#all fandoms christmas festival 2024

[accidental-spice]

My final contribution for the @all-fandoms-christmas-festival , Day #7: Free Day!! I did a few sketches of an AU idea @kanerallels and I came up with: A While You Were Sleeping x Brettsey AU, because I'm still obsessed with Chicago Fire

[kazoosandfannypacks]

"christmas time again" beauty and the puppet moodboard for @all-fandoms-christmas-festival

[goldfades]

⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 ₊ ⊹ ♡ ᥫ᭡ TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!

STARTING DECEMBER 13, 2024 TIL DECEMBER 25TH !!

⎯ hello, everyone! welcome to my celly! in celebration of christmas, i'll be doing a 12 days of christmas blurb fest featuring some of my favorite fandoms! each day will bring a festive theme, cozy vibes, and a touch of romance.

⎯ i will also be doing an ask segment, where you'll be able to send me an emoji, an idea (from my list, or your own) + a prompt!

AND the holidays approach, it’s important to remember those who are facing hardships, such as the people of palestine. in times of crisis, solidarity matters more than ever. you can support palestinian communities by donating to reputable organizations providing aid, such as food, medical supplies, and shelter.

amplifying their voices on social media, supporting palestinian-owned businesses, and educating others about the situation can make a big impact. every action, big or small, helps create a ripple effect of hope. let’s spread compassion and stand together for justice, especially during this season of giving!

here are some links that can help, thank you for reading and helping palestine!!

help palestine with a click | heal palestine | unrwa | resources for palestine

⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐒𝐄𝐆𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 ; send me a 🎀 for a blurb !!

prompt lists you can choose from! happy little holiday scenarios for your otp , a collection of various settings for drabbles or prompts, or both! , christmas prompts

⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐑𝐁 𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓 ; 12 blurbs for the 12 days of christmas!

12/13/24 ➜ DAY ONE ft. matt rempe | SLIPPING INTO YOU Matt drags you to the local ice rink. Matt is a natural skater, while you can barely stand without falling. Cue laughter, clumsy hand-holding, and lingering touches as they help each other stay upright (though, that doesn't do much)

12/14/24 ➜ DAY TWO ft. rafe cameron | UNDER THE MISTLETOE At a posh Tannyhill Christmas party, you get caught under the mistletoe with none other than Rafe Cameron. Friends egg you on, but what starts as a joking kiss turns into something much deeper.

12/15/24 ➜ DAY THREE ft. jack hughes | CLASSIC ONE-BED TROPE A planned weekend getaway turns into an extended stay when a blizzard traps you and their your long-time crush, Jack in a cozy cabin. With only one bed and a fireplace for warmth, your unspoken feelings finally come to light.

12/16/24 ➜ DAY FOUR ft. quinn hughes | TANGLED UP IN YOU You and Quinn team up for a late-night gift-wrapping session. Between ripped paper, forgotten tape, and silly arguments about the “right” way to wrap, your laughter turns into a moment of quiet intimacy.

12/17/24 ➜ DAY FIVE ft. paige bueckers | HOME FOR CHRISTMAS You join Paige in Minnesota for her family’s Christmas celebration. From sledding on frozen lakes to drinking her favorite hot cocoa, you see the side of Paige that only comes out at home, and it feels like she’s letting you into her world

12/18/24 ➜ DAY SIX ft. jude bellingham | SANTA'S FAVORITE FORWARD After his last game before the holiday break, Jude finds you in the stands wearing his jersey and a Santa hat. He runs to you and lifts you into a hug, promising he’s all yours for Christmas. Insisting on cooking Christmas dinner for you (despite his lack of experience), the kitchen turns into chaos, but his determination to impress you makes it the best meal you’ve ever had.

12/19/24 ➜ DAY SEVEN ft. luke hughes | CHRISTMAS TREE FARM You and Luke visit a Christmas tree farm to pick out the perfect tree. Between wandering through rows of evergreens and Luke lifting you to reach the top branch, your chemistry becomes undeniable.

12/20/24 ➜ DAY EIGHT ft. jack hughes | SWEET LIKE YOU You and your boyfriend, Jack have a cookie-decorating contest against his friends and their partners. The guys get way too competitive, but your boyfriend insists your messy cookies are “art.”

12/21/24 ➜ DAY NINE ft. joe burrow | WHERE THE HEART IS The reader invites Joe to their hometown for Christmas. Amid festive parades, ice skating, and meeting the family, sparks fly, and the love interest realizes what “home” truly means.

12/22/24 ➜ DAY TEN ft. nico hischier | HOME ICE ADVANTAGE During a Christmas trip to Nico's hometown, his family challenges you to a backyard hockey game. He’s torn between showing off his skills and helping you win against his competitive siblings.

12/23/24 ➜ DAY ELEVEN ft. auston matthews | UNDER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Auston hides an engagement ring in an ornament, and while you’re decorating the tree, he gets down on one knee.

12/24/24 ➜ DAY TWELVE ft. paige bueckers | BEST SECRET OF ALL Paige loves outdoing everyone, and when it’s time for the team’s Secret Santa exchange, her overly thoughtful gift for you makes it clear she’s paying extra attention. You scramble to figure out how to match her energy.

★ merry christmas to my babies!!! i hope everyone enjoys, and cheers to a new year, and many more together 🫶🏼

© goldfades 2023

all materials posted are MINE!!!, i do not give permission for my writing to be posted on ANY other website without my consent. i will report your ass.

[gatheringfiki]

12 Days of Christmas - 2024!

Hello,

We’re back with your favourite event of the festive season!

We would like to invite you to help us decorate our virtual fandom Christmas tree! With shiny, new, delicious content!

Bear with us, we’ll try to explain:

Fanart = Baubles

Fanfic = Paper chains

Photosets = Lights

This will make sense in a minute, we promise.

I would like to participate as a writer:

Step 1: Message @linane-art to request one of our festive photosets*. You can do so between now and 13th of December - no sign up needed.

Step 2: Write something based on the photoset. Minimum 700 words, no max, Fili/Kili or any fictional Dean/Aidan pairing. You’ve created a paper chain for our tree.

Step 3: Don’t post it, submit it to us.

Step 4: You can do this again (or as many times as you like), but you must submit one before requesting another.

You must submit at least some ficlets before 13th of December.

You will be offered a chance to continue writing after the 13th of December, but we want at least one complete wave of responses by then, so we can queue our content.

I would like to participate as an artist:

Step 1: Message @linane-art to request a bauble outline template.

Step 2: Within the bauble draw a little fanart. Photomanips are also allowed, but just edits or photosets won’t work for this. Must be Christmas or season-themed (no prompts, do what you like). Fili/Kili or any fictional Dean/Aidan pairing.

Step 3: Don’t post it, submit it to us.

Step 4: You can do this again (or as many times as you like), but you must submit one before producing another.

You must submit at least some fanarts before 13th of December.

You will be offered a chance to continue drawing after the 13th of December, but we want at least one complete wave of responses by then, so we can queue our content.

Decorating the tree:

Between 13th and 24th of December @gatheringfiki will be posting all your creations (decorations)

We will also re-use some of last year’s decorations: a selection of our favourite photosets from last year will be reblogged between 1st and 12th of December to whet your appetie.

Questions, feedback, ideas, comments - please let us know!

~gatheringfiki

*We have 10 photosets ready at this point, the rest is still cooking.

Please re-blog to spread the word! Thank you.

[dead-dolphins]

Dear Reader,

As the year draws to a close and we step into the season of thanksgiving, I want to take a moment to share my deepest gratitude with my loyal readers. Your constant support has been a guiding light through both the challenges of the first half and the defining moments of the second. And now, as a token of appreciation, I'm excited to spread some holiday cheer with a Christmas Drabble Event!

You might be wondering: what exactly is that? Well, here's the fun part: I’ll be crafting personalized drabbles based on your festive prompts—just a little holiday magic to brighten your feeds! 🎁✨

How It Works:

Who Can Participate? Everyone! Whether you’re a long-time follower or just discovering my page, this event is for you. Feel free to share with your friends so we can spread the Christmas cheer! 🎄

What’s a Drabble? A drabble is a very short story, typically 100-1000 words long, that I’ll write based on your prompt. Think of it as a little holiday treat in story form! 🎉

How to Request a Drabble: To get your drabble, simply:

Send me an ask with the following: Prompt or Idea: Whatever you want but read the rules! Theme/Genre: (Optional) Want fluff, angst, humor, or a touch of holiday magic? Tell me what you're aiming for! Example: Prompt: “Mikasa and Eren are snowed in and arguing over how to decorate the cabin for Christmas.” Theme: Humor, lighthearted banter

Event Rules:

One Request Per Person: To keep it fair for everyone.

Identify Yourself: While anonymous requests are fine, think of a way to identify yourself (e.g., using an emoji or nickname like 'baby anon' or 'clover anon') so I can properly address you when posting.

Be Kind and Respectful: This is all about spreading holiday cheer and sharing the love in our fandom!

Patience Is Key: I’ll work hard to deliver your drabbles as quickly as possible, but keep in mind that it’s a busy season.

Word Limit: Drabbles will typically be 100-1000 words. If you have a preferred length within that range, feel free to note it. Requests exceeding 1k words won’t be accepted. If the event receives a high volume of asks, it will be capped at 15 drabbles.

Important Content Guidelines:

I Will Write:

Any headcanon or scenario you can think up! Whether it’s from AUs on my blog or your original ideas, I'm all in—just make sure the prompt comes from you.

I Won’t Write:

CHB content (the storyline isn’t developed enough for scenario requests).

TPP content set after the story’s conclusion (requests are limited to between the wedding chapter and Lucerys’ birth).

No content of the unreleased fics: Castles Crumbling, Mr. Senator, or Venus in Furs.

I won’t be creating prompts from scratch.

Important Dates:

Drabble Requests Opens: [11/19/2024]

Last Day for Requests: [11/22/2024]

Drabbles Will Be Posted: From December 25th, 2024 to January 6th, 2025!

Thank you in advance for joining in and making this year a bit brighter for me. Your support means the world, and I appreciate you more than words can say.

Much love and gratitude!

Ro.

[scfrozenover]

Schitt's Creek Frozen Over Fest 2024

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Hello, frans! Put your toques on and grab your Christmas gourd because we are back and ready for some festive fandom merriment! Prompting will begin tomorrow at Noon EST!

Frozen Over is a prompt fest (not an exchange) for Schitt’s Creek fanworks inspired by that time of year when the creek is frozen over. All types of AO3-supported fanworks are welcome!

Important Dates: (all times Eastern)

Prompts Submitted: November 9 - November 23, noon

Claiming Prompts: November 23 - January 10 (please note that any claims made prior to noon EST on November 23 will be removed to give everyone a fair shot!)

Posting Deadline: January 10 at 11:59pm

Fanworks Released: Daily at noon beginning January 17

Creators Revealed: One week from the last day of releases

How to Participate:

I want to participate as a writer! Awesome! Once the collection opens for prompting on November 9, leave all the prompts that your heart desires, then come back after noon on November 23 or later to claim the prompts you want to fill. We will have catch-all prompts, too, if you want to work from a separate, original idea.

I want to participate as a podficcer or a fanartist! Yay! We love this journey for you. Message us here on tumblr and, if possible, we'll connect you with a writer! We will have catch-all prompts, too, if you want to submit your own original fanart or podfic of an existing winter-themed fic.

Wait – I'm a writer, and I'd love to have a podfic or fanart created to go with my Frozen Over 2024 work! Cool! Send us a message and, if possible, we'll connect you with a podficcer and/or artist!

Can I leave prompts even if I'm not contributing to the fest myself? Yes! But we'd love it if you considered contributing, too! (No pressure, of course.)

Questions? Reach us on Tumblr @scfrozenover (Asks are open!)

[mazerunnersecretsanta]

IT’S TIME FOR TMR SECRET SANTA 2024!!

Welcome, one and all, to TMR Secret Santa 2024!

Last year, our sixth!!! tmrss, was festive and fantastic, and we're looking forward to another year of yet more creative, new tmr content!🥳

You may be familiar with Secret Santas and how they work but, just in case, here is what will be happening:

Sign up for the Secret Santa by filling out our sign-up form. The information you give us in your sign-up form will be the deciding factor in the gift you’re going to create and the gift you’re going to receive, so please make sure you read and fill it in carefully! Please note this event is 16+. (You can specify three wishes, favourite characters and ships etc. - or any that you don’t want to be featured in your gift, or that you don’t want to include in the gift you make.)

You will then be matched with a giftee, for whom you will create your gift, according to their own Secret Santa wishes :))

Once you have finished making your gift, you will submit it to us via email or, if necessary, via a file sharing platform. More detailed information about submissions will be provided later :) It is very important that you submit your gifts by the 8th December. Christmas is a busy time for us all, and the tmrss elves need enough time to set everything up for the Grand Gift Reveal 🎁🥳

We will post all the gifts on this blog during the week running between Christmas Day (25th Dec) and New Year’s Eve (31st Dec), for your recipient (and for the fandom) to enjoy. Have fun perusing all the beautiful new content and, if you like, making your guesses, but please maintain secrecy, that’s part of the fun!🕵️

The big Secret Santa reveal will take place on 13th Jan, when we will post a list of all the Santas involved and tell you who created which gift.

After that, you’re free to post the gift you created anywhere else (your own tumblr etc.).

—————————————————————————

Now, we all love a good deadline, so here is the timeline for the Secret Santa:

5th September - Signups are now open!

19th September - Signups close

5th October - Secret Santa assignments sent out

8th December - Gifts due in

25th December - Gifts start being posted on our blog

13th January - the Big Secret Santa Reveal!

——————————————————————————

We’re so excited for our seventh(!) tmrss! We’d love to see our fandom come together for another year to spread joy during the festive period 🎄 🎁

So please sign up, share, reblog, tell your friends – however you can, and spread the word! Let’s show tmr some love!

If you want to be a part of the exchange, but are unsure whether you’ll be able to commit, then there are options to become either a Pinch Hitter (someone who makes a gift, possibly at short notice, if a santa drops out or is otherwise unable to complete their gift) or a Beta Reader - details about this can be found here.

If you would like to put your name forward as a Beta Reader this year - something that we always greatly appreciate - please indicate this on your sign-up form, or email us at mazerunnersecretsanta@ outlook.com

You can find more details, as well as the rules and guidelines, in the top bar on our main blog page, and make sure to follow us so you can keep up to date with all the latest news and announcements.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions! 🧝‍♀️🎄

Enjoyyyyy!!!!

Dreams and Bridge 🎅🎁

[afoxintheuniverse]

Merry Christmas everyone and happy end of 2024! Good father in heaven help me this year has been a lot… but for now I’d like to share with you all a gift that I wrote for one of the best friends I could have hoped to make this year and in this new fandom: Transformers War Chronicles. Please check out her content on both instagram and YouTube as she is seriously so overwhelmingly talented! She loved this gift and insisted I share it with the world. So, without further ado, I hope you all enjoy this little geeky gift from me to you! Happy Holidays and God Bless!

“Mistletoes’ meaning” An Opilita Christmas fic Inspired by Transformers War Chronicles! Merry Christmas Bestie!!! Written By CJ The Fox

“Finally…” Elita groaned practically slumping through the door as Optimus held it open for her. “Thanks…” she sighed pulling together enough strength to smile up at him. He smiled back though not able to hide the exhaustion in his eyes any better than she could have. He slid the wooden door closed behind them before sweeping a bit of the fallen snow off his shoulders and arms. He glanced back at Elita who immediately flashed a look that paused his hand in the air beside her. “Fine…” she relented quietly, aggressive smirk fading into a soft smile and head tilting to the side, plumes of the snow to falling off and onto the ground. The faintest blue glow flushed against her cheeks as she quirked her eyebrow up at him. Internally, she fought to decide if she should avoid eye contact or maintain it harder. They both knew if he’d brought it up, she would try to blame it on the cold. They had just come inside after all! Oh, she would try~ They also both knew even with his battle mask still pulled up above his sinuses Optimus was no doubt giving her a delighted scrap eating grin beneath it. She huffed, smile still on her face as she jabbed him in the stomach with her elbow. The two chuckled quietly together as he finished brushing the last little bits of snow off the top of helmet. His digits slid down the side of her helm just a bit to hold her chin up between his fingers. Elita gulped at his touch the glow of her face brightening ever further as he looked at her. Seemingly satisfied, eyes still alight with his hidden and certainly smugger smile, he slid his fingertips back up the side of her helm brushing the last bit of snow off her glowing cheek.

“The erm… The festival hall truly is something special…” He pondered aloud glancing to the side at the room they now stood in. Elita followed his gaze falling into silent agreement. It wasn’t any of the meeting halls of Cybertron. Hell, it wasn’t even one of the castles these humans had, but she couldn’t deny…they’d definitely put in some work for their guests. According to Optimus or at the very least what he said the officers had told him; this had been a bomb shelter that had been refurbished into a deluxe garage. What was once an obscure base in the middle of nowhere had become where farm equipment, racing and show horses and military balls would be held. The building had been decorated for just such an occasion and then some. Despite the minimal to nonexistent furniture, the room had a removable wooden floor placed covered in faded footprints of occasions come and gone. On both sides of the building were thick panel windows showing the regrowing storm outside. Since they were still bulletproof, the howls of the wind instead became whispering ambience against the swirly sky outside. Finally, there were the lights, hundreds of thousands of twinkling white bulbs wrapped around the cornering support beams and wooden roofing. Alongside more lights, a stone fireplace had been hollowed out in the final thicker support beam at the center of the room, glowing with the warm blaze crackling inside.

“I’m not sure if you bots need beds or anything but uhhhh here…” Optimus had remembered the building director saying as he’d showed him the giant gymnastic pads laid out in front of the fire. It was no recharge slab, but the thought was considerate. And sure, there was enough room for them to have their own mats to themselves… Optimus glanced back at Elita as she still slowly spun staring at the humble yet festive display surrounding them. Maybe it was that the snow had melted, making an already glistening paint job that much more reflective. Maybe it was that the humans had truly outdone themselves with the decorating for a place intended for mere safety. Maybe it was that it was just the two of them. Maybe… Maybe it was just her. As if in a trance he took slow yet purposeful steps toward her. The beams danced across her figure, like the fireflies they had seen in the summers on this strange new planet. Or the neon ribbons that decorated buildings almost matching Iacon’s own advertising. The shimmer seemed to accentuate all of the strength and beauty that made Elita well… Elita. From the scars and scrapes to the way she carried herself with the authority of a leader alongside the wonder of seeing this world for the very first time to the gentle elegance of what it meant to be a femme. She smiled again up at him before he even realized he had crossed the room over to her. She returned her optics to the wooden rafters now covered with glittering beams and fake yet lush foliage. Her expression and physique together were giving the glow of the fire and even Op’s own spark some serious competition. Yeah… separate mats… like that was gonna happen.

“Alright I’ll admit it. This is pretty nice…” She smirked crossing her arms and tilting her hips to the side. Optimus closed the rest of the gap between them, placing a hand on her shoulder as she shifted her weight onto her other hip against him. She leaned her head into the side of his chest plate, closing her optics for a moment before looking up at him then passed him. “It’s… Beautiful…” She sighed as if admitting defeat to the beauty of their building. Optimus leaned back warm eyes ever present, sliding his hand across her back before letting it drape across the other shoulder, thumb gently rubbing where her shoulder met her chest. “Huh… What’s that?” Elita piped, suddenly pulling away from Optimus yet also grabbing him by the hand.

“Hm?” Optimus blinked trying to process her having been so close, pressed up against him to suddenly pull him to the middle of the room optics still on the ceiling.

“That! Right there That plant’s different from the others. Is it supposed to be there? Or is it a ‘weed’ as humans call it? Or is the plant just blooming?” While still slightly confused, Optimus followed her fingertip, sure enough on one of the rafters, the false foliage had come to a stop to leave a small section of bare wood. Tied on the bark was what appeared to be a small upside-down bush with white berries or seeds sprouting in the leaves. The base had been tied with a shiny red bow that looped up around the wood plank as if turning it into a present.

“Oh!” Optimus blinked again in recollection; he had seen this plant before as well had its meaning explained to him. “O-oh…” He repeated, needing to clear his throat a bit.

“What?” Elita perked up at him. “What is it?” I can cut it out if it’s invading the other plant life. Or does the whole bush need to be disposed of?” Without skipping a beat, she pulled her laser pistol from her hip and aimed it at the foreign fauna as it hummed to life.

“Ah! No no! No no no!” Optimus half yelped half laughed reaching up to stop her weapon. “Th-That won’t be necessary my dear!” Besides it wasn’t exactly like they needed to test the durability of this place from the inside. Even if they were still learning about how earth worked, shooting a hole in the ceiling didn’t seem like the most polite thing to do… “There’s nothing wrong I can assure you!” He spoke as calmly and cheerfully as he could manage, nervousness not quite hidden from his voice.

“Oh ok.” Elita shrugged nonchalantly giving the gun a quick twirl in her hand before sliding it back into her holster. “So, what is it then?” “Well…” Optimus put a free hand behind his head nervously glancing at the floor. The building director had explained the meaning of this plant to him when he’d been shown where he and Elita could be staying to wait out the winter storm.

“Sorry sir, I think that was just left over from our usual holiday decoration set up. But we can take it down! I didn’t know if you and your uh… your friend there- Well, is she? Uh- sorry I shouldn’t have assumed-”

“Its fine.” Optimus had laughed, albeit a bit flustered at the topic, but shame was never an emotion that registered in his sensors. There was nothing to be ashamed of. He could NEVER be ashamed. Not of her. Not ever. “She… She is.”

“Oh thank, God…” The director heaved more to himself than to the massive living machine now harboring an entire event hall like a hotel. Ever since that conversation, a small part of Optimus both expected and hoped that she would find the spirited sprout on that ceiling just to have this very talk.

“It’s called a Mistletoe.” Optimus began. Sliding his palm and fingertips carefully down her arm until it once again connected with her hand. “Obviously it’s a type of plant here on this planet but the ones in here are all fake as to not extinguish any resources as well as save time on cleaning. I’ve done some research on the real blooms though!”

“Of course, you did...” Elita giggled, rolling her eyes ever so slightly as she leaned closer letting the backs of their arms slide and softly bump against one another in their swaying postures. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you book bot.” She could tell he grinned that typical yet classical geeky grin beneath his mask. Bashful yet not embarrassed of his knowledge nor the work he had put in to gain it. For that her respect renewed thought she would never admit it out loud… at least not right now… No matter how much of a fighter he had become deep down he would always be that shy archivist and student ready to learn and to cherish anything and everything he could see. “Heh…” So that was how she’d fallen for a geek…

“It can actually grow on common human foods such as the apple trees we saw on the way here!” He continued his voice carrying that usual professionalism he had acquired from leading teams but unable to mask the genuine excitement as he gestured with his free hand. “Or oak trees which as you already know provide them with portions of their atmosphere. You weren’t completely wrong in calling it ‘weed like’ though, as it is actually an invasive species.”

“Really?”

“Mhm!” He nodded. “It can actually cause a disease for the base plant leading to weakened sprouts, that need to be cut out or…” He pointed back to her holster. “What you had suggested. Though shotguns are typically the human’s choices for removal.”

“Well damn! I guess it’s a good thing they’re all plastic then, huh? Elita laughed bumping her hip against the side of his thigh before leaning completely against him. The back of her head was almost nuzzling his chest as she made herself comfortable, hand never leaving his.

“Indeed.” Optimus laughed as well though softer, almost politely as he lingered his gaze on her before returning it to the plant. “Yet despite that, it’s become a symbol on this planet. A signal of tradition.”

“Oh yeah? What of?” Elita mused, finally letting her weight fully against him and lifting their intertwined hands up to her shoulder. Op smiled closing his grasp and leaning a bit of his own weight atop her though cautious to not become too heavy.

“It’s meant to be a sign of… of connection, good will… or love.”

“O-Oh?” Elita stuttered suddenly. Optimus could feel her grip twitch in his own at the last word her entire body engaging in a split-second jolt against him. She tried to cover it up and act as if it hadn’t happened with that firm voice remark. Oh, she tried. He had to fight the urge to tease her, not wanting to risk ruining the moment or receiving one of her impressive right hooks in his arm. His smile practically peeking over the mask he kept going.

“And… when two people who just so happen to love one another… at least romantically…” Elita’s eyes widened. Yet another key word seemed to strike her like a blow, her face illuminating instantaneously. “…Stand beneath this plant, it is customary for them…to also… exchange a kiss.” Elita tensed in his grip her hand tightening slightly again, not quite a squeeze. It was the noticeable pressure and stiffness of her body locking in place.

“Huh…” It was all she could manage to get out and it was still a hoarse squeak. The attempt at nonchalance failed worse than one of StarScream’s leadership endeavors. He could feel the hum of her spark as it began to quicken its pace against his palm. She stared intently at the plant desperate to not look at him. Her eyes practically burned into it as much as her pistol would have, maybe even more so. It felt so obvious now… During the entire conversation she could feel his pulse rising too! Slower and calmer than hers, yes but still… She had just figured it was because he always showed that sweet excitement when sharing his knowledge with her. Or maybe it was because she had been enjoying it, like every time he did so. No... she should have seen this coming... She should… She looked up at him, just like at the door, it was a sight to behold. The lights sparkling around them tracing his every distinguished feature from the tips of his antenna to the base of that sharp jaw. Yet of course those lights could never compare to those eyes as they glistened in the gentle darkness. The humans were right, eyes truly were the windows to the soul or in their case, spark. Those eyes could tell his entire legacy without a single word in any language in any universe. They showed the exhaustion of maintaining so much and so many at once. The hours upon hours of research, reading and learning. The knowledge of so much good and bad in the galaxy. Secrets and truths that belonged to both of them and probably all of their loved ones too. Information that he would take to his grave if that’s what it took. The quiet sorrow of knowing too much and not knowing enough and seeming to wish for neither and both simultaneously. And despite all of it, the blue glow remained bright, just as it had when she had first met that geeky archivist all those cycles ago. It showed the intense focus it took to be quick thinking and deeply pondering. The curiosity of always being ready to learn something new and to share that knowledge with others. It showed wisdom gained from periods of lessons learned in easy and hard ways. It showed kindness, patience and composure, though there was clearly a silent joy gleaming beneath all that stupid stoicism. So powerful… eyes certainly belonging to someone with this level of strength. Not just the physical strength he had obtained over the years, not even the mental strength he had had before that, but the strength of his character. The strength of what it meant to be Optimus Prime. And yet his gaze was soft as if the massive hulking strength he possessed was merely an illusion as he gently rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand. She had almost forgotten she was holding it. Almost…

“Optimus?” She spoke before registering the words leaving her lips. Swallowing again almost as if wishing she hadn’t said anything. Her face showed all of the indecision and jumbled thoughts her mind was trying and failing to organize as her eyes itched to look away but didn’t. Optimus stared back at her; face as serene as ever. He tilted his head slightly to the side allowing his antenna to wiggle slightly at the movement as he waited for her to continue in the silence following his name. “Uh…Do you think that… that uh…” Her mouth hung slightly open with unspoken words before she swallowed the rest of the sentence. He quirked up an eyebrow at her before looking down to their hands as slowly grabbed the other one. Elita followed his gaze, trembling slightly as he intertwined the second set of digits between his own.

“Yes…” Optimus knelt onto one knee, his face now level with hers. He cupped both of her hands within his and pulled her slightly closer to him. Keeping her hands wrapped up snugly in his grasp, he raised his other arm to place it on her shoulder. “…Elita?” If she wasn’t at a loss for words before, she sure as hell was now. “Strong enough to be gentle” he had said once… In this moment, those words described him perfectly. His eyes overflowed with the most overwhelming yet soothing presence in the universe: Love. And that love, that presence that power, was directed at her. The glow of her face was making a mockery of the surrounding bulbs and flames. She could feel her Energon prickling behind her cheeks and spark pounding wildly in her chest as it echoed in her audials.

“A- ahh… Uhm…” Her failing words were going to give Starscream competition at this rate.

“Are you alright?” His brow furrowed eyes glinting in concern, He leaned in pulling her almost completely to his chest as he placed his hand holding hers just above his spark. Elita shivered at the touch of him tracing his thumb up the side of her neck to cup the side of her face in his palm needing to bite her lip and squeeze her optics shut to keep from making any noises. Well… at least more than the squeak that slipped out…How could something tickle so badly and feel like a massage at the same time?! She was gonna be as good as a smelting pot… He tilted her face towards his own as she vented shakily letting her eyes reopen to be met with his worried visage. He studied her lifting her chin with his fingertips before returning them to his hand at the side of her helm again. Primus, he HAD to know how sweet it was! It was the same way he always checked on her after a battle, making sure she was unharmed before making sure Ratchet examined her anyway. He cared for all his soldiers and friends, yes. He didn’t even treat her better than anyone else, no favoritism or biases to the best of his abilities. And still, the urgency, the protectiveness the compassion, even if it was just as strong as he carried it for all his allies, a difference was there, and it was obvious.

“Yeah! I- I’m fine!” Elita practically spluttered taking a slight step backwards yet not removing her hands from his chest, nor tilting her cheek from his touch. “I just…” She stared up at him, feeling his spark thrumming against her hands, her own still echoing in her audials. Though his face had lightened slightly at her reassurance, his eyes still wore the weight of a familiar concern, almost sadness. Even if that look was familiar to her, she hated seeing it in his eyes. Maybe she hated it because it was so familiar to her. It wasn’t like either of them had ever been given a choice for what gave him that expression… “It’s nothing” she sighed breaking their gaze to glance at her hands on his spark then the ground. “I’m sorry I- I shouldn’t have said anything…” Optimus drew back slightly at this, seeming slightly hurt as she’d gone silent again. He let out a quiet vent, closing his optics as Elita squeezed her own shut before hanging her head further towards the ground, guilt growing more apparent by the second. Optimus shifted his hand slightly lower on the side of her face letting one of the tips of her helmet slide between his fingers as he worked the others beneath her chin tilting her face back towards him but not pulling it up again either. Gathering her resolve Elita looked at him. His eyes still had the same softness, but it wasn’t quite sad, not anymore. Her brows lifted in surprise as face plate slid neatly into their slots alongside his neck and helmet allowing a full yet still mostly neutral expression to be shown. He exhaled softly again lips sliding up into a soft smile, then a full-on smirk as he playfully arched an eyebrow at her again. It was softer than how he’d looked at her before, but this was a face she knew all too well, one she’d seen him make and probably even made herself more times than she could count. It was the face he’d made when Bumblebee pulled off an impressive trick but got himself hurt in the process. It was the face he made as WheelJack would ramble on about his ideas for inventions before he’d need to be reminded of budget, limited amounts of fire extinguishers and sometimes even what was and wasn’t scientifically possible, whether he had something to say about it or not. It was the face he made as Ratchet would rant and rave about how this entire team was ‘comprised of idiots’ then work himself to the core making sure his patients recovered. Optimus didn’t need to say a single word as his expression said it all not quite mocking yet still slightly teasing. Not feeling sorry for her in a condescending way but certainly obvious sympathy even potential threads of pity. Yep… Optimus was giving her his best ‘Oh what are we going to do with you?’ face. Son of a- He was doing the slow head shake and even had the GALL to let out that stupid soft chuckle! Elita scrunched her face back up at him, letting out a little grumble under her breath of words she hadn’t come up with yet. Optimus only laughed louder, failing to keep his entertainment to a closed mouth anymore and making Elita’s eyebrow twitch in irritation. He composed himself again taking in another deep vent as Elita glared, though he could see the sides of her lips twitching slightly. She was clearly desperate not to give him the satisfaction of smiling or cracking up too. So, didn’t give her time to do so.

She could only gasp as in one soft yet fluid motion, Optimus pulled her hands back into his chest with one hand lifting her face slightly again with the other before leaning in and planting a kiss on her cheek. He firmly pressed then held his lips there, sleepily closing his eyes. Elita’s jaw dropped, and eyes widened as far as they could go. She could feel her spark practically doing summersaults within her chest. Slowly and hesitantly, he pulled back, blinking his optics open. Even though she could clearly see him smiling at her with his nose almost brushing against her own, she could still feel his lips on her face. Wordlessly she slid her hands out from Optimus’s to touch it to the side of her cheek where they had been almost as if not believing it had really happened. Optimus brought his now free hand back to the base of his helmet glancing away for a moment before reclosing his optics and laughing. It was a joyous yet sheepish expression of delight and with his optics reclosed it was now more obvious the glow of his face wasn’t just coming from his eyes. Elita remained silent as he composed himself again and stared a bit behind him at the ground while lowering his hand from his head.

“Ha Ha Ha… Ahem… Ah... Merry Christmas Eli- mmMPH!” Elita had also given him no warning as she grabbed his shoulders and yanked him back down towards her, shoving her lips on his with a muffled grunt. It wasn’t quite ‘slamming’ into a kiss, but she definitely wasn’t being slow or gentle as he was either. Optimus’s optics snapped wide open while Elita seemed to be squeezing hers as tight as they could go, face pressed hard against his. She dared to peek an eye open slowly beginning to pull away as Optimus was now the one with his mouth hanging open, their lips still brushing against one another. She paused, opening her eyes the rest of the way as Optimus placed one hand on her hip the other slowly tracing its way back onto her arm and up her shoulder. Optimus’s own eyes were a question, a request for permission that he never would have needed to ask, yet he always did anyway. She answered with her smile and the whisper of laughter she finally let out. He smiled back before reclosing his optics and resealing their connection. Elita sighed peacefully, finally giving into him completely as he opened his mouth further to further secure the kiss. She reciprocated, soft mewls escaping between any gaps. Smiling against her, he pulled her closer to him their chests firmly pressed and sliding against one another. Elita arched her posture into the placement of his hand as he slid his open palm from her hips to glide across her back. She shivered again, not bothering to hide it this time. Her own arms slid down tracing her hands over his chest. His spark hummed strong against her caress before she reached back up his shoulders to wrap her arms around the back of his head. Whether the neck hug had pulled her higher or him lower couldn’t be deciphered, all they knew was that their chests were now perfectly aligned, sparks beating as one. Optimus tilted his head into the embrace, letting out a content sigh of his own. He shifted his weight slightly on his knees to lean further over her. Pressing his hand firmly between her shoulder blades, his fingers twitched as they tried not to curl and scrape against her plating. His other hand dragged down the side of her body, outlining the delicate form in his arms. Elita slowly raised her leg, starting to wrap it around Optimus’s waist as he continued his graceful glide from the top, side and finally to the base of her thigh. She leaned further into his supporting hand as he gave her thigh a gentle squeeze before lifting her into the air. The sudden rush of movement causing Elita to let out a surprised

“Oh!” Optimus laughed, leaning his helm against hers before raising his eyebrows in an expression that both teased yet also asked genuinely if she was alright. Elita blinked a few times before returning his laughter. She let out a sigh rolling her eyes. Whether the eyeroll was at herself or at him he couldn’t tell but didn’t care though. Her lips were on his again still slightly snickering against the contact. Optimus let out a half laugh, half exhale and continued to stand. In a single slow spin, he allowed both of their full weight to return to the bottoms of his feet. Both of their forms were silhouetted against the soft glow of the fireplace embers glinting against the metal figures. It was a dance that no one needed to see, not even the dancers. Especially not the dancers. He slid his forearm completely under both of Elita’s legs, lifting her to where she was now the one leaning over him. Optimus squeezed her legs snugly with the inside of his elbow while now supporting her uplifted leg below the knee. He arched his own back now as she leaned forward almost laying across his chest at an angle slowly lifting one of her feet. She wrapped her arms up and past his shoulders to hold his face in her hands. Elita murmured, her expression hardening slightly as she wrapped an arm around his head. She tilted her face to the side and pressed her face harder into his. She practically had his head in a locked hug, one arm wrapped all the way around to have her knuckles brushing her shoulder. The other arm traced up behind the first, lifting her fingers and twirling them around one of his antennae. Whether he was too polite or too shy to tell her how much he enjoyed it, the appreciative groan as she firmly massaged the tip between her digits was plenty. He slid his arm further around her back to better hold her up, his hand cradling the back of her helm. The two pressed in hard on one another one last time before finally breaking the kiss. Both bots held their optics closed as they slowly flickered back into their senses. Steam softly plumed from their vents and into one another’s gaping mouths, combining into single white puffs before fading into the air. Optimus opened his optics finally seeming to have caught his breath. His quirked, almost embarrassed grin perfectly reflected the irony in beings lacking lungs to have become so winded. Elita followed suit her eyes fluttering open now looking down at Optimus instead of up like usual. She took in a deep vent before blurting out the first thought that entered her mind.

“Merry Christmas Optimus…” she whispered, tilting her head to the side and tracing her fingers along the side of his face. Optimus beamed up at her, before closing his optics and smiling wider, leaning into her touch. Her faint smile began trickling its way further across her lips as she considered another silent conversation. His own raised eyebrows and questioning optics let her know just how little he minded the thought. “I love you…”

Thank you for making it to the end if you’ve read this far! I hope you got in some nice holiday opilita feels or even learned something new about mistletoe as I did writing this!

[halfratsalready]

The Just Dance Holiday Fic Exchange 2024 🎄✨

11 Writers. 11 Fics. 63,048 Words.

With today being the Winter Solstice and the first day of Yule, four days until Christmas, and three days until Kwanzaa and the first day of Hanukkah, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the winter holiday season, so please join me and 10 other incredible writers from the Just Dance fandom in celebrating together with 11 fun and festive one shots!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this exchange! I hope everyone had a good time writing their fics and that they like the fics that were written for them. And, of course, I hope that everyone else loves all of the fics that make up this exchange and enjoys reading them!

2024 was my first year in this fandom and it’s been a wonderful one. I’m looking forward to seeing what awaits us in the new year to come!

[msperfectsheep-posts]

IDOLiSH7 Gift Swap - Introduction

(Credit to @yukimomodivorce for the header)

Hello everyone! If you've been a part of the Tumblr i7 fandom, you may remember me from IDOLiSH7 Prompt Week 2024! If not, hello! My name is Anna!

Prompt Week went wonderfully, and I love everything that everyone contributed for it. Genuinely, it brings a smile to my face every time I look at the tag or the Ao3 collection. Well, that isn't the end of my adventure with the fandom! This time, I'm bringing you all a Gift Swap! Participating members of the gift exchange will make something for the giftee, and gifts will be exchanged on New Year's Eve. This is not a Secret Santa for two reasons:

I'm not having it be linked to Christmas, partially because I don't want it to be denominational, and partially because that's a very busy day for some people and trying to give a gift could feel stressful. New Year's Eve is still a holiday to an extent, but most people have their festivities in the evening, and thus the day is open for gift giving! Plus, gifters have more time to work on their gift.

I'm still unsure if I want the gift giving to be anonymous or not! This is something I'll decide before I give participants their assignments, but at the time I'm making this post, assume it could be known or unknown. Hence, not a Secret Santa.

If you participate, please post your gifts on December 31st with the tag #i7giftswap2024! People writing fics, I'll make a collection for it under the name "IDOLiSH7 Gift Swap 2024".

Below will be an sign up sheet/wishlist for those that wish to participate. If you are unsure if you want to participate or not, please know that you can drop out easily as long as its before I give assignments! Just DM me either here or on Discord (@ brambleberries) so that I can notify you how long you have before assignments are dropped <3

Have any questions? Please let me know! This gift swap includes all types of gifts, from fanfiction to fanart to jewelry or songs, so people with all types of creativity are welcome to join in :)

[accidental-spice]

For day #3 of @all-fandoms-christmas-festival , I used a backup prompt, Under The Tree, and made this Stellaride lockscreen, cause I'm super normal about them

[kazoosandfannypacks]

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

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

That's Christmas To Me

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

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

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

 "Can't it be both?" Hope asked.

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

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

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

 "That sounds horribly practical," Hope laughed.

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

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

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

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

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

 "How's studying going?"

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

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

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

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

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

 "Thanks, Mrs. Swan," Gideon said.

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

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

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

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

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

 "Fabulous," Gideon said.

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

"Have you even started Christmas shopping yet?"

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

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

 "Which friend?" Hope asked.

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

 "Which girl?" Hope's eyes narrowed. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "Yup," Gideon smiled.

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

 "Yup."

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

 "Yup."

 "And then I'm gonna fail algebra."

 "Yup."

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

 "Yup."

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

 "Yup."

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

 "Yup."

 "Gideon!"

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

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

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

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

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

 "I have my reasons," he said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🤍💙🤎🩵🖤

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

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

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

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

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

 "And you're not being dramatic now?"

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

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

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

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

 "That would ruin the surprise."

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

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

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

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

 Gideon looked at the girls' lunch trays and smiled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "I give up," Hope said.

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

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

 "What?"

 "Nothing."

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

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

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

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

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

 "An extra gift for whom?"

 "No one special," she quickly recovered.

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

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

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

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

 Dang it.

 "Sounds great," Hope lied.

🤍💙🤎🩵🖤

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

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

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

 "Oh, sure," Hope said.

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

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

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

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

 "About as good as always," Hope said.

 "Almost, anyways," Gideon said.

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

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

 "Does she now?"

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

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

 "Close enough," Gideon shrugged.

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

 As a dangerous Christmas miracle, Hope got an idea.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "A bit," Belle smiled.

 "What kind of stuff does he say?"

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

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

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

 "What is it?" Hope whispered.

 "I can't say," Belle responded.

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

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

 Hope nodded.

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

 "Can you keep a secret?"

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

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

 "A toaster?"

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

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

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

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

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

 Belle smiled.

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

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

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

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

 "French vanilla?" Hope asked.

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

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

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

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

🤍💙🤎🩵🖤

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

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

 "Maybe," Hope winked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "What's the magic word?" He asked.

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

 Her idle threats didn't scare him anymore.

 "How about please?"

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

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

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

 "A charm bracelet," she whispered.

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

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

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

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

 "A little too perfectly."

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

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

 Hope looked back down at the bracelet in her hand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "For me?" Gideon asked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "Hey, Gid!

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

 -HSJ"

 "What does that mean?" he asked.

 "Turn the page," she said.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "It's perfect," Gideon said.

 "Really?" Hope asked.

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

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

 "Yeah," Gideon said.

 But, apparently, they were too late.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 "Yeah?"

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

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

 "I think so," Gideon said.

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

[ravenpuffheadcanons]

Halfway Out of the Dark

A Fitzsimmons Secret Santa fic for @sunalsolove! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chapters: 1/5 Fandom: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons Characters: Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons, Lance Hunter, Bobbi Morse, Seth Dormer, minor guest appearances from team Additional Tags: Fitzsimmons Secret Santa 2024, Christmas, Alternate Universe - Academia, There Was Only One Bed, solving a mystery, women in STEM, Mostly Fluff, strangers to co-investigators of an historical mystery to lovers Summary:

When Leo Fitz's most annoying postgraduate student dumps a mystery on his desk and takes off, all he can think about is the fact that this will eat up his much-anticipated Christmas break. Luckily for him, new starter Jemma Simmons offers to give him a hand in solving it. Their festive quest may take them places they aren't expecting.

[snowxstormworld]

JonerysWinterWonderland2023 - masterlist

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in Jonerys Winter Wonderland 2023! Despite the holiday season hubbub, you found time to celebrate our favorite couple Jon & Dany with your creativity, making the joyous season more festive for everyone.

And a HUGE shoutout to the #JONERYS fandom for supporting our artists by reading, reblogging, and commenting on their works. Here's to a Jonerys-filled 2024!

Below is the master list for #JonerysWinterWonderland2023:

Day 1 - Holiday Magic; All I want for Christmas/Yuletide/Winter Solstice is You (Naked) 🎄 🎁 I wanna be your end game moodboard by @jupiterix 🎁 Tis' the damn season by @miss-celestia13 🎁 Yuletide fanart by @tatticstudio55 🎁 Winter Solstice is You fanart by @tatticstudio55 🎁 Til the End of Time by @evax3 🎁 Born as a dragon and raised as a wolf by @rhaegarblackfire 🎁 like the olden days, happy golden days of yore by @girlwithakiwi 🎁 All I Want for Christmas is You moodboard by @youwerenevermine 🎁 The Second Chance Holiday Club by @buttertheflame 🎁 A Perfect Christmas by @littledancer9

Day 2 - There's no place like home for the holidays; A kinky Kris Kringle gift exchange🎄 🎁 Lover moodboard by @jupiterix 🎁 Secret Santa at the firm by @saltyd3 🎁 Wool to Brave the Seasons by @miss-celestia13 🎁 Annual Night's Watch Brewery Yankee Swap by Lemonzest111 🎁 A gift for Principal Targaryen by @rhaegarblackfire

Day 3 - Baby it's Cold Outside; Who needs Santa when you have me?🎄 🎁 King of My Heart moodboard by @jupiterix 🎁 Yours First - A Christmas Special by @libradoodle1 🎁 An unexpected rescue by @rhaegarblackfire

Day 4 - Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe; Ice & Fire; Naughty & Nice🎄 🎁 So It Goes moodboard by @jupiterix 🎁 A bride for the King in the North by @rhaegarblackfire 🎁 Love Story fan video by @axdragons

Day 5 - Cheers to the New Year; A sexy sleigh ride; free choice🎄 🎁 Meet me at Midnight moodboard by @jupiterix 🎁 Christmas Cookies fan edit by @libradoodle1 🎁 Enchanting Holidays by @saltyd3 🎁 Dashing through the Snow fic teaser by @magalidragon 🎁 ...Peace by @jellybeanficwriter 🎁 Fake it Till We Make It by @rone-of-house-targaryen 🎁 Happy New Year moodboard by @youwerenevermine

*credit goes to @youwerenevermine for the beautiful headers. We love your creative flair; thanks for always making us so extra!

[forabeatofadrum]

Hello everyone and happy 2025! I spent the end of 2024/beginning of 2025 finally reading some good fucking fic, so I am glad to report that this is a long post :D

There's so much fic. I mostly (mostly!) read oneshots from under 10K, and I am also happy because I have read from multiple fandoms.

I am back on my Persona bullshit after playing Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis - The Answer since I got it for Christmas. Gosh, this game is absolutely heartbreaking and I keep aching all over and FANFIC CONTRIBUTES TO THAT! The looming tragedy that hangs over S.E.E.S.... oh MAN.

I read what we leave behind by @sunkitty143 and I cried so hard my pillow was damp. Maybe shouldn't have read it at 2am. God, it is so good and heartbreaking, especially as a reader who knows what the fuck is going on. Thinking about the three months that Makoto got is painful and my heart aches. And then I couldn't sleep and read sunkitty's other works.

stepping up to the plate is amazingly funny from Ken's perspective. A fun day with Junpei-san indeed! But damn, Junpei... and Makoto haunting the narrative. Makoto keeps getting younger and younger in Junpei's eyes. "Because maybe Sanada could've been here, and maybe Amada will always wish that Makoto was the one here, but Junpei is the one here." BRO?

the heart of self-defense is a great exploration of Akihiko's mindset and yes it is insane how much Miki hangs over this, but it takes 8k for her name to be dropped. And then Shinji dies. MAN, Akihiko.... "I don't really like fire either" YOOOOO? God, Persona 3 keeps breaking my heart, huh? This fic has a lot of hard hitting lines and some unexpected deep Makoto lore, but MAN.

last december is the one I skimmed over, kinda, because I only have one hour in Portable, so I haven't really met Kotone yet but I was so intruiged and yeah it's good. I will probably come back to it after I finish Portable.... one day.... but we all need Yukari calling someone a liar every now and then.

I reread what we leave behind, uh, 6 times (and yes, I will leave an AO3 comment.... one day.... when I have processed it), and decided that I should also read the gift of giving by atracoes. It is definitely... happier than what we leave behind, despite it taking place in December which is DECEMBER, but again, the looming threat of what happens in March hangs over it and it makes it so painful and gorgeous to read at the same time. I love how Makoto is just there for Ken and I like reading how much effort Ken puts into everything.

I kept riding the angst train and read Botamochi and Purge by ToxicPineapple because I was down for some Akihiko angst and also, well, grief is unfortunately a thing that is apparent in my life right now and sometimes reading about other characters grieving helps in a way. It IS insane how the world doesn't end when someone you love leaves it.

Wooh. Persona 3 truly loves its theme of death, huh?

That is Persona for now. Time for some cute shit! There are festive challenges all around in December and I still haven't read all that I want to read, but I have finally gotten around to some of the Klaine Secret Santa fics.

Awards Show from @spaceorphan18 was really good and I like that Kurt and Blaine are already in a relationship. I love a good meet-cute as much as the next person, but established relationship is the shit. Kurt and Blaine need to navigate fame and their love.

Speaking of a good meet-cute, Blind(sided) Date by @cryscendo was a nice surprise, since I actually am not too fond on blind dates, but I am happy that here Kurt got around to the idea even before meeting Blaine, so that it's not all like "oh ew do I have to do this?". Elliott, you sneaky, sneaky man!

And another trope that I cannot get enough of is friends to lovers, and also "and they were roommates!", so Operation Christmas Cheer-Up by @special-bc-ur-part-of-it was super duper cute. Blaine is such a great friend and it is just neat to see how it slowly blossoms into more.

Klainers aren't the only ones giving gifts.

The summary of From the Heart by @you-remind-me-of-the-babe immediately grabbed my attention! A Secret santa in a secret Santa-esque fic? Secret Santa inception! I like how Baz is trying so damn hard, and how that makes Simon realise that there could be more than a truce.

@martsonmars wrote a cute rivalry fic called always the time of the year where Simon and Baz, who are besties, are rivals in a Christmas market. I really REALLY like the friendship here and how the rivalry plays out, especially since there was an unexpected hiccup for Simon.

And lastly, Torchwood! Last year I read a fic where Ianto and Jack sort-of-accidentally get a kid called Lowri and I liked it a lot, but I never knew that Lottiethroughthelookingglass wrote a Christmas sequel called Good Tidings to it. Rhiannon asks Ianto to come over for Christmas, which means Ianto has to explain that he suddenly has a kid and that he's raising her with another man. There was some angst to it and the threat of CoE hangs over them, but it was still sweet and I like this lil family and the supportive aunt Rhiannon.

And lastly, in non-fic world: I read 1989 by George Orwell (finally!) and a book on the mining history of the south of the Netherlands.

[klfoxartcommissioner]

After waking up to a reblog of my Christmas/NY greeting post from the awesome @jaimebrienne-art, I realised I very rudely neglected to wish the ever amazing Jaime and Brienne fandom compliments of the season too! 🤦

To followers of this blog and the extended fans who see the art and enjoy it, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! I'm forever grateful for your passion, enthusiasm and creativity, and these commissions wouldn't even exist were it not for the inspiration the incredible creatives in the fandom (and those who passionately promote it) have given me. I'm sure the artists appreciate the support too.

I don't tag the art I post myself as I've never wanted to be too active a participant in promoting the work too widely as this is a mainly private project of mine, but I've always loved @jaimebrienne-art and have followed the blog for years, and as I know the art will be seen by only the gooden's when reblogged on there, that route of promotion suits me just fine. ❤️ So a special shout out to this amazing blog who I would say is mainly responsible for getting these pieces seen by the JxB fandom. ✨😆

Seeing the fans I recognise and have shadow watched for years enjoy the art is so cool, too. You're all fab. 👏

Thank you all! I hope you all have a brilliant 2024.

Artwork by @fawnilu (Who I very much hope doesn't mind my festive edit of her exemplary work 😜) Original piece here: https://fawnilu.tumblr.com/post/659433432831672320/first-kiss-commissioned-by-kelsey 💗