/slinks in Hello! I love your art, and I’m dying to hear more about Ire if you have anything you’d like to share! He has such a cool design & premise I just keep thinking about him haha
the character referenced is from this post
hi!! thank you so much! :') i'm so happy you like him, i was reluctant to post anything about him initially but i'm really glad i did— i have an embarrassing amount of thoughts on him, given how briefly he's existed in my mind:
he was the first child of Kycina (Maul's mom in legends, which is my default canon), she had Ire when she was pretty young (maybe 18-20) but although she grew attached to the male child and loved him, she let him be raised by his village. he was cared for communally, as well as by his father for a short period of time.
was really excited when Kycina had Savage, because he finally had a little brother! he was a teenager when Savage was born, but took on the role of Savage's primary caretaker for as long as he was alive and Savage took after him in a lot of ways. he'd often play with the boy and encourage him to come out of his shell with mixed results, but the most relaxed and carefree Savage was, was when he was with Ire.
just like with Savage, the birth of Maul and Feral was a very happy occasion for Ire— he fully expected to raise all three of them with the help of his village and took on a fatherly role for them, however briefly for Maul and Feral. he put everything he had into ensuring life for his little brothers was easy and good (as good as it can be for a nightbrother): he put extra effort into hunting so his brothers could eat well, he played with them and quietly sang them to sleep, he took on more responsibility and always did more for their sake. i think at some point the line between 'older brother' and 'father figure' blurred.
reasonably protective of his brothers, but not overbearing like Savage would grow to be. on some level it was due to his lack of concern for the future, and him being prone to trusting too easily (which i wouldn't say is necessarily him being naive, but more the idea that no one he knows could intentionally mean him and his brothers any harm) as well as his easygoing and carefree attitude.
extremely scary if he thinks you mean his brothers harm, though. the shift in his mood is immediate and on the rare occasion he feels threatened or he loses his patience (almost never, and never with his brothers) you'll absolutely be aware that you've crossed a line. few have ever pushed him past his limits because he's so nice and doesn't get in anyone's way.
was kind of a blueprint for Savage regarding his behavior (Savage remembers Ire best, while Feral could remember just his face or his voice, and Maul probably remembers even less), in the exact opposite way of what you might assume: Ire was carefree, so after his death Savage grew up to be tense and closed off; Ire's protectiveness rubbed off on Savage but it made him overbearing bordering on paranoid— his logic being that if Ire did all these things and still died, Savage would have to double down to make sure Maul and Feral were alive and safe, so he was obsessively watchful over them. (later just Feral, who was all Savage had in the end.)
exceptionally skilled at clothesmaking and weaving, and wood carving (which he taunt to Savage as well, but Savage was less talented in it). his free time, when not occupied with caring for his brothers alongside the frequent visits from Kycina, was spent practicing his skills and making clothes, blankets, tapestries, and toys for his brothers and a few for his mother. he used to make Savage all his toys, which would later pass to Maul briefly, then to Feral after Maul was taken by Sidious; and after Feral grew older they were given to some of the younger boys in the village. Savage kept a few of them as a way to remember Ire. Kycina occasionally wore some of the clothes her eldest son made, but she rarely had the liberty of wearing anything other than nightsister garb — Ire never held it against her, though.
good singing voice, too; but he didn't have a lot of practice with anything other than lullabies and folk songs accompanied by one instrument. he taught a lot of them to Savage, and would sing to Maul and Feral too— Feral might remember his voice and his face, but Maul would probably remember even less.
Ire really, really wanted children of his own one day. he had names picked out and everything; and would've been happy even if he had a daughter who would not be allowed to live with him but would be raised with the nightsisters: Ire's belief was that seeing this hypothetical child just once would've been enough, no matter how much he wanted to raise them.
when he was chosen to take part in the selection, Ire calmed and consolled little Savage, who was too young to understand what the nightsister wanted from Ire and the other nightbrothers but knew it was dangerous. Ire assured his little brother that he'd be fine and promised he'd be back by morning, lightheartedly asking Savage to keep an eye on Maul and Feral until then, who were still babies. Ire was killed during one of the challenges and never made it back home, breaking his promise. it was only when his body was retrieved for the funerary rites that Savage found out what happened and had trouble accepting the reality of his brother's death due to his young age and the traumatic manner of his death. he did insist on helping with preparing for the funeral, though, which wasn't common for a boy so young but Viscus reluctantly allowed it.
Ire was the only brother that Talzin didn't know of. Kycina was shaken by her eldest son's death, and it was the catalyst to giving away Maul to Sidious so he wouldn't have to live in slavery and grow up knowing he could be murdered any day without warning.
so after seeing your character models + your talk on sam yesterday, i'm curious how you approach her in your hc stuff?
oh geez a got a lot of asks abt sam last night and UHHH. idk in the back of my brain im like “gotta save the good stuff for the fanfic youll never write”
BUT LIKE. ok 1) shes lesbian because i am lesbian and i think its neat. 2) she starts the series very anti-femininity and making fun of Popular Girls bc she is Not Like Other Girls. she and danny get together and laugh at lipstick commercials and stuff. she gets SUPER political and needs everything she does to be done with the utmost conscious and sometimes it gets in the way of her actually going abt her life. she skips class and vandalizes school property always
i see a lot of the dp characters in terms of their relationship to anger right and i think sam imo has misdirected anger. shes a very angry person all the time but she has to learn where to aim it
eventually she and paulina have to team up to stop a Threat(TM) and sam is like “ugh i have to save the Princess” and then its revealed that paulina is an actual capable human being right. i mean the girl does cheerleading she can definitely out athletics a lot of people. and she def has a bazillion other secret talents that sam never bothered to pay attention to. and then sam is like “bro.... i wanted to say... im sorry. i thought you were just like other girly girls. i saw you as just an airhead and a ditz who wanted a boyfriend, but now i find out... youre ALSO not like other girls.... you are so pog”
and paulina goes “HELLLO?” and digs into her with this whole “even if i WAS an airhead and a ditz who wanted a boyfriend you would be an ASSHOLE? dont ATTACK GIRLS bc theyre not YOU? get over yourself dipshit”
blahblah relevant plot happens and paulina takes sam shopping cause sam was afraid of wearing purple but now that she knows she can carve her own identity shes like “i would like a purple please” and she gets a wardrobe update
and they kiss somewhere in there idk
heres some (OLD) art i dug up for this ask specifically. notice that prepaulina her outfits are very blegh and have no purple cause purple is a girly color and she refuses to dye her hair bc GIRLY girls bleach their hair. and post paulina its purple city
that aside shes very much an activist and my sam is NOT a pacifist my sam can and will throw hands with anyone anytime. (she would also have a vlad vengeance but my vlad is different so. hes safe. for now). she is VERY into the occult but COMPLETELY lacking in emotional intelligence. one character she DOES actively fucking hate is dash’s dad
she and danny will get into hour long streams of just the worst possible puns and tucker hates them both for it. they dont make ANYONE laugh but each other and they have never stopped
sam IS danny’s like best friend but they fight almost all the time like sam has no idea how to back down from a conflict. if they didnt have tucker they would have actually killed each other by now
my favorite quote ive come up with to summarize sams relationship w tucker (boy have i rewritten tucker i hate canon tucker <3) is
Sam: You can't just AVOID CONFLICT for the REST OF YOUR LIFE!
Tucker: sorry Sam, I won't,
Sam: ...you're supposed to say "YES I CAN WATCH ME"
sam WAS affected by embers spell actually because as previously mentioned she is a lesbian. the ember episode was actually tucker-and-dash centric (ace-and-gay) bc they were like the only main characters who were not sucked in by ember’s singing (almost all of casper high is bi; paulina kwan and danny of course are). she spent the entire time being very gay.
sams parents are like “i can excuse being a lesbian but i draw the line at wearing boots to a ballroom dance” and i think thats beautiful
(also she isnt like super loaded shes just well off bc uh. does anyone else find it weird that the one canonically jewish character is also the one who is secretly rich 🤔)
one of the ULTIMATE sam ships is sam x princess dorathea. they are BEST FRIENDS and sam just breaks into her castle every now and then to fucken hang out. they have metalhead lute concerts
This is my Christmas Truce 2019 gift for @enmitypark ! I had tons of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoy!!!
Read it on AO3!
The Fenton family has just arrived at Vlad’s Colorado retreat by RV at Jack’s insistence and had already hauled their belongings for the week-long trip into their rooms. Gathered in the living room, Vlad passes out four large gift baskets, each emblazoned with the person’s name on an oversized tag in his loopy script. Danny notices that his name has a green tint to it, and gives Vlad an inquisitive look, which is returned with a mischievous wink.
“Alright everyone, open your baskets!” Vlad said with a smile.
“Vlad it’s not Christmas yet!” Maddie argued before being shut down.
“My dear, what is in there will be needed for the rest of their stay. There is no need to object.”
Inside each basket was an assortment of gloves and hats in various styles to match each person’s taste, mixes for each person’s favorite hot drink, mugs, and ski goggles.
Danny's mug is black on the bottom half and white on the top, with a green-tinted NASA logo on both sides. "The logo glows in the dark, by the way," Vlad added. There’s hot cocoa and apple cider mixes tucked inside the mug. His goggles are white around the eyes with a black elastic band. The gloves and a hat are both black with green horizontal stripes down the center. Jazz’s items were all turquoise with black accents in a similar configuration to Danny's. Jack’s gifts held a black and orange color scheme, matching his signature jumpsuit. Maddie’s items were aquamarine, dotted with accents of black.
Everyone gave Vlad a hearty thank you for the gifts and Jack, of course, envelopes Vlad in a bone-crushing hug, lifting the smaller man off the ground. Before, Vlad would have yelled at him for such an act, but after making up with the family and being allowed to be a real godfather to the children, he's come to enjoy Jack's affection. After being placed back on the ground, Vlad lead his guests to the sitting room, the fireplace lit and the undecorated evergreen tree already on a stand in the corner.
“Where are the ornaments? And the decorations? I figured you’d have this whole place decorated to the nines already.” Jazz asks with a questioning look on her face.
“Well, I figured it would be fun if we all decorated the house together. This is Christmas after all, and simply hiring someone to do the decorating feels too impersonal for such an occasion." Vlad said with a genuine smile on his face. He's been smiling quite a lot lately. It was something new and entirely welcome.
“That’s right! So, let’s get a move on and start decorating already!! So, where’s the ghostly garland and tinsel?” Jack was so excited he could hardly wait. This time of the year always meant cookies and fudge, and he couldn’t get enough of those.
“Ah, ghostly garland? Do I even want to know what that is?” Vlad asked, an admonished look on his face.
“Sure ya do, Vladdie! It’s just like normal holiday garland, but dipped in ectoplasm! That way, it glows in the dark!” Jack explained with a smile on his face. If the man thought any of what he just described violated the millions of lab safety rules he learned in college, he didn’t show it.
“….Oh, no, that’s not part of the decorations. I have more… traditional decorations than that.” Vlad replied, wondering just what kind of Christmases the children had had. Perhaps this was a splendid idea after all.
“Oh darn. What about,” Jack began, hurriedly cut off by Maddie, a somewhat exasperated look on her face.
“Jack! Be patient, we just got here! At least let us all catch up and enjoy some time outside of the RV before we start working.” Maddie chided her excited husband. She may love the man, but he sure did like to act like a child when it came to Christmas.
Vlad stepped back and motioned to the large sitting area around the fire. Since the last time Danny and Maddie were here, two couches had been added, creating a semicircle around the fireplace. “Excellent idea, my dear. What would everyone like to drink?”
Everyone gave their drink orders and Vlad went to the kitchen to grab them. Everyone finds their spots on a couch; Maddie and Jack taking one couch, Jazz sitting on the other, and Danny taking a chair, assuming Vlad would take the one next to him. Vlad returned with everyone’s mugs balanced on a wooden serving tray and made a loop around the room, everyone grabbing their drinks. After returning the tray to its place, he sat down in the chair next to Danny. As the conversation picked up between the three adults, Danny couldn’t help but think back on how much the other halfa had changed since they met.
The two had formed an almost loving relationship in the past few months since the Pariah incident. Danny supposed that was just the kick in the ass the old fruitloop needed, since almost immediately after the horrible schemes to kill his father and seduce his mother stopped. He didn’t see hide nor hair of Vlad until Danny came home one day to find the man sitting on the couch with his parents, explaining almost everything and working through some of the misunderstandings the three had had for the last twenty years. It had been odd, to say the least, to see Vlad not only without his signature suit but without the bravado the man had exuded from their first meeting. It suited him, this vulnerable look, every expression genuine.
Shortly after that night, Vlad began visiting more often, at least two nights a week sometimes, just to visit and see what was going on in the family’s lives. At first, Danny was against the visits, still caught up in the way Vlad had treated him and thinking the two were still rivals. Then while Danny was on patrol one night, Skulker surprised him and hit him with a shock strong enough to knock him out. When Danny came to, he was laying on Vlad’s couch with a thin blanket over him, the man himself looking quite concerned over the boy. That night, the two had an actual, honest, and open conversation about everything. After that, Danny was more comfortable around the man and even allowed the older halfa to be his mentor.
Danny was pulled out of his thoughts as his father laughed particularly hard at a joke, probably told by Vlad. As everyone finished their drinks, Danny went around and collected the mugs, cleaning them quickly in the kitchen. When he returned, the boxes of decorations were being brought into the sitting room by Jack and Vlad as Jazz and Maddie took items out of the boxes and set knickknacks around the room. Danny jumped in with his sister and mother to set up a mini Christmas tree on a side table by the entrance to the room, delicately unboxing the tree and fluffing its green plastic branches.
Jazz began to decorate the large pine tree while Jack hammered nails into the mantle and hung the stockings, all of which were embroidered in each person’s name. Maddie was next to him on a stool setting up a village of ceramic snowmen, complete with little ceramic buildings and animals, on top of the mantle. Vlad set to work on untangling a new strand of Christmas lights that, despite just coming out of the box, managed to tangle themselves into a nest of wires. Vlad looked as if he has given up on humanity as a whole for creating those lights.
And so the night went on in peace, the family going from room to room decorating the cottage in Christmas cheer. One box from the pile had different types of holiday hats, including 5 Santa hats in varying sizes. Maddie grabbed the elf hat for herself, Jack simply took a Santa hat at his wife’s insistence, and Jazz took a headband with felt reindeer antlers on it. Danny rooted through the box and found the absolute perfect thing for Vlad; a pair of candy canes attached to a headband to look like antlers, bells attached to the curved ends so they jingled with every movement. Danny thought about taking a stereotypical Santa hat, but decided against it, going instead for a headband with foil presents attached to springs, also with bells on the end.
Vlad was currently rooting through a box in an attempt to find the tree topper he’d picked out for this occasion. Danny crept up behind Vlad as quietly as he could with several bells bouncing about at each movement and placed the candy cane headband on his head with a wild grin on his face. Vlad rolled his eyes and looked up at Danny, giving him an amused look through the hair now messily spread over his eyes. Falling back onto his haunches from his earlier position on his knees, Vlad gave a small laugh and commented, “Thank you, Little Badger, but I believe a headband is supposed to move the hair OUT of your eyes, not further into them.” An adjustment of his hairband so he could see later, Vlad resumed the search for the tree topper, a smile on his lips.
“Ah, here it is!” Vlad cheered as he finally found the topper, proudly displayed in its box. It was a giant silver snowflake, with what Danny sincerely hoped were large ruby rhinestones embedded in the center and emeralds embedded in each arm of the snowflake.
“Oh, it’s absolutely beautiful!” Maddie exclaimed, with a slight sparkle in her eyes. She had always loved Christmas so much when her father was alive and was ready to have a traditional Christmas this year.
“Jack, would you do the honors? After all, you are a guest here.” Vlad asked while standing up and removing the topper from its box.
“Aw, sure! Plus, I think I’m the only one who can reach the top without a ladder anyways!” Jack said with excitement laced in his voice and a shine in his eyes.
Jack reached up with both arms and attached the snowflake to the top of the nearly seven-foot-tall tree as carefully as the large man could. After the snowflake was secured and plugged into the light strands, Jack stepped back to admire everyone’s work. Vlad had tucked in the lights, Jazz added the garland, Maddie had strategically hooked the ornaments on the branches, and Danny had added the tinsel. The whole tree was gorgeous, even without the lights lit.
“Daniel, would you like to do the honors?” Vlad asked, raising the plugin for the lights in Danny’s direction.
“Sure thing, Uncle Vlad," Danny said with a soft smile thrown the man's way as he approached and took the wire from his outstretched hand. Sure, that looked sappy and showed he had feelings, but it was the holidays! Danny was allowed to show some feelings.
Danny bent down in front of the electrical socket and plugged the cord in, the tree casting an atmospheric kaleidoscope of colors across the room. He stood back up and joined the others in staring at the magnificent tree they had put together, a sense of accomplishment filling the room. Jack threw an arm over Maddie’s shoulder and looked down at her as if she was an angel and brought her into his side. Maddie shifted to wrap an arm around his waist and place a hand on his chest. Jazz placed her left arm over her brother’s shoulder and rested her right hand on his other shoulder, placing her forehead on the side of his head in the kind of hug only siblings can give.
Vlad sat back and watched the family interact with each other, showing affection earnestly, and was still not entirely sure where he fits in in this dynamic. This was the first Christmas he had spent with people that were not related to his business, after all. Before he could get too deep into this line of thinking, there was a pair of arms wrapped around his midsection and a head of fluffy black hair pressed against his chest. A longer pair of arms, a little above the first set, joined them. A taller set wrapped around his arms and chest, gluing his arms to his sides. Finally, a pair of arms came from above and lifted the group into the air, laughter escaping everyone as they had the life squeezed out of them in a loving embrace.
The group stayed locked in a hug for a long time, simply enjoying the moment, antlers and hats and springs lightly bumping into each other as the soft jingles of bells wafted through the air. As everyone separated, they were filled with love. The feeling floated through the air and mingled with the light scent of cinnamon coming from some pinecones sitting in a glass bowl on the coffee table.
This moment is what Christmas was supposed to be for the Fenton family, which now included one billionaire with a reformed heart of gold. Not the fighting over theories of Santa that usually come about this time of year, or the hyper-focus on ghostly happenings, or any of the other things the two parents dis that detracted from the holiday cheer for their children. A moment of unrestrained happiness for everyone in the room.
“This has been fun and all, Vladdy, but what’s for dinner?” Jack asked with a sheepish look.
With a laugh, Vlad answered, “There’s a stew in the Crockpot that I prepared before you all arrived. It should be ready by now.”
“Great! Let’s get a move on! All this holiday cheer has me starving!” Jack yelled, already charging for the kitchen and the gold and green Packers crockpot sitting on the granite countertop.
Maddie followed her husband into the kitchen with a soft and loving smile, leaving Vlad and the children standing next to the tree. With a gesture of his arm towards the kitchen, Vlad told the children, “Go on, I have to go last anyways since I'm the chef.”
“Thanks for all this, Vlad. This is just what we needed.” Jazz said with a laugh and a hug. “I better go before dad eats it all.” She entered the kitchen and took a bowl from her mother.
Vlad smirked down at Danny and nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen. “Better hurry, Little Badger. You’ve had a long day.” The two entered the kitchen as everyone else filed out and grabbed their bowls of stew.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully, with everyone piled around the fireplace in their pajamas. Holiday movies played on the television on a lower volume, stories of snowmen and reindeer and Santa interspersed with advertisements. Outside the window, snow fell lightly and piled into small drifts in the pale moonlight. An owl hooted in the distance. The stars above twinkled unobserved, and the night was calm.
The next morning, Christmas morning, Vlad awoke to the smell of coffee wafting into his room. He simply laid in bed for a few more minutes, knowing he was going to have a long day and wanting this moment to last forever. Brilliant white light reflected through the red curtains, showing there was a good snowfall last night. Vlad had hoped that would happen so there would be fresh powder on the slopes of the hills around the cabin for everyone to enjoy.
With a long stretch and a yawn, Vlad carded his hands through his long silver locks, straightening some of the crimped hair around his crown. He should probably brush it out before he leaves his room, but he’s sure it won’t hurt if he just threw his hair into a quick bun. Vlad rose from his bed and stretched once more, made his bed, and slipped a pair of house shoes on as he prepared to face the day. Straightening his shirt and pants, he follows the rich aroma of coffee to the kitchen, where Maddie, Jack, and Jazz were already fixing their cups with sugar and creamer.
A chorus of ‘morning’s’ met him at the doorway, which he returned. Out the kitchen window, his suspicions of snow were confirmed. It looked like there may have been six inches or so of snow, based on the covering, perfect for a good day of skiing and snowboarding. Grabbing his mug out of the cupboard, Vlad began making his coffee as the others went to the sitting area. Jazz set her cup down and walked to the tree, plugging it in and opening the curtains on a set of windows to give a full view of the surrounding landscape.
The entire scene was comforting to Vlad, who was so used to this cabin being empty save for himself and Maddie, his cat. Setting himself down in the chair he sat in last night, he couldn’t help but try to memorize every sensation he felt in this moment, focusing on the fuzziness and softness rising from his chest. Vlad was glad he was a better man than he was a year ago, but he also knew just how slippery of a slope he was on. One wrong move and all this comfort would be lost.
“So, what’s on the agenda today, Vladdy? Got something big planned for us, aside from opening presents and making dinner?” Jack asked with a yawn behind his coffee cup.
“Well, I was thinking we could all go skiing this morning. That’s why I placed a pair of goggles in each of your bags, after all. It would give us a chance to go outside for a while, and the fresh snow will make for some amazing skiing. Next, we could make up the ham in the fridge and some sides, then open the presents” Vlad explained as he cradled the warm cup in his hands.
“Oh, that sounds great! That doesn’t give us very much time to get everything done, though. Maybe we could push the skiing back a day, just to make extra time for cooking. After all, Christmas dinner is the last big meal of the year.” Jack said.
“Besides, we don’t even have skis.” Maddie pointed out.
Vlad waved his hand and explained, “Firstly, that does sound a bit better. I honestly forget how long it takes to cook a full dinner. Secondly, don’t worry about the ski situation. I’ve already bought everyone both a pair of skis and a snowboard. Everyone can choose what they want to use.” The one drawback to having a kitchen crew is that when you're without them you forget that cooking could take a long time.
"That's very kind, Vlad. Where will we be skiing? Do you own a resort around here or something?” Jazz asked in earnest. She just knew she was going to tear it up on a snowboard.
Vlad barked out a chuckle and replied, “No, I do not. Though, I suppose since I own a large expanse of the woods around here and have certain hills outfitted with miniature ski lifts, I may as well own a ski resort. There’s also a large pond not far from one such hill. If you would like to ice skate, it is open to you all. It should be fully frozen by now.”
“Oh, that should be fun! I’ve never ice skated before!” Jazz exclaimed. “I just hope I can keep my balance.” Jazz said with a nervous laugh.
“I’m sure ol’ Vlad could teach you! He was an amazing ice skater back in college! Practically had the ladies in line to learn from him!” Jack boomed with a hearty wink in the direction of his old college friend.
“Jack, you know just as well as I do that you’re exaggerating. Rest assured, we were unpopular enough that nobody waited in line for us, or even thought to make a line, for that matter.” Vlad said in a voice that sounded too much like his college whine for comfort. “Sure, I was pretty good, but it HAS been twenty years. I highly doubt that I have enough leg strength to successfully do what I did back then.” Vlad explained with a roll of his eyes.
“Oh, I know you can do it, Uncle Vlad! Please, could you teach me? It’d mean a lot!” Jazz asked, making puppy dog eyes at the man in hopes he would buy it. She didn’t think she would do good. At all. But she has always wanted to try, so why not?
With a sigh, Vlad answered “Alright, fine, I’ll do it. It looks like I’ll have to hunt out my pair of skates, though. I haven’t seen them in years, so I have no idea what kind of condition they’re even in.” The next day was going to be full too, it seemed.
“Thank you so much!” Jazz exclaimed as she rose from her seated position on the couch. “Would you like any more coffee?” she asked Vlad as she held a hand out for his mug.
“No, but thank you for the offer, Jasmine. I want to make sure Daniel can have as much as he wants as well.” Vlad answered as he handed the mug over.
While Jazz is in the kitchen putting the mugs down, she threw a good morning in Danny’s direction. The boy’s hair looked as if he had just woken up and ran his hands through it, sticking up at odd angles. He still had some dark bags under his eyes, but they seemed lighter today since he was finally getting some sleep on this vacation from Amity Park. No ghosts had messed with him so far, and he almost wanted to live here with the billionaire on that fact alone. He contemplated this as he picked out his black and white mug from the drainboard and shoveled in an obscene amount of sugar, followed by a flood of peppermint-scented caffeine.
Walking into the living room, Danny curled up in his chair and yawned, still not awake. “Good morning, Daniel. You look well-rested. Finally have a good night’s sleep, I assume?” Vlad asks with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. For once the boy didn’t look half dead, and Vlad was overjoyed to see his godson look that content.
“Mornin’ Fruitloop. I slept almost as good as a dead man, honestly.” Danny replied, a small and tired smile on his face. The only reply Danny received from the billionaire was a deadpan expression of earnest disbelief at his antics.
“Guess what, son? Today we’re all going to pile into the kitchen and cook, just like a real family!” Jack exclaimed, a smile on his face.
“Really? What’re we having? We don’t usually cook on Christmas, aside from warming up some ham and making those bagged potatoes.” Danny was almost scared. His mom wasn’t the most amazing cook, and don’t even get him STARTED on dad. It took Jazz pulling dad aside to make him realize that boiling frozen crinkle-cut French fries and mashing them wasn’t the same thing as mashed potatoes. Just the memory sent a shiver down the boy’s spine.
“Oh, we’ll be having a honey-baked ham, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, and some desserts. All of which we’ll be preparing today.” Vlad explained, mentally taking stock of what needed to go into the oven at what time, the ham being the first dish since it took so long to cook. “Dinner should be done around four or five, depending on cooking times.”
“And we already made up the Fenton Fudge this morning while the coffee was making. I probably should have prepared it last night, but it slipped my mind. It should be hardened enough by tonight, though.” Maddie explained as she rose. “So, should we get this cooking show on the road? We’re burning daylight just sitting here talking about making dinner.”
“I suppose we should. I did get a fairly large ham this year, and it may take a while to cook. Thankfully, it shouldn’t take long to prepare.” Vlad said as he rose from his seat, Jack copying his movements.
“That’s great! While you all do that, I’ll bring the rest of the presents inside from the RV and wrap a few more. Jazz, honey, want to help? Then Danny-boy can take the time to wake up.” Jack asked his daughter with a smile on his face.
“Coming dad! I still have a few I need to wrap up too!” Jazz said as she stood and followed her dad upstairs to get her coat.
Vlad and Maddie walked into the kitchen, chatting about their favorite holiday recipes while Danny took his time drinking his coffee, knowing today was going to be a great day, despite his previous dislike of the holiday.
The rest of the day past in a blur for the family of five as dinner was cooked, gifts were wrapped, and Christmas tunes gently echoed through the house. Occasionally, the radio would belt out a crowd favorite and everyone would sing, Danny’s voice cracking horribly as he tried to hit the high notes of “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Another time, Danny and Vlad teamed up to echo the lyrics of “Deck the Halls,” followed by Jack and Maddie performing a heartfelt duet of “Silver Bells” while they mashed the sweet potatoes and covered them in marshmallows. Jazz, not one to sing in front of others, even found the confidence to sing along with Wham! to “Last Christmas” for an impressive solo act, complete with a can opener microphone.
As the last of the dishes were finished and placed on the dinner table, the group sighed in relief. After hours, and a few burns, the meal was complete. The ham had a perfect brown glaze and delicious pink meat, perfectly moist. The marshmallows were a golden brown, and the mashed potatoes were white and fluffy. The smells that rose from the table were divine, and nobody could wait to dig in.
“What are we waiting on, let’s eat! I’m starved!” Jack exclaimed as he reached for a serving of mashed potatoes.
“You just read my mind, dad.” Danny laughed as he picked a piece of ham from his place on Vlad’s left. Maddie and Jack sat on the other side of the table, and Jazz was seated on her mother’s left side.
With that, everyone dug in, passing dishes around the rectangular dining table and eating their fill. Stories of family holidays were exchanged among the three adults as the children sat back and listened, laughing at times and giving their input at the end of each story.
Vlad shared stories of his childhood, of days spent playing on the family farm chasing chickens and running through cornfields without a care in the world. Danny never pinned Vlad as a farm kid from southern Wisconsin, but clearly, looks can be deceiving, especially those from a man who painstakingly crafted his professional appearance out of spite. Jack shared similar stories of caring for his parents’ cows on the dairy farm he grew up at. It was all the same stories that everyone at the table had heard a hundred times over the years, but each time was said just a bit differently. Maddie loved to talk about her and Alicia’s childhood as well, rambling about roaming the dirt roads in their home town on cool fall nights.
After dinner and a quick interlude to clean up and put the leftovers in the icebox, the family gathered in the family room once again. This time, Maddie and Jack sat on one couch, while Jazz and Danny occupied the other. Vlad moved one of the armchairs to Jack’s side of the couch and placed the other against a wall, which was immediately filled by Maddie the Cat. As was tradition, Danny and Jazz, being the youngest, handed presents out, each person’s piles stacked high with colorful boxes, bags, and misshapen lumps that definitely held clothing.
“3…2…1… Have at it!” Maddie shouted, throwing her hands into the air.
After a moment’s hesitation, Danny and Jack tore into the presents in unison with little regard to saving the shiny gift wrap. Danny received the telescope he’s been wanting for months, a Meade Polaris 130 EQ Reflector Telescope, and a tapestry that listed the different constellations with each individual star meticulously labeled. Those two alone were the best gifts he could have asked for. He also got the expected shirts, pants, and socks, along with a few new journals with stars on the covers.
Jack received items that mainly revolved around ghost hunting and science, like the pajama set printed with a cartoon version of Slimer from Ghostbusters. Since he worked almost constantly on the engineering side of their business, he was given a new set of wrenches and pliers, having lost many of them in the portal. He unwrapped a few sets of socks and a new jumpsuit, too.
Maddie, contrary to the boys’ style of unwrapping, carefully removed the tape off each metallic fold in her gift wrap and refolded the paper to use again. Her boxes contained a peppermint and cinnamon bath set and a beginner’s crochet set intended to help her achieve her goal of relaxing more in the new year. There was a colorful box of glitter pens and a journal wrapped in ribbons in her pile, as well as a new jumpsuit from her husband.
Jazz wasn’t as careful in her unwrapping as her mother, but she took her time opening each present. One package contained a large empty scrapbook with white paper, and another had a sticker set, colorful pens, and other little additions one would need to start scrapbooking. There were also two psychology-related books that Vlad had helped Jack pick out, one full of thought experiments and the other a textbook on teen and young adult mindsets for therapists-in-training. There were also a few new scarves, sweaters, and jeans.
Last but not least, Vlad opened his gifts slowly, treasuring the feeling of community and love he felt with his new family. He received a new red tie and handkerchief with some square cufflinks. In a bag was a collection of classic horror novels, which Vlad considered his guilty pleasure. He also received a box filled with yellow, wrinkled pages that held the writings of his old D&D campaign from back in college. Jack and Maddie seemed eager to start a new campaign with him, as they missed playing, and Vlad agreed immediately.
Finally, in a big square box, labeled from Danny, there was a black square scrapbook with an embossed gold Green Bay Packers logo on the front. Vlad didn’t even know the boy knew how to scrapbook. Upon opening the front cover, Vlad found a selfie Danny took the first time they had a real outing together. The two had gone out for coffee and had ended up going to the local observatory to watch one of their star tours. They had walked through the museum, and come to a replica cockpit for the Apollo 11 space shuttle. Somehow, Daniel convinced him to climb into the small seat with him and had taken a few photos, the last of which Vlad had finally smiled in, knees shoved into his chest and a raised eyebrow looking into the lens. Vlad decided to look through that later, almost afraid of what might be in there.
After all the presents were opened, Maddie collected the shredded paper and piled it into trash bags. As the night wound down, everyone looked through their presents and removed them from their packing, then changed into their new pajamas.
Jazz settled in with a book and Maddie began to write about the day in her new journal. Danny sketched some animals into a journal with the NASA logo on the front in metallic ink. Jack looked at his new tools and started planning new gadgets, making small sketches in his idea book. Vlad was focused on sorting out all the old papers from their many college campaigns and organizing them based on the time they happened.
The house was calm and warm, and all was as it should be on Christmas day.
A comm I got from @enmitypark aka @paranormanongrata of everyone’s favorite fruitloop and his snarky gf bodyguard. Their ship name is Fruitloops N’ Flytraps (FruitFlies for short) and I just think they’re neat~! I’m really jazzed to be posting this n I have enmity to thank!
Jess Terring AKA Jester belongs to @oathofoaks/@garneedshugs
Loren Frei, Penemue, and Gawain Strange belong to @cyanide-cynicism/@yoru-the-rogue
Lolotte Dresden/Penelope Caskett AKA Poppet belongs to @poltergeistprincesa
Grimaldi AKA Coquette belongs to @mind-your-fingers/@enmitypark
Schuyler Dunne AKA Cold Case belongs to @thedragonchilde
Doreen Spinster AKA Spinner, Regina Connolly AKA Recoil, Nikolai Panagakos, and Diana Panagakos belong to me
Bonus:
Unfortunately it’s not a two-parter, but the Troubled Birds don’t really have any viable quotes (that I could find, at least) that CAN be split into two parts.
