#if he's not at that level this year I just hope he skates really well

[aflawedfashion]

I hope Jason skates well tomorrow. He's always a highlight of the men's event.

[fruitcoops]

Do They Know It's Christmas?

Happy holidays, lovelies! And most importantly, happy noot fic exchange/ secret Santa to @itsaash --you're a legend, a sweetheart, and a friend I hold near and dear to my heart. I hope everyone is staying safe and sound! You've made it through the shortest day of the year; it's only up from here! Thanks to @veryspacecowboy for coordinating the exchange and @lumosinlove for the characters!

TW for implied smut and mild Vaincre spoilers

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus Lane…

“Fourth line, take it left!”

…and all the fun we had last year…

“Good work, boys, remember we’re working clockwise.”

Run, run, Rudolph, Santa’s gotta make it to town…

“I know, I know, but we need to get that down before we break today.”

…come on, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with…

“Keep those crossovers clean in the corners, Sunny!”

…the very next day, you gave it away…

Arthur frowned at his clipboard. An ache had started up along the inner corner of his eye, and not even the steady working of his thumb brought relief. The song changed to something bright and tinny with silver bells; the things he would give for a nice, quiet O, Holy Night right about now. Something soft, with minimal jangling. A saxophone would be lovely.

They had a schedule. They always had a schedule. The boys were used to rotation exercises—he had even taken pity and not added anything new or complicated to the roundup. The whole damn thing was laminated and taped to the damn glass around the damn bench on both damn sides of the goddamn rink.

Arthur’s eyes ticked typewriter-smooth down the list, but his ears alone would have told him it was a lost cause. Messy crossovers. From Sunny. Crunchy, scratchy steps from skates of perfect sharpness. Low muttering, barks of laughter, rollercoaster-arcs of chatting when they were supposed to be focusing. Cap did his best, but Harzy looked about two laps from chewing his way out through the boards.

Well. It was almost Christmas. He could be kind.

The whistle broke through Brenda Lee’s second chorus; 20 heads popped up.

“Revision!” Arthur called across the ice, drawing a steady line through the end of his list. “Bring it in.”

Their rush to the bench was the cleanest they had sounded all day.

“We’re going to finish a little early today—”

A wave of cheers cut him off, then petered out at his unimpressed glance.

“We’re finishing a little early,” he repeated when the Christmas spirit had released their souls at last, leaving only a faint ringing in the upper levels of the bleachers. “Because I’m taking off the last rotation.”

Arthur slipped his pen back into the clipboard clamp. Olli raised a tentative hand. “So…we can go…?”

Arthur frowned. “What? No, we’re going ‘til noon, if you just—guys, the schedule is right there—”

“Nooo—”

“But Coach—”

“—Christmas!—”

“I haven’t even—”

“—been here so long—”

“—like you don’t even love us—”

“—mom’s gonna kill me if I don’t—”

Unbelievable. Simply beyond words. Arthur looked over Nado’s pleading hands, hoping for an ounce of solidarity from the one person besides himself who was literally appointed for this duty, and was met with only a beleaguered, whale-eyed stare in return.

Arthur raised his eyebrows.

Sirius gazed back.

For such a large person, he could really pull off ‘sickly Victorian child begging for gruel’ when he wanted to.

“Alright,” Arthur muttered. It was lost in the sea of writhing and wailing. “Alright!”

The team (finally) fell somewhat silent.

“I am very sorry,” he began, pausing to slide his clipboard onto the bench hook. Their anticipation was delicious. “That I assumed a group of grown men playing their favorite game for millions of dollars would be able to handle one morning practice for their last competition before a holiday break.”

Pots’ eyebrows pitched as if he had been stabbed. “But Coach, it’s Christmas.”

“It is December 22nd.”

“I haven’t even found something for my dad yet!” Walker piped in.

“Sounds like a personal problem with time management.”

Pascal—the traitor—shuffled on his skates. “I was going to make holiday cookies with my children,” he said sadly. “They grow up so fast. We might not have many years of it left.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “I’m letting you go at noon, not locking you in here overnight. And I know you make cookies on Christmas Eve, because you put them on my doorstep every year.”

Pascal tsked, but didn’t deny it.

“You get cookies?” O’Hara perked up, craning his neck to look at Pacal. “How come we don’t get cookies?”

“Because I don’t need you to like me,” Pascal said with a smile.

“What if we need to catch flights?” Knut interrupted.

Arthur squinted at him. “Knut, we have a game tomorrow. You better not be going anywhere.”

“Well, no, but the sentiment stands.”

“No, it does n—you know what, fine, if you make it through…” Arthur leaned around the glass to squint at his beautiful, crisp schedule. “Your next two—TWO, I don’t wanna hear it—rotations before 11:30, I will let you out then.”

“And no lift tonight?” Kuny asked hopefully.

“Don’t push it.”

“Veto.”

Budding protests froze over in one collective puff of breath.

…the stars are brightly shining…

“What?” Arthur asked at last.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices…

Sirius licked his lips, shifting from one foot to the other. “Veto.”

Arthur opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Every eye in the room was fixed on their captain. He rested his chin on top of his hands, folded on his stick. Lupin’s gaze flickered back and forth.

“But I…” Arthur faltered, gesturing at the schedule.

“I get three.”

“It’s not even 9:30.”

“No questions asked.”

“We have a game.”

“It’s snowing outside.”

“How do you know that?” Arthur asked despairingly.

A grin skipped across his face. “I’m Canadian. I can smell it a mile off.”

“Also, Tremzy texted everyone right before practice,” O’Hara added.

“It’s snowing, have fun at practice, you fucking losers, ha-ha,” Knut recited with a grave nod.

“No, no,” Sirius corrected. “My bones are made of snow and I was born with hockey skates in one hand and a thermometer in the other.”

“That, I believe.”

Arthur waved his hands between them before the already-unbearable situation could get any worse. “Let me just…” His headache was coming back. Going home early was starting to sound less terrible by the minute. “You, as captain, get three vetoes across the span of your contract.”

“Ouais.”

“Which you can use to veto any practice you want, for any reason, with no questions asked by me or other staff.”

“That’s what I signed, yes.”

“And you’re using it on a snow day? With barely two hours left of practice? Before a game and a week off?”

Sirius smiled. “Veto.”

“Lupin.” A last-ditch effort. Perhaps a dirty play, but it was warranted. “Lupin, don’t you have anniversary plans? Birthdays? Anything else he can use this on?”

The captain’s barely-contained mischief was bad enough. Lupin’s mild bemusement was worse. “I’m sorry, Coach, but I can’t question a veto from my captain.”

Arthur scanned the crowd of hopeful faces. Sometime in the last minute and a half, Knut had slipped his phone off the bench and was doing his best to text under Winter’s elbow. Kelly Clarkson sang along to his imminent defeat. He sighed, shook his head, and opened the gate. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Nobody moved.

Arthur blinked. “Merry Christmas?”

Not a twitch.

“Ho-ho-ho, get out.”

The dispersal was the most active they had been all day, surging forward in one mass of whooping red and gold. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw Moody turn the music up a notch before hustling back into his office.

The herd had vanished down the tunnel in a matter of seconds. Arthur shook his head, turned his smile toward the empty rink, and pulled out his phone.

--

The locker room was a disaster.

“Don’t pull so hard!” Leo grunted as he fought to wriggle out of his jersey, hopping on one socked foot while Finn tried to help him out of his remaining skate. “I’m gonna fall, I’m gonna fall, Kasey—”

An elbow to the ribs righted him. “Yeah, no, I’m on my way out,” Kasey called over the ruckus, sandwiching his phone between his ear and shoulder. “Yeah, lemme get my shoes on. Al’s driving? Jesus, maybe I’ll just walk.”

“A tie is bad, right? That’s a bad gift?”

“T, I’m sure your dad will love anything you get him.”

“But I got him one for his birthday.”

Remus grimaced for just a moment, but it was enough. Thomas dropped his head into his hands with a groan.

“No, hey, it’s a good gift!” Remus tried, patting his shoulder. “Does he have a lot of ties?”

“He’s more of a sweater guy.”

“T.”

“I know, I know, I know.” Thomas sighed. His head fell back against his stall, then rolled toward Remus as his lip slid out in a pout. “I don’t even know where to start.”

Did Remus have to give him a minute with this one? He was a little afraid he did. “T,” he started. “Your dad likes sweaters.”

“Yeah.”

“So get him sweaters.”

“But what if he doesn’t like them?”

Remus took him by the shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. “He likes you.”

Thomas made a desperate sound and rolled his head the other way, then heaved himself upright. “I need to go outside. The cold clears my mind.”

“Way ahead of you!” Finn shouted over his shoulder, one hand clasped in Leo’s and the other on the doorknob with his skates teetering dangerously over his shoulder.

Leo hoisted their duffel bags, shuffling through the narrow doorframe with all the grace of a newborn giraffe. He gave them one last clumsy wave with a glove half-on. “Lo sends his love, even if he’ll never say it!”

“Yes, I’m coming,” Kasey laughed, presumably still to Natalie. He caught the door with his foot just as it was beginning to close; Remus grabbed the edge of it from him and waved off both his grateful look and mouthed thank you. “Yes, baby,” Kasey repeated. “Usual spot. On my way.”

It was a disaster, and then as fast as they had all tumbled in, everyone flooded out. A few of the newer guys remained, muffled by the hum of the showers. Dumo ruffled up Sirius’ hair as he passed, preoccupied by Celeste’s rapid-fire French on the phone and the hustle of his light jog. Remus was pretty sure he caught some mention of the park; there was one near their house with a pond that froze around this time of year. He was a little surprised Logan wasn’t already staking his claim on it.

Sirius’ arm was around him before he even started to sit. It made for the perfect guide and counterbalance, settling him firmly on a denim-clad thigh with a kiss to seal it in seconds. “Hey,” Sirius mumbled against his shoulder blade.

“Hi, trouble,” Remus laughed.

Sirius hummed, obviously pleased, and gave him a squeeze around the waist. “That felt good.”

“Using your powers for evil?”

“Mhm.” Another pulse, this time with a cheeky pinch to his hip. “And you.”

Remus scoffed, swatting at him, but couldn’t help leaning back into his warmth all the same. He was lucky Sirius couldn’t see the heat of his face, too preoccupied with nuzzling his way across the span of Remus’ back to leave a kiss at the top notch of his spine before burying his nose in the divot below. Odd creature, that one. Remus liked him far too much. “What are you doing?”

“You smell good.”

“I haven’t showered.”

“I noticed.”

Remus bit the inside of his cheek for a moment. He gave the room a cursory glance—the stragglers were just finishing up, too engrossed in whatever wisdom James was bestowing on them to notice the graze of Sirius’ teeth over the arch of his shoulder. “I was thinking,” Remus started, then lowered his voice. “Was thinking we could do it at home instead.”

Sirius’ smile pressed bright and devious to his skin. “Yeah?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Am I invited?”

“Unless I’ve started using the royal ‘we’,” Remus teased, digging his elbow lightly back into the curve of Sirius’ rib.

His laugh was soft, but the pat to Remus’ outer thigh was perfectly heavy with promise. “Get your bag.”

News of their early departure had obviously reached the ears of the rest of the training staff, because the halls were stark in their emptiness on the way out, after many goodbyes to James and promises of dinner tonight. Remus had been dying for some actual holiday time—he had planned gifts months in advance, dedicated an entire Monday to wrapping, agonized over delivery times and game schedules and delays.

But he was craving the substance of it, the literal meat and potatoes of people coming over to ooh and aah at the ornaments over dinner by the fire. Most of all, he wanted some time that was theirs. A brief moment to enjoy the lights and the smell of fir with just himself, Sirius, and the dog. It had been…three weeks? More? Since they put the wreaths and boughs up around the house. He was pretty sure that was the last time they had been able to do holiday things that didn’t involve obviously sneaking off to get gifts for each other.

Sirius seemed to feel the same. They had hardly made it past the PT room before he was pulled into an empty hallway for a kiss that melted in his mouth like butterscotch. He hummed, pushing into it, but Sirius just took him by the hips and pressed him back against the wall. Okayokayokayokayokay came the giddy whirl of the end of his thoughts.

“This.” Sirius’ mouth moved against his jaw, threatening a mark above his pulse point. “This is what I was after.”

“Cancelling practice just to kiss me,” Remus said, breathless already. His throat caught at a flash of teeth under his ear. “So irresponsible.”

Sirius’ eyes were bright and playful. “And I’d do it again.”

They got away with another minute—or five—before footsteps sounded down the other hall. Remus took him by the hand and pulled him toward the parking lot at a brisk, tumbling clip, sneakers pattering on the floors Filch was waiting to wax until they were all gone for the break. Hooligans, he called them. It echoed in Remus’ head as he kissed Sirius stupid in the hall beside the display cases. If only he could see them now.

The air bit his face as soon as they stepped outside, hot and kiss-fresh. Remus could hear voices around the corner but Sirius’ hand was sliding ever-lower and he just—“There’s people!” he hissed, fighting his grin with a blind bat backwards.

Sirius was too fast. A firm grab made him hoot, startling a laugh from both of them. “The entire world has seen us making out in a car, loup,” he snorted. “I think that’s worse.”

It was only the Cubs, after all, and half a snowman wearing a disjointed collection of gear. Leo’s oh-so-subtle text must have done the trick to summon Logan out of his holiday relaxation. He had only flown in that morning after the Rangers’ last game, but he seemed plenty awake despite the journey.

“You’re making me cold just looking at you,” he argued, adjusting his beanie over Leo’s ears while Finn finished rolling the head beside them. “You’ve lived here for years, and still you forget a hat?”

“Merci, baby.” Leo tried to sound begrudging while he obediently bent to let Logan work, but it only came off as fond. Remus could relate.

“And Fish just lets you walk out of the house like this. Unbelievable. It’s snowing.”

“It wasn’t snowing when we left,” Leo pointed out. “I seem to remember a ha-ha, losers text informing us of the change.”

Logan’s tsk was sharp as black ice while he tenderly tucked Leo’s curls under the hat’s knitted edge and kissed each of his cheeks. “Completely frozen over,” he informed Leo. “You’re welcome.”

“Now you’re going to get cold.”

Whatever disbelieving expression Logan made was lost to Remus as Sirius ushered him around the back of the car, but his scoff was plenty audible. “I’m Canadian. I don’t get cold.”

Sirius’ forehead hit the steering wheel the moment their doors closed. “I want to be home,” he complained.

“You’re in the right place to get there.”

“I don’t want to drive.”

“I can do it.”

A pathetic sigh heaved his back and shoulders. “I don’t want to wait fifteen minutes.”

Remus tugged on the back of his hat. “Not that I’ll ever say no to a little New Year’s action, but I feel like we just covered why that’s not a great idea in broad daylight.”

Sirius groaned, grumbled, and turned the car on.

Between salt and the morning commute, the roads were mostly clear. The familiar crunch of snow under tires pulled half of Remus’ brain from the rink; the other half followed at a sluggish pace, coaxed away by radio carols and the mindless chatter the two of them somehow managed in spite of spending eighty percent of their time together. The window was cold on the side of his head. Remus never liked freezing, but there was something about a snow day that always felt like home.

The house lights cast red and green glimmers over Sirius when they pulled in. They were working on getting decorations he liked; things he actually wanted, not just what Instagram said he should use. It wasn’t a lot yet, but it was a start. The icicle lights above the door had been a particularly good find.

They were greeted by a loud bark and the scrabble of paws. Hattie careened around the corner from the living room (she had taken to dozing under the tree) and spun herself at their feet in a few tight circles for maximum petting efficiency.

“We’re home so early!” Sirius cooed, gathering her wiggly body up in his lap like she was still tiny. “Oh, you’re so excited. Did we surprise you?”

“We were so mean to poor Coach,” Remus agreed as he dodged her lolling tongue. “Yes, baby, so mean, but now we’ll be home all day.”

Hattie keened and whined and nibbled on everything in reach for a tolerable thirty seconds, then launched herself out of Sirius’ lap and made a beeline for her toy box. She had hardly made it halfway to them when a cardinal flitted past outside—her ears spiked up, body puffing on a low bwoof. Remus barely got the screen door open before she was off like a bird-seeking missile, cutting through the snow in leaps and bounds.

They dumped their gear in the mudroom, made a snack, planned lunch, played with the dog, dried the dog, cleaned her paws, and finally—finally—they were standing in the same room, with nothing to do for another hour at least.

“Hi,” Remus said, heart kicking.

Sirius smiled. “Hello.”

Hattie’s teeth squealed on her peanut-butter-filled toy.

They wasted no time for foolishness on the stairs. A sweater on the ribbon-wrapped banister; socks in the hall. Sirius’ pants didn’t even make it across the bathroom threshold, belt clattering on the floor. Remus turned the shower on with his eyes closed because he quite simply could not be bothered to spare more than one hand.

“C’mere,” he murmured into Sirius’ mouth, even as he stepped backward under the spray. “C’mere, don’t move.”

Sirius’ response was wordless and perfect.

Steam built around them, chasing off the chill. The house was decorated. The presents were wrapped. Meals were planned, the dog was busy, and Remus was tired but he was so, so awake now, with ink-black hair wound around his fingers and a boy that held him so the hot water never left him.

Sirius rested his head on Remus’ shoulder and went lax at the drag of a soapy hand over his back. “So good.” His mouth rested at the curve of Remus’ jaw. Every word cooled his skin. “So good to me.”

“Doing my best,” Remus joked with a scritch to his nape.

Sirius raised his head, blinking sleepily around the water that spilled down his face. “I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t scrambling for gifts this time of year.”

“I do.”

“Mm?”

“Last year.” Remus smudged a few soap bubbles down the bridge of his nose. “Shopping for you.”

Sirius’ forehead wrinkled. “Me?”

“I was being cranky,” Remus assured him, running his thumbs over Sirius’ collarbones. He didn’t have a lot of soap left, but he would be shameless and greedy about touching like this. “Lily knocked some sense into me.”

“She’s good at that.”

“The best.”

“And she’s lucky to have you.” A kiss pushed the side of his hair into a cowlick; Sirius grinned as he smoothed it down with one hand. “Trop mignon.”

Hot hot hot hot hot. Remus wrapped both arms around his waist and sank his teeth into the knot of soft muscle above Sirius’ heart. Sirius’ laugh jostled him, but that was fine. He was used to it. “I love the holidays with you.” One last little kiss to his neck, to the spot he had bitten the other night and made Sirius’ leg tremble. “I love you.”

“I’m going to veto every single practice forever.”

“No,” Remus laughed, swaying them back and forth. He covered Sirius’ wicked smile with his hand and kissed the back of it. “No, non, not allowed.”

“But I get kisses and showers and I love you’s and dinner—” His hands skimmed up and down Remus’ sides, running over wet skin with the expertise of someone who knew all his soft spots. “—and you bite me and our dog loves us and we get to see James and Lily tonight—”

Remus cut him off with his lips this time. “Your perfect day,” he whispered, though it was just them in the house. “Sounds pretty close to mine.”

“Copycat.”

“Maybe we should just stick together,” Remus offered. Sirius’ fingertips found his own, lacing together all too easily. “For maximum perfect-day concentration, you know.”

“Nothing else, of course,” Sirius agreed.

“Oh, nothing.”

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“I put mistletoe above our bedroom door when we were decorating.”

“Amateur. I put it on the ceiling above our bed.”

[hiwelcometothemonstersancturary]

I’m highly curious to see what everyone's reaction to seeing snow and or playing with it is like. Snow ball fights, building snow man, drinking hot coco, etc.

Sorry for taking so long to respond! Anyways, here's how all the rescued toys would react to seeing snow for the first time:

First things first! They're rescued when it's still autumn, so when snow arrives, Angel is still living with them on the small house, and not the future farm.

Catnap and Dogday were talking outside the house, during the early hours of the night, when they noticed something white falling from the sky. They were really young when they last saw snow, so they both panicked and called Angel. They came outside, holding Bunzo, and said "oh, it's the first snow of the year".

Almost all the toys tried to eat snow at first before Angel asked them to NOT do that. They watched as everyone went outside to see it.

Bunzo was fascinated. Jumping non-stop while pointing at it and going "it's raining white!". Delight explained to him what that was, but she was very distracted staring at the skies as well.

In a way, this was a sign of hope and real change for the kids, just like experiencing rain for the first time was. Delight cried a bit as the realness of the situation sunk in.

The following day, Angel took the toys outside. And, oooh, boy.

Bunzo, the mini wuggies and critters, Huggy, PJ and Boxy Boo were screaming and jumping non-stop. Other smaller toys joined them, rolling in the snow in excitement.

Dogday likes digging snow. He thinks it's relaxing, despite Kickin annoying him about it. And speaking of which, Kickin was still on his "I'm not going to show any feelings" phase, so he tried to pretend he wasn't mesmerized by the snow.

Bubba and Delight were looking at snowflakes to see if they really weren't equal to each other. Marie and Kickin ended up joining them out of curiosity.

Catnap spent some time trying to make sense of the snow, until Angel showed him how to build a snowman. Picky, Bobby and Crafty joined them, making little snow sculptures.

Poppy never actually liked snow all that much, but at this point in time she's absolutely thriving. REALLY wants to go ice skating as soon as possible, but for now she's making snow angels... And then decides to get Kissy to hit Huggy with a snowball.

Hoppy, who was watching over the younger ones, immediately saw this and, as the responsible one, threw a snowball at Poppy. The situation became an all-out war between everyone, with Hoppy being the main culprit into getting others to join them.

Somehow, no one could defeat Angel. Truly a king.

After that, Angel made everyone hot cocoa. They do NOT like the cold, mind you, but the kids seem so happy, they can't complain.

The following year, when everyone is at the farmhouse and it starts snowing, they keep on making family-wide snowball fights. No one is safe from Hoppy and Kickin. Except Angel because, again, they're pretty good at dodging things, and Long Legs, girl is a MONSTER, but outside of her NO ONE is safe.

Dogday helps Angel a lot to make sure the house is protected from the cold, but then Kickin and Hoppy drag him away so he can have "fun".

(he has so much fun hiding things in the snow for others to find)

The Prototype is also there by that point. He's indifferent to the cold, but he likes making snow sculptures. As time goes by and his relationship with the family gets better, he ends up joining the snowball fights. He always ends up on the floor while everyone swarms him.

Angel ALWAYS forces everyone to wear way more jackets than what they need. They may be from Brazil's south region but they do not TOLERATE snow-level temperatures. Unfortunately this means that two/three years post-rescue, the Prototype becomes Angel go-to guy when everyone is outside because he's surprisingly warm on his fleshy area. Angel just stays next to him trembling and is like "God I fucking hate this weather", and Proto is just "then go inside...?", only for Angel to eye him. They are NOT missing the chance to see the kids happy, okay?

[away-at-late-dawn]

Slasher Holiday Antics!

Summary: There's snow on the ground and a chill in the air, and the holidays are fast approaching. What are the slashers up to, and what's something they want for the holidays? (Headcanon List) Characters: Billy Lenz, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Bubba Sawyer (and Family!), Ghostface, John Kramer and Amanda Young, Patrick Bateman, and Brahms Heelshire Warnings: references/mentions of violence in some sections, mild descriptions in Billy's and Jason's sections A/N: playing fast and loose with the timelines of the slashers for this one (ex. billy doing modern black friday shopping despite his movie being in the 70s)! also very christmas-centric, though i tried to include a more general holiday vibe as well. and a special thank-you to a friend of mine for helping me figure out john and amanda's section! otherwise, they'd be the third entry in here that covers christmas/seasonal shopping (for those curious, they would be out buying lawnmowers during year-end sales) *.-

.○-.⛄️☆°*-_ (turn the page)

Billy Lenz: Holiday Shopping!

why not channel his anxiety into something (possibly) violent?

black christmas, more like black friday! so many deals! so little time! and even fewer reasons as to why billy needs to buy another waffle iron!

you might also see him trying to use the phones inside the store with varying levels of success (he's been banned from 24 stores just this holiday season)

he's the most likely to be filmed fighting someone literally tooth and nail, or with christmas lights, or with ornaments, it's some gruesome stuff. then you find out later that half the time, he doesn't even care about what he was fighting for.

billy wants a new sweater this year.

Michael: HOT CHOCOLATE (　ﾟ皿ﾟ) and TV

getting his hands on hot cocoa will be a bit of a challenge, especially since he's not exactly welcome in a store or a café (or… the entire town…), but like life, michael finds a way.

if smith's grove had done one thing right in michael's eyes, it would be the hot chocolate they gave out around christmastime. it was cooled-down coffee maker hot chocolate, but it hit different.

when he eventually gets his hot chocolate, he can find a house somewhere in the neighborhood that's playing some seasonal movies on TV with a clear view out the window. that suits him just fine.

if we got a domesticated (/lh) Michael on our hands, he loves to zone out in front of the TV while he tries out the different hot chocolates you bring him. he also likes getting extra pampered by you draping a blanket over his legs. you can watch him fall asleep in minutes if you put on a yule log video.

michael wants to get snowboots this year.

Jason: Maintaining Equipment

as the world grows still and the year grows old, jason usually spends his time bundled up and outside, mending his other clothes or preparing hunting equipment.

he has a few places he likes to set up his campfire and sewing kit, and they're often good vantage points over crystal lake… just in case someone thought ice-skating in an abandoned camp was a good idea. to jason's credit, there have actually been a few who thought so.

he managed to get one once with their own ice skates. yikes!

there are some visitors that are welcome, though. a fox and a few cardinal birds seem to visit him each year, or at least seem comfortable enough to walk by his shack. at this point, they don't even startle if he moves, they just go about their way like a neighbor passing by.

jason is hoping to find a nicer tablecloth for his mother in time for new year's.

Bubba: Holiday Road Trip!

the chili they sell out of the food truck gets mighty popular in the winter, and so they get plenty of profits to cover gas and some holiday road tripping!

when they're in a town, bubba can't really leave the food truck since people would freak out, but his brothers involve him in their itinerary as much as they can. often, this is by taking scenic drives, sometimes with snow and always with something interesting in view.

nubbins does his part by taking polaroids inside the gas stations and sharing them with bubba.

when bubba does step out of the truck, nubbins always makes time to have the family pose together, and he just picked up a little santa hat and some candy canes from one of the gas stations to use as props :D

the sawyers plan on returning home at the end of the trip to cook up a delicious christmas dinner.

Ghostface: EXTREME Christmas MOVIE WATCHING

just like the halloween season, there are a ton of movies ghostface can watch, and watch they shall. they are going to either politely enjoy or absolutely suffer through christmas movies and they are going to come out of it a different person (heh) than before they went in!!

falling for christmas? the home alone sequel where they replaced marv and the slapstick is extremely sparse?? the second christmas chronicles?? put it on, they can take it!!

and if it turns out that they can't, it at least gives them background noise while they get up from the living room and pick at the last of the thanksgiving leftovers.

after a while of suffering, they'll watch the ones they like as the day comes near.

if they have you around, they will give you your own personal commentary track throughout the movie. "did you know that alan rickman's expression at the climax of die hard was genuine?" etc, etc.

ghostface wants another slasher bishoujo figurine.

John and Amanda: Installing Lights!

under the guise of a local light-installation duo, john trains amanda on the basic ins and outs of electrical work in the eventuality that amanda will need to do it on her own.

it is fairly simple work in comparison to actually creating the components of a trap, but much of the process should teach amanda useful skills. always measure what you're working with, calculate the necessary materials before starting your project, and make sure you keep your hands free when going up a ladder.

amanda is beginning to get the hang of it, and she's even enjoying the work! :D

the undercover jigsaw training is definitely useful, but there's also the added bonus of happy, grateful customers. for all the people john has to test, there are still those that, without his influence, already know the value of life.

john hopes that his mentees will get along better next year.

Patrick Bateman: Corporate Christmas Gift Exchanges and Christmas Shopping Fights

many of his coworkers bring absolutely pathetic gifts for the end-of-the-year party, but patrick...? he's much more thoughtful... heheh...

patrick is often out buying his coworkers some lovely, but secretly marked-down, clothing. he buys it, removes the tags, and gifts it to his co-workers to keep up appearances (and silently jeer at them for being so stupid to wear something so gauche).

granted, there is the risk that it seems he's buying the clothes for himself, but he makes sure to save face by explaining his intentions to the cashier, but with a positive twist. "i plan on gifting these to my less-fortunate friends. i feel so... jolly, giving to the lower classes!"

he especially loves snatching clothes off the rack just as someone next to him reaches for it, and when they look at him, he gives them a devilish smile (shit-eating grin).

i can see him inexplicably getting into a fight-to-the-death with billy lenz while he's out.

he isn't sure if he'd want to be recognized, but he would prefer to be caught at a more expensive store, at least.

patrick won't say he wants his dorsia reservation for christmas… at least, out loud.

Brahms: Decking the Halls and Maintaining his Doll

sometimes he considers getting the caretaker to take "him" outside so he can vicariously make snow angels, but it's been nothing but freezing-cold rain this year.

luckily, he was able to convince his caretaker to buy some decorative cotton. now, the manor is much more festive.

he also noticed some scented pinecones in his doll's room, and he just had to pick up a few to bring back into the walls; they freshen up the air so nicely.

unfortunately, just this morning, while decorating the tree, the caretaker accidentally bumped into his doll and it fell onto the (thankfully carpeted) floor. this caretaker is gentle, but sometimes accidents just happen.

luckily, brahms has quite the knack for maintaining "his" appearance. brahms spirited away his doll, checked on it, fixed it up, and returned it by morning.

he felt quite warm and fuzzy inside when the caretaker apologized to "him" and promised to be more careful. brahms is now a bit tempted to cause a few more accidents, himself, just to hear his caretaker again...

brahms hopes the insulation he's installed will keep him warm when it (hopefully!) snows.

[ace-does-stuff]

crawling up the skin of my spine

summary: it's the beginning of the end when Raph's egg absolutely fucking shatters after years small cracks, thank god Cassandra is there to hold her hand through it

warnings: swearing, cass accidentally outs raph to april, check ao3 port for full tags

authors note: inspired by all of the magnificent raphcass that @less-depresso-more-espresso drew, go check it out. it's all really good and makes me insane. title from Alrighty Aphrodite by Peach Pits. if ya'll enjoyed considering dropping a reblog or checkin the Ao3 port.

"I think I'm a girl." Raphael's words floated atop the otherwise rampant sound of rubber on rubble as his brothers shot down Kraang.

"That's great and all, but can we please wait until we're not on the run to discuss this!?" Cassandra practically screamed back, a thick tentacle slamming against the window and shattering it. She hacked it in twain with her hockey stick, the blades of her skates tied onto the bottom.

"Yeah, sure, Raph understands." He keeps driving their ramshackle truck because somewhere along the line they had to ditch the tank. Now they have to fight to keep their microscopic trailer with only bedding essentials and food intact as they try to survive. Survive and plan a way to win, they're already beelining it to a colder climate in hopes of deterring the Kraang.

Raphael really hopes that this sudden spike of 'girl thoughts' isn't the start of something bigger.

None of the others were.

-/-/-/-

Snow is sprinkling down on them when they finally take a rest, the last Kraang hundreds of miles back and past the border. They snuck through a small crack in border security when a guard was off taking a leak. The smell of pine and the sound of rushing water envelopes them from all sides as they set up camp.

Setting up camp consists of finding dry wood and popping the cover for the bed of the truck so some of them can sleep in it. But it's harder than expected to find dry wood, and Michelangelo took it upon himself to use this freshwater advantage for fishing.

He and April are out kneedeep in the river, trying to snag fish by hand while Donatello and Leonardo are out looking for dry wood that'll light. Raphael and Cassandra are setting up the bedding for the night, spreading few pillows and blankets across the hitch trailer, truckbed, and passenger seat.

"You want to be a girl," Cassandra begins as she steps down from the truck bed, and it takes Raphael a moment to process the words.

"Well, I think it'd be nice. We're all gonna die by the Kraang, so why not have some fun?" Raphael began with as he watched her slash at a tree with her hockey stick for burning wood. Midswing she turns to look at him, askew hair she hasn't trimmed in months just barely fluttering atop her eyes. He stammers to speak, "That's stupid, I'm stupid."

She drops her gear and walks over to Raphael, gripping the front of his plastron and yanking him down to eye level, her strength still amazes him. She holds his face, even with the rough scars, "You're not dumb. You're a dumb ass, big difference." Cassandra lets go and steps back, watching the red starting to rise to Raphael's face.

"Thanks, Cass," Raphael said quietly.

Cassandra grins and pats him on the shoulder, "Good. Now let's get chopping, I don't wanna freeze out here, Raph."

-/-/-/-

Cassandra can't sleep at night, stuck in the hitch trailer with April and window ajar for fresh, wintry air. She stares at the roof, those dumb glow in the dark stars dimly lit up, and her eyes focus and blur back and forth. April lays beside her, resting on her side and stealing most of the blanket with her torn jacket as a pillow.

"What's got your knickers in a knot?" April asked abruptly.

"What's got your knickers in a knot, O'Neil?" Cassandra answers with sharply, aware she shouldn't say what's on her mind despite how much it's stuck right on the tip of her tongue.

"Raphael's been off," April said bluntly.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

Cassandra can only pray that April doesn't keep prattling on because if she does the ravenette knows something stupid and exposing will fall out of her mouth.

"He's so quiet, and awkward. He's always been a bit different, but this? Whole new level of Raph weirdness, all he does is drive us to the new spot these days. And chop the wood and bash some baddies if he gets a chance, but he's missing that Raphael Hamato spunk!"

Cassandra bites her tongue and tries not to speak.

April sighs, "Do you know what's wrong with him?"

"Her."

"What?"

Shit.

April sits up to face Cassandra. She reaches for her glasses before staring down her teammate, "Cassandra Jones, care to explain yourself?"

She really doesn't, but her survival instincts also don't wanna be on the receiving end of April's cold shoulder. "I wasn't supposed to say shit about it, but Raphael's… different now, wants to be a girl different."

April goes dead silent.

"Tell her I told you this and you're dead." There's a snarl under Cassandra's tone.

"I figured as much, Cass," April said, "Raph's a girl now?"

Cassandra nodded, "He isn't one hundred percent yet due to circumstances and the apocalypse happening, but oh yeah, Raphael's a girl."

"Always thought it woulda been Mikey." April gives a hum of laughter.

Cassandra takes a deep breath before pressing both hands to her face, palms resting on her cheekbone. "Fuck. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Especially not her brothers, you better not squeal."

"I would never."

Cassandra nods.

"Anything else bugging ya?"

"Is it wrong that the first thing I thought when he told me was 'thank god I'm still a lesbian?'" Shame rests heavy on her usually aggressive and in your face voice. A vulnerability the Kraang invasion has only further shoved into hiding.

It takes a second for April to process the words, "I don't think I'm qualified to answer that question." She laughs nervously after she speaks.

"Can we go down to Hot Topic tomorrow? Buy some accessories for Raph?"

"You just said she isn't one hundred percent sure."

"Might help her solidify it."

-/-/-/-

"Look, Raph," Cassandra begins with quietly, words low and slow. It's night time, well, the evening at the least. Snow melts as it hits them, sprawled out in the back of the truck as the rest of their team tells tales around a roaring campfire.

"Yeah?" Raph said, trying to pitch his voice a bit higher.

"I'm not too good at this being a girl thing myself even though I had my entire life to be one properly," She confesses, a bit of shame on her voice. She wants to be there for Raph. Be a mentor. Know some helpful stuff. But she doesn't, only the bare minimum. "The one thing I do know is that my mom always made me wear dresses with lots of bows and frills, and grandma bought me accessories."

"I can't, I'm a giant turtle, Cass. I can't just go out there and buy some dresses."

Cassandra pauses, and when she speaks her voice is quiet, "You can tie your mask tails in a bow, or change how you wear it."

Silence.

"I don't know how to tie bows."

Cassandra jolts up before gripping Raph's hand, he'd started to file down his nails with the sharp edges of his sai. He sits up and then she's crawling overtop of him to get at his mask, "I'll do it for ya then."

And Raph would shove her off, but it's nice. Being close to someone, having her calloused hands undo his mask and just hold it for a moment. Proximity too close, flames from afar casting a golden glow on her face and Cassandra's never taken a moment to look at Raph so closely before. The golden sclera, the scars, the way the scales darken around her eyes like eyeliner-

Woah.

Where did that come from?

Her. Cassandra hasn't really thought of Raph as 'her' inside of her own monologue so casually before. It's nice. It feels comfortable.

And Raph just stares unblinking at Cassandra until finally the silence is broken with a bit of a laugh, deep, hearty, "You gonna do up my mask, or?"

"Right. Yeah. The mask." Cassandra is quick to lay it around Raph's neck and tie it into a loose bow. Almost a bandana-esque look.

Then she rears back from Raph to sit a few feet away, watching as the snapper plays with the bandana on his neck. He smiles a bit. Then that smile falls. "What if the guys ask questions?"

"You don't have to tell them shit."

"But they're my brothers."

"You'll get there, I promise. Took me years to tell anyone I liked kissing girls, a couple more to explain I only liked kissing girls."

Raph feels his stomach turns at that. A good kind of stomach turn perhaps, maybe it's butterflies, but he can't tell. He just nods, "Raph gets it, it's hard to be vulnerable."

"Thanks for being vulnerable with me."

"What?"

"Nothing."

-/-/-/-

Cassandra looks out of place inside of the kind of clothing stores April fits in at, and even though eyes bore holes into her she persists in shopping.

No one says anything and she knows that in NYC she'd already be kicked out for looking so different, but she's in Canada now. The land of mild mannered people and snow, so far both of those notions are holding true.

April holds the bag and Cassandra grabs everything that she thinks would compliment Raph, it's hard to tell though because the girl she's buying for is a massive turtle. She buys arm warmers that are three sizes too big for her so they'll be loose on Raph. She grabs necklaces and bracelets even though she doubts that Raph will wear them, they look nice. She buys skirts and the cashier gives her odd looks at the sizing but rings them through anyways.

For Raph.

A million sharp glances and judging glares.

For her Cassandra thinks that she'd do anything and she hasn't felt that in years upon years.

It's euphoria.

-/-/-/-

"Me and April went out shopping for ya."

They're laying in the hitch trailer when Cassandra said it.

"You and April?" Raph answered with.

Cassandra gives a nervous laugh, "It was a mistake when she learned, she was suspecting anyways."

Raph huffs and turns away from her and it stings but yeah, Cassandra deserved that.

"We got you skirts. And arm warmers. And necklaces. And other accessories." Cassandra tries to recover with as she stands up and looks for the bag in the moonlit camper.

That piques Raph's interest. She turns back around and sits up before Cassandra unceremoniously dumps the items on the floor. Raph is hesitant to sift through them, but once she starts, it's hard to stop.

"Like 'em?" She asked with a bit of a grin on her face.

"Love 'em." Raph slid on the arm warmers over her spiked arms and they tore through a bit but that was fine. They were deep reds and blacks and complimented her mask that she wore as a bandana sometimes. Even less times tied around her tail.

Cassandra thinks her eyes are playing tricks on her but she's pretty sure that Raph is glowing in the pale moonlight. She can't help but lean her head on her palm, knees crossed and elbow propped. She tries not to look too lovesick, but hey, whose to blame if it's obvious?

Raph is too wrapped up in her brand new outfits to take note of Cassandra's disposition.

-/-/-/-

"I think I like you!" Cassandra shouted as her and Raph sparred.

In that same split second the snapper drops her guard and a fist lands square in her maw. She doesn't go stumbling but she does lurch back shock on her face as she rubs her jaw.

She opens her mouth to speak, but not much else comes out aside from a few sounds that could become words. They don't become words. Instead she gestures as she tries to process those five words shot at her with more force than any attack.

Red steadily rises to Cassandra's face as she waits for a response.

When no response comes she does the opposite of what Raph expects.

She turns tail and fucking runs.

Raph is too shell-shocked at the suddenness of Cass's confession to even try to run after her, tail swishing back and forth like a dogs.

-/-/-/-

"Cass!"

The woods echo back at Raph mockingly.

Bugs chitter.

Birds croon.

Water rushes.

Cass does not respond.

Raph just clenches her fist and gives a small aggravated exclamation before trudging deeper into the woods. She's gotta find Cass. She needs to, April's gonna freak if she doesn't, Leo's gonna blow his lid, Mikey's gonna explode, and Donnie, Raph isn't so sure how Donnie will react but it'll be bad.

Her tail thrashes along trees and claws mark them as she goes deeper into the underbrush so she doesn't get lost. Just follow the water, the camp is downstream from here. Her skirt gets torn up a bit as she goes, sap and pitch stain her shirt, she's a mess.

"Cass!"

"What?!"

That's a good sign even if there is annoyance on the voice, Raph follows it.

She's panting a bit when she finally finds Cass next to a tree, half squatting and nudging a stick around in fallen pine needles and dirt. Tears definitely aren't streaking down her face, palm raised to smudge them and some eyeliner across her face.

Raph sits down next to her but before she can speak Cass is already opening her mouth.

"Sorry."

"What?"

"For falling in love with you, it's dumb. I'm dumb. I should know better than that. Love is for sissies," Cass rambled before heaving a long sigh, "I'm just, I'm sorry okay!"

Raph doesn't know how to answer to that, "What if, what if I loved you too? What then?"

"It'll kill you too."

"No it won't."

"Everyone I've loved gets hurt. I'm not safe. I don't want to hurt you."

Raph grabs Cass's face and wipes aside the tears and the smudged makeup, "I'm stronger than them."

And Cass fucking laughs as she relaxes into Raph's hands, her own coming up to grip the now sticky and pine littered arm warmers. She laughs and she cries and she hiccups and it's ugly and a far cry from pretty but Raph doesn't care.

"You won't hurt me, hell, all you've done is help me, Cass." Raph presses her forehead head to Cass's and the human butts her head against the snappers like a cat. Raph pulls back but doesn't let go of Cass's face, "Thanks for being vulnerable with me, Raph gets it."

Cass has the boldness to press a kiss to Raph's inner wrist and a muted red rose to her face. Cass just smirks, "So, Raph," She pauses as her voice cracks and a hiccup hits her as she comes down from crying, "What's your name?"

"Renetta, but, you can call me Raph."

It's an offer more than a statement, but Cass holds onto that offer as tight as she learns to hold onto Renetta's hand.

[thegaangneedstherapy]

Zukka fic list part 2

On ice we fall (in love)

Zuko and Sokka rivals to friends to lovers slowburn competitive figure skating AU.

Foolsong

Zuko is an idiot trying to get over a breakup, Sokka is a hockey boy, and online dating isn't really that awful.

Blue

Iroh insists they create a new life and identity in Ba Sing Se. Zuko wants nothing more than to bide his time until his next opportunity to return home, until he realizes ‘Lee’ can get away with things Zuko never could.

Zuko dons the mantle of the Blue Spirit again only to los e his focus when the Avatar comes to the city. This time, however, his attention is drawn to the annoying Southern Tribe warrior.

winter solstice: an addendum

Zuko gets imprisoned with Sokka and Katara during the winter solstice, and some very unfortunate things come to light. Alternatively: the gaang kidnaps adopts Zuko in book one after discovering just how awful his father is.

I'll Come Back Someday (For You)

“We’ll be together someday. I won’t stop looking until I find you again.”

Those words, Sokka thought, were a blessing.

After living through several lives without Zuko, they now feel like a curse.

They were the last words Sokka muttered to the Fire Lord on his death bed after saving Avatar Korra from an attempted kidnapping, and while he meant them, he didn't know that they would come true.

Yet, he tried, tried, tried again, and after cycling into his fourth life, he's starting to give up hope.

All until he walks into the Jasmine Dragon right next to Republic City University's campus.

(i'm sorry but) i'm just thinking of the right words to say

Zuko is the last person Sokka expects to end up as his roommate when he starts college. Sokka is the last person Zuko expects to befriend when he starts his whole life over. And no one who knows a thing about their shared past expects them to end up together. Except, maybe, Toph.

There's Bound To Be A Ghost At The Back Of Your Closet

Zuko needs a new dad, and Hakoda volunteers. A story spanning Zuko's old life, new life, and beyond

running right back to you

the air conditioning stops working at the Jasmine Dragon, and it's miserable until a cute stranger makes it a bit more bearable

Sorry, I Have to Move to Alaska!

Following a lengthy legal battle with Ozai, Iroh has full custody of his niece and nephew. Desperate to get Zuko and Azula away from Ozai (just in case) Iroh buys a tea shop in Anchorage, Alaska.

Sokka has been living in Anchorage since birth and nothing interesting ever happens in this city. Except less than a month into this school year, the mysterious new kid with a facial scar beats up a well-known student in first period.

purrfect for each other

because sometimes, it takes going to a cat café four times to realize you're in love with your best friend

The World We Dream About

A HS Theatre Kid AU where the gaang is in Hadestown, featuring all our favorite high school nostalgia moments and way too many tropes

when i'm set alight

“I’m going to go practice some firebending forms,” Zuko says stiffly, running a hand through the tangles in his hair. “Tell Aang to join me if he wants to once he wakes up.” Gold eyes dart up to where Aang had strung up a makeshift hammock and was still sleeping soundly, snoring like a buffalo yak.

“Alright,” Sokka says, watching as he walks out without another word, evidently having reverted back into his usual brooding self. “Have fun!” He calls after Zuko loudly, which he means to be sarcastic, but comes out painfully, embarrassingly sincere. His face burns, and as soon as Zuko passes out of sight into the the temple, Katara turns to him, leveling him with a Look.

“You like him.” She says, and it’s not a question.

Born Lucky

Zuko knew this would happen one day.

He really should've prepared better.

Of course, he'd imagined something like this many times. He'd see him-- or anyone from high school, really-- and he wouldn't even be recognized. They'd be immediately enamored with him and wouldn't even pause to think he looked like that one girl from high school.

Instead, he has a 24-year-old Sokka cradling a swollen wrist and smiling awkwardly up at Zuko.

like we're made of starlight

When former High Imperial Prince and Sith Acolyte Zuko defects to the rebellion Commander Sokka is tasked to keep an eye on him and bring him into the fold.

[greetingfromthedead]

Festivities (Vash x Reader)

🎄🎄 Merry Vashmas and Happy WooWoodays! 🎄🎄

Plot: On the winter solstice your community has its own traditions and this year you spend them with Vash. Also Vash has cuteness aggression.

Series: Tempest Wind, but made to work as a oneshot

Pairing: Vash x Reader

Raiting: For Everyone

Tags: AU, Established Relationship, Fluff, Ice Skating, Holidays, Festivities, Cozy, I Have Never Been Good At Tagging Stuff

Word count: 2.1k

Author's Note: This is a slightly modified chapter from my upcoming fic "Tempest Winds". On that note I am looking for beta readers / proofreaders so if you are interested, hmu!

The snowflakes fall gently onto your face as you look up towards the snow covered tree branches. A path carved into the snow leads along the river, the fast current has kept it from freezing. The melody of the stream draws your attention and you stumble on the uneven trail, arms shooting out to find balance, but you have nothing to worry about as a strong hand grabs you under your arm before you land in the white powder.

"Careful now, love!" his voice is amused, "Are you really going to fall over before we even get to the ice?"

You get your feet underneath yourself again and turn around to shoot him a disapproving stare. As expected you first see the huge zipped up red coat and when you look up you see him peering down at you from between the layers of fluffy scarf. The pompom on his hat jiggles as he laughs at your expression.

"Why do you always feel the need to make fun of me?" you try to sound serious and look stern.

Vash bows closer, one hand holding the bag over his shoulder. He is eye level with you now and you see the happy glint in the deep blue eyes, his lips in a wide smile.

"Because it's easy and I adore your expressions!" he says proudly and you roll your eyes. You know you'd do the same if the opportunity arises. You enjoy teasing him just as much as he loves teasing you. He pecks a quick kiss on your lips, only barely missing the scarves around both of you. Your gloved hands grab the front of his coat and pull him closer to give him a proper kiss before turning around again and continuing on along the path. The kiss freezes Vash into place for a second, still bent forward, he stares at you leaving before hurrying after.

Soon you see the main road ahead, lit up by many candles leading down the slope to the big lake, the trees on either side so dense that you could almost forget it's still light outside. As you get off your little path you see a few more people, some coming up the incline, still out of breath and cheeks rosy, their skates dangling from their bags. Others are heading down just like you are to enjoy the views and a festive day. As you get to the candlelit road you stop and wait for Vash to put down the bag. You rummage through it and take the two candles you've brought handing one to Vash. He smiles warmly and waits for you to close the bag again and light your wick with the flame of the closest candle. You turn towards the man and hold out your candle at a slight angle so he has it easier to light his flame with yours.

"I wish you happiness and patience. I hope you have a magical season and a new year that is peaceful and kind to you." the smile on your face makes his heart flutter as you say those words, passing on your wishes to him.

Vash looks at his candle for a moment before making a little spot for it in the snow and placing it down.

"I wish love and happiness, like the kind I feel every day, to whoever gets my flame. I hope their heart will be light and worries will be but a distant memory." Vash leaves his words with his candle as you put yours down next to his.

"Let's go!" you grab his hand, waiting for him to follow you. He quickly throws the bag over his shoulder and squeezes your hand as you start running down the slope, you see people who are lighting their candles and handing down their well wishes. You get around the bend in the road and see the two large spruce trees towering on either side of the path, they are decorated from top to bottom in crystals. An ancient tradition passed down by generations since the colonizing ships first arrived. Some of the crystals are emitting a dim glow that's barely visible in the daylight, others reflecting the light from the sun. Some are round, others are sharp, there are both ores and polished stones, the light dusting of snow shimmering as the path opens up to the enormous lake surrounded by cliffs and mountains on the opposite side. The long and narrow shape has allowed for the snow to be blown away by wind, leaving smooth blue ice behind. 

You drag Vash to a free bench and start pushing your boots off before he even gets around to handing you your skates. He smiles at your excitement as you pull on the skates and start to tie them up. Vash follows your lead knowing full well how you will become if you have to wait for him to be ready, he doesn't feel like being called a slowpoke by you again as you shake with excitement. In the end it's him patiently waiting for you as you meticulously get yourself ready so you can enjoy what's next. You put all you things in the bag that Vash takes to carrying once again. He helps you up from the bench and hand in hand you go to the ice, carefully passing the young children and beginners still finding their balance. Once out in the open you get to speed up.

You skate along the coast for a bit looking for a perfect spot to leave the bag. Carefully you hang it on a tree branch making sure to remember the surrounding and off you go. Pushing yourself to go faster and faster, Vash realizes immediately what you are doing - trying to race him to the other side of the lake, of course you cheated by starting early, but it doesn't matter, he still catches up and passes you, haven gotten a bit ahead he turns around. Laughing at you as he tauntingly skates backwards. You still try to catch up to him, but sadly there's no competition, your only hope was to get a head start. Better luck next time, you'll let him hang up the bag and start booking it as soon as he turns his back on you.

As you clearly lost, you shake your head and slow your pace, changing trajectory to be along the beach again. You look at the dark green forest covering the gentle mountain slopes, the stony cliffs bare from most vegetation. Here and there you see little houses, but you know most are hidden well. As you leisurely watch around, Vash skates circles around you. He has unzipped his coat that's now flapping in the air currents, as he laps you over and over. He keeps looking at you with a gentle smile, like you're the most beautiful view here. His cheeks are red both from the cold air and the slight blush as he thinks just how dear you are to him.

It is already getting dark after barely just getting here as this festive day is held on the solstice when the night is the longest, from here it will get lighter again as spring inches its way closer. That's why everyone here gathers together, the usually so reclusive people of your community have formed traditions, to show each other just how close you really are, that nobody is alone and everyone wishes their neighbor well. It's an amalgam of new customs formed over the decades spent here on this planet and very old ones brought here from Earth.

The sun disappears behind the mountains and as twilight settles in, lights start to appear in the forest and on the cliffs. Vash slows down and takes your hand. Together you glide over the ice watching your surroundings come to life as people light lanterns in their windows revealing the hundreds of houses dotted around the lakeside.

"I'm so glad I get to spend this day with you." Vash's voice speaks up next to you and when you look over you see his eyes on you. As you slow to a stop you turn to face him. You pull off your gloves stuffing them into a pocket and cover his freezing cold cheeks with your warm hands. His cover yours as to avoid you getting frosty.

"I'm glad I get to spend every day with you." you smile, "You fill them with so much happiness."

"I love you." his soft eyes looking into yours as he speaks the simple words that make your heart jump every time you hear them.

"I love you too. Getting to build a home together with you means the world to me." you think of the cozy house that awaits you, all year you've worked on turning it into your personal paradise, the building you grew up in is now more than just that, it's an actual home.

Vash bows down, his hands letting go of yours and instead wrapping around you. He kisses you slowly and tenderly. Your hands slide to be around his neck, pulling him close as your lips move together deeply and lovingly. His arms hold you against him tight, your body keeping him warm. Suddenly he straightens out, pulling you up with him, your skates no longer touching the ice. He breaks the kiss to push his cold nose  against your neck, making you instinctively flinch. He pushes against the ice and you find he is spinning you around. Letting out a squeal you hold on tighter.

"I love you. I love you. I love you." he almost shouts into your scarf, as he overflows with excitement, leaving you laughing. He carefully puts you down again, but spins you so he is behind you, wrapping his arms around you once more and putting his cheek on your shoulder to look at your smiling face. You look back at him knowing there is never a dull moment with him around. You put on your gloves again before taking his hand.

"Shall we go? We still have a light to hang up in our window." you ask him.

"Yes, Sweet Pea, let's go home." he pushes his cold cheek to your ear. "I need you to warm me up again."

You laugh and push yourself off, his hand in yours as you go back to where you left the bag to pick it up and you make your way to the entrance where even more candles have been lit, the trail of them leading onto the ice now. The giant spruces in full effect looking like they have been sprinkled with stardust. You take a last look around, the lights from the mountains and the stars in the sky almost blending into one, reminding you where you come from.

Before you head home you go to one of the decorated trees, Vash standing behind you as you take off your red knitted scarf. You tie it to one of the branches, among the number of other colorful scarves. Vash's hands are on yours as you form the knot and you let out a content sigh.

"May our ancestors watch over us, may we carry on." you let the scarf slip out of your hand and for a moment Vash still holds you, giving your fingers a light squeeze and then stepping back to offer you his hand. Together you go home again, the candles with everyone's happy wishes lighting up the dark night. Even the path along the river has a few candles , but the moonlight creeping in from between the branches and bouncing off the snow is enough to guide you.

You get to your little wooden house by the river, it feels so warm and welcoming because you know you can spend your days there with the man you love. Vash gets started on the fireplace and you make sure there's hot chocolate ready for him. As the room is lit up you bring the lantern that's been waiting for your return. With a long stick Vash brings over a small flame from the fireplace and lights the candle in the lantern as you hold open its door. Together you hang up the guiding light on your window facing the lake. You doubt anyone is able to see it though the forest, but it doesn't matter, it's the thought that counts.

Together you settle into the couch by the fireplace, surrounded by soft pillows and blankets, you lay your legs over his lap, Vash's arm around your shoulders to keep you close. The fire relieves the ache in your muscles and you feel happiness and bliss.  

Read more Tempest Wind HERE.

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[sycamorelibrary754]

A Christmas Carol

Summary: You are visited by the spirits of three of your loved ones on Christmas Eve. 

Genre: Family dynamic, Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending.

Pairings: Reader x Tony Stark, Reader x Natasha Romanoff, Reader x Vision, Reader x The Avengers (all platonic) 

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: Mentions of past trauma, grief, and death.

A/N: This fic is based on the plot of A Christmas Carol and takes place yesterday and today in the MCU canon! Flashbacks are in italics. I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoy it as well. Merry Christmas! 

Every night was a futile tussle of conflicting thoughts. If you sleep, you can forget. If you forget, you feel the pain of losing them all over again in the morning. It was a tragic loop of grief that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

The Battle for Earth had sent you into a spiral of despair and darkness. How could it not? You lost your father, the woman who had become a second mother to you, and one of your best friends. It had only been two months, but those closest to you were doing their best to try and keep you afloat. 

As autumn turned into winter, you receded even more into yourself. The holiday season only served as a reminder of all that you had lost. Before you knew it, Christmas Eve was upon you and a knock on your door broke you out of your grief-stricken thoughts.

“Y/N?” 

You grunted in response, as Pepper slowly opened the door. A stream of morning light breaks through your dark room.

“I’m taking Morgan ice skating, I know she would love it if you came with us.” 

“No, thanks.”

Pepper sighed as she took a seat next to you on the edge of your bed. 

“Oh sweetheart,” her voice cracking. “Your dad wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

“That’s just it,” staring at the same spot on the wall across from your bed that you had been looking at for the better part of two months. “He’s not here to see it. Dad is gone, and he’s never coming back.”

“No, he’s not, and nothing I can say is going to bring him back. I know nothing will ever fill that hole in our hearts, but life doesn’t end for us,” emotion creeping up on her. “All we can do is keep his memory alive. Live life with the same curiosity and love that he did. 

You remembered the day you walked into Stark Tower for the first time. You were six, and your mother had passed away unexpectedly. She rarely ever spoke of your father, only to say that he was very smart. You were frightened, to say the least when your mother’s attorney picked you up from Child Protective Services. It had always just been you and your mom.

What felt like an endless car ride ended with you standing in front of the most intimidating building you had ever seen in your little life. You walked into a large office with full-length windows at the opposite end that overlooked New York City. A blonde woman in a skirt and matching suit sat behind the desk, while a dark-haired man with a goatee in a t-shirt and jeans stood beside her looking very nervous. 

The CPO officer greeted the two, and then there was some brief legal jargon your six-year-old mind didn’t understand. 

The officer leaned down to your level, “Y/N, this is Tony. Your dad.”

Tony just stared at you wide-eyed until Pepper smacked him on the arm. 

“Hi kid,” snapping out of his trance and smiling at you. 

“Hi,” you said shyly.

Your dad never stopped calling you kid, even when you grew up and started fighting alongside him as an Avenger. Tony was so proud of you after your first mission. He celebrated for 24 hours straight, recounting every move you made to anyone who would listen. 

But now there were no more celebrations. No more, “hey kid”, and no more late-night talks with your dad in his lab eating pizza. It all ended the moment your father snapped his fingers. Saving your life, but sacrificing his own. He was your hero, and you would miss him forever. 

You threw yourself into Pepper’s arms. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come ice skating? Get out for a little bit,” rubbing her hand up and down on your back. 

“No, you two go have fun,” you sighed.

“Okay, we’ll be back in a bit, please try and eat something,” rising from the bed and walking towards the door. She looked back at you one last time.

You pulled the covers back over your head and prayed for unconsciousness.

*^~^*

Your phone rang an hour later. You reached your hand out from under your blanket feeling around for the rectangle. You pulled it back into your cocoon and your eyes adjusted to the light emanating from your phone. It was Yelena. You slid your finger across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Why are you not ice skating with Pepper and the little Stark?”

“Because Christmas activities are for happy people, and I don’t even know what happy is anymore,” you admitted candidly. 

“I see.”

You heard shuffling on the other end of the line before a knock on your door broke through your blanket barrier. You ignored it. 

“What are you doing?”

“Well, I’m trying to get a friend to have a drink with me, but she won’t answer the damn door.”

“FRIDAY, open the door,” you grumbled as you lifted the blanket off of your head.

Yelena stood in the doorway holding a bottle of Vodka. 

“I’m not in the mood, Lena.”

“I don’t care, my sister is gone and we’re having a drink,” throwing the blankets off of you. 

You shivered as the air hit your body. Yelena sat down on the floor with her back up against your bed. You slid out of bed and onto the floor. The blonde took in the dark circles under your eyes and the thinness of your face. She knew you barely slept or ate these days. Her room was across from yours. Truthfully, she hadn’t been sleeping or eating well either, but she was better at hiding it. Yelena poured you both a shot of vodka. You took the shot in one fluid motion. It burned all the way down. 

You could almost hear Natasha’s raspy voice. 

“What happened dorogoy?” Running toward you as you stumbled off the Quinjet. 

You had just come home from a solo mission. A week alone in the field, limited contact. Natasha spotted the blood on your suit but relaxed when she realized it wasn’t yours. 

“I couldn’t save them all, Nat,” tears welling up in your eyes. “I wasn’t fast enough.” 

You started to sway as you grew weak with exhaustion. Natasha embraced you and didn’t let go. Public displays of affection were not her thing, but when it came to you normal rules never applied. She led you inside and straight to her room. She cleaned you up and poured you a shot of vodka. You weren’t much for hard liquor, but you needed it today.

“One fluid motion,” handing it to you.

You drank the shot and slammed the glass down on the floor. It burned all the way down.

From the moment you came to live with Tony, the Black Widow had a soft spot for you. You reminded her of herself a bit. A young girl who was thrown into a new and frightening reality after the only life you had ever known was tragically torn from you. 

Truthfully, there wasn’t anything Natasha wouldn’t do for you. Of course, no one could replace your mom, but Nat had become like a second mother to you. helping you with your homework, staying up late when you came home from your first date, teaching you to defend yourself when you told her you wanted to join the team. 

When it was decided that the Time Heist was your only chance of beating Thanos, your father forbade you from going. 

“No, Y/N! No way. I’m already going out of my mind at the thought of losing Pepper and your sister. I won’t lose you too,” Tony argued.

“I should be there, Dad! I’m a part of this team too. You need me,” you yelled. 

“No,” he said firmly. “I need you to survive,” looking you in the eyes before turning and leaving your room. 

You turned away in anger before picking up a pillow and throwing it toward the doorway. Natasha caught it without a flinch. 

“I know how you feel, Y/N.”

“No, you don’t, you’re going to Vormir!”

“You feel like you’re being sidelined because your dad thinks he can do this without you, but that’s just it, honey,” walking toward you, “He can’t do THIS without you,” holding her arms open wide. “This life. He would never forgive himself if something happened to you… and neither would I,” tears in the redhead’s eyes.

You embraced Natasha as your tears started to fall. “I love you, Nat.” You didn’t want to let her go, but you knew it was time.

“I love you, dorogoy. See you in a minute.”

Yelena’s shot glass hitting the floor snapped you out of your flashback. 

“How long are you going to stay in this room?”

“It doesn’t matter,” your eyes trained downward. 

“She wouldn’t want that for you,” tilting her head to try and meet your gaze, receiving only silence in return. 

“How are you doing it? How are you living?” barely above a whisper. “You had so little time with her,” finally looking up at Yelena.

She sighed deeply. “One day at a time.”

“I feel like I’ve lost another mom,” you cried.

“I know,” Yelena hugged you as her tears began to fall too. 

“You want to go for a walk with me? We can throw snowballs at the LARPers,” trying to regain her composure. 

“No thanks, Yelena.”

“I understand,” the blonde nodded, as she grabbed the bottle of vodka and walked toward your door. “My sister loved you, Y/N. Don’t let the way she died change the way you live.”

*^~^*

After Yelena left, you climbed back in bed. Content to spend the rest of Christmas Eve in the darkness of your grief. You dozed off again and when you awoke this time it was to the faint sound of Christmas music playing down the hall. You couldn’t understand how anyone could celebrate Christmas this year. Not without all of them.

A soft knock on the door preceded a voice you knew and loved.

“Y/N, it’s Wanda. Can I come in?” 

 You made something of a squeaking noise which Wanda took as a yes. The door opened slowly and the redhead poked her head inside. Her eyes wandered the room before spotting the lump in the middle of your bed. Clothes scattered across the floor and your uneaten food on the side table. She couldn’t stand to see you in this squalor. A simple wave of her hand vanished the clutter from your room. 

“Your thoughts are so loud, sweetheart.” 

“Sorry.” 

“Don’t be sorry. Truthfully everyone’s thoughts are pretty loud tonight.” 

“Everyone?” 

“We’re having a little Christmas Eve gathering in the common area. No one’s in the mood, but Pepper and I agreed it was important for the kids to have some semblance of a normal Christmas. As best as we could give them, anyway… Please come watch the kids open a Christmas Eve gift. Billy and Tommy have been asking for you,” Wanda implored. 

“I can’t go out there, Wanda. I can’t look at the kids without crying,” your words muffled by the pillow. 

“Welcome to my world,” Wanda muttered. 

You lowered the blankets and were met with Wanda’s green eyes. Emeralds that cut through you with ease. The same bags that graced your under eyes had found a home under hers as well.

“What is grief, if not love persevering?" Wanda said softly. 

“Get that from a Hallmark card did you?” Rolling your eyes.

“No,” her eyes dropped to her lap. “Vis said that to me.”

“Oh, Wanda. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s okay,” caressing your cheek. “I know you’re hurting too.”

“He was my best friend.” 

You sat quietly in the compound library as the sun warmed your face. You came up here now and again for some much-needed alone time. Your eyes chasing the words across the pages of Little Women, your favorite book. 

The door opened, interrupting Jo’s conversation with Laurie. 

“Oh, excuse me, Ms. Stark. I didn’t realize anyone was in here.”

“No, Vis. That’s okay, come on in.”

“Why, thank you. You’re too kind,” shutting the door behind him. 

“What brings you to the only quiet corner of the compound?”

“I’ve come to read my daily book,” Vis stated matter-of-factly.

“You read a book every day?” Surprised by the admission. 

“Yes, it only takes me a few moments, but I’ve made it a goal to read every book in this library.” 

“The Mind Stone is in your forehead, aren’t you already omnipotent?” you giggled.

Yes, but I’ve found humans equal parts fascinating and odd. They think order and chaos are somehow opposites and try to control what won't be. But there is grace in their failings and elegance in their knowledge. Better still, they have taken to writing it all down,” holding up a book in excitement. “What better way to understand them than to read the words they have left behind.”

“You have a beautiful soul, Vision.” 

He smirked. “I’m a synthezoid, Ms. Stark. I was not blessed with a soul.” 

“Not to my eyes.”

“I remember that day,” Wanda smiled, wiping a tear from her eye as she left your thoughts. “Vis floated through my wall rambling on about how you were going to introduce him to your favorite writers, and trade books.”

You nodded silently, afraid if you said anything else that you would break down. 

“I can’t imagine how you feel Wanda. You’ve lost so much already,” unable to look at the witch.

“I should know enough about loss to realize that you never really stop missing someone – you just learn to live around the huge gaping hole of their absence,” staring at the same spot in the wall that you were. 

“I’ll tell the boys you aren’t feeling well,” snapping out of it. 

The guilt wracking your mind as Wanda walked away. 

“I love you, Y/N. Vision did too,” gently closing her door behind you. 

*^~^*

It wasn’t long before the distant melody of Christmas music faded away and silence greeted you once more. You prayed for a restful sleep. One that would carry you through the next twenty-four hours so that you could forget Christmas and all that you were grieving. 

Darkness fell upon your mind slowly but surely. As your clock struck 1 am, a breeze broke through the crack in your window. Small and cold, yet strong enough to bring your curtains to life. Golden light followed, illuminating your bed in a strong glow. Your eyes opened just as the light hit your cheeks. You stirred slightly as a voice emanated from the light.

“Kid… Come on, Y/N. Time to wake up.” 

You sat up in a blaze of confusion and fear. The glow softened, revealing the familiar figure standing before you. 

“Dad?” Your eyes were wide. 

No, Santa Claus,” he scoffed. “Who else would it be?” Smiling at you like he had never left.

“This—this can’t be happening. I’m still asleep. You’re not here,” frantically trying to wake yourself up from this nightmare.

“Come on, kid. After everything you’ve seen in your life, you’re going to tell me that ghosts are where your suspension of disbelief rests. I don’t buy it for a second.”

“Why are you here?” Gripping your blanket tightly.

“I’ve been watching you, Y/N. I have to admit I’m worried,” arms crossed over his chest. “My daughter doesn’t just give up when the world gets cold, that’s not how I raised you.”

“I’m not who I used to be… not without you,” bringing your knees up to your chin. 

He held out his hand in front of you. “Come with me, Y/N.” 

“No, Dad. I can’t,” choking up at the sight of your father reaching out for you. 

“Rise, and walk with me.”

You hesitantly stood and took his hand. A surge of adrenaline coursed through your body at the feeling of his hand in yours again.

“Close your eyes, kid.” 

You felt his hand resting over your heart as a warmth surrounded you. 

When you opened your eyes, your bedroom was gone. You were standing on a snowbank. The fragile snowflakes were swirling around you and crunching under your feet. 

“I know this place, you used to bring me here to go snowboarding when I was little,” taking in the winter scenery.

Hmm, until your broken wrist convinced Pepper that snowboarding wasn’t an appropriate activity for my little girl.”

“Hey, you were a great teacher. I felt like I could do anything,” looking around at the snow that blanketed every inch of your surroundings. “That’s how it always felt with you.”

A moment later, a child giggling broke through the muffleness of the snow. 

“Come on, daddy! Faster!” You turned to see a much younger Tony Stark sliding down the small hillside on his snowboard with you in his arms. 

He slowly came to a stop at the bottom of the slope and placed you down in front of him.

“Oh my God,” you whispered under your breath.

“This was our first Christmas vacation together. Right after you came to live with me, you remember? It was when you got your first—”

“My very own snowboard!!” Your younger self squealed as Tony pulled it out of a bag at the bottom of the hill. It was purple with pink polka dots. “Thank you, Daddy!”

You giggled at your innocent excitement. You watched as your dad helped you with your helmet and strapped your little feet onto the binding. “Now the key to snowboarding is bending your knees and keeping your shoulders square.”

“Woah!” Slipping slightly as you tried to gain your balance.

Tony then walked across the snow, leaving about a twenty-foot gap between father and daughter. “Okay, kid. Now bend your knees and turn your shoulders towards me.”

You looked up at your father. It may have only been twenty feet but to your six-year-old eyes, it looked like two hundred feet.

“I can’t do it,” you shouted. “It’s too far!” 

“Yes, you can. Your dad is here to catch you.” Opening his arms out wide. “Every chance you take in life isn't going to be easy. But it will be worth it, I promise. You’re a Stark, Y/N, and we never give up when things get tough,” smiling at you with love in his eyes.

You hesitate slightly before bending your knees and turning your little shoulders towards Tony. Before you knew it, you were sliding down the little slope and into your dad’s loving arms.

“I did it, daddy! I did it!” You giggled with joy.

You sure did, Y/N,” lifting you over his head. “Her very first time on a snowboard ladies and gentlemen, we have a true natural here!” Your father exclaimed. Earning strange looks from the people around you. 

You were overwhelmed by the cherished memory unfold before your eyes. Your father put a hand on your shoulder. 

“You’re a Stark, Y/N. You don’t give up when things get tough. Pepper and Morgan need you, kid. They need you to remember who you are.” 

You threw your hands around your father and sobbed. Even if this was only a dream, you thanked God for the opportunity to hug your dad again. 

“I’ll always be with you, kid.”

You woke up with a shiver in your bed. Your eyes searched the room for Tony, but the room was empty. Of course, your dad wasn’t here. You rolled back over onto your side regaining your bearings.

*^~^*

As you finally began to doze off once more, you could just barely make out the blurry outline of your clock. 2 am. The light illuminating the crack below your door knocked the sleep from your eyes and the cobwebs from your brain. The door creaked opened slowly as yet another glow greeted you. This one was not as harsh, but softer and warmer. As the light gently dimmed, you recognized the silhouette immediately. Natasha.

“Nat?” Your voice cracked as your throat started to close. 

“It’s okay, Y/N. I’m here,” the redhead reassured you. 

“No, no you’re still on Vormir,” squeezing your eyes shut tight hoping that when you opened them again she would be gone. 

“My body, yes. My soul, no,” sitting down beside you on the bed.

“I miss you so much, Nat, I don’t know how to do life without you,” words broken apart by tears as you hid your face in your hands.

“I miss you too, malyshka. Please look at me.” 

You wiped your eyes and looked up at the ghost staring back at you. 

“You’re more capable than you know, Y/N. From the moment that little girl walked into the tower, I knew you had something inside you that wasn’t so easily distinguished. Even if it feels dimmed now by all that you have lost, it will never truly go out. I hope it brings you some comfort to know that you’re not the only one who feels this way,” reaching for your hand. 

As you felt her calloused hand wrap around yours, darkness overtook your senses, and the bed disappeared beneath you. When the darkness faded, you were no longer in your room, but in the hallway. Afternoon light still casts shadows on the walls.

“What are we doing out here?”

Natasha gestured toward your bedroom door just as it opened. Yelena emerged holding a bottle of Vodka, just as she had done a few hours prior. You watched as she closed your door behind her and walked back across the hall to her room. You followed Nat into her sister’s room. Yelena tossed the almost-empty bottle of Vodka on her bed before sitting down on the floor. Her lip trembled as tears began to slide down her cheeks. She reached inside her pocket and pulled out a strip of old photos from a Photo Booth. You recognized it immediately, both Yelena and Natasha had told you of their brief time together in Ohio. The mission that made them sisters.

“She seemed to be handling it so well,” you said to yourself.

“Oh, detka. You must know by now that Yelena buries everything until she self-destructs.”

I’ve been watching her. She has become more and more reckless on missions lately, Natasha explained. “It’s almost as if she doesn’t care whether she lives or dies…” 

“That’s not true, that can’t be true is it?” You pleaded with Natasha. 

“I fear if someone doesn’t notice the pain she is in soon, it may be too late.”

You called out for Yelena, but she couldn’t hear you. 

“She needs you, Y/N. Don’t let what happened to me take your heart.”

“My heart left when Clint came back without you,” your eyes welling up again. “I should have been there, I should have stopped you!”

“I made a choice, detka. It wasn’t your responsibility,” wiping the tears that rolled down your face with the pad of her thumb.

“I love you, Natasha,” wrapping your arms around her.

“I love you too, Y/N. I’m always watching,” squeezing you tight. 

All at once, the scene around you faded away. Your eyes shot open as you sat up in bed. She was gone. 

*^~^*

You sat there in shock, unable to cope with what you had just seen. You had already lost so many, you couldn’t lose Yelena too. It was unbareable to ponder. All at once a soft whooshing sound suddenly hit your ear. You slowly backed up onto your bed until you bumped into the headboard. A hooded figure slowly floated through the wall and stopped in front of your bed. 

“Who are you? What do you want?” Your voice trembling.

The hooded figure reached up and carefully removed its hood.

“Vision?” The name softly escapes your lips.

“Hello, Ms. Stark.”

“What is going on? Why is this happening to me?” Shouting in frustration. 

We’re worried about you Y/N. You can’t continue down this path, you have so much more to do. So much more love to give.”

“I can’t do it, Vis. I’m so tired.” A mix of exhaustion and desperation poured out of you.

“Yes, you can, Y/N. Do you think we would have made the trip if we didn’t think you could?”

“I feel so lost,” your voice barely above a whisper.

“The ones you love are lost without you, Y/N. Every day that you spend in this room, the ties that bind this family together wither away. And once they are gone, they are gone forever.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come with me,” the synthezoid ordered. 

You stood as Vision grabbed your hand. Your room melted away once more and you found yourself floating down onto an empty street.

“Where are we Vis?”

He pointed toward an entrance gate that you recognized instantly. You were on the street in front of the entrance to the compound. Snow falling softly all around you. As you walked towards the gate, a sign plastered across the metal came into view. 

Avengers Compound closed indefinitely. Property sold by order of Pepper Stark, Stark Industries CEO. 

“What is this Vision? Where is everyone?”

They’re gone, Ms. Stark. The Avengers are no more.“

“But, but…,” you stuttered. “I don’t understand?” Starting to panic. 

A wave of his hand produced a newspaper that he somberly handed to you. The color drained from your face as you read the headline. 

Avengers Are No More: The loss of the late Tony Stark’s eldest daughter proves to be the final straw for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. 

“What is this Vis?” You could barely get the words out. 

Fury begged you to go back out into the field. Despite Mrs. Stark’s protests, you are your father’s daughter; stubborn to a fault. You insisted on going alone, but you weren’t ready. Your focus was tattered and your reflexes were dulled. They couldn’t cope with losing you, Y/N. They blamed one another for what happened. It tore them apart.”

You reached for the gate in front of you, your knees going weak. 

“Why are you showing me this, Vision,” tears streaming down your face as you sunk into the snow. 

“Because there is still time, Y/N. Time for you to save your family and to save yourself, but you need to let your loved ones in. Find comfort in their embrace, and let them find comfort in yours.

“I will, Vis.” You sobbed “I won’t let it wither away. Please, just let me go back!”

Vision took your hands in his. You’re going to be okay, Y/N. You’re never alone. We’re always with you.”

Everything slowly faded away into nothing. You woke with a cry. You struggled to catch your breath as you touched your face and pinched your arms.

“I’m alive!” Sitting up in bed. “There’s still time.” You reassured yourself. “FRIDAY, what day is it?”

“It’s Christmas Day 2023, Ms. Stark.”

“Thank God!”

You jumped out of bed and ran out of your room.

“It’s Christmas! Wake up, you guys!” You shouted happily as you banged on Yelena and Wanda’s doors. 

Pepper appeared at the end of the hall. Still in her pajamas with Morgan in her arms.

“Y/N? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“I'm more than okay. It's Christmas and we're together! Hey, little sis! Come here,” grabbing Morgan from Pepper’s arms and kissing her cheek. “Should we go see what Santa brought you?”

“Yeah!”

You ran towards the living room with Morgan in your arms.

“What is going on?” Yelena mumbled emerging from her room with an impressive bed head. 

“I was just about to ask the same question,” Wanda added. She wiped her eyes as Billy and Tommy ran past her towards the Christmas tree.

“A Christmas miracle,” Pepper whispered.

[triptychgrip]

Rivalry and "chasing" in Yuuri and Phichit's relationship

I love Yuuri and Phichit's canon friendship, but I also find it fascinating to think about the concept of rivalry and "chasing" when it comes to their dynamic...especially in an end-of-canon and post-canon context.

While I imagine that Yuuri is a skater that Phichi looked up to even while they trained together in Detroit, I think that the element of "chasing" his best friend's level of success might come into play in full-force once he sees Yuuri break Viktor's World Record at the Barcelona Grand Prix Final.

Once Viktor announces his comeback (and it becomes clear that Yuuri will move to St. Petersburg to train under him), I wonder: might these big changes stir up some jealousy? I have no doubt that Phichit would be absolutely thrilled/supportive of Yuuri, but he's also human, and I wouldn't be surprised if he found himself harboring some negative (and surprising) feelings alongside the initial positive ones. When Yuuri parted ways with Celestino and then began training under Viktor, did Phichit ever feel like he'd been "left behind"? And if so, how might this feeling amplify if Yuuri began training at an elite skating facility like Yubileyny in St. Petersburg (and continued to achieve big successes throughout Viktor's comeback period?)

Especially with Phichit being represented by a much smaller federation, I can't help but wonder if the politics of figure skating -- specifically, when it comes to acquiring funding and sponsorships, and achieving notoriety on par with someone like Viktor -- might become a potential point of contention as their careers continue.

In my 2018/2022 Olympic Games fic series, Yuuri goes on to break Viktor's 5-year World Figure Skating Championships winning streak by winning his first World title in March 2017 (just 3 months after moving to St. Petersburg). From there, he continues to achieve major successes, to the point that by the time he is competing in Beijing at his last ever competition -- the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics -- SPOILER:

...Yuuri has amassed 3 World titles, 3 Grand Prix Final titles, and is the reigning Olympic Champion in Men's Singles.

While Phichit also garnered very impressive wins over the years (such as taking silver at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships), I thought it'd be interesting to create a fic-verse where Phichit begins to look to Yuuri as someone to "chase", much like how I imagine Christophe might have related to Viktor prior to Viktor's coming to Hasetsu.

I think that element of "chasing" is a very natural emotion when it comes to friendships that span time, and, particularly, friendships rooted in something like competitive sport.

It's a concept that I really enjoyed playing up in part 7 of the earlier mentioned fic series, which details the day of the Men's Singles Short Program at the Beijing Games.

Though I covered the Short Program in part 1 of the series, that particular chapter (Ch. 15) was from Yurio's POV, so my most recent upload provides a different angle on the event. Among other things, this story includes Phichit successfully pulling off an ambitious jump goal he'd set for himself, as well as his watching Yuuri go on to pull off his own ambitious jump.

Below is an excerpt that I hope piques your interest (though it should be noted, it's probably best to check out the main fic before reading part 7):

-----

If a friend or a foe, or least someone that you’ve known Disappears from the soil of this sphere Then only then will you know that a version of yourself Will fade away and never re-appear

The yearning that the lyrics conveyed – and not even in the romantic sense – was something Phichit could deeply relate to, and indeed, believed that any athlete who’d ever “chased” after a fellow competitor could relate to. As he knew all too well from Viktor’s retirement in March 2018, whenever a hero/rival exits the field… well, a part of you truly does disappear.

His subsequent explanation to Celestino around just why he’d been so drawn to a song called ‘Friend or Foe’ had been pretty clumsy; he’d uncharacteristically tripped and stumbled over his words while making sure his coach was very clear on the fact that he obviously didn’t think of Yuuri as a “foe”.

He was his very best friend!

Even still…

Phichit wasn’t so poetically-inclined as to say that Yuuri’s command of the field in the last few years defined him; their friendly rivalry bore no traces of the hero worship that Yuuri and Viktor’s early beginnings had.

However, once the reigning Olympic Champion and 3-time World Champion retired, it was an unalterable truth that his own career would be deeply affected. It’s not as if he’d no longer be motivated to “fight” – his own fiance made sure of that – but he’d sometimes wondered if his drive to best Seung-Gil would ever compare to the fire that burned inside of him when he thought of what it’d feel like to win gold, outright, over his best friend.

(And incidentally, he’d been so consumed by rumination at times that Celestino had urged him to reach out to Christophe. The numerous conversations in which he’d picked the ex-skater’s brain about his mindset before and after Viktor’s retirement had helped a lot.)

[ecargmura]

Medalist Episode 2 Review - Collect The Badges, Become Champion

I don’t know anything about figure skating, but are badges a thing outside of Japan? If you know, please let me know! All the badge collecting talk reminded me of Pokemon in a way. Collecting seven or eight of them, become the best like no one ever was—it’s exactly like Pokemon! Young, aspiring figure skaters are like wild Pokemon and they get “captured” by a figure skating coach who are their “trainer”. Together, they collect the eight badges, compete in tournaments to rise to the top and beat the best of the best to become Champion. Figure skater and coaches work as a team like Pokemon and Trainer. I really like how informative this anime is when it comes to the explaining about the figure skating world. I’m learning as much as Inori is. Also, I'm sorry to all the figure skaters I offended from comparing the sport to Pokemon.

While Inori is a fast learner, she isn’t perfect and has her own set of problems. She wants to be the best as fast as possible, but these things take time. She can’t make turns, but she really wants to. Not only that, her mother also seems to be an obstacle as well as she’s not taking Inori’s passion as seriously as her own daughter is. While Inori is really good, she believes that it’s a phase that she’ll get over by middle school hence why she wants her to stop skating once she gets to middle school—which is about two years. Damn, mom, can’t you be a bit more supportive? This is why she got anxiety. I do hate how parents are gossiping about Inori. Hitomi’s worries are essentially manifesting in a way and I hope that Inori proves them all wrong.

Though, if there is a good thing about her is that she listens very well. When her mom was getting a phone call, so she told Inori to stay where she’s at, and despite Inori getting spooked by a man clad in black who knocked over the trash can and threw his phone, she did not run off and remained where she was. Being a good listener means that she can absorb and take in new knowledge with ease.

An influx of new characters are introduced. First, we have the noteworthy Hikaru Kamisaki who is definitely Inori’s rival and idol. She’s practically a skating genius and the reason Inori wanted to skate. I do like that the girls’ relationship is friendly. Inori compliments her clothes and they develop an instant friendship right there. I do like that Hikaru likes Inori from the get-go and isn’t mean. Sometimes, kids do tend to be a bit snooty when they think they’re the best, but Hikaru is quite humble for her age. I love that Inori admires her, but she also wants to be on the same level as her, hence why she was doing her best to catch up. It’s already great that Inori already has someone she marks as a rival of sorts as she’s the reason why Inori aims to get an Olympic medal like her. Next character introduced is Rioh, who seems to be Hikaru’s friend. He’s a bit of a brat with how he called Inori “ugly fried shrimp” and then got slapped by Hikaru. Given that this is a figure skating story, he’s probably a figure skater too—showing off that the sport is unisex and it doesn’t only focus on young girls on the ice.

The voice cast is also pretty neat. Hikaru is voiced by Kana Ichinose who voices yet another girl with black hair and yellow eyes in the same season at that. If you’re not familiar with Ichinose, she’s the voice actress of Uka from Honey Lemon Soda and Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. This is the first time I’m hearing her as a more outspoken person, and I like it a lot! Rioh is voiced by Makoto Koichi who seems to be making a name for herself as someone who voices young boys. I usually hear her as voicing someone’s child self, so I hope that this role will showcase her talents. While I’m on the topic of voice actors, I just learned that Hitomi’s English voice actress is Alejandra Reynoso. If you’re not familiar with her, she’s the English voice actress of Liko from Pokemon Horizons and Gallica from Metaphor Refantazio. I also heard a bit of the English dub and it’s good!

The opening song is really good! Like, I’m listening to it as I’m writing this review. I think it’s well-animated too! The singer Kenshi Yonezu is actually a fan of Medalist, hence why he wanted to sing for the opening! I think that’s adorable! The ending song is super cute with how the art style is very childish, befitting Inori.

I honestly can’t wait to see where Inori will go next now that she got her first badge. How long will it take for her to get her second? How long will it take for her to compete in a tournament? I’m honestly excited! What are your thoughts on the episode?

[huntsvillegossip]

Hello, hello my little lovelies,

So much to catch up on these days! Everyone all at once seemed to have some type of news to share with me. 

You all know being on the ice is meant to keep us all cool and level-headed, right? There were so many punches thrown at the ice skating event, not just once, not even twice, but three whole times. Eagan Connolly punched Huntsville Daily’s very own Samuel Ahn over what was reportedly, and unsurprisingly, something to do with that missing brother of hers again. If she keeps that attitude up no one is going to be willing to assist her. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, sweetheart. 

Seeming to take a cue from her is that wildchild from the Westfall family, Esther Westfall, who is just as short tempered as ever. They were seen punching one Eldon Harcourt, though he seemed to take it decently well, and didn’t engage into a full brawl. The same can’t be said for Joey Albright who fully attacked Louis Ryan and had to be pulled off him. Not exactly the behavior you’d expect from everyone’s favorite heartthrob but it seems love makes fools of us all. Let’s just hope that Hope Macgillivray is worth it. 

However, not everyone at the ice skating party was quick to come to blows. It seems that there are at least some of you who would rather make love than war. Jackson Miller was spotted getting cozy with Lavender Parsons, ending in what was apparently quite the steamy kiss, if my sources are to be believed. Now I know that some readers may be scandalized by this news, but I for one think it is wonderful that after everything she went through with her mother’s disappearance last year, Miss Parsons seems to be coming into her own as a young woman. All I can say is, be careful out there, men of Huntsville! There’s a new heartbreaker on the rise.

Here’s a toast to one town event being mostly a success with no serious incidents. Hopefully this is the start of a new and lighter year for all of us. 

Love,

Auntie G

That older ranger guy is like, always at the bar. Smells like a bar too. Really harshes the vibe, you know? - Day Drinker

I've been seeing Amber Ryan and Noah Kasprak head off to his place a lot lately. I wonder how her siblings feel about her sleeping around with her co-worker. Seems pretty irresponsible to me considering the family's history. - Anon (25F)

So I was minding my business, when I heard Marisol de la Luna was holding some guy’s tarantula? Is that a new euphemism the kids are using or what? Here’s hoping history doesn’t repeat itself or she’ll end up like her mom did senior year. - Think of the Children

Geez, never a dull day with the Romeros. Heard another one of Hawk’s kids came popping out of the woods. Sora Griffon? At this rate, he’s gonna have a whole flock of ‘em. Hope his new hubby is ready to play Brady Bunch. - Town Bird Watcher

Nico Garcia has been going around saying he’s going to be a dad? I wonder who he knocked up. Could be half the town from the way he’s been getting around. I heard that within the past couple months he’s been hooking up with Val Moreno, Kirby, Nadine Briggs, Jessie Sinclair, Wren Romero, Cole Cerulli, Jovi DiCamillo, and Tatum Hampton, to name just a few! - Anon (33M)

[anewbeginningagain]

​Have to say that while the top 4 skated well, it was the teams below them that I enjoyed the most, Lajoie/Lagha and Carreira/Ponomarenko especially. 

Going one by one:

​Harris/Chen - finally redemption for them after a horrible season, still have a way to go but this was a step in the right direction.

KoKo - surprisingly enjoyable and overall clean and getting decent levels, I was positively surprised.

Soucisse/Firus - will forever be hampered by their ability to only interpret one style of dance, mostly stagnated even after moving to Carol Lane but at least the country switch will get them to the Olympics before retirement.

Orihara/Pirinin - I dig them so much and they nailed their Chicago FD, not in the same class as some of the rest in terms of skating skills but my god do they commit to their performance. Kudos to Juho for legit committing to the performance more than 99.99999% of ice dance men.

Taschlers - clearly not over their injury, sloppy unfortunate mistake in the RD with the lift, and not enough experience to save the situation. FD was better but they need time to heal.

Demougeot/Le-Marcier - I like them a lot but they are being held up by lifts and pazzez, their step sequences were not great, especially the one-foot.

Davis/Smolkin - terrible swan lake program, terrifying straight line lift that is supposed to impress but is mostly shaky, and mediocre skating skills. Their score was a travesty and seeing their swan lake followed by that of the Mrazeks was so telling.

Mrazeks - the first time I was really impressed by them, their FD was powerful and skated with confidence beyond their experience, they will go places for sure.

Smart/Dieck - not gelling together like you would have expected or they would have wanted just yet. Potential is there but it will take more time. Decent first half of the FD but then really falling apart. Scores too harsh though.

Lim/Quan - like the Mrazeks they are going places, but with them I'm not surprised. Hannah Lim is a STAR. Their FD grew on me and improved over the year, but I did miss their Dance Macabre FD.

Fournier-Beaudry/Sorensen - For the first time she was way more shaky than he was, I feel for her as mentioned before, this FD was skated overall well but it was clear that they didn't stand a real chance of winning anything, doubt they can even feel it was that much rewarding. My hope for her is that they will move on and retire, and that she can somehow put this behind her (whatever way she chooses to).

Turkkila/Versluis - the first time I managed to enjoy their FD, still not my favorite team and I find their skating skills lacking in the step sequences. It's legit a travesty how they are scored in and out of Finland, one of the most egregious cases of home ice inflation when you think about it.

Reed/Ambrulevicuis - love them, would have had them behind CPom overall, they are great but the basics are not as good as some of the rest.

Carreira/Ponomarenko - one of the two major highlights for me, improved power and speed, best one-foot of the event (L/L close second), and while Christina has been on an upward trajectory for two seasons now, today Anthony really managed to deliver as well, strong twizzles, and great interpretation. I will miss this FD so much, and I pray Scott, Madi, and Adria can get them two great programs for next season as well.

Lopareva/Brissaud - just not the team for me, nice skating but doing nothing for me. I hope they move on from Gui's pretentious choreography not gonna lie.

Lajoie/Lagha - second highlight of the night for me, stunning FD skated to close to perfection, and with so much emotions. After the injury they had it's just a testament to their strength that they managed to nail this FD. They too are going places, and hopefully very soon.

Fear/Gibson - were close to unwatchable for me since they were following the emotional high of L/L's FD. To their credit no matter how cringe their material is for me the audience always gets behind them and they did so today as well. But that Rocky FD is a big no for me, and it's depressing to know they will come out with another campy cringe FD next season as well.

Chock/Bates - came close to disaster with the rotational lift but saved it with their experience, this FD is not their strongest and it was skated well but didn't create a moment. Will they retire or not is the biggest question for me.

Guignard/Fabbri - came close to disaster too and also saved it with experience. He was shaky during the FD but they skated well. Bronze makes sense here. I kind of wish they would retire as well but at this point, it is clear Milano is their target.

Gilles/Poirier - Dislike their shtick, but manged to enjoy their FD for the most part. Put of the top 3, deserved to win the FD. Here as well, will they reitre is the biggest question for me (time to leave the stage to L/L).

Final note - praying P/C don't come back, with so many amazing young teams on the horizon it will be super depressing watching them do the same FD for the 8th and 9th years but still be rewarded.

[wordyneonlights]

Late Birthday Gift

Should I stop using the same header for literally everything I write??? probably Here, have a Renga fic that I'm sure you'll love very much (this is like the fifth draft this thing almost killed me) Oh, this is part one by the way. Part two will arrive (somehow, someday)

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

It had been a long hot week and Reki was leaning on a tree at the skate park thinking of everything and nothing at once.

He was thinking of his favourite brand of hair dye that had been discontinued, a new design for a Skateboard commission and the ginormous aching crush he had on Langa Hasegawa.

OK maybe he was being a bit overdramatic, he wasn't even sure it was a crush, maybe he'd reached some secret level of friendship no one had ever heard of.

The type that had you daydreaming about your friend, and thinking about kissing them. But did he really want to kiss Langa or was he just curious as to what it would be like to kiss a boy in general.

Sure he'd always found guys hot, in the general sense that is. Like, girls are hot, guys are hot, the sun is hot, ice is cold. Those were just regular everyday facts, it didn't mean anything, and it didn't prove anything.

But then again, if he really wanted to indulge in the idea then it would be accurate to say that he did in fact have an annoyingly large crush on his best friend.

And that was the main problem with it, Langa was his best friend, if things went badly then ... he didn't even want to think about it. Choosing instead to slump further into the tree.

Trees were cool, he thought. They didn't have to worry about cute guys or sexuality crises. All they had to do was take in carbon dioxide and give everyone else oxygen.

It was during Reki's tree pondering that Miya Chinen happened to be skating by the park and stopped at the sight of the despondent looking red head

"Why are you moping?" He asked once he had approached the boy

" 'M not moping," Rei responded, "I'm thinking,"

Miya rolled his eyes, taking a seat on the grass next to him

"Doubt you have much brain in there to think," he muttered before yelping as Reki elbowed him in the arm

"It's grown up stuff," he said somberly, "You wouldn't understand,"

"You are like four years older than me," he deadpanned as Reki got up.

"As I said, grown up stuff."

He picked up his Skateboard and gestured to the younger boy, "You wanna go to Joe's?"

Miya didn't really have anything else to do so he agreed and they began their walk to the restaurant.

Reki didn't talk much on the way there, turning over possibilities in his mind and worrying so thoroughly he was afraid he was going to be sick by the time they had reached their destination.

When they got to the restaurant, he slumped onto the table and picked up a menu. Strangozzi or strozzapreti he saw. But wait what was the difference? Why were the words so similar?? Why was it so confusing! Why was EVRYTHING SO CONFUSING.

He almost felt like crying, choosing instead to bury his face in his arms on the table.

"Reki," he heard Miya ask, "Are you ok? Are you sick?"

"I wish I was a tree," the older boy groaned in response.

It was only a couple of minutes after his admission he felt a warm hand on his back and sat up to see Joe slipping into the booth opposite him.

"What's this I hear about you wanting to be a tree?" he asked, a smile playing on his lips

"Just going through some stuff is all," Reki muttered, somewhat embarrassed of his earlier admission

"Grown up stuff?"

Reki blushed slightly and shrugged as the older man continued.

"Not too grown up I hope,"

"I'm just confused is all," Reki admitted

"About the menu?"

"No... well yes, but no it's not that..."

Joe lifted his eyebrow and urged Reki to continue

'Ugh this is so embarrassing!' He thought

"I've got... romance issues,"

"Girl troubles?" The older man asked and Reki blushed deeper

"Ah, boy troubles,"

Joe leaned back in his chair placing the tips of his fingers together.

"I have feelings for someone," The red head managed to choke out, "And I'm not sure what to do about them,"

"Confess?" Joe suggested and Reki sighed

"He's my best friend and I'm scared that it might not... work out I guess. And I don't even know if he's into guys-"

"We're talking about Langa right?" Joe interrupted and Reki coloured before nodding, "Alright then you don't need to worry about if he likes guys or not,"

Reki blinked, "How do you know?"

"Kid I may look young and fabulous but I've been around enough to tell these sort of things. Call it a sixth sense," he winked and eliciting a small smile from the red head.

'At least,' he thought, 'One thing was sort of sorted.' But then... there were the other problems, the more choking problems. He'd never been a boyfriend before, he'd never even been in a relationship before, what if he sucked at it? What if Langa was disgusted with his lack of experience.

What if he just wasn't good enough.

"Look," Joe started, taking Reki out of his spiral, "I can't force you to confess or anything, but I can tell you that you don't have to tear yourself up about anything. There's nothing wrong with you and your feelings right now are one hundred percent valid." He stopped observing the red head who was looking at him with a strange sort of expression on his face, "You like girls?" He asked, and Reki nodded, "And you like guys?" Another nod, "Then that's all you really need,"

Reki wasn't sure what to make of the feeling in his chest, equal parts relief, fear and tiredness.

"You've got this kid," Joe said, getting up "You've got a good head on your shoulders," he squeezed the red heads shoulder before walking off to the kitchen.

Reki watched him walk away, before his eyes drifted towards Miya who had been trying (and failing) to eavesdrop on the conversation. He felt a smile stretch his face as he walked over to him.

"Nice to see you were worrying about me," he teased

"Whatever," the younger boy replied playing with his straw, "But you're like, ok and everything,"

Reki paused, trying to figure out if that was a question or a statement, before ruffling his head, "I'll live. You wanna come with me to Langa's?"

Miya's nose wrinkled at the proposition, "You can do that on your own,"

Reki nodded, annoyingly Miya was right, this was something he had to deal with on his own. He waved goodbye to the boy before heading towards his... best friend? Future boyfriend? 's house.

This was going to be everything but easy.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

didyoulikeitdidyoulikeitdidyoulikeitdidyoulikeitdidyoulikeitdidyoulikeit

Again I'm demonstrating my brilliance at writing endings anyways hope you enjoyed!!

[gogogogolev]

The 2023 Grand Prix de France men's FS results, final results, and Stephen's protocol.

So keeping in mind that Stephen had three days of prep coming into this event we will discuss these results, and speak in general about his season.

To start off let's acknowledge that Stephen got two different quads out and two triple Axels done. For some reason he just popped that 3Lz which was costly considering how close the scores were. He is still having multiple pops per free skate which is really hurting his technical score. He also missed a combination for the second straight event. He did well to hang onto the Euler combination. He also got another level 4 step sequence, which is great. The starting 4T was really nice. He should definitely consider just doing a 4T3T in the FS as well, like he is in the SP. It would mean less pressure for him to get the 4S in combo, and maybe that would keep him from popping it. He could do a solo 4T instead of trying two 4S and popping one or both.

Someone was saying Stephen needs to work on everything. His jump consistency, his GOEs, his PCS. He's popping jumps at every event. He has had some of the lowest PCS scores of the field in his two events. Canadian judges give him even lower PCS scores than he gets internationally so it's looking dire. Even if he skates clean in terms of jumps his PCS score is going to have him around at least 20-30 points back of the top men (this problem is not exclusive to him). He has been relying on his choreographers to improve his PCS, but the top men work with the same choreographers as him. That's not it. The question that arises next from the fans is that - does Stephen want to skate? They get the sense he does not care to improve because his heart is not in this sport, that he is only being forced to do it. Which is concerning, but how are we to know what's really going on with him?

For what it's worth I think Stephen still wishes to skate, it's just not as enjoyable for him anymore. Nobody puts their body through the hell of training these jumps without a desire to achieve something, and he still has that desire. His environment is just not allowing him to produce the results he wants and that's demoralizing. I mean he has gone to two major international events in 2023 without a coach - WTT and now Grand Prix de France. I am not sure why Skate Canada is ok with this, but this is not going to help him. I'm grateful Benoit was with him, and he could get a better result with him than he had at Skate America, but it's kind of ridiculous that a top Canadian skater is going to events without a coach. I would not find this acceptable for any skater, let alone Stephen who really needs the guidance and support of a coach.

You have to wonder sometimes what level Stephen would be at with a coaching team that helped him thrive like when he was younger because his potential is so high. At this event 2/3 of the guys who competed at 2018 JGPF were competing, and the guy who finished 4th back then won the event with a score of 300+ to put things in perspective. But you can't live in the past or in a world of imagination.

Looking on the bright side Stephen finishes this GP season with a higher score than he put out all of last season and he also picked up some points and moved up to 31st in the World Standings. He will probably go down a bit by year's end but hopefully he's still top 40. He also picked up a new personal best tech score for the SP. And seventh in this field is a respectable finish for a guy who found out he was going to compete a week before.

I hope Stephen is able to return to Granite Club and get some training in before Nationals during UCI's winter break. Otherwise I am really not sure how Nationals will go for him. He'll be skating 16th in the SP there. You can view the schedule here. The media is going to be focusing on the men's event with the unpredictability and the possibility for a new National Champion so it's going to be a little bit of a circus but I'm sure these guys will survive.

Thanks for your hard work Stephen and for doing your best to improve your results. Keep your head up, stay healthy, and keep going into 2024.

[tutuandscoot]

Part three of the interwiew moment feels thing. Is Scott dissing current ice skating saying they grew up in an era where they had to take risks? Also i find the fact that they sometimes choose what to do based on what would be more unexpected hilarious. And Scott mentioning Suzanne by name saying she sort of lay the groundwork for that, like yea give that woman all the credit she deserves. Oh and them talking a lot whenever they do meet up now thats really endearing, sort of derailing the interwiew. Their parents waking up at 4 in the morning every day for years oh they really must have loved seeing their kids doing what they loved, it seems like a small thing but really its huge, how much they did for their kids. And the train analogy is nice and Scott saying he really likes it too when tessa is wondering if shes taking it too far. They really support each other so much. And them ending the interwiew saying they wouldnt be where they are without all the people supporting them. Its a really nice way to end the interwiew not focusing on themself but on others. And yea thats the interwiew. I hope this wasnt too rambling for you. If I manage to form more coherent thoughts about parts of this, il send you another ask. But yea the interwiew had a really nice vibe to it, being serious but not at the same time.

No this was a more coherent summary than I could’ve done!

This bit about their parents sacrificing so much for them:

So heads up I’m not a parent and I’m an only child so i might be speaking out of my arse here and of course every family situation is different

Disclosures out of the way;

When I was growing up dancing and being super into it and quite talented- starting to look for more opportunities out side of just my crappy dance school, my mum would basically drop everything for me. She wasn’t a single parent but she basically was bc my dad did nothing for me in this respect, she had one part time job that didn’t pay much and every single cent went to me and my dancing. I didn’t have the early wake ups like vm did thankfully but I had to travel really far away to get better training. She would pick my up from school after work 3 days a week and we would drive 2 hours away for 4 hours of dance, finish at 9 and drive home for 2 hours while I sleep in the car and the next day I would have to be at school at 6 am for school dance, then there was the exorbitant fees for training, pointe shoes, uniforms, physio, competitions, travel- my first international competition I got to the finals and she didn’t have enough money left to get a ticket to watch me, so she waited in the dressing rooms listening over the sound system.

She did so much for me and when I stopped dancing due to my back problems she layed an enormous amount of guilt on herself thinking it was her fault/ she shouldn’t have let me pursue this when my back condition developed bc it ended in so much pain and heart break. That was really hard for us and we fell out of our very close relationship over that grief, but we’re now getting back on better terms.

(I’m sorry this is a little life story)

On the contrary:

My best friend growing up who I danced with, she was one of 3 kids and her family was far more well off than me, she did dance and gymnastics- I’m pretty sure at one point she was national level at gymnastics. Anyway, one day her mum said to my mum “I could never do what you do for your daughter (me)”.

Now she had 3 young kids, worked full time, understandable it would be hard to take her daughter all around the place.

But VM’s parents did it.

They both have multiple siblings, yes some of T’s were much older when she was a child starting skating, but Scott’s were closer in age. T’s parents worked full time- her grandma helped out a lot. Skating is RIDICULOUSLY expensive and very hard to get funding for- a lot of adult skaters work other jobs to support themselves. They did it- they did all that for their kids- their youngest kids at that which a) in a way the others were older and could take care of themselves more but b) raising kids is expensive and again I’m not a parent but I imagine by kid 3 or 4 this gets exhausting- so now having the last kids to be born in each family be the ones doing the most and having the most insane- as VM said, depraved lifestyle full of strictness most kids don’t ever insure- their parents still did that for them.

This is not a comment on good and bad parenting- as I said people have different situations- but there are some that really do go above and beyond and don’t let anything/ don’t make excuses for themselves as parents for not giving their children everything to succeed- VM’s parents are incredible they deserve so much credit for what wonderful children they raised- NO MEDIA TRAINING- they were just raised so well to be kind and empathetic and appreciate every opportunity to afforded them.

Parents of the freaking century!!

[hoperays-song]

What kind of sports that our moon characters should be into could be anything there could excel at❓

Thanks for the ask! Here's a list of characters I think would be good at sports and the sports they'd be good at. Hope you enjoy!

- <3 Gooseless

-------------------------------

Johnny is clearly really good at skateboarding, so he'd be a good competitive skateboarder or probably boxer (his dad likely taught him a fair bit of it). Though I think he might have run cross country or something in high school because he thought it would impress his dad.

Ash, no explanation here, would be amazing at archery. Like scarily good at archery with no previous experience.

Rosita was a varsity volleyball player in college so volleyball for her. But she also did track and field in high school. She's really competitive too so she tries to do the best at all sports she tries (she typically does too).

Ryan is clearly a talented dancer and would easily excel at competitive dance, though I think he would also be good at cheerleading (a lot of cheerleaders I knew trained in dance as well) or ice skating (a lot of skaters also train in dance so it wouldn't be much more training than he was already doing).

Porsha is a decent snowboarder due to her dad taking her on skiing trips a lot (he strikes me as a very expensive vacation guy). She's had lot of practice over the years at a lot of really good resorts.

Nooshy also would be good at competitive dance and ice skating, I cannot imagine her willingly doing cheer though so that's gonna be a no. I do think they did do hockey as a little kid though, no idea why, I can just see it.

Gunter is good at competitive dance and ice skating canonically, but I think he'd also be good at tennis. For no real reason, he just strikes me as someone who'd like tennis.

Marcus is canonically good at boxing so boxing plus MMA. He probably taught Johnny a fair bit of boxing as well and has been boxing since he was a kid.

Stan is the same as Marcus, boxing and MMA. He's also been practicing since he was a kid but much more formally than Marcus was.

Barry however was a cross country runner in secondary school, so he's actually a really good runner. He's decent at boxing but is much better at running.

Buster can surf. His dad taught him since it was one of his favourite things to do when he was little. It is the only sport Buster can actually do without hurting himself.

Clay played a bit of basketball in high school as well as ran a bit of cross country but only for a few years. He's still decent at both though.

Meena can somewhat play table tennis decently, but not to like a professional level. She does enjoy it though.

Mrs. Crawly was an amazing swimmer when she was younger and was one of the best in her school when she competed.

***Yes, both Nooshy and Johnny are at least decent at football (american soccer), due to Johnny playing with his uncles and his neighbors growing up, and Nooshy with their siblings. They don't really claim that however since it was more of a cultural thing for them.***