#and merry crisis yet again

[vixentrickz]

🎄✨MERRY CHRISTMAS ✨🎄

to everyone who's celebrating!

and happy holidays to everyone who's celebrating a different holiday or not celebrating at all ✨

everyone else is fighting some akumatized villain (in christmas hats) while these 5 are taking a picture

[greenglowinspooks]

Gävle Goat v.s. two drunk half-ghosts (DCxDP)

—

Tw: alcohol consumption (no way), one(1) mention of sex

Summary: Jason and Danny accidentally burn down the Gävle goat. You all voted for this, and I delivered. Merry crisis, tis the season and all that.

—

Jason wove through the ever-shifting crowd, an irritated scowl on his face.

Kori and Roy had dragged him here to celebrate a successful mission together, but the two had wandered off together not thirty minutes after they arrived, effectively stranding him in an unfamiliar club in Europe.

Now, his only two options seemed to be stealing someone’s car and getting back to their temporary safehouse himself, or waiting for the two to come back for him.

Still, considering the lecture he’d get from Dick if he hotwired a random guy’s car just because he didn’t want to wait for his friends, option one wasn’t much of an option at all.

It was humiliating. He was a crime lord, not a little kid who’d lost their mom in the store.

Jason sighed, slumping against the wall as he watched the drunken crowd swirl together.

He had never really felt at home in places like this, especially not since his resurrection. It always felt like people were staring at him, like they just intrinsically knew that he was other.

Jason startled when he felt someone tap on his shoulder.

“Sorry!” The stranger said, “I just, um, are you okay?”

Jason blinked. The person talking to him was clearly somewhat tipsy, wearing a blush on his face and a slightly loopy smile. How had he possibly snuck up on him? Was he really that deep in thought?

“My asshole friends ditched me, and now I’m stuck here,” Jason blurted out without thinking. The stranger barked out a laugh, clearly surprised.

“That sucks,” he said, leaning on the wall next to Jason. He hummed in response.

The stranger looked back at the open bar, where quite a few people were frantically miming to him. He motioned back to them, clearly hoping for them to stop, before just flipping them off. Jason chuckled at that.

“Those your friends?”

The stranger blushed brighter, the tips of his ears going red.

“Uh, yeah. We’re here to celebrate some legal stuff that I finally got done with, but, uh, they wanted me to go talk to you.”

Jason hummed again, giving the stranger a quick once-over. He was actually pretty cute; he had messy black hair, icy eyes, and an outfit that screamed “I’ve never been in a club before but my friends dragged me here anyways”.

If he was gonna be waiting for Kori and Roy anyways, why not have some fun?

“Well, I am technically here alone, now that my friends wandered off,” he said, looking at the stranger meaningfully.

The stranger grinned brightly, holding a hand out to him.

“Then, d’you wanna hang out with my friends and I? I promise we’re lot of fun! I’m Danny, by the way.”

Jason took his hand, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“Call me Jason,” he said, following along as the (surprisingly strong) man dragged him over to his friends.

-

Danny was having the time of his life.

The restraining order on Vlad had finally been granted. The abolition of the Infinite Realms’ monarchy had gone through. And, on top of all that, he was on the most incredible club-hopping adventure of his un-life.

And sure, it might not have been the best idea to give ghost alcohol to Jason, the mortal his group had picked up in Germany, but he was taking it like a champ!

He hadn’t thrown up yet, in any case, so clearly it wasn’t that much of an issue.

Danny giggled, leaning up against Jason as they walked along the street, his ghostly friends filling the street.

As the night went along and they all got more and more tipsy, they’d mostly let go of their mortal forms. Despite being surrounded by a bunch of ghosts with death-blows clearly exposed and mythological creatures, Jason didn’t seem to be too bothered. He had an arm wrapped around Danny’s shoulders and was singing along with some of the ghosts in Arabic(?), his lovely baritone voice echoing out amongst the dead and unborn.

Danny just snuggled further into his side, enjoying the novel feeling of human warmth. He’d have to get Jason’s number after this, Danny sluggishly thinks. If he wasn’t freaked out by Danny being dead once he was sober, at least. He found that most people weren’t quite so open to cuddling up to a corpse. Even if that corpse could talk and walk around.

The streetlights around them began to spin as they once again walked into a rip in the veil. Everyone cheered as the lights warped and distorted, the sky becoming neon green and foggy.

Danny stumbled forward on unsteady legs, dragging Jason along with him. He wanted to get to the front of the group, to see where they were going before everyone else!

Jason tripped as Danny continued to drag him along, stumbling off the path and straight off the Realms island they were currently on. Danny, still clinging to him like a lifeline, fell alongside him.

A cheer from the spirits rang out above them, unaware of their mistake, fading as they fell. Before Danny had a chance to call out, though, they fell through another rip in the veil.

-

Jason sat up. He’d fallen face-first into a snowbank, and judging by the pair of legs sticking out of the snow, Danny had a similar fate. He dragged Danny out of the snow by the feet, tumbling over nothing and falling over in a heap.

Danny rolled over, laying down in the snow next to him with both arms around his waist.

Jason just looked up at the sky in awe.

It was most certainly the alcohol, or maybe the lack of pollution, but the sky looked so much more beautiful than usual.

There were so many stars in his blurry vision, and each one twinkled and shone and spun like they were dancing.

With a tremendous amount of effort, he got to his feet, dragging Danny up with him.

He twirled the man in his arms, his legs unsteady as he tried to waltz. Danny giggled, trying to match his uneven steps.

The arctic wind blew over them, carrying with it the snow and ice of the ages. The wind curled around them, spinning in circles around the pair as they danced. Sprites of fire glimmered in the corners of Jason’s vision, glimmering cheerfully. It seemed that something had caught alight, but nothing was going to distract him from the man in front of him, grinning widely with a blush that covered his entire face.

Jason fell over again, collapsing in the snow, and Danny fell over on top of him.

-

Light shimmered down from the snow-covered trees, falling onto Danny’s face. He scrunched his eyes closed, groaning in agony.

He was so, so hungover.

Served him right for agreeing to go out partying with Johnny of all people.

Danny’s head pounded to the beat of his heart, his core humming in rhythm. He buried his face into the fabric beneath him, trying desperately to block out the light from reaching his sensitive eyes.

Where was he, anyways?

The area around him was definitely snowy; even arctic, maybe, judging by how strongly his core was thrumming. Still, he was perfectly warm, laying on top of…

…a person?

Fuck, he was never partying with Johnny again.

Through great willpower, Danny squirmed off of the stranger and sat up, scrunching up his face as he turned away from the sun. It didn’t make his headache any better, though; the snow reflected the light almost as bright as the sun itself.

Fresh snow can have an albedo of 0.9, Danny remembered, a college lecture popping into his head. It had the highest level of albedo of anything on earth. That’s why it was bouncing the light of the sun directly into his poor sensitive eyes.

Of course Danny would wake up next to a strange man and the first thing that he thought of was science facts.

The man next to him groaned, immediately bringing his arm up to block the sun.

“What the fuck did I do last night?”

“I know, right?”

The man went abruptly still. It took all of Danny’s willpower not to laugh.

“…Do I still have my kidneys at least?”

Now Danny did burst out laughing, bright and cheery. And then he groaned and clutched his head.

“Oh gods my head hurts,” Danny hissed, “does this happen every time you drink?”

“Not unless you hate your liver.”

Danny laughed, and they both fell into silence for a few moments. It wasn’t comfortable silence by any means, though; it was unbearably tense and uncomfortable. Danny almost wished he could die on command, if only to get out of this.

“…Wanna go get breakfast?”

“Fuck yes,” Danny said, getting to his feet before helping the other man up. “Your treat?”

The other man laughed loudly.

“We’ve known each other properly for a total of five minutes, and you’re already bleeding me dry?”

“Come on, I’m a college student, it’s basically my job to ask for free food.”

-

The two of them sat in utter silence as they ate, watching the TV in the corner of the diner with a fascinating flavor of giddy horror.

Someone had burnt down the Gävle goat, and from the footage, it was very clearly them.

It wouldn’t be obvious to anyone else, luckily; the video had gone so staticky that it was very nearly unwatchable. But when combining the scene on the shitty box TV to Danny’s (very limited) memories of the night before, it was clear that they had done it.

“…Knew I forgot something that happened last night.”

Danny barked out a laugh at Jason’s comment, which earned him a sly grin in return.

“Better or worse than getting laid?”

“Eh,” Jason shrugged. “With most people? Better. With you? Worse.”

Danny laughed harder, wrapping a leg around Jason’s and waggling his eyebrows.

“Hey, arson isn’t the worst end to a first night out.”

Jason snorted.

“By the way, are you a meta? I just assumed, with the fire and all…”

Danny looked at him in surprise.

“Oh, I thought that was you.”

“What?”

Danny summoned a small burst of wind, twirling it around in his hands, creating tiny snowflakes.

“I can do that,” he said, gesturing to the snow, “but, like, fire? Nope.”

To Danny’s utter shock, a core in front of him pulsed in confusion, his own mirroring it.

Jason’s core. Jason was dead.

Jason looked at him, his face pale.

“Did you feel that too, or am I having a heart attack?”

Danny laughed nervously.

“As long as we don’t get arrested, I promise I’ll explain everything on the way back to Germany.”

—

Notes:

If Jason really was alive, he wouldn’t be for long after drinking ghost alcohol.

I brought up albedo because I learned something new in science class. Godbles

The wisps were Jason’s core forming and activating for the first time. That’s also what got the goat

[czolgosz]

tumblr in the 1900s simulator

🎀 basilgillgirlie

HELPPP i went to see a country girl and i SWEAR coffin looked directly at me while he was singing no. 19 😳😳😳

#im going to DIE #oh my godddd #hayden coffin tag #theatre tag

( 5 notes )

🪮 tortoiseshelllll

honestly just go ahead and block me if you're still not against the consumption of intoxicating liquors /srs

#temperance discourse

( 7 notes )

🤵‍♂️ h0ney-b0y 🔁 in-my-merry-oldsmobile Follow

💁‍♀️ soshineonharvestmoon Follow

Alright, let's settle this once and for all:

Do cylinders or discs produce the clearest sound?

‎ ‎‎ Cylinders⬜‍‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎‎‎ ‎ ‍21.2%

‎‎ ‎‎ ‎Discs🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎‎‎ ‎‎78.8%

‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎Final result from 18,796 votes

🐶 yourwildirishrose Follow

literally who is voting for cylinders. #discsweep

#poll results that would give thomas edison neurasthenia

( 3,419 notes )

👨 lawrenceseldens 🔁 the-thing-with-feathers86 Follow

☕ the-thing-with-feathers86 Follow

hey. everyone. TAG YOUR HOUSE OF MIRTH SPOILERS!!!!! not all of us are able to keep up with the installments, especially ppl employed at factories/others who work 10+ hour shifts

#!!! #the house of mirth #edith wharton #scribner's magazine

( 102 notes )

🌌 impastolover 🔁 le-modernisme Follow

🔘 ilythomascole-deactivated19061203

There’s NO WAY you people are still supporting H*nri M*tisse after he posted THIS

🌈 chezlesfauves Follow

does this scare you

🌈 chezlesfauves Follow

i guess so lmaooo

#i wonder if op knows about la femme au chapeau…

( 10,675 notes )

🌻 emancipation-waist-official 🔁 localhoyden Follow

🐈‍⬛ localhoyden Follow

friendly reminder that it’s perfectly ok for women and girls to wear corsets if they want to!! don't ever let anyone make you feel ashamed for it - it's your choice, you can do whatever makes you happy 💗

🌻 emancipation-waist-official

Go outside.

( 984 notes )

👰 kittybristolsgf

i know it's been less than a decade since uh. you know. but can anarchists please go back to assassinating public figures and bombing government buildings and such all the time already, i have had ENOUGH

#the latest tariff law that was passed.... wtf #(for legal reasons this is a joke) #(please don't have me electrocuted <3)

( 2 notes )

🦚 fancyfeathers

Just got my widest hat yet!! An entire owl can fit atop it!

( 51 notes )

🏓 whiffwhaffwagerer

at the marathon in st. louis!👍 what is happening

#so the original winner cheated i guess #and the actual winner had to be carried over the finish line and is currently being treated by *several* doctors #also apparently some of the competitors are missing #...i'll keep you all posted?

( 9 notes )

🧳 thatkeenmotorist 🔁 thatkeenmotorist

🧳 thatkeenmotorist

driving my motor-car 😁

🧳 thatkeenmotorist

broken chain ☹️

🧳 thatkeenmotorist

driving my motor-car 😁

🧳 thatkeenmotorist

broken belt ☹️

🧳 thatkeenmotorist

driving my motor-car 😁

🧳 thatkeenmotorist

broken chain again ☹️

( 99 notes )

💃 lilyelsieinthemerrywidow 🔁 thegreat-trainrobbery1903 Follow

💃 lilyelsieinthemerrywidow

hey um whats going on in the balkans right now 😨 do you think theres going to be a war in europe soon im nervous

🙎‍♂️ thegreat-trainrobbery1903 Follow

well, a major war caused by a crisis in the balkans has been speculated on for a while. but it'll probably only last about a year like the war of 1870, plus you don't even live near the balkans, i wouldn't worry too much

💃 lilyelsieinthemerrywidow

yeah youre probably right

#and if it did reach us it would most likely be beneficial anyway #<-prev

( 13 notes )

[allieebobo]

Monsoon Games: Roadmap

I'll continue to tweak this rough roadmap according to the responses I get from the google form, but here's the plan (ideal-case) for the next 1-2 years!

If you haven't filled out the form yet, please do, as answers would be super valuable in helping me better gauge, prioritize, and budget my next steps as well as tweak the pricing for the tiers!

Phase 1: Now till end-2025

Full-time urban planner

Part-time game dev.

Likely to be mostly solo-work and choice-script based

Phase 2: Beginning 2026 till end 2026

Part/Full-time game dev

Likely to involve / bring in an artist/coder, depending on eventual decision on game format (ren'py, Godot or choicescript)

Phase 3: Beginning 2027

Launch phase 2 game

Re-evaluate what to do next, likely back to my full-time job, but to KIV this based on what happens in Phase 2

Details below the cut!

Again, if you have comments, suggestions, preferences, do leave a message or email (allieebobo@gmail.com). If you're interested to collaborate, or to find out about what games I'm thinking of, click here.

Phase 1a

Timeframe: now till end 2025

Scope: Keep rolling out choicescript updates for CT:OS and Merry Crisis. This will form the base of content for ko-fi/patreon (with subscribers continuing to get early-releases until these games are complete).

Phase 1b 

Timeframe: start sometime 2nd half of 2025, run concurrently till end 2025)

Scope: Write a choicescript 'concept demo' for 2 new games I've been haunted by over the past couple of years. (I'll release more info on this if I think they're viable). Whether or not they become more complex games, I'll at least have the choicescript demo. 

Phase 1c 

Timeframe: optional, but to start as soon as funding is obtained

Scope: Depending on interest, I want to consider doing a port to ren'py for Merry Crisis (or CT:OS, but likely MC) for a more visual-style game. This would involve either hiring a coder to help with the port, or doing it myself. More importantly, will need to commission art for this.

_____

Monthly-subscriptions for both Phase 1a and 1b would include the following tiers: 

$3/month (existing): Just to support me :) 

$6/month (existing): Early-access links to CT:OS and Merry Crisis

$9/month (new tier): Same as above + Early-content (e.g. lore, character snippets & art, non-interactive stories, dev logs) for new game(s)

$12/month (might not go for this tier, but including just as a concept): Same as above + Expanded early-content (e.g. interactive choice-script based demo access)

Phase 2a

Timeframe: Beginning 2026, probably 6-9 months or more depending on scope

Scope: With CT:OS and Merry Crisis completed, I hope to then turn my sights to converting the choicescript demo created in phase 1b into actual complete games. This could either take the form of: 

A full choicescript game

A full ren'py (visual) game

A full Godot (2D) game

About 2-3 months into Phase 2a, I will also have enough content to launch a kickstarter, which would hopefully bring new backers on board and funds to speed-up production of the game(s). For folks who prefer supporting once-off instead, they'll also come in at this stage :) 

Phase 2b: 

Timeframe: Probably 6-9 months into 2026

Scope: Once there's a playable beta version of the game, I'll then do testing with subscribers and other beta-testers, and do de-bugging.

_____

Monthly-subscriptions for both Phase 2a and 2b would include the following tiers: 

$4/month: Just to support me :) 

$8/month: Subscriber-only content for all new games in development (e.g. character snippets & art, dev logs)

$12/month: Same as above + Little interactive patches/expansion packs for CT:OS and Merry Crisis 

$16/month: Same as above + Expanded early-content for all new games (e.g. non-interactive stories, scene peaks/teasers, interactive twine or choicescript based playable content, access to beta version of the game when ready in phase 2b)

Kickstarter tiers: 

$12 once-off for a specific project (a selection of content from the pool of characer snippets & art, dev-logs that $8/month subscribers get) 

$25 once-off for a specific project (same as above + a selection of content from the pool of expanded early-content) 

$35 once-off for a specific project (same as above + special perks e.g. ability to design a character or item or request chapter) 

Phase 3

Timeframe: Start of 2027 onwards 

Scope: When at least 1 game is launched, hopefully by start of 2027, I'll re-evaluate and see what to set my sights on next! This probably also means going back to full-time urban planning :)

[hmdeath]

IT'S DOUBLE FEATURE DAY AGAIN

Merry Crisis and Happy Honda Days, everyone - @bludazey and I have teamed up yet again to spread holiday fear cheer!

Please enjoy our gifts to you, our latest chapters, below.

Unravel - Chapter 23

Hellish Rebuke - Chapter 30

Art by the incredibly talented @a-cabin-in-midgard

(for real you're all the best, hope you're having a great time and, if you're not, that these make your day even a little bit better!)

[browneyedjoe]

so, a cheeky and honestly filthy (for me) joe blurb. very much inspired by @lovejosephquinn recent blurb re their horny christmas eve morning thoughts. but okay, seriously, let’s imagine -:

p.s. also inspired by the 5 mimosas i've had in the last hour and my thought process after seeing this video.

p.p.s. this is officially the first smut i've written and i'm stressed because i'm very particular about the smut i read so any feedback is appreciated.

merry crisis, ya'll

it’s very early morning, the sun not yet risen but the sky a light shade of midnight blue. you’re peacefully asleep, duvet wrapped around your partially naked body and your hair, splayed on your pillow as if you were a mermaid underwater. you feel a shift, physically, a gentle yet repetitive knock that undulates your body back and forth. your sleep, lightly disturbed, but you decide to ignore it, subconsciously acknowledging it was too early to be awake. it happens again; something, or albeit, someone rocking softly side to side. your eyes scrunch - alright, you’re definitely awake now. with your back facing joe, you assume he’s gotten up to get a glass of water or to use the loo. but now, with your mind wide awake, you hear it - the melodic rhythm of quiet moans that escape the full lips of your boyfriend. you couldn’t believe your luck. slowly, you turn around as if you’re rousing from a dream and not perturbed by the fact that joe is ‘discreetly’ rubbing his erection with a lazy hand, under some dreamy impression that you don’t have any idea what he’s doing. “fucking h-“ joe exhales, accompanied with a sound of slick; you picture his hand, the palm of it covered in a mix of spit and precum, jutting up and down his hard cock. you think of the shine of rubies, synonymous with the colour of the head of his dick and the red of his lips, the bottom of which is being bitten, trapping shut any harsh breaths and filthy words so desperately trying to escape. smirking with your eyes close, you wrap an arm around the lower part of his hip, pelvis thrusting, you feel the rise and fall of his gut. the air is trapped there and fucking hell, joe is really trying his hardest now to not make it obvious that he’s seconds away from coming. “thinking of that cunt, fuck-please” and you feel your own slick start to pool between your legs. could you get away with squeezing your thighs together to get some relief? maybe? god, know knows…you’ve been here before, half asleep until joe is walking next to you without a second thought that it’s 3am. he’s shaking now, breathing uneven and stilted. this is when he starts gripping the swollen head of his cock, his other hand quickly grabbing at his balls and then reaching out to touch the softness of your body. “jesus, gonna c-cum”. your hand, which was still precariously laid atop his hip, starts to squeeze the bone there, and he knows - fuck, he knows you’re awake and within an instant, he gets up onto his knees, tossing the duvet off to expose your chest and with a few more jerks, he’s spilling his load all over your breasts. his release is loud and finite, like the pop of a balloon at a birthday party. joe is squeezing your left breast, pinching at the nipple when he finishes milking his cock. you hear him chuckle, “i know your were awake as soon as you turned over”. joe flops his body back down on the bed, neck to you and lowers his hand to your covered cunt, pulling the material to the side to push his index into the wet, “did you enjoy yourself, you little creep?”. you feel his smirk against your lips as he kisses you hastily. he knows you love hearing him with himself; the voyeurist in you completely satisfied with what has transpired. joe’s cum still adorns your skin, letting it settle there whilst he dip a finger into you, then two, then three, and then he kisses you again - so fucking hard - “let’s take care of this, shall we?”.

[mauveastralderith]

DC x HSR : Nihility Tim Drake

so, it's start with two wayward Trailblazers who got stuck in a foreign planet, AKA DC Earth. Unable to return to the star rail, they've decided to make a life here, with the name of Janet and Jack Drake. Due to their knowledge of advance technology, they quickly build up a successful company, and move to Gotham, Bristol, right next(as in half a mile away) to the resident billionaire Brucie Wayne. Janet soon got pregnant with Tim, and nine months later a baby boy was born.

The two parents were contented at first, but they soon begin to miss their old life of traveling and trailblazing. And so, as soon as Tim start to be more independent, Jack have suggested going on a world trip, which Janet agree wholeheartedly. And so the two Trailblazers once again pick up their badges, and go on their merry way.

Leaving Tim behind with a nanny.

Tim should be around 7 years old at this point, he can read, and definitely know about the Aeons. He know that his parents are not Earth natives, but rather travelers from the stars who had stuck here. He wish he could be a Trailblazer too, so that he can join his parents on their journey. But his wish never come true.

And then Tim is 9, begging Janet to let him come with her and Jack, but she said no, Timothy, focus on your study, you're not fit to to travel with adults.

She and Jack left without saying goodbye the next morning, as a punishment for pestering them the whole week they're home. Tim woke up to a lonely house, and start to cry as the TV news play in the background as White noise.

Why can't he be with his parents? Why didn't they want him with!? What was he lacking?

If they can't be with him, why was he even born at all?

And at that moment, an oppressive gaze that as heavy as lead and yet as light as nothingness turn upon him. It like Tim is being suck in a blackhole, a blackhole with two white blobs as eyes. THEIRS passive gaze pass by him a second later, but what done is already done.

Just as the roots of his hair beginning to fade into a dull gray color instead of the original inky black, Tim fall from his sofa to the ground, his hand accidentally touch the TV remote and increase the volume. The loud talking snap him out of his trance. The gray recess, leaving behind just a few odd color strands, while Tim eyes stuck to the TV screen, now showing of footage of Batman and Robin.

He watch as Batman pat his sidekick hair, he watch as Robin smile back, a wide grin of his face. He watch as Robin do quadruple somersault, the same one that a black hair boy once promised to show him.

Forget about the existional crisis and all the stuff that come with being look at by The Nihility, IX, Tim have some detective work to do.

#Part 1.

#tim drake #DC #Honkai: Star Rail #dc x hsr

[collegetennisoriginstory]

Welcome back! Just a real quick clarification: You said you weren't able to finish everything you planned for the part 2 update (totally understandable given the circumstances + expanded wordcount!) but I'm slightly confused for what that means about the update schedule.

Is the plan for there to be one last CT:OS update with the singles matches and the rest of Sam's visit before focus shifts back to Merry Crisis, or are you immediately shifting gears to Merry Crisis and adding the remaining CT:OS content to the update after that's complete?

Hope your surgery goes well in the meantime 🙏

Hmmm good question. I kind of wanted to get a chapter of merry crisis in before Christmas but now it's looking a little difficult. I do have 80% of the singles match portion written, so I might just end up finishing that up before starting on Merry Crisis, which is not yet written/planned.

We'll see what I feel up to in the next three weeks or so, but it's leaning towards finishing up the singles match part of CT:OS before switching gears again!

[sadhappylady]

1, 6, 13 and 17 pls <3

Thank you so much for the ask!

Please, people, send more. My answers will be a little slow, because I don't have a good system, but I'll get to them eventually.

1.            favorite fanfic of all time

I will be unoriginal and say Everybody Loves You Now by @im-a-king-baby. It's just amazing. But Language of roses by despassurlaneige and That's how you make history, baby by waybeforeyourtime are close behind, I guess.

6.            favorite one-shot fanfic

There is no doubt about this one. It's The Upgrade by @groenendaelfic . (It's 12k, though. Does it really count? Yes, it does!)

13.          christmas fic recommandation

Oooh! I like this! I was thinking of making a list, actually, but didn't have the energy yet. But here you get it kind of from the top of my head (not rated)

1. not if it's you by @prince-simon

Nanny!Simon AU and Christmas kid fic that is totally cute, but stays just at the right side. (Kids are people, which means they are annoying and needy and have bad days, just like you and me, and I can't with the fics where they are always behaving and always cute. Sorry, a me issue!)

2. merry crisis by pysanky

Part of the third year things series, which I adore. Not a very merry one, but who says Christmas is always merry? Simon and Wilhelm are totally happy spending their time together. Why do they have to spend Christmas with their respective families?

3. 'Tis the Damn Season by littelbluefish

Seriously super cute getting back together fic, set during Christmas. Aged-up characters, and some really great original characters, that we unfortunately don't see enough of. 

4. Make the yuletide gay by @cloudywilmon

A Christmas fake dating fic for you, my loves! Wille is convinced to help Sara out by pretending to be her boyfriend over Christmas. A splendid idea until he meets Sara's brother, Simon.

5. Almost Is Never Enough by This_time_its_just_me

Ok, this is not a Christmas fic. But there is this super cute, very fluffy Christmas celebration part that I just love, between all the angst and pining etc.

17.          the most reread fic of your year

I have no idea actually. Sometimes I read other people' rec lists, and I'm reminded of a fic that I haven't read for a long time, but really loved. Or I wake up at 4 o'clock and can't fall asleep, and I start thinking about something from a fic I read, and get the urge to go find it again. That's what happened last night with this one: You Have Reached the Voicemail Box of... by @zee-has-commitment-issues. I don't really keep track of how many times I read fics, even though I reread fics regularly. Sorry 🤷

Adding these, as well, to promote some less known writers and fics:

the last writer you suscribed to on AO3 ? NenasMom

the last work you suscribed to ? I think that was Where Have You Been All These Minutes? by NenasMom ☝️, I love it so far!

your last bookmark ? 'Tis the Damn Season by littelbluefish (the Christmas fic I recommended)

[sillypiratelife]

BASIC EXPLANATION OF THE PLOT + THE STRAW HATS ROLES IN THE FAKE PRINCE ZORO AU :

* please use this other post as a guide for places and character names.

— THE PLOT (SUMMARIZED?)

A storm belt catches the Going Merry during its descent from Skypiea, the strong winds roughly landing the ship into the bay of an autumn island.

Since they need supplies and Luffy is hungry for adventure, the crew disembarks. If the people of the island are surprised to see them, well... it's not everyday that a ship falls from the sky!

Reality quickly settles in when they are informed that the storm belt and the sharp rock formations around the island make it impossible for them to leave, even less with how damage the Merry is. If they want to survive, they'll have to wait a week for the storm to calm down and the tide to work on their favor.

Not everything is bad news, tho.

When the captain of the royal guard welcomes to their castle and presents their kingdom as Miria, the neverending light of Altus, he does it as if he's receiving a blessing from the heavens. Someone has kidnapped the royal family to sabotage the upcoming meeting or kingdoms. Only the King's still at home, worried sick about his family. Him and the mysterious son of the king, who should have returned by now, so chances are he must be delayed by the Grand Line.

Captain Ocher explains that the other kingdoms are coming from a spring island near them and that they agreed to one chance only. If they lose the opportunity to establish an alliance, there's no saying when a meeting could be set again.

It's all or never for the people of Miria.

Ocher begs for their help. They can let their crisis show to the other kingdoms and they can't wait until the meeting is over to search for the royals. The captain of the royal guard suspects such foul play has other meanings; he worries someone is planning to attack them while they are vulnerable.

To that, Luffy proposes finding the bastard and kicking his ass. Yet, it's never that easy, is it?

Here's the actual plan:

— Captain Ocher will stay with the King to protect the land in case of an attack. He will guide and coordinate most moves behind curtains, allowing the King to focus on the kingdom meeting and reassuring his people as much as he can.

— Zoro, Robin and Usopp would work undercover who's behind it all: if an enemy from within Miria or a person from another kingdom. To do so, Zoro would pretend to be the mysterious prince who just returned from the Grand Line, Robin would fake to be his personal royal advisor and Usopp his loyal childhood friend. They must keep their visitors distracted and help Captain Ocher fight and protect the city, in case things come to worst.

— Luffy and Nami would search for the royal family in the forest. Luffy can defeat anyone and Nami can figure out the landscape of almost any place. They must be careful though, since they'll be in the territory of the many creatures that live in the forest and claim it as their own. They must not drag attention to themselves (ha!), until the royal family is safe and sound within the castle.

— Sanji will assist Luffy and Nami, but he'll also return to the city at least once a day to inform the others about their progress. He must avoid being identified as one working with the royal guards, so he can pretend to be a farmer who sells his things at the market.

— Chopper will stay in wait, hidden in the farmer village near the forest. In case of an attack, he'll help the people evacuate to the forest and away from the chaos and battling. He'll also be the one to tend to the royal family after their rescue, in case they were injured or sick.

And so the straw hats being their new adventure, unaware (as always...) of the real danger looming above their heads.

— THE STRAW HATS ROLES

SEARCH TEAM

Luffy: 1/4 of the search team. His official job is to deal with the creatures of the forest, protect his team and fight any and all threats. His unofficial job is to bargain with the little folk and translate their economic system to Nami and Sanji, since their currency is bugs.

Nami: 1/4 of the search team. Her official job is to safely guide her team through the forest and find where the royal family is. Her other job is to keep the fools in line, obliterate the treasure hunting game of the little folk and steal every bit of gold she can find.

Chopper: 1/4 of the search team. He's job is to stay safe, wait for the search team to bring back the royal family so he can heal them and protect the farmer village in case of an attack. Unofficially he's the magical reindeer of the village and the amazing best friend of every child in town lol.

Sanji: 1/4 of the search team. The backup of both teams, the secret informer and the one making sure the search team doesn't starve during their adventure. Sanji is also the fake farmer who tends the new favorite stall of the captain of the royal guard in the market and the newest regular visitor of the witch near the forest bridge.

UNDERCOVER TEAM

Zoro: 1/3 of the undercover team. He must pretend to be Esmer Guillemot, the prince of Miria who sailed to the Grand Line at 12 years old and only now returned home. His job is to keep the other kingdoms clueless about the current crisis and to find the one responsible for the kidnapping of the royal family. Zoro's unaware that he's also a distraction for the people of Miria, who are having the time of their lives with the theatrics of it all.

Robin: 1/3 of the undercover team. Officially, she should be the one keeping the team in line and focused. In truth she's also having a lot of fun, both by the shenanigans of her nakamas and the terror she causes in others when she analyzes them in silence. Her other other job is checking Miria's library and later uncovering the real history of Altus and the kingdom across the mountains.

Usopp: 1/3 of the undercover team. He was born for this job because all he has to do is lie and lie until he can't anymore. They need the prince to be mysterious enough for the other kingdoms to be concerned with him and only him, right? Meaning Usopp has free reign to invent childhood anecdotes and Grand Line adventures that make Zoro uh, Prince Esmer sound appealing and undecipherable.

This is not everything there is to know about the Fake Prince Zoro au, but it's a headstart. I hope everyone who voted to know about the plot and the straw hats roles in it like this <3

If you have any more questions or if you're curious about a specific thing or want to know more 'bout what happens: come talk to me, send me asks or comments (both here and in AO3)!!!! I love to talk about this and I can't wait for a chance to do so!!!!

[merrycrisis-if]

Played through the update and holy crap! It was so good! Qiu’s scenes made me cry so much and hit so close to home especially when playing through the queer versions of the scenes.

Ahh! I'm glad you enjoyed the queer Qiu x MC scenes, and I hope that some of the scenes gave you some form of comfort, maybe!! Sending you lots of love and a big warm hug.

I have lots of stories about being queer in a kinda-liberal yet paradoxically rather homophobic (+ sexually repressed) country—some firsthand, some I've heard, so I really wanted to at least capture some of that in Merry Crisis, through Shay and Qiu and also Nat! (I'll get to explore Nat x MC queerness more in Chapter 5/6, but yeah the added dimension of Nat being a foreigner, and African-American definitely also affects the way MC's parents' view them.)

Plus the fact that I managed to finish writing it in time for Pride month is just icing on the cake :)

Thank you again for reading!

[polyamorouspunk]

I have a crush on this guy, and I really want to tell him. But I don't know how old he is. And I can't ask yet because I just mentioned a crush yesterday. How long do you think it'll take him to forget?

I feel this in my soul.

So like, if it’s someone I have a crush on, or a dear friend, I am not forgetting any time soon.

If it’s someone I’m acquaintances with, then maybe like when I see them for a few days or if they bring it up again.

If it’s someone I’ve never met before. Like I will literally forget customers I saw a few minutes ago. The other day someone told me they wanted to make an exchange and I forgot who it was and I started asking like everyone in line like “is this yours” and they were like uuuh no and I’m like I’m sorry :’) anyway here’s your stuff Merry Crisis :’)

I also look a LOT younger than I am. People do NOT expect me to be as old as I am. So when I think someone is in my age range there’s a good chance they’re not. And also when people crush on me they expect me to be around their age and I am not. And it makes it difficult and confusing.

[heckinconfusedparade]

I honestly wanna see Nine, Thorn and Dread regaining their original memories but… due to how they are now, they try to comfort Sonic when he has an emotional breakdown due to the guilt and heartbreak of his original friends and home being gone. Also, they, including Shadow, are all in the Grim where they’re hiding from the Chaos Council. And I bet Nine would feel like just being there for Sonic and letting him let it all out would make him feel more like his original self, Tails, due to their bond as brothers still being there despite the whole Shatterverse situation.

Firstly, I won't do the memory regaining thing because I don't know how it would go. Doesn't mean they won't try to comfort Sonic though! Enjoy the angst.

CW: PANIC ATTACK/EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN

...

Through odd circumstances, Nine, Thorn, and Dread have all come to fight the Chaos Council.

During the battle, things got intense, and Nine wanted to get him, Sonic, and Shadow (Sonic insisted they be a package deal). Somewhere along the line, Thorn and Dread joined the ride and now they're all recharging in The Grim. Sonic and Shadow are watching the three interact. Nine is annoyed that they came along, Thorn is extremely confused, and Dread is also confused, but is also demanding where the hell he is right now.

Shadow turns to look at Sonic, but Sonic isn't there. Shadow hears some weird noises from behind one of those tall grey things and follows the sound.

Sonic feels cold. His heart is pounding, and he suddenly feels like he can't breathe anymore. He feels lightheaded and the warmth of the tears he cannot force back. Memories of what happened before breaking the prism is all rushing back and spinning around like a messed up merry-go-round. He's so tired, but refuses to rest because like it or not, those people NEED him and it's HIS responsibility because he's the one who ruined it all in the first place. He holds his head as the pressure bangs against the inside of his skull. Sonic feels like he isn't doing anything right, and that everything he does only makes things worse.

Shadow gasps "Sonic??" and rushes to his side to check on him. Despite their differences and being rivals, Shadow does not hate Sonic. He actually respects him quite a bit. To see the fearless and optimistic hero in this way brings a kind of sadness Shadow cannot describe. Shadow crouches down to him "Sonic, are you alright?" Sonic doesn't respond, he curls into a ball and closes his eyes. Shadow sits next to him. He doesn't know how to approach this.

Nine, Thorn, and Dread come from behind the grey pillar. "There ye be! We been lookin fer-" Dread pauses when he sees Sonic in the state he's in. Nine rushes to Sonic "What's wrong?? What's going on?" he says, frightened something bad had happened to him. Thorn gasps "Oh no, what's the matter?".

Shadow gently pushes the 3 away to give Sonic some space "He's having an emotional crisis. Give him space, please." The three look at each other, nod, and give Shadow a stern look. "Sonic selflessly helped us all. He puts everything down to help anyone in need.. It's time we return the favour." Nine goes to Sonic and sits next to him "Sonic? What's going on?"

Sonic takes a shaky breath "I-I'm okay..really!"

Dread shakes his head "Ye clear as water aren't. Ye can talk to us." Sonic responds in grumbling.

Thorn sits on his opposite side "Sonic, do you remember what happened in the forest? You told us that we should talk about our feelings. You gave us the floor to express our feelings and talk about them. I think.. it's time you talk about your feelings too. I kept my feelings locked away for a long time, and you saw what happened."

Sonic lifts his head up and leans it against the pillar. He takes a deep breath..

"I just.. Look, it's my fault. I'm the reason we're all in this mess. I let my body move before my head, and I made my best friend upset.. then after apologizing, I proceeded to yet again act carelessly. I shattered that stupid prism even though everyone was shouting at me to stop. I didn't listen.. and now? My home is gone, my friends are gone, and it's all my fault! I got Shadow stuck in some void for a stupid amount of time. Every time it feels like I'm finally getting somewhere, everything falls apart. I keep ending up back at square one. I miss my friends.. I miss home.. and I miss my brother.” Sonic silently sobs. The others exchange concerned looks. Thorn reaches and holds Sonics hand tightly “let it out, Sonic..” and Sonics tears keep flowing until they can’t anymore, and he’s light headed from hyperventilating.

Shadow coaches Sonic through some breathing exercises so he can resume normal breathing “I’m.. im sorry..” Sonic says, embarrassed for his little meltdown.

Dread meets Sonics gaze “listen here, Sonic. Ye been facin some crazy stuff nonstop without breaks for a real long time. It was bout time ye was gonna break! Don’t feel sorry for bein overwhelmed.”

Nine adds on “we’re gonna help you get your home back.”

Sonic feels like he’s going to cry again “thank you.. all of you. So much. I.. I don’t know what else to say!”

Thorn rubs her thumb over his palm “you don’t have to say anything more, if anything, we should be thanking you! You’ve been helping us out of the kindness of your heart, helping us see the positive in negative situations.”

Shadow looks away “and.. I’m sorry for yelling at you and beating you up in the middle of shatterspace. I still think you’re incredibly stupid for it, but I’m not angry anymore. I think we might be able to pull this off. We’ve saved the world before, haven’t we?” Sonic nods “you’re right..”

Sonic stands back up and stretches. The group rest up for a while before plotting what to do next about the Chaos Council.

Sonic hates crying or showing vulnerability. He’s mad at himself for letting himself go in that way, and guilty that his friends had to deal with him. He’s thankful, though. If they hadn’t been there, maybe he would have just given up, which is a completely foreign idea to him.

Sonic realizes that it doesn’t matter if these people are different versions of his friends, they’re still his friends and the people he knows them to be deep down.

Dread is still the Knuckles he enjoys bickering with, who is strong, and has a good heart deep down.

Thorn is still the Amy he holds very dear to himself, the kindest soul he could ever meet.

Nine is still the Tails he knows and loves, his scary smart little brother who he would do anything for.

Shadow is still Shadow.

It was this exchange that made him see this more clearly. He feels more comfortable now.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Christmas Reruns 2023 Day 24: The Twelve Days of Storybrooke

Merry Christmas if you celebrate it and happy holidays if you don’t!  One of the things I love about Christmas is watching reruns of all the old classic Christmas movies–Christmas is a big time for nostalgia.  A few years ago, I decided to incorporate that tradition into my fandom life and post my CS holiday reruns.  So here you go!  Enough holiday (mostly) fluff to get you to New Year’s Day. (With a new story posting on Christmas Day.)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2285

Other chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32

CS Genre: Neverland Canon Divergence

Notes:  This story was written for @pirateherokillian for the CS Secret Santa event last year.  Emma and Killian find themselves dealing with yet another town crisis—this one with a very Christmassy flavor.

Killian woke with a gasp, taking a moment to let his heart rate return to normal.  It had been a while since he’d had the dream, but when he did he woke absolutely bloody terrified.

Six months ago Emma had won the final battle, and the residents of Storybrooke had begun their happily ever afters.  It had been good, so, so far beyond good since then.  He and Emma had taken a two-week honeymoon on the Jolly.  They’d had no real destination in mind; they’d merely chosen to sail somewhere warm and tropical.  Two weeks of uninterrupted time together had been better than even his fertile imagination could have dreamed up.

When they’d returned home, they’d set up house and then begun the process of deciding just what they would do with the remainder of their lives (besides spending copious amounts of time in bed, of course.  They were newly-weds, after all).  When Dave had decided to pursue his life-long dream of owning a farm, the decision had been simple.  Killian would take the position of Emma’s deputy.  Now he and Swan were partners in everything–life and work.

As he said, life was good.

But the fact that life was now as close to idyllic as it could get didn’t erase the years and years of trauma they had all been through over the past few years, and for the first couple of months, Killian had the same nightmare nearly every night.

They were back there on the streets of Storybrooke, Swan facing Gideon and the final battle about to commence.  He’d known what she was going to do a split second before she did it.  She’d turned back toward him, agony and regret in her eyes.  Before he even had time to scream in horror, she’d dropped her sword, letting Gideon run her through.

It was the only way to truly escape the trap the Black Fairy had set for them.  The strategic part of Killian’s brain knew that to be true.  But his heart, a heart that had lost everyone it had ever loved, rejected the idea.  He couldn’t lose her, his true love, the best part of his very self, his beloved wife.  Not now!  Not ever.

He’d watched as Gideon’s sword made contact, and Swan grunted in pain, falling to the ground.  Her lad went to her, told her he loved her, kissed her.

And nothing happened.

Henry tried True Love’s Kiss again.  Still nothing.

Killian tried, kissing her until his lips were bruised.  She remained still and dead.

He’d lost the most important person he’d ever had in his life, and he was sure the agony really would kill him.

Killian took a deep breath, shaking his head to clear the distressing images from his mind, and then turning onto his side, tears of relief coming into his eyes as his gaze took in the peacefully sleeping form of his wife.

She was here.  She was alive.  She was well.  They’d gotten their happy beginning, and he need never fear the final battle again.

They’d been married long enough for Killian to know waking his sleeping Swan was a rather unwise proposition, but still he leaned over and softly caressed her cheek, pushing aside her tangled hair.  He needed to touch her, needed to reassure himself that it was just a dream; that she was here and that she was well.

She was so beautiful, so vibrant.  He leaned down and kissed her, softly, gently.  She stirred at the touch of his lips to hers, smiling in her sleep and whispering his name.  After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him back.

He’d feared she’d be angry at him for waking her, but it seemed she had another form of sweet torture for him instead.  The fire built up inside of him as the kiss continued and Swan’s hands began wandering.  This wasn’t necessarily how he’d planned to begin Christmas Eve morning, but Killian was so very far from complaining.

He’d only just reached for the hem of Emma’s pajama top when her talking phone began blaring “Jingle Bells.”

She groaned, reluctantly pulling her mouth from his.

“Ignore it, Love,” he whispered, kissing down the column of her neck.

“Good plan,” she responded in a far-from-steady voice as she pulled his mouth back to hers.

But the wretch on the other end of the phone seemed quite insistent.  No sooner had the talking phone gone silent than it started up again.

Emma growled, rolling away from him to reach for the phone.  “Sounds like they’re not giving up.  I better see what it is.”

Emma tapped at the screen for a moment, and then barked. “What?”

She listened for a moment before rolling her eyes.  “Just a second, Dad.  Killian’s here too.  Let me put you on speaker.”

A few more taps at the screen and then Dave’s voice came through the speaker.

“Like I said to Emma, Killian, I’m really sorry for the interruption; I know I offered to cover the station so you two could have a couple days off, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here.”

Killian sighed.  They’d had six months of peace.  He supposed it was the best run they could hope for.  “Just what kind of situation?”

“Well,” David said slowly. “I…don’t know exactly how to describe it.  I know it involves lots of birds.”

“Birds?” Emma bit out.  “Dad, you interrupted us because of birds?  Isn’t that more Mom’s department?”

“She doesn’t know what to make of it either.  Besides, some of the birds don’t seem to even speak English.” 

Emma shook her head.  “I kind of hate that a sentence like that almost makes sense to me.  Still, why are you bothering us for birds–no matter what language they speak?”

“It’s not just the birds,” David said. “There are other oddities. Women dancing, people playing instruments, men randomly jumping up and down, cows being milked. Full-grown trees suddenly appearing.  I don’t know what’s going on, but it is truly bizarre, and you know how this town is.  The usual suspects are already starting to freak out.”

“I’m assuming Leroy has begun heralding the news?” Killian said.

David chuckled. “Obviously.”

In the background, Killian could hear the dwarf himself yelling “The bagpipers!  They’re here!”

“Anyway,” David said, “I’ve tried to calm everyone as best I can, but the rumor has already begun circulating that we’re under attack.  I wouldn’t ask it unless I really thought it was necessary, but I really think I need back up.”

Emma sighed again, pushing aside the covers and reaching for her jeans.  “Alright Dad, we’re on our way.”

“Never a dull moment, is there, love?” Killian asked, climbing from his side of the bed….just as the sound of a full on drum line began playing outside their bedroom window.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I think we need to go on the attack!” Leroy shouted from the back of city hall, as the impromptu town hall meeting began.  “This is our town, and we need to defend it!”

Emma rolled her eyes–she’d  been doing that so much already today that she feared she’d go blind.  Just when she thought things in Storybrooke couldn’t get weirder, something like this happened.

As she and Killian had driven into town, she could tell her dad hadn’t been exaggerating.  Everywhere she looked was something else out of place.  Fully grown pear trees, each with a bird perched on one of it’s limbs, blue birds with–if one could believe it–cell phones held to their heads.  Hen’s wearing berets and waving French flags.  Groups of swans performing some sort of synchronized swimming routine in the harbor.  Pairs of turtle doves nestled together, cooing sweet nothings in each other’s ears. Geese lying around in the street.

And that was only the birds.  As they neared the center of town, Emma began noticing the groups of people–people she’d never seen before–behaving in distinctly odd fashion.  There were the maids milking, the men in three-piece suits playing leap-frog with each other and the scantily clad women (shouldn’t they be freezing dressed like that in December?) seductively dancing to the music of a pipe and drum corp.

Right in the center of town, a set of five, huge golden hoops  sat upon the ground.  

(“Stay away from the rings!” she heard someone shout.  “Probably portals to some dystopian hellscape!”)

Regina, as the newly reinstated mayor, had taken control, promptly calling a town meeting and magicing the word out to all the town’s residents.

And so here they were, huddled together in town hall, trying desperately to make sense of…well, anything that was going on today.

Seriously, though.  Couldn’t whatever villain or whatever had done this have at least waited until after Christmas.  Rude.

“Who precisely do you suggest we attack?” Regina asked with a sneer.  “We don’t even know what is going on, let alone who has perpetrated it.”

“I might be able to answer that first question,” Belle said, from her place in the back next to her husband and sleeping newborn. 

“Yeah?” Emma asked.  “What do you think is going on?”

Belle got to her feet and looked over at the assembled town.  “Well, it’s Christmas Eve, and we’re seeing everything from partridges in pear trees to drummers drumming.  Think about it!  Every weird thing going on right now has something to do with one of the gifts from the Christmas song.”

Emma groaned.  Of course.  Of course someone had decided to mess with them by sending the twelve days of Christmas.

“So who do we think’s doing it?” Henry asked.  “Can anyone think of a Christmas related villain that might want to attack us?”

Various suggestions were thrown out there–from Ebenezer Scrooge to the Grinch, to Mr. Potter from It’s a Wonderful Life, but none seemed to quite fit the bill.      

“Well, we aren’t getting anywhere just speculating,” Emma said.  “If there is some kind of psycho Christmas villain going after us, we’ll have to wait until they make another move.  For the time being, it doesn’t seem like any of the birds or….performers…are causing any harm.  I guess just…don’t panic.”

“We’ve defeated much worse than eleven pipers piping!” Snow chirped up in a way-too cheery voice.  “This town will get through it the way we get through everything!  Together!”

The meeting had only just adjourned, when Emma’s cell phone began ringing. She looked down and frowned.  It was a long distance number.  A very long distance number.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Emma curled up on the sofa, bringing her legs up beneath her and leaning into Killian’s open arm.  She chuckled as she brought her mug of cocoa to her lips and glanced over at their huge, brightly decorated Christmas tree.

“Did you see Leroy’s face when that goose suddenly decided to stop lying around and started chasing him through the streets?  I thought he was going to start screaming like a little girl.”

Killian laughed, turning his head to give her a quick kiss on the forehead.  It was one of her favorite things about being with Killian, all of the simple, casual signs of affection.  “I’d pay an entire pouch full of doubloons for a moving picture of that moment.”

Emma laughed again.  “It’s amazing how quickly everyone’s mood shifted, though once we found out we weren’t in fact under attack.  Seems like nothing can dampen the Christmas spirit for long around here this year.”

No sooner had the town hall meeting ended, than Emma got a video call from Arendelle.  “Emma!” Elsa had said as soon as the call connected. “I’m really sorry about this.  I had no idea!”

Emma’s brow furrowed, and she exchanged a mystified look with Killian.  “You’re sorry about what?  I’d really like to chat, but we’ve got a bit of a situation here–like always.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Elsa said.  “Apparently Anna…”

“Did you get it?” came Anna’s perky voice as her excited face popped into frame.  “Did you get our gifts?  I mean, technically, they’re supposed to be for your true love, so maybe I should have given them to Kristoff, but I figured you wouldn’t care, even if Storybrooke isn’t my True Love.  I mean I like Storybrooke, but True Love is kind of a strong term.”

Elsa rolled her eyes.  “What my sister is trying to say is that she–without consulting me–decided to send Storybrooke the twelve days of Christmas, compliments of Arendelle.”

Killian nodded before taking a sip of his own steaming beverage.  “It was rather impressive how quickly and efficiently the town was able to rid the town square of the well meaning, if rather annoying gifts once they were assured that there was nothing nefarious going on.”

“And can you believe how quickly Granny was able to put that town-wide Christmas party together?” Emma asked.

“This town truly is a wonder,” Killian said, draining the last sip of his cocoa before turning his full attention toward his wife, “but I have rather a different idea of how I’d like to celebrate Christmas Eve with my wife than talking about the town.”

“Yeah?” she asked, setting her mug on the end table and turning to face him.  “Care to tell me what that is?”

He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows before shaking his head.  “Oh darling, I don’t plan to tell you.  I plan to show you.”

And he did just that–quite thoroughly, long into the night.

Just before they fell asleep, exhausted and exquisitely sated, Emma heard Leroy’s shout far in the distance.  “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

NEXT CHAPTER->

[tiredassmage]

🖊 for Tyr 👀👀 maybe early Intelligence days thoughts?

Experienced a Thought I've been delaying acknowledging for like a month now??? Probably??? Aaauhhhh that spawned a potential emotion-busting revelation, so I MEANT to talk about this in like, a constructed manner, but then I busted out a fic musing about the latest ping pong ball of a thought to go flying across the room like that scene from the first Men In Black, so uhhhh Merry Crisis with me?!

I'm still rotating this in my head wondering if I really need to add another layer of complexity to Tyr's already botched life, but also: it's real damn good and it hurts me, so, naturally, I'm going to release that upon the world now, too. xD

Anyway. Vague context if you want it: I posted this trying not to chew on this like a stick and go absolutely insane about it, bUT it only encouraged me, so now we have this instead.

x-x-x-x-x-

DECKARD, TYR V.

Keeper stilled as his eyes landed at the top of the next file, the steady hum of air circulators and databanks blending into a yet more quiet background noise. Carding through potential recruits was a lengthy process, even with the rigid requirements of the Intelligence Academy.

Perhaps his wife was right, he considered idly. The long days and dwindling nights had long characterized his career with Intelligence. Surely it was, on some level, partially responsible for a few of the permanent lines dug in across his features and the graying, receding hair. He still hadn’t pinned whether work at the head of Operations division outpaced the weight of being in the field.

Such idle musings would do little to cull the ever-growing list of his responsibilities.

He turned away from the face of the chrono again with a sniff. Briefly, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed aching eyes. He’d call it soon, but he’d opened this last report, so there was little sense it putting it off further. Academy leadership had urged him to take particular interest in this potential officer.

A frown set a bit further across thinned lips as he read over the name again.

Deckard.

High marks in weapons proficiency, infiltration, negotiation… High marks relatively across the board. Impressive. Very impressive for such a young recruit.

For the moment, he skipped the file attachments. Data first. Early twenties. Successful shadow and support on a wet-foot operation local on Dromund Kaas. Adaptable in the field. Good at taking orders.

Limited connections with family - that would make operations easier long-term.

Deckard. Fairly ranked officer in the Imperial Navy. Marriage to a testy, if moderatly influential Sith Lord some three decades back or so. He remembered the one rather well, had exchanged some mild pleasantries over the engagement… Hot headed, their daughter. She'd be about the age to send to Korriban now, he reckoned, if she hadn't been already.

The son, it seemed, had managed to dodge that ill temperament thus far.

Deckard, Tyr V. Reportedly orphaned by fleet action and charitably raised by the then-Commander Deckard - the officer had been related to the boy’s parents and had taken him rather than pass him off to an impassionate system.

That same piece of action had earned the patriarch a promotion to Captain following, if memory served him correctly.

Keeper drew a hand across his chin. The boy’s discipline and piloting training would have made him a just fit for the Navy to keep, but Academy recruitment had singled him out during early martial skills training.

His fingers hovered - hesitated - over the attached shots from Academy entrance.

Outplayed, or simply mocked by whatever forces were or were not at work in this wretched galaxy, Keeper mused with a scowl threatening his lips. A Watcher or three were always fond of telling him it’d make those lines around his eyes more permanent - a sentiment the wife often echoed.

That was the bloody thing about Ciphers - they were damn difficult to truly eliminate. Silent fingerprints left across the galaxy despite retirement or reassignment or even gross and utter failure.

Keeper closed the file and dimmed the lights in his office before he leaned back in his chair and released a long, bone-deep sigh slowly, hands steepling to touch fingertips to his forehead.

He was all but the top of his class - strong potential to be an absolute asset to Operations. An opportunity that couldn’t be passed up in a right mind.

Particularly with whispers that the military was still probing for weaknesses along Republic lines, they could ill-afford to be short-staffed. The… competitive nature of their Empire always bred opportunity. The grass was tall and there were vipers aplenty.

Duty seemed to remove the choice in the matter.

He opened his eyes and leaned forward. They had a number of sensitive operations that would need delicate, well-trained hands coming up. He’d examine this latest grouping of operatives personally, he decided.

That would show him painfully well just how much a son would manage to follow a father. Even as well-removed from a Cipher’s imprint as had been affordable by the circumstances.

He picked up the datapad once more, finished off the approval for the select few that would be moving forward to finalize their training and transition into active service. Then he stood and prepared to head home, but not before lingering a few moments longer over that last file.

He should have sent the boy much farther than Dromund Kaas.

A moot point and an ill-advised longing now, he reasoned as a finger brushed the edges of the screen. Whether or not it would’ve saved the boy from Intelligence, they’d never know now.

At the absolute least, he’d avoid mentioning this to the wife. For now. Their illustrious Emperor, even in sleep, knew she worried plenty enough as it was.

[moonyswritinq]

i’m a day late, but merry christmas to everyone who celebrates it and happy holidays to those who doesn’t, i wish you all the best week !!

i also want to note that while i’m officially on holiday and technically have time to write, my muse seem to have slipped through my grasp and i have yet to find them again. in the meantime, i’m just gonna have an existential crisis and be afraid of the future. as always. and i’m gonna stress cause i’m moving to England to study abroad one term and i have less than one month to get all my shit together.

feel free to send in more requests though, i never know when the muse might strike me across the face and tell me to write more !

a lovely time, indeed.