#sending a shoutout to all the people sending positive submissions

[tsams-confessions]

Hey this is a breather post-- at the end of the day, we're all here cos we care way too much about a web series focused on a guy(s) that was a minor antagonist in one of the robot furry child murder games, and there's something both bewildering and beautiful about that. We're a subsection of a subsection of a Fandom. We have the brainrot, both positive and negative.

<3

.

#sun and moon show #the sun and moon show #tsams #sams #tsams confession #< block this if you dont want to see these #mod 1blood #sending a shoutout to all the people sending positive submissions #the blog may have been made with the intention of containing the negativity to one space #but we do appreciate the small breaks between it all

[editor-flower-shop]

hello everyone! 

in our time in the editing community, we have found ourselves looking for specific tutorials, resources or advice, that was just not there, or easily accessible. so we decided to create this blog!

this blog is for any editor, in any fandom, who wants help or advice. whether you are new to the hobby or you’ve been here for years, we hope we can offer you something on this blog.

the specifics of this blog will most likely be figured out over time, so, if any of you have suggestions, we’d be happy to hear them.

what we offer - 

answering questions - basically, just send in an ask with a question! whether its about editing, or a software you’re using, or tumblr itself, we’ll do our best to answer!

provide tutorials - ever wondered how to make a moodboard? or a specific style of icon? well, we can help! send in an ask with the specific thing you would like explained and examples, if possible.

transparent making - can’t find any transparents for a specific fandom, object or aesthetic? let us know, and we’ll make a couple for you.

confessions/venting - for when you have something to say about editing, but you know it could get you pissed on, or something you just want to say privately lol. the rules for this will be in the rules below.

promotion - things going a little slow on your blog? tag us or send us an ask and we’ll give you a shoutout.

tips - thinking of adding a new kind of request to your blog, but worried about messing it up? feel like your icons aren’t up to snuff with others you see? ask for some tips!

positivity - for when you need a pick-me-up, or personalised compliments on your edits. send an ask off anon/with your blog linked and we’ll tell you what we like about your blog and your edits.

improvement advice - for when you want personalised tips on how to improve your own edits! like positivity, send an ask with your blog and we’ll share some (kind, i promise) advice.

user submitted advice - have any tips, tricks or tutorials you want to share to more people? send us an ask or submission, and we’ll share it with our followers. also, feel free to tag us in any tutorials you might post elsewhere!

rules -

do not interact - basic dni, proshipper, terf/transmed, discourse/cringe, nsfw/gore, non-traumagenic system

before sending in an ask, please check our masterpost!

confession/venting - no direct/indirect shade towards specific editors. put any necessary warnings at the start of your ask. no bigotry or insults. please only send these on anon.

transparents - nothing problematic/nsfw/real people | if requesting for horror games, please warn us in the ask.

be kind and respectful! we’re people, so try to say please and thank you.

we are not the be all, end all. we can make mistakes and not know things. please understand this before you send anything in.

#edit blog #fandom edit #editing advice

[maybege]

A Love Letter To Creators: The Sequel

Hello my loves ❤

I know, I know, I am taking a semi-hiatus from tumblr and yet here I am, once again starting a new event. Let me explain:

I posted my first ever English fanfic publicly on May 4, 2020 but I vividly remember getting into the Mandalorian fandom in March that year. I was so nervous, so excited and so scared to be entering this new community. Would people like what I write? Would I find a place in a community that I had admired from afar? Was my English even good enough? Starting out as a new creator - whether writing or otherwise - can be so scary but also so fulfilling. I have made incredible friends, found amazing brainstorming partner and even a blog deletion later, there are still people that I know followed and supported me from the very start.

Writing and creating helped me so much. I'd like to think of it as the (g)olden days because we were all in the same boat and as the entire world stood still, reading fanfiction - and so did interaction. So when I took a break and came back last year, I did a little something called "A Love Letter To Creators". (You can find the OG post here.) Its purpose was to spread positivity and reassure creators across the board that their work is seen and appreciated in times when it often feels like it is not.

Suffice to say, I think we are in desperate need of one (or hundreds) again.

Here are a few guidelines:

Please send your shoutouts as asks or submissions. (DMs have me overwhelmed and keep glitching on this hellsite.)

You can send as many as you want to for as many creators as you like.

As I’ll be tagging the creator in question, please double check the spelling just to make sure I reach the right one.

They do not have to be a fanfic writer - they can be a creator of any kind in fandom spaces that you enjoy.

Similarly, they do not have to be from a fandom I’m active in. Any fandom goes!

With my absence this coming month, I see it as the perfect time frame to collect the love letters. Please send in your letters by March 27. I will post the asks and submissions throughout the week after that so I’ll be able to post some that I received on that day as well 🥰

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

all the love, may

#may announces #a love letter to creators #please signal boost

[tltconfessions]

INFO

Welcome to TLT Confessions - a place to anonymously reveal your feelings and opinions about The Locked Tomb trilogy and its fandom. This blog is fueled by submissions, so we naturally encourage yours.

How to Submit

Confessions are accepted through the ask box and through submissions. Asks are easier for us to format, so we prefer those. All confessions will be posted anonymous.

If you’ve submitted a confession and you don’t see it posted yet, it‘s probably because our schedule is pretty relaxed at only one post a day. Otherwise, we may have run into issues finding appropriate art to go with it. Speaking of which.

Art

Since TLT has very little canon artwork, we rely on fanart for most of our confessions. We get permission from the artists before posting, but do not consider someone’s art an endorsement of the confession it’s posted with. It’s with much graciousness that they allow us to maintain a community project like this. If you have serious concerns about one of the confessions posted, please take it up with the mods! (And if you have joking complaints please make a confession and start a fight.)

What We Won’t Post

1.) Nothing resembling hate speech. This should be obvious, but we won’t post anything racist, transphobic, etc.

2.) Namedrops. It’s alright to mention celebrities, historical figures, or other household names, but don’t use the names of other people within the fandom or any “micro-celebrities”.

Vagues are pretty much unavoidable and this blog is not drama averse - we just ask that if you’re being shady towards someone that you show good sportsmanship.

We will allow positive shoutouts occasionally because we think it’s cute.

3.) Pro/anti discourse and triggering content.

Point blank, we are not engaging in any pro/anti discourse. It’s a false binary and if your submission includes it, it’s immediately discarded. We have our own guidelines about what is and isn’t okay.

The Locked Tomb is a dark fantasy series, so dark/taboo themes by themselves are acceptable. Our main request is that you talk about them with tact and that they remain at a canon-typical level. We want this to be a safe space for survivors and content will be tagged accordingly. Anything that reads to us like an endorsement of rape, incest, etc. will not be posted.

An example of what’s okay to send:

An example of what not to send:

Both of these are actual submissions we received. Please note the difference in tone despite the very similar content. Basically, moral ambiguity is fine and we like to give the benefit of doubt, but there are boundaries. Please respect the terms of use.

Outro

Thanks for reading this far! This post may be expanded or edited over time, depending on the course of this blog and your input. If you have any questions, feel free to message us. Ask box stays open rain or shine.

#The locked tomb #tlt #gideon the ninth #harrow the ninth #tltconfessions

[pcsitivibee]

PCSITIVIBEE IS BACK IN BUSINESS   !

hello bee gang   !   after a year long break,   i decided to bring back the bees to carry some love and kindness around for the roleplay community.   to be fair,   i never wanted to leave   &   was in the rpc all this time,   however there was negativity surrounding this blog that beat its purpose for existing.   this time around,   the rules stated in the rules section will be followed   RELIGIOUSLY.   &   any kind of negativity or rude behavior   WILL   earn whoever it is a hard block.   this blog is for positivity only.   please use it to send shoutouts for those in the community who might need some good vibes   &   FOR NO OTHER PURPOSE.   remember that the mun behind this blog is not   obligated   to be exposed to negativity or to engage with anyone.   i created this blog to cheer people up during the hard year that was 2020   &   that’s my intent for 2021 as well.

with that in mind i wanted to announce a few things that will be different   !   AT THIS POINT IN TIME,   i am now working full time   &   graduated last year.   this means that my time will be limited,   which is why   THERE WILL BE A SECOND MUN HELPING ME RUN THIS BLOG.   this is of course hoping that we will get a lot of traction like we had last year.   i have faith that the rpc is capable of it   !   the creator of this blog,   aka me,   will go by the name   PINK,   because it’s my favorite color.   &   my lovely friend who will help me will go by   POPPY.   the rules that i had set up will continue to be valid so please read them to refresh your memory.   and with that being said,   THE INBOX IS OPENED FOR SUBMISSIONS AS OF THIS POST   !   i will try to boost the blog or start a flow of shout outs myself when i get the chance in a few days,   but if you would like to help us get started now,   you are more than welcome to   !   i missed you all,   &   please be nice to Poppy as well if you see her around.   she’s a total peach   !

BEE POSITIVE   !   🐝·゜゜· 

#🐝・゜゜・psa #good morning happy saturday!! <3

[writingwakanda]

#BPFandomAppreciation2k20

In honor of the 2 year anniversary of Black Panther coming out on Feb 16 2018, we invite you to join us in appreciating the film and the fandom! This year’s Black Panther Fandom Appreciation event will be from Feb 1 to Feb 20. There are three activities for the event, so people can participate at any level: a shoutout drive, a comment drive, and a fanworks drive. To participate use the tag: #BPFandomAppreciation2k20 on tumblr, twitter, AO3, and other social platforms.

Shout-Out Drive

The #shoutoutdrive is to celebrate fandom for all to see. If you’ve ever enjoyed discovering a fanwork or being in a fan space to do with Black Panther, please shout out any of the following:

favorite fanfics, poems, and writing related to the 2018 Black Panther film

favorite fanarts, fanvids, and all visual fanworks

favorite authors

favorite artists/cosplayers/content creators

favorite headcanons and world building (with links to tumblr posts, AO3, dreamwidth, etc if you have them)

favorite meta, commentary, and discussions of all kinds (with links to posts if you have them) 

favorite memory connected with the film and fandom. (Did you dress up to see it in theatres? Did you tear up when you saw your first tiny T’Challa or Nakia at Halloween? Or all-Wakandan family cosplay at a con?)

Submit your shout outs to us in any of 3 ways:

Send them to this tumblr in a submission

Write them in a tumblr post and tag #BPFandomAppreciation2k20 and #shoutoutdrive within the first 5 tags

put them in a tweet and include @writingwakanda, #BPFandomAppreciation2k20, and #shoutoutdrive

Do a bunch of shoutouts at once or do them one at a time. Share as much or as little as you want about each, from “This artist is great!” to however much detail you feel inspired to share. We’ll reblog, retweet, and share everything submitted to help aggregate all the wonderful content and people for others to discover.

Comment Drive

We also want to encourage fans to give love directly to their favorite creators, artists, writers and fellow fans by leaving positive comments on at least 3 pieces of art, pictures, fic, meta, etc! Drop an ask in their tumblr, send a simple tweet at them, put a comment on a fic, just show your love however simply or expansively as you want. After you’ve done so, drop us an ask or submission on tumblr, or put it in a tweet and include @writingwakanda, #BPFandomAppreciation2k20, and #CommentDrive just to say how many comments you’ve done. We’ll keep a count of how much activity is generated: our goal is to get 500 comments by February 20.

Fanworks Drive

Finally, for those interested, we are hosting a fanworks drive to spur on and gather some fresh content creation. Between now and the end of February, we invite any interested to make and share fanart, fanfic, cosplays, fanvids, and any other fanwork. Jot down a flash fic or finish and post that work that’s been “almost done” for a while. Put together a closet cosplay or send us a pic of your best convention stunner. Dash off a quick sketch or go all out. Assemble a gifset. Write a headcanon or discuss some meta. Post it anywhere you share your stuff and tag it with # BPFandomAppreciation2k20 and #fanworksdrive.

This movie stunned the world when it came out almost 2 years ago, drawing record crowds for weeks, staying in the center of public attention for months, inspiring even more wonderful content and interaction since. Join us in celebrating the world of the film, where it's come from, and where we're taking it. Wakanda Forever!

#mcu #marvel #black panther #wakanda #fandom events #BPFandomAppreciation2k20

[roleplay-salt]

About; Rules; FAQ

Welcome to Roleplay Salt! This is a blog for roleplayers to vent & rant anonymously about the things that peeve or hurt them in the roleplaying community.

GENERAL

Your submission will always be posted anonymously; no exceptions. (This includes positivity submissions & shoutouts.)

Your submission’s text will be placed in a graphic and then copied as plain text as its caption for accessibility purposes.

Topics must be roleplay-related. (This can, of course, include experiences with partners doing things that may be unrelated to roleplay, but would still be considered relevant if it impacts your roleplaying experience with that particular partner.)

Anyone following our blog will be allowed to leave replies on submissions, whether in agreement or disagreement, and everyone is allowed (even encouraged) to reblog submissions, with or without their own commentary. However, we will delete any spamming comments, including ones that are or are similar to “Why don’t you come off anon and say that?” Such comments provide nothing to the discussion. In fact, they usually shut down discussion and it completely disregards the entire point of this blog’s existence. No one has to “come off anon” nor are they “cowards” for seeking safety behind anonymity. Your aggressiveness with that sentiment only reinforces the reason why they want to be anonymous in the first place. ADDENDUM: We will delete salt replies that involve simply telling others to, essentially, “shut up and move on already” and “stop sending salt replies in about this”. You’re more than allowed to say this things in the comments, but we will no longer be making them a part of any future debates.

We actively edit and restructure the wording of submissions. We read every single one of your submissions and we care about consistency and readability. We will correct any spelling errors, grammar errors, and odd sentencing structure, and we will often lengthen abbreviations and slang, and we will fill out any curse words or sensitive terms that were originally 'censored' in the submissions. Do not take it personally! Again, we aim for consistency. We will never just copy/paste your submission and then post it. That's terrible.  

T Y P E S    O F    S A L T

Vents & Rants

Complaints

Negative Confessions

Callouts

T Y P E S    O F    S U G A R

Advice & Suggestions

Critique

Positive Confessions

Shoutouts

T Y P E S    O F    F L O U R

The “Flour” category is reserved for any submissions that do not appropriately fit under “Salt” or “Sugar”, often involving personal confessions and storytelling.

C A L L O U T S    &    S H O U T O U T S

A callout submission is specifically speaking nastily and meanly about someone else, regardless if it’s the truth or not.  All URLs & names in a callout submission will be marked out to preserve the other party’s anonymity as well.  We are a safe place for you to release your anger, frustration and hurt, even if it’s towards someone and not something. But we cannot and will not participate in the true nature of a callout. That will need to be something that you do for yourself if you believe that it’s important for you, your friends and your fandom community.

A shoutout submission is specifically speaking kindly and positively about someone else.

All URLs & names in a shoutout submission will remain visible, and the person will be tagged & mentioned on the post so as to better the odds of them seeing it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

“Who are the moderators?”

Currently, there is only one operating the blog: Moderator Bull.

“Am I allowed to know your roleplay/personal blogs?”

Unfortunately, no. To preserve our own anonymity (for many of the same reasons as the submitters), we have agreed on the terms to never give out our URLs if requested. If we are interested in your blog, then we will follow you at our own discretion!

“Will you remove a submission for me?”

That depends on the type of submission, what it is about, and what your reasoning for wanting it removed is. The whole point of anonymity is that nothing gets tied back to you. The only cases where we will greatly consider removing a submission is if it’s involving a shoutout about you and you don’t want to be affiliated with us. 

“Will you remove my comments on a submission?”

Of course! However, we will not remove any corresponding responses to you (except in instances where, if yours is removed, the next comment is made to look like it’s being directed to the person prior to your comment. We don’t want to cause unnecessary conflict.) We will also not be relied upon to keep deleting comments you regret leaving behind. If you’re wanting to leave a public response on submissions, then you must be prepared to have others possibly publicly disagree with you.

“Can I ask you for roleplay advice?”

Go right ahead! But we can’t promise the best or most insightful of answers, or that we’ll get to them relatively soon! Chances are, we will post your questions anonymously so that others in the community can help.

“Why did you follow my blog?”

To make our existence known to you and, if you like us, hoping that you will send in a submission of your own or tell your roleplay partners about us!

“How did you find my blog?”

Most likely through the Recommended sidebar feature, a mutual, or just the good ol’ search function.  

“Could you unfollow me?”

If you don’t want to be associated with us, then we recommend blocking the blog so that we don’t unintentionally follow you again!

“Hey, could you do something about the people leaving rude, mean responses on the submissions?”

Unless they are throwing bigoted slurs, threats, or suicide-baiting remarks at the anonymous submitter, they are not doing anything wrong. They have just as much right to disagree with your submission as you had when you sent it to us. We are, first and foremost, a place to vent frustrations or hurts behind the safety of anonymity, and we are also a free-speech blog. We are of the belief that discussions, no matter how heated, is healthy and brings the community together as a whole. Just as your submission may provide someone else with the awareness that they are not alone in similar frustrations, someone disagreeing with your submission may provide a new perspective to you and others that had not been considered before.

“How does name-calling and swearing and being mean add to a discussion? You and your blog are what are wrong with the roleplaying community!”

Just because someone isn’t being nice to you as they give their side of the argument, doesn’t mean that it cancels out their actual argument. You’re choosing to be offended and distracted by how abrasive they are, and that’s no one’s problem to deal with but your own. You have the ability to block anyone so that you no longer have to see their comments on future submissions. Why would we police what people say, the endgame of which would be to ban them from ever reblogging or commenting on submissions again if they don’t listen to us, if you’re not even willing to try solving the problem first by just blocking them? Wanting to have the last word or being upset that your submission didn’t receive the feedback you wanted is not a reason for us to step in and step on someone else’s right to speak, rudely or otherwise. If you’re not going to block them, then why should we?

“Could you not post submissions on sensitive topics like noncon, incest, and pedophilia?”

We have started tagging posts that we believe might be sensitive and controversial in nature with the tag “#twcontroversy”. We recommend blacklisting this tag. If that is still not enough, then we recommend unfollowing/blocking us. These are topics just as relevant in the roleplaying community as anything else.

“Could you promote me?”

Certainly! But only if you are another community-involved blog (a blog that provides a ‘service’ to the community, such as advice, roleplay help, a place for confessions, etc.), and it must be relevant to the roleplaying community to some degree! If you want to promote a roleplay blog, then we suggest sending in a shoutout submission!

“I sent a confession in weeks ago. Where is it? How long will it take for it to get posted?”

It’s either sitting in the queue or sitting in our drafts, waiting to be queued. We have 1,200+ followers so far, and on average we’re sent 15+ submissions a night. We only post between 5 to 8 submissions at night. Your submission is on a wait list. That’s all we can tell you.

“Why don’t you just close your submission box until all the current confessions are posted?”

Because we’re a vent blog first and foremost. If we close our ask/submission boxes, then we’re no longer an option for people who might desperately need to vent or talk about something that could have happened to them that day but have no other options. We want to be a healthy alternative to just bottling it up or possibly lashing out at the wrong people.

“I don’t believe you! I think you deleted my submission because one of you didn’t like it! You’re not unbiased at all!”

We’ve posted submissions about highly controversial roleplay topics like noncon, racism, transphobia, and pedophilia. We reassure you that your salt submission about OCs, theme trends, blog selectivity, etc. is not on that same level, least of all to the point that one of us would delete it. The only submissions that we have deleted, so far, are the ones that have included racial and homophobic slurs.

“[insert OP/commenter] is obviously a rapist/pedophilie!”

If we find that you have accused someone of being a rapist, pedophile, or apologist of either because of their defensive views on noncon/pedophilic ships or roleplay, your comment will be removed and you will be blocked. These are serious accusations that you shouldn’t be throwing at people over fictional content and we refuse to to let you use this blog as a platform to spew such slanderous accusations.

#about #rules #faq

[mental-health-advice]

Submission about fandom

I’ve been into this fandom that’s recently received big news around a major change and it feels like the hell is breaking loose. Many people are being very hostile regards their position around that change and they are even wanting to boycott. Although I’ve been speaking to different people that feel the same as I am and want to find a mid-way to push everything forward…

It has been very triggering for my anxiety symptoms to see everything being so messy. In this fandom I’ve found much joy and sense of belonging (a thing that’s not very usual to happen to me IRL with people in my context) and right now due to my position, I feel people are expecting everyone inside to react as violently but I can’t do so…

I tried to keep myself away from the social media in order to let everything calm down but it seems very complicated to me. The truth is that the rejection of the fandom triggers me a lot (I was a bullied kid) so I don’t even feel the authority to stand for my beliefs in the public eye because I’m constantly afraid they’re going to reject me although its been suffocating me bottling up my feelings around this subject…

I know this all seem probably very stupid but it’s really making me stressed and anxious and I feel angry that this tiny bit of my life that gave me so much joy is now becoming a nightmare.

Last thing, I didn’t wanted to mention the fandom because it could be very triggering the relation of the situation towards abuse cases but I’d be very thankful if you could shoutout to Harry Potter fans in a post that want to support our sub-fandom cause and join us to fight this back with love and respect regards everything. I will be reaching friendly people that are in need of content of interest </3

Hey lovely,

I can imagine that this has been really tough on you. When you’re into a fandom and suddenly things are changing and very messy, that’s hard to deal with! That’s definitely anxiety inducing, so I understand that your anxiety symptoms have been more intense lately. When something gives you a sense of belonging and there are issues there, it can make you feel very lost. You might feel like you’re losing a part of yourself, like you don’t know your identity anymore. That’s all totally valid! 

I don’t know the situation that you’re referring to so I don’t know if it has died down by now. I definitely hope so! If it hasn’t really died down yet, then I think it’s really important that you do what’s needed to not feel so anxious about this all. Whether that’s taking a social media break or something that isn’t as drastic, do what is good for you! It’s okay to prioritise yourself here. 

This doesn’t sound stupid at all! When something means a lot to you, it’s understandable that it affects you when things are messy. And your anger is so valid as well. You didn’t want this to turn out so messy and for all the joy to get taken away from it, but that’s what happened and honestly that isn’t fair. In the meantime while this is all happening, try to think of other things to cause you joy, so that you can direct your focus there a little more. 

I hope this helped at least a little bit! If there’s anything else we can be of help with, please let us know. Sending you all the love and strength.

Sometimes what seems impossible, is just hard. Love Pauline

#mental health #advice #advice blog #fandom #anxiety #mhapauline

[fc5week]

FC5 Week Info: Day 7 (Sept. 28)

🎵 We'll watch the sun come up From its bed of black We'll enter Eden's Garden And never look back Oh Lord, the great collapse Won't be our end When the world falls into the flames We will rise again We will rise again 🎵 - Dan Romer

On the final day of the week-long celebration, we give recognition and thanks to a community unlike any other. So many talented, inspirational, friendly, and welcoming individuals that have come together to share in their love and appreciation for such a spectacular game. A heartfelt and sincere thank you to each and every one of you who contribute and support this small but incredible group of people and make every minute spent in it worthwhile! ❤️ 

Some prompts/ideas for Positivity/Free Day:

Send and spread some love to your fellow community members! Shoutout to the content creators who you admire and inspire you! Share the fics, OCs, art, edits, etc. you enjoy most and wish for others to know of and partake in! Let others know which users have made your experiences in FC5 memorable and fulfilling!

This also serves as a day for any other submissions you’d wish to put forth before we wrap up the celebrations: anything related to FC or FC5 are welcome!

All forms of media are encouraged: art, writing, GIFsets, boards, collages, edits, screencaps/screenshots, videos, etc. as contributions to this day’s theme!

#Far Cry 5 #Far Cry #FC5Week #FC5Week2019

[yuurivoice]

The YuuriVoice Survey Results

A few days ago I put out a survey here on Tumblr in hopes that I could dig up some helpful information in regards to what I can do to improve moving forward and keep things here fresh and on point. With over 1,100 responses I think it’s safe to say we can take a look at the data and see what we’ve got! So...let’s break it down! (Shoutout to Lucio mains!)

How long have you been following the blog?

I found this interesting because nowadays on the internet people don’t always stick with a thing for very long. Certainly there’s plenty of follower turnover on my blog, people are REALLY hype for one thing, then over time they may move on to other things for a whole variety of reasons. Having 1/4 of the responses be from those who have followed for over a year is huge. It doesn’t surprise me that less than 3 months is the smallest portion because it’s been a pretty slow three months in general for me, but that’s how it goes sometimes!

How did you first discover my content?

I’m not shocked to find that most people discover my content when searching for specific characters, given my fandom based approach. I want to dabble in some non-fandom audios more often because that’s a whole demographic (i.e. people specifically looking for audio porn) that I don’t always tap into. When I do, the results are usually really great, and you’ll see in a moment that the people who show up because of the characters don’t necessarily ONLY want that character they found me through. 

What is shocking, however, is that nearly 10% found me through YouTube. That might not seem like a lot, but I haven’t been doing the YouTube thing for long (or consistently for that matter) so I think that might help show you all why I’m putting value in getting content onto YouTube. There’s infinitely more reach on YouTube than there is on Tumblr.

Do you have a favorite character/voice of mine?

This was one that I already knew the answer to because of my own prior research, but I think it’s important that we all take a look at it here together. Guzma is the most popular voice by an impressive margin. I say impressive because I honest to god never would have expected things to play out like this. Yuuri and Sidon are also very popular, of course. Then there’s a healthy 20% that like two or more of the voices.

So you see why it’s not always easy for me to keep up. Between balancing the big three and exploring new voices and my own as well, there will naturally be less of some things. Yuuri is obviously super important to me, but there’s also significantly more content for him than all the others, even after slowing down a bit. A lot of what I do is primarily based on what is getting commissioned as well, and it’s no surprise that Guzma has been the most commissioned character due to his popularity. 

There’s not a lot else to say here other than I’m doing my best to make sure there are no Good Boys (TM) left behind, but I’m also just one man. I’m glad that there is crossover between fans of the voices as well. I haven’t got a “I hate when you post this instead of that” message in a long, long time. It’s nice that most people can at least enjoy one of the other voices aside from their fave, even if it’s not EXACTLY what they want. Y’all are real good to me in that regard.

Do you listen to non-character audios of mine?

Pretty straight forward. The vast majority of the followers are cool with checking out things regardless of whether fandom is involved or not, so long as it’s their jam in regards to content. This makes me happy and hopeful. Characters have always been a great way to get people to discover me, but I think the future is not just doing fandom stuff.

Do you prefer One Shot audios, or series?

This one is extremely clear, my current process of having some audios that are a series that ties together and most that are just one shot scenes is working just fine. I figured as much, but it never hurts to ask!

Does having my SFW content on YouTube interest you?

This was a relief, honestly. Moving older stuff to YouTube has been a process, and the earlier data showed that it does have a positive impact. In the future there will be new stuff hitting YouTube and Tumblr at the same time, but it has taken me a long time to try and get caught up so old stuff is up on YouTube and I can move on to new. It’s happening slowly, but you can at least rest easy knowing I’m not gonna crush your dashboards with spam of old audios uploaded in video form. 

Would you submit scripts/ideas if there was a system to do so?

Well what the hell am I waiting for? I’ll get to work on creating a submission system where you can send in scripts and ideas. Something better than Tumblr’s submissions. I’ll have examples for you to look at so you can see how it should be formatted and other information as well. I’m very interested to see how that plays out, so I’ll get to work on it soon!

Would you be interested in my own original characters, voices, and stories?

This is a very encouraging bit of information! In the not so distant future I want this to be a thing. My own characters with their own art, backgrounds, personalities, and voices. I had a pretty expansive idea for what this could look like, but perhaps an early taste with just one character to give people a real idea of what I’m talking about would be cool. Interesting.

Are you a current or former supporter of my Patreon?

No surprise here given how big my Tumblr audience is versus 350 people on Patreon, but I wanted to ask this so I could give context to this next question.

Is there something in particular that would make you more likely to become a Patron?

First things first, my bad on not having the foresight to include a “financial situation” answer. That’s a good 20% of responses and I really should have included it.

I was very, very interested to see that input and voting was such a big deal! This seems to have been a blind spot for me, perhaps because I’m just bad at running polls and figuring all of that out, but damn. The Patreon version of the survey also confirmed that this is a big deal. So I am going to be sitting down with my Patrons and figuring out what tiers need to be voting and the resulting audio, as well as how I’ll be able to deal with things like the big split between characters. I don’t know exactly how that’ll play out, but obviously it’s an important factor that needs to be incorporated to my Patreon.

I’m also flattered that 25% of responses just want more access to me, my process, and stuff like that. I can post more. I’m looking at doing Patreon specific monthly Q&A’s for a start and I’ll also pick my Patrons’ brains for more ideas.

As for more exclusive audios, this is tough. I already do three as it is, and now I’ll be figuring out how to get Patron input on those. I don’t want to put too much content behind a paywall, you know? Like, I get it, people would pay for it. That’s really cool! There is a trade off, though. More exclusives may in some cases mean I can’t always put out as much public stuff. Now, that might change with script submissions taking some of the workload off of me. As it stands, I just don’t know. First things first, I’ll figure out the whole voting and submission thing and improve the exclusives that are already in place. 

Does personal engagement with me matter to you?

You like me! You really like me! My big takeaway here is “Yeah, you’re alright, but don’t answer 20 questions in a row and ruin my dash, please.” I think that’s what it means, at least. I needed to know if I needed to STFU or just keep doing my thing, so I’ll keep on doing my thing. <3

One of the recurring themes in the additional comments section was that Tumblr kind of sucks for audios. A better system would be ideal and I think everyone is absolutely right. I don’t have any answers right now, but know that I’m thinking about this a lot, and I want to do something about it.

Thank you all for taking your time to fill out my survey, and of course, thank you for following, listening, and being all around awesome. This was incredibly insightful and I hope that with this information I can make some big improvements around here!

#long post

[denimini]

Hello from the other side!

A fellow shipper here. I have this ambitious project in mind that I call The White List and I need your help.

As we know, our fandom is growing rapidly and with a new comeback on the horizon it is bound to get bigger. With that more people (a lot of them very young) are introduced to shipping.

My idea is to create a list of shipping accounts of all different pairings that are proven to be respectful, mature and welcoming to other shippers.

I want to do this because I wish for us to have an environment of safe (and reasonable) blogs where new ARMYs can get to know the pairings or find content about their preferred ships without coming face to face with toxic behaviour and negativity. Sometimes if an account is well known and problematic they can influence their audience opinions and set a negative example and followers (especially younger) take this behaviour as normal. I've come to the conclusion that fighting hate with hate doesn't resolve a problem so by doing The White List we have the chance of encouraging healthy shipping and by increasing the popularity of such blogs we will spread positivity and create a welcoming, safe environment for new and old ARMYs.

Another reason why I find this project good: we've become quite divided and defensive because of our shipping and this list can serve as a way to close the gap. We will have a reference point for people who are new to shipping, are curious of other pairings and want to have peaceful discussion about them or are looking for friends in other ships but don't know how to find them. At the very least we will give a shoutout to some deserving accounts!

All of the included blogs will be checked and vetoed and asked for permission before they're put into list. But to do that I first need your help in finding such accounts.

Because shipping is a touchy subject and is surrounded by controversy, I gladly ask everyone to pay attention to these conditions before recommending:

The blog must be supportive of the members regardless of who they might date even if it's someone from their notp

The blog must include shipping content though they don't need to be limited to just that

It must be respectful and reasonable

No behaviour such as insulting, belittling or accusing any member is allowed

Openness to healthy discussions and mature way of dealing with different opinions

Absolutely no homophobia present

Blogs that do analysis, theories and such are welcome as long as they fit the other criteria

No attacking of other shippers in any way, shape or form here or anywhere else

Positive attitude

Popularity is not a factor!

If you know such blogs (or are one yourself), please share. The best will be to reblog this post so that it spreads but you can also DM me or send me an ask or submission (they're always open). If you find this idea good but can't think of people to recommend, please reblog as well as it will be helpful to reach more people!

Thank you very very much!

#jikook #kookmin #vkook #taekook #vmin #yoonmin #namjin #yoonseok #vhope #taegi #jihope #minjoon #yoonkook #jinmin #vmon #taejin #jinkook #namkook #hopekook #2seok #sope #namseok #yoonjin #cookiemonster #thewhitelistproject

[fannawrites]

1K+ followers celebration: re-blogging some amazing writing! [a shoutout session in disguise]

Before anything else, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I’d joined this writeblr community just a few months back and could’ve never imagined to gain not just numbers but appreciation and friendships. I know I haven’t been active much lately but I’m back and surprised to find this community still giving me all the love. So to celebrate love and the awesomeness [this is a legit word] of writing, I’ve decided to host this shoutout session. I hope I’ll be able to give back at least some of the ton of positive vibes I’ve received from the amazing people in this journey.

I’ll be reblogging 50 pieces of writing over the span of 50 days!

Yes, you read that right! I know there are some great writers out there and they deserve all the recognition. I understand how important it can be to find readers who would adore your work, so this is my little way to help you reach out to a wider audience. 

Pointers: 

You must be following me. Yes, I will check and if you unfollow simply because your piece wasn’t reblogged, well, I can’t do much about it but I like regarding writers for their clean conscience and some are a disappointment. 

Like & reblog this post. This is for getting this post out to more people. I mean, it'll be difficult to find 50 pieces if at least 50 people don’t enter. 

Must have an active tumblr. New writeblrs are welcome too but the piece you’re submitting should be up on your blog. 

This is open for all types of writers, even for poetry or graphic novel or comics or fan fiction. 

Inbox me your writing piece. It’s easier to track that way. 

I’ll follow the 50 writeblrs and many more that I like! 

AND THAT’S IT!

I’ll close the submissions on June 1st and will start reblogging from June 2nd. If you feel like changing your submitted piece, you can do so freely by sending me another inbox message, just do it before June 1st. 

Like I said, I’ve been inactive for a while but I’m pleasantly surprised with the response I’ve received on this post, so I want to focus on a lot of writing tip or writing help posts. The reason why...

I’m open to asks! Send me one asking what help you need with your writing or just random writing related questions. 

I’m overwhelmed but I feel it worth mentioning--I’ve recently crossed 1K on both Twitter and Instgram and it’s surreal. I’ve also recently revamped my blog and trying to stay more consistent on all these amazing platforms, so watch me struggle try.

Again, thank you so much to everyone who has helped me reach this milestone! 

#writeblr #shoutout #session #writing #writer #reblog please #1K followers #ask box #writing project #follow spree #submissions #poetry #fan fiction #wip #comics #graphic novel #writers #writer appreciation #shoutouts #writing pieces

[welllpthisishappening]

It’s the Thought That Counts (2/3)

It was, in theory, a good idea. It was, in theory, an absolutely fantastic idea. Because there was still, sometimes, a crisis or two in Storybrooke and nothing would be more chaotic than trying to find a Christmas present on Main Street, while also trying to keep said Christmas present a secret. Ordering gifts on the internet makes sense. It’s just a few clicks and online sales and the presents will be there in plenty of time for Christmas to be perfect.

Emma and Killian are positive.

Except then the presents don’t show up and it’s Christmas Eve and plan B isn’t so much a plan as it is just a bit of pre-holiday desperation and the entire town knows what they’re up to.

Rating: Mature’ish. Eventually. As it is, Killian uses some vaguely pirate-type curses in this chapter. Word Count: Like another 8K’ish. It’s gotta be even or something.  AN: Hi internet, it’s me again, with a questionable amount of words and adjectives and Emma’s POV. This is still my CSSS gift for @theonceoverthinker who continues to be excellent and deserves all the words and adjectives. So, this is still the same day - Christmas Eve in Storybrooke, but Emma was lying before about paperwork and....now we’re going to find out why. There are more words coming tomorrow. Can’t stop, won’t stop. Shoutout to @distant-rose for always listening to my plotting issues and questions and but what would they even get each other for Christmas questions.  Also on Ao3 if that’s how you roll. 

She’s going to hit something.

Or kick something.

Possibly her desk.

And just like...the world.

Emma has no idea what to do next. There’s no time to do anything and the whole point of this was to save time and make things good and great and perfect and now it’s not going to be any of those things because she only has a few hours to figure it out and her mother will not stop promising everything is going to be fine.

Snow White is frustratingly optimistic no matter what – even in the face of postal service crises.

Emma makes some kind of noise that absolutely does not belong in any sort of fairytale and when she does, finally, give into her frustration and kick her desk, it hurts even more than she expected it to.

“Damn,” she mumbles, twisting her mouth in pain and her father does his best to turn his laughter into a convincing cough. “That didn’t work at all,” she mumbles, resting her weight on the side of her desk and she didn’t even get enough power behind her kick to leave a dent or anything.

“It wasn’t really my best effort,” David admits, crossing one foot over the other where he’s leaning against the far wall. “And I really do think you’re worrying over nothing. He’ll understand.” Emma rolls her whole head in frustration, pointedly ignoring her mother’s half-opened mouth because she’s not sure what she’ll do if she hears another round of it’s going to be fine and her toes can’t really take another round of kicking whatever it is her desk is made out of.

“This is a disaster,” Emma mumbles.

It’s not.

She know that. Rationally.

She knows Killian will understand and Henry will smile and promise it’s totally cool, Mom and they’ll still go to her parents' house tomorrow night and eat a questionable amount of food, but there had been a plan and a schedule and now it’s all blown up in her face.

Metaphorically.

She knows nothing is actually blowing up. Rationally.

But there’s this other, vaguely irrational side of Emma that just wanted everything to be some kind of Yankee Magazine type of perfect on Christmas and Regina had promised it would work.

“There’s not really a town line anymore,” she’d said, weeks ago with a nonchalant shrug as if the lingering threat of losing all your memories when you walked by the sign at the edge of town wasn’t really that big of a deal after all. “There hasn’t been forever.” Emma shook her head and waved her hands in the air, what felt like a million questions struggling to find their way out of her at once. Regina rolled her eyes. “People have been coming and going from Storybrooke for years, Emma,” she said, the struggle to keep her voice even so obvious it felt like it reached out and slapped Emma in the face. “And now that we’re not…” “Facing imminent death?” Emma interrupted and Regina didn’t even move her eyebrows.

“Something like that. Now that we’re not on the defensive, people can come and go as they please, particularly at this time of year when the potential for those seeking some kind of festive ideal is so high.”

“I’m sorry, hold on...you want to turn Storybrooke into a tourism destination?” Regina tilted her head. “It’s a consideration, but that wasn’t what I was alluding to at all. I’m agreeing with you that, with the holidays coming up, and things, relatively calm now, we might be able to expand our gift-giving tendencies.”

“And no one is just going to….you know, forget their entire being if I order gifts off Amazon and get them delivered to my house? Like an actual, normal person? Who just wants to celebrate Christmas and buy actually good gifts?”

“No,” Regina sighed, lifting one eyebrow and Emma hadn’t planned on talking for so long. She wanted this to be good. She wanted this to be festive. She wanted her house to appear in a publication she was only dimly aware of and not entirely sure was all that profitable.

“You’re sure?” “I don’t know how many times to tell you the same thing with different words.” Emma growled in the back of her throat and that wasn’t going to do her many favors in quest for holiday perfection. “Ok, ok, I get it. I just…” “Can’t find the perfect gift for the pirate who has everything with four storefront options on Main Street?”

“Something like that.” Regina’s expression softened slightly and it was, easily, one of the stranger conversations Emma had ever had. That was saying something. She was fairly positive she’d watched her mother converse with several birds a few days before. “I promise,” Regina said. “You won’t ruin anyone’s entire existence by buying gifts.”

And, well, that was that.

Emma started researching and buying and it didn’t take nearly as long as she expected and she found the perfect gift and she was considering some kind of victory celebration as soon as she got her order confirmation.

That celebration would have been premature.

Because now it’s Christmas Eve and her phone is dinging with updates from Amazon’s distribution center in Portland and there’s been some kind of issue and she didn’t really read the e-mail because she was too busy trying to kick her desk into submission.

“It’s going to be fine,” Snow says again and Emma’s not sure which noise is louder, her responding sigh or her father’s tongue click and her mother just smiles encouragingly at the open air in front of her.

“Did they at least give you a new delivery date?” David asks, pushing away from the wall to take a wary step towards Emma. She can only imagine what her face looks like.

She kind of feels like she’s on fire, which is a strange feeling to feel when the sheriff’s office is always so freezing cold, but every single one of her nerve endings seems to be pulsing under her skin with something that might actually be fury. She’s a bit surprised to find that her fingers haven’t started sparking.

It’s her goddamn magic – she knows that, rationally, but irrationally it’s kind of like being drunk on aggravation and the presents were supposed to arrive at the station two days ago and she’d planned this.

There was a schedule.

There were expectations.

There are no presents.

And she has no idea what to do next. She needs to get her magic to relax.

She needs to buy presents.

She needs some Christmas, God damnit.

“It’s….” Snow starts again and Emma’s head snaps up so quickly she’s momentarily concerned about the state of her spine.

David shifts in between them, lifting both hands like he’s regulating a boxing match instead of the eternal optimism of a fairytale princess and his slightly despondent daughter. “We just need to come up with a plan,” he says and it’s practical and rational and Emma can probably use a bit of both at this point.

She should make a list or something.

“And you never answered my question,” David adds, glancing meaningfully at Emma with the unspoken plea not to yell at her mother or kick the office furniture again.

Emma heaves a sigh and it’s probably not that serious, but the gift was so good and she was really considering that celebration and their house is covered in lights and there's garland on the railing outside and watching Henry and Killian try and make sure a tree stood straight in their living room did something very specific to her heart. Made it grow or stutter or something.

She wants a little Christmas.

No, that’s a lie. Emma wants a metric ton of Christmas and she wouldn’t be opposed to a little snow because after everything – curses and death and darkness and the goddamn Underworld – they deserve a lot of Christmas and even more festive and she’s fairly certain rum goes well with eggnog.

“December 29th,” Emma grumbles and David can’t quite mask his immediate response. Snow practically sags in front of them. “Which you know...is not great.” “Yeah, that’s a little after the fact.” “They were supposed to be here two days ago because I planned this. I paid for extra shipping! I’ve never paid for extra shipping in my entire life!” David laughs before he can stop himself and Emma’s clearly losing her slightly tenuous grip on both reality and her magic. The combination of those two words in a single sentence is, possibly, the most absurd thing she’s thought all day.

And at one point she considered sending out a locator spell for her presents.

It absolutely would not work.

“Killian really will understand, Emma,” Snow says, leaning back against David’s chest out of instinct as soon as his arm wraps around her shoulders. “And it’s not as if you’re not going to give him a gift. It’s just...delayed.” “I know, I know,” Emma mumbles. She drops onto the edge of her desk, bumping up against a stack of paperwork she didn’t remember finishing and that’s probably a sign of something. That’s she’s losing her mind. Likely. “But this is…” “A big deal,” David finishes. “Trust us, we get that.”

He says it with such conviction and a hint of emotion Emma doesn’t entirely expect that she feels her eyebrows pull low in confusion and Snow bites her lower lip.

Oh.

Oh.

Emma isn’t the only one who wanted a periodical-worthy Christmas experience.

“You guys are really living up to your character stereotypes right now, you know that?” Emma asks, drawing a quiet laugh out of both her parents. Snow smiles softly at her, reaching forward to squeeze her shoulder and Emma is going to fix this.

Everyone will be gifted appropriately.

That’s not the correct verb.

“Alright,” Emma mutters, exhaling loudly and David clicks his tongue again when she nearly knocks over the paperwork. “Seriously where did that come from?” she asks distractedly. She, apparently, is only capable of following one plan at a time.

“No idea,” David answers. “It was there yesterday though. Probably more backlogs for you to go through.” “Jeez.” “It’s not as if you have to finish it today.” Emma nods, eyes flitting towards Snow and it takes, approximately, two and a half seconds for her mother to realize what’s going on. “Yes,” Snow shouts, practically leaping towards Emma and David’s arm hangs awkwardly in the air when he blinks blankly at the scene taking place in front of him.

“What am I missing?” he asks. Emma grins.

“But isn’t he supposed to be coming in here today?” Snow asks, already three steps ahead of a plan that’s only half-planned and built mostly on a little bit of hope and maybe a hint of Christmas. “You’re going to have to tell him not to come in today.”

David nods, his quiet ohhhh echoing off the walls of the office and Emma scrunches her nose. “You can’t just lie to him, Emma,” he continues, crossing his arms and it’s the most dad thing he’s done in, at least, thirty-six hours.

Emma waves a dismissive hand through the air. “I’m not going to lie,” she promises, but that’s also a bit of a lie and none of this feels very festive, but her mother looks thrilled and maybe she can find something on Main Street and she really just wants to do this right.

She wants to make sure there are gifts to open in her house on Christmas morning.

In her house.

With her family.

She’s waited long enough. And she refuses to accept Amazon’s apparent incompetence and inability to follow a schedule.

“I’m not,” she says again. “It’s...an excuse.” David lifts his eyebrows. “An excuse? On Christmas Eve? Seems like that’s against the rules.” “There is no Christmas Eve equivalent in the Enchanted Forest, you can’t possibly tell me about the rules of a holiday you’re only just getting to celebrate.” “Those are the dad rules. That’s how it works.” Emma scoffs, but the fire and the flames and the frustration that had been working through every single inch of her just a few minutes before seem to ebb just a bit. “Oh, yeah, well, that makes total sense,” she laughs. “And this is good. I’ll just...say something and then Mom and I can go march down Main Street and…” “Shop,” Mary Margaret finishes, nearly shouting the word in Emma’s face. David pulls both his lips behind his teeth to stop himself from, presumably, cackling.

Emma nods. “Yeah, exactly that. Maybe one of the dwarves owns a seafaring….store we don’t know about yet. I just need to make sure…” “Killian doesn’t show up on Main Street during patrol in the middle of the afternoon?” David asks.

She nods again. “Where’s my phone?”

It’s behind the paperwork she’s absolutely going to ignore until, possibly, after the New Year and Killian’s phone goes to voicemail. “Damn,” Emma groans, but Snow already has her phone out and he’s still not answering and maybe something happened and maybe he’s already on his way here and...he answers when she calls a second time.

Emma doesn’t wait for him to actually saying anything. She’s never been very good at patience.

“Killian?” she asks and David widens his eyes meaningfully because she sounds like she’s preparing to tell a lie or brace for some brand-new curse. Emma tries not to groan. “Where are you?” “Home, Swan and uh…” “Oh, ok, good.” “Is something wrong, love?”

She winces. David’s eyes are going to get stuck mid-roll. “Is he still home?” Snow asks, barely keeping her voice even remotely in the realm of whisper. Emma nods distractedly.

“Yeah, yeah, fine,” she says, far too quickly. “Totally fine.” And she knows he tilts his head and narrows his eyes and he’s probably doing something stupid with his eyebrows because he’s impossibly good at reading her, even when she’s on the other side of town. “You’re a rather terrible liar, you know that?” Killian asks. “Did something happen with this snowstorm?”

“He totally knows, doesn’t he?” David asks, arms crossed again. Emma glares at him.

“Swan,” Killian continues and her heel slams into the front of her desk when she nearly jumps to attention. Snow’s eyes widen at the litany of curses that fall from Emma’s mouth. “You’ve got to tell me what’s going on because I’m thinking I may just stay home if there isn’t anything else…” Emma’s eyebrows pull low, but she barely gives herself a second to consider that because this is going to work. “Yes,” she yells, grumbling when her father starts laughing again. “Yes! You should absolutely, definitely stay home.”

“Overselling,” David mumbles and Emma’s breath catches when she realizes he’s right. And Killian’s offered to stay home. “Wait,” she says suddenly. “Why do you want to stay home? Are you ok?”

“You called me, Swan. And told me I should be staying home.” “Yeah.” His eyebrows are doing something stupid, she’s positive. “Yeah?” Killian asks. “No explanation? Just...yeah?” “Uh...yes?”

Killian laughs – loud and easy, right in her ear and Emma smiles immediately, some kind of instinctual reaction she’s still trying to get used to. Her parents have started discussing the layout of Main Street and which stores might be best and she just wants to do this right.

“That’s not much of a change, darling,” Killian says and Emma sighs, falling down into her desk chair and pleasantly surprised when it doesn't break under her. “And you need a new chair.” “We need a new everything in this office, we’ve been over that eight-hundred times.” “True,” he agrees. “That’s still not an explanation though. Why do you want me to stay home?” “Why do you want to be staying home?” He doesn't answer immediately. “Killian.”

“It’s nothing,” he says, like that’s an explanation and genetics are absolutely a thing because Emma actually tuts the same way Snow does when Killian doesn’t continue. “Just feeling a little under the weather and I don’t want to miss any of your parents' plans tomorrow.”

If she weren’t also telling a lie, she would probably be offended by the one she’s just heard.

It’s almost comically bad.

And obvious.

She scoffs, narrowing her eyes and ignoring whatever David is doing with his face. “That was almost painfully bad,” Emma mutters, but she’s trying not to laugh because he didn’t even try.

“If you don’t need me in the station or questioning dwarves about weather patterns than I’m happy to stay home for the day, love,” Killian continues. “Although I think we both need to work on our excuses.”

Emma licks her lips, butterflies in her stomach and heart hammering against her chest and her father looks almost too smug because, of course, Killian figured it out. “It’s not an excuse,” she says. “It’s...whatever. There are no weather issues because that snowstorm thing was a total lie and Dad went to go check it out already anyway. So there’s...you know...not a ton going on here.” “Of course.” “You are infuriating when you’re all-knowing.” “I’m not anything, Swan. Except possibly learning what something called wrapping paper is.”

The muscles in her face are starting to ache from overuse, but that seems almost appropriate on Christmas Eve and a town full of actual characters and maybe it’ll snow later. Emma hopes it snows later. The lights on their house will probably look fantastic in the snow.

“Wrapping paper, huh?” she asks, laughing softly. “Interesting. Any particularly good patterns on this wrapping paper?” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Ah, we haven’t gotten that far in the instructional period, huh?”

She can see the smile inch across his face, as clearly as if he’s standing in front of her and Emma’s not sure her heart is ever going to recover. Merry Christmas, or something. “Not as such, no,” Killian answers. “But I’m sure we’ll get to that part of the rules eventually.” And, rationally, she knows he doesn’t mean it like that. She knows her dad didn’t mean it like that. But, irrationally, that little voice in the back of Emma’s mind, the one who only knew about lights because of TV shows and ancient VHS tapes that, more often than not, broke in even more ancient VCR’s in houses across the country, isn’t sure she can have all of this without paying some sort of festive price.

“What?” Killian asks, the concern in all four letters obvious even on the other side of town.

“I just...I mean there aren’t rules to this, you know. It’s not like I’m…” She needs to finish a sentence. And she’s fairly certain she could hear Henry before.

“Swan?”

“I mean presents are good, but you know we didn’t really talk about gifts and you don’t have to…” He doesn’t wait for her to finish. “I want to,” Killian says, voice softer and more determined than she’s heard it in weeks and she sighs out a breath of air that’s decidedly close to swooning. Her office chair squeaks when she sinks further into it, ignoring whatever silent conversation her parents are having with their eyes and she’s going to buy him the greatest goddamn gift in the history of last-second Christmas gifts.

Or something with fewer curse words in it.

“See, saying things like that out loud is just absolutely unfair,” Emma says. Her chair is some kind of torture device. The thing is out to destroy her back, she’s positive. “What am I supposed to think about for the rest of the day?” David sticks his tongue out. Snow looks like she’s trying not to cry. “Hopefully that,” Killian says and Emma bites her tongue. Her heart is trying to expand.

“Ah, that was even worse.” “You’re telling me these things like they’re an insult, Swan. I’m failing to see that point of view at all. It all seems almost romantic.” “Almost,” she repeats, tugging her hair over her shoulder and sitting up straighter and Snow is bobbing on the balls of her feet, excitement rolling off her in waves. For half a dozen stores on Main Street. There better be something nautical out there.

Although that might be too similar to what’s, maybe, coming on December 29th.

“You really don’t have to come in today,” Emma continues. “We’ve got everything taken care of and I’m just going to get caught up on some paperwork while things are still quiet.” “You’ve told me several times I don’t have to come in today, love, I understand.”

Emma tilts her head, eyebrows pulled low and something’s going on. She knew it as soon as she picked up the phone, but now she’s positive and she can’t hear her kid anymore.

Her super power hasn’t exactly been necessary since they avoided the end of the world, but it’s still there and it’s practically ringing in her ears now, some kind of warning bell or signal that’s impossibly loud and even more difficult to ignore.

And Killian Jones, pirate and reformed scoundrel and the love of her life in a true-type sort of way, is, quite clearly, up to something.

“Right, right,” Emma says, wondering if she left her hat in her jacket pocket or on the hook just inside the front door of the office. “And you know, paperwork. Lots of it.”

“Right,” he agrees. “Paperwork.”

Emma nods, not sure if she’s trying to convince herself or him or either one of her parents and Snow is pointing towards the door like they’re on a holiday timetable. They kind of are. “Exactly,” she says, doing her best to infuse some certainty into the word. “So, uh….I’m going to go do that and you’re going to stay home and probably read, like, twenty books.” “Seems rather ambitious, don’t you think, love?” “The paperwork or the books?” “Either or.” She laughs under her breath and the chair makes noise when she stands up, walking towards Snow and her coat and her hat is hanging out of the side pocket. “I’ll see you later,” Emma says. “For movies and hot chocolate.”

“I look forward to it, Swan.” She smiles. “Yeah, me too. I love you.” It’s strange – a string of letters and words and feeling that she was so terrified of coming so easily now, but the sentence seems to just roll out of her with practiced ease and Emma means it in some kind of monumental way.

She hopes he knows.

“I love you too,” Killian says and she bites her lower lip, closing her eyes lightly and trying to let his voice silence whatever warning bells her superpower is still ringing in the back corners of her brain. She’s going to find the perfect gift.

It, however, Emma is quick to learn, impossible to do that in Storybrooke.

Particularly when her mother keeps buying all the goddamn gift options.

She tries not to be frustrated. Really she does. But her magic keeps fluttering in her fingertips and maybe she can just poof herself to Portland and back without anyone noticing and she’ll just...steal her presents from the distribution center.

That is, absolutely, against the rules.

“We’ll find something,” Snow promises for the umpteenth time, but the sentiment looses some of its shine when she’s already laden down with bags of her own. Emma’s wallet might be burning a hole in her bag.  “Those little anchors weren’t bad,” she adds, an attempt at Christmas comfort that also falls a bit short in the middle of the sidewalk. “Even if they were a little…” “Touristy?” Emma suggests and Snow shrugs. “They were for the tourists, Mom.” “But they’d look cute in your bathroom!” Emma groans, the sound falling out of her before she can remember all the reasons Snow is just trying to help. “You want me to buy Killian something we can use to decorate our bathroom?” On Christmas?”

“They were willing to customize it.” “For the tourists,” Emma repeats, dragging out the words like she’s arguing the most important thing in the world. “So they can put their names on anchors that say Storybrooke, Maine on them. They’re for kids. And incredibly overpriced.” “Happy said he’d give you a discount.” “Because he’s thinks he’s supporting the monarchy or something. He bowed!” “It was polite,” Snow argues. “Just be glad Killian wasn’t actually here. He probably would have saluted him.” Emma rolls her whole head back, staring at the sky and asking several different deities to just let her find something because she can’t go home empty handed. Or deal with any more dwarves calling her Princess like that’s a normal thing. “Oh my God,” she sighs. “That is insane. You know that’s insane, right?”

Snow shrugs again, mouth twitching like she’s trying not to beam at Emma right there in the middle of the sidewalk. “They respect you. The entire town does, both you and Killian and it’s well...it’s tradition. Even if it is a bit antiquated, monarchy-type things.” “Monarchy-type things,” Emma repeats and her mother gives up on that whole not smiling thing. “Are you sure there isn’t a Christmas equivalent in the Enchanted Forest? Everyone seems to know how this is supposed to work.”

Snow considers the answer for a moment, rocking her weight between her feet and scrunching her nose slightly “I mean there isn’t a Santa Claus leaving presents or breaking into homes around the world, if that’s what you're suggesting.” “I promise, it wasn’t.”

Snow stops smiling long enough to shoot Emma something that might almost actually be a glare, but it barely lasts a moment before she dives back into the story and it’s all just a bit maternal, like she’s learning some kind of family tradition or recipe that’s been handed down from generation to generation.

It’s nice.

“So,” Snow continues. “No Santa, no elves, no presents under the tree or nice and naughty lists, which again, just...don’t get me started, your father has been listening to me question this since the start of the month.” “Mom are you anti-Christmas?”

“No, no, no! I am just...well, it’s all a little confusing isn’t it? The rules and the quasi-lies and it seems a bit like a deceptive way to get children to behave. That’s not how Solstice is at all.”

“Solstice?” Emma asks and they’re moving again, making their way towards that one clothing store and maybe she can buy Killian something made of leather. A belt? Boots? She might be the worst gift-giver in the history of the world.

Snow hums, changing her grip on the half a dozen bags in her hands. “It was never an actual day, just sort a general time during the month, right when winter started. And there were lights and candles and carols of a sort and you’d exchange gifts, but they were always little things. Knick knacks that were personal and meaningful and it was…” “That sounds nice,” Emma says when she trails and Snow smiles at her. There’s snow on the ground and it’s all decidedly picturesque, but Emma’s stubborn and she wants to give her husband a good gift. She wants the best of both worlds. “You really can’t buy anything in this store though or I’m not going to be able to find anything for Killian.”

Snow blinks, pursing her lips slightly and she’s probably going to do permanent damage to her fingers because she bought David some kind of actual scabbard-type thing in Happy’s store and it must weigh, at least, twenty-five pounds.

“The anchors were good though, I’m just saying,” Snow starts, but Emma’s already shaking her head and she doesn’t even check for traffic before crossing the street.

“Yeah, well, I’m just saying,” she argues. “Mom, this needs to be good. It can’t just be…”

Emma freezes, tilting her head and she barely noticed the shadow when she was so busy learning about Enchanted Forest traditions, but she can’t ignore the set of footprints moving away from the sidewalk towards the alley.

Her superpower makes more noise.

“Those are recent,” Snow says, coming up next to her and, somehow, bending down to examine the marks without letting her bags touch the ground. “And moving back into the alley. Why would anyone be going back there?”

Emma shakes her head, mind racing and defenses rising automatically and if someone is going to do something stupid on Christmas Eve when she doesn’t have a present for Killian, she’s going to use her recently-acquired powers of monarchy to throw them in a cell for several days.

God bless us, everyone.

She clicks her tongue, taking a step towards the slightly darker space next to the store and her fingers tap an uneven rhythm on the side of her jeans. “Yeah,” she mutters, trying to peer through the darkness for someone or something and she wonders if Solstice traditions also include fighting monsters. Or potential thieves looking to empty cash registers. “Why would anyone want to be in this alley? You think there’s a door to the store back there?” There’s scuffling a few feet away from her and Emma’s right hand lifts automatically, fingers twisting in the air and she’s dimly aware of her mother mumbling something about wishing she had her bow. Emma’s gun is in the station.

It seemed wrong to bring firearms on a Christmas shopping trip.

She takes another step forward, boots crunching on the snow and it’s icy back here, where the, rather limited, expertise and execution of the Storybrooke Public Works department didn’t reach.

She almost falls over when someone shouts her name, twisting back to gape at a slightly terrified looking Archie, just barely visible outside of the shadows in the alley.

Emma curses, again, and her mother doesn’t look quite as stunned as she expects, making a noise somewhere between a guffaw and a snicker. She tries to keep her footing as she moves back towards the sidewalk and she just wants to get in this store because she’s actually kind of freezing.

“Just saying Happy Holidays,” Archie says before Emma can even ask and she takes a deep breath through her nose. “Out doing a bit of late shopping I see?”

Emma’s breathing gets louder, but Snow is already muttering about plans and stores and she feels herself being tugged into Modern Fashions before she can even begin to formulate a response for Archie.

“You’re some kind of Christmas diplomat, you know that,” Emma mutters, smiling at Snow when the bell above the shop door dings loudly. They’re the only ones in there.

Snow scoffs. “You grow up in a castle and a quasi-revolution, you learn some of these things. And you don’t need to be diplomatic, you just need to remember that Killian will appreciate any gift and no one is going to tattle on your present issue. They probably all think Killian’s on patrol anyway. And, well…” “They’re still slightly intimidated by him?” Emma suggests.” “Yeah, you know, maybe some of that too.”

Emma rolls her eyes, but it’s definitely true and she’s running out of time to find some kind of mythically perfect gift.

And there’s a store clerk talking to her. It’s Bashful. He can’t meet her gaze.

“Afternoon your highnesses,” he says, mostly into the slightly worse-for-wear carpet that runs from wall to wall. Emma groans. “You uh...you just missed…” “We’re looking for a gift,” Snow interrupts in a decidedly un Snow-like way and Emma’s not sure what to do with that, but she’s more than willing to let her mother take over the reigns of this conversation if it means she can try to find one single item of clothing that doesn’t appear to be made out of polyester.

They need new stores.

She’s fairly positive the dwarves made some kind of deal with Regina to own every store.

Bashful blushes and the thought leaves Emma close to hysterics because this is all absurd and she's probably going to have to suck up her pride and go back to that first store and buy those stupid anchors because there is nothing in this store that screams Killian and at least there was some kind of theme with the tourist stuff.

He can put them in the brand-new sea chest that will maybe, hopefully arrive somewhere in town four days after Christmas.

And that might have been overpriced too, but it was perfect and Killian was starting to collect things – a mix of modern and not and just a bit of pirate and the thought that he could do that in a space that was, unequivocally, theirs left Emma’s pulse thudding in her ears.

So she’d bought the chest and Amazon claimed it was an antique and maybe she’d make a joke about that. Or she would have if the stupid thing came on time.

She resists the urge to start mumbling nautical curses under her breath again.

She's not sure Bashful’s face can get any redder.

Emma spins on the spot, nearly knocking her shoulder into a rack of clothing and she doesn’t even say anything before Snow nods, a knowing smile on her face. “Yeah,” she says. “Not much, huh? I don’t even want to buy anything.” “Rough review.” “Nothing here is even vaguely nautical themed.” “You’re really big on the nautical theme, aren’t you?” Snow makes a noise in the back of her throat that might be a disagreement or an agreement and Emma laughs, shoulders sagging slightly because this was supposed to be easier. She should just be able to find something.

“I have a tendency to harp,” Snow admits and Emma’s going to dislocate something if she laughs any harder, the absurdity of it all hitting her suddenly and forcefully and there are tears in her eyes. Snow makes a face. “What do you say some grilled cheese and onion rings?” Emma perks up – like she’s actually her thirteen-year-old kid and Snow looks like she’s just seen a particularly beautiful sunrise. Bashful continues to stare at the ground. “Grilled cheese and onion rings?” she echoes, something settling in the pit of her stomach. “Yeah?” “Yeah,” Snow says, somehow shifting the bags in her hand to squeeze Emma’s shoulder.

“Hot chocolate?” “That goes without saying.”

Emma nods, any trace of lingering frustration or superpower or whatever Bashful had been trying to tell them when they walked into the store forgotten in a moment of something vaguely maternal and she doesn’t even argue when Snow directs her back across the street towards Granny’s. It’s nice and simple and, for the first time all day, she’s almost breathing normally.

Until they nearly run over Killian and Henry.

“Swan?” “Killian?” “Mom?” “Henry?” “Hey,” Snow says, leaning to her side and nearly hitting Emma with bags when she tries to wave one hand. “Happy Christmas Eve!”

Henry laughs under his breath, grinning from ear to ear, but Killian looks like he’s just encountered the ghost of Christmas past, present and future all at the same time. Emma can’t move. Her eyes are so wide they’re starting to water.

“What are you guys doing here?” Henry asks brightly, trying to peer into the bags. Snow clicks her tongue.

“We thought we’d get some food.” “In between stacks of paperwork?” Killian asks, gaze darting from the bags to Emma’s still wide-eyed face and she tries not to scowl. “Is that right, Swan?”

She looks anywhere except him and it’s as bad as if she were to start shouting I lied about paperwork in the doorway of Granny’s. “We’re taking a break,” she says instead. “And I’m starving. And Mom was...you know, boosting the town’s entire economy in one day. It’s...we did not plan this.”

“Naturally.” “Did you guys eat?” “Pie and fries,” Henry answers excitedly and, at least, forty-seven alarm bells go off in Emma’s head. She’s surprised when her eyes don’t actually fall out onto the step they’re all occupying.

“Pies and fries?” she asks. “Did you unearth some kind of world-ending evil or something?”

She shivers because her coat is actually a piece of garbage and she should really buy a new one, but she’s been lied to enough about the productivity of the United States postal service and she hardly has half a moment to consider if there’s a magical equivalent of that before she feels herself being tugged a few inches to her left and Killian is incredibly warm.

She rests her head on his shoulder.

“I promise it’s not that serious, love,” he says, but she twists her eyebrows when she glances back up at him “It’s not.”

“We were just hungry,” Henry adds. “And there was new pie. Or fresh pie. What would you call still-warm pie?” “I think fresh is the correct term,” Mary Margaret says.

“Yeah, that makes sense, right?” Emma pulls back to stare at Killian. She wants some answers. “What are you guys doing here though? What happened to wanting to stay home?”

He shrugs, but doesn’t actually say anything and they’re clearly both out of lying practice because it’s like some kind of massive billboard right in front of her face announcing that there is a story here and she’s missing a few key facts.

“There’s only so much reading you can do in one afternoon,” Killian says. “And not much food at home.” Henry makes some kind of impossible noise – a warning or a caution and his jaw almost audibly snaps shut when all three of them turn to stare at him. “Nothing, nothing, nothing, I mean...nothing. We should probably go though.”

They’re a family of horrible liars.

“Go?” Emma repeats. They haven’t actually closed the door. Granny doesn’t sound pleased. “Where do you have to go?” “Home,” Killian and Henry say at the same time and the obvious reaches out and smacks her. She’s clearly lost all concept of rational thought at this point.

Snow nods, humming softly as if that makes sense, but Emma’s somewhere in the realm of complete disbelief at this point. Fries and pie is some kind of chaos code. “Did you two practice that or…” She trails off, widening her eyes and Henry shuffles on his feet.

“Back to the books, Swan,” Killian says. “This was just a break, right?”

She’s, quite clearly, not going to get any answers out of this conversation and she’s not sure how much longer than can influence Granny’s heating bill before she comes at them with her crossbow.

“So, uh…” Henry wavers. “We going to go or….” “Aye,” Killian says, pressing a kiss to the top of Emma’s head and she just barely feels it through her hat. She twists back to look at him, determined to get something out of this, but she also doesn’t want to give up any information and it’s a fine line to walk on a holiday when she’s fairly close to freezing and decidedly present-less. “I’d suggest the pie, Swan,” Killian adds, squeezing her hip and she nips at his lip out of instinct.

“Our refrigerator is filled with food,” Emma whispers.

She silently congratulates herself when he freezes in front of her, but that lasts all of two seconds before he’s smirking at her and that’s not the way this was supposed to go. “I finished all the paperwork two days ago,” Killian says, resting his forehead on hers and her heart drops into her stomach. Damn. That’s why it was sitting on her desk. “And we haven’t arrested anyone recently.”

He flashes her a grin when her eyes feel as wide as saucers and Snow hisses in a breath of air. Henry’s already halfway down the sidewalk, looking as if he’s ready to start jogging in place.

“I’ll see you at home, Swan,” Killian smiles, turning to take a step, but Emma’s a hint quicker nad her fingers tighten around the collar of his jacket.

She kisses him that time.

And he tastes a bit sweet, like pie and something that’s probably the milkshake no one was going to mention because that’s kind of against the rules at Granny’s, but it makes her smile and want and a slew of other verbs she’d never even allowed herself to consider before this town and this family and everything that’s landed at her feet in the last few years.

“I’ll see you later,” Emma mumbles and Killian’s eyes seem to get bluer when he glances at her once more before practically bounding down the steps towards Henry.

The door to Granny’s slams shut behind them and the entire restaurant turns towards the sound, staring at Emma and Snow expectantly.

“Oh,” Granny sighs, head propped up on her hand and leaning against the counter. “You’ve been successful, I see.” “Kind of,” Emma corrects. She weaves her way around tables and chairs and drops onto the first stool in front of her. Granny’s lips quirk. “What?” “Nothing, nothing, just rumors.” “Rumors?”

Granny nods knowingly and Snow winces when she finally lets go of the bags. “I think I’m going to have marks on my fingers until New Year’s,” she sighs. “But we did get some good stuff.” “That so?” Granny asks and Emma gets the sudden suspicion that they’ve been ratted out by several Storybrooke pedestrians and, possibly, more than one dwarf. “You seem to have shown up rather empty handed though, Princess. Grilled cheese or onion rings?”

“Both,” Emma sighs. “And whatever milkshake my kid just had he wasn’t supposed to.” Granny’s whole expression shifts, sarcasm turning into enthusiasm and Emma wonders if it’s healthy for her emotions to flip as often as they have in the last four hours. It’s exhausting. “Strawberry, chocolate and vanilla,” she says. “That pirate of yours is a pushover.”

Emma laughs, mostly because she’s not sure Granny will appreciate if she just melts into a puddle of something on her floor. And there’s already two steaming mugs of hot chocolate sitting on the counter in front of them. “Cool trick,” Emma mumbles and Granny hums in agreement. “What were the rumors?” “I am just the messenger. I don’t want to be arrested for crimes I didn’t commit.” “We’re not that kind of monarchy,” Emma promises and Granny’s smile, somehow, gets wider.

“That was diplomatic,” Snow says, something that feels like pride in her voice when she smiles at Emma over her own mug. “And I bet it was Archie, wasn’t it?”

Granny nods, eyebrows lifted in not-so-silent judgement. “Said he saw you coming out of that that knick-knack store. One of you looking victorious and the other looking...testy.” “Testy,” Emma echoes. Granny shrugs. “And that store is for whatever tourism schtick Regina has been on for the last couple of months. It’s not a good spot for gift-giving inspiration.” “I’m not disagreeing with you, merely reporting the facts. And you really shouldn’t rehash old gift ideas either. No repeats of previous romantic moments.” Emma narrows her eyes and she’s finally starting to regain feeling in her hands, the longer she holds onto this mug. “What do you know?” she asks. “And have you heard anything about some break-in attempts around here?”

It comes out like an accusation.

It might be an accusation.  

She grabs a menu, if only to do something with her left hand that isn’t waving it through the air in getting late in the day, no present panic and Granny’s eyebrows shift again.

“You should have bribed Archie not to talk when he saw you,” Granny says. “And I know everything. I thought that was a well established fact by now.” Snow coughs when she nearly chokes on her hot chocolate, trying not to laugh too loudly and, at some point, Emma burnt her tongue. That seems like a sign.

“Repeating is cheating,” Granny intones and Snow is barely staying upright on her stool.

Emma puts her mug down. “What do you know?” she repeats, pausing between each word for dramatic emphasis and she knows it’s not going to work as soon as the words are out of her mouth. “And I’m not repeating anything...I didn’t…” “Plan that one date you and the captain actually went on?” “Wow, that’s just rife with judgement isn’t it? How long have you been holding that one in? Is it because we didn’t come here?”

Granny shrugs. It’s definitely because they didn’t come there. And not technically true because they went on more than one date during those six weeks of peace, but it usually ended with stolen makeouts in the backseat of her bug or Killian’s room upstairs and Emma isn’t sure she can bring that up in front of her mother without wanting to actually to die of embarrassment.

“That’s neither here nor there,” Granny says, tugging the menu of her end. “How deep would you say you are into your current state of lack of present panic?” “Inching closer and closer to drowning.”

Snow makes a supportive noise and even Granny looks almost empathetic for a moment, eyes flitting back towards the door like she’s looking for someone or something or perhaps the inspiration for the perfect present for the pirate who has everything.

“You’re thinking too big,” she says, as if that makes sense. “Did you try something in leather?” Emma rolls her eyes, shoulders shifting with the force of her sigh and Snow squeezes her shoulder again. “If it even looked remotely like leather or was vaguely nautical we considered it, but there aren’t really that many options.”

“And for that ship of his?” Emma blinks.

“What?” she asks, flinching slightly when a waitress puts a plate in front of her. There’s another one on her other side and the smell of onion rings seems to attack every single one of her senses at once.

“A captain has a ship, yes?” Granny asks and Emma nods slowly. “Then it only makes sense that he’d appreciate something for his ship, yes?”

Emma’s not sure she entirely appreciates whatever tone this conversation has taken, but Snow is already listening off parts of a ship and ideas for thecaptain’s quarters and Emma, maybe, blushes at that because Granny laughs loudly, head thrown back and smile wide and that could work. It’s a good idea. And The Jolly could probably use more...blankets or something.

God.

She’s awful at this.

They eat the rest of their meal with Snow talking and planning and Emma drinks her milkshake so quickly, Granny makes not-so-quiet comment about the similarities between parents and children. She dips one of her onion rings into the glass.

It scandalizes everyone within a ten-foot radius.

And they’re halfway back down the block when she hears it – Henry laughing and Killian’s footfalls and Emma barely considers the state of her mother’s hands before she’s tugging on Snow’s wrist and pulling her into the closest doorway she can find.

They nearly fall into the library.

“God, fuc…” Emma sighs, knees buckling under her and Belle looks a little stunned and Mary Margaret’s bags aren’t looking quite as festive. They’re looking decidedly crumpled.

The door is still open.

And Henry is still laughing. “Killian, you’ve got to slow down,” he shouts, but there’s a note of excitement in his voice that has Emma gaping at Snow and waving a hand towards Belle when she opens her mouth to ask questions.

“He’s going to be asleep by the time we get there, if we don’t hurry up, lad,” Killian counters. Emma’s not sure who’s smiling more – her or Snow and it’s probably her because she might also be trying to will the memory into every single corner of her mind and even Belle looks somewhere in the realm of sentimental.

“We should probably close the door, don’t you think?” Belle asks, nodding towards the still-open piece of wood or whatever it is. Emma nods dumbly, taking a step further into the library and grabbing some of the bags that had been rather, unceremoniously, dumped on the ground.

“Sorry about that,” Emma mutters as the door slams shut behind her.

Belle shakes her head before the entire apology is finished. “Are we hiding from something?” “Christmas in general?” “And Killian,” Snow adds. Belle’s lips twitch, tilting down slightly in surprise and, well, it is kind of surprising. They’re never going to get to the homegoods store Doc owns at the other end of Main Street.

“Killian,” Belle echoes.

Emma shrugs, not sure what other excuse she can possibly come up with at this point. “He was supposed to be at home,” she says, realizing midway through the sentence she hasn’t actually explained anything. “We’re uh...we’re having a present issue.”

“That so? Did you try something in leather?” Snow laughs, sinking onto one of the chairs at a table a few feet away. “You know, I’m starting to suspect we’re not the only one’s with present problems.” It takes, exactly, five seconds, two deep breaths and one slightly dramatic gasp for Emma to understand.

“You know the internet is really the worst,” she grumbles and Snow laughs, a bit freer that time when Emma doesn’t immediately burst into frustration-fueled flames and magic. “We should just go back to this Solstice thing and ignore all these other Christmas expectations. I can’t...buying blankets for the Jolly is so lame.” “That is kind of lame,” Snow admits and Emma waves both her hands through the air in unspoken question. Her mother shrugs, stretching her legs out in front of her and Belle can’t seem to decide if it’s appropriate to laugh or not. “I...well, it is kind of lame. And not, you know, sentimental, which is kind of what Solstice is all about and...blankets are so lame.” “Have you been thinking that all day? You wanted to buy those anchor things! You were talking about decorating the bathroom!” “Which one?” Belle interjects and Emma’s eyebrows leap up her forehead. “I mean...your house is very large.” “That’s true,” Snow agrees. “I really did think the anchors were cute. Plus that discount.” Emma growls, sliding down the door she’s only dimly aware she’s still leaning on. Her legs splay out awkwardly in front of her and she’s momentarily worried she’s actually concussed herself when her head bumps back against the wood.

“This is a disaster,” she sighs. “An absolute….” Snow tilts her head when Emma trails off, but she barely pays attention to that, gaze directed at Belle and ideas firing and a plan forming and maybe this will work. It is, after all, about sentiment.

And he probably could have read twenty books that afternoon on pure determination and desire and Captain Hook was a bookworm.

“Belle,” Emma snaps and the woman’s head snaps up quickly. “Do you...could you…”

She jumps up, the muscles in her leg protesting at the movement, but Emma’s already moving towards the back corner of the library, her mother and Belle trailing after her and she’s mumbling under her breath about constellations and history and her husband is such a nerd – it makes her heart pick up a little bit.

“Wait, wait, wait, Emma,” Snow starts, tugging on the back of her jacket and that can’t be good for the slightly loose stitching. “What’s going on? You’re not making any sense.” Emma spins on the spot, smile wide and Belle and Snow exchange confused glances. “Are you alright?” Belle asks cautiously, like she’s going to combust with Christmas Eve and Solstice excitement. “You look….thrilled.” “Will you take cash?” Emma asks. “Or, you know, Savior-type IOU’s? I have no idea how much cash I actually have.” “I really don’t understand what you’re asking me.” “I know what to get Killian.” “And you need to...pay me for that?” Emma’s practically jumping up and down. “Yeah, maybe,” she admits. “Come on. I think I remember seeing it back here.” She’s going to save Christmas.

#cs ff #captain swan ff #captain swan #cs #cs fic #itttc #csss17 #snow white hates santa claus #pass it on #laura writes canon

[positivity-for-the-rpers]

Mod posts

Hello everyone I just wanted to say thank you for all the positive shoutout for different Rpers, there have been more than a hundred in only a few days.

Also I wanted to tell you guys that you don’t have to feel like you have to restrict yourself to just one shoutout or anything. If you have 10 people you want to gush about then feel free to hit the ask limit, the more positivity we can pour into the community the better.

If your shoutouts get longer than the ask allows submissions are also enabled, but don’t feel like you need to do something long if you want to send a shoutout. No positive shoutout gets rejected, and at the moment the askbox is empty so things will be right at the start of the queue.

Thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response to this blog and I hope you all have a lovely day.

-mod human

#not a shoutout #mod human