Sophie Woods

The first day of Christmas

I woke up in bed like any other day, except today was December first! I hurried out of bed to the kitchen counter where a neatly wrapped package waited for me. My boyfriend lived out of town, so we rarely saw each other. To make up for the distance he'd signed me up to the "build your own calendar" service.

Magic is everywhere. Over the past three decades it'd been normalized after having been exposed. Apparently there had been people with an aptitude for sorcery for millennias. Unfortunately for me, my family had no such blood. I'd been terribly upset the day I tested negative on the magic aptitude test for my tenth birthday. But over the past nine years, I've come to terms with being normal. With the brilliant magical tools and services of the "Magi" we could all experience magic at some level.

On my eighteenth birthday my boyfriend, a brilliant Magi by the name of Brett, got me a magical trinket. A mirror that when looked into could apply makeup effortlessly depending on the type of mood you were in. It was scary trying it out for the first time. Apparently emotion and magic were closely tied together and I'd gotten a crazy colorful neon look due to all the excitement I was feeling. It wasn't a perfect little thing, far from it. I still had to apply makeup manually whenever I was in a bad mood or too excited. Not that I had a habit of wearing makeup in the first place though. I usually only applied it before big events. Even my makeup kit had fairy dust in it, meaning it lasted A LONG TIME without smearing. The only way to remove it was with toad slime. A rather disgusting "cure" but it's the type of thing you grow accustomed to over time..

So you're probably wondering what this whole "build your own calendar" (BYOC) service is about? I don't fully understand it myself, but my boyfriend says it's a way to improve someone and prepare them for their new years resolutions.

Basically the concept is as follows: My boyfriend (the client) has ties with a Magi service. He has selected twenty four different little trinkets from a long-long-LONG list of slightly magical items that will be packaged and sent to my address. The service is customizable in the sense that he can pick any item in any order depending on his whims. The effects of the items will vary slightly based on the order they're opened in. It's an expensive service, from a rather shady Magi organization. There were some nasty rumors going around about how some of the trinkets were cursed rather than magically amplified. Though it'd never been confirmed.

Brett felt really bad about not being able to come sooner, which is why he opted for such an expensive calendar gift. I for one don't care all that much, we already lived apart, so a few extra weeks was manageable. my busy schedule with exams and lectures would've left little time to be lovey-dovey anyways..

Oh, by the way! This magical diary thing is BOMB! I got it a few days ago. Apparently it's part of the calendar. I'm supposed to document the gifts or something. It didn't make that much sense to me, why would that be important? Anyways..

Damn, almost forgot! I'm supposed to make a profile of sorts? Just tell Mr diary here some things about myself (That's you! :P). Hmm, where do I even start? My name would be a good place I guess. My name is Sophie Woods. I'm 19 years old and a student. I'm in a relationship of three years with my boyfriend Brett Lee. Not to be confused with superstar Bruce Lee, haha ^^. Like my boyfriend, I'm Caucasian. I'm 5'4 tall. I have tiny mosquito bite breasts :C. My hair is long and brown, like all the women in my family. I have laaaame brown eyes which I hate!! I'm not particularly interesting, spending most of my time reading and doing schoolwork. It's unfair, but I'm a non-magi. Fortunately I managed to snatch myself a Magi boyfriend :3. Hmm. What else.. I'm an introvert and I don't have many friends :(. That should just about do it I think.

I'll be opening the gift now, and then head to school.

I guess I'll write ..Uhm. Telepathically document to you later, Mr diary thing..

supposed to attach an image of myself along with some of the entries, to watch my progress or something? I don't know. Still doesn't make sense to me but if that's what Brett wants I'll indulge him. He did spend an unreasonable amount of money on this service so the least I can do is my part.. I'm a little camera shy, at least when I don't have clothes on.. hehe.

Today was just EXHAUSTING. Honestly, six hours of lectures. WHO THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA? Jeez. My brain stops functioning after like two, let alone SIX!

Anyways, the gift! I opened the package and it was a simply silver ring with a note. The note briefly explained what the ring did.

It's called the "Ring of commitment". Haha. Very funny Brett.

For context, he's been bullying me about my habit of abandoning hobbies and projects halfway. The half-finished canvas in the corner of my living room is a prime example.

The note also mentioned that I had to focus on a specific task when putting it on. Before I read the last bit I focused on the calendar itself. I want to open them daily and use them without complaint, just to rub it in Brett's stupid face that I can commit to things!

After I put it on I didn't feel very different. I read the last bit of the note and realized I wouldn't be able to remove it until the task I'd focused on was complete. Phew. At least I hadn't picked something insanely long term, like, IDK, Live to the age of two hundred! Haha. Anyways. That's about it for today I guess. I'll be doing some reading yada yada yada and then go to bed.

Hi!
Just a little Christmas calendar for you to enjoy this December! All the chapters have already been available since last Christmas on my Patreon. If you want to skip ahead and read the entire thing, you can do that there! Merry Christmas!