#this one's pretty fun if i do say so myself

[katy-l-wood]

I'm having so much fun with my next book. It's another standalone disaster story, which I've written plenty of, and I am, if I do say so myself, pretty damn good at such stories. But this is the first one that I'm writing as a more intentional throwback to classic disaster films and tropes, which is proving delightful.

#Volcano Book

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

Foxglove

(Written by me. Originally published by Literary Times Magazine.)

I didn’t mean to summon the ghost.  Okay, I meant to, but I regretted it.

My friend Cyprus knew it was a bad idea from the start.  “You talk this way about every girl for two weeks, then you move on to someone else.  Just put a curtain over the portrait and forget about it.”

“I can’t.  Thinking about her hurts, and just the prospect of not thinking about her hurts more.  I dream about her pretty much every night.”

Cyprus closed his eyes.  His gold-rimmed glasses made him look like he was from another century.

I leaned across the table, making my eyes big.  “You can do it, right?”

“I’ve only recreated the ritual in a classroom setting, and only for animal spirits.”

“You’re a straight-A student.”

“That doesn’t mean I can do it.”

But he could.  

Ever since I moved here, the portrait of the actress had smirked down at me like a vixen.  She’d died young, in the early 1920s – this house is split into condos now, but it used to all be hers.

After my last breakup, I looked up photos of her.  She was most active during the 1910s, when stage actresses had a kind of dreamlike beauty: long tresses of dark hair, and huge, dewy, downturned eyes in the middle of a misty face.

I put the laptop down and went to bed thinking about her.  I dreamed about her pressed against me, warm and alive.  Since then, I couldn’t stop.

Cyprus showed up with a briefcase and his cat.

“Before I start, you should know I’m not doing this for you.”  He put his cat carrier in the center of the room.  He drew the sigils around it in chalk.  He set up the candles.  “I’m doing this because my professor said I could use it as an extra credit assignment.”

“It won’t hurt your cat, right?”

“I would never endanger General Pawshington.”

He had me sit cross-legged on the floor, then drew sigils around me too.  

Then he opened his briefcase and took out a yellowed sheet of paper.  “I can only say the words and perform the gestures,” he said.  “Your yearning has to be strong enough to call her here.  And then if she doesn’t want to stay, she can leave.”

“Got it.”

He started to chant, making swift finger motions, and I snickered.  

He paused.  “You have to think about her, or it won’t work.”

“Sorry.”

This time when he started to chant, I kept my eyes fixed on her portrait.  Even when she began to materialize over the cat carrier – out of the corner of my eye, I could make out the shape of a tiny hurricane, twisting into the shape of a woman.  I felt like if I looked at her, she’d vanish.

I imagined a relationship with a ghost.  A ghost would never change – if they wanted change, they wouldn’t be here.  They usually stayed tethered to one place.  I imagined coming home to her day after day, her tether to the outside world.

“No,” she screamed.  “No!”

I looked over at her.  She was as beautiful as her pictures, her black dress fading into gray mist at the skirt.  But she didn’t look sad or bemused, like she did in her photos.  She looked furious, the whites showing around her pupils, her dainty mouth twisted in rage.

She looked between me and Cyprus.  “Why would you do this?”

“I love you,” I blurted, at the exact same time Cyprus said, “Extra credit.”

She screamed so loud the cat hissed and the windows seemed to shake.

“Um,” I said, looking to Cyprus for guidance.

He didn’t look back.  Just stared up at her with fascination and regret.

She dematerialized, dissipating into mist that seemed to scatter against the ceiling, maybe through it.

“Was that…supposed to happen?” I asked.

“Some ghosts react badly to being summoned.  But if she’s unhappy here, she can return to the afterlife.”

She did not, for whatever reason, return to the afterlife.

It turned out that being haunted was not a fun experience.  I thought if I could just tell her about myself, she’d like me as much as I thought I’d like her, but she wasn’t interested in that.

She slammed doors.  Chilled rooms.  Flung objects.  Sobbed in the night.

“Can you please just talk to me?” I pleaded, after being woken up at 3 AM for the third time that week.  “I’m sorry!  I just wanted to meet you, that’s all!”

You know how when you’re in bed, you sometimes look up at the ceiling fan and picture it falling?  Well, that’s what happened next.  Fortunately, no bones were broken.

Cyprus’s extra credit assignment became his thesis project.  He came back as my neighbor was complaining to me about the new “poltergeist problem,” unaware I was responsible for it.

“And who are you?” the neighbor asked Cyprus.  “An exorcist?”

“Close.  I’m a student from the Providence College of Necromancy.”

“Great.  A student.  They always send kids to solve adult problems these days.”

Inside, Cyprus called, “Foxglove!”  For some reason, I don’t think I ever thought to address the actress by name.  “Foxglove, you have to stop, or they’re going to send an exorcist to get rid of you.”

She materialized out of the air like mist – the first time I’d seen her since we’d initially summoned her.  She really was so beautiful, her dark hair floating around her like a dream.  “It’s not fair,” she said.  “It’s my house.”

“I know,” he said, sadly.  Well, sadly for him.  He had a catlike way of emoting.

“I remember Heaven in flashes.  I don’t think you’re supposed to remember it while you’re on Earth,” she said, sounding frustrated but relieved at having someone to talk to.  “I want to go back so badly, but I don’t want to leave my life again.  All I can do is yearn for what I had before.”

“Maybe you can tell me about your life,” said Cyprus, not disguising the interest in his voice.  “I could write it down, and publish it.  And people could read about you.”

Her eyes looked sad, dewy, and hopeful, like they did in the portrait.  “I’d like that.”

I felt sidelined, like a third wheel.  It bothered me that she forgave his selfishness just because he was open about it – I wanted someone I could love, he wanted an extra credit assignment.

My goal was selfish too, in the context that I’d pulled her away from her life – or afterlife – in the hopes that she’d be a part of mine.  But wanting something to love wasn’t supposed to be selfish.  And if it was, that was supposed to be forgivable, if only because it was so human.

I’d apologized.  He hadn’t.  He was open about his self-interest, his fascination with the predicament he’d created.  But I could tell that if she forgave one of us, it would be him.  If she fell in love with one of us, it would be him.

That night, he stayed over to listen to her talk about her childhood, her poverty, her discovery.  About dancing and singing and playing Lady Macbeth, before performances were immortalized on film, when acting was still ephemeral.  About the day after she did too much laudanum and drifted under the surface of the tub.

She wanted to pull herself back past the surface, but she couldn’t.  She just couldn’t will her limbs to move.  “They say that those who take their own lives can’t get to Heaven,” she mused.  “I did.  But maybe that’s because I really wanted to live.”

Cyprus was listening, his recorder on the table next to him, taking notes.  He was interested in every word, wanting to capture as much as possible.  His intense curiosity, the Victor Frankenstein in him, was what made him a great student.

“I have some more questions I want to ask, about certain aspects of your life,” he said, switching off his recorder.  “Can I come back Thursday night?”

“I’ll be here,” she said.  Her dress had turned from black to white, and the mist she emanated had paled.

I could have tried talking to her.  

Instead, I called my ex, and told her what happened.

“It’s just like with me, James,” she sighed.  “You wanted her till she was a real person.”

It was true.  I’d never met a girl I could love more than an idea.

“It’s lonely for me too,” I said.

“I know.”

“Why do you think it’s so hard to love someone right?”

“Because when you do, it becomes something you want to give to them, not something you want to take.”  She said it like she’d been thinking about it for a long time, waiting for someone to ask.  “I think that’s why we spend most of our lives learning how to do it.”

#short fiction #original short story #ghost story #romance story #my writing #writing #fiction

[linxuelian]

Anime Fest Plus 2024 Convention Experience Log - With Photos!

Hi, hello! As I've recently (as of this post, yesterday morning) attended Anime Fest+ 2024 at Tropicana Gardens Mall, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, I've decided to write an experience log about my day there! While I will be posting a few different cosplays here, since my blog is currently primarily about MDZS, TGCF and SVSSS at the moment, most of the cosplays I'll be sharing will be from these three titles. To add to the fun, I'll also have commentaries on them!

To preface, the largest anime convention in Malaysia is Comic Fiesta, an annual mecca with 70,000 attendees as of the year 2023. Anime, games and comics are popular in this country, so there are smaller cons dotted throughout the months.

Anyway, the crowd wasn't as large as Comic Fiesta. As the structure of Tropicana Gardens Mall is rather narrow, you'd technically have to file through in two to three lines to be able to walk in and out of the place.

The exhibition hall at the fourth floor hosted all performances as well as cosplay booths. You'd have to ride one of the two escalators up to the hall - plebs without a ticket are doomed to be stranded at the bottom of said escalators, unable to sop up the merriment held exclusively above.

Here are some pics though, just in case you were a pleb that day, or just didn't attend the event:

Main hall programs and booths featured mostly Hololive and sexy pretty girl cosplayers and figurines, given the regular, expected fare when it comes to the anime consuming demographic (yes, I'm calling you out, my anime-watching brothers). I didn't take pictures of the doujinshi market out of respect for the art sellers there, but I did buy a beautiful print and got some lovely free stickers from that ONE vendor who sold BL stuff among the throngs of moe girls/Genshin Impact.

Yes, there was only one stall. But that one vendor made my day! Bless your heart, sister!

Now, I'll move on to the highlight - the cosplays. Nothing fills my heart with more joy than seeing happy people wearing colorful costumes and having a blast just being part of the convention scene. To be honest, it's so common to be wearing cosplay outfits nowadays that folk don't even notice you when you're dressed up - and I say this from experience; nobody noticed at all that I was in costume (or they were far too polite to laugh at how shitty I looked LOL, I didn't even dare take pics of myself). These events usually become scavenger hunts for me, to identify the ones from series I know or my tribe (fellow MXTX fans aha!).

First up is an oldie that's a goldie - Mr. Spock from Star Trek (credit: FaceBook user Yasuhiro Orihusay):

Honestly, I did NOT expect to find any Star Trek cosplays there. My dad's a Trekkie, so this was one of the first pics I sent him at the con itself. Live long and prosper, Mr. Spock!

Next, a furry OC:

I wasn't able to get their social media account as they were waiting in line for an autograph by a cosplayer, so unfortunately I'm unable to credit here.

Furries are currently still a new thing in Malaysia - but I'm glad to see them appearing more frequently at our cons, since they do diversify our pop culture scene quite a bit. Furs Upon Malaysia (FURUM) is held annually in Kuala Lumpur. The tickets are always sold out within an hour, so it's definitely growing and also contributing to tourism (Indonesian and Singaporean furries gather there too).

Also, they're fluffy. I love fluffy things. Much thanks, furry fandom, for being fluffy!

Moving on, here's a group cosplay of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure's Six Pistols (Mista from Golden Wind's Stands, if you're wondering which season it's from):

Vibrant and very spot on! I was unable to get their social media account due to the crowd and disorientation on my part. Do try to look them up, though! They were pretty popular, so I'm sure someone would have shared some info if you're interested.

Anyway, here's a White Mage from Final Fantasy (credit: https://www.instagram.com/yari_hayashi/):

Final Fantasy's one of the older franchises, but it's definitely rising again due to the new FFVII remake. I thought he was Garnet until I saw the blond wig. Bless the mages, healing power plus!!

Next in line is one of my all-time favorites, Sailor Moon (credit: https://www.instagram.com/jiahuab0719_cos/):

I'm a Moonie so seeing a Sailor Moon made me pretty excited! I don't see too many Sailor Moon cosplays even in Comic Fiesta - cosplays at our conventions are pretty seasonal and tend to follow trends, from what I've seen. She definitely caught quite a bit of attention with her wings, too. I saw her getting stopped quite a bit, so I'm glad I got a pic before a line formed!

Aaaand! I've saved the best for last! I'll be showcasing the MXTX stuff now. To start off (with a bang), here are two cosplayers of the number one seasonal love interest of the BL world, Hua Cheng a.k.a. San Lang Didi (Grown Up Version):

Credit: https://www.instagram.com/karry.1213/ (donghua version) and https://www.instagram.com/kopiii_cos/ (manhua version)

Remember how I said cosplays at Malaysian conventions tend to be pretty seasonal? Well, the current flavor of the month for the BL world is definitely TGCF - and the hottest flavor is now San Lang didi. You're going to get stopped for photos pretty often for dressing up as this flashy guy, and for good reason too. Donned in striking red, Hua Cheng is the Ferrari of the danmei world.

I overhead Kopiii_cos' friend saying so many people have been asking for photos! Viva Fafa!

Next, we have the ever beautiful WangXian couple cosplays:

Credit: Wei Wuxian (https://www.instagram.com/purple_384/) and Lan Wangji (https://www.instagram.com/anson1510/)

WangXian's a staple when it comes to the MXTX fandom. There's nary a person who doesn't love these two soulmates, and with these elaborate costumes, they've certainly stolen the show! They were the first couple I saw at the entrance of the exhibition hall, which makes sense since there was an OTP contest going on that afternoon.

Moving along, we have the main character of his story, the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian (credit: https://www.instagram.com/arkutagwa/):

I gotta admit that this Lian's the sweetest of the Xies so far. Had a field day calling each other cute (what can I say, we both had cute personalities)! Gotta love that charming dimpled cheek, bless!

Speaking of cute, there's also this whole cute pose thing going on with certain attendees (credit: https://www.instagram.com/chzesin/):

I won't lie - I didn't recognize the character at first. But with the dark-gray-to-white ombre, black and red colors to tell you that's a Wei Wuxian, I'm just going to take a gamble here and deduce that yes, that is indeed a Wei Wuxian and include it. Let me know if you don't think it is.

Last but not least, we have our MXTX OTP group:

Credits: https://www.instagram.com/ayafvrvv/ (Luo Binghe) and https://www.instagram.com/close0402/ (Lan Wangji) - the rest didn't share their social media accounts but they did say you can find them through each other's accounts.

Turns out they're a group who'd entered the OTP contest that afternoon. If you're wondering, no, Binghe isn't paired with air (this is Bing-mei, not Bing-ge). There was a large number of attendees that day as it was Sunday, so their Shizun was still looking for parking. I'd gotten lucky since I'd arrived there just as they'd opened up Basement 3 so ZOOM I parked near the escalators with plenty of space to spare. Until today I chalk it up to being last-minute dressed as Xie Lian, the god of good luck for hobos like myself (or, according to popular belief, Hua Cheng's blessed every Xie Lian cosplayer out there no matter how much we look like we've just stepped out of a jungle). I also had plenty of space to sit for a lovely lunch of salad and green tea!

Granted, there were actually a few other Xie Lians there as well (he's the current flavor as well), but I didn't want to chase after them from afar since the flow of human traffic in this particular mall wasn't too conducive for trying to get pictures, unlike KLCC's garden. Usually, more fans are dressed as the two main characters, Wei Wuxian and Xie Lian - or the shous/bottoms in popular danmei. Surprisingly, I actually saw quite a number of gongs/tops this trip round.

So as a bonus, here's a pic with all our dandy gongs/tops together:

A dashing lot, aren't they?

Anyway, this wraps up my experience log as an MXTX cosplay hunter! Hope you enjoyed it! Bless!

#anime convention #experience log #wangxian #hualian #luo binghe #xie lian #lan wangji #wei wuxian #sailor moon #jojo's bizarre adventure #final fantasy #mr spock #star trek #furry #the untamed #tgcf #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #cosplay #comic fiesta #anime fest+ 2024

[jjaydazo]

Why do you ship Sans x Frisk? As a person who ships them myself, what do you see in them, like about them? Personality traits, situations, tropes etc, anything that comes to mind, what makes you enjoy them and continue to breathe life to them?

when I first shipped them, I didn't know I could ship Frisk with Sans.

As I said before, when I first saw undertale, I didn't count Frisk as a character before. I thought they were just a self-insert because you can name them whatever. and hardly say anything whenever.

there were time i see some frisk x asriel or frisk x monster kid, but frans won me over. so much pretty art and fun comics.

Frisk is a misunderstood character. Everyone and a lot of the fandoms mistaken their character. "Frisk is a Blank character" - I think Frisk is a character that players will see themselves in. But Frisk isn't entirely Blank, they literally have a name.

one of the things that always interests me about Frisk is when Asriel asks Frisk why they went to Mt.Ebott

There so much to Frisk's character that I am fond of because it's like they're quietly their own person. And to pair someone like Sans is just a fun dynamic to be seen.

The au's themselves are just used for me to draw them in different ways and explore their personalities. I've grown fond to the community and it helped from my hard times before.

#ask

[angelsanarchy]

Fever Dreams: Mike x Y/N One Shot Series PRT 10

Tagging: @icarus-star @chainsawgvtsfvck @romanroyapoligist @liquidsmoothdomme @madamemaximoff06 @drazenka @blacksoul-27 @444rockstargf @kappasbbgirl @luzclarita57 @tempt-ress

Mike was enjoying laying back on his brand new couch watching TV when he heard the phone upstairs ringing again. Leff had a girl upstairs so he wasn't about to go up and answer it but whoever was trying to reach him, kept calling until he finally stormed out of his room and yelled, taking it off the hook.

About 10 minutes later, Mike's cellphone rang. It was Y/n.

"Oh please tell me this is a booty call." Mike teased hearing her huff.

"Where is your stupid ass uncle at and why isn't he answering the fucking phone?" Y/n asked sounding annoyed.

"He has company tonight so he doesn't want to be interrupted." Mike explained putting the phone up in the air so she could hear the thumping of the headboard and a woman moaning.

"And you're what? Sitting there jerking it while he's getting laid?" Y/n laughed.

"No I'm laying on my new couch and watching TV." Mike felt a sense of pride letting her know he had gotten the couch. Before he could say anything else, he was getting a Facetime request from her. He tried to sit up and not look so haggard before he accepted the call. Her face popped up and she smiled.

"I wanna see the couch!" Mike panned the phone down showing her the couch as he was lying on it.

"I'm saving a spot on it for you whenever you're done playing hard to get." Mike teased.

"Baby I am hard to get but the couch is nice. You picked a good one." She smiled as Mike laid back.

"You're totally listening to them fuck, you perv." She stares at Mike who turns the phone towards the TV.

"I'm watching the TV!" He defends.

"Mmhmm I see that hand placement." Mike hadn't realized his hand was resting on his dick atop his sweatpants.

"I'm comfortable like this. You could be too but-"

"Why would I want to hang out on your new couch and listen to Leff fuck some poor woman's brains out?" Y/n asked playfully.

"You wouldn't be. You'd be getting your own brains fucked out." Mike corrected seeing her lay back on her own couch.

"Is that so? You would just have me sitting on your lap, riding you on your brand new couch to break it in?" Y/n teased, Mike felt himself growing hard just listening to her talk.

"I like the sound of that. You could ride whatever you wanted but i absolutely want you to sit on my face." Mike rubbed his hand on the outside of his pants, bringing his cock to life fully.

"You want me to tell you what we would do?" Y/n asked catching Mike's attention. He looked at her and licked his lips.

"I'd prefer you just show me but-"

"I wouldn't let you touch, I'd only let you watch. I'd let you sit right where you are, cock in hand and watch me get myself off a foot away from you at the other end of that couch." Y/n's tone changed and Mike pulled his cock out, listening to her talk.

"If you're a good boy, I might even give you the smallest taste of my pussy but only after I've made myself cum." Mike swallowed the lump in his throat wishing it was her hand on his cock.

"Where's the fun in that? I could make you cum." Mike breathed and Y/n rested her chin on her hands.

"Yeah? How would you make me cum? Riding that pretty cock? Sitting on that cute face until you can't breathe." Y/n moaned through the phone and she noticed Mike's jaw was a bit slack. He was actively jerking off as she spoke.

"Are you touching yourself sweetie?" Y/n asked and Mike nodded his head.

"You've got me hard as fuck right now, I have to." Mike breathed into the phone and Y/n giggled.

"Prove it." She wiggled her eyebrows and Mike flipped the camera so she could see him jerking his cock.

"Mmmm that's a very naughty boy. Who said you could jerk off?" Y/n asked making Mike's hand pause for a moment.

"I mean...you could always come over and jerk me off. I wouldn't mind." He laughed feeling his cheeks flush.

"Can't. I'm busy tonight." She sighed as he continued to slowly stroke himself again.

"You want me to beg huh? You're one of those?" Mike smirked at her and she cocked her eyebrow.

"Are you calling me a tease?" She asked for clarification.

"Maybe...I mean-"

"Well in that case, I hope you finish yourself off without visual aid. Enjoy your night." She ended the call and Mike was floored. She really was a tease but what she didn't know was he had been getting himself off thinking about fucking her since they met. He pointed his phone at his cock and continued to jerk himself, trying not to whimper as he thought about her lips wrapped around him, her eyes staring up at him and her cupping his balls in her hands. He wanted to make her gag on his cock so bad that when he finally did cum, he moaned her name as his cum spit out all over his abdomen.

He took a few deep breaths before he stopped the video. He looked at himself and knew he was a mess but the anticipation of actually fucking Y/n was going to be the death of him.

#Mike #Mike x Y/N #FIlm: 5lbs of Pressure #5lbs of Pressure #Fever Dreams #Fever Dreams series #One Shot Series #Rory Culkin #Culkin Cult

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

Why I Love Crosshair- A Story About Persevering

I talk about Crosshair so much on my blog. With TBB ending in a few days, I wanted to share with y'all why he resonates with me so deeply. This show and these characters have touched the hearts of so many in this fandom. I'm curious, which Batcher has resonated with you? Anyways, here we go!

Crosshair's hot. That's it. I'm a simple woman. Moving on.

He's really freaking cool- I'm not gonna like, seeing Crosshair make those trick shots has me on the edge of my seat. It's just so much fun to watch someone do an incredible skill whether it's dance, playing music, or in Crosshair's case, take out several battle droids with one shot. I love it.

His character arc- Crosshair is one of the most interesting and complex characters I've met in recent years. I'm not going to lie, it's refreshing to see a really well-written morally grey character. Crosshair's one and only loyalty is to his family (plus a few others). He will do anything for them. However, Crosshair isn't drawn to some bigger cause like Echo or Omega are. From my POV, it's something interesting to think about. What makes a good person? How far is one willing to go for someone they love? At what point does that loyalty and love turn selfish or self-destructive? These are all questions that Crosshair's character brings up.

I also appreciate the love and passion put into his character. Jennifer and the team took their time to give Cross a proper redemption. It wasn't as simple as "Crosshair just flips on a dime" or "he dies proving he still loved them." No. The change had to come from Crosshair. Crosshair had to be the one to make the steps towards coming home. It had to be his choice and his choice alone, not something that was forced onto him. I really appreciate that tbh. People are so complex and we all make mistakes. Crosshair made some pretty bad choices (not that he was 100% in control). Still, he had to figure things out for himself and when he was ready, he decided to come home.

His story- Crosshair's story is one of struggle and persevering in my eyes. "The Outpost" is one of the best depictions of what it's like to struggle with mental health. It's why I love it so much. I see a lot of myself in Crosshair. So often, it's much easier to just lie down and quit. But Crosshair doesn't quit. No. He fights. He fights so hard and in the end, he makes it. To see Crosshair come home after so long meant the world to me. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. You can and will make it. And he didn't do it alone. Omega continued to be a light in his life. Crosshair reminds me to never give up. Even when it all seems impossible, we need to keep going and there is hope for the future. When he meditates with Omega, I almost cried. That episode reminded me of my mom because she's constantly encouraging me and supporting me. She always tells me that I have to be the one to help myself. It's difficult and she will be there, but I can't just expect things to fix themselves. Similarly, Omega told Crosshair that he needed to help himself. I don't think I've ever related to a SW character as much as I have with Crosshair.

Crosshair has taught me so much about myself. Through him, I've learned that there's a lot going on in my head that I need to work on. I realized why S1 Hunter pissed me off so much. Because like Cross, there are times at home where I feel like no one listens. He taught me to keep going, to keep fighting, especially in times of great uncertainty. Crosshair and Omega's relationship shows just how special the impact of one person can have. I see their relationship reflected in my life in many ways. There's so much more I can say about Cross, but we would be here forever lol.

I am so grateful for Crosshair. I am so grateful for his story. He might be just a character, but he's really helped me tackle some rough times in my life. I love him with all my heart and will forever be thankful to TBB team for bringing his story to life.

Thank you DBB, Jen, Brad, Michelle, and everyone on TBB team. Thank you for everything ❤️

#star wars #the bad batch #tbb crosshair

[seramilla]

If / whenever Odette proposes to Verosika— it’s not something big or grand. Instead it’s intimate and quiet when Odette shows the ring to verosika, it’s a beautiful ring— it had probably cost Odette a pretty penny. No one had seen it coming, not even Carmilla—who knows her girls like the palm of her hand.

Odette and Verosika have talked about marriage before. It's to be expected after watching, and participating in, Carmilla and Sera's wedding. Theirs had been an extravagant, social affair, thanks to Zestial and Lucifer, with every blue-blood in Hell who was on good terms with them present. But to the girls, neither really finds those kinds of huge public expressions of love appealing.

Verosika has to put on a show every day, so she'd told Odette, if and when it happens for her, she wants it to be more real. Not during one of her shows, and certainly not on stage; just something small between herself and her beloved. Odette can't say she disagrees. In fact, that's exactly what she'd hoped Verosika would say. Because that's exactly what she'd been planning.

Verosika already has everything a demon could want, and then some. So does Odette, honestly, and while both demons can afford to give each other the world, that's not really what Verosika wants, or what Odette wants, either. She desires to make it special, but also not too over-the-top. She decides to get Ozzy's advice on the right way to approach this. He is, of course, very helpful...but mostly about the honeymoon, and all the fun things that can come after.

He does know the name of a jewelsmith in Greed, though, and after some conversations with them back and forth over the phone, Odette orders a personalized pink diamond in a gold band, fit exactly to Odette's specifications. Not a big one...it's honestly rather small, but still worth a small fortune, she comes to find out. She still thinks it's more than enough to make Verosika happy. Odette hopes so, anyway.

Odette chooses to ask her on a night after Verosika gets back from a tour. They'd already had a date at Ozzy's planned. The king of Lust didn't have any other shows planned, and just reserved a small corner of the showroom for the two of them, allowing the musical stylings of Fizzarolli to complement their dinner of something Odette is too nervous to eat at the moment.

Verosika seems to notice Odette's not eating. Her girlfriend does have a hard time remembering to feed herself sometimes, and she brings it up to Odette, who is quickly shocked out of her state of internalized anxiety.

"Babydoll, you going to eat anything? You look pale."

"Oh! Yes! Sorry! Umm...shit. I was just thinking."

Verosika takes a sip of her wine. They'd only ordered one bottle; Odette wanted to be sober for the events yet to come.

"Thinking about what?"

Verosika reaches across the cozy table to touch Odette's hand. Odette's other hand is fumbling with the small box tucked safely into her pants pocket. Fizz has finished his last musical number, and walks off-stage to take a break. If there's any moment to act, Odette thinks, it's now. Taking a breath, she stands, and moves toward Verosika, before kneeling on one knee at her feet.

"Verosika Mayday...!" Odette starts, pausing more out of anxiety than dramatic effect. She hopes it makes her look cool, and not anxious, at any rate. "Ever since I met you, here, after what seems like a lifetime ago...my world has never been the same. I never imagined a literal pop star would ever look my way, let alone talk to me. You've taught me so much about actually living, and loving...and to never take anything for granted."

Odette pauses again, getting the box ready in her pocket.

"You've also taught me patience, and to love myself, and to never judge a book by its cover. You're my best friend. My confidant. My north star. I want to spend the rest of eternity with you, for however long that lasts. So, um, will you do me the honor of, uh...hold on..."

After a few fumbling attempts and only a little blushing, Odette manages to take the box out of her pocket, and opens in it front of Verosika. The succubus is wide-eyed, the pink of the diamond shining back at Odette through her eyes. Odette finishes her question with only a little bit of a flush on her face. She hopes Verosika will forgive her awkwardness.

"Will you marry me, Verosika?"

Odette doesn't even have to wait for an answer. One minute, she's kneeling at Verosika's feet, and the next, Verosika is lifting her off the ground, and placing her on the table on her back. The rest of their food and drink be damned. It gets everywhere. Odette's glad she's not wearing one of her lab coats, because it's soaking into the black pants suit she wore for the occassion. She puts the ring down on the table, before she drops it.

Verosika kisses her, full and flagrant, forcefully on the lips, and pulls away with a smack! She only lifts from Odette long enough to screech into the room, "Yes! Fuck, Odette, yes! I will!" before she's kissing her again, pushing Odette even more into the table. Odette worries they might be causing a scene. Unfortunately, her fears are confirmed, because Fizzarolli's already making obscene hand gestures behind the stage, grinning with his tongue out the side of his mouth.

So much for being discrete.

Fuck it, Odette thinks. Let him watch. She brings Verosika down further on top of her, and really starts sucking face with her girlfriend -- no, her fiancé -- right there on the table. Ozzie and Fizz give them two pairs of thumbs up, but neither of them notice. They're too busy celebrating, in their own little world, ignoring the captive audience behind them.

#hazbin hotel #helluva boss #odette hazbin hotel #verosika mayday #asmodeus helluva boss #fizzarolli helluva boss #odesika #ask #anon #fan theories #carmilla carmine #sera hazbin hotel #seramilla #zestial hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar

[sincerehimbo]

hello, i truly hate “venting” or whtv but im seriously stuck and on the verge of giving up

i haven’t shifted yet, i’ve been “trying” to do so using LOA by assuming that im already in my dr

but whenever I wake up in my cr i get so demotivated and i just can’t seem to convince myself that im in my dr and that i have the ability to shift

do you have any tips on how to fix this?

(i think my problem might be my mindset but i dont know how to fix it)

im just so desperate to go to my dr

it’s certainly your mindset. i was in a similar position and it was BAD!! but what i did was simply realize “man, maybe everything will work out on the end?” and i woke up one day after a “failed attempt” without feeling any frustration.

i recommend taking a step back or taking a break for like a day or however you feel needed!! maybe you js need to sit with your thoughts? go over why you feel so frustrated after waking up in your cr? maybe try another method ( they aren’t needed but it’s pretty fun )?

shifting should be fun, not a chore. spice stuff up!! do flips, do something silly, make a new bizarre script, do something that YOU enjoy to motivate you. bc you are already in your dr, just push. you aren’t struck, more confused? no one can be stuck my guy, js take a step back, rethink, breathe, and say “one more time!” I WANNA HEAR YOU SAY 🎤🎤🎤

“ONE MORE TIME!”

#reality shifting #shifting antis dni #shifting community #shifting #shifting blog #loassumption #shifters #shiftblr #desired reality #law of assumption

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Kokuyou Birthday 2024 4* Card Story

chapter 1 -starless hallway-

kokuyou: Oh so you’re here today huh? Come to enjoy my hospitality this month have you?

saki: Wah?

kokuyou: I’m talking about the special butler service we’ll be doing for my birth month. I figured I should at least get used to the outfit first. Not like I’ve got much choice. I’m too old to be throwing a fit and saying I don’t wanna do it.

saki: That’s very mature of you.

kokuyou: But still, last year we all made merry choosing presents and this year we’re cosplaying butlers? As usual, the way this store works ain’t normal.

saki: (I can’t imagine Kokuyou-san acting like a proper butler and serving guests like that at all.)

kokuyou: What’s with that strange look you’re giving me? Anyways, look forward to it, yeah?

saki: Huh?

kokuyou: You’re way to easy to read. C’mon, I’ll escort you to your seat.

-starless restaurant area-

kokuyou: Here’s the menu. I’ll attend to the other guests while you decide what you’d like to order. Is that ok?

saki: Ah, yes. That’s fine.

kokuyou: Sorry, I’ll be right back.

-koku moves to another guest-

kokuyou: Hey, you’re a regular aren’t you? Your seat is this way, follow me.

-koku moves to another guest-

kokuyou: I don’t need to give you a long welcome spiel do I? So, what do you wanna order?

Got it, I’ll bring it out once it’s ready… What, you think I’m lacking as a butler? I’m missing a my butler’s smile? Hah, you must still be half asleep. That’s not what you really want from me is it?

saki: (H-he’s killing it out there!)

-koku moves to another guest-

kokuyou: I see your glass is empty. What would you like for your next drink? You’ll leave it to me? I’ll make sure to get you something real exciting then.

Yeah of course it’ll be low on the alcohol, the show hasn’t even started yet after all.

Ah sure, you can take one quick photo. I’m only giving this kinda service while it’s my birthday month, so you better enjoy it.

-

chapter 2 -starless lobby-

saki: (I wonder if Kokuyou-san is still in the restaurant area?)

-cg

kokuyou: You’re still here? I thought you’d gone home already. Today’s butler service has already ended I’m afraid, all the guests have left. Or did you forget your bag or something?

saki: No, but I did forget to say something… Happy Birthday, Kokuyou-san. I’m glad I got to celebrate such a special day with you.

kokuyou: …Yeah, thanks.

kokuyou: ……..

kokuyou: Hey, do you still have some time?

saki: Hm? Yes.

kokuyou: Wait there in that seat then.

-koku leaves-

saki: (Kokuyou-san…? I wonder what he’s doing.)

-time pass, koku returns-

kokuyou: —I am most sorry for the wait, my lady.

saki: …!?

kokuyou: Please enjoy this drink. I prepared it just for you, Miss Saki.

saki: Wh- Huuuh…!?

kokuyou: Tonight please allow me to take care of whatever it is that you wish.

saki: I couldn’t make you do that…! Um, Kokuyou-san…?

kokuyou: …Pfft, how come you’re freaking out? I’m a butler at the moment, right? So you should act the part too.

saki: Huh!?

kokuyou: So, my lady. What is it that you desire?

choice:

Have tea together / Don’t be unreasonable! / Excuse yourself

>have tea together

saki: Would you like to join me for some tea?

kokuyou: Very well. Then, please allow me to take the seat beside you.

saki: O-of course…!

-koku sits down-

kokuyou: Hahahah, we’re both pretty bad at this huh? You can’t stay in character at all.

saki: That’s because you sprung this on me so suddenly, I couldn’t help but be surprised!

kokuyou: I think that should do it. I had just been planning to entertain you a little as thanks for the birthday wishes but I ended up having fun myself.

I don’t consider my birthday to be anything special, its just another normal day like any other. However, it wasn’t half bad hearing you congratulate me. So thanks, Saki.

I’ll make sure to properly play my part as your butler for the rest of the month, so come and visit the store whenever you feel like it. I’ll have to say this every time won’t I?

“Welcome back, my lady.”

—end

other choices:

>don’t be unreasonable

saki: Hmph! You’re being unreasonable!

kokuyou: Hah… My deepest apologies. Please grant me your forgiveness, my lady.

saki: Oh, no! I’m sorry too— Ah, wait, oops…

kokuyou: Hahahah, we’re both pretty bad at this huh? You can’t stay in character at all.

>excuse yourself

saki: Please excuse me.

kokuyou: What are you saying, my lady?

saki: Uhh… I can’t think of anything else to say…!

kokuyou: Hahahah, we’re both pretty bad at this huh? You can’t stay in character at all.

#bsts translation #bsts kokuyou

[callisteios]

im going on a space adventure, and you’re all going to join me. take my uquiz to find out your assigned role in the crew

#uquiz #this one's pretty fun if i do say so myself #as always there's a decent chance im gonna call you gay #but in this one theres an even greater chance i call you a war criminal #fun!!! #if this looks like a mass effect quiz when you squint no it doesn't shut up #but maybe most of the answers are mass effect characters with the labels filed off who knows #um #space #sci fi #quiz #personality quiz #umm #yeah #callisteios #mine

[charles-jpg]

you say i killed you, haunt me then! | coriolanus snow and lucy gray baird

1. lev st. valentine // 2. clarice lispector // 3. anne carson // 4. anne carson // 5. haruki murakami // 6. richard siken // 7. unknown // 8. t.b bliss // 9. brenna twohy

#ugh there is just something so crazy to me about the fact that they both truly loved each other and yet they both ended up chosing #their survival in the end. something about their tragedy being the fact that both of them thought the other betrayed them first #tbosas #web weaving #coriolanus snow #lucy gray #hunger games #thg #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #president snow #lucy gray baird #snowbaird #tbosbas spoilers #kind of! #did this one for fun but it turned out pretty good if i do say so myself

[puppyeared]

i feel like. theres designing a character with certain themes and motifs in mind, and then theres making a gijinka for the water bottle on my nightstand

#me when im the only person on the bus wearing a mask: i should make a furry plaguesona #its hard to explain bc. most of the time i try NOT to give my characters a 'strong' theme like making their whole design around #one thing like apples or even broad stuff like baking or cottagecore.. idk if its partly for flexibility or because i cant imagine them #making it their whole personality. not bc i find it cringe or overblown but more like ive learned to associate design with character depth #i had a cutesy uwu persona for most of highschool because i thought it would make me more. likeable? easy to remember? since #memorable character designs are easy to recognize. and one way of doing that is simplifying it with a theme or symbol so you form an #association. but since im a real person its exhausting keeping up that appearance all the time and denying myself things when they dont #fit my 'aesthetic' or 'theme.' i think ive grown past that bc i just collect stuff because i think it looks cool and dont let myself dwell #on how it might 'fit' with my image. but i cant help feeling bad doing it to my own characters bc it feels like im making them too one #dimensional. despite knowing that theyre not real and design alone doesnt reflect depth i cant help feeling like its wrong #despite that i love seeing motifs because it feels like it reflects the characters soul and paradoxically gives them depth. it makes them #interesting to look at too and honestly its pretty fun combining things that fall under a similar category when designing #i struggle find a balance between those two things #actually this reminds me of noelles christmas theme.. i dont remember her saying anything abt liking christmas despite a lot of #her design and character tying back to it. it makes me wonder if she would have feelings about that or doesnt think abt it too hard #or if its like a matching family shirts situation and shes just going along with it?? #maybe i should just do whatever i want with my character designs since theyre not real and im thinking abt it too hard #although. this probably has something to do with deep seated identity issues huh #yapping #oc talk #oc

[wildstar25]

MiqoMarch Day 08 - Fav. (Side) Job

When she's not running around as Ninja or Summoner , Arsay's next choice is the lance. Being bestowed a source of draconic power by Midgardsormr moments before his slumber, and knowing how to channel the powers of Bahamut with dreadwyrm trance, Arsay's power as a Dragoon rivals that of even the former Azure Dragoon. With that said, she'd much rather use her polearm to hunt monsters.

#miqomarch #miqomarch2024 #ffxiv #miqo'te #WOL posting #Arsay Nun #arsay kain pose pog?? #an attempt was made #I didn't want to repeat myself two years in a row lol #do love playing drg though its so fun #praying it doesnt become too different in dawntrail #in my canon Arsay never does the lancer or dragoon lv 30-60 job quests #She gets Estinien to teach her some basic moves while on the road trip to drivania #one cause she thought it looked fun two because its hard to back stab a dragon without going full shadow of the colossus on them #Shes pretty good with the lance too so she does use it on that first nidhogg fight #then she continues hvw as ninja/smn #she doesnt have any of the dragoon part of the dragoon kit until she goes through the great gooble library with y'mhitra #where they learn about dreadwyrm trance and arsay discovers her surprisingly strong connection to bahamut #y'hmitra: wow thats weird didnt you say you werent around during the calamity how did you connect to him so easily #arsay: so there's this massive hole in the ground in eastern la noscea- #When its time to end the dragonsong war for real this time in the patches she picks up the lance again and enters trance mode #She does get a job stone finally after that #its a gift from aymeric #a symbolic 'you were part of the troops' type thing #oh and later during stormblood arsay does go through Those job quests #because of course shes helping a little dragon friend #and during the omega raid series when Middy saves her life just before he goes to sleep again he gifts arsay a scale to carry with her #a bit of dragon aether to tap into when she needs it ! #anyways thats arsay dragoon lore thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[novelconcepts]

You know that feeling, when you’re listening to someone tell a story, and you can just feel in your gut that what actually happened is SO much darker than how they’re relaying it? And they’ve put a ton of effort in, right, to sand the edges down. They’ve gone over it a hundred times, beating all the wrinkles out, practicing like you’d practice a presentation or a stand-up routine. By the time they tell you the story, it’s perfect. You can’t help but be charmed by it. Can’t help but laugh at all the little silly bits. Can’t help but see it the way they want you to, so you don’t ask questions, you don’t dig in to the open wound just behind the plaster, you don’t let the certainty that it was Bad, Actually sweep you away. It’s just a fun anecdote now. Smile with them. Laugh with them. They’re here now, so it’s fine, right? Right?

I get the feeling that’s just Simone’s entire marriage to Taissa, and I feel so fucking bad for them both.

#yellowjackets #taissa turner #Simone deserves so much better and I say that as a number one Taissa stan #I love tai. I live for tai. oh my GOD watching her relationship with Simone gets under my skin #it has to be perfect. it has to be perfect so it can never be real #whereas with van they had no shot at perfect. no choice but to be real. #and tai got out of the woods. and out of the next three years or so (presumably) with van #and went ‘cool cool cool how do I do the opposite of that so I have control over myself’ #and the answer is: a lie. a pretty lie. shined up. put all the realities in a box. tell her NOTHING. #look cool and fun and hot when you’re in a good mood. shut her out when you’re not. #and watch with surprise when the house of cards you’ve meticulously built just blows away the next time a hurricane rolls into town #how MANY conversations over YEARS did Simone look at her and KNOW she wasn’t getting the real tai #and just. coping with it out of love and hope that she’d get there some day #gaaaaaah. Justice for Simone. get her and Sammy to a beautiful home faaaaar away from Jersey and wilderness gods

[crossbackpoke-check]

it’s all the rest of what i want with you

connor dewar/brandon duhaime :: 8k

Summary:

“Brandon,” Connor says with a sigh. “There’s no baby in there.”

“Not yet,” Brandon says. Connor feels his stomach twist, almost like what he would imagine a baby kicking to feel like.

in these trying times of dewvorce, may i offer you 8k of pwp inspired by @stillfertile’s wonderful art which i had. several breakdowns about 🫶 anyway please enjoy!!!

#OFFICIAL FIC ANNOUNCEMENT 🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️‼️‼️ i wish i had pretty fic graphics but alas i have No Skill and also. so much work i should be doing bu #HI SHE’S HERE i would love to say this is a complete surprise drop except i have Anxiety & i needed to ask you guys about it beforehand #in my defense i started writing this in like. january far before any tragedy occurred #because square asked about my tags on their dewey2 art and she spawned like. a million more thoughts about it #including the part where i got absolutely kicked in the face with the lightning vision of those two lines. #like those two lines are the first actual lines of the fic i wrote ajdhkwdiowdjiw ANYWAY please be nice to me i know i am always like #‘this is not the first real fic i ever thought i’d post’ and if i had a nickel i’d have three but this is the first pwp i’ve ever posted #and it’s 8k and it’s not a fic for an exchange (although technically i did very much write this for the dewey^2 hivemind so.) #i have SO many things to say i have so many comments on this doc also i couldn’t pick a title for the LONGEST time and i finally decided on #this one but the full quote was too long: #all the rest of what i want with you that scares me shitless #so. i was angling SO hard to make a yung gravy lyric as a title bc i saw the video of him at a wild game but i couldn’t find a good one #and instead y’all got a very sentimental title l m a o. #liv in the replies #shout out to the extended universe this lives in and also my unhinged comments in the docs. #if you liked fun fuck a baby in him friday i’ll be here all week i promise i am the exact same in the comments as i am in the tags 🫡 #the NUMBER of times i wrote something in this by pulling it out of my ass and then actually went back and did the research & was RIGHT is. #far too high. also the amount of coincidental things that dropped while i was writing this (yung gravy song about pregnancy AFTER i wheeze #laughed myself into a yung gravy title the athletic player poll confirming my restaurant & bar choices from googling ‘st. paul good bars’…) #also if anybody got advice on formatting for these little announcements. help. this is different from my miro/luka one &i’m still not happy

[rust-spark]

Gingerbread Omni man 💪

#top notch cookie decorating if I do say so myself #I’m pretty much a professional when it comes to this if you couldn’t tell #also I didn’t have any black or brown icing so I had to improvise a lil #at least his suit colors are in the Christmas spirit ✨ #also I shared this with two of my friends and one made fun of him (and then me) and the other loved it so a wins a win ig #invincible #omni man