#by lifeisshiny

[everlarkchristmasgifts]

Jars of Paper

Thank you to everyone who pushed me through this today! And Happy December to you, my tumblr family!

For the December 1st Prompt, Advent Calendar. Enjoy! xo, CC

~*~*~

1

“Primrose Everdeen! There are no chocolates in these jars!”

Katniss scowls as she looks down at her sister’s version of the Advent Calendar this year: small, decorated mason jars, numbered 1-25 on the lids, arranged on the table like a Christmas tree. She picks one up and shakes it, hearing nothing but the soft sound of paper bouncing around. “Prim!”

“Calm down, Katniss. You’re 23, not 12,” Prim says, shaking her head as she comes into the kitchen. “Just open the first one.”

Sighing, Katniss grabs the jar marked ‘1’. “Happy December! Treat yourself to something yummy and decadent today!” she reads aloud. “Um, what?”

Prim laughs. “Katniss, you’ve worked SUPER hard all semester, so I’ve decided to ‘force’ you into having a little fun this month now that you’re off – each of these jars contains something you have to do. Because I said so.”

“‘Because I said so’ never works, Little Duck, and you know it,” Katniss smirks, grabbing her keys and her coat. “But, I’ll humor you on this one – Peeta said he was working on something yummy at the bakery today.”

“I’m sure he is,” Prim says quietly, smiling. “Tell your best friend I said ‘hello’”.

2

Hold the door open for someone

Katniss smiles at the piece of paper in her hand and stuffs it into her pocket as she gets out of the car. She holds the door open for the elderly couple leaving the bakery as she enters, and they greet her with a ‘Thank you’ and ‘Happy Holidays, dear’. She watches them leave, hand in hand, and can’t help but smile at them.

She spins around and meets Peeta’s blue eyes. He grins at her.

She grins back.

7

“Hey, you’re off this morning, right?”

“Yeah, I was just about to call you. Did you want to do something?”

Katniss nods, even though he can’t see it. “My Advent thing for today is ‘Pick out a Christmas Tree’. Want to come with me?”

“Sure!” he answers excitedly. “We can take the truck. Scoop you up in 10 minutes?”

“See you soon.”

~

The local Christmas tree lot is magical, she thinks. Even with no decorations, the trees are gorgeous in their deep green colors. She takes in a deep breathe, and savors the smell they create. “This one looks good, Peeta.”

Peeta reaches in and grabs the trunk, standing the tree upright. “Yeah, it does. Good shape, great color. You want this one?”

She nods and flags down a worker, pointing to the tree. “We’d like this one, please.”

“Terrific,” he says. “Do you folks mind if I snap a picture of you with the tree and put it on Facebook? We’re in a new location this year, and the boss wants everyone to know where we are and that people can actually find us,” he chuckles.

“Uh, sure, I don’t mind,” Peeta replies, holding up the tree. “Katniss?”

“Um…okay,” she answers hesitantly, moving to stand next to him.

“Alright, closer together,” the man directs. Katniss moves in closer to Peeta, and he puts his arm around her shoulders, instantly putting her at ease. She looks up at him warmly, and he smiles down at her.

“Perfect, thanks,” the man says as he slips the camera back into his pocket.

“Wait – we weren’t even looking at you,” Katniss says, puzzled.

The man smirks and takes the camera back out, bringing up their picture on the screen. “This one here is just perfect, Miss.” He hands them the camera and takes the tree from Peeta, leaving them behind as he carries it towards the trailer.

Katniss and Peeta stare at the picture together – as suspected, neither of them are looking at the camera, but instead, at each other.  Just the two of them, at ease, smiling happily…at each other.

“He’s right,” Peeta whispers, handing her the camera. “It’s perfect.”

“Yeah,” she replies quietly. “I guess it is.”

They stare at each other for a moment before Peeta clears his throat. “Uh, I’ll go pull the truck around while you check out. Meet you at the front?”

She nods. “At the front.”

12

“Did Prim know you were going to be off today?”

“Um I don’t see how she would…why?”

Katniss scowls. “I feel like she planned this whole Advent Calendar around your schedule. My thing for today is ‘Put on some holiday music and bake cookies’. Prim knows I can’t bake! Maybe I can skip this one…”

“You’re not skipping, Katniss. I know you’ve secretly been enjoying these things your sister is making you do,” Peeta chuckles. “I’ll be there in 20.”

“Sitting in that massage chair at the mall yesterday was pretty relaxing,” she laughs. “But Peeta, you work in a bakery – you shouldn’t have to bake on your day off!”

“Katniss, I’ve been on bread duty for weeks. Trust me, listening to holiday music and baking cookies with my best friend sounds perfect right now.”

Her stomach flutters at this, the memory of their picture at the tree lot coming back to her suddenly. “Okay, if you’re sure…”

“I’m sure.”

~

Peeta arrives in 20 minutes as promised, a bag of cookie ingredients on his arm. Katniss puts on the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack and turns on the tree lights. Together, they bake cookies all morning, reminiscing about past Christmases and favorite holiday traditions.

At one point, he reaches up to wipe some flour off her cheek, and she swears the whole world stops in that second. She thinks about this clichéd moment – one that’s probably been played out in dozens of movies and TV shows – and recalls how cheesy it always seemed. There’s no way you can feel anything from someone wiping flour off your cheek…that’s just silly.

Except, she does feel something.

Looking into her best friend’s eyes, and feeling the warmth of his fingers on her face…she definitely feels something. She’s felt something for days now…

…maybe more, if she’s being honest with herself.

beep beep beep

“The cookies are ready,” Peeta says, lowering his hand. “Um, do you mind getting them out of the oven? I need to call the bakery…about something.” 

“Uh, yeah, of course,” she says, blinking. “Take your time.”

He returns after a few minutes, claiming that he’s needed back at the bakery, mumbling something about a flour shortage. She knows that he’s lying – she’s been able to tell that for at least fifteen years now – but she nods anyway, thanks him for coming over, and waves him goodbye. She stands there and listens as the door shuts behind him.

And at the same time, the music stops.

16

It’s Saturday night - Karaoke with friends!

Katniss meets up with the gang at the only karaoke place in town, and they all have a great time. She and Peeta are acting more or less normal (though, he didn’t offer to pick her up like he normally would), and everything seems fine.

Until it’s her turn to sing, and she spends most of Selena Gomez’s Bad Liar staring directly into those blue eyes.

She ends the song to cheers and applause, and isn’t sure what to expect as she descends from the stage, the glare of the bright lights leaving her eyes.

She certainly didn’t expect to see Peeta rushing out without saying goodbye.

20

Katniss grasps the paper in her hand and marches angrily up to her sister’s room. “Did you plan all this?” she asks, holding up the paper.

Prim turns around and laughs. “Uh, of course I did. Do you think elves did it?”

“No, I mean – did you plan for this to end up being about be about me and Peeta?”

“Nooo,” Prim answers. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Katniss.”

“‘Have courage and do something brave’…what did you mean by that, then?” 

Prim shrugs. “I don’t know. Wear a skirt. Let your hair down. What’s the matter with you?”

“So…you really didn’t plan this?” Katniss asks, sitting down on the bed. “Prim…I feel – I feel like I’m going crazy. I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

She sits down next to Katniss, and rubs her back. “Katniss, if you’re talking about what I think you’re talking about – just do what the paper says. ‘Have courage…do something brave’. You have nothing to lose.”

“Or everything to lose,” Katniss whispers.

Prim turns to her, and connects with her sister’s eyes. “Katniss, I’ve been watching you guys my entire life. Trust me. You have nothing to lose.”

~

“Nothing to lose,” Katniss whispers to herself as she walks towards the bakery. Her walk breaks into a jog, and is caught off guard when she sees Peeta burst through the front door. “Hey,” she begins,  “I, uh, wanted to come by and –”

But she doesn’t get to finish her sentence.

Because Peeta is kissing her.

Her best friend is kissing her.

He’s a really good kisser.

“Katniss,” he says, releasing her for a moment. “Is this okay?”

She lifts herself up for another kiss. “More than okay,” she says, smiling. “Though, you kinda stole my thunder.”

“Your thunder?” he asks, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out the piece of paper, holding it in front of him. “Yes, my thunder.”

Peeta reads the slip in front of him, and grins. “‘Have courage and do something brave’. Were you, maybe, going to do the same thing I just did?”

To answer, Katniss kisses him. Again. And again.

“Maybe.”

24

It’s Christmas Eve! Give a gift early today, and watch that person open it =)

Katniss looks at the box under the tree with Peeta’s name on it – it’s the jacket he was eyeing the other day when they went on a shopping date, per Prim’s instruction for Day 22, ‘Buy something for yourself that’s not school-related’. They walked around the mall, and it actually wasn’t terrible. With Peeta’s arm around her shoulders, or her hand in his, or their stolen kisses…she decided that the mall actually isn’t the worst place in the world.

She looks at the present and shakes her head, deciding to give him the jacket tomorrow. She sits and thinks for a while, staring at the twinkling lights on the Christmas Tree, and after a few minutes, she knows exactly what to do.

~

“Katniss, it’s not Christmas yet!”

She holds up the slip of paper and shrugs. “What can I say? Prim’s orders. Open it.”

Peeta laughs and sits down on her couch, happily tearing into the wrapping paper. He opens the box as Katniss watches excitedly, and she holds her breath when he finally takes the frame out of the box. “Katniss…oh my god…”

“I think that’s when I knew…” she says, sitting next to him. “I just, I had a feeling-”

“I know exactly what you mean,” he interrupts, grinning. “Thank you, I love it.”

Peeta kisses her and places the frame on the coffee table before they sink comfortably into the couch. And they sit there together, her head on his chest and his arm around her waist, staring at the framed picture of them at the Christmas Tree lot. The picture of them just smiling at each other, and the man said it was “perfect”.

He was right.

25

Growing up, Katniss was never crazy about Christmas. It was alright, she guessed, but when your parents can barely afford to put food on the table, it puts the whole Christmas ‘thing’ into a different light, a different perspective.

But after this year, with Prim’s Advent Calendar – it might just be her favorite holiday. Because the gift she got was worth more than money, more than a feast on the table, more than a dozen presents underneath the tree.

Her best friend turned out to be the love of her life. And now, she can’t imagine a world where he is anything but the love of her life.

So, on Christmas Day, she slips the piece of paper into his hand, her final to-do from her final jar of paper.

Merry Christmas! Give and accept love!

He reads it, and looks into her eyes. “Does this mean…”

“I love you, Peeta.”

“I love you, too, Katniss.”

fin

[hawthornewhisperer]

lifeisshiny replied to your post “things you said that I wish you hadn't combined with things you said...”

I don't go here, but damn, you gotta finish this...

You’re in luck, @lifeisshiny, because apparently I did!

[shesasurvivor]

@lifeisshiny replied to your post: I just want everyone to know that DuckTales has...

Wow. It’s been something we’ve wanted to watch but haven’t gotten around to it.

In all honesty, it's a surprisingly well-written show. I'm one of those people who was the target demographic for the original show when it came out in the 80's, and it and Darkwing Duck were my absolute favorites for ages - to the point where I know quite a bit about the comics, and Donald's family tree.

The show really dives into the psychology of these characters. Webby has become vastly different from her token-female-character counterpart in the original; Huey, Dewey, and Louie each have their own personality that not only makes sense according to their birth order, but fits in with other members of their family, Donald has reasons for being the way he is, and one of those reasons is because the show is ACTUALLY exploring WTF happened to HDL's mother, aka Donald's twin sister Della!

On top of all that, the writing is very sharp, the show is genuinely funny in a smart way, and the show manages to capture and honor its predecessors while still managing to be fresh. IDK, it's just a really good show. I mean, it's better than I even imagined it would be. I actually (gasp) like it better than the original!

[jeeno2]

[everlarkbirthdaygifts]

EBG Masterlists: January - June 2018

January - June 2018 under the cut. Again, if you come across any linking errors, please let us know.

January 2018

For lynamloveseverlark by mega-aulover

For shesasurvivor by mega-aulover

For norbertsmom by booksrockmyface

For ally147writes by mega-aulover

For ilovepeetaanddarcy-peemadarzy by ally147writes

For demisexualkatnisseverdeen by mega-aulover

February 2018

For lifeisshiny by ally147writes

For joshifer4everyone by historywriter2007

For neverstopwhileyoureahead by booksrockmyface

For thelettersfromnoone by savedbyyeezus

For elricsister by ally147writes

For aaltena26 by que-sera-sera88

For bandathebillie by ally147writes

March 2018

For gettin-litty-in-the-windy-city by booksrockmyface

For outofthemarr by ally147writes

For caloresblood by savedbyyeezus

For insidejokepartyof1 by mega-aulover

For litlifelover by ally147writes

For thestuckinbed by historywriter2007

For annalisedemoodboards by savedbyyeezus

April 2018

For jobanana7 by mega-aulover

For neonsnail by herainab

For micmic022 by booksrockmyface

For offended-goat by savedbyyeezus

For savedbyyeezus by historywriter2007

For tohrusohma by booksrockmyface

For franceschee by booksrockmyface

May 2018

For booksrockmyface by ally147writes

For lana0605 by historywriter2007

For ldyglfr62 by mega-aulover

For sunflowerslyf by savedbyyeezus

For albinokittens300 by historywriter2007

For iliveilaughiloveiread by ally147writes

June 2018

For animekpopxx by mega-aulover

For booksandchocolatesmears by historywriter2007

For 7-ah by booksrockmyface

For vmariainez by ally147writes

For karebear923 by mega-aulover

For gabzep by historywriter2007

[everlarkbookclub]

The Everlark Book Club would like to nominate the following fics to @everlarkficbackfriday as part of the Fic Back Friday community challenge:

Not In Our Favor by @twilightcakes

Modern AU. Rated M. Multi-chapter (complete).

Katniss thinks she had found her happily ever after with Peeta, but when a hunting accident lands her in the hospital, she wakes up discovers she has no idea who he is. Her memories of life for the last two years are all blurry, but she does however remember Gale. Will the baker that seems to be her polar opposite be able to win her over twice?

#psl_everlark by ThirtySomething (@lifeisshiny)

Modern AU. Rated G. Collection of drabbles (complete).

Everlark and Pumpkin Spice Lattes. 

She Wore Primroses In Her Hair by juststella (@justajjfan)

Modern AU. Rated M. Multi-chapter (complete).

Peeta is a player, a very wealthy player. He learned at a young age to never give his heart to love. The women he dated were always the same. Blonde, beautiful and pretentious. Parties, booze and sex was just an outlet. They meant nothing to him.

The empire his grandfather built would be his when he turned 30. There was just one stipulation. He needed a wife.

Acceptable Payment: A Date With Katniss Everdeen by rEckLeSsLy.cOnFIneD

Modern AU. Rated M. One shot.

"That Katniss was currently aware of, she needed to do two things: First, she needed to inform Johanna about everything that was Peeta Mellark. Second, she needed her help to make sure that she was most beautiful version of herself she had ever been for this New Year's Party."

When It’s Right by @peetabreadgirl

Modern AU. Rated T. Multi-chapter (complete).

Sometimes we need to know what love feels like when it’s wrong, before we can truly appreciate it when it’s right.

*****

Image source

[jennagill]

Best cheer-me-up fics that aren’t necessarily fluff? Rec me, babe! 😘

Well. I've been on the angst train, re-reading for the triple crown of cheating!everlark fics by @muttpeeta so cheer-me-up hasn't been my soup du jour lately. I did re-read half of my fic Alibi recently and man that was some funny shit. I also got lost in thought about Penelopeweaving's The Bread Whisperer series after watching a dough kneading video. Anything by @lifeisshiny tends to cheer me up though there will be a heaping helping of fluff in there too. The Third Wheel and The Contract by @sponsormusings are also feel goods, also with some fluffy parts. I guess it's either dark and angsty or feel good and fluffy. Hopefully that helps @papofglencoe !

[sunflowerslyf]

20 Questions Tag

i've been tagged for this thrice lol i'm finally doing it

rules: answer the questions and tag 20 people

name: ann

nickname: i have a lot but i'll most likely keep them a secret for reasons lol

zodiac sign: taurus

height: 5 feet and 4 inches

languages spoken: filipino, english, a little bit of korean, chinese, and french

nationality: filipino

favorite season: winter (we don't have winter in the philippines but i love it when i visit other countries)

favorite flower: tulips

favorite scent: lavender

favorite color: pink (lol i'm sorry i am such a girl)

favorite animal: panda and koala (i honestly don't know why they're just really cute)

favorite fictional character: oh no this is a lot katniss everdeen, peeta mellark, finnick odair (thg), chloe decker (lucifer), gina linetti, ray holt, charles boyle (b99), grim reaper, deok hwa, sunny (goblin), mr. ko (wwwsk), peggy carter (mcu), lydia martin (tw), ezra fitz, hanna marin (pll) i'm positive there's a lot more but they're all i can remember as of the moment

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: coffee but with milk

average hours of sleep: 12-14 hours because of quarantine but normally when i have classes i get only 3-5 hours of sleep

dog or cat person: BOTH i can't give up any

number of pillows you sleep with: 5 (i can't sleep without two pillows under my head, 1 for my feet, 1 between my legs, and one i hug)

dream trip: iceland and greece

blog established: i can't remember but probably 2015 or 2014?? haven't been super active before i only started being active at around 2016

followers: around 500+

random fact about me: i'm a med student and i love kdramas

tagging @lovely-tothe-bone @booksrockmyface @justajjfan @alliswell21 @norbertsmom @xerxia31 @lifeisshiny @hutchhitched @wendywobbles @endlessnightlock @567inpanem @albinokittens300 @b-boop5 @thehopefuldandelion @awhiskeyriver @jroseley @ambpersand @hgamesfan @safeinpeetasarms

sorry for the random tags i just tagged whoever showed up lol

[n-0-e-m-i]

From @wendywobbles (thank you 😃)

when u get this u have to answer with 5 things u like about yourself, publicly. then, send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (positivity is cool)

1. My hair. As a teenager I used to chemically straighten it but now I’ve learned to love my hair the way it is

2. My weirdness. I’m not afraid to be different, be it the way I dress myself, the shows and movies I like, my interests or hobbies.

3. My ability to teach myself whatever the heck I get interested in. I taught myself english, to knit, to cook a lot of things, to draw, to crochet, and a lot of other little things

4. My curiosity. I think it is essential to be curious about things, or risk life getting very boring

5. The way I can manage to be friends with people of all ages. My cousins’ children are friends with me, and so are some of my grandma’s friends 🙂

I tag @jlalafics @uncommonsarah @mendontprotectyou @lifeisshiny @lvfics @greetingsfromthenorthernsea @gabzep @endlessnightlock @awhiskeyriver @awkwardeverlark

And anyone else who wants to get involved!

[everlarkchristmasgifts]

Six Points

Day 4, Snowflake prompt. Enjoy! ~CC

~*~*~

“Why are we here?”

“Uh, we’re forming a giant snowflake, dude,” Finnick answers, pointing to the large snowflake outlined in tape on the grass.

Peeta rolls his eyes. “Yes, I know we’re forming a snowflake – I’m asking what we’re doing here, in this spot, when everyone else seems to be standing over there.”

Finnick looks over to where Peeta is pointing. “Oh, don’t worry, we’re in the right place,” he says, pulling out two orange slips of paper from his pocket. “See? Number ‘6’. They outlined a snowflake with six points, so Annie and her team are handing out slips to make it a little more organized, and to make sure it’s filled in evenly for the picture.”

“Ahhh okay, makes sense,” Peeta nods. He takes a long sip of his coffee, and almost chokes on it when he sees her.

Beautiful, dark, braided hair. Radiant olive skin. Stunning silver eyes.

Katniss Everdeen.

“Oh my god,” he whispers, lowering his head. “Finnick! Katniss – Katniss Everdeen – is over there!”

“No shit!!! Which one is she?!!” Finnick exclaims loudly, earning a ‘SHH!’ and a punch on the shoulder. “The infamous Katniss Everdeen, star of Peeta Mellark’s dreams. Dry and  Wet,” he says with a wink…earning him another punch.

“Shut the hell up and tell me what to do!” Peeta hasn’t seen Katniss since their high school graduation seven years ago – the day he finally worked up the courage to ask her out, only to get shut down when she said she had to leave for Europe early the next day.

“Just go over there and talk to her, Peet,” Finnick says, patting his back. “Play it cool – ask her what she’s been up to and what she’s doing for the holidays. Honestly, dude, you’re usually the one with all the right words!”

“Not when it comes to Katniss,” he mutters, shaking his head. “But yeah, okay, you’re right,” he begins, squaring his shoulders. “I’ll just go over there and talk to her. ‘Hey, Katniss! How have you been?!’…yeah, okay. Or maybe, ‘Katniss Everdeen, as I live and breathe!’, that’s a classic opener, right? Or maybe - ”

“JUST GO ALREADY.”

This shuts Peeta up and he nods at Finnick, who gives him a supportive thumbs up despite his harsh directive. Peeta takes a deep breath, runs his hand through his unruly blond curls, and makes his way over to her, repeating ‘You can do this’ over and over again in his head. As he gets closer, he watches Katniss turn around, and he stops in his tracks when their eyes connect.

And she smiles at him.

Oh shit. I’m a goner. Again.

“Peeta? Wow, it’s been forever. How are you?” she greets warmly.

Be cool. “Katniss Everdeen!!!” Ugh. You’re an ass. “Sorry…that was loud, uh, I’m good, how are you?”

“Good, thanks,” she chuckles. “So, what brings you here on this cold December morning?”

“Oh, my friend Finnick’s wife Annie is helping organize this, so she roped me into coming out. You?”

“My sister is a photographer,” Katniss answers, beaming. “She’s controlling the drone that’s going to fly up and take the picture of the snowflake.”

“That’s awesome,” Peeta responds genuinely, remembering how fondly Katniss always spoke of her sister. “So, uh, you’re in this section, too? Number 3?” he asks, pointing to the green slip of paper with the number ‘3’ in her hand.

“Uh, no, actually,” she says, sticking her hand in her coat pocket…to pull out an orange slip. “I’m just holding this one for my friend, she’s running late. They put us into different groups for some reason. It looks like I’m in-”

“Oh! Number 6!” Peeta says loudly. “Me too!”

Katniss looks at him, confused. “But – you said you were in this section…”

“Oh, did I?” Oh my god. You’re the biggest ass on the planet. “No, I’m in 6, too, uh, I must have been…confused…yeah,” he stammers, feeling his cheeks warm with humiliation. “So, uh, did you want to walk over there together?”

Katniss narrows her eyes at him for a moment, a puzzled look on her face. Finally, she blinks and shakes her head, holding up the green slip. “Well, I have to wait for my friend…but I’ll meet you over there soon? We should catch up.”

Peeta nods – calmly – as he attempts to regain his composure. “Yeah, I’d love that. See you over there in a bit.”

“See you.”

He turns around, feeling both excited and defeated, somehow. He makes his way back over to Finnick, and tells himself not to get his hopes up – that this all probably means nothing, that they’re just old classmates, that they could never be more than-

“Peeta?”

Katniss.

“Hmm?” he mumbles, spinning around to face her.

“Here,” she says, handing him her orange slip of paper. “Keep this safe for me, and I’ll see you in a sec,” she says, smiling brightly before turning around and running back to her wait for her friend.

Peeta opens his hand, and his heart stops when he sees Katniss and a phone number on the back of the slip.

!!!!!

“So,” Finnick says, nudging Peeta’s shoulder. “Katniss Everdeen…”

Peeta grins and turns around, searching for Katniss in the crowd. He spots her, meets her silver eyes, and sighs.

“As I live and breathe.”

[hawthornewhisperer]

lifeisshiny replied to your post “coming home”

dawwwww

sometimes I write fluff

[shesasurvivor]

@lifeisshiny replied to your post: @lifeisshiny replied to your post: ...

Sold! We own the original series on DVD and the older loved it, we’ll definitely check out the new series soon!

YAY! Let me know when you watch it/what you think! (Also, btw, I SUPER ship Huey and Webby (Huebby) in this version!)

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Okay so I'm at 33K and still have a little ways to go. Probably gonna be 40-50 K by the time I'm done. I've got two but am looking for a third set of eyes to beta read if anyone is interested in wading through this royal mess.

[everlarkbirthdaydrabbles]

Hello lovelies! My birthday is coming up on February 7, can I request a drabble? :) xoxo

Wishing you a very happy birthday! To celebrate, here’s a little taste of Everlark sweetness, just for you!

Snowbabies

Rated G

Winter is hard.

Katniss and I have struggled with the winter since the end of the war. The cold, the dark, the lifelessness. The reminders of people we lost that cruel winter years ago.

Having children changed things, particularly for Katniss. She stopped spending dark days in bed, staring at ghosts, and started playing - taking the kids skating, having snowball fights. I’m not saying winter isn’t still hard. But in Willow, and then again two years ago in Rye, she seems to have found the strength to persevere, in spite of the winter blues. It’s not easy, but she and I both have been able to really live these past few winters, instead of just surviving. Our kids have definitely helped us see winter differently.

But this winter is different. The weather has been particularly brutal, a relentless deluge of snow and bouts of freezing rain that have rendered the woods treacherous and the walk from Victor’s Village to town uncomfortable at best. I swear I haven’t seen the sun since December.

And Katniss - my love, my best friend, my beautiful wife - is struggling this season. She tries to hide it, but I see it in the dark circles under her eyes, and in the way she often falls asleep while tucking Rye into bed at night. The darkness is taking its toll.

Today, however, as I clean the glass display cases in my bakery, sunshine streams through the windows, painting the front shop in streaks of winter-bright light.

I must wear my melancholy plainly; beside me Dashiel, my manager and right hand man, laughs. “Go home, Peet. I know you’re dying to.” He’s right, I am. The return of the sun after weeks of grey revitalizes me, the glittering snow irresistible. I turn to ask if he’s sure, but he laughs before I can even open my mouth. “Git,” he says. “Go home and play with those babies of yours.” More than my employee, Dash has been a great friend ever since I opened the bakery more than a decade ago.

I smile and slip out into the cold with a spring in my step, despite the snow that slows my journey. An unexpected day. I can play with my children in the snow, try out the sled that grandpa Haymitch carved for them. Have lunch with my family. And then, when the kids have their afternoon naps, just maybe I can convince Katniss to lie down and nap with me too.

Even the possibility fills me with joy.

They’re outside when I walk through the village gates, rolling enormous balls of snow together. Rye sees me first, and grunts, toddling towards me on chubby snowsuit-wrapped legs. I pick him up and toss him in the air while he laughs, grey eyes gleaming in delight. Willow, as sure-footed and agile as her mother, joins us only moments later, climbing me like a tree to join in the hugs.

Katniss smiles as she saunters over, like dawn breaking after an endless night. Though she still looks tired, her cheeks are winter-kissed and her posture relaxed. “You’re home early,” she murmurs, standing on tiptoe to press her hot lips against my frozen cheek.

“I wanted to spend the day together,” I tell her over Rye’s knit cap and downy curls. Her liquid mercury eyes light up.

“Well come on then,” she says, her fingers curling around my bicep. Willow jumps from my arms, landing as delicately as a cat in the deep snow to lead us back to the yard.

Rye grabs my face with slushy mittens. “Yook, Dada,” he says in that oddly deep voice of his that makes all of us laugh. He turns my head towards the snow lumps, wiggling as he does, the universal toddler signal for down.

“What is it, Buddy,” I ask, setting him on his feet. He drags me to the smallest and most misshapen of the balls.

“Dat’s Wye!” he says proudly, patting the snow lump.

“That’s you?”

“We’re making a family of snowpeople,” Willow explains, working on her own, slightly taller snow mound. Though only seven, she’s methodical; already displaying an artistic eye that fills me with pride.

“I don’t see a Daddy-sized snowball,” I tell them with a grin, and Katniss actually laughs.

“We didn’t get that far,” she says. “But now that you’re home, you can make your own snow-daddy.”

We spend an hour together, rolling and stacking snow, carving out faces, adding branches for limbs, pebbles and pinecones make up their facial features. By the time we have a snow family of four standing proudly by our back door, Rye’s nose runs in constant rivulets and Willow has somehow lost her mittens. Time to warm up. “Shall we go inside for hot cocoa and lunch?” I ask, and the kids clamber through the snowdrifts and up the steps to be first in the house.

I turn to Katniss expectantly, but she just smiles. “You go on ahead,” she says. “I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

Puttering in the kitchen with my children is something I never imagined enjoying. I grew up working in the bakery’s kitchen with my parents, and while there were moments of fun, pleasant days here and there, it was mostly drudgery and often miserable. I had no desire to expose my own family to that.

But when I returned to Twelve, Katniss and I started tentatively rebuilding first a friendship, and then more. And so many of those hard discussions happened when we were side by side in this kitchen, eyes and hands occupied with bread dough or cake batter. In those baking and cooking adventures, I not only grew closer to Katniss, I found a new joy in sharing, in creating together. Adding Willow to our family kitchen time just felt natural. And little Rye already wants to help.

He sits on the counter beside me, stirring a pot of soup with all of the concentration a two-year-old can muster. Behind us, Willow butters bread and sings a folk song in her sweet, clear voice. I can’t imagine being happier than I am right now. Even in the depths of winter, the joy and light of my family keeps me warm.

Rye’s attention span runs out right as the soup comes up to temperature, so I strap him into his highchair and set both kids up with lunch. Katniss still hasn’t come in, I wander over to the window that overlooks our yard.

She’s standing among our snow sculptures, when she notices me, she beckons. And I chuckle. Her hat is snow-flecked, her cheeks flaming from the cold, but even from here I can see the mischief in her expression.

I don’t even bother with a coat, joining her in our yard. “What are you still doing out here,” I laugh as she wraps her arms around me, pressing her icicle nose into my neck.

“Just putting a finishing touch on our snow family,” she says against my skin. I look at each snow lump in turn, nothing seems out of place. Until I get to the second-tallest figure, the one that’s supposed to represent Katniss.

The change is subtle, not really noticeable until you’re standing right in front of it. Balanced in the snowman’s twig arms is a snowball. No, not a snowball. Two snowballs, with pebble eyes and a little stick nose. A tiny snowman.

A baby snowman.

“Katniss?” I breathe, pulling back to look at her face. She bites her chapped lower lip and nods, just slightly.

I whoop and lift her, icy and wet, into my arms, spinning her and laughing. She laughs too.

And as I cover her frozen face with kisses I realize that I was wrong - I can definitely envision even more happiness for our family after all.

[amazinglovers747]

Rules: answer 20 questions and tag 20 people you want to know better.

I was tagged by @mega-aulover  & @historywriter2007

1. Nickname: Viper

2. Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

3. Height: 5′1

4. Hogwarts House: Gryffindor 🦁

5. Last thing I googled: 2019 Preakness winner

6. Favorite musicians: Black Eyed Peas, P!nk, Katy Perry, Sia, to name a few

7. Song stuck in my head: Extraterrestrial by Katy Perry

8. Followers: Idk 5? Lol

9. Following: Around 523

10. Do you get asks: Nope, but lots of tags 😊

11. Amount of sleep: I try to get at least 6 hours of sleep, but 8 hours if you don't want me nodding off.

12. Lucky number: 7, but I also like 4 and 12

13. What are you wearing: Pajamas

14. Dream job: To be on the back of a horse at all times.

15. Dream trip: I’d love to go to the Caribbeans and free ride horses on the beach and in the ocean.

16. Instruments: I play guitar and I also know how to play trombone.

17. Languages: English, and a little Spanish and French.

18. Favorite song: Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde

19. Random fact: Oh.. uhhh.. my patronus on Pottermore is an otter? Does that work?

20. Aesthetic: Horses, green fields, blue, the beach, the mountains, the woods, log cabin, snow, fire place

I'll try to get 20, I'm tagging: @butrfac14 @alliswell21 @lovely-tothe-bone @gabzep @savvylark @katamount @arbyeatscheesebuns @badnovels @everlarkstoastbabies @geeky-writes @starsmahogany @xerxia31 @burkygirl @shining-city @paintedpeeta @norbertsmom @sunsetsrmydreams @sunflowerslyf @pookieh @lifeisshiny @cavesandbeaches

[hutchhitched]

Everlark Author Tag

Everlark authors, I want to hear from you! Answer as many of these are you like, or even add more questions!

Copy and paste or reblog. Tag it with #everlarkauthor

1.     What inspired you to start writing Everlark fanfiction?

I started in RPF, writing JHutch fanfiction. Since he was the actor who played Peeta, I noticed a lot of Everlark fanfiction on my dash--almost all from the second and third rounds of @promptsinpanem. When round 4 came out, I had written three full-length fanfictions and was ready for a new challenge. I decided to dip my toe in the Everlark pool and have since produced 75+ Everlark stories of varying lengths. No regrets.

2.     How did you choose your handle name (tumblr, ao3, ff)?

My tumblr name (hutchhitched) is for alliteration, and my AO3 name (hutchabelle) is the ship name of the two main characters in my first fanfiction and a play on my last name.

3.     Any other THG pairings you ship?

Not necessarily, but I’m not opposed to any of them either.

4.      Favorite character to write?

Peeta’s my favorite character, but I usually end up writing from Katniss’ POV. I’m not sure why, but I think it’s because I get to describe Peeta that way--which is never a bad thing.

5.     Weird habits while writing?

I don’t really think I have any, but there are a couple of quirks. First, I usually have a word limit in mind before I start and work to hit that and then see if the story is complete. Sometimes that means stories get a lot longer than planned and some probably have some unnecessary scenes. Second, I always include double spaces between sentences when writing and then take them out for formatting during editing.

6.     Any advice for other Everlark writers?

Get a beta that’s studied writing and/or literature and isn’t afraid to critique your writing. A beta that doesn’t know how to fix grammar or plotholes is a reader who sees your stuff before it’s posted, not a beta.

If you’re one of the old guard, welcome the new contributors and support their stuff.  If you’re one of the new ones, check out what’s been posted in the past--both by those who are still writing and those who have moved on. Knowing the history of a fandom is important to building community. Welcoming new people is important to maintain a vital and thriving community. Both are needed.

7. Favorite thing about our fandom?

This builds a little bit on the second point for question 6, which is the revitalization and continuation of the Everlark fandom. Many, many, many people have come and gone in the fandom. Many have lamented that things are different, and that’s true. However, there are new contributors every day, and that’s exciting. We’re a fandom that will endure, adapt, change, and grow. That’s the mark of a healthy community, and I’m proud and thrilled to be a part of it.

Tagging:

I’m sure a bunch of you have done this already (Sorry for the delay, @creamytinydays!), but I’m tagging a few of you anyway. Feel free to ignore if you’ve already done it or have moved on. <3 @jennagill, @xerxia31, @deinde-prandium, @lifeisshiny, @thegirlfromoverthepond, @everhutcher, @joshs-left-earlobe