#cheap turkey holidays

[mermazeablaze]

If you have leftover cranberry sauce whether homemade or canned, whole berry or jellied - do yourself a favor & make a parfait out of it. My mom used to make my brother & I cranberry sauce parfaits around the holidays.

She would coat the bottom of a plastic cup with whipped cream, then add cranberry sauce, top with canned (pitted) dark cherries/pie filling, generous layer of dark cherry/mixed berry/vanilla Greek yogurt, another layer of cranberry sauce & cherries/pie filling & then top with more whipped cream.

It's fucking delicious.

[propertyturkeybesthouse]

Best House Turkey: The Ultimate Guide to Buying Property in Istanbul: A 2024 Investment Opportunity

Best House Turkey: The Ultimate Guide to Buying Property in Istanbul: A 2024 Investment Opportunity

Istanbul continues to be one of the most dynamic real estate markets in the world, attracting investors from all over the globe. Whether you're interested in purchasing residential or commercial property, seeking an investment for short-term rental returns, or looking to qualify for Turkish citizenship through property investment, Istanbul has something to offer.

This guide will take you through the key factors influencing Istanbul’s property market, how to navigate the buying process, and the best neighborhoods to invest in for 2024. Here’s everything you need to know:

Overview of the Guide:

Key Benefits of Investing in Istanbul Real Estate Discover the primary advantages that make Istanbul a top destination for real estate investment, including its strategic location, booming economy, and strong rental yields.

Istanbul’s Real Estate Market Outlook for 2024 Learn about the projected trends in Istanbul’s property market for 2024, including price increases and growing demand in suburban areas.

Top Neighborhoods to Invest in Explore the best neighborhoods to invest in Istanbul based on factors like development potential, rental yields, and capital appreciation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Buying Property in Istanbul A detailed, easy-to-follow process to guide you through buying property in Istanbul, from research to completion.

Legal and Financial Considerations for Foreign Investors Get familiar with the legal and financial steps involved in buying property in Turkey, including tax obligations and financing options.

Why Istanbul Remains a Prime Investment Location Understand the factors that make Istanbul a long-term investment hub, including tourism, government developments, and steady capital growth.

FAQs Find answers to common questions about buying property in Istanbul, from citizenship to financing and taxes.

1. Key Benefits of Investing in Istanbul Real Estate

Istanbul’s real estate market offers several advantages that make it a top investment destination. Below are the key reasons why purchasing property in Istanbul in 2024 is an appealing option for foreign investors.

1.1 Booming Economy and Increasing Demand

As Turkey's financial and cultural capital, Istanbul has a rapidly growing economy. The city's diversified economy, which includes sectors such as technology, tourism, and finance, continues to fuel demand for both residential and commercial properties. As the population rises, so does the need for more housing and business spaces, ensuring high demand in the real estate market.

1.2 Strategic Location

Istanbul’s position as a bridge between Europe and Asia is a major asset. This strategic location not only benefits trade and business but also makes Istanbul a magnet for foreign investors. The ease of access to both continents and the city’s growing transportation networks, such as the new airport and metro systems, make it an ideal location for investment.

1.3 High Rental Yields

For investors focused on rental income, Istanbul is highly lucrative. The city offers attractive rental yields, particularly in high-demand areas such as Besiktas, Kadikoy, and Beylikduzu. These areas are seeing growing demand for both long-term and short-term rentals, providing opportunities for consistent returns.

2. Istanbul’s Real Estate Market Outlook for 2024

Istanbul’s property market is expected to maintain its growth trajectory in 2024, with several positive factors contributing to an optimistic outlook for investors.

2.1 Projected Price Increases

Istanbul’s continued infrastructure development, such as the completion of the Istanbul Canal, expanded metro lines, and the third airport, is set to fuel long-term capital appreciation. Experts predict steady increases in property prices across the city, especially in emerging areas near new transportation links.

2.2 Rising Demand in Suburban Areas

As city-center prices climb, investors are increasingly turning their attention to suburban areas like Beylikduzu and Silivri. These areas are seeing rapid development, and their more affordable properties present attractive investment opportunities with the potential for substantial value increases.

2.3 Stable Rental Market

Istanbul’s rental market remains robust, driven by the influx of students, tourists, and professionals. This strong demand for rental properties ensures a stable income for property owners, with short-term rentals seeing particularly high returns in tourist-centric neighborhoods.

3. Top Neighborhoods to Invest in

Istanbul offers a diverse array of neighborhoods, each with its own appeal for different types of investors. Below are some of the top neighborhoods to consider when buying property in Istanbul.

3.1 Besiktas

Besiktas is one of Istanbul’s most desirable and upscale neighborhoods. Located along the Bosphorus, it offers beautiful waterfront views, proximity to central business districts, and a vibrant social scene. It’s a perfect area for both residential and commercial investments, with strong rental demand.

3.2 Kadikoy

On the Asian side of Istanbul, Kadikoy is growing in popularity due to its vibrant arts scene, rich cultural history, and increasing demand from both locals and expats. Kadikoy offers a range of affordable housing options that are expected to appreciate in value over time, especially with ongoing infrastructure development.

3.3 Beylikduzu and Basaksehir

For those looking for more affordable investment options, Beylikduzu and Basaksehir are emerging areas with high growth potential. These districts benefit from new developments, such as residential complexes and commercial centers, making them prime choices for long-term investors.

3.4 Sultanahmet

Known as the heart of Istanbul's historic district, Sultanahmet is ideal for investors interested in the tourism sector. With world-famous landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque, the area is a prime location for short-term rentals and hospitality investments.

4. Step-by-Step Guide to Buying Property in Istanbul

Investing in Istanbul real estate is straightforward if you follow these essential steps:

4.1 Research the Market

Before purchasing a property, it's crucial to understand the local market trends, property values, and potential returns. Conducting research, visiting Istanbul, and engaging a local real estate agent will ensure you're making a sound investment.

4.2 Hire a Professional Real Estate Agent

Working with a knowledgeable real estate agent can save time and help you find the best investment opportunities. An experienced agent will guide you through the legal procedures, suggest suitable properties, and help negotiate the best deal.

4.3 Understand the Legal Process

Foreign buyers can easily purchase property in Istanbul, but it's essential to understand the legal process. The necessary steps include getting a Turkish tax number, having the property appraised, and ensuring the title deed is free of encumbrances. Engaging a lawyer who specializes in real estate law is highly recommended.

4.4 Arrange Financing

If you're financing your purchase, Turkish banks offer mortgages to foreign buyers. You can typically borrow up to 70% of the property value. Be sure to compare financing options to secure the best terms.

4.5 Complete the Purchase

Once all legalities are addressed, you can transfer the property’s title to your name. This process typically takes about a month, after which you’ll officially own the property.

5. Legal and Financial Considerations for Foreign Investors

Buying property in Istanbul involves a number of legal and financial considerations that foreign investors need to keep in mind.

5.1 Property Taxes

Turkey has relatively low property taxes. Property tax rates range from 0.1% to 0.3% of the property’s value, with additional taxes for purchasing property. Title deed transfer fees, which are usually around 4% of the property value, should also be factored into your budget.

5.2 Other Costs

Additional costs include notary fees, legal fees, and possible utility connection charges. It’s also advisable to consider the costs of property management if you plan to rent the property.

5.3 Financing Options

Several banks in Turkey offer mortgage loans to foreign investors, though interest rates may vary. Typically, foreign buyers can access up to 70% of the property's value, with the remainder covered by the buyer.

6. Why Istanbul Remains a Prime Investment Location

Istanbul’s real estate market remains a safe and profitable investment choice due to several factors:

6.1 Strong Tourism Industry

With millions of tourists visiting Istanbul every year, there is a constant demand for short-term rental properties. Areas near popular landmarks and the city center are particularly lucrative for investors seeking high returns on short-term rental properties.

6.2 Government Investments and Infrastructure Development

Ongoing and future government projects, such as the new Istanbul Canal and improved transportation links, will drive up property values in key locations. Investing in Istanbul today allows you to capitalize on these long-term development projects.

6.3 Capital Appreciation

Historically, Istanbul’s property market has seen consistent price increases. With continued urbanization and infrastructure improvements, capital appreciation is expected to continue, particularly in up-and-coming areas like Beylikduzu and Basaksehir.

7. FAQ Section

Why should I invest in Istanbul real estate? Istanbul offers a combination of strategic location, booming economy, and growing demand for both residential and commercial properties. Its historical and cultural significance, alongside modern infrastructure projects, make it a solid long-term investment option.

What are the main advantages of investing in Istanbul over other Turkish cities? Istanbul’s prime location between Europe and Asia, coupled with high rental yields and continual capital appreciation, makes it a superior choice. Moreover, the city’s strong tourism sector provides a stable demand for short-term rentals.

Can foreign investors buy property in Istanbul? Yes, foreign investors can buy property in Istanbul. However, there are some restrictions on the amount of land they can purchase, and they must follow legal procedures such as obtaining a tax number and ensuring the title deed is clear.

What are the legal steps involved in purchasing property in Istanbul? The legal process includes hiring a lawyer, securing a tax number, verifying the property’s title deed, having the property appraised, and registering the property in your name at the Land Registry Office.

How much do I need to invest to qualify for Turkish citizenship? To qualify for Turkish citizenship through property investment, you need to purchase property worth at least $400,000. The property must be held for a minimum of three years.

What are the costs associated with buying property in Istanbul? Aside from the purchase price, additional costs include a title deed transfer fee (usually 4% of the property’s value), notary fees, legal fees, and property taxes.

What neighborhoods are the best for investment in 2024? Top neighborhoods for investment include Besiktas, Kadikoy, Beylikduzu, and Basaksehir. These areas offer high rental yields, ongoing development, and strong potential for capital appreciation.

Can I get a mortgage as a foreign investor in Istanbul? Yes, foreign investors can get a mortgage in Turkey, with local banks offering loans up to 70% of the property value. However, the terms and interest rates can vary, so it’s essential to shop around.

How can I manage my property if I’m not living in Istanbul? You can hire property management companies to take care of your rental properties. These companies handle everything from finding tenants to collecting rent and maintaining the property.

What should I know about the rental market in Istanbul? Istanbul has a strong rental market, especially in areas popular with tourists, students, and professionals. Long-term rentals are stable, while short-term rentals yield high returns, particularly in central or tourist-heavy areas.

What is the outlook for property prices in Istanbul over the next few years? Property prices in Istanbul are expected to continue rising due to increased demand, ongoing infrastructure projects, and a growing economy. Suburban areas may see especially high value increases.

Contact Best House Turkey Ready to invest in Property Turkey? Get in touch with us for expert guidance and unparalleled service:

Address: Şenlikköy Mahallesi Yeşilköy Halkalı Caddesi Aqua Florya No: 93 Kat: 3 Daire No: 2, 34153 Bakırköy/İstanbul Website: https://www.besthouseturkey.com/ Phone: +90 850 308 07 17 Email: info@besthouseturkey.com Map: View Us on Google Maps

With Best House Turkey, your dream property is just a step away. Let us help you turn your vision into reality!

[stormpainter]

my cook has made sandwiches for lunch this's.. turkey salad with dried cranberries and apple chunks, it aint fish but its okay

[latexb0n3z]

Happy Thanksgiving

Author thought he would get festive, since he doesn’t have a loving family he lives vicariously through these two idiots— writing at a bus stop because some lady threw up on the floor and they couldn’t continue service because of “biohazards and public safety.”

SUCK IT VTA!! ITS COLD OUT HERE.

Wade held up a forkful of pumpkin spice cake, his grin wide and dangerous. “You know what would make this even better?” he slurred, his words slightly off-kilter thanks to the half-empty bottle of cheap whiskey on the coffee table.

Logan, sitting across from him at the kitchen counter, raised an eyebrow and took another sip of beer. “If you shut up and just ate it?”

Wade gasped in mock horror, clutching his chest like Logan had stabbed him. “Wow, Logan. That’s the attitude you’re bringing to the Thanksgiving table? No wonder you’re single.”

It was in fact Thanksgiving, and they’d sort of made it their own. Cheap, domestic, lots of liquor. On the kitchen counter was a mess of dishes, empty beer bottles, a half eaten rotisserie chicken, (not turkey, because neither of them liked it, even declaring it as the worst bird meat below duck) mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. Logan had been in a good mood all day— recently he’d felt like he finally had a home again.

Logan snorted, unfazed. “I’m single because I don’t spend my free time doing things like… whatever you’re about to do with that fork.”

“Oh, this?” Wade waggled the fork of cake in Logan’s direction. “I was just reminiscing about old times. Y’know, Vanessa loved when I used to do this—”

Before Logan could react, Wade lunged across the counter. Buttercream and soft, pillowy crumbs of pumpkin cake— smeared from Logan’s cheek to his bottom lip- to which Logan licked at it, and looked at Wade incredulously, pausing for a moment.

“Wade!” Logan barked. “What the hell!?” His tone was playful, and he said it with an amused smile.

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Wade crowed, his grin stretching from ear to ear. “You look festive.”

Logan wiped his cheek with a growl, but instead of calming down, he grabbed his own slice of cake and hurled it. The dessert splattered against Wade’s shoulder, leaving a sticky, pumpkin-scented mess.

Wade looked down at the damage, then back at Logan, his eyes sparkling with drunken mischief. “Oh, it’s on.”

Within seconds, the kitchen devolved into chaos. Wade grabbed handfuls of cake and smeared them wherever he could reach—Logan’s face, his hair, even his flannel shirt. Logan retaliated with equally reckless abandon, slamming a plate of whipped cream directly onto Wade’s chest.

“You’re insane,” Logan shouted, trying to dodge a swipe of frosting aimed at his nose.

“And you’re too serious!” Wade shot back, laughing so hard he nearly fell over. “C’mon, loosen up! It’s the holidays!”

Logan growled and tackled Wade into the counter, their laughter echoing through the kitchen as cake and frosting flew everywhere. In the scuffle, Wade managed to pin Logan’s wrists, leaning close with a triumphant smirk.

“Face it,” Wade said, his voice dropping into something low and teasing. “You can’t beat me. I’m the cake master.”

Logan, flushed and breathless, glared up at him. “You’re an idiot.”

“And yet you’re still here,” Wade shot back, grinning. “Admit it, you’re having fun—”

Logan, his head spinning from both the whiskey and the ridiculousness of the moment, surged up and kissed him. It wasn’t planned, not even close. It was messy and tasted like sugar and booze, but it worked—Wade froze, his hands loosening their grip on Logan’s wrists.

The kiss grew into something aggressive, yet soft… so soft, and fulfilling— hot and full off playfulness. Logan licked frosting off of Wade’s cheek, pulling away to see his expression, swallowing the contents on his tongue.

For once, Wade was speechless. He blinked, then slowly tilted his head, a lopsided smile forming. “You know, you could’ve just said you wanted to give me beard burn on my nethers. Cake wars weren’t necessary, peanut.”

Logan groaned and pushed him away, trying to hide his face. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re sweet,” Wade quipped, wiping frosting off Logan’s cheek with his index finger and popped in his mouth. “Literally.”

As Logan tried to salvage what was left of his dignity, Wade grabbed a clean fork and held it out, offering a fresh bite of cake. “Truce?”

Logan hesitated, then leaned forward and bit the cake off the fork, his lips twitching into a reluctant smile. He chewed for a second before, “Only if you stop calling yourself the cake master.”

“Deal.” Wade said, though the glint in his eye promised nothing of the sort.

It was moments like these that made being immortal and royally cursed by the universe not so bad, to both of them. He’d really met his match— and Logan loved it, tumors and all.

[eliecasa]

Moody Man Simon Riley LOVES the holidays. I will not accept any arguments as this case is CLOSED!

(ﾉ´ з `)ノ!🎄 I’m feeling festive ¡

• A constant side-eye during turkey day dinner, knowing you’ll make him and everyone else get up and help with the decorations sometime soon.

• Simon complaining about the stench of cinnamon sticking to him for days on end.

* “C'mon Simon, you smell great!” You tease, patting him on the arm. The man merely waved you off and headed to bed with red eyes. “I think I’m allergic to that stuff.” to which you would scoff and reply with “And I’m allergic to washing the dishes, you don’t see me complaining.”

• Your bulky husband hiding upstairs when your nieces and nephews visit; knowing you’ll force him to put on that itchy fake beard as well as the too-squeaky boots that he tried to get rid of.

• Simon randomly deciding to mess with you by pouring a cup of snow on you whilst you were in a trance, watching ‘The Polar Express’.

* “Thats payback for the cinnamon shampoo.”

• Having to keep replacing the tree’s candy canes because of someone being a peppermint addict.

• Simon dying on the inside when carolers show up.

* Looking at you for an escape that you avoid with false claims of checking on a nonexistent baby.

• Having tiny disputes on where to set the tree.

* “Why would you want it directly in front of the window? Blockin’ the sun out,” he reasons, standing in front of the tree as a guard. Your eyes turn to slits. “Because I worked hard to decorate it and the neighborhood should see it.” He’s unconvinced, eyebrows pinching as he stares back at you, but he doesn’t say anything further. He would rather implode than admit that he would maybe enjoy the sight of the winter's first snowfall.

• Simon has a preference for older Christmas movies and says the new ones are all cringeworthy romcoms or too emotional.

• Inappropriate sweaters together <3

* SWEATing his ass off when your parent insists that he takes his coat off for dinner. Maybe stopping by with a reindeer shagging another on his sweater wasn’t the best idea.

• Flirting with him, asking to sit on his lap for a new ‘wish’ every day.

• Simon having at least three different videos of you slipping on ice and busting your ass.

* “Simon~” you whine, eyes getting watery from anger and pain. Your husband would let out a haughty laugh and begin to trek through the snow. “Don’t cry, I’m comin’,” he would tease you until his boots suddenly gave way and threw him face-first into muddy snow.

• Lovey-Dovey cuddle days, holding hands and playing with his ringed hand.

• Taking credit for Simon’s beautiful handwriting on gifts with a massive grin on your face.

• Kissing him when you notice that his lips are chapped.

* He would smirk, looking at you with confused pleasure. “What was that?” to which you would just shrug and coyly look away, paying mind to the Christmas parade. “Thought you looked a little chapped ‘is all.”

- He would SO call you cheeky for that.

• Your husband getting protective when your male coworkers give you gifts that just seem (in his words) ‘Too Thoughtful’

* “Simon, seriously?” you scold, hand on your hip and he seriously pouts on the sofa, “It’s just a cheap perfume.” But those dark and untelling eyes would glance at you before he turned back to the television, grumbling “Bought you that because he wants you to smell nice for him.” He’s such a man-baby during the holidays.

• Simon being passionate about hot cocoa.

* Do NOT make your cocoa with water around him. This man will look at you as if you were drinking a mug of dirt.

• You stuffing him with treats and seasonal recipes as he watches you cook.

* Smiling with a cupcake in hand, you trot over and gently lift his chin, “Mint red velvet with some caramel, trust me.” But he would pause and slowly bring his eyes to the cupcake in horror. You lost him at ‘Mint’. But hubby would never say no to you.

• Making each other search for their hidden gift on Christmas Eve.

* You’d follow Simon to your bedroom, rubbing your hands together like a mouse. You hid his gift in your toiletry drawer. It was the perfect strategy and he would never-

“Is it in there?” he would stand in your shared bathroom, pointing to the only drawer he's never used, his eyes blankly blinking at you. “You cheater!”

• Husband putting his cold hands in the back pockets of your jeans.

• The two of you deciding to pull an all-nighter for Christmas, drinking wines and dining on finger foods until it was time for gift opening.

• Underneath your tree would be LOADED with gifts for each other, more than your friends’ gifts combined.

• Simon giving you that look as you beam at him, holding the very thing he said he wouldn’t buy for you because it was apparently “Too expensive.”

• Smothering him in kisses and thanking him in different ways.

• Watching your husband as he cooly tries on the new clothing and shoes you bought him. He would shrug his new coat on and look at you with a smirk. “Like it?”

- Heart Eyes.

• So many pictures are being printed after New Year's, and most of them are candids of your friends and family, as well as your dearest, Simon Riley.

sneaking back into the writing game👀

[dallasgallant]

Time period post: 1960s Thanksgiving

Going to make some time period stuff for holidays as they pop up as it’s fun to look into and I knew a few people are like me time period wise and want to look into it. I also make posts like this on request so if there’s something you want to know about let me know! Anyways,

Homemade-

Now, while people did bake and cook their food largely from scratch back in the day it’d be dishonest not to point out that post ww2 saw a rise in premade. Not entirely but canned soups, box mixes, jello and ingredient stuffs etc. However, for the large part people did cook on their own at least certain recipes. Now Oklahoma is a sort of middle ground to where it’s “located” so …. Cornbread or rolls on the thanksgiving table? Answer me that lol.

I mentioned this in a food post before but a lot of new recipes were coming out during this time with the rise in product availability, surviving the war and well a lot of drugs. Some of it is stunt marketing or to look nice at parties, others become stables! Green bean casserole which is a staple on thanksgiving in a lot of homes would’ve still been a novelty, new and exciting as it’d only been made in 1955!

Tradition-

Thanksgiving is perhaps the most tradition heavy holiday, especially in the 1960s at its peak. Your family started doing it this way X years ago and it will stay that way.

Who carves the turkey (maybe with one of those new electronic serving knives), who does the wishbone, who’s helping mom and grandma in the kitchen?

Kids tables, arts and crafts, playing some pre dinner football, dinner at 3 etc.

Macys thanksgiving day parade! It’s been around since the 1920s but was first nationally televised in 1947.

Football games, if your teams playing.

Everyone’s different but I’m rattling off a few as they’re prevalent ones.

Home for the holidays-

Just figured this one out/was told it but the “holiday season” was more of a defined thing back in the day. Relatives visiting would sometimes go from Thanksgiving-new years — if someone was hosting all the way through anyway. As sometimes it’s split between houses.

A tradition that springs from this is Putting up the Christmas tree! This was surprising to learn about but back in the day (and some families today) you’d put it up after dinner, with the usual fanfare and family help as it’s a hectic time of year so having it up and family around is a good deal.

Formality-

Sort of a hold over from the 1940s where you’d dress up just to eat dinner(usually middle-upper class) you dress up nice for holidays even if you’re staying home with family all day. Not black tie or anything but you dress nice. This has begun to totally dissolve in the last 10 years or so.

Usually you’ll get the nice china and actual silverware, table decor is HUGE.

Dinner is usually both cooked all day but also eaten early usually 3-4 but like traditions it greatly depends on the family.

Going out and class-

I thought about this a bit as the gang are poor so I’d wanted to take that into consideration on how it could affect holidays. Sometimes I think they’d fully cook a meal, not nearly as massive as a soc or fancy placement and china (as Soc’s are rich rich.) but quaint and nice.

Sometimes I think they’d go out to eat such as:

(Seriously I cannot overemphasize how huge Howard Johnson’s were in the 60s and it could probably be a post itself)

Where you can get a nice ‘traditional’ holiday dinner for cheap that also works well when you have to work etc. There was also generally a trend of “resteraunting” (?) among more middle class families for thanksgiving, occasionally and it depends on who you are - most people would go the more traditional route.

Leftovers! Again time of ‘let’s try shit’ while new staples were being added to the thanksgiving meal so were how to deal with leftovers.

Story of thanksgiving-

Slight bit more of a focus on the Thanks giving part of the holiday, being thankful for friends, family, good fortune etc. Maybe you’d tell the myth of it to kids or have some sort of tradition of saying what you’re thankful for or do something symbolic.

Though I think in the 60s (even the decades prior) there was more of a shift towards it being the “food and football” holiday even then! As it’d already far secularized as a holiday and was just a nice warm, comforting time of year and time with family etc. you’d remember snuggling with grandpa on the couch for a nap far more than some old story told before you can eat, you know?

[fionajames]

Christmas with the Clones; Headcanons.

Hey guys! This is basically some headcanons about Christmas for the Clones in my fix-it au on and about Nay Mets!

Enjoy, and send some requests please!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Rex

He is obsessed with the lights. And the pretty decorations. Everything pretty about christmas basically.

Rex is obsessed with the pretty-ness of the snow. But only to look at! No touch. 

Gets everyone really nice gifts and makes pudding.

Obsessed with older Christmas films like Holiday Inn and stuff.

Idk why.

On Christmas Day he’s up at his normal time and makes a coffee and drinks it before doing anything.

Fives

An actual fucking child.

Bro’s fav part is the gifts, and we all know it.

He loves kind of comedy-Christmas films.

I think first Christmas was when he gave everyone their hoodies but from then on, he gets like food or sweets for everyone.

He’s the first up on Christmas.

Boi falls down the stairs trying to race down, but he does wait for the others to arrive before unwraps his gifts. Impatiently. He waits impatiently.

Gives out free hot chocolate for the day.

Echo

Although he doesn’t really like to admit it, he likes the subtly romantic-Christmas films.

He buys everyone books and writes a message on the front page for them.

He loves the peaceful and beautiful side of Christmas. He 100% goes to the Church and listens to the carols even though he’s so not religious. 

Gave cards to like, basically everyone. Like, those cheap ones you buy at the fuckin post office but then he writes like a beautiful paragraph for every person.

Jesse

Child number 2.

He likes all Christmas films, but particularly the cheesy and comedic ones.

Gives everyone small but well-chosen and meaningful things. 

Holds a snowball-fight that ended up including like 90% of the town.

Cried hearing carols the first time, and refuses to go back to church. 

Gave Tundra a Santa hat.

Kix

Kix still worked on Christmas Eve, but not on the day.

He gave all the kids at the hospitals gifts, and all the adults chocolate.

Work up super late on Christmas Day because he got home so late.

Sent Padme a gift.

He gave everyone sweet home-made things no one knows when he made.

Travelled around town with Fives to give everyone hot chocolate.

Cody

Similar to Kix, he gave all the kids at the daycare chocolates.

He got everyone accurate gifts. One of the few normal gift-givers.

Organised a huge dinner for all the close clones plus Jedi and what not.

Got his own Santa hat but in the 212th’s colour and wore it everywhere. 

Just loves Christmas films. Like, particularly the ones with meaning.

Wolffe

Bro reminds me of a wet, angry cat.

Real-fucking-Scrooge/Grinch.

Secretly he actually likes Christmas, but he’ll never admit it.

Got everyone something small, probs stationary.

Bought the fucking cheap post office cards too but just wrote ‘Merry Christmas’ in them.

Threw part of the turkey at Fives when he wouldn’t stop singing.

Hates Christmas films.

Got Plo a hoodie saying ‘Best Dad’. Only rea gift he got, basically.

Fox

Bro was chugging coffee the night before because he’d been putting off wrapping the presents.

He went to Midnight Mass though, even though he’s not religious, he thought it was interesting. 

He basically got everyone a mug. 

A special mug.

He doesn’t really mind Christmas films but isn’t the biggest fan. 

[previousloversandmuses]

FREQUENCY: Episode 3 - A Soldier Boy Story

FREQUENCY:  A Soldier Boy Story

EPISODE 3: “Elkwood, TN”

WORD COUNT: 4059

PAIRING: Soldier Boy X Reader 

WARNINGS: (NSFW) Drugs, death, and mentions of suicide. Foul language, mentions of sex, or sexual innuendos. Slow burn starts now. (Sorry)

A/N: This story is dark, and covers mature themes. The main character, as well as other major characters, are offensive in nature, and may offend some people. Please peruse with caution, and remember that this is fiction. Reader discretion is advised. Please message me for any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Masterlist | Taglist

When Vought had relocated me to Appalachian West Virginia, I didn’t know anyone. I was moved into a wooded mountain home, and watched over by two local park rangers. Both men, both never had been married. They had no idea how to take care of a young girl. But, from fourteen to eighteen, I struck up a bond with both of them that I had never experienced with another human being. 

Jim was an older white man, maybe in his late fifties. He’d take me out on his gator and drive me all around the national park. He’d play me John Denver, as he’d smoke a pack of camel crush. He always told me never to smoke. That it was an awful habit he had formed. I told him he wouldn’t ever have to worry about that. I could always taste the pesticides. 

I always swore Jim had been gay. He had the quintessential straight man behavior. He shot guns, smoked, watched sports, and enjoyed shitty, cheap beer. But, he was handsome. He was over fifty and had never been married. He isolated himself in the embrace of the forest. He would sit outside on the back porch, and paint the sunset. On holidays I’d ask him why he wasn’t with his family, he told me his job was to watch me, so he couldn’t be. But that wasn’t true. He never liked talking about home. He had no photos up from his childhood. And he never, ever reminisced on simpler times. 

Wahkan was cherokee. He was from one of the reservations in East Tennessee. He moved up to West Virginia after getting offered more money to watch the lands up there. He accepted, of course, and funneled most, if not all of his money back to his family. Hell, the only reason he took on the challenge of raising me was so he could take the money from Vought, and send it back over to the res. 

I’m always fortunate I was able to go with him to the reservation. I used to sit in the long grass with the other girls my age, and make jewelry from creek rocks, and turkey feathers. The sun would set in the distance, and a crackling fire would billow up into the sky. They’d have buffalo roasting over it. Its hide laid out, and drying in preparation for a warm winter coat. 

When I decided to move back to the city after I had turned eighteen, it was a hard goodbye with the both of them. They watched as I got loaded back up into the same black Escalade that dropped me off all those years ago. I had waved goodbye with misty tears in my eyes. I wasn’t much of a crier, but watching them become smaller as the car drove away changed that. 

A few months after I had gotten settled, things felt uneasy. I would communicate with some of the girls from the res on Facebook. Wahkan, and John hadn’t been answering me. They said they hadn’t heard from them either. That day I sat outside of Vought tower on a bench, and listened in on crisis management. From the sounds of it, there had been a data leak that was traced back to somewhere a few miles away from the town I used to stay in. 

I hopped in my car and drove straight to West Virgina, only stopping for gas. I got there around nightfall. The cabin was dark, and quiet. That wasn’t normal, I had thought. I listened in, hearing one slow heartbeat. Thank god. He must’ve been sleeping.  I let out a sigh of relief, and started back to my car— until I smelled it. Fresh, hot blood. My face went white, and my heart sank. I sprinted up to the front of the house, and noticed the door had been left cracked open, a trail of red footprints staining the wood. 

I kicked the door open, screaming, seeing if I’d get any response. I flipped the lights to the house on, and looked around until I saw John’s body laying at the start of the kitchen. He was lifeless, and had been for an hour or so. They were just here. I searched frantically for Wahkan, trying to locate the sound of the slowing heartbeat I had heard earlier. My eyes landed on him. He was on the floor next to the couch. 

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said. “It’s not safe, if they find you, they’ll kill you.”

I fell to my knees, rushing to his side. I placed my hand over the wound on his stomach, firmly pressing down to stop the bleeding. 

“I don’t understand,” I cried. “Where’s the phone? I need to call an ambulance.”

“Too late,” He added, his voice barely above a whisper. “They cut the lines before they left.”

I reached into my pocket, going to pull out my own phone, but he placed his hands on mine, and stopped me. 

“No,” he shook his head. “This is my time. It’s alright.”

“This is all my fault.” I said, as I felt hot tears streaming down my face, and neck. 

“Don’t make this about you.” He laughed, soft and weak, putting a bloody hand against the side of my face. 

“They’ll never get away with this.” I demanded. 

He just shook his head, taking a deep breath. His eyelids were getting heavy. He didn’t have much time left. 

“Just be…gentle,” He said. “And if you ever need a place to stay…a place that’s safe…a place where you can think of home…the reservation will welcome you with open arms.”

He wiped a tear away with his thumb, as he took his last breath. His body going limp. At least he was at peace. 

Driving down the interstate with Uncle Sam by my side, I knew exactly where we would settle ourselves at. Elkwood is a tiny town a little ways from Gatlinburg, nestled at the bed of a beautiful valley. It’s quiet, and everyone knows each other. Like, if someone was throwing a small get together, you best believe the whole town was showing up. Whether it be the people who lived on the res, or  just plain mountain folk.

I looked to my side, he was hunched over, my registration from the glove compartment settled in his lap. He’s snorting from a small pile of benzos he made me stop for earlier. He catches my gaze.

“Want some?”

“No thanks.” I chuckle.

“Suit yourself.” He says before diving back into the freshly crushed powder.

I watch him from the corner of my eye as I speed quickly down the highway. His hair, and beard are wild, and disheveled. He looks close to normal though in the sweat suit I gave him. I smile to myself, picturing him in that campy army green uniform. What a fraud, I think. The man was never a real soldier, they might as well have him look like one. 

“You’re a pretty good driver for a woman.” He states, wiping off his nose, scooping his powder back into a ziplock bag.

“Thanks…” I say, rolling my eyes. He was much nicer when he wasn’t talking.

“So what's your thing?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your thing, like, your power, I guess. I don’t fuckin’ know. You said you were a supe, right?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” 

“Unfortunately? You must have some shitty power then.”

Some shitty power, I think. Rolling my eyes again. 

“I get it,” He says smiling, leaning into me. “They forced it on ya while you were just a baby, huh?”

He reaches down, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He puts one up to his lips and lights it, inhaling deeply. He blows the air out through parted lips as he continues his conversation.

“Seems like you bastards that had baby V are all just a bunch of freaks.”

I look over at him, raising an eyebrow. Now I know why they wanted to keep this guy fucking sedated. 

“Say, what's your name anyway? Can’t go around just calling you a freak bastard.” He chuckles smugly.

“Actually,” I grin. “That is my name.”

He squints his eyes at me, pulling his cigarette away from his lips. He leans back, taking me in.

“Some parents you have calling you Freak Bastard, huh?”

“No,” I say, laughing now. “Just Freak, short for Frequency.” 

He holds a finger up, tipping it at me. “Ah, but that's your Supe name, what's your real name?”

My real name. I go to change the subject. 

“So, do you want to know my plan? The reason why I’ve rescued you? What I need your help with?”

“I’m gonna be honest with you sweetheart, I don’t usually go by a plan. I just wing it, and it happens to work out in my favor.”

“Right,” I nod. “That's why you ended up back in the ice again, huh?”

He glares at me, I beam right back at him. 

“So,” I start. “Over the Summer Vought is throwing this huge party in celebration of Temp V.”

“What the fuck is Temp V?” He asks.

“...Temporary Compound V.” I say blankly. 

“Right, I remember the cock sucker talking about that. Wait…When the fucks the Summer? And what the fuck year is it?”

“It's April. And it’s only been a year since they put you back in that chamber.”

He stares off into the distance, a solemn look on his face. I couldn’t even imagine having missed thirty years of life. Being put to sleep at the birth of the computer, and waking back up at the dawn of AI.

My empathy for him is short lived.

“Wait, you’re tellin’ me I got to wait,” He counts on his fingers. “Three fuckin’ months before we do this?”

“That's three months of freedom to you.”

“It's not fuckin' freedom if I’m gonna be on the run from these people finding me for Christs sake! Also, last time I fuckin’ checked, you’re practically holding me hostage!”

I scoff at him. “Oh please, you said earlier you could kill me, then leave at any time.”

“Yeah, well, that’s before you brought up family.”

Fuck. I think. I forgot about that. 

I don’t say much else as I stare out at the road ahead of me. I feel my blood pressure going up, my arteries tightening at just the mention of my shitty lie. I’d make a horrible villain, I think. I feel guilty for everything, and everyone. I sigh, reaching down to the radio. I fiddle with it until it reaches a mixed station, classic hits from then and now. 

“Well,” I say, pressing my foot harder onto the accelerator. “We can try and catch you up on everything you missed over the past thirty years.”

I turn up the dial as “Wonderwall” sings through the speakers.

We are about two hours from Tennessee now, he's fast asleep in the passenger seat. I got him a cheeseburger earlier, and picked up some hair shears from a dollar store on the same exit. I think he had worn himself out trying to trim his own hair and beard. He gets frustrated easily. I had offered to help, but he insisted on doing it himself. 

As the gas pumps in my car, I look down at my phone. There had been no news alerts about a break in, or that Soldier Boy was missing. Vought must be doing a good job with crisis management. Or the CIA simply never let them know. I had no texts from anyone either. See, it isn’t out of the ordinary for me to disappear into the middle of nowhere. In fact, even the likes of Butcher knew I often found myself back home in the South to escape the sounds of the city. 

Before I left I remembered to leave my debit and credit cards at home so I wouldn't be tempted to use them. I always kept a significant amount of cash in the safe anyway after years of training. I had turned on auto-payments for my rent, and obviously didn’t cancel any sort of subscription service like Netflix or Spotify. I thought if someone had been on my trail, the first thing they'd check would be my bank records. I made sure to turn off all location tracking on my phone, and decided to keep my VPN on 24/7. That wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to anyone either, again, considering my past in security. 

The pump thuds, signifying it's filled up. I grab the handle, and pull the nozzle out. I always have to make sure to cover my nose with my sleeve in these instances. The fumes have made me pass out in the past. Benzene is so pungent that a normal human nose can even smell it if there's just 1 part per million in the surrounding air. I get dizzy just thinking about it. 

We get close to Elkwood now, maybe twenty minutes out. I look over to him as he puffs little snores out into the air. His heartbeat is steady, his blood pressure normal in comparison to when I woke him up earlier.

Ever since he trimmed his hair, made himself look more presentable, I found myself not blaming women for being so attracted to him. I mean, he really was a beautiful man…As long as he kept that fuckin’ mouth shut. He has a light dusting of freckles across his nose, which is a stark contrast to his hard exterior. His eyes are a sweet shade of green, one that matches that awful uniform of his. 

I pull up to the outskirts of the res, some of the younger kids had ended up building their own homes around this area. I walk up to Ama’s trailer, leaving him back in the car asleep to avoid any unwanted interactions. Before I can knock on the door, she goes to open it. Ama beams at me, as beautiful as ever, pulling me into a tight hug. She's the one I had been keeping in touch with on facebook after all these years. 

“Welcome home.” She says smiling.

I smile back. Looking down I notice a small child wrapped around her legs, and a man standing up from the couch. 

“You’ve been busy!” I exclaim, waving at the little boy hiding his face behind his mother, giggling. 

“I have been,” She gestures to the man behind her. “This is my boyfriend, Asher.”

I put my hand out for a shake. A white guy, I think. I give her a look as he grips onto my hand. She looks back at me, beginning to laugh. I remember all of them always making fun of the Wasichu. Something catches her gaze in the distance. I turn around to see Soldier Boy leaning against the door of my car, lighting a cigarette. 

“Who is this?” She asks, walking over to my car to inevitably meet the man I so desperately need to hide. Fuck, I think. What am I going to say about this?

He turns to her as she walks towards him. He puts on a big smile. She opens her arms wide for a hug. 

“I’m Ben,” He beams. Ben. I swear his teeth glimmer in the light for a second. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

Bastard. I think. He knows what he's doing.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ben,” Ama wraps her arm around my shoulder as I walk over to the both of them, grinning awkwardly. “She never told me she had a man back home.”

I flush at this. Damn it. He looks down at his feet kicking at a little rock. He acts bashful, like he's been caught doing something naughty. 

“What, she didn’t mention little ol’ me?” He asks.

“Nope, not even a peep.” She elbows me in the side. 

I scoff at her, gesturing down to the little boy who had followed us over to the car.

“I’m sorry, last time I checked you have a fucking child!”

She leans into my neck, whispering to me through gritted teeth.

“The elders don’t want others to know…” She raises her eyebrows.

Ah. I nod. At least she has an excuse. 

“Well,” She says, clapping her hands together. “Let's get you two home!” 

She still has her hands wrapped around my shoulders, walking us towards my new abode for the next few months. 

“He’s so hot. I didn’t know you were into older guys.” She whispers under her breath.

I elbow her in the side, my face heating up with some color. I could hear him smiling behind me. I wasn’t the only one around here with good hearing anymore. 

The trailer is cute, small but cute. It’s painted a gentle powder blue, and the shutters contrast a pale yellow. It has a little porch with two adirondack chairs outfront, as well as a little bench swing hanging questionably from the wooden awning. Ama had made a note to put a bunch of potted flowers on the outside, knowing how much I like the smell of them. It also may have added to the overall aesthetic of the home. 

She unlocked the front door for me, and then handed me the key. SB and Asher were behind us talking about something to do with the house. This is dangerous. He knew nothing about anything these days, let alone how to even have a conversation with a modern man. If you were to ask him who the current president was, he wouldn't have an answer. If you were to tell him we have had a black president, he’d probably pass out on the floor. 

“Alright,” She says, showing off the place. “This is it.”

It's cute, small, but cute. I can't help but worry about the fact that neither of us will probably be able to stand each other at the end of this, but hey, let's think positively. 

“This is the living room, which is obviously attached to the kitchen.” She goes over to the couch, gesturing to it. “Pull out if he ever ends up in the dog house.” She clicks her tongue, winking at him. 

The living area has a floral print sectional, and a leather recliner. In the center is an old wooden coffee table, and a big ass TV across from it, mounted to the wall. 

“Cable, Netflix, ESPN, you name it.” She adds. 

The kitchen has smaller versions of standard appliances, and every sort of pot and pan or baking dish we may need. 

“The second eye on that stove doesn't work, so don't even try it. Oh, and unfortunately it is gas. If it really starts to bother you we can get you an electric.”

“Dont worry about it,” I wave my hand to her, brushing it off. “A little methane never hurt anybody.” 

She laughs, turning to Asher. “No need for a carbon monoxide detector with this one in the area.”

I look over at SB, he looks thoroughly confused. Standing here now I realize I still never told him the gift compound v gave me. I’m sure he's just utterly bewildered by this point. He looks between Ama and I like we’re fucking crazy. 

“Shower, bath, toilet. Don’t flush, and run laundry or do dishes at the same time.”

Bathroom, much like the rest of the house, is small. But again, it has everything we may need, so I can't complain. Also we lucked out with having a washer and dryer on site. The last thing I want is having to drag him to a laundromat. 

“And the best part, the bedroom!” She kicks the door open, displaying a very comfortable queen size bed. Only one. I think. Thank god for the pull out couch. 

“Drawers line the walls over here under the TV, and there are some more underneath the mattress.” 

“Awesome,” I beam. “Really Ama, I can't begin to thank you enough.”

She smiles, pulling me into a big hug.

“We’re so happy you're here.”

She goes up to SB, resting a careful hand on his shoulder, smiling at him tenderly. He nods to her, thanking her as well.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t, and text me if you need me.”

“Will do.” I say, following her over to the front door, and closing it behind them. 

I take a deep breath, pushing my back against the door, sliding down onto the floor. I jolt my head up, pointing at him.

“He didn’t say anything you didn’t know, did he?”

He shrugs, moving over to the sectional and plopping himself down on it.

“So you're telling me I have to stay in this shack with you for three months?” He ignores my question.

I narrow my eyes on him.

“You got anything better to do?”

“Yeah, fleeing the country to sunny Costa Rica.” He counters.

I scoff, standing up, and walking over to the sink. I grab a cup from the cupboard, and pour myself a glass of water from the tap. 

“They make it pretty hard these days. Y’know, crossing the border.” I add.

He smiles, a weak, weary expression on his face. He looks down at his hands.

“For the time being, I don’t mind being here. As long as you promise no one is gonna find me.”

“They won’t, and they never will. I told you, once you help me with this, you are free to go. I will get you out of here, family in hand, no problem.”

He stares at me for a moment. It’s silent. He watches me with squinted eyes.

“What's all this about gas stoves? You pyrokinetic?” 

I start laughing, in fact, I start laughing really hard. So hard I have to bring a finger up to my eyes to wipe.

He chuckles now too, watching me.

“What?” He says.

“No, I’m sorry. It was just funny, the way that you said it, I mean.”

“So, you are?”

“What?”

“A pyrokinetic.”

“Oh, God no.”

“Then what the fuck is your deal with gas stoves, little girl?” He grills, concerned.

“Okay, first of all, I’m not a little girl. I am an adult.” I gesture down to my obvious adult body. 

“Yeah, whatever. You’re at least a hundred years younger than me, so.”

There is silence, until.

“It’s my senses, by the way. Since you’re curious, I mean.” I say suddenly.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“My five senses, they are all heightened.”

“What, like taste and shit?”

“Yes, taste and shit.” I snort.

“You smell colors or something?” He jokes.

“Sometimes.” I say, shrugging my shoulders. I begin to walk off into the bedroom.

“Wait, what?” He glares at me questionably.

“I’m going to sleep.” I ignore him.

“I’m sorry, did you say you could smell colors?”

“Goodnight, Ben.” I put emphasis on his name, knowing he never told it to me. He grins. I start to close the door, he shouts to me from his spot on the couch.

“Leave the door unlocked, I’ll be in there in a few.”

“Nice try.” I say.

“A queen is plenty big for two!”

“So is that pullout couch.”

He groans as I close the door behind me. 

As I fall asleep, I can only hope for the best. As God as my witness, I would never mean to lie about something as big as family. Especially since I don’t even have one to enjoy. I’d do anything for that. At this point though, my game plan would be; get revenge on Vought, face the consequences from him, and inevitably die. That sounds like a dream. I’d go out with a smile knowing my success in Vought slaughter. May he blow me up into a million little pieces. 

Masterlist | Episode 4 | Taglist

Taglist:

@Sl33pylilbunny @Lanassmarty @Sydneyyyya @1-800shootmeplease @muhahaha303 @nancymcl @speedyrebelfan @ghh05ttt @agentorange9595 @let-me-luve-you @peachytits @darkdahl @deans-spinster-witch @soggybasementfries @ladysparkles78 @madamthemoo

[mostdefinitelyahumanperson]

the Ninja's favorite holiday foods

by someone who doesn't celebrate and therefore has only vague and incomplete knowledge of said foods. also fuck in-character writing, i do what i want

Kai : super-duper-spicy-hot chicken wings ! and before you come in and tell me "that's not holiday food" i'll have you know, his favorite holiday is the Superbowl, mkay ?

Cole : mashed potatoes. lotsa butter, garlic and herbs. he'll use an entire bag o' taters to make a gargantuan batch, and then shovel the whole thing in his big ole mouth using a big ole serving spoon. it's true, i saw him do it.

Lloyd : that little fuckshit likes bread sandwich, because it reminds him of his family (someone beat him up please). white bread cut horizontally for Zane, sopping wet canned asparagus for Nya (wet.. water powers... it makes sense okay shut up), egg salad for Jay (because she hasn't realised she's a girl yet), cheap ham for Kai (you know why), and the thick layer of cheese whizz covering everything represents the warm protective embrace of Cole. the overwhelming horror that grasps one's soul when in the vicinity of this recipe reminds him of his dad :)

Zane : he doesn't eat, however he enjoys the technical challenge that is the making of the tripple-stuffed turnek. turkney. turkey. it's turnek stuffed with chicken stuffed with a surprise :) (the surprise is salmonella you fuckshit)

Jay : idk. probably likes. uhh. girl idk. yeh that's right she likes to eat girl. boss. girlboss.

Nya : she likes potato candy, because that's all her brother knew how to make when she was a kid (he sucks at cooking), so it's super nostalgic for her

Pixal : she doesn't eat, and she's sick and tired of that fucking tripple-stuffed turknek giving everyone toilet-blowing disease. she attempts to destroy the tunkney every year, and fails each time. one year she turned the oven to 1000 degrees to burn it, but turns out it contained cake, not turken. Cole cried. another year she threw it in the trash, but Zane found it and served it anyway. he has no concept of Health and Safety Regulations. this year she's thinking of dropping a piano on it. or mayhaps an anvil

[jacqcrisis]

Can't get the idea out of my head that someone in the werewolf block has a deal with some witch farmer in the state to bring in a truckload of live turkeys around Thanksgiving to sell. Farmer makes a tidy profit by cutting out the middleman and the denizens get fresh meat on the cheap that they have to process themselves (which most of them enjoy anyways as a neighborhood bonding activity).

And Zeke fucking loves it. He gets up super early, goes and buys two of the bastards, gets them all butchered to put in his freezer, and now he's got a lot of meat for relatively cheap. That plus the general festivities makes him a happy boy.

So Caleb, not really knowing what's about to happen, wakes up to Zeke quickly getting dressed, metaphorically vibrating in excitement. He tells Caleb he's going to pick out some turkeys when asked and Caleb, assuming they are frozen, plucked birds, gets up to come with, which just makes Zeke more jazzed. Together, they walk down to the empty lot where a semi has its back opened into a fenced in area and Caleb's stomach drops as he hears the raucous call of hundred of turkeys.

They stop by a stand that's selling some cheap coffee as they get in the short line and Caleb starts asking some tentative questions about what's going on. He's still new to a lot of the ins and outs of being in the werewolf block, especially when it comes to holidays and how they source the food they use for celebrations. Zeke is happy to tell him though, thinking nothing of it and forgetting Caleb has probably never handled a live farm animal, or a whole dead one, or had any thoughts about where his food comes from other than 'the store'.

They get to the front of the line and Zeke asks Caleb to 'pick one out' seeing how he'll make a holiday meal out of of whatever cut Caleb likes best for Thanksgiving. Very quickly, Caleb has to come to terms with a lot in the face of Zeke's excitement and a flock of well raised, white turkeys gobbling at him. So he swallows the discomfort, points out a larger one to Zeke's delight, and they walk away with two probably magically-docile turkeys under Zeke's arms.

He does not join his roommate in the slaughtering/butchering process but the breast he gets on Thanksgiving is the best he's ever had, though that might be due to Zeke's culinary skills more than anything else.

[propertyturkeybesthouse]

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[lovelyprincessn64]

🎄Jingle Bells Jingle Bells all I want for Christmas is you. 🎁 it is the special time of the year December a month of Christmas joy and happiness and this year I'm giving it to everyone special for everyone to enjoy🎁

Don't be shy and have a happy holidays of a lifetime:

1. 12 days of Christmas

2. Jingle the reindeer

3. Toy day

4. Hot cocoa hot tub

5. Christmas from Japan

6. Sexy Santa fan service

7. Too much eggnog

8. Any type of Christmas theme

9. Hot cocoa nights

10. Secret Santa

11. some cheese with that whine

12. Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

13. Horrific Xmas Tales

14. Icy nights

15. Snowball at Met Gala

16. Your ocs (Christmas theme)

17. Under the mistletoe

18. Home Alone

19. Cute elf

20. Kiss at the fireplace

21. Mean one Grinch

22. Christmas with Disney

23. Jingle Bells

24. Eating at grillby's

25. Don't tell on me

26. Ice Zone

27. Mythical wishes

28. Sugar plum Clefairy

29. Handsome nutcrackers

30. Dark times in Midwinter

31. Ugly sweaters

32. Drunk like crazy

33. Minty fresh

34. Shopping like crazy

35. Troublesome toys

36. Psycho Happy Fella

37. White elephant gift Exchange

38. Grumpy bah humbug

39. Candle of Hope

40. Hanukkah

41. Zombie Santa (he's from Eddsworld zanta)

42. KFC rather than turkey

43. All I Want For Christmas

44. Naughty or nice

45. Winter vacation

46. Ice skating

47. Sugar coma

48. Bayonetta's birthday

49. Delicious cake rather than fruit cake

50. Christmas prompts

51. Time of the 90s

52. Isabel's birthday

53. Retro from the past

53. Holiday High Jinks

54. Pizza dinner

55. Kiss me at midnight

56. Time for a new year

57. South Park like crazy

58. Russia's too cold for me

59. Tea party at France

60. Joyful spirit

61. Wishing for a snow day

62. Fruit cakes

63. Ready for the new year

64. Yandere surprises

65. Overwatch winter event

66. Nightmare Before Christmas

67. Gothic styles

68. Christmas with NiGHTS

69. National cookie day

70. Beauty of a snow angel

71. Just a dream

72. Special Starbucks month

73. Dangerous frostbites

74. Nintendo prizes

75. Cabin Fever

76. Cutest gingerbread

77. Happy gift big smile

78. Jolly Sora

79. Christmas with Charlie Brown

80. Horror tales Christmas

81. Winter Legends

82. Milk and cookies

83. Whipping up with cream

84. Sonic Channel arts

85. Ben 10 anniversary

86. Snowball fights

87. Lovely Vintages

88. Winter Aesthetics or Christmas Aesthetics

89. Ed Edd and Eddy

90. Once Upon a December

91. Miracles in a best way

92. Baby don't go outside

93. Christmas wedding days

94. Baking cookies

95. Redraws gifts

96. Colors of Poinsettias

97. Frosty the Snowman

98. McDonald's special

99. Aurora lights

100. Made with love

101. Wishing on a shooting star

102. Together stargazing

103. Satire of gifts

104. Ice cream dreams

105. Run Over by a Reindeer

106. Licorice taste

107. Hanging by a candy cane

108. You don't seem marry

109. Frostbite heart attack

110. Smashmas

112. My lips turn blue when I'm with you

113. Holidays with Eddsworld

114. He enjoys the feast

115. A hole in my heart a rip in the face

116. You better watch out

117. Sing along

118. Desires of a heart

119. Stealing crayons

200. Evil Candy Bar

201. Dashing through the snow

203. If I was your vampire

204. Golden hours

205. Sneaking through the fridge

206. Choices of flavors

207. Chandelier woman

208. Present from Mario

209. Playing with Game Boy

210. Decoration fun time

211. Toy store Mayhem

212. Countdown to end

213. Exotic joys

214. Dead on silver platter

215. Bacon for breakfast

216. Frozen

217. Served cold

218. Lilith and snowy

219. Coca-Cola season

220. Ornament creations

221. Animal Crossing

222. DIY times

223. Cartoon times

224. Thinking fruity

225. Wine and dine

226. Horror mix

227. Cheap chills

228. Party at Club Penguin

229. December birthdays

230. Nostalgia from the past

230. Gaming through the 90s

231. Time with coffee house

232. Makeup for a lame Christmas

233. Last Christmas

234. This year I'm giving it someone special

235. Daily activities

236. Holidays with Pokémon

237. True love gave to me

238. Making Reindeer nip

239. Got bloody

240. Dead by Christmas

241. Christmas or Halloween

242. Drink of ice coffee

243. Cookies on the Run

244. Mickey's Christmas Carol

245. Sing me a story

246. kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii

247. Woman you are a lump of coal

248. Boy to the world

249. Building gingerbreads

250. Waking within morning

251. Wonders of life

252. Fruit cakes

253. Lollipop crazy

254. Don't hike in snow

255. Frostbites

256. Sing of carols

257. Isabel's birthday

258. Holiday Bashs

259. Revenge of the snow plow

300. Colors of snow cones

301. Coffee & Mints

302. SpongeBob Christmas specials

303. Nezuko's birthday

304. For my Nezuko

303. Villain Hawks

304. Hawks's birthday

305. My favorite food is chicken

306. Hawks wearing US military uniform

Note: please read the rules before requesting also if you prefer Halloween or Thanksgiving feel free to go these events also have a merry Christmas

[voidingintotheshout]

I have been literally waiting for Hanukkah to share this song. It's by Jews and it's about Hanukkah, and how their Hanukkah wish every year is that Gentiles knew more about the history of the Jews. It's so good that I'm going to share the song, the lyrics, and a link to where you can buy it, as part of an album molly lewis did about the importance of... Thanksgiving. No Christmas talk allowed. This is one of my top 5 best songs of the year. Essential listening.

And it's on sale now at bandcamp. Here's a link to the deluxe version I own. It was cheap and arrived fast. Happy Hanukkah!

Lyrics:

Congrats, you have friends who are Jewish There's menorahs in all your decor Your trim is now red, green, and…blue-ish But do you know what this holiday's for?

We've seen children LARP the Nativity And cosplay the first pilgrim's feast And it's nice to combine our festivities But damn, do your homework at least

So let us bend your ear to the last six thousand years

So your latte tastes like a candle So your turkey's overdone Dudes tried to kill our ancestors So let's eat because we won!

See, Hanukkah ain't Jewish Christmas They're not equal, so don't even try We brushed with doom, and it missed us But Jesus is your central – guy?

We see why you'd want to compare them They're around the same time of the year You have feels, and you're yearning to share them And we know your intent is sincere

It's just one more win for the Jews So we eat and drink and – booze!

Got too many presents to send? Christmas shopping not as fun? People wanted us to be extinct So let's party, guys, we won!

You know it's the one in December (eh, sometimes) Your cognizance has been made clear And it's nice of you all to remember But what of the rest of the year

There's Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, With Hanukkah, don't overdo it It's not us you're trying to assure

You know Christmas can be intrusive You put menorah on display If you need that so you feel inclusive Well, don't let us get in your way

We know you don't wanna be dicks But that's not for us to fix

So your team lost at sportsball? Favorite show is in reruns? They've been after us for centuries So let's eat, because we won

Punched a stranger on Black Friday? Did he snag your Xbox One? We've survived 6000 years of crap So let's eat, because we won!

[DISCLAIMER: This isn't my work, but it's the only way I could share this. Please go support the artists involved.]

[redlegumes]

If it's just till St. Patrick's Day: Excerpt from Thanksgiving

Chapter Summary:

An orphan Thanksgiving with their strange family. Steve reveals some new secrets to Eddie. Steve proposes a new arrangement for the holidays which they start. After Thanksgiving, Eddie offers Steve his support. Can be read stand-alone

"They’re just hookups though. Steve put his pants on after and left after. I shouldn’t, agh. That sounds so cold. It hasn’t been that cold. But it’s definitely a ‘friend with benefits vibe.’ Though… Eddie mused, our friendship was always odd too. Forged in supernatural hell. Now that the supernatural hell was gone, he had kinda worried how long their little trauma family would hold on. But here they mostly were, in November, still maintaining various group chats, hanging, and celebrating holidays."

Complete tags and finished fic on A03

CW: Smut, Closeted trans character, Tobacco use, Mentions of (not overtly detailed)- alcohol use, past physical abuse parents, family transphobia, disownment

( 〃● ₃● ) ~ 🍁🍂 🧡EXPLICIT CONTENT AFTER THE CUT 🧡🍂🍁

"Who knows what will be, But I'll make you this guarantee, No way November will see our goodbye"

Mrs. Henderson had set out a big spread. She was hosting a bit of an Orphan Thanksgiving for the ‘family.’ Not everyone was around, Nancy wouldn't be back from Boston till Winter break and Robin was off visiting family in Ohio, but those who were tried to make the Henderson house’s gracious invitation to eat there. Mrs. Henderson apparently hadn’t wanted to travel to see her family that year. She’d bought such a big bird, and said it seemed a shame for just her and Dustin to enjoy it.

Eddie learned all this from Dustin, surprised he made the cut for invites. It was still a big group making time for the evening meal. He and Wayne never did much for the holiday, normally turkey frozen dinners, football (that he didn’t watch), and cheap beer. So after a quick check-in text, he said yes.

Hopper and Joyce Byers were in, which included Will, El, and Max. Jonathan was in school for photography now, but he was coming in from Chicago. Mike got permission, as well as Lucas since his family was having their meal closer to lunch. Family was staying with the Sinclairs that week, and his house was going to be packed. Lucas practically begged for a break from his cousins that would be sharing his room over the holiday.

…

Turkey day arrived, and Eddie spent the beginning of the day hanging with Wayne, just catching up. He drove over afterwards to Henderson’s, feeling a little bashful that he was the last to arrive, the others showing up early to help cook and prep the table. The food was plentiful and damn close to the commercials and movies Eddie’d seen when he was a kid. So this is Thanksgiving. Wild.

He even assumed their ‘family’ followed the classic tropes. Before the meal was set out, he and Jonathan took a little ‘walk’ to wet their appetite. The kids mostly bickered and ran around, some watching the game, others watching a stream in Dustin’s room. Eddie hadn’t expected Harrington there, but then he remembered he had picked up Mike and Lucas. For some reason he kind of just assumed he’d drive off after, to his own Thanksgiving. If this was a regular one Eddie could only imagine a rich people version of the holiday.

…

After the meal, Eddie volunteered for dish duty. It only seemed right since he hadn’t done any of the prep. Steve joined him. Most everyone else had relocated into the living room where a game of Mario Kart had been agreed on. Based on the yelling and the huddle around in front of the tv, it appeared as if the game was in full swing.

Mrs. Henderson wandered over with a shot of brandy for the adults. She patted his cheek and then Steve’s before handing them two little glasses. She delivered some platitudes about it being the holidays and moved on to the next room.

He and Steve exchanged shrugs and grins before turning back to the last pots and pans. Steve knocked his brandy back once they finished washing; Eddie'd waited to follow suit. Steve had hopped up to sit on the countertop. He looked good. Maybe it was just that extrovert glow. Or maybe it's because he's one-on-one with me for the first time this evening.

They'd talked since Halloween. Mostly flirting over texts, which wasn't too new, but things had gotten… perhaps… maybe… just a teensy bit more complicated. Steve had been over to his twice now without booze and slutty costumes to provide an easy excuse for ‘bad’ behavior. They'd done the dirty on a total of three occasions at this point and each time it had been good. We both got off. Hell, more than just getting off. Recalling Steve, fucking him on his bed, instantly made Eddie’s cheeks red.

They’re just hookups though. Steve put his pants on after and left after. I shouldn’t, agh. That sounds so cold. It hasn’t been that cold. But it’s definitely a ‘friend with benefits vibe.’ Though… Eddie mused, our friendship was always odd too. Forged in supernatural hell. Now that the supernatural hell was gone, he had kinda worried how long their little trauma family would hold on. But here they mostly were, in November, still maintaining various group chats, hanging, and celebrating holidays.

Eddie had sat down in a kitchen chair, broken from his thoughts by the tap of Steve's foot on his knee.

"Eddie."

"Yeah?"

Steve’s volume was low, but the house had gotten so noisy Eddie doubted anyone could hear their conversation. "I was just saying it's cuffing season. Look, I’d, ah… I’m good with hooking up for the holidays."

Eddie felt himself do the double take. "What?"

"I know you heard me that time."

"Yeah, but cuffing is a little more than just fucking." Eddie gazed up at Steve, still somehow cool and calm above him. Eddie wanted to run a hand through his hair but he'd tied it up. He settled for picking at a fraying rip on his jeans. Cuffing… that’s practically. Nope. Not even gonna think it.

"We could keep it casual but exclusive. You do like it don’t you? That way we could do fewer barriers. It’s fun, Munson. Been real fun. So, let’s keep it going." Steve winked at him. No no. I am the winker. I’m the bad boy here. Who does he think he is? "I want more, but I like a little structure. And if true love shows up in between for either of us, we break it off. No hurt feelings."

"No hurt feelings? We’re just above tolerating each other as it is." Aren't we? I'm always teasing and pushing. Well, is that it? Is he finally pushing back? What's it gonna be, Munson, he asked himself. Take him seriously or… nah. Obviously more teasing. "Former fuckboy."

Steve snorted. "E-girl wannabe."

"Fantasy footballer.” Eddie stuck his tongue out. “Best you can do, without enough skill for a scholarship."

"Shows what you know. I still didn’t have enough cash to go to State, even with the scholarship."

Why lie about that? "That’s fucking bullshit. You’re a ‘Harrington,’ as in Harrington Law Offices with that, y'know. The awful jingle on the radio." Eddie snapped his fingers but couldn't remember it.

Steve’s face soured, and he slid off the countertop. "Disowned."

Okay. That. That I couldn’t have heard right. "Steve. Wait. What?"

Steve looked at him as though calculations were running through his head. "Not here," he jerked his chin out toward the backyard.

Eddie flicked the light on as they walked out. As soon as the door shut he launched what felt like the first of a few million questions he had. "Since when? Also who knows? And Steve, we can fill out a fucking FAFSA for you. Why not? You can still go to college, man."

Steve stuck his hands in his pockets and jumped a bit in place as though he'd experienced a chill. It wasn’t that cold outside, considering the time of year. "You got smokes on you,” Steve asked instead of answering one of Eddie’s many questions.

Eddie patted his pockets. "Fuck. The pack's in the van."

"That's fine." It didn't look fine. Steve rocked on his feet.

"You sure?"

"I wanted to go on HRT." Steve said, suddenly focused on his Adidas. "I wanted to transition."

Eddie looked over Steve. To his eye nothing had changed. His hair was a little long, but it wasn't as long as Eddie's. He knew Steve shaved all the time, but that was explained as a holdover from his swimming days, and of course now he knew how some of Steve's partners probably liked that but… trans? Eddie knew better. He already felt shitty for ‘looking’ for clues. It didn't matter how Steve presented now. If the 'he' wasn't good for him, she should be able to be a her.

Steve was nervously rambling a little. "Yeah, I won't exactly be treating you to too much if we do hook-up for the holidays. Why did you think I was here and not with my bio family anyway? Family?" He muttered, "this is what I’ve got."

“You want to transition." Eddie hated the disbelief betrayed in his tone as he made the statement. That’s not what he, she? he? needs from me right now. Fuck. Why'd he say wanted? Past-tense. What the hell happened?

Steve finally looked up and met Eddie's eyes. "I did. End of high school, I spoke to my doctor about it and was trying to start shifting the way I present, just a little and… And then I told them… Bye bye insurance, home, financing for college. I would have had to take out too much in personal loans." Steve had turned away from Eddie, head thrown back as he stared at the visible stars above them. "I didn't qualify for financial aid when I was with my folks. Luckily, the car was in my name, so I got to keep that. But… I was homeless for a little and…" Eddie walked around to Steve's front, an urgent need to be in his space. "I mean, I got out with a duffle bag."

Steve's hand went to his face in a gesture Eddie recognized. If he thought of his past battles or his losses, Steve always had to check his face to make sure the cuts had healed and the bruising had gone away. It 'grounded' him, Robin had once said.

That motion with that story. "They didn't," Eddie gasped. He held the hand on Steve's face with his own, gripping Steve's waist with the other.

Steve's big eyes met Eddie's. He whispered, "I can take a hit."

Eddie's eyes raked over Steve's face. He held him a little tighter. "You can dish ‘em out too."

"Not in that moment." Steve chuckled, and he let his hand leave his face. He shifted it to hold Eddie's hand and shrugged. "That's what he wanted. Restraining order with an assault charge strapped to it. Make things a lot easier to explain versus, 'I disowned my son because he was trying to be my daughter.' Easier for others to digest. Though, I guess they say whatever they want about me now." He shared the last piece of information as though he was contemplating it for the first time.

"Steve." Eddie dropped his hand and flung his arms around him, holding him as tightly as he dared. "I can't believe… this whole time you’ve been on your own like that. Who else knows? Why? You've never said."

Steve pulled back a bit to shake his head. "Eddie, you know why."

Because he would've had to have said why they did it. Explained. Eddie looked hard at Steve's saddened but resigned face. He thinks his plans for his future, including transitioning, died that night. Jesus Fucking Christ.

"Robin knows about everything. Dustin knows something happened and about my apartment. Hopper probably knows that I'm cut off and living independently, but he was a detective basically so..." Steve sighed, and Eddie watched him brace, as if he was waiting for some sort of rejection. "Now you know everything too," he said softly.

Eddie looked at Steve’s big eyes glistening magically like they did, even under the poor strength flood light in Dustin Henderson's backyard. Guess I was always kinda right. Eddie had privately believed that eyes so starry and big could only exist due to princess powers. His heart broke for the sweet princess in his arms. He couldn’t help but be reminded, standing in each other’s embrace, that Steve was very, very pretty.

He kissed him, and, at first, Steve tensed. Then he relaxed in Eddie’s hold, letting him kiss deeper. Steve’s lips were just as welcoming and sweet as the last time they’d kissed. Okay… Eddie had made a decision. I want this.

He let them part, stifling a little moan when he did. "’Cuffed’ or ‘exclusively hooking-up’ so shit isn’t so bleak with all that holiday Hallmark crap plastered everywhere. Whichever, whatever. I'm in. Okay?"

Steve bit his bottom lip and then ran a hand up the side of Eddie's neck. "Okay," he whispered back. They kissed again till Steve got anxious that someone might come out to get them.

Eddie felt as though he couldn't care less, but there was pie waiting inside to be considered.

…

"How's the apprenticeship going," Hopper asked.

Eddie was moments from taking a huge bite of pumpkin pie, but he set it down to answer Hopper. "It's fine, and no nights. So, in theory, I could gig again when I want to."

"You with a wrench seems like a menacing image," Hopper replied. Eddie knew him well enough now to know when he was fucking with him. He stuck his tongue out and went back to his pie. The mechanic apprenticeship was going well, they paid him to learn a trade. All in all, a good deal from where Eddie was sitting.

Dustin piped up. "You should see him with a guitar."

"Will you play some tonight," Mike asked.

There was a general begging from the table, and Steve appeared at his shoulder. He held out Eddie's keys that had been in his jacket pocket and dropped them in his lap. "He'll play. There's always a guitar in the van."

He knows me too well. "Fine. Yes, but a total of three requests only! And then whatever I want until I get tired. So you better get to brainstorming."

He returned with the guitar to find the family had split into teams.

Hopper, Joyce, and Mrs. Henderson requested 'Alice's Restaurant.' Eddie played a few rounds of the chorus for them. He didn't know the whole thing and didn't want to try. It was a goddamn long 'song.' His boys and Jonathan requested 'Hellraiser' next 'cause they were good like that. After came Steve, crouched on the rug between El and Max. He smiled wickedly up at Eddie.

"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go."

"No," Eddie said firmly.

"Yes," hissed his traitorous audience.

But they cheered and he relented. Damn my vanity.

Steve watched intently when Eddie played. Even now, settled between the girls, he knew there was that spark between them as Steve watched him perform. Imparted in that instant was the knowledge of who would be following him home that night. It made it hard to focus, but Eddie managed to finish his requests and strummed through whatever came to mind afterwards. Everyone in the house had settled down, full and content. The evening was at an end.

…

There were plenty of hugs and 'happy Thanksgiving's' on the way out the door. Mike, Lucas, and Will were staying the night, and Jonathan had driving duty to ferry them back home in the morning. It gave Eddie the strong feeling his wishbone wish went through.

He put his guitar back into the van and waved at the Hopper-Byers group filling up their SUV. Steve leaned against his car as Eddie closed his back van doors.

"Angel, you having car trouble? 'Cause I never work on German automobiles." Eddie leaned back next to Steve. "But for you…" He made a show of looking Steve up and down, checking him out. "I could make an exception."

Steve fluttered his eyelashes and pushed up off the vehicle. "Mmm, lucky me." He dropped into his driver's seat and shut the door.

The hell? The car started but didn't move as Eddie walked to the driver's door, and peered in to see Steve smiling. Tease. He lowered his window and Eddie leaned down. "Your place or mine?"

"Yours?"

"Heads up. Nothing else is getting stuffed tonight baby." Ate too damn much.

"That's fair. But you forget… maybe I'm still hungry." Steve looked at Eddie's crotch and licked his lips.

The lethargy Eddie had felt after the pie melted away. Excitement pumped through his veins, waking all of him up. Fuck-buds for the holidays. Perhaps this is a brilliant idea.

He drove back to the apartment far too fast, grateful there were rarely cops on the back roads. Eddie locked his van, unlocked his door, and went straight to the bathroom to freshen up. He'd finished when he heard Steve knock and enter. He also heard the sound of the deadbolt turn.

He walked out of the bathroom and looked back over his shoulder at Steve standing in his little hallway. "Hey, do you want to change into something with an elastic waistband?"

Steve had a flirty little smile on his lips. "God, Munson. Where were you hiding that kink?"

Eddie smacked his lips, walked up, and slid his arms around Steve's waist. "Oh no. Sweatpants and a cock like yours? That's not hidden baby."

Steve pulled back Eddie's hair to rest his lips on Eddie's neck, just below his ear. "Then I'll have to slip into a pair."

He resisted the urge to do more in the moment, moving instead to the bedroom. Eddie rummaged in his drawers for a pair of promised sweatpants and threw them on the bed. Steve was just about to reach out and grab them when Eddie pressed up behind him. "Can I help you?"

"Now that you mention it, I could use a helping hand." Steve stood back upright and undid his jeans, letting Eddie help him push them down, followed swiftly by his underwear. Steve patiently stood still as Eddie eagerly pulled off his shirt and then his own. He left his pants on and wrapped one hand around Steve's chest, pulling their bodies close together. Steve angled his head back, seeking Eddie's lips as his free hand wrapped around Steve's hard cock.

Steve moaned as Eddie held him, jerking his cock, pressing his own denim covered erection against the bare swell of Steve's ass. His lips ranged over Steve's neck and shoulder, murmuring into his skin every promise he wanted fulfilled for Steve that night. "I want you to bust in my hand baby, feel it against my chest when your spine tingles, give you that release, let you melt back into me. You beautiful angel…"

Steve moaned, and Eddie tugged at a faster pace, keeping his hand at the same firmness. He wanted to wet it some but was loath to do anything that changed their position. Instead he sucked love bite after love bite onto Steve's shoulder. He let his short nails rake across Steve's chest and with a shudder and a cry, Steve came. Eddie drew up his hand to catch what he could, waiting for the last pulse of his cock before letting Steve go. Steve turned and sat on the bed.

"How did you make a reach around… Fuck.” Steve was flushed, his pretty lips wet and pink. "Eddie, my legs are literally weak."

Eddie could feel himself blush a little as he cleaned off his hand. "I didn't know that you would, dry… I, um. No shame in admitting it I guess…" He rubbed his hand across his mouth. Damn. Am I getting self conscious over my body count? "I've been getting cocks off for a bit now."

Steve looked up at him with big eyes and pouted. "Eddie. I'm still hungry."

Christ. Eddie unzipped and lowered his pants and underwear that time. Steve pulled Eddie's hips forward till he stood between Steve's knees. He ran his lips over the side of Eddie's cock. He teased the wet pleasure of his mouth by tonguing the whole of the underside of Eddie's cock, from balls to tip. Eddie flinched, fighting the urge to grab and manhandle Steve.

Steve seemed to know he was holding back. "You can put your hands wherever," Steve said sweetly. "I trust you not to choke me. Three taps for out, two for slow, one for keep going."

"You have been a naughty thing, haven't you? I'd've never guessed and now you’re sitting so pretty, holding my cock, telling me your non-verbal signals." Before Eddie could tease him more, Steve had wrapped his lips around Eddie's member and had half his length sucked into his mouth. Steve's mouth met with his hand around the base of Eddie's shaft.

Eddie's hand shot out and buried itself in Steve's luscious hair. Eddie held his head in place, so that he paused Steve's motion. He wanted to savor the depth a while longer, the tongue pressing against his cock. All fluctuating pressure and spit. He liked the precautions Steve had set up for himself. He wasn't as worried about gagging him when he started to lightly pull on Steve's hair. Eddie pushed his head forward and back at a varied pace. Steve's mouth slid and sucked obediently, focused on Eddie prompts.

"That's good baby. Who taught you to be so good," Eddie asked. Steve's eyes shot up to look at him. Light brown irises nearly imperceivable, Steve's pupils had expanded so much. They were a little teary too, making them glisten even more than normal.

Eddie couldn't tear his eyes off of Steve either. Mouth stretched, gazing up at him, so focused on his pleasure. So pretty and pink cheeked. "Lovely," he whispered. "You're so lovely, baby."

Steve kept going, and Eddie lost himself to the sensation. He kept his hand on Steve's head but let him continue at the depth and speed he'd last set. It was all consuming. Eddie barely recognized when it built so high he finally spilt over. The delight etched in his body in waves, as Steve sucked his release down.

Steve's voice was a little graveled when his mouth popped off of Eddie's spent cock. "You're teaching me gorgeous. You're teaching me how to be good for you."

Eddie felt like his heart stopped before pounding at high speed again in his chest. He leaned down and angled Steve's head up, index finger curled under his chin. Eddie kissed him softly. "Very, very good Stevie." Steve's face rapidly covered in a blush, and Eddie felt a grin spread across his own face.

They both put on sweatpants, Steve threw his undershirt back on, and then he lay down in Eddie's bed. Steve stayed the night.

…

Now that Eddie was looking for it, little pieces of dysphoria seemed to be everywhere.

The way Steve was always more comfortable with the girls than he’d been with his buddies on his sports teams. Those friendships hadn't stuck, but with Nancy and Robin... Steve talked to them on the daily. Any guy could be protective of his friends and kind to kids, but all the maternal jokes and the babysitter ribbing now sprang to mind. Any guy could care about his appearance and fuss with his hair, but now Eddie couldn’t help but think how proud and pleased Steve was over the length of his locks and look. Those things didn't make him a woman, they were just parts of Steve. Yet… don't those details mean a little more now?

Out of everything Eddie considered, if he knew anything about Steve it was that he would put aside his own discomfort and pain for others. The longer Eddie dwelled on the matter, the more he felt like it was deeply fucked that Steve had abandoned his transition. Steve had shoved it to the side as he worried about having to get by, and killing Vecna, defeating the Mind Flayer, and caring for the kids. How much of his stress had piled deeper? How much had he struggled with that core element of himself… herself?

When Eddie woke up with Steve still in his arms, sound asleep that Black Friday, he was determined to help her however he could. He hadn’t asked her yet about pronouns, but mentally he’d already made the switch. She deserved the help to be herself. I want her to be happy. I want her to feel whole.

Chapter continues *•.🍁.•* Keep reading on AO3

[withsimge]

DO NOT GO TO EGYPT WITHOUT READING THIS ARTICLE

Invest in yourself this year and go to Egypt

You will say "I am glad I went"

Hello everyone, in this blog I will talk about my own Egypt experience and information you have not heard before. I will do yourself a favor and make you go to Egypt this year.

First of all, I am sure that going to Egypt will be an excellent experience for those like me who want to get out of their comfort zone and have an unforgettable experience.

CHANCE TO GO WITHOUT A VISA

Egypt does not require a 90-day visa for Turkish citizens.You don't have any problems in terms of transportation, you can just take your passport and hit the road. If you are a student, getting a passport will be very cheap.

Arrange your departure date in advance and get it cheaper

Flight tickets are much cheaper than most countries, and if you follow the discounts of flight sites, transportation can be much cheaper. There are direct flights to Egypt from Turkey. I do not recommend a connecting flight unless it is very cheap.

IS EGYPT REALLY HOT ?

I went in June and returned in July, and it had the same temperature as the hot cities in Turkey, and it was even cool in the evenings, so yes, it is a hot country, but definitely not unlivable.

Shawarma and Koshari

FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION IN EGYPT

They use the Egyptian pound as currency and its value is lower than the Turkish lira, so you can easily have a holiday. Food and drink prices vary depending on where you go, but in general it is cheaper than Turkey. Although their food culture is similar to Turkey, they are slightly different. They cook more spicy dishes. The dishes you will encounter most are shawarma, koshari, hummus, falafel and kebab. You should be careful about accommodation because not every place is reliable, but of course, don't let this scare you, not every place is reliable where you live now.

HOW ARE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE ?

They are very hospitable and nice to people, their culture is a bit similar to the Turks but be careful of getting ripped off by the Egyptians in Khan El Khalili because, like everywhere else, they try to take advantage of tourists when they see them if you had someone who speaks Arabic with you while traveling in Egypt. Most Egyptians speak English, do not worry about it, you can understand each other even using Google Translate.

DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE IT WITH YOU !

The important things you need to take with you are a hat, glasses, sunscreen and moisturizer. But you can find everything you want in Turkey there too. If you are a student, do not forget to take your student card with you, there are discounts in some places.

IS EGYPT A DIRTY COUNTRY?

Egypt is a big country, so of course it depends on where you go. I've seen dirty places, but I've also seen very clean places. Try to stay in central places where there are more people, you won't have any problems.

GO TO EGYPT WITH AIESEC BY PAYING ONLY YOUR FLIGHT TICKET !

If you want to participate in a volunteer project, you can go to Egypt with Aiesec and have fun and an excellent experience, all by paying only your flight ticket. I went to Egypt with Aiesec and I was on a volunteer project where I spent time with the children and I had a great time. If you go with Aiesec, they also cover your accommodation and food needs, thus giving you the opportunity to learn and have fun there by just buying the plane ticket. There are many volunteer programs, I went to the teaching program for children, but you can also have a pleasant time by choosing a project according to your interests.

IS NOT ANYONE WEARING SHORTS ?

Before I went, I thought they would be very strict about this since Egypt is an Arab country, but I wore skirts and shorts in Egypt. But of course, this will vary depending on the environment you are in. It would be better to comply with the rules and culture of the country you are foreign to.

PLACES YOU CAN VISIT IN EGYPT

PYRAMIDS : Of course, the pyramids come first, they have a unique magic, never return without seeing them. You can see the pyramids for a very cheap fee with a student card. The horse and donkey keepers inside the pyramids may force you to ride. If you want to ride, you should definitely bargain because they charge a lot for the first fee, so they can give a lot of discounts.They ask for a separate fee to enter the pyramids, but in my opinion, there is no need to go inside because the inside is completely empty.

CAIRO EGYPTIAN MUSEUM : In this museum, there are many historical artifacts that you will admire and mummies that still have a lock of their hair.I was fascinated while visiting this museum.Also, there were a surprisingly many Turks in the museum.

KHAN EL KHALILI :This place can be compared to the Grand Bazaar in Turkey. Souvenirs and many other ornaments can be found here. Their prices are normal, but it would be better to have someone who speaks Arabic with you while you travel everywhere in Egypt, including this place.

MANGO TREE : As the name suggests, this place is a with a beautiful view full of mango trees and a very beautiful sunset.Do not leave Egypt without trying mango ice cream and mango juice.

ALEXANDRIA :Alexandria, another historical city in Egypt, fascinated me. I recommend you to visit the Library of Alexandria and many museums in that city.

FAYOUM : This is a city in Egypt and it has a perfect view ,you can also go sandboarding and safari here .

PLACES NAMED ARABIATA AND TREE TRUNK: These places are one of my favorites. While you can mostly have dinner in Arabiata, Tree Trunk might be a good choice to have a drink while enjoying the view.

EXTRA INFORMATIONS

It will be easier for you to learn at least Arabic numbers before going to Egypt.

There are almost no traffic rules and there are very few traffic lights, so be very careful when crossing the road because a car can appear from anywhere.

Egypt's nightclubs are very entertaining and the prices are normal,of course not every day, but if you want to have a lot of fun, you can go to a nightclub one day.If you like nightlife, I'm sure you won't regret it.

By the way, Arabic songs are very nice, my favorite is Arabic rap.

I leave my favorite song here :

In conclusion, if you want to go abroad, improve yourself, get to know different cultures, get out of your comfort zone, but you do not have enough money, Egypt is a perfect country for you. If you want it to be a little cheaper and want to work somewhere as a volunteer, going to Egypt with Aiesec will be a perfect step for you.

AIESEC:

Thank you for reading this far. If you have any questions, I leave the adress below where you can reach me 🤠

Instagram : simgevnc

E-mail: simgevan05@gmail.com

All pictures belong to me.📸

[rothjuje]

I don’t remember daylight savings being so exhausting/disorienting. We left the park at 4 and it was almost impossible to keep all 3 kids awake on the drive home. They crashed hard before 8 and I’m considering heading to bed soon. The extra light was absolutely amazing but very weird.

Gen—shockingly—has done so well with taking away the pacifiers cold turkey. Also surprisingly, she did not do well with us taking a side off her crib. She barely slept the first night and cried the second night until we put it back on. My friends think her sleeping in a crib is developmentally harmful, but our pediatrician said to keep her in as long as she was willing/not climbing out. She’s always been a finicky sleeper, and if a crib helps her feel more secure and to sleep longer, I don’t see the harm in it.

I did get to go shopping closer to the city and I absolutely got both an ice cream from Cold Stone and a Jamba juice. I legit squealed when I pulled up to Cold Stone. And it was even better than I remembered. There is a store called Primark here that is dirt cheap. I got Gen a flannel dress for fall for $3 and I don’t understand how they make money. I am the pickiest ever with my clothes but I did have some fun at Nordstrom Rack. It was just nice to have a girls’ day, especially with Justin about to leave for 8.5 days. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Apparently people here are big into making summer plans. I hadn’t given it much thought until a friend told me if I wait until April to sign the kids up for anything it will all be full. I don’t really know what the YMCA is but it seems really stressful, I took kids swimming there once 15 years ago as a nanny and it was packed and I can’t do crowds. The kid-friendly beach here (Wingaersheek) is also packed, super far away, and expensive ($35 for one day of parking). There is apparently a private lake the next town over that sells summer memberships, and they have grills which could be cute. I don’t think a private lake amongst small towns would get super packed, but also $200 to go to a lake? We have a lake here in town that is free and very popular, but is closed for swimming sometimes because of goose poop bacteria. I’m trying not to be prissy about it, but I was spoiled by massive, clean lakes in Texas. With actual sand. Soft, luxurious sand. And splash pads, so many splash pads. Most free. So having to pay for summer recreation is new to me, but I guess everything out here is $$$.

We went to the saddest Purim carnival today. I feel bad saying that, but there were barely any Jews in Santa Cruz and their Purim carnival was huge and crazy fun. I’ve decided I’m going to throw my own Purim carnival every year. I’m already planning it. I told Justin he is in charge of the Megillah and he’s so excited he’s going to buy puppets for it haha. Purim used to be my least favorite Jewish holiday, but now I love it because it’s so kid-friendly and just one day of celebration, not 8 days of stress (Hanukkah). I’ve been more into Jewish holidays in general recently, now that the twins are older and able to participate and we are all settled and able to start new traditions.

This era of life can be draining (twin threenagers) but also so, so sweet. I love seeing G&G’s personalities and interests develop. Watching babies turn into kids is the most magical (and sentimental) experience. But also, the exhaustion. I’m so excited for bed.