#winter blossoms

[xlntwtch2]

photo by @xlntwtch2 ... december 2023

"i didn't know these lilies bloomed near winter too, she said"

white calla lilies

[joplayingthesims]

Winter Blossoms Recolours

Recolours of this Maxis wall hanging

More pictures and download on MTS https://modthesims.info/d/666205/asian-winter-blossoms-recolours.html or download from Fileshare includes cover picture. https://simfileshare.net/download/3074719/

[dubistsehrschon323]

Winter sweet, camellia, osmanthus, plum blossoms

[pix4japan]

Rapeseed plants flowering in the dead of winter at a local park in Yokohama. ISO 800 at ƒ/7.1 for 1/500 sec. #rapeseed #flower #blossom #park #winter #アブラナ #花 #油菜 #公園 #根岸森林公園 #冬 #横浜

[stonelantern]

Winter blossoms by stonelantern

[cumuluslife]

[excerptsfromunfinishednovels]

Excerpts From Unfinished Novels #11: Winter Blossoms

Genre: fantasy/supernatural, slice-of-life, romance

Warnings: none

Word Count: 2,717

Summary: University is a place where young adults come to learn and grow. For Posey, it’s also a chance for her to learn to truly master her powers, as well as a chance to meet other children of deities.

Excerpt is from the first third of the novel

Posey stepped into the bar, steeling herself against the nerves that were threatening to overwhelm her. This was so much more nerve-wracking than when she’d started her lessons with Professor Morris; zie was better than her, a master of zir powers, so she had been fine with zir judging and criticising her abilities because that’s what it was going to take for her to get better. The members of the society though, they were her peers, also learning and growing into their powers. What if she lost control in front of them? What if she filled the bar with trees? What if they laughed at her?

Someone jostled her shoulder and Posey came to with a start, realising that she was stood frozen in the middle of the bar. She took a few steps forward and suddenly hesitated, biting her lip as she weighed up the pros and cons of joining the society verses just turning away and heading home. In the end it was her curiosity about the other members that propelled her forwards and she trudged to the room at the back of the bar, her heartbeat speeding up with every step. She hesitated once more once as she reached the door, standing there for a moment, her hand on the door knob.

Last chance to turn back.

Posey took a deep breath, turned the knob, and opened the door.

She was greeted by the sight of a small, cosy room filled with an assortment of couches and worn, comfortable-looking armchairs, all surrounding a large coffee table. A pool table stood off to one side, and a fire blazed merrily in its place opposite the door. As Posey opened the door the occupants of the room all turned to look at her. There were seven in total; a man and woman, both with dark olive skin were standing by the pool table, cues in hand, and the other five were sitting on the couches and chairs, drinks in hand. Posey swallowed hard and took a step into the room, plastering what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face as she sent them all a small wave.

“I told you there’d be one more coming,” the woman at the pool table said to the rest of the room, and then walked towards Posey, hand extended. “Hi, I’m Megan. My dad’s a shapeshifting god who rules his own fifth dimension world.”

Posey gaped at her frank introduction before she quickly took hold of the other woman’s hand, shaking it as she stammered out, “H-hi, I’m Posey. Uh, my mother’s a nature goddess? Wait, that’s not a question; she is a nature goddess.”

“Wow that’s so cool,” the man at the pool table said wistfully. “Your powers must be amazing.”

“Not really,” Posey grimaced. “Trees tend to make unexpected appearances whenever I’m anxious…or whenever I sneeze,” she muttered, embarrassed.

“Ha, that’s nothing!” one of the people from the people from the couch scoffed. “At least you don’t set trees on fire when you get angry.”

“Fire?” Posey asked, frowning, turning to look at the person.

They had pale skin and long black hair, and they regarded Posey coolly with narrowed blue eyes as they spoke. “Yeah, fire. I’m Addison; my mother’s a goddess of fire and lightening. They/them pronouns please. And I’m queer,” they added as an afterthought.

“Nice to meet you,” Posey replied with a smile. “I’m gay by the way, and female.”

“Me too,” Megan said, then added quickly, “the female part, not the gay. I’m demisexual and homoromantic.”

“I’m Craig,” the man said, laying his cue on the pool table. “Male and pansexual. My dad’s a god of war, and I’m a pacifist.”

“Wow, I bet he loves that.”

“At least your dad sort of accepts who you are – to an extent,” Megan said to Craig who shot her a look. “My dad still deadnames me and sends beasts for me to slay in an attempt to get me to perform a ‘slaughter of glory’ so I can join him in his knock-off Valhalla or whatever.”

Posey stared at them wide-eyed, feeling uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.

“Jesus lads, would you give the poor girl a chance to grab a drink and sit down before you dump your parental issues on her,” a man on the couch said with a laugh in a thick Irish accent.

He had dark brown skin, brown eyes, he’d grown his hair out into a beautiful afro, and he flashed her a gorgeously cheeky smile. If she wasn’t so unbelievably gay Posey knew she’d fall instantly in love with him.

“Come over here and sit down,” he said, waving her over. “What are you drinking?”

“Whatever’s on offer,” Posey replied with a grin as she took a seat on a chair across from him.

“Beer it is then.” He pulled a can out of a bag by his feet and handed it over to him. “I’m Jack by the way; I’m a black, Irish, transman, and I’m the token straight of the group. Also my mother is a goddess of the underworld.”

“Nice to meet you Jack.” Posey saluted him with her opened can and then took a swig, relishing the taste of cold beer as she swallowed.

“Are you sure you’re completely gay?”

“Definitely; the one and only time I tried to sleep with a guy I had an anxiety attack and nearly destroyed my bedroom,” Posey told him with a rueful grin.

“Wow,” a woman beside Jack said, eyes wide and slightly amused. “That must have been pretty intense. I’m Rachel by the way,” she said, sticking a hand out. “Female, bisexual, my father is a god of the ocean, and I’m terrified of water thanks to him.”

Posey’s eyes flickered over Rachel’s light brown face, taking in her dark blue eyes, multitude of freckles, curly brown hair and full lips that were twisted into a wry smile, and felt her heart flutter in response. She was gorgeous.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Wow, you guys are all really honest,” Posey said, frowning at the people around them.

Jack laughed and said, “We all know everything about each other, and this group is basically an excuse to get pissed and bitch about our parents so it’s easiest if we get newcomers up to speed fast. If you’d turned up on time you would have gotten the full and probably more sensible introduction with Oliver here.” He gestured to the person sitting on the chair next to Posey.

Oliver turned to her, tilted a glass of red wine in her direction, smiled and said, “Hi; Oliver, genderfluid, born in Japan though I grew up here in Ireland, and I’m asexual. Today’s a he/him day by the way.”

He grinned, his dark brown eyes sparkling mirthfully, and Posey grinned in reply.

“What about your parent?” Posey asked. “What’s your issue with them?”

“My dad’s fine.” Oliver shrugged. “The problem is that he’s one of these enlightened gods, you know, all about being an ethereal being of light, and it’s not like I don’t want to be one, but I’m like, God I’m so attached to my material possessions.”

“He’s a shopaholic,” the last member of the group, a woman, who was sitting on the couch beside Jack, explained. “Can’t achieve enlightenment when you can’t stop buying boots.”

“They’re just so pretty!” Oliver whined, throwing his feet up to show off the multi-textured purple boots on his feet.

“Oh my god are those Irregular Choice?” Posey all but screeched as she reached out to stroke them reverently.

“Yes! Finally someone with good taste in shoes!” Oliver cried out happily, wiggling his feet excitedly.

“Please don’t get him started,” the woman groaned. “We’ve already had to listen to a twenty-minute ode to those boots.”

“Sorry.” Oliver grinned and put his feet down, while he and Posey shared a rueful look. “This is Harriet by the way,” he added, gesturing to the woman, who saluted Posey with her own glass of red wine. She was nearly as pale as Addison, with bright green eyes and fiery red hair styled in a sleek pixie cut.

“Hi,” Harriet said. “My father’s a god of love and I’m aromantic and bisexual. Needless to say he and I don’t meet all that often.”

“Why does he have such a problem with it?” Posey asked with a frown. “It’s not your fault you are who you are.”

Harriet laughed and said, “It’s not like that. We talk a lot on the phone and through email. He just can’t be around me; he’s specifically a god of romantic love and being around aromantics messes with his aura or something like that. I don’t really understand it, only that whenever we’ve met he’s always ended up getting the biggest migraine. He’s sweet though, always visits me on my birthday even though he knows what will happen.”

Posey smiled and nodded, then took a sip of her beer. Megan and Craig had drifted over to the couches and were curled up on a love seat together.

“So Posey, how are you enjoying university life so far?” Rachel asked, her gaze focused solely on Posey.

Posey swallowed thickly as the other woman’s eyes met hers and she felt her face heating up as she replied, “It’s good. I’m studying physics and maths which are great, and I’ve started my lessons with Professor Morris which are really interesting.”

“Oh you’ve got Morris?” Craig asked with a strange grin. “How are you finding zir?”

“Zie’s amazing; so patient and good at explaining everything,” Posey gushed. “I’ve made so much progress with zir. I haven’t had a tree sprout up around me in weeks.”

Craig snorted derisively and Posey frowned and was about to ask him what was going on when Addison said, “Don’t be surprised if you hit a block and end up losing control in a few months.”

“Wow Addison, way to be a buzzkill,” Jack said, rolling his eyes.

“What? It happened to all of us; I’m making sure she’s prepared for when it happens to her,” Addison protested.

“Maybe it won’t happen to me?”

“Trust me; it will happen,” Addison told her flatly.

“Addison’s being dramatic,” Megan said. “Yes we all hit a block after a few months, but none of us ‘lost control.’”

“You smashed a hole in a wall – a brick wall,” Addison pointed out. “And you,” they said, pointing at Jack, “summoned a guard dog from your mother’s underworld and couldn’t get rid of it for nearly a month. We couldn’t see it, but we could smell it,” they told Posey, their nose wrinkling in disgust. “It stank; we had to ban him from the meetings until he got rid of it.”

“Okay okay, we all hit a block after a few months,” Rachel said. “Some of it wasn’t that bad. I made it rain wherever I went, which is totally normal for Ireland so there was no issue, and Craig had to intervene in some minor scuffles that broke out around him. It’s not always that bad.”

Posey took a shaky breath and attempted to smile. “So maybe I’ll just have saplings rather than fully-grown oaks springing up around me,” she said, her voice trembling just slightly.

“How about we stop talking about powers and losing control and focus instead on showing Posey and Jack that this is actually a fun society to join so they’ll come back next week?” Harriet said loudly and firmly.

“Here here,” Oliver said in agreement, raising his glass.

Posey flashed Harriet a grateful smile while the rest of the group mumbled and made noises of agreement.

The conversation turned to other, more mundane topics; complaining about lectures and assignments, gossip about other students, and the latest films and music released. The drinks and conversation flowed freely, and Posey found herself growing loose-limbed and relaxed, happy to have found such a group of people who could relate to what she was going through. As the night progressed the group broke into smaller pairs and groups of threes, and Posey found herself sandwiched between Oliver and Rachel on a loveseat; Rachel practically on her lap, an arm around her shoulder so they could all fit on the seat. Posey felt a hot rush of arousal run through her belly every time Rachel leaned down to speak into her ear; it intensified when her hand started idly playing with her dreadlocks.

“Is this okay?” Rachel murmured in her ear as she gently tugged on one of her dreadlocks. “I’m sorry, I should have asked before I started playing with your hair.”

“No it’s fine,” Posey replied breathily, and then somehow managed to gather her wits as she smirked and added, “As long as it’s not coming from an ‘I’ve never touched a black person’s hair before, and this might be my only chance’ place.”

Rachel laughed and leaned in so her lips were right by Posey’s ear and her chest was pressed firmly against Posey’s arm. “Definitely not. This is coming from a ‘you’re beautiful and I’m attempting to flirt with you in the hopes that I can take you home tonight’ place.”

Posey sucked in a surprised breath, nearly chocking, and she felt a flush start in her face and travel down her neck and chest.

Rachel laughed softly, not moving away. “I hope that’s okay. You didn’t say you were in a relationship so I’d hopefully assumed…”

“You assumed correctly,” Posey said softly, turning her head so she and Rachel were staring into each other’s eyes. “I’ve never had anyone be so straightforward like this before.”

“I don’t see the point in beating around the bush,” Rachel said with a slight shrug.

She took a sip of her wine and Posey stared, fascinated, at how her throat moved when she swallowed. Rachel licked her lips and Posey chocked back a whimper at the sight.

“Would you like to come home with me?” Rachel asked softly, her eyes boring into Posey’s.

“Yes please,” Posey whispered.

Rachel put her glass on the table, then turned back to her. She slowly leaned in and kissed her softly on the corner of her mouth, Posey actually whimpering at the soft press of lips against her own. Before she could turn her head and kiss the other woman properly, Rachel had pulled away and stood up. Posey looked up at her in confusion, and her eyes widened in understanding as Rachel held a hand out to her. Posey took her hand with a shy grin and stood up. She placed her can on the table, and then grabbed her coat as Rachel pulled her own on.

“Goodnight guys,” Rachel called out as she and Posey left the room hand in hand.

There were several cat-calls and whistles, and while Posey felt embarrassment swirling in her belly, it was completely overridden by lust and the excitement of the promise of what was to come. The two women walked through the pub and as soon as they had exited the building Rachel pulled Posey to her, sliding a hand around the back of her neck as she kissed her fiercely. Posey moaned softly and wrapped her arms around Rachel’s waist, pulling the other woman tight against her as they fell into a passionate embrace, her head swimming from desire.

Eventually Rachel pulled back and leaned her forehead against Posey’s, her breaths coming in shaky pants.

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since you walked into the room,” she said huskily and Posey whimpered and pulled her in for another kiss, revelling in the feeling of their lips sliding together.

“Please tell me you live near here,” Posey murmured in between kisses.

“I’m just a five minute walk away.”

“Brilliant,” Posey breathed and then kissed her again, nipping at her lower lip before sliding her tongue into the other woman’s mouth.

Rachel eventually pulled away with a laugh and said, “As much as I’m enjoying this, I have much less public-friendly things in mind that I want to do to you.”

Posey let out a moan of desire, her head filling with all sorts of ideas of what they could do together. Rachel stepped back, took Posey’s hand and pulled, and Posey eagerly followed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading excerpt #11 from the Unfinished Novels; if you have please like and reblog, and if you have any comments or questions I would love to hear from you!

Slán!

C.x

[noizchild]

What This Week Looks Like:

Monday:

Enticement (Original, Chapter Twenty-Seven)

Summary: Rating might change later. Colin is a complete love charm to women - gay or straight. And the women of Tokyo-Zion Academy are no exception to the rule.

Tea Leaves and Crismon Nails (Wasteland 2011, Hetalia, Durarara, D.Gray-Man, Match Fifteen)

Summary: Vol. 12 is up. The toxic dark is spreading all over the world. The Dark Circus is spreading all over Europe with more people disappearing every day. Meanwhile, Ju is haunted by dreams of a plague doctor in red and the shadowy figure of a woman standing over her son’s crib. She has the feeling that something isn’t right. And she isn’t the only one who feels it.

Tuesday:

Winter Blossoms (Original, Chapter 18)

Summary: A strange man finds a pregnant woman and her two-year-old daughter along an empty road.

Wednesday:

Sakura Sushi (Cardcaptor Sakura, Chapter Eighteen)

Summary: Shalron and Sakura wind up on an accidental nine-month journey to parenthood and possibly love.

Dark Side of Wonderland (Wasteland 2011, Hetalia, Durarara, D.Gray-Man, Halo Nine)

Summary: Vol. 12 is up. Core story of the Wasteland Project. Winter is coming. With it brings an interloper. Somebody wants the tadpoles dead. They will go to great lengths for their blood. Chisa and the Ten no Shin'en are rising faster than the main players can keep up. More elements and factors drag Ikebukuro through a new era of suffering. With the city plunged into darkness, only one question remains: Who the hell killed Izaya?

Thursday:

Assassin Game (Original, Chapter 22)

Summary: The son of a former assassin is kidnapped by her former employers in order to kill her. Now she must fight back to save her child.

Friday-Saturday:

Mafia (Original, chapters twenty-three-twenty-four)

Summary: For five decades, Nikita has run his mafia, the Solshaka, with success. But that began to change when he discovered that he had stomach cancer. The only way to keep the mob together is if Nikita’s only daughter, Valentina, marries someone. He has the perfect man in mind…

Friday:

Unholy Pleasures (Wasteland 2011, Hetalia, Durarara, D.Gray-Man, Key Five)

Summary: Vol. 12 is up. The angels are sinking into the filth of the Wasteland. It’s been happening all along but now things are different. There is something else at stake here. Winter is coming. Allen is broken. Lavi is on the run. The other angels are left to fend for themselves. The monsters are free to do as they please. And things are about to get worse.

Sunday:

The Cove (Original Fiction, Chapter Seventy-Nine)

Summary: A group of young rebels embark on a journey to find the cove.