#love is stored in the gifted muppets

[luveline]

hi!!! congrats on 31k babe🧡 could i get 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 with dad!eddie and roan, where r buys roan lots of stuff for halloween because she can't decide on a costume and eddie's just wildly in love with his girls? ty

join luveline's halloween party

tysm!!!! roan and eddie forever ♡ dad!eddie x fem!reader

You ignore Eddie when you get home. Sometimes (rarely, so rarely) you choose to visit him first where he's making dinner after work. But today, as you usually do, you choose Roan. He can't even be mad.

"Roan, my princess," you greet, voice deeply entrenched with love. "Give me a kiss before I die of no kisses."

He listens to Roan standing up on the sofa and the sound of you picking her up over the back of it. Her voice, scratchy with Friday night tired, rings all the way to the kitchen.

"Hi, mommy."

"Hello," you say. He doesn't have to guess what the next sound is, your kisses landing over both her tiny cheeks.

Her calling you mommy is getting to a more often than not stage and still, still, it makes his heart soar. He knows your heart does the same. He's hugged you and placated you enough times now to now how much it means to you.

I just love her and I can't believe it, you'd said once.

"Roanie," you say, your voice growing louder as you walk into the hall. There's a sound of rustling plastic. "I know you said you don't know what you want to be for Halloween, so I went to the costume store on my lunch break and I have some stuff for you look at."

His daughter cheers at the good news and the two of you appear in the kitchen doorway, both of his girls looking super tired because it's the end of the week.

"Hi, gorgeous," he greets, saccharine sweet.

You kiss Roan's cheeks again. "Dad's talking to you."

"While she's super duper gorgeous," he starts in parentese though Roan's a little too old for it — she melts shyly anyway — and ends more serious, "I was talking to you."

You receive his rough kiss to the top of your cheek with a smile as melty as his daughter's, practically leaning into his lips.

"Hi, handsome," you say.

"Super duper handsome," Roan says, obviously feeling the love.

He kisses her cheek though he'd already spent ten minutes after school cajoled into a sleepy cuddle, which he can't wait to tell you about. (See: rub it in your face.)

You set Roan down in a chair by the kitchen table and peel open the bag. Eddie leans against the counter next to the stove so he can watch while he keeps an eye on dinner as you pull out lots of things, too many things.

There's a princess costume first and foremost. Roan has more princess dresses than she knows what to do with, especially the pricy one you'd gifted her when she first moved in, and it's pale compared to the rest of your options: a pumpkin costume, a black cat, kermit from the muppets.

Then there's the add-ons. "I got this gross fake blood stuff, and I got zombie make up, and bandages if you want to be a mummy. And if you don't like any of it we can go back in the morning and have a look around, don't worry, I can't take back what you don't want. Or we can keep everything and make you a crazy monster of things. Ooh! I saw, like, a red wig and if daddy says it's okay I bet we could make you some shells and you could be Ariel."

You keep going, you chat and babble and somewhere between it all your hands end up in Roan's hair, petting it away from your face as you go.

Eddie knows it isn't easy to go all out. Working long hours every day, coming home to more things you wouldn't have done before. He's had a lot longer to get used to how little time he has, and he wouldn't blame you if you slacked on certain things. He's guilty of slacking all the time. Being a parent is hard. Sometimes McDonald's is worth it for the ten minute silence.

But you rarely slack, you do things he hasn't asked you to do often, and he always takes it for what it is — love. Sick, cheesy, puts-hallmark-movies-to-shame, love. For him and his girl.

Roan makes Eddie literally as proud as she can when she smiles up at you and says, "Thank you," in her serious little voice.

"You're welcome!" you say with a laugh, throwing a look over your shoulder at him that's just as proud. Get a look at what you made, Munson.

"Roan, you're gonna have to let me kiss her for at least the next ten minutes," Eddie says severely.

"Ew, no!"

"Five?"

Roan hums. "Mm, maybe less?"

"Two?"

Roan nods and climbs off of her chair. She changes her mind a couple of seconds into her journey and turns to run upto the table, grabbing as many halloween things out of the bag as she can carry before she leaves. A trail of bits and bobs like breadcrums fall behind her.

"What did I do?" you ask, giddy as Eddie snakes his finger through your belt loop and tugs you into his chest.

"Just lemme kiss you," he pleads. There isn't time to explain the details.

You beam and grab his face in both of your loving hands.

He barely gets a minute of kisses when Roan starts shouting for someone to help her. "I'm stuck in the pumk-min!"

"She's stuck in the pumk-min," you repeat adoringly.

"I heard."

-

more eddie and roan

[autismbackinaction]

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

¡Welcome, friend!

My, my! How silly of me..

where are my manners?

°•°•°•°•°•°•°A warm hello!°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hello new friend! I am noah! But some may know me as Autism!

I am a small, content creator who is just trying his best on achieving his dream :)

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•Index!°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

~Introduction~

~Oc's~

~do's and don't's~

~(Important) fact's and details~

~My aus~

☆

~My mutuals~

~What I do~

☆

~Fact's~

~Fandoms~

°•°•°•°•°•°•introduction!°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Hello! My name is noah! But feel free to call me any nickname listed below↓

•Noah-bug

•Silly

•Fun sized

•Goofy goober

•Little light

•mini barnaby

•Alexander Hamilton jr.

•N [totally not a murder drones reference :)]

•alien

I am a small, content creator. I am trying to achieve my dream of being well known around here!

I am transgender and my pronouns are he/him (PLEASE DO NOT CALL ME A SHE OR A THEY)

I am omnisexual! And I have a girlfriend :)

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°oc's!•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

My Irl oc:

My oc's:

I will explain their backstories in a future post!

°•°•Important facts and details!°•°•°•°

I am MINOR

I am AUTISTIC

I am a CHILD

I am apart of LGBTQ

I am not as good at ART

I will not be posting as often due to SCHOOL

I am currently hosting a show called: "Darling town" I am still trying to figure out the release date of the show, but for now, its only teasers and trailers!

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•Do's and don'ts!°•°•°•°•°

DO

•Make fanart, doodles, gifts, etc, sure! Its always nice to receive gifts from others :)

•Cosplay! Ooh! A costume! That character looks familiar to me..

•Ask's! Gladly will answer anything you have friend :3

•Taging me! Show me what you have in store! :D

•Sending love and support! Thank you friend, and much appreciated! (This is in a platonic manner) :)

•Shipping! You can do creators oc x your oc, a platonic oc x your oc, cannon x your oc, cannon x cannon

•Adopting! You or your oc may adopted Any of my characters! :)

DON'T:

•R34 and/or NSWF. I think i'll pass, friend... That doesn't look nice.. :(

•Bullying, harassing, etc. What do you find entertaining about hurting others?? :(

•ADULT OC'S X MINOR OC'S. I do not accept this...

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°My au's!•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The last stick of fire, A kinitoPET AU

Accident's happen!, A welcome home au

The home of Lost, the grave of found, A kinitoPET au

Void!Checker, A welcome home au

°•°•°•°•°•°•°My mutuals!°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

@night-terrorzz @nia1sworld @reksi-goooo @7392974 @ramble-world

And others! :)

°•°•°•°•°•°•°What I do!•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

I make gacha videos!

I make aus!

I make gifts for other content creators and mutuals!

°•°•°•°•°Facts! (Non-important)°•°•°•°•

SCENE PERSON! I like all styles, but this one is my main favorite :3

I watch a lotta gameplay's of horror games :P

Short :')

My favorite color is green, but any other color is fine :)

Rf wally/walden is my dad gang^^

Most of my stuff/writing is probably gonna based off vintege stuff :P

Love my mutuals sm❤ (in a platonic manner, of course :3)

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•Fandoms!°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

•Welcome home (Current one)

•KinitoPET

•Andy's apple farm

•Amanda the adventure

•Any roblox game (such as pressure, doors, rainbow friends, regretavtor, etc.)

•Murder drones!

•TADC

•helluva boss

•Hazbin hotel

•Mario

•Garten of banban

•Poppy playtime

•bad parenting

•Cuphead show (And the game :3)

•BATIM

•TSAMS (the sun and moon show!)

•BBAEAL (Baldi's basic's :3)

•Gravity falls

•Sonic the hedgehog

•Animal crossing

•bluey

•Sesame street

•IF (Imaginary friend)

•FNAF

•FNF

•The muppet show

•Hello neighbor

•Lego movie (1 and 2) +Ninjago

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

~ Thanks for dropping by! ~

[thessalian]

Thess vs Projects & Acquisitions

Well, today’s already been a pretty good day. I mean, I haven’t been awake for long, but ... y’know, that’s part of why it’s been a good day.

Since I had the day off, I had earlier-than-usual mini watch party of The Legend of Vox Machina. (I have thoughts. I’ll ramble about all that later.) Slept in. Woke up and did the online ordering portion of my big grocery shop. Which was good because some of the things I wanted and needed were on special offer - like, the good gluten-free bread, just for example. Also picked up a few ingredients for something I really wanted to try - see, I’m a little fed up at how expensive hot chocolate mix is, and the supermarket own-brand stuff is kind of crap, and I tripped over a video awhile ago about how to make your own. So I’m going to do that. Which meant I needed a couple of storage containers of the right size to store the finished product ... though I could just use the old jars, which I’ve saved. Hmm. Thoughts for later, but honestly, with everything I get up to, I could use storage jars. Also I needed to hit Amazon anyway because I needed a safer candy thermometer than the one I have if I’m going to be making hard candy. Even the steam from heating sugar to hard crack point can be seriously painful, and my candy thermometer requires leaning too close to the pot for my liking.

Anyway, after that, I fulfilled a promise to myself - a promise that this paycheque, on sale or not, I was going to get my Gilmore’s Glorious Bathrobe. It’s time to retire my old one, which looks like I skinned a polka-dotted Muppet to get it. It’s served me well, my old Muppet, but one of the pockets is ripped halfway off and it’s all battered. Best part is, it was still on sale - to the point where even when I sprang for DPD next-day delivery service, it was still cheaper than the base price would have been if I’d bought it while not on sale! Which means I should have it tomorrow! So I am of a squee. That’s even not taking into account that apparently my bestie is throwing the Trinket slippers at me as an early birthday gift.

Look, right now, with the way things are? Being able to stay warm without turning on the heating is a serious bonus. And ... well, the shark socks didn’t work out - they were cheap crap and the soles kept shifting in weird ways so they’re not really wearable - and my lovely super-thick fleece socks are great for warming up my feet when I’m curling up in bed for the night but they’re thick enough that I can’t throw a pair of shoes over them to step out onto the balcony. Thus, two pairs of moderately warm socks and slippers. I’ve been making do with thinner socks so I had my eye on more slippers anyway. I was just getting jazzed about the Trinket slippers hitting the UK shop and thinking I could buy slippers and robe at the same time, when all of a sudden, “I’m letting you know that I’m getting you the Trinket slippers, so you don’t go ahead and buy them first - happy early birthday”. My bestie knows me too well. ^_^

Right. It’s been a productive day but I’ve still got shit to do. Need to go out and pick up painkillers and at least some groceries (delivery’s tomorrow but food is still needed today). So not much shit to do, but some. Tomorrow’s going to be the day for Doing Things, though - fruit to run through the dehydrator, making my hot chocolate mix, and running D&D. And Sunday’s the big group session. Lots to prep for, but hey.

[clarktooncrossing]

Giraffe's Eye View: Christmas Specials Special (2023) | A Muppet Christmas Carol

Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. Mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again. All the dogs in the neighborhood somehow learned to bark Jingle Bells in sync. Yet retail workers are still more annoyed with Mariah Carey. Snow is getting shoveled, tossed, and formed into sentient beings leading parades without permits. It makes for an excellent distraction as the Krampus abducts children for bad behavior. Fruitcake is exchanged only to find its permanent home in the garbage. Terrorists have hijacked the Holiday office party right before your boss can give you a Jelly of the Month Club membership as your bonus. And of course, the Turducken has returned to wreak its fiery vengeance upon an unsuspecting world! If all this doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit, perhaps these following Holiday specials will!

Greetings people of today and robots of tomorrow! It is I, Santa Clark, your geeky giraffe friend with a deep love of Christmas! My obsession for the yuletide is rivaled only by Maleficent’s hatred for it, which is saying a lot considering she once teamed up with Mad Madam Mim to kidnap the literal Spirit of Christmas. Yes, that really happened. I know this due to my annual pilgrimage to the Island of Misfit Specials, home to obscure or nerdy festive media ranging from movies, TV episodes, and comics. It’s no easy journey. Constantly I find myself confronted by sinister snowmen, genocidal gingerbread men, and worst of all, crappy commercials. Getting stabbed in the foot by a candy-cane wielding cookie is one thing, but I swear I’ve seen that ad for Wilbur’s White Elephant Gift Emporium more times than I’ve seen Miracle on 34th Street! Sometimes at night I catch myself reciting that jingle. Wilbur’s White Elephant Gift Emporium: Where Christmas meets Convenience! Huh, maybe Maleficent had a point.

Nah, my deep-rooted appreciation for this time of year can weather even the most moronic marketing! It helps that most of the merry media I’ve seen have put me in the perfect Holiday mood! Examples include the time a Ninja Turtle found himself trapped in a truck full of stollen toys, a drunk department store Santa stumbling onto a wish-granting magic bag, Big Bird nearly becoming a popsicle, Gwenpool waking up in a world where Galactus took the place of jolly ol’ Saint Nicholas, a terrifying tree stump trying to slaughter some saps over a stupid ship war, and the year when Death gave the Little Match Girl the greatest gift of all. Needless to say, I thought I had seen it all. That is, until I took my friends on a trip to the Island, tasking them to find me new, strange, seasonal specials to review! Some of them were fair, finding me festive favorites as comforting as coco in front of the fireplace. Others were fiendish, wanting to feed off my misery like Gremlins after midnight. Regardless of how naughty or nice my companions were, I’ve compiled all of their suggestions into a makeshift advent calendar! So stay tuned everyday until Christmas to see how badly my buddies can shred what little sanity I have left.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my buddies gave to me...

Jim Henson was dead, to begin with. In life he was a storyteller, bringing life to the felt friends from Sesame Street and The Muppet Show to delight audiences around the world. He was also a director, creating fabulous new fairy tales in the form of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Not too shabby for a guy who didn’t think he could build a career off of puppets. With Kermit on his arm the world would know Jim as an artist, optimist, visionary, innovator, comedian, winner of the Best Beard Award, and friend. When he died, the rest of the world wept tears. The same could sadly not be said for Richard Hunt, the company’s first openly gay puppeteer who had provided life to roles such as Scooter, Beaker, and Sweetums the Ogre. Yet these losses were felt by the caring colleagues they left behind. So when they were approached by Walt Disney Studios to produce their own take on A Christmas Carol, all of them sought to prove that life continued after death. With Jim’s son Brian acting as first time director, did they succeed?

Considering two of my own friends wanted me to review A Muppet Christmas Carol, I’d say that’s a resounding yes. Heck, I’m surprised it was only Hobo and Young (YoungSamurai18) who wanted me to assess this adaptation, everybody and their grandmother loves talking about it. Still, I didn’t want to deny Hobo the chance to contribute to this special, so I convinced the geeky, gaming gecko to pick Power Rangers instead. Jee, thanks for selecting something of equal quality. That left the wrestle-maniac wide open to pile-drive his pick right into my skull. At last, I’m free to sing this picture’s praises to the high heavens! Nothing can stop me from cementing this cinematic classic as the seasonal staple that it is! From the highest mountains I can shout that this is the greatest thing in the history of the-

Yeah, I think it's okay.

Assuming all of you haven’t left by now, let me explain. None of this comes from a hatred of Henson, as I hope the opening made clear. In fact, I love the Muppets. Their show would play on a constant loop in my house whenever I wasn’t watching the original Muppet Movie, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite films. Both it and this movie were scripted by Jerry Juhl, a man I believe knew these characters better than even Jim did. That same understanding is shown here too since every character is cast as the perfect counterpart from the book. Kermit the Frog (Steve Whitmire) unsurprisingly portrays Bob Cratchet with Miss Piggy (Frank Oz) acting as his wife. 'Acting' being the keyword here. No doubt Kermit kept reminding her that their marital bond was fake only for Piggy to bring up the wedding from Muppets Take Manhattan. Joining these two is Robin (Jerry Nelson) as Tiny Tim and three original characters standing in for their kids. If you thought adult Piggy was a handful, wait ‘til you meet her identical twin daughters. Her genes must’ve karate-chopped the crap out’a her husband’s! 

If that all wasn’t amazing enough, we have Fozzie (Oz) as Fozziwig, a pun so perfect I’m convinced the entire film was made around it. His normal hecklers, Statler and Waldorf, also fill in the roles of double Marleys magnificently. I could go on, but I know you’re all waiting for me to mention the actual best part of this movie: Gonzo the Great (Dave Goelz) as Charles Dickens! Oh my gosh, that is too amazing for words! You can keep Dan Stevens, this little blue weirdo is the definitive on-screen Dickens. People already loved Gonzo before this flick, but now? He may as well be the main Muppet! Every time he’s on screen narrating the story or interacting with Rizzo (Whitmire) you’re glued to his every word. You can tell he’s loving simply being here and that enthusiasm is infectious! That alone makes this movie worth a watch.

Still, what would Mr. Dickens's story be without ghosts? Here it was decided to produce new puppets for the parts in place of choosing old classics. First there’s Christmas Past, a strange, uncanny specter brought to life via a water tank and a green screen. She’s also the most unsettling of the trio, looking like a reject from Labyrinth. The only reason she doesn’t haunt my nightmares is her sing-song voice provided by Jessica Fox. Not to mention her colleague is a right jolly old elf. I always laugh when I see him, in spite of myself. Of course I’m talking about Christmas Present (Nelson), this version easily being the best. He’s larger than life, endlessly kind, and absentmindedly can only focus on the present moment. Like Dory he forgets whatever was mentioned mere seconds after it happened. Unlike Dory he doesn’t belittle his coworkers behind the scenes. If nothing else, he at least gets the best song on the soundtrack. Finally we're left with a lackluster Christmas Future, looking like some tall doofus in a hood. Whenever I see him walk around I expect him to hit his head on something before hearing Robert Groves yell, “Ow!”

Having said that, he’s still more lively than Scrooge. Yup, we’ve reached the point where your respect is thrown off the windowsill. Michael Caine is a fine enough actor, even making for an awesome Alfred. However, his Scrooge leaves something to be desired. When he was cast in the role, Caine decided to treat the material as seriously as Shakespeare, a decision I ultimately believe hurt his performance. Dude refuses to emote for a good chunk of the runtime. His best scenes are when he’s angrily shouting at his book keepers, crying over losing Belle (Meredith Braun), or at the end when he’s singing about his newfound sense of purpose. Otherwise he seems bored. Worse, it appears as though he’s faking emotions. Some may argue that’s what acting is, but I’d argue great actors can make you feel along with them. This wasn’t a problem for Tim Curry in Muppet Treasure Island. It wasn’t a problem for former Scrooges like Jim Carrey, Starlight Glimmer, Chris Bean, or any of the freak’n ducks! All of them are puzzle pieces placed perfectly to enhance the overall picture while Caine was forced in. Nothing against him personally, he’s just not one of the great Scrooges of cinema, at least not to me.

Despite that, I get why folks love this retelling. On my list of Christmas Carol adaptations it ranks number eight. Everything else about it has stood the test of time terrifically. The puppet performances are phenomenal, the script smartly streamlines the story for all audiences, and the music by Paul Williams is the Swedish Chef’s kiss. Unsurprising, really, given this man almost won an Academy Award for writing Rainbow Connection. All of this makes for a good introductory film. Chances are you first saw this when you were a kid and it’s what introduced you to both the Muppets and A Christmas Carol. It’s why you’re so happily familiar with both now and eagerly await to share this movie with your own children someday. When that day comes, I hope you all enjoy that Christmas feeling together. After all, it is a movie from the heart! Made with a special kind of caring with the ways of love made clear!

Get it? They’re the words to the song! Wakka Wakka! Ah. whatever! Now I’m in the mood for more classic Disney Christmas specials...

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[theslowpath]

Blockbuster, Nap Time, and Toys R Us?

• Blockbuster: What is your F/O's favorite movie, if any?

he mentions in season 2 ep 3? i think? that he loves the muppet movie. he also loves ghostbusters

• Nap Time: Is your F/O a heavy sleeper or a light sleeper?

he doesnt sleep at all, really. but will lay in bed with me while im asleep so i feel comforted.

• Toys R Us: Does your F/O like to shop? If so, what is their favorite store?

the doctor's favorite part of any establishment is always "the little shop", if it has one. meaning gift shop. he never buys anything from them, he just likes being in there.

[poppinsposts]

I received the best Christmas gift for me at this juncture in my life. An outdoor heater that is run by propane. I absolutely love it! On a crisp day, I can go outside, sit in the sun, turn my heater on and read a novella. #winning

Had a great Christmas with family and friends. Still enjoying my time off.

Someone is in town and I feel him. It’s not fair. None of it, but I have to live with it. He’s burning up Elmo and shit. Maybe Elmo is burning hot for me. Turkeys and muppets, and old men in wheel chairs chasing me around in stores. That’s all that want me these days.

2023 I’m afraid to speculate, just know we need love, compassion and truth.

My truth is so sad. I’m going to write my biography and hopefully it will heal me. I think I’m a deeply wounded individual who seeks love, but because I’ve been abused so much by men, I’m scared. So I found a good one, but kept him at bay because if we met, he might turn mean, and I can’t handle more meanies. I hope to one day heal my wounded heart, meet him as a friend…

[beachbummrr]

everyone stop what ur doing and look at my slowly growing muppet collection

[sh1tbird-shantytown]

“I have a crush on Nance.”

Steve froze from where he was shelving tapes and looked over on his right, hair flopping.

“Nance. Like Nancy Wheeler? Our Nance?”

Robin stood tense. Tense and scared and shaking a little in her converse.

“Yes. That Nance.” Steve looked off in the distance in front of himself, hummed, and then resumed shelving with his eyebrows creased. Robin but at her cuticle and stomped her feet in a marching pattern. “Say something before I lose my goddamned mind, Steve!”

That jumped him into action. He almost dropped the remaining three boxes. “Okay, okay!” his hands went up in self defense and he seemed to stutter over his words. He paused. “What exactly am I supposed to say?”

Robin pulled at the roots of her hair and spun around as she thought, “I don’t know! What are you supposed to say when you’ve been told your best friend has a crush on your ex-girlfriend that you totally still have a thing for?”

Steve held up his finger like he did at the kids when they talked back at him, “Hey, I do not still have a thing for Nance.”

Robin folded her arms, “You totally do! You make googily eyes at her all the time!”

Steve scoffed and turned his back to her, “I think it’s more of a process then I thought it was going to be. Nancy was my easy way out of trying to find my true love.” He turned back around and shrugged. “I fell in love fast with her and sometimes I remember all that bullshit I conjured up in my head for us and I fall back into this game of sad sack limbo.”

Robin laughed through the clogged up emotion in her throat, “So, you don’t, like, hate me?”

Steve looked offended and darted forward, hugging her tight, “Never, ever gonna happen, Bob.”

“That’s a stupid nickname, Steve.”

“You’re just jealous I’m so creative.”

She leaned her forehead into his shoulder and sighed, “You’re a dingus.”

He laughed into her hair and pinched her side, “No bullying other associates.”

Robin pulled away and flicked his nose, “I’ve bled with you, I’ll do what I want.”

Steve’s rolled his eyes and picked his tapes back up, “I’m glad you’re back to normal.”

“I’m always pining after girls I can’t have,” she leaned against and shelves and sighed, “That’s never gonna change.”

Steve looked over again after shelving the last tape and walked over slowly, “If it makes you feel better, she’s a really bad cook.”

Robin peaked over again, “Wow, Stevie, what a deal breaker. How will I ever manage to survive without a kitchen savvy wife?” she asked sarcastically.

Steve was grinning anyway, “She’s also a bad gift giver.”

Robin lifted her eyebrows and nodded slowly, “Wow, does she sound like a muppet too?”

Steve actually thought about it, “Sometimes.” When Robin laughed and then went quiet, Steve spoke again. “What happened with Vickie?”

Robin sighed and shrugged, “She’s going through a big break up and we haven’t spoken in a while with her touring all these big shot colleges I definitely won’t be going to.” Steve rubbed her shoulder and she smiled weakly. “I’m a lost cause, Stevie. I’m never going to get someone to fall in love with me.”

Steve shook his head, contemplating, “Can I tell you something serious without you knocking me around?” She nodded as they both looked off into the vacant store. “I’ve never told anyone this, Robin.”

She nodded again and turned her head to look at him, “It’s okay.”

He smiled in that way he did when he felt bad about something, when these boulders of guilt fell on his shoulders in the middle of the day.

“You remember how it took me weeks to leave my house after Starcourt?”

“Yeah?”

“Remember how I had all those nightmares?”

“Of course. You didn’t sleep for three days straight.”

Steve nodded again and then again for good measure, “I lied about what they were about.”

Robin’s head stuttered for a moment, “What? Why?”

“Because it was about something else. I wasn’t reliving the torture, I was reliving watching him die.”

Robin was silent, calculating for a long moment as to who Steve was referring to. And then she got it with a confused tilt to her head.

“Billy?”

Steve smiled and sighed, “Yeah, him.” There was a faraway look in his eyes that Robin understood as melancholy memory. “My real point is,” he faced her and took her hands in his own, shook them a little, “That if that asshat could make me fall in love in the little time we had; you can do the same.”

He laughed when Robin clutched into his shoulders.

It turned into an ugly sob, but she understood and they held each other anyway.

“I don’t think either of us are ready for more heartbreak,” she wiped her nose so it didn’t get onto his sweater.

[interlagosed]

queen hibi, can we have some sewis headcannons with the carlando kids?

The Norris-Sainz household is gifted a lovely little garden starter kit by Seb upon the twins' birth. Not to be outdone, Lewis keeps adding to the garden. It starts off with herbs, maybe a few tomatoes, and then expands until there's a veritable turnover of crops in the garden. Carlos is delighted because he gets to cook with fresh ingredients. Lando sees it as a challenge: he will NOT let a plant die on his watch! But they're both in love with how much the babies love helping out with the garden, and it's all worth it.

Eventually, the garden turns into a farm. Seb drops off some ducklings and helps create a small artificial pond on the property. Lewis drops off some hens and sends someone to build them a coup. Muppet very quickly becomes a gentle herding dog. The kids are delighted. Then Betty comes along and leaves just as quickly, though sometimes they pretend that the milk they got from the store was from Betty.

The first time they get a proper haul from the "farm" - fresh eggs, spinach, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, herbs - Carlos makes pasta from scratch, and the kids help. They invite Seb and Lewis over for dinner. Allegra and Charlie come up with extra special pasta shapes: fours for Lewis, fives for Seb. Lando wants to say something about how it's a little confusing because the fours and fives could be EITHER Carlando OR Sewis, but his babies are so proud that he can't bring himself to say anything.

Allegra greets Seb and Lewis by loudly announcing, "We made pasta special for you!!"

Lewis scoops her up and tells her she's gotten so big, and Seb kneels to give Charlie a high five hello and sneak him some money right up front. He later sneaks Allegra money too. While Carlos finishes up serving dinner, Lewis teaches Allegra and Charlie karate. Landon is an infant and Seb basically takes charge of him for the rest of the time, having very serious conversations with Lan where he babbles back animatedly.

Dinner is wonderful. Seb has stories that leave Lewis blushing and Lando and Carlos hollering with laughter. All the innuendo goes over the kids' heads, but they giggle along anyway. Allegra starts nodding off and falls asleep against Lewis' arm. Charlie works very hard to stay awake but he can't stay away for long either. Carlos offers to take them upstairs but Lewis offers to help out as well. As they're going up, Lewis whispers to him, "You know, Seb and I are happy to babysit anytime, yeah?"

Carlos smiles gratefully at him. "It's hard to think about babysitting, no, when it is hard to leave them at all."

"I don't blame you. They're great kids. Just like you guys."

Carlos chuckles and tucks Charlie into bed. Allegra gets tucked in, but then she groggily wakes up and crawls into Charlie's bed with him. Lewis smiles warmly at the scene. "I hope they always have each other. The world's easier with a best friend. Yeah?"

They go down and realize that Landon's been crying but that Seb is on it, rocking him and burping him so he's better. Lando catches Carlos' eye and smiles. Carlos smiles back and then, slowly, says, "Ay, Lando, maybe we should take a weekend away for our anniversary, eh? It's coming up..."

Lando raises and eyebrow, but Lewis and Seb both light up. Carlos smiles. The world's easier with a best friend, but trustworthy friends don't hurt either.

[make-me-imagine]

Violets: Loyalty and Devotion

Valentines Special: Day Six

Day One: Morning Glories Day Two: Blue Salvias Day Three: Sunflowers Day Four: Pink Camellias Day Five: Yellow Tulips - Day Seven: Lisianthus

Plot: The reader keeps receiving flowers and sweet messages every day from an anonymous source leading up to Valentines Day. But who is sending them?

Choose your own character ending (coming on Valentines Day).

Gender!Neutral Reader x ???

Triggers: None        Words: 1,535

Marvel Taglist: @aquariuslavenderhoney, @thebookbakery,  @groovyfluxie  Requested Taglist: @spuffyfan394, @gaitwae, @fablesrose, @kitkatd7, @thefallenbibliophilequote, @beksib, @destynelseclipsa, @criminaly-supernatural, @tammythompson-singslikea-muppet, @belloangelus, @snarky--starky, @saintbootlegloras​, @wecallhimbrowneyess​, @empath-bunny​, @okkulta​, @katinthemoon, @wecallhimbrowneyess​, @ravennight41​, @youcancallme-rae , @radhumandragonclam, @unfortunateidiotinadilemma, @past3l-w1ngs​ , @okkulta​ , @anonymous-pls-dont-click​ (just daily), @username23345​, @hulkswitch​, @theofficialzivadavid​, @lainphotography​, @fred-deeks-ben​, 

February 11th

It was early-morning as you were lying in your bed, still comfortable under the covers. You had stayed up till late at night with the others as you discussed Tony’s Valentines party. Tony was hiring some party planners and caterers today to set everything up. 

You were also bombarded with questions about your secret admirer. And everyone was questioning whether it was one of them, but of course no one spoke up or admitted it. If it was one of them, they played it off very well. 

As you were lying there, you were flicking through the notes you had received over the last five days. You had read over them countless times now, the words embedded in your mind.

You tried to match the language of the words with the people you knew. The most obvious would be Loki and Vision. They both had a way with their words that came off as poetic. But then again, maybe the way the notes were written were purposefully written in such a way as to throw you off. 

Reading over the note that had been attached to the Sunflowers, your eyes read over one part again and again “I adore your grace, and elegance, your compassion, kindness and bravery. There is no way I could not absolutely adore every fiber of your being.”

This part made your heart swell. ‘every fiber of your being’, the good and the bad. You smiled at the words as you continued to flick through them. You felt like a bashful teenager reading through texts from their crush. 

You began thinking about Tony’s party. You wondered if Valentines Day was what all of these notes and flowers were leading up to. It seemed to be that way, and you hoped it was. Though, you were very nervous about it. What if everyone except you secretly knew who it was? God you hoped it wasn’t going to be a public admission. You cringed at the thought. 

After glancing at the clock you figured you had been lying in bed for long enough. Getting up, you took a quick shower and got changed before leaving your room. You weren’t headed anywhere in particular, you had no work you had to do today, so you were free to relax, but you got bored sitting in your room all day. Maybe you’d go for a walk? 

Rounding a corner, you see Bucky, Steve and Sam coming from another hall. Upon seeing you they all smiled and greeted you. 

“Hey” you replied as you approached them “What are you guys up too?” 

“We’re about to go train a bit, wanna join?” Steve suggested. 

“I would but I have been demanded that I not do anything strenuous today because of what happened yesterday.”

“Sounds like a good idea, just in case.” Bucky commented, while smiling fondly at you. “How are you feeling anyway?”

“I feel fine. I’m think I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“A short one” Sam said, as he pointed at you.

You nodded and laughed “Yes, just a short, non-strenuous walk. See you guys later” you said as you parted ways. 

As you began walking towards the exit of the building, you were stopped when a man at the front desk called out to you “Agent L/N!”

“Hey Gene” you greeted as you walked over to him. 

“This letter was left here for you” he said handing you a small pale blue envelope, a sticker with your name printed on the front. 

“Oh, thank you. Uh, who was it left by?” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t see, I was talking to someone else and when I turned back around, there is was.”

“Oh, hmm, thanks Gene” you said as you walked away from the desk and opened the letter. You immediately recognized the font of the letter and your heart began to beat rapidly. 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Y/n,

I was so glad to see that you were alright after what happened yesterday. I was so afraid that you were more badly injured. Especially as I sat next to you in your hospital bed, and you seemed so faded. I hope you liked the flowers I left for you again. 

Also, I am sorry for what curiosity and confusion all of this might be causing you. But I must admit, I also hope that you are getting some form of enjoyment or excitement from it as well. I’m sure you must be wondering, when will I finally show myself? And maybe you have already guessed that it will be on Valentines Day. I think it quite suiting, and hopefully romantic. 

So, please wait patiently for only a few more days, and then all will be revealed.

But until then, you still have 3 days before then, including today. I’m not sure when you will receive this letter, but you should have another present waiting for you at your door, perhaps you already received it. I hope you like it. 

Until the party.  ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

You smiled at the letter as you finished reading it. Looking around the lobby, you tried to see if anyone seemed to be watching you. But seeing no one paying attention to you at all, and knowing you had yet to receive your next gift, you decided to go on your walk.

On your walk, you could not get the thought of what the flowers you will receive will be. The ones you’ve gotten so far have been so beautiful. You should press them, save them somewhere. Maybe a flower from each. 

Unable to stop thinking about it, you turned back mid way through your walk to head back. You wonder when they always know when to deliver the flowers...

Making your way back into the tower and up to your room, you held an energy of nervous excitement. As the elevator door opened at your floor, you partially expected to catch them there, at your door. But, you were not really surprised when the door slid open and all you saw was a small plant at the base of your door.

It was small, and as you approached it, you could recognize what it was. A small potted violet plant, with blooming flowers sprouting from the top. You smiled as you picked it up, admiring it. 

“Cute” you muttered with a smile as you unlocked and entered your apartment as you plucked out the note from the pot. 

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ Violets.

Violets hold the meaning of Loyalty and Devotion. Both are traits you have and both are traits I admire about you. But besides this, these are both promises. Promises of how I feel towards you. And they are exactly what you deserve. You are loyal to a fault, and you deserve someone to be loyal to you for as long as you live. You are devoted, to saving people, to helping people, to making people happy. And you deserve someone to be just as devoted to you. 

I hope that I can give these to you. I have been loyal to you since before I remember having feelings for you. Because you are the type of person people trust wholeheartedly, as I do. And I promise, no matter what, to be devoted to your happiness.  ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

You sat on the edge of your bed as you read the powerful words. “Do I deserve this person?” you wondered out loud. They seem so....well, devoted. You often caught yourself wondering what exactly you deserved out of love, and you have only been hopeful that you would find someone who could make you feel so important and loved. This could be that person.

Sure, you still had your hopes of who this person could be. One person in particular. But, you seemed to find yourself falling for this anonymous person anyway, even not knowing who they are. And to a part of you, it did not matter. 

Was that crazy? Falling for someone when you don’t know who they are? I mean, apparently you did know them, so it wasn’t as crazy as falling for a complete stranger. 

Falling back onto your bed, you stared up at the ceiling. “Only a few more days” you said out loud. Would they show themselves before Tony’s party, during? After? How would you react? 

You only found yourself asking more and more questions throughout the day. Debating whether or not you wanted to talk to someone about it, you decided against it though. What if you ended up telling everything you felt and feared to them on accident. At this point, it could be any of them.

So, you kept it all to yourself. Any time you saw one of the others, they would ask you whether of not you had received another gift, or a note. You would tell them yes, but not go into detail. The notes were too personal, you couldn’t just share them with anyone. They were meant for you. And you would keep them stored away for yourself. Hoping that some day soon you could really talk about them with the one who wrote them for you.

xx xx xx xx xx

I hope you are enjoying these so far. 

I know they aren’t great, since there is no real Character x Reader stuff in it, but I hope you are enjoying the build up and are excited for the endings. 

[pig-apologist]

Okay, I know it’s February but hear me out. Tales from the SMP: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is public domain so they don’t even have to worry about copyright stuff! Also because christiantity does not exist in the smp it would probably be called a Twitch Prime Carol or something

Technoblade as Scrooge, the greedy pig who doesn’t share any of his clout

Ranboo as Bob Cratchit, his loyal clerk who is working to support his sick friend, Tiny Tubbo 

Ghostbur is Marley (Wilbur was dead to begin with)

Niki, Philza and Dream as the three ghosts

All versions of Past Techno are played by Quackity

Karl is also there

Captin Puffy as the charity collector. She is raising money for the Omelette Foundation, which aims to feed all orphans a healthy diet of omelettes

“If they’d rather die they’d better do it, Blood for the Blood God!”

Skeppy is Techno’s nephew, he invites Techno to his primeday party he is having with his wife roommate Bad

“Why ever did you ever get married get a roommate Skeppy?” “Why, I fell in love made a friend, uncle!” “Bah, that’s the only thing stupider than a merry Primeday”

Tommy is the street urchin who tries begging at Techno’s door.

basic plot of CC happens up until ghostbur, Karl following Techno around the Victorian London style build

Ghostbur warns Techno he will be visited by three ghosts, starting when the bell tolls one.

Cue Karl accidently ringing the bell, summoning Niki. Niki leads them to “the past”, a recreation of a bedwars map. Here we see a younger Techno (played by Quackity) learning how to be a Minecraft Youtuber. Tapl is the headmaster teaching him

We then go to Mr Fezziwigs (played by Mr Beast) MCM Company. Here we see Young Techno get introduced to Mr Hypixle. I refuse to ship Techno with anyone so the love subplot is being replaced with his quest for Pigrank, sorry not sorry

“Another year until Pigrank” “It cannot be helped, the subscribers have not grown as they should” 

Techno, saddened by his lack of Pigrank (or Quackity making a joke about his upload schedule) demands that Niki bring him home. Karl then goes for a bathroom brake.

When we get back to Techno’s house we find The Ghost of Primeday Present, Phil. Wholesome Phil Techno content ensues. We see Bad and Skeppy’s Primeday party with a bunch of the other characters there, pause the plot to play some minigames

Phil ends up bringing Techno to Ranbob Cratchit’s house. Here we see Wanboo and Tubbo enjoying the Primeday tradition of ringing the Twitch Prime Bell. But because they are so poor the can only afford a cobblestone block to attach it to.

Tubbo does his adorably sad Tiny Tim thing. awwws are farmed.

“What will happen to Tiny Tubbs, phil?” “I see a an empty seat by the fireplace and a bee without an owner. But then again, if he’s going to die  he’d better do it, Blood for the Blood God!” technoregret

Phil dies cause he’s old. The Dream of Primeday Future arrives. Dream turns his creepy factor up to Tommy exile levels

Dream Takes Techno to see Hbomb buying things from Fundy, Snapnap and George. They are talking about how they looted it from a dead guys house

“I got his bed!” “Ooh, Fundy, it’s still warm. I don’t pay extra for the warmth you know” “You should, it’s the only warmth he ever had!”

Asking to see happieness, Dream takes Techno to Ranbob Cratchits’ house. technosad and Ranboo angst ensues.

Finally Dream takes Techno to a graveyard, we get the “What is the point of showing me this if it’s too late to change it?” speech, a piston trap opens under his grave and Techno falls to his death

He wakes up at his bed because minecraft (I guess Dream alos pushed Karl in because he is our POV and needs to be there)

Looking out of his window Techno sees Tommy. We get the “What day is it?” scene. Techno throws Tommy some emeralds and tells him to buy the primelog from the store down the street (our turkey equivalent in this tale)

We get the “Scrooge goes round and gives gifts to everyone” scene. Puffy gives Techno a scarf once he donates to the Omelette Foundation

We end the stream at Ranboo and Tubbo’s house, everyone gathering round and ringing the Prime Bell while singing The Love We Found because if you haven’t noticed yet the only valid Christmas Carol is the Muppet one

“Primes bless us” “Primes bless us, everyone. Also, subSCRIBE TO TECHNOBLADE!”

[needleanddead]

Festive Quickfire Ask again! How are your OCs spending Christmas?

Teddy and Rose are spending it together; they watched the Muppets Christmas Carol and they both probably got a little tipsy. Rose is a surprisingly sappy drunk and made Teddy cry (in a nice way). Tomorrow Rose will probably cook dinner and they’ll exchange gifts and watch musicals. Rose doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, but they indulge in the fun and sentimental non-religious parts for Teddy, who loves it deeply but doesn’t have anyone to share it with.

Cass and Constance are also spending it together, at Constance’s. They don’t have anyone else really either! Constance got everything delivered from a fancy department store so all she needs to do is set timers on the oven. They exchange needlessly expensive gifts, and needle one another passive-aggressively in a fond way. Both of them feel a little sappy about one another’s friendship, but they’re not going to say it.

Percy and Van don’t celebrate Christmas; Van is just going about his business as usual, and Percy is treating it like a normal day off work. He doesn’t bother feeding Christmas Eve because so many folk tales are based on half-truths and he doesn’t much want to encroach on the territory of other . . . inhuman beings. He may have bought Behemoth a cat stocking, though.

Lucas gets lonely and nostalgic. He listens to albums that remind him of his childhood, thinks of what could have been, and drinks. If it weren’t for his every day chores still needing to be done on Christmas, he’d sleep through.

[howdoyousleep3]

I need.....I need to know what easter (or christmas im easy) looks like at Daddy Steve's house. I need it. Are there baskets? And easter egg hunt? TELL ME ALL OF THE THINGS

omg. 

I’ll give you Christmas, are you kidding. 

Steve loves Christmas almost as much as he loves the 4th of July, his birthday aside. He loves it because Bucky can’t say no to Steve spoiling him. He loves it for the wintery weather and the Christmas music and the warm meals. It makes him miss him Mama, knows this would be the perfect time of year to bring Bucky home to her. She’d fall in love with him immediately. 

He gets a tree literally the day after Thanksgiving, an enormous one, takes Bucky along with him to cut it down himself like a lumberjack. Bucky giggles in disbelief at the size of it, says there’s no way they have enough decorations for a tree this size. He gets a fire going in the fireplace when they get home, Bucky makes them hot chocolate, and they spend the entire afternoon decorating this tree how they want. Most ornaments have a story and Bucky falls in love with Steve a little more after hearing each and every backstory. 

Steve loves stockings. Hangs up giant ones, even had one made for Bucky to look like his own but is different enough to be unique. There’s something in Bucky’s stocking the day after they hang them up and Bucky notices it with a squeak as he walks to breakfast the next morning. Steve only smirks in response. 

Steve 100% gives Bucky gifts leading up to Christmas, starting on December 1st, sort of like an advent calendar. Little things on his bedside table, dinner delivered to a sleepover with Nat, flowers in the kitchen when he goes to make coffee. 

Christmas Eve finds them all snuggled up on the couch watching different Christmas movies, The Muppet’s and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, munching on the cookies they made earlier in the day. They’re kinda buzzed from slowly drinking all day but it’s making them warm and fuzzy and Bucky finds every little thing hilarious and Steve can’t keep his hands to himself. 

They agree to open one present before they go to sleep, from their stockings, the other getting to choose. Steve gets a little teary-eyed when he unwraps a set of charcoals as Bucky stammers about how Steve said he wanted to get back into drawing randomly one time. He doesn’t even let Bucky finish, just pulls him in for a kiss, a big bear hug. Bucky almost squeals when he opens up a throwback Spyro game for a Nintendo Switch before squinting suspiciously because...he doesn’t have a Nintendo Switch. 

“Gee, that’s weird...” Steve says as he grins into his cup, Bucky glaring at him with a “you didn’t...” look before Steve throws him over his shoulder and carries them off to bed. 

Christmas morning, oh lord, Steve wakes up stupid early, so early that Bucky makes him go make coffee and then come back so he at least has five more minutes of sleep. Steve has to practically drag Bucky out of bed but he’s up, he’s moving. Opening presents is an affair, takes the entire afternoon, one by one. Paper everywhere, looks like any Christmas section in any department store exploded here in their living room. 

Steve actually does shed a tear or two when he opens up Bucky’s “big present”, a scrapbook he made up of them and their time together. He’s stammering again, didn’t want to use Steve’s money, wanted to make something special, Steve running his fingers across pictures and flower petals and movie tickets. Bucky is perfect. 

Bucky too sheds tears, does so when he unwraps what looks to be an itinerary and he’s confused until Steve explains to him that he wants to take Bucky on the backpacking trip he’s always wanted to go on. Bucky’s never been to Europe and he’s always talked about being adventurous and the summer before his last year of college seemed appropriate and-- 

“I love you so much, Steve holy shit, what.” 

Sam comes over later, as does Nat and Tony and Pepper. The house is full of love and laughter and so much food and games and it’s just...Steve’s favorite time of year. 

I GOT SO CARRIED AWAY BUT I’M SO FUCKING SOFT, I HOPE YOU LOVE. 

[literarypilgrim]

Winter Studying Challenge 1st - 16th December

I’m late to the game but whatever. Kept seeing this in studyblr and thought it might be fun so, here we go.

1st December - Do you like winter?

I like all four seasons for different reasons, and while I do like winter, I also hate being cold so I like winter on the days when it’s not freezing. It’s really pretty though so...

2nd December - What is your favourite thing about winter?

My birthday is in winter, and so’s Christmas of course, although it doesn’t really excite me anymore because it’s changed so much from when I was a kid.

So I guess my favourite thing about winter now would be... that winter smell in the late evening and really early morning? When the air isn’t contaminated by the movement of people yet, and there’s that kind of really light fog that isn’t quite fog, and the trees are stark but still beautiful... I guess the short answer would be nature.

3rd December - What is your least favourite thing about winter?

THE COLD!

4th December - What is an unpopular opinion that you have about winter?

Um... That constantly playing Christmas music in stores is really annoying? 

5th December - Are you usually busy during winter?

Well, usually I would have exams, but it’s my fourth year and I’m doing a dissertation which is both semesters instead of just one, so I don’t have an exam this year so I’m not as busy as I would usually be. Of course, that’ll all change when I’ve finished my degree... Personally I think we should hibernate during winter.

6th December - Do you get a break from school/uni/work during winter?

Yeah, I think we break up this Friday, so the 18th? I don’t really like breaks from Uni because I lose my momentum and struggle to get it back when uni starts up again. I mean, a couple of days is okay, but usually I find them way to long.

7th December - How do you stay motivated during winter?

Hahaha. Bold of you to assume I stay motivated. Seriously though, I really struggle with motivation all the time for various reasons. Usually I just try and remind myself why I’m doing what I’m doing, why it’s important to me, and try to make it as fun and engaging as I can. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does.

8th December - When should people start preparing for, decorating and celebrating Christmas?

December first. I always get annoyed that Christmas stuff comes out so early, because a lot of the time, people don’t even let us fully enjoy Halloween, and that’s my favourite holiday, so...

9th December - What do you usually do during the holidays?

I usually eat crap and veg in front of movies and TV shows. This year I will be working on my dissertation because I can’t afford not to.

10th December - What is a cherished family tradition from your childhood?

Hmm... Well, when I was a kid, and ‘cause I have three older sisters, it used to be that on Christmas morning we would line up on the stairs to wait for mum and dad to have their coffee and take us into the living room. To make it fair we’d take it in turns to be at the front of the line. 

11th December - What is a favourite family Christmas/holiday memory that has stuck with you through the years? Why?

I don’t really have a specific one. I always loved Christmas as a kid because no matter what shit went on in the year, Christmas was ‘happy time’. Even if we got into arguments or whatever, they didn’t last long because we weren’t allowed to be shitty on Christmas. I suppose my favourite memory though is my 14th Christmas. My mum bought me a keyboard. That year it was my turn to be at the back of the line, so I was the last one into the living room, and my mum was sat in her chair specifically waiting to see my reaction - she says that’s still her favourite because of the way my face lit up when I realised she’d bought me a keyboard.

12th December - Does your family have any odd traditions during the holidays?

Not really. We just tend to use it as a period of chilling and letting the stresses of the year fall away. 

13th December - When do you buy your Christmas presents?

I’m not always in the position to buy Christmas presents so I don’t have a set time or anything. Plus, now that we’re all adults and two of my sisters have had several kids (I have eight nieces and nephews now I think, and one of my sister has more kids from her partner’s previous relationship so there are a lot of kids), we don’t really do the present thing. I have done presents this year thought, because I could. I mostly got them after the 10th because I had my dad’s present on pre-order (Cyberpunk on xbox), I haven’t wrapped the rest yet though.

14th December - Share a memorable gift-opening moment from your childhood.

I don’t really have one. Well, I guess - when we were really little, my nan used to buy us many little things and put them on her Christmas tree, so one of us would stand at the tree and pick one out, read out whose it was and hand it to them, we’d watch them open it, then they’d pick the next, and so on. That was always fun.

15th December - What is the coolest gift you ever gave someone?

I’m really not very good at presents. I prefer people telling me what they want, and a lot of the time I just get it when they want it rather than doing specific holidays and stuff. I guess one of my favourites though was when I was in Bath and I found a pewter bunny ornament, and I bought it for my sister because I knew she’d love it, and because it was just a totally out of the blue gift, it was just really great and she loved it.

16th December - What is your favourite Christmas movie?

Muppet’s Christmas Carol.

[shes-an-oddbird]

Christmas at River’s End Mall

Summary -  A Christmas AU in which everyone navigates their seasonal jobs, relationships and Christmas spirit, or lack there of, through woven together tales inspired by holiday prompts.

Chapter 6 - Christmas Tree

Summary -   Jemma and Daisy search for a Christmas tree last minute and Jemma tells Daisy about their new house guest.

Prompt - Christmas Tree Relationship - Jemma & Daisy POV - Jemma

Jemma knows the last few boxes are just a little messier than usual and the ribbons slightly askew but she’s in a rush to finish the last of the gifts and clock out. It’s quiet in the mall. The natural day light from the skylights had been replaced with softer moonlight and the harsh fluorescent fixtures cast shadows she doesn’t recall seeing during the day. Gates have been lowered on stores, the only patrons are mall staff and most of them are on their way out too. She cleans up her space quickly; brushing the scraps of her conversations with Fitz into the bin beneath her workspace and making sure all the gifts are secure before pushing her stool under the table and rushing to the stairs.

She’s supposed to meet Daisy so they can finally get their Christmas tree. It’s the first chance they’d had even well into December. Her labs kept her busy and Daisy seemed to work non-stop this time of year. She dedicated her days to volunteering at the mall and that left her freelance cyber security work to be done at all hours of the night.

But someone was covering her labs tonight and Daisy managed to squeeze out a little time in schedule, so this evening they were going to have a Christmas themed girls’ night and decorate their tree, bake cookies, down eggnog and maybe binge a couple of holiday movies.

Jemma was hoping it would put Daisy in a good mood because she had some news that her friend was going to be less than excited about.

She hurried down the steps to the North Pole where a few volunteers were finishing clean up. Daisy is leaning against a table while Daniel, the new volunteer Daisy claims to be the biggest dork, creates neat stacks with piles and piles of envelops.

“You’ve never seen Elf?” She asks him in disbelief.

“No.” He confirms.

“What about A Christmas Carol.”

“Of course.”

“The Muppet version?”

“Um, no.”

“The Grinch?”

“The original.” He says positively.

“Okay, have you watched any movies made after 1990?”

“Not many.”

“Jemma help, he’s never seen Home Alone.”

Jemma knows that while Daisy is chipper and teasing this may truly be causing her distress. “I’m surprised she’s even speaking to you, our first Christmas as roommates I think we had a 48-hour movie marathon of every holiday movie I hadn’t seen.”

“My family only ever watched classics when I was a kid, I may have seen some of these but if I did, I don’t remember them well.” He reasons.

“So watch them again, mix it up.”

He shrugs. “I guess, I just don’t like watching movies alone.”

Daisy huffs, “Well I’m making a list – “

“and checking it twice?” He interrupts her and she shoves his shoulder.

“I’m making a list of must-see Christmas movies and you’re watching them, I’ll watch them with you if I have too, no one should be deprived of watching a grown ass adult’s belief in Santa be restored ten or twelve times in a row.”

“I do hope you’re making this list later because if we don’t get going, they’ll be all closed up soon.” Jemma hates to pull Daisy away from her fun but she’s eager to get their tree.

“Where are you guys off to?”

“We’ve got to get our Christmas tree.”

“Do you need any help?”

“Thanks but we’re good, Bobbi forced Hunter to stay late and help us, might as well put him to work.”

“Fair enough, see you tomorrow?” Daisy nods and they wave goodbye. They walk in silence towards the front entrance of the mall, pulling on their coats and gloves. Jemma adjusts her wool hat so that it covers her ears and checks to see if Daisy is ready to go only to find her looking back in the direction they came from.

Jemma smirks and doesn’t bother to try to hide her amusement. Daisy turns back to her, preparing to pull on her own hat and jumps when she sees she has been caught. “What?” She asks, her cheeks rosy like they’ve already stepped out in the cold.

“Nothing, you’re right though, he’s kind of a dork, sweet though, it was nice of him to offer his help.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

They hurry outside and across the dark parking lot towards the tree lot. There are a few snow-covered cars nearby and Jemma spots Hunter loading a fluffy tree into the bed of a large red truck. As they get closer Jemma can see that the tree farm has been picked over and what is left seems to consist of a few unnecessarily large trees, a few puny ones and the rest look as though they are already on their last limbs.

“Oh dear.” Jemma’s heart sinks and she glances worriedly at Daisy.

“Wow.” Her friend runs her hand over a branch of the nearest tree and several bristles fall to the ground. “Not much to choose from is there, guess it’s my own fault, I should have made time sooner.”

Jemma frowns. Daisy’s attempt to brush off her disappointment is obvious, at least to her. Her friend loved Christmas and putting up the tree was one of her favorite traditions. She had several beautiful ornaments; May and Coulson and even Bobbi had taken to giving her one every year. Just recently she had started to do the same. She always took such care when hanging them.

“I’m sure we will find the perfect one, let’s look around.” Jemma loops her arm through Daisy’s and pulls her along.

The healthy little ones were too small to support Daisy’s vast collection of decorations and the large ones would eat up the small living room of their apartment, but they look and look again for the right one.

“Hello loves,” Hunter steps up behind them, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders. “Bout time you showed up.”

“Hey, you didn’t save us a decent tree, did you?” Daisy asks.

Hunter takes a step back, “you know Bobbi might have mentioned something about that.”

Jemma feels a surge of hope, “so you’ve got one for us?”

“Afraid not.”

“Hunter!”

“Hey, you ever try to deny a tree to someone this time a year, one woman nearly took my head off when I told her the one for you was off limits, this,” he gestures to the scarce lot of trees, “is all you’ve got to choose from.”

Jemma shares an unsure look with Daisy. She wasn’t about to go without a Christmas tree. “Maybe we could get a big one, we can just push the couch aside, we hardly ever use it anyways.”

“Works for me, I get better commission on the big ones and better tips by the way.” They both shoot Hunter a look and he raises hands up in defeat. “Just let me know when you’re ready.” He says and makes a hasty disappearance.

Daisy sighs. “What do you think, we can make it work right?”

Oh damn. She was hoping not to have to bring this up yet. “Actually, we will be needing the couch, very soon actually.”

“Wait why?”

“Remember my cousin Deke?”

“The one with the creepy crush on me?”

Jemma cringes. “Yes well, his parents are flying out to spend Christmas with my parents and he was going to go too, until he heard I was planning to stay here and he thought I should have some family around for Christmas so – “

“Oh, don’t say it.”

“He’s kind of going to be staying with us.”

“Jemma!”

“I’m sorry, if I didn’t take him in, I would have never heard the end of it and he’s been better right, since you had that talk with him.”

“Yeah, but it’s still awkward.”

Jemma was actually quite fond of Deke. He shared her love of science and had a good heart. He was just a bit awkward, not unlike herself. That said it was uncomfortable to be in a room with someone you knew liked you and that was unfair to ask Daisy to do. “Let me call my mom, if I explain – “

“No, it’s okay, he’s really not bad company and I can’t throw him out at Christmas that would be cruel, even for me, besides, I know he’s your favorite cousin.” Daisy stops, maybe to re consider her words, Jemma thinks. “But if I see one lemon Jemma – “

“He’s on the street I swear, favorite or not.”

Daisy laughs and Jemma feels better knowing she’s not actually mad at her. Still she wants to make it up to her. An unexpected house guest was not in their Christmas plans. “Let’s get the big tree, I think I can squeeze an air mattress into my room.”

“We don’t have too.”

“We should, we never have enough room for all the ornaments anyways, this way we will.”

“Really?” Daisy asks hopefully and she nods insistently. Her eyes light up. “Alright, which one?”

“How about this one?” Jemma points to a vibrant green one that towers over the pair.

“I like this one.” Daisy points to a slight smaller one, the bristles are a bit browner but it would be a better size for the apartment.

“Are you sure, this one looks healthier.”

“Come on, I bet you could nurse it back to health and I’m afraid no one else will take it.”

Jemma doesn’t question Daisy’s attachment to the misfit tree. It wouldn’t be the first time she picked something that was a little different or a little odd. “It will be beautiful.”

[lovelyirony]

"Set out hearts ablaze, and every city was a gift/and every skyline was like a kiss upon the lips" for winter13

Sharon is in charge of Winter Soldier. That’s...huge. 

“You’re in charge of rehabilitation,” Maria tells her over drinks one night. “He needs to not have missions, but he needs someone who’s capable of fighting him. I picked you. Don’t let me down.” 

Sharon applies for a Stark Industries credit card. Tony grants her one, albeit she has to answer why. 

“Is this a national security thing?” 

“Yeah, but when has that stopped me?” Sharon asks, reaching up for her favorite coffee mug. It’s the one with Gonzo from The Muppets on it, and she’s pretty sure the mug is from the seventies. It’s tacky and the worst. Tony hates it. She loves it. 

“I need it for Winter Soldier’s rehab,” Sharon explains. “He needs to get out of the house, so to speak.” 

Tony gets a strange look on his face. 

“Did they tell you anything about him?” 

“I haven’t read the files. I assume he did something to you. I only see that look when--oh. Oh shit.” Tony nods. “I...Tony I won’t ask for that. I’m sorry, I should’ve read up, and I should’ve--” 

“No, it’s fine,” Tony explains, face still tight. “I...I’m not even mad about that, you know? Just with...Steve.” 

Steve’s a sensitive topic for a variety of reasons that Sharon’s not allowed to know about. 

“He didn’t tell me,” Tony continues. “About any of it. Didn’t want to.” 

Sharon’s anger rises a level. 

“I won’t kill him, but you tell him that I’m mad,” Sharon says. “Better yet, I’ll tell him--” 

“I understand it,” Tony says wearily. “I just don’t like it.” 

“Then tell him.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Yes.” 

“No.” 

“Yes!” 

“Do you want the credit card? Do you?” 

The conversation is ended. Sharon gets the rundown, the number for the bank, and the number to contact Jarvis with. 

(Or, she pretends like that’s new. Jarvis texts her all the time, mostly if he notices that Tony needs some form of good contact with someone he loves or he needs to eat something substantial. This is why she and Tony go for monthly burger runs.) 

Winter Soldier has a duffel bag and that’s it. So does Sharon, although she still brings a suitcase. 

“That will hinder escape,” Winter Soldier says. 

“It’s to pack new stuff away,” Sharon says. “And I know you only have two changes of clothes, which is unacceptable. Our flight’s tomorrow, let’s get shopping.” 

James Barnes is...confused. They told him Agent Thirteen would be handling his resettlement into civilian life. She shows up to greet him in leggings, hair in a ponytail, and an over-sized sweatshirt that shows outdated Stark advertising. 

It is not professional or uptight. She is relaxed, at ease, and driving him to a store to get “better shirts than whatever the hell you thought worked.” 

She makes him get a button-down shirt. He thinks it’s less suitable than the one he has, the white one that has a starchy collar and takes a hell of a long time to button the top button. 

It’s black. She approves of it. 

“Okay, we need to get you sunglasses.” 

“I have my field ones.” 

“Those look lame as fuck, get real Barnes.” 

This is how he learns that he hates polka dots, shiny lenses, and finds out that he can wear sandals. 

Interesting. 

- 

He finds out that they’re not going on a mission. Sharon wants to go to Italy. 

“Last time I was in Italy was 87,” Bucky grunts. 

He still doesn’t have to go through TSA. Sharon flashes her badge, gestures to him. 

“Newbie on the field, a little jumpy. You know how military is.” 

They let him through without comment. 

Sharon holds power, he recognizes that. It’s not like previous handlers, with the iron grips on guns and hidden knives in sleeves. It’s not the sly smirks of realizing that you will get away with something. 

She is confident because she knows what she’s doing doesn’t have to be shrouded in secrecy, in lies that make it seem like polished silver. 

Sharon Carter navigates security with ease and gets on a plane, greeting the flight agents. Barnes gets an aisle seat at the back so he has a full vantage. Sharon gets out the cheesiest looking romance book he’s ever seen and settles down. 

“You’re not scared of me?” He asks. “Not even a little?” 

“Oh, I am,” Sharon admits. “More than I should be for someone who is as well-trained as I am. But I know that you cannot kill me yet because I’m your handler and I have to check in every hour at a specified time that you don’t know yet. Also, we’re on an airplane. You’re setting yourself for a Rodney Dangerfield crack.” 

He doesn’t get that reference. 

And then they’re off. 

They land in Italy. Specifically Rome first. Sharon converses in nearly-easy Italian, smiling at the driver. She holds her bags close and gets a car in about ten minutes. 

“You been here before?” 

“A couple of years ago,” Sharon answers. “Had a...weekend. It was cool. Got to see the Sistine Chapel, which is absolutely gorgeous. Italian painters got it right.” 

Barnes isn’t sure that he’ll make it to any holy place of residence. He’s not quite sure that whoever the hell is up there would let him step a foot in. 

Their hotel is nice. An old building that’s kept in relatively good condition. Sharon sets down her bags, James sets down his. 

“You want rest or lunch?” 

His stomach growls before he can stutter an answer. 

“Lunch it is,” he affirms. “Know where to go?” 

“Nope, but I figure we’ll be fine.” 

He has the best meal of his life and it’s paired with excellent wine. He has no complaints, especially not hearing the lilt of voices that he can understand slightly. Sharon talks to him about history, about the last time that she was there. 

They sleep that night. James does not sleep well and nearly jumps out a window because he thinks he sees someone. 

Sharon yawns, walks steadily to the window, and shuts it with a loose latch. 

“I’d rather not clean you off the pavement,” Sharon says. “You want some ice cream?” 

As it turns out, she had gone to a grocery store, gotten a couple of pints of ice cream. “It’s not gelato,” she says, getting spoons out of the drawer. “But it’ll do.” 

Ice cream is very cold. It soothes how hot his face feels, how embarrassed he is. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t have to apologize to me yet,” Sharon says. “You haven’t broken a window.” 

She doesn’t ask about dreams or nightmares. She just tells him that if he likes orange-cream sherbet, then he’s a disappoint to existence. 

“Guess I’m a disappointment,” he says with a shrug. He tried to make a joke. 

It works as Sharon’s smile breaks out. 

“That’s the spirit. I’m a disappointment too in different categories. Mostly involving fruit.” 

Her smile is nice, he observes. 

Italy lasts for a week more. They visit the various chapels and places where great art is. Sharon tells him all about her favorite pieces and what some fun facts are. He googles them on his phone later, writing them down to share with her. 

Sharon’s taking the trip as they go. 

Barnes is remarkably good at finding the stores down the beaten path, getting into the quiet cafes, and locating interesting sights. 

He also, somehow, finds trouble. Because of course he does. 

Sharon wakes up to a knife being thrown, a curse, and the realization that she doesn’t have pants on. Fantastic. 

“Get the bags and run,” Barnes orders. 

“After pants.” 

“Why no pants?” He yells. “Why?” 

“I was comfortable!” 

Sharon gets on a pair of shorts, grabs the bags, and watches as Barnes flips someone over the window. 

“Our flight’s in two hours!” Sharon yells. “Can you finish this up pretty soon?!” 

“Get me--” There’s a crash. 

Then a boom. Sharon’s slightly worried. Also wondering how much will be added to the bill. 

“Get me the blue knife!” He yells. 

Sharon tosses it, he catches it without looking. 

Knew it was hot, just wasn’t expecting it, Sharon thinks. 

She puts down the duffel bag, sighs, and launches herself at the first guy she sees. 

They have fun. They call Maria for clean-up, get packed, and make their flight on time. 

“Where to next?” James asks. 

“I’m thinking we attempt to go to all of the Smithsonian exhibits,” Sharon says. “You up for the challenge?” 

“Bring it.” 

Sharon holds his hands as the flight goes on. She smiles at him. 

“Maybe coffee?” she asks. 

“Of course,” James answers. “But only if I get to take you out dancing later.” 

“I’ll need to make a pit-stop for my dancing dress,” Sharon remarks, smiling. 

“Can’t wait.” 

-

Sharon shows up in a blue dress that’s enough to make any man swoon and keel over. 

James feels particularly lucky.