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unsociableandtaciturnbarbie · 6 months

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I read fanfic instead of studying for biochem, sue me

For this week’s Tumblr, I read/sampled (one I couldn’t finish and one I haven’t finished yet) four fanfics. Fanfic as a space is something I’ve discussed previously on Tumblr in a Sense and Sensibility post, but I discussed the idea of a fix-it fic then. This time, however, I read a variety of fanfics that seem to use the formula we started to touch on in class of Pride and Prejudice and (Fill in the blank). I really like this formula; as a fan of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it’s hard not to. An idea was introduced right at the end of class of this “and” adding something in which reveals more about the story. Harding probably thinks this reveals the inner hatred and fear, but I’d argue it can reveal a variety of things. We discussed in the very beginning of class the idea of violence being written into Jane Austen and, as I said then, in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies we see a good amount of violence. I’d argue this violence has been there all along in the vicious banter Lizzie and Darcy engage in- adding the “and Zombies” simply allowed audiences to see it play out in a physical way. Fanfic takes this idea of adding something in a variety of directions, and I think each one I read, despite solely sticking to fanfics in which Elizabeth and Darcy end up together (I have strong opinions about coupling off properly), reveals/unravels something unique in or about Jane Austen’s writing or story which you might not get in Pride and Prejudice itself.

My favorite read was Neither Duty Nor Honour which I’m going to call Pride and Prejudice and Single-father Darcy. This fic exists in the world/story of Pride and Prejudice, but if Darcy had married his cousin and had a daughter with her before she died. I will confess to being a sucker for a single father romance when done well (which this was) but besides the overall fun time I was having, there’s a really interesting plot divergence when Georgiana Darcy comes with her brother to Netherfield. Wickham then cons Lydia Bennet into helping him meet with Georgiana in secret. Both Lydia and Georgiana think he’s in love with them, but he’s just in love with Georgiana’s money. Luckily, Lydia overhears a conversation of his and saves the day. This fanfic, besides the adorable development of Darcy and Lizzie’s relationship, reveals a potential for Lydia to be something other than the silly girl she seems to end up doomed to be forever in Pride and Prejudice. I really liked this because Lydia has felt very annoying to me, but on some level I always felt that if one of her plans had failed she could have turned out as a sensible girl. We get a characterization of Lydia here that kind of “reveals” an idea in Pride and Prejudice where Mr. Bennet sends Lydia to Brighton in hopes to, “teach her her own insignificance,” which in this fic is made possible by the addition of the Single-father Darcy. Overall, my biggest complaint is that it felt rushed; I would have gladly read 17 more chapters of this fanfic.

A really cute read was some say it makes the world go round, some say that's absurd which I’m calling Pride and Prejudice and Modern-day Wedding Planning. This is a modern au (au means alternate universe, so basically you can put any characters in just about setting/fictional or real world) where Jane and Bingley are getting married and Lizzie and Darcy (Will) have to help them with wedding planning but end up falling in love. There are a lot of really cute odes to the book such as Darcy and Lizzie’s favorite wedding venue option being “Gardiner house” and Darcy’s tailor being called “Rosings and Park” where the tailor himself is a very Mr. Collins-esque character. There was also a comment at the end about a “Palmer-Jennings confrontation” which is an ode to Sense and Sensibility. This fic had a lot of content from Darcy’s point of view, which I think we get a little of in FID in Pride and Prejudice but nothing like, “Will would’ve agreed to go for a dip in shark-infested waters if Lizzy suggested it.” It was overall really fun and sweet and I think adding the Modern-day Wedding Plan really allowed me to see a bit of the kind of mushier and cute side of Pride and Prejudice because all this fic really did is take the Darcy musings from the book like, “Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her” and reveal/amplify them into 6 chapters of adorable fun.

I’m not going to linger on this one for long because I actually couldn’t finish it. It’s called An Ever-Fixed Mark and I’m calling it Pride and Prejudice and Soulmates? I was really excited about this one because it centers around the premise of soulmate marks (a trope where soulmates have markings that help them recognize/find each other), but I quickly realized that it’s more about playing with the idea of soulmate misunderstandings than getting Darcy and Lizzie together. The first four chapters are long and Lizzie and Colonel Fitzwilliam got engaged because the name on Lizzie’s wrist is Fitzwilliam (which is OBVIOUSLY Fitzwilliam Darcy but she hates him so she marries the Colonel instead) at which point I got annoyed because I’m here for the Darcy and Lizzie content. The fic does bring up Udolpho so I can tell the author did their time-period research or at least has read other Jane Austen, which I can admire, but I wanted to get to the good stuff, not sit through Lizzie’s first marriage. I can’t really tell what this fic reveals because I didn’t finish it, but I will say that it’s probably the closest to Austen’s style as any of the fics I’ve read have gotten so if you are less passionate about a Lizzie/Darcy pairing this may be a good read for you!

Finally, I’d like to give an honorable mention to the fic I’m still reading, That First Meeting, which I’m calling Pride and Prejudice and Rom-com Bookstore Meeting. This is a fic set in the Pride and Prejudice with the same plot but Lizzie and Darcy bump (literally, I love Hallmark tropes) into each other in a bookstore before Bingley arrives at Netherfield. I’m really enjoying it thus far (six chapters in). It’s cute, but still feels somewhat book accurate. As I’ve not finished it I can’t say with certainty what it reveals, but the mushier side we found in some say it makes the world go round, some say that's absurd is definitely here. Every chapter (thus far) is from Darcy’s perspective, so that also reveals/assigns a bit more of his feelings in situations where we might only get a facial expression in the book. I also wanted to mention, there is an interesting parallel that makes me wonder if the author has read Northanger Abbey. When they meet, Lizzie asks Darcy if he likes novels because, “I have found that most men consider novels to be rather frivolous and unworthy of their time.” This was already feeling very “Jane Austen manifesto about novels” in Northanger Abbey, but Lizzie then goes on to recommend a gothic romance to Darcy which sealed the deal for me on this being a crossover. Needless to say, I’m excited to see where the rest of this fanfic goes!

#jane austen #fitzwilliam darcy #pride and prejudice #northanger abbey #sense and sensibility #pride and prejudice and zombies #ao3 fanfic

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terrainofheartfelt · 2 years

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lizwas fanfics: 2022 in review

so this was my second year ever of writing and posting on ao3, and for me, because I have chronic tunnel vision when it comes to tasks, thought I would do a look back at all I've written this year because hoooooooooooo boy 'twas a lot.

To render again and receive | 12.8k | E an unexpected addition to the little women au-verse, but very fun and delightful to put together! from Dan's pov, taking place between chapters 1 & 2 of a Heart in port.

But you can make decisions too | 11.1k | M an installment of my Date season 4 AU - Saints & Sinners, but with a gay twist!

all the things you are (are mine) | 4.3k | E a smutty valentine's fic starring Dair, as it is their holiday after all

I'm stuck on your heart | 4.7k | M a valentine's day fic for Dan/Nate, inspired by that one bit in schitt's creek

(everything you say sounds like) sweet talk | 3.5k | T season 4 Dair au, inspired by Jonah and Amy from Superstore

such a lot of world to see | 23.1k | E part of the Mouthful of Forevers s6 and beyond au. Dan and Blair spend the summer backpacking through Europe (well, Blair's definition of backpacking)

an ever-fixèd mark | 5.3k | E another unplanned addition to the floating castle dreams series, brought on by s2 of Bridgerton and that one scene in atonement

it's something new (because of you) | 3.9 | E part of what I call the Milo-verse. Dan and Blair get married and are soooooooo sappy about it. A smutty scene from Dan and Blair's honeymoon in Tuscany.

without effusion of blood | 6.1k | E just what happened after 2.18 when Blair brought Carter Baizen home? this fic tries to answer that question.

the whole web of it | 4.8k | G future fic in the MoF series. Dan celebrates his birthday with his wife and kids. tooth rottin fluff.

(the more you say) the less I know | 70.9k | T the big one of the year, the Pride and Prejudice AU, starring Dan as Lizzie, Blair as Darcy, and a whole host characters causing drama and comedy alike

that’s the kind of love (I’ve been dreaming of) | 3.4 | E absolutely filthy kinky sequel to a smut oneshot from last year. Married!Dair being total simps for each other

for better or worse and the promise of verse | 19k | E another installment in the Miloverse. AKA The One Where Blair and Dan Get Married. Possibly the sappiest thing I have ever written.

where the sun falls down on me | 29k | M Jenny goes to spend the summer off from uni in the Hamptons, with her brother and his fiancée (ugh), and their best friend, her old pal Nate Archibald. Jenate, with a side of Dair & Rufly.

at first chance | 7.1k | E smutastic epilogue to the above. Jen spends an evening alone in Nate’s new flat, waiting for him to get back from his bar shift. Nate’s not the best at building furniture.

let love consume me | 2.1k | E dairthaniel pwp. no context necessary.

never for money, always for love | 25k | NR collection of drabbles written to one word prompts on tumblr. Enclosed is: Dair, Date, van der Humphreys, Haizen, Blairena, Jenate, Serenessa, Dangina, Dairthaniel, Serenate, and much fluff angst and canon divergence.

punch drunk kiss (I know you need it) | 2.4k | E Dan x Carter Baizen. Carter pov following one of the drabbles above. P.W.P. Written for Kinktober

twin flame bruise | 15.2k | T Derena. An au of the musical The Last Five Years. Dan and Serena’s loving but doomed relationship, told in flashes and vignettes from each person’s perspective. with a side of dairfair.

anyway the wind blows | 2.6k | T inspired by the song “Westbound BART,” an imagined prequel of how Rufus Humphrey met Alison in late 80s San Francisco.

a hard day’s night | 4.5k | E porn with a little bit of plot. Blair comes home after a long day at the office and asks Dan for a favor to help her unwind. Written for Kinktober.

like a lightbulb in a dark room | 4.3k | E Dairthaniel. Written for Kinktober. smut with a soupçon of plot.

the love that let us share our name | 7.5k | T dilf!Date! the story of how Nate and Dan Humphrey become dads. Written after my dilf!date headcanons

can’t believe you notice me | 3.6k | E season 3 coat closet scene, but make it Dan/Nate. AU in which Nate is Dan and Olivia’s third, bringing up feelings for these sweet himbos.

a snowfall kind of love | 49k | T AU of Nancy Meyer’s The Holiday. Vanessa and Blair switch houses for their Christmas vacations, and end up falling for people in the other’s respective cities. Dair & Natessa, featuring special appearances by Milo Humphrey and Cyrus Rose.

#gossip girl #HOLY SHIT that’s a long list!#no wonder I’m tired lmao #thank you all so so so much for reading and caring it means a great deal to me ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️#liz’s ficz #smut fics are locked on ao3 #which means you will have to log in to your ao3 account to read #please read responsibly

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rahleeyah · 1 year

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the fandom hatred of kathy extra sucks because it’s not even like she is a neutral cardboard cutout wife who exists in the background in seasons 1-12, she clearly also struggles with elliot’s job and how present he is/isn’t with their kids. like imagine being in a relationship from age 17, completely financially dependent with multiple kids and finally starting to disentangle yourself when it’s clear he isn’t going to make space or time for you, and then getting pregnant and literally starting back over thrown back into the marriage at age 40 with four kids already. i firmly believe kathy made sure maureen/kathleen/lizzie had careers/savings of their own prior to marriage because she didn’t want them getting stuck like she did. kathy not being jealous of olivia’s relationship with her husband as much as of her independence is something that is so interesting to me

‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ Say that!!! We see Kathy and Elliot joking together at times, we see them talking about the important things, we see she isn't a sitcom nag - she is his wife, and he loves her, and the things she asks of him are reasonable. But Kathy individually is an interesting character, and a tragic one. I had cause to re read my fic matrilineal recently, in which Bernie says exactly this to Olivia, that Kathy was jealous of her freedom - though Olivia privately is thinking of all the ways she herself is trapped; she is independent, but is she free? - bc God how must Olivia look to Kathy, who is stuck in a life that was written for her when she was seventeen, who has no reason to know the things Olivia struggles with? I wrote about that in hell of a view, about Kathy being surprised to learn that Liv always wanted kids; Kathy would have no reason to know that. Kathy doesn't know her. And the cycle of Kathy's entrapment was the basis of the "doomed by the narrative" post I made the other day; Kathy tries to escape the cycle but she is pushed back into it at every turn. She can't break from the story that was always going to kill her, even when she tries. She's a character deserving of empathy, whose fate is intimately tied to our society's view of women and mothers in particular.

#anonymous #e.o asks #s.vu

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dgcakes · 1 year

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Rules: Share the first line of ten of your most recent fanfics and then tag ten people. Don't have ten? Not to worry, just share what you have.

No one tagged me; @ghoul-misadventures did it and it looked fun so I'm doing it. :3

1. Klavier Gavin took a deep breath as he stepped onto the sidewalk at the bus stop. (Advanced AI: Adapted for You - klapollo ace attorney, future au; complete)

2. Screeching tires, loud music and a sickening crunch of metal was not how Apollo Justice wanted to be woken up. (A Wild Ride - klapollo ace attorney mild canon insert or divergence; one-shot)

3. Dropped off in the country of his birth that he had no memory of, Apollo Justice had been shunted into the care of various people and facilities for the entirety of his first year or so in the states. (Soleil and the Demons - klapollo ace attorney canon divergent rewrite; multi-chap incomplete but not a real cliffhanger at current)

4. If you asked Klavier Gavin if he knew what it was like to be genuinely loved, he’d laugh in your face. (Acts of Love, Out of Order - klapollo ace attorney vaguely canon adjacent; complete)

5. The battle was over and they had lost so very much. Lady Rhea had disappeared in the conflict but so had their Professor. (Enlightened and Vivacious - fe3h with Byleth + brother oc, Edelgard/oc and Claude/oc sequel to #6 golden route au; incomplete)

6. After a month or so of teaching, Tate was pretty sure that it was the most difficult job she had ever had and that being a mercenary was far easier. (Potatoes and Rye - fe3h with Byleth + brother oc, Edelgard/oc and Claude/oc first part of #5 golden route au; complete but only for first part of plot. Incomplete sequel for rest)

7. Despite all appearances or opinions to the contrary, Charles Bingley was not a flighty person. (What Must Be Wanted In A Wife - Jane/Bingley, Lizzie/Darcy, pride & prejudice canon divergence au; presently incomplete)

8. Defeating the Doom Flags in her way by reaching the end of the official Fortune Lover Game had seemed like the last major hurdle Katarina Claes would have in the way of her freedom to live. (Into the Garden - my life as an otome villainess confused shrug fic; incomplete)

9. It had been a long time coming, but Mobei-jun was excited for this day. (Demonic Cinderella, or How to Marry Your Own Husband, a guide for silly Transmigrators - moshang scum villain, post-canon silliness; incomplete)

10. Another night, another nightmare.

It wasn’t even really night, but Wei Wuxian couldn’t tell from the darkness of his cave as he woke from the visions in his head. (Communication - Wangxian mdzs huge canon divergent everybody lives au; incomplete)

Editing on mobile is hard and I lost this the first two times. I could only think to tag @wittykitsune, @lacertae-dreamscape and @mrmissmrsrandom but anyone free to do this too

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infinitelysordinary · 3 years

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because i know you, i have been changed for good ↣ part four of ‘fuck you scott smajor: the flower husbands playlist series’

word count ↣ 576 words

warnings ↣ discussions of death and grief

summary ↣

Jimmy is gone, but Scott still has things to say.

a/n: for a while now, i've been considering rewriting this fic to fit the flower husbands. it no longer fit narratively when scott changed the order of the playlist, and i wanted to fit it into last life s1.

with lizzie and scott's upload yesterday, i had the perfect excuse! jimmy is canonically older than scott. that made the my previous fic ('you have rewritten me') null and void. i still think it's good, which is why it's still up, but it will no longer be part of the fh series. instead, this fic will take its place.

enjoy!!

ao3 link | tumblr series masterpost

Jimmy is gone, but Scott still has things to say.

The words rattle in his brain long after Jimmy’s death. I love you. I wish we had peace. I wish we were able to be ourselves. It’s a constant internal monologue, unaffected by the outside world.

He can’t tell Jimmy anything, though, so he writes. He writes a letter—one last, final, loving mistake before the world all goes to shit. Until the early morning hours, he writes, committing every single word to memory in the off-chance he ever sees Jimmy again.

(If he does, he’ll repeat every single word until he can’t anymore. Until his lips are swollen and his heart is full, or until his lips turn blue and he dies just like his husband did.)

Jimmy,

You have rewritten me. Perhaps that’s too intense, but its true.

I won’t lie and say that you’re—were, I suppose—my everything, but I won’t lie and you aren’t always on my mind, a stray cat that won’t leave. You’re a constant presence in my life, even if I can’t see or touch you: you are my first thought when I receive good news, when I see a flower, when I see blonde hair. You haunt me, and I welcome it.

In this world, you were my hope. You were my husband, and you were the reason I woke up every day and continued. Every step, every breath, every word—I hope you know that it was because of you. Despite my reservations, I loved because of you, and I lived because of you, and those two are intertwined to form one singular reason: you. You have changed me for good, just by existing.

What do I do now? It’s hard to say. The world will continue: alliances will be broken and created, battles will happen and people will pass, and the sun will still continue its rise and its fall. I don’t know how I’ll manage without you, but I have to. I will find a different reason to wake up every day, even if it is simply to feed our sheep and cows. (Daisy misses you.)

You had lovely eyes, though I never told you that. That’s what I called you in my head, before I learnt your name—the man with the lovely eyes. If I ever see you again, I’ll tell you the next time I’ll see you; I’ll kiss you senseless as I drown in your lovely, earth-coloured eyes.

Maybe we were a mistake. In a world doomed with terror and defined by loneliness, love is the greatest mistake of all. We were foolish, believing in a fantasy that would never come into fruition. We believed love made us untouchable. In reality, it only weakens—it softens, dulls, and hurts. By Jeremy, it hurts.

I can’t make myself regret it, though. How could I, when you made me so happy?

A few hours after you died, Joel asked me a question. His eyes were quiet and pensive—a departure from his regular state—and he said: “If you had the choice, would you do it all again?”

I didn’t answer to him then, but I have an answer now. Yes, of course. I’d meet you and love you and marry you in every universe—a million lifetimes of happiness bookended by tragedy and uncertainty, and then some. You are my answer, my reason, and my hope.

To our next life,

Scott

#last life smp #3rd life smp #3rd life smp fanfic #flower husbands #scott smajor #/ sadie's shit #/ sadie's creations #/ sadie's writing #/ mcyt #/ flower husbands #/ mine

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meetmeatthecoda · 3 years

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It’s bonkers how Liz and Ressler can literally have sex and then still be on a last name basis with each other. Even Red calls her Elizabeth lmao. But seriously, if K—nler is endgame, is this really the writers’ idea of romance? Barely any buildup, BOOM they have sex, then these awkward, forced ‘moments’ between them? *deep sigh* Idk, maybe I’m being harsh, but I guess I feel like the least they could do (if they won’t give us Lizzington) is give us something decent to watch. What are your thoughts/theories on this mess?

Hello, dear anon!! ❤️ Firstly, omg, I know!! All the “Hey, Keen.” and “What, Ressler?” is so intensely romantic 🙄🙄🙄 The thought of Red calling Liz just “Keen” is so laughable to me. As you so rightly say, he at least calls her by her full name, which is much more telling imo than any robotic surname crap. (Plus, he would never call her “Keen” bc it’s her fake name from her fake marriage to her fake husband, but I digress.) Regardless of whether it’s Lizzie or Elizabeth or Agent Keen, it still sounds like music coming out of Red’s mouth. Whether that music is a funeral march or a symphonic poem... well, it varies 😒

ANYWAY you make such a good point!! If we’re striving to be objective (which is a pretty unobtainable goal for me at this point), there is n o t h i n g inherently romantic about K**nler. I’m sorry, but to me - no matter which way you slice it - there’s been absolutely NO romantic coding with these two over SEVEN SEASONS, really only a handful of scenes together at all that mostly consist of “STOP! FBI!”, and very few personal/meaningful moments. And of those VERY FEW moments, they all appear to me as platonic/work friends/colleagues. And listen, I’ve always liked Ressler and Liz as BFFs. Liz always offered a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on about Audrey in the good ol’ days and Ressler did the same about T*m, plus I’ve always loved how Ressler offered to “rough him up” in that gruff, brotherly way. There was never any jealousy between them at their respective romantic partners, like there always is with those Will They/Won’t They ships. And I think pilot!Ressler hating Liz’s guts gradually morphing into them being best buds over the ensuing seasons is super cute. But it’s never screamed “romance” to me. There’s been no anticipation, no build-up, no close calls, no nothing. My prime ship example for that sort of thing is Caskett from Castle. They spent 4 seasons building those two up with plenty of close calls and jealousy keeping them apart for as long as they physically could before they finally came together with fireworks. There has been zero of that with K**nler. (Lizzington on the other hand? Yes. Not to mention all the Lizzington suggestions FROM RESSLER: ”Sounds like someone’s jealous Uncle Red’s got a new crush”, “You in the dog house or something?” - but I’m slipping into my Lizzington googles, so I’ll stop there.) Not to mention I’ve never really liked Ressler as a character. Sorry, no shade to Diego, but it’s not exactly a dynamic character. And TPTB have a marvelous reputation of tabling characters until their designated plot lines and episodes, with no measurable growth or continuity in between, so it always feels forced to me. To just throw a long forgotten character - whose only role in the past 11 episodes has been driving around and answering phone calls to catch the weekly blacklister - in my face once a season and say, “LOOK, WE THOUGHT OF SOMETHING FOR THIS DUDE, REMEMBER HE CAN TALK?!” and expecting me to feel invested is wildly unrealistic imo.

In conclusion, anon, I don’t think you’re being harsh at all, rest assured that I have been much harsher in tags, DMs, and especially my own head about this so-called “romance”. I think you’re definitely correct that they could at least give us something decent to watch with time, a true romantic build-up, and a satisfying culmination. I mean, I know this is primarily an FBI-mystery-mythology-government-action-procedural-show but... AS SOMEONE ONCE RIGHTLY SAID, “I think it’s a love story.” and babe? ..... this ain’t it. I’m sorry, Lizzington remains the only pairing on this show that has had a veritable phone book of romantic tropes written for them, including - but certainly not limited to - tense undercover operations, dancing, jealousy at other partners, killing for each other, actual DECLARATIONS of LOVE, T H E L I S T G O E S O N, not to mention I’m of the steadfast opinion that they were the initial endgame for the show, and that’s a hill I am prepared to die on. I HAVE and WILL go down with this doomed ship until the end of my days. Amen.

As for my thoughts/theories on this mess, I am flattered that you’re interested enough to ask, and I think I probably gave you way more than you bargained for in the ^above^ rage!typing 😂 The only things I would venture to add are: 1) K**nler is a barely a ship by my admittedly high standards and, if it is indeed intended to be The Great Romance™ of the show, TPTB did a piss poor job of making it AT ALL satisfying 2) The current “plot line” is an inconsistently written, infuriating, OOC across the board, “twists” pulled out of a hat, PIECE OF CRAP mess, and I’m so over it and 3) I have genuinely no idea how they plan on digging themselves out of the sizable RED VS. LIZ hole CRATER they’ve dug themselves into and, if they plan on having even a mildly successful season 9, they had better claw their way out soon bc, by all accounts, pretty much nobody likes pathetically-evil!Liz and most are rooting for heart-of-gold-&-incredibly-sympathetic!Red in every single way. Sooooo... idk. I’m really bored by the whole RuSsIaN oPeRaTiVe arc and I wish we could fast-forward to the season finale to see if they plan on making any effort at all to improve the core relationship of the show, or if they have indeed given Liz up to mannequin-man and revenge-filled-rage-induced-mentally-unstable-out-of-left-field-evil-Kaplan-hallucinations and Red over to simply sad-lonely-romantic-tired-puppy-dog-who-deserves-better.

At any rate, thank you dearly for this ask, anon, it turns out I had a lot of negative feelings (surprise, surprise) that needed an outlet and I hope it wasn’t too painful to slog through!! Feel free to send another/more asks to keep the commiserating going!! I have dearly missed asks in what’s left of this fandom, but my ask box is still open!! 🥰 I will continue writing fic and shipping Lizzington pretty much in AU now as, unfortunately, that seems the healthiest and only remaining option 🥲 Much love to you!! ❤️❤️❤️

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kariachi · 3 years

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Some quick fic. Kevin, foolishly, brings up an approaching issue with the rest of his branch of the Jones family.

~~~

“Okay, I’ve got a question,” Kevin said, having graciously held back until the morning after the Seder a concern that’d sprung to mind as soon as he’d somehow managed to squeeze into his great-aunt’s home. Slowly all the chatter around the living and dining area died down as all but the youngest turned their attention to him. “Now, Aunt Francis, Uncle Clark, Uncle Spencer, I love you, but you three are gonna die sooner rather than later-”

“Kevin!” Aunt Francis reached out and patted her eldest’s arm with a fond smile.

“He’s right, Lizzie. Your father and I are already eighty-three, we can’t live forever.” Lizbeth just huffed into her breakfast, visibly unhappy with the thought of her parents’ deaths.

“The point,” Kevin said loudly, bringing the topic back around, “is sometime in the next few years we’re gonna be without our hosts. And we all know Lizzie’s gonna end up in charge of the branch-” She was, after all, the eldest woman in their branch of the family. “-but even if she takes over the house when they go it won’t make up for us kids breeding. We’re already sardines in here. So how the fuck are we gonna handle that? Who’s gonna be hosting who when Aunt Francis goes?”

Because he’d been worrying about it. Normally he could let it slip his mind but coming around for Passover was like a brick to the head with ‘you have thirteen second-cousins’ painted on it. And that was on top of four first cousins. And everybody’s various sorts of partners. There was still a handful of teens running around, yes, but most of them were in their twenties now and either considering the concept of or actually starting families. Jamie and Casey were already fathers, and Tracey’d announced her pregnancy the day before. The fact everybody fit in the house now was a testament to his aunt and uncle’s tetris skills. There was no way it would work once more kids came into the mess.

Everybody exchanged looks with each other over and around heads, bodies, and furniture. Here and there you got pockets of muttering as people debated the question. Whether Kevin was the first to consider the situation he couldn’t tell, but he may well have been the first to bite the bullet and bring it up. Finally, after several long minutes, Molly leaned back and levelled him with her best ‘I am the elder cousin and I’m in charge’ look.

“I don’t know Mr. Infinite Money, who?” Kevin’s head tilted slightly in confusion. Molly raised an eyebrow. Realization sunk in.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“You can’t make me!”

“It’s not like you couldn’t get us space.” Looking frantically around the room found him no support, everyone proving themselves the worst traitors in the Jones family line by nodding their approval to each other or openly shrugging and following the others leads. He should’ve kept his big mouth shut, why had even considered-

“You’ll do a fine job, honey,” Aunt Francis called over with an encouraging smile as Kevin resisted the urge to swat Argit for snickering over his predicament. “Come out early next year and we can give you the crash course.”

He was officially doomed.

#fanfic

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raviposting · 4 years

Text

Hey guys! I have a fic that’s based off of @niamaggie ‘s prompt list, the prompt is as follows:

Prompt: There’s more to Alex’s story with his family outside of what Luke said. They don’t just disapprove of him, they outright pretend he doesn’t exist. It gets to a point where he completely breaks down in the studio after having a bad practice day (the kind of day where nothing is going right). Being a ghost, is like what his family did to him, but on a much bigger scale. It’s much harder to deal with...Just want the band to comfort him, please.

Huge thank you to @superbandnerd99 for beta-reading! I’ve tagged people under the cut who liked my excerpt post; please let me know if you want to be untagged!

Crossposted to AO3 (properly formatted here)

Fic: Ghost in the Family

Alex had told himself that he was going to be fine being in his old home. It was fine. It didn’t matter that he hadn’t stepped foot in the house in twenty-five and a half years. It was fine. It was fine.

Sure, his stomach was twisting in knots and he felt like his heart could beat out of his nonexistent chest - actually, wait. Could it do that? He still wasn’t sure how much their new solidity worked and the thought of his chest literally beating out of his chest was almost as terrifying as the thought of stepping back into his family home was.

Okay. He was doing it again. Spiraling, as Julie liked to call it. Or totally wigging out, dude, as Reggie liked to call it. Or haha, wow, look at this dude lose it, guys, as Carlos liked to - okay. Alex sighed, shaking out his hands and staring at his house. It hadn’t changed a bit over the past 25 years, save for a new white mailbox with an American flag emblazoned on the side. Alex couldn’t remember their old one, but he was pretty sure it was better than that.

He walked up the steps slowly, each step closer feeling like another step towards his doom - which was dumb, of course, he had been the one to say he wanted to just check up on his parents, he was the one who told the rest of the band and Willie (and Carlos, who followed them around everywhere he physically could) to not come with him, he was the one who got it into this head that he needed to see his family again.

He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths, trying to center himself. Relax, he told himself. They can’t see you. You’ll be fine. He breathed in deep again before opening his eyes and ringing the bell.

The door opened, and Alex looked at the woman in front of him. “Mom?” he asked - a stupid question, because she was looking right through him and obviously wasn’t going to answer, and because if this woman was mom, she would have to be a ghost too. He squinted as the realization hit him. “Lizzie?” he asked this time.

His sister looked around in confusion, for a millisecond looking right at him, and when he heard an old woman’s voice ask who was there, his sister shrugged and said, “Doorbell must be on the fritz.”

Alex slipped in before she closed the door, and stared at the place he used to call his home.

It hadn’t changed a bit. Well, it had changed a little since the day he had left. They had stripped away the carpet and there was a mahogany floor now. Alex wondered when that had happened. Certainly after he had left. He remembered the carpet covered with bits of glass after his father had thrown the family photos on the floor with such a force that the frames had cracked. Alex could remember the stony silence as he had stood there, staring at the pieces of glass glistening on the carpet, barely registering Luke’s hand on his own as he pulled him out the door. He had mumbled something about his clothes, only for Luke to say he had grabbed some, but when Alex was in the backseat of Reggie’s car looking through the duffel Luke had packed, the David Bowie sweatshirt he had borrowed from Reggie hadn’t been there alongside his favorite puka-shell necklace and Alex had tried to tell himself that it was okay even as the tears had run down his face and the pressure in his chest tightened so much that he felt like he was going to choke.

Maybe that was his unfinished business, to give Reggie his shirt back? He wondered if it was still around, somewhere, but his thought was interrupted when he felt his sister walk through him. God, what a weird thing to experience, Alex could always feel people’s emotions when they passed through and it unnerved him whenever it happened. As she passed through him there was a hint of - anxiety? No, not quite, he told himself. It felt a bit like his anxiety creeping up, but while he would feel like there was something in his chest tightening as it tried to get out, this felt heavier somehow, like a great big nothing that could swallow him whole if he let it. But there was a warmth there too, slow and steady, that let him know without a doubt that this was his older sister.

He wondered where Nina, his younger sister was, but one look at the family photos on the wall answered his question. An unfamiliar woman was on the wall, side-by-side with a brown-haired man, two smiling babies on their laps. Nina must have moved out ages ago. His eyes flitted to the photo next to it. Nina and Lizzie were there, their arms around an older woman with long graying hair and an old man with his mouth set in a straight line but a smile in his eyes. The family photos littering the staircase didn’t seem to have him on it at all, just photos of Lizzie and Nina and his parents. It was as if every trace of him was gone from their lives, down to the pictures.

Two figures walked down the stairs, and Alex backed up quickly, giving them a wide berth. He knew they could pass through them and could already hear Reggie and Luke’s voices in his head reminding him that he was a ghost, it was fine, but the thought of Alex’s parents passing through him made Alex feel sick in a way that he couldn’t quite explain. He followed his parents as they sat down in the living room, his mother on her phone and his father turning on the television to watch some sitcom. His mother leaned towards his dad, showing him something funny on her phone, and the two laughed, and when Lizzie came over and peered at the image and joined in, the sounds mixing in with the canned laughter of the unseen audience from the sitcom.

Alex tried peering over their shoulders to peek at the phone, but his dad’s frame kept blocking his view. “Just move for a second,” he said absentmindedly to his dad. “I want to see.”

His father, of course, didn’t respond, and then the phone was put back into his mother’s pocket, Lizzie went towards the kitchen, and the house was quiet, besides the commercial about some discount furniture store playing on the screen. Alex stood in front of the television, watching his parents look through him. He would accompany Luke and Reggie to see their families from time to time. Luke’s parents always walked around like living ghosts, as if a little bit of the light had gone out of their eyes. Reggie’s would laugh and smile but stare off into the distance when they thought nobody was paying attention.

Mom looked a little bored. Dad yawned.

Alex felt the crushing anxiety switch to a feeling similar to anger, and it welled up in him as he slammed the wall in frustration. At the last second, he thought, No, maybe I should just phase through but his hand was already making contact and he could only soften the blow, making just a sad pitiful thump on the wall.

His mother’s eyes went to the wall and furrowed in confusion, but his father waved his hand. “Bird probably hit the window again,” he said, and his mother shrugged, turning her attention back to the screen.

“I - okay,” Alex sighed, the angry-adjacent feeling gone. He suddenly felt tired, and he walked out the door, leaving his unaware family behind.

He moved past the people strolling down the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding bumping into people as he walked by. “Excuse me,” he muttered as he moved around a group of kids riding their bikes. He sidestepped one house’s sprinkles a second too late and he flinched slightly as the water shot out towards him until it passed through him and he sighed. Right. Ghost.

It wasn’t until he had gotten to the garage door that he realized he could have just poofed home, and he blinked back tears. He couldn’t even be a ghost correctly. He squared up his shoulders and tried to make his face as light and casual as possible, and he poofed inside, where the band was already setting up for their next practice.

“Alex!” Julie said, lighting up, though her eyes filled with concern when she saw his face. “Are you okay?”

Well. There went light and casual. Yet another thing Alex couldn’t do, apparently.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex said, though even to himself it sounded like an obvious lie, but besides Luke and Reggie sharing a look that they thought he didn’t see, there were no further comments, and Alex sat down in front of his drums.

Practice was a disaster.

Alex tried staying on beat, but with every measure of the song, a new memory would come to him.

Him locking eyes with Luke whenever Luke would turn during a performance, the way his heart would flutter when Luke winked at him.

Stuttering out a confession to Luke, only for Luke to lean in and kiss him on the lips, Alex staring at Luke and asking, “Does - does that mean you like me too?”

Him telling his parents that he was gay, watching his father’s eyes glass over and just...getting up, ignoring Alex’s frantic, “Dad?”

Of the one time his Dad had acknowledged him in months when he said he liked that young man Luke in his band, something that Alex thought was Dad was secretly telling him that he knew they were dating and was proud, and that they could tell him, that he was finally ready to see Alex.

When his father slammed all the family photos and threw them on the ground, and Alex realized he had been so desperate for acceptance that he’d misunderstood his father’s comment, which meant nothing. Just like him.

Him breaking down in the garage one month into living there, telling Luke that he didn’t think he could do this, any of it, and the hurt in Luke’s eyes before he told Alex that he had to do whatever was best for him.

Alex was aware that the band had stopped playing and were staring back at him, concern clear in their eyes.

I can’t even get it together for my band, he thought, and he threw his drumsticks down in frustration. They were moving towards him, and Alex felt the crushing feeling in his chest again except ten times stronger and the tears that had been threatening to flow ever since he had entered his parent’s home were now freely streaming down his cheeks.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Julie said, and he felt three pairs of arms around him. “Tell us what’s wrong,” she said. “Don’t keep it in.”

“I never gave you back your sweatshirt, Reggie,” Alex sobbed into what he thought was Reggie’s chest.

“Uh, well, that’s fine,” Reggie said, a bit of confusion mixing in with his sympathy. “All of you always stole my clothes. I’m pretty sure Bobby’s still wearing my jeans, which honestly? Super dumb. We’ve been dead for 25 years, what’s his excuse for wearing the same clothes?”

Alex laughed, and the group broke their hug, smiling along with him. Julie’s arm was on his back, Reggie still had his arm around Alex’s waist in a semi hug, and Luke was holding onto Alex’s hand. Alex looked down at their intertwined hands and then back at Luke, but instead of withdrawing, Luke simply squeezed his hand.

“I’m guessing the family visit didn’t go so hot?” Reggie asked. It was blunt, but his tone was kind and he unconsciously gripped a little tighter onto Alex’s waist.

“No,” Alex admitted. “I haven’t been there since...well you know, since I left, and it just…” he trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

“Did it remind you of the day you left?” Julie asked, rubbing small circles on his back. His mom used to do the same for him as a kid whenever he came home sobbing because he messed up a performance or had answered a question wrong in class. The motion made him feel safe and comforted, even as it caused a heavy ache to spread across his chest.

“No,” Alex said, wiping at his tears. “Or, kind of. It was definitely part of it, but being there just reminded me that…” he trailed off again, trying to think of the words.

Alex had hated the day he had left, but a sick part of him had been relieved when his father had thrown down all their photos and raved at how upset he was, at his mother sitting on the couch massaging her temple, saying that she was disappointed.

It had been awful, but nothing compared to the months before. Throughout the day it was bearable - they all had their own things going on and it was easier to pretend like everyone was just busy instead of actively ignoring him - but whenever they sat down to eat was always the worst. Only Lizzie and Nina would be asked questions about their day and Alex would have to grab a plate because there were only four set on the table. Nina was so little that she thought it was a game and she’d grin with delight every time Alex asked for someone to pass the salt, giving her the chance to ask, “Did you guys hear something?” and lighting up every time their dad said, “No, I don’t think I did.” Lizzie would sigh at it and pass it to him, but even with her distaste at the petty shunning, she still wouldn’t look at him. He had asked her once, to look at him, and she had said, I am, all the while avoiding eye contact.

“Me being a ghost and me being alive is the same thing,” he finally said. “That’s what it feels like. Every song we had was stolen by Bobby, nobody sees me if Julie’s not around, and there’s not a single picture of me up back home.” He gave a humorless laugh as a thought came to him. “I always felt like a ghost in my own home, and now I literally am.”

“No, you’re not,” Luke said.

“Well, you are a ghost,” Reggie added, and Julie nudged him. “Ow, what?”

“Okay, well you’re a ghost, true,” Luke amended. “But this is your home.”

“And we see you,” Julie said.

“And Willie, Flynn, Carlos, and Ray now too,” Reggie chimed in. “You may be dead, but your social life has never been better.”

“And I don’t know how yet, but I will find a way to make sure everyone else can see you too,” Julie said, moving her hand from his back and holding on to his other free hand. “Not just when we’re performing. Always.”

Alex looked into her eyes, wide and earnest, and he nodded. “Okay,” he said. It didn’t encompass what he thought - that he knew without a doubt that Julie was telling the truth, that she’d spend the rest of her life figuring out how to do it, that even if she couldn’t it still meant the world to Alex that she was going to try, no matter what.

Luke spoke next. “And they may be your family on paper,” he said in the same carefully gentle voice he always used when he spoke about Alex’s family. “But we’re your family too. You’re our family.”

“Nothing is ever going to change that,” Reggie said, and he got up. Alex looked up at him, expecting a mini-pep talk, but Reggie’s eyes filled with tears and he tackled Alex into a hug, knocking Alex back, chair and all. Julie and Luke shrieked as they fell backwards with him on the floor.

Alex laughed and sat up (not easy, with Reggie still clinging onto him, but he got it done). He wrapped his now free hands around Reggie. “Okay, okay,” he said. “I know. We’re family.”

“We definitely are,” Luke said, practically throwing himself onto the both of them and enveloping them both in a hug.

Alex smiled at the two of them and then looked over at Julie, who had sat up and was smiling at the group, an unsure look on his face.

“Julie,” Alex said lightly, “I think I need one more person hugging me to feel better.”

She rolled her eyes, but the smile grew and the unsure look in her eyes disappeared, and she joined in on the group hug.

The garage doors squeaked open, and Alex heard a sigh.

“You guys are having another crying session?” Carlos asked, and the group broke apart.

“No,” Luke said, wiping at his eyes.

“Sure,” Carlos said in a voice that yelled, I definitely don’t believe you. “Well, when you’re done not crying, Dad said it’s time for dinner, so hurry up.”

With that, he was gone, and Julie got up from her spot on the floor. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go have dinner.”

“Your dad remembers we’re ghosts, right?” Luke asked.

“Nuh-uh, not this argument again,” Julie said, struggling and failing to keep her face serious. “You remember what Dad said last time you said that, family time -”

“-is family time, whether you eat or not,” the rest of the boys finished, and Julie grinned.

“Exactly,” she said. “So come on.”

“Just give me a second,” Alex said, and at the worried looks from his bandmates he gave them a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, don’t worry. I just want to clean up the equipment a bit and then I’ll be in.”

Reggie patted him on the back and then he was out the door, yelling that he wanted to sit next to Ray, while Julie laughed and trailed after him. Luke reached over to squeeze Alex’s hand, and then he poofed away. Alex could already see Ray jump as Luke poofed into his usual seat next to Reggie and Julie, and Carlos’s eyes light up at the sight. They’d have the gluten-free-paleo-whatever tía Victoria had brought over for the week and Julie would absentmindedly pass him the salt to season his food. They’d say grace, and Ray would say thanks for the wonderful five kids in his house, something that had thrown Alex off the first time he had heard it but was grateful for each time. Afterwards, Carlos would show them some of those ghost hunting shows he liked to watch on you-tune or whatever - maybe Willie could even come by, if he was free, and they’d all circle around the screen and laugh as one of the guys fell over himself with every random noise. Julie would video call tía Victoria, who’d fawn over her niece and nephew and ask about the rest of the band, talking about how she had just seen yet another new performance of theirs and had loved it.

Unbidden, an image of his sister and her family popped up in his head. It occurred to him, briefly, that he never got to see Nina and his nephews or nieces, wherever they were. Maybe he’d try again, this time bringing his entire family along. They never made the crushing feeling in his chest go away, but it didn’t feel like it was choking him and they made everything all the more bearable. Maybe he could go visit, he thought, getting up from the floor. Maybe it’d be good for him, maybe it wouldn’t, but they’d face it together and he knew they’d gladly come with him if he asked. Maybe he’d even take another visit to his parent’s house, and try to get closure much like Luke had some time ago.

“Yo,” Carlos said, reappearing at the door and looking around the room. “You coming?” He stared just to the left of Alex (he was getting better at figuring out where the boys were without Julie, Alex had to give him that).

Alex tapped his drum cymbal in response and Carlos grinned. “Oh that’s so cool,” he said. “And perfect, because I’m starving.”

Alex grinned at the younger Molina and followed him out the door, his thoughts of his parents and his sister disappearing into the background. Maybe he’d do it, maybe he wouldn’t. He wasn’t sure yet.

For now, though, he was going to have dinner with his family.

Tagging: @random-nerd-3 @glgrdsklechhh4 @thewickedandthehufflepuff @isnt-that-wizard @ellicxr @kymwitthaus @starryseavey @kristallbluemchen @fanficfighter @mariechensterntaler @iamtiredofmydreams @rubyblaze22 @speedycubed @tyrantlizard-king

#jatp fanfic #jatp #julie and the phantoms #alex mercer #jatp fanfiction #janie writes stuff

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raayllum · 5 years

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contingency plan

for anyone else who suddenly has a lot of free time and needs to fill it, here are the recommendations

rayllum fics:

all about us: adorable modern dancing au @little-red-alchemist-of-doom 43k+, complete.

And If You’re Gone Tomorrow (What Was Ours Still Will Be): 22.5k, modern high school au. rayla is an exchange student who befriends callum.

@jellyjay‘s in anticipation series (shorter drabbles but quantity and quality)

Peace Is A Journey by @tenspontaneite: 13+ chapters, 176.9k, ongoing. canon divergence of s1 that boils down to katolis and the continent being much larger than it was in canon, and therefore takes a lot more time to cross

Sides of the Moon by @kuno-chan: 21+ chapters, 105.9k, ongoing.

longer list of rayllum fic recs (21+ fics)

other fanfics:

hitchups: a “how to train your dragon” fanfic where hiccup runs away with toothless when he said he would. friendship and mythology follows. 300k+, complete.

the problem with zuko: one of the best “avatar: the last airbender” fics i’ve ever read. lu ten doesn’t die at ba sing se. 26k+ oneshot.

a call to arms: the year at hogwarts when harry, ron, and hermione were on the run. canon compliant, complete, just under 165k.

ad initium: percy jackson oneshot, 9k+. thalia never gets turned into a tree.

cartoons:

steven universe: 5+ seasons and a movie, and wrapping up as a series in total in a couple of weeks. fun songs, semi chill filler, nice lore. lesbian space rocks. we all cry. also james baxter did the animation once. 160 episodes (but each are 10 minutes long).

she ra and the princesses of power: fun and queer until the angst hits. cute animation style with a final season already confirmed. 39 episodes.

tales of arcadia: trollhunters: beautiful animation and created by guillermo del toro, available on netflix. regular teen by day and super hero-esque figure by night. best of tropes and subversions. complete, 52 epsiodes.

tales of arcadia: 3below: adjacent series that focuses on aliens. 26 episodes. amazing textures and neon aesthetics.

dreamworks’ dragons: a good fun time with plenty of dragons and found family. “race to the edge” is on netflix although it does allude to previous seasons, “riders/defenders of berk.” 78 episodes of rtte, an additional 40 for rob/dob.

tangled the series: has legit lore and character growth/development. hella good musical numbers. very cute 2D animation style. 57 episodes, complete.

avatar: the last airbender: is on netflix. what more are you waiting for?

tv shows:

the good place: up to three seasons available on netflix. a woman who lived a terrible life on earth finds herself accidentally in heaven, and has to try and ethically earn her spot there. finished, 52 episodes in total, complete.

brooklyn nine nine: feel good comedy with nice found family and queer rep, 6+ seasons on netflix and still on going. just a good time and the stakes are never usually too high.

one day at a time: a cuban-american family of a single vet mother, questioning daughter elena, her younger brother alex, and their abuelita make their way through the world. generally feel good sitcom, three seasons on netflix, 39 episodes. s4 is just about to drop on pop.tv.

crazy ex girlfriend: high powered lawyer follows her summer love ex boyfriend back to his home town, with musical numbers. complete feminist deconstruction of the term “crazy ex girlfriend” and an amazing discussion of mental health. knows when to be serious, funny, relatable, or all three. incredible queer rep. 62 episodes, complete.

the lizzie bennet diaries: webseries modern au of pride and prejudice, super easy to binge and all for free on youtube. complete.

#rayllum #fic recs #non tdp #in case ppl need it #my recs

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heamarvel · 5 years

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Holiday Movie Challenge Prompt and Badge lists

Hellooooo shippers of all Marvel ships!

This marks the kickoff to HEA (Happily Ever After) Marvel’s Holiday Movie Challenge! If you don’t know us, we’re a group of crafty mods under the direction of our own personal Pepper Potts ( @betheflame ), so really, this is going to be great fun, and we hope that you’ll join us!

A brief intro to our event:

At no point do you need to sign up for this event. You are not beholden to post anything, even if you say that you will. This is a guiltless, fun event!

Pick a prompt, any prompt!

Interpret the prompt any which way you wish. We have prompt examples available for people to peruse on our blog and on our Discord, if you’re in need of a few examples.

Write (or art, podfic, or moodboard, etc.) any ship you want, even polyamorous relationships of any number or type (even if the prompts contain just two characters!).

Include additions from our badge list if you wish! They function like video game achievements (think World of Warcraft, or Xbox) and you will be rewarded with little achievement badges designed by the wonderful @kocuria that you can display anywhere you please.

The collection will open on November 1st and close on December 24th.

Around then we will provide a Google form to submit the badge info and other info for your fic.

BUT REMEMBER! All contributions to this event must have a Happily Ever After as per holiday movie standards (doesn’t mean there can’t be tons of angst and pain in the middle, though).

For any further info, please check out our Holiday Movie Challenge page, our Prompt and Badge page, our Frequently Asked Questions page, or ask us questions on Tumblr, Twitter, or on Discord! (Links on Tumblr.)

But that’s enough mod-splaining, let’s take a look under the cut at the prompts and badges that we’ve been eagerly waiting to share with you!

*We have included both (1) images to download and save as well as (2) text for those who prefer or need that medium! The images are at the bottom of this post.

Here’s a separate post with just the images.

Prompts

1. Character A is a big city lawyer who swore to never go back to their hometown. Suddenly, their grandfather dies and leaves them the family Christmas Tree farm. They’re determined to go back and shut down the farm. Character B runs the farm and is determined to save it.

2. After losing their job as an au pair in New York, Character A accepts a position as a nanny in the castle of a small European principality no one has ever heard of. Character B is a single parent & ruler of the country.

3. When architect and Christmas amateur Character A finds themselves hosting their family for Christmas, they recruit holiday coordinator Character B to bring holiday joy to their home.

4. A high-powered executive reconsiders their priorities when car trouble leads them to Christmas Valley, a town in love with Christmas.

5. Two new students at nearby university, Character A and Character B, meet the first day of classes and become study partners. A local bookstore becomes a close part of their lives as their relationship grows.

6. Character A - a famous author who writes about how to stay single - is forced to look after their niece and nephew over the holidays. With the help of their Christmas-loving neighbor, Character B, they learn to find love and the Christmas spirit.

7. A young royal (Character A) escapes their entourage to explore New York City over Christmas. They meet Character B who shows the beautiful stranger their side of the city.

8. As Christmas approaches, Character A (the Lizzie Bennet character), a New York event planner, is sent to a quaint, small town to organize their holiday festival. When they arrive, they find Character B (the Darcy character), a high-profile billionaire lacking in holiday spirit, in the process of selling the charming estate they hoped to use as a venue.

9. An anxious bride-to-be (Character A, “bride” is non-gender assigned) throws in with broken-hearted and cynical Character B and a happily married couple for an emergency ride to NYC from New England.

10. Character A has to go to their cousin’s holiday wedding that’s taking place a year to the day they were left at the altar. Unable to face going alone, they con Character B into going “just as friends.”

11. When a restless young married Character A is granted a wish by a Christmas Angel to be single again, they soon discover their new life isn't what they bargained for, and embark on a quest to win Character B back.

12. Character A and Character B have been archrivals ever since a memorable fight over a coveted Christmas recital solo in elementary school. Now adults, they work side-by-side at the same school where they still constantly compete over everything. As the holiday season approaches, the entire school is getting into the spirit with the annual fundraising festival, which will feature an exciting new event - a teacher Christmas Cookie Bake-Off, judged by a tough five-star chef.

13. Character A inherited a toy factory. The town needs the factory to stay open, but they have no interest in being tied to their hometown. Especially when they find out that Character B - who broke their heart in high school - is the town’s mayor.

14. A WWII era nurse (Character A) is transported in time to 2019 and meets Character B who helps them discover the bonds of family and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless.

15. Stranded at an airport at Christmastime, Character A accepts a ride from Character B, who has just rented the last car in town.

Badges

Length

500

10k

15k

20k+

Ships

We’ll be custom-making the badges for whatever ship you choose to bring to the table! (Just keep in mind our limits: no underage, no non-con, no nazis.) Popular ship or rarepair+, this group of multishipping mods would love to see whatever you choose to write!

General fic elements

Baking/Cooking

Needing a passport

Non-abled character

Neuro-diverse character

Passes the Bechdel Test

Set outside the United States

Addresses a legitimate societal ill/charity/cause

Character learns a craft as a coping mechanism

Someone eats popcorn in a dramatic scene

Mention or include a Hallmark store or movie

Character is tracing their genealogy

Character writes fanfiction

Character learns a new skill

NSFW

A/B/O

Sentinels & Guides

Soulmate-Identifying Marks

Historical AU: Scottish or Irish clans

Historical AU: Ancient Rome or Greece

Historical AU: Regency or Victorian

Historical AU: American West

Inclusion of animal other than a dog, cat, or horse

‘It Takes a Village’ (town or community helps them hook up)

Use of holiday other than Christmas - including non-winter holidays

One sentence or more spoken in a language other than Russian

Discussion on classic literature and/or classic rock ‘n’ roll

Write a pairing you’ve never written before

Holiday Movie and general tropes

Inversion/Subversion of any trope

Main character has a cuddly dog

Presence of a small town festival

'And they were roommates!'

Fake Relationship

Only One Bed

Snowball fight

Ice skating or Ice hockey

Interrupted first kiss

Stories from childhood

Sassy/nosy best friend

Conniving co-worker

Kid as matchmaker

Single parent

Holiday specific

Yule log

Playing Dreidel

Holiday movie pick: Die Hard

Use of the phrase “Santa! I know him!”

Home Alone style shenanigans, serious or not

Trying to balance an egg on the Solstice

A non-Jewish character mixes up Passover and Hanukkah

Writing format/style

Outsider POV

First Person POV

Text Message/Chat Room

3+ perspectives in one story

Dialogue Only

Epistolary

Avengers stereotypes/fanon

Thor is foreign

Bots as children

Tony has insomnia

Tony Is Worthy (of Mjolnir)

Tony as a non-Iron Man mechanic

Ceiling vent Clint Barton

Budapest Explanation

Natasha is a scary spy/likes sneaking

Super-Nanny Phil Coulson

Peter Parker being a klutz

Peter and Shuri team up on Tony

Bruce has anger management problems

Avengers Movie Night

Darcy uses her taser

Bucky speaks Russian

Steve and/or Bucky need to play catch up on modern and pop culture

Shrunkyclunks (Modern Steve/CA & non-Avenger Bucky)

Shrinkyclinks (Modern Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier & non-CA Steve)

Side Character speaking role (any apply): Dr. Doom, Reed Richards, Galactus, Ghost Rider, Frank Castle, any Inhuman, any Runaway, Sif or one of the Warriors Three, Frigga, Amora or Lorelei

Set in a Marvel canon universe (even if not canon-compliant), for example: 1872, Noir

Mod Requests

Supernatural creatures

Gender swapped MC

Someone wears a tiara

Someone wears a kimono

Long-distance relationship

Snuggling to keep warm

1940s AU

Disclaimer: The above plot summaries in the prompt list belong to numerous movies in the Hallmark catalogue. We do not claim to own them, and are not making any money off of this, nor are we being paid by Hallmark to run this event.

Additionally, as of December 14th, 2019, we are no longer associating with Hallmark even in name, due to their poor choice to cave to pressure and remove an advertisement of a gentle, loving same-sex kiss occurring at their own wedding. We cannot and will not abide that.

#heamarvel #hallmarkholidaychallenge #Hallmark Challenge #marvel comics #mcu #marvel 616 #marvel ultimates #deadpool #x-men #mod post #prompt post #badge post #mod: juuls #holiday movie challenge

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queenofthedramedies · 4 years

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There’s Something Fishy Here!

Summary: Fic dedicted to Twilightroxas7. S1 Missing Epi. Alaric Saltzman takes a group of students on a make-up vacay after their Mummy incident, only to be followed home by a new group of monsters. With Lizzie Saltzman and Landon Kirby being two of the only students who are immune to the call of these new creatures, they will have to work to save their friends and family, or to doom the school, and some students to a new home: at the bottom of the sea.

Hello, my lovely readers. This story takes place between There's a Mummy on Main Street and This Boy Still Has Lot of Good to Do. On with the show...

There's Something Fishy Here!

Water lapped along the sandy beach, and it felt like there was nothing but sun, and soft, puffy, calm blue clouds in the sky. MG closed his eyes and titled his head back, enjoying the feel of the warm rays on his skin which would turn him to cinders if not for his daylight ring. After the Mummy episode-the one MG felt cheated of seeing-Alaric Saltzman had decided to make up for it by taking a select group of students to Virginia Beach. And Kaleb talked Dr. S into bringing Kaleb's crew along. This meant MG, Landon and Rafael got a little R & R. Opening his eyes, MG found himself smiling until he spotted what looked like a pink fin. The fin waved at him, from about fifty feet away and MG blinked, wondering if he was dreaming, but pretty sure he was wide-awake.

Opening his mouth, MG turned to glance back at his friends, feeling uncertain, and feeling certain that his expression matched his inner turmoil. A growl came from under an over-sized beach towel. "Wife of Frodo, please, tell your hobbit to get the hell out of my sun!" Lizzie Saltzman's fiery gaze was about to burn a hole right through Landon Kirby. Landon had his back to MG, so MG couldn't see the look on his friend's face, but he could imagine the downturned lip and wide-eyed look on Landon's face that made him look a bit like a hobbit.

Hope Mikaelson came to the rescue, sliding her heart-shaped glasses down her nose and staring at Lizzie. "I thought we were writing a new chapter: a pre-friends, post-mortal-enemies kind of thing?"

Josie Saltzman let out a laugh from the other side of Lizzie. Lizzie shot Josie a pouty-frown. "I need to get a drink," Jo mumbled to her blanket before she pushed herself to her feet and practically ran away from her sister's wrath.

"See!" "Your Mubbit from the land of Perpetual Never Gets Laid for a Reason is ruining EVERYTHING!" He's blocking my sun. And now, he's made Jo run off!"

"It's not your sun-and unlike the sun-not everything revolves around you!" Lizzie was already walking away. "And she's gone!" Landon threw his hands in the air. "Never can get the comeback out soon enough!"

"It's okay. I'm sure you'll have many more opportunities to zing Lizzie," Hope comforted Landon.

Landon's shoulders drooped. "Not really something to look forward to."

"MG, how gorgeous is this view?" Kaleb came to stand beside MG with a smile.

MG was still focused on Lizzie's hips. "It's the most bea-"

"Not that, brother," Kaleb took MG by the shoulders and spun him around to face the water. "All the nature. Nothing like it." Kaleb shook his head. "One of these days, I'm going to own one of these sweet beachfront homes."

MG nodded, narrowing his eyes. He looked around for waving pink tails, but did not see a single one. "Kaleb, you haven't seen anything weird out here, have you?"

Kaleb's brows rose. "Other than Raf still moping about his brother's girl, and not trying to hook up with one of the maaaannnnnyyyyyyy honies scattered around our sandy beach." Kaleb shook his head with a smirk. "Nope. Just sand, sun, and Lizzie's snark."

MG nodded. "Why?" Kaleb's brows lifted. "You seen Jaws or something? Should we warn the pretty ladies to not go in the water?" He began to hum the classic song from the film that made MG fear water for a year.

Shaking his head, MG replied, "Less giant teeth, and more Disney sing-along." He felt silly. "I'm just being a fool. Forget it." He glanced at the water before trudging toward their friends.

"What's up?" Landon greeted them, applying sunblock to Hope's back while Rafael stared a little too hard in the opposite direction.

"MG saw a mer-girl!" Kaleb cried in excitement.

"Mer-maid," MG mumbled, feeling stupid.

Kaleb clapped his hands on MG'S shoulders. "Bro, someone's just messing with you. That's all. Some girl with one of those flipper things."

Hope's phone went off and she snatched it up. "We've got to go. Ric has activities." She shot them one of her wide, a little too tight, and a little too bright to be real, smiles to show how happy she was. "Come on! I won't be the only one to suffer through Movies-That-Involve-Surfboards Charades, again!"

MG trailed behind the others on their way back to the hotel. And as he walked, he felt sure he heard a voice call: "M-G!" in a sing-song tone. He looked back at the water, and, again, he saw nothing out of place. Just the lapping waves. Wondering if he'd had a touch too much sun, MG forced all thoughts of girls who might go by the name Ariel out of his head.

Read the Entire Story

Thank you for reading, liking, reblogging and following. 😊

Be safe,

-J

#mg #lizzie saltzman #landon kirby #josie saltzman #hope mikaelson #dorian williams #emma tig #kaleb hawkins #alaric saltzman #random mermaids #legacies au #legacies fanfiction

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wanheda0313 · 5 years

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Time Will Never Heal this Wound

This is my first fic I’ve written for the fandom and the first thing I’ve written for a long time so it’s probably not very good. This is based of an incorrect quote me and @thedorkofoz were discussing over vc on the sixcord which is Maggie told Lizzie about Anne’s death so... Enjoy

She knew that Anne had heard the whispers. Everyone had heard them. Henry moving on with another woman. A rumour like that was hard to hide and even harder for it not to spread around the court like the plague.

She wasn’t dumb. She saw the looks Henry gave to a particular to one Jane Seymour. Anne’s own Lady-In-Waiting. Her friend.

It briefly brings her back to time when Jane Seymour was Anne Boleyn. Long ago to a time when a Spanish Princess ruled side by side with an English King.

The king, bewitched by the new arrival at court and had quickly forgotten about his wife and daughter for a new and younger plaything. Someone who could give him a son.

For Anne, sneaking around with the king behind the Queen’s back, it became a game. Only to arrive by morning to help the queen get ready for the day with her none the wiser. Until she was.

Maggie had seen it all during her time as Lady-In-Waiting for two of Henry’s wives. In her opinion, soon to be three wives.

From Aragon to Anne. Anne to Jane… Now, history is repeating itself and Maggie can tell this will not end well. It never ends well, she’s begun to see. Never for the wives that is.

Secrets among the courtiers and ladies is never a good thing. When one secret is about a certain queen and reaches the ears of a king who wishes to wed a new wife, that's when it starts to become a dangerous game where someone will get hurt.

And in Maggie’s experience, it's never the husband who gets hurt.

Once upon a time, Henry was happy and in love with Anne. It is true. The fire, the intelligence, the wit and the charisma that Anne was so well known for, Henry loved it all.

Once upon a time he loved her but not anymore.

Maggie should’ve done something. To warn Anne. She’d do anything to make this outcome different but what could she do to persuade the king. She was powerless. Helpless. She’d be given the same fate as Anne without any questions asked. And who would look after Lizzie once she and Anne were gone.

What Henry wants, he gets no matter the innocent lives that get ruined in the process

She’d been with Anne since Anne was a new Lady-In-Waiting for the new queen. They’d become close friends quickly. She supported Anne through miscarriages and stillbirths. She helped Anne with Lizzie. Watched with Anne as she grew up into a curious toddler.

Anne was playing with Lizzie in the nursery when the guards came. Maggie was there watching and waiting.

“Look after her. Please,” She had pleaded.

“Dear friend, whatever they say about me. What slander they announce or have decreed I have done. Make sure she knows the truth. That I tried my best to be a good queen and that her mother loved her very much and would do anything for her,” Anne had whispered that sorrowful night, before walking away with the guards.

Her head held high and her gaze straight. And a crying Lizzie and a mournful friend left behind. The sounds of footsteps fading away.

Days later Anne’s been condemned to die. The accusations, the crimes, they’re untrue but when a king is convinced that Anne must be gotten rid of, there is no winning. She was doomed from the start but that didn’t help smother the flicker of hope she had until the verdict was read out.

Guilty of incest, the judge called out. The echo revelation around the room. Yet, Anne kept her gaze towards the front. Her mouth barely moving in a prayer. A punch in the gut.

Guilty of Adultery. It rings out. The death sentence. Anne doesn’t falter. It leaves Maggie spinning.

Guilty of treason. Silence.

The silence rings around the room. Anne Boleyn will die for her actions against the crown. Against an unjust crown and ruler. Maggie feels the wind knocked out of her.

The next few days are the most vivid days of her life. She remembers everything she did. Every moment spent with Lizzie. Every time Lizzie asked for her mum but Maggie didn’t have the heart to tell Lizzie that her mum wasn’t coming back.

One day though, she will need to know.

One day she will hear the whispers of court about her mother. The disgrace of the country. The whore. The witch for leading Henry away from being on the path of God and onto a path of damnation.

She’ll never hear about Anne’s kindness to others, her intelligence and wits to rival the great men of the court. For all these will be swept under the rug. Forgotten as Henry moves onto the next wife. And then the next. Then the next. Until his death. Never satisfied.

Until it becomes a distant memory in the ever changing court goers.

Maggie will never forget though. She will never forget the nights talking to Anne when they were young Ladies-In-Waiting serving a foreign queen to when Anne herself was queen. She’ll never forget the quiet fire that roared in Anne’s eyes. Blazing away during the countless arguments she heard.

Her quiet night time talks about improving the lives of the commoners. The intelligence and the grace that Anne was villainized for, were the very traits that Maggie admired the most.

The night before Anne was to be executed, Maggie sneaks out. Under the cover of darkness, she leaves the castle. And she runs.

Runs to the place that if she’s caught, she’ll be sent to. Runs to the place where her best friend, is being held. Counting down the seconds, minutes, hours to her death.

She runs through the tower with an ease. The guards know her, she won’t be stopped.

She stops at the cell she’s been running to.

“Anne,” She whispers into the darkness

A ruffle of cloth is barely audible in the ever present silence.

“Maggie?”

The dim candle light barely envelopes the room but it's enough to see the bag under Anne’s eyes. The tears she’s cried.

“Is, is she safe?” A whisper. A voice of a mother who knows she isn’t leaving this cell alive. The voice of someone who only cares about the safety of her daughter.

“Yes. She asks for you. Every single time. I don’t have the heart to tell her but I fear I may need to.”

A sigh echoes around. Bouncing off the walls into the silent night.

“Please. Tell her. She’s young… Too young for this but she deserves to hear it from someone who loves her unconditionally. And since I’m not going to be there and Henry only loves with conditions, you need to tell her for me.”

Anne chuckles softly but it quickly fades away. Replaced by an ever thickening silence.

“I will.” A nod barely visible in the dim candle light.

“I will tell her that you loved her very much and you wish it didn’t end like this. I will tell her what an admirable woman her mother was from the moment I met her, to the moment she died.”

“Thank you. You have always been a true friend. I will miss you but please, leave. Do not get in trouble for visiting me, for Henry will have you in here with me.”

“I will.” A silent promise.

As Maggie turn away into the darkness she hears a whisper.

“Maggie,” She turns around.

“Promise me you’ll raise her to me intelligent and witty and to never think she is less than anyone. You promise me that she will know that her mother loved her more than anything that this world could produce. You promise me that she will know the truth of me and my life.”

The final wishes of a condemned queen.

“I swear upon my life that I will uphold this promise. She will never forget you Anne,”

Maggie spots the familiar smile and fire that she has come to know. It fills her with melancholy for this may be the last time she will see Anne alive.

She slips out of the tower and into the dark and cold night. Dread filling every part of her body for the coming morning.

The next morning was cold and miserable. Maggie makes her way to the Tower of London with the other Ladies.

The mood is dark and somber. No one wanting to make conversation for one of their own, a beloved mistress was soon to be gone.

The wait is anxiety inducing. Then she sees the familiar brown hair and face.

Her head is held high. Her gaze straight, scanning the crowd. Even walking to her death, she holds the grace of a queen.

She kneels down. Laying her head on the block. She has come here to die. And no one can take this away from here.

“Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, according to law, for by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it.”

This captures the crowd’s attention. The chattering and cheers from the crowd silenced by the last words of a disgraced queen.

“I come here only to die, and thus to yield myself humbly to the will of the King, my lord. And if in my life, I did ever offend the King’s Grace, surely with my death I do now atone.”

Nothing Anne did for the king was ever enough. No matter the heartbreak, the stress. Henry kept pushing. And pushing until he had enough. And condemned her to death.

“I come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of what whereof I am accused, as I know full well that aught I say in my defense doth not appertain to you. I pray and beseech you all, good friends, to pray for the life of the King, my sovereign lord and yours, who is one of the best princes on the face of the earth, who has always treated me so well that better could not be, wherefore I submit to death with good will, humbly asking pardon of all the world.”

Maggie can tell Anne is trying to sound genuine but she can hear the superficial words. Henry took Anne away from Lizzie. The only person Anne cared about.

“If any person will meddle with my cause, I require them to judge the best. Thus I take leave of the world, and of you, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. Oh Lord, have mercy on me! To God I commend my soul!”

A few moments pass. The audience replying her words in their minds then the sword comes down.

Maggie turns her head almost in preparation for the blow. She hears the thud and the cheers.

She walks away. Back to the palace. Noting that the king isn’t even attending. This time there is small chatter and conversation amongst the courtiers and ladies. Maggie stays silent the entire time. Too busy mourning the loss of her best friend to an unjust king who’s want for power and an heir cost the life of an innocent woman.

She walks into the nursery where Lizzie is playing. Her eyes light up upon seeing Maggie enter the room. It breaks Maggie’s heart.

She runs as best as she can on her short legs to Maggie.

“Maggie!” Lizzie squeals.

“Where’s mama?” She says looking around. Just like Anne would play where Anne would hide around the room and Lizzie would try to find her.

She walks around looking under things and moving things around.

“Mama!” She calls out into the empty room with a childish glee.

Maggie sighs. Knowing that Lizzie needs to know.

She picks up Lizzie and sits down on Anne’s favourite chair.

Maggie doesn’t know how to tell her.

“Mama…” She tries, “Your mama isn’t coming back home. She’s gone to heaven to be with angels. Before she flew away, she wanted me to tell you that she loves you very much,” Maggie starts to choke up.

She can see the tremble of Lizzie’s bottom lip.

“She didn’t want to leave you but she had to fly away. She wants you to know that she will never stop loving you and will always be proud of you.”

“Mama. Gone?”

A nod.

Lizzie starts to wail. Maggie starts crying as well. Unleashing her tears and emotions that's she’s been holding onto for the entire day.

It feels like hours passed. Lizzie long ago fell asleep on Maggie’s shoulder. Maggie feels as if she is right about to when she feels a hand on her shoulder and a whisper in a familiar voice.

“I’m so proud of you both. I will always love you Lizzie,”

She slowly turns around to see the barely visible smile of Anne Boleyn before she fades away.

#six the musical #anne boleyn #six the musical fanfic #maggie on the guitar

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victorluvsalice · 5 years

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Forgotten Vows Friday: Favorite Moments, Part IV

It's my BIRTHDAY! :D And much like the 13th was the perfect day to talk about the darkest moments I love in this series, I think today is the perfect day to talk about the brightest moments -- aka, my absolute favorite favorites. I don't think any of you are going to be surprised by this list:

1. Forgetting You, Chapter 9: Splatter Gets What He's Owed -- Victor punching Jack Splatter and rescuing Alice from the burning Mangled Mermaid -- Okay, first of all, I like this chapter in general because it was one of the first I did after getting some solid writing tips from reading the first book of the Riverworld series (namely, "I do not want to write like this"), and I feel it represents a big jump in quality in my storytelling. And this particular moment -- oh, it was satisfying to finally give Splatter exactly what he deserved for hitting Alice! (Which is, uh, kind of why I kept doing it. XD) Not to mention I threw myself into properly describing the burning Mermaid and Victor's rescue of Alice, and I feel it turned out beautifully. (I still like "If the exterior of the Mangled Mermaid was a glimpse at Pastor Galswells's favorite vision of Hell, the interior was the full Time-Of-Judgment-Featuring-Dante-And-Virgil experience.") Not to mention I liked letting Victor play the hero for Alice, as she was going to be playing the hero for him for much of the rest of the verse!

2. Forgetting You, Chapter 24: Confrontation At Moorgate Station -- Victor punching Bumby during the brief moment he broke free of his control -- Speaking of satisfying moments where someone gets what they deserve. . .ooh, this felt good to write after Chapter 22! Bumby obviously deserves worse, but that moment where it becomes clear he never truly broke Victor -- well, Alice wasn't the only one bouncing up and down in delight. XD

3. Forgetting You, Chapter 25: Into Londerland -- Alice shoving Bumby in front of the train -- Obviously I have to include what is also one of my favorite moments in Alice: Madness Returns itself. I was so worried that he was going to get away scott-free, and then Alice took matters into her own hands, and it was great. And I think I did a good job in translating the moment into text, particularly Bumby's shock as Alice turns to face him as her Wonderland self. (Which he definitely saw her as, thanks to my Alice having a natural talent for a certain disguise spell. . .) Not to mention the exchange right before she shoves him:

"Could you kill a fly?" echoed in her head, the Dollmaker trying to get in one last shot from beyond the grave.

I can kill a lot more than that, she replied, and used her free hand to give Bumby one good, hard shove.

Eeee~ So good.

4. Remembering You, Chapter 13: Taking Back The Crown -- Victor defeating the Bumby Heart within the Wall, and regaining his memories -- Again, more satisfying moments against Bumby -- or, at least the remnant of him still left in Victor's head. The whole fight against the Wall, with Victor wielding Alice's weapons against the Ruin, was great to write, but the final battle? Victor clawing his way back from the edge of oblivion thanks to remembering Alice's eyes? The memory of getting the fork from Ms. Plum becoming the initial form of the Vorpal Fork? Victor staring the Heart down as it starts panicking? The "MY! NAME! IS! VICTOR!" line right before he stabs it?! *chef's kiss* That was so good, both to write and to read afterward. :D And then afterward, designing the first form of his Otherland -- the sweet little forest where his memories come back? That was a great way to destress after the fight. Just what Victor and I needed.

5. Remembering You, Chapter 14: So Kiss Me – Victor and Alice's first kiss -- It's their first kiss I'm not supposed to pick this? XD More seriously, this was a sweet and wonderful moment to finally write. And it probably helps that I took some inspiration from one of my favorite Disney movies, Enchanted -- you know how Victor picks up Alice and spins her around a bit? I had in mind Giselle getting spun around by Prince Edward when they reunite in Robert's apartment. (Yeah, I know, wrong couple, but I still thought it was a cute moment!) After so much time spent with them either pining but shoving down their feelings, or being utterly oblivious, or being in love but struggling past lingering mental issues. . .damn, it just felt good to have them finally smooch.

6. Fixing You, Chapter 7: Heck Though Ain't It Grand – Alice's reunion with Lizzie in the Land of the Dead -- I know this was one of the two "big moments" everyone wanted to see in the series, and I was more than happy to deliver. Mostly because it was a moment I wanted to see myself. Setting up the surprise of Lizzie being Burtonsville, not in Oxford, was a lot of fun in-universe, and the actual moment when the two sisters saw each other again – even I "awwwed" internally when they flung themselves into each other's arms. :) It was just so heartfelt. . . The follow-up hug between Alice and her parents when they finally reach the Ball & Socket is great too. Just – I know this is the thing Alice has wanted most ever since the series began, and I was thrilled to give it to her. (And this leading to the final defeat of that damned Jabberwock was a great bonus! Call that an "honorable mention" on this list.)

7. Fixing You, Chapter 10: The Grand Wonderland Tour – Victor and Alice's tour of Wonderland – Yes, the entire chapter. This is the other big thing everyone wanted, and, again, more than happy to deliver. This whole chapter is probably my favorite in the whole series, just because I had so much fun coming up with stuff for Victor and Alice to do in all the various domains! It was like a "greatest hits" of every fun "Victor and Alice in Wonderland" scenario I've ever thought of! :D Personal favorites within the chapter itself are the mine cart ride in the Village of the Doomed (it was fun going back to AMA, coming up with a special suit and dress for the mains for the "domain," and it was very interesting to look up stuff on early roller coasters!), Victor and Alice building a sand castle in the Music Fish's "Choral Coral" spot (that's my personal favorite bit in the Deluded Depths when it comes to the scenery, and it brought back fond memories of being on the beach and watching Mom make sand sculptures), the battle against the Army Ants (more fun with AMA stuff, and a good opportunity to show the pair's battle skills – not to mention, I love the way they got the Ants to back off in the end), and Victor and Alice's race through Cardbridge (again, my favorite level in A:MR, and them just getting to play like kids in this beautiful world was -- I swear, I was smiling and squeeing so much writing that bit. . .). But the whole thing was fantastic, and I think well-worth the wait!

8. Fixing You Chapter 16: Round Three: The Conglomeration. . .and Thirteen – Victor redeeming Thirteen, and the full creation of his Otherland afterward -- I like the whole sequence in Silent Burtonsville (Victor going Hysteria to kill the Colossal Nell when she threatens Alice is definitely an “honorable mention” moment), but the final confrontation definitely makes favorite. Victor and Alice finally recognizing just what it is he's struggling with, and Alice convincing Victor that the only one who sees himself as a monster is him, leading to him forgiving himself. . .ooooof. It just hits you right in the feels, doesn't it? The moment of him hugging his corrupted self, whispering that he doesn't hate him? How could you not sniffle, seriously? And then, after Thirteen's redemption back into Desire, the whole bit where Victor starts getting into what he actually wants his Otherland to look like. . .once again, had so much fun doing the descriptions! I was as enthusiastic as Victor about the whole thing! And Victor's joy at seeing the Living Dead Forest come to life outside the window? So much squee, seriously. Love it.

9. Fixing You, Chapter 18: A Day For A Glorious Wedding – Victor and Alice's wedding – Again, this is their wedding, I wasn't supposed to pick it?! XD I'm pretty sure we were all VERY READY for this to finally go down by the time it happened, and I was just thrilled to finally put it to paper. I mean, I'd had Victor's reaction to Alice's dress stored away in a "notes" file for ages, but to actually get them in front of that registrar, do the vows, go back to Houndsditch and have that cake. . .it did my heart good, seriously. Especially that moment when Victor hears Alice say her vows back to him, and all he can think is that he didn't want to cry. . . Even if it wasn't necessarily the most "romantic" way to get married, I still just wanted to sweep them up in a big hug and weep for a while. XD And then the reception afterwards in the Land of the Dead, with Victor and Alice getting a surprise party from their dead loved ones, Victoria finally getting a chance to see the place, June reuniting with her mother and meeting her brother, and the kids giving Victor his pictures back? I don't think I could have ended that story any more perfectly.

10. A Wedding, A Wedding, We're Going To Have A Wedding, Chapter 7: In A World Of Our Own – Victor and Alice's Wonderland reception – Honestly, the whole fic is a win for me (as probably evidenced by the way it kept growing chapters), but the last bit, which was a complete last-minute "oh hey, if I did a Land of the Dead reception for Victor and Alice, I should do a Wonderland one too!" is just – so full of fluff, I swear. I wasn't expecting it to be so squee-inducing and squishy when I first came up with the idea, but. . .Alice's Wonderland and Victor's Otherland merging like they do, with the inhabitants of both their minds teaming up to give them a party? Showing once and for all they've stopped beating themselves up about stuff for the most part? Awwwwww. . .the bit that really gets me, though, is the very last part:

[. . .] Victor turned to offer Alice his arm as the various citizenry hurried off through the combined woods –

Then paused. A playful grin crossed his face. "What?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow. "What are – Oh!"

Alice automatically grabbed for his neck as he suddenly scooped her up into his arms. "Oh," she repeated, trying to get her bearings. "Er – any particular reason for giving me a lift?"

"Well, you're my new wife," Victor told her, adjusting his grip. He nodded at the join between their two worlds, the Vale of Tears and the Living Dead Forest mingling in perfect harmony. "Aren't I supposed to carry you over the threshold?"

Oh, he was such a sap – and she loved him for it. "You are," she confirmed, snuggling into him. "If you would, Mr. Liddell?"

"My pleasure, Mrs. Van Dort."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH – no I DON'T know why that affects me so much but it FREAKING DOES. It just – ooof. *flops* Best way to end anything about their wedding, I swear.

And that covers it! All my favorite moments in the Forgotten Vows Verse! :D Hopefully you guys saw a few of your favorites in here as well. . . I'll see you all in the New Year! With any luck, we'll get some more content for this world, and maybe even a few more favorite moments. :)

#forgotten vows friday #forgotten vows verse #favorite moments #it's my birthday and I'll squee if I want to #most of these are probably super obvious #but I will take the opportunity to rave about them regardless #seriously it was actually really nice to go back through some of these #look at them again and go #'you know what I'm kind of good at this' XD #and have all the Valice feels again #I love my OTP and I want to keep writing for them for the rest of my life :)#in this universe or any other #queued

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odinsonsobsessed · 6 years

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Home For Christmas ▪Part Four▪

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston/OFC

Rating: M

Word Count: 4.5k

Summary: Two years ago, in order for Maddie to stop her mom’s nagging for her to settle down, she told her that her best friend, Tom Hiddleston, was her boyfriend! Now, she wants her to bring him home for Christmas, which Tom thankfully agrees to go along with. But what happens when their “pretend” feelings start to become real?

Notes/Warnings: Just a bunch of fluff, as per usual!

The poem recited in this fic isn't mine.

Beta’d by the lovely @mrshiddleston-uk

Master List

Tom found Maddie the next morning staring down at a cup of coffee nestled between her hands.

“Good morning darling.” He made his presence known, causing Maddie to look up with a tired smile.

“Morning.” She mumbled and took a sip of her caffeinated drink. She hadn't slept very well and the coffee would help her get through the day. “I heated some water for you in the electric kettle if you'd like some tea.”

“Ah, thank you. Tea sounds lovely.” Tom grabbed a mug from the cabinet as well as an Earl Grey tea bag and poured the hot water into the mug.

“It snowed quite a bit since yesterday. Should we go back out and I'll show you my spot?”

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan. When would you like to go?” He dipped the bag into the water and took a seat next to Maddie.

“I don't know, a couple of hours maybe?” She played with the handle of her mug, tracing the outer edge with her thumb. “I can make us some breakfast if you want?”

Tom set down his tea after taking a drink and smirked. “I'm not eating spaghetti for breakfast, Maddie.”

“Ha ha ha very funny.” She took the last sip of her coffee and got up, heading over to the kitchen.

She made bacon, over easy eggs, tomatoes, baked beans and fried up some bread, too. Tom seemed quite thrilled with her breakfast, despite his jokes. He helped Maddie clean up and they went to see what everyone else was doing in the family room.

Marge was curled up in a recliner reading a novel, Wes was watching sports and Lizzie was doing something on her phone. Scott was the only one absent and Maddie knew he was still sleeping, he always liked to sleep in late if he didn't have to be up early.

Marge looked up and smiled, “Good morning!”

“Morning mom.”

“What are your plans today?” Marge put a bookmark in her book and set it on the side table next to her.

Maddie plopped down on the loveseat next to Tom. “Oh, I don't know. I was going to go take a walk with Tom in a little bit, then I thought maybe we'd come back and play a game or something.”

“That sounds nice, dear.” After that, she began to ask her usual prying questions about Maddie and Tom's life. Tom put his hand on Maddie's to calm her irritation when Marge got sarcastic with some of her responses. After a while, she got quiet and tried to let it go, letting Marge and Tom chat about other things. She reminded herself that at least she was trying to get to know him.

“So you say you're an actor, how did you get into it?”

“Well, it sort of started when I was a kid. My sisters and I spent a lot of time together with our cousins during the summer and we'd put on these little plays for our parents. Then as I got older, I participated in the school plays and my drama club teacher was impressed with my performances and encouraged me to pursue my interest further.”

“Oh, so you're into plays then?”

“Yeah.” He chuckled. “I guess you could say I'm a bit of a Shakespeare buff.”

“Shakespeare, huh?”

“Yeah, mom. It's extremely impressive! You could ask him almost anything and he's got something to say about it!” Maddie chimed in. She didn't understand it most of the time, but it all sounded so good coming from him. It made Tom happy and she loved the way his face lit up whenever he would talk about Shakespeare and other playwriters he liked.

“Oh Tom, would you recite us something?” Lizzie had put her phone down at this point, completely engrossed in all the information she was hearing from Tom.

Tom chuckled from Lizzie's enthusiasm. “Sure I can. Um… let me think of something.” He furrowed his brow for brief moment while he thought of something to say. He was silent for a minute before something came to mind. Clearing his throat, he adjusted how he was sitting before he spoke,

“Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove. O no, it is an ever-fixèd mark That looks on tempests and is never shaken; It is the star to every wand'ring bark, Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken. Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle’s compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”

The room was silent, save for the whistle blowing and the crowd cheering on the TV in the background, which Wes had turned down earlier so they could chat. Tom felt a bit embarrassed from the lack of words after his own. “So um… there you have it!” Even though he'd spoken in front of hundreds of others in many different occasions, somehow he felt more self conscious in a room of four people.

“Tom, that was lovely!” Maddie finally spoke, to Tom's relief. She never got over how impressed she felt even though she'd heard him recite things like that before. She'd even gotten the opportunity to attend some of the plays that he performed in. She loved how he was so authentic with everything he did, how he put everything into all that he took on. She admired his drive and commitment to his passion, and it inspired her as a writer to continue on, even when she was met with an obstacle.

“Oh, yes! It was amazing!” Lizzie gushed after recovering from the shock of hearing Tom speak with such passion.

Shortly after, Maddie excused them so that they could finally get going outside. Tom and Maddie grabbed their coats and boots, bundling up before they went out into the cold. Tom pulled Maddie back before she reached the door and unzipped her coat slightly. “Where do you think you're going without this?” He brought her scarf around her neck and wrapped it around securely, then zipped her coat back up. He adjusted her hat, giving it a quick gentle tug to make sure it was on properly. “There.” He smiled and Maddie followed suit, unable to stop the corners of her lips from rising.

“Thank you.” She looked down, embarrassed before turning the doorknob and stepping outside. Tom followed, closing the door behind him and slipped his gloves on.

The snow wasn't too deep, so it was easy to walk in. Every tree, every bush and fallen log they passed by was draped with freshly fallen snow. It was a sight that even though Maddie had seen every year, it never failed to amaze her. Tom seemed to share her appreciation for it as she took him back down the same path as they'd attempted the day before, only this time it was much prettier. They walked slow, their steps unhurried as they talked and enjoyed each other's company.

Sometime along the way, Maddie had grabbed onto Tom's arm and didn't let go. Tom seemed to be the only one to notice and he didn't mind one bit. They'd always been close and touched like this but now, after last night, it was beginning to feel different. There was almost a hint of romance to it, something just slightly above a friendly gesture.

Or maybe this was all in his head. They were playing the role of a couple, surely this was all that it was. She couldn't possibly have any romantic feelings for him, right?

“Tom?” Maddie squeezed his arm and it was enough to break him of his thoughts.

“Yes, darling? Sorry.”

“I said we're here. What do you think?” She gestured in front of them. Oh, they’d stopped. He took in his surroundings. Somehow he'd missed the change of temperature, it had gotten colder from their close proximity to the river. The large stones scattered along the shallow parts were topped off with snow, the water was yet to freeze as it flowed freely along.

“Oh Maddie, you were right... this is truly breathtaking.” Tom turned towards her and smiled. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

Maddie stared at him for a few moments before she laughed through her nose in embarrassment. “Honestly, I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather share this with.”

Maddie watched as Tom continued on down the riverbank, looking across it. She sighed as she tried calming down the quick beating in her chest. Only he could get her so worked up over something so simple as him smiling at her.

She needed to distract herself, try to wrangle some normalcy back in their relationship. She looked at the ground then back up at him, with an idea.

Maddie bent down to pack some snow between her hands, shaping it into a ball. With a smirk, she threw it and it smacked him in the back, causing him to stop.

Tom whipped around. “Did you just...hit me with a snowball?”

“That was for yesterday!”

A grin slowly spread onto his face. “Oh, you're going to regret that.”

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?” Maddie teased.

Tom bent down to pick up some snow, packing it together. “Why don't you come over here and find out?”

“I don't think so, Hiddleston!”

He started for her and she screamed, running across the open field. “Get back here!”

A snowball whizzed past her, just barely missing the side of her head. Maddie gasped and quickly scooped up some snow, turning slightly to throw it. It smacked him in the chest and she grinned.

He laughed when she continued to run, throwing another snowball at her and actually hitting her in the back this time. She retaliated, shifting onto her other foot, but she slipped in the snow and fell backwards from the force of chucking the snowball towards Tom.

“Maddie!” He dropped the snow in his hand and knelt down beside her. “Are you alri--”

Maddie grabbed at his coat, jerking him sideways so he landed in the snow. She scrambled to her knees, laughing as she looked down at him. When she attempted to stand, he muttered, “No, you don't!” And pulled her arm, causing her to fall on top of him. His arms snaked around to her back to hold her in place.

Maddie erupted into a fit of giggles and Tom couldn't wipe the amused smile off of his face if he tried. There it was, the familiar feel to their usual relationship.

When their laughter died down, neither made a move to get up. Maddie’s hands that were nestled into the snow on either side of Tom were beginning to slide slowly across the smooth, flattened snow. Her face got closer and closer to his…

Until Maddie's phone began to vibrate in her pocket, of course. She drew her head back and Tom loosened his grip, letting her go. Maddie rolled off of him and stood, grabbing her phone out of her pocket. “Yes, Scott?”

“Mom’s making potato soup and it's almost ready!” Scott replied, excitedly.

“Okay, we'll be back soon!” They hung up and Maddie smiled at Tom. “Oh, you’re in for a treat! Mom's famous potato soup is for lunch! Come on!” She pulled him along and Tom chuckled.

“Okay, but you know I won that one too, right?”

“Whatever floats your boat, Hiddleston!”

When Tom and Maddie got back to the cabin, they could smell the soup the minute they walked inside. They began to take off their outerwear, kicking off their boots and leaving them at the back door.

“Ohhh my hands are freezing!” Maddie whined, rubbing them together, as they walked toward the dining room.

Tom didn't hesitate to grab them and hold them in his hands. Somehow his hands seemed warmer than hers, must be his gloves, they were probably thicker than hers. He brought them up to his mouth and breathed on them to warm them up. She shivered when his hot breath caressed her skin.

“Oooh oooh! Mistletoe!!!” Lizzie jumped up and down excitedly.

Maddie froze, sharing a look with Tom before they looked up. She fought back a groan as she wished the ground would swallow her up.

“You guys have to kiss!” Lizzie grinned.

Maddie settled for rolling her eyes, “Come on, Lizzie, it's a stupid tradition.”

“Can’t break tradition, little sis.” Scott teased, chiming in next to Lizzie.

“Thanks a lot, Scott!” Maddie turned her head back to Tom, “We really don't have to--”

“Oh, relax darling, it’s fine. It is tradition after all.” A grin formed on his face and she swallowed.

Oh God. Maddie hadn't thought about the possibility of them having to kiss! What was she going to do? If they kissed, it would surely make things harder!

Sensing she was hesitant, Tom took the lead. Fingertips traced from the back of her jawline to the front, settling to grasp her chin. He gently tilted her face upwards bringing her forward.

Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tom didn't seem worried, maybe she was overreacting. It would be just one, quick little--

Tom's lips met Maddie's and all thoughts went out the window. She grasped the sleeves of his shirt, leaning further into the kiss.

Birds sang, bells chimed, explosions went off inside of her head. Maddie was finally kissing Tom! And she loved all ten seconds of it.

As quickly as it began, it ended. Tom drew back and cleared his throat. “Satisfied?” He asked Lizzie, whose mouth was hanging open.

“Yeah…”

“Come on, Maddie, let's sit down.” He guided Maddie to sit at the table, who was in a daze and legs felt like jelly. “Would you like a sweater? Are you still cold?”

Maddie shook her head. “No, I'm fine, thanks.” She mumbled as Marge brought in the pot of soup for everyone. She was so psyched for it before, but now she only took a couple of bites before she no longer felt hungry. She stared down at her bowl, moving the spoon around.

“Are you okay?” Tom asked in concern. “I thought you loved potato soup.”

She turned her head to look at him, “Yeah, I do, it’s just… I guess I'm just tired. I didn't sleep very well. I think I'm going to go lay down, do you mind?” Maddie was tired, she was up late thinking about Tom.

“Oh, no, not at all. Just leave your bowl and I'll take care of it for you.”

Maddie gave him a small smile, “Thanks, Tom.” She got up and headed for their room. She collapsed onto the bed, face down with a groan. She tried her hardest not to think about his warm lips against hers, his fingers grazing her skin… but it was difficult. Boy did he know how to make a girl melt.

She felt herself beginning to drift off, the fatigue settling in. Maddie slept for maybe an hour before she awoke to a beautiful sight.

Tom was lying on the bed next to her, over the covers just like she was. There was a blanket draped over her, which she didn't remember using. Tom must have done it when he came in.

Maddie smiled and allowed herself to snuggle closer to him, moving the blanket to drape the other half of it over him. She rested her head next to him and fell back asleep.

Tom woke up about half an hour after that with his arm around Maddie, who was snuggled up to his side with her arm resting on his chest. With his other hand, he brushed some hair out of her face and placed his hand on her cheek, gently brushing his thumb along her lips. With a sigh, he removed his hand and gently shook the arm that was resting on his chest. “Maddie…”

She opened her eyes, staring at him for a moment before she realized what she was doing. “Sorry.” She mumbled, half asleep.

“No, no, it's okay. It's… comfortable.” He smiled lazily. “I just thought you might want to get up or you won't be able to sleep again tonight.”

She half yawned, half groaned as she stretched her legs. “You're right. I should get up.”

“We can take it easy if you want, watch a movie and laze around until dinner? I know how much you enjoy those sappy Christmas movies.” Tom grinned, making her laugh.

“That sounds lovely, actually.” Maddie reluctantly moved to get up. Tom was so warm and cuddly.

They walked together into the family room and surprisingly no one was using the TV, so Tom turned on the Hallmark channel and sure enough, a Christmas movie had just started about twenty minutes prior.

Marge was sitting in the chair, crocheting and Lizzie ended up coming in to watch it with them shortly after. “Maddie, Elf is on the other channel after this if you want to watch it!”

Maddie's face lit up, “It is? Of course I want to watch it!”

Tom chuckled at her excitement. “Oh you just had to bring that movie up, didn't you?” He teased.

Lizzie smiled sheepishly, “But she loves it.”

“Elf is the most obnoxious movie, count me out.” Marge wrinkled her nose. “I have to start dinner soon after this anyway.”

Maddie rolled her eyes and continued watching the movie. When Elf came on, Maddie went to go make some popcorn while Marge left the room.

Somehow, quite a few pieces of popcorn ended up on the couch and on the floor. Both from Tom and Maddie's shenanigans and whenever Maddie got excited from quoting her favorite parts when they came on, a piece or two would spill from the bowl.

Marge shook her head at them when she came to get the for dinner after the movie ended. “Maddie, you are the messiest person, I swear. You’re going to clean this up, right?”

“Of course, sorry about that, Marge!” Tom said through fits of laughter. He helped Maddie clean everything up and they met everyone in the dining room for dinner.

There wasn't much talk and Marge tried talking to Lizzie, but she gave short answers and seemed to be in a daze. It didn't go unnoticed by Maddie. It was unlike her, she was normally bubbly and talkative.

Marge moved on quickly, getting Maddie's attention. “Did you two have fun today?”

Tom and Maddie exchanged a grin, “Yes, we did. We enjoyed the movie, too. You know, the one you turn your nose up to.” She teased, her voice dripping with sarcasm, which Marge ignored.

“That's nice, dear. Anyway, Tom and your father set up the bonfire outside earlier while you were asleep. Tom thought you might like a relaxing evening in front of the fire. We have the supplies for S'Mores if you'd like.”

Maddie smiled down at her plate as she scooped up some of her food on her fork. “I'd actually really like that. Thank you both.”

Wes cleared his throat, “You're okay, right Maddie? You don't seem quite like yourself lately.” Not like he'd really know, she wanted to say to him, but held back. It wasn't all his fault she didn't visit often.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I think I've just got a bad case of jet lag.” She brushed it off as that and continued to eat.

The rest of the dinner was very quiet. When Lizzie put her plate into the sink, Maddie asked to speak with her. They went into Lizzie's room and sat down on the bed. “Okay, what’s going on? You were acting strange at dinner.”

“Oh, there's nothing, don't be silly!” Lizzie tried laughing it off, but Maddie saw right through it. She knew her sister better than that.

“Come on, Lizzie. I don't believe that for a second. You can tell me anything, you know that.” She put her hand on Lizzie's arm and frowned. “Lizzie? You're trembling, why?”

Lizzie looked down at her hands in her lap. “Because I'm scared.”

Maddie began to worry, her protectiveness over her sister emerging. “Why? Are you in some kind of trouble? Let me help you.”

“I… I snuck out early this morning, before anyone else woke up and… I had a doctor's appointment at a clinic nearby.”

“Yeah? Did everything--I mean, are you okay?”

“I'm fine. I went because my period has been late and I'd been feeling kinda sick and…” Lizzie burst out crying. “I'm pregnant, Maddie!”

Maddie’s eyes widened. “You're… Wow. Do you um…” She didn't know how to ask her next question without offending her. Lizzie never talked about a boyfriend or anyone that she was dating…

Lizzie sniffled. “His name is Peter. He's the sweetest guy, Maddie. We've only known each other for a few months, but I'm really into him and… Well, I called him this morning. I know it's something I should have waited until I went home, but…”

Maddie frowned. “He didn't ask you to…? You know…”

“Oh, heavens no! No, he was actually really happy. He wants me to move in with him so that he can help me.”

Maddie smiled, “That's great, Lizzie! I'm happy for you!”

“The reason why I'm upset is… I'm going to have to tell mom and dad. I'm terrified. They don't even know about him and they have to find out from my pregnancy… It's going to leave an awful impression on them. This is so backwards.” She began to cry again and Maddie rubbed her back to comfort her.

“No no, Lizzie. It'll be fine. Sure, they will be surprised but they'll get over it. And I'll be here for you.” Maddie grabbed a couple of tissues from the nightstand and handed them to her. She held Lizzie as she let it all out. “When are you going to tell them?”

“I don't know. I'm going to try to work up the nerve at some point. Maybe just before I leave.” Maddie nodded. She took out her phone from her pocket and quickly sent a text to Tom, saying that she would be a while.

She hung out with Lizzie, she just listened to her about everything that was on her mind and sharing her own problems and happenings in her life. They talked for a couple of hours before Lizzie fell asleep. It was early, but Maddie didn't blame her, mental exhaustion was sometimes worse than physical.

Maddie looked around the house for Tom and wondered if he'd went to bed early. She stopped in the family room to find her parents talking. “Have you seen Tom?”

“Yes, dear, he went outside.” Wes replied before going back to their conversation.

Maddie put on her shoes and coat, walking outside into the backyard. The fire was already going in the pit and the ingredients for the S’Mores were already out, ready and waiting.

Tom was in the phone, but quickly ended the call, saying goodbye to Luke when she walked outside. “Hey, there you are! Is everything alright, darling?”

Maddie smiled, sitting down in the chair next to Tom. “Yeah, everything is fine. Just something going on with Lizzie.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she will be. Have you had a S'More yet?” She asked, changing the subject.

“No, I was waiting for you. Here!” He handed her a roasting stick with two marshmallows already placed.

They roasted a few marshmallows, grabbed the chocolate and put the sweet sandwiches together.

Maddie took a bite and did a little dance in her chair. “Mmmm!”

“Good?” Tom grinned after chewing his first bite.

Maddie nodded. “Apparently. You have a little…” Tom reached over, wiping a graham cracker crumb from her chin with his thumb.

“Thanks.” She giggled and after she finished her sandwich, she glanced over to the house when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. “Mom's watching us.” She rolled her eyes and Tom smirked, leaning toward her.

“Then shall we give her a show?” Leaning farther, he pressed his lips against hers, lingering there.

Warmth spread throughout her body and if she had been hadn’t finished her S'More already, she would have dropped it.

Tom pulled away and Maddie wanted to groan at how brief that was. She barely even made an effort to glance over before she was grabbing Tom's coat between her fingers. “She’s still looking.” Pulling Tom toward her, she kissed him again, this time for much longer. He tasted like chocolate and marshmallows and it was intoxicating. She was playing with fire, but she just couldn't resist.

Tom grasped onto one of her elbows, moving his lips with hers softly. He was just as entranced as she was. When Maddie pulled back, he fought the urge to pull her out of her chair and onto his lap to finish that they'd started.

It was silent for what seemed like minutes until Maddie finally broke it. “Do you think that did it?” She asked, breathless.

Tom looked at the house and no one was in the window anymore. He cleared his throat before responding. “I would say. She's gone.”

Maddie leaned back in her seat and stared down at the fire. She couldn't believe she'd just done that, it was a bold move for her, but it was like her limbs had a mind of their own.

“So um…” Tom cleared his throat again, and shifted in his chair, tugging on his pants subtly. He let out a nervous laugh. “It's Christmas eve tomorrow.”

“It is.”

“Does your mum like to do anything special for it?”

“Yeah, she’s gonna be a little crazy about to tomorrow, so be prepared okay? She likes to prepare everything she can so she can enjoy most of Christmas day.”

“Oh boy.” Tom laughed. “Well, that's understandable, I guess.”

“Don't worry, I'll make sure to sneak us off if she gets too out of hand.”

They laughed and began to talk over the next hour, she confided in him about Lizzie and voiced her concerns, unable to hold it in any longer. She knew Tom would never say anything, she could tell him everything and never fear his judgement or that he would betray her trust in him. Tom reassured her everything would be okay and that this was Lizzie's problem, not hers, though he understood her need to want to protect her sister.

Tom talked about his own sisters and things he had to deal with, with them. Gradually, Maddie got quieter and quieter until Tom looked over when she didn't respond to a question.

Chuckling, he realized she was asleep. He thought she looked cute all bundled up, curled up in the chair. He thought about the kiss and how totally unexpected it was for her to grab him like that. But God, did he enjoy it. He just wished he didn't have to make excuses to be able to kiss her again. Maybe some day...

He sighed and took care of the fire. Carefully picking her up once his attempts at waking her failed, he carried her to bed.

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#Home For Christmas #Tom Hiddleston/OFC #Tom hiddleston x OFC #christmas fic #christmas fluff

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