#going on holiday and visiting friends and also have loads and loads of work to do while I’m away

[mickeym4ndy]

manifesting that this is the last all nighter I’ll pull of my academic life

[jawritter]

My Brother’s Keeper

Chapter 1

Summary: Y/N, Sam’s roommate, so far have a pretty good thing going. Both work and function around one another well. What happens when his big brother comes down for the holidays with his mysterious past, mixed with Sam’s own mysterious previous life? Can Y/N and the grumpy older brother find a way to get along? Or will it be a not so happy holidays at the Winchester house?

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Plus Sized!Reader x Sam 

Word Count: 1782

Prompt: Roommate AU

Written for: @spnchristmasbingo

Rating: Mature (because of future chapters, this story is 18 + only, and not fit for minor consumption.)

Warnings: Angst, Some bickering

A/N: This is the first Christmas fic I have written in a long time! You guys will get this one real time, and I hope to finish it before New Years! Fingers crossed! Anyways, This fic is unbeta’d, so all mistakes are my won! Feedback is golden! My work is 18+ only! No minors! Thanks so much for reading! 

Main Masterlist

Y/N’s POV:

“You sure about this Sam, it is Christmas after all, what if your brother doesn’t want your roommate tagging along all weekend with you guys?” Y/N questioned for what was probably the third time that day, but the thought of Sam’s older brother coming to stay the weekend with the pair of them had her feeling extremely anxious, and a whole lot like the third wheel of the whole situation. 

“Yes Y/N, I’m sure, I promise, everything will be fine. Dean doesn't mind. He knows you live here; he’s not going to expect you to leave your own house, that you pay half the rent on, just because he’s coming to stay for the weekend. It’s really not a problem.”

Y/N pressed her lips into a thin line as she continued to load the dishwasher in front of her. She didn’t quite believe Sam; he had a tendency to downplay things. He was also a Dean Winchester apologist; she knew that for a fact. Not that she’d ever laid eyes on Dean, save an old picture that Sam had kept in his room. Still, some of the stories these two shared growing up! She knew they’d had a complicated childhood, but Dean Winchester was much like his father John in a lot of ways, and John, from what she’d remembered, was not a good person. Add the fact that Dean was a self-proclaimed ‘ladies’ man’, and she just was not looking forward to this weekend at all. 

Not that she was so deluded to think that Dean would actually hit on someone like her. She wasn’t exactly a ten. Her thighs seemed to touch together, no matter how much she exercised, and she didn’t have a super flat stomach. She wasn’t dumb enough to think that Dean would even look her way. She’d seen the pictures of Cassie, Lisa, some wanna be Barbie knockoff she couldn’t remember the name of, and a few others of his conquest via Sam’s sleuthing on Facebook and Twitter, Lisa being the latest. She looked nothing like those beautiful women. Dean wouldn’t even look her way. Still, she doubted the handsome Winchester wanted a female version of Java the Hut hanging around all weekend while he came to visit his baby brother, especially considering it was Christmas. 

“Trust me Y/N, Dean’s an alright guy. Once you get to know him, you’ll love him. Now, I’ve got to go to work,” Sam announced, suddenly standing from the table and closing his laptop before stuffing it in his bag. “Just try not to stress about it too much, okay Y/N/N? It’s gonna be fine, I promise.”

“Fine,” she agreed reluctantly as she pressed the start button on the dishwasher. 

She remained unconvinced, no matter how much Sam assured her that everything would be fine. There would always be this internal battle that the man would be repulsed by her the moment he saw her, like she felt that most men where, save Sam, he’d been her best friend for years now. He didn’t care what she looked like, or that she came from a poorer family. They connected immediately, and quickly became best friends. So, when she lost her apartment due to covid layoffs, Sam had gladly offered her a room in his house. She’d been living there for almost two years now and had never seen his family aside from pictures. She just assumed other than Dean, he didn’t get along with any of them, or they were all dead, she just never asked. It wasn’t any of her business. 

Sam had gone back to school later in life to finish his law degree, before she’d met him, and was now working his first year in his own law firm. He never really wanted to talk much about his life before this, or why he’d left Stanford, and what he’d done all those years in between, or how he’d ended up in Detroit for that matter. All he’d ever say when she’d asked what he’d done in his time, life really, off of school, he just said the story wasn’t all that interesting, and blew her off. She knew Dean played a role in it, because he talked about his big brother all the time, and even talked about some of the adventures they’d had on the road, people they’d met, places they’d stayed in, sights they’d seen, but he never would give her more information than that; never would tell her why they were on a road trip together, or what happened in between to ultimately separate them.

Though, she was pretty sure his ex-girlfriend, Eileen, might have had something to do with it. He’d said that ultimately, ‘they had different goals in life,’ and because of that, it just didn’t work out. 

The only thing she knew about the oncoming house guest, aside from all the above, was that he was a private detective, and worked closely with law enforcement after doing two years as a working FBI agent. She never told Sam, but she had tried to look him up once, and all she found was an obituary, claiming him to be dead. For some reason, she thought that the FBI part of Dean’s story wasn’t exactly true, but considering his line of work, she thought that it must be a ‘need to know’ kinda thing,’ and she didn’t ask more than that. She had a hard enough time in her current life, she didn’t need to have to go into witness protection program and start all over again. 

“Oh, and Y/N, I’m probably gonna be late this evening, the meeting with this client is probably gonna be long, so Dean’s gonna beat me here. Just let him in, he knows how to make himself at home,” Sam called over his shoulder, closing the front door tightly behind him before she had the chance to argue with him about it. 

Y/N’s nostrils flared as she glared at the door. He’d known all morning that she’d be alone here when Dean got here, yet he waited until he was leaving to drop that little tidbit of information on her! 

She picked up her phone, opening her text app, and sent him a lovely little message about how payback was going to be a bitch, and she wasn’t going to be his brother’s keeper, nor his entertainment, or babysitter for that matter, so he can bring his ass home and do a goddamn zoom meeting for the rest of the week. 

It didn’t help the situation at hand any, but it made her momentarily feel better. That is, until she looked around the room at the state of the messy house in front of her. 

Running one hand down her face, she assessed the state of things, before deciding it was more important that the man show up to a presentable house, rather than taking the time to go fix herself up for nothing, because messy bun and PJ’s, or full face of makeup and fixed hair with nice clothes, it really didn’t matter, all that effort would have been for naught anyway, it wasn’t like he’d even look twice at her. 

Y/N took a deep breath, yelled for Alexa to turn on Metallica on Pandora, and made her way into the kitchen to go and retrieve the broom. There was no putting off the inevitable, but at least cleaning will distract her for a while. 

Dean’s POV: 

“For fucks sakes Sammy!” Dean barked into the phone he had jammed between his right shoulder and ear as he hurried around his bedroom, shoving clothing into a duffle bag that was once used for hunting, but now he just kept it around for weeks he decided to go see his baby brother, still, as his large hand gripped the faded green material of the strap, the memory was not lost on him. Not at all. “You can’t even take off for one day before your vacation is supposed to start! It’s not like I get a free weekend all the damn time. I’m driving all the way up there to see you, not spend time with your roommate.”

“You will only beat me there by a few hours Dean, she doesn’t bite or anything,” Sam argued, the eye rolled damn near audible in his voice, and Dean growled into the phone with all the righteous indignation he could muster, mostly because he knew the next words that were about to come out of Sam’s mouth. “Besides, it’s not like you haven’t had to spend an hour with a strange girl you didn’t—”

“I’ve told you, that’s not me anymore Sam! I’m damn near 44 years old! I’m old, cranky, probably got a little PTSD, and a fucking control freak. That poor girl doesn’t want to spend her afternoon looking at me of all people!”

“I’ll see you when I get home Dean,” Sam insisted, “and try not to knock up my best friend before I get home. She’s hot, but I have faith you can keep it in your pants for an hour.”

“Fuck you— wait a minute, what do you mean she’s hot?” Dean questioned and Sam laughed as he hung up the phone. 

Dean grumbled as he tossed his duffle bag over his shoulder and turned to examine his room for the last time to make sure he had all he needed before whistling at Miracle to follow him. 

Sam said she was hot, but honestly, he wouldn't let his dick get in the way of good sense. He’s not the man he used to be, he had scars, big ones, one that poor girl didn’t need to see. Besides, if Sam thought she was hot he wasn’t gonna step in on his girl. Sammy deserved a normal, happy life, and if this girl could do that for him, he was going to behave himself, no matter how hot she was. 

“She better-not-be allergic to dogs,” Dean said to Miracle as he approached his Baby sitting in the parking garage as shiny and pretty as the day she’d been driven off of the lot. The only woman that hadn’t done him wrong, and he’d do well to remember it. “‘Cause if she is, I'll pick you over my brother’s roommate. She can just get a fucking hotel or something.”

Miracle sat and stared, tongue hanging out, and completely unenthused. 

Dean sighed as he opened the passenger door for his four-legged friend to jump in, “yeah, figured you’d care about as much,” he murmured as he closed the door. “Least you care more than Sam apparently does. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to see me at all.”

Pt. 2 HERE!!!

Forever:

@demongirl1996​​​​​​​  

@as-lost-as-sams-shoe​​​​​​​

@jensenslady79​​​​​​​

@spnwoman​​​​​​​

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@unabashed-lover-of-fictional-men​​​​​​​

@stixnstripesworld​​​​​​​

@fullwattpadmusictree​​​​​​​

@nancymcl​​​​​​​

@christycreature​​​​​​​

@whiskey-infused-dreams​​​​​​​

@supernatural79impala​​​​​​​

@deandreamernp​​​​​​​

@forgetthisbull​​​​​​​

@miraclesoflove​​​​​​​

@slamminmine​​​​​​​

@deanwanddamons​​​​​​​

@rvgrsbrns​​​​​​​

@chevyharvelle​​​​​​​

@i-love-superhero-movies​​​​​​​

@lyss-dw79​​​​​​​

@magssteenkamp​​​​​​​

@lemondropirwin​​​​​​

@squirrelnotsam​​​​​​​

@hobby27​​​​​​

@spnbaby-67​​​​​​​  

@mrsjenniferwinchester​​​​​​​

@defenderrosetyler​​​​​​​

@thecreatiivecorner​​​​​​​  

@vicmc624​​​​​​​

@busy-bee-angel-misska​​​​​​​

@justanotherwinchester​​​​​​​

@brilovesdeanwinchester​​​​​​​

@idksupernatural​​​​​​​

@lyarr24​​​​​​​

@emoryhemsworth​​​​​​​

@dean-winchesters-gardian-angel​​​​​​​

@flamencodiva​​​​​​​

@itmejado​​​​​​​

@supernatural3002​​​​​​​

@teresa-67​​​​​​​

@thoughts-and-funnies​​​​​​​

@hearteyes-j2​​​​​​​

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@twinkleinadiamondsky​​​​​​​

Jensen and Dean’s Babes

@deans-baby-momma​​​​​​​  

@impalaslytherin​​​​​​​

@perpetualabsurdity​​​​​​​

@msmarvelouswinchester​​​​​​​

@akshi8278​​​​​​​

@love-jackles​​​​​​​

@irmcpar​​​​​​​

@pink-sparkly-witch​​​​​​​

@siospins2​​​​​​​

@herstarburststories​​​​​​​

@mimaria420​​​​​​​

@deanwinchesterswitch​​​​​​​​

@charred-angelwings​​​​​​

@pascal-rascal424​​​​​​​​

@myloversgone​​​​​​​​

@fortheloveof-jackles​​

@eevvvaa​​​​​​​​

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@jxackles​​​​​​​​

@lassie-bird​​​​​​​​

@samsgirl93​​​​​​​​

@shawnie74​  

@kaz11283​​​​​​​​

@mlovesstories​

[allaboutthems]

Mellodramattic Sims 4 Ideas

So, when I finally save enough money to buy a gaming PC and some Sims games, here are some ideas I have for the M's (@janaverse, this one's for you!):

Apartment in San Myshuno. I'm thinking at the ZenView. (And I'm going to use Move Objects On to shift the building over and give them and anyone else who lives at the building access to a pool.)

Basemental Drugs, so Matt can have his cigarettes and weed. Mello will also get the Seconhand Smoke Immunity trait from the rewards store.

Mello will take a career as a writer. Matt will be a pro-gamer.

They'll have a science baby together. And there's a mod that lets your Sims experience pregnancy with a science baby, instead of just rabbitholing down to the fertility clinic and coming back with a baby. So, yes, Mello's getting pregnant! And I'm going to aim for a girl, so I'll have him chow down on strawberries and listen to pop music the whole time.

WickedWhims is a must. Using the sexual orientation setting, Matt will be set to bisexual, and Mello will be set to gay.

After they have their science baby, they'll get married. Just a simple beach elopement in Sulani. (Because realistically, they'd elope; they don't have any family, and don't really have a lot of friends.) And they're spending their honeymoon there, too.

They're getting a black cat.

Matt stupidly takes on Greg and contracts werebies while visiting Lake Lunvik. Luckily, he gets a cure.

They'll meet the Simself I'm putting in San Myshuno. (I'm doing multiple Simselves for different worlds.)

Woohooing in space at GeekCon.

Woohooing in the dumpster.

Woohooing in a woohoo bush.

Woohooing in the closet.

Woohooing in the shower.

Woohooing in bed.

Woohooing in a photobooth.

Woohooing at the Copperdale Carnival.

Woohooing on Batuu.

Woohooing in the waterfall in Sulani.

Woohooing in the lighthouse at Brindleton Bay.

Using the Rambunctious Religions mod to make Mello a Worshipper of the Watcher, and Matt part of the Congregation of Nonbelievers.

Using the Stand to Pee mod so they'll autonomously pee standing up more often.

Using the Don't Wash Dishes Where You Angry Poop mod to keep them from washing dishes in the bathroom when their dishwasher's busy.

Getting Crumplebottomed in Henford-On-Bagley at the farmer's market there. (It's not their fault! Some of those vegetables were giving them Ideas!)

Both finding themselves attracted to vampire hottie Caleb. Maybe in Forgotten Hollow, but honestly, they don't really need to go there 'cause Caleb's kinda everywhere. (Taking full advantage of that sunlight immunity he comes equipped with!) So he'll pop up in San Myshuno or wherever else eventually. (Or, worst case scenario, I take matters into my own hands, load up his household, and have him visit the M's and use his Alluring Visage ability.) Will he unwittingly drive a wedge between them temporarily, or will they bond over both agreeing that he's hot AF? I haven't decided yet.

Meeting a celebrity in Del Sol Valley. Or, you know, just moseying down the street in Willow Creek, because celebrities totally do that.

Growing cacao in a planter on the balcony.

Celebrating all the holidays together.

Taking a trip to Selvadorada together.

Playing chess together.

Working on the Strangerville Mystery together, and defeating the Mother Plant. Who will they choose to help them? I haven't decided yet.

Matt, flirting with pretty mermaids in Sulani. Mello getting jealous. Matt makes it up to him, though.

Renewing their vows at the Love Festival in San Myshuno.

I haven't decided whether I want to enable aging and watch them grow old together, or disable aging (beyond manually aging up their kid) so I can play with them forever.

Turning Neighborhood Stories TF off, because that messes everything up. I'm not about to let some stupid AI break them up, or move them to a new neighborhood, or give them too many pets and/or adopted babies just because I played with other Sims.

Visiting the Sylvan Glade and/or the Forgotten Grotto.

Mello taking lots of baths with soaks, because he gets a lot of moodlets from the "High Maintenance" trait.

Going skinnydipping together.

Matt, pursuing the hidden Grilled Cheese aspiration. One of the tasks is to talk to the Grim Reaper about grilled cheese. For that, I'll find a premade Sim I don't like very much, or a random townie, cheat them dead, and then have Matt talk to Ol' Grim about grilled cheese.

Clicking on them to use "Be Gross" interactions a lot and/or having them cook Franks N' Beans. Especially Matt. Because they're just that comfortable with each other. *fart*

Got any more ideas for the M's in TS4? Let me know!

[the-invisible-queer]

Final Goodbyes - Joella fic opening scene

Author's Note: feedback is welcome since this is an early draft!

Words: 1,440

Senior year, Joe and Stella discussed their plans for the future. She was going to attend college in New York City to pursue a fashion degree. Joe had considered moving to New York to be closer to her, but his tune changed when the label Jonas released under asked him if he wanted to release a solo album. So he decided to move to Los Angeles long-term and work on his solo career since Jonas was taking a planned hiatus for Nick's senior year. Being that their plans left them on opposite sides of the country, they both ageed long distance wouldn't work. Not for them. So they broke up and agreed to stay friends.

The day had come. Kevin and Nick were going to accompany Joe on a roadtrip for his cross-country move and then fly back before the end of the summer. Nick did have one more year of high school after all. Kevin was still trying to figure out what he wanted to do, but was considering college. Joe had invited him to move to LA with him to help work on music, but Kevin decided to stay home because "mom and dad are going to need an extra pair of eyes on Frankie" who was close to entering his teens.

Standing outside the firehouse, Joe getting ready to go. All his boxes had been loaded into the car, but Stella had one final one. Joe looked at her and smiled.

"What's what?" He asked.

"Everything that belongs to you that I've stolen over the years," she told him, looking down at the contents of the box. Years worth of memories. Their memories. She'd also dropped in a few gifts.

"Stella-"

"It's okay. I'll just steal it all back. Maybe if I decide to move to LA after college." She tried her best not to cry, but Joe had been her best friend since they were kids. She'd even argue he was her soulmate. That's why she was trusting the universe that despite the distance and them wanting different things right now, they'd find their way back to each other inevitably. "This isn't a good bye. It's an I'll see you later. Right?"

"Right." He nodded, taking the box from her. Looking at the contents, there were some things that he'd long forgotten about. "Wait." Reaching in, he grabbed the blue Panda pencil. His blue Panda pencil that he'd let her borrow towards the end of their senior year. "This is yours."

"What? No. That's yours. I didn't even realize I still had it til yesterday."

"Yeah, well you're still in school so it might come in handy." He handed the pencil to her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He smiled. "It's yours now."

"Thank you." She took it. There was something so final about him giving her his favorite pencil. As lame as that seemed to anyone else. After loading the box into the backseat - the only place that had room left - Joe said his final goodbyes. Sandy, already in tears, hugged him.

"You know if you need anything I am a phone call away. And we're always here if you change your mind and want to come home. And you're more than welcome to visit. You better come home for holidays. Right?" She asked.

"Yes, mom. I'll be okay." He assured her.

"My little boy is growing up, going off on his own." She grabbed his face and smiled. "If you ever ignore any of my calls I will be on the first flight. Do you understand me?"

"Loud and clear." He nodded, hugging her.

"I love you." She kissed his cheek. "Be good. Don't get into any trouble, or I'm sending Kevin and your father to bring you home."

"No trouble. Scouts honor." He saluted.

"We were never scouts." Kevin looked at Nick confused, getting an eye roll in response.

"Like your mother said, if you ignore a call, I cannot stop her from flying in unannounced." Tom told Joe, making him chuckle. "Good luck. Try not to trash the summer house before you find your own place. The last thing you want is to have me and Kevin showing up like she said. But why are we worried? You're going to do great." Tom held out his fist for a fist bump.

"Thanks, dad." Joe smiled, fistbumping his dad. While he was excited to be on his own, he was going to miss his parents. And his brothers. But at least he'd have Kevin and Nick for the summer. Frankie was occupied with his phone. "Guess I'm not important enough for a goodbye?"

"Hm?" Frankie looked up. "Oh. You're leaving? I didn't notice." He laughed. "Maybe I can visit for spring break?"

"We'll talk about it." Joe chuckled.

"Why do you have to move? You're going to leave me with those two-" He motioned to Nick and Kevin. "-to go to with my-" Frankie looked at Sandy. "-girl problems?" He lowered his voice, making Joe laugh. Nick looked almost offended.

"I'm only a text away."

"I guess." Frankie shrugged.

"You'll be okay. Nick's not completely helpless in that area."

"I can hear you." Nick replied.

"You'll be fine." Joe promised, playfully pushing him. "Try not to give mom and dad a hard time."

"No promises." Frankie laughed.

"I know we already discussed it, but I wanted to remind you-" Macy began.

"To send any photos we take on the roadtrip to you for the fan club site. Don't worry. I won't forget." Joe assured her. Jonas had agreed to share the roadtrip with the fans on the site. They had invited Macy to just join them on the roadtrip and she would have, but she was going to start college herself. "You will be the first person to know before I release anything."

"Really? I'll have exclusive solo Joe rights?" Despite becoming dear friends, she was still Jonas' number one fan.

"Something like that." He laughed. "Take care." He hugged her.

"You too! Keep us updated on everything LA."

"I will." He nodded, before turning to Stella. Saving her for last because he knew it was going to be the hardest goodbye. They'd spent the past two weeks together, but neither was ready. They'd been inseperable for as long as they could remember. Childhood best friends. High school sweethearts. "Not a goodbye. An I'll see you later." He repeated her words from earlier.

"Exactly." She smiled. Despite trying her hardest not to cry, tears welled in her eyes. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he pulled her into a hug. She couldn't hold back anymore, not caring if her makeup would get ruined or stain his t-shirt. "I will-" His voice cracked, forcing him to clear his throat. "I'll come visit whenever I can." It was a promise meant to be broken.

"I know." If she could have it her way, she'd stay there in his arms, but she couldn't.

"We should get going." Nick announced, checking his watch. Kevin looked at him. "What? If we're gonna make it to-" Kevin shoved Nick into the car. If anyone deserved a long final goodbye, it was Joe and Stella. She was the first to pull back from the hug.

"You guys have to go."

"Yeah, but we'll talk everyday, right?" Joe took his glasses off to wipe them on his shirt.

"Every single day." She assured him, wiping a tear from his cheek with her thumb. The dread of getting into the car and leaving everything behind was killing him. He was almost regretting the decision, but he knew the move was going to be good for him.

"I love you." He told her. She smiled.

"I love you too." Sighing, she looked at him. "Have fun, but not too much fun."

"I'll try not to." He chuckled. "Can't wait to hear all about New York."

"Oh, you will hear everything about New York." She promised. "Nick's getting impatient." She nodded towards the car.

"I bet. I guess it's time."

"Maybe me and Macy will do our own roadtrip over the summer."

"I'd love that." He was just stalling at this point. He wanted to kiss her, but not in front of everyone. And he didn't know if that was allowed since they decided to be friends. "So I'll see you around, then."

"Yeah. You know where to find me." She replied. He nodded, taking a deep breath. He couldn't stall anymore. Walking to the car, he turned back one more time, one last look at the firehouse and the people he loved most.

[insane4fandoms]

(I have two questions tonight if it’s no bother)

What’s it like setting up for Christmas with the Matt egos? Maybe it’s their first Christmas together! Mack’s first one on earth, Hermit’s first since getting off the island, etc

Matpat Egos on Christmas

- Let’s get things out, Mack is actually excited to be on Earth for Christmas. It’s been who knows how long since he left earth, and working everyday, you don’t really get to celebrate holidays. In a turn of events, he’s the one who gets very happy, more cheery than ever, and decorates the Theory Manor.

- Hermit could vividly remember Christmas, the first few years on the Island, he tried to remember what day it was to sing a Christmas song. As a kid, he had a speech impediment, so even now, he calls Christmas: “Kithmath”. He’s the one who bakes the cookies and cakes.

- Detective would always bring Ro with him during Christmas, the duo are always the thoughtful gifters. Through very good listening, they know what to gift to each ego, and hid them to where no one- not even Warfpat- could find them. In addition to that, Ro secretly has presents for Detective in the side.

- Matt loves the festive holiday, especially spending time with his son and Steph. He’ll also go into dad mode when they rip up presents, there won’t be any wrapping paper on the floor while he is around, no sir. Everyone also agreed that Oliver puts on the star on top of the tree, no one even argued, since Oliver deserves the world.

- Madpat claims he doesn’t care for Christmas, until he gets mail from his parents and he suddenly wears those tacky Christmas sweaters. Loves setting up the fireplace, and for once in this year, he gets quiet and just enjoys the crackling of the fire and what humanity he has left.

- Warf is the one who goes overboard on the lights. You know those neighbors with the load of lights that makes you question about their light bills. That’s him with the Manor, he genuinely enjoys the kids stopping by and admiring his decoration.

- Darkpat never celebrated Christmas before, and doesn’t want to start now, but Warf is basically dragging him, kicking and screaming, but accepted defeat. He was in charge of decorating the tree, and actually does a good job on it, but he will never admit pride.

- Now, time for them together!

- Hermit still believes Santa is real, during the Island, he wishes for Santa to take him home, and now he has dads and a new sibling, You! Captain Magnum and Stan spoil you both rotten, and they cry when they get homemade crafts from Hermit and You.

- Matt has his family with him, and they brought a huge feast, Oliver running around and Steph and Matt being that gross couple under the mistletoe. Dark gags in disgust at the pda, so of course, the two tease him by being the stereotypical lovey dovey couple on Christmas.

- Mad’s parents showed up, embarrassing him as usual, but still gives them the biggest hug ever. Mack takes a photo of it and will enjoy the blackmail in case Mad messes with him in the car again. They made cookies, which Mad will refuse on having anyone else eat them besides him.

- Detective brings Ro, Safiya, and Colleen, where they would just hug and cry in the fact they are together again after everything that happened. Colleen jokingly brings hotdogs with her for Detecfive, in which he promptly threw it into the fire and gave her a death stare, but she just laughed.

- Mack was surprised to see his crew visiting, along with his Captain having a gift for him too. Mark tackled hugged him, Celci prying him off and Gunther dressed up as an elf, the sidekick of the Santa-dressed-Burt. Chica showed up too as a reindeer. Mack quietly cried at the display of comfort when Captain gave him a big ol’ hug and told him that they’re spending Christmas with him.

- Dark and Warf have each other for company, for they don’t really have families of their own. Warf is ecstatic to be with his best friend, and Dark tolerates it, rolling his eyes and sighing, but was secretly happy. Dark gave Warf a stocking made for him, in which Warf almost broke reality again because of happiness.

- Thank god for the Theory Manor being so huge, for everyone got to have their families and friends together for one night again. No longer lost, no longer home sick, and no longer alone.

- Everyone sleeps, as Hermit waits for the real Santa (sorry Burt) to show up, his bats awake by his side, and Matt’s son also secretly up to see Father Christmas.

- The two were in awe when they heard bell jingles on the roof and a certain jolly man giving them pats on the head. Everyone thought the two were being them, but Hermit and Oliver were crying of joy.

Happy Holidays everyone. Doesn’t matter which holiday you celebrate, I hope you all are okay and well, and cheers everyone 🥂

We made it for one more year, let’s make it to the next, I promise we’ll get better. You and me, we’ll make it again, and we’ll have our lives together. If not, we always have another year.

🍻

[thefirstcourtesan]

Little Joys (Bryce/MC, past Ethan/MC)

Little Joys

By Misha

Disclaimer- Note Mine.

Author’s Notes- So I was inspired by this ask I saw @jerzwriter reblog and how Meredith and Bryce would celebrate international surfing day and I realized Meredith is extra enough that she would celebrate every single little holiday. I took her list of holidays from this site (even if it doesn’t have International Surfing Day on it 😂). This is set a year after Book 3. I have a full, complicated history for Meredith (and why she and Bryce took 3 years to be official) but have not written very much of it. All that is relevant for this story is that she and Ethan did have a thing, but never officially, and in the end she chose Bryce but she still had some wariness, commitment issues and they were taking things at her pace. Also, she is on the diagnostic team, but turned down running it and let Tobias take the job instead.

Rating- PG-13

Summary- There is a holiday for everything and Meredith Pierce makes it her mission in life to celebrate them all and to find as much joy as she can.

Word Count- 4170

“You are the only person I know who would schedule a girl’s night on a random internet day,” Jackie grouched as she settled into the sofa of Meredith and Bryce’s apartment. 

June 1- Dare Day

“I think it is fun!” Sienna said brightly, giving Meredith a beaming smile. 

“Sorry, I stand corrected, you are one of only two people,” Jackie aid dryly. She looked at Aurora, “why do we hang out with them?”

Aurora hid a smile by bringing a drink to her lips. “Sorry, Jackie, I think ‘dare day’ is kind of a fun excuse to get together.”

Jackie groaned. “I need new friends.”

“No, you need to do your dare,” Meredith told her, “Now write Tobias a text with ten things you like about him.”

“I can’t believe you are making me feed your boss’s giant ego,” Jackie grouched, but she picked up her phone. “Next year I am checking out your stupid calendar, so I can busy be all year.”

**

June 2- National Doughnut Day 

“Doughnut?” Meredith offered Ethan as she entered his office, a bakery box in her hands. 

He looked up from his paperwork. “Do I want to know the occasion?”

“It’s doughnut day!” Meredith said brightly, “so I picked these up this morning.” 

Jackie might have grouched about Dare day, but she had been pretty happy to receive multiple doughnuts that morning. 

“Of course it is,” Ethan said, rolling his eyes even as he reached into the box. “I assume this is not the only reason you are bothering me?”

There was a fondness in his voice that contradicted his words. Ethan and Meredith might not have worked as a couple, but Meredith knew the gruff man sincerely cared for her. 

“Tobias sent me to remind you that the diagnostic team is going to need temporary help the weekend of June 16-18.” 

Ethan glanced at his calendar. “Oh yes, Because he and Harper will be at a conference and you have vacation booked.” He looked at her, “I can’t persuade you to change your dates?”

“Nope,” Meredith told him, “Bryce and I are going to California. It is International Surfing Day and I am surprising him.”

“Of course it is,” Ethan muttered, “does Lahela enjoy being surprised by random holidays?”

It was a loaded question and they both knew it, but Meredith forced a bright smile. “He does, because he loves me.” It was a low blow and she knew it, but she also didn't care. Ethan had started it. 

Her response hit the mark and Ethan’s face immediately went blank. “Tell Tobias I will take care of the schedule.”

It was a dismissal and Meredith turned to leave, but paused at the door when Ethan called out her name. 

“Meredith.”

She turned around, but didn’t say anything. 

“Thanks for the donut.”

**

June 3rd- National Trail Day 

“This is a perfect Saturday,” Bryce commented with his trademark easy grin, “my favorite girls and a beautiful trail.” 

Kiki rolled her eyes. “You are so corny.”

She was visiting for the weekend, which was one of the reasons that Meredith had planned the hike. The other being that it was National Trail day. 

“You love it,” Bryce said, pulling her into a one arm hug.

“Gross,” Kiki muttered, but she was smiling. 

**

June 4th- National Cheese Day

“Have I ever mentioned you’re my favorite?” Tobias asked as Meredith came into the office carrying a cheese platter. 

“Meredith is everyone’s favorite,” Harper said with a warm smile, “what is the occasion?”

“National cheese day,” Meredith answered, setting the platter on the table, “it is also national applesauce cake day.”  She pulled a cake tin out of her bag. “Kiki and I made this last night.”

Bryce had had to go to work after their hike, so she and Kiki had been on the other. The younger girl had grouched a bit but she had actually  seemed to enjoy the activity. 

“I don’t care what Ethan says, I think all these national days are delightful,” Tobias told her, reaching for a piece of cheese, “I am especially fond of ‘dare day’, I’m thinking of printing that text from Varma and framing it on my office wall.” 

Meriden laughed. “She’ll murder us both.”

“Might be worth it,” Tobias joked, “but seriously Meredith, thank you for the snacks. It really improves the mood around here.”

Harper smiled. “Tobias  is right, I know I appreciate  your guestrues and I can’t wait to try that cake when I have my coffee later.”

“Did someone say cake?” Damien Blake, the fourth member of their diagnostic team, asked as he entered the office. His eyes widened as he saw the cake and cheese platter. “Cheese too, this is the best day.” He grinned at Meredith. “I assume, we have you to thank?”

Meredith nodded, pleased by the warm reaction of her colleagues. 

**

June 5th- World Environment Day 

“I heard this was your idea,” Ethan commented as he approached Meredith outside the hospital where employees were cleaning up the grounds. 

“I might have suggested it,” she admitted, noting  with pride at how many people had signed up for the activity, “it is World Environment Day.”

“So naturally, an employee trash pick up day makes sense,” Ethan agreed, he looked at the crowd, “it looks like there were a lot of volunteers.”

Mereidth smiled. “I guess a lot of people here care about the environment.”

“Or perhaps, it is the organiser,” Ethan said softly, “I think you underestimate your effect on the morale of this hospital, Meredith. I might grouch about your obsession with pointless holidays, but I have been told it brings smiles to a lot of people's faces.” 

Meredith blushed. “That is why I do it,” she said softly, “a hospital can be a bleak place and if I can bring a little joy to people’s lives, then I want to do that.”

“It is what makes you special,” Ethan told her softly, gazing at her with an intensity that made her bite her lip and look away. 

“I just do what I can,” she said softly, “and I should get back to the garbage clean up or Jackie is liable to start chucking it at my head if she thinks I am slacking off.” 

She hurried away from Ethan. She didn’t regret choosing Bryce a year ago, but sometimes she was very aware of what might have been. 

**

June 6th- National Gardening Exercise Day 

“This community garden is so cool,” Inez commented, looking around. “Thank you for inviting me along, Meredith.”

“You’re welcome,” Meredith said with a smile, “our apartment doesn’t have any green space, but I love gardening. Sienna and I try to come here at least twice a month.”

Sienna had been working that day, so Mereidth had to find someone else to accompany her on National Gardening Exercise Day. Inez had seemed like a natural choice and the other woman had eagerly agreed. 

“I can see why,” Inez commented, “there is something  very relaxing about working with nature. I will definitely be back.” 

**

June 7th- National Chocolate Ice Cream Day

“What’s this?” Meredith asked in surprise as Bryce handed her a bag. She looked inside, it was full of cartons of chocolate ice cream. 

“Happy National chocolate ice cream day,” he told her with a smile. 

She shot him a surprised look. 

“I peaked at your calendar,” he admitted, “I felt like someone should surprise you for once.” 

Meredith put the bag on the counter and threw her arms around Bryce, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he told her, holding her close, “and I am so in awe of you. You go out of your way to make every day special,for the people around you and I just wanted to give you back some of that energy.” 

Meredith blinked back tears, feeling unexpectedly emotional. She snuggled against Bryce’s chest, soaking up the feel of him. 

After a moment, he pulled away teasingly, “not that I ever get sick of holding you, but my grand gesture loses some of its impact if it melts all over the counter.”

**

June 8th- Best Friends Day 

“I approve of all the ice cream,” Sienna commented, lifting a spoon to her mouth, “Bryce did good.”

Mereidth smiled, “he did. And luckily today is National Best Friends Day, so I don’t have to eat it all myself.” 

She bit her lip. “But I had another reason for asking you over.” She got up and grabbed her purse, taking a box out and handing it to Sienna. 

Sienna looked at it and her eyes widened. “Really?” 

“Well, I haven’t taken it yet,” Meredith yet, “but I have been feeling a little off and emotional and my periods are always all over the place, so…” 

“Oh My God!” Sienna said, jumping up to hug Meredith, her bowl of chocolate ice cream forgotten. “You have to take the test now!”

Meredith nodded. “Yeah.” She took the box back. “I just didn’t want to do it alone and I didn’t want to tell Bryce yet.”

“He’ll be thrilled,” Sienna assured her, “as long as you are.”

“I am,” Meredith said,”I mean I will be, if I am. I want this, Sienna. I told you I was going to tell Bryce that I was ready for more when we are in California. So if this is real… I want to wait until then.”

Sienna squeezed her hand. “I think that sounds perfect, now go take that test and let me know if I am about to be an aunt!”

**

June 9th- National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

“There’s my favourite doctor,” Nurse Sarah commented, greedily eyeing the pie in Meredith’s hands. 

“I heard that,” Bryce commented, detouring towards the nurses station. “I thought I was your favourite, Sarah.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Meredith brings me pie, what do you do for me?” 

“I am a big fan of Mereidht’s pie,” Bryce agreed with a lecherous grin that had Meredith smacking him. 

Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“Hey!”

“He is very pretty,” Meredith said with a grin. 

“You can have your pretty boy, I’ll stick to pie,” Sarah told her, “it’s a lot less trouble. What flavour did you bring me?” 

“Today is National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie day,” Meredith answered, “Sienna and I went strawberry picking yesterday and then baked the pie.” 

“You and Dr. Trinh are treasures to this hospital,” Sarah told her, eagerly taking the pie. 

“In that, we are in agreement,” Bryce said, placing a kiss on Meredith’s head, “Meredith is definitely a treasure.”

Sarah smiled at him. “And that attitude is hey you are my third favourite.”

“I‘ll take it,” Bryce said with an easy grin, “and now that you have your pie, I am going to steal our mutual favourite doctor away.” 

“I’ll warn everyone to avoid the supply closets,” Sarah quipped, causing Bryce to laugh and Meredith to blush. 

**

June 10th- Ball Point Pen Day

“Thanks for agreeing to this,” Meredith told Tobias as she unpacked the boxes of ballpoint pens. 

“Yes, because it was a hardship to agree to a clever marketing strategy for the diagnostic team that I didn’t have to do any of the work for,” Tobias said with a smile, “I definitely should be the one thanking you, Meredith. This is a great idea.”

“It’s not too cheesy?” She asked. She would never have suggested it when Ethan was in charge of the diagnostic team, but Tobias was not Ethan. 

“It is definitely cheesy,” Tobias told her, “but it is also clever. I had been meaning to order us pens for a while, handing them out on Ball Point Pen today, just makes it better. Plus the whole hospital waits to see what your holiday of the day will be, so these will definitely be widely received.” 

“That is not true,” Meredith said, trying not to blush, “I don’t think that many people pay attention to my silly little holiday thing.”

“Oh, they definitely do,” Tobias told her, “and it’s brightened up this whole place. People have even been searching the internet and taking brts over which holiday you will choose for what day.”

Meredith blushed. She had no idea that people were taking it seriously , she had just started doing it for fun. 

“I mean it when I say you have brightened this place up,” Tobias told her, “and on that note, lets go hand out pens.”

** 

June 11th- National Corn on the Cob Day

“So Meredith goes all out every single day?” Elijah commented, a cob of corn in his hand, “apparently I am missing out.”

He had come for a visit and Meredith had decided to throw a cook-out to celebrate, as part of National Corn on the Cob Day. 

“That is one way to put it,” Jackie said with an eye-roll, “or we could argue you are the lucky one because you miss all the corniness.” 

“Technically, I am not missing the corniness, just everything else,” Elijah said and Jackie groaned while everyone else laughed. 

“I hate you all,” Jackie muttered, even as she grabbed another ear of corn. 

**

June 12th- Red Rose Day

Organising enough red roses to give a single rose to every single on duty employee at Edenbrook was not an easy task. She’d had to do-ordinate with HR to get a list of who would be on schedule and she’d gotten a couple of the maintenance guys to help her meet the florist and distribute them. 

Although Meredith had been surprised by how easy it had been to get the flowers themselves. The florist had even offered a steep discount when she’d explained why she wanted them. 

“What a sweet idea,” the woman at the shop had said, “I am sure it will brighten everyone’s day and working at a hospital, they definitely need it.” 

And so Meredith got the flowers she needed and made sure they were distributed to all the employees. She hadn’t bothered to assign herself one, the point was doing this for others, which is why she froze when she got to the diagnostic office and saw the table literally covered in roses. 

“Did people give theirs back?” She asked, a little crushed by the thought. 

“Why don’t you go look?” Tobias asked with a grin. 

Meredith took a cautious step, realizing that there were various arrangements and not just loose flowers and that many of them had cards. 

Her eyes watered as she read all the cards. There was a boquet from Bryce (which was definitely unnecessary because he hadn’t already surprised her with one at home that morning), one from the diagnostic team, from Jackie, Aurora and Sienna, from the nurses,  from HR and even one from Ethan. 

“This is too much,” she said, taking in all the flowers. 

“So says the lady who made sure every single on-duty employee got a rose and who frequently brings in baked goods,” Tobias told her, “you deserve a little appreciation, Meredith, and apparently most of the hospital thought so.”

Meredith just nodded, taking in all the flowers (although mentally she was already figuring out how to divide them between in-need patients, but the cards she would keep and treasure). 

**

June 13th- Pigeon Appreciation Day

“Why are we throwing bread at winged menaces?” Zaid asked with his usual frown. 

“Because it is pigeon appreciation day,” Meredith said, although honestly she was shocked Zaid had agreed to accompany her to the park. Although, she knew it was mostly because  of Inez. 

Bryce had been going to go with her, but he got called into surgery and everyone else was working. She’d mentioned to Inez that she would be going alone and an hour later Zaid had appeared and grumpily told her he would be going with her to the park. 

So here they were.

“There really is a day for everything,” Zaid muttered and frowned as a bird came too close, “can’t we appreciate them from a distance?” 

**

June 14th- National Nursing Assistant Day 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Piece,” Hannah, one of Edenbrook’s nursing assistants, said as she took the package of baked goods that  Meredith handed her. Meredith and Sienna had teamed up to make care packages for all the nursing assistants for National Nursing Assistant Day. 

“No, thank you for everything you do,” Meredith told her, “you and the other nurses assistants are one of the reasons Edenbrook runs so smoothly.”

Hannah smiled shyly. “It is really sweet of you to say so. Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“The other NAs and I, we were more excited to see what you would do than what the hospital would do,” Hannah confessed, “the lunch the hospital provides is mice, but we all really love it when you and Dr. Trinh bake.” 

Meredith felt a warmth fill her at the compliment. “Thanks for telling me that, Hannah, I really appreciate it.”

**

June 15th- National Nature Photography Day

“Do I dare ask what you are doing?”

Meredith turned at teh sound of the familiar gruff voice. 

“I am trying to take pictures of birds for national nature photography day,” she told Ethan, “but it turns out nature photography is not my calling.”

“I guess you’ll have to give up your dreams of a career in photography and settle for medicine,” Ethan said in a dead-pan voice. He sighed. “Hand me the camera.”

Meredith did as he asked, handing over Bryce’s precious camera (she swore he had winced when she’d asked to borrow it, even though he tried to hide it). 

Meredith watched as Ethan evaluated the camera. “This is a nice piece of equipment,” he said after a moment, “I take it, it’s not yours?”

“No, it’s Bryce’s,” Meredith answered, “he likes to takes pictures as a hobby.” 

“Photography can be a rewarding hobby,” Ethan agreed, fiddling with the settings on the camera. He looked at the tree in the courtyard critically, obviously considering his angles. A few minutes later, he handed the camera back to her. “I think I got some Swiss story shots.”

“Thank you,” Mereidth said sincerely, “I know you think my holiday of the day thing is silly.”

“Perhaps,” Ethan agreed, “but it is important to you.”

Several unspoken things hung in the air before Ethan broke the silence. “If I don’t see you before tomorrow, have a good trip.”

Meredith nodded. “Thanks, Ethan. For everything.”

He looked at her for a long moment before turning and walking away. 

Meredith watched him go and then turned her attention back to the camera. Now that she had her photos, she should get it back to Bryce so he could stop secretly fretting. 

**

June 16th- Take a Road Trip Day

“Bryce,” Meredith shook her boyfriend gently and then with more force, “Bryce, wake up.”

He blinked up at her. “What time is it?”

“6 a.m.”

Bryce sat up with a scowl. “Meredith, baby, I love you more than anything, but why am I awake at 6 a.m on a day when I don’t have to work until 5?” 

Even as he complained, he was reaching out to grab her and settle her on his lap. 

“Because we’re going on a trip,” Meredith explained, “today is take a road trip day. I mean, technically we’re flying, but I have a rental car waiting for us, so I think it counts…”

“Babe, I have to work all weekend,” Bryce reminded her.

“So, actually, you don’t,” Meredith told him, “I arranged for you to have the weekend off ages ago. Julie in HR helped clear your schedule and also agreed to keep it a surprise. Harper helped too and Dr. Tamaka.”

“I guess it helps to be the hospital's favorite doctor,” Bryce teased, “and obviously I am referring to myself, not the woman who keeps the whole hospital in baked goods.” 

“It has it’s uses,” Meredith agreed, smiling down at him, “tomorrow is International Surfing Day and I couldn’t imagine my surfer boy trapped in Boston, so we are going to Califronia.”

Bryce shook his head in awe. “I love you so fucking much. You are amazing, you know that?”

“I like it when you tell me,” Meredith admitted, leaning forward to kiss him. 

Bryce gripped her hips as he deepened the kiss. “How long do we have before we have to leave for our flight?”

“Long enough,” Meredith assured him, rocking into him with purpose, enjoying the groan he let out. 

“Good,” Bryce said, his grip tightening as he suddenly reversed their positions so that he was on top of her. “Because I want to show you just how amazing I think you are.”

**

June 17th- International Surfing Day

“Are you sure you don’t want to surf with me?” Bryce asked as he prepared his board. 

Mereidth shook her head. “No, I am happy to watch.” 

When she had booked the trip, she had planned on surfing with Bryce, but then things had changed. So instead she would play spectator. 

Bryce nodded and disappeared into the waves. 

They had a satisfying day on the beach. Meredith enjoyed the sun and the sand and watching her hot surfer boyfriend. 

Later, when Bryce had finished for the day and they had returned to their hotel, he pulled her in for a long, steamy kiss. “Thank you for doing this for me,” he told her, holding her close, “the fact that you went to all this trouble, I still can’t believe it.”

“I would do anything for you, Bryce,” Meredith told him sincerely. She took a deep breath and then gazed into his eyes, “international surfing day isn’t the only reason I planned this trip. I’m ready, Bryce, I’m ready to be all in, forever.”

It had been almost a year since he had told her what he wanted for their future and then promised to wait until she wanted it too, until she was ready to go all in. 

Bryce’s eyes widened and then he pulled her towards him, kissing her deeply and hungrily. 

“I love you,” he told her. He suddenly let go of her and quickly crossed the room to his suitcase, pulling out a familiar black box. 

Meredith gasped. She knew he had a ring, but she hadn’t imagined he would bring it with him on this trip. 

“When you told me about this trip, I guess I hoped it might mean you were ready for this,” Bryce told her, taking her hand before popping the ring box open, “Meredith Pierce, will you marry me?”

“Yes!!!!” Meredith said immediately, her eyes filled with tears. She had spent a lot of time afraid of the future, of commitment, but now standing here with this man who loved her in a way she had never imagined possible, she knew that love was worth the risk. 

She was all in. Forever.

**

June 18th- Father’s Day

“Are we going fishing or out for sushi?” Bryce asked the next morning as they lay cuddled up in bed. He grinned at Meredith’s frown, “8 told you, I check your holiday site. I am prepared.”

Meredith shook her head. She loved this man so much. “I actually had a more mainstream holiday in mind,” she told him, wiggling out of his arms to grab the card she had out on her night table the night before,

Bryce took it with a puzzled look, his eyes widening as he saw the Father’s Day card. “Mer?”

“Open it,” she encouraged, watching him carefully.

She watched as he carefully opened the card, memorizing the expression on his face as he spotted the sonogram she had tucked in there. 

“You’re pregnant?” He asked hesitantly, his eyes glued to the sonogram. 

“6 weeks,” Meredith confirmed, “it’s not why I planned this trip.  

I had this weekend planned long before that, it was just a nice little bonus.”

Or she hoped he would see it that way.

“I’m going to be a dad,” he said in awe and then he let the card fall from his hands as he grabbed her and kissed her deeply. She sank into the kiss, wondering if it was possible to be happier than she was at this moment. 

“I love you,” she told him when they finally broke apart for air.

“You are everything,” he told her, his hand moving to rest on her belly, “I can’t believe how happy you have made me.”

“Hopefully as  happy as you have made me,” she told him, “because I feel like I am so happy I might burst.”

“That makes two of us,” Bryce assured her and then he sighed, “although, there is one downside, I was really looking forward to that sushi—ooof.” He groaned as Meredith hit him with a pillow. “You’ll pay for that.”

He grabbed her by the waist and tackled her to the bed, both of them giggling, all holidays forgotten as they got lost in each other and the life they were building together. 

The End 

[hier--soir]

i saw on one of your posts that you lived in Paris? teach me your ways !! would love to know how it was moving away from home/if you have any tips for early twenties looking to leave my hometown

oh helloo! yes i lived there alone for a little while last year, i love that city so so much. i miss the funny people, the ridiculous stairs, and the insanely difficult language.

it was definitely difficult because aus is so far from a lot of the world, and taking trips back to visit wasn't really an option [20+hours of travel for a "visit" is pretty heinous imo] which was hard on the heart

i'd say do lots of research on visas and figure out what's best for you in terms of how you want to make money/sustain yourself. if you want to study, work, or you just want to travel

also, if you're going somewhere like france, i'd suggest researching what the bureaucracy is like lmao. things as simple as opening a bank account can be difficult as a foreigner, and you need loads of documents

after all that though, go to events, join clubs, see live music, etc etc bcs becoming friends with other travellers or locals will make it all feel so much more like a home, rather than a long fucking "holiday".

travel is so fun and will change your life. ilysm, hope this helps!

[thebarbaricyawp]

Recent events, including the National Peanut Festival Poultry Show have given me some joy. I love going to look at these fancy chickens. I cry every year because I love them so much. From afar. I’m ridiculous.

I had some luck with my holiday catering, making sides and desserts for people. I think I doubled customers and profits from last year, and I’ve gotten some rave reviews of the food. People seem to recognize that I’ve put a lot of love and work into these recipes, many of which have been passed down from my granny and great grandmother.

We had thanksgiving lunch with my family on Thursday and then Friendsgiving with some chosen family last night. We fried a turkey and had 3 kinds of potatoes, 4 if you count the rolls.

Gavin has been so driven and dedicated over the past couple of weeks. We’ve had a lot to do, and he totally came through. Last weekend, we loaded a truck of his music gear, his shop gear, and some Chewbacchus sculpture leftovers in NOLA and brought them back here. (We also attended a Chewbacchus event in town, saw our nerdy Krewe, and felt socially recharged.) We spent two days unloading the truck and then rolled right into 15 hours of Thanksgiving cooking. I just feel recovered today!

It was wonderful to see people I know and meet new folks who ordered food. Some of the highlights were: my 8th grade teacher who ordered a squash casserole and tipped me $5 in cash for “being such a good student;” seeing three branches of one family who ordered, all friends of my dad; meeting a college buddy of my dad’s who started a very successful food review FB group; taking pies to my dad’s junior prom date who is the current chair of the Democratic Party in our county; visiting with my nursery school buddy Amber and joining her for some bar trivia that night; and riding around with Gavin to make it all happen.

In our farming family, Thanksgiving is a harvest celebration. A time to gather and feast and rest. And we did.

Like a dummy, I took no photos of my catering. Next time!

[nancypullen]

Checking In

It's been a wonderful few days here on the Pullen spread. Matt has been in town and he's always such good company. We've had a lot of laughs, eaten too much holiday food, and just enjoyed being together. The Edgewater gang went down to Tennessee for Turkey Day, but I've had two calls from our Little Miss and have seen loads of pictures - they're having a ball. They'll be home on Sunday, Matt will fly out this evening, and we'll all brace ourselves for Christmas. We're getting decorated, my cards have arrived, and I'm ready to start wrapping gifts. The mister and I may wander into D.C. and visit the Christmas market, or we may opt to go to Baltimore's Inner Harbor - they do a big German Christmas village with loads of vendors (and German food!). Chestertown, on our side of the bridge, will have their Dickens Christmas festival the first weekend of December. We'll definitely give that a go. Doesn't look like we'll lack for Christmas cheer. I've volunteered to work the Friends of the Library booth at the Ridgley Christmas shindig, we'll see if they plug me into the schedule. I think that's on the 9th. It's tiiiiime!

In other news....I GOT A JOB! The Caroline County Library looked past my pink fluff (and maybe my age) and offered me a position! Yippee! I'll start January 16th, so come on over and see the nice granny at the library, she'll help you with anything you need. I never thought I'd be starting a new job at age 60, but I truly think it's going to be good for me in many ways. I can't just rot in this house. When the offer was made and salary and start date settled, I was reminded that this was, of course, pending a clean background check. Why is it, that even when you know you haven't had so much as a speeding ticket in decades, you wonder if you'll pass the background check? No one has lived a more vanilla life than I have, but what if they uncover that I skipped school in 1980 and egged a rival high school? I'll bet the people doing my background check weren't even born in 1980. What's the statute of limitations of egging? I may also have knowledge of several toilet papering incidents. That's it, I'm sunk.

Moving right along. I've got several artsy projects going. It looks like a glitter factory exploded in my craft room and that makes me happy. Look at these little chests (don't look at my mess).

Those are going to be tooth fairy boxes! My grandgirl and my sister's grandson are about the same age, both in kindergarten and nearing the snaggletooth stage of life. I''ll touch up the paint on these, glue in a little cushion, and place a little scroll inside printed with a poem I wrote for them: The Tooth Fairy Riding a moonbeam, she enters our land With glittering wings and a pouch in her hand Searching for treasure, a fairy's delight, a child's lost tooth, shiny and white. Upon finding a tooth that pleases her eyes, she leaves that lucky child a surprise So take care of your teeth, do your best When one is lost, use this chest Close your eyes, drift and dream She'll soon arrive on a silver moonbeam When you wake, look inside And see what treats a fairy hides

Okay, it's rough, but it'll work for little kids. It's all about the magic, folks. Make as much magic as you can for as long as you can. If it includes glitter, even better. Okie dokie, time for me to get busy around here. There are decorations to hang, things to sparkle, and cookies to eat. I hope you're doing something fun today, too. Whether that means shopping with the crowds or watching Hallmark movies and drinking hot cocoa, do it! Let's make a pact to send 2023 on its way in a cloud of merriment and happiness. The world is insane, bad news blares at us all day, so do everything you can to make your little corner of the world sweet. Sending you love and lots of holiday cheer. Sprinkle it all over! Stay safe, stay well, stay jolly. XOXO, Nancy

[jmagnabo92]

The Best Present

The Full Fic for the Best Present - HSBonding Series Part 10.

AO3

***

Despite the initial uncertainty of everything, Sirius had determined that this would be the best Christmas ever.  He and Harry spent the better part of the next two days decorating the whole house, which had gotten everyone else involved, too.  

After the house was decorated, Sirius spent nearly every minute he could with Harry.  He taught him the wizarding Christmas songs (both to play on the piano and to be sung), told him about some of their traditions (like opening a present on Christmas Eve or playing the piano as it nears midnight), and eager to make the most of this time with him, he’d given him one of his Christmas presents early: A photo album.

The album had every picture that Sirius could scrounge up, which was a lot considering that he practically lived with James and Lily whenever he didn’t have an Order mission that took him away and included all of the letters he could find between the three of them (including the ones when they were in school and opting to leave out the ones that included any mentions of their sexual relationship – Harry didn’t need to see those).  They’d taken loads of pictures because they didn’t have much else to do, which means he’s very happy for now because it means he could delight Harry with the stories behind the pictures.  

Harry’s clearly thrilled getting every story he can behind each picture as they sit in the sitting room going over it and determinedly ignoring the Order members, who don’t seem happy about them spending time together.  Sirius doesn’t care about their opinions, so he just keeps going – smiling down at his kid and enjoying their first holiday together.

“Oh, is that me on a broom?” Harry asks as he flips to the next page, which shows Harry’s first birthday.  

“It is,” Sirius smiles, ignoring Molly about to give him bollocks for something he did fourteen years previously (especially when his kid’s other parents loved it).  “I bought you a child’s broom for your birthday, figured that you’d be the natural you obviously are – I sadly didn’t get to be there, but I had to get your favorite present.”

Harry laughs, “How’d you know it was my favorite?”

“Because I know my kid, but also, your mother wrote me this letter,” Sirius states, pointing at the next page.  “As much as I loved the letters, I thought you might enjoy them, too.  Ones that didn’t go with the photos are in another album.”  

Sirius had utterly spoiled Harry this holiday (with the sheer number of gifts he’d put together/bought for him), but given the hell he’s been through, he deserves a little spoiling.

Harry’s focused on reading the letter and doesn’t appear to hear him.  He traces the letter g in the letters, “She makes – made her g’s like mine.”

“Hmm-mm,” Sirius hums.  “You have many similarities to your mum, but you’re definitely your own person.”

He chuckles, quietly.  “She sounds like she truly loves you, too.  Not just dad.  Asking you to come visit and all because they miss you, telling you about how much she and I loved the baby broom, sending you the photo... it seems like she really cares for you.”

Sirius can tell that Harry’s obviously got questions but doesn’t want to come right out and ask.  He understands.

“She does – did,” Sirius states.  Somehow, he hasn’t touched on the friendship between him and Lily since first year because they spend most of their conversations talking about issues Harry’s facing at school.  He should really try to fit in more stories about James and Lily, obviously that is what Harry’s most interested in.   He smiles, “Lily and I had a unique friendship.  Everyone thought she just put up with me because of James, but I’d actually been friends with her first as we’d been sort of secret friends since first year…”

“Secret friends?” Harry questions, slightly teasing.  “How’s that work?”

Sirius clears his throat.  “Well, you know that my biological family wasn’t the greatest, they were real upset that I sorted into Gryffindor, and my brother, Regulus, had written to me about the disappointment I was – how I wasn’t his brother, not really.  And you know Petunia…”

“She did the same to mum?” Harry questions, looking upset, and he can see Molly opening her mouth to intervene so Sirius rushes to explain a bit.

“I don’t tell you this to upset you, I just wanted to explain the background of it.”

Harry nods.  “Of course.  I know that.  So…”

“So, anyway, it’s in the first few weeks of school, and I got the letter – your dad and I were always close – had gotten on together since we met on the train ride there –, but I wasn’t really ready to share it with him, what if he decided I wasn’t worth it?” Sirius questions and is dismayed when Harry nods in understanding.  “Well, anyway, I snuck downstairs to the common room to be alone and wallow a bit … and Lily was there, doing the same.”

“I guess she was afraid to tell anyone just yet?” Harry asks, knowingly.  “Being new to school and uncertain, like you.”

“Hmm-mm, your mother and I had a lot in common.”  Particularly their interest in a mate, Sirius thinks with a smile.  “She might’ve told her best friend if he wasn’t dismissive of muggles,” Sirius states, leaving out naming her best friend.  He didn’t want to get into the Snape of it all.  It would only make their animosity and his treatment of Harry worse.  Harry’s better off not knowing that Snape and Lily had been best friends for a time.  “But er, yeah, that was it.  We ended up talking about it – she’d been unsure because of the reputation of being a Black, but I assured her that I was always different.  So, eventually, we talked, and it helped.  Because of other factors, we decided that we wouldn’t talk about it outside of the nights we got together, which was about twice a week for the first couple of years of school.”

“So, you knew her as well as you did Dad?” Harry asks, curiously.  “How come you never mentioned it?”

“Oh, well, I haven’t had much time to really talk about your parents, but I like to think I knew them both very well – I spent just as much time with Lily as I did James,” Sirius smiles.  “We spent a lot of time together in those first few years talking about families and how hard things can be to be different from your family.  She struggled being in a world that she couldn’t even show her parents or sister and I struggled with all of their nasty beliefs.  None of it made sense to me.  We used our struggles to support one another.  She taught me all about the muggle world and I told her all about the wizarding world – things that many purebloods take advantage of knowing, but don’t worry about sharing with everyone else.”

“Things you’ll tell me?”

“Of course,” Sirius smiles.  “But back to your mother – you know she taught me how to drive?”

“No!  She did?  Will you teach me?” Harry questions, excitedly.  “I always wondered how you could’ve learned how to ride your motorbike.”

Sirius laughs, “Yeah, she did and yes, of course, someday I will – I always wanted the bike, I’d always been interested in muggle travel, sometimes it’s just better – there was just something freeing about riding a bike according to everything I’d seen – so, I was determined – I found a bike and I wanted it and er, your Potter grandparents wanted to buy it for me as an end of schooling present, but they didn’t want to buy it if I couldn’t actually use it.  Since they didn’t know how to drive, they had been spit balling ideas when Lily offered to teach me.  So, they gave it to me when we got home after we finished Hogwarts and told me that it came with a caveat that I didn’t drive it until Lily had deemed me competent enough to get a license and had taken me to get that license.”

Harry laughs, “How long did that take you?”

“Far too long for my liking – she kept telling me that I had to be absolutely perfect because of how easily the worst could happen – she was always particular about certain things, driving was one of them –, but eventually, she caved, and I got my license just before your parents married in December of ’79.  She was my first passenger on the bike.”

Sirius grins at the memory.  The two of them spent a lot of time working on teaching Sirius to drive and he loved every minute of it (especially because sometimes James was put out that neither of his partners – later, fiancées were spending that time with him).  

“Did I ever ride the bike?” Harry asks, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity.  

“You did.  Whenever you couldn’t sleep, we’d bundled you up and take you for a drive – eventually ending in the sky.  Seems that flying always helps relaxing you,” Sirius smiles.  He nudges Harry, and teases, “Explains your love for it – I remember when you told me it helped make your worries fly away, even against a dragon.”

“Yeah, I could’ve completely forgotten about the tournament or the dragon in that moment – it felt so great to fly.”  Harry smiles, wistfully.  “It felt so great – I should’ve done it without practice just to enjoy flying on my own.  It always feels so freeing especially the first time after spending so long…” he stops, and it’s clear that whatever he’s thinking of he doesn’t want to say out loud.

Given what he knows about Petunia, and the fact that Harry had plainly stated that the room that he lives in at the Dursleys is Dudley’s second bedroom, he’s sure that he doesn’t want to know lest he lose his control and goes to kill them.  

“Yeah, I had no idea with that gigantic letter you sent,” Sirius teases, trying to focus on the pleasant part of the discussion.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Harry blushes.  “I just – I wanted you to be proud, but I – I wasn’t trying to make it that long…”

“I was proud, kid.”  Sirius laughs, “And I loved it – I wish you’d done the same with that first letter after you found out about the tournament, maybe then you wouldn’t have spent an hour practically ranting that night I stuck my head in the fire to check on you – not that I minded.  I love you a lot and I’d gladly read any length of letter you’d like to send me or listen to you rant for as long as you need me to.  Unfortunately, right now, we can’t, but I did enjoy it, even if I had seen it for myself.”

“You – you what?  You didn’t tell me that,” Harry states, surprised.  “You were there?  You could have – I could have talked to you – I could have –”

There’re so many things that they could’ve done had Harry known that Sirius had been on the grounds, but Sirius had very valid concerns regarding Harry’s reaction to Sirius’ presence during the tasks given that letter that he received when he told him that he was headed North immediately.  Harry would’ve freaked out and demanded that Sirius leave.

“Well, your immediate reaction when I told you that I was heading back was to try and tell me (which failed because I know my kid) that you imagined your scar hurting and that I shouldn’t waste my time coming back,” Sirius states, giving Harry a look.  “I wasn’t about to worry you any more than you already were.”

His kid looks embarrassed, “I didn’t want to lose you.  You could’ve been caught, and it would’ve been my fault.”

“It would not have been your fault – it would’ve been mine – it was a calculated risk, and I took it,” Sirius states, sternly.  “Still, you were so worried when I appeared in the fire that I didn’t want to worry you more by telling you that I was actually on the grounds watching.  As much as I was dying to talk to you about it, I just – I thought it was better that you weren’t any more worried about me than you already were.  You had much bigger concerns to be focused on.”

“I could’ve gotten over it,” Harry counters, still clearly upset.  “It would’ve been nice to have support from an adult that didn’t think I cheated my way into the tournament.”

Sirius nods, “I know – and I battled back and forth with telling you…”

“But you didn’t,” Harry states.  Then frowns, “Why did you risk it?  It’s one thing to be in that cave in Hogsmeade, it’s another to be on the grounds with all those Ministry officials…”

“Like I said – I weighed the odds on the risk.  It was worth it.”

“If something had happened…”

“You didn’t think I’d wait for a letter to determine that you were safe, did you?” Sirius questions.  The idea absurd to him.  “I just couldn’t wait and wonder – I had to be there.  I would’ve gone crazy…”

“Would have?” Harry teases, evidently not as upset that Sirius was on the grounds to support him for the tasks.  Maybe he figures it doesn’t matter now since Sirius evidently made it work and wasn’t caught.

“Oi!”

“Just kidding,” Harry grins.  “It is kind of nice thinking about you being there for me.  Since you’re the only adult that tried to help me – the only one that believed me and supported me.”  Harry’s so focused on him that he doesn’t notice the looks the adults in the room are giving him.  Guilty looks.  Apparently, they’re only just now realizing how badly they screwed up regarding the tournament.  “I kind of wish that I’d known, but I get it – I likely would’ve spent the time worrying about you instead of focusing on what I had to do.  Were you there for all of them?”

“Of course.  Like I said, I wasn’t going to wait for a letter – the others would’ve been dreadfully boring if I wasn’t completely stressing about you making it through them safely,” Sirius states.  Those tasks had been awful days, worrying about Harry’s potentially deadly task and hoping he’d survive.  “Especially that second one – first, you were nearly late, you looked like a right mess and then you were down there for so long – I didn’t know if you could swim – I thought you drowned –”

Harry flushes, again.  “I shouldn’t have taken the clue seriously, but I was already forced into a deadly competition and with – well, it’s just, I don’t exactly –” trust the adults to keep things safe.  He doesn’t say the words but given the stories this year of Hogwarts that he’s told Sirius, he completely understands.  

“Yeah, well, I think it made sense.  If it’d been anyone else in that situation where they had their two best friends and the girl who’d be their girlfriend as underwater hostages and being held back, exhausted in a deadly tournament – I’m not surprised that you believed it.  Anyone in your position would have.  Besides, it was a deadly, adult tournament that you didn’t want to be in that was once ended due to the death toll that got too high.  It’s only logical that the stakes were real.”  

He’s relieved by Harry’s slight smile.  It tells him that Harry seems to feel better about his ‘being a prat’ thanks to Sirius’ words.  A quick glance around could see Hermione and Ron looking guilty for their comments that lead to Harry believe he’d been a stupid prat for believing the egg clue.  “Besides, you weren’t even the only one to believe it – Fleur clearly believed it, too.  As did most of the audience.”  

He leaves out that Percy as a judge had clearly believed it judging by his wading into the water to help Ron and clears his throat.

“Still, I was relieved when you resurfaced,” he finishes turning back to Harry.  “And I was proud of you for what you did.  It shows a lot about you that you didn’t just take your hostage and leave when the other two that made it to the hostages just cared about their own despite seeing you literally held back for trying to rescue more than just yours.”  He could see the frown at the slight dig at Krum and Cedric and says, “Anyway, you made it through, and I could’ve honestly gone running into the lake the way – someone else did – if I wasn’t worried about being caught.”  

Sirius gives him a little side hug, and he can see the effect of his words on Harry.  He looks like he feels a thousand percent better about the situation.

“Yeah, I was just glad it was over, I didn’t really want to win just wanted to show up the arses that gave me such utter bollocks before the first task,” Harry sighs.  

“Well, you certainly did,” Sirius says, smiling.  

“You know, far too late for it to work, I considered asking you for advice on becoming an Animagus so I could be a frog or something…” Harry jokes.

Sirius laughs, “I don’t think you would’ve had time, and I doubt you’d be a frog…”

“I know, obviously.  Besides, I don’t think being a frog would’ve helped me get Ron and Fleur’s sister out of the lake.”

“That’s also true, but I also think you have no chance of being a frog,” Sirius states.

“Oh?  Why not?” Harry asks, curiously.  “Is that not an option?”

“Any animal is an option,” Sirius offers.  Then he flips a few pages to the photos that Lily and James had taken of baby Harry playing on Padfoot and turning into a mini-Padfoot.  “But I’m partial to thinking that you’d be a little bit more like this.”

Harry looks down at the page with wide eyes, “I – is that really me?”

“Of course it is,” Sirius laughs.  “Who else would it be?”

Harry rolls his eyes at his little joke.

“How’d I even do that?” Harry questions, surprised, taking in the photos.  

“We don’t know, but it happened almost every time that I played with you like that, which was often to say the least,” Sirius smiles.  He always loved that his kid became a mini-padfoot over a mini-prongs, but he also loved that Harry always wanted to play with him, too.   “Once you started talking whenever you’d see me, you’d yell ‘Pa’foo, Puppy!’ because you always wanted to play with me as Padfoot.”  Harry laughs and Sirius continues, “Your dad freaked out pretty regularly about it, but managed to figure out how to fix you pretty quickly after the first time, so Lily and I were only freaked out the first time… James… well, as I said… he tended to be the worrier.”

Harry looks up at him a little in awe, “Exactly how many times did I spontaneously turn into a mini-Padfoot?”

Sirius laughs, “We lost count, but enough that we gave you a name.”

“You didn’t!”

“We did – ironically it’s the one I gave you to call me last year instead of Padfoot.”  At Harry’s incredulous look, he adds, “What?  You didn’t think I’d actually give myself a name like that, it’s rather embarrassing – it fit baby/puppy you a lot better.”

Harry’s laughing, “I can’t believe that you gave me that name – it’s like … so embarrassing.”

“You were a baby, you couldn’t be embarrassed, besides it’s a parents’ job to embarrass you.”

“Yeah, okay.  Sure, it is,” Harry says, rolling his eyes.  “So, does this mean I’d be like Padfoot if I tried?”

Sirius smiles, “As much as I’d love that, I don’t know.  There’s every chance that you’d be like Prongs given your patronus, and there’s no studies on a baby doing it and then, again, later in life.  We always thought you were just trying to mimic me rather than be a dog yourself.  As a baby, you didn’t exactly have much of a personality.”

“Hmm-mm, I think I’d like to be more like Padfoot than Prongs, ‘cause dogs are easier to pretend to be strays like you do – there’s no stray deer running around,” Harry offers.

“No, there definitely aren’t, and I do like my form for that reason.  Easy to hide and be … I don’t know, playful, I guess.  You loved playing with me whenever you could, whether it was fetch, or climbing all over me…”

Harry smiles, “Did I ever play with dad like that?”

“Well, we tried, but Prongs is much bigger and has pointy antlers, so it wasn’t safe for a baby to be around and you much preferred doggy time anyway,” Sirius teases.  “At first, your dad was a bit jealous about it – wishing that you wanted to be like him or could play with Prongs like you could with Padfoot, but then he realized the benefits…” like not having to do it all the time and getting to laugh at Sirius’ predicament.

“Like not being exhausted after having to play with me?” Harry asks, flipping through several pages of he and Sirius as Padfoot clearly playing together while James and Lily laugh from the couch.  They had taken turns with the camera and every so often appeared in photos with the two of them.  He stops at the photo of Padfoot and Snuffles curled up together.  “I appear to have tired you out a lot.”

Sirius laughs, “Yeah, it was exhausting, but worth it.  Hearing baby you cheer for your favorite puppy always brought a smile to our faces.”

Harry smiles, “Guess I did that a lot, huh?”

“You did.  There weren’t many options to entertain you stuck in the house, so that and the broom were your favorites.”

Harry’s quiet for a few minutes, flipping through the album, which had started at the latest pictures and went backward in time.  He stops when he sees a photo of James with antlers.  “Er, what’s this?”

“That is what happens when you aren’t focused enough on the transformation,” Sirius laughs at the memory. James with antlers – playing games and pretending it was a prank gone wrong.  It was worth the detention just as long as they weren’t found out.  “James had been trying to transform and we were still quite new to it.  He got distracted and couldn’t figure out a way to either become Prongs or lose the antlers.”

“So, what happened?”

“Well, we finally figured out how to fix it about three weeks later.  In the meantime, we – er – lied and told everyone I hexed him to be like a reindeer for the holidays and couldn’t figure out the counter curse.”

Harry stifles a laugh, “He walked around school with antlers for three weeks?”

“He did – he had no other choice.  We made a joke out of it – in fact, we started a game where people would throw rings on him trying to get them on his antlers, unfortunately, he got hit in the face a lot, which was funny to the rest of us.  Not to say that we didn’t spend every possible minute trying to fix him, it just – we made the most out of it.  At least it was the only time it happened to him, he didn’t laugh much, but he thought it was a lot funnier when it happened to me.”  Sirius points to the next page where he’s got dog ears and a tail.  “Mine was easier to hide, but definitely just as embarrassing with all of the dog jokes that followed me around.”

Harry laughs, “I bet it was easier to sleep with a tail and ears than antlers.”

“I’ll give you that – it was a lot easier on me than him.  Still, it reminded us that we were messing around with things we shouldn’t have – so even if you had asked, I would’ve said no.”

Sirius is mildly nervous about Harry’s response to this given that it’s the first time he’s ever told Harry couldn’t have something that he wants, aside from the incident with coming to Grimmauld Place for the holidays.  

Harry frowns, “But I could’ve had guidance from you.”

“Yes, but you’re much too young – we got lucky that we managed to fix it.”

“You were the same age and – and you could fix me if I tried…” Harry continues to argue.  He’d be making good points if it wasn’t for the fact that Sirius knows how dangerous it is and that they had all agreed to making Harry wait until he’s of age.  He wouldn’t go back on what all of his parents had agreed on.

Sirius gives him a look.  “You’re not allowed to even try until you’re of age.”

“What?!” Harry asks, clearly angry.  “But you just said that you could help me.”

“Except that I can’t help you from here and it’s better to wait.”

“But I – I practically did it as a baby.”

“Yes, you did, and we’re terribly happy about that.”

“But you said…”

“Harry, kid, listen to me,” Sirius states, giving him a stern look.  “It’s not that I’m worried that you won’t be able to do it.  It’s just that even with spontaneous animal transfiguration as a baby, which yes, James was able to fix, we discussed it then, and agreed that we wouldn’t allow you to attempt the transformation before you’re seventeen.  We got lucky that it worked out, but I’m not risking something happening to you for no reason, not after everything you’ve been through.  You can attempt to do it when you became an adult – it’s only a year and a half.  I’m sure you can wait.”

Harry sighs, clearly still upset, “Fine.”

Sirius sighs, “I didn’t even realize you wanted to learn.”

“Well, I just – you and dad could do it; I didn’t see any reason I couldn’t try, especially given …” he flips through the pages to him as Snuffles.  “… this.”

Sirius nods, “I understand.  I just… we already agreed, it’ll just have to wait.”

“I guess,” Harry shrugs, clearly disappointed.  

Had he been planning to ask Sirius to teach him over the break?  Sirius wonders.  Not that it matters, he would follow their wishes and postpone any Animagus training until Harry’s of age.  Maybe he could make him feel better by at least giving Harry their Animagus journals.

“I will, however, give you these –” he pulls out some journals that he and James had written in that discussed the transformation and the process to finding their inner animals.  “– if you promise to wait until you’re of age to attempt it.”

Harry lights up at something from his dad, “Yeah, I promise.  I won’t attempt it without you.”

“Good, kid.  Then they are yours.”

Harry smiles, accepting them.  “You know, these are probably my favorite presents I’ve ever gotten.  They’re the best – the photos, the letters, the journals, the stories, the room… I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Well, lucky for you, you don’t have to worry about that because I’m not going anywhere,” Sirius smiles, ruffling his hair.

“Good.”

***

They had continued to talk when some of the other kids had expressed interest in reading the letters and stuff, it was clear that it made Harry uncomfortable to have his privacy invaded.  Most likely because he rarely ever gets personal items from his parents.  Given what he knows about Harry’s recent privacy issues, Sirius decides to give Harry the privacy he wants and needs by going to Harry’s new room.

“Why don’t you go upstairs to the privacy of your room, and I’ll bring us up some hot chocolate?” he offers since Harry’s new bedroom is on Sirius’ floor and no one could get up there without the express permission of either Harry or Sirius.

Harry looks grateful, nods, and takes his things upstairs, while Sirius goes down to the kitchen.  He begins making the hot chocolate but doesn’t fail to notice that he was followed into the kitchen by Molly.  He chooses to ignore her, but he knows that it won’t last forever as eventually he’ll have to turn around to take the hot chocolate upstairs.  

“I’m sorry,” she says, jarring his attention to her.  

“For what?” Sirius questions, although he could think of many reasons that Molly should be sorry for regarding him.  She had already apologized for some things, and he had, too, but there were others.

“For not realizing all of what you’d done for Harry last year,” Molly states.  “For not realizing that you know a lot more about Harry than I do – that you are parent material for him.”

“I see – well, you’re not the only one, so it’s okay.”  

Of course, it’s not okay, not to him, not to Harry, but there was nothing that he could do about it.  He had no choice but to accept the apology, just like he’d done when the twins offered their half-arsed apologies.  He’d told them that they owed Harry an apology more than him, and at least, according to Remus, they had followed through with it.

“It’s not – it’s not okay,” Molly offers.  “I – I tried to take away your kid and that’s not okay.  Harry is yours and I shouldn’t have overstepped.”

Sirius turns to look at her, and seeing that she’s genuine, says, “Thank you, I appreciate that.  Harry has been my kid since before he was born, and it’s nice for someone else to realize that.”

“I just – I care about him, too.”

“I know, and I appreciate that, really, I do.  He told me about the jumpers and fruit cake, and that’s nice and all.  It’s just not the same as actually being his parent – which is okay, you’ve got enough kids to worry about,” Sirius offers.  

“And I should let Harry be yours,” Molly finishes for him.  “That’s fair.  Still, I just – came to say that and that I’m sorry I wasn’t there for Harry last year.  I’m sorry that I believed that he chose to be in the tournament.  I’m sorry that I didn’t fight with Charlie or Arthur to tell him about the dragons.  I’m sorry that I didn’t write to him, that I only showed up before the third task because of Dumbledore… I’m just I’m sorry.  I haven’t been any better this year and I am sorry for that, too.”

“Thank you.  I am sure he’ll appreciate that; I’ll be sure to tell him.”  He smiles.  “And I want you to know that neither of us would ever expect you to be there for him, and it’s okay, if you do want to try to support him – I won’t stop you, but I would appreciate the support here.  If you really mean that – it’d be nice to have some support.”

He’s not expecting anything from her, but he hopes that slowly, his voice will start to get heard.  

Molly nods, “I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”  He grabs the hot chocolate now separated into two mugs.  “I’ll be going upstairs with my kid now, feel free to let me know if you all need anything and if you need to be with Arthur, I can happily take care of the kids.”

Molly smiles, “Thank you.”

As he walks away, all he could think was that it was a nice present for at least someone to realize that he is Harry’s parent, and they shouldn’t be stepping on his toes.  For it to be Molly?  That was the best present of all.

[thesunandmoons-blog]

We're in the start of july, do you know what that means?

Exactly, Christmas request time!!

I've had this idea for a while and I'm sure you'd make it great; listen-

Freelancer is not able to spend Christmas with their family, for any reason that we don't care about. So the damn fam decides to spend Christmas with them to make them feel better about it; HOWEVER THE PART THAT I'M EXCITED FOR IS GIFTS, LIKE C'MON, WE LOVE GIFTS:(

No pressure and you don't have to mention every single gift if you dont want, I just thought it'll be a good idea to see them bonding like the family they are<33

morgan you asked for a christmas fic in july, so i present you a holiday fic in october! it only took me like, 3 months to write this, and to get back into the swing of writing again! 

is it october? yeah. is it time for the holiday season? not quite, but it’s close enough!

thank you for helping me decide on what some of these gifts should be, because i knew that each one needed to be special in some kind of way. i hope this works for you!!

cw/tw : all fluff!

Word count : 1,397

Fandom : redacted audio

Pair : the damn crew! (platonic or otherwise is up to your discretion)

if you wanna read on ao3 :)

The holiday season was a busy time of year for Freelancer, to put it lightly. They were going to their courses in the mornings, going to work in the evenings, and using any freetime they had left to study for their semester’s finals. Not the kind of studying they did with Gavin (though there was some of that here and there), but actual studying. The kind of studying that even Damien would be proud of. 

On top of their to-do list, filled with things for just existing as an adult, they also had to think about the actual days that were coming up- the holidays. There were so many around this season that it almost made the freelancer’s mind foggy. They hadn’t gone back home to visit their family since they’d moved to Dahlia, and it would likely stay that way for a while. 

They’d found their new family here.

However, found family meant more people to spoil and drown in holiday gifts! Freelancer wouldn’t ever pass up the chance to bury their friends in appreciation, no matter what form it took. Gift giving, however, was a specialty of theirs. Of course, monetary appreciation wasn’t everything the freelancer had to offer- they all knew that, but it certainly made things a little sweeter. 

Freelancer had felt that only days had passed by the time the holidays had arrived. Days and weeks were passing by with simple blinks, the number in their bank account slowly going down and the storage space in their closet decreasing with time. Bags and boxes were stacked upon one another, neatly wrapped with gentle hands and placed with care on top of each other to try and conserve as much room as possible. 

Soft knocks on Freelancer’s front door indicated the arrival of their elemental buddies, Gavin already to his feet and swinging the door open with a smile. “Well well well, look who’s finally made it,” he spoke, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. Damien led the way, rolling his eyes as Lasko and Huxley followed. The three of them were carrying a fairly full load, arms lined with boxes and bags for the others. With a quiet click, the door was shut behind them.

“Don’t say that as if we’re late, Gavin. We’re right on time- early, if anything,” Damien huffed, kneeling down to gently place the couple of stacked boxes he was carrying onto the floor. His eyes peered up at the freelancer, nodding toward them. “How are you, Freelancer?” They smiled, shrugging their shoulders and waving a hand lazily. With a finger now pointed towards the demon, they said, “Oh, y’know, keeping myself busy with this one over here. Other than that, doing just fine! And how are all of you? End of the semester finally caught up to everybody?” There was a harmonious melody of grunts and sighs, but ones of good nature. Ones of relief.

“I’m really glad you could all make it over today. I know it’s been pretty hectic, seeing as the semester just ended and all, but now we can finally get a chance to catch up, and get all of these gifts out to everyone,” Freelancer stated, arms now relaxed with hands motioning to the plethora of presents covering their living room floor. “Hell yeah, dude. I’m pumped to give you guys the stuff I made! It’s like, definitely some of the best shit I could do.” Huxley’s deep chuckle had his chest rumbling, smiling faces and relaxed figues surrounding him. 

The group sat in a circle on the floor, having placed the gifts they each got for the others beside themselves. There was a quick exchange of gifts between everybody. Gavin had opened his gifts first, moving onto Damien, Lasko, Huxley, and finishing off with the freelancer. They’d taken their time picking out each gift for their friends with a lot of thought and care, and they knew they wanted to give each gift the time and appreciation it deserved while opening it.

They started with Huxley’s piece. Freelancer had an idea of what it would be- a handmade piece of pottery that Huxley had created. He’d given a special piece to everybody, and this was no different. He’d spun them a bowl, the soft ridges and fired over glaze reflecting the shine of the overhead lights. Freelancer’s eyes were bright, running the tips of their fingers over the edges, eyes flicking up to the earth elemental. “It’s absolutely beautiful, Huxley! You really did a great job on this. I can’t wait to have it out- looking all nice on my counters.” Their eyes peered back to the kitchen before looking back to him, smiling one last time before gently placing the bowl down next to them. 

Next was Damien’s gift. It was fairly sized, their fingers ripping through the perfectly taped wrapping paper that lined the cardboard box. When they realized what the gift was, they tipped their head back and laughed. Not a mocking kind of laugh, mind you, but one of excitement. One that almost sounded like they were told a joke. “A space heater, Damien? You’re so practical- thank you for this.” Freelancer’s smile was bright as Damien retored, “I can’t be with you the entire season, Freelancer. You use me as your damn personal space heater. Not that I’m complaining about any time we spend together, but you’re always freezing!” He’d huffed, crossing his arms as he failed to hide his smile. They’d looked at him with adoration in their eyes, thanking him one last time before picking up the next gift.

Lasko’s gift was small, but held a good amount of weight to it. They’d tilted their head slightly, slowly moving aside the tissue paper. Freelancer’s eyes went wide as they gasped, quickly reaching inside of the gift bag to pull out a book. Not just any book, oh no. This was “The Wheel of Time” by Robert Jordan, with Brandon Sanderson as the co-author. The freelancer quickly looked to Lasko, who looked incredibly nervous. When the air elemental saw the expression on the freelancer’s face, his anxiety quickly melted away, hands fidgeting in his lap. “R-Remember when we were in the library? You- uh, you’d asked me about the series, and you seemed really interested! I just thought you might want to, I-I don’t know, maybe get a head start? It’s really good, I promise! Just... long.” Lasko rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, cheeks slowly turning pink as Freelancer held the book close to their chest. “I’m really excited to get started on these books, Lasko. Thank you!” 

And last, but certainly not least, came Gavin. His gift was in a small box, detailed with a little bow to keep it closed. Curiosity flooded their expression, gently untying the bow, laying it to the side as the bottom of the box slipped into their free hand. When they saw what was inside, all they could do was gasp. It was a necklace. But this wasn’t just any necklace- it was a gold chain with the letter “G” dangling from the bottom. Freelancer’s head turned up to look at him. his arm already gently wrapped around their waist and giving them a gentle squeeze. “Happy holidays, Deviant. I hope you like it.” 

The freelancer wasn’t sure what to say, rendered practically speechless, in a good way. All they could do was hold the box out toward Gavin, prompting him to take the necklace and clasp it around their neck. They’d reached up, gently fiddling with the new piece of jewlery before leaning over to wrap their arms around him. “Oh, thank you, Gav. This is.. it’s beautiful, really. I really love it.” Freelancer pulled back, taking their spot on the floor as Gavin chuckled, saying, “I’m glad, Deviant. That smile on your face is all I could’ve asked for in return.”

The night had continued on, snacks and drinks being passed around as the group had a special holiday game night together. Nights like this always made the stress of the holidays melt away, though. Seeing the smiles, and hearing the laughter and joy from their friends would always be worth it. Whether there was gift giving involved or not, this is where the Freelancer felt complete. Being surrounded by their family is what made them feel whole. 

[yirggzmb]

Flower Fest

You know what they say - April showers bring May flowers. That's right, I'm back with another invented holiday! From May 1st through 14th (November 1st - 14th in the southern hemisphere!) we will be celebrating flowers of all kinds! That's right, two whole weeks dedicated to flowers.

How to Celebrate

The Flower Fest is meant as a light-hearted recognition of the flowers on our islands. We can dress up in themed clothing and craft flower crowns. We can decorate our islands when any number of flower themed items, plant new flowers, and maybe even spring clean the old ones.

Dressing Up

Luckily enough the game has plenty of built in flower options. Shirts, dresses, even cute flower skirts! You can even straight up wear flowers in your hair or craft things to wear.

The most fun way to dress up is by creating flower crowns. There's a ton of different designs for them that you can unlock as DIYs and all of them are super cute. While we're at it, there's also flower themed wands you can carry around.

New Flowers

This is an excellent time to plant new flowers. Build a new flower garden and fill it with all your favorites. Add benches and fountains. Make it a pleasant place to hang out. Bug statues from Flick are always a welcome addition. You don't have to stick specifically to flower plants either - the game has several planters and similar items you can add to keep things interesting.

This is also the perfect time to start a new flower breeding project. Are there any hybrids on your list still? Pick one and get to it! Some like the blue rose can be a bit time consuming to achieve, but plenty are quicker. There's loads of guides out there if you need a bit of advice.

Spring Cleaning

This is also a time of Spring Cleaning. Many of us have areas on our islands that are perhaps a bit overgrown. Flowers gone a bit wild. It may sound strange to celebrate flowers by getting rid of them, but the point here is being deliberate about our flowers and recognizing that they don't have to just be overgrown weeds taking over. It can be a daunting task, so here's some tips:

You don't have to do it all at once. Choose a small area, maybe dig out the flowers around the edge to give yourself a boundary, and only clean up that area to start. Don't overwhelm yourself.

Go visit Katrina before you start if you have her unlocked. Get your fortune told. If she gives you the "good luck with belongings" fortune, your tools will not break that day. Great situation for when you're going to be using your shovel a lot.

Warp Pipes! The Mario warp pipes aren't just funny decorations. They actually work. When you only have two on your island, they will always connect to each other. So plop one down by the shop and the other near where you're working. Tada, fast travel in case you need to buy shovels or sell stuff.

Trash cans! Likewise, trash cans in this game actually work. Interact with one and you'll get the option to throw things away. Unless you're desperate for cash, throwing away the plants when your inventory is full is often a lot more time efficient than selling them. Stick a can near where you're working and go to town.

Make it a party. Got some trusted friends? Invite them over for a flower cleanup party. Reward them for their help maybe by letting them keep any extra hybrids you don't want.

Conclusion

As always, I appreciate everyone who gives a moment to check out my silly little holidays. Making up stuff to do is why I'm still on the same island three years later. Spring is a great time to go full petal power and I hope you'll join me!

[thenukacolachallenge]

Some snippets about Dee Davis, my Stranger Things OC:

-She's a military brat. Her dad is active duty and as a result, her family rarely stayed in one location for longer than a year and a half at the absolute most. She’s lived in loads of places as a result, including Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, and more. She even lived on-base in Japan for a very brief amount of time, but she was a toddler and doesn’t remember a lot of it. Because of the constant moving, she doesn’t put much stock into cliques and popularity drama in the schools she goes to, calling that sort of thing “the pipe dreams of people who peak in these years”.

-She's not really close with either of her parents, even before the divorce. Her mom is a well-meaning but chronically-unable-to-get-her-life-together old hippie, who still calls Dee by her birth name, Dawn, despite Dee's insistence on disliking the name. She's also, surprisingly, more strict than Dee's father, who despite being a military parent, is pretty absent at home. It's part of the reason why she chooses to stay with her father after the divorce: yeah, he's never around, and when he is, he's not paying attention, but that's how she likes things.

-On the other hand, her older brother Danny is her closest friend. He’s about three years older than her, and they bicker and fight as siblings do, but when push comes to shove, they always have each other’s backs. Danny is a black belt in karate, and taught her how to fight. He also loves punk rock and gets her into more obscure and hardcore music. Unlike Dee, however, Danny is a total extrovert, and always has a large group of friends wherever the family moves, although he makes sure to include Dee on the friend shenanigans. He also loves to play music, and taught Dee to play bass guitar solely so they could have jam sessions no matter where the family moved. When Danny decides to stay with their mom after the divorce, Dee becomes even more reserved than before, having lost constant contact with her best friend outside of phone calls and holiday visits. And when Danny comes to visit Hawkins, she’s usually the one bailing him out of Hawkins PD lockup, since dad’s always working or sleeping.

-She’s a pretty severe introvert, typically only talking a lot when in one-on-one conversation with people. When in crowds, she tends to not speak unless spoken to, usually answering in one-word phrases and burying her head in either a book she’s reading, or a notebook she’s writing or drawing in. She keeps to herself for the most part, doesn’t really involve herself with extracurricular activities, keeps her head down, does her schoolwork, and gives off a specific air of “good but quiet kid”. it’s mostly a front. she’s just as much of a troublemaker and just as irritable and vulgar as her punk older brother, but she’s a lot sneakier than he is, having learned how not to get caught from all his failures. She’s small enough to get into really confined spaces, she’s been practicing picking locks since she was in middle school, and she’s FAST, which means she can get away from any crime scenes easily. She also smokes(weed and cigarettes), drinks, and knows how to pickpocket, although she doesn’t do the latter often. People are almost always surprised by how much of a vulgar delinquent she is, when they find out.

-Because of the chaos of her home life, between her mother’s constant forgetting of bills, her dad’s absentee status, and Danny’s constantly getting into trouble, she tends to be the most organized of any group she finds herself in, because SOMEONE has to step up and do the damn thing. She tends to take care of most of the household chores and cooking at home, even after the divorce(mostly bc her dad can’t cook for shit and his “cleaning” is half-assed at best). She also keeps meticulous notes in class, as well for her writing and drawing, even developing a reputation as “the girl to go to if you missed class and need the notes” in her later years at Hawkins High. In fact, the only reason she and Robin know each other prior to the events of s3 is because Dee gave her copies of all her biology notes while Robin was out for a week with the flu. After she finds out about the Upside Down and the unusual events plaguing Hawkins, she begins to sort of “interview” everyone she met at the Battle of Starcourt Mall, chronicling everything she can think to, just in case They come back again. it comes in handy during the events of s4.

-When she first moves to Hawkins, she has a very disheveled appearance. most of her clothing is old hand-me-downs from Danny, so she wears a lot of oversized tees, old worn denim jeans with the hems rolled up, old scuffed and worn boots, and doesn’t do anything nice to her hair, either pulling it up into a ponytail or wearing it in a side braid. Some kids start to pick on her for her appearance and standoffish and quiet attitude, but when Carol Perkins decides to dump an entire carton of chocolate milk over her head in the lunchroom, and subsequently ends up with a broken nose for her trouble, people learn to stay out of Dee’s way if they don’t want to end up the same way.

-Carol’s boyfriend, Tommy H., tries to get back at Dee for breaking Carol’s nose. Nobody but Dee and Tommy know about this, since Tommy loses the fight, badly.

-As she gets older and starts doing part-time work, she gets money to buy her own clothes, but it still tends to be very nondescript clothing. simple tees, a flannel over top, still rocking jeans with the cuffs rolled up(although slightly more form-fitting), and either plain converse or boots. She ends up getting a shag cut in the spring of ‘85 as well, and starts wearing makeup even. She’s still not big into fashion, but she also buys some fishnets and mini skirts, although she’d never wear that sort of thing to school. those types of outfits mostly get worn when she’s visiting Danny in Indianapolis and sneaking out to punk shows.

-Her first real friend in town is Eddie “The Freak” Munson, since she smokes a lot of weed(blame Danny for getting her into it so young). They meet by complete accident when Eddie goes out to his picnic table in the woods for a sale(during the summer before the events of s1), and instead finds Dee reading a book while smoking from a custom made glass pipe she picked up during her time in California. He tries to get her attention and accidentally scares the shit out of her, causing her to cough like crazy off the hit she’s taking. She recovers fairly quickly and plans to immediately run, before Eddie explains why he’s there and what the picnic table is usually used for. He ends up becoming her plug, and they meet up once a month after that point, at first out in the woods, but eventually they start hanging at Eddie’s trailer or in the Davis family basement, smoking(and sometimes drinking) and playfully dogging each other’s music tastes and behavior. Dee relishes in giving Eddie shit for constantly walking on the cafeteria table. (”Were you raised in a fucking BARN, Munson? People EAT there! Don’t walk on the table with your gross dirty shoes!”) Eddie makes fun of the fact that she listens to Top 40 pop, even though she listens to all sorts of genres. (”Duran Duran, Davis? You think this is good music?” “Eat shit, Munson, we can’t all listen to 8-minute guitar solos all the goddamn time.”)

-She puts on a hard and uncaring exterior, but she’s secretly a huge softie, even though she’d deny it with her dying breath. She hates to see people get hurt unless they deserve it, and when Will Byers goes missing she immediately signs up for search parties. Even though she’s never met the kid, she cries all night when his “body” is discovered, as well as at Benny Hammond’s “suicide”. She’s also present at the Battle of Starcourt Mall, and even though she actively dislikes Billy Hargrove, watching him be ripped to shreds by the Mind Flayer traumatizes her pretty hard. She has nightmares about it for months.

-After the events of s3, she becomes pretty close friends with most of the Party, especially the Scoops Troop, since she was with them for most of it. She teases Steve along with Robin about his love life(and he does the same back to her when she lets slip that she’s got a crush on Eddie due to the truth serum), she’s close with Robin bc her brother Danny is gay, and she also becomes close with Dustin and ESPECIALLY Erica(she loves the kid’s attitude, thinks she’s hilarious, and knows she’s going places in life). When Dustin, Mike, and Lucas enter high school and get drafted into Hellfire Club by Eddie, she constantly gets onto Munson for “being too hard on them”. He doesn’t know what all they’ve been through, of course, but she always chides him if she sees him being overly aggressive to them. She’s less close to Nancy and Jonathan, but she admires Jonathan’s tenacity and Nancy’s quick thinking and excellent pattern spotting. She’s also one of the few people Max still talks to on a regular basis, and Max is the only one outside of Steve and Robin who know how close Dee is to Eddie(since she’s ALWAYS at his place by the events of s4).

-i probably have more i’ll add onto this later but the well is dry for now, if you read all of this i am kissing you on the mouth(platonically)

[babystrangegal]

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓥𝓮𝓷𝓾𝓼 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 #1: “𝓒𝓻𝓾𝓼𝓱𝓮𝓭 𝓚𝓲𝓭” 𝓟𝓵𝓪𝔂 𝓜𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓯 𝓘𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓾𝓽𝓮, 8𝓽𝓱 𝓢𝓮𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 2022

I’m delighted Suede love Manchester as much as I do. It’s nothing quite comparable to all the love and poison of London, but between each and every red brick, flowing through the muddy waters of the Bridgewater Canal and down to the graffiti-laden streets of the suburbs, there’s the essence of Suedeworld. Aside from the obvious musical connections of The Smiths and Joy Division; bedroom wall and turntable staples of generations of scruffy students, right from the Brett Andersons of the 1980s gazing at the drizzle of the rain running down the windows of their high-rises in Owen’s Park Tower, to the Angels of the 2010s, listening to How Soon Is Now on their tablet computers in the university library, loading up on cheap Dark Fruits and vegan sandwiches, we were both drawn to the city by its musical mythology, and the grit and grime of its industrial heritage. Much of this has now sadly been lost, but the spirit still remains. As an adopted Stopfordian, on my daily commute, my bus passes a stone’s throw from the primary school where Brett Anderson once famously hid in a rubbish bin from a gang of thugs, later inspiring the live staple and fan-favourite stomper Killing Of A Flashboy. It means a lot they would pay us a little visit on their two-date “tour”.

It was the evening of the late August bank holiday when my phone buzzed.

“Have you got a message? Suede events in London and Manchester on the evenings of the 5th and 6th of September.”

I hadn’t, but was swiftly added to a messenger group chat. The proceedings weren’t dissimilar to the Autofiction video shoot I’d attended back in May. You could feel the excitement and gratitude in those messages. Nobody was entirely sure what was taking place, but our questions were soon enough answered when an article appeared in The Quietus, promoting the debut single from a London-based post punk outfit called Crushed Kid. My friend would later point out that “crushed” and “kid” are both different types of Suede. Ticket links were shared, and I almost got run over passing the taxi rank outside my work in my desperation to pick up a ticket. We were in. Around this time, whisperings of the bands’ identity began to circulate. It was an incredible thrill to be one of the lucky few who knew the truth.

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t difficult to keep the whole thing hush-hush until HQ gave us the go-ahead to discuss the gigs publicly. Once Monday rolled around, and the band took to the stage under their new moniker at The Moth Club in East London, the secret was out. The cat was out of the bag. The following day, I jumped on my bus to work with a spring in my step and two bags on my shoulders. I’d picked out a frilly animal-print blouse, open almost to the navel, so a change of clothes was in order for the office. I’d also brought along the entire contents of my makeup bag, as I wouldn’t have time for a full face before leaving. I certainly got some strange looks from my colleagues as I painstakingly applied my cat-eyes and false eyelashes between bites of a TESCO Meal Deal.

I left half an hour late, and walked the mile in the rain or so from the office down to Sandbar on Grosvenor street, where outside a sizable crowd of Insatiable Ones was amassing. There were home-made Crushed Kid T-shirts, badges, patches and plectrums. It warmed my cold, rain-soaked bones to see so many familiar faces. There was laughter, hugs, pre-gig pints and vegan pizza. I chose to abstain from alcohol until I’d suitably lined my stomach, after a rather disastrous work outing the previous Friday, where I’d passed out in the back of a taxi. More friends filed in one by one, some of my old Manchester buddies and some of my Suede buddies, and by the time my marinara pizza arrived, someone announced that queuing had commenced. The pizza was absolutely delicious, and I wish I could have savoured it, but needs must. I folded the last two slices and munched them as we ran across the rain-slicked road to The Deaf Institute. I’d only been to The Deaf Institute once before, for a David Bowie club night back in January 2020, night which had ended with myself and my friend lying in the dark in a drunken stupor, listening to The Manics’ The Holy Bible. Good memories.

After an hour or so of queuing in the stairwell, we were finally let in. I immediately make a beeline for the stage, but feel a guilty leaving my friends in order to then head to Neil’s side of the stage. But it’s too late, the crowd is filling up thick and fast. There’s no opportunity to even go and grab a pint or a quick G&T. There was no barrier, and a fellow Insatiable One points out we’re stood mere inches from the steps from which the band will jump onstage, and Brett will descend into the crowd. I let out an annoying squeal. The pre-show DJ set courtesy of Lidia is storming, including Bauhaus’ Lagartija Nick, a favourite of mine as a student, The Buzzcocks’ Everybody’s Happy Nowadays, Echo and The Bunnymen’s The Cutter, and, most bafflingly, Tones on Tail’s Lions.

By the time the band take to the stage, the music hall is positively humming and glowing with  excitement. The house lights go down, and they launch straight into She Still Leads Me On. Brett leaps upon the stacks of monitors and conducts the crowd who, as one beast, surge forward and hold our arms aloft and belt out the chorus in frenzied screams. Ever the perfect foil, Neil gives a little shudder and huddles into his leather jacket, whilst Brett prowls the tiny stage, centimetres from our adoring faces, and its clear the feelings are reciprocated. The band are having a blast. They’re grinning from ear-to-ear. Brett looks out into the sea of fans, and throws us a deliciously beautiful wink. I can already tell that Personality Disorder is going to be my favourite track from Autofiction. Brett is employing good use of sprechstimme, reminiscent of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith, or to use a more contemporary example, Florence Shaw of Dry Cleaning. It’s a technique I adore with his manner of speaking, take for example What I’m Trying To Tell You from 2016’s Night Thoughts. This is juxtaposed with another stomping chorus, dripping with post-punk ferocity. With 15 Again, we’re back into familiar territory. I delight in boasting that I was one of the first few to hear this track during the Autofiction shoot at The Vaults, and it sounds absolutely perfect live. The intro has the faint whiff of She Sells Sanctuary, and this truly comes out in the raw, unfiltered context of a live show. My cheekbones are aching from all the grinning I’ve been doing. The Only Way I Can Love You is a slow, sweet ballad, Brett takes a seat on the steps beside us, and sweeps his sweaty fringe from his eyes, and gives a little smile and giggle, the same one he gave me during Saturday Night at Victoria Warehouse last year. We’d been given a few tasters of That Boy On The Stage as early as 2019, but, now, in its final, completed form, it’s quite something else. Brett sings the opening verse slowly, with only faint guitar accompaniment, the way he’s been singing We Are The Pigs recently. We’re handed the microphone on “Shut up and hit that metal!”, and it really isn’t hard to see “that boy” that Brett sings about. He can’t control himself, he’s stomping and leaping and performing physical feats at the age of fifty-four that would land me as a twenty-two year old in Casualty! Right at the very end, though, when he screams “Oh, he can’t control the- RAGE!” He points directly at me, and I feel my cheeks flush. I cover my face with my hands, and scream, and turn around to my friend behind me and bury my head in her shoulder. She’s laughing her head off. I feel that there’s a parallel between Brett’s discussion of person versus persona, between his stage self and his actual person. On one hand, I can present myself as a somewhat competent, well-educated and professional woman, if a little awkward, but the second Suede take to the stage, I lose all of my inhibitions and enter full fangirl mode, complete with Beatlemania screaming and thrashing. Drive Myself Home is another gorgeous slow number, but the performance is hindered slightly when Brett begins to scowl and aggressively point down towards the stage. From my side, it looked as if he was pointing to a member of the crowd, and I begin to panic. I wonder if someone’s been taken ill, and I think of my friends on the other side of the stage, and hop up on my tip-toes and crane my neck and do my best attempt at a head count. Being small in stature, in such a packed environment, this was difficult, and my fears are only worsened when the venue’s security begin to pick their way through. I don’t see anyone carried out, so I shrug it off, and try to go back to enjoying myself. Shadow Self is another gem, and I very much enjoy the backing vocals courtesy of Neil. Brett sings his lines, then hilariously pivots round and points at Neil, who delivers the “ooh-oohs”. It’s really quite funny. By this point my memories are hazy. Brett introduces What Am I Without You as a love song to the fans, and gives a heartfelt speech to us all.

The rest passes in a blur, and the band leave the stage. Richard flashes us an adorable smile as he passes us, and I remember I really must head to his side for the Leeds gig on the 17th. My friend asks me if I think they’ll come back on, and I shake my head, doing my best to try and nab us a setlist to “neatly” rip in half and share, to no avail. I’m sweaty and out of breath, but completely exhilarated. I feel like I’ve been for a run. The best run of my life. We’re all reunited at the front of the stage, and I ask what Brett was scowling about. One of the cables to the monitors had come unplugged. It was odd to see him like that, so aggressive and masculine. All over a cable! Soon, we’re running down the stairs and around the back of the venue, past the Domino’s Pizza, to the stage door, where we mingle for a while. I anxiously puff at my e-cigarette and hope I don’t look too dishevelled. After a quarter of an hour or so, Brett emerges, looking absolutely immaculate, with no trace of sweat or exhaustion. He speaks to us for a while, and asks if there’s anything to sign. I’m hanging around near the back, my head and shoulders popping up over the brick wall, and he asks us if we’re alright. To this I can muster a flustered “Yeah, alright, cheers Brett.” I tell him I haven’t got anything to sign, but ask him if he can instead sign my right arm, to match my “Life Is Golden” autograph tattoo on my left, but he’s whisked away for a photo before he gets the chance. Bugger. We all get a photo, and we wave him goodbye as the minibus, driven by Elastica’s Justin Welch (they must have forgiven him for nearly killing them in the 80s) leaves.

We decided on a few post-gig pints at Sandbar, and we sat and laughed and exchanged memes and did our best to decompress. On my way out, I found myself whisked away by a group of Insatiable Ones, and I played tour guide to show them the way to Canal Street, where more drinks were had, and karaoke was sung to a near-empty crowd in New Union. We thanked the drag queen MC for humouring us. Like all good things, this night must come to an end, and after a quick piri-piri wrap from the Spar shop by the bus stop, I waited for my night bus back to Stockport, which never arrived. I ended up getting scammed out of a tenner by a cab driver. Oh, well.

The following morning, Venus was none too happy with me for leaving her alone for 20 whole hours (I am a very bad cat parent), and my head hurt from those post-gig pints. The issue that I’ve always found is that the adrenaline dulls the effects until it’s too late, and I absolutely can’t wait to do it all again this Saturday.

 -        𝒜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁, 𝟣𝟦/𝟢𝟫/𝟤𝟤 𝓍

[breakfromwork]

April 6th-May 7th, 2024, Washington

We went to Enumclaw to watch our friends pets, from the 7th to the 14th, where we got out for a few walks with the dogs, in shifts. This is one of the "our dogs" shifts;-)

I took the bus to Poulsbo and met up with Mike and Andy to join Dave for a visit on the 18th. We stopped along the way for a hike along the Union river in Belfair near the Salmon Center, where birds are the thing to watch.

We got out for a hike on the 19th, after a night of pool, food, drinks and a great visit. The Skokomish Lower South Fork Trail #873, which had lots of big trees and a few small stream crossings... beautiful:-)

Gae and I stopped at the 7 Cedars casino for lunch on the 21st, where we enjoyed the Native artwork.

Added by Gae, They have the BEST Holiday Light Display! Sucks for the driver...

We joined our friend Terry for lunch at the Elwa River Casino on the 24th, which had reasonable prices for good food.

I joined my friend Jim and his dog Chiquita for a walk with Raina at the empty Lake Aldwell reservoir on the 25th.

I joined the Streamkeepers on the 26th to measure the water flow for the Lee's Creek, and Morse Creek, shown here. We found a reasonably calm spot to use the Doppler based device for the measurement.

I picked up my brother-in-law, Jeff, on the 30th at the airport for a 6 day visit. After loading up on bread and lunch meat at the Hess German Deli in Lakewood, we got out on my local golf course for an afternoon round. LOVE the views!

Gae got out for a walk with her church walking group the same day, but ended up at the top Hurricane Ridge when it was still snowing, earlier than our golf round, which shows the same range in the background!

Stacy sent a care-suitcase with Jeff, which contained a lot of Gae's favorite color shirts and accessories. Guess which color;-)

The sun happened to hit the large blown glass bottle on the 1st in the morning... you just have to love the way glass optics work:-)

Jeff and I headed for Lake Ozette on May 2nd, to do an overnight hike to the coast. In on the Cape Alava (shown) trail, and back out on the Sand Point trail. We couldn't have asked for better weather.

The local streams are loaded with tannins that light up when the sun can reach the forest floor.

Jeff posed with his new best friend attached to his jacket on the shoreline.

Our campsite had loads of flotsam and jetsam along the edge, including this ships rope that weighed a ton. Jeff was unable to return it to the sea;-)

This is our campsite for the night... just spectacular!

The sunset was stunning with the clear night.

We checked out the petroglyphs on the hike out on the 3rd... ancient records, cool!

Somehow, the sole of Jeffs boots both detached from the heel, but between an empty trashed flotsam boot and some rope threads lashed around the sole, he made it out without having to go bare foot!

We stopped for water at a small hill at Sand Point, where we enjoyed 180 degree view of the coast. Still dry, if not sunny:-)

I asked Gae to get close to our Rhubarb plant to get some scale for how big the leaves are. Although she does have a relatively small head, those leaves are still huge!

Rob and Ben joined us on the 3rd, and we travelled to the Hoh Rain Forest on the 4th, which was really busy, but still spectacular.

We also checked out the Tree of Life, which isn't long for this world. It's maybe 7 feet off the ground, and will be all the way down in a few years.

Here's a nice picture of Rob and Ben in Moss-land.

We did some visiting on the 4th, before Jeff caught a ride with Ben and Rob to the airport, where Gae showed off her flowery bonnet.

Rob, Ben, Jeff and I took a walk up Peabody Creek near the Ranger Station, where we enjoyed the rich forest floor.

Gae got out for another hike to Ediz Hook, where Jenny spotted the Bald Eagle hanging out on some driftwood.

[modestcatholiclife]

After a Week Away...

After more than a week away, I'm posting again. I've been busy but not with anything that warranted its own post. On top of that, a close friend is going through an extraordinary hardship at the moment so my thoughts haven't really been on this.

As to the past week, I got back from my grandparents' place last Tuesday. It was a long trip home and very exhausting. By the time I was home, I was so exhausted I felt sick. That may sound overdramatic, and maybe it is, but it's not often that I go anywhere that's more than a few hours away from home.

On Wednesday, I tried to spend as much of the day as possible cleaning. Most of that was unpacking and the resulting loads of laundry, but I was also able to do something I've been wanting to do for a while: reorganise my bookshelf. I was a voracious reader as a child up until my early years of high school. However, now that I'm converting, I'm reevaluating some of the books I have and how they align with my values. Additionally, some of the books that I have are just not very good. My ultimate goal is to only own books that I'd be happy for my own children to read one day. I also have a bunch of religious books that I haven't had space for since it's only a small shelf. I'm very happy with the set up, I had so many books that they were taking up all the space on top of the shelf, which I can now use for things that need to be on display.

On Thursday, I joined my friends on a trip over to Burwood, a suburb off Sydney. My friends had seen TikToks about there being a lot of good places to eat there and wanted to visit their K-pop store. It was a very nice shop, serving complementary tea and with a cute crafting space in the back.

Friday and Saturday were spent working a dog-sitting job. I was caring for two Dachshunds, a 13 year old boy named Jensen and a 1 year old girl named KC. I had looked after them before quite recently, they were one of two jobs I took between Christmas and New Year's. KC is as energetic and friendly as they come, while Jensen is more reserved. He didn't much like me when we first met but after I comforted him through a very scary storm during my first time looking after them, he became a lot more comfortable around me.

Finally, we come to yesterday. My fiance and I were happy to be back at one of our usual Ukrainian churches for the first time in a few weeks, this time St. Andrew's in Lidcombe for their English language liturgy. The English liturgy has its own small but solid young adult community that my fiance and I are always delighted to be with. It was a joy to catch up with everyone and talk about how we've spent this holiday period. And most exciting of all, my fiance spoke to our priest and has been told that we can start officially arranging my catechism in the next couple of weeks!

This turned out to be a lot longer than I anticipated, I guess my week was more fun than I realised. I think I'll do a separate post about today and my coming week so as not to drag this post out unnecessarily. Though I will give one final update about my past week: I've finally told one of my friends about my recent engagement. All of my friends are secular and don't believe in marrying young or quickly. I'm sure they'll support me all the same but, especially with the relationship struggles my friend is having, they'll be concerned and doubtful.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!