#thank you noël wells for blessing us | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

hoeforau · 4 years ago

Text

~🤍~

Taeil

...

Johnny - Youngho

I’ll send all my loving to you - @sehunniepotwrites

24.8k - soulmate au!, friends to lovers au!

My favorite Johnny fic out there, by far. It has just the right amount of angst and fluff and just wholesome shit, you know? I’ve already praised this fic on my side blog (see here) but I just had to put it on here too. Bless you for this masterpiece 💛

The legend - @moonttaeil

30k - fratboy Johnny

Welp, might have read this when I was deep in my Johnny feels and now it won’t leave my mind. Frat au! lovers, this is one of, if not the best, frat series there is. If you haven’t already read their frat house series, DO IT.

Taeyong

...

Yuta

...

Doyoung

The trust fund baby - @moonttaeil

25k - frat/richboi Doyoung, fake dating au!

Y’all when I say I cried... This is a really bittersweet story but I LOVED IT. There’s also a part. 2 and it’s just as good. I’ll say it, Xiaojun deserved better, change my mind.

Atlas - @wincore

15.4k - fwb au!, college au!

Okay so this fic fucking wrecked me. I cried, maybe a bit too much. I can’t even express how much I liked it, it’s that good. It has a very, I’d say, “poetic” side to it. So beautiful.

A Marriage of Inconvenience - @lucaswithnoshirt

22.5k - victorian au!, arranged marriage au!

Now I have a soft spot for these particular aus and can I just say that it met every single one of my expectations. I want writer Doyoung as my husband, pls.

Ten -Chittaphon

Une seconde avant noël - @127-mile

5.2k - exes au!

Angst but it ends well. This was so cute, we need more Ten fics like this one in the world.

Ocean eyes - @lucaswithnoshirt

15k - mermaid au!, platonic au!

Okay, so this is probably one of the first fics I’ve read on this website, and it totally drew me in. I’m not used to platonic aus (and I have to admit I wished they at least kissed one but oh well) but as weird as it sounds, it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, I quite liked it! Very cute.

Jaehyun - Yoonoh

...

Winwin - Sicheng

...

Jungwoo

...

Lucas - Xuxi/Yukhei

...

Mark

19-1664 TPX: Red - @ceruleanskies

8.6k - soulmate au!, assassin au!

Let’s be honest, soulmates au is probably one of the best aus that exists out there, and this fic does it justice. The angst is just *chef kiss*. This is part of a very interesting series that I sadly haven’t yet read in its entirety, but definitely will do in the future.

Xiaojun

...

Hendery - Kunhang

...

Renjun

Huang Renjun’s Envy - @misfitneo

17.5k - mafia au!

This is technically the pt.3 of the Seven deadly sins series by the same author, which I highly recommend too. This one was just hitting the Renjun vibes, you know. ouch ouch ouch, much angst but I love it.

One foot in the Golden life - @nsheetee

9.7k - richkid au!

Oh oh oh now that was so good. There is so few good Renjun fics out there, but this one gets the gold from me (see what I did there?).

Jeno

pussy blocked. : @luvdsc

31k - college au!, fuckboi/girl au!

Okay, I’m not a pancakes gal but... I would gladly sacrifice myself for those.

That’s it, that’s the review/description. Just go read it.

Of captains and college boys: @neocitybynight

8.2k - hockey au!

Part 2 here. (14.7k)

This fucking broke me. I felt every word slam my heart with a hockey stick until my very own soul shook.

Lee Jeno as a hockey player is hot, but Lee Jeno as a genuine and vulnerable human being is hotter.

Haechan - Donghyuck

Lights, Cameras, F*ck you (LDH) - @neocitybynight

31k - Hollywood au!

Now, I believe any Haechan stan has read this fic, and rightfully so. It’s like, the backbone of the Hyuck fics. It’s genuine and well-written, the story is really addictive. It even has a cute little epilogue. Anyhow, a must read.

Solaria - @jenoremii

2.5k - tattoo shop au!

Now of course I added this one to the list. Thank you for fuelling my fantasies about pretty man with tattoos and piercings, highly appreciated 🖤

Home is a feeling - @neonun-au

8.2k - fluff, christmas au...?

Soft soft soft for this. But really, anything by this author is so great. Check them out.

Baby Face - @smileysuh

14.4k - frat Hyuck, enemies to lovers au!

HA! As if I wouldn’t put this masterpiece on my list. I think it’s common knowledge by now that frat Hyuck is my shit. I wanna argue and fight with Hyuck too, if it ends the same way it does in this fic (pls, I’m begging). The entire Frat universe fics are bangers too (I might have read them all too, oops)

Jaemin

The owl and the moon - @jenoremii

7.5k - badboy Jaemin, highschool au!

I requested this one and boy oh boy was I not disappointed. Not the usual badboy fic you’d expect, but in a good way. It has a very comforting and familiar feeling to it.

Two nights, one you - @nctsworld

10.9k - fuckboi jaemin

Now this, this is the ultimate Jaemin fic. It has everything; fuckboi Jaemin, nice smut, slight enemies to lovers... what more can you ask for? This particular Jaemin lives rent free in my mind.

cat & mouse - @tyonfs

17.7k - fbw au!, college au!

So, I never thought I’d want to be Jaehyun’s sister so bad in my life but here I am. The tension and suspense was so... surreal lolz, I loved it. Looking forward to the Jeno fic in the same universe (slam dunk series).

Yangyang

...

Shotaro

...

Sungchan

...

Chenle

...

Jisung

Sweeter than honey - @luvdsc

30k - bestfriends to lovers au!, rich kids au!

!!NO SMUT!! cause we respectful hoes in this household

No but fuck off this was the cutest thing ever. This was such a nice change compared to all them 1k Jisung drabbles... bless you. I ate this up like candy, it was so so sweet omfg I can’t. The group dynamics were so wholesome and the characters URGH (here’s a short list cause I can): Shyshyshy BFF Jisung? Fat Check. Done™️ Renjun? Relatable Check. Football players Nomin (whose image will be forever engraved in my mind)? Legend Check. Insufferable Hyuck? Double Check. And the list goes on... I loved it. A must read for all the soft Jisung stans out there.

———————————🤍———————————

*I know, I know, I have my favorites... feel free to send me some good fics, I’ve got nothing but time to spare

Also, this will keep getting updated cause I can’t stop myself from reading fanfics until 3am so that’s that🙃

#simp for the neo boys #it’s not an addiction I swear #nct #fic rec #nct fic rec #nct aesthetic #hoeforau

218 notes · View notes

ladywynneoutlander · 5 years ago

Text

Heart’s Abundance

Part 5 - Joyeux Noël

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6

Jamie sighs in satisfaction, and I know he is savoring the soft warm weight of the granddaughter he feared he’d never see again. Mandy lies in peaceful slumber, her cheeks pinked by the nearby fire, her dark baby-fine curls framing her chubby face. Even after months I can hardly believe she’s here, healthy and safe, her heart problem a thing of the past. She will grow strong and free in the mountains. Thank God.

It has been a blessed day, Christmas Eve, and it’s very late. William, Fanny, and Germain have already retired to their rooms. Jem is asleep on the hearth rug. He will have to be moved later, but for now everyone is too content. The room is warm and glowing. It smells of wood fire, beeswax candles, and the sharp resinous pine of Brianna and Roger’s Christmas tree. I smile at the memory of their bringing it in. Jamie had watched curiously, but he hadn’t protested. I suppose he’s used to our strange ways, and after all, there is no harm in it. Jamie had spent an unusual amount of the day indoors, making various excuses. I think he enjoyed watching Brianna and I stringing popcorn, the children making ornaments.

Now Roger is sitting with Brianna’s head leaning against his shoulder and his hand on her knee. They are speaking quietly together, the soft language of a married couple who are as comfortable with one another as with themselves. When they returned to the Ridge Roger said the future is no longer safe for them. I pray that they may be safe here, remote enough to be spared the worst horrors of war.

I move to Jamie‘s side and smile softly at Mandy, bending to kiss the little girl’s black curls. Then I raise my head and find Jamie’s lips, giving him a gentle kiss as well.

“Sit wi’ me, Sassenach.” He draws me down with his left hand, still cradling Mandy in his right.

I settle next to him and sigh contentedly, looking at Brianna and Roger. “Bree always loved Christmas.”

“Aye?” he says, interested. “And what did she like best then?”

“The lights,” I answer without hesitation. “In our time we have small lights on strings. They glow without flames. Remember I told you about electricity?”

He nods, frowning slightly at the memory of the wondrous, dangerous energy I had described.

“These lights work on electricity,” I go on. “They shine like the tree is covered in lightning bugs of every color. Brianna was enchanted as a girl. She wanted them everywhere; strung around the windows and over the mantel. Then she would sleep in the parlor by the tree.”

He glances at our own tree. Roger had fashioned a star for the top out of twigs. It’s a small merry thing, but nothing sparkles from the fresh springy boughs. “Do ye think she misses it Sassenach?”

I look from him to Brianna. My daughter reaches up and smooths a dark strand of Roger’s hair from his face. They are absorbed in one another. “No,” I say softly. “Her loves are here.”

As if called by my gaze Brianna rises and comes over, bending to gather Mandy in her arms. “We’d better put the kids to bed. Santa might be here anytime.” Though not the norm in this time, four small stockings hang by the fire, another oddity Jamie absorbed today.

“Aye,” Roger says, coming up behind Brianna with Jem in his arms. “Off to bed with the weans.”

Brianna kisses our cheeks, bending awkwardly over Mandy to reach us. “Merry Christmas Da, Mama.”

“Happy Christmas darling,” I return as she follows Roger upstairs.

-o0OOO0o-

The thump of little feet on the stairs shakes the whole house and I groan into my pillow. In turn Jamie chuckles, rolling over to throw his arm across my back. “Happy Christmas, Sassenach.” I groan again but crack open my eyes. The sunlight is thin through cracks of the shutters. It’s still quite early. I blink and close my eyes again.

Jamie peeks over my shoulder. “Now, none ‘o that.”

He kisses the back of my neck and gently rolls me over. He is smiling sweetly down at me with his hair in morning disarray about his head, and I can’t help but smile back. “Happy Christmas to you too.”

He leans down and kisses me, and I feel the soft stubble of his unshaven cheek. Then he pulls back and grins. “Let’s go see what Santa’s brought, aye?”

He fairly bounces out of bed and I laugh, rising more slowly. “You know he only visits children?”

Jamie is enthusiastically pulling on his stockings. He peers up through strands of russet and copper, “Aye, I know! But I want to see how Brianna does Christmas. I dinna want to miss anything.”

I yawn once more, and smiling, throw a shawl around my shoulders, “Me either. Off we go then.”

-o0OOO0o-

The children enjoy their stockings immensely. They are filled with peppermint candy, a top, and clay marbles. Jamie watches them quietly, a smile on his face.

In the afternoon, it’s time for presents. As I work on the enthusiastic knots Jem added to his gift, my attention is drawn by Fanny. She shyly rises from her stool and approaches William. He glances up with a smile. “Hullo Fanny. Happy Christmas.”

“Hello,” she smiles tentatively back, “I– I made you a present.”

“Well, I thank you,” He pats the spot next to him. “Sit here by me.”

She does so and hands him a folded square. He unfolds it to reveal an embroidered handkerchief, a corner cleverly decorated with swimming fish and golden rings, a nod to his seal.

“Why, it’s beautiful,” he says sincerely, and Fanny flushes with pleasure. “I have something for you as well.” William carefully refolds the handkerchief then hands her a small parcel, wrapped in a scrap of muslin I’d given him for the purpose, and tied with twine.

Fanny takes the gift, eyes shining. “Th– thank you.” She pulls on the string and reveals a fragrant wooden box, polished but unvarnished, the top carved with the letters FP and a tiny flower in each corner. The lid is perfectly made to snugly fit the bottom. The entire room is quiet, now as riveted by the scene as I am.

“Isth beautiful,” Fanny breathes, forgetting to enunciate in her happiness.

“Open it.”

She does so, and her eyes fill with tears. “Is this?” She swallows. “Was this Jane’s?” Fanny reaches into the box and delicately withdraws a lock of hair, secured with a tiny ribbon tied in a bow. She sets the box aside, and strokes the soft brown strands gently.

“Yes, I took it when…when I last saw her. I thought you might like to have it.” William answers softly.

Fanny closes her hand over the bundle, and her eyes as well. “Thank you, William.”

He reaches out and puts a hand on her arm. Fanny opens her eyes and I see a light spring into them, and a tenderness, even in the midst of her grief. I remember everything she has seen, and realize that in some ways, Fanny is mature beyond her years. I reluctantly prepare to intervene. It’s obvious, at least to me, how the girl misconstrued the gift and the gesture. Just as I begin to rise William says, “Frances, you must know how dear Jane was to me, even in the short time I knew her. You are dear to me as well.” He smiles. “Why, I think of you as a little sister.”

Fanny jerks a little at that and pulls her arm from under William’s hand. She takes a deep, ragged breath. “A sister? That’s how you see me?”

William blinks, unsure what to make of her reaction. “Well, yes. I hope that is all right?” He gives her a concerned look. “I did not mean to offer offense.”

Fanny stands abruptly, replacing the lock of hair and closing the box carefully. “Of course, I thank you again for the gift and … and for your kind regard.” She backs up a step, turns, and flees upstairs, moving with speed but not running. Poor girl.

William looks from face to face helplessly. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No dear,” I sigh and rise. “Don’t worry. I’ll see to her.”

-o0OOO0o-

Fanny is a brave, practical girl, and she is back with us shortly. I spoke with her upstairs, and I know I will probably need to again, but for now she is all right.

The rest of the day passes most pleasantly. The snow comes down in soft white flakes outside the window and the fire crackles happily. We sing carols and enjoy our gifts, playing chess and tic-tac-toe and marbles.

In the evening Brianna recites A Christmas Carol, with the various ghosts enacted by the children (to the detriment of the linens). I listen with Jamie’s arm around me, laughing occasionally, and feeling blessed. We are sitting half in the shadows, and I have a quilt pulled over my lap against the chill. I feel Jamie shift and there is the crinkle of paper in my lap. I look down to see one last gift. “For you, Sassenach.”

I look up at him in surprise, smiling, “Whenever did you have the time?”

“Oh, I may have had this put away for some little time. I wanted to give it to ye at the right moment, aye?”

I look at the gift again, curiosity peaked. I heft it in my hand. “Well, it isn’t a new kettle.”

He smiles but doesn’t say anything as I pull back waxed paper, then to my surprise, dark green velvet. Nestled inside is a set of stunning tortoiseshell hair ornaments. Each is adorned with a dragonfly, made of gold, the eyes glimmering rounds of amber. I am awestruck. “Jamie. They’re gorgeous. Simply lovely. But, they’re so expensive…”

He stops me with a gentle kiss. “Dinna fash. I managed is all.” He strokes one with a large finger and looks up at me shyly. “I saw them and knew they were meant for ye. They mind me of Hugh Munroe’s wedding gift, and the amber does look just like your eyes.”

Said eyes were blinking back tears at the moment. “They’re beautiful. Truly.”

“Ye’re beautiful, Claire. Ye deserve them, and so much more.” He leans down for a true kiss then, tilting my chin up to meet him, his mouth soft and warm. When we part he stays close to me, his eyes tender and guileless.

I lay my hand against his cheek. “We’re not Hugh’s dragonfly any longer, Jamie. We’re not trapped, not by time nor circumstance. We’re flying quickly, so quickly now.”

“Aye.” He touches my cheek in return, outlining my bones with a calloused finger, and smiles gently, “But we’re doing it together, however long or brief the journey. This time, there’s the two of us.” He closes the inch between us once more, kissing me. Then he twists a strand of my hair up and back. I can see the various colors from the corner of my eye, the light brown, gray, and blonde. Jamie secures it with a dragonfly and does the same on the other side.

“Merry Christmas, bonny lass.”

“Merry Christmas, love.”

#heart's abundance #outlander #christmas #jamie and claire #Claire Fraser #Jamie Fraser #mandy mackenzie #william ransom #fanny pocock

128 notes · View notes

bespectacledbun · 5 years ago

Text

The Adventure of the Two Sisters — Arthur

Words: 3.5k Rating: General Notes: This work can also be found on Ao3. This was written for ttrevina in the 2019 Ikevamp Holiday Exchange!! Tags: @ikevamp-holiday-exchange

December 18th, a week before Christmas. Paris was alive with the holiday spirit; wreaths of pine and holly, tied with glittering red and gold bows, adorned the doors and windows of every building. Displays of candy canes and sugared violets enticed customers through shop doors. Children eagerly gathered outside the toy store, breath fogging glass as they eyed the gleaming model train set on polished tracks.

Restaurants opened doors to usher in guests, the delicious aroma of roasted turkey, accompanied by fragrant rosemary and melted butter wafting through the air. Snowdrifts were piled up on the streets, pure sheets of white lining roofs and crystal flakes settling in hair. Inside, hidden away from the cold, people curled up in front of the fireplace, steaming mugs of cocoa clutched in hands and shiny presents tucked under the ornament-laden boughs of trees.

And in one particular orphanage in the 15th arrondissement, the children rushed down the stairs to greet their special visitor—

��Père Noël!” The girl clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling as she stared up at the man in front of her.

The boy standing behind her elbowed her. “Imbécile,” he hissed. “That’s not Père Noël, he’s supposed to be an old man!” Another girl who looked to be the same age as him chided him. “Thomas, don’t be rude.”

Arthur gave the children assembled in front of him a charming smile. “Père Noël wasn’t feeling too well, so he asked me to fill in for him today! He even asked my charming assistant to help me.” He gestured to Iris, who waved at the children surrounding them. She smoothed down her skirt, richly dyed wool with red and green holly embroidered around the hem.

“But don’t worry; we’ll be extra careful and make sure that Père Noël receives all of your wishes for Christmas.”

It was at that moment that Sister Èlise chose to finally make an appearance. “Thank you for coming on such short notice, M. Arthur. Children, why don’t you go make the parlour ready for our guests? Whoever does it the fastest gets a treat~”

She gently ushered the rowdy bunch out of the room. The kids scampered off, eager to be the first to win a treat from the nun. Èlise sighed.

“Ever since we had that incident with Si… with Amélie, we haven’t had many sponsors for the orphanage.” Her gaze lingered on the open door of the parlor; the children had divided themselves into teams, with the older ones instructing the younger kids what to do. Her veil covered her face.

“I’m afraid the little chance we had at giving these children a good life is ruined beyond repair now.”

Iris clasped Èlise’s hands and gave the other woman a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of the children for today.” Arthur nodded. “Of course. We couldn’t very well turn down such a heartfelt request for assistance, could we?”

The sister gave a weary smile back, and squeezed Iris’s hands. “Thank you so much, both of you. May God bless both of you.” Arthur waved it off.

“Please, you’re giving us too much credit. Now, shall we go check on the children? You mustn't let them get bored for too long, you know.”

} ¡ { } ¡ { } ¡ {

They spent the day being run ragged, entertaining the children with stories and games to keep them from causing mischief. While Iris was playing hide and seek with the older ones in the garden, some of the younger kids had cornered Arthur and—

“Can you really send all our wishes to Père Noël?” The group stared up at him, amazed; Thomas scoffed. Arthur grinned at the circle of bright-eyed children sitting around him. “Of course! Now, name anything you want and I’m sure that Père Noël will be happy to grant it.”

Thomas turned at this, staring hard at Arthur incredulously. “Seriously? He’ll give us anything?” At Arthur’s nod, he sat back, crossing his arms. “Okay. What if I want a family for Christmas?”

Arthur leveled him with a mischievous smirk. “Then you’ll get a family for Christmas. Is that all you want?” A chorus of ‘oooh’s went up around the circle as the others glanced between Thomas and Arthur. The boy stared him down for a few more minutes, before he ‘hmph’ed and turned his head away.

Arthur clapped his hands. “Alright! Since Thomas so graciously volunteered himself to go first, we’ll go around the circle and say what we want for Christmas! How does that sound?”

Cheers went up. As each child’s turn came, they eagerly described what they wanted from Père Noël for the upcoming holiday, from a small puppy to a grand piano. He mentally noted each request; he’d have to do a lot of shopping when he got back to the mansion.

Then came the turn of a little girl, dressed from head to toe in black, brown hair pulled into two thin braids. An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, hushed whispers breaking out between some of the others.

Arthur studied her curiously. She couldn’t have been any older than six or seven, but her face was pinched with an unbearable sadness, shoulders drooping with the weight of it. “What’s your name, little one?” The girl mumbled something into her collar that he couldn't catch. “Come again?”

She raised her head; there were dark circles under her eyes. “My name is Christine.” Her voice was so small that he could barely hear it. The girl sitting right next to Arthur leaned over and whispered, “Don’t mind her, Monsieur. She’s been that dull for a long while, ever since her sister fell ill three years ago. She stays up every night to take care of her.” Her voice was growing fainter, drowned out by the ringing in Arthur’s ears.

He’s been sick for so long, Doctor. Is he ever going to get better?

“…sieur. Monsieur?” Arthur shook his head. “Is everything okay?” He smiled at the children reassuringly. Not now, Arthur, keep it together.

“Of course! I was just surprised, is all.” He looked at Christine again. Gently, he spoke to her again. “Is there anything you want to ask for?”

Christine stared at the floor, as if wishing she could disappear into the thick carpet. “She doesn’t want anything except for her sister to get better, Monsieur. We just leave her alone.” The girl next to Arthur whispered.

Arthur swallowed hard. He took a deep breath to compose himself, and tried to brush over the awkward silence. “Well, is that everyone?”

The handful of kids who hadn’t shared their wishes clambered to be the first to tell what they wanted. Arthur listened to them intently, trying to push the girl in the black dress to the back of his mind.

} ¡ { } ¡ { } ¡ {

It wasn’t until they were walking back to the mansion that Iris saw Arthur again, and subsequently, noticed something was off about him. He didn’t tease her or make any jokes as they walked, no quips about her being a cute helper of Père Noël like earlier that day. In the golden light of the sun, he seemed almost… melancholy.

“Arthur?” He hummed in response, eyes still pointed straight ahead. He didn’t even look at her. “Is everything alright with you?” Iris took one of his hands in hers, squeezing it.

“Everything’s fine, love.” She stopped. Arthur paused, and gave her one of his trademark cheeky grins. It didn't reach his eyes.

Iris lifted her free hand, cradling his cheek. “Everything is most definitely not fine. Something is bothering you. I can tell.” Arthur leaned into her touch. Memories swam under the surface of his mind, clouding his thoughts.

“When I was entertaining the children… there was this girl. Her name was Christine.” Iris nodded for him to continue.

“I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. I was trying to get the kids into a holiday mood, trying to cheer them up. And when her turn came ‘round, she… she said she wanted her sister to smile for Christmas. Her sister… her sister’s been sick for the last three years, and—” Arthur’s voice cracked.

Iris tugged him closer, resting his head on her shoulders. “It’s okay, Arthur. You’re not in the hospital anymore. This isn’t Jack. It’s okay.” Her voice flowed over him; she rubbed his back soothingly.

“But it’s the same damn thing!” He raised his head to look at her; his eyes were filled with anguish. “It’s the same damn thing, and I won’t be able to do a bloody thing about it like the utterly useless—”

“Arthur.” She cut him off. “You are not useless, Arthur. Listen to me. Whatever she asked for, we’re going to be able to grant it, and you'll make her smile. I know you will. Do you believe in me?” Arthur hesitated, and gave a slow nod; Iris smiled. “Good, because I believe in you. You can do this.” She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Arthur laughed; the tension in his shoulders drained. “How on earth did I ever find a woman like you?” Slipping his arms around her waist, he rested his forehead against hers, the last rays of the setting sun falling over them. Iris giggled.

“Well, you tried to scare me off at first, then you made a bet with me—” He cut her off with another kiss. “You're a silly woman,” he whispered. Her smile widened.

“Then that makes me a silly woman in love with a silly man. Now let’s go home. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

} ¡ { } ¡ { } ¡ {

December 25th. Christmas day.

Arthur stared holes into the wood of the orphanage door. He had gotten all of the gifts that the children had requested, including a baby grand piano that could easily fit in the parlor of the orphanage. Next to him, Iris was holding Vic and King’s leashes. (It hadn't been easy trying to convince Theo to let Arthur borrow his dog for the day, but somehow with Iris and Vincent’s combined efforts he had managed it).

He’d left the mansion feeling prepared for anything that could possibly go wrong, but now that he was actually at the orphanage, his head seemed to spin. He felt his hand being squeezed, and looked down. Iris had covered his hand with hers; her eyes were so gentle as she smiled at him. It’s going to be okay. He nodded, trying to smile, but his face seemed to be stuck.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and rapped three times on the door. It swung open, revealing two girls dressed in identical holly-patterned frocks with bows in their hair. “Monsieur!” They grabbed one of his hands each, pulling him forward into the orphanage. Iris followed, both dogs straining at their leashes.

“Doggies!” The twins shrieked, immediately letting go of Arthur’s hands to run to pet the two dogs. Vic barked eagerly, delighted at the attention; the other kids must have heard it, as a crowd had formed in a few minutes around Vic and King. Arthur parted the sea of kids, allowing Iris to lead the dogs into the parlor.

“Make sure not to crowd them, children!” Sister Èlise called out to the children. Turning to Iris and Arthur, the weariness in her face seemed to finally lift. “You two have done such a wonderful thing for the orphanage. I don’t know how we can ever repay you—” Arthur held a finger up to her lips.

“Don’t worry about paying us back. Just let them enjoy this gift for today.” His eyes sparkled. Sister Èlise nodded. Arthur scanned the room carefully, looking for twin brown braids. “Where’s Christine?”

The nun’s eyes creased with concern at the mention of the girl’s name. “She’s with her sister. We offered to take care of Marie for the day so she could enjoy herself, but…” Her sentence trailed off, needing no more explanation.

Arthur flaunted a comforting smile. “Well, that’s too bad.” He winked at Sister Elise. “You don’t have to look so worried. I can take care of children.” The sister flushed, and hurriedly left the room.

Chuckling to himself, Arthur gathered a group of kids hovering on the outsides of the dog-petting club. “Who wants to play a game of hide and seek?” Their faces lit up and they dashed off, eager to be the winners of the game.

Arthur searched out all the children one by one, explaining to them what clues they had left behind that gave them away—a stray thread caught here, the scuff mark of a show against a wall there. Every time he did, the growing number of kids trailing behind him clapped in delight.

Eventually they all returned to the parlor, exhausted from playing for so long. Some of the children immediately ran off to the kitchen, eager to find the sources of the delicious smells coming from that direction. Arthur seated himself on a lounge chair, observing the room idly; Iris was entertaining two little girls with a pair of dolls in her hands. No doubt she was retelling one of his stories, judging by the shocked gasps and cheers every so often from the trio.

“Thomas!”

One of the older girls poked her head through the parlor doorway. “Thomas, Sister Elise is calling for you!” The boy in question tilted his head in confusion, hand frozen above King’s head. She shrugged. “She says there’s a couple here that wants to see you? She thinks they might be here to take you home.” Thomas froze. He slowly turned his head.

Arthur was smirking from ear to ear.

Thomas sputtered. “You! You… how did you—”

“Go on now, mate. Time waits for no one, you know.”

Thomas’s eyes widened. He nodded, and bolted out of the room, slamming the door shut in his haste. Arthur grinned. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Iris bending to whisper to one of the girls, and then leaving the room.

She returned a few minutes later with a girl no more than five years old in tow. She was tiny and pale, almost sickly. Her faded pink smock hung off her thin frame.

The children noticed her standing in the doorway and one by one, they went silent. The crowd parted like the sea for her. Slowly, she shuffled into the room, still holding on to Iris for support. Vic noticed her first; he padded over to her, wet nose sniffing curiously at her. She lifted a hand, scratching the dog under his chin. Content, Vic barked and turned around to settle on the floor right at her feet, brown eyes staring up at her expectantly.

She settled to the floor; the dog rested his head in her lap. Stroking his ears carefully, the girl smiled. The room seemed to let out a collective sigh at that. King got up and joined her as well, settling down on her other side with his tail wagging eagerly.

The door banged open at that exact moment.

Christine was standing outside, breathing hard like she’d run a marathon. “What did you do to my sister, you—” Here eyes fell on the girl in the pink smock and her voice choked. Marie looked up; slowly, her face brightened. “Tine!”

Iris joined Arthur at his side, both of them watching the sisters to see what they would do next. Christine stumbled into the room, kneeling in front of her sister. Marie took her hand. "You're… okay?"

"I feel well today. Well enough to come out." Marie smiled. "I'm getting better, so you don't have to worry about me too much." Her voice was too soft for anyone but her sister to hear.

Christine nodded. She let her forehead rest against Marie's, hands still linked.

One by one, the other kids approached them, no longer scared of accidentally facing Christine’s wrath. One girl, who looked to be the same age as Marie, tentatively offered her the china doll she clutched in one hand.

Arthur murmured, “Now, how exactly did you manage to sneak a sick girl out of bed and down the stairs without her sister noticing?”

Iris whispered back, “I just told here there was a very handsome Père Noël waiting for her downstairs with two puppies as her Christmas gift. Although,” her eyes glanced briefly at the two sisters surrounded by the other orphanage children. “I think that she had that strength in her already. Her sister’s been taking good care of her. Reminds me a little of someone I know.”

Arthur looked a bit taken aback, before a flush creeped up his neck and ears. “Cheeky little bird, aren’t you?”

“I have to be, if I want to keep up with you.” There was a twinkle in her eye at the last statement.

“Mademoiselle!” Iris whipped around to see who had called her. A group of girls were sitting around Marie and Christine, dolls in hand. “Mademoiselle, tell us the story you were telling earlier! With the box of pearls and the missing inheritance!”

Iris glanced at Arthur from the corner of her eye. “I told you that you would make her smile, didn’t I?” She hurried off to the eager group and took her place.

Arthur watched her, eyes softening; a rueful smile touched his lips. “Yeah. I guess I did, in a way.”

} ¡ { } ¡ { } ¡ {

Iris was cleaning up the last of the dishes from the large dining table when they found her. It hadn’t been easy to feed 40 children, especially when she had to make sure that all of them stayed in their seats and didn’t make too much of a mess, but somehow she managed to wrangle her way through it. She had just finished arranging the vase of primroses in the center of the pristine white tablecloth when a voice called her name.

"Mademoiselle?" Iris looked up. Marie and Christine were standing before her. They gave her near-identical beaming smiles. "Monsieur is looking for you. He says he has a gift for you."

She raised an eyebrow. They each grabbed one of her hands and led her out of the room, round corners and down the stairs out to the foyer. Arthur was waiting there, hands in his pockets as he whistled something to himself. The sisters let go of her at the same time.

“Enjoy your gift Mademoiselle!” Christine waved over her shoulder with a look far too sly for a seven year old girl. Iris could only blink for a few minutes at their retreating backs, before she turned and hurried towards Arthur.

"Arthur, the girls told me you had something you wanted to give me?"

Arthur lifted an eyebrow. “Is that so? A little bird told me that you were the one with a gift.”

Iris could hear children giggling behind the corner. She peeked at them from the corner of her eye; they were looking at something on the ceiling and snickering behind their hands. Arthur must have had the same idea that she had, because they both looked up at the same time.

A sprig of waxy leaves and glistening white berries hung from the ceiling… right above Arthur’s head. Iris felt her cheeks burn. Looking back down, she saw Arthur looking at her deviously, a smirk on his face. “Well?” He stepped closer; Iris resisted the urge to step back. “It's tradition.”

Blood roared in her ears. “T-there are children watching…” Even she knew that was a feeble attempt at protest. Arthur leaned in closer; she felt his next words more than heard them. “The children are the rascals who set this up in the first place.” Vaguely, she registered the giggling grow louder as her face flushed even more.

“Iris.” Her eyes darted up to meet Arthur’s. At the question that swirled in the depths of his blue eyes. May I? She nodded, eyes fluttering shut right as their lips met. He hummed, one arm snaking around her waist and pulling her closer to his body. Iris tangled her hands in his hair, drawing back for breath, and then diving back in for a deeper kiss.

The children were cheering from around the corner. Iris buried her face in her hands to hide her burning cheeks. "You rascals come on out now!" Footsteps thudded on the carpet as the children scattered, shrieking in delight while Arthur played at chasing after them.

He returned to Iris, holding her gently. "Iris?"

"Hmm?" She still had her face buried in her hands.

"I love you."

Her surprised face popped up from behind her hands. Just enough for Arthur to land a kiss on her nose. "Arthur!" She squealed. His laugh rang out. "I… I love you too." An adorable blush graced her cheeks as she uttered the words, he thought.

She laid her head on his chest, feeling the steady thump-thump-thump of his heart beating. A hand came up to stroke her hair, and she felt Arthur press another soft kiss to the top of her head.

"Merry Christmas, Arthur."

"Merry Christmas to you too, my love."

27 notes · View notes

messy-jin · 5 years ago

Text

Ikemen Vampire Secret Santa

Hey, dear Lunar Kim, I am your secret santa for this year! I hope you had wonderful holidays and they were filled with happiness!

At first, I wanted to go with a fiction. But since I’ve underestimated college and its amount of work for this year, I had to go with headcanons. I hope it is still fine with you and that you’ll enjoy your gift!

I would also like to thank @ikevamp-holiday-exchange for the opportunity to be part of this exchange! It was my very first experience in this type of events and I was happy to participate!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩ ✻ ✩

Christmas Season Headcanons for Ikemen Vampire characters and Lunar/Lisanna:

❄ This year, le Comte decided to celebrate Christmas with the residents of the mansion. To do so, he gave the mission of organising everything to Sebastian and Lisanna.

❄ Everybody had their own mission: Christmas tree, decorating the whole mansion, preparing a feast for Christmas Eve, buying gifts for everyone...

❄ Sebastian, being himself, saw this celebration as a golden occasion to learn more about the residents: how they celebrate Christmas, what gift they dream to receive... So many information, how exciting!

❄ “You nerd,” you laughed when he voiced his excitement regarding the whole situation. But you could not complain. After all, you loved Christmas! And to celebrate this holiday with your new family for the first time was indeed exciting!

❄ This is when Sebastian came up with an idea. “Lisanna,” he started, “I have an extra mission for you?”

❄ This extra mission turned out to be decorating the whole mansion with its residents, and to take advantage of this situation to gain information about what they want for Christmas.

❄ “I would love to,” you exclaimed, “but if Arthur says he wants me for Christmas, it’s a no.” This joke actually made Sebastian smile, and that was your personal victory.

❄ And this is how this week started, and how you went into a whole adventure of questioning without being spotted. Well... Of course, Leonardo and Arthur found out right away what you wanted to know. But hopefully, the other residents would stay unaware.

❄ After failing with Leonardo and Arthur, you decided to go to Isaac. You quickly found him in the dining room. And this poor boy was fighting against the Christmas tree. Literally.

❄ “L-Lisanna, I could use a hand, here!” There he was, a panicked Issac struggling with tangled tinsels. So tangled they seemed to actually tangled around Isaac’s hand.

❄ You could help but let out a little laugh. Tinsels were always a mess, when you get them out of their box after a whole year. You did not hesitate to come to Isaac’s rescue. And untangling tinsels with him was the perfect occasion to have a chat.

❄ The conversation was starting casually: how do you get in this situation, do you like Christmas, do the residents do that every year... And finally, the question came up.

❄ “Isaac, what do you usually receive for Christmas?” You asked. It was casually asked, in the continuation of the rest of the conversation. Really smooth, Lisanna, well done!

❄ Isaac sighed. “They always find a way to buy something apple related...” Oh. “I wish they could actual buy me something that’s useful, and not a joke, like a good book about modern science.” Jackpot!

❄ One gift idea found. You finished to help Isaac with this Christmas tree, proud of yourself.

❄ Before you left, Isaac stopped you. “Lisanna,” he called, “hum... Thank you for the help.” You could see his cheeks growing slightly redder, and you could not help but smile.

❄ Next destination? The hall of the mansion, where you knew Vincent was putting some decorations on. You just hoped Theo would not be here to glare at you talking with his brother.

❄ Good news, you spotted Vincent alone. And this man really is an artist, even for decorating. The hall was dazzling. You could not help but let a “wow” of admiration leave your mouth. This is when Vincent noticed you and showed you the most brilliant smile possible.

❄ “Lisanna, do you like it?” He asked, happy to be able to have your opinion. “Honestly,” you started, “You really have the eyes of an artist, everything is so beautiful.” And now, you did not know if you could help him, because he was doing such a good work by himself. But you had a mission!

❄ But the angel of the mansion beat you to it. “What do you want for Christmas?” Vincent asked without even trying to hide it.

❄ “I... Hum... Me?” You were so taken aback you actually stuttered it out. You were so focused on your little mission you forgot about your own gifts. “I don’t know... Maybe books or new fencing materials.” After all, last time you had a sparing with Napoléon and Jean, you noticed your fencing sword was damaged. And you could use new books, since you were re-reading old books right now.

❄ But now was the time to ask him the question back. Vincent did not hesitate one second to reply. “My brushes are getting old, to be honest, so the strokes on the canvas aren’t proper,” he explained, “I would love to have new ones.”

❄ The mission went perfectly fine, regarding Vincent, as expected. Now, you knew you had to ask Theo. But really, you were more hesitant about going to see him and found a way to ask smoothly.

❄ “Theo said something about needing a new coat,” Vincent continued, “Actually, I accidentely threw paint on his favorite last time, so...”

❄ Vincent knew how Theo were rather difficult for you to deal with, so you were grateful to him for taking it into consideration and for giving you gift ideas.

❄ “Thank you, Vincent,” you smiled. He smiled back, as always. “No, thank you for your feedback on the decorations.”

❄ Vincent always had this talent to make you happy after even the smallest conversation. With a spring in your steps, you decided to go search for the other residents.

❄ This is when you heard sounds in the kitchen. Curious, you went closer.

❄ Napoléon was in the kitchen, doing preparations for Christmas Eve. And you recognise right away what he was currently baking.

❄ “A yule log!” You happily said. Just thinking about eating a yule log made by Napoléon himself made you hungry.

❄ Napoléon smiled when he heard you. “A chocolate one,” he specified, “do you like it?”

❄ You came closer to him to have a better look on his work. “If I like it? I love it!” Napoléon looked proud of his choice after your exclamation.

❄ Okay, Lisanna, time for you to go on your mission. “Sebastian does not help you with the cooking?” You started casually. “He does,” Napoléon said, “but we were lacking some ingredients so he went outside to buy them.”

❄ The Christmas themed conversation went on and on. You have always felt it easy to talk with Napoléon. You felt like you could go on forever. So much that you almost forgot the point of you coming here. Oops.

❄ “I still have to go buy a present for Jupiter,” Napoléon noted. “You always buy something for Jupiter?” You asked, curious. “Of course, he deserves a present too, after all.”

❄ He was right, pets also deserve their own Christmas presents. "Wouldn’t it be fun to have a gift in common with Jupiter?” You suggested, “Back in my time, people make spectacle with eagles and have materials to help during the performance. It could be fun to try.”

❄ Well, it was back in the present, so you were far from sure to find anything about it in here. But Napoléon seemed to find the idea rather fun, so maybe you could find something similar in the past.

❄ That was a long day, so you decided to stop here. The next one, you took care of Dazai, Mozart and Jean. And oh boy, why did you keep them for the same day? They were all three a handful. But you managed to get everything you needed.

❄ “You really have everybody’s wishes?” Sebastian asked when you came to him to give a list to him. “Yes, that’s all I could collect,” you sighed. The last day really tired you up.

❄ Seeing your hard work and how you had to run everywhere the last few days, Sebastian said you could take the day off. And you did not think twice and accepted the day off right away. Little did you know that a certain blond angel somehow told Sebastian about your own wishes of presents you splits in front of him the day before.

❄ Finally, the day of Christmas Eve arrived. Thanks to everyone good work, this was a success. Napoléon and Sebastian’s feast was perfect, especially this chocolate yule log! Isaac’s tree ended up being on point. And of course, everybody complimented Vincent’s sense of decoration.

❄ At last came midnight, the time where everybody would open their presents. Thanks to your successful mission, each resident received the gift they wanted. Smiles were everywhere around you. Even Mozart and Jean were smiling. And Theo... Well, it was a less mean smile.

❄ “You forgot this,” Sebastian came to you, and you were surprise to see him hand you a wrapped present. Curious, you took it and saw that, indeed, your name was written on it.

❄ You opened it and discovered it was a book about the various fencing techniques across time.

❄ You looked at Sebastian, surprised. “Don’t look at me, it was their idea,” he smiled, pointing towards Vincent and Napoléon, and you could also see a blushing Isaac avoiding eye contact next to them.

❄ You were so happy. All this time searching for gifts for them, and you did not even notice they were searching one for you too. You controled yourself not to hug them out of joy, so you were about to stick to a heartfelt thank you.

❄ But that was until Napoléon spoke: “Joyeux Noël, Nunuche. Now, you might have a chance to be a good opponent.”

❄ You knew he was only teasing, but you could not help but glare at him. But that only made him laugh harder.

❄ This Eve filled with laughers came to an end. You helped Sebastian to clean the dining room, listening to him rambling about how this night was blessing for him and how he learnt so much about the residents.

❄ It was now time for you both to part and say goodnight. “Again, thank you for your help, Lisanna,” he smiled a genuine smile, really different from his usual polite smile. You smiled back happily. This whole Christmas Eve was a huge success.

❄ Sebastian went in his bedroom and you were walking in the corridor leading to yours, closing the curtains by the same occasion.

❄ And that was when you saw a figure in the garden. Wait... You did not dream about it, right? Someone was in the garden!

❄ You run outside, curious to see who it was. But you saw nobody there, when you arrived. The only sound you could hear where the one of your hurried footsteps in the snow and your heavy breathing from the running.

❄ “Nobody?” You asked to yourself out loud. You were about to head back when you noticed something on the ground. A long box on the ground with a letter on it.

❄ You picked up the letter to read it: “For Lisanna, I wish you a Merry Christmas, Vlad”.

❄ Obviously, Vlad could not come because of his tensed relationship with le Comte, but he still went in to the trouble to come and drop a present.

❄ Now, you were impatient. You opened the box without hesitating any longer. And what you saw made you speechless.

❄ A brand new fencing sword was laying in the long box, with one of the prettiest sword arm you have ever seen. Your name was even craved on the blade.

❄ You hugged the box to your chest, a big smile on your face. With this brand new sword and your book, you were sure to grow as a swordfighter.

❄ “Thank you!” You exclaimed, hopping your phantom Santa Vlad would hear you.

❄ You turned around and went back inside. This was for sure one of the best Christmas so far, and you could not wait to celebrate it again with all of them next year.

#ikemen vampire #ikemen series #secret santa #2019ikevampholidayexchange #ikevamp #ikevam #ikevam sebastian #ikevam napoleon #ikevam vincent #ikevam vlad #ikevam isaac

24 notes · View notes

o0o-chibaken-o0o · 8 years ago

Note

Can you please please please recommend a story where Draco and Harry get together and raise Teddy together or Teddy brings them together? Please and thank you!😭

@dracoandredemption said: Can u rec anything with drarry raising the kids especially Scorpius as a toddler?

Anonymous said: do you have any drarry fics where Harry and Draco have to raise Teddy, preferably they become the main guardians but they could still share guardianship with andromeda! or any fics where Draco and Harry raise children would do as well. I just want parent Harry and Draco god dang it!

Anonymous said: Hi!!! I love your blog!! And I was wondering if you have any Fics were Draco and Harry raise teddy together?

Anonymous said: hi there!!! you’re blog is my favorite ever so thank you for blessing us with your amazing mess. I was wondering if you had some recs from drarry raising teddy and/or scorpius? I looked through your tags but I could have missed it so I really apologize f that’s the case! Again thank you sm for everything you write & share! xx

Anonymous said: do you know any drarry fics where teddy is Harry’s son? like he adopted him!

OKAY WOW I am so sorry that I’ve been too busy to make rec lists lately! My asks have really piled up, as you can see from the fact that I have SIX WHOLE ASKS of people wanting Drarry raising Teddy and/or Scorpius! Luckily, I have NINETEEN WHOLE FICS for you to read

Drarry Raising Teddy and/or Scorpius Rec List

Teddy:

The Stars Above Us by 606, create_serenity (19.5K)- It started as an innocent day out taking Teddy to visit the local observatory. Somehow it became so much more.Omigosh this fic is AMAZING because I LOVE STARS AND Draco works at a freaking Planetarium!!!! Is that not the best job Draco’s ever had??? And of course Teddy falls madly in admiration with the nice man who explains everything to him and YEAH, THIS IS A MUST READ FOR SURE!

It Was We Who Were the Cliché (But We Carried On Anyway) by ignatiustrout (31K)- When the reconciled Black sisters go on holiday together, Andromeda entrusts Draco, rather than Harry, with five year old Teddy Lupin for three weeks. Harry is convinced she made the wrong choice, and he decides the way to fix this is simply to keep turning up at the manor and refusing to leave Draco alone.You guys will absolutely adore this fic. It’s got a lot of Teddy, but also a lot of DRACO AND HARRY BEING COMPETITIVE!!!! Before they finally realize maybe it doesn’t have to be a competition after all ;)

Against All Odds by momatu (54K)- Beauxbatons is hosting the first ever Quidditch Summer School for children from all over Europe, and Harry has promised to enroll Teddy as his birthday present. Meanwhile, Draco is stuck in his office, putting together the first ever Quidditch Summer School for children from all over Europe during, when he should be enjoying summer holidays.GUYS I love this fic so much. Yes, there’s Teddy and quidditch, but THE ROMANCE IS JUST PERFECT. It’s so sweet!!! And they’re in France! What’s not to love?

The White Dragon by @sassy-cissa (20K)- Even knights in shining armour need white dragons to save them occasionally.Teddy has trouble after he moves in with Harry when Andromeda dies. Draco is his very understanding child psychologist. This fic will give you all the feels and omg it is just so lovely and moving!!

Obliviation by Cheryl Dyson (27K)- When Harry decides to quit Auror Training in order to care for young Teddy over the summer, he has quite enough to worry about without Pansy Parkinson dumping a mute Draco Malfoy on his doorstep.This one is adorable!! For some reason I have a thing for mute!Draco, I have no idea why. Teddy is pretty young in this one if I remember correctly!

Where Your Heart is Set by hazel_wand (13.5K)- Draco comes home from school to find that his mother has decided to rebuild their family to include Andromeda, Teddy … and Harry Potter.This one isn’t exactly Drarry raising Teddy. But it’s absolutely a family fic and the writing is so good and Teddy features a lot! And you didn’t hear it from me, but they may take teddy to the zoo together ;)

A Second Chance at First Love by taradiane (28K)- “… I just wanted you to know that you weren’t the only one who’d had a shitty existence for a time. Maybe I hated that you thought I was someone I wasn’t. Maybe … maybe I hated that I thought you were someone you weren’t, but never realised it until Voldemort gave me those glimpses of your life. Our experiences, they weren’t so different after all.”I have a real thing for Healer!Draco, especially when he’s saving my darling Teddy’s life and reconnecting with his ex-boyfriend Harry Potter ;) Also there’s Christmas!

Scorpius:

The Little Marauders Nursery and Day Care by @digtheshipper (10K)- Harry Potter is the proud owner of The Little Marauders Nursery and Day Care and his favourite student is Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius’s dad might be okay, too.Okay I have a VERY soft spot for this fic because I used to work at a nursery. And this is just PERFECT and I love every word of it and HARRY AND THE OTHER TEACHERS MAKE UP NICKNAMES FOR THE PARENTS AND DRACO IS ROCK STAR, COME ON!!!!! I died of adorable fluffing cuteness.

Little Talks by @femmequixotic and @noeeon (11.5)- Draco’s been shagging the Head Auror for months now, and he’s sure it’s just a fling. Until Harry asks him to a Quidditch match, that is, and things go horribly wrong.This isn’t exactly a raising Scorpius fic, but the adorableness of the parts with Scorp and the fact that the rest of the fic is REALLY FUCKING HOT (and sweet!) make it totally 100% worth reading (at least twice)!

Un Noël très parisien by @femmequixotic and @noeeon (14.5K)- When Draco crossed paths with Auror Potter at a political function in Paris, he was not expecting their former animosity to change into something rather more intriguing. But he could be certain their casual flirtation would not last more than the night, couldn't he?More adorable Scorpius from Femme and Noe! He doesn’t make his appearance until a bit later in the fic, but once he does the schmoopy cuteness will just make you clutch your heart and wish it were December already

Home Cafe by Eleana_Lee (12.5K)- An Auror mission brought Harry to the cafe where he met the two blondes who shall steal his heart, and make the place his ‘home’YO GUYS you know by now how much I love coffeeshop AUs, right? Well THIS is a coffeeshop fic WITH Scorpius hanging around at the cafe and it is ADORABLE AS FUCK. OKAY??

The Trials of a Malfoy Manchild by Nattish (18.5K)- Draco’s bachelor lifestyle is interrupted when Scorpius is sent to live with him in his London flat. He’s no good at being a dad, but starts to cope with advice from his son’s new schoolteacher – Harry Potter – who is, frankly, not just good with his books.Ooooh!!! This fic! Harry teaches Draco how to be a good Dad and there’s camping! And Harry being a great teacher! and Smut!

Love in Slow Motion by orphan_account (11.5K)- Harry flushed. “I’d like to do that again.”Draco threw his head back and laughed. “Would you, now?”Blinking up, Harry reached up with a shaking hand and brushed a bit of Draco’s blonde fringe away from his forehead. “Yeah. I would. Unless you’ve got someone better to get home to.”“Are you joking? Potter, this is my fifteen year old fantasy come to life. But better. So much fucking better.”Harry’s eyebrows went up. “Fifteen?”“Well, it was more post-Quidditch hate-sex. But close enough.”Another fic in which Harry is Scoprius’s teacher at a muggle school. In this one, Scorpius is a squib and he is THE MOST PRECIOUS BOY WHOM I WANT TO PROTECT WITH MY LIFE. Also featuring Wolfstar!

The Ties that Bind by phoenix_writing (61K)- Upon Andromeda’s death, Harry and Draco are given custody of Teddy. Their lives will never be the same again.Sooo I actually haven’t gotten around to reading this one yet (*sheepish*), but I’ve seen it recced by people I trust, and I suspect I would be remiss to leave it off this list! The summary looks PERFECT.

Teddy and Scorpius:

Muggle Beasts and Where to Find Them by ashindk (8K)- Two single fathers choose the same day to take their children on an outing.AAAH THEY MEET AT A ZOO!!! Harry and Draco are taking their respective kids on a day out at the zoo and they find each other and it’s cute and funny and sweet and FLUFFY and you’ll love it!

The Sun Will Come Out by momatu (36.5K)- Six-year-old Scorpius Malfoy needs a tutor. Several witches and wizards with the best credentials and impeccable background have been hired–then rapidly fired. Enter Harry Potter, who immediately hits it off with Scorpius. It takes a while longer for the Lord of the Manor to come around.Brilliant! I love fics in which one of them bonds with the other’s kid before Harry and Draco can begin to trust each other again (here it’s Harry and Scorpius). Scorpius is an absolutely adorable little boy in this, and teenage Teddy is REALLY SWEET and nice to his cousin and it’s fabulous.

Like a Real Family by Queenie_Mab (11K)- Harry thought he had all he wanted in life, raising Teddy and being the parent he’s always wanted to be, until he experiences what life with a partner could be like. Now if only Draco wasn’t straight.This fic starts out with Harry, Draco, Teddy, and Scorp already being a happy family… except Harry thinks Draco’s straight (Oh, Harry.) For all you flangst lovers out there ;)

Our Ordinary Days by lomonaaeren (9K)- Two men, both fathers of sons, meet in a bookshop, and the rest is the kind of history that doesn’t make history. I love when Harry and Draco’s kids meet and hit it off and Drarry have no choice but to hang out all the time and then KISS. Also when Harry helps Draco win custody battles ;D

“Merlin, FINE. You Can Be Harry Potter for Halloween” by 606 (2.5K)- That one where Draco and Scorpius run into Harry Potter (rather literally) in a London convenience store and their Halloween takes an odd turn.HALLOWEEN FLUFF

#drarry #drarry fanfic #drarry fic recs #drarry dads #teddy lupin #scorpius malfoy #harry potter #draco malfoy #rec list #chibarecs #I appreciate everybody's patience as I VERY SLOWLY make my way through the literal hundred asks in my inbox!#<333

594 notes · View notes

johnboothus · 4 years ago

Text

AleSmith Brewing Companys Vicky and Peter Zien Pay It Forward Through Philanthropy Personnel and Pints

AleSmith Brewing Company, founded in 1995, isn’t one to follow trends. Its operating strategy is basically this: do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. So far, after 25 years, it seems to be working very well.

Where nearby breweries like Pure Project and Kilowatt Brewing slowly and strategically open satellite tasting rooms across San Diego, Vicky and Peter Zien, the duo at AleSmith’s helm, waited until long after they’d outgrown their exceptionally diminutive tasting room before opening a mind-bogglingly huge new facility down the street in 2015. The location is smack in the middle of Miramar, a neighborhood known locally as “Beeramar,” thanks to its abundance of top-tier craft breweries.

Instead of churning out trend-driven releases to satiate the FOMO crowd, the Ziens doubled down on seminal brews like its Speedway Stout, whose numerous variants regularly garner acclaim. Rather than kick back and collect accolades, AleSmith has shared its success — by donating time, energy, and finances — to causes they believe in, both in the local community and the world at large. Homebrew clubs like QUAFF and BJCP study groups often utilize AleSmith’s large production space pro bono for judging beer competitions, and hosting educational classes. Numerous charitable beer releases help fund organizations — for example, proceeds from AleSmith’s 2015 Christmas Noël (or “No-L”) Belgian Strong Ale went to lupus research.

Since 2015, the Ziens have actively supported the Lost Boys and Girls of South Sudan, a non-profit group aimed at improving the lives of Sudanese refugees now living in San Diego after fleeing violence in their home country. By hosting walk-a-thon fundraisers, selling books in the brewery store, creating a Speedway varietal using Ethiopian coffee beans, and hiring a number of refugees at the brewery, Vicky and Peter have committed to philanthropy as a cornerstone of the brewery.

In 2019, AleSmith launched Anvil of Hope, a program that helps provide housing assistance to San Diegans facing homelessness, meals for families experiencing food insecurity, and educational scholarships for at-risk youth, many of whom are on the brink of aging out of the foster care system. As president of the program, Vicky spends much of her days focusing on how AleSmith can continue to make a difference in the lives of people inside and outside of the community.

The following interview with Vicky has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity, but maintains the essence of both Ziens’ dedication to making the world a better place, one beer and one action at a time.

1. What‌ ‌do‌ ‌you‌ ‌value‌ ‌most‌ ‌in‌ ‌your‌ ‌current‌ ‌role?‌

The‌ ‌ability‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌difference.‌ ‌I‌ ‌wear‌ ‌many‌ ‌different‌ ‌hats‌ ‌ranging‌ ‌from‌ ‌owner,‌ ‌culture‌ ‌and‌ ‌community‌ advocate,‌ ‌and‌ ‌president‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌non-profit,‌ ‌so‌ ‌you‌ ‌can‌ ‌imagine‌ ‌how‌ ‌busy‌ ‌my‌ ‌days‌ ‌are.‌ ‌I’m‌ ‌honored‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌such‌ ‌a‌ diversified‌ ‌and‌ ‌remarkable‌ ‌group‌ ‌of‌ ‌men‌ ‌and‌ ‌women‌ ‌that‌ ‌make‌ ‌AleSmith‌ ‌the‌ ‌company‌ ‌that‌ ‌it‌ ‌is.‌

2. How‌ ‌have‌ ‌you‌ ‌personally‌ ‌been‌ ‌affected‌ ‌by‌ ‌Covid-19‌ ‌and/or‌ ‌the‌ ‌recent‌ ‌social‌ ‌justice‌ ‌movements‌ ‌like‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Lives‌ ‌Matter? ‌ ‌ We‌ ‌feel‌ ‌tremendous‌ ‌sadness‌ ‌for‌ ‌both‌ ‌those‌ ‌who‌ ‌have‌ ‌lost‌ ‌their‌ ‌lives‌ ‌to‌ ‌Covid‌ ‌and‌ ‌to‌ ‌social‌ ‌injustice‌ ‌which‌ ‌also‌ ‌makes‌ ‌us‌ ‌very‌ ‌angry.‌ ‌We‌ ‌were‌ ‌proud‌ ‌to‌ ‌participate‌ ‌in‌ ‌both‌ ‌local‌ ‌and‌ ‌national‌ ‌Black‌ ‌is‌ ‌Beautiful‌ ‌collaborative beer‌ ‌campaigns‌ ‌to‌ ‌raise‌ ‌awareness‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌issue‌ ‌as‌ ‌well‌ ‌as‌ ‌raise‌ ‌funds‌ ‌for‌ ‌several‌ ‌organizations‌ ‌such‌ ‌as‌ ‌NAACP.‌ ‌It‌’s‌ ‌nice‌ ‌to‌ ‌see‌ ‌more‌ ‌people‌ ‌and‌ ‌more‌ ‌businesses‌ ‌take‌ ‌a‌ ‌stand‌ ‌against‌ ‌social‌ ‌injustice; ‌however‌, ‌it‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌nicer‌ ‌when‌ ‌that‌ ‌phrase‌ ‌is‌ ‌truly‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌history.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

3. What‌ ‌are‌ ‌some‌ ‌tangible‌ ‌steps‌ ‌you‌ ‌as‌ ‌individuals‌, ‌or‌ ‌as‌ ‌a‌ ‌company‌, ‌are‌ ‌taking‌ ‌to‌ ‌address‌ ‌racial‌ ‌equity‌ ‌and‌ ‌justice‌ ‌in‌ ‌craft‌ ‌beer?‌ ‌

‌Great‌ ‌question.‌ ‌We‌ ‌should‌ ‌all‌ ‌do‌ ‌something‌ ‌proactive.‌ ‌I‌ ‌am‌ ‌Hispanic‌, ‌and‌ ‌Peter‌ ‌is‌ ‌Jewish‌, ‌so‌ ‌we‌ ‌both‌ ‌grew‌ ‌up‌ hearing‌ ‌racial‌ ‌slurs‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌always‌ ‌been‌ ‌sensitive‌ ‌to‌ ‌these‌ ‌issues.‌ Embracing‌ ‌diversity ‌is‌ ‌one‌ ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌long-time‌ company‌ ‌values‌ ‌which‌ ‌you‌ ‌will‌ ‌find‌ ‌on‌ ‌our‌ ‌website‌: “We‌ ‌value‌ ‌and‌ ‌respect‌ ‌diversity‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌different‌ ‌backgrounds,‌ ‌experiences,‌ ‌and‌ ‌ideas‌ ‌that‌ ‌diversity‌ ‌brings‌ ‌to‌ ‌us.”‌ ‌You‌ ‌see‌ ‌it‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌hiring‌ ‌practices‌ ‌and‌ ‌onboarding‌ ‌process‌ ‌as‌ ‌well‌ ‌as‌ ‌our‌ ‌daily‌ ‌lives.‌ ‌My‌ ‌new‌ ‌favorite‌ ‌AleSmith‌ ‌shirt‌ ‌is‌ ‌our‌ ‌“Peace,‌ ‌Love,‌ ‌Equality,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Beer”‌ ‌t-shirt, which is currently being redesigned to allow other breweries to participate to continue the love across the nation. We‌ ‌plan‌ ‌to‌ ‌donate‌ ‌proceeds‌ ‌to‌ Paving Great Futures, which recently won California’s Charity of the Year.

4. How, when, and why did you and Peter get involved with the Lost Boys and Girls?

We‌ ‌were‌ ‌making‌ ‌the‌ ‌transition‌ ‌to‌ ‌our‌ ‌new‌ ‌building‌ ‌in‌ ‌2014‌ ‌as‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌our‌ ‌expansion‌ ‌plan‌ ‌and‌ ‌had‌ ‌begun‌ ‌hiring‌ ‌for‌ ‌our‌ ‌increased‌ ‌production/packaging‌ ‌needs.‌ ‌I‌ ‌read‌ ‌an‌ ‌article‌ ‌in‌ ‌my‌ ‌church‌ ‌newsletter‌ for‌ ‌employers‌ ‌to‌ ‌consider‌ ‌hiring‌ ‌members‌ ‌of‌ ‌The‌ ‌Lost‌ ‌Boys‌ ‌of‌ ‌Sudan‌ ‌refugee‌ ‌group‌ ‌for‌ ‌general‌ ‌labor‌ ‌needs.‌ ‌I‌ ‌felt‌ ‌like‌ ‌my‌ ‌prayers‌ ‌were‌ ‌answered.‌ ‌I‌ ‌interviewed‌ ‌our‌ ‌first‌ ‌Lost‌ ‌Boy,‌ ‌Alephonsion‌ ‌Deng,‌ ‌and‌ ‌he‌ quickly ‌brought‌ ‌a‌ ‌deeper‌ ‌sense‌ ‌of‌ ‌gratitude‌ ‌to‌ ‌our‌ ‌entire‌ ‌team.‌ ‌Since‌ ‌then,‌ ‌we’ve‌ ‌hired‌ ‌10‌ ‌Lost‌ ‌Boys‌ ‌of‌ ‌Sudan‌ ‌and‌ ‌have‌ ‌conducted‌ ‌numerous‌ ‌fundraising‌ ‌events‌ ‌on‌ ‌their‌ ‌behalf.‌ ‌

5. What‌ ‌made‌ ‌you‌ ‌decide‌ ‌to‌ ‌focus‌ ‌on‌ ‌supporting‌ ‌the‌ ‌Lost‌ ‌Boys‌ and Girls ‌of‌ ‌Sudan?‌ ‌ ‌Peter‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌read‌ ‌the‌ ‌book ‌“They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky,” which was co-written‌ ‌by‌ ‌Deng, ‌and‌ ‌were‌ ‌in‌ ‌awe‌ ‌of‌ ‌their‌ 1,000‌ ‌mile‌ ‌journey‌ ‌to‌ ‌refugee‌ ‌camps‌ ‌with‌ ‌a‌ ‌relentless‌ ‌determination‌ ‌to‌ ‌survive.‌ ‌Civil‌ ‌war‌ ‌and‌ ‌frequent‌ ‌bombing‌ ‌of‌ ‌their‌ villages‌ ‌forced‌ ‌them‌ ‌on‌ ‌this‌ ‌trek‌ ‌where‌ ‌many‌ ‌were‌ ‌killed‌ ‌along‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌by‌ ‌militia,‌ ‌wild‌ ‌animals‌, ‌and‌ ‌lack‌ ‌of‌ ‌food‌ ‌and‌ water.‌ Many‌ ‌ate‌ ‌mud‌ ‌and‌ ‌some‌ ‌drank‌ ‌their‌ ‌own‌ ‌urine‌ ‌just‌ ‌to‌ ‌survive.‌ ‌We‌ ‌have‌ ‌met‌ ‌and‌ ‌hired‌ ‌several‌ ‌members‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Lost‌ ‌Boys‌ ‌since‌ ‌then‌, ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌common‌ ‌theme‌ ‌expressed‌ ‌of‌ ‌unending‌ ‌gratitude.‌ ‌Their‌ ‌foundation‌ ‌raises‌ ‌money‌ ‌to‌ ‌ provide‌ ‌education,‌ ‌meals,‌ ‌and‌ ‌clothing‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌children‌ ‌of‌ ‌South‌ ‌Sudan.‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 6. What‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌program’s‌ ‌mission,‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌are‌ ‌you‌ ‌working‌ ‌towards‌ ‌it?‌ ‌ Peter‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌been‌ ‌planning‌ Anvil of Hope ‌since‌ ‌we‌ ‌got‌ ‌married.‌ ‌I‌ ‌shared‌ ‌my‌ ‌childhood‌ ‌memories‌ ‌of‌ ‌poverty‌ ‌and‌ ‌wanting‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌low-‌‌income‌ ‌families‌, ‌and‌ ‌Peter‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌foster‌ ‌children.‌ ‌We‌ ‌knew‌ ‌we‌ ‌wanted‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌AleSmith‌ ‌as‌ ‌our‌ ‌vehicle‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌others‌, ‌and‌ ‌our‌ ‌dreams‌ ‌became‌ ‌a‌ ‌reality‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌formation‌ ‌of‌ ‌Anvil‌ ‌of‌ ‌Hope.‌ ‌

7. How‌ ‌has‌ ‌Anvil of Hope ‌evolved‌ ‌since‌ ‌its‌ ‌inception?‌ ‌

We‌ ‌officially‌ ‌started‌ ‌the‌ ‌process‌ ‌in‌ ‌October‌ ‌2019‌ ‌and‌ ‌received‌ ‌our‌ ‌501c3‌ ‌designation‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌end‌ ‌of‌ ‌March‌ ‌2020‌‌, but launching‌ ‌during‌ ‌the‌ ‌heat‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌pandemic‌ ‌didn’t‌ ‌seem‌ ‌right.‌ ‌Although‌ ‌I‌ ‌felt‌ ‌like‌ ‌I‌ ‌was‌ ‌prepared‌ ‌and‌ ‌had‌ ‌done‌ ‌my‌ ‌research‌ ‌before‌ ‌Covid,‌ ‌I‌ ‌took‌ ‌advantage‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌extra‌ ‌down‌ ‌time‌ ‌and‌ ‌intensified‌ ‌my‌ ‌networking‌ ‌virtually.‌ I‌ ‌have‌ ‌learned‌ ‌so‌ ‌much‌ ‌from‌ ‌others‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌non-profit‌ ‌industry‌, and ‌I‌ ‌realize‌ ‌now‌ ‌I‌ ‌was‌ ‌not‌ ‌as‌ ‌prepared‌ ‌as‌ ‌I‌ ‌had‌ ‌originally‌ ‌thought.‌ ‌ ‌

8. Why‌ ‌do‌ ‌you‌ ‌think‌ ‌these‌ ‌types‌ ‌of‌ ‌initiatives‌ ‌are‌ ‌so‌ ‌crucial‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌beer‌ ‌industry?‌ ‌ Our‌ ‌country‌ ‌has‌ ‌historically‌ ‌struggled‌ ‌with‌ ‌alcohol‌, ‌and‌ ‌it‌’s‌ ‌important‌ ‌to‌ ‌demonstrate‌ ‌that‌ ‌a‌ ‌brewery‌ ‌can‌ ‌help‌ communities‌ ‌at‌ ‌large.‌ ‌It‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌such‌ ‌a‌ ‌different‌ ‌world‌ ‌if‌ ‌everyone‌ ‌did‌ ‌their‌ ‌part‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌others.‌ Some‌ ‌may‌ ‌not‌ ‌be‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌position‌ ‌to‌ ‌do‌ ‌so, and we‌ ‌feel‌ ‌blessed‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌are‌ ‌able‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌others‌ ‌while‌ ‌doing‌ ‌what‌ ‌we‌ ‌love.�� ‌We‌ ‌do‌ ‌know‌ ‌several‌ ‌other‌ ‌breweries‌ ‌who‌ ‌have‌ ‌done‌ ‌charity‌ ‌work‌, ‌and‌ ‌it’s‌ ‌nice‌ ‌to‌ ‌see‌ ‌that‌ ‌those‌ ‌of‌ ‌us‌ ‌who‌ ‌rely‌ ‌on‌ ‌community‌ ‌support are‌ able‌ ‌to‌ ‌pay‌ ‌it‌ ‌forward.‌ ‌

9. What‌ ‌other‌ ‌philanthropic and charitable‌ ‌initiatives‌ ‌are‌ ‌you‌ ‌currently‌ ‌working‌ ‌on?‌

We‌ ‌have‌ ‌always‌ ‌had‌ ‌it‌ ‌in‌ ‌our‌ ‌hearts‌ ‌to‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌others,‌ ‌so‌ ‌we‌ ‌have‌ ‌offered‌ ‌up‌ ‌free‌ ‌space‌ ‌at‌ ‌AleSmith‌ ‌for‌ ‌non-profits‌ ‌and‌ ‌shared‌ ‌a‌ ‌portion‌ ‌of‌ ‌proceeds‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌their‌ ‌causes.‌ We‌ ‌have‌ ‌personally‌ ‌held‌ ‌various‌ ‌fundraisers‌ ‌for‌ ‌causes‌ ‌that‌ ‌we‌ ‌are‌ ‌close‌ ‌to‌, ‌including‌ ‌working‌ ‌closely‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌Tony‌ ‌and‌ ‌Alicia‌ ‌Gwynn‌ ‌Foundation‌ ‌to‌ ‌help‌ ‌them‌ ‌raise‌ ‌funds‌ ‌for‌ ‌at‌-‌risk‌ ‌youth.‌ ‌We‌ ‌recently‌ ‌brewed‌ ‌a‌ ‌beer,‌ ‌AleSmith‌ ‌for‌ ‌Hope,‌ ‌and‌ ‌donated‌ ‌proceeds‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌San Diego ‌Food‌ ‌Bank, which‌ ‌provided‌ ‌over‌ ‌52,000‌ ‌meals‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌community.‌ ‌ ‌

10. What’s‌ ‌next‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌Ziens‌ ‌and‌ ‌AleSmith?‌ ‌(Answered by Peter)

My‌ ‌wife‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌will‌ ‌never‌ ‌stop‌ ‌dreaming‌ ‌about‌ ‌“what’s‌ ‌next”‌ ‌for‌ ‌us‌ ‌and‌ ‌AleSmith.‌ ‌It‌ ‌is‌ ‌an‌ ‌important‌ ‌desire‌ ‌to ‌help‌ ‌our‌ ‌employees‌ ‌reach‌ ‌their‌ ‌personal‌ ‌goals‌ ‌and‌ ‌create‌ ‌endless‌ ‌opportunities‌ ‌at‌ ‌AleSmith.‌ We‌ ‌very‌ ‌much‌ ‌want‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌a‌ ‌difference‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌world‌ ‌and‌ ‌will‌ ‌continue‌ ‌to‌ ‌grow‌ ‌our‌ ‌non-profit‌ ‌Anvil‌ ‌of‌ ‌Hope.‌ ‌Although‌ ‌smack‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌middle‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌very‌ ‌challenging‌ ‌time,‌ ‌we‌ ‌will‌ ‌continue‌ ‌to‌ ‌push‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌better‌ ‌world‌ ‌and‌ ‌will‌ ‌do‌ ‌our‌ ‌part‌ ‌to‌ ‌make‌ ‌AleSmith‌ ‌and‌ ‌Anvil‌ ‌of‌ ‌Hope‌ ‌positive‌ ‌forces‌ ‌in‌ ‌this‌ ‌desire.‌

The article AleSmith‌ ‌Brewing‌ Company’s Vicky‌ ‌and‌ ‌Peter‌ ‌Zien‌ ‘Pay It Forward’ Through Philanthropy, Personnel, and Pints appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/%e2%80%8c%e2%80%8calesmith%e2%80%8c-%e2%80%8cbrewing%e2%80%8c-vicky-zien/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/alesmith-brewing-companys-vicky-and-peter-zien-pay-it-forward-through-philanthropy-personnel-and-pints

0 notes

henisadventures · 5 years ago

Text

Psalmodie.

It started back in august, when I randomly came down from my room to show Sophie a song, I believe it was Pieces by Amanda Lindsey Cook. She told me she really liked it, and that if I like these kind of songs, one of here college friends is singing in a choir, in Lausanne. "Wait, I am gonna show you videos, we even have a CD! Do you want to sing in this choir? " —she asked.

At that point, I had no idea of what I am gonna get myself into. I never in a million years thought that this choir is going to give me friends, social life, unforgettable memories but most importantly it is going to evolve my love for the Lord. I said yes. I said why not, as Emily Wilson thought me.

Yeah, so we were watching the videos, and she told me to decide quickly if I would like to join or not because the first repetition is right around the corner. Also, even though I had like 0 language skills in French,I was like why not.

The first repetition day comes, I was SO nervous, you cannot imagine. I changed outfits at least 3 times, I was barely able to eat, but I had to, cause we were to leave after luch to meet Anouk.

Anouk is now my Psalmodie mommy, I love her to pieces. She’s been the helping hand I always needed, the reassurance that it is gonna be okay, and that „no, no problem if you dont know all the songs” that I replayed in my head every single time I had a doubt in the project or in myself.

Yeah, so we are there, going to Lausanne, I am about to meet 60 new people, there goes the social life hiatus, I am about to make friends there! Aha, yes. But it needed a bit more time, that I expected.

I enjoyed every single minute of every repetition. We started with the warmups, and the „I am so happy, Jesus is my salvation!”, was the first one that I understood. The other one, however I still have no idea about, honestly, what is the lyrics of the do, mi, so, do, do, so, mi, do thing?

Moooving on. We started to sing a new song, Christ est tout pour moi. When I tell you, this song is THE song for me. It was the first one, when I actually felt like I am in a movie. It was the best feeling ever, and we were just practicing. I felt like above the clouds closer to God every single time.

Okay, I have a confession, whenever JD or Marc was talking I didn’t understand 90% of them. Even during the concert, exept, when Marc was speaking in English which was the weirdest thing ever cause I got used to not be able to understand him.

Yeah so we were preparing for the CD recording. I had like 3 weeks to learn seven songs in French and luckily none of them was Garde ma bouche. Who am I joking though, I love that song now.

So, the recording days. I kind of knew a few people, but I was just guessing some names or faces. Oh gosh, it was a very hard but very precious two days.

When we were singing Vase d’argile, that feeling is something I will save into a bottle. It was the best thing ever. The whole two days were a blessing even though I was like extra extra sick a day before. It was a wild ride, but every single minute was worth it.

I am gonna be on a CD!!!!! I still get very happy about it whenever it comes to my mind.

Yeah so back to the repetition phase, we were finally singing Christ est tout pour moi again. I was missing it truly :( Then all the other songs I didn’t know about, AND that was the time I realized we are gonna do CHOREOGRAPHIES. Just imagine. I am concentrating on the lyrics, the melody, the correct time to sing, hand gestures (clap or snap) and then my feet. I was like ok ☺ No worries. Hahahhha, I was very worried.

Shout out to everybody who supported me during the preparation of the concert. Honestly, without you guys (and the Creator) , I wouldn't be able to survive.

Yeah, so the concerts were last weekend, a week ago Nathalie came over to help me with the songs, because 3 days before there were 2 songs that I had no idea about. Eh, lol. c’est la vie.

Thank you Nathalie again!!!

So the weekend comes. What a weekend.

I was barely able to eat. Literally I ate like 3 spoons of lunch after I was suffering with Rigo Jancsi in the kitchen for 2 hours. It was worth it though, everybody loved it.

Then Anouk and Samuel came to pick me up and we were on the way for the concert. My hand was shaking so much, I was either near of these three: crying, stroke or passing out. Only one of them happened, and it was not the stroke or the passing out. I was wearing the scarf and honestly I felt like a Bella. A Psalmodie Bella. I literally went to Giulia and shouted to her that ARE WE THE PSALMODIE BELLAS YES OR NO??

So I was trying to ignore the fact that I don’t know all the songs as much as I was able to, and I am not gonna lie, at some point I was able to. Because the atmosphère of the concert was sooooo so so so magical.

Let us see those concert songs, shall we?

✨Car toi seul est Dieu✨ The intro song, so amazing, I loved it very much. Little backstory, I was listening to this song every time I was cooking on Monday nights. I found a version on Spotify, I knew the alto and there was the perfect music for cooking. Alas! What was the thing I absolutely forgot? The 2nd verse. Haha. I knew the song perfectly exept for the second verse. I realized it exactly where you guessed: during the concert.

✨Bien compter nos jours✨ Ehhh. The song, that I had no full picture in my had until the Wednesday before the concert. Long, long song. I was genuinely frustrated but I acted like I knew all the words and the ending is very epic, 10/10.

✨Oui je crois (Le Crédo)✨ Another epic song, the standing up is just soooooooooo cool, I loved it but I absolutely forgot about the hand-moving part at the 2nd verse, lol. I thought I knew this song, but I had to realize that I was wrong…during the concert.

✨Christ est tout pour moi✨ This song could be my anthem for real. This song is a little more special than the others because it was the first song that I rehearsed really and honestly I felt like above the clouds. Still do, whenever I think about it. Tears of joy, feeling the touch of Heaven.

✨Vase d’argile✨ Oh wow, this song is just wow. When we were doing the recordings, I will never forget that 3 seconds of silence after we finished. This song is also everything we evern need to know. I love it so much. Now I see.

✨Jour de jugement✨ The third very very epic song. I didn’t know all the verses, but as before, I acted like I did. Very deep, very well built up. „la malédiction”… was just…wow.

✨Joie promise dès l’origine✨ This contrast was kind of weird for me, we had the 3 songs before, all very deep, all very epic and dramatic, and then, there comes this bundle of joy with 6 different instruments, all happy, after we were singing about Jugement day. We just casuallytold the people that „hey, actually, no worries, because there is somebody who was promised to save us the scary things!!!!”. Honestly I don’t know if it was intentional, but in my opinion it was brilliant like this.

✨Plus grand que tout autre nom✨Oh well, this song was the „I wish I was just over it song” for me because I was so freaking scared of this, honestly. Lyrics, feet, snap, when to stop, when to snap, when to change snap to clap and just in general sing correctly, etc, etc. It was the most stressful song for me but I loved it, it is a very nice song, and the improvisation on the 2nd concert was a very precious moment.

✨Le saint nom de Jésus✨I knew the refrain, that’s all. Very thankful that JD was singing with us because as I learend in my past 12 with the Gyermekkórus in Szeged, if you just look at the mouth of the leader, it is gonna be fine. Köszönöm szépen Nagyi!!!

✨Un Pére pour l’orphelin✨You repair the broken hearts and make dreams reborn. Thank you Nathalie for this because I had an extra smile on while singing this. I didn’t knew I like this song but is just such a nice and fun song, I realized cannot not like it.

✨Jamais loin de moi✨This was a very special song, because this is the eldest kid’s favourite. When we are walking home from school, or even just randomly playing we just randomly start to sing it. He loves it so much and I am so proud of him.

✨Ta bonté✨ This song was stuck in my head whenever I saw the sunrays through the clouds. It is just so beautiful, with all the instruments and just in general the meaning of the song. It is about the endless love of God. My favourite part in the lyrics was the ooooohhhhhhh

✨Garde ma bouche✨ The Goliat to my David. Guys. If I could learn the 75% of this song, than literally anybody on this planet is able to. There is no impossible. I will never forget, when on one of the repetitions, Marc was telling something like „Yes I know it is fast…” and at least 5 people looked at me with either laugh or pity… I was like „hahhahhahah yeah i know hahahahahha”. It was the time of true hopelessness. But. I aint no quitter, so I learned it. Second by second, word by word. And it became one of my favourite songs.

✨Bénis Dieu✨I have really ten thousand reasons to say this. One of them is Psalmodie.

✨Ne crains rien✨The baby-guitar song. That’s how I call the ukulele because it just looks like a ba-by-gu-i-tar. Okay so I didn’t know the lyrics, but luckily there were some oooooooh-s and the other parts – I gave them to the Lord.

✨Abondance de joie✨This song is just again a bundle of joy. And also epic. I loved SO MUCH when during the repetition before the concert we just kept on singing it without Marc. That was very funny.

✨Yahwe✨ I went to the concert of Collectif Cieux Ouvert and I heard it once. That was all I knew about this song, and because has been singing it since ages and everybody knows it by heart, we didnt rehears it so I was like, ok, I am just gonna follow the chef. It was amazing though.

✨Alleluia de Noël✨The last song. And also a very special cause the middle child has been singing it at home for so long. She loves this song so much. So do I. This song is the soul of Christmas. Here is the Saviour, he is born. And the way we were singing when we came down the stairs. I am forever thankful that we have a video of that because that moment is too beautiful to be only saved in our memories. Whenever I watch that video, my heart is filled with joy.

I cannot be thankful enough for this choir and these people who I am lucky enough to call my friends. I learned so much from them in this past few months, it is crazy. I love every single one of them. I didn’t know I needed Psalmodie until I found it.

Here comes the cheesy part:

Shout out to Lea for being my crazy friend, to Giulia for being the nicest Bella ever, to Nathalie for being there when needed, to Aurelie for the helping words and the notes, to Sebastien for not talking to me haha, to Anouk for being my Psalmo mama, to Lauraine for always smiling and talking, to JD & Marc for being awesome awesome leaders, to Theo for the magic tricks, to Marc for the cow-jokes, to Estelle for being the first person I ever talked in Psalmodie, to Vanessa for the unforgettable car-rides and honestly for every single person who is talking to me in English because I know it is hard just look at me struggling with French. This is an unforgettable experience. I love every second of serving the Lord this way.

I could go on for hours but that is all for today, if you read all that, you can come to collect your friendship award, I appreciate it very much, thank you for your time. 💛

Bénis Dieu oh mon âme !!

Á toute,

Heni

0 notes