#EVENT: 01

[thegateshq]

Over the past few weeks all anyone in The Gates has been talking about, aside the strange and unexpected death of Cathy Beaumont, is the annual Harvest Festival. Every October, just early enough for families to go through the pumpkin patch to pick the perfect pumpkin for carving, The Gates holds a fun for all Harvest Festival in the middle of town! And this year is no different. Hay bundles that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere are strategically placed around the town center to act as possible seating for tired residents, and booths a-plenty have been built to add to the festival fun. Banners, scarecrows, and all kinds of autumnal decorations bring a cozy feeling to the town, and are only aided by the scent of pumpkin spiced lattes and apple cider donuts.

Welcome to the Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival runs for one weekend every October, from Friday to Sunday, and there's plenty to do for residents looking to get out of their houses and enjoy the fall weather. Games, rides, food, and drinks are often at the top of everyone's list, and every year dozens of residents come together to help put this festival on. Listed below are a handful of booths, rides, and food stalls located in the festival, as well as the kind members of the community who are volunteering their time to help out.

Rides & Activites

Bobbing for Apples (hosted by the Sheriff's Department): You can find this activity in front of the gazebo in the middle of town, with difficulty levels ranging for all ages.

Ferris Wheel: Built by the pier, this is the perfect spot to see the beautiful view of the island from up above, or get cozy with a date.

Handmade Candles (run by Twilight Herbs): If you're looking to buy a seasonal candle, or make one, then stop by Twilight Herbs.

Haunted Firehouse (hosted by the Fire Department): Take a walk through the haunted firehouse with a group of friends or alone if you DARE!

Horror Book Exchange (hosted by the Public Library): Looking for your next five star read or want to share your favorite horror novel with someone? Come trade a book for a book!

Magnetic Fishing (fun by Bait n' Tackle): Put your patience to the test in this quick and cute game. If you're able to successfully catch one of the metal fish on a magnetic fishing pole, you'll get to pick from a handful of plush prizes.

Pumpkin Patch: Find the perfect pumpkin (kindly donated by the folks at Sacred Heart Church) for all your carving needs.

Psychic Readings (hosted by Mystic Tarot): Looking to find out the name of your one true love or how many kids you'll have? Visit Mystic Tarot for a free reading.

Food & Drinks

Dead Man's Pub will be running a pop up booth near the north side of town square with different kinds of barbecue for purchase. If you're thirsty, they also have hard apple cider and beer available.

Get your pumpkin spiced latte and apple cider donut fix by visiting the booth run by The Dark Roast, located on the west side of town square.

The Harvest Festival is free of charge to attend and you can purchase tickets to many of the rides and games at the entrance. It is currently Friday, October 18th in game and the event will run until October 20th. For members, this event will begin today, January 18th. Please keep an eye on the main and announcements channel in our discord for event updates, including a future determination of when it will end.

[toyacord]

icons from ordinary, yet special us

Hoshino Ichika - The "Feelings" I Can't Grasp

Tenma Saki - The Club's Star Player!

Mochizuki Honami - Thinking About the Future

Hinomori Shiho - A Chat With a Fellow Bandmate

[pigeonneaux]

l'actualité

-an illustration that will be in my exhibition in May along some others (both digital and traditional)

it is also part of my 2024 sketchbook (i'm working on scanning it) and it will soon be available on my kofi

[dailysudeikis]

Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham at the Emmys. - January 15, 2024.

[domiia]

some photos from yesterdays event 🖤🤍

[skania]

[sapphire-draw]

Builder and Malroth learning the hard way that normal Wrecking Balls, (unlike the rusted ones), hurt A Lot Lot.

(This is a redraw of a thing I doodled last year, original under the cut if anyone's curious)

[c0exiist]

❛ ☾ ◟━ LOCATION: the civic center

❛ ☾ ◟━ TIME: evening

❛ ☾ ◟━ STATUS: closed for @nazlixelmas

It was a given that Desmond would show up to the charity event as he was on duty to watch over Ishika. They had a mutual understanding that he wasn't going to watch her like a hawk closely, but instead at a distant. He didn't trust the public spaces that they were in, especially high profile events such as this. However, he also knew that since majority of the powerful players were present, their security detail were probably thinking the same thing as him. Therefore, it was a fair compromise to let her do her thing, so as long as she stayed within the vicinity and kept him posted on a regular basis.

He wouldn't consider this leisure, but given that it was for a 'good' cause, Desmond decided to scope out and observe what's out there. Dark hues narrowed in on a familiar face waiting patiently for her turn at the bar, but given how greedy some of these people are they were cutting through the sides to have their turn. Approaching Nazli's side, the bodyguard greeted her with a smile and asked, "What are you thinking of getting?" He then helped guide her to the front of the bar while genuinely complimenting her look for the night, "You look stunning by the way."

[insert-cephalopod-joke]

Ember, what's you honest opinion of the gang?

Embers Thoughts!

+summarys of their relationships:

Saturn/Eight- besties ngl, and it’s perfect. Saturn prevents Ember from doing something hazardous such as trying to feed the salmonids during a big run, and Ember makes sure Saturn has time to cool off when she gets frustrated :D

Rook/Neo 3- it’s… well… Rook is a spiraling pessimist, and Ember is a toxically positive optimist (bonjour la issues de la mama, Ember), so needless to say they often clash. But, at the end of the day, they can complete a mission together with precision and speed.

“Sunny”/Captain 3- Lowkey parallel opposites. Sunny prefers checking in to show she cares, Ember prefers platonic physical affection (or giving gifts if the person doesn’t like touch). With Ember, Sunny was initially intimidated by Ember’s personality, and Ember was intimidated by Sunny because… well.. yeah. Anyway, etc etc etc… Very good friends tho.

[elliotly]

had a dream where instead of work at 10am I had to go to a Twink Conference. the same way they encourage women to be leaders in STEM by hearing from female engineers from across the country or whatever but it was for twinks

[toyacord]

icons from find the dream view

hinomori shiho - giving into my impulses

hoshino ichika - a sound delivered with all our spirit

hatsune miku - wrapped in resounding feelings

tenma saki - a dreamlike fun time

kagamine rin - a spell that relieves tension

[messenger-of-babel]

Your Jill

Summary: After all you've been through, you still see remnants of your Jill. (Jill Valentine x fem!reader)

Word Count: 3.2K

Notes: very little! one use of (L/N) and it irks me. Oh I also can't write angst so this is very much just a learning curve for me. Please enjoy regardless

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For reasons unknown to you, you stir in the middle of the night. You look over to your left, eyes groggy with sleep, seeing the sleeping figure of your girlfriend under the covers. Her back is facing to you, and your fingers twitch with the urge to reach out and pull her to your chest. However she was a light sleeper and jumpy, and you'd probably end up with a broken hand before she even realised what she'd done. The sliver of light trickling past the curtains falls onto her, and you can only imagine the way it would trace across the bridge of her nose, the dip of her lips, and the scars settling on her chest. With a bittersweet smile you think of Jill, your Jill, before your smile falls.

You wanted this to be over.

For her. for both of you.

You didn't want to do this again.

Sighing out through your nose, you close your eyes, mind reeling with memories that melded into dreamscapes.

━━━༻❁༺━━━━

"Hey, you got a second Valentine?" you call out, swinging your boots off the desk you had propped them up on. She throws a glance over her shoulder as she does her own paperwork, eyebrows drawn together as a scowl begins to form. "What?"

A grin begins to spread over your lips as you prop your elbows on your knees. "Captain isn't going to be back for a while, want to go grab a coffee?"

She tilts her head as she looks at you, hand coming up to grab her beret and throw it onto the desk, fingers combing through her hair. "Go ask one of the rookies to get you one." she mutters, before going back to her report.

"Awww, don't be like that." you groan, standing up from your desk and coming around to hers, settling atop the wood and paperwork. She casts you another half serious look of irritation, wiggling a cream-coloured folder out from under you. You lean forward slightly, giving her your best pout. "It's not the same if it isn't with you."

She scoffs at that, hitting your knee lightly with the folder. "You mean it's not the same if it's not on Captain Wesker's time." she corrects.

"Exactly." you smile. "So how about it?"

Jill thinks for a moment before shaking her head, a small smile flitting across her lips for a second. Your own mouth quirks up in response, heart pounding at the thought that you might be able to pull a laugh from her. She leans back as she looks up at you, arms crossed over her chest as she goes to form words.

"I-"

"Valentine. (L/N)."

Her words fizzle out as you both catch the intense gaze of your captain, his silhouette half obscured from the hallway he emerged from. "Everyone to the briefing room, we've got as assignment for alpha team. Departing to Arklay Mountains immediately."

"Yes, sir." you call out, while Jill nods. Wesker seems content enough with that, nodding once curtly before heading back the way that he came. Your shoulders dropped once he was out of sight, exhaling softly. His gaze was always so firm, despite constantly being held behind those black shades.

"Guess we better get going huh?" she says, patting your knee as she stands up to walk around you. You hop off the desk, boots thudding as they hit the floor. "Yeah," you mutter, running a hand through your hair in irritation. Cockblocker, you think to yourself, groaning internally at your missed chance. You'd been trying the last month to ask out your co-worker, and it had taken another two before that to work up the courage to even entertain the idea. Yet when you actually tried to put your plan into action, it seemed that the universe had other plans. Barry, or Wesker, or Brad, and especially Chris managed to pop up at the most inopportune time and steal her away.

"Hey."

Jill's voice snaps you out of your frustration, hip popped as she calls over her shoulder for you. "You get us coffee when we're back, and I'll consider it a date, yeah?"

Your eyes widen and mouth runs dry. She shakes her head at the red tinge blooming across your ears, and the way your usually confident facade stutters out a "s-sure," before the sight of her back disappears around the doorframe.

God damn it, three months of trying to ask her out, and she bet you to it.

and yet you had to do it again.

"Jill!" you call out, rushing forward to the door that she's kept behind. You see the recognition flash in her eyes as she stands up, coming to clutch the rusted bars of the small window. You push past Chris with your shoulder, your hands covering hers over the bars. "Are you okay?"

She nods, swallowing tensely. "Better now that you're here."

"Okay, break it up you two." Chris grunts, gently pushing you to the side as he goes to unlock the door. When it swings forward you slip around Chris, stepping into the dingy room. You look her over, scanning for any injuries. "You worried me," you breathe out. Her hands twitch in time with the corners of her lips and little do you know the urge she has to pull you into a hug.

"Wesker's betrayed us." she informs, something you've already come to figure out.

"Yeah. Some first date, huh?" you say softly back, shoulders dropping with a faint smile. Jill smiles for a brief second, and in this situation, it seemed to light the dark, dingy prison cell. She doesn't say much as you all leave together, but you can tell in the clench of her fists, the way she's set her jaw, and the faraway look in her eyes. She isn't the same person as when you left. You can't tell exactly what's missing, but the ache in your heart festers into a seed of worry as you watch her retreating figure stepping into line with Chris. Despite losing something, you could still see her in there. Your Jill.

and again.

"Jill," you call to her, grasping her arm desperately, your pistol in the other. "Jill, we have to go, now." you plead, not even bothering to mask the fear in your voice. She has her eyes trained on Brad, struggling to keep back the horde of infected chasing after you. Your pistol shakes in your other hand. "Jill!" you shriek, and she finally looks your way. Whatever expression you're wearing on your face snaps her out of it, and with a mournful look at Brad she turns to you, grabbing your arm back and runs ahead, dragging you after her.

The cool air of the Raccoon night burns your lungs, but you choke it down greedily. you want to cry; you want to scream.

 fuck this.

 It'd only been a few months since you both got back from Arklay Mountains, from the Spencer Mansion incident. Chris was gone, Wesker had betrayed you, and both of you had been placed on surveillance like criminals. You lean over, now free hand covering your face as you try to get your racing breath under control.

"Hey."

Brad was bit. the city was on fire-

"Hey. Listen to me." Jill says roughly, grabbing your shoulder to make you look up at her. When she meets your eyes her gaze softens, and she lowers her voice. "We're gonna be okay. Take a deep breath, and take my hand, alright?" she says, holding out her hand for you to take. You nod, calming your nerves enough to take her hand. She was never like this while you were S.T.A.R.S, but since you had both been forced to leave after trying to bring up the mansion mission, you'd gotten to see a softer side to her. Was it a little fast to move in after only dating two months? maybe. But you both had been reluctant to be alone after coming back, and you'd quickly found that the only person who could calm your nightmares was someone else that had also lived it. Thank god for that arrangement, or you wouldn't have been together when the giant fucking monster burst through your living room.

Maybe that wasn't such a good thing, but at least you weren't alone when it happened. You take another deep breath, calming your nerves. you were better than this. You were S.T.A.R.S. "Yeah. I'm okay now." you say, trying to be firm. You reload your gun with one hand, meeting her eyes and pushing down the fear that threatens to bring bile to your throat. "Let's go."

She smiles at that, corner of her lip pulling into a smirk.

"There's alpha team's finest."

and again.

"Get the car going!" Jill yelled at you, hand bracing the roof as she sits in the passenger side.

"I'm trying!" you holler back, hand turning the key and desperately trying to start the engine. The thing that had been chasing you was in your sights, straight ahead of you. the thumping of its feet on the cracking roof of the parking garage matched the violent thudding in your ribcage.

"Come on," you plead with the car. "Come onnn," you hit the steering wheel once. "COME ON." you roar, turning the key harshly again and the engine finally turning over. "It's coming closer!" Jill yells, reloading her gun.

"I know it is, I can see!" you snap back, foot slamming onto the acceleration and shooting both of you backwards into the seat. You grunt when you plow forward and it makes contact with the monster, hand that’s not on the wheel throwing the car into reverse before ramming it again. on the second contact the windscreen shatters, and the creatures thick hand grasps around your throat.

"Get off of her, you bastard!" Jill's lips are pulled back into a snarl as she empties a clip into its arm. You struggle for air, foot still all the way pressed on the accelerator. Suddenly you can breathe again, air burning as it rips down to your lungs. It takes only a moment of weightlessness for you to realise that it wasn't the gun that made it let go, it was the fact that you were hurtling off the rooftop. A scream rips from your throat, and you look over to Jill.

"I'm sorry" you mouth to Jill, unsure if the words actually come out over the wind whipping through the car, but you hoped your last moments would relay that to her regardless.

When the car smashes, you feel your head hit the steering wheel, brain slamming into the wall of your skull and exploding a round of pain behind your eyes. Your limbs are heavy, senses ringing, but you can feel the hand of someone clenched around your forearm, dragging you from the wreckage as you flicker in and out of consciousness like a stop motion frame. You want to make words, let her know that you're conscious, but you can't. The exploding car doesn't help the numbness in your ears.

Are you really going to die like this?

The vibrations of the monsters’ heavy footsteps echo through your bones.

Maybe you are.

"Hey fuckface!"

The words seem to cut through the ringing of the world around you, and despite the light stinging your eyes you manage to crack them open. The monster has caught a rocket launcher in its tentacles, flinging it away before it’s engulfed in the flames of the second shot. You weakly shield your eyes, Jill pulling you up to a sitting position. A man comes running towards you, rocket launcher falling from his shoulder. "Easy ladies, I got ya." he murmurs, helping you sit up more as Jill and the stranger each loop on of your arms over their neck. Your eyes flutter to Jill’s, her gaze worried and her lip bitten anxiously. You give her a faint smile, feeling the blood on the crown of your head start making its way to your temple. Maybe you will survive the night.

and again.

"Jill! Jill please!" you beg, eyes filled with tears. She thrashes below you, snarling like she was a beast, teeth clenched. "Jill, honey, please it's me." you let the pet name slip, yet her face doesn’t change.

 You had come as quickly as you could, when Chris had said he'd found a lead that Jill might be in Africa. That she might be alive. You're not sure if you were ready to forgive Chris just yet, not sure if you could ever erase the sorrowful look of him on your apartment doorstep, throat closing up as he tells you that she sacrificed herself to take down Wesker, tackling him into a canyon. You'd wanted to slap him then, to take out all your anger and rage and sorrow in that one moment.

But you didn’t.

You opted to slide down the doorframe, taking deep shuddering breaths as Chris silently tried to console you as an apology.

You had both argued about chasing Wesker before she had left with him, an argument that had started in the afternoon and had boiled into the night. You had argued that Chris was chasing a ghost, a fight that extended past her, past you. He was the one that had gone to chase Wesker while you both had been stuck on house arrest, who was somewhere in Europe while you tried to escape the burning hellscape of Raccoon City with the Umbrella merc, Carlos. You had argued that you should try to settle somewhere else, try to get away from the blood and the terror and the horror that seemed to cling to both of you like a second skin. You wore the scars across your arms from dealing with the nemesis, and if that meant the most you did was be a desk cop the rest of your life, maybe that is what it should be. It was safer.

She couldn't let it go. You could see it in her eyes and the tick in her jaw. Her argument was that he was still out there. That he needed to be stopped before he hurt more innocent people, before Raccoon happened all over again. You had asked her if she was seeking justice or revenge.

Neither of you spoke to each other when you got into bed that night, and she had been gone in the morning. that was the last time that you saw her.

and again.

"Help me get it off!" you holler, Chris and Sheva coming around to your side. you dodge another kick from Jill, eyes trained on the device on her chest. Chris gives you a nod, Sheva firing at her feet while Chris tackles her from behind. your boots scrabble against the stone floor, blood rushing in your ears as you lunge for the device on her chest. you hook your fingers under the cool metal and pull, heart clenching at the screams that fly from her mouth. You don't let up as it starts to part from her skin, or when her nails come to dig into your forearm so hard they draw blood. With one final tug you wrench your arms backwards and the device separates from her skin with a sickening snap.

You're thrown backwards from the force, quickly pushing yourself to your forearms and crawling over to her. She groans softly, and you pick up her head to put in your lap. Your eyes meet Chris, full of fire that hasn't burned that bright since your S.T.A.R.S days. "Get him." you hiss. "I'll look after her. Get. Him."

Chris nods, casting a worried look to Jill before sighing through his nose and turning away. He signals Sheva to run with him to the elevator, while you give him a nod in confirmation. Wesker was dying today, and while it may not be with your own two hands, it would definitely be through your will.

Jill coughs weakly, making your head snap back towards her. Your fingers hover over the burns on her chest, not even sure where to start. You feel your heart crack a little tracing over the wounds, the holes from the tubes bleeding and spilling across your fingertips. The lump in your throat returns, and you try your best to hold back the tears burning at your waterline. Jill hated it when you cried, except this isn't something that could be fixed with an apology, bottle of wine, and a good time in bed.

"Hey," she calls up to your softly, fingers curling around your own as you sniffle. "You came back for me?" she asks weakly.

"Of course," you scoff indignantly, trying to channel your confident persona through the tears. "Can't let you have all the fun all the time."

She grins at that, a weak curl of her lips that lets you know that after everything, she's still in there. Your Jill is still in there. "What do you think of the new suit?" she croaks out, smirk weak. The attempt at a joke in this time makes the tears spill over onto your cheeks, lips wobbling as your facade comes down.

"I think..." you whisper out, tone wavering. "I think I like you better as a brunette."

She gives a tremoring smile at that, her fingers squeezing yours reassuringly as you lower your lips down to press against her forehead.

This was never happening again. not if you could help it.

━━━༻❁༺━━━━

But it did. it always did. Again, and again and again and again.

You let out a soft sigh, watching as she sleeps peacefully. It's two days after she got back from a mission at Alcatraz, chasing some bioweapon lead. You hadn't been able to get her out of the field despite how much you tried, but it's not like you did either. the scars on her chest were still prominent but had healed over to pale white lines and the remnants of the burns. It was always again and again and again. Your eyes skim over her silhouette, taking in the steady rise and fall of her chest.

You wanted to give her the life you both had thought you could achieve back in Raccoon, before everything went to shit. You weren't oblivious to the way that her eyes lingered on the kids that would play in the park when you both walked home in the evening. The slight pause of her eyes on the dress boutiques as you went out for a date at the weekend markets, staying a little too long on the wedding dresses in the window of the city shops. It's not like you hadn't thought of that. You'd gone in numerous times to look at engagement rings but always walking out empty handed and dejected. The more you thought on it, the more you ruminated on it, you knew it was unlikely she would say yes. If there's anything you knew about your Valentine, is that she would never allow herself to say yes. She'd put people first, everyone else's happiness before hers, as she had always done.

Despite the years and battles that had worn your hands, whittled you down piece by piece, you could still see the remnants that were there. Your Jill, still in there after everything.

You closed your eyes again, trying to get back to sleep. You could sleep it off, distract yourself the next day, but the thought would always be there in the back of your mind.

The thought telling you that one night when you rolled over, when you met the eyes of your forever girlfriend, that you wouldn't recognise the Jill staring back at you.

And your Jill would be gone.

[jemmaxlawson]

— OPEN STARTER

location: Animal Acres

"Olaf, get back here!" Jemma shouted, fully aware it'll attract unnecessary attention towards her. But what else could she do when the sneaky pup had taken advantage of the single second she'd let her guard down. Bringing him along was a bad idea, she knew it the second she'd put that leash on him. She knew exactly how overly excited the pup would get around so many people and other animals yet she'd seen it as the perfect opportunity to work on his obidience. But it turned out the joke was on her since she was the one to learn her lesson. "I'm sorry," she was almost out of breath by the time she caught up to the naughty pup. "Did he destroy anything of yours already?"

[dailysudeikis]

Jason Sudeikis and James Lance at the Apple tv + afterparty at the Emmys. - January 15, 2024.

[lucius-rivers]

Closed starter for @eliaofdxrne Setting: At sundown, during the Litha festival.

His handwriting was quick, efficient. All sharp lines, a little dagger nearly slashing the parchment piece. Lucius never wished for anything, never bent down to confess sins, and yet he found himself grabbing a piece of paper and capturing a sentiment for the sun wheels. The bastard rolled the parchment piece tightly, held it tightly in his palm. He was intent on keeping it with him at all times, for he'd heard that earlier some messages had been stolen and rumors began flowing from the edge of the Tumblestone to the halls of Riverrun.

His secret yearning, his violent prayer, was for him and the flames alone. The old gods had granted him such thought, and it would be by their will he would see it through. Eventually.

The bastard of Raventree Hall walked to the riverbank, the piece of parchment in one hand, the small sun wheel Agnes had made for him in the other. His sister had the crafting talents necessary for a thing like this, he did not. Some hands could build, some could only destroy.

Lucius Rivers knelt and carefully placed the piece of paper among the wreath of flowers and leaves. There were some other solitary figures nearby, those last few who had yet to send their sun wheels down the stream. “May I?” he asked as he held out a hand, asking the dark-haired woman next to him to use the same candle she'd used for her sun wheel. used one of the nearby candles to light the sun wheel on fire.

[starmahgalaxies]

I know I'm neck-deep in a hyperfixation when I sign my mom's Mother's Day card with the Crest of Love.

Literally my brain: That's not how you do a normal heart. Oh wait a sec...

Honestly, I should have kept it. She wouldn't have recognized it and it could have been an in-joke for just me from when she mentioned me being a fan of Digimon a few weeks ago.

me: *biting my knuckles to not go off on how much I adore the activation for Sora's crest being between a mother and daughter again*