#Best Christmas present I've ever gotten

[arcane-strangeness]

you do not know true fear if you do/have not owned an old furby.

I have a classic tuxedo model that sits asleep on my windowsill most of the time. He is a prized possession.

I was changing in my room, back to the window, when I heard a small click come from behind me after I finished taking off my shirt. I didn't think much of it at the time. I turned around after I finished changing, and the fear I felt in that moment I have not been able to replicate since. It's eyes were open. It was not awake. It should not have been able to do that. I cautiously approached, half expecting it to lunge at me somehow. I raised a hand, and gently slid two fingers down it's face, closing the eyelids like someone might shut the eyes of a corpse, and turned it to face out the window.

That was the first time it happened. It was not the last. Sometimes it happens while I'm asleep. Sometimes while I'm at school. Sometime, like the first, it happens when I am in the room with it, back turned. The first thing I do when waking up in the morning or entering/leaving my room is to check it's eyes. It behaves perfectly normal while awake, but I'm not convinced that it isn't haunted as shit

[roseboysstuff]

ok so im currently listening to Santa Baby by Ariana Grande(feat. Liz Gillies) and whenever i hear "santa baby" all i sang is "santa daddy" anyways, i want to request a dilf Carlos Olivera (you could also do leon if you're more comfy with that) wearing a santa costume (without the white hair and beard because i think their natural hair color is hotter) punishing the reader for being on his naughty list. any kink is open, make it nasty like incest (which honestly would make it better) okay now that i thought of the incest shit i want the reader's mom to be the one who ask for Carlos/leon to wear the smegsy santa costume (she like bought it or somethn) and she request to have sex with our daddy but daddy refuse becuase he was ✨TiReD✨ then while sleeping he wore the santa outfit and climb to the reader's bedroom window (daddy is commited to the role) and then that is where the smegsy shit starts to happen🤤🤤 anyways now that i read this again before sending i sound soo desperate and lonely (i am T.T)

ps: have a good day ahead and take care of yrslf ❤️

Imma do Leon since I don't write for carlos but this idea is so fucking tasty I also made it incest because the idea stuck in my mind hehe so it's dad/son incest

Leon loved your mom, but some of the requests she came up with to spice up their sex life were interesting. They hadn't had sex for a while, and while she assumed it was just them both being busy and tired, you and Leon knew why. He didn't have time to fuck his wife, when he was busy fucking their son. So when he dressed up like Santa, he didn't get hard from her sitting on his lap, and eventually she gave up and went to bed. Leon wasn't going to join her for a while, however, his mind was elsewhere. You woke up to your window sliding open, and were about to scream, until you saw the familiar blue hue in his eyes. "Dad? What are you doing?" He simply shushed you and continued climbing in through your window. The santa outfit was very comical to you, and certainly not something that would normally look attractive, but he managed to make it look good. He sat on your bed, and in a slightly hushed voice, he said "Why don't you sit on Santa's lap?" You realised what he was doing and instantly felt yourself getting wet at his husky tone. And so you walked over and sat on his lap, getting comfy, feeling his cock against you, hardening quickly. He kept whispering in your ear, that same low, quiet tone sending shivers down your spine. "What does my baby boy want for Christmas, hm? Because I've got something big I want to give you." With that, he moves you so you are facing him, wrapping your legs around his waist, and he pulls the bright red pants down ever so slightly. He's rock hard, and all for you. He reaches inside your pants, and chuckles when he feels the wetness, knowing that despite yourself, you are enjoying seeing him dressed up like this. "You've been a good boy all year, but you're still on my naughty list. So Santa is going to fuck you until you melt, okay?" You're gently lowered onto his cock, and you start bouncing away. One of his hands stays on your hip, the other covers your mouth so your mom doesn't hear what's going on. You're too far gone to care about noise, but he doesn't want his wife to walk in on this scene. His cute little son, riding his cock, it's for his eyes only. And the sight of you cumming on his cock, letting out the smallest of whimpers, as he shoves his fingers into your mouth to keep you quiet, it's the best Christmas present he's ever gotten.

[whinesandwhimpers]

bf!gaz gives you the best present on christmas morning

"Gaz?" You call out from the bed you and him share, having just discovered he isn't on his side of it.

You hop out of bed and wander into the living room.

"Gaz? How come you're not—" Your hand comes up to cover your mouth in a mix of shock and surprise when you spot him.

He's lying right in front of the Christmas tree on his side, head resting on one of his hands, the other hand laying on the side of his thigh. He's got that award-winning smile on his face—one of the first things that made you fall in love with him—and he's only wearing a pair of red and green striped boxers with a star gift bow stuck to the front that isn't big enough to cover the complete outline of his dick.

"Merry Christmas, Love. Do you want to unwrap your present now?"

"Gaz!" You giggle, dropping your hand from your mouth and walking over to him. "You're so silly!"

"Can't help it. You bring it out of me."

His smile morphs into a sly grin as he moves onto his back, both of his forearms holding him up, and spreads his legs, allowing you to drop to your knees between them.

"You know," You trail your fingers up his thigh. "I think..." You lightly pull the band of his boxers to make it snap against his skin before you lean over him, bringing your face closer to his. "This might just be the best present I've ever gotten."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah." You nod, before leaning forward and connecting your lips with his.

When he tries to deepen the kiss more, you pull away, peppering kisses along his jaw and down his neck while you reach down and rip the star gift bow off his boxers and throw it carelessly away. You continue trailing kisses over his collarbone, down his chest, revelling in how he shivers at the sensations. When you reach his lower stomach, you grab his boxers and pull them off, letting his large, hardening cock spring free and rest against his stomach.

You wrap your hand around his length, feeling it twitch, and look up at him with wide eyes full of mock innocence. "For me?"

"All yours, Baby." He exchanges a mischievous smile with you.

You spend all morning playing with your new present.

[melanieph321]

Dominik Szoboszlai x Black Reader - Not Enough Part 2/6

Part 1

Summary - Reader is excited to meet Dominik's parents but is shocked to find out that they are very prejudiced and do not approve of her.

Enjoy!

You fell in love with Hungary. It was such a beautiful city with such a vibrant culture. Everywhere you went, people seemed to engage in activities that you had never heard of before. Like pottery, for example. It was definitely an odd activity to engage in, especially in the middle of the street. However, the Hungarian's seemed to enjoy it. You even brought home a pott that a lady had worked on for more than an hour. It was decorated with hearts which you thought would be a suiting gift for your boyfriend.

"Honey, I'm home!" You announced. You and Dominik had been staying at a hotel while in Budapest. It was a nice little getaway for you, but for Dominik, it was just another business trip. The Hungarian people were crazy about him. And ahead of the European championship, Dominik and his teamsmates are required to meet with fans and stakeholders of the Hungarian men's football team. This left you to roam the streets of Budapest on your own since Dominik was busy during the day. Nevertheless, there was no better feeling than coming home to the love of your life.

"Wake sleepy head. I got you a present."

"Hmmm?"

You found Dominik sleeping on top of the bed, fully clothed.

"I'm sorry to wake you, baby. Did you have a long day?"

"Yes, now don't just stand there, bring me my gift." Dominik was quick to release the pillow he had been hogging in his arms. He then stretched for you where you stood beside the bed.

"Come here." He muttered. "Bring me my gift."

You chuckled as his grasping hands tugged your shirt. Dominik pulled you down to lay with him in bed, smothering you with tight hugs and kisses.

"Baby, I'm not your gift."

"Yes, you are." He said, snuggling his face into the crook of your neck. "The best gift I've ever gotten."

"No, I actually bought you something from the street market that I visited today."

"You did?"

The kisses seized.

"Yes, would you like to have it?"

"Hell yeah, bring it here!" Dominik was quick to sit up in bed, not minding the way his hair was tousled from the sheets. He watched you slip out of bed and retrieve the gift from your bag. He was like an eager child on Christmas Eve as you brought it to him, wrapped paper, containing the sculptured pot. Dominik ripped it open despite you warning him to be cautious. However, his shoulders rose and fell at the sight of it.

"It's a...mug?"

"No baby, it's a pott."

"A what?"

"A pott, like for decorations."

"Oh, a pott." He nodded, although the dent between his brows gave him away. "What are you supposed to do with it?"

"I dunno, you tell me?" You chuckled. "The lady said it's a tradition for Hungarian's to engage in pottery." You joined Dominik on the bed again, watching as he turned the pott in his hand, regarding it with furrowed brows.

"Well, If it's not for drinking, I don't know what it's for."

"Ha ha." You muttered, unhanding him the decor item. "I thought it was cute, and if you don't like it, I'll just gift it to your parents instead."

"My parents?" Dominik frowned.

"Yeah, when we visit them."

"Right, about that..."

"What?"

You had always dreamt of meeting Dominik's parents. It only seemed natural after the two of you celebrated your three year anniversary. But every time you brought up, Dominik seemed to hesitate and would often change the subject. You thought things would be different arriving to Hungary but even here, when the distance to his family was no longer the issue, Dominik still hesitated to bring you there, insisting that you stay in Budapest where the travel to meet and greet with the Men's team would be less.

"I just don't think that it's a good idea." He said.

"But you always say that."

"I'm sorry, Y/N, but I didn't come here to visit my family. I have a job to do."

"Really, then why do I get a feeling that you don't want ME to meet your parents."

"Y/N." Dominik sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just... my parents can be a bit... difficult," he said, choosing his words carefully. "They're not very open-minded, and they can be pretty judgmental."

You felt a pang of disappointment and hurt. So Dominik really didn't want to introduce you to his parents. But why? Was he embarrassed of you?

You tried to keep your emotions in check and pressed him for more information. "What do you mean by 'difficult'?" You asked, trying to keep your voice even.

"Well... they have a certain idea of what kind of person they want me to date, and it's not always the most... inclusive," Dominik replied, his voice filled with frustration. "They've made it clear that they don't approve of me dating someone from a different culture, and they've said some pretty hurtful things in the past."

You felt a wave of anger wash over you. "Well, we're not dating Dominik, I'm your girlfriend, of three years to be exact"

"I know, I know." He walk over to you, grabbing your head in his hands. "You're my girlfriend." He smiled, eyes bright in the sun. "And I want you to meet my family, trust me. But you must also trust me when I say that it's not a good idea right now."

How was this true, you thought. How could Dominik's parents be so close-minded. What exactly had Dominik told them about  you? There was only one way to find out. You knew that you had to meet them and confront them to show them that you were a worthy partner for their son.

"I want to meet them," you said, voice firm. "I want to see for myself what kind of people they are, and I want them to see that I'm not just some 'other' person, I'm your girlfriend."

Dominik stared into your eyes, surprised by your determination. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Yes, I'm sure," you replied, your heart racing with anticipation. "I'm ready to meet the parents."

Part 1

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for agreeing to be a bridesmaid in my cousin's wedding even though I think she's making a huge mistake?

(Emojis so I recognize it 👰‍♀️💍🤵)

So my (24F) cousin Anna (21F) got engaged at the start of December. This was really surprising to me because the last time I saw her at Thanksgiving she was just starting to get back into dating via tinder after a couple bad breakups, and she wasn't actively seeing anyone yet. When I got home for Christmas break, my mother told me that Anna had gotten engaged to and moved in with her new boyfriend, Evan (~22/23M), an army guy she'd met three weeks before and that no one but her immediate family had even met yet.

Our family has always been pretty close, and this was concerning for a lot of reasons. 1) she literally just had a nasty breakup with her rebound boyfriend after a nasty breakup with her last long-term relationship, making this guy her 4th serious boyfriend this year, 2) she historically has very bad taste in men, every boyfriend she has ever had had treated her horribly and she ties her entire self-worth up into how her boyfriend sees her so she's literally never been single for more than a couple weeks since high school, 3) her older sister (28F) literally just left a 13 year abusive relationship with the guy who started grooming her when she was 15 and he was 28, 4) the groom is about to ship out for a 9 month deployment a month after their March wedding and military men are notorious for cheating or divorcing on long deployments, 5) she wants her dream wedding in March (giving us only 2 months to plan and fundraise), despite her parents already being in tight financial straits bc they started building a house right before unexpectedly needing to take in and help provide for their eldest daughter and her two kids and both my grandparents (who live with them) having sudden drops in their health to the point where my grandfather probably will pass in the next couple months and my grandmother could pass at any time (though tbf, were pretty sure no one has told Anna this since my grandparents don't want to scare her and her mom's in denial).

I also just really don't like the groom bc the one time I met him he made a ton of racist and homophobic jokes despite there being multiple black and queer family members present, but if that were the only thing I could probably bite my tongue since I don't think that's something that bothers her or anyone else in the family. I'm just really worried about her, since it seems like she's been going through something for a while and I know how hard this is on my whole family, especially my grandparents, since we all are really scared about what's going to happen to her if things go wrong and considering the circumstances, that's a good chance this will go wrong.

I want to make it clear, I do really want this to work out for her. She's head over heels in love and he seems to care about her too. I just don't expect it to go well and I've said as much to anyone who asked how I feel about it.

Here's where I could be the asshole: Anna's really having a hard time with the entire family telling her this is a bad and impulsive idea, feeling like everyone who has a problem with it isn't supporting her. She called and asked me to be a bridesmaid, specifically because "you've always looked out for and supported me even when no one else did, so I really want you to be my bridesmaid." I told her I would love to be there and support her however she wanted me to, and I fully intend to be the best bridesmaid I can be because I want this to be a happy memory for her and to take as much stress off her and her parents as possible. But now she thinks I support this marriage when I definitely don't and have been open about that with both our moms as well as her sister (the maid of honor), my SIL (also a bridesmaid), and my brother (a groomsman), all of whom are in the same boat.

So, am I the asshole for agreeing to be my cousin's bridesmaid while thinking she's making a big mistake?

What are these acronyms?

[stray-kaz]

Scent of Pine : a Shanks x f!reader Christmas drabble

Summary: Shanks has never celebrated Christmas before, but upon hearing about your favourite tradition, he makes it his mission to make this your best Christmas yet.

You blinked at Shanks, puzzled by his confusion.

"What?" you asked him.

"What?" he repeated. "A Christmas tree?"

You nodded slowly.

"Yeah... You never decorated a Christmas tree when you were a kid?"

He shook his head.

"No. We didn't celebrate Christmas at all."

Your jaw dropped.

"Never?"

Shanks' shaggy hair flicked into his face as he shook his head again.

"Never."

"No presents? No tree? No twinkly lights?"

He slowly continued to shake his head, his eyes fixed on yours. You sighed heavily and he cocked his head to the side.

"You're really into this whole tree thing, aren't you, love?" he mused, a faint smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Yes" you muttered, sulking slightly.

You waved a hand at him, dismissing the topic out of hand.

"But don't worry about it" you told him. "I'm a big girl now, I don't need a pretty tree, Shanks. I'll be just fine."

You made to walk past him, but he snaked a hand out and reeled you in by the waist, pulling you tightly against his chest. He cupped a hand on the back of your head and kissed your crown.

"Okay" he mumbled against your hair, narrowing his gaze at the wall opposite him.

You'd be fine.

Sure.

Christmas morning dawned and although you had assured Shanks over and over again that you did not, in fact, require a shedding tree to be happy on Christmas day, you woke with a gently gnawing ache in the pit of your stomach.

You missed your mother and father, your brother and your classic Christmas mornings. With Shanks, you had a home, but occasionally, old homesickness still tugged at you.

As you swung your legs out of bed and stood, you realised two things: one, that Shanks wasn't in the bed behind you, and two, there was a strangely familiar scent floating into the bedroom, sweet and cool, like the smell of the beach in the early morning.

You wrapped a dressing gown around your body, covering up your pajamas and padding to the doorway.

"Shanks?" you called out down the hall.

"In here!" he shouted back.

You rolled your eyes and followed the sound of his voice to the cramped living room, the old familiar smell growing stronger as you walked.

Your eyes widened as you rounded the narrow corner into the living room and saw Shanks hastily scrambling away from the six foot pine, a lovingly handmade star tipping back and forth at its top.

You stopped and stared from the tree to Shanks and back, glitter glue sparkling at you from the corner of your vision, having been sporadically applied to the star seconds before you entered the room. The tree's green branches dripped in decorations. Shells, bead necklaces, straw hats in miniature, carved figurines of sea beasts, pocket sized copies of Luffy's wanted poster, and red ribbons.

His gaze flicked from you to the tree and back to you, clearly anxious.

"I know it's probably not just the same, love, but do you -"

His question was hurriedly cut off by you crossing the floor to him and wrapping your arms around his neck, your fingers playing with his hair as the dressing gown you wore fell open to your sides.

"I love it" you said quietly, honestly. "It's the best Christmas tree I've ever seen. Thank you."

His shoulders relaxed and he leaned down to kiss you, his hands sliding over your bare waist and gently gripping.

"You're welcome, love" he murmured against your parted lips. "It was no trouble, really. You are the best gift I've ever gotten."

Merry Christmas: @writingmysanity @elizabeth-karenina

[cinnamon-piastri]

Ok another request this time Daniel with (it’s okay to cry)

Also I loved the Alex Albon fic ❤️

Hello! Sorry this has taken a little while lovely but I'm so glad you liked the last one! ❤️ I've decided to incorporate this one with the F1 Christmas theme I'm going for so if you want it again but normal just let me know ☺️

You'll never be alone | Daniel Ricciardo

Danny ric x reader

Warnings: None ❤️

Summary: For the first time you're not going to make it home for the holidays but thankfully you have Daniel by your side

Daniel entered the living room of your apartment with a huge grin upon his face. He gazed at the winter wonderland you had both been working on all day for your first Christmas together, as he saw your figure sat under the soft glow of the tree lights he noticed a quiet sadness in your eyes.

"Baby? What's wrong?" Danny asked you concerned as he noticed you looking down at your phone. He approached you with a gentle hand on your shoulder and a soft reassuring smile.

You looked up at him with tears in your eyes as you shared the weight in your heart. "I'm so sorry babe I just miss my family most during the holidays, it's the first year I won't be able to make it home and it brings back all the memories"

Daniel understood the depth of your emotions more than anyone, thinking back to the year he wasn't allowed to fly back home to his family. You were his saviour through that dark period and he was there to return the favour.

Daniel pulled you into his comforting embrace. "It's okay to cry. But I'm here for you, Christmas is about being with the ones you love and we can create our own memories"

You hugged him tightly as he soothed you, before carrying you into your shared bedroom. "Now you need a nice long bath while I go get you a surprise, don't come out until I get you okay?" He asked before putting you down and placing a kiss on your nose.

"okay baby I love you" you said giving him a quick peck before heading off to your ensuite to run yourself a bath, you slowly climbed in feeling the warmth of the water relax your muscles.

Some time later you had gotten out and was now sat down drying your hair as you saw Daniel enter the room with a huge grin on his face. "Okay it's ready!" He said with an excited chuckle.

You couldn't help but giggle. "Danny what have you been doing for the past hour?" You asked him curiously, wondering what the heck he's been up to.

"Oh you're about to find out" he said as he helped you stand up. "but you've got to close your eyes i want it to be a surprise" he instructed as he held his hands over your eyes and guided you to the living room"

"okay babe" you said with a chuckle as he walked you to the center of the room before lifting his hands away. "Okay open em!" He said really excited as he watched you slowly open your eyes and gaze around the room. Which was now adorned with lots of decorations, the table full of familiar snacks and your favourite Christmas song on the radio.

"Oh Danny, this is amazing" you said with tears in your eyes as you turned to face him. He still had a huge grin on his face "I changed the lights on the tree to those warm white ones you always talked about, but I left the star off cause that was always your job at home, although I'll have to lift you up so you can put it on" he teased with a laugh as he pulled you in for a tight hug.

"I got all your favourite snacks too so we can have them while we watch a Christmas film and bake cookies. I was going to surprise you with all this on Christmas eve but I figured you needed it now. I hope you like it" he said as he planted a soft kiss to your forehead before smiling hopefully at you.

"I love it baby thank you so much, this is the best Christmas present I've ever had" you said with a big smile as you peppered kisses all over his face, hugging him tightly.

He hugged you tighter bringing your head to rest on his chest as he whispered in your ear "you're not alone love you'll never be. old traditions or new ones, we can do them both together and I'm grateful to make new memories with you"

And that's just what you both did, having the best Christmas you've ever had.

[thesoupinursocks]

harry james potter hc list i've compiled over a week or two---

part one??

-can fall asleep anywhere. literally. people have found him sleeping in the weirdest places around the castle 24/7 and the first years are always confused but everyone else is like "yeah no just leave him be, he's got a lot of shit going on."

-when sirius told him that harry could live with him if he wanted to, harry was so exited and nervous and like overwhelmed that on the way back to the castle he puked in a bush (he makes ron and hermione swear to never mention it to anyone ever)

-his memory is actually so shit, and he has no clue as to why it is. you tell him anything and he will immediately ask you "wait say that again"

-when remus was his professor, he would wait after class and risk being late because he knew remus would give him one of those bite sized chocolates he always has in his pockets.

-somtime he explores the castle at night when he gets nervous about the O.W.L.S, and it calms him down

-he once had to send hedwig out to get him quills because he always looses them and he apologized so many times to her because of how she was going to have to,, "carry her family's plucked out feathers" back to him.

-he can walk in heels effortlessly and he has no clue how

-his favorite color is actually purple but he tells everyone it's red

-he hates socks. despises them. will actually refuse to wear them in his shoes no matter how hard hermione begs him to.

-he still has the sweater molly made for him in his first year because that was the first christmas present he had ever gotten

-is secretly is a cat person but can't find it in himself to tell sirius

-he hates holidays, and despises halloween the most. he doesn't tell remus and sirius though because he knows that was the last week of their lives that everything was ok for them and everyone was alive and happy, and he'd feel horrible ruining that for them.

-goes on "dates" with luna in muggle restaurants just to "propose" to her so they can get free cake. they have hit at least 23 places with this method and it hasn't once failed.

-didn't know how to read very well until hermione taught him in 2nd year

-ron and him are literally the most homoromantic best friends out there and half the school is convinced their dating

-has shaky hands and can't tie his shoes that well

-is quite literally the casanova of griffindor tower and remus finds this hilarious

-grows his hair out to his shoulders and eventually cuts it all off when he's 18.

-he asks hermione how to shave because he has to much pride to ask remus or sirus

-sirius ties his tie for him because no matter how hard he trys he just can't get it right. sirius thinks of his brother every time he does this for him, and when harry grew his hair out and it looked almost identical to regulus's, he cryed.

-harry has such a horrible sleeping schedule that somtimes he just passes out and literally had no control over it. like one moment he's awake and the next hes on the floor snoring.

-stayed up with ron for like 4 hours in his first year one night making a cool looking signature for himself because so many ppl were asking for it

-buys ron anything he wants off the trolly and refuses to let him feel bad for it because it's "only twice a year ron" and "let me spoil my best mate alright?"

-thought had a crush on hermione in first year because he had those "butterflies" that everyone always talks about, but it turned out that he was just going to be sick.

-has the immune system of the average toddler. bro breaths and hes like dead on the common room couch for 3 days under mrs. weasleys hand made quilt, being hand fed soup

-has said "fuck it, we ball" on one to many occasions.

-knows a surprising amount of french because of a french-english/english-french dictionary he found in the closet he use to sleep in.

-is the kind of person to say "whoopsies" when he does literally anything

-anytime he drops somthing he says "that wasn't me"

-has no concept of time. what's the day? he has no clue. time? month? what even are those. he just guesses when he writes the date on his papers.

-prefers the blue gatorade to the red one

-he hates carbonated drinks. literally cant stand them.

i might post a part two if anyone wants it

[fantastic-nonsense]

hey! i love your blog and i wanted to ask: what do you think dick and cass's relationship would be like as siblings?

Well, apart from uh....*side-eyes the Evil Cass arc and Batgirl Vol. 2 (2008)...I am looking away, I pretend I do not see it*.....that, despite not actually interacting a ton Dick and Cass have a cute as hell relationship where they support, trust, respect, and tease each other and I love that for them. It's what they deserve!

"I heard about your visit with Cain. I know that must have been hard for you. If you need someone to talk to, let me know. I've been there." -Batman: Family #7 (2003)

"We're going to find Vesper's real killer." [looks at Cass] "You don't look too happy about that." "I am. I just...I feel...guilty. For...doubting him." [Dick looks startled, then turns his eyes back towards the road] "We all do." -Bruce Wayne: Fugitive (2003)

[Cass laughs] "What's so funny?" "None of you ever learn." "Learn?" "What...you can't change about each other." -Nightwing (1996) #81

"Race you there!" "You're kidding!" [Cass smiles] -Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #184 (from 2004)

Bludhaven. My new home. Nightwing once called it..."Gotham's wicked little stepsister. I didn't...get it. He was...surprised. He told me the story. Cinderella. He...acted all the parts. That made me laugh." -Batgirl (2000) #58

"[Batman] taught me...teamwork. But it's not a team. More his family. Wish it still felt like that." -Batgirl (2000) #71

"Well...you're both wrong. Everyone experiences tragedy. Tim. Bruce...you and me. It's not about the city. It's about how you choose to see the world. Everything else is just an excuse." -Gates of Gotham #4 (2011)

That being said...Barbara is Cass's first priority and she will and did punch Dick in the face for breaking her heart asdfghjkl

-Batgirl (2000) #46

Also as a post-Flashpoint universe bonus: here's Hallucination!Cass playing "Ghost of Christmas Future" and calling Dick her brother in the "Carol of the Bats" Christmas Special (aka the first time we've gotten official confirmation in the reboot universe that Cass is a Wayne again):

"My brother. I have come to collect." -Batman: Urban Legends #10 (2021)

And Real!Cass kicking the asses of Scarecrow's minions for her brother so he can come to Christmas dinner with them:

[A sign that says 'Merry Christmas Nightwing! Love Secret Santa] Fear Toxin hallucinations can do a lot of things...but they don't kick butts and leave notes. That's more of a Cassandra Cain move.

"Cass insisted she go out and pick you up a last-minute Secret Santa gift...and then radioed that you'd been out without your ventilator and she was going to clean up the mess as your present." "Cass! It was you! Merry Christmas. It's one of the best gifts I've ever gotten." "Better than another pair of headphones."

Basically: they're super cute and have a ton of mutual respect for each other, and we deserve far more Dick-Cass interactions than we've gotten.

[shinypokemonshowdown]

This is my son, Yogurt. I had been hunting for a shiny Goomy all morning, on Christmas day, with absolutely no luck. I had the charm and sparkling power 3 from a sandwich, so the odds should have been pretty high, but I had been trying for hours with absolutely no luck, and I was starting to get frustrated. Until I asked my brother to "share some of his luck" (he tends to get REALLY lucky in games) so he touched my Switch, and within just 5 minutes of that, there was my shiny Goomy! Not only that, but this Goomy even had a mark, so his full title is "Yogurt the Joyful". I absolutely adore him, and consider him as a second Christmas present from my brother. He's my silly little baby boy and honestly one of the best "Christmas gifts" I've ever gotten, I'd say!

Yogurt!!! That's a perfect name for goodra, I hope you treasure them always

[fulgurbugs]

HEY GUYS I GOT AN AWESOME NEW DOLL AGAIN

today I unboxed Vampire heart drac, who I received as a christmas gift today and basically just about died from how excited i was to see her.

the first thing that struck me is how absolutely massive she is. like even though shes the same as a regular g1, the sheer size of the skirt is just crazy.

here she is before i got her back home, I am unboxing her but i can definitely see the appeal of keeping her nib. the packaging is gorgeous, and im defnitely saving the box as well to keep it in good condition just in case. the theme of this one is a kind of AU draculaura who's become the vampire queen. and i will say, it's definitely giving that.

here's her with the plastic off and then fully removed from the box. she comes with a certificate and a saddle stand

here she is front, back, and side, so you can see how incredibly detailed this doll is. i particularly love the back of her, the loose hair, the heart bat spiderweb clasp thing on the back of her head is gorge, and the trailing fabric of her shawl is lovely as well

now, for some details

the white lace is a bodysuit that goes covers her except for her hands and face, basically. the inside has a plastic/viynl clear element to help her skirt hold the giant ballgown structure. when i unboxed her she had an additional plastic piece under there, but i removed it because you could see it through the gaps.

the face! i love love love her dark makeup, and the irridescent elements shine really nicely in person. Mine also has some of the nicest looking heart bangs i've seen, theyre super symmetrical!

i also love the way the braids frame her face and then go behind her head, making an additonal heart. the designers of this draculara did not miss with a single element. the little charms on the headpiece can even dangle freely, like holy shit. I know rooted lashes on mh dolls can be controversial, but i don't think they detract anything here, especially with the dark makeup where they fit in well.

just a couple more images of her posed! i love the vibe of this draculaura, shes extremely elegant and extravagant. I will say one thing is that the saddle stand is extremely fiddly, it took a lot of kind of cramming to get her to stand well, and i was worried i was going to break it. course, all the collector dolls have saddle stands afaik, and also a waist stand i dont think would even work on her due to the sheer size of her dress, so its kind of just a non-issue, just something i thought id mention.

I had to rearrange the shelves AGAIN to figure out where to put her and her massive dress, ended up moving barto and the yamatos to the nedno shelf and using some random box as temporary risers to help josuke and envy be seen a little better (pics are kind of from a low angle but i promise they are more visible this way lol.)

here she is next to my only other g1 drac, so now i guess i have 2 in the g1 style! you can see how their different makeup looks give them totally different vibes, imo.

of course, heres the obligatory .5 shot. damn girl ur 5head

i want to say thank you so much to my friend for gifting her to me, this is maybe the best present ive gotten like ever. holy shit. hopefully the one i send back will be received simialrly, but I'm still working on it, and ill show you all pics once im sure its been received!

peace out (⊃｡•́‿•̀｡)⊃━✿✿✿✿✿✿

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Swearing, Smut (MDNI 18+ Only), Stalking, P in V, oral (female and male receiving), Semi-public sex, light spanking, light bondage, blindfolds, shitty parents

Summary: Christmas day! It's a roller coaster of emotions and boundaries drawn.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

Chapter 14

Word Count: 4.9k

Chapter 15: Hold onto with Love

December 25, Christmas Day

Jake wakes you up somewhat early on Christmas morning even though you aren't due to the rental house till noon.

"Good morning, El. Merry Christmas," he practically purrs in your ear.

You roll over to face him,

"Merry Christmas, Jake."

"Time to open presents, see what Santa brought you."

"We could just stay in bed, and open other presents,"

you suggest. He considers it for a brief second and then says,

"Come on Grinch, let's get up.

"Make me some Grinch coffee and it's a deal."

"Will do," he hops out of bed radiating Christmas little kid energy and it makes you smile.

You pull on some comfy clothes and pad out to the kitchen for the promised coffee. Jake mocks your gingerbread flavored creamer and you defend yourself by saying,

"It's festive."

"And tastes terrible." Jake laughs.

After you've had a few swallows of coffee he grabs your hand and pulls you over to the tiny fake Christmas tree he bought for the house. It's sitting on the knee high brick hearth in front of the fireplace that never gets used. He came home with the tree not too long after Thanksgiving.

"You have to have a tree for Christmas, where else is Santa going to put your presents?" he joked. This is the first time the house has actually been decorated for Christmas as long as you've lived here. You keep calling Jake your personal Christmas elf.

You sit on the floor and Jake pulls his two gifts for you from the stack. You find your gift for him, the others are for Lanie and my parents. You and Jake had agreed to keep the gifts simple this year. You're glad you made some ground rules having witnessed Jake's enthusiasm for Christmas.

He hands you a small box wrapped with amazing skill in shiny red paper. You laugh,

"You're the first guy I've ever seen that can wrap a gift and not have it look like you got into a fist fight with the paper."

"I'm very talented with my hands," he replies, smirk in full force.

"That you are."

You slide your finger under the seam and soon uncover a black box. You open it and there is a silver cuff bracelet. One end of the cuff is the San Diego skyline, you'd recognize it anywhere seeing it all the time from the island, the other end is the detailed outline of an F-18. The bracelet is slightly twisted so the F-18 is flying over the skyline.

"Is this a F-18 flying over San Diego?"

"Yes, I knew you'd recognize it. There's also an inscription on the inside of the cuff."

You turn the bracelet and read the inscription aloud, "Together we soar. Love, Jake."

You're hit with one of those waves of the realization of just how much Jake loves you,

"This is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever gotten me, it's beautiful."

You lean over to kiss Jake. He is beaming, his panty dropper smile on full display.

"And wait, there's more," he says like an old infomercial as he hands you an envelope. It's a card with a picture of a P-51 Mustang on it. Inside it says, "Good for one flight in Maverick's Mustang with Hangman as your pilot."

"How did you swing this? Mav's going to let you fly his plane?"

"It took a lot of favors but Rooster came through and when Mav found out it was for you he caved. Rooster's going to take Lydia up at the same time."

"Favors for Rooster?"

You cock one of your eyebrows up.

"Nothing that salacious, although one blow job would be easier than the two months of grading exams I'm going to do for him."

You laugh at the thought,

"Thank you, so much. These are by far the best gifts I've ever gotten. They're so thoughtful. Your turn."

You hand him a box wrapped in the same red shiny paper. He opens it up and there is a digital photo frame.

"Turn it on," you urge him. He turns it on and the first photo to pop up is him from middle school on top of a horse. The picture changes to him getting pinned as an ensign.

"El, where did you get these?"

"I might have coopted your mom for my efforts."

There's pictures of you and Jake interspersed in the family photos. He laughs at the one of you smooshed together in an awkward selfie.

"This is great, El. Thank you." He leans over to kiss you.

"I thought you could put it in your office or keep it around here, your choice."

You put the bracelet on right away and Jake thoughtfully puts the frame up on the mantle. You cook up a light breakfast and lounge around till you have to get ready and go to the rental house.

You've just walked in the door at the rental house when your mom comes almost running towards you in the foyer.

"Oh, shoot. I was hoping to catch you guys before you left, we don't have any wine to go with dinner. Do you have any at the house? I think everything is closed today."

You turn to Jake and ask,

"Jake, we're having prime rib, do you want to run back to the house and grab a couple bottles of red?"

Lanie pops her head into the foyer, "Did you bring the Vette?"

Jake nods.

"Ooh, can I go with you? I've always wanted to ride in one."

"Sure, let's roll." Jake and Lanie are out the door on the wine run in a flash.

You walk into the kitchen and your dad has already poured you a drink. After you thank your dad and you head out to the living room where your mom is sitting. You choose an armchair opposite her and sit.

She notices the bracelet from Jake right away.

"Is that a gift from Jake?" she asks, pointing at your wrist.

"Yes, it's a F-18, his jet, flying over San Diego."

You stand up and show her in more detail and then sit back down. She frowns slightly as you sit.

"So, just how serious are you and Jake?" she asks, trying to sound casual.

"Pretty serious, we live together, been together 10 months, and I plan on marrying him."

You lean forward in the armchair, wary of where this conversation is going.

"Are you engaged yet?"

"No, we're working towards that."

She looks oddly relieved.

"I don't really know how to say this, Elsa, but I don't think he's a good fit for you."

"Mom, how would you know? You haven't been the most friendly person since you arrived. And what do you mean not a good fit?"

"I just always thought you'd end up with someone more on your intellectual level, like Liam."

"Jake is on my level, Liam was a fucking pyschopath who stole my work and betrayed me."

"Honey, he didn't really go to college." You slam your drink down on the wood side table, harder than you intended, causing her to startle. Luckily the glass doesn't break, you know if you keep it in my hand I will break it with the rage that is starting to bubble up inside you. You take a deep breath to attempt to calm yourself.

"He has a goddamn degree like mine."

"Just a bachelors."

You scoff and start to say something before she interrupts.

"It's just the military thing seems beneath you," she sighs, "It just seems like you'd be happier with someone more like you, as smart as you."

You are pinching the bridge of your nose trying to tame the anger that is bubbling up from a deep pit from your past.

"Have you noticed I do a lot of work for the military? Who else buys god damn experimental aircraft?"

Her face is stuck in that neutral look you always associate with her, the frustrating one that you could never figure out if she was happy, sad, angry, or feeling anything when you were a kid and even now. You wonder briefly where your dad is, whether he's making the world's loudest cranberry and vodka and can't hear you or he is purposely staying out of this argument like he alway does.

You continue,

"It shouldn't matter what Jake does for a living, he is a very good man who loves me very much and I love him. He could be a fucking janitor and it wouldn't matter to me."

My mom lets out a derisive snort.

"Someday it'll matter to him that you're smarter and more successful and he'll resent you and leave. I just want to save you from that heartbreak."

"Jesus fucking Christ, mom. Now you have an interest in protecting me. Hil-fucking-larious. Feels about 30 years too late. Where you when I was being told I was worthless by an angry Russian coach when I was six or being told to lose weight at age eight, age fucking eight!"

"That was all part of making you a better gymnast, all a part of the sacrifice and the hard work to make it to the Olympics, your dream. We all worked hard for that."

"God damn it, Mom. It was your dream. Yours, not mine."

You are quieter than before when you say it, your energy surge from the rage starts to ebb.

"I did it because I thought you'd be proud of me, hell, love me like a mother should."

For once she shows an emotion and it looks like betrayal, you know you are hurting her with the truth of how you feel.

"I love you, Elsa, don't ever doubt that," she is starting to cry.

"It's not unconditional. I've always had to be something, earn something, or achieve something to feel like you loved me. I didn't feel like I was worthy of your love unless I did something to earn it. No kid should feel that."

There is a brief moment when you look in her eyes and there is a flicker or recognition or regret and then it's gone, the neutral mask back.

"I still don't think you should marry Jake. It won't work out, he's just not good enough for you."

You let out a long sigh, you want to scream and rage at her for even thinking that Jake wasn't a worthy partner in life.

"Mom, I'm just tired of you judging my life like it's a scorecard, if it's good enough for whatever level you've set. I'm tired of trying to earn your approval and love. I should have stopped trying when I broke my ankle."

She winces at the mention of your injury, probably because it was the moment her dream evaporated. She is softly crying.

You stand up ready to leave, feeling some catharsis from this argument.

"Mom, my future is with Jake, you'll have to decide you want to be a part of that future."

You walk out of the living room to find Lanie and Jake in the foyer, shell shocked at what they've just heard. Jake is still holding two bottles of wine that he quickly hands to Lanie and so he can pull you into a fierce hug. It's then that you start crying, the adrenaline surge retreating quickly

Lanie completes the hug around your back.

"Jake, take her home. I'll deal with these shit heads. Elsa, I'll call you in a little bit."

Lanie hands the wine back to Jake, "You might need it."

She tries to joke as she also picks up your purse and hands it to Jake. Jake takes your hand and leads you out to the car helping you in the passenger seat. The car is silent as Jake processes the shit show.

"How much of that did you hear?" you ask, watching the ocean roll by the car window.

"Came in at the point where you said it didn't matter if I was a janitor."

"How did you get back so quick?"

"There was a shop open just down the road, so Lanie's probably right if you need cheap red wine to drown your sorrows, we got that."

"Okay, you got most of the discussion then. What are you thinking?"

Jake takes your hand briefly.

"El, a few things. One, I'm here for you. Two, I again emphasize how amazing it is you grew up into the beautiful loving person you are with that shit show of a parental situation. Three, you chose me and that means a lot."

Jake's voice cracks on the word "chose", and the watery beginnings of tears form in the corners of his eyes.

"I'll always choose you, Jake. Always."

You get home and immediately change into comfy clothes and put on Jake's old Navy hoodie. It's hilariously long, but it's the level of comfort you need right now. Jake follows suit and is changed into lounge clothes and of course a Navy shirt. You stop in the bathroom to scrub your face and wash the tears away. Jake is in the kitchen doing something that you can't place by the sound alone. When you come out to the living room Jake is sitting on the couch, wine glass in hand and another waiting on the table for you and ice pack for my head. You're overwhelmed that he's anticipated the headache that is forming as the adrenaline rushes out of your system. You sit down and take a drink of the wine.

"This is really good, for 'cheap red wine,'" you hum and use air quotes.

Jake laughs,

"It's not a bottle we got today, figured you could use a little pampering and good wine after that whole event."

"Thank you, Merry Fucking Christmas, by the way. I hope my family hasn't killed your Christmas spirit."

"Hardly, Christmas is about spending time with the people you love, so I think we've got that checked off the list."

You put your glass on the table, lay your head in Jake's lap, and put the ice pack on your forehead.

Jake has put some music on, Fleetwood Mac it sounds like. You and Jake sit there in your mutual bubble for a while, listening to the music and being close to each other. After about 20 minutes you discard the ice pack and then stay cuddled up for the better part of an hour. Not talking, but understanding each other.

A knock at the door makes you jump, almost bumping Jake's wine glass.

"Who's that?" you wonder. Jake is already at the door prepared to tell whoever it is to fuck off, particularly if it's your parents. You're standing behind Jake when he opens the door.

Lanie is standing on the doorstep with grocery bags full of food.

"Surprise!

You're sure you and Jake are standing there with your mouths open.

Lanie looks at Jake,

"Here, take these," she says, shoving the bags at Jake. He grabs them all before they can drop to the floor. She steps in and hugs you,

"I thought I'd rather spend Christmas with people who actually know what love is, plus I stole most of the good food and all of Mom's vodka. Oh, do you know how to cook prime rib?"

"That's what Google is for," you reply back with a sniffly laugh, "Thank you, Lanie, thank you. I love you so much, sis."

"I love you too, Elsa."

Jake is in the kitchen unpacking the groceries when he pulls out the prime rib.

"Damn, that's a lot of meat. What are we going to do with 12 pounds of prime rib?"

You remember that Lydia and Rooster are having Beth over for dinner, they decided not to head back east to see Lydia's family after a disastrous Thanksgiving where Lydia's parents got into a crystal goblet throwing fight after her Dad's mistress showed up.

"I've got an idea, give me a sec," you say to Jake and Lanie.

You call Lydia and she answers on the first ring.

"Merry Christmas, what's up?" she chirps, sounding like her usual self.

"Merry Christmas to you too. So, long story short, got into a giant argument with my mom today over Jake being good enough for me, left and came back here, my sister stole a 12 pound prime rib from my parents and showed up here, and now I'm trying to put together an impromptu dinner party to eat it all. Interested?"

Lydia laughs,

"There's a whole lot more to that story, wait one sec," her muffled voice can be heard as she asks Rooster, "Want to go to Elsa and Hangman's for Christmas dinner? They have prime rib."

She's back on the phone,

"Rooster said you had me at prime rib. Need us to bring anything? What time? Oh, and I'll call Beth and let her know about the change in plans."

"Great, a side dish or something close if you've got it. Let me see, I'm literally googling how long it's going to take to cook this thing, 3ish hours, it's a little after 2 now, let's plan on 5ish."

"Sounds great, see you then. And oh yeah, we've got a little surprise for everyone."

"Ooh, intrigue. See you at 5."

You get off the phone.

"Well, Lydia, Rooster, and Beth are going to be coming to dinner at 5. Let's get that prime rib in the oven and see what else we can make with all the stuff Lanie stole."

Jake and Lanie are surprised for about 30 seconds and then fall into line as you strategize. With the random stuff in your kitchen and the various items Lanie brought over you come up with a decent menu.

You put on your best french accent and announce,

"Let's see here, tonight's menu will be:

Appetizers:

Crudites and Chickpea Mash

Charcuterie

Main Course:

Herb Crusted Prime Rib

Roasted Root Vegetables with Thyme Butter

House Made Savory Bread Pudding

Dessert:

Chocolate torte with seasonal biscuit."

Jake is looking at the pile of stuff and considering the menu.

"El, some of that stuff isn't in here."

"Oh yes it is, crudites and chickpea mash is just veggies and hummus. Roasted root vegetables are sweet potatoes and carrots. We'll throw some fresh thyme in the butter. House made savory bread pudding is that stuffing made with the loaf of fancy bread from the bakery and the dessert is literally this brownie mix and these store bought Christmas cookies. It's all in how you sell it. So, easy peasy."

Jake is just laughing now,

"Seasonal biscuit, nice. I'm impressed, that menu sounds very fancy and delicious. What do you need us to do?"

"Put some Christmas music on first of all and then I'll have some stuff you can do."

Jake hops on getting the music going and Lanie is in the kitchen pouring more wine for everyone. You spend the rest of the afternoon chopping vegetables, baking brownies, and getting the various parts of the stuffing made and ready to pop in the oven when it's closer to dinner time. By about 4 pm you have it all in hand and can focus on getting the table ready. Jake scrounges up two more chairs to go around the dining table, sets out some place mats and fabric napkins, and gets some candles for the table. Lanie draws some cute place cards with everyone's name.

You go for a quick change into something slightly nicer than sweats and then plop on the couch with Lanie and more wine, and Jake excuses himself for a minute and you get a chance to talk to Lanie.

"What happened after we left?" you ask, the wine putting you fully into don't give a fuck mode.

"The expected shit show, Mom raged about you being an ungrateful daughter who was throwing away her life, Dad said nothing. I told Mom, 'That at least she isn't a lesbian tattoo artist like me. 'That put her over the edge and she went to their room. Dad went into the other bedroom and nobody talked after that. So, that's when I hatched the plot for my heist and got an Uber over here."

"Good to know our family patterns don't change much. Sorry to fuck up Christmas."

"Hah, that's all Mom's doing. Frankly, it's been a long time coming, the reckoning between you and her. I held Jake back from running in to save you, because I think you needed to let that shit out. Probably could have been done better in a family therapy session, but hey, we work with what's available,"

she says shrugging.

You laugh darkly and hold your wine glass up to Lanie's,

"Yeah, here's to the Matthews family. Hey at least a lesbian tattoo artist is interesting and cool. An aerospace engineer is decidedly not as cool."

"If you're fishing for compliments I'm going to save them all for Jake, because he is the best thing, person, rather, you've ever done."

Lanie earns a deep laugh from you.

Jake takes that moment to jump over the couch and land next to you,

"You were singing my praises?" he asks, head tilted.

"Yes, we were. Lanie said she had to hold you back so I could as Lanie put it 'let some of that shit out.'"

His face softens,

"My first instinct was to bust in there and start swinging, but Lanie helpfully reminded me, by practically clothes lining me, that this was your battle to wage and I would be needed at the end for support. Your sister is stronger than she looks."

He rubs a sore spot on his chest.

"Did my little sister hurt you, Jakey-poo?" you tease.

"No, I'm fine."

He's still rubbing his chest when there's a knock at the door and soon Lydia and Rooster are spilling into the room.

Lydia announces,

"Merry Christmas! We brought mashed potatoes!"

"Excellent, let's get those in the kitchen," you let Lydia know.

Rooster is holding up beer, wine, and tequila.

"Merry Christmas, Rooster. So which of the wise men brought tequila to Bethlehem?" Jake asks as he takes some of the items.

"The cool one, it probably goes well with mmyrh, whatever the fuck that is. Merry Christmas, Bagman," Rooster quips back.

You give the small hostess spiel,

"Check the fridge for beer or anything else you might want to drink. There's wine on the counter and the liquor is in the cabinet above the stove. Help yourselves."

Beth has appeared at about the time that Lydia and Rooster clear the door. You shout over the hubbub,

"Merry Christmas, Beth!"

"Merry Christmas, Elsa and everyone else."

Beth is holding up two bottles of wine to add to the mix. People get settled in with drinks and you bring out the appetizers and check the prime rib. Rooster is looking over the counter like a hungry dog.

"That smells amazing, Elsa," he almost sighs.

"I hope it tastes as good, we are literally in unexplored territory. Thank chef google if this works out."

Beth cuts in,

"So, how exactly did you come into possession of a giant prime rib today? I only heard the garbled version from Lydia when she called with the new plans."

Lanie decides to jump in and be the storyteller,

"Lanie, Elsa's super cool younger sister for you folks new to the room," you do some super quick introductions, Lydia has met Lanie before.

"So our emotionally stunted mother decided Christmas Day was a great time to dunk on Jake supposedly not being good enough for Elsa,"

Rooster mumbles,

"She might be onto something," before he's slapped in the chest by Lydia.

"Which brought up some other emotionally lurking shit from childhood that came out a giant hot mess. Elsa and Jake split, rightfully so, and I pissed our mom off even more by reminding her what a failure I am by her standards. Everyone stormed to a different room, I called an Uber and stole a 12 pound prime rib and other goodies, including all of Mom's vodka, because Christmas is supposed to be spent with people you love. And I love my big sister and this guy is growing on me too," she wraps a big hug around you as she points to Jake,

"Any questions?"

Rooster raises his hand, "What kind of vodka?"

Lydia looks at him confused. He continues,

"If I have to spite drink some fancy shit I'm game."

"No such luck," you laugh. "Smirnoff."

He looks disappointed. The reminder on your phone goes off to put the stuffing in and check the prime rib. You look back from closing the stove and take in the scene of your ragtag group of friends laughing and enjoying the day, the food and drink, and most of all each other's company. You think of the strained dinner that you would normally be having right now and your heart feels like it's about to burst. Jake catches your eye from where he's talking with Beth and gives you a wink. Lanie and Rooster are comparing tattoos. Lydia stops him before he pulls down his pants to show what is presumably a tattoo on his ass. You almost snort wine through your nose at the sight. The stove timer goes off and the food is done. The kitchen counter is quickly turned into a gorgeous landscape of food worthy of Instagram.

Everyone fills their plates and sits down at the table. You stand and propose a toast,

"To family," Lanie and Jake look confused, "Not necessarily the ones you were born with, although some of those turn out good,"

you give Lanie a finger gun and a wink, "But to the ones we find and hold on to with love in this crazy world."

Everyone leans in and clinks their glasses doing the best we can to avoid the candles. Rooster decides to stand,

"Since Elsa set this up so nicely, Lydia and I have a few announcements," Lydia stands up and fishes something out of her pocket and puts it on her finger.

"I have asked Lydia, the love of my life, to marry me and she said yes." Lydia holds up her hand with a ring on it absolutely beaming. Rooster puts his arm around and looks over at her with an absolutely adoring look,

"And speaking of family, we're going to have a baby!"

It is pandemonium for a few seconds with the breathless "Oh my gods" and hardy Congratulations. Beth and you rush around the table to hug Lydia. She is crying but absolutely incandescent with happiness. Jake pats Rooster on the back,

"You sly dog, Congrats, man."

Everyone calms down enough to eat and the meal is filled with lively conversation and so much laughter. Halfway through the meal, Jake takes your hand and gives it a squeeze as he leans over to say in your ear,

"I promised holidays would be better."

You return respond to his words with a soft smile and a squeeze of his hand.

After everyone has eaten themselves silly, people stand up and help with some of the cleanup. You are at the sink rinsing dishes before handing them to Beth to load in the dishwasher. You had opened the little window over the sink earlier because it was getting warm in the kitchen. Lydia is telling you a few details about the quickly upcoming wedding in three weeks time. Jake and Rooster out on the deck talking and you can just overhear them over the activity in the kitchen.

"Rooster, I have to say I'm genuinely happy for you. I know you've wanted a wife and family for a long time. I'm glad it's all coming together for you," Jake says his hand on Rooster's shoulder.

"Thanks, I know how much it pains you to say that, but I don't have words for how happy Lydia has made me. I can't believe all this is happening because she thought I was hot at a bar."

"She might make you unbelievably happy, but I will question her taste in men and facial hair till the end of time."

"Like you can talk, Bagman. The only reason you managed to find love is that Elsa likes baseball enough to say yes to a date. You're a lucky son of a bitch, if there ever was one."

"Oh, I know it, don't worry about that, Rooster."

"Jake, I have a question for you."

Jake's head cock to the side at Rooster's use of his real name. Rooster goes on,

"Speaking of luck and circumstances, since you saved my life and none of this ever would have happened without you, would you be my best man?"

For once Jake is speechless, no quick reply, no retort on his lips, he just engulfs Rooster in a crushing hug and says,

"It would be an honor," and then his wit comes back online, "It also gives me one more chance to convince Lydia to come to her senses."

Rooster laughs and hits Jake's shoulder with his own, knocking him a little off balance. You turn back to the conversation with Lydia and Beth.

Soon everyone is saying their goodbyes to people and you are sending them out the door with leftovers. The house is calm once everyone is out the door save the slight hum of the dishwasher.

You wrap your arms around Jake's waist and sigh contently as he kisses your forehead.

"Thank you for being amazing, this blow up with my mom has been a long time coming. Her dunking on our relationship was just a catalyst."

"I'll always be here for you, El. Always," he answers, leading you towards your bedroom and some much needed rest.

Chapter 16

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@memoriesat30

@midnightmagpiemama

@mygyn

[dylanlila]

hiii hellooo there jo!!! <3 <3 not sure what time it is for you but!!! over here it is absolutely june 2nd already soooo wishing u the absolute loveliest birthday xx you’re genuinely so so lovely + it always makes me so happy to read your posts + see your beautiful creations + bump into you on dash hehehe xx hope your day is filled w sunshine and good music and the best vibes MWAH xx also here is a little amy sketch for youu bc i always think of u when i see her now :)) <3 🌻🌟💫💌🌌💖🌠💕

my birthday is not here yet for me (2 hours ahead to be precise hehe), but goSHHHHHHH thea i just got back home from this mini jazz & blues concert and to open my phone and find THIS in it... what is the equivalent of a christmas tree in the glorious month of june... hm hm... I AM SCREAMING, YOUR AMY ART IS MY FAVOURITE ART AND NOW I HAVE A PIECE MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR ME AND IT'S LITERALLY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE AMY LOOKS??? and you painted her hair the same colour mine is :") and it's curly :") like mine is :") AND HER JACKETTTT AND THE STARS STARS STARS STARS STARSSSSS☀️⭐💫💋🌃☀️❣🧡🛸💫🌻🌟 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PRESENTS I'VE EVER GOTTEN, I'M SO GLAD I KNOW YOUUUU🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

us right now ⬇️

[rosalind-hawkins]

Hihi!! Seto Kaiba for the character ask 3 and 7?

Thank you for asking! Answers for this post and still taking asks if anyone else is interested!

3. What was their best canon look?

I'm actually quite tied between his Duelist Kingdom outfit (I love it so much I have my own version of it for myself, as just regular clothes) and his white suit from season five (is just so slick and professional). Obviously his upgraded dueling outfit in DSOD was awesome and extra, but I like to think more about what Kaiba wears day to day. The Duelist Kingdom outfit is the closest we see him get to being casual ever, and unless I'm mistaken, the first scene we see that outfit is when he's working on the Duel Disk prototype. It's the outfit he picked for fiddling with his tech in his own home, and that makes it feel more personal, in a sense. This is what he wore when he was alone and not necessarily trying to impress anybody, and we don't get to see that part of Kaiba too often. (And in my Rock Bottom series, this is the outfit I have him in from halfway in Season Zero up through the end of Season Two, so this one is almost def my fave based on that.)

7. What do you think they would appreciate as a gift?

I had to triple check this one because I kept getting it mixed up with 5 and I was like, "wait, I already have something written for this, don't I?" and the answer is true for both, actually.

The thing about Kaiba is, he can already have whatever he wants. That's the worst kind of person to buy a present for, because you think, "Well if he wanted this, he would have gotten it for himself already, yeah?" And that's not necessarily true with Kaiba. He doesn't make time to take care of himself or enjoy himself, so a gift geared toward that would be very appreciated from a loved one. So I think secretly planning a vacation for him (Mokuba or Ishizu) or custom handmade BEWD art of some kind (Ryou) would be really nice for him. In the past I've usually written Joey as giving him *ahem* certain sexual experiences *ahem* as a present because Joey doesn't pretend he can give Kaiba a good gift, but he does know that he can show him a good time.

Another thing that would be sweet and specifically thoughtful imo (and this feels like something Duke would do) would be to look at the years that he was either in the orphanage or with Gozaburo, track down the systems and game copies for the best games that came out during those years, and spend a few weekends with him playing the games he missed out on during the time that he most needed them. Make sure that time is blocked out on his schedule and just have fun.

In Power of Three, well before Ryou and Seto get together, Ryou gives him a Christmas card with a single serving of tea inside, and at the time he's Kaiba's first actual real authentic genuine sees-him-as-a-real-human-being, talks-literature-and-philosphy-with-him-over-coffee FRIEND, so he's just touched way more by it than Ryou realizes. The gift is part of Kaiba's new experience with genuine friendship. It's just a little thing, but coming from Ryou, it meant something.

I have actually spent a lot of time on this question before and written a few of those scenes. And that was a really long answer to two simple questions, sorry about that! 😅

For fun, I'm including a snippet from my old Euroshipping fic Tainted Love below, where Ryou gives Kaiba a handmade BEWD sculpture for Christmas, it elaborates on it being a good gift for him (besides the obvious reason).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Go ahead, open it. But be careful: it's fragile."

Intrigued, Seto tugged away the ribbon, peeled back the wrapping paper, and removed the lid of the box. He lifted away the flat piece of styrofoam and lifted away a few layers of tissue paper—then stopped, eyes wide in genuine surprise. As carefully as he was capable of doing so, Seto extracted his gift from its nest of protective wrapping.

"Did you make this?" he asked, voice so quiet that Ryou could hardly hear him above the sound of the fire.

"Yes." Ryou swallowed nervously, then continued, because Seto's silence unnerved him, "I started working on it a while ago, and the first few attempts kinda sucked because I was out of practice. I got some higher quality paints to use on it too, and because I know an art major who owed me a favor, I was able to bake it in a proper kiln. I was afraid that it might not be ready in time—"

"It's beautiful."

"Thank you." Ryou'd never heard Seto so soft-spoken before. He'd heard him whisper, but that was different from this. Even after all the time they'd spent together, the brunette's current expression was one that Ryou'd never seen and he didn't know how to interpret it.

"It reminds me," Seto said slowly after a brief pause, "Of when Mokuba made the Blue-Eyes card for me when I was a kid."

Ryou perked up a little. He'd never heard this story before.

"We'd been here for less than a month, and I already hated it." He traced his index finger over the delicate details of glossy porcelain wings. "He made that card to encourage me, because we weren't allowed to see each other. That's how he saved me, and that was also the day I swore I would own a real Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, since that was my first one. I'm not the type to accumulate objects because of the sentimentality attributed to them, but... I still have it."

"It brings back good memories, I hope," Ryou murmured, tucking one arm under Kaiba's and giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Indeed it does."

When Kaiba began to set aside the wrappings, Ryou released him and let Kaiba stand, standing up with him. Kaiba carefully set the hand-made, ten-inch painted sculpture of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the center of the inset shelf above the fireplace that served as a mantelpiece. It's mouth was open, each of the teeth pointed as it screeched at them, its wings spread behind it as it gripped the rocky crag that formed the base of the statuette. It's eyes caught the light with a brilliant sparkle.

"Are those... real sapphires?"

"I couldn't find or make a shade of blue that could do its eyes justice." Ryou ducked his head bashfully.

"You really shouldn't have—"

"Don't worry about how I got them," Ryou interrupted, trying to put Seto's mind at ease. "The only hard part was setting them in his eyes so that they didn't look out of place."

[wyntereyez]

And here's the next exciting installment of wyntereyez screams into the void. Part Two - the rest of my immediate family.

This part is hard for me to face. Because I do love my family, really, I do. But I need to accept that I can love them, but also hate the way they treated me. I was forever altered, probably for the worse, because of everything. But there's this little voice in my head that whispers, "Things could have been worse. Everyone did their best. You were loved."

You can be loved and cared for and still not have your needs met.

As I've said, my mother left us when I was thirteen. Choosing who to stay with was a no-brainer: one parent wanted us, one didn't. She didn't deserve me.

Now, before this, I had no problems with my Dad. He was a bit distant, but he did things with me - more than my mother did, when I actually think about it.

When she left, my Dad had almost no support network. His family, which I will go into later, was shit. He didn't really have many close friends. He's an introvert. He doesn't like going out much, or traveling. He likes to spend his time off doing projects around the house. He actually is what he believes me to be, which I think is part of problem.

(He never grasped that a house in the middle of nowhere next to a small town with nothing to do was a very bad environment for me.)

But I digress.

When my mother left, I was thirteen, my brother was eight, and my sister was four. My Dad pulled me aside and said we had to do what we could to make sure they had a good childhood. And it never occurred to me to wonder, "what about my childhood?" It pretty much ended that day.

I'd had chores, of course, which I only reluctantly did for an allowance. Trying to get a thirteen-year-old to actually do them is a trial! And now, I had more chores than I'd ever had before - and no allowance. Because my mother had left after we'd gotten a new house and car, and she couldn't be bothered to pay any kind of child support, my Dad was left with a lot of huge debt, and he had to work more hours just to keep afloat. I learned many years later he'd even sold some of his model trains he'd had since he was a child just so he could afford Christmas presents.

Because he had no support network and my mother couldn't be bothered to take us until we were older and she could sleep and ignore us, babysitting duty fell to me. Not at first; my younger siblings did go for a few years to a babysitter, but that wasn't sustainable, and once they got a bit of independence, guess who had no life.

Because they were too young to be left alone, I couldn't do any after school activities, because I had to watch them. I got in trouble once because one teacher wanted us to stay after to rehearse a play, and I couldn't.

I had few friends, because I couldn't do anything with them. Classmates assumed I enjoyed being at home and hated hanging out with others, so I was treated like a shy introvert that few talked to. And a lazy one, since I never volunteered for after-school activities.

This also meant I couldn't get a job. We only had one vehicle, and I was in the middle of nowhere; five miles from my tiny town which had nowhere a teenager could work. I didn't have friends who could drive me around. Not that I could leave the house anyway.

By the time I graduated high school, I had almost no social skills, but I was expected to know how to go out and get a job and go to college - things I figured out entirely on my own, might I add.

I should also mention a few other things. First, I had the misfortune of being my Dad's confidante since, as I said, he wasn't big on friends. You know how psychologists are saying these days how parents should treat children as a fellow adult? Yeah. It's awful. I was somehow supposed to process these big, adult emotions and problems - without being able to share mine in return. This is something I'll come back to later. I was supposed to listen, and sympathize, and it was too much for me.

And then there's the chores. So. Many. Chores. I was the only one to do dishes. For years. It got to the point where I would BEG for my siblings to take turns once they were old enough to help, but nope, it was my job. And if I didn't do them, my Dad would yell. Sometimes, after I did dishes, my sister would make something to eat. She'd put the dishes into the sink and laugh, because she knew I'd be forced to do them even though I'd already done them that day. To this day, it's hard for me to do dishes. Sometimes it takes me days to tackle the dishes because I just CAN'T.

Yes, my Dad yelled a lot. Usually at me. He didn't used to, but stress and grief made him angry a lot. I try to justify it by telling myself that he was that way because of the pain from my mother leaving him.

IT'S NO EXCUSE.

I suspect this is the root of my anxiety. I really don't like it when people yell, and I got yelled at a lot for being me.

Eventually, my Dad bought a second vehicle, a barely-adequate family car that I was allowed to use for work and school. And also for taking my siblings anywhere they wanted to go, since they actually had friends and activities they could attend. They got to be children and teens instead of a mini-adult. A lot of people - including a fucking TEACHER - assumed I was their mother because at that point, I'd been their authority figure so long that I seemed older than I was.

I was five years older than my brother. My Dad wonders why I utterly hate it when people assume I'm the mother of the family.

My Dad seemed to be trying to force me into the mold of a caretaker, a role that I don't actually naturally fit into. Hell, on weekends where my mother did take my siblings (I refused to go) my Dad would go out with one of my uncles (well, an ex-uncle by marriage) who would expect me to watch my young cousins for free while they went out.

My Dad just did not get that I didn't want to babysit. I watched my siblings all week; I needed time off, too. I didn't need to be stuck babysitting for free, with no choice because my ex-uncle would just show up with the kids. When I tried to protest this, my Dad got angry and told me it was 'good practice.'

Practice for WHAT. I already knew at that point that I was never having kids. Quit trying to force me into this unwanted role, you're just making me hate it all the more.

I'd thought that once I was out of high school, I'd be free. I was allowed to stay at home while I worked to save money as well as attend community college, with the plan of eventually transferring to a good college far away. And, it might even have happened that way...if my Dad hadn't married the worse creature possible.

She gets her own section. Let's just say, she taught me all about emotional abuse.

She brought out the worst in my Dad without him realizing it; he suddenly became less trusting, and even more volatile. He actually had the gall to ground me. An adult. Who had a job and college classes. For the crime of standing up to my step-monster because I didn't want to be her personal servant.

I did finally escape, but things still sucked. I'll do a bit of a bullet point list.

I was expected to go along with plans made without me. A good example is my college breaks; it was assumed that I would go home, but my Dad couldn't be bothered to tell me when he was picking me up, and if I called to ask because hey, I needed to know what day he was picking me up, then he'd snap at me for being too persistent. And yet, if I don't immediately answer him, he dogpiles me by having my siblings - and even my freaking mother - try to contact me. I also had no say in how long the visits were, which meant I was trapped for weeks there with the vile step-monster.

I would get into trouble for buying things. Apparently, a little treat once in awhile was not allowed, and would leave me bankrupt. One time I had to show him I bought pads, because the she-beast had goaded him into it.

I'm too ambitious. My goals had always been to go to college and get a degree, but my Dad had always acted like I wanted too much in life and should be content in the kind of boring, repetitive job that drives me insane. It has never once occurred to him that I thrive in environments where I'm going out and doing new things and learning. As I've said, he thinks I'm like him, and has said as much. And I just nod and agree, because he gets annoyed at me otherwise. It took me years to realize that his version of 'too ambitious' is actually 'things most people want to accomplish.' He is, however, very proud of my sister for doing the things that he thinks I shouldn't do.

He expects me to be obedient to the point that I will drop everything for him. Twice, when I was living with him after being forced to move back, I'd made plans to go somewhere. I'd informed him of these plans. He forgot, made his own plans in the same timeframe, and when I reminded him, got angry because he expected me to take care of his dogs. Why the hell couldn't anyone else care for them? Why should I drop everything to watch dogs? Oh, right, because I was forced to do that as a child. One of those trips was a convention. He made me leave a day early, buy a new train ticket back since I couldn't switch it, and lose out on a photo op. He's not even sorry. I have such huge caretaker burnout that I genuinely think I'll never have pets of my own because the thought of taking care of them gives me anxiety.

And I can't tell him how I feel about any of this. If I express ANY kind of negativity, or any problems in my life, he'll immediately start talking about how my mother left him. Apparently, any problems I may have are completely invalid because she left him THIRTY YEARS AGO. And my sister will immediately back him up, because she got a more normal life and doesn't understand why I have issues.

I'm tired of this. I don't want to feel guilty for being my own person.

I was discouraged from doing anything that didn't fit my Dad's image of me as someone who loves the simple life, despite that being the opposite of my personality.

The end result here is that I feel guilty doing things for myself, even when they're good for me, because I've been forced to think about others for most my life. I hide things from my family, like the trips I've taken, because anything that doesn't fit their image of me is either a waste that I'll be scolded for, or made fun of because apparently I'm not allowed to like things. I'm not supposed to have problems, or ambitions, or be anything in particular. I'm supposed to be ready to drop everything and do things for my family, even at a cost to myself.

[mysticfemme]

I still think one of the best Christmas presents I've gotten in recent years was my favourite Eeyore teddy which I've had since 2019, he's filled with beans and meant to go in the microwave but I would never ever put him in there