Merry Christmas Gigs and Moose!
Dec. 25th, 2025 11:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickAs usual, we have a special update just for you guys for the holiday -- hope you enjoy your Christmas fics!
From Random Encounter To Random Houseguest
“Aw, hello there! Hi! Aren’t you a cute doggy? Yes, you’re a very cute doggy! Isn’t he a cute doggy?”
“Cute and extremely energetic,” Victor replied, smiling as Lighting spun in delighted circles in front of Smiler, his new favorite human. “The woman we got him from warned us he was active even for a corgi, but as I didn’t know how active corgis were at the time, I didn’t think it would be a problem.” He crouched down in front of the dog, ruffling his ears. “You’re a little escape artist, aren’t you? You like to slip out of the house and then make me chase you all over the city.”
Lighting arfed and wriggled under his hand, stubby tail wagging a mile a minute. “Heh – sounds like he’s something of a troublemaker,” Smiler said, crouching beside Victor and offering the corgi a hand to sniff. “That’s okay – I’ve been accused of being one too.”
“Same here,” Victor said, watching Lightning lick Smiler’s hand all over. “I think it’s just part of life when you’re a Touched.”
“...I sent you to the store to pick up flour, not another person.”
Victor looked up to see Alice watching them from the hall doorway, Chester on her hip. “I presume picking up said other person is why it took so long,” she added, tilting her head at Smiler – Chester copied her, expression so serious Victor had to bite back a giggle. “Hello, and you are?”
“Smiler Alton!” Smiler said, popping up like a jack-in-the-box and heading toward her with their brightest smile, hand extended. “You must be Alice, Victor’s wife – and this must be Chester!” they added, turning their grin on the baby. “Hi there! You’re definitely your father’s child, aren’t you?”
Chester stared at them – then giggled and waved. “He certainly is – which means he’s normally much shier around strangers,” Alice said, looking between her son and Smiler with a curious frown.
“Oh, I just have a knack for getting people to like me, at least for a little while,” Smiler told her, pulling a silly face at Chester and making him giggle again. “Comes in handy as a traveling salesperson.”
“Yes, they’re new to the city,” Victor explained to Alice, standing up – Lightning whined at the sudden lack of pets. “I met them when I was coming back with the flour – they tried to sell me some of their wares, and I thought I’d better ask if they had a permit.”
“Which I didn’t, so I’m very glad your husband stopped,” Smiler nodded. “He was nice enough to walk me to the town hall so I could apply for one!”
“I see.” Alice tilted her head in the other direction. “Forgive me for asking, but – they? Are you more than one person?”
“Oh – no, just, ah, someone who knows they’re not a man or a woman and thus doesn’t like ‘he’ or ‘she,’” Smiler explained, rubbing the back of their head. “Kind of like your friend Richard?”
“Ooooh, that sort of thing...well, I suppose Richard will be pleased to know he’s not the only one around with an odd relationship with gender,” Alice commented, adjusting her grip on Chester. She looked at Victor. “Is that why you brought them round here?”
“Ah – not exactly,” Victor said, swallowing. “Just – um – well–”
“I may have had to admit I’ve been sleeping on the street when the form asked for an address,” Smiler cut in, expression just a touch awkward. “Your husband was rather insistent I come back with him for at least a cup of tea after learning that.”
“Ah.” Alice grimaced, bouncing Chester as Lightning padded up to her and began begging for attention. “Just a moment, you...I see. Well, let’s get a pot on, and then we can figure out what to do with that information.”
“Oh, let me do it,” Smiler insisted. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for letting me into your home.”
Alice raised an eyebrow. “Feels a bit odd to let the guest make the tea...”
“I know, but – trust me.” Smiler grinned that winning grin of theirs. “You’ll have never tasted tea so good.”
--
You said "If anything you can continue Smiler-In-Secundus" when I asked you about gift fic ideas earlier, and I immediately went "well, she'd probably like them meeting Lighting." XD So yeah, here's a continuation of your birthday fic, with Smiler coming home with Victor to meet his corgi, wife, and child! And immediately make a good impression on the first and the third -- Alice is still a little "???" about this new "stray" Victor's picked up, but she's willing to be convinced. At the very least, she's taking the "they" thing in stride (again, thank you Richard) -- and trust me, once she has some of Smiler's tea, she'll DEFINITELY feel more fondly toward them. XD Smiler not actually have a place to stay was kind of a spontaneous decision to help further justify Victor taking this person he'd just met back to his house -- I figured, as someone who was reliant on a friend's couch for somewhere to sleep during HIS first few months in the city, Victor would sympathize with Smiler's situation and feel like he had to offer them SOMETHING. The way I'm picturing this version of the verse going, Smiler would end up in a spare room, or sleeping on the Van Dort couch...and, you know, just never leave. :p We'll see what happens if you want more -- I do already have an idea in mind for Smiler knocking the socks off Richard and company with their tea-making skills for a follow-up. ^^;
Yes The Weird Video Game Triangle Is Real
“Hey, Doc, how’s it – what’s that?”
“Oh, hi, Marty,” Doc said, not looking up from his attempt to crease the wrapping paper nicely over the box’s corner. “This is Verne’s Christmas present, which I am wrapping while he is out of the house attempting to beat your high score at Wild Gunman over at the local 7-11.”
Marty snorted. “Ha – good luck to the squirt,” he said, coming around to get a better look at the box. “I spent years getting to be the best at that game...so, what exactly is it?”
“It’s a steering wheel controller,” Doc explained, tilting the box so Marty could see the picture on the currently-uncovered front a bit better. “For a new truck-driving game he’s gotten into – it was the top item on his Christmas list, so I figured I’d better make sure Santa got it for him.”
“A steering wheel – like on our ancient Telstar Arcade back home?” Marty asked, raising an eyebrow. “You know, everybody’s favorite weird video game triangle? Still can’t believe Dad bought one of those things in both timelines...”
“What can I say – you can never expect what parts of the timeline will turn out to be set in stone,” Doc said with a little shrug. “Besides, you told me once that practicing with the light gun is part of how you got so good at Wild Gunman in the first place.”
“Yeah, fair...anyway, like that?”
“Not exactly – this isn’t a whole console, just a controller,” Doc explained, going back to his wrapping. “It’s designed to interact with a variety of different consoles and computers for the best video-gaming experience. And it’s much more advanced than the Telstar wheel – here, there’s a close-up on this side. Look at all the buttons.”
Marty looked, and whistled. “Holy shit, yeah. This thing leaves the Telstar in the dust.” He glanced up at Doc. “Guessing that means it’s from the future, then?”
“Both it and the game it’s designed to interact with are from the 2020s, yes,” Doc confirmed. “It’ll be living in the secret basement of future technology.”
“Figured...” Marty watched the box disappear under the wrapping paper. “So he’s asking for controllers you gotta go over thirty years into the future to get...but he’s also interested in beating my score at Wild Gunman?”
“Well, he has to prove he’s as good as you,” Doc said with a little smile. “More seriously, he’s actually developed quite the interest in the history of video games since we moved out of the 1880s and started time traveling more regularly. He’s fascinated by how the hobby and the related technology have grown and evolved over the years. You should ask him to show you his collection sometime – he’s got everything from Pong to Silksong!”
“...don’t know what Silksong is, Doc.”
“Right – you know Metroid? Just released on the NES? Turns out that is going to be popular enough to help inspire a whole new genre of games, along with Castlevania.”
“Seriously? Wild.” Marty looked off into the distance thoughtfully. “Maybe I’ll ask Verne about it when I see him next.”
“Trust me, he will be more than happy to explain it to you,” Doc said, then tapped the box “In the meantime – mind holding this in place for a moment?”
“Sure thing.” Marty gazed contemplatively at the paper as Doc taped it down. “...so, he likes old video gaming stuff too?”
“He does,” Doc confirmed, then glanced up at his friend with a knowing smirk. “Which means, yes, he would probably love to take the Weird Video Game Triangle off your hands.”
Marty snorted. “Great, because I’m sure as hell not using it anymore.”
--
This is what happens when your prompt for me is "maybe something to do with the steering wheel controller, XD" :p A little more seriously, since Verne is depicted as a bit of a video game fiend in the Animated Series, I figured it made sense for him to be the one to get the steering wheel controller that you're so fond of for your truck-driving game...but while looking them up, I thought "hang on, wasn't there some sort of 70s or 80s video game console that came with an attached steering wheel? I swear I've heard of one." So I looked it up, discovered the Telstar Arcade System, and decided I had to include it because it was just so odd. It really is a Weird Video Game Triangle! So yeah, the McFlys now own one of those, and Marty is probably gonna pass it onto Verne, who will be really excited to get such a bizarre piece of video gaming history. :p And yes, according to my research, Metroid and Castlevania both came out in 1986, which is the year I'm picturing this taking place. An auspicious year for video games, that! (Also, I would have name-checked your truck-driving game, but -- I don't think you ever told me what it was called. XD Whoops! Ah well, maybe a future fic can have Verne playing House Flipper or something. :P)
Hope you both enjoy! I'll be back later with an accounting of my own Christmas. :)
From Random Encounter To Random Houseguest
“Aw, hello there! Hi! Aren’t you a cute doggy? Yes, you’re a very cute doggy! Isn’t he a cute doggy?”
“Cute and extremely energetic,” Victor replied, smiling as Lighting spun in delighted circles in front of Smiler, his new favorite human. “The woman we got him from warned us he was active even for a corgi, but as I didn’t know how active corgis were at the time, I didn’t think it would be a problem.” He crouched down in front of the dog, ruffling his ears. “You’re a little escape artist, aren’t you? You like to slip out of the house and then make me chase you all over the city.”
Lighting arfed and wriggled under his hand, stubby tail wagging a mile a minute. “Heh – sounds like he’s something of a troublemaker,” Smiler said, crouching beside Victor and offering the corgi a hand to sniff. “That’s okay – I’ve been accused of being one too.”
“Same here,” Victor said, watching Lightning lick Smiler’s hand all over. “I think it’s just part of life when you’re a Touched.”
“...I sent you to the store to pick up flour, not another person.”
Victor looked up to see Alice watching them from the hall doorway, Chester on her hip. “I presume picking up said other person is why it took so long,” she added, tilting her head at Smiler – Chester copied her, expression so serious Victor had to bite back a giggle. “Hello, and you are?”
“Smiler Alton!” Smiler said, popping up like a jack-in-the-box and heading toward her with their brightest smile, hand extended. “You must be Alice, Victor’s wife – and this must be Chester!” they added, turning their grin on the baby. “Hi there! You’re definitely your father’s child, aren’t you?”
Chester stared at them – then giggled and waved. “He certainly is – which means he’s normally much shier around strangers,” Alice said, looking between her son and Smiler with a curious frown.
“Oh, I just have a knack for getting people to like me, at least for a little while,” Smiler told her, pulling a silly face at Chester and making him giggle again. “Comes in handy as a traveling salesperson.”
“Yes, they’re new to the city,” Victor explained to Alice, standing up – Lightning whined at the sudden lack of pets. “I met them when I was coming back with the flour – they tried to sell me some of their wares, and I thought I’d better ask if they had a permit.”
“Which I didn’t, so I’m very glad your husband stopped,” Smiler nodded. “He was nice enough to walk me to the town hall so I could apply for one!”
“I see.” Alice tilted her head in the other direction. “Forgive me for asking, but – they? Are you more than one person?”
“Oh – no, just, ah, someone who knows they’re not a man or a woman and thus doesn’t like ‘he’ or ‘she,’” Smiler explained, rubbing the back of their head. “Kind of like your friend Richard?”
“Ooooh, that sort of thing...well, I suppose Richard will be pleased to know he’s not the only one around with an odd relationship with gender,” Alice commented, adjusting her grip on Chester. She looked at Victor. “Is that why you brought them round here?”
“Ah – not exactly,” Victor said, swallowing. “Just – um – well–”
“I may have had to admit I’ve been sleeping on the street when the form asked for an address,” Smiler cut in, expression just a touch awkward. “Your husband was rather insistent I come back with him for at least a cup of tea after learning that.”
“Ah.” Alice grimaced, bouncing Chester as Lightning padded up to her and began begging for attention. “Just a moment, you...I see. Well, let’s get a pot on, and then we can figure out what to do with that information.”
“Oh, let me do it,” Smiler insisted. “It’s the least I can do to thank you for letting me into your home.”
Alice raised an eyebrow. “Feels a bit odd to let the guest make the tea...”
“I know, but – trust me.” Smiler grinned that winning grin of theirs. “You’ll have never tasted tea so good.”
--
You said "If anything you can continue Smiler-In-Secundus" when I asked you about gift fic ideas earlier, and I immediately went "well, she'd probably like them meeting Lighting." XD So yeah, here's a continuation of your birthday fic, with Smiler coming home with Victor to meet his corgi, wife, and child! And immediately make a good impression on the first and the third -- Alice is still a little "???" about this new "stray" Victor's picked up, but she's willing to be convinced. At the very least, she's taking the "they" thing in stride (again, thank you Richard) -- and trust me, once she has some of Smiler's tea, she'll DEFINITELY feel more fondly toward them. XD Smiler not actually have a place to stay was kind of a spontaneous decision to help further justify Victor taking this person he'd just met back to his house -- I figured, as someone who was reliant on a friend's couch for somewhere to sleep during HIS first few months in the city, Victor would sympathize with Smiler's situation and feel like he had to offer them SOMETHING. The way I'm picturing this version of the verse going, Smiler would end up in a spare room, or sleeping on the Van Dort couch...and, you know, just never leave. :p We'll see what happens if you want more -- I do already have an idea in mind for Smiler knocking the socks off Richard and company with their tea-making skills for a follow-up. ^^;
Yes The Weird Video Game Triangle Is Real
“Hey, Doc, how’s it – what’s that?”
“Oh, hi, Marty,” Doc said, not looking up from his attempt to crease the wrapping paper nicely over the box’s corner. “This is Verne’s Christmas present, which I am wrapping while he is out of the house attempting to beat your high score at Wild Gunman over at the local 7-11.”
Marty snorted. “Ha – good luck to the squirt,” he said, coming around to get a better look at the box. “I spent years getting to be the best at that game...so, what exactly is it?”
“It’s a steering wheel controller,” Doc explained, tilting the box so Marty could see the picture on the currently-uncovered front a bit better. “For a new truck-driving game he’s gotten into – it was the top item on his Christmas list, so I figured I’d better make sure Santa got it for him.”
“A steering wheel – like on our ancient Telstar Arcade back home?” Marty asked, raising an eyebrow. “You know, everybody’s favorite weird video game triangle? Still can’t believe Dad bought one of those things in both timelines...”
“What can I say – you can never expect what parts of the timeline will turn out to be set in stone,” Doc said with a little shrug. “Besides, you told me once that practicing with the light gun is part of how you got so good at Wild Gunman in the first place.”
“Yeah, fair...anyway, like that?”
“Not exactly – this isn’t a whole console, just a controller,” Doc explained, going back to his wrapping. “It’s designed to interact with a variety of different consoles and computers for the best video-gaming experience. And it’s much more advanced than the Telstar wheel – here, there’s a close-up on this side. Look at all the buttons.”
Marty looked, and whistled. “Holy shit, yeah. This thing leaves the Telstar in the dust.” He glanced up at Doc. “Guessing that means it’s from the future, then?”
“Both it and the game it’s designed to interact with are from the 2020s, yes,” Doc confirmed. “It’ll be living in the secret basement of future technology.”
“Figured...” Marty watched the box disappear under the wrapping paper. “So he’s asking for controllers you gotta go over thirty years into the future to get...but he’s also interested in beating my score at Wild Gunman?”
“Well, he has to prove he’s as good as you,” Doc said with a little smile. “More seriously, he’s actually developed quite the interest in the history of video games since we moved out of the 1880s and started time traveling more regularly. He’s fascinated by how the hobby and the related technology have grown and evolved over the years. You should ask him to show you his collection sometime – he’s got everything from Pong to Silksong!”
“...don’t know what Silksong is, Doc.”
“Right – you know Metroid? Just released on the NES? Turns out that is going to be popular enough to help inspire a whole new genre of games, along with Castlevania.”
“Seriously? Wild.” Marty looked off into the distance thoughtfully. “Maybe I’ll ask Verne about it when I see him next.”
“Trust me, he will be more than happy to explain it to you,” Doc said, then tapped the box “In the meantime – mind holding this in place for a moment?”
“Sure thing.” Marty gazed contemplatively at the paper as Doc taped it down. “...so, he likes old video gaming stuff too?”
“He does,” Doc confirmed, then glanced up at his friend with a knowing smirk. “Which means, yes, he would probably love to take the Weird Video Game Triangle off your hands.”
Marty snorted. “Great, because I’m sure as hell not using it anymore.”
--
This is what happens when your prompt for me is "maybe something to do with the steering wheel controller, XD" :p A little more seriously, since Verne is depicted as a bit of a video game fiend in the Animated Series, I figured it made sense for him to be the one to get the steering wheel controller that you're so fond of for your truck-driving game...but while looking them up, I thought "hang on, wasn't there some sort of 70s or 80s video game console that came with an attached steering wheel? I swear I've heard of one." So I looked it up, discovered the Telstar Arcade System, and decided I had to include it because it was just so odd. It really is a Weird Video Game Triangle! So yeah, the McFlys now own one of those, and Marty is probably gonna pass it onto Verne, who will be really excited to get such a bizarre piece of video gaming history. :p And yes, according to my research, Metroid and Castlevania both came out in 1986, which is the year I'm picturing this taking place. An auspicious year for video games, that! (Also, I would have name-checked your truck-driving game, but -- I don't think you ever told me what it was called. XD Whoops! Ah well, maybe a future fic can have Verne playing House Flipper or something. :P)
Hope you both enjoy! I'll be back later with an accounting of my own Christmas. :)
