1 - Naruto / Kakashi Hatake

when the party's over - billie eilish.

Kakashi felt the hard wood of the the auditorium chair digging into his back and adjusted. It was dificult not to roll his eyes as families settled into their seats, turning to talk excitedly with one another about the show.

His eyes flitted to the decorations fixed to the front of the stage, the hand painted banner with "A Time to Remember" scrawled on the front.

Kakashi had never participated in a recital like this. Even in his youth, because of who his father was and what he did for a living, Kakashi's education in movement had been exceptional. Professional from the very start.

He had taken adult workshops instead of classes with children his own age, and he had featured in a few of his father's residency works before his death - had been taken under the wing of Sakumo's friends and contemporaries thereafter.

Kakashi was grateful he had never had to demean himself in such a way, wearing cheap costumes and trying to bend and break some artistic vision into a malformed box that suited A Time to Remember.

What did that even mean? What was it supposed to convey to the audience?

Kakashi huffed, rolled his neck from one side to the other to quell his irritation. An unfamiliar hand tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to look at the person attached, seated behind him, with only the thinnest veil of social politeness pulled over his natural expression of annoyance.

"Hi," a woman said, pointing toward the curtained stage with a hand-folded program printed on too-bright green paper, "who are you here to see?"

That was the questions, wasn't it? Becasue the person he was here for was not even performing, likely had done almost as few of these types of recitals as he had himself.

But Saya Tsunematsu was a peculiar thing, a person he still did not have a good read on, despite his proclivity for undrestanding people at a glance, in most cases.

The woman behind him, for example, leaning too close and hoping desperately he too was a single parent - something they could bond over before she inevitably asked him to help with some ridiculously small home repair project in a bid to finally seduce him.

"No one," he said flatly, turning to face the stage again. He heard the woman's half-shocked sound of confusion, felt the warmth of her hand as it crept toward his shoulder again before retreating. Kakashi closed his eyes, breathed through his nose. An hour and a half, one twenty minute intermission, and he could lay to rest whatever questions he had come here to answer.

Or, at least, if he didn't, he would forcibly bury them and move on. He had spent too much time already on trying to understand Saya; her determination to challenge him at every turn.

He had originally dismissed her when she auditioned for him with a piece of his father's choreography and she had snidely retorted that he was an egotistical fraud who could never live up to his father's legacy.

The remark had stung, the fear of inadequacy which Kakashi so easily pushed down most days writhing its way up his esophagus, curdling in his mouth.

Perhaps it had been a good thing - he'd never admit it - because it had forced Kakashi to truly think about the path he had set himself upon, the goals he wanted to achieve by reviving the White Fang Dance Company. To rewrite his childhood, to bring closure to a part of his past which had remained until recently an open, festering wound.

Saya had helped with that, had challenged him repeatedly as they reworked his father's choreography. He'd never met anyone who knew the movement as well as he did until Saya. It was strange, to find someone so devoted to Sakumo's work who had never known him.

The lights of the auditorium dimmed and Kakashi settled into the familiar darkness, the hush before the curtains pulled apart to reveal another hand-made (and similarly nonsensical) set piece - a backdrop painted with a mountain range in the distance, a field of flowers in the foreground; neither of which seemed to evoke a time to remember.

The first half of the recital was devoted mostly to the youngest children, few of whom knew their places or their steps, several of whom froze mid-stage, terrified of the lights and the sea of shadowed faces. One who cried, and three who tried to climb off the stage shouting, "Mama!" or "Papa!" with delight.

Kakashi had to forcibly unclench his jaw several times.

Intermission brought headache-inducing fluorescent lights and the opportunity to buy cookies and brownies and boxes of sugar water masquerading as juice in the hallway to support the dance studio's competitive endeavors. Kakashi purchased a single red carnation, unsure why except that it gave him something to do with his hands.

When he returned to his seat, the one behind him remained vacant and Kakashi wondered despite himself whether the woman had moved on his account or if her child was one of the young ones permitted to leave early so as not to miss their bedtime.

The second half of the recital was at least slightly more interesting. The children were older, more dedicated to their burgeoning craft. And while none of them danced to a professional level, several of them showed promise, and Kakashi found himself clapping a little louder, hoping it would encourage them to keep going.

And then, finally, the last piece of the night was all that remained. Kakashi straightened in his seat as a familiar person took the stage, standing in the center wearing a simple black dress and sensible heels.

"Good evening," Saya said, smiling, the long earring she wore catching the spotlight and reflecting it back in sharp refraction. "My name is Saya Tsunematsu and I'm a performer with the White Fang Dance Company."

Kakashi felt his pulse quicken a little at the mention, the acknowledgement that she was tied to him in some way. Professionally, of course.

"I am honored to have been invited to collaborate with some of the senior students on a piece for tonight's recital. When considering the theme A Time to Remember," Kakashi almost laughed but quickly converted it to a cough before anyone noticed, "I thought back to my own childhood, to the joy that dance brought every day, even when it hurt or when I didn't get the part I wanted and my parents listened to me cry the whole way home."

Several knowing chuckles erupted from the audience and Kakashi found himself, not for the first time, slightly jealous that Saya seemed so capable of connecting with the people around her, even if they could never attain her level of talent.

"I wanted this to be a truly collaborative effort and I'm so proud of the work these students have put forth to create this piece. I will admit, their choice of music was outside my usual realm, but that only made the challenge more fun for me, and - I hope - for them. Thank you and enjoy."

Applause followed Saya into the wings and the curtain pulled open again. A single performer stood on the darkened stage, wearing a loose sleeveless top and tightly fitted shorts, all a dull grey.

When the music began, it was a soft harmonic humming until a cracking voice joined.

Don't you know I'm no good for you?

The lights slowly came up, soft blue washing over the stage as the dancer at the center began a measured adaggio - as close to a hallmark of Saya's work as Kakashi had ever been able to pinpoint.

The girl's foot trailed from her ankle to her knee, and then higher - her thigh pulling tight to the side of her body as her foot extended overhead. Even Kakashi had to admire the control and flexibility the movement required. Her leg trembled only a little as she stared blankly forward, mouth parted slightly, hands soft at her sides.

I've learned to lose you can't afford to.

Her foot flexed but she remained otherwise still as two other dancers joined her, falling from the wings with a soft flourish, pulling at their shirts as if trying to escape their confines.

Tore my shirt to stop you bleeding.

More dancers, suddenly, running swiftly onto the stage as the dancer at the center released her leg extension and joined them in a cluster, disappearing as she melted back into the sea of grey; no longer alone, but no longer special, either.

The lights flashed from blue to red, the whole ensemble moving together as one entity - expanding and contracting, lifting up onto the toes of one foot, leaning preacriously to one side until they nearly toppled over.

But nothing ever stops you leaving.

They all tugged the shoulder of each other's shirts, appearing to try and stabalize one another before it became apparent they were trying to pull each other off balance.

Kakashi did not notice he was leaning forward, perched on the edge of the uncomfortable auditorium chair as he watched.

The cluster dispersed, dancers flying in every direction, some cascading to the floor while others leapt through the air, each face painted with an expression of anguish, remorse, fear.

They all stopped suddenly, swaying on their feet; turned away from each other, staring at the floor, solemn.

The lights cut out.

Quiet when I'm coming home and I'm on my own.

Bright yellow lights burst across the stage like the flashes of cameras, the music swelled.

One dancer fell to the floor, clambered forward from one knee to the other, rolling over each pointed foot, clutching their chest. Another fell on top, resting his head on their shoulder, wrapping his arms around them as if to cradle and reassure.

But the first dancer struggled against it, tried to pull themself free.

I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that.

Kakashi watched as the piece evolved, as moments of sadness and anger were punctuated by joy, by love. The lights wavered back to blue, ripened to orange and then rotten purple.

Slowly, those better moments overwhelmed the others, quelled the upset and the regret and replaced them with exultation. The dancers saw one another struggle, helped one another overcome. Rather than separate and isolated, they moved together again, one dancer propping another up as they fell.

The music crescendoed.

Let's just let it go, let me let you go.

The first dancer took her place at center stage again, but this time, instead of alone, the others joined her, all sweeping their leg up, up, up. Some weren't as steady, some not as flexible.

They all smiled.

I could lie, say I like it like that, like it like that.

They flexed their feet as one as the music ended with a soft tinkling of piano keys.

The lights faded to nothing, darkness swallowed their beaming faces.

The audience erupted in applause, parents and friends and family all celebrating as the lights came back and the performers took their bows. Some in the crowd stood, many shouted. The dancers all laughed, giddy and pleased with themselves, as they beckoned Saya on stage to take one final bow with them.

Kakashi was the first to leave, the excitement of the crowd trailing behind him, falling quiet as the heavy door swung closed in his wake.

He smiled the entire way home, the carnation still clutched carefully between his fingers, and he finally understood why Saya did not find recitals or their preparation to be a waste of her time or talent.

5 Works Tag Game

Rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and post or link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

I got tagged by @tippenfunkaport and @caramelaire for this tag game!!

I’m not one to compliment myself on anything honestly. Recently I remember thinking about how I barely drew anything this year. There was a part of my brain nagging at me to check how much I had drawn last year. So, I uh did. Turns out I drew basically nothing?! I triple checked this in fact. My DeviantART, Tumblr AND my camera roll. Nothing . . . I drew 5 very basic pinback button designs and that was it. I couldn’t believe it; but, it made be feel so much better about what I did this year. Basically my whole instagram is all artwork from this year, since I am actually really new to IG. I got super close to 40 works this year!

Now onto the works! They are in order of when I drew them 😊

Glimmer Inspired Patterns

I wanted to teach myself how to make patterns on Clip Studio so bad! I watched a couple of YT tutorials, and I can’t even remember why I decided to make She-ra ones specifically; I’m glad I did though! The Glimmer one means so much to me. Just looking at makes me so happy! The fact that so many people have now called it ‘aesthetically pleasing’ makes me feel as though I actually created a work that others could relate to. That was enough praise for me; to create something for myself that everyone else loved as well 💖

Glimbow Cuddle

This was my first real She-ra artwork. When I saw there was a Glimbow Week again I knew I had to join this one. I don’t know if anyone knows this; but, drawings take me forever to make. I used to be strictly a traditional artist and still prefer to draw rough drafts on paper. I couldn’t decide if I wanted them on Glimmer’s window seat or in Bow’s dads’ library. I was afraid of doing backgrounds; so, both sounded absolutely terrifying. I decided to go for the fireplace even if it meant fancy lighting on top of the background aspect. I think I actually spent more time on the lighting that’s hitting Bow than on anything else in this picture. It was worth it though. I studied how the show did backgrounds and lighting for a while. I tried so many different attempts at how I wanted it to look and ultimately went with this one! I love it so much 🥺

Bow’s list with doodles

Ah, yes the drawings I did for Tippen’s birthday!! I knew I wanted to draw a scene from ‘Tuna Cans’, but I was worried to try something like this. You see, I’m somebody that likes to stay in a comfort zone and only uploaded fully rendered perfect artworks. This year was the first time that I let the ‘fun’ aspect overrule my perfectionism. I’m so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone for this, because I love Chibi styles so much. I can’t even explain the absolute joy I had drawing these. I didn’t tell anyone what I was up to, so it was just me laughing at myself for being an absolute goofball. The end result and everyone’s reactions were more than I could have ever expected. I’ve decided I’m going to revive this style soon as well so please look forwards to it!!

Space Suit Squad

Okay, so I cheated a little with this one! I couldn’t just pick ONE of the squad. Honestly though, I drew these with the thought of making them into prints in the back of my mind. I taught myself how to draw a space background and I’m really proud of it! So much in fact that the one in the final pictures is the first and last one I ended up doing! If I had to pick my favorites I think I’d have to pick Glimmer, Bow and then Catra. I LOVE the way I draw Catra I don’t know why? Maybe the eyebrows I’m not sure 🤔 It took me a while to decide on expressions and poses; although, I figured these were the ones because I could look at them and go ‘yep that’s them.’

Winter Glimbow

This one took me soooo long; I actually had to tell myself that I should put my pen down because it was done and I should stop touching it!!! I was sketching pictures in my sketchbook to make more patterns for my Redbubble account, and of course I’m like 100% Glimbow brainrot. My brain went, oooo you know what would be cute? If this skate was actually Bow’s and not just generic. So, I ended up sketching Glimmer’s as well. The heart that their skates make is like the cherry on the top for me, it had to be done! I’m not sure I did the background justice on this one? It doesn’t matter to me though because the concept was worth the effort. It was snowing here and I needed this picture like I needed air, even if it wasn’t even December at the time I posted it 🤣 I liked this one so much that I have similar ideas for the other seasons sketched out as well 👀

I’m sorry that I ramble so often. I’m like this quiet person; yet, it’s hard for me to get out everything I want to say? I’m horrible at it actually my brain runs at a hundred miles a minute and I’m not good with words most of the time. This turned out as more of a thought process than my actual feelings on each one I suppose. SO, in conclusion. I drew A LOT, I stepped out of my comfort zone, taught myself digital art and patterns. I let myself come to terms with the fact that not every piece of art has to be ‘perfect’. I drew at least 5 FULL backgrounds and I never used to draw them! I’ve also always been one for simple shading and lighting, and I do think there’s a time for that type of style, while other times sometimes a more difficult one might be appropriate. I’m glad that I did both because now I know I can do both, and they each give a characteristic that I adore 🥰 Thank you to everyone that has followed me through this journey, or just anyone who read my rambling! I have an honorable mention under the cut and some originals for anyone that made it this far! 💖

I’m not going to tag anyone; but, if you want to do this PLEASE do it. It was so great to reflect on what I did this year, it really surprised me and I think what you have done will surprise you as well! It’s been a rough year, and in the end we have been here supporting each other and that’s one of the most rewarding parts of being in a fandom! 💜

Glimmer screencap redraw

Another picture where I really tested myself on drawing a background! I love it even if it killed my hand!! The background definitely took the longest on this one too. My sister literally said ‘Wait, you did the background? I thought you just drew her?!’ And that was the only validation I needed!! I ended up thinning out Glimmer’s outline so she matched the background better. If you use the vectors on Clip please use this feature! You can do the opposite as well, it’s super useful!

Oh hi! Remember when I said I couldn’t decide between the two locations? Truth is, I also couldn’t decide if I was going to make it traditional or digital. I ended up getting really mad at the traditional version unfortunately. I haven’t gotten the hang of traditional backgrounds. In the end, I should have also done it in Copic and not cheap pencil crayons 😫

Just some space friends! There is something so rewarding about traditional art. Yes, I can see the mistakes and the proportions are most likely off; yet, it doesn’t bother me? I wanted to also show these bonus drawings because nobody is perfect and I thought some of you might like to see some of my process. Being able to hold it in my hands is something I will never tire of, in a way it’s super rewarding. I keep all my art actually and sometimes I like the rough drafts more than the finished work 👀 Outlining artwork can actually ruin the charm every so often 😔 I do really love the final versions of these though!

Annnnnd the last bonus!! As you can tell the final version stayed pretty true to my sketches! I almost went with a more realistic look and made the symbols ‘stitched’ onto the skates. In the end it felt like it didn’t fit the rest of the drawing unless I wanted to add extra details to the clothing as well. The wings on Glimmer’s skates turned into ‘Shwings’ PLEASE tell me other people know what that is? I had a pair a few years ago and misplaced them. I was doing the rough draft and it popped into brain and I treated it as a joke at first, until I gave it a proper chance XD In the end I fell in love with it!!!

My Love, My Darling (Jimbert Fluff)

Author (As known on Various sites): Lady Lover- Rockfic, Luluthechoosingcrow - AO3, theladylovingcrow - Deviantart and Wattpad, @sammy_bluebells - Instagram, @imacrowcawcaw - main Tumblr, @theladylovingcrow - writing/art Tumblr, @insannywestan - Sanny shipping Tumblr

Fandom: Led Zeppelin

Pairing: Jimmy Page/Robert Plant (Jimbert)

Length: about 1k

Warnings/tags: extreme fluff, winter themed cuteness, cuddling, overuse of endearments, established relationship, kissing, one slightly dirty joke, early led zep, anon request

Author's Notes: I am SO sorry, anon, that I didn't get to this in time for the holidays. I hope you'll accept a soft, fluffy, right after Christmas, winter-themed Jimbert fic instead.

@satans-helper idk who else wants to be tagged in LZ stuff but let me know

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"Darling, I'm home!"

Robert lowered his book and raised his eyebrows, expression faintly amused as his dearly beloved called out to him; his excited, erratic movements downstairs were practically audible in his voice.

"Upstairs, dear, reading."

Jimmy's heels could be heard steadily click-clacking up the stairway, and then he appeared in the doorway, looking on Robert with a childlike grin that changed to a more soft, affectionate smile. He stepped inside, corderoy flares blooming like spring tulips with each step as he approached his partner and obviously hid something behind his back, thin torso sheathed in Argyll wool barely concealing the width of the package.

"What are you reading, love? Is it warm enough in here for you?"

Robert smiled back at Jimmy, setting the book aside and rising from the armchair to stand level with him. He took a step forward and clasped a warm, large hand onto either of his partner's hips, dipping his head for a chaste but loving kiss in greeting.

"One of your books, darling, about the Glorious Revolution, I believe. And I am quite toasty, thank you for asking. I lit the fire earlier so the house should be heating up by now."

"Mmm, you're right, it is warm," Jimmy murmered, fisting the hem of his sweater in one hand while he kept the other hidden behind his back. "And I am glad to see you're enjoying my library."

"It's so extensive - I'm still astounded, sometimes, Jimmy dear, that you've managed to collect so many fascinating books already in your life."

Robert was palpably excited, turning around and walking with quick steps to a loaded bookshelf, running his fingers over the spines of his love's philosophy section.

"There is so much knowledge here, so much beauty. I am so happy to have come here with you, love."

He turned back to Jimmy, smiling and beckoning him with opened arms. Jimmy returned to his embrace, setting a paperbound parcel on his desk before wrapping himself around Robert's torso and resting his scruffed chin on his shoulder.

"Not as happy as I am to have you; it really means the world to me, Percy, that you agreed to come live with me," he murmered, pressing a few gentle kisses into Robert's neck where it was exposed by his white robe.

"It was more than an agreement, Jim. I love you, darling, forever, and I want to be with you until that golden sun sets for the last time upon our Earth, and then we will leave it together, too."

"Poetic, aren't you?" Jimmy laughed softly, pulling back to stare at Robert's kind blue eyes and smooth a hand over the lapel of his fluffy robe. "And well into a lazy day, I see."

"A cosy day, one I've prepared to share with my sweetheart," he corrected, guiding Jimmy to the arm chair and the steaming tea set resting upon its adjacent side table.

"Oh, yes, I do see," Jimmy grinned, taking the offered seat on Robert's lap, as well as the antique china teacup he had found at a small shop some months ago.

He let Robert pour them both a cup of golden brown tea and add a lump of sugar, and a splash of milk for Percy. They quietly sipped their drinks and openly gazed at each other, enjoying the quiet, intimate moment after a rather busy December spent performing, shopping, and celebrating with family and friends alike.

"Oh, you have jam tarts! Where did you get these, dear?" Jimmy asked, delighted, as he took a bite out of the offered pastry in between Robert's fingertips.

Robert chuckled at his enjoyment and brushed a few crumbs from Jimmy's lips, popping the rest of the treat into his own mouth. "I stopped by the bakery on my way back from Bonzo's a few days ago. They had just baked a whole heaping batch of these, and, since I know you love them, I bought a box."

"Mm, I do love them," Jimmy mumbled, half inaudible through the new pastry he had stuffed in his mouth. "Almost as much as I love you."

Robert cooed and blushed, giving Jimmy a long, jam flavored kiss. "You're in a delightful mood today! Would you care to tell me what's in that package of yours?"

"Why, dear, you are already very well acquainted with my package."

Robert rolled his eyes and squeezed Jimmy's arm, but they both laughed. After leaning against his golden, curly head for a minute, Jimmy sighed and got off of his perch, retrieving the wrapped bundle from his desk.

He brought it over to Robert and sat back down on his left knee, reclining against his chest to watch him open it.

"I thought Christmas was already passed, darling? You've gotten me plenty," Robert said, tearing open the paper, but then his breath caught in his throat.

A scarf woven from rich reds and vibrant purples started unfurling on his lap, no longer being held into a tight ball by the twine it had been wrapped in. Soft black fringe tickled Robert's fingers as he unfolded the garment, and shimmering lines of embroidered flowers and Celtic designs caught his eyes along one edge.

"Oh, Jimmy, this is beautiful! Wherever did you find it?" He gasped, stroking the silk with appreciative fingers.

"At a boutique along the docks. But, that's not all, keep unwrapping it."

Robert gave him an inquisitive look, but did as instructed and continued to peal open the fabric. He found a lightweight, yet sturdy object wrapped within the scarf, gleaming at him in all of its golden, carved, musical glory.

"A harp?"

"Mm, a lyre. You've been trying to learn guitar, and I'm not going to discourage you, but I think this might actually suit you better. We could figure out how to play it together, if you like, or you could ask Jonesy. He would be able to master it in minutes, I'm sure."

Robert grasped Jimmy's face in both of his hands, bestowing upon him a deep, loving kiss. Jimmy returned it with as much enthusiasm, running their lips and tongues together in an age-old dance that needed no musical accompaniment.

"I love it! This is perfect, sweetheart, absolutely perfect. I am so happy to have you."

"As am I," Jimmy sighed, setting the presents on the table next to the cooling teapot and settling back into Robert's body.

They watched the light snowfall out of the window. It was unusual for London to get much snow, but, that afternoon, it felt as if it fell just for them; a blanket of hopes, dreams, and endearments as pure as their love surrounding them in its wintery warmth.

Secret Santa- Alexander x Reader

Reader gender- not mentioned Warnings- swearing A/n- dear god it's been forever guys. But you know what? I got this motherfucker out before Christmas and I am proud of myself. Requested by anon: Hey!!! I know it's not Christmas yet or even December yet but I'm very excited and I wanted to request a Alexander x reader where you and the others do secret Santa and when Alexander gets you, he takes it as an opportunity to tell you he likes you/ask you out. Thanks!!! 😊🎄🎄💚💚 Word count- 1023 Modern AU "Alright, everyone in?" John asked, mixing the folded pieces of paper around in a hat. Everyone nodded and you each took turns pulling names from the hat. The one you pulled read 'Angelica' in fancy handwriting. You smiled as you stashed it in your pocket. "Everyone good?" John asked, looking around at the faces of his friends. You all hummed in agreement, looking around at the others to confirm. "Does that mean we can order a pizza now?" Peggy groaned. "Please!" You agreed, your stomach groaning at the thought. "Knock yourself out," John shrugged. "I'll start a movie," Laf offered, standing up and walking to the living room from John's kitchen.

Peggy wandered out of the room, her phone pressed to her ear. "She's going to order the whole store," Angelica muttered, standing and pulling Eliza with her. John and Hercules shared a quick moment of eye contact before Hercules declared, "We're going to help Laf with that movie." They stood and rushed to the living room, leaving only you and Alex. "You feeling confident with your person?" You asked, making conversation with your close friend. He smiled widely, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "Yeah, I am," he said with confidence. "I'll look forward to it, then," you laughed. Your conversation was interrupted by loud bickering from the living room. You glanced out the door frame to see Hercules and John fighting for the remote. Laf looked around frantically before meeting your eyes. "Mon ami! Help!" He begged. You laughed as you and Alex rushed to dissolve the argument. ___ That Saturday, you visited the mall, hoping to find something for Angelica before Christmas on Monday. You searched through JCPenney, looking for the perfect gift. Browsing the jewelry section, your eyes landed on a set of gold earrings that read 'Feminist as fuck' in cursive writing. Seeing as they only cost a few dollars, you continued looking for a few other things. You ended up with the earrings, Feminist Fight Club by Jessica Bennett, and a mug that said "I've got 99 problems and white heteronormative patriarchy is basically all of them". Feeling confident with your selection, you made your way over to your car, bags in hand. On your way there, you passed by Alex getting out of his car. "Alex! What's up?" You called, startling the small man. "Oh, hey, Y/n," he greeted you, "I was just going to go shopping for the secret santa thing. I ordered stuff for the group already," he shrugged. "Good plan. I got my stuff a few weeks ago," you told him. "Ooh, I'll look forward to it," he promised. You laughed lightly, excitement for Monday building up. "This was fun, but I think I'm gonna head home. It's freezing out here." "Yeah, I'm with you there," he agreed with a chuckle. "I'll see you Monday, then," you smiled. "Yep!" Smiling, you hurried back to your car, eager to escape the biting wind. ___ "Merry Christmas!" John, the Schuyler sisters and Lafayette greeted you as you walked through the door. You hugged him tightly, a large smile on your face. "Merry Christmas to you, too." You took off you coat, hat and gloves as you entered the house. Seeing you stomp the snow off of your boots, Peggy gasped in excitement. "It's snowing?!" She yelled, childishly. She raced to the window and shoved the curtain to the side, staring in awe at the falling snow. You laughed at her behavior as you sat down on the floor next to Eliza. Hercules and Alex only took a few more minutes to join you. Once everyone had arrived, you divulged in some food Hercules had brought and began exchanging gifts. Hercules got a lot of fabrics and needles and such for fashion designing to help him get through his last year at college for fashion design. Alex got piles upon piles of notebooks and pens, something he could always use more of. You had all pitched in to give John a turtle with everything he'd need for it. Lafayette received the most American things you could find, feeding his obsession with the country. Angelica got a large collection of various books. Peggy and Eliza were among the more difficult to shops for, so they received mostly gift cards. You also ended up with a big pile of your favorite things. "So, everyone should just have their secret Santa present left, right?" John asked, looking around at the single presents that sat in front of everyone. John smiled after seeing everyone nod. It was your first Christmas at his house, and he was excited to see things go so well. "I'll go first!" Angelica said quickly. "That's fine. We can go around in a circle after that. To Y/n, then Laf and so on," Eliza offered. Angelica opened her gift and laughed with delight, excited by everything you had gotten. "That's incredible! Thank you, Y/n!" She said. You laughed at her reaction, "I'm glad you like it." Next it was your turn to open your gift. You knew it was from Alexander, so you were excited to see what he had gotten you. After unwrapping it, you revealed a basket with six of your favorite books lining the side and a bouquet of your favorite flowers in the center. "Aw, that's so pretty. Thanks, Alex," you smiled. As Lafayette opened his gift, you looked at the books a little more closely. You now saw that there were bookmarks sticking out a different places in each book. You grabbed the first book and opened it to where the page was marked. Scanning the page, you saw that one word was underlined: 'Will'. Confused, you flipped through the rest of the books, slowly figuring out the sentence. 'you' 'go' 'out' 'with' 'me?' Shocked, your eyes quickly met Alex's. He blushed and looked down at his lap. "Yes," you blurted out. "What?" Questioned the others, confused by your sudden outburst. You lunged across the small circle into Alex's lap. You wrapped your arms around his neck, holding him as tight as you could manage. "It'll always be yes, Alex."

Hamilton Taglist

@kirstentheineffectiveemo @snowbubby1 @mistypancake10666 @fulmoonwulf @spaceoutloud

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

Let Me Protect You Chapter 29/?

Pairings: Chris Evans x OFC Emilia

Word Count: 1,680

Warnings: So much fluff

Rating: PG

Summary: After Emilia’s fiancé cheats on her, she moves to California to live with her brother Eric, who just so happens to be good friends with Chris Evans.  Follow Emilia and her roller coaster life through heartbreak, love, and emotional trauma. Will Emilia choose to let Chris into her heart, or will she remain broken and alone forever?

 Christmas morning came fast and you were all too eager to give Chris your gift.  You had talked to Chris the night before and asked if the two of you could exchange your gifts in private and he didn’t mind at all.  The entire family was sitting around in the living room as the kids opened presents.  All of the adults were in matching flannel pajamas and you loved the tradition.  Lisa having gone out and bought yours the minute Chris told her you would be joining him here for Christmas.  

Watching the kids open their presents was a blast.  You didn’t have any nieces or nephews so it was fun to see how excited they got with each gift that was torn open.  Screeches and squeals filled the living room as wrapping paper was discarded everywhere. You and Chris curled up on the couch together as you laughed at the entertainment of the kids.  

Lisa, Shanna and Carly loved their matching jewelry set that you got them.  Scott was almost in tears as he opened his gift from you and saw that it was his favorite book growing up.  He tackled you into a big bear hug and he scolded Chris, telling him to never let you go.  Chris chuckled at his words.  “I wouldn’t dream of it” he whispered into your ear.  Turning to face him you quickly stole a kiss from his lips.  

The gifts you got from Chris’ siblings were so thoughtful.  Lisa gave you a gift card to apparently one of the best hair colorists in LA.  You couldn’t wait to try something new!  Shanna gave you a brand new bakeware set.  You had needed a new set so badly because your old ones were so worn out from all the baking you had done.  Carly gave you a gift card to a craft store to help you buy more supplies for your Etsy creations.  Scott being Scott gave you a gag gift and you couldn’t hold back your laughter.  It was of a picture of the two of you making a silly face at the camera.  He took the picture two nights ago when you both had a bit too much to drink; the frame stated “Best Friends” on it.  It was one of the greatest presents you had ever received.  

As morning faded into early afternoon, the living room was starting to look more like a living room again as the kids played in the basement with their new toys.  Lisa and Chris’ sisters started working on an early dinner.  Deciding it was the perfect moment to exchange your gifts; you and Chris got dressed and went for a walk.  It was fairly warm for a Christmas day, even for Boston.  You didn’t even need your winter coat as you layered on a few undershirts with a cozy sweater.  

The two of you walked around the neighborhood and enjoyed the view as you made your way to a park; both your gifts to each other in tow along with a blanket Chris brought.  He found an empty bench on the park and laid the blanket down so your ass wouldn’t freeze too much on the cold wood.  As you two settled on the bench, he took out a thermos and two paper cups.  You gave him a bewildered look as he took the cap off the thermos; you smelled the hot chocolate and sighed in content.  Placing the cup to your lips, you took a small sip as the warmth radiated down your throat and you let out a hum.  “This is the most perfect Christmas morning I have ever had” you said to him with a smile on your face.  “Me too beautiful, me too.”

Chris pulled his present for you out of his pocket, “Merry Christmas Emilia” he stated smiling to you. You put your cup down and took the gift from him.  It was in a small box with a bow on the top and as you opened it up a gasp left your lips. Inside was a beautiful white gold ring and a singular black diamond sitting on top.  It wasn’t a huge diamond or anything but you still didn’t know what to make of it.  It couldn’t be an engagement ring, no, not this was too soon.  It had to have another meaning behind it.  “Chris” you choked out, unsure of what else to say. He took the box from your shaking hands and removed the ring from it.  “This is not what you think Ems” he stated with a sly chuckle.  “This is a promise ring.  A promise from me to you.  I promise to be the man you want and need.  I promise to be there for you at any time, day or night.  If I’m not with you physically, I will only be a phone call away.  I promise to never hurt you in any which way.  I promise that you, and only you, will have my heart” he finished as he placed the ring on your right middle finger.  You were glad it fit that finger as you didn’t want it on your left ring finger; it was draw too much suspicion and that was the last thing you wanted. “It’s so beautiful” you said as a single tear of happiness fell from your eyes.  “A beautiful ring for my beautiful girlfriend.”  You giggled at his choice of words, ever the dorky cliché man that you were in love with.  You brought your hand up to admire the ring some more as it shined in the sun. Turning up to face Chris, you lovingly placed your lips onto his; the kiss soft and sweet, just like the moment you shared with him.

You grabbed your bag off the floor and pulled out two envelopes for Chris.  You handed him the first one that was his actual present first. He opened it with a curious glance in your direction and once he saw what it was, his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.  He pulled out the matching bracelets; the blue one had his name stitched to it while the pink one had yours stitched to it.  The lettering was done in the classic Disney themed design.  “Does this mean what I think it means?” he asked excitedly.  “Yes Chris, we are going to Disneyland when we get home” you giggled out to him.  He raised his fist in the air and yelped out enthusiastically.  “I’ve never been and I know how much you love Disney so I figured it could be another fun adventure for us” you spoke.  “Oh baby, you are going to have SO much fun!”  You laughed again at how excited he was and you were happy with yourself with your gift to him.  

Your heart started to beat more rapidly as you reached for the other envelope and handed it to him. He took it from your hand and gently tore into it to reveal a card inside.  The card itself was simple, and just showed a shadow of two people holding hands while on the beach.  He opened it and his eyes widened as he started to read what was on the inside.

Chris,

I could not have asked for a better support system in these past few months.  Nobody has ever showed me such kindness and patience when dealing with me. I honestly don’t know if I would have ever been able to start my road to recovery without you by my side.  From the moment I met you I knew there was something inside of you. You have always been so patient and calm when I needed it the most.  With you by my side I feel like I can conquer the world.  I have you to thank for my progress and I don’t know how to thank you just yet, but I will find a way.  You make my heart flutter when you are near.  I didn’t know it was possible to feel the way I do, but again, it is all thanks to you.  

I have been falling deeper and deeper in love with you over the past few weeks Chris and I wanted to let you know that.  I felt that you deserved to know what I was feeling.  I was worried at first, seeing as we are still so new to this relationship but I didn’t want to hide my true feelings anymore.  I understand if you don’t feel the same way quite yet, but I had to get it off my chest.  

I love you Chris, so much that it hurts sometimes not being able to tell you so.  I wouldn’t change anything for the way my heart swells knowing you chose me.  

Emilia

His eyes roamed over the card a few more times, reading it over and over again.  You heard a slight sniffle from him and thought maybe it was the cool December air, but you were wrong as he raised his head to look at you. A few tears escaped down his cheeks as he gave you a look as if he was confirming what he just read.  “It’s true, everything I wrote.  I love you Chris.”  He gathered you into his arms and never let go, squeezing you close to him. He was so warm as you were buried into his embrace.  He pulled away too quickly for your likely and grasped your hands.  “Emilia I have loved you since the moment I laid my eyes on you.  After so many women failed me, here you came; sweeping me off my feet and you wiggled your way into my heart.  You and only you have my heart.  I love you Ems…so much!” he finished and you leaped right back into his arms.  

You spent a few hours at the park, wrapped up in the blanket and cuddled into Chris’ side as you enjoyed each-others company.  You would never get sick of being with the man you loved so much; it would never be enough. 

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Weekend Rant: FOOBAR2000

Since I rhapsodised about my wonderful new mp3 player last weekend, I figured a companion piece was in order. This one’s about Foobar2000, the media player I set up on my PC to replace iTunes, once I ditched my iPod. Foobar is not for the faint of heart, as it requires users to build it piece by piece, but once you figure out its quirks it’s all kinds of amazing.

I downloaded my first mp3 in 1999, and started ripping my vinyl and CD collection in earnest sometime in 2000, so I’ve got almost two decades’ worth of digital files for a media manager to deal with. iTunes wasn’t my first choice, but once Apple started making iPods with significantly more storage than any of their competition, I succumbed. As my computer and that iPod came to account for a majority of my listening, I invested more and more time into making those files neat and orderly: assigning consistent genres and artist names, rating each and every song, adding album art, removing track numbers from song titles, and 101 other little metadata clean-up tasks. Amazing as they can be, computers are also pretty dumb, as they think Allison and the South Funk Boulevard Band is a different group than Allison & the South Funk Boulevard Band (and that Allison & The South Funk Boulevard Band is yet a third ensemble).

If you have a certain type of personality (which I most decidedly do), fussing about correcting all that can be oddly rewarding.

The problem is, the more time you invest in performing such tasks within a given piece of software, the harder it becomes to change over to another solution. In product management circles, this phenomenon is called “switching costs,” and it can be a deliberate strategy -- there’s a reason all the playlists you’ve made in Spotify, or Apple Music, or the streaming service of your choice, cannot be easily transferred to one of their competitors. They want you locked in.

Since I worked with the product teams at both Rhapsody and Google Play, I don’t think making switching costs high is automatically evil. But Apple has been particularly nefarious about these things, when it comes to iTunes. Though iTunes could have stored the 1 to 5 star ratings I’d assigned to >36,000 tracks within the mp3 files themselves, it deliberately did not, instead writing them to a database accessible only by iTunes itself. Similarly, any album art I’d let iTunes find for me was not attached to the mp3s, but instead locked within that database file.

This was annoying. iTunes had been getting more bloated and less reliable with every passing year, and I’d been looking forward to switching. But I knew it was going to be a huge hassle (as in, it was going to take weeks, not hours) re-adding all that album art and re-rating all those songs, so before my new X5II player arrived, I briefly considered just installing one of several programs that would let me manage my Fiio player via iTunes.

I’m glad I’m stubborn, though, because the thought of letting Apple win proved even more unbearable. And as a result I now have a lovely little media manager that hogs far less of my computer’s memory while doing dozens more things than iTunes ever managed.

That’s a picture of my particular Foobar installation up above, but one of the many great things about Foobar is that yours can look wildly different, should you want it to. That’s also what can make it so daunting, though: the trade-off for maximum customization is minimal hand-holding. When you first install it (which you can do here), you’re asked to choose among several possible layouts and colors, but given no information what any of the options might actually mean: “Album List + Properties” is one option; “Slim View + Tabs” is another. OK, thanks.

I found that selecting one at random and playing around with it for a while before going back and selecting a different one gave me a fairly quick idea what the different choices referred to, but even so that’s just a start. Foobar’s designed so that anyone with the know-how can create additional, or alternative, components -- you can add components that let you flip through album covers, view lyrics to all your tracks, fiddle with more advanced EQ settings, and more.

There are also plenty of articles and YouTube videos that walk you through the necessary steps to get a particular set of components up and running. It took me a couple weeks of playing around with different possibilities before settling on what you see up above, which includes a lyric viewer, a metadata viewer that helps me find where in the hell on my PC a given track might be hiding, and a view of all the album covers in my library.

Then the real work began: I had to install additional components to handle five star ratings, and to let me mass tag thousands of songs at once with a given rating. The satisfaction I felt when I finally figured out how to steal my ratings back from iTunes (step 1: build then save smart playlists for each star rating; step 2, import that playlist into Foobar; step 3, mass tag every song in that playlist with the appropriate number of stars) was particularly sweet: fuck you back, Apple.

Making smart playlists required getting comfortable writing queries such as “%rating% GREATER 4 AND %genre% IS soul,” which again is the type of thing that might scare away average music lovers, but once you learn the syntax it’s not any more complicated than selecting options from drop-down menus in iTunes.

Dealing with the album art took forever. I used a program called Album Art Downloader that scanned my entire collection to let me know not just which albums were missing art, but also the precise dimensions of the art on any albums that already had it, so I could upgrade if I wanted. It took me a week of very late nights to download >6000 images, and then to attach those images to every file on a particular album via Foobar. And then it turned out I had to repeat the entire process with about half of them, as my Fiio player won’t actually display anything over 1000 X 1000 (though you might want to stick with 500 X 500 to keep large playlists loading quickly).

That occupied most of my November and all of my December, and then I spent a good chunk of January doing the somewhat absurd favoriting of 24,760 songs on my Fiio as detailed last week. While I really do find such operations somewhat meditative, the truth is I did it all because I was hiding. I couldn’t bear to turn on the news or look at a newspaper after the election, and my Twitter and Facebook feeds were minefields best avoided, though I couldn’t resist tiptoeing around their perimeters from time to time.

The energy I devoted to Foobar and Fiio can’t really be justified beyond that. They helped me keep my mind blank when it seemed like I had no other choice, and I got something that’s not going to save the world but did save me, temporarily.

In any event, my project is now finished, and I can come out of hiding. I will be marching today, to let the world know we haven’t ALL lost our minds. I hope to see you out there.

I know a LOT of songs we can sing together.