My gift posted today over at hoggywartyxmas and oh, my, is it a thing of wonder. If you like stories that break your heart and then put it back together again in a most satisfying and lyrical manner, please take a moment to go and read:

Through the Spiral of the Years

My quadruplet of Hogwarts-House octopods, made by the talented drinkingcocoa, protecting our incredibly valuable and constantly growing accumulation of wine corks. Note how the Slytherin one is pointedly ignoring the Gryffindor behind it, while the Ravenclaw appears typically deep in thought. And of course the loyal little Hufflepuff is wondering why, with all that wine, everyone can't just get along and be happy :)

(click to embiggen)

pearle9240 has created icons for a number of stories from this year's sshg_exchange, and she created these two beautiful ones based on my story Bide, Lady, Bide. Aren't they little jewels? I love the detail, the colors, the way they highlight key pieces of the story. Lucky me, I can't wait to use them on things :)