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da-proti-toku-grem · 3 months

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48. poly!jo (habit)

👏Poly!JO👏my👏beloved👏, thank you so much for the request 💖 I think this is the longest one yet (1k words) so… enjoy ✌

Send me a Ship and a Number and I will Write a Kiss

48. … out of habit.

The guys had come to Bojan's apartment to help him decide on an outfit for an interview he had that day. The brown-haired man didn't understand why some interviewers seemed to insist on interviewing only him. Okay, he might be the singer and probably the most recognisable face out of all of them – whether he liked it or not – but after all they were a band, and the band consisted of five people, not just him. He didn't want his bandmates – and boyfriends – to feel less important.

So that's why they were there, sitting in the living room watching Bojan finish getting changed, after assuring him a few times that they were completely okay with this.

Kris was sitting in the armchair next to the couch, his legs dangling over the side, and Jure was standing leaning against the wall; meanwhile Nace was sitting on the couch, Jan on his lap and his arms around the younger's waist. They were all watching a clearly anxious Bojan trying to fix his clothes in front of the mirror for what seemed like the tenth time in the last five minutes.

As for the singer, he was wearing Nace's black cardigan over a plain white T-shirt and his favorite pair of trousers (this time from his own closet), accompanied by one of Kris' rings, Jure's chain and one of Jan's hair ties around his wrist.

He knew the fans would probably analyze it later, but he didn't care. He wanted to feel his boyfriends as close as possible.

“Jurček, can you help me with this, please?” he sighed after struggling with the cardigan for a few moments.

It looked perfect, if you asked Jure, but he still nodded and said “Of course. C'mere, pup.”

Bojan walked over to him and the blond brought his hands to the lapels of the cardigan, positioning it correctly. “Done,” he smiled.

“Thank you, muca,” he smiled back and leaned up, leaving a small peck on the drummer's lips. He didn't think too much about it, it just felt like the usual thing to do after thanking one of his boyfriends.

“Okay, I really need to go now or I'll be late,” Bojan said, but Kris' voice stopped him in his tracks before he could turn around to walk through the front door.

“Wait, before you go!” the guitarist spoke up, getting up from the armchair and approaching Bojan. He placed one of his hands on the singer's waist, pulling him closer to his body and giving him a kiss, this time much longer than the one he gave the drummer, making him stand on his tiptoes so he could reach more comfortably. Kris pulled away slowly, nibbling a little on his lower lip. “There, you can go now.”

“Oh hell no, he can't,” Jan growled, rising quickly from his place on Nace's lap, grabbing Bojan's chain with one finger and yanking it, smashing their lips together in a heated kiss. A little moan escaped Bojan’s mouth and the dark-haired man took it as an opportunity to push his tongue inside the singer's mouth.

When they parted, Bojan was breathless, a blush creeping up his cheeks rather quickly. He could feel three pairs of eyes staring at them as Jan leaned close to his ear. “Why don't you give our Nacko some attention too, Bojč?” he whispered, his breath in his ear and his deep voice sending a shiver down Bojan's spine.

His gaze switched between the guitarist and the bassist a couple of times, both looking at him with a smirk on their faces, until the older one patted his lap in a silent invitation.

Without a second thought, Bojan walked over to the couch and straddled Nace, one leg on either side of his hips.

“Hello there, pretty boy,” Nace said, his hands slowly caressing his thighs up and down and squeezing them gently.

The bassist tilted his head up slightly and connected their lips in another kiss. He wasn't as rough as Jan, but certainly no less passionate.

Bojan could have sworn he heard someone mutter “fuck, they look so hot together, don't they?”, but he couldn't really tell who it was.

As they broke the kiss, Bojan slowly opened his eyes and removed his hands from Nace's hair – when had he put them there?

“Weren't you running late for an interview?” Nace smirked against his lips.

Oh shit, the interview. “Yeah, yeah, of course, I gotta... Yeah,” he started rambling, getting up and walking towards the door once again, earning various chuckles from the guys.

Jure, who had been watching every one of his boyfriends’ movements really closely, pouted and said “Hey, that's not fair! I only got a little peck.” He pulled Bojan's arm and turned him around, his hands going straight to his ass and squeezing it, kissing him hard. The sudden action elicited yet another moan from the singer. Fucking hell what has gotten into them?, he thought to himself.

“There, all done,” Jure smiled, smacking him on the ass.

Slowly withdrawing himself from Jure's arms, Bojan began to run his hands through his hair, fixing it for the twentieth time that morning and trying to regulate his breathing. “C-can I go now?”

“Yep,” said the drummer with his big sunshine smile.

“Don’t worry, you'll get more than just a few kisses after you're back from the interview,” Jan added with a wink.

If Bojan was already blushing before, he was pretty sure he was as red as a tomato right now.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying (unsuccessfully) to come up with some smart comeback.

“I'm... gonna go now. See you,” he said awkwardly instead, causing all his boyfriends to burst out laughing as he turned around, picking up his keys and walking out the front door as quickly as he could.

And if the only thought on Bojan's mind while he drove there was ‘please, don't get hard on national TV’, well, the guys will probably make up for it when he comes home.

masterlist | ao3

#don't know how this prompt turned into This but i love it ngl #anyways. how can i become bojan?#joker out #poly!jo #bojan cvjetićanin #kris guštin #jure maček #nace jordan #jan peteh #ask #mine #maca writes #kiss prompts

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lovvecherrymotion · 3 months

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29 and 33 for Jance

29. First date? (Give as much or little detail)

anon ily for this.

i think their first date was pretty casual - they don't seem like the type of people to... make a big deal out of it? i could see them going out for a walk and enjoying the day together (holding hands if they feel brave enough - it's not something they haven't done before, but it feels a little more intimate now).

they check some small record store on their way back home and nace insists on buying jan a vinyl he really wanted (and jan will complain, but nace is having none of it - and seeing jan's adorable shy smile is more than enough).

the day probably ends with them cooking dinner together, just like they've done a million other times, except now jan steals kisses whenever nace turns over to look at him and nace gets to hug jan from behind, leaving a trail of kisses on his neck as he (tries) to wash the dishes after dinner.

turns out, the dishes can wait until tomorrow.

33. What is their wedding day like?

ANON, I LOVE YOU.

so i've talked about this a lot but...

they figure out a compromise between a big and a small wedding - turns out they don't even want to invite that many people, but they decide to splurge a little to make it look and feel really nice. it's a nice mix of family, old friends, esc friends... and everyone gets along well! (jere FINALLY comes to slovenia and they all joke about him needing a whole wedding to fly over)

their pets are involved in some way - if it's too stressful to involve them in the ceremony itself, i could see them having a photoshoot with them (imagine igor with a little bowtie 😭) just so they have a memory of the day with them.

bojan cries a lot. kris is also very emotional but he hides it better (i can see it getting to him when he's making a speech and he just looks at jan, someone he's known his entire life, and his heart is filled with love and fondness). jure has the most fun but at the end of the night he gives them both a hug and tells them he's never been so happy for anyone else. martin makes sure everyone remembers this only happened because of him (after all, he's the one who suggested nace to replace him).

their first dance is to astp. of course. what else could it be?

and their honeymoon is in japan.

this is a little bonus thing i came up with a few days ago actually and... putting it under a cut because this is already too long

something old - jan had a shirt he got from his older brother and replaces one of the buttons on his wedding shirt with one of the buttons on the old shirt he got him. nace gets a little piece of a plaid black and white shirt sewed on the inner part of his suit

something new - jan gets a new tie from kris (his eyes filled with tears and jan has to take a deep breath not to cry either). nace gets a new bracelet from his sister - it's silver and it has a little treble clef charm on it

something borrowed - jure has to give jan extra socks because he forgot his own socks on his wedding day somehow. nace borrows a belt from bojan because it just fits him better than the belt he had picked

something blue - they both get matching blue underwear for their big day. the giggle about it at the store when they pick it out but they both wear it

THIS IS SO LONG I'M SORRY I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! (i also have a moodboard but this is like. insanely long as it is)

#ask game #joker out #jance #janace #i'm sorry if it's annoying that i'm putting these in the tags 😭

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hazzybat · 2 months

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Hiiii! The last chapter was my first time reading Bo(jan) (or even really considering them as a ship) and now I'm low-key obsessed with them together??? I love that you're doing ficlets and was trying to think of one that didn't feel like it would cause spoilers, and I was thinking I'd love to read about one of the times Bojan and Jan had their hands down eachothers pants backstage (as Bojan described in the last chapter lol) Backstage semi public sex? Hot. Maybe the first time they messed around? Thank you!! And no worries if you don't want to write it!

i've been saving this ask and tbh I ended up with something pretty rough but it was a good little exercise to get me back into writing after my break. Hopefully you still like it even if it's very short and pretty rough. have some Bo(jan) greenroom sex. kinda.

Bojan and Jan were utilising the adrenaline rush they felt after their first concert together the best way they knew how. Martin and Kris had been stolen away for congratulatory drinks by their vampire clan and Jure had found a girl willing to let him possess her in order to get drunk. That left Jan and Bojan alone in the greenroom. Bojan found it funny how similar arousal and excitement tasted to each other.

As soon as they entered the space Bojan pressed his lips to Jan, kissing him hungrily, needily as Jan instinctively wrapped his arms around the shorter man’s waist. Bojan pushed him to the couch and straddled his lap, lips pressed against the werewolf’s neck. The incubus wasted no time, figuring the bulge he felt in Jan’s jeans was a good enough indication as any he wanted this too.

“Bojan…” Jan moaned out, eyes rolling back as Bojan sucked a mark on his neck, wanting to feed on the delicious taste that hung thick in the air.

“What is it?” Bojan asked, voice low and dripping in desire. He felt a hand in his hair and Jan pulled him back so the werewolf’s lips were against his ear.

“Touch me, please,” Jan growled, sending shivers down Bojan’s spine. He did so eagerly, unzipping his jeans and taking out his boxer-clad dick. Jan was a good size, thick and already leaking precome. It might have been due to Bojan wearing a particularly sultry outfit for their first gig, swaying his hips seductively and playing with the hair of all his bandmates during their performance. Foreplay was his speciality and he’d been working Jan up the moment he stepped on stage.

Jan captured his lips and Bojan’s hand sped up as it jerked him off, bringing him closer and closer to the edge. Jan came quietly, mouth open and hand gripping Bojan’s bicep as his cum stained his boxers.

He was panting as he met Bojan’s eyes, pupils still lust filled as he pulled the incubus close, kissing him over and over, his hand snaking down to cup Bojan’s own neglected length. It didn’t take much, a bit of grinding and touching and filthy words Bojan was shocked Jan was so good at using. He came muttering thank yous into Jan’s neck.

As they lay there, panting against each other, the door opened and an attractive girl walked in, her eyes covered in a milky white film. Walked in might have been a bit generous. Stumbled in would be more accurate.

“Oh fuck am I interrupting a feed or something? Shit sorry guys,” Jure’s voice came out of the woman, his speech slurred. Evidently he’d found a host with a low alcohol tolerance.

“Please tell me she can’t see us right now,” Jan said, his hands on Bojan’s hips, holding the demon close to him and using his body to shield any prying eyes from the mess between them.

“eeeeehhhh, probably not. They can’t… uhhhhhh….. see… stuff…. unless I let them,” Jure said, finishing his sentence much more confidently than he started it, his alcohol-filled mind evidently struggling a bit to find the words.

Bojan couldn’t help but chuckle at the drummer, his hands now wandering over the body he was possessing, ignoring the two men entwined on the couch. Bojan leaned in again to kiss Jan, slower and sweeter than before. He murmured a soft “thank you,” against his lips before finally pulling himself off Jan’s lap and going to the bathroom to help clean them both up.

#JO monster AU side stories #monster hearts #jo monster au #ngl it's very late here and I'm very tired so sorry for any mistakes but I wanted it out there #bo(jan)2 #all you bo(jan) girlies are getting so much from me lol

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celtfather · 1 year

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Christmas Time in Texas

Christmas time in Texas is a very different experience from traditional motifs. Perhaps you too can relate to some of these things. We talk about the song from our Christmas EP.

It’s all on the Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast #73

THANK YOU NAGIANS!

Brobdingnagian Bards are The Original Celtic Renaissance music duo. They take traditional Irish and Scottish songs and give them a comedic twist. Their unique brand of music on the autoharp, recorder, and mandolin put Austin, Texas on the Celtic music map.

Brobdingnagian Bards music is financed entirely by their fans in the Nagians Only Club. For just $5 per month, you can support the Brobdingnagian Bards and help them create new music while enjoying bootleg concerts, videos, and first access to new songs.

Join the Nagians Only Club on Patreon today!

0:02 - NAGIANS ONLY: Live Brobdingnagian Bards Bootleg Concert in Rome, Italy!

13:59 - SONG: “Little Drummer Boy” from Christmas in Brobdingnag, Vol. 1

17:21 - NAGIANS ONLY: CLOSING REMARKS

20:05 - HOW LONG IS A BROBDINGNAGIAN MINUTE?

Today’s theme… What’s new?

Marc: Show at The Lost Druid.

Andrew: Louisiana Ren Faire review

What song would you like to hear us talk about?

22:41 - UPCOMING SHOWS

Dec 10: Pontoon Brewing, Sandy Springs, GA @ 2:00 - 5:00 PM

Dec 17: Three Taverns Craft Brewery, Decatur, GA @ 12:30 - 3:00 PM

2023

Jan 6-8: GaFilk, Atlanta, GA

Jan 21: Maggie McGuinness Pub, Huntsville, AL @ 7 PM

Jan 28: The Lost Druid, Avondale Estates, GA @ 6:30-9:30 PM

23:14 - WHAT’S NEW?

36:26 - TODAY’S STORY: How do Bards Celebrate Christmas Time in Texas?

50:10 - SONG: “Christmas Time in Texas” from Christmas in Brobdingnag, Vol. 1

The Brobdingnagian Bards Podcast was produced by Marc Gunn and Andrew McKee. Sign up to our mailing list to download free MP3s and get monthly updates of what's new. Find it all at thebards.net

SONG LYRICS

Christmas Time in Texas

by Marc Gunn & Andrew McKee

There's no white Christmas day less you drive a white Chevrolet You won't hear sleigh bells ringing less the Salvation Army is Santa-ing In your...Christmas time in Texas.

And if you feel the holiday blues, Go outside with no shoes And when Santa Claus arrives, He’ll be wearing SPF 45 In your...Christmas time in Texas.

O The sun is shining bright. Don't expect snowflakes tonight. And if you hear Kris Kringle outside His sleigh won't get stuck, He's flying in style In his monster truck During Christmas time in Texas.

So don't bother with Christmas lights. Buy your cold winter clothing half-price. Then the presents beneath your tree, Will all smell just like mesquite. In your... Christmas time in Texas.

O The sun is shining bright. Don't expect snowflakes tonight. Santa, won’t come down your chimney That’s not what their for, In Texas we're friendly. He'll use the front door.

During Christmas time in Texas. Christmas morning, you will hope In your stocking, there's a new rope Forget eggnog. Drink lite beer As you wrastle your new steer In your...Christmas time in Texas.

O The sun is shining bright. Don't expect snowflakes tonight. And if you hear in your chimney, A man that is stuck. Load up your shotgun. This stranger is Fu… in trouble. During Christmas time in Texas.

Check out this episode!

#BrobdingnagianBards celticmusic renaissancefestivals

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legend-collection · 2 years

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Santa Claus

Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary character originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts on Christmas Eve of toys and candy to well-behaved children, and either coal or nothing to naughty children. He is said to accomplish this with the aid of Christmas elves, who make the toys in his workshop at the North Pole, and flying reindeer who pull his sleigh through the air.

The modern character of Santa is based on traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas, the English figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas. Santa is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man, often with spectacles, wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, red hat with white fur, and black leather belt and boots, carrying a bag full of gifts for children. He is commonly portrayed as laughing in a way that sounds like "ho ho ho". This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas". Caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast also played a role in the creation of Santa's image. This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, family Christmas traditions, films, and advertising.

Early representations of the gift-giver from Church history and folklore, notably St Nicholas, merged with the English character Father Christmas to create the mythical character known to the rest of the English-speaking world as "Santa Claus" (a phonetic derivation of "Sinterklaas" in Dutch). In the English and later British colonies of North America, and later in the United States, British and Dutch versions of the gift-giver merged further. For example, in Washington Irving's History of New York (1809), Sinterklaas was Anglicized into "Santa Claus" (a name first used in the U.S. press in 1773) but lost his bishop's apparel, and was at first pictured as a thick-bellied Dutch sailor with a pipe in a green winter coat. Irving's book was a parody of the Dutch culture of New York, and much of this portrait is his joking invention. Irving's interpretation of Santa Claus was part of a broader movement to tone down the increasingly wild Christmas celebrations of the era, which included aggressive home invasions under the guise of wassailing, substantial premarital sex (leading to shotgun weddings in areas where the Puritans, waning in power and firmly opposed to Christmas, still held some influence) and public displays of sexual deviancy; the celebrations of the era were derided by both upper-class merchants and Christian purists alike.

The tradition of Santa Claus being said to enter dwellings through the chimney is shared by many European seasonal gift-givers. In pre-Christian Norse tradition, Odin would often enter through chimneys and fire holes on the solstice.

In the Italian Befana tradition, the gift-giving witch is perpetually covered with soot from her trips down the chimneys of children's homes.

In the tale of Saint Nicholas, the saint tossed coins through a window, and, in a later version of the tale, down a chimney when he finds the window locked. In Dutch artist Jan Steen's painting, The Feast of Saint Nicholas, adults and toddlers are glancing up a chimney with amazement on their faces while other children play with their toys. The hearth was held sacred in primitive belief as a source of beneficence, and popular belief had elves and fairies bringing gifts to the house through this portal. Santa's entrance into homes on Christmas Eve via the chimney was made part of American tradition through the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" where the author described him as an elf.

In the United States and Canada, children traditionally leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies intended for Santa to consume; in Britain and Australia, sherry or beer, and mince pies are left instead. In Denmark, Norway and Sweden, it is common for children to leave him rice porridge with sugar and cinnamon instead. In Ireland it is popular to leave Guinness or milk, along with Christmas pudding or mince pies. In Hungary, St. Nicolaus (Mikulás) comes on the night of 5 December and the children get their gifts the next morning. They get sweets in a bag if they were good, and a golden colored birch switch if not. On Christmas Eve "Little Jesus" comes and gives gifts for everyone.

In Slovenia, Saint Nicholas (Miklavž) also brings small gifts for good children on the eve of 6 December. Božiček (Christmas Man) brings gifts on the eve of 25 December, and Dedek Mraz (Grandfather Frost) brings gifts in the evening of 31 December to be opened on New Years Day.

New Zealander, British, Australian, Irish, Canadian, and American children also leave a carrot for Santa's reindeer, and are told that if they are not good all year round that they will receive a lump of coal in their stockings, although the actual practice of giving coal is now considered archaic. Children following the Dutch custom for sinterklaas will "put out their shoe" (leave hay and a carrot for his horse in a shoe before going to bed, sometimes weeks before the sinterklaas avond). The next morning they will find the hay and carrot replaced by a gift; often, this is a marzipan figurine. Naughty children were once told that they would be left a roe (a bundle of sticks) instead of sweets, but this practice has been discontinued.

After the children have fallen asleep, parents play the role of Santa Claus and leave their gifts under the Christmas tree. Tags on gifts for children are sometimes signed by their parents "From Santa Claus" before the gifts are laid beneath the tree.

Writing letters to Santa Claus has been a Christmas tradition for children for many years. These letters normally contain a wishlist of toys and assertions of good behavior. Some social scientists have found that boys and girls write different types of letters. Girls generally write longer but more polite lists and express the nature of Christmas more in their letters than in letters written by boys. Girls also more often request gifts for other people.

Many postal services allow children to send letters to Santa Claus. These letters may be answered by postal workers or outside volunteers. Writing letters to Santa Claus has the educational benefits of promoting literacy, computer literacy, and e-mail literacy. A letter to Santa is often a child's first experience of correspondence. Written and sent with the help of a parent or teacher, children learn about the structure of a letter, salutations, and the use of an address and postcode.

According to the Universal Postal Union (UPU)'s 2007 study and survey of national postal operations, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has the oldest Santa letter answering effort by a national postal system. The USPS Santa letter answering effort started in 1912 out of the historic James Farley Post Office in New York, and since 1940 has been called "Operation Santa" to ensure that letters to Santa are adopted by charitable organizations, major corporations, local businesses and individuals in order to make children's holiday dreams come true from coast to coast. Those seeking a North Pole holiday postmark through the USPS, are told to send their letter from Santa or a holiday greeting card by 10 December to: North Pole Holiday Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Dr, Anchorage, AK 99530–9998.

In 2006, according to the UPU's 2007 study and survey of national postal operations, France's Postal Service received the most letters for Santa Claus or "Père Noël" with 1,220,000 letters received from 126 countries. France's Postal Service in 2007 specially recruited someone to answer the enormous volume of mail that was coming from Russia for Santa Claus.

Other Santa letter processing information, according to the UPU's 2007 study and survey of national postal operations, include:

Countries whose national postal operators answer letters to Santa and other end-of-year holiday figures, and the number of letters received in 2006: Germany (500,000), Australia (117,000), Austria (6,000), Bulgaria (500), Canada (1,060,000), Spain (232,000), United States (no figure, as statistics are not kept centrally), Finland (750,000), France (1,220,000), Ireland (100,000), New Zealand (110,000), Portugal (255,000), Poland (3,000), Slovakia (85,000), Sweden (150,000), Switzerland (17,863), Ukraine (5,019), United Kingdom (750,000).

In 2006, Finland's national postal operation received letters from 150 countries (representing 90% of the letters received), France's Postal Service from 126 countries, Germany from 80 countries, and Slovakia from 20 countries.

In 2007, Canada Post replied to letters in 26 languages and Deutsche Post in 16 languages.

Some national postal operators make it possible to send in e-mail messages which are answered by physical mail. All the same, Santa still receives far more letters than e-mail through the national postal operators, proving that children still write letters. National postal operators offering the ability to use an on-line web form (with or without a return e-mail address) to Santa and obtain a reply include Canada Post (on-line web request form in English and French), France's Postal Service (on-line web request form in French), and New Zealand Post (on-line web request form in English). In France, by 6 December 2010, a team of 60 postal elves had sent out reply cards in response to 80,000 e-mail on-line request forms and more than 500,000 physical letters.

Canada Post has a special postal code for letters to Santa Claus, and since 1982 over 13,000 Canadian postal workers have volunteered to write responses. His address is: Santa Claus, North Pole, Canada, H0H 0H0; no postage is required. (see also: Ho ho ho). (This postal code, in which zeroes are used for the letter "O", is consistent with the alternating letter-number format of all Canadian postal codes.) Sometimes children's charities answer letters in poor communities, or from children's hospitals, and give them presents they would not otherwise receive. From 2002 to 2014, the program replied to approximately "one million letters or more a year, and in total answered more than 24.7 million letters"; as of 2015, it responds to more than 1.5 million letters per year, "in over 30 languages, including Braille answering them all in the language they are written". In Britain it was traditional for some to burn the Christmas letters on the fire so that they would be magically transported by the wind to the North Pole. However this has been found to be less efficient than the use of the normal postal service, and this tradition is dying out in modern times, especially with few homes having open fires. According to the Royal Mail website, Santa's address for letters from British children is: Santa/Father Christmas, Santa's Grotto, Reindeerland, XM4 5HQ

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, besides using the mail, sometimes children wrap their letters to a small helium balloon, releasing them into the air so Santa magically receives them.

In 2010, the Brazilian National Post Service, "Correios" formed partnerships with public schools and social institutions to encourage children to write letters and make use of postcodes and stamps. In 2009, the Brazilian National Post Service, "Correios" answered almost two million children's letters, and spread some seasonal cheer by donating 414,000 Christmas gifts to some of Brazil's neediest citizens.

Through the years, the Finnish Santa Claus (Joulupukki or "Yule Goat") has received over eight million letters. He receives over 600,000 letters every year from over 198 different countries with Togo being the most recent country added to the list. Children from Great Britain, Poland and Japan are the busiest writers. The Finnish Santa Claus lives in Korvatunturi, however the Santa Claus Main Post Office is situated in Rovaniemi precisely at the Arctic circle. His address is: Santa Claus' Main Post Office, Santa Claus Village, FIN-96930 Arctic Circle. The post office welcomes 300,000 visitors a year, with 70,000 visitors in December alone.

Children can also receive a letter from Santa through a variety of private agencies and organizations, and on occasion public and private cooperative ventures. An example of a public and private cooperative venture is the opportunity for expatriate and local children and parents to receive postmarked mail and greeting cards from Santa during December in the Finnish Embassy in Beijing, People's Republic of China, Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Finland, and the People's Republic of China Postal System's Beijing International Post Office. Parents can order a personalized "Santa letter" to be sent to their child, often with a North Pole postmark. The "Santa Letter" market generally relies on the Internet as a medium for ordering such letters rather than retail stores.

A number of websites created by various organizations claim to track Santa Claus each year. Some, such as NORAD Tracks Santa, the Google Santa Tracker, the emailSanta.com Tracker and the Santa Update Project, have endured. Others, such as the Airservices Australia Tracks Santa Project, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's Tracks Santa Project, the NASA Tracks Santa Project, and the Bing Maps Platform Tracks Santa Project, no longer actively track Santa.

The origins of the NORAD Tracks Santa programme began in the United States in 1955, when a Sears Roebuck store in Colorado Springs, Colorado, gave children a number to call a "Santa hotline". The number was mistyped, resulting in children calling the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) on Christmas Eve instead. The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first call for Santa and responded by claiming to children that there were signs on the radar that Santa was indeed heading south from the North Pole. A tradition began which continued under the name NORAD Tracks Santa when in 1958 Canada and the United States jointly created the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). This "tracking" can now be done via the Internet and NORAD's website.

In the past, many local television stations in the United States and Canada likewise claimed they "tracked Santa Claus" in their own metropolitan areas through the stations' meteorologists. In December 2000, the Weather Channel built upon these local efforts to provide a national Christmas Eve "Santa tracking" effort, called "SantaWatch" in cooperation with NASA, the International Space Station, and Silicon Valley-based new multimedia firm Dreamtime Holdings. In the 21st century, most local television stations in the United States and Canada rely upon outside established "Santa tracking" efforts, such as NORAD Tracks Santa.

Many other websites became available year-round, devoted to Santa Claus and purport to keep tabs on his activities in his workshop. Many of these websites also include email addresses or web forms which claim to allow children to send email to Santa Claus. One particular website called emailSanta.com was created when a 1997 Canada Post strike prevented Alan Kerr's young niece and nephews from sending their letters to Santa; in a few weeks, over 1,000 emails to Santa were received, and the site had received 1,000 emails a day one year later. Some websites, such as Santa's page on Microsoft's former Windows Live Spaces or emailSanta.com, however have used or still use "bots" or other automated programs to compose and send personalized and realistic replies. In the case of Microsoft's website, however, there have been occasional unfortunate results.

In addition to providing holiday-themed entertainment, "Santa tracking" websites raise interest in space technology and exploration, serve to educate children in geography and encourage them to take an interest in science.

#santa claus #global

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cornbread-but-art · 3 years

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(more info and commentary under cut)

archive!! glitchtale + deltarune crossover contest entry!

[ID: digital drawing of mettaton neo reimagined as a deltarune chapter one character, looking straight at the viewer and winking with a smirk on his face.

he has long, dark blue hair with a single pink strip covering his right eye; a square, pink eye with a diamond shape in the middle; a metallic patch under said eye; a small, black cannon in place of his right hand with a cursive 'Neo' engraved into it; and a torso with two segments. the top segment is pink with a diamond shape in the center and an M in the top-left and an upside-down M in the bottom-right, reminiscent of a playing card. the bottom segment is gray with dark gray stripes, and another diamond shape made from the negative space where there are no stripes. it slopes down to a point where his legs are floating off of.

he wears a deep blue cape with pink diamond shapes tiled all over the back; a cyan shoulder pad; and metallic, pink boots, and poorly holds a pink sword in his left hand. the end of his arm cannon is glowing pink.

above him is text reading:

"Glitchrune Mettaton

The King of Diamonds"

in a really ugly font (i don't remember the name). the background is a pure white void. end ID]

original post date: Jan 3, 2019 original post title: (CONTEST ENTRY) Glitchrune Mettaton originally posted to: Glitchtale Amino original commentary:

so , hey. i joined a contest and actually drew something. so that happened. the contest was made by this absolutely amazing artist named sisterbrine. the contest post i will also link here (even though i've already reposted it).

and now, the picture:

[the picture]

so, about the design. why mettaton? because he's my favorite ut character. and also when i tried to do jessica i couldn't think of anything. the design itself is just mettaton mixed with kris and a little bit of (lets see if i can remember how to spell his name) rouxls kaard.

he is also now the king of diamonds for reasons that should be obvious, so as such, i scattered diamonds absolutely everywhere. i also also thought it was important to keep him a robot despite that not making sense in a setting like deltarune's.

[important note: 'reposts' on amino are a feature similar to retweets, except with the sole purpose of linking to the original post]

updated commentary (2021):

little did i know, it actually did make sense for a robot to be in deltarune. maybe not chapter one, which is all that was out at the time, but it makes sense now!

i actually still really like this one. by which i mean the hair looks vaguely nice still.

i really lucked out with the hair here. it still looks a lot better than the hair that would come in the following years.

i also really like the gradients. those look nice. wish my current shading style allowed me to do those again, but even if it did, it probably wouldn't look as good since my colors are a /lot/ less saturated now....

#cornbread archive #weapons tw #sword tw #italics #caps

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ezatluba · 5 years

Photo

Puppuccinos, fur-ternity leave and more: Millennials' pampered pets are like children

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

Jan. 24, 2019

Kris Ruby with her three year-old teacup Pomeranian, Caicos, at their home in White Plains. Ruby, 32, describes Caicos as the "love of her life" and gives him the very best treatment in everything from gourmet pet food to personalized accessories.

Three-year-old Caicos Ruby is spoiled.

He wears Henri Bendel down coats and monogrammed hoodies. His birthday cakes are custom-made, complete with sparklers. Caicos eats fresh food delivered right to his doorstep and only drinks Mount Valley Spring Water. He’s been treated to massages in his own penthouse hotel suite and loves to sip coconut water while on vacation.

Nothing is too good for Caicos, a three-pound ice white teacup Pomeranian, says his self-described dog mom Kris Ruby.

Kris Ruby holds one of her favorite pieces of clothing for Caicos.

“It’s me and Caicos. That’s my family,” said Ruby, 32, leafing through Caicos’ first birthday album at her duplex in White Plains, New York, where a pop-art style portrait of Caicos hung on a wall. “My Christmas card (it was shot by a professional photographer) this year was just me and Caicos. It said, ‘Happy Holidays! Love, Kris and Caicos’.”

Fur families like Ruby's are a growing trend, particularly among millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) who make up the largest segment of pet owners with 73 percent owning one, according to a 2018 report by the American Pet Products Association.

Kris Ruby walks her three-year-old teacup Pomeranian, Caicos, who dons his Henri Bendel coat, Jan. 10, 2019 near her home in White Plains. Ruby, 32, describes Caicos as the "love of her life" and gives him the very best treatment in everything from gourmet pet food to personalized accessories. (Photo: Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Increasingly, pet parents are demanding parity in a society attuned to the wants and needs of human parents.

And they're getting it.

Housing developments are including dog play spaces and grooming salons; hotels now provide pet-friendly accommodations; even Starbucks has recognized the trend with its puppuccino, a dog-friendly drink on the Starbucks Secret Menu. Yes, it’s a thing. Google it.

Corporate America is responding, too, by offering pet perks such as veterinary insurance as an employee benefit, take-your-dog-to work days, and in some cases, "paw-ternity leave" and "fur-ternity leave" (paid time off for newly adopted pets).

Fur parents, and their fur babies (and often fur grandbabies) are here to stay.

In the last 20 years or so, more and more people have started identifying themselves as pet parents rather than pet owners, said David Grimm, author of "Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs."

"Many millennials have grown up with pets as a member of the family, so their relationship with them is a lot different than previous generations who grew up with a cat or a dog in the yard and maybe only occasionally in the house.”

As people postpone having children, or opt to not have children, furbabies complete a family.

Tracy and Adam Tracey of Nyack most definitely consider their 7-year-old rescue Maltese, Remy, their baby.

The couple has been married for 14 years and have no plans to have kids.

“My husband and I decided that we had settled down, we had purchased a home and we were ready to go forward with getting a dog,” said Tracey. “We had decided not to have children, so that’s our little fur-baby.”

The couple, New Orleans transplants, often dress Remy in a Saints jersey. Remy also has a car seat.

“He gets special treatment. Because he is very small and his back legs don’t work very well, he is not stable while taking turns and the special car seat keeps him in a small space and comfortable.”

Tracy Tracey of Nyack with their maltese Remy.

Not everyone gets a warm and fuzzy feeling about pets being viewed akin to children, however.

When asked for their thoughts on the humanization of pets, one poster on the public North Rockland Community Facebook page had a bone to pick with the trend.

"Ridiculous. A pet can be loved and cared for as a pet," wrote Ann Arkis McNally. "Humanization of any animal is just weird."

Melissa Gannon is pictured with Sosie, her 8-month old Shetland Lab mix, in the club lounge at her residence, 1 Harbor Square in Ossining, Jan. 12, 2019. The apartment complex is very dog friendly.

Driving the trend

The rise of the internet and social media and the attendant drop in human interaction is a large reason for the evolving relationship with pets over the past two decades, said Grimm.

“Twenty years ago, you’d go to a café with your friends and sit around and talk; now everybody stares at their phone,” said Grimm. “Our human connections are fraying a little bit, and we have these animals in our home that are now very much filling that void. They are filling an emotional void, which is making the animals more important in our lives.”

Millennials also have a different view of what constitutes adulthood, Grimm said.

“Marketers assume you are going to have kids, you are going to have a home but that notion doesn’t exist anymore,” said Kris Ruby.

Developers have taken notice -- adding amenities in new housing developments.

Brian Dashnaw, director of property management for Ginsburg Development Companies, which owns multiple New York complexes with several more in development, said they have tapped into the millennial pet-owning market.

Pet grooming station at Harbor Square in Ossining.

Two of their recent rental apartment developments, in Yonkers and Harbor Ossining, where millennials make up about 40 percent of renters, have pet- washing stations in the building.

“A lot of renters are coming with pets, so having pet-friendly features appeals to a larger segment,” said Dashnaw. “The washing station is not just a stainless sink and shower; it's a whole bathroom. This way, (owners) don’t have to wash their dog or cat in their apartment.”

Melissa Gannon and her family found a pet friendly residence for their puppy Sosie, at Harbor Square in Ossining.

It's a dog's life

The pet industry has grown more than threefold in the last 20 years, from $23 billion in 1998 to $72 billion in $2018. That includes indulgences such as a penthouse suite at Spot On pet hotel in Stamford, Connecticut, which goes for $125 a night. It comes with a wrought-iron bed with plush bedding, chandeliers, 40-inch flat-screen televisions with animal programming and a personal web cam so owners can check in on their pet. Extra services such as massages can be added.

There's even a doggie beer so Fido can join you when you crack open your own beer.

The demand for healthful, high-end food has grown, too according to Nielson, the market research firm.

Caicos, a three year-old teacup Pomeranian, sits beside her owner, Kris Ruby, as she works on her computer at their home in White Plains Jan. 10, 2019. Ruby, 32, describes Caicos as the "love of her life" and gives him the very best treatment in everything from gourmet pet food to personalized accessories.

Ruby, who runs Ruby Media Group, a public relations firm, uses The Farmer’s Dog, a meal-delivery service. It costs her $150 per month for the service. A bag of supermarket dog food for a month, in contrast, would cost less than $30.

“I get customized gourmet dog food that gets delivered to my house every month. I don’t buy the regular supermarket food," said Ruby, a former reality show star on Bravo's "Friends to Lovers." "I’m someone who is into a very organic lifestyle for myself, so I would do that for my pet, as well.”

Ziggy the cat poses for a picture as Nicole Morandy, 29, and dogs Zeus, left, and Zora sit by at home in White Plains Jan. 10, 2019. Morandy has five pets; two dogs and three cats, that she describes as her children. After one of her dogs were sick she found a more holistic approach to providing for their medical care, which includes feeding them a raw diet.

Nicole Morandi, 29, a pet mom of five (two dogs and three cats) belongs to an online community of raw feeders, a Facebook group called Raw Feeding University, which has more than 20,000 members. She spends two days a month prepping food for her dogs, Zora, a mastiff, and Zeus, an American pitbull terrier, after having bought a one-time $90 raw food meal plan from online Perfectly Rawsome, for each of her two dogs.

That meal plan includes a shopping list that details the exact amounts of items such as duck necks, duck wings, ground boneless meat, liver and kidney.

“For one large dog, it would cost roughly $100 to $150 a month,” said Morandi, who was introduced to raw feeding when Zeus suffered from canine vestibular disease and swelling in his brain.

“When he didn't get better after a few visits to the animal hospital, I went to a holistic vet, and they opened my eyes to how the pet industry is not really geared toward what animals need," said Morandi. "They have dog kibble, and it’s like feeding your child McDonald's every day."

Nicole Morandy, 29, at home with her five pets; two dogs and three cats, that she describes as her children Jan. 10, 2019 in White Plains. After one of her dogs were sick she found a more holistic approach to providing for their medical care, which includes feeding them a raw diet. Tania Savayan, [email protected]

Between a neurologist, a regular vet and the holistic vet, Zeus’ medical bill came to $8,000.

“It was not even a question of ‘am I doing this?’ But it was more ‘how are we going to pay for it?’”

Nicole Morandy, 29, holds Ozzy as Ziggy looks on at home White Plains Jan. 10, 2019. Morandy has five pets; two dogs and three cats, that she describes as her children. After one of her dogs were sick she found a more holistic approach to providing for their medical care, which includes feeding them a raw diet.

Companies offer perks

According to the the Society for Human Resources Management, from 2014-2018, the percentage of employers allowing a pet at work more than doubled, from 4 to 9 percent. At Google, many Googlers bring their four-legged BFFs, nicknamed Dooglers, to work where they enjoy access to a dog-themed café and a dog park in their California office campus. Zynga, the game developer, has a rooftop dog park, as does Amazon.

Pet insurance is becoming one of the top requested voluntary benefits in companies, said Rob Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Washington-based Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.

In just the last four years, U.S. companies offering pet health insurance as a benefit rose from 6 percent in 2014 to 11 percent in 2018, according to the Society for Human Resources Management.

“The companies do not usually contribute to the premium, but sometimes the employees get a preferred rate," said Jackson.

The U.S. pet health insurance industry, estimated at slightly over $1 billion in 2017, will nearly double to reach $2 billion by 2022, according to Rockville, Maryland-based Packaged Facts market research firm.

The Traceys discovered the high cost of care the hard way.

Soon after the couple adopted Remy, they discovered he had a heart murmur, but they weren’t able to buy pet insurance due to the pre-existing condition.

A few years later, when Remy had an accident and required spinal surgery; it cost them thousands of dollars.

How big was the bill?

“I’d rather not say,” said Tracey, an administrative assistant, with a laugh.

Tracy and Adam Tracey of Nyack with their maltese Remy.

Pet ownership a 'major responsibility'

These owners don't take raising a puppy or a kitten lightly.

“There’s this misconception that if you have a dog, you still have as much free time because you are quote unquote a 'single person' and don’t have kids. It’s a major responsibility that people don’t understand,” said Ruby.

“I can’t just do what I want. I still have to plan around the dog all the time. If I want to go to the city tonight or travel, it's not so easy. Is the hotel pet-friendly? Sometimes you are paying more for the dog.”

The relationship can also be a factor in the pet parent's dating life. Nicole Morandi, who was single for a long time, said that her furbabies came first.

Nicole Morandy, 29, plays catch with her cat Ziggy as her dogs sit close-by at home in White Plains Jan. 10, 2019. Morandy has five pets; two dogs and three cats, that she describes as her children. After one of her dogs were sick she found a more holistic approach to providing for their medical care, which includes feeding them a raw diet.

"My friends and family would ask how I was going to find someone with me having three cats and two dogs," Morandi said. " And I'd say, 'If it’s not gonna happen, it’s not gonna happen.' My pets are a part of my family, and if I can't find someone who loves them just as much as I do then, I’m not interested in that."

She's now in a relationship and said, "Thankfully my boyfriend does love them just as much as I do."

Recently, for her dog Zeus' birthday, Morandi took him out for a hike by himself (for some one-on-one time). Like any caring mom, she bought him a few toys and, since he's allergic to wheat, baked him a birthday cake with almond flour, peanut butter, banana, honey and eggs.

Zeus, one of Nicole Morandy's five pets, plays with a toy at home in White Plains Jan. 10, 2019. Morandy has two dogs and three cats and describes them as her children. After Zeus got sick years ago she found a more holistic approach to providing for their medical care, which includes feeding them a raw diet.

Asked what she got from her pets, Morandi started choking up.

"They give me so much and don’t expect anything in return. They are at my door every night when I get home. They are happy as they can be to see me," she said.

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