#oc: jeremy | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

munchkin1156 · 2 months ago

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Secret Santa!!!

(@gt-jar, I sent the ask to drafts and it disappeared, completely gone, nowhere to be found, so I'll just tag you now so you know I've done it)

@space-hiboux!

HEY NIFTY!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It was me. I was your Secret Santa. Surprise!!

This was a lot of fun to write, and the world they’re in is so cool! I hope the characters aren’t too off… Anyways, please sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Word count: 1953

. . .

The snow fell softly upon the town. It covered the streets and the houses, as well as the surrounding forest. Icicles hung from the branches, and the usually cheerfully running creek was completely frozen over, the bubbling water silent.

No sun had risen yet, and not a soul was about, everyone preferring to stay inside in the warmth rather than the bitter cold that came with winter.

Well, there was one exception.

Emylia pulled her hood tighter over her head, regretting the split second decision she’d made to not wear warmer clothing. Instead, she had put on the same white hoodie she always wore. The soft looking snow crunched satisfyingly under her boots, and her breath hung in the air, before it was blown away by a chilling wind.

In a way, it was beautiful, the street lanterns lighting up an otherwise bleak world. They did a job the sun couldn’t. Almost magical, it felt, the swirling white glowing ever so slightly golden. If it had been a few months back, Emylia knew she would’ve claimed that’s what it was. Some otherworldly power creating an enchanting moment for her eyes and her eyes alone. Why had that changed, again?

Oh, right. Because she’d seen real magic now, and it was so much more. That other place, that other realm… That’s where she was currently headed. Why she was out and about at this hour.

Nearly ten months prior, Emylia had stumbled into this ‘Other World’ as she kept calling it. A world full of fantasy, of colour, of, well, magic… It was an amazing place, everything she’d ever imagined. Where if all she ever wanted to do was climb trees or play her violin, there was nothing stopping her!

That is, except for the bit about her height.

Everything there was massive, towering far above. It could be terrifying, and especially dangerous for someone like her, who was ridiculously small in comparison.

Luckily, soon after she’d first entered, she’d been found by two of the inhabitants of that world. A Taran and a Siron. Basically, a mini giant, and a literal giant. Things had happened, they had talked, and she had ended up staying the night at their place, on the basis that she had had no idea how to get back. And now back in the present, they were best friends!

…She’d forgotten to mention their names, hadn’t she?

There was Rachelle, the Taran, who was kind, and funny, and could be really sweet sometimes. Even if she got really annoyed every now and again.

And then there was Jeremy, the Siron, wbo was awesome, and nearly always on board with her ridiculous plan. Could also be known as a living heater.

Together, they ran a potion shop near the edge of town. Emylia tried her best to help, but being human meant she was in fact tall enough for it. Today wasn’t about that though. It was about gifts.

In the other world, they didn’t have Christmas, which made sense, considering it was a human tradition. Still, she wanted to get her friends a little something. Something self made. A nice… surprise for them.

A surprise… That wasn’t such a bad idea. That could work.

She grinned as she walked down the winding path through the woods, before coming to a stop. It was around here. The entrance to where she needed to go.

Not a portal, but more a subtle shift in the air. You didn’t notice the change until it happened, and by then people usually started panicking instead of trying to step back. Emylia had done this a million times by now. If it was up to her, she’d be living there full time.

But it wasn’t up to her. Not really anyway. Not if she didn’t want to appear on missing posters, even if it would take a bit before they noticed she was gone. Not if she wanted to keep the world hidden, because then they might find it.

A blink, and suddenly, everything changed. Emylia breathed in, filling her lungs with the cold, clean air. Since there was hardly any talk of pollution, air felt so much fresher. You wouldn’t even know how different it was until you felt it.

Another fun thing about where Rachelle and Jeremy were from: So. Much. More. Freezing.

It might not be a lot for her two ‘giant’ friends, but for her the snow was nearly knee deep. She needed to get where she was going fast. Now, where was that, exactly?

Emylia glanced at the trees around her, reaching to what seemed infinitely upwards. To her left was the long, hidden path to her friends’ home, one she would’ve taken any other day.

But that wasn’t her first location in mind. Instead, her eyes darted to what must be the very large equivalent of fox tracks. Old ones, half buried by the snow. Usually, Emylia would never go near them for the life of her, especially not without one of her friends keeping an eye out for anything that might be trying to eat her.

The reasons she was going by herself were simple. Because what she was making was a surprise, and these particular tracks led to the perfect place to create it.

Magical worlds meant magical things inside them. Or, in her case, a magical tree. About ten or so minutes walking in that direction, and you would find the highpoint of the forest. Literally.

All year round, leaves and flowers and vines grew on it, radiating summertime and warmth. Snow melted when it touched the branches, dripping to the ground lukewarm. If there was one place in winter where you definitely couldn’t get hypothermia, it was here.

With any luck, she’d have a good hour or so before Jeremy and Rachelle came looking for her. A good hour to get high up and finish the gifts in peace.

Tree climbing was easy, after all. And with everything being so much bigger, grips were easier to find.

What could be different about this one?

. . .

“Hey, J?”

Jeremy turned away from the potion he was working on. “What’s up, Rach?” He asked with a smile. From where he was sitting, it was hard to tell what Rachelle’s expression was, but from her tone of voice, she sounded concerned.

A sigh was heard, followed by a groan. “It’s nothing, really. I mean…” She made her way over to the desk he was at, using a conveniently placed box to pull herself up onto the table. Living in a house with someone who was a different species could be inconvenient at times. “Doesn’t Em usually show up around now?”

He frowned. “You know, I think you’re right.” Rachelle rolled her eyes. “I know I’m right. But I don’t know why she isn’t here…” Her eyes widened. “Do you think something could’ve happened to her!?” Jeremy shook his head. “Let’s not assume the worst. Maybe she got distracted? We can go look for her, if you want.” The Taran hummed in agreement.

“Right you are. Let me grab my cloak, and we can get going.”

. . .

It had taken only a few minutes to climb far enough up the tree, since there were grip holds and flowers and vines to cling onto, and now that she was up on a sturdy enough branch, Emilia adjusted her position slightly so she was leaning against the trunk. The magical warmth swept through her, and she sighed in relief.

Winter was lovely and all in its own right, but not much could beat the feeling of sunlight and fresh nature. And though it felt like spring, it was still Christmas time, with presents that had to be made.

Taking the materials needed out of her bag, she got to work.

Rachelle's and her own were quite small, and therefore easier to make, so those were the two she began with. Emylia hummed softly as she worked, small slices of wood fluttering down and nestling nicely between the leaves.

Being completely focused in her work, Emylia only noticed how much time had flown by once she’d finally started on Jeremy’s. The sun was shining cheerfully on the snowy world below her, and she smiled. It wasn’t going to be long before familiar faces turned up.

"Em? Is that you up there?”

Emylia looked down, and her eyes widened. Not because it was her friends down there, but because of how far down her friends were. Rachelle and Jeremy, unsurprisingly, were standing below, but even with outstretched arms, neither of them could reach her. That sounded like she wasn’t that high up, but for her, it was.

In this case though… That was perfect.

“Oh, hey guys! What’re you doing here?” She shouted, knowing it was going to be hard for them to understand her if she didn’t. Even from up here, she could feel the eyeroll Rachelle made when she asked.

“You know why we’re here! The real question is, why are you!?”

She sighed loudly, and sneaking started continuing the final gift, the final piece in a set of three. “Just…” Her voice faltered a moment, watching as Jeremy jokingly tried (and failed by a good several meters) to reach her. “Just give me twenty!”

Annoyed mutters floated up through the treetops, but Emylia knew they just masked worry or concern. “Okay, fine… But that doesn’t actually answer the question!” Jeremy pointed out, scoffing slightly. There was only silence in response to that.

Soon after realizing she wasn’t going to spill anything about… Whatever she could possibly be doing up there, they… Talked. After all, they were good friends, and it’d be awkward to sit there in silence for nearly half an hour. It was easy to slip into the familiar banter, chatting away over everything and still some. Emylia hadn’t even noticed how quickly her work was going until she was carving the last couple details.

Right. Now it was time for the more nerve wracking part- giving her friends what she’d made.

“Okay! I’m, uh… I’m coming down now!” Swiftly, she scrambled down, with no regard for her safety. Excitement could do that to a person, after all. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Jeremy grinned, offering her a hand to climb onto. Emylia took it without hesitation, wobbling a bit, before sitting down.

Snow was falling again, lightly, and she found that, while she was freezing cold once again, it made for the perfect atmosphere. Anyway, when Jeremy lifted her higher, so that she could be at face level with them, none of it really mattered. They could’ve been in the middle of a desert for all she cared, as long as it was with those two. “Welcome back to surface level!” Rachelle greeted enthusiastically. “So, why, precisely, were you up there for so long?”

Emylia laughed. Reaching for her bag, she grinned, eyes twinkling.

“Well, there’s this thing called Christmas…”

. . .

WOOOOO!!!! Fic done!!!! Again, this was a lot of fun to write! I enjoyed it a lot, and tried to include some of what you told me about the world!

What were the presents Emylia gave? …Who knows? I like to think it’s part of the mystery :)

Sorry it didn't contain as many character interactions as I'd hoped, got a little invested writing and perfecting the beginning parts, and then making that really cool drawing of her climbing the tree-

Have a lovely rest of your year!

-Munchkin

(P.S. To whoever’s my secret santa, if you read this, I am so sorry I have no information whatsoever about my characters. I swear I’ll fix that next year!... Probably)

. . .

Tag List (If you want to be added, TELL ME!): @i-am-beckyu, @brick-a-doodle-do, @da3dm, @faeiyn-cant-write, @boiled-ginger-ale

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