#Xmas spirit way too early

[lizaluvsthis]

SPOILER FOR THE NEW EPISODE! CHRISTMAS WARS! SCROLL OUT IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED IT YET!!!!

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"Hey Liz how'd that new christmas episo-"

*ME BREATHING HEAVILY*

Consider on Smg3 having a good point for hosting his own party (why cant he just throw a party with the dead memes? Like invite them in his cafe right aw-) thats exactly why. Dead memes cant re-enter the living realm. (Also the reason what happened during the 10th year anniversary episode because we DONT want that mess again?

So instead of dead memes he literally chose to host it WITH his new friends this time. Smg4's crew.

"But why tho? Didn't he hated them?" YES. but at the same time. Please dont forget his mere messages during IGBP on the line he says "But I've met your friends man..." again. Ask me WHY theres another reason he moved in next to four's castle?

(He doesn't want to feel alone again not only four was the reason but his friends too)

Okay but when after the castle and three's coffee shop got burned down by santa clause, where do you see that bright explanation from the crew.

AND LITERALLY. SMG3 IS ON TSUNDERE MODE ACTIVATION WHERE HE- BLUSHED- I mean its okay- its totally fine its perfectly normal.

Not for three. He never celebrated christmas in the early 2020 not even after the arc but four was kind enough to invite three in the recent years to make him have to experience whats special about it.

But three was too embarrassed from four's crew because they've shown alot of kindness towards him that he'd never experienced at all and this was his first time hearing it all out on them.

After he says "f-friends?!" He continues on playing "I'd rather die than have you guys as friends"

Which also meant he did. Almost. Die. Saving four.

Did you notice smg4 in this scene? Did you see the way he looked at three? Did you SEE how he giggled and laughed just by seeing his expression?

Heart tingles you know? And this IS also the first time he's done that.

Wait for it...

WAIT FOR IT...

WOW SMG4 THAT BACK HOLD AT THREE WAS SUPER SMOOTH I'M OBVIOUSLY BLIND TO MYSELF THAT I CANT "SEE" WITH MY OWN EYES.

And NOT ONLY THAT- EVERYONE'S REACTION WERE THE SAME PLACE EXCEPT WHO? MARIO.

WHO'S MOUTH IS OPEN AND MAKING A HAPPY EXPRESSION (that also means... HE HAD JUST WITNESSED FOUR BEING A F-KING FRUIT AGAIN-) (MARIO BEING A REAL SMG34 SHIPPER IS SO REAL)

Not only was it delicious- Three too was smiling at four, supporting his idea and not even LEAVING by his side. (Like have you noticed right after both of their places got destroyed- these two completely HAVE NEVER SEPARATED AND STUCK CLOSE TOGETHER?)

This also provens he's on the right role after all. His character development did improve his changing around his friends even after 2020th - 2022nd

Who knows that maybe four's crew knew that three wasn't so bad after all? That he was just in need of friends because he'd been so alone from time to time?

Still. He smiles. Not just for the holiday spirit, but to his new friends, and four to have on. (Mention of mario makes turkey for upcoming xmas episode four convinced EVERYONE from the crew including three, BUT HE NEVER LEFT BY HIS SIDE. Literally the moon is stuck with the sun)

Four and three? They both contacted atleast EVERYONE from town they know. (Even three never considered belle, whimpu, or the so called fake-other-versions of theirs who became his crew during 2020th wotfi he still has a heart to consider them all as being in part of his life.)

We never get a mistletoe scene sadly but we had a precious smg34 collection here...

Even after this hand taking, Three and Four looked at eachother together before they start to sway and celebrate the christmas holiday.

"Liz it's just two of them looking whats so important from that?"

You dont see these fruits being like that often, so its a very rare one in the new episodes. (Considered again. Three has gone soft. TOO soft for being with four's crew and being with... smg4...)

He wasnt even angry or done with this bs he still had that christmas spirit and all that matters is celebrating it with four and his other new friends.

OKAY THERE IM DONE I'M EVEN GONNA BE MORE ILL-

*insert audio losing pulse*

[abitohoney]

All I Want for Christmas Is You

Chapter 5 of 6 - All I Want For Christmas Is You AO3 link

CH1 || CH2 || CH3 || CH4 || CH5 || CH6

Sevika x female reader

Rating: Explicit, MDNI, 18+, NSFW

Tags: Sevika/Reader, AU - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Lesbian Sex, Cunnilingus, Teasing, Humor, Vaginal Fingering, Orgasm Delay (nothing extreme), Begging, Strap-Ons, Face-Sitting, Corny & Cheesy Dialogue, kinda sappy

Word Count: 8.5k

Fic Summary: It’s your first year spending the holidays with Sevika, and though the two of you couldn’t be any different in your level of holiday spirit or view of the traditions that come with it, your shared adoration (and sexual attraction) for each other is more than enough to get both of you through it together.

A collection of little holiday-inspired scenes, technically chronological, but really could be read in any order or as stand-alone oneshots. Includes a nice blend of sugar (fluff) and spice (smut).

Chapter Summary: It's Christmas day, and not only do you get to spend it with your favorite person, it's also the first snow of the season. Can you convince Sevika to partake in the snow related festivities, or will the Grinch in her win out? (Was supposed to be just fun and fluff (the tooth rotting kind), but apparently I’m too horny, so enjoy a little smut at the beginning too!)

AN: Another fic already complete on AO3 that I'm bringing to Tumblr. Guess it's Xmas in April. 🤷‍♀️

Light filters in through the crack in your bedroom window shades. The brighter than usual beam aligns perfectly over your closed eyes. Pulling the sheets over your head, you feel Sevika’s warm body shift behind you. Her prosthetic arm, still snaked around your waist from where she placed it the previous night, pulls you closer against her bare chest. Warm breath tickles the hair at the back of your neck as she nuzzles into it and releases a deep sigh. A smile paints your face, delighted by how content your girlfriend is with having you near. As your head starts to clear of its morning fog, you realize what day it is.

“Sevika!” you whisper with barely contained excitement as you throw the sheet off both your naked bodies. When all you receive is a muffled groan against your neck, you try to pry her heavy arm off your body so you can sit up. Apparently she has other plans though, as she only holds you tighter and murmurs a curt, “No.”

“Sevika! It’s Christmas!” you say louder, and this time she releases her death grip on your body in favor of rolling onto her back and covering her face with a pillow. Now free, you sit upright, ignoring the way your body trembles and your skin prickles with goosebumps at the loss of her body heat in the chill of your bedroom. Scooting off the bed, you make your way to your window and push the curtains open to peer outside, curious as to why it’s so damn bright out this morning.

“OMG SEVIKA” you scream, no restraint in the volume of your voice this time.

Sevika immediately sits upright, head whipping in your direction as she prepares to save you from what must be something dangerous. Why else would you shriek like that? Her narrowed, bleary eyes take in your naked form silhouetted by the light pouring in through the now fully exposed window.

“IT SNOWED!” you squeal as you spin to face her.

The concern on Sevika’s face immediately fades into annoyance. Releasing a frustrated sigh, she falls back against her pillow, but stares blankly at the ceiling. She’s not going back to sleep, not after you startled her wide fucking awake. And not with you currently… frolicking around the bed to her side. “Babygirl,” she groans as you look down at her, all smiles, “It’s too early.” She can’t be upset with you though, not when you look so fucking adorable. Her lips pull up into a tiny smirk and she reaches out to run the backs of her metal fingers lightly down your side and over the swell of your hip.

Those ice cold digits paired with the feather light touch send chills down your spine and another wave of goosebumps across your skin. The way your body trembles in response does not go unnoticed by Sevika.

“You’re cold, sweetheart,” she purrs, her morning voice somehow impossibly deeper- huskier. That alone is enough to raise your body temperature a good several degrees. “Let me warm you.” She slips her prosthetic fingers around the back of your thigh, just beneath your ass cheek, and tugs gently- urging you to join her in bed again.

Your smile falters, legs aching with want as you watch her dark eyes rake over your naked body. “But Sevika,” you whine, “I want to open gifts and go enjoy the snow with you.”

“Later,” she insists, and you let her guide you onto the bed. Her hands slip around either side of your waist as you crawl onto the bed on your knees. She guides you so that you’re straddling her wide hips, her hungry eyes focused between your spread thighs. “Let me eat first,” she husks.

Smile completely gone now, replaced with a look of desperation- want- need, you whimper at her implication. You can't argue with such a tempting demand. So you let her have her way and allow her to pull you slowly up the bed and over her naked body. When your knees reach as far as they can go- blocked by her arms- she moves them to slip between your open legs and reaches up to grasp your sides. Locking eyes with you, she pulls you further up the bed. And with each step closer to her waiting mouth, you feel the fire in your belly grow hotter, and the muscles in your legs grow weaker. Once you’re aligned and hovering over her mouth, her hands slide down to your hips. Without breaking eye contact, she starts pressing open mouth kisses along the inside of one of your thighs, teasing you. Then she moves to the other thigh and nips at your heated flesh, drawing sweet little mewls from your parted lips with each bite.

Fully aroused and past any hope of controlling your own body, all you can do is stare down at Sevika’s lust-filled eyes and watch as she draws a deliberate line with her tongue, directly over the bite marks she just left. Your legs tremble, and the low chuckle she releases in response only weakens them further. Feeling a tug at your hips, you let her guide your body down, slowly sinking towards her plush lips, all while she drags the tip of her tongue up along the inside of the first thigh.

Unsure you’ll be able to hold yourself up by just your legs any longer, you grab for the headboard. Your controlled descent- and subsequently her tongue- stops just before she reaches the apex of your thighs. The whimper of disappointment and desperation that leaves your parted lips is pathetic. Though that ought to leave you feeling embarrassed, you know Sevika gets a thrill from having that power over you, and you can feel proof in the way her lips curl into an arrogant smirk against your skin.

Heated gaze still locked with yours, Sevika watches your lids droop as she takes a deep breath through her nose, then releases it with a deep hum of satisfaction. It’s such a lewd act, and yet it makes your walls clench around nothing.

Unable to take the prolonged teasing any longer, you silently plead with your eyes for her to get moving- to put that wonderful mouth of hers to work. When all she does is run her nose through the small patch of hair above your aching cunt, you turn to vocalizing your needs. “Sevika,” you whimper, “No more teasing, please.”

Her stormy eyes sparkle with mirth, pleased with how much of an effect she has on you- on your body. Continuing to run her nose over your mound, she husks, “I’m just savoring the aroma of my meal before I eat it.”

Janna, she talks so filthy.

Your nails dig into the soft wood of the headboard you’re currently grasping as you fight the desire to just grind against her beautiful face. However, you’re not prepared for when you feel her blow a stream of breath across your wet heat. Your hips instinctively rock forward, her nose brushing along your throbbing clit and sending a wave of pleasure through your lower half. ”Fuck!” you choke out.

Sevika, also seemingly not expecting your physical reaction, growls against your cunt. A warning not to do that again. Digging her fingers into the forgiving flesh of your hips, she moves you back in place above her, just a hairsbreadth from her mouth.

“I’m sorry,” you whimper, “I didn’t mean to. It just felt so goo-” your apology falters, fading into a moan as you feel her trace the tip of her tongue just along the outside of your entrance. Apparently she’s already forgiven you. Another round of teasing the perimeter, and then you feel the pleasant drag of her tongue through your folds. She only just barely breaks the surface though, and it takes every ounce of your willpower not to buck against her face.

She knows exactly what she’s doing. Knows how to tease you. To only give just enough to keep you wanting more. To have you trembling above her. Each time her mouth meets your cunt, she gives you just a little more than the last.

Her tongue delves deeper between your folds and your eyes flutter shut. She prods- like the ungodly expert she is- at your wet hole, sinking that delightful tongue of hers deeper each time. Nails digging delightfully sharp into your hips, she pulls you further down onto her face until you’re practically resting your full weight on her. And Janna, how your eyes roll behind your lids when you feel her tongue curl and drag along your walls as she- ever so slowly- lifts you back up.

“S… Sevika,” you mewl, but she doesn’t hear you. She’s too lost in her own reverie at the taste of you filling her mouth. Lifting her head she presses her lips against your cunt as she laps with renewed hunger. Her own deep, hum of satisfaction sends vibrations straight to your clit, further threatening your resolve.

“Tha- that feels- so good,” you moan, and that’s all the encouragement she needs to pick up the pace.

She pulls you back down onto her mouth, her nose buried alongside your clit. Her hands force your hips to roll down and over her face. Her tongue fucks you with each decent, and her nose rubs along the sensitive bundle above with each drag forward.

Your head lolls back, and your legs finally give way to the overwhelming pleasure, but Sevika never wavers in controlling how your body bounces and grinds over her face. Belly burning with your impending orgasm, you try to communicate how close you are, but all that falls from your parted lips is a string of nonsensical pleas and whines.

In the back of your mind, you realize Sevika is making her own sounds of pleasure, groaning each time she feels your walls clench around her tongue. Tilting your head forward, you force your bleary eyes open to peer down at her.

Sevika’s ravenous gaze is focused on your bouncing breasts. Her head bobs and switches angles as she intentionally rubs that perfect nose of hers along your clit. And you’re certain that site alone could push you over the edge.

Removing one hand from the headboard, you grab one of your breasts, kneading, pinching and playing with it as if it were Sevika’s hand. It’s nothing compared to hers, but you aren’t doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for her. To reward her. To excite her. And it obviously works.

In one swift motion, she’s pulling your clit to her mouth, wrapping her lips around it and sucking with just the right amount of pressure- all while releasing a guttural groan that you swear you can feel down to your toes.

You scream. Your orgasm hits you unexpectedly and intensely. But that scream almost instantly devolves into a broken sob and incoherent babbling as your muscles spasm with each pulsating surge of pleasure that races through your body. Clutching the headboard to keep from completely collapsing, you abandon all restraint and wrap your thighs around Sevika’s head, keeping those delightful lips in place around your clit as you ride out your high.

When you finally start to come back to reality, you gaze down at Sevika through clouded eyes. All you can see are those beautiful, stormy gray eyes focused on yours, and the top of her head. It only just starts to dawn on you that not only are you sitting on her with your full weight, you also have the sides of her head in a vice grip between your thighs.

“Shit,” you huff, “I’m- I’m sorry.”

She doesn’t say anything- understandable given she has a mouthful of cunt forced on her- but she also doesn’t seem upset. Quite the opposite rather. She looks almost fucked out herself with how relaxed her brows are and how glazed over her eyes are. Then you realize she’s also no longer holding your hips. Her hands are sitting limp against the mattress at her sides. She willingly allowed you to fully sit on her face.

Oh gawd.

You need to get off her, but your legs feel like jelly. And although she’s no longer actively sucking, her lips are still wrapped around your very sensitive clit. Any amount of movement is going to cause overstimulation, and you’re still too fucked out to handle that.

“Sevika,” you say meekly, “I- I can’t sit up on my own.”

Her eyes twitch, as if coming into focus, and she slowly lifts her hands to grasp your waist. With little to no effort, she carefully lifts you off her face, but the sight that reveals has your body aching with new arousal. Several strings of- saliva? Your release? Both? Whatever it is, it hangs connected between your weeping cunt and her lips. On top of that, her mouth and chin is absolutely coated- glistening. You can’t help but whimper wantonly.

“Made quite a mess, babygirl,” she says, her voice even huskier than usual. She sets you down over her stomach, apparently not caring too much about messes considering you’re now leaving those various fluids on her there too.

“That’s technically your fault,” you point out with a weak smile. You're exhausted.

“I’m not even talking about my face.”

Brows furrowed, you search around her head, clueless as to what other mess she could be referring to. Coming up with nothing, you ask, “What do you mean?”

She nods her head to something behind you and you glance over your shoulder even more confused.

“Look down, sweetheart.”

You do, eyes traveling up the length of her legs, to the apex of her spread thighs-

Oh shit!

“Sevika! Did- did you cum from that?” you ask, wide-eyed and completely astonished. You turn back to her as she wipes the back of her flesh hand across her face.

She doesn't answer. Just smirks up at you. Apparently that's a 'yes'.

You’re speechless. Not a damn thing you can think to say to that.

“You just stay here. I’ll get us cleaned up,” she says and helps move you off her and onto the bed.

Lying on your back, you stare blankly up at the ceiling.

Sevika got off…from you getting off.

Hearing Sevika’s heavy footfalls as she comes back into the room, you adjust your head to watch her approach the side of the bed.

“You alright?” she asks with a cocky smirk. She knows you’re more than alright, but you’ll feed her ego.

“I’m feeling really good. You blow my mind every time, Sev.”

The corner of her mouth tugs higher and she starts wiping down the insides of your legs with a warm, wet cloth. When she gets to where you’re still terribly sensitive, she’s extra careful not to cause any discomfort. It warms your heart to see how someone so big, grumpy, cocky and brutish can be so gentle and caring with you, and only you.

Once the two of you are freshened up, Sevika crawls back into bed with you. Lying on her back, she wraps her human arm under you when you roll onto your side to face her. She pulls you closer as you snuggle up to her side, resting your head on her shoulder. With an arm draped across her chest and a leg over her thigh, you release a contented sigh. Closing your eyes, you focus on the steady rise and fall of Sevika’s chest. You feel her press a kiss to the top of your head and you’re certain if you lay like this for too long, you’re going to fall right back to sleep.

“We should get up before we both pass back out,” you murmur after several blissful minutes of just cuddling with your girlfriend.

Sevika hums a noncommittal response. She’s going to make you be the one to push you two to get up. Again.

Reluctantly, you sit up and scoot to the end of the bed before hopping down and making your way to the dresser. Grabbing underwear for both of you, you sling hers across the room. It lands on her face and you make no effort to hide your giggles as she groans. You slip into yours then grab the matching pajamas and socks you bought specifically for today. “Here. Put these on too,” you say and toss hers. They land right smack in the center of her face just as she’s sitting up.

She narrows her eyes at you, to which you offer her your best innocent smile.

“More matching shit?” she grumbles as she picks up her clothing.

“It’s not as bad as the sweaters, I promise,” you reply while slipping your green, fluffy socks on. Then you follow with the red plaid pajama pants and long-sleeved top. Sevika has the same combo, but in swapped colors. And just like with her sweater, you removed the left sleeve to allow her prosthetic to slip through more easily.

Coming to stand beside where Sevika sits at the edge of the bed while slipping her last red sock on, you give her a quick peck on the cheek. “You look cu-” you pause, knowing she hates being called ‘cute’, “You look nice.”

She stands up beside you, not looking entirely pleased with her getup, but she also isn’t complaining like she did with the ugly sweater.

Progress!

“Now we can go outside," you exclaim, and without giving Sevika a moment to reply, you take hold of human wrist and drag her out of the bedroom, towards the front door. “I’m so excited!” you squeal. Grabbing your winter coat, gloves and boots, you ignore Sevika’s muttered, “Obviously.” from behind you. Geared up for the cold, you turn to find Sevika begrudgingly slipping into hers, but she’s taking her damn sweet time. “C’mon, Sev. Don’t be such a Grinch. You’ll have fun.”

Once Sevika is fully dressed in her winter attire, you throw the door open and dash outside. Sevika, far less enthused, slowly trudges out behind you.

With her back to you as she turns to close the door, you make a hasty snowball and launch it in her direction. Not only does it land, it nails her square in the back of her head. She flinches, her shoulders jerking upward. A nice glob of snow sticks to her dark hair and you have to cover your mouth with a gloved hand to stifle the giggles that slip past.

Sevika turns slowly, deliberately, to face you. Narrowed stormy eyes land on you, and you know this is going to be the damn flour incident all over again. Without removing her eyes from you, she kneels down and scoops up a nice sized ball of snow. Sensing an impending onslaught of snowballs, you give yourself a head start and spin to run towards the side of the house, giggling as you go. You don’t get far though, before you feel something smack you hard in the center of your ass. You yelp, nearly tripping from the sheer force in which you were hit.

Damn she’s got good aim!

“Why you running, babygirl?!” she calls from behind you tauntingly.

“Cause I don’t want to be covered in snow!” you yell as you round the house to the back yard. The snow is thicker there and- as luck would have it- one of your boots get stuck. You fall down- face first- into the thick snow. With the amount of momentum you had from running, you sink far enough to cover most of your body. Through the snow covering your ears, you can hear a muffled taunting chuckle and the crunch of approaching footsteps. Then you’re suddenly being pulled out of the snow by the collar of your coat before being set back down on your haunches.

“Were you running from me or yourself?” Sevika teases as you work to brush off the snow from your- everything.

“Haha,” you reply mockingly once your mouth is free of snow. Sevika's boots move into your view as she steps in front of you. Slowly, you tilt your head back to glare up at her shit-eating grin.

“Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart. I didn’t do this to you,” she sneers. She offers you her hand though, which you reluctantly take. She pulls you to your feet with enough force that you stumble into her hard form.

Hands pressed against Sevika’s chest, you tilt your head back to shoot her another nasty look, but she only smirks in return.

“Hey, where’s that pretty smile?” she asks in the smooth, sexy voice she knows will make you easily forgive and forget. She brings her gloved hand to your face, gently swiping away remnants of snow from your cold cheeks.

You try not to let your pout slip into a smile, but when her smirk softens and her arms slide around your back to pull you closer, you lose it. Grin back in place, you give her a playful shove, which -as expected- doesn’t do much of anything. Can’t exactly move a mountain. “Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” she asks, but you know she’s playing dumb with the way her lips curl higher.

“Be all sweet, and smooth and sexy when I’m mad at you.”

She chuckles and presses a kiss to your forehead. “I like your smile.”

Okay. Really can’t be mad at her now.

You won’t give her the benefit of a response, but she sees how that makes your smile grow. When she lets her hands fall back to her sides, you take a step back and peer down at the indent your body left in the snow. Struck with an idea, you turn back to Sevika. “I bet you’ve never made snow angels before, have you?” Taking her arched brow as a ‘no’, you trudge through the thick snow to a spot that looks a bit shallower. “It’s fun. Did this all the time as a kid,” you say before stretching your arms out at your side and falling back into the snow.

Sevika stands several feet from you, watching with mild amusement as you start moving your arms and legs across the snow several times.

“Okay. Help me up, but don’t step on my angel.”

You can tell by the way her lips twitch that she wants to say something snarky, but she comes to your aid silently. Taking her hand once again, you let her pull you to your feet, then turn to face your creation. “See! It’s a snow angel!”

Sevika stares down at the displaced snow, clearly unimpressed.

“Really? Nothing to say?” you pout and plant your hands on your hips. “Let’s see you do better!”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Oh come on, Sev. It’s something everyone needs to experience at least once.”

“No.”

Fine. If she won’t do it willingly…

Not learning from your earlier attempt to shove her, you pull your hands far back before shoving them full force- throwing all your body weight into it- into Sevika’s chest. To your surprise- and hers- you do manage to cause her to take a small step back to balance herself. Your eyes widen while her brows raise.

“Babygirl, you really want me to do it that badly?” she asks. When she sees you prepare to give pushing her another try, she grabs your wrists before your hands can connect with her chest again. Sighing, she relents, “I’ll do it. Just this once.” Your resultant giggles have her shaking her head, probably wondering why she puts up with your silly ass. Arms spread wide just like you had, she checks over her shoulder, then turns to you with an eye roll, a muttered, “You owe me,” and then finally falls backwards.

Janna, what you would give to somehow capture this image forever. Sevika is lying in the snow before you, grumpy face firmly in place, while she makes a fucking snow angel. A half-assed snow angel, but a snow angel nonetheless.

Once she’s done, you offer her your hand. However, when she arches a brow, you realize there’s no way you’re going to be helping her up, so you let your arm drop to your side and take a step back out of the way. “Careful not to mess it up!” you tell her as she moves to stand on her own.

On her feet, the two of you look over her handiwork. It’s comically larger than yours, and honestly not much like any angel you've seen. “Not bad, but I think it needs something,” you say and make your way to the top of her ‘angel’.

Sevika watches as you draw two long, curved lines above her head. Then you move to the side and draw a squiggly line coming from her lower back, and add a little triangle at the opposite end. “What the hell is that?” she grunts.

“Horns and a tail. I think a devil suits you much better than an angel,” you tease. The innocent smile you flash her starts to falter when she meets your gaze and her lips curl into a sinister smile.

“That so?” she sneers, “Well this devil has a penchant for corrupting sweet little angels.”

“Sev, no!” you squeal when she moves to grab you, but you remain rooted, knowing after your earlier mishap that running is futile. Not only does she grab you, she throws you over her damn shoulder. The shrill yelp that rips from your throat has her chuckling. “Sevika! Put me down!” you screech, kicking your feet helplessly as she starts to carry you back toward the front of the house.

“No.”

“At least carry me nicely!” you demand.

“Devils don’t do things nicely.” she sneers, but you can hear that playful inflection in her voice. She’s enjoying messing with you. “And stop kicking or I’ll drop your ass,” she adds with a firm slap to said ass.

Another yelp leaves your throat and your face flushes at how your body reacts to her spanking you. Feeling suddenly a bit too... excited, you opt to shut your mouth for the remainder of her trek back to the front door.

Metal hand firmly gripping your ass to keep you from slipping off her shoulder, Sevika uses her gloved hand to open the door and steps inside. After kicking the door shut behind her, she carefully sets you on your feet. Smirking down at you- obviously enjoying how flustered you look- she starts stripping off her winter gear. “Now get that shit off and get your angelic ass on the couch. This devil needs your body to warm her up.”

Can’t argue with that.

As you quickly remove your gear, you think of one last wintry thing you want to share with her. “Can your angel make us a hot cup of cocoa to drink while we cuddle?”

“Who said we’re gonna cuddle?” she purrs as she steps into your personal space. And by personal space you mean her thick thighs- so thick that even her baggy pajama pants hug them impossibly tight- are directly in front of your face as you’re bent over removing your last boot.

Peering up at her through your lashes, you slowly straighten back up. “Not that I would ever deny whatever else you have in mind, but I really was hoping for some cuddles by the fireplace and opening gifts.”

And then the two of you are in a silent standoff. She watches you with a sexy smirk, threatening to make your knees weak and cave into giving her what she wants. But you have an equally powerful tool at your disposal. Your pouty lips and pleading doe-eyes.

Sighing in defeat, Sevika’s smirk devolves into a sweeter grin. “Alright, babygirl. This just means you owe me even more.”

“Okay!” you agree without question and make your way to the kitchen to whip up some hot chocolate. Surprisingly, Sevika follows you. “Are you going to help?” you ask as you fill a kettle with water and set it on the stove.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” she replies as she steps up behind you and wraps her arms around your waist, “Just wanted to steal some of your body heat.”

“I can’t really work like this,” you point out, but you make no effort to stop her. Not when you actually enjoy the attention.

It does- in fact- prove to be rather difficult to work with her wrapped around you. Trying to move around the kitchen with your tall, wide girlfriend holding you close, is challenging to say the least. However, you do manage, and end with two, hot, delicious cups of hot cocoa.

“What do you think?” you ask, handing Sevika her cup when she finally releases you from her embrace.

Lifting it to her mouth, she eyes it suspiciously before taking a small sip. Judging by the way her face scrunches up like it did when she tried eggnog the other day, she is not a fan. “Too sweet,” she grumbles.

“But I thought you liked sweet things,” you reply with a coy smile that she doesn’t seem to catch- too busy glaring at her cocoa.

“Never liked sweet things.”

“What about me?”

That gets her to look at you. “You’re the only exception, sweetheart.”

“Well I might be able to make that sweet cup of cocoa a little more tolerable,” you reply and make your way to the cabinet where Sevika stores her liquor. Selecting one of her favorite whiskeys, you remove the cap and pour a hefty amount into her hot chocolate. “How about now?”

She takes a sip- this time a nice long one- then pulls it away with a pleased hum.

“Now how about those cuddles?” you suggest and she nods, following you into the living room.

She helps you get the fireplace started, then gets settled into the corner of the couch, patting her thigh to indicate where she’d like you to sit. More than happy to oblige, you seat yourself across her lap, smiling as you wrap both your hands around your warm mug.

The two of you sip your cocoa in companionable silence, watching the fire dance and listening to the crackle of the logs. Sevika’s prosthetic, currently draped along the back of the couch just behind you, plays absentmindedly with your shirt collar. The smooth backs of her fingers caressing your skin.

Hot chocolates finished, you gather up both mugs and set them in the kitchen sink before grabbing Sevika’s gift from under the tree. “Gift time!” you call as you skip over to plop back down beside her on the couch. You turn to her with a huge smile and hand her the gift, excited to see her reaction.

Sevika’s lips twitch, fighting the smile threatening to bloom at the sight of your intricately wrapped present. It’s wrapped in a dark red paper that she knows is far too similar to that of her cape to be merely coincidence. The perfectly tied bow is a shiny gold that could easily be mistaken for the same material that covers the left collar of her favored leather vest. From the corner of her eye, she can see your leg bouncing up and down in excitement and she finally lets a small grin tug at the corner of her mouth.

Focused on watching your girlfriend’s expression, you wait- rather impatiently- for her to slowly remove the meticulously tied bow. It’s like last night’s gift all over again with how she takes her sweet ass time. Only this time the end results will likely be very different in nature. Even so, you’re just as anxious. You catch the way her brow raises just the faintest amount as she peels back enough paper to reveal the top of the humidor beneath. And it doesn’t go unnoticed how she then starts to remove the paper faster.

Nailed it.

With the paper removed, Sevika opens the lid to reveal a large number of her favorite cigars. Imported, and expensive to the point you know she only buys a small number each year as a treat. “Babygirl, this is too much,” she murmurs, but you catch how she smiles.

“I wanted to,” you reply, watching how she takes one out and brings it to her nose to inhale deeply. “There’s a couple other things in there too,” you point out.

She pulls out two small items covered in brown paper and unwraps one, revealing a gold cigar cutter. Then she unwraps the other to reveal a matching lighter. Both have her initials engraved into them. Her gaze lifts to your expectant one and she shakes her head.

Your heart drops for a moment.

Is she disappointed? Does she not like them?

“This is far too much,” she says quietly.

“But you like it?” you ask hopefully, but you feel that hope crack as she places everything back in the humidor and sets it on the end table beside her.

“Of course I like it, but you must have spent far more on this than you can afford.”

“Can’t put a price on how much I adore you, Sev.”

The way her expression softens- her eyes shifting as if she doesn’t know how to respond- makes your heart flutter. You place a hand on the top of her thigh and lean forward to give her a quick peck on the corner of her mouth. Before you can pull back, her human hand cups your cheek and she leans in to press her lips fully to yours.

She kisses you softly- tenderly- and you feel yourself melting. You know this is her way of silently thanking you. When she breaks the kiss, you can tell she’s holding back a smirk, but you’re not sure why.

“I got you something too,” she says quietly, and now you realize why she’s trying to hide a smile. She must be excited to see what you think of your gift. She reaches around the side of the couch and pulls out a box from under the end table. Placing it in your lap, she’s now the one anxiously watching your expression.

The box is- unsurprisingly- not wrapped. What is surprising however, is that it does have a little red bow on the top. And honestly, you think it’s pretty damn cute that she even went that far. Brimming with excitement, you pull the lid off and set it on the couch at your other side. Removing several pieces of tissue, you find a simple, black blindfold.

What in Janna’s name…

Your eyes rise to Sevika’s face suspiciously. She’s no longer holding back her smile. No, rather she’s smirking like she’s up to something. Like she knows something you don’t. “Sev…” you start skeptically, “What is this for?”

“Put it on.”

That is not the answer you’re looking for, but when she arches a brow, you do as you’re told and slip it on and align it over your eyes. You feel the couch shift as Sevika stands. She takes your hand into hers and guides you to stand as well. Without the sense of sight, your other senses start to work overtime and you can feel her warm breath fan across your forehead. She’s facing you.

“Sev, what’s going on?” you ask in an almost whine. “Is this for… bedroom time?” You’re almost hopeful that’s what it is, but when she starts silently guiding you in the direction of the front door, you know that’s not going to be the case.

“What did I tell you about being patient, sweetheart?” she teases.

“Good things come to those who wait,” you repeat, mocking her typical dry tone. And though that is true in the case of Sevika, that usually involves sex, which this clearly does not. Does it?

“Put this on,” she says when she finally stops and releases your hand.

You can feel her holding your coat to your back, which has you so much more confused as to what the hell she’s up to. “Sev, where are we going?” you ask as you allow her to help you slip each arm into the sleeves. “We’re still in our pajamas.”

“Nobody will be there,” she replies, ignoring your first question. After helping you slip your gloves and boots on, she leaves you momentarily to put out the fire before returning to get into her own coat and boots.

Taking your hand again, she guides you outside and into your vehicle. You know you’re not supposed to ask questions. You’re supposed to be patient. But damn, this has got to be the oddest thing she’s ever done. She’s never surprised you with anything outside the bedroom, so you’re literally at a loss as to what’s going on.

The drive is short, but the silence it carries is maddening. You're so damn confused, nervous and excited. When the vehicle stops, you listen for any sounds that could indicate where the hell she’s taken you. But, even as the door opens beside you, all you can hear is the rustle of Sevika’s coat as she reaches in to help you step down and out.

With her hand on the small of your back, she’s guiding you once again.

“Sev, how much further?” you finally ask, breaking that awful silence.

“We’re here. Sit down.”

Sit down? You don’t even know if there’s anything behind you, but she takes your elbow and helps you get seated on what feels like a cold, metal bench. Then, as if this whole situation couldn’t get any weirder, you feel her start to remove your boots, only to replace them with different footwear that you can’t quite identify. Something with laces apparently, as you feel her tighten them up.

She sits beside you, presumably to swap out her boots as well.

What the hell is going on?

“Alright, you can remove it.”

Finally!

Not waiting a second longer, you reach up and yank the blindfold off. Unfortunately, your eyes can’t quite adjust that quickly to the sudden change from near pitch black to blinding bright white light that reflects from the surrounding snow. Squinting, your eyes finally start to focus, and you realize you’re seated right in front of a small, frozen pond. Glancing around in stunned silence, you notice nobody else is there, just several small evergreen trees to your right. They line the very edge of the pond, and against the powdery white snow that coats them, you can see a variety of shiny red, gold, silver and green baubles decorating the branches. Then you remember Sevika had put something different on your feet. Straightening your legs out in front of you, you find your boots had been replaced with… ice skates?

Oh dear Janna, did she bring you to ice skate?!

A quick glance to Sevika’s own skate donning feet confirms your suspicion.

Holy. Fucking. Shit!

Your wide eyes search her expression for answers to questions you haven’t even formed yet. You watch as her eyes focus on your expression, clearly anxious for a reaction. “Sevika! Did- did you really bring me here to skate with you?!” you whisper in shock. There’s not another soul around to be quiet for, but you’re literally stunned to the point you’re almost breathless. This is not something you would have ever expected your grumpy girlfriend to do for you.

“You’ve been talking about it for weeks,” she replies quietly.

Wow. Just wow.

“Sevika, this is such a sweet gift!” You turn your attention to the decorated trees again, then back to her. “You didn’t do that too, did you?”

She nods, and you swear to Janna she looks almost bashful to admit it. “Ran helped.”

You owe Ran a hug and many thanks later, but right now you want to smother Sevika in kisses.

“You want to go out there?” she asks.

“Yes! Of course!” you exclaim. That earns you a cute lopsided grin as she stands and offers you her gloved hand. You give her your own, allowing her to help you to your feet. Hand in hand, the two of you carefully make your way onto the edge of the ice. Pausing you turn to gaze up at Sevika, and before you even ask the question on your mind, you know the answer. “Have you ever done this before?”

Sevika looks downright terrified, but she’s trying so damn hard to hide it under her typical surly demeanor. Yet there’s no hiding the way her hand clenches around yours even harder when both her skates hit the slick ice and slide just a fraction. Nor the way her entire body tenses. Everything goes stock straight- rigid.

“It’s okay Sev,” you assure her and give her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ve only done this a couple times myself. We’ll both probably fall a few times.” It’s a lie. You’d actually done it quite a few times in your childhood, just not for several years. When she gives you the side eye, you offer her a reassuring smile. “We’ll start slow.”

Carefully, you start to move forward. When she makes no effort to follow along, leaving your arm extended awkwardly behind you, you pause and turn to face her. Taking her prosthetic in your other hand, you start to slowly skate backwards.

“You know that’s not going to help, right?” she grunts. “If I start to go down I’m going to crush you.”

Gradually pulling her forward while you make your way further back over the pond, you can’t help but smile. It’s incredibly cute how nervous your brute of a girlfriend is over something as silly as ice skating. “You make it sound like being pinned beneath you is a bad thing,” you joke.

“It will be when you get to feel the brunt of my entire body weight crashing down on you,” she grumbles. Her eyes are focused on watching her own feet, and you think perhaps this is a good thing. That way she can’t see the way your eyes sparkle with mirth or how you smile in amusement at her expense.

“Sounds like a great way to go,” you laugh. Turning your skate to stop for a moment, you almost can’t contain your giggles when Sevika starts to freak out because the little bit of momentum across the slick ice keeps her headed straight for you. Her chest lightly bumps into yours, but your turned skate keeps you in place.

No longer able to glare at her feet, she’s left staring down at your beaming face. Some of that concern and frustration etched into her brows softens, and she grins.

“Kiss me?” you ask sweetly and bat your lashes at her.

“Babygirl, I’d like to, but if I try to bend down- we’re both going down.”

“It’ll be fine, just do it slowly.” You release her hands, but she immediately starts to wobble and it’s so hard not to laugh at how she goes wide-eyed. Grabbing her hands again, you place them on your waist to help steady her. It seems to work, but the death grip she has on you can be felt even through your thick winter coat.

“Shit,” she curses under her breath.

That scowl of hers is back in place, but you’re confident you can get her back to smiling. Placing your hands on her hips, you tilt your head back, purse your lips, and close your eyes - ready for your kiss. You hear her release a defeated sigh, but you can feel her bend at the waist and her warm breath hit your cold cheek when she places a kiss there. “You missed,” you tease, eyes still closed and lips waiting. Her deep chuckle warms your chest, but her lips finally pressing to yours set your whole body aflame. Thankfully, she manages to stay stable throughout the kiss, relaxes a bit even.

When Sevika straightens up, you smile up at her adoringly. “Thank you so much for doing all this,” you say softly. “This is the perfect gift.”

That smirk of hers is- as expected- back in place, but you can tell she wants to say something. You give her a moment, but when she says nothing, you try prodding her. “Something on your mind?”

“No. Let’s just keep going,” she replies and her eyes flit to the center of the pond, then back to you.

Taking her hands into yours again, you return to your slow backward skate, dragging Sevika along with you. After several close calls with her losing her balance but not quite falling, she starts to get the hang of it. You can feel her hands loosen their death grip on yours and see her shoulders drop a bit as some of that tension slips away. You both watch the other’s expression in silence. She admires your sweet, enthusiastic smile, while you admire her crooked smirk and the way her cheeks and nose start to redden with the chill of the wintry air.

Feeling bolder now that she seems to be getting more comfortable, you pick up your speed and start pulling her in more random patterns. To your surprise- and delight- she goes along with it, apparently too caught up in watching you smile. But, as the two of you approach the center of the pond, you catch how her eyes flit to something on the surface and her expression changes for just a split second. Too fast for you to determine what she was feeling. You glance down at your feet just in time to catch sight of a small, black box as you pass it.

“Oh! There’s something out here, Sev!” you point out. Carefully reducing your speed, you bring the two of you back to the box. Once you're both stopped and steady, you release her hands. Before you can kneel to inspect the item, you realize Sevika is looking nervous as hell again. “You’re fine! You’re not going to fall!” you laugh. She doesn’t seem to hear you though, as she just stares silently at you.

She’s so odd today.

Kneeling down, you grab the velvety box. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Rising to your feet, you inspect it further. You realize it’s a clamshell, so you slowly flip the lid open, but are not prepared for what you find inside.

A ring? An engagement ring?

“Sevika!” you exclaim in shock, “Someone lost their engage-” your words die in your mouth when you catch Sevika’s nervous stare again.

Wait. No. It can’t be. She didn’t. She wouldn’t.

You search her eyes for the answers, too afraid to ask the questions. Her attention drops to the ring, and she very slowly, carefully, propels herself forward until she’s close enough to take the box from your hand. All you can do is watch, utterly dumbfounded, as her shaky human hand slips the glove off your left hand. Removing the ring from the box, she stuffs both your glove and the box into her pocket and then her worried eyes meet yours.

“I- I can’t kneel right now,” she stammers, her normally solid, confident voice nearly cracking.

Oh Janna!

She’s worried about being able to kneel. Yet you’re not sure you can even stand right now with how weak your knees feel. “Sevika…” you whisper breathlessly as she takes your ring finger in her metal hand while her poor, trembling human hand fumbles with the attempt to slide the ring on. You help her, although even your hand shakes with the amount of emotion threatening to explode from your every fiber. Your eyes brim with unshed tears, ready to fall at any moment.

“Will you-”

“Yes!” you scream, not even allowing her to stammer out the question you know is coming. Unfortunately, you were a bit too enthusiastic, and your poor girlfriend- fiancé- is so startled that she jumps. You try to grab her- foolish as it is to think you can help keep your gigantic fiancé upright- and latch onto her wrists. She loses her balance, feet slipping out from under her, and falls backwards, taking you down with her.

She lands on her back with a loud oomph, while you crash on top of her solid body with a startled yelp. You manage to firmly plant your hands down on the ice on either side of her broad shoulders to prevent your head from smacking into hers. Both of you stare wide-eyed at one another in shock for a solid two seconds.

And then you both laugh. You’re the first to release the tear inducing giggles, but her deep, belly shaking laughter follows soon after. Those tears of joy that had been so close to spilling over now fall freely down your cold cheeks before dripping down onto Sevika’s.

Once the two of you recover from your fits of laughter, you can’t help but just pepper her face with kisses. Despite the cold air, her cheeks are flush with warmth.

“Sweet-” Sevika tries to speak over your onslaught of affection, cutoff when you peck the corner of her mouth. When your lips moves to her nose, she tries again. “Sweetheart, I get it.”

You pause, just long enough to check her expression. And upon seeing she’s not upset in the least, you quickly resume showering her in chaste kisses. At least until you feel her wrap her arms around you and roll the two of you over. Though she manages to get you on your back, she struggles to straddle you without slipping. As soon as you start laughing at her predicament, she gives up, letting her body slip down onto yours.

Giggles cutoff by the sheer weight of Sevika, you squirm beneath her. “Sevika!” you chastise, “You’re gonna crush me!”

She takes mercy on you- at least a bit- and pushes her upper body up off yours. Now she’s the one grinning down at you. “Thought that was a great way to go,” she mocks teasingly. Before you can retort, her lips are on yours.

When she breaks the kiss and gazes down at you with a crooked grin, you feel suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. “Sevika, this has been the best gift ever. I mean there’s no topping this,” you say softly. Your smile fades, replaced with that of disappointment as you continue. “But, I feel like my gift to you is so pitiful now. I really wanted to give you something special for our first Christmas together.”

Before you can turn away, Sevika’s gloved hand cups your cheek and she locks eyes with you. “Babygirl, I got what I wanted. And I’ll want the same thing next year, and the year after that.” When you raise a brow in question, she gives you a soft, warm kiss on your cold nose before answering your unspoken question.

“All I want for Christmas is you.”

next chapter >

[sandsorghum]

Hello there! Brunch or Supper with corporate!Nanami (2 x chili, open genre), please! I really hope I'm not too late but all goods otherwise. 💖

I go by she/her pronouns btw in case you need that detail. :) Thank you!

Thank you so much for participating in this event! CorporateNanami is such a classic and always an absolute treat to dive into his psyche/back story - so I'm really grateful to have the opportunity to explore that!

The story I'm working on for this isn't complete yet (I'm not sure if it even has a proper title right now :p) but please have this sneak peek by way of an Xmas gift!

___________________________________________________________

Nanami Kento doesn’t hate his job. 

Cogs have no concept of resentment. Cogs rarely have a concept of themselves.

Or of the gears they’re caught in, churning and turning. Teeth fitting into teeth, the mundane devouring of a mechanical maw.

Nanami cranes his neck back and something clicks in his jaw. He winces, an aperture shuttering into astigmatism. Everything is amber-tinted, refracting through crystal tumblers. Through the boozy bokeh, a smoky purr coils around his ears. 

“I was promised a good time y’know.” 

A sigh escapes a mulberry-smudged mouth. A plum, just overripe. Or bruised early. Nanami finds his thoughts inclined towards smears of jam. He swerves sharply away from the idea of acquiring a sample.

“So much for that.” 

The lips don’t plump into the pout he expects. Instead they split into a wild grin, all savage triumph relishing the spoils of battle; Blazers discarded, the abandoned armour of woven reeds gone rotten. Ties and lanyards loosened around wilted collars, with fingers still curled in a death grip around the beer glasses, condensation bleeding into the cuffs around rigor mortis wrists.

Her eyes glitter, surveying the slump of bodies and lolling tongues, shirttails soaking up beer and bravado. She’d seen through them right from the start. The cajoling under the pretext of camaraderie - “It’s good for team spirit, syacho!” someone from sales had simpered while another wheedled, “It’s not like you have a husband to run home to. Enjoy it while you can!” - the goading as rows of shots were shoved into her unresisting hands, then the amused hooting as she slammed them down first, five whole seconds faster than her rivals.  

Their raucous jibes had been eclipsed by her hiccups and giggles, jeering blurring into a cacophony of challenges. 

Who’s next! Who’s next! They chant.

But there was only ever one target. Every man knew. 

Amidst the chorus of compliments for her, an echo of condescension. “Quit bragging, the little lady holds her liquor better than you!”

It’s a feint, this turning on each other, these taunts of masculinity called into question. The truth is primordial, transfigures the pack into a pact. Night wears on, tension coalescing around their truce, straddled somewhere between cooperation and competition.

They each have their own stratagems; a friendly arm slung over her shoulder, a gravitationally-compromised palm claiming the small of her back, essential territory but guarded too soon. Nanami has watched her slip through their fingers all evening, while they were wrapped around one of hers. 

Escape in ecdysis, shedding the coats his co-workers had wrapped over her with a serpentine smile. There’s a certain chimeran charisma to her that the others weren’t wary enough of; a single well-manicured talon pressed to the crease of an arm, lashes fluttering like a falcon taking flight on her breathy laugh, chiding, “There’s no way I’m cold with all this alcohol you guys are plying me with!” 

It would be a longer evening than most, than any of them anticipated, even with their tired routines. Recently hired department heads are the worst. Accustomed to boot polish smiles that keep the axles greased, quaffing just enough to keep the ants underfoot grinding in their mills. But Nanami knows how these things go down with everyone else, these induction rituals of company culture with the fresh-faced graduates, the unassuming secretaries, the summer interns just turned 18.

The revelry is practically rehearsed, the intentions always the same, to strip them of inhibitions. And more, if they’re “lucky”. It’s not like he’s merely witnessed the plays. He’s complicit, even as a calefare. 

Nanami’s old enough to have inklings of when a night will drag on. And just aware enough of how he’s aged to ignore those instincts.

So here he is, observing his new team lead chase down pint after pint, over the rim of whiskeys he’d been nursing, on the sidelines of a sprint no one else realizes will become a torturous marathon.

There’s a residual disgust, clinging like tar to his guts, but mostly Nanami’s desensitized to the way his colleagues openly ogle the gallons disappearing as she tilts her head back, exposing the unmarked column of her neck. Practically salivating, watching her throat grow taut with each effortless swallow, the froth flecking her lips white. 

They had tried everything - tequila, sake, shochu even. All to no avail, her eyes remaining bright and only the slightest slur to the edge of her voice, trilling encouragement as they competed for her favour.

It had been a little amusing, he’ll admit, watching these jackasses’ pantomimed admiration morph into sheer terror at her stamina. 

And now, Nanami’s pinstripes are draped across her shoulders. He doesn’t remember passing his jacket to her at any point, he’d just shrugged it off when it got too warm, the atmosphere too thick with desire curdling into despair. 

On her, it looks less like the final banner unfurled on the battlefield, and more like military regalia. It suits her, he thinks. His lapels fringing the ruffled sleeves of her cream blouse like epaulets, lightly mussed locks tumbling over her neckline. 

He almost misses her murmur, watching her deft hands combing through the dark cascade. 

“So mr last mans tanding, what’ll your prize be?”

He wonders how many times she’s won. He wonders how many times she’s survived. 

“I wouldn’t say no to an extra day of paid leave.”

Amusement reverberates through her, the rich and low hum an antithesis to the airiness of her giggles before. It's an equal affectation, he suspects.

“Request denied, too much administrative fuss.”

Her digits skim the pinstripes tapering up his thighs, cuticles calculative, inching across the lines

“But I have a counter-offer you could still enjoy.”

Tendrils of heat spool in his belly, his focus fraying, the seam of his pants tighter than it was seconds ago.

“Well, a pay raise doesn’t sound bad either.”

“I’m afraid that also isn’t on the table.”

The corner of her mouth twists wry as her fingers creep further toward a breach of subordinate-supervisor decorum. 

“I’m not drunk enough for these antics.”

He grips her wrist, fingers splayed broad and thick against her pulse. She takes a short breath. Nanami pins her with a sharper gaze. It lasts a beat too long. Her mouth draws into a thin line.

And then he follows up, “You aren’t either.” 

Bright, hard points of light flash off her canines; he’s a deer, dazzled and caught in a high beam, blinded by her bared teeth before he feels them cutting into his lower lip, devouring his startled grunt, senses overwhelmed by the contrasting prick of her nails embedded into his chest and the tender grasp of the fine hairs at his nape standing on end. His spine stiffens, gooseflesh rippling over his skin, racing to fight the flush spreading beneath his starched white collar. 

She pulls back, he lurches forward, and in this loss of momentum he sees the parabola of her smirk arc wide. He wears her victory in vermilion stains.

She presses the pad of her thumb over his mouth, plum pigment feathering over his cupid’s bow to notch in the whorls of her fingerprint. Then, she drags it over his Adam’s apple, as it bobs, hard.

“I should clean up this mess,” she tuts. 

Nanami doesn’t have another protest as she pulls him off the bar stool and into a bathroom stall.

A big thank you to everyone in general who supports my terribly inconsistent writing by reading, reblogging or going off in the tags haha. Happy Yuletide! I promise I'll try to update this blog more regularly next year~

As always your comments and feedback mean a lot <3

[fruit-salad-ship]

In the festival spirit how are the trio spending the holidays

Xmas eve was last minute jobs, mostly peach being a busy body making sure things are just right for everyone, off on her own making preparations. Night comes and they curl up indoors, spend time together, drink, play board games, cards, joke around, get some rest, but not before one of them dozes off on the sofa.

The day of will be making sure everything’s fed and watered, work doesn’t stop for Christmas, hardly any staff around, all gone home for the holidays, it’s all on their shoulders. So a crazy amount of breakfasts to make, jobs to do. There’s a few patients in the lab, but luckily Pari doesn’t celebrate Christmas, so she’s able to cover that shift, keep patients happy and watched over. Big dinners for the islanders, gifts brought for as many as possible, even if it’s just a bunch of silly things. Greys at home sorting dinner out, getting the house cosy, plums out helping peach cater to the Pokemon, not that she’s any help in the kitchen at all. By night time, the girls will be exhausted, it’s a lot of work for one day, so a dinner would be welcomed! Peach prepped desert two days prior. They will all eat way too much and lie down on the floor/sofa and recover. Maybe watch a movie, open their gifts to each other, and drink too much. This gift giving includes their own Pokemon gifts too.

Plum grey and peach will all buy a gift for the team mons, and those who live in the house and are super close to the family, so it’s a big process, one they all enjoy.

Probably fall asleep early ish, together in a big pile.

Edit: Oh forgot to add, plums going home to explain the whole…’engaged’ thing to her family in a gentle way, probably between Christmas and new year sometimes, returning for a New Years party back on the island.

[user98347501938475]

what a fun weekend i am currently having. friday morning woke up to no cuddles and steve on his phone he couldnt even look up to say good morning. then i made the mistake of kicking his laundry basket out of my way in the hallway twice so that means i deserve to get some nasty text messages at 6am. great way to start my day having to apologize, again, with no apology to me for anything, for "already ruining his day" and his reply, "you ruin most of em."

this text thread caused me to go into another spiral of depression, suicidal ideation, that i called my mom later that night and ask her to take me to the hospital because i wanted to hurt myself or go get blackout drunk. 22 days sober today btw woohoo!

so after being given the silent treatment all day, i am sitting crying in the office and steve took himself out to sushi, arcade, and movie date. not a care in the world that i said i was feeling suicidal and wanted to kill myself. but my mistake i made the comment you win and all i get in response is doesnt feel like winning. jesus fucking christ your wife is telling you she wants to end her life you dont give a fuck. honestly that was it for me. i dont think any amount of counseling will save this shit show.

for context when steve threatened to take his life early on in our relationship, i was threatening to call the police i was freaking out banging on his door and took all the fucking shoelaces out of his shoes because he said he had just tried to hang himself in his closet. then i stayed with him to make sure he wasnt going to do anything. and this same man doesnt even ask or care where i will be when i tell him ill be gone for three days, a 72 hour hold possibly.

so my mom and the dr said i would be okay to go home and be under supervision for the night LMAO still gonna wanna die tomorrow but okay cool. literally unless you have active cuts or say im going to go home and kill myself they wont give you any help. and just a thought. people who want to die, me specifically, is embarassed that i am such a failure at life that youre going to make me admit to you that i dont want to be here out loud and then be told youre okay go home. i just dont understand how there is no mental help for anyone living in this shithole society.

my future will be divorced and living in a little shitty apartment by myself and never leave and never make any new friendships or relationships because i cannot make friends and date. i have way too much fucking trauma. i mean my husband doesnt care if i die and my only friend, a gay man, but man none the less, cant even drive home to be with me because hes at his moms house getting drunk,(( his mom who wouldnt move her fat ass to bail him out)) .has been using me as a gooddamn vent stress doll because he was going to be arrested and i told him he would be arrested he didnt listen to me or take any of my advice. this friend needs a whole post of his own. but anyway, guess who was taking care of his loud annoying untrained chiuaua until fucking midnight and driving to lake elsinore to get your truck and then go to the bail bonds place, all of which was extremely stressing and then he gets out keeps me up until 2 am to tell me all about how horrible it was, congratulations welcome to the club of being arrested, maybe just maybe you should have listened to your "friend" when she told you how horrible it would be. but youre a fucking moron and thought the cops woould be NICE to you wtaf.

i dont even have the energy or like xmas spirit to put up my tree. i sure as fuck dont want to celebrate the holiday with steve. he cant even understand that i wanted to visit his family just not during the holiday hysteria. so what does steve do? he buys us $2000 worth of plane tickets to leave DEC 23 and return the 27. UHM WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. i guess you heard me but just dont fucking care what i want ever. or his concern for my arthritus and nausea he doesnt fucking care. HIS family is more important than his wife, obviously how could i be so stupid. i will never be anyone prioirty i have to make myself the priority. and he was shady as fuck acting like i thought we were on the same page...... yeah maybe buit we're reading two spearate fucking books dude. idfk how you could think my wife said she doesnt want to travel during the holidays means leave 2 fucking days before christmas.

so now hes going by himself and leaving the day after christmas at noon and then returning NEW YEARS EVE at ELEVEN FUCKING THIRTY AT NIGHT. boy better get a uber home. dont even fucking ask me to drive to LAX or JWA or wherever the fuck you land because you havent even told me which airline you booked, he probably doesnt even know. the way he buys plane tickewts its just whats cheapest on the day i wanna go idgaf about how horrible the time or airline is. but yeah glad that our first new years as a couple, married as well, that we could have had a new years kiss. but you planned to land on new years eve. he just doesnt think or care about anything i care or think about. we are so fucking wrong for each other.

im so glad i can write here since i only get therapy once a week and steve said he doesnt want to hear me "trauma dumping" or if hes already heard the story he doesnt want to hear it again. thank goodness for the void of internet.

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

Have Yourself a Budget Little Xmas

TRIGGER WARNING: Eggnog, the KKK, Lycanthropy, Etc. You know, normal Xmas stuff.

Ho ho ho and happy fucking Cringletide to all you festive wretches out there in the blogosphere (a term that was last relevant in the early 2000s but which I’m going to cling to like a limpet just for the sake of being irritatingly pretentious). It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that the UK is in the middle of a cost of living crisis- meaning that quite a lot of us are having to choose between heating our homes and, er, eating. It’s a bit of a pisser, to say the least, and doubly so around the holiday season. How are you supposed to celebrate Xmas when you have to re-mortgage your own teeth just to get in the weekly shop?  Well, fear not! I have some suggestions for how you can celebrate the holidays affordably… which I’m giving to you now, at half five in the afternoon on Xmas day when they won’t do you any good. Because I’m a prick. Here we go!

1. Make Your Own Eggnog… … By fermenting old shoe leather and drain-cleaner in a tin bathtub. Yes, it’ll probably kill you, but you’ll feel like a proper Yuletide hillbilly and, at the end of the day, isn’t that what the season is really about?

2. Give the Gift of Influenza It’s flu season and, as we all know from the trenches and that last Star Wars film, nothing brings people together like shared suffering. So go forth, contract a virus, and take it home to your loved ones! You can celebrate Yulemas by huddling together, sneezing and complaining about your lurgies. Also, it’ll save money on the obligatory roast dinner, because you’ll all be too sick to eat it!

3. Play a Game This would actually be a dangerously sensible suggestion if I was advocating a rousing round of Cards Against Humanity or some other laugh-out-loud party game. But you know what’s even better than games everyone enjoys and that bring people together? Games that help forge unbreakable bonds by putting you in life or death situations! My personal favourite is the Wink Murder game, played with a silenced Walther .32 calibre pistol.

4. Get Bit, Dawg You know what’s really underrated? Being a fucking werewolf! What does that have to do with Xmas? Well, Xmas is all about familial togetherness- and there’s no family closer or more committed to each other than a werewolf pack. Why spend the holiday season as a weak, fragile human being when you and your loved ones could be out and about as irrepressible lupine monsters, frolicking in the snow and biting the heads off terrified peasants? Now that’s a Cringle’s Day activity the kids will remember and cherish for the rest of their lives. Just remember: lycanthropy is for life, not just for Xmas, so make sure you always know when it’s a full moon afterwards.

5. Steal Some Snow Are you dreaming of a White Christmas? Well, so are the KKK, but in a much more racist way. But that’s besides the point. You can’t make it snow… but you can go and get some snow from someone who has too much and won’t notice it’s missing. I hear Johnny Depp always has some going spare and often forgets to lock his door. To be clear, when I saw ‘snow’, I actually mean cocaine- the most festive drug there is!

6. Start a Santa Night at Your Local Fight Club Because even the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world needs a little holiday spirit at this time of year. Instead of bunking off your fight club meeting to celebrate Xmas this year, why not bring Xmas to Fight Club. Give everyone Santa hats and decides who fights who by pulling crackers! Having a suitably Xmas-y prize for the winner- nothing stupidly expensive, just a nice pair of Xmas socks or something. Go on, it’ll be fun.

7. Punch Chris Chibnall in the Face It’s never a bad time to punch Chris Chibnall in the face… or to set him on fire… or to stand on an overpass with your cock out, wait for him to pass under and then widdle on him from a great height. However, it’s hard to find the time to do these things. With Xmas providing time off for much of the population and a good excuse to treat yourself, why not take advantage of all that to take your revenge. It’s the best present you could possibly give yourself and it’s free!

8. Hide Under Brian Cox’s Xmas Tree and Confess Your Undying Love When he Comes Down on Xmas Morning It’s the perfect gift for both of you! And yes, I know you all thought I’d forgotten about that running joke, but that’s silly. I’m oop North now, and, as the Starks are so fond of reminding us all: the North remembers.

9. Paint Your Own Xmas Baubles And by ‘baubles’, I do of course mean ‘testicles’. You’ll feel reet Xmas-y afterwards. And quite sticky, probably.

10. Liberate Some Turkeys It sucks to be a turkey at Xmas, though the stupid bastards do keep voting for it. Wait, sorry… I’m thinking of the British public, who every five years exercise their right to elect the party most committed to killing them all and issuing in the end of the fucking world (usually the fucking Tories). Hey! That gives me an idea- turkeys deserve to live and the British Public deserve to be deprived of things they love, so why not go and release a bunch of turkeys so they get to live and the endless prat-hoard don’t get to eat them. Just a heads up, though, I wouldn’t leave this one ‘til Xmas day, or you’ll jut be throwing dead, pre-roasted birds over garden fences yelling “be free, my beautifuls!” like a mad cunt.

And that’s it. I could go on… but I won’t. I’ve got my very sexy fiance dozing on the bed next to me, a Xmas dinner being prepped by family members much better at cooking than I am and an episode of Doctor Who from when it was still good to watch. Enjoy the holidays, fuckos: I’m off.

[dee-dee-monster]

Now, normally I would never skip over Halloween to embrace Christmas energy … …BUT!!HOWEVER!!

I’m distracted by the thought of Eddie going all-out for Ugly Christmas Sweaters. He’ll thrift and search and maybe craft something hideous adorable together (I see you with your patches and your vest, sir, now go sew some shit into an XMas sweater!!). And he’d rock that shit.

…now I need to go learn to draw to make this real …

[wistfulrat]

this week’s fics! feat. bakeries, bookshops, bisexual awakenings of the angsty and fluffy sort, wolfstar goddads being tender as hell, desi harry reconnecting with his culture, domestic drarry, a lap dance set to akon’s smack that, and more!

But That’s History by @ebbet - 54k - T Harry Potter starts his first year as Muggle Studies Professor only to find that Draco Malfoy has been hired to teach History of Magic.

listen to me. this is one of the funniest drarry fics i've ever read. i was cackling in my bed at 2am because harry’s internal monologues throughout this fic are unhinged. insanely quotable. “what was he, a lothario” and “you were crushing me with your muscular thighs!” are lines that live rent free in my empty head. harry has never played anything cool a day in his life. there’s a faculty meeting where the teachers are planning the yule ball and debating the merits of a DJ when harry decides he must defend his muggle-music-loving honor by dancing seductively to akon’s smack that while a blushing draco loses his mind. i fucking screamed. and the best part is that in between the comedic scenes threading the overall story, you have extremely tender moments of like, padma patil helping harry become a more rooted desi by sharing their cultural traditions, harry proudly donning his sherwani. draco wrestling with his past, going to harry’s lgbtq+ club for students, being sheepish with ron and hermione. ugh, comedic writers with emotional depth are clever and talented as hell!!

Realities, Unfurling by @ebbet - 45k - M Draco Malfoy is released from Azkaban into a changed world.

incredible collage-fic told from multiple povs. 8yrs post-war and everything’s changed. the current state of the magical world unfolds via slice-of-life snapshots from a truly stunning cast. non-binary harry whom is running a non-prof org dedicated to building tolerance and establishing equality for marginalized identities. post-prison-release draco whose life will be changed by the internet. neville’s tender relationship with blaise. andromeda’s fiercely protective mothering. remus and sirius being alive and very hot and just, the tender goddads harry deserved. cho chang being brilliant. baker pansy’s softened edges. found families abound. harry being flustered by their crush on draco and making personalized playlists on an iPod nano.

that all might sound narratively cluttered but the author more than pulls this off. glorious, start to finish.

Knead by @jovialobservationanchor (an @hd-erised​ fic) - 83k - E This is not a story about Harry renovating Grimmauld Place. This is a story about coffee shops and brewpubs, about Ginny and Luna on a farm with creatures, about magical Oregon, coastal road trips, flying, friendship, and Draco Malfoy's lean arms.

cinematic. a love letter to oregon’s expansive landscapes and lively cities. it’s harry finding home in unexpected places and people. in the vast silence of rolling fields, endless coasts, and starry night skies big enough to feel like you’re adrift in space. and it’s also the lingering, intimate quiet of early mornings in a bakery, sitting on a park bench overlooking the city as you eat ice cream next to your crush. it’s harry watching ginny and luna dance and work around each other like bees. it’s the slow unfolding of harry and draco’s relationship as they fill each other’s quiet. finishing this fic is like waking from a good dream. transporting, immersive, lovely. 

Harry Potter and the Bisexual Awakening by @writcraft - 20k - E Harry is perfectly content being single, heterosexual and living in Godric's Hollow with his very clingy rescue dog, Snitch. When Draco Malfoy turns up on Harry's doorstep demanding that Harry teach him how to drive, things quickly become a lot more complicated.

first of all, i feel very seen by draco being a gay-who-can’t-drive. it’s called representation. but mostly i love the ease of harry and draco’s banter, a flustered harry discovering his sexuality, and the way this fic addresses biphobia. also very emo over this exchange: “I think I might be scared of you, but probably not for the reasons you think.” “Yes.” Draco stares at Harry. “I think I might be scared of you too.”

Forged through flowing water by @tedahfromtayla (an @hd-erised​ fic) - 40k - E When Hermione sets up a diplomatic mission to begin repairing the damage British colonisation did to Indian magical communities Harry isn’t going to pass on the opportunity to visit and help his family’s home country. Maybe he should have asked a few more questions about the personnel she had recruited for it before signing on because Malfoy surely has an ulterior motive to be there.

so much to love about this fic. the beautiful settings, from kolkata to mumbai, to the holi festival and colorful lively streets, to remote cave settlements and old intricate temples. it’s harry in the homeland, reconnecting to his family’s heritage and confronting the weight of imperialism in his history. it’s nipping the white savior complex in the bud. this part: That is what England left behind. That is what it still stands for, despite whatever mask of respectability and honour it presents. . .You don't get to step aside and let someone else deal with the mess. You have to listen and learn and then act, Malfoy, you need to learn how to fix your own mess. This is why we're here. my indigenous ass cheered. HP certainly sells the british fantasy but HP fanfic?? fuck jkr, fuck the crown. i love that this fic doesn’t romanticize england’s history. i love that we get to see the vast resilience and beauty of post-colonial india.

Purity Control by yrfrndfrnkly - 28k - T In which Harry tries to ignore his trauma with fantasy Quidditch but Malfoy's Thereness™ is distracting and all his classmates want to talk about are unicorns, virginity, and Muggle music.

tender 8th year fics where they go from bristly as fuck to understanding and soft 100% guaranteed to make me emo as hell. all the teens have traumas and no one wants to talk about it but eventually Things are Talked About. it’s good of the adults to finally notice. everyone just wants someone to hold their hand. and this part: “You’re the only person around here who’s a bigger mess than I am.” “I thought maybe we could be a mess together,” pls don’t look at me as i weep over their gentle empathy.

Advent, a comic by dustmouth - WIP - T It's Harry and Draco's first Christmas together and Draco is determined to live his full yuletide fantasy, come hell or high water.

dustmouth, patron saint of whimsical drarry. whose illustrations singlehandedly reinvented wizarding fashion. whose cheeky and tender comics are like a soothing balm to the utter depravity of this carnal world. harry and draco being domestic, draco’s xmas spirit brand being “traditional unhinged”!! extremely my shit. we’ll absolutely be reading this all december.

Little Spaces by @dracoladon and @lazywonderlvnd​ - WIP - E Draco's back from France and working on the spell damage ward at St Mungo's with Hermione, who invites him over for dinner. Without telling Harry. This is a roleplay, which means Harry is written by one author (lazywonderland) and Draco by another (dracoladon).

the switch in distinct character voices works so well for this fic!! tonally i feel like i'm watching an episode of the office. i personally love harry and draco being Pissed Off at how much they want to bone each other. the battle of the tapenade was the most riveting dinner scene i've read in a minute. clever, hilarious, emotionally tense. can’t wait until that inevitable moment post hate-sex when they’re gonna be like “oh noooo it’s a Heart Boner as well!! >:((” hell ya we’re subscribing for chapter updates.

Dragons Don’t Know Paradise by @teacup-tai​ - WIP - E In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon.

non-magical bookshop AU. remus and sirius’ relationship is a marvel. the ease of their affection with harry makes me so emo. draco’s friends being insistently present even as he tries to isolate himself. this is a story about acceptance, found families, and falling in love at a distance. the intimacy, the longing, the tenderness. what a fic!! i keep coming back to this part:...he looks at ease, inside his body, a body he needed to fight for. He’d made peace with his struggles and his scars. And Draco realises he wants that. He wants to be at ease inside his body, the body that now carries a virus. He wants to be at peace with his own existence. you hurt for draco so deeply but you get moments like these where he affords himself a kindness that feels foreign and it’s just!! the boys navigating grief and learning to be vulnerable. so good.

[nessa007]

Nessa it’s way too early! 😂

But I LOVE your header and icon. Makes me regret canceling my appleTV subscription cause now I can’t rewatch the Xmas ep!!

first of all, it’s never too early to get into the christmas spirit 😂

second, thank you!!!! 🥰 and if you want you can watch ted lasso for free here

[fibula-rasa]

12 Christmas Films of a Century Past

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to watch somewhere around 50 Christmas and Christmas-adjacent silent films from before 1920 to put together a playlist for you all. So, I hope you enjoy!

I chose these twelve as a representative selection. My general criteria were:

Christmas should be central to the story

The plot should be novel to a modern viewer or something a modern viewer would be surprised to see so early on film

The list on the whole should have a variety of settings and narrative structures

Here’s a direct link to the YouTube playlist if you want to watch them all in one go. (They are all shorter than feature length!)

Two quick presentation notes: 1. Some of the videos have music and some don’t, so you may want to check your volume level. 2. The intertitles for some of these films are not in English, so be sure you have captions turned on for English translations.

See the whole list BELOW THE JUMP!

1. Santa Claus (1898) (UK)

Directed by George Albert Smith

Short and sweet, this film sees children put to bed by their nanny on Christmas Eve and Santa Claus coming down the chimbley to fill their dutifully hung stockings. Director G.A. Smith used his own patented technique of double exposure to show Santa’s arrival without cutting away from the children’s room. Santa Claus might not pack the punch of a Méliès trick film, but it’s a fun novelty and is purportedly the first appearance of Santa Claus on film.

2. The Little Match Seller (1902) (UK)

Directed by James Williamson

This one’s quick but effective adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson tragedy featuring impressively well-coordinated superimpositions.

3. The Christmas Angel (1904) (FR)

Directed by George Méliès for Star Film Company

The Christmas Angel follows an impoverished girl driven into the city to beg on a snowy winter night. First she’s chased away from a church by more seasoned beggars; then she’s thrown out of a poultry seller and harassed by police. On the verge of falling asleep in the snow, a rag-and-bone man rouses her and offers her help. Later, the girl passes out beside a road but is luckily spotted by a wealthy couple on a car ride. When they learn of her plight, they bring her home along with food and gifts.

Though not as fantastical as some of Méliès’ more famous works, The Christmas Angel is still highly stylized (and stylish) and features special effects that photograph beautifully. It’s also worth noting that the version of the film included here is the American cut. The original French cut, titled Détresse et Charité (Distress and Charity), did not include the sequence with the wealthy couple and instead ends with the girl dying in the snow.

4. The Night Before Christmas (1905) (US)

Directed by Edwin S. Porter for Edison Manufacturing Company

This is the first time the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas” was put on film. Loosely following the poem, we see Santa Claus prepare for his yearly trek while a middle-class family prepares for his visit. When Santa heads out, we are treated to an extended panning sequence with a fully painted backdrop for a mini Santa and his reindeer to glide across. When Santa arrives at the family home, he chaotically dumps presents and decorations around their living room and makes a large, decorated tree appear out of thin air. (Across many of the movies I watched to put this post together, this seems to be a favored scenario for the jolly fat man around this time–and it’s delightful.) The family then wakes to find their gifts and the film closes with Santa directly wishing us a Merry Christmas.

5. A Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus (1907) (US)

Directed by J. Searle Dawley and Edwin S. Porter for Edison Manufacturing Company

Even at the risk of this list being too Edison heavy, I couldn’t leave this great short out. While walking with his mother, a rich little boy encounters a poor little girl alone in the cold. They take her home to play and warm up. When the boy learns that the girl doesn’t believe in Santa because apparently Santa doesn’t visit poor children, he hatches a scheme. On Christmas Eve, the boy has a stake out near the fireplace and takes Santa hostage, tying him up and holding him at gunpoint. The boy then forces Santa to visit the girl–going so far as shimmying down the chimney himself to let Santa in the front door. When the girl wakes up to a beautifully decorated tree, new toys, and a full stocking, she can finally believe in Santa Claus. While I’m generally not so into stories about supposedly benevolent rich people, I do love the implications this story has on how Santa Claus works and I also find the means with which the boy gets his way hilarious.

6. Il Natale di Cretinetti / Foolshead’s Christmas (1909) (IT)

and Come fu che l’ingordigia rovino il Natale di Cretinetti / How Greediness Spoilt Foolshead’s Christmas (1910)

and Il Natale di Cretinetti (1911)

Directed by Andre Deed for Itala Film

This entry is a three-for, which I hope you’ll excuse, but I couldn’t decide which Cretinetti Christmas to share! Cretinetti, the comedic persona of filmmaker Andre Deed, is an absolute agent of chaos.

In the 1909 film, Cretinetti attempts to bring a tree home for a Christmas party. The destruction escalates wildly, culminating in an entire building falling to pieces.

If you can believe it, the stakes are even higher in the 1910 film, when Cretinetti can’t resist sneaking out of bed on Christmas Eve to snack on the candy decorating the tree. When Santa sees what Cretinetti has done, he chides him and takes him back to his workshop, which is apparently in heaven. Destruction ensues. Cretinetti then proceeds to cause havoc for Saint Peter, annoying god so much that he calls the devil to come get Cretinetti. Cretinetti is then chased to hell where demons try to cook him alive. Thankfully, spoiler alert, it was all a bad dream and he wakes up on Christmas morning with a terrible stomach ache.

The 1911 film returns to localized chaos. Cretinetti has a run-in with a mail carrier and his Christmas packages get mixed up with one of the carrier’s parcels. The parcel contains three bottles of ether which then begin to emit gasses in the middle of the family Christmas party.

I wasn’t familiar with Cretinetti before reviewing films for this list, but I’m definitely going to seek out more of Deed’s movies. Each of these films had well-executed chaotic slapstick; over-the-top in all the right ways.

7. Making Christmas Crackers (1910) (UK)

Produced by Cricks & Martin Films for Clarke, Nickolls, & Coombs Confectionery

To start, if you’re not sure what a Christmas cracker is, it’s a colorfully decorated paper tube that makes a cracking noise as you pull it open. Inside the tube is a paper hat, a joke, and/or a small toy. It’s a traditional part of UK Christmas celebrations.

This short starts as a documentary of the workers at Clarke, Nickolls, & Coombs constructing the crackers. It’s a fun thought that as early as 1910, people were interested in watching how mass-produced consumer goods were made. It’s also fun to see these skilled workers ply their trade so deftly (even though I’m sure wages and working conditions were less than ideal). The film ends with a family celebrating around a Christmas tree topped with a functional giant cracker.

8. A Christmas Carol (1910) (US)

Directed by J. Searle Dawley for Edison Films Manufacturing Company

There are so so so many film adaptations of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol made before 1920 that it was hard to choose which one to include on this list. In the end I chose this 1910 version for its economy of storytelling, fluid use of special effects, and for Marc McDermott’s great performance as Scrooge.

9. Broncho Billy’s Christmas Dinner (1911) (US)

Directed by Gilbert M. Anderson (Broncho Billy) for The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company

Gilbert M. Anderson was an incredibly prolific and popular filmmaker and star of early American film, particularly in his role as Broncho Billy. As was typical for Anderson, he’s pulling triple duty on Broncho Billy’s Christmas Dinner as the star, director, and producer. The film features a simple and heartwarming story.

On Christmas, Billy comes across a young woman in peril as her horses got startled and are now pulling her cart along wildly. Billy manages to wrangle the horses and in gratitude she invites him to Christmas dinner at her parents’ home. Unfortunately, her father happens to be the sheriff. But, all is well, as it turns out that Broncho Billy’s been given a pardon and the sheriff welcomes him to the table gladly.

The enduring appeal of outlaws or criminals getting into the Christmas spirit is fascinating to me and it’s cool to see such an early instance of the story!

10. Le Noel de la princesse / The Little Princess’s XMas Gift (1911) (FR)

Produced by Société Générale des Cinématographes Éclipse

In all honesty, this is the least Christmassy of all the films I included here, but its style and novelty stood out. The sets, costuming, and production design are lush. It might also be one of the weirdest Christmas stories I’ve even encountered.

After Lord Othberg passes away, the conniving Otto plans to assassinate the baby prince in order to inherit the lordship himself. He poisons the baby, but the princess prays for her baby brother to come back to life as her Christmas gift. An angel appears to her and they summon Jesus, who resurrects her baby brother. Of course, they then place the revivified baby in the castle’s nativity scene, to the joy of all but Otto.

11. Ida’s Christmas (1912) (US)

Directed by Van Dyke Brooke for Vitagraph Company of America

With a more classic Christmassy story, Ida’s Christmas tells us of a family who are facing hard times. Ida (played by a very small Dolores Costello) has her eyes on a pricey doll. Meanwhile, her mother seeks out employment with a wealthy family. The matriarch of the wealthy family overhears Ida’s wish and decides to buy the doll for her as a surprise. Later, Ida is distraught to find that the doll has been purchased but comes across a wallet that someone has dropped. She considers taking the money, but chases down the owner instead. The old man gives her some reward money for returning the wallet. Ida rushes to see if she can buy the doll, but has second thoughts when she thinks about how much her family could use the money. She arrives home with the money just in time for a Santa-esque old man to show up bearing packages and an assurance that the wealthy family has work for her father. The film ends with the family celebrating an unexpectedly Merry Christmas.

It’s a sweet story that hits so many beats of what we now consider traditional Christmas tales.

12. Rozhdestvo obitateley lesa / The Insect’s Christmas (1913) (RU)

Directed by Władysław Starewicz for Khanzhonkov

Fair warning, if you thought The Princess’s XMas Gift was odd, you might need to ready yourself for this one. Stop-motion virtuoso Władysław Starewicz (Ladislas Starevich) spins a tale about a tiny ornament of Santa/Ded Moroz coming to life on Christmas and going out into the wild to bring Christmas joy to creatures small and smaller, including a frog and a ladybug. Starewicz’s animation is as impeccable as ever and the short is imaginative and quirky.

[dinogoofy]

I'm back darling~ this time I'd love sth for Cassie & her female bestie 😁 bc the xmas is near so Imma give u these prompts: 'I’m a grown adult. I don’t want to take a picture with Santa Claus', 'Hey, want to help me get my parents off my ass about not having a date?'. Have a good day!

Had a ton of fun with this one, hope you enjoy!!!

Cassie Cage x F! Reader

Meeting the parents- I mean, meeting Santa.

----

It was a cold, quiet morning in your apartment. You were enjoying a warm cup of coffee in the early hours, a cheezy hallmark move playing on your TV as you try to work yourself into the holiday spirit. It had been a long year. Your phone dings once, but you ignore it, too focused on who was going to marry Santa. When it kept going off you finally checked it with a sigh.

Cassie-lassy

Hey

Hey, can I ask a favor?

Stop watching Christmas movies and answer me

Cassie was your best friend, but you weren't sure if you liked where this was going.

How did you even know that?

Anyway, whats up?

My parents are throwing a Christmas party this week and are hounding my ass about a date.

And?

Do u think u could pretend to be my gf, just for a day? Just to get them to leave me alone.

You almost choked on your coffee when you read the text. Damn, hallmark movie coming true? Your heart fluttered a bit. Cassie was your best friend. You didn't have feelings for her! That was ridiculous. All she needed was a... friend-to-friend favor. Plus, her dad was super rich, they were totally going to have good food.

Sure, when?

Uh, today good?

The lack of planning was exactly what you should've expected from Cassie. You laughed and drug your hands across your face, she was so lucky that you had the day off.

Bleh, ok. Ur dad better have some good food.

U bet ur ass! Pick u up at 6.

You laughed, and slowly picked yourself off the couch. You hoped that you still had an ugly sweater somewhere in your closet.

The time flew by unfortunately fast. You were rushing to gather your things as Cassie at outside in her 1965 red stingray corvette, (with a mako body) you loved that car so much. You couldn't help but geek out everytime you see it, but alas, there was definitely no time for that today. You frantically locked your apartment as you ran down the steps.

"Sorry I'm late!" Cassie laughed as you got in the car, and that awful flutter feeling returned. Oh no. This is not happening.

"Its chill, I doubt Dad will care if we're late to his party anyway." Your eye twitched, smile still wide on your face. You liked to be on time no matter where you were going, and by the look she was giving you you knew that Cassie said that just to annoy you. You rolled your eyes at her as she took off, the rumble of the car's engine instantly calming you.

Damn. You had never seen a house that big. As Cassie rolled through the big gates you continued to gawk at the beautiful architecture.

"I knew your dad was rich but, seeing how rich he is... is..."

"I know right? He moves into a new house almost every 6 months almost. Each one is bigger then the last one." You felt light headed just imagining how it must feel to have so much money. By the time Cassie parked and the two of you walked to the big doors, you could hear people loud and clear inside the house. This was way different then the tiny little Christmas reunions you were used too.

"I might throw an arm around you and call you nicknames a bit to make it seem legit, are you ok with that? I'm already asking a lot by getting you to come with me in the first place, the last thing I want is for you to be uncomfortable." You laughed.

"Cassie it's fine, all that comes with the 'pretend girlfriend' package." She sighs in relief, knocking on the door.

"Just making sure."

The door opens after a few moments, Cassie's mother answering the door, delighted at the sight.

"Cassie you made it just in time! Your dad just got his Ninja Santa costume out of storage. You should- oh, who is this?" You shyly waved, face flushing more from the situation than the cold. You were glad you were already blushing when Cassie links her fingers through your own.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend." Her mom's face lights up, but you would be lying if you said her obvious military posture and build didn't intimidate you. You introduced yourself and shook her hand with your free hand, making sure to shake with a firm grip.

"Its great to meet you. I was wondering when Cassie was going to bring someone home." Cassie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as you awkwardly laughed. Her mom, Sonya, invited the two of you in. Your jaw almost dropped at the inside of the house.

The house was incredibly decorated. Wreaths, lights, an army of elves on the shelves, everything you could think of that spoke Christmas. A giant buffet on the right side of the room and a giant tree in the center of it all.

"Holy shit Cas," you wispered, she giggled squeezing your hand.

"I know right. They overdo it every year."

The rest party was amazing. You met many of Cassie's friends and family friends from the special forces. Kids were livey and running around the place. Even though the mansion and beautiful and intimidating, everything seemed to speak family to you. Every once in a while you would catch Cassie staring at you, but she would always wave you off, face flushing. It couldn't be an actual blush though, this was all an act, right?

"Ho ho ho, Ninja Butt-kicker Santa Claus has arrived!" A voice boomed from the center of the room. Adults laughed while children screamed with delight, booking it towards the gaint tree. Cassie sighed in embarrassment.

"I was beginning to wonder when dad would show up." You tried hard not to laugh when you dragged her to the middle of the room, catching a glimpse of her dad's "holiday spirit".

Kids hopped on his lap one by one, telling him what they want for Christmas, and (probably thanks to their parents,) each one was giving the wanted present and a fake ninja-star. You had thought every child was given a present and taken a picture, so surely he was going to "retire" for the night, right?

"Ho ho ho, Santa thinks that one, special little girl has yet to take a picture." He looked straight at Cassie and winked. She immediately recoiled.

"No. No no no. I'm a grown adult, I don't want to take a picture with Santa Claus." Everyone chuckled around the two of you. And Sonya walked over to push her into the center of the room with her dad, camera firm in her hands. Cassie sent an embarrassed look your way as she was forced to sit on Santa's lap.

"And what would you like for Christmas Cassie Cage?" Cassie looked like she wanted to melt away form her spot. Only answering because she had to.

"I don't want anything Da- Santa." Her Dad let out another Jolly, fake laugh.

"Sure you do! Santa knows everything, you know!" He hands her a small box, and winks at her.

"You know what Santa wants for Christmas? Grandkids." The crowd laughed, and your face immediately flushed a dark red, Cassie almost looking the same way. She covered her face as she hopped off her Dad's lap and speedwalked back to you without even opening the box.

The rest of the party went by so fast, and before you knew it, the two of you were walking back to her car in the cold.

"This was a ton of fun cas," She laughed, you wondered if she knew that you were still holding hands.

"Yeah, I'm glad you came with me. Sorry if my parents were a little overbearing." You shrugged, letting her know that it was fine. The silence after was unbearable. You wondered for a moment if you should ask her out. The party was nice, really nice, but it was honestly just because you were 'pretending' to be her girlfriend. You think she might've thought so too. You opened your mouth to speak, but she beat you to it.

"Hey, so, what if we made this whole... 'fake girlfriend' thing, a 'real girlfriend' thing?" You blushed, giving her hand a comforting squeeze.

"I think I'd like that." Her face lit up with a smile, squeezing your hand back. She stuck her hand in her pocket, and looked surprised for a moment, stopping in her tracks to pull out the box from earlier.

"I forgot about this thing."

"Mabye you should open it?" She let go off your hand to gingerly untie the bow, taking the lid off the box and tucking it underneath it. Her face flushed.

"It's mistletoe." Your face flushed in return. So thats what he ment. Cas started to nervously mumble something, closing the lid on the box, but you held a hand over hers before she put it away.

She instantly kissed back when you leaned in to complete the tradition. The gentle moonlight kiss becoming the only Christmas miracle you needed.

You were definitely living in a hallmark movie.

[witchcraftingboop]

So I read your piece on oaths in uncvltured and it got me wondering about “oaths” I made when I started witchcraft and was very young. I made a promise, or a commitment, to Freja (mostly to do with continued worship) which I didn’t uphold when I was about 13 or 14. It wasn’t strictly an oath I don’t think but then I don’t know much about what qualifies as an oath. I made another to Persephone which was also to do with continued worship, which I have upheld in that I continue to worship her (1/2)

although my worship is months apart at a time. I’ve started to worry about if I have broken oaths, and what I can do about it if I have. I don’t want to have broken an oath, but then what do you do if you made and broke an oath very early on in your practice? Do gods, or spirits, take oaths seriously if you don’t really know what you’re talking about? Can you make amends? Should you? I would really appreciate your time in providing some advice. Much thanks, and merry Xmas if you celebrate. (2/2)

Oaths are quite serious, and ignorance of what they actually entail does not do you any favors or give you a way out of upholding them. You can be an Oathbreaker at any age; in my experience, few deities can be bothered to take the promises of actual children seriously, but that doesn't mean your oath wasn't accepted and expected to continue as agreed upon. I can't honestly tell you if your actions have left you marked, as I don't know you or whether or not what you did was actually taking/making an oath.

If, for some reason, you decided to swear something - a deed, a service, a piece of yourself, etc. - to a deity, but never divined on how they would prefer you go about doing it or even whether they thought that it was a well timed decision, then there's even less advice I can give you. A pact with a deity especially is a two-way street.

As for making and breaking an oath early on. The point on your path when you break an oath seldom ever matters. It is the act of breaking it that does. Child, young adult, sage - if you made it, actually truly did, and you broke it, then, as I said, you are marked, scarred. Children are rarely ever allowed to take oaths, but it's certainly not unheard of. And it may seem harsh, but "not knowing what you're talking about" isn't enough to rid you of the guilt associated with your misdeed. You knew enough to seek out the divine, and that is damning evidence enough. The time of it does not matter; in the long run, you are an Oathbreaker. Time is even more a construct in the eyes of the divine, and you are forever judged by them by what you choose to do and not do, watched or unwatched.

Now let's be more 'real world application' about this, shall we?

It's likely, judging from the breadth of questions you've posed, that you didn't take an oath. And even moreso that, even if you had tried, it wasn't done properly or fully. But, on the off chance that you managed it, then there's really only one option for you:

Ask.

Not I or some other practitioner. Ask the deity you tried to pact with. If there are bad feelings, if you have indeed been held accountable for breaking your word, then ask for ammends. Try to find out if there is something you can do to lessen the impact. I find it silly that you'd ask if you should try to make ammends; my article, I thought, was fairly clear on how serious it is to be a warlock. There are easier ways of living.

In some cases, you might be required to continue on with what you promised - whether that be daily or weekly offerings of prayer and food at their altar or, because of how infrequent your worship seems to be, monthly even. In others, you may have to go through a trial of sorts.

It is more than likely though that, judging from what you've put forth, if you still don't know or are unsure of what an oath actually is, then you've probably never made one. But fools have stumbled upon rocks and found gold, so you can never be too certain.

[diverse-hearts-moved]

Xmas Threads!

I know that the mid of november may be way too early for some but my depressive ass wants to get into the festive spirit! SO - I will be posting a few holiday themed memes probs on Friday when I have @dawnxtoxdusk​ hopefully up and running but for now :

Can people like/comment if they’d be interested in something Xmasy themed?

I’d like to keep it to two muses per blog, per person.

These threads will be super focused on while I work on other things in the background etc - Any questions let me know! I’ll probs poke you if you like/comment here ~ all post relating to Xmas will be tagged - Xmas 2020 - for those who wish to blacklist.

[randomoranges]

here we go, the summer retrospective no one actually asked for lol

Seeing as I’ve done this summer retrospective for years, back on the old LJ and did it here last here, I thought I’d do it again. It’s under a cut, because this is for me, but like feel free to read through it and judge me, I guess lol. 

 This summer was weird. In so many ways. For starters, it was my shortest summer in a really long time – if ever, minus the year I worked at McGill. The end of the school year dragged on for like 3 weeks and by the time it actually ended, it took me, retrospectively, another 3 weeks to recuperate from it. I ended up replacing a teacher who got Covid in November and never came back and the group was hard as hell and that took a gigantic toll on me – emotionally and physically and mentally. This entire year was a shit show of stress and “anxiety”, so that was - fun. On top of that, there were also places I wanted to go to/go back to that unfortunately closed because of the pandemic.

 Then, just as I was getting into the spirit of summer, the last leg of it decided to test all my emotions at once and that was another roller-coaster.

 July was grey and overcast and I’m sure that also didn’t help.

 Regardless, I still managed to do quite a few things, so here’s the list – for my own benefit, obviously. I know it seems like A Lot, but keep in mind I was off for 7 some weeks and some things were grouped within a day.

 Ice cream places visited: Iconoglace, Hocheglacé, Unicone, Meu Meu, Armoire à glaces, Kameha, Riverside, Havre aux glaces, Pineault, Chocolat favoris, Calem, Koba, Sachère desserts, Ice cream glacée

 I caught up again with the photo albums.

 Got the second dose of the vaccine

 Restaurants and food: Pigeon café, Espadon, Paramount, Sushi Sama, Thai Express, Drogheria Fine, Gérard, La Beignerie, Mitch Deli, Slice & Soda, Sushi Shop, Bête à pain, Guillaume, Parfum d’Asie, Ma poule mouillée

 Outings and Activities: La Ronde, La grande roue, Downtown, Chinatown, Pointe à Callière, Old Port, Oratoire St-Joseph, Square Victoria, Avenue Mt-Royal, Hochelaga, watched the meteor shower and saw some on two nights, Jean-Talon Market, walked on the back of Mont-Royal, supper at Gougoune’s, Mt-Tremblant, La fromagerie St-François, boat ride, Georgie’s House – twice!, le Petit navire, plage du Quai de l’Horlogex3, Bassin Peel, Atwater Market, Pink & Green house, walked in the Village, Habitat 67, lookout du Quai de Montréal, Sunflower farm

 Friends and hangouts: Somehow or other, I managed to make new friends on the day that I went to the museum and on le Petit navire. I also had one dinner with my camp crew, went to La Ronde with a friend I hadn’t seen in years, had dinner with another friend and ice cream with another.

 I ran into some old friends from camp at the pool, a friend from school at the la Grande roue, and a friend from university while I was out and about. (And two students – one from 6 years ago and another from this past year. Lol.)

 Dad and I finally built the new shed. I fixed my Mom’s mug.

 Pool: 11x – the municipal pool I used to go to when I worked at camp reopened and they did a really good job on it.

 In the early stages of summer, the Habs were still in what feels like a fever dream of a playoff run and I decided to splurge and get my name added on my jersey.

 Painted nails: 3

 Painted plant boxes: 5

 I took care of my plants and added a few more to the collection.... oups. I also grew sunflowers from seed – and barely got to enjoy them as they unfortunately got eaten L

 Despite everything, I managed to write some fics and work on some AUs, but I would have liked to do more.

 I also managed to do some art, but even that felt like it wasn’t the amount of what I would have liked.

 I chilled in my hammock as well.

 I went on some bike rides, but equally feel that compared to past years, I didn’t go as often or as far as usual...

 Reading (re): Antique Bakery, I splurged and bought all the Sailor Moon mangas and read them, booklet on SAQ, No Time like the Future, started two other books as well that I did not finish.

 Watched: Sailor Moon 90s anime, We are Lady Parts!, caught up on some stuff on the PVR, Schitt’s Creek, Green Book

 Mended stuff that had been waiting for ages for some TLC

 Started the MOOC on Indigenous Studies

 FINALLY FINISHED FAKE FIGUARY.

 Finished updating my plant documents. Finally.

 Went to see my auntie I hadn’t seen since – Xmas 2019 lol. Went to my godparents’ house, and mom’s friend came over for dinner.

 And obviously, did some puttering around and cleaning at home and such. Got stuff ready for the new school year...

 All in all, this summer had its moments. The fact that I knew where I was going to be working before the end of summer kind of was a good and bad thing. Obvs knowing where I’d be was good, but it also didn’t let me fully disconnect. Inevitably, I felt as though I was already behind but I firmly told myself that no – I was on vacation, too bad for the rest.

 I was also able to do some things that I’d never done before – visit landmarks of the city that I hadn’t seen before and that was nice. Going back to eat at a restaurant was nice and going up north for the day was pleasant. I would have liked to see more of my friends, but it seems everyone is allergic to hanging out and too busy for me lol. Still, I feel like this summer was all over the place. Between the weather – which wasn’t our usual, the state of things in the world and my own mood, it was – ok, but could have been better.

 Tomorrow I go back to teaching and with the pandemic still going, I’m annoyed that whatever hype I had has been slowly eaten away by the general stupidity of people in regards to Covid. But that’s an issue for another day.

 Here’s to you summer 2021, until next time.

[awhilesince]

Tuesday, 11 December 1838

8 10/..

12 1/4

fine white frosty morning – and seen out at 9 1/4 at which hour Fahrenheit 40 1/2° and breakfast in 3/4 hour –

then had Mark Hepworth who had waited ten minutes – paid me for the 3 horses sold yesterday at Bradford fair – (no! Mangnal sold at home before he (Mark) went to Bradford) – the gray (bought in 1835? of Cooper, York) £12.18.0 Blind gin (had put out a jack spavin £6.3.0 and Mangnal £9.10.0 and the 2 pigs £5 with a turn again of 1/. which I of course gave Mark and gave him a sovereign for his Trouble of selling the horses – will lend me one of his till he gets me one – thinks of going to York fair next week –

then had Holt for a moment – thought he had best see what Harper at the Stump X Cross would board and lodge Mr Hird’s Engine-men for – Had Throp – stood talking outside the door – and then left A– [Ann] to see his bill settled while I had Joseph Mann about his account during the time he was waiting of Robert Norton’s making him a straight edge for the Engine men who begin today to put up the Engine – Holt called for a minute on returning – Harper will board and lodge the men at 12/. a week each man – reasonable enough for he says they will want five pints of beer a day –

A– [Ann] rode off to Cliff hill at 11 1/2 – I wrote the above of today – and at accounts till 1 when went down to Mr Parker for about 40 minutes – came to know whether I would put off navigation stock selling to 1 February at 431 per share upon which I should have no Expense it being for a Mrs Wells who lived away years as housekeeper with the late Mr Wiliam Mitchell of Booth Town – selling at present 3 1/12 shares at 440 = 1356 – Expense 7 = £1349 + the interest to 1 February = at 4 per cent say one month £4.10.0 Ditto ditto at 431 = 1329 + 9 per cent dividend 28 = £1357 no Expense but loss of interest – to let Mr Parker know Tomorrow night whether to sell immediately or not

Told P– [Parker] the story of Greenwood’s stopping his midsummer’s rent towards his bill for papering etc at Northgate – and desired him to see him G– [Greenwood] about the Northgate land rent which is to be placed to his account – said the H–x [Halifax] fields ought to be £16 per annum – hoped to be able to pay Mr Wainhouse £500 this Xmas or beginning of next year –

Messieurs Busfield incumbent of Coley and Mr Wilson church warden waited almost from the 1st of Mr Parker’s coming – came to ask A– [Ann] and myself to subscribe towards warming Coley church – I declined for myself said I would Tell Miss W– [Walker] but that if she chose to give anything she would send it – and if not, they would suppose she intended to decline like myself giving anything – 3 or 4 minutes with the gentlemens –

then out with Robert Mann – 1000 bricks wanted for the Engine house at Listerwick – to be taken from the pile left in the garden – out with Robert – with him in the ground above the low fish pond (with Robert from 12 50/.. to about 1 1/2 when came back expecting Holt) – and at the Conery – walling 5 feet high against the Allen Car and against the upper Conery would be 5/. a rood – 10 loads (2 horse) per rood of stone – would be 9d [pence] a yard getting at Hipperholme quarry – would go 7 times a day to bottom of Allen Car – and 6 I should think to the Conery –

had just written the last 20 lines at 2 p.m. – then at accounts and memoranda till 2 40/.. having had small parcel from Mr Harper York continuing working drawing for Tower study Chimney piece and 2 pages civil letter – enclosing the account of Messieurs Sturgess that I had the other day – Booth had best send his accounts before Mr H– [Harper] comes – will be here on Wednesday the 18th instant –

‘Have you seen the inscriptive embellishment Mr Crossland has affixed to the external frieze of the large room at Northgate? I wrote to him about it, but instead of removing it he only changed the letters from black to gold – I told him if he had not had your sanction, I thought you would not approve of it and I suppose he thought golding the letters would make them more palatable’ –

As C– [Crossland] chooses to embellish his own way, I will let alone mine – I will do no more – neither paint nor anything – I conclude he suits the taste of his customers – I have not seen the place since my return – Had just so far at 2 50/.. – It seems to me that

3 1/12 shares at £440 = 1356.0.0

1 months interest at 4 per cent 4.10.0

1360.10.0

Expense 10/. per cent on purchase) monthly to be paid to Mr Ridsdale) common on selling suppose) 7.0.0

1353.10.0

3 1/12 shares at £431 = 1329.0.0

9 per cent x months Dividend 27.15.0

1356.5.0

no Expense save loss of) 1 months interest) 4.10.0

1352.5.0

wrote to Messieurs P– [Parker] and A– [Adam] tonight to say Sell immediately – had just written and determined thus at 3 5/.. –

from 3 1/4 to 4 10/.. wrote 3 pages to Mrs Duffin –

‘Shibden hall – Tuesday 11 December 1838. my dear Mrs Duffin – It was very good of you to write to me so soon – I am sorry to say, you may be sure I want you to do me some favour, or my own idle pen would not greet you again thus early – But I give you trouble, I must set down a word or two that concern me more at heart than all I have to ask for – I had no idea that yourself and Mr Duffin had suffered so much, – the one from idleness, the other from musing and anxiety – I do hope with all my spirit that we may recover our strength entirely, the utmost strength one can expect, at 68, and that even at a perceived twenty years later, a life so valued as that of our excellent friend, may still eke out for some while longer – I owe much to Mr Duffin – I know, and think of, am grateful for it – and, come when it may, the hour that must deprive us all of him who has done so much for us and many, you will not perhaps have truer sympathy from others than from me – But give my love, and kind regards, and say for me all you think will be most agreeable – I am glad Isabella received my letter – tell her with my love, it would give me great pleasure to hear from her; but I neither think of nor expect it – I should be glad to see her here – but ….. now for domestic wants and troubles – may I ask you to send Thomas to the Register offices (unless he knows somebody likely to suit us) to inquire for a footman – and may I ask you still more? to see the man, and do for us as you would do for yourself (if you dare dare so much) assured of thus thus doing us the greatest service – the wages and clothes you would give – the requisites you would require – honest, sober, willing to stay at home, good temporaril ‘if such good luck may be within reach – the house is still so unfinished, that a stranger would suppose all yet to do – It is my miserable task for oak-wainscot that is in fault – but in an eight-centenary house like this, I like not plaster and paper – we have hardly them to stir in – Think of us without maid, (left our Frenchwoman in Paris) footman, good cook or good kitchen maid – Yet we have roast necks of mutton, and cutlets, and the like, and keep body and soul together by dint of a certain good fellowship between the latter not dependent upon dainty eating – I am glad how Eliza Raine is so well – I have brought my papers from Paris, but have not had time to look into them – But for you, I do not think I should give myself one moments trouble on the subject of the eventual disposition of her property – I may not survive her – I cannot fancy Mrs Anne looking too old to have at least some reminder of prettiness! – I remember her only as she used to be – I wish I could do this kindness to all the world – Love to Mr Duffin and the Norcliffes, etc Ever affectionately yours AL– Anne Lister Miss Walker’s kind regards’ –

had just written so far at 4 35/.. – then wrote ‘Messieurs P– Parker and A– Adam solicitors H–x [Halifax]’ Shibden hall – Tuesday evening 11 x December 1838 –

‘Sir – I think you had best sell the navigation stock immediately – I am, Sir, etc etc etc A Lister’ –

A– [Ann] returned about 4 3/4 and staid with me a few minutes – then went downstairs and gave the working drawing of the Tower Chimney piece – out in the farm yard a few minutes with John – A– [Ann] sent for me – she wrote to Mrs William Henry Rawson to say Mrs Ann Walker much better and would be glad to see her any time –

dinner at 6 1/4 – coffee between 8 and 9 – skimmed over the paper – came upstairs at 10 35/.. – fine day – thick fog in the afternoon from between 3 and 4 – Fahrenheit 40° in my study at 10 35/.. p.m. – with A– [Ann] till after 12 –

Samuel Booth poorly – John took to the post this evening my letter to ‘Mrs Duffin Petergate York’ and my note to P– [Parker] and A– [Adam]

reference number: SH:7/ML/E/22/0079, SH:7/ML/E/22/0080

[diverse-hearts-ocs-a]

Xmas Threads!

I know that the mid of november may be way too early for some but my depressive ass wants to get into the festive spirit! SO - I will be posting a few holiday themed memes probs on Friday when I have @dawnxtoxdusk​ hopefully up and running but for now : 

Can people like/comment if they’d be interested in something Xmasy themed? 

I’d like to keep it to two muses per blog, per person (exception being for Strelitzia with Socke since she’ll no doubt automatically be in threads with Miran anyways xD)

These threads will be super focused on while I work on other things in the background etc - Any questions let me know! I’ll probs poke you if you like/comment here ~ all post relating to Xmas will be tagged - Xmas 2020 - for those who wish to blacklist.