#the candy cane caper

[clarktooncrossing]

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

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 eleventh day of Christmas, my buddies gave to me...

Freddy Mercury once said the show must go on! It’s a credo that The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society takes to heart. For better or worse. You can bet your butts that any production they undertake is bound to be a disaster. Actors will be injured, props will be destroyed, the set will randomly combust at least once, and grandmas will get run over by reindeer. Or more accurately, foes of Doctor Who will get run over by elderly aunts. Still, the one thing you can say about a Cornley Drama play? They’re anything but boring! It’s why the Goes Wrong brand of comedy has become so beloved over the last decade. Much like the Simpsons before them, Mischief Theater began entertaining audiences with their own chaotic Christmas capers before airing two bonkers specials on the BBC. Said specials adapted both Peter Pan and A Christmas Carol, my fellow Figment fan Hannah (princessofDisney27) requesting I look at the latter. Thankfully both can be found for free on YouTube so long as you don’t mind ads. Who’s more miserly: Ebeneezer Scrooge or the folks running YouTube? You make the call! In any case, let’s look at A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong to see what they get right.

A lot, obviously. Starting with the fact that these British bozos have hijacked the show. Turns out the channel best known for Fleabag didn’t want these misfits back after botching Peter Pan last year. I don’t see what the big deal is! Just because Peter’s shadow caught on fire, Tinkerbell nearly got electrocuted to death, and Captain Hook hijacked a Teletubby doesn’t mean these talented actors shouldn’t be given a second shot. In case you’re wondering, yes, all that actually happened. Have I mentioned these programmes are insane? This one is no different as the cast try to retell this Charles Dickens classic. 

Making up said cast is Chris Bean (Henry Shields), portraying the main miser much to the ire of his louder and larger costar Robert Groves (Henry Lewis). Not contempt with playing the non-speaking Ghost of Christmas Future, the egotistical maniac makes it his mission to completely incapacitate Chris. In the process he falls through the floor in Scrooge’s home, shoots renowned screen actor Derek Jacobi in the neck with a blow dart, smashes a large crate over poor Tiny Tim (Ellie Morris) before assuming the role himself, and generally proves why he’s my favorite member of the ensemble. Seriously, Robert might be the biggest reason my cheeks began hurting from laughter. It’s true what he says, anything you can act he can act LOUDER! Even his phantom persona is loud. Whenever this creep cadaver hits its head on the set you can hear Robert going, “Ow.” By gosh is genius!

Besides the constant bickering between Henry and Henry, Dennis Tyde’s (Jonathan Sayer) Bob Cratchet is frequently forgetting his lines. The recurring gag is used to epic effect here, the nervous nitwit having to utilize the surrounding set to recall his dialogue. His colleagues best hope none of the backdrop is turned around or blocked, otherwise Dennis has no hopes of remembering even the simplest lines. He has no coins in his coin purse or a clue as to what’s going on. Uoy sselb! It’s certainly frustrating for Sandra Wilkinson and her boyfriend Max Bennett, portrayed by then real-life couple Charlie Russel and Dave Hearn. No idea if they’re still together, but it makes for cute on-screen chemistry. Especially when it’s a case of opposites attracting, Sandra the screen-loving Miss Piggy type while Max is a doofus unclear on the concept of ‘fiction’. He at least makes for a great Ghost of Christmas Present despite weeping over a false presumption that his love plans to dump him once the story’s over. Look on the plus side buddy, at least that’s one less gift you have to wrap! 

I joke, but honestly all the emotions land perfectly, both humorous and heart-felt. All of these weirdos are way more interesting than Whatsherface from Power Rangers. Blame that on a balance of witty writing and amazing acting. There’s more members of the company I’ve yet to mention who all kill it whenever on screen. Like when Annie Twilloil (Nancy Zamit) gets a prop gun stuck to her hand after an unfortunate glue incident, Jonathan Harris (Greg Tannahill) learning why Jacob Marley hated his chains so much, or technical director Trevor Watson (Rob Falconer) raining pizza down on London before wrecking it like Godzilla! It’s too funny for words, I’M DYING!

However, where it fails is in the actual adaptation part. Like most iterations, the devil’s in the details. Some incarnations fare better than others when streamlining the story. Not so much here, mostly in regards to Scrooge’s visits by the spirits. His past is almost entirely skipped over, sole focus placed on the break up with Belle. Eh, I’m sure his crappy childhood, deceased sister, or first job at Fezziwig’s isn’t important. Luckily they make up for these failings by giving the Cornley cast their own spin on the story. Chris is ready to move on and leave his troupe behind, though not before selfishly stabbing them in the back first. Upon seeing his character’s grave he realizes how selfish he’s been, apologizing to his amigos before finally letting Robert play the part. Rather a clever subversion, actually. Though really, even if you’re like me and are hung up on changes by that, you’ll be too busy busting a gut to notice. Compared to other Christmas Carols this is by far the funniest. Make up your mind Bob, are you gonna give to charity or not? WANG!

Though if your taste for brilliant British comedy isn’t satisfied yet, feast your eyes on The Nativity! In this second season episode of The Goes Wrong Show, the BBC has finally cut funds to these twits, hence why the birth of Christ is sponsored by Brookshaw Corporate Finance. Even Jesus loves cash! Blessed be the writers who thought up this running joke. Later when the Three Wise Men visit Joseph (Hearn) and Mary (Russel) in the manger they’re given gold standard accreditation, frankincense-ible advice on all their financial interests, and low-cost myrrh-gage rates. Badum tish! Fear not; for behold, it’s more than just painful puns. We also have the piano catching fire during a performance of Silent Night, desserts in place of a desert, an idiot innkeeper, nine wise men, John the Baptist, and Robert Grove as the Archangel Gabriel. All I need to say here is: Halo! On top of the cunning comedy, the set design is stupendous! It’s made to look like a pop-up book, pages turning to reveal a new location full of new mistakes to be made. I’d go on about other yuletide offerings by these professional screwups, but really I should save them for future reviews. For now I’ll close the book on the Cornley Drama Society and turn the page to reveal a familiar frog.

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[laresearchette]

Saturday, December 17, 2022 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: SAPPY HOLIDAY (Super Channel Heart & Home) 3:30pm ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (CTV Life) 8:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? iHEARTRADIO JINGLE BALL 2022 (CW Feed) FIVE MORE MINUTES: MOMENTS LIKE THESE (Premiering on December 18 on W Network on 6:00pm)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

CRAVE TV CELEBRATING GREATNESS: CANADA’S WALK OF FAME 2022

FIFA WORLD CUP SOCCER (TSN/TSN3/TSN4) 9:45am: Third Place Match: Croatia vs. Morocco

NHL HOCKEY (SN/SN1) 1:00pm: Blue Jackets vs. Bruins (TSN5) 1:00pm: Sens vs. Red Wings (SN) 4:00pm: Ducks vs. Oilers (SNEast/SN360/City) 7:00pm: Lightning vs. Habs (CBC/SN) 7:00pm: Leafs vs. Capitals (CBC/SN) 10:00pm: Jets vs. Canucks

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN3) 1:00pm: Colts vs. Vikings (TSN/TSN3) 4:30pm: Ravens vs. Browns (TSN3) 8:15pm: Dolphins vs. Bills

NBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 5:00pm: Heat vs. Spurs (SN Now) 8:00pm: Grizzlies vs. Thunder (SN1) 9:00pm: Pelicans vs. Suns

SWEET NAVIDAD (CTV2) 3:00pm:  Sparks fly between two chefs as they race against the clock to prepare the perfect menu for a hotel owner's grand holiday gala.

RECORD BREAKING CHRISTMAS (W Network) 6:00pm:  A woman falls for a local doctor as residents of a small town try to break multiple holiday world records just before Christmas.

CHRISTMAS ON CANDY CANE LANE (CTV Life) 6:00pm:  Ivy Donaldson struggles with her mom's shadow, Muriel, the Christmas darling of Icicle Falls. She is now separated from her husband Rob and tries her best with her daughter.

ARIANA GRANDE: LIVE IN LONDON (TLN) 6:00pm: The singer performs tracks from her recent album "Sweetener" accompanied by an all-female orchestra.

CELEBRATING GREATNESS: CANADA'S WALK OF FAME 2022 (CTV) 7:00pm: The official and exclusive presentation of Canada's crowning jewel celebrating Canadian excellence and achievement.

JOY FOR CHRISTMAS (CTV2) 7:00pm:   When her family firm's annual Christmas toy drive is in jeopardy, Holly must convince pro athlete Jack Kane to be the public face of the campaign to help save it.

HELENE FISCHER: CHRISTMAS FROM VIENNA (TLN) 7:15pm: Helene Fischer and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a Christmas show at Vienna's Hofburg, featuring Plácido Domingo, Ricky Martin and the Wiener Sängerknaben.

THE GIFT OF PEACE (W Network) 8:00pm: Traci is a once-devout Christian who stopped believing in God after her husband tragically died despite her prayers. As her second Christmas without him approaches, she tries going to a support group for inspiration and comfort.

FAITH HEIST: A CHRISTMAS CAPER (Super Channel Heart & Home) 8:00pm:  On Christmas Eve, Pastor Benjamin and his motley crew of congregants find themselves locked in the local mall just as a fearsome team of armed thieves breaks in to rob the place.

A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE FOR DAISY (CTV) 9:00pm:  Interior designer Whitney Adler agrees to work for her ex-boyfriend Cormac, who has adopted his orphaned niece, Daisy. Daisy's Christmas wish is for Whitney and Cormac to get together so she can have the mother she always wanted.

BLACK ADAM (Crave) 9:00pm:  In ancient Kahndaq, Teth Adam was bestowed the almighty powers of the gods. After using these powers for vengeance, he was imprisoned, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years have passed, and Black Adam has gone from man to myth to legend. Now free, his unique form of justice, born out of rage, is challenged by modern-day heroes who form the Justice Society: Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone.

FEAR OF RAIN (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm:  Rain has early-onset schizophrenia, a condition that causes her to see vivid hallucinations. Suspecting that her neighbor kidnapped a child, she must soon figure out who and what is real while battling the overwhelming forces that haunt her life.

[razreads]

Life comes with only one guarantee - it will not last forever. Embrace every day and know that there is never a shadow so dark that some joy can't find its way through if you let it.

Josi S. Kilpack, The Candy Cane Caper

[rebeccareviews]

The Candy Cane Caper by Josi S. Kilpack

Josi S. Kilpack’s The Candy Cane Caper is a wonderful and gentle Christmas cosy that’ll fill you with holiday joy. This is my first book in the series but I had no problem understanding what was happening.

Former private investigator Sadie has an overflowing plate this Christmas. She’s prepping for an epic holiday gathering for her huge blended family. But now, there’s a mystery in the mix! Someone has stolen expensive antique Christmas tree ornaments from Mary, Sadie’s elderly friend. Mary lives in a care facility and this will probably be her last Christmas so Sadie hides the theft from her. Mary wants to enjoy her ornaments for one last Christmas before she gives them to her beloved great-granddaughter after Christmas Eve Mass. With time ticking, Sadie must recover Mary’s precious ornaments before it’s too late!

I wasn’t expecting such a sweet and deep story but this book strikes all the right chords to really move you! Kilpack skilfully handles issues of death, making amends, and family against the backdrop of the warmth and hope of the holiday season.

This book is a true cosy. It’s super clean with no violence. I really like the mystery of the missing ornaments and I loved learning about their history. I enjoyed Sadie’s culinary adventures as well as her sleuthing and shenanigans! There are several viable and well-written suspects and the plot takes some interesting turns. I really didn’t guess the culprit until the big reveal.

However, I wish the plot was more exciting with more tension and suspense. I had no doubt that Sadie would save the day. However, this didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book. The lack of tension actually adds to the gentleness of the book and I think this will appeal to readers who are looking for an easy and quiet read.

The characters are all memorable and well-crafted. I like Sadie but her anxiety and judging attitude isn’t entirely relatable and sometimes irritated me. Mary’s storyline is touching and sad. I loved her interactions with Sadie, as well as beloved great-granddaughter Joy and somewhat estranged daughter Ivy. I like that there is meaningful and organic growth for all these characters.

I absolutely love the delicious festive recipes! I like that they’re meaningfully placed at the end of the chapters that the food was mentioned in. I love that so many of them are approachable and I can’t wait to make Sadie’s Candy Cane Crinkles or her Cinnamon Pie.

The Candy Cane Caper is a sweet cosy that’ll put you in the Christmas frame of mind. This is the first Kilpack book that I’ve read and I will definitely check out more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review.

🎅🎅🎅🎅 Santa Clauses out of 5!

[jedichick04]

Fic: The Great Candy Cane Caper

Title: The Great Candy Cane Caper

Author: jedichick04

Gift for:  @sparklesannie You seem to be a truly lovely person. I love your Tumblr, from the Arrow side to the other random posts, and can’t wait to follow you now that the Secret Santa is over! I hope that you enjoy this little Christmas fic, and that it provides the fluff you were looking for. Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Rachel

Rating: T

Summary: Oliver shares his favorite Christmas traditions with his family over two very different Christmases.

A/N: Mild spoilers through 6x09. Written for the Olicity Secret Santa 2017.

Original post here; read on AO3 here.

December 24, 2017

"Merry Christmas, Auntie Thea!"

If Oliver’s sister Thea was in any way startled by the way her nephew launched himself at her or his son’s enthusiastic greeting after he opened the door, there was no sign of it on her face. Instead, Oliver could see she was all grins as she wrapped her arms around William. “Merry Christmas!” she replied. She took a step back and breathed deeply. “Your dad’s been busy cooking?”

William nodded. “There’s more than enough food for Christmas Eve dinner tonight, and for Christmas tomorrow. Are you really spending the night tonight? Dad said you were. Oh--I should go help him some more. He was going to teach me how to properly mash potatoes.”

“And you don’t want to miss that,” Thea said. She followed William into the kitchen, where she greeted Oliver with a kiss on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Ollie. If only the bad guys could see you now.”

“They might be very intimidated by my chocolate souffles,” Oliver retorted, setting down a spoon and wrapping Thea in a hug. “Hi, Speedy. Glad you could make it. Just drop your bag anywhere and I’ll take it to your room after.”

Thea set it down, along with the bag of presents she’d been carrying. “You’re not going to make me help in the kitchen, too, are you? Because I should warn you now, I think you got all the cooking skills in the family.”

“Found it!” Felicity emerged from their bedroom with a wine corkscrew held triumphantly overhead. She greeted Thea with an embrace. “And no, we’re leaving the men to cook while we start in on this incredible bottle of wine I can now open.” She made quick work of the cork, then poured two glasses, leaving a third wine glass empty for now.

They both settled in at the counter, talking about everything and nothing as they sipped at their wine. Oliver went back to cooking, trying not to look up too often at his little sister and his wife interacting. He still felt like the last month was something out of a dream, from his sister waking up from her coma to Barry and Iris’s wedding (and all that entailed) to Felicity asking him to marry her right there in the park to celebrating it with their friends and family. There had been plenty of negatives, too--his arrest and the team breaking up being the two major negatives--but overall, for the first time in a very long time, Oliver had everything that he wanted in his life.

He could really get used to this foreign feeling of contentment.

He was good to his promise to teach William how to mash the perfect potatoes. Oliver had been worried that both Christmas and his sudden elopement would cause William to return to the brooding boy he’d been those first five months after his mother’s death. But William absolutely adored Felicity, and once Felicity had encouraged Oliver to just talk with William about any Christmassy things he used to do with his mom that he wanted to keep doing, Oliver had felt a lot better about the whole situation. And while William had been unsure about doing some Christmas activities without his mom, he had offered up a few things that Oliver had been more than happy to incorporate into their Christmas season.

Oliver had also promised to introduce William to two Christmas traditions that Oliver kept. Those would be happening after dinner. William asked about them again as they were bringing the food to the table, while Felicity and Thea joined them and set their wine glasses down. Thea jumped right in with a story about how both the traditions had started before Oliver even had a chance to open his mouth. He didn’t mind at all; he was grateful for how easily Thea had taken to the role of aunt to his son.

Oliver went to get the last dish of food, and he caught Felicity standing back a little and smiling at nothing. He stepped closer to her and raised an eyebrow in question. She laughed softly. “I was just remembering what happened that time I asked you about your holiday traditions.”

He frowned for a moment, trying to recall what she was talking about--these days, so much of what had happened in those first months and years after the island felt like it had happened to someone else entirely. But as he remembered exactly what had happened, he grinned in response. “I thought you were insane. Adorable, but insane.”

“You mean determined,” she corrected, leaning up for a kiss. Oliver happily gave her one. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled away. “I wanted you to see that you could have happy memories again.”

“I should have realized even then that you were my happy story,” Oliver said softly. Felicity rewarded him with another kiss, which was interrupted only when Thea cleared her throat loudly.

“Save it for after dinner, newlyweds. I’m starving.”

Both Oliver and Felicity smiled and broke apart. Oliver went to get the last dish of food, Felicity poured him a glass of wine, and before long they were all digging into their Christmas Eve dinner.

Five years earlier

Felicity was right.

Nobody was paying any attention to Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Consolidated, or why he was having drinks with his bodyguard and his personal assistant. Nobody was paying attention to much of anything beyond themselves in the restaurant; the Christmas music was cranked up and there were several Christmas dinner parties going on. Nobody noticed the three of them dressed casually and seated in the bar area.

It was a nice restaurant, but not one he typically frequented. The reason he even knew about it was because he'd come here with John and Felicity after the first mission she'd worked out in the field with them. The Dodger case. Felicity had been visibly shaken up after having a bomb collar around her neck and joked about going out for margaritas. At the time, John and Oliver had exchanged a quick look and agreed to a drink, mostly to keep an eye on her and make sure she was really okay. So tonight, when they had wrapped things up in the Foundry and Felicity had cajoled the two of them into drinks to celebrate Oliver's safe return from facing Cyrus Gold, they ended up back at that same spot.

Felicity was two margaritas in when the conversation took a turn Oliver hadn’t expected.

"What are your favorite holiday traditions?" she asked, looking between John and Oliver.

John already had his beer to his mouth, which left Oliver wide open to answer. But even as he took a breath to speak, he found a warm finger pressed against his lips, and the scent of Felicity filling his personal space. He had grown very familiar with that scent in the last few months, working with her as his personal assistant, and warning bells were going off in his brain as he struggled not to focus on how nice her finger felt against his lips--or how very blue her eyes looked behind her glasses right now.

He was enough caught up in his struggle that he almost didn't hear her command. " Don't say mistletoe. We already know all about the beautiful island girls on fantasy island."

Oliver blinked in confusion, not at all helped by John's snort of laughter. He pulled back from her finger, narrowing his eyes as he tried to figure out what she just said. "What?"

She waved her hand, as if physically brushing off her comment. "If it's all about kissing, I don't want to hear about it. That's all. So what are your favorite holiday traditions, that don't include kissing?"

John was still chuckling, which left Oliver no less confused about her fantasy island comment. But he pushed aside that concern for now--writing it off as the tequila talking--and answered how he had originally meant to answer. "Candy canes."

"What do you mean, candy canes?" Felicity asked, squinting her eyes at him in concentration. "That doesn't even make sense."

Oliver shrugged. He wasn't used to opening up, and just a few weeks ago he'd already had to tell John and Felicity about Sara Lance surviving the shipwreck. But it wasn't just anybody asking. The determined blonde who, just a few hours ago had told him he "looked like a hero" when he put on a mask, was staring him down.

"My sister and I, we always would race each other to see who could finish the candy canes first," Oliver explained. He felt himself relaxing a little into the topic as he spoke. Felicity had a way of bringing that out in him, without even trying. “And then we would watch It’s a Wonderful Life until we’d both fall asleep. I think we both finally made it to the end the year she turned twelve.” That was the last Christmas they’d had together, before the island. Oliver didn’t mention that part out loud, knowing it would instantly dampen the mood.

Felicity stared at him for a long moment, long enough that Oliver found himself shifting nervously in his seat. Without comment, she finished the rest of her margarita and waved for their waitress. "We're ready for our checks," she said without asking John or Oliver.  “We have someplace else to be.”

The two men exchanged a glance as they drained the rest of their beers. “Where are we going?” Oliver ventured to ask.

“You’ll see,” she replied with a pleased smile. She refused to say anymore as they paid their bills.

As they were leaving the restaurant, John muttered, “I’m glad I didn’t mention any of my holiday traditions.”

Five stops later and Felicity was clearly losing her tequila buzz. Her determination had only intensified.

“Does nobody in Starling City carry regular candy canes anymore?” she lamented as the three of them got back into the car after a quick trip through the Christmas treat section at the drug store. “How hard can it be? Candy canes seem to be a pretty basic part of the Christmas culture. Is there really a need for trendy flavors like tropical punch and Jelly Belly candy canes?”

“You did almost buy the chocolate mint ones,” John pointed out as he started the car.

Felicity ignored his comment. “There’s nothing else for it,” she said. “We’re going to have to steal them.”

“Felicity--” Oliver had been amused when this had all started--and in a way, deeply flattered that Felicity’s single minded mission since they had left the restaurant was to find a box of peppermint candy canes. But there was a line between ‘fun’ and ‘doing what the bad guys do’, and Felicity was announcing that she was crossing it.

Unfortunately, she ignored Oliver as easily as she’d ignored John’s comment moments before. “John, can you take us to QC?”

“Forget something at the office?” he asked as he made the turn back towards the city center.

“Every year since I was hired at QC, somebody brings in a stack of candy cane boxes and puts them in the break room on the IT floor. So we’re going to help ourselves to a few of those boxes,” she said with a nod, her long ponytail swishing back and forth.

Oliver relaxed a little at the explanation of their destination. “Is it really stealing if we’re taking it from work?”

“Technically, I don’t work for the IT department anymore,” Felicity pointed out. A familiar look came into her eyes, and Oliver could sense another (well-deserved) rant was about to come his way for putting her in as his personal assistant if he didn’t divert it quickly.

“Let’s hope they have the right flavor,” he said. He smiled slightly. “Or we may end up stuck with those green apple ones we just saw.”

“No, if we’re going green, we’re getting the chocolate mint ones,” she said before her eyes widened. “Oh. Did you want green ones?”

“No, I really do prefer the peppermint,” he assured her. “I don’t need everything to be green.” He looked out the window for a moment to see the QC building getting closer. “What’s the plan when we get there?”

He saw Felicity’s confusion written across her face. “Plan?”

“Yes, plan,” he said, turning to face her more. “Your mission. So you get to make the plan.”

“Oliver Queen, are you learning to share?” she asked. She looked very pleased with this turn of events.

He smiled slightly before he said, “Don’t get used to it.”

She laughed and worked on laying out a simple, straightforward plan by the time they reached the Queen Consolidated building.

Oliver waited uneasily outside the IT break room for Felicity. She had insisted that she go in alone. “It will take me two minutes, Oliver,” she told him with a roll of her eyes. “I can handle it.”

So since he had agreed to let her be in charge of “the plan”, here he was, feeling out of place and exposed in the company he technically ran.

He was just about to go in after Felicity--she had been in there for nearly five minutes and he could here her muttering under her breath--when he heard a male voice.

“What are you doing?”

Oliver was on high alert and already moving to the door.

“I’m taking the last box of regular candy canes,” came Felicity’s matter of fact reply. “There are still plenty of other flavors. Though why anybody would want root beer candy canes--”

“These are for the IT department, from the IT managers. And your badge says you’re a personal assistant, not from IT.”

Oliver stepped into the room and tried for his most charming smile. “Is there a problem here? Ms. Smoak, did you find the candy canes I needed?”

The man Felicity had been talking to had turned to face Oliver, and his eyes widened as he recognized him. “Mr. Queen. What brings you down to IT this late at night?”

“I needed a box of regular candy canes. Ms. Smoak--my personal assistant--recalled that there are typically too many boxes of candy canes left in the IT break room, and offered to retrieve them for me. I see that she’s been successful. Thank you,” Oliver said to Felicity, then turned back to the IT employee. “Don’t let us keep you from anything you’re working on.”

“No, Mr. Queen. I was just getting my lunch. I’m the IT staffer on call tonight.” The man seemed embarrassed now that he recognized the CEO of the company was in the same room as him. “Enjoy your candy canes, sir.”

“Thank you,” Oliver said, keeping his smile. He gestured for Felicity to go ahead of him, then said, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Queen. And Ms. Smoak.”

Oliver and Felicity made it all the way inside the elevator, where John was waiting, before Felicity started laughing. Oliver dropped the fake smile and cracked a real one before asking Felicity, “Maybe you should have gone for the green ones after all.”

John just looked at both of them, shook his head, and pressed the button for the parking garage.

“So why are we back here with our stolen candy canes?” John asked as Felicity set down her purse and coat.

“Because now that we have the candy canes...we have a movie to watch,” she said. She looked around the Foundry, then nodded towards the mats. “See if you can make some comfortable seating. I’ll work on the tech setup.”

John obediently started towards them, piling up some mats for the three of them to lean against, then going to find blankets and pillows Oliver had stashed in the Foundry. Oliver hung back with Felicity, who was muttering under her breath as she poked at her tablet.

“This whole thing--looking for candy canes and coming back here--it’s because of what I said at the restaurant?” Oliver asked.

Felicity looked up from her tablet, and for the first time all night looked uncertain. She was biting her lip in a very distracting way. “I don’t celebrate Christmas,” she said. “Hanukkah ended last week. But I thought--well, we deserve a little break. And you deserve a happier Christmas than you had last year.” She frowned. “You did say you do this with your sister. We can pick a different movie. I don’t want to step on your toes--”

“Fe-li-ci-ty.”

He said her name softly, but it did the trick. She stopped babbling and looked at him, waiting for his response.

“Thank you,” Oliver said. She blinked in surprise--had he ever told her that before? This particular occasion warranted it. Wanting to cut the tension of the moment--and the urge he had to just lean in and kiss her--he took the box of candy canes from the table where she had set it. “But I’m not taking it easy on you for the contest.”

“And here I thought you were a gentleman,” she replied. She smiled up at him, and he felt that urge to kiss her again. Luckily, the sound of John stacking another few mats up made Oliver look away, and the moment was gone. He headed over and settled next to John. Felicity joined them a few moments later, barefoot and with her hair down. She sat down on the other side of Oliver, then pressed a few buttons on her tablet and got the movie to start playing.

They went through the box of candy canes fairly quickly, and watched the movie with minimal commentary. Oliver felt the week catching up with him, his eyes growing heavy as he concentrated on the black and white movie. Both John and Felicity were settled in and quiet now as the movie played on.

The next thing Oliver became aware of were tingles from his left arm, and a soft warm weight pressed up against his left side. He blinked his eyes open, catching that George Bailey was staring down at the river, contemplating ending it all to make things better for his family. He heard soft snores from his right--John was fast asleep.

And so was Felicity, tucked up against Oliver and using him for a pillow.

He remained still, just looking at her. Her glasses were slightly askew, where she was pressed up against him; her hair was down, surrounding her face in soft waves. She looked peaceful, almost angelic as she slept on.

She deserved someone good, like the kid Barry Allen. She didn’t need to waste her time on someone broken like him, to spend a whole evening racing around the city trying to find the right kind of candy canes because he’d said it was his Christmas tradition.

She deserved better, and she shouldn’t waste time on him, but Oliver allowed himself these few minutes to memorize how easily she fit against him, how pleased she was on the ride back to the Foundry, how determined she had been to get the candy canes and the movie set up.

It was Christmas. He was allowed a few happy hours.

When he could no longer ignore the pins and needles in his left arm, he gently shifted her away from him, placing her head on his folded up grey sweatshirt. He carefully removed her glasses and set them in the empty box of candy canes, so they wouldn’t get broken. Then he shifted away, putting a little bit of space between them before he settled back down and watched the rest of the movie.

December 24, 2017

“I think he’s finally asleep,” Felicity murmured, her voice reverberating against Oliver’s chest. After dinner, they had all moved into the living room to watch It’s a Wonderful Life --which was only briefly interrupted by the annual candy cane eating contest. Felicity was snuggled up against him now, a warm spot on the cold night. He didn’t feel like shifting much, but all it took was a slight turn of his head and he could see that William’s eyes were indeed shut tightly as George Bailey made a mad dash to the library to see what had become of Mary in the world without George.

“He’s not the only one,” Oliver replied, nodding to where his sister had tucked herself into an armchair and was fast asleep. “I thought they’d never come down from their sugar highs.”

“You make it sound like we have two children in the house,” Felicity said with a sleepy laugh. “But you were participating just as diligently in that candy cane eating contest, mister.”

“A tradition is a tradition,” he said. He lightly brushed his fingers down Felicity’s arm. “That first Christmas I was back, Thea brought a box of candy canes to the hospital. It was an olive branch. For the first time since I returned from the island, I felt like an old part of me was back. But a good old part of me. Not the foolish irresponsible kid I was. But a big brother, sharing a tradition with his little sister.” He smiled softly. “And this year, I’m sharing it with my son and my wife.”

Felicity found his left hand, gently tracing along the cool metal ring that Oliver was still hyper aware of, after a little less than a month wearing it. “Talk about unthinkable. You and me.”

“You changed my life from the moment I walked into your office and you told me you knew who I was,” Oliver countered, taking her hand and wrapping his fingers through it. “It was never an easy road. But we made it here.”

“A quiet family Christmas,” she said with a smile before yawning and snuggling back into his chest. “I love you, Mr. Smoak.”

A wide grin came across Oliver’s face, a deep contentment and peace filling his soul. When he’d returned from Lian Yu, he never would have been able to imagine anything like this. He never thought he would deserve anything like this. But bit by bit, hard learned lesson by hard learned lesson, he’d moved from the broken man who left the island to the man he was today. Brother. Father. And husband to the incomparable Felicity Smoak. “I love you, Mrs. Queen.”

“No, Mrs. Queen was my mother-in-law,” came the sleepy response. Oliver chuckled, keeping her hand wrapped in his until he drifted off to sleep to the strains of Auld Lang Syne, the lights of the Christmas tree twinkling and catching on the unwrapped cellophane from the candy cane boxes still strewn across the living room.

[lady-divine-writes]

Ineffable Holiday 2020 - “Bentley Gets Fancy” (Rated PG)

Summary: Aziraphale plays a practical joke on Crowley that goes slightly awry when Bentley reacts unexpectedly to the whole caper. (1003 words)

Notes: Written for the Ineffable Holiday 2020 prompts days 3 and 4 candy cane and snowglobe.

Read on AO3.

“Tea?” Aziraphale asks, presenting Madame Tracy with his pink Wedgewood teapot, her absolute favorite of his collection, as if it’s a bottle of his finest pinot noir.

“Yes, please.” She slides her teacup forward, giggling to herself as Aziraphale bites his lower lip, restraining his own laughter. It’s the waiting that’s doing them in. Waiting for the wave to hit. 

The storm to erupt.

The shoe to drop.

Waiting for Crowley to get home from his errand down the street, picking up Aziraphale’s order of biscuits and scones for tea. An order Aziraphale purposefully placed late at a bakery close enough for his demon to walk to so he could put his plan into action.

“Sugar?” Aziraphale offers, his cool slipping when he hears the celestial sounds of another supernatural creature entering the vicinity, and he knows Crowley is just outside. A softly gasped, “Wot the---?” clinches it, and Aziraphale’s hands start to shake. Which reminds him ...

I do hope he doesn’t drop the biscuits. That’s the only real setback to all of this.

“Absolutely,” Madame Tracy manages through a titter.

One of the best things, he’s discovered, about having Madame Tracy for a friend are the pranks the two of them have been able to pull off together. After they’re done here, they’re heading over to her house to pull a whopper on Mr. Shadwell.

“Aziraphale!” 

Aziraphale jumps when he hears his husband bellow for him, which makes him and Tracy finally laugh out loud. 

“Aziraphale! Where the Devil are you!?”

“That’s my cue.” Aziraphale puts down the sugar bowl and heads for the door.

“Not so fast!” Tracy calls behind him, grabbing her coat and tossing it on. “I don’t want to miss this!”

“Aziraphale!”

“Yes, my dear?" Aziraphale affects an air of calm as he walks out of his shop and confronts his agitated demon. "What is it? I'm right here. You needn't shout."

“What have you … what have you done!?” Crowley motions to his car parked in its usual spot out front, the bakery bag of treats swinging from his closed fist.

Aziraphale tuts, approaching his husband carefully the way one might approach a wild animal, and relieves him of the bag. “You’re going to need to be a bit more specific.”

“Thisss!” Crowley hisses, motioning more emphatically. “What. is. this!?”

“What does it look like?”

“It looks like you put reindeer antlers and a giant red nose on my baby! And …” Crowley leaps bodily across the hood to point out an object inside “… what’s that hanging off the rearview?”

“That’s a candy cane air freshener!” Aziraphale takes a deep breath in and sighs. “So you can have a whiff of Christmas everywhere you go.”

Crowley’s eyes go snowglobe wide. “A whiff … of Christmas? A whiff of Christmas!?”

“Yes!” Aziraphale clasps his hands beneath his chin and gushes, “Isn’t it darling? I saw them in the shops the other day and I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist!”

“Darling? It’s tacky as shite, that’s what it is!”

“It’s festive! Besides, it’s not hurting anything!”

“Yes, it is! It’s bruising my soul as we speak!”

Aziraphale crosses his arms over his chest and rolls his eyes. “Must you be so dramatic?”

“And that’s not even the worst part!”

“What’s the worst part?”

“This!” Crowley grabs an antler and tugs hard, but the thing doesn’t budge, which makes Aziraphale bite his lips together for fear that he’ll start laughing and bust a button on his waistcoat. “My damned fool vehicle won’t let me take it off!”

“Oh …” Aziraphale clears his throat when his voice cracks. “I see. That’s an issue, is it?”

“It makes my car stick out like a sore thumb!”

“Oh, darling. It already does!”

“Yes, but for good reasons! Sleek, sophisticated, mysterious, sexy reasons! Aziraphale!” Crowley’s ranting slows. He leans, defeated, against his car and drops his head in his hands. “You’ve made me a laughing stock!”

And even though Aziraphale thinks his demon is blowing things wildly out of proportion, he’s beginning to feel guilty about how this turned out. Aziraphale knows what Crowley’s car means to him. Crowley has had the thing since new. It means more to him than his flat. If Aziraphale had hosed down Crowley’s flat with mistletoe and garland, it wouldn’t have garnered half this reaction.

In fact, Crowley is at his flat so rarely, Aziraphale isn’t sure whether or not he’d notice.

“I am sorry,” Aziraphale says, handing off the throttled bag of sweets to a concerned Madame Tracy and putting an arm around Crowley’s shoulders. “Would you like me to try and convince your Bentley to let me remove it for you?”

Crowley heaves a gigantic sigh and shakes his head. “There’s no use going back. What’s done is done. Leave it.”

“Are you certain?” 

Another sigh, this one shuddering. “It’s Christmas, innit? And Christmas is about making the ones you love happy. If this …” He gestures over his shoulder with a nod of his head, unwilling to turn and visually acknowledge the monstrosity behind him “… makes you happy, I’m willing to keep it.”

“I’m glad about that,” Aziraphale says, his grin returning by millimeters as he tries to remain sympathetic “… but not because it makes me happy. Because it makes your Bentley happy.”

And it does, ridiculously. Aziraphale has come to accept that Crowley’s car maintains a certain amount of sentience. It makes sense when he gives the matter a long, hard think. It’s a car owned by a demon, after all. For decades even. After a while, Crowley’s demonic influence would have seeped in. Aziraphale puts a gentle hand on the car’s hood, and he swears he feels the thing purring, contented by its cheery and fancy dress.

“Yeah, I guess it does, doesn't it?” Crowley admits, peeking at the car with the bright red nose, and antlers covered in jingle bells, its windshield reflecting a faint, rosy hue, like it might be blushing under all the attention. 

Crowley growls. 

“Traitor.”

[castlefanfics]

Making a list...of Christmas fanfic

Pegship here, minding the store for Alex! Here’s a master list of all the Castle Christmas fic recs from this blog, as well as some more recent works from AO3 and FFNet. Enjoy.

25 Years of Christmas by Cassie Bones

7x10 beckett angry at castle for looking at the strippers by bravevulnerability

7x10 post ep comfort by bravevulnerability

Absolution by KyinHI

Advent Adventures by MustBeAWriter, chapter 15

Advent by chezchuckles

Advent again by chezchuckles

All I want for Christmas by coliemackenzie

All I Want For Christmas by ipreferwestside

All I want for Christmas by nikkifuego

all is calm, all is bright by airbefore

all the shops are closed but we wanted to see the christmas lights by bravevulnerability

All the Songs Make Sense by EllaNight 

All you need is some Castle cheer by Griever11

And the meek shall inherit the Earth by Dana Keylits

And to Us a Good Night by Trinity Everett  

Arcadia by seilleanmor

Avoiding the Mistletoe by Charlie O’Kelley

Baby’s First Christmas by Liv Wilder

Believing Is Seeing by bravevulnerability

Best Christmas Eve ever by Minstrel64

The box in the corner by oliviet

Brave the Magic by chezchuckles

busking on the street by bravevulnerability

Candy cane kisses! by kimmiesjoy

Caroling out in the Snow by soprano193

carry you to me by airbefore (incomplete)

Case, not-home, warm by bravevulnerability

Caskett's kid figures out the "secret" about Santa at a really young age by thewalkingcaskett 

A Castle Christmas special by chezchuckles

Christmas at the Twelfth by tvfanatic/oliviet

A Christmas bet by blue252

Christmas cheer by whatarushh

A Christmas gift by ellanight/zcaskett

Christmas: Impossible by polly_lynn

Christmas is all in the Heart  by encantadaa

christmas light competition by bravevulnerability

Christmas light competition by bogikk

Christmas Morning by live0laugh0love0

Christmas ornaments by oliviet

christmas pick up lines at a pub by bravevulnerability

Christmas pick up lines at a pub by bogikk/sanumarox (also on castlefanfics)

Christmas Spirit by Trapped in a MatchBox

christmas sweaters on the bus by bravevulnerability

Christmas sweaters on the bus by bogikk

Christmas with kids by bravevulnerability

Cookies and cream by kimmiesjoy

Cooking Up Christmas by Garrae  Do You See What I See? by changinlndscape

Eggnog is gross by bravevulnerability

Elephant Present by hallow777

Elevator serenade by bravevulnerability (“santa baby”)

Endure All Things by seilleanmor

FAE: The Holiday Collection, chapter 3 by Oliviet

Feel again by coliemackenzie

Find Our Way Home by bravevulnerability

finding a christmas candle for my mother by bravevulnerability

first snow by ifonly13

Firsts by berkielynn

Five years in the life by caffinate-me

Florist AU by dancingontiptoes

Fluff by International08

From the Corner Store by Trinity Everett

Ghost of Christmas past by InkyCoffee

The Gift by lms2457

The Glow of Morning by Trinity Everett (also on ffnet)

God rest ye by Polly_Lynn

Haikusday by beatingoutasamba

Happy holidays by sanumarox123

Have yourself a merry little Christmas by liviafan1

The heart of this Christmas by berkielynn

Here with you by dmarx

high school christmas production by bravevulnerability

Home for the Holidays by whatifellinlovewith

Hope for the night by sorde

The Hopeful Lights of Winter by lms2457

Hospital Christmas Eve by bravevulnerability

Hot chocolate on Christmas Eve by acoldcomfort/faithsette

i can’t reach the christmas decorations by bravevulnerability

I Do Believe by YahLiz

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by sanumarox123

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by tombombadillo

I was your Secret Santa at work by bogikk

If the fates allow by airbefore

I’ll give you the moon by ifonly13

in a string of lights by faithsette

In the end by bravevulnerability

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by AllusiontoanIllusion

I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Lur27

I’ll Be Home For Christmas by shadoweddawn

Jellybean situations by Natalie Elizabeth

Kaamos by Trinxy

Kate miscarries before she tells Castle she’s pregnant by tvfanatic

Kate shopping for Christmas lingerie by leopoldjamesfitz/katecastle

keep yourself warm by bravevulnerability

Lasso the Moon by morgangirl11

last customer on christmas eve by bravevulnerability

The Life of Sound by acertainzest 

light lanterns by concreteskies

Links by caffinate-me

A little bit more by muppet47

Living Out in the Snow by seilleanmor

The loft smells of pine by tvfanatic

Lost in my mind by sorde

Love in Action by airbefore   

Love in Action by Trinity Everett 

Love is the Greatest Gift by ilovetoread09

Love story by encantadaa

Lully, lullay by International08

Melted Marshmallow Hearts by Trinity Everett

Merry Christmas Castle by GameOn

Mistletoe by klscastle

Mistletoe and arch-nemesis by cassiebones

Mistletoe fever by stevieLUVSalex

Moving forward by Imdoingthiswhy

My true love gave to me by naybaybay

Nativity by SongofJoy

Naughty and nice: Castle Advent calendar by coliemackenzie

Naughty or nice? by Garrae

Near Light by bravevulnerability   

Neon skates by ifonly13

A new normal by Ibelieveyouliar

New traditions by surrendersomething

The night before Christmas by quietlyimplode

A night in Terminal C by ifonly13

Not here with me by ifonly13

Paris à Noël- Let Your Heart Be Light by Brookemopolitan

O, a Christmas Tree by WRTRD

Once upon a time by shimmeryshine

only one book left in the sale by bravevulnerability

Operation Mistletoe by concreteskies

Our Christmas List by katieupatree

out of date chocolate in the secret santa by bravevulnerability

pantomime by bravevulnerability

Peace and Joy by skygirl55

photo fic in the hamptons by bravevulnerability

photo prompt by bravevulnerability

Piece together by chezchuckles

A pocket full of problems and a pocket full of seeds by ifonly13

Reminiscence by ephemeral lunatic

Resplendent by blue252

Right Within Your Heart by Trinity Everett  

Santa Baby by Liv Wilder

santa’s elves by bravevulnerability

Santa’s magic by googie

Seventh wheels by dancingontiptoes/concreteskies

Silent night by Piper Maru Duchovny

Silent Night, Ferret Night by Polly Lynn

Silver and Gold by chezchuckles

Snow Days by caffinate-me

Snow injury AU by bravevulnerability

speech that is new by sorde

Straight on ‘til morning by ekc293

Starting Early by AlwaysCastle

State of Grace by bravevulnerability

These Are Special Times by allylobster

This Christmastide by Cora Clavia

Three sizes too small by Kavi Leighanna

A Time For Family by l03l

Traditions by softer

Twelve days of Caskett by kimmiesjoy

Two Lonely Souls by crossroadswrite

Under the mistletoe by bravevulnerability

Under the tree by madsthenerdygirl

Under the tree by midnightread

A very Castle Christmas by drinkingcastleskoolaid

A Very Castle Christmas Eve by Minstrel164

What’s In A Name by Garrae

When the Thames froze by katieupatree

Window of My Mind by The-KLF

Wine and Mistletoe by acertainzest

Winter Streets by adorkable.elephants

Wintersong by chezchuckles

Wishes by Kate Christie

Added by Peg:

All wrapped up by WRTRD

Always by Alexis Dawn

Bah, humbug! by Garrae

Breakfast in bed by Netsrik1

The Caskett capers by docnerd89

A Caskett Carol by ucsbdad

Caskett eve by AlwayswatchingCastle

Change in realities by bravevulnerability

Choreographing Christmas by Garrae

Christmas for the ages by chezchuckles

The Christmas guy by The-KLF

The Christmas project by skygirl55

Christmas train by djinni14

Come home for Christmas by pegship

Falling into Christmas by caffinate-me

The first of forever by ipreferwestside

Fowl Play by skygirl55

From ashes to snow by whatifellinlovewith

The heart of Christmas by Caskettlove77

Holidays in your heart by whatifellinlovewith

Home for Christmas by ipreferwestside

I know places we can go by liviafan1

If only in my dreams by ALovedOne

In the spirit by bravevulnerability

It’s only just begun by skygirl55

Let your heart be light by evitascarlett

Making merry by acertainzest

Merry Christmas Castle baby by DisneyCastleFriends18

Merry molting Christmas by WRTRD

Mrs Claus by The-KLF

Old Saint Rick by The-KLF

The only way by shutupandpull

Peace & joy: Christmas special by skygirl55

Peppermint bliss 2 by evitascarlett

Peppermint bliss by evitascarlett

Peppermint tea by skygirl55

Santa emergency by wendykw

Simple requests by faithsette

A single dream come true by seilleanmor

Spirits by chezchuckles

Tell me something by sorde

This is only a test by shutupandpull

Tis the season by ilovetoread09

Tis the season by skygirl55

To face unafraid by acertainzest

To old friends by julimay

Twas the night before Christmas by sweetytweety8

Velsigne, Heimr Àrnadalr by thenameisdenise

What to my wondering eyes should appear by acertainzest

[basically-rainbow-aus]

Candy Valkyrie-Rose (Based on Loki, God of Mischief)

Name Inspiration: Candy Pink

Nickname(s): ‘Candy Heart’ by Nora, ‘Pipsqueak’ and ‘Squirt’ by Kai-La

Iolite-isms: Candy Cane, Sherbet, Airhead, Klik

Languages: Vacuan, Valean, North Mistrali

Gender: Female

Species: Human (Silver Eyed Warrior)

Aura Colour: Magenta

Schools and Team: Oscuro Academy (combat school), Shade Academy (Academy)/Leader of Team CAAP (Caper)

Bestie Better Than The Restie: Kai-La Wukong, Iolite Black

Homeplace: Vacuo

Orientation: Demisexual Biromantic

Semblance: Thunder Thighs, a semblance that allows Candy to absorb electrical energy and channel it into her legs specifically. Using this means she can run faster, jump higher, and kick harder. It also grants her increased agility, but not flexibility, meaning she is limited to what her body would be able to do normally with only increased force. 

Weapon: Hiraishin, a hammer that greatly resembles that of Nora’s Magnhild that is able to shift into a minature scythe. It is also constructed from a special electricity-absorbant metal that aids in the channeling of her semblance. 

Voiced by: Casey Lee Williams

Trivia: 

She super looks up to her moms, but she also sees them as competition to eventually surpass even though her Semblance somewhat restrains her from that. 

Candy has a girlfriend over in Menagerie who she prefers to keep secret from her teammates and friends, but especially her cousins. Kaenneko would skin the poor girl alive and Candy doesn’t want to know what Amba would do.

The only time she’s ever visited Atlas before the events of the story are to visit her great-uncle Qrow and his family, which is always a blast.

She’s the only girl on her team and it shows. She’s always hauling the boys around and carrying them despite also being the smallest of the four, so she’s basically the team big sister.

Candy puts up a tough front that is partly sustainable anyway, but she can be easily shirked and shaken by excessive attention or a lot of people watching her. 

The two Ren siblings are basically her cousins at this point, with the amount that she sees them over in Kuroyuri. 

She’s closest with Nora and will call her every night before bed just to make sure she and Ruby are alright back home without her.

Ruby was very delicate in the process of training Candy to use her Silver Eyes. She didn’t want her daughter to go through what she had to go through as a teenager, so Candy has been trained since she was little. Her go-to “silver thought” is the memory of first making her cloak with her moms.

Candy is the first in a line of RWBabies the admins have created over the past year. It is a canon-divergent AU with minor and major differences in terms of relationships and characters still present.

[dukereviewsmovies]

Duke Reviews: Merry Madagascar And The Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper

Hi, Everyone, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Where We Continue Duke's Yultide Reviews...

And On Today's Show We're Looking At The Dreamworks Christmas Special, Merry Madagascar...

Taking Place After The First Film, This Special Sees Marty, Alex, Gloria, Melman And The Penguins Heading Off Of The Island Of Madagascar To Save Christmas When Santa Crashes Onto The Island With Amnesia After King Julian Accidentally Knocks His Sleigh Out Of The Sky, Will Our New York Animal Pals Save Christmas Or Is Christmas Ruined For Everyone?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Merry Madagascar...

The Special Starts On, Of Course, Madagascar As Marty, Alex, Gloria And Melman Prepare To Leave Madagascar In An Attempt To Make It Home To New York City By Christmas...

With Only Mort In Attendance, They Board Their Island Made Hot Air Balloon To Fly Back To New York, But While They Tell Each Other What They Want For Christmas, They Soon Find Themselves Under Attack...

Believing That They Were Shot Down By Cannibals, It Turns Out That It Was King Julian And The Other Lemurs Who Thought That They Were The Marauding Red Night Goblin...

What Is That? The Green Goblin And Hobgoblin's Cousin?...

Actually No, Turns Out That Every 24th Of Julianuray (Which Is A Month Named After Julian) A Red Glow With Horrible Laughter Pelts All Of Madagascar With Black Rocks...

Hearing Someone Say That The Red Night Goblin Is Coming, Julian Believes It To Be A Prank At First Only To Discover That It Is The Red Night Goblin As He Is Pelting Rocks Upon Them...

With Lemurs Being Hit On The Head Everywhere, Alex Launches One Of The Coconut Trees That Julian Pulled Down In Defense And Hits The Goblin Causing Him To Crash Land. But When The Madagascar 4 Discover That The Rocks Are Coal And That There Are Presents And Candy Canes Everywhere They Soon Discover That, They Shot Down Santa Claus...

Telling Julian To Get Away From Santa, Marty Asks If Santa's Okay Only To Discover That Santa Has A Big Bump On His Head That Has Caused Him To Get Amnesia. Blaming Himself For What He Did And Possibly Ruining Christmas For The World, Alex Comes Up With A Plan To Find The Sleigh And Help Santa Deliever The Toys And In Return He Might Get Them Off The Island And Back To New York...

With Everyone On Board, They Go To Find The Sleigh And The Reindeer Only When They Do, They Find The Penguins There Too Who Tell Them About Their Grudge With Santa Which Dates Back Centuries As Santa Was Supposed To Be At The South Pole....

But When Private Ends Up Falling In Love With Vixen (Who's Voiced By The Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev) Alex Manages To Get The Reindeer's Attention To Ask For Their Help But Their Leader Donner Tells Them That They Only Take Orders From Santa....

Well, Thanks For Nothing, You Assholes! I Hope You All Get Coal In Your Stockings!

But Even Though The Stupid Reindeer Won't Help Them They Can Just The Penguins To Pull The Sleigh As The Reindeer Rely On Magical Dust To Fly The Sleigh...

However When Alex And The Others Go To Get Santa He's Having Too Much Of A Good Time At Julian's Julianuary Celebration That He Doesn't Want To Leave So, It Up To Alex, Marty, Melmann, Gloria And The Penguins To Save Christmas...

But As They Take Off, We Cut Back To Julian And Santa As He Shows Him The True Spirit Of Julianuary Which Is...(Sigh) Giving Presents To Him...

But When Santa Makes A Present Out Of Leaves And Bark, Everyone Wants One So Santa Decides To Make Everyone A Present Which Upsets Julian, Who Believes That Santa Is Ruining His Holiday And Declares That All Their Presents Are His...

Arriving In Canada...

They End Up Crash Landing With The Sleigh, Alex, Gloria, Marty And The Penguins On The Ground And Melmann On The Roof With The Present, However When Melmanm Goes Down The Chimney He Gets Stuck...

Breaking Into The House To Leave The Gift And Save Melmann, Alarms Start Going Off Which Forces Them To Leave The Present And To Grab Melmann As They're Flying Off...

Landing On Another Roof, They Realize That They Are Highly Unqualified For What They're Doing And Are About To Give Up, But When The Sleigh Crashes Into An Apartment They Meet A Little Girl (Voiced By Willow Smith) That Shows Them Why They Should Do This And From Then On They're Santa's Hairy Little Helpers....

We Get A Funny Montage Of Everyone Delivering Toys And Flying In The Air With Disastrous Results As Louis Armstrong Plays...

But They Soon Smile As They Reach New York...

Back On The Island, Santa Come In To Talk With Julian As While He Has All The Presents He Feels Empty Inside, And While Santa Doesn't Know Why Julian Feels This Way He Does Know That What Happened Back There With Everyone Was Really Good...

Suggesting That Julian Give A Present To The Skeleton Of Amelia Earhardt (Which He Has For Some Reason) He Does And Believes That She Likes It As It Appears That She's Smiling (Even Though She's Dead) Realizing That Making People Feel Good Makes Him Feel Good, Julian Races Off As He Decides To Tell Everyone Of What He's Learned...

Meanwhile In Greenland, Marty Melmann, Gloria, Alex And The Penguins Are Wrapping Up Delivering Gifts But When They Discover Another Bag, They Open It To Discover That It's For Them...

As Marty Gets His Candied Yams From Sylvia's, Gloria Gets A Blow Up Hippo Pool With Chlorine, Melmann Gets Dr. Manesh's Neck Massager And Alex Gets A Snowglobe Of New York So He Can See Snow Fall On New York, They Realize That They Can't Leave Santa Back There And End Up Facing A Choice As There's Enough Sparkly Dust To Go To Either New York Or Back To Madagascar To Save Santa...

So, After A Tough Decision They Decide To Go Back To Madagascar But Unfortunately The Sparkly Dust Starts To Give Out Before They Arrive Which Causes Them To Fall...

With One Penguin Pulling The Sleigh, They End Up Crashing Into Santa Which Restores His Memory...

Donner Lies To Santa Saying That The Penguins Took The Sleigh For A Joyride, Ruining Christmas But Vixen Tells Santa The Truth That They Actually Saved Christmas And Donner To Stick It As She Loves Private And Wants To Be Bi-Polar With Him...

However, It Turns Out That While They Delivered All The Presents They Missed One Bag For Lichtenstein And Those Kids Will Be Up Any Minute...

Using A Reserve Tank Of Sparkly Stuff, Santa Takes Off Along With Cupid As Private Does A Casablanca Reference...

And So With Julian Off The Naughty List And Santa Gone, Everyone Celebrates Christmas, Madagascar Style...

And That's Merry Madagascar And Before I Give My Review Of It How About I Sneak In Another Christmas Review (As I Don't Know When I'm Going To Review Madagascar Again) So, Let's Talk About The Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper...

This Short Starts In The New York Zoo As Private Watches (Through The Penguins Telescope) Everyone Celebrating Christmas Only To See That The Polar Bear Ted (Voiced By Bill Fakebakke) Is Feeling Sad And Alone This Holiday Season And Private Has A Talk With Skipper About Getting Ted A Present For Christmas...

But Skipper Tells Private That It's Not Possible As There Are 4 Presents And There Are 4 Of Them Despite Private Saying That He Could Go Get Ted Something But Skipper Forbids It, So, While The Other Penguins Are Chugging Egg Nog Private Goes Out To Get To Get Ted A Gift....

Eventually Figuring Out That Private Is Gone, The Other Penguins Decide To Follow Him...

Coming Across A Cart In The Sidewalk, Private Wants To Get Ted A Christmas Tree But Instead He Ends Up Being Taken By The Little Old Lady Who Kicks Alex In The Balls In Madagascar As Present For Her Nightmare Of A Dog, Mr. Chew...

But Luckily The Other Penguins See Private Being Taken By The Old Lady And Follow Her To Her Apartment Building...

Ok, How That Bellhop Isn't Like "What The Hell" Is Beyond Me...

Managing To Get Inside The Penguins Miss The Elevator But Using A Vacuum They Take The Mail Lift To The Top Floor....

However, Locked Out Of The Old Woman's Apartment They Decide To Find Another Way As Private Is Wrapped And Placed In Mr. Chew's Stocking For Tomorrow...

AAH! Demon Dog! Keep It Away!

But Luckily The Penguins Come In To Save Private From The Demonic Mr. Chew By Having Rico Eat Peppermints And Fire Them Out Of His Mouth Like A Machine Gun...

Out Of Ammo, They Climb The Tree And Toss Ornaments At Mr. Chew Only For Private To Be Thrown Into The Kitchen Only For Him To End Up Like Joey On Friends....

You Said It Skipper, Not Me!

Chew Chases Private As Kowalski Comes Up With A Plan Called Operation Stocking Stuffer Which Places The Evil Dog Into The Stocking Private Was In...

Blowing The Door, The Penguins Leave And Head Back To The Zoo Where Skipper Decides To Follow The Penguin Credo (Never Swim Alone) And Not Let Ted The Polar Bear Be Alone For Christmas However, When He Comes Over, He Invites Everyone In The Zoo Over To Sing Christmas Carols...

And That's The Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper And It's Cute...

It Isn't As Memorable As Frozen Fever But If The Madagascar Penguins Are Your Favorite Characters You'll Love This Fun, Cute, And Entertaining Short And I Say See It....

But What About Merry Madagascar...

It's Funny In All The Right Places And Has The Right Amount Of Christmas Spirit And I Say See It...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[arcisfoodblog]

Next stop on Vancouver Island: 3 days to explore BC’s surfer’s paradise Tofino, and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

The 225km / 140 miles getting from Courtenay to Tofino took us about 4½ hours, excluding our excellent lunch stop in Port Alberni at Twin City Brewing Company (4503 Margaret St), and was a bit longer than planned due to some road work congestion.

We started our trip on the coastal scenic Highway 19A up to Qualicum Beach. At Coombs, we turned south on Highway 4, and after 125km / 80 miles, you will arrive at a T-Junction. You either turn left to Ucluelet or keep following the (now) Pacific Rim Highway to arrive in Tofino after about 30km / 22 miles.

After checking into our Airbnb home pretty much opposite Cox Bay Beach, we drove down to Tofino to enjoy the weather and explore Downtown.

We decided to have early dinner on the at Wolf In The Fog (150 4th Street). The overall quality is pretty good, but the number of restaurants in Tofino is definitely not equipped for the summer holiday surge of people. Therefore, do make your reservations (or alternatively dine early or be prepared to wait about an hour in line for a table around dinner time).

We were early so we got seated on the first-floor patio. Consequently, we had a great view of the quaint town and spotted a couple of bald eagles soaring over the restaurant to boot.

We didn’t go for any appetizers, but I did want to try their specialty Potato Crusted Oyster. Despite happy gulping down the occasional oysters, it turns out that, texturally, fried ones are definitely not my thing. I had better luck with my main dish: pan-fried Ling Cod served with a great Moroccan-style Chickpea and Tomato stew.  Chantal had a delicious Tuna Poke, and we chose 8oz(!) pours of local Canadian wines, a 2017 Chardonnay by Bartier Bros (Oliver, BC), and a 2017 Sauvignon Blanc by Clos du Soleil (Similkameen, BC). The kids had a go at the House Made Pasta, which that day was made with fried Chicken, Mushrooms, and Sage.

The kids had actually done their homework on what to do in Tofino and had selected Tofino Licks for their fancy Soft Serves. We thought it was close-by Wolf In The Fog, but unfortunately, their old address was still included in Google Maps. Consequently, we had to walk from one end of the town’s center to the opposite end (220 Campbell St) to find Tofino Licks in a mini food court operating from sea containers, which consisted of several eateries, and a juice bar.

We loved this concept, and we can’t wait for it to start trending in the Netherlands. Pairing their smooth organic soft-serve ice-cream with delicious toppings from local artisans and restaurants turned out great. We had ones topped with the Chilli Chocolate Diablo Cookie by Tacofino (the original food truck of this Mexican eatery emporium is still just outside Tofino), Sobo‘s key lime pie and RedCan Gourmet‘s fudge brownie.

Unfortunately, the sky became cloudier close to sunset, but our beach walk on Cox Bay Beach was terrific, and the views from the aptly-named Sunset Point were still magnificent.

The next day, the weather changed for the worse (or more to a more normal state we were told), so we decided to drive 30 minutes to nearby Ucluelet. As it started to rain very hard, we only visited the small yet super nice Aquarium (180 Main St) and did some grocery shopping.

Afterward, we returned to our Airbnb and spent the rest of the afternoon doing some laundry, reading books, and sampling some of the BC brews that we accumulated along the way.

Another dinner option we had scoped out on our first walk through town was Kuma Tofino (101-120 4th St). We had a lot of luck to be seated within 15 minutes at a 6-person communal table, but the remaining 2 seats were not allocated during our dinner. We started the oddly refreshing Gin Pop Pop cocktail, combining the local Tofino gin, Calpico (a Japanese milk-based beverage), Grove Seedlip, Cucumber, and Citrus. Chantal was still in beer-mode and chose a Sapporo King Can. The kids had a Yuzu Lemonade, of which the sweet/sour balance was just spot on for them.

There were some Ramen Noodles ordered, and other dishes were ordered based on the family-style sharing concept. Everything was well received, so highly recommended!

Veggie ramen (Mushroom-Ginger broth, Agedashi Tofu, Cabbage,  pickled Shiitakes, and a marinated Egg)

House ramen (Shio-based double Broth, Braised Pork Belly, marinated Egg, Kale, and Nori)

Chicken Karaage (crunchy garlic Chicken, house-made Spicy Mayo, and Yuzu-infused Salt)

Tuna Tataki (seared line-caught local Albacore Tuna, Ponzu, Wasabi Mayo, Ginger, Garlic, and Green Onions)

Okonomiyaki (Osaka-style Cabbage Pancake, Bacon, Cheddar, Tonkatsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, and Bonito flakes)

Miso Braised Beef (soft-boiled Egg, crispy-fried Rice ball, Kale, and Miso Mustard sauce). The latter was eye-watering Wasabi strength deliciousness!

Our last morning in Tofino was spent walking the 2 loops of the Rainforest Trail of the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, located at the south end of Long Beach close to the Kwisitis Visitor Centre. The trail has two routes, one on each side of the highway, and they are very popular (and the parking limited!) as they are obviously located in a stretch of temperate Rainforest.

This was a first for us, and as it was already raining, the humidity was overwhelming at first (“Fôret Humide” indeed). The temperature was actually quite agreeable, and the elevated walkways and stairs lead us through an astonishing and lush forest with thick green foliage wherever you look.

After this fabulous hike, we visited the Tofino Brewing Company (691 Industrial Way) for some refreshments. We had already tried their Kelp Stout back in Vancouver, so we were looking forward to sampling their other beers. From the flights with all of their beers, we liked the Tuff Session Ale, Blond Ale, and Dimension Ascension Dry Hopped Pale Ale best.

Unfortunately, the food options are limited to some snacks and not enough for a proper lunch. We did have some nibbles with the beers (maple-cured smoked salmon of their neighbors, West Pacific Seafoods, and some artisan pepperoni sticks from Port Alberni’s Pete’s Moutain Meats). As the kids were not a fan, we soon decided to head over 1 lot to Summit Bread Company (681 Industrial Way, Units C&D) to get some fantastic artisanal bread and pastries before heading back to our Airbnb.

Now knowing the drill in summertime Tofino, we had already made reservations for dinner at Shelter Restaurant (601 Campbell St).

Shelter Mule (Cucumber Vodka, Mint, Lime, Ginger Beer) & Frozen Bellini.

As shared appetizers, we chose the Buttermilk Fried Chicken (Farmhouse Chicken Thighs & Maple-Honey Soy glaze, pickled candy cane Beets, and fresh Dill) and Crispy Brussels Sprouts (Toasted Bread Crumbs, and Grana Padano).

To our surprise, our oldest wanted the Steak & Frites as his main course (225g / 8oz flat iron steak, Truffle Parmesan fries, Arugula, Chive Gremolata, red Wine Jus), while our youngest wasn’t all that adventurous by resorting to the – not depicted – Shelter Beef Burger (crispy Bacon, smoked Cheddar, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickle, Mayo, Red Pepper Relish).

Chantal had a Kale Caesar Salad (Chopped Kale, Romaine, fried Capers, Black Pepper & Garlic Croutons, Grana Padano, fresh Lemon).

I had the Panko Crusted Lingcod Burger (Cabbage, Apple & Miso Slaw, pickled Jalapeño & Crispy Onions, Soy Dijon Mayo), with a side of Truffle Fries and Parmesan Dijon Mayo.

Shelter Restaurant was one of the places that were packed every single day from late afternoon through late. And for a reason: the drinks, food, and service were excellent and we had a delightful last evening in Tofino.

Around the World – British Columbia Roadtrip (2019) – Tofino Next stop on Vancouver Island: 3 days to explore BC's surfer's paradise Tofino, and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

[honolulubelle]

Book Review: Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper (Death by Cupcake Book 4) by D.E. Haggerty

Book Review: Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper (Death by Cupcake Book 4) by D.E. Haggerty

 Christmas Cupcakes and a Caper (Death by Cupcake Book 4) by D.E. Haggerty

  Amazon US / UK / AU / CA   

  It’s all candy cane cupcakes and peppermint coffee until you find a dead elf on your doorstep.

Only the elf wasn’t a real elf, because elves don’t actually exist – not even at Christmas time. A college student dressed as an elf decided taking a nap on the stoop of Callie’s Cakes…

[clarktooncrossing]

Giraffe's Eye View: Christmas Specials Special (2023) | Care Bears Nutcracker

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 second day of Christmas, my buddies gave to me...

For the record, it says something when nobody's even made a GIF for what I'm about to review.

Malicious as Molly was, she may have set the bar too high with Barbie. For along comes the fairy Claire (YourClairyGodmother), set on proving that the ‘all Canadians are friendly’ claim is a myth. Having recently reviewed a slew of their work herself, she saw fit to share her suffering with me by burdening me with a Care Bears Christmas caper of my choice. Oh how nice, my executioner allowed me to pick how I get to die! Mirroring Grumpy Bear’s dour attitude, I scoured the Care Bears Wiki to make my selection, all the while wondering how this franchise is still alive after all this time. Starting out in 1981 as greeting card characters, these bears became a beloved series of plush toys parents killed each other over at Black Friday’s. Not gonna lie, having Sinbad and Arnie fight over Funshine Bear would’ve made Jingle all the Way that much funnier. It’d certainly be more entertaining then what I ended up picking, that being Care Bears Nutcracker Suite. Dear Santa, I don’t remember asking for endless torment. At this rate getting my nuts cracked probably wouldn’t be as excruciating. Still, perhaps I’m being pessimistic. Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and jump right in! After all, these bears beat out Black Cauldron at the box office. Surely they have something special to offer here.

Like terrible child voice actors. We’ve got those in spades here! Okay, I know it’s not nice to call out kids who are only here because of parental peer pressure, but A Charlie Brown Christmas set the bar so high two decades prior! Though to be fair, maybe this is like Hayden Christensen regaling Padme about sand. You can only do so much when the script serves you verbal fruitcake on a platter. Such as when one of the kids, tricked into portraying the Rat King in an elementary production of the ballet by his sister, rightfully laments how lame the show is. Seeing one of her students complaining, our blonde ballet instructor halts class in order to tell a self-insert fanfiction where she herself is Clara. Whoa, deja vuh.

For all of you fearful that this is going to get repetitive, put your worries at ease. The writers made no effort to make the narrative comprehensive here. Instead of a mysterious family member, our Young Clara stand-in Anna (Tara Strong) is visited by Funshine Bear (Susan Roman) and Grumpy (Bob Dermer). Right as they tumble down the chimney ready to help this privileged dork with whatever first world problem she has, a dimensional rift abruptly appears in her room, dropping out the titular Nutcracker (Michael Beattie) and an army of rats. Sadly this time they’re not led by Tim Curry and they’re even less intimidating than before. Whereas previously they at least had swords, now they rush forward into battle with nothing but the clothes on their back. As if that wasn’t idiotic enough, they’re easily frightened off by the two bears and Anna’s younger brother Peter (Stuart Stone) in a trench coat. Wow, I was wondering how they’d top the Mouse King getting taken out by a shrunken woman’s flimsy footwear. You fail at failing to disappoint, Care Bears. Good to know I don’t need to take any of the villains seriously. By chance is it too late to bring back that creepy book lady from the movie? She’d be a better foe than the Vizier (Don Francks), a Jafar wannabe decked out in purple that commands the cowardly vermin. He’s after the Nutcracker so he can, you guessed it, take over the world and ruin Christmas. How he’d ruin Christmas is never explained, though I doubt whatever logic they presented would’ve made sense anyway.

Regardless of the reason, our heroes elect to help Nutcracker in his quest to stop the Vizier, enlisting some Care Bears Cousins to help. Though really I assume it’s to expose kids to more toys they can buy, since Funshine and Grumpy managed to make an entire armada run away in fear. Why else bring in Brave Heart Lion (Dan Hennessey) or Lotsa Heart Elephant (Luba Goy) if not for promotional purposes? Remember kiddies, pester your parents into buying these new friends or else you’ll be a sad loser! Together with Baby Tugs (Melleny Brown) and Hugs (Tracey Moore), they leap into the dimensional portal to restore order to Toyland. Along the way they encounter a bunch of cranky citizens blaming the Vizier’s rise to power on a prince named Alan. Whoa, deja vuh times two. Before anybody asks, yes, once again the Nutcracker is clearly the missing monarch. The rest of our heroes only find out after battling more rodents on a runaway train, meeting a magical fairy that’s as useless as the owl, and getting turned into wood by the Vizier. Our story ends with the titular toy’s humanity easily being restored, the villains being beheaded for war crimes, and the ballet class from earlier never really putting on their pageant as their teacher Anna walks off with her boi toi. Whoa, deja vuh times three. All while the Care Bears watch on from the raptors, waiting to pick the kids off one by one for sport.

Do I even have to say it? Honestly, what point is there in me picking out the flaws? It’d be like stating how pretty Christmas lights are, there’s no purpose in proclaiming something so patent. For the sake of keeping you all from searching up this sugary-coated crap though, I’ll list off my reasons. The pacing was painfully slow, making this extended episode feel like the director’s cut of a Peter Jackson movie. Replacing the charismatic, complex characters of those works are cardboard cutouts who are criminally one-dimensional. Even Grumpy, who I maintain is the best character in this series, feels so one-note. Worst of all is the animation. Much as I dogged out Barbie Nutcracker, I can applaud the ambition on display. Somebody clearly put some effort into the final product. At no time did I feel the same could be said for this. This was some paycheck for an animator who clearly wanted nothing to do with these blasted bears. And if all the behind the scenes stories Claire told me are any indication, I might not be too far off. Needless to say, I did not care for this special. I also didn’t care for you suggesting it to me, Claire! So when Seerius dumps something rotten into your stocking, just know that’s from me! For now though, I need a better Holiday special featuring a character voiced by Tara Strong. 

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[destinyimage]

Hilarious Christian Entertainment for All Ages!

Looking for fun, family entertainment without sacrificing morals? Look no further.

Hank Kunneman’s zany comic book universe inflates with the newest issue of The Galactic Quests of Captain Zepto: The Cosmic Inflation!

It’s 2000 and tomorrow and the evil Dr. Zorb is up to his old tricks! This time he’s devised a sinister plot that’s irresistible to everyone. …Well, almost everyone.

Dr. Zorb uses his wicked science to concoct a powder that preys on others’ self-conscious flaws. With the promise of erasing these flaws, nearly everyone tricked into taking the powder and becomes inflated like balloons. But luckily Captain Zepto doesn’t fall for the trick! King Elyon offers Zepto the key to fixing the issue: switching everyone’s “selfie” mode to “thinking of others” mode.

The Cosmic Inflation reminds kids that pride isn’t all it’s puffed up to be. Instead of focusing on yourself, it’s time to think of others.

Chock full of comedy, zany characters, and colorful pages, this comic is wholesome Christian entertainment for kids of all ages! Much like the three previous installments, The Island of Doom, Disturbance in the Galaxy, and The Candy Cane Caper, the Captain Zepto series is reminiscent of Veggie Tales in its approach to humor and Bible-based story-telling.

So, why not strap on those rocket boots and blast away to a galaxy not so far away with Captain Zepto!

A Sneak Peek Inside:

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[razreads]

Like a quilt, life comes together one piece at a time, and it takes some patience before you can stand back and proclaim it a masterpiece.

Josi S. Kilpack, The Candy Cane Caper

[lfthinkerwrites]

A Riddle for a Bat, pt. 6

Title: A Riddle for a Bat

Fandom: Batman

Pairing: Riddlebat

Rating: T, for mentions of risque activities

Chapter Summary: Bruce meets two of Nigma's sources and gets to see the private detective in action.

Previous Chapters: 1/2/3/4/5

AO3 Link

The drive to Gotham's Lower Westside was as uneventful as one could expect, given the occupants of the car. Bruce looked out of the corner of his eye at his passenger, who seemed positively delighted at the fact that he was in the Batmobile. Nigma had been asking questions about the controls since he'd buckled in. He pointed at a small blue button on the dashboard, like a child in a candy store. "What does this do?"

"Smoke grenades," Bruce answered shortly.

Nigma nodded, a smile coming to his face. "Fascinating. I can't imagine the kind of resources it must take to maintain a vehicle like this..." He pointed to a large red button next to it. "What about this one?"

It was actually to launch a grappling hook, but Bruce decided to have a bit of fun at the man's expense. "Passenger ejection seat."

He smirked at the wide-eyed expression on Nigma's face. "Really?"

"Want to give it a test?"

Nigma sat against his seat with a huff. "Oh, very funny. Are you always this charming, or am I just lucky?"

Bruce turned his attention back to the road. "Focus, Nigma. This isn't a social excursion."

"Yes, yes," Nigma said. "There's no reason we can't at least attempt to enjoy ourselves on this caper."

"This isn't a 'caper', Nigma. Eight people were killed and Falcone was attacked in less than ten hours. You need to take this seriously." When they stopped at a red light, Bruce turned to see that Nigma had a thunderous expression on his face.

"Just because I don't dress in black and terrify back alley denizens doesn't mean I don't take my work seriously," he said. He crossed his arms. "I didn't agree to work with you so you could talk down to me."

Bruce's grip tightened on the steering wheel, but then he relaxed. The man had been in GCPD once. He clearly wasn't a stranger to an investigation. "I didn't mean to be condescending," he said at last. "But the people behind this are dangerous. We both need to keep our eyes open and not get distracted."

Nigma's expression was still angry, but he gave a curt nod. "Of course," he said. He gave Bruce a curious look. "Why isn't Robin with you? Why did you come back to my office?"

The light turned green and Bruce took advantage of it to concentrate on driving. Nigma however continued. "That explosion in the hospital...Robin was injured, wasn't he?"

"Nigma," Bruce grit out. "Drop it."

There was a long moment of silence in the car, for which Bruce was grateful. Then, he heard Nigma say something he never expected. "I'm sorry." Bruce took his eyes off of the road to look at Nigma's face. His earlier irritation was gone and he looked genuinely regretful. Bruce didn't respond and turned his eyes back to the road. Nothing more was said for the rest of the drive.

Finally, Bruce pulled the Batmobile off the main road and pulled into a narrow alleyway. He parked in front of a dingy bar, the neon light sign flickering off and on, bathing the Batmobile's hood in a pink glow. Bruce opened the hood of the car, allowing himself and Nigma to exit.

"The Treasure Chest bar," Nigma said with a flourish. Now that they were here, it seemed that he'd chosen to go back to his confident, swaggering persona. "Home to all sorts of colorful characters. As well as a few surprises." He gave Bruce a mischievous look. "Shall we?"

Bruce continued into the bar, not bothering to say a word. The few denizens that were still in the bar at this hour shrank back at the sight. Even the bartender, a burly man with a heart tattoo on his large left arm, nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw just who had come into his bar. He quickly raised up both hands. "Hey, I don't want no trouble man,"

"We're not here to cause trouble," Bruce heard Nigma say. The green-clad private investigator shot him a dirty look before continuing to address the bartender. "Nice seeing you again, Doug."

The bartender visibly relaxed. "Oh, it's just you, Eddie. Came to see the girls?"

"Astute as always, Doug. May we?"

The bartender got from behind the counter and guided the pair to a liquor shelf near the back of the bar. He pushed the shelf aside to reveal a steel door. The bartender got out of the way as quickly as he could. "Tell Deirdre she still owes me from last week!"

Nigma let out a laugh as he stepped forward to open the door. "We'll be dead and buried before she ever pays that bar tab. See you soon, Doug." Nigma pulled the door open to reveal a staircase heading down towards a lower level. He turned back to Bruce and stepped to the side, holding his arms out. "After you." Bruce stepped forward without another word. Nigma followed, shutting the door behind them and the light from the bar gave disappeared, leaving a dim light from the hallway below as the only source of illumination.

"You know the bartender?" Bruce asked as the pair made their way down the staircase.

"Quite well," Nigma answered. "He's been a source of mine for some time. More importantly, he's a middleman between me and the girls."

"I take it Dierdre's one of those girls?"

"Very good. Yes, Dierdre Vance, the owner of Pandora's Box. Her girlfriend, Nina Damfino should be down tonight too. She doesn't work in Pandora's Box, but she comes around a lot when she's not out with her biker friends."

Dierdre Vance and Nina Damfino. 'D.V' and 'N.D.' That answered those initials on Nigma's whiteboard. Now to figure out just who 'K.K.' was. "How exactly did you come to know these two?"

Bruce could hear Nigma chuckle a bit. "Come come, you don't expect me to give away all of my secrets, now do you? Where's the fun in that?"

Bruce barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was sure he'd find out soon enough. The pair had reached the bottom of the staircase and began walking down a hallway, lit with a low red light above. Decades ago, during the height of prohibition, this had lead to an underground speakeasy. After prohibition had been repealed, the speakeasy had been abandoned, and the space had been used by various groups since for illicit activities. Pandora's Box was only the latest tenant, having set up shop about five years ago. Bruce himself had been there twice before while pursuing leads for various cases, but he kept that information to himself, for now. Bruce and Nigma reached the end of the hallway and approached another steel door. Nigma darted ahead of Bruce.

"Allow me," he said. He took the head of his cane and rapped it against the door three times. There was a slight pause before the door opened to reveal a large man, dressed head to toe in leather, wearing a mask that revealed only his mouth and eyes. Bruce recognized him as the bouncer for the club. He also recalled that the last time he'd been here, he'd dislocated the man's arm for attempting to physically prevent him from entering the club. From the way that the man's eyes widened, he remembered that all too well. Then he looked at Nigma. "You!"

Nigma tipped his hat at the man. "Evening, Mike. Is the lady of the house in?"

The man stepped forward, extending his hand out to Nigma and Bruce grabbed a Batarang. Before he could throw it though, the man had laughed and heartily clapped Nigma on the shoulder. "Eddie Nigma! Come on in! How the Hell are you?"

Nigma chuckled. "I've been well. I'm afraid this isn't a social visit though. My associate and I are here on business."

The bouncer glared at Bruce. "He's caused trouble here before, Ed. Are you sure you can trust him?"

Nigma turned to give Bruce and almost scandalized look before he cleared his throat. "Cross my heart, Mike. We're just here to talk to the girls."

The bouncer looked reluctant but stepped to the side to allow them entrance. "OK, but only because you're vouching for him." Nigma strolled in and Bruce followed, glaring right back at the bouncer. "You better not be setting Eddie up," the bouncer growled before shutting the door. Bruce ignored him and followed Nigma into the club.

The main room of the club was bathed in a red light, similar to that in the hallway. There were perhaps two dozen people milling about the floor, dressed in various BDSM paraphernalia, or in a few cases, not dressed at all. Bruce barely acknowledged them as he followed Nigma, watching as he exchanged pleasantries with a few regulars before making his way to a private curtained area near the back of the club. No one seemed particularly surprised to see either the private detective or the Caped Crusader and Bruce wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Bruce followed him past a few private stalls, ignoring the muffled groans coming from within. Finally, Nigma stopped at a large room, this one with a door rather than a curtain. He rapped his cane against it, calling out "Deirdre! Nina! Are you decent?"

The door swung wide open and two women walked out, one with a short, black pixie cut dressed as if she'd just come in from a biker rally and the other wearing a surprisingly professional blouse and pants, her long blonde hair hanging loose. Nigma had mentioned that Damfino was a biker, so that meant the blonde woman was Vance. Nigma held his arms out jovially. "Girls!"

The girl with the black hair stepped forward, embracing Nigma fondly, while the blonde came forward and placed her hand on his shoulder somewhat stand-offishly, but with still obvious affection. "Eddie!" the brunette said. "It's been forever! Where have you been?"

Nigma laughed. "I'm sorry, Nina. Work caught up with me, I'm afraid." That confirmed their identities for Bruce at least. Nigma took a step back and looked at the pair of them. "You two certainly look like you've been up to some mischief!"

"You're one to talk, Eddie," Vance drawled, her lazy brown eyes making their way to Bruce. Bruce steeled himself for a potential confrontation, but instead, she looked back to Nigma. "Business or pleasure?"

Even in the red light of the club, Bruce could detect Nigma's flush. "Business, Deirdre, I assure you!" He gestured to the room behind them. "May we speak in private?"

Vance gave a quick nod and she and Damfino led them both into the room. Bruce shut the door behind them as the women took their seats at a large desk in the what Bruce now realized was an office. Nigma took a seat in a chair in front of the desk while Bruce remained standing. "Now to business," Nigma addressed Vance. "I trust you two have been keeping up with the news the last twenty-four hours?"

Damfino nodded. "The mob killings? Yeah, we heard." She looked up at Bruce with vague interest. "That's why Mr. Tall Dark and Brooding is here?"

"Nigma told me that you two are part of an information network he's set up to keep tabs on the crime families in Gotham," Bruce said matter of factly. "Do any members of the crime families come to this club?"

Vance raised a manicured eyebrow. "Aren't we blunt?"

Nigma raised his hands in supplication. "Now now, dear. Don't let his gruffness get on your nerves too much."

Vance huffed but continued. "Fine. One of Falcone's enforcers is a regular here. Dominic D'Abruzzo. He comes in every two weeks or so, more often if there's some action going on with the other gangs." She reached down to open a drawer on her desk and pulled out a large manila envelope. She passed it to Nigma. "Dommy boy's into pain and women with high heels."

"You don't say," Nigma said, opening the envelope. He pulled out a photograph and his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. "Oh my. This is something he'd never be able to live down." He grinned. "Perfect."

"You take photographs of your patrons?" Bruce asked. Even if he personally found what the patrons of Pandora's Box got up to a bit unseemly, he found blackmail even more so.

"Just the mob guys," Vance said. "The normal guys and girls that come in looking for fun? No. Everyone deserves to have a bit of fun now and again, right Eddie?"

"Quite right," Nigma said a bit hastily, placing the photograph back into the envelope. "Has D'Abruzzo said anything about his employer's activities."

"Other than reminding the girls here what a big hotshot he is, no," Vance answered. "Last week though, he brought a guest with him."

"Another member of the Falcone crew?" Bruce asked.

Vance shook her head. "Not sure. Haven't seen him before or since. I don't know all of them by sight though."

Nigma got out of his seat. "I think we have all that we need," he said. "Thanks again, girls."

Vance waved him off. "You still owe us lunch, Eddie."

Edward tipped his hat. "I'll take you both out this Friday. Deal?"

"Deal," Damfino said. As Bruce and Nigma prepared to leave, she said cheekily, "Have a good time, Eddie."

Bruce watched as Nigma flushed again. "Nina!" he cried out as she laughed. He quickly left the room, leaving Bruce wondering just what that exchange was about and not sure he wanted to know. He followed Nigma out of the room and back through the club.

"So," Nigma said as they walked back into the balmy Spring night, "Off to rouse D'Abruzzo?"

Bruce said nothing as he entered the Batmobile. As soon as Nigma had strapped himself in, he said in a cold tone "You didn't tell me that you gathered blackmail material on the mob as well."

Nigma looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't ask," he said. "And that implies that I specifically go out of my way to do so."

"And you don't?"

Nigma scowled. "I prefer to call it information gathering that I may or may not use to leverage more information out of certain parties. It's not all that different from what we used to do in GCPD."

"But you're not in GCPD anymore," Bruce pointed out. "You're a private citizen, which means you're playing a very dangerous game with no legal protection." Not to mention that if Nigma was in the habit of blackmailing mobsters, just what else was he capable of?

"You should talk!" Nigma shouted. "I happen to know for a fact that you regularly threaten to drop people from multiple stories in order to get information from them! So don't you dare take that moralizing tone with me!"

"I'd never actually do it though," Bruce ground out, struggling not to lose his temper. "I'm not so sure the same can be said about you."

Nigma leaned back in his seat. "I see," he seethed. "So is this partnership actually about solving the case with me, or do you just want to find an excuse to get rid of the competition?"

"I don't see you as competition, Nigma," Bruce said. "I've found out something about you that gives me pause. In my position, wouldn't you be a bit suspicious?"

Nigma seemed to consider this and if the pout on his face was any indication, he saw Bruce's point. "Now look who needs to focus," he said at last. "Perhaps you should spend a bit less time suspecting me and a bit more time on our next move."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, then started the Batmobile. As much as he hated to admit it, Nigma also had a point. He couldn't let his personal feelings about the man to affect the case. Too much was at stake. "We'll get D'abruzzo to talk. Then I need to talk to Maroni. And you're not going to release any information we find out about anyone."

"Of course not," Nigma said. "What good is a secret if everyone knows it?"

D'Abruzzo wasn't happy to see either man when they showed up to his apartment in Gotham's lower West Side. He glared defiantly down at Bruce as he held the man up against the wall. "I ain't sayin' a damn word to you freak!"

Bruce tightened his grip on D'Abruzzo's shirt. "Your boss was attacked last night," he said. "It's in your best interest to cooperate."

"Or what?" D'Abruzzo snarked. "You'll throw me off my balcony? I live on the second story asshole! I've had dinners with the rest of the crew that were more dangerous than this!"

"I'm sure you have," Nigma drawled, watching the scene with boredom. "I'm also quite sure you actually enjoy pain, don't you, Dominic?"

D'Abruzzo looked at Nigma, then back at Bruce. "What's he talking about?"

Bruce lowered D'Abruzzo off the wall but kept a tight grip on him just the same. Maybe it was time to take a step back and watch Nigma work.

Nigma walked up to the men, pulling the manila envelope out of his tailored green jacket. "I happen to know for a fact that your tastes are a bit, shall we say, unconventional. He pulled out the photograph he'd looked at back at Pandora's Box and showed it to D'Abruzzo, smirking when the enforcer's eyes widened in horror. "I suggest you listen to the man in kevlar and talk, otherwise we won't be the only ones who know."

D'Abruzzo looked almost beseechingly at Bruce. "He's not serious, is he?"

"Would you care to test him?" Bruce asked in response.

"You're Italian," Nigma continued. "You probably play the good Catholic in public at least. So must your mother I imagine. Tell me, how many 'Hail Mary's' does letting yourself be beaten by a woman in fishnet stockings and high heels merit? Or should I ask Mother D'Abruzzo that?"

"Don't you dare!" D'Abruzzo shouted, attempting to break out of his hold and rush at Nigma, only for Bruce to throw him across the room, sending him crashing into the sofa and toppling to the floor.

Nigma raised an eyebrow. "Was that really necessary?"

"You're the one who got his mother involved."

"Touche."

D'Abruzzo groaned out. "Alright," he wheezed. "Alright. I'll talk. Just don't show that to my mother."

"Very good," Nigma said. He gestured to Bruce. "He's all yours."

Bruce walked over to where D'Abruzzo lay on the floor and glowered down at him. "We were told you brought a guest to Pandora's Box the last time you went," he said. "Who was that?"

"Just another guy I know in the crew," D'Abruzzo said. "He was curious. Why do you wanna know?"

"I think there's a mole in your crew," Bruce said. He watched carefully as D'Abruzzo's eyes widened in surprise, then as his face reddened in outrage. D'Abruzzo clearly was lacking in judgment, but he wasn't the mole. "Someone leaked information about your boss to Thorne. Who knew he was going to be hospitalized?"

"We all knew the boss was sick," D'Abruzzo said. "The boss's lawyer, Louie, and Carlo were the only ones who knew where he was goin' though-" D'Abruzzo's brow creased in thought. "No," he murmured. "That ain't true. There was someone else who knew too."

Bruce leaned down. "Who?"

"The boss's driver," he said. "He knew. He had to know. He took the boss just about everywhere."

Including to his meeting with Maroni. Bruce stepped away from the crumpled man and walked back towards Nigma. "We're done here."

"Wonderful," Nigma said. He took placed the photograph back in the envelope and tossed the envelope towards D'Abruzzo's prone form. "A token of appreciation for your service."

"Fuck you," D'Abruzzo called out.

"Not in this lifetime or the next!" Nigma shouted back. He looked at Bruce with a satisfied grin. "To the driver then? I know who and where he is."

"Of course you do," Bruce said. "Let's go, 'Partner'."

[olicitysecretsanta]

Olicity Secret Santa 2017 Masterpost

Hi, Lovelies!

Holidays are (almost) over and so is our little project this year. I hope you all had fun participating and got the gifts you wished for - here and outside of Tumblr. 

We want to thank everyone for participating with these wonderful gifts. If you have any suggestions for how to improve things, so more people can join in or it’s getting easier for the participants, we are always open for suggestion.

Now, to make sure no gift is overlooked, here is a masterlist of all the gifts that were submitted: 

Fics

Easy as cake by @felicitysollie for @sadfangirl05

I could live by the light in your eyes by @iwannabewithyou-unsafe for @smoak-and-mirrors

Interrupted by @sarahreesemd for @cherchersketch

We’ve got tonight by @just-arrowolicity for @effie214

If the fates allow by @effie214 for @crazycrystal10

Cold December Night by @sparklesannie for @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl

Little Cocoon of Forever by @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl for @wetsuiton

A Holiday for Two by @olicitysmoaky for @the-silverforked-sky

A forgotten holiday by @onceuponanolicity for @blackcanarydinah

That’s Christmas to me by @smkkbert for @magda1102

Better with you by @lgtwinkie99 for @bitchwhwifi

My lovely Olicity - A poem by @jaspertown for @lgtwinkie99

On the run by @sadfangirl05 for @feilcityqueen

William’s first Hanukkah by @imusuallyobsessed for @fistis

A Christmas (Tree) to remember by @lovejesusarrowavengersblog for @bri617aroundtheworld

Unbreak my heart by @tdgal1 for @shaniartist

Having fun by @wetsuition by @hope-for-olicity

Mystery Solved by @ginervamariechaseeverdeen for @felicityollies

(x) by @bitchwhwifi for @wherethereissmoak

Holiday Traditions for @wherethereissmoak for @ginervamariechaseeverdeen

Rings by @sweetme86 for @tdgal1

Matched by @spaztronautwriter for @emeraldoliverqueen

Second Date Update by @emeraldoliverqueen for @redpensandgreenarrows

This I swear by @blackcanarydinah for @oliverfel4

A very magical Christmas by @hope-for-olicity for @nerdyandturdy

Love has everything to do with it by @nerdyandturdy for @iwannabewithyou

The little green secret by @green-arrows-of-karamel for @purselover2

First kiss by @purselover2 for @dreamsofolicity

Sparks and flutters by @christinabeggs for @bowsmoakandarrow 

Metamorphosis by @it-was-a-red-heeler for @bandanab310

The Betting Games by @katanaxqueen for @sarahreesemd

Holiday Glitter by @crazycrystal10 for @vaelisamaza

By your side by @jedichick04 for @queeningrid

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas by @misscrazyfangirl321 for @bazingagubicorn

The great candy cane caper by @sparklesannie for @jedichick04

(x) by @bowsmoakandarrow for @laureningall

Don’t go to bed angry by @laureningall for @jaspertown

The sounds of Christmas by @bandanab310 for @lageniuswannabe

Planning by @lageniuswannabe for @gohstfoxgoddess

William’s Dad by @cruzrogue for @queeningrid 

Freeze, Frame, Pause, Rewind, Stop by @bri617aroundtheworld for @olicitysmoaky

Finding my way back to you by @insecureneuroticcontrolfreakk for @alanna-the-lionheart

Up in flames by @lovejesusarrowavengersblog for @missyriver

A tree full of hope by @vaelisamaza for @onceuponanolicity

An unexpected family by @alanna-the-lionheart for @bokayjunkie

Twitterpated by @jennonthewire by @imusuallyobsessed

Fanarts and edits

(x) by @oliverfel4 for @speechgirl22 

(x) by @fistis for @charlinert

(x) by @cherchersketch for @sweetme86

(x) by @shaniartist for @misscrazyfangirl321

(x) by @canadianbeauty2 for @mel-loves-all

(x) by @mel-loves-all for @smoakmonster

(x) by @gohstfoxgoddess for @spaztronautwriter

(x) by @magda1102 for @just-arrowolicity

Gifs

Every breath, every hour has come to this... by @feilcityqueen for @fallingmeleth

We were strangers on a crazy adventure by @fallingmeleth for @stellahellaviola

Olicity * “I love you” by @dreamsofolicity for @eloquence-of-felicities

I belong to you by @the-silverforked-sky for @canadianbeauty2

(x) by @stellahellaviola for @missyriver

Won’t give up by @smoak-and-mirrors for @smoakedvigilanties

(x) by @bokayjunkie for @katanaxqueen

olicity + vehicles by @turtlejustice for @jennonthewire

Merry Christmukkah from the Smoak-Queen family by @bazingagubicorn for @cruzrogue

True love is by @charlinert to @christinabeggs

The key to success by @redpensandgreenarrows for @green-arrows-of-karamel

We three Queens by @smoakmonster for @smkkbert

Videos

(x) by @valery6488 from @it-was-a-red-heeler

*because of some technical difficulties, this video wasn’t available on our blog, but here it is now.

Playlists

(x) by @speechgirl22 for @valery6488

(x) by @eloquence-of-felicities for @turtlejustice

Leather & Lace by @smoakedvigilanties for @insecureneuroticcontrolfreakk