Day 25 of the 25 Days of TF-mas! (Contains a review of our adventure this holiday season as well as a petrification tf)

A lot has happened in the month since our tale began. Let us look back upon how we arrived here, and review how it was that I came to be. I can tell what you're thinking... A review? Didn't I already see all of this once before - what about this is a satisfying conclusion to the saga? Stick with me a moment, I think you'll find something worthwhile.

It begins in a time before I was me. My existence then was plagued by isolation and an unending boredom that permeated every single aspect of my life. Truly, now that I look back at that time, I believe I understand why I did what I did. One of the greatest pleasures I experienced was the boon of human desire. I was drawn to it with the fervor of a moth to a flame. Perhaps I was as simple as those insects as well, hard to say. To prevent the inevitable decline of excitement and to preserve my own sanity I had forced myself to abide by certain rules for my hunt. I would play the role of genie, only able to change humans should they make a misguided wish or expression of desire for me to manipulate. It was the first time I'd bothered with a hard set of rules for my game, and I remember still the palpitations of my heart when I first touched down in this city. My first target was a woman by the name of Vanessa. Her wish truly set the tone for my entire endeavor. Simply to lay back while the party she wanted to have was prepared around her was her desire. I obliged, of course, by following her home and crushing her pathetic body flat and used her as wrapping paper. What better way to relax for poor Vanessa but trapped around that which she wanted to skip, I decided. From that moment on, I'd utilized her home as my base of operations for the rest of my game. I had little reason to suspect at the time that it would get any more complex than that. A few weeks of changing simplistic humans by weaponizing their wishes against them surely would sustain my need for both entertainment and the strong human desire that I once fed upon to survive.

I was wrong. My very second target would prove that in time, but to begin with it was happenstance. Carla... that adorable bookworm that frequented my old place of work - that is, the other me's old place of work. It was a quiet café off the main road with an attached book store, exactly the biome one would expect to find someone like Carla. I had served her a drink and a cookie to enjoy while she read. Its bizarre to recall it now, seeing as I was both unsuspecting bystander and perpetrator. I liquified her into a refill of hot chocolate as a sick twist to her desire to be warm. To be fair, I suppose, she was warm when I drank her. My mind had gone blank from behind the counter, as was typical for when I made my move on the subjects of my transformative whim. The only reason I began the path that led to where I am now was because I happened to notice that Carla had left her books behind, and a stranger was sitting in her place. I became suspicious of... myself, and was soon obsessively stalking my actions to try to decipher the truth.

While one me was doing that, the other... older me continued with the game. From the café I followed a woman named Lorrie to her home. She'd been making fun of a few holiday carolers and made a wish that they could see how ridiculous they were. I took it upon myself to use her as an example, turning her body into a bloated caricature of a lawn decoration. She had a speaker hooked up playing the same carols she chastised before. I remember setting her up in Vanessa's lawn before moving on to a shopping center. Truth be told, I was just letting the draw of humanity pull me any which way it would. I came across Helena there, a sad little thing that had been abandoned at the store. She was soft and sweet, if I recall correctly, and wished to be looked at with the same glee and appreciation that customers looked at the wreaths on sale there. Her words inspired me to take her right to Vanessa's home and hang her up on the door as a wreath to be admired.

The next few were more of the same, as I sought out my targets in places that humans often congregated. There was a worker in a store's toy section - Connie. I must have watched her pick the same three toys off the shelves and reshelf them a dozen or so times before I stepped in. She had been talking to one of the dolls, wishing she was like them, and I made it so. She turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. From that store I stopped by a breakfast place and ran into Tori and Skylar, a couple that were... very interested in eating. Tori had wished to stuff her girlfriend completely, and I used her as stuffing to make Skylar into an adorable plush toy in a little two-for-one deal. I remember my other self found that shop and found out that I'd been there too, adding to my investigation. I wonder now if it was dumb luck that I came there or if it was my older self drawing me in. Regardless of the answer, I'd visited a wealthy girl named Maribelle's home who was wishing for things to stay the same, so I captured her preferred day in the form of a snow globe, with her inside of course.

I recall returning to Vanessa's house and taking some inventory. Cheryl was next on the list, but only because she'd been so loud. I think she was the first to grab my attention from within the home, but that status wouldn't last long. She was Vanessa's neighbor and complaining about the smell, so I melted her into the most deliciously scented wax for me to make candles out of. I lost track of how many I made, but I've been through more than a few by now, I'll definitely need to make more soon. The next one was opportunistic. I don't recall what drew me to her, but Gloria was relatable in a way. She couldn't seem to fit right with humanity, and longed for the wild world of Animalia. I granted her wish by turning her into a reindeer. She turned out rather gorgeous if I'm to tell the truth, and I believe she may have some kids on the way now. Maybe she was the first one to really get me thinking about the state of my being too. I should visit her again.

I remember I'd bought a few little goodies to fill out the stocking stuffers I'd made of Maribelle and such, but had forgotten to actually get a stocking. Luckily, the drunkard Michelle outside the convenience store practically volunteered. She made for a passable stocking, but I doubt anyone will use her come next year - she still reeks of alcohol. Then began the first of many to bang on the door at Vanessa's home that fell on my victim list. Rachel was there to help her sister prep for the party. She wished for me to help make her cookies, so I did. The dough I made of her wasn't anything special, but she tasted good enough out of the oven.

Then... Then there was the big one, at least for the me that was chasing my actions down. I had obsessively investigated the previous victims and the nature of their disappearances only to come face to face with the truth. They hadn't been kidnapped or murdered like I'd been fearing. They had been changed. Transformed into something inhuman, and I had no way of knowing what the others' fates had been. Honestly I don't know that I even got the woman's name before I turned her into a pine tree for Vanessa's home. The revelation was earth shattering for me. That power like that existed. It forced me to reconsider... everything. What was reality and what was my place in it, for example. Suffice it to say it left me reeling for quite some time. For the older me, though, it was just the twelfth change for the season.

I'd come across Amanda next. She was fighting with a piece of cardboard, and I nearly left her be, but then she made a wish. Maybe I did it because it was easy, maybe it was because of the rules I'd set for myself, but I turned her into an advertisement cutout for her store on my way to get a tree topper for the new tree. The girl I picked for that I did mostly out of spite. She was a screeching, annoying, pathetic thing that I made into a star, just as she asked for. I guess even I couldn't make anything better of her than a tacky little plastic thing, but it worked for my purposes.

The next pair was... confusing for me. It was a girl, Christina, and her little sister. Christina wished to be able to give her little sister a snowman like she wanted. It was simple enough, and mostly just more run of the mill stuff for me, but then... She questioned what it was I wanted. I don't know why, but I snapped. It may be the first time a human had made me feel... angry. I was upset that I didn't have a good answer to the question. I had been a moth up until then, letting humans pull me every which way like a simple flame. It was a startling and upsetting revelation, but an important one. One that led to my birth as I am now. My two selves finally caught up to one another and... making a deal, we'd merged together. I was the result of a unity between a cosmic entity that could not comprehend humanity and a human attempting to fathom the infinite. We stayed fairly separate, like oil and water. My human self wanted to get back at my old boss, and my old self was the passenger, just studying my human half. Susan I manipulated in mind, turning her into a stereotypical obedient housewife, who turned out great if you ask me. She does great with all the chores and keeps the place looking nice.

My next outburst was caused by my human self's sister Brandy. I'd hated her for quite some time, and made her the ass she'd always acted like. I don't know what became of her after that, but I also don't care. My next venture was an experiment in the extent of my powers. Back then my human mind was still unable to accept my place in the world, so I made excuses and little rules like morality to follow. Those were flimsy and broke down pretty easily, like when I found that girl Elizabeth. I turned her into a car, and made certain she was happy with her existence. She still runs rather well, but will probably need a new battery soon. I do wonder about that old Plato's Ship in regards to Elizabeth. Once I replace all her parts, will she still have been her? That'll be fascinating to find out. I took her for a drive to my next target. At that point, my two selves were having issues merging. I was still human, but burdened by the desires of my older self, including the need to finish setting up that ridiculous party for Vanessa. I decided to inject some of my childhood traditions for the holidays, including a community puzzle I made from that peppy girl Penny and that delicious treat Puppy Chow, made from MacKenzie whom I'd met during a mental break at the grocery store. I was in a state of mania by then. My human mind truly started to break down under the weight my older self had burdened me with. As such, I was in no state to calmly deal with the HOA woman, Karen. She practically beat down my door, whining about Lorrie in the yard. I actually remember why I chose to make Karen a giant fattened pear, now that I think of it. Lorrie's speaker had begun skipping, repeating a part of a song referring to a partridge in a pear tree. I remember I called to have her disposed of, but I do regret not making better use of such a fresh fruit. Ah well, there's always next time. Live and learn right?

I think it was around then that I had a dream. It was as though my human and older lives were spread out before me, and I came to a realization. There are an infinite number of numbers between 1 and 2, and yet that entire infinite set is contained within the infinite set of numbers between 1 and 3. Despite being infinite, it's almost as though some infinities are smaller than others, and can contain themselves in the set. I was a human in control of all of humanity, so I could control myself as an infinite contained within its own set. I think that's when I decided to take the identity I have now. Vanessa's friend visited around then, and I toyed with her a bit before settling her as the final tradition for the party, an elf on a shelf. I may have hidden her too well though, as no one's found her yet. The true last touch came on the day of the party itself though. Vanessa's mother came by early and I squashed her into a door mat. She's gotten a little worn now, but still holding strong. I think she prefers books to sneakers, but I'll have to check that to be sure.

And that's it, as you know it. That's how I came to be. I was a confused cosmic entity with a desire to comprehend humanity colliding with a human desperate to wrap her mind around the infinite. But, like I said before, I know you want to see more than just a recap. Now that you've been good and listened to my tale, I'll give you a taste of what I choose to do with the naughty ones...

The tale begins well after the holiday party whose planning began my creation. This story focuses in on a rather rowdy witch named Danielle Owens. She has quite remarkable powers, and has even delved into the realm of changing humans to her whims. However, Dani has quite an ego, and despite being bested numerous times in the past, she seemed to think of herself as some sort of higher being compared to the humans around her. That's why Elliott chose to pay her a visit. The amalgamation of a human and a deific being with dominion over the forms of human minds and bodies, Elliott had a special interest in people like Danielle. The witch was up early on the human holiday of gift giving, which she celebrated in addition to the more traditional pagan holiday that already happened. It was this morning, before the sun showed itself over the horizon that Elliott made herself known to Danielle.

"So, you're the witch," Elliott said, taking a once over of Danielle as she entered the room.

Danielle was startled. She hadn't even seen this woman come in, and though she hadn't felt a single thing up until now, she could tell this girl was immensely powerful, "That's me... whatcha want?"

"I came for a little self satisfaction," Elliott admitted, "I've been on a little bit of a holiday kick lately, so I hope you don't mind if I stay on theme. If you're about to ask what I'm doing, I'm putting you on... the naughty list," She said with a smile, happy she thought of the line on the spot.

"Yeah okay little Ms. Kringle," Dani scoffed, readying a spell, only for it to fizzle in her hands, which had already completely stiffened and turned a charred black color. "Oh no..." Danielle felt something she didn't normally feel, even in situations of defeat like this. The feeling was dread. A cold, icy spike of fear shot through her body, as though she could tell just how outclassed she was in that moment. It was this instant understanding that let Elliott sit back and enjoy the show. Danielle stumbled back a bit, watching the pitch black consume her arms, turning them stiff and cracked from the hardening. She couldn't see it happen, but she knew her legs had been changed too. It was racing up her abdomen to catch up to and join the changes crawling over her shoulders and back. Her body creaked and cracked as she stiffened and turned rigid. Some bits even crumbled off the surface of her body as her hyperventilating was halted by her chest turning black and still. She cast a frightened glance at Elliott, who simply blew a kiss at the witch as her head was finally overtaken.

Elliott strolled over and knocked on the witch a few times, causing a bit of the substance she'd been turned into a statue of crumbled off. It was fitting as far as Elliott was concerned, for naughty children to get coal. She contemplated sticking around to see how the older sister reacted to seeing Danielle in such a state, but she had a pretty good idea, and didn't want to spoil herself of too much, lest she get bored again. The last thing Elliott needed was another existential crisis. Instead, she slapped a bow on the statue of coal and headed out, humming the tune Lorrie had been singing lately.

"Happy Holidays."