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garlichoisan · 6 months

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𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡 [9]

[an ATEEZ social media au]

🍓 Characters/Pairing: San x reader, Wooyoung x reader + more in the future

🍩 Genre: fluff, angst, suggestive

🍰 AU info: social media au, university!au, named reader

💌 Word Count: 1695

⚠️ Warnings: ❌

A/N: the next chapter is gonna be a Halloween special and it’s gonna be uploaded on October 31! 🎃

also have a spoiler: a huge wave of angst is coming up in the next few chapters 👀 and it’s progressively getting worse

💟 if you wanna be added to the taglist, please just send an ask!

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Mingi was playing videogames with his friends, smiling contentedly when he saw the text “Player 1 wins”. He tossed the controller on the sofa, then got up and started jumping happily.

“I won! I won, do you hear that?” the birthday boy was beyond excited that this was happening exactly today, on his special day.

“Yes, we can see,” Wooyoung sighed with annoyance. He hated losing and was always super competitive, just like the rest of his friends.

“It’s just your birthday, so we’re going easy on you. Don’t get too cocky,” Hongjoong scoffed jokingly.

Mingi continued humming and jumping around, letting everybody know he was in a good mood.

A few hours later it was already time for the guys the go out to a restaurant and after that, they would visit their favorite bar which Hongjoong has saved them a table at.

When they arrived at the restaurant they took their jackets off and each one of them took a seat on the nicely decorated table: there was a vase with flowers, some scented candles which were adding a sentimental feeling to the gathering, and the tablecloth with floral ornaments was perfectly positioned. Mingi was smiling the whole time and even though his friends acted as if his good mood was making them sick, they were secretly happy that their friend was having fun. Mingi ordered some pasta and, of course, wine, while talking to the other guys about anything he could think of. All of them listened to him attentively and shared their own opinions on the topics as well.

A few more hours have passed and it was time to go, so Mingi paid the bill, frowning for the first time today, because of the amount of money he had to pay, but overall he was still really happy and he had a great time.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ* * *ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Half an hour later, they were already in the bar, sipping drinks and dancing, as if there was no tomorrow. Later they decided to split up and find their own ways to have fun, as only San and Mingi stuck together and ordered more drinks, while Wooyoung went flirting with some girls, and Hongjoong met an old friend from high school so he went to greet him.

“Can you please look after my phone, I’m coming back in a few minutes,” Mingi excused himself as San nodded.

Not long after that Mingi’s phone started ringing. San took a quick look at the caller’s ID, but his friend was nowhere to be seen, so he was left with the strong desire to pick up the phone and talk to his crush. He was tapping his fingers nervously against the table, wondering what to do; but then he remembered the phone wouldn’t be ringing forever so before he changed his mind, he grabbed the phone and went outside of the bar, answering the call. He felt chill run down his spine because of the cold weather outside, but that wasn’t the only reason; the adrenaline of his own actions was starting to catch up with him too. He felt that crush rush and he suddenly didn’t know what to do. He heard the voice coming from the other line and he silently panicked.

“Mingi?” Ara’s voice was soft and questioning since her friend picked up the phone but he still wasn’t saying anything.

San took a deep breath and he held his friend’s phone closer to his ear.

“Hello, Ara,” he said, his voice sounding a lot huskier than he intended.

“Sorry, who’s that?”

“I’m San, the guy you’ve been texting lately,” he explained, chuckling unintentionally.

He was incredibly nervous and his heart was beating so fast that for a second he thought it was going to burst and scatter in small pieces around the whole bar entrance.

“Oh, hi, San!” Ara exclaimed, sounding happy, which gave San a little hope that maybe she felt the same way about him.

“Mingi couldn’t pick up right now, but I wanted to say hi to you,” San tried to find an excuse for his decision to answer the call instead of his friend.

But the truth was that his desire to finally hear his crush’s voice made him do it. The whole time he kept thinking about how angelic her voice sounded; it was even better than he imagined it to be. Everything about Ara made him go weak in the knees and he found himself unable to hide the great excitement she brought to his heart.

“That’s cool. But I need to wish him a happy birthday so please tell him I called when you see him,” she reminded him and San nodded, but he remembered Ara couldn’t see him because they were talking on the phone.

“I will,” he assured her and started thinking about what he should say next.

He didn’t want to hang up yet; if it was possible, he would have wanted to stay on the line with her for the rest of his life, or at least for the rest of the night. But unfortunately he couldn’t avoid the awkward silence that found its place between them, separating them like a thick wall, even worse than the distance that kept them apart.

“Ah, I just remembered something,” Ara said, making San stop overthinking everything.

“What is it?” He asked curiously. He was thankful she broke the silence and he no longer had to think of a way to do so.

“I know there are more than 2 months left until then, but the last day of October there’s going to be a Halloween party in a LA nightclub and I wanted to invite Mingi, but since you answered the phone, I’m telling it to you.”

San’s heart dropped when he heard the invitation was for Mingi only, but he tried to play it cool.

“Great, I’ll let him know,” he forced a smile, trying to also hide the disappointment in his voice.

“Actually,” Ara seemed to be thinking about something, because she stayed silent for a couple of seconds, before finishing her sentence. “You could come too. With the rest of your friends, I mean,” she hoped the fact she was blushing wouldn’t be evident in her voice, but it was her nervous chuckle that exposed her.

San was truly happy to hear her sounding shy and couldn’t help but think it was because of him. But at the same time he felt stupid for even having thoughts like that.

“I’m in South Korea right now, though.”

He realized his words sounded as if he was making an excuse; he didn’t want her to misunderstand and think he didn’t actually want to visit her, especially since he was beyond delighted that her invitation now included him, so he was quick to add another sentence to correct himself.

“But I would really like to go there!” he said excitedly, but immediately after he cleared his voice awkwardly since he realized he sounded way too enthusiastic to meet her. He just couldn’t stop overthinking everything but at the same time he kept saying the first thing that was on his mind, making this phone conversation a mess. “For the party, I mean, you know… I like parties, yeah.”

Ara couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

“I know, because they serve alcohol at parties which is just your thing, right?” Ara giggled, teasing San for his strange relationship with alcohol.

“You’re making me sound like some type of an alcoholic,” San’s voice trailed off since he was very unhappy with Ara’s opinion of him.

“Well, aren’t you?” Ara raised her eyebrows, even though he couldn’t see her, as she was laughing by herself.

“It’s not that bad, I promise.”

“I guess we’ll see how it is on Halloween. By the way, you’re lucky I’ve just checked the flights before calling. See, the prices are significantly lower than the regular ones since there’s still a lot of time until October,” Ara explained excitedly. “If you buy the tickets now, it’s not that expensive.”

“Wow, you’re very well informed. You must really want to meet me, huh?” San couldn’t help but feel the smirk appearing on his lips.

“I guess you exposed me,” Ara burst out laughing and San followed her example.

He was so thankful that he could just talk to her like that, hearing her voice and laughing with her. It’s what his heart has longed for ever since he first met her and now his dream was finally coming true.

“What about the hotel? Where would we be staying?”

Ara seemed to think for a little while, but soon answered this question too.

“I still haven’t checked that, but I’m sure my friend Seonghwa could come up with something.”

“Seonghwa? Is he a guy? Who is he?” Before he could stop himself, San was already acting jealous and he felt guilty as soon as the words left his mouth.

He suddenly remembered Mingi’s words that Ara didn’t really have a lot of guy friends. But he was wondering who Seonghwa was and what his relationship with Ara was. Even though he realized he wasn’t her boyfriend and didn’t have the right to feel like that, he was too curious (and maybe a little more than slightly jealous).

“He’s my professor.”

“You’re friends with your professor?” San asked with disbelief.

“Yeah, he’s young and super cool, you’re definitely gonna like him.”

“I somehow doubt that, but if you say so…” San bit his lip before he could ask another ridiculous question which would make him look even more like the possessive, overly-protective boyfriend he wasn’t and he didn’t ever want to be.

He genuinely believed love was all about freedom and trust. He has never been the controlling type, but Ara made him feel so many new emotions he hasn’t ever felt before that, so he was understandably overwhelmed and started to act less and less like himself, which resulted in him feeling frustrated. Apparently the crush rush wasn’t only a good thing; it was just as dangerous and potentially problematic as well and San had to find that out the difficult way.

╔═══════════ SUMMARY ═══════════╗

San was often told that he was everything a girl wanted to date: handsome, funny and smart. That was until they got to know him better. Then he was told he was too much, too overwhelming, had too many emotions and was too chaotic. Thus his experience with dating was not as good as one would have thought. The problem: he has the biggest crush on a girl he met whilst studying abroad. But every time he messages his crush, he seems to mess things up further and further. With the help of his hyperactive friends he tries to win Ara's heart but before that, he has to convince her he doesn't actually hate her.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

💟 taglist:

@violets-are-vladi @chocochannel @ateezcbk @turtledove824 @huachengsbestie01 @redflemmefoxy

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mistresslynndramione · 9 months

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Teaser for the Choose Your Own Adventure Dramione: Escape from Malfoy Manor!

Looking for a story for spooky season?

From the deranged minds of @bek48, @efinna, @goodnight-fraublucher, Kinder Blucher, @mysteriouscatstellation, @misdemeanor1331, @mistresslynndramione and @photonzeroinfinity comes the Choose Your Own Adventure…

Escape From Malfoy Manor!

Summary: Hermione wakes up in a prison cell with no memory of how she arrived. How did she get there? How can she get out? Is there a traitor? Will she survive?

The answers lie with YOU, THE READER, as you decide Hermione’s actions to help her to escape!

Tags: Dramione War AU, rated E for graphic violence and explicit sexual content, DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT.

Excerpt from the story:

“What news from afore?"

Hermione's eyes flicked behind the medieval woman, trying to understand what she had stumbled into.

The room contained a roughly even split between women and men, all dressed in a manner more befitting one of Professor Binns' lectures than the modern day. Men wore short tunics and hose, and the toes of their shoes were ostentatiously pointed. She saw ruffled shirts and loose cravats, overcoats nipped in smartly at the waist, and more than one decorative cane.

Women floated in gowns of increasingly fine construction, from wool to silk to cotton. The styles changed with the fabric: sleeves slimming, necklines dropping, ornamentation increasing. Tightly curled hair was set with clips shaped like birds and butterflies, and further adorned with jewels and feathers. Cosmetics shadowed pale cheeks.

Centuries of fashion hovered within arm's reach. Though the colors had faded in the ether, Hermione imagined that they were vibrant in life.

But how had it all ended?

Hermione turned back to the young woman with the once-auburn hair. “What happened to you?”

The woman frowned at Hermione’s question. Several ghosts lost interest at the query and drifted back across the room. An older woman, draped with enough jewels to be a dowager, crossed right in front of her.

“Trousers,” she muttered with a haughty sniff, loud enough to carry. “Men and their fondness for dirty blood.”

Hermione fought the temptation to retort; there was no sense in fighting with the dead. Instead, she gave a tight smile and focused her attention on the woman before her.

“Did he send you here?” the young woman prompted.

“He?” Hermione shook her head, uncomprehending. “Who do you mean?”

“Was it Armand?” A second woman came forward, opalesque tears welling in her eyes. She carried a child in her arms, wrapped tightly in swaddling. Hermione couldn’t tell if it was sleeping or dead. “Tell me it was not Armand. I do not understand why he would… How he could…”

“It was not Armand,” a third woman sniped from Hermione’s left. Her round belly protruded from the voluminous folds of her dusky, lilac gown. She winced and braced a hand at her back, staring at the swaddled infant in sour jealousy. “It was his bitch wife and her lick-spittle elf.”

A spattering of aghast whispers followed the statement. One lady clutched her string of pearls.

“Nay, it could not have been.” A man in an open waistcoat and a shirt unbuttoned nearly to his navel stepped forward. “Armand said he loved me, that he would never��”

“They loved all of us,” snapped the pregnant lady, gesturing broadly. “They didn’t hesitate to shove their quimsticks into whatever orifice they pleased. Yet here we are.”

Click here to read Chapter 1 and subscribe to get notified!

Waaaaaaaaaaaait! Is this a HEA?!?

It totally is! But only if you choose wisely.

But you said Dead Dove – doesn’t that mean MCD??????

In this case, yes! If you choose poorly, your favorite romantic leads can die in over 30 delightfully gruesome ways!

The fantastic art by @mysteriouscatstellation and the excerpt are not necessarily spoilers.

…or maybe they are.

We’ll be dropping the entire fic on October 31.

Click here to read Chapter 1 and subscribe to get notified!

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fourseasonsfigs · 1 year

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Hanging Junzhe

These two upside-down cuties in their One Night in Nanjing finest were too cute to resist!

The inspiration for the fig's outfits, are of course Zhehan's photo shoot in Nanjing on October 31, 2020:

And so you can see the whole outfit:

The fandom knows this as One Night in Nanjing because through analysis of Gong Jun's vlog footage from that day, JZP believe he drove 4 hours from Shanghai to Nanjing (and then back) to see Zhehan.

Gong Jun's outfit that day was this casual hoodie number:

I missed this set when it was first released, so I had to track it down on the secondary market on Xianyu.

Xianyu, like eBay, is a bit of a mixed bag. You get sellers who treat each package with extreme care, carefully wrapping the purchases in tissue and tucking in little gifts and thank you notes. Then you have sellers who literally just throw items in a box and let the universe sort it out.

This seller set a new high bar on the "exceptionally nice" side!

She sent me a fancy box (I am very familiar with the History of Whoo from my past life as a beauty blogger, so I was especially delighted to see this) chock full with fandom goodies! and of course, the figs.

She included printed photos, a whole lot of cute red envelopes, earrings, an acrylic pawprint...ornament? a couple badges, and a note card.

She also included the folding fan from the SHL booting ceremony fig set (you can recognize Junjun's hat, and he's holding the incense sticks, and you can see Zhehan's purple glasses and his set of incense sticks), a Wenzhou decoration, and a little prayer bag.

Last but not least, she included a sticker set of SHL quotes. HSK Level One Lelanthe is looking forward to being able to read it for real (instead of MTL) one day.

These figs arrived separate from their removable hangers:

You can see the little loops on Junjun's shirt and Zhehan's pants, respectively, where the lobster-claw clasps of the keychains connects to.

Part of the reason I bought this set from this particular seller was because she displayed it beautifully like this:

Clever, isn't it? I was kind of hoping she would send the frame with it, but she was kind enough to send me a whole bunch of other stuff instead! I did go ahead and track down how to buy these frames off Taobao, and have a set on its way to me now, so kudos to her for the excellent idea.

In the meantime, this was a challenging set to photograph. I finally decided to do a set laying down, and then hanging so you could see them as they are supposed to be. I did my best. You will be the judge!

Here they are with the chains attached. Their surprised faces are so funny and cute, I can't help but giggle! I love how we have Junjun's abs, and he's even wearing his headphones around his neck like we see in his pic in the car. Zhehan's little pose with his hands is ultra cute!

Alright, I'm going to try and keep this straight myself. I took so many pictures from all different angles to try to capture these, that I confused myself! This first one is from one side...

...and then the other...

...the back...

...the top...

...and kind of the bottom, at least trying to get where the attachments hook in. Alright! On to the hanging ones.

Some of these are a bit blurry because they were moving around so much!

Zhehan's hairstyle here is so great, with his little pony tail and fringy hair at the bottom. I think it's so funny the way they are made to hang, with Junjun revealing his oft-discussed abs, and of course Zhehan could only be hanging by his pants.

This is a good shot of Zhehan's hair too.

I love them! I can't wait to have them in the clear display box. I'll come back and update this post with them in it when the box arrives at my house.

The box cards the figs came with are transparent! I love them, the artwork is so cute.

I normally just take one pic of the boxes unless they're quite a bit different from each other, but again the artwork was so adorable, I couldn't resist.

Material: PVC (figs) and metal (hanging chains)

Fig Count: 272

Scene Count: 20

Rating: Legendary fandom cuteness!

[go back to Master Fig Index]

#junzhe #zhang zhehan #gong jun #one night in nanjing #lld #word of honor cast #shl cast #figthusiast

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creativinn · 1 year

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Rune Naito, the man who pioneered concept of ‘kawaii’, to have 90th anniversary art exhibition

The artist said to have created the kawaii aesthetic will feature in an exhibition celebrating his 90th birthday.

The Japanese word kawaii, in its most simple form, means ‘cute’, but kawaii culture has become a worldwide phenomenon; so much so that it even has its own entry in English dictionaries. For example, the Collins English Dictionary defines kawaii as “denoting a Japanese artistic and cultural style that emphasises the quality of cuteness, using bright colours and characters with a childlike appearance“.

The concept of modern day kawaii art is often said to have its roots in the 1950s, and specifically with Japanese illustrator Rune Naito.

Naito was famous for his kawaii art, which predominantly featured girls with oversized heads and baby-faced features, although he also drew a lot of illustrations featuring animals and fruit. His immensely popular ‘Rune Girl‘ art often appeared in girls magazines throughout the 1950s, and he would later go on to work as an illustrator for women’s fashion magazines in the 1970s. His bright colours and cute motifs were considered wildly fashionable with young girls throughout Japan, and his original character ‘Rune Panda‘ is still popular to this day.

▼ A full run-down of Rune’s life story (with English subtitles)

Rune Naito passed away in 2007 aged 74, but even today he is considered a pioneer of the kawaii aesthetic and his art is still very much appreciated. In celebration of what would have been his 90th birthday, Osaka’s Hanshin Department Store Umeda Main Store will host an exhibition featuring around 300 pieces of Naito’s art.

The exhibition “90th Anniversary of Rune Naito Special Exhibition – Fantastic Dreams in Daily Life” which opened on October 19, features carefully selected art and goods designed by the artist himself, including illustrations, paintings, clothing, kitchenware and ornaments. The event’s organisers hope the exhibition will transport guests back to “the retro world of the Showa-era” (1926-1989).

▼ There are even pencil illustrations of Rune Panda!

The exhibition will run until October 31, and costs 1,000 yen (US$6.77) for adults and 700 yen ($4.74) for students. Elementary school students and younger can enter for free.

Source: PR Times via Japaaan Images: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

This content was originally published here.

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mizufae · 1 year

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I posted 938 times in 2022

238 posts created (25%)

700 posts reblogged (75%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@tijuanabiblestudies

@paramaline

@mascarons

@ghostalservice

@wexlermendelssohn

I tagged 727 of my posts in 2022

Only 22% of my posts had no tags

#star trek - 39 posts

#oh hey art happened - 16 posts

#food - 14 posts

#botw - 13 posts

#laugh rule - 12 posts

#miniature things - 11 posts

#bnha - 11 posts

#craiyon - 11 posts

#the gloaming - 9 posts

#forbidden jellies - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i’m imagining everyone else shows up in like cardboard and snow boots and will feels overdressed until everyone begs him to help them match

My Top Posts in 2022:

I have sealed my fate in hell this hallow's eve by making a pumpkin hat for my cats

13 notes - Posted October 31, 2022

I would pay a whole sixty dollars new Nintendo game price for a Breath of the Wild DLC that added a whole traveling naturalist storyline where they’ve made a way to update the sheika sensor with new entries for all of the non-useful flora in Hyrule, like the different flowers in the fields, the different types of trees, the thorn bushes and shrubs… maybe even the types of rocks? Anyway, add to that all the non-combative fauna like the different birds and squirrels and different creatures, maybe also the bugs and lizards?? Maybe the different colorations of horses? And the storyline would be that Link needs to go around and photograph all of these to contribute to a great compendium to help Hyrule recover from the lingering effects of the great calamity. Maybe it would start with Beedle asking you if you have any pictures of beetles collected, because he’s writing a book on his collection (which you could later buy from him and store in your house, natch), but there would be different types of things asked by different people but maybe one of the sheikah scientists helps you collate it all together into a compendium, or maybe there is a scientist OC. I imagine Flowerblight Gannon would demand pictures of every type of ornamental flower. Anyway you would get incremental rewards and hints for finding the more elusive and rare things when you turn in pictures. Maybe that Korok who wants to see a picture of a blupee would point you to other more mystical things. And if you complete everything you get a cutscene with a bunch of happy scientists and intrigued school children and instead of calling you the hero some people call you the famous naturalist.

15 notes - Posted March 5, 2022

@brofisting in makeup news, I have been splurging on some stuff and have some thoughts and conclusions!

I think that your conclusion from before, that everybody notices way less about skin texture than we do on ourselves, is totally true. But ALSO, that a lot of makeup, specifically foundation and adjacent, are intended to change the apparent texture of the skin. That looking like you are wearing makeup is, in fact, intentional. I think the conclusion is that skin is not in and of itself a desirable base for “looks” and it interferes with, yknow, capitalism. It seems like getting a true skin-but-better appearance is one of the hardest and most idiosyncratic things a makeup utilizing person can aim for.

Like, I have watched many videos and read many articles now on how to apply foundation when you have peach fuzz and stubble and that shit involves like, numerous layers of smooshing silicone all over and very fussy brush movements and presumably like, not moving your face until everything sets and then wtf I guess like, not moving for the rest of the day either??

I have also investigated how to apply foundation for older skin, skin with fine lines, skin with uneven base tones, etc. And a ton of it is either like, get those pores out of here, we can’t let them know we osmose! or like, now that you are a gaunt corpse with saggy fat lumps you have to rub this magic stone on your face every day for no reason I can explain!

So this all seems like bullshit and there is only one strain of advice I’ve come across that in any way seems legit for people who are not doing a 4K HD photoshoot in the next twenty minutes and/or a drag show, and that is: just don’t use foundation at all, because it creates a problem to be solved. Instead, use carefully chosen and applied concealer and tinted moisturizers in judiciously chosen zones, and focus on skin health. This seems to be the tack that k-beauty takes, or at least it used to, and it seems to be the best way for old people to look old and still have fun with makeup without looking like they forgot to put on half their face.

So like, things I’ve bought and have messed around with:

Fenty Beauty Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint - this shit is definitely top tier. Unlike other tinted moisturizers I’ve tried it doesn’t cake up in creases and really does seem to blur discoloration and spots. But it doesn’t interfere with skin texture and in areas where I have stubble or hair it doesn’t cling to it either. I was able to buff it out with my fingers without seeing prints, and I was able to layer on more for more coverage on a spot with a tiny cut and it didn’t get shiny.

Bare Minerals tinted moisturizer - this stuff cakes up on my dry skin BUT is a much higher coverage than the fenty stuff and is a better match for my weirdly neutral skin undertone, and it has spf. I think if I were oily it would be better. I like their powder products more but I’m not mad about this one because I can use it in combination with other products to cover stuff like a healing zit.

Bare minerals liquid concealer - definitely the best match for my skin tone. It’s ever so slightly lighter but doesn’t have any color correction and it doesn’t settle much into fine lines like other thicker concealers do. I can put some on the inner corner of my eyes, some on the redness around my nose and some on the corners of my mouth and trust that it won’t look like I have huge blobs of concealer dotted around but that it will cover any redness that I get over the day, and helps me control stuff like my resting bitch face through careful use of lipstick and eyeliner. I have also used a tiny bit as an eyeshadow base since it’s such a close match.

Elf camo concealer - damn this shit thicc. It is definitely lighter and more warm toned than my skin and mad opaque. I used way too much of it when I first tried it, not cuz I was doing guru triangles but because it just like glopped on there. If I take a teeny tiny brush and load it from the doe foot applicator, and then use it to kind of… outline my eye bags, and pop it on juuuuust a couple places where I have some dark spots, and then very very carefully bounce a damp sponge along those lines to feather it out, but not too much!! I can get some color correction and very subtle contouring (is it reverse contouring?? If it’s only highlight??) that is totally not gonna go anywhere until I wash it off. Putting it on UNDER tinted moisturizer seems to help, it’s like doing an overlay layer so it makes things more harmonious. Face, photoshop, what’s the difference honestly.

Neutrogena oil cleanser: oil cleansing is REAL. I have been doing this a few times a week for a few weeks now and my skin is way less flaky and my under eye puffiness is a bit less (I think cuz of the massage aspect, so just do lymphatic massage if you don’t want to do oil cleansing) and some of my hormonal zits went through their cycle MUCH faster. Also I seem to have less visibly oxidized sebaceous filaments on my nose and chin, hurrah! Like, they are still there, but they aren’t clogged or bumpy feeling. I tried a couple other oil cleansers and this one is cheap and not smelly and washes clean, like, it really does turn a milky texture when you get it wet and lifts off the skin easily, unlike a certain bee-themed brand which was sticky for like two days after.

Just straight up jojoba oil: I have been slapping this onto my dry flaky eczema patches and it doesn’t mitigate the itch but my skin is SO MUCH faster at being not horribly red and inflamed when I leave this on there. It absorbs really well and doesn’t leave residue and I assume if I am ever actually sufficiently moisturized that won’t be the case but as it is I appear to be a sponge for this. It is helping my chronically chapped lips! It doesn’t taste like ass like a lot of other intense moisturizers, and isn’t an exfoliant or anything, but it seems to be helping the wrinkly parts of my lips be less wrinkly. Which leads to better lipstick application and so-on.

I did indeed shave my face with one of those little face razors. I am now stubbly and the texture is NOT desirable. The moment I did it I played around with makeup and it was okay, but maybe not like… better than when I’d done it pre-shave. And like, later that night I had shadow, so… fuck that. I think I’m gonna mess around with sugaring my stache and chin hair, and definitely leaving my cheek fuzz to be free and flowing. I think that not using a foundation at ALL on areas where I have dark hair is actually better than trying to cover it up.

Let me know how your quest to be the hottest boy band boy is going!

25 notes - Posted May 12, 2022

Broke: when they are in civvies, bakugou is goth punk, midoriya is a candy pastel cutie

Woke: they both go incognito, bakugou wears soft lavender and cute character merch with fluffy sweaters, midoriya is full goth with eyeliner and torn fishnets and studded leather

Bespoke: neither of them have a single thought beyond heroing in their heads and thus graduate with only school uniforms and ancient gym clothes, they run into each other in full costume at 3am at target shopping for pj pants a month after graduation.

50 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

One thing that helps me identify purity culture in disguise is asking this question: are they telling me what is and is not pure, or are they giving me a framework to decide for myself and only myself? Like, for example, when talking about fandom stuff, is a person saying a story that contains certain things will be bad universally for everyone, or is someone saying that the reason something is bad for them and possibly for me is because it contains those certain things and why that is? In something like nutrition, is someone giving “advice” that talks about lists of things I must include and exclude from my diet because we all must optimize our machine-bodies? Or is someone explaining how certain foods can make some people feel different things, how to recognize those feelings and ideas for how to change that if we think it necessary? In religion, is someone telling me what god declares about all people, or is someone talking about how we can individually relate to the things their god has declared?

65 notes - Posted May 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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mitchbeck · 8 months

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CINCINNATI CYCLONES 23-24 PROMO SCHEDULE

By: Andrew Mossbrooks, Cincinnati Cyclones Cincinnati, OH - The Cincinnati Cyclones are thrilled to announce the 2023-24 promotional schedule, which features 16 giveaways, nine specialty jersey nights, over half a dozen $2 beer games, and more! The jam-packed promo schedule begins when the 'Clones start their season on Saturday, October 21, against the Wheeling Nailers for First Face-Off, featuring a 2023-24 calendar giveaway for the first 5,000 fans in attendance. Fans can also enjoy celebrating the return of Cyclones hockey by indulging in $2 hotdogs, sodas, and beers! Several novelty giveaways will make their way into the hands of Cyclones fans entering Heritage Bank Center this season, including items such as a Coffee Mug (DEC 1), Christmas Ornament (DEC 9), Nutcracker (DEC 22), Crossbody Bag (February 16), Bucket Hat (FEB 23), Youth Jersey (MAR 16), and several more! This season's promotional schedule will see the return of fan-favorite nights, including Shutout the Hate (NOV 3), New Year's Eve Indoor Fireworks (DEC 31), Throwback Night/Teddy Bear Toss (JAN 6), and Fan Appreciation (APR 5). The Cyclones will host seven weeknight games that feature $2 Beers and 5-1-3 Fridays, where all 12 Friday home games feature $5 Craft Drafts, $1 Popcorn, and $3 Cheeseburgers. With select promotions, the Cyclones will wear specialty jerseys throughout the season. These games will be marked with an (**) below and will feature a jersey auction throughout the game, courtesy of the Handbid app. The 'Clones will sport eight unique specialty jerseys showcased across nine games in the 2023-24 regular season. For a fifth time in team history, the Cyclones will assume an alternate identity, taking on the form of the Cincinnati Scoops (MAR 23) when the Cyclones partner with Graeter's Ice Cream for one night! In previous seasons, the Cyclones have been renamed the Flying Pigs, Beasts, Coneys, and most recently, the Hippos. Below is the full list of promotional nights and giveaways: - All home games are scheduled to begin at 7:30 P.M. unless noted otherwise. * - Games marked with an (**) feature specialty jerseys Sat, October 21: First Face-Off + Select $2 Concessions | Giveaway: Team Calendar Fri, November 3: Shutout The Hate Night ** + 513 Friday Sat, November 4: World Record Night (more information TBA) Sat, November 11: Military Appreciation Night ** Tue, November 14 (10:30 A.M.): Field Trip Day Wed, November 22: Thanksgiving Eve + $2 Beers Fri, November 24 (1:30 P.M.): Kids Eat Free + 513 Friday Fri, December 1: Giveaway: Coffee Mug + 513 Friday Sat, December 2: Giveaway: Cyclones Scarf Sat, December 9: Giveaway: Cyclones Christmas Ornament Wed, December 13: $2 Beers Fri, December 15: Star Wars Night ** + 513 Friday Fri, December 22: Giveaway: Nutcracker + 513 Friday Wed, December 28: $2 Beers Fri, December 31 (6 P.M.): New Year's Eve featuring INDOOR FIREWORKS Sat, January 6: Throwback Night + Teddy Bear Toss + Select $2 Concessions Fri, January 19: Giveaway: Mascot Bank + 513 Friday Wed, January 24: $2 Beers Fri, January 26: Marvel Super Hero™ Weekend ** + 513 Friday Sat, January 27: Marvel Super Hero™ Weekend ** Wed, January 31: $2 Beers Sat, February 3: Cyclones Fight Cancer ** Fri, February 16: Giveaway: Cyclones Crossbody Bag + 513 Friday Fri, February 23: Giveaway: Cyclones Bucket Hat + 513 Friday Sat, February 24: Giveaway: Twister Bobblehead Sun, February 25 (3 P.M.): Giveaway: Mini Stick and Ball + Kids Run The Show Fri, March 1: Giveaway: Aluminum Koozie + 513 Friday Sat, March 2 (4 P.M.): Giveaway: Squish Mascot Fri, March 15: Giveaway: Puckchop Bobblehead Sat, March 16: Giveaway: Youth Jersey Sun, March 17 (3 P.M.): St. Patrick's Day ** Wed, March 20: $2 Beers Sat, March 23: Cincinnati Scoops Night | Giveaway: Ice Cream Bowl and Spoon Sat, March 30: Pucks N Pups Featuring Scooby-Doo ** Wed, April 3: $2 Beers Sat, April 5: Fan Appreciation Night + Select $2 Concessions Tickets for all 36 promotional games are on sale NOW! Call (513) 421-PUCK for tickets and more information, and stay on top of all the latest team updates and information on Facebook, Twitter (@CincyCyclones), and Instagram, along with our website, cycloneshockey.com! CINCINNATI CYCLONES HOME Read the full article

#AHL #AmericanHockeyLeague #CincinnatiCyclones #ECHL #FanAppreciationNight #HartfordWolfPack #NationalHockeyLeague #NHL #StarWars #TeddyBearToss #WheelingNailers #XLCenter

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more-than-a-princess · 1 year

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Continued from here for @electricea!

Well, there were Halloween-themed ornaments made for Christmas, though no matter which booth Sonia perused, they were absent from that Christmas market. And while she wasn't aware of it herself, the markets at home too: unconventional Christmas trees meant finding ornaments through unconventional means. The internet and independent craftspeople, for example. "I think they're mostly selling traditionally-styled ornaments here, Ryuji-san," Sonia smiled, admitting the inevitable. Barring a few uniquely cultural influences, Japan seemed to want to follow Europe's example where Christmas decorations were concerned. Even if the holiday represented two very different things, for those celebrating in Japan and those at home, in Sonia's case anyway, celebrating thousands of kilometers away. Christmas in Europe, after all, wasn't a romantic holiday: it was religious, or otherwise aimed at children to celebrate with a collection of gifts.

"I have a few photos and video of last year's tree on my phone," She offered, choosing to deliberately not address his comment about her deserving a small tree of her own. Sonia wasn't sure she agreed: she spent so much time at various royal functions, traveling, and ultimately dreading the holiday itself she doubted a tree would bring her much cheer, or if her attention would allow her to even look after it. An annual watch of Black Christmas, Krampus, and The Nightmare Before Christmas were often what she looked forward to most, alongside the charity events her family organized each year. Those events offered many recordings of Novoselic Castle's annual tree, so it was a simple task to bring up a video of it for Ryuji to watch: it fit, and filled, the Castle's largest hall, with ornaments in red, green, and blue, surrounded by those in gold and silver. Lights twinkled on every branch in coordinated, pre-determined patterns and an elaborately-attired angel was situated at the top, her fair complexion and flowing golden hair looking down at all who passed by with a soft smile.

"This is from last year, right before the annual Children's Party," She explained, pointing to the array of professionally-wrapped gifts beneath the tree, the tables of hot cocoa and cookies and candies beside it, and a large green-and-red chair for Santa Claus to sit in, awaiting pictures with awed and excited orphans from around the country. "It's on display for tourists visiting Novoselic Castle from mid-October through December 31, but it technically serves as the family tree as well. It probably means the least to us, though: it's a much more fulfilling thing, I think, to share such decorations with the public. Wouldn't you agree?"

She hoped he would: having to explain why the holiday itself was dreaded every year was not something Sonia wished to do. Not while she was full of tea and treats and shopping for ornaments with him. And smiling, as he told her about his own family's tree: chaotic, no theming or color story or coordinated lights, but representing them perfectly. "Your tree sounds beautiful, Ryuji-san," Sonia replied honestly as they approached the till. Donation ornaments for the city centre's tree and ones for them to take home alike: it was a good, fulfilling thing to do, charity and festive decorating at the same time. "Will you take a photo for me this year, so I might see? I'll be returning home soon myself, so I'm spending my last few days in Japan this year doing all the seasonal shopping and sampling I can. Until you really look, you have no idea how many festive events and treats there are in Tokyo! I'm sure the konbini has plenty of limited edition snacks this time of year, too."

With the small paper shopping bag now in hand, Sonia was grateful for the fact she traveled by private plane. There was never any question of all of her luggage not finding a place to fit for the journey home.

#electricea #Non-Despair AU: The Princess of Novoselic #(This might be a good place to wind down/end this thread tbh? I'm running low on ideas for it to continue. But it was very cute!)

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sadcena · 1 year

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I posted 33,847 times in 2022

44 posts created (0%)

33,803 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@joey-wheeler-official

@pointnclick

@warluigi

@ps2polpo

@ferpykins

I tagged 280 of my posts in 2022

#splatoon 3 - 8 posts

#splatoon - 6 posts

#jerma - 3 posts

#die die die die - 3 posts

#jerma985 - 3 posts

#ludwig - 3 posts

#twitch - 3 posts

#jerma fancam - 3 posts

#:/ - 2 posts

#zelda - 2 posts

Longest Tag: 126 characters

#saz style (turk. saz yolu) is a style of vegetal ornament and associated with it art style in the 16th-century ottoman empire.

My Top Posts in 2022:

X Jerma and Ludwig are best friends:)

24 notes - Posted September 22, 2022

I was trying to reference this tweet but couldn't find it in time

31 notes - Posted September 26, 2022

I've been enjoying dracula daily but I can't stop imagining dracula from grim adventures of billy and Mandy. He's too iconic

33 notes - Posted May 9, 2022

You can't hide it from me

34 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I charge my crystals with negative energy hoping that one day it would kill me like radiation poisoning

62 notes - Posted November 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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dailyexo · 3 years

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[TRANSLATION] EXO - 211015 Official EXO-L Japan website update: ”‘EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -‘ Event! Let’s relive the fond memories from EXO’s concerts! Fukuoka edition!” (”『EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -』開催記念！ EXOライブの想い出を振り返ろう！福岡編”)

"『EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -』、みなさん楽しんでくださっていますか？^^ 7月からスタートしたライブもいよいよ残すところあと約一ヶ月となりました！最後まで一緒に盛り上がっていきましょう！！

『EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -』開催を記念してお届けしている「EXOライブの想い出を振り返ろう！」企画♪ 今回は、10月14日から明日までの3日間公演が行われている福岡編をお届けします！

福岡では、2015年10月31日・11月1日に『EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion IN JAPAN -』、2016年10月2～4日に『EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM in JAPAN』、2017年12月22～24日に『EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn - in JAPAN』、そして2019年10月11～13日に『EXO PLANET #5 - EXplOration - in JAPAN』がマリンメッセ福岡で開催されました。

ツアーを開催する度に訪れている福岡ですが、それだけにたくさんの想い出がありますよね！^^

『EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion IN JAPAN -』では、迫力ある様々なステージ演出の中で、EXOの魅力が全開のパフォーマンスを披露！そのひとつ、『Machine』『Drop That』のステージでは、巨大なDJブースが登場しました！見上げるほどに高いDJブースでパフォーマンスするDJチャンヨルの掛け声に合わせて、会場のボルテージも最高潮に！メンバーがステージから大きく手を振って客席のみなさんをあおると、会場のみなさんもたくさんの熱い声援やジャンプで答えてくださり、会場がひとつになって盛り上がりました！"

Translation: "How are you guys enjoying the 'EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -'? ^^ Our tour has been going since July, can you believe we only have a month left? Let’s keep this energy going for the last month!!

Along with the 'EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -' we have an ongoing project called 'Let’s relive the fond memories from EXO’s concerts!'! ♪ This time we are spending 3 days in Fukuoka (14-16 October)!

Fukuoka's Marine Messe has seen a number of EXO concerts. From 31 October - 1 November 2015 we had 'EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion IN JAPAN -'. The following year on 2-4 October we had 'EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO'rDIUM in JAPAN'. The group returned the next year again on 22-24 December for 'EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn - in JAPAN'. And finally, for a fourth consecutive year, on 11-13 October for 'EXO PLANET #5 - EXplOration - in JAPAN'!

EXO has visited Fukuoka quite a bit so there are plenty of memories to share! ^^

Starting off with 'EXO PLANET #2 - The EXO'luXion IN JAPAN -', we have quite a bit to share as it was such a powerful concert that showed off all of the members' charms! One thing that stood out was 'Machine' and 'Drop That', the latter of which utilised a giant DJ booth!

Chanyeol pumped up the energy as he rocked out high above the other members in his giant DJ booth! The members waved their hands to the beat prompting fans to follow along and get hyped with the music! It felt like the whole venue had really become one!"

"『EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn – in JAPAN』では、福岡公演最終日がちょうどクリスマスイブということで、アンコールではトナカイやサンタクロースの帽子を被りながら『The First Snow』を披露♪"

Translation: "The final days of 'EXO PLANET #4 - The EℓyXiOn – in JAPAN' were held here, in Fukuoka. The concert happened to fall around Christmas time so the members celebrated by performing 'The First Snow' and wore raindeer antlers and Santa hats. ♪"

"「みなさんと僕たちは今日クリスマスのデートでしたね^ ^」とメンバーたちも笑顔で話していました☆

そして、ライブの裏側では、毎回EXOオフィシャルブック『PLANET』の様々な企画に挑戦しているメンバーたちですが、この日はクリスマスにちなんでクリスマスツリーの飾り付けにチャレンジ☆ 星型のオーナメントにはEXO-L-JAPANのみなさんから届いたメッセージが書かれていたのですが、メッセージをひとつひとつ手に取って読みながら、分からない日本語はスタッフに聞いたり、「クリスマスという大切な日に僕たちに会いに来てくれて嬉しいですね！」と話したり^^ とっても嬉しそうに飾っていました。"

Translation: "'We're all on Christmas date together!^^' The members said with bright smiles on their faces. ☆

Usually the members play a game or take up a new challenge for the Official EXO fanclub members' magazine 'PLANET', but this time was a little different. In keeping with the Christmas theme the members decided to decorate a Christmas tree!☆ The members also took their time reading the messages that EXO-L JAPAN had written on star ornaments for them. They made sure to ask the staff to help them with any Japanese they didn't know. 'We know Christmas is an important holiday and we are happy that fans were willing to come out and see us during this holiday season', the members shared, as they happily decorated the tree. ^^"

"さらに『EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM in JAPAN』の裏側では、『OFFICIAL BOOK PLANET vol.5』のご当地企画にメンバーが挑戦^^ 「EXOライブの想い出を振り返ろう！」企画では、北海道編でチャンヨルとセフンが“お寿司作り”に、そして愛知編でベクヒョンとカイが“手裏剣”に挑戦していた様子をお伝えしてきましたが、福岡編ではシウミンとD.O.が“お茶漬け作り”に挑戦した様子をお届けします！"

Translation: "Next we are going to share a little bit from behind-the-scenes of the challenge EXO did for 'OFFICIAL BOOK PLANET vol.5'. The members took these photos backstage for their 'EXO PLANET #3 - The EXO’rDIUM in JAPAN' concert. ^^ If you recall in our previous installments of 'Let’s relive the fond memories from EXO’s concerts!' Chanyeol and Sehun made sushi in Hokkaido, Baekhyun and Kai played with shuriken in Aichi, and now we have Xiumin and D.O. in Fukuoka making the local specialty, Ochazuke (green tea over rice)!"

"お茶漬けが大好きなD.O.は並々ならぬこだわりがあるのか、お茶の注ぎ方が独特(笑)。高い位置からお茶を注ぎ、周りに飛び散らかしながらもこだわりのお茶漬けを完成させ(笑)、おいしそうに食べた後は「お腹いっぱいです」と満足そう^^ シウミンは、たくさん用意されたトッピングの中から「これはなんですか？」「これはどんな味ですか？」とスタッフにヒアリングしながら厳選したトッピングをのせてオリジナルお茶漬けを堪能。さらにトッピングを追加しておかわりもしていました♪ 広島編では、スホ・レイ・チェンの3人が“習字”にチャレンジする様子をお届けしますので、お楽しみに✩

そしてこの日のライブ終演後には、10月7日に迎えるレイの誕生日を、ユニコーンがのった特製ケーキを用意して、ステージから降りてきた直後にみんなでお祝い！"

Translation: "D.O. is quite a fan of Ochazuke and as a result was quite particular when making it (hehe). He realised if you pour the tea from high up, the tea will splash and cover more area, making the perfect Ochazuke (hehe). After their little meal D.O. said, 'I'm full!' ^^ Xiumin was quite impressed with the topping selection, he would ask, 'What is this?' and 'What does this taste like?'. After hearing the explanations from the staff, Xiumin carefully selected his toppings to create his original Ochizuke. In the end, he decided to add even more toppings. ♪ Make sure to look forward to the Hiroshima edition where we feature Suho, Lay, and Chen where they try their hands at calligraphy! ✩

Right after the concert finished up it was time to celebrate Lay's birthday which was on 7 October! Lay got a special unicorn cake backstage! "

"最初はクラッカーを鳴らしても何が起こったのか分からない様子だったのですが、ケーキを見ると嬉しそうにニッコリ！両手を組み、目をつむってお願いごとをしてから、勢いよくろうそくを吹き消していたレイでした^^

「EXOライブの想い出を振り返ろう！」企画では、まだまだEXOのライブの想い出を振り返っていきます！『EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -』後半戦も、みなさん一緒に盛り上がりましょう！"

Translation: "The members exploded some party poppers to surprise Lay, only to have him look at them in bewilderment. It all became clear when the staff brought out the cake. Lay clasped his hands together with sparkles in his eyes as he made his wish and blew out the candles! ^^

There are still many memories to cover for 'Let’s relive the fond memories from EXO’s concerts!'! Let's put in tons of energy for the final month of 'EXO FILMLIVE JAPAN TOUR - EXO PLANET 2021 -'!"

Photo links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Credit: translation, dailyexo.tumblr.com, Source: Official EXO-L Japan.

#EXO #EXO K #EXO M #211015 #exo im #exo k im #exo m im #official update #website update #p:official #translation #comeback:Fight

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tkc-info · 2 years

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Prologue

OCtober 2021 day 31 - home

2000

Dahlia’s house was the perfect combination of Matthias and her. And of course, it was right next to Lei and Xuegang’s house, as obviously her house had to be. It was perfect.

Matthias had only wanted to have a house similar to the one the Mochizukis had lived in in Mirror Osaka. So Dahlia had had a Japanese-style house made, and then taken her time to shape her home into the Rococo mansion her heart had always desired.

The floors looked like polished white marble, the doors as if carved out of gold and dumortierite. And the ceilings —oh, the ceilings— represented some of Dahlia’s favourite drawings: The Swing, Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour (what a woman!), Blind Man’s Bluff…

Xuegang had asked why Dahlia didn’t nail the portraits to the walls, like ‘sane people did’ but Dahlia had been completely against the idea.

“The walls can only display pictures of ourselves, Lei, Matthias, and our families.” she’d reasoned.

Xuegang had hummed contentedly, and that had been the end of their conversation.

Now Dahlia sat against one of her ornamented walls with Matthias at her side. He was blinking in awe at the grandness of their new home; Dahlia thought he looked a tad too awed.

“Well?” she asked, ducking down to kiss his neck and drawing him out of his shock.

“This—” Matt swallowed “This is nothing like the Mochizuki’s. It’s all very, uh— how did you manage to make wood look like marble?”

Dahlia remembered bursting into Leora and Linette’s house in the middle of the night two months ago, thus putting an end to her sister’s fun to demand Linette come to China with her immediately.

“My dearest sister-in-law has a superb taste in painters.” Dahlia said “Isn’t it lovely what her apparitions achieved?”

Matthias took a moment to recover and return to his usual cheeky self. “I’d hardly call this lovely, Princess. Opulent? Perhaps. Over-the-top? Definitely.” he quirked an eyebrow at her “You know I told Juro and Claude our house wouldn’t be dissimilar from the one they grew up in, right? I don’t know how I’m going to explain this.”

Dahlia rolled her eyes and lightly slapped his arm. Her house was beautiful, matched ninety percent of her wardrobe, and was a few meters from Lei and Xuegang’s. There couldn’t be a more ideal home.

“We needn’t be like the Mochizukis.” she ended up saying “You wanted something inspired on their house. Well, this is inspired on it. You should just have known that I can make everything Rococo-esque.”

Matthias snorted. His red hair wasn’t gathered in one of his adorable (and hot), small ponytails today, and so he had to brush it back to properly look at Dahlia. “You’re always right, Princess.” then, he hooked an arm around her shoulders and drew her to himself, even if it was Dahlia who began the following kiss.

As their lips met, Dahlia couldn’t help but think about their future with immense happiness. Sure, there was that to worry about. But Matthias and her would marry in a few months, Lei was pregnant with a beautiful child, Dahlia and Xuegang were on their way to becoming the leaders of their respective Emblems, and Dahlia’s life had never been better.

She had a home —both in her friends and their small pocket of bliss— where she would build a future. Matthias and her would have children who’d grow up alongside Lei and Xuegang’s; just like the Beardsleys had done with the Mochizukis. And maybe Dahlia would be able to convince her dearest sister and soon-to-be brothers-in-law to adopt a child and join them in their happiness.

When Matthias drew back from their kiss, his pupils were blown wide, and he was breathing unevenly. “Do you want to test out our new—” his eyes slipped somewhere above Dahlia, and his face turned immensely fond “Weren’t you going to stop us?”

Dahlia smiled as well. She sat up from where she’d been laying under Matthias, and wiggled her fingers at Lei and Xuegang. “How are three of my favourite people doing?” she asked.

Lei was in one of her usual hanfus, one hand on her still-flat stomach. Xuegang was right behind his wife, looking as strong as always. He was, after all, Dahlia’s sparring partner.

“I’m surprisingly good.” Lei said “It’s been a couple months, and still I have barely got sick.”

“Of course. Little Hao is behaving with their momma, right buddy?” Matthias said, looking at Lei’s stomach. Then, he turned to Lei herself and his face turned slightly more serious “Have you come because of…?”

Lei nodded. “There’s a few things I have to consult with you. I can wait, though,” she added teasingly, looking between Matt and Dahlia “if you two are busy.”

Matthias snorted, and Dahlia nudged him to his feet. She watched contentedly as Lei left Xuegang —who began walking towards Dahlia— to then follow Matt out of his house.

The front door closed just as Xuegang joined Dahlia on the floor. He grinned at her and her slightly out of place attire, and slid down to rest his head on her lap.

“So you’ve finally finished this place.” Xuegang commented, eyes focused on a ceiling-painting.

“Lovely, isn’t it?”

“Well,” Xuegang began, grinning “I don’t know if I’d call it lovely. But it is home, right?”

Dahlia smiled. “Of course it is.”

@oc-growth-and-development @wagnerthedragon @iloveallmyocs @littleturtle95 @goodknightfriends

#the kinship chronicles #oc-tober

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mmwm · 5 years

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Inktober: 31 Days of Poems: Ornament

I’m using daily prompts associated with Inktober (artists doing ink drawings) to spur poetry this month. The poems flow from the prompt, though it may not be obvious. At all. If there’s a photo in the post, it was chosen after the poem was written. I’m “showing my work” by offering some of the words, phrases, associations that came to me for each prompt. The poems may or may not have anything to…

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#Alberta spruce #art #daily prompts #embellishment #gilding the lily #Inktober #october 2019 #ornament #poems #prompts #write 31 days

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haylanmakesstuff · 3 years

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Day 21 and Day 0 of my 21 day Skeksis Costume Build

DAY 21: OCTOBER 30th

The final full day; finishing the head and neck, lower body/skirt, and distressing the costume.

1.) I finished up the skirt today, can you tell the craftsmanship went down the tube because it’s the day before Halloween and I needed to finish? Yeah. After matching the materials mentioned in the last post, I added some large sprigs of chiffon to a few places in the bottom for effect.

My apologies for the terrible mirror picture, my assistant has a job.

2.) Now are the final finishes on the head. I glued on the head scythe and its base, then started putting black velvet around it. This was also part of the torn up kids kitty cat costume that was only $1.

I was nervous about the velvet pulling up so you can see I darkened the line where the latex meets the green foam with a black sharpie marker.

Now to add more black chiffon to the head materials.

Once all the material is added, gold paint was delicately put on, just like the collar.

3.) I wanted to give the costume that ethereal, glittery look that so often appears in The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, so I sprayed the torso of the costume with spray glitter adhesive hair spray, and went really heavy on the collar part that is most glittery in the show/movie.

You’ll notice the black neck ruffles (that I see through) are pinned down in all these pictures. I’ve been training them to lay flat with these pins since I made them, where the day of Halloween they will lay flat easily and not look like a mess.

4.) Now the body and head are almost done, here they are going to bed to await Halloween Day!

DAY 0: OCTOBER 31st!

I wasn’t completely done, but my 21 days were up. Halloween Day is a day to put on finishing touches and distressing. I figure 21 days is still accurate, because I did spend more than a whole day shopping, going to pumpkin patches, etc.

1.) Time to take this bad boy out to the barn to finish up. I distressed the entire costume’s fabrics and robes with black spray paint to give it a worn, gross, and tired look that all the Skeksis have. Then I added on all the adornments I made pretty early on: The neck ornaments, collar spikes, the beetle brooch, and triangle necklace.

2.) You can also see I added on a layer of stretched and dangly thin pieces of creepy cloth around the front collar, and strands of hot glue to dangle – the hot glue is supposed to look like spit strings, because...Skeksis are G.R.O.S.S.

I also made some hot glue slobber coming off of the teeth and jaw. This is the final step for Halloween 2019!

3.) Now it was time to put the costume on and get some shots before it got dark and we headed out.

We headed into Austin for meeting and hassling people on 6th street at the cities huge Halloween celebration. I am partial to this one where I am chasing a kid:

I mean, is it really Halloween unless at least one kid cries? This year I was lucky to have multiple kids cry, and even some super scared adults.

My friends and family are really into Halloween too, here are a few shots with them:

I did take one break out of the costume all night, and we were out between about 8:30pm to 2:15am. This was good to stretch, drink some water, relax. The costume wasn’t heavy at all and wasn’t near as tiring as I was worried it would be. I learned pretty early on that people LOVED it when I would dance. I was very surprised by how many people actually knew what I was from! I expected to be a hit with those that didn’t, just because it’s neat and scary, but a lot of people actually knew what a Skeksis was, or called me Chamberlain because that’s the only one they knew the name of. Fine by me of course!

Overall, I learned a lot about costume construction, as this costume was very different from any other I’ve ever created.

Although this is the end of the 21 day build, I do wear this costume to the Cult Classic Convention in Feb 2020, and during quarantine worked to create the belly plate armor and the back of the costume that I knew I simply couldn’t get to in the 21 day build. There will be one more post sometime later with those details and the completely finished and polished costume -- the pandemic meant Halloween 2020 was cancelled for me, so I haven’t finished the back yet, but plan to this summer.

Thanks for going on this journey through Thra and The Darkening with me. I love Jim Henson and the Creature Shop with my whole heart. This has always been a dream build of mine. I remember the actual day I heard Jim Henson passed away – I was in the 2nd grade, standing in my front yard, and I was devastated. At that point they thought he passed of pneumonia and my mom had pneumonia on that very day too, so I thought that surely meant she was going to die too. Lucky she didn’t, but we lost one of the most creative and inspirational human’s on that day. In high school for our career project I chose a mupeteer in the Creature Shop and the school was NOT having it. Then I tried Ringmaster of a Circus and they didn’t like that either. They didn’t want a girl to aim high or dream, I suppose! These movies and all of their work bring me happiness, fantasy, and magic, and no matter what I’m making, to him and all the people that put their hard work and love into things like The Dark Crystal, I owe a big thank you to for all of my creativity and crafting. Happy Halloween!

#dark crystal #Age of Resistance #skeksis costume #skeksis #jim henson #creature shop #muppets #cosplayer #costumer #halloween #halloween costume #maker

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mnictasbcl · 2 years

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Connor’s first Halloween

Here is my last story (including art!) for @connor-sent-by-cyberlife‘s #dbhghostsinthemachine challenge, prompt OCT 31: No heaven for androids.

Relationships: Hank Anderson & Connor

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson

Tags: Swearing, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Fluff, Good Dog Sumo, but he actually isn’t, slice of life

Summary: Connor celebrates his first Halloween.

Read it on AO3! Or, read below!

Hank had never truly celebrated Halloween before. Sure, maybe a few years ago he’d experienced it briefly, but since then… He wasn’t really sure what it entailed.

So, he’d never really made an effort for the holiday. Never bought candy and never opened the door when trick-or-treaters knocked. Just sat alone at the couch and sighed, waiting for the holiday to roll on by.

But when Connor showed a strong interest, he pulled himself together. Researched as many customs as possible and went overkill. By the time the 31st of October rolled around, his house looked like Halloween had crapped all over it. DIY paper decorations of bats and pumpkins and cobwebs hung around his house, with small ornaments, from skeletons to a mannequin dressed as a vampire.

There were no parties either were interested in going to. The work one had been two days ago and Jericho were too busy this year to host anything.

Connor wouldn’t back down at this, however.

“We can have our own party.”

“Look, I’m all for you having fun but I’m not hosting a load of drunk fucks in my house. Place will turn into a tip.”

“No, no, you misunderstand. Just us. And Sumo.”

“Oh… Won’t it be a bit boring for you, partying just with me?”

“No.” Connor sounded affronted. “We can dress up, and watch scary movies.”

“Fine.”

For dressing up he’d taken the easy out and gone as a black cat. It always pissed Sumo off to no end and the costume was fairly simple. Black ears, black clothes, and a black mask. Connor questioned the mask around his eyes and he held up a hand.

“Uncultured.”

“Excuse me?”

“You don’t know the black cat?”

“I don’t follow.”

He groaned, fitting his bell in place on a string around his neck and tapping it. “Chat Noir?”

“Oh, from Miraculous Ladybug, the cartoon that ended in—”

“Yeah, that one. I know I’m way out of the demographic to even look like him and he definitely didn’t have grey hair or swear like a sailor, but I liked the show when… when…”

“No, it’s a good costume, Lieutenant. I’m afraid I didn’t go with anything from popular culture.”

“It’s fine. Go and get changed and show me what you’ve got.”

“Alright! But stay in your room for now, and don’t come out until I’ve called you. I’ve planned something.”

Connor practically dashed away. Hank chuckled, shaking his head and fastening a belt in place for a tail around his waist, before sitting down on his bed to wait.

A few minutes later, he heard noises outside his door. He honoured their promise and didn’t leave the room yet, but was slightly concerned by the loud clang.

“Uh, everything alright out there!”

“Everything’s fine, Lieutenant, don’t worry!”

The banging continued for a moment more before everything fell silent. He tapped his foot on the floor, waiting and waiting, until…

“Okay, you can come out now!”

“Think I did thirty years ago, but thanks!”

He could hear Connor groan from the other room.

“You know what I mean!”

“Yeah, yeah, alright…”

When he opened the door, the first thing he noticed was that all the lights had been turned off. Wasn’t much of a surprise to him that Connor had been making those banging noises now, he’d probably kept falling over.

But, as he rounded the corner into the living room, he finally could see where he was going. Connor was sitting on the living room chair, a tall neon sign strapped up behind him that looked like a roaring fire. And then he took in the android’s costume. He wore some very realistic looking red horns and wings, along with a spiked tail that trailed onto the floor. Something had happened to his eyes: they were no longer brown, or even having any white sclera at all. They were a bright and vibrant orange with sharp pupils. He posed on the chair as if it were a throne, looking pretty impressed with himself.

“Fucking hell.”

“It is hell! I dressed a devil.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Boy, you really went all out on this costume.”

“I did. I came up with the idea when I speculated the afterlife, whether androids have heaven and hell… I found the concept frightening enough so I think it should be fitting as a Halloween costume.”

“Definitely is. Scared the shit out of Sumo, I thought I heard him running down the corridor.”

“Yes. He is wearing a costume too, he doesn’t seem too fond of it…”

“Where is he.”

“In the kitchen.”

Hank sighed, walking back into the kitchen, flicking on the light switch. Sumo was sitting at the other end of the room, tearing into his food bag. When he looked up from his misdeed, Hank saw the tiny angel wings placed on his back.

“Connor, you’ve got it the wrong way around. Little devil’s in here.”

Connor walked in, shaking his head and frowning. “No, Sumo is an angel—oh. He’s gotten into the food cabinet again.”

“Well, that’s your job to clean up. Lovely costumes, the pair of you, but I’m going to go and set up the horror movies in the living room. Not dealing with a fuckin’ horror movie in here.”

#dbhghostsinthemachine #dbh #detroit become human #connor #hank #connor and hank #dbh fanfic #fanfic #dbh fanart #fanart

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tweedlydumbtweedlydoo · 3 years

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NEW Seasonal Prompts woop woop

A/N: It is now November 1st, which means I can officially add the Winter/Christmas/New Years prompts to my list. I will STILL be taking Fall prompts during November because this is how I believe it goes ----->

October= strictly halloween/fall

November=Fall/Thanksgiving AND Christmas

December= strictly Winter/Christmas

A/N: I still have fall/halloween requests to finish up and will get them done as soon as I can. I have been enjoying my first weekend off by doing nothing and spending time with my fiance :) But I will continue to take NEW fall prompt requests and now the Winter/Christmas/New Years.

A/N: Because I have two lists in one place, when you send in a number (or multiple), tell me which list it is from!!

Prompt List Credit: GOES TO @carryonmywaywardbucky I did add some of my own, but all credit to her:)

Send me one, two or multiple prompts with anyone on my who I write list, which you can find HERE. :)

If you have another prompt you’d like and it isn’t on the list, go ahead and send that one in as well!! xx

**not my gifs, credit to owner ***

Christmas/Winter/New Years

1. “How many lights does one tree need?” 2. “Is that mistletoe? You know its poisonous, right?” 3. “My flight was cancelled…I won’t be home for Christmas.” 4. “Don’t you dare throw that snowball at me. I’m warning you!” 5. “Did you just pour Egg Nog on your Cheerios?” 6. “Stay. You can’t spend Christmas Eve alone.” 7. “Be careful with that one! It’s my favorite ornament.” 8. “Did you eat all of those cookies?” 9. “I can’t reach the top. Can you help me with the star?” 10. “So…do you still hate Christmas?” 11. “Woah there… have a little eggnog with your rum.” 12. “Don’t tell me you’re not cold. You’re freezing, come here.” 13. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” 14. “Tis the season, I guess.” 15. “Flour and sugar is a good look for you.” 16. “Just open it.” 17. “Holiday shopping is a nightmare.” 18. “It’s not weird, it’s tradition.” 19. “It’s not Christmas without you.” 20. “Sounds like the party is in full swing over there… are you having fun?” 21. “Christmas isn’t all sugarplums and candy canes, you know?” 22. “Looks like a white Christmas this year.” 23. “I can’t do another family Christmas alone…can you…will you come with me?” 24. “Does anyone actually like fruitcake?” 25. “When did you become such a Grinch?” 26. “White Christmas, white lie…same thing, right?” 27. “I didn’t know what to get you. You’re not exactly easy to shop for.” 28. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.” 29. “You’re all I want every day…not just on Christmas.” 30. “Ho-Ho-Hold on one minute there, Santa.” 31. “What the hell is eggnog?” 32. “That has got to be the ugliest sweater I’ve ever seen” 33. “I told you I couldn’t bake, you didn’t listen” 34. “Look up, there’s mistletoe” 35. “This was my dream as a little kid, decorating a Christmas tree with a hot guy who just so happened to be my boyfriend” 36. “You should wear red more often” 37. “This is exactly how I envisioned you meeting my parents” “You envisioned me meeting your parents while running away from a flaming Christmas tree?” 38. “Tell me again, slowly this time, how the table cloth caught fire” 39. “You had the window seat on the way to Thanksgiving dinner, it’s my turn” 40. “This feels like the start of a rom com, two people stuck on a chair lift with a blizzard coming in” 41. “So you’re the one with the obnoxious light display” 42. “If I have to fake a smile for any longer I might actually commit murder so get me out of here as fast as you possibly can” 43. “My grandmother will not hesitate to force feed you Christmas cookies” 44. “I’ve always dreamed of having my first kiss on New Years Eve at midnight” 45. “Looks like we’re gonna have a white Christmas” 46. “Did you even use any wrapping paper, because this looks like it’s ninety percent tape” 47. “All I want for Christmas is you” “Cheesy” 48. “I never said I could skate” 49. “I thought a sleigh ride would be romantic” 50. “How the hell did you manage to hurt yourself putting up Christmas lights?”

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tipsycad147 · 3 years

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The eight Sabbats: Witch's holidays

by Michelle Gruben

Modern Pagans celebrate eight major holidays throughout the year, known as Sabbats. They are based on pre-Christian customs related to the movement of the sun. Most are related to the Celtic agricultural festivals that have given them their names.

Of course, now we know that the sun doesn’t actually move around the earth. And lots of Pagans live far away from the places where our food is grown. But the Sabbats are still a meaningful way to connect with the cycles of the seasons and of human life.

The Pagan Sabbats include the four astronomical holidays (the equinoxes and solstices) and four traditional holidays in between. Together, these eight festivals are known as the Wheel of the Year. They are observed in Wicca and Wicca-influenced forms of neo-Paganism.

Learn about the eight Witch’s holidays and some popular customs for each one:

Samhain

Probably the best-known of the Sabbats, Samhain is celebrated on October 31st. It coincides with Halloween or All Hallows Eve. Halloween is a time when even non-magickal people indulge in spooky activities and ancient superstitions. It's also the time when mainstream culture pays the most attention to the activities of Witches and Pagans.

The word Samhain comes from the Irish Gaelic word for “summer’s end.” The days have become shorter, and the darker half of the solar year is upon us. At this time, farmers would use up the remaining stores of perishable fruits and vegetables, preserving other foods to sustain them through the cold and dark season. They would also slaughter any livestock that they did not plan to feed through the winter. This is why we sometimes refer to Samhain as the Third Harvest, or Blood Harvest.

At Samhain, many people believe the boundary between the words is at its thinnest. Samhain is also known as Ancestor’s Night or the Feast of the Dead. For most Witches, Samhain is the best time to commune with the beloved dead (ancestors and honored spirits). Some also believe that lonely or angry spirits may wander the Earth on Samhain night, looking for humans to annoy.

How Pagans celebrate: For Pagans, Samhain is the beginning of the new year. It is a holiday of reflection and celebration. At Samhain, we cast off the old year’s attachments and turn our attention to the coming scarcity of winter. We feast on the last of summer’s bounty. We contemplate what is worth saving and nurturing during the dark of winter. We try to make friends with Death.

Pagans celebrate Samhain in many of the same ways muggles do: Scarfing down sweets, carving jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes. We decorate with skulls and spiders and go to haunted houses. All of these Halloween traditions are too fun to miss out on—and besides, most of them have their roots in old Pagan beliefs, anyway.

If you’re invited to a Samhain ritual, you may see an ancestor altar. This is a shared altar where participants are invited to pile on their mementos and offerings for the dead. The presiding priest or priestess may invoke a deity who rules over transitions or the migration of souls—Morrighan, Hecate, or Hermes. You may participate in a meditation where you travel into the depths of the underworld, or look departed friends in the eye once more. People will speak the names of loved ones who died during the previous year, or long ago.

Feasting is a component of many Samhain rituals. When we eat sweets, we are savoring the sweetness of life and its impermanence. When we eat meat, we remember that all flesh must die and become nourishment for some creature or another.

We also use food as an offering to the dead—to communicate fond memories, to pay our respects—and perhaps, to appease hungry ghosts. Some Pagans set an extra plate at the Samhain table for spirit visitors. Another contemporary Pagan custom is the “dumb supper”—a silent meal where we invite our ancestors (both known and unknown) to come and dine with us.

Yule

Yule is the Pagan name for the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls on or around December 21.

After the winter solstice, the darkest part of the year is over and the days begin increasing in length. This solar holiday is related historically to Christmas—Pagans delight in pointing out that Christians co-opted the date around the third century CE.

In the overarching neo-Pagan mythos, Yule is the birthday of the divine infant who is conceived in the spring. The dark of midwinter is the period of the Goddess’s confinement and labor as she prepares to welcome the solar child. On the longest night, the Sun God is born to the praise and gratitude of all Earth’s creatures.

How Pagans celebrate:

Yuletide is a time for passive, personal magick—for short days of work and long nights of dreaming. We set intentions and incubate our plans. It is a time of preparing mentally and spiritually for the light half of the year. Some Pagans keep a midwinter vigil, awaiting the rebirth of the sun at dawn.

It’s not often that you find large group rituals for Yule—probably because lots of Pagans are busy traveling and visiting with non-Pagan family! Instead, Yule rituals tend toward the home-y and conventional.

We decorate with evergreens and holly. We exchange gifts with friends and family. On Midwinter Eve, we light candles to herald the return of the sun. (The ambitious among us may set a Yule log blazing.) We eat traditional, calorie-rich holiday foods: Tamales, eggnog, rum cake, ham, and chocolate. We give thanks for the life-giving energy of our planet’s sun.

Imbolc

Imbolc is a festival of purification and the early signs of spring. Imbolc is celebrated on Feb 1. (Not yet spring in most of the world, to be sure—but sometimes spring-like in Britain due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.) It is the first of the three Pagan fertility festivals, followed by Ostara and Beltane.

In Old Irish, Imbolc means “in the belly” and was associated with the onset of the lambing season. It was an obscure Irish folk festival until the 20th century, when neo-Pagans revived it as part of the Wheel of the Year. It coincides with the Christian festival of Candlemas and with that old farmer’s oracle, Groundhog’s Day, both observed on Feb. 2.

For our ancestors, the significance of Imbolc would have been the beginning of the ground thaw. It is the time to prepare for the planting season—to survey the land, take an inventory of tools, and make any repairs or modifications that will be needed. For the Witch, it also a time of preparation. We clean and bless our altars, and make sure that the tools of our practice are attuned to their intended use.

Mythically, Imbolc celebrates the awakening of the Goddess after giving birth to the young God at Yule. In the Earth, we observe the first stirrings of life after the frozen winter. (If you don’t know what a frozen winter looks like, ask your grandmother.) Imbolc brings the energy of creativity and imagination. Projects that were put on hold during the holiday season start to creak into motion again. Our midwinter dreams resolve themselves into their first visible shapes.

How Pagans celebrate:

Imbolc is especially sacred to Brigid—Celtic Goddess of hearthfire, healing, the bardic arts, and smithwork. Many Imbolc rituals honor Brigid with candlelight, poems, and woven ornaments known as Brigid’s crosses. The first light of spring is evident by now, and it is an auspicious time of year for rites of cleansing, healing, and blessing.

Imbolc is a time for spiritual dedication and re-dedication. Some covens—especially women’s covens—initiate new members at Imbolc. For old Pagans, it is also a time to examine and refresh our practice. If we have become lax, Imbolc is an opportunity to purify our intentions and reconnect with spiritual guides. We light candles, open windows, and wash the floors to cast out the last gloom of winter. Some also use Imbolc for divination for the year’s harvest.

Imbolc is not really a feasting holiday, as the season of grains and fruits is months away. The first food of the year is dairy. Butter, milk, and cream are traditional foods for the Imbolc table.

Ostara

Ostara is the spring equinox, which falls on or about March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is opposite the autumn equinox (which Pagans refer to as Mabon). But any desktop calendar can tell you that. Ostara is the Pagan cousin of the Easter holiday, a modern revival of one or more ancient spring celebrations.

Ostara is the second of three fertility festivals, a time when the blessings of spring become more visible in the natural world. Flowers bloom, the birds and the bees do their thing, and grocery aisles fill up with pastel-colored treats. Ancient fertility symbols like eggs and bunnies are everywhere. (Yep, Ostara is the Sabbat with the rabbit!)

Astronomically speaking, Ostara is a midpoint of the year, and day and night are equal at this time. The Sun God (who has been growing and gathering strength since Yule) is an adolescent. The Great Goddess, who has been getting progressively younger since December 21, is in her maiden form. These two lusty youths are now the same age, and will soon conceive the child who will be born at Yule.

How Pagans celebrate:

The original meaning of Ostara as a fertility festival is not lost on modern Pagans. Ostara provides a perfect opportunity to work magick for love, prosperity, and gains of any kind. We harness the energy of the lengthening days to fuel our desires and bring projects to fruition. We honor the gifts of the earth Goddess, who is presently blessing the land with beauty and nourishment.

Pagans also use Ostara as a time to reflect on the principle of balance. Everyone has goals and responsibilities—work, family, art, spirituality—that compete for our time and attention. At Ostara, we take a moment to notice things that may have shifted out of balance. We reset our priorities as the austerity of winter gives way to the exuberance of spring.

Beltane

Beltane is the ancient name for the May Day rite, held on May 1. Originally a fire festival, it was widely celebrated in pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland. The name comes from the god Bel (“the bright one”) and means “Bel’s fire.” It is the second of two principle festivals on the Celtic Pagan calendar, the other one being Samhain. Samhain and Beltane are the two poles of the magickal year, when the gates to Faery and the spirit world are most open to travelers.

In traditional Wicca, Beltane is a sexual festival, the last of the three fertility festivals. It is the time when the Maiden Goddess takes a lover in the form of the young God. Wiccans enact this drama through the ritual marriage (Great Rite) of a High Priestess and High Priest, whose union will bless the land.

How Pagans celebrate:

Theoretically, Beltane is an occasion of unbridled sensuality and revelry. However, sexual rites are rare in modern covens. If invited to a Beltane ritual, you’re far more likely to dance around a maypole or witness a symbolic Great Rite (with a chalice and athame) than encounter an orgy.

For the social Pagan, Beltane season abounds with bonfires, festivals, concerts, and campouts. Solitary Pagans might celebrate by making an altar to the young God and Goddess or connecting with a lover. Flowers, honey, sweets and wine on the altar echo the sweetness of the occasion. Beltane is also a time for illusion, seduction, and Faery tricks. By the light of the Beltane fire, the real can become unreal (and vice versa).

Since Beltane celebrates the union of the God and Goddess, it is a popular time for proposals, handfastings, and renewing of vows. Magickally, the combined masculine and feminine energies lend a powerful alchemical surge to almost any type of spellwork.

Litha

Litha is the summer solstice, which in the Northern Hemisphere falls on or about June 21. Linguists disagree about the origin of the Sabbat’s name, but summer festivals were common across pre-Christian Europe. People lit bonfires to keep the sun’s light alive for as long as possible. Solstice revels were supposed to bless the crops in the fields and drive away evil spirits.

Litha is the day when the Sun God is at the peak of his power. It is an auspicious day, ruled by the Sun and the element of Fire. After Litha, the nights will begin to grow longer and the Sun will move further away each day. With the fall harvest imminent, Litha is an opportunity for anticipating the (actual or symbolic) crop. Medieval people believed that Midsummer Night was blessed, and that whatever a person dreamed on this night would come true.

How Pagans celebrate:

Outdoor rituals are common at Litha, as Pagans take advantage of the long hours of daylight. It is a joyful Sabbat. Bonfires and summer games brighten the space between earth and sky. We decorate our altars with solar symbols, and honor the God in his aspect as Father.

Litha is an appropriate time for all magick ruled by the Sun. This includes spells of cleansing, protection, charisma, and truth.

Lammas

Lammas is the first harvest festival on the Pagan calendar, observed on or about August 1. It is related to an old agricultural holiday celebrating the reaping of grain. Lammas probably comes from the Old English words for “loaf mass.” Loaves of freshly baked bread would have been prepared from the first grain and blessed in churches around the countryside. Lammas is also called Lughnasadh, after the Celtic sun God, Lugh.

As the summer stretches on and the days grow shorter, the sun God symbolically loses some of his strength. He is not yet dead, but is aware that the dark season will soon approach. The god of summer “dies” in the fields to nourish the people, and prepares for rebirth at Yule.

How Pagans celebrate:

Lammas is a time to welcome the harvest. We give thanks that the year’s work is proceeding as planned, and that we will soon enjoy the fruits of our labor. Grain is the traditional food for the Lammas table, in the form of wheat, barley, beers and ales.

Celtic Pagans celebrate Lammas/Lughnasadh as the feast of Lugh, an agricultural god—but also a patron of poets, musicians, and craftspeople. At Lammas, we may show off the skills we have acquired and trade them for things we will need. It is a traditional time of year for craft fairs and local markets.

Mabon

Mabon is the autumn equinox (or as us Texans call, it “fawwwl”). In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls around Sept 21. Mabon is the pivot point of the solar year when the days begin to shorten and winter is on its way. (The name of the festival is modern and dates from the 1960s or early 1970s.)

Mabon may also be called the Second Harvest, because it is the time when autumn fruits and nuts reach their maturity. It is a time to contemplate what we have worked for in the previous year and what rewards we are ready to reap. We give thanks to the waning sunlight and prepare to store our wealth away for the scarce season. We shift from active to contemplative magick. Mabon season is a fine time for workings of prosperity, gratitude, security, and balance.

How Pagans celebrate:

Mabon is a time for celebration after the hard work of the harvest. Though it is sad to watch the beauty of the growing season fade away, we revel in the mild weather and rest that autumn brings.

Mabon foods are comfort foods, those that evoke fond memories and connect us through sharing. We bake and brew, pickle and can. Offerings of wine, cider, fruits, and boughs may adorn the Mabon table—along with that most Pagan of centerpieces, the Cornucopia.

On the Pagan religious calendar, Mabon represents the turning point to the dark half of the year. We shift our attention from the youthful merriment of the summer Sabbats. At Mabon, we honor the Crone and Sage deities, the cycles of aging and death, and the spirit world.

Mabon is a popular time for large outdoor rituals—in part because the weather is good and it doesn’t conflict with any major mainstream holidays. We gather together to feast and express gratitude for our lovely tilted planet. Many cities host a public Mabon ritual as part of their annual Pagan Pride Day gatherings. Solitary Pagans might celebrate Mabon with offerings at a home altar, or a contemplative walk in the woods.

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/the-eight-sabbats-witchs-holidays

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prosopopeya · 3 years

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New Year’s Meme

this survey has been a tradition among my friend group for YEARS, but i haven’t filled it out since 2015 apparently. i’m not entirely sure why except 2016 was the year a lot of stuff changed for me, namely in that i finally got out of school in some form and started a new job, but i also had a few health problems that kept plaguing me (thyroid medicine being off, vitamin d) and my anxiety was all over the place. so here we go i’m doing it again and feel free to do it too if you want!!

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before? tried on wedding dresses. taught virtually. dealt (poorly) with drunk teenagers. performed in a pep rally. wore face masks all the time. i’m going to lump in living with someone. jon moved in october 2019, but i don’t think i did this quiz last year so. taught ap.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? i don’t really like resolutions. they put too much pressure on me and i am a fragile person when it comes to setting expectations and living up to them. i did want to try to read more this year, and i maintained that until the pandemic, and then just kind of gave up requiring myself to do anything but live.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? i don’t think so. a coworker did.

4. Did anyone close to you die? jon’s cousin committed suicide in march or april. the circumstances were pretty upsetting. um. andy died in february, very suddenly. andy was my high school boyfriend for four years with whom i had a very... he scarred me in a lot of ways when it comes to sex and consent. it’s taken me a long time to unpack all of that. and i struggle with how much any of that was his fault or just bc he was a stupid kid too. our mutual friends had nothing but nice things to say about him on fb. anyway. he would guilt me into saying he’d kill himself if we broke up, and jon’s cousin killed himself over his girlfriend. so that was a complex part of the year.

5. What countries did you visit? none. literally the week before the quarantine, we went to asheville to visit jon’s cousin.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? maybe a different job? or at least some peace at doing mine.

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? march 13 we cancelled classes and had a technology training day; the 15th we had another one, and then we were virtual the rest of the term. it was such a sudden shift and while i so loved working from home tbh, it was such a relief after a supremely shitty january/february work-wise, i still had a lot of keyed-up, stressful days centered around transitioning to being the senior upper school spanish teacher. i hate it!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? writing 50k in the month of november. i have literally never done that before and actively reject nano as being typically unhealthy for how my mind works, so it was nice to do it entirely by accident.

9. What was your biggest failure? mishandling the drunken teenagers on that field trip in january.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? i sit crosslegged in my virtual teaching chair and i did it so much that my ankle hurt for the entire summer.

11. What was the best thing you bought? we put a deposit on our elopement in ireland. jon’s wedding ring. (i didn’t buy my wedding dress.)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my best friend at work who keeps me sane and is represented by benny in my au, which other than the fact that he is not my sidepiece, is perfect he is crucial to my survival at work and i love him so much. (also he is gay and the french teacher so the benny parallels just keep coming). everyone who tore down a statue in virginia (and other places, but especially monument avenue). everyone putting their lives on the line during this pandemic.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? guess! but aside from all the obvious, i found out a friend of mine at work voted for trump. my work bff and i had been trying for years to sway his politics, but that had us both deciding to give up on him.

14. Where did most of your money go? food, ALCOHOL. god., our savings account. i did a pretty excellent job saving this year, though a good deal of that is because jon moved in and makes more money than me, and also we split all the bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? my wedding dress but strangely only when i went to try it on after it came in bc after the purchase i was so sure i’d made every mistake possible. my wedding band. wellbutrin changing my whole life. and, last but certainly not least, the gay angel and the bi(lingual) hunter. i wouldn’t have survived nov-dec in school without that distraction. the election.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2020? the entirety of taylor swift’s oeuvre this year, maybe specifically “this is me trying”

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. Happier or sadder? happier, i suppose, perhaps contrary to what should be the case, but wellbutrin is a hell of a drug. ii. Older or wiser? wiser. ii. Richer or poorer? richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? reading. cleaning. exercising.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? stressing. chaperoning.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? so, an update; last year was the first year i didn’t go to my mom’s for christmas. i was supposed to see her for thanksgiving last year, but she basically told us not to come bc she wasn’t feeling up to it (cool!), and we went to jon’s for christmas and my mom’s for new year’s.

this year, obviously we couldn’t go to my mom’s. instead, we rented a little cabin by the lake. it was perfect; it was really really nice inside, the beds were SO SOFT, the pillows were the best things i have ever laid my head on, like i took off the pillowcases to try to find the brand. we had a little tiny christmas tree with tiny ornaments from walmart that we decorated. the 23rd, we went and picked up our wedding bands. we slept two nights in the (cold) back bedroom so i could wake up and look out at the lake. it snowed for christmas. :)

we opened presents on christmas eve, per jon’s family’s tradition. on christmas eve, we also went to his family farm and sat outside and hung out a little. every year his family does like a secret santa sort of thing and i got my first present in that exchange, which is notable bc jon and i are not yet officially married. i got a remote control car -- jon’s idea bc i couldn’t think of anything, and he was so delighted to hear that i loved playing with rc cars when we went to the beach as a kid.

christmas morning we facetimed my parents and opened some presents together. then jon and i marathoned mandalorian (after spending the previous few days watching several die hard movies), and then we watched wonder woman 1984 which was a bad movie.

21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? ok LAST year for new year’s, we were in a hotel room, so that was nice, bc it meant minimal stress with my parents. i had always wanted to go to this restaurant near us that has a special new year’s menu, so we did that. the night before or after i think we went to cheesecake factory, which was also amazing.

this year currently i’m tumbling and he’s playing pokemon, and in a bit we’ll try to time it so we finish schitt’s creek in time for the new year.

22. Did you fall in love in 2020? i re-fell in love with supernatural so that was nice.

23. How many one-night stands? 0. i submit we should randomly change question 23 each year to something more relevant to any of our life experiences.

24. What was your favorite TV program? what did i even watch this year. schitt’s creek. mandalorian. i mean obviously we know supernatural. the circle. are you the one (the queer season). pose. unsolved mysteries. we’re here! perry mason. watchmen. oh maybe that mcdonald’s monopoly fraud documentary. avenue 5. i’ll be gone in the dark. of those i think my favorite maybe is... pose or we’re here.

OKAY UM. on my 2014 version of this there were a bunch of questions about tv shows that i’m putting back in if only for the memories:

25. Which TV shows did you start watching in 2020? the haunting of bly manor, which we still need to finish. derry girls.

26. Which TV shows did you let go of in 2020? HERE’S WHY I WANTED TO RESURRECT THESE. here was my answer in 2015: “supernatural. goodbye, my sweet prince.” CAN YOU EVEN FUCKING BELIEVE

27. Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn’t in 2020? Why? so far, queen’s gambit and that one on hulu with catherine the great. EVENTUALLY. 28. Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2020? fleabag. queen’s gambit. 29. Which TV show do you think you might let go of in 2020 unless things significantly improve? idk i drop things pretty regularly if they don’t entertain me 30. Which TV show impressed you least in 2020? GUYS HERE’S MY ORIGINAL 2015 ANSWER: “supernatural. :(”

anyway back to the rest of the quiz:

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? every person who refuses to listen to facts and information.

26. What was the best book you read? killers of the flower moon: the osage murders and the birth of the fbi, or the his dark materials series.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? well i knew about tswift so i’m not going to count her albums. i will count this song that jon played for me once in the car that got stuck in my head for two weeks straight and led me down into a great related-songs spotify playlist: through the roof ‘n underground.

28. What did you want and get? a wedding dress and a very specific kind of wedding band. a gay angel. a christmas getaway. animal crossing.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? idk i don’t know how many films i saw this year. maybe mucho mucho amor: the legend of walter mercado

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? i was 32. we went to an escape room with a BUNCH of people -- work bff, my old work bff and his wife (old bc he quit and we’ve fallen out of touch :(), the cool new physics teacher and his fiancee, and the aforementioned trump voter and his wife, before we knew... we went out for brunch/lunch after. it was pretty great!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? not having to chaperone that school trip in january. dean being bi in english as well as spanish. cas just ilke, appearing in 15x20. not having to physically go back to work this fall.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? no! real! pants!

34. What kept you sane? jon. supernatural (in a way?). animal crossing for a while. wellbutrin! i haven’t really been able to detail this yet, but finally i did something about tumblr and my therapist making me think about adhd. my doctor gave me wellbutrin (bc i lack any official diagnosis and was on anxiety meds anyway, and he was like let’s try this!) and it’s fucking. it’s a fucking godsend. surprisingly enough, my students. trying to provide them a safe space has been a calming thing for me.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? jensen ackles’ silence. misha collins again, i guess.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? the summer was so fucking intense. i guess though it was me trying to exert my influence in a responsible way with my students without trying to try to make them feel uncomfortable but then one kid was a vocally upset trump supporter after the election and i had to try to defuse that situation.

37. Who did you miss? my old work bff. several old friends that i’ve fallen out of touch with bc i have no object permanence.

38. Who was the best new person you met? people i met through the spn resurgence!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: if you manifest it in an au, it will come. no really though. maybe that expectations are only as important as i make them out to be.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: usually i have a hard time coming up with anything for this and i default to looking at my most played songs of the year. my most played song of the year received each and every one of its plays within the month of november and you can guess why. anyway see if this works

I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do Haunted by the ghost of you Take me back to the night we met - the night we met, lord huron

#happy new year #annual meme

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