#and this is coming from the child that wrote a letter to santa asking for immortality
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racer girl | lando norris
pairing: dad! Lando x wife! reader (+ their adorable little kiddo)
wc: 1.3k
genre: fluff
warnings: none
summary: Lando's more than apprehensive when his daughter wants to try karting for the first time, but luckily you're there to hold his hand through it all.
note: this fic is part of the racer girl collection but can also be read as a stand alone !
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The request came on the list your daughter, Piper, wrote for Santa, and as soon as you saw it you ran to go show your husband, Lando. “Go karting” was written in scraggly letters.
You had anticipated it to be a joyous event in the Norris household. None of you ever put any pressure on your daughter to follow in either of your footsteps, but the image of your little girl in a racing suit just like her daddy made you smile. You surprised Lando with the when you both were cleaning up after dinner, but the reaction you got is nothing like what you expected.
“She’s not going karting. End of story”
“It’s what she wants, Lan, and I think it makes perfect sense.”
“It’s TOO dangerous. That’s my little girl out there.”
You’ve never seen Lando look this serious in his life. He’s not being overdramatic or overzealous, but there’s a fire behind his eyes that tells you that he’s dead set on this.
“Do you think your mother was ecstatic when she found out her son was in love with one of the most dangerous sports in the world? Probably not, but she let you do it anyway. Because you loved it, and who knows, maybe Piper’s gonna love it like her daddy.”
This is why Lando loves you. You're always realistic and you keep him grounded while he floats away into overthinking on situations like this.
“I guess I’m just scared for her,” Lando says more quietly, taking a seat on the couch and curling in on himself. You’re quick to join him and cuddle into his side.
“You’ve seen what I’ve been through Y/N - the training, the crashes, the missed birthdays and weddings, the mental toll, how can you still say you want her to do this knowing all of that?”
You sigh as you take Lando’s hands in yours. You rub your thumb over the back of his hands while you ask him your next question.
“Looking back, do you regret anything, Lan? Would you give up racing entirely if you had the chance to start all over again?”
He shakes his head in denial instantly, and you can see the wheels turning in his head as you lay with one another.
“We’re not committing to her becoming a Formula 1 driver, babe. She just grew up seeing her daddy do this really cool thing and wants to give it a try, and I don’t think it’s the worst thing if we let her.”
Lando buries himself further into your neck and he mumbles his next words. “Our little girl is growing up, isn’t she?”
You don’t reply back with your words, but Lando understands you perfectly as you cuddle further into his side.
- - - - - -
It’s a rare instance when Lando tosses you the keys to drive to the track. He protects his McLaren like it’s his second child, but from the way his knee is bouncing in the passenger seat you know that he’s in no state to drive. It’s a perfectly mild cloudy day, yet Lando is wearing these ridiculous wide rimmed sunglasses that you can only assume he found in a hurry while foraging through your shared bathroom. While you may not tease him much for it since you know they’re covering his teary eyes, your daughter is still just as merciless and cheeky as her father usually is. Lando teaches her the word “allergies” on the drive down as he’s coming up with excuses for his sniffly state.
When Piper first gets a helmet, she runs right past you to get her daddy to put it on her. She’s serious when she tells him not to make it “tew tight”, but Lando’s hands are shaking so much that he can hardly get the buckles done up anyways. She barely spares you both a second glance and Lando has to pull her back to give her a quick kiss on the helmet before she goes off. You both wrap her in your embrace and give her a squeeze until she’s telling you it’s time to let go, and Lando only gets halfway through his dad talk of “we can leave at any time if you get scared and I’m gonna be standing right here supporting you” before she’s already dashing away again. Piper is barely going past a crawling speed in the kart but something about the sight tugs at your heart. You’re used to this feeling, watching half your heart racing away while you’re on the sidelines, but you realize this is the first time Lando’s been in this position instead of being the one in the car. You reach for his hand and hold it tight as you lay your head on his shoulder. You two had so many “firsts” with your daughter: first steps, first time you left her at home, first words, and so much more, but none of them compared to this feeling of watching her karting for the first time.
The first time Piper bumps into a wall Lando says that he thinks he’s gonna throw up and you have to almost physically hold him back from running out there to her. Once you see a big thumbs up from your daughter to confirm she’s okay, the whole situation earns a little giggle from you and you reply back with Lando with “imagine instead of going into the wall at 3km/h it’s actually 313km/h and you’re watching the father of your children crash.”
Lando’s never seen your point of view before like this. You spent years on the paddock as the worried girlfriend, then as the worried fiance, then as the worried wife, and then finally as the worried pregnant wife (probably the worst situation of all since you were already nauseous anyways). You never once pushed him into retiring for the sake of your family - you could see the joy the sport brought him and he always appreciated your respect for that. He thinks having to watch on the sidelines might be even harder than actually being on the track, and he looks at you with a newfound appreciation for your strength as you cheer on your daughter.
“Thank you.” Lando whispers to you with a little crack in his voice.
It’s more than a thank you for convincing him to let Piper do this - it’s a thank you for supporting him all these years, through all the ups and downs of his racing career. You only hold onto him tighter as a response, pulling out your phone too to capture the moment. Whether Piper continues in motorsport or not, you know this is a moment that you’ll both treasure forever.
That night Piper begs for you both to put on the home video of Lando’s first karting win while she eats her supper. You’ve never seen your daughter this happy before, and you know from the look on Lando’s face that he thinks the same. It’s only after she retells her experience in karting from start to finish for the 4th time over that you’re able to finally bargain with her to go to sleep. Her one concession is that she sleep with her helmet in her bed, an action that brings the tears right back to the forefront of Lando’s eyes since that was something he did as a kid too.
“Our baby girl is going to be the first ever female driver in formula 1” he cooes as you both stand at the foot of her bed. “Typical Lando” you call out, not surprised one bit that he’s gone from banning his daughter from stepping foot into a kart to imagining her future in motorsport history all within the span of a couple of days. You have to slow him down before he starts going off on a tangent about the best places to train and the moments he can’t wait for her to experience in the sport. But at the end of the day you’re so happy that Lando came around on this (an “i told you so” or two sometimes slip out when the topic comes up), and you know that it’s going to be a fun journey being karting parents for as long as Piper wants to do so.
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author's note: this was such a fun one to write <3 you'll probably see a lot more dad! Lando on my page in the future! If you have any dad! Lando scenarios (or any scenarios really) that you want me to write, feel free to drop them in my ask box! Until next time <3 - Em
#lando norris#lando norris x reader#f1 fic#f1 imagine#f1 fluff#ln4#lando norris fluff#lando norris x you#lando norris x y/n#f1 x reader#f1 fanfic#mclaren f1#lando fluff#lando norris fanfic#lando norris imagine#ln4 imagine#ln4 x reader#ln4 fluff#formula 1#lando imagine
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A Creature Was Stirring
A/N: Merry Christmas @cumulo-stratus. May your holidays be filled with love and happiness. I hope you like this! 🎄
I wrote this as part of the @cmgiftexchange and had so much fun.
Summary: Spencer hears his son sneak downstairs to see what Santa brought and he goes to investigate
Pairing: Dad!Spencer
Category: Fluff
Content Warnings: None. Just pure cuteness.
Word Count: 1,279
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, a creature was stirring, Spencer’s Little Mouse.
Spencer put his book down on his bedside table and waited silently for a few beats, trying to figure out if the footsteps he heard went to the bathroom or further down the hallway to the stairs. When he didn’t hear anything else for a few minutes, he decided to investigate.
Unraveling himself from the blankets on the bed, he slipped his feet into his slippers–a bright pink pair that Penelope had gotten him for Secret Santa at work–so that his feet didn’t get cold on the tiled staircase, and headed towards the stairs. Making sure to miss the one step that creaked no matter how little weight you put onto it, he crept down the stairs and through the house until he got to the lounge door.
The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon outside that shone brightly into the room, but Spencer could still see his son crouched on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, inspecting the gifts that lay there. Spencer had only been in bed after playing the role of Santa for ten minutes before he heard movement, a record in the Reid household. Once, when his son was only very little, he’d been caught red handed slipping presents under the tree. Thankfully the little one was too young to remember, much to Spencer's relief.
Spencer watched silently as his son lifted one of the smaller gifts from the front of the tree and shook it close to his ear. His tongue poked out from between his lips and his eyebrows furrowed the same way that Spencer’s did when he was trying to decipher something at work. For all of the genetics his son had gotten from his mother, his brain and facial expressions came directly from Dr Reid.
Spencer could tell that the young boy was trying to calculate which of the gifts he’d put on his letter to Santa was in the box in his hands. Whatever was inside the box rattled and confused the boy to no end. He shook the box again and again, trying to figure it out. However, he had asked for so much–he was the kind of child to see something and decide that instead of asking for it there and then, he would ask Santa to bring it for Christmas–that he couldn’t remember what he had asked for.
Watching the young boy reminded Spencer of his younger self. When he was a child, he would often try to sneak down the stairs on Christmas Eve to see what gifts were under the tree. Until he was at the age where he would try to find the hiding spot where Diana kept all of the gifts until Christmas. When one year he was successful in finding them, Diana had to find a new spot, and she would wrap everything as soon as it was in the house so Spencer couldn’t look.
The young boy looked at all of the gifts in awe, completely unaware that his father was behind him, watching him pick up multiple gifts and shake them to try and deduce their contents. If a gift had his name on, he would pick it up, turn it over in his hands to try and see if he could feel what it was. If he couldn’t feel anything, he would shake it before trying to put it back exactly where it was to start with, hoping that he wouldn’t wake up and find that Santa had been to take them all away again.
The second his eyes landed on the big gift at the back of them all, they grew three times as wide as normal. In big letters, on the front, was his name. Spencer watched as he tried to reach over the rest of the gifts, knees threatening to give out on him, before he cleared his throat quietly. It was so quiet that Spencer was sure he’d have to do it again.
But within a nanosecond his son turned to him, guilt ridden and sheepish as he sank back down onto his knees and sighed softly, his eyes not meeting Spencer’s at all.
‘What are you doing down here, Little Mouse?’ Spencer asked through a breathy chuckle. ‘You’re supposed to be in bed asleep. It’s way past your bedtime.’
‘I really tried to sleep, Daddy. I promise I did. I was in bed with my eyes closed and I counted the elves like you told me to but I just couldn’t sleep. I was too excited. Then I heard footsteps and I heard something downstairs so I hid under my blankets with my teddy bear and tried super hard to sleep. Then the noises stopped and I thought it might have been Santa and look, Daddy, it was! Santa came and he brought presents for me. He brought some for you and mommy too but that big one is mine! I just wanted to look at them all. I promise I wasn’t going to open any.’
The corners of Spencer’s lips turned up as he listened to his son. He took after his dad in all of the best ways. He was smart, and he loved with his entire heart. And he rambled just like Spencer, unable to control it. Unlike Spencer, however, his little one got involved in things at school, he had a large group of friends and he loved playing baseball and soccer too. But deep down, he was so much like Spencer.
When the little boy finally looked up at his dad and saw the smile, the same one made its way to his lips. Spencer motioned for him to walk over to him, and he did, slowly standing up so that he didn’t crush any presents before he walked the length of the lounge. As soon as he was within reaching distance, Spencer scooped him up and spun him around, eliciting the most infectious giggles there ever was.
Spencer laughed with his son before he held him firmly against his hip. At almost six years old, his son was getting far too big to be carried up the stairs still but Spencer had promised to do it for as long as he could, which meant that even though his son was perfectly capable of walking up the stairs himself, he was carried.
‘Come on, it’s time for bed. We can get up early and open presents with Mommy. But if you don’t go to sleep now-’
‘Santa will come and take them all away!’
Spencer chuckled. ‘He won’t take them all away, I promise. But if you don’t go to sleep you’re going to be super tired tomorrow and you’re not going to want to open presents.’
‘I am!’
‘We’ll see about that.’
Before Spencer even got to his son’s room, the boy was asleep in his arms, cheek squished against Spencer’s shoulder and mouth slightly agape. Spencer pushed the door open with his free hip and quietly crept through the room, hoping to not stand on any toy that would make a noise and wake everyone in the house up.
Laying the boy down in his bed and pulling the covers up to his shoulders, Spencer pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
‘Merry Christmas, Little Mouse.’
From underneath him, he heard the tiniest, ‘Merry Christmas, Daddy,’ which made his insides turn to mush.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even Spencer’s Little Mouse.
#spencer reid#spencer reid fanfic#spencer reid fanfiction#spencer reid writing#spencer reid imagine#dr spencer reid#my writing#a creature was stirring#cumulos-stratus#cmgiftexchange
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This Christmas | H.S
A/N: quite a short one as I wrote this at like 4am but oh well x
WORD COUNT: 880
SUMMARY: Harry loves to spoil his wife and child, especially when it comes to Christmas.
layout inspired by @/watchmegetobsessed
MASTERLIST
“But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear will always be playing” Harry reads softly sending Ivy to sleep. You lean against the door frame with a slight smile on your face as you watch your husband place a soft kiss on your daughter's forehead, turning her lamp off. He slowly walks away from her bed hoping to not wake her as he presses a faint kiss to your cheek and lightly grabs your hand walking you to the living room.
“I’m quite sad this ends tomorrow” he murmurs, looking down at the two ‘magic’ elves you guys place around the house for your daughter to find in the morning.
“Maybe we can finally have a good sleep then,” you say teasing harry, laughing slightly at Harry's reaction.
“Yeah right.”
Although he would never admit it, he’s a sucker for Christmas and making sure everything is perfect. For the past 24 days, he’s set up the elves every night before going to bed just to sit and wonder if they are still in the same position he left them in and haven’t fallen. You both start setting up the two magic elves to make them sit on top of a huge present, holding a letter assigned to Ivy. Even though you wrote the letter it still warms your heart to see her get so excited over something so small. Smiling at your work, you stand up and turn the tree lights off along with the living room lights.
“Come on m’love, let's get you to bed,” Harry says, as he wraps his arm around your waist, walking to your bedroom
As soon as your head hit the pillow you were in deep sleep and probably onto your second dream of the night. The same goes for harry, as his light snores fill the room. Next thing you know you feel something bouncing on top of you both. Rubbing your eyes, you open them slowly letting them adjust to the light, seeing a small silhouette you immediately know it's Ivy.
Noticing them both waking up,
“Can we pleasee go open presents now!” Ivy quickly suggests as you hear harry mumble a reply.
“Give us five minutes lovie then you can go open all the presents you want”
Not even two minutes had passed before she asked again, you slightly sigh, still not fully awake, as you force yourself out of bed feeling Harry do the same. You see Ivy run out of your bedroom in the direction of the living room. You hear a loud gasp followed by “OMG SANTA’S CAME AND LEFT ME SO MANY PRESENTS”. You and harry both look at each other as he places a soft kiss on your lips, both making your way downstairs to see Ivy reading the note from the elves.
Seeing a slight disappointment on her face when she realizes they are leaving, she quickly gets distracted by the massive present they left behind for her followed by a huge pile of presents from Santa. You looked over to harry to see him smirking, knowing he had gone overboard and gotten too many presents per usual but after all it’s christmas.
You and harry both place yourselves on the settee, hearing a gasp every minute or so when Ivy opens her presents. Harry takes a few pictures on a polaroid camera, placing them in his pocket and saving them for memories. Harry then grabs a present from behind the settee and hands it over to you.
Carefully opening it, you immediately get greeted by multiple pictures of you and harry when you first met all the way up to your wedding and a note
‘From the first glimpse I had of you, I knew I had to marry you, and that's exactly what I did. I’m forever grateful to have you and our beautiful daughter in my life. Thank you for always believing in me and cheering me on from the crowd. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our little family. Forever and always, your H x’
Tears start forming in your eyes as harry pulls you in for a hug.
“Check the bottom of the box” he whispered into your ears, pulling away from the hug
Hesitantly, you get to the bottom of the box to see the jewelry set you have always wanted. Quickly going in for another hug you whisper a quick thank you as you pass harry his gift. His head shoots up after opening his present. His old notebook he had lost that held all his lyrics and song ideas’ along with so many memories. The day he lost that notebook he was devastated. From the day you found that notebook you knew it was the best present you could get him this christmas.
“I know it's not a lot but I thought you would appreciate it..”You slightly become nervous as to what he thinks of it.
“How did you get this?! It’s the best present I could have ever wished for. Thank you so much”
“With a bit of help from Santa of course,” you smirk
“Merry christmas m’love”
“Merry christmas H”
Thank you for reading! Please like and reblog, it means the world. More fics coming very very soon so keep an eye out for them <3
#harry styles imagine#harry styles x reader#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles fanfic#dadrry#harry styles x y/n#harry styles x you#harry styles fluff#harry styles one shot#harry#styles#dad! harry styles#soft!harry#husband!harry#harry styles au#harry styles masterlist#harry styles concept#leveller-75
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𝚒 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 | 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛
a/n: i've had this idea since last christmas, but just didn't write it. i'm sorry i haven't been active on here. tbh, so little people are still active on tumblr, that it makes it difficult to find motivation to write here anymore! but i love you guys, and hope you love this short fic as much as i do. as always, enjoy! <3
summary: scorpius is throwing a tantrum and draco disciplines scorpius by telling him that santa will bring him coal instead of the gifts he asked for, if he keeps his behavior up.
warnings/content: cute family fluff <3
word count: 685
masterlist | taglist
when draco's parents had warned y/n and draco about the terrible two's, they weren't kidding.
y/n had been trying to get scorpius to eat his greens for the past thirty minutes. usually, she would just give into his aversion for spinach and broccoli, but she worried scorpius wasn't getting enough nutrients.
eventually, after thirty minutes of high-pitched "no!"'s and kicking in his high chair, y/n decided to let scorpius into his chair and get him to take a bath, since it was well past bathtime at this point.
but when she'd asked her son to go run his bath while she washed his dishes and the wall he'd managed to get dirty, she was met with an overwhelming no.
that prompted her to here, in this moment, barely holding onto scorpius by his bottom, and completely resigned.
finally, she decided to bother her husband and ask him for help.
"draco!" y/n hollered up the staircase, exasperation lacing her voice. with a squirming and unforgiving child in her arms, she called him again. "love, come down, please, i need help!"
in a matter of seconds, draco was off his business call and on his way down the stairs from his office. "what's wrong, darling?"
red in the face with frustration, y/n almost cried while explaining. "he didn't want to eat his veggies, so i gave up and told him to go get a bath running for him and now i don't know what to do or how to calm him down."
draco sighed, holding his arms out so he could take his son. instantly, scorpius stilled. "i've tried everything, dray. stories, promise of ice cream after bathtime, but he still just won't cooperate." her voice was at the brink of breaking.
draco could tell it was one of those days. it was written plainly on y/n's face. her shirt had been shifted onto one shoulder, and one pantleg rolled up higher than the other. it looked like she'd been through a war rather than one of her son's tantrums.
scorpius was a mommy's boy through and through, but with that, came his assumption that he could do whatever he wanted without getting punished or reprimanded for it.
draco gave y/n a sympathetic look and then looked sharply at his son. "scorpius," his voice was firm and disciplinary, as if the use of his full name hadn't been enough. "if you don't stop this behavior and start acting correctly, santa is going to bring you coal this year."
"no!" scorpius screamed. "i want my presents!" he kicked against draco's knees.
draco looked at his wife and mouthed an apology, wishing he'd been down sooner to help. "you know, scorp, it's a shame that you're acting this way." he said, looking at the mini him disappointedly. "mama went through so much trouble to get santa to bring you your presents a day early. she wrote a letter and sent it to the north pole and everything."
"mama!" scorpius cried, his guilt apparent in his face. "mama, i'm sorry." the little blond apologized, his r's still sounding like w's.
then, coming to sit on the stairs next to her husband and her son, y/n took scorpius into her arms again, this time both much more calm. kissing his cheek, she held him tight as he cried lightly into her neck. "it's okay, baby. but you have to know that your behavior is not acceptable. if you want something from me or daddy, just ask." she said, wiping the tears on her son's face. "nicely." y/n added with a laugh when scorp's little smile poked through his mouth.
leaning on her shoulder, draco added. "there isn't a thing in this world we wouldn't give you."
y/n nodded, holding her son tight to her chest. then, after separating herself to look her boy in his eyes, she tried reasoning again. "now, how about we go take that bath, hm?"
scorpius wiped his tears and looked sweetly up at his parents. "okay," he sniffed. "but mama and dada, you come, too!"
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Who is Lucxi?
On the afternoon of September 8, 1992, a motorist came across a young woman dancing on the meridian of a busy street in Port Hueneme, California. When he stopped to help her, he began asking her questions. However, she could not understand him. He realized that she was mute and hearing impaired. Fearing for her safety, he took her to the Ventura County police station. The police tried to question her, but she was unable to communicate with them. The only clue to her identity was a receipt for a bank in San Diego, 200 miles to the south.
The police had no reason to detain the young woman, so she was released. The next day, a police officer came upon her, wandering along a busy street again. She appeared to be terribly confused. This time, she was placed in a homeless shelter for women. At first, she was unable to formally communicate with anyone. The only thing she could do was pantomime, mimic, and use "home sign language". Communication specialist Chris Barrows was brought in to help communicate with her.
Chris first tried to determine the woman's name. He and Marti Ruble, the shelter supervisor, wrote their names down and gestured to themselves. They then asked her to either write down or communicate her name to them. She apparently understood and began to make hand symbols in the form of letters. Chris wrote down the letters, which spelled the name "Lucxi". When she saw this, she had an instant positive reaction and recognition, which led Chris to believe that this was her name. Lucxi is believed to be the derivative of a Spanish first name. For convenience sake, they dubbed her "Lucy".
The next thing they tried to do was determine Lucy's age. They were able to determine through hand gestures that she was twenty-three. Despite the ease of which they determined her name and age, finding someone who knew her would present a far greater challenge. In the days and weeks after she surfaced in Port Hueneme, the FBI and various missing persons organizations ran checks on her. However, all turned up empty. The only solid lead was the receipt found in her pocket; however, that also led nowhere. Authorities now find themselves at a dead end.
Over the following few months, Lucy slowly began to reveal fragmentary glimpses into her past. She claimed that she had flown on a plane to California, had a child, and had it taken from her. She was then left alone. She appeared to be well cared for. Although she does not have cooking skills, she understands to come and eat when it is time to do so. She also has normal grooming habits, such as the ability to brush her hair and clean herself. Chris does not believe that she was on the streets for long before she was found.
Lucy has brown hair and brown eyes. She appears to be in her early twenties (in 1993). Her ethnic background is uncertain, although she may have been born in Mexico.
Her case is unsolved. In 1993, Lucy left the shelter and vanished. In December, she was found in Cotati. She had a small amount of methamphetamine with her at the time. Doctors later determined that she actually could hear but had the mental age of a nine-year-old. Soon afterward, she vanished again.
According to some sources, as of May 1, 2014, Lucy was homeless and living in Santa Paula, California. She communicated with grunts and hand gestures and could often be seen walking around town with a stroller full of junk. She had also been witnessed by local Santa Paulans speaking clear English and asking for small sums of money. These sightings, however, have not been confirmed.
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Mall Santa
Day Four of WangXian Christmas Stories!
If you asked Wei Ying, this whole “take pictures with the mall Santa” thing was quite the weird tradition. In what other circumstance would one allow their child to sit on a costumed stranger’s lap, take pictures and ask for gifts? None! So how did it become okay to do it if the stranger was dressed as Santa?
Regardless, A-Yuan seemed beyond excited at the prospect of there being a mall Santa in their city and no matter what Wei Ying told him, he wouldn’t give up on the idea of meeting him, even if the queue was long and they could have done a million other things in the meantime. A-Yuan could be impossibly stubborn when he wanted something, a trait Wei Ying didn’t know whether he picked up from himself or from Auntie Wen Qing. Probably both.
So, Wei Ying had to interrupt their Christmas shopping for friends and relatives to meet this mall Santa, only comforted by A-Yuan’s excitement and the knowledge that it would be over soon. Sure, the boy was adorable, and Wei Ying loved seeing him happy and full of holiday cheer, but Wei Ying was getting a bit skittish waiting in line and if another lady cut in front of them again, he was quite sure he would eviscerate her, goodness be damned.
Eventually though, their turn came, and A-Yuan all but jumped in Santa’s arms.
“Hello, little one! What would you like Santa to bring you this year? Have you been good?”
“Yes, yes, very good! You can ask baba!”
Wei Ying laughed a bit and nodded in agreement, sharing a bit of a conspiring look with Santa.
“Well, then, would you like some new toys?”
“Yes, but that’s not what I want the most.”
“Oh? Then what else do you wish, little one?”
“I want Baba and Rich-gege to get married, of course!”
Wei Ying turned redder than Santa’s clothes. A-Yuan continued. “They’ve been going out for like a hundred years and I know they love each other so they need to get married already! I want a second daddy! And a little brother to play with, because Jingyi can’t always come over and I get so bored!”
Santa laughed heartily as Wei Ying attempted to cover his face with a hand, the other carrying a dozen shopping bags. He was really going to die of embarrassment in the middle of the mall, wasn’t he?
“Anyways, you’re supposed to be able to work miracles, right? That’s what Baba needs, so please, please, please, do it! I promise I’ll be even better this year, and I won’t steal A-Ling’s sweets at recess when he doesn’t look ever again!”
Wei Ying didn’t know whether to laugh or attempt to hide behind the giant mall Christmas tree. No wonder Jin Guangyao was always giving him the side eye... so much for A-Yuan having been a perfect kid.
“Santa’s going to try his best. But other than that, is there anything else you wish for?”
A-Yuan lifted a suspicious eyebrow. “Well, didn’t you read the letter I sent you? You can get me the remote control train set I wrote about in there!”
Santa smiled brightly. “Of course, of course, I remember now! I’ll do my best to make your wishes come true this year! Merry Christmas, little one!”
“Okay, thank you! Merry Christmas!”
And A-Yuan jumped off the man’s lap and ran towards Wei Ying, as if nothing even happened and he didn’t just air their business for half the queue to hear.
--
“A-Yuan... Santa can’t grant wishes like that one you asked him...” Wei Ying began as they picked up their McDonald’s order in the food court. A-Yuan took his Happy Meal and sat at a table as Wei Ying drank from a tall cup of too hot coffee, seated in front of him
“Santa can grant any wish! And besides, it’s not that big of a deal.” and the boy sipped from his juice emphatically, “Rich-gege showed me the ring he’s going to give you anyways, I just want it to happen already!”
Wei Ying almost choked on his drink.
A-Yuan bit into his chicken nugget piece like nothing at all happened.
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Masterlist
A/N: I'm still building this. So, if you're looking for fics of mine and they are not linked below, they're coming soon! Check the tags on this post in the meantime to find them!
Bloodline Family Series
Features Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & OCs
Welcome Home
Parent Conference
Embarrassing Moment
Parent Conference
Big Boy Simba
Just Say No 2
Just Say No 3
Just Say No 4
Fed Up 1
Fed Up 2
A New Leaf
Wait … Before You Hit Me
Guess What
Fight
M&M’s
Freshmeat
House Party
Simba’s First Date
Heartbreak Pt. 1
Heartbreak Pt. 2
Clumsy
Studying
Fan
Daddy’s Got You
Todd
Throuple
Meet the Family
Meet the Washingtons
What’s Done in the Dark
Comes to the Light
Birthday Girl
Early Christmas Gift Planning
Dinner & Dessert
New Blessings
Congrats, Grad
Attack
Attack 2
Attack 3
Old Wounds
Old Wounds II
Old Wounds III
Tha Block is Hot
Knock, Knock
Goin’ Off
Lines
Dinner
Surprise
Boxes
Well
Let’s Talk
Draft Night
Bloodline Family Series Shorties
Features Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & OCs
Do You Want It I’ll Buy It For You
Smoke
Haleigh & Carlito
Auntie A
You Don’t Have To Do All The Things You Do
I’m Not Gonna Stop Poking You
I Fell in Love With My Best Friend
It’s A Real Shame No One Asked For Your Opinion
You’re So Cute When You Pout Like That
That doesn’t Even Make Sense
Facetime
Child is Sick & Wants Daddy
Bedtime Temper Tantrum
Parental Paragraph
Is That Mistletoe?
My Parents Will Love You, Don’t Worry
Let’s Bake Cookies!
I Want A Picture with Santa
Daddy, Can you Help Me Write A Letter to Santa?
I Don’t Sing
Baby, Help Me Write Christmas Cards
It’s 1AM, Get Up!
Bloodline Family Series AU
Features Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & OCs
Netflix and …
Privacy
Family Ties
Spinoff from BLFS
(I wrote all fics linked here but this series is co-run with @annoyedkayah2395, go to her blog for the installments that she's written)
Practice
First Day In Cali (Goes with “Todd”)
Video
Cali
1+1=3
Just Because
Coping
Hear Me Out
Carlito’s First Sleepover
Girl Talk
Let Me Tell You
Morgan & Chenice
Nightmare
Father’s Day Prep
Come Get Her
Family Court
Story Time
Dreamin’
Storm
Pop Up
Tragedy
Hey Alexa
MJ
Family Ties AU
(I wrote all fics linked here but this series is co-run with @annoyedkayah2395, go to her blog for the installments that she's written)
Water Balloons
But …
Studio
Co-Parenting
BLFS//FT Crossover
Excuse Me Miss
Icky
Haleigh’s Appointment
Man to Man
Jealous
Charlotte
BBQ
Home Alone
Grandpa King’s Farm
Sour Patch Kid
Birthday Party
Mama Tasha
Caught
Like It?
BLFS//FT AU Crossover
Haleigh’s Visitor
New Kid on the Block
One
Two
Three
Late
Mommy
Gifts
Unicorns & Rainbows
Awkward 2
Movin’ Out
Get Right
My Baby
ER
Visiting
Responsibility
I’m Sorry
Mama Bear
Stop!
I’m Fine
Take Care of It
Runaway Bride
Firsts
Disrespect
First Trip
Kid Free
Have & Have Nots
(I wrote all fics linked her but this series is co-run with @annoyedkayah2395, go to her blog for the installments that she's written)
Officially A Malone
Gotta Go
Bonding
Confrontation
Mind Your Business
Emergency
Recovery
Pop Up
Formal Introduction
The Real Her
My Brother’s Keeper
Family Time
Father
Let’s Talk
The Morning After
Night Out
Checkmate
Saturday
Engagement Dinner
Another Emergency
Beat Down
Sweeties Day
Creepin’
What Are You Doing Here?
Skeletons 2
Why
For You
Blood
To Zion
WTF
First Day
Warning
Just In Case
Lunch
Dumb Broad
Lil Thug Life
Moving
Old Friends
Prep
A Tragic Day
Savannah
Thin Ice
Empty House
Officer
Full Story
Family Dinner
The Last Straw
Listen
Leaving
Unbelievable
Oops
Gee Wiz, It’s Christmas
Oh You Forgot?
Guests
Coach
Who Is She?
I’m Pregnant
Conley
Sneaky
Back In Town
Stop Playin’ With Me
Oliver & Company
Unbothered
Nerves
Plan B
Back Off
Sistas
The First Baby
Switch
You’re …
Caught
Enough
Sibling Rivalry
Another Willis
Have & Have Nots AU
10 Seconds
Trouble Man
Awkward
Be Nice
Dumbass
Tyson
New Leaf
One
Two
Just The Two of Us
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Seven
Eight
Nine
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
SVU
Familiar Face
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Trial Prep
A Special Victim
The Things We Have to Lose (Pt. 1)
The Canary
Features Roman Reigns & OCs
One
We All Want Love
Features Roman Reigns & OCs
Cast
Chapter One
Line in the Sand
Features Tama Tonga & OCs
One
Two
Three
Four
Five (Pt. 1)
Five (Pt. 2)
Six
Seven
Eight
Empire
(I wrote all fics linked her but this series is co-run with @annoyedkayah2395, go to her blog for the installments that she's written)
Prince of Rap
Group Project
Condo
Come Here
Faded Memories
Ghost
Come Clean
Ghost 2
Rocky
Meeting Ms. Taylor
McIntyre Family Series
Features Drew McIntyre, Montez Ford & OCs
Temper Tantrum
First Night Home
Bonding Time
Daddy, Can You Help Me Write A Letter to Santa?
I’m Pregnant
My Parents Will Love You
Is That A Mistletoe?
Sleeping Headcanon
Anger Headcanon
Kissing Headcnnon
New Years #4
Main Event
Champ
Champ 2
Deja Vú
Features Florian Munteanu & OCs
One
Two
Three
Four
Shorties
Daddy Daughter Time (Seth Rollins)
Twitter Fingers (Tama Tonga)
Baby’s First Shots (Tama Tonga)
Temper Tantrum (Samoa Joe)
First Day of School (Tama Tonga)
Baby’s First Doctor’s Appointment (Jeff Hardy)
Nightmare (Tama Tonga)
Child is Sick (Jeff Hardy)
Breakfast Time (Samoa Joe)
Daddy Daughter Bonding (Jinder Mahal)
Parental Paragraph (Big E)
Director's Commentary
Haleigh & Messiah
Jey & Apryl
Roman & Kandice
Best & Worst Traits of Characters
Drew & Danica
#masterlist#bloodline family series#roman & kandice#ro & kandice#jey & apryl#jimmy & trinity#bloodline family series au#family ties fic#family ties#family ties au#family ties au fic#ardian & haleigh#hahn fic#Hahn#have and have nots#have and have nots fic#hahn au#charles & lainey#roman reigns#jey uso#jimmy uso#mcintyre family series#drew & danica#drew mcintyre#empire fic#empire#tahj & nylah#Hakeem Lyon#florian munteanu#tama tonga
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Mrs. Claus
Who is Mrs. Claus?
We have heard of Santa Claus
Father Christmas, St. Nick
that Jolly Ole’ Elf
who brings toys to good children
(and we are all someone’s child)
that keeper of lists
Naughty and Nice
passing judgement
bang of a gavel sounds
Ho. Ho. Ho.
But who is Mrs. Claus?
We reckon she exists
cooking and cleaning for Santa
keeping the home fire lit
on that long winter’s night.
Perhaps
she manages the elves in their workshop
wrangles reindeer
help-mate
reader of letters
suggester of gifts.
Perhaps
like attracts like
(or is it opposites attract?)
And she is the voice of mercy
of leniency
of one more warning to be good
listen to your parents
don’t tease your siblings
or classmates
or neighbors
or strangers.
Perhaps
opposites attract
(or is it like attracts like?)
and she is prosecutor
making a case for each name
to be marked naughty
to leave switches or coal
or no gift at all for those
who stab friends
beat classmates
steal from neighbors
torment strangers.
I have heard another tale
drinking brandy with Santa late one night
after his rounds were done
one whispered
drunkenly
in the quiet moments between dark and dawn.
Mrs. Claus
(beautiful soul that she is, my bonny Conny, he hastened to add)
was once a fury
a priestess of blind Justice
Inanna hanging from a meat hook
embodiment of angry pain seeking vengeance.
She takes the naughty list
(he whispered)
gives warnings to those good of heart
who but strayed and erred
gives lumps of coal or switches to those
who need telling one too many times
a reminder of worse yet to come
if ways are not mended.
Then there are those
(he whispered so softly I almost did not hear)
whose nightmares she stalks.
Who do you think arranged visitors three to old Scrooge?
Did you think him the first
or last
to behold such visions?
And those that don’t heed their dreams?
(I asked softly.)
(He drank deeply then answered with a tremble)
Those who turn away from redemption
in sullen silence or with a sneer?
Who think they’re untouchable by Consequence?
Those are snatched by Mrs. Claus
(or is it Mrs. Claws?)
with nails sharp as scythes
wraps them in dark tendrils
injects them with fangs
and transforms them into…
Did you ever wonder where elves came from?
Santa’s helpers
spies
analysts of your every deed and word
watchers of your every mouse click
keepers of your every secret
(Big Data hires them as consultants)
those procurers of toys?
I wonder what crimes Jolly Ole’ Saint Nick committed when young.
Or maybe opposites attract.
Kimberley Long-Ewing
all rights reserved. Copyright 2015
(A little something I wrote for the holidays a few years ago)
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Christmas Dreaming (YGO United Winterfest Week 4)
Prompt: Wish/Dream/Hope
Also on AO3
Mokuba knows Santa Claus isn't real. But on days like today, when he's surrounded by the spirit of the season, does he wish he was.
People didn’t notice Mokuba Kaiba. Not unless Gozaburo wanted them to, at least. They didn’t notice the tiny boy’s hands grabbing treats and food off the long tables stacked with all the different Christmas treats he’d never had before. They didn’t notice the way he weaved his way in and out of the crowd, trying to find his brother so they could hang out together.
But it was no use, and he knew it. Seto was off being treated like a show pet, leaving Mokuba plenty of time to try and sneak snacks into his pockets to take home and eat after his bedtime. The towel he put in front of the door to block out any light coming from the bottom crack was already hidden in his bedding, and none of Gozaburo’s staff - or Gozaburo himself - were aware.
Mokuba reached up to grab another candy cane - this time not red and white, which piqued his curiosity - before he paused at the loud, deep voice and jolly laughter that cut through the air.
Ah… Santa Claus. Japan wasn’t big on Christmas, but everyone knew who Santa was, and since this was an international gala, it would make sense that Santa would make an appearance.
He could see the other younger children practically vibrating with excitement as Santa took a seat near the orchestra, on a large throne-like chair, followed by a long line of children who eventually got corralled by a person in an elf costume who had been trying to set up a camera and tripod, and who looked like they hadn’t gotten paid nearly enough for the job.
They probably didn’t, given Gozaburo’s tight purse strings to anything that wasn’t weapons or trying to upstage other CEOs.
“Mokuba,” Gozaburo said from behind him. Mokuba nearly choked on the piece of chocolate orange he’d popped into his mouth. “Will you be getting in line with the other children?”
To anyone else nearby that might overhear, it was a simple question a parent would ask their child. To Mokuba, however, he knew it was not a question, and was, in fact, a demand without saying as one.
“Of course I will, sir,” he replied without hesitation and scuttled in the direction of the growing line. Calling Gozaburo ‘father’ felt wrong, no matter how many times he and Seto had told him that was how he should be addressed.
Mokuba didn’t believe in Santa Claus. If he’d grown up with the tradition from his birth, or, at least, if his parents hadn’t died before Mokuba could form actual memories of them, it would have been easier for him to believe in the myth of an old man with a magical herd of reindeer that delivered presents to all the children in the world on Christmas Eve.
Still… he wanted to believe in him. He wanted to believe that if he wrote a letter, telling Santa what he wanted, that the gift would arrive on December 25th, and he would have what he wanted.
The problem was, what Mokuba wanted more than anything in the world was for Gozaburo to go away. For his brother to be freed from the shackles Gozaburo had put on him, and for the two of them to be able to live their lives in peace and comfort without a monster’s shadow looming over him.
Since ‘Santa’ was supposed to be a euphemism for ‘nice adults who would be buying the gifts’, that was the last thing he could ask of Gozaburo Kaiba.
“Ho ho ho!” Santa greeted Mokuba when he was plopped onto his lap by the elf. “And what’s your name, little boy?”
Ha, even if Mokuba had once believed in Santa, surely he would have known his name. But still, Mokuba played along. “Mokuba, sir.”
“And what do you want for Christmas, Mokuba?” Santa asked.
Mokuba had to pause and think, because with a snap of his fingers, he could get anything he wanted - Gozaburo apparently thought it was a waste of brain cells to question why Mokuba wanted anything he did.
“A new bike. Ten speed,” Mokuba replied, then paused to consider another option. “And maybe another art set.”
“A bike and an art set!” Santa repeated, as he had every other child’s wish to their more loving and supportive parents. “Don’t worry, Mokuba. I’ll make sure both are under the tree on Christmas morning.”
Mokuba smiled. “Thank you, Santa.”
“Don’t forget to pick up your photo from Twinkle.”
The elf had to not only control a huge line of rich kids, likely wasn’t getting paid enough, and had to pretend their name was Twinkle? The elf must have been having the worst day in the world. Still, Mokuba gave Santa a polite smile and got off his lap. He then moved to the small table lined with the polaroids that hadn’t been picked up yet, hands in his pockets.
"Gozaburo already asked Kemo to start looking at bikes," Seto drawled from behind him.
Mokuba turned and smiled. "That's good. I can't wait to see which one Kemo picks for me."
No, Mokuba was not a fool, he knew every gift he got from Gozaburo had been picked out by one of the bodyguards or housekeepers.
Seto’s lips twitched just slightly into what could have been a smile had they still been at the orphanage. “I’m sure it’ll be the best money can buy.”
Mokuba shifted his weight “Yeah. Sure. I’m sure you’ll ask him to make sure it’s also top rated for safety.” Because God knew Gozaburo wouldn’t think about that.
A hand came to rest on his head, ruffling his hair just slightly. Despite Gozaburo’s best efforts, Mokuba’s hair could not be tamed even for the fanciest of galas, so Seto mussing it up wouldn’t do any harm.
Gozaburo also couldn’t pull the two of them apart, no matter how many hours he forced Seto to work during the day, the two of them always found a way to be together in some capacity.
“Sometimes I wish Santa really was real,” Mokuba said, dropping his voice into a whisper when Twinkle set out another couple of new polaroids. Mokuba grabbed his polaroid once he saw the photo was fully revealed and started making his way back to the food table with Seto at his side.
“You do?” Seto questioned. “You wish Santa was real?”
Mokuba shrugged. “Nice old man that brings kids gifts every year? Who wouldn’t want something like that?”
Seto snorted and rolled his eyes. “It sounds too much like a fairytale anyway. We don’t live in that sort of world, Mokuba.”
“I know.” But he wished they did, desperately. It was about time Gozaburo got turned into a frog or a bug or something for being so mean to Seto. Maybe then Mokuba’s drawing of the Blue Eyes White Dragon flying him and Seto away from Kaiba Manor would come true. Or a Blue Eyes would eat Gozaburo.
Then again, that might give a dragon heartburn or something… Mokuba wouldn’t want to do that to an innocent dragon.
He hadn’t realized how late it was getting until he saw parents beginning to cradle sleepy children. Oh no… was it almost time for bed already?
Gozaburo’s shadow loomed over them, and Mokuba shoved the photo in his jacket pocket. “Mokuba, Seto, say goodbye to our guests.”
The goodbyes at these galas were just as boring as the greetings. A polite bow, a promise with the other children to play together if Gozaburo somehow got a personality transplant and let him and Seto make any friends.
Finally, though, it was time for bed. Mokuba carefully emptied his pockets of sweets and hid them in his nightstand drawer before folding his suit back the way the housekeepers liked it to be when they came to get it in the morning.
When he finished getting his pajamas on, he stood in front of the large window, looking up at the winter sky. It was clear tonight, the stars twinkling above him. If he squinted, he could picture Santa, being pulled by nine reindeer, one with a bright red nose, being used as a beacon of safe passage.
“I know deep down you’re not real,” he began, breath fogging the window as he spoke. “But if you are, my real Christmas wish would be for Gozaburo to go away. Somewhere he can’t hurt my brother and I ever again. I don’t really care about a bike, or an art kit. I just want my brother to be happy again. If someone could do that for me, I’d believe in them. In a heartbeat.”
With that, Mokuba turned, heading to his large, lonely bed to get some sleep.
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(Eng Translated)
Christmas is coming for Phi…🎄
From:
one-shot
(no pair)
• • •
"Merry Chirstmas!" A young girl screamed with excitement. She raised both of her arms high and spun around to show off her red Santa hat that contrasted with her milky hair.
Phi Hansol was in her crimson dress.
"Does Hansol look like Santa!?" She asked her older brother.
Phi Hanwool crouched to meet his little sister eyes.
“That’s very adorable, Hansol.”
"But why don’t you dress up like Hansol? I feel a little lonely when no one else dress like me." She asked with puppy eyes.
"Hmm…it seems like Mr.Kim already is that ‘no one’" The big brother looked at the man standing behind Hansol, the bodyguard who babysits her. Now he was decorated with some white cottons around the face, a paper Santa hat on the head.
"Oh! You want white mustache like Mr.Kim?! I can do it for you!" Her eyes was full with shiny stars.
"It’s okay." He sweated a little. "Big brother has works to do."
"You have to work even it’s holiday?"
Actually, Hanwool didn’t have any importants things to do feed, but he just didn’t want to be like Mr.Kim who used to have a very very scary look.
Luckily, Hansol wasn’t angry for not being allowed to dress him.
"Brother, brother! The teacher at my school told me something today. She said that whatever presents Hansol wished today, it would be granted by the Santa~!"
"Presents? Do you want anything, Hansol"
"Hmm~ I want…~" She put her finger on her soft cheek and thought for a while. "Hansol wants a video game!"
"A video game? Don’t you already have one?"
"But Hansol wants a new one! A very exciting one ! Teacher also said that If Hansol wanted and wrote it on paper then put it in the sock, it would come true when Hansol woke up!" She explained with excitement again.
"I see. The video game."
He then looked at Mr.Kim in Santa costume that stood a bit far from them. He heard and nodded for Hanwool’s order.
"Will brother ask Santa for anything?"
Hanwool was silent for a while. Today was just like the other day for him. Nothing was special.
"I don’t know. I actually don’t want anythingZ"
"Heh~ Don’t worry. Hansol will make a wish on your behalf!"
"Huh? What are you going to ask?"
The little one giggled with suspicious look. "Not telling you. It’s a secret between me and Santa~"
"How bad." He still smiled to his little sister.Both of them chatted for a while until Mr.Kim interrupted.
"Little miss, it’s time."
"Wah~ Hansol almost forgot that Hansol is having a party with friends. See you later, brother~!" She ran towards him, hugged, tiptoed to give a little kiss on his cheek.
Hanwool waved to his sister while she was running further away until she became as small as an ant in his view.
.
.
In a very quiet room, there was a little child sleeping like a dead log. He had already asked the maid to make sure that Hansol was asleep before he sneaked into her room.
He put the video game he expected that Hansol would like beside the sock. He looked at his sister sleeping face. She sure would be very happy to see this.
Hanwool almost went out of the room if he didn’t turn around to look at the sock, making him feel curious about what she she said before.
The beautiful slim hand drew into the sock. He found a small but pretty paper.
「 Hello, Mr.Santa! Hansol really wants a new video game, especially a very fun and exciting one ! Will Santa give it to Hansol? ~! Hansol swear to be a good girl! And…Can Hansol asks for one more wish? Ah, please don’t think that I am greedy , please! Hansol just wants to make a wish for Hansol’s brother. He didn’t ask you for anything, right? Can you give hime happiness? Hansol knows that it is not a present but you can still give it to him, right? Please make him happy and love Hansol a lot. Thank you so much Mr.Santa!!!」
The big brother smiled. It seemed like just reading this wish letter already made everything she wished came true.
• • •
A/N: Merry Christmas. Wish you all the happiness and love. Did you make any wish? Oh and you don’t have to make a wish for Hanwool because I think he already has someone to do that for him.<3
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Christmas Wishes
Miracle Moment®
“This Christmas…
Mend a quarrel.
Seek out a forgotten friend.
Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust.
Write a letter.
Give a soft answer.
Encourage youth.
Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.
Keep a promise.
Forgo a grudge.
Forgive an enemy.
Apologize.
Try to understand.
Examine your demands on others.
Think first go someone else.
Be kind.
Be gentle.
Laugh a little more.
Express your gratitude.
Welcome a stranger.
Gladden the heart of a child.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.
Speak your love.
Speak it again.”
Howard Hunter
A Message from Founder/Executive Director, Cynthia Brian
Although published more than twenty eight years ago, I have lived by the credo in this Miracle Moment® for a lifetime. The holidays are the opportune time to share our love, encouragement, kindness, and generosity.
On behalf of everyone here at Be the Star You Are!® as well as StarStyle® Productions LLC, I take this moment to wish you the brightness and joy of this season of light. No matter what your race, religion, culture, or belief, as humans, we are all one. This is a time to come together, be gentle, and express gratitude.
I am personally grateful to everyone who has supported Be the Star You Are!® with their time, money, and ideas. For those who want to make an end-of-year contribution (and get a tax-deduction) there is still time. Make a DONATION through PAYPAL GIVING FUND with 100% going to BTSYA with NO FEES: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504. Send a check:
Be the Star You Are!®
PO Box 376
Moraga, California 94556
There are many other ways you can help including buying NFTS, shopping through Amazon Smile, or visiting our online store to purchase our books and tank tops.
My Christmas wish for you is that all your dreams and wishes come true. Savor this sacred time with family and friends. Thank you for being part of our galaxy and we wish you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023.
With love and gratitude,
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate-from my family to yours….ENJOY!!!
Cynthia Brian
Founder/Executive Director
Be the Star You Are!®
PO Box 376
Moraga, California 94556
https://www.BetheStarYouAre.org
http://www.BTSYA.org
DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1504
No Barnyard Bullies is a Favorite
If you’ve been reading StarStyle® Empowerment for a bit, you may recall that the Kindness Coordinator for Be the Star You Are!®, Karen Kitchel, purchased the book, No Barnyard Bullies, for an entire class in Minnesota. She recently emailed me this, which definitely made my day.
Hi Cynthia,
Just wanted to share a little happening in Kindergarten today. I started one-on-one reading of little five-page paper books with all the kids A student wanted to read with me so I told him he could pick any book, and we would read it together. He came back with your book and proceeded to read every word. I was amazed! I also pointed out how you, the author, signed the book. Loved seeing him smile.
All because of you…
Big hugs,
Karen
So many people have sent photos of kids enjoying the book. The illustrations by Jensen Russell are superb. Book two will be published in 2023. To purchase autographed copies now, visit
http://www.StarStyleStore.net
Buy No Barnyard Bullies
No Barnyard Bullies
SANTA DAY at 5A…the North Pole in Town
The weather was miserable, blustery, cold, and pouring rain, yet Santa and his reindeer made the trek to Moraga. Excited families arrived with children anxious to write letters to Santa, sit on his lap, do crafts, and enjoy treats. Thanks to Mark Hoogs State Farm Insurance, www.TeamHoogs.com for sponsoring Be the Star You Are!® and to 5A Rent-a-Space for asking Be the Star You Are!® to participate annually. Linda Pfost of 5 A Rent a space wrote:
Hi Cynthia,
You and your helpers are such a pleasure to work with. Thank you for your positive energy!
Have a wonderful Holiday!
Volunteers Sharanya, Keerthi, and Sophie were amazing elves! Thank you ladies for making the day fun and special for children. Watch Keerthi’s great video on Instagram of Santa Day at https://www.instagram.com/expressyourselfradio/.
Meet the Newest and Youngest Reporter on Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio, Milan Bains
Milan is an eleven-year-old sixth grader at Highland Middle School who loves looking at structures of buildings and high rises and hopes to one day be an architect. He has played violin since he was 5 years old and now plays for the school orchestra. When you don’t see him playing his violin he is probably playing on the tennis court. From a young age he has loved games whether it was Candyland as a four-year-old, Uno with his cousins (fellow teen radio reporters Nihal and Kirpa), or competitive chess at school. Milan loves math and is challenging himself in accelerated math every day at school. MIlan loves anything that involves technology and innovation and hopes to share some of this passion during his teen radio segments. He is super excited to be part of the “Express Yourself Teen Radio” team with his segment “Well-rounded!”
Listen to Milan’s first interview on the topic of Climate change on the Voice America Network, Empowerment Channel: https://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/140750/climate-change
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Just saw the take that telling your child that Santa is real is ‘abuse carried out by Christians that traumatises children’. I beg people learn what actual abuse and trauma is, because believing that Santa is real while growing up is very much not it!
#Don't get me wrong 'Santa' could be weaponised by abusive parents#but that doesn't make saying Santa is real or telling them about Santa automatically abuse#Like I don't think I was even that sad when I found out Santa wasn't real#and this is coming from the child that wrote a letter to santa asking for immortality#It's a fun way of giving kids something magical to look forward to#and a way of making christmas a fun family time with various traditions
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Miscellaneous Masterlist
*Adam Levine (Maroon 5)*
Red Carpet Romance ~ 📝☁️You and Adam go for a walk down the red carpet.
This Is The Voice! ~ 📝☁️Adam is your coach on The Voice, and he realizes his feelings for you.
Why Are You So Against This? ~ 📬☔️I was wondering if you could do another one when where she surprises him by singing on the voice.
*Baby (Baby Driver)*
Come On ~ 📝☁️You go on a road trip with Baby.
*Barry Block (Barry HBO)*
Trapped (1/2) ~ 📚You’re the child of a powerful mafia leader. Barry is hired by your family to kill another mob boss. Will things go to plan?
*Bernard The Elf (The Santa Clause Movies)*
Letters For The Elf ~ ☔️For most of your life, an elf from the north pole has been responding to your Christmas letters. One might even say that the two of you are friends. Hopefully, nothing will ever mess with that.
*Brian May (Bohemian Rhapsody)*
A Day In Bed ~ ☁️Brian decides to spend the day at home in bed with you. That decision might have some repercussions.
*Cliff Booth (Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood)*
The Stuntman and the Singer ~ ☁️This story follows you in your many interactions with Cliff Booth. When you meet him, you’re not in the best situation. However, you’re you. I’m sure you’ll end up living your wildest dreams.
*Connor rk800 (Detroit: Become Human)*
Mornings With Connor☁️
*Corny Collins (Hairspray (2005))*
Dancing Around ~ 🔥Smut with James Marsden’s Corny Collins. **MAJOR AGE GAP, READER JUST TURNED 18** ....Sorry I wrote this.
*Crowley (Good Omens)*
He Has To Start Believing He Deserves Real Happiness ~ 📬☔️Hello I would love to request a Crowley x reader were Crowley has a nightmare and the reader comforts him and please make it extra fluffy thank you
Snake Eyes🎲🎲🐍👀 ~ 📱☁️You are human and friends with a certain snake-eyed demon.
*Descendants*
Anniversary ~ 📬☁️Dad!Hades x Reader, Platonic!Core Four x Reader, Gil x Reader. Could you do a imagine where the reader is the daughter of hades and best friend with the core four and in a relationship with gil please and thank you
*Dolan Twins*
What Happens In 4 Hours ~ ☁️You want the Dolan twins to cut the crap and tell you why you’re there.
*Elwood Blues (Blues Brothers)*
An Evening At Elwood’s ~ 📝☁️Fem!Reader. You sneak through Elwood’s window at the ‘Men Only’ hotel, and the two of you spend the night together.
*Ferb (Phineas and Ferb)*
💚Ferbalicious💚 ~ 📱☁️You ask Ferb out on a date.
*Finnick Odair (The Hunger Games)*
I Swear ~ ☔️You’re a new victor of the Hunger Games, and you’ve found out what desirable victors are forced to do after the games. A previous victor visits you and assures you that you’re not alone.
Without Question ~ ☔️The moment you hit the force field, nothing mattered to Finnic anymore.
*Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)*
Does He Care? ~ ☁️During a battle, you fall overboard. You wake up to find out that Jack saved you. The trick is getting him to admit it.
*Jeff Winger (Community)*
You Called Him Your Boyfriend ~ ☔️You make a passing comment about Jeff being your boyfriend, and Jeff doesn’t exactly agree.
*Kyoya Ootori (Ouran High School Host Club)*
A Date? ~ ☔️Reader stays away from the usual activities of the Host Club. This peaks Kyoya Ootori’s interest. A Couple? (Sequel To ‘A Date?’) ~ 📬☔️I just read your “it’s a date” Kyoya imagine and I was wondering if you could do a part 2 where his father finds out they are secretly together?
*Luca x Reader (The Bear)*
Copenhagen ~ 🔥You go to Copenhagen with Marcus, and meet Luca.
>>> Chicago ~ 🔥Today, The Bear is opening. There are more surprises in store for you than you think.
*Malcolm Bright (Prodigal Son)*
Different Realities ~ ☔️With how much Malcolm doubts himself in his relationship with you, you wonder if he regrets being with you in the first place.
Little Things ~ ☔️You had a whole breakdown at the precinct for what you’re sure is no reason. Malcolm thinks otherwise.
*Max Goodwin (New Amsterdam)*
Dr. Max Goodwin ~ 📱☔️You have a tumor in your throat, and can’t speak. Max gives you his number, and convinces you over text to talk to him about the kids you nanny.
Together ~ ☁️Max Goodwin x Reader x Conrad Hawkins (The Resident (FOX)). You’re in and out of a lot of hospitals because of your condition. Throughout your life and your many trips to hospitals, you’ve gotten close to many doctors. You wake up to two such doctors in New York City.
*Merlin (The Kingsman Movies)*
Snowstorms ~ ☔️After you and Eggsy go undercover at a party, you’re stuck walking, barely dressed, in the middle of a snowstorm. You are not happy.
What’s In A Name? ~ ☔️After a more than troubled past, you work as a free agent, helping good people whenever you can. In your travels, you come across members of a secret service called Kingsman. You help them, but do not trust them. Will anyone be able to change your mind?
*Michael Schmidt (Five Nights at Freddy's (Movie))*
Thank You ~ 🔥You're Abby's babysitter. Mike comes home one night. Things ensue.
*Michael Scofield (Prison Break)*
What Season 1 Would Be Like With You In It ~ ☁️Pretty much as the title suggests.
*The Priest (Fleabag)*
Actually God🦊🙌✝️ ~ 📱You and The Priest are friends, but he does have a certain bone to pick with you.
*Severus Snape (Harry Potter)*
Last Time ~ ☔️Severus visits Lily for the last time.
*Sherlock Holmes (Elementary)*
Credit ~ 📝☔️You wake up in the hospital after getting hurt on one of Sherlock Holmes’ many cases.
Habits ~ 📝☁️Sherlock notices a new habit of his.
*Sierra Six/Courtland Gentry (The Gray Man)*
We’ll Always Have Cuba ~ ☁️☔️After the events of The Gray Man, Claire and Six run off to Cuba because it doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the USA. There, they meet you. You are staying in the same apartment building as them for the summer. Over that summer, Six falls for you.
*Thomas (The Maze Runner Movies)*
Do You Know How Long I’ve Loved You? ~ ☔️For a while, Thomas was confused about his feelings for you on account of his old feelings for Teresa. He realizes that he truly loves you, but it’s hard for Thomas to confess his feelings. Before he gets the chance, you come back from a mission with Newt with severe injuries. Will Thomas lose you? Will he be able to tell you that he’s loved you for months?
*The Warrens (The Conjuring Movies)*
Spawn Of ~ 📚☔️Family!Warrens x Child!Reader. Completed Story. Ed and Lorraine Warren find you on one of their missions, and they quickly realize that you aren’t entirely human. What are you?
Sweetheart ~ ☁️Family!Warrens x Child!Reader. You are a young child, and you are adopted by the Warrens. They soon find out that you have the same gift as Lorraine.
*The Raptors (Jurassic World)*
You’ll Be In My Heart ~ ☁️Family!Raptors x Reader. A storm hits the island, and you’re there to comfort the girls through the night.
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OMG MOLLY, can we see more of the au of the au???? Pretty please?! 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺Also, loved the chapter 14 so so much, I've read it three times already! ❤️🙈
Anonymous asked:
The ACUPOP AU was just amazing but I need more pleasee! They are miscommunication from about the letter (because Alistair also wrote a letter pretending to be Kate here right?) and Anthony has just found out about Edmund… we need more pleaseee!!!! And Happy New Year as well thank you for all your writing it really does make my day!!
Anonymous asked:
Don't leave us hanging, tell us what happens then!
Okay, Let's do this AU one more time!
Anthony couldn't breathe as he stumbled backwards, crouching on the floor, away from Kate and this little boy, her son, who looked so much like his brother. His breath was coming in shuddering gasps, his hands clutching at his hair, tugging at his tie.
"He is your Daddy, Edmund." Kate's voice sounded like it was underwater, muffled in his ears.
She'd had his child. Kate had realised she was pregnant and realised that he could never focus on her on them the way she deserved, just like she'd said in her letter, so she'd left. She'd left with the dream they'd had, in those months, a tiny little family to love. And she'd named him Edmund. Exactly what he would have wanted his son to be called, and he didn't understand.
Anthony could feel a tiny hand on his forehead, a pair of dark eyes staring down at him, a tiny little crease between his eyebrows.
"Are you okay, Daddy?"
And something about that pulled him out of his spiral. About his tiny son offering him comfort. But still Anthony couldn't say anything, staring at his tiny son, his foot tapping in his little boots, a dinosaur on his shirt, handmade by someone, Kate probably Neddysaurus-Rex underneath, in loopy handwriting. His jeans and coat looked a little worse for wear, as though he hadn't been their first owner, but he looked so desperately loved right down to the tiny triceratops stitched onto the strap of his backpack.
Edmund was humming, his hands in Anthony's hair, singing a song a little tunelessly. One someone obviously sung to him when he was upset. "Everything's gonna be okay Daddy. Everything's gonna be alright. Everything's gonna be okay Daddy. Three deep breaths and we'll be okay."
Finally Anthony started breathing, his shoulders heaving,
"Better, Daddy?"
Anthony felt his hand shaking as he reached out, touching his son's hair for the first time, his heart hammering in his chest. "Much better."
Edmund grinned, a gap between his front teeth making him look so cheeky as he looked back at his Mum. "I told you he'd come. It's what I asked Santa for."
Kate's face, already so guarded, fell, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, wincing back from them. "Neddy, honey we talked about this, he's- I don't-"
"Kate, please-"
"Edmund, sweetheart, why don't you come with me for a minute? I have some candy back here and you can draw me one of your special dinosaurs." The gallerist's eyes were still flicking between them, sensing a conversation that Edmund shouldn't be present for, her hand held out towards him.
Edmund's foot still tapped, his hand clinging to the front of Anthony's shirt. "But my Daddy's here."
Anthony's chest felt so tight, staring at the tiny boy, so beautiful, so much like Kate in his bold defiance, his jaw set determinedly.
"Neddy, can you go with Rose, please?" Kate's voice was still shaking, her hands clenched in fists.
"My Daddy's here, and I've never seen him before."
"Neddy, please, I need to talk to your Daddy."
"I'll still be here." It had left him before he knew it was going to. A promise he wasn't sure he could keep, but he couldn't look away. Rooted to the spot where his son was. "When you get back I'll still be here."
Edmund sighed, tugging on Anthony's shirt, pulling him around easily, already wrapped around that pudgy little hand. Edmund kept pulling until his free arm was wrapped tightly around Anthony's chest. "Okay. Bye Daddy."
Anthony couldn't help but watch him walk away, his steps bouncing as he followed Rose into the back room, a small smile on his face despite the confusion swirling around him, his chest aching.
Silence bounced off the walls. Finally alone with the woman who'd left him, when he'd been trying to cling desperately to her, trying to hold her so tightly, and failing so miserably. Failing at the only thing he'd ever really wanted: a family. And he had to have failed, because if he hadn't failed, she wouldn't have left. And he hates himself for it, in his weaker moments, when he thinks of Kate, shame settles against his chest, because he didn't just hate himself then, he resented his father. Because if he hadn't have died, maybe Kate wouldn't have left.
"So... I have a son." It wasn't what he wanted to say, but he didn't know what else to do. Watching the woman he was still in love with flinch away from him.
"Yep." She wasn't even looking at him, her eyes stuck to the gallery floor between them, her voice tinier than he'd ever heard it. "He's a boy."
Shame was welling in his chest, pressing down on him, making it difficult to breathe again, "Kate, I'm really sorry, if I made you think I wouldn't want to know, or that I wouldn't be there for you, even if we weren't together."
Kate's brow was furrowed, her mouth opening and closing as though she was searching for something, and then she finally said, "Sorry, when I wrote you a letter telling you I was pregnant with your child, and that I was keeping it; What did you think that meant?"
And for the second time in an hour, Anthony felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him.
#a crumpled up piece of paper#kathony#anthony x kate#anthony bridgerton#kate sharma#kate sheffield#edmund bridgerton ii#aus on stacks#molly's asks and answers
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Secret Santa (Alex Morgan x Reader)
Reader is in the military and surprises her wife and daughter (with a little help from Preath). Merry Christmas from @literaryhedgehog and Me!!!
“Little bit still hasn’t told you what she wants for Christmas yet?” Kelley asked, munching on some pretzels and hummus.
Alex rolled her eyes sliding into a seat next to her. “No, she utterly convinced that it won’t come true if she tells anyone but Santa.”
“Didn't she write a letter? Why didn’t you just take a peek?” Tobin interjected, sitting on Kelley’s other side. Her fiancé had been so excited to have her niece for the day.
“She mailed it to god knows where with Christen before I could,” Alex sighed, shaking her head. She had been fine with the whole mailing letters thing (actually watching your four-year old try to write out something heartfelt in blue crayon was kinda adorable), but then Camren had insisted on mailing it herself. Alex felt a little bad for the person in Antarctica who was getting the random letter.
“Damn,” Kelley huffed, blowing her cheeks out, trying to drum up ideas.
“Yeah, apparently it’s a Press family tradition or whatever, and Chris did it because Y/n isn’t here to. If she was she at least could have curbed some of her enthusiasm long enough to take a picture of the letter.” Alex grumbled, chewing thoughtfully on a pretzel. Your big sister had been picking up a lot of slack while you were away with the SEALs, but it just wasn’t the same as having you there.
“We hired a Santa, so just listen to whatever she tells him,” Tobin shrugged, a look that Alex didn’t recognize crossing her features.
“And pray to god it gets here overnight,” Kelley snorted. Hopefully whatever Camren wanted could be found at a local Walmart.
*****
The holiday party was in full bustle. There were benefits to doing training in Florida, so while Camren still had her heart set on snow for christmas, the adults had strung the outdoor tent with string lights and decorated it with holly and mistletoe. Camren had promised to eat at least two bites of every food there -- even the healthy ones that looked weird (her words not Alex’s) -- before she ate too many of Emily’s double chocolate chunk brownies, and so Alex was feeling rather proud of herself. She and her daughter were both there, dressed up, and only 15 minutes late for the party-- not bad for single parenting skills. Maybe after Camren was done talking to Santa, Carlie or Lindsey could be persuaded to babysit for a bit so Alex could go introduce herself to that lovely bottle of merlot she saw hiding in the corner.
Alex was surprised with how comfortable her daughter seemed on Santa’s lap. Camren was a bit nervous walking over, but it was nothing compared to her fear last year, when she had bawled until you eventually gave up and held her behind the poor man. Perhaps it had to do with how tenderly the poor suited person seemed to hold the small child, and the little glimmer in their eyes. .
Santa’s eyes met Alex’s for a split second, and the sense of security the slight contact brought her was slightly alarming. They looked so familiar and sent warm tingles through her chest.
“Did you get my letter?” The little girl asked, drawing the bearded one’s attention back to her. Alex bit her lip, there was no way this random stranger got the letter addressed to Rudolph at the North Pole.
The Santa nodded, their features softening. “I did. It seems you were very concerned about your mama getting her gift?”
The little girl nodded rapidly. “How do you know where to take it, if she’s on top secret missions all da time?” Her brow furrowed, “what if she doesn’t have a chimney to hang her stocking on?”
“I just know. Remember I know if you’ve been good or bad, or if you move. I promise she’ll get everything she wants. Now back to you. What do you want for Christmas?” Santa tried to explain.
The little girl thought for a moment, her finger tapping on her chin, before she leaned up to cup the person’s ear. She whispered a few words, leaned back to look the bearded person in the eye. The (very fake) white beard at the top of the red coat bobbed up and down in a nod, and Alex saw a sparkle in their eye as their lips twitched above it.
“Well that’s quite the order.”
“Pwease? Its not that tall, and It’s the only thing I really want,” Camren pouted, pulling the puppy dog eyes that never ceased to make her parents melt. This was important, and if she only got one real chance to talk to the person who could make it happen, she wanted them to know just how much she wanted it.
“I’ll see what I can do,” the Santa said, nodding seriously and stroking the beard as Camren jumped up and ran back to Alex.
“What did you ask for?” Alex whispered. Good grief, wasn’t the whole point of hiring a Santa to hear what the munchkin wanted?
“Can’t say. Want it to happen,” Camren whispered back, twirling slightly as she buried herself in the hem of her mom’s skirt. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.
****
Alex smiled widely as the Santa pulled another wrapped present from the gaudy red bag. It was a nice spin on their usual tradition, and she just hoped Pino didn’t get her for a secret Santa. That woman forgot every year, and Alex’s name hadn’t come up yet and that bag looked suspiciously empty. No wait, there was one- nope, that was Beckey’s present from Alyssa. Maybe there was a gift card in there somewhere? Alex looked down at Camren, who despite practically nodding off in Sonnet’s arms an hour ago, had woken up during the secret santa exchange. She was now sitting on the ground playing with the toy horses, blind to her surroundings.
“Hey, um Kelley? Who was running the secret santa exchange again?” Alex whispered, grabbing her arm. “I think my person forgot to get me a present.”
“What?” Kelley, turned to her shocked. “I think maybe Tobin was in charge this year, we’ll ask her if someone wrote down who your person was.”
“Oh that’s not necessary,” Christen’s voice broke in. Alex and Kelley turned to look at her and Tobin, who were standing with a very confused Emily. “I’m really sorry, we just didn’t get a chance to wrap your gift. You’ll get it at the end of the party.”
“Isn’t it like against the rules for Christen to get Alex since they actually spend Christmas together every year?” Sonnett whined. If she couldn’t buy presents for Lindsey, and Sam couldn’t do it for Kristie then that totally wasn’t fair.Sister-in-law and fiance-of-sister-in-law definitely had an unfair advantage on the ”knowing what presents to buy” front. She had to buy Jullie’s gift, and had just settled on some tea-rex patterned socks and a starbucks gift card.
Lindsey glared in her direction. “Can it disonny,” she wasn’t about to let her girlfriend mess up a surprise that had been 6 months in the making.
“It’s fine Chris, you didn’t have to get me anything,” Alex smiled sadly.
“I mean that would have been cruel since Camren has been campaigning pretty hard for your present,” Christen snorted. It was all your daughter could talk about. She had even harassed every Santa she saw while they went Christmas shopping, and wrote several letters (that she forwarded to you) about the issue.
“She told you what she wants, and you didn’t tell me?” Alex asked exasperated. She had been fighting with your daughter for a month to know what she actually wanted. Why on earth would she tell her aunt but not her mom? She was going to have to have a conversation with Camren about how Santa had different rules from wishing on a star or a birthday candle. Namely that she should tell her mom what she wanted!
Christen shrugged, a smile pulling at her lips, though Alex didn’t know what she was so amused about. “Well, it was for you, so I get a pass,”
“I for one think that Christen’s present is totally on point, even if it’s wrapped in ugly, sweaty red velvet,” A new voice joined the conversation, just as arms wrapped snugly around Alex’s waist.
Alex froze, her eyes going wide and her mouth opening and closing several times.
You chucked from behind her, spinning her around so you were face to face for the first time in almost a year.
“Hi love.”
“Holy shit,” Alex breathed. Her hands reached up to touch your cheeks, the sense of touch confirming what she couldn’t trust her eyes to see.
“Surprise,” You mumbled, leaning in and finally connecting your lips. You sighed into the kiss, thoroughly enjoying the way they moved together, and the taste of your wife. She impatiently pulled down the beard when you paused to breathe, and your hands found her hips, pulling her closer, while her fingers tangled in that baby hairs at the base of your neck. “Let’s do that again,” you said, your breath fanning against her lips before she pulled you back in. You had an awful lot of time to make up for.
“Why is mommy kissing Santa Claus,” Camren asked from somewhere below your feet. You were fairly certain you heard one of your wife’s teammates explaining in the background that Santa left a little while ago, and Mama had just dressed like him to surprise Mommy. You were a tad busy to explain anything right now.
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There is a popular quote that circulates every once in a while that reads “One person can make a difference and everyone should try.”
This individual holds a special place in my heart and also the hearts of many long-time Peace Page followers, who found this page after reading a simple story which mentioned her and which became one of the most popular posts on the Peace Page.
Her name is Harriet Glickman, she is the teacher who decided to write a letter to Charles Schulz and ask him if he could create a black character on his Peanuts comic strip - that character would become Franklin, one of the first black characters in a popular comic strip.
Harriet Glickman passed away Friday morning, March 27, 2020, at her home in Sherman Oaks. She was 93. Her passing was reported by a Peanuts-based website, which quoted a personal friend who said, her passing was "peaceful, in her sleep" and that the former schoolteacher had been "well prepared for this."
They say representation matters, and Franklin, even though he was a fictional character, was noticed by many who did not feel they were being represented enough during those days.
The original Peace Page post started:
"On July 31, 1968, a young, black man was reading the newspaper when he saw something that he had never seen before. With tears in his eyes, he started running and screaming throughout the house, calling for his mom. He would show his mom, and, she would gasp, seeing something she thought she would never see in her lifetime. Throughout the nation, there were similar reactions.
"What they saw was Franklin Armstrong's first appearance on the iconic comic strip "Peanuts."
Although Charles Schulz deserves the accolades and credit for having the courage to create Franklin and standing by him when he started receiving racist demands to remove him, it was all started by a school teacher who decided to write a simple letter.
"Harriet has a very interesting place in history," according to The LAist. "In 1968, she wrote to 'Peanuts' creator Charles Schulz asking him to do something remarkable at the time: integrate his famous comic strip."
"Harriet Glickman was a white, 42-year-old suburban Los Angeles school teacher and mother raising three children when Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968," according to the Press Telegram.
According to NPR, she wrote, “Since the death of Martin Luther King, 'I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help change those conditions in our society which led to the assassination and which contribute to the vast sea of misunderstanding, hate, fear and violence.'”
Glickman decided to write a letter to Schulz, not knowing whether he would actually read it or even whether he would receive the letter.
Glickman was especially aware of the power of comics among the young. “And my feeling at the time was that I realized that black kids and white kids never saw themselves [depicted] together in the classroom,” she said in the Washington Post.
She hoped this would bring the country together and show people of color that they are not excluded from American society.
At the time, Schulz, the creator of the enormously popular “Peanuts” comic strip, was already being "published in hundreds of newspapers around the United States reaching nearly 100 million readers," according to the Press Telegram.
Surprisingly, Schulz did respond, but wasn't sure whether it would be right, coming from him, he didn't want to make matters worse, he felt that it may sound condescending to people of color.
Glickman persisted, however, continuing her correspondence with Schulz, even having black friends write to Schulz and explain to him what it would mean to them.
She told Schulz that "the gentleness of the [Peanuts would be] 'the perfect setting' for such representation," according to CBR.
“I am well aware of the very long and tortuous road ahead,” she added. “I’m sure one doesn’t make radical changes in so important an institution without a lot of shock waves from syndicates, clients, etc. You have, however, a stature and reputation which can withstand a great deal.”
This conversation would continue until one day, Schulz told Glickman to check her newspaper on July 31, 1968.
On that date, the cartoon, as created by Schulz, shows Charlie Brown meeting a new character, named Franklin. Other than his color, Franklin was just an ordinary kid who befriends and helps Charlie Brown.
In a speech at American University of Health Sciences in Signal Hill, California in 2018, talking to a group of children and adults, Glickman said, the 1960s in the United States was “a time long before any of you were born, a time when not everyone was understanding of other people, when young African Americans couldn’t go to the same beach as white children and when schools were separate.”
According to the Press Telegram, the Rev. Gregory Johnson, co-founder of American University of Health Sciences who invited Glickman to the event, said he wanted her to know what a profound effect her action with Schulz had on him. “I appreciate so much what you did in improving relations. I wouldn’t be here without you,” he said.
Glickman was born in Sioux City, Iowa, and lived in Chicago before moving to Southern California and a job in the Burbank School District and eventually UCLA before retiring.
Glickman explained in previous interviews that her parents were "concerned about others, and the values that they instilled in us about caring for and appreciating everyone of all colors and backgrounds — this is what we knew when we were growing up, that you cared about other people . . . And so, during the years, we were very aware of the issues of racism and civil rights in this country [when] black people had to sit at the back of the bus, black people couldn’t sit in the same seats in the restaurants that you could sit . . . Every day I would see, or read, about black children trying to get into school and seeing crowds of white people standing around spitting at them or yelling at them . . . and the beatings and the dogs and the hosings and the courage of so many people in that time."
Glickman, according to The LAist, said someone once commented to her that "‘It took courage [to do what she did, to make a stand].’ I said, ’No it didn’t, it didn’t take courage for me to sit in Sherman Oaks in my comfortable home with my three children and type a letter.'"
"Courage," she said, "was little Ruby Bridges, the little girl who integrated a school in the south who had to come with the National Guard with people spitting at her and yelling at her and throwing things at her and the parents who drew their children out. That was courage."
Because of Glickman, because of Schulz, people around the world were introduced to a little boy named Franklin, and even today, when Franklin is mentioned, fond memories are evoked, such as those like the young, black man, who with tears in his eyes, started running and screaming throughout the house because he was introduced to Franklin for the first time.
Barbara Brandon-Croft, the first African American woman to have a nationally syndicated comic strip in the mainstream press, was 10 years old in 1968, said, “I remember feeling affirmed by seeing Franklin in ‘Peanuts.’ ‘There’s a little black kid! Thank goodness! We do matter.’"
When the Peace Page first shared its story about Franklin's birth, one Peace Page reader commented, "I normally don't comment on Facebook but I feel compelled to now. As a black child growing up in the 70's and 80's U grew up in mostly white neighborhoods. One of the most difficult things at that time is my sense of where I belonged in the world. I didn't have anybody in my position i could relate to on TV or in the movies. Then I started reading Peanut cartoons and I met Franklin and I saw myself for once. As a character, Franklin was so important to me I named my third son after him. thank you . . . for helping me find my place."
That Peace Page story has now reached 22,498,877 people, receiving 2,091,450 reactions. It has inspired an Upworthy article and has been shared all over the world, including by media companies in Australia and Italy.
When the Peace Page contacted the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, one of the representatives said that Glickman regularly visited the museum and she was fondly called "Franklin's Mom."
When she saw that Peace Page post, she commented on the Peace Page, "It's always a joy for me to share the Franklin story. I consider him my fourth child and he is very much loved."
In the speech in 2018 at American University of Health Sciences, she told the audience that it still “feels like yesterday [when Franklin was introduced].” She said some things have changed, but others have not. “We still have so many problems on how we see each other,” she said in an article by the Press Telegram.
She told the children: “You can make a difference in making the world a better place. When you see something that makes you feel angry or upset, don’t just complain, do something about it. And remember that we all care for each other; we’re all the same loving, caring people.”
She then autographed a book introducing Franklin to Charlie Brown, “Nice to Meet You, Franklin!” and urged each youngster “to make a difference.”
Thank you, Harriet Glickman, also, for making a difference and making the world a better place.
[Photo courtesy of CBR]
The Jon S. Randal Peace Page
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