#I hope you’re able to participate next year or in the smaller Christmas event I have in the works

[theoraekenapperciation]

Firstly, I’d like to thank you for organising and running Theo Week. He’s my favourite, besides Liam of course and the prompts look amazing. However with such a short time frame to prepare (10 days!) I won’t be able to participate.

I really do hope the event is a success and that it does comes back next year and I hope a more appropriate time frame is given to prepare. Obvs, I know there was a poll and I wasn’t one of those who voted for next week. But if you look at other Appreciation Weeks (Liam, Mason) and other events like Scottuary and Rare Pair Week, most of those had almost 2 months between announcements and commencements.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful and really don’t mean to cause any malicious intent, I just wanted to put my voice out there.

hey I’m glad you like the prompts & absolutely no need to worry about sounding malicious, I totally get it! I did debate setting the date back but I figured I’d let the poll decide, and even afterwards I still debated whether or not to make it later to give people more time but again, I felt like I had to honor the poll since that was how I said I’d decide the dates

I do plan on coming back next year to run another theo event and I’ll be sure to leave some more time in between everything

& I’ve been thinking of running a small Christmas event that I’ll announce sometime in October so hopefully that’ll be more time appropriate for you

[starlightrows]

Something Sweet

Chapter 1 - Spring Festival Funnel Cakes

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Series Masterlist

Pairing: Modern!Paz Vizsla x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: None!

Summary: Spring has sprung and business is booming and the community is celebrating with a weekend long festival... that you get to spend attending a vendors booth next to the handsome baker from down the street

The depths of winter in a place where it snows is not the ideal time to be moving your whole life and business. But you didn’t have much of a choice, you had already gotten the business license taken care of, the storefront purchased, and suppliers lined up. And with the lease on your apartment being up, it’s now or never. So with a small moving truck full of your belongings all packed up, you set off towards the city to finally chase your dream of opening a flower shop.

Your new apartment is nice, a bit smaller than your previous one but that comes with living alone in the city on a tight budget. But still it’s a one bedroom and it’s enough for just you. The storefront is beautiful. It’s located downtown in what you had assumed was a historic district of the city, but somehow is not classified as such. The buildings are lovely red brick exterior with large open windows for passers by to peek in, with quaint awnings over every door. Your store is located on the corner, with plenty of space to set up floral displays and hang potted plants in the windows. Come spring time this is going to be amazing, and beautiful and everything you dreamed of. You just hoped that others would think so too and come shop there.

By the time mid February rolls around there is still snow in the mountains, and the occasional rain and snow storm that blows through the area but it’s not as bad as when you first moved. Your apartment is coming along nicely, and your store is looking pretty good as well. You’re hoping to open by March 1st, but that’s still two and half weeks away. You’ve got plenty of time to finish painting, assembling shelves, figuring out how to want to arrange your displays, and set up the black board you’re planning to use to decorate the wall behind the checkout counter. You thought it might be fun to use chalk paint to decorate it for the various seasons, write specials, and do holiday countdowns.

You’re a little frustrated with yourself that you weren’t able to get everything in order to be open this weekend. Valentine’s Day is the prime time of the year for a flower and botanical shop. But spring is coming and that means birthdays, weddings, prom season, graduations, date nights, Mother’s Day and spring decorating! But for today it’s just you, a pair of worn overalls and a sweater, and a little can of paint for detailing the floor boards inside the shop. No flowers or valentines dates for you this year. You did see that there was a nice looking bakery a little ways down the street, maybe you could pick up a little treat for after dinner or some nice bread for making fancy toast.

Just the thought of it makes your mouth water, and your tummy rumble. Maybe you could make it an afternoon snack instead. You cap the lid to the paint bucket, and wash off your hands in the sink in the back. It’s not actively snowing but it is freezing outside, so you pull your jacket on over your sweater and lock the shop up behind you. You steal a quick glance at it, admiring how well it’s coming along, before you tuck your hands into your pockets and make your way down the street to the bakery.

It’s getting on in the afternoon, and the bakery isn’t very busy at the moment. But you’ve seen the lines in the morning when the bread is fresh out of the ovens, hopefully there will be something left for you.

You pull the door to the bakery open and step inside, glancing up at the sound of the tinkling bell that alerts the man behind the counter to your presence. He’s probably the tallest, broadest, burliest man you’ve ever seen; and then he smiles at you. It’s a smile that takes up his whole face, and lights up his eyes.

“Hey, welcome in” his voice is deep and sweet. You can literally feel your heart skip a beat and you almost forget why you came in here.

“Hi, I was hoping you might have some pastries or baguettes” you say, approaching the counter. He seems to blank out for a second, because he doesn’t answer you immediately.

“Uh- no sorry no pastries. But I do have a couple of French baguettes left,” he says. You’re a little disappointed about the pastries, perhaps you needed to come in earlier in the day. He pulls a baguette from the bread counter and offers it to you in a long parchment bag.

While he rings up your bread, you take the time to look around at his displays and other breads. “What’s your specialty?” You find yourself asking, thoroughly impressed with the wide variety he has to offer.

“I’m really proud of my ciabatta rolls,” he says earnestly “but I’ve been working on a new roasted tomato and herb crusted bread that excited about,”

You smile at his enthusiasm, it’s great to see people who are passionate about their craft. “I’ll have to come back and try it when you’ve got it figured out,”

You thank the kind man, and step back out into the cold to make your way back to your shop. Instantly you regret not asking for his name, but then again he just works down the street you’ll find out eventually.

———

February passed by in an overcast and sometimes snowy daze. You are able to meet your deadline and open your new store on March 1st. It’s finally a little sunnier on your opening weekend and just that simple fact has people outside and milling about. People are anxious to usher in spring, and there is no better way to brighten up the tail end of winter than by having fresh flowers, lush green house plants and aesthetically pleasing succulents around to decorate your space. Your entire store front is practically picked bare by the end of your first day! Good thing you get fresh deliveries every day, and have a fully stocked back room to replace all your wares for tomorrow.

Business slows down just a touch, but you’ve still got steady foot traffic for most of the day all through the spring. The weather is warming up, and the days are getting longer. Prom season is coming up and you’ve already pre cutting ribbon and bulk ordering corsage boxes. Graduations will be coming up soon too, you make sure to mark on your calendar when the local schools ceremonies are so you can have bouquets and lei ready in time.

One warm afternoon in April it’s a little slow and you’ve already swept the store, washed the windows inside and out, and potted 15 new plants in the back; so you take a well deserved break by standing behind the counter and reading a book. The bell on the door chimes and you look up to see a woman wearing jeans and a polo shirt with the city logo embroidered on the chest.

“Hi my name is Jennifer I’m with the city’s Parks and Recreation department,” she introduces herself and offers her hand to shake. You smile and accept her hand, giving your name as well.

“I’m stopping by all the local businesses to give you this” she hands you a flyer “the city’s annual spring festival is coming up at the end of May. Traditionally we bring in food trucks and invite arts and crafts vendors from the area to come sell their pieces and get some exposure, in the last couple years we’ve been expanding it to other local businesses too. There’s more information on the website to sign up to get you a booth if you’re interested. I think having a plants and flowers booth would be perfect for the spring festival”

She stays to chat about the festival for a couple minutes describing how fun it is to see all the local artists showing their craft, children getting their faces painted, live music, picnicking, and coming together as a community to celebrate the change in seasons.

“This city really comes alive at community events,” she tells you “Free concerts in the park in the summer, cultural learning events, fun runs, around the holidays we have a big Christmas tree lighting ceremony and winter carnival, don’t even get me started on how much this city goes all out for Halloween!”

Jennifir leaves after another couple minutes of excited chatter about the various events put on by the city, and continues on down the street to invite your business neighbors to attend the festival as vendors too. The whole interaction leaves you thrilled at the opportunity to advertise your business, make some more money for the shop, and be part of the community! Your long forgotten book is tucked away in favor of pulling out your laptop to register yourself with the city planning committee to participate in the festival.

The next few weeks you work extra hard to get through prom season, and put in more hours than usual to get everything prepared for graduations as well. The days tick by in May. Mother’s Day is an amazing weekend, you put up a temporary photo shoot wall for mom’s, daughters, grandmothers, or really anyone to come in and take a picture with a flower wall backdrop. Another amazing success full of happy smiling people!

Finally the weekend of the festival arrives, people from the city have been cleaning up the park and working their tails off to get everything perfect for the event. A massive stage is erected in the park, the usual parking lots are lined with enclosed pop up tents for the vendors selling hot foods, extra trash cans are placed everywhere, and early Saturday morning the local businesses are arriving with their SUV’s and vans full of goods to set up their tables.

You are among that crowd. Busily working to get your table set up under a pop up tent for shade, your flowers and potted plants ready for display, making sure you have enough cash for making change in transactions, and cardboard boxes to help people carry their new plant babies home with them.

All around you other local businesses are setting up their booths too. You recognize a few of them that you’ve visited already, but you’re looking forward to seeing more of them. Beside you, you absolutely recognize the tall, broad, and exceptionally handsome man that owns the bakery down the street from you. Spending the whole weekend stuck next to eye candy, and artisan bread… even if you didn’t sell a single flower this weekend at least you’d have a good view.

The morning is warming up, people will be arriving soon, your coffee long since gone. You steal a glance over at the man carefully arranging his bread displays. He glances over at you too, and grins at catching you staring.

“Morning,” he says cheekily

“Good morning,” you reply, going a bit warm in the cheeks.

“Flower booth for a spring festival? I think you’re in the running for making the most profit this weekend,” he jokes looking at your pretty flower displays and cute potted plants. You laughed a little and eyed his selection of breads hungrily

“I dunno, people don’t want to carry around a heavy plant all day. But they do want to snack on some delicious bread,”

He laughs, and extends a hand to introduce himself. “I’m Paz by the way,”

You shake his large hand and tell him your name as well. It’s a firm handshake, worn hands and strong forearms presumably from kneading bread dough. The thought makes your tummy flutter, and your heartbeat quicken.

And so it begins. The two of you pull up chairs at the edges of your pop up tents, and spend the whole day laughing, talking, interacting with customers and making sales. At the end of the first day, he sends you home with a loaf of bread with Asiago cheese baked into the top, and you gift him a pretty green succulent and promise him they are almost impossible to screw up taking care of.

The second day of the festival is much the same, except this time he brings you a breakfast sandwich he prepared ahead of time.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I need a taste tester. I’ve been thinking about expanding my menu to add breakfast sandwiches,” he tells you with a shy smile. You gladly accept the sandwich and have to control yourself not to make embarrassing noises when you taste it.

“You made this from scratch?” You ask, taking another bite

“Well I made the bun,” he says, unwrapping his own homemade breakfast sandwich

“If you start selling this, I promise you’ll put places like Starbucks out of business,” you tell him “honestly, I’m gonna have to start coming down there every morning before I open,”

In his head, Paz thinks that would be an absolute dream to have you come see him everyday. But that’s not the kind of thing you tell someone you met 24 hours ago, so he settles for something else instead

“How far is your shop? Maybe you can have your breakfast delivered,”

“You didn’t know?” You ask “I just opened my shop on the far corner of the street your bakery is on. I actually came in to try your bread a couple months ago,”

Paz is a little embarrassed, he knew a business moved in down there but had no idea it was your flower shop. “No way! I remember you coming in to the bakery, but I had no idea you worked down the street,”

“To be fair the store wasn’t open yet, and I somehow managed to forget to introduce myself,” you tell him.

Just like the day before, the two of you spend the day laughing and chatting in between greeting customers and promoting your respective businesses.

In the early afternoon a man with shaggy dark hair, sun glasses, tattoos and a very cute little boy wearing a green bucket hat came over and started making conversation with Paz. He glanced over at you.

“Have you met Din yet?” Paz asks you “He owns the tattoo parlor across from the bakery,”

You smile and shake his hand, you see his little boy eyeing your selection of plants. “Do you want to pick one out buddy?” You ask the little boy, he nods enthusiastically and chooses a little pot with the beginnings of a strawberry plant in it.

“Shorty and I were just gonna go grab some funnel cake before we head home for nap, I just stopped by to see if you wanted some,” Din says

“Yeah, that would be great!” Paz says.

Din turns to you, and extends the same offer. You politely decline, claiming there’s no way you’d ever finish one on your own.

“You can split one with me,” Paz beams. Din nods and leads his son off into the crowd to acquire the sweet treats.

“I can’t believe you haven’t met everyone yet,” Paz says “We all get together on Tuesday nights after hours for beers,”

“Who is we exactly?” You ask, sitting back down in the folding chair the festival committee had generously provided.

“Most of the shop owners on our street, and a couple of others from around the corner. They actually convinced me to move out here and start my business a couple years ago,”

“I had no idea there was such a community amongst the business owners around here,” you admit.

“You’ve gotta come meet everyone next week,” he insists “You’ll fit right in!”

Your heart warms at the sentiment. One of your big fears moving to the city was not knowing anyone and struggling to find a new group of friends. This could be promising!

Din and his son make their way back and come sit behind the tables with you and Paz. You and Paz do split the funnel cake, and have a grand time chatting with Din and his little boy.

“You’re telling me you’ve been in business for three months and haven’t been dragged into the group? You’ve gotta start coming to Tuesday night drinks,” Din laughs

“So I’ve been told. I think you boys have convinced me, I’ll be there on Tuesday,” you laugh. Paz and Din give a little cheer.

“Everyone will be so excited to meet you! But until then I think the little stinker needs to get home for a nap,” Din says scoops up his sleepy son who’s been dozing in his dad’s lap for the last 15 minutes “I’ll see you Tuesday,”

Din gives a one handed wave and disappears back into the crowd.

The remainder of the afternoon is a bit slower, the last remaining festival

“I’ll come down and pick you up so you don’t have to show up on your own,” Paz offers “Besides I need to check out your shop!”

“Awe! Thank you, that would be great!” You reply, a subtle warmth blooming in your cheeks at the thought of him coming to visit your shop.

Your heart does somersaults in your chest. He’s so sweet and kind. And he’s inviting you to be part of his friend group. That has to be a good sign, right?

Taglist: @maybege @gallowsjoker @simping-for-clones @mxndoscyarika @hayley-the-comet

AN: This whole story, but this chapter specifically is very special to me. The city this story takes place in is based off of the two cities I have lived in, in my life. I grew up going to festival that takes place in late spring, that’s really important to the town I was born and grew up in... and the new city that I moved to as an adult is known for its public markets on Saturday’s where local vendors sell their flowers and their baked goods. I am just days away from moving back to my home city (temporarily) and due to covid I didn’t have the opportunity to attend the public market the last two years in a row. I don’t know if I’ll get to participate in the spring festival in my hometown this year.

[uaf-events]

UAF Secret Santa 2019!

Hoo boy, it’s almost November! I’d ask where the time has gone but to be fair I know exactly where it’s gone, I’ve been playing WoW Classic and the rest, as they say, is history. Anyway, we’re here now, and that’s what matters!

*digs up last year’s post and copy/pastes the relevant bits* 

For those who may not be familiar with the concept, Secret Santa is an event arranged generally leading up to Christmas, which involves giving gifts to your fellow fandom members. We’ve more or less successfully ran this the past two three four years now and I hope we’re going to be doing so next year as well, though this may be the last year as a small and obscure book fandom...

DATES & DEADLINES:

NOVEMBER 8TH: Deadline for sign-ups. (Details on how to sign up will be found below.)

NOVEMBER 10TH: By this time we will have matched y’all up and will message everyone with their relevant information.

DECEMBER 10TH TO 15TH: checkpoint to see nobody has vanished off the face of Tumblr and that everybody is going to finish their assignment. It doesn’t have to be finished yet by the 15th, but you MUST let us know you’re still on board to finish it or we will assume that you won’t.

DECEMBER 20TH TO 24TH: Posting of the things. Yeah, it’s a window a little bit before actual Christmas, because most people will probably be otherwise engaged when the actual date rolls along. If you know that you won’t be able to post on the 20th or between the 20th and 24th, you can post even earlier, just let us know. (I mean, the optimal choice would be to queue the post, but I don’t blame you if you don’t trust Tumblr to spit it out when it’s supposed to…)

RULES & STUFF:

The gift can be fic, art, edit, gifset, fanmix, fanvid (I mean if you somehow find source material that fits, hell yeah, go wild).

You CAN do multiple things if you like. For example several drabbles, or a ficlet and a piece of art, or an edit and a drabble to go with it, you get the idea.

There’s NO WORD COUNT OR ~QUALITY~ REQUIREMENT. The only requirement is that it’s WoT themed (duh) and that you put your heart into it.

NOTHING NSFW UNLESS YOUR RECIPIENT EXPLICITLY SAYS NSFW IS FINE. Any triggers/squicks/Do Not Wants your recipient lists in their request are also to be treated with utmost respect, obviously, and if in doubt, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.

Of course, NO TELLING YOUR RECIPIENT THAT YOU’RE THEIR SECRET SANTA. Because of the smaller size of the fandom, we’re not doing the anonymous posting of works and later reveal that some bigger exchanges such as Yuletide do, but the idea is still to keep it as a surprise, so no (non-anonymous) interaction with your recipient until after posting!

If you want to ask your recipient about something on their wishlist, you can do so ANONYMOUSLY OR THROUGH US, just let us know and we’ll contact your recipient and get back to you!

THE TAG FOR THE EVENT will be UAF Secret Santa (no definite article). Tag your gifts with it when posting them, IN THE FIRST FIVE TAGS SO THAT IT ACTUALLY SHOWS UP IN THE TAG. Also tag your recipient, of course.

AND FINALLY… INSTRUCTIONS. IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE, DO THE FOLLOWING:

Fill in this google form [LINK]. Sign-ups by ask will be ignored. If you have a good reason why you can’t use the google form, contact @elan-morin-tedronai and we can probably figure out an arrangement, but sign-ups randomly submitted to our inbox will be ignored so hard they won’t know what hit them.

The wishlist SHOULD NOT include stuff like “I want art” or “I want fic” because you won’t know if your Secret Santa will be a writer or an artist or a photo manip person or whatever. It SHOULD include things like “White Tower politics” or “something fluffy with Min/Rand” or “Ta’veren shenanigans” – you get the idea I hope.

(Regardless of the above, do however mention if you are unable to enjoy a specific type of media, for example audio, so we’ll know to take that into account.)

Try to think of a few different things, to give your Santa something to choose from. (For example, I won’t write about Aiel if I can avoid it, because I suck at Aiel.)

Then just wait for your assignment, which we’ll send by the end of Sunday November 10th, and get creating!

IF, AT ANY POINT, YOU REALISE THAT YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE YOUR GIFT, LET US KNOW AND WE’LL FIND A REPLACEMENT. YES, EVEN AFTER DECEMBER 15TH. EVEN IF IT’S DECEMBER 23RD. WE’D PREFER YOU MAKE UP YOUR MIND BEFORE THAT, BUT SHIT HAPPENS. JUST LET US KNOW, SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, BUT LET US KNOW AND WE CAN MAKE SURE YOUR RECIPIENT STILL GETS A GIFT.

ANY QUESTIONS? YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND OUR ASK BOX.

–Mod Elan

[thedistantstorm]

Dawning Delights 05: Ugly Sweaters

Summary: Hawthorne invites her newfound family in the Tower to experience a City-Style Dawning with the family that took her in years ago. The holiday is not without it’s charm, or aggravation, and certainly has plenty of surprises in store. A season-inspired, trope-tastic story about a family forged by something greater than blood, finding reasons to enjoy the season - and cherish each other. Main Post

Pairings: Hawthorne/Zavala, Sloane/Amanda, Devrim/Marc

Updated every Tuesday/Friday & both holiday eve and days for Christmas and New Years.

-/

Weeks ago, she'd asked him.

"Do you think you could make me a sweater? Y'know, one of those tacky ones, for the Dawning?"

"Are you insinuating something about my craft?" Blue eyes hold hers, not an ounce of amusement present in their depths.

"No! Not at all!" She frowns and glowers when he shows amusement at her immediate retcon. "Wait, are you pulling my leg? You are!" She hops up off the sofa, scandalized. "I'm hurt. That's low."

He rolls his eyes. "Sit back down, Suraya." Ever reasonable, he informs her, "There's not enough time to make you a sweater."

She tucks herself back against him, making her irritation known. "Look... Don't I get priority? Special treatment?"

"You get plenty of special treatment," He reminds her, eyebrows dipping into something suggestive. "But I only make three sweaters a year. One for Amanda, and then two for whomever else asks me first." 

"And you didn't think that I'd want one?!"

"You have a poncho. I didn't know that you'd participate."

"You're kidding me, right? Me. The person who is throwing all of you a holiday bash?" She pulls back to look at him properly. "Tell me you at least have an old one I can borrow!"

"No. I wear the same one each year."

She sighs. Minimalist bastard, she thinks, but there’s no anger behind it. "Alright, well who else did you make an ugly Sweater for?"

"Jalaal and Eva."

"You're kidding me." She slaps her thighs. "Eva I get. But Jalaal? Really?"

"I've already handed them out. Ask me next year."

Suraya scoffs, but she knows that if he said no, it's not that he doesn't want to, but that he won't commit to something he can't do. "I'm asking you right now. I want one."

"For next year?"

"Yeah. With a bird on it."

He swings his gaze over to the falcon near the window, napping comfortably upon his perch. He nods, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I'll see what I can do."

That, in Zavala speak, is an agreement, and she hums in approval before returning to her initial issue. "I have no idea where to get an ugly sweater."

"You could wear mismatching colors," Zavala suggests, but it’s not as though either of them really pay attention to what colors match versus mismatch, anyway.

She shrugs, burrowing into his side. It isn't often they get to enjoy each other's company during the day when they're not at work. "I don't want to win Amanda's contest, but I'd like to at least have something festive, y'know?"

"I understand. You could try Tess-"

"And pay a million glimmer for something itchy and polyester? No."

Zavala chuckles. "I thought you refused to become a ‘textile snob,’” He airquotes, “As you so kindly told me the last time I expressed my disdain for synthetics."

Blowing a raspberry - that should be enough of a concession, she supposes, she says, "I like being comfortable. I'll leave the specifics to you, but I wouldn’t consider myself a snob." She taps a finger to her lips. "Unless we're talking alpaca. That stuff is amazing and I wish it was waterproof."

"It is water resistant," He points out, to her amusement. Textile snob. "But I do know what you mean."

-/

One thing she notices more and more as the season goes on is that the Guardians really get into the holiday. It's good for them, Suraya thinks. They're all wearing festively patterned cloaks and robes, she's even seen some very tacky and incredibly oversized jazzed-up pauldrons on a Titan. She slips her hands under the billowing flaps of her poncho and continues through the Courtyard. It's been very cold, and she's been spoiled to have relief from the elements a vast majority of the time since moving back to the City.

Her hood blows back and off and she rolls her eyes. The winds up here are far worse than on the ground. Up ahead, she sees a shivering figure and sighs.

When he notices her, she cannot help herself, shouting, "What were you thinking? I told you to wait for me at the bottom of the elevator!"

He holds up his hands placatingly and only then does she see the figure beside him. 

"What're you doing here?"

Zavala smiles, looking first to make sure no one is around, then presses a quick, chaste kiss to her lips. "I was going into the City to get you something, but since ran into Marc. He said you are heading down to do some shopping, so I'll have you pick it up yourself."

The confusion that crosses her face makes Marc laugh. "Come on, darling, we have things to do to prepare." He takes Suraya's hand but looks to Zavala. "You're sure you don't want to join us?"

"I'm sure. You two have fun. I am going to try and get ahead on my work for the evening, when Amanda inevitably rounds us up for judging." He smiles at Suraya. "Perhaps make some reservations for dinner afterward, assuming we can sneak away."

"Psh, just wine and dine a girl, why don't you?" Her tone clashes with the wide grin that lights up her face.

"I know, I know." He nods to Marc, feigning exasperation. It lacks heat. "I will leave you to it."

"See you soon," Marc calls after him, before fixing Suraya with a thrilled look. "Okay. Lunch first or shopping?"

Suraya's stomach answers for her, and they laugh their way into the elevator. The snow flurries about in that magical festive way and Marc coos about how lovely the City looks from above as the lift carries them down. Never once does he let go of her hand. It reminds her of being younger, a child in braids wearing little red mittens, clomping through the snow behind her adoptive parents. It's something both novel and bittersweet to be back here now, to step out into the massive holiday bazaar that sets up at the foot of the new Tower. She might still feel a little bit like a sell out, but the City carries more and more of her heart every day.

After all, it houses so many of the people she's come to love, and is a testament to the people she does her best to lead and represent.

Marc leads her away from the Dawning market the moment they're on the ground, and instead takes her through a shoveled alley and down to the front of food stands that warm the surrounding street. Together they get street tacos and Marc babbles on about his decorations and plans for the main event, their big holiday soiree.

"Everyone is coming," Suraya reports. "Zavala got Saladin on board. Now all we have to do is make sure he and Shaxx play nice."

"Sounds like a family Dawning to me," Marc muses wryly. "It's never a family affair without someone at odds."

"I mean, ours were always pretty tame."

"Yes, dear, because we are a statistical outlier. And a smaller unit. You never got to experience the family gatherings Devrim's mum had. Someone was always out fighting in the garden, even in a blizzard." He laughs. "Hopefully it won’t come to that, though it’s okay to be a little nervous about it."

She thinks on it, munching through a few more bites of her taco. "Honestly?" The look on her face conveys her own surprise, "Crazy as it sounds - for me, anyway - I'm not."

"And here I was worried you'd be embarrassed about me doting on your work family," He smiles all the same, teasing. "Guess I'll have to step up my game. I just wish your father could be here."

"I know," She agrees, trying not to let the mood fall flat. "Zavala tried. And you know him, he's not the kind to do anything in half measures."

"That's for sure." Marc claps his hands, holding them in front of his face lest she see his smile. "Okay. No moping. Zavala said the shop he'd picked out some sweaters from is near here, and if his taste in wool is anything to go by, I'm going to need to do some shopping, too."

"Sweaters?"

"For the contest. He said he didn't have time to make you one, and that you'd want some nice things to wear for the holiday anyway." He elbows her. "You really lucked out with him, you know."

Suraya rolls her eyes promptly. "Shouldn't you be saying he's the lucky one?"

Marc hums, but pats her arm. "Oh, Suraya, he knows."

-/

"You're sure."

"It's taken care of." Zavala meets his eyes through the screen in front of him. "You'll be covered for the last week of the Dawning. Everyone knows not to speak to Suraya about it, and I've kept the Guardians in the dark on the matter."

Devrim's forehead crinkles when his eyebrows knit closer. "I thought it from the day of the get together through the end of the celebration? Did I miss something?"

"I didn't think it would be fair to usher you home and then force you to host right away. I hadn't told Marc, that was the only piece I was not sure I'd be able to make happen."

"I appreciate it, Commander." His eyes are softer than usual. He clears his throat. "More than you know. This is going to be quite the holiday." He smirks, though it's lessened by the gratefulness in his gaze. "Marc has bought at least four cases of champagne since last we spoke. His letter was especially manic." 

"Well, hopefully for good reason," Zavala trails off. Devrim hums, knowingly. Marc didn’t give him enough credit. He knew some things about some things.

"You've already gotten her to agree to the hard question." Zavala frowns. "She's there, isn't she?" Devrim fixes him with a confident, intent gaze through the screen. "This one is merely a formality, Zavala. She won't refuse you."

"I hope you're right."

"That's the nerves talking." Devrim crosses his arms, looks away for a moment, pensive. "When I asked Marc, I swore my mind went blank. I had a speech, you see, and it didn't matter how many times I'd practiced. It's a big moment." Zavala swallows hard, well aware. "But, you'll look up at her and none of it will matter." Devrim's cold-water eyes brighten. "There's no perfect proposal. It won't all go to plan. The best advice I can give you is to go with your gut."

"You don't think it'll overwhelm her?"

"It will. You'll likely put her to tears," Devrim nods, unable to help the optimistic twist to his lips, "But she won't say no." He pauses. "That won't stop you from worrying, I'm sure. I was a wreck, too."

Zavala can't help but agree. "I don't think I know how not to worry."

"We'll be drinking champagne and celebrating before you know it." An explosion somewhere off in the distance makes the feed shake and fuzz in static. "That sounds like my cue."

"It would seem so. We'll talk soon."

"We will. And, ah, don't... tell Marc yet, about those extra days. Suraya isn't the only one who could stand to be surprised."

"Understood." Zavala taps the end toggle.

-/

Marc waves the bag in front of her face. "He literally picked out everything you'd like so you didn't have to browse. If that's not love, Suraya-"

"I know," She looks down into the second bag, the one she's carrying. The snow-white sweater on top has a smattering of tinsel-like silver woven throughout the bottom half. "He gets me," She tells him. 

"Yeah, clearly. And he called them back to make sure I got this scarf." Marc runs his free hand down the front of it. "It's a really nice scarf."

"Alpaca is amazing, right? I got him some skeins of yarn from a place that raises their own herd of 'em so he can make us a blanket." She reaches out and touches the end. "Oh, wait. Not alpaca. That's cashmere. Fancier than alpaca and really, really soft."

Marc smirks. "You're so knowledgeable."

"He's very… informative?" She waves the word away. "Easy to listen to." She shrugs. "That's all it is."

"So," He loops his arm with hers. "Is he it?"

"It?" She pulls a face. "What does that mean?"

"You know." He smirks. "The one."

She looks away. "I-not all Guardians are into that," She admits, tone dipping lower. 

They come into the holiday market once more and Marc stops, their entwined arms keeping her with him. "Huh. I don't know enough about Guardian culture. Have you talked about it?"

"Not really. We're," She taps her foot and whether it's from nervousness or impatience to get past the conversation, Marc isn't sure. "We just work well together. Simple as that. I'm obviously not going to live as long, but he says he doesn't care about. He wants to be with me as long as he can be and I believe him." She holds her father's gaze. "It's enough."

"Still, I mean, he could ask you. Then what?"

She rolls her eyes. "If he ever asks, I'll let you and Eva fight to the death over stationary and color schemes," She deadpans, tugging his arm. It's as close to a yes as she'll give him. "Can we please get moving?

Marc ducks his head to hide his grin. There won't be much arguing about stationary. Traditionally the bride's family makes the call, but Marc supposes he'll consider Eva's opinion as a courtesy.

-/

Everyone is gathered in the Hangar. Amanda is literally dragging some Warlock in by the arm, one she knows from the very unofficial SRL league that's started up since the war. At no point - according to what Hawthorne's heard - has this "contest" ever had reasonably fair judging. Amanda brings in anyone she can find to judge the upper echelon's holiday sweater choices.

Suraya slips in late, managing to creep around Amanda to sit on a sparrow frame that's unoccupied near her workspace. It's as close as she'll get to one of those death traps without the fate of humanity at stake. Her shopping, set beside her on the ground, shimmers away. She barely catches the culprit, but manages to murmur a kind word of gratitude before meeting Zavala's gaze across the open space. His gaze dips for just a second, refocusing on her face a blink later.

His Ghost appears beside her for a moment once more, quick, like a dragonfly. Her shell spins, nearly silent.

"He says you look good."

Suraya hums. "Thanks. I'd say the same for him but I can't even see his sweater for everyone crowded in front of him."

The white-shelled droid chitters with a small laugh. "He planned it that way," She says, positioned just beside her partner's significant other's ear. The Shipwright prattles on, judging everyone herself, in addition to those she's rustled up to help her. "He'll ask me next if you found everything shopping."

"I did," Suraya whispers back. "New Monarchy charged me five times market value for Hideo's secret santa present. That was the bottle you transmatted."

Zavala's Ghost scoffs. "That's ridiculous. The Executor will only dump it out-"

"I had them wrap it and confirm the seal before I took it out of the store. I figured I'd try. Even if it's going to blow up in my face."

She hums, pensive. "If nothing else, he'll appreciate your attempt." The Ghost isn't referring to the Executor.

"Yeah. The hatchet will probably never get buried, and that's fine, I don't think he particularly deserves it." She crosses her arms and the Ghost rests on her shoulder, delicate, tentative. "But, maybe we can survive the rest of the winter without warfare at the roundtable."

"I think it'll last for as long as the wine does," She drones, "But you've always surpassed expectations."

Suraya covers the laugh with her hand. "Have I? I think I've come in with the bar set so low-"

"Nonsense." She clicks in a synthesized tone that conveys her annoyance. "You don't give yourself enough credit."

"I think you're biased," Hawthorne states, soft and even.

"And I think I've told you that I've tried very hard to think of every reason why my Guardian shouldn't be with you," She hisses, irritated. It fades quickly. The little bot has had plenty of experience with this; Both her charge and his intended are more similar than they realize. "Why you aren't good enough. And I can't."

They fall silent, watching Amanda fuss over Jalaal's very monotone and very personalized holiday threads. Figures he'd somehow win. They'll never hear the end of it, that's for sure. He'll be asking Eva for depressing decorations in black and gray next.

Barely audible, the Ghost whispers, "No one knows him like I do."

Like clockwork that blue gaze falls over them. Though there's no smile, the spark in those luminous eyes is obvious. Something about the two of them finding common ground, even if it's just over him (it isn't) brings him joy.

Hoarsely, Suraya replies, "I know."

The Ghost shivers. "But I could say the same for you," She imparts, honest. Where many Ghosts seem cute or shy by nature, Zavala's is regal and confident, a counterbalance for the hidden doubt and anxiety lurking beneath the Commander’s stoic facade. "I'm grateful."

"Me, too."

Back to Main Fic Post

[shorilicious]

⭐️Sexy Zone Happy New Year special 2017⭐️

佐藤勝利

1) Looking back on 2017: Rather than this being an expressive year, it was a year which gave me a lot of input as I was able to look at various works. Since it was our fifth anniversary since debut, our concert tour was also a summary of the past five years. Because it appeared like „this is all of Sexy Zone“, it felt like the hurdles until now were even higher. Feeling like a festival, our concerts became packed with so many various things. Our fans’ reactions were good as well as our reputation but it had also raised the hurdles for our next concert already... (laughing). However, it will become boring if we don’t raise it so please look forward to next year! 2) A theme displayed in 2018: Until now we were told we are „a group without growth“ but on the contrary, since we didn’t have any growth, I think there were many parts that we were allowed doing because of that... Because we’ve been doing this for over five years already, from now on we have to present results. I would like more people to listen to our music and I hope the scale of our concert tour will become bigger too. 3) How you like spending your New Year’s Day: I liked doing this a long time ago, but I would go to a shrine with my family when the date changes to New Year and we would eat New Year’s soba that is distributed outside. I like eating hot soba while feeling the sharpness of a cold winter night.

菊池風磨

1) Looking back on 2017: This year was really fulfilling in terms of work and my private life. For example in terms of work, I had two goals this year. One was to be able to star in a drama. The other one was to have our own tv show as five members. I’m very happy that I was able to be in a drama but because we didn’t get our own show, I will still carry that wish on to the next year. Well, being given a tv show isn’t really a goal so I want to talk a lot with the members to urge them on to study so we can appear in more variety shows. In private I was going out a lot with my family, I was able to see my little brother’s and sister’s face when they participated in a school event and there were many times I was able to spend time with my friends so my year was quite fulfilling. 2) How you like spending your New Year’s Day: Every year I go to a local shrine in my area. I have to get a fortune slip! From the year on that I entered Johnny’s until I debuted I had excellent luck every year. After debuting, for some reason I only had slightly good luck and future good luck (laughing). I carry it in my wallet so when forgetting about it, I can look at it again and embrace it. 3) A theme I want to display in 2018: Next year will be the start of a new chapter. Sexy Zone will have their sixth year as well as elementary school kids who are in sixth grade, so it’s the year to graduate. While leaving a place we have all cherished, I want to show you our progress as well. What that is going to be, I want to specifically discuss that with everyone. I think 2018 will be the beginning of a new chapter!

中島健人

1) Looking back on 2017: This year I was able to star in the movies „Kokoro ga sakebitagatterunda“ and „Miseinen dakedo kodomo janai“. Both have really long titles (laughing). Also both were wonderful works, I wonder if I could make a breakthrough as an actor. But I have to work harder. I think somehow I have to reach my limits to be able to go to the next stage. I want to aim for my utmost limits next year. Creating my solo concerts „Mission:K“ while advertising my movie at the same time was difficult but when I received so much dynamism as a response from my fans, it felt irresistible. It is truly a precious memory. 2) How you like spending your New Year’s Day: I love the atmosphere around the New Year’s holidays. I also like the atmosphere on Kohaku and Johnny’s countdown. For the countdown, in the beginning I used to be all by myself but this year even Matsushima will be able to appear. Marius cannot appear yet but next year I would like to enjoy the scenery of Tokyo Dome together as five. However, at 3AM when the New Year has passed, I feel really lonely in my car returning home from Tokyo dome (laughing). 3) A message for a Sexy Girl who spends her Christmas alone: You’re spending Christmas by yourself? That person is not a Sexy Girl. Goodbye... When did I say you were alone? Since I’ll always be there♡

松島聡

1) Looking back on 2017: First of all, it’s been a stable year for us as a group. Each one of us had a job and while we were working individually we were able to create our concerts together. The time we spent together as five was long and we were able to motivate and bring out a lot of good points about each other. But personally I am really impatient with myself. Because I turned 20 years old this year, I wonder where I’m going to stand in the future, I wonder how I’m going to express myself. I wonder if now is the time to think about that. In my 20’s I think I want to accept myself as I am, so I wish to become a shining person without having to adorn myself. 2) Something I spent a lot of time on this year during my private time: I think fashion. I had a lot of conversations with people from the fashion industry and I often went shopping. Rather than chasing after a trend, I want to wear clothes that are not trendy at all and that I personally like. Something pop-like with pink and yellow colours, this is how I want to attack the fashion world. Recently I bought many outerwear since I didn’t have any at all! Later I also bought some decorative plants for my house, they’re really soothing. I have three that are big and one small mimosa pudica, it’s the cutest! 3) How you like spending your New Year’s Day: I wish I could spend a relaxing time with my whole family~ I also want to go to Kyoto but drinking a toast with my family at home is great too. After that I go to a shrine with my family every year.

マリウス葉

1) Looking back on 2017: I think I have studied a lot. From the role of an idol though I wonder how much I was able to influence people around me. During summer holidays I participated in an overseas summit with students from various countries and for the first time I was asked „Why are you doing your studies and entertainment activities at the same time?“ by everyone at the summit. I haven’t thought about that before but because I’m able to influence many people I try to study hard, since I think it’s my duty to work hard as well. If I look at myself again, I have to say I noticed various things this year. Next year I wish I could get my favourite acting job. 2) A member I could fool around with lately: Kento-kun has a really delicate zone on himself. On the back of his neck and right by the side of his ears, he’s really ticklish there. I always touch him there and when you breathe on his skin, you’ll get an overreaction (laughing). It’s fun watching it, every time we meet up I touch him there once. 3) How you like spending your New Year’s Day: Since my older sister and my older brother are back in Tokyo after a long time, I want to travel somewhere with my family! Every year we gather at my grandma’s place in Kobe, no matter where in the world everyone is. We are around 20-30 people and eat osechi and have a nabe party. It’s really fun so I hope I can go again this year.

To which animal of the Chinese zodiac would you compare the members to?

(t/n: there are twelve animal signs in the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig)

Shori: Nakajima Kento is a horse! Kenty is a prince so he’s going to be a prince on a white horse. That’s why...eh? Well, a white horse is a symbol of the dream world, meaning that everyone is longing for it. Fuma-kun is a pig. Because he will go straight for what he wants. To be honest, the way he communicates about his feelings is pig-like. Matsushima is a little smaller than me so he’s a rat (laughing). Marius is a dragon. Since his real name has the kanji for „dragon“ in it, he always says „It’s because I was born in the year of the dragon“, I heard it 200 million times already.

Kento: Kikuchi is a bird. When he’s interested in something he flies towards it in a straight line. Also every time he comes up with a new hairstyle it’s like he’s hatching a new egg. Shori is a tiger. Because he’s a fast runner and it feels like he has a secret passion. Marius is a dragon. Since it’s included in his name and it feels like he’s dancing in the sky when he’s traveling the world. Matsushima is a cow. Like a cow he is soft and comfortable. It’s nice to feel his kindness. I’m a horse. Because a horse matches with everyone!

Fuma: Shori is a pheasant! Wait, the pheasant is from Momotarou (t/n: a Japanese folk-tale) (laughing). Because he owns a bird pet he should be a bird. Nakajima is like a rat but in a good way. He looks like a small animal. A rat with a character that is loved by everyone. Matsushima is a monkey. This is me completely judging him by his outward appearance (laughing). I’m not insulting him since he said that himself. Marius is a dragon. Since it’s in his name. I’m a pig I guess. Maybe I have some headlong sides about me too.

Sou: Isn’t Shori a tiger? Since he’s manly, courageous and has mental strength. Kento-kun is a cow. Because he’s kind and like a cow’s milk he’s loved by everyone. Fuma-kun is a rabbit. He’s always in a bright mood and in high spirits. But being a cute little rabbit, in truth it creates a nice gap in contrast to his manliness. Marius is a dragon because it’s in his name. I’m always making jokes so I’m a monkey (laughing).

Marius: Because I’m born in the year of the dragon I am a dragon! I wonder if Sou-chan is a dog. He’s cute and cheerful, he always goes „woof woof“ and keeps on trying. He’s attached to people. Kenty is like a horse. Because horses have the image of a prince. Fuma-kun is an ox. He has horns and is brawny, I’m actually imagining him in a Spanish bullfight (laughing). Shori is a pig. He’s fierce and likely to fight. He will fight everyone, even the horse and the ox, for my sake (laughing).

Keep in mind I am not a native speaker therefore there might be mistakes in my translations. Also I’m not exactly translating word for word. Feel free to correct me in my ask box any time you want, I’d appreciate it! I apologize if someone already translated something before me and I didn’t notice, I hope you don’t mind.

Credit goes to -KencouSel @ Weibo for the scans, thank you!

[bitcoinegoldrush]

Everything You Need to Know About Bitcoin Black Friday

Featured

Black Friday, the internet’s annual day for rampant consumer excess, is looming. On November 24, an online spending spree the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the last one, and which won’t been seen till the next, shall commence. As Black Friday’s profile has risen in recent years, so has that of its sister event, Bitcoin Black Friday. But with many cryptocurrency owners choosing to hodl rather than spend, will this year’s BFF be a damp squib?

See also: Bitcoin Goes UK Chic, Juliettes Interiors First Luxury Retailer to Accept Cryptocurrency

It’s Friday, Friday

Black Friday is on its way.

On Thursday November 23, Americans celebrate family and food by gathering their nearest and dearest and piling their plates high. The following day, the U.S. – and increasingly the rest of the world – fire up smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and load up on Black Friday bargains. Traditionally its been the credit card that’s borne the brunt of the strain, but for the past few years bitcoin has also been an option.

Bitcoin Black Friday was launched by crypto enthusiast Jon Holmquist in 2012, initially as a means of raising awareness of bitcoin. By his own admission, the cryptocurrency has been doing just fine in the awareness stakes of late; most people with the capacity to shop online have at least heard of bitcoin. For owners of the cryptocurrency, however, many of whom have seen their portfolio double, triple, or even 10x in value this year, parting with those precious coins – even for an event as monumental as Bitcoin Black Friday – is a big ask.

Spend and enjoy instant gratification or hodl in the hopes of deferred gratification as bitcoin rises further? It’s a dilemma.

Bitcoin Black Friday Welcomes its Crypto Brethren

For this year, BFF’s founder has welcomed all cryptocurrencies into the fold, writing “While the title of the event is still Bitcoin Black Friday, I think other digital currency communities should be able to participate.” Jon Holmquist told news.Bitcoin.com:

The goal for this year is simply to provide a fun event for the Bitcoin community to participate in and support merchants who accept digital currencies. One extremely important change this year is that BBF, irregardless of the name, is now currency agnostic. If a merchant only accepts Bitcoin Cash, they can be listed.

So for those comfortable with the idea of splurging some satoshis on discounted gear, what sort of bitcoin bargains are there to be had?

Just some of the discounted wares at Spendabit.

Spend a Little with Spendabit

Bitcoin shopping aggregator Spendabit specializes in rounding up products that can be purchased with bitcoin. It currently lists over 400 stores and several million products. On Friday November 24, the site will be launching a new section detailing vendors offering bitcoin-only discounts. (To entice merchants to be listed on the site, Spendabit is also offering its own Black Friday subscription deal.)

There are also various bitcoin-friendly stores running Black Friday promotions including Overstock, where there are flash deals on everything from engagement rings to orthopedic dog beds. Elsewhere, Etsy (which has an entire section of bitcoin members) is running Cyber Week promos that include key rings, art, Xmas decorations, clothing, and accessories. To pay with BTC, select “Other” as payment method at checkout and then contact the seller to complete the process.

Gamers, meanwhile, can avail themselves of various Black Friday deals at Steam, including 55% off Dying Light and up to 80% off Steam Controller games. Don’t forget to check out the deals being offered by smaller stores too, many of which are listed at Spendbitcoins.com. Finally, if all this talk of spending has gotten you in the mood for a spot of retail therapy, we’ll finish by rounding up some of the best bitcoin merchandise to be found on the web. In the absence of a copyright holder to protect the brand, hobbyists and entrepreneurs have been free to do what they like under the bitcoin banner. The results are invariably bizarre, creative, and amusing.

Say It with Bitcoin, Pay It With Bitcoin

As crypto clobber goes, this tee scores an easy 9.8 on the geek scale. One for the true neckbeards.

And here’s a slightly less esoteric version for the next generation of bitcoiners:

Real Men Control the Keys to Their Bitcoin Wallets

And so do real women. This retro poster would sit beautifully above the tri-screen battlestation you use to monitor your crypto bags in real time.

Magic Internet Money

The internet is awash with apparel referencing all your favorite bitcoin memes from “To the moon” tees to “Hodl me” pacifiers, but r/bitcoin’s magic internet money is still one of the best. Encase your laptop in this painstakingly designed sleeve. Over 9,000 hours in MS Paint.

I Survived the Bitcoin Crash

It was painful at the time but at least we can laugh about it now. Here’s hoping we don’t have to issue a 2018 version of this tee.

Bitcoin is Dead

One for the bitcoin bears. Who wants to send a tee to Jamie Dimon?

Satoshi’s White Paper

Show your devotion to the Church of Satoshi by wearing the bitcoin bible on your chest.

Nakamoto for President

If Kanye West and The Rock can toy with running for president, why not Satoshi? Sure, we don’t know if he’s a he, or a single entity, or an American citizen, or even alive, but let’s not allow such trifling details to spoil the sentiment of this fine apparel.

The Cult of Satoshi

The mysteriousness of Satoshi inspires some truly weird and wonderful artwork. Often it’s not so much the imagery as the underlying concept that causes the mind to boggle. This Etsy effort depicts “the spirit of Satoshi Nakamoto hurdling over the moon on his epic honey badger mount carrying trophies of the world’s vanquished fiat currencies”. Obviously.

Become a Bitcoin Baron

Just because you’re a crypto minnow doesn’t preclude you from larping like a bitcoin whale. The Bitcoin Empire Card Game allows you to “build your cryptocurrency empire and sabotage your opponents”. It’s basically trading without the pain of having your 1,000 BTC short liquidated. One to play with all the family around the table after Christmas lunch.

Finally, All Things Decentraland’s cryptoart section is a rabbit hole of lost productivity that will mesmerize and distract you for days.

Many of the sites featured here accept payment in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, but there are plenty of other places on the web where your satoshis are good. There’s even a Crypto Pet store that takes bitcoin, litecoin, dash and, of course, doge. The world of bitcoin merchandise is a strange one indeed, but the cryptocurrency community would be all the duller without it.

Whatever happens on Black Friday, bitcoin holders should be able to sleep easy. It wasn’t always that way, as Viacoin dev Romano points out:

As one Twitter user put it, “It’d be great if for #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday we could buy Bitcoin discounted like everything else”. Now there’s an offer that all bitcoin newcomers could get behind.

Will you be spending bitcoin on Black Friday? Let us know in the comments section below.

Images courtesy of Shutterstock, All Things Decentral, Redbubble.com, Zazzle, Thesaltyporcupine.com, and Etsy.

Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

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