#Hallmark Merry Miniatures

[tinystephyshop]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: 3” Miniature Doll Hallmark Mother Goose Miniature Vintage Madame Alexander.

[jawhip5]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hallmark Vintage 1988 Fall Thanksgiving Miniature Figurines Set of 2.

[vintagetreasures4u]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hallmark Keepsake MADAME ALEXANDER Mini EMPIRE BRIDE & TOOTH FAIRY 1998-1999.

[winterparkcollectibles-blog]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hallmark Keepsake Christmas Ornament, Vintage 1997 Merry Miniatures 'Cupid Camer.

[jdgorey]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hallmark Merry Miniatures A Collection Of Charm - Pooh And Friends 1999.

[windowshoppinq]

Hallmark Raccoon Thief Merry Miniatures

[expectingtofly]

Dancing in the Square

pure fluff, xmas tree lighting, dean and cas in love, post 15x20

also on ao3

Day 12 of @bend-me-shape-me‘s SPN Advent Calendar 2020 prompts

“Hot apple cider! Two dollars a cup!” rang across the crowded town square as Dean pulled up the zipper of his coat, shoving his hands into his pockets. A large evergreen towered above everyone’s heads in the middle of the square, and Dean smiled seeing Jack stand on his tiptoes to see the tree. 

“Oh, good,” Jack said with a sigh of relief. “The lights haven't been turned on yet.”

“We still have an hour,” Sam said, checking his watch. They had driven to a nearby town for a tree lighting event, and Jack had insisted they leave early to ensure they arrived on time to see the tree being lit.

Castiel hooked an arm in Dean’s, pressing up against his side. “We could fit a tree that size in the bunker.”

Dean snorted. “There’s no way we’d fit it through the door.” 

“Dean, can we get cider?” Dean looked down at Jack tugging on his other arm. “I wanna try it.”

Looking across the street to spot the vendor announcing the sale of cider, Dean shrugged. “Yeah, sure, alright.” Untangling himself from Castiel, he followed Jack across the street, turning back to ask the others, “Any of you want any?”

Castiel nodded. “Yes, please.”

Sam shook his head and Eileen said, “I’m good,” holding up her styrofoam cup of hot chocolate.

Jack waited eagerly at the table where small plastic cups filled with cider were lined up, wisps of steam whisking away in the cold air, and Dean pulled out his wallet, glancing around the square. 

Along the main street stood shops open to the passerby, warm light pouring from the windows. Vendors sold food, warm drinks, and Christmas decorations along the sidewalks. A band played Christmas carols next to the star of the show: a large tree in the middle of the street, ornaments and decorations hanging from its branches, the string lights not yet lit. The whole place could’ve been a Hallmark holiday movie set. The only thing missing to complete the picture was snow, but it was cold enough that Dean didn’t doubt snowflakes would start falling soon.

Paying for two drinks, Dean handed one cup to Jack, who eagerly drank from it. “That’s really good,” he said, nearly draining the cup in one go. Then his eyes widened and he pointed to another table down the sidewalk. “They’re selling gingerbread cookies!”

“You need to get a job,” Dean said. “You’re gonna spend up all our money.”

“I do have a job, Dean, I run the universe.” Jack smiled at him over his cup.

Dean swatted the pom pom on Jack’s beanie. “Don’t get cocky.”

“Cas, Dean wouldn’t buy me a gingerbread cookie,” Jack called, grinning at Dean as they crossed the street back to the group. Castiel raised an eyebrow as Dean handed him the cup of cider.

“Don’t look at me like that,“ Dean said. “If the kid wants one, he can buy his own.”

“It’s Christmas time,” Castiel said. “Don’t be a...” He scrunched up his face as he thought. “Snitch?”  

“Grinch,” Dean said.

“Scrooge would be a better term,” Sam spoke up and Dean gave him a light shove.

“We’ll buy you one later,” Castiel told Jack. “Right, Dean?” He fixed Dean with a look that was incredibly contradictory to his fuzzy blue beanie and mittens wrapped around his cup of cider.

Dean rolled his eyes but wrapped his arms around Castiel’s neck, pulling him back against his chest. “You guys are impossible.” Castiel laughed and Dean kissed his cheek.

The night grew later and colder, the street more crowded. Santa Claus arrived on a firetruck with fanfare. “That’s not very accurate to the lore,” Jack commented, watching Santa Claus wave from his perch on top of the truck. 

“I guess all the reindeer were busy this year,” Dean said and Castiel elbowed him in the side. 

Sam and Eileen went off to look at vendors selling Christmas ornaments. Sitting on the curb, Jack cheerfully ate his gingerbread cookie, and Castiel held onto Dean’s hand, pulling him along the sidewalk to look at the lighted storefronts. “I think we could do this in the bunker’s library,” he said, stopping in front of a window that showcased an elaborate miniature town, complete with a main square, a tiny tree of its own, dancing animatronic elves, and a train that cruised around the ensemble.

Dean stared at the display. “That’s, uh, yeah. Um. We could try.”

“Maybe next year.” They started walking back to where Jack sat, and the band struck up a rendition of “White Christmas,” the carol echoing from speakers set up along the sidewalk. Dean watched Santa Claus make his way down the street, waving to children.

Castiel suddenly halted, pulling Dean to a stop. “Dance with me.”

“What?” Dean looked around at the crowds milling in the square, more people gathering every minute as the time for the lighting drew closer.

“Come on,” Castiel insisted, tugging on Dean’s hand. “No one’s watching.”

“There’s plenty of people watching. And nobody else is dancing.”

Rolling his eyes, Castiel asked, “You defeated God, you’ve fought monsters, and you’re afraid of what other people will think?” 

“I ain’t afraid of what other people think,” Dean protested.

“Then prove it.” Castiel pulled him off the sidewalk onto the open street. 

“I hate you,” Dean said, but he wrapped his arms around Castiel’s waist and let Castiel sway them back and forth. 

It was dark out, he reasoned, glancing at the people around them. They were attracting a few smiles, but no one could really see their faces and no one would remember. He hoped so anyway. He didn’t want to gain a reputation as the weird dancing couple. Maybe Jack could erase everyone’s memories.

“Don’t be so stiff,” Castiel said, pulling Dean’s attention back to him. His nose was red from the cold, his eyes bright in the warm light from the lampposts along the sidewalks. “Get in the holiday spirit, Dean.”

“I am in the holiday spirit!” And, to prove it, he pulled Castiel as close as they could get in their winter coats and kissed him, Castiel's nose cold against his.

Sam and Eileen returned, a grin on Sam’s face, and Dean glared at them over Castiel’s shoulder. “Shut it.”

“You guys are adorable,” Eileen teased, and Sam pulled out his phone to take a photo.

Dean flipped him off behind Castiel’s back. “Eileen,” he said. “How can I sign to Sam, ‘I’ll strangle you with that scarf you’re wearing?’”

Eileen laughed. “We need photo evidence!”

Dean rolled his eyes, but, letting go of Castiel, he spun him around. "If you're gonna get a photo, get a good one," he said. Castiel laughed and pressed up close to him again.

The crowd started counting down from ten, and Dean and Castiel paused in dancing to look at the tree. At one, the tree burst into light, a star at the top twinkling, colored lights flashing around the tree’s branches.

“Wow,” Jack said in awe, craning his neck back to look at the entire tree. Then he glanced at them with a smile on his face and snapped his fingers. Instantly, snow flurries began falling to the ground all around them.

“Did you do that?” Dean asked, as the crowds oohed and aahed.

Jack nodded and put a finger to his lips. “Shh.”

“Thank you, Jack,” Castiel said, wrapping his arms around Dean.

Dean gazed up at the dizzying swirl of snowflakes falling from the sky. “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” echoed around the square. Lowering his gaze back to Castiel, Dean grinned and wiped a snowflake from Castiel’s face with his gloved hand.

“Merry Christmas, he said.

“Merry Christmas, Dean,” Castiel replied with a smile and kissed him in the glow of the Christmas tree.

Tag List

@becky-srs @xojo @marvelnaturalock @aelysianmuse @prayedtoyou @letsjustdieeveryone @good-things-do-happen-dean @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @theninthdutchessofhell @madronasky @famouspsychicpizzabandit @multifandomdisorder @dean-you-assbutt-cas-loves-you @arcticfox007 @gmos-winter-wonderland @celestialcastiel @improvedpeanut @castiel-is-a-cat

Let me know (message, ask, comment) if you’d like to be tagged in my other destiel fics or removed from the list :)

[tarteausuga]

Home for Christmas

CW: just pure fluff, really. As fluffy and as soft as snow but not as cold. Idol! Mark Lee x reader. Johnny's there too but just as support.

WC: 3.3K

Summary: in which you're alone for Christmas and Mark tries to give you a gift to make you feel less sad.

A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone. Happy holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas. I hope you're all happy, healthy and safe. I'll also be taking a break from TBTC next week and posting something for New year's ✌️

Long distance relationships were hard but they had their good sides as well as bad. One good thing is that you had a lot of time for yourself but on the bad side, you often felt lonely whenever you're out and see people with their significant others. You never really had to spend money on dates but conversely, you never had a chance to go out and show off your boyfriend in public. The time difference often made it hard for you to talk but neither of you ever missed out on your calls.

Mark would call you first thing in the morning when you woke up. It would be midnight to him but luckily, he was a night owl and didn't mind keeping you company while you got ready for your day. Then, you would go about your day before calling him at 5pm, 9am his time, to do the same for him. He often spent his mornings at home before heading to the studio for practice or to write so it was ample time to catch up and just talk about random things. He liked to watch you cook and he often would watch something in Netflix with you. Sometimes you were lucky enough to have him talk you to sleep, or sing you a song he's been working on to send you off into your dream world.

It sounds perfect in a way. You're both able to focus on your lives during the day because the other is safely asleep but you craved the physical aspects. You wanted to be held, you wanted to hold his hand, hell you just wanted to eat a meal with him sitting across from you at the table instead of on a little screen.

The past year and a half has been spent like this. You were childhood friends, growing up together before he moved overseas. You often spent recess running around together and sharing snacks. He wasn't necessarily your best friend, but he was one of the few friends you had growing up and even to this day. It's not that you weren't social but you just preferred being by yourself a lot. You kept in touch with the few friends you did have and that was all you really needed.

It was a surprise to run into him given the circumstances on both ends. He was an incredibly talented and relatively famous Idol in another country; and you moved across the country for school but ended up staying there after landing a good job. You were aware that he would be performing with his group but it wasn't your scene. And you couldn't get tickets anyway since they sold out almost instantly.

Out on your lunch break, you were grabbing a midday iced coffee. But you were trying to juggle setting up meetings and calls with a few important people so you weren't really paying attention when you went to grab the coffee, thinking it was yours.

"Oh I'm sorry." Both you and the owner of that drink said.

Finally, you looked up from your phone at the man and for some reason, you had a feeling of familiarity with him. After squinting your eyes and trying to go through your roledex of people you've encountered in your life, your brain finally figured it out. "Mark?" You say with bewilderment.

"Oh my god! It is you!" He pulled you into an extremely tight hug. "I saw you but I couldn't really tell and I didn't want to go up to a random stranger." He laughed and you couldn't help but do the same. Mark always had that effect on people, he would laugh or smile and no matter who he was with, they would do the same.

"What are you doing here?" You ask, somehow completely forgetting that he was due to perform the next day, which he reminded you of. "Oh! That's really exciting." If you were honest, you were distracted by how he's grown up. He used to be this cute boy that you would trade your fruit snacks for cookies with. But now he was incredibly handsome but still had those captivating eyes that could make you melt.

"This is amazing, I can't believe we ran into each other like this." He pulled you into another hug that brought a blush across your face. You were in a daze as he introduced you to the 2 other guys with him but you didn't really catch their names. You just noticed that they were also incredibly handsome. "But hey, if you're free tonight, we should catch up!" You agreed, thankfully.

And you could say the rest was history but beyond that one fateful day/night, you haven't seen Mark. A full year and a half later, you were entering your second Christmas without him but unfortunately, you weren't able to go home to your family to distract yourself from the boy you wanted to be with during the holidays. Not usually the type to be into overly romantic gestures, you uncharacteristically were craving the experiences that couples usually had in the movies. Your sisters told you countless times to stop watching Hallmark Christmas movies but you really couldn't help it when there was nothing else to watch on TV.

December 23rd. You were staring at your miniature Christmas tree that you had bought for your small apartment. The rest of your apartment was fully decorated in an effort to fill the emptiness you felt but it didn't seem to help much beyond wishing that Mark were there to experience it with you.

It was a perfect Christmas, the snow was falling outside and you reminisced about that rare snow day you had in your West coast town. That day was incredible. It was Christmas Eve and the whole city shut down due to the influx of white that they rarely had to deal with. Mark had banged on your door and begged your parents to let you go out and play despite it being Christmas Eve. That day was spent building snowmen, having snowball fights and everything before everyone went home and passed out to wake up to a white Christmas.

Mark had expressed to you that he missed that the most. Those snow days where everything shut down and you could just go out and be free to run around and have fun. You wished to be able to send some snow to him. But instead, you called him.

"Hi baby, how are you?" He said in a gravely voice as he had just woken up.

"I'm okay, just miss you a lot." You pouted and he copied your expression. "But look!" You showed him the view outside your window, including the snow capped trees and pillows of white on any surface it could cling on.

"Oh my god, that's beautiful." He sighed. "I wish I could be there to see it with you. I hate that you're alone this year for Christmas."

"It's okay." You flash a weak smile. "My coworker is going to drop off some food for me from her parents. I'll just have a Harry Potter marathon."

"Okay. I'll join you for that." He smiles. "My present for you should be showing up soon. I hope it gets there before the 25th."

"Hard to say. Doesn't matter if it does or not, I'm just happy to get something from you." You ease him of his worries. He often got worked up over the smallest things and you found it cute the way he would furrow his eyebrows in frustration only to breathe a sigh of relief when you told him to do so. You were his comfort and he was yours. Even if you were thousands of miles apart.

"I have to get going, love. I'll talk to you later okay?" He says and you are confused as he usually never has nice to do before noon. But you shrugged it off and assumed he just had some year end things to work on.

"Yeah I'll talk to you later. I love you." You blew him a kiss and he did the same before hanging up.

To be honest with yourself, you were starting to hate saying goodbye. Your heart would feel so heavy whenever a call ended and recently, that feeling got worse and worse with every call. Things were starting to feel like they were all for nothing. You trusted Mark and knew him well enough to know you were the only one that would be on his mind but that physical aspect was something you were craving. The simplest things like just being in the same room while you were both quietly working on your own things, exchanging loving glances every so often.

You dozed off watching The Nightmare Before Christmas and was woken up on Christmas Eve by the blinding white of the snow capped exteriors. Confused, you searched for your phone to check the time: 9:27. Mark has never failed to call you at 8AM every single day. It was your routine. It was your ritual. You send him a message but his phone doesn't even receive it. Is his phone off? You ask yourself. He did sound a bit off yesterday… Or was he just tired and groggy? Maybe he's having a late night in the studio. He said he didn't have anything scheduled for a few days though. In an effort to mitigate your panic, you throw your phone to the other side of your bed.

Forcing yourself to roll out of bed and make some coffee to try to dull some of the panic you were feeling. He wouldn't just ice me out on Christmas Eve. He's probably just tired and fell asleep before he could call, you convinced yourself.

It was nearing lunch time and you still didn't hear from your boyfriend. You had spent the morning curled up on the couch watching Disney Channel Original Christmas Movies, trying to distract yourself but every time something romantic happened, you sighed and wished for Mark. His phone still wasn't receiving your messages. Had his phone died?

In desperation, you text the only other person you knew who was close with him: Johnny. You had met Johnny that day that you ran into Mark but never processed it until you began watching their performances on YouTube. Mark had given you Johnny's number so you could apologize for ignoring him but you would occasionally ask him for favours. Usually asking him to get something for Mark from you. He often said, "I only do this because I love Mark and you love Mark."

You [11:34AM]: Hey Johnny? Are you awake?

You [11:34AM]: Merry Christmas, by the way!

It was almost 4AM so you would be surprised if he was still awake but he often stayed up late with Haechan so you figured it was worth a shot.

Johnny [11:39AM]: what's up?

Johnny [11:38AM]: Merry Christmas to you too :)

You [11:40AM]: is Mark okay? I haven't heard from him since last night. I'm getting worried.

You watched as Johnny's message bubble appeared and disappeared a few times. He was hesitating…

Johnny [11:42AM]: he's fine. You'll probably hear from him soon ;)

You [11:42AM]: ?? What's that supposed to mean?

Johnny simply replied with a shrug emoji and you wished you could send a punch through a text message. But you sighed and continued sipping on your hot apple cider as you pressed play on another movie. Johnny doesn't lie so I'll believe him for now.

You had somehow fallen asleep and you only realized when you felt your phone buzzing next to you. Without even checking the caller ID, you press the green answer button and put it on speaker as you tried to pull yourself out of the afternoon nap haze.

"Hello?" You say, barely above a whisper.

"Hey baby, sorry I've missed your messages. Johnny said you were worried about me?" Mark's voice shook you awake. You scrambled to sit up before picking up your phone and taking it off speaker to hear him more clearly.

"Mark? Are you okay?"

He simply laughed, "I'm okay babe. I'm sorry for worrying you." He apologized again.

"No, it's okay. I was just worrying over nothing. What were you doing?"

"I was at the airport." He said and you could tell there was something up by the tone of his voice. Mark could never lie to you even if he tried.

"And?"

"And I need you to come pick me up." He teased and you became even more confused which made you a bit upset as you didn't like being led on.

"Mark I can't, you're in another country." You roll your eyes even though he can't see.

"Baby, I'm not. I'm here." And it finally clicked in your head.

"Wait! You're here? Like here? Like in the same city?" You try not to scream.

"Yes, exactly. I wanted to surprise you better but the snow delayed things…"

"It's okay I'll come now!" You practically yell into the phone.

"Drive carefully!" He warned you before hanging up.

Like a tornado, you tried to clean up your apartment so your boyfriend didn't think you were a complete slob. At the same time, you were trying to pick out a cute outfit and do your hair in an effort to make yourself look somewhat presentable.

With your best effort, you shrugged when you checked yourself in the mirror before pulling on your parka and heading out the door. As your car warmed up, you reminded yourself that Mark had seen you at your literal worst. From the late night mental breakdowns to a hungover morning from having a few too many drinks with your coworkers, Mark had seen it all and always assured you that you looked amazing. Maybe he was lying a few times during those moments but he never made you feel like you were anything less than perfect for him.

You did your best to drive calmly to the airport. There wasn't much of a choice as the other cars on the road were also trying to get to their destinations safely so traffic was moving at a slower pace. After what seemed like the longest car ride you've ever taken, you pulled into a parking stall at the airport and checked your phone to see that Mark had sent you the gate he was at, waiting for his luggage. You practically sprinted across the parking lot and road, having a few close calls with other pedestrians and a few cars. But you couldn't help yourself. You were finally getting to see him.

Arriving at his gate, you tried to catch your breath as you scanned the crowd around the baggage carousel looking for Mark. When the two of you finally made eye contact, you burst through the crowd and jumped into his arms. You thought you would tackle him down but he was surprisingly strong and not only caught you but picked you up, allowing your legs to wrap around him like a koala baby. People aw'd and some even clapped while others pulled out their phones to candidly capture your reunion.

"You're here." You choked back tears, breathing in his scent and making sure you locked it up in your memory for future use.

"I'm here." He breathed into your ear which triggered the tears to start falling. He placed you back on your feet but steadied you in the warmth and safety of his arms. He chuckled while he wiped your tears away, "why are you crying?"

"I don't know, I just missed you so much." You sniffled while looking up at him with wet eyes. It's been so long that you had forgotten that he was taller than you by more than a few centimeters. So when he leaned down to kiss you, you were surprised but also extremely comforted as a wave of warmth filled up the emptiness in your heart.

"My little crybaby." He placed another kiss on your forehead.

You clung on to each other until his suitcase dropped down from the chute. Hand-in-hand, you led him to your car. Amazingly, you navigated the whole way there while beaming up at Mark the whole time. He reciprocated but occasionally pulled you to the side to avoid running into someone else.

The car ride back to your apartment was just full of you two talking about anything and everything. From when he planned all of this and how he managed to get out of his activities to Johnny almost ruining the surprise when he struggled to say something that would both ease your worries but not let you in on the secret. The whole time, Mark's hand was on your thigh as you needed both hands to properly manoeuvre your car through the snow. You sometimes caught Mark looking outside with pure wonder and amazement as he took in the image of the city blanketed by the snow. The smile on your face never left as you tried to process every moment with him to keep in your memories.

"So how long are you staying?" You say as you take the elevator up to your apartment. His arm was wrapped around your shoulders and you had a feeling that your boyfriend who was usually uncomfortable with physical attraction, wouldn't keep a hand off of you the whole time he was there.

"I have to leave the day after Christmas." He says quietly.

Trying not to be upset by the short time together, you reminded yourself that it was better than nothing. "We'll make it work." You say simply to him while learning up to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Mark felt overwhelmed by your apartment. The moment he stepped in, he was greeted by the sweet scent of vanilla and oranges. He tried to take as many mental notes as he could while walking around and taking in every single detail of your place. This was your home and he felt like every little knick-knack strategically placed by you was a piece of you.

"Here." You handed him a cup of apple cider to warm up.

"Thank you." He added a kiss to your temple. Suddenly remembering something, he let out a little gasp before placing his cup down on the coffee table and going to his backpack. He pulled out a box wrapped in red paper and a golden bow that was slightly flattened from its journey to the other side of the world to you.

"What's this?" You ask when he places it in your hands, taking a seat next to you.

"Just open it." He smiles. The excitement was practically bursting from him as he anticipated you opening the box.

"Your gift is probably on the doorstep of your mom's place right now." You sighed.

"It's okay baby, I can't wait to open it but just open yours now." He said.

The lid lifted to reveal a necklace with a delicate golden chain and a little purple gem dangling from it. "Mark…" you coo, your eyes welling up with tears again.

"Are you going to cry again?" He laughs and you playfully poke his side. "I know purple is your favourite colour… It's not much but I thought you'd like it." He said softly while he fixed it around your neck. You smiled up at him before you situated yourself in his lap, straddling his thighs.

"It's perfect." You kiss him, "what else did you get me?" You pull back when he tries to deepen the kiss.

"What do you mean?" He stared blankly at you.

"You said it's not much so where's the rest of my present?" You say mischievously.

"You said it's perfect but you want more?" He cocks an eyebrow up.

"Well… I haven't seen you in a year and a half, there has to be more." You tease.

"I'm your present aren't I?" He smirks, grabbing the bow from the box and sticking it onto his head.

"I guess…" you laugh while leaning in to kiss him again. "You're lucky you're cute." You say as he stands up, making sure to wrap your legs around him before turning towards your bedroom.

[tinystephyshop]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Vintage Hallmark Little Red Riding Hood Miniature 3' Doll Madame Alexander.

[jawhip5]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hallmark Vintage 1988 Fall Thanksgiving Miniature Figurines Set of 2.

[mariacallous]

Yup, Holiday-themed NYT Love Letter, right on schedule

Love Letter: Love Stories to Listen to Over the Holidays

Chestnuts are roasting, gifts are nestled under the tree and now it’s time to reward yourself for making it through this year. Perhaps some easy listening? We’ve compiled a list of 10 Modern Love Podcast episodes that hit all the right emotional notes for the holidays. Whether you’re looking for serendipitous romance or forbidden love, we’ve got you covered.

MODERN LOVE

Here are 10 episodes from the newest season of the Modern Love Podcast, introduced to you by the people who made them.

The Modern Love Podcast: 10 Episodes to Binge Through the Holidays

2020 has been a year of isolation and grief, but there’s always room for love.

This might be your first winter holiday alone. For Stephanie Woo, who was abandoned by both her parents in her teens, spending Christmas on her own is something she’s come to enjoy. “For me, the secret to spending the holidays alone was to recognize that I wasn’t really alone,” Ms. Woo said. “I had myself.”

And, if you’re looking to get a head start on planning your celebration to mark the end of 2020, you don’t have to forfeit the fun just because the party is indoors this year. Here are five creative and unexpectedly connective options to consider as you rethink your 2021 corona countdown.

Merry everything and happy holidays.

Not sure how I feel about the phrase “creative and unexpectedly connective options”.

Also, the phrase “2021 corona countdown” makes it sound like I’m counting down to when corona will end in 2021 (which I suppose isn’t inaccurate)

MORE MODERN LOVE

“I hung up, told everything to my wife, and then I sat in silence as she changed out of her black Christmas dress and packed our overnight bags.”

How My Father Escaped Jail for Christmas

Modern Love

He got out for good by (almost) dying.

By Sean Bess

6 Tiny Love Stories for the Holiday Season

Modern Love

Browse a few of our favorite holiday-themed Tiny Love Stories — true, reader-submitted tales of no more than 100 words.

By Miya Lee and Daniel Jones

Tiny Love Stories: ‘My Lesbian Hallmark Christmas Film Fantasy’

Modern Love

Modern Love in miniature, featuring reader-submitted stories of no more than 100 words.

Modern Love Podcast: What the Silence Said

Two marriages dissolve without a sound.

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

A tale of two book lovers.

The Start of a New Chapter in Their Favorite Bookstore

Vows

LaMarr Coles proposed to Stephanie Williams at Greedy Reads in Baltimore, where a few months earlier they had made their relationship official.

By Tammy La Gorce

Not as bad as I was expecting, though this part kind of irked me:

In March or April, they sat down with a premarital workbook, “Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts.” “We were having these great conversations every week over that book,” Mr. Coles said. One night when they were “really vibing,” he said, he went home and picked out online a James Allen engagement ring. On July 25, after it arrived, he proposed at Greedy Reads.

Greedy Reads was closed to the public because of the pandemic. “So I kind of did a little plea to the owner,” Mr. Coles said. “All women love to talk about marriage.” Julia Fleischaker, the owner of Greedy Reads, was no exception.

Once the bookstore was secured, Mr. Coles enlisted his mother’s help. “I sent her a diagram of the store and told her exactly where I want the rose petals to be, where I want to take pictures.” Instead of driving Ms. Williams to the bookstore for the proposal, he took her to the National Aquarium. She suspected that a proposal could be forthcoming, but by the time they reached the shark tank, she figured she had miscalculated. “Everybody knows the sharks are the end,” she said. “My hope was depleted.”

As they walked to the parking lot, though, Mr. Coles pointed out a black Cadillac Escalade and driver. First it drove her to a florist, where she was handed a bouquet of roses and a note reading “por siempre mi amor” (Spanish for “forever, my love”). Then it continued to Greedy Reads, where Mr. Coles and their parents, plus Ms. Williams’s younger sister, Ashley, and Mr. Coles’s older sister, Christine, were waiting.

“There were balloons and pictures of us up on the bookshelves, and then LaMarr was on one knee telling me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me,” Ms. Williams said. “I was shocked.” And happy to say yes.

I don’t like the “All women love to talk about marriage: thing, nor the bribing or appealing to the bookstore owner to reopen, and all the other stuff involved in the proposal.

Apparently they had an “outdoor microwedding” on the patio of the Viceroy Washington that was “covid-conscious”, with 25 guests with more by livestream, and a “small reception afterwards with champagne and light bites”. 

The sooner the phrase “covid-conscious” is no longer used, the better. If people were truly covid-conscious, they wouldn’t be having these get-togethers/events.

Two Cities and Two Weddings, But Only One Couple

VOWS

Kelly Orians and Thomas Frampton had two weddings in one day. One in Washington and the other in New Orleans, so family members would not have to risk traveling during the pandemic.

By Vincent M. Mallozzi

I’m betting that the bride and groom traveled to these cities, I have a sneaking suspicion.

Kelly Orians and Thomas Frampton had two weddings in two cities in one day.

“It was all about keeping our family and friends safe and healthy during this pandemic,” said Mr. Frampton, 37, a law professor at the University of Virginia.

Mr. Frampton, whose parents live in Washington, and Ms. Orians, 34, whose parents live in New Orleans, had a wedding in each of those cities on Nov. 7, so that family members would not have to risk traveling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Had the couple, who currently split their time between Charlottesville, Va., and New Orleans, picked just one city, then one set of parents would have had to travel almost 1,100 miles for the wedding. “So we did the traveling for them,” said Ms. Orians, the co-director of the First 72+, a program in New Orleans that helps ease the transition from incarceration to everyday life. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder and received a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

So, are they like...regularly traveling between the two cities? Also, called it.

In August, Mr. Frampton emerged from quarantine with Ms. Orians, and shortly thereafter proposed to her in Rehoboth Beach, Del., while on vacation.

why were they on vacation why were they on vacation why were they on vacation

“We knew we definitely wanted to get married, though we didn’t want a long engagement,” Ms. Orians said. “Based on what we had been through with Covid, we had become fearful of our respective families risking their lives just to see us.”

They devised their unusual wedding plan, a doubleheader of sorts, with the biggest stars outfitted in a white polka dot wedding dress and dark tuxedo.

So you decided to bring the risk to them, okay. Cool.

It all began on Ms. Orians’s home turf, in the early morning hours of Nov. 7 in New Orleans, on the steps of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, where Judge Nandi Campbell officiated before seven guests, including the bride’s parents, Constance Orians and Gregory Orians. ... Shortly after, the couple made a beeline for the airport and took an early afternoon flight to Charlotte, N.C., where they had a brief layover before boarding another plane to Washington. ...

They arrived at Bishop’s Garden at Washington National Cathedral before sundown, and soon after had their legal wedding — a Quaker-style, self-uniting ceremony led by their friends, Anne L. Kendall and David Kendall. The intimate ceremony, with five guests in attendance, included the groom’s parents, Betsy Karel and George Frampton Jr., and stepmother, Carla D’Arista, the groom’s brother, Adam Frampton, and his sister-in-law, Karolina Częczek.

After the ceremony, the couple returned to their hotel, about five blocks from the White House, when they happened upon scores of people dancing in the streets and car horns blaring in celebration of Joe Biden’s election to the presidency.

“After we dropped our bags at the room we decided to go for a stroll through Black Lives Matter Plaza,” the groom said. “It was an awfully fun reception, and we got lots of undeserved applause from well-wishers and celebrants.

”The bride eventually chucked her bouquet over the White House fence, “as a way of saying goodbye to single life,” she said, “and a single-term president.”

Well isn’t that nice. 

Three Dog Nights The couple quarantined with the bride’s parents, and the family’s dogs, all three of them.

So...they went *back* to New Orleans, then?

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maps of a brass chain ( 1 / ??? ) - the world.

this is incredibly long. i’m so sorry.

in elytain, there are six main landmasses. the story itself takes place mainly in the island kingdoms of axyral, the point upon which the world turns. axyral is important not because of its size, but because of its location. it sits directly between several continents whose countries have, unsurprisingly, been at war with each other throughout history.  there are trade wars and disputes, and axyral is often caught in the middle. as the saying goes: when axyral bleeds, so too does the world. we’ll be coming back to them in a separate map, since they’re the main setting of the story.

we’ll start at the top left and work clockwise. the continent of aunora is generally one of manufacturing. with strong mineral resources, aunora as a whole marches steadily towards progress. the coastal regions tend to use hydropower, assisted by magical means. further inland, steam tends to be used more. aunora has a long, long history of isolationism, and many of its governments are basically miniature athenian democracies. everyone has a vote, everyone has a say, and therefore political change tends to come fast and furiously. upheaval is common, which is probably why there’s never been an empire or a historical ruler of the whole geographic area. althel’s peak is marked as the site of a major battle between tyrn, the country it’s located in, and northern korevain, in which one small aunoran country pushed back to might of the korvainian forces. it’s kind of a source of pride over there. they have yearly celebrations up on the peak about it.

the anchored cliffs are, as the map shows, an isolated plateau. the entire place is a geographic impossibility, sheer cliffs rising out of the sea at angles impossible to climb. the only way up is to basically tether your seafaring vessel to some of the so-called “floating city” built around the bottom of the cliffs and on some neighboring islands, and then to gain permission to take one of the enormous lifts up to the walled city itself. the problem is getting up there. the anchored cliffs are very aware of their lack of space and resources, and the solution has become a well-ingrained caste system that often exiles people for minimal slights. petty crime? slight offense? off the cliffs, down to the floating city. find a ship and get out. the only way back out of exile is to come back with a token that expresses a skill or talent that makes you vital to the cliffs, and to prove this to the council of the city. needless to say, that’s difficult to do.

korevain is interesting for a variety of reasons. first is its geography. the northern portion of korevain is cut off by the yulza mountains, historically impassable and leaving the northern portion only accessible by sea. several wielders of powerful magic have been working on a method to create a viable path through. the rest of korevain is an enormous amount of farmland and forests. the korevainian empire is ruled by a kind of monarchy, though each successive ruler is chosen by the former through the renewal. quite a few common people think that the renewal is just a bunch of show and bullshit, and they’re probably right. where aunora mostly deals with outright threats, korevain’s threats are internal. the empire is nearly constantly fracturing, with countries attempting secession. the only one to succeed in recent years is the eastern island, formerly eria’s heart, named for the first queen of the korevanian empire. they’re still deciding on a new name, but the new seat of power has been moved to movell, possibly because it’s the closest to korevain and thus a big “go fuck yourself, come at us” at their previous rulers. most people still call them part of korevain (including this very map!), which genuinely upsets them.

merris is the one area unfortunate enough to share a direct border with korevain. as such, they are constantly dealing with fallout from korevanian internal conflict, and have chosen to welcome korevanians with open arms. the open traffic flow is generally one way, but still. merris itself is probably less technologically advanced than the rest of the world, but it has an incredibly strong uniting narrative through religion. duality is the hallmark of merris’s gods. however, despite the lack of technical innovation, they borrow heavily from other countries in terms of technology, and they produce some incredible craftsman and writers. magic is a common practice - even just small personal rituals passed down among families. thus, their government has become something of a feudal theocracy, with government split into smaller lords but run through religious angles. at the south end of the continent sits leviathan’s bones, a focal point of multiple religious orders for worship which brings plenty of traffic to the southern end of merris.

al’zelro is really two major islands. magic is what bolsters both islands, and is the foundation of their society overall. they have built wonders - impossible crystal spires and short-range portals that can cut travel time across a city into mere moments. with those wonders, of course, come some disasters. the western portion of ulioth is mostly a desert, ravaged by a magical accident that wiped the slate clean. al’zelro’s southern center, where the land curves, used to actually be land until another disaster simply wiped a portion of it and a major population center out of existence. with these two disasters, mere decades apart, came a century long moratorium on magic use that was only lifted about a hundred and fifty years ago with the installation of the four codices, a series of tomes that are basically rules for magic use. the two islands are distinct in their government. ulioth is mainly plutocratic, with major merchant families running the show, whereas ter ovai is a thaumocracy - mainly run by the magic-users of the island. the two have a long-running relationship allowing trade and magic to flow freely between the islands, and they mainly concern themselves with each other’s politics. these two islands are often considered the safest angle by which to approach axyral.

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