sholio | Your blorbos at the holidays

I don’t think I’ve ever come across a Biggles Christmas fic where they’re not home at Mount Street on Christmas Eve and I kind of love the thought of this, subdued decorations in the back of the Otter and a mildly-questionable-but-successful Christmas dinner out of tins…? Shared with their temporarily pacified would-be enemy, of course! (Did all four of them somehow manage to smuggle small-enough-to-carry gifts for each other aboard? Very possibly yes.)

Ohhhh, I love the idea of them spending it in the Otter or in some other makeshift location and having to make it work. ♥ Honestly, as much as I adore "Christmas at Mount Street" fic, for a bunch of workaholics like them, it's probably more likely anyway - years in which they're all home and not working on Christmas Eve are probably a relative rarity, though I'm sure they enjoy it when it happens. But it seems very likely that they have had plenty of makeshift Christmases in the field, and now I want very much to read about one! Homemade decorations and mess-tin dinners and little gifts they managed to bring with them or make out of what they have with them - yesssss.

I can’t help but imagine them being told that the mission is absolutely a short one, will have you home before Christmas etc. etc., and all four of them independently deciding that nope, they’re going to bring gifts along because the likelihood of that proving true is close to 0. :,D

BIGGLES: Sorry it turned out this way, but—
THE OTHER THREE: No, we expected this, here's your present, merry Christmas

This is so much in character that I'm laughing. SO MUCH IN CHARACTER.

I absolutely crave all manner of Christmas fic for Biggles. I don't normally mind either way, but for some reason this fandom just does it for me as far as holiday trappings are concerned. Just quiet Mount St Christmas, or something more dire where things go wrong and someone is ill and needs to be taken care of until they get better, or even having a mission where they can only celebrate with a game of cards or something in the safe house. I just.. love the idea of the found-family feel of it. And of course, hopefully Erich is there too (whether before or after Hatchet). <333

Nnnnngghhh. As the above comment discusses, I had never noticed how few (none?) of the Christmas fic in the fandom is anything other than a quiet, uneventful Mount Street Christmas, and I do love those to bits and will happily glom every single one I can get - but now I find myself thinking about how much I would also love a makeshift Christmas in the field, or one in which some of them are hurt and perhaps they even need to celebrate in the hospital. Want???

Yessss

What if you wrote a casefic that spanned Christmas, what then?

What if they had a captured still-enemy EVS to contend with?

Algy:do NOT untie him!

Bertie: he's just being a good host, what? It's christmas!

Biggles: exactly, thank you Bertie. I'm sure he'll behave like a perfect gentleman.

Algy: *muffled screaming*

OH NO I want it.

He totally WOULD behave if he gave his word! I am definitely here for a very awkward Christmas with an enemy EvS hanging out quietly in the corner while everyone tries to avoid him except Biggles, who piles him with drinks and food and is a complete gentleman about not asking him for the details of what he's up to until after the holiday is over ...

Edited 2023-12-17 16:42 (UTC)

It would go down exactly like this.

For the Scholomance series:
How they spend the holidays differs largely among the characters, because it's such a diverse cast literally from all over the world and all sorts of social classes.

El probably never really celebrated it much. I'm sure they did some Christmasy things in the commune where she grew up, and maybe mixed it up with some appropriated non-Christian traditions too given the way they're into Buddhism and stuff. El's mom would have definitely tried to include some Indian traditions (after El's deceased father), but would be limited by lack of resources and lack of knowledge (though she might write to El's grandmother to help with the knowledge part). For El herself, Christmas would be a part of the year she disliked - it sucks enough to feel excluded during the year, but on Christmas, it's worse. At the commune, her mom tried (and failed) to make Christmas a good time... at the Scholomance, it was worse, because her mom wasn't there, nobody gave her even the sort of crappy gifts the kids can afford there, and it was yet another indicator that she was probably going to die.

Orion would have celebrated a very "American" Christmas - none of the religion but all of the commercialism, so a Christmas tree, Christmas food, a ton of presents from his parents and admirers, being prodded by his mom to act normal and give presents to some of the other kids or important Council members. He'd mostly follow it with a sort of detached bewilderment, like he does so many things. In the Scholomance, he'd accept gifts with his usual obliviousness, feeling vaguely bad that he forgot all about Christmas, and then mostly ignore it again.

In Aadhiya's home, Chrismas would be yet another day when they open their house to all their friends in the community. Large dinner with family and friends, lots of presents, lots of love and laughter, songs playing all day, people dropping by with presents and more food; all cultures welcome. They'd go out as well and bring food and presents to their neighbors. In the Scholomance - well, Aadhiya is not going to go around giving people gifts (she can't afford it), but she would greet every one of her friends and friendly acquaintances, because being polite costs her nothing and those ties just might save her life.

Chloe would have some version of Orion's Christmas, only with more natural warmth and more active participation on her part. She loves the holiday, loves giving people presents, and is especially happy when they like her present and she knows she got it "right". She'd also use Christmas as another outlet for her artsy side, paint, decorate, and of course cook with her Grandmother (everyone knows her grandma is a first-class alchemist, but have you tasted her Christmas cooking yet? It's out of the world.)

Liu... well, her family probably doesn't celebrate Christmas, though the Chinese New Year some time afterwards would be a huge event for them. They might instead celebrate the Dongzhi Festival, but this is where my lack of knowledge of Chinese culture fails me. Whatever they did, it'd be very proper, but also loving, and the time would be spend with the extended family. Liu would go out of her way to make sure her cousins enjoyed themselves. She'd also want some quiet, some time to herself and some time with her animals.

Liesel's mom would have a very German, traditional, happy Christmas, with a tree, food and whatever presents she could afford. Liesel would try to enjoy it for her sake and then quietly plot murder once her exhausted mother fell asleep.

After the books' end, I don't think Christmas would ever be a big thing for any of them - Graduation day anniversary would be the one day when they might all try to meet and celebrate, and at some point, El would come meet her family and spend Diwali with them. Still, Liesel would try to leave murder-plotting for the next day and genuinely enjoy Christmas with Alfie. Aadhiya might invite El and Liu to celebrate Christmas with her family - they probably wouldn't come on Christmas day, but would drop by sometime around that (Liu would eventually start bringing Yuyen with her). El would feel weird about the whole thing but still feel absurdly glad that she has people to give gifts to, other than her mom. Orion would be in the Scholomance with no contact with his friends over the holidays, and would ignore it like always - but the kids would give him presents, not in a desperate hope to gain an advantage but because they want to, and the seniors would eventually develop a system of "look after Orion so he doesn't destroy the Christmas pudding in an effort to kill mals," a task which would be passed to each following senior class once they graduated.

They'd be happy, or at least as happy as they can be in a world which still has maw-mouths and greed, and even those who were alone on Christmas would know what they have allies and friends, that they are loved.

AWWWWW. I don't know the characters, beyond being vaguely aware of the books, but this is really lovely, and I love all the different traditions and ways of celebrating that are represented here!

There's so many fantastic characters there, and I love how even the side characters have their stories, which we may or may not glimpse as the story progresses. The friendships are lovely as well.

The Scholomance series are excellent books - maybe my top favorite series ever, though I get they're not for everyone - there's a lot of inner narrative by the main character, which I adore because delicious snark and prickly-cactus-working-so-hard-to-be-a-good-person, but some people might find the style boring. For a series with rather grim settings, it’s also shockingly idealistic and hopeful at its core - yes, even many of these rather shitty people can actually become decent human beings, if you show them a better way and/or give them enough incentive to change.

Edited 2023-12-17 12:48 (UTC)

These are perfect, and you're making me want to reread the last book!

Go for it :)

I am loving these plot bunnies and I want them all immediately! Especially Christmas on the Otter - plus uninvited guest. And more WW1 Christmas, and interwar Christmases in some strange far-flung location - not to mention Christmas at Marie's cottage...

And this isn't even the half of what I've plotbunnied myself with by now; heeellllp. Erich leaving a Christmas gift at Biggles's flat during the enemy years ... or in hospital post-Hatchet at the holidays and thinking no one will care only to have the entirety of the Mount Street flat uproot itself and have Christmas there instead (possibly with a lot of grumbling from Algy) ...

Does Algy dissect this mystery gift that showed up on the flat steps, convinced that EvS must have sent them a bomb or a listening device or something of that ilk? And Biggles is all "He would NEVER, that would be UNGENTLEMANLY," and Algy is like "Biggles, he just left a present on the flat steps, specifically to show us that he knows where we live! How is that gentlemanly!"

Yessss, Algy with tongs and gloves, carefully inspecting it at arm's length and wondering if it's worth going down to Scotland Yard to use their X-ray equipment.

Biggles: that's for ME, hands off >:|

(It's probably like ... returning his cigarette case that EvS took off him at gunpoint or something. In a nicely wrapped box, as you do.)

Biggles has also been receiving unsigned Christmas cards posted from improbable locations every year for decades...

YESSSSS. Now I want to read that fic! Or EvS finding the whole stash of them in a shoebox in his bedroom ...

Filled with his favorite brand of cigarettes, of course!

Clearly you need to write a 5 times +1 fic to deal with all of them. It's only logical. *nods*

It is the only sensible solution! *also nods*

What a good post idea - great way to share things cross-fandom :)

Most of my current fandoms don't have an equivalent winterish holiday, so unfortunately the fanfics that try to be festive end up feeling rather forced. Funnily enough, the only one jumping to mind that definitely would is Agent Carter >D

I thoroughly reject the entire storyline of Steve going back in time and usurping Peggy's romance with Daniel, so all that and the end of AoS never happened (branching timelines, whatever). I headcanon that they generally alternate years between quieter times in their own home, chaotic loud happy times visiting Daniel's family, and more restrained but also happy times flying to England visiting Peggy's family. Jack accepts every invite they extend him, which is literally any year they're in the same country. Edwin and Ana have the most beautiful dinners on Christmas Day, and are delighted to host if they're in the same city/country. (Sometimes Howard hosts Christmas parties. Peggy never goes, unless it's a last-minute thing to haul him out of trouble. She does join him and Maria for a drink on New Years', though.)

That's assuming Trouble doesn't find them, but let's be optimistic and say they only end up chasing down criminals or trapped in flooding unfinished Hydra bunkers every third or fourth year, winding down as SHIELD gets more established.

Awwww, yessssss, this all seems very appropriate for them! Howard definitely has the wildest Christmas parties (most likely New Year's Eve too), Peggy would very much prefer a quiet Christmas at home with Daniel, and Jack is absolutely going to drop in whenever he has an opportunity "for the free food." Also a few disastrous Christmases involving chasing criminals or having to stop alien invasions sound about on point for them.

I think Christmas was quite important to Biggles, at least when he was young - look at the efforts he went to to get a turkey during WW1, and there are a couple more Christmas stories in Air Ace which show him making an effort to celebrate it in some way. However his Christmases after WW1 depends on what everyone else is doing for Christmas Algy will probably be expected to spend it at Merioneth with family, Ginger may well feel he has to go to Smettleworth and later on Bertie may feel he has to have Christmas at Chedcombe. Biggles, no doubt, would be invited to all these celebrations but may prefer to spend it with other friends at the Aero Club. After he fetches EvS from Sakhalin,he may wish to spend it with him in some fashion as no one should be alone at Christmas.It's very hard to escape from precedents at Christmas. Parents may die but a sister or daughter will seamlessly take over the hosting. I think they will give each other small presents: a reasonable bottle of wine or sherry or something known to be needed or desired. fandom Christmas celebrations: the forum has an annual revival of Mount St at Christmas, an rpg story running over several years now, which annually takes on a different theme and is written one post at a time by anyone who wants to join in. I've wriiten four Christmas fics in the fandom: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wateroverstone/pseuds/wateroverstone https://archiveofourown.org/users/wateroverstone/works?page=1#:~:text=The%20Twelve%20Days%20of%20Christmas%202%20by%20wateroverstone https://archiveofourown.org/users/wateroverstone/works?page=1#:~:text=The%20Twelve%20Days%20of%20Christmas%202%20by%20wateroverstone Three lots of short scenes in which Biggles's life matches the twelve gifts of the song The Locket by wateroverstone Fandoms:Biggles Series - W. E. Johns Biggles's Christmas doesn't work out as expected Sorry about the botched links . I'll maybe come back to fix them after a cup of tea but I've lost and retyped this post three times now and I need a break from it

No worries about the formatting; the links are still perfectly useable! I love your thoughts. ♥ It definitely makes sense that everyone would split up for family holidays, and also that Biggles might want a low-key Christmas at the Aero Club; that seems very him. Over time I could see them all slowly gravitating toward a Christmas together.

I think Biggles might feel quite harrassed in the run up to Christmas as multiple wives instruct their husbands to 'make sure Biggles joins us for a family Christmas as I can't bear the thought of him being alone.'

Lovely, lovely question! (Sorry I have no Biggles for you.)

Highlander canon is almost absurdly thin on holidays. Across all its six seasons, off the top of my head, I can call to mind just two New Year's Eves and one US Independence Day, both in flashbacks, plus Tessa's birthday and Duncan's birthday. I've personally written two HL stories set at Christmastime, though. I imagine that how Duncan celebrates depends almost entirely on who he is with, treasuring their company and friendship above all, and letting them choose all the traditions. Probably, he makes the meal.

Dungeons & Dragons (1983-85, cartoon) has no holidays except Bobby's birthday, but I have developed the headcanon that a suitable Christmas special could have been Santa Claus arriving in the Realm -- an acquaintance of Dungeon Master -- possibly helping them defeat Venger and definitely offering to bring them home in his sleigh (they are all on the Nice list, even Eric, though Eric by the skin of his teeth). I have thought of perhaps actually writing this. Writing it as real fanfic, and not as a proposed TV special, though, brings up not only the profound question of whether to make Santa's offer the happy ending of the series, or to have them somehow left behind again, but also the touchy question of whether to dare dig into the respective religions of our protagonists (and what that means or doesn't mean when confronted with a real St. Nick), because by the rules of 1980s after-school-special demographics...

Forever Knight canon has essentially zero holidays of any kind (Natalie's birthday in one flashback counts for something). The fandom, however, has always provided plentiful holiday fanfic, going back to the wonderful Susan G.'s original mailing list challenge in December 1993, in which she wrote a new, fabulous, winter-holiday, FK story starring each main characters, but! but! told the list she had done so but would only post each one to the list for others to enjoy after someone else on the list first posted another winter-holiday story starring that character.* I have a paper zine of the stories from that event and reread most of it most Christmases. Susan's were eternally brilliant insights into the natures of the characters and the natures of the holidays. Other stories, by other writers, sometimes also emerge in that precious vein... not that there aren't also a lot of fluffy and shippy holiday stories, but Nick's metaphysical struggle does cry out for both the darkest and brightest sides of this time of year.

I have a BBC DVD collection from the '90s with Christmas episodes of Black Adder, Ballykissangel, Monarch of the Glen (actually Hogmany, not Christmas, but close enough), The Vicar of Dibly, and many, many more. It's absolutely delightful. The UK tradition of families watching TV on Christmas evening sure does produce a lot of excellent episodes!

* She eventually posted her Lacroix story unaccompanied. No one else tried. And hers is a masterpiece, as only she could.

Awww, I love these. I'm a bit surprised that neither Highlander nor Forever Knight did any Christmas episodes, since those were relatively common on that kind of season-long network TV at the time. I can definitely see Duncan liking to host that kind of affair, and feed his friends; that seems like something he would love to do.

Susan G.'s original mailing list challenge in December 1993, in which she wrote a new, fabulous, winter-holiday, FK story starring each main characters, but! but! told the list she had done so but would only post each one to the list for others to enjoy after someone else on the list first posted another winter-holiday story starring that character.* I have a paper zine of the stories from that event and reread most of it most Christmases.

What an absolutely lovely idea! Obviously we have a lot of Christmas and winter fic exchanges now, but I don't think I've ever been in a fandom that did anything like that. And the paper zine is a lovely extra bonus.

Your blorbos at the holidays

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