The roots surround you

Thank you @captain-celestial-chrome for the wood burning kit I love to destroy

Halloween prompts no. 31 (part 13: Finale)

Ras al Ghul was concerned. The Lazarus pits had been literally boiling and frothing at the edges. In fact the pit seemed to be steadily growing in size.

Ras did some tests and discovered the chemical components of the pits had not changed, but none of the bodies thrown in were revived, instead ever single one was turned into a rage filled zombie that glowed with the pits power. He still wasn't sure what to make of this when he got word that it wasn't just his pit that was reacting this way, but all of them. More pits were even opening up at a rapid pace, but strangely enough it was only happening in North America.

As time went on the pits continued to react more and more strange. Lightning began to dance across the surface and strike anyone or anything that got near. Any inanimate objects struck would begin acting on thier own and attacking anyone who got close. Fascinating.

He was just about to inform Batman of this development because as interesting as this was he did want his pit back. Unfortunately, it was just as he thought this that crap hit the fan.

The pits in America transformed into Portals to an unknown realm and creatures of all sorts began spewing forth followed by an army of skeletons, human, animal, alien, demon, dragons, you name it. It was there. Ras wisely decided to stay out of this one.

-------

The US was quickly overrun by myths and monsters, Green Arrow and his team was getting thier butts kicked by glowing stone gargoyles, the speedsters were dealing with a herd of colorful unicorns with hair made out of lightning, a freaking Kraken had emerged in one of the great lakes and was destroying everything it could. A purple dragon with a neon green underbelly began attacking Gotham and Red Hood asked, "Who the hell pissed off Barney?!"

It was only after they defeated an arrogant black dragon and its necklace was knocked off did they have a way to fight back. Hood hurriedly put on the amulet and turned into a large red dragon. Granted he rampaged a bit before he was attacked by one of the much smaller skeleton dragons and he began fighting them. He and 'Barney' got into what was essentially a dragony fistfight and Jason roared in victory after defeating it.

Tim got thrown into one of the pits and came out with pit madness and attacked anything that moved, roaring and baring his teeth all the while until he calmed down about twenty minutes later.

Similar things began happening all over the US where odd green lightning danced across the ground bringing inanimate objects to life and driving people to either temporary or permanent pit madness when struck.

Meanwhile,

Wonderwoman was being greatly outnumbered by chimeras and armed skeleton warriors while something similar was happening with Superman, save for the fact the skeletons he was dealing with wore armor made out of kryptonite.

After hours of fighting and the skeleton armies purposely burning and tearing down any buildings they saw things suddenly changed. All the creatures collectively froze for approximately two seconds before resuming the battle, this time with the intent to capture the heros in bubble prisons instead of killing them. The first captured was Superboy.

It spiraled from there with Superman and Wonderwoman being taken out and dragged through the portal

Shazam was being herded by spirits who were trying to protect him and were preventing him from fighting.

Tim freaked out upon learning about Superboys capture and went out of his way to go through the portal and save him. And the others of course.

He manages to land of the back of a giant glowing green bird and (with a lot of difficulty) gets it to land at what looks like a prison. He finds and frees Superboy and Martian Manhunter from thier bubbles and cells, but they seem to be the only heros here. The other inmates look like true eldrich horrors and the three of them try not to look directly at them as they escape. They work together to try to find the other imprisoned heros. They instead come across a pitch black castle with a welcoming white glow and sneak inside. MM shape-shifted into one of the skeletons and went unnoticed by the strange people roaming the castle, this, unfortunately did not fool the skeletons that were on guard duty and/or patrolling the castle and they all attacked them, leading them to try to hide in a nearby room that was actually heavily guarded. Locking the door behind them, they were pleased to note the skeletons couldn't seem to get through. They were all breathing heavily when a soft beep from behind them caused them to whirl around.

Instead of a threat, they found a seemingly very much alive boy around eight to ten years of age laying in a plush bed, guarded by a growling green puppy and hooked up to what seemed to be a heart monitor and other medical equipment. The heartbeat was dreadfully slow however. Superboy picked up the black crown that was resting on the bedside table and they all shared a look.

Was this the prince? It didn't look like he was leading the charge seeing as he was clearly in a coma, but whatever was happening the boy was clearly involved somehow.

A knock on the door startled them again, followed by an eerily calm voice, "Intruders of the Realms. You have been granted audience with the sister of the prince and currently reining princess of the Realms. Come quietly and you will not be harmed."

They talked amongst themselves and agreed to talk to the princess in hopes of getting more information. If they're attacked then they would at least have a change to fight or run rather than being stuck in a room with a comatose child. Sure they could use him as a hostage, but just the thought of doing that to a little kid made Tim's stomach sick, so no.

The princess was not at all what they thought she would be. She was a little girl not much older than the boy with bright orange hair and a blue dress with a matching oversized bow on her head. She seemed just as alive as her brother and very, very angry. She claimed she was Jasmine, but to call her Jazz. The American government had committed hundreds of war crimes against the Realms and even more "acts of war". Appearently they attacked the prince directly while he was trying to settle disputes between the living and the dead caused by a portal to the Infinite Realms that the humans had created. (The creation of the portal itself broke several ancient treaties) This wasn't unusual, and Prince Phantom often forgave them, even though they didn't deserve it. Many spirits have grown increasingly angry with the living over the past year or so this has been occurring and swiftly flew into a wild rage when it was discovered thier sweetheart of a prince was captured by the GIW and tortured for months until someone rescued him. When he was returned to the castle he cried himself to sleep and hasn't awoken since.

This was bad. Really bad. It sounded like the US was the aggressor, which explains a lot of things, like why only the US was being attacked,why the president was killed and government places like the pentagon and White house were so thoughly destroyed and its staff picked off.

Jazz explained that they were capturing anyone that was involved in the horrors committed against the Realms and its people and dragging them back to the dungeons to face the same tortures they had or had planned to put Phantom and the others through.

The princess then offered them a way home so long as they told the other heros the truth about what was happening and that this was a war between two government bodies.

Kinktober Day 1

Prompt: Costume Pairing: San x fem!reader WC: 1,900 Summary: When you and your boyfriend have a minor disagreement on what to do for your halloween costumes, you hatch a plan to have him see your side.

This is a work of fiction, it does not represent San or any Ateez member. On top of this it is an 18+ work. For my comfort and boundaries please if you are under age do not interact with this. 

TW/CW under the cut

TW/CW: Sort of petplay, reader called “kitty”, “kitten” as well as “babe” and “sweetie”, oral (m. receiving), unprotected intercourse, finishing inside, tail plug mentioned. I think that’s about it.

Staring into the monochrome abyss of San’s closet you huff. “Babe? What are we wearing for Hongjoong’s Halloween party?”  He doesn’t turn from his game, frantic clicks of the mouse filing the space where his reply should be.  “Babe?” You ask again, foolishly hopeful.  More clicking, punctuated by a flood of curses under his breath.  You purse your lips and turn to him, the silhouette of his chair blocking him. “San?”  His fist slams into the table, “SHIT! Sorry. Dead. I got 1 minute. What? Sorry.”  “Costume. Halloween party?”  “I was thinking we’d buy a couples-”  “BUY?” Your eyes bug incredulously. The thought opens wide a can of childhood trauma. Years of your parents insisting that you create your costumes with clothes either from the second hand store or existing closet pieces with minimal single use articles. While others got to dress as Jesse from Toy Story or Cinderella, you had to figure out your best approximation of what a witch would look like in modern dress.  San’s brows furrow in confusion. “What? Yes? How else do you get a costume?”  “Where is your spirit of creation?! I might as well dress up like a cat if you’re just going to buy some shitty costume.”  San rolls his eyes, exasperated. “You can’t make a cat into a couples costume.”  “You go ahead and buy the costumes. I’ll put together mine and show you how much better it is.”

 It’s manipulative, you know it is, as you examine yourself in the mirror. You’d probably never wear this ensemble out, but it was about the message. Fuzzy ears clipped to the top of your head matched beautifully with the tail plug tickling the back of your thighs from under your skirt. It was almost unfair, almost.

 Leaning against the doorframe you watch him click away, unaware of the treat sitting mere meters away from him. You knock and wait patiently with a small smirk tugging at your lips.  “He-holy shit,” San turns and stops in his tracks, eyes racking over your body. Whatever he was doing or going to do long forgotten he launches himself from the computer chair. He whole body throbs for a second as his arms tighten around you and lift, moving you with ease. For a second he considers tossing you fully onto the mattress but decides better, it would be a waste instead placing you in the center of the bedroom. “Such a pretty kitty,” San purrs, pushing your hair behind your ear. Nails scratching lightly at your scalp, his eyes shine as as shiver runs down your body.  “So you like it?” You tug slightly at the half gloves covering your wrist, smoothing them taut to you. Small rubber paw prints adorn the palms, soft and squishy and pink. Your stockings have them too, just at the ball of the foot, with matching pretty pink bows at the tops of the thighs. You twirl, tripping lightly as the rubber paws grip the ground more than you’re prepared for. San’s arms wrap around you again and secure you as his chest blocking your tumble.  “Maybe a little dangerous to wear out,” he muses, hand trailing your spine.  “We’ll have to take care of that, won’t we kitty?” His mind feels hazy as the blood flow redirects southwards. He shouldn’t be as attracted to this outfit as he is. You just look so cute, so so SO cute it makes his head swim.

 It’s impossible to hide the pulse of interest in his sweatpants, comfy and breathable grey cotton leaving nothing to the imagination. “Take care of what?” You bat your eyelashes dumbly, prolonging the game. Your hands skim down to the waistband of his pants, feeling the flex of his lower abs as his breath catches. His own hand pushes up the back of your skirt, tugging lightly at the tail, stirring the plug within you just enough to make you whine.  “Don’t worry kitty, just follow me,” he smiles, palm cupping your ass. “get on your knees for me, won’t you?”  You’ve never dropped to your knees faster, looking up at his toned body with wide eyes. He barely moves his head to look down at you, only his eyes following. Your mouth waters, staring at the tented outline pressing insistently to the fabric.  “Be a good kitty and open your mouth for me,” his thumb strokes your cheek, your jaw softening and falling open in his hand. One handed, he pushes the top of his pants down, thick cock springing from the confines. Heavy and musky he taps the head on your outstretched  tongue, sucking in air through his teeth. It the eager twinkle in your eye as you patiently wait for his next instruction that stokes the fire in his gut. “That’s it, now just the tip sweetie, just a little lick for me,” he coaxes.

 Tongue flicking gently against the underside you listen for his breathy moan, mischievous smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. You barrage him with sweet kitten licks all over the head of his dick. As much as he can control his body he couldn’t control his expression, fighting to keep his eyes open his eyelids flutter. “Li’e tha’?” You ask, words slurred with your tongue lolling out.  “Just like that,” he sighs, “just keep your mouth open babe, let me do the work.” Letting the weight of his member rest heavily on your tongue you hold your head still, eyes fixed upwards, gazing at his face. Gathering your hair into a loose fist at the base of your scalp, his hips press forward into your inviting heat. It’s barely halfway down before he feels the resistant tight ring of your throat against him. Hazily he shallowly thrusts against it, the sound of your soft gags awakening something primal in him. Tears welling in your eyes you work hard to breath through your nose as he loses himself briefly to the rhythm. “Doin’ so well-,” he gasps, “a lil’ more. Such a good obedient kitty. A lil’ more for me.”

 Your core throbs impatiently, gut twisting and tightening. His choked back moans and lack of oxygen have you lightheaded, your own hand wandering between your thighs to provide some relief to your unattended sex. Subtle twitches of his thighs and cock tell you he’s close, an unrepressed moan burbling up from your lungs has him retreating quickly, strands of spit and salty precum bridging the gap in your bodies.  “Don’ wan’ cum?” You gulp and gasp, wiping your lips on the back of the arm warmers.  San shakes his head, eyes unfocused and breathing heavily.  You don’t have time to question why before he is pulling you up by your forearms and tossing you face down into the unmade sheets of the bed like you were little more than a misplaced pillow. He’s on you nearly as fast, hand running up the back of your thighs to your slit.  “Practically dripping,” he growls and giggles all at once, giddy. You push back on his hand with a moan.  “All for you,” your voice is horse and ragged.  “Good kitty.”

 The blunt pressure of his cock breaching your entrance forces a harsh exhale from you. Your skirt is bunched and balled into his fists at your waist, little more than makeshift handles for him to use as he pushes his way into your tight heat. The slickness of your arousal eases the push as his hips roll against you, deeper and deeper with each stroke until he’s fully seated in your cunt. Elated, you wiggle back at him, shaking the tail still snuggly held in by the plug.  San marvels at how your walls stretch and hug to accommodate his thickness. The audio visual experience of your small moans and tight hole eagerly sucking him back dulls his wits. For a moment he drops the skirt to palm your ass, spreading you so he can better watch himself disappear as he shallowly fucks into you, absentmindedly stroking the fur of the tail draped down your back. It’s just enough to jostle the plug, tight ring of muscle flexing to hold it in.  Your chest tightens and vision blurs, elbows faltering and falling cheek first into the mattress. “It feels good,” you try to say, only bubbles of spit and moans managing to make their way out of your mouth.  “You’re so fucked,” San laughs as his hips snap into you faster. “You’re so hot.”  “Fuuuuck,” you groan in agreement. “I’m fuuuuucked.” The words bounce with the shaking of your body, uncontrolled and automatic. San fists your strip of a skirt, using it as leverage to fuck into you harder and faster. You can hardly breathe as your orgasm rolls over you, one after another, walls clenching and spasming around his cock. Fingers claw at the bed, twitching as you pant and groan and swear underneath him.  He drops his hold on your skirt, unceremoniously allowing you to crumple to the bed as he pulls from you.  “Nooo,” you whine pitifully at the loss of sensation. Exhaustion plagues your muscles but your gut needs more, craves more. You ragdoll as he pushes you to your back, clambering between your thighs again. It’s rougher than he’s every been with you. You stomach flutters and flips and he practically folds you in half, pressing your knees up to your armpits and sliding back into you.  “Don’t worry kitty, you’ll get your treat,” he murmurs in your ear, breath tickling your jaw.  This angle is a different kind of intense, his body weight heavy on your lungs, restricting your airflow just enough to have you buzzing. His biceps flex as he holds himself and your legs up as best he can, your stockinged feet waving loosely in the air with each thrust. You hold onto him, clinging to his back with all your might. Your ears ring and rush as you lose yourself in his motions.  “Cum, please, cum,” you chant into his shoulder. “Fuck your cum into your cute kitten.” Spit and sweat commingling on your lips. You curl up, forehead pressed to the junction as you climax, vision darkening and eyelids fluttering.  You’d scream but your lungs are empty and diaphragm clenched. Everything burns from the inside out. Gasping, you bite down on his trapezius, his strangled groan of pleasure and surprise breaking through your haze as his hips stutter and slam as deep as he can go into you. The warmth of his release coats your walls as they work him.

 San whimpers and then giggles quietly.  “Sorrysorrysorrysorry,” you spew in a whispered prayer.  “Don’t apologize to me,” he kisses your cheek. “Intense right?”  You don’t answer, eyes closed in bliss. All is quiet except for your breaths and the occasional light smack of lips to skin as you pepper eachother with pecks. You let him lower your legs to the bed, release slightly seeping out around his cock as he moves you. “You like the costume?” You trade an obvious question with a second obvious question.  “Skirts ruined, sorry,” he giggles again. “Pussy ruined.””

 You glare at him. He shifts slightly, balancing himself on one arm as he grabs an errant ear from between the pillows. “See? Pussy ruined. Besides, not a couples costume so-” it was such a San answer, letting you win the battle but not the war.

I’m really not promising much if anything but I wanna write more frequently sooo here you go. As usual, please let me know if I am missing tags or if you’d like me to add any TW/CW that are sensitive for you to any upcoming fics!

Also i noticed the formatting is a little fucked on mobile i’m so sorry i think it’s that i copy paste in from another doc but like...it’s hard to tell. It’s the first paragraph. Sorry!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN WHATRE YOU AND JAS DRESSING UP AS???

... late by *checks invisible watch* approximately two months here. but better late than never amirite?

jas was a unicorn fairy princess of some sort, and i was just me. pretty scary if you ask me. what'd you do on spirit's eve?

Samael, Lucifer, Lilith

Samael, Lucifer, and Lilith The Devil is in the Details By Michael Vachmiel October 25th, 2023

Happy Halloween 2023!

When Witches, Pagans, Satanists, and Luciferians of all types talk about deities, spirits, and angels we throw names about without quite understanding the history behind those names. Close to a thousand years of magical and occult history is not easy to come by or keep straight in one's head!

Also, let's be honest, we work with being reconstructed for a modern, even post-modern era of worship.

So, let’s take a dive into Samuel, Lucifer, and Lilith.

Samael was first mentioned in the First Book of Enoch, a text that started approximately in 167 BCE. Here, Samuel was one of several angels that made the Christian God angry for having sex with women. In a later edition, the Second book of Enoch, in the 1st Century AD Samuel was listed as the Prince of Demons and a powerful Magician.

Samael’s next appearance would be in the Apocalypse of Baruch a century later in 100 AD. It was here that Samuel was the reason Eve sinned, gave the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge to mankind, and was said to be able to take the form of a serpent.

In the Middle Ages Samuel was greatly expanded upon in Jewish mysticism called at the time Merkabah.

In the Sefer ha-Bahir, a foundational part of Kabbala, Samael's role in the mystical arts, religious systems, and the occult was codified.

The most important work, in forever being Samael, Lucifer, and Lilith together was between 1260 and 1280 AD in On the Emanation on the Left by Rabbi Isaac ha-Kohen.

Despite claims that this book is much older, or from early Jewish Mystics, there is no scholarly proof that supports this claim.

On the Emanation on the Left is the first time Lilith is documented to be married to any beginning. It is the first time Samael and Lilith are said to be married. It is the first mention of Right-Handed Spirituality and left-handed Spirituality.

On the Emanation on the Left would become the foundation of the Zohar in the 14th century. So, if this is Samael, then who is Lucifer?

Lucifer as lucifer is not a being.

Lucifer, lowercase “l”, is an action, a very, a title. Lucifer translates into “the light bringer” or “dawn bringer” from the Greek. It was also the name of the planet Venus, the brightest star in the sky, as Lucifer with a capital “L” It is through this interpretation, with Lucifer as Venus that Lucifer is a God. Although Venus is a Goddess, the image is that of a male holding a torch. As such, we get the Proper name, Lucifer Morningstar, or “who brings the light of the dawn”

And the Sin of Pride?

The 1409 Lollard manuscript titled Lanterne of Light associated Lucifer with the deadly sin of pride, not the Bible or Kabala.

So, with all the back and forth between faiths, writers, religions, cults, and so forth, it appears just like in every work at the time, the being Samael as the magic, the personification of freedom, liberation, and rebellion merged with the Greko Roman Goddess male symbol of illumination and created the emergence of one being. Or, at the very least, manifested the concept of illumination with personal freedom.

This is the very concept of the Bogomil and Cathar text, Gospel of the Secret Supper, 12th century, where Lucifer is a glorified angel but fell from heaven to establish his own kingdom and became the Demiurge (an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe, a self-made god)

So is Samael-Lucifer the being Satan?

No!

Satan is the opposition figure that works against the status quo while Samuel-Lucifer works in harmony with the natural order of the universe through the manifestation of free will and intelligent action along with acceptance of passion and natural drives.

Lilith

One of the oldest beings in creation, Lilith was mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, a famous poem of ancient Mesopotamia dated back to not later than 2100 BC. There is some debate if Lilith is a powerful Domon, Goddess, or both among scholars.

She has been associated with Owls, and then Vampires through her association with Owls.

That is Lilith’s power, and association.

Lilith became a succubus because we needed her to be. Lilith became a witch because we needed her to be. Lilith became a vampire because we need her to be. Lilith became a symbol of what we need her to be. Lilith became a goddess because we need her to be.

Between the 13th and 21st Centuries, Lilith rose to the wife of Samuel-Lucifer, to Goddess of the Left Hand Path as the female equivalent of a Deified Samael-Lucifer, and to the succubus, sexual, vampire being we have made her into.

Also, none of these things matter at all beyond knowing where things are and how things started. Your practice is a matter of faith and belief.

Don’t let anyone take that from you!

#lilith #lucifer #samael #magic #occult #magick #wicca #pagan

Pumpkin Koroks are faithful helpers of the Sheikah farmer Olkin and tend to his fortified pumpkin fields outside Kakariko Village! Olkin likes to do as much of the work as he can by himself, but since he's getting older he has come to rely on the Pumpkin Koroks more to carry the produce into the village and sort it for market. During the height of the harvest season in October, Kakariko villagers have a tradition of carving faces into the fortified pumpkins and setting them outside their houses. Late in the night, Pumpkin Koroks enter the village and take the carved pumpkins, replacing them with fresh ones. They then wear them as masks and dance around the village for 7 nights straight. It's said that this dance, paired with the carved faces, scare off the spirits of evil monsters that roam the land during the end of fall. Whether that's true or not is up for debate, but the Pumpkin Koroks looks so frightfully cute that no one complains!

Pumpkin Koroks are a part of the Halloween collection!  They will return later this month in my final fall drop!  They are made of soft minky with a machine embroidered face.  They are approximately 8" tall and 7" wide.  Base pattern by @sewdesune

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Ghost I think you just became a Halloween deity for us all, like an embodiment of the Hallows' eve spirit! I must congratulate you on your promotion! 🦇🎃🪄

yknow i've always loved halloween more than every other holiday so this should be my dream come true but it comes with getting a notification approximately every 6 seconds which i can't say i would expect to be the drawback of being a halloween deity

Tell me about corsets I'm genuinely curious and your tags intrigued me

ok i'm tired so you're getting the short version but i am soooo sick of corset misrepresentations. people talking about garments that Are Not Structured At All and calling them corsets. people talking about garments that are stays and calling them corsets. costume dramas doing the Corset Scene (aka a woman gets tightlaced into a corset and almost faints/actually faints/almost dies/is generally very dramatic). none of you motherfuckers know what you're talking about

corsets are, historically, a structured garment with the main purpose of "keep those damb boobs in place" they evolved from stays which served the same purpose and tightlacing! was not! normal! only the most fashionable rich people did that shit the average corset wearer was wearing it normally and not trying to make their waist look as small as possible!!!!! "corsets" with the sole purpose of being a waist cincher drive me INSANE i have seen far too many that are glorified shapewear belts with piping and some ribbons or something. and also so so so many "corset tops" that are so clearly not corsets they're stays. they're stays. they're constructed like stays. oh my fucking god would it kill you to use one less marketing buzzword

also im calling out bridgerton specifically i aint watched the show but i know they have a scene where they tightlace a woman into a corset (those don't exist yet) (show is set in the regency) (she should be wearing short stays) and then put her in an approximation of a regency dress (empire waisted) (shaped like a greek pillar) (no definition in the waist) (tightlacing to cinch the waist is entirely pointless) (you can't fucking see it) and then she faints in front of the queen from her pointless fucking corset. i'm haunted by this. i hate bridgerton so fucking much for what it's done to the ecosystem. i tried to find a specific regency dress i love a while back and the number of "bridgerton halloween costumes" i saw was actually distressing to me. why would you do the regency like this. does the original spirit of the fasion (look like a greek pillar) mean nothing to you. fuck.

Man Made Lumpkins!

Reportedly, an Ohio Farmer named John M. Czeski perfected his experiment to grow pumpkins with human faces in 1938. You can search out farmers today growing pumpkins into more fanciful Halloween themed faces.

Farmer Grows Pumpkins with Human Faces

Pumpkins with human faces have been produced by John M. Czeski, Ohio farmer, after four years of experimenting. To grow the novel fruit, Czeski fashions an aluminum mold of the head he wants to reproduce, and places it around a growing pumpkin approximately the size of a small grapefruit. After the pumpkin has expanded enough to fill the inside contours, the mold is removed. The print of the features remains as the pumpkin continues to grow, and the final result is a lifelike full-size image in the ripened fruit.

If you need more proof of Mr. Czeski’s work, it is reported this cast iron mold was up for sale in 2016.

I discovered this historical anecdote in 2022, and a few weeks later my son carved this jack-o-lantern of me (with help from Mom).

Also, in 2022 I began sculpting and casting my version of a sentient pumpkin, inspired by vintage Halloween greeting cards. Enfleshed by the spirit of goblins, I call them Lumpkins.

😛🎃

Spirit Halloween is exclusively carrying Halloween and The Texas Chains Saw Massacre bobbleheads. Produced by Royal Bobbles, each resin statute stands approximately 8" tall and costs $36.99.

The Halloween bobblehead depicts Michael Myers peering out from behind a hedge, while the Texas Chain Saw Massacre bobblehead portrays Leatherface in his "Pretty Woman" mask.

In the autumn, Nature bedecks the garden with red lanterns. 

The “lantern” is the inflated basal calyx surrounding the fruit of the Chinese Lantern Plant (Physalis alkekengi). Each lantern contains a round red fruit that becomes visible as the lantern decomposes into a spidery web of vascular tissue. If picked at the height of their colour, the Chinese lantern fruit makes a beautiful dried flower that keeps its colour and shape for over a year. This plant is the only Eurasian species closely related to the famous Andean aguaymanto or cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). Unlike the tasty aguaymanto, the berry inside the Chinese lantern plant is not edible although the plant is used in East Asian herbal medicine. 

Approximately for the Halloween season, the plant features in Japanese folklore as a lantern associated with the spirit world. I’ve included a page from the Japanese manga series xxxHolic by CLAMP depicting supernatural beings using the lanterns, or “hozuki”, in a procession.

Hey, Have you entered the ViewSonic & AtmosFX St. Patrick's Day sweepstakes to win an M1 Mini Plus projector, window projection material, 3 digital decoration collections, and a $100 AtmosFX gift card? If you refer friends you get more chances to win :) https://wn.nr/dQ2XWj

I made a thing! It's a Stardew Valley year to our year calendar. Real time seasons are highlighted. Our seasons have (approximately) 3x as many days in them as there are in SDV, which makes sense because in SDV each season is a month and in real life each season is 3 months. Also in real life seasons change in the middle of thee month not the beginning.

Each red line is thee beginning of a new day in sdv. It isn't exactly 3:1 ratio with days so I did the math to figure out how many SDV days would equate to 4 IRL days and lumped them evenly in the middle of each season for no reason specifically. I could have spaced them out or put them in at the end or something but I liked this best.

Of course, the game calendar seems more based off a single, most iconic month of each season rather than scaled down in ratio. Halloween would be on Fall 13 while Spirit's Eve is on Fall 27:

I would say this fits video game logic. In real life you take a break from work, you get sick or just don't spend every waking second being productive, so the amount of work you get done in SDV in one day could, irl, be better equated with the amount of work done over three days. Kind of like how days in BotW seem to go pretty fast but in reality the amount of traveling time is cut down to make the game less boring and it averages out with shorter days than would be true to life.

I like math. I spent an hour doing this instead of mining for copper like I should be doing.

27, 28 & 29 for the writer asks, please! Love hearing about how other writers get it done!

I have read and loved your Clexa fics for years so I smiled seeing this hit my inbox. Hi :)

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Lexa always really stresses me out because she's so heavily nuanced and complex to me and I am always worried that I won't do her justice. That's why chapter 5 of my canon story is taking approximately 5,000 years to write. 😫

28. Who is the most delightful character you’ve ever written? Why?

I loved writing Anya in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. I always felt really cheated of Lexa/Anya interactions in canon and it brought me a lot of happiness to write snarky, sarcastic, Anya that clearly just cared so much about Lexa. Is she technically delightful? No. But she brings me joy to write. :)

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

Honestly, I am still fairly new to this so inspo hits me everywhere. Music, movies, people's phenomenal moodboards (here's looking at you, @thecrimsonknight), rewatching clexa snippets. I wrote a few things for clextober recently lately because I adore Clexa AND Halloween so it was the perfect blend.

If I lose inspo, I usually go read other people's fics, just from a break of the monotony of my own brain as well. There's so many amazing Clexa writers so there's no shortage of choices, but I just reread @steklir 's A Great and Mighty Wonder and it felt like reading it for the first time all over again. I can't wait to read it again at Christmas. :)

Chislehurst Caves England

Chislehurst Caves located in Chislehurst Kent in the United Kingdom. Most of these stories revolve around the many stories of murder and sacrifice associated with humans that are said to have occurred in the cave. These caves are said to be man made and have a history that expands over a period of approximately eight thousand years.

The caves originally started, it is believed, as an area that served miners.. The individuals who wandered into the saves in the earliest days discovered substances that could be used in order to enhance the overall quality of their lives. These substances included chalk and flint. The caves have been measured and it has been determined that there are just over twenty miles of passageways when you add up the total area of all the tunnels. As World War Two erupted, many individuals discovered a new use for the Chislehurst Caves. Several people started flocking to the caves in order to experience protection from the guns and violence that erupted in the grounds above.

During the time of the war, it is believed that over fifteen thousand individuals flocked to the tunnels and dark passageways of the cave in order to live, socialize, and go day to day without being hit by a bullet or caught in an explosion. The people adjusted rather well to the extremely densely populated cave, and even incorporated a medical area where the sick and injured could be treated. Unfortunately, medical treatment did not come in time for many people. As a result, they died within the walls of the cave. It is believed, to this day, that the spirits of these souls still linger throughout the dark passageways of the Chislehurst Cave.

Many individuals who have experienced the cave for themselves often share the experience of hearing and even seeing the spirits of children. Sounds of playful laughter and talking of children seems to echo from the walls of the cave. Many individuals have witnessed the sounds of mournful crying from children. For many, there were spirits of children that appeared in the form of full body apparitions, as well as mists. While the children do not appear to want to harm anyone, experiencing their unforeseen or even seen presence in the dark passages can be quite overwhelming – regardless of who you are.

The owners of the caves offer tours to interested individuals during the daytime hours. Private evening tours are available to clubs or groups. Throughout the cave, there are several mannequins placed in order to give people the feel for how people used the caves during the time of the Second World War. Many claim that these human like replicas seem to move on their own. It is not uncommon for the individuals who give the tours to find that one of the mannequins has been moved from its location, or to actually see the movement themselves.

Many unusual sounds and visual oddities have been experienced in the haunted Chislehurst Cave. Many have heard what they believe to be footsteps, voices, screams, cries and more. For this reason, the “Challenge” had been set up. This was a contest that “dared” someone to stay in the cave overnight, on Halloween. The winner, of course, would win money and recognition for their efforts. Unfortunately, by the time a person resided in the caves for just a few hours, and were subjected to a large number of paranormal events, they were ready to escape with little concern for the cash reward and recognition. The “Challenge” was stopped do to safety concerns.

"TRICK OR TREAT!" the little demon screams out, dressed like a... Horseshoe crab... For some reason. Her compatriots are also dressed as crustaceans with Jacob as a rainbow shrimp and Warden as a lobster. Their mom lingers behind them dressed like a mermaid.

One of his favorite things about Samhain was seeing everyone's costumes. He usually saw the regulars -- ghosts, demons, nature spirits, werewolves, vampires, ghouls, witches, - he even saw a few humans dressed as fae, or their closest approximation to a fae. So when he was greeted by a troop of crustaceans backed by a mermaid, he almost didn't know how to react. besides being utterly beside himself with how adorable, and creative it was.

"I don't know...is it safe for horseshoe crabs to eat chocolate?" Vali teased. Funnily enough, the traditions of Halloween candy giving made the transaction perhaps the only safe transaction one could have with a fae. The transaction was giving candy for the glee of being able to see other's costumes. He felt it was a fair deal. Vali tipped a handful of candy into their bags, which was a variable variety of all sorts of chocolate and suckers and caramels. Of course he wasn't going to cheap out on the candy! "You have a lovely Samhain evening."