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cajunroe · 4 years

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sledgefu + celebrating holidays together  ↳ though they’ve been together for a few years, gene and snafu haven’t celebrated the holidays together, but this year that all changes. and because they’re spending the holidays away from their families for the first time, gene is determined to make it special. he also has an alternative plan for making it special, but that’s something that gene’s been planning for far longer. and though he’s certain that snafu loves him, his plan coupled with the holidays has him on edge. after all, nothing says it’s the holidays like constant panic and frantic action. and gene has both in spades.

Grating a potato shouldn’t be able to bring some near a panic attack, yet here Gene was. With a potato is one hand and grater in another, hands shaking and heart racing, Gene starts grating. It wasn’t the action or the process that was giving him anxiety, but rather what it meant. What tonight meant. It was the first time he and Snafu were celebrating the holidays together and Gene wanted to do everything he could to make sure it was as memorable as possible. They’d been together for the better part of three years, but this is the first time they’d be together for the holidays and since they celebrate different holidays, Gene had been working around the clock to make sure that his boyfriend didn’t feel left out. So, he’s spent the last week, while Snafu was on a work trip, decorating their house, finishing shopping, and now making their holiday dinner. He smiles and supposes owning a restaurant has its benefits. Still, no matter how much he cooks and creates for his career, no meal has ever been more important than the one he’s preparing now. With the beef brisket is in the oven, carrots roasting along side them, he moves onto Snafu’s three favorite foods: latkes, sufganiyot, and butter cookies. He managed to get Snafu’s mother’s butter cookie recipe and worked on the sufganiyot while the cookies cool. He always loved Snafu’s sweet tooth and his inability to control it. He saved the latkes for last so they’re fresh when Snafu finally makes it home. Tonight had to go perfectly, Gene was counting on it. He sets the formed pancakes to the side while the oil heats up. He takes a deep breath before moving onto the next task, perhaps the most important one: icing for the cookies. The success of the night rested upon the icing for the cookies. His phone buzzes in his pocket. Burgie: Leaving the airport now. Be there in a half-hour. Burgie: Snaf is confused as to why me and Bill picked him up instead of you. Burgie: By confused, I mean sad. Gene texts back in a flurry before the oil can get too hot. You: Good. He won’t suspect a thing then. Thanks for the assist Burg. Burgie: No problem. Tonight’s a big night. Anything we can do to help. At the reminder, he takes a deep breath and starts dropping the latkes in the pan. He’s just finished the last pancake when he hears a car door slam. He kills the heat and rushes toward their front door. Snafu bids his farewell to Burgie and Bill and climbs the front porch stairs, exhaustion from flight and work trip hitting him with full force. He’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t hurt that Gene didn’t pick him up from the airport. This is his first Hanukkah away from his family and though he’s more than happy to spend the holidays with Gene, it’s been hard being away from them. He shakes off the melancholy as he reaches their front door and is surprised when the door swings open abruptly. Gene is in his arms before Snafu can do anything more than breathe. Immediately the warmth of Gene’s body combines with the spice of his cologne and the telltale aroma of fried dough, sugar, and potatoes. “Welcome home.” Gene declares gently before pulling Snafu into a soft kiss. Snafu smiles into the kiss and pulls Gene closer into arms. “I have a surprise for you.” Before Snafu could respond, Gene pulled them both into their home. Snafu set his bag down before he looked up and what he saw made his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. Their house was fully decorated and smelled just like his mother’s kitchen, just like home. Among the classic Christmas decorations were just as many celebrating Hanukkah. A menorah, complete with a set of candles and a Shamash sat dead center above their fireplace, above their stockings. The Christmas tree was adorned with candy canes and dreidels. Among the classic red and green, blue and white stood out just as much. Snafu took it all in, mesmerized and feeling so much like he was at home. “You did all this?” He asked in awe, voice strained with intense emotion. Gene, who had been holding his breath while his boyfriend took in his work, nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, and the decorations are just the beginning babe.” Gene grabbed Snafu’s hand and pulled him into the large kitchen with excitement. Gene was worried about the decorations, afraid he’d done too much or too little, but he knew his food was where he would really shine. The aroma of the kitchen hit Snafu in full force and as he looked from platter to platter, he felt his eyes tear up. He always felt like Gene was too god for him and this did more than prove his point. While he was gone all week, Gene had managed his restaurant and pulled this off. “…and we’re going to decorate cookies after dinner, but first, can you grab the applesauce out of the fridge?” Snafu only caught the tail end what Gene was saying and again felt he didn’t deserve the man in front of him. He doesn’t move, doesn’t respond until Gene grabs his hands. “Snaf? What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Snafu looks up abruptly, into Gene concerned eyes and laughs softly. “No, Gene. Everything is perfect. I just…can’t believe you did all this just for me…for something you don’t even celebrate.” Snafu cleared his throat, emotion once again choking him up and preventing him from fully saying what he wanted to. His latest work trip and time away from Gene had him missing home and the man he loved more than ever before. Any time away from Gene made Snafu feel incomplete. So while he was away, he stopped at a jewelry store downtown and hoped that when he got home, he’d surprise the man he loved more than anyone and show Gene how much he meant to him. As it stood, Gene had his own surprises and was blowing Snafu’s out of the water. “Snaf, if it’s important to you then it’s important to me. If you celebrate it, I celebrate it. I love you and your life is my life. If you’re happy then I’m happy.” Snafu pulls Gene into a heated kiss, pouring all his love into their connection. “I love you so much, Gene. There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here, with you.” Gene smiled against Snafu’s lips. “I hope you’re hungry then. I’ve been cooking all day.” Snafu laughed, “How’s that different than any other day?” Gene threw a towel at his boyfriend. “Because I made all your favorites for the first time and you better lie to me and say they’re better than your mamma’s.” Snafu smiled, “Latkes?” Gene nodded, “Hup. Applesauce is in the fridge.” Snafu looks on the table and sees, “Are those sufganiyot?!” Gene laughed at the excitement as he pulled the brisket out of the oven to plate. “Yes, Snaf, and we’re decorating butter cookies after dinner. Your mamma finally gave me her recipe.” Snafu crowded Gene against the counter, unable to contain himself. No one had ever made him feel so loved and wanted and accepted and cherished and he wanted nothing more than to make Gene feel the exact same way. He hoped his original plan would accomplish that and if it didn’t, he wasn’t sure what he would do. He had a whole speech prepared, planned on wrapping the gift for Gene to open in a few days but he was speaking before his mind could even catch up. “Gene,” he clears his throat and grab’s Gene’s hands, “I was going to wait to do this, but I can’t go another minute without knowing whether or not you want to marry me.” He watches nervously as Gene’s face shifts from shock to warmth to annoyance and finally outrage. Gene slips from his hold and Snafu’s heart drops. He always felt like Gene was too good for him and maybe this was the moment he found out it was true. Then Gene speaks. “This is so typical of you! I spend an entire week decorating the house, shopping and cooking, and planning and talking to your mamma for four hours,” Gene holds up four fingers, “Four hours Snafu! I had the perfect plan. We were gonna eat and then decorate cookies and I was gonna write my proposal on a cookie. A damn cookie! What’s more fitting for your sweet tooth? Not to mention that it’s your favorite sweet. And then you come in and ask me first? The audacity!” Gene’s panting slightly, but he’s been smiling the entire time and Snafu has never been so confused in his life. “So, to answer your stolen question, of course, I wanna marry you. I’ve been ready to marry you since our third date.” It takes several moments for Snafu’s brain to catch up with the last two minutes and the fact that Gene said yes. Once he realizes that Gene’s said yes, he crowds his against the counter, peppering every inch of Gene’s neck and face with kisses. “I swear I’m gonna make you the happiest man in the world, Gene.” Gene stops Snafu’s assault with a warm laugh and pulled him close. “You’ve already done that, Snaf. You do it every day I get to wake up next to you.” Snafu kissed him firmly and poured his love into it as he slipped the ring onto Gene’s finger. Gene pulls away and marvels at the silver band. Gene’s smile widens and he walks around the counter to grab the ring he’d gotten for Snafu. It was an antique silver adorned with two strong intertwining lines. He slides it perfectly onto Snafu’s finger. “Forgive me if I mess this up, but אני אוהב אותך.” The tears that had been threatening the boundaries of his eyes finally fell onto Snafu’s cheeks. He pulls Gene into another kiss, desperate and full of love. “I love you so much, Gene.” Gene smiles, “Prove it by doing the dishes later.” Snafu laughs and kisses his fiancé.

#sledgefu #sledge #snafu #the pacific #pac #snaf #my writing #my fic #thanks em #<3 #my stuff

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immortaltwinsuns · 7 years

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“[P]repare to be thoroughly compromised, if you please.”

Snowspelled Creator: Stephanie Burgis Type: Novel/Novella Length: 168 pages Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Alternative Historical (Regency England) Production Company: Five Fathoms Press

Having enjoyed every story of Stephanie Burgis' that I have tried I leapt at the chance to get an early reader copy of this in exchange for an honest review. Then, thanks to my uneven reading patterns, I forgot about it for two months only to remember it today and read the whole thing in one sitting. I am happy to say it fulfilled my expectations, in that I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Four months ago Cassandra’s life fell apart. After years of fighting to defy the established roles of her country with women as politicians and men as magic users she had finally achieved recognition as the first female magician in memory. Now, after one devastating mistake, she is still trying to pick up the pieces of her previous life. Things look hard enough when her beloved sister-in-law insists they attend a party including not only society’s elite but her own recently estranged ex-fiancé. But after making a rash promise with unexpected consequences things begin to look even more dire than she was anticipating and now she has no magic to rely on.

From the blurb of the story I was rather expecting a humourous, frothy Regency England-style romance in the vein of Georgette Heyer with magic thrown in. Not that I don't love that but I was pleasantly surprised to find that despite being short (somewhere between the length of a very long novella and a very short novel) the story had an impressive amount of weight to it. Cassandra's struggles and insecurities in the face of devastating loss, both of her dreams and self-worth, are not only easy to empathise with but also resonate deeply with many real life situations. This story is an excellent example of how the fantasy genre can be every bit as potent a means of exploring the challenges and difficulties of our own lives as any other genre. In addition it's engaging and really fun to read. The characters are well-drawn and I was impressed how much personality could be conveyed in such a short space of time for a reasonably sizeable cast. Of course, Cassandra and her loved ones steal the show. The strong friendship between herself and her sister-in-law is particularly nice, balanced by her brother's simultaneously supportive and teasing presence. It is really nice to see a story with positive, strong family relations, while still acknowledging that sometimes even that is not enough to immediately solve every problem one encounters. In addition to a love interest who shows the heroine every bit of the respect she deserves. Cassandra herself is formidable and likeable despite flaws she herself acknowledges. I confess in first person narration I am more used to expecting a particularly unique narrative voice, but Cassandra's perspective is tight and in-character so I don't think I really have anything to complain about there. If I were to complain about anything it would be that the world-building is intriguing enough that I wanted to know more than I was allowed. I enjoyed the depiction of otherworldly beings as something alien and dangerous that lingered in the uncomfortable ground between inducing fear versus admiration. The history of Angland and it's alternate history from our own England, as well as how the elves and trolls came to interact with that history is something I would happily hear more about. In particular, I would love to know more about the magic of this world; how it works and how human magic differs from that of the elves. As such, although I feel the story ended strongly, in a good place for Cassandra and her family, I was pleased to find there will be a sequel to hopefully tell us more about her world. I did guess the twist to the end of the story but in the end I feel this story is a good example of how the journey to get there is the most important part. Cassandra's struggles to find new purpose in life and move forward, once again facing prejudice after watching all she had fought against it for the first time crumble, was sometimes painful but still encouraging and life-affirming simultaneously. I was glad to be reminded of why I love reading fantasy in the first place – to think about my own world while enjoying being taken into someone else's.

Warnings: Sexual content (nothing explicit), depictions of a chronic condition, severe emotional distress/depressive symptoms, depictions of prejudice, stalking, threat of kidnapping, violence (not graphic), threats, binding promises and loophole abuse, uncanny antagonistic cultures.

The Ending: Happy but not saccharine.

My Favourite Moment: When Cassandra teaches Miss Banks her first proper spell and starts finding a way to engage with life and have purpose again.

#Just For Fun Reviews #Snowspelled #The Harwood Spellbook #Stephanie Burgis #They're back...#I'm never sure about my reviews #But I had to write this one anyway because I promised when I got the early reader copy #Worth it I enjoyed the book #Regardless thought I might as well post it here #I do my best with the warnings to be comprehensive but please let me know if I miss any

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