#the true xmas present is getting back to writing them

[heartintact]

Delight was devouring her to the point where it felt almost dangerous. Her cheeks burned from the admission, and her heart rate was so high that she feared she would die if Jordan ever stopped touching her, not that it seemed like that would happen any time soon with the way they looked at her through their lashes. But none of those things threatened the real intimacy of the moment, the one that had nothing to do with the teasing roll of their hips against hers or with the obscene moans that abandoned her throat, and everything to do with the way Jordan laughed, warm and pleased with her confession, making it impossible for Marie not to grin back at them, sincere and giddy. Their promise came out whispered against her lips, getting her to gasp once they finally kissed her again. It wasn’t a noise of objection nor was it an acceptance; it was something different, the kind of amused curiosity that flushed through her because she didn’t even know if she could keep up for long. It sounded like torture and indulgence at the same time, and Marie felt both unprepared and starving for it. “So impatient,” she teased, an admonishing tone not at all believable as her hips raised for her to unbutton her jeans before pulling them down unceremoniously down her thighs, huffing out a breathless laugh as Jordan helped once their own pants were out of the way. Her pretty, wine-colored lace was already soaked through, folds messy with slick against the fabric, but Marie didn’t have the decency to care because they were back on her again, swallowing her whines, palms sneaking under her panties with a touch that was new and somehow well-known. Because it was Jordan, the same Jordan who knew her body by memory by now, who had taken the time to figure out what made her groan and what made her crumble in their hands; but in this form, their fingers were smaller, more delicate, even as their grip on her was more controlling, and their mouth was softer, their lips fuller, even as they used them to bite harder than usual. There were a hundred little differences from what she’d known in the past weeks, new details of them for her to discover, and Marie’s mind was reeling with excitement, feeling proud and desperate to figure them out all over again.

“You do?” Marie asked softly, all pretend innocence and playfulness because her naivety didn’t take it as far as not knowing that for sure. It didn’t matter how desperate they were—hands roaming through bodies and pleas murmured in a haze of need—they always found a moment to get on their knees for her, to worship her with their tongue. She fucking loved it, and if they kept up that pace, it really would go to her head. The series of questions was unfair, bordering on mean—of course she’d thought about it. But she forgave them for that unkindness, especially because it would be impossible for her to hold onto a grudge when they looked that perfect, lowering themselves on her body and moving the ruined panties to the side so her cunt was exposed, cold air kissing sensitive skin. It made her feel filthier, not being fully naked but practically unwrapped like a pretty gift they couldn’t wait to use. “Yeah, I—yeah, all the time,” she finally replied, her voice a sweet, broken thing as they put their mouth on her. They didn’t ease her into it, instead licking and sucking on her clit like they wanted to get her to come undone embarrassingly quick. Marie gasped out their name as they spat on her pussy, the ache inside of her feeling heavy in her chest. She’d accuse them of wanting to drive her insane if it weren’t for the dirty sounds that escaped them too—the ones that betrayed exactly how much they were enjoying it. “I wondered whether you’d be nice to me or if you’d be meaner about it.” It all depended on the mood they were in during her fantasies, the kind of rehearsal they’d had that day, or how combative she was feeling. “The days you didn’t come home with me or when you didn’t give me any attention in the studio, that’s what I thought about. You. Always you.” Moans got caught in her throat as she spoke, slipping in between heated words. “So, yeah, I wondered about this.” Marie’s legs bent a little higher, spreading herself wider for them, her tights burning with the pleasurable effort of her muscles. “If your fingers would fuck me just as deep, or if you’d have to give me a third one to stretch me out just how you like it.” Her center clenched at her own words, whimpering as her hips attempted to grind against Jordan’s mouth—not an easy task when their hands kept her in her place. “If you’d be just as easy to unravel if I tasted you like this, if you’d be just as tight as I am… yeah, I’ve had a lot of time to think. It’s your fault, really, getting me all used to getting what I want.” A choked-out laugh abandoned her, one of her fists tightening its hold on the sheet as the other hand moved down, fingers threading in Jordan’s hair, not pulling, just making sure the dark hair wouldn’t cover their face when she was that close.

With the lewd drag of their tongue against her heat, the way their lips closed dirtily around her clit despite the way her sounds grew wilder and breathier, and the gorgeous sight of them, it wasn’t a surprise when Marie fell apart easily, melting against their touch, her head falling back against the mattress when the aftershocks crept up on her without any sort of warning. It was like floating; no, it was better. Pushing up onto her elbows after taking a moment, there was a dazed smile on her face as she felt a shiver running up her spine, her body still buzzing as she got Jordan closer to her. “How’d you want me, baby?” If her brain registered the pet name, she didn’t show it; she was too drunk on them to even offer the proper time to respond. Leaning in to kiss them, Marie’s hands moved immediately to cup their face, tongue licking at their lips before parting her mouth for them. “You’ve been so bossy tonight; is that what you want? To have control, to make the decisions?” She cooed, even if she knew that kind of bratty attitude could play against her. “You could sit on my face; I bet you’d look real good coming on my tongue, using my mouth like that.” Her palms moved down their body as she spoke, smiling against their lips as they sneaked under the elastic of the briefs, her hands curving around their ass. “Or you could actually take the time to get me naked now and rub that pretty pussy against mine; doesn’t that sound great?” It seemed only fair to have them remove her underwear. After all, they’d been the one to get her to ruin it. “You can have me however you want, but surely you already knew that, didn’t you?”

To go from being so cautious about this side of themselves to slowly dropping away every layer of anxiety that had plagued them, filling up slowly with exhilaration and a need to make up for every moment that they'd held back... it was thrilling. Edging closer and closer to things they'd fantasised and dreamed of. Their bodies fit together so perfectly like this, soft skin pressed so closely, nipples hardening with the contact, heat growing more intense as they both sought out friction. It could have easily been overwhelming, but Jordan rode the current, embracing a new boldness, a new confidence unleashed as they sought out Marie's want and approval. The look on her face alone would have been enough, the way she stared up at them in awe, pretty brown eyes filled with an affection that made their heart melt and their cunt clench with need. They exhaled, chuckling softly and grinning at her answer. "Yeah?" Their hands shifted down as she removed hers, arching a little into the press of her palms against their breasts and groaning. They caught her hips, holding her steady as they slowed their moments to rock and grind against her, mind flashing between sliding inside her and how this would feel without any layers between them. It'd take a bit of positioning to get the right spot, but the way their bodies moved would allow for it, they could already imagine how it would feel to slide against the wetness of her pussy with their own. They looked down at her through their lashes, eyelids a little heavy as they revelled in all of it. Pretty would have been enough to feed their ego, but she continued and they drew close again, one of their forearms pressing into the bed, bracketing her on one side as their brows rose and their cheeks warmed. They weren't shy by any means, but not quite used to this kind of attention in this form, not in a way they liked as much as this. Marie's touch, her gaze, it came with a deeper kind of affection than just fucking for satiating whatever need they'd built up. She was too good at making them feel almost unsteady with the level of urgency that charged through their body, awakening every inch, making the hairs stand on end when she uttered something as simple as not having done this before. This, meaning... with a body like theirs. With a woman. They hadn't quite thought about it until she'd spoken it aloud. Their brows furrowed and then lifted in surprise, the corner of their mouth following suit before they laughed. God, yeah, if she'd gotten off just like this, with the wicked, drawn out thrust of Jordan's lips against hers and not even a real touch to her needy folds — that kind of smugness wouldn't have washed off of them for weeks. "I think admitting it already has my fucking ego ballooning to new heights..."

They swooped down to her again, lips brushing over hers as they spoke, their hand keeping her hair away from her face as their gaze trailed up to her eyes when they pulled back to stare at her. "If this is your first time getting fucked by a girl, I hope you're not expecting me to let you off with just twice tonight. Might just keep it up till you pass out. And you're not going anywhere after." With that, their mouth sealed over hers again. The rest of the world ceased to exist, as they went back to grinding their hips against hers, hands gripping and tightening at her waist. The layers were starting to feel stifling, so they pulled back, leaning on their legs as they made quick work of their pants. "This, off." They ordered, motioning to her bottoms as they leaned back up, briefs still hanging on their hips as they helped her shed another layer. Admittedly, in this form they felt more demanding, more domineering with the way they gripped the back of her thighs, hands sliding up to cup the back of her knees, gaze trailing over her body possessively. It was too hard to help it, not leaning down to her again, fingers dipping underneath the hem of her panties to just touch her hips, holding onto it as they ground their hips down again, feeling another layer closer to her, that heat pressing right against their own folds. She was so slick it was likely leaving a wet patch on their own underwear and they were pleased with the thought, their kisses growing dirtier, teeth tugging at her bottom lip before their mouth trailed to her neck. They littered her skin with open mouthed kisses, a hand snaking between their bodies too press against her, giving them both something to helplessly hump against in the search for more. God, Jordan needed more of her. They licked a stripe up her skin, lips landing near her ear. "You have no fucking idea how much I like eating your pussy." They spoke softly, pulling away as their hand shifted and turned, teasing her over the fabric of her underwear. Their other hand was focused on keeping her legs spread, trailing up the back of a brown thigh to cup the back of her knee, firm in the way they insisted she stay open so they could tease her clit.

"Think my mouth feels different like this?" They asked, shifting back on the bed as their knees sunk further into the mattress. "That something you wondered about, how soft my mouth would feel? If I ate it the same?" They were lowering already, dropping one hand to ease her underwear aside, as if they couldn't even waste the time to pull it off of her. They groaned the second they leaned in, the heady taste making a shiver run through their whole body. Their dark hair curtained the side of their face, brushing against her thigh. They weren't shy about it, not in either form, but surely she expected nothing less. Their flat tongue slid through her folds, relishing in how her body had reacted to humping against each other, all desperate and aching for each other. Fingers spread her open wider, focus shifting to her swollen clit, moaning as they swirled their tongue around it. Their gaze lifted to look at her as they lifted their mouth, just enough to fill their mouth with saliva and spit down against her cunt lewdly, smirking into it as they dove back in. Their hand slid up between them now, trailing along her stomach and up towards her breast, squeezing as they savoured each lick, mouth and chin beginning to glisten as they dug in shamelessly. It was only natural to them, that instinct to make her come like this first, to apologise for all the bullshit of the night with their head tucked between her legs.

[inagetawaycarxo]

Christmas Magic | Roman Reigns

wattpad requested

 — ❄PAIRINGS: Roman Reigns x Fem!Reader

— ❄FEATURING: Roman Reigns, Y/n, Jojo, Romans kids.

— ❄SYNPOSIS: Two surprises arise on Christmas day. A proposal and a positive pregnancy test.

— ❄WARNINGS: just fluff, fluff, pregnancy, engagement, I am bad at writing proposals, errors I missed.

— W/C: 711

— ❄AUTHORS NOTE: Xmas requesting is closed, however, you can still request nonrelated Xmas things.

— ❄DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT give consent/permission for my work to be copied and pasted on other platforms. HOWEVER, I highly encourage feedback, likes, reblogs, and comments.

There were two presents left underneath the Christmas tree. One was small and the other one was in a medium-sized box. One had Roman’s name on it while the other one had your name on it. You knew what the gift of Romans was it was from you. you weren’t sure how to announce to him you were pregnant you had plenty of ideas on how you would tell him but decided to wrap it up in multiple wrapping papers. Then put it in a box.

Jojo was the only one who seemed interested in the last two presents. While his other kids lost interest in watching the TV instead.

“It is for you, from dad,” Jojo beamed, as she handed you the small present. Beaming excitedly at you. She looked back at her father still smiling. Roman smiled back at her. Though you could tell he was nervous.

Jojo leaned closer to him. whispering something which seemed to make his nerves vanish.

She then grabbed the present for Roman, which was from you. Handing it to him.

“It is for you dad, from y/n,” She spoke. Jojo turned to face you.

“Open yours first… y/n/n,” She started to say then stopped herself from saying the next words.

“Y/n,” She spoke again. Almost correcting herself. You gave her a concerned look. She leaned forward in anticipation. You truthfully wished he would have opened his first, but you opened yours first instead.

Both of them leaned forward, watching you unwrap the wrapping paper.

You saw a black box. Your heart rate speeding up. You fumbled to open the lid. Eyes watering with tears of joy. You saw a beautiful diamond ring. Your hand

When you looked up you saw Roman closer to you, Kneeling on one knee.

“[Your full name], I have been in love with you since the first day I meet you when you ran right into me at work, and ever since that day, I can’t get you out of my mind. I am asking you to marry me, not only because I know that we're made for each other, but more importantly because I know that I cannot live a single day of my life without you being by my side. Will you marry me?"

“YES,” You cried. Quickly wrapped your arms around him. Still holding the box.

Flinging yourself onto him. Roman wrapped his arms around you hugging you tightly. You pulled away from him, pressing a passionate kiss on his lips. Roman kissed you back. Unwrapping his arms from you. His hands grabbed your jawline.

The both of you pulled away. Smiling lovingly at each other. The hand that was holding the black box, unwrapped from him, bringing it up to Roman and yours eye level. He quickly took the black box out of your hand then the ring, placing it on your left ring finger. You admired the ring on your finger. A tear slips from your eyes. While Roman admired you. He shifted you to sit on his lap.

“Okay, dad your next,” Jojo squeaked out. Making Roman and you, look at Jojo. She handed her father his gift.

Roman opened the box, noticing a gift inside of it. He unwrapped the wrapping paper, only to find more wrapping paper.

Nerves started to set in again, waiting for his reaction. they intensified until he got to the pregnancy test. A positive pregnancy test. He looked shocked. He turned to look at you, asking you silently with his eyes if it was true, you nodded your head. A genuine happy smile graced his mouth as he looked at you.

The pregnancy test slipped from his hold, as he went to grab the side of your face.

“I love you so much, I can’t wait to meet them,” He beamed.

Leaning in to press a soft kiss on your lips softly. eyes fluttering closed. Your heart flutters with joy, as well as Romans.

Roman and you heard a sniffle. Making the both of you pull away from each other, looking at her.

“You are going to be my stepmother, and I am going to be a big sister again, this is the best Christmas ever,” She beamed. As she wrapped her arms around Roman and you…

REBLOGS AND FEEDBACK ARE APPRECIATED!

[turquoisefleur]

Frozen - as a Hallmark xmas Movie

tags: Kristoff x Anna; Elsa x Honeymaren; SFW; cozy; SILLY (I warned u).

Ok, I'm no good at writing fanfics, so it's just my idea separated into paragraphs... (I- I hope at least one person will enjoy it):

------------✽------------

Sad Past - Anna and Elsa parents died in a boat accident, the girls lost their memories and were adopted by different families, losing touch/contact with each other. Anna, now older, a week before xmas she breaks up with Hans (CEO of "Forever 13" a greenwashing perfume company), and leaves the big city to discover more about herself and her past going to her childhood country town: Arendelle.

Lonely Father - Kristoff, a bit of a fixer upper, father of a little girl named Evangelina Kristina Trollini, or just "Eve" for her friends. The Trollini surname is from Eve's mother (a mysterious blond woman with a side ponytail). Kristoff started living with them after Eve was born. They love to do silly xmas pranks like adding raisins in Kristoff's food "because it's good for the intestine" as grandma Troll-ini would say. (I'm so sorry for the surname pun...)

A Miracle Happens - Anna and Elsa both get a dream with the spirit of Frosty Olaf the Snowman that tells them to participate in a Snowman-contest (a Snowtest); it was a draw, they both won the first prize: a reindeer sleigh ride, their re-encounter ("rein-counter" lol ok my puns are horrible) brings back their lost memories, a true xmas miracle.

Misunderstandings - "Mysterious blond woman with a side ponytail" Anna kept wondering who Eve's mother was; as Kristoff kept wondering if Anna was engaged to Hans (whom wasn't taking down so soon his "we are engaged" post on the internet as it would be bad for his marketing). "I saw no ring" Eve said to her father about Anna's hand. "A-Anna... I'm gay." abruptly explained Elsa to Anna. And thus the misunderstanding was cleared! The fact was: Elsa had been adopted into the Trollini family after the boat accident, but she was not the mysterious blond woman. The Trollini tried for years to search for Anna to adopt her into the family too so she could grow in Arendelle with her sister, but to no avail as their far relatives had taken Anna away blaming Elsa for the accident as it happened in Elsa's birthday. As for Eve's mother? She died during birth. This was years after Elsa's adoption into the Trollini, back then Elsa felt like she had lost a second sister, despite not being able to remember about Anna nor their childhood.

Coffee-shop Mission! - The totally spies duo Anna and Eve succeeded to set up Elsa and Honeymaren together, as the later worked in a coffee-shop. Honey had to work and they saw the duo spying on them, so the couple, under the mistletoe, held hands and kissu- on the CHEEK (hÁ, u were trolled, by a f/a/m/i/l/y/m/o/v/i/e); lol the straight couple Anna and Kristoff don't even give a cheek-kiss, they hugged, spun, touched forehead, and THEN- were interrupted by Eve. U are welcome, I'm very evil. Only Grandma Trollini gives as many cheek-kisses as she wants.

The end.

Post-credits Scene - Hans wakes up in a pile of coal (no Santa's present for him) after having a nightmare with Frosty Olaf the Snowman explaining he will be visited by the spirits from the past, present and the future.

[naturesapphic]

Hi! I love your writing? Could we please have one where Jade West x reader have been dating for a while and it’s around xmas time and Jade’s been kinda distant and secretive but it’s because she’s planning a super cute xmas date?

Distant

Jade west x fem!reader

Warnings: sad reader but fluff at the end

The past few weeks jade has been very secretive and distant. You didn’t understand why, y’all were going so great and now she barley hangs out with you. She’s also been hanging around with her ex, beck, which makes you question things. Of course you trust jade but with how she’s acting you can’t help but wonder.

It was the last week of school and y’all only had two more days left. You and jade were going to spend Christmas together since her parents left to go on vacation. You were excited but still upset about how she was acting. What if she changes her mind? What if she breaks up with you. What if she decides to hang out with beck? Your thoughts were interrupted by your friends sitting down with you at yalls lunch table. Everyone greeted you and carried on with their conversations. You looked up and saw beck with his arm around jade as she smiled. Your eyes filled with tears as you got up and threw away your food and you walked away past them.

Jade looked at you with sad eyes knowing she can’t go after you because she knows she will spoil the surprise she has for you.

You went home and cried yourself to sleep knowing that jade chose beck over you. You couldn’t believe that she would play you like that. Like you meant nothing to her. You fell asleep with dried tears on your cheeks thinking about jade.

You woke up the next morning with the smell of breakfast. Weird. Your family wasn’t home so who could be cooking? You walked downstairs quietly and gasped as you saw jade cooking you breakfast. She saw you coming down the stairs and gave you a small smile as she said “ho ho ho.” You smiled then it turned into a frown. “Shouldn’t you be with beck?” You replied back. Jade rose her eyebrows and shook her head. “No. I know what you saw yesterday was weird but he was the one helping me with your surprises for today. I know how much Christmas means to you so today I’m giving you some Christmas presents early and we are going on a date later as well.”

Your mouth was open in shock at this and you ran over to her and jumped in her arms. “Thank you Jadey so much! I love you I love you I love you.” You said after each peck on her lips. She let out a little giggled and gave you a passionate kiss after you were done talking. “Mmm…as much as I love kissing you. We need to eat so I can give you your gifts.” You nodded and jumped down from her arms and yall ate.

You and jade went to school but not before jade put on a Santa hat for you, which made you feel very giddy. The rest of the day was great. She gave you little gifts here and there until it was time for y’all’s date. Y’all went to fancy restaurant that didn’t have any people there which confused you but you shrugged it off. Jade said she would be right back. You saw her head to the bathroom and then the lights were dimmed and spotlight was shining on a stage in the front.

You saw your girlfriend get on stage with a kinda revealing Santa outfit on with stockings. She went up to the mic as the music started playing and she gave you wink as she started singing.

“I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

Yeah

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need (and I)

Don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree

I don't need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace

Santa Claus won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day

I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is you

You, baby

Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas

I won't even wish for snow (and I)

I'm just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe

I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole for Saint Nick

I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click

'Cause I just want you here tonight

Holding on to me so tight

What more can I do?

Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you

You, baby

Oh-oh, all the lights are shining so brightly everywhere (so brightly, baby)

And the sound of children's laughter fills the air (oh, oh, yeah)

And everyone is singing (oh, yeah)

I hear those sleigh bells ringing

Santa, won't you bring me the one I really need? (Yeah, oh)

Won't you please bring my baby to me?

Oh, I don't want a lot for Christmas

This is all I'm asking for

I just wanna see my baby standing right outside my door

Oh, I just want you for my own

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is you

You, baby

All I want for Christmas is you, baby

All I want for Christmas is you, baby

All I want for Christmas is you, baby

All I want for Christmas (all I really want) is you, baby

All I want (I want) for Christmas (all I really want) is you, baby.”

You stood up from your seat and started clapping as Jade bowed and got off the stage and went to you. “That was amazing baby! I love it.” You said as you wrapped your arms around her neck as hers went to your waist. She replied with giving you a deep and passionate kiss on your lips. It was getting heated until she pulled away which made you pout which made her smile. “Don’t worry love. We can finish that later tonight.” She said as she gave you a wink at which you blushed at.

Best Christmas ever.

A/n: merry Christmas Eve! Or if you don’t celebrate Christmas happy holidays! Make sure to eat and stay hydrated! I love you all <3

[changebydjo]

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ

 so i’ve put off writing this for a long, long time, and it’ll be painful for me to make this post but at this point i feel like it needs to be done. someone within the liz fandom has been lying, gaslighting and manipulating me as well as many others, both online and offline, and after getting proof on everything (plus their lack of remorse) has prompted me to write this.

this is about gil perez, aka @unrated-g, and one of his irl friends, kim @kimbus-the-whimbus, to a lesser extent, but mostly gil. since 2016 - nearly 5 years now - he’s been lying that he’s best friends with liz gillies. i’m gonna put a read more because it’s a long, insane, and ridiculous thing that happened, but please read all of it and know how serious this is, as well as all the damage this man has done.

​

i met gil through tumblr in 2018 - he had been replying my posts since before that, but early 2018 is when i followed him and started chatting with him casually. over time, i noticed that he would reblog posts about liz and in the tags he would seem to be talking to her or referencing her, but not by her name - instead he would call her “goblin”. he would mention things that “goblin” liked or behind the scenes on dynasty stuff, and after a few weeks of noticing this and chatting with him about dynasty/liz, i ended up asking him if he was friends with liz/knew her personally because of the way he spoke about her. he confirmed to me that he knew her, she was one of his best friends, and he “didn’t expect” anyone to pick up on it. he told me to keep it private and i agreed, obviously, because i had no reason to not trust him, and i know that liz values her privacy.

it’s important to note that liz does NOT follow him or any of his accounts from her verified twitter or instagram accounts - instead, he said she had an “extremely private” encrypted tumblr account that could only be seen by people she follows/white listed. he was one of them. her blog would not show up for anyone else, and they met through tumblr in 2016 (even though he said she followed him back in 2010 and he didn’t realize until 6 years later) through their mutual love for uncharted, and bonded over playing uncharted 4 multiplayer together. it’s also important to note that liz has had 2 tumblr accounts since 2010, both of which she has abandoned, and he said that her private tumblr is separate from those two. she also was friends with him (according to him) through PSN, where they would play ps4 games together, and all of his text convos with her are from that app:

(^ “liz’s” PSN account)

throughout all of 2018, we would text on a regular basis and started becoming good friends. he was extremely kind, always willing to be there for me, and listened to me about not only fandom stuff but also my irl problems. he also became friends with my friend group, who were also in the liz fandom, and it was really nice for a while. in october of 2018, gil said he went to HHN with liz and matt in LA, and for xmas of 2018, he said he spent it with liz - both in LA and in NJ, which is what she typically does to spend her holidays with her family and friends. her pale blue eyes cover was also for him, according to gil, because he asked for her to cover it specifically and she did just for him.

gil would also occasionally stream for friends, and sometimes liz would show up:

beginning of 2019 is when gil and i started getting much closer - we started playing games together (mostly mario kart, at the beginning) and talking through voice chat. he would talk about liz and personal things about her/her life or dynasty, and he always willingly supplied that information himself - i never asked for it, i wasn’t friends with him to get information on liz or have an “in” with her. chatting with him made me feel good and happy and important to him, and i realized i started having feelings for him - which i told him about in april 2019. he said he wasn’t sure exactly how he felt but he thought he might feel the same, the only really complicated part (besides the fact that this was long distance/not irl) was that he also had a really deep crush on liz, someone who was his best friend/ultimate celeb crush. he was really like in love with her, even though he said he tried to suppress it. anyways, after me admitting that to him, our friendship started to develop into something more. we weren’t ever in an official relationship, but things were definitely not strictly platonic with us. we went from chatting once every week or two to almost every single night for 3-6 hours per night for MONTHS. throughout that time, our relationship became sexual, too, and my feelings for him just continued to get deeper and deeper.

this continues throughout the rest of 2019, and then new years 2020, everything just...goes to shit asap. gil got really distant with me with no explanation, i felt like all the affection he was showing me and the kind things he would say to me, as well as our bonding time when we would chat together, was just ripped away unexpectedly. i constantly asked what was wrong and what was happening, and told him how i feel, and i got no real response besides just being tired/non-sociable, etc. (which, for the record, is completely understandable, but it was such a huge 180 in behavior that it worried me and things never went back to normal after that). in addition to that, kim (who was mentioned at the beginning of this post) is one of his best friends irl, as well as his on again/off again ex (according to him). anyways, there were posts that she had made that indicated to them not being exes and instead still together - or at the very least not platonic - which crushed me when i found out, because until that point i had no reason not to trust him. i told him about it though, and how it hurt me because my feelings were so deep for him at that point i felt that i loved him, and he told me they weren’t together. this isn’t really necessary for the liz stuff of this post, but it’s important for context for how hurt and on edge i was already feeling before things got worse.

we would still chat maybe a few times a week, but nothing like it used to be, and i was happy we would even chat at all, even though things felt so weird and different and off, and no matter what i did, i couldn’t fix it. as 2020 started going on, and this continued, his friendship with liz started making me feel extremely uncomfortable. knowing that he had the weird boundaries with his ex, plus whatever was going on with me and him, AND that he was in love with liz?? it was unsettling. i felt like i couldn’t compare, because it’s *liz gillies*, someone i obviously love and idolize and look up to. and she was up on a pedestal for him, even though he said that he never tried to treat liz differently than his other close friends just bc of who she was, but that wasn’t true. anything that she said or did, he agreed with 100%, and would defend it. when he and i would chat, and i would mention something about dynasty that bothered me, he would talk about what liz’s thoughts were on it and how she felt and that she was right to feel that way and it made me feel awful. this happened on multiple occasions throughout various topics, from dynasty to fandom stuff to liz’s friendships/relationships, etc. no matter what, to gil, liz was always right and he always had an explanation for anything that happened. the way he would describe liz and the thing he said about her made me see her in a completely different light - she was not the same liz that she presented herself as, at least in gil’s eyes. 

he would always talk about how amazing liz was to him and how she did so much for him, such as buying him gifts, supporting his art, etc. this was hurtful to hear because i was doing the exact same things for him, as well as our group of friends: we had been buying his art (not only the art prints but the ACTUAL original copies), sending him gifts or money for gifts, supporting him and his art on social media, as well as just being a genuine friend to him. he never appreciated or thanked us the way that he thanked liz; none of us ever compared to her, even though we were doing the exact same thing for him that he said liz was doing, as well. it made me feel like no matter what i did, or how supportive i was, i was never enough.

we also had a discord with gil, that involved him, me, and my friends sarah, hope, amanda, and dom. within this discord, it’s worth noting that gil was the only man there, and would talk about liz and his friendship with her there, unprompted. we never asked for info, he volunteered everything willingly, and we all kind of glossed over it at the time because we weren’t friends with him for liz or any of that.

(the screenshot gil linked in the gc is what “liz’s” private encrypted blog looks like on his dash. please note the edit post button in the bottom right of the screenshot.)

another important thing about his friendship with liz/being in love with her: he has this specific kink (which i don’t want to say what it is for privacy reasons) and he said that liz was engaging in this kink herself, and that he was jealous of liz’s bf/wishes he could engage in it with liz, etc. i wasn’t into this kink before talking to him but because i had liked him so much at the time, and i was slightly jealous that he wanted it with liz, i thought that i could indulge in it for him. it was something that i was not physically or mentally prepared for/able to make happen, and it really caused an impact on me, and he just...didn’t care. at all.

anyways: this stuff continues, then around summer 2020, my friend sarah reached out to him. she (and my friends, along with me) were starting to distrust the things gil was saying about liz, since it went completely against what liz would say herself. she would say she only plays the sims 3 on her computer - he would say she was a huge gamer and played the sims 4 on ps4, along with minecraft, uncharted, the last of us, horizon zero dawn, etc. he would say that liz and maddison brown (her dynasty co-star) played ACNH with him and quickly got to 5 stars - liz said in a zach sang interview that she didn’t play animal crossing. every time something didn’t add up, his excuse was that liz was lying for her privacy. she didn’t follow gil on any verified social media accounts in case “people harassed him” over being friends with her. so sarah texted him that she needed to talk to him about the liz stuff, because there was evidence it wasn’t true, and he denied all of it. he firmly stuck to his story, and sarah gave him multiple chances over several days to come clean and he wouldn’t. she asked for simple pieces of proof that he could give her, and he wouldn’t besides fake screenshots of her “private blog”:

 he told me afterwards that if it comes between his friendship with liz or sarah’s, he’s picking liz - end of story. his and sarah’s friendship was done after that because of his decision. he blamed sarah for “ruining” liz and maddison’s friendship because of her asking for proof, and made her out to be the bad one in that situation. he ended up deleting the discord gc after this happened, with all of his screenshots/”info” as liz as well (we got screenshots of things before he deleted it though, much more that’s shown in this post).

about a month later, my friend léa also confronted him about it. gil had told her some things about liz’s “reaction” to meeting léa in paris, and at the time, it had made the experience more special for her. once she realized it was all lies, though, it really hurt her - he altered that special experience for her and twisted it into something that wasn’t real. he had the same reaction to léa’s conversation as he did to sarah’s, and he refused to tell the truth. their friendship was done with after, as well, along with a few other people from the liz fandom. i was the only one who stayed friends with him after that, and that was because i was closest with him and still trying to see if i could fix things with him. i was still naively believing that he would treat me okay again, he would make me feel important instead of always a backup option, that he wanted me again. 

but of course that never happened. he continued to ignore me, talk to me less and less, and would subtweet me on his private account. after he stopped being friends with sarah and léa and everyone blocked him except for me, i was the only follower on his private account, as well as being the only person he followed there. gil, though, kept saying that liz had a “private twitter” where she would talk to him on his private account. he also said that he had “merged twitter accounts” into one, which was his private, which messed up his account and wouldn’t show who he was replying to, quote rts, or that he was following them, which - if you have a twitter, you KNOW none of that can actually happen. but it was his excuse to constantly subtweet me and my friends for not believing him, to maintain his story, AND to have convos with “liz” on there that only i could see, where he made it sound like he was talking shit about me to her. it was extremely manipulative and served no purpose except to fuck with me, because he knew that i was the only one seeing those tweets and knew i was already struggling with not knowing what to believe. here’s some of them:

(you can very clearly see that i’m the only follower/following on that account, the number is at literally 1, and he STILL was acting like he was talking to someone else and that other people were following him.)

now comes jan. 2021!! WE GOT DEFINITE PROOF THAT IT WAS ALL LIES. from multiple people. one of liz’s close best friends (that gil included in his stories about her, saying that he met them) said that they don’t know who gil is, have never met him, and it’s best for us all to block him for our own safety. a co-worker of liz’s (who was, again, included in gil’s lies, that he hung out with them multiple times, played games with them online, and bought him gifts) said that not only had they never met gil, but EVERYTHING he said about them was untrue. they even listed the inaccuracies he would say about them, such as gil taking photos of them at things like the SWT, and they confirmed who actually took the photo. they said that “none of it is fucking true” and that gil is a narcissistic liar, and also encouraged us to block him for our own safety. 

i confronted gil myself about this a few weeks ago, and he continued to maintain his story that everyone’s lying to protect his privacy - even though we know for sure that wasn’t the case. he FINALLY owned up to it to me only once he saw i had proof and he was caught, and his reason for doing it was “he was bored”. he said he was sorry but he wasn’t truly apologetic - he either didn’t fully realize the scope of how hurtful his lies and manipulations were, or he just didn’t care, but the bottom line is that he always chose his fantasy of liz over his actual friends. around this time, once he knew he was caught, he also deactivated his private account, but brought it back a week or so later, with all of the subtweets and tweets about liz being deleted. all of the unverified accounts that were supposed to be liz - the tumblr account, psn, twitch, etc. - were all fake and made by him, so he could make it seem more real.

even if he WAS telling the truth about being friends with liz, he still would have completely violated her privacy by the amount of “secret” things he told all of us - from her kinks/sex life, to work life, to very personal things that he claims happened to her. knowing it’s all fake though, and he made up an entire personality and life for liz that doesn’t exist??? it’s insane.

now the part with kim - she’s known gil irl for over 10 years, and has tweeted about liz all the time, about how “good” liz is to her because of gil, and that she’s the one who encouraged him to talk to her. she brags about it constantly, even though none of it is real. she also tweeted multiple times throughout 2018-2019 about how gil “finally deserves to meet liz in person”, even though gil said he met liz irl back in 2017 or so - AND that she came to texas, where he lives, to meet him and his friends. when asked about her tweets, he said that kim’s account was “messed up” and her tweets weren’t “tweeted at the right time”. one of my friends reached out to tell her and show her the proof of gil lying, because gil has been lying to her and other people irl too, and instead she mocked us, belittled us, and chose not to believe a group of women coming to her about a 30 year old (!!) man manipulating us. gil said that kim was “aware of it all being a lie for years now” to me, but i think that was another lie, that he’s STILL lying to her about it. if not, then that means that kim was also lying for many years about knowing liz too, and used it to make us all the butt of her joke, so. so much for her being an “empath” and wanting to help people but anyways!!

the last screenshot is of her subtweeting us and implying that everyone involved with liz is lying for her and gil’s privacy, even though we have proof that that simply isn’t true.

i’m sorry for how long this is, but i need people to understand how serious this is. he’s been lying for 5 YEARS now about knowing liz - about her “accidentally sending nudes” to him, that gil is one of her best friends and he would’ve been at her wedding, that she’s a huge gamer who plays with him - all of it. it’s all lies. he created a fantasy version of liz that doesn’t exist, and incorporated into his real life, his friendships both online and off, and made it his entire personality. he’s not sorry about what he’s done - as i’m writing this, he’s still on tumblr, talking in the tags to “liz” again, because he’d rather uphold his fantasy life where he’s best friends with liz when in reality, she has no idea he even exists. and if she did, i’m certain that she would be disgusted with what he’s done. he lied about her, oversexualized her, used his kinks on her which was brought onto me - someone he knew that was vulnerable and had feelings for him, manipulated people into trying to believe his lies, gaslit people to make them unable to tell what was true and what was fake, and had absolutely zero respect for any of us. he even listened to me cry to him on the phone MULTIPLE times about how insecure and worthless i felt to him compared to liz, and he didn’t do ANYTHING about it. he sat there and listened to me cry, knowing he could own up to his lie, and he chose not to. he’s not sorry about what he’s done, and he’s going to continue to spread his lies. please block him. i can’t express how much he’s hurt me, the therapy that i need to have because of him, how much he’s hurt my friends and how little he respects women in general tbh. he always tried to come off as “one of the good guys” but now i know he’s harmful and not to be trusted. he even tried to separate me from my friends, and make it seem like they’re the ones making this situation even harder for him. i’ve tried so, so many times to get through to him, waiting to see if he’d change or show some remorse or anything, but after over a year of this i don’t think he will, and it genuinely hurts me to know that. BLOCK HIM.

[oddsnendsfanfics]

Unraveling Over the Holidays

Genre: Fan Fiction

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: Fluff. Implied Pandemic world we live in

Rating: G

Length: Drabble

Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.  

A/N: Inspired by the need to write more Henry and Nell, along with Henry’s latest IG post and here we have it. 

Henry Cavill Master List

“Almost have it, Wild Boy.” Henry announced looking into the abyss of the computer they were attempting to build.  This was their second this year, a true feat. Rarely did Henry and Ivan get the time to break down and rebuild their own systems. It was a welcome hobby, keeping them busy when there wasn't much else to do these days.

They had been working away on the project since breakfast. Frustrated mumbling and grunting seemed to be the only sounds coming from the other room. Nell listened, checking in on them from time to time, waiting for them to finish. Today was the day they were going to finally trim their Christmas tree. After days of waiting, it would finally be a sight to behold. Or as much a sight to behold as they could manage. All in all Nell felt that she decorated a pretty damn fine looking tree.

It was shortly after lunch, when Nell began to get annoyed. When she'd brought in a plate of sandwiches and asked her husband and son if they would be done soon, both had told her that they needed ten more minutes. Three hours and one boasting Instagram photo later...

“Dad, I think I have this backwards.” Ivan furrowed his brow staring at the piece that he was attempting to put in.

“Let me look.” Henry moved to take a closer inspection.

Not wanting the break anything, risking a costly repair. Ivan was learning fast and enjoyed working with his hands. More than that, he really enjoyed the uninterrupted time with his dad. “Not backwards, but the next slot over.” Instructing his son how to put the piece in properly.

Neither of them seeming to notice or care that Nell had drug out their boxes of Christmas decorations. Outside, she and Henry had strung lights in a few bushes and around their garden early in the month. Wanting to get it done in case they got an unexpected cold or worse. Inside Nell had put up her favourite battery operated candles, the old fashioned looking ones that stood in the windows. Every window in the farm house had a candle display. The kitchen had lights and a few decorations, the sitting room, the office, and even the bathrooms were ready.

All they needed was to get the tree decorated. Presents under a naked tree was plain wrong.

“Henry, Ivan.” Nell tapped her foot on the floor, her arms folded across her chest. Huffing at the two of them. She should have known better than to let them tear apart that damn computer this morning.

“I think she saw.” Ivan wasn't doing a very good job at whispering, his mother could hear him on the other side of the room. Nell rolled her eyes. Of course she had saw the photo, over 3,000 people had saw that photo and it had only taken five minutes.

“What is it, darling?” Henry leaned back in his chair, glancing over his shoulder at his wife. Smiling sweetly, his usual trick when he wanted to attempt getting out of something.

“Tree.” She gestured to the tree behind her.

“What about it? Is it too dry? Ivan, didn't I ask you to water that this morning?” Shaking his head, Henry glanced at his son.

“I did, dad.” Ivan huffed, holding the light at the perfect angle to see inside the box.

“Guys, can we please decorate this tree? It's been here since Sunday.”

“We'll get to it.”

“When? It's already Friday. Henry, we have had this in here for nearly a week. A naked, boring, lackluster tree.” Lecturing, Nell rubbed her temples, “Christmas is in a week! A week! This is the latest we have ever left the tree.”

Setting down his manual, Henry pushed his chair away from the desk, standing to observe the tree. He hadn't thought it was that big of a deal, they had gone last week and picked out the tree, Henry wasn't sure that this would be the final spot for the Christmas icon. Something Nell would assume was an excuse.

He should have taken the photo from the other side, oops. Had he not mentioned the bare tree to the world, his wife likely wouldn't have been making such a deal about it. Until now, Nell had been avoiding it as much as him and Ivan.

“Do you want to do it today?” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed the back of her head. “The wild boy and I are more than happy to let you take over.”

If she wanted to decorate the tree, by herself, it would have been done hours ago.

“Nice try, but this was to be a family activity.” Nell furrowed her brow, huffing. “Why can't you stop fiddling with that damn box for twenty minutes?”

“I love you, Mrs. Cavill.” He knew exactly how to win this battle.

“Not working.”

“Worth a try,” Henry shrugged giving her a kiss on the cheek. Squeezing his arms tighter around his wife, he groaned. Caving to her whim. “I'm going to make us some cocoa, then we can get this tree decorated. Wild boy, help your mum get the decorations out, please.”

“Uh, no.” Shaking her head, Nell escaped his clutches. “I am going to make the cocoa,” gently tapping the tip of Henry's nose she grinned, “You and Ivan can untangle the lights. I have been asking you all week, get to work.”

Laying on the floor by the tree, Kal boofed and yawned. He had heard her asking multiple times over the week, but what could be do about it? Stretching, he stood cautiously to keep his wagging tail from smashing the tree. Nell really hated picking pieces of Christmas tree from his fur. Following her to the kitchen, he hurried when her steps approached the treat cupboard.

“You'd help me, wouldn't you bear?” Spotting her shadow, Nell smiled, tossing him a biscuit. “Honestly, those two are more and more difficult every year. I feel like I'm raising two children sometimes.”

Oh lovely, here she was, in the middle of the kitchen talking to the dog. Whatever, at least Kal would listen to her gripe. Pulling down a mug and two tumbler glasses, Nell set the kettle to boil and then picked up the bottle of Johnnie Walker that had appeared on the counter a few days ago. Likely a gift from someone.

One candy cane hot cocoa and two whiskey and rosemary sours, at the ready. In the other room, Nell could hear Ivan and Henry singing along to I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. Loudly Ivan belted out the line about the hippo being a vegetarian, Henry swaying back and forth as he laughed and unraveled the lights. To Nell's credit, when she had put away their Christmas decorations the previous year, she had done a much nicer job than Henry.

“Looking good, gentlemen.” Complimenting their work, Nell smiled handing Ivan the cocoa. “Yours is on the tray,” she kissed Henry's cheek. “I decided to make use of the Johnnie Walker.” She winked.

Taking his drink, Henry smiled. “It's your bottle,”

“Mine? Did you buy it?” Nell sat on the floor beside Ivan, working at picking out more decorations.

“No, it came the other day. Some guy dropped it off, did you not read the card?” Henry laughed, joining his family on the floor. Nell shook her head. “Hold on,” He stood back up, groaning a little.

“Mum,” Ivan spoke pulling out another bundle of lights, “when the tree is done, can I watch a movie?”

“You don't want to help dad finish with the computer?” Sorting the other items in the box, Nell sat back on her heels reaching for her drink.

“I guess, but I think I'd like to watch a movie with you. If you have time.”

“For you, wild boy, I have all the time in the world.” Nell leaned over giving him a kiss on the head. Wrinkling his nose, Ivan brushed his hand over his dark curls, resetting them the way he liked them. “Which movie did you want to watch?”

“I don't know, we can find one.” Ivan worked away at the strand of lights, getting them ready to go on the tree, when Henry came back in. His mother wasn't tall enough to read the top, which meant his dad would have to start the lights.

Decorating the tree with his parents, the three of them, felt a little odd. For as long as Ivan could remember there was always a huge production to decorating their tree. This year was quiet, like most things throughout the year. They would be video calling family over Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning, instead of having them there in person. They were supposed to spend Christmas with the Stewart family this year, as sad as Ivan was to miss his trip he understood.

“Here you are,” Henry waved the small card around, crossing the floor to hand it to Nell.

One the outside was a fancy script, containing her name in gold lettering. Opening the small card, the kind one gets with a delivery of flowers, she admired the generic looking winter scene.

“To Nelly & Superman, Merry Xmas. May 2021 be better than whatever dumpster fire this is,” she read out loud, chuckling at the sentiment. “Love always, JPS. It's from Jordan.”

“How lovely, didn't he send one last year as well?”

“He did, but he sent that really nice Riesling.” Nell confirmed. Since Jordan hadn't been able to make it for the wedding, he'd sent the gift instead. “Along with the Ardbeg, for our wedding present.”

Henry nodded, he remembered drinking both vividly. Although he didn't get much of the Ardbeg, because Nell had deemed it off limits to anybody who wasn't her. Past and present gifts sorted and settled, Henry stood up with the first string of lights in hand. “I think it's time we get these on, what about you?”

“About time.” Sticking out her tongue, Nell pulled out the tinsel and a box of ornaments. “Gosh, Cavill, you have been taking forever.”

“Can't rush perfection, my darling.” Henry smirked, attaching the first string of soft white lights to the stout tree in the corner.

“Is that why we took so long?” Ivan teased helping his mother carefully lift ornaments from boxes.

“Of course.” Henry nodded, excusing his procrastination.  “You know, I do love this tree.”

“It is a lovely tree. It's the perfect size.” Nell agreed with her husband. “I'm glad that we didn't go with a monstrous tree this year.”

Henry and Ivan had a habit of going for the biggest tree in the lot. This year, Nell had put her foot down, demanding that they pick something reasonable.

“I thought you liked a big, thick one.” Snorting, Henry paused to watch Nell's reaction.

“You, stop.” She wagged her finger at him. “Wild boy, can you go over to that blue storage bin and get the crystal star, please?”

The tree topper had been a gift from Henry's parents, the first year she and Henry had “unofficially” lived together. Nell had used it every year since, upon Henry's insistence that she kept it. Their first Christmas married, last year, his mother had wanted to gift them a new one. Politely Nell had declined, saying that she loved the one they had. Although, she was more than happy to accept the matching ornament set that went with it, as a late Wedding present.

“I love this star,” Taking the carefully wrapped box from Ivan; Nell placed it safely out of the way of Kal and Cavills.

“Lights are on.” Henry happily announced, clapping his hands together. “What's next?”

“Tinsel and bows.” Ivan sprung up with a card of tinsel, waving it wildly at his father. “Can I help?”

“What if I put on the tinsel, while you tie on the bows?”

“Deal.” Ivan nodded grabbing the gold and silver bows that Nell had made. They would soon be in need of some new bows. “Mum, momma, mum.” he bounced, “Want to help?”

“Sure, you take the gold and I will take the silver?” Standing to join Ivan and Henry at the tree. Nell took the card of silver bows, carefully tying them on to the boughs of the tree.

Over the next half hour or so, their tree began to come to life. The soft colours adorning the vibrant green really stood out in the otherwise neutral room. Laughing and teasing one another, Henry grabbed Ivan around the waist, spinning him – a safe distance from the tree – while Kal danced around them barking excitedly. Nell watched them with joyful delight, after the year they had endured it was nice to see her husband and son still keeping their happiness.

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

That’s Christmas To Me| Julie and The Phantoms Cast

Dream-a-little-bigger-x’s Countdown to Christmas 

Day 4 

A/N: I got so excited when I saw this one was the next one I had to write! I hope you enjoy! I also wanna thank @calamitykaty​, @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic​, @vrthngiwnt​ and @bright-molina​ for letting me pick your brains and bounce some ideas off of you. I love you loads! 

Pairing: Platonic! JATP Cast x fem!reader

Summary: 2022, season 2 was about to be released on Netflix and the cast was invited to promote the show on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. A dream come true. When the host asks them for their favorite holiday memory together, the cast immediately flashes back to that time at the Christmas Markets. 

Song(s) used: That’s Christmas To Me - Pentatonix | Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Echosmith ft. Hunter Hayes

Warnings: Spiked hot chocolates, but no one gets drunk and no one drinking is underage. 

Words:  3,970

Checking her outfit in the full-length mirror once again, y/n sighed nervously. All dressed out to the max for her very first talk show. Her styling team had outdone themselves once again. The gold flared pants, the white satin button down shirt and the white heels just made her feel so fabulous. 

Though she couldn’t deny the fact that she was nervous. She was going on a live show, not any live show, but the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, nonetheless. Her family watched that show religiously every single night. That thought did not calm her down either. 

A soft knock made her snap out of her thoughts and turn around to find Madison in the doorway with an excited smile on her face. “You look gorgeous!” she exclaimed excitedly and ran up to her newest best friend, engulfing her into a tight hug. 

She was sporting a gray glittery jumpsuit with black pumps strapped on her feet, her makeup done beautifully and her natural curls flowing over her shoulders with bejeweled clips pulling it out of her face. 

“So do you!” y/n retorted with the brightest smile she could muster, though Madison could see right through her and squeezed her hands reassuringly. “My heart is thumping.” The words came out in a whisper as though she was telling a secret. 

“So is mine, but we can do this. We got each other, okay?” 

Y/N and Madison had gotten along straight away the first day y/n came to set. It was nerve-wracking to weasel yourself into a tight group of cast members who’ve already spent two years working together, but they made it so agreeable. The first day, Madison and Owen came up to her and started bombarding her with so many questions about herself and her character. All she knew about the latter was that she’d be Reggie’s love interest and the villain’s niece who worked for him to try and get Reggie, Luke and Alex into his club. Which of course, would not work out as y/n’s character would fall for the bassist too. 

The entire cast welcomed her into their group straight away and the whole process became so enjoyable to the point where it just didn’t feel like work anymore. It just felt like spending time with friends and trying to memorize words and songs at the same time. It was weird. But so much fun. And now, they were able to finally promote said season. 

“Madison, y/n, time to go,” one of the show runners said to them when he passed y/n’s dressing room. The two girls nodded and after a simultaneous deep inhale and exhale of stress, they made their way to the hallway where the boys were waiting. 

Charlie and Jeremy offered y/n a wide smile to ease her nerves a little before Charlie held out his hand in front of him. “We got this. Legends on three?” The others nodded and, with a content smile on her face, y/n placed her hand on top of Charlie’s. 

“One,” said Charlie. 

“Two,” Jeremy and Madison added in unison. 

“Three!” Owen and y/n finished and all five their hands went up in the air as they yelled out “Legends!” Though it was scary, y/n knew she had four amazing people that would guide her through it. 

“Please, welcome the cast of Julie and The Phantoms!” Jimmy introduced them and, while the Roots played the infamous intro song, the cast walked through the red curtain. Madison and y/n ahead, holding one another’s hands as to not fall in their heels, then followed Charlie, Jeremy and Owen. 

The audience cheered and applauded until they sat down and the music faded away. “Welcome, welcome!” Jimmy said excitedly. “Thank you for being here!” The cast beamed at the host, unable to contain their excitement nor nerves. 

“Thanks for having us,” said Charlie, the polite Canadian. 

“So, exciting news, season two of your show Julie and The Phantoms premieres on Netflix tonight, is that correct?” 

“Yes!” all five said, though not quite in unison, and the crowd roared again. Y/N couldn’t hide the smile on her red painted lips as she looked out into the sea of people. 

Jimmy turned to the crowd, “If the people at home have never heard of your show, how would you explain it?” His eyes fell on the girl closest to his desk, which was Madison, allowing her to answer the question. 

“Uhm… Julie and The Phantoms is about this girl, Julie, who tragically lost her mom and, with it, her love for music. That is until one day, she plays this old CD she finds and out pop these three lovable, dorky ghosts who used to be in a band in the 90’s, called Sunset Curve. They died when they ate bad hot dogs--” the crowd let out a laugh, and it made Madison chuckle too. “Yeah! -- Anyway, and so these boys kind of help her find her love for music again and they form a band, called Julie and The Phantoms as the audience can see the ghosts when they play with Julie. And a lot of things happen and it’s funny and light and cute!” 

Jimmy let out a chuckle too, “And now there’s a season 2!” Another cheer erupted from the crowd. “What can you tell us about season 2, Charlie?” he directed the question to the boy next to the newbee. 

“A lot happens! We see what happens with Nick and Caleb, and we meet Philippa, Pips, Covington who will stir up some crazy stuff in the boys’ lives, especially Reggie’s,” he explained with a grin. He stirred in his seat a little before placing his arm on the back of the couch, behind y/n’s head. The girl tried not to react to the overwhelmingly amazing scent of sandalwood that emanated from this movement. 

Jimmy’s eyes landed on y/n and she was certain that for a moment, he knew what she was thinking, but then he asked her a question instead. “How was it for you, y/n, as the newcomer to the cast? Did they immediately embrace you or did  you have trouble being accepted?” 

“I hated it--” she replied seriously,  but then giggled, “No, I loved it! They were so kind and so welcoming, I immediately felt like I was part of their tight group. It did feel strange at first, I’m not gonna lie. But after a while, coming to work didn’t really feel like working anymore.” 

“And your character, Phillipa, was she accepted by the other characters?” 

She cleared her throat of any nerves before answering. “Pippa was… well-- she was working for her dead great-uncle, so she had to make sure she was accepted and weasled herself into the friend group pretty quickly. She knew how to get to Reggie especially and thanks to him, got into their friend group.”

“That’s amazing. I’m so excited to watch! My daughters are eight and nine, and they loved season 1 of Julie and The Phantoms. They’re thrilled to see the new season!” 

A chorus of “aw”s were shared within the cast as well as throughout the audience. 

“Yeah, they’re pretty cute.” He picked up his cue cards to remind himself of the next bullet point he needed to talk about. “Oh! Since it’s almost Christmas, I like to ask my guests to tell us a fun holiday themed story before I send them off, do you guys have a fun holiday themed story for us?” 

The cast exchange glances until Owen asked, “Should we talk about the Christmas market we did last year after filming?” The rest of the cast made sounds of agreement with a few giggles mixed in between. 

“Tell us about the Christmas Market!” Jimmy shouted excitedly, almost resembling a five-year-old getting their Christmas presents early. 

Owen took the lead on this one. “So, we were all in Vancouver, we had wrapped season 2 and we would soon be going home, but we decided to spend one last night together at a Christmas market in Vancouver city…”    

Bundled up in layers of sweaters and a thick coat, y/n trekked through the layer of snow that blanketed to grounds of Vancouver City. She was trying her hardest not to focus on the blistering cold that nipped at her nose but rather on the story Charlie was telling the others in front of her. His voice boomed into the busy streets, along with the others’ laughter. 

She always loved the way Charlie told his stories about every wild adventure he’d ever been on and the way Owen quipped back with the wittiest of comebacks. Or how Madison would chime in with her typical Gen Z humor none of the boys understood. Y/N was sure going to miss the entire dynamic of the group when they were back home. 

Thousands of lights flickered above y/n’s head as they strolled through the entrance of the infamous Vancouver Christmas Market. She let her eyes take in the beauty whilst her stomach fluttered from excitement. Her love for Christmas Markets had never faltered over the years. It still excited her in the same way it did when she was just a child. 

“Can we get a hot chocolate first? I’m freezing!” Savannah suggested, her teeth chattering as she snuggled into her thick scarf. Smiling, y/n hooked her arm around hers and pulled her closer in hopes the warmth of all her layers would help the blonde girl a little. 

“I heard they have a unique recipe that only the Christmas Market here ever uses!” Charlie added with a wide grin before leading the gang towards the warm beverage kiosk. It resembled a cabin from a ski resort, decked out all the way with Christmas lights and foliage. 

The group stood in front of the kiosk and read the menu to figure out whatever they’d want to drink. “Ooh, that Peppermint Hot Chocolate sounds delish,” Owen said, and when y/n’s eyes landed on the words, her mouth curled up into a smirk. 

“We’re going that route tonight, hm?” 

The hot chocolate he was talking about was spiked with peppermint schnapps and chocolate liqueur. This sounded right up y/n’s street, and she knew it would warm Savannah up from the inside. 

“Follow me or don’t follow me, that’s up to you, but I am taking that route tonight.” Owen rubbed his gloved hands together until the lady inside the kiosk looked up at him, signalling that it was his turn to order. “A peppermint hot chocolate, please.” He sounded way too confident for someone who had just turned 21 that year. 

The woman peered over her half-moon glasses, letting her eyes glide from his eyes to his toes before sneering, “ID, please.” Owen’s mouth dropped open and with a lot of cursing underneath his breath, he reached for his wallet. 

“Ha! Owen’s getting ID’d!” Charlie cackled, shaking his head. The woman’s eyes darted over to the second boy, giving him the same one-up before raising her eyebrows as if saying “I’m gonna get you too, little boy”. 

And she did. She ID’d Charlie too. No one else but Charlie and Owen, which everyone had a good laugh at as they were sipping their hot chocolates, which for three out of ten isn’t spiked. 

While Jeremy and Booboo were still teasing the two boys, y/n turned around and let her eyes scan the entire view in front of her. All the pretty lights and the snow whirling to the ground so gracefully and the music floating through the air made the cold more bearable. 

A gasp eliciting from Jadah’s tiny body made y/n snap out of her thoughts and turn to the younger cast member. Her eyes were wide and shimmering, looking up at the tall Christmas tree that was towering above their heads with tens of thousands of lights blinking back at them. 

“Isn’t that the walk-through Christmas tree?!” she asked, excitedly. 

Madison took her hand and, giggling, they weaved through the sea of people towards the one-of-a-kind festive fairyland. Y/N exchanged glances with the rest before they, too, made a beeline towards the tree, dodging people left and right. 

“Hey, Owen, are you sure you’re gonna be able to fit?” y/n asked the tall Oklahoman teasingly. The boy’s mouth dropped open, and before she could properly register it, he started chasing her. She ran past Madison and Jadah, and tried to duck behind any other visitor until he eventually picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. The girl shrieked, prior to a giggle.  

Jimmy’s voice echoed over y/n’s flashback to the most festive night of that year. “You guys really sound like a close group of friends.” 

“Yeah! We are! We’re like a little family!” Charlie replied, dropping the arm that was on the back of the sofa around the girl’s shoulder. 

“What happened next?” Jimmy then questioned, curiously. The whole scene almost resembled a toddler listening to his bedtime story. 

Jeremy cleared his throat with a chuckle. “Well, if this night were a movie, you’d now have a cute montage of us going through that magical tree and on the carousel like little children.” 

“Yeah, you’d see us stuff our faces with churros and pretzels,” y/n added, making Jimmy and the crowd laugh. 

“And we got a lot of Christmas shopping done too!” Madison chimed in with a smile. “I actually got everyone’s present when they were right there with me. None of them noticed.” 

“Oh, no, I noticed,” y/n replied with a smirk, to which Madison reacted with widened eyes. 

“What’s next?!” Jimmy queried. His eyes were glistening as he listened to the cast talk. He just loved their dynamic and how well they got along with one another. 

Y/N continued the story as her mind tumbled back into her daydream. 

The music had stopped just a few minutes ago, but only now y/n’s ears picked up on the sudden absence. Knitting her eyebrows together, she lifted her eyes to the stage in the corner of the market where singers were carolling minutes ago, and was now completely empty. As the small amount of alcohol made her brain a little woozy, her teeth gnawed on her bottom lip in thought. 

“Guys… Should we--Should we go sing a song?” she suggested, causing all of them to look up in surprise. “There’s no one on the stage… Should we?” she pointed at the podium to emphasize what she meant. 

As smiles appeared on each of their faces, the group walked up to the stage and grabbed a microphone each. Charlie reached for the acoustic guitar on the stand, but y/n stopped him. 

“Let’s do a capella for once?” she told him tenderly. 

When his eyes met hers, she felt her lungs expand with the gasp that left her body. How gorgeous could one’s eyes be. But with that one look, the boy also knew what song she wanted to sing. The one song that had been stuck in her head for the past month during filming. And the rest of the crew knew too because when y/n counted them in softly, they all started to sing along. Their voices mingling perfectly and floating throughout the night sky. 

“The fireplace is burning bright, shining all on me I see the presents underneath the good old Christmas tree And I wait all night 'til Santa comes to wake me from my dreams Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me”

Savannah locked eyes with y/n and a smile fell to their lips before they looked out to the audience they had assembled with their harmonies reaching across the entire Christmas Market. 

“I see the children play outside, like angels in the snow While mom and daddy share a kiss under the mistletoe And we'll cherish all these simple things wherever we may be Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me”

Owen came to stand next to y/n and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they all sang the chorus together, the tall blondie on lead vocals and the others harmonizing in the background. 

“I've got this Christmas song in my heart”

“Song in my heart”

“I've got the candles glowing in the dark I'm hanging all the stockings by the Christmas tree Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me”

As though they had prepared the entire performance, Booboo led them into the next verse while the others acted as backing vocals for him. His warm, deep voice sent chills down everyone’s spines, especially of the people in the crowd. 

“I listen for the thud of reindeer walking on the roof As I fall asleep to lullabies, the morning's coming soon”

His cast mates then joined in again and together, they sang the chorus once again with Jeremy taking lead this time. While they did, y/n took a hold of Savannah’s gloved hand, squeezing it as they looked at each other with intent in their eyes. Like they meant what they were singing to one another. 

“The only gift I'll ever need is the joy of family Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me I've got this Christmas song in my heart”

“Song in my heart”

“I've got the candles glowing in the dark I'm hanging all the stockings by the Christmas tree Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me”

Y/N turned her head to the other side now, locking eyes with Tori and Sacha, and shooting them a wink before they lapsed into the chorus one last time. It felt good to sing with everyone for once. During filming, it was always just a select group of people that got to sing together. 

“Oh, the joy that fills our hearts and makes us see Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me I've got this Christmas song in my heart I've got the candles glowing in the dark And then for years to come we'll always know one thing That's the love that Christmas can bring Oh, why? 'Cause that's Christmas to me”

As the crowd erupted into cheers and applause, the group shared an intense look, one that said they were always going to be friends. No matter how far away they’ll be from tomorrow on. Even if they don’t get picked up for a third season, they’re always going to be there for each other and be the best of friends forever. The only gift they’ll ever need is the joy of family. And they were family. 

“That was so beautiful!” Jimmy exclaimed after they’d told him about everything that had happened that night in a short synopsis. “Now, I believe you’re gonna sing for us now?” 

The cast nodded in unison. “Okay, what are you bringing us tonight? The song you sang at the Christmas market?” 

Madison giggled, “No, though we love that song, there’s one we collectively think is one of the greatest Christmas songs ever. It’s the ultimate classic Happy Xmas, War is Over by John Lennon.” 

“Amazing! You can go get ready!” he gestures to the tiled floor in front of the red curtain where the crew had set up their instruments and five microphones for them. “Catch Julie and The Phantoms season 2 on Netflix from tonight! They’re singing for us now. Madison, y/n, Charlie, Jeremy and Owen, take it away!” 

Owen counted them in by slamming his sticks together and then began playing the rhythm of the song. Y/N then chimed in with the jingling of the tambourine before the other boys and Madison joined with their respective instruments. Soon after, Madison’s voice floated through the talk show’s studio. 

“So this is Christmas And what have you done Another year over A new one just begun”

When the girls lock eyes, they shoot one another a wink before y/n takes over the next part of the verse. 

“And so this is Christmas I hope you have fun The near and the dear ones The old and the young”

Then the boys chime in, their voices mingling as they linger in the air for everyone to hear and enjoy. Y/N lets her eyes dart over to Charlie, who’s already looking at her with a smile on his face. 

“A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fears”

The others shut up, giving Charlie the floor now. He really was born to be a rockstar. The way he just owned the stage and looked like an absolute legend, singing his heart out and playing his guitar like a pro. And he’d only started learning when he was on season 1 of Julie and The Phantoms. 

“And so this is Christmas For weak and for strong The rich and the poor ones The world is so wrong”

For a split second, he locked eyes with y/n again as she took over and faced the audience with a smile, still working her little tambourine for the extra jingles. Somehow, this just felt like one of their jam sessions during rehearsals and not at all like it was a live broadcast on national television. 

“And so happy Christmas For black and for white Ooh, for everyone Let's stop all the fights”

Their voices mingled together again, and, in a boost of confidence, y/n grabbed the mic from its stand and walked over to Jeremy, rocking out with him as he shredded on the bass. 

“A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fears”

The music slowed down, and while Madi, Owen and Jeremy took care of the soft backing vocals, y/n walked over to Charlie and sang the lines to one another, never breaking eye contact. 

“And so this is Christmas And what have we done Another year over A new one just begun”

The music picked back up. Madison took over this time, and while y/n worked her tambourine, she danced her way towards the Latina girl with a smile plastered on her face. 

“And so happy Christmas We hope you have fun The near and the dear ones The old and the young”

She then turned to Owen as he took over on the next part. He shot her a quick wink whilst his mouth curled up on one side. “A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear”

Each taking their turn, starting with Owen, they all sang a part of the backing vocals while the boys and Madison played the instrumental intermezzo. “Merry Christmas” 

“So this is Christmas”

“War is over now” 

Returning back to her spot, y/n placed her mic on the stand again, and along with the others, sang the very last lines of the song. 

“War is over If you want it It’s over now”

The crowd erupted into cheers and applause while the band assembled in the middle of the stage. Charlie grabbed y/n’s hand and gave it a small, reassuring squeeze. All five of them together took a bow before exchanging knowing glances. 

This time around, they knew they were going to see each other tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that as they were doing all the promo they could. It felt a lot more reassuring than it did that day at the Christmas Market when they had no clue when they’d see each other again. Though all of them knew that this was still the only gift they’ll ever need. Their little found family.  

JATP taglist: @hannahhistorian92​ @marinettepotterandplagg​@thequirkybookaholic​ @bookdealer5​ @tenaciousperfectionunknown​ @hemmingsness​ @iainttakingshitfromnobody​ @ifilwtmfc​ @angryknightstatesmantrash​ @kiss-themoongoodbye​ @rudysbay @thedarkqueenofavalon​​ @caitsymichelle13​​ @calamitykaty​ @wiselight​ @kcd15​​ @vicesvsvirtuesfanfic​ @stars-soph​ @kinda-really-lost​ @notasofti​ @alexpjoyner​ @n0wornever​ @kaitieskidmore1​ @tefilovesreading​ @pxperphxntom​ @crybabyddl​ @parkeret​ @headheartbellarke​ 

Names crossed out are the ones I couldn’t tag. 

Lemme know if you wanna be on my taglist! 

[rinharu-purple]

Hi Rinharu~ just wanted to say I enjoy reading your analysis on MLQC (mainly the Gavin content). Just wondering what particular things you didn't like about his new birthday karma? Although I understand with the edit mistakes made :/ At least they were called out for it.

A happy Sunday to you lovely anon and a grandios thank you for your support! 🤗🤗🤗

To answer your question, I'd love to take you for a detour to my post here and show you what my expectations of this event were. As you can see, none of my wishes came true (bummer). But that's not my main problem.

What bothers me is the sudden change of gear from 7th to 2nd in a matter of seconds. For example, if you ever try to turn down your cars torque that fast, your engine chokes and you experience one nasty shock of drive flow disturbance (watching some sports car review videos while writing this but the association is accurate, trust me on this :D)

How is that you might ask, and that's a legitimate question. If we take a look at the momentum of Gavin dates in the last 12 months in CN server, the sudden drop can be observed better. But I need to use spoilers for that, I hope that’s ok for you.

I'll be using @cheri-translates input for the following, so please consider taking a look at her account and leave her a like or subscription if you feel like it ^_^

The timeline of Gavin dates after his birthday event '20 in CN server looks roughly like this:

Spoilers start below this line

- Late Autumn Date: MC is dedicating the rest of her life to Gavin and they share one really steamy make session. This was plus-minus around the same time as his birthday, so we should actually get it in the ENG server soon.

- Same Path Date: This date belongs to an AU for the Double Seventh festival. This date ends with Gavin saying “I helped your village resolve the flood. In return, I will take the most beautiful lady on the altar.”  

- Return from Afar Date: Aside from being one of my favorite dates, Gavin takes MC to a venue which is used for fake weddings and brings a gem with him.

-  Deep Longing Date: A wholesome fluffy date where Gavin and MC visit a Scandinavian country for Xmas.

- Obsession/ When the Galaxy Falls Dates: If you haven’t seen these yet, then I wouldn’t spoil these for you. One word describes these: Perfection

- Blessings Date: Another AU date with Gavin proposing to MC.

So as you can see, during last year, MC and Gavin’s relationship has gradually evolved into a firmly established, long-term relationship which is slowly entering the “future plans, engagement/marriage” phase. Taking that into consideration, the rational move for Gavin’s birthday would be something that fits into the pattern and scheme of the dates in the last 12 months. Papergames could’ve done so many other things or even just enrich the date with the elements suitable for current Gavin x MC dynamics.

- For example they could’ve switch the badge with the actual badge that Gavin had sent to his father, perhaps even going one step further and explaining how MC retrieved from his father, accompanied by a small dialogue between MC and Gavin’s father. Allowing us to have an insight on his father’s approach to things and maybe add a sparkle of humanity into him, thus presenting the fans a tiny bit of relief.

- The date mentions kids being around the playground, where MC and Gavin hang out. Wouldn’t that be a nice detail, if they’ve spent some with the kids. Picture this: one of the girls ask Gavin if he would play  piggy back ride with her and Gavin offers her playing the pilot, him being the plane and MC watching him from afar. He would then fold a paperplane for her and give her a pep-talk.

- What about adding his younger brother into the mix? Yes, I know that PG has changed their mind about Shaw being the younger brother. However Gavin still has a younger brother in the canon story. Wouldn’t that be nice touch if his brother had given him a call or just sent him a small box with trivial things to show Gavin his feelings? Both the R&S and the date are lacking emotions and quite dull if you ask me.

- Since Gavin opened up about his memory with the competition, why not take MC to the gravestones of his grandparents and his mother? They are so intimate and far in their love and trust, they should visit places that mean more to their story. Not just an old airbase to which Gavin doesn’t have any personal bond. 

- The matching outfits don’t have any specific back-story to it. That’s why neither Iridescent nor the edited Caelum mean anything for the players. Funny thing, for Gavin and MC we have so many alternative options! Loveland High uniforms, STF uniform, STF drill track suits, motorcycle outfits/ or helmets or hell matching jerseys from a team, because Gavin and MC help them for a fundraising event. So many options!

- Last but not least, the dialogue between Gavin and MC is not romantic enough for a couple spending the fourth birthday together. Gavin and MC are together since four years! Sure, the older a relationship gets, the every-dayish it becomes. But this is MLQC, we are in a fantasy world and me as a player want to read a neverending romance-story. 

I’m not saying its a bad date, but the way its written, it would be more suitable for a regular SR karma. I was just expecting more depth and intimacy from Gavin’s birthday karma. What MC does is also a very nice gesture, but it doesn’t look like an action one would do on her boyfriend’s birthday. Papergames usually pays much attention to previous events and sew threads between them. However everything in this date feels random: The location, the dialogue, the cake, the gift, everything. 

Plus they don’t even kiss, are you kidding me?! Who doesn’t kiss her bf on his birthday?!

You see, dearest anon, I was quite felt let down by this year’s Gavin birthday event in CN server because I had very high expectations :/

How did you find the date and the R&S? I would really love to know :) <3 

[onceuponmyanime]

So I've been seeing a lot of these "Letters to Satan Santa" and I thought I would start one myself in a different way through the 25 Days of A Devildom Christmas I've been working on.

I should have started putting them up each day of December leading to Christmas, but the inspiration only hit me 3 days ago.

So here goes...

~~~

25 Days of A Devildom Christmas

Satan hated this particular month of the year.

It was the only time he got so much mail he could deal with, which wasn't for him in the first place.

But this year was different, because he got a letter that for once was spelled correctly to Santa but was sent to him from right here in the Devildom.

He was going to maim their postman one day.

And hide their body so no one would find them.

Recognizing the neat hand writing on the envelope, he proceeded to rip it open without hesitation.

'Dear Santa

I known it may seem strange that I'm writing to you because I'm not a child anymore, but I didn't know who else to ask about this.

Christmas is the one Holiday I look forward to every year because I always spend it with my family. But this year I can't make it back because of scholastic commitments.

I'm not mad about it, but I do feel sad.

So this year I wish I could just have a Christmas that reminds me of home.

The tree, the stockings, the Christmas Ham.

Even exchanging presents.

A video call from my family would be great too, but I understand if that can't be done.

Thanks for taking the time out to read this letter.

Yours Gratefully

MC.'

The anger that was usually brought on by these santa letters was quickly replaced with an ache in his heart as Satan reread the letter again.

For once in his entire existence, he felt the need to answer this particular letter and also make it come true.

He knew what he had to do, moving to the bookcase in the far corner of his room.

There was a shelf he barely looked at that was above the rest, but now was the time to pull out the book that sat on it all these years.

The title read 25 Days of Christmas which was perfect for what he had planned, supporting his idea on how he was going to execute Operation: Devildom Xmas.

Pulling out his DDD, he added everyone on his contact list to the text he was composing.

'I'm calling a meeting that's to do with MC, if we could all meet at the Library promptly in an hour.'

He knew anything to do with MC would have everyone getting there as quickly as they could, but it also gave him enough time to prepare a few things before the meeting happened.

Which included pen, paper, scissors and a hat...

~~~

"What happened to MC!" Six voices demanded as they walked through the Library doors, followed by another five pairs of curious eyes.

Knowing MC was in their room back at the House of Lamentation, Satan silenced his brothers by lifting his hand.

Lord Diavolo and Barbatos were along side the rest of the exchange students as they came to a halt.

"I've called you all here today because I received a Santa letter..." A snort came from one of his brothers, but he chose to ignore it as he continued on. "...from a particular human exchange student we all care about."

Encouraged by their silence, Satan pulled out a hat in one hand, and the Christmas book in the other.

"It appears Christmas is a very special time for MC, but because of the exchange program keeping them here in the Devildom, they are homesick.

This year they asked Santa if they can have a Christmas that reminds them of home which I've decided we're going to make happen."

"Well if it's for MC, then I'm in." Mammon was the first to speak, blushing as he realized he rushed in a bit to eagerly. "As long as there's something in it for me."

"Oooh I love the idea." Asmodeus cooed, positively glowing. "Time to go shopping!"

"I know the perfect online stores who deliver within the week." Leviathan gushed clearly excited, pulling out his DDD and taping away at the screen as he spoke out loud. "Time to start My Christmas Wish list."

"Will there be food?" Beelzebub piped in from beside Belphegor, looking all puppy eyed at Satan.

"Food is one of the main things that brings everyone together at this time of the year." Solomon offered up helpfully, Satan only just remembering that Solomon would have the most experience with celebrating Christmas then any of the others. "From Ham and Turkey to Christmas Pudding."

Looking a little unsure, Beelzebub turned his eyes on both Barbatos and Luke.

"If you guys are cooking, then I'll help be the taste tester."

"I have a better way of settling this." Satan holds the hat out for all to see. "In this I have twenty five sets of names, pairs or groups that have to complete the task for the twenty five days leading to Christmas."

"You've really thought this out, haven't you." Lucifer smirked at his younger brother, receiving a bright pink flushed face from the Avatar of Wrath.

"I may not be Santa, but this one wish I can try my best to grant."

"Can I choose the first name?" Lord Diavolo cheerfully asked, already reaching in to the hat.

Reluctantly, Satan let him take a piece of paper out as he opened the book to the first task.

"So the first task is the Advent Calendar who will be completed by..."

~~~ To be continued

Thank you for taking the time out to read this, I was a bit undecided on whether I wanted to post this up... But then I thought, why not.

If you would like me to continue, I have a few more prepared that I will post depending on whether I'm on or not.

[bard-llama]

WiP List (all unpublished)

So, I am 2 fics away from having published 100 fics for the Witcher game ‘verse! And I feel like my 100th fic should be special, so uh... vote on which WiP you’d like me to prioritize, I guess?

Putting the WiPs under a cut because... there’s a lot.

Forgive my working titles pls. I do not try hard with them.

Mostly Porny Fics

Piss fic - Iorveth gets a blowjob before he can mention that he could stand to use the chamber pot. After he comes over Roche’s face, Roche refuses to move - so Iorveth pisses on his crotch.

Cum Dumpster Roche - Emhyr sends Roche to an ‘elven peace conference’ which turns out to actually be an elven ritual involving a gangbang. Where he’s the ‘sacrifice’. He is surprisingly okay with this.

Possessiveness - this one actually could have the beginning published if I can think of a title. It’s essentially about Iorveth feeling very proprietary over HIS dh’oine and Roche... kind of liking that. Also scent marking during their second ever meeting lmao

Dream: Pleasure Slave - Roche has dreams about Iorveth where his only purpose is to bring Iorveth pleasure and show off how good he is for Iorveth.

Roche wears a collar - Iorveth really, really wants to see Roche in his collar, but he knows that will never happen. Doesn’t stop him from custom making a collar just for Roche - and then, serendipidously, he captures Roche and gets to put it on him. But surely Roche isn’t STILL wearing it... right? (he totes is)

Tonguefucking the dick - the premise here is that Foltest really liked stretching Roche as far as he could. Which has left Roche with holes that are... not able to go back to ‘normal’. Iorveth just wants to know when he can suck Roche’s cock.

Beltane - started the day after Beltane, because I’m me. This is an established relationship fic where Iorveth wants to celebrate with Roche - so he brings Roche to an elven ceremony. He forgets to mention the whole getting married and fucking in public bit tho.

Foltest Shows Off His Whore (And Iorveth Steals Him) - the Scoia’tael come to Vizima to negotiate a peace treaty. As a show of power, Foltest has Roche serving as his cockwarmer, completely naked. Iorveth cannot take his eyes off of Roche and when Foltest offers his whore to them... well, how can he refuse?

Cock worship - aka Iorveth is a lil obsessed with Roche’s dick. Haven’t actually decided if this is gonna be a slow burn with relationship development or go straight into porn. So uh... opinions requested?

Mersquid Iorveth Porny Porn - When Iorveth isn’t present during a fight, Roche goes to the cove where they’ve been secretly meeting and teaching each other shit. Only to find Iorveth in heat. Obviously he can’t just leave his enemy, so...

Oblivious Roche - Iorveth is trying VERY, very hard to woo Roche, but the idiot is absolutely oblivious to these things. So Iorveth decides to get naked with candles and rose petals around and wait for Roche to come and finally take him. Roche is just very, very confused.

Old Men in Vergen - Roche, exhausted from training his soldiers in Velen, goes to Vergen to rest and recover with his lover. Iorveth just wants Roche to fucking eat a real meal before they bone until they can’t anymore.

Sequel to Never Have I Ever - Iorveth decides that Roche’s drunken confessions deserve reciprocity. 

Iorveth Gangbang - Roche manages a scene where Iorveth is tied up in the Blue Stripes camp and they take him apart.

Post-coital after first time - post-W2, Iorveth has decided to start over in a town where he’s a little less notorious. When he decides to stop by the tavern, he happens to discover Roche, drunk off his ass. Obviously this leads to dares and blowjobs.

Hands - Iorveth and Geralt have a thing for Roche’s hands and spend a lot of time oogling and fantacisizng about them. Roche discovers this when he ‘accidentally’ walks in on Iorveth fingering Geralt in Corvo Bianco.

Post-coital smoke - Iorveth admires his lover while smoking after a number of sessions. Then Roche steals his pipe and they start a new session.

Wrestling for Who Tops - Iorveth and Roche are at a fancy party and duck out in to the garden for some fun. Featuring plugs, breathplay, and dirty talk.

Impact Play - established relationship, Iorveth ties Roche up to have fun with him.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - In Witcher 2, Iorveth accompanies Geralt to find a harpy dream powerful enough to save Saskia. They accidentally end up witnessing Roche’s dream - where he is DP’d by Geralt and Iorveth. Then they work on making it come true.

Private Time - Roche masturbates and fantacizes about Iorveth and Geralt.

Inexperienced Iorveth - PWP where Roche instructs Iorveth on how to get him off. Iorveth mostly follows the instructions... with a few additions.

Iorveth tittyfucking Roche - p much what it sounds like. Iorveth has a fascination with Roche’s chest. Roche is more than okay with this.

Want Me To Sit In Your Lap? - based on Geralt literally saying this to Roche 2 seconds after meeting him, this fic is post-W2 where Geralt DOES sit in Roche’s lap (and on his cock) while Triss and Ves get to know each other.

Foltest/Roche –> Iorveth/Roche - this is a fic I’m writing with @multifangirl69 where Foltest ties Roche up until he’s immobile, then fucks him. Then the Scoia’tael attack and Foltest and his guard end up retreating... without Roche. So Iorveth walks into the King’s tent to find Roche tied up and ready to be fucked.

Wet kisses after finding refuge from the rain - the magic of the forest is feeling playful and teases Iorveth with the idea of being filled all day long. So when he finally gets to meet up with Roche, he’s eager to get filled - and the magic of the forest has a nice surprise to help fill him. (the surprise is vine tentacles)

Pregnancy Prompts pron pls? - pre-pregnancy but in the same universe with trans Roche, Iorveth reflects on how much he loves his partner. And decides to show that love by sucking his dick.

Age Kink (which I may have misunderstood) - Iorveth and Roche find themselves captured and locked up together with no sign of their captor. 

Eskel/Lambert - When Eskel and Lambert get into a fight over gwent of all things, Eskel accidentally uses axii on Lambert. Lambert wants him to do it again.

5 Signs: Sex Magic - Eskel ends up demonstrating how igni can be used in sex for Lambert and Geralt. Naturally this leads to a bet on who can most effectively use all of the signs during sex.

“If we’re both in this state, we both really screwed up somewhere huh?” - Roche and Iorveth find themselves trapped in a dream world and struggle to find a way to wake up.

“You were almost dead from pushing it too far!” - Roche has a heart attack during a skirmish with the Scoia’tael. Only elven medicine is able to save him.

Plot-driven Fics

Language Aphasia/Deal with the Devil - Roche makes the mistake of wishing that he could “understand Iorveth” in the company of one Gaunter O’Dimm. Then he wakes up as Iorveth’s prisoner and for some reason, he can only understand Elder.

Life Debt AKA Iorveth is an Asshole - When Roche and his men rescue the prisoners of a slavery ring they’ve busted up, they discover one elf has been... pretty badly treated. Somehow this leads to Iorveth learning to walk with arm braces and hanging out in the Temerian camp in Velen, criticizing Roche’s training techniques.

Firebreathing - PT knows how to breathe fire. Iorveth is NOT prepared to discover that humanity has these skills and the idiocy to actually use them.

Sequel to A Heart’s Fire - Cerys is sick of Iorveth’s moping so she comes up with a business reason to go to Hindersfjall, where Roche is visiting Shorty’s family.

Wedding Buddies - Roche’s mom makes him accompany her to a wedding that happens to be for a close friend who is an elf. Roche was definitely not expecting to run into Iorveth here of all places. 

Angst: Sex Object Roche - Iorveth notices that whenever they flirt, Roche backs off and then hurts himself afterwards. Iorveth is not okay with this and refuses to be a blade for Roche to cut himself against.

Midwinter Feast - Foltest treats with a nonhuman delegation while they are all locked inside the palace for the 7 day feast. Iorveth is one of the representatives and decides to have fun messing with Roche.

Solstice Feast - okay, this was actually supposed to be an xmas present for @lutes-and-dandelions​, but uh... I got stuck. But this fic and its sequel are post-W3 where Emhyr hosts a big Solstice Feast and Roche and Iorveth end up ducking out and doing their own thing. Namely: drinking.

Lily Preserved in Amber - the premise is that in an elven coming of age ceremony, Iorveth finds ‘a sign of what’s to come’ in the form of a lily preserved in amber. Later, he realizes that this represents Roche.

Based on @moonlights-ordinance‘s art - Working under Nilfgaard, Iorveth and Roche have THE most uncomfortable desk chairs, ones with no backs. This eventually leads to them using each other as back rests and, of course, cuddling.

Roche’s Scars - this is a 6-part fic all about Roche’s scars: how he gets them, why he hides them, how he (and Iorveth) learn to accept them. Plus some scar worship, of course.

Casefic/Undercover Dubious Consent - In order to break up a slavery ring, Iorveth goes undercover as Roche’s ‘pet’. This requires them trusting each other an awful lot and also, Iorveth is a little worried about how much he likes wearing Roche’s collar.

Sequel to Red is the Rose - as Iorveth and Roche journey to Kaer Morhen to help Geralt, they slowly figure out how their relationship works - and how to move it forward.

Curse Breaking - Roche finds Iorveth in an abandoned Scoia’tael camp, slowly dying from a curse. Roche manages to cure Iorveth and then decides to help Iorveth rescue the rest of his Scoia’tael from a mage. With a little help from Triss, of course.

Bloodplay - Roche begins to hunt the Scoia’tael and has a very strangely arousing encounter with Iorveth.

Fake Relationship - Iorveth and Roche team up to investigate a couple’s resort where both Temerian soldiers and Scoia’tael have gone missing.

An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it - Roche dreams of Iorveth watching over him in his sleep.

An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose - when a mine collapses in Vergen, Roche is thought dead for a period of time until he is rescued. Iorveth knows they’ve always agreed not to pursue anything with their flirting, but he HAS to know that Roche is okay.

Heavy Be The Head - Roche is stuck running Temeria post-W3 and he despises it more than anything. Fortunately, Iorveth shows up with a proposition: to go kill war criminals together. How can Roche say no?

Pre-W2 Ambassadorial AU - Temeria welcomes the first elven ambassador in a long, long time. Triss decides to be friendly and drags Roche along for the ride. 

Stubbornness and Self Care - The Scoia’tael come to Vizima to negotiate a treaty with King Foltest. Iorveth is trying very, very hard to represent his people, but his migraine is unbelievably bad. Fortunately, Roche manages to convince him to rest and have someone else stand in for him.

Pregnancy Prompts Iorveth tells everyone - Iorveth is very, very excited to be trying for a baby and tells LITERALLY everyone he can.

Pregnancy Prompts Philippa POV - post-W2, Philippa decides to return to Vergen and try her luck. Saskia decides to give her a second chance, which many, many people disapprove of.

Temerian Civil War (A Single Spark) - when Foltest sets Iorveth’s forest on fire, he creates a scism in Temerian politics. Suddenly, three factions are vying for control: the Loyalists, the Pragmatists, and the Unified Temerians. 

Identity Porn - As the Scoia’tael begin to emerge as a threat, Roche is sent to investigate them. This leads to meeting an elf in the Flotsam inn and starting a relationship with him. Except neither know who the other really is.

Letters - Roche is running Temeria and hating it when he starts receiving letters from Iorveth. He has no way to send letters in return, but he finds he enjoys seeing Iorveth’s thoughts and ramblings as the elf turns into a street musician.

Dijkstra + Roche 1 - Dijkstra notices how fucked up the dynamic between Foltest and Roche is and is reminded of his own history with Vizimir. Then he decides to teach his Temerian counterpart some self-respect.

Dijkstra + Roche 2 - Roche is captured by Redania as an unnamed spy. He’s caught Dijkstra’s attention because he hasn’t told them anything at all, not even his name. They only know he’s Temerian because of his tattoos. So Dijkstra decides that the way to break this man is through converstaions, over which they slowly develop a grudging respect for each other.

Holy shit. This is not even all of my WiPs, guys. What the fuck am I doing!??!

Anyway, please let me know: which 2 fics should I prioritize working on so that they can be published to hit that 100 round number?

[surgeonsoath]

🌺

Send “🌺” If you love having me as an RP partner

So much love for you. I have met some true friends here and you are one of them. You support me through everything and I love that I get little glimpses into your life on TT. I can't wait to do the gift exchange with you. I'm buying a bunch of the things tomorrow but I'm tempted to wait until Xmas so I can send you lots of goodies and it will be your Xmas present. Plus I need to wait for someone's shop to come back online before I can send it as there is something I really want to buy you.

You are so good at writing all your characters and I'm blessed I have found my exclusive Arizona. Someone who understands Calzona to the core like me.

[inagetawaycarxo]

What are you writing on like your wip 🥺👉👈

some Xmas requests [12 of them left] might as well get them all finished this year otherwise they will be waiting another year to get saved till next December!

xmas writings; [in no practical order]

Ethan and y/n end up having a little fun when their children fall asleep watching a Christmas movie [watch a holiday movie [xmas bingo slot] *SMUT*

so this one is based on Letters To Santa + a merged request, because I want it to be angsty.

Jay and y/n try to give their broken relationship another go for their daughter's sake but an old flame of hers comes back creating a road block. [XMAS BINGO SLOTS USED; xmas angst choice, snowed in, ugly Christmas sweat, cozy up fireside.] *SMUT*[AT THE END]

Once Matt and y/n son is put to bed, Matt hangs a mistletoe a kiss turns into something more [XMAS BINGO SLOT USED; Kiss Under The Mistletoe] *SMUT*

Y/n is nervous about the first time spending time Christmas with Antonio's children. [XMAS BINGO SLOT USED; Hang Christmas Lights, Hang Stocking By The Fireplace]

Y/n's secret Santa reveals his true feelings for her [XMAS BINGO SLOT USED; Secret Santa]

After coming home from a shift, y/n finds her husband and children waiting for her so they can pick out a tree together. [XMAS BINGO SLOT USED; Pick A Tree Out and Decorate It]

Y/n decides to take Antonio to meet her family, feeling anxious about how they will perceive him [XMAS BINGO SLOT USED; Curled Up Fireside] *SMUT*

Becky has one more present for y/n *SMUT*

Christmas proposal hc w/ Kyle O'Reilly 

Baking Christmas cookies with jax and the kids turn into something else [XMAS BINGO SLOT USED; Baking Christmas Cookies] *SMUT*

Y/n tells, her father Voight and her husband she's pregnant again at a family dinner.

Buck and y/n have a weird Christmas tradition.

and a Daemon Targaryen fic I want to get this out on the 31 but it might end up being posted next year! Daemon ends up being a simp for y/n after she kicks his ass in a tourney.

[marasamoon]

You're driving home on Christmas Day. The sun is setting. The air is cold. Night descends just as tears gather in your eyes. These are the songs you listen to. I present to you:

Christmas Songs to Cry In Your Car To

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland— Starting off with a classic. The context in which this song is originally sung is sad in itself. It feels like a green light to just let it all go. Go ahead, Judy says. It’s okay. Rest your head back on your car seat headrest while listening to this one. It’s starting to not feel like Christmas anymore and in a few hours, it won’t be. You’re not sure you’re ready.

Christmas Time is Here- Instrumental by Vince Guaraldi Trio— This cartoon was always so sad. You suddenly remember a quote from it: “The mere fact that you realize you need help indicates that you are not too far gone.” Who writes that for a children’s Christmas cartoon? Since this one is an instrumental, you’ll be able to hear your sobs a little clearer.

O Tannenbaum by Nat King Cole— No one has a voice quite like Nat King Cole. It is a warm blanket, a safe place to hide. The meaning of the lyrics in their original German escapes you (in the case you are not fluent), but their reverent cadence still resonates. You think that’s true of pretty much everything that is said in life. Words are hollow. You once said “I love you,” when you didn’t really mean it. It was more of a sound to you than a genuine feeling. You wonder if that coldness cradled in those words was discernible to them,  if it even really matters.

O Holy Night by Bing Crosby— Crosby might be the king of Christmas, musically speaking at least. Turn up the bass when the line “Fall on your knees” comes up; you want the entire frame of your car buzzing just as sad goosebumps of existential dread spread across your skin. 

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by David Bazan— This song does all the hard work for you. Acoustic, slow, each lyric heavy and defeated; there is a line in here stating that hate rules the world and peace will never really be achievable. This song sees hope and then in despair bows its head. 

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing by Vince Guaraldi Trio— Really sink in the first half because the last half with children singing kind of falls off. You’re at a red light, looking out the window at half-occupied parking lots of grocery stores and corner stores. The stores’ lights are on. There are people inside. Who are they? They have their lives and they have cried and they have loved, and you are certain they deserve better. Cruel world.

I’ll Be Home for Christmas by Bing Crosby— Reminisce about time as a concept and how the new year is almost upon us where you’ll have to do it all over again. Another year older. You still don’t know what you’re doing. If you could go back in time, you’d do it different. You’d appreciate so much more. The children playing with Nerf Guns and running around the house tonight have no idea how clean and clear their experience of the world is. 

There’s Always Tomorrow by Janet Orenstein— This song came out of nowhere in the original cartoon but it sure is good. This song cradles your teary face and tells you there will always be days like this when you are tired and disheartened, but hey, tomorrow isn’t that far away. 

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon— Let the tears flow. This is prayer for the world, broken as it is. You feel something like hope, but it hurts. “Let’s hope it’s a good one.” The tears in your eyes turn every passing street light into stars.

7 O’clock News/Silent Night by Simon & Garfunkel— Silent Night sung over grim news headlines; it’s a little too on the nose but reality doesn’t care for nuance. The air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror is a year old, odorless now. The dashboard display and digital time on the radio float in the dark of the interior of the car. You should’ve gassed up yesterday; you can’t get out of the car looking like this. It’s Christmas but the world keeps on turning.

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by David Bazan— A small twist on a classic song, this time with a dash of religious doubt. There’s so much terrible shit in the world; what kind of god would allow this to happen? Saints and sinners alike have spilled tears like blood over the absence of an answer. Maybe it’s not for us to understand. Or you think there might not be an explanation and God is our horrifically perplexed parent asking us, “Why have you done this?” and our only answer is “I don’t know.”

Auld Lang Syne by Bing Crosby— We end with one last song by Bing Crosby, the patron saint of Sad Christmas. Goodbye old year, hello new year. There will come a day when you won’t be here. There will be one year that will be your last. That year will be someone else’s first. It’s been fun, in its own weird way, despite the dampened expectations, the failures, the heartbreak, the pain. You’ve dreamed dreams and you’ve smiled and laughed sometimes. There’s been warm sunlight and cleansing rain and pale mornings of cold wind when the world was gentle. All of that, the bad and the good—that’s life, right? You think it might be. And it hasn’t been all that bad. Here’s to a new year.

[notveryglittery]

home for the holidays (& home is where the heart is)

summary: declan and patton spend the first night of winter break vacation together.  words: 3,300 / ships: romantic moceit  warnings: sympathetic deceit, slight panic, very brief alcohol mention, accidental burn injury. let me know if there’s anything else! author’s notes: ok this is the first thing i’ve managed to write in a month and i’m kinda proud of it?? it’s a human/college au in which the sides + thomas are on winter break, visiting and staying at a cute cabin in a small town near school. this is the snowed in prompt from @sanderssidescelebrations!! check the end for a few more author’s notes :) i hope you enjoy!!

read on ao3 / @fandersfic-patceit 

This was all going exactly according to plan.

Scowling out the window and at the storm outside, Declan huffed in frustration. His breath fogged the glass and he rolled his eyes. What was he supposed to do now? Not only was the snow supposed to have waited until tomorrow to come through, he wasn’t supposed to have been trapped in this cabin when it did. It wasn’t like they were at a loss for heat or supplies; everything was in working order and the kitchen was well stocked. It was that it was “they” to begin with.

Quite suddenly, the cheerful notes of a Christmas song he was only vaguely familiar with began to play from the entertainment center. Declan turned to face the sound to find Patton beaming at him, hands fidgeting with the hem of his sweater.

“I thought it was a bit quiet!” Patton chirped, gesturing to the speakers. “It was a little eerie with just the wind and well, uh, you know how I am with… uhm. Silence.” Patton’s voice trailed off as he looked away and the air in the room grew thick with tension.

Declan, despite his slightly foul mood and the unfortunate circumstance they were in, found himself gazing at Patton with an expression that Roman would call “twitterpated.” Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, Declan closed the distance between them, and threw an arm around Patton’s shoulders. He tugged Patton along towards the kitchen, gesturing with his free hand as he did so.

“If we’re going to be stuck here alone for the night,” and Declan prayed it would be just the one night and that the others would make it back by tomorrow afternoon because he was so sure he could handle any more than that, “we might as well make it worth it, right?”

Patton brightened instantly, nodding with fervor. “I was going through the pantry! There’s all the fixings to make cookies! Oh! There’s pizza in the freezer, too!”

Declan watched fondly as Patton slipped from his hold and hurried around the room, throwing open various cupboards to retrieve everything they’d need. Sure enough, the counters were soon covered in various containers of flour, sugar, and chocolate chips as well as enough mixing bowls to make four different kinds of cookies. Declan wouldn’t be surprised if it came to that.

While Patton got together the baking station, Declan prepared a frozen pizza (Hawaiian and Declan supposed he’d allow pineapple on pizza this time around since it happened to be Patton’s favorite) for when the oven finished preheating. Patton was going on about what a bummer it was for just the two of them to end up stuck at the cabin. This had been a winter break getaway for their group of six but the tragedies struck one after the other.

Roman forgot an entire suitcase worth of clothes at school and so he’d had to go back for it, insisting that Logan join him because his phone was low battery and what if it died while he was on the road, and he couldn’t find his way back without GPS? Logan knew the quaint little town like the back of his hand, having grown up in it. He hadn’t complained, claiming that he’d like to grab a few textbooks, anyway, so that he might get some studying in during their down time. Patton had, of course, insisted that there would be no school work during vacation and made Roman pinky promise he wouldn’t let Logan go anywhere near his own dorm.

Virgil and Thomas, on the other hand, went out to buy a few bottles of various cream liqueurs to mix in with their hot chocolate and coffee. None of them were heavy drinkers but just the right amount of alcohol in a warm drink sometimes made the difference, especially after finishing finals. Every time they’d nearly been ready to leave the store, a message would be sent to their group chat, asking for them to get this or that as well, which prolonged their trip just enough.

The storm hit so suddenly, the entire town seemed to go on lockdown in minutes.

Virgil was rapid fire texting them, panicking on whether or not Logan and Roman had made it back to campus in time, and asking if the cabin still had power. The pair weren’t finished with their drive just yet but they’d cleared the inclement weather by quite a few miles. Patton and Declan still had electricity but the snow was coming down far too fast and heavy for them to do much. Besides, there were only two cars and it wasn’t like they could get anywhere better.

For the next half hour, Thomas kept them updated on the fact that it seemed they would be stuck at the grocery store until morning, when the streets could be cleared. Virgil had argued with the store owners that they couldn’t just stay there but when a police officer arrived and deemed it too dangerous to be on the road, Virgil had finally relented. Besides, their car didn’t have snow chains on the tires, and after some coaxing from Thomas, it was decided. Thankfully, the proprietors were ridiculously prepared for such a dilemma, and had blankets to go around and keep their customers warm.

“Dee. Sugar?” Patton spoke, pulling Declan from his wandering thoughts.

Warmth spread along his cheeks as he gaped at Patton. “Pardon?”

Patton looked up from where he was pouring flour into a bowl. “The sugar?” He asked, tilting his head. “Or am I making these cookies on my own?” His tone was light and teasing and Declan wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take and it had barely been two hours.

“You’d burn them without my help,” Declan said, eyebrows raising in what was sometimes a pretty good tell that he was fibbing. Not that it would have mattered since Patton seemed to have a sixth sense in knowing whether or not Declan was telling the truth. This was obviously a blatant lie to anyone who would have heard, anyway, because Patton was literally majoring in culinary (pastry) arts.

Declan assisted where he could, even if that just meant cleaning up the dishes and workspace as they went. The pizza went in the oven while Patton was mixing in the chocolate chips. Declan leaned against the counter, arms folded loosely over his chest, and watched. The playlist Patton had turned on earlier was blaring Mariah Carey, because of course it was, and Declan let the sappy song wash over him. Patton hummed along, tapping his feet and bobbing his head.

Before Declan could tear his gaze away, Patton spun to face him, holding the wooden spoon to his mouth like a microphone.

“Make my wish come true,” he sang, throwing one arm into the air. “Baby, all I want for Christmas is you~”

Declan couldn’t believe this was how he died.

Patton sashayed and shimmied around the kitchen. He certainly wasn’t coordinated when it came to singing and dancing but he was having so much fun and Declan felt very much so like he needed to stab something to earn back his cool and aloof exterior. His phone, thankfully, chose that moment to start ringing.

Patton looked to him curiously but Declan waved dismissively as he headed to a quieter part of the house to answer the call. The moment he was out of view, Patton returned the wooden spoon to the bowl and grabbed his own phone so quickly he nearly dropped it into the cookie dough. Opening Facebook messenger, he found his direct messages with Virgil, and started typing.

snow angel: ajskdfkjlhsf snow angel: viRGIL HELP snow angel: he’s so CUTE i dont know whAT TO DO snow angel: please can you mAKE IT BACK TONIGHT

For thirty agonizing seconds, the texts went unread.

Until they suddenly weren’t and a bouncing ellipses appeared as Virgil began to reply.

ghost of xmas present: oh my god ghost of xmas present: pat, seriously?????? ghost of xmas present: we have talked abt this. like… a LOT

Patton worried his bottom lip between his teeth and glanced in the direction Declan had left. Who knew how much more time he had??

ghost of xmas present: PLEASE just tell him already snow angel: WHAT snow angel: i canT DO THAT snow angel: i dont even know if he likes me back!!!!!!!

(Thomas watched, half amused and half intrigued, as Virgil slapped a palm against his forehead.)

ghost of xmas present: ok patton. listen. are you listening. snow angel: linda, listen ghost of xmas present: … ghost of xmas present: if you confess and declan doesn’t like you, then i will literally buy you all the ingredients to make your own cookies for the rest of our lives.

Patton was going to open his own bakery. This was a pretty big offer. He paced back and forth a bit, debating. Even if he told Declan how he felt and the feelings weren’t returned, Patton knew they could continue to be friends. Their group was too tight knit to let something like that tear them apart. Sure, it’d hurt for a little bit, but Patton could handle that. … Right?

ghost of xmas present: oh, speak of the devil

Patton jolted, rereading the message three more times just in case.

snow angel: virgil???? what do you mean?????

It remained unread.

ho ho homicide: this had better be good dec the halls: he’s jusT AWFUL what do i DO ho ho homicide: you goddamn disaster gay dec the halls: i absolutely hate him dec the halls: i can definitely handle this ho ho homicide: ok slow down dec the halls: everything is great dec the halls: the building is on fire and this is fine ho ho homicide: DUDE ho ho homicide: shuT THE HELL UP ho ho homicide: lisTEN TO ME dec the halls: linda ho ho homicide: wow you two are made for each other

Declan tripped over the rug in the bedroom he was currently pacing and nearly slammed face first into the corner of a dresser. He hated when Virgil said things like that, it wasn’t fair. He threw himself onto the bed and buried his face into a pillow until his phone buzzed, alerting him to another message.

ho ho homicide: i will let you have one of my most prized records if you confess to patton and he ends up not liking you back.

Declan thought about the Fall Out Boy vinyl Virgil had scored during Black Friday, the last of its kind without spending money (that no college student had) on shipping.

dec the halls: deal

He pocketed his phone and returned to the kitchen. Patton was rolling the cookie dough into balls, all perfectly sized and placed evenly on the baking sheet. His hair looked a little messier than it had when Declan left; there was flour in it that had not been there before. Patton paused and smiled at him. It was the soft smile they all knew he had reserved for things he was especially partial to, like cats and dogs and… Declan realized suddenly that he caught Patton very often looking at him with that grin.

“The pizza is done,” Patton said, gesturing towards the oven with a nod of his head.

Declan blinked out of his daze and pulled on a pair of oven mitts before turning the oven off momentarily, taking their dinner out from it, and setting it aside to cool.

“Important call?” Patton asked as he adjusted the oven’s temperature.

“Just Roman,” Declan answered, “he’s very excited about being back at school already.”

Patton giggled. “Poor thing. I think he was the most excited about this trip.”

“I don’t know,” Declan countered, dipping a finger into the bowl and scooping a bit of cookie dough out. He popped it into his mouth and let his eyelids flutter shut at the taste. When he opened his eyes, Patton was staring rather unabashedly at his lips. Declan smirked. “All this quality time together sounded terribly unappealing, if I’m being honest.”

Patton’s gaze snapped up to meet Declan’s. “Are you ever?” He asked quietly, shifting closer.

Declan hummed, brushing a hand against Patton’s forearm. “When it matters most.”

The oven beeped, re-preheated, and the two leapt apart as if electrocuted.

“These cookies aren’t going to bake themselves!” Patton exclaimed, grabbing the tray and, with movements far more uncoordinated than usual, went to open the oven door. Declan was no stranger to disaster (as Virgil had just so kindly reminded him) and so while he anticipated what would happen next, he wasn’t quick enough to prevent it.

The tray clattered to the tile as Patton yelped in pain, lurching away and shoving his thumb into his mouth. The balls of dough went rolling across the floor and the oven door slammed shut as Patton recoiled from it. Declan had an arm around him in seconds, guiding him towards the sink.

“Hurts,” Patton whined from around the digit, tears gathering in his eyes.

“I know,” Declan reassured, “I’m sorry. Here.”

He turned the faucet on, testing the water before tugging Patton’s hand down towards the stream. Patton hissed as the liquid first came in contact with the burn but only a moment later, he was half slumped against the counter and half into Declan as the pain lessened.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Patton said, looking up at Declan, who had him wrapped still in one arm. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I could’ve been paying less attention,” he disagreed. 

“We were pretty distracted,” Patton offered, hesitantly.

For a moment, nothing followed but the sound of running water and Perry Como singing about how there was no place like home for the holidays. Declan thought that home is where the heart is a silly notion but Patton was notoriously referred to as the heart of their friend group and he actually liked the sound of that quite a bit—

Patton had looked away. He turned the faucet off and pulled from Declan’s embrace.

“I’m going to check the medicine cabinet in the bathroom for something to put on this,” he murmured, leaving before Declan could say anything else.

The playlist came to an end and silence fell once more over the cabin. Declan, almost mechanically, used the remaining dough to make another batch before carefully putting them into the oven. He set the timer for less time than probably necessary (better safe than sorry). He cleaned up the mess off the floor and set the dishes in the sink to soak.

Wandering out of the kitchen, Declan found the outlet in the living room that Patton seemed to have planned to plug the fairy lights into. He’d brought them from his dorm, hoping to make their stay feel cozier, and had strung them up when they first arrived. It hadn’t taken long with Roman’s help. Declan turned them on and they bathed the room in warm yellow.

“Oh,” came a gasp from behind him.

Declan looked to find Patton, hands clasped beneath his chin. His thumb was bandaged.

“It looks beautiful.”

“Not nearly as lovely as you.”

Patton, eyes wide in awe and mouth parted slightly in surprise, truly did make quite the vision. His curls were messy still with flour and his cheeks glowing just rosily enough. The purples and blues of his sweater complemented him nicely and Declan couldn’t take it anymore. If anything, he’d get that Fall Out Boy record out of this.

“I like you.”

“I like you!”

Spoken within the same breath, Declan and Patton stared at one other in disbelief.

“Wait.”

“What??”

Another moment of stunned silence before Patton began laughing.

“So much for never having to buy my own stock,” he said between giggles.

Declan would ask later.

“You…”

“Yeah!” Patton answered earnestly, swooping so quickly into Declan’s space, it made him dizzy. “Yes! I do. I have! For… oh, it feels like ages. Do you remember sophomore year when they set up that event in the quad with just, like, all the dogs in the world? And they were letting any student that wanted to play for as long as they needed? To relax?”

Declan nodded.

“I saw you there with the smallest little yorkie and even as I made sure to meet every pooch I could, you still gave the most attention to her, and I was just… drawn to you, I guess.” Patton paused, before adding jokingly, “or maybe it was that she was the last one I needed to pet.” 

Declan nodded.

“You were kind of closed off and even when I did manage to get something out of you, I couldn’t make heads or tails of what you were saying. I remember thinking that you had the prettiest eyes…”

Declan blinked. He’d grown up with kids thinking his mismatched irises were weird and while that certainly wasn’t the case any longer, it tended still to be a sore subject for him.

“Eventually, you just handed me that pupper and walked off. I thought I’d never see you again.” Patton frowned. “Until… well, you know the rest!! Roman invited us to an after party for that year’s show and… there you were.”

“Here I am,” Declan whispered, feeling a bit like he couldn’t breathe.

Patton chuckled, glancing down long enough to find one of Declan’s hands and take it in his own. When he looked back up, he kept his gaze somewhere just over Declan’s left shoulder.

“I guess I sort of wanted something to happen on this trip but I didn’t wanna get my hopes up…”

A particularly strong gust of wind rattled the window panes and Patton flinched at the noise. Declan fully snapped out of his reverie. He pressed his free hand against the small of Patton’s back and pulled him closer, tucking Patton’s head underneath his chin.

“We were juniors and we had the same free time on our Tuesday-Thursdays,” Declan said, shifting so that it wouldn’t be as awkward to talk given their position. “Logan joined you sometimes in the library to study but… usually you found the sunniest spot and every time I walked by, you just…” Declan paused long enough for Patton to pull back in concern and look up at him.

Declan floundered. “You were just hideous, all radiant in the light and so relaxed and focused, it was the worst, my stomach flipped at the sight… Because I was just so. Nauseous.”

Patton snickered, using their still connected hands to lead the way to the couch. They settled into it comfortably, sitting closely. It took some time but they talked about their feelings and what they’d do next and how soon they’d tell the others. It was a bit of up and down, what with Declan’s penchant for lying, and Patton’s tangents, but they got there. Were it not for the oven reminding them of the cookies, they might have stayed curled up together forever.

Eventually, however, they were settled again with a plate of cookies and pizza, some Netflix original holiday movie on in the background while they flirted and teased. A selfie was sent to the group chat towards the end of the night from Patton and followed with a few winking emojis from Declan. Had they not silenced their phones and returned to their movie, they would’ve seen just how many messages came through afterwards.

(merry bitchmas ⛄️: aksjdfhlkdsjfhksjdfh jingle hells 🔔: FINALLY merry bitchmas ⛄️: i’m sCREAMING oh chemistree 🎄: He really is. thomistle toe 💋: !!!! congrats guys!!! merry bitchmas ⛄️: i thi nK I’m go nNA FAINT oh chemistree 🎄: Please do not. oh chemistree 🎄: Oh, and congratulations, you two. It is about time. jingle hells 🔔: this is absolutely thanks to me btw. yw.)

shout out to @purelyanxious, @nopartyuntilanxiety, and @moon-of-the-stars for the words “stab, gay, beautiful, lovely, fairy lights, yellow” and picking deceit and patton as characters for this fic ;) 

virgil’s nickname in his chat with patton is “ghost of xmas present.” patton gave it to him because he considers virgil and their friendship a gift. 

group chat in order of appearance goes: roman, virgil, logan, thomas. thank you to @moon-of-the-stars for logan’s nickname! 

this was intended to be background romantic logince and you’re free to see background romantic thvi as well, if you like! i’m also kind of imagining logan and virgil are brothers. 

“ho ho homicide” snatched from this art by @poppiesss

and finally, this moceit fluff is for @do-your-socks-have-holes-in-them <3

[minuete-blog]

Philes’ Xmas Advent Calendar Prompt Day 25: Christmas Day

🎄 Merry Christmas!!!🎄

The very last advent prompt story is finally here. It is the first and only multichapter I’ve drafted for a series on AO3. Thank you to all who traveled through this journey of various degrees of angst (there were only 5 stories?) to the early msr fluff. Special thanks to @only-txf-fanart for the Advent Calendar Prompts. My writing muse came back in time to participate.

🎁 For those of you who haven't read the series, it can be found here. 🎁

❤️For those who just want to read the subtle romance that blossomed from this advent calendar series, read in this order: I’m Offering You The World, Last Minute, The RomCom Gift, and Christmas Offering. ❤️

Tagging @today-in-fic @txf-prompt-box

Christmas Offering

Chapter 1. Movie Missed

Scully feels warm and cozy as she sinks deeper into the couch. She hears Mulder calling her from a distance, strands of hair being swept away from her face with a gossamer touch. She hums in defiance, wraps the afghan blanket more securely around her.

“That won’t do.” She hears Mulder chuckle. She furrows her eyebrows and manages to crack open her eyes making out a blurry image of Mulder kneeling on the ground, his chin resting on the crook of his right elbow upon the couch, facing her at eye-level. He smiles softly.

“Hey there, Scully. The movie just ended.”

“What?” She asks confused, disoriented as she sits up, her hair plastered on the left side of her face. Pouting a little, still groggy from sleep, she remembers what happened. “I missed the movie?” Mulder nods and gets up off the ground to run his fingers along her left cheek and loosen the strands of hair stuck to her face. She thinks she felt a featherlight kiss on her left temple.

“Come on. Go freshen up. I’ll have coffee ready for you before you head out.”

“Mmkay,” she mumbles and untangles herself from the blanket. A few minutes later, she re-emerges from the bathroom looking somewhat awake and decent, her hair looking more windswept than bedhead. She can smell the pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen as she sits down on the couch to put on her boots. Mulder reappears in the living room, and hands Scully the travel mug he just gifted her a couple hours ago filled with coffee. She offers her thanks as he walks her to the door. She turns around.

“Mulder, are you sure you don’t want to come to my mom’s? You’re always welcomed.” He shakes his head.

“Nah, I’m good, Scully. I won’t be the best company considering how tired I feel.”

“Well, what are you going to do the rest of the day?”

“Once you leave, I intend to fully pass out since I hadn’t slept yet. I’ll be okay, Scully.” She frowns a little, looking up at him from behind her shoulder as she opens the door. Mulder leans against the door frame as she exits. “I kept you long enough away from your family. I need to be nice and share.” Scully gives him a small smile.

“Merry Christmas, Mulder.”

“Merry Christmas, Scully.”

Chapter 2. Scully Christmas Gathering

Scully arrives at her mom’s home on time with 15 minutes to spare despite the fresh snowfall. She gulps down the last of the coffee in her travel mug before stepping out into the cold, and retrieves the large shopping bags containing the presents in the trunk and backseat of her car. Just when she reaches the front door, it suddenly opens revealing a man standing nearly six feet with ruddy brown hair and dark green eyes clad in a burgundy plaid shirt and jeans.

“Charlie?!” Scully exclaimed surprised and excited to see her little brother. She drops the bags and gives him a huge hug. He laughs.

“Hey, Sis.”

“That’s it?! A ‘hey, sis’ after years of not hearing from you, and you decide to show up on Christmas Day?!” She playfully punches him in the arm.

“Hey, now! You get photos of my whereabouts. They’re a small fortune, you know.” Scully rolls her eyes at him, though she’s not the least bit irritated by his remark. Her free-spirited brother found his true calling as a freelance photographer right after college, landing assignments every so often from travel guide magazine publishers.

“Those don’t count. You’re not even in them.”

“Yeah, but I took them.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here.”

“I know. Mom’s pissed at me right now for not telling her I’m in town. She’s upset that I won’t have any presents to unwrap. Come on, let me help you out.” Charlie reaches for the bags and brings them inside as Scully follows him to the tree. The house smells like holiday spices from the mulled spiced cider their mom prepared in the kitchen the night before. The living room looked picturesque with a roaring fireplace, complete with hung stockings and a fully decorated tree with all the ornaments handmade and collected over the years. She notices Melissa’s stocking with her favorite horse sleigh ornament hanging on the mantle. Scully smiles a small bittersweet smile as she heads over to the tree to place the gifts underneath. She sees a light flash from the corner of her eye.

“Charlie, really?” She turns to him only to be greeted with another flash of light.

“I’m creating memories, Dana. Just go about doing what you’re doing and pretend I’m not here.” She scoffs.

“Don’t worry, Dana. I’ll be turning off the flash once daylight breaks.” Scully hears footsteps coming down the stairs and sees their mom in cozy, festive flannel pajamas and a fluffy robe. Their mom smiles at the two of them beside the tree.

“I see you two are catching up. I’ll make some coffee. I already woke up Bill and Tara. They’re getting Matthew ready. The King’s Mass is held at 9 this morning. That should give us more than enough time to unwrap presents and get ready.” Their mom looked at them amused by their dubious expressions. Both Scully siblings seemed to have forgotten about the Christmas Day mass they hated attending as children. Bill hosted Christmas last year, and Scully’s previous holiday seasons had been overshadowed with life-altering events. Their mom shakes her head smiling as she heads to the kitchen.

“Shit! Crap! Sorry for cussing on Baby Jesus’ birthday. I totally forgot all about The King’s Mass. This is probably why I subconsciously avoided visiting during Christmas season,” Charlie murmured to Scully, “I guess I’ll have to don on some khakis.” He glances over at Scully, “and you look like you’re a government agent. Shouldn’t you dress in something more festive?” Scully shrugs.

“I packed an overnight bag, but I didn’t account for Mass this morning. I’ll be fine. I’m sure Tara or Mom bought me a nice scarf or something this year for me to throw on.”

Within the next couple of hours, the Scully family festivities went underway filled with chatter, coffee, spiced cider, cinnamon buns, and Christmas music playing in the background. Matthew is the main star as he wobbly walks to his Nana, allows Auntie Dana to hold him, and pats the shiny boxes that keep coming his way. Charlie stays in the background taking photographs. The adults exchange presents, with mostly Tara and their mom oohing and ahhing over presents they unwrap. Scully merely grins and offers her thanks until she opens a box from Tara that housed a royal blue blouse tunic with a scoop neckline. She gasps in amazement; she hears a click and shutter from Charlie’s camera.

“Looks like you have your festive outfit,” he says. Scully admits to her family that she plans to wear the tunic for mass as her family breaks out in laughter. She excuses herself to quickly change.

As Bill, Tara, and their mom get ready for mass, Scully tidies up the living room while Charlie entertains Matthew. “So what’s up with Fox? Why doesn’t he join us?” Scully looks at Charlie in surprise.

“He goes by Mulder and he doesn’t celebrate Christmas.” Charlie hums.

“I’ve been taking photos this whole morning, Dana. You’re here, but you’re not here. It shows.”

“I just have a lot on my mind.” Charlie shakes his head as he lets Matthew study his camera.

“No, you have this far-off look in your eyes. A restlessness about you. I recognize that look anywhere.”

“What are you trying to say, Charlie?” He purses his lips and shrugs, their conversation ending as they hear the rest of the family returning downstairs.

Bill rented an SUV that could transport all of them to the church, but Charlie insists that they take two cars.

“I wanna catch up with Dana!” Charlie announces as he runs to the passenger side door.

“Really, Charlie? I’m tired of driving,” Scully whines, but she walks to the driver’s side and unlocks her car.

Chapter 3. The King’s Mass

The Kings’ Mass at St. Mary’s Church was full of generational families much like the Scully clan. Their mom waved at many of the churchgoing ladies, offering well wishes and season’s greetings as she led them to her usual pew. Tara, Matthew, and Bill sat in the row first, followed by their mom, Scully, then Charlie. The service started with the usual procession of the pew boys, then the priest, Father Bennett, and the deacons. They had a larger than usual choir having some of the Sunday School children participating in today’s service. Just when the priest welcomed everyone to the church and encouraged all to greet their fellow brothers and sisters, Charlie turns to Scully and says, “I think you should head back home after service.”

“What?” she hissed through a fake grin as she waves at a family two pews ahead.

“You heard me, Sis. Just go.” Scully gives him a look as she sits down waiting to listen to the choir sing before the liturgy. Charlie pesters her again when they stand up to recite the hymns from the church bulletin. He causes enough commotion for their mom to give them a pointed look. Scully glances at her apologetically.

“You two are worse than Matthew,” she whispers leaning back for the two to see Matthew passed out in Bill’s arms. They sit back down again for the sermon after a deacon recited Isaiah 9:6 where Father Bennett spoke in detail of the miraculous birth of their Lord and Savior, symbolizing hope and love to mankind, but not without the struggles and sacrifice that Joseph and Mary had to endure to travel to Bethlehem.

“...so let us be reminded of His enduring love for us as we celebrate his arrival with loved ones. To not forget the road traveled for all of us to be here in this room. Let us honor his arrival with a giving spirit, full of compassion and empathy towards our fellow man,” Father Bennett concluded, “Now, as we begin communion, let us feel His loving spirit surround us.”

“Now’s your chance, Dana,” Charlie says as the pew rows were systematically dispersing to line up for communion, “Just make a break for it. You heard what Father Bennett said ‘celebrate with loved ones.’”

“I am celebrating with loved ones!” she responds a little too loudly as they stand at the ready for the church volunteer to beckon them to get in line.

“Mom, can you talk some sense into Dana, please?” Charlie says turning around giving their mom a knowing look, “I know you saw what I saw this morning. You can’t deny it.” She sighs in resignation, lips pressed together.

“Dana, I’m glad we got to spend time with you this morning, but Charlie’s right-- a part of you isn’t with us, it’s someplace else.” She gives Scully a fierce hug. “We’ll see you later this week. Charlie is staying for a couple more days before he flies out to the Netherlands. Now, go. You have some matters to attend to.” Scully’s eyes turn glassy as she manages not to cry. She smiles against her mom’s shoulder and gives her a quick peck on the cheek. She mouths and waves goodbye to Bill and Tara who each had a curious expression on their faces. Charlie gives her a quick hug and waves goodbye to her as he stands aside to let her out of the pew. She can hear Bill asking their mom where she’s going, and her mom answering that she has to attend to matters of love. Scully walks out of the church with one destination in mind.

Chapter 4. Give vs. Offer

It seems that no one left Hegal Place as Scully had to park a block away nearby a liquor store. She quickly runs into the store and purchases some items for the day. The afternoon weather is nippy, but tolerable with a heavy coat she had placed in the back of her car as she briskly walks on the sidewalk, being careful not to slip. She doesn’t know whether Mulder is at his place or not; it didn’t occur to her to give him a call during her trip. The early snowfall that morning had covered all the parked cars, making it difficult to identify which car is his. She finally arrives at his building, promptly taking off the heavy coat from the extreme temperature change. She knows her hair looks unkempt again from the weather as she takes the elevator up to the fourth floor. She can’t decide whether her heart was rapidly beating from the brisk walk or the notion that Mulder might not be home. Scully raps on the door sharply, causing the “2” in “42” to be slightly askew. To her relief, she hears muffled footsteps behind the door. The door cracks open revealing a disheveled Mulder dressed in sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He braces himself against the door frame with his right forearm as he rubs his eyes. His left hand still on the doorknob.

“Scully? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with your family?” he asks in a gravelly voice, eyes squinting from the hallway light. She realizes she must have woken him up from his sleep. His eyes come into focus, and she can see him take in her appearance. “Is this how you usually dress at family gatherings? Maybe I should accompany you next time you go.” She feels a blush forming on her cheeks.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie this entire morning,” she says, averting her gaze away from Mulder’s form, staring down at her boots. “It’s been bothering me, how Sandra Bullock’s character is in love with what looks like a huge asshole.” She looks up at him slightly flustered, “And Mulder! Even if I had watched ‘While You Were Sleeping’, I wouldn’t have caught on with the line you misquoted. The character’s mom gave her dad the world, which by the way is not a snow globe but a regular globe. So, I can only deduce that the actual line is ‘I give you the world’ not ‘I offer you the world.’” Mulder looks amused.

“To be fair, Scully, I only watched the movie once on cable. I thought I got the gist of the phrase, especially when paired with the snow globe I grabbed at Grand Rapids to show you. It appears much later in the movie by the way.”

“But ‘give,’ and ‘offer’ are two very different words, Mulder,” she continues, “Their meaning is completely different in context. ‘I give’ means that there are no strings attached to this phrase, no conditions set in place, while ‘I offer’ allows the other party a chance to accept or decline the option.” Scully knows she’s rambling, but she can’t stop herself. She holds up the plastic bag in her hands.

“For instance, I’m offering you this bag full of items I purchased at the corner liquor store. It contains components to make delicious hot chocolate—you still owe me hot chocolate, Mulder--”

“Of all the things to begrudge me for, it’s hot chocolate?”

“Hot chocolate, milk, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, marshmallows, and peppermint sticks. And since it’s around lunch time, I even purchased some gourmet frozen dinners because I know the state of your fridge and pantry, Mulder. A man can’t suffice on sunflower seeds alone.” Mulder’s grinning at this point. He unbraces himself from the door frame and reaches for the bag, but Scully holds it away from him.

“Mulder, this is an offer. Offers usually come with conditions from the party presenting it.”

“State your conditions then, Scully.” He drawls as he leans against the door frame crossing his arms.

“I want you to be the one to prepare hot chocolate for the both of us. I also want to finish watching the movie. I want to see how Sandra Bullock’s character goes from thinking she’s in love with an asshole to falling in love with Bill Pullman’s character.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Mulder’s eyes shone brightly as he stared at her intently. Her eyes slightly widened at his question. He straightens himself up and fully opens the door. He motions with his head as he says, “Get in here, Scully.”

She exhales a breath as she crosses the threshold. Mulder murmurs, “I was thinking about you all morning too” as he closes the door behind her.

[missyrage]

I've been so mentally exhausted lately - this is where living "the dream" is both a blessing and a curse. So I'd been working on my feature film, 69 B (not the real title) since 2016, and over the years I've gotten in a fellowship, won pitch competition, and received grants for it - so this year I have the opportunity shoot the short film version of it. I got my team together and really committed since August. I shot the crowdfund video the day before I left NYC, ran the crowdfund for 30 days, and have been in pre-production ever since. We're set to film early Dec. and then straight to post production with a required public presentation for the film by next June

Everyday there's emails, casting, posting/hiring crew, and every time I check something off, in comes another and another. This shoot is even more intricate than when I shot my series - plus I'm the director this time and it's my 1st time so I'm coming in with a shotlist that I also need to work with my DP on, and study ones that my other director peers shared with me...it's a lot. And I'm finishing up a moodboard with each location and characters to send to our prop designer. If no one's done this before...it take a long fucking time to find the "right" photos and adding that this is an all Asian (American) cast set in the 80's, I have to dig a little further. When you google anything without "Asian", you'll just get a blanket search of all White people. These are the added layers of time consumption that's not talked about in how White domination is everywhere.

ANYWAYS - on top of this I still am working on new writing and that's been on the back burner sorta. I sent thorough-ish 8 logline/story ideas to my managers and they vetoed all of them except one about K-pop. But when I huddled up with them they said because BTS exploded a few years ago there's other K-pop series ideas roaming around so to do another original idea...except they vetoed everything. It's part of the business while at the same time I spent mad time coming up with the ideas while ALSO trying to have a balanced life with dating and seeing friends.

I've been knocking out around 9-10pm every night lately and I find myself laying down mid day in between meetings. Today I took some time to chill and watch a Xmas movie, it was really nice. Of course I still did work throughout. I was sitting around with my roommate's dog tonight and was nodding off. I'm still "learning" to give myself a break and leave room to do "nothing" - whatever that nothing will be. Right now I'm taking the time to mind dump here and earlier I took our dog out for a walk. I think in this capitalist society and "superman woman" mentality is very strong, it's "hard" to retrain our brain to simply chill. I've noticed that with other people too.

Meanwhile at the end of all this...I'm grateful to have these issues. I've worked to bring a version of this film to life since 2016 so it's kinda wild that it's coming true. And frankly - it's pretty much a miracle that I still have and am making a life outside of my projects like holy shit! In the past that was always the first thing to go, and even now in the mornings I make sure to. ground myself with exercise, breakfast, an episode of Desus & Mero, shower, and meditation/tarot card reading. I haven't really figured out a night routine yet to ground myself to sleep...but sometimes pretty similar with the tarot reading and now I light a sage candle to cleanse the energy and know it's time to sleep soon.