In order to preserve some holiday spirit, all we need is a handsome man to take us back to that magical time. How about my favorite boys, the gods from the stars? I mean, honestly, you didn’t think I would somehow not give you a review of my beloved Zodiac boys’s Christmas stories? Because there are several. The first reviewed set, Twelve Loves, covers your second or first Christmas with your god, depending on whether you pick one from the first series (Leon, Scorpio, Teorus, Dui, Huedhaut, Ichthys) or the second one (Karno, Zyglavis, Aigonorus, Krioff, Tauxolouve, Partheno). They are three chapters each. The second set, 12 Temptations for short, are tiny and often sweet one-chapter stories, set in what I assume is the year thereafter.
So, on this last day of Christmas, here are your gods.
Twelve Loves Light Up a Holy Night
These stories have a bit of drama. A tiny bit, really. Mostly home-made. As it tends to be. They come in two packs, separated by Wishes and Punishments. Voltage has newly created a slightly discounted bundle that combines both of these.
Wishes
The King calls you and the Wishes gods to the throne room. Dark powers have been sighted on earth, forces that seek to ruin this most beloved holiday. While the Punishment gods have already been sent out to investigate and put a stop to the nefarious deeds, the Wishes gods are tasked with restoring happiness to the people on earth. You, an earthling, are to be their guide. Obviously, you choose to go with your boyfriend – who is grumpy about missing out on time spent with you alone.
- Leon gets points again for seeing through the King immediately, because the latter seems far too amused by what is happening on earth. He probably just wants to see everybody in Santa outfits. Of course, Leon is too good for something silly like that. Instead, he casually works some magic to make an entire city happy. Not that he cares about what goldfish think, really, but it amuses him. Later, the two of you go shopping for a unique present. Something to remember…
- Teorus is seriously upset about the King’s orders, since his previous Christmas with you had already been ruined by some children. So, when you come across a group of children you know from the planetarium, he spitefully tells them that Santa does not exist, thus not only disregarding the King’s directive, but literally doing the opposite. There’s only one way to fix this.
- Huedhaut got the Santa reference, but dismisses the idea of dressing up as Santa and giving presents to children. It’s too unoriginal, and anyway, Ichthys already did that the year before. It suddenly occurs to him, the master alchemist, that grown-ups need some joy, too, so he comes up with a plan that is, essentially, distributing divine space brownies. In liquid form.
- Karno completely disregards the King’s instruction, and decides to spend the evening making you happy, since you’re a human, too, after all. Unfortunately, you get called in to work, since two people went home sick, and it’s a busy night. Karno, ever understanding, tells you not to worry, he’ll just be waiting for you. Isn’t he darling?
- Aigonorus is annoyed by this decree of the King, because it will result in work, and honestly, who wants that? You tell him all about Christmas, and he decides that reindeer are nice and all, but obviously, a more divine animal should draw his sleigh. A bunch of divine heralds, for example. They can also help deliver the gifts. However, they are also prone to misbehaving.
- In what is probably the most heart-warming story, Tauxolouve and you come across a little girl who’s desperate to meet Santa. What the little girl seems unaware of, however, is that she is dead. But then, the King never said that the gods could only bring happiness to the living…
Punishments
On the Punishments side of thing, meanwhile, the King is nowhere to be seen, nor are the gods aware of anything going on on earth. You, on the other hand, have come across some really curious Santas on your way to the mansion. They were handing out candy to passers-by. You took some of that candy at their insistence.
- Scorpio takes you out to a multi-course French dinner on a boat. He even has a Christmas present for you. Trouble is, you suddenly start to become invisible. What’s worse (if that’s possible), your senses also grow dull. Could it have something to do with the candy you ate earlier?
- Since the candy you’ve been handed earlier smells like cherries, Dui absolutely wants it. Fortunately, nothing bad happens when he eats it. You two go into the city to celebrate Christmas, where you see a surprising number of twins walking around. Are there really so many twins in Tokyo? And why do they seem to be fighting over their dates? And then, suddenly, there are two Duis…
- Ichthys, being who he is, swipes your candy before you can even react. You go to see the Christmas display where a lot of couples are about. The atmosphere is jolly and festive, until Ichthys lets you know how bored he is. What’s more, a lot of people around you seem to be feeling rather negative about their dates right now…
- Adorable Altair trips and falls into you, making you swallow the candy that you were so closely inspecting. While you sense no immediate effects in you, the gods around you are starting to behave strangely. They begin to accost you, and Zyglavis has to forcibly extract you from the mansion. But then, men in the city are reacting the same way to your presence, leaving their dates behind and crowding you…
- When you and Krioff eat the candy, a strange force is generated between you, pushing you back from each other. While the other gods go out to investigate, Krioff decides to still go ahead with the dinner date you had planned. At the restaurant, you have to sit at different tables because proximity is still not possible. But you notice that apparently, you’re not alone with your predicament: several couples are sitting apart from each other. They all took the candy from the two weird Santas.
- Before the Christmas party with the Department of Punishments starts, Partheno takes one of your stylish pieces of candy, and feeds the other to you. Ichthys swiped a few bottles of wine from Huedhaut, known to intoxicate even the gods. You partake very liberally and fall asleep. When you wake up, you find yourself in Partheno’s body. (If you’ve met Partheno before, you can guess his reaction to this situation.)
Favorites? Of the Wishes set, I’m gonna go with Lou, because that story is downright magical. On the Punishments side, it’s obviously Zyglavis Ichthys does an amazing job solving the situation. I kinda resent that the Wishes gods got to be all lovey-dovey while the Punishments guys had an actual threat to resolve. And that not all of them did. We never find out what happens to the afflicted humans in Scorpio’s and Krioff’s stories.
Also, can I just say how unexpected and funny the ending of Dui’s story is? I did not see that coming. (That’s what she said.)
Captivated by 12 Temptations on a Holy Night
Quite the title, isn’t it. It’s almost longer than the stories. How do they come up with these? Aaaanyway. Here are twelve one-chapter stories, every one a little vignette with our favorite gods on Christmas Eve. It’s a dream come true.
You’re sleeping peacefully when someone whispers your name. Who could it be?
The King of heaven, himself, is standing by your bed. Since you have been so useful to him the past year, he would like to give you a little gift for Christmas. A dream…
Suddenly, you find yourself in the mansion of the gods, with all of them vying for your attention. Is this really just a dream? It doesn’t feel like it. Leon makes a bold move and whisks you into the night sky with him, but soon, the other gods follow. The only gift they want for Christmas is… you. Who will you give yourself to?
The Magical
Some of the gods are very creative. They are magical creatures, after all, so why not use their powers to truly enchanting purposes? Teo goes all out and does his princely image justice.
- Teorus is a fairy-tale prince who presents you with a fairy-tale castle.
- Ichthys has been feeling a little abandoned of late, so he sequesters you away into his realm.
- For you, Krioff lights up the night in the brightest colors.
- Partheno’s love for you is as crimson as a sea of flowers.
The Cute
A bit less bombastic than the first group, their efforts are just wonderfully sweet. Leon really surprised me here. Maybe I should read another one of his stories. Maybe.
- Who would have thought that Leon can reach that level of… sweet?
- Nobody blushes quite as furiously as Scorpio when he does something nice for you.
- Zyglavis feels that sometimes, the world needs some light-hearted miracles.
- Tauxolouve could have used his powers to make you a perfect gift, but he wanted to create something with his own hands.
The Nice
Some efforts, I have to say, are a bit pedestrian. But you know they love you, don’t you.
- Dui just wants to be alone with you, not matter your, erm, discomfort.
- After teasing you more than strictly necessary, Huedhaut drops interesting hints about the future.
- Karno pampers you, and your love shines bright.
- Aigo wants to find Santa Claus with you.
Was it really just a dream?
My favorites here are Leon (I KNOW, RIGHT??), Teo, and Krioff. They are just really thoughtful, and astonishingly on point for the season.
Pretty Boys All in a Row 