer. Now it’s your turn. It wasn't easy to get.” Sam pulled out a warm blanket with a picture of a horse from the bundle, beamed and hugged me.

“Thanks, kid! Remy, let's go. I'll help you with your knee, you’ve put a lot of strain on it today.”

“Arlo. This is for you. I thought you could use a replacement. This one should be sturdier and fit for a slightly heavier load,” I handed him a brand new arm stretcher with reinforced springs.

“You noticed then? I was just about to order a new one from you. Thank you! Now wait a minute.”

He began to rummage through the inner pocket of his jacket.

“Come closer. Here. Freeze,” he took a bright blue piece of fabric from the package.

Is this... Bandanna? Is it the same as his? While I looked at his gift in surprise and delight, Arlo carefully folded the bandanna in half and began tying it around my neck. He fiddled with it a little, straightened it, smoothed it out, and walked back a couple of steps to admire it. I'm sure I'm blushing A LOT right now. He carried it with him all day after all.

“What, Am I supposed to get hugs? Or did I guess wrong?”

“Why not? You guessed just right” I looked around, but no one seemed to be trampling around. So...OK.

“Then I’m waiting,” he spread his arms invitingly.

Gathering all of my courage, I rushed to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, reached out and quickly kissed him on the cheek, quietly saying “thank you.” Wow, his beard was so soft. And his herbal scent made me melt. Oh. Stunned by my determination, I just as quickly let him go, walked away to a decent distance and started running away, hiding my completely blushed face in my hood.

[aeoni-sw]

I have writers block AND art block but that won't stop me from attempting to rant about my hyperfixation!

Which is my au. But I have writers block. So, CASSIUS IT IS!! (silly hyperfixation rant under the cut)

Cassius is a silly performer ghost as you can see in my 3 posts about the silly guy. The first post was originally where I planned for him to die by gunshot, though now kinda thinking he got kidnapped or smth and died after some excruciating torture and possibly organ trafficking.

he was an actor and probably tv star, singing with his silly lucky microphone that most veterans (veterans?? idk, what's the word?? people who've been there from the start) know he always uses, marked by the star sticker at the bottom.

He has no idea how to comfort people, like if someone has a sensory overload during one of his shows he internally panicks and probably stops the show and leaves. Or if like a child's crying he'd probably just distract em with a song and an autograph.

He's like... Early to mid twenties?? Idkkk?? I really need to get my character planning straight but ANYWAYS- he is besties with Hayden, loves doing little magic shows with him and giving some tips and tricks <33

Cassius isn't at the office much, just kinda roaming around the streets and stopping to entertain a crowd once in a while, hangs out with Sean sometimes and sings there. Finley and Tatum don't question the floating microphone at this point, Linda doesn't mind either.

Oh right abt the keepsake: his microphone allows him to distract/be used as a silly beacon to ghosts and monsters if sung into. If you put it into a high volume, mortals can hear you (it's only faint, but still)!! And yes, it's battery operated (battery lasts forever because... Ghost logic) ignore my first post with the microphone cord being broken. The mic could also be paired with Cassius' microphone pole (holder pole thingy??idk) though it broke after an encounter with a monster so his keepsake power is technically not as strong as before without the microphone pole.

Now I would rant more but it's school tomorrow and I need to sleep. So. G'night.