sunhawk16

Here we are at Christmas eve one last time, at least where my work is concerned. Feels a little sad, a little nostalgic, a little what-was-I-thinking on some of these works. I had fears there towards the end of these I was losing my ‘writing voice’, so to speak, but I think everything came out well in the wash with a little proof reading.

The art here is again by the wonderfully talented and patient t_shirt1x2 and wraps up the little side story this year has been telling. We’ve seen Christmas morning, with Duo hastily doing his last minute wrapping, followed by Christmas afternoon in which presents are given and everyone feels all warm and fuzzy. And then, like in all things, we have the end of the day and the peace of Christmas night.

GW Team assemble! Cue the awesome Disney-Marvel budget level intro screen. One last time I have to thank Merula, lavendarlizard, and t_shirt1x2 for all coming together to help fill enough days to make this thing happen. At least I’m pretty sure that is what I’m seeing in the crystal ball. Things are a little fuzzy, must be a bad connection. While I retune the crystal settings on this thing, or at least give it a few helpful whacks, I’ll pass things over to my eyes on the ground for anything else that needs said.

Note from offspring – Uh...... art! I don’t know what all normally gets said, but it looks like we have some links so I'll add those in. And I want to give my own huge thank you to everyone for coming together for day nine here, which has allowed me to keep on trucking getting these days posted.

Merula’s art was a scene chosen from a gift fic she wrote, found here: http://www.amymizunogwpage.com/merula/stars.html

Lavendarlizard’s art is from an upcoming BFB parlet. I do not yet have a link but will edit and update this post just as soon as I do.

I have placed the art under the cut in case anyone would like to avoid spoilers, I guess? Day nine needed more of a road map o.o
( Day Nine Art )

This ficlet came about when some failed Christmas carol rewrites meant for day six met up with the memory of an actual real life event from a few years back. The event Duo describes here more or less happened when the music system at my work malfunctioned early on in the holiday season and had an office full of jovial people ready to riot. And a mob only becomes more intimidating when they mobilize while wearing festive ugly sweaters.

I feel the need to add here that this work was something I dictated and the kid typed, as it was faster and easier at the time when I started working on this. I also need to give credit where it is due because she came up with the snippets of carols used, so you can think of this as a little collaboration we worked on together.

The Song that Never Ends

If you have ever spent any significant time around a cat you come to note certain traits that are shared by the species as a whole. They tend to have more than enough brains to tell the difference between right and wrong but have also extrapolated out that ‘wrong’ is only considered to be such when a human is present in the area to discipline them. Generally this is true of dogs as well, or any domesticated pet. The variation with cats however is that they get themselves into situations where they get so absorbed in what they are doing that they forget to pay attention for their owners. This in turn tends to lead to them freezing in place and simply staring at you while taking a few seconds to rethink their life decisions. When furball.exe begins working again it usually does so in a flurry of limbs and fur.

Walking around the drawn curtain of Duo’s hospital room it was obvious he and the common house cat had a number of things in common in that very moment.

I had clearly caught him as off guard as he caught me. He was standing precariously balanced on his hospital bed, no small feat in and of itself, with one foot steadied on the bed rail. Under one arm he held your common grade hospital crutch, his weight shifted to provide for optimal equilibrium as he was holding the other crutch aloft with his other hand, the end of it outstretched towards the ceiling. It took me longer than I cared to admit to notice he had somehow attached a manila folder to the end of the crutch. His hair was a mess as well, signature braid loose and undone in places, strands of hair sticking out at odd angles which only added to the absurdity of what I was seeing. It was comical, to a point, right up until his eyes widened in that universally translated way that means ‘oh fuck’.

I discarded the bag I was holding and began moving practically before he even realized he had let his concentration lapse enough disturb his balance, though he nearly instantly begin flailing his lifted crutch around in the air to try and find stability again on instinct alone. For my trouble I took a sharp crack up the side of the head, though I at least managed to grab him by the waist in the process and help lower him back to his knees, then his butt, and finally to lay back in bed. With the threat of receiving a face full of floor tile averted I then took the crutches and set them aside. Other side of the room kind of aside, where Duo could not so easily get hold of them while the entire time he sat and started at me as though I had been the one with the audacity to cause him to fall.

‘Do you know how long it took me to learn the nurse’s rounds?

‘All of five minutes,’ I grunted and drug the visitor’s chair over to the bedside. ‘It’s a hospital, not a jail cell.’

‘Might as well be…’ he grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, which would have been mildly endearing if I wasn’t silently seething. ‘Do you realize what you’ve done?’

‘Saved you from a concussion,’ I side eyed the mass of medical equipment that would have been in Duo’s trajectory. ‘Possibly also from impalement.’

‘It doesn’t count as saving if you are the one that caused the problem in the first place. I was fine, I had it worked out. I wasn’t expecting any visitors was all,’ a pause and I recognized the look of dawning realization that was starting to ghost over his face. ‘So… what are you doing here, anyway?

‘I took off work. I thought you may like the company instead of sitting around here by yourself,’ I said as I noticed the manila envelop laying on the floor a few inches away, resting in the same area it fallen in. I leaned over and retrieved it. On one side in the middle was what could only be called a blob of tape. I lifted an eyebrow though at how strips of tape also lined each side, all sticky side up. ‘Now however I am thinking you may be losing your mind.’

‘That is only fun the first few times you do it.’

I waited for him to continue but he refused. I narrowed my eyes and gestured that I was still awaiting an explanation as to what I had walked in on but he met my eyes evenly and returned my expression in kind which resulted in some sort of demented glaring contest. Once a few minutes passed of this I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

‘If we are just going to be sitting in silence all day I may as well go back to work.’

‘Excuse me?’ his eyes knit together and at first I thought that it was because it was a threatening enough statement that he wanted to talk it out. When he threw his head back and let out a bitter little laugh I realized somewhere in my statement I had made a misstep. ‘Silence! That would be a lovely little thing wouldn’t it. But oh no, trust me Heero, we are not sitting around in anything close to silence.’

Admittedly he was right. Hospitals did not exactly become known for their quiet and relaxing nature, where all the medical bells and whistles actually seemed to come with actual bells and whistles. Constant beeping, alarms, announcements, the sounds of other patients or the coming and goings of visitors caused a constant background din.

‘Ah,’ I sighed and stood. At least it was easily fixable. ‘I’ll shut the door then. You could have just asked.’

‘Won’t do much good when it’s in the room with us,’ he groaned and plopped his pillow up over his face muffling whatever he said next.

‘I’m not well versed in that kind of pillow talk, Duo,’ I said with a bit of a smirk then took a moment to really get a feel for the room.

It was sparse, as hospital rooms usually were. A tv hung from the wall but wasn’t on while the stereotypical monitors and connections beeped and blipped at steady intervals. The bed creaked each time Duo shifted even a minuscule amount as well, the sheets and pillow case likely the same scratchy uncomfortable brand that I was familiar with from my own stays. From a ceiling speaker music played softly in the background and I could hear the familiar hum of the heater working to keep up with the chill outside. Despite his previous statements I went ahead and shut the door to the room anyway to drown out extra noises from the hall.

‘I spoke to the nurses at the front desk when I got in. You should be discharged later this afternoon,’ I said and watched the pillow retreat a bit from his face. He had originally come in due to a fracture sustained in a fall after slipping on a patch of ice and had been kept overnight due to a moderate level of dehydration. ‘Getting you home should…’

‘Not again!’ he groaned and the sound was of a man tormented and on the verge of defeat as he replaced the pillow fully over his head and clapped his hands down on it. I stood there for a moment and just stared before walking over and lifting the stuffing filled barricade away from his face. He looked up at me with an expression of utter betrayal and reached for the pillow, which I only lifted higher and away from his grasping hands. In defiance he instead tugged the blanket up and wrapped it around his head, which I was also quick to liberate.

‘I will strip everything off of this bed,’ that got a sly grin out of him and he moved his good leg to pose suggestively. When I refused to acknowledge him he sighed and covered his face with his hands.

‘Sleigh ride,’ he said miserably while pulling his hands down his face and my expression must have said a number of things all at once because he gestured upwards, towards the ceiling, then flipped the ceiling off for apparent good measure. ‘It’s the hospital music system. It’s not a radio. It’s one of those company programed things or whatever they’re called. No commercials, just continuous background music that plays from a pre-selected set list?’

‘I know what they are,’ I returned his pillow to him and fluffed the blanket before draping it over him and tucking him back in. ‘I’m still completely baffled at what you’re going on about though, aside the fact that their system has somehow offended you. I thought you like Christmas carols?’

‘I do. Great pieces of music, lovely to hear in December, specifically the week leading up to Christmas. These aren’t carols, Heero. This is nothing short than slow merciless torture. Sleigh ride… it played forty two times over the course of a twenty four hour period. Six of those times were in a row. A row! All different versions of it but you know what? You can only change a Christmas tune so many times.’

If I didn’t know him I would have been concerned, but I did know him and so the concern I did feel was less get a nurse and more this can be worked through. And he wasn’t wrong. When I stopped to listen it was the song that was currently drifting out of the speaker system.

‘I thought it would be kind of nice, right? Quiet Christmas music playing while I dozed through the night. Sure the leg thing is a bitch but I can work with that. But that wasn’t the case, because I couldn’t sleep and then I started realizing I was just hearing the same thing over and over and over again. I asked a nurse about it somewhere around three in the morning and do you know what she said? Apparently the selected playlist has had any carols that could be considered insensitive removed. That leaves a very limited amount of music to fill a very unlimited amount of holiday hours, Heero. I haven’t heard a peep about herald angels, resting gentleman, or even silver bells.’

‘Duo, have you… slept at all?’

‘How could I? Do you think the singers in sleigh ride were invited to farmer Gray’s party or do you think they just decided to crash it? When you got in this morning I had finally had it after the twentieth rendition of All I want for Christmas is You and I was waging war. I figured if I could get something stuck over the speaker my suffering would end.’

‘You’re suffering would have ended when you took a header off any number of obstacles around here. Where did you even get the tape?’

‘Nurse’s station. There was an emergency this morning that had everyone busy. I did try to just keep myself preoccupied at first. Look! I rewrote some carols to try and make them more modern,’ he rolled over and reached towards the rolling tray that sat beside the bed and picked up some papers, shuffling through them before handing a particular crumpled piece over to me.

‘Three ships,’ I read out loud. ‘Tune?’

‘Yep.’

‘She saw a Gundam fall to earth, a shooting star, a shooting star. She saw a Gundam fall to earth like a shooting star cross the night sky…’

‘Can you believe they took out I saw Three Ships? It’s nothing but a mess of repeating chorus lines. What’s insensitive there?’

‘There are a number of things I can’t believe and that number is steadily growing,’ I said in a lowered voice but still got a light back handed swipe. ‘Silver bells... Red alert, red alert, sirens have all started blaring. Soldiers run to get their guns, someone’s attacking the base. Pull up visuals, launch the Leos, go and hold the front line, the reports coming in are all jumbled. Hear the gun fights, somethings not right, what the hell is out there? It’s a Gundam you hear someone say… How did you take a Christmas carol so universally loved and make it this politically incorrect?’

‘Pretty easily, actually. And don’t give me that look. I know it’s bad, that’s why it’s all crumbled up and not leaving this room. Sometimes the grim humor just… well, you know.’

I did know, and I understood. ‘Probably not going to be a remix that catches on. Away in a Manger… Away on a freighter with Howard and crew, My parts all got… ripped off when I went and saved you. It appears someone thinks they are being funny. Are you ever going to let it go?’

‘Oh, that’s good! I bet I could really rework the lyrics to that one!’ he laughed and it was my turn to groan about music that had long out stayed its welcome. ‘And to answer you, I’ve ‘let it go’ but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to tease you a bit about it from time to time.’

We continued on that way for a bit, just talking and teasing lightly, spending some time reminiscing about warm memories and avoiding or ignoring the bad ones. At some point conversation turned to the topic of work and holidays, meandering through the latest work place gossip and who in the office was doing what with their vacations. Dup sheepishly thanked me for taking the time off to stay with him and apologized for his attempts at Cirque du Soleil style stunts, promising to leave future performances to the professionals.

Shortly after ten I excused myself from the room and ran out to grab a breakfast for us both from a little bakery café across the street, which Duo was overjoyed at and launched in to a spirited soap box rant about hospital food and the clear inability to use anything even remotely adjacent to flavor. I pointed out the need to keep things basic due to dietary restrictions but recognized a fool’s mission to try and sway his opinions. Besides that, hospital food really was as bland as it came.

When exhaustion finally overcame him and he got to sleep I retrieved the bag I had brought with me and withdrew some reports to read over. Paid time off was fine but there was also no point in sitting around staring at a wall waiting for something to happen. I could at least keep up to date on a few things and not go back to work and be swamped. And despite everything the work environment was oddly cozy.

When I first heard the soft tinkling of bells I didn’t even really register what I was hearing. The song was half over when I had to turn the page of the report, the pause in concentration just enough for me to shift focus over to the music playing. I chuckled to myself and shook my head, returning to reading. Not long after I noted the song was still playing, but was different if only just slightly. I lowered the paper and paid closer attention to the song. It definitely had a slightly faster tempo and was being sung in a higher octave. I listened until the song ended, moved to get back to work, then looked up as yet again the ringing of bells drifted down from on high. This version was all instrumental with more of a classical feel, but still the same base principle.

I looked at Duo’s sleeping form, limbs sprawled out haphazardly in the way that you could only do when in a deep, restful sleep. Part of me had expected him to be awake and watching me while grinning his fool head off.

‘It’s just background noise,’ I mumbled to myself and shuffled my reports, the rustling noise enough to help me refocus on my work.

I didn’t really flinch when the song began playing a fourth time.

I stood up and investigated the speaker for an off feature when it started playing a fifth time.

When it started playing the sixth time I felt it was a good opportunity to get up and stretch my legs by taking a lap around the floor.

The seventh time I investigated the speaker again only this time with the passing thought of probable dismantlement.

Eight was in the middle of playing when the nurse arrived to wake Duo and get everything ready for him to be discharged, which proved to be a decently successful distraction. I put my focus on getting the few personal items that were there together and then helped Duo squirm his way into a pair of pants that I had thought to bring with one leg trimmed off to better accommodate the cast. With everything squared away we made small talk until the nurse returned with a wheel chair and I excused myself to go and fetch the car, confirming where to meet them for pick up.

Once I arrived at the car and settled everything I double checked the seat was far enough back for Duo to get in and out easily and that there was nothing in the passenger seat that would get in his way. I put the car in reverse and started to pull out when I hesitated. I pulled out my phone and let it sync via blue tooth to the car stereo system, then queued up a Christmas carol play list before heading off to meet Duo and the nurse at the main entrance, the words Sleigh Ride scrolling across the stereo console. I thought I could handle listening to it one more time, just for Duo.

I’m pretty sure part of the stress of this little tradition I have going is half figuring out the placement of what goes where... Three pictures in the first five days seem a little heavy, but if I spread them out it clogs up the back half… maybe I’m just over thinking it since someone else is doing the actual posting this year and I’m trying to wrangle up my rabid little duckies in advance…

Again we have the wonderful t_shirt1x2 to thank for the image. It should be a nice Christmas afternoon, a few hours after breakfast has been cleared away but slightly before lunch, and with the presents unwrapped we get to see exactly what Duo had been so diligently finishing up earlier in the day. It’s a special gift, because a gift given from the heart is always the most meaningful package under a tree.

What did this want to be when it grew up? I have no idea. I started it with the intent of it being funny. Then we got a tad bit of angst coming to the party. And it finishes out... ok look, I think I may have inadvertently drafted a candidate for a Hallmark movie… If they end up cashing in, someone make sure to snag the royalties! As for the title, there is absolutely no reason for it save for it made me snicker.

And if it isn’t painfully obvious by the end of this little ficlet, celebrate the holiday traditions that you want to celebrate. Don’t let anyone, even family, push you into feeling a false sense of obligation.

Title: Leggo my Eggo

There was something to be said for the Christmas season. Admittedly most of those somethings were complaints laced with a delightful array of explicit language as the whole of humanity was downgraded to having only one brain cell to share amongst itself for a month. It never failed to amaze and confound, that strange social transformation which occurred at the stroke of midnight Thanksgiving Day and persisted to the day after Christmas, petering out in that strange time between Christmas and New Year’s until it dissipated completely for another year.

It was always telling, I once thought, watching and listening as you passed complete strangers on the street and getting snippets of their stories, coming to realize so many of them were the exact same. The wife who doesn’t want a thing to do with her mother-in-law, the newlyweds tearing their hair out trying to create a schedule that allows them to see everyone, the single parents despairing because they wanted to give their kids the world and not being able to.

‘I never realized Ol’ Saint Nick carried a riot stick and garland handcuffs!’ I remember I had blurted out once in the middle of a crowded store. The woman in front of me who had been yammering on to her girlfriends at length at the utter distain she felt at having to buy Christmas gifts for her fiancé’s parents and younger sibling all but clutching her proverbial pearls at my outburst. Heero had calmly taken my purchase from me and set it aside, slipping his arm around my waist and gently yet forcibly leading me back out onto the open street.

I hadn’t understood it then, years ago, why I was seething or why tears sprung up and made my eyes burn the minute we were away, standing at the outside corner of the building in a low traffic area with Heero standing between me and the rest of the world. I blathered, ranting about selfish people and stupid holidays and raging at how it was utterly ridiculous that specialty stores that were never busy the rest of the year should suddenly get over run. Through it all Heero was just there, wrapping me up, pressing his forehead to mine and whispering agreements and reassurances.

‘I can hack in to install the ZERO system on their point of sales registers if you want,’ he had said with an expression that was equal parts love and conviction. I didn’t doubt his ability to scrounge up or partially recreate the program and the thought of a few dozen entitled shoppers dealing with that particular problem made me pause in my tirade and giggle, then snort, before laughing a deep long belly laugh as I wrapped my arms around Heero and buried my face in his neck. It would take a few more years, a few more outbursts, and a few blossoming traditions for me to start to piece together what I was feeling.

The epiphany came late one December evening while I was sitting with Heero in his office at Preventer headquarters. It was a week before Christmas and the place was practically dead, everyone out on those last remaining vacation days or cashing in on the vacation they insisted on hoarding all year like vicious mythical reptiles. One of the other agents on the floor had swung by and offered up a tin of Christmas cookies, the likes of which I was happy to liberate from Heero’s desk as soon as he set them down, and asked if Heero and I would be attending the annual office holiday party that weekend. One politely declined invitation later and they were on their way, no fuss no muss. The gingerbread man that I had been about to gleefully bite a leg off of was temporarily forgotten as I stared after the retreating figure.

‘That was… really easy.’

‘It’s tradition,’ Heero said with a tone that conveyed ‘that’s the tenth time this week I wish I could just send a mass email’ without saying, well, exactly that.

‘A tradition that said its piece and then took the exit, stage left. No guilt trip, no trying to convince you otherwise…’

‘It’s safe and easy small talk this time of year, not an interrogation,’ Heero said as he flipped through a few pages of the file on his desk before starting to type again, though not before reaching out and gesturing for a cookie. I indulged him, plucking up a snickerdoodle and passing it over.

‘It’s just bizarre to see someone not try to press the obligation of it,’ I eyed the gingerbread man and then snapped off the delicious appendage I had previously been ready to consume.

‘True obligations are very different from socially perceived obligations. Bills and groceries are obligations. Ugly sweater contests and white elephant gift exchanges are not.’

I mulled the thought over as I continued to dismember the helpless cookie. He was right, of course, when you thought about it. At their core obligations were just fickle little things that, when you got right down to it, were only the bastardized love child of guilt and social influence. And they seemed to always be in season this time of year.

‘I’m starting to feel like Christmas isn’t really the jolly old time it’s made out to be…’ I said and I felt my throat constrict around the words in an odd way, I imagine the way they it does when you’re told Santa isn’t actually capable of traveling the world in one night and thus outsources work to your parents. I pushed the feeling aside by cramming the rest of the cookie into my mouth. Heero had stopped working and had locked me with a look that said I had all of his attention.

‘How is it made out to be?’

‘Glorifying home invasion via chimney?’ I mumbled around my mouthful of cookie, then swallowed, took a breath, and thought for a few long moments. Heero simply sat there patiently and I felt that constriction in my throat change from one of sadness to one of admiration and love. ‘It’s not… real? Wait, no, that isn’t quite right. It’s inflated, that sounds better.’

‘Not the Hallmark movie it’s always promised to be?’

‘Hallmark movies are made of nothing but lies on a whole different scale. I’m fairly sure that about three of them were made at the dawn of time and they just keep getting re-released with a new coat of paint,’ I punctuated my point by making a retching noise and Heero made some comment alluding to the year I had done nothing but lay around and watch the Hallmark channel for a week while ill. We all do things we aren’t proud of in life. ‘But no, when it comes down to it nothing about the holiday is what it’s always promised to be.’

‘And what’s the promise?’

‘Families and friends getting together and being happy to do so, taking joy in doing something kind for someone else, randomly bursting in to song and singing carols in the middle of the street with fifteen complete strangers that just happen to have perfect pitch,’ Heero lifted an eye brow at that and I made a gesture to wave it off. ‘Maybe not so much that last one. But all the rest… it’s frustrating. How many people are in this building besides us? Not many if the cars in the parking lot are anything to go by. And it’s like that everywhere. People save up their vacation until the end of the year so they can take off, but it’s never to spend time with family or relax. And then you hear people constantly bitching and whining about having to visit the in-laws, the debt that they accrue due to having to shop for everyone and their brother. Not to mention that people lose their damn minds. Last week I saw a fist fight at the grocery over the last box of Eggo Waffles.’

‘And?’

‘And? And it sucks. It’s all a smoke and mirrors game of perceived obligations. And they didn’t… I mean…’

Heero looked back to his computer for a moment, a sharp and precise click of keys following before he stood up and took a moment to stretch before walking over and perching on the corner of the desk I had been occupying. Reaching out he motioned for my hand and I complied, lacing our fingers together.

‘They didn’t fight in a war.’

‘No... Maybe if they had they would be a little more grateful for those overbearing grandparents and overcooked Christmas turkeys.’

Though I scoffed Heero simply chuckled and lifted my hand, placing a kiss across my knuckles. ‘Maybe. But as we covered, true obligations are very different from perceived ones. And you are right, for what they are to the world, holidays are a bit of a dumpster fire.’

He stood then, pulling me up with him and catching me in an embrace with one arm loose around my waist and the other caressing my check, thumb running over my lips. I grinned and playfully nipped at the digit and started to speak when he leaned close, placing his lips beside my ear.

‘You are my world, Duo,’ he whispered with such intense sincerity that I felt my face flush and my lips flutter from playful grin to true smile, the kind that no matter what you do you can’t force it back down. ‘Our traditions are our own. Let the rest of the world have their commercialism, perceived obligations and overbearing grandparents. So long as we continue to create our own holiday memories that is jolly enough for me, and that is something that I can promise you.’

I laughed, nodded, sniffled, smiled, all in the same span of seconds it took for him to pull back and stare at me with that gaze that said so much more than words ever could. A look that I had had to learn to read and understand over a long number of years and through a great many trials. I felt the smile on my face widen and I clasped his face with my hands, pulling him in and kissing him, the damn tease, and it was always the most thrilling feeling to feel my own smile returned to me in the middle of our kiss.

Maybe Christmas wasn’t the jolliest time of year for a lot of people. But maybe that was only because they hadn’t quite found the true meaning of it yet.

As someone famous once said, once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more! Last year I finished up the opening of the 2018 twelve days of Christmas by saying ‘if we do this again…’ and I came to the conclusion no, not if. We ARE doing the twelve days of Christmas for 2019 come hell or high water, because it’s an end to the decade so we are going to go out in style, and I’m not letting cancer have the last word in MY story.

Now almost as traditional as the twelve days itself, here is my yearly disclaimer. I started the written portions of this year almost directly after finishing the 2018 set (I told you all I swore to start earlier). That being said, and with the elephant in the corner now being known to the whole of the room, I can’t promise anything blow your mind great but I can promise there are twelve individual posts this year ready and waiting to go.

To kick it off right t_shirt1x2 has come through for me yet again with the awesome traditional opening art. I would say my crystal ball has shown me this as fact, but the truth of the matter is that I know both t_shirt1x2 and my daughter, and I know that both of them worked together to get this done so a big thank you to both.

So, once more friends. Day one. A piece dedicated to Christmas morning and the typical last minute rush to get those last presents finished up and wrapped. Don't be like Duo. Get your presents done now and yes, that project you've been putting off WILL take longer than you think.







*Archive note. This work is being posted by Sunhawk's daughter in accordance with her wishes. Though it was announced through her live journal, for those who don't know Sunhawk passed away earlier this year after a long fight with cancer. She prepared her final twelve days of Christmas in advance and left them in the care of her daughter to post at year's end.*

Christmas eve again... eleventh night, the night for the official Christmas Card art. Or... what would be card art if I still sent out actual cards (didn't happen in real life either!)
This year is a whimsical piece and actually inspired what will be the Christmas Day post, so thanks go out to t_shirt1x2 once again, because... I had nothin' at that point but some vague ideas.

This has been, despite all my whining, not a horrid year... I thought the year with the over-abundance of angst fic and the trip west stuff was kind of worse. Lot of interaction this year, what with the comment art (check out days 9 and 10 for added art for some funny and some sweet!), and it's made me quite nostalgic. Little bit geared up too, and already have an eye to next year. We shall see if it survives the train-wreck that is the Real Life half of our show.

So before nostalgia drifts into maudlin, on to the art by our very own Divine Ms. t_shirt1x2



With vid!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfGX_RON6fY&feature=youtu.be

Gee, last night was Solstice and I missed it. The longest night... does that not mean things should start looking up from here? In time to stop the rest of this train wreck? I keep hearing new things about our own 'Day' that are seriously making me suspect all I'm going to need for lunch/dinner that day is a really, really big bag of popcorn.

On my own tonight, which let me sit down and write the next piece of the Parenting thing of lame, which should let me post the next part and not really leave things hang in any way. But I have to admit, if I don't let the flow drop like I usually do after I power through the 12 days, this will probably continue next year. And yes, it will likely WAIT until next year because I've become so gun shy of having to stop because I just have to and not necessarily because I decided I wanted to. I'm kind of intrigued with Seth and want to see him grow up.

And coming back to add more art, because... Mr. Buttons! And adorable sleeping kid! And t_shirt1x2 Rocks!



( Parenting for Pilots 5 )

Next 'part' of this only slightly forsaken dialog series. This is the one that I wrote years ago and forgot about it, because it really is just 'blah' and kind of depressing and I didn't know what to do with it. How it spawned the rest of this silliness, I have no idea. Nothing awful, just no chuckles are had here. Unless you are a parent and 'been there/done that' and maybe you will get a snort for the level of melodrama Duo chooses to wallow in here. >_> Skipping it really won't hurt my feelings! LOL
Art tomorrow, then I should probably see about writing two more of these to get us to 'The Day', huh? I promise a return to attempts at amusing.

( Parenting for Pilots 4 )

Wait! I am going to cheat a bit here and make tonight an art night... it buys me one more night to come up with a part to buffer the 'dark' one that started this whole thing!! :D :D Awesome! Why didn't I think of this before?
I believe this will be merula31 's night, or it is now and I sure hope I'm not messing you up here, but posting the next part next was messing ME all kinds of up.
Once again by the Super Trooper t_shirt1x2 it goes without saying it's 1x2.
There will be another part of the Parenting set tomorrow, one way or the other. But for tonight; enjoy the spiffy art! Thanks, everybody!