#i started with brian and it snowballed from there

[billthedrake]

THE AD AND SON (PART TWO)

It was the third day at the cabin and uncharacteristically, Brian woke up before his dad.

He slipped out of bed and found some sweats to put on. He'd hoped to spend the week in the cabin without putting on clothes, but the air was nippy this morning.

As he stepped into the living room he could see why. Outside the plate glass window a foot and a half of snow blanketed the ground.

Brian took a minute to enjoy the serenity of the view then went to make coffee, mostly for his father, though he'd been drinking it more the last month, trying to make himself like it. Partly because he felt it was the grown-up thing to do, and partly because it was something his father enjoyed.

Brian wasn't good at cooking, and his dad usually made anything more complicated in the Casey home. But Brian could do breakfast and he proceeded to cook some bacon and get the eggs ready.

His dad had an eager look on his face as he stepped in, wearing his university sweatshirt and some pajama pants. "Man, this is a treat," he said, taking the coffee mug from Brian's hands. "How long you been up?"

"About a half hour," Brian said. "Looks like we got a snow storm last night."

Dan padded over to the window and looked out. "Well, I'll be." He looked over at Brian. "Hope you're not hoping to go anywhere any time soon."

"We're trapped here?" Brian asked, a little concern in his voice.

"Trapped's a strong word. But it'll take a few days for the snow to melt enough to be passable. Still not wishing you'd gone to the Caribbean instead?" he laughed.

Brian plated breakfast for the two of them and came to sit at the counter next to his dad. "Eat up old man. We're going out and playing in the snow after breakfast."

"Is that right?" Dan smirked, stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth.

"Yes, sir."

That's what they did. They geared up with thermal shirts and wool socks and hats and gloves and trudged out into the fluffy white snow.

"It's all fine powder. Shouldn't take long to melt once the sun comes out," Dan said.

Brian reached down and gathered up some of the snow. "Damn, won't make a snowball."

"And who the hell you think you're going to be throwing snowballs at?" Dan chided playfully.

"Christ, Dad, where's your sense of fun?"

Dan's eyebrow raised up. "I'll show you, you little fuck," he growled and charged toward Brian, knocking him back into the soft powder. His muscular body landed on him with an oof!

Brian got over his surprise and started giggling, like a kid almost, and Dan started, too.

"No fair," Brian laughed.

"Who said I was fair?" Dan said with a triumphant look on his face. Damn, his son could make him feel twenty years younger.

Just then Brian craned his face up and met his father in a kiss. Dan's body froze stiff, surprised by the action.

"Come on, Dad," Brian said softly. "No one out here but us. Let loose a little."

Dan nodded and now initiated their kiss. It was liberating as hell, making out with Brian out here in the open air. And Brian was on the same wavelength, he could tell responding to his kiss eagerly.

"You're one hell of a kid, you know that?" Dan said. Finally he stood up and offered his hand to help Brian up. "Come on," he urged.

Instead Brian ignored his father's outstretched hand and sat up, reaching out to the button on the man's jeans.

"Jesus, Brian!" Dan gasped.

"What part of letting loose do you not understand, Dad," Brian asked in a challenging tone.

He had to admit the kiss and now Brian's actions were making Dan erect as he could remember. The air felt cool on his cock once Brian freed it but it wasn't exposed for long. His son swallowed it and started blowing him, right there in the open.

When it came to blowjobs, Dan preferred to give rather than receive. Part of it was Brian's inexperience. But mostly it was just the way the father was wired. He never came quickly getting head and sometimes he didn't come that way at all. Meanwhile, the feel of a hard cock in his mouth and of cum gushing down his throat was the biggest turn on.

Only now, Brian's mouth was bringing him off. Maybe it was the naughtiness of the situation. Maybe his son's cocksucking skills had gotten better. But Dan Casey was gonna cum right into his boy's throat.

"Oh Bri, Oh fuck, I'm there, son." With that he gripped Brian's head and fired his semen in a sweet wave of release.

He barely regained his senses as he watched Brian spit out a health gob of his father's semen in to his hand and reach down to smear it on his own exposed hardon. Excitedly he stood up. "Think you can stay hard, Dad?" he asked. Brian was clearly eager to get off himself.

Dan nodded. No way was his cock going down now. He watched dumbly as Brian shucked his jeans down his thighs and turned around. Those amazing butt cheeks were displayed once more.

"Put it in me sir," Brian ordered.

His son's hole was still damp with lube from their fuck the night before and it took Dan only a few seconds to work his way inside.

"Oh yeah," Brian hissed. "I think your load is still in me."

It was. Dan could feel the semen deposit on his cock as he fucked Brian in this standing position. It was cold out but their connection felt hot. After a few strokes he felt his boy's ass constrict tightly against his rod. Brian was surprisingly nonverbal as he came, just grunting as his cum shot out into the snow.

They uncoupled carefully, and each man pulled up their briefs and jeans. Dan now met Brian in a kiss. "Thanks for getting me out of my shell. That was hot."

"It was." He gave his dad another quick kiss. "Ready to go back in sir?"

Dan could tell Brian was starting to feel cold. He nodded and wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder as they walked back to the cabin. "Maybe we can play in the snow more later," Dan said hopefully.

"Yeah," Brian replied.

Dan let Brian shower first, to clean off and warm up. His son looked much happier as he stepped out into the living room in his sweats. "Your turn."

The two spent the afternoon reading. Dan was reading one of the spy novels he liked reading when he had free time. Brian was studying for his accounting class.

The afternoon was going by and Brian closed his computer, stretching his body on the sofa. Dan set down his book. "Done studying?"

Brian nodded and reached down to cup his crotch. "Too horny for accounting," he grinned.

Dan slid over and removed Brian's hand so he could see the erection forming in the jock's sweatpants. "That's probably something I can help you with," the man grinned.

"No, that's definitely something you can help with," Brian countered and pulled down his elastic band, showing off the sizable boner.

"Fuck, that's beautiful, son," Dan sighed as he stroked it up and down.

Brian smirked. Something about his dad's excitement over his cock gave the 19-year old confidence. Made him cocky even.

"You know what's even more beautiful?" he asked.

"What's that?" Dan asked looking up to meet his son's gaze.

"Your mouth around it."

Dan growled at the suggestion and hunkered down between Brian's strong legs.

Brian hissed an exhale of air as his dad took the cock into his mouth. "Aw yeah, that's it sir. Go down on me, Dad. Further. Swallow your boy's cock."

Dan did, excitedly. He'd learned to suppress his gag reflex and now could deep throat Brian's decently large size without issue. And he could give long strokes with his mouth and throat, up and down, in almost a milking action.

Thankfully Brian had held off on his initial impulse to cum and was riding out the sensations. Their sex in the morning had taken the edge off and the men could both enjoy a nice, slow suck session now.

Dan took the time to build Brian up then hold him off, licking the nuts and kissing the insides of Brian's thighs while the young man looked eagerly on his father.

About twenty minutes into the blow job, Brian came, almost suddenly in fact, shooting hard and heavy into Dan's hoovering mouth.

The father was all smiles as he pulled back. "Whoa, stud... I think that was a record."

Brian nodded, smiling himself. "Yeah, I'd say so. Fuck, that was incredible, Dad."

Dan had a proud look on his face as he leaned back on his haunches. "I think we earned ourselves a beer before dinner. What do you say?"

The men watched some weather on the TV and some Sports Center while they had their beers and relaxed.

The sun was setting as Dan got up to start on dinner.

After they ate, Dan had an impish grin. "Feel like going out into the snow again?"

Brian smiled. "I think someone liked being a little kid again," he teased.

Dan shrugged. "Truth be told, I liked being with you out in the open. Kissing you like that." He blushed a little. "I'd like to blow you out there this time."

Brian chuckled. Sometimes he thought he was the one with the bigger sex drive but his father was a horndog, too.

Dan tried to read his expression. "Or do you need more time to recover?"

Brian shook his head no. "Oh, I'm good for it, Dad. Fuck, let's do this."

They were giddy as they put on their warm clothes, which had dried off since the morning.

They stepped out into the snow, which came up to their knees as they trudged on. They walked down toward the lake. There was some dim moonlight out to light the way.

"Think anyone else is staying near the lake?" Brian asked as they came to a spot with a good view.

"Doubt it," Dan said. "If so, they surely can't see us." With that he stepped up to Brian and kissed him softly. His son returned the embrace, holding onto his dad tightly.

"I like this," the younger man said. "A lot."

"Me, too," Dan said, kissing his boy with more passion now. Finally he leaned back. "I believe I promised my son a blow job."

Brian nodded excitedly and gulped as his father squatted down in the snow. It was a real trip getting serviced like this out in the open. They were probably out of sightline for anyone but the idea that they weren't thrilled Brian, who grew harder inside his dad's bobbing mouth. Maybe he had a bigger exhibition streak than he realized.

Dan was able to take his time on Brian's dick, knowing his son's hair trigger probably wasn't going to be an issue so soon after the last blowjob.

But finally Brian felt himself getting close and he pushed his dad's shoulders to ease him off. "I don't want to come yet, Dad," he said. "Let me do you for a bit."

They traded positions and Dan exhilarated once more in the sensation of his only son blowing him. Brian was definitely getting better at this he decided. His son treated him to a few minutes of head before backing off.

"Turn around, Dad," he ordered in a husky tone.

Dan felt nervous about what his son was asking but he was also turned on. It took a little maneuvering with the depth of snow, but he turned to face away from Brian. Then he felt his boy's strong hands on his hairy ass, kneading the muscle.

"My old man's got a hell of an ass on him," Brian growled, slipping his fingers deeper into the crack.

"Bri, buddy..." he started. "I should let you know..."

"What Dad?" he asked, kissing the left ass cheek then the right.

"I've... I've never been fucked."

He could feel Brian freeze behind him. "For real, Dad?"

"Fraid so, son. I'm not sure I'm ready..." he started to say, but Brian interrupted.

"It's OK Dad."

Dan relaxed then felt his son's face nestle in his crack. He wasn't going to, was he? Sure enough, Dan felt Brian's tongue snake forward and start licking Dan's hole.

Of all his 46 years, Dan Casey had never been rimmed. The idea had even been a little repulsive to him, either giving or receiving. But here was Brian opening him up to the experience. The first licks shocked him and made his body shake but then Dan decided it felt good. Better than good. Brian's asseating had him hard a rock and dripping too. And his boy's actions were getting more confident, his tongue swipes deeper.

"That's it, boy. Eat your daddy's hole," he growled, no longer concerned someone would hear. The night was otherwise still and quiet.

Brian ate him out excitedly. He'd seen this in porn videos and had been eager to try it out for real. Finally he had to take a breath.

"Goddamn, Dad. You got an amazing ass." His fingers explored his father's brawny butt before diving in to munch some more.

"Bri... son.... let's take this inside OK?"

Brian was all smiles as he stood up and tucked his hard cock back in his pants.

They kissed and Dan thought he'd be repulsed by the muskiness he could smell on his son's face, but the scent was a faint trace and not bad at all. It turned Dan on even, kissing the mouth that had just made out with his hole.

The two weren't in a hurry and Dan got off seeing the knowing smirk on Brian's face as they walked back to the cabin.

"You liked it," Brian said.

"I won't lie to you, son," Dan admitted. "I didn't think I was going to either."

"I'm going to eat your hole more tonight."

Dan loved take-charge Brian, he decided. "Is that right?" he teased.

"Yes, sir," the teen smiled, hands in his coat as he hopped in the heavy snow. "I can't believe I waited so long to do that."

"I can't believe my own son just gave me my first rim job," Dan growled.

Brian smiled. "No way! Hot."

They kicked off their boots inside and shed their coats. As they stripped they both had boners. "Feel like warming up in the shower?" Dan asked.

"Yeah," Brian said. "You can go first if you want."

"I got a better idea. We can go at the same time," Dan smiled.

It was an intimate experience showering for the first time together. They used the occasion to explore each other's bodies. And Brian hunched down to eat Dan out some more under the shower spray. The father braced his strong body against the tile and let his boy treat him to a range of amazing sensations.

Finally they turned off the water and toweled off.

They walked back into the bedroom and Brian pulled down the covers. "Get on all fours, Dad," he instructed.

Dan felt weird following orders like this but he did as asked. And was rewarded as Brian returned to rimming his hole.

This was so taboo and nasty, and Dan loved it. Brian seemed to get off on it even more, his young dick erect and reddened with excitement.

Finally Brian pulled back and spit on his father's pucker and pushed a finger inside.

"Oooh!" Dan hissed.

"Too much, sir?" Brian asked.

"I'm good kiddo."

Brian reached over for the lube and applied to his fingers. Now two were pushing in. His father was tight as hell all right but the man seemed to be taking it OK.

"I'd never do anything you didn't want me to, sir," Brian said. "But damn, I want inside you so bad."

It was time, Dan decided. He'd been hesitant to let another man inside him like this, but if there was anyone deserving, it was Brian.

"Go for it, kiddo," he said. "Only we're doing it face to face."

"Yes, sir," Brian answered, skewering his finger's into his dad's hole, which was starting to give a little though was still snug. "Another finger first?" he asked. His father didn't object so Brian gently pushed a third finger inside.

"Easy there, son," Dan hissed, but he lay his head forward and let Brian gently wiggle more inside. His hole felt full, very full now, but it wasn't hurting. And the more Brian twisted his fingers around the more he got used to it.

Pretty soon Bri was able to pushing his digits in and out, literally doing a finger fuck motion.

"OK, Dad," he said. "Flip over."

Dan was hard and excited but nervous. But his son's kiss felt good and he loved the sensation of his built young man on top of him. Thrusting that erect son cock against his own.

The boy hoisted his legs up and nudged forward. Somehow Brian had lubed his cock and it felt slick as it bore inside. A sharp sting travelled through Dan's body. "Oh!" he yelped.

Brian held steady. "Sorry, Dad," he said with concern.

"Give me a second," Dan pleaded.

Brian nodded, patient. "Remember what you said when you took my cherry? That it would hurt at first but it'd get better quickly?"

Dan felt emotional at those words. His own words tossed back at him. "If I'd known how you felt, son..." he joked.

"You would have still fucked me," Brian countered. "You were right Dad, it starts to feel great. If you let it."

Dan nodded and decided he'd do this for his boy. Brian pushed in and was soon buried inside. Dan felt full and more than a little uncomfortable. But the sting was gone. Then another thrust. And another.

Only Dan saw his son's expression change. "You gonna cum son?"

Brian tried to hold it off but he gave a little nod as he started to come inside his dad. "Oh fuck! Oh wow!" he sighed as he came off his orgasm and started resuming his thrusts.

It turned Dan on. The knowledge that he had his son's seed buried inside him. The idea that his stud of a son was going for seconds, just like that. The idea that Brian had so confidently taken his cherry.

It made the older man hard and his insides turn to pure pleasure. "Oh, fuck. Fuck me Brian!"

"Yeah Dad!" the boy exclaimed, thrilled his dad was getting into it.

"Fuck your daddy. Fuck my hole. That cock's so good. Harder, son!"

Brian really started fucking now. His dad was on the same wavelength, thrilled at the first experience bottoming. As Brian fucked, Dan stroked and his whole body grew hot and tingly.

"Gonna cum son."

"Come on my cock, Dad. Your own son fucking you, sir."

That did it. The taboo tripped Dan's wires and he was firing off all over his chest, just seconds before Brian began his second ejaculation deep in his guts.

After cumming the sensation felt uncomfortable once more and Dan urged Brian to pull out.

"You OK, sir?" his son asked, concerned.

"More than OK," Dan grinned. "Jesus, my boy can fuck."

Brian had a proud look on his face. "You inspire me, sir."

"Inspired two healthy loads from you," Dan teased, reaching down to touch his no-longer virgin hole. It was wet with lube and Brian's seed.

"I don't think I've ever been so turned on in my life," the young man observed. "Please tell me that wasn't the last time."

"That wasn't the last time," Dan muttered as he met Brian for a kiss. He lay back on the bed and caught his breath. "Fuck. 46 and learning new tricks."

Brian lay down beside him. "Wasn't sure how you'd feel about having the tables turned."

"Mentally I'm still processing it," Dan said. "But physically... well, that was intense. I don't think I've come harder in my life."

"That's all the processing you need, Dad. Don't overthink it."

Maybe that's what he'd been doing this whole time with Brian. Overthinking it. Or swinging from not thinking to overthinking, and back. A happy medium would be nice.

"I love you, son. Very much." There, it wasn't so hard.

"God, Dad, you know I'm crazy about you, right?"

They kissed and Dan cracked wise. "I dunno. I thought maybe you were just a horny kid."

"Oh I am. But, Dad.... you're overthinking it."

[randomvarious]

1990s Indie Rock Playlist

Fucking finally! A 90s indie rock playlist for Spotify! I've had a YouTube version of this one for a few years now—and that one is both significantly better and longer—but now you all have *something* that's a whole lot more easily accessible too 👍.

Now, it's not really easy to describe what exactly makes an indie rock song an indie rock song in the first place, but you tend to know it when you hear it; and with this first iteration of a Spotify version of this playlist, we start with a total of 11 songs that run from shoegazey, noisy fuzz to smoother and more melodic power pop-leaning college rock stuff. And we've got a couple very brief explorations of specific scenes here too, with a few tunes from mid-90s Australia and then a handful from late 90s Philadelphia.

Plus, most of these are pretty dang obscure as well, with most selections having play counts somewhere in the low single-thousands; but we kick off with a total, unmissable classic: "Ginger" by Washington, D.C.'s Lilys, a song and band that I first discovered in the most unlikeliest of ways as a completely random bonus track on a retrospective 80s synthpop and new wave comp that celebrated beloved Bay Area radio DJ Steve Masters 😂. This killer 1993 tune is by far this playlist's most popular one, currently sitting at over 377K plays.

This playlist is ordered as chronologically as possible.

Lilys - "Ginger" Even - "Stupid Dream" Flanders - "Shameless" Challenger 7 - "Wait a Lifetime" Transient Waves - "Wavelength" Sunbirds - "Rocket" Line - "Hollow" Photon Band - "Here Comes Some Changes" Intro to India - "The World Is Waiting" Lenola - "Sids" The Asteroid No. 4 - "Tricks of the Trade"

But as I mentioned up top, there's a whole lot more great stuff on the YouTube version of this playlist, which contains more than double the amount of songs that are on the Spotify one, and thus I think really cements its own status as being a genuinely indie playlist, because you can't find most of it on any of the streaming platforms!

With this superior version, we've got tunes from the early 90s, including a much less known version of Brian Jonestown Massacre's "Evergreen," and a great, slow, and heavy one called "Salvation" by Los Angeles' Sacred Miracle Cave. Then we head up to Canada for a bunch of tunes from the Sonic Unyon label, including a few tracks by Treble Charger (aka NC17), whose "Red" has been rated by many as one of the single-greatest Canadian alt rock tunes of the entire decade. And there's a music video in this Canadian section too, for a spacey gem by SIANspheric called "I Like the Ride." 🚀🤘

Then after that, we head down to the mid-90s Philly scene, with the deeply underheard "Calling All Cars" by Slumber, which only has 77 plays, and The Asteroid No. 4's "Car Thief Millenia," which only has 95 plays. And then to close out, we have a couple tunes from Cali label Devil in the Woods, with the catchy, keyboard-assisted "Dirt Bike Rider" by Snowmen, and a rare, live performance of "Snowball" by Modesto's Fiver.

The Charlottes - "Could There Ever Be" Sacred Miracle Cave - "Salvation" Spot 1019 - "HHH" The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "Evergreen Treble Charger - "Red" NC17 - "Cubicle" Sponge - "Colourful Hat" Eric's Trip - "Evie" By Divine Right - "Out of It" SIANspheric - "I Like the Ride" Treble Charger - "Even Grable" The Asteroid No. 4 - "Car Thief Millenia" Slumber - "Calling All Cars" Snowmen - "Dirt Bike Rider" Fiver - "Snowball"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

Now, you've probably never heard of almost any of these bands before, but I promise you that there is a metric ton of gold in this collection of songs. Go and hop in your '94 Taurus and cruise the highway with this thing; you will not regret it.

Spotify playlist is 11 songs and runs for 53 minutes, but the YouTube one is 26 songs and runs for 118 minutes. So if you want more of this terrific indie shit, you know which of these options to choose.

Next week we'll be taking an eclectic trip out to late 90s San Francisco.

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[release-the-mccracken]

Some Bob x Brian for the soul

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Established relationship, oral sex, come swallowing.

Words: 1,187

“It’s okay to be nervous. Everyone is the first couple of times,” Brian mused, leaning against the wall. It was a grimy brick wall that hurt his back as he pressed into it, but he couldn’t expect much more from the back alley of a music venue. 

Smoke billowed between himself and Bob as they smoked together, sharing the last cigarette in Brian’s pack and he mentally kicked himself for not being better prepared. He’d been so caught up with everything else that he hadn’t remembered to restock on his own things. Despite it being his last one, he still shared it with Bob. 

“I don’t think they feel this level of nervous,” Bob muttered back to him. He took another drag of the cigarette and Brian watched him. 

He was sure Bob had smoked most of it so far, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He’d already given so much for this band, what was a single cigarette in the grand scheme of it all? 

“I just keep worrying about fucking up. I’m gonna ruin it, Brian. I know I am,” Bob explained himself further and Brian felt grateful that he was comfortable opening up to him. He was usually so quiet, always keeping to himself, and he still was to an extent. But he was also being vulnerable now. “I really need this to go well,” He breathed, handing the cigarette back to Brian finally. 

“Things are going to go perfectly, I know they are. You trust me, right?” Brian finished off the cigarette, putting it out against the brick wall and holding onto it until he could find somewhere to dispose of it. Bob nodded at the words, although he looked at him a bit skeptically. 

Bob reminded him of an animal, he thought. One that was anxious around humans and getting ready to run off at the first opportunity, although still creeping closer to them. It made Brian smile and he turned towards the other man. 

“Good then trust me here. You’re going to kill it, baby. Come find me after, okay?” Brian still smiled up at Bob, grinning brighter when the other blushed a bit at the affectionate name. Bob nodded again, though. 

Brian leaned enough to give him a quick kiss. They didn’t have much time before the show was meant to start and their privacy level was questionable at best. He’d make up for it later. 

***

“How are you feeling now?” Brian grinned at Bob as soon as they were alone in his room. The show had gone just as well as Brian had expected it to and Bob himself seemed a lot more comfortable now. He’d really gotten into it as the night went on, losing the majority of his nerves and just enjoying himself. 

“Really good,” Bob grinned right back at him. It was his turn to go in for a kiss this time, feeling confident. It wasn’t as fast or as reserved as it had to be earlier. They both had time to savor it, staying close to one another. 

“You did so great,” Brian praised, breaking away just long enough to tell him that before kissing Bob again. Bob’s hands found his waist, a bit sore from drumming all night, but still clinging tightly to him. Brian’s own held onto Bob’s face, tilting his head at whatever angle worked best. 

They were both breathless when they finally pulled away. 

Brian’s hands caught Bob’s belt easily, fingers trembling a bit as he undid it. He knew this likely wasn’t a good idea. A lot could go wrong if he was sleeping with any of the band members he managed and that fragility felt doubled when it came to Bob. They both had concerns and yet, neither of them stopped the situation. 

Brian felt as though he was snowball rolling down a hill, building up size and speed with no sign of stopping until he inevitably crashed head-first into something solid. He’d fall apart the second he did, but for now, there was nothing even slowing him down. 

“I’m glad you were there,” Bob said, breaking him free from his thoughts. Brian’s hands shoved his jeans down the best he could, boxers following quickly after. 

“I’ll always be there,” Brian promised him, sinking down to his knees and he smiled when he heard Bob let out a breath above him. He thought it was likely Bob was entirely new to this. Brian himself had a bit more experience, but he was still excited to try everything with Bob for the first time. 

He didn’t try to push himself too much, just taking what he was comfortable with. He knew he didn’t have to try and impress Bob, the other wasn’t going anywhere. They were pretty stuck together by now and that was a comforting feeling. 

Bob sighed gently when Brian’s lips first wrapped around him, one hand moving down to hold onto the back of his head. He didn’t push or pull at Brian, he just held onto him. Bob’s hand was a solid warmth that kept him grounded and he let his mind run wild with where else Bob might hold him. All in good time, he promised himself. 

It didn’t last a remarkable amount of time. Honestly, Brian hadn’t really expected it to. Bob was already pumped full of adrenaline that still hadn’t worn off yet and likely wasn’t the most experienced when it came to this. And Brian didn’t like to brag, but he’d never gotten any complaints about his head ability. 

Bob had warned him that he was close before he got there and Brian smiled around him. He was a gentleman. He hadn’t bothered pulling away from Bob when he was warned, deciding he would swallow for him. It wasn’t something he minded a terrible amount and especially not when it came to the drummer. 

It had only taken a handful of bobs of his head after the warning before Bob was coming. The first spurt hit the back of his throat hard, catching him off guard. He stopped moving entirely when he realized Bob was coming, just holding him there and doing his best to swallow around him without embarrassing himself. It wasn’t an easy task after all, but he powered forward. 

The feeling of come sticking to the back of his throat felt like mucus getting caught there when he was sick and he barely fought the urge to gag. But he managed it, thankfully. He swallowed thickly around it and it went down, though. Bob’s hand had eased off his head, letting him pull off and wipe his mouth with the back of his own hand. A gross taste clung to the back of his tongue, but it was a small price to pay. 

He’d do it every night for the rest of their lives if he could. 

“You did so great,” Bob grinned down at him, parroting Brian’s own words from earlier right back at him. Brian rolled his eyes playfully, but still accepted the hand up when Bob reached down to help him back to his feet.

[harryglass]

Catch 22!

1 You’d like to read some verse? Please do! Our story starts inside a zoo Where animals from Africa Arrive in North America. It’s here the hero of this tale Is brought – the zoo’s new holy grail, The ‘King of Kings’, a mighty lion! (At least, that’s what HE thinks) – meet Brian.

2 You may feel sympathy (“Boo hoo!”) For this lion locked inside this zoo But DON’T – young Brian roamed his cage Like pompous actors strut the stage; Visitors would point and stare As Brian pranced about his lair And grinned, and shook his shaggy mane: “My fans! They love me! Global fame!”

3 Each morning he was brought a meal Of pork: “My favourite food!” he’d squeal. Then days would end as they began– Lazing around (he NEVER ran). But this easy life was soon forgotten When the zookeeper (who spoiled him rotten) Died, and another took his place Who took one look at Brian’s waist 4 And gave a thumbs-down sign, and booed And said: “You need some faster food!” He came back with an Ostrich (live): “Catch that!” (He knew it would survive). The Ostrich ran superbly fast– Two hours on, it still blazed past And (far behind) there’s Brian (puffing) Very nearly dead (or bluffing).

5 The Ostrich ran him round in rings! The poor, exhausted 'King of Kings' Collapsed, and held his paw up: “Truce! My…knee is hurting!” (Lame excuse). The big bird laughed and screeched to a halt. “I’m far too fast, agreed – my fault! I’m a bird, but you see, I can’t fly in the air So I’m super at running! They call me D’Anger!”

6 “I’m Brian and I’m…dying,” he puffed, “I’m hot…and quite…unfit,” he huffed. “I’ll nap ‘till two…we’ll go from there… Fan me, Ostrich, use your hair!” “They’re feathers–”.  “Whatevers! Do I look like I care? Aren’t feathers for lifting birds up in the air? If so, why don’t you ever fly? You call yourself a bird? You LIE!”

7 Just as Brian settled, though, The weather turned; large flakes of snow Spun down. The lion watched the sky. “What’s happening? The sun’s gone! WHY?” He’d never seen it snow before. He caught a snowflake on his paw: “It’s FREEZING! Agh! What is it? Ick! Ostrich! Get it off me! Quick!” 8 The Ostrich scooped a ball of snow And caked the lion’s face (good throw!). Brian snarled and shook his mane Then threw a snowball back again But Ostrich heads are like a pin– The chances of a hit were slim! Brian missed him once, then twice… The Ostrich teased: “You’re being nice!” 9 The Elephants then yelled: “Attack!” And spat out snowballs: RAT-A-TAT-TAT! With trunks like guns they blew them out Through bars at every beast about– To hit the giraffe, the brutes aimed higher And blasted anti-aircraft fire! The Elephants sang: “This snow’s a hoot! With trunks like these, we’re born to shoot!”

10 The zookeeper (who’d only just started) Was hit so hard on the bum, he farted. The visitors screamed, and ran away And the keeper fainted (what a first day!). They shot the locks off every gate– The animals could now escape! The creatures numbered 22 All running from the city zoo… 11 But what do you think Brian did? Absolutely right – he hid. He hugged the Ostrich like a teddy. When the zookeeper stood up (unsteady) He looked around, and sobbed, and said: “They’re GONE! The zoo will close! I’m DEAD!” And fainted once more – down he fell! (His first day hadn’t gone too well). 12 Brian said: “Hang on a minute– The zoo will not be closing, will it? The food in here’s spectacular And (usually) so regular… We’re famous, Ostrich – even you! We’ve got to help him save this zoo! (And maybe then he’ll treat me right And bring me hot meals every night…)” 13 The Ostrich knew this to be true. “Alright, let’s catch those 22!” The lion tried to run, but slipped. “If only birds could FLY,” he quipped, “You’d fetch them while I rested here!” A pair of Penguins then appeared: “It’s wonderful, our kingdom’s grown! We love the snow, feel right at home.”

14 “I’m Watson, yes?” “I’m Crick, no?” “Emperor Penguins, don’t you know? We’re birds, but you see, we can’t fly in the air”– Brian guffawed: “I do despair! What’s YOUR excuse? Why can’t YOU fly? You tell me you’re all birds – you LIE!” Watson and Crick waddled next to D’Anger: “But we’re super at slipping and sliding, so there!” 15 “Ostrich legs look strong,” they smiled– “Use us as skates, D’Anger, go wild!” D’Anger hopped on: “At last, some speed! I’m skating! Who needs wings? Indeed! The lion may be ‘King of Kings’ But Emperors are more useful things!” “Fine,” said Brian, “you’ll be my reindeer– Get skating, then! You pull, I’ll steer.” 16 With Penguin skates on Ostrich feet They searched down every snowy street: Four monkeys, and a crocodile, A hippo (with a goofy smile), A leopard, two lemurs, two giraffes, Three hyenas (with three loud laughs), A pair of rhinos, plus one snake, And a gorilla by the name of Blake. 17 Asked Brian: “Is that 22? Fantastic! Right! Back to the zoo! It’s feeding time, and my bottom’s sore.” D’Anger replied: “We’re missing four– Four Elephants, and there they are! You tell them, Brian – you’re the star, The famous ‘King of Kings’, the lion!” “I’m doing no such thing!” said Brian.

18 Four trunks – just like four cannon – boomed! Four snowballs – fairly large ones – zoomed! Brian was hit (chest, face and mane); His reindeer turned: “Poor you, what a shame.” The animals didn’t know what to do And soon retreated back to the zoo; They disliked this city, it was sombre and grey, And their fans acted strangely, kept running away… 19 But the Elephants stood – the ‘Awesome Foursome’! Brian threw snowballs and then tried to roar some, But snowballs bounced right off their flanks Just like marshmallows hitting tanks. Brian wiped his snowy nose. “That’s it, our cosy zoo will close.” Then, at the end of the street, they saw An enormous, chomping dinosaur!

20 The Elephants turned and rubbed their eyes– “The King of the lizards! Run for your lives!” Back they ran! Retreat at last! They trumpeted a warning blast And stumbled back through snow and ice– Back to the zoo, like frightened mice! The Ostrich, Penguins and lion went too. D’Anger declared proudly: “Now THAT’s 22!” 21 The dinosaur rose up into the sky! “Wow!” gasped Brian, “A T-Rex can FLY? The King of Kings is lost for words.” “That ‘T-Rex’ is a flock of birds,” D’Anger explained, “your brain’s a joke!” A Starling landed, bowed, and spoke: “A favour – from the family! Birds help other birds, you see.”

22 Brian hugged the Ostrich: “Why, You ARE a bird! You didn’t lie!” D’Anger looked round the city zoo: “What fun catching the 22! But I don’t want fame, nor fans – I want freedom!” “Then RUN! I’ll explain that I caught you – you’re ‘eaten’!” He winked. The keeper awoke: “Have I dozed?” “You have! Without MY help your zoo would have closed!”

[zeemczed]

Hey there~

May I have headcannons for the characters (From Oz to Noodles) went for a holiday at a hotel resort?

So, we're gonna have the WINTER version of this later on with the Great Snowball War... let's do the summer version. B) Amira - Tries paragliding. Loves it until the tether snaps and sends her sailing off in a random direction. Lands on top of a Circle K, uninjured but needing a ride back to the hotel. Oz - Spends a good portion of his time building sandcastles on the beach and staring at the little things in the tidepool. Brian - Works on his "tan", despite being unable to tan anymore. Attracts far more attention than he expected. Vicky - Gets a significant portion of her friend group WAY TOO HYPED for a game of beach volleyball. Nearly wins, until... Damien - Spikes the ball RIGHT into Vicky's face. Declares himself the winner. Not his team, just him. Miranda - Has the ROYAL PARTY BARGE float close enough that the group can get out to it, spends the whole time playing host and feasting, barely goes to the 'inferior' land-hotel... until she gets word that makeouts are happening poolside. Liam - Stays inside in a bathrobe all day, lounges by the pool talking about bands you've never heard of all night, genuinely has a phenomenal time by his standards. Polly - Gets into a one-sided rivalry with the hotel bartender, trying to give them drinks that they've never heard of to mix. Doesn't realize that when she gives them a real esoteric one that she isn't sure is real, they just make something up. Also makes friends with a crab she calls Linda. Scott - VOLLEYBALL! SWIMMING! FETCH! SWIMMING! LIFE IS SO AWESOME GUYS! SO! AWESOME! Also has to wear sandals all day so he doesn't burn his sensitive feets on the hot sand. Vera - Tries and fails to buy the hotel. Has to be talked into taking time off to just enjoy herself. It is a GROUP EFFORT. Calculester - Somehow ends up running his food truck even though he's there to relax. Discovers that there is not a coastal area out there that can't do with another taco truck. Serves as the Juan/Noodles of this "game". Zoe - Cute swimsuit, places to float, people to see. Spends a lot of time over on Miri's PARTY BARGE. Aaravi and Hex - Drove the food truck out there. Got a problem with that? Val - See Vera's entry. Spends too much time getting her sister to finally unwind. Also gets banned from the beach on the last day when they discover she's been using it as her personal litter box. Milo - Spends the whole time trying to get THE PERFECT BEACH SELFIE. None of their attempts meet their lofty goals. Dahlia - Gets entirely too into the volleyball match, and starts a SAND WAR with Damien after he declares himself winner. Which is exactly what you think it is. Both of them spend hours washing sand out of their eyes (and everyplace else). The Coven - Hope sets up a tent to do her palm readings. It goes badly, but she still enjoys it (despite what she says). Faith spends much of her time either relaxing on the PARTY BARGE or hooking up with Polly. And Joy ends up getting pulled into a storyline... with Polly's little crab friend. And a Crab War. Which is really underwhelming, even by Crab standards. Sawyer - Spends way too much time snorkeling, but it's QUIET down there, and peaceful, and floaty, and just so nice... Glitch: Steals every towel in the hotel. Somehow. Every single one. Hazel: Cozies up beachside with a Margarita and a good novel and plows through the whole thing. Juan: Is Miri's bartender. Thoroughly enjoys himself, and mixes both the best and worst drinks you'll have that week. Don't try the Wailing Lagomorph. Just don't. Noodles: Summons a ghost kraken who everyone else has to work together to banish on the last day. His only explanation is that the concierge was "snooty" to him.

[miss-kitty-fantastic]

It's absolutely wild how many poorly conducted (or straight up fraudulent) studies get published and given significant airtime. And the damage they do if often irreparable.

I'm all for science. Big believer in the scientific method and the value of well conducted scientific research. But they NEED TO DO SOMETHING to prevent this kind of dodgy bullshit from ever seeing the light of day - because it snowballs - and winding it back is near impossible.

I recently read "The Doctor Who Fooled the World" by Brian Deer. It's all about Andrew Wakefield they guy who started the whole "MMR causes autism" panic. And the story is insane. His initial stance was that giving all three vaccines together was the problem - and he was pushing for them to be delivered separately - because *ding ding* he held a patent for an individual vaccine! The guy straight up falsified results make it look like MMR was causing harm - and even then it didn't hold up, because he couldn't show how giving them separately would be any better.

And the amount of time it took for his study to be flagged as dodgy, for him to be flagged as dodgy... by then it was too late.

And then there's the whole Chronic Fatigue Syndrome PACE trial - a study looking into the effectiveness of Graded Exercise Therapy + Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on ME/CFS. This bullshit study solidified the idea that ME/CFS is all in the patients' heads, that its simply a result of "false beliefs" and "deconditioning". It forced harmful treatments on desperate patients, and it set ME/CFS research back by decades

There were a whole host of things wrong with that trial - but the worst of them is that they changed the criteria for what would be considered as "recovery" half way through.

There's a measure called a physical function score - the higher the score, the more functional you are. In order to qualify for the trial ME/CFS patients needed a score 65 or lower, and the plan was that a score of 85 would constitute "recovery". But half way through the trial they lowered the recovery threshold to 60!

...so if you scored 65 you were simultaneously disabled enough to participate in the trial AND also already "recovered"!

It's because of this study that GET + CBT is still being pushed a valid treatments here in Australia. In order to qualify for disability benefits, you have to have undertaken these "treatments" first, even though GET isn't just ineffective, it literally makes us worse.

Anyway all of this is to say, they really really need to do something about making sure dodgy studies are caught BEFORE they're published.

"don't go grocery shopping when hungry" doesn't work for me because Not Hungry Me cannot conceive of a universe in which food is needed so she buys like a cup of pomegranate seeds and some fancy cheese and thinks that'll get us through the week.

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

061 of 2024

The White Survey 🤍

by joybucket

1. List three things you like that are white. Milk, clouds on the summer sky, rice.

2. Which of these words would you say describes you best: angelic, pure, pale, transparent, or peaceful? Pale is the first one that came to my mind.

4. Are you currently wearing anything white, and if so, what? Yeah, a t-shirt. But it has gold print and some horizontal blue stripes.

5. Which of these cartoon characters is your favorite: Snoopy, Casper (the friendly ghost), Frosty the Snowman, Snow White, or Brian Griffin? Casper. I don't know who Brian Griffin is.

6. Do you believe in angels? 😇 Yes, I do. I also believe that some angels have whiskers instead of wings <3

7. List three random things you can see from where you're sitting right now that are white. Tissues in the box (but not the box itself), random sheets of paper, my husband's PS5.

8. Would you rather drink a vanilla milkshake, a glass of milk, or white tea? Vanilla milkshake or a glass of milk. White tea is a big no for me.

9. Would you rather eat a cake with white frosting, a cream puff, or vanilla ice cream? Vanilla ice cream.

10. Have you ever seen snow? ⛄️ Yes, we used to have snow each winter. In the recent times it has changed, though, and we only have a couple of snowy days a year.

11. What are three things you like about snow? ❄️ I don't like snow. It only looks good on sunny days, it looks like glitter then.

12. Have you ever had an all-white cat? No, sadly. I've been raised with cats, but somehow, I didn't have a white cat. By the way, do you know that blue-eyed white cats are most likely deaf?

13. Have you ever had an all-white dog? No. But then, I've only had two dogs in my life.

14. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Angel, Crystal, Shimmer, Sparkle, or Heaven? Angel or Crystal, I know people with these names.

15. Which of these names do you like best for a cat: Angel, Snowflake, Marshmallow, Vanilla, or Cream Puff? Marshmallow.

18. List three random things you own that are white. Half of my cat (she's a bicolour, black and white), ceiling lamps, tiles on the floor in the living room.

19. Which of these careers sounds the most appealing to you: nurse, scientist, professional skier ⛷️, ice sculptor 🧊, or professional figure skater ⛸️ ? Nurse. I'm not afraid of blood, and I know first aid. But also scientist.

20. List three things you dislike that are white. Snow, sugar, icing on cake.

21. What type of milk do you use? 🥛 Whole milk, I never use any plant-based milk and skimmed milk tastes like water to me.

22. Do you prefer ice cream cones 🍦 or snowcones 🍧 ? I'm not really familiar with snow cones.

23. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Winter, Whimsy, Whisper, Honesty, or Hope? Hope.

24. Do you think you look good in white? No idea, I never put much thought in it.

25. Which of these words would you say describes you best: hopeful, innocent, naive, blessed, or winter lover? Hopeful.

26. What is your opinion on snow? ❄️ No, thanks. I've never liked snow.

27. Have you ever met anyone with the last name Snowball? No, never.

38. Do you believe in heaven? I'm still not sure, but I think there must be something there.

39. What are three of your favorite things about winter? Christmas and that winter is eventually over. Nothing else.

40. Do you know anyone who claims that their favorite color is white, and if so, who? It's strange, but I can't think of anyone who says white is their favourite colour.

41. Have you ever found a white hair on your head? No, I haven't. In my family, people start going grey in their 60s.

42. Have you ever used teeth-whitening strips? No, I haven't.

43. Do you live in an area that gets snow? ⛄️ Yup, but these days it only snows for a few days.

44. What was the last white thing you ate? Yogurt.

45. What was the last white thing you drank? Milk.

46. Which of these Halloween costumes would you prefer to wear: snowman, angel, unicorn, snow queen, or mad scientist? I don't celebrate Halloween, so none.

47. When was the last time you used white-out? Is it that correction tape/stick you use to fix errors on paper? If so, then two days ago.

48. Do you own a white sweater? No, I don't. But I own a few white hoodies.

49. Do you own any white furniture? Yeah, our bedroom has only white furniture.

50. Would you rather eat coconut cream pie, cookies and cream ice cream, or hot white chocolate? Hot white chocolate as a drink is great. Cookies ice cream is not bad either.

[dzpenumbra]

1/10/23

Weird day. Just... off. I woke up after about 5-6 hours of sleep. Cat really wanted food, wouldn't let me go back to sleep. I got her food, got a Monster and collapsed in my comfy chair, popped my headphones on, put on some mindless YouTube and passed out for another few hours.

Yoga was very chill and low-key today. More about meditation and stillness, relaxation, than strain. But there were a bunch of people making a ton of noise in the hallways while that was happening, which kinda killed the vibe. Can't wait for the earbuds to get here tomorrow.

I showered. I went up to the package room to get my snacks from... Inferno Candy Company. And I will admit, this was a big-time gamble. But I have a hot sauce that is habanero/ghost pepper that I used for a while pretty much every morning, so I'm not completely new to real-deal hot peppers. I got the Brian Ambs DorHEATos - which are absolutely delicious and just within the threshold of bearable heat-wise. And I got a variety pack. And in the variety pack, there is some pretty savage shit. Like... pretty much everything in it has Carolina Reapers in it. And I've never had anything above a Ghost Pepper. So... Tonight, after eating an entire pizza for dinner... I decided to try an "Inferno Cookie" that was labeled as "Snackable to Medium Heat". I can say right off the bat, I took a little bite of this thing, it is 100% hotter than the Dorheatos, which they classified as Medium heat. It was absolutely hotter. It has both Scorpion and Reapers in it. That thing lit my mouth up real quick.

It wasn't unbearable, it was very similar to a habanero sting, so I'm guessing that was the Scorpion I was feeling? I'm still very new to the spicy world. But yeah, I don't know man, I might've gotten myself in over my head a bit! Maybe I'll keep them around for like... fun novelty challenges for all the visiting friends I have over, so if they feel like puking or uncontrollably shitting in my bathroom, they're just one golden packaged snack away from their wish come true.

My mom called around dinner time. And as I picked up, I went "I should really make dinner while I talk to her." (spoiler alert - I got distracted and didn't) And when I got up to go to the kitchen, I noticed a letter under my door. It was an unpaid bill. And I got really stressed and overwhelmed. Those feelings just hit me so damn hard sometimes. And the number on the bill was a lot bigger than I was expecting. And my mom just started doing what she reflexively does... the same thing she did with my internet account when I was locked out of my router, which caused the last catastrophic fight... just starts... doing shit without telling me. Just like, taking control of the situation and ordering me to help her. It did not go well for like... at least an hour or two, but something broke through the wall. I have no clue what it was. I don't remember. I even remember discussing with her this phenomenon of coming to some profound realization in an important conversation and then later that day it's just... gone. And how that's why I started using that moment as an opportunity to train new habits, rather than try to hold on to the lesson and train new habits later. But yeah, we kinda unraveled that it's kinda just... how she's used to dealing with problems around her house, I guess? With my dad. That it's better to just... take over and shut him up than to try and help him figure it out himself, because he has very little desire to learn. It feels like I'm talking shit when I say that, but it's factually accurate, it's a weird one. Like... if he didn't come up with it? He doesn't wanna learn it. I think it's a pride thing. I dunno. It's so alien to me.

So yeah, we got it resolved, which is good, but ugh. It just that snowball effect. I get stressed out - my stress sets off my "support's" defense mechanisms - I have to help my "support" calm down - then I have to calm myself down - then I have to deal with the problem that started it all, usually alone. It has led me very often to this lament of like... "wouldn't I be better off alone?" "Wouldn't it be better if I just... didn't express my emotions?" "Wouldn't it be safer if I kept my feelings to myself?" And... yeah. I can see how I would've grown up that way. It took me many years and a lot of constant training to be able to express my inner voice as authentically and confidently as I do. I've always been pretty in touch with my feelings, but... internally. Because expressing them outwardly... Let's just say some people aren't too fond of emotions. Some people like to carve the world into black and white - rational and irrational. And drain all the color out of it. All the feeling, all the romance, all the experience. And then they wonder why they don't understand their own feelings... Go figure. Imagine finding a balance... <shrug>

I'm fuckin wiped. I passed out in my comfy chair again after dinner for like an hour. I played a little Session. Now I'm getting ready for bed at 3:30 again. Ugh. I'll get this sleep thing stable someday, I swear.

[boyakishannarrative]

Wrote a start for chapter one.

It is without saying much that love is complicated. As is Justice, in a way it is also a lie. I say this to you, dear reader of this note, as I pity those who chased me from my home. Those who I greeted as I ran down the streets in the morning scowling and shouting for my death so soon after finding I wasn’t one of them. More than just a few different kinds of blood, a true mix with greater potential and ability by birth. This world, it hates my kind. It hates that we exist, not for existing but of a fear of what the worst of my kind did. To call us a species isn’t being truthful, but we are all a true mix, a hybrid of species giving us an unnatural advantage and well. Like all good stories, it’s best to tell it from the start.

I was born in the midst of the war. In my world, magic existed. The first war was a war of humans. Y’know the story, one man gets killed and a series of events and choices snowballs into millions dead. But there was one key difference, instead of paying an exuberant fee, France as a nation was ignored for bias and instead Germany was promptly slapped in the face, shook up before being let back as a country. The world didn’t magically get better, instead magic came back into the world. This war was one of magic and men, iron met elements, guns met missiles. And once again, grudges were at least stretched to be over a longer slower period. By the time I was 3 the war was over with this, soldiers sat down as science took a jump into the seat, and I will admit weapons were created but more often than not they were shared to all equally and slowly a new organisation began to rise. And then another war began, small organisations/nations fighting against this new peaceful one. I was 5 when it truly ended, as the son of a human mage, one who specialised in dark magic. Well, before I was treated with suspicion and fear. But this new world war revealed and forced people to start actively thinking. By the time I became ten, prejudice and anger were still problems, but people didn’t grow bigoted as before…actually they never stopped being bigoted, but at least most people tried peace and logic.

I was 11 when the news came out, as the son of a widow it was slightly harder on mom but then came the news of Hybrids. Now admittedly that name isn’t organic, it’s originally from a radio comedic show but ask a linguist or anthropologist on the logic of language. Regardless, the world became fully aware of what a hybrid was.

The tv cackled in the living room, a simple rectangular rug, two plastic chairs, a tv and a table set up. A brown haired Brit male played a game of Uno against his mother on the table, him having 3 cards versus her 2. Suddenly the news on the tv played, causing the pair to pause as the reporter began. “Welcome to the BBC, a massacre in Trafalgar Square. On to you Jim.” The fae reporter stands in the Square, blood covering the ground behind them as policemen look on at the hundreds of military bodies. As more continue the firefight, some with guns rushing around the figure and other with staffs, wands, melee weapons and so on. Whoever they are seem to cackle as he reports behind the news van. “Thank Janet, I’m absolutely terrified right now but as you can see.” The camera panned to the lizard looking man with an axe and dog features as he laughed, slicing military open and rushing towards the gun troop. The camera panned back. “It’s a bloodbath, I’d move but anyone who’s tried to run so far has been killed by this man’s tail? It’s a little unclear and Raj here can’t slow the footage slow enough to see, but Sargent Brian here can give a little more insight.”

The camera panned to the sergeant, a skinnier looking mythical being kind like a thin elk like being. “Yes, well I was on my normal patrol when the uh massacrer appeared to grow increasingly annoyed at his partner over something as they put fliers on the board. The uh, board got coated with what’s left of his partner’s remains but…well folks, I don’t really know how to explain it but I have called one of my smarter friends to call the station-” The video cut off, as something suddenly cut into the camera causing the two men to scream before it cut out. The news reporter looked panicked, “J’in? J’i? J’i you there?” There was a murmur off screen, before she straightened herself up. “Right folks, it appears our reporter got cut off” She winced at her choice of words. “But we have an expert to talk to. Doctor Wakefield…” There was another pause as she quite loudly asked, “Hold on. Is that right? Wasn’t he that cunt that lied a bunch about the MRR vaccines?” The camera and audio refocused. “Apologies, Doctor Arnold with a degree in autecology, anthropology and criminal psychology has more.” The human doctor sat at a table, talking to a phone nervously. “Listen mate, end the call and just run. Get out there, grab the other fellow and run. Don’t drive, or make any noise. The army’ll be a distraction, just get out there mate or-” The reporter coughed, “Doctor Arnold, I am aware that you are worried for your friend but England and likely the world needs your expertise.” The doctor paused, taking a deep breath.

At this point, the young tween had dropped the game. His mother and him had full attention, as the doctor on live took a few breaths and began. “Right, so according to my friend’s description. The assailant sounds to be a uh, Hybrid.” “Hybrid.” “Yes, Hybrid. It’s not the official term however so you shan-” “Explain to the viewers what a “Hybrid” is?” The man takes another deep breath, quickly and quickly quoting a prayer before continuing. “A hybrid is a person who is a mix of species.” The reporter takes a deep breath and continues. The mother pauses, biting her nail before turning to her son. “We must leave.”

[amserblog]

Them vs Gender

The Them grow up into humanity and into themselves. As fate would have it, Pepper, Wensleydale, and Adam are all a different bit of queer. And Brian. Brian is just Brian. Always supportive, capital A, Ally. Hard not to be when your three best friends are or have been every letter in the LGBTQ+ acronym and then some. 

Pepper is the first of the Them to start dating proper. Her girlfriend is shy and sweet, a little aloof but, next to their tight knit group, most people come off that way. Pepper doesn’t announce anything, and no one is surprised, really, content in their assumptions. There are, however, some confused blinks when several years and several girlfriends later she does clarify that she’s bi, actually, but she refuses to go into further detail regarding past and present crushes aside from the fact that there were Some.

Adam comes out as genderfluid quite suddenly when they’re seventeen. It turns out, actually, that when you’re eleven and you suddenly have a weird sort of awareness of something resembling cosmic truths and your supposed place in the universe it’s pretty difficult to reconcile that with such nonsense as rigidly defined, immutable gender. All the same, Adam tucked that feeling away to deal with later, because there were more pressing matters at hand and then they promptly forgot about it for three years because there were still plenty of other things to do like being a Teenager, which was a brand new experience of its own. On most days they still maintain their usual boyish masc aesthetic, but they don’t see why they can’t just be a girl or a not girl or a not boy or all of the above at once some days if and when they want to. More fun that way. Adam’s never been one to let other people’s Ideas (particularly Grown-Ups so set in their ways) get in the way of their fun.

Wensleydale grows from a boy to a teenage boy absolutely as one would expect of him. He’s quite a bit closer to being an accountant than when he was eleven, and that’s probably the most notable development of the past nine years. Every few years, Wensleydale would try to switch to actually using his first name (Not Jeremy, as it turns out) but the name in question was something different and new with every attempt and as such he remained Wensleydale for simplicity’s sake (or just Wensley to friends). During some lazy reminiscing, the Them get around to asking what was the deal with that Jeremy rumor anyway, and it turns out that’s just the first name a six-and-a-half year old Wensley had blurted out one day when prompted, having quietly decided that his old name was rubbish, at which point the puzzled teacher spoke to his parents and his parents looked at each other and looked at their kid and soon the Wensleydales were all out on an adventure together navigating the joys and the trials of growing up transgender. Young Wensley never could settle on a name, and liked being Wensleydale fine enough (a daily reminder of his Family, who Loved him, though he wouldn’t realize this was why the name gave him such warm joy until later [1] ) and so it stuck and was firmly stuck by the time the Them were an established gang of mischief makers. Wensleydale and family were the private sort, and there just wasn’t much of an occasion to go announcing the exact details of the arrangement unprompted.

By 26, Adam has settled into a routine of picking his gender out for a given day with the same casual air of picking a pair of shoes (and has gone back to he/him pronouns in the end after several years of trying other pronouns on). Wensleydale always wears at least one transgender flag at all times, having gotten acquainted with the sin of Pride after realizing that he’d been in like company all along and in fact it was only more validating to experience the whole mess together. Pepper has separately dated each of the Them at some time or another and now all four are in an easy, relaxed, and mostly unspecified sort of Arrangement all their own devising. Pepper and Adam keep swapping clothes well into their teens until they can no longer fit so conveniently into the same sizes, and then they swap accessories instead. And Brian. Brian is just Brian. Always supportive, capital A, Ally. Hard not to be when your three best friends are or have been every letter in the LGBTQ+ acronym and then some. And maybe Brian is Gay, or Bi, but by the time that’s relevant it seems like an awfully small contribution to the collective queerness of the group. [2]

Brian had watched Adam, of course. And had been Supportive, of course, true to habit. Given that their two other friends had already had a go at deciding their own names, and Adam liked the idea of picking things for himself, he and Brian had spent some time brainstorming hypotheticals like “Ada” and “Breanna”, shallow mirror images of their given names that got increasingly outlandish as the night went on, and they devolved into giggles before concluding that Adam could only have ever been Adam and nothing else. Adam’s existence is not a question, but an answer, a loud proclamation against the universe.

Brian, on the other hand, finds no answers. Brian, over years and years sinks slow but steady into an endless cycle of Questioning. Brian tried on a dress and a different name and despite the momentary fun encounters a dull “sure?” of an emotional response, and Brian soon enough found that the idea of Brian the Boy elicited an identical, resounding mental shrug. Adam the Boy and Adam the Girl were equally tangible, believable concepts but Brian the Boy felt like trying to wear his father’s shoes and Brian the Girl was a thing of playacting at best. Brian knew Pepper, and knew what being a Girl was, even if Pepper was actively unconventional as far as Girls go. Adam always said that gender was nonsense but Brian wasn’t sure Adam had meant nonsense in the way of wanting to abandon the concept in its entirety.

Bits and pieces cherrypicked out of this and that gender seemed to fit but not quite pieces out of the same puzzle set. The whole mess became an altogether unnecessary bit of mental exercise that wore down on the soul in a way that defied words and boxes. After a frank discussion, the Them offered up a range of words to help Brian out--nonbinary for starters, genderless (maybe), androgyne (not really), agender--sure? How does one describe absence of a thing, not even a thing, but a perceived abstract feeling several rounds removed from realms of physical reality. 

Ineffable, perhaps

[1] Tangentially, Wensleydale is happily adopted. He didn’t know his birth parents very well but he did know them, was adopted age 4 and started out very suspicious about the whole adoption thing. As such, the Wensleydale parents are aggressively inclusive of him in all family activities. 

[2] I would at this point like to make it clear that queerness is not a contest and Brian’s concern is unfounded. If Brian were to come out as bi, his friends would 100% celebrate and support it as they would any coming out.

[queenmylovely]

Day 11: Snowball Fight

pairing: Roger Taylor x fem!reader

warnings: just fluffy stuff

words: 1.2k

a/n: the snowball fight is really just a jumping off point lmao 

Last, Full List, Next

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During the first really snowy day in London you somehow found yourself bundled up in the snow, hiding behind a tree as you dodged snowballs being hurled at you from two directions.

Luckily you had one person on your side, Roger, who was currently telling you to grab from the stockpile he had made and aim at Brian, the weaker target. You did as he said, aiming for the curls peeking out from the side of a light pole and knowing you had hit him with at least one when you heard a distant groan.

“Good job, love. Now for Deaky I think we’re going to have to go for a sneak attack. Do you want to be the one to hit him or the distraction?” Roger asked, keeping his eye towards the other two in case they tried something.

“Hmmmm, I think I should be able to distract Deaky,” you said with a sly smile and Roger stopped in his tracks.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh just that I’ve noticed him noticing me a couple times, he’s never made a move or anything because I was still with Sam at that point, but I bet he’d still notice,” you explained, shaking your hair out of your hat to get ready. You didn’t notice Roger’s cheeks turn from the pink that they were from the cold to red.

“I think I should be the distraction,” blurted Roger.

“What? Then why did you ask what I wanted to do?” you frowned.

“Because I didn’t think it through, but now I have. You’ve got better aim so you’ll be able to hit him from further away in case the plan doesn’t go as hoped,” he told you, with a tone of finality that said there was no point in arguing.

“Fine, I’ll flank him from behind while you distract him,” you conceded, heading off to the side as he went out in front.

Later, after you and Roger had successfully gotten Deaky, there had been a free for all, the winner decided by Fred who was off to the side drinking coffee. He had chosen Deaky who, without Brian holding him back, had absolutely dominated the rest of you.

As you headed back to Roger and Freddie’s apartment, you walked with the latter while the other three were about twenty feet ahead. Talk between you fell idle for a second before you brought something up.

“Fred, Roger was acting kinda weird earlier,” you told him cautiously, not wanting to make it seem like a big deal.

“Weird, what do you mean?” he asked, looking at you from the side.

“Well you know the whole sneak attack thing where Roger distracted Deaky? Originally I was going to distract him, you know, with my feminine wiles,” the two of you laughed. “But when I explained to Roger that it would work because Deaky’s noticed me before he suddenly decided that he was going to be the one to distract him.”

“Oh of course he would,” Freddie said nonchalantly and you stopped still.

“What do you mean ‘of course he would?’” you asked sharply.

“Woah, darling, it’s nothing serious. Don’t you already know this anyway?” he asked and you gave him a look. He started walking again as he continued, “Okay apparently not. It’s just that Roger has a bit of a thing for you and he’s the jealous type, so it makes sense he wouldn’t want to encourage any sort of flirting between you and Deaky, no matter how harmless.”

“Are you kidding me? For how long?” you asked, grabbing Freddie’s arm firmly.

“About as long as we’ve known you. He didn’t make a move, of course, because of Sam. But he’s been thinking about it now that the two of you have been broken up for a while,” Freddie told you and your mind started reeling, trying to think of any moments that Roger might have been expressing his feelings to you, verbally or otherwise.

Then suddenly all of the gentle hands on your arm or shoulder or the small of your back, the way he always moved your hair out of your face for you, and whenever you had looked up to find him already looking at you, a small smile on his face, regardless of whatever mundane thing you were doing, came back to you.

How you hadn’t realized until now was perplexing, but now that you had it also made you think about how many times you had looked at Roger in much the same way since you broke up with Sam. There were other things too, the way you focused on his hands when he was drumming now instead of his face, how you gravitated to his side in any situation, the way you hugged him for full seconds longer than the other boys. The hands thing you had chalked up to horniness after losing your consistent source of (to be honest, kind of mediocre) sex, but you couldn’t explain away all the other signs easily.

“Wait, but why would Deaky act like that if he knew how Roger felt?” you ask.

“Act like what? Didn’t you say he was just looking at you? We all look at you dear, you are very pretty,” Freddie told you, hitting your arm lightly and you blushed. “So?”

“So what?” you mumbled.

“So aren’t you gonna go get him?” he gestured ahead to where Roger was walking with the other two, pushing Brian’s shoulder and laughing.

You gave a wistful sigh, “Are you sure?”

“Yes I’m sure, you coward. He only talks about you all the time. Now shut up and go talk to him!”

Freddie gave you a push forward and you cried out laughing. Roger turned around at the sound and stopped when he saw you stumbling. He hung back from the others until you caught up with him and Freddie walked past the two of you.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Roger asked, placing his hand on the small of your back to keep you steady and you shivered. “Are you cold?”

“No I’m fine, it’s all fine. I just… tripped over my feet,” you told him.

“Oh okay, let me know if you are cold, I can give you my coat or scarf. Here, why don’t you take my scarf,” Roger reached for his scarf but before he could take it off you grabbed both ends and pulled him close to you.

Roger’s breath caught as he looked down at you; you gave him a crafty smile, “Rog, is there something you wanted to tell me?”

“Tell you?” Roger asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah, tell me, or do. Is there anything you wanted to do? Together?” you tightened your hands on the scarf, tugging him a little bit closer.

“Together?” he asked a little shakily. You could see his eyes dilating and his breath picked up, “I, um--”

“Oh, Roger,” you laughed, deciding to put him out of his misery and pulling him that last bit to you so you could press your lips to his.

“Woo! Get it you two!” you heard Freddie cheer from a ways away but you just sighed into the kiss as Roger finally seemed to register what was happening and brought his hands to your waist, pulling you even closer.

❄️❄️❄️

[theimpossiblehologramtree]

Hi there, may I request a snow day with the Queen members? It can be snowball fight or sledding or making snow angels whatever you can think of. I love your writing! :D Thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you are well!

Snow day with Queen members would include...

Pairing: Queen members x reader

Word count: (altogether) 1700+

Warnings: well, some injuries (nothing actually happens), didn’t proofread, and of course the favourite - swearing - also known as cussing :)

A/N: Thanks so much for requesting, love. I would add a keep reading option, but tumblr is being a bitch and it doesn’t work, I hope @staff​ fixes it soon. Also I totally ditched school to write this, don’t be like me kids and study!

Please keep in mind that English is not my first language.

🐝masterlist🐝

REQUEST IF YOU WANT MORE

Gifs aren’t mine. Credits to the owners.

Brian May

Warm rays of morning sunshine beaming through the curtains woke you up. You stretched your arms, covering your mouth as you yawned. Your boyfriend, Brian, was still sleeping next to you, his arm wrapped around your torso in a protective manner. You smiled at the sight before kissing him lovingly on the cheek and getting out of bed. You looked out of the window and, much to your surprise, saw that your backyard was covered in snow. Your mouth flew agape, as you didn't realize that it was snowing at night.

Suddenly, you felt a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist, making you jump up.

+"Shh, lovie, it's me" Brian whispered into your hair, nuzzling into your neck.

You leaned into his touch, closing your eyes in bliss, savouring the moment.

+"Bri?"

"Mhmm" he hummed in response.

"How about we spend some time outside today, honey?"

"Sounds amazing, love, let's do that."

You got out of your shared house and headed for a walk. You started talking about his latest ideas for songs (you were proud to say that most of them were about you) and your job. You didn't even notice when you got to the park.

Walking among trees and bushes covered with trees, you spotted a nice pile of snow that looked like a cloud. You already knew what you wanted to do, and you just couldn't resist yourself. Pretending you just wanted to tie your shoelace, you crept behind Brian and took some snow in your hands, forming a small ball. Smiling mischievously, you jogged behind him and hit him in the head with full force. The snow covered his dark curls and quickly started to melt, making his hair damp. You laughed at Brian's shocked expression, his eyes wide open and his mouth agape.

+"Close your mouth, Bri, or you will catch flies."

"Oh, love, you better start running," he said, already making a snowball.

You turned around and started running away. Suddenly, a big wet pile of snow hit you on the back of your neck, melting as it made contact with your warm skin. You squealed and immediately returned the "favour" to your boyfriend.

The snowball fight ended when you found yourself laying in the snow, your clothes completely soaked. You decided to call it a day and returned back home.

Brian made you both tea while you changed into some fresh clothes. Not feeling very great, you grabbed Brian's sweatshirt along with some warm leggings and went back to the kitchen, shivering from the cold.

+"Oh, love, did you get sick?" your boyfriend asked, putting his arm around you and leading you to the couch.

"Yeah, I think so, Bri. But don't flatter yourself, I totally won that battle" you replied, snuggling into his chest.

"Whatever you say, (Y/N)."

Roger Taylor

You were woken up by your boyfriend Roger, who was tapping you on the shoulder in excitement. You had barely even opened your eyes, when he pulled the covers off you, uncovering your naked body.

+"Come on, (Y/N), wake up!" he yelled into your ear, kissing your bare shoulder.

"What the fuck, Roger?!" you snatched the covers from his hand, turning your back to him.

He just couldn't contain the emotions. He was jumping up and down, screaming like a seven-year-old child at the sight of white, fluffy snow, that covered the whole street.

+"Love, it snowed!" he tugged your hand. "Let's go sledging, don't leave me hanging."

He pouted, looking at you with his big blue eyes, knowing that you won't be able to resist him. You sighed deeply and shook your head in disbelief.

+"Oh, all right" you agreed, stretching before you got up.

Roger squealed like a little girl and ran to prepare for the day.

After you ate your breakfast you made Roger eat his breakfast ("Love, I'm just saying, if we don't eat it, we'll save time!"), the two of you set off to a nearby park. When you got there, you were greeted by lots of little kids, dressed in colourful jackets with different sledges. Roger's eyes lit up with joy when he saw the small hill covered in snow, ready for him. You chuckled under your breath, admiring your dumbass boyfriend from afar.

+"(Y/N) this is wonderful!" he shouted, already starting to climb up.

Ignoring the curious looks from others, you followed him to the top. As soon as you reached him, Roger motioned you to sit in front of him on the sledge. You hesitated for a moment, knowing that this wasn't such a good idea.

+"Oh come on, sweetheart, I'm gonna catch you if something bad happens."

You sighed deeply (yet again today) and situated yourself in front of him. You smiled at the sensation of his arms bringing you closer to him by your waist. However, the moment didn't last long, because Roger was so eager to go down, he pushed the sledge down without a warning, cheering loudly into your ear. The ride was quick and, before you knew it, you have slipped on a frozen puddle, making the two of you fall off and tumble down the hill.

+"Woohoo, that was brilliant, (Y/N)!" Roger yelled into your ear.

You, however, didn't feel so great. When you were tumbling down, you hit your head on the frozen ground. You felt dizzy, the entire world spinning around you. Not being able to bring yourself to say anything, you let out a quick "Mhmm".

Roger immediately spotted that something was off with you and kneeled next to you, looking into your eyes.

+"Shit, I'm so so sorry, my love" he quickly examined your head. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you go with me, shit, sweetheart."

"It's okay, Rog, really. I'll be fine" you reassured him, smiling softly. "Gonna sit here for a while, okay? You have fun, love" you said, not wanting him to miss out on the fun.

After a couple of minutes of arguing (Roger didn't want to leave you alone), you convinced him to go for another ride.

When you finally got home, after hours and hours of your boyfriend constantly apologizing, he made you hot chocolate and cuddled with you on the sofa, listening to your favourite songs. At the end of the day, a day out was really worth it.

And the next day it turned out you had a concussion.

John Deacon

Sleeping in on weekends was by far your favourite thing to do. You nuzzled your face into John's chest, trying to gather as much warmth radiating from him as you could. He only chuckled in response, bringing you closer to him.

+"We should get up, my love, it's already two o'clock" he mumbled into your hair.

"Yeah, yeah, just five more minutes," you replied.

But John already had a plan on how to get you out of bed. It was no secret you loved winter and snowy days.

+"Alright, but you might change your mind when you find out that it has snowed at night" he whispered, waiting for your reaction.

That was all it took for you to jump out of bed excitedly and run to the window to see for yourself. You squealed and immediately hurried to the bathroom to get ready. John only laughed and shook his head in disbelief.

You went for a walk to your favourite park, holding his hand the entire way. Out of the corner of your eyes, you noticed that John kept his loving gaze on you, making you blush, and your heart skip a beat. You hoped that he would take the scarlet tint on your cheeks as a result of the cold temperature.

When you found a patch of grass completely covered in white snow, you turned to John and wiggled your eyebrows, making him laugh. You pulled his hand and plopped in the fluffy pile, waving your hands and legs. John followed soon after, both of you making snow angels giggling like a pair of teenagers.

+"I love you, (Y/N)" John breathed out between giggles, looking at your joyful face.

"I love you too, Deaky" you replied and rolled on top of him, kissing him on the lips with full force. 

Freddie Mercury

You were sitting at work, looking out of the window, your face gloomy. You had a good reason to be in a sullen mood because you were stuck doing your dull job, while outside people were running around, playing with the snow that had fallen overnight. You huffed and looked the other way, trying to focus on something else.

Suddenly, the phone on your desk rang. You picked up, expecting another client to call with a complaint, but, to your surprise, you heard a familiar voice.

+"Hello, darling. What are you up to, now? Fancy a walk?" Freddie's enthusiastic voice spoke from the telephone.

"I can't, Freddie, I'm at work," you told him, sighing deeply in regret.

"Oh come on, I'm sure you can get out a few hours earlier" he insisted.

You bit your lip, unsure what to do. You looked outside again, longing to get out, but at the same time, you knew that you could get in serious trouble if you got caught.

+"I don't know, Fred, I shouldn't..."

"Come on, darling, for me," he said softly. "You won't regret it, I promise."

"I'll see what I can do, I'll call you in five minutes, okay?" you promised and put the phone down. Quickly thinking about an excuse to leave early, you headed to your boss' office and told them you had a family emergency.

Not more than ten minutes later, you met Freddie in front of his house. He immediately approached you and kissed your cheeks, pulling you towards the park.

+"Let's make a snowman, Freddie!" you exclaimed loudly, earning a gasp from him.

"Excellent idea, darling!"

You quickly started building big balls of snow and stacking them on order. You picked up some pebbles for eyes and sticks for arms. Meanwhile, Freddie ran back to his house and brought one of his most outrageous hats and coats from the show. You couldn't help but burst out with laughter when he tried to dress the ice sculpture in the colourful clothes.

+"That must be the most fabulous snowman in the whole England, Freddie!" you said, in between giggles.

"World, (Y/N)" he corrected you. "The most fabulous snowman in the whole world."

[lady-divine-writes]

Good Omens Secret Santa 2020 - “Lights Will Guide You Home” (Rated PG13)

Summary: While watching the kids for the night, Crowley takes them all on an adventure, which includes a trip to the states to look at the Christmas lights. He drives them around to see bigger and gaudier displays, but Aziraphale is a little confused when he finally gets to see Crowley's favorite. (1556 words)

Notes: Written for Micha (@one-with-the-floor) as part of the Good Omens Secret Santa 2020 gift exchange.

Read on AO3.

"How about this one, kids? This might be the brightest one yet! ... Kids? ... Kids?" Crowley looks in his rearview mirror and scowls. "Oi! When did the little buggers fall asleep?" 

Aziraphale turns away from his window and the house beyond covered in every twinkle light available on the Eastern Seaboard (he suspects) and gives Crowley a confused look. Then, remembering that they aren't alone in Crowley's Bentley, he peeks over at the seat behind them, where five children snore softly, heads leaning on shoulders, fast asleep. "About five houses ago, I believe? Give or take? That's the last time I heard any ooo'ing or ahh'ing."

"Which house was that?"

"The one with the nativity scene made up of inflatable dragons breathing fire and wearing Santa caps."

Crowley's brow draws together as he tries to recall. "Oh, yeah. Right." He looks over his shoulder so he can see the pile of children properly: Warlock dressed in his stiff new Christmas suit, Adam a bit less formal in khakis and a pale blue polo, the rest of The Them a hodgepodge of wrinkled trousers, thick-soled shoes, and shirts of various fit alongside Pepper's red velvet gown, which her parents forced her to wear (a fact she stated numerous times throughout the evening) and which she accessorized with a faux leather jacket and a bulky pair of Doc Martens. "What's the deal with them knocking out so early? They're kids! They're supposed to be boundless founts of energy, aren't they?"

"Early? It's close to one in the morning!"

"Yes, but if you take into consideration the clan of gingerbread people they decimated, then washed down with a gallon of cocoa, they should be bouncing off the ceiling! We've been out for, what? An hour? Two?"

"Try four," Aziraphale says, checking his watch to be sure. "Did you have to miracle us all the way to the states?"

"Yes," Crowley says definitively. "They do Christmas a little differently out here. Bigger. More grandiose."

"That's an understatement," Aziraphale mutters as they pass a house so festooned with lights and animatronic creatures, he can't see the structure they're affixed to. "As is, I'm not sure how exactly you're getting away with miracling the lot of us abroad."

"When Hell finds out I used my magic to take five children across borders without passports, they'll be ecstatic!"

"But will Warlock's parents? Or Adam's?"

"Who's going to tell them?" Crowley shoots his angel a significant look, but Aziraphale matches it, arms crossed over his chest, glaring sternly, and Crowley backs down. "Look, their parents ditched them with us so that they could go off drinking and regaling and having a good time."

"Ditched them?" Aziraphale chuckles at Crowley's skewed point of view. "We offered!"

"And we promised these kids a good time!"

"You definitely delivered," Aziraphale says, smiling at his memories of their night: the snowball fight that ended with them crashing an outdoor service; the horde of snow zombies they built in the yards of a quiet and unsuspecting neighborhood; the hills they zipped down using trashcan lids as sleighs. Aziraphale was horrified by most of these to begin with, but that didn't last. Not when he saw how thoroughly the children enjoyed themselves. 

Crowley, too. 

But driving around, looking at lights? That was an unexpectedly tame suggestion. And Crowley was rather insistent. "But why did you want us to see Christmas lights?"

"Because it's important."

"How?"

"This is the only time of year you get to see this," Crowley explains, gesturing vaguely.

"And what's that? Enough wattage to coax down passing aircraft? Or are you perhaps referring to the eight-foot Santa mooning passersby?"

"No," Crowley replies. But that Santa was hilarious! The children spotted him from miles away and made Crowley drive over. They spent a good fifteen minutes pointing and laughing, making the kinds of off-colored jokes that make parents shush! But more hilarious was his angel's scandalized reaction - his dramatic tut, followed by an even more dramatic, "God Lord." "Humanity." Crowley sighs. "I know I talk a lot about Christmas becoming vulgar and over-commercialized. And come the day after, it'll be back to the business of not giving a shite about their fellow man, trampling each other in the shops to get the most ridiculous garbage at seventy-five percent off ..."

"Something you earned a commendation for, if I recall," Aziraphale points out.

"... but when humans light their houses like this, invite their neighbors to gather 'round, they're saying 'All are welcome! Stop on by! Let's celebrate together!'"

"To me, it's more like they're saying, 'Look at me! Look at all of this useless bother I own! Who cares that I'm diverting migratory birds from their destinations? Astronauts can see my house from space!'"

"Agree to disagree then," Crowley grumbles, then goes silent, and Aziraphale knows he's teased one step too far.

"The children falling asleep will make it easier to transport them," Aziraphale says, easing into a new subject until he can think of a way to apologize. "We can miracle them into their beds when we get back to the Dowling's. Then we can do a little regaling of our own."

Crowley grins. He can't stay stung by his angel forever. He's just too sentimental tonight to have a sense of humor. "Sounds about perfect. Been a while since I've done any regaling."

"Tonight's as good a time as any to start."

Crowley turns down a street with fewer lights and no neighbors milling about, preparing to snap them back to London. "Which house was your favorite?"

"Oh, none of these," Aziraphale says snobbishly. "I'm not the biggest fan of modern-day extravagance. I would have to say my favorite out of all the displays was that abbey down by the river: fairy lights reflecting off the water; tasteful nativity out front; evergreen trimmed with simple decorations - wooden star atop, red velvet bows, paper angels ..."

"Leave it to you to choose the one holy place we found, and only because we took a wrong turn."

Aziraphale wiggles happily in his seat. "You know what they say - there are no accidents."

"Yup. And four rights make a left."

Aziraphale pulls a face. "I ... don't think that's correct ..."

"Don't matter." Crowley turns in his seat, looks at his angel. "Do you wanna see my favorite?"

Aziraphale smiles, all thoughts of turns shelved for the moment. "Of course." "Alright. It's back in our neck of the woods, so hold on tight."

Aziraphale reaches to the side, takes Crowley's free hand in his, gives it a squeeze. "Ready."

Crowley snaps his fingers. 

For a single second, the world stops. 

A bright light surrounds the Bentley, engulfs it in its brilliance. In the amount of time it takes for Crowley's fingers to slide across one another, they're home. 

Aziraphale blinks, looks about as his eyes adjust to the lower light. He expected to see a house pulsating with a glow equal to a thousand suns outside his window, maybe with Virgin Mary riding a motorbike behind the abominable snowman while the angel Gabriel wrestles an alligator. But the shapes around him are familiar. His brow wrinkles as he tries to understand what he's seeing. They're not just back in London, they're in Soho.

Right outside his shop. 

"Which one is it?" Aziraphale looks up and down the block at darkened storefronts, most of them as frugally adorned as his own - a rope of garland, a wreath, a silver bell or two, but nothing special. Nothing noteworthy. Nothing even close to the houses they spent the night ogling. 

"This one right here." Crowley points past Aziraphale toward a set of wooden double doors.

Aziraphale frowns. "But ... that's my bookshop."

"A-ha."

"I didn't do much in the way of decorating."

"I know."

"And I don't like when people stop in, so it's not as if I'm encouraging my neighbors to gather."

"Know that, too."

"So, why is it your favorite?"

"Because ..." Crowley scoots across the seat, puts an arm around Aziraphale's shoulders "... it's home."

"You consider a dusty old bookshop home? When you own that mansion of a flat in Mayfair?"

"You consider the bookshop your home, don't you?"

"Yes, but that's because my books are there, my liquor cabinet, my snuff boxes - everything I'm fond of. Everything I adore."

"What a coincidence. Because everything I'm fond of ... everything I adore ... is at your shop."

"And what would that be?" Aziraphale asks sarcastically. "My bottle of Hennessy Paradis Imperial?"

"No. You, you pair of walnuts," a grumpy Warlock responds in Crowley's stead.  

Crowley glares at his young charge over his shoulder. "Rude."

"Look, could you guys take us home first and then make out?" Adam asks.

"Yeah," Pepper agrees. "My entire body is numb except for my right eyelid."

"Plus, listening to adults flirt kind of grosses me out," Brian adds, the rest mumbling in agreement.

"Alright, alright," Crowley growls, sliding back into his seat and putting the car into drive. "We'll drive you ankle-biters home, and then ..."

"We regale! Which I'm confident will include plenty of 'making out'? Right, my dear?"

"Absolutely," Crowley says with a smirk. Aziraphale snorts when their cluster of pre-teens groan.

"I think we're making them uncomfortable, angel." 

"Serves them right," Aziraphale says, straightening in his seat. "I could have happily gone on for another six thousand years without seeing Santa Claus's rear end. Vengeance is mine."

[frozensriracha]

Could I get some HCs for the creeps celebrating Christmas please?

 Me?  Writing Christmas headcanons in February because I suddenly got motivated after months of unmotivation?  Why, how could you accuse me of such a thing?

So, I imagine Christmas is a pretty big deal to the creeps

They don’t really get presents or family time anymore, so whenever an opportunity to get present

Slender and Zalgo, knowing how important the holiday is to them, will call a truce and stop fighting in the weeks leading up to Christmas

Okay, maybe they’ll have a Christmas decoration war and an ugly sweater competition, but that’s the furthest it goes

The mansion used to do Secret Santa, but after the time E.J. got back at Jeff for eating his food by putting the exact same meal in his stocking (unwrapped,) Slender decided to rethink their Secret Santa privileges

He’s since given them back, but he’s put a few rules in place

Slender doesn’t like to have small Christmas trees, so every year, he sends out his proxies to find the biggest tree they can.

Slender Forest has no shortage of big trees, so it’s always a group effort to get the tree back to the mansion.

Everyone knows this, and usually, when the proxies and any help they may have enlisted get back, they always find a nice, warm pot of cocoa waiting for them in the kitchen.

Speaking of which, the tree is rather,,, interesting, to say the least.

Slender always has his set of ornaments and Puppeteer’s strings double as lights and tinsel, but everyone else tries to add their own touch to it by hanging a keychain on a branch or sticking a trinket (sometimes a victim’s body part) to the tree

Sally doesn’t know whether she likes getting gifts or giving them better, but she certainly Liu taught her how to knit, and one year, after watching the Grinch, she made a pair of horn cozies for Zalgo.  He’ll never admit it, but he loves them.

After one year, where Sally and Lazari got into a rather vicious fight over who would put the star on top of the tree, the two of them alternate.  They once agreed to put a mirror on top of the tree, and everyone died-

Christmastime is one of the few times the creeps are allowed to bring their human friends or s/os to the mansion

Toby’s mother also swings by!  Every year, without fail, she’ll always come over with a homemade side dish or dessert and small present for every creep and an overabundance of Toby’s embarrassing baby pictures

Although Sally and Mrs. Rogers make everyone a gift and the creeps might get someone else something one year, Slender mostly handles the gifts, him being the one with the money (come on the mansion’s gotta have utilities somehow-)

Jane and Liu are mostly in charge of the decorating, and Brian, Tim, Jill, and Slender are always in charge of Christmas dinner.  Slender, traditionalist that he is, always insists upon there being a roast turkey, goose, or duck.  However, he lets the others mix it up with the sides and desserts.

Jeff sometimes slips Smile a piece of meat under the table.  Slender didn’t approve at first, but eventually he let it go.

Speaking of our favorite smiley guy, Jeff absolutely spoils Smile on Christmas.  He gives him some meat from Christmas dinner, buys his a couple of dog toys, takes him on an extra-long walk in his little sweater that Sally knitted, and cuddles with him by the fire

One of the most beloved winter traditions in the mansion is the snowball battle royale

I mean, these people take it very, very seriously.  

They start picking their teams and making preparations the moment Halloween is over, and at the first sight of snow, regardless of how little or how much there is, they build their forts and hurl snowballs at each other with no mercy.  Slender has never really had an issue with this tradition until a few years ago, when a rogue snowball flew through the door when Slender opened it and hit him where his face would be, and another one put out his fire shortly thereafter.  He also discovered rocks in a couple of the snowballs.

He tried to ban snowball fights, but the creeps promptly went on strike for the next few weeks.  Slender lifted the ban, but some of the more sensible creeps saw where he was coming from, and the mansion unanimously agreed that putting rocks in snowballs was too far, and since then, they’ve moved the location of the snowball fights to near L.J.’s carnival.

Another time-honored tradition is watching two movies.  They’re not always Christmas movies.  The first of them has to be Sally- and Lazari-friendly, and is usually a Christmas movie.  It takes place right after dinner.  When they go to bed, however, anything goes as long as Sally and Lazari don’t get up and try to see Santa.

Bag presents: Jeff, Ben, L.J., Brian, Toby, Cody, Doby, Sally, Clockwork, Helen, Puppeteer, Candy Pop, Nina, Lazari

Wrap presents: Slender, Liu, E.J., Jill, Tim, Jane, Zalgo, Jason

[bluefirewrites]

Chapters: 19/20 Fandom: Julie and The Phantoms (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson Characters: Julie Molina, Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Carlos Molina, Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Carrie Wilson, Kayla (Julie and The Phantoms), Nick (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Ray Molina, Aunt Victoria (Julie and The Phantoms) Additional Tags: Christmas fic, Christmas AU, Exes to Friends to Lovers Again, Fluff and Angst, Christmas Music, Road Trips, Adventures In Beat Up Band Van, Thrift Store Shopping Spree, Snowball Fights, Wedding Reception, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Reggie Still Believes in Santa, Mischievous Carlos, Alex and Bobby: Chaotic Duo You Never Knew You Needed, Popular Girl Julie, Rockstar Hipster Luke, Based off a cringy YA Novel, Family, Romance, Open Mic, Character Development, Mild Language

Summary:

“This can't be happening! How could Reggie let Carlos drag him into this? Why did he indulge Carlos about Santa? What good would it have done? Even when we came over, he was talking about Santa as if, as if he were-” Julie stopped abruptly. She turned to the boys, "Reggie does know that Santa's not real. Right?"

Silence.

"Right?"

They refused to look at her.

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"We didn't have the heart to tell him!" yelled Luke.

----

The one thing Julie Molina hates more than Christmas is Luke Patterson, her former boyfriend and current pain in the ass.

But when her little brother and his best friend embark on a journey to the North Pole for Operation: Save Santa, she's forced to team up with her ex to wrangle them back home in time for Christmas.

It goes as well as expected...

Inspired by the book 'Ex-Mas' written by Kate Brian.

______________

Chapter 19 is Up Now!

Final Chapter! 

(There will be an epilogue!)

Just wanna say thank you guys for all the love and support you’ve given this story. It’s a bit of a departure from what you guys have been expecting from me- I was working on two WIPs before starting this Herculean task of writing a Christmas story for the entirety of my winter break. 

Again, thank you so much. I think I’m finally gonna get around to replying to comments for the story, wanting to show my appreciation for each and every one of you. 

Merry (belated belated) Christmas everyone!

[crimsonbluemoon]

2, 2, 11 with h2ovanoss

Okay, as a disclaimer, I am not a HP fan and therefore I only read books 1-4 and that was well over 15 years ago. Also, I think I only saw the movies like, once. I also didn’t even really watch the last 3 because I was bored. So I did my best with research and what not but…yeah. Enjoy. 

AU: HogwartsTrope: Enemies to loversPrompt: “I know that it’s the thought that counts but this doesn’t even look like you thought about it.”

Pairing: H2O Vanoss

“Evan.”

“Jonathan.” The stiff greeting between the teens was enough to make Tyler roll his eyes. He stood by Evan, because after dealing with his stupidity for six years, he still had pride and an unwise affection for his fellow Gryffindor. It was probably the same for Luke by Jonathan’s side, and despite the crinkle of his nose when seeing the green scarf laying over the other’s shoulders, he had to respect his dedication. An arched eyebrow and a slight tilt of Luke’s head toward Jonathan and Evan was enough to prove he was just as done with whatever was going with their best friends. 

It was the worst kept secret in Hogwarts; no matter how much the two boys claimed to hate each other, it wasn’t distain or disgust reflected in their weak barbs and increasing interactions. Maybe at first, it had been honest dislike that made them seek the other out. Evan and Jonathan had been in transfiguration class their first year, which Tyler had the unfortunate honor of being apart of. He’d seen Jonathan’s accident when trying to change his cup; the spell had completely missed its mark, mostly because Jonathan was distracted by something he’d never admit to, and hit Evan. Though Tyler had assumed that the aloof idiot wouldn’t know enough to really do anything harmful, he’d hadn’t known who Jonathan’s parents were at the time. The fact that they let someone with his raw power and terrible trauma into the school felt reckless to Tyler, but Headmaster Lui always just smiled whenever someone spoke of ‘the Delirious curse’, though none ever had the guts to call him out on his decision to allow Jonathan into the school. 

Either way, Tyler and the rest of the class was left stunned at how quickly Evan’s arms turned into wings, and the young Gryffindor was replaced with an owl in seconds. The silence that had filled the room was broken up by Craig’s laughter, and then the whole class was unable to stop. No matter what Professor Stabbies did, everyone continued to snicker at Evan, who was now pulling out his feathers and hopping around the table in anger. It took a bit to get Evan back to his normal form, and Jonathan did attempt a weird apology, but Evan had refused to accept it. 

And thus, the ‘rivarly’ began. Pranks, sabotages, and insults were slung around daily for the first two years, with neither boy caring how many times they got punished. Points were taken out of their houses so often, that Tyler had put in three formal requests to have Evan and Jonathan counted in their own tally. Because of their stupid bickering, Hufflepuff won the House cup the first two years, which Nogla and Scotty never hesitated to rub in Tyler’s face whenever they crossed paths. 

Then, after one nasty fight, Evan had uttered the words that had changed their dynamic. In his best friend’s defense, Jonathan pushed it too far, tossing all of Evan’s belongings into the lake during their finals. Both boys, stressed about school and struggling with their sexual identities, had to be held back by Brian and Ryan. Then, Evan’s mouth had torn through the air without warning. 

“You really are crazy! Just like your parents, and their parents before them. Mad with power is right; you’re really gonna turn into another Delirious.”

Jonathan’s pale face and broken eyes was enough for everyone, including Evan, to know how far over the line he’d crossed. Tyler wasn’t really sure what happened after that; he’d taken a few weeks away from Evan after tearing into him for his mistake. He’d heard that Evan had been miserable and Jonathan practically a ghost on campus, and maybe there had been a talk between the two of them in the forest. But when he finally let his anger settle, he was surprised how normal, yet not normal, Evan and Jonathan were. 

They still fought the years after, but the bite and fire that fueled the arguments was weak. It was almost…playful by the end of the third year, and fourth they were all but best friends. They tried to keep up the ruse, which only new students and Nogla ever took to be true. Brock and Marcel were sure that the two were dating by the fifth year, but Tyler knew they were too dumb to actually recognize their feelings on their own. So on they went to sixth year, and despite it being time for the holidays, the two idiots actually still thought they were enemies. 

“You heading out for the holiday break?” Tyler asked, hoping to break the weird half-glare, half-moon eyes the duo were giving each other. 

“Nah, we’re staying here this time,” Luke answered, nudging Jonathan’s side with a grin. Jonathan looked away from Evan to send a glance to his best friend, an exacerbated look on his face. Luke, unlike Jonathan, had a loving home with parents that would happily take both boys in for the holidays. But Jonathan never accepted, and after the second year, Luke started splitting his time between going home and staying with Jonathan. 

“You don’t have to-” Jonathan started, but Luke waved him off.

“What about you two? Staying here or leaving?” 

“We’re on our way to the trains now,” Tyler answered, nodding to the suitcases they’d abandoned in the snow when Luke and Jonathan approached. 

“Did you need something?” Evan finally got his brain back online, and Tyler caught the easy rise of color crawling over Jonathan’s face. 

“N-no!” 

“Didn’t you hear em, idiot? They’re leaving; you have to give it to him now.” Then Luke was pushing Jonathan forward, grinning far too wide at the panicked shout Jonathan gave. Evan, showing how much he hated Jonathan, moved quick to steady the other, hands seeming comfortable resting on Jonathan’s biceps. Evan’s eyes glanced down at the hold, his own face quick to change color, but he didn’t pull the intimate touch away.

“This is so pathetic.” Tyler mumbled, rubbing the bridge of his nose to push back the headache. He moved away from the duo to stand by Luke, feeling the sigh that dropped from the Slytherin’s throat. “What’s your boy play?”

“Made Evan a gift for Christmas, because that’s what you do for people you hate,” Luke answered, and Tyler wanted to kill both boys who were now stuttering around a conversation Tyler was grateful they were too far back to hear.  

“If they don’t fuck by the end of the year, I’m charming them into a closet.” Tyler snarked out, eyes narrowing at the balled up something now being thrust from Jonathan’s hand into Evan’s chest. “What the hell is that thing?”

 “A scarf.” 

“That looks like a ball of shit.”

“Yeah, I know. I said to him ‘I know that it’s the thought that counts but this doesn’t even look like you thought about it.’ cause that thing is ugly. Do you know how many times people in our house tried to throw it away? That fourth year John tried to burn it. I almost let him. But Jon worked on weeks on it, and if anyone was going to appreciate that hideous scarf-” Luke didn’t have to finish the statement; Evan’s eyes were full of awe as he fluffed out the scarf, proudly ditching his other other to wrap the mess of red and gold around his neck. Jonathan’s face was red as he stammered through something, but whatever he was spouting out meant nothing when Evan yanked the taller boy forward into a kiss. Jonathan’s eyes were wide for only a moment before they fluttered shut to sink into the connection.    

“Oh thank God.” Tyler leaned his head back with a shout of victory. Luke laughed loudly, his arm dropping over Tyler’s shoulders in mutual shared joy. 

“It’s a Christmas miracle, after all.” And Tyler couldn’t help but agree, even if it came from a Syltherin. 

Sure, he had to throw snowballs at the two ten minutes later (“Don’t you two need to breathe?!”)  to get them to stop kissing, but it was worth it.