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inevitably-johnlocked · 1 year ago

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Christmas and New Year's Eve 2023 Pt 1: New Bookmarks and WiPs

Happy holidays everyone! Let's get into the holiday spirit with some new Christmas fics I've recently added to my Bookmarks and MFL lists! LOTS of stories, so this list is split up into two lists! PLEASE check out the lists below for past bookmarks and MFLs! If you have a WORK IN PROGRESS that you'd like added to this list, PLEASE add them in the replies/reblogs and I'll add them to subsequent posts of this list!

The second list posting shortly is my MFL list, so if you have a finished fic you'd like me to add to the lists, please add them to the next post!

Thank you so much!! <3 Merry Christmas!!

[PART TWO]

See also:

Christmas Fics (Dec. 2017)

Christmas: Oblivious That One or The Other is In a Relationship

Christmas 2019 Part 1 (All Bookmarks XMas and New Years)

Christmas 2019 Part 2 (Marked for Later)

G / T / K+ Rated Christmas Fics (Dec. 2018) (Updated Dec 2021)

Community Recs: Christmas 2020 (Updated Dec 2021)

Christmas Trees / Decorating

Christmas-Time Love Confessions

New Year’s Fics (Jan 2023)

Christmas 2023 Pt 2: Marked for Later

BOOKMARKS

Santa Knows by Itsallfine (T, 1,719 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas Party, Love Confessions, First Kiss, Fluff, Matchmaking, POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock) – Sherlock and John both get exactly what they want from the Yard's secret Santa exchange. Pure holiday fluff.

The Way to Start the New Year by glass_rose_paperweight (G, 4,251 w., 1 Ch. || New Year's Eve, Fluff, Pining John) – On New Year's Eve, Sherlock drags John to America for a case, much to John's frustration. However, a mistake in booking looks like it might lead to an even worse New Year's Even than John originally thought ... or, maybe it's just what the boys need.

This Year by DiscordantWords (T, 6,283 w., 2 Ch. || TEH Divergence / No Mary, New Year’s Eve, John’s A Mess, Jealous John, Awkward Conversations, Trapped in a Closet, Estranged After Return, John POV, Semi-Reunion, Angry John, First Kiss, Reconciliation, Clueless Sherlock, Happy Ending) – Last year, Sherlock Holmes showed up at the Landmark with a fake moustache and a bad French accent and threw John's entire life into disarray with two words: "Not dead." This year, there are more surprises in store.

Wonderful, Etcetera. by VictoryCandescence (T, 16,955 w., 3 Ch. || Wonderful Life AU || Alternate Timelines, Brotherhood, Homophobia, Suicidal Ideations, Mentions of Drug Use, Friendship, Different TRF, Sherlock’s Past, Victor Trevor is Past Boyfriend, Depression, Hallucination?, Love Confessions, Christmas, First Kiss) – Sherlock thinks everyone would be better off if he had never existed, including and especially himself. When he finds himself in a world in which his wish has been granted, he begins to think perhaps even he could be wrong – but it takes an unlikely chaperone to make him not only observe, but understand.

Deck the Halls by itsalwaysyou_jw (T, 31,018 w., 24 Ch. || Advent Fic / Multiple One-Shots, Assorted Tags) – One Johnlock ficlet for every day leading up to Christmas. Who is ready for pining, first kisses, established Johnlock, and everything in between? This collection of stand-alone ficlets will have it all.

Not Broken, Just Bent by Schmiezi (E, 87,585 w., 43 Ch. || Pining, Love Confessions, Rape/Sexual Assault, Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Villain!Mary, Suicidal Ideations, Main Character Death, Sherlock First Person POV, Parentlock, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Love Making, Possessiveness, Depression, PTSD, Kidnapping, Virgin Sherlock, Eventual Happy Ending) – "For a second, I allow myself to remember teaching John how to waltz. There is a special room in my mind palace for it. A big one, with a proper parquet dance floor. For a second, I go there. I remember holding him, closer than the World Dance Council asks for, excusing it with the fact that we are training for a wedding, not for a competition. For a second, I feel his hand on mine again, smell his sweat, hear the song we used. For a second, I allow myself to love him deeply. For a second, only a second, that love reflects on my face." Fix-it for S3, starting at the end of TSoT. Evil Mary.

Bakers with Benefits by Raina_at (E, 88,130 w., 14 Ch. || Great British Bake Off AU || Strangers to Lovers, Switchlock, Friends with Benefits, Mentions of Alcoholism / Past Drug Use, Banter, Flirting, Fluff, Light Angst, Semi-Public Sex, Past Sherlock/Victor, Mutual Pining, POV Sherlock, Obsessive Sherlock, John’s Bum) – Sherlock Holmes has a successful YouTube baking channel, but what he really wants is his own bakery. When an old friend sends him a call for the very first Great British Bake Off, he seizes the opportunity to finally win a sponsor for his bakery. Here's the plan: Win Bake Off, get the bakery, don't fall in love with the handsome Army doctor at the neighbouring station. Easy.

The Lost Special: Family Matters (As Do Relationships) by ShirleyCarlton (M, 144,688 w., 40 Ch. || S4 Fix It Fic / Meta Fic, Unreliable Narrator, John’s Mind Bungalow, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Demisexual Sherlock, Holmes Family, John Whump, Gay Mycroft, Misunderstandings, Drug Addiction, Parenting, TFP is a Nightmare, Virgin Sherlock, Slow Burn, Minor Character Death, Switchlock, John’s Past, Sherlock’s Past, Eurus, Love Confessions) –Sherrinford is not really the name of some high security prison. That was just a figment of John’s frantic coma dream. And Eurus is not actually Sherlock’s sister. That’s just something random she said to John before shooting him. Sherlock and John were never actually estranged. That was just their act to cover up what really happened to Mary – or Rosamund Moran, as her real name has turned out to be. Sherlock does have a secret sibling, though, and his name is Sherrinford. After finally eliminating Moran – though in a rather dramatically different way than they had envisioned – and exposing the truth about Eurus, John encourages Sherlock to delve into his past and to find out whether the reasons to keep Sherrinford away from Sherlock were the right ones, and to discover what really happened in 1981. Along the way, Sherlock and John gradually, finally, stop keeping each other at a distance, and eventually become a proper family of their own.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Christmas with You by hey_there_buddy (NR, 3,258+ w., 11/? Ch. || WiP || Christmas, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Established Relationship, Waltzing, Morning Kisses) – Sherlock wants to propose John and he came up with his own idea.

From the First Time That I Saw You by BookGirlWithLove (E, 6,813+ w., 4/16 Ch. || WiP || Actor John AU || Christmas, Meet Cute) – Sherlock Holmes very rarely paid any attention to popular culture. He didn’t listen to the radio or watch telly. He seldom watched films. Unless that film had a certain actor in it. A certain actor who, while he might not be on everyone’s favourite list, was most certainly on Sherlock’s. In fact, he was the only celebrity to ever give Sherlock pause, which said a lot. That actor was John Watson. Who was currently standing in Sherlock’s sitting room, awkwardly holding two bottles of wine.

Christmas in Honeycutt by helloliriels (T, 25,768+ w., 12/16 Ch. || WIP || Christmas in Connecticut AU / WWII AU || Kidnapping, Spies / Secret Agents, Codes & Ciphers, Past Relationships, Developing Relationship, Fake Marriage, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending) – John's publisher asks if his family could entertain a war hero at their idyllic estate in Somerset for Christmas. Only ... John doesn't have a wife ... or a daughter. Or an estate. He has a bedsit. In London. And some wounds of his own to recover from ... but he can't tell his publisher that or he'll get fired … What's a writer to do? Cracking Codes. Super Spies. Sherlock in Disguise. A wild Christmas romance set in the countryside! Just what the doctor ordered! Part 6 of the Liriels Chaptered Fics series

The Prince of Hearts by prettysailorsoldier (M, 46,206+ w., 12/? Ch. || Modern Royalty AU || WiP || Matchmaker Sherlock, Prince John, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Sexual Tension, Mutual Pining, Christmas, Fluff) – Sherlock Holmes is making big waves in London as the head of a thriving matchmaking firm, his unconventional approach earning him the title 'The Chemist'. To Sherlock, love is in the data, a collection of variables plugged into equations to calculate the perfect match, but, when the royal family of the small country of Galerre hires him to find a spouse for the crown prince, he will find that some matters of the heart are not so easily solved.

Since First I Saw Your Face by Stavia_Scott_Grayson (M, 398,966+ w., 19/22 Ch. || WiP || ACD Canon / 1884 Victorian AU || Friends to Lovers, Pining, UST/URT, POV Sherlock, Christmas, Developing Relationship, Turkish Baths, Victorian Attitudes, Sussex Holiday, Cocaine, Holmes’ Childhood, Cold Cases, References to Canon) – During the Great Hiatus, Holmes, studying in Tibet, reflects on his first meeting with Dr John Watson.

#johnlock fic recs #christmas fics #new year's fics #my fic recs #wip fics

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carylerxsecretsanta · 1 year ago

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!pinned post (carylerxsecretsanta)

Are you a fan of Carol Peletier and Daryl Dixon (aka Caryl) from AMC's The Walking Dead? Do you like to create media (fanfic, gifs, fanart, etc.) for this beautiful couple? Then you've come to the right place. This blog was created in 2013 as a way to celebrate the Carylers and to give each other little happies on Christmas Day each year. Please check in around November to sign up for all the festive fun and holiday joy!

This year was the 10th Annual Caryl Secret Santa exchange. You can find links to the past ten years worth of gifts below (included in this post). I hope you find some goodies to fill your days (and nights) with Caryl-y goodness!

Merry Christmas!

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2013)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2014)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2015)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2016)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2017)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2018)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2019)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2020)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2021)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2022)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2023)

Caryl Secret Santa Presents (2024)

#!pinned post

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smoshgoshbefosh · 8 months ago

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december 1st please!! <3

Hey, your birthday is one day after Ian's. That's super cool! And also, your birthday last year? ICONIC in terms of Smosh videos.

Which Smosh Videos were Posted on Your Birthday

2011:

Epic Lunchtime- Smosh Pit

2012:

Dat Bootie- Smosh Pit

Evolution of the RPG (Gamer Nation)- Smosh Games

2013:

We Play Cards Against Humanity (Raging Bonus)- Smosh Games

2014:

Speed Drawing Pokemon- Smosh Pit

We Can't Stop Dropping (Maricraft)- Smosh Games

2015:

Every Jedi Ever- Smosh Main

Just Cause (Honest Game Trailers)- Smosh Games (all Honest Game Trailers were deleted recently)

2016:

Who Knows Me Best Challenge! (Squad Vlogs)- Smosh Pit

VR Golf Is Dangerous! (Reality Shift)- Smosh Games

2017:

Punishment Jenga Trivia (Game Bang)- Smosh Games

2018:

Who Is the Best Ref of Summer Games (Smosh and Order)- Smosh Games

2019:

No uploads on December 1

2020:

Our Secret Santa Gift to MatPat (the Great gift Exchange)- Smosh Pit

Can You Guess The Youtuber? (Youtuber Games)- Smosh Games

2021:

No uploads on December 1

2022:

This Guy's Poem Will Really Make You Think (Short)- Smosh Main

Best Gingerbread House Wins!- Smosh Pit

She Just Ate A Ghost Pepper (Short)- Smosh Games

2023:

My Dead Friend- Smosh Main

Taking Ride or die Bestie to a Whole New Level (Short)- Smosh Main

Crazy Questions and Crazier Answers (No Wrong Answers)- Smosh Games

Bloopers My Dead Friend- Smosh Main

My Dead Friend Watch Party- Smosh Main

#smosh #smosh games #smosh pit #thank you for your ask!

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tgon · 1 year ago

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Ghosts of Fear Street, Fright Christmas | Review

Title: Ghosts of Fear Street #15 – Fright Christmas Author: Stephen Roos (as by R.L. Stine) Cover Artist: John Youssi

INTRODUCTION

The cover artwork got my hopes up. Never before has Silent Night looked so loud loud loud! Unfortunately the plot is less interesting. The ghostwriter must have organized a White Elephant Plot Exchange, because the entire story is lifted from A Christmas Carol. It’s safe to assume R.L. Stine forgot this book exists, too, because he penned his own adaptation of the Dickens classic in 2017 entitled Young Scrooge.

I was fully prepared to skip this book. Bah humbug. But last night I was visited by The Ghost Of Christmas Past. The spectre said unto me, “Fright Christmas had an audiobook adaptation in 1997 starring Kieran Culkin. This wasn’t the most successful Christmas project for the Culkins, but skipping it could be seen as an insult. If they have the power to put a star in Hollywood Boulevard for Macaulay, think about how easily they could put you in the ground!”

Well, I’ve had a sudden change of heart. Let’s give this book a chance! One last toast to has-been ghosts, the review will be soon.

STORY REVIEW

Kenny Frobisher is less of a “peace on earth” guy and more of a “piece of work” guy. When his sister visits Santa in the mall, Kenny spoils the occasion by calling it all fake. He even rips Mall Santa’s beard off! Maybe Kenny is banking on the resale value of coal. Anyways, Kenny wisely dips out after the beard stunt sparks a child riot. He sneaks into a secret control room, pushing past a big sign that says DANGER! KEEP OUT! So maybe Kenny is also banking on the resale value of Darwin Awards.

Kenny decides to flip some random switches, which was quality entertainment in a pre-internet America. This great plan backfires when Kenny locks himself in. Kenny fears that the ghostwriter is copying another story from the 1840s ⁠— until the door mysteriously creaks open. He emerges to discover an abandoned mall. He must have stayed past closing time. Or maybe he timetraveled to the early 2020s.

Santa rises from the shadows, but this fella ain’t holly-jolly. He looks ticked. Truly chilling. If that doesn’t scare you, have you considered SANTA is an anagram for SATAN? Truly chilling. Kenny yanks down on Santa’s beard, but this one doesn’t detach. Uh oh. Santa reprimands Kenny for his naughtiness and warns that the boy will be visited by three spirits. Kenny flees to Dalby’s Department Store, which is a cute bit of continuity, as this store is an important location in the main Fear Street series. Kenny decides it’s a super good time to nap on one of the luxury beds. Yes he’s trapped in a mall and haunted by ghosts, but it’s 8:59 (PM!!) and he’s sleepy, dagnabbit.

Kenny wakes up to the revving of a motorcycle. He meets an intimidating biker named Night Watchman. The guy claims he’s been watching Kenny all the time, but I guess “All Hours Watchman” doesn’t sound cool. This dude shows Kenny a flashback, a day when Kenny bullied some kid named “Tiny Timmy” in front of the whole school. Of course, Kenny enjoys revisiting this memory. To keep his grip on the situation, Night Watchman simply rams Kenny with his bike. Truly an underrated rhetorical strategy.

Eyes snapping open, Kenny finds himself back in the department store. The bed has been torn to shreds. He meets a wintery ghost named Ice Man. This fixes a huge problem in the original Dickens story: the total lack of wrestler-style character names. Ice Man whisks Kenny away to show him how the Frobishers are handling Christmas Eve without their son. Kenny’s sister seems pretty upset, but Mr. Frobisher offers helpful advice such as

“These things happen, honey.”

Think that sounds cold? Turns out, the family is only sad because their dog is lost. They haven’t even noticed Kenny is gone. I guess if you live on Fear Street, you develop an Oregon Trail mindset. Sometimes we have two kids, sometimes we have one kid, oh well what can you do.

Kenny is woken once more, this time by techno lights and crazy music, and he finds himself in an open grave. After all, you can’t spell GRAVE without RAVE. There’s also an unknown figure skulking around above him. Kenny pleas for help, but the figure turns out to be a hooded ghost. The spooky dude points a skeleton-finger at Kenny, and a hoard of ghost kids descend on our protagonist. Oh my God, they killed Kenny!

Back in the mall again, an electrician shakes Kenny awake. The boy fell asleep in the control room. Feeling a sudden change of heart, he buys a gift for his sister. When Kenny gets home, the family dog has indeed gone missing, just like in his dream. Luckily, Tiny Timmy happened to catch the dog and returns it, upgrading him to Regular Timmy. But then Timmy reveals a spooky skeleton-finger, signifying that he was the mysterious ghost from Kenny’s dream. I made a visual aid to convey the terror.

THE VERDICT

If you’d like to create your own adaptation of A Christmas Carol, it might be beneficial to follow this simple set of rules: Don’t.

So concludes our third Biennial Holiday Special. Maybe by 2025, Elon Musk will buy this blog for billions of dollars and replace me with an AI. If you don’t want me replaced by a robot (or maybe you chuckled while reading this entry), feel free to leave a like or drop a message.

BEST QUOTE

“Sorry, Kenny,” Dad said softly. “We were reading A Christmas Carol. I know how you hate it.” “Not anymore, Dad,” I said, […] “I love it! It’s one of my favorite stories now!”

Why? At what point was that experience anything other than traumatizing?

#books #horror #nostalgia #review #ghosts of fear street #fear street #goosebumps #stine #90s #christmas #holidays #xmas #ya books #yabooks #1990s #90s aesthetic #90s vibes #90s kids #spooky

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iressails · 1 year ago

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hi there!!! I’m your content creator secret santa 🤫🎄 how are you?? do you have anything you’re looking forward to this (holiday) season?

I’ve checked out your blog to see what kinds of things you enjoy, but I’d love to hear from you directly 😊

what are some of your favorite shows and movies? who are your favorite characters? ships? do you have any particularly favored music artists lately? maybe specific songs? maybe you even have some favorite books you’d like to share! what about favorite colors?

is there anything you absolutely DON’T want? lol just in case 😅

I hope you have a great rest of your week!

HII!!! I have been preparing for this question for a couple of days and right now immediately I've forgotten everything I know and like, and have ever liked.

[Pause to review my blog and get my thoughts in order]

i love red, green and orange. all the traffic lights baby!

Im looking forward to the holidays it's been... a year.

My ship (just the one rn *sob): I'm currently in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993 - 2000) hell. I love Frank Pembleton and Tim Bayliss with my whole heart, but a 30 year old show and 65 year old men are a bit of a hard ask even from a kind Santa. Bayliss was my first canon bi character on TV and I've not been right since.

Update: Earlier in the year I was heavily into Joanne Davidson/Kate Fleming from Line of Duty (2012 - 2021) until I was gratified by this fic: Bleed into me by Authorette and somehow never thought of it again.

(Yeah not sure about the non-canon (but one half queer in canon) unhappy ending cop duos being my shipping highlight of the year)

Movies: I love Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001), Pride (2014), Barber (2023), Gattaca (1997), Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), Trust (1990)

Shows: Bob and Rose (2001), Homicide ..(ahahaha) Trust me (2017), Borderliner / Grenseland (2017)

People: I think Rebecca Ferguson, Raul Esparza, Hunter Schaefer, Lesley Sharp, Ethan Hawke, Carla Gugino, Laura Main, Brain Molko, Emma D'Arcy, Vanessa Kirby, Katie McGrath, Caity Lotz, Toby Stephens, Adrienne Shelly, Alexander Skarsgard, Patricia Arquette, Emerald Fennell and David Harbour are just so pretty

Characters: Omar Little (The Wire 2002 - 2008), Catherine Cawood (Happy Valley 2014 - 2023), Christine Chapel (Star Trek Strange new Worlds 2022), Alex Vause (Orange is the new black 2013 - 2019), Nomi Marks (Sense8 2015 - 2017), Joan Holloway/Harris (Mad Men 2007 - 2015), and Deran Cody (Animal Kingdom 2016 - 2022), Charles (Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Carrie Mathison (Homeland 2011 - 2020), Patsy Mount (Call the Midwife)

As for hates... I dont like too many fancy fonts on gifs, or double exposures that make people look like they have two heads (I'm guilty of this, yes, yes). Not big on the music. My spotify wrapped this year was where I was reminded that I had just listened to Alanis Morissette, The Crystal Method, Bright Eyes and Placebo and things-to-run-to as I always do. Every year. It is an utter wasteland.

Thank you in advance I'm sure whatever you make will be wonderful. I love this exchange so much. Both ways giving and receiving.

#i am a heathen and do not read #please let me know if this was helpful? i'm feeling that all of these old things are probably not helpful...#oh lordy look at me go with my cops and criminals and unsorted queer

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katblu42 · 2 years ago

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Signals

A (Kagaku Ninja Tai) Gatchaman fic written for the Secret Santa gift exchange in 2017. The prompt I was given tasked me with giving Joe and Jun a moment alone, lost on an island with time to reflect on their hopes and fears, and a possibility of romance between them.

I hope there is an audience for this fic here. I loved writing this, and the challenge of shipping these two (who I'd never really considered would end up together) pushed me to write something I was quite proud of.

It is fairly long at just over 14000 words, so this is just the first part. Rated G Minor injury Minor character death budding romance (I've tagged with Battle of the Planets as some fans may recognise enough familiar content to follow the story.)

Signals (link to AO3)

Four birdlike shadows flashed across the stainless steel wall of the compound. Two streaked left and disappeared behind pallets piled high with boxes, while the other two headed right and vanished into the darkness between the dimly lit doorways.

“This doesn’t look like the stolen electronics components,” Ken whispered.

“No,” Jun agreed, “it seems more like catering supplies.”

“I guess even Galactor have to eat.”

“Hey, kid, what’d you see?” Joe prompted Jinpei after a brief reconnoitre.

“First door leads to bathrooms, second one looks like kitchens,” the youngster responded. “You?”

“Last door looks like it leads to living quarters. Door three’s the winner – stairs leading down.” He grinned a mirthless grin, then spoke into his bracelet. “G2 to G1. I think we’ve found the way in.” There was no response.

“Aniki?” Jinpei tried whispering into his own communicator. “Should we go in?”

“Comms are down. They must be jamming us,” Joe surmised. “Go see if you can find them. I’ll stay here.”

“What’s taking Joe and Jinpei so long?” wondered Jun. “We should have heard something by now.”

“G1 to G2. Found anything? . . . Joe?” Ken waited but received no answer. “No response. Do you think they could be jamming us?”

“Yep!” Jinpei popped his head around the corner of the stack of boxes, then continued as he joined his teammates. “That’s what Joe thinks too. There’s a way down over there. Come on!”

“Hold on,” Ken grabbed the young swallow’s cowl and held him back. “We need to try contacting Ryu before we get any deeper into the base.”

“Are you kidding?” Jinpei turned to Jun. “Does he really expect to be able contact to Ryu out there in the God Phoenix when we can’t even get a signal in here?”

“G5, this is G1. Do you copy?” Ken spoke into his bracelet. “G5, do you read?”

“He’s not expecting an answer, but you know we have to try,” Jun reminded him. “It’s procedure. And the God Phoenix has signal boosters.”

Just then Joe dropped down from the top of one of the taller stacks to join the others.

“I guess we can’t call in the cavalry?” Joe’s question was answered by a shake of Ken’s head. “The jamming device must be somewhere in the base. Last time we contacted Ryu we were less than a hundred meters away from where we are now.”

“Maybe I can find a way to detect the device,” Jun suggested as she opened her bracelet’s faceplate.

“Good idea,” Ken agreed. “We get in, Jinpei and I will find the stolen equipment, you and Joe find and neutralise the jamming device. Twenty minute time limit – if communications haven’t been restored by then we get out and blow the base.”

“We won’t have that long if we go now,” Joe said, ominously. “There’s a lot of activity over there now. Change of shift, meal time or something.”

A five minute wait allowed the foot traffic around the stairs to die down while Jun found a signal that could be the jamming device, and a way to track its location.

The four ninjas made it down the long flight of stairs without needing to deal with more than a half dozen Galactor infantry. The staircase opened out to a wide intersection of corridors. They’d seen similar layouts before and could make educated guesses as to which direction to head in to find what they were looking for.

“Signal seems strongest this way.” Jun indicated the corridor leading straight ahead of the stairs.

“Twenty minutes,” Ken reminded them, then took off down the corridor on the left with Jinpei close behind.

The corridor Jun and Joe needed to take appeared to be a main artery through the base. It was wide with a high ceiling and doors leading off either side at regular intervals. A suspended catwalk allowing access to the corridor lights and air ducts ran above the centre of the corridor. Joe suggested they’d encounter less goons if he and Jun traversed the catwalk. Progress was slightly cautious to prevent the suspended lights from swinging as they walked. All the while the signal Jun was following became stronger. The end of the corridor brought them to a large set of interlocking, sliding steel doors.

“Whatever we’re looking for is through there,” Jun whispered.

“Looks like it has a keypad lock, that’ll mean we need a code.” Joe groaned at the prospect. “That door will be too thick to drill through or torch – it’ll take too long.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Jun smiled and nodded towards a pair of Galactor soldiers approaching the doors.

Sure enough, they stopped at the doors and the taller of the two punched a series of numbers into the keypad. As the huge doors slid apart the two men started to walk through, and Jun and Joe swooped. Quick as a flash, a streak of pink and another of blue descended from the catwalk and flew through the doors. The two Galactor goons never knew what hit them – both were out of action before the double doors had closed again.

Jun and Joe found themselves inside a large hangar. Technicians and mechanics in Galactor uniforms, and small service vehicles moved about the vast space. An enormous, somewhat bird-shaped aircraft occupied the centre of the domed area. A kind of mezzanine level jutted three meters out of the side walls about ten meters above floor level, extending three quarters of the way around the room, leaving a semi-circular hangar door at the far end.

After dragging the hapless goons out of sight, Joe and Jun crouched beside equipment racks against the side wall and took stock of their surroundings.

“What is that?” Joe asked, indicating the massive, blue-ish metal aircraft with a nasty looking long, thin, slightly curved beak. “Some kind of wading bird?”

“I don’t know,” Jun replied distractedly, “but the jamming device is probably somewhere on board.”

At that moment an alarm started blaring.

“Jinpei and Ken!” Jun gasped.

“. . . can take care of themselves,” Joe reassured her. “But if I’m not mistaken, we’re gonna have to hurry this up.”

The amount of activity in the hangar (and by the sound of it, on the mezzanine level above them) began to increase as uniformed soldiers began responding to the alarm. Orders were being barked, weapons collected and readied for action, and likely locations for the intruders suggested; “The Command Centre!” . . . “the plant room” . . . “The power generator!”

“Do you think they found the stolen components?” Jun whispered.

“I think they found trouble.”

“Then maybe we should go and help them.”

“The best way for us to help would be to get inside that . . . thing and find the jamming device.” Joe studied her expression for a moment. He hoped his own concern for Ken and Jinpei was not as obvious, but he could also see determination behind that golden visor. She nodded, doing her best to put aside her unease.

There were now less technicians and mechanics in the hangar, but there was still some activity audible above them. Guards could be seen posted at entrances on the mezzanine, but they were focussing their attention away from the hangar floor.

“Looks like now’s our best chance,” Joe suggested before heading off in a blue streak across the hangar and concealing himself behind one of the long, folded metal legs of the giant bird. Jun quickly followed.

The main hatch and ramp was closed, but a small opening in the bird’s hull, designed to allow maintenance access, had been left open in the rush to respond to the alarm. The ladder had been removed, but a five meter, near-vertical leap was no challenge for the two ninjas.

Just as Joe made his landing inside the iron bird, and Jun was preparing to jump, the vibrations and muffled sounds of an explosion somewhere within the base shook them. Jun fought the urge to look for the source of the detonation and instead focussed her energy into her leap, and soon joined Joe in a narrow space running uphill towards the bird’s left wing. They couldn’t fit side by side, and Joe had to stoop to keep from hitting his head. The tunnel was designed to give maintenance crews access to control cables, electrical circuits and crawl spaces between mechanical sections.

Another, slightly louder explosion and the sound of distant gunfire reached their ears.

“We need to hurry,” Joe grumbled and began making his way up the access tunnel.

“I wish I knew what was going on,” Jun complained.

“Then we’d better find this thing and disable it so we can get hold of Ken and ask him!” Joe shot back as he continued up the tunnel, leaving Jun little choice but to follow.

They had made about ten meters of steady progress when another alarm began to sound. A different tone from the earlier one. The maintenance hatch Jun and Joe had entered through clanged shut below and behind them. Sounds of running feet and voices made their way nearer and the loud, mechanical cacophony of the main belly hatch mechanism clunked to life, culminating in the gritty clang and grind of the ramp hitting the hangar floor.

Jun took a breath to steady her pounding heart, and consulted her bracelet to try and get a fix on the location of the jamming device. They had to be pretty close.

“We need to make our way up and to the right,” she stated in a far less panicky tone than she felt.

“Then we’ll need to check out these side shafts,” Joe suggested.

Footsteps and voices were now evident both inside and outside the mecha. A distinctly metallic screeching sound indicated the opening of the main hangar doors. Servos began clicking as the mecha’s systems started to come online, engines whined into their warm-up sequence. Preparations for take-off had begun.

“Okay,” Joe backed out of one of the side shafts. “Not that way! By the sound of it, that leads to an engine.”

“This one!” Jun exclaimed from another shaft a little further up.

The side tunnel she had found led a short distance into a small room lined with shelves and racks stocked with tools and spare parts. Joe crawled through into the room and stood at his full height for the first time since they’d entered the mecha, then strode straight over to the door at the other end of the room and listened.

“. . . base is compromised, Lord Katse has set the self-destruct. As soon as he is aboard we’ll take off . . .”

As he turned to face Jun he saw her expression change to one of alarm and Joe realised his own expression was a mix of surprise and concern. He relayed the overheard information to her.

“Then we need to get out of here,” she responded. “We have to warn Ken and Jinpei!”

“They will have figured it out by now,” Joe reassured her. “They’ll find a way out of the base. Right now our best chance of escape is to stay aboard this mecha. If Katse is using it as a lifeboat then it’s a guaranteed safe ride out.”

“Then what? Our comms are still down. The others won’t know where we are.”

“We stick to the plan – find the jamming device and disable it. Then we can contact the others and . . .” he trailed off in thought. “Maybe we can track Katse back to Galactor’s headquarters.”

“And what if we can’t disable it? Or if we can’t find it? Or if we’re discovered and . . .”

“Then we blow this thing to pieces and hope for a soft landing.”

Just then the engine noise increased and the mecha lurched as it moved into take-off position. The belly hatch ramp could be heard retracting and closing. There was a large explosion somewhere close by, perhaps even within the hangar. Another change in engine note and a sudden jolt accompanied the take off. The bird mecha barely cleared the hangar entrance as a massive fiery explosion blasted out of the base. The shockwave and turbulence sent the aircraft lurching and rocking, causing badly restrained equipment to fly in all directions about the storeroom. A large tool chest began to topple.

“Jun!” Joe warned as he staggered and struggled to stay upright amid the aircraft’s erratic movements.

Jun tried to leap clear of the heavy chest as it fell, but she was off balance and struggling to find her footing. As she jumped the mecha pitched sideways violently and her right ankle buckled beneath her. The tool chest crashed to the floor, narrowly missing her feet on its way down and her way up. She landed heavily in a half-kneeling position next to Joe with a grunt and a grimace of pain.

They rode out the rest of the turbulence in silence, concentrating on staying balanced and clear of further falling objects. Then as the mecha’s flight began to level out into clear air, Joe reached out to help Jun to her feet.

“You okay?”

Jun kept hold of Joe’s arm as she tested her weight on her right foot.

“Aaaaah!” She hopped a little on her left foot. “No! I don’t think anything’s broken, but I can’t put much weight on it.”

“Okay,” he said, slowly, “so, you stay here. Show me how to track this jamming device and I’ll go find it. Then I’ll come back here and we’ll get out the way we came in. Moving through these tunnels is too slow for my liking, but it’s a more discreet option than using the main corridors.”

She considered his plan for a moment. She didn’t much like the idea of sitting around helplessly, wondering if Joe was having any luck. The chances of him finding it without drawing unwanted attention were too slim.

“No,” she asserted, a look of steely determination in her emerald eyes as she fixed them on his. “Let’s go with Plan B – blow this thing to pieces!”

He held her gaze a while, discerning how much of this was pain talking and how much was about wanting to know if Jinpei and Ken were okay. He could see that she wanted this over quickly, but she was looking at the options. If they destroyed the mecha it might destroy the jamming device as well.

“Alright,” Joe sighed and gave a nod. “What kind of charges have you got?”

He and Jun took stock of their combined stash of explosives and timing devices, discussed what little they knew so far of the mecha’s structure, propulsion system and dimensions, and came up with a plan of action. Joe would need to leave Jun on her own for a while, but there was little chance of either of them being detected while he was gone. Jun handed over the two small, but powerful devices she’d assembled. All Joe would need to do was place them and set the timers.

Joe returned to the maintenance tunnel and followed it upward, looking for a lateral corridor that would cross over to the other side. Just as Jun had predicted a cramped tunnel, presumably somewhere close to the bird’s shoulders provided access to a central power cell which supplied most of the ship’s critical systems. It was likely the path he had just travelled would be mirrored on the other side of the ship.

It took only a few minutes for Joe to secure the explosive device directly to the power cell, set the timer and make his way back to Jun. Together they made their way back through the maintenance tunnel toward the small hatch in the hull where they had come in. On the way Joe ducked into the side shaft he’d found earlier and set the second explosive device close to the engine, this one on a shorter timer.

They were delayed slightly by the seal on the exit hatch. Jun used a small charge to blow the electronic lock and they were able to drop through and freefall clear of the giant metal bird, just as the timer on the first explosive reached zero.

As two sets of Birdstyle wings unfurled the dull crump and thud of the first explosion caused the steel bird to buckle outwards between the metal wings. Joe began to ride the air currents, searching for a place to land on one of the small islands dotting the Pacific Ocean below them. He spotted a likely candidate and looked back to check that Jun was following as he directed his glide towards it. The second explosive detonated, causing a fireball and black smoke to belch from the engine behind the mecha’s left wing. The ugly steel bird was losing altitude, breaking apart and beginning to tumble as further explosions flashed across its body. The spindly legs were among the first large pieces to break away, along with large sheets of the outer casing and smaller pieces of flaming debris.

The long, narrow curved beak detached and plunged into the ocean as the spherical head launched away from the elongated neck and steered up and away. It had to be Katse’s escape vessel.

Checking over his shoulder at regular intervals to watch for debris, and to ensure Jun was still close by, Joe glided above the wooded area of the island and started descending toward a long stretch of beach. Dodging various jagged pieces of hot metal jutting out of the sand, he touched down gently in the soft, white sand close to the trees. Knowing Jun would find landing difficult with an injured ankle, he immediately turned to check her position. Following her trajectory, he ran along the beach to meet her at her landing point.

Jun glided in to land, seeing Joe waiting to assist. She touched her left foot down and allowed her momentum to take her forward towards Joe’s waiting arms so that she didn’t have to put weight on her right foot as she put the toe of her boot onto the sand. She held Joe’s right forearm and left shoulder as she steadied herself, and looked up to meet his concerned gaze.

“Thanks, Joe”

At that moment the largest remaining section of the bird mecha, which had only remained in the air this long through the sheer determination of a small Galactor flight crew who were desperately hoping against all hope that they may somehow survive this catastrophe, finally succumbed to its fate and crashed into the ocean in a dramatic and bright ball of flame. Joe closed his eyes and turned his head against the irritation of the flash of light. Jun turned to study the colour and shape of the flames and smoke on the horizon, analysing the probable cause of the aircraft exploding on impact the way it did.

The bright flash faded to an orange glow and began to disappear as the smoke billowed, rose and dissipated. Joe, no longer irritated by the light, turned back towards the crash site.

“I guess that’s it. Now we’ll never figure out what it was meant to be.”

“I think it was an ibis,” Jun informed him, “although I’m not sure why they decided to paint it blue.” She shifted her position slightly with an awkward pivot and a limping half step.

“Here, let me take a look at that ankle.” Joe indicated a nearby fallen tree trunk and gently guided Jun over to it, lending a hand to help her sit. Kneeling at her feet, he took her right foot in his hands. “This isn’t going to be easy, but we need to get this boot off.”

“It’ll be easier if I transform out of Birdstyle,” Jun offered.

“Check your communicator,” Joe suggested. “Can you contact the others?”

“What? Why?” Jun responded with appropriate confusion, raising her bracelet to follow Joe’s instruction.

“Just try it.” Joe had that look that said he was thinking two steps ahead and waiting for her to catch up.

“G3 to G1. Do you read me, Commander? . . . Jinpei? Ryu? Do you copy?” There was no response.

“Comms are still jammed. That means the device is still active and somewhere nearby.” Joe watched Jun as she concentrated on where this train of thought was going. “There is a chance that there are survivors from the crash who could also be monitoring our transformation frequency. It’s a slim chance, but do you want to risk it?”

Since Galactor had gained the knowledge of the team’s transformation frequency some months back Dr Nambu had cautioned them all to be even more careful of when and where they transformed.

“No,” Jun conceded. “But how did you know our communications were still down?”

“I know Ken,” Joe grinned. “As soon as that jamming device is out of action we’ll hear him chirp.” The grin faded as Joe began to concentrate on the job at hand. “Okay, you ready?”

Jun gave a nod and manoeuvred her foot as best she could while Joe gently eased the long, white boot off, revealing her reddened, swollen ankle. She found herself marvelling at the gentle touch of his hands, the tender care he took as he had her test the range of movement, and that mixture of calm, controlled confidence, and pure concern in his eyes each time he looked up at her to ask a question. It didn’t take long to determine the injury was most likely to be a sprain, albeit a nasty one. Joe reached into a pouch on his belt and brought out a compression bandage. She watched in silence as those hands that she knew could be deadly when necessary expertly wound the bandage around her ankle with such gentleness.

“You’re good at that,” she remarked as he finished pinning the bandage in place. He gave her a bemused look. “The first-aid thing. You have excellent field dressing skills.”

He found himself unsure of how to react, so he smirked, shrugged and adopted his best doctor-ish voice. “Well, without ice to bring the swelling down you will have to make sure you rest and elevate that ankle.”

“I’ll rest it when we get back to the God Phoenix.” Jun’s expression changed to one of resolve as she reached for her boot. “Right now we need to find that jamming device.”

(Read the rest on AO3)

#science ninja team gatchaman #gatchaman #joe asakura #jun (gatchaman)#fanfiction #joe/jun #battle of the planets

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natalidenton · 2 years ago

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It's been a while since I updated this ol' thing, so thought I'd finally do it. Shout out to whoever made this meme back on DA!

I decided since I stopped adding in the lil blurbs that I'd just make the size of the canvas a bit bigger cause as I get better I wanna show off the details xD

Forrrr anyone interested uhh from like 2017 onwards I haven't really done a lot of art each year, working full time steals a lot of my time and motivation to want to do things other than sleep lol. But I do try to do studies, and I've tried to do Outfit August for my witch OC, and I take part in some secret santa gift exchanges, so I do a few things.

#art #art improvement meme #art improvement #art through the years #artist #digital art #traditional art

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arkane-secret-santa · 2 months ago

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Three days left for sign-ups!

Join us for this festive prompt-based fic exchange on AO3!

#arkane secret santa #redfall #dishonored #deathloop #prey 2017 #fic exchange #fan event #secret santa

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ceallaigheirinn · 2 years ago

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Ten lines tagging meme

Thank you to the lovely @politicalmamaduck for the tag!

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway❤️

1. “It was late, well into the small hours of the night by the time their shuttle reached planetfall and descended toward the surface below.” HANDFAST. A Reylo canon-divergent forced marriage fic for the 2023 Valentines Exchange.

2. “It had been a little over a standard month since she touched down on Tatooine.” GRIMTASH. A Reylo post canon reunion fic for the 2023 RFFA Valentine Exchange.

3. “The sun descended over the Silver Sea as it did every evening.” HEATHENS. A Reylo soft BDSM kink fic. Wanted to write outside my comfort zone.

4. “The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon on the Silver Sea as Rey entered her small apartment on the outskirts of Hanna City.” I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU. A Reylo Dark Rey origin story/Reylo baby fic for the 2021 RFFA Valentine Exchange. Really need to reexplore this universe and write a sequel.

5. “Tatooine summers always meant sandstorms.” UNSTUCK IN TIME. A Reylo Bring Ben Back fic for the 2020 RFFA Anthology. Biggest work I’ve written. Post-canon. Wanted to prove I could bring back while being 100% canon compliant. Take that, Abrams!! Time travel!

6. “The springtime monsoon season had come to Batuu and for the seventeenth day straight, sheets of unrelenting rain pelted down from the sky.” WHAT WAS LOST IS NOW FOUND. Amnesia trope Reylo fic for the 2020 RFFA Valentine Exchange.

7. “It wasn’t their bed on Chandrila, but this one in the Millennium Falcon’s captain’s quarters was the next best thing.” THE WEIGHT OF A SOUL. A Reylo fic for the 2019 RFFA Anthology. Vengeance demons with a bit borrowed from Ammit mythology.

8. “The first thing Rey noted when she touched down in Coronet City was the complete absence of color.” SERENDIPITY. A Reylo canon-divergent dystopian fic written for the 2019 RFFA New Years Fic Exchange.

9. “Kylo Ren wakes with a strangled gasp as he sits bolt upright in his bed.” TOUCH. Nightmares, Forcebond. Quiet Reylo moment for the 2017 Underrated Reylo Secret Santa Exchange. Was going to be bigger, but I like the simplicity of one chapter.

10. “Ben Solo awoke with a gasp.” SPILLIKIN. Exiled Reylo canonverse for the 2017 RFFA Anthology. Wherein Ben honors his parents and tries to forgive himself.

You get a bonus, because fic because I’m really proud of fic 11. Set in the same universe as Serendipity. Wrote it in a day. Only time that has ever happened.

11. “Ben Solo had been the sole human residing on Maluhia for a little over a year.” SOLITUDE INTERRUPTED. A Reylo fic I wrote the day Carrie Fisher died. Ben Solo lost his mother that day, and I’ve struggled to write a living Leia since then.

Will tag a few. No obligation to participate, but I’d love to revisit and discover fic!

@checktheholonet @briarlily @the-reylo-void @anopendoor @whatceliawrites

#reylo fanfiction anthology #reylo fanfic #my writing #fandiction #reylo fandom #writing #star wars fanfiction #ao3 fic #fic

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drama-suggestions · 2 years ago

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Rom-Com Dramas

Extraordinary attorney Woo (2022) (16 episodes)

9/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8.7/10 on IMDb

Extraordinary Attorney Woo is the story of Woo Young-woo, an autistic lawyer raised by her single father. She graduates at the top of her law school class and obtains her first job at Hanbada, a large Seoul law firm. Her intelligence and photographic memory help her become an excellent lawyer, but her communication is initially seen as odd and awkward. She also encounters people who are prejudiced against her and others with disabilities, such as her fellow colleague Kwon Min-woo, who often tries to sabotage her. Her approach is often unique and helps resolve cases in unexpected ways.

2. Business Proposal (2022) (12 episodes)

8.7/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8.1/10 rating on IMDb

Shin Ha-ri goes on a blind date with Kang Tae-moo, CEO of Go Food, but it goes awry when her date turns out to be Kang Da-goo, the chairman of Go Foods parent company. Young-seo tricks Ha-ri into meeting Tae-moo at his request. Ha-ri lies to Tae-moo and bribes him into pretending to be his fiancée in exchange for 800,000 won per date. Despite feeling betrayed, Tae-moo still loves Ha-ri and they become a couple. Young-seo moves out of her father's house and finds out that she is now Sung-hoon's neighbor. Sung-hoon is upset with her for deceiving his boss, but eventually realizes his growing affections for Young-seo and they get together.

3. Crash Course in Romance (2023) (16 episodes)

8.5/10 rating on MyDramaList and 7.8/10 on IMDb

Nam Haeng Sun, a former national athlete, now owns a side dish store and is attracted to Choi Chi Yeol, a popular and hardworking private instructor known as the "1 Billion Won Man". Despite his reputation, Choi Chi Yeol has become increasingly aloof and irritable due to his growing success. Nam Haeng Sun embarks on a new career in the private education field and discovers a deeper connection with Choi Chi Yeol. However, their relationship is not without challenges, as they must learn to confront their own shortcomings and trust in each other's strengths. It has a satisfying ending that resolves the issues of the characters.

4. I’m not a Robot (2017) (16 episodes)

8.4/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8/10 on IMDb

Kim Min-kyu lives a luxurious but isolated life due to a severe allergy to physical contact with other human beings. Jo Ji-ah is trying to create businesses based on her inventions. KM Financial owns the Santa Maria team headed by professor Hong Baek-gyun, who has secretly created an advanced humanoid robot called AG3. To convince Min-kyu not to sell the team, Baek-gyun sends the robot to him as a demonstration, but it short-circuits and Baek-gyun asks Ji-ah to pose as the robot, giving the team time to repair Aji 3. Ji-ah impersonates Aji 3 and Min-kyu falls in love with her, believing she is the robot. He is disturbed by this and "reboots" her, erasing the robot's memory. Baek-gyun then replaces Ji-ah with the real Aji 3, and Min-kyu discovers Ji-ah's deception and nearly kills him. Ji-ah confesses her love to Min-kyu and they rediscover their love. Aji 3's secret cache is hacked, revealing Min-kyu's illness, which is used to attempt a take-over of KM Financial and complete the sale of the Santa Maria team and Aji 3. Min-kyu manages to thwart the attempt and restores Aji 3 to the Santa Maria team. 2 years later, the Santa Maria team successfully launches a new robot and Min-kyu and Ji-ah are happily living their changed lives.

5. True Beauty (2020) (16 episodes)

8.3/10 rating on MyDramaList and 8.5 on IMDb

Lim Ju-Kyung is a high school student who has been discriminated against by her family and bullied by her peers in previous school due to being perceived as ugly. She masters wearing makeup and quickly rises to fame. Su-ho is a student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School who is popular for his handsome looks and being the top of his class. His dysfunctional family and a tragic incident from a year ago have turned him into an ice-cold boy who hates being the center of attention. He is formerly best friends with Seo-Jun and shares Ju-Kyung's penchant for horror comic books. This series, which has an entertaining bromance, explores Ju-Kyung's life and her aspiration to become a cosmetologist.

#kdrama #drama #romance #comedy #romcom

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xprojectrpg · 16 hours ago

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This Day in X-Project - December 25

2015: Alison asks if there are any TV/Computer people that could hook her up with England’s Channel 4. Darcy leaves gifts for Clint and Clarice. Gabriel texts Miles asking him to thank his parents for the invite but sorry he couldn’t make it. Gabriel texts Wade that if he starts to text him a string of incoherent letters that is Wade’s cue to get him a cab. Warren sends the entire mansion a Christmas card with this picture. Clint wishes everyone a Happy Holidays and that he woke up with tickets to Hadron Collider taped to his forehead. North texts Xavin if anyone else wanted to come to Whitewater tomorrow. North texts Maya saying to be ready to leave by midmorning. North texts Gabriel asking if midmorning would be a good time for him to leave. Gabriel leaves a box in butcher paper with an envelope on top for Warren with the updated picture and a 100 dollar bill, inside the box is a glitter bomb. Quentin texts Gabriel asking if it counts as prostitution if you blow someone in exchange for weed. Maya emails Bas saying Happy Birthday.

2016: Miles and Jubilee post Christmas wishes, while Gabriel posts about George Michael’s death.

2017:

2018:

2019: Mansion Secret Santa: Meggan leaves gloves for Natasha; Betsy leaves Kyle a gift voucher for an Online Educator course; Darcy gives Clarice Swarovski crystals and an iTunes gift card; Molly gives Darcy a nerdy cookbook and a kitty necklace; Jean gives Artie snacks, a coffee mug and a hand-knit beanie; Alani gives Matt a blanket; Matt gives Molly a gift card to a spa.

2020: Alison asks for technical help so she can watch BBC4 on Boxing Day.

2021: Arise, X-Man: Marie-Ange and Kevin S. meet to discuss the evidence that Laurie was apparently using her powers on Darcy for an extended period. Darcy texts Matt to wish him a Merry Christmas.

2022: Jubilee and Kevin S. attend the resort’s casino. Kevin S. and Gabe have a chat at the bar on Christmas Day.

2023: Gabe leaves Quentin a present; Sam texts Clint to wish him a merry Christmas. Hope S. volunteers to help Madin with the damage she caused. Garrison and Rogue enjoy Christmas on the Kane family yacht.

#this day in xproject #xprpg #xproject #x-project #rp #rpg #plots #plot

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thebarsondaily · 7 years ago

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As Time Goes By

For @roseinutopia

Title: As Time Goes By Author: barbaxbenson Rating: General Summary: Snapshots of Barnoah family Christmases throughout the years. A/N: I hope this is the family fluff you were looking for! Merry Christmas!

Five “Look at that one!” Noah ran ahead excitedly through the Christmas tree lot. Every tree they’d seen so far had been his favorite, at least until another one caught his eye.

“Not too far, Noah,” Olivia called after him as she and Rafael strolled with their fingers laced together.

“You know,” Rafael told her. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Bought a Christmas tree?” She asked, craning her neck to make sure she could still see Noah among the evergreens.

He nodded. “We always had a fake tree. It was this old thing that my mother found out on the curb and lugged up six flights of stairs to our apartment. There were branches missing and it leaned to one side, but she loved it. ‘Just like Charlie Brown’s!’ she’d say every year when we put it up.” He chuckled wistfully at the memory.

Olivia smiled. “It sounds pretty great.”

“It was,” he agreed with a smile. “And when we’d finish decorating it, we’d lay with our head on the tree skirt and look up at all the lights. It was a little bit of magic in a time that wasn’t so magical.”

It was nice to hear a happy story from his childhood. He didn’t talk much about his life growing up and she knew why, but it was good to know that it hadn’t been all bad. She liked picturing a young Rafael, feet sticking out from under the tree as he stared up at the lights, a big grin on his face.

“Mommy!” Noah called, having stopped in front of a tree a few yards away.

“Is that the one?” Olivia asked as they approached him and Noah nodded vigorously.

“It’s a little big. Think you can carry it all the way home?” Rafael asked him, giving the tree an exaggerated once over.

Noah rolled his eyes. “I’m not carrying it, you’re carrying it.”

“No, I’m pretty sure we agreed that you’d be doing the heavy lifting.” Rafael said seriously.

“Rafi!” Noah gave an exaggerated sigh.

“Oh, fine.” Rafael gave in. “I’ll carry it, if you help. You can show your mom how strong you are.”

“Okay!” Noah agreed.

“Be right back.” Rafael kissed Olivia, who had been watching the exchange with a loving smile on her face, before going off to find the lot attendant.

It took all three of them to heft the tree back to Olivia’s apartment, but they made it and Olivia’s heart never felt so full as she and her two favorite guys strung lights and garland and hung ornaments - including a few from Rafael’s childhood that Lucia had sent - over the branches. By the time they were finished it looked pretty damn good if she did say so herself.

Rafael finished putting the tree skirt in place around the base and flopped down with a sigh, his head resting on the soft fabric.

“What are you doing, Rafi?” Curious, Noah bent down, hands on his knees, to look under the bottom limbs at Rafael.

“Come see.” Rafael gestured for Noah to join him, and the boy complied.

His eyes widened and he grinned with delight at all of the pretty colors of the lights, even more beautiful from that angle.

Olivia felt her heart warm at the sight and grabbed her phone, snapping a photo of two sets of legs sticking out from under the tree.

“Mommy, come see!” Noah beckoned her and she sat her phone to the side and joined them.

“Very pretty!” Olivia said enthusiastically, her eyes meeting Rafael’s over the top of Noah’s head. He gave her a wink and she found herself hoping that this would be the first Christmas of many that the three of them would spend together.

Ten “This one’s my favorite.”

Rafael watched from the kitchen, steaming mug of coffee in hand, as Noah held up an ornament for Jesse to see. He smiled when he noticed it was the one Olivia had made at one of those cheesy mall kiosks the first Christmas after they’d been married. It was a cartoonish family of three, all with dark hair and smiling faces, the names Rafi, Liv, and Noah written underneath in a swirling script.

Noah had loved it and it made Rafael happy that even now at ten, when Noah was starting to pull away from childish things, the boy still cherished the ornament.

Noah hung the ornament as high as he could and Rafael chuckled over his coffee cup as he noticed that the top quarter of the tree remained bare since neither Noah nor Jesse could reach. He’d offered to help and only got so far as wrapping the lights when Noah had shooed him from the room with a determined, “We can do it, Papi.”

He wished Olivia was here to watch as Noah confidently hung ornaments alongside his best friend, but she and Rollins were working a tough case, a string of serial rapes, and the powers that be at 1PP were on them to have it wrapped up by Christmas. So Rafael had picked up the kids from school and taken them to the tree lot himself. He would have loved to wait until they could have all gone together, but it was only a week until Christmas and their townhouse had looked barren without their traditional oversized tree.

The truth was, he should still be at work himself, he thought as he looked at the open laptop and papers spread across the marble island. As EADA and Chief of the Trial Division his workload was astronomical. It made him wish for the days of SVU knocking on his office door begging for warrants and late nights at Forlini’s catching up on trial prep. These days he was lucky to get to bed by 1am and tonight would be no exception.

He dove into answering emails, keeping one ear on the living room, more out of habit than anything now that Noah was years past needing constant supervision, until he was called in to add the star to the top of the tree.

“It looks great,” he praised, even if the top portion of the tree remained void of ornaments. He and Liv could make some additions that night after Noah was asleep.

“Can I show her the best part?” Noah asked him in a stage whisper and Rafael nodded.

“Of course.” Rafael smiled. “It wouldn’t be fair if Jesse didn’t get the complete experience.”

“What is it?” Jesse asked, a bit wary.

“C’mon.” Noah laid down under the tree and motioned for Jesse to join him. “You’ll see.”

Trusting her friend, Jesse joined Noah under the tree, settling in next to him on the tree skirt.

“Isn’t it cool? Papi and I do this every year.” Noah explained and Rafael felt his heart expand in his chest, happy that his tradition with his mother had lived on through Noah.

A key turned in the lock of the front door and Olivia walked in, followed by Amanda, both of them shaking snow from their hair.

Neither kid budged, continuing to chat away from their place under the tree, but Rafael smiled, walking over to place a quick peck on Olivia’s lips. “You’re home earlier than expected.”

“Not much more we can do tonight.” She said, sounding resigned as she hung her coat in the hall closet.

“What’s going on here?” Amanda asked, eyeing the two pairs of feet sticking out from beneath the Christmas tree.

“Oh, just a little family tradition,” Rafael explained.

“Well, they better make room for me,” Amanda said loudly, so that the kids would hear, as she crossed the room.

“Mom, what are you doing?” Jesse tried for exasperated, but her giggle gave her away when Amanda crawled under the tree to join them.

“Just seein’ what all the fuss is about.” Amanda said, settling on her back. “Hey, this is pretty cool.”

Rafael and Olivia looked at one another before nodding and scrambling to join the others.

Fifteen Noah sat on the couch, tapping away at his phone screen while Rafael wrapped lights around their Christmas tree.

“I think we’re about ready for decorations,” he said jovially as he made the final pass around the tree.

“Can’t you and mom do it? My friends want me to meet them.” Noah never looked up from his phone.

Rafael’s face fell. “But it’s our tradition.”

“I went to pick out the stupid tree with you, didn’t I?” Noah finally looked up, fire in his eyes. “I’ve been a prisoner to your schedule for months. You said when the election was over I could have more freedom, but you still don’t let me do anything.”

It wasn’t true at all, Rafael thought, but it probably felt that way to Noah. He sighed as Olivia walked into the room carrying a tray with three mugs on it, “Go meet your friends. Mom and I will decorate the tree.”

Olivia sat the tray down on the coffee table. “Home by 10,” she said as Noah quickly kissed her cheek on the way by before beelining out the front door before they could change their minds.

“Guess I should have only made two.” She handed Rafael his hot chocolate. “Want some help?”

Rafael smiled, grateful as ever for Olivia. “Yes, please.”

It wasn’t the same as it had been when Noah was growing up, but they had fun, stringing garland and reminiscing as they hung the ornaments they’d collected over the years. And when it was finished she took his hand with a smile, pulling him down to the floor.

They settled on the tree skirt, Olivia’s head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her as they looked up at the lights.

“You know, in a few weeks I will be sworn in as a judge and I can’t even get my own son to respect me.”

Noah had been calling Rafael Papi for nearly a decade and it had been almost that long since Rafael had formally adopted him, but it still sent a small thrill through Olivia every time Rafael called him his son. “He’s fifteen,” she said like that explained everything. “He doesn’t respect anyone.”

Rafael grunted, showing his displeasure. “That doesn’t make it okay.”

“He’s a good kid, gets good grades, stays out of trouble. He’s just rebelling a bit right now.” Olivia leaned back to look at him. “The election wasn’t the easiest thing on him.”

Now he sighed, a thread of guilt running through his veins. It felt familiar, and with good reason since he’d been feeling it for weeks. Somehow during his campaign a reporter had gotten ahold of the fact that Noah was adopted, the abandoned baby of a murdered prostitute and her sex trafficking pimp. The story made Rafael and his police captain wife out to be heros, saints who had given this child a loving home, but for Noah, it was humiliating.

He knew his history, thank God, Liv could only imagine if he’d found it out from the internet, but he hated the fact that know the whole world knew, especially his classmates at the fancy prep school that Rafael and Olivia paid for.

“You’re right,” Rafael said, absentmindedly threading his fingers through her hair. “He has every right to be pissed at me. It’s just hard letting go.”

She looked up at him, the lines on his face deeper, his hair more silver than brown at this point, just as much evidence of the quick passage of time as her nearly six foot tall son. “Yes, it is, but he’ll come around. He won’t be mad forever.”

Rafael thought about how his father had been dead for nearly thirty years and the hatred that still welled up in his heart whenever he came to mind. He knew he was nothing like his father, he’d been a good dad to Noah and it would be a cold day in hell before he ever hurt the boy, but Rafael was a prime example of how it was possible to indeed stay mad forever.

Olivia had watched as the hand that wasn’t in her hair clenched into a fist and she brought it to her lips, kissing the golden band on his ring finger that hadn’t moved since she’d slipped it on nearly ten years ago, before tugging gently on his fingers to undo the fist. “He won’t.” She assured him.

Rafael knew she was right. She always was.

He squeezed her to him, placing a loving kiss on top of her head before settling back down to stare up at the lights.

Twenty “How’s it look?” Rafael stepped back, eyeing the tree with a critical eye, aided by the glasses that he now had to wear all the time instead of just for reading.

“Perfect,” Olivia said for the tenth time that week. He’d been fiddling with the tree for days, shifting ornaments, adding tinsel, all in anticipation of Noah’s arrival. “Now, help me with these trays, they’ll be here any minute.”

“You really went overboard,” Rafael said, following her into the kitchen. Spread out on the island were platters of crudites and cheeses, and enough cookies to last them through July. She’d had to take mandatory retirement the month prior and she’d thrown herself into prep for Christmas.

“Says the man who erected the Rockefeller Christmas tree in our living room.” She countered, picking up one of the platters. “Now make yourself useful.”

“I’m always useful,” he grumbled as he picked up a tray in each hand.

Back in the living room he watched as she arranged and then rearranged the snacks on the coffee table. “Liv, it’s fine.”

Olivia stepped back, eyeing her handiwork and Rafael wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I know, it’s just, he’s never brought someone home before and I want it to be perfect.”

They’d been hearing for weeks on their regular calls about Jamie and how happy Noah was, not that he needed to say it, they could see it in the way Noah’s face lit up.

Rafael had watched his wife face the city’s toughest criminals, but the thought of meeting her son’s boyfriend had her a nervous wreck. “It will be.” He dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Stop worrying.”

“Knock, knock,” Noah said as he pushed open the front door, carrying a small suitcase. Behind him was a handsome young man with bronze skin, dark hair, and a nervous expression that mirrored Olivia’s.

“There he is,” Rafael said happily, pulling Noah, who now towered over him, into a hug.

“Welcome home.” Olivia hugged him as well.

“Mom, Papi, this is Jamie,” Noah introduced them.

“Your Honor, Captain,” Jamie said as he shook their hands and Noah scoffed.

“I told you that you don’t have to call them that.”

“I’m just being respectful,” Jamie insisted, looking embarrassed.

“We appreciate that, Jamie, but Rafael and Olivia are fine.” Olivia assured him.

“Actually, I prefer Your Honor,” Rafael kept his tone serious.

“Stop,” Olivia nudged him with her elbow before motioning them into the living room. “Come in, you two. Put your stuff down. I was just making up a little snack.”

Noah eyed the small feast on the coffee table and then looked at Rafael who shook his head slightly. “Looks great, Mom,” he said instead of the comment that had been on his tongue about her going overboard.

“Does anyone want anything to drink, coffee, tea? It’s a bit early for wine, but hey, it’s Christmas,” Olivia offered.

“While I have no doubts that our son has had a drink or two at school, might I remind you that he’s 20?” Rafael asked her, amused.

“We’re fine,” Noah said with a laugh before his mother could reply. He and Jamie settled onto the sofa before he asked, “So, how’s retirement treating you, Mom?”

“It’s boring,” Olivia answered honestly, settling onto the arm of the chair that Rafael was sitting in.

“She has offers to sit on the board of half a dozen non-profits,” Rafael bragged, smiling up at Olivia in a way that made Noah feel lucky that his parents were still so in love. It had been embarrassing as a teenager, the way they mooned over one another, but now he knew fortunate he was.

“Really? Will you accept any?” Noah put some cheese on a cracker, more to make his mother feel better than out of hunger.

Olivia shrugged. “I’m thinking about it.”

They fell into a somewhat awkward silence and Rafael was about to ask Jamie about where he was from when he caught Noah eyeing the Christmas tree. “What?”

“You know,” Noah said slowly. “You should really get an artificial tree. It’s better for the environment.”

“I really hate to dispute the knowledge that you’ve gleaned in a few semesters as an Environmental Studies major,” Rafael sat forward in his chair, “but that is categorically untrue.”

“Here we go,” Olivia sighed, rolling her eyes.

“How can chopping down thousands of trees be better for the environment?”

“You know, it’s bad enough that you betrayed me by going to Dartmouth instead of Harvard, but I thought they would at least be able to somewhat properly educate you. Clearly my money is being wasted.”

“Stop deflecting from the fact that you’re wrong about this,” Noah knew those were the words to really get his father going and he fought a smile when Rafael’s eyes narrowed.

“Okay, first of all, Christmas tree farms provide homes for wildlife—”

“Yeah, until they get chopped down,” Noah interrupted.

“Plus, artificial trees are made with toxic chemicals,” Rafael continued, ignoring him. “You can’t recycle them…”

“Is this something they do a lot?” Jamie asked Olivia quietly as Noah and Rafael continued to go back and forth.

“Oh, yes,” she nodded. “This is their version of sports.”

“And most people who buy real trees drive far to get them, or they’re hauled into the city from somewhere else, which increases the carbon footprint,” Noah argued.

“And most artificial trees are shipped in from China which is a much larger carbon footprint, so what’s your point?” Rafael countered.

Olivia could tell that Rafael was enjoying this and would bet money that he’d been anticipating this and had done his research. As smart as he was she didn’t think he just had innate knowledge of the environmental impact of real Christmas trees versus fake ones.

She knew that he loved being a judge, but he missed presenting facts and winning arguments. His debates with Noah were as close as he got anymore.

“Want some tea?” Olivia asked Jamie. “They’re probably going to be awhile.”

Jamie nodded with a chuckle. “Sure.”

They both walked into the kitchen to enjoy some tea in peace and Rafael and Noah didn’t even notice they were gone.

Twenty-Five Rafael sighed as he lugged the Christmas tree (a real one since he’d won that argument thank you very much) into their living room, a task that wasn’t as easy now that he was in his late sixties. “Why are we even doing this?”

“Because it’s Christmas,” Olivia tried to sound cheerful even though neither of them felt much in the Christmas spirit ever since Noah told them that he wouldn’t be able to make it home that year.

He’d followed in Rafael’s footsteps, attending Harvard Law, but instead of criminal law he’d focused on environmental law and after passing the Bar that spring he’d been off trying to save the world ever since. He was currently in upstate New York working to fight against a company who was dumping chemicals into the town’s water supply.

He’d somehow managed to find a career in the law that had paid even less than the DA’s office, but they were both proud of him for working hard to make a difference in the world.

Rafael finally got the tree in place, wiping the sweat from his brow and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “At least we paid extra for it since we waited until Christmas Eve,” he said sarcastically.

They’d gone back and forth over the previous weeks over whether or not to get a tree (Rafael was against - the tree was his thing with Noah, Olivia was for - adamant that they could have a nice Christmas with just the two of them), but finally Olivia had won out.

Olivia walked over to him, placing her hands on the side of his face, kissing his lips softly. His scowl immediately melted into something more loving. “Why don’t you pour us some wine while I go get the decorations?”

When she went to turn away he reached out and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back to him and kissing her deeply. “I love you.”

Olivia grinned. “I love you, too.”

Rafael poured their wine and Olivia brought out their boxes of decorations and Rafael had to admit that he was having a good time, as long as he didn’t think about the fact that they wouldn’t be seeing Noah the next day.

They were about halfway done when there was a knock at the door.

Rafael checked his watch, frowning. “Who is coming over this late?” He padded over to the door in socked feet and glanced through the peephole. A grin bloomed on his face as he threw open the door. “Noah!”

Olivia looked up from where she was hanging an ornament on the tree as Noah stepped inside. “Noah, honey, what are you doing here?” She hurried over to wrap him in a hug.

“Well, I wasn’t really getting any work done, and the longer I was up there the more I realized how it wouldn’t be Christmas without spending it with you guys.” Noah explained, shrugging out of his coat.

Olivia felt tears sting her eyes, but fought them back. “I’m so happy you’re here.” She pulled him in for another hug. “No Jamie?”

“Nah, he went to see his family since we thought I wouldn’t be able to get away.” Noah said as they walked into the living room proper. “You’re just now doing the tree?”

“Yeah, well, we got a late start this year,” Rafael said, cushioning the truth.

“Want some help?”

Rafael smiled. “We’d love some.”

“Here, how about you do this one.” Olivia dug through the ornament box until she found what she was looking for, handing him the Rafi, Liv, and Noah ornament from their first Christmas as a family. It looked a little rougher these days, but it was still in pretty good shape.

Noah took the ornament from her with a smile before placing it on the tree in a prominent place near the top and Rafael felt his chest tighten as he remembered the days when Noah couldn’t reach that high.

Noah took a step back, standing between his parents to check out his handiwork. “How’s that?”

Rafael and Olivia each wrapped an arm around their son’s waist, still their boy even though he towered over them both. “It’s perfect.”

#barson #olivia benson #rafael barba #& secret santa exchange #secret santa exchange 2017 #from barbaxbenson #submission

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