#Belle Carries Gideon

[a-happy-beginning]

—Once Upon a Time, “The Final Battle”

[engie-ivy]

949 words

Sirius Black is known as the office Grinch, so what has suddenly gotten into him?

You Make It Feel Like Christmas

You Make It Feel Like Christmas - Gwen Stefani

“You're delusional.”

“I'm not!”

“You must be.”

“No, I swear,” Benjy hisses.

“Well, maybe you misheard,” Hestia offers.

Benjy huffs. “You think I would not recognize ‘Jingle Bells’?”

Emmeline shakes her head. “Anything is more likely than Mr Black humming that song.”

“He was in front of me at the coffee machine,” Benjy says. “And I swear I heard him do it!”

You see, the reason why the mere idea of Sirius Black walking around the office humming ‘Jingle Bells’ is so preposterous, is because Sirius Black is known as the office Grinch.

The man dislikes everything that's even remotely related to Christmas.

When Mary and Dorcas were hanging the Christmas lights, Mr Black commented on energy savings for the office and the necessity of cutting down on the electricity bill. In his opinion, Christmas was a huge waste of energy in its entirety. No one actually knew if he was still talking about electricity.

When the first Christmas song was played on the radio, Mr Black pointedly put on his noise canceling headphones. Plus, he actually has no idea who Mariah Carey is, which is shocking in its own right.

When Edgar came to work wearing his Christmas jumper, Mr Black reported him for inappropriate work attire (though luckily Lily from HR simply told him to get over it).

Moreover, Mr Black constantly complains that Christmas Day is an obligatory day off, instead of him being able to save his vacation hours for, in his words, ‘when he actually needs them’.

He has also called Christmas markets a trick to sell junk no one needs, he's known to think that a gift certificate makes for the best Christmas gift, and that black coffee tastes better than any hot chocolate ever could.

“Okay, I'm actually getting really worried,” Caradoc whispers as they convene at the coffee machine.

“Me too,” Edgar replies in a concerned voice. “Maybe he's come down with some sort of illness?”

“Did you guys hear what he said when he saw the little Christmas tree on my desk?” Mary hisses. “He said it looked ‘nice’. Nice! No eye roll, no sarcastic undertone. Just nice.”

“I almost had a heart attack when I saw his tie this morning,” Emmeline says faintly. “I mean, tiny snowmen?”

Dorcas bites her lip. “Could it be some sort of brain disease?”

“Or maybe he hit his head and he has a concussion?” Benjy offers.

“Should we like… take him to the hospital or something?” Fabian asks.

“Gosh,” Hestia says. “Why are you all so negative? Maybe he just finally caught the Christmas spirit!”

“Excuse me?”

Everyone pauses their work to look at the man who appeared in the doorway to their office. He's got floppy, honey-coloured hair, is wearing a rather tattered coat and is carrying a box with a bow tied around it.

“I'm looking for-”

“Remus!” Mr Black jumps to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

A light colouring appears on the man's cheeks as he looks at Mr Black and he smiles a little sheepishly. “I hope I'm not disturbing you?”

Mr Black closes his laptop without giving it a second look. “Not at all! I can always make time,” says the man who once almost made Gideon cry because he dared ask him a question while he was in the middle of an Excel sheet.

“Great,” the box-carrying man, Remus, grins, and despite the scars on his face, it makes him look strangely endearing. “My mum and I baked Christmas cookies, and we, of course, made way too much for just us, so I thought I'd drop by your office to bring some?”

“That's so sweet of you!” Mr Black happily takes over the box. “I absolutely love Christmas cookies,” says Mr Black, who has never even touched any of the cookies Caradoc baked for the office.

“I see you're wearing the tie I gave you,” Remus says.

“Of course,” Mr Black replies. “It's my favourite.”

“That's good,” Remus smiles softly.

They both just look at each other for a moment, while the rest of the office exchanges looks.

Then Remus averts his eyes and looks down at his shoes. “You know, I was wondering…” He begins. “Would you like to go and look at the Christmas lights together tonight? It may sound cheesy, but they're actually really pretty and it's one of my favourite Christmas activities to-”

“I would love to!” Mr Black replies a little breathless. “I've been really wanting to go and see the lights.”

Mary makes an indignant sound, but both men hardly seem to notice there's anyone else in the room.

“Great!” Remus looks up and beams at Mr Black. “And I was thinking that maybe we could visit the Christmas market and drink some hot chocolate together?”

“I love the Christmas market,” Sirius replies without skipping a beat. “And I'd love to drink hot chocolate with you.”

“Good. Great. Perfect,” Remus says. “So, it's… it's a date?” The colouring on his cheeks increases.

"It's a date,” Mr Black agrees.

Both men stare at each other for a long moment, having completely forgotten there's a room full of people looking at them, people who start shifting uncomfortably in their chairs.

Remus is first to snap out of it. “I… I

I should let you get back to work.”

“Work,” Mr Black repeats, like he's trying to remember what the word means. “Right. Work.”

“See you tonight?” Remus asks.

“Can't wait,” Mr Black replies.

As Remus leaves and Mr Black turns back to the room, everyone immediately turns to their computer, pretending to be working.

Hestia exchanges a look with Emmeline.

Sirius Black definitely caught something alright, but it ain't Christmas spirit.

[jadecantcreate]

day 18 of legends of avantris shiptober: tattoo/flower shop! additional thoughts/explanations below the cut

i couldnt decide whether i wanted to do kremy -> flower and gideon -> tattoo or the other way around, so i ended up doing both

for the first one, i gave kremy a sunhat (?) to replace his tophat, adorned with an ornamental queen of the night flower; a little gardener apron thing; a necklace; and, most importantly, a semi translucent shirt with bell sleeves and embroidered deadly nightshades (fruit and flower), lillies of the valley, and orchids throughout. i especially like kremy as a florist because hes such a meticulous cook and i feel like that eye for precision and detail carries over nicely (plus he’d know how to curse someone’s entire bloodline for decades to come in flower) as for gideon, he kept his suspenders (of course), but i gave him cargo pants(tm) and a tank top, as well as a handful of tattoos: a sleeve with fire and smoke, a spiral patterned sun tattoo, and a tick tattoo. it sounds random (and it kind of is), but let me explain: so, im brazilian and i cannot stop projecting onto characters about it. we have this expression (“ai ai ai, carrapato não tem pai”) that roughly translates to “oh oh oh, ticks don’t have fathers” — it doesn’t really have a set meaning, it’s more just an exclamation loosely used whenever you’re mildly annoyed/inconvenienced by something (not really, but thats the best way i can put it). hfsskfjksf yes its a cruel joke (iykyk…sorry gideon fans) but i imagine his dad said that a lot (kind of like how everyone has a specific phrase they use often?) and itd be a way to pay homage to him yk…maybe he got a tick when he was a little kid and his dad took care of him…in my mind it carries personal meaning

for the second one, i gave gideon a little utility belt thing (with different small supplies he can carry around, maybe some seed bags?), gardener apron (look google didnt give me a conclusive answer—), and gloves. muscular calves: out. bare for the world to see <3 his apron thing has a pouch that is embroidered with red and orange lillies. kremys design has fancy flare pants with lace thingamajings in the inner corners, a necklace, a black turtleneck top, and a fishnet shrug. his tattoos are a mustache (obviously), an outline of his humerus bone, a raven, an ornate key, and three symbols (a crescent moon, a skull, a teardrop shape) vertically aligned

[haee-elia]

spence-tober: day 31 - bookshop owner

pairing: bookshop owner!spencer reid x fem!reader

summary: in which you bring your newborn son to your husband's bookshop as a midday surprise

word count: 1292

warnings: fluff, talks of children, pregnancy, mentions of labor, bedrest, formula, pump for breastfeeding

spence-tober masterlist

The familiar ding alert of the bell above the door as you opened it was like music to your ears. It had been far too long since you had stepped foot into the homey feeling bookshop and you didn’t realise how much you missed it until you took in the sight you’d seen so many times before.

The lines and aisles of bookshelves to the right and left of you are abundant, but not overcrowding the space in the small storefront. There’s a small lending library in the front window next to the children’s reading space and a counter in the middle with curtains hanging on the wall, leading to the back where you know categorizing and inventory goes on.

“Welco-” The voice belonging to your husband starts to say, his voice ringing out in the room for everyone to hear. 

Spencer had his nose in a book, sitting behind the counter on a comfortable stool waiting for customers or anyone else who needed assistance in the store. When he looked up to greet the patron of the store, his eyes instead met yours. His darling wife of six years. 

However, his eyes didn’t stay on your form for very long, straying to the bundle all swaddled up in a travel car seat that hung from your arms. 

Your’s and Spencer’s newborn son, Gideon Reid, sleeping away in a swaddle unknown to his new surroundings. The tiny small baby with a little hat around tucked at his ears to keep him warm and a cute outfit that you had dressed him in just before leaving the house.

“Oh!” Spencer says in an adoring tone. Quickly he puts down his book and moves around the counter to come towards the two of you. 

“What are you doing here?” He whispers as he reaches you at the front of the store. Spencer pulls you in for a sweet kiss and then moves his attention to the car seat, taking it gently in his arms and gazing down at his son. He’s switched to a lower volume to not disturb the sleeping newborn.

In the last stage of your pregnancy, it was getting harder and harder for you to travel to the bookstore which you hated. But when your doctor prescribed bedrest for the last month of your pregnancy, Spencer had put his foot down and practically bound you to the bed, getting everything you need so you wouldn’t wear yourself out or go into early labor.

You smile at your husband who’s looked back to you, a large teethy grin, “I wanted to surprise you.” 

Spencer presses another sweet kiss to your lips before reaching behind you to flip the sign hanging at the front of the door to ‘closed’ before taking your hand and Gideon in his car seat and leading the both of you to the back of the store.

The bedrest had worked. You had a relatively fine labor, for how fine labor could be. Your recovery was okay and Spencer had been a big help with taking care of you and Gideon when you first came home from the hospital. Even though Gideon is your first baby, Spencer’s dad instincts kicked in and he instantly was so good with baby Gideon.

“Thank you for the surprise.” Spencer says genuinely before scooping his large hands into the car seat and gently hoisting the still sleeping Gideon to his chest, coddling him close.

You take your phone out of the large diaper bag you carry with you and snap a quick photo of your husband and your son together. Then, you take in the rest of the familiar sight that is Diana’s Library, the bookshop your husband had bought had renovated over the past four years. His former mentor and your son’s namesake, Jason Gideon, had retired and given his best employee, your husband, first right to buy what was the previous space known as Jason’s Library. Since then, Spencer had dedicated it to his mother and worked to make the bookshop of his dreams. 

You had contributed as well, putting together bookshelves and cabinets on your free weekends and scouring old second hand books online to add to the library. And when you and Spencer discovered you were pregnant, you also did most of the revamping of the old reading nook to a child friendly reading space. All of this is why you were so pouty when you were placed on bedrest and you couldn’t return to the warm and cozy environment you had grown to love so much.

“I thought it would be nice to visit.” You comment as Spencer rocks back and forth with your sleeping son on his chest. You reach your hand and fix your husband’s glasses that have slid down on his nose.

Spencer smiles back at you, his eyes gleaming with delight, “And you’re feeling okay?” he checks in.

You nod, “Yeah, I am. Took a shower, did some chores around the house.” You list.

“Don’t strain yourself.” Spencer warns, concern in his voice.

“I won’t.” You promise to him, “Besides, I just wanted to get out of the house.”

“You mean that you missed your chair here.” Spencer corrects, a joking tone in his voice and a matching visage in his eyes.

You scoff at his remark, though not denying it, “I don’t know why you couldn’t have asked Derek for his truck so we could bring it to the house.”

“Because you ordered one for the house! We’d have to move it back here!” He laughs. The laughter has jostled Gideon and he slowly wakens from his peaceful slumber despite the small pats Spencer gives on his back. 

You purse your lips, “But it’s on backorder and won’t be in for another five months.” You complain and pout. 

Spencer laughs at your not-so-serious expression. You take your hand and reach out again, this time adjusting the knit cap on your son’s head to not cover over his eyes. It let’s your son, for the very first time, take in the surroundings that you know he’ll get to know very well in his childhood to come.

Gideon, now awake and alert, moves his head around and by the look on his face, isn’t very happy. Both Spencer and you clock this.

“I just changed his diaper before leaving the house, so he should be good.” You inform your husband.

“Is he maybe hungry?” Spencer says, rocking him back and forth more quickly now. He looks at his son inquisitively, trying to figure out the solution to his grump face that you both know will turn into a shrill cry very quickly unless handled. The rocking holds his cry at bay for now, but its only a temporary solution.

“Hm, maybe.” You say uncertain.

Spencer’s ready though, he takes the diaper bag from your hand and puts in on a clean countertop behind him. Then he opens the cabinets above and you smile to yourself at the sight you see.

“You have a spare pump and formula here?” You say, your heart warming at the sweet sight in front of you. This just confirms to you that you have the best partner ever.

“Of course!” Your husband responds, bringing both down from the cabinet to the counter for you, “This is like our second home. I have a travel crib too if he gets sleepy.”

You pull him in again for a kiss, a longer one this time, and you make sure that you put all the love and emotion you hold for him. As you pull back, you instantly get a gratifying feeling. Being with your husband and your son in your favorite place in the world.

“You are simply the best, Spencer Reid.”

a/n: and this concludes the end of spence-tober 2023! thanks for coming along for the ride, whether this is the first one you've read (check back at the masterlist for more), if you've joined midway, or if you've been here since the beginning!

i'll admit, writing and posting every single day has been a little stressful and finishing writing challenges like these can be hard and taxing, especially with how unexpected life can get. i'll be posting some behind the scenes sometime later this week or next and then i might announce some new things coming soon too!

[eliaswoodt]

The Name List

Organized from A-Z (yes I will add more names whenever I find more I like, probably in reblogs)

I currently have 1035 names (and that’s only including the first names. I have a list of last names, too.)

Angel, Atticus, Atlas, Apollo, Ares, Athena, Achilles, Artemis, Adonis, Avery, Aubrey, Aubry, Aceline, Ashlynn, Aislinn, Anjanette, Arthur, Archer, Addison, Arrietty, Amity, Autumn, Alastor, Alastair, Alasdair, Alistair, Alison, Arren, Arin, Astra, Aoife, Adalyn, Adeleine, Astoria, Agnes, Angus, Abigail, Ann, Anne, Ambrose, Adeline, Avarsel, Agatha, Ari, Azariah, Aniyah, Armani, Anastasia, Annabelle, Adah, Adelaide, Avis, Amelia, August, Axel, Adelina, Amir, Amin, Ayala, Arne, Averett, Adil, Astro, Ava, Anti, Ailun, Akemi, Asahi, Akari, Asako, Atsuko, Azumi, Aka, Aren, Akko

Blossom, Bambi, Babs, Bo, Bella, Blair, Bea, Bonnabel, Badeea, Betty, Bailey, Boris, Bee, Bugs, Blaise, Benjamin, Bog, Buford, Beatrice, Bryce, Bryan, Bazil, Brutus, Bellamy, Brigitte, Bailee, Bailey, Bao, Belladona, Belladonna, Bell, Bill, Bishop, Bones, Boneothy, Benno, Behemoth, Barry, Bellynn, Bowie, Bunki

Clover, Canyon, Cleo, Cameron, Celestial, Celestino, Ciro, Camilo, Cain, Charlotte, Clara, Corey, Cin, Charlie, Cassidy, Chiara, Callista, Cisco, Cynthia, Casper Clinton, Celestina, Clement, Christopher, Cornelius, Clifford, Claudius, Carey, Carrie, Coatl, Cyrus, Cyril, Cecil, Caisus, Castiel, Calla, Cosmos, Cherry, Cheryl, Crowley, Crow, Cassius, Cliodna, Clíodhna, Cliona, Conan, Cordelia, Calypso, Cas, Cillian, Chiyo, Chiaki, Chihiro, Calcifer

Danny, Darlene, Dex, Dot, Diana, Daphne, Demeter, Daedalus, Daeddel, Darphel, Dawn, Derrick, Derek, Dravan, Dravid, Drae, Dallas, Dimas, Dominic, Damien, Drew, Delilah, Dakota, Darian, Darius, Darwin, Devan, Darla, Dagmar, Daelyn, Dale, Dae, Dacey, Desmond, Dabria, Daniel, Daniela, Danialla, David, Davis, Donnel, Dennis, Demitrius, Delaney, Daiki, Daiyu

Everest, Emery, Ember, Elliott, Elliot, Earlana, Eliseo, Ezequiel, Emie, Evan, Eloise, Eric, Emmet, Elizabeth, Eugene, Ethan, Eret, Ester, Elias, Eos, Ellis, Edwin, Ebony, Elijah, Eliza, Enzo, Elissa, Edward, Eddalyn, Esther, Eda, Edalyn, Edalynn, Edison, Eddison, Estervan, Emma, Eden, Erfan, Eun-hae, Erytheia, Egan, Errol, Eiichi, Eiji, Eriko, Etsu, Etsuko, Eiichiro, Ezume

Flint, Finn, Fae, Fred, Fritz, Fang, Frankie, Frank, Fermin, Freddie, Freddy, Finley, Freya, Fai, Felix, Freda, Faolan, Frey, Feylynn, Faelynn, Failynn, Felipa, Febby, Febbie, Febie, Feby, Flynn, Fuji, Feiyu, Fukiko, Fumitaka, Fumito, Fuyuko

Griffin, Garnet, Gothi, Gertrude, Gabe, Grant, Giovanni, George, Gage, Gregory, Gabriel, Gabrielle, Guy, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Gerry, Grey, Gray, Gia, Grace, Gracian, Gracis, Gracie, Gretel, Gideon, Griffilow, Ghost, Ghazaleh, Gavin, Gryphon, Griffith, Goliath, Grayson, Greyson

Harmony, Hannah, Harlei, Harlie, Haritha, Haris, Harry, Harlan, Harvey, Hadrian, Harley, Hari, Harlow, Howl, Hank, Harper, Herbert, Humphrey, Hestia, Helios, Hephaestus, Hollis, Hunter, Hero, Henry, Helda, Hajar, Hasta, Hadis, Howard, Howie, Hannan, Haoyu, Hisako, Hachi, Hiroto, Hoshiko, Honoka, Hiroshi, Hiro, Haitao, Hamako, Haruhi, Harue, Hayate, Hide, Hideyo, Hidetaka, Hisaye, Hisayo, Heiji, Higari

Ivy, Ivey, Ivo, Ida, Iris, Ilyssa, Illy, Irene, Iren, Isaiah, Ira, Idelle, Ivan, Illaoi, Isabel, Isabell, Isabelle, Isobell, Isabella, Ismelda, Io, Ismael, Isolt, Icarus, izuru, Isamu, Itona, Ichiro, Ichiko, Ichigo, Isoko, Ishiko, Isaye, Inari, Ikuko, Itsuki, Itsuko, Inosuke

Juniper, Jupiter, Jinx, Jamie, Javier, Josiah, Joan, Jake, Julia, Jamil, Jamila, Jesse, Jessie, Jess, Jasper, Janus, Jordan, Joshua, Julian, Juilliard, Julius, Juliana, Jeremiah, Jace, June, Junebug, Jazzy, Jackson, Jackie, Jackalynn, Jodie, Johnnie, Jan, Jaime, Jason, Jorge, Justin, Justice, John, Jay, Janelle, James, Jennifer, Jillion, Jill, Jana, Jonah, Jaycee, Jaxen, Junpei, Jona, Jun, Jin

Kenneth, Kat, Kas, Kris, Keith, Kingston, Kaeton, Kingsley, Kent, Katherine, Kyle, Knox, Kristen, Kristin, Kristeen, Kylie, Kaylee, Kamila, Kehlani, Kendall, Kerry, Kry, Kenny, Kath, Kathleen, Krow, Kix, Kedrick, Kennon, Klaus, Killian, Korallia, Krank, Kaz, Kaede, Kirara, Katsuhiko, Keisuke, Kanako, Kenji, Kaemon, Kamin, Katsu, Kaki, Kazane, Kazuyuki, Kazushige, Kenta, Kei, Kimi, Kin, Kohako, Koichi, Kota, Koji, Koharu, Kosuke, Kuma, Kumi, Kuniko, Kuniyuki, Kideko, Kazuko

Lullaby, Lotte, Lapin, Lorelei, Loralai, Lorelai, Luna, Lily, Lucy, Lee, Liana, Lola, Lethe, Lance, Laurence, Luther, Luca, Lennon, Logan, Lennox, Ilias, Liu, Lui, Luis, Lefu, Liam, Lyall, Lowell, Luella, Leona, Leonie, Leon, Lev, Lincoln, Lin, Link, Laverna, Lazarus, Lewis, Louis, Louise, Levi, Leslie, Lesley, Leilana

Marley, Marlai, Mei, May, Mae, Marceline, Marshall, Marshalee, Millie, Mallorie, Marcela, Melanie, Maddison, Mary, Mirabel, Marsh, Murphy, Montgomery, Mildred, Memphis, Molly, Maverick, Maurice, Muiris, Morgen, Max, Moses, Marion, Merrill, Monroe, Melanthios, Maxwell, Matias, Melissa, Maëlle, Marlene, Meredith, Maybelle, Margaret, Maeve, Moss, Mara, Maria, Myrtle, Mona, Mark, Markus, Michael, Micheal, Michelle, Mahsa, Minoo, Mehdi, Mohammad, Matin, Morpheus, Marlowe, Monica, Marilia, Magnus, Malachi, Malachy, Maggie, Makoto, Megumi, Mio, Maemo, Maemi, Masa, Masaaki, Masashi, Michi, Midori, Michinori, Momo, Motoko

Natasha, Noelle, Noni, Neville, Nixon, Neda, Natalio, Ned, Nausicaä, Noxis, Nova, Nathen, Newt, Noah, Nash, Nox, Nathara, Nathaira, Nathair, Nyoka, Nagisa, Nathan, Nate, Nik, Nick, Naohiro, Naoko, Nara, Natsu, Naoya, Nishi, Nobuko, Nori

Olindo, Ollie, Oliver, Ophelia, Odysseus, Orion, Osono, Oxen, Onyx, Otto, Ottoline, Otitile, Ottavia, Octavio, Olivia-Marie, Oakley, Omar, Olivia, Oscar, Octavian, Octavia, Oz, Octavius, Otta, Oisin, Orson, Orlos, Osiris, Owen, Odalis, Odell, Ozuru

Penelope, Patton, Paddy, Percy, Paulie, Page, Pazu, Phoebe, Phebe, Prairie, Porter, Parlay, Pally, Piper, Parker, Payton, Phil, Paul, Philip, Pyre, Piers, Phylis, Patricia, Payne, Payneton, Pip

Quinn, Quincy, Quil, Quinley, Quinstin, Quinlan, Quillen, Quavon, Quaylon, Quensley, Qing, Qrow, Quilla, Quianna, Quita, Qiao, Quinella, Queenie, Qaylah, Qailah, Qitarah, Quenby, Qadira, Qudsiyah, Quan, Qian, Quinby, Quella

Roseline, Raul, Rahul, Rafael, Roque, Rogelio, Remmy, Rei, Rey, Ray, Robin, Ro, Reika, Rowen, Rowan, Rose, Rosie, Ralsei, Riley, Remus, Rosalyn, Rosalin, Rosaline, Renata, Ron, Rat, Ratt, Reef, Roxy, River, Reed, Rufus, Robbie, Renee, Rivia, Ross, Rex, Ruth, Rosemary, Rosabe, Rosabee, Rosabell, Rosabelle, Rosabel, Rai, Rain, Rosella, Rosalie, Rhody, Robert, Raelinn, Rebane, Ren, Rollin, Ralph, Roxanne, Rox, Roderick, Reginald, Reggie, Rio, Ryu, Ryo, Ryoji, Rinmaru

Sage, Sam, Syd, Selkie, Storig, Sal, Sirius, Summer, Susie, Scott, Sunni, Sosuke, Sophie, Satsuki, Sheeta, San, Sulley, Sully, Savannah, Sappho, Selene, Shaw, Sean, Seán, Shaun, Sawyer, Sabrina, Sebastian, Shane, Stan, Socks, Snom, Stolas, Spencer, Sammie, Stevie, Samus, Sarff, Sullivan, Seth, Susiebell, Susiebelle, Sadreddin, Shellaine, Sverre, Saoirse, Sylvania, Sanae, Silas, Sumi, Shiori, Shinzu, Sile

Toby, Tobias, Teddy, Ted, Tomas, Thomas, Tomothy, Tyche, Taiga, Tundra, Tracy, Timothy, Troy, Tatum, Tommie, Tommy, Theia, Tae, Trix, Trixy, Thanathos, Tod, Todd, Toddy, Tora, Torie, Theodore, Theo, Theophania, Talos, Thanatos, Teddy, Tomohito, Tazu, Tanjirou, Touya

Ulysses, Urijah, Uriyah, Urina, Ukiah, Ulnar, Ursula, Ulric

Virgil, Vanessa, Vito, Venacio, Vylad, Veronica, Valentina, Violet, Velma, Venus, Verna, Veld, Victoria, Victorie, Vinyl, Vincent, Vasuki, Vex, Valor, Valentine, Valerie, Valeria, Valerius, Vitoria, Vic, Victor, Vik, Vikktor, Viktor, Vick, Vicky, Vicke, Vickie, Vidya

Wynn, Willow, Warren, Wilbur, Wylie, Will, Walle, Whisp, Wade, Wendell, Wendy, Willard, Wes, Wallace, Wilber, Wyatt, Wybie, Wynnie, Wennie, Winnie, Wynnston, Wynston, Wynsten, Wiles

Xenophon, Xuan, Xio, Xori, Xanthos, Xander, Xavier

Yen, Yukio, Yae, Yoko, Yume, Yaeko, Yui, Yuzuki

Zane, Zana, Zion, Zachary, Zach, Zachariah, Zander, Ziana, Zoe, Zula, Zenix, Zenith, Zaharia, Zaria, Zack, Zakaeia, Zara, Zakaria, Zev, Zaira, Zanata

[titikawai]

Essay : DinBo is another Star Wars take on courtly love!

The Accolade by Edmund Blair Leighton (1901)

The concept of courtly love has long been a recurring theme in literature and storytelling, and it finds its way into the vast galaxy of Star Wars. While Leia and Han, as well as Padme and Anakin, have been prominent examples of such romances, the relationship between Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze introduces another Star Wars take on courtly love. It is often compared to other notable courtly love couples like Jonerys from Game of Thrones.

According to Francis Newman in The Meaning of Courtly Love, vii: Courtly love “an experience between erotic desire and spiritual attainment, a love at one illicit and morally elevating, passionate and disciplined, humiliating and exalting, human and transcendent.”

Din and Bo’s relationship can be seen as a representation of courtly love, a concept that originated in medieval literature and poetry. It typically portrayed a noble knight who fell in love with a high-ranking, unattainable lady, and their relationship was often characterized by chivalry and devotion. While Bo and Din’s relationship might not mirror all aspects of it, its core elements are very well present : 

1/ Unattainability: Courtly love often featured a love interest who was unattainable, typically due to social status, marriage, or some other obstacle. In the case of Din and Bo-Katan, she is the leader of Mandalore and carries the responsibility of reclaiming her homeworld, Mandalore. She is seen as a hero and has a noble lineage, making her an influential figure in Mandalorian society. Her elevated social status, leadership role, and reputation contribute to her unattainability. Meanwhile, Din is a foundling and a bounty hunter, which creates a social divide between them, reinforcing the notion that they come from different worlds.

2/ Adoration and Service: Din and Bo both display their attraction through non-sexual deeds with a big emphasis on the eyes and the glances they give each other, especially since it is the only thing we can notice when they are wearing their helmets: 

In many scenes, Din is shown admiring her from afar, for instance when in awe of her skills as a warrior : 

source: @supermarvelgirl15​

He respects her leadership and goes to great lengths to assist and protect her, offering his services and support in her mission to reclaim Mandalore. His actions demonstrate his devotion and desire to serve her, just like a knight in shining beskar would serve his lady. He does heroic deeds of valour which win her heart: he saves Ragnar, fights in the sky with her, gifts her the Darksaber and fights Gideon by her side.

 3/ Chivalric Code: Courtly love was closely associated with chivalry and the knightly code of conduct. Knights were expected to demonstrate virtues such as bravery, loyalty, and honour (does that right a bell?). Similarly, Din embodies many of these chivalric qualities. He is courageous in battle, displays unwavering loyalty to his allies and Bo, and adheres to his personal code of honour, following The Way. Just like a Middle Age knight, his own religious beliefs are challenged when meeting her: he finds out about the existence of the several ways of being a Mandalorian with some removing their helmets and others not. We know that he feels this want of showing his face to those he loves because he showed it to Grogu in hope to finally attain real intimacy with him (a state a security of which he was robbed as an orphan) and maybe later with Bo while also wishing not to break the creed?

  4/ Declaration of passionate devotion :

In his pledge, Din emphasizes that his love for Bo-Katan surpasses superficial aspects such as the Darksaber, station, or bloodline. Instead, he places honor, loyalty, and character as the true measures of his devotion. By declaring that her song is not yet written, Din pledges to serve Bo-Katan until her destiny is fulfilled, showcasing his unwavering commitment and willingness to sacrifice for her. There was no need for Din to be all poetic like that if he didn’t courtly love her <3.

5/ Secret love that is not so secret : When Bo-Katan asked for volunteers to retake Mandalore, Din stood up for her in front of everyone, showcasing his unwavering support and loyalty to his lady : 

Additionally, their physical proximity at the bonfire, sitting extremely close to each other, suggests an intimacy and closeness that goes beyond mere friendship or camaraderie : 

The way people refer to them as a pair further emphasizes the perception of their relationship by others. Whether it is the way they interact, the unspoken understanding between them, or the chemistry that is palpable to those around them, their connection is evident and acknowledged by those who observe them. 

However, despite the undeniable bond between Din and Bo-Katan, their romance remains unfulfilled due to their differing priorities and the challenges they face. Their respective paths and responsibilities may require them to focus on their individual missions : her leading Mandalore again and him teaching Grogu. However, it is worth noting that while their love story may be unfulfilled at present, the potential for its development and resolution remains.

[cheerupqueerup]

Locked Tomb characters least to most likely to smoke weed

Judith - Completely substance-free. Opposed to the idea of drugs on principle, but if you ask her she'll blame her sobriety on Cohort drug tests.

Palamedes - Cannot smoke on account of his asthma. (Also it's impossible to smoke anything on the Sixth because they have fire detectors literally everywhere.) Tried one of Dulcie's medical grade edibles once but it just made him scribble incoherently on whiteboards all night. Cam supervised.

Camilla - See above re: Sixth House smoke alarms. Needs to keep her head clear to be on the lookout for Threats, so mostly sub-free.

Nona - Honesty passed her the blunt one time and she took a bite out of it. She did not get passed the blunt after that.

Ianthe - This bitch defo vapes nicotine* but would Never willingly make herself intellectually impaired or emotionally vulnerable in front other people. Even when it's just her, Corona, and Babs, she can't risk them seeing her cough, it would be undignified. (*Switches from vapes to fancy hand-rolled cigarettes after meeting Augustine.)

Abigail - Tried it once to see if it would help her talk to spirits. It worked okay but ultimately she decided it's not something she needs to make a habit of.

Pyrrha - Simply prefers her habits with hangovers. Won't pass up a spliff if you offer one though.

Magnus - Stoner dad vibes but he's actually kind of a lightweight. Gets sleepy after two hits. Kind of bummed the young adults won't smoke with him.

Harrow - Opposed to drug use on principle and judges people who do them until she tries smoking once and realizes it's actually kinda nice. Still despises smoking in big groups though -- she gets too paranoid and it makes her snappy. Only gets high in very controlled environments (usually by herself, in her own bed, with a very specific and perfectly bland snack). Helps with her insomnia.

Naberius - Refuses to smoke other people's weed. Carries a dab pen everywhere and looks like a total asswipe hitting it by himself when everyone else is sharing a bowl.

Gideon - In another life, she'd be a casual smoker. Huge fan of big smoking circles with friends and stoned movie nights. Begs Harrow to drive her to Taco Bell at midnight. She's the one who first convinces Harrow try smoking.

Corona - The most elegant smoker you have ever seen. No one has ever seen her cough. Her massive bong rips captivate the room. Proud owner of a gravity bong and a wide variety of beautiful glass pieces for every occasion.

Bonus:

John - Takes one hit and by the time the piece gets back around the circle to him he's monopolized the conversation with a philosophical discussion he thinks is super deep. He's too busy talking to take another hit. Augustine is amused. Mercy snaps at him about bogarting.

[kazoosandfannypacks]

"that's christmas to me" cygnet scholar fanfic for @all-fandoms-christmas-festival

summary: when gideon tells hope he got her a very special christmas present this year, she obsesses over what it might be a/n: for those wondering, this fic is standalone from my other cygnet scholar fics, but it does contain references to some of them! also, since you already have to rejigger the timeline just to make cygnet scholar work, i figured i may as well canonize my other favorite rarepair too. i don't go into much detail about it in the fic, but this is set in an au where rumple dies so that gideon can come back as a baby at the end of season 6, and sometime several years later belle remarries and august becomes gideon's stepdad. taglist: @accidental-spice @kanerallels @ouatnextgen @booksteaandtoomuchtv [let me know if you'd like to be added to or removed from the cygnet scholar taglist!] also on ao3!

That's Christmas To Me

 "So, what do you think your parents got you this year?"

 Gideon looked up from his textbook and raised an eyebrow at the girl across the living room floor.

 "Is this a genuine question, or just an attempt to distract yourself from the algebra homework?"

 "Can't it be both?" Hope asked.

 Gideon rolled his eyes. "You know my parents."

 "So I'm guessing more books than you can carry," Hope said, "and another hand-carved ornament for the tree?"

 "Bingo," Gideon nodded, "and it's only fair, since mom's getting a book from me, and my stepdad's getting a new roll of typewriter ink."

 "That sounds horribly practical," Hope laughed.

 "Oh yeah?" Gideon asked, "what did you get your parents?"

 "Come on, Gid," Hope said, "it's a week before Christmas. Do you really think I already did my Christmas shopping?"

 "It's four days until Christmas," Gideon said, "and unless you plan on shopping on Christmas Eve, that's only three shopping days, counting today."

 "I'll think of something," Hope shrugged.

 Gideon shook his head and rolled his eyes, then fixed them steadily on her for half a second, watching the glow of the fireplace illuminate her carefree smile. What would've sent him into a tizzy of a panic attack rolled off her shoulders like it was nothing.

 "How's studying going?"

 Gideon turned to see Hope's mom behind him with a tray in her hands.

 "It'd be better if someone didn't keep getting distracted," Gideon said.

 "Yeah, Gid, what's wrong with you;" Hope mockingly deflected, "we gotta focus!"

 "Oh, sorry, my bad," Gideon joked in return.

 "Maybe some cookies and cocoa will help," her mom said. She set down a tray of sugar cookies and two festive mugs of steaming hot chocolate.

 "Thanks, Mrs. Swan," Gideon said.

 "You're welcome, kid," Emma said, then looked to her daughter, "and, Hope? Stop distracting the poor boy and let him study, okay?"

 "Yes ma'am," Hope sighed and mockingly saluted.

 As her mom left, Gideon picked up one of the mugs set before them, one with a somewhat ridiculous-looking festive moose on it, which he'd mentioned once or twice was his favorite of her family's odd assortment of Christmas mugs. He took a sip and sighed with contentment.

 "What's your mom's secret to such perfect hot chocolate, anyways?"

 "Cinnamon," Hope smiled, as she reached for a present-shaped cookie, overflowing with frosting and decked out in red and green sprinkles.

 "Fabulous," Gideon said.

 They both returned to their work, but only for a few minutes, before Gideon spoke up again. 

"Have you even started Christmas shopping yet?"

 "Now who's distracting who?" Hope asked. "But, of course not. Why, have you finished already?"

 "Yup," he smiled, and after a pause he added, "I even got a special gift for a certain friend of mine this year." He then took another sip of cocoa in hopes that his expression wouldn't give away his surprise.

 "Which friend?" Hope asked.

 "A certain girl in my algebra class," he smiled behind his cocoa mug.

 "Which girl?" Hope's eyes narrowed. 

 "A longtime friend," he said, "a girl who owns an armload of friendship bracelets, and whose mom makes hot chocolate with cinnamon in it, and who I'll be seeing at dinner on Christmas Eve." He took another sip of cocoa, but he didn't get much chance to enjoy it.

 "Charlotte?" Hope asked, her tone a not-so delicate balance of confused and offended, "you got a 'special Christmas gift' for my best friend Charlotte? My aunt Charlotte?"

 In an involuntary response to her startling misunderstanding of his hints, he quickly spewed his sip of cocoa out of his mouth, hoping most of it ended up in the mug, and later hoping her dad wouldn't ask where these brown stains on the living room rug came from.

 "What, no!" Gideon said, stumbling to regain himself, "Hope, I got a special Christmas gift for you."

 "You did?" Hope asked, her mood instantly changed, the usual sparkle returning to her crystal blue eyes, "what did you get me?"

 "Now," Gideon said, "would it really be much of a special gift if it wasn't a surprise?"

 "I can still act surprised," she said, with a hint of a frown and large, blinking eyes which he almost gave into.

 "Sorry," he said, quickly looking back down at his algebra textbook, "you'll have to wait until Christmas Eve."

 "This is cruel and unusual punishment," Hope grumbled.

 "Yup," Gideon smiled.

 "You do know this is gonna make it even harder for me to study now," Hope said.

 "Yup."

 "And I'll never get this homework done if I'm distracted."

 "Yup."

 "And then I'm gonna fail algebra."

 "Yup."

 "And then I'm gonna get held back a year."

 "Yup."

 "And then we won't be in the same class anymore." 

 "Yup."

 "And then you're gonna have to find a new special girl in next year's algebra class to give a special Christmas gift to."

 "Yup."

 "Gideon!"

 He knew he'd carried that bit a bit too far when Hope called him "Gideon" instead of "Gid."

 "Would you like some help with your homework, Hope?"

 "I'd like to know what a certain special boy got me for Christmas."

 "Can't help with that," Gideon said, hoping she couldn't tell his face was red as a Christmas bow at how she'd just called him "special" without meaning it as an insult.

 "Why'd you even go and tell me if it's supposed to be a surprise anyway?" Hope said. "Taking a new form of torture for a test drive?"

 "I have my reasons," he said.

 The reasons, of course, were that he'd never given her a gift before, and if she didn't know he was giving her a gift, she'd have no time to pick out a gift for him. He didn't necessarily need a gift from her, or expect one, but it occurred to him that she might feel bad if he gave her a gift and she came empty-handed, so it was only fair to give her warning.

 And also, a part of him enjoyed watching her obsess over it. It wasn't that he wanted to torment her or stress her out for once in her life, of course, but her attempts to goad the answer out of him were, as predicted, delightful and charming.

 "Now," he continued, "would you like some help with the homework?"

 "Only if you tell me what you got me."

 "Fine," Gideon said, "looks like you'll fail this class and I'll have to give a special gift to some other girl from my math class next year."

 "Alright," Hope said, with an exaggerated eye roll, "I guess if it's the only way."

 They both slid a little closer to each other so he could see her textbook, and then Hope slid closer still.

 As she started explaining how the answer she got was twenty-seven point five percent while the correct answer was two, Gideon glanced behind her at the mountain of gifts under her family's tree. Given that she hadn't begun to shop for her parents, and her brother was still off writing his own adventures, he had a hunch that most of those presents were for her. With all those gifts awaiting her, he suddenly felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What if his gift didn't live up to her hype? What if it got metaphorically lost in the sea of brightly colored packages that awaited her the morning after? What could one gift, no matter how "special," really mean in comparison to all that?

 He shifted his attention away from the assortment of red and green parcels across the room and the little parcel under his own tree back home, putting them all out of his mind so he could instead focus on how to explain to Hope that in no world could x equal four-hundred and ninety if x minus fifteen equaled twenty-five.

🤍💙🤎🩵🖤

 "It's horrible, Charlotte," Hope complained as she waited in the lunch line.

 "What, that algebra pop quiz?" Charlotte asked, "or Merry Mystery Meat Friday?"

 "Neither," Hope said, "Gideon. He's been absolutely tormenting me."

 "Oh, right," Charlotte said, as the lunch lady poured some gloop on her plate, "it's absolute torture that you're getting an extra Christmas present this year."

 "You don't understand," Hope said, wincing at the smell of the food on her tray, "at first, I kept asking what it was to be dramatic."

 "And you're not being dramatic now?"

 "No, no, I still am," Hope said, "but now I'm being dramatic with purpose. I can't just let him give me a special gift without giving him anything in return."

 "So buy him something?" Charlotte suggested. "You haven't started your Christmas shopping yet anyways."

 "Yes, but what do I get him, Char?" Hope asked as they made their way to their usual table. "What if I show up with a gently used toaster and find out he got me a gently used convertible? Or I get him a PS5 and he got me a pencil sharpener?"

 "Those are vastly overexaggerated scenarios," Charlotte said, then sighed, "but I get the sentiment. Did you tell him that's why you want to know?"

 "That would ruin the surprise."

 "Well, have you tried asking around?" "Syd doesn't even know this one," Hope said, "and if she hasn't heard about it, no one has."

 Before they could continue the conversation, Gideon took a seat next to Hope.

 "So glad to see you're both present, right now," he said, "it sure is special to share such a moment with you guys."

 Hope tried to ignore him in an attempt to hide her frustration.

 Gideon looked at the girls' lunch trays and smiled.

 "What's that?" Gideon asked, "hamburger surprise? Mystery meat?" He pulled a paper bag out of his backpack and continued, "it sure is a gift to have a mom who packs you your own special lunch every day. It's almost like a Christmas present you don't have to wait for."

 "You're a real jerk sometimes," Hope said, "you know that, right?"

 "It's an inherited trait, I'm told." Gideon said, pulling a sandwich out of his bag. 'Some might call it a gift."

 "And if you don't stop it soon," Hope said, "there'll be a special surprise in it for you," and she scooped up a big spoonful of the gloop in front of her and brought it closer to Gideon, "mystery meat on rye, perhaps?"

 "While putting the school's excuse for 'food' on my sandwich is a truly terrifying threat," Gideon said, holding his sandwich away at arms' length until Hope put down her spoon, "that's not much of a special surprise if you tell me about it first."

 "Speaking of 'not much of a special surprise because you tell me about it first,'" Hope changed tactics, leaning toward him with a doe-eyed expression she'd kept on reserve for just such an occasion, "it sure would be nice if a certain boy told me what he got a certain girl for Christmas."

 "I already told you," Gideon said, "I got my mom a book."

 Her doe eyes were wasted on Gideon, who smugly took a bite of his sandwich.

 "I give up," Hope said.

 "Good," Gideon said, "because I'm not telling."

 "Fine," Hope said, then mumbled under her breath, "hope you like your toaster."

 "What?"

 "Nothing."

 "Anyways," Gideon said, "did you guys want to meet up to work on homework later?"

 "I'm busy," Charlotte said, which didn't come as a surprise. She'd been too busy to do homework with them a lot recently.

 "I've got Christmas shopping to do this afternoon," Hope said.

 "Oh, starting early, are we?" Gideon asked.

 "I'll have to start early if I've got an extra gift to get this year," Hope said.

 "An extra gift for whom?"

 "No one special," she quickly recovered.

 "Well," he said, "maybe we could do homework afterwards?"

 "Sure, but not at my house." Hope said. "Mom and dad are working, so I can't have friends over."

 This was true, but it was also an excuse. If they studied at his house, she might have the chance to do a little snooping and figure out what this mystery gift was.

 "I told my mom I'd help her at the library this afternoon," Gideon said, "maybe we could study there?"

 Dang it.

 "Sounds great," Hope lied.

🤍💙🤎🩵🖤

 "You know the real reason we met at the library?" Gideon asked as they sat down in a side room of the library. 

 "Because you know if we're at your house I'll try to sneak a peek at my Christmas present?"

 "You know, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind," Gideon smiled, "but I also thought the library would help minimize distractions."

 "Oh, sure," Hope said.

 His plan was secretly foiled, though, by Hope's own mind. She brought plenty of distractions with her. Not only did she have the usual to distract herself with, she had plenty of other things to think about, like "what could he have gotten me?" and "I hope what I got him is good enough," and eventually, "why did he even get me a special gift this year anyways?" and on occasion before she could stop herself, "Gideon looks especially nice today." 

 Sure, he didn't look much different than normal. He wore his trademark style of a flannel over a t-shirt with a corny slogan (though in place of a science pun, today's read "MERRY CHRISTMOOSE" over an image of the stupidest moose Hope had ever seen.) Gideon's deep golden hair was parted the same way it always was. His smile was the same and his laugh was the same and his eyes bore the same combination of intelligence and innocence that always made Hope catch her breath when they fixed themselves too hard on her. But today, she noticed it all at once, and it only added to her usual level of distraction.

 They'd hardly been working for half an hour when another distraction came along, this time in the form of Gideon's mother.

 "How's it going in here?" Belle asked, looking over her son's shoulder at the senseless arrangement of letters and numbers and symbols.

 "About as good as always," Hope said.

 "Almost, anyways," Gideon said.

 "Almost?" Belle asked. "Any particular reason why that is?"

 "You know," Gideon said, "now that you mention it, when we study at Hope's house, her mom always has cookies for us."

 "Does she now?"

 "Yes ma'am," Hope said, catching Gideon's drift and quick to help him out, "she says cookies are a sort of brain food. If they weren't, dad wouldn't let us keep them around the house."

 "I see," Belle said, "well, I'm not about to spoil your supper, but how about I bring you guys some hot cocoa instead?"

 "Close enough," Gideon shrugged.

 "I'll be right back," his mom ruffled his hair.

 As a dangerous Christmas miracle, Hope got an idea.

 "Can I help you, Mrs. Booth?" Hope asked.

 "I'd like that very much," Belle said.

 "I can help too," Gideon said, starting to get up himself.

 "We got it, don't worry," Hope quickly got up. She placed a hand on his arm and said, "we'll be right back."

 "Okay," Gideon said, with that calculating look on his face he often got when he was trying to get to the bottom of one of Hope's brilliant ideas.

 But as it stood, he hadn't caught onto this one, because he made no attempt to thwart her time with his mom.

 "I'm glad to see you two getting along so well," Belle said, as she and Hope found themselves waiting for the library's Keurig to heat up. 

 "Yeah?" Hope said, already pleased at how quickly she could shift this conversation to suit her needs. "Does he talk about me much?"

 "A bit," Belle smiled.

 "What kind of stuff does he say?"

 "Well," Belle said, "just a few things here and there. A few things I can't say."

 "Does one of them have to do with a special surprise Christmas present?"

 "Maybe," Belle said, with a wink and a lower tone of secrecy as she loaded a hot chocolate K-cup into the coffee machine.

 "What is it?" Hope whispered.

 "I can't say," Belle responded.

 "Well, you're no help." Hope grumbled.

 "Is there," Belle paused, "a special reason you can't just wait until Sunday night to find out?"

 Hope nodded.

 "Well, what is it?" Belle asked, as she changed out the used hot chocolate pod for a new one.

 "Can you keep a secret?"

 Belle turned away from exchanging the styrofoam cups in her hands to give her a knowing glance, one she'd clearly been the one to pass down to her son.

 "I got him a Christmas present too," Hope whispered, "and I wanna make sure it's not a toaster or a playstation."

 "A toaster?"

 "It's a metaphor." She said. "Long story. I just don't want to give him something too big, or too small, or too stupid."

 "I see," Belle nodded, "Well, I'm not about to breach my son's privacy, but I won't breach yours either. If you tell me what you got him, I'll tell you if yours is too much or too little."

 "You'd really do that for me?" Hope asked.

 "Of course." Belle said, taking both cups of cocoa in her hands.

 Hope motioned for Belle to come closer, then whispered in her ear.

 Belle smiled.

 "Hope," Belle said, "I don't think that gift will be too big or too small at all. It sounds perfect."

 "Really?" Hope asked, feeling a massive weight of anxiety float away in a mere moment.

 "Yup. Now, you take these," she handed Hope both cups, "and, wait just a second."

 Belle took a bottle of syrup from the counter, clearly meant for the coffee, but apparently multi-purpose.

 "French vanilla?" Hope asked.

 "Your mother has her way of dressing up hot cocoa," Belle said, pouring a squirt of syrup into each cup, "and I have mine."

 "I'll have to remember that," Hope nodded, "And, thanks. Thanks for, well, everything."

 "Better get back to your studies," Belle winked.

 Hope took a sip of her cup of cocoa on the way back to their table. It was perfect.

🤍💙🤎🩵🖤

 "So, Gideon," Hope said, as they sat down together for their Christmas Eve dinner, "are you gonna tell me what you got me for Christmas yet?"

 "You'll find out soon enough," he smiled, "and, uh, did you end up getting that 'extra gift for no one special' yet?"

 "Maybe," Hope winked.

 "Oh, how adorable," Charlotte said, taking a seat in between Hope and CJ.

 Gideon's mom soon filled the seat next to him, followed by his stepdad, then Hope's parents, then Charlotte and CJ's, and finally the Mayor and her sister, with her daughter, Robin, next to CJ.

 Gideon tried his best to enjoy the ham and scalloped potatoes set before him, though his mind was on what would happen afterwards, the real meat and potatoes of the evening for him: when those gathered would start exchanging gifts, followed by singing carols, and the space in between those traditions when he'd find an excuse pull Hope aside and give her her gift. Sure, he could just give it to her now, or when everyone else gave gifts, but this one was different, special. It was a gift from him to her, simple as that, and it didn't need anyone else's attention.

 After the meal, as the family gathered around the tree to open presents, Gideon pantomimed joy as he thanked Mrs. Nolan for the book she gave him that he already had two copies of, and he was polite and respectful and didn't lie too much as he told the Mills sisters how much he liked the sweatervest they'd given him.

 Of course, there were genuine joys too, as there often are at Christmas. The younger generation oohed and awed as they each unwrapped a set of dice sent from Hope's brother in the Enchanted Forest. The house filled with laughter as the mayor gave Hope's grandma the annual gag gift of a perfect red apple. There was a type of mischievous joy passed between both parties as Hope unwrapped a present and stuck the bow that it'd been adorned with squarely on Gideon's forehead.

 And still, Gideon's focus was on the one gift that still had yet to be given. After all the packages beneath the tree had been unwrapped, Gideon excused himself, and quietly made his way to the front room of the house, where his jacket hung on a hook by the door.

 "Trying to make an escape before you can give me the elusive special Christmas present?"

 He turned and saw Hope standing in the doorway behind him, the lights of the merry festivities behind them reflecting off the sparkles on her red velvet dress.

 "Not at all," he said, as he slipped his jacket on and put his hands into the perfectly oversized pockets. "I just had to come grab a special gift for a special friend of mine."

 "Oh?" Hope asked, "she must be something pretty special if you had to leave all that excitement just to give her a gift."

 "Excitement?" Gideon asked. "Well then, I guess I better head back in now then. I'd hate to miss whatever festivities are happening without us."

 Hope took a step in front of him, blocking his path. "We can watch my dad and grandpa sing a rousing duet of All I Want For Christmas is You anytime." 

 "Can we really, though?" Gideon asked, sidestepping past her. She mirrored his step.

 "Charlotte's recording it," Hope said, "now, what'd you get me?"

 He sighed. As much as he loved the look on her face as she awaited his gift, he couldn't keep this up for too much longer, not without giving such a small gift too much hype and a huge letdown.

 "Fine," he said, pulling a wrapped square box, slightly larger than the palm of his hand, out of his pocket.

 "Oooh!" Hope said. She reached for it, but he held it up in the air above their heads.

 "What's the magic word?" He asked.

 "Um," Hope said, jumping up to try and reach it, "if you don't give it to me now I'll kick you?"

 Her idle threats didn't scare him anymore.

 "How about please?"

 Hope rolled her eyes, but they stopped halfway, the spark in her eyes frozen as they refracted onto his.

 "Please?" she asked, softly, and she almost seemed genuine rather than annoyed. He nodded and handed the gift to her without a word or a breath left in his mouth, acted upon by something almost beside himself, outside of himself, larger than himself.

 She tore the paper off the package with a careful excitement, and opened the box inside.

 "A charm bracelet," she whispered.

 "I hope you like it." He said, pointing to each charm on the bracelet in the box. "I picked out the charms myself. There's an angel for the snow angels we used to make in the backyard, and a music note for the caroling karaoke every year."

 "Especially the time we turned Silent Night into, well, the opposite of that," Hope added.

 "Exactly." Gideon smiled, "and the reindeer's for that time we tried to wait up to catch Santa Claus."

 "Hey, that snare trap worked perfectly!" Hope defended.

 "A little too perfectly."

 "Yeah," Hope laughed, "he was so mad at us."

 "And then we got coal in our stockings for the next three years," Gideon said, with a chuckle.

 Hope looked back down at the bracelet in her hand.

 "Is the candle for the time you burned the gingerbread cookies?" Hope asked.

 "Actually, the fireplace is," Gideon said, "The candle's for the time you set your hair on fire."

 "I'd almost forgotten that one," Hope said. "And what's the present for?"

 "For this," Gideon said, taking the box from her hand, "the first present I ever gave you that I bought instead of my parents."

 "I love it" Hope shook her head with an amazed disbelief. "Can you help me put it on?"

 "Sure," he said. He took the bracelet out of the box, and handed the box back to her. He then clasped the bracelet around her wrist.

 "How did you even come up with all these?" Hope asked.

 "Those are all my favorite Christmas memories, Hope. When I think of a Merry Christmas," and his hand slid from her wrist to her hand, and his tone lowered, and he continued, "I think of you."

 He watched her expression closely for any sign of discomfort, but instead saw a smile, and the red of her cheeks brought out by the red of her dress.

 "I have something for you too," Hope said, letting go of his hand so she could dig through her purse.

 "For me?" Gideon asked.

 "Of course," Hope said, "you didn't think I'd show up empty handed, did you?"

 "The thought had crossed my mind," he said.

 "Well, it was a silly thought," Hope said. "Here."

 She pulled a wrapped gift out of her bag that was only a little bigger than the box he'd given her. He opened it to reveal a small leather journal.

 "It's very nice," he said, unsure if his gift seemed too much in comparison.

 "Open it up, stupid," she said with a smile.

 He opened the notebook to the first page, which had a handwritten note.

 "Hey, Gid!

 I didn't know what to get you for Christmas, but I saw this notebook and thought it was missing something. Don't worry, I fixed it for ya.

 -HSJ"

 "What does that mean?" he asked.

 "Turn the page," she said.

 He turned the page to see a picture of them at Christmas when they were kids, pouring frosting that was meant for a gingerbread house directly into their mouths. Next to it was the recipe for gingerbread, with the temperature to set the oven to circled with red glitter ink multiple times.

 He turned to the next page: a drawing of a massive snow fort with four tiny stick figures on top. "EXPECTATION:" some writing above it said, and the facing page said "REALITY:" and featured a photo of them as kids, cramming next to Charlotte and CJ inside a circular wall of snow not even six inches tall.

 A few pages further, he found a drawing of his favorite mug with the moose on it, and two recipes for hot chocolate: Mrs. Swan style and Mrs. Booth style.

 "What's all this about anyways?" Gideon asked.

 "You're always filling your brain with all that useless school junk," Hope said, "algebra, Shakespeare, Washington, it's exhausting. I don't wanna see that pretty little head of yours get so full of numbers and names and dates that you forget what really matters."

 "Like what?" Gideon asked, with a smile.

 "Stupid intangibles like family and friendship and love and all that crap," Hope said, "I know, it's no charm bracelet, but…."

 "It's perfect," Gideon said.

 "Really?" Hope asked.

 "Really." Gideon said. "Of all the things I want to remember, you're the most important one."

 "Thanks," Hope said, that red flush creeping again along her cheek, "now, we'd better get back to the rest of the party before our dads start wondering what's taking us so long."

 "Yeah," Gideon said.

 But, apparently, they were too late.

 "Well, well," Gideon and Hope both froze as they heard his stepdad's voice across the room.

 He turned to see August smiling and calling to the other guests.

 "Belle, Killian, Emma," August called, "it looks like someone's under the mistletoe."

 "Huh, wonder who that could be," Gideon thought, before he noticed the guilty look on Hope's face. She looked up at the ceiling, and his eyes followed her gaze.

 Hanging above them like Damacles' sword was a festive assemblage of green leaves and holly berries, tied together with a bow, a scarlet letter that spelled trouble.

 "I'm sorry," Gideon said, "honest, I didn't realize it was there."

 "I know you didn't," Hope said, with an eye roll.

 Despite how fast his heart was suddenly beating, time seemed to hold still. He noticed several things very clearly— the looks on the faces of the parents gathered around them, ranging from the smile of his mom to the deathly glare of her dad. He noticed the way her eyes reflected the fairy lights that surrounded them, and the hint of a smile under her reddening cheeks. He noticed how sweaty his palms suddenly were, and he regretted wearing such a warm sweater, and his jacket as well now, and it dawned on him all at once that he'd never kissed a girl before, and that the number of people watching them had gone from zero to one to four to eleven in seconds, and that most of them probably expected him to kiss her, and that at least one of them would probably be very upset at him if he did.

 He also knew that, as far as he knew, Hope had probably never kissed anyone, either, and that if she wanted him to be her first kiss, that was great— but on her own terms. And if she didn't, well, she couldn't get mad at him for this.

 He bent down ever so slightly, leaned closer to her, then turned his head and planted his lips on her cheek, the cheek that wasn't as visible to their uninvited audience, but that, although his eyes were closed, he could tell had reddened by how it warmed at the touch of his kiss.

 He then pulled away from her, and they stood apart, merely looking at each other with a smile, and a nod to indicate there was no more left that needed to be done. This was met with the rest of the gathering shuffling back to their places, a few with a sigh, though Captain Jones with a smile that made Gideon fear much less for his life.

 "Hey, Gid," Hope said, as they walked back to the party, trailing along behind the rest of the group.

 "Yeah?"

 She slid her hand into his, and he looked down at her.

 "Think you can get me a mistletoe charm for the bracelet?"

 "I think so," Gideon said.

 "Thanks," Hope smiled, and stepped up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek, this one spurred on not by mistletoe or tradition or expectation of others, but simply by merit of the spirit of Christmas that hung in the air, and of the love carried between two friends who were well on their way to becoming so much more.

[allisquish]

Gold-plated Silver Lining

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Part 4

Honestly really happy w this part, and proud of myself for finishing a fic and sharing it for the first time in a long time.

-

It was a day or two before you found yourself back at the Mystery Shack. You were nervous going back. And why wouldn't you be? There hadn't been a chance after Gideon's arrest for you to talk to Stan. And even if there had been, what would you even ask or say that wouldn't give your feelings away? Would they even be returned?

So, you stayed away from the Shack until you were sure you wouldn't embarrase yourself. You might have waited another day or two if it hadn't been for the Mystery Shack employee group chat. The Shack was relatively untouched by the Gleefuls; but there was a ton of work to do to get ready for her grand reopening at the end of the week. 

Did you purposefully choose a day when Wendy was complaining in the chat about being left alone in the Shack while Stan was out getting supplies? Of course not, it just worked with your schedule at Greasy's. Really.

"Thank god," Wendy called as you stepped in through the gift shop door, "Can you believe how much stuff Stan is putting out?"

"Where'd all these boxes even come from?" You gingerly step around the piles of cardboad boxes stacked haphazardly around the room.

"Apparently Stan had this all in storage."

"Do you know why he wants it all out now?" You peered into a couple of the open boxes Wendy was working through. There were snowglobes, keychains, bumper stickers, bobbleheads... and were those Mystery Shack air freshners?

"Who knows." The teen shrugged, contiuning to stock the shelves.

You tucked your bag under the register's counter, and set about helping Wendy get things stocked and straightened out in the gift shop. Between the two of you, you got through a good chunk of the boxes; before the bell above the door cut through your conversation.

You didn't mean too, but your head snapped towards the door, frozen like a deer in headlights.

"Hey dudes!" Soos greeeted from behind yet another stack of boxes he carried into the shop, "Can you believe all this cool merch Stan has?"

"That's one word for it." Wendy mumbled, hanging up more moon and mountain lion shirts.

You couldn't help the sigh of relief as Soos added his boxes to the pile you were working from. Thank goodness it was just Soos, you really weren't sure what you'd do if it had actually been-

"Alright kids, let's get this show on the road!"

It was the most natural, instinctive reaction to dive behind the register and duck down as Stan and the twins followed Soos inside the Shack. You were not hiding. Just getting your bearings! Honest.

... This was getting ridiculous. You were an adult! An adult who could handle getting a quick kiss from your crush and not spiral. You could do this, you could-

"Woah Wendy, I'm impressed! This place is looking real good!" Stan whistled.

"Thanks, I had help." Wendy replied, leaning back against the counter and looking where you were totally not hiding.

Crap.

"Found it!" You announced, picking up a keychain from a box beside you and standing up.

There was an uncomfortable beat of silence as you looked anywhere but at Stan. The twins luckily broke the silence, as Mabel skipped over.

"Did you come over to help?" She asked, hopping up to sit on the counter.

"Of course! Couldn't leave my favorite duo in a pinch." You grinned, grateful for the distraction from your awkward first instinct. Dipper and Mabel immediately started updating you on the ongoings of the Shack since you had last seen all three Pines.

You laughed at their antics, "Sounds like you guys have been busy!"

"Yeah we have!" Mabel agreed, her hands landing on her hips, "And where have you been? We haven't see you in days!" From the corner of your eye, Stan stiffens at the comment along with you.

"Ah, well," You stutter, "Uh, just. Y'know. Adult stuff?" Somehow comes out as a question.

Was this a bad idea? This was a bad idea. You could so not do this-

"Oh, is that the time already? Man, I'm gonna be late to Greasy's, let me just," You drop the keychain back into it's box, and quickly gather your apron and purse. You start shuffling out from behind the counter, making your goodbyes to everyone.

As you make your way to the gift shop door, Stan calls your name.

"Lemme walk you out."

The air is thick with tension as you leave the Shack. Your mind is spinning, trying to think of something, anything to break the silence but nothing comes. But you have to ask. You need to. You want to know if Stan keeps thinking about that brief kiss the way you do. You think you know the anwser, and you're not sure if you're ready for it.

It's going to keep eating at you if you don't.

You pause at the totem pole, opening your mouth to speak, but Stan breaks the tension first.

"Look, kid," He sighs, bringing one hand up to rub the back of his neck, "About the other day..."

You wait for him to continue, your own hands twisting together.

He huffs, looking up over your head, "Look, I shouldn't've done that. It crossed a line, I know it made ya uncomfortable... and I'm sorry."

Your heart dropped. This is not what you wanted.

"I'm not." Somehow, you forced the words past your lips.

"Wassthat?"

You swallowed, trying to feign a confidence you didn't feel.

"I'm not." You repeated, squaring your shoulders, "I'm not sorry, it didn't make me uncomfortable..." Oh god, were you really doing this? Be brave, be brave, you kept telling yourself. You reached a shaking hand out, grabbing onto Stan's lapels and pulling him towards you, "I want you to the cross the line again."

You searched his face, but all you could find was shock as you lightly brushed his lips with yours.

This was different than the one you'd shared in your apartment. This was brief and delicate; an offering with no pressure.

It was over as quickly as it had started, with you falling back onto your heels. You bit your lips, studying Stan's face. The look of shock was gone. Instead, a blank, expressionless mask stared down at you.

"You don't want this, kid," He sighed, his hands coming up to hold your wrists. Your own hands were still latched to his jacket.

Something in you snapped.

"Don't tell me what I want, Stan Pines," You hissed, pulling tighter on his jacket, "I know what I want. And I want whatever you'll give me." One steady hand reaches up to cup his cheeck. His rough stubble feels wonderful on your skin, "Do you know what you want?"

He finally met your gaze, his dark eyes boring into yours. You met his gaze and held it, jutting your chin. The flame you held for this man was blazing, and you wanted him to feel the heat of your yearning.

One of Stans hands moved to cover yours, still holding his jacket, while the other tilted your chin. His movements were slow and deliberate as he leaned down and once again brought your lips together.

You poured all your affection into this kiss, you both moving slowly together, melting into eachother. Tenatively, your hand moved from his cheek to the nape of his neck, brushing through his hair, your nails lightly scrapping his scalp.

Stan shuttered and moaned softly into the kiss, pressing his body closer and closer to yours, his hand trailing down your arm and around your side. His other hand left your chin to cup your cheek, deepening the kiss.

This kiss was everything, and you never wanted it to end, you could just keep going, kissing Stan forever-

"Aw c'mon, right in front of my bike?" You and Stan instantly broke apart, mumbling as you turned to face Wendy, holding her bike helmet in hand.

"Whatever," She sighed, before giving you a slightly confused stare, "Aren't you gonna be late to Greasy's?"

"Shit." You curse, checking the time on your phone. If you rushed, you should be able to make it.

"C'mon doll, let's shake it!" Stan grabs your hand, pulling you towards his car. You can't fight the smile breaking across your face. You'd gotten your anwser, and it was more than you could've hoped for.

[melanie-ohara]

Gideon Souls 4

Undead Asylum Reprise, Blighttown and beyond

Now's as good a time as any to look at the loadout:

Clothes - who cares, beyond light rolling and wearing as much black as possible

Weapons - I did some grinding to have enough dex to wield the black knight great sword I found, so now it's that or the zweihander. Mostly the zweihander, because it hits harder. No shield, because Gideon would never take a hand off her sword

Rings - Favour and Protection, from kicking that guy off a cliff. It's great, no notes. Ring of the Evil Eye, because I I don't carry a shield and block with the weapon, so I still take a little bit of damage. Most of the time, I recover that after killing whoever had the temerity to hit me. This is when I find out that everyone thinks this ring is useless

Immediately upon arriving at the asylum I fell through the floor and got blown up by the Stray Demon. Solid start. I went back and knifed him, so I'm calling that one and a half attempts. Then the black knight for the creepy doll, and the rusted iron ring so I didn't have a fully horrid time in -

Blighttown, which is a horrible place full of misery and toxic dart assholes. I have essentially nothing to say about this place, except that it connects to Quelaag.

Bet you thought it was gonna be a titty pic, huh. No. Giant spider. Fuck you.

This one was harder because my usual tactic of just smacking them in the butt didn't work quite so well, but I persevered and smacked her in the butt four times and finally got her. I had very low health when I did it and was convinced she still had a sliver of HP left, so I was busy running for space and, again, missed the victory logo for a screenshot, so here's her eerie empty arena instead

Second bell of awakening! I was very happy when this happened because it meant progress. How sweet and innocent of me.

At this point, I horribly fucked up. @amethystasari told me about the false wall, and I arrived at the bonfire, whereupon I said the wrong thing to the eggy wife guy blocking the path. He was not happy.

So I squished him. What am I gonna do, not rest at the bonfire?

Oh dear. I squished her sister and her gross egg husband. The good(?) news is, @amethystasari informs me she's both blind and deaf. So that's just great. I feel great.

Anyway, she helpfully reinforced my estus with the fire keeper soul I found in a nightmare of toxic darts players, and I moved on to feeling bad about ceaseless discharge.

Selfie with the medical condition

He was chill, until I took some clothes from his presumably memorial altar. I get it buddy, that was very uncool of me. He squished me and I lost all of those souls when he squished me again. So I got a bit annoyed at this point, and gave up on trying to coax him out and went back to smacking him. This time I hid in a narrow channel where he could only do one attack, like a hero.

Lava cleared up, apparently for later

Unfortunately, now it's time for Sen's Fortress Circus of Hilarious Bullshit. I am having a genuinely appalling time here. I've fallen off, smacked two out of three titanite demons but cannot seem to deal with the last two, fallen off more, fixed the boulders, saved some NPCs, fallen off, lost cumulatively like 40,000 souls, been shot, squashed, impaled, and crushed, fallen off, fallen off, and fallen off. I am never getting out of here. No pics because it sucks here.

Back at Firelink we now have a cozy little camp going. We have the crestfallen knight, who I dislike, a pyromancer, Big Hat Logan, Griggs the whatever of Vinheim, and this cool and chill young gentleman

Selfie with my new bestie Frampt, who eats all the trash out of my inventory

I also meant Reah and the clerics, who left. Thorolund came back and said he lost them, so presumably I'll deal with that later. Griggsy says they're off kindling some bonfires, and I hope that's good news for me.

Of course, how could I forget my onion buddy Siegmeyer, who is constantly hmmming and ahhhhing wherever I want to be. What a nice chap. I either saved him from Sen's Bullshit Circus of Fuck You, or accidentally squashed him with a boulder. Only time will tell.

[theveriest]

A couple of weeks ago I asked about people’s favorite book or books they read this year. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and discord, I have a list of 123 books in no particular order that my friends and family loved this year. If it was a series then I listed the first book. Each star is an additional recommendation. I haven’t read all of these, they may or may not reflect my personal opinions, though my favorite books are on the list too. The most recommended books were How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler, one or all of the Murderbot books by Martha Wells, and Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, because if there’s one thing my friends have in common across platforms, it’s that you’re all nerds (affectionate). Enjoy, and I hope you find your new favorite book!

Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes de Mez

The Soul Of An Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder

The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

My Hijacking by Martha Hodes

Longhand by Andy Hamilton

Babel by RF Kuang*

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff*

Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho

How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler**

Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Ahmed

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett*

I’m Stuck by Julia Mills

Entangled Life by Martin Sheldrake

Iris by Eden Finley

Hot Vampire Next Door by Nikki St. Crowe

Devil of Dublin by BB Easton

Tied by Carian Cole

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld*

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

From Blood And Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Where I End by Sophie White

Wool by Hugh Howey

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

Yellowface by RF Kuang

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

North Woods by Daniel Mason

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin*

The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera

The English Understand Wool by Helen Dewitt

Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by The Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Love In The Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa*

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Prophet by Sin Blache and Helen MacDonald*

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki**

System Collapse by Martha Wells***

The Brutish Museums by Dan Hicks

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine*

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers*

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

The Lazarus Heist by Geoff White

The September House by Carissa Orlando*

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

The Last Smile In Sunder City by Luke Arnold

The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes by Zoe Playden

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Manywhere by Morgan Thomas

Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby

Loot by Tania James

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

All Systems Read by Martha Wells

The Once and Future Sex by Eleanor Janega

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner*

The Door by Magda Szabo

Fluids by May Leitz

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Lieut. John Irving, R.N. of H.M.S. "Terror" in Sir John Franklin's last expedition to the Arctic regions a memorial sketch with letters

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Raven the Pirate Princess by Jeremy Whitley

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Slewfoot by Brom

The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr

500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman by KJ Charles

A Line In The World by Dorthe Nors

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Glitter and Concrete by Elyssa Maxx Goodman

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

The Tragic Menagerie by Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (translated by Jane Costlow)

The 100 Years Of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Precise Oaths by Paige E. Ewing

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

A Dead Djinn In Cairo by P. Djeli Clark

[qu1cks1lversb1tch]

Some of my Marauders era/Harry Potter Headcanons

Professor McGonagall was considered a patient teacher until the Prewett twins and the Marauders, so when the Weasley twins and Prongslet started Hogwarts, she just knew it would be a chaotic repeat of events.

"Well, thank you for that assessment, Mr Weasley. Perhaps it would be more useful if I were to transfigure Mr Potter and yourself into a pocket watch? That way, one of you might be on time."

Of course, we can't forget Ron. He was just as much Gideon and Fabian as Fred and George, but to a lesser degree.

He's brilliant and gets a lot of hate for always making Hermione cry (which im totally not ignoring)

Ron is an important part of the trio, even if the movies do kinda portray him as a replaceable, dickish, himbo, carrot top cunt, who purposely hurts Hermione.

THAT'S OUR FOODIE GINGER SNAP BABY RONALD, OKAY!?!?!???

We respect him in this household, even if we sometimes wanna kick his ass so hard he begins to think he's Viktor Krum.

REMUS LUPIN FOLDS HIS SOCKS

He did it as a child and a teenager, but he carried the habit into his adult life. It made him feel in control of something in his life.

James was Sirius's first kiss

Sirius was James's first kiss

Strictly platonic first kiss between a couple of bro's

It happened second year.

"Its not gay, Wormtail, we had socks on."

Peter was terrified of rats before he discovered his animagus was a rat

If Regulus Black was an animagus, he'd be a black cat, for obvious reasons

Speaking of Regulus Arcturus Black, we stan that dramatic emo bitch in this household <3

He was just like Sirius, but in his own way and he catches so much shit because he was a death eater and did bad things.

Before he was marked, he was a boy who wanted to make his family proud. After he was marked, he wanted to escape.

He defected to the good side, but he died before Sirius could know the good thing he had began. He was just a boy.

Draco heard stories from his mother about Regulus and based many of his best traits after his cousin.

He treated house elves with respect, mostly when Lucius wasn't around to influence him. When he had nothing to prove.

He didn't care if they were like Dobby or Kreacher

He simultaneously hated his father and wanted him to be proud, so he took the dark mark at sixteen

Much like Regulus did

He also wanted to defect. He didn't want to be a killer. He didn't want to die.

He was just a boy.

Hermione carried on the soul of Regulus

I will die on that hill.

She was born a few months after he died and they were very similar, except for the obvious differences (blood status, house, family life, you get the gist)

We all know about S.P.E.W.

Regulus would've been the FIRST official member if he had been alive

Lily introduced her pureblood friends to muggle fashion

In fifth year when she saw James in a pair of tight pants, she almost fell out right in the middle of Hogsmeade

After that, she forbade Sirius from letting James borrow his clothes ever again

For self-preservation purposes, I like to pretend THE prank never happened. If you know, you know. If you don't, I can't explain or I'll cry

Marlene McKinnon = blonde Sirius with boobs

Hermione, Remus, and Lily are the voices of reason amongst their friends, while also being just as bad as them in a more subtle way

"Now, if you two don't mind, I’m going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed or worse. . . Expelled!"

BUT ALSO

Snape on fire ring any bells?

I just know James was sitting in the clouds, laughing his ass off while Lily told him to hush

She was also fighting laughter

Revenge often came in the form of a brilliant muggleborn witch

Sirius craves violence. . . And chaos

He would love when witches or wizards got mad, especially at him.

That shit turned him on faster than Remus fresh out of the shower

Sirius and Marlene yelled at eachother like siblings

Meanwhile Remus and Lily were sipping tea like some high society in-laws at Sunday brunch

Sirius LOVED Abba, but refused to admit it, even after Lily caught him singing 'Mamma Mia' under his breath. . . In the middle of class.

I SWEAR I had a point to this. I started writing HCs and then I started rambling??? I could ramble forever, honestly.

Send requests, I have some free time

Let me know if you want to be put on the tag list :)

It's currently empty, so it sure would be cool if I could make a list :)

[kelyon]

Dark Mistress 31 Solution

Bae does the right thing

Read on AO3

Baelfire trudged through the forest with heavy steps. He kept one hand on the warm bundle of Gideon underneath his cloak. His other hand lingered on the dagger at his belt. The dagger he could use to kill the Dark One. The dagger he had to use to kill the Dark One. 

The belt was new, or had been on his birthday back in the spring. Sturdy leather and a pewter buckle. Papa had given it to him, to celebrate him being a man. Back then, he’d thought he knew what being a man meant. Now he wasn’t sure he knew what anything meant. 

That had been the day he’d found out about Gideon for the first time--though he hadn’t known he’d be Gideon. He hadn’t known what it meant to have a brother. To have a helpless baby in his life who needed him, who he would do anything to protect. He hadn’t known about Belle, hadn’t known her name or anything about her. All he’d known then was that the Dark One had done something terrible to his father. All he had wanted was to make it all go away.

He’d been so scared then, so desperate. When Papa had told him the news, he’d run away. Ran into the forest without thinking. On the day he was supposed to become a man, Baelfire had acted most like a child. He had run to the Blue Star, wishing for nothing more than for his life to go back to normal.

She had told him what he would have to do in order for that to happen.

Now, on the night when he was supposed to finally do it, he wasn’t running. He walked carefully, mindful of the roots and stones that might trip him up in the darkness. He thought only of the precious cargo he carried, of the evil weapon at his side, of what the Blue Star wanted him to do. With steady determination, he walked up the mountain to where fate would be decided.    

****

“This is where you were born,” he told Gideon when they got to the clearing. His brother had been fussy the whole walk. Talking to him usually helped him quiet down.

Baelfire didn’t know why his feet had taken him to this place, but he knew that it was right to be here. The first time he had wished on the Blue Star, he’d been lost in the woods down by the stream somewhere. Panicked and stumbling, the only guiding light he had seen was her glow. She had been his only hope. 

Now, on the mountaintop, in the center of a circle of oaks, he could see more clearly. The moon was as it had been the night Gideon was born--split down the middle between light and dark. More stars shone than Baelfire had ever seen at once before. Every star he could name, and many he didn’t know. 

There was so much he didn’t know, in the world and in the heavens, and even in his own heart.

His shuddering breath was visible in the moonlight. Sitting down on the stump in the center of the circle, he checked on Gideon. He had to make sure that he was still warm, still safe. His brother wasn’t crying yet, but he seemed about to start. Baelfire wanted to comfort him, but what could he do? What could he say? The only way to keep Gideon happy would be to go home. No one could stop him once he was in a full wail, but Belle had a special knack for quieting a fit before it started.

The thought of Belle--of the Dark One--made Baelfire’s breath stop for a moment. How could he do this? How could he kill Gideon’s mother? Baelfire had spent most of his life without his own mother, with a wound in his world that had never healed. How could he make his brother suffer the same fate? How could he say he loved Gideon if he would take away a part of his family, someone who loved him? If he did this, would Gideon grow up knowing it? How could Baelfre keep such a thing a secret? Would Gideon hate him for it? How would Baelfire ever look him in the face?

Not to mention what Belle meant to Papa. In all his life put together, Baelfire hadn’t seen his father smile half as much as he had since Belle had started living with them. She treated him with so much kindness and patience. She listened to what he had to say and respected his opinion. Baelfire had never seen anyone seek out his father’s company like she did. She would sit by his side at the dinner table or on the hearth to work. They would talk quietly together, and make each other laugh. She was always touching his arm or his back, and he was always looking at her like she was everything. They acted like how he imagined he and Morraine would be, once they were married and could be together all the time.

Baelfire paced back and forth across the clearing.

She was the Dark One! She was evil! Even if she wasn’t doing evil things, she was made up of dark magic. She had said so herself! He was the only one in their family who understood that. He was the only person in the world who held the only weapon that could harm her. He had a duty to kill her.

But how could a creature of pure evil have ever had a part in making Gideon?

Baelfire stopped in his tracks.

Gideon was good, he knew that with everything in his heart. His brother wasn’t a monster, like the Blue Star had said he would be. He wasn’t a demon, he was just a baby! Belle knew it too. She had already given her life for him--here, on the very ground where he stood.

Evil could lie, but it wouldn’t kill itself to protect a baby. Wickedness could appear alluring and tempting, but Belle had only ever been humble and straightforward. Every time they spoke, Belle approached him with shyness and caution and a faint glimmer of hope. Baelfire knew she wanted him to like her. 

The worst part was that he did, sort of. He liked having a third pair of hands on the farm. Even if she didn’t know how to help, she always wanted to try. He liked the way she fit together with Papa and Gideon--both of them loved her, and she really seemed to love them. 

He liked the way she noticed him, the way she asked questions about things he knew or what he thought. Sometimes he would look up and see that Belle had been watching him. It was never the way a cat spies on a mouse hole, but more the worried way Baguette looked at him when he had told her to stay in a place while he walked on without her. Belle looked at him like she was waiting for him to tell her she could come closer. 

But if she got close to him, he would have to do the thing he didn’t want to do. 

In that moment, Baelfire breathed. He stood up a little straighter, now that the burden had been taken off his shoulders. Just thinking it was a relief: He didn’t want to kill Belle. He knew it. He understood. It wasn’t because he was a coward, or because her wiles had entranced him, but because he saw the good in her. She didn’t deserve to die. Whatever Belle was, she didn’t deserve to die.

That revelation was what gave him the strength to finally look up at the Blue Star. She shone in the sky, the queen of the night.

“I wish,” he began. His words echoed out into the darkness. He wished for so many things--had wished for so many things, all his life, and had only gotten an answer when the Blue Star had wanted something from him.  For the first time, he understood that what he truly wanted could be had, but it wouldn’t come from wishing. “I wish to speak with you, Blue Star.”

Immediately, the bright diamond in the sky grew bigger and closer. The Blue Star dove down to him like a falcon attacking a rabbit. She was a tiny comet of blue light with shimmers streaming on her trail. 

“Baelfire!” she scolded. She fluttered in front of his face, darting all around him, no bigger than a bird. “Why haven’t you completed your quest? Were you waiting for me to act? Don’t you know we can’t do anything unless a human wishes for it?”

“No.” His voice was steady, deeper than it had been the last time they spoke. “No, I didn’t know that. It seems there are a lot of things I don’t know. Things you didn’t tell me.”

It was hard to read expressions on a head no bigger than a walnut, but the Blue Star pulled back in the air and Baelfire got the idea that she was affronted. When she spoke again, she was less frantic, more cold. 

“I don’t like your tone, child,” she sniffed. “But I’ll forgive you, since you managed to get your hands on the dagger.”

“Yes.” He ignored her talk of forgiveness and pulled the blade out of his belt. “You didn’t tell me everything about this thing, did you?”

“Of course I did!” she said. “Everything you need to know to complete your quest.”

He looked down at the dagger, at the name etched out in black letters. “Belle said anyone who kills the Dark One becomes the Dark One.” He looked up at the Blue Star. “Is that true?”

“Only if they kill for power, if their heart is wicked. Your heart is pure, Baelfire.” The Blue Star looked him up and down. “Or at least it was. I thought you would be good enough to break the curse. Maybe I was wrong.”

“Maybe?” His voice cracked but it didn’t stop his anger. “You don’t know? Are we just going to take a chance that I might be greater than the most powerful darkness in the world?”

“The innocent bravery and faith of a child can work miracles!” She said firmly. “When the darkness tries to take hold, I can help you through it. You might still be strong enough to resist! If, unfortunately, you aren’t--”

“Then you’ll have the dagger,” Baelfire finished. He staggered backwards, landing heavily on the stump. He held his arms over Gideon under his cloak. “If killing Belle doesn’t stop the darkness, you’ll still be able to control the Dark One, because the Dark One will be me.” 

His eyes burned as he understood. The Blue Star had never cared about helping him, or about saving his father. She had only ever wanted to stop Belle--even if it cost Baelfire everything.

She came close to him. The flapping of her wings buzzed like a horsefly in the silence. “You can still do the right thing,” she coaxed. “No one becomes a hero without putting everything at risk. It is true that when a Dark One dies, the darkness seeks out a new host. But I believe in you, Baelfire! Your goodness can be stronger than the darkness. You could win!”

The intensity of her hope sparked around her, like embers from a blue fire. If she believed in him, he should believe in her. But he couldn’t make himself do it.

Baelfire wiped the tears from his eyes. “And if I don’t win, I’ll be the Dark One, and I’ll be your slave.”

“And the world will be safer and better for it! Think about it--the greatest evil in the world, contained and bound to the right side, forever!” The Blue Star’s tiny smile faded. “I know it’s frightening to think about, but your sacrifice won’t be in vain. It will be for the greater good.”

“The greater good,” Baelfire whispered. He could see the logic of it, cold and unfeeling though it seemed. The Blue Star was willing to sacrifice his soul in order to save everyone else from the taint of darkness. Would he be able to do the same? Wouldn’t it be wrong not to?

Against his chest, Gideon began to squirm. Without thinking, Baelfire brought his hand up to pat his back. This might be the last time he ever held his brother. Not only would Baelfire murder his mother, he could become a monster and then a prisoner for the rest of time. Papa and Gideon would both be alone, with no one but each other. 

His eyes felt heavy as he looked up at the shimmering blue light.

“What about my father?” he asked. “What about Gideon?”

The Blue Star cocked her tiny head at him. “Who?”

“Gideon.” Baelfire threw his cloak over his shoulder to show her. “My brother.”

The instant the cold air hit him, Gideon started screaming. The sound was drowned out only by the piercing shrieks of the Blue Star.

“That thing! The spawn! How dare you show its face to me! That’s an abomination! You have to kill it, Baelfire! Use the dagger! Kill it now!”

“No!” 

His shout was enough to shut her up, but Gideon was still going strong. Baelfire brought his cloak back down to keep out the cold. He held his arms over his brother and bounced him gently. He walked back and forth, making shushing noises.

“It’s alright, Gid.” He whispered his promises over and over. “I won’t let her hurt you. I’ll never let you go. You’re safe. I’ll never leave you. I love you.”

“What is wrong with you?” the Blue Star screeched. “Don’t you see what that thing is? What it came from? It shouldn’t be alive. It isn’t worthy of your love!”

“Shut up,” Baelfire snapped. He had enough of talking to this lying harpy. “Leave us alone! Gideon is my brother, and I love him more than all the goodness in the world.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying!”

“I do,” he said. A strange calm overtook him, a peace that came from rock-solid certainty. For the last time, he looked up at the Blue Star. “You’re wrong about Gideon. You’re wrong about Belle. And you’re wrong about me, too. I’m not going to give up everything for you. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

He held Belle’s dagger loosely as he turned to walk away. He got a few steps away from the center of the clearing before a pain shot through his hand. It was so sharp it made him drop the dagger to the ground. He brought his hand up to look at his fingers.

For a moment, they glowed blue.

“Do you think you can turn your back on goodness?” The Blue Star floated over to where the dagger lay. “Don’t you know what that makes you, Baelfire?” 

Suddenly, all her twinkling shimmers took on a sharper gleam. A thousand glittering points were aimed like arrows at him and Gideon. Blue fog surrounded him on all sides, blotting out the clearing and the moonlight and everything in the world that wasn’t the Blue Star. She floated closer, her voice deadly soft.

“If you aren’t strong enough to be a hero, then you must be a villain.”

“No!”

A bolt of purple-blackness exploded through the blue fog. It didn’t hit the Blue Star head-on, but the force around it was enough to knock her back. The fog and the deadly sparkles went with her, just far enough away for Baelfire to grab the dagger. He had to run, but where should he go? What direction was safe? What power could ever be greater than the stars?

It was only then that he thought of the voice that had cried out in protest. Only then that he wondered where the magic had come from that had pushed the Blue Star away from him. It was only then that he looked up and saw Belle standing in the clearing. 

“Blue Fairy!” She let loose another handful of glowing darkness. It arced in a clean, sure line, and all the blue light vanished off the mountain. “Stay away from my children!”

Though she was clad in a worn cloak thrown over a dress that used to belong to his mother, Belle was just as fearsome and powerful as the night he had first seen her. Her white skin glowed like the moon. Her eyes blazed with black lightning. The air around her crackled and buzzed with the power of her darkness and her rage. 

He ran to her. He clutched her son and her dagger and he ran to safety.

“Belle!” he shouted. “Belle, I’m sorry! I never should have come here. I never should have taken--”

“It’s alright.” She met him as he ran, gliding over the grass. She held his face in her hands, looked at him with nothing but sympathy. “You’re alright, Bae, I promise. Did she hurt you?”

He shook his head, vaguely aware of the tears streaming down his cheeks. “But if she gets Gideon…”

“She won’t.” Papa came out of the darkness. He must have come up here with Belle. His voice was more sure than Baelfire had ever heard before. “Give him to me.”

“Right.” Baelfire fumbled with the straps that held his brother to his chest. Papa took him and wrapped him up in his own cloak. Holding Gideon, he stood by Belle’s side. 

“You still have the dagger,” Belle said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Baelfire said. “But I won’t--I’ll never use it. I promise you, Belle, I won’t--”

“It’s alright,” she said again. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Bae.” 

“I--” he choked on a sob. “I told you--” He took as deep a breath as he could manage. “I told you not to stop me.”

“And I won’t.” Belle’s voice was thick with emotion. “We came here to protect you from her, and to protect Gideon.” A sing black streak ran down from one eye. “But if you still want to kill me--if that’s what you believe is the right thing to do--then I won’t stop you.”

“No,” he breathed. He let the dagger drop. “Belle, I won’t do that. You don’t deserve to die, I can’t condemn you to that. Y-you’re good. You’re trying to be good. That’s all anybody can do.”

He looked at her, the Dark One, Belle. She wasn’t floating anymore, so he had to look down to see her. She was short. Who would ever think that someone so awe-inspiring would be so short? Baelfire looked at Belle, and he finally understood what his father saw in her. He saw the facts of her body--her scales, her claws, her needle-teeth and unnatural black eyes. Then he saw deeper than her skin and into her soul. He saw her kindness, her tenacity, her quick wits and sly humor. He saw her devotion, her courage, her love.

He saw her goodness. 

“I’m sorry, Belle,” he told her. “I promise, I’ll never try to control you again. I never should have--”

“Shh,” she murmured. “It’s alright, Bae. It’s fine. I forgive you.”

Forgiveness? From the Dark One? It was ludicrous but it was what he needed. He had been so sure that he was right it had almost cost them everything. He had come so close to destroying himself, destroying his family and the little happiness the four of them had managed to scrape together. He had acted like a monster, and he needed Belle’s forgiveness. Only then could things really be alright.

Baelfire opened his arms and embraced her, the woman who had given him more than the Blue Star or Tabat or even his own mother ever had. Belle had given him himself. She had seen him on the brink of the worst decision he could ever make, and she had still gone after him. She would risk her own life to keep him safe. 

He held her close and didn’t let go. She returned the hug, clutching him as tightly as she could. Baelfire bent his head and placed a kiss on her hair. 

“I love you, Belle,” he whispered.

Then the world exploded. 

[rumbelleshowdown]

Author: Ancient Architect

Prompts: Dance, fire, gold, heal. Lady of the lake. Car trip.

Group: F

-

Gideon's Quest

“But… wait,” Gideon interrupted, his young frame almost trembling with the effort of holding in perhaps the fortieth interruption he’d made since his mother began telling the story.

Belle smiled and folded her hands in her lap, waiting for the question she knew was coming, because it might have been one she would have asked, had she known this world's version of the story when she was Gideon’s age.

“If… if it was so valuable,” the words came tumbling out in an apologetic rush, “why did the king tell his knight to throw it into the lake?”

“A very good question, son,” Rumple said as he looked up from the book that was open and covering his whole lap, until he set it aside. “But it’s one that will have to wait until tomorrow for an answer.”

Belle cocked an eyebrow, then chuckled as her husband stood up, crossed the room and scooped up their son, playfully tossing the boy over his shoulder, fireman style, and began to carry him toward the door that led to the stairs.

“But Papa!” Gideon protested. “How will I ever know?”

“Tomorrow,” Rumple promised.

“I said how, not when?”

Belle sighed softly as she listened to the receding sounds of the debate as Rumple carried Gideon up to bed.

“And if you don’t get to sleep,” his father explained calmly, “You won’t enjoy the journey tomorrow. It’s a long way and we have to start early. Plenty of time for your mother to finish her tale.”

“Legend…” Gideon corrected, before whatever else he said became indistinct between the distance and the closed doors.

“You’ll work it out,” she said softly, getting up to straighten up the couch cushions from where Gideon had been stretched out with his head in her lap, listening more carefully than a seven year old boy usually knew how. “You always do.”

**

It wasn’t exactly the Cadillac, but the rental car had served them well enough on the five hour drive from Wrexham down to the threshold of Cornwall’s Bodmin Moor, and given the width of the roads hereabouts, that was probably a good thing. There were places, as they approached the village of Temple, where even this smaller car was almost touching the hedgerows on either side of the supposedly two lane road. 

“Are you sure this is the right road,” Belle said quietly, so as not to wake Gideon, who had been lulled to sleep by the movement of the car.

Rumple glanced her way and nodded. “The farm is just the other side of Temple, and once we have the cottage key, it’s only a short way further.”

“It just seems so…” Belle shrugged, and finished, “remote.”

Rumple chuckled, and when Belle turned a quizzical look in his direction, said teasingly, “Don’t all of our best adventures happen in such places?”

“Adventures!?”

The small, still slightly sleepy voice from the back of the car interrupted anything Belle might have said in answer, but even so, Rumple couldn’t help but smile.

**

Gideon stood with his back to the little yellow cottage that his parents had rented and looked out across the empty landscape. He’d seen the pictures they showed him from the website, and the view all around as he peered toward the tiny sliver of blue in the distance was just as he expected.  His mother had told him it was Dozmary Pool. 

He almost bounced with excitement wanting to run off toward it, but he’d promised to wait until his mother and papa had put away the groceries so that they wouldn’t spoil. If they didn’t hurry up, though, it would be getting dark, and then they’d have to wait until morning, but this was too important to wait.

This was Dozmary Pool, after all. - the lake into which Sir Bedivere had thrown Excalibur, and where the Lady of the Lake caught it, and drew it down to keep it safe.

As if sensing his excitement, his papa led his mother out of the cottage, and said, “I think it’s time we went for a walk. After hours in the car to get here, we could all do with some fresh air.”

Gideon looked again between his mother and his father.  He could tell there was some kind of secret message in that. He just couldn’t figure out what it was. He couldn’t let it trouble him. Instead, like a colt freed from the starting gate in his maiden race, he took off running toward the barely visible blue, noticing that his papa caught his mother’s hand.

“Let him be,” Papa said, “He’s a growing lad. He needs this.”

Gideon waved acknowledgement as his mother called out, “Just stay away from the edge, Gideon!”

On instinct, reaching the banks of the Dozmary Pool, Gideon ran an entire circuit of it with water on his left hand side, uncaring that in places, his feet squelched in the overly soft mud. Coming to a sudden halt he turned to face to the west, where the sun was already low in the sky and had built a path of amber fire through a sky darkening with both the drawing in of night and the gathering of darkening storm clouds.

“Gideon…!” He heard his name called from far away - his mother, he presumed, but his attention was caught by a whispered echo of it drawn out in the rustling breeze across the surface of the water. “Giiiiideooooooon,” and again, “Giiiiideeeeooooon.”

“What?” he murmured, taking a step close to the water, and sinking deeper into the sucking mud that now covered the tops of his sneakers. “What do you want? Who are you?”

“When you reached the lake,” the voice of his liege lord was weak and brittle with the effort of speech, “what did you see?”

“Nothing, Lord,” he answered, “I saw nothing.”

Did the lie weigh heavy on him?

“Nothing save the waves rippling across the water, and the wind swaying in the grass beside.”

Gideon sighed, and from out of some hidden pocket of memory, whispered, “Go back, and do as I have bidden you, my friend.”

A sudden breeze began to dance around him, plucking at his clothes and ruffling his hair, like a hand - full of affection, running through it as he heard the long drawn out whisper of his name once more. “Giiiiideeeeoooon.” but this time it went on. “Here… You’re here.”

A flash of gold drew his eyes down to the surface of the lake, and to the water streaming from the upraised blade, and the woman’s hand that held it.

“...here.” He gasped softly at the sight, and at the feel of a warm hand on his shoulder, giving him a soft shake, and the quiet voice that repeated, “We’re here.”

He opened his eyes, and frowned in only momentary confusion as he saw his mother crouched beside him, beside the open back door of the rental car, and beyond her, not the golden path across the lake to the sword, but the yellow cottage that stood waiting for them.

“Waiting for you,” the voice in his mind corrected, “to heal the Land.”

“A test,” Gideon whispered to himself, as he put the pieces together, sat up and then climbed from the car, looking around the empty landscape all around, and peered toward the tiny sliver of blue in the distance, “It was a test.”

His papa turned from the cottage door, and Gideon met his confused gaze with bubbling excitement, explaining, “When King Arthur’s knight was told to throw the sword into the lake. It was a test to see if the knight’s heart was true.”

“Very good, Gideon.” His mother leaned down to give him a hug, which he happily reciprocated, breathing deeply of the comfort he always felt in her arms. “I knew you’d work it out.”

“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” he asked, pulling back and looking between his parents. “If we can prove our hearts are true, then we can throw papa’s dagger into the lake, and the Lady will catch it, and keep it safe, and papa will be free!”

-

[the-dark-mirror-beckons]

Gideon, The Quiet Deer

Our next character is Gideon, a quiet deer-like individual who mostly keeps to himself. He is known to stay close with his boyfriend, Gabriel, who've known each other since childhood. Others see this character as the type to not be able to fight for themselves, but that is not the case. Instead, he is well trained in fighting and can beat someone to a pulp (literally). It's common to see this deer individual with the headphones on 24/7 on full blast while in public, so many had to try pretty hard to get their attention.

With our list of Disney characters, our friend we based our character on chose Stitch from "Lilo & Stitch." And you may think that's great and all, however, to me and Datura, it always makes us giggle thinking back. You see, there are two Disney characters that are considered a pair in the list we've created, which are Peter Pan and Tinker Bell from "Peter Pan." We originally wanted our friend and his boyfriend to choose either one in the pair to go together, but instead, his boyfriend chose on of the characters in the pair while the other chose Stitch. To this day, we can feel the screams of agony when the two first discovered this.

For Gideon’s unique ability, we decided to call it “626” which is a reference to Stitch being experiment number 626 in the original story. With this ability, the character is able to grow an extra pair of arms. The inspiration for this is from Stitch himself, in which he sometimes grows another pair of arms. Me and Datura made a discovery that because of this, Gideon would most likely be known as the person to carry the most weight in the group of characters we've created. We also made a revelation that because of this, there will be moments where individuals will be shock at how much Gideon can carry because of his additional pair of arms.

For his curse, me and Datura referenced certain moments from Lilo & Stitch, in which Stitch would go on a rampage where his eyes are glowing. Similar to that, Gideon would "glitch" when distressed and go on a rampage, wreaking havoc where ever he goes with blue, glowing eyes. The only way to stop him would be to have him listen to music to help calm him down.

Now you may be thinking, why is Gideon described as a deer?

Well, that idea is actually from our friend who is based off this character! After revealing this project and story to the rest of our friends, he wanted to have his character have antlers and deer features, and that is what we did. We thought it was a nice signature touch because of his love for deers (amazing creatures indeed).

All images used in this post are from the game "Twisted Wonderland" and is not owned by me.

[steele-soulmate]

Tattooed Wings, CHAPTER 544, Peter Steele & OFC, Soulmate AU

SUMMARY: Mary Claire Bradley meets her soulmate- literally- the famous Peter Steele of metal group Type O Negative. But will obstacles including trauma, stalkers, and toxic family members get in the way of their life?

WARNING: mentions of child rape (nothing graphic) PTSD, milk kink, soft smut, grinding, assault, fingering, hand jobs, blow jobs, 69, P in V sex, blood, noncon rape, violence, death, vandalism, graffiti, attempted kidnapping, break-ins, wild animal attacks, terrorist attack (sabotage) consensual impregnation, bareback, impregnation kink, creampies, terrorist attacks (shootings) hit and run pedestrian accident, precipitous labor, neonatal death, abandoned baby

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS:

Happy New Year, goils!

WORDS: 1197

“Flooting lan lan, Eor tail, Dum Dum fetter, Tink Bell wings, pwetty flower, app app, shoo, spin spin, map cor mir mirs, hon hon pot, baoon house, wand, snoofake, ice scate, bow aroow, pwetty flower, drag drag, leaf, castle!” giggled Baby Tommy as he played with my Disney charm bracelet tattoo that was wrapped around my left wrist.

“Yes, that’s right!” I cooed at the chubby little man in my lap, Baby Noah toddling up to us. “Oh, look at who’s here- did you by to say hello?”

“Hihi Baa bee Nono!” Baby Tommy chirped happily, sliding out of my lap.

“Baa bee Tomm Tomm, wesies taksies walksies walks?” he asked, taking his older cousin’s hand and the both of the bopping off to go on a little adventure in the backyard.

“Mommy?” I stood and went over to where Elizabeth was standing at the backdoor with an anxious look on her face. “Jonathan and Priscilla are out front.”

An ugly expression overtook my face as I stood and stormed inside the house, wondering what in the name of Saint Barnabas my sperm doner and his whore of a wife were doing back at my home again.

“What the fuck do you want?” I snarled at the two the second I met them at the front, balling my fist so tightly that I felt my fingernails drawing blood. “The both of you are not welcomed here.”

“Mary Claire, wonderful to see you again, my dear.” Jonathan nodded at me as he held Priscilla close to him. the blonde’s face wearing an ugly expression plastered across it as she very clearly sulked. “How have you and Peter been doing?”

“Fucking terrific, until you two dumb ass fuckers showed up.” I sent the two of them an irritated glare. “Now what the fuck do you want?”

“Mary Claire Bradley, don’t you dare use that kind of language with us.” Jonathan tried to establish his long since abolished right as my elder.

“Well then- fuck the ever fucking fuck off,” I snarled dangerously. “NOW.”

“Well, I don’t quite like your language, young lady,” he said, Priscila shooting me a nasty smile.

“You are not welcomed here, now get off the property before I remove you by force.”

I relaxed once my husband joined us- he had been up in little girl’s nursery, changing the triplets’ diapers. He stepped out in front of me, gently nudging me behind him as he loomed up in front of the two trespassers.

“NOW.”

I didn’t have to look to see the look of pissed rage on his handsomely bearded face, his body positioning practically screaming GET THE FUCK OFF MY LAND.

But still, Jonathan acted like an idiot.

“Ah, Peter, my boy!” he greeted my pissed off husband. “Prissy and I both heard through the grapevine that the Bradley family has newcomers- triplets, none the less! So my wife and I both took it upon ourselves to come on by with gifts and I have some advice for you-”

Peter tugged me inside the house and loudly shut the door in their faces, breathing heavily as he forced himself not to break anything.

“Hey MC, Elizabeth told us to help you,” Frank announced as he and my older six older brother wandered in from the party out in the backyard. Adam was wearing three party hats on his head, Daniel paused long enough to rap three times into the doorframe and Caleb was cradling his sleeping nephew. Gideon was carrying two of the three triplets while Benjamin was cradling the other baby. “What’s going on?”

“Jonathan and Priscila are out front, being buttheads,” I announced, not missing the look that the seven of them exchanged. “As per usual.”

“Hey, do you need us to go out and do damage control?” Adam asked as he sent the front door a withering glare.

“Oh no, please don’t,” I begged them. “Hopefully, they’ll get the hint that they are not invited soon enough.”

“Presuming that they even got any brains left in them!” Frank grumbled as he followed me back out into the backyard.

“Mama Wen Wen! Mama Wen Wen!” little girl screeched as she barreled into my legs, wrapping her arms tightly around my knees. “Time for cakesies?”

I took my cell phone out from my back pocket to glance at the time.

3:49 PM

“Heyn James? Aaron?” I called out- James had been playing a rather rambunctious game of duck-duck-goose with the kids and his husband had been sitting with an ice bag to his knee, which he pulled a few weeks ago while down at the batting range getting ready for the 2027 baseball season. “Little girl wants to know if it’s time for cake yet?”

“It’s fine by- YEEPS!” James yelped as an ambush of babies swarmed him, knocking him down into the grass before jumped on his fallen body with gleeful cackles.

“What James said!” Aaron laughed, summoning everyone to the army of frosted cupcakes that covered the concussion table.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!”

“Yay yay!” cheered Baby Tommy, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet with Baby Noah copying him. “Yay yay!”

“Let’s make a wish!” I urged little girl, the both of us blowing out our assigned cupcuakes- mine was had pretty turquoise frosting and was wrapped in a royal blue wrapper while little girl had cupcakes that were frosted with purple and were bundled in green wrappers. I had baked enough for everyone to have multiples, knowing that Peter would probably devour at least sixteen.

“Mama Wen Wen?” I turned me face to smile at my daughter, a shocked yell fluttering out past my lips as she smashed a cupcake onto my face.

“Little girl!”

Giggle giggle giggle giggle

TAGLISTS ARE OPEN/ ASK BOX IS OPEN/ REQUESTS ARE OPEN/ PLOT BUNNIES ARE WELCOMED

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PETER STEELE TAGLIST

@rock-a-noodle

@ch3rry-c01a