#ts gift exchange

[artisticallygay]

A Merry Christmas and happy holidays to my giftee, @the-duke-of-nuts!! I had a lot of fun getting creative for your first prompt of Vampire!Virgil and Werewolf!Remus, because my brain went to the train of "Virgil likes MCR -> MCR has like a whole album about vampires -> think which MCR album cover would be good inspo -> immediately go for the Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge album"

It all fell into place just perfectly! The vampire and werewolf elements turned out a little more subtle than I thought they would, but it blends in well nonetheless!

Thank you to @sanderssidesgiftxchange for continuing to do this fandom secret santa, it's been fun every year and I hope that this will happen again next year!

[loganslowdown4]

Here’s some fun Christmas-y observations I made—

I wanted to again point out how clever the secret Santa gifts were in the end credits of the 12 days of Christmas episode, because not only did each side give each other a gift that they knew they would really like, the gifts themselves are reflections of the side that gave them…

Logan gives Virgil a gift card to spend in podcasts/music/whatever. So Virgil is happy because he loves music for blocking out his thoughts/calming himself down, a gift card is probably the least creative and most efficient gift someone can give because Logan is efficient and lacks creativity or sentimentality.

Roman gives Logan a novel he wrote. Perfect for Logan because Logan love books, especially mysteries, plus Roman just spoils the ending for him and it’s fine because Logan would think that’s just a fact worth knowing. But it’s also perfect from Roman because he gets to express his creativity and write a long book that he knows Logan will enjoy.

Patton gives Roman pasta. So not only did Patton give Roman his favourite food, but it was a way for Pat to cook, since he loves food too, and to make Roman something that he can truly express his affection for him with.

And finally Virgil gives Patton a card of original art. So Patton can feel the love that went into making this card, but it’s also a great gift from Virgil because he gets to show that he also draws to help ease his anxiety AND a drawing is something a child would make for their parent—

I’d also like to point out all the gifts except Logan’s were homemade with that side in mind. These gifts had emotion and creativity attached to them. Logan’s was bought with good intentions but no emotional attachment. Therefore if Virgil hated the gift, Logan wouldn’t be disappointed.

[menace-sama]

Dear @anxiouslyfred

Here's a little gift from me to you. The creative twins in a younger times where they could play around and worry less about the world.

May the year ahead remain kind to you as you move ahead. Happy holidays <3

@sanderssidesgiftxchange

[sanderssidesgiftxchange]

Interest Check!

Interest check for the 2024 Sanders Sides Gift Exchange!

Interest check will be open till August 26th 11:59 pm EST!

[edupunkn00b]

The Game is Afoot!

Photo by Ashni via Unsplash. Edited by edupunkn00b.

Rated: G - WC: 1036 - CW: None

Three weeks after Christmas and Logan is still working on his puzzle from Virgil. Is it any wonder why?

"The game is afoot!"

“But I thought you said Virgil’s game is a puzzle, Logie!” 

“Patton! It’s a—” The Moral Side’s head tilted far to the left, brow knit together in deep confusion. Breathing slowly through his mouth as he pinched the bridge of his nose, he nearly missed the quiver at the corner of Patton's mouth. He groaned. “Okay, okay, you got me.”

“So can I play, too?” Patton bounced on the balls of his feet, Watson scarf already tied in a neat knot around his neck.

Logan groaned again. “No, not this time, Patton.”

“Yeah, Popstar, I get to play Watson and Moriarty for this one.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy,” Remus purred from his spot behind the television. “You can help me air fry fish fingers.”

“Um, do fish have fingers?” Patton asked, his perplexed expression genuine this time.

“Doctor Who reference?” Logan asked, eyes darting up from the frayed newspaper in his hands. Christmas had been over two weeks ago and he was still working through the mystery puzzle Virgil had created for him.

The Anxious Side chuckled. “Focus, L…”

“I dunno!” the Creative Side laughed, either not hearing the other two Sides or simply ignoring them, and grabbed Patton’s hand, his new—well, formerly new air fryer tucked under one arm. The thing reeked of a mixture of pickle brine and peat, and its once pristine white plastic casing was charred and cracked on the sides. A neon green mold had begun to grow around the control panel, nearly obscuring a flashing ERR-80085. “Let’s go find out!”

Before Patton could say another word, the two had sunk out to the Imagination.

“And then there were four—err, well,” Logan cleared his throat and returned his attention to the newspaper. 

“Yes,” Janus purred from the corner of the couch. “Don’t mind us, we don’t want to play your silly little scavenger hunt—”

“It’s not just a scavenger hunt, Jay! Ugh, why do you—” Virgil cut himself off and adjusted the ties on his hoodie. “Nope, not gonna engage. Not worth it.”

“That’s right, Tall, Dark, and Stormy,” Roman agreed from the staircase. He leapt over the side of the banister with a flourish, the new gold—was that real gold?—trim clinking gently with the impact. “I shall keep the living room safe from any of Janus’ dastardly plans.”

“Oh, no, you caught me drinking wine,” Janus slurred.

“Off you go,” Roman said to Virgil and Logan, pretending not to hear Janus’ mocking. Virgil and Logan exchanged a look. Selective hearing seemed to be a tool in each of the brother’s kits. “I’ve got everything under control here.”

“If you’re sure, Princey,” Virgil began, gaze trained on Janus’ oh-so-innocent expression.

“Wait, Virgil!” Logan grabbed his arm in a remarkable imitation of Remus dragging Patton to the Imagination. He held the newspaper to Virgil’s face. “Does this symbol represent the meter outside?”

Worry shifted into a wicked grin. “Only one way to find out, Detective Holmes.”

“Ha! I knew it!” Logan grinned and ran toward the door, Virgil at his heels.

They flung open the door together and stood on the sunny first step, just as Thomas’ neighbor walked by, well, more like was led by her noisy dog.

“Oh! Good morning, uh, Thomas?” she called as she jogged past, barely managing to slow the pace of her five pound monster of a chihuahua, Craig the Dragon. 

“Good morning, Betty!” Logan called quickly, stepping to obscure her view of Virgil’s face. “You’ve met my brother Jake, have you not?”

“Yes, yes, of course…” she agreed, voice fading. She was already three doors down. “Nice to see you, Jake!” Betty called one more time before Craig spotted a lizard in another yard and dashed after it.

“That was close,” Virgil muttered, peering around Logan’s shoulder to watch Betty stamp her foot and shout, Leave it!

“Indeed,” Logan agreed, scanning the newspaper. “Is this the only outdoor clue?”

Virgil nodded, eyes fixed on the race between the lizard and the chihuaha. “Yeah.” The chihuaha won.

“Well, then…” Logan adjusted his deerstalker. “Shall we?”

Another neighbor ran out to help pry the lizard from Craig’s maw and Logan and Virgil used the distraction to swing around to the other side of Thomas’ house. Logan began counting the meters. The final meter in the row showed was lettered LUC.

“Is that meant to be ‘look?’” Logan asked, eyebrow raised.

“What do you want? I was outside and in a rush,” Virgil shrugged, keeping watch around the corner. “L, hurry up, she’s on her way back and I look nothing like Jake.”

Nodding brusquely, Logan examined every inch of the glass casing. Finally, he found a series of tiny scratches. Running his fingers over the markings, he grinned. “Morse code? T-h-e—space—n-e-x-t—space—g-l—Wait—” He rubbed his fingertip over another section. “Ha! You thought you could catch me with pre-1874 Morse code!”

He fell quiet, studying the scratches. “C’mon, L, we gotta get back inside now.”

“Ha!” Logan crowed, triumphantly. He grabbed Virgil’s hand and dashed around the back of the building. “Let’s go through the patio. ‘The next clue is in the kitchen.’”

Virgil was the first to smell smoke. The pair exchanged one last quick look and raced to the door.

Before either could reach it, the patio door slid open with a crash and Patton stumbled out. “They’re moving! The chicken fingers are moving!” he screeched, smacking at his own shoulders. Embers sparked in his hair and on the sleeves of his catigan. A wall of acrid smoke soon followed and they all stepped back.

“Come back, Daddy!” Remus called, his voice and the tromp of boots growing louder. The Creative Side emerged from he smoke, arms full of wriggling—and burnt—breaded somethings. “I think I got ‘em all this time!”

“Remus!” Roman shouted from inside. “They got in my crown!”

“Oops. Almost all of ‘em,” Remus winked and ran back inside. "Keep your pants on, Ro Bro! Believe me—you don't want those little stinkers getting in there!"

The trio shared a moment of confused silence before Janus sauntered out, an uncorked bottle in one hand and a tray of four glasses in the other. “Wine, anyone?”

[darsynia]

Swiftiepride Exchange Gift!

Hello @blankspacemafia! I wanted to say off the bat that it was a delight making this for you, and after spending time watching your lovely posts on Taylor's performance outfits, I could not resist doing this... I made an oversized doily decoration doohickey based on both the Eras tour costumes combined with outfits she wore over the years at the Grammies and in music videos!

So, this medallion is 23 inches across, it's washable, and has variable texture (the center is petals!)! The colors are more vibrant in person.

Under the cut we have an array of 14 outfits over the Eras tour that match the color changes of your medallion, with selections from Taylor's career! Colors are center-out (and oh my GOSH the pic where her dress is teal and her shoes are bright pink matches so well I was screaming) Images taken from various sites such as Popsugar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, and others, all credit to the photographers!

We start with the Eras tour, detour to the 2015 Grammies, 2014's Dick Clark award for Excellence, an Eras tour dress, a glimpse of a blue dress from Out of the Woods' music video, Eras tour again, the 1989 tour, 2008 Fearless tour and rounding it out, another dark teal dress for 2018's performance of Delicate!

I had hoped to add another aspect to this, to braid you a golden thread and send it along with a needle, so you could weave designs into this (with fray defender on the ends, so you could do it multiple times!) but I tried it and nothing looked good, and I didn't want to send you something frustrating! So I hope you like this, it's a reflection of, hopefully, your enjoyment of her fashion sense, a celebration of her years of work culminating in the Eras tour, and my handiwork!

There was a SNAFU (there were like 10 oh my gosh) with mailing this, a misunderstanding that means it'll take longer to get to you, but I'll get you a tracking number soon! Thanks for trusting me with sending you something I made! I battled some crazy stuff this May and it prevented me from being able to send you as many asks as I wanted, but what I was able to connect with you over was lovely! I hope you enjoy your gift! Happy Pride!! Tagging @swiftiepride so you can see the pictures!

[ollieofthebeholder]

do you have opinions of people podficcing your works? I wanna get into podficcing and I enjoyed your fic a lot so i wanted to play around with it to practice (nothing may actually come of it, i may realise that it's too painful listening to my own voice, But,)

My opinion is that I would possibly die of happiness if this happened.

In all seriousness - I am never going to be upset about people wanting to do stuff of/for my works. Fanart, podficcing, I'm good with it. The only thing I would prefer is that if you're writing something in the same universe, you check in with me first. Other than that, feel free!

And share it with me if you do. I'd love to see it!

[naminethewriter]

You're Not Alone

Epilogue: Friends and Family

Masterpost | First | Previous | Ao3

We have reached the end! I hope you all enjoyed, especially @edupunkn00b who this story was written for 🥰 Please check out their writing, it's some of the best stories I've ever read 💙💛💚

Summary: Logan, Janus and Remus are celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple but a snow storm strands both Janus and Remus elsewhere, leaving Logan home alone. Knowing that the situation will trigger their husband, Janus and Remus need to find a way home.

Content Warnings: Reference to abusive parent/childhood

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Logan slept better that night than he had in a while. Despite his protest, he ended up sandwiched between his husbands. In his opinion, Remus should have slept in the middle since he had been the one absent for a week, but he and Janus insisted that Logan needed to be “caged in comfort”, whatever that was supposed to mean.

He woke up the next morning alone in bed with Janus. Remus side was already cold, and he could hear movement downstairs. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence; Remus was the one of them who had the easiest time getting up in the mornings. Still, Logan couldn’t go back to sleep now and detached himself from his remaining husband who mumbled in his sleep but let him go.

Logan quietly left the room and chanced a look out of the nearest window. It had stopped snowing at some point, but it was still piled up high out there. The sun was starting to shine through the neighborhood though, so hopefully some of it would melt away soon. With no street in sight, he couldn’t tell if they had been cleared yet, so instead of continuing to stare out of the window, Logan went downstairs to find his wandering husband.

He found Remus in the entryway, pulling on his coat.

“Where are you going?” he asked, shocked to hear how whiny he sounded. Remus liked to tease him about being needy in the mornings and he could again see the spark of amusement form in his husband’s eyes.

“Aww, don’t worry, my dear star, I’ll be back before you know it!” Remus giggled, pulling Logan into a hug that he halfheartedly resisted. “But I promised to collect Roman from the airport so that he doesn’t have to rent a car, it would be crazy expensive apparently.”

“Did they clear the streets?”

“Yeah, came through about 40 minutes ago! I think the snow must’ve stopped around the time we went to bed.”

Logan hummed and abandoned his pride in favor of burying himself deeper in Remus’ arms.

“You must’ve really missed me, huh?” Remus chuckled fondly.

“’Course I did.”

“I love morning-you,” Remus sighed. “Well, I love every part of you of course but morning-you is the most adorable one.”

Logan whined at the teasing; Remus’ warmth made him drowsy again which led to him being not as embarrassed by his needier side as usual. His husband recognized the signs immediately however, and reluctantly pulled away, since he really needed to leave or Roman would kill him.

“Sorry, starlight, but I really need to head out.”

“I know,” Logan murmured, shaking himself awake again. “I’ll make sure to have something to eat for both you and Roman when you get back.”

“Thanks, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it just as much as I do.” And with a quick kiss to Logan’s forehead, Remus was out of the door. Logan watched through a window as his car pulled out of their driveway and down the street that was indeed (mostly) cleared of snow. With a hum, he made his way to the kitchen to get the coffee machine started.

~~~

Janus joined Logan on the couch half an hour later and they both settled down to read a book and drink some coffee while waiting for the twins to get back. It was just the kind of calm morning Logan loved, even if he had preferred Remus being there as well.

When the twins did get back, Roman’s first words to Logan were, “You have married two madmen.”

Logan just responded, “I am aware.”

Afterwards all four of them had a small breakfast together since they needed to head off to brunch with their friends soon.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t have opened the door,” Roman commented while they waited for Remus to put his luggage away before they left. “If someone came pounding on my door in the middle of a snowstorm, I wouldn’t let them in, no matter who they sounded like! That’s some boogeyman behavior. I don’t want to get cursed, thank you.”

“I’m shocked, Roman,” Janus smirked, “I thought a Disney fanatic like you would know better considering kicking out the needy during a storm is how the Beast got cursed.”

Roman was quiet after that and for a moment Logan worried that his husband had send their brother-in-law into an existential crisis but as soon as Remus joined them and announced that he was ready to leave, Roman returned to his usual self and started bickering with his twin.

~~~

The drive to the café was filled with chatter of the twins about their trip. Their retellings were confusing at best since they both contradicted each other on almost everything form the flight being pleasant to the highlight of their excursions in Germany. It was entertaining for Logan and Janus to listen to at the least and soon they arrived at their destination.

“Shouldn’t your car be parked here?” Logan asked Janus with furrowed brows as Remus drove past the café to reach the nearest parking lot. “You said you left in on the street by the entrance.”

“I did, but I also left the keys with Remy so he could drive it away if it was in the way. I had no idea if I was anywhere near the curb.” And indeed, they found Janus’ car in the lot, safe and sound. Unlike the street, the sidewalk hadn’t been completely cleared yet, so the walk back to the café’s entrance was a bit precarious but thankfully none of them slipped.

As soon as they stepped into the shop, ignoring the sign that proclaimed the business as closed, all eyes fell on them. It seemed they were the last to arrive, which wasn’t surprising, considering that Remy and Emile lived in the building and Patton and Virgil were both quite punctual – Patton because it’s just polite and Virgil because of his anxiety.

“Great, the insane people have arrived,” Remy teased, earning himself an elbow in the side from Emile.

“Be nice, Rem,” he chided and turned towards them with a warm smile. “So glad you could make it!”

Just as he finished speaking, Patton barreled into Janus, babbling about how he worried he had been and that he should have never let him leave in the first place. While Janus was busy calming down his cousin, Virgil walked over to greet them, bumping shoulders with Roman, hugging Logan and lightly punching Remus in the arm for making him worry.

“Well then!” Remy called over to them, clapping once to get their attention. “Since all of us are here now and I’m starving, let’s get to munching and spilling the tea!”

Everyone agreed and moved to grab a plate and ravish the buffet. Logan hesitated for a moment, watching his friends – no – his family gather together and chat with laughter ringing through the room quickly and couldn’t help but wonder what his ten-year-old self would have said if he knew this was the life he was heading towards. Would it have been easier to deal with the torment of his mother? Would he have even been able to believe it? Even to him now, married to the two most wonderful people he ever met, it seemed so surreal. Like a dream.

But it wasn’t a dream. He knew it wasn’t.

This was reality.

His reality.

These were his friends, his brother-in-law, his husbands. His.

And he couldn’t think of anything that would be more perfect than this.

[mimssides]

Ballroom Dancing Is Not For Everyone

The royal ball is not a fun place for Remus Sparrowheart of the White Valley. But he doesn't get to choose where he gets to be. He never will. Yet maybe, the company he has in his brother will make all of it more bearable. And maybe he will find some new companions at this not-not-so-fun-ball after all.

Link to the story on AO3 | Masterpost | Taglist

___

Spinning, spinning, spinning.

The dresses spun in circles. The nice dress shoes drew circles. The room was a circle.

The music looped. The dancers looped. Remus’ mind looped.

No straight lines, no edges, no corners. No place where Remus could go and hide. And even if he had been able to hide, he would not have been allowed to. He had to follow protocol, had to be a good representative of White Valley, and play nice and fair and stay put and idle.

He gripped the hem of his white gloves. He never liked the white. It got dirty so fast and he got scolded so often when he ended up with just a little speck of dirt on it. For Roman it was less of a problem, he liked the white and didn’t mind not playing in the dirt so much but he as well would have preferred to wear a more colourful attire than the white suits with the silver accents.

“Do not complain. Silver and white are tasteful and decent without being too obnoxious. We might be royalty but we mustn’t become self-absorbed. Stay humble.”

Remus had woken up screaming that night as he woke up from a nightmare where he had slammed a knife into his mother’s and popped the eyeball out of the socket as if it had been a meatball. He had been lucky that Roman had been in his room already and helped him calm down. No one else learnt of it and so neither twin got into trouble for sleeping in the same room that night.

With a yank, Remus pulled his right glove off. He pushed it into the too-small pocket of his jacket and turned to the side so that nobody could see his full pocket. If they didn’t see him messing with the stupid dress code nobody could snitch on him and get Roman and him into trouble for “misrepresenting the White Valley”. Not that Remus understood why the two youngest teen princes and not the actual prince regent were held responsible to represent the whole Valley. It wasn’t like Roman or he would ever get the crown, and neither did they want it. Well, Remus didn’t want it.

Roman was another story. Remus looked for him and saw him standing next to some other young men on the other side of the room. He was smiling politely and laughing mildly when it was expected of him. The perfect son his mother could have asked for. Sometimes even better than Rasmus but that was usually only said when their mother attempted to make her oldest listen to her. Yes, Roman too was just another kid she weaponized to get her will.

A peckish feeling led to Remus leaving his spot at the far eastern side of the ballroom. As quickly as he could he passed by the other guest, praying that none of them looked too closely at him or just ignored him when they did. Not all of them did though. Lady Whiteleaf from Poppy Fields made eye contact and spoke directly to him. Painfully he was pulled into an empty conversation of chitchat where he was questioned about how travel was, where they were staying and how hot the weather was for this time of year.

It took her ten minutes to lose interest in him and she excused herself daintily smiling to get to her next acquaintance. Usually, Remus wouldn’t have cared about that but right now, as he felt this deep sense of disconnection from his surroundings, her dismissal hurt. Everything was starting to hurt and suddenly, now that he stood in front of the sweets and pies, he wasn’t so sure anymore if he could eat something. Maybe he shouldn’t try. Maybe he should just hide somewhere.

He looked around, scanning for all exits just to realize that all his escape routes were blocked by all the royal partygoers. Of course, how stupid was Remus to forget that hiding was never an option?

Somebody spoke to him. It took a moment until Remus realized that he was blocking the way to the buffet and he quickly grabbed a treat and stood aside so the next person could take whatever they liked. He looked back at the man who had told him to move after stepping away. His mother would have said that it’s impolite to rush people and he would have gotten scolded if he had been the one to tell some guy to move away like that. But well, that lucky bastard wasn’t unfortunate enough to be his mother’s son. Thus, that four-eyed idiot in blue could be as rude as he liked.

Maybe he should get to Roman and complain to him about that idiot. Maybe that would help with the spinning. Measured he took a small bite from the piece of lemon pie (of course he had gotten the one type of cake that he neither liked nor hated but felt completely indifferent about) and looked to where he had seen his brother at last. He didn’t stand there anymore, not that it surprised him, Roman was mingling with many so there was a good chance that he was with a different group now. Carefully he scanned the ballroom, a big round cylinder with a glass dome as a roof. That’s why there were no corners to hide in, Remus remembered and grew a little more nervous.

The nervousness increased with every moment when he didn’t spot Roman yet. Slowly he began to walk along the wall, eyes flying over each inch he hadn’t seen before, yet there was no Roman.

Remus’ heart beat fast. The people around him talked fast. His hands shook fast.

His steps to the hall were slow. The lingering looks from the royals left him too slow. The way his hands trembled in his pockets made him feel slow.

He didn’t know when he walked up a staircase, this castle was too big for him, the halls too wide, the space far too open, but now he was standing in front of a window which decidedly wasn’t 1st story level anymore. He could see into a wide open garden, hedges neatly trimmed and aligned in perfect precision. His stomach turned.

He ran now. His feet made a clicking sound on the marble floors because his soles were too hard and too flat for running around. He ran still. He ran and ran until he spotted a door which seemed to blend into the wall, a door for servants, for brooms and dirty scraps maybe. He opened it and went inside, no looking back. It was dark and nobody said a thing so it was fine. It was safe. He was safe. He fell to his knees, his chest hurt, his head hurt. Breathing was hard. Stab your mother with a dull gardening shovel. Claw her eyes out with your fingers. Drink the eye juic-

“What’s the fucking matter with the stupid eyes lately?!” Remus whimpered and pulled himself out of the thought by pulling his hair.

Helplessly he pushed his face against his thighs and let his fingers scratch his scalp. He didn’t think about how it would mess up his hairdo or how it could hurt him or how his mother would be angry with him for doing so. He just needed the thoughts to stop.

A warm hand was settled on his own. A soft thumb run over the back of his hand, easing it to let go of his head and hair.

“Well done, Emu. You do well.”

Rapidly Remus blinked. Immediately the voice shooed him, told him to slow done and Remus listened. He listened and was good and well and only sat up to look at his brother when his hands weren’t cramped anymore, and his thoughts didn’t hurt so miserably anymore.

“You found me.”

Roman laughed shakily and leaned his forehead against Remus’. Then Roman closed his eyes and took a watery breath. His hands settled on Remus’ shoulder and suddenly Remus understood. He laid his arms around Roman and pulled him close.

“The room started spinning for you too?” Remus asked.

Roman winced. Of course, he did. He hated it after all when he couldn’t do things the way their mother expected him to. When he was a little too similar to Remus for her liking. When he was too unpredictable to be the manipulatable puppet she wanted him to be.

Remus sighed and readjusted their positions, so he ended up sitting next to his foolish brother and could hug him from the side. It had always been easier for Remus to relax around Roman, while Roman only was able to let out or give in to his emotions around Remus. Not that Remus minded that he was emotional or messy around him, but he could see that Roman avoided him for that very reason and he wished it wasn’t that way.

Yet now, none of that mattered. Now, they sat on the floor of a supply closet, as Remus now realized and just tried to get their composure back. They would have to return to the baller sooner than later otherwise their mother would hear of this and that wouldn’t end well for anybody.

So it was time to just breathe and calm down, Remus decided and took a deep breath.

The door opening rapidly and two other people storming in didn’t help to calm either twin down though. Neither when the smaller one audibly hyperventilated and the other one frantically slapped the wall to find a light switch. Neither when the other one hit the light switch and revealed that Janus Myrrth, first son to the Myrrth’s and heir of the Golden Garden estates, and Virgil Myrrth, second son of the Myrrth’s of the Golden Garden estates, were the ones who had chosen their little chamber as their escape place.

“You truly are unbelievable-” Janus hissed but abruptly stopped.

So did Virgil’s hyperventilating as he and his older brother looked down at the twins huddled against a shelf filled with jars of berry jams. Remus' body felt like static and his eyes ran over the matching black suits, Janus’ decorated with gold patterns and a warm yellow ascot and Virgil’s with silver trimmings and a simple purple tie. It looked rather nice, his mind helpfully added, and he slowly let his arms drop from his brother.

Roman next to him was stiff as a board, looking directly at Janus’ birthmarks covering the left side of his face. The heir noticed and Remus immediately rammed his elbow into Roman’s ribs to keep him from staring. His twin yelped but finally unfroze and lowered his face in shame before he perked up again.

“I apologize,” he said formally and got up from the floor. “I was rude. It seems we’ve occupied a spot you are in need of. Please, let us forget about this and-”

Roman didn’t get to finish as Virgil started to hyperventilate again, with much more force than before. That did the trick and Roman sprung into action. Without much thinking, he sprang to the younger prince and guided him, without ever touching him, to a barrel which was standing close but not too close to the shelf they were all huddled around. With gentle but certain words he told him to sit, to breathe, to not fret.

Remus raised from the floor, his hands falling leisurely in his pockets and watching his brother being in his element. With a grin, he glanced to Janus who eyed the spectacle with a cold glare and only after a moment realized that he was being watched.

“And what of you, Sparrowheart?” the older teen snarled.

Remus chuckled and garnered a death stare of Roman for it. But here Remus didn’t care what people could possibly think of him being loud and not perfectly polite and palatable.

“I am not the one who got angry at his hyperventilating brother, J-anus. And to speak of it, we were here first. Go and find your own closet to be an asshole in,” Remus said cheerfully.

The undignified stare Janus shot Remus could have murdered but the glare he felt shooting through his back from Roman was torture. Maybe he did go a little too far?

“Pff,” a tiny voice began to wheeze and all turned their attention to Virgil.

The youngest prince was laughing into his hand. His shoulders shaking with amusement, only getting stronger when Janus told him to get a grip.

“He called you J-J-anus” Virgil giggled and pressed his hands against his hurting stomach.

Perplexed both twins looked from him to Janus, who visibly blushed at his younger brother’s words and tried to say something only for Virgil to interrupt him again.

“I never heard anybody say that to your face! That’s hilarious!”

“You are such an uncultured child”, Janus chided.

His voice didn’t carry any actual sharpness though. Part of his initial anger seemed to have simmered away and given way to relief. Maybe he wasn’t quite as much of an asshole as Remus had initially thought. Maybe he had just been so high-strung because he was worried for his younger brother.

Before anything else could be done with that realization once more the door to the supply closet got opened. Four pairs of eyes me the sights of two princes dressed in shades of blue.

“That’s the idiot who told me to move my ass at the banquet!” Remus blurted and pointed his finger at the taller one in blue.

Now that he got a better look at him he realized, that he probably too was along their age, maybe a little older and spotted the Whiteleaf crest on his left breast pocket. He blinked.

“Fuck. That was stupid,” he cursed and glared at his shoes.

He heard the familiar voice of Logan Whiteleaf, heir and the first son of the Whiteleaf’s and of the Poppy Fields, scoff at that just as a second not familiar voice perked up.

“What did you do this time, Lo! It’s not nice to tell people to go away!”

Promptly Remus looked up. The smaller teen, he was for sure a year or two younger than Remus, had turned around and stared at Logan with an impressively disappointed pout. Logan looked back with an impressively annoyed eyebrow raise.

“I didn’t do anything scolding-worthy. I simply told this adolescent to step aside so I could get to the buffet,” Logan retorted.

The tween shook his head and went on: “How long did he stand here? Did you say it kindly or were you being too harsh again? You know what mama says about keeping your voice in check.”

At that Logan simply rolled his eyes and sidestepped him to look at the rest of the people inside. His eyes flickered from Remus to Janus in recognition before they fell on Virgil and Roman. And as he looked at them his face fell. Immediately Remus' attention locked onto his twin. He cursed and pressed past Logan to get to Roman’s shaking side.

“Oh no! Did we scare Vee’s new friend D:”

“How on earth did you make that sound with your mouth?”

“Virgil is not friends with one of the stupid Sparrow twins!”

“Janus! Don’t be mean to them either >:[”

“Are we truly glossing over the fact that Patton just…”

Remus didn’t listen to their voices in the background. He just tried to slowly, so slowly, inch closer to Roman. His hands were barely allowed to move, so slowly did he raise them into Roman’s field of vision. Which was quite a feat since Roman had basically rolled into a ball and his face was hidden against his arms.

“Ro, it’s okay,” Remus tried to coax him weakly. “I’m gonna take the blame. I mean I was being stupid not you, so it’s only fair and she can’t always make you responsible for my actions.”

Roman shook more.

“Right?” Remus added with a shiver.

Roman didn’t say a thing. Of course, their mother would make Roman responsible for Remus’ missteps. One more reason why Roman should hate him. Maybe he hated him already but was too nice to say a thing.

A gentle pull on his sleeve got Remus’ attention. Virgil had crouched down beside him and was staring at Roman as well. His lips shivered but he looked much calmer than before. He met Remus’ look and quietly pointed his chin towards Roman and asked almost voicelessly: “Is he scared of being scolded?”

Remus didn’t even think before he already nodded. The other boy's face turned into a surprisingly sad frown, and he leaned towards Roman and patted his shoulder.

“’s okay,” Virgil whispered, “that you’re scared. But you don’t need to worry anymore. Logan and J-anus over there won’t snitch on you or your brother.”

With a flinch and heavy panting Roman lifted his head just a little to look at Virgil’s face.

“Why w-wouldn’t they?” he asked with great doubt.

A tiny smile stole its way on Virgil’s lips, almost a cute one in Remus’ opinion, and he said: “Because they’re both soft idiots and have to be nice to people their younger brothers’ like.”

“You like us?” Remus and Roman said surprised in unison.

Virgil snickered, again rather cutely in Remus’ opinion, and from behind the three of them a light blue whirlwind stormed towards them. With a yelp, Remus and Virgil toppled against Roman as the tween crashed against them in a very enthusiastic hug.

“Yeah! People who help my friend Virgil are my friends too!” the boy in light blue said with a wide smile.

This close up Remus’ brain finally registered that he was just getting hugged and offered friendship by Patton Whiteleaf, the third and youngest son of the Whiteleaf’s of the Poppy Fields.

Baffled Roman looked at him and Remus snickered a little hysterically before they both looked at Virgil who snorted and teased them that they took Patton’s declaration of friendship even worse than he had at first. Roman made a hurt sound whereas Remus jolted forward and lifted Patton off the floor with a happy yelp. Logan and Janus just shot each other a tired look as the four younger teens broke into chaotic chatter.

Well maybe, in the years to come, they might think a little differently about the wild first encounter they had that with the Sparrowheart twins. They certainly wouldn’t admit it though.

At least not out loud.

[sirtotallynotatimetraveler]

Welcome To Confection Castle! (AU)

What in the World is Confection Castle? :

Confection Castle (formerly known as Candy/Candied Castle) is a role-swap AU of Pizza Tower, akin to the more well-known PT swap AU, Sugary Spire. Unlike Sugary Spire, Confection Castle only swaps the roles of the characters and not their personalities, with a few alterations. With the unchanged personalities of each character, this instead changes the mechanics, environment, and even story of Pizza Tower, with each character handling their swapped roles more differently than Sugary Spire's interpretation.

(This AU's concept was largely inspired by TS!Underswap. A reimagining and fangame of the Undertale AU, Underswap, which uses the same concept)

The Story:

Teddy is faced with the consequences of his own actions after pulling one too many pranks against a castle that was bought out by a huge confection company, Candyboy Corporations. A company that steals the competition against smaller sweets business owners. Teddy's given a warning by the corporation CEO's assistant, Granny Candydimples, that the CEO will destroy his and many other confectionary's shops, forcing them to all work for his company. Thanks to the warning, Teddy and his confectionary allies team up to take down the Confection Castle and its evil schemes.

The Characters (may or not feature some slightly outdated art):

Teddy Taffy (Theodore Taffy) - Noise in the Role of Peppino: A smug, witty, mostly down to earth, prankster who formerly premiered on the big screen before leaving it all to continue his family's legacy: making mouthwatering candy and sweets. He owns a quaint candy shop in a vaguely European town near a looming Confection Castle. He's obsessed with sugar and when he consumes a good amount of it, can become hyperactive and manic.

Suzy (Suzette) - Noisette in the Role of Gustavo: A kind-hearted, rule-following, and dorky dessert baker who owns a bakery/patisserie next to Teddy's candy shop. She's close friends with Teddy and secretly has a crush on him, which may or may not be obvious to everyone except Ted. Like Ted, her business was challenged by Candyboy Corporations, forcing her to rally against the castle with Teddy,

The Ingredipets - Role of the Toppins: Little creatures resembling confectionary ingredients that were kidnapped and enslaved by Candyboy Corp. to make the companies candy. Teddy and his allies will save each of them to defeat their competitor. Ingredipets may be different depending on the character being played.

Captain Crackle (Peppino Ravioli) - Peppino in the Role of The Noise: Captain Crackle is a well-known cereal brand pirate captain mascot for the cereal of the same name. He's played by a worn-out has-been TV and opera celebrity Peppino Ravoli who does the bidding of Candyboy Corporations to make a living. He takes on three jobs: Captain Crackle, a Candyboy Corp. gift shop worker, and the Castle's TV News Anchor. He just wants to quit everything and live a peaceful life making pizza, his real dream.

Mr. Gus (Gustavo) - Gustavo in the Role of Noisette: Mr. Gus is Captain Crackle's pirate sidekick who serves as the comic relief character, always getting the short end of the stick and being kicked/thrown around the place for comedic effect. His actor, Gustavo, has a similar story to Peppino's, working for the castle, trying to sustain a living. He owns a secret soda tavern hidden from where his boss can find it.

Mr. Lollygagger - Pizzahead in the Role of Mr. Stick: Teddy's accountant who both does and doesn't take his job seriously. He pulls many gags toward his patrons to get them to comply with his offers and tries to pose as a nice, patient, and understanding accountant who needs money in exchange for a good offer. Ted's annoyed by him, A LOT.

Sapphire - Snick in the Role of Brick: An adventurous, rule-breaking, and cocky rock candy Porcupine who loves to skate on his hoverboard at the speed of sound. He becomes friends with Suzy after pestering her rule-following morals and later helps her and Teddy's journey.

Murray Muffinman - Pepperman in the Role of Gerome: An experimental artistic genius restrained to the role of maintaining the paint job of the castle. When he's on break he goes to his supply room to unleash his creativity through all sorts of mediums. He can be found all over the castle. He will reward his own art if he is helped to find his supply room.

Gumther Gumdrop - Vigilante in the Role of The Priest: Gumther is a farmer who grows sweet-tasting fruits that grant magical healing abilities. He sells his fruits in fruit stands all over the castle but it comes with a price.

Butler Scotch - Gerome in the Role of Pepperman: Scotch is the butler of the Royal Candy Family, who were the original owners of the castle before signing an agreement with Candyboy Corp. Scotch is the first boss Teddy has to fight due to one of the Royal Candy's prince (originally intended to fight Ted) left Scotch to stand on guard as he goes out for lunch.

The Pope - The Priest in the Role of The Vigilante: The leader of the Caramelist religious group and overseer of the Basilicaramel Church. After Teddy destroys the church during one of the levels, The Pope seeks to cleanse Ted of his sins by fighting against him.

Granny Candydimples - Granny Pizza in the Role of Pizzaface: The oldest member of the Royal Candy Family who was demoted and forced to the role of the CEO's assistant. She's kind-hearted and honest with no ill intent unlike her boss, going out of her way to disobey him sometimes.

Uncle Candiesworth - Pizzaface in the Role of Granny Pizza: The Uncle of the Royal Candy Family. He's one of the few family members who rebels against Candyboy Corporations and agrees to help Teddy and his friends destroy the castle. He's grumpy, bossy, and insults people constantly, but he has a good heart.

The Teddy Doll - Role of Fake Peppino: A cursed doll resembling Teddy. It's been presumed to have been cursed with dark magic, cast on by a cult. It is unknown what the purpose of this doll was for. All we know is that you won't see it in the same place it was left at the second you turn your back towards it.

Cookie Blair - Role of Mort the Chicken: Oh boy! It's Cookie Blair from the hit 90's 3D point-and-click PC abandonware game Cookie's Bustle! Watch as she and Teddy travel across Cookie City as Ted tries to hide Cookie from the police trying to remove her entire existence for good. (To whom it may concern (looking at you), I am not profiting off this project, therefore not profiting off Cookie's Bustle. Please don't copyright strike me or this project.)

Nezukira - Brick in the Role of Snick: Nezukira is the world-famous thunder rat character from the equally famous elemental critter collecting and fighting video game "Sackicritt". Nezukira is heavily merchandised with its adorable appearance; from plushes, socks, gummies, and cigars. Besides Nezukira, there are several other Sackicritts to obtain, with "Net Handlers" who accompany them.

Jen Beam - Role of John Pillar: Jen is the older sister of Butler Scotch. She is the caretaker/ruler of all the levels in the castle, making sure that everything is in order and won't crumble to the floor. She guards the door to each "dimensional control room" that deactivates the levels in the castle. She will only let people pass if she is given gourmet candy with the finest ingredients.

Candyboy - Role of Pizzaboy: Candyboy was the prime mascot and face of Candyboy Corporations. He's a happy-go-lucky, fun-loving, eccentric kid with all the childhood innocence packed into one. He loves candy and is very marketable. Despite Candyboy's innocent presence being long gone, he is still the face of the company.

The Candyman - Role of Pizzahead: The Candyman is the man behind the whole corporation, mostly know as the CEO. Not many have had the chance to meet The Candyman in person, but he's been said to be demanding, ruthless, and manipulative to get what he wants. He will do everything to gain the title of being the best confectionary business. If it exists, he wants it in his company.

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

And that's it for character introductions! I am planning on adding characters that will be entirely original in this AU like new friends that will accompany Ted, new bosses, and other characters that will build the world for this AU. Other stuff such as levels, music, and game mechanic ideas are in the works too. Lots of stuff is planned for this AU project!

If you want to make fan art for Confection Castle, go ahead! I love fan art! Just make sure to tag me if you post it. Other fan stuff like music is cool too!

Thanks for reading y'all.

(Also, I am not planning on making this an actual game as I have no experience with coding or stuff that is needed to actually make a game. But if anyone with experience with game design wants to make it happen...hit me up haha.)

[randomfoggytiger]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Scully just return the "Laura" when Mulder called her Scully in Arcadia? If I remember, in the scene where Mulder is picking the "blood" from the ceiling, Scully is carrying the box of dishes from the front door, says "Mulder" to which he responds "Rob". Scully doesn't give much of a response or "look", but Mulder does give a mouth response when Scully reminds him "Laura". They were both teasing and playing with one another. I see it as the Mulder-Scully tease-o-foreplay.

For sh*ts and giggles, let's say that the IV time is occurring during part of season 6. When Mulder tells her that she is making it personal and Scully is trying to get him to see that he shouldn't fully trust Diana, well yeah she should make it personal. He had more than just a work partner to lose. Scully had trusted him to be part of this crucial aspect of her life and now it was as if he was pushing this bond of theirs to the side. The threat to Scully was not just another woman who ws part of the corrupt group that has tried to kill her, took her fertility but the threat is that she would lose her partner who is helping her on this journey and subsequently lose the potential gift of a child.

Moreover, I don't buy the "all knowing man" who told Scully that he knew her real hair color and was surprised when she invited Mulder into her bed one lonely night. First of all, the syndicate knew how important Scully was to Mulder (ahem get rid of what he can't live without), so anyone paying attention/spying on them would know the depth of their relationship and what they mean to each other;therefore, falling into bed together would have been expected at some point. This leads me to think that MAYBE, just MAYBE, she let him into his bed on a lonely night early in their relationship. Perhaps after her breakup with Ethan (i know the audience didn't see that but why couldn't it have happened off screen), on one of those days when she was feeling like her life was standing still or when she was itching for companionship once she no longer had time to spend with her friend, sister, or family, maybe when he brought her home when her cancer was in remission? That, to me, would make sense of why anyone would be surprised that they slept together before he chased her across the world to save her. After that, it would be "of course they slept together. What, it's been 4 years already."

Sometimes, it seems as if the storylines were pulled out like Bingo balls without consideration of how things connected.

Hi, yes, hello-- sorry this took a bit: I was so stoked to talk about my favorite episode that I had to make sure nothing would be around to distract my focus. >:DDDD

(Your IVF premise sounds exactly like @sunflowerseedsandscience's Someday Your Child May Cry, which was my first long-form IVF arc AU, actually.) Highly recommend if you haven't given it a flip-through.

I do have a full breakdown of Arcadia-- here, here, here, and here-- that digs into the motifs and themes as well as Mulder's and Scully's separate perspectives. (And these screenshots, which will never not make me want to combust with laughter.) However! Let's do this!

ARCADIA'S ROB-AND-LAURA GAME

Arcadia begins with Mulder hamming it up, chafing under Skinner's assignment, and Scully tolerating his buffoonery as long as he doesn't make her look ridiculous by proxy (hence why she shoved him off in the house with a look-- a "that's too far, buddy" mild reproof. He nods and accepts this... then doubles down later.) Which... she's kinda right: the local speculation ends up being that she's affluent and he's a househusband himbo (post here.)

By the time the neighbors have packed up, the duo exchange mutual innuendos and Mulder has realized Scully wants to "play house"-- which sets him on a mission to make her regret that thought the rest of the episode (not unkindly, but purposefully.) Henceforth, he hams up the dutiful husband not just to the neighbors but to her, as well; and gets the ball rolling when she hauls in Big Mike's dishes:

"Mulder...." Scully begins, puzzled over their neighbor's anxiety.

"The name... is 'Rob'," he answers, pleasantly engrossed in digging possible gore from the ceiling fan. When he joins her on the ground, she steps into his personal space without conscious thought; and doesn't withdraw.

From then on out, it's a game of advance-and-retreat: Scully snuggling up to his shoulder while they talk to Wynn, then Gogolak; Mulder overdoing his overtures (or locking eyes in a pointed "I see that" glance) until she retreats. After the dinner at the Schroeders, Mulder jogs into Scully's bedroom with Big Mike's caduceus and throws his shirt past her head. Scully, miffed, retreats to the bathroom; but she's not miffed enough to send him packing.

A few things become apparent:

When Mulder concludes, "I take it he's dead, Scully," she replies, "'Laura'"-- not skipping a beat. They're both alone and Scully likely believes no one's nearby to overhear them... yet, she insists on still coupling herself with Mulder. It may be a joke but the context of that joke is entirely different, given Mulder's reaction (an exaggerated "Well, aren't you bossy?" face while mouthing Okaaaaay.)

She pleasantly chastises his toothpaste rolling abilities... meaning Scully's sharing a toothpaste with him, in her bathroom, in her bedroom, instead of getting a different one or sending him out to get his own....

She chastises Mulder for leaving the seat up-- "Third warning: toilet seat"-- meaning Scully let him use the toilet in her bathroom in her bedroom as long as he follows the rules (reminiscent of Bad Blood's lack of motel boundaries.) She also doesn't tell him not to use it anymore.

She slathers her face in a wash-off face mask, determined to do her pampering routines despite Mulder's domestic pearl clutching (which Scully predicted, given her non-reaction.)

When does Scully drop the 'Laura' bit? Well:

Mulder pats the bed, wiggling his eyebrows. For a split second, she's pulled up short, breath catching; then her partner doubles down on the goofy, not-to-be-taken-seriously "C'mon, Laura-- we're married now" behavior, and her face drops before she rallies and restates, "'Scully'. Mulder, goodnight."

He shuffles off, pretending to be disappointed-- "The thrill is gone"-- but she sees it, nearly rolling her eyes at his affronted posture (his "Peter Pan playing at being a married grown-up" act.) They shuffle their separate ways, personal situation successfully deflected.

The game of 'Rob' and 'Laura' is over: a tie. They quickly transition to more serious work as the case continues to unfold-- Scully going into town to investigate the mystery gunk (ketchup and garbage), Mulder "working from home" for his stakeout-- and that is the end of that.

THEORIES

Oh, the IVF journey would have certainly re-colored One Son and Arcadia. Given the scenes we're shown in Per Manum, it was undeniable that this "having a baby, this" between them was already changing the flavor of their dynamic. Personally, I don't think Mulder would have behaved the same way (or at least to the same extent) because he was duping himself into believing his read on Diana was impartial and impersonal-- she was just a "good friend"-- and that Scully was the one being partial and personal via suspicion or jealousy. (Again, Mulder's beliefs are so strong they're, to quote E.B.E. Scully, "blinding".) Those feelings would have been ten times harder to recontextualize to himself if they were in the midst of making a baby.

I don't believe the man in Season 9, either-- but, for those that do, I posit he saw Mulder and Scully walk back to her apartment post-Millennium, or soon thereafter, and built his suppositions off of that one time.

Per your theory, I think they would have to sleep together sometime post-Milagro because Padgett was preying on Scully's established bone-deep loneliness (post here.)

Scully feared her importance would always be second to "the truth"-- if Mulder had had sex with her beforehand, that fear wouldn't linger in the same way... or it would transform into an uglier fear: that her "desperation" killed the crackling potential between them, and that Mulder had decided his quest was still more important. That 'still' would be a completely separate discussion than what Milagro accurately (per Scully's reactions) presented as her struggles with isolation and raw, human want and need.

However, this is The X-Files: to borrow a @baronessblixen tag, CC changes his mind more than other people change their underwear. So, you never know~.

CONCLUSION

And that's that for this meta! :DDDDD Thanks for your theories, anon. They were definitely food for thought.

[akaiuchiha]

So

I know I need to candle run every day for some time in order to get more candles and be safe with events and the spirits (at the moment I have 231 because I am waiting for some TS)

And I'd like to level up the spirit's trees from the different areas but it's so EXPANSIVE?

I May have candles but it's a PAIN to get hearts because I don't have many active friends (officially, I light up 5 candles every day) so it takes some time to get hearts and my god, 30 hearts for a cape is way too much.

I think at this point I'll just make a deal with my sister to exchange a gift every day so we can have hearts.

I am also desesperate for more clothes (and I bought the season pass because it was really worth it considering the price and the fact that it gives me access to the entirety of 6 trees) and I want more cosmetics in general but hu... that's too much and I want to save candles in case one if the TS I am waiting for arrive.

[loganslowdown4]

So I had a bit of a break down because

APPARENTLY I’M FEATURED FANDER?!?

Hey that’s me! And my X handle hah

(Face reveal IG? lol)

Anyway, I made a reaction video of the episode and my reaction to the featured fander reveal is … well it’s a bit of a shock

Love ya @thatsthat24 💙

[swiftiesincenine]

SwiftieSinceNine #1 Essay

If you were following SwiftieSinceNine around the time The Eras Tour was ending, I came up with content ideas for the community. And you voted for all of them and one of the ideas was TS Related essays.

Below, you will find my first essay that I wrote, which is called:

My Journey of Being a Swiftie!

I hope you enjoy reading this essay and there will be more to come. Feel free to share your thoughts and your own experience being a Swiftie in the comments section.

TS ESSAYS

BY: SWIFTIESINCENINE

     My Journey of Being a Swiftie!

                        As of 2025, Taylor Swift is an icon and consider as one of the biggest artists in the world. From her musical abilities to The Eras Tour, Swift is in the ranks of being a stardom among many others. Even though Swift has accomplished many things that makes her a star, her fan base, the Swifties, are one of many reasons behind her success. The Swifties are dedicated and loyal to Swift, supporting her at any chance. From buying multiple versions of CDs to making and exchanging friendship bracelets, we show our enthusiasm which Swift sees. This enthusiasm also motivates her to create something brand new for her fans, which is a gift for her to us.

                        Even though we share this, every Swiftie has experienced a journey of being a fan of Swift. And I am surely having a journey. In 2009, when I was ten years old, I first saw Swift on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Having not heard of Swift before, she impressed me. She was down-to-earth and kind, and I also loved her curly hair. Later on, hearing “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me”, they my made my list of favorite songs and still are today. I wasn’t into country music, but the songs were fun and catchy to me. I remember singing “Cause she wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts. She’s Cheer Captain and I’m on the bleachers.” Even though I was impressed with Swift, she wasn’t on the top of my list just yet as I was obsessed with Hannah Montanta (Aka Miley Cyrus). Just to say, I was a Disney Channel kid and I loved the content.

                        By 2012 though, things changed. At the age of thirteen, as Hannah Montanta ended the year before and as Cyrus was entering a new phase, my interest was fading away. My interest in other artists started to grow and Swift was one of them. For Christmas that year, my sister gifted me the Red album, which I enjoyed. This album was Taylor’s transition into pop music and it definitely grabbed my attention. From “I Knew You Were Trouble” to “Everything Has Changed” feat Ed Sheeran (two of my favorites from the album), I was impressed by Swift’s lyricism and courage to branch into a different genre.

                        Even though I will say that I became a Swiftie at nine, I became a dedicated Swiftie in 2014. In the 1989 Era, Swift captured my heart and is still my #1 in 2025. Listening to 1989, I loved it, as it’s one of my favorite albums by Swift. One of my favorite songs off the album is “Shake it Off,” which I think is a fun and energetic song that will uplift you. This song also means a lot to me as it reminded me to strive and ignore the school drama I was facing. And I also love “Style” which is a fun song to dance to. Receiving my bachelor's in English, “Style” also stands out to me since Swift used literary, poetic, and figurative devices in the song. Since the release of 1989, Swift went on to release six more albums, which I have enjoyed. But we all have our favorites and mines are: Reputation, Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights. In the course of these eleven years, Swift has also gave us many creative and vibrant music videos. And I have to mention The Eras Tour, The Eras Tour Concert Film, and The Eras Tour Official Book.

                        In the eleven years that have passed, I have to also mention that I have not seen Swift in concert before. It’s heartbreaking for me. When it came to the 1989 and Reputation tours, I was not able to afford tickets. But when The Eras Tour was announced, I believed that this would be my time to finally see one of my queens. Then the Ticketmaster debacle happened and I didn’t score tickets. Literally throughout the tour, I was trying to win tickets left and right. Even though I didn’t get to attend, I’m grateful for the film, as I got to see it at the theaters. And thank you to everyone that streamed the concert as well, as I enjoyed watching them. In my heart, I still hope that I will see Swift someday on the stage.

                        As I’m twenty-five now, my adoration for Swift has grown over the years. She’s a role model that I look up to for various reasons. For example, as I mentioned that I have a bachelor's in English, I look up to Swift because she writes or cowrites her songs. Her songwriting and creativity amazes me, which encourages me to continue to write my own stories and poetry. If Taylor can create characters or take inspiration from real-life people for her songs, I know I can. Also, another reason I adore Swift so much is because of her generous and down-to-earth spirit. Being that I have a kind spirit and have been taught to give back, I resonate with her. She’s kind and has helped others in so many ways from donating to visiting sick children. Taylor is great in so many ways, which I applaud her for.

                       As I finish this essay, I reflect on my journey as a Swiftie, which has been great. From all the music to the creative endeavors Taylor has done, it has brought joy to my life. And  I’m so happy to have met friends who share the same love for Taylor as well, including Swifties on social media. Even though things change as the months and years go by, me being a Swiftie has never changed. And I look forward to the next thing our queen does.

[edupunkn00b]

Mise Out of Place

Edited photo. Original by Icons8 Team via Unsplash.

mise en place (ˌmē-ˌzäⁿ-ˈpläs) noun Borrowed from French. A culinary process in which ingredients are prepared and organized (as in a restaurant kitchen) before cooking Also : the set of ingredients prepared using this process

Written for @starlocked01 for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange. I hope you enjoy this mix of crack and fluff with some elements unexpectedly made canon by last week's video.

Many thanks to the developmental beta reader, "Some Guy," who provided invaluable assistance and cheerleading with this story. Fluff is hard, y'all.

WC: 2k (okay, almost 2K) - Rated: T for a bit of swearing - CW: fluff, crack, and a hint of Remus-y imagery - [ AO3 ] -

“And… we’re live!”

“Thanks, Freddie,” Roman muttered, just out of earshot of the lavaliere mics pinned to Patton's and Remus' aprons.

“Maybe after his glow up,” Janus murmured, equally quietly.

Patton grinned at the camera, the edge of Janus’ hat fuzzy and barely visible past the glare of the ring light. “Hey there, Kiddos—”

“I’m Remus!” Said Side jumped into the frame, one long arm draped over Patton’s shoulders. Instead of looking at the camera, he stared expectantly at Patton, his grin far, far too wide.

Patton nodded, his own smile still plastered on. “And I’m your Happy Pappy Patton!”

Remus leaned closer and they said in unison, “And welcome to Messers en Place!”

Janus’ hat bobbed on the other side of the camera and Patton’s smile brightened. They’d practiced and practiced—and practiced—their video intro, each time failing to be in sync. Even Patton had begun to fear they’d have to rewrite it. But this time, when it mattered, really mattered, they did it!

“And what are we making today, Pattycake?” Remus prompted him when he failed to say his next line.

“Oh, right! To-daay…” He drew out his words as he looked around the ingredients oh-so-carefully spread out over the countertop. Mise en place, Roman had called it. Logan had tried to hide his surprise behind a little fumble with his glasses, but Patton hadn’t missed the way Logan’s eyes had widened.

“Ahem, well, yes, Roman is correct,” he'd finally managed. Remus bounced on his toes next to Patton, picking up each tiny bowl and sniffing at its contents.

“Careful there, Ro Bro,” he'd cackled. “Nerdy Wolverine’s gonna bust a nut with you knowing things.”

“I am not—”

“Hey, Pattycake, what’s this one?” Winking, Remus pulled him back into the present moment and shoved a bowl of brown spices into his hands.

“Oh, um…” Patton sniffed carefully. “It’s cumin, Remus.”

“Well, if you insist…” he began, reaching for his belt.

“Remus!” Roman cried, bonking his brother's head with the boom mic.

“Muse, not now, boy,” Janus murmured from the other side of the room.

Virgil groaned from his perch at the top of the refrigerator, silently tapping the sides of the fire extinguisher in his lap. “Are we sure having these two do a cooking show was a good idea for the stream?”

“Of course it is!” Remus and Roman said together. 

And it really was a good idea. The twins had blurted out the concept together during a brainstorming session and even Logan had agreed this would be first in their livestream series. He'd even suggested the name.

So here they were, the two of them, about to cook. Together.

They could do this. Patton could do this.

Remus’ smile had grown too wide again, eyebrows arched high.

Right, the cumin.

“We’re making spaghetti and meatballs,” Patton remembered his line and smiled at the camera.

“Balls,” Remus muttered under his breath, shoulders dancing.

Patton gasped and sneezed into the little bowl, spraying cumin up into the air and all over his face.

“Oh, I gotcha, Daddy—”

“Remus!” Roman lowered the boom mic with an offended huff only he could manage to sound princely. 

“Aw, Kiddo!” His catigan sleeves were safely tucked beneath his apron, but he brushed them clean anyway. Remus whipped out a concerningly clean handkerchief from under his sash and dabbed at Patton’s face. 

“It’s sweet,” Patton smiled at Roman just off camera.

“I don’t get paid enough for this,” Roman muttered.

“You don’t get paid at all, Princey!”

“Need I remind you all we’re still live?” Logan hissed from the hallway.

“It’s fine, Logan, dear,” Janus murmured, tapping the laptop just out of frame. Comments scrolled up the screen faster than they'd ever been. “The viewers are eating it up.”

Logan frowned at the screen for a long moment before shrugging. “He’s right. Okay, carry on."

Face now clean, Patton nodded and carried a big stock pot to the sink. “Right, first step is to start the water. Remus, will you—”

“One step ahead of you, Daddy!” Patton barely made out his words over the rush of the faucet.

And the crash just behind him.

Patton swung around, water sloshing out of the pot and onto the floor. “Remus!”

Remus had shoved all the measured ingredients to the far edge of the counter. Spices and oil spilled over the plate of ground meat and the long loaf of italian bread was broken in half. A wedge of parmesan had impaled the softening butter and the head of garlic had rolled onto the floor. At the center of the counter was a giant neon green air fryer into which Remus had jammed the entire—sealed—box of linguini and a jar of sauce. "Oh, and Merry Christmas, by the way. Thought you could use one of these babies!" he said, slapping the top of the device. "Hm… I wonder if I could fit one of those in here, too…"

“Wait, Remus, no—” Patton dropped the stock pot and reached out as Remus cranked the air fryer up to 500°F and slammed the start button. 

“Well, it was nice having a kitchen,” Virgil muttered and pulled the pin from the extinguisher, nozzle aimed directly at the air fryer.

“No, it’s fine,” Patton said, voice cracking even as he grinned up at Virgil.  “Don’t worry, Kiddo, everything will be—”

The air fryer beeped and the scent of burning paper filled his nose. He rushed toward the counter, hands outstretched to unplug the fryer, but his heel skidded on the wet floor and he slammed into Remus’ back instead.

“Hey, if you wanted to dance, Pattycake…” Remus spun around, catching him before he fell. “You could’ve just said so!”

“Remus!” Patton cried, clinging to his tunic as thick black smoke and the flicker of orange flames erupted out of the appliance. “Fire!”

With the grace of a cat and accompanied by a woosh of extinguisher foam, Virgil jumped down and doused the air fryer, the counter and most of Patton and Remus with the fire retardant. 

A spark caught on the edge of Virgil’s hoodie sleeve and the mic squealed as Roman dropped the boom and rushed over to smother it.

“Princey, I’m fine! Let’s get the rest of this—”

“Shit!” Roman swore as he slipped on the spreading puddle of water and extinguisher foam in the center of the room. Virgil grabbed him by his sash, pulling him to his feet.

“Gotcha, your Highnessness.”

Off camera, Logan slid closer to Janus. “Are we still filming?”

“Mm-hm. Wine?” he asked, offering a large goblet he’d procured from… somewhere.

Eyebrow raised, Logan accepted the glass and took a slow sip. “Out of everything in the kitchen, this is what you chose to save?”

“Why, yes, of course," he murmured before finishing his own glass and refilling it.

“Acceptable.”

~

Long after the livestream ended and the kitchen was—mostly—put back into order, the Sides called it a night and, one-by-one sauntered off to bed.

All the Sides but Remus, at least. Well, and Patton.

Remus had waited until everyone else's room had grown quiet and the lights spilling out from under each Side’s door had clicked off. A flickery bluish glow remained under Virgil’s door, but he typically wouldn’t actually fall asleep for another few hours anyway.

Patton’s door, though… Patton’s door had remained closed tight, without even the usual fairy lights brightening the edges of the door frame. And without the happy little sounds of his bedtime playlist.

Patton hadn’t gone to bed.

Taking more care than usual, Remus slipped off his boots and crept downstairs, skipping the creaky third and fifth steps. The living room, kitchen, and hall were dark, the patio door closed and locked with the blinds drawn tight. The clock on the microwave cast long, faint shadows over the kitchen floor and Remus spotted a bit of movement followed by a tiny sound.

He held his breath and waited. There it was again, a soft sniffle.

Dropping to the floor, Remus peered under the kitchen table. Patton sat hunched in the far corner, sweater-clad arms hugging his knees to his chest.

“Oh, hi, Kiddo,” he mumbled, wiping his cheeks against his forearms. “Can’t sleep?” he asked as though Remus was the one hiding alone in the dark.

“Was gonna ask you the same thing, Pattycake.”

“Oh…” Patton didn’t explain what the fuck he was doing down there, cardigan pulled over his potassium bicarbonate and cumin—ha!—stained apron. He just sort of looked down at his hands and pulled his legs up closer to him. Almost like he was making room.

Remus clambered under the table next to him, not quite touching but close enough to smell the smoke in Patton’s hair and clothes. Remus' own clothes smelled like his experiment upstairs and he inhaled the plasticy, acrid scent of burnt dyes and the forever chemicals from the extinguisher. It was even better than the fires for making s’mores at Thomas’ summer camp as a kid.

Remus wiggled his toes, watching Patton from the corner of his eye. He’d tucked his face close to his knees but his cheeks glimmered with new, silent tears. Remus breathed in again. The kitchen would reek of smoke for a long time after this.

“C-A-M—”

“Maybe later?” Patton sniffled. “I’m just not in the mood to sing right now, Kiddo.”

“You sure about that?” Remus scooted a little closer and bumped their shoulders together. “It’ll help if you just sing along…” He waited, watching Patton tap his foot, toes squelching in his still-sopping shoes. 

“C-A-M-P…” he began again, slower this time.

“F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song,” Patton sang softly.

“C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song…” Remus repeated.

A little smile cracked across the other Side’s face, softer and more real than it had been all day. “The C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G song.” Patton took a breath like he was about to jump into the next verse but he frowned, nose scrunched. “It still smells like burnt air fryer in here, huh?”

“Yeah,” Remus agreed, nodding his head with a grin. “We made our mark.”

“Yeah,” Patton said, curling over his knees again.

“Aw, Daddy-o,” Remus bumped his shoulder. “Is that why you’re hiding under here? ‘Cause of the fire?”

“Well, yeah,” Patton frowned, staring back at him. “I really wanted to make a great video. I wanted to… you know… make Thomas proud.”

“Fuck, Pattycake, we did! Have you seen the comments?”

Patton just shook his head so Remus sank them both down into his room where he’d left his laptop open to the video page. Views and comments continued to pour in, hours after the stream had ended. “Look!” he demanded, pushing Patton down into a mostly clean chair.

The Moral Side read quietly, eyes growing wider with each scroll. “They… they liked us?”

“Yeah they did!” Remus slapped his back. “So, whaddya say we make Elf Spaghetti next time? We can even add some Crofters to please the nerd.” Patton’s stomach grumbled and Remus’ grin grew. “You know… we never did eat dinner, Pattycake. How about we give it a trial run tonight?”

“Race you to the kitchen!” Patton laughed and sank down through the floor.

“Hey, that’s cheating!”

[volkswagonblues]

2, 3 and 7?

2. Do you have any easter eggs in your fic?

Oh my god, definitely the bit where Daniel eats a woman in a Halloween costume from Despicable Me. Get it? because she's a minion? ahaha?

There's also tons from the original Devils Minion chapter of QOTD. I've also flipped through The Vampire Armand but gave up because Anne Rice's writing melts my brain lmao.

I'll just point out this bit of chap 4 of LLTR. I basically scrapbooked this entire exchange out of fragments from the original Devil's Minion short story.

(Anne Rice's QOTD)

“You are my teacher,” Armand told him. “You will tell me everything about this century. I am learning secrets already that have eluded me since the beginning. You’ll sleep when the sun rises, if you wish, but the nights are mine.” (p.143 in my ebook)

...vs (LLTR fic Chap 4)

“I’ll show you what your limits are. You can survive much more now, but no vampire is invulnerable. I’ll show you all the gifts that vampires are capable of. My memory is faded, but it’s not gone. I’ll tell you all the secrets I know. There are some buried so deep that even Lestat does not know them. I’ll teach you the lore. We’ll go to the Villa of Mysteries and I will fling the doors open wide for you. I will show you how beautiful and powerful you can become. My fledgling. My beloved Daniel.” “Yes,” Daniel breathes. “You’ll sleep when the sun rises because you must, but the in-between hours we'll spend on your education. The night is yours, but your dawns and dusks will be mine.” Armand stops. He looks a little shy. “As mine will be yours, if you’ll have me.” It’s a grand speech for a man snuggled under a cotton-poly IKEA duvet.

So to break it down:

In QOTD, Daniel visits Pompeii and the Villa of Mysteries and the vampire Armand shows up to lead him in. That's also where canon Daniel and Armand become lovers for the first time.

In QOTD, Armand tells Daniel he's Armand's teacher for the 20th century. In LLTR, the human Armand offers to be Daniel's teacher for vampire lore.

In LLTR, Armand's speech is a remix of what the vampire Armand says to Daniel because I wanted the human fic version of Armand to have a different kind of relationship with Daniel. He's a little shy, a little desperately in love. Daniel doesn't belong to him...they belong to each other...

3. What's something you've researched for your fic?

The daily life of a 16th century painter's apprentice in Venice...oh god...I think Amadeo is such a fun person to write

I also did some research for (lol) the drive between Billy Bishop airport and Niagara Falls and some more Ontario geography, but I also just went "fuck it" and ignored some stuff for fic reasons.

Full admission: I'm pretty sure Daniel will NOT have stopped at an intersection driving out of the airport because you pretty much turn right onto the highway ramp for Queen Elizabeth Way. However the image of Daniel rolling down his window to show his vampire fangs at another driver was too funny for me to take out. Let's pretend there's construction going on in Toronto. Not a stretch of the imagination.

7. What character do you enjoy writing most? Why?

LLTR is essentially a two-man theatre play. Since I really only have 2 characters can I say both of them? Armand because he's so mercurial: in any given moment he can do anything, say anything. I don't even know what he's going to do most of the time until I've written in.

Daniel because he's a tremendously flexible voice to inhabit. I love the show and the writers for giving us this older Daniel <3. Often I'm running against the limits of a character's voice--like, would he really say that? would he really know that? But AMC show Daniel's incredible. He's highbrow, he's lowbrow, he can identify a Rembrandt on sight, he knows what 8chan is and only pretends not to know Gen Z slang. In the fic it's like, he knows politics and history and TS Eliot poems and Madonna lyrics and what's Hindi-Urdu and his conversations with Armand can effortlessly jump between a lot of levels. Writing Daniel is like driving a zippy sport car, if that's not too weird a thing to say.