#on an offer of having fun during halloween?? with colorful costumes and candy and a lot of anonimity to be whoever you want??? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shiny-jr · 2 years

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what a thriller (I)

Warning: Yandere. Gender-neutral reader. Bit of gore.

Characters: Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Cater Diamond, Trey Clover, Riddle Rosehearts.

Summary: “On All Hallows’ Eve, on the night of a full moon, a lone soul will summon creatures of the night. They shall be awoken from their slumber, and have the ability to bring terror to the people. But, they shall make a single vow to the lone soul that summoned them and leaves an offering, only that soul can reign them in. Yet once that vow is made, it shall seal the soul’s fate…” At least, that’s what the book you bought from overpriced Halloween store said. You have nothing else to do and it probably won’t work, so why not try it out?

Note: Okay, I post, now I dip. Yes, I will work on the follower special request still in the inbox now. Yes, this is a halloween special. Yes, I plan for there to be more parts eventually, hopefully before Halloween. Yes, I know it’s only August, but Heartslabyul always takes the longest for me so give me a break. Oh, and this has not been completely checked over for mistakes, so there may be some errors.

spooky scary skeletons | he’s a pirate (will link when complete)

The giant extra large bags of candies stocked on the shelves, the fallen leaves were the colors of the carved pumpkins, the arrival of scary movies on the television, it could only mean one thing: Halloween was fast approaching. The season of sugary goods and fun costumes. Unfortunately, you had grown past the acceptable age of trick-or-treating. If you dressed up and rang some doorbells looking for candy, you’d probably get some dirty looks and the often repeated question “aren’t you too old for this?”

So with not much else to do and no company to have over, you decided to do your own thing on Halloween day, before you would set up and prepare for the influx of children searching for candy at night. Somewhere where you could read this mysterious book you found at one of those temporary Halloween stores. It could’ve been all jokes and fun, just made up tales, but the quality of the thick leather book and the low price was far too good to pass up. Slowly you walked along to where the roads took you, opening the book and beginning to read,

“On All Hallows’ Eve, on the night of a full moon, a lone soul will summon creatures of the night. They shall be awoken from their slumber, and have the ability to bring terror to the people. But, they shall make a single vow to the lone soul that summoned them and leaves an offering, only that soul can reign them in. Yet once that vow is made, it shall seal the soul’s fate…”

Well, you found out what you were going to do today. It might even be fun to try and fulfill this spooky silly prophecy. Sure, nothing would happen, but it gave you something scary to do on Halloween. Afterall, how true could this book be when it was from a holiday retail store that sold cheaply made costumes for high prices? Continuing on your walk, you quietly considered what you could offer. So the question was, where would you set this ritual?

SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS (Heartslabyul)

The town graveyard, of course. The place where the troublesome teenagers went at night to scare each other, but you’re certain they would be off somewhere else trying to steal candy from babies or do stupid stuff like seances in the forest. It wasn’t weird for you to come by, considering the graveyard was about a block away and the easiest way to the center of town was through the graveyard instead of going all the way around it. Plus, it was the most peaceful and quiet place for miles, as weird as that sounded.

During the day it wasn’t too bad, but at night it’s considerably worse. When the sun is out, the birds are twittering and there’s the distant sound of honking cars on a nearby road, a sign that you weren’t alone. When there is sunlight, the leaves on the ground are bright orange like the pumpkins, blanketing every inch of ground as the dead within their tombs lay in eternal rest under the shade of the remaining browning leaves that clung for dear life on the outstretched limbs of the trees. But at night? Oh, at night, you couldn’t bear to walk through the graveyard. It felt like a completely different world when the sun went down and the only sound was the crushing of leaves underfoot and mysterious rustling nearby.

However, today would be different, you decided. Today was a fitting day to go over and try this phony ritual in the rare silence, especially while most of the teenagers would be doing their own thing instead of vandalizing random graves or secretly smoking/drinking here without their parent’s permission.

When arriving at the graveyard, your eyes scanned over the vast property for the best place to do the ritual. Then, your eye caught sight of one of the older mausoleums on the grounds. It had been vandalized. Its stone walls colored with crude spray paint as indiscernible words were scribbled on the surface. Frowning at this discovery, you scanned the grounds for the graveyard keeper, but there was no sign of him. Feeling a bit bad and since you had the spare time, you picked up some cleaning supplies from the nearby shed where you knew the gravekeeper kept some things.

Vandalism had happened in the cemetery before, but you hadn’t actually seen it with your own eyes until now. Slowly approaching, you readied the cleaning supplies as you muttered a small apology to the dead that rested inside. As you began scrubbing, the paint came off and it revealed the names engraved on the stone. Ace Trappola and Deuce Spade were written on the left wall, Cater Diamond and Trey Clover were written on the right wall, and on the surface of the wall directly opposite of the sealed stone mausoleum entrance was the name Riddle Rosehearts. It appears as if time had eroded away at the numbers that marked the time of their deaths, so it was impossible to discern just how old these graves were.

You were only content when the paint was fully washed off along with the grime and moss that came with the aged stone. It had taken almost all your free time to clean the tall stone walls, and the sun was setting already and the full moon had come out, but maybe it was worth it. Noticing there was a lack of flowers and candles, it was probably safe to say that no one had come to pay respects to the five dead here in a long time. There might be a chance that there wasn’t anyone left who even remembered them. It was a bit sad to see all the other graves decorated with flowers, little knick knacks, and photographs, while this mausoleum stood alone and empty. Maybe these useless items you brought for the ritual might actually be useful, they could be gifts for the five dead resting here. Thinking about it, you’d probably be sad if you weren’t remembered or gifted anything after so long.

So, you removed the candles from your bag and lit them around the mausoleum, one wick for each name. Rummaging through the mess of items you gathered at random from the dollar store, you picked one object to give to each name and place beside their candle. For Ace you left a deck of playing cards that you found on the shelf by checkout, under Deuce’s name you placed a mini blue toy motorcycle that had been in the toy aisle, beside Cater’s candle you set a spicy instant noodle cup that some broke college students had been eyeing in line, Trey’s offering was a single birthday cupcake that was much cheaper than buying a whole batch, and finally you had purchased a bouquet of roses which you placed under Riddle’s name. They were trash items, but hey, you’d be happy to receive any of them if you had been dead and got no offerings.

Standing upright, you admired your handiwork before murmuring, “Here you go… For Ace Trappola, Deuce Spade, Cater Diamond, Trey Clover, and finally Riddle Rosehearts. Oh, uh…” Removing the book from your bag, you reviewed the steps of the ritual. Step one, set your location. Check. Step two, light candles. Check. Step three, place the offerings. Check. Step four, to complete the ritual, recite these lines.” Clearing your throat, you flipped back the first pages and began awkwardly reading, “On this All Hallows’ Eve night, while the moon is full, here I am. The lone soul. I use the energy present tonight to summon thee creatures, awake from your long slumber…! Ugh, this sounds so stupid when I say it out loud… Make your vow to me, the lone soul you waited so long for. In exchange for your loyalty, I bring gifts. Once the deed is done and our deal is set, it shall seal our fate……!”

A breeze came by, carrying some leaves and blowing out all the candles. Well, you accomplished basically nothing and wasted a few dollars for the supplies, but the trip wasn’t completely wasted. At least these five dead finally had some company for once. Closing the book, it was now time to return home, and––

Creaaakkkkk…

You stopped in your tracks, slowly looking back at the mausoleum. The heavy rusted iron doors were open, which made a chill go up your spine. That… wasn’t normal, it wasn’t even opened earlier. Weren’t they always supposed to be locked? Keeping your distance, staying a good few feet away from the mausoleum but you moved so you could peek inside without getting any closer. With your flashlight camera illuminating the dark space from afar, you squinted to get a better view just because you were that far and refused to be stupid and get closer. However, when you could vaguely make out the shape of multiple coffins on shelves, their top lids discarded off to the side revealing empty insides, it felt as if your heart dropped to the bottom of your stomach.

Suddenly, you felt a foreign sensation grasping onto your hand. Screaming, you instinctively swung blindly with the thick book, until you heard a groan and a crack! Behind you was a figure dressed in black, their hand was nothing but bone, and their head–– Oh, their head looked normal with messy redish hair and an odd heart-shaped scar on their cheek, but their skull literally came unattached and went rolling into the bushes due to the force behind your hit. Much to your horror, the body grasped at nothing and moved towards the detached head. From the bushes, you heard a voice, presumably from the head yelling, “Ow! What the hell was that for? I was trying to talk to you! Wait… what am I saying ow for? That didn’t even hurt!”

What… What was that? Why was there a person with a skeletal hand and without a head, talking and moving as if normal? As you turned around to make a dash for the exit at the graveyard gates, you immediately came face to face with another macabre-like figure. This one had a dark blue shade of hair and there was a spade-shaped scar on his left eye.

When he raised his hand towards you, you instinctively raised the book to defend yourself, and his eyes widened as he began, “Wait, I’m not gonna hurt you! Don’t––!”

CRACK!

You swung again, nearly screaming as his head rolled off just like the first’s did. And just like the first, his head went rolling into the bushes with his walking headless body quickly following. Much to your horror, you could still hear their voices. The heads were bickering with each other, as their bodies rummaged through the bushes to find their missing piece.

With no obstacles in your way anymore, you ran for the gate while the two were busy. The gates were so close, just within reach––! Until a third figure appeared in front of the exit, blocking your path. This one looked similar to the others, but with orange hair brushing against his shoulders and a diamond-shaped scar below his eye. When you moved, so did he, both of you stuck in an awkward and scary tango as he blocked your path each time. “Hold on! Stop, just chill for a second!” How could you chill when you noticed one of his arms was completely devoid of flesh?!

“Look, we promise we aren’t going to hurt you. It’s okay. We would never hurt you.” Another one? The fourth one had short dark-green hair and a clover-shaped scar. He spoke softly and mustered an awkward smile, but what unnerved you was his eye. The eye just above his scar, suddenly popped out of his skull before he hurriedly squeezed it back in place and adjusted his glasses. Noticing your alarmed reaction, he instantly apologized, “Sorry––”

Behind him, you noticed a shorter fifth figure with rose red hair. Oh god, there were five? Was this the new walking dead? Wait… five? Like the five names on the mausoleums…? The fifth… wasn’t all that scary. Yes, he looked like the others, like walking corpses, but he approached slowly and carefully while cradling the bouquet of roses. He stopped a good distance away, but he merely stared at you before smiling and bowing his head, “Thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely. I never expected my–– I mean, our, first offerings in quite some time, to be from the lone soul that would summon us.”

Well that happened. You somehow raised the dead (at least five of them) through the ritual and now they’re claiming that you’re the lone soul that they’re swearing eternal loyalty to? Who knew knick knacks from the dollar store would be enough to appease these hundred of years old walking corpses? They may look kinda scary with how some of their limbs are missing flesh and parts of their bodies have exposed bone but at least their faces and heads are fully attached… for the most part. And they’re actually fairly nice and have gotten attached to you quickly. There’s no getting rid of them, no ritual to put them back to their eternal rest. So what now?

Ace Trappola

Despite being from hundreds of years ago, Ace could fit in surprisingly well in this day and age if it weren’t for little details about his appearance. It was a shame that he died so early on, but he doesn’t mind because he met you. Besides, death wasn’t so bad, it just felt like he took the fattest nap ever known to man.

Right over his right eye, it looked like someone had used a knife to carve the shape of a heart. Additionally, he was missing flesh over the left side of his torso which revealed his bare rib cage that was completely hollow, and part of his ankles (almost always hidden by socks and shoes) were nothing but bone as well.

Along with Cater, he’s quick to get used to the new environment. Also the first to realize that these aren’t little monsters running around, they’re just plain old kids in costumes! How old must they be to have no idea that kids dress up on Halloween? You have no idea, and when you ask Ace merely grins and avoids the question. These fog machines and scary ani-ma-tron-ics are pretty cool!

The playing cards were one of the things he recognized despite the time that has gone by, which is why he appreciated the offering. That, and the ace card has a heart just like his scar. Anyways, sure, the cards may look different, but they’re still cards used for games and tricks. Oh, and speaking of tricks.

Trick-or-treat? Trick, always. Ace is one of the more mischievous ones, he thinks it’s funny to scare the kids passing by. And it is scary, because they think his wounds and bones are so realistic. Oh, it’s real, but they don’t need to know that. Not just that, but he will steal candy from unsuspecting kids. Even better if they get so scared they run and drop their goodie bags. More for him!

He won’t lie, you meeting him for the first time could’ve gone much better. He was just so excited. He woke up feeling energized, arising from his coffin as he heard you recite from the book. Of course he probably should’ve guessed you’d freak out at the sight of him. Part of his body probably rotted during his slumber.

Ace knew this would’ve happened eventually, someone was going to wake him up, they had to. The curse placed on him and his friends prophesied that only a lone soul would bring them back among the living, where perhaps they might actually be able to live like normal to make up for their life that was taken. In exchange for another opportunity, they would be bonded to the lone soul. Well the ritual with the bond must’ve worked rapidly, what else could explain this intense desire to be in your company, making you laugh and simply doing some antics with you? And it was only night one. These desires may increase as each night passes.

Later on in the night if some of those annoying guys try to scare you, he’s immediately snapping back in reply. Hey! Only he can scare you! Don’t worry, he won’t lash out physically into violence. That’s more of the others in the group’s thing. He did imagine burying those jerks alive, but he won’t be doing that… at least for now.

Deuce Spade

Deuce has a harder time adjusting, at times he sticks out like a sore thumb but by emulating others he’s getting better. It’s honestly such a jarring experience. Everything he once knew is now gone, time went on, things changed, but he feels a bit better knowing you’ll be here throughout everything from here on out.

On the corner of his left eye, there was a fairly large scar in the shape of a spade. Over his cheek, from one edge of his lips to his jaw, there was a hole in his flesh that revealed part of his teeth and jaw bone. Even one of his hands was completely devoid of any flesh, which was mostly covered by his black gloves.

At first, Deuce is majorly freaked out by all the changes. Why are all the lights no longer candles but glowing glass? Why are there little monsters running everywhere carrying bags of candy? Is that a giant version of the offering you gave him?! That looks amazing! He wants a closer look! Do you realize how much better this is being with you experiencing all these new things, instead of sleeping?

He honestly had no idea what his offering was supposed to be. It looked like a toy of some kind, but he was nonetheless grateful. So imagine his shock when he saw these box-shaped mechanisms and mo-tor-cyles that looked like his offering. He was entranced. When you ask what if he gets injured on a motorcycle, he confidently assured that he could easily put himself back together even if he was nothing but pieces!

Trick-or-treat? Treat! He’s just copying what you, Riddle, and Trey are doing. Besides, now that he has a second chance at life, he wants to be better! Which is why he refuses to actively try and scare the children, but they’re still frightened. Even as he tried to reassure them and offer candy, the kids broke out crying at what the parents accompanying them complimented as amazing makeup. He just wanted to help out, not be scary…

That meeting was, uh… embarrassing. He can’t believe you saw his head roll off within the first five seconds of seeing each other! Maybe he should’ve learned from Ace’s mistakes and kept his distance so you wouldn’t panic, but he was eager to introduce himself! Ah, don’t worry, his bones and scars won’t get in the way this time!

There’s moments he recalls his life before he died. He didn’t have much. Hell, it was probably his own incompetence and recklessness that led to his death, but then he rememberes who he left behind. His mother. Surely she grieved over her lost son, he ended up a disappointment and made her cry. But he wondered if… she’d be happy knowing he had another chance, that he found someone to dedicate himself to and he was diligently improving his behavior. Would that let her rest in peace and would he be able to move on with a new purpose? He wouldn’t throw away this second chance, he’ll make up for his past mistakes and protect you to the death!

No matter how much he tries, he cannot hide his sometimes brash impulsive behavior. He may lash out, especially if someone’s being rude to you or trying to scare you. But, it’s easy to stop him with a simple scolding. However, there are times where you may fail to notice he’s secretly taken action. Where did he get a shovel from? And why does it have blood on it? Deuce says it’s a prop, but you’re not really convinced when you notice fresh mud on his boots.

Cater Diamond

Like Ace, Cater fits in surprisingly well. He catches on the fastest to slang, able to ease swiftly from the old speech to the more modern dialect. Isn’t this great? He fits right in! Well… almost. If it weren't for the state of his body, then he would fit in perfectly. But, there’s nothing like a little makeup and adjustment of his clothes that can’t fix that.

Under his left eye, there’s a small diamond-shaped scar engraved in his flesh. If you pushed up the sleeve of his black outfit, you could see that on one of his arms, from his shoulder to the tip of his fingers, the limb was completely devoid of flesh. What happened to him to lose so much skin? He won’t say, he’ll always distract you with a story from his previous life if you try to bring it up.

These new devices of the time are so interesting! This cute little magical electric box you always carry around is his favorite! And all these little kids running around dressed to the nines in silly costumes? Fun! He never expected old Hallow’s Eve to end up like this. He likes the holiday way better now. It used to just be a pagan time for festivals, now it’s such an exciting night! He can’t wait to learn more about the traditions from you.

Your offering was too good! Really, he hated sweets and wasn’t extremely fond of bland food, but when you left this magical cup, he wasn’t really sure what to expect. After everything, you showed him how to prepare it. When he saw you’re just supposed to fill it with water and mix to get a spicy and delightful meal? He was floored! This was by far, the best offering he got! Eagerly he slurped up the spicy noodles, despite not needing food for his body to function.

Trick-or-treat? Trick, obviously! He is not about the treat, honestly. Which is why if he won’t playfully scare a kid or get them to laugh, he’ll give them a treat… of spicy ramen noodles! Yeah, that’s right. He’s not giving out candy, he’s giving them a small plastic cup of noodles from the packet you had stored in the pantry. Guess he didn’t quite get the memo that usually treat meant candy, but he’s got the spirit.

You whacked the head off Ace and Deuce, but Cater was smarter than to just get so close after he saw what happened to them. Even if he did want to get as close as possible to you. Just… don’t look too long at the broken parts of his body. He won’t say it aloud but he is a bit… self-conscious about it, more so than the others. But if you push past the black veil of his hat and sincerely compliment him, despite his current appearance, he’ll melt and be much clingier.

To be honest, he was frightened at the time of his death. He was nearly certain that no one would come for him, no one would bring him back, why would they when there were others? How could he be sure there was even someone destined to bring him back? He’d be left to rot for eternity… So imagine his pure shock, his disbelief, when he awoke in a coffin. And what was that voice outside these stone walls…? He needed to get out of here, he needed to see if this was real. When he reached the outside, and saw your living breathing form, well… Part of him was worried this was some cruel dream. Can the dead even dream?

Ah, don’t worry about him! His biggest crime is making a kid or two cry by scaring them. Most of the time he ends up being able to make them laugh and smile though. Just hope that no one tries to egg your house or do any other prank like that. Because he might just do more than merely make them cry from fear.

Trey Clover

Trey fits in well which is a bit unexpected? Not because he’s good with learning about the new environment, but because most people assume he’s a good and decent living guy by his behavior. Which is a good thing, because it means he can stay beside you with no issue, right?

He happens to be the most “normal” looking. He isn’t missing flesh, but he does have a small clover shaped scar right under his right eye. However, his eye isn’t connected properly to his skull, causing it to pop out at times. There is no blood, it just pops out and goes right back in, often caught by his glasses. He gets embarrassed whenever you see it happen.

At first the children in their costumes surprised him, before he quickly figured out they were kids. The huge selection of candies on the shelves and baked goods in display windows from this time period amazed him! For a moment he even mistook firefighters as witch hunters because of their black robes and axes that could be used to chop wood to burn witches and other unholy beings such as themselves! Just a short explanation from you was enough to get him to understand and calm his uneasiness.

A baked treat, a fitting offering for the son of a baker. He’d never seen a cupcake so… colorful. It looked normal with white frosting, but it had rainbow sprinkles and glittering wrappings. It was delightfully sweet, not too sugary but not lacking either. He compliments your baking skill, but you don’t tell him it’s a cheap store-bought good.

Trick-or-treat? Treat! Trey seems to enjoy handing out candy to the children, and he seems like the only one they aren’t scared of! He’s another one that doesn’t quite get that treats usually means just candy, since he wanted to give each trick-or-treater a cupcake he baked himself! How’d he even learn to use the oven that quickly? You have no idea. But it seems like his new favorite thing.

Really, of all times for his eye to fall out, it had to be right as he met you? That was a bit humiliating… Well, he had plenty of time to paint a better picture of himself in your mind, since he could tell that their somewhat grotesque appearance frightened you. But first thing’s first, they had to get you to stop screaming.

It all went black at his death. It felt like it had only been one night when he then awoke in the mausoleum. He could hear a voice past the stone walls, followed by a commotion and a scream. The scream sent a chill up his spine, forcing him to hurry his pace. There was the setting sun and moon, nearly blinding him as he stepped out for the first time in centuries, but you, you were like the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s when he recalled the prophecy. So it was you. It was no wonder he felt the urgent need to come to your rescue when he heard your scream, because you had already bound him to your soul. But there was nothing to rescue you from, as he can tell from Ace and Deuce who quite literally lost their heads. He’d help convince you that they mean no harm.

Trey is the least likely to ever be violent, but he does tend to fret a lot over your health. You don’t want to become like him, do you? He always means well, so there’s never any need to worry about his intentions. Of course, he’ll never say it, but he doesn’t care nearly as much for anyone that isn’t you or those he died alongside. But he’ll stop the other four dead men so that they’re not creating trouble for you.

Riddle Rosehearts

Oh, Riddle… At first he had a difficult time adjusting as well, many things appalled him or shocked him to his core. But, with a few words from you, he was quickly able to act the part of fitting in. The prophecy has been done, he lives once again alongside four other dead. Now, just as it was foretold, he was bonded to a lone soul, you, which he’ll gladly serve for eternity, and not even death can keep you apart from them!

Like Trey, his injuries are not clearly visible. However, under his shirt right over his heart, is a crude scar shaped like a rose. The lines were so intricate to create the design, and his flesh had been stitched together. He won’t speak about it much, but the others say the scar is there because the killer cut the tortuous rose scar into his flesh, tore out that part of skin, and ripped his heart out.

What was this black river outside the cemetery gates? What? It’s firm as stone! You say this is a road? What are all these little hobgoblins running around? Weren’t they supposed to be in the living world, not in hell? They’re just children in costumes? That’s ridiculous! The world has changed so much… Tell him, if he may ask you, what is the year? For how long have they slept in their coffins?

There were so many things to learn, so many changes, but what didn’t change? Flowers. Flowers still existed. Oh, he recalled his former life, tending to the garden and smelling the flowers. It was bitter sweet, as he recalled the very rose scar over his heart. He’s certain that flowers decorated his coffin at his funeral as well. And these roses… they were from you, they brought back many memories, but he’ll treasure this gift nonetheless.

Trick-or-treat? Why, treat, of course! Riddle follows your instructions perfectly, only giving candy to those children that ring the doorbell and say the words trick-or-treat. And to each child, he’s giving an equal amount of candy. Even the buckets storing the sweets have been organized meticulously by flavor and color. He takes this job seriously–– You three, Ace, Deuce, Cater! Quit terrorizing the children at once!!

Riddle felt a sense of calm. Of course anyone should’ve been confused after waking up in a coffin, but Riddle immediately knew what was happening. Someone had fulfilled the prophecy, of course. It was why he was able to walk out of the mausoleum and notice the offering left under his name.

The roses smelled so sweet, and their red color was such a contrast to the dreary dark and dullness of the graveyard around them. Cradling the bouquet gently, his eyes caught sight of the younger two just beginning to reattach their skulls to their bodies. Not too far away, he saw the other two blocking the exit at the gates. This was it. It was the moment he would properly meet the lone soul who he was now bonded to. He could practically feel the stitches above where his heart would be, magically tugging him forward closer and closer to your form. This time, he will make the most of this second chance, and he’ll have you at his side to carry out your commands.

Rosehearts never causes mischief or trouble or unnecessary conflicts. He keeps the other four in line and helps them blend in more with the living crowd. You can trust in him, he will prevent the others from doing anything they shouldn’t be doing… Is what he says, but you can’t be sure. Well, as long as you’re around to calm him, everything will be alright. As long as you do not leave him, no one will have to face the wrath of the walking dead.

Afterwards...

Say, why not go to the land of the dead with them? Because of the prophecy and curse, they never were allowed there but maybe now they would be permitted. Don’t worry about the small details, you may be living still but that shouldn’t be a problem! The land of the dead isn’t that bad from what they’ve heard. There was something deep in their bones, an emptiness as they slept, a longing that they’ve ever known. That unknown emptiness was only filled by you, their lone soul.

Sure, it may be dark and there is no sunlight, but it’s quite lively considering it’s full of dead people. Besides, you’ll have them at their side! What harm can come to you when they are there? You won’t have to worry about the problems from your living life, not when you’re residing down in the land of the dead with them.

It may be frightening at first to see all these grotesque skeletal figures walking about, but a simple bit of adjusting just as you taught them how to get used to the changes of the living world, will get you used to the land of the dead.

Hm, what’s this? You don’t want to? Well, they aren’t entirely opposed to it, they don’t mind staying in the living world with you either. However, how will you be able to live with five walking corpses? Halloween doesn’t last forever you know, and they can’t constantly excuse their appearance with the holiday costumes. It would be long before they’re insisting you reconsider going with them to the land of the dead. Afterall, you did initiate the ritual, you gave them offerings, you lit candles, you bound them to your soul. The book said, once that vow is made, it shall seal the soul’s fate.

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always-andromeda · 2 years

Text

Trick or Treat || Edward Nashton x GN!Reader

Edward Nashton x GN!Reader

Word Count || 2,336

Summary || When Edward tells you that he never went trick or treating as a child, you take the chance to help him heal his inner child.

Author’s Note || happy riddler: year one release day!! today we celebrate with our favorite little serial killer and terrorist!! this fic kicks off my next week of Halloween content and I hope y'all are excited!! I can't wait for you all to see what's to come!! Also, I apologize in advance for my obvious love for the Halloween franchise in this fic, I love all of the movies even though almost all of them are actually so terrible <3

Warnings || spoilers for Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981), some heated kissing, Edward and his Tragic Past™, sliiiiight mask kink if you squint, nothing else I can think of!!

"Remember, Eddie, it's Halloween. Everyone's entitled to one good scare." You tease with a light tickle to Edward's side. He squirms away from you in response.

Edward proposes uncertainly, "Isn't Halloween supposed to be for kids?"

The grimace he throws at the packaged costume on the shelf before you makes you chuckle. "Do you not understand the reference?"

"The reference?" He spares one more look to the folded boiler suit and the mask. He doesn't see it through the plastic, but the paper label says there's a plastic knife inside to complete the ensemble. How people fantasize about being such a character, Edward doesn't know.

You say, "The quote? Everyone's entitled to one good scare."

Edward turns back to you. "That's a reference?"

Your expression is aghast, eyes wide and mouth already open and ready to protest, "You're telling me you haven't seen one of the most classic slasher films of all time?"

Edward rolls his eyes and mutters, "There's plenty of things that I haven't seen."

You guess that he's probably telling you the truth based on the directness of his words. But you can never be quite sure. Edward isn't always the most forthcoming with his life experiences. You figured it out the hard way when you brought up your parents during a date. It was only natural. Everybody has parents, right?

Apparently not. Of course the tall and adorable nerd from accounting you had begun dating just happened to be an orphan. And of course he was so nervous to mention it that you’d gushed all about your parents and your childhood dozens of times before he said something. You’d asked him what type of toys his parents had gotten him when he was little and he hesitantly muttered that he hadn’t had any of either in the first place. The conversation promptly sunk like a rock to the bottom of your stomach. How you hadn’t noticed his blank stare every time you talked about your childhood, you didn’t know.

His childhood often provided for some...interesting conversations. Especially over the holidays. The orphanage didn't have the money nor the desire to treat the children under their care to something other than the constant poverty and paucity that plagued their lives.

While you got to shop for a brand new Halloween costume every year, Edward had stayed in the repurposed Wayne manor, looking out over the city. With every year it passed, the building and the children were more and more neglected. Gotham was just as dangerous during Halloween; possibly even more so. But deep down inside he knew that the children outside had to be having fun in some way.

For some reason, life decided that children like Edward Nashton didn't need candies wrapped in colored cellophane and fun costumes. Halloween was something that he hadn't ever been able to properly revel in. Tricks weren't nearly as fun when there was never a promise of a treat. Life had already played a horror movie for Edward to live. To find joy in the holiday seemed to be a privilege to one and he tries not to hold it against you.

You whine, "Oh, c'mon, you can't just play along? At least for my sake?" Edward offers little more response aside from another eye roll at your theatrics. He doesn't expect any less coming from you.

Pretending to be someone else didn't seem all that appealing. Maybe pretending to not be Edward Nashton would help him feel a little more comforted, at least until the autumn chill crept in through the poorly insulated walls and made him wish that it was summer. It made him wish that the rot inside would take over and consume him entirely. It made him more conscious of the simple fact that no matter how hard he tried, he would always be Edward Nashton, the wishy washy forensic accountant who was practically invisible.

Well, invisible to everyone except you, for some reason. Why you insist upon sharing these traditions of yours with him, he'll never know. The rudimentary animatronics that jump out at him every time he steps on a button make him want to snort more than anything else. He would admit though that he quite liked some of the masks. Though he had no clue what movies they referenced, he gathered that they were villains. Only villains covered their faces like that and wore oversized cloaks or boiler suits. Only the villains kept in the dark; kept themselves masked and too afraid to confess to the world their sins.

As he stares into the dark voids of the eyeholes in the plastic mask in the package, he nudges you with his shoulder. "I'll play along," he starts quietly, "Tell me about this movie of yours."

Your eyes light up immediately. "Really? You don't care about spoilers?"

"I don't think so." he chuckles, "Besides, if I'm going to be wearing this thing for Halloween...I think I'll have to know what the guy does. "

As you continue to wander up and down the aisles of the Halloween store, Edward listens intently as you describe the tale of Michael Myers. A child who who murders his sister then spends fifteen years in a sanitarium, only to break out and finish the job with his secret sister and all of her teenage friends. Edward is sure that he's seen the events play out the same way in about a dozen different slasher movies before. He holds back the urge to scoff at all the cheesy tropes; a couple that has sex and is subsequently brutally murdered, a jammed doorknob, cut phone lines, and a helpless babysitter. However, there is one bit that Edward gets.

"So...this Michael Myers...why does he kill everyone?"

"He's out to get his family and Laurie is his sister. He's there to clean house."

"No, no, no, I get that. But why everyone else? Why her friends and everyone else at the hospital? Why does he even have to murder his family? What's his motive?"

That question is more important to him than anything. What's the point in anything if there isn't a why? There must be a reason for violence. A focus. Some sort of angle to make the ends justify the means.

You stop dead on your feet in the aisle and slowly turn on your heel, tilting your head when you finally face him. The move confuses him until you raise your hands conspiratorially.

"That's the thing, Eddie. He almost doesn't even have a motive. He doesn't understand right from wrong or good from bad. All he knows is evil. That's it. And that motivation is what keeps him going every single time he's put out of commission."

Edward raises an eyebrow and asks monotonously, "Evil keeps him from dying?"

"Exactly! Because at the end of the day...Michael always finds a way to come home."

Though he's sure an antagonist from a 70s horror film wasn't meant to be analyzed outside the simple parameters of shock value and blood just for the sake of blood, something about that idea intrigues Eddie. He is dormant. Lying in wait. Counting down the days until the next opportunity; the next Halloween. Now that thought--more than heavy breathing on the other end of a phone--sends a shiver down his spine.

But this Halloween...this one isn't home for thoughts of vengeance and appeasing the intrusive voices that tell him he should hate the world. This Halloween is just for you and him. And the home he will now always yearn to come back to is this; you and him on the couch of his apartment, candy wrappers scattered about.

Even during the best of times, Edward isn't a fan of sweets. As he'd gotten older, the craving for them had simply faded. But this is one of those nights where he's willing to indulge. The blended aftertaste of caramel, nougat, peanuts, and chocolate makes his throat ache with richness. He pats his protruding belly, feeling like a child who's been allowed to have their bucket of candy for dinner.

If this is what Halloween had been for you during your childhood, he understands why you enjoy it. There's a sort of control and escapism in constructing your own fear and soothing it with a nostalgic film and sugary treats by the warmth of a lit fireplace. He can almost forget the real pain that lingers just below the surface of his skin. At the very least, he can quiet it down just enough to where he can let himself feel normal. He's a normal man with a normal childhood and this is a normal Halloween. And there's you, his actually normal partner rested on his chest and spreading the lazy haze that overtakes his senses.

The polyester boiler suit feels smooth against his skin, nothing like what he guesses the real thing is like as he watches Michael Myers on the television screen in front of the couch. Right at that moment, Michael kills the truck driver whom he eventually takes the jumpsuit from. For some reason, he has to admire the resourcefulness.

You look up at his face, transfixed on the screen, and giggle. "Are you getting scared yet, Eddie?"

His attention broken from the movie, Edward spares a small glance at you before grabbing the iconic mask he had tucked between his thigh and the couch and taking off his glasses. With a little bit of an awkward struggle to stretch the rubber over his round face--which only makes you laugh more--Edward finally gets the iconic mask of Michael himself on. He looks to you once more. The stoically molded expression of the mask stares back almost blankly.

Voice deep and unsettlingly even, Edward asks you this time, "Are you getting scared yet?" To add to the drama of the whole act, he begins to breathe heavily. So heavy that you're sure the inside of that mask is quickly heating up. Probably making his skin flush and form a thin layer of sweat. And what begins as stone cold fear in your core slowly warms as you remember that your chubby cheeked and kind eyed Edward is underneath there. And no mask can completely kill the comfort you feel with him.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm actually into that." you cup the cheeks of the mask and press a small kiss to the lips. Behind the rubber, you can practically feel him scowl.

Edward says incredulously, "You're into this?" Based on his inflection alone, you know he's skeptical and a slight bit horrified. It's a skepticism that you plan to completely smother.

You give a little pout, peer through the dark eyeholes, and answer, "Well, actually there's one thing I'm not into about this." You reach for the edge of the mask at his neck and pull it back over his head. Lacing your fingers through his real hair, now slightly damp and disheveled, his face looks just as red as you imagined. His brows turned, he waits for some sort of explanation as you admire his soft features. Maybe his normal partner isn't quite as normal as he expected of them.

Brushing a bit of his hair off of his forehead, you assert, "If you're going to get into wearing these, you should really get one where I can see your eyes better. I like seeing them."

Eddie rarely believes in the world telling him the truth in such stark terms. Even the grandest gestures could always be a lie. But your fingertips stroking his bare cheek and your body pressed against his in a way that tells him that you need him...that can't be faked. You'd have to be completely insane to look at him with such reverence and mean none of it. And he decides that with the safety you surround him with as proof, you're being honest. You'd never trick him. Despite the half full bag of store-bought candies that now lays discarded on the floor and his full stomach, he concludes that you're his favorite treat during this conflicting season. You're saccharine and filling but you never make him feel sick and full of regret.

This time, he kisses you. Hungry and feral, he displays a confidence you don't see in him often when his hands run up the back of your thighs and pull him up onto his lap.

You feel his teeth graze your lips and your skin flutters. "B-but what about...the movie...don't you want to...finish it?" you manage to utter between every fervid kiss that Edward lays on you.

He pulls back just long enough to give you a fond look, similar to how you'd been observing him. There's something a little deeper to it though, something possessive in how his grip on you tightens. It makes your breath catch in a tight pocket of your throat.

He finally replies, "You already told me all about how it ends. The killer gets away. I don't think I need to hear it twice." Before you can let yourself get embarrassed for spoiling the entire movie for him earlier on in the day, Edward goes in for the kill, inflicting a ravenous kiss on your neck that succeeds in making you breath once more; puncturing the pocket your air supply had been trapped in and driving you just as wild as he needs you to be for him now. He engulfs you in his arms and makes you simply bleed with a want for more of him.

It doesn't unsettle Edward; being dressed like a serial killer, that is. There were worse creatures that he'd seen in Gotham. For now, though, he can pretend that tonight is forever. You are his haunted house; the keeper of his hopes and dreams and desires and all his brokenness. You are the window that he looks through and sees himself in. Only in this reflection, he's home and he doesn't need bloodshed to get there.

#danonation #paul dano #danocel #the batman #the batman 2022 #edward nashton #edward nashton x reader #edward nashton x you #edward nashton x y/n #dano!riddler #dano!riddler x reader #dano!riddler x you #dano!riddler x y/n #˚ʚ meda writes ɞ˚

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mattypattypinky · 5 months

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🎀Vector Holiday Head Canon's🎀

He LOVES halloween,

most years he goes trick or treating. If he were to hand out candy I feel like if they knocked at his door he'd be like "Trick" and steal kids candy 😭😭😭

He'd love couples costumes. He'd do god awful ones, Like ketchup and mustard - or peanut butter and jelly, or Velma and someone else from the mystery gang. (He'd wanna be Velma. He'd wear the skirt and everything.)

Sometimes he has goofy halloween costumes but occasionally he'd use a actually scary costume. He'd scare kids for fun during halloween.

I feel like he'd dress up as other villains for halloween especially big ones he looks up too. (He dressed up as Megamind once and put on a bald cap and everything.)

He'd decorate the outside of his fortress and his living room depending on the holiday.

During christmas he'd have a ton of lights, and little yard decorations. He'd also decorate his security system depending on the holiday. His lasers have christmas hats on them. His lasers are red and green so if you get laser-ed to death it would be festive colors 🎊!!!

He'd have celebratory music in his yard and around his fortress, depending on what holiday it is. It'd be loud and obnoxious. Everytime a neighbor steps outside they can hear jingle bells or kidnap mr sandy claws or something depending on the holiday and time.

He's definitely the type to buy cookies on Christmas, NOT for Santa, but for himself. The girls would think he's buying cookies for Santa but he's not. Even if Santa was real he wouldn't share with the guy. He'd be like "suck on this Santa" while he's eating the cookies😭

He might have specific outfits for different holidays.

During halloween he'd decorate a lot of jack-O-lanterns because they're orange (They're on brand.) He carves his Logo into them.

He wouldn't really celebrate Easter that much, he'd probably just buy Easter candy or draw. "The day that christ rose? Why do I care about Jesus"

He does the same thing he does to Santa to Jesus on easter.

He'd celebrate Yule, - He'd decorate with dried oranges.

He'd probably call his dad each holiday to wish him a good one. He'd also send his dad card and his dad would send him a gift or enclose money in the envelope even though they're both rich and don't need too😭.

He'd create robotic reindeer that attach to his flight machine. They probably also play christmas music, or make jingling noises when it flies. 😭 either that or he'd make a whole working Santa Sleigh-

He'd cosplay the grinch.

I feel like during different holidays he might scheme up some villain plan according to it. Like halloween he could steal some big halloween thing or decorations or he could steal kids candies 😭

he'd steal a 9ft tall giant skeleton from every yard he can find.

He'd be a big fan of The Grinch he'd probably aspire to be like him. He'd think he's a real villain. or was a real villain- I mean he stole from an entire town. When he watches any grinch movie he stops right after he gets all the gifts as he doesn't wanna watch the reformation scenes.

He'd wanna go and get a picture with mall Santa's. He'd wanna go sit in their lap despite being a full adult. He'd give them a list of things he wants.

"Okay, so, for Christmas this year, I want a new nuclear reactor, because my old one broke. And I want two pounds of uranium."

He thinks Thanksgiving is a bogus holiday, but he will use it as an excuse to eat a lot of food. But he wouldn't cook any of it, he'd order a massive dinner from some fast food and eat it all in one night. He'd get an extreme stomach ache and make himself really sick😭

You walk into the room and hes sprawled out on the couch with one hand on his stomach complaining about how he can't move and that it hurts😭😭😭

he's such a baby-😭

and if you offer him a solution he'd whine "Nooooo"'s.

On Valentines Day he'd cry about not having a partner, calling it a bogus holiday and he'd use it as an excuse to eat alot of junk food. He'd watch a shark tale on Valentine's day......... 💀........... He'd also CRY to that movie. If he had a partner during Valentine's Day he'd make them watch it and he'd claim that Oscar and Angie are "So us" just ignoring the fact that Oscar nearly cheats on Angie TWICE 😭😭😭😭😞😞😞😞 He'd get a tummy ache from the chocolate.

He gets a stomach ache MOST holidays actually. They're a recipe for constipation. 😭😭😭😭 He complains for days afterwards.

He never learns😍😭

Fathers Day he'd hang out with his dad the entire day, if a partner wanted to hang out with him during that day, he'd insist they bring their dad too. It'd be like a double dad date. Or he'd try to share his dad if you don't have a dad or don't like yours. "It's okay, you can have mine!!! Have you seen the size of my dad? He could be like three families dads." 😭 He doesn't even mean it in a rude way either.

This isn't a holiday but he doesn't strike me as a morning person, so I feel like he'd disregard Daylight Savings. The world will bend to his schedule, he's not going to change his sleep patterns or his schedule for it.

He'd celebrate Earth Day but only because he cares about Sea Life and Littering

He'd love to celebrate Shark Week

On New Years he vows some crazy shit. "New Year New Me, I'm gonna stop eating so much Junk" then within an hour, or the next morning he's already ate a whole bag of chips and a soda. And he'd cry about it, too. He'd cry very hard.

He'd have a vendetta against April Fools, he's scared of being pranked so he locks himself in his Fortress. He'd be paranoid around even his partner. It'd be so funny to see him be so suspicious. Squinting his eyes and shit at them. 😭😭😭 He's expecting something, every turn he's expecting. Everytime he sits down he checks for whoopie cushions, and he'd check his partners hand for buzzers, and he'd be so paranoid about everything😭.

#despicable me #despicable me headcanons #vector headcanons #despicable me vector #vector #vector despicable me #vector perkins #vector x reader headcanons #x reader headcanons #mattypattypinkyposts #🦈🌙

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livefuntravelposts · 2 years

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Ten Reasons to Visit New York in the Fall

Let's face it. New York City cannot possibly be visited in only a few days. This eclectic city with multiple skyscrapers is a world in itself. You will probably need several trips to New York to feel that you have entirely visited this city in the northeast of the United States, and you will never run out of things to do and places to see! I remember the first time I really spent time in New York. It was high school, and our high school drama club went on a trip to NYC. Camping out on school property the night before, we took an early morning bus trip and got into the city about noon. Unbelievably, we were dropped off, told where to meet for the shows that we were going to attend and had freedom to do whatever we wanted. I was 16. And this was 1979, long before they "cleaned up" the theater district. It was amazing. And for a kid from a small rural town in Pennsylvania, it was a world I wanted to know more of. I loved the crowds, the grittiness and dirtiness of the city, the food on the street and the freedom that NYC represented. I wanted to go back as soon as I could. I wanted to see it all. I can safely say that after numerous trips and now much older, I have still not seen it all in NYC. And in the fall? Simply amazing. I have to say I miss the "gritty" NYC still, but with nearly 12,000 hectares of green spaces, the city changes its face and colors during the fall, and I still love it. The end of October is definitely the best time to enjoy it. Pumpkins are making their appearances in stores. The streets for Halloween and all the trees of the city are colored with red, yellow and orange hues of the most beautiful effect. Here are nine reasons why you should visit New York this fall:

Cheaper Flights and Accommodations

Autumn is an ideal season if you are looking for lower fares. The popular summer season has passed, and the Christmas and New Year holidays are still far away. As a result, the prices of flight tickets are more reasonable. The same is the case with accommodations, and you can easily find promotional offers on most travel websites.

Central Park Changes Colors

Central Park becomes even more special in the fall. With over 25,000 trees, this is one of the best places to see the foliage of the trees evolve over the weeks. Head through the narrow paths of the park and walk through the trees that are slowly losing their leaves. The best places in the park during this period are The Mall and The Pond (located in the south of the park) and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir to have an incredible panoramic view of the trees which surround the body of water. You should particularly take a short walk on the side of the Bow Bridge, in the southern part of Central Park: with the reflections in the small lake, the show is even more magical.

Admire the Stars on the High Line

Autumn is known for its clear skies in New York, so the Association of Amateur Astronomers invites you to observe the sky from the High Line promenade. Meet on the High Line every Tuesday evening in October, until October 27 at the 14th Street entrance. The event is free, so you can look at the different telescopes.

Celebrate Halloween!

Halloween is quite popular in America in general and in New York in particular! Here, Halloween is celebrated with dignity on the evening of October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day. Kids pull out their spookiest costumes and go in search of candy by casting the dreaded 'treats or trick'. Also, not to be missed is the traditional Village Halloween Parade, a monstrous parade that will parade on October 31 on 6th Avenue, from Spring Street to 16th Street.

Check out all of the boroughs of NYC. All are fun with incredible food and things to do.

Follow the Thanksgiving parade

After Halloween, Thanksgiving is another unmissable holiday in the United States. Thanksgiving is celebrated across America on the fourth Thursday of November. In Washington, the President of the United States will pardon a turkey in front of television cameras, while in New York, Macy's organize a huge parade with giant balloons. I must have watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade every year my entire life. Even now, though I don' watch it all, I still tune in just to see the balloons and the people.

Go shopping for low Prices

If you are a shopping lover, the day after Thanksgiving should be marked in big red on your itinerary. Black Friday is indeed a day of monster sales throughout the United States. And the stores of New York are not left out! Of course, entering these shops will be difficult for you, but there are amazing deals to shop for.

Fall for the Truffle

It is a well-established tradition in New York: fall is truffle season! The famous mushroom is on every menu and can be found in almost every dish. So order some truffles while you visit the restaurants. As a truffle connoisseur, Kati loves this time of year and looks for truffles throughout the city.

Experience the Start of the NBA and NHL Championships

The fall marks the resumption of two major championships in North America: the basketball and ice hockey leagues. And New York is in the running! In basketball, the Big Apple has two NBA teams: the New York Knicks, who play in their Madison Square Garden cauldron, and the Brooklyn Nets, who play at Barclays Center. In ice hockey, New York also has two teams involved: the New York Rangers, who play at Madison Square Garden, and the New York Islanders, who play at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. I have to admit, I have never seen an entire basketball game in my life but do love to see hockey live. I have never gone to a NYC game or match, but I know many people that do and love it.

Discover Christmas Decorations

From the end of November, New York will begin to light up for the end-of-year celebrations. The stores compete in imagination, and the Rockefeller Center welcomes its giant Christmas tree. The advantage of seeing the decorations at the end of November? There will be a lot fewer people than during the Christmas holidays, and you will be able to take pictures more easily. As with most cities in the US, NYC seems to be putting up their Christmas decorations earlier and earlier each year. I do not really know how to think about this honestly. But I like to see them and enjoy visiting.

Our Final Word

To make the most of your New York trip, it is essential to travel at your own pace in order to enjoy all the activities that will be part of your program. Whether you decide to go to New York with your family, your friends, or your soul mate or why not on your own, it is essential to take your time so as not to miss any of the moments that await you. New York sometimes seems cliche. Sometimes it is just a place to pick up a flight to some European capital or a place you pass through to head up to New England. It is big. It is loud. It has some rude people in it. But it also has great food and restaurants, some of the best shopping in the world, great Broadway shows, and an array of free activities like no other. We love NYC. And you will too. When it comes to accommodation, you will be spoiled for choice. New York has a great offer for all budgets, all tastes and in all neighborhoods. Take advantage of your stay to choose splendid accommodation and rest after a day of sightseeing and shopping in this gigantic city! Do not hesitate to combine the districts closer to the activities you want to do and put your suitcases in a different hotel every day: it is such a big city that it will save you time, which is ideal for enjoying your stay!

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#HolidayinNewYork #NewYorkTravel #Vacationinthefall

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abellaheart-blog · 2 years

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“Kaidou’s Birthday” (Kaidou x Smitten Reader) 🎊{Birthday Special}

Summary: Kaidou saves you and you develop a crush on him. He doesn’t expect you to become so smitten with him. Since it’s his birthday you have something special for him.

Author Note: Kaidou’s birthday is in October so the story will have fall themes. Please let me know if you want more Kaidou fics.

October is your month. You love what Halloween has to offer you which is tons of fun. Living in Japan seems so out of place for you at times that you don't think you fit in. Most of your classmates didn't know what Halloween was. You walk to school enjoying the cold air as September finally comes to an end. It feels very refreshing to you. Your hair blows with the wind as does your skirt uniform. It's very early in the morning so the sun is still rising. The streets look so empty so you're at ease.

Big mistake.

A car driving by doesn't notice you while you're crossing the street. It's your right of way so you don't think too much about cars. You could've sworn you heard some type of commercial from the a tv nearby.

"It is I who must save the day. My inner strength and dark powers must be unleashed fear not I'm the main character!"

Something of the sort. You don't know. Right now you can't stop thinking of all the fun you do during October. Scary movies, scooby-doo marathons, candies galore, caramel apples, Halloween decorating, costume choosing and most importantly the scares.

You hear a large honk as time slowly passes you, your life is flashing through your eyes as everything is set in motion. You're frozen with fear, not sure how to acknowledge the situation. Tears prick the side of your eyes until a light blue and green blur is in your line of vision. Your eyes are blurry from the tears. You fear the worst. Your shoulders are held pushing you in the air against something warm and close. It felt comfortable actually calming. You land on the ground with a loud thud with a stranger on top of you. A horrid crash is heard far from your ears as the tumbling and skidding is enough to wake the neighborhood. You gaze upwards to find your hero. He's wearing the school uniform from the same school you go to. His wrists and hands are covered with a red bandage. He's also trembling with fear. He appears to be as scared as you are. You both take deep breathes, panting with fear. You blush at the distance between you and the admittedly cute guy. He has red eyes with determination and fear radiating off them. To you they look hypnotizing. He apologizes, getting off you. Your red rosy cheeks are a darker color showcasing your blush. He smiles at you with a cocky pose and expression.

"I've done it once again. Saving the innocent." He remarks.

It was a little funny to you but for now you must thank your savior. You jump in his arms yelling, "thank you" multiple times, causing him to become bashful. You kiss his cheek letting go of him.

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for you! I could kiss you!-" You gasp then recollect your words. "I mean- I meant it in a way that I'm eternally grateful for your heroic action of course!" You manage to cover up.

"Heroic action?! Your welcome." He responds. Your face turns red finding him cuter.

"W-wow he's dreamy and adorable at that... his eyes sparkle.... I think I'll keep a close eye on him.." You think to yourself. You link your arm with him smiling. "C'mon let's walk to school, it's getting crazy around here."

He rubs the back of his head in a bashful manner from your actions. The police and ambulance take care of the rest of the accident. You find out your hero is a third year student by the name of Kaidou. He explains his background about his destiny and what not. Loving his imagination you join along finding it fun. You love anime and are sure that's his inspiration. He's surprised you go along with it.

"Y-you're not weirded out?" He asks with shock. You laugh.

"Not at all! It's exciting we should continue this conversation during lunch! Meet me with my friends outside the gym. We'll be waiting." You wave to him running off to class.

Kaidou couldn't believe he got to such a cute girl. Maybe it truly is his birthday. His parents are off working so he has no one to celebrate it with. At lunch time you explain to your group of otaku friends about your crazy morning. They comfort you as you tell them about the guy who saved you. They couldn't believe it but what most of your teasing friends found more interesting is this mystery guy. You explain how he will be joining, to talk about cool anime plots and settings. They get an understanding of Kaidou with his pretending, finding that it's actually cool.

"It's like cosplay only without the costume!" One of the girls say.

They come up with different worlds and powers for themselves. It's really fun watching them. Kaidou appears trying to sneak behind the trees. He looks as though he is hiding from someone. You wave to him, looking around to give him the clear. He sighs with relief, easily walking up to your group. His cheeks tint pink realizing the entire group he'll be joining this evening is full of girls.

"W-Whoa there's about five girls including her!" He thought with a surprised look on his face.

His gaze goes to your location with high interest. He smiles at the thought of having a chance to hang out with you. He's so glad he rescued you. You introduce him to everyone explaining their favorite genres and fandoms. He thought the loli was the cutest one. He shares his fandoms and genres he prefers with the group. They found him funny yet original with his "imagination" as a powerful being. He would show timidness and cowardly actions as well, especially around his buddy Saiki when he briefly arrived during lunch time. It's later revealed that he doesn't have plans after school due to no one celebrating his birthday. You and your friends couldn't help but feel bad about this, sharing some empathy for the blunette. He really appreciates it, thanking each one of you. You ask him to join you and the girls to the mall today. You're all going costume shopping or helping the others to buy supplies for their cosplays. His smile brightens, agreeing to the invitation immediately.

After school you meet Kaidou, telling him the others will meet back at this current spot after they change out of their uniforms. You're all going via bus transportation. You tell him it shouldn't take too long and you stay behind due to living so far. Now is your chance alone with the cute boy. You didn't want to miss your chance with him.

You decide to ask Kaidou more about himself, wanting to find out more about his interests. Maybe you two might have more in common. It sparks a fun conversation you two enjoy. You find it cute he gets into character a lot. He himself really admired you don't mind it. Sitting down beside each other your hands accidentally touch. They're placed on top of each other. You two look up into each other's eyes, blushing. He's shy wondering what to say or do next so you giggle teasing him. He stutters defending himself when you suddenly kiss his cheek once more.

"You're cute Kaidou." You wink.

His face glows red, fainting. You gasp holding him closer to you.

"Speak to me!!" You say dramatically worried for the poor soul.

He eventually woke up ten minutes later to your relief. It was funny teasing him. He couldn't stop trying to shift the blame on you as if you're the bad person because he's the hero. You giggle at the comment.

"You’re a cute clumsy fool. Don't you start with me. You trip over the smallest things!" You laugh.

He pouts, crossing his arms.

"Aww I'm sorry birthday boy. Here." You give him a great big hug as you did in the morning after he saved your life.

His eyes sparkle with admiration from the sweet gesture. Your smell is very soothing like a relaxing spa. Your hair against his fingertips felt so soft while your warm grasp is friendly and inviting. It reminds him how lonely he can feel at times back home. To feel cared for in such a way made his heart swell with happiness and joy. He embraces you back not wanting to feel empty. Your calm face against his chest made his body flutter as if he's in space. He's never felt like this before. This can't be the work from his powers no. This isn't a miracle either so what's this joyous feeling? Your eyelids flutter open revealing your shining orbs to him. They look so beautiful, contrasting to the setting around you. Your frame against the cloudy background of the school seemed to go back into the stupor he had of you in slow motion. This experience isn't fear like last time but quite the opposite. The cherished moment left him, feeling soft and warm in the inside that he leans in mesmerized by his feelings for you. You two kiss sweetly. He held your waist bringing you close in a protective manner while you grab onto the front of his school jacket gently. This marked your first kiss together. You two look into each other's eyes when you're interrupted by a certain group of fan girls.

"AAAAAWWWWW! SO SWEET!" Your friends cheer in unison as the jump and squeal with joy. You two rub the back of your heads blushing.

"Happy birthday Kaidou.." You tell him quietly.

“Thank you... I love you." He whispers.

Your heart leaped for joy. You got him a wondrous gift for his birthday after all. It was love.

#saiki no psi nan #the disastrous life of saiki k.#kaidou x reader #kaidou x y/n #female reader #birthday fanfic #yu kaidou x reader

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lovestruckay · 3 years

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Request: "Hi there! Loveeee your writing for Fire Force and was wondering if you could do headcanons (SFW and NSFW if that's ok!) for Akitaru and a fem s/o for celebrating birthdays or holidays?"

Pairing: Akitaru Obi x Fem!Reader

A/N: Happy birthday, Obi! I’m a little late but I made up for it by making this 2.5k words, haha. NSFW content is below the cut, it’s mixed in throughout instead of separate! I used these HC as a way to talk about some of the days I celebrate personally from the Wheel of the Year - eight holidays that celebrate the spring equinox, the summer solstice, the autumnal equinox, the winter solstice, and the four cross-quarter days between them.

Akitaru loves the holidays. He’s the kind of person who plans celebrations a month in advance, sometimes even longer depending on what the special occasion is. He’ll put out decorations, bake pastries, cook whole meals, and even throw parties where he’ll give mushy speeches.

You think he leans into celebrating even more for the sake of the rest of Company 8. Nearly all of his companions had come from troubled backgrounds or had lost their loved ones and he was always clear that the Eighth was their family too. Akitaru is the father figure of their ragtag company and he takes that role seriously. Not just in protecting them and guiding them but in doing the little things that family did - like celebrating holidays.

So, when these special occasions roll around, you better get ready because this man is not just celebrating for the fun of it but because it’s a way to bond with you and the rest of Company 8.

The Holy Sol Temple has generic, catch-all versions of all the seasonal holidays. With the Temple worshiping a Sun God, their holidays are centered around solar events like the solstices, the equinoxes, and the cross-quarter days between. December celebrations are all bundled up into the Winter Solstice, Ostara and Easter became the Spring Equinox, Samhain and Halloween became the Autumnal Cross-Quarter Day, and so on.

Even though these combined holidays are the most frequently celebrated, the pre-Cataclysm holidays still exist and are still celebrated. It is on a much smaller scale though so this makes celebrating these holidays a much more meaningful affair. If you celebrate a particular day, whether it’s because of tradition or your heritage or something else entirely, Akitaru is excited to learn and be a part of something so important to you.

Valentine’s Day is one of his favorite holidays because it’s a celebration he gets to spend with the woman he had fallen madly in love with - you. He likes that there’s a holiday dedicated to your love for each other and he tends to go overboard with making sure you know how much he cherishes you.

Akitaru is really cheesy about showing you how much he loves you. He always starts the day by waking up before you and sneaking into the kitchen so he can make you breakfast in bed. He’ll cook your pancakes in the shape of wobbly hearts and there will be a protein shake there with your orange juice. He has covered your entire bathroom with sticky notes, each note containing sweet messages he had written throughout the year about how much he loves you. You have a hand bound book on your shelf filled with pressed flowers and love notes that he had made for you one year.

He once hired a skywriter plane to write your initials in a heart in the sky. He loves you so much that it turns him into the corniest, sappiest man on the face of the planet.

He takes the Firefighter Calendar very seriously and he’s absolutely playful and confident enough to wear something sexy for you as a surprise. If you surprise him by wearing some revealing lingerie, he will spend the rest of the night absolutely worshiping you and showing you how beautiful you were.

Akitaru is such a big man but he can be so delicate that the tenderness he touches you with makes your breath catch. But sometimes he forgets his own strength, especially when you’re wrapped up like a present, and he tears the wrapping paper. You know better now than to expect whatever pretty lingerie you buy to survive the night.

He makes sure that you can’t get out of bed when he’s done with you and that works out great for him because, guess what - dinner in bed is on the way.

The Spring Equinox mornings are always spent outside basking in the nice weather and the warm sun as you plant new flowers in the cathedral garden. You spend the afternoon spring cleaning your home, sweeping behind all the furniture and packing up winter clothes. The afternoons are spent painting eggs and hiding little gifts of candy and sweets around the cathedral for the rest of the company to find.

Every year, the Autumnal Cross-Quarter Day (or Halloween as most call it outside the church) is a day-long affair. Mornings are spent carving Jack-o’-lanterns and baking cookies decorated with icing in the shapes of skulls, bats, and spiderwebs. During the afternoon, you’re putting out last minute decorations and filling bowls with king-sized candy bars for the trick-or-treating children that stop by the Fire Force cathedral.

Somehow, Akitaru is always able to convince everyone at the Eighth to dress up in costumes. He especially loves doing coordinated outfits with you, like Frakenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein or a werewolf and a vampire. One year, he was able to convince the entire company to dress up as zombies and you all spent the day making zombie noises at each other and giggling.

If you like getting a little scared for Halloween, he'll take you to a haunted house or a haunted trail where he will inevitably be clinging to you by the end of the experience. If you get chased by the workers wielding fake chainsaws at a trail, he will get so scared that he will literally scoop you up into his arms and run away.

If you’re more interested in staying home and spending time together, you’ll nestle up on the couch together with a bowl of candy and some of the pastries you had baked earlier and binge watch horror movies. He has absolutely no talent whatsoever for video games - you swear the man can’t even figure out how to hold the controller half the time - but he will happily cuddle you and cheer you on if you wanted to play some scary video games instead.

Once you two are alone, Akitaru can’t seem to get his hands off of you. He thinks you are so beautiful every single day but there is something so alluring to him about you dressed up. If you’re wearing one of those revealing costumes, his eyes are glued to you the entire day and, once he can finally get you away from everyone, he’s tearing it off to get to the sweets underneath.

He is very sensitive to the fact that winter holidays can be very personal to a person depending on their background. Most people in Tokyo celebrate the Winter Solstice but there are people who still celebrate the pre-Cataclysm holidays. Whichever holiday you want to observe, Akitaru wants to support you and celebrate with you.

You want to build an altar for Yuletide? He’s bringing home pretty rocks and little trinkets he found that he thought you might like to give as offerings.

You want to light a menorah for Hanukkah? He’s cleaned off a special spot in the kitchen window for the candelabrum.

You want to decorate a tree for Christmas? He’s driving around looking for a pine tree he can cut down for you.

You want to decorate the house for Kwanzaa? He’s singing with you as you both hang brightly colored kente and he’s memorized all seven core principles to talk to you about during the week.

You want to host a dinner for Las Posadas? He’s in the kitchen helping you make tamales and he even stuffed and hung two piñatas - one for the new recruits and the other for you both and the rest of the company.

When it comes to gifts, Akitaru is really good at picking out presents for you. He always listens when you talk and he makes sure to remember when you talk about things that you like. He’s the kind of guy who will buy small presents throughout the year and stow them away in the back of his closet until the winter holidays roll around.

He’s extremely easy to buy gifts for, he loves the traditional “dad” gifts. Get this man some brand new winter socks, a new jacket to replace the coat he got too muscular for, and some new underwear and he is happy. If you give him something a little more exciting in addition to his gifts, like taking off your robe to reveal you’re wrapped up in a bow, he will gladly unwrap you and give you a present of his own.

For New Years, he likes to host a little get together with Company 8 to celebrate. You all make a big dinner and maybe even get a little tipsy before going up to the roof to watch the fireworks. You sit in chairs you had set out earlier, Akitaru settling you into his warm lap instead, and watch in amazement as Company 1 puts on their yearly fireworks show in the sky over Tokyo.

When the show reaches its climax and the clock rolls over to midnight, he kisses you.

Whether you’re drunk on a little alcohol or just the excitement of the night, sex on New Years Eve is always fun. It’s so easy to be yourself and to feel beautiful with him - he is such a light hearted and openly loving man - but tipsy sex is always full of smiles and laughter interspersed with little gasps and moans. There’s no shame and it just feels good to be complete with the man you love.

On Lunar New Year, he is taking you out to shop for new clothes and he’s helping you give out cards and gifts. He makes sure to buy a bag of sweets to leave as an offering once you clean the altar at home later that day. In the evening, he’s once again in the kitchen, helping cook eight different dishes for the reunion dinner with a communal hot pot always being the centerpiece of the meal.

Akitaru loves the holidays but his favorite celebrations are the ones for you two specifically: your birthdays and your anniversary.

For his birthday, he just wants a small get together with the rest of the company and maybe a couple friends. He is still as ridiculously easy as ever to shop for, just buy him new exercise equipment and he’ll love it. He works out so much that he wears down and breaks his equipment and he’s always excited to try a new machine.

He especially loves it when you surprise him in the bedroom with something new. If you teach yourself how to deep throat his impressive size, he’ll be wrapped around your little finger for a week straight. If you give him the remote to your vibrating panties while you’re out getting dinner, he’ll break down halfway through your meal and pull you into the bathroom to make you see stars. You never need an excuse to experiment in bed but it’s always fun surprising him with something every year.

For your birthday, Akitaru will always ask you what you want instead of trying to surprise you. He doesn’t want to overwhelm you with a party if you don’t want it and he doesn’t want you to be craving more if he plans for a day at home.

If you want to go out, he'll take you to the amusement park for games and roller coasters (one of which he couldn’t even ride because the safety harness didn’t fit over his muscular body). If you like the outdoors, he’ll take you on a hike through one of the nature preserves and lead you to a picnic he prepared for you. If you like to dance, he’s taking you out and trying his best not to step on your toes.

If you want to stay in, Akitaru will buy you a copy of the newest video game you had your eye on and will order pizza so he can watch you try to beat it in one sitting. He’ll spend the morning baking and decorating a cake from scratch and it comes out incredible. He’ll give you a massage and his almost too strong grip feels so good it sends shivers up your spine.

On your birthday, he is in the palm of your hand. Whatever you want to do, anything you want to try, he is so eager to please. He’s an open-minded man and there really aren’t many things that are hard passes for him in bed. He isn’t particularly well versed in the kinky stuff so he’ll need a bit of an explanation sometimes but, once he understands what you want, he will gladly give it to you.

Without a doubt, your anniversary is Akitaru’s favorite holiday of the year. He loves that your anniversary is a celebration of your bond and a reaffirming of your love for each other. He’s honestly just as dramatic on this day as he is on Valentine’s Day - if not more so - and he will come up with the most cheesy, romantic ways of telling you he loves you.

Sticking to tradition, he took you out to a fancy dinner one year to a restaurant with a dress code and no prices on the menu. Even with the overly formal atmosphere, he was still his usual boisterous self throughout the dinner and his sunshine smile puts you at ease. The dinner was spectacular and, even if you normally hated stuffy environments like that, his happiness is contagious and you feel comfortable.

On your anniversary, he makes it his Sol given duty to fuck you until you scream when you cum. He makes it a point to give you the best orgasm of the year, making you finish over and over until your pleasure climbs to a high that has moans shamelessly spilling from your lips. You absolutely cannot walk the day after your anniversary so, every year, you take not only your anniversary off but the day following as well.

Akitaru pays such close attention to your moods and your likes and dislikes when it comes to the holidays throughout the year and tries his best to make you happy. At the end of the day, he just wants to be with you and for you to have a good time.

After all, he loves you so much he wants to spend the rest of his life making happy memories like these together.

#akitaru obi #obi akitaru #akitaru obi x reader #obi akitaru x reader #obi x reader #akitaru x reader #fire force x reader #fire force #enn enn no shouboutai #fanfiction

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pagingdoctorbedlam · 3 years

Note

What does CP9 do during the Halloween season?

What a wonderful question for my favorite holiday! Here you go under the readmore~

Rob Lucci: Lucci pretends not to care about Halloween. He holds onto his aloofness for as long as he can. But we KNOW he's the one who sews himself and Hattori matching outfits, and if you think this man isn't going to deck himself out for Halloween in the fanciest damn homemade outfit he can, you've got another thing coming. Lucci passively starts planning early, scribbling designs and acquiring fabrics on the sly, and spends all his October freetime in a frenzy of sewing. Not only will he and Hattori have outfits, but if someone else on the team doesn't have an outfit up to his standards, he'll make one for them as well. Can't let someone else's bad outfit drag the team down, after all. (And he's secretly proud of the praise his outfits get, even allowing a smile to break past the aloofness.)

Kaku: Kaku absolutely loves exploring in the time leading up to Halloween. The changing colors of the trees, the brisk air against his face as he runs, the decorations that slowly cover the buildings...everything's so fresh and exciting again! Kaku's also developed a habit of acquiring a spooky outfit ahead of time and bounding through the city at night, sparking a rumor of some creepy monster on the loose...only to reveal that it's been him all along on Halloween. (He gave Paulie in particular a pretty big fright one year).

Kalifa: Kalifa honestly isn't a huge fan of Halloween (ESPECIALLY all the guys leering at her "sexy" costumes), but she's not going to stamp on the others' joy so long as they don't drag her along on any foolish schemes. Besides, she's pretty unflappable when it comes to being scared, so she'll absolutely binge horror movies and laugh at every jump scare. Her inability to be scared means she gets dragged along to every scary excursion as the "brave friend", and she takes her payment in the choicest Halloween candy and seasonal beverages. No one has yet to scare her with anything aside from dirt.

Blueno: Blueno's used to being very busy on Halloween, especially during his time as a bartender. His humor gets more morbid but remains pretty deadpan, which he uses to great effect as he slings bizarre cocktails. And yes, he absolutely uses his devil fruit powers to slip in and out of places to scare people, even if it's simply by saying hi. The others might get annoyed at getting spooked, but it's rare to see Blueno legitimately enjoying himself, so they tend to let it slide.

Jabra: If you celebrate Halloween with Jabra, you WILL end up in a Haunted House or Corn Maze, and you WILL inevitably get lost and end up scaring the poor staff members. It happens every year without fail; Jabra goes off to find the biggest pumpkins for Halloween, gets distracted by haunted attractions, declares himself too brave to be spooked by anything, and in you go. Then his superstitious side kicks in. He punched a "ghost" once and nearly got arrested. At least afterwards, he'll get you some warm cider or something for your troubles. Jabra also notoriously goes nuts for pumpkin ale every Halloween.

Kumadori: As fun as modern Halloween can be, Kumadori knows the importance of keeping tradition alive. While he'll still celebrate Halloween with spectacular makeup and ghost stories, what he actually observes is the day afterwards (Samhain/Day of the Dead/All Hallows Day/etc). On this day, Kumadori sets out offerings and tells stories of the dearly departed, believing it to be the day when the dead are the closest to the world of the living. Expect lots of crying...but many of those are happy tears, full of love and memories. You are always welcome to join him to talk about your lost loved ones, if you don't want to be alone.

Fukuro: Fukuro absolutely loves Halloween. Particularly decorating; he's one of the best pumpkin carvers on the team, and he's got a knack for finding weird, kitschy decorations to hang up everywhere. He'll hide a few in unexpected places too; you may be finding Halloween decorations squirreled away in nooks and crannies for the rest of the year. He also loves telling ghost stories, and his gossipy manner of speaking leans into the telling really well.

BONUS Spandam: Spandam's favorite holiday is "Halloween is over and all the candy is 50% off". Doesn't like Halloween itself because he thinks everyone is out to scare him (which knowing his squad...they probably are). Hands out ancient leftover candy to Trick-or-Treaters, and saves anything with peanuts for Funkfried.

Nero: Keeps going to the scariest haunts in town to prove that he's tough...except he gets scared and sneaks out early, pretending he made it through in record time.

Bedlam (CP9 OC): Bedlam was very confused by Halloween at first...mostly the decorating of pumpkins instead of just eating this practically sacred food. While they're still a bit leery on that front, they'll happily sip any and all pumpkin-flavored beverages while snarking about the medical inaccuracies about various Halloween outfits and displays. They'll likely dress up for Halloween too, as it's one of the only times they can show off their wings without worry of repercussion.

#cp9 #bedlam answers #rob lucci #kaku #kalifa #blueno #jabra #kumadori #one piece fukuro #doc bedlam #halloween headcanons

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twinkiefairy · 3 years

Text

Who wants to read a snipped of my Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Lost fic? The actual thing isn’t ready to share yet but this part was really fun for me to write so! Enjoy.

CW: food mention

Spoilers: Not really, but this is set around Season 1, Episode 18-19ish if you want to be extra careful.

In the fic, you play as 16-year-old Carolina “Lynn” Bonnet, a Lost fan who found herself on the island along with the rest of the survivors. This is just one scene from it!

Find it below:

“Do you know what day it is?” The voice sounds angry, urgent.

“Huh?” you look up from the book you’re reading to find Cooper, a middle aged man who lives a few tents down from you with his wife, Amy.

“I said, do you know what day it is?” he repeats.

Why does that matter? “Uhm. No, sorry. I haven’t really been keeping track.”

“Exactly!” he yells out, victorious. “You don’t! No one does! So explain to me why my wife is so upset that I didn’t realize it was our anniversary?”

Yikes.

“Fuck October 30th. I’m never doing a fall wedding again,” Cooper mumbles under his breath and stomps off, apparently deciding to rant to someone else.

You snort. Again?

Then his words hit you. Did he say October 30th?

You have to double check this. But how can you? You don’t have a calendar with you, and even if you did, it would be useless if you hadn’t been crossing off the days since the crash. Someone must be keeping track, though. But who?

Looking around, you find your answer.

“Rose!” You call, bounding up to her. She’s kneeling in front of a makeshift water container, scrubbing laundry. “Rose, what day is it?”

“You too?” She asks, sounding peeved. “What’s going on with everybody today? I just had Cooper here asking me the same thing. Don’t tell me you forgot your anniversary, too.”

You laugh. “No, no. But I heard Cooper say it was October 30th. Is that right?”

“By my count it is,” she answers, still doing laundry. “Why?”

“Don’t you know what this means?” You say, getting excited.

Rose looks at you expectantly, eyebrows arched.

“It’s Halloween tomorrow!” You exclaim. Isn’t it obvious? “We have to do something!”

Rose is amused. “You wanna go trick-or-treating?”

“I don’t know,” you say, already coming up with ideas. Obviously there isn't much candy to go around, but… “We could have a costume party!”

“Honey, I’ve washed every single piece of usable clothing in this place,” Rose says, not unkindly. “Twice. I’d know if there were any costumes around.”

“If I find you a costume to wear,” you offer. “Would you come to the party?”

Rose stares you down. “Just don’t dress me up as one of those Sexy Rabbits, you hear me?”

You laugh, and the deal is made.

***************

“And we’ll need food,” Hurley is saying, excited. “And music. I can get Sayid to fix the batteries on my CD player. Maybe even get some speakers. That’d be mad cool.”

It didn’t take much to convince Hurley to help you plan the Halloween party. He took to the idea with enthusiasm as soon as mentioned the words “Halloween party”, almost as if he was waiting for you to ask.

“What should we do for costumes?” You ask. “Rose said there weren’t any on the plane. We’re gonna have to provide them for people if we really want this to be a costume party.”

Hurley thinks about it for a second. “We could do hats,” he suggests, at last. “It’s much easier than trying to figure out shirt sizes for everyone.”

That gives you an idea. “Crowns! We’ll make it like one of those fancy balls, for royalty and stuff,” you suggest, excited. “Crowns are easy to make out of paper. And we can even make some flower crowns, too, if I can find someone to teach me how. We can make a bunch, then people would pick one for themselves as they come in.”

“I have an old comic book we can use for paper,” Hurley offers, warming up to the idea. “I can get Charlie to help me cut out the shapes and stuff.”

“Perfect,” you say. “You take the paper crowns. Let me take care of the flower crowns. I know exactly who to go to.”

*****************

“Hey, Claire!” You greet her cheerfully. “Whatcha doooooing?”

She chuckles, doing that little side-glance that she does when she’s amused but doesn’t really know what’s going on. “I’m just… Watching the waves, I guess.”

“Great,” you say. “Now listen. I have a very important question for you.”

She frowns quickly, but she’s smiling. “Okay?”

“Have you ever made a flower crown?”

Claire grins. “A flower crown? Sure. My friends and I made them all the time in school.”

You clap excitedly. “That’s perfect! Come with me. I need your help.”

“What’s going on?” She asks, carefully getting up.

“It’s Halloween tomorrow!” You explain. “Hurley and I are planning a costume party for everyone. We’re making crowns for people, so we can pretend it’s a royal ball. It’ll be fun!”

Claire bites her lip, smiling. “I know exactly where we should go.”

*************************

Claire leads you through the forest into a wide clearing. Every inch of the ground is covered in flowers of every color, shape, and size.

“Woah,” you say, breathless. “How did you find this place?”

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Claire smiles. “I found it on one of my longer walks.”

“It’s amazing,” you agree.

She smiles at you. “Come on,” she says, grabbing you by the hand. “I’ll show you how to pick the best flowers for crowns.”

The two of you spend hours among the flowers, calling to each other whenever you pick an especially beautiful one, and weaving their stalks to make wreaths fit for any head. It’s relaxing and peaceful, and the two of you giggle about nothing at all until the sun is about to set.

You make so many crowns between the two of you that you struggle to carry them back to camp without flattening the petals, but you manage— not without a healthy dose of laughter.

*********************

Hurley is excited to see you, and gushes over the flower crowns.

“Dude,” he says. “They look amazing.” Then he starts, as if remembering. “I have something to show you, too.”

He takes you to an area of the beach that has been sectioned off for the day for Hurley’s crafts. On an elevated piece of metal from the plane are rows and rows of colorful paper crowns. Some of them sit a little crooked, but you have to admit that using the comic book was a fantastic idea— the colors are bright and strong, and so varied from page to page that each of the crowns has its own unique personality.

“Hurley,” you say, genuinely. “These are amazing.”

“Pretty cool, huh?” He beams with pride.

*********************

The party is absolutely wonderful. More people show up than you really expected— word must have spread quickly around camp. There’s a great assortment of fruit, courtesy of Kate and Sun. People seem to take to the crown idea eagerly— almost everyone around you is wearing one, including yourself. Claire’s is specially beautiful, one she made herself to make her light eyes pop. Hurley is smiling more than ever, offering people food, helping them pick a crown that fits their personalities, and making conversation with everyone— a perfect host. The music makes the atmosphere feel extra special— thanks to Sayid, who fixed up Hurley’s CD player— and the light from the nearby fire adds a warm glow to the air.

Sawyer refused to join, retreating into his tent and claiming he had a massive headache. But you left a paper crown near the entrance of his tent earlier, and when you walk by sometime later, it’s gone.

People dance. Walt, in particular, has a way of energizing the dance floor in a way that surprises you, for such a relatively quiet kid. Sayid and Shannon are inseparable, especially during the slower songs. Rose, true to her word, waltzes around, a crown atop her head. Charlie knows all the lyrics to all the songs, and mimics playing the guitar or drums as he mouths the words.

Sun and Kate sit to the side, content to just watch, until Claire drags Kate into the makeshift dance floor despite her protests that she does not dance. From a distance, you can see Kate refusing the flower crown Claire offers her, and Claire, unbothered, reaches for a black-and-blue paper crown instead. This time, Kate surrenders, and Claire carefully places the crown on her head.

It’s beautiful, all of it.

#i just cannot stop thinking about a halloween party on the island #such a huge missed opportunity #i just want these people to have one (1) moment of happiness is that too much to ask #i might delete this later tbh #if you have ~thoughts~ youre welcome to share but this is ultimately for me #im just being generous and sharing it lol #being lost #lost choices #idk what im gonna name it actually #abc lost #lost abc #lost fic #lost #lost tv show #lost show

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bioodorange · 3 years

Text

||Pastas on Halloween||

I'll make a part 2 if y'all wanna see anyone else

X-Virus

Cody would play an actor at one of those haunted houses

Were talking huge, multiple attractions and long ass lines

A personal HC, Cody is bomb at SFX makeup

He'd have a fun time before hand, half dressed up and helping people he worked with get ready

He'd do it with normal people because with the pastas its cheating

He'd do the same one every year and make friends through it

Start planning months ahead with everyone and leaving at random ass times to go set it up

He'd have a souvenir each year

And he'd sell overpriced tickets to those he didn't like

Even if he likes you this shit ain't free

Wouldn't let ANYONE see his makeup or costume outside the other workers for ultimate scare factor

All would be going well until he gets fuckin socked by one of the kids

Their mom would apologise like "omg I'm so sorry I kn-"

And he breaks character gets up with a huge smile on his face and laughs his ass off

"nice one" and offers a high five

Very into Halloween and very hard to upset him during this season

Masky

Claims to not be super into it

Like ew why it's just a holiday??

But spends 3 hours looking for the perfect costume at spirit

Would casually rob a Walmart for all of the candy

And on Halloween just has the stupidest grin on his face

Like his reason for being happy just halloween

That's all he says when someone asks

Takes great pride in the pumpkin he carved

Yes he dragged brian to get it with him

he MIGHT try and bake the pumpkin seeds

He has a mental list of good and bad horror movies

One comment from Brian about how he always changes his opinion and he writes it tf down

The next morning around 8:30 am

SLAM

Brian, confused "Tim what the fuck is that-"

"Everything" "What the hell does that mean?"

"you said I change my opinion a lot so now it's all here!" "What the h-"

"yes it is color coded, thank you for asking"

"how long did this take you?"

"16 hours"

Radiates proudly in dumbass sleep deprived energy

Laughing Jack

So as expected he likes halloween

dUh

Since this dude loves children

He would definitely have fun with this Holiday

He would go to like a preschool before halloween and just fuckin watch those little parades they have kids do

Like where they go around the school In their costumes

He'd roast the shit out of them

And everyone else too

He'd give so much tips like what you could do to make it better

But wouldn't tell you how to do so and continue to put you on blast

He thinks spirit is overrated and insists on making his costume himself

But he'll do it in the like two days leading up to halloween and will get very feral with anyone who interrupts his work

He likes trick or treating but not with people so he'd have like Jason and candy pop go to different rooms in the mansion and give him candy

For like 5 hours straight

He'd stab the candy on his fingers like a shish kabob

He'd also murder anyone who eats a KitKat by biting into it

Even though he's a weirdo who chews ice cream and swallows cookies whole

Homicidal Liu

So Liu feeds like stray cats and other animals in the woods

He feels bad because theres shit like the rake out there

But he would dress every single animal up

And spend like all afternoon taking pictures off them

He isn't one to dress up, it isn't really his thing

He'd wish he could hand out candy because he wants to see like all the kids cool costumes and stuff

Would low-key murder a fuckin spirit of Halloween attendant so he could have their job for a day

He'd go to Costco and get all different kinds of candy and leave out those little "take one :)" bowls like out and about

Now when it's like later at night he'd go around beating people up who like kill black cats because apparently Halloween is oh so horrible

Also in the few days after halloween when people start returning their black cats and stuff he takes all is them home to the mansion

And eventually slender makes him release them or keep them in the basement

Everyone got annoyed of dying cat noises coming from his room at 2 am

I feel like Liu wouldn't be a fan of horror movies

But he'd be totally down to watch the originals like Hocus Pocus, Halloween Town and Monster House

He is a fan of Tim Burton

His favourite movie is the Corpse Bride

Ticci Toby

He fucks pumpkin

But no Toby is a big fan of fall

And halloween!

He really likes M&M's

Chewy candy is hard to eat with the gash in his cheek

He'd suck all the colored covering off of the M&M and spit it out

He'd do this to all of them before eating them

If you watch a horror movie he insists on eating all the half popped popcorn kernels

Toby would be a fun of funny slashers like Child's Play

He'd be the one dude who'd spoil wtf was gonna happen during the movie

And get a shit ton of popcorn thrown at him

He'd get a lot of criticism for how his cosplay was innacurate

"his hoodie has thicker stripes then that like co"

Yeah uh then he'd bite this bitches finger-

Toby unironically barks at people change my mind

For his costume he'd probably go to a smaller local business to support them

He'd get dressed up as Dracula or something a classic but a good one

Jeff or something would make fun of how he could see Toby's fake ass fangs through his mouth gash

Then Jeff would get fuckin socked in the face

Don't mess with this bitch when he's excited about Halloween!

Jeff the Killer

He also fucks pumpkins

His worst nightmare see those Jeff the Killer morph suits at spirit Halloween

He'd get his costume from fuckin hot topic or something

He'd post youtube make up tutorials on how to look like him

Ben would get mad cash from filming Jeff raging when he got demonetized

He'd spend like 20 minutes getting his hair in a wig cap only to realize he didn't need it for his costume

He'd be into really shitty candies like tootsie rolls and black licorice

He'd get curb stomped by LJ for biting right into a fuckin KitKat bar

Very adamant on kidnapping children

That is until he realizes how annoying they are

"what do you mean you have to e a t" "no shut the fuck up and e- NO I DON'T CARE IF IT'S COOKED" "OH MY GOD SHUT UP"

Jeff releases the children and now refuses to hangout with ben

Simply because of how small and feral he is

He'd go around scaring kids for revenge and taking the fuckin candy they drop

#x virus #x virus headcanons #tim wright #tim wright Headcanons #Masky #Masky Headcanons #ticci Toby #ticci Toby Headcanons #homicidal liu #homicidal liu headcanons #jeff the Killer #jeff the killer head canons

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kilesplaysthings · 4 years

Text

Halloween in Cradle!

Let’s imagine Halloween is a holiday that was introduced in Cradle by the first Alice and the people decide to let celebrations coincide with the harvest festivals like the “Land of Reason” does. How would "Alice” spend it with the boys?

(first time doing an IkeRev thing! some characters’ stuff will be shorter since I don’t know much about them yet! Put in a Read More since it’s LONG lol)

Lancelot:

It’s become a tradition that the rich and elite of Cradle attend an evening Halloween masquerade ball. The ball is only lit by candlelight and everyone dresses in black for an added spooky elegance. Red wine is served and haunting, but elegant music is played for dancing

Lancelot, of course, attends and invites you to be his partner. It’s the first and only time you’ll see him in black (you know, being that he’s the King of the Red Army) and he looks absolutely regal in his black suit, cloak and full mask with gold trim.

As the two of you dance and enjoy the evening, he explains the traditions of this party. It seems that the Central Quarter’s ballroom is, in fact, haunted by the ghost of a woman in white. She died a tragic death on Halloween night; people found her amidst the dancing, sprawled at the foot of the grand staircase, swathed in her pure white dress. As such, everyone who attends dresses in black to be sure that they can spot her before someone is “spirited away.” Red wine is served because it was her favorite drink and her favorite music is played to let her know she is welcome.

As he tells you this and the two of you continue to spin around, you think you catch a glimpse of white out of the corner of your eye. Lancelot squeezes your hand at the look of apprehension in your eyes and smiles at you, pulling you closer.

“Don’t worry,” he whispers. “I’ll make sure no ghost spirits you away tonight.”

Ray:

Halloween for Ray is busy just like any other day, but he’s always willing to help decorate the barracks to make them spooky!

Both armies like to have fun with the public and open parts of the barracks up for visitors for a fun spooky evening with games and fun haunts.

Insists on plenty of black cats everywhere.

Black cats are not bad luck. They’re good luck and ensure that Halloween will be fun and safe! (that’s the legend he’s determined to spread). Is not ashamed to wear black cat ears for the night either lol

He’s the head of security for the autumn and Halloween festivals that happen in the neutral Central quarter’s town square and the two of you walk around together having fun as he oversees the safety of everyone.

After the fun is over and the night is winding down, he’s happy to cuddle with you by the fire with a cup of warm apple cider - most likely with a black cat or two snuggled on your laps.

Jonah:

Not much of a Halloween person, tbh thinks it’s too childish

thinks the sweets are too much of Edgar’s type, not his own

the morning of, however, he invites you to a nearby café for brunch to show what delicious autumn delicacies they have

is happy to tell you about the different things he and Luka would get up to on Halloween when they were kids.

the two of you laugh over the stories he tells when he “defended” little Luka from a person dressed up in a ghost costume when they went guising as kids. Won’t admit that he ever got scared, (though he did)

Sirius:

This time of year is one of his favorites, because it means lots of autumnal baked goods that he can make!

Pumpkin pies, pumpkin cake rolls, pumpkin doughnuts, apple pies, apple crisp, pumpkin apple crisp! You name it, he’ll bake it.

It’s his baked goods that are always around for any harvest or Halloween festival

While he’s cool with Halloween, he does prefer the harvest aspect of he month more, mainly because he likes autumn decorations

Will invite you to help carve pumpkins with him. Or rake leaves. He’s actually quite good at carving and makes some fantastic faces and designs! And expect some fun leaf shenanigans with Chutney involved too

the two of you like take a walk together on the nearby trails to admire the beautiful autumn colors before the harvest dinner.

Edgar:

To your surprise, he quite likes Halloween

Mainly because he gets to scare and prank people and no one can judge him for it this time. Also CANDY

You can bet this guy has TONS of candy everywhere

Is ready to go out guising like all the kids do for the candy, even though Jonah keeps berating him for being too old

“You don’t even have a costume!!!” “I do so have a costume. I’m going as a Red Army soldier.”

Can also carve pumpkins quite well. makes some scary faces on them

Since he’s forbidden to go guising, takes the next best thing, which is to take you around the Halloween festival in search of treats to buy and win

Is a pro at all the games. Takes GREAT pleasure in the dunking booth, and is a great shot at it

“Here, Alice. I won this special candy just for you. Don’t eat it just yet. Let’s wait till we’re alone. Then we can share them, together~”

Luka:

Like his brother, is just meh about Halloween

But he enjoys the harvest festivals

Invites Alice to join him in going to one that’s on a farm just outside of the city. Together the two of you have a blast! Going on hayrides, looking at the different pumpkins in the pumpkin patch - and picking some out for later Halloween decorations - as well as picking out the juiciest apples for later baking and sampling some delicious apple cider

You pick out matching scarves with him at the farm’s shop that sells hand-knitted clothing perfect for fall days like this one and wear them for the rest of the day

You can be sure that harvest time means some delicious food made by Luka, as he gets along with the farmers who offer him their best produce

The nights are colder, so he makes sure he warms up a cup of tea for you before you both snuggle down together for bed.

“Going to the farm with you was so much fun. Let’s make it a tradition to go together every year!”

Kyle:

This time of year, our boy is on the lookout for colds. He’s prepared for visitors coming far and wide seeking treatments for them and has his office well stocked with medicine and herbs to help treat coughs and sore throats

He can get into the Halloween spirit too and decorates his office with a sort of “mad doctor” vibe to it. hOw OrIginAL

You can be sure he offers every kid that comes to him a Halloween treat when they leave his office (he’s a doctor, not a dentist lol)

basically Halloween is a chill day for him with just a flavor of spookiness.

likes to chill at Dalim’s bar in the evening for a quieter Halloween night

Fenrir:

This boy does NOT do Halloween!!

He’ll do anything to avoid celebrating it. Too busy with work! Gotta train! Has guard duty at the barracks! He has DESK WORK to take care of!

The other officers admittedly like to prank him this time of year because of it and it never fails to work

He’s touched when your make him his favorite meal to comfort him after a prank got him good

he tells you that his dislike of the holiday and his fear of ghosts both started when he was kid. his family threw a big Halloween party one night and late in the evening, when everyone was sitting together telling ghost stories, there was a banging in one of the rooms upstairs and the fire went out suddenly, leaving them all in the dark. People said it was a ghost coming to visit them. for a boy of only six, he said that night stuck with him for years and he still remembers how scared he was.

you’re touched by this rare moment of vulnerability from him and promise that from now on, each year, you’ll have your own “un-Halloween” celebration together

Zero:

He likes the idea of guising but knows he’s too old for it

Instead, he enjoys participating in the Central Quarter’s Halloween festival

He helps the local candy maker in his booth and the two of them make candy for people to buy during the festival

is not above dressing to get in the spirit of the night

Makes you your own special candy when you visit him in the booth

you share a candy apple together when he gets time off and can walk around the festival with you

Seth:

Ultimate Halloween prankster of the Black Army.

Has been the chief scarer of Fenrir but never goes too overboard -just enough

Halloween is in part about dressing up in costume, so you can be sure he’ll want to dress Alice up in every princess, witch or vampiress costume he can get his hands on

matching costumes is a win-win situation for him. his favorite is vampire and vampire bride. will get into character for it too

“careful Alice, I just might bite that pretty neck of yours if you keep acting so adorably~”

Loki:

Will 100% want to go guising with you

dresses up in a black hoodie with cat ears. “Look! I’m a black cat!”

the two of you hop around the villages together, you in a white sheet as a ghost, and him as a black cat, carrying sacks to get candy

back at the house, the two of you will sort out your booty together and trade treats, offering some to Harr if he wants any.

the night will end with bobbing for apples, some spooky games and tales and Harr admonishing you both not to eat too much candy before bed

you both may or may not decide to play a fun, innocent prank on Harr later on in the night

Harr:

For Halloween, you and Harr decide to take it easy. Maybe eat a big dinner with some celebratory cake and play some games together at the house

but then Loki comes up with a daring idea: late night exploring in the Old Ruins that lie deep in the Forbidden Forest

the idea is kinda scary, but also thrilling! Plus, Loki reasons, they’ll be with Harr, so there won’t be any danger

Harr (secretly pleased that he’s trusted so much) finally agrees.

The Old Ruins are rumored to be haunted, Loki says, as the three of you creep in. The door makes a painfully loud creaking noise as he tugs it open

Armed with a lamp fueled by magic crystals, Harr leads the way in as the other two huddle around him. the building is dark, decrepit, and quite dangerous in some places as the walls and upper floors are caving in.

“We shouldn’t stay here too long,” Harr warns, worried about the instability of the place. A sound is heard in a nearby room adjacent to the foyer.

“Let’s check it out!” Loki suggests and he heads in the direction of the noise.

You don’t find anything but continue to hear noises, noises that seem to be coming from the upper floors...

After a while of exploring, Harr suddenly decides to put his foot down. “Let’s go. Now.” He tells you.

You both don’t argue against the tone in his voice and head back to the house, Loki excitedly talking about their adventure. As he does, Harr takes your hand and holds it tightly.

“I’m sorry we had to leave so suddenly, but while you both were looking around, I saw someone watching us from above on the third floor. The last thing I ever want is putting you in harm’s way. Stay with me tonight so I know you’re safe.”

Blanc:

He can remember when the first Alice introduced Halloween to Cradle. In fact, he helped in forming the traditions of the holiday to what they are today.

He organizes and is in charge of the Halloween festival alongside with Dean. He also likes to host a costume party in the Garden, free for anyone who wants to attend

He dresses up as a white rabbit knight hOW OrIginAL

Cliched costume aside, he looks cute so it’s all good

You are his special guest and he ensures that your first dance of the night is with him

Oliver:

His favorite part about this holiday is the costumes

He makes lots of costumes and items for kids who want a super cool look for Halloween

in his kid form, he reluctantly agrees to an early afternoon of guising with you, but insists on wearing a mask he made for himself so no one knows it’s him

don’t be surprised if he pulls some pranks on you throughout the day to get back at you for making him do that in his kid form

never goes to Blanc’s costume party. prefers to join Kyle at Dalim’s bar instead for a more laid back celebration

Dean:

Teams up with Blanc in organizing the Halloween festival

Is a huge folklorist and can tell you all sorts of weird and creepy stories about Cradle’s history

owns a whole library about it, actually

being a teacher, he does fun things throughout the day for his students to get them in the Halloween spirit

his students put on a play for the Halloween festival that is usually about some Cradle folklore

He’s a good storyteller, so be prepared with a blanket and some hot cocoa when you both sit by a fire and share ghost stories

Dalim/Dum:

Halloween or not, the bar’s gonna be running. Doesn’t mean he can’t get in the spirit of things, though

decorates the place with candles and fog and all

keeps things quiet for those who want a calmer holiday

concocts special drinks for the occasion. Kyle’s favorite is the White Lady, based on the ghost that haunts Central Quarter’s ballroom

Will keep visitors entertained with weird and creepy stories that he’s heard from customers over the years

Mousse:

Halloween is just another day for him

Candy is whatever. He’d rather be given cheese. Prefers harvest festivals since there is cheese in abundance.

has to attend the different public gatherings as a Cradle official

ghosts don’t scare him. doesn’t believe any of the legends to be true

likes to drink warm cider and will fall asleep in front of the fire if he’s at a party

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ribcage-rodents · 3 years

Text

How Iris first had an inkling that Wally had a crush on Dick. Ok so like, bc Star and Gotham are absolutely horrifying during Halloween, Barry is like “I’ll patrol then Iris will take the babies trick or teating”

Originally Wally is really upset bc he wants to go patrolling w his uncle but once he finds out that he gets to hang out w the other hero’s he’s psyched.

So Wally is like 12-13 and dresses up as the flash naturally. Roy is like 14-15 and he’s totally too old for Halloween and over it bc he’s super angsty, and dresses up as like Jason form Friday the thirteenth or some shit bc Black Canary forces him to. Robin only ever celebrated Halloween during his circus days when everyone would paint their face scary and flying Graysons would do aerial ballet show w black fabric so it was like spiders but after that it was just horrifying.

Anyway so Barry picked up this tiny Batman costume and Iris was like “Barry hon, isn’t he like 10? Shouldn’t you get him a bigger outfit?” (He two years younger than Wally, and four younger than Roy) And Barry is like “no trust me babe he teeny”.

Batman shows up to their house followed by a tinsity winsty baby tiny Batman bc Barry ran it over b/f patrol. And wow is that cute. Tiny baby Batman is basically glued to Batman’s side, his teeny little head coming up to Batman’s lower thigh, last time Iris checked 10-year olds aren’t supposed to be that tiny but wow is it adorable. (I’m sorry I just love teeny baby Dickie& giant looming built-like-a-tank batdaddy)

Barry told her what Batman had already explained. That Robin is foreign and doesn’t really know a lot of holiday stuff and also has been severely traumatized the past couple of years and doesn’t really like strangers and knows better than to take anything from strangers.

So it’s obvious that Robin would rather be tied up and drugged w fear gas than in a family aquatintence’s home about to go trick or treating. And Iris is a little resentful of the other boys, hard as she try to be understanding, bc Wally looks so disappointed bc he just wants to have friends and these guys don’t want to have fun.

Anyway Roy is kinda warming up to the whole trick or treating thing but sometimes he can be really mean to Wally but maybe Iris is just overprotective of her boy. Iris takes several pictures during the entire night despite both Batmans being adamant about no photos.

Robin refuses to go up to any house but Iris doesn’t comment on it. She doesn’t want to alienate him, so she doesn’t say anything. She goes up and grabs him a peice of candy but he disappears into the night. She panics for a good couple of seconds but calms when tiny Batman shows up next to Wally and Roy.

She doesn’t try again after that. He likes to walk at the back of the group and every time Iris tries to keep an eye on him, bc he may be a trained hero but central isn’t as safe as smallsville and her parental instincts are going off. Every couple of blocks Wally will try to walk next to him and talk and it’ll work for a while then Robin will slow down and fall behind and Wally’s angelic little baby face gets so sad.

As their trip comes to an end Iris can see Robin wrapping the cape around him tightly w his eyes screwed shut and it breaks her heart a little bc this poor boy must be so uncomfortable and scared that he’s trying to imitate the feeling of his mentors hug. It’s a jarring to imagine Batman hugging anything but she supposes that a baby as cute as that must make even the dark knight just wanna squeeze his sweet rosy, chubby cheeks. She reaches out to place a hand on his head, bc he’s too short to comfortably put a hand on his shoulder.

He jerks back immediately and death glares her, his anger showing full force through the white eyelets. She sent him an apologetic smile and he seemed to unbistle a smidgen.

Once they were finally home Iris watched them from behind the kitchen counter. Wally and Roy were digging into the candy while Robin perched on top of the couch. He kept scratching at his arm, Barry said that it was fine as long as it was controlled. Apparently the poor baby had a pretty serious anxiety disorder and tended to scratch to make himself feel better, it was ok as long as he didn’t have an attack.

She tossed him the single candy across the room, he caught it swiftly in his tiny baby hand. (So cute) Wally shot up to his feet. “That’s not one of my candies right?” Iris smiled, her prefect gluttonous boy. “Nope it’s from your uncles,” it was lie but it didn’t harm anyone. “That’s my backup candy!” Wally cried racing towards the door and snatching up handfuls of candy from the trick or treater bowl. Iris pretend to scold him for being stingy.

Robin slowly unwrapped the candy then examined it breaking off a piece and finally eating the snickers. His eyelets widened comically and he chewed slowly staring down at the candy before shoving the entire (not that fun size is really that big) thing in his mouth. It was absolutely adorable! She wished she had take a video and wondered if this was his first ever candy. (Dick usually just ate cotton candy as a kid, he hadn’t discover cereal yet. But since his parents died he hasn’t had real sugar, Alfred has strict hold on anything sweet in the house and Robin was deemed too energetic already.)

Apparently Wally agreed bc his mouth was wide open and his face was a blotchy-red color. His eyes were filled w what Iris could only discribe as adoration.

Wally swallowed then stood up again. His arms filled w sweets. “Here you can have my candy!” Wally all but shouted at the other boy, he paused for a second looking at his arms, “or we could share,” he suggested instead.

That’s what got Iris, even before his flash experiment Wally has never shared food, not even w his uncle. But here he was offering up some to a boy he hardly knows bc he thinks it’s cute when he eats candy. God she might cry.

Robin smiled at Wally. A real smile, the first one she’s seen all night. “You could still have it all if you wanted!” Wally said again his face turning a couple shades darker and thrusting the candy at robin, who artfully avoided his touch.

“We can share, don’t speedsters need extra calories?” Wally nodded and then proceeded to gather up the rest of the candy scattered on the floor. It was then that Iris noticed that Roy and dipped.

She was slightly panicked. Roy could probably fight for himself but he’s still a baby, a baby that Iris was in charge of. She hurriedly pulled out some blankets and turned on the tv for the boys while she dialed Barry who called Ollie. In a strange turn of events Ollie actually apologized to Iris, saying quote, “Roy’s a little jack-ass of course he snuck off. Don’t worry I’ll find him, probably screwed off to get drunk at some highschool party. Thanks for watching him while you could, I honestly expected him to scurry off a lot sooner.”

It didn’t exactly ease the tension in Iris’ chest but watching those two babies sitting on the couch pass candy back forth watching Charlie Brown specials made her feel a lot better. They were on opposite sides of the couch and Iris could see Wally’s little fingers twitching by his legs, he got up to go to the bathroom and came back only to really casually sit right next to Robin, like basically on his lap.

Robin wiggled up onto the arm of the couch.

“Ok so this ones a Milky Way,” Wally said passing the treat up to Robin.

He popped it in his mouth and chewed. “What’s the difference between this one and the snickers?” He asked, Iris was a little surprised by how good Robins accent was, he spoke like a natural English speaker, which he wasn’t. Every once in a while he’d use a word wrong or mispronounce something, a lit of something would catch on what he was saying but his American accent was pretty flawless.

“Snickers have peanuts, milky ways don’t,” Wally supplied in a duh voice. Robin smiled, “golly, you sure know a bunch about candies. You must be really smart!” And isn’t that so cute! Everyone treats the speedsters like idiots just bc they’re dense but here Robin is picking up on the hidden intelligence like a Batman should. Wally puffed his chest out all proud his face was still all red like a patchy strawberry.

A couple hours passed when Batman showed up. Wearing a different not soaked in fear gas costume, both Iris and Wally were sad to see robin go, well Wally was more devastated. The minute Batman stepped through the front door Robin was disappearing underneath his cape, according to Barry Robin doesn’t like to be more than 3cm from Batman at all times.

“Maybe we can hang out more!” Wally called his blush finally fading. A chipper ok sounded from somewhere in Batman’s cape, (Wally’s face turned scarlet in an instant) at the same time Batman gruffed out a no. Wally’s perfect baby face fell, Batman and Robin left. “Hey don’t worry kiddo I’ll talk to him!” Wally gave a half-hearted smile then went back to his candy eating.

Later he was engrossed in a discussion of patrol w his uncle while they both ate most of central’s candy supply.

As Barry and Iris got ready for bed an hour or so later she turned to him w a mischievous smile. “So it’s seems like Wally’s got his first real crush!” She sing-songed. Barry looked at her confused a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. “Who?” “Robin” she responded. “That’s doesn’t make any sense!” She signed, somethings speedsters really were dense.

#dick grayson #birdflash #wally west #babydickie #roy harper #batdaddy

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lions-arch-chronicle · 4 years

Photo

Issue 14! Special thank you to everyone who came to our impromptu meet up for a photo!

Image ID Below Read More

Title: EXCLUSIVE! Interview with the Mad King Thorn

Story: Courica: First of all I’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your very busy fall schedule to speak with us King Thorn.

King Thorn: Well of course, what better way to let all of my wonderful subjects know that their beloved king has returned than an utterly exclusive interview.

Courica: Now, I don’t know that you’ve heard but in your year of absence you have gained a new form of popularity thanks to a certain well known author.

King Thorn: Oh really? Do tell.

Courica: You and your romantic past have become the subject of a new novel by the critically acclaimed and critically panned author Snargle Goldclaw.

King Thorn: Romance? Hardly interesting wouldn’t you think? A history on my glorious and permanent reign would have been more fitting? (laughs)

Courica: We have a copy on hand here if you’d like to take a look?

King Thorn: Ohhh don’t BIND if I do. Get it? Bind? Laugh or this interview is over and I’ll feed you to the spiders.

Courica: (extremely nervous laughter)

King Thorn: “The viscount purred.” He Purred? That bastard has never informed me that he’s capable of purring... Rotten corn cob has been holding out on me.

Courica: Wait are you confirming there are accuracies within this story and that it’s not entirely fictional?

King Thorn: Aw now where’s the fun in spoiling the end of the story, now if you excuse me I believe it’s about time to acquire a new charr rug.

Title: Kuritata’s fashion reviews: SCARY SHINY?!

Story: Oh oh oh, it’s time for the friends to wear the spooky outfits! This one comes with shinies! The shiny gloves look like they should be hot and would burn skritt if she touched them. Do they hurt? Is the shiny worth the ouchies from the gloves? Very grabby grabby looking must come in handy for grabing onto shinies. Friend also has big scarf! Skritt is proud that friend is wearing weather appropriate clothing since it’s getting cold out. Very functional and it has spooky colors too! You look like a very soft and friendly looking pumpkin to skritt. Speaking of pumpkin friend has pumpkin face! Sharp teeth and shiny glowy eyes! Skritt thinks that she could look into your shiny eyes for days . Skritt would also like to request, to borrow, your weapon, forever. It is very shiny and would be good to hold and appreciate for its shinyness. Overall a very soft looking shiny spooky holiday friend 13/10 but only if skritt can keep your sword.

Want to have your outfit reviewed?Submit your fashion photos to us! https://lions-arch-chronicle.tumblr.com/submit

Title: You have all this candy corn now what?

Story: We were originally going to provide our beloved readers with some various recipes and helpful guides on what to do with the excess amounts of candy corn obtained over the holiday season but in our research, we realized that candy corn can barely be considered food and advising any sort of consumption of it or the use of it as an ingredient would not be in the best interests of our readers. Rather we have decided to recommend a simple yet effective solution to all excess candy corn.

1. Prepare a double boiler pot of your choice and bring the water inside up to boiling temperatures.

2. Insert leftover candy corn and let it melt until it becomes soft and malleable.

3. Remove the candy corn from the heat and begin to shape into your weapon of choice.

4. Let cool and enjoy your free candy corn-based weapon.

Title: The Boasting Hall: Quaggan wants to make a new afterlife for quaggan.

Story: Coo Quaggan has something to ask of the people of Lion’s Arch. Quaggan thinks that he should be given another chance for a good afterlife. Now, foo on quaggan’s previous mistakes from his lifetime. Quaggan only needs a few more pieces of candy corn to start a good life. Consider finding me in Lion’s Arch during the festival and donating at least 100 candy corn to a poor ghostly quaggan in need ooooo. Yoooou won’t regret helping quaggan. Quaggan has made a series of questionable afterlife choices but would like to make up for it by offering my wares as well to kind people who would like to shop from quaggan. I only have the finest Prickly Spider Legs and Globs of Globby Gloop available, but later. Quaggan will need to restock so gifts of candy corn will do for now coo.

Title: How to fully commit to your costume this year

Story: If you’re anything like me, you might be struggling to find a costume that feels right for this year’s festivities. After all, how is one to improve on perfection? When you look this good year round, it can be hard to find something that looks better than what you wear everyday! Halloween is a time to go above and beyond, even if all you do is kick your feet up and read the paper. We all know the classics, devils, jesters, witches, royals, assassins, all that jazz. But have those tried and true options really achieved true perfection? Of course not, I say! If you’re looking for a costume, take something that’s been done before, and do it to the MAXIMUM! Jester? Learn to juggle! Learn to juggle KNIVES! Why not? Have you ever tried? Royalty? Go all out. Start writing flirtatious letters to members of the monarch’s line. Marry into a noble family. Wait a couple years. No one can tell you you’re not really a princess NOW, can they? We’ve all tried our hand at magic once or twice, but do you really need it to be a witch? NO! Move to the swamp! Say ominous and dreadful things to strangers! Eat strange grasses! Wear rags and scowl! I, personally, am going as a Charr, and while the Blood Legion sent my resume back unopened, I am still waiting to hear from Ash. This is the season to be whatever you want, but why must that only be a month? Become what you wish to be! Who’s going to stop you?

#Lion's Arch Chronicle #Guild Wars 2 #gw2 #gw2 halloween

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feverinfeveroutfic · 3 years

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chapter twenty-two: sticks and stones

Marla had run back home for a few moments so she could change into her witch's robe but for the time being Sam, Aurora, and Belinda gathered on the far side of the room with Cliff, Frank, and a couple of Bloody Maries. Belinda adjusted the threads on her white dress with those blue scissors while in their art class, but she still managed to look like a doll as she had originally imagined. Sam glanced about the room in search of Marla and Charlie somewhere on the floor.

The interior of L'Amour had been decorated with shiny black and orange garlands. Clusters of little orange and white gourds hung all along the bar behind them. Orange and dark yellow lights shone down upon their heads, but every so often, they switched over to a soft purple. The whole room smelled of pepper courtesy of the Bloody Maries and cinnamon courtesy of a series of scented candles behind the bar to keep the place from reeking of alcohol and God knew what else. Every whiff of the cinnamon made Sam think of the cup of hot chocolate she made for Cliff and she knew she would have to make more of those for him following that night.

“It's gonna be a bit before they're coming back, though,” Frank told her at one point: his lush dark hair brushed over his shoulders like the ears of a dog. He awaited Charlie and the black and white Kiss face paint, given he already had a low cut white shirt on and extra tight black leather jeans as well as high heeled black boots which made him appear taller than he had originally appeared before.

But then the Cherry Suicides took to the stage in their black pointed witch hats: Zelda ducked behind her drum kit with her hat off kilter on her head. Sam noticed that was the only thing she had on to even remotely resemble to a witch's costume.

“Consider yourselves lucky, New York City,” Morgan announced into the microphone; Sam noticed she had on bright pearly orange lip gloss on her dark lips painted on in stripes so it looked like she had caterpillars on her mouth, “we've got a series of new songs in honor of this show here tonight. We haven't even debuted these back home in Rhode Island! The first one was helped on by a woman—you may've heard of her, she's more batshit insane than we are. Her name is Wendy O Williams.”

Frank yelped out at the sound of her name.

“It's called 'Scream for Me'!”

Zelda tapped on the cymbal closest to her so it made a noise akin to a bell. And they were all met with an intense wall of sound courtesy of Rosita and Minerva; Zelda's hat stayed in place atop her head as she pounded away as if she was a blacksmith swinging her hammer. Morgan brought the head of the microphone close to her striped lips: the first notes out of her mouth were low and harsh, but strong and tight.

“Morgan really upped her scream game, didn't she?” Cliff said to Frank.

“Yeah, she did!” Frank brought his glass of Bloody Mary close to his mouth but he never took a sip.

Belinda gaped at what she saw before her. Her eyes were wide with amazement, and she held onto her skirt as if she was stepping over a puddle. Sam and Aurora glanced at one another. A Halloween show needed a girl who could scream on a song of revenge like it meant business. Not a girl who was under the knife, but rather she was giving the knife to someone who asked for it.

Sam glanced over to the left side of the room, to Louie, who stood next to the side doors wrapped in a heavy black coat with a big hood upon his head. She spotted something shiny and pointed behind him—a bit triangular point upon a long dark pole. And she realized he was Death, and he could prance around with that thing and take under one of the souls before them at any given moment. He flexed his fingers and she noticed some white markings on the back of his hand: even from a distance, she could tell those were bones. Skeleton gloves for a good costume!

“There's Marla!” Aurora pointed out, and Sam and Belinda turned their attention to the right side of the room.

Indeed, they recognized Marla's violet hair on the far side of the room. Right before her was Charlie and his head of thick dark curls, and it took Sam a second to realize they were slow dancing to the music. Such a morbid song about killing someone for fun and then eating them and yet they danced as if it was a simple waltz instead. Charlie twirled her as Zelda unleashed a drum solo which followed Morgan's last powerful screech. A drum solo followed by a short picking guitar solo courtesy of Minerva and her big floppy witch's hat.

A guy in front of them punched another person in the face and Belinda lunged back at the sight of it, but Cliff and Frank laughed out loud at that.

The Cherry Suicides played another new song, called “Broomsticks”, followed by another one called “Bitches' Brew” and another one called “Dia de Los Muertos”, the latter of which Morgan let Rosita sing and in Spanish to boot. The whole entire time, Zelda never lost her pointed witch hat even as she played at a quick pace.

Charlie let go of Marla at one point and she disappeared behind the bar for something. She returned to their side with a series of what resembled to little white pearls on either of her hands, and she handed one of each to Belinda, then Sam and Aurora: Sam held up the pearls to the violet light for a better look at the little dots on the sides. Little skulls of different colors.

“Of course, Day of the Dead!” Aurora proclaimed as she threw the necklace over her head. Belinda and Sam followed suit.

“They're candy!” Frank added as Marla took the black and white make up out of her purse.

“I dunno if you'd wanna eat them, though,” she pointed out. “At least, that was what Charlie told me. But they're for Day of the Dead, though!”

The violet lights gave way to the golden and amber ones but Marla was only able to paint a black and white star on the side of Frank's face. Indeed, the next new song the Cherry Suicides debuted was called “White Star” and the four of them sang in unison. Even with her being seated behind the drum kit, Sam wished she could hear more of Zelda's singing voice. She yelled during the chorus but her voice carried enough to where she wondered if she could sing something to exemplify her voice.

By nine o'clock, they had finished up their Halloween set and Zelda chucked a handful of candy to the audience. Marla waved at her and she pointed in her direction. The four girls disappeared behind the curtain on the side there and the amber lights returned to their rich deep violet.

“It's okay, Charlie didn't get the make up on either,” Marla assured Frank, whose face fell when he realized he missed the full make up. “There's always a Day of the Dead celebration for later, though. We can do that tonight if you wish. Halloween into the Day of the Dead. Have it all as part of Samhain.”

“True. But it's still Halloween, though, Marla.”

Sam turned her attention to Cliff, who sipped on the remainder of his Bloody Mary. She thought about their little potential trip back out West to visit each other's parents, and she hoped they could do it on what money they had.

She then felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned around: Zelda stood behind her with her witch hat still off kilter upon her head and with a handful of salt water taffies held out before her.

“Ooh, yes please!” said Sam as she took the bright pink one for herself. Cliff meanwhile took the dark brown one.

“Root beer,” he noted while he unwrapped the piece of taffy. “You ever been to Virginia City?”

“Me?” Sam asked him.

“Yeah.”

“Not since I was little, no.”

“Maybe when you and I go visit our parents in a couple of months, we can go there for a day or something.”

“Ooh, yes! Sounds like a plan.”

“Just looking at these taffies made me think of Virginia City and the candy shop there.” Cliff slipped the taffy into his mouth and he squinted his eyes from the contrast of taste, between the root beer and the tomato juice. Sam giggled at him as did Belinda and Aurora, but he took it in stride. A Legacy show plus a meeting with her parents as well as his, and then a trip to Virginia City. It was all something to bear in mind even as Cliff returned home to California in time for Day of the Dead itself, and the whole prospect of the trip remained firmly on Sam's mind for a whole two weeks until she crossed paths with Joey on the way home from school one afternoon.

The sun hung low over the school buildings with the heart of autumn and Sam was sure she had failed her midterm for art history. She had no idea what had happened in that last week: her memory had fallen short with the exact art movements and Bill seemed to scrutinize her every move. It didn't help matters that he was still her counselor for that whole year, either.

She walked out through the front door only to be met with little snow flurries and that head of jet black curls near the curb.

“Hey, Joey,” she greeted him, complete with a nervous smile. “What're you doing here?”

“I had to ask around a little bit 'cause I couldn't fully recall your schedule,” he started as she descended the stairs, “but I just haven't seen ya in a while.”

“Not since the album was released,” she told him as she adjusted the lapels of her jacket.

“Yeah, and we go on tour soon, too,” he added.

“Already?” she asked him as she remembered Thanksgiving was only a week away.

“Yeah. You put out an album and it's necessary to promote it, too. So I wanted to see ya before those big things happen soon.”

Joey huddled closer to her as they walked side by side to the corner: the faded soles of his black leather boots crunched on the fresh fallen snow all around them.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” he offered her.

“I'd love that,” she said as they glanced in either direction of the snowy street. The flurries had started a mere few minutes ago and yet the New York streets were already a rich shade of off white. Over them stood a blanket of darkness held up by the skyscrapers and the scraggly dark trees, made dark with the incoming winter. He lingered closer to her as he led her across the pavement to one of the coffee shops on the other side.

Once they were safe and sound in that dry warmth, Joey turned to her with his brown eyes large and soft like a couple of chocolate drops.

“It's like that one night all over again,” he recalled, “the night we saw Legacy together down at L'Amour.”

“I know, right? Except this time, it's actually almost winter.” He turned his head to the counter behind him.

“Coffee and cake,” he said.

“Coffee and cake?”

“Coffee and cake.” He gestured back to the cake pops near the cash register.

“Oh, cake!” And Joey chuckled in response to that. They took a seat by the window as it began to frost over with the increasing snow.

“Can I tell you something?” he asked her in a low voice.

“Of course.”

“There's a part of me that wants to start playing hockey again,” he said as he ran his gloved fingers through his thick black curls.

“And?” She shook her head.

“Well, I think it'd interfere with touring and doing stuff with Anthrax.”

“And why are you telling me this?” she asked him.

“'Cause I showed you my hockey stuff. I've been trying to do that with the guys but they seem more interested in what goes on down here in the City than what I might have in store.”

Sam knitted her eyebrows together at that.

“Have you asked them about it?” she coaxed him.

“Yeah, I've told Frankie about it 'cause he's the other athlete here with his baseball and everything. But I haven't really heard much, though.”

“Maybe we can do another round of hockey again,” she offered him. “Like just you and me again.”

“Oh, yeah, do that for real!” he said and his face lit up. “We can do that before we go on tour with Metallica this March.”

She gasped at that. Cliff never mentioned them when he told her about it!

“You guys are all going on tour together?” she sputtered.

“Yeah!” He stopped in his tracks. “Wait. You didn't know that?”

“No!”

“Oh, damn.” Despite his dark sun kissed skin, a soft warm blush bloomed across his face. “Well—I don't think I was supposed to tell you that, but—you are a friend to us. We told you about Spreading the Disease while it was still in early production after all.”

“And now I do know!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, and you should definitely come along if you can, too—you and the girls.” He stood to his feet to fetch their cups of coffee. She kept her eyes fixed on Joey's slender body, made even more slender and elegant by his fitted black overcoat and his black jeans. Cliff never said anything about their touring with another band, let alone them, but she nodded her head at that. He did ask her to come along, too: there was no way she could hold onto that. And there was no way she could hold onto that when she had other things to worry about, like her art history midterm.

A few more things to worry about as well as her trip out to the West Coast. She knew that if Cliff would leave out details, she could leave out details herself: it only made sense to her. Joey soon returned to the table with the cups of coffee in either hand and a pair of cake pops in between her fingers. No sooner had he taken his seat again, his expression turned serious.

“By the way—referring back to the question I brought up to you back on birthday.”

“Oh, that!”

“Yeah. So—again, take all the time in the world if you still haven't thought of anything. But—have you, though?”

“Yes,” she replied with haste, such that it took him aback.

“Really?”

“Yes. I'll share it. I'll share that full body drawing. I promise.”

Joey hesitated for a second, but then he picked up the little red cup and raised it up in between their faces. Sam picked up her cup as well and they tapped the edges together. They took sips from their espressos at the same time.

“So late March?” she asked him as she held her cup with both hands around the base.

“Yeah. So we can do the thing with the hockey any time between now and then.”

“What're you doing for Thanksgiving? I only have that Thursday and Friday off but it's still days off, though.”

“Goin' to visit my aunt and uncle in Rochester. What're you doing for Christmas?”

“Going to visit my parents back out West.”

“Oh, shit. So—how 'bout some time after New Year's?”

“Sounds like a plan.” She raised her cup again and they gave each other another toast of the red coffee cups, and they took a drink in unison once again.

“Mind if I walk ya home?” he asked her as he pocketed two of the four cake pops into his coat pockets.

“Not at all. I have homework, anyways.”

“Alright, let's get a move on...”

Without another word, Joey and Sam took the subway back up to the Bronx. She offered to let him sleep in her apartment again but he assured her it was alright for him to head on back upstate that evening.

* * * * *

It was a whole five days before Christmas and Cliff bunked with her that weekend before they made the flight out to Reno. They were going to visit her parents first in Carson City, followed by his parents in the Bay Area. She had packed her things over Thanksgiving break, including her journal, her good pencils, her colored pencils, and some of her paints. She knew she would have to make something for her parents for Christmas. Add to this, it was a difficult task for her, but she managed to tell her parents about Cliff over the phone.

“He's from California, too,” she added to Ruben. “So he's gonna introduce me to his parents.”

“We'll be waiting for you kids, though,” he promised her.

Meanwhile, Cliff had called a cab for them the day before their flight, and thus, by the time she locked the door and told Emile where they were going, he stood out in the snow in anticipation. As she ducked out of Emile's apartment, she recognized Aurora's purple jacket on the back of his couch. She made a mental note to ask her what was going on by the time she returned home.

Sam bowed out to the street, where Cliff awaited her with their suitcases on the cleared out sidewalk and the big yellow taxi posted up at the curb.

“Are you ready?” he asked her once she came within earshot.

“I was born ready,” she replied as she picked up her bags from the sidewalk and Cliff offered to take them from her. Sam handed the one in her right hand and he set it into the trunk of the taxi. She knew Aurora was back in Emile's apartment but she need not go back to say good bye to her because her friend knew where she was going.

The two of them climbed into the back seat of the taxi and they proceeded on to the airport for the flight out to the Bay Area. It almost felt like a return to home for her, but it simultaneously also didn't. She was going back to the West Coast to visit her parents for a couple of weeks but she was also leaving her home for the place she had wanted to leave for a time.

Once they were inside of the cozy warm and dry back seat, Cliff took off that felt hat and set it upon his lap. Sam spotted the silver skull ring on his right ring finger and she thought about a ring for herself. She swore that, on the ride over to the airport, little white flurries of snow fluttered down from the heavy gray sky overhead. Even if it started to snow on the ride over at any given moment, it would add to the whole feeling of the ride, even if the traffic collected and worsened along the way.

She wondered if any of the traffic or the clouds over them would clear out by the time they left the tarmac. Indeed, when Cliff held the car door for her and she slid out to the sidewalk herself, little flakes the size of nickels floated down from the sky.

“We better get a move on, my lady,” he said to her as he took their things out of the trunk.

“Yeah, get a move on unless the flight gets cancelled,” the driver called after them. Sam and Cliff ducked into the airport and they hurried to the terminal. Lucky for them, the snow hadn't picked up as much by the time they checked in and took their spots right behind first class.

They took off within time: Sam peered out the window to her right and she watched the New York skyline fall away into the pure white of the blizzard.

“Good bye, New York,” she muttered. “I'll be back as quick as possible.”

“Yeah, I'll get you back home in time,” Cliff promised her as he set his hat on his lap once again.

“My parents never converted my bedroom to anything else,” she told him, “so we can sleep in my old bed together, even when we make the first little day trip over to the Bay Area.”

“I was wondering why we didn't get a hotel,” he recalled. “That's definitely a day trip thing, too, because—I think—I think, anyways, Legacy is actually playing a show tomorrow for the solstice. I'll have to call Eric first about it. Good thinking.”

“It was actually my dad's idea,” she pointed out. “He suggested you meet them first and then I meet your parents the next day.”

It was a few hours before they made their layover in Kansas City first: another few hours, and Sam recognized the section of the Sierra Nevadas in between Reno and Lake Tahoe, the latter of which was as pitch black as that darkness a few hours before them. Sam shivered in her seat and she couldn't resist feeling butterflies in her stomach all the while.

She knew her parents would be welcoming of him, but she still crept along the walkway at a slow pace. If she could shrink back into the wall, she would do it, especially when they rounded the corner.

“Cliff, this is my dad Ruben, and my mom Esmé,” she managed to sputter out with a straight face. He towered over especially Ruben, and Esmé stared up at him as if she was star gazing. But they both greeted him with hearty hand shakes and welcoming expressions on their faces.

“So Sam says you're a musician,” Ruben recalled as they congregated away from the terminal.

“Yeah, I'm a bassist,” said Cliff, and he adjusted his hat. “My background is in classical music and country.”

“Wow!”

Meanwhile, Esmé turned to Sam with her hand tucked in her pocket.

“Hold out your hand, dear,” she told her; Sam did just that with her right hand and closed her eyes. Ruben burst out laughing at something, which in turn felt like a dead weight had come off her shoulders. She didn't feel it, but Esmé leaned into her face.

“Okay.”

She opened her eyes to find a deep red stone embedded on a silver ring on her middle finger. “Oh, wow!”

“I've had that ring for so long,” Esmé said; Sam took a closer look at the ring itself and she made out the sight of a pair of serpent heads on either side of the stone. “It's a garnet.”

“It's beautiful, Mom—thank you.” Sam put her arms around her mother and Ruben offered to drive them back to their house for dinner and some wine. She never got the chance to show Cliff the ring until they turned in for the night. The whole evening, she kept one eye on Cliff and Ruben as they talked about all manner of things and she helped out Esmé with the wine and the accompanying cake and cheese. By a quarter to midnight, Sam changed her clothes and she crawled into her old bed. All those old feelings and memories returned to her once she lay her head on the pillow. Cliff crawled under the blankets next to her.

“I like your parents, babe,” he confessed.

“That—makes me so happy,” she said, and she lifted her hand out from under the blankets so she could take off the ring. In the dim light, she showed it to him.

“This is a garnet ring,” she told him. “It belonged to my mom for a long time but she told me I could have it, though.”

“Have it for the two of us, I assume?” he asked her.

“Exactly, yes! I was hoping to have something for myself. You know—given you have that skull ring and whatnot.”

“Aw, Sam, you didn't have to do that.” Cliff rolled over onto his side so his face could be much closer to her own.

“But I wanted to, though,” she insisted and he brought a hand to her chest. They were at her parents' house and yet he already put a hand on her. But he hit it off with them so well, and she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

The next day, given they didn't have a car for themselves, Ruben and Esmé drove Cliff and Sam over the pass to the Central Valley, followed by the Bay Area. Cliff guided them to the venue where Legacy were about to play for the night.

“The two of you can come along with us if you wish,” he offered them.

“That's real kind of you, Cliff,” Esmé replied to him as she turned around a bit in the front seat. “But, Ruben and I have some Christmas shopping to do, though.”

They dropped off Sam and Cliff outside of the little club on the corner, and he led her inside to the backstage area. It felt so odd without Marla and Aurora there with her, but she was eager to have Cliff by her side and with his arm around her as they stood on the balcony right over the stage.

Chuck stood at the front of the stage with the microphone in one hand and for a good long minute, all Sam could think about was Zetro. Zelda's friendship with him. If they were still friends with each other or if something went on between them. There was so much more to Zelda she needed to learn about as well. But the second he opened his mouth and sang those first notes, she could only focus on him.

Eric's long black hair spread over one side of his face so she couldn't see his expression. She spotted Louie behind the drum kit, and he barely moved about, much like Zelda herself. Her eyes wandered over to Greg and then Alex, the latter of whom stood on the edge of the stage with a dark shadow over his head and shoulders. It felt so right to stand there to watch them on the first day of winter. Rich dark hard music in junction with the lack of sunlight and the menacing bank of fog.

She glanced up at Cliff and he glanced back at her, and then she gestured to Alex.

“He looks so little,” she remarked.

“He isn't, though,” he pointed out. “He's a big little boy.”

He was silent for a moment, and then he spoke again.

“I have an idea.”

A couple of songs later, and Cliff guided her off of the balcony. He never let go of her hand as he brought her to the backstage area, the narrow strip of floor about the width of a couch between the main stage itself and the two dressing rooms. Sam kept her attention on Legacy while Cliff argued with one of the stagehands. She watched Louie and his minimal movement, and yet his dark hair flew about like the arms of an octopus. Alex sidled over to Eric so they could solo together following Chuck's harsh bellow that was his singing voice. She spotted that little white pearl over his brow, still bright despite the shadow over his head.

Cliff tapped on her shoulder which broke her concentration.

“We can go back here but you can't go in the dressing rooms, though,” he confessed with a shrug and a solemn look on his face. “Apparently that's all they have at the moment.

“Damn it!” she cried out over Louie's final cymbal splashes.

“I think that's it.” Cliff guided her over to the dressing room on the far left side of the corridor. “Yeah, let's get out of the way—” She stood off to the side as the five of them made their way off the stage and the team of roadies picked up after them: Chuck and Eric darted into the one on the right. She opened her purse even though she had nothing with her of interest, but Cliff guided her to the room in front of them and she halted right outside of the door. Over the chatter to her right, their voices floated through the sliver of a doorway before her.

“Hey, Cliff!” Alex's voice sounded so odd after what she had seen before her; so big and deep in comparison to the lanky dark haired placid faced boy at the edge of the stage.

“Hey, Alex—I just wanted to see how you were doing and—I wanted to ask you something real quick.”

“I gotta get a move on, though,” he explained at a quick clip. “You know—it being Christmas and whatnot.”

“Christmas, not Hanukkah?”

“Hanukkah was a week ago,” Alex pointed out. “I'm just wearing the yarmulke right now just 'cause. It's either that or get labeled as 'meshuggah'.”

“As what?”

“'Meshuggah.' It's my parents' way of saying 'batshit insane.'”

“Sounds like a pretty good name for a band, though.”

“I know, right? And, add to this, I also have a curfew. Yeah, I have a curfew over Christmas break and I'm seventeen.”

“Aw, that's a shame,” Cliff replied, “I was hoping you could meet my girlfriend.”

“I can sign something for her, though,” Alex pointed out as he zipped up his guitar case. “It's not easy, like I can't always go out and meet people but I can always make an offer and do that, though.” Sam raised her eyebrows at the sound of that. He was seventeen years old and yet he already talked like that, as if he had been at it for twice that long. This young boy already knew business and spoke like he meant it.

“What's her name?” Alex asked him.

“Sam,” said Cliff. “Samantha, but she goes by Sam.”

“The dynamic Samantha! What does she do?”

“She's an art student.”

There was a pause, then the rustling of paper on the far side of the room.

“Really? That's like the fifth art student I've met—well, not exactly.”

“Met in a de facto manner.”

“Right, right...” There was another pause. Sam held still outside of the door and she kept her attention fixated on the slight noises in that room. Cliff laughed at something and Alex let out a soft little snicker.

“So when do you guys play again?” Alex asked him in a low voice. “The twenty ninth?”

“Yeah. The twenty ninth and then New Year's Eve. You gotta be there.”

“I'll try to. I mean, if I have to drag my brother out from his hiding spot so I have someone to say that I can go in as a seventeen year old kid, I can.”

Sam's mouth dropped open. Seventeen years old and his smarts were already far advanced than that of someone her age!

“Anyways—” Alex started, but he never said anything further than that.

“Thanks, man, I'm sure she'll love this.”

“My pleasure, Cliff! Now, I gotta get home or my dad's gonna freak—”

Cliff returned out of the room with a little piece of rice paper in hand. Alex had sketched her a little rose with some black ink and wrote right next to it:

“To the dynamic Samantha, have fun with and take good care of Cliff and make sure he doesn't stay up too late on nights when he doesn't warrant it.

Stay as precious as a rose!

Alex Skolnick”

She smiled at that and she lifted her head in time as Alex ducked out of the room and put his yarmulke back on his dark head. Cliff towered before her with a warm little smile on his face.

“Thank you so much,” she called after Alex, but he strode on in the other direction and she had no idea if he heard her. He kept one hand on his yarmulke as he stepped through the back door and into the darkness of the night.

“I'm gonna treasure this,” she promised Cliff as he led her the other way to one of the side doors. They reached the street right as the San Francisco fog drifted in from the Bay itself. It wasn't the New York snow, but she still looked about the street in a daze.

“Merry Christmas,” he said to her in a low voice: she brought the rice paper to her nose, and she caught a faint aroma of cinnamon. The smell of Christmas.

“Merry Christmas,” she echoed back to him. “I never want this to end.”

“Me, neither,” he whispered back.

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lacommunarde · 3 years

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Charity: Water’s Give Guide (including non-monetary generosity)

Supporters like you have been so generous all year long. Even in a year like 2020, you’ve continued to show up when we’ve needed you most.

Tomorrow, on Giving Tuesday, we’re asking you to show up again—but not for charity: water.

We know firsthand how incredible this community is, and if there’s anything the world needs right now, it’s the pure goodness we’ve experienced from people like you. So here’s what we’re thinking:

Pick one way—any way!—to be generous tomorrow. Our whole team will be joining in on the fun with generous endeavors of our own. Here’s a

not-so-short list

to help you get started:

THE SAFE-AT-HOME

GIVE GUIDE

Send your sibling a photo of a puppy and tell them its unbearable cuteness reminded you of them.

Your fridge could almost definitely use a deep cleaning. Be the one who makes it happen.

Curate a playlist and send it to someone you miss dancing with—make sure every song is a banger.

Take a virtual yoga class with your most-stressed family member.

Save energy! Turn off a few lights.

Your friend shared an accomplishment on social media! Celebrate their hard work with an enthusiastic comment. (Emojis are not optional.)

Leave encouraging comments on social media, news articles, or anywhere they'd cause a smile.

Sort through your books and gift the ones you don't need anymore.

Throw an unbirthday party for one of your housemates or family members, complete with an unbirthday treat.

Collect all of the best instrumental videos and throw an in-house or virtual karaoke party.

Using reusable masks? Gather everyone's and put them through the laundry. Goodbye, germs!

Rent some movies from the library (the more obscure, the better) and throw an at-home movie night with everyone's favorite snacks.

Write to a long lost friend.

Invite a friend to join you for a virtual museum tour (like the MoMA or Musée D'Orsay).

Set up a video chat with someone who lives alone.

Call someone you haven't checked in on recently.

Leave your USPS mail carrier a friendly note.

Leave a glowing review for your favorite restaurant.

Propagate a plant.

Clean the bathroom. Someone's gotta do it, and today, you are that champion.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD MVP

GIVE GUIDE

Put your child back in that superhero Halloween costume and go door-to-door delivering candy like it's a backwards Halloween (neewollaH?).

Take your neighbor's newspaper from the driveway up to their door.

Dial up the happiest playlist you can find and have socially-distanced driveway dance parties.

Rake your neighbor's leaves.

Volunteer to walk neighborhood pets whose owners could use a break.

Have a new neighbor? Share a list of all the amazing local restaurants they should try and what to order from each. Bonus: send a pizza from your favorite local shop.

Leave a box of cookies on your neighbor’s doorstep, ring the bell, and get the heck out of there.

Put together a Creativity Box for a neighborhood family with kids. Fill it with coloring books, games, puzzles—anything that gives parents 20 minutes to make dinner without interruption!

Buy a bouquet of fresh flowers and put a single flower on each of your neighbors' doorsteps.

Slip friendly notes into your neighbor's mailbox.

Visit VolunteerMatch.org to get matched with a local volunteer opportunity—anything from delivering meal kits to putting up flyers for kitten adoption.

Clean up your nearest park.

Walk the dogs at your local animal shelter.

Deliver flowers to your local nursing home to bring joy to the residents and staff.

Say hello to your neighbors when you pass each other on the street.

Hand out a flyer with all of the special skills you're willing and able to share. (A+ cookie baker? Star virtual math tutor? Pro headlight replacer? All valid skills!)

Order takeout from a local restaurant you've never tried before.

Start a neighborhood activity swap. Every week, rotate a new activity (like puzzles, board games, books, movies) from one house to the next.

Offer to go to the post office or the grocery store for your elderly neighbors.

Know a neighbor who can't be with family this year? Invite them to share one of your family's traditions, even if virtually!

THE MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS

(BUT IT CAN BUY PIZZA)

GIVE GUIDE

Venmo the student in your life so they can order delivery while they study for finals.

Buy coffee for the person in line behind you.

Pay for a stranger’s groceries.

Pizza. Someone in your life needs a pizza delivery.

Take care of your neighbors and donate to a local mutual aid or food pantry.

Deliver a round of hot coffees to the women and men working at a nearby construction site.

Help someone pay rent.

Does a teacher in your life need school supplies? Send that hero a gift card.

Your family member deserves flowers. (You know which one.)

Pick up a surprise dinner for your roommates (or your family!) from a local restaurant.

Need to purchase gifts this holiday season? Shop from small businesses.

Create an "emergency kit" for a friend with a few of their favorite snacks and a gift card.

Gift a book to a student.

Tip your delivery driver 40%.

Count the number of tabs you have open. Donate that number of dollars to your favorite charities.

Ask the florist for a bouquet that would make someone's day. Then, buy that bouquet for the florist.

Give a parent a well-deserved night off. Deliver pizza and a movie to their front door.

Send a friend an IOU for a hot beverage to enjoy the next time you're together.

Send donuts to a local elementary school faculty room.

Support a friend who is doing good work in the world.

THE BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT

GIVE GUIDE

Leave a life-affirming note on a stranger’s car window.

Give a friend or neighbor a coupon for snow removal. During the next storm, show up with a shovel and a smile.

Marie Kondo your pantry and donate the excess to a local food bank.

Donate gently-used clothing and give someone else a chance to love the sweater that lives in the back corner of your closet.

Plant a tree.

Write a bunch of hope-filled messages and deliver them to an assisted living home.

Volunteer your time to do whatever it is you do best: review resumes, help form a financial plan, design a logo, organize a pantry, take photos.

Share a list of your favorite recipes with someone who has made way too many meals at home since March.

Share a funny memory with a friend you haven't talked to in a long time.

Set up a themed video chat with people you've been meaning to get in touch with.

Help someone do something they've been avoiding: clothing repair, shipping packages, putting up or taking down decorations. Team work makes the dream work.

Write thank you notes to hospital workers and encouraging letters to patients.

Ask a grandparent/parent/sibling about their favorite memory. Then record it.

Give someone the benefit of the doubt.

Write haikus about your favorite people and send them throughout the day.

Respond to your favorite newsletter writer and tell them how much you enjoy their writing.

Become pen pals with a senior citizen.

Share a compliment with a coworker.

Channel your inner gameshow host and plan a virtual game night.

Text an encouraging note to a friend, just because.

THE CRAFT QUEEN

GIVE GUIDE

Bake some homemade pet treats and drop them off at your local animal shelter.

Create a Powerpoint explaining exactly why your best friend is awesome. Present it to them via Zoom.

Make an old-school holiday ornament for a friend with that picture you took together in 5th grade.

Give the gift of not having to look for boxes of gift wrap in the basement. Drop off homemade wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows to friends and neighbors.

Present handmade awards to your quarantine pod. Options include “Best Quarantine Haircut” and ”Most Likely to Selflessly Wash Our Dishes."

Make encouraging bookmarks and give them to your local librarians.

Print out old (we're talking waaaay back) photos. Send them out in the mail so everyone can remember and enjoy happy times spent together.

Make a family tree. Instead of pictures, use hilarious memories or quotable moments.

Send a scrapbook filled with inside jokes to your siblings or oldest friends.

Make a Snow Day box (candle, hot chocolate, a good book, fuzzy socks) and send it to a friend.

Invite your favorite 5-year-old to color with you on a video chat.

Keep a running list (or a wall of post-it notes!) of all the awesome things you've noticed people doing recently. There's so much kindness in the world when we're looking for it.

Give people who walk past your house a reason to smile! Put colorful art or encouraging signs in your front windows.

Draw portraits of your neighbors' pets. Deliver them with a few treats.

Spruce up your housemate's work-from-home station.

Make handmade cards for residents at a local nursing home.

Bake your favorite cookies, package them up, and ship them to your parents.

Send brand new crayons, markers, and coloring books to a children's hospital.

Make a scrapbook of your family's favorite quarantine memories. (You have more than one, we promise.)

Build a free community "library" box and encourage friends and neighbors to take a book or leave a book.

No matter how you celebrate Giving Tuesday,

know that we will be celebrating you

. We can’t wait to continue in our mission together—and can’t wait to spend Giving Tuesday being as generous as possible alongside you!

– your friends at charity: water

#charity: water #give guide #generosity day #gifts #generosity guide #non-monetary generosity #giving tuesday #giving

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