#but i do have nostalgia for it and its october | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

just-null-cult · 5 months

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YO, SUPER LATE SUPER LONG SUPER MESSY OCTOBER POST THAT I JUST SHOVED EVERYTHING INTO BC I DIDN'T WANT TO DO MULTIPLE. FUCK IT.

I forgot halfway that these were supposed to be costumes and not mini aus... SO REMEMBER IN MY PLACE, EVERYTHING IS HYPOTHETICAL. also. some have a bit of yandere elements to them bc its SO FITTING FOR NORITOSHI.

Happy late October, everyone. it's winter now. Let's get it, baby.

[Long rambles and doodles under the cut!]

Vampire!

I kept asking myself, "How sexy is too sexy.." and "How the fuck does a sexy vampire even look like without it being a shirtless guy w fangs or Edward Cullen....." I think I figured it out

Sure, sure, vampires are superhumans with sun allergies that can drink blood really hotly. They can also easily overpower you to feast and blah blah blah, but what if said vampire (Noritoshi) was too weak to do any of that? Not literally, but he craves your say. He wants not only your blood but your affection. He wants to get praised as he drinks you in. Are you comfortable? How much will you allow him to take? Do you want to get him back in return? Guidance with this makes him feel more at ease. It's still Noritoshi at the end of the day. He's going to find a way to be a little awkward about you because of his crush. He refuses to drink from anyone other than you, even if it causes his death. Therefore, he has to keep you healthy! For the rest of your lives..! Besides, he can't really go outside or else he'd.. y'know. So if you think about it, this is a very beneficial relationship for both of you!!

The only downside is that you're losing blood on the regular, and for some reason, more people are moving away... Probably nothing, right? Noritoshi is always there to keep you company and help you recover anyways.

Witch!

my attempts also bled into the witch design.... you got greedy with requesting two in one ask, but I'll spoil you this time bc I also wanted to see Noritoshi as a (sexy) vampire and witch. heh. AND I DIDNT REALIZE HED BE SO CUTE AS A WITCH..... WHAT THE FUCK?? rip momo, fight for your title of cute witch...

Noritoshi strikes me as one of those witches who'd rather be left to their own devices because they're running some important magic whatever in the background. though, he'll take some breaks and indulge you if you insist on having him around. Insist meaning you pass by and strike conversation, leaving him to neglect anything and everything to prioritize his time with you. He doesn't want to use magic on you unless it's beneficial for either you or both. Noritoshi likes a natural progression with you that he knows for a fact is true and not some product of some spell. Though it doesn't mean he wouldn't use charms and such to get you to interact with him more often to speed up the process!

Can't sleep? He has a remedy perfect for that! Bad luck? Oh no, take a charm. Nerves? A potion he perfected will help you ease your jitters. Annoying peers? With a snap of Noritoshi's fingers, they're gone! Just don't ask what happened. Enjoy yourself instead and come to him with any new issue. He's quick to resolve it.

Definitely has some sort of doll that looks suspiciously like you.. Noritoshi would probably talk to it and practice one liners that give you the strongest sense of nostalgia once he uses them. He's simultaneously giddy that the charm he put in the doll works but also a little annoyed that his hard work isn't surprising you, but leaving you with deja vu.

Idol!

i was crying the entire time bc what does an idol look like.... noritoshi is handsome enough to be an idol without actually being an idol... now i can confirm that idols are very well dressed though. thumbs up 100% but i had some thoughts...

[Idol]

Noritoshi would be the type to cherish his fans, but hold clear favoritism over you. he'd be those idols that look cold, but they talk, and they sound smug in a charming way. i don't know much about idols, but i know he'd be so fucking good.... he'd be the type of guy to sing to you amongst the hundreds in the crowd.... ahhh the interviews w these famous aus. they're just talking and acting like themselves. can you imagine Noritoshi getting asked the question if he has a lover or not? he can lie, im sure you're alright with that, but he doesn't want to!! he does have someone!!! someone he loves more than all his fans love for him combined!!! he just can't say it for the sake of your privacy and his career. so Noritoshi does what any charming guy who's good with their words does. he deflects the question. answering the question, but not really, that'd be something he's known for. fans online are split on why Noritoshi does this. some think he's trying to keep that side of his life private, others think he's trying to mess around, and others think he's hiding a secret lover!!! though the last one is usually seen as the outlandish one, sometimes it makes Noritoshi's heart drop bc they get some things right. "Having a lover is a complicated question hidden behind a simple disguise. If I had to answer, I'd say my lovers are my audience. they make sure i'm well cared for, some more than others." AND HIS FUCKING LITTLE SMIRK I CANT COUGHS UP BLOOD. IM A THEORIST TOO. SECRET LOVER. 🫵🫵🫵🫵🫵

ON THE FLIP SIDE....

[Not an Idol]

An amusing thought where Noritoshi goes out in his casual clothes, and he's mistaken for an idol. No one knows who he is, but he just looks like he'd be one. bro's just trying to buy groceries, and now he has a fan group asking him to take pictures with them.. He'd tell them that he's just a guy, not an idol, but the group would still want a picture with him. it'd be a waste to pass by someone who's so naturally gorgeous, so with a sigh of defeat, he relents. It's just a photo, right? No harm done. Noritoshi'd go home and feel overwhelmed/embarrassed by the whole ordeal. later, he gets a call from someone in the kyoto group or you to inform him how he's all over social media, known as that handsome guy in the supermarket. HED BE COMPLETELY UNREACHABLE TO MEDIA OUTLETS BC NORITOSHI IS THAT GUY WHO DOESNT HAVE SOCIAL MEDIA.... he'd have to make one to make sure no one pretends to be him online. "Hello, I don't use social media, but I've been informed I've been getting attention online. To prevent anyone from being fooled by an impersonator, this is my official and only account. thank you." P.R. STATEMENT WRITING ASS.. his single post gets flooded with likes, comments, and DMs. it almost blows up his phone..... he was just buying bread, dude...... people try to dig up and find him through the other Kyoto group's social media.

[bonus] my second in command requested to put him in a fem idol outfit bc he thought it was funny. after frothing at the mouth and coughing out blood, I complied.

Doctor!

THIS IS SUCH A STRAIGHT FORWARD ASK BUT IT HAS SO MANY IMPLICATIONS. MY BELOVED CULT MEMBER.. THOSE EMOJIS GIVE ME A DIFFERENT IMPRESSION BUT IM NOT SURE.

Noritoshi as a doctor...... apple sales would plummet. his little clinic's business would skyrocket. sick cases would peak in his area. getting your heart checked by his stethoscope would be so fucking embarrassing bc all he'd hear is THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP

LIKE IMAGINE IF THAT WAS YOUR DOCTOR? BRO.

COUGH COUGH HACK WHEEZE COUGH COUGH.

Noritoshi would probably own a small clinic that he wants to expand. That or he opened one after working for a hospital for a while. He's a great doctor who's most likely respected but a pain in the ass to work with. Among patients, he's gotten the hot doctor reputation. Most want to be treated by him, but he's so professional, any chance of trying to flirt goes down the drain. Yeah, he puts his hair up to avoid it in his face even though his eyes are closed classic lab safety procedures. He seems like the type to have a soothing but authoritative voice during examination, so he gets his message across. it's a bit difficult when dealing with patients for Noritoshi. If he sees them too often, he firstly scolds you for not taking care of yourself, then feels guilty for not giving you the proper care. Keep yourself safe and healthy, or else Noritoshi will clearly :( Putting him in a yandere setting would be dangerous. He'd have a lot of control over you, considering he can prescribe medication, shots, visits, and other things.... he'd have a ball.... nothing that would cause you any harm, of course. he's only looking out for you and doing what's best for you..!

Pirate!

my second in command wanted a pirate. pirates are so fucking cool and i know damn well if this guy were a pirate he'd have a bunch of battle scars under that fancy coat.

Noritoshi as a pirate would be more than a little odd, but also fitting. He looks like the type of guy who'd be well put together, yet he's willing to get his hands dirty. Like the guy who got into the pirate life because of some personal issue that couldn't be solved fast enough through conventional means. Even as a pirate, i imagine he holds everyone to high standards. They're still pirates though.. so his expected standards aren't even that high. He has more freedom here, so even he himself lets loose once or twice. Especially with you. He's even able to get away with more violent actions for you, the seas are unpredictable, after all. While taking some treasure, Noritoshi'd toss you a gem or golden coin, just so you can say you were the first to claim it. Just so he can see that happy glint in your eyes when getting your hands on treasure. God forbid anyone try to get their hands on your hard earned goods. They'd be met with a bullet to the foot or a sword at their neck. Everyone and their mother knows how you're his favorite, but Noritoshi downplays it. Its not a crime to help out someone from his crew is it? Not in the seven seas. He leans more into his cold ruthless killer side here. He has goals and people to help keep in line whether hes captain or not. Yet when around you, he's almost adorable in how he shows you a pearl so entrancing that it reminded him of you.

Corpse Bride!

my submission to my Noritoshi Halloween costume closet.. CORPSE BRIDE, THIS MOVIE FUCKS. esp w the yandere elements.

Noritoshi 100% made you recite the wedding vows to him before accepting the ring. If you fumbled up, he'd correct you with SO much attitude and expect you to start from the top until you got it perfectly.

Hypothetically, in the chalice scene towards the end..

Noritoshi is the type to never be fully relaxed unless he knows for sure you'll be eternally his. In this scenario, YOU proposed to HIM but have to die to continue being together. Not only that, but someone in the living world is also after your heart. Someone who bleeds. Someone who's the obvious choice. Someone who can give you the life that you deserve. Someone who will succeed in their pursuits if you. remain. alive. Noritoshi's life was cut short, yet he still managed to lose so much and be abandoned a considerable amount of times. When he meets you and finds out about the possibility of having to go through that again even in death, it finally clicks in his rotting mind. He realizes he's been doing something wrong to keep constantly failing. Noritoshi revises his methods to a more.. selfish course. Why should he care about anyone else's wants or how his actions hurt them? You were the only one who made him truly fulfilled, to make him feel alive. The only one who deserves anything and everything good that comes from this world. Destiny is never done toying with him when he realizes your marriage is invalid because of your pulse and his lack thereof no matter how hard he'd try, but the opportunity arises. of course, he's ecstatic to give you an afterlife worth much more than what a silly beating heart can achieve. "All people die eventually. If you miss your living family or friends, all it takes is patience, darling. I'll wait by your side in the meantime." He weighs the pros and cons of everything, but when it comes to swaying manipulating your thoughts he only highlights the ones that'll get you on his side. in this case, the pros of dying to be with him! Honestly, the answer was so obvious that Noritoshi didn't know why he was stressing about it before. It hurts him to see you in any type of pain, but he reassures both himself and you that it'll only be for a moment. Afterward, he'll have the rest of your afterlives to make it up to you!! What happened to Till Death Do Us Part? Noritoshi thinks it's insulting that something as shallow as that could be so widely accepted. If your love were true, it wouldn't stop just because the world decided to take them away. "Till death do us part? Darling, don't be silly. 'Not even death will do us part' feels much better, doesn't it?"

#noritoshi #kamo noritoshi #noritoshi kamo #noritoshi x reader #kamo noritoshi x reader #noritoshi kamo x reader #yandere noritoshi #yandere kamo noritoshi #yandere noritoshi kamo #merry october #???#ragingbisegzual #charamander459 #I FUCKING LIVED THROGUH THIS GOD I FELT SO BAD I TOOK SO LONG ESP SINCE ITS ALREADY HALFWAY INTO NOVEMBER BUT HERE WE GO. BABY IS HERE #i thought i was so smart making this look like a fashion show. anyway hi im still alive just busy #vampire and witch nori were makin my brain fry bc all the outfits for guys were their shirt off. it was both funny and testing my creativit #as for idol.. heh. <- in love with forbidden love and secret relationships and 'we shouldnt be doing this' 'i know' *does it anyway*#I WAS TEARING MY HAIR OUT AT DOCTOR. LIKE I LIKE THE CONCEPT BUT WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO.. PUT HIM IN SCRUBS???#im not upset im just so entertained by how straight forward you were yet there are still so many implications in this ask #LIKE YOU WROTE FOUR WORDS AND TWO EMOJIS AND THATS ALL IT TOOK FOR ME TO DO A DOUBLE TAKE #now that i think abt it. i shouldve put him in a hot nurse outfit... //punches myself in the face #THATS WHY ANY FAMOUS/ROYAL/REPUTATION AU IS MY SHIT BC THEY HAVE TO HIDE THEIR RELATIONSHIP/EACHOTHER AGH FROTHS AT THE MOUTH #i love how the pirate noritoshi is a cool guy until he sees you and turns into a simp #CORPSE BRIDE WAS SO SELF INDULGENT. THAT MOVIE FUCKS SO HARD. THE USE OF 'DARLING' WAS BC EMILY USED IT IN THE MOVIE #IT HAD SO MANY YAN VIBES BUT FUCK. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A GREEN FLAG EMILY. I LOVE YOU #heh. the lace and mask are supposed to represent the bones and such. didnt mean to give him a phantom of the opera look.. though it fits...

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proxima-writes · 5 months

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title: a very furby christmas

pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x female reader

rating: t

word count: 3.6k

joel miller masterlist | all masterlists

summary:

it’s christmas eve 1998 and joel miller thinks everything is perfect.

well, until his brother admits he didn’t get sarah the one present she wanted - the furby. now, joel has to go out on christmas eve to find the year’s hottest toy that’s been sold out for months.

turns out, you’re on the same mission. and you’ve both found the last furby in town.

author’s note:

this is just a silly lil feel good holiday fic that’s been plaguing my brain. if you are too young to have experience the furby craze, i implore you to look it up. however, if you do remember, i hope this gives you a happy dose of nostalgia. gingerbread dividers by @saradika-graphics

tags/warnings:

pre-outbreak, no use of y/n, holiday/christmas fic, the last toy trope, no smut, age gap - not explicitly specified but joel is 31 and reader is mid-20s, the great miller gingerbread construction competition, operation get sarah miller a furby, some kissing.

“Dad! Wake up!” Sarah shouts, bursting into Joel’s room. She leaps onto the bed, bouncing on her knees and jostling him around on the mattress as he groans.

“Sarah, baby, it’s too damn early,” he says, pulling the quilt over his head. “Go back to sleep.”

“But it’s Christmas Eve!” The bouncing stops as she lays beside him, tugging the quilt down. “It’s time to make cinnamon rolls. And we gotta make cookies for Santa.”

Joel blinks, his daughter’s face coming into focus, bright brown eyes and a gap toothed smile filling his vision. Her hair is a wild mess from sleep and her unicorn pajama shirt is stained with toothpaste. At eight years old, she’s starting to lean out, her cheeks no longer as round and her limbs at that stage of awkward adolescent lankiness. He wants to sleep, wants a few more hours of rest after a jam packed holiday season of repairs and deadlines and supply issues, but looking at her smiling face and remembering that she’s getting older…

Well, that gets him moving.

“Alright. Let’s get downstairs and make Santa the best cookies he’s ever had.”

She squeals, scrambling off the bed and racing out of the room, light footsteps descending the stairs as he rubs the sleep from his eyes and gets up to find a t-shirt in the pile of laundry he’s neglected to put away, opting to dig through its wrinkled contents for what he needs each day instead.

He makes his way downstairs and to find his daughter rummaging through the fridge and pulling out eggs and milk for their customary Christmas Eve cinnamon rolls and the jangle of keys in the doorknob lets him know that Tommy has arrived.

“Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, Millers!” His younger brother announces. “Sarah! It don’t smell like cinnamon in here!”

“Dad woke up late,” she shouts back. Tommy grins at Joel as he passes, slapping a hand on his shoulder.

“‘Course he did,” he says with a wink. Joel rolls his eyes as he gets the electric mixer from the top cabinet for Sarah and preheats the oven for her.

“Y’know, Santa can take all those presents he’s got ready for you and leave them at other houses for nicer kids,” he says. Sarah’s eyes go wide.

“He wouldn’t!” She yelps. “I’ve been good all year!”

“Don’t listen to your daddy, sweetheart. He’s just bein’ a sensitive Sally,” Tommy says. She breathes a sigh of relief, her attention returning to her task of cracking eggs.

“I just really hope Santa brings me a Furby,” she says wistfully. “I want one of ‘em so bad. Chrissy got one when they came out in October and they’re so cool!”

“I’m sure Santa will come through,” Joel says, catching Tommy’s eye and winking. Tommy’s brows pinch together as he mouths, “What?”

Joel widens his eyes at him, a look that screams, “What do you mean, what?!”

Tommy continues to look confused and Joel squeezes his eyes shut, turning back to his daughter to help her with rolling out the dough she’s mixed up. She continues to chat about her excitement for tomorrow, especially because her big sister has agreed to stop by in the morning.

“You didn’t forget that she’s coming, right?” Sarah asks.

“‘Course not, sweetie,” Joel replies distractedly. The hours Joel works aren’t always conducive to a prompt after school pick up, so most days Sarah spends time with a volunteer from the Empowered Girls program that she calls her “big sister”. He always forgets her name, but he knows she’s a student working on her master’s degree in elementary education at University of Texas. Did he forget she was coming? Yeah, maybe, but he’s got bigger problems right now.

Like the fact that Tommy is acting like he has no clue he was supposed to get Sarah that damn Furby for Christmas.

Once the cinnamon rolls are in the oven and Sarah returns to her room to get dressed for the day, Joel smacks Tommy on the back of the head.

“Ow! The fuck?” He asks, rubbing the sore spot. “What was that for?”

“Tell me you didn’t forget that perfect little girl’s goddamn talkin’ demon toy or I’ll do it again,” Joel warns, already raising his hand. Tommy scrambles from his seat, hands held up defensively as he backs himself up against the counter to get away from his brother’s assault.

“You didn’t tell me to get one!” He insists. Joel stares at him incredulously.

“I sure as hell did! I gave you fifty bucks three weeks ago and asked you to get one because I’d be workin’ OT until Christmas Eve and it would be too late by then!”

“I thought the fifty was for me. Like an early gift or somethin’.”

Joel closes his eyes and attempts to take a deep breath. When he opens his eyes, he feels no more calm as he looks at his brother.

“Great. Now I’m gonna have to go to the goddamn toy store on Christmas Eve to find one of these things.”

“I’ll go for you,” Tommy offers. Joel hits him with a look.

“No. I ain’t makin’ that mistake again. You’re stayin’ here with Sarah and I’ll go get the Furball.”

“It’s Furby,” Tommy corrects. Joel reaches out and smacks his head again before he can protect himself.

Sarah returns to the kitchen, dressed in her Rudolph t-shirt and jeans and smiling brightly as she says, “I’m ready to make cookies!”

Joel smiles apologetically. “Bad news, sweetheart. I gotta run down to a job site and check in on somethin’. Looks like a plumbin’ emergency.”

“On Christmas Eve?” She asks, smile dropping from her face. “But we have to make the cookies!”

“I know, I know, but Uncle Tommy will stay and help you. Ain’t that right, Tommy?”

“Yep. And we’ll make cookies better than any your daddy has ever made, too.”

Joel’s teeth grind together at the dig but he keeps smiling at his daughter. “Right. See? I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

“I guess,” she says forlornly. Her arms wrap around Joel’s legs and squeeze tightly. Joel smooths a hand over her wild hair, glaring at Tommy.

“Sorry, sweetie. But the sooner I head out, the sooner I can get back, okay?”

“Okay,” she mumbles against his thigh. “I’ll make sure Uncle Tommy doesn’t eat all the dough before we bake it.

“That’s my girl,” Joel says.

________

You knew you shouldn’t have waited this long to go shopping for your little sister’s Christmas gift, but you’d picked up extra shifts at your part time job since you weren’t flying home for the holiday break and time just slipped away from you. Now you’re entering your fourth store on a desperate hunt for the one toy she hasn’t stopped talking about since it came out in October.

“It’s called a Furby and the more you talk to it, the more it learns,” she told you, showing you the fluffy toy in a catalog one day. “Isn’t it so cute?!”

“It’s…something,” you replied, staring at its dead eyes. “And that’s what you want for Christmas?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if Santa will bring it for me. I told dad about it, but he’s been really busy with work and I don’t know if he remembered to tell Santa.”

You wander around the store, looking for the garish pink and blue sign that lorded over the toy display. You finally spot it, crossing your fingers as you quickly approach what looks like a mostly barren shelf. There’s something on the bottom row, but your experience in other stores has showed you that often people abandon their unwanted items in the Furby display, leading to false hope.

“Please, please, please,” You mumble, moving quickly now. You’re trying not to break into a run in the middle of the store but after so many disappointments, you can’t be blamed for your steps turning into a light jog.

A pair of unseeing mechanical blue eyes stare back at you from the bottom shelf as you get closer. Pristine white fur, pointed ears, and a little yellow beak encased in plastic.

The last Furby.

You’re so close to success you can taste it.

You reach for the toy, ready to scoop it into your arms and take a victory march to the lone cashier left working, when a tan hand emerges from your left, landing on the box just as you touch it.

“‘Scuse me,” a deep voice says, southern drawl blanketing the words. You look up, gaze meeting the warm brown eyes of a handsome man, tall and broad with messy dark curls. He smiles, all smooth charm as he says, “I’m goin’ to need this toy.”

You stand firm. “I think I was here first, sir.”

The charming smile drops. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Look, I need this toy for my daughter. I’ve been lookin’ for one all over town.”

You place your free hand on your hip. “I need it for my little sister and I’ve also been all over town today. If you needed it so bad, why didn’t you get it sooner?”

“Pot, meet kettle,” he replies. You roll your eyes. “Come on, please? Ain’t there somethin’ else your little sister is dyin’ to have?”

“She’s talked about this toy for months,” you tell him. “And she’s worried Santa isn’t going to bring it, so I wanted to make sure I got her one.”

He smiles softly. “Sounds like my daughter. She handed me no less than five letters to Santa to mail off askin’ for one.”

“So why didn’t you get one before tonight?” You ask curiously.

“My dumbass brother,” he says. “I‘ve been workin’ overtime for the last few months, so I told him to go out and get one. He didn’t listen.”

“That sucks.”

“What about you? What made you wait so long?”

It should probably feel weird, having a full conversation with a stranger while you’re in a stand off over a Furby, but the man’s smile has your stomach twisting, wanting to know more about him and oddly thrilled that he wants to know more about you, too.

“I picked up a lot of extra shifts since I’m on break. I go to UT,” you tell him. “Time just got away from me.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar with the feelin’.”

A crackle sounds over the store speakers, a bored voice announcing, “Attention Toys R’ Us shoppers. The store will be closing in five minutes. Please make your way to the front of the store to complete your purchases.”

The man’s expression grows panicked. You sigh, taking your hand from the box.

“Get it for your daughter,” you tell him. “Keep that Santa magic going for a bit longer.”

“Are you sure?” He asks. “What’ll you get for your sister?”

You look around the store, spotting a sporting gear display. You take off in its direction.

“I’ll figure something out!”

________

“It’s a Furby!” Sarah shouts, shaking the box in her excitement. “Look, dad! Santa got me a Furby!”

“Is that so?” Joel says, sipping from his mug of coffee with a splash of Bailey’s, his own personal Christmas tradition. “See? I told ya I sent out all those letters you wrote.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She chants, running around the family room in her red plaid pajamas. Tommy, still barely awake, nods as Sarah shows him the list of features on the back.

It’s close to 9 a.m. but the Miller brothers had a late night of wrapping presents and drinking whiskey in order to have the tidy pile of brightly colored boxes ready beneath the tree for Sarah in the morning. Joel had also gotten her a new journal and a pack of Jelly pens, a few bottles of nail polish, and two new Beanie Babies for her collection. Tommy had sprung for a set of shin guards for when she starts soccer in March, something she was excited for ever since the girl she’d been paired with in her big sister after school program had played with her a few times.

It’s not much, but it’s what he could manage. Sarah is happy, her eyes lighting up with each gift she unwraps, and that’s all that matters to Joel.

A knock sounds at the door and Sarah races down the hall, Joel trailing after her trying to remind her not to open the door to strangers. The young girl doesn’t listen, instead throwing open the door and launching herself into the arms of someone surprisingly familiar.

You look up, eyes going wide in surprise he’s sure mirrors his own. Sarah drags you in by the hand, excitedly introducing you, giving Joel a name for the pretty face he’d been thinking about all last night.

“Hi, I’m Joel,” he says, holding a hand out to you. You slip your palm against his, warm and smooth, shaking his hand. The smile on your face is mischievous, the secret the two of you share dancing in your eyes.

“Nice to meet you, Joel,” you tell him. “Hope I’m not too early, Sarah said you open presents around eight and to come after that.”

“No, no, ‘course it ain’t too early,” he assures you. He realizes he’s still holding your hand, even as silence settles between you. With a laugh, he draws back, running his hand through his hair nervously. “You want coffee?”

“Sure.”

Joel leads you to the kitchen where Tommy is pulling a fresh tray of cinnamon rolls from the oven under Sarah’s careful supervision. He whacks her hand with a dish towel when she tries to reach for the steaming hot dessert and she pouts pitifully. She spots the gift bag in your hand and her eyes light up.

“Is that a present for me?” She asks.

“Sarah Elizabeth Miller,” Joel chastises. You laugh, handing the bag over to her. She rips the tissue paper from the top, reaching in for her gift with a wide smile.

“A soccer ball!” She exclaims. “Dad, you can help me practice in the backyard now!”

You share a look with Joel, one where his gaze is filled with gratitude and yours reflects understanding. The moment is made brief by Sarah trying to bounce the ball on her knee, knocking it onto a counter and subsequently being told to go put it away for now.

You introduce yourself to Tommy while Joel pulls you a mug of coffee. Sarah brings her now unboxed Furby into the kitchen, setting it in a place of honor on the dining table.

“Dad, can you put batteries in Snowball?” Sarah asks. She turns to you. “That’s his name.”

“Oh. Hello, Snowball,” you say, voice serious as you regard the toy. Joel laughs while he digs around the junk drawer for the rogue batteries that hide beneath bills and takeout menus.

As breakfast is served and toys are turned on, conversation flows between everyone easily. It’s a wonder, Joel thinks. You fit right in with his little family, like you were meant to be there all along. Maybe it’s the Bailey’s in his coffee, or maybe it’s the spirit of Christmas, but he can’t help the warmth in his chest as he watches you help Sarah with the Furby that started it all.

________

You’ve been at the Miller house since early that morning, through all three meals of the day, many rounds of coffee, a screening of Home Alone and A Christmas Story, and painting your nails with Sarah. Not once does anyone make you feel like you’ve overstayed your welcome. In fact, as the day wears on, you can’t help but think that Joel, like you, doesn’t want the day to end. You keep catching his eye and the crooked smile he gives you leaves you feeling giddy.

After dinner, Joel and Tommy start gathering what looks like cookie decorating supplies. Sarah sighs and you turn to her with concern.

“It’s time for the gingerbread competition,” she says, more solemn than an eight year old ought to be. Joel leaves the room and returns with a caulking gun.

“Why does he have that?” You ask, watching as he loads a saran wrapped bag of icing into the chamber.

“They take this…very seriously.”

Tommy and Joel set up decorating stations on either end of the dining table, shooing you out of your seat. Sarah grabs a cookie from a platter on the counter and settles onto a barstool while you stand by, confused and maybe a little scared.

“Are you ready?” Sarah asks. Both men nod. “Start your construction!”

Joel and Tommy rip into the cardboard gingerbread house kits, determination in every move. Joel uses the caulking gun to lay a foundation for the floor of his house, followed by the sides and the roof in quick succession. While Joel is going for a well built structure, Tommy takes a more avant garde approach, using a combination of licorice and frosting to hold his house together.

“Are they always like this?” You ask, fascinated as you watch them.

“Sometimes they’re worse.”

Tommy chucks a peppermint at Joel’s head, the candy bouncing off his forehead and landing on his gingerbread shingles. He counters with a gumdrop that manages to hit Tommy square in the eye, angry curses falling from the younger Miller brother’s lips as he tries to recover and continue the construction of his mid-century cookie home.

“Quit fightin’ dirty,” Joel says when Tommy whines about him being unfair. “I‘ll only fight dirtier.”

You know that the words aren’t meant to be suggestive but you can feel your cheeks go warm nonetheless. The Furby in Sarah’s arms coos, a string of indecipherable words coming from its little yellow beak.

“What did it say?” You ask.

“I’m not sure. It’s still speaking Furbish,” she says.

“It said,” Joel chimes in, setting down his frosting gun, “that I’m the gingerbread construction champ.”

Joel’s little gingerbread house looks like it’s straight from a magazine. Perfectly built, structurally sound, and classically decorated with candy and sugar. You and Sarah both applaud as Tommy groans. His little house lists to the side and a glob of icing drips to the table.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Tommy,” Sarah says to her dejected uncle, patting him on the shoulder. “There’s always next year.”

“Alright, it’s time to start closin’ up shop. To bed with you,” Joel announces, steering Sarah for the stairs.

“Can’t I stay up later?” She complains. The Furby echoes her tone convincingly.

“I already fell for that last night. You’re not gettin’ away with it twice. Bed, and brush your teeth,” he replies, kissing her on the head. “Tell everyone goodnight.”

She hugs you and Tommy before heading upstairs, the Furby chirping as she goes. Tommy punches Joel lightly on the shoulder.

“You know I let you win, right?” He asks. Joel scoffs.

“The proof is in the cookie,” he says.

Tommy rolls his eyes. “Whatever, man. I’m headin’ home,” he says, hugging his brother. To your surprise, his arms wrap around you in a quick squeeze as well. “It was nice to meet you. Don’t be a stranger,” he tells you with a wink.

When the front door clicks shut, it’s just you and Joel in the kitchen. You’re inexplicably nervous now, despite spending the whole day with the man, and you busy yourself by loading the dishwasher with mugs stained by hot chocolate and coffee.

“You don’t have to do that,” Joel says, gently grasping your wrist. He removes the mug from your hand and sets it on the counter. He pulls you close, your chest brushing his as you take in a surprised breath. “This okay?”

“Yeah,” you murmur. Up close, you can see the stubble that’s grown along his jaw, the slight creases in the corners of his eyes, and that his nose is just the slightest bit crooked. A heavy palm rests on your lower back, the heat of him palpable even through your t-shirt.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks, voice dropped low in the quiet room.

You nod, unable to form words, but that’s okay. His hand cups your cheek and his lips press to yours and your eyes flutter shut, a sigh escaping you as you lean into him. It’s soft at first, experimental. A tentative exploration of a broken boundary.

You wrap your arms around his shoulders, holding tight as he parts your lips and his tongue tangles with yours. He tastes like sugar - peppermints and hot chocolate and cookies that he’s eaten throughout the day sweetening his kiss. When he pulls back for a breath, he dips his forehead against yours, smoothing his thumb across your cheek.

“Been wantin’ to do that all day,” he tells you. He kisses you once, twice, and is about to go in for a third when a voice from upstairs interrupts him.

“Dad?” Sarah calls. Joel steps back from you, leaning past the kitchen doorway to yell back a, “Yeah?”

“Snowball won’t stop talking,” she replies. Footsteps sound on the stairs and Joel breaks away from you as Sarah enters the kitchen, Furby in hand.

“Take the batteries out,” Joel suggests.

“I did.”

She turns the toy over, showing the empty battery compartment. Joel rubs the back of his neck as he thinks.

“Tell you what,” he says, holding his hands out for the toy, “Why don’t we stick it in the hall closet for the night?”

“Won’t he be scared?”

“It’s…it’s a toy, baby.” You stifle a laugh as he shoves the talking Furby beneath some towels in the linen closet and shuts the door. “There, now you can both get some sleep. You can play with Snowball again in the mornin’.”

Sarah yawns, nodding. Joel kisses her head before urging her back to bed. When he returns, his shoulders shake with silent laughter.

“What a weird toy,” you tell him, eyeing the closet suspiciously.

“Yeah, but it’s what got us here,” he says, pulling you into his arms once more.

#joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel miller fic #joel miller x female reader #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x you #joel tlou #no use of y/n #joel x reader #no smut #joel miller fanfic #joel miller tlou #joel miller the last of us #joel fic #joel the last of us #pedro pascal character fanfic #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character

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vague-humanoid · 2 months

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she's been supporting Palestine and decrying the apartheid, even and especially last October where she published a book on it

anyway, her statement as mentioned here

https://www.writingafrica.com/zukiswa-wanner-surrenders-germanys-goethe-medal-over-gaza-genocide/

My name is Zukiswa Wanner.

I am a writer, editor, publisher and curator who considers the African continent my home. In 2020, I became the first woman on my continent to receive the Goethe Medaille alongside Bolivian artist and Museum Director Elvira Espejo Ayca and writer Ian McEwan from the United Kingdom. While the Goethe Medal is conferred by the Goethe-Institut to ‘non-Germans who have performed outstanding service for international cultural relations’, it is important to note that the award is an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany.

I note and appreciate Goethe-Institut President Carola Lentz’ statement from an article of 14 January, 2024 in Der Spiegel where she says, and I quote, Longstanding partners in the international cultural world are losing trust in the liberality of Germany’s democracy and poses the question, should the Aaswartige Kultur und Bildungspolitik (AKPB) support only persons or groups who accommodate the political/moral agenda of the respective German government? She concludes otherwise and notes that organisations like Goethe-Institut must not become the extended arm of the government, particularly in difficult political times. In the same vein, Goethe-Institut Johannesburg, which is the regional headquarters for Sub Saharan Africa stated in a statement on 7th February, 2024 ‘As to the current war in Gaza – we are convinced that in view of the catastrophic situation, a new ceasefire is urgently needed. The rising number of civilian victims is unacceptable. It’s important to state this so I highlight that this is NOT a statement surrendering the medal because of the Goethe-Institut and its position even where we may not always agree. I mention the Goethe-Institut’ statement by way of explaining that my actions are not a critique of the cultural institution but rather of the government.

In May 2023, while attending Palestine Festival of Literature and months before October 7, I was in the Occupied Palestine Territories and travelled to Ramallah, Nabi Saleh, East Jerusalem, Hebron and Lydd. As a writer coming from a country with a history of apartheid, what I experienced shook me and resulted in my writing a long essay Vignettes of a People in an Apartheid State. One did not need to be from a country with a history of apartheid to see the daily injustices and indignities visited on Palestinians. Palestinians have separate roads, different number plates and are constantly under threat from strangers from the United States or white South Africans with apartheid nostalgia who come with guns and the protection of Israeli Defence Forces to settle into their homes. Indeed, unlike most literature festivals, PalFest takes the writers to multiple cities since Palestinians are unable to travel without permission from Israel, much like South Africa during apartheid, just more cruel.

This is why I am giving up the medal.

I understand Germany’s guilt for the Holocaust.

I do.

That guilt is appropriate and has enabled Germany to face its unconscionable past.

But it is this that makes its position on a current genocide in Palestine all the more shameful. As an aside and as an African, I wish the German government exhibited the same regret for their history in Namibia with the Herero-Nama genocide and for the genocide during the Maji Maji Rebellion in Tanzania. Equally important, I wish that the German government, in reflection and saying ‘never again’ would acknowledge that NEVER AGAIN should be for ANYBODY. Instead, what I see is Germany being on the wrong side of a genocide again (as per International Court of Justice provisional ruling to the case brought on by South Africa). Additionally, according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Federal Republic of Germany and United States of America are the biggest arms exporters to Israel. With more than 30 thousand killed in Gaza, this should have been a mea culpa moment for the Federal Republic of Germany, instead, they seem to have doubled their support for a very problematic government.

Culturally, since October 7, 2023, I have seen Germany disengaging from artists for their position on the colonial state that is Israel even in light of Israel’s failures to adhere to the Oslo Accord (which was a super mediocre document for Palestinians). I am reading that of the cultural events cancelled by Germany, 30 percent are by Jewish artists who are anti-Zionist. This has failed to make sense to me that Jews can be considered antisemitic (obviously ignoring that Palestinians are a semitic people as those in support of the Israeli government seem intent on forgetting). More recently, during the Berlin Film Festival, Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham won best documentary prize for their film No Other Lands which shows the eradication of Palestinian villages in the West Bank. The German Cultural Minister is reported to have stated her applause was only for the Israeli half of the filmmaking duo. South African history has a phrase for this. Petty Apartheid.

I thus find myself unable to stay silent or keep an official decoration from a government that is this callous to human suffering.

Ends.

#Palestine #genocide #apartheid #South Africa

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twsthc · 10 months

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twst character playlists 🎧☆

⚠️ warnings: i have bad music taste. also a lot of nightcore. sorry.

last updated: october 10, 2023

🌹 🎼

Riddle: Bôa - Twilight , Laufey - Let You Break My Heart Again , Nakaniwano Shoujyotachi - SHISHAMO

i was thinking about putting in regal classical music or something, but its like, the whole point of riddle is hes a KID and that was taken from him

this is what he sounds like on the inside; a sad teenager lmao

Ace: Estelle - American Boy , Pharrell williams - Hug me , Bruno Mars & Cardi B - Finesse

teenage boy pilled

HUG ME! BRING IT IN! WOOO!!

Deuce: Beastie Boys - Fight for Your Right , Childish Gambino - Girls Look Better , ROAR - Christmas Kids , Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag

2 people simultaneously agreed hed listen to the Beastie Boys in my discord so here we are!!

Cater: Azelia Banks - ANNA WINTOUR , Magdalena Bay - How to Get Physical , Katy Perry - California Gurls , Mitski - Washing Machine Heart

Azelia and Beyonce are in there cuz pop culture and cater and blah blah blah

i personally think hes a nightcore avril lavigne kid

Trey: BTS - 134340 , Sion - lies , Hyeln Joo - Hair Cut (미장원)

i would give you some super deep and understandable reason for these but.

idk!!! it just sounds like trey. this is what he sounds like.

🥩🎶

Leona: A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation , MF DOOM - Hoe Cakes , Sade - Smooth Operator , Kendrick Lamar - We Cry Together

i had to consult the african council (my dad) for this one

ATCQ of course, and Sade because my dad asked politely

Ruggie: GROOVY - Jersey Luv , Tay-K I <3 My Choppa , Lil Gnar - Sticky Rice , Odetari x 9lives - I LOVE YOU HOE

i dont have to explain myself to you

(hes african american boy coded)

Jack: Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day , Micheal Jackson - Rock With You , Bell Biv Devoe - Poison , De La Soul - Me Myself and I

i think he would be into oldies and ruggie would tease him for it

micheal jackson stan

🫧🎵

Azul: ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! , Dalida - Love In Portofino , Caravan Palace - Lone Digger , Caro Emerald - Tangled Up (Lokee Remix)

old sounding music for the "nostalgia" (he wasn't even born during these eras)

the songs that play at the lounge and it kinda got stuck in his head

he fantasizes about preforming these songs in drag btw

Jade: Antonia Carlos Jobim - Girl From Ipanema , Laufey - From the Start , CAPSULE - TICTAC

songs he listens to on long hikes while thinking about violence

Floyd: 41 minutes of Roblox music , Megurine Luka - Tako Luka Maguro Fever , Euday L. Bowman - Twelfth Street Rag , ₳С₴łĐ₳ - PRIVET PRIVET 2009 ST

haha get it spongebob music because hes a fish

(gets booed off stage)

🌞🎼

Kalim: Serani Poji -Pipo Pipo , 레드벨벳 - Day 1 , takeshi abo - LEASE , MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - ChuChu Lovely...

cutie patootie happy-go-lucky songs

i feel like Takeshi Abo - LEASE is what goes through his head on loop 24/7

Jamil: Paramore - Renegade , Bôa - Duvet , beabadoobee - the perfect pair , LeTigreWorld - Deceptacon , Mitski - Washing Machine Heart

Paramore - Renegade was actually a recommendation! thank you yorick :3

otherwise i think rock/soft heartbroken songs go well with him

👑🎶

Vil: Lana Del Rey - Doin' Time , Magdalena Bay - Killshot , Kitty Kallen - It's Been a Long, Long Time , Mitski - Liquid Smooth

queen. flawless. stilettos. category: bad bitch.

too classy for this world, forever that girl

Epel: KYLE - Don't Wanna Fall In Love , Ram Jam - Black Betty , WHAM! - Everything She Wants , Hot Freaks - I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

a mix of older and newer songs i guess

i hc he works on a family farm (for fun and allowance). hed be blasting Black Betty in his left airpod while wrestling a sheep in the mud

music taste slightly influenced by deuce and jack methinks

Rook: Vendredi sur Mer - Écoute chérie , Camille - Le Festin , ラムのラブソング , Shelly Duvall - He Needs Me

you know i had to do it to em

okay but these songs unironically fit rook to me idk

☠🎵

Idia: 【らき☆すた】スーパーアハアハデラックス , 初音PV新作くるみ☆ぽんちお.flv , Caramella Girls - Caramelldansen , 6arelyhuman - Hands up!

the first one represents how i hc he listens to those 16 year old anime tohou remixes on a daily. he injects them into his veins.

nico nico douga war veteran. u u uma uma...

Ortho: Nanoray - DesktopBuddy , METAROOM - S.N.U.F.F.Y

cute and electronic sounding songs!!

🐉🎼

Malleus: Malice Mizer - Ma Chérie , this entire playlist , Yoko Kanno - Green Bird , NASTYONA - My September ,

being honest idk much about malleus

all i know is he would listen to malice mizer and he is gay

Silver: The Smiths - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable now , Burn The Ballroom - Kiss Me You Animal , Wienners - GOD SAVE THE MUSIC

lilia influenced his music taste a lot

Sebek: deaf, doesn't listen to music

Lilia: Mothy - ヴェノマニア公の狂気 , MASA WORKS DESIGN - 狐の嫁入り , Kenshi Yonezu - KICK BACK

trying to stay true to his war general roots while also remembering hes a gamer otaku thing now...

also hes in the "light" music club so

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst headcanons #music #playlist #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #kalim al asim #vil schoenheit #idia shroud #malleus draconia #making this hurt me physically #for some reason the octatrio were the hardest to assign???#despite them being my favorite dorm #hmmm #character playlist #twsthc

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amtrak12 · 7 months

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ATTENTION ALL BERING AND WELLS FANS.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get my fanfic But You're Friction to 10,000 total hits on AO3. (link above)

Why? Because I'm in the process of writing a very long Lucifer fic and given both the larger fandom size and the longer length of the story, that fic is swiftly on its way to hitting 10k hits which would be my very first time ever hitting that milestone. And as awesome as that is (it is very awesome!!), I kind of like the idea of one of my Bering and Wells fics hitting 10k first, and But You're Friction is soooooo close!!!

^Screenshot of my stats graph on AO3. But You're Friction is on the left with 9,964 hits. (It was actually at 9,959 hits for several months but I just had a guest click through and read the whole fic yesterday so it went up!) My Lucifer fic, Can We Keep Her, is the bar on the right and it's currently sitting at 8,833 hits and closing fast. I was getting about 700 hits per chapter, but this latest update has already netted me 900. Which means my very next update could cross over the edge.

Am I proud of my Lucifer fic? Absolutely. Do I think it's better written than my Bering and Wells stuff? Yes, obviously. I've learned a shit ton in the last decade of writing. BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!!!

Getting But You're Friction across the 10k mark first is about the nostalgia. It's about the pride. It's about every small fandom -- but especially OUR little small fandom -- proving that we work harder than anyone else!!

This Bering and Wells fic is a high school AU with smut that I swear I wrote in a fever dream because it only took me like a week to draft with no planning and no plotting. I refuse to reread it because of said smut scenes, but I remember feeling very proud of it at the time and the response was extremely positive so I feel like the quality could hold up.

It is 5 chapters and 20,000 words long so I either need 8 people to click through the entire fic or 36 individuals to click on the story link to get us to 10k hits. You are under no obligation to read or comment on the fic. I literally just want my best received Bering and Wells fic to be the first of my fics to hit 10,000. lol

Also June 2023 was the ten year anniversary of when I posted the fic, so it seems extra fitting to hit 10k hits this year :) We have until October 20th (my next Lucifer update) to do this. So let's go nerdsbians!! \0/

Thank you for your time! Hope your current blorbos and faves are keeping you well fed on awesome meaty stuff! <3

#Bering and Wells #Myka Bering #Helena Wells #my fic

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pjisskullourful · 5 months

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in honour of this happening at my gig(its for me, save your breath telling me it aint cos it is! they were in the same building as me. damithan supremacy is fucking real) imma post a little overdue something

my rainbow family halloween fic never came together, i had a cute idea but sometimes the fic dont fic. but yall can have the first 1k+ of what i did write, which includes a little secret i've been keeping from yall for the throuples future. please enjoy, i wish october had been nicer to me so i could have gotten this fic finished for yall

With nothing but Britney Spears to hear as you styled the long blonde wig, it almost felt like old times. You were reminded of spending a huge chunk of your paycheck on new wigs and spending practically every Saturday night at a live music venue, standing for hours in the most uncomfortable shoes known to man. You remembered the extra concentration that had been put into styling the wig that you wore to surprise your boyfriends with your debut (and only) performance in drag.

The illusion of nostalgia was being routinely interrupted by your baby bump getting in your way. At thirty-three weeks pregnant, your movements had to be adjusted from the typical. That kept you from getting entirely lost in memories, along with the blinking baby monitor set up on your desk.

This wasn’t your first time working on this wig, you had been at it with the hairspray and curling iron many times during the course of this month. And it was almost perfect, almost ready to go atop Damiano’s head to complete his Lestat costume. For this year’s iteration of Victoria and René's famous Halloween parties, your boyfriends were dressing to match one another. They were channelling the leads from 1994’s Interview with the Vampire, with Ethan taking on Brad Pitt’s Louis.

You were going as one of their victims, with prosthetic, gory wounds ready to be glued to your body. The 1800’s dance-style dress you planned to wear would accommodate your tummy, as well as fitting the theme since you had gone at it with scissors and dark red paint.

You were interrupted from your work by the sound of your family returning home. Damiano, Ethan and the three kids were back from their excursion to a local pumpkin patch. You unplugged the curling iron, leaving it on the heat-resistant pad before easing yourself onto your feet. You collected the baby monitor before leaving the room, ready for the moment when Bowie awoke from his nap.

When you got downstairs you followed the voices of Ethan and Marsha, finding them in the family room. They were standing at the crafting table, which was currently dominated by the largest real-life pumpkin you had ever seen - it appeared to be three times the size of your head.

“You don’t think his name is Patrick?” He was asking of your daughter.

“No, that’s the name of the starfishies.” She replied, speaking as if this rule of hers was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right, well maybe this is a girl, a girl named Paula.”

She looked at the giant vegetable with her eyes narrowed, carefully studying it with this new information. Ultimately, she decided her dad was speaking the truth and nodded her head. “Paula the pumpkin.”

“That’s the most Paula-looking pumpkin I’ve ever seen.” You contributed your opinion as you walked closer to them.

“Hi Mama. Do you like the pumpkin Cosmo picked? I helped.” She said, perked up with pride.

“You guys did an amazing job.” You said. “You don’t need to keep that heavy jacket on now that you’re inside, Miss Thing.”

She fumbled with the combination of zipper and buttons on her winter coat. But she succeeded without assistance and pulled the garment off, handing it to you straight away.

“How about you go check if Papa needs any help making lunch?” Ethan suggested.

She left for the kitchen and you turned to look at your boyfriend, a displeased look on your face when you began to speak. “You got the smallest one they had, eh?”

“The kids picked it. What was I supposed to do- tell them that they picked wrong?” He asked.

“You’re supposed to redirect them.” You said. “Come on, we talked about this and we all agreed- no more pumpkins bigger than Moe. They’re gonna drive us nuts, asking every day for it to be moved around the veranda, or from the front veranda to the back, then the opposite.”

“I know, but you should have seen how excited he was, he was planning out all the cool things he would have space to add. I didn’t have the heart to stifle his creativity.” He said, clearly trying to win you over with his sweetness.

“You let my children run wild, Ethan.” You attempted to maintain your stern tone.

The expression on his face changed as he switched to the tactic of distracting you. “You smell like hairspray, have you been working on the wig again? I would love to see the progress.”

“Yeah, I bet you would.” You said sarcastically.

Before he could continue his facade, everything was interrupted by your son’s crying coming through the speaker you held. Bowie had woken up, providing Ethan with a great distraction.

He grabbed the baby monitor before you had a chance to react. “I’ve got him.” Swiftly he was disappearing out of the room and up the staircase.

You gave the large pumpkin another look. You were glad that this year you had an excuse to count you out of the three kids' consistent redecorating ideas. It got very tedious trying to keep up with them deciding, then re-evaluating the perfect spot for the heavy decoration.

By the time Ethan came into the kitchen with Bowie the toddler had stopped crying. You were sitting with the rest of your kids along the island, everyone enjoying their own serving of scrambled eggs. Damiano was making sure each child had the drink they wanted.

“He’s okay.” Ethan said of Bowie, who was looking around the room with bright eyes. “He just wanted us to know that he’s awake.” Ethan tapped him on his tiny nose.

The kids had been told that their crafting would begin once lunch was finished, prompting them to start asking as soon as Sylvia’s plate was cleared. They were made to wait until everybody was done, with Ethan the last one eating. He purposefully took smaller and slower bites, earning him theatrical groans from the three eldest.

Damiano took care of tidying up, leaving you and Ethan to get the various crafts prepared. For Cosmo’s pumpkin carving, Ethan laid some sheets from the newspaper onto the floor. The twins were easy to organise, they would be taking their textas to print-outs of pumpkins to be hung up in the windows. You picked out the pots of face-paint that had been purchased for you to help Bowie turn your pregnant belly into a festive pumpkin. You had some old towels on hand for the mess that was certainly coming your way.

He eagerly took one of the paintbrushes that you offered, once you were seated somewhat-comfortably on the floor. Your son turned away from you, uninterested in what you were doing at present. Wobbly steps took him over to where his siblings were gathered, around and on top of the newspaper in anticipation of Ethan bringing the pumpkin over.

“Hey Dada, what’s my star sign?” Cosmo asked, the horoscope section catching his eye.

Once Ethan answered this, the girls wanted to know theirs. This led to Ethan reading out the two horoscopes, which were peppered with words the kids didn’t understand, his explanations slowing the whole process down. Sylvia got bored first, leaving for the table where all of the colouring supplies were set up.

He and Cosmo were still drawing out their ideas on the pumpkin when Damiano came into the room. You were using a marker to create a guide for the painting on your skin while Bowie gave each of the brushes careful check-overs (some of the handles required a taste test). The twins were making the most progress, their markers quickly moving across the pages, their focus secured. Damiano checked that you didn’t need any assistance before stationing himself with the girls.

You wiped the handles of one of the brushes on the towel before dipping it into the orange paint. “Are you ready to paint, baby Bowie?”

He raised his brush into the air. “Pah.”

“Uh-huh.” You said. “You wanna help Mama paint this section, right here in the centre of her belly?”

He had a serious look on his face as he scooted closer to you, apparently ready to concentrate on the craft. You handed your brush to him and he took a long look at the thick orange liquid on the bristles. You feared that he would touch it to his face, or worse, try to eat it.

But he proved his skills, applying the bristles to the taut skin of your tummy. The paint felt slimy on your skin as he worked the brush up-and-down, seeming to understand that this was somewhat similar to when he painted at his baby easel. You were unbothered when some of his brush strokes partially went over your outline of an eye.

“Wow, that looks so good already.” You enthused.

He nodded his head as he accepted from you the alternate brush dipped in paint. “Good.”

He wasn’t the most gentle as he made contact with your skin, applying the paint over on your side. There was a method to how he worked, spreading the orange further across your tummy. There had been many attempts at trying to get him excited over the fact that you were growing a brand new baby in there. It was hard to tell how much he absorbed this information, but what you really cared about was that he was enjoying decorating your large belly.

“Okay, now push with your elbow until the blade of the knife goes all the way in.” Ethan instructed as he held his hand over Cosmo’s on the serrated knife.

Cosmo wore a look of great concentration, his brow furrowed as he sucked on his upper lip. He moved the knife carefully, pushing until more than the pointed tip disappeared into the real pumpkin. Ethan held the vegetable steady with his other hand as Cosmo kept working the knife in.

While colouring with the twins, Damiano had found a doll-sized cowboy hat. It was quite common to come across misplaced pieces of toys around your home, so he didn’t bother to question it. He balanced the tiny hat on the tip of his index finger, absentmindedly keeping it elevated.

This caught Bowie’s eye, taking his attention away from painting. He got to his feet and you had just enough time to take the messy brush off of him before he wandered away. He went directly over to his dad, reaching for his arm.

“Hey, little man.” Damiano enthusiastically greeted him.

“Hat.” Bowie said.

“Oh, is this yours?” Damiano asked, offering the small hat to him. “Are you a cowboy?” Damiano placed the miniature accessory atop Bowie’s head, towards the centre where it could be somewhat steady. Immediately he was giggling, not needing to see his reflection to find this funny. “It looks really terrific on you. It must be your hat because it suits you so well.”

Bowie whipped around to face you, the hat slipping off of his hair in the process. Damiano quickly remedied this, holding Bowie still with a hand on his shoulder until the hat was back in place.

#damithan is more real than the moon landing #damithan supremacy #rainbow family headcanons #avida would have this photo as her lockscreen

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meowzilla93 · 5 months

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The people need little known facts about Baxter! Just like random headcannons, like what's his favorite holiday and why, etc. etc. Basically please just tell me more about this silly little man :)

*cracks knuckles*

me? talk about my favourite love interest in OL:BA?

Thought you'd never ask :P

favourite holiday? we already know his favourite season is fall cause nostalgia, and I almost wanna think that eventually Thanksgiving is his holiday

you absolutely know why but if i must elaborate

he is just so damn thankful for being able to reconnect with people he truly cared for, and that those people didnt give up on him; if MC romanced him, all the more thankful he has someone he can trust and rely on for the rest of his life, and that he can provide that back

but it wasnt always and only after Step 4; he needs to reconnect first for this to eventuate

and you just know that he will love hosting and cooking; any excuse to learn new recipes and show off his skills

before step 4 though? i dont think he had one, and thats his parents fault

any sort of events like these he had to attend with his family and be the 'expected perfect son' which he loathed

i do believe this is canon (pls correct if wrong) but i truly do believe he did not have any friends at his private school, and actively hated going

rebel Baxter? he sure was in his own way

spare periods between classes; he wandered off grounds to a spot where he could avoid the pompous populace

talk back to teachers? you can guarantee that; just more in that incheek way where they couldnt really punish him for what he said

can see him being the type to screw around in class and just be a bit of a bother to the teachers and students, but he was an A+ student all the way

guarantee that when asked to answer questions in class, if he was in the right sort of mood, straight up makeup facts just for the lols

(his parents might have put a stop to that real quick though)

mans was a brat we know this, and it was making the OLNF friends that made him question his life and his upbringing more

this is a touch more sad, but i think early on, he didnt really understand his parents position on things like the LBGTQIA+ community and such until he saw people he cared about be treated poorly by them, or heard what they had to say behind closed doors

i think this truly broke him and is what started the rifts in his friendships as he didnt know how to approach this (he is a kid, we cant expect him to know)

but what he did know, he NEVER wanted to be like his parents, and this is when he started his plan on moving to Virginia for uni

ahem, lets get back to some light hearted sweet stuff

i recon he went full platinum white once - pure white hair (you cannot take this away from me) but the upkeep of that was more insane than just handling black

favourite flower! rose. come on. even Cove said it in Step 1: Fancy!

though if we must choose a second option, Lupine

it has that really pretty purple colour (his second favourite colour after black and white) and its symbolism is very much on par with what he truly wants from life

google that shit, and tell me im wrong

100% reads smut; Im talking like Victorian era smut (Johanna Linsday, Amanda Quick type stuff)

October is his favourite month - the world around him was covered in that beautiful auburn colour

He loves pumpkin spiced lattes (with oat milk of course)

PRESENTS! oh oh when its Christmas time, this is the hardest thing for him because he doesnt just wanna buy something random, it needs to have meaning

You wanted to go see a museum? here are some tickets

Missed this movie when it was screening? Here is the Extended Release with all the additions DVD

You have a favourite flower or plant that you can never really have cause it doesnt grow in the climate you live in? In a frame you received a pressed and dried version of it, so you can always have it with you

.....i need to stop otherwise ill just keep going

(pls dont stop asking me though, ill talk about Baxter till death and will make a million more posts)

#our life beginnings and always #baxter ward #olba #olba baxter #olba mc #our life #our life headcannons #headcannons #i will never get sick of talking about baxter

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imogenkol · 7 months

Text

— WIP PRETEND IT’S WEDNESDAY

tagged by mine lovelies @socially-awkward-skeleton @inafieldofdaisies @corvosattano @adelaidedrubman @simonxriley

tag list (ask to be added or removed!): @florbelles @marivenah @shegetsburned @voidika @kyber-infinitygems @v0idbuggy @aceghosts @jillvalentinesday @risingsh0t @unholymilf @thedeadthree

Slowly chipping away at this whumptober thing I’m working on. Who knows if it’ll actually be ready for October, but hey! It’s angsty af and I’m having some fun with the pain. Here’s a snippet that could be considered a crossover, but these two characters share something in common

Bix never would have imagined herself at a dusty saloon in the Outer Rim with such dire circumstances hanging over her head. Loud music reverberated through the floor and into the soles of her boots. Its low, lively beat reminded her of Cavo’s back home and she wished she could go to the bar and simply drown her worries in a few strong drinks. But that empty radio signal echoed in her mind, pounding inside her skull with more vibrato than the speakers, so she pushed the nostalgia and longing aside.

The mechanic scanned the crowd of colorful travelers and soon realized she had practically nothing to go on when it came to finding the Jedi Imogen mentioned only a few brief times. The former Inquisitor hadn’t really bothered to describe him outside of his so-called meager abilities. Bix only came here because of the subtle fondness she picked up on in Imogen’s voice during her recollection. Cal was Bix’s only chance, of that, she was certain.

Deciding on a more direct approach, she went to the bar and waved down the bartender droid. It smoothly zoomed over to her end and animated excitedly.

“Welcome to Pyloon’s Saloon! The name’s M-6NK, but my friend’s call me Monk,” the droid introduced in a peppy tone. His optic winked — or, rather, blinked since there was only one — and the tank of alcohol behind his head sloshed as he whirled his mechanical arms with a flourish. “What can I do ya for?”

“I’m looking for someone.” Bix did a quick check around the saloon for eavesdroppers before she leaned in with a hushed tone. “I think he’s a Jedi?”

“Haven’t seen any Jedi ‘round here in a couple centuries or so,” Monk said, his extra dispenser arms filling up a couple of glasses.

The possibility that she may have come all this way for nothing and wasted precious time doing it felt like a heavy blow to the chest. Bix would not give up so easily, though. Imogen never gave up on her. “Look, it’s really important. His name is Cal.”

“Sorry, doesn't ring a bell!” Something in the droid’s voice sounded a little too eager to dismiss her questions. “I can whip you up something to drink, though! And we have a full menu!”

Bix shook her head, getting increasingly desperate. “I’m not trying to cause trouble, I just need his help. Badly.”

“If you don’t want to drink and you don’t want to eat, I’m afraid there’s not much else I can do,” the droid said with a shrug.

“That’s fine, I’ll… ask around, I guess,” Bix replied dejectedly. Her fist tapped the surface of the bar as she pushed away from it with a frustrated sigh and faced the other patrons. There had to be dozens. If she had to bet, none of them had loose lips.

Back on Ferrix, Bix learned how to make hard sales with all kinds of business people and travelers. She knew what to say and how to put her foot down. Here… Well, the hardened explorers of the Outer Rim barely paid her a second glance once she started to prod them for information on a Jedi of all things. The mechanic might attract the wrong kind of attention if she persisted, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She might as well be chasing a fairytale.

Bix eventually found herself back at the bar, taking a generous swig of something bitter and strong. She let the liquid burn on her tongue before it scorched its way down her throat and settled in her stomach with a heavy warmth. It started to look like she would have to infiltrate the Empire herself. Whatever it took, she decided.

“Why are you looking for a Jedi?” a male voice asked.

Bix turned to see a man with reddish-brown hair and a close cropped beard sat in the stool right beside her. He studied her closely, but his demeanor was calm and non-threatening. She threw up her hand. “I don’t know. It feels like a fool’s errand, but I don’t have a lot of options.”

He shrugged. “Who knows? I might be able to point you in the right direction.”

The mechanic carefully regarded the stranger who appeared to be a lot more forthcoming than any of the others. A small spark of hope ignited in her chest. “Do you know the Jedi?”

“I’d like to know who’s asking, first.”

“Honestly, if I tell you, he might want absolutely nothing to do with it.”

“Try me,” the stranger urged with a friendly grin.

“He knows my girlfriend. Imogen.” At the sound of her name, the man’s body suddenly tensed and his eyes widened just a fraction. Bix knew the name drop might cause issues given Imogen’s past, but she continued to make her case and silently prayed that hadn’t ruined her chances. “They have a… history. I need his help to find her.”

A flicker of recognition came across the stranger’s features as if he finally saw the woman in front of him. “You’re Bix.”

“I –” Bix stopped her sentence short and blinked in confusion as she struggled to put the pieces together. Then it clicked. She finally saw the man – the Jedi – too. “You’re Cal.”

He rose from his seat and motioned for her to follow. “We should talk in private.”

Bix hopped to her feet and noticed a small, two-legged explorer droid scurry from the surface of the bar up Cal’s arm to perch on his shoulder. It beeped low into his ear and Bix picked up on the concern the droid expressed about her presence in binary. Cal quietly assured the BD unit as he walked on.

“How did you know my name?” Bix asked while she tagged along.

“Imogen talked about you,” he said, glancing back at her. “She didn’t say much, but more than a few sentences and a name told me how much you really mean to her.”

Bix let out an amused breath, but her warm smile was genuine. “I could say the same about you.”

“I mean about as much to her as one of her bounties.”

“Well, you’re still alive and not imprisoned. Knowing her, that’s holding you in pretty high regard.”

“I guess,” he chuckled.

They walked through a door that led to the back of the bar. Bix smelled the line of cooked meals before she saw it. She didn’t realize how appetizing the food would be until they passed by the plates of steaming meats and vegetables. She’d barely eaten the entire journey to Koboh and pictured all the times Imogen had urged her to eat when she was too deep in her own head. As they descended a curved flight of stairs, Bix made a mental note to refuel after their conversation.

The music upstairs faded as Cal led her into a quaint basement room. The small space was impressively outfitted. She saw a comfortable bed, a workbench, even a terrarium. Bix wished her home back on Ferrix had been this cozy. She could have at least had a plant.

“So, what’s going on?” Cal asked, coming to a stop in the middle of the room.

“Imogen had some business on Coruscant. She went radio silent. It’s been too long, I –” Bix nearly choked on her next words. She cleared her throat and crossed her arms before she could voice her theory. Saying it out loud made the probable fear all the more horrifying. “I think the Empire might have her.”

Cal remained silent for a long time, his thoughts thoroughly shielded behind the unreadable expression on his face. He placed his hands on his hips and his gaze dropped with a long sigh. “I’m sorry. Really, I am,” he said sincerely as he looked back up at her. Remorse shone in his eyes. “But if they have her… she’s either dead or turned.”

“She isn’t dead,” Bix insisted confidently.

“You can’t know that for certain.”

“I do know,” she snapped. “She told me I’d feel it if she was gone.”

He didn’t argue against that point despite how crazy it might have sounded to anyone else. Instead, he said something far more offensive. “Then she’s probably an Inquisitor again.”

The mechanic stared the Jedi down. Bix couldn’t blame him for this assumption after everything Imogen had done just to him alone, but she absolutely hated the lack of hesitation in his response. “She wouldn’t.”

“Do you know how most of the Inquisitors were made?” Cal asked patiently, his expression shifting from remorse to pity. “They tortured Jedi to corrupt them and turn them to the Dark Side. Imogen didn’t need that kind of convincing the first time around. How do you think the second will go?”

The revelation made Bix’s stomach flip and her hands shake. She crossed her arms tighter around herself to hide it. “She’s stronger than you give her credit for.”

“She’s strong in a very dangerous way.”

Bix stepped closer to him, her fear and desperation palpable enough for him to sense in the air around them. “I need to find her and I don’t know if I can do it without your help. Please. At least tell me where to start looking.”

“If they have her, then…. I know exactly where she is,” Cal admitted. He held up a hand as Bix brightened with conviction to keep her expectations in check. “It is the last place in the entire galaxy you want to be, Bix. I don’t think Imogen would want you to be in the same system, much less in the stronghold itself.”

“I want her back, Cal,” Bix said with fierce intensity while she still held his gaze. “Tell me.”

“The Fortress Inquisitorius on Nur,” he answered grimly as if that all but confirmed her death sentence.

#oc insp: imogen kol #ship insp: if i had a heart #brotp: a force to be reckoned with #i just needed a lil something to bring Imogen's relationships together #and also maybe just wanted these two to interact and bond over their problematic fav #yes he's gonna help but mostly because he does NOT want to deal with full blown dark side Imogen..... but also maybe he's worried about her

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racefortheironthrone · 4 months

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by what ive seen, youre a huge x-men fan. have you ever watched the various animated adaptations / are invested in the 90s revival? and if so, what do you think? ive always liked them, but i think a full fledged animated saga rather than cancelled shortly would be a cultural phenomnea on par with any of the major anime imo

I grew up on X-Men '92 (XTAS), it was one of the major gateways for me into the fandom and I thought it did a good job adapting some of the classic Claremont stories to make them fit the Jim Lee Blue Team/Gold Team status quo of the early 90's comic. With the hindsight of nostalgia, there are some wonky aspects of the show when it comes to the quality of animation and the level of writing (XTAS never quite ascended to the same heights as BTAS) - but I think that lends the show its meme-ability.

By the time that X-Men Evolution or Wolverine and the X-Men came around, I was a bit too old for their target demographic and while I like some stuff from those shows in the same way that I like stuff from Pryde of the X-Men, I don't get the same Proustian charge from them that I do from the '92 show.

Needless to say, I am really excited for the X-Men '97 revival and how the team is going to handle Magneto's headmaster era - which suggests that they're going to be adapting some classic stories like the Mutant Massacre and Inferno.

#xmen #xmen meta #xmen 92 #cartoons

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marypsue · 3 months

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circus luna draft 2 for the WIP meme?

[from this meme]

Ah, Circus Luna. I've been working on this concept/novel literally since I first joined tumblr, some...oh fuck me running thirteen years ago??? Excuse me, I have to take a moment and have a crisis.

In its current iteration, Circus Luna is about five female friends who, at age fourteen, have to fight an evil supernatural circus to save their own lives. Thirteen years later, when all but one of them have come to the conclusion that whatever happened to them that October wasn't actually supernatural at all, the circus comes back, with its sights set on their children. It's ballooned since it was first conceived, from a pretty standard Kids On Bikes tale into a three-generational epic about friendship, nostalgia, fear, secrets, bugs, early-two-thousands emo/scene culture, growing up queer in a small Midwestern town, and trains. I just still have to make the Dreaded Middle work.

I've been playing this one pretty close to my chest, samples-wise, because I have high hopes of Someday TradPub and once upon a time somebody told me that you can't tradpub if you've already 'published' it somewhere. But I do love to talk about it, and I have done so at length, about the main characters, and about the circus itself.

#chatter #circus luna

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mizugucci · 4 months

Text

hiii everyone im finally posting this after ignoring all my tags for two weeks lmao. i love these kind of games though its fun to look back, so thank you for tagging me:

@floweruna / @hongberries @gnanii @yangsminho and @honeydewtual

rules: link your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!) and tag some CCs you love!

im sure most people have already done it, but ill tag some people just to say hi @taegyunie @ambivartence @awek-s @flops @strhwaberries @hwichanis

i added way too much commentary, so this will go under a readmore lmao. also i included ALL gifs including from my gg and fandom sideblogs, not just bgs.

january

favorite: obviously my favorite was my magazine/gif thing i made for kenta's birthday (6th year in a row, this year will be 7) unfortunately it doesnt load very well lol

most popular: these txt gifs (sugar rush ride) and taehyun+stickers

february

favorite: i cant deny i still think about this set of sebin during snuper's rain of mind era... the sparkles will always have a chokehold on me. ps check out my pixy wings set

most popular: this joshua set (for whatever reason lol)

march

favorite: i have several but im rly happy at how the wjsn + butterflies set turned out, its so nice. also my two harry june sets have a soft spot in my heart

most popular: this set of svt aju nice, its not a surprise that when i post svt it gets way more notes lol. i do like it a lot though

april

favorite: by FAR my fav (excluding macarena) is my loona as witches gifset. its one ofmy best im not gonna lie but also.... yuma sunshine...

most popular: actually i had a couple that were fairly popular but uh another joshua gifset has the most but ALSO this blitzers macarena post is nearing 200 notes??? i would consider that a fave too. and apparently tumblr loves big yuto/little yuto the same i do

may

favorite: i outdid myself in my dkz 9 to 5 set here. like idk how it ended up looking good but i love it sm.

most popular: ANOTHER joshua set??? im not even joshua biased. hes just so pretty LOL this is boring ill mention the 2nd most popular too. which is also another boring svt set. NEXT is big yuto/little yuto again <3

june

favorite: i made a gifset pretending fly me to the moon had a m/v and it flopped SO HARD i forget that i actually made it. also not to sneak this one but bitsaeon is SOOOO beautiful

most popular: campus crush junseo was my most popular this month, AS IT SHOULD BE. everyone should love that teddy bear

july

favorite: mmm two horror-adjacent gifsets!!! a set for dreamcatcher's chase me and an au that set kino (ptg) as a horror protag. lol it was so niche but i enjoyed it

most popular: omg i didnt think it would be but junghwan in the move m/v... as it SHOULD BE (again) i was let down a lot by trsr this year but this song kept me interested

august

favorite: mmm probably changsun in heartbeat. i LOVE that song and also it brought me back to 2017. nostalgia is.. very strong lol

most popular: im ignoring yet another joshua set. sorry josh but lets let others have a spot lmao. actually after that, a gifset of jaechan in his pre-release solo has the most notes. thats crazy!

september

favorite: my fav is OBVIOUSLY the set of snuper + sparkles. supposedly i was going to turn it into a series of boys+sparkles but we'll see.

most popular: its kind of funny, it seems like there arent a lot of ptg stans on tumblr but they always crawl out of the woodwork to rb my ptg stuff. i love u guys. and i miss yanan.

october

favorite: another installment in my women+horror series was my fav for this month. girlies gotta love vampires

most popular: i am SO glad. if it is any of my sets to be popular, i would never be disappointed if its omega x. they deserve the WORLD and ill personally give it to them. btw my pics with jaehan and taedong turned out soo well but i look AWFUL with sebin lmaooo

november

favorite: ahhh definitely anthonny in magic hour jacket behind. hes an ICON and i really liked him in bp

most popular: ohhh this was a surprise, i guess bc i only did 4 gifsets in november, but this seowon in wonderland m/v has the most notes. totally valid, hes beautiful

december

favorite: baby... yuma... sunshine loml obviously is my fav. hes sooo cute in that beret. and his smile. oh im gonna cry hes so cute LOOK AT MY SON!!!!!

most popular: i guess kpop has less of a reach on tumblr now because my one and only fandom post has the most notes lol. anyway if you havent seen a journey to love, you really should

a few thoughts:

well, its not a surprise that my most popular were seventeen and txt but it was interesting to see the variety of groups that i did gif besides them

peak time really had (has) a chokehold on me lmaoooo so many sets spawned from that show.

i also giffed more than i thought i had, so that was very neat to discover. although it was funny i posted 4 gifsets in the entirety of november

i talked so much and i apologize but thank you to anyone who even scrolled down this far, thanks for bearing with me!!

#mtxt #op

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arts-butthound · 1 year

Text

Letters to Ominis

Summary: The trio have graduated Hogwarts and life has set each of them to the wind on their own. However, Eudora and Ominis continue to write to each other after the summer...

Word count: 5k+

Tags: Ominis x F!Hufflepuff student, fluff, they like each other but don’t know that the other likes them back.

part 2

Read on AO3

September 27th, 1893

To Mr. Ominis Gaunt-Archivist Extraordinaire,

It has only been a few short months since we last saw each other and I have thought of you every moment I’ve had that was truly mine. I often think about the three of us in France together, taking in the sunset as the waves crash against the shore. Of your encouraging promises to write me-and I do expect you to keep your word.

Despite the valley still smelling of summer, the school year has started, as has my aid to Professor Howin. 1st years eagerly line up to pet the puffskeins, 2nd years attempt to hide pretty shinies from nifflers, and 3rd years are being promised that by mid term-they will have learned to approach hippogriffs. I’m sure Highwing and Nocturne will be on their best behavior when the time comes.

It’s only been a few weeks and the halls are alive again as they ever were. Our poor grounds keeper is already discretely drinking away his mourning for his freshly mopped floors. Despite all the life around me, the halls feel awfully empty without all my friends here. It is as if I still see you, Sebastian, and myself running through the halls or hiding from Peeves. I’m so very grateful for the two of you. You made what I feared would be a very lonely school life into something of I could have never expected. Imagine going from telling cattle your deepest darkest desires for all of fifteen years, to suddenly being thrust into the care of people so wildly enthusiastic for your company. If it weren’t for Poppy, in her last year, I should expire of lonely nostalgia in the absence of you all, you and Sebastian especially.

A second year Gryffindor seems to have formed an attachment to me. I think he may have some very weighty things on his young mind and I only hope to be a comfort to him.

I argue with the keeper’s portraits constantly. Apparently preserving the thought processes of hundreds of years ago has its drawbacks. In my staying to study the repository “again, for the third year” has me in the running to become the new Isidora, and a threat to their precious secrets. There are many times I begin to understand her frustration, though not her means. My theories are often shot down, and there are days where they keep me from the repository completely. I’ve begun to find Silencio to be a very handy spell to have on hand. Deek, the house elf, has very kindly continued in helping me try to uncover what exactly this magic is and why it is so dangerous.

I hope your training in the Ministry is going well and that they are treating you well. And that you’re eating enough...and sleeping enough, though that shouldn’t be so hard for you. I expect to hear of all the terribly wicked gossip that comes across your desk. Withholding what is too historically salacious, of course. Far be it from me to get you into trouble, for that has always been Sebastian’s chief delight.

I have written him but I suppose his studies keep him busy, for I have not heard word back from him yet. Professor Hecat appropriately caught me sulking about it and assured me that it is most common for an Unspeakable to be out of contact for periods of time. I hope Sebastian is well and taking care of himself. I fear his obsessive tendencies, even being that they are an aid in his new career.

Please write back to me soon, Ominis, for my world is darker for lack of your company,

Your friend,

Eudora

October 4th, 1893

To Miss Eudora Ferguson- animal care-taker extraordinaire,

I fear I have little to tell concerning salacious history, for I am too lowly to have such things cross my desk as of yet. In years to come, I shall remember to share all I can.

My work is straight forward enough and my days repeating. I wake up, I eat a small something, leave my rented room and spend all day as courier to officiate documents before they are filed away. I come home well after dark, eat another small something I picked up on the way home, and sleep. It isn’t much, but it is honest work. Without the influence of my family, it is wholly my own doing. Tossing around the Gaunt name does not hold as much water as it did with Professor Black, I’m at no loss to say. Honestly, if people learn of my family name, they have a tendency to become distant. I will show them, given time, that I am nothing like the rest of the House of Gaunt. Fret not, pet, for I care for myself as best as I am able.

For as much comfort as you were to Sebastian and I during our time at Hogwarts, I am sure you will be nothing but a heavenly reprieve for your new young friend. As for the portraits, I’m afraid I have no mind to give advice on such things. Those who made up their minds centuries ago aren’t likely to change their minds when only their portraits remain- for there is no mind to change anymore. Keep at it with your persistent determination and I’m sure you will make a discovery eventually. If silencio is your one comfort with them, then let it be so.

I have not heard from Sebastian myself, though the two of us perhaps don’t reach out with letters to each other such as you do. Try not to worry. I’m sure his head is firmly glued to his desk and surrounded by towers of books, if that is indeed how Unspeakables operate. I’m sure the loss of Anne last year has only kicked his obsessive tendencies into a higher power. He will come up for air eventually and we will hear from him. You and I are all the family he has left after all.

Take pride in your efforts but do try not to stretch yourself so thin. I’d hate to receive news that you’d caught fever again.

Yours affectionately,

O. G

October 13th 1893

My dearest Ominis,

You are right, I shouldn’t worry about Sebastian as I do. However, making sense of things rarely allows the heart to change and I will continue to worry about him, more than likely, until I hear from him.

I received the rare letter from my mother yesterday, voicing a great many concerns that I have heard time and again. It seems to vex her that I am still in contact with you and Sebastian without any understanding of marital intentions. She worries that my reputation will be forever sullied and that I shall be labeled as a loose woman that only rakes will seek out but never respect. To her, it was bad enough that we were friends when I had just come of age to be in society, “running around as a young boy with skinned knees and muddy clothes” as she said. But now she fears that I am to lose much more than my dignity on the subject now that I am a young woman of marrying age. She so rarely seems to be in contact just to lend her maternal warmth and good wishes it seems. It’s times like this where it is revealed how oppressive the muggle world can be, how closed off from even each other they are. It is almost the 20th century, yet still men and women cannot be simple friends without something sordid going on in the background. The wizarding world is very different in that way.

You and Sebastian have always been protectors of my dignity and image and have never once been uncouth towards me. No matter how often I tell her that, she refuses to believe it. I can never seem to find the words that would soothe her misgivings. I even told her when you headed off Garreth Weasley in fifth year for persuading me steal for him (though I left that part out.) How he couldn’t be in the same room with you for two weeks without watching your every move in terror. Nothing helps, I’m afraid. She’s says that she trusts me, but her every other action and fear would suggest otherwise.

Professor Onai and I both got a letter from Natty recently. She seems to be taking Auror training with all the brass she brings to any ambition of hers, though she does admit to soreness and an odd sense of paranoia. She did also mention that her trainers warned all their trainees about that. Professor Onai got that same crease in the middle of her brow that she gets whenever she’s worried, but a cup of hot tea and stories of the old days seemed to calm her.

A small brown cat seems to have taken a liking to me recently. He follows me around the school as a duckling might its mother, crying insistently until I pick him up. He’s quite the scarf and I have thus decided to name him as such. He has also learned where my living quarters are in the castle and will yowl at the door until I allow him in. He’s quite the talkative little man. He settles on the rug in front of the fire place and will join me in bed once I settle in. I must say, I’ve grown quite fond of him in this short time.

Opal the mooncalf gave birth again, this time to twins. Her husband seems quite pleased.

Are you excited for Halloween? I love it when the castle is cluttered with carved pumpkins and leaves fall, crunching pleasantly underfoot. I fondly recall you cursing each jack-o-lantern that dared to trip you in the halls. I spent the evening in Hogsmeade at The Three Broomsticks, crouched over a hot butterbeer, perhaps two days ago. I had come there with Poppy, but she seemed thusly entertained by a young musician and left me alone at the table. Miss Sirona and I could only eye each other with all too knowing grins. I’m sure it won’t be a lasting distraction, but it was good to see Poppy continue to work to connect with more people. Poppy and I walked home as fat snowflakes fell on top of us. I daresay that I was ready for another hot butterbeer by the time I got back to my chamber.

Do keep warm,

Eudora.

October 20th 1893

My dear Eudora,

Damned pumpkins. The Ministry building was flooded with them, too! As if the floor-ways weren’t crowded enough as is. You’ll be very entertained to read that I nearly twisted my ankle several times tripping over the wretched things, or toppled over them after being pushed into them. I shall be more than happy to see them disappear after Halloween.

Are you still insisting on referring to breeding pairs of animals as husband and wife? Truly, the sorting hat knew what it was doing by putting you into Hufflepuff. Your sentimentality knows no bounds. I don’t think mooncalves even mate for life, if given the chance. Opal and Stanley only stay that affectionate because they are the only breeding adults you seem fond enough of to keep. I can easily imagine you marrying your childhood toys together when it suited you. A precious imagining, indeed.

I’m sorry the letter from your mother wasn’t kinder. At least you know she worries out of love for you. It’s hard to understand how she ever married a wizard, with all her fretting of magic. But out of a strange union came you, so at least she did one careless, beautiful thing in her life. Let her not worry you about other’s perspective of you. Friendship between the sexes has been a long time occurrence in the wizarding world. I’m more than happy to say that I haven’t heard from any in my family since we graduated. I would have it no other way.

You’ll be comforted to know that an old clerk woman in my department seems to have taken a liking to me. She’s ancient and smells of mothballs. I’d dare say, when those odorous things came on the market, she filled every foot of her home with them. She’s even kindly placed a handful in my palm sometimes, when she’s feeling sentimental. Tells me I remind her of her son, and that he would always get holes in his suits from the little devils. Sometimes she sends me home with a portion of a homemade meal. She’s not a fantastic cook, but then neither am I, so I remain appreciative.

Thinking of you often,

O.G.

October 28th 1893,

Dearest Ominis,

‘One beautiful and careless thing in her life.’ I can’t tell if you’re trying to flatter my mother or me. Do be careful sir. A man could cause terrible things to stir within a woman, sounding as you do. The women of London would have no idea what would become of them, should you begin to skulk about their dance parlors. Secret dancer that you are, it is truly a shame you have no taste for conversation, or new company. Whether or not you talk to people, you’ll find that they find you handsome, if not intimidating…much like a certain Mr. Darcy that I know of.

Peeves seems to have set his sights on me. The other day, whilst I was doing my laundry, all my freshly cleaned undergarments had disappeared. A moment later, I could hear his howling laughter down the hall. They appeared two days later, hung amongst the bells in the bell tower. If you imagine my embarrassment at retrieving them, then you have only imagined a third of it. Professor Weasley found out at threatened to banish Peeves from the castle…to which he threatened to set the castle on fire. Again. To which Professor Weasley threatened to summon the Bloody Baron. Peeves conceded and sulked away. At least I got my underwear back, I suppose. I will have to be more watchful in the future, should I become a regular target of his.

I have learned a new great joy in life and it is challenging Professor Black as an equal rather than as a student. I caught him berating another ‘lesser’ student since last I wrote. The poor child had been being tormented by a pack of thoughtless pure-blood students, and Professor Black thought he could degrade this poor child further. I stood up to him, put my arm around the child, and told him that if he felt so important sticking his nose up at children, perhaps it would make him bigger still to use that same tilt at a adult able to match him. I decided to berate him back, in the most respectful manner of course. It took the wind clear out of his sails, and he scurried back to his dark little office. I don’t know how often I should use this against him, as I do recall his power over my station here at the school. But I also know my own cards that I can deal against him.

I’ve formed a theory on ancient magic recently, though I’ve yet to be anywhere close to proving it. It was ancient several hundred years ago. Perhaps what makes it ancient is that it is older than human magic? With the things I’ve been able to do with it, how I saw it used in the pensieves; much of it seems to have similarities with modern magic, but with an extra something. With Deek helping me…perhaps it’s just me over thinking., but what if this ancient magic, and what elves are able to do with their own magic are somehow related? How then some humans are able to see it, I haven’t the slightest. My theory is too new and may very well be totally wrong. The portraits are of no help and still cling to their fear of understanding what it is. I don’t understand how one of the keepers could see it, wield it for such powerful good, and yet be so averse to understand why or what it is. One needs to understand why a thing is dangerous, what about it must be avoided. We understand dark magic for a reason, why not the same for ancient magic? We praise and swear by Merlin, and more than likely, he would know what this magic is-or at least been keen to know.

That young Gryffindor boy continues to impress all his teachers, and infuriate them. He has quite an intellect and thirst for knowledge. I dare to say that he would rival even Sebastian’s own pursuits. He’s quite an angry young man, I must say, but there is grief in his anger too. To distract him from his thoughts, I’ve sent him on small hunts through the castle that-to my pride- sometimes take him a few days to find his goal. By the time he is a 6th year, I dare say he will have an unflappable mental map of the entire school. Professor Weasley has taken to kindness towards him as well and he rewards her with high marks in her class. I hope that Hogwarts brings some comfort to him as it did me.

How is your work going? Are you adjusting to London well? I pray that your mothball madam is keeping you well fed. You give me so few details on your life there that I feel I must prompt you.

Are you well?

Eudora.

November 5th 1893,

Eudora,

I can scarcely believe I allowed you to read that book to me and that I even remember as to what you’re referencing. If I remind you of that Mr. Darcy, I should consider that a mark against my character. He was a rather formidable foil to Elizabeth until he pulled his head from his ass, and I should pray that I am not near so needlessly difficult.

I have always praised your character. Flattery or no, it is the truth, for you are very careless.

I beg you not antagonize, nor impassion Professor Black. Spineless as he is, witless as he is, he is still a powerful man. Whether or not you think your victory in the recent goblin rebellion will give you a better standing in wizard society, pure-blood families will always have the power to quash that what threatens them! They always have and I don’t see that changing in the near future. I could not bear to know that you were one of those wonde Don’t make me live to see you disappear. Don’t ask me to bear that. Take caution.

If Peeves were tangible, I should strangle the lout for his lack of propriety and decorum. Making an acquaintance with the Bloody Baron should suffice to keep Peeves at bay. Peeves is terrified of the Baron. He’s not so terrible, once he allows you passed the persona; the man is prideful and hot tempered, but during my time in Slytherin house, I had a handful or two good conversations with him. If you are seen in his company, I’m sure Peeves will never pull such a stunt against you again!

Your theory has merit, though I don’t know how you could prove such a thing, or how well the rest of wizarding society would take it. Especially with ancient magic being such a closely kept secret. It is a shame that Sebastian is still missing from our company, for he would likely be of great help to you. Keep the thought in your pocket, perhaps strings of it will lead you elsewhere.

As for life in London…my dear, you crave the words of a novelist I fear, for which I am not. The streets are crowded and I’ve had to take to being rather cunning on how I use my wand to navigate. The air is more dense and unpleasant to anything I have ever before breathed. While crossing a road, a carriage nearly ran me over two weeks passed. Were it not for a kind civilian, I would have been trampled. The carriage owner and driver were never identified, to my knowledge. It is quite loud. I sit here struggling of what else there is to say. It is fairly monotonous, my work is not exciting. But it is simple and it is earned and I work every day to shed my coworkers preconceptions of my family name. Those who know of the Gaunts have whispered to those who previously did not.

You were always the adventurer, Eudora, and will no doubt collect more stories in your life than I will. I feel I have had more than my fair share as it is.

Adventure safely,

O.G.

PS: Don’t phrase it as mothball madam, I beg of you. The implications are horrendous.

November 18th 1893,

Truly, Ominis

If you believe Mr. Darcy needlessly difficult, you did not understand him or his world view. Irritating, or painful though his actions were to Elizabeth, they were meant as a kindness to those he cherished. Damn the rest of the world. I believe I recall you damning the rest of the school to help Sebastian and me out of our blunders…if only to chide us yourself later.

You could have told me about the carriage incident weeks ago, you realize? Who would have informed me if something happened to you, especially with you so nonplussed to speak about your life there? Do you tell anyone of Sebastian or me so that we can help, or worse- be notified, if something happens? Especially with your wand hidden as it must be, I can’t imagine that makes navigating any easier. I’m very glad you weren’t hurt. I should be torn asunder were something to happen that took you away from me, Ominis. You are important in my life and I would see it that you never be parted from me it.

You have such a way with words. I feel as if I know London intimately thanks to your description, truly! Should I ever visit the city on my own, I know I shall be familiar with all your favorite haunts. At least I know to pack perfumed handkerchiefs as a precautionary measure.

The winter holidays are fast upon us and I can scarcely believe it. Before I notice it, a new year will be upon us. Students are beginning to make holiday plans, whether they are staying at the castle or going home to their families. It’s a little early, but still students titter. I suppose I’ll be expected to go home to mother. I can leave Scarf and the other animals in Deek’s gentle care. Mother will be wanting to bring me to winter community dances and introduce me to fine and well established farm hands in efforts to begin to find me a suitable husband. Of course, he will be a muggle. Either she fails to realize that his being introduced to my being a witch will be imperative, or she is still trying to close me off from my father’s inheritance. The only reason I’d want to go home is to steal away with my favorite cow and come back to Hogwarts, which is now more of a home than my mother’s farm, and I do miss Kilt the cow a great deal. Of my two choices, staying at the castle comes easiest, though not most preferred. I’m told that Natsai will be coming to the castle for the holidays to visit with her mother, so I suppose I won’t totally be without company (as Poppy plans to go home to her grandmother.) I had thought, at the beginning of the school year, that you, Sebastian, and I might reunite for the holidays. But that doesn’t seem likely.

I also had hopes that one of us would have heard from Sebastian by now and I am sore for his company. I continue to send letters to him but they remain un-responded to. Whatever research and training he’s doing better be well worth the chiding he will get when he does finally appear! In the dark of night, when I think of it, my mind gives such sharp pains to the thought of losing contact with him permanently. Where could he be, do you think, that should keep him from us this long? Four months is such a dreadfully long time. I have tried to persuade Professor Hecate to tell me something of the work of an unspeakable, that way I might understand what stops him from writing. She is a wall as she ever was.

I hope you’re keeping warm as it gets colder at night. Scarf is growing into quite a large cat and has been enjoying a whole side of the bed to himself…of course, that is until I settle down into the covers and he climbs on top of me to sleep, tucking his face under my chin as he does. He’s very warm.

I still go to the undercroft sometimes, when I’m feeling lonely. I miss dearly our late night talks there, or when you and Sebastian were kind enough to let me share my favorite books with you. Always after curfew or Sebastian would set to complaining. It still smells musty and sometimes I think I smell you. Perhaps I am overly nostalgic. Perhaps that, due to my late arrival to the school, I wasn’t quite ready to leave when everyone else was. A part of me still feels that we should all be here. But I think I just miss you.

Goodness me, would you listen to the sap I’ve devolved into! This is probably why I shouldn’t write to you late at night, when all my thoughts go to wondering without supervision. I do apologize sincerely. I seem to have taken my self-reflection out on you. Perhaps I won’t send this letter and rewrite it tomorrow when I have my senses returned to me. If I do send this to you, please don’t think ill of me. I’m sure my next letter will be much less…whatever this was, and I will return to telling you of witty adventures and theories.

Have patience with me,

Eudora.

December 2nd, 1893

My most sincere Eudora,

Blasted bird. I apologize for the lateness of my letter, it would seem the owl became either horribly turned around or forgot where it was supposed to go. I only just received you letter this evening as I was walking home from work.

Please think nothing of your wondering mind, for it does not offend me. In fact I must thank you for sending your last letter unaltered. Your heart was always truthful and holding back your thoughts did only make you ill of soul and body, if I recall. If you feel lonely, tell me so. Should you feel joyous, allow me to share it. If your righteous anger burns, tell me to whom I should hurl my vitriol towards. You need never fear honesty between the two of us.

Should it please you to hear it, I also miss our reading hours in the undercroft, whether your choice of book was terribly romantic or deviously adventurous. I come back to my room and it is quiet and without the familial warmth I found in Sebastian, Anne, and even you. You had such a way of reading that one felt they were truly in the story. For what it is worth, I am glad that the undercroft remains a comfort to you. I do not know how long it will be left empty once you have quit Hogwarts for good. Of course, there will always be new members of the Gaunt family to fill it, but I regret that it may never be the safe haven we knew it as again.

I too regret that you did not join Hogwarts sooner, for it robbed us all of time with each other. I can picture all three of us who were of Slytherin house cherishing and caring for our lone Hufflepuff. Had you been able to know Anne, you would have loved her as Sebastian and I did, (I seem to find myself mournfully nostalgic as well, these days.) I do so hate the thought of you being such a lonely little girl, for it strikes a familiar cord in me that was a lonely little boy and I would wish that on no one. Should we have all been together longer, there would have been many more memories for you to hold during the summers back home-though, I imagine that the Figs may have tried to wrestle you into their care at some point or another, with how fond the professor was of you. I like to imagine you would not have felt the need to carry an entire goblin rebellion solely upon yourself, had you more connections to rest back upon. Perhaps it’s just the time of year, my dear, that makes us think of our time passed or stolen.

Perhaps it is impertinent to suggest this, even selfish of me, but it does occur to me nonetheless. Should you want to leave the confines of Hogwarts and its valley, yet not go home to your mother, you are free to come to me. I have only the single room with little furnishings, but you are welcome to all I have. I should be glad of your warm company and perhaps a visit would chase the melancholy from both of us. Of course, I realize you are also close with Miss Onai, and should you prefer to stay in her company this season-it would gladden me greatly to know you are comforted in her friendship.

You shall always have my patience without asking for it. No matter what you could possibly do, I shall always think of you kindly. Your name is a bell hung in my soul; should you but ring, I would

Your friend, always,

O.G

December 10th 1893

Ominis,

My coming to see you is a brilliant idea and I’m glad you thought of it. I will buy my tickets. I will see you on the twenty second and I will stay with you through new years . Let the two of us chase away each others sorrows, as to start fresh in the new year! There are things about this season that cause me to think of things I’d rather not-and you have always been wonderfully distracting.

Don’t blame the owl too harshly. I can’t imagine flying in December is always easy for them.

Yours eagerly,

Eudora.

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