#so excited for the rest of the christmas campaign

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

🎄 Under The Mistletoe 🎄

Someone in Hellfire plays matchmaker between you and Eddie ❤️ Featuring mischievous Hellfire members, pesky mistletoe and lots of fluff 🎄

Going to open my requests for a little while so if you have any holiday requests then let me know. 💌

🎄❄️

There's a very good reason. Why the holiday season is a wonderful time. For a boy and girl to fall in love.

Cause Santa and Cupid, planned exactly what you did, When you kissed me by the mistletoe above.

We stood there kissin' by the mistletoe. Tingle, tingle. Muah, muah, muah, and away we go, jingle, jingle.

Kissin' by the mistletoe, love came to stay and now it's Christmas every day.

Aretha Franklin - Kissing by the mistletoe 🎄

❄️🎄

Christmas had arrived in Hawkins. The snow was falling casting in the town in an image of a perfect winter wonderland. All Eddie had heard for the last couple of days was festive tunes and jingles, he did like Christmas but this was a bit much.

He couldn't exactly say that he had the best Christmas growing up, when his mom was around it felt special to him, she adored Christmas and Eddie loved that it made her happy.

Then he was left with just his old man and those were the worst times, Uncle Wayne was his bubble of safety and normality then and now. Thanks to uncle Wayne his love of Christmas has returned slowly.

Did that mean he wanted to be driven crazy by hiliday tunes? No. Then there was his enemy of the season. Mistletoe.

All week he had seen giggly, kissing and loved up couples, they were driving him mad. It made him grumpy and twitchy and he avoided the cursed plant like the plague.

At least when he was in the drama club and safely ensconced in all things Hellfire Club related he could relax. He had spent some time earlier setting up for the campaign and it was a good one, a mini adventure which was Christmas themed of course and very exciting.

For a few hours he could be in total DM mode and nothing mistletoe related could happen...

🎄⛄

At five o'clock on the dot Dustin arrived with Lucas and Mike, then everyone else hurried in. Eddie ignores the way his heart skips a beat when he sees you.

"Gentlemen and ladies welcome to this special edition of Hellfire, where we can enjoy the delights of our new festive themed quest and avoid the evil plants of doom... I swear If I see one more hint of mistletoe I'll..."

"Eddie" you say softly and that captures his attention as you point up to the ceiling, he stops mid-rant and his eyes bug out as he sees the mistletoe hung above him. No. Jesus H Christ, no.

The mistletoe was directly above you and Eddie.

His eyes narrow and he looks around the room immediately suspicious, Jeff and Gareth are sniggering to themselves but stop at the look on his face.

"Who did this?" he hisses to the rest of the group and looks at each of them in turn. No one is owning up to putting the mistletoe there and that frustrates him even more because that dreaded thing wasn't there at any other point of the day.

It wasn't there when he was setting up earlier, no pesky mistletoe was in sight and yet now it was just casually hanging above his head, directly above his chair. "That wasn't here earlier, so one of you little shits did this" he snaps.

He could feel himself sweating as you peered up at him, fuck. It's not like he didn't want to kiss you, he really wanted to but he highly doubted that you wanted to kiss him. Why would you?

"We don't have to do this" he says to you, he would never want you to feel pressured into kissing him. He was going to kill (the character) of whoever did this in the most violent way possible.

"Eddie" the way you say his name makes his knees turn to jelly, his usual confidence and don't give a fuck attitude is long gone and now he's terrified.

You see Eddie was totally smitten with you but didn't realise you were equally smitten with him. Which is what brings us to mischievous elves (Hellfire members) plotting this escapade.

Then your lips meet his and he swears his brain short circuits just for a second, he melts into the kiss and then he's kissing you back and you let out a soft moan that goes straight to uh...places and he wants nothing more than to just keep kissing you.

"Ugh that's enough dude, gross" Mike groans and Eddie reluctantly pulls away from you, feels pleased with himself that your lips are all kiss bitten and your eyes mirroring his in complete lust and adoration.

"About time" Gareth sags in relief, now the two of you could stop tiptoeing around your feelings for one another. Eddie sends him a death glare but completely softens when you take his hand and lean across to whisper in his ear.

"We're totally doing more of that later" your gaze is full of need and a tiny bit of mischief and it may be the first time that Eddie has ever wanted to speed run through a campaign. He couldn't wait for later but for now he had to get into DM mode.

If only you would stop looking at him like that, all impish and beautiful then he might be able to concentrate.

While he's making moon eyes at you for a few seconds Dustin, Erica, Lucas and Mike huddle together and discreetly high five.

"Mission accomplished" Dustin beams until Erica frowns and lets out an exasperated huff. "Yeah sure, like you bunch of nerds could have done this without me" Lucas is about to argue but Erica stops him.

"Nope, don't say a word dumbass. I hung the mistletoe because I'm not afraid of Munson like you three are, so this is down to me" She takes a mini bow and leaves the three boys gawking at her as Eddie finally starts the session.

🎄❄️⛄

[midnight-shadow-cafe]

Merry and Munson

Pairing:Eddie Munson x Reader

Warnings: Fluffy fluffy fluffy

Authors Note: I hope you enjoy, ITS CHRISTMAS TIME! (Que Buddy the Elf screaming Christmas)

Word Count: 2.5k

Masterlist

MDNI18+MDNI18+MDNI18+MDNI18+MDNI18+

The trailer was quiet, save for the faint buzz of the television from the living room where Wayne was likely dozing off in his recliner. You were curled up on Eddie’s bed, flipping through a well-worn magazine you’d found tucked under his nightstand. It was chilly inside, but the scratchy blanket he’d thrown over the two of you was warm enough to make you feel cozy. Eddie was sitting cross-legged beside you, his acoustic guitar resting in his lap, his fingers moving idly across the strings as he hummed a tune you didn’t recognize.

The soft strumming filled the room, mingling with the scent of his cheap cologne and the faint trace of cigarettes lingering in the air. You glanced over at him, watching the way his fingers moved, the furrow of concentration on his brow as he worked out the melody. He looked peaceful, and your heart squeezed at the sight of him.

“What’s Christmas looking like for you this year?” Eddie asked suddenly, his voice breaking the comfortable silence. He didn’t look up, his attention still on the strings of his guitar, but you could tell from his tone that he was genuinely curious.

You shrugged, closing the magazine and tossing it onto the bedside table. “Same as always, I guess. My family’s doing their usual thing—big dinner, lots of noise. But honestly…” You hesitated, chewing on your bottom lip. “I’m not really feeling it this year.”

That got his attention. He looked up, his fingers stilling on the strings as he tilted his head to the side. “Not feeling it? What, are you turning into the Grinch or something?”

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “No, it’s just… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel the same anymore. I guess I’m just not in the mood for all the chaos.”

Eddie set his guitar aside, shifting closer to you on the bed. His gaze was steady, the teasing glint in his eyes replaced with something softer. “Then don’t go.”

You blinked at him, caught off guard. “What do you mean? It’s my family.”

“So what? If it doesn’t make you happy, don’t do it.” He reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from your face. His touch was light, almost hesitant, but it sent a warmth blooming in your chest. “You should come here. Spend it with me and Wayne.”

You stared at him, unsure if he was serious. “Eddie, I can’t just—”

“Why not?” he interrupted, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. “Wayne loves you. Hell, he probably likes you more than me at this point. And honestly…” He hesitated, his voice dropping to a softer tone. “I’d really like you to be here. It wouldn’t feel right without you.”

There was something in the way he said it—earnest and a little vulnerable—that made your heart ache. You reached out, placing your hand over his and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Okay,” you said softly. “I’ll be here.”

His face lit up, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you confirmed, laughing as he pulled you into a hug, nearly knocking you over in his excitement.

---

A few days later, during a phone call with Robin, the idea of spending Christmas at Steve’s came up. You were lying on your couch, twirling the cord of your phone around your finger as Robin rambled about the Harrington family’s annual Christmas chaos—or lack thereof, given Steve’s parents were never around.

“You’re spending Christmas at the Munson trailer?” Robin asked, her voice rising with excitement. “That’s adorable. And chaotic. But hey, you should bring Eddie to Steve’s the next day! We’re doing our whole found-family thing, and the more, the merrier. Plus, Steve could use a little Munson energy to keep him on his toes.”

When you brought up the idea to Eddie later that evening, he was sprawled across the couch, working on a campaign for the kids. You sat down beside him, your legs tucked under you as you explained Robin’s suggestion.

Eddie’s eyes lit up, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. “Oh, hell yes. I am dying to see Harrington try to play host. Bet he’s gonna lose his mind trying to keep those little shits from wrecking the place.”

“Be nice,” you scolded, laughing as you nudged his shoulder.

“I’m always nice,” he shot back, smirking as he leaned over to kiss you. His lips were warm and soft against yours, his hand coming up to cradle your face. When he pulled back, his grin had softened into something more genuine. “Besides, if you’re there, how bad could it be?”

You smiled, leaning into him and resting your head on his shoulder. “It’ll be fun,” you said. “Two Christmases—one with Wayne, one with the whole crew. It’s gonna be perfect.”

And in that moment, with Eddie’s arm wrapped around you and the faint scent of pine in the air, you knew it really would be.

---

Christmas at the Munson’s

The morning at the Munson trailer started in the quiet, lazy way you’d come to expect and love. A faint chill hung in the air, seeping through the thin walls of the trailer, but the warmth of Eddie’s arms wrapped around you kept you from moving. He was still asleep, his face buried in the crook of your neck, his soft snores blending with the faint hum of Wayne’s coffee pot brewing in the kitchen.

The faint clink of Wayne moving around eventually stirred you awake. You shifted slightly, brushing a kiss against Eddie’s cheek. “Morning,” you murmured, your voice still thick with sleep.

“Mm, five more minutes,” Eddie grumbled, pulling the blanket tighter around the both of you.

You smiled, your fingers tracing lazy patterns on his arm. “It’s Christmas, Munson. Time to get up.”

With a dramatic groan, Eddie finally sat up, his hair a chaotic mess of curls that made you laugh. “Fine, fine,” he said, rubbing at his eyes. “But only because I know Wayne made breakfast.”

You both shuffled into the kitchen, greeted by the smell of frying bacon and coffee. Wayne stood at the stove, his signature trucker hat perched on his head and a cigarette dangling from his lips.

“Mornin’, lovebirds,” he greeted, not looking up from the pan.

“Morning, Wayne,” you said cheerfully, taking a seat at the small kitchen table. Eddie poured himself a cup of coffee before leaning against the counter, already sneaking a piece of bacon off the plate Wayne was filling.

“Hey, get your grubby hands off that,” Wayne barked, swatting at him with the spatula.

Eddie just grinned, chewing happily as he sat down beside you. Breakfast was a simple affair—eggs, bacon, and toast—but it was made with the kind of care that made it feel like a feast. Wayne’s dry humor kept you laughing between bites as he told stories about Eddie’s younger years, including an elaborate tale about the time Eddie had tried to make Christmas cookies and somehow set the oven on fire.

“Don’t listen to him,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes. “That was a one-time thing.”

“One time too many,” Wayne muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched with amusement.

---

After breakfast, it was time for gifts. Wayne pulled out a modest pile of wrapped packages from beneath the tiny, slightly lopsided Christmas tree Eddie had insisted on putting up.

Eddie handed you a small box first, his cheeks tinged pink as he avoided your gaze. “It’s nothing fancy,” he said quickly. “Just something I thought you might like.”

Inside the box was a bracelet made of guitar strings, adorned with small charms—one in the shape of a star and another shaped like a tiny cassette tape. You stared at it for a moment, your heart swelling at the thoughtfulness of it.

“Eddie…” you began, slipping it onto your wrist.

“Do you like it?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically nervous.

“I love it,” you said, leaning over to kiss him. His ears turned red, but the grin on his face was undeniable.

Wayne’s gift to you was a secondhand book you’d mentioned months ago, one you hadn’t been able to find anywhere. Your throat tightened as you hugged him, overwhelmed by his quiet thoughtfulness.

Eddie’s gifts from you and Wayne were simple but heartfelt—an Iron Maiden record he’d been eyeing and a new wallet, since his old one was barely held together by duct tape. He made a big show of unwrapping them, laughing and joking the whole time, but the way he pulled you into a hug afterward told you how much he appreciated them.

---

The rest of the day was spent in the kind of peaceful laziness that felt rare but precious. Eddie pulled you onto the couch, wrapping an arm around you as the two of you watched cheesy Christmas movies on the tiny television. Wayne stayed nearby, occasionally chiming in with his commentary about how ridiculous the plots were, though you noticed he didn’t actually leave the room.

At one point, Eddie disappeared into his room and came back with his guitar. He settled beside you, plucking out a familiar tune that made you laugh.

“‘Jingle Bells’? Really?” you teased.

“What can I say?” Eddie replied, winking. “I’m a man of many talents.”

As the sun set, casting a warm orange glow over the trailer, you found yourself dozing off against Eddie’s shoulder. His arm tightened around you, his fingers tracing absent patterns on your arm.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice soft and low.

You smiled, your eyes fluttering closed. “Merry Christmas, Eddie.”

It was simple, it was quiet, but it was perfect.

---

Christmas with the Party

The Harrington house was lit up like a beacon as you and Eddie pulled into the long driveway. Twinkling lights wrapped around the columns of the house, and a massive wreath adorned the front door. Snow covered the lawn in a pristine blanket, untouched except for the trail of small footprints leading to the door—no doubt the work of the kids.

Eddie killed the engine of his van and turned to you, his grin wide with anticipation. “You ready for the chaos?”

You laughed, tugging your coat tighter around you. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

The two of you barely made it to the door before it flew open, revealing Dustin, who was practically bouncing with excitement. “Finally!” he exclaimed. “You’re late! Steve’s been freaking out about the food being cold.”

Eddie ruffled Dustin’s hair as he stepped inside, his combat boots thudding against the polished hardwood floor. “Relax, Henderson. We’re fashionably late, which means the party can officially start now.”

The house smelled like a mix of pine, cinnamon, and something savory wafting from the kitchen. Steve appeared in the doorway, wearing an apron over his sweater, his hair still annoyingly perfect despite the obvious stress etched on his face.

“About time you got here,” Steve said, though his tone was more exasperated than annoyed. “Grab a plate before everything gets picked clean. Those kids are like vultures.”

You followed Eddie into the living room, where the chaos was already in full swing. The Party was gathered around the massive Christmas tree, its branches weighed down with mismatched ornaments and colorful lights. Robin was perched on the arm of the couch, laughing as Max and Lucas bickered over whose turn it was to open a present from under the tree.

“El shouted your name in greeting,” Robin said with a smirk when she saw you. “The rock star and his better half are here!”

“Better half?” Eddie scoffed, wrapping an arm around your waist. “I’ll have you know I’m the life of this party.”

“Yeah, sure,” Robin replied, smirking. “Go help Steve before he implodes.”

Eddie gave you a quick kiss on the cheek before heading toward the kitchen, leaving you to settle in with the group. Mike and Will were on the floor, engrossed in what looked like an intense game of Monopoly, while El sat beside them, watching with quiet amusement.

El shouted your name in greeting, her face lighting up when she saw you. “Come sit!”

You joined her on the couch, chatting with her and the others while Eddie helped Steve bring out trays of food. The spread was impressive—ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and even a few desserts that looked suspiciously store-bought.

“Steve, did you actually bake these?” you teased as he set a plate of cookies on the coffee table.

“Do you think I have time to bake?” he shot back, collapsing onto the couch beside Robin. “I had to bribe Robin to help me with the ham.”

“I was moral support,” Robin corrected, earning an eye roll from Steve.

---

Once everyone had eaten, the real fun began. Someone—probably Lucas—suggested a snowball fight, and before you knew it, the entire group was outside, bundled up and laughing as snow flew through the air. Eddie was relentless, teaming up with Dustin to ambush you and Max, but you managed to get your revenge by sneaking up on him and pelting him with a perfectly aimed snowball.

“Traitor!” he yelled, laughing as he tackled you into the snow. You shrieked, wriggling to get away as he pinned you down, his curls dusted with snow.

“Say you surrender!” he demanded, grinning down at you.

“Never!” you shot back, but your defiance was short-lived when he leaned down to kiss you, his lips cold but still making your cheeks flush.

The fight eventually dissolved into a truce, and everyone trudged back inside to warm up. Steve handed out mugs of hot chocolate while Robin passed around blankets, and the group settled back into the living room for gift exchanges.

---

The presents were as chaotic as you’d expected. Dustin’s eyes lit up when he opened a new D&D book from Will, and Max gave Lucas a basketball signed by his favorite player. Steve got a box of hair products from Robin, which earned a round of laughter, and Eddie practically tackled Dustin when he unwrapped a guitar strap decorated with skulls and lightning bolts.

When it was your turn, you were surprised to find a small, carefully wrapped package from Eddie. Inside was a pendant shaped like a tiny D20, strung on a delicate chain.

“I thought it might bring you luck,” Eddie said softly, his fingers brushing against yours as he helped you fasten it around your neck.

“Thank you,” you whispered, leaning in to kiss him.

---

The night wound down with everyone gathered around the tree, the glow of the lights casting a warm, golden hue over the room. Eddie had his arm draped around you, his head resting against yours as Robin told a ridiculous story about Steve’s failed attempt to impress a date with his “cooking skills.”

“This,” Steve said suddenly, gesturing around the room, “is what Christmas is supposed to feel like.”

And as you looked around at the smiling faces of your makeshift family, you couldn’t agree more.

Hope you enjoy! Please consider liking and reposting! -Midnight💜

[ladykailitha]

The Magic of Christmas 8/8

And here we are at the end. Now there will be a cute little New Year's Eve story that I'll put up on the 31st that is a sequel to this. I wanted to write the exhibit but the story was already bursting at the seams so it'll be a New Year's present for you all.

Also don't be an Argyle, it might seem cute at the time, but it's really not.

***

To say Eddie was nervous would be an understatement. Not only did he want Dustin and his friends to be happy about what Steve gave them, but he hoped that Steve would love what Eddie got him.

He got there early before Dustin and his friends arrived. They had all gone out ice skating before the party so Eddie could sneak in the wrapped canvasses.

He rang the doorbell, bouncing on his toes in excitement. Chrissy had to smack him twice before he looked calm enough.

Then all that went out the window when Steve answered the door. He wasn’t dressed in a suit or anything like that, but fuck Eddie thought he looked beautiful.

He was wearing a Star Wars Christmas sweater with the tightest of blue jeans. He had silly antlers on his head and his cheeks were rosy.

It took everything in Eddie’s will power not to just kiss him right then and there.

“You made it!” Steve greeted warmly. “Do you need help bringing in the gifts?”

Eddie nodded and they went out to get them, while Chrissy went to make herself comfortable with the hostess, Robin.

Steve grabbed the large piece and two of the smaller ones. Eddie grabbed the remaining two smaller pieces.

“You know,” Eddie said. “I don’t think I ever asked you who the purple dragon was going to be for. I assumed you, but that doesn’t seem right now that I think about it.”

Steve smiled. “You’ll get to meet her tonight,” he said with a fond smile. “She doesn’t really play D&D, but she’s inspired many a campaign and NPC. We call her El because that’s all she could remember of what her name was when the kids found her lost and alone in a forest. They’ve tried for years to find her real family but when she turned eighteen she asked them to stop. They were her real family.”

“Poor kid,” Eddie said. “I’m glad she found you guys.”

“She sweet,” he agreed. “And she will love your hair.”

Eddie ran his fingers through his long curls. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, “she’s been trying to grow hers out for years but something keeps cropping up and she has to cut again.”

“Oof!” Eddie said. “That’s horrible. Has she thought about getting extensions.”

Steve frowned. “What are extensions? I mean obviously the extend the hair, but how does that work?”

Eddie launched into the explanation about them and Steve was just so enthralled that he didn’t realize that Eddie and he had lingered under the mistletoe.

“Kiss!” Chrissy cried, pointing about their head.

Eddie and Steve looked up and then at each other. Steve held out the packages and Robin and Chrissy rushed forward to take them from both boys.

Eddie watched as Steve slowly cupped his cheek and leaned in. His breath caught in his chest as Steve’s eyelashes fluttered close. Eddie leaned the rest of the way in and pressed their lips together.

Fuck.

It was like everything that made Christmas special in a single fucking kiss. There was no going back after that.

“Wow,” Steve breathed. “That was even better than I imagined it would be.”

“You imagined it a lot?” Eddie asked, his heart beating a drum against his rib cage.

“Since August,” Steve admitted shyly.

Eddie chuckled and rubbed their noses together softly. “Since you hired me.”

Steve looked up at him in shock. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah, Stevie. Holy shit.”

Steve kissed him fiercely.

Eddie broke it off. “Shit! I left your present in the van!” He dashed off.

Steve laughed out loud, clear and bright. He turned to his audience. “I am in love with that idiot.”

The women all laughed too.

Claudia came up and gave him a huge hug. “You found yourself a good one, Steve. He’ll be good for you.”

Steve blushed deeply. “I know.”

Eddie came back in with rosy cheeks and breathless. In his hand was another neatly wrapped gift. He handed to Steve. “There you go, pretty boy. Just for you.”

“I have a present for you, too,” Steve said with a smile. “But we’ll have to wait until everyone gets here.”

Just then there was clatter behind them as said kids came bursting through the open front door.

Eddie turned to see four girls with the boys he had been acquainted with. The one was clearly Lucas’s sister. She had the same broad features and knowing eyes. One was a red head with a piercing gaze and a knowing smirk. Eddie could tell he was going to like her. A lot. The third girl was pretty sort of plump, her blonde hair in beautiful ringlets. The final girl was El. There was no doubt in his mind, this was the lost girl.

She had dark curly hair that brushed her shoulders and thousand yard stare. She looked like Wayne said he did sometimes. Lost and unsure of what to do.

Introductions were made and Eddie was right in all counts. He loved Max, the red head. El was the pretty girl with the dark curls, Erica was Lucas’s sister, and the last girl was Dustin’s long time girlfriend, Suzie.

Steve did a head count. “Where Jonathan and Nancy?” he asked Will.

“Getting Argyle from the airport,” Will said. “His flight had to make a stop in Salt Lake City because of a fuel issue, so he was late getting in.”

Suzie snorted. “No it didn’t.”

Everyone turned to her.

“He just didn’t want to tell anyone that he was picking up my sister, Eden so she could join us for Christmas.”

Steve blanched at the thought of another person for Christmas.

She touched his elbow. “I told Claudia a couple weeks ago, she made sure there was enough food and space.”

He relaxed. Claudia and Steve had made a deal, he would cook for Thanksgiving, if she did Christmas. So if she knew than everything was fine.

“Come gather around!” Steve yelled over the din. “Dinner is a light thoroughfare with lots of snacks and goodies. We’ll have a big breakfast tomorrow. Help yourselves, we’ll do presents when the remaining four get here!”

A cheer went up and everyone filed out.

Soon it was just Eddie and Steve in the hallway.

“Is my Christmas present you?” Eddie asked, getting his fingers underneath the sweater.

Steve jerked back.

“Ooh!” Eddie said with a grin. “Someone is ticklish.”

“No!” Steve squealed. “Absolutely not!” He tried to squirm out of Eddie’s grasp but Eddie was too fast for him.

They were laughing and giggling when the last of the guests arrived.

Eddie wasn’t sure what he was expecting when Suzie said her sister was coming. But it wasn’t the skinny Goth chick with the black hair and teardrop tattoo by her eye.

He had ruled out the other girl on the sheer fact she looked too much like Mike to be anything other Nancy.

Steve welcome them in but gave Argyle the stink eye which prompted Eden reading him the riot act for not telling people she was coming.

Argyle kept arguing that she was supposed to be a surprise for Suzie, but since Suzie already knew the argument fell apart.

There was hot chocolate and cider, eggnog of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties.

Food spread as far as the eye could see on the table but no one sat down to eat there, mostly they wandered in and out of the living room.

Finally it was time for presents and Steve was bouncing in the corner. Eddie slipped his hand into his.

“They’ll love it, sweetheart,” he murmured.

Steve let out a slow breath and nodded. He had gotten Max a Tony Hawk signed skateboard and Erica, the whole 5th edition D&D set so she could start her own campaigns when she started college next fall. She had taken a gap year, because her last year of high school had been so hard on her.

They hugged Steve tightly as thanks. And then it was time for the remaining five to open theirs.

“El, honey,” Steve said, “you open yours first. Then Dustin, Will, Lucas, and Mike. Don’t glare at me, Mike. You’re not last because you’re my least favorite. You’ll see.”

El opened hers. It was of the purple dragon. It’s human-like form pulsing near the heart.

“Steve,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

Dustin unwrapped his wizard to stunned disbelief. “Steve...” he said, his voice wobbling with gratitude.

Will opened his punk rock rogue. “Oh wow.” He ran his fingers reverently over the surface. “Steve, it’s amazing.”

Mike noticed the pattern and looked up at Steve in shock. “No way.”

Lucas opened the ranger leaping into the air with his bow drawn. “Oh holy shit.”

Mike’s hands trembled as he stared down at the wrapped canvass. He looked up at Steve. “There’s no way it’s as awesome as everyone else’s.”

Steve came over and knelt in front of him. He took Mike’s head in his hands. “Of course it is. You are just as important to me as the rest, Mike. Okay?”

Mike’s lip quivered as he nodded. He pulled the wrapping off to reveal his paladin in shining gold armor. A beacon on harsh landscape. Tears dripped down his face as he pressed his hand over his mouth. He set the painting carefully to the side and launched himself at Steve, enveloping him with a huge hug.

“It’s perfect,” he whispered.

Steve hugged him back.

Suddenly there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Finally they broke apart, both men wiping their eyes.

Dustin looked at the signature on his. “Is this an Eddie Munson original?!”

Like the universe did a record scratch, suddenly five heads all turn to Steve and Eddie.

Eddie waved his hand at them and Steve nearly burst on how cute it was.

“It’s even better than that,” Steve said with a grin. “El, stand in the middle. Lucas, Mike on the right, with Mike on the outside. Same for you and Will, Will on the outside. Hold up the paintings.”

He pulled out his phone and took a picture. “Now set them down and come over here.”

The five of them crowded around Steve and his phone.

They all gasped when they saw the full picture.

Steve was suddenly bombarded with hugs and thanks and kisses.

“I know next year you’ll all be going your separate ways and wanted to get you all something to tie you together for life,” he explained.

“That is wicked cool,” Max said.

“Yeah,” Erica agreed.

“I have one more present to give,” Eddie said and pulled out the remaining package and handed it to Steve.

Steve unwrapped and gasped. “It’s a yellow dragon!”

“And his knight friend having tea together,” Eddie explained. “I kinda based it on that old cartoon, The Reluctant Dragon, where the knight and dragon didn’t want to fight.”

“Eds,” Steve whispered. “I love it!” Then Robin was placing something in his hand.

Steve looked down at it and then nodded. “This is my gift to you.” He handed it to Eddie.

It was an envelope about the size of Christmas card and Eddie fought hard against the disappointment that burned in his gut. He had painted a yellow dragon for Steve, it would have been nice to get something more than a gift card.

He pulled it out and frowned when he realized it was an invitation.

“Newfield Museum of Fine Arts

You are cordially invited

to an art exhibit featuring the art

of

Eddie Munson

Dec 31st 8pm-1am

Fundraiser for the charity ‘Roll for Initiative’

starting at 4pm

Silent auction from 6-7pm”

It was Eddie’s turn to cry.

“You okay there, son?” Wayne asked, concerned when Eddie just stood there, tears streaming down his face.

Eddie nodded. He held out the invitation for Wayne to take. Wayne read it over and over.

“You do this, Steve?” he asked.

Steve nodded. “It was my plan for a while to do the fundraiser for the charity on New Year’s Eve, but after really getting to know Eddie, I knew that he deserved to be showcased too. So the exhibit came afterwards.”

Eddie kissed him fiercely on the lips. “This is the best Christmas present ever, baby.”

Steve blushed to the cheers from everyone.

This year was good, but next year was going to be even greater.

***

Well that's the end for now. Thank you so much for coming along with me on this wild ride. Merry Christmas!!

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 @pyrohonk ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @rozzieroos @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @emly03 @bookworm0690 @itsall-taken @vecnuthy @bookbinderbitch @redfreckledwolf @littlewildflowerkitten @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @scheodingers-muppet @mira-jadeamethyst @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @genderless-spoon @anne-bennett-cosplayer @irregular-child @carlprocastinator1000 @mogami13 @samsoble

[blainesebastian]

celebrating you

words: 1,654 ship: austin x female reader summary: @whoreforbrownies requested: fluffy reader celebrating austin's fragrance campaign. more details in posted q and a :) warnings: none notes: masterlist is here! tag list: @killerqueenfan, @austinbutlermischief, @stylespresleyhearted

You’ve always been someone who likes to celebrate—not just putting up Halloween or Christmas decoration months in advance or throwing surprise birthday parties, but by having this incredibly warm aura that makes sure to praise family, friends and your partner. Admittedly, that’s come with a few downfalls in the past—more often than not, you’re always looking after other people while no one looks after you. It’s not something done on purpose, you know that, yet you sometimes find yourself in this rut of being there for others that you forget to take care of yourself.

That changes with Austin.

He reminds you how good it feels to have someone take care of you, how it should be something necessary, a balance within your relationship. He celebrates you just as often as you celebrate him—there are moments that he’s completely taken you by surprise. Not because there’s some obligation of a holiday or a birthday, but because it’s a Thursday in the middle of the month and he wants to buy you flowers and your favorite latte.

So, in turn, it makes celebrating your boyfriend a lot more organic feeling. It’s not out of responsibility or requirement, but because both of you know the value of the other.

Lately there’s been so much to be excited about when it comes to Austin’s career—first Elvis and everything that it brought with it, Bikeriders wrapping up, Masters of the Air, and now a slightly different turn with this fragrance campaign. You couldn’t be happier for him, not only does it come with a photoshoot to highlight how beautiful Austin is, but an interview to also showcase that same beauty on the inside. It’s really what you love most about him, something that drew you in in the first place. Austin’s kind, thoughtful, considerate, and a hundred other things that make you feel warm from the inside out.

Pretty much why it’s a no-brainer to put together something special for him.

You decide one morning, right before Austin leaves for the day for a handful of different meetings, that you’re going to decorate the entire apartment. It’s gonna involve baking and dinner too but one step at a time. Your friend, Carly, comes over and helps, buying extra tape that she sets on the kitchen counter.

“All this for a fragrance campaign?” She asks, but she’s amused as her eyes rest on the multiple sets of streamers and balloons that still need to be put together and hung.

“Yes,” You grin excitedly, picking up a cup of coffee to take a sip. “It’s not just about the cologne, I’m just proud of him—it’s a new step in a different direction, you know?”

“I know,” Carly smirks, moving to grab the coffee pot to pour herself some more too, “You’re in love,” Her voice is warm and teasing, “I get it. I’d celebrate him too if he was my boyfriend.”

You smile, your stomach doing that flip-flopping thing that is often associated with Austin. You know exactly how lucky you are.

“So you’ll help me with streamers?” You smile prettily at her, purposely fluttering your eyelashes in a teasing plead.

“Yeah,” She laughs, tossing a package of tape at you. It lightly hits your chest and falls back onto the counter, “Wouldn’t want him to come home with you sprawled off a ladder. Not much to celebrate in the ER.”

You gather up all the supplies to take to the living room, “C’mon then, I don’t have a ton of time before he comes home.”

Regardless that it’s the morning and you do have until early nighttime, you want to make sure you give yourself enough hours to play with to bake red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing and chocolate chip cookies. Dinner will be simple enough—it’s the baking that needs timed dedication.

Standing on a small stool in your living room, you take the tape from Carly’s waiting fingers and reach up to put some of the streamers into place. You’re definitely not overdoing it, just enough to make the apartment look festive.

“So…just curious,” Carly starts and you get down off the stool and move it a bit to continue the streamer line…you already know that if she’s gonna start off a conversation like that, it’s going to be something. “If Austin asked you to marry him, would you?”

A laugh startles out of your chest because, “Carly, we’ve been dating for eight months.”

“So?” She crinkles her nose, handing you another piece of tape, “My aunt and uncle were together for six before he popped the question.”

The whole concept has your stomach erupting in butterflies. You’re not saying you haven’t thought about it, because how could you not? But still…feels like something that’s a long while away. You glance back down at your friend, trying to picture what it’d look like for Austin to come home and just—

“I’d say yes,” You reply, fixing another streamer. You can’t picture something different coming out of your mouth, but before Carly gets too wound up, “But we’re far from that being a thing.”

She grins anyways and you can’t help but smile, a fond eyeroll to follow as you set up streamer on the other side of the room so it matches. Then comes the balloons and the handmade sign that goes up a little crooked but…thought that counts, right?

“Do you think I overdid it?” You ask, looking around at the living room.

Carly shakes her head, “Nah, we went through one roll of tape…two rolls would have been overdoing it.” You smirk, bumping shoulders with her for a real answer, “No,” She replies again, “I think it’s just the right amount—he’s going to love it.”

That makes something warm and golden explode in your chest and…good, you really hope so. You thank her a few more times for coming over and promise to save her some cupcakes if there are any leftover, closing the front door after she’s left. You’re hoping it doesn’t take too long to finish things up for tonight.

--

Nothing is exactly going according to plan—and you already know it’s your fault because you’ve got this concept of what ‘perfect’ is supposed to look like tonight. You should really know this by now, it’s better to land on something ‘special’ rather than ‘perfect’. It’s fine—everything is going to work out, you’re determined. So what if the cheese you bought for the chicken parm has mold on it? You can just go with pasta instead. So what if your cupcake pan has mysteriously gone missing? You can make banana bread with chocolate chips in them (a personal favorite of Austin’s).

There’s no reason to freak out over this…your boyfriend is going to love whatever you’ve put together (it only took you three times to talk yourself down off that metaphorical ledge).

Luckily, nothing else throws you off balance. Though you do wish you’d been paying closer attention to Austin’s location because you hear the front door open as you’re taking the banana bread out of the oven. Quickly setting it down on a hot pad, you tug off your oven mitts, putting your arms up and out.

“Surprise!”

Austin’s eyes are bright with surprise, a soft laugh tumbling out of his mouth as he sees the put together dinner, the banana bread, the streamers and balloons just past the kitchen in the living room. He sets down a bouquet of flowers he’s picked up for you (just because).

“It’s uh, it’s not my birthday.” He says teasingly.

Rolling your eyes, you grin as you move to wrap your arms around his shoulders. Austin leans down to hug you back, squeezing, pressing his face into your hair to breathe you in,

“I know that,” You huff playfully, shaking your head, “Just wanted to do something nice for you.”

You pull back out of the hug a little bit, Austin’s arms still around your waist. He presses a kiss to your lips, your hand lingering on his cheek. Your stomach does that familiar fluttering that you’ve easily associated with being around him, running your thumb along his lower lip.

“For the fragrance campaign?” You offer, as if it’s obvious.

Then his face kinda does that handsome thing where he flushes, his cheeks kissing pink. Apparently it wasn’t so obvious and he’s genuinely surprised. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

You crinkle your nose, taking a look at the decorations, the dinner, the dessert—feels fairly apparent to you because what better way to celebrate him? This is actually pretty low caliber compared to what you could have done but…the key was really not to overdo it.

“Are you saying you don’t want the banana bread?” You ask, taking a playful step back from him, “Because I’ve been known to eat an entire loaf in bed before, so—”

You act like you’re about to reach for the pan but Austin doesn’t let you get very far, lifting you up and gracefully setting you down on the kitchen counter. A soft laugh leaves your lips, your arms resting on his shoulders as he takes a step forward and settles between your legs. One of your favorite positions with him because you’re nearly eye level now.

“I mean, there’s chocolate chips,” You grin, “I really don’t need to share any part of it with you—”

He cuts you off with a kiss, his hand moving to cup your cheek. You lean into it, can’t help it, would gladly fumble off the kitchen counter if it meant keeping your lips locked. Eventually though, oxygen wins out. He presses another kiss to the corner of your mouth, pulling back a little,

“Thank you,” He whispers.

You hum a soft reply, wrapping your fingers in his shirt and tugging him forward—definitely worth celebrating with another kiss.

[meetinginsamarra]

Fanfics I really liked in December 2023

So. Since I keep a list of what I´ve read anyway (there´s always a list), I will rec all the fics I´ve wholly enjoyed on a monthly basis. Old and new, canon or AU, big or small authors, long or short but nearly always Johnlock (-ish).

Inscrutable to the Last by DiscordantWords @discordantwords

When a series of bombings in London ensues and John learns that Sherlock is not only alive but also back, at first he draws the wrong conclusions. A great alternative version of how it could have gone after the hiatus.

The secret patient by PlainJane

WWII, the Italian campaign. Dr. John Watson is left behind at a lonely chapel with a mysterious patient who cannot be evacuated with the rest of the field hospital, due to his injuries. Inspired by "The English Patient".

The Way Home by Calais_Reno@calaisreno

It's Christmas Eve, and Sherlock's landlord has evicted him. He's left with only one alternative: go home. Spend Christmas with his family. On the train, he meets someone who might just be having an even worse holiday. One immediately has to hug this insecure Sherlock and lovely John.

Cold Inside by LoloLolly @amyreadsandstresses

Sherlock has just shot Magnussen, is in prison the isolation eats away at his sanity. John feels adrift and wants to help. Mycroft is equally untethered, scrambling for options. Perhaps they can manage to save Sherlock and rid themselves of Mary in one fell swoop. Lovely S3 fix-it with hurt/comfort.

Hard Rain by writerfan2013

After the Fall. Sherlock and John are apart, but each encounter the same mysterious organization. Sherlock is undercover and John gets abducted but in the end they reunite and solve the case. Really suspenseful casefic.

Adler’s by Elianara

John meets Sherlock while the detective is working undercover in Ms Adler’s establishment. John ends up getting a different sort of excitement than he came for. A fun different first meeting.

[lauravanarendonkbaugh]

Hi! Can you do one of these 💌🛏💖💥 for Writer Goal Ask List for a New Year 🎉?

Thank you for asking!

💖 What is your primary writing goal for this year?

Honestly, I'm very excited that a new epic fantasy series will be out in a few months. I ran a successful BackerKit campaign for it last year, and it's in pre-order now, and it will be out in late spring/early summer barring unforeseen events.

That's The Eyes of Mandoral, and you can read three short stories in that world now, with lots more to come. Can I show the covers? I'm gonna show the covers.

Once that's successfully out the door, I have some smaller project or shorts ideas, but I haven't picked a next big novel/series project yet.

(I did suggest another Kitsune Tales story to partner with a friend also launching a Japanese mythology work, but that person hasn't committed publicly yet so nothing's firm.)

🛏 Is there a new trope you'd like to write this year?

Hrrmm. That's hard to answer, because I don't really write by trope -- that is, of course tropes exist! but I don't plot by them or specifically try to write to them. That's not terribly smart from a marketing perspective, since a lot of current online book discussion is trope-centric, but trope just isn't how I approach story. I usually identify tropes after I write it, rather than before.

That said, there are a lot of new-for-me tropes in the Eyes of Mandoral! So this was the first time I ever made one of those trope maps:

It's not at all new for me, but you'll pretty much always find found family in my work. I'm also big into characters finding agency where they thought they had none.

💌 Are you willing to take requests or prompts for writing?

Um, maybe? Usually I'm working on defined projects, and those often have a deadline. For example, I have a story due in February and I haven't gotten the specs for it yet! so I wouldn't take on any extra writing between now and then. But also, it's fun to play :) and I wouldn't mind being asked, as long as people understood that it wouldn't be personal if I couldn't just then.

💥Is there a chapter, scene, or WIP you're most excited to write? Share a snippet or tell us about it!

I am seriously so excited to be finally sending The Poet's Eye and the rest out into the world.

Rather than a snippet, I'll share a whole short story, which you can download for free or find at your favorite ebook retailers.

After that, I may write more in the Wight Christmas series, or more Kitsune Tales, or a couple slightly off-my-brand fantasy projects. We'll see!

Thank you so much for asking!

[jmdbjk]

Bangtan Weekly Report

Been a while. How are ya? We got a lot of shit going on and it has not been easy keeping up. I'll be glad when they are back together in 2025 so we can rest. Lol. Just kidding... I guess.

In a few hours we get Golden. I am excited to hear what Jungkook's chosen for his first album. I am excited to hear him explore these genres of songs. I am sure he's learned a lot during this process just as all the others have. He did a pre-release "press conference" and here is Dispatch's video of it: Watch Kookie's interview here.

He was very poised and articulate... dare I say "mature"? He is doing well. I'm very proud of Jungkook. He and his dance team are very excited to show us what they've created. I'm sure it will be amazing.

He mentioned a future Korean song as a gift? Don't tell me he means his gift to us before he leaves for MS...

😭

Taemin with Jimin special appearance on Suchwita. Finally watched. The dynamic between Jimin and Taemin and Jimin and Yoongi was fascinating.

I don't know a lot about Taemin. Of course I've seen he and Jimin's performance from a while back. Taemin is a great performer. He seems like a very sincere person.

Jimin's Dior campaign.

So lovely that we finally get to see him in motion. Ever since Hobi's LV campaign with the bags, I've been wanting to see Dior or Tiffany take advantage of Jimin's fluid motion and FINALLY they woke up and showed him moving. Not a fan of the oversized knit vests but those suits are wonderful.

Namjoon... Mr. Black Void for an IG pfp... showing us some images from his trip to London.

Fun fact: That Kodak Portra 400 35mm film is anywhere from $15-$25 per roll of film... then you have to pay to have it developed.

His hair is dark in the image... not taken while he was in London... but when? Japan? That sand looks black. Ibusuki Beach? Except for that ship out there... hmmm.

His documentary will be coming down the line at some point, it will be jam-packed with his meanderings from these past two years. Maybe we'll find out where he's been.

The BTS documentary will be out in December. Our Christmas present. I'm looking forward to it. There will be new footage in it.

Tae channeling him some Elvis for Celine is interesting. I suppose this is from an upcoming campaign or magazine spread.

And this was shared with us.

Jung Hoseok achieving his Corporal promotion ahead of time which I think means he would have three bars on his shirt pocket instead of the two as in this photo from his IG.

Less than a year left until Hobi's discharged and 7.5 months left before Jin is discharged.

It was the anniversary of The Astronaut this week. Can't believe this year just flew by. The reluctance to wish time to fly by but at the same time wanting it to slow down in order to live in the moment...we were so worried this time last year. We are making it through this ya'll. We are getting there.

Samsung campaign giving us Yoongi in tan pants. Doing god's work if you ask me:

Xylitol also keeping the Bangtan flame lit ...

How come Jimin and Jungkook are the only ones with their left hands in their pockets? Jikook always jikooking. You are me I am you is strong with them.

[tmarshconnors]

"If I were the Devil"

Paul Harvey, the famous radio commentator, delivered "If I Were the Devil" in 1965. The piece is a reflection on how society could be led astray by moral decay and cultural deterioration. Harvey's hypothetical scenario outlines a plan the devil might undertake to lead humanity away from virtue.

"If I were the Devil"

If I were the Devil, I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree Thee.

So, I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first. I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: "Do as you please."

To the young, I would whisper, "The Bible is a myth." I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is "square."

And the old, I would teach to pray after me: "Our Father, which art in Washington..."

And then I’d get organised. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies, and vice versa. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquillise the rest with pills.

If I were the Devil, I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves until each, in its turn, was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings, I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the Devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions—just let those run wild. Until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

Within a decade, I’d have prisons overflowing. I’d have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money.

If I were the Devil, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the Devil, I would take from those who have and give to those who wanted until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

And what’ll you bet I couldn’t get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich?

I would caution against extremes in hard work, in patriotism, in moral conduct.

I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on TV is the way to be. And thus I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure.

In other words, if I were the Devil, I’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.

[thenationaltreasuregazette]

occasional musings on Disney’s accidental masterpiece

Timeline and Exhaustion

The last few times I’ve indulged in National Treasure, I’ve noticed something that I can’t seem to let go of, and that is the timeline in which the adventure takes place.

Fear not Treasure lovers! This isn’t a list of implausibilities or plot holes—I have very little interest in that.

No, what’s captured my attention—and perhaps this is my now-aging millennial bones talking—is how goddamn exhausted the three of them must be.

Let’s review the timeline.

The Charlotte

Ben and Riley survive the explosion of the Charlotte, hitchhike back to DC, and start meeting with agencies trying to get their attention on the Declaration theft. There is no concrete indication of how long it took them to get back and set up the meetings, but given that Abigail says “You told my assistant that this was an urgent matter?” we can infer that at least the meeting at the Archives was made on short notice. The implication in her words and tone is that she made time in her schedule to see them (and now Ben is wasting her time talking about buttons).

So already Ben and Riley must be exhausted. They may not have had any longer than the plane ride home to rest and recover from Ian’s betrayal and their near-death escape. Even if these meetings are happening over several days, the way the film is cut, combined with the urgency with which Ben perceives the threat, suggests that they waited as little time as possible before jumping into this. It has been only days since the Charlotte.

The Gala

We have more concrete information about the timeline of the week leading up to the adventure. Ben notices the brochure for the National Archives 70th Anniversary Gala.

SIDEBAR: The 70th Anniversary of the National Archives really was in 2004. The organization was founded on June 19th, 1934. June 19th 2004 was a Saturday, so it’s conceivable that the Gala was meant to be that weekend. However, based on all the characters’ clothing, I’ve always felt like National Treasure was a fall movie.

At the Library of Congress Ben says, “the best time for us or Ian to steal it would be during the gala this weekend.”

This weekend.

If it had currently been the previous Sunday or earlier, it would have made more sense for him to say said “next weekend.” That means that if we generously presume the meeting with Abigail at the National Archives was on Monday, they had four and a half days to plan the heist.

The implication of the editing is that the meeting at the Archives, Ben’s Big Decision™ on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and Riley’s doomed attempt to talk some sense into Ben at the Library of Congress all take place on the same day. If the library was the next day, they had even less time.

As mentioned above, the actual 70th anniversary of the National Archives was on a Saturday. I personally interpret the Gala to be taking place on a Friday. This could be the Friday before, June 18th 2004, or a Friday later in the fall. After all the Gala doesn’t necessarily have to be on the anniversary weekend itself—the anniversary could simply be the theme.

It’s unclear how frequent these type of fundraising parties are at the Archives, but my assumption is at least once a year. That’s the time frame over which they would be counting donations for budgeting and tax purposes. Also, Abigail does not seem particularly concerned or excited about the gala, which suggests this isn’t the first one she’s had to go to. Actually, she seems rather bored.

The reason I suggest the gala is on a Friday night is because Abigail is at work, and Ben and Riley knew that she would be. The plan to send her the George Washington campaign button at the Archives (rather than her home) then set off the detector so she has to respond to the situation (typing in her password in the process) only works if she’s there.

While the National Archives museum is open every day (10am - 5:30pm daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas), the research rooms in the Archives are only open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday and by appointment only. This, along with the general status and prestige of Abigail’s position—a private office, an assistant, critical duties related to the care and preservation of some of America’s most precious documents—suggests that her working hours are likely Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

SIDEBAR: Did you know that in earlier drafts of the script, Abigail’s position had an official title that was reference several times in dialogue? It was something like Conservator of the Declaration of Independence (I don’t want to go back to find that script now, because it was so terrible I had to get drunk last time I read it.)

So. It’s Friday night. No time is visible on the brief image we see of the brochure, but let’s posit that the gala is potentially taking place somewhere between 7-11pm.

It’s already dark when Ben arrives. Sunset on June 18th, 2004 was at 8:36pm in Washington DC, so that gets us to potentially 9-11.

However, that seems like a late start, especially considering this gala’s attendees are probably mainly older, wealthy donors. In September, sunset would have been closer to 7pm. I still think it’s fall. All we know for certain is that the story had to take place before October 31, as that was the last day of daylight savings time in 2004.

There are definitely cocktail tables set up in the background, and obviously champagne is being passed around. It’s unclear whether there was (or was supposed to be) a dinner component or only appetizers. (There are multiple members of the catering waitstaff visible in Sadusky’s address to the crowd. Presumably there are at least finger foods available.)

There also may or may not be a fundraising component—a silent auction or similar activity.

So let’s think about Abigail.

She’s worked a full week, dealt with at least one weird meeting, and at least one archival emergency. Depending on what time the gala is and what time she got done with her work, Abigail either went home, got changed, and came back for the gala, or, if she found herself working late due to the gala and/or a heist-created emergency, she might have changed in her office. In either case, her chance to rest was minimal to non-existent.

The boys have spent the week planning a high-stakes heist. They devised their plan, built and tested any components they needed to (the concealed laser, the uv visible powder, the forged ID badge, etc), broke into the subway, prepared the clean room environment in the van, etc. etc. etc. I doubt either of them slept well the night before the heist, if at all.

Abigail is coming to the gala after a full workday at the end of a busy work week.

Ben and Riley have done an unknown amount of hours worth or work putting the heist together, and potentially not been sleeping well in the meantime. It is plausible that one or both of them have already been more or less awake for 24 hours.

And that’s obviously just the beginning.

→ part 2!

[tiredgremlintime]

Arc-v Month Day 3: Duetto of Duelist and Spirit

@arcvmonth

ok so I’m going to talk about three decks! Performapals, melodious, and lyrilusc!!

So performapals! The first arc-v deck I wanted to play

As the zexal era in duel links was drawing closer to its end, I knew arc-v world was next, and I was excited, I was super excited to play Yuya and try out Zuzu, I knew I wanted my first deck to be Yuya’s, especially the performapals focus one, with odd eyes and some magicans of course since Yuya is one of my favorite characters, I tried to study his deck by watching the anime, yes, I was and still am unhinged thank you. So when arc-v world dropped, I couldn’t really play Yuya’s deck. See the problem with duel links is that when new decks come in, some of the cards from said deck is from older boxes, which meant spending a bunch of gems, until last month I couldn’t have Yuya’s deck, considering how EXPENSIVE he was, thankfully I could still play his deck, I just couldn’t bring it online. it was performapal focus! Just like I wanted! Sure it probably wasn’t THAT good but it was fun :). Thankfully, thanks to the campaign that happened last month I can now FINALLY play his deck and main Yuya! Fully compatible, fun to play, AND can be brought online, yippee!!! Even though I have to play with LESS performapals, I still get to play with some! So there’s that atleast! I’m just happy I can finally play my boy :)

Now with that knowledge, you may be wondering, since I been struggling to actually play as Yuya this past year, who else did I play in arc-v world? Who’s deck did I fully have? All the cards and such? Well that’s a pretty easy answer, which leads us to our next point!

Melodious! The deck that gave me confidence again

Now, I really like Zuzu! She’s one of my favorite arc-v characters! Back then though since I was still watching arc-v season 1, she was just a character I liked. Now when arc-v world dropped and the new tier list dropped melodious was actually tier 1! Unfortunately I missed that era cause it lasted like 2 months and it took me 3 months to get Zuzu, but when I DID get her my brother encouraged me to built her deck! I did and she became one of my dl mains! Melodious might have been tier 3 but I was playing GREAT with it online, this deck actually helped me re-gain the confidence to duel online! I’m forever thankful to this deck for helping me gain pvp courage, even if the deck isn’t consider powerful anymore. And this deck also made me love Zuzu even more! So another great thing this deck did for me!

so those are my two arc-v decks in duel links! How about tcg wise? Well this leads to the next and last deck I’m going to talk about in this post

Lyrilusc, baby’s first irl deck

SO, I’m going to talk about this more later, but spring last year I started to really like Lulu, like she was becoming a fav of mine, to the point where I made a daily doodle blog for her, but during this stage where I started to really like her, my brother got the synchro storm box, the newest Yugo box! So we opened it up together, and as a result I got a LOT of lyrilusc support from it, I actually got almost all the cards I needed for the base deck! Because of this my brother suggested that my tcg deck should be lyrilusc, I was a little nervous but also excited about this, so I agreed! It took a long time for the deck to be built however, because believe it or not playing Yugioh actually cause a LOT of money!!!! I didn’t really think I get to actually play the deck, but then Christmas approached, and one of my brother’s gifts for me was the rest of the cards I needed for lyrilusc tri-birgade!!! One of the best versions of the lyrilusc deck is to play it with tri-brigade, so that’s the deck I now own!! Now that it’s officially summer I can finally take the time to learn the deck, I been wanting to play with this deck for awhile so now I’m really excited to learn! I can’t wait to see how far I can go with this deck I was gifted!

So yeah that’s it for my arc-v decks! Thank you to anyone who read this far!!

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day.

Yesterday, I talked about ‘boat people’ and later, when I got online, I discovered Gary Lineker had expressed similar sentiments, but he’d gone one step further and compared government language to “Germany in the 30s”, in other words, Nazi Germany. Naturally, there was right-wing outrage and the BBC said it would be “talking” to Gary, in other words, telling him off. Slightly hypocritical when BBC employees Fiona Bruce and Laura Kuenssberg promote government propaganda every week. One rule for the left, one rule for the right.

Just to let you know, Tesco Finest Granola Slices are absolutely f*cking delicious. I could literally eat them without end. This is why I love muesli and granola, this why I love Christmas pudding, this is why I love Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut. That combination of fruit and nuts is irresistible to me. I also adore any kind of flapjack! Mix them all up together and I am one happy fat boy!

Many thanks to Mark Collison for reminding me it was Lent. It had clean gone out of my mind. I will be doing what I always do every year: I will be giving up celibacy for Lent. Hand on my heart, I faithfully promise: celibacy is OFF the menu (until Lent is over).

Wednesday afternoon’s class descended into chaos! The module is about different artist’s social media campaigns and, in researching The Weeknd, I found a saucy photo of him and Selena Gomez. So I thought, at that point, we would discuss music artists using sexual content in their social media posts. Crikey, that one little, three-letter word beginning with ‘S’! One young man said he did not like “p*ssy rappers” like Megan Thee Stallion, then another young man said he was being a hypocrite as male rappers talk about sex just as much! Then, a young woman took offence to the first guy stereotyping female rappers, as the original female rappers like Queen Latifah and Eve did not talk about sex at all! You can see the kind of discussions we get into! I didn’t even get the chance to show them D’Angelo’s ‘Untitled’ video or show them photographs of the Red Hot Chili Peppers wearing just ONE sock! That one little word set them off! Hmm … we should be able to have a civilised discussion about this without everything popping off! I will try to finish the lesson next week.

Do you ever feel that you can see light at the end of the tunnel? It’s quite an exciting feeling. You don’t want to get too excited in case it’s a mirage or a false dawn, but I just get the sense that I can see light in the distance and numerous situations in my life are about to resolve themselves. Know what I mean?

Have a throbbing and thrusting Thursday (with hopefully a few thrills through your thoroughfare?) I love you all.

[inphront]

ivy & taro!

ivy: what are your ‘tells’ for your emotions and moods? how can someone tell you’re happy, annoyed, upset or tired?

honestly this varies a lot because of the systemhood, but we’ll try go for general rules. i tend to be very expressive when i get excited; think full-body happy stims, high-pitched squealing, big smile, whole nine yards. my resting state, on the other hand, looks about dead to the world most of the time. if i’m tired, it gets worse, but honestly i don’t even have to be doing too badly to look insanely out of it. i sometimes just. stop moving or blinking and in order to make me walk faster than a sloth through molasses you have to drag me bodily. i have a thousand-yard stare that will make you wonder if i even have eyelids. because of that, it gets a little harder to tell if i’m actually upset. if i’m in a pissy mood, i might get a bit snippy and isolate myself, but if it progresses to being legitimately angry or upset i tend to lose speech altogether and sometimes start crying (we either cry very easily or are totally dead-faced, with very few folks in between). i do not generally yell; if i do it usually means i’m scared.

taro: if someone called you right now to catch up, what’re the things you’d tell them about?

school is about to start up again! i’ve been to see family and my partner over the holidays, and will be getting back home in a couple days to get myself ready. i’m actually looking forward to it, which is nice. im taking knitwear, product development (in which i’ll design a fashion line with a focus on communicating it to manufacturers and on the target market), and bridal/couture wear! i am thus far outrunning the curse of the month of january. god i hate january. in my free time, i’m working on a christmas gift for my partner (crocheting them an eyeball sweater), prepping for my drag debut, which i’ll probably make with help from some of my friends, and working on my story (if you want an infodump i’d be more than happy to provide). i’m also FINALLY in a long form rpg campaign again and i’ve missed it SO much. again, if you want an infodump i will gladly never shut up again.

god. i should yell about my life on the internet more is what im learning from this ask game

[polyamorouspunk]

Heyy tumblr bestie!!

Life is still absolutely *WACK* but its *fine* I took today off work to just not and get my shit together a bit. Dad got biopsy results that he’s refusing to look at, niece is being pulled out of school cause of death threats, and Im just here lol

On a brighter note though! I got invited to a dnd campaign for January so I’ve been working on a really fun new character!! AND, Im taking Mountain Boy to my family’s Christmas party tomorrow which is great cause I’ll get to avoid all the ‘why no boyfriend?’ Questions but also SO nerve wracking cause my family is MUCH crazier than his. But Im excited anyways to make him play cards with me there and meet my fam (except my brother and nephew cause they’re down in Kentucky cause my nephew qualified for the junior olympics for track)

Anyhow, I hope you have a good weekend!! Lots of love! 💛💛💛

-key

Hey there! Love you so much too!

I’m glad Mountain Boy is meeting your family today! Congrats to your nephew! In our family newsletter I saw that on Thanksgiving one of my cousins had a gymnastics meet that they were inviting the family to and I was like man I would go if I still lived in Connecticut. I remember being invited along to my neighbor’s once and it was neat. When I was up visiting you my cousin was doing hers at the college which I think I told you about, you said it was pretty far away, like 5 hours right? She ended up spending the night with me at her grandma’s house the night before I left and I was taking a plane back to NC and she was going to be driving to NC that day as well. Her and her mom just came down to visit the 2nd week of November so her mom could run a race with my mom’s other cousin. And I’ll be looking forward to coming up next summer to visit you again!

I really would love to play dnd but I don’t have anyone to play with and I think I would need to play in person to really understand what’s going on. I was part of a test pilot group for a dnd-style game my friend and their brother pioneered and when I went to stay at their house my friend was like “by the way we’re talking about this game we made up” and both their brother and I were like “yeah OUR friend group was the test subject for that” and they were like OH RIGHT I FORGOT. They have a Friday family game night that I was crashing (they invited me to crash it since I was sleeping there, and invited our other best friend and her husband to crash it too if they wanted) but since it was Halloween it was more of a party where my friend and I watched Bluey for 2 hours and ate food their mom had made and we exchanged gifts and I got gifts too and I was like 😭 thank you 😭

I’ve been keeping it on the down-low but I’m dating again (really lowkey for right now because holiday season is retail is nightmare) but I haven’t really told anyone outside of my discord server because I was like “hey advice on this” and then my friend on discord I talk to every day and my best friend since she had to third-wheel the last date we went on since she was diving me around. My other friends have met her before but I doubt anyone remembers because my other best friend has the WORST memory (like forgetting we were the ones who demoed their game) but my other friend might remember because we all went to college together. I should tell my other friends I just have not.

Sending your dad so much love and support, as well as you and Mountain Boy and the rest of your family.

[goseenews]

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[meetinginsamarra]

Fanfics I really liked in December 2023

So. Since I keep a list of what I´ve read anyway (there´s always a list), I will rec all the fics I´ve wholly enjoyed on a monthly basis. Old and new, canon or AU, big or small authors, long or short but nearly always Johnlock (-ish).

Reposting this because a reference to a tumblr blog has been incorrect. Please everyone, if you want to reblog choose his post!

Sorry for double-tagging people, too!

Inscrutable to the Last by DiscordantWords @discordantwords

When a series of bombings in London ensues and John learns that Sherlock is not only alive but also back, at first he draws the wrong conclusions. A great alternative version of how it could have gone after the hiatus.

The secret patient by PlainJane

WWII, the Italian campaign. Dr. John Watson is left behind at a lonely chapel with a mysterious patient who cannot be evacuated with the rest of the field hospital, due to his injuries. Inspired by "The English Patient".

The Way Home by Calais_Reno @calaisreno

It's Christmas Eve, and Sherlock's landlord has evicted him. He's left with only one alternative: go home. Spend Christmas with his family. On the train, he meets someone who might just be having an even worse holiday. One immediately has to hug this insecure Sherlock and lovely John.

Cold Inside by LoloLolly

Sherlock has just shot Magnussen, is in prison the isolation eats away at his sanity. John feels adrift and wants to help. Mycroft is equally untethered, scrambling for options. Perhaps they can manage to save Sherlock and rid themselves of Mary in one fell swoop. Lovely S3 fix-it with hurt/comfort.

Hard Rain by writerfan2013

After the Fall. Sherlock and John are apart, but each encounter the same mysterious organization. Sherlock is undercover and John gets abducted but in the end they reunite and solve the case. Really suspenseful casefic.

Adler’s by Elianara

John meets Sherlock while the detective is working undercover in Ms Adler’s establishment. John ends up getting a different sort of excitement than he came for. A fun different first meeting.

[lindajenni]

sep 26

if i were the devil

if i were the devil … if i were the prince of darkness, i’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. and i’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but i wouldn’t be happy until i had seized the ripest apple on the tree — thee. so i’d set about however necessary to take over the united states. i’d subvert the churches first — i’d begin with a campaign of whispers. with the wisdom of a serpent, i would whisper to you as i whispered to eve: 'do as you please.'

to the young, i would whisper that 'the bible is a myth.’ i would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. i would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is ‘square.’ and the old, i would teach to pray, after me, ‘our Father, which art in washington…’

and then i’d get organized. i’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. i’d threaten tv with dirtier movies and vice versa. i’d pedal narcotics to whom i could. i’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. i’d tranquilize the rest with pills.

if i were the devil i’d soon have families that war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. and with promises of higher ratings i’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. if i were the devil i would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door.

within a decade i’d have prisons overflowing, i’d have judges promoting pornography — soon i could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of congress. and in His own churches i would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science. i would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money. if i were the devil i’d make the symbols of easter an egg and the symbol of christmas a bottle.

if i were the devil i’d take from those who have, and give to those who want until i had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

and what do you bet i could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? i would caution against extremes and hard work in patriotism, in moral conduct. i would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the tv is the way to be. and thus, i could undress you in public, and i could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure. in other words, if i were the devil i’d just keep right on doing what he’s doing.

paul harvey, good day - 1965

mr harvey delivered this years ago to a world descending into darkness and confusion. i think even he would be shocked at far we have advanced from his visioning. all his statements seem as a child's reader compare to a book on calculus. and our senses remain deadened all the while because the process was gradually - just like a frog will remain still and be cooked because the body adapts to the increase until it is suddenly too late.

many are now like that frog. "for when they say, 'peace and safety!' then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. and they shall not escape." 2 thes 5:3

but satan is busy at his job and he is good at it. "he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." john 12:40 God does not take pleasure in the loss of any soul.

if you are unsure of your standing with the Lord today, in any way, call upon the name of Jesus - "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." luke 23:42