It’s Christmas Eve, which means one thing in the FDSM universe: extremely specific holiday tropes, deeply unserious games, and a shocking number of dead bodies lurking just offstage.

This week, Meg and Nikki dig into the microtropes that make holiday romances and Hallmark movies so bingeable.

Then Meg unleashes not one but two games, including a rapid-fire “Love or Murder?” guessing round and a full-on fantasy-draft-style build-your-own holiday romance.

Yes, ornaments have traumatic backstories.

Yes, someone gets stranded on a bridge. Yes, we absolutely turn the romances into cozy murders at the end.

It’s festive. It’s chaotic. It’s extremely on brand.

If you’ve ever thought, “This movie exists solely to justify one kiss in falling snow,” this episode is for you.

Want to play along? Grab the “Write Your Own Romance” guide here: https://linktr.ee/firstdatesandsoulmates

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

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TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

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Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

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This week, Meg and Nikki head back to small-town romance heaven with Norah Pritchard, author of “If You Were Mine”, the winter installment of her Northfield series. Think runaway bride, grumpy sheriff, snowed-in forced proximity, meddling aunts, and a Christmas tree lot that absolutely understands the assignment.

They talk:

* Grumpy/sunshine as an emotional ignition device

* Forced proximity, snowstorms, and why winter beats hurricanes every time

* Alpha heroes, protective instincts, and the fine art of emotional repression

* Why tropes are not the enemy and why leaning into them works

* Checkov’s Handcuffs (yes, really)

Learn More About Our Guest:

https://norahpritchard.com/

https://www.instagram.com/norahpritchard/

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

This bonus episode exists because the fandom demanded it. And because Episodes 3 and 4 of Heated Rivalry emotionally drop-kicked us into the boards.

Nikki, Meg, and Andrea are back to break down the tonal shift of Episode 3 (Hunter), the rise of Scott “Softest Boy Alive” Hunter, then spiral into Episode 4 (Rose), where the tuna melt scene detonates the emotional core of the show. First names are said. Panic ensues. Everyone suffers.

Tune in for:

* The difference between “can’t come out” and “won’t communicate”

* Why the women of this series are the best people in the room and deserve everything

* The bisexual green couch, frotting discourse, and why nobody gets Shane a ginger ale

* How the show visually tells us these idiots are in love long before they admit it

* Why the final club scene is cruel, perfect, and deeply personal

This episode contains yearning, pining, black sweatpants, and more emotional repression than a locker room in 2014.

Listener discretion advised. Emotional damage guaranteed.

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

In this holly-jolly chaos-fest, Nikki once again interviews Meg’s romance writer persona Bailey Seaborn to break down Making Spirits Bright, the 2.5 novella in the All or Nothing universe.

Expect:

* FULL SPOILERS from not only this novella, but also Peppermint Bark, All Twerk No Play, and early glimpses of Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright

* An exhausted COO with a fixer complex who desperately needs a nap

* A burned-out whistleblower bartender rediscovering her confidence

* A meet-cute that is 0% drunken hookup and 100% “why are you in my bed?”

* Tinsel, feelings, unresolved grief, and Connor finally learning self-care (begrudgingly)

* Background drama from Kate, Nick, Grace, Alex, and Victoria that tees up Book 3

This episode is guaranteed to make your cinnamon-spiced holiday latte feel underdressed.

What We Cover

* How Connor went from “silent spreadsheet king” to full protagonist

* Why Hannah’s backstory flips the small-town trope on its head

* The ethics of caretaking when it becomes your entire personality

* The emotional grenade that is Connor’s grief arc (bring tissues)

* How Making Spirits Bright bridges Twerk No Play → Playwright

* Easter eggs and timeline chaos from books 1–3

* A sneak peek at early cover options and Bailey’s design choices

* Why squishy men who know the five stages of grief are superior

Making Spirits Bright Release Details

Release Date: December 5Price: $2.99Sale: 99¢ from December 11–13Where: Kindle Unlimited + Amazon purchase

Meg’s strategy corner: if you’re a KU reader, grab it there and then buy it so she gets both KU page reads and the sale. Iconic behavior.

For the bonus epilogue from Peppermint Bark + the first three chapters of Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Playwright …Visit baileyseaborn.com (or here’s the direct download link)

📣 Support the Podcast

* Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Substack

* Leave a rating & review to appease the algorithm deities

* Follow us: @firstdatesandsoulmates on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube

* Merch: TeePublic

* Take our

* Become a Substack supporter for bonus episodes & early drops

💌 What We’re Shipping This Week

Meg: Her ARC readers — the real MVPs fueling the indie romance machine.Want to join the ARC list? Email [email protected] or sign up for the bonus episode at baileyseaborn.com and reply to that email to let me know!

Nikki: The Thorn and the Spire by Catherine McIntyre — a dark, spicy, supernatural Beauty-and-the-Beast retelling with demons, casinos, curses, and a library scene worthy of feral screaming.

Heated Rivalry has arrived, and the FDSM household is officially in its Hockey Butt Era! Andrea Jones joins Nikki & Meg to dive into the first two episodes of the MM hockey romance adaptation turning the internet into a collective thirst trap.

They break down:

* Why the timeline jumps feel like surprise math homework

* Shane’s micro-expressions, panic spirals, and inability to say “dildo”

* Ilya as a consent king (and whether he gets “soft” too early)

* The All-Star bench flirting, room 1221, and the pec-grab heard round the world

* The accidental cuck chair and the cursed water-balloon intimacy garments

Come for the rivalry. Stay for the lighting crimes and the hockey butts.

Learn More About Our Guest Andrea Jones (aka author Olivia Carter):

https://authoroliviacarter.com/

https://www.instagram.com/authoroliviacarter/

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

Here in the FDSM universe Thanksgiving means one thing: sentient food erotica.

This year, Meg drags Nikki into Pounded by Produce: A Veggie Love Tale; a story about two hot Catholic priests, one trauma-baking heroine, and a harvest moon miracle that turns everyone into fruits and vegetables. There’s theology, there’s tomato juice, and there are questions no seminary could prepare you for.

We break down:

* Why Pounded by Produce might actually have too much plot

* How hot priests became cucumbers and tomatoes (and why they were fine with it)

* The dubious ethics of divine loopholes and vegetable consent

* VeggieTales flashbacks, Catholic guilt, and unexpected yeast infections

* The Sentient Object Romance rabbit hole: Ampersands, sweatpants, and Chuck Tingle’s entire cinematic universe

* A very serious discussion about cucumber-based UTIs and confessional booth logistics

Also featuring: Meg’s annual holiday erotica tradition, Nikki’s concern for Emily’s gynecologist, and the rise of sentient object romance as the weirdest subgenre in publishing.

Stay for the theology. Leave with more questions than God intended.

Featured in Discussion

* Peppermint Bark, No Bite by Bailey Seaborn — free this weekend on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4a3sWSo

* Pounded by Produce: A Veggie Love Tale by GM Fairy: https://amzn.to/4oeqf3H

* Back for Seconds: A Hedonist Holiday Erotica by J.L. Logosz & Vera Valentine: https://amzn.to/3LM5iQq

* Jingle Bell Mingle by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone: https://amzn.to/3JPrusl

* Heart2Heart Anthology Vol. 8 by Multiple Authors: https://amzn.to/44nvtDa

* Sentient Object Holiday Series (multi-author collection): https://amzn.to/4pjB31w

* Ampersand, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Caps Lock, Edible Book, Gray Sweatpants

* Lesbian Cactus and My Water-Efficient Drought-Tolerant Landscaping by Chuck Tingle: https://amzn.to/43IRRqq

* My Neighbor’s 12-Foot Skeleton Gets Me Off (Also She Is a Lesbian) by Chuck Tingle: https://amzn.to/43GWLV4

* Pounded In The Butt By My Handsome Sentient Library Card Who Seems Otherworldly But In Reality Is Just A Natural Part Of The Priceless Resources Our Library System Provides by Chuck Tingle: https://amzn.to/3K3SLaw

* Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt by Chuck Tingle: https://amzn.to/4phW5NW

* Bisexual Mothman Mailman Makes a Special Delivery in Our Butts by Chuck Tingle: https://amzn.to/43IW5hV

* Taken by My TBR by Holly Wilde: https://amzn.to/4ip58KT

* Pounded by a Pommel Horse by Sabrina Cross: https://amzn.to/4iclmXA

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

In this unhinged crossover episode, Meg & Nikki are joined by Onley James and Shannon Ezzell, hosts of the Feral Fandoms podcast to discuss psychopaths in romance, the parasocial relationships that fuel our favourite ships, and the appeal of morally gray characters who definitely need therapy (but we’d still risk it all for).

Tune in for:

* Why psychopaths in romance work only when they’re written with purpose

* The ethics of loving villains and the gray area between fantasy and morality

* Which conversations should happen in a Waffle House parking lot at 3am

* When “romantic obsession” crosses into “I could fix him” territory

* The psychology behind fan communities and what they reveal about human need for connection

It’s messy, meta, and mildly incriminating. Just how we like it.

Learn More About Our Guests:

* The Feral Fandoms Podcast

* Onley’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/OnleyJames

* Onley’s website: https://onleyjames.com

* The Burned Out Muse on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/TheBurnedOutMuse

Books & Media Mentioned

* Necessary Evils series – Onley James

* Time Served series – Onley James

* Vitale Brothers series – Skyler Snow & Brea Alepou

* Monster series – Lily Mayne

* Vampire Chronicles – Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned)

* Fifty Shades of Grey – E.L. James

* Morning Glory Milking Farm – C.M. Nascosta

* A Court of Silver Flames (ACOTAR) – Sarah J. Maas

* Cruel Intentions

* Mads Mikkelsen’s Hannibal (NBC)

* You (Netflix)

* Killing Eve (BBC America)

* Dexter (Showtime)

* American Psycho

* Basic Instinct

* Fatal Attraction

* Khemjira (Thai BL drama)

* K-Pop Demon Hunters (animated film)

* The Untamed (Chinese BL drama)

* Life of a Showgirl (Taylor Swift Album)

* Waffle House by Jonas Brothers

* Elizabeth Taylor/Backstreet Boys mix by Lydia Getachew on SoundCloud

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

Meg and Nikki continue their Friends to Lovers deep dive with a pop culture gem, Always Be My Maybe. They unpack why this Netflix hit (starring Ali Wong and Randall Park) captures what we love most about the trope: long history, missed timing, emotional safety, and that perfect balance between comedy and yearning.

Plus, a Keanu Reeves cameo that is the ultimate rom-com chaos agent.

Books & Media Mentioned:

* Always Be My Maybe (Netflix)

* When Harry Met Sally (film)

* Set It Up (film)

* Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)

* New Girl (TV)

* Friends (TV)

* Mr. Blue Sky by Isla Olsen

* Code Word by N.R. Walker

* Firefly and Fool Hearts by Emmy Sanders

* Love, Rosie (film)

* A Holly Jolly Ever After Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

* Demon’s Desire (Lovers of the Damned #3) by Colette Rivera

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

Meg and Nikki kick off “Friendsgiving” by dissecting one of the most comforting and chaotic romance tropes of all time: Friends to Lovers.

They explore:

* Why it hits us right in the feelings: the safety, the yearning, the tension, the why did it take them this long?!

* What makes this trope work in both books and TV (Monica and Chandler to When Harry Met Sally)

* Why timing, not tension, often drives the conflict

* The “best friend vs. partner” debate (and why your partner shouldn’t be your only best friend)

Previous Friends to Lovers episodes discussed:

Pop Culture + Book References:

* Friends

* Brooklyn 99

* Bones

* When Harry Met Sally

* Parks & Rec

* Cheers

* New Girl

* Love, Rosie

* Set It Up

* The Year of Us by Kate Hawthorne

* The Deal by Elle Kennedy

* Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

* Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

* Merciless (Park Avenue Kings Book 4) by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine

* A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone

Nikki’s List of Book Recs:

* Fool Heart by Emmy Sanders

* To Catch a Firefly by Emmy Sanders

* Green Light by Lark Taylor

* Mr Blue Sky by Isla Olsen

* Charlie Sunshine by Lily Morton

* Hot Head by Damon Suede

* Wilde Love by Lucy Lennox

* Hot as Heller by Lucy Lennox

* The First & Last Adventures of Kit Sawyer by SE Harmon

* Code Word by NR Walker

* A totally platonic thing by Eliot Grayson

* Romance Languages by AJ Truman

* It’s Complicated by Willow Dixon

* Merry Measure by Lily Morton

* The Quirky Vet by Casey Cox

How You Can Support The Show

Discover your romance trope and get a custom play list at https://firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz/

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack

In this flannel-wrapped fall special, Nikki and Meg celebrate cozy season with a “fun house” of games, quizzes, and chaos. Expect haunted hayrides, wraparound porches, ghost-hunting funeral directors, and the eternal sanctity of The Great British Bake Off.

Want to know your romance archetype?

Take our brand-new “What’s Your Romance Trope?” quiz at firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz!

In true Cosmo girl fashion, we’ll tell you whether you’re a Fake Dating Fool, a Historical Scoundrel, a Paranormal Heartthrob, or one of our other 5 signature tropes.

Your results come with a custom podcast playlist and romance recs so you can jump straight into the episodes and books that match your vibe. Live your BuzzFeed-quiz dreams at firstdatesandsoulmates.com/quiz

Books & Media Mentioned:

* Happy Place by Emily Henry: https://amzn.to/4qmUtUD

* Before We Were Strangers by Renée Carlino: https://amzn.to/42Po0we

* The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston: https://amzn.to/43ekeg7

* Ghost (film, 1990)

* The Great British Bake Off (TV)

* Falling Inn Love (film, 2019 – Christina Milian)

* Hocus Pocus (film, 1993)

* Mean Girls (film, 2004)

* Pride and Prejudice (film adaptations)

* Icebreaker by Hannah Grace: https://amzn.to/47oNYYQ

* Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: https://amzn.to/474IZO6

* Mangos and Mistletoe by Adrianna Herrera: https://amzn.to/47ljDdK

* Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly: https://amzn.to/48ICwJM

* Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood: https://amzn.to/4oyE5Pb

* The Partner Plot by Kristina Monique: https://amzn.to/42UZdXr

* Twilight – Stephenie Meyer

* Almost Famous (film, 2000)

* Love Actually (film, 2003)

* Romeo + Juliet (film, 1996)

* Moulin Rouge! (film, 2001)

* Novel Crafter software

* Giggly Squad (podcast)

How You Can Support The Show

Follow Us On Social:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/firstdatesandsoulmates/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@firstdatesandsoulmates

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstDatesSoulmates

Download your copy of the 2025 book bingo card at https://bit.ly/fdsmbingo

Email us at [email protected]

Share the show with a friend or loved one!

Got a Little Extra Money to Spend?

Buy our official merch on TeePublic: http://tee.pub/lic/6TtnpmFagAk

Get Meg’s Latest Book: All Twerk No Play: https://amzn.to/3Ee2O9Z

Shop our affiliate book recs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/shop/caseboltcreative

Upgrade to a paid tier on Substack