Before the Holidays Get Me First

A seasonal confession from the dark side of fiction.

There’s a moment every December when the world tilts just slightly off its axis. You know the one — when the lights go up, the music gets cheerful in a threatening way, and suddenly everyone around you starts pretending they’re the main character in a wholesome movie.

Meanwhile, you’re over here holding your coffee like a hostage and whispering, “If one more person tells me to be festive…”

So I figured before the holidays consume me whole, I’d share something.
A story. A warning. A lesson. A little chaos wrapped neatly in a bow.

Because if the season is going to demand joy, then I reserve the right to give you truth instead.

The Warm Lie and the Cold Reality

Holiday cheer is sold like a product:
Tie a ribbon around your burnout, drink something cinnamon-flavored, pretend your life isn’t hanging together by three pixels and caffeine.

But the truth — the one no one posts on Instagram — is this:

Most of us are showing up exhausted, overwhelmed, and suspicious of anyone who looks too happy before 10am.

And honestly? That’s fine.

You don’t need to be glowing.
You don’t need to be grateful on command.
You don’t need to sparkle like some obedient ornament.

You just need to show up to your own story, even if you arrive late and slightly feral.

A Small Confession (Don’t Tell Anyone):

Building this world — this brand, this shop, this labyrinth of fiction — has been a little like wrestling with a dragon that sometimes helps but mostly judges me.

Every blog, every drop, every new piece of merch is me taking my chaos, plating it nicely, and whispering:

“Here. I made something.”

And people show up anyway.
People buy things.
People write to me.
People wait for the next thing.

It’s strange. Beautiful. A little addictive.

A Lesson I Didn’t Intend to Learn

Creativity doesn’t grow in perfect conditions.
It grows because you get tired of ignoring the thing clawing at your ribs.

It’s not about balance — forget balance —
it’s about choosing your art even when the world is loud, messy, and slightly on fire.

It’s about showing up when you’d rather disappear.
It’s about choosing the story you want to live, not the one you were handed.
It’s about refusing to shrink just because the season tells you to sparkle politely.

And Since You’re Here… A Promise

I’m building more.

More stories.
More puzzles.
More merch that feels like an inside joke between you and your dark side.
More reasons for you to come back even when everything else feels loud and shallow.

There will be surprises.
There will be moments you didn’t expect.
There will be drops you’ll want to get your hands on before everyone else.

And yes, if you’re paying attention — you’ll get first dibs.
Villains take care of their own.

So Before the Holidays Get Me First…

Let me say this:

If this year exhausted you, you’re not alone.
If joy feels heavy, that’s normal.
If you’re stumbling, you’re still moving.
And if all you manage this season is to show up — even crooked, even chaotic — that’s enough.

I’ll be right here, building worlds, whispering stories, plotting merch drops, drinking dangerous amounts of coffee, and pretending I’m not also one tinsel string away from losing my mind.

Happy almost-holiday, you beautiful disaster.
Try not to let the season swallow you whole.

Not without biting back.