ahem: who jumps in front of danger for the other without thinking?
Everybody and their mama wants to say Leo but it’s PIPER!!!! I’ve been entertaining this exact scenario for 15 YEARS and as such NO ONE can tell me differently.
The fact that both Leo AND Jason chose not to tell her that they were going to sacrifice themselves speaks volumes. Piper is an extremely passionate individual who has to be kept in the dark about her friend’s self-destructive tendencies at all times. Post-Jason’s death and Leo’s return I imagine that she becomes even more aware of Leo’s safety, not consciously or in a smothering way, but it soothes her to know that he’s safe, healthy, and not trying to give up his life to save someone else’s at any given time. If the two of them are in a life-or-death situation then it really just comes down to who’s faster to jump in front of the other—and while Leo is used to it, Piper is DESPERATE to never have to live through a scenario where she loses someone she loves ever again.
❄️ while the snowflakes descend in a wintry whirl
🌸 jasonbehrs prepared a gift for @partiallypearl
☀️ here's the best themed fanmix that i could have conceived
🍁 for your enjoyment this christmas (or christmas eve)
find all the books and fics i read (or didn't read...) this month under the cut with a link to the synopsis and my reviews/ratings attached :)
this is just for fun! i'm not a professional, i just like to read <3
booklist:
Merry Ever After by Tessa Bailey (18+!)
review: ...mid as hell actually. and not technically a book, more of a novella, but the pacing was wayyy too quick regardless. i didn't really like either of the characters. i've been singing tessa's praises for the last year but honestly, her last few works have left me really disappointed :( don't even have the energy for a plot summary besides: single mom moves to a small town where the local single framer takes interest in her. maybe i just hate small-town romance. idk. skip this one
rating: 3/5 times i cringed at their "dirty talk"
2. Cruel Winter With You by Ali Hazelwood (18+!)
review: ali hazelwood.... save me.... save me ali hazelwood....... literally anything i pick up by her (i think i only have one or two books out of her complete works i haven't read...) is a certified banger okay? a second chance... former childhood friends... forced proximity... best friend's brother... billionaire.......holiday romance novella......... oh my lord. the brilliant way this story was split between the past and present was so well put together, giving just enough information to understand the present while not enough to reveal any information about the past until the story had run it's course... augh... it's so masterfully written GOD. and the characters, jaime and marc were so wonderful. even in the short length of the story i really cared for them both and the pacing of their story was so pleasant! def would recommend if anyone is looking for a quick holiday read next holiday season!
rating: 4/5 times i had to figure out the settings of my new kindle during this read
did not reach my goal of 24 books this year :( trying again this year!
fic list:
i want to start this section with a preface: as i am learning i'm struggling with a gigantic bout of writer's block atm, i've found myself reading less fic as a result. this doesn't mean i support yalls works any less. it's my resolution this year to read as much as i can - fic or otherwise - so please give me some grace as i learn to love fic again! so proud of you all and your works. that's being said, here is my sad short list from december
assorted works of @icegirl2772
It's a Wonderful Life - Big Time Secret Santa 2024
We Do (But Friends Don't)
my friend..... kucy ship of all time, for one. but i LOVE the way you wrote the two of them as adults so much! so much of their character traits from the show still made it in, despite them being older. the way you constructed their relationship backstory fit so well too!... augh.... also the idea that they all own mansions next to each other when they grow up sent me bc of course they do.... THE ENGAGEMENT ALSO??? THE SCREAM I SCRUMPT!!!!!! it TRULY IS A WONDERFUL LIFE......! so sweet of you to write this for pearl and got to share it with all of us as well :)) <3 and the new chapter of we do but friend's don't had me kicking my feet and twirling my hair around my finger......... god i love jaelyn so fucking much......
2. assorted works of @naquey/@ithinkyouhealedmyheart
Ghostwriter Extras: Swim
Ghostwriter Ch 18-22
swim...... aguh........... aside from the main point, i think this story showed such depth to ronnie's character that i haven't yet seen in ghostwriter! the way you write emotion is so raw and real, the descriptions of her every thought and feeling really informs her decisions and it's so fascinating to see the way her mind works. it's the same in the main story, of course, which i love so dearly as well! ronnie and kurt's trouble in paradise is driving me crazy!! and your descriptions as ronnie is going through that is so interesting!! so excited to catch up and see what the gang is all up to :3 <3
3. assorted works of @partiallypearl/@praetoravila
All Over Again Ch 10
and when i was ten, you were my best friend
listen, i think about the first scene with olive and lexi like literally on the daily. the "i'm giving myself permission to have different options" line lexi shares has quite honestly entered my list of little mantras i tell myself when the going gets tough.... so impactful and so important and so wonderful of lexi to share with olive. changed my entire worldview for a second and many times afterward i stg.... so ty for that! and the way you write logan and camille (even if it's hard to see for a lomille shipper such as i....) is honestly what i imagine those two are like when the going gets tough. they're both so emotional and you capture that so well! even if this is a fight they don't come back from (and i hope bc im a bigger lolive shipper...) it is so true to them IMO!! but olive is driving me crazy trying to help fix it.... girl that's the love of your life leave it alone!!!!!!!!!! last few lines had me reeling. logan you perfect stupid genius idiot........ <3333!!! :) AND OF COURSE MY CHRISTMAS GIFT..... friend i cannot thank you enough. i know that kames is not ship you love, but the way you captured the boy's relationship was masterfully written. despite not knowing much canon info about their lives in minnesota, i think you did a wonderful job at displaying the dynamic between james and kendall. i'm also a sucker for multiple interpretations - so be it a platonic or romantic interaction, it was still something personal and hard to share, but james shared anyway... augh.... god i'm obsessed with them.thank you so much for the gift. you are always so sweet and kind to me and ily mwah!!!!
4. assorted works of @fiyero0533/@fiyero3305
I Gotta Get New Friends
first of all, any kidfic kills me, but there is something so special about baby btr..... i also love the logan is from texas agenda sm. sometimes fanon should be canon but i digress! the dialogue was so realistic to kiddos and i love the way kendall was wanting to help logan, even as a stranger! natural born leader forever. i would love to read about the four of them conducting science experiments from logans book or from bill nye lmaoooo! and everyone meeting as lunch augh!! "are you going to get injured again?" "probably!" took me outtt. and the END AUGHHHH god i love those four so much. such a sweet gift im so thrilled you got to share :3
It's a Wonderful Life - Big Time Secret Santa 2024
I got done with my Secret Santa gift ahead of time and got a bit eager to post. My Secret Santa was... @partiallypearl! Surprise, mate! I hope you enjoy this and it's everything you wanted it to be!
I also cross-posted this to A03. :)
ENJOY!
Lucy had never been the type to really buy into the Christmas festivities. Of course, she still celebrated Christmas with her family. They exchanged gifts. They shared a meal. They decorated. But that was the extent of their Christmas celebration. She was never the type to try those festive drinks from the coffee shop, suck on candy canes, or wear anything Christmas themed.
It wouldn’t be fair to say that Christmas felt like an obligation to Lucy. A societal expectation to uphold. But it was certainly not something her family had approached with excitement before.
It was something she upheld when she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her rockstar dreams. After all, she had an image to uphold.
But all of that changed when she met Big Time Rush and started dating Kendall.
Granted, it took some years for her romantic relationship with Kendall to get off the ground. There was a little something called his previous girlfriend returning from New Zealand unexpectedly and Kendall deciding to see if they could pick up where they left off. Which, of course, ended up not happening. They certainly tried, but it made them confront problems in their relationship they could no longer ignore.
And even then, Kendall didn’t immediately start pursuing Lucy. He took the time to mourn his relationship with Jo – his first serious Californian romance – and Lucy wasn’t exactly looking for a relationship at that point anyway. The couple took the time to rebuild their friendship first. It was only in their early twenties that the friendship evolved into a romantic relationship.
And this time, there was nothing stopping Kendall from asking her out. No unfortunate interruptions. No cheating ex-boyfriends who ended up walking away with a shiner when he tried to pursue the wrong girl (Lucy had to admit she was impressed by the punch James landed on him when he saw Kaelyn cornered like that). No ex-girlfriends suddenly returning. Nothing.
It felt like everything was finally in place. Right time. Right place. Right… everything.
Something that Kendall never did was try to change Lucy. He didn’t make her like what he did. He never told her to tone down her edgy rockstar image. But even with that, Lucy felt safe enough to let her guard down. Something that was a remnant of that cheating ex-boyfriend who had walked away from the Palm Woods with a broken heart and a nasty shiner. She wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable. She wasn’t afraid to reconnect with the parts of herself she had kept locked away for so long.
Lucy was already softening away. They all were as they moved away from their angsty or chaotic teenage years. She still wrote rock songs that dominated the charts, but she also expanded into other genres. Both with her solo work and her work with other artists (she even wrote some songs for everyone’s solo albums).
So, was certainly fair to say that Kendall helped her see Christmas in a different way. One that was joyful rather than an obligation. Even the chaotic last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve was joyful because she got to do it with Kendall.
Although, she certainly made Kendall promise to do their Christmas shopping a little earlier next year.
But either way, it proved to be a successful Christmas Eve. They actually got decent presents for everyone, and took advantage of the services that wrapped your presents for you in exchange for a small donation to the charity they were supporting.
Gone were the days where everyone lived under the same roof – or at least the same building. With the boys getting older and getting serious with their respective relationships, as well as putting the band on hiatus to pursue solo opportunities (by their own choice this time rather than through Griffin’s manipulations), they all decided they needed their own spaces.
They didn’t move to Bel Air, the brief time there as teens still fresh in their memories and not one they want to revisit. But they found a street with a row of mansions that were all on the market. Thanks to the money they all had from their careers and advances from their upcoming solo careers (and some advice from Gustavo), they were able to buy them all so they could all stay together. Even if they all had their own families and careers.
It was what led to Kendall and Lucy reconnecting romantically after several years of friendship. He still remembered the knock on his door. His home was filled to the brim with moving boxes that still needed to be unpacked. He opened the door to see Lucy standing there with a potted plant. A housewarming gift, she had said. He invited her into the house, telling her to ignore the moving boxes, and that was the start of their resumed romance.
Within a couple of years, Lucy had moved in with him. Their styles – which had matured from their teenage years – blended together harmoniously in the home. Lucy’s rockstar image had softened slightly with maturity, but was still present in the home amidst Kendall’s blended identity of a hockey-playing singer (genres blending between rock and pop).
It led to the present moment. Something Lucy had never imagined herself doing. Wearing the dorky Christmas sweaters drinking hot chocolate out of a Christmas-themed mug (filled almost to the brim with marshmallows – unsurprising considering Kendall made the hot chocolate) in the decorated living room. It’s a Wonderful Life played on the massive TV screen. The Christmas lights were flashing on the Christmas tree that had been decorated to represent important milestones in their relationship.
Their first meeting in the Palm Woods. Their continuing friendship that blossomed into a romance. Individual successes in their careers. The places they visited during several concert tours. (They both agreed that Europe was their favourite.) Their interests outside of music (particularly hockey; Lucy also shared an affection for the sport).
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Lucy looked up from her present position. Resting her head on Kendall’s shoulder as he draped an arm behind her on the couch. Lucy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize that Kendall had swapped out his own hot chocolate in favour of a candy cane. A red-and-white-striped peppermint-flavoured candy cane, no less, to stick with tradition.
She was barely aware of the clink on the porcelain as she adjusted her grip on the mug. The source was the engagement ring on her finger. Something that had been there since that summer, when Kendall proposed to her at home with the engagement ring hidden in a fortune cookie from their favourite Chinese restaurant. Lucy wasn’t antimarriage, but at the same time, it was never something she saw for herself until Kendall.
It symbolised a lot of things. Sitting there in her fiancé’s arms as they watched Christmas movies.
“Just… thinking how wonderful life is,” Lucy finally said with a bright smile.
Kendall shared one of his own as he leaned down to kiss Lucy. She could taste the hot chocolate and peppermint on his lips and it only served to solidify her declaration.
Once upon a time, she didn’t picture this life for herself. But now that she was living it, no other words would suffice.
