#girl genius yuletide
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A Dustland Fairytale
Read on AO3 | tagging @today-in-fic
Chapter 8: I Think We’re Alone Now
Mulder crashed through the door of the apothecary with his usual poise and grace, and Scully nearly dropped the potion she was working on.
“There’s been another one!” he shouted, sounding far too happy about it.
“Another one?” Scully groaned.
Something weird was happening in Camelot, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The lower town had been hit by an outbreak of the pox – Skinner had gone instead of her, because she’d not had the pox as a child and he didn’t want to risk her getting it now – but that only meant she had to brew all the potions, have them sent to the lower town, and deal with the commonplace medical concerns of the citadel by herself. And then there were preparations for the Yuletide feast, which meant all hands on deck – and she was expected to help train a new servant, Eddie, who was quite frankly hopeless. He seemed to have a bit of a crush on her – he’d somehow figured out that she was a girl, though she’d been too exhausted to figure out how – and was constantly bothering her with inane questions: Which fork goes on the outside, Scully? Is there a wine cellar in Camelot, Scully? I just saw an eagle-headed horse in the armoury, Scully.
Oh yes, and then there was that weird thing.
For the last week, there had been sightings across Camelot of strange beasts – winged boar, half-sheep-half-chicken, giant spiders (ew). And Scully was used to magical creatures by now, but these ones were just plain…well, weird. By all accounts, they weren’t hurting anyone – they just popped up out of nowhere, attracted a small crowd, and disappeared without a trace.
Scully was too tired for this nonsense, honestly. She felt like she hadn’t put her feet up for a month, and if she wasn’t running off after some probably imagined monster sighting with Mulder, she was explaining the simplest tasks to Eddie, or breathing in noxious fumes-
“-brewing potions for Skinner, I know, Scully, you’ve told me a dozen times. Come on, this one’s a three-headed cat! That’s got to be worth seeing, right?”
Scully glared at him. “They’re always gone by the time we get there anyway, Mulder. What’s the use?”
As she said it, they heard a scurrying sound, and what looked like a fluffy, four-legged Medusa raced down the corridor behind Mulder.
Scully sighed heavily, put down the potion, and took off after Mulder. She caught up with him as he stumbled out into the courtyard, where a group of knights were staring at one another with gobsmacked expressions. When they saw Mulder and Scully, they pointed towards the royal quarters without a word.
They raced up the stairs just in time to see the door to the princess’ chambers swing shut. Mulder jogged over and knocked urgently. They heard some fumbling from within and looked at one another warily. Scully called her magic to the surface, just in case, and Mulder put his hand on his sword-hilt.
When the door opened, though, it was only Missy, looking a little flustered.
“Melissa, have you seen anyone, or anything, come through here?” Mulder asked.
Missy frowned, though there was something a little odd about the expression. “No, I don’t think so.” She adjusted her dress, which was looking a little dishevelled.
Oh.
Oh, gods.
Scully grabbed Mulder’s arm instinctively.
Oh gods. Missy had opened the door of the princess’ chambers looking flushed and hastily dressed. It didn’t take a genius to work out what had happened.
She widened her eyes at Mulder, trying to communicate this very important and very embarrassing information silently. He frowned, then blushed, so she assumed that he got the message.
“Oh, er – I’m very sorry, Melissa. We didn’t mean to…interrupt,” he cringed.
Scully dragged him away by the arm.
“Oh my gods,” she said.
“Oh my gods,” he replied sympathetically.
They were silent for a moment, letting the weight of the moment set in.
“I’m very happy for them,” said Scully, eventually, “But I never want to think about that again.”
Mulder nodded. “Our sisters.” He grimaced.
They were silent again.
“I do want to talk to Sam, though. She saw the giant spider yesterday.”
“Let’s give them…a few hours, then we can go over and strategize. And not a word about what happened. They can tell us in their own time.”
“I have a theory, you know.”
“About Missy and Samantha?”
“No, about the magical beasts.” He had a twinkle in his eyes, which always meant something truly mad was coming.
“Let me guess, you think they’re all the same creature? That it’s somehow able to shape-shift between forms?”
Mulder looked delighted.
“Come on, it makes perfect sense! It could shift into a fly on the wall, or even a person in the crowd – it’d explain how they always seem to disappear without a trace.”
“Perfect sense? That’s totally illogical, Mulder. And why would anyone want to confuse people with these bizarre sightings?”
“Mischief and mayhem?” Mulder grinned, and Scully couldn’t help but laugh.
“Maybe he likes the attention. Maybe no-one notices him in his normal form.” He gasped. “I bet he’s trying to get a girl’s attention.”
“Hitting a bit close to home for you, Mulder?”
“What?” he said, rather quickly.
“I was just kidding. I’m sure you do great with the ladies.”
He puffed his chest out. “I do just fine, I’ll have you know.”
“Mm-hmm. I’m sure you do. But come on, only an imbecile would think that the best way to get a woman’s attention would be to transform into a variety of impossible creatures and cause mischief and mayhem.”
“Well, there go my plans for the evening.”
“Seeing as you’re all free, then, you can help me brew this potion.”
~~~
Mulder put up some perfunctory complaints, but he helped anyway, which gave Scully time to run out and collect the herbs she’d need for the next batch of potions. The thing was, though, now Mulder had said it, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She kept looking over her shoulder, and of course there was nobody there, but she could feel eyes boring into her.
The sensation followed her all the way to Samantha’s chambers that evening, and as they took their usual places – Samantha sitting knees up on the armchair, Mulder sprawled out on the bed, Scully and Missy together cross-legged on the floor – she still felt uneasy. It wasn’t even the revelation about Samantha and Missy, who were acting no different from usual – though she hadn’t taken them for such good actors. Her magic was unsettled, and much as she told herself that it was absurd, she couldn’t bring herself to believe there was nothing amiss.
Perhaps Mulder felt the same because he looked round the room curiously and said, “It could be any one of us, really. We should each say something only we could know.”
Scully laughed. “You just want to know our secrets.”
Mulder looked scandalised. “I cannot believe you would question the purity of my motives, Miss Dana Scully.”
Samantha rolled her eyes. “Here’s one, then. Mulder’s nickname growing up was Prince Spooky, because he insisted the castle was haunted. I had to get the other boys to stop calling him it by threatening to have them beheaded.”
Mulder had gone a little red. “You’re supposed to tell your own secrets, not mine. And I still think it’s haunted,” he grumbled.
“Danes had a nickname back home too,” Missy piped up. “The Ice Queen. Charlie and his friends were messing around by the water, and Dana always tagged along, but she got knocked back into the stream – only when she fell back, the entire creak had turned to ice and it broke her fall. Charlie made the others promise not to tell anyone what had happened, but the name stuck anyway.”
“Huh, Prince Spooky and the Ice Queen. Sounds like a fairy-tale,” said Samantha.
“A weird fairy-tale,” said Scully.
Mulder grinned. “My favourite kind. More Scully secrets, please, Melissa.”
Missy nudged Scully and pointed at the wall. “Look, a spider.”
“No changing the subject! I’ve had a taste, now I want all the dirt on Scully.”
“I’m not changing the subject, actually. That’s another secret – Danes is scared of spiders.”
Scully, who had been eyeing the spider warily, slapped her sister’s arm. “Missy!”
“What? It’s true.”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s adorable,” said Mulder. “I’ve seen you take down wizards and bandits and monsters without batting an eyelid, but creepy crawlies are what does it?”
Scully folded her arms. “They’re creepy. Look, it’s like it’s watching us. And I don’t like the way they walk.”
Mulder leaned over the side of the bed and spider-legged his fingers across her neck. She squealed and he laughed delightedly. He pressed his advantage, tickling her mercilessly.
Tickling, even more than spiders, was Scully’s weakness, and she gasped and giggled and kicked at him – until she saw the look Samantha and Missy were giving each other. As if they were the obvious ones. Yeah, right. She kicked him away more determinedly and he seemed to take the hint.
“Well, I think we’ve all established that we are who we say we are. Let’s get down to business.”
~~~
Mulder’s idea of getting down to business was proposing increasingly outlandish theories until Scully developed a highly specific form of muscle fatigue from rolling her eyes so often. Mulder walked her back to the apothecary with an arm slung over her shoulder, looking supremely pleased with himself.
“You keep looking for anything useful in Skinner’s books. I’m gonna head down to the armoury – that kid Eddie said he saw the monster in there, right?”
Scully would’ve preferred to go with him, but she’d spent the last hour telling him there was no monster, and she knew how smug he’d get if she admitted there was something worth investigating. The look on his face told her that he knew she wanted to come along anyway, so she resigned herself to the simple pleasure of slamming the door in his face, and sat down to do some real work.
~~~
Hm.
This was-
Well.
Where to begin?
Scully knew that she and Mulder did not fit the bounds of their prescribed relationship – that they hadn’t, really, since that very first night when she’d conjured him the stars and he’d told her about his quest for the truth.
She knew that princes did not eat meals with their manservants, nor did they crack horrendous jokes just to see them smile, nor did they guide them into rooms with a gentle hand on their lower back. Scully didn’t even realise he was doing that last one until he did so in front of Samantha, who laughed archly and said, “I do hope you’re not doing that in front of my father.” Manservants, Scully later learned from Missy, were supposed to follow their princes two paces behind.
She knew all of that. They had an unusual relationship, sure. But equally, she knew that their relationship had boundaries: that he knew not to push her when she didn’t want to talk, that she knew to leave him be when he was in one of his dark moods, that they both knew that there were things better left unsaid.
Right now, Mulder was pushing those boundaries and she…didn’t know how to feel.
He’d seemed buoyant when she found him that evening in the armoury, prattling on noisily about shapeshifters and magical creatures, and he’d practically pulled her out the room to show her some new book or other he’d found. She usually found his enthusiasm contagious, if a little exasperating, but even for him this was a little over the top. And then, when she left to get dinner, he asked her to bring wine and two goblets. As far as Scully knew, Mulder only drank at feasts – and even then, she’d never had to refill his goblet. When she asked, though, he just gave her an enigmatic smile and told her that he felt like celebrating.
Now, she was two and a half glasses deep, in the middle of a rather embarrassing tale involving a boy from her village, some pilfered ale, and a scandalised sheep. Things were getting rather fuzzy around the edges, and she was finding it difficult to remember why it had seemed so important to keep a safe distance between Mulder and herself when she’d sat down on the bed with him.
“I can’t believe I’m telling you this,” she laughed.
“I can’t believe you’ve never told me this before! Did you get the sheep back to Farmer Peters in the end?”
He was staring into her eyes, closer than she’d realised, and she blinked. What had he asked? Why was he looking at her like that?
“Top up, Scully?” he asked, smirking a little like he knew what she’d been thinking. Well, almost thinking. Thinking around, but never quite thinking. Thinking would be dangerous.
“I don’t know if that’s safe, Mulder.”
“Oh, come on, live a little. I’ll be a perfect gentleman, I promise,” he teased, though the wink he gave her seemed to contradict his words. Where was this going?
“You, a gentleman? I take it all back, I do believe in the shape-shifter. Where’s the real Mulder gone?” she giggled, “Should I be asking you something only we could know?”
Mulder hummed and she could feel the vibration in her spine. “Well, I know your nickname growing up was Ice Queen.” He reached out and ghosted his fingertips up and down her arm. “And I know you’re scared of spiders.”
But he didn’t tickle her this time. He just wrapped his fingers around her wrist, brushing his thumb over her jumping pulse point.
And then he was leaning in – surely he wasn’t going to? – but he was, he was, his eyes were drifting closed, and her heart was beating so, so fast – her lips were parting – and then, and then, and then –
The door crashed open.
Mulder.
Mulder, with his eyes crazed, darting between her and – she shoved the man away with a gasp. The man wearing Mulder’s face shrugged and with a grimace he morphed into Eddie.
There was an excruciatingly long silence.
Then, without a word, Mulder hauled Eddie out of the room, leaving Scully alone on his bed.
She couldn’t move – she felt…slimy. She’d just told a virtual stranger things she’d never told anyone. She’d let him ply her with wine, and she’d almost let him kiss her – and, worse, Mulder had seen it. Her face burned with shame. What must he be thinking? That she couldn’t tell him apart from an impostor – that she was some pathetic fool, just waiting around for him to kiss her – that she’d only ever been a glass of wine removed from his bed?
Her stomach turned, that glass of wine threatening its way back up her throat. Her skin felt itchy, dirty. All she wanted was to get back to her room, have a good cry, and bathe – but it would take more than her best soaps to wash the remnants of this evening away.
She got up, meaning to clear away the goblets if only for something to do, and it was only then that she saw Mulder standing in the doorway. His expression was unreadable – though Scully could barely meet his eye anyway.
“Are you okay, Scully? Did he – are you okay?” his voice wavered.
She tried to smile. “I’m fine, Mulder.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to press her – he opened his mouth as if to do it – but he didn’t.
Of course not. Mulder, the real Mulder, understood their boundaries. He knew not to push her when she didn’t want to talk, and she knew when to leave him be, and they both knew that there were things better left unsaid.
Only, sometimes she wished they didn’t.
She cried, and she bathed, and she went to bed, dreaming about the things left unsaid.
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Yuletide 2022 letter
Girl Genius, Gunnerkrigg Court, The Peregrine, Elana Series
Thank you, anonymous Yuletide writer!
AO3 name: circumference
General likes: broken characters, pining, fluff, character introspection, worldbuilding, identity shenanigans, canon or canon divergence universe, in-world artifacts (e.g. a historical document, a news article, the script of a TV advertisement, an in-universe movie review, etc)
General DNWs: coffeeshop/high school/roommate AU, crossovers, pregnancy, porn without plot, non-canon dubcon
I am open to treats!
Girl Genius
Characters requested: Higgs, Gil, Zoing
Fandom-specific likes: zaniness and whimsy
Fandom-specific DNWs: Agatha/Gil or Agatha/Tarvek without the third.
Prompts/ideas:
Brain empty, all I want are Higgs & Gil & Zoing shenanigans. Castle Wulfenbach era, current era, post-canon, anything!
Note: I'm up-to-date on the comic, but it's all kind of a blur, so please don't worry about being a stickler for canon.
Gunnerkrigg Court
Characters requested: Any (Tony, Annie, Kat, Robot)
Fandom-specific likes: Kat being a geek, Gilletie Wood mythology, Tony and Annie's difficult relationship, robot society, Tony/Surma
Fandom-specific DNWs: no Tony-bashing. You can find my (largely starry-eyed) opinion on Tony here.
Prompts/ideas:
Robot society! Tell me more about it. Was there a system of low-key worship before Robot came in, guns blazing, with his new religion? What do robots do in their free time? Do they share urban legends about spooky human behavior? Has Robot met the robot king? Why is boxbot the worst?
Annie meeting a mythological being she hasn't met in canon yet.
Tony and Surma's days in the hospital.
Perhaps OOC and perhaps belated, but I want Tony to hug his daughter and Annie to have some catharsis there.
Kat doing something awesome.
The Peregrine
Characters requested: Any (Narrator, Tiercel, Falcon)
Fandom-specific likes: This is a nonfiction book, so feel free to play fast and loose with my general likes. Like everyone else, I am in awe of this book's description and prose, but for Yuletide I am wondering more about the inner lives of the narrator and peregrines.
Fandom-specific DNWs: please no beastiality
Prompts/ideas:
A story from the point of view of the peregrines, about the weird two-legged creature who follows them.
I avoid humans, but hiding is difficult now the snow has come...I use what cover I can. It is like living in a foreign city during an insurrection. There is an endless banging of guns and tramping of feet in the snow. One has an unpleasantly hunted feeling. Or is it so unpleasant? I am as solitary now as the hawk I pursue.
The narrator talks several times about ways in which he has become like a peregrine himself, and seems to long for the freedom of the wild. What if his wish was granted? What if through some fantastical transformation, he actually became a bird? Inspired by Robert Macfarlane's article on this book.
One of Baker's journal entries, told through another medium. A hunter telling the story about this humanoid figure flitting through the land, maybe, or a sheriff's daily reports.
Elana Series
Characters requested: Elana
Fandom-specific likes: worldbuilding, backstory
Prompts/ideas:
I’ve always been dissatisfied with the way Kari needs to stay ignorant and on her planet. What if she pursued this case to the ends of the earth? What if she found traces of the universe beyond? What if she was also able to take to the stars?
Elana, in her waning years, takes a self-indulgent visit to Andreica to observe what became of it.
I want to know Evrek’s take on the events of Enchantress.
What does the Federation file on our planet look like?
...damn I should have nominated worldbuilding for this one
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January In Paris & Selected citations from 'The Legend of Agatha Heterodyne' by Professora Wilhelmina Klovitz (Helix Press, Mechanicsburg, 2000)
Gisho is starting the exchange off strong with not one, but two fics for Para!
January In Paris (7566 words) by gisho
For: Para
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Summary:
Alternate universe. Not long after fourteen-year-old Agatha Clay moves to Paris with her parents, her classmate Colette tries to figure her out - and is hijacked by a natural experiment.
Selected citations from 'The Legend of Agatha Heterodyne' by Professora Wilhelmina Klovitz (Helix Press, Mechanicsburg, 2000) (6091 words) by gisho
For: Para"Born over four centuries ago and with a life shrouded in mystery, Agatha Heterodyne has caught the imagination of modern writers and videurs in a way no other Old Heterodyne could manage. Klovitz deftly examines how the 'thriller' approach of present-day historical fiction has given short shrift to a remarkable historical figure." (TPU Literary Review, June 2000)
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Merry Christmas @thebestdespot from your Secret Santa!
Girl Genius + The Onion Part 2
#i'm so sorry about the lars one#thebestdespot#girl genius#spark-exchange#spark-exchange yuletide#original post
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Let It Snow.
PAIRING: Reader x Bucky
WORD COUNT: 1.6k
WARNINGS: A little tiny bit of angst if you squint but mostly fluff, and Bucy hating the cold.
A/N: This is for @arawynn ‘s Festive Winter Wonderland Writing Challenge! There are still lots of prompts and scenarios left if anyone is interested you should defiantly check it out! My prompt was “Everything is ready for an afternoon in front of the fireplace” And a big thank you to @bucky-plums-barnes and @abovethesmokestacks for beta reading and pointing out things I missed! Would be lost without those girls! I hope you all enjoy and it puts you in the Christmas mood x
Gif, not mine.
The cold seeps in slow and undetectable at first, the falling leaves are the first clue. Crunching crisp leaves turn into sludge. One wrong misstep could send your ankle rolling unnaturally and your heart rate skyrocketing. The cold nips at your nose and cheeks, it makes you shudder stepping out into the elements, large coats and woollen hats appear in the streets as people move more quickly, desperate to find a place of warmth. Then suddenly, all at once. The snows arrive and the world is bathed in a pristine white glow that brings the promise of YuleTide and once again Bucky is reminded how much he hates the cold.
Sam rips into him, howling at how such an imposing man could look like a petulant child swaddled in jumpers and scarves that cover the bottom half of his face his ice blue eyes rivalling the icicles that shine in the low morning sunlight. He tries to hide his discomfort from you, but you can see right through him.
You notice the way he favours his left shoulder in the mornings, the cold stabbing at the torn and reassembled muscle to steel. Not even Shuri’s genius with vibranium can fix seventy years of damaging scar tissue, you know it will be something Bucky will carry with him always. Just like how the cold brings back flashes of old memories, a fast-moving train. Steve screaming, cold sterilised rooms Hydra kept him in during his years of “service”. The memories don't keep him awake at night like they used to, but the cold always brings them back, how ironic that the Winter Soldier despises the very season he’s named after.
On this particular day morning arrives as usual, sunrise bathing the room in soft pink and orange hues. It catches the dust particles floating through the air before disappearing into the shadows, you smile softly, snuggling into the large heat source next to you. Tilting your chin upwards, you watch the sleeping man. There was a time you’d be the one waking up to him looking down at you, ice blue eyes crinkling at the edges as he gives you a soft smile only reserved for you. It’s a smile that sends a thousand fireflies bursting in your chest.
He’s on his back, one arm curled around your waist, the black vibranium tucked under his pillow beneath his head. His plump lips opened slightly, he’s relaxed. Open and vulnerable in your presence, it makes you reach out to trace the curve of his nose. The light touch makes him follow you, turning his head towards your smiling face.
“Good morning handsome.”
“Morning, sugar.”
Soft kisses press against your palm and wrist, sleeping snuffling noises akin to a puppy fall from his lips make you chuckle.
“You got that meeting in an hour.” you remind him gently, your fingers finding home against his skull. You scratch against it lightly as Bucky starts purring in earnest.
“But it’s nice and warm here, don’t wanna get up. Too cold.” To prove a point he tucks his toes behind your calves. The freezing offending toes in question make you squeak, donkey kicking back in retaliation you try and wiggle your way out of his grip. Bucky pouts grabbing at you gently.
“Why are you running from me, pretty girl, you wanna break this old man’s heart?”
You roll your eyes shifting quickly to straddle his waist, leaning down to kiss him soundly on the lips. “I’d never dream of it, but Sam might break something if you’re late again. You’re debriefing Peter and Carol remember,” you try not to grin at Bucky's expense as he groans pulling a pillow over his face.
“Come on, the sooner you get up, the sooner you can come back to the fun activity I’ve got planned for us.” You watch as the pillow is flung off his head, hands instantly on your hips as he gazes up at you through thick black lashes.
“Pretty sure we already did a fun activity last night… twice.” Despite fully remembering said fun activity, his words still manage to make you blush as you slap his hands off your hips springing off him with as much grace you can muster at eight in the morning.
“Up and at 'em, Sarge, the day is dawning.” You wander into the bathroom away from Bucky's soft groaning, the cold already settling in his bones.
~~
Bucky often wonders what his life would have been like if he never fell off that damn train. If he made it back home after the war if Steve never crashed the plane into the glacier. Would they have settled back in Brooklyn, would he have found a pretty dame that could have handled all the trauma he had gone through. Probably not, he doesn’t like to think about that too much. Because that world didn’t have you, or the small apartment you both shared in Brooklyn (at least the idea of settling in Brooklyn still stuck, just like the damn snow under his boots) The white offensive substance crunched merrily underfoot as he stomped up the steps to the apartment building. The cold he felt this morning still clung to his insides like frost, he still didn’t feel any warmer as he trundled into the lobby of the building. Stomping and shaking the snow off him like a dog, hair hanging limply against his cheeks, he really needed to start wearing that beanie you got him last week. Going through the mundane checklist of opening the mailbox, he relishes in the normality. Especially after reprimanding two superhumans about how-
“Just because you’re indestructible and can shoot webs out of god knows where you can not Instagram live a mission.”
With a handful of what he assumes is more Christmas cards, he thumps heavily up the stairs, no doubt to the irritation of Ms Jenkins on the second floor. Miserable woman, Bucky couldn’t recall a time where he has seen her smile.
“I'm home,” he calls through the familiar space as he shoulder opens the door, instant warmth floods through his damp coat, his skin tingling sharply.
Shrugging off the offending damn coat, he hangs it by your bright red one, the woollen material a bright contrast to his black. He smiles as he recalls your comment as you pull it out from the depths of your wardrobe.
“Red is such a festive colour! Everyone should have a Christmas coat, James, it should be the law.”
“I swear that’s the last time I’m letting Sam put Danvers and the Parker kid on missions again. They cause more havoc than they stop, I swear to…”
The words die on his throat faster than the Central Park lake freezing over in January. The living room, which had looked relatively normal this morning, was now what can only be described as an explosion of Christmas. Fairy lights strung along each wall and shelving. Small ornaments stood proud on the mantle, the familiar sight of the pine tree towered in the corner of the room like a festive sentinel standing guard looking over the room, but what makes Bucky's heart simultaneously melt and expand is the pile of pillows and blankets in the middle of the room. His eyes gaze around the room till he finds you, stood by the tree, fuzzy socks on your feet as you push the sleeves of his grey hoodie up your arms.
“Help a girl will you, Sarge?” The grin that spreads across your lips is slow and sweet like molasses. Innocently holding out the glistening star towards him, Bucky toes off his boots and strides towards you, curling the black and gold arm around you as he takes the star gently out of your hand.
“You going to let me do the honours, sweetheart?”
“Wouldn’t feel like Christmas if you didn’t.”
He feels your wrap your arms around his waist as he leans upwards to place the twinkling star atop the tree, warm hands slide under his shirt, leaving a burning trail against his skin that shoots down to the very nucleus of his cells.
“Perfect,” you whisper into his shoulder as you both stand back looking at the tree, your hands rub small circles on his lower back as you feel him drop his lips to the top of your head.
“You really are.”
“I was talking about the tree, you old sap.” You poke his side for good measure only to be pulled back into his embrace.
“Well, everything’s ready for an afternoon in front of the fireplace. Go get changed then meet me back here.” You give his ass a light tap as you push him gently towards your bedroom.
“Alright, alright, woman, can’t a man enjoy holding his sweetheart in his arms for a few moments?”
You knew his words were empty, especially with the bright grin radiating from him. With a spring in his step, he makes quick work of changing into the soft grey sweatpants and red sweatshirt laid out on the bed. Eager to be back in your arms and under the soft blankets, the cold winds whipping against the windows, but Bucky can’t find a reason to pay them any mind. Not when you’re sitting pretty in front of the fire, two steaming cups in each hand, no doubt with It’s A Wonderful Life queued up on the tv. He doesn’t think of the seventy years spent cold, alone and in pain. He’d walk through the worst blizzard till his toes were purple and his nose frostbitten to hell if it meant you would be at the end waiting for him, with all the warmth in the world to thaw him out, calling him back home.
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes x reader#ArawynnsFestiveWinterWonderland#bucky barnes imagine#winter soldier#winter soldier x reader#my writing
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dear yuletide author
Thank you so much for reading this and taking part in this wonderful annual conspiracy!
First of all, I hope you have a lovely time! If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and ready to hear all the stories you want to tell.
Fandoms: Chihayafuru, Nirvana in Fire, Thunderbolt Fantasy
As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences.
How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting – I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.
You may notice that quite a few of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.
I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and similar kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!
CHIHAYAFURU: Mashima Taichi, Wataya Arata, Suou Hisashi
You don’t have to include all three characters, but I’d love to see a fic that explores the connections between them better. I’m up to date with all manga scanlations.
Wataya Arata/ Mashima Taichi
In the immortal words of Henjin Meijin, Arata is that person for Taichi whose opinion makes or breaks him. (His wording may have been different, but if I go rummaging into the chapter archive to find the exact quote, I’ll end up binge-rereading year three into the night again, and then where would my Yule sign-up be?) (On that note, what kind of a MASSIVE LOSER waxes poetics about Taichi’s boyfriend problems to Taichi’s MOTHER, whom he JUST met? Suou Hisashi, that’s who.) Needless to say, that paramount opinion was not always great, and neither was Taichi’s general wellbeing.
Good news is, Arata is confident in his manliness, and he has no problem acknowledging Taichi’s ridiculously pretty and not too bad at karuta these days, and he’s also moving to Tokyo. Taichi’s definitely pretty and has an apartment in Tokyo, where a country bumpkin of paramount importance may possibly stay over until things are sorted out… eventually. Hint hint.
Jokes aside, I pine for the dynamics between the two of them. I nearly lost it, reading the Meijin semifinals — and if you can show me a person who saw them bawl as they crawled into each other’s laps on Japanese national television and didn’t bawl in response, well, that person is sure not me.
I’d like to see a story that lets them build and explore that connect. I do not object to eventual OT3, but I think Chihaya is on a quest to find her own footing and pursue other goals at the moment, and I’d really like it if she was allowed to do this (join forces with Shinobu to drag karuta into a professional league, girl!). I’d like to think that in that space, different bonds and relationships can develop and strengthen, starting with Arata and Taichi.
Taichi the overanalyzer, the hardworker and the looker, the golden boy who at some point surely hit that red button, meme-style: you will be perfect at everything, you will have everything, except the one thing that you want above all. Arata appears to be his perfect foil: steady and serene where Taichi’s scrambling and flawed, adorably awkward and disarmingly sincere where Taichi’s groomed, smooth and miserable about his own deceptions. But they don’t see it like that! And they keep tripping each other up so beautifully!
I’d love to read your take on them growing closer and hopefully smooshing their faces together. Roommates in Tokyo? Long-distance friends? Figuring out how to tell your flatmate you’ve been in love with him since you were 12? Established relationship while hijinks happen? AWKWARD THIRDWHEELING WITH SUOU?!
On that note:
Suou Hisashi & (or / - wejustdon’tknow.gif) Mashima Taichi
I cannot believe that ridiculous man. Did you see a grown ass adult swoon because his unrequited disciple I mean not-friend I mean Taichi just up and went to meet his relatives??? To help reconnect them?? One can do things like this?? What next, being able to make phonecalls like an adult??
Does not compute.
I was there, Gandalf. I was there when the story first indicated that we might be getting an unlikely team-up of the world’s weirdest Meijin and Tokyo’s most miserable overachiever. But even in my wildest dreams I did not dare hope to see them sprawled on the carpet on a humid summer afternoon, Taichi comfortable in his own skin and Suou, erm, probably not very comfortable with his fascination :D He did not sign up for this. He, a grown ass man in what must be his early twenties, is too old for this youthful seishun sakura bullshit. And yet it is he who mournfully accosts Taichi’s mom to talk about how this other boy is paramount in Taichi’s universe. He who gets offended because Taichi knowing how to adult and work the social ropes is too sexy and competent. He who finds something compelling in the painful struggle of genius and skill.
Arata - Taichi - Suou
For maximum indulgence of yours truly, bring those into one place. Arata coming to Tokyo and finding Suou a fixture in Taichi’s life how?! Suou being infinitely pissy at the Fukuyi upstart and yet dragging himself to socialize with the boys regardless like a totally-not-pathetic adult with a social life of his own? Arata being mildly puzzled about the antagonism, but in there for the sweet snacks?
You tell me! I delight in my anticipation.
NIRVANA IN FIRE: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan
Is this a complex, narratively inevitable historic tapestry strangling people with its treads, full of delicious politicking and identity porn? Yes, it is.
Is my burning – nay, primal – desire so simple as to smoosh two faces together and watch them kiss? Yes, it is :’)
I mean, I will obviously not say no if the kissing is giftwrapped in the said tapestry of beautiful, politicky plot, but the fever I can’t get out of my system is this: LET THEM KISS, GODDAMMIT. LET THEM BE HAPPY. I welcome canon divergences, alternative endings, fix-its, insert eps and codas where it looks like they would have kissed (erm, or at least confronted each other in a way that would inevitably end with them making out) if only Mei Changsu wasn’t so caught up in self-loathing and fluffy foxfur coats, and Jingyan didn’t talk too loudly about his so dead, so very dead beautiful ex to hear Mei Changsu weep stoically into his beautiful white furs.
I adore Prince Jing. He is 90% cheekbones and 20% heartbroken pouting over his so very dead friends, and all of it noble and awkward and stubborn and deserving of happiness. Mei Changsu is ridiculous, and capable, and twisted into pretzels of his own creation: not above gloating over his enemies while daintily dipping cookies into his tea, he gets too caught up in weaving the tapestry to notice he is a part of it. Pull him off his high horse, Jing! Render him helpless by being yourself! Do something about being hopelessly charmed with each other, through resentment, loss, bitter pining, and narrative inevitability! JUSTKISSALREADY.gif!!
THUNDERBOLT FANTASY: Rin Setsua; Sho Fukan
I LOVE THIS SELF INDULGENT WUXIA NONSENSE AND I CANNOT LIE!
Sanfan is a mixture UTTER GLEE and deep fondness for the genre staples, self-aware and masterful playthrough of all the wuxia tropes in the book, and one goddamn well-constructed story. It plays the tropes straight, calls them out with a knowing wink, walks the tightrope between the two with panache, and just as you are relaxed and enjoying this trapeze show, it grins cheekily at you, sets the discoball on fire and pulls a bunny out of a hat. It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.
I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request.
Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3
I am okay with both expanding the canon and playing with AUs/crossovers/fusions for this one, provided they retain the character dynamics. I love the extended cast as well: any characters including the Seiyou gang (and on that note, if you want to write the Seiyou backstory for Shou’s gang that has no Rin in it, you’re welcome as well), reappearance of the familiar faces from Touri (read: Rin’s victim list, past, future and present), original characters lined up and waiting to be screwed over (guaranteed) and rescued (the administration does not bear any responsibility etc etc).
Thank you for taking the time to read the letter, and I’m greatly looking forward to reading your story — and hopefully, getting to chat about these ridiculous and wonderful characters post-reveals :)
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Yuletide 2020 recs!
I’m still reading, but here are 43 recs in 38 fandoms.
AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
☆ Never Be Drowned (Vera Claythorne/Philip Lombard, timeloop, 2k)
BABY-SITTERS CLUB
Kristy’s Big Crush (Mary Anne Spier/Kristy Thomas, 7k)
BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
man-made lake (Ted Logan/Bill Preston, 5k)
BILLY ELLIOT
☆ Homefires (Michael Caffrey & Tony Elliot, minor Michael/Billy, 3k)
BOOKSMART
I VOTED DAVIDSON (Molly/Jared, 5k)
DISCWORLD
The World Turned Upside Down (Polly Perks, 5k)
☆ The Yunk and the Restless (Polly Perks/Maladicta, 3k)
FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF
☆ I'm the howling wind (let me be your friend) (Jeanie Bueller/Cameron Frye, 6k)
FIRST COW
A new and nameless thing (King-Lu/Cookie Figowitz, 1k)
GEORGETTE HEYER
☆ That Greek Thing (Friday's Child, Gil Ringwood/Ferdy Fakenham + canon relationships, 22k)
A Sense of Economy (Cotillion, Kitty Charing/Freddy Standen, 4k)
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE
☆ Life/Time Opportunity (meta, 1k)
HOT FUZZ
Goose and All the Trimmings (Nicholas Angel/Danny Butterman, 1k)
Partners (Nicholas Angel/Danny Butterman, 1k)
JEEVES & WOOSTER
August Thirteenth (Reginald Jeeves/Bertie Wooster, timeloop, 3k)
LEGALLY BLONDE
tough as nails (Elle Woods & Paulette Bonafonté, 5k)
LORD PETER WIMSEY
Joy and Gladness (Harriet Vane/Peter Wimsey, holiday fluff, 1k)
The Transformative Affair of the Typescript (gen casefic, 3k)
THE MARTIAN
Falling Slowly, Back to Earth (Chris Beck/Mark Watney, 3k)
MARVEL COMICS
The Adventures of the Winter Friends (Clint Barton & Kate Bishop, holiday fluff, 1k)
Making My Way Down the Line (Clint Barton & Kate Bishop, minor Kate/America, 1k)
MIGHTY DUCKS
buddies (Adam Banks/Charlie Conway, kidfic, 21k)
MOONSTRUCK
Reverse Curse (Ronny Cammareri/Loretta Castorini, Cosmo Castorini/Rose Castorini, 1k)
MY GIRL
Saving All My Love for You (Thomas J. Sennet/Vada Saltenfuss, fix-it, 2k)
NERO WOLFE
Death of a Cad (Archie Goodwin/Nero Wolfe, 2k)
THE NICE GUYS
Habit (Jackson Healy/Holland March, 2k)
PRIDE
☆ Gain Our Freedom When We Learn (Cliff & Gethin & Jonathan, queer gen, 3k)
PSMITH
Psmith Pops In (Mike Jackson/Rupert Psmith, 4k)
READY OR NOT
After the Devil gets his Due (Daniel Le Domas & Grace Le Domas, 1k)
REAL GENIUS
☆ Closing the Circle (Jordan Cochran/Chris Knight/Mitch Taylor, 3k)
THE REPAIR SHOP
☆ This week on the Repair Shop: a Time Turner, a Victorian Portrait, and an antique wardrobe (crossover, 3k)
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
☆ Sandglass (Andy Dufresne/Ellis “Red” Redding, post-canon, 3k)
The Size of Freedom (Andy Dufresne & Ellis “Red” Redding, post-canon, 1k)
So Wends the World Away (Andy Dufresne & Ellis “Red” Redding, post-canon, 1k)
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN
☆ Heart of Gold (Cosmo Brown/Don Lockwood/Kathy Selden, epistolary, 2k)
SPORTS NIGHT
☆ The Laws Have Changed (Dan Rydell/Casey McCall, 3k)
You Had Me at Hello (Dan Rydell/Casey McCall, 3k)
THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY
Wick (Ethan Potter, 2k)
SHAZAM!
Free Time and Other Mysteries (Billy Batson, 5k)
THE TALK OF THE TOWN
☆ Engraved on Our Hearts (Leopold Dilg/Michael Lightcap/Nora Shelley, 3k)
WAITRESS
The Next Amazing Thing (Jenna Hunterson & Lulu, 1k)
WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?
better than our first kiss, snow falling at Christmas (Ally Darling/Colin Shea, 3k)
YOUNG WIZARDS
☆ Unforeseen Effects (Dairine Callahan & Darryl McAllister, 5k)
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yuletide letter 2020
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Oh, hello again. I didn’t see you there.
This year, I have transcended earthly desires and struggled to find any fandoms to request. I want nothing. I wish my cat was nominated as a Yuletide fandom so we could all write stories about her life.
Nonetheless, I have some small requests!!!! I believe you can make me happy in ways I’ve never been happy before. I trust you. Happy end of 2020, the cursed year, I hope you are blessed with rest.
My AO3: saezutte
My public twitter: juncassis
My tumblr: here but I do not use tumblr much anymore, sorry.
Do Not Wants
[note: I have no actual triggers, nothing you can write for me will make me any more depressed or anxious than I already am]
Death (of major/important/beloved characters)
Suicide attempts, self-harm
Rape (outright; OK with dub con, manipulation, noncon short of violent-rape-for-violence-only)
Eating disorders, body shaming
Angst without a happy ending, really too much angst at all
Established relationship
Cheating
Actual Unrequited Feelings
Pregnancy (the actual process; breeding kink is fine)
Scat or watersports
Hard BDSM or any kink complicated enough that the characters would have to discuss it ahead of time
Homophobia as a plot device
Excessive attention to identity or politics, sometimes known as “issue fic”
Note on AUs: I am ok with the usual popular AU tropes but I do not want them combined, e.g. A/B/O is fine and coffeeshop is fine, but I don’t want an omega barista getting his scent all over the lattes he makes for some alpha lawyer who comes in every morning. (Ridiculous example, but you get the point.) For AU/modern settings of fandoms with magic, I often like it when the magic is still there in the AU setting. I also like AUs which maintain the general outlines of the character’s relationships, like if the characters are childhood friends in canon, I like to keep that intact.
General preferences:
I am a pretty basic bitch when it comes to fanfic: I like it when two clueless boys pine for each other through some shenanigans and then lock eyes/lips/dicks.
If you fed a neural net every fanfic written in Stargate Atlantis fandom between 2005 and 2010, the result would probably be some nonsense I’d enjoy.
I love many tropes. Tropes! Bed-sharing. Sharing an umbrella. WASHING EACH OTHER’S HAIR? Confessions where they are having an argument and then one of them yells “Because I love you!”
I love situations where characters are forced to spend time in close proximity and find themselves with feelings.
I love fakeness: fake dating, fake marriage, arranged marriage, marriage of convenience, fake lust induced by sex pollen or heats, aliens make them have sex, whatever.
I love porn, if you want to just write me some quick porn, that’s great. I do prefer (per the established relationship DNW above) that it be first time or get together porn. I know that can make it hard to just write porn, but I don’t need much to be convinced of sex.
Nirvana in Fire (TV)
Requested characters: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan
Note: I also love Lin Chen so if you want to write some MCS/LC or LC/Fei Liu or LC/MCS/JINGYAN OT3??? go for it. I am also a Nihuang/Xia Dong shipper so if you want to put that in… somehow… my gay little heart would be happy. I also like Nihuang/MCS/XJY or MNH/MCS + MCS/XJY but I’d like the focus on the men in that case!
I watched this show because someone recommended this show to me as, like, Chinese Game of Thrones but good. I think it’s genuinely one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen. I love plots and revenge and good people doing bad things for justice. Even the ending is good for me though obviously it left me unsatisfied on several points.
I am deeply into sickly doomed genius MCS and every time he got even more deeply ill, I fell deeper in love. Every time he coughs up blood, my heart would race. I love his terrible schemes and stupid self-sacrificing choices. I find watching this show very soothing because I knew he would always come out on top in his schemes. I trust him. I love handsome clueless Jingyan and how he’s just so good (it’s terrible.) I love his mom and how much he cares for her. I love him but he is useless, he needs his Xiao Shu and I need fanfic to restore him to him.
Note: So my limited research on this says that male/male sex practices were accepted and well-known in this time period in history, so I really don’t want them thinking “oh no what are these weird gay feelings.” There are other barriers to them being together, like a ruler or official being overly attached to one person was considered very bad. I am also a big supporter of the socially-approved polygamy of this time period, so I don’t need Jingyan to refuse to sleep with his wife or something out of loyalty to MCS—he has to do it! Or all their plans are ruined! And he can enjoy spending time with her or the concubines without affecting his feelings for MCS—you could explore that complexity in fic if you like.Prompts:
Mei Changsu isn’t dead, he’s hiding again, Jingyan searches for him
They start having sex during the series, the ending is averted [somehow]
Post-canon, MCS is alive and Jingyan hides him in the palace with his consort/concubines to keep him on as an advisor without anyone objecting
omega verse where MCS was an alpha before he “died" but an omega after he came back.
AU where male/male marriage is customary (maybe aristocratic men are expected to have one male and one female consort?) and so MCS decides the best way to influence and help Jingyan in the capital is by becoming his wife or one of his concubines
anything just get them together and happy.
Tokyo Babylon
Characters: Subaru, Seishiro
I read Tokyo Babylon as a child and I imprinted on it deeply, now I love politics, ghosts, stalking, age differences, magic. Within the CLAMP canon, I love TB for its episodic focus on smaller stories, the commentary on contemporary society, and Seishiro being an outright creep. I love onmyojutsu and exorcism and Subaru’s innocence getting ruined. I love the city of Tokyo (where I currently live! but do not be intimidated, I don’t know the city well because we’ve been in quarantine most of the time I’ve been here and won’t judge you for details.) I’m open to fics that comply with X canon or not.
With Seishiro/Subaru: It’s bad but I love that predator/prey dynamic where the predator ends up being hopelessly entranced/obsessed/in love with the prey. My read was always that Seishiro lost the bet and couldn’t admit it—he’s just, you know, killing twins to avoid dealing with his feelings! Relatable! (?!?!) Subaru, I love particularly in his evolution from innocent to adult in love to betrayed. I’d prefer post-TB fic to during-TB fic (so Subaru knows Seishiro’s deal and loves him anyway.) I am also a fan of Hokuto and you should feel free to bring her back to life to troll if you desire.
Prompts:
AU or reincarnation plot where they are Heian period rival onmyoji
Because this is such a heavily place-based series, if you are a writer who likes to play with details of real life locations, I’d be interested in versions of different “Babylons” if you have an idea for it.
Tragic first times post-TB lol
Seishiro is a virgin the first time they have sex
I’d probably love some fucked up dub con for this, however you want to play it
Honestly, do whatever you want as long as you don’t fuck me over like CLAMP did.
プリティーリズム | Pretty Rhythm
Characters: Hiro, Koji
Pretty Rhythm came to me at a weird time in my life. I lived in a house of spiders in Yokohama and did nothing for eight weeks. King of Prism cheer screening transformed my life and I didn’t even know what it was. Then I got weirdly deep into Rainbow Live and the Pretty Rhythm franchise overall. I am a scientist of prism theory. Idk why I like it, it’s just wholesome and crazy and there are penguins and DJ Koo. I love every TRF song because I’m a 90s gay at heart. It’s truly the end point of all media development. The prism world represents the fearsome power of virtual/digital+real hybrid life. Yes, I know I’ve lost my mind. I went to one of the real Prism Stone stores, the one in Harajuku.
Hiro Hayami: one time a fujoshi asked me to describe what types of anime boys I like and the first type I listed was “prince but bad” and my example was Hiro. Hiro is the crazy gay stalker disaster of my heart. He overcomes great hardship to achieve his dreams and foolishly falls in love along the way and he does everything wrong and Koji keeps leaving him. The moment when Hiro is crowned King of Prism in Pride the Hero was one of the top ten moments of my life. I made friends who don’t even know Japanese watch the movie unsubtitled with me on my birthday.
With Koji, I’m a bit guilty of “I want to give the character I love the most the character he loves the most” so I do like him less (it would be impossible to like him equal to how much I love Hiro). But he has many good points that make him perfect, like how he also sucks underneath his chill exterior. I love to see him go apeshit.
I also love everyone else in Rainbow Live, no exceptions. I love all the girls. If you do write the girls, I would prefer they not be paired with the OTR boys. I would prefer they be paired with each other, any combo is good.
Prompts:
this is the sort of pairing where I love fic where they split up and then 15 years later meet again as washed up has-beens but there’s still time for them to find each other
Canon-compliant companion piece showing the “background” of them getting together romantically over the course of the series.
AU where Koji is a prism world fairy sent to inspire Hiro but Hiro is kind of a mess
dirty, dirty porn… let Hiro get fucked
I have a lot of doujinshi with multiple copies of Hiro (a la the Mugen Hug jump) but I’d like something where Hiro gets overwhelmed by many Kojis
They start fake dating as a publicity stunt and have to keep doing it… especially good if it starts when Koji is at max hating Hiro level
Ring Fit Adventure
Characters: Dragaux, Ring
Keeping this one simple: I like to be encouraged to exercise by a storyline and a trainer that never mentions weight loss, lol. The world is fun and pretty and I love that buff dragon.
AND THEN THE PAIRING. I’m sure Nintendo has some market research that told them a certain subset of users are very motivated by enemies who seemed to once be lovers or best friends. I am that user.
What is up with these two? They were so in love! Now Dragaux is a horrible swole bro (not in a good bro way) and Ring is training me instead? I can’t compete with their love. It’s the only time the game makes me feel inadequate.
You can keep Dragaux and Ring as dragon/ring-like as you like. Obviously I’m down with dragon fucking but you can also make him a human fucker too. I play with Ring on the masculine voice setting for maximum BL vibes as I exercise, but, you know, it’s a ring, I don’t think it has gender. Feel free to incorporate the player or other random characters too.
Prompts:
AU where Dragaux and Ring owned a gym together and Dragaux sold out to a big chain of gyms
What happened between them when Dragaux was still captured, pre-game? Bondage… literally??
Ring is always bossing me to train, but I’m really doing all the work. Why doesn’t he fight Dragaux on his own for once?? (because the sexual tension is too powerful.)
Tragic flashback to their dramatic break-up ending with their present day reconciliation.
Player/Dragaux/Ring threesome??? I’ve unlocked the sexercises???
With all fandoms, you are free to disregard the prompts and do your own thing. If you’re not sure about me, you can probably dm seriesera on twitter, she knows what I’m into.
Well, I suppose that’s all for now. Please stalk me online to get more details on my bullshit. I hope you have a nice time.
Best,
Caitlin
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Spring Event Poll!
Form can be found here.
We’re planning an event for the spring equinox, focused on rebirth, reincarnation, rejuvenation, and revivification. Mostly the last one, because it's Girl Genius. What else would we do?
That said, I'd like to do a quick poll to see which event we'd be best off doing. I enjoy a Big Bang, but they can be difficult to navigate if we don't have enough artists, and exchanges are fun, but we just had the Yuletide exchange over at @spark-exchange, so people might want something else.
For an exchange, you would be assigned a recipient by the blog.
For a Big Bang, a writer will do a piece, and partway through, will submit to the blog an excerpt, summary, and list of tags. Artists will then be able to pick a fic they would like to work with, and base an art piece on the story to accompany it when posted.
Minimums (may be adjusted):
Big Bang: 4k words, two art pieces (would have more time to prepare than exchange or event)
Exchange: 1k words, one art piece
Event: No minimum, participate as desired
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For the @hope-mikaelson-yuletide-event
Lizzie's old car breaks down on the way to her family’s house for the holidays. The only building even remotely close happens to be the creepy Mikaelson haunted manor. A beautiful girl opens the door and offers her help, but it doesn’t take a genius to notice she must be hidden one or two dark secrets.
[Caption: aesthetic graphic with various screencaps illustrating a fairy-tailish alternate universe for Lizzie and Hope from Legacies. The set features Lizzie driving; the exterior of a haunted house; ghostly hands; Hope dressed as a classy tribrid; a ballroom; a faded photograph of Klaus hosting a dinner; Klaus chained in a coffin, quasi-desiccated and with his eyes open; and a close up to mistletoe leaves.]
#hopemikaelsonyuletide2019#hopemikaelsonedit#hizzieedit#hizzie#legaciesedit#my stuff#my edits#my graphics#legacies#lizzie saltzman#hope mikaelson#klaus mikaelson#legacies 208#legacies 110#to 1x09#tvd 3x22#femslash#the idea for this has been in my head since i read the original prompt but there was no way i'd finish it on time#not how i want to write it at least; so have this in the meantime i guess#(after some reflection i noticed the wip might be a tiny little bit influenced by beauty and the beast but we're not gonna go there yet lol)#(the og batb too smh)#captioned#queued
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Dear Yuletide Writer 2023,
Thank you for writing for me or considering writing for me! Treats are enabled. Some fandoms/prompts may be more lengthy than others or different from last year- please try not to read too much into it. This is a product of many factors, but not my enthusiasm! I will be thrilled by a gift for any of these fandoms, whether you’re inspired by what I write here or whether I get to read a take on these fandoms completely different than anything I would have thought of myself!
General likes:
things that experiment with the possibilities of the medium! Whether the gradual realization of the framing device in The Strange Case of Starship Iris, or The Bletchley Circle and The Queen’s Gambit turning internal thought processes into something that is focused on (creatively, gorgeously, in a way that builds tension) instead of invisible. So for fic, anything that plays with the (change in) medium is super exciting to me- from 5+1 to epistolary to Interactive Fiction to whatever weird formatting you want to experiment with.
Using that to bring us inside the uniqueness of a character’s though process
characters or authors showing off their specialized knowledge or overanalysis for absolutely any topic
worldbuilding
bittersweet
angst
forced to make difficult choices that have no get-out-of-jail-free, best-of-both-worlds escape hatch
loyalty- against all odds, or attempted loyalty that just isn’t enough
self-sacrifice
characters who enjoy being around each other (in their own idiosyncratic way)
Relationships that are non-monogamous, shifting, complex, difficult to define, involve competing needs, require negotiation, that are platonic yet extremely important to the people involved in them, that revolve around shared interests, that are extremely strong
characters who are messed up, abrasive, solitary, and/or super smart
making yourself better
making the world better
teamwork
team as family
The Bletchley Circle- Any (Jean McBrian, Lucy Davis, Millie Harcourt, Susan Gray)
Why I love it: Smart ladies! Who specialize in math! Well-defined characters with different strengths and ways of coping with a sexist society! Beautiful cinematography! Depicting internal thought processes is a challenge for visual mediums, so I love how the show depicts it as non-instantaneous, challenging, and also gorgeous. Teamwork!
Other notes: My gift may feature any characters from the tag set
Feel free to draw from the San Francisco spinoff too, if you’ve seen it (I have).
DNW: PWP (explicit content fine, but not as the sole focus), gore (canon-typical crimes fine, just not detailed descriptions of injuries), character bashing (characters can be products of their time and have the universal trait of thinking of themselves first without being 1-dimensional antagonists)
Fic ideas: I’d love a fic focusing on any combination of 1, 2, 3, or 4 of these ladies, as a character study, friendship and/or romantic and/or sexual relationship. Some ideas:
A character’s relationship to her skills, talents, the work she does.
Bletchley era: snapshot of the work they’re doing.
Bletchley era: what kinds of relationships are going on, when they’re able to visit each other more freely?
Bletchley era: did they ever meet Joan Clarke, or Alan Turing?
Millie seems to take Susan’s decision to get married instead of travelling the world very personally. Were they in a relationship at Bletchley? What happened?
How did Susan end up deciding to marry Timothy? Does she decide to put more effort into repairing her marriage, or not? Does she succeed? Feel free to diverge before their decision to move away, or to elaborate on it.
The Queen's Gambit- Beth Harmon
Why I love it: It keeps enough of the troubled genius trope to be fun for those of us who enjoy it, while deconstructing it enough to improve on it. She's a girl! Which impacts her story without being central to it! Her character struggles are a mix of inherent and a result of her experiences! She's talented, but does better when she admits she has to practice the parts that are less fun to her! And also when she learns to accept help! And she not only realizes drugs and madness are extraneous to her success, she does even better without them!
Other notes: My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form: I have listed prompts for the backstories of Alma, Annette, and Alice Harmon- if you want to focus on one of these characters, using my prompt or not, I don’t expect Beth to also be a main focus.
The extent of my chess knowledge is the basic rules and a vague idea of the tournament system. Trust me, I will not know if you are fudging the details.
DNW: PWP (explicit content fine, but not as the sole focus), gore, character bashing, Beth/Borgov
Fic ideas:
tell me more about Annette Packer, that other girl at her first tournament? It must take a different type of courage to play against guys because you want to and should be allowed to and you’re just as good as them, instead of being able to prove that you’re superior.
tell me more about Alma? It sounds like she was also very good at something (piano), and that she had to give it up, and that that cost her.
Alice Harmon is clearly also a talented woman who's been through some stuff. What made her into the person we see?
was being banned from playing chess the extent of her punishment for the pill incident? How did she cope?
Beth clearly spends a lot of time alone reading chess books, while Jolene clearly has other friends to fill her time… what makes their bond special compared to the other girls at the orphanage?
Beth and Mr. Shaibel are both very much not people people; I adore their special friendship. Maybe fill in some gaps about their thoughts during their fight? Why didn't Beth pay back the $10?
for her chess friends/sometimes-lovers, I love domesticity, bonding over the shared love of the game, and the messiness of hurting each other without meaning to. More in-between moments of studying? Post canon or in an AU, does one of the canon pairings make it work? Or does Beth have more messy, complicated relationships like the young adult she is?
It’s a shame Beth’s one same-sex encounter directly preceded a disastrous game, but hey, she’s perfectly capable of making bad decisions without encouragement. I’d like to see Beth spending more time in Paris or globetrotting with Cleo, having a fun but dysfunctional time getting involved in her polyamorous bohemian lifestyle- if you can make it a function of these particular characters in this particular time of their lives rather than an inherently dysfunctional choice, even better.
Now that Beth is at the top of the chess world at barely 20… what does she do next? How does she stay sober? Or does she fall off the wagon a few more times?
This canon is ripe for a 5+1 or something with different character’s perspectives on themes like gender, chess, genius, and/or madness. Don’t worry, I won’t be put of if you go hard on stuff like this.
Just doing something fun with formatting to show us inside her head!
I saw a suggestion that characters and events could be metaphors for chess pieces or moves, and: yes, please! Don't worry, I'm not a lit professor or a chess player, I'll eat up whatever halfway plausible ideas you come up with.
The Strange Case of Starship Iris- Arkady Patel, Sana Tripathi, Violet Liu
Why I love it: Complex characters! Who are super important to each other! And who work together! On the work of making the universe a better place! With great world building about what differences there would and wouldn't be between different civilizations! Linguistics is key to unravelling the plot multiple times!
Other notes: My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)- I'd equally enjoy a fic about the whole S1 gang, or any subset!
DNW: PWP (explicit content fine, but not as the sole focus), gore, character bashing
Fic ideas:
Everyone has such tantalizing backstories- I want all the details.
More cultural comparisons. Do the humans learn about a Dwarnian culture different from Krejjh’s? Does the nanobot swarm struggle to understand the concept? What's the story behind fish bullying?
Arkady- being gruff and not touchy-feely, getting embarrassed with Violet
Sana- The stress of feeling responsible for everyone, does she find other “comfort out there”? Arkady/Sana/Violet?
Violet- fighting through the fear, getting embarrassed with Arkady
Brian- How did he get from grad student to criminal underworld? What else does he uncover about aliens through linguistics?
Krejjh- cultural differences/similarities, being cute with Brian
How did Arkady & Sana become best friends?
Just the crew hanging out and enjoying each others' company. Maybe they solve a manageable problem, or celebrate a 22nd century holiday.
Alternately, putting them in dangerous situations where they have to worry about each other and protect each other.
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Mamma Gkika/Klaus Wulfenbach
Characters: Mamma Gkika (Girl Genius), Klaus Wulfenbach
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Light BDSM, Dominance, Femdom, Jaegermonster (Girl Genius), Orgasm Delay/Denial, Cunnilingus, Face-Sitting, Mild Humiliation, Wrestle Fucking, Violent Sex, Kinda, mostly as violent as I imagine fucking any Jager to be, can’t believe i wrote something heterosexual, i absolutely wrecked my sleep schedule writing this but it’s FINE, Klaus eats pussy like he deserves, Klaus just wants to get fucked within an inch of his life, by a woman perfectly capable of killing him, and honestly? valid, Gkika is kinda a bastard, but like in a fun and sexy way, Smut, PWP, also someone should write Klaus getting pegged at some point, Klaus has a Type, And tries to impress a bordello owner by fucking her, not his smartest idea but it works!
Summary:
Klaus Wulfenbach, freshly returned from Skifander, blows off some steam and greases the wheels of diplomacy at Mamma Gkika’s.
For DawnAraic for the 2019 Yuletide Gift Exchange
@spark-exchange
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Only four day left for signups for the 2017 Girl Genius Yuletide Fanwork Exchange!
Guidelines & FAQ
Schedule
Sign up form!
Deadline for signing up: November 17th
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Merry Christmas @thebestdespot from your Secret Santa!
Girl Genius + The Onion Part 1
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Yuletide 2019 Letter
Dear potential writer,
I’m so incredibly excited that it’s Yuletide season again and I hope you are as well. Thank you for reading my letter and also thank you in advance for anything you decide to write for me!
Below are my desired fandoms and pairings along with story ideas that I would love to see written. Please don’t feel stifled by my prompts; I’ve also listed my general likes and dislikes at the very bottom of this letter if you decide to go a different route.
Peanuts:
Characters: Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt
This is my most unusual request, so I figured it best to put it out there first. I grew up both reading the Peanuts comics and watching the various Charlie Brown movies/television specials, so this is fueled by pure nostalgia upon seeing the nomination in the tag set.
Even as a kid before knowing what shipping was, I wanted desperately to see Charlie Brown and Lucy get together. Their back-and-forth banter with Lucy’s sharp remarks and Charlie Brown’s wry sense of humor is perfection. I don’t often request things too far from canon, but I would love to see a story with them as adults and how even though they didn't see eye-to-eye as children, over the years they have become just what the other needs.
Story ideas:
It's their high school class reunion, and it's been years since the Peanuts gang have all been in one place. Charlie Brown and Lucy are either already together, surprising the other characters by how well they get along and know each other, or everyone at the reunion sees how perfect they would be together except for them.
Lucy becomes a psychiatrist (although she charges way more than 5 cents for advice now) and Charlie Brown a child social worker. They run into each other by coincidence while they're both dealing with difficult cases and help each other cope.
Charlie Brown has recently broken up with the Little Redhead Girl and Lucy with Schroeder right before the holidays. Both disillusioned, they run into each other in the big city and decide that what they need is a road trip back home. Amazing banter ensues.
Similar to the last prompt, both Charlie Brown and Lucy have recently broken up with their respective partners. Not wanting to go back home for the holidays single, they decide to give the ridiculous, we'll-never-fall-for-each-other fake relationship thing a go.
The Boys (TV 2019):
Characters: Starlight|Annie January and Hughie Campbell
Just when I thought nothing new could be brought to the superhero genre, Amazon comes out with this smashing success. It reminds me of X-Men in a way due to the social commentary made by several of the plotlines. I especially appreciate how the show comments on celebrity status and social media.
Aside from that, far and away one of the best things about the show is the relationship between Annie and Hughie. Even in the midst of so much corruption, these two characters somehow remain so earnest and pure. The fact that they formed a connection on that bench before even knowing the other's name speaks volumes about their respective characters and chemistry.
Story ideas:
Despite being integral to the plot, it was crushing to see the moment Annie realized Hughie had been using her to enact revenge. Canon divergence where Hughie tells her the truth almost right from the get-go and Annie immediately is onboard to help would be really fun to read!
Another fun twist would be if Butcher approached Annie instead of Hughie for help, and she agreed to act as a double agent. The scene at the bench still goes down as does the one where Hughie realizes Annie is Starlight (although he's a real photographer). Perhaps Annie sneaks off to do some double agenting and Hughie follows. Annie almost gets caught and pretends to be dating Hughie as a cover.
After the explosive conversation with her mother and finding out she wasn't born with her powers like she thought, Annie tracks down Hughie to rant.
Season 2 can't come soon enough. I would be interested in speculation of what could happen next as long as it includes Hughie/Annie!
Impulse (TV 2018):
Characters: Henrietta “Henry” Coles, Lucas Boone, Jenna Hope, Townes Linderman
This show became a surprise favorite of mine in 2018, mostly because it’s on YouTube Red and I haven’t given most of their original shows much thought. Also because it tackles rape and recovery in such a raw and interesting way, especially in the context of a sci-fi show.
I just need more Henry Coles. If you want to do a romantic relationship, I’d prefer seeing something explored with Lucas Boone or her canon love interest Josh (who was only in 2 episodes but really seemed to “get” Henry). Otherwise, gen stories between Henry and any/all of the tag set characters would be great. Season 2 is just now coming out as I write this, so feel free to ignore or include it as desired. I tried to keep the prompts general enough that they can apply to either season.
Story Ideas:
Henry will never be fully “recovered” in the sense that one can never truly recover from rape. It will always have an impact on her life. The other characters get that and try to help her in any way they can.
While Lucas is aware of what his brother did to Henry, he has no idea of the real impact. I’d love a story where he learns more about her seizures and the way her anxiety/fears manifest themselves as teleportation.
Hurt/comfort in all forms because Henry has been hurt enough for a lifetime, but she could do with a whole lot more comfort. Either within the confines of season 1 or imagined opportunities for comfort in season 2.
We get the story from mostly Henry’s perspective, but I’m sure a lot is going on in the minds of Lucas, Jenna, Townes, and Anna as the events of season 1 play out.
The Folk of the Air
Characters: Cardan Greenbriar and Jude Duarte
Holly Black is an evil genius and I bow down to her greatness. Starting off the first book in this series, I never would have imagined that by the end I’d be rooting for Jude and Cardan to be together, but here we are.
They are the ultimate enemies-to-lovers and I can’t wait to see what happens to them in the third book coming in November.
Story ideas:
Maybe I'm unrealistically optimistic, but despite Jude’s betrayal at the end of the first book and Cardan's at the end of the second, I think these two can work it out. Perhaps Jude helps Cardan cope with the stresses of being king and he is able to move past what she did. Or maybe they each realize how impossible their respective situations were and come to accept the questionable decisions the other made.
Madoc is a horrible father. Jude basically knows this from the beginning. Still, she was genuinely upset in discovering what he had done. I’d love to see her finally release all of that pent up anger - either her using Cardan as a sounding board for her rants or even having her completely breakdown under all of the stress and him comforting her.
We get the perspective of Jude throughout the entire book, but I would really enjoy seeing some of the scenes from Cardan’s point of view as his feelings for Jude change.
There is no way that Jude’s sister, Vivienne, wouldn’t be alarmed when finding out that Jude and Cardan kissed. Jude having to explain her changed feelings for Cardan and Vivienne, realizing that Jude is in love would be hilarious and heartwarming.
With the third book coming out soon, feel free to either include or not include elements from it. As long as there is Jude/Cardan, I will be happy.
Nancy Drew (TV 2019):
Characters: Nancy Drew and Ned "Nick" Nickerson
Only one episode in and I was impressed by this show. Up until now, I hadn't seen or read an iteration of Nancy Drew that I didn't enjoy, but I'll admit I was scared as sometimes the CW makes questionable choices with their adaptations. They have done a fantastic job with casting, though, and updating things just enough for the modern era without taking away the charm of the original.
When it boils down to it, Nancy Drew appeals to me because she is unabashedly herself, not ever pretending to be something that she's not to get others to like her. And although it's just getting started, so far the interactions she has with Nick and her father, Carson, are my favorite.
Nancy is a guest on a true-crime podcast featuring amateur detectives. Nick tags along and watches from outside the recording studio in amusement, or perhaps the hosts bring up Nick's criminal past on-air and Nancy gets defensive.
Maybe Nick and Nancy start a true-crime podcast of their own and it's an unexpected hit.
Carson Drew is not 100% onboard with Nancy and Nick's not-so-secret relationship. When Nancy suddenly stops shutting down Carson's attempts to connect with her and Carson finds out it was due to Nick's influence, he changes his tune about his daughter's boyfriend.
The gang goes to an escape room for fun. Nick is amused by how seriously Nancy takes it.
We haven't gotten very far into the season yet, but any speculation fics about where the mystery goes would be interesting as well!
Out-of-left field request: If you're not a fan of Nancy/Nick in the new show, I'd be open to a story where the Hardy Boys arrive in River Heights (I'm not so secretly hoping the CW makes this a TV show if Nancy Drew succeeds). Although I love Nick and Nancy together, I have always loved Nancy/Frank stories as well.
Things I don't like:
Alternate Universes – For the specific fandoms that I picked, I really like the universes as they are. I’m definitely okay with deviations from canon, but please don’t make Peanuts into a supernatural werewolf story or have the fantasy/sci-fi canons take place in a mundane coffee shop setting. (I don’t mind Soulmate AUs or something similar because those can be incorporated into canon with little change to worldbuilding).
Non-Con/Rape/BDSM/Sexual Violence/Graphic Sex – I like my characters to be happy and everything within ships to be 100% consensual, no question about it (mentions of non-con if it occurred in canon is fine). I also prefer plot over porn, especially with one-shots.
OT3s – Two people per romantic relationship, please. Any more than that makes me uncomfortable.
Character Bashing - Unless a character is a bad guy in canon, I don’t want to read hundreds of words about how awful they are, especially if they are one of the characters that I requested. Don’t take it out on the characters. If you hate my pairings, just write gen.
Things I love:
Hurt/Comfort – There is nothing I love more than one character comforting another. The hurt can be physical, psychological, or both.
Happy Endings – I’m all for the realistic endings… but if they could be plausible AND happy-ish, that would be amazing.
Expanded Scenes/Contorting Canon – Feel free to expand scenes and change up the canon to your heart’s content as long as it makes logical sense.
Humor/Banter/Snark – I thrive on this stuff.
Bonding/Building Relationships – Whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, I adore reading about two people growing closer together. When characters know each other so well that they can have conversations with just their eyes or anticipate the person’s next move (especially if it’s to the surprise/confusion of everyone around them), my shipper heart is thrilled.
Dark to Light – Seeing a character come out of a bad mindset or situation and get better is so satisfying.
Thanks again and happy writing!
- Maddy @mustlovemustypages (on Tumblr, Ao3, and FF.net)
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CODE REALIZE: WINTERTIDE MIRACLES
Release Date: February 14, 2019 (North America)
Developers: Idea Factory, Otomate
Publishers: Aksys Games
Platforms: PS Vita, PS4
I literally took my time playing this FD, knowing it’s the last (physical) otome game that will ever grace localization in the PS Vita.
Code Realize: Wintertide Miracles (Shirogane no Kiseki) is the second fandisc of the series, Code Realize. This game contains varieties of alternate and after stories that happened after the events of the last fandisc, Future Blessings.
This fandisc contains the following stories:
Cantarella (Side Story) – Walkthrough available here.
Finis’s Epilogue
Sholme’s Epilogue
Love Triangle Stories (Short Stories)
Wintertide Miracles “First Christmas” (Alternate Stories)
Special Epilogues (Epilogues for White Rose’s stories in Future Blessings)
ART AND MUSIC
I know this is probably redundant as I’ve gushed about it a few times in my reviews for Guardian of Rebirth and Future Blessings. But, the artist Miko has done it again! I could not for the life of me, describe how incredibly beautiful the CGs are for this fandisc. There were also new sprites available for all the main and side characters, wearing their cozy winter outfits. Even Queen Victoria gets a new sprite wearing her expensive royal fur faux garb!
What I also loved about this fandisc were the new BGMs added for the series, they were all unforgettable and were specially made for the game’s Yuletide theme. One song that really stood out to me was the second Ending theme (Finis’ and Sholmes’ ED) “Beside You” by the artist SHOJI. Listen to the full track below:
***I purchased the whole soundtrack for Code Realize: Wintertide Miracles in iTunes. Link here.
NEW CHARACTERS
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Cantarella (CV: Mamiko Noto) – Fuuka (Persona 4), Kotomi Ichinose (Clannad), Inia Sestina (MuV Luv), Felicita (Arcana Famiglia), Marvis Vermilion (Fairy Tale)
Miles Strand (CV: Keiji Fujiwara) – Kagura Mutsuki (Blazblue), Jiro Hyuuga (Binary Star), Reno (Final Fantasy), Kiriya (Senran Kagura), Sakuya Tougane (Psycho Pass)
Baron of Aiguille (CV: Sugiyama Noriaki) – Akito (Norn9), Thor (Kamigami no Asobi), Suou Hana (Ayakashi Gohan), Katsuragi Naomasa (Yunohana Spring), Kashika Galle (Cendrillon Palika)
SIDE STORIES AND AFTER STORIES
I did Cantarella’s route first, followed by Finis and Sholme’s epilogues, then knocked out the love triangle dates before I played the main course, that is the “First Christmas” alternate stories for Wintertide Miracles. I myself, enjoyed this play order, though I would suggest playing whatever story you feel like playing first because that’s the whole point of a fandisc! lol
CANTARELLA (Another Story)
This story happened somewhere in the middle of Guardian of Rebirth’s common route. On their way home, after watching a performance at the Royal Opera House, Cardia and the rest of Lupin’s gang witnessed an attempted kidnapping of the Opera House’s beloved songstress, Cantarella. They’ve managed to save her as well as send her perpetrator running for the hills. They then took Cantarella to her home for safety measures, which lead the gang to meet her so-called “father” Miles. In this story, Cardia finds a friend in Cantarella and later on, discovers her true identity as both their existence managed to connect each other’s fates.
Just like “Lupin’s Gang’s” (side) story in Future Blessings, Cantarella’s route offers new likable characters and an interesting new plot for us to follow. Although I’ve very much enjoyed this story (for what it is), I didn’t like how the writers threw in these important characters on the third game, since canonically they don’t matter anymore as the main plot officially ended in Future Blessings. I would rather have this as an alternate story than a side story because It felt kind of unfair for Cantarella, Miles, and Auguille to get dissed like that after this little episode. lol Unless they’re planning on a third fandisc! (laughs)
Although the choices you make in Cantarella’s route, will not change the whole outcome of her story. It will, however, change a few scenes and dialogues in the game depending on the guy (main characters) your choices are inclined to. You can view my walkthrough for this route here.
FINIS’ EPILOGUE (After Story)
This after story took place right after the end of Finis’s route in Future Blessings.
Six months have passed since Cardia managed to save his little brother, Finis from the unfortunate Nautilus incident in London. During this time, both twins return to their home in Wales and spend each day cleaning and repairing their old abandoned house while enhancing their bond as siblings. Suddenly, all hell breaks loose when one of Isaac Beckford’s invention called the “Knockers” have been spotted destroying a couple of buildings in London. It was made clear in the story, that these supposed-to-be-quarantined inventions of Isaac were “wrongly” activated by accident and it is now, up to the Beckford twins (Finis’ most especially, since he’s fully knowledgeable when it comes to their father’s inventions) to stop this heaving uproar that threatened London its peaceful days.
This was probably one of my favorite After Stories in the series. Not only we get to see Finis in his true nature, as Cardia’s adorable cinnamon roll lil’ brother. We also get to see Lupin’s Gang and the Gordon Family in action as they help out clear the disruption in the streets of London during the main incident. ***This epilogue was very heartwarming and I absolutely enjoyed seeing Finis’ soft side while he deliberately declares threats whenever one of the main bois flirts with his sister! *chuckles* (´ ω `♡)
HERLOCK SHOLME’S EPILOGUE (After Story)
This after story took place right after the end of Sholme’s route in Future Blessings.
It’s been half a year since Sholmes defeated his arch nemesis, James Moriaty (in Code realize Future Blessings). During this story, Cardia becomes part of Sholmes’ Detective agency together with his partner John Watson. The three of them fight crimes for the cause of good, even to the extent of ‘trying‘ to stop Lupin, the gentleman thief’s planned diamond heist of the prized jewel called “Mermaid’s Tear”. Though try as they might, Lupin, as cunning as he is, still gets the upper hand and was able to escape with ease together with his genius engineer assistant, Impey. I know this was just a filler episode but it was kind of weird seeing Cardia as their enemy for once, but oh well…
Anyway, Sholmes actual main story revolved around finding a cure to Cardia’s poison. As the Horologium still present in Cardia’s body, this fact still poses a threat that one day it will activate again, killing her along with the demise of London and its people. With this complication at hand, Sholmes gathered his A-team geniuses in the field of science and medicine; Victor Frankenstein, Dr. John Watson, Impey Barbicane and even the deviant genius scientist Nemo, who apparently now lives in a tiny cardboard box located in sewers (laughs) 😂 Poor guy! As all of them try their hardest to conduct research on a formula that will counteract the horologium’s poison, more problems seep into the picture that eventually causes Sholmes and Cardia make one life-threatening decision.
I like how Sholmes’ epilogue was narrated in a fairytale-esque kind of way. I enjoyed the story’s fluff content though, to be honest, this is probably the weakest story in the game (imo) as there really wasn’t anything “new” going on. Nonetheless, if you’re a fan of Sholmes, I’m sure you’ll have an awesome time discovering a few surprising sides of our favorite hot daddy detective.
FIRST CHRISTMAS “Wintertide Miracles” (Alternate Stories)
These are “after stories” that happened right after Finis’ route in Future Blessings. It’s merely an alternate story where our heroine Cardia finds love during the Yuletide season. We get one story for every five main characters. What’s really special about these stories is that Cardia falls in love with one of the guys while his brother is alive! …THIS couldn’t be any more perfect, ❤️ I almost wished this was headcanon!
Spoiler Warning: I will only be posting each story’s premise but I’m putting up my spoiler banner just in case.
Victor Frankenstein
After Isaac Beckford’s Nautilus incident that wreaked havoc in the city of London six months ago. Victor ended up opening a clinic located in the downtown part of London in order to help as many people as possible at a cheaper cost.
Victor’s main story started when one day he receives a mail from his parents in Switzerland telling him to settle down. He, in reply, told them he has no plans in getting married anytime soon but then started talking about how he’s currently interested with this ‘one girl’ and went all out writing two whole pages regarding his feelings for Cardia. (´ ε ` )♡ Without thinking of any repercussions, he sends the letter back to his parents judging its only the right thing to do as he’s speaking honestly from his heart. uwu. The next few days, he receives a reply letter from his mom saying they’re coming to London for Christmas so they can meet their son, Vic’s girlfriend. 🤣
In result, a panicked Victor travels to Wales to ask Cardia to be his “pretend” girlfriend just for Christmas while his parents are in town. 😂
***This was by far the cutest, most endearing “First Christmas” story I’ve read among the selections and I absolutely enjoyed it to bits! Besides its overwhelming fluffy contents, we also get to see Victor introducing Cardia to his parents (in CG!).
Saint Germain
Six months after the Nautilus Incident, Saint Germain, visits Idea’s leader Omnibus and reports that both Finis and Cardia, Isaac Beckford’s “problematic twins” are now living peacefully in Wales as normal human beings and are no longer a threat to humanity. As one of Idea’s faithful apostle, he awaits for Omnibus next order but was surprised to hear her tell him to take a long sweet vacation instead.
Still dumbfounded by their leader’s words, Saint Germain goes back to the mansion to find something to do with his newly acquired free time but since everyone in Lupin’s gang went about their own lives after London’s incident, he was left as the only resident in his house. This made him feel lonely and he admits to himself how much he misses the rowdy group clamoring inside the premise of his mansion. What’s more, is that he longs to see the face of his beloved, who he has not seen since his last visit in Wales.
This made him decide to write invitation letters to the group for a Christmas “Get-together” party. Though unsure if his anticipated guests would actually make it to the planned event. Saint Germain waits with hopeful eyes to see the faces of his precious friends again.
***The part where he waits for his friends actually made me tear 😭. Why are Saint Germain’s stories always melancholic? Why?! Thank goodness, this ended really REALLY happy. I would also like to gush on the fact that this is the only episode in the whole series where we get to see Guinevere outside her armor! Seriously, you absolutely can’t miss this!
Abraham Van Helsing
After London’s Nautilus incident, Van decides to travel with Delly all over United Kingdom in search for survivors of the Vampire War.
During their travels, the duo hears about the upcoming Christmas festival in London and decides to come home for the occasion as well as attend the gang’s Christmas party at Saint Germain’s mansion. They haven’t seen everyone in a while, so this decision made Van and Delly both excited. While at it, Delly proposes to take a side trip to Wales before coming to London and see the Beckford twins. Van agrees with him with Cardia in mind. ( ´ ▽ ` )
A few days have passed and they both arrived at Cardia and Finis’ home in Wales only to be disheartened to see the twins not being around. But with optimism as their friend, Van and Delly decided to wait. Night falls, and finally, Cardia and Finis arrived in the most unfashionable way ever (their automobile almost came crashing towards the duo) 😂 Everyone says their greetings when Cardia noticed that Van and Delly have been waiting out in the cold for too long, so she insisted they stay for the night.
The supposed-to-be one night stay turned into days and the group eventually decided to go to London together. While still in Wales, Cardia wanted to make everyone Christmas presents in the form of knitting and Van insisted on helping her with it.
***I love this! (/▽＼*) This surprising side of Van Helsing is all I ever wanted. I’m so glad to see him happy, always smiling and in his positive beaming self. It’s so refreshing! I need more happy-ray-of-sunshine Van Helsing in my life!
Impey Barbicane
Half a year has passed since the Nautilus incident in London and Impey visits the deviant scientist Nemo in prison from time to time as he plans to re-invent the gravity alleviator and is currently taking notes on Nemo’s advise while at it.
One day, In Saint Germain’s mansion, Saint tells Impey they received word from Van and Delly saying they’ll be back in London for Christmas. Since Lupin and Victor are already residing in the city, they decided to might as well invite Cardia and Finis in order for the gang to reunite once more this Yuletide season.
Meanwhile, in Wales, Cardia, (while fixing their automobile) thinks of how Impey’s constant declaration of love for her makes her heart feel woozy. She gets confused because she’s sure she loves Impey back but also “loves” the other members of Lupin’ s gang as well as her brother Finis. With this train of thought, she pesters her little bro and forced him to say the phrase “I love you” (to her), to which a blushing Finis, with all the effort, reluctantly did. 😂 But then yo girl was like “Oh but why does it feel different when Impey says it?” 😂 😂 😂 ROFL. This was adorably hilarious! I just can’t! 😂
Later that day, they received a package from London in the form of a miniature Impey doll with a recording of Impey, Saint Germain and Lupin’s voice telling the siblings to come home for Christmas.
***I really enjoyed reading this one! I love how Cardia was strongly forward of wanting to explore her own feelings as she tries to discover the different meanings of “love”. …and seeing Impey immensely blush time and again was such an awesome treat, I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear! Another plus point was that we get to see Nemo give love advises to yo boi and that, to me was the icing on the cake in this story! (laughs)
Arsene Lupin
After the Nautilus incident in London six months ago, Lupin is back doing his thievery schemes like the proud gentleman thief he is.
One day while on a mission to steal a prized necklace from a corrupt Duke’s estate, he ends up being chased by Leonhartd as usual and just when he was about to execute his dashing escape, he gets distracted (by thoughts of Cardia) and gets shot by a rubber bullet instead. This, not only surprised Lupin himself but his perpetrators, Leonhardt, and his men were also perplexed at how they were able to take out the famed gentleman thief in one easy shot. In the end, an injured Lupin still managed to get away as he limped his way back to safety.
Back at the mansion, Victor along with Impey confronts Lupin saying he’s not being his usual self lately and asks him to perhaps, take a rain check from work (theft missions). A week later, Saint Germain chimes in, telling him the same and suggests that perhaps he’s longing for “someone”. Taking in the Count’s advise to heart, Lupin begins to think of Cardia and how her absence is taking a toll on him. He then concedes with his true feelings and finally admits he misses her badly and the only way to cure this yearning is to see her face to face. So he starts writing the ‘perfect’ love letter for his beloved lady. 😂
***I must say, this after-story has the best CGs, as expected from the game’s headcanon boi. Just like Lupin’s uwu story in Future Blessings, it had its glorious romantic moments between the couple. As far as I see it, the game is clearly biased on Lupin’s story… the kabedon scene and that loooong kiss at the end, come on! I couldn’t ask for more!
TRIANGLE DATES (More CGs!)
These are short stories which involve scenarios of Cardia spending her day with two main characters in the series. Although these are rather shorter stories compared to the ‘Wintertide Miracles’ selection, I was really impressed by how exceptionally good these little episodes were. You think you’ve had enough doki-dokis? Try this one on for size!
Here’s a list of all the Love Triangle episodes (you can play it in any order):
Lupin and Victor
Lupin and Impey
Lupin and Van
Lupin and Saint Germain
Van and Impey
Van and Victor
Van and Saint Germain
Impey and Victor
Impey and Saint Germain
Victor and Saint Germain
Secret Episodes:
Delly and Sisi
Aliester and Nemo
Hansel and John Watson
SPECIAL EPILOGUES
These are short epilogue stories continuing the last events of Future Blessings (White Rose). These will unlock last, after finishing all of the above’s selections.
IMPEY
It’s been a few days and Impey hasn’t returned home after going on a work-related project (fixing airships and submarine engines in London). Cardia was left alone in the mansion and although she knows Impey will come back soon, she thought of surprising him by gathering a lot of research documents related to their ‘moon-project’. She leaves for Wales to collect any information her father might have written in the past that can possibly help with the project. Not to ruin the surprise for her hardworking husband, she leaves a note that says “I’m going”.
Impey arrives at home, finds the note then begins to panic thinking Cardia has left him.😂 So he hurries and follows her to Wales to clear out this whole silly misunderstanding.
LUPIN
Cardia and Lupin go on a picnic at their secret place which has a great view of the industrial city of London and Lupin suggest that it’s about time to go on a honeymoon. Next few days, he takes Cardia to his birth city, Paris. There, they visit and the grave of his master, Theophraste and both of them said their prayers. They also ran into the head of the French police whom Lupin coined as someone equivalent to ossan Leonhartd. They had everyone (French police) chase them for fun and the couple gallantly escaped in style.
VAN
Cardia and Van are finally getting married and Shirley helps Cardia put on her wedding dress. Cardia decided to step outside the church so she could practice walking in her high-heel shoes when a bunch of men in black suits kidnaps her and takes her to another wedding location. There she finds an impatient man wearing a groom’s outfit who urges her to walk down the aisle with him. Cardia remembers the combat techniques her husband taught her and throws the man to the floor. Meanwhile, a worried and upset Van bursts out through the church door and started taking down the men in suits Liam Neeson style! 😂 😂 😂 Before things get worse, the gang stops Van and explains this was all a misunderstanding as the kidnappers and groom were actually actors and the bride actress never showed up for rehearsals so they thought Cardia was her by mistake.
The Moral of the Story: Don’t mess with this couple… ever! 😂
VICTOR
Cardia is now working as Victor’s assistant in the Royal Society and they spend their days doing research in Victor’s lab. Though they call themselves husband and wife, they realize that they never really had an actual wedding ceremony. So Victor asks Cardia if she wants to have a proper wedding and she says yes. A few days later, they began their search for a church in London but couldn’t find any since it’s peak season. Queen Victoria, along with Leonhardt notices Victor’s sullen expression and asks him what’s wrong, Victor tells them their circumstance and a snarky Victoria promises to help him only if he can prove to her how much he really wanted the wedding. After their deal, Victor comes home later than usual as he’s working extra hard to get her beloved wife that perfect wedding she deserves. Finally, the day has come for Victor to propose to Cardia and Victoria granted them permission to use the newly renovated St. Paul’s Cathedral. They got married in front of their friends and the Queen, and Cardia couldn’t be any happier.
SAINT GERMAIN
Cardia is now free of her poison and she and Saint Germain return to London so they can hold their wedding ceremony. The Count buys the ship “Gloria” from their mafia adventures in Lupin’s Gang (Future Blessings) episode and tells her this will be their venue. A day before their promised wedding, Hansel takes Cardia to Omnibus cottage and there they meet with Saint Germain and the leader of Idea herself, Omnibus. The old lady gives them her blessing, saying they will no longer be in the watchful eye of Idea and Saint Germain is now finally, freeee! Both couples said their thanks to Omnibus. They got married in their luxurious ship the next day and all of their friends are with them happily celebrating the couple’s most special commemoration.
Will I be able to enjoy this game even if I haven’t played Future Blessings?
There were a lot of characters and events in Future Blessings that were present and added to this game, so I don’t think it’s a good idea to skip Future Blessings in the series. In addition, the main “Wintertide Miracles” stories continue from the last events of Finis’s route in Future Blessings, so, all the more reason not to skip the first fandisc.
Localization
There were a couple of typo mistakes that I couldn’t really overlook which makes me think that perhaps because of it’s promised released date on Valentines Day, the game was rather rushed and there wasn’t a lot of time spent dedicated solely on proofreading it. ┐(︶▽︶)┌
TRAILER
youtube
FINAL THOUGHTS? ＼(＾▽＾)／
My overall play length for Code Realize Wintertide Miracles was a good 10-15 hours. Despite me trying to make the game last forever for about at least, two weeks, I finished it pretty quickly because I just couldn’t get enough of it.
Cantarella’s side story was way better than the gang’s Mafia adventures in Future Blessings and I sure did wish the ‘Cantarella-characters’ would’ve made a cameo in the special epilogues, because seriously, what a waste of good characters to be squeezed in, on the third game. ┐(‘～` )┌
Finis wins best boi in my book. This was one of the things I really appreciated most in this FD, and I’m sure most Code Realize hardcore fans would agree. Finis’ character finally gets justice! We get to see more of his adorable side as Cardia’s little brother while maintaining his hostile and dubious personality 😂. Who would’ve thought this boy is such a tsun-tsun! ❤
Do I recommend this game? YES (esp. to all Code Realize fans)
Take note, this game is the series’ second fandisc. So literally, one cannot play it all willy-nilly without fully playing it’s first two predecessors. Personally, I’ve enjoyed this game a lot but that’s because I’m such a huge fan of the series. Perhaps to those who aren’t into Code Realize, you probably won’t enjoy this as much.
With the production of PS Vita consoles and games, completely shutting down worldwide this year, Code Realize Wintertide Miracles was such a special treat for us otome fans ~ esp. now, where there is scarcity of otoge releases in the West.
The game’s romantic Christmas theme really took this one up a notch and the newly added side stories are really something to look forward to. If you already like this series, loved the game’s main casts and wished for more adventures with them, this game is definitely worth the purchase.
CHLO’S RATING: 8/10
Code Realize: Wintertide Miracles Review CODE REALIZE: WINTERTIDE MIRACLES Release Date: February 14, 2019 (North America) Developers: Idea Factory, Otomate Publishers: 4,080 more words
#code realize#code realize wintertide miracles#Code Realize Wintertide Miracles Review#Otome game review#PS Vita#Shirogane no Kiseki#Wintertide Miracles Review
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