#‘The Epic of Half-Lives play

[kyreniacommentator]

‘The Epic of Half-Lives’ will be staged in November

‘The Epic of Half-Lives’ will be staged in November Girne Theatre SU, which continues its activities at Girne Municipality Chamber Theatre, will meet the audience in November with the play ‘Half Canlar Saga’. The play, which will be staged at the Girne Municipality Chamber Theatre on 1, 8, 15 and 29 November at 20:00, will meet with the audience in the +16 age category. Continue reading ‘The Epic…

[lorillee]

WE GOT ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

[bmpmp3]

its important to watch a new movie or read a new book sometimes. largely because 1) its nice to experience all the art this world has to offer but also 2) you might be able to find new scenarios to imagine your OCs in

[unproduciblesmackdown]

yes Hell Yes full "archie's all-american" in riverdale clip

[insanostyle1231]

one time on vrchat i talked to a guy and we were talking about the vr setup process and i said "we didnt have time to set it up until now" and then he went "wait we? like plural? like DID?" and i appreciate the sentiment but he forgot that roommates existed for a second there

[theghostofwilburtheworm]

SONIC 3 WAS VERY GOOD I GOTTA GO JUMP INTO THE OCEAN NOW

[eglerieth]

Some of y’all are not appreciating Bilbo Baggins enough. I am here to remedy that. This guy has:

• somehow managed to establish himself as a respectable, staid hobbit by the time he was fifty, despite being both a grandson of Bullroarer Took and the Shire champion of pretty much every aiming-game known to hobbitkind

• had an in-depth debate on pleasantries with a random guy passing by in the street, who turned out to be GANDALF

• collapsed in front of his own fire shaking and muttering “struck by lightning” over and over again in response to hearing about dragons and danger

• mind you, this was after he screamed loud enough to startle a roomful of Dwarves

• signed up for a dangerous quest completely outside of his league out of spite

• when told to scout out a mysterious light, saw some trolls, and instead of reporting back with the information, decided to PICK THE TROLLS POCKET

• arrived in Rivendell for the first time and said it “smelled like elves”

• upon meeting a strange creature that visibly wanted to eat him, he decided to play a riddle game with him- and guessed pretty much every one, and made up his own riddles, afraid and alone, that not only were good and full of linguistic puns, but actually stumped the other guy- AND THEN CHEATED AND WON WITH A QUESTION

• showed mercy to said strange creature who wanted to kill him, and was now standing between him and freedom

• eavesdropped on the dwarves arguing over whether to try to save him, then popped up casually smack in the middle of them just as they were debating

• somehow managed to sleep like a log at the really really high eyrie full of wild predators

• found himself in a bad situation, said eff it, and turned around and antagonized and fought off an insane amount of man eating spiders, like enough of them that fifty was a small portion, by singing at them with incredibly complex and punny insulting songs composed on the spot, while simultaneously slaying them in multitudes despite having zero combat training. Seriously, we don’t discuss enough how epic the spider scene is.

• broke a company of dwarves out of the very secure prison of the Elvenking by inventing white water rafting with barrels

• charmed his way out of being eaten by a dragon

• stole the frickin Arkenstone from the guys who employed him, one of whom was a king

• took part in an epic battle, only to be knocked out in the first ten minutes and miss the entire thing

• was named elf-friend by the guy who’s prisoners he sprung

• wrote his own autobiography, complete with all the narrative recognition of his own heroics

• spent 60 years writing said autobiography

• taught his lower class neighbor’s kid how to read

• taught his nephew Elvish- not only Sindarin, but Quenya too

• spent decades telling his cousins his own story as fairy tales, complete with character impressions accurate enough that one of them was able to fool a servant of the Enemy with a second hand impression

• used the One Ring of Power to hide from his neighbors

• planned an elaborate feast with multiple social faux pas to mess with his neighbors, complete with a purposefully bewildering speech and culminating in him vanishing into thin air in front of everyone

• left his cousins and neighbors very unsubtle passive aggressive gifts in his will

• settled into Rivendell, randomly befriended the heir to the throne of like half of Middle Earth, and apparently spent his time writing very personal poems about his hosts and reciting them to crowds of elves

• after being invited to a Council of basically every major kingdom in the continent, spent a quarter of the time reciting vague poems about his friends, a quarter of the time telling anyone who would listen about his heroic past, and half the time interrupting to ask when lunch would be

• volunteered to bring the ring to Mordor

• became one of only four or five mortals in history to live in Valinor

Seriously, Bilbo Baggins may well be the most chaotic, insane person in the entire legendarium, and that includes the likes of people like Finrod “bit a werewolf to death to save the life of guy who he just met and gave up his kingdom for” Felagund.

[cevansbrat0007]

Regrets Only.

Summary: Ari reaches his limit with your latest TikTok prank...

Warnings: Mature Themes, Smut, Ari Being A Menace, TikTok Pranks, Shenanigans, Angry!Ari, Brat!Reade, Small Chase Kink, Light Manhandling. Biting, Spanking, Bondage, Handcuffs, Overstimulation, Cursing, Minors DNI

A/N: Prompt courtesy of @jamneuromain. Part my Sweet Renegade Series. Semi-proofread, not beta'd. All mistakes are my own. Likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!

In all the times you’ve tried, you’ve never once regretted pranking your man with something you’d seen on TikTok – until today. Yes. Believe it or not, this time you might’ve gone a bit too far. 

Which is why you’re currently holed up in Ari’s fairly spacious closet, sipping on a bottle of water and munching on a granola bar while you wait for the bounty hunter to calm down. You lean back with a sigh, only to wince when you feel a shoe digging into your side. 

You make quick work of tossing it to the other side of the room before returning to the treat in your hand. But just as you go to take another bite, you hear something that makes your stomach sink - even as your pulse spikes. 

And it lets you know that you are well and truly fucked.

Earlier That Day (Roughly Twenty-Seven Minutes Ago)

After a solid ten minutes of vigorous stretching, you bend down to check the laces on your tennis shoes. Once they’re secure, you quietly make your way to the kitchen to retrieve the items you needed for your latest prank. The one you planned to play on your favorite unsuspecting bounty hunter, who was blissfully snoring away on a couch in the living room. 

Now, this particular one just so happened to be a little…bolder than either of your previous stunts. It required more courage, coupled with a dash of bravery, and a well thought out Plan B in the event things went south. 

You open the refrigerator and pull out the pack of hot dogs you’d bought during your last trip from the grocery store. While you’d originally told Ari that you wanted him to put them on the grill, he had no way of knowing that they would also be used to torture him. Common sense told you that you’d be better off keeping that tiny piece of information to yourself. 

Stifling a mischievous giggle, you extract one singular frankfurter from the package before resealing it and putting it away. Next, you move to your utility drawer to gleefully swipe a pair of scissors. 

This was the entire plan. You were going to quietly tuck a hot dog in your man’s zipper, and then wake him up so he could watch you snip it in half with a pair of scissors. In all the videos you watched – and you’d watched a number of them – every bleary eyed victim panicked as if you’d just cut off their actual dick. 

And therein lay the prank. 

The clips had left you in stitches for hours. So much so that Ari had noticed how much fun you were having, only to roll his eyes when you revealed that you were scrolling through his least favorite app on your phone.

Fucking TikTok.

He hated it. You loved it. Frankly, the only reason he even tolerated you telling him about the things you’d seen is because he could tell it brought you joy. 

Excitement buzzes through you as you tiptoe into the living room. You’re grateful to see that Ari is still sleeping, snoring soundly with one impressively muscled arm tucked behind his head. 

With gentle hands, you dutifully undo the zipper of his Levi’s before carefully inserting the hot dog. Since you don’t want to mess this up, you make sure to go slow, taking your time. You just knew this prank was going to be epic. 

Once that’s done, you briefly take a second to wipe your hands on your leggings before taking a deep breath. Well, it was now or never. Go big or go home, as they say. 

Leaning down, you grab Ari by the shoulder, attempting to jostle him awake. It takes a couple tries, but he does eventually open his eyes.

“Whaa–?” A grin breaks out across his handsome features as he emerges from his sleepy haze. “Hey, baby.”

“Hiya, Beast.” You offer him what you hope looks like your most unhinged smile and the reveal the pair of scissors that, up until now, you’d kept hidden behind your back. “How’s about I take a little off the top?” You sing, brandishing the shears. 

“The hell?” His confused blue eyes go wide as they follow the path of the scissors. Shock overcomes him as he watches, in what feels like slow motion, as you cut off a sizable portion of the frank. 

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” He roars, grabbing himself as he scrambles off the couch and onto the floor before proceeding to do the funniest, most awkward backwards crab walk you’ve ever seen in your life. 

You double over with laughter as Ari struggles to come to grips with the fact that you definitely did not just make him the next John Bobbitt your Lorena. He’s breathing hard as he rips the hot dog out of his zipper, holding it up to the light. 

“Oh my God, that was amazing!” You wheeze.

“The hell is wrong with you?!” He tosses the damned thing across the room before covering his face with his hands as he wills himself to calm down. “Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”

Wiping tears from your eyes, you decide to put the bounty hunter out of his misery by whispering his least favorite phrase: “It was a prank!” A renewed wave of laughter hits you when you recall just how gobsmacked he’d been by the whole ordeal. God, your sides hurt something fierce. 

“Just what in the ever loving fuck would make you think that was funny?” Ari growls low in his throat as he finally sits up. And the look he’s giving you now…

It’s hot enough to burn right through you. And not in a sexy way.

“That’s just the magic of TikTok, I guess.” Your smile wanes as you watch your severely irritated boyfriend slowly climb to his feet. “I mean, you should’ve seen your face when–”

“When what?” Comes his quiet rumble, the sound reverberating deep in his chest. “When I thought you cut my dick off just now? Is that–is that what you’re laughing about?” The smile he offers you looks a little less than friendly.

“Um yeah. I’d say so.”

Instinct, as well as the need for self-preservation, has you taking a cautious step backwards. You were prepared to run if you had to. It was the whole reason why you’d stretched in the first place.

“Oh yeah?” Ari scrubs a palm over his ticking jaw. “Is that so?”

Instead of responding you decide to simply nod. Oh, and take another step backwards, of course.

“I’m sure that if you’d maybe stop and think about it –”

“Why don’t you c’mere so I can show you just how much I appreciate your so-called sense of humor?” He motions you forward, opening up his waiting arms. 

But you know better. 

“I, uh…” You hedge, bracing your hands in front of you. “Can see you might need some more time to appreciate the joke. So I’m just gonna…um…” You blow out a breath. “Give you some space so you can – eeeep!”

An incensed Ari picks that moment to strike - lunging at you with a speed that belies his size. Thank goodness you’re prepared. Ducking under his arms, you spin around and make a mad dash for the stairs. Squealing, you take them two at a time, hoping to make it to your sanctuary before he can get his hands on you. 

“Get your ass back here, Bird!” 

No way, pal!

Heart pumping, you grab the doorframe and all but slingshot yourself into Ari’s bedroom, slamming the door behind you. While it would only buy you a couple of seconds, that was really all you needed. 

You dive headlong into a nearby closet before swiftly closing the door and hitting the lock. As your chest heaves, you decide to take a seat on the floor before reaching for the bottle of water you’d previously planted in your hiding spot.

After guzzling almost half, you replace the cap. You knew you ought to conserve your rations. Just in case you were stuck here for a while. 

“I’m not on your shit today, baby. Okay? Today your man’s got time!” Ari bellows seconds later. “So, if I were you, I’d come on out now!”

Shaking your head, you vow to stay silent. So you say nothing, even when he tries the knob on the door that separates him from you. 

“Open up, sweetheart!”

Again you say nothing, in favor of unwrapping one of your favorite granola bars. They were the chewy kind, the ones that tasted more like dessert than they did something healthy.  

“I’ll come out when you calm down!” You finally yell back after you chew and swallow. “Fucking Beast.” You grumble under your breath.

“Oh, I’m more than calm.” The weight of his sardonic chuckle is not lost on you. “Why don’t you come on out and see?” You can’t help but jump when one of his fists pounds on the door. “I swear…I just wanna talk.”

“I don’t believe you!” 

“You’re gonna open this door, darlin’.”

“No, I’m not!” You hiss, throwing one of his shoes at the wall for good measure.

“Yes, you are.” Ari hits back. “Now, you can either come out on your own, or…”

“Or else what?” 

“Or, I’ll come in there and get you. And trust me, little Bird…that’s the last thing you want.”

“Yeah?” You spit, meanwhile inwardly lamenting your man’s lack of a sense of humor for the umpteenth time. “Well…” You take another bite of your granola bar. “I’d like to see you try.”

Famous last words.

Ari whistles low, making you shiver. “Wait right there, baby. I’ll see you in a minute.”

You let out a sigh of relief once you get the sense that you’re finally alone. As funny as it all had seemed initially, you were quickly coming to regret this particular prank. The longer you sat in this closet, the more you began to honestly examine – and then reexamine – your life choices.

Perhaps it was time to give your newfound love of pranking your bounty hunter a break. Lips pursed in thought, you allow yourself another bite of your chewy bar. Only to frown when you hear a very familiar sound that fills you with instant regret.  

Apparently Ari had returned. And he’d brought his power drill. Fuck!

Your mouth goes dry as the sound grows louder. And then you’re forced to watch in horror as your man makes fast work of literally removing the closet door from its hinges. It was the last thing you ever expected your normally rather patient and understanding boyfriend to do. 

“There’s my girl.” Ari’s dangerous purr comes as he picks up the now useless slab or wood and sets it aside like it weighs almost nothing. “C’mon out of there so we can talk.” 

When you don’t move, your bounty hunter decides to come get you. He hauls you out by your wrist, making sure not to bruise you in the process.

“Beast, don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic? I mean – ooh!” You scoff, only to rise on your toes when his free hand comes down on your vulnerable ass. Hard.

“Ow!”

“Let me make something very clear here, darlin’.” He leads you over to the bed before sitting down and then pulling you over his knee. “You want to waste time messin’ around on that stupid app you love so much? Fine.” Ari slaps your rump again, forcing you to bury your face in the covers to keep from crying out. 

“But where I’m gonna draw the line right now is you testin’ ‘em out on me. Unless you’re in that kitchen whipping up a new recipe I am not to be your guinea pig. You get me?”

His heavy palm comes down hard again when you don’t respond. This time he takes a moment to massage your cotton covered backside. “Do. You. Get. Me.” Each word is peppered by a solid smack.

“Yes!” You wail, although it comes out slightly muffled. 

Still not satisfied, Ari goes to grip the waistband of your leggings, dragging them down to your ankles, complete with your simple, white cotton panties. “This could’ve been a relaxing Sunday for us, little Bird. Just mindin’ our own business.” You can’t help but shiver when you feel him fondle your upturned ass, molding and massaging your burning cheeks. “But you just had to go and be a brat, didn’t you?”

“I–I’m sorry!”

It was too little, too late. And you both knew it.

“Oh now, you’re sorry.” He mocks before raining down a fury of perfectly-timed smacks. “I love you, baby. I do. But I also know you. You’re not really sorry – at least not yet.” 

Ari eases out from beneath you, all the while demanding that you remain face down with your reddened ass pushed up in the air so that he can enjoy the view while he prepares the next part of your punishment. And you had best believe you feel his sharp teeth sink into the left globe of your ass before he goes.

Consider it a parting gift.

One Hour Later…

And that’s how you found yourself handcuffed to the bed, courtesy of the signature purple, butter leather cuffs he’d had made for you. Unfortunately for you, you’d learned that he’d recently purchased another set��

For your ankles.

Your bounty hunter smiles as he picks up one of your vibrators – the one you’d purchased together – before applying it to your already oversensitive clit. Bucking your hips, you try to escape the torture.

With no such luck.

You desperately tug at your restraints, even as your cries fall on deaf ears. No matter how many times you promised to never play another prank on him ever again, it still wasn’t enough. Instead he’d continued to keep you bound while he worked out his anger…

By ruthlessly overstimulating your poor, sweat slicked body. No matter how many times you came, no matter how many times you threatened to scream yourself hoarse, he kept demanding more.

Because, according to Ari, since you’d taken a few years off his life, you apparently owed him as many orgasms by way of apology as you were able to give. Which meant you were going to be sore as hell tomorrow. 

Which was why, in this moment, although you could feel another orgasm threatening to overtake you, you were filled with nothing but…

Regrets only.

END  

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[tswiftupdatess]

taylorswift: In summation We have officially wrapped the European leg of The Eras Tour. With it came the most passionate crowds I’ve ever played for, new traditions in the show, and an entirely new era added in. It was a more hectic pace than we’d done before, and I’m so proud of my crew/fellow performers for being able to physically perform that show and build our massive stage, take it apart, and make magic with so few days in between for recovery and travel. They’re the most impressive people I know and I’m so lucky they gave The Eras Tour their time, their energy, and their expertise. Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us. Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows. In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that. And then London felt like a beautiful dream sequence. All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.

We had some EPIC surprise performances from my long time friends teddysphotos, florenceandthemachine, and jackantonoff. Performing ‘Florida!!!’ with Flo for the first time was unforgettable and Ed took me right back to our old Red Tour memories. It was the most dizzying honor to become the first solo artist to play Wembley 8 times in one tour. To the fans who have seen us this summer, you’ll always have the most sparkling place in my memories. You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with. We’ll see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. May it continue… 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤🩷🩶🤎💙🤍

(August 21, 2024)

[rainydayathogwarts]

Me and you - Harry Potter

This came to me fresh out of the shower and it was so cute in my head I couldn't not write it. Summary: You keep on telling Ron to just 'ask her out' so he challenges you to ask your crush since it's oh so easy. Somehow, you both end up with dates. 0.8k+ wc

"It's not that hard Ron, just ask her out!" You complained, sighing in annoyance. Your legs were swung over the side of an armchair in the living room of Sirius's parents' old house, holding your book in one hand, you index finger dipping into the middle of it so that you didn't lose the page you were on. You'd been reading, or rather, trying to read for the past hour, and for half of that time, Ron Weasley, one your best friends, sat right in front of you on the carpet, making shapes on it with his finger while whining about his silly crush on your other best friend.

"You'll never know if you don't ask her!" You added, opening your book once more, hoping he'd get the hint. Sirius and Remus sat on the couch amusedly, matching grins on their faces at your constant bickering. You reminded them of a young Sirius and Lily, with Lily trying to frustratedly get back to her book, telling Sirius to finally ask Remus out from pure annoyance. "Right well if it's so easy to just ask your best friend out, who you've had a crush on for years, why haven't you done it?" Your eyes widened at the comment, eyes pausing on the words on your page and you slowly looked up from the book at Ron's retort, mouth open in shock with your eyebrows raised as if to call him out for his audacity.

"Go ahead, if you're so brave. Ask him out and then I'll take your words seriously." You were painfully aware of the pairs of eyes glued to you as you clamped your mouth shut, eyes quickly glancing towards Remus and Sirius to confirm your suspicions. Their jaws were slack, their silence speaking volumes. You scoffed, putting your book aside and rolling your shoulders back. If there was one thing that would gain your old Professor and his epic boyfriend's approval, it would be this. You shot one last glare at Ron before clearing your throat, watching as his eyes widened in realisation.

"Hey Harry!" You called out cheerfully to the other side of the room where Harry was playing - and losing - a game of chess against George. Hermione and Fred watched their game, adding comments where necessary, but at the sound of your voice, all four of their heads snapped towards you. You had to will yourself not to look at any of their faces other than the boy you were talking to, instead continuing "What do you say we go to Hogsmeade together the weekend we get back at Hogwarts." You swallowed nervously, adding "Me and you." for good measure.

Your eyes trained on Harry, who nodded, smiling shyly as a blush painted his cheeks rosy. "Yeah, yeah of course." He looked back at the board before turning to you once more. "Wait as friends or-" You shook your head, abruptly cutting him off "No. Not-not as friends" You adjusted yourself on the armchair, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as Harry's face darkened even more, and he nodded again, stating "Yeah, I'd like that. Okay." You inhaled deeply, nodding your head with him as you felt your face heat up. "Okay." You grinned timidly, sinking into the chair before looking at your best friend, feeling giddy.

Without taking any time to recover, you raise your eyebrows at Ron, nodding your head in Hermione's direction. Cursing, Ron stood up from the floor, mumbling under his breath before mimicking your movements and calling out "Hermione?" When the girl looked up, her locks falling perfectly around her face with an expectant look on her face, he asked "Do you want to go out? With me?" He gulped loudly, observing as the girl's cheeks flushed darkly, a grin engulfing her features. "Sure, Ron." She replied, giggling at the end of her sentence. "Oh thank god!" He exclaimed, turning away from her immediately to collapse on the empty space on the couch behind him, clamping a hand over his heart.

A loud silence overtook the big room, with the exception of a "It's your turn, Harry." From George. You and Ron stared at each other, wide-eyed, before you finally said arrogantly. "I did it better." The reply from him came instantly "No the fuck you didn't. Me and You?" He mocked, his voice going exaggeratedly high pitched. "Uh, with me?" You imitated gruffly, ducking to avoid the pillow Ron threw at you. "Hey! You started it!" You shrieked, picking your book back up, promptly hiding your face in it to cover your flushing cheeks and excited smile.

"Holy shit." Sirius commented. "Look at them go." Remus hummed from beside him, ignorant to the fact you could hear them perfectly. "It only took you and James months of convincing each other to ask us out. Took them two minutes." On the other side of the room, Harry and Hermione shot each other excited looks, grinning at the loud conversation you had with Ron. "I think she did it better." Harry whispered, hitting his shoe against Hermione's. "Oh yeah, she definitely did."

[evermoredeluxe]

taylorswift: In summation

We have officially wrapped the European leg of The Eras Tour. With it came the most passionate crowds l've ever played for, new traditions in the show, and an entirely new era added in. It was a more hectic pace than we'd done before, and I'm so proud of my crew/ fellow performers for being able to physically perform that show and build our massive stage, take it apart, and make magic with so few days in between for recovery and travel. They're the most impressive people I know and I'm so lucky they gave The Eras Tour their time, their energy, and their expertise.

Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us. Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows.

In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it's right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.

And then London felt like a beautiful dream sequence.

All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.

We had some EPIC surprise performances from my long time friends@teddysphotos, @florenceandthemachine, and @jackantonoff. Performing 'Florida!!!' with Flo for the first time was unforgettable and Ed took me right back to our old Red Tour memories. It was the most dizzying honor to become the first solo artist to play Wembley 8 times in one tour. To the fans who have seen us this summer, you'll always have the most sparkling place in my memories. You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with. We'll see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest.

Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime.

May it continue...

💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤🩷🩶🤎💙🤍

📷: TAS Rights Management

[preppyacademy]

From a meaningless virtual life to the preppy boy I am now

Elliot's story

To convince you to come to the Preppy Academy, here's Elliot's personal testimonial. His life has changed radically thanks to our school's methods. The following are his words: 

Hello, my name is Elliot, I'm 20. I'm a student at the Preppy Academy. I'd like to thank M.Gilliard, our principal, who has asked me to write an account of my time here. 

Two years ago, I was still living with my father. I often dressed in sportswear; I loved Adidas clothes, so comfortable and easy to put on. Did I do any sport? No, not at all, but my mates dressed the same, so I followed suit. When I wasn't at school, I used to play video games all the time. I wore my clothes for days on end because I was too lazy to change. My bedroom was a real dump, with everything strewn all over the place. My diet consisted of eating chips and drinking sodas. 

My father was fed up with my bad behavior. He works in business, economics, something like that. My mother left us when I was a kid, and since then it's just been me and him. He'd tell me to “tidy my room”, “get dressed properly”. But I didn't give a damn, soon, I thought, I'll be able to leave soon, and I thought I'd be able to live with a friend in a flat-share for a bit of fun. 

There was a week when I made a decision that I had regretted at the time but that now makes me what I am. That week, it was at the beginning of my school year and I was playing a game that was too epic and I wanted to do it too much, so I made my dad think I was going to high school while I was pretending. Then, when he left for work, I'd come back and play on my P.S. console. But my stupidity caught up with me, and my father was contacted by the school and told of my repeated absences. It was a Thursday lunchtime, I remember, and he came home to find me quietly in bed. He came into my dirty room and said: 

" Elliot, that's enough! You're not going to school anymore, you're dressing like crap. Look at you, you've got holes in your clothes. You haven't washed or combed your hair in days. Things are going to change for you. A colleague at work told me about a boarding school that would be perfect for you. "

I was on my phone when he said this so I half-listened, as usual. He was clearly desperate about my behavior and had every reason to be. Now I understand. At the end of the afternoon, my father called me and reminded me that he had to take me to the dentist for an annual check-up. I'd completely forgotten, it wasn't something I was interested in remembering. I stayed in the same clothes and he took me to the dentist. I really didn't remember the appointment. Once there, my father accompanied me inside. A waiting room with other parents and their teenagers. There were guys from high school, who were also dressed in sweatpants and sweatshirts and sneakers. I wasn't the only one who dressed like that, which is why it seemed normal to do so. When it was my turn, the dentist called me in. I sat down in his dentist's chair. He asked me to lie down so he could check the inside of my mouth. He put some products in my mouth to relax it. And these products were starting to put me to sleep; he'd put in more than usual. 

I had fallen asleep on his armchair, I didn't know for how long. When I woke up, my hands were tied tightly to the chair. I tried to speak, but my mouth was still anesthetized. My father was talking to the dentist, and they were both looking at me. My father had collected my things, my bag and my phone. Looking around, I soon realized that I wasn't really at the dentist. The man posing as one approached me and said: 

"Elliot, your father, has informed us of your behavior at home and has decided to leave you with us for a while. Do you agree? "

I couldn't answer as my mouth was still anesthetized. 

" Since you're not answering my question, I imagine you're completely in agreement. If you don't say anything within a minute, we'll assume you agree."

I was trying to speak to refuse and scream for help, but only discreet moans came out. 

" Then we do have your agreement. "

My eyes began to tire again and I finally dozed off again.

I don't know what treatment he gave me, but it was like a dissociation. I saw myself outside my body like a ghost looking at my body. My father left with my things. The staff laid me properly on the bed and undressed me. I was completely naked at one point. They put a red ball in my mouth and covered my mouth with a gag that held with a tight strap behind it. I was as if unable to act, in the hands of my kidnappers. They dressed me in a white short-sleeved polo shirt, buttoned all the way up, tucked into khaki shorts with a brown belt, white knee-high socks and black loafers. They then cut my hair and styled it, neatly styled to the side and held with wax. I began to regain consciousness little by little, but I felt as if I were paralyzed in my own body, between the products that were still taking effect and the bonds that prevented me from fleeing. 

"Elliot, you're back with us. We've prepared you in a more respectable outfit than the garbage you used to wear. This preppy outfit suits you much better. Your hair looks much better like this. You probably have a lot of questions, but you're in good hands. I'm Doctor Greenwood, I'm here when sometimes you need a little push to get you into the Academy. I'll leave you here tonight and you'll make your official entrance tomorrow. "

I was stuck on this bed for several hours, and above me they'd set up a screen with a series of images and sounds that I had no choice but to watch. And no matter how tempted I was to close my eyes, a deep voice kept reading every word on the moving image. Eventually, I fell asleep to the rhythm of the video, which hypnotized me as it went along. 

“I want to be a preppy boy. Good preppy boys must obey, serve, submit, behave. Good boys comply. I want to be a good preppy boy” again and again and again...

This mantra was stuck in my head like music that never wants to come out. I still felt resistance, an urge to rebel and run away, but I was blocked and strangely began to feel pleasure at the idea of being a good preppy boy. 

When I woke up, four men in their thirties, all dressed in pastel shirts tucked into their pants, with bowties and loafers, took me by force. They took me by the arms and forced me to follow them. They put me in a van and tied me up. My gag was still in my mouth and I couldn't scream. I was at their mercy, with no power or control over the situation. I was their object. 

I was taken to a large, ivy-league type establishment, at the top of the main entrance is written “Preppy Academy”. I was led inside and up the stairs. I arrive in a very elegant office, with wood paneling and bookcases on every wall. The 4 men undress me.

I find myself in a preppy outfit: a white and blue striped OCBD shirt, pastel yellow shorts, red and blue suspenders, a dark blue and red striped tie tied around my neck, long white knee-high socks and dark loafers. Nothing to do with my outfits at home. I've been completely transformed into a preppy boy. I'm left with my hands tied and my mouth gagged in this office. I don't know what to do, I'm a slave to this establishment. My outfit isn't as comfortable as the one at home, I can feel the fabric of my shirt on my torso compressing me, the suspenders holding my shorts are like two ropes binding my outfit to my body, the pulled-up socks are so humiliating, I feel like a boy. But as I think I'm disgusted by my outfit, I realize that it actually turns me on. I like to think I have to be dressed like this to feel good. A few minutes later, a man in his fifties walks in. He's dressed in a nice three-piece suit, with a red tie. He looks at me deeply: 

"Hello Elliot! Welcome to the Preppy Academy. Your father told me you weren't behaving properly at home. He contacted us and paid for your enrollment. Whether you like it or not, you're staying here. You'll wake up here and sleep here. Your education needs to be reviewed. You must learn to be a good preppy boy for your superiors. I am M.Gilliard, the principal of this prestigious establishment. I am the Master of all the students here. You owe me obedience, submission, service and respect. "

These words enchanted me, and even though I wanted to leave, I could only nod in agreement. 

"To complete your admission among us, I must collect something. "

The 4 young men from earlier return and make me sit down on the chair, holding me tight. Mr. Gilliard unzips my pants and pulls out my penis. I start moaning, not agreeing with what's happening. Mr.Gilliard puts a sort of cage on my penis, forcing it to stay very small and any erection would hurt. 

" It's called a chastity cage. I'm the only one who keeps the keys. Every good boy here is caged. Your personal pleasure doesn't matter; you're here to obey and learn to serve. Your only satisfaction at the end of the day is to please men superior to you. "

“I want to be a preppy boy. Good preppy boys must obey, serve, submit, behave. Good boys comply. I want to be a good preppy boy”. This phrase made more and more sense. I was introduced to the establishment, the rules to follow and taken to a room I had to share, with a wardrobe full of preppy clothes, nothing I'd had before. 

I've been here for two years now and I don't want to leave. I like to serve my Master when he asks for it. I like being a good preppy boy. Obedient and helpful. I don't miss my old life anymore. I encourage all boys and men to come to the Preppy Academy. You'll love it! 

[cynthiav06]

I have been living with this headcanon/brainrot about Athena (both from Epic the Musical and pjo) for a long while and a warning for the faint of heart, you know what read it anyway cause it haunts me , so everyone else has to be haunted by it too, cause I am petty like that.

Most people might be aware of the myth that Athena sprung from Zeus's head fully formed and in battle armor, but a few might not know the preceding myth, so here's a quick recap:

Zeus married the titaness Metis, who was the titaness of wise counsel, wisdom, and planning. She was also Athena's mother. Metis was his advisor, both an indispensable aid and threat to him, given her power and cunning. But it's no Greek mythology without a son overthrowing the father archetype haunting the narrative. There was a similar prophecy about Metis's second child being so powerful that he would overthrow Zeus. Mind you Metis was pregnant with Athena when the following events transpire:

Zeus being Zeus, paranoid and power hungry, the King of the Gods and the God of "Justice" manipulates Metis into playing a shape-shifting game and when Metis turned into a fly , he swallowed her whole. [I know Greek patriarchs have a thing for eating their children or spouses pregnant with said children. Runs in the family, apparently]

Mind you in Greek myths, swallowed children, or in this case, swallowed wife pregnant with said child stay alive for a good amount of time even inside someone else's organs. So Metis gives birth to Athena inside Zeus's head and raises her there. She teaches her warfare and strategy until Metis herself eventually dies, i.e., her essence fades. Knowing what she must do to not meet the same fate, Athena hammers on Zeus's skull from the inside to escape. Everyone knows the rest of the myth.

But imagine Athena's first lesson being that the man she calls her father is the one who killed her mother and almost killed Athena herself by swallowing Metis so she must do everything in her power to survive and avoid that fate by staying on his good side. To try and fit in this twisted family of immortals, half of who hate her existence and half who are indifferent to him. So she does exactly that.

Think of Athena asking to be a Virgin Goddess from learning of what comes of marriage with gods.

Now, the continuation of Athena's myth is that she goes to Atlantis to train with the sea nymphs. There she makes her first ever friend and someone she comes to dearly love, Pallas. Greek myths being allergic to happy endings, one day when Pallas and Athena are sparring as they do a bit more seriously this time; Zeus being a nosy bastard decides to spy in just when Pallas is about to land a finishing blow on Athena. Thinking she might kill his daughter, he kills Pallas by blasting her with his lightning. Athena, being heartbroken , Zeus gave her Aegis as an apology. The continuation of this is that Athena adopts the namesake Pallas Athena and even carves a statue in likeness of her friend called Palladium and then more.

But think of Athena heartbroken and bitter as the Goddess of Wisdom learns her second lesson, then she must abandon all personal relations and sentiment before her father ends it for her in one way or another. For Pallas was the first true relation in her life after her mother.

Keep in mind that Pallas is Poseidon's granddaughter through his firstborn son and heir Triton. This is the point that sparks eternal enmity between Athena and Poseidon, and all those who come after will suffer in the wake of this tragedy.

So Athena chooses to remain alone and without a friend to avoid such a situation. Imagine Athena being hurt, especially brutally, when Odysseus says: "Since you claim you are so much wiser, why's your life spent all alone? You're alone!"

Because that's exactly it. Athena is wise. She knows the consequence of endearing herself to someone again so she stays alone to avoid such a thing and yet coming from someone who is so close to being her first friend in a long time, hurt and enraged she leaves.

Now, when finally Athena comes to terms with her friendship with Odysseus she finds yet again that her father Zeus struck him and his crew in a similar fashion to Pallas , yet again ripping her only friend away from her .

He is not dead yet, and Athena isn't about to let that happen. This time, she fights against Zeus, risks her life and position of being the favorite, and her survival method all because she can't bear to see Odysseus die.

Think of the agonizing fate of Athena, repeatedly being traumatized by her father yet having to do his bidding and stay on his good side to survive and live not for herself for she lives in misery but for the people who suffered for died for their association with her. In her eyes, she must suffer tenfold for letting this happen thrice, for all eternity under the man who so wretchedly ruined her life.

[oneshotnewbie]

𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒓

𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘹 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘑)

Authors note: Something silly that I wrote some time ago and forgot about in my files. It doesn't fit into the actual universe of Criminal Minds but I had fun writing it

Summary: A sword fight between Emily and reader that ends up with them making a really screwed up confession of love.

ᕚ---ᕘ

It was a Thursday morning in the BAU office, and despite the serious work that awaited them, there was a slight sense of anticipation today. This was mainly due to the small but meaningful things that brightened the team's day-to-day life.

Emily Prentiss sat at her desk, intently leafing through a file. The case the team was working on was complex as always, but she had the extraordinary ability to quickly get to grips with the grim details while still keeping her calm. As she tried to focus on the next section on the paper, a familiar figure approached her.

You strolled to her desk with a relaxed smile on your face. "Ready for the next team meeting, Prentiss?" you asked, leaning your lower back on the edge of her desk. Emily looked up, right into your eyes, a smile instantly spreading across her lips. "Sure, just a few more pages. And you?"

"Me? I hope there's coffee," you replied with a grin, but before you could continue the conversation, JJ came into the room. In her hand she held two colorful cards and a slight smile played around her lips as she walked towards you two.

"Hey you two," JJ said and held up the cards. "I have something for you." Emily raised an eyebrow, curious. "Hopefully a coffee for the lady here, otherwise she'll fall asleep during the team meeting."

JJ grinned mischievously and shook her head as she placed the cards on the table. They were small, hand-designed invitations that were full of childlike creativity. Emily immediately recognized Henry's handwriting scribbled on the invitations.

"It's time," JJ declared proudly. "Henry is celebrating his birthday - knight style."

Emily took one of the invitations and looked at it with a gentle nod of approval. The card was lovingly designed, with little knights, castles and dragons that Henry had obviously drawn himself. There was glitter and bright colors everywhere. "Oh, that's sweet," she said, holding up the invitation. "Knight's birthday, huh?"

"He's going through a phase," JJ explained dryly, shaking her head again. "Everything is about knights, castles and swords at the moment. I've got half a cardboard castle in my living room now."

"Sounds like an epic birthday," you said, taking one of the cards towards you. "I'm looking forward to it." JJ eyes lit up with excitement, but then leaned slightly towards you both, as if she wanted to tell you a secret. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And there will be lots of wine."

Emily and you looked at each other for a moment and then burst into loud laughter at the same time. "JJ, you know you don't have to lure us with alcohol," she said, still laughing. "We would have come anyway, whether there was wine or not."

"Oh, I know," she replied with a simple wink. "But it doesn't hurt to mention it, does it?"

The three of you grinned at each other, your eyes darting between the two women. "So, knights, wine, and maybe some swords? That sounds like a great party!"

"No real swords, nerd," JJ said quickly, eyes now resting on you in playful warning. "And be careful what you say. Henry is very sensitive at this stage and soaks up everything. He might actually think you're going to show up as knights."

"Well," Emily said casually, leaning back in her chair, arms folded under her chest. "Who says we don't?"

"Oh please," the blonde moaned jokingly, rolling her eyes. "The last thing I need is for you to show up in full knight costume and give Henry even more ideas to make my life difficult."

You licked your lips, crossed your arms under your chest as well, and rocked back and forth slightly. "Don't worry, Jayie. We'll behave. At least a little bit."

She punched you lightly on the shoulder. Emily joined her as she looked at the invitation once more. It was sweet how much Henry's enthusiasm for the topic was evident in the card. She knew that JJ would do anything for her son, and it was heartwarming to see how she tried to give him the best birthday possible.

"When exactly is the spectacle?" asked the black-haired, carefully placing the card on her table. "Saturday at 1p.m.," JJ answered curtly. "It's going to be quite a turnout. The kids are having a jousting tournament, and of course there's cake. And, as I said, for the adults there are... well, other incentives."

"I'm in. I mean, who could turn down a jousting tournament and wine?" Emily said hesitantly, her shining eyes meeting yours as she waited for your answer. "Exactly," you agreed. "I'm looking forward to seeing Henry in his armor."

„He ordered a special suit of armor. Complete with helmet and shield. You'll see - the boy is obsessed." JJ answered, overwhelmed by the stress of the last few days.

Emily imagined Henry in his armor, running excitedly through the garden with a small sword. The idea brought a sparkle to her eyes. It was always nice to experience moments away from work that were so full of innocence and joy. "So we'll see each other on Saturday."

"But don't expect any real battles, okay? I don't want to take either of you to the hospital and feeling the need to explain myself."

"No promises," you replied, earning another hit to your upper arm, this time harder. JJ shook her head, but the smile on her lips was unmistakable. "Thanks for coming. It really means a lot to him that his favorite people are here."

"We would never miss that."

As JJ walked away from the desk, leaving Emily and you alone, she couldn't help but feel a burst of joy in her heart. Her steps were light, almost buoyant, and as she walked through the busy office to the conference room, she was lost in thought.

The thought that you and Emily had both said yes immediately made her glow with joy - but not just because Henry's birthday was already looking perfect. No, there was something else. Something she had been noticing for a while.

JJ was good at noticing the little things. After all, part of her job was to recognize human connections and unspoken feelings. But here, with you and Emily, it was more than just professional intuition. It was the way you treated each other—the way you always found each other with a look or a smile, even in the most hectic moments of the job. The way you shared an unspoken familiarity that JJ hadn't missed.

It was almost obvious that there was something between the two of you, even if you and Emily hadn't admitted it to yourselves yet. JJ thought about how she had watched the two of you today. The laughter you shared, the way you were obviously comfortable in each other's presence—these weren't coincidences. She saw the sparks that flashed in each of those moments, even if you both might not have fully realized them yet.

JJ had always had a special bond with you and Emily. You were both such different people, and yet over the last few months she had seen how well you complemented each other. Emily was strong, determined, but she had a vulnerability she rarely showed. You, on the other hand, brought a certain lightness and warmth to her world that Emily sometimes so desperately needed. You understood each other on a deeper level than many people ever would, and JJ knew that you could be special together—if only you had the courage to let it happen.

Maybe, JJ thought as she walked up the stairs, Henry's birthday was just the opportunity you needed. In a more relaxed environment, away from the dark cases and constant pressure, maybe the two of you could finally let go of the barriers you had so carefully built around yourselves. It wasn't a question of if, but when.

She had secretly made it her mission to give you a little help. Subtle, of course, because JJ knew that neither Emily nor you appreciated intrusive advice or interference. But if you could spend a little time together outside of work through small gestures - like this invitation to Henry's knight's birthday - maybe the rest would follow.

Another thought brought an even wider smile to her face: Emily and you, together, in a room full of children, knight's helmets and cake - and of course the promised wine. It was the perfect mix of innocence and lightheartedness. And maybe that day you would realize what JJ already knew: That you two were meant for each other. You just had to see it for yourself.

She felt a warm feeling of contentment as she walked on. The thought that her two best friends might soon be more than just colleagues and close friends made her happy. After all, Emily and you deserved happiness, and if there was even a small chance that you could find it together, then it was all worth it.

Yes, JJ thought as she returned to the reality of the room, that was a good plan. Sometimes people just needed a little nudge in the right direction - and who better to give that nudge than herself?

ᕚ---ᕘ

Saturday had arrived, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect for Henry's knight's birthday. The sun shone warmly on the spacious garden behind JJ and Will's house, where a small group of children were already romping about in homemade costumes. Colorful balloons and pennants in the colors of Henry's favorite theme were scattered everywhere. An inflatable castle also stood proudly in the garden, and the laughter of children and the clinking of plastic swords could be heard from the windows in the living room.

Emily and you stood in front of the door, each with a large, colorfully wrapped present in your hands. The black-haired one was wearing a loose shirt and jeans that went perfectly with the sunny day, and you, in light jeans and a tight top, looked like you were ready to enjoy a party or jump in at a spontaneous knight's tournament at any time. You smiled at each other before Emily knocked on the door with her free hand.

It practically flew open, and there stood Will, and a little further away Henry, the birthday boy himself. He looked simply adorable in his little suit of armor decorated with a golden dragon. His helmet was slightly askew, and the sword he held tightly in his small fist wobbled excitedly.

"Y/n! Em!" he shouted with pure happiness, dropping everything - including his helmet - and running straight towards you with his arms outstretched. You carefully dropped the gift on the floor and leaned forward to hug Henry. "Hey, my little knight! Happy birthday!" you said as he clung tightly to you. It was a heartwarming moment that made Emily's heart beat faster.

But as quickly as he had rushed in, he disappeared back to his friends, who shouted loudly and pulled him back into the action. "Wow, that was fast," Emily laughed as she bent down to pick up your gift. "He's really in his element, isn't he?"

"Absolutely," you agreed as you took it back. You entered the house, where the festive atmosphere was almost tangible. Colorful garlands decorated the interior, and the smell of cakes and other treats was in the air.

JJ, who had just come out of the kitchen, saw the two of you. "There you are!" she called happily as she came towards you and pulled you both into a side hug. "I hope you're very thirsty and hungry."

"And we have big presents," Emily added after she let go of her and held up the package.

JJ nodded and led you through the hallway straight into the kitchen, which served as the unofficial meeting place for the adults during these hours. In one corner of the room stood a bottle of red wine, above it a few glasses that she took from the shelf and filled with wine.

"It's nice to see Henry so happy," said Emily, taking a small sip from her glass as the blonde handed you both one. The taste of the wine was velvety and exactly what you needed after the stressful week. "And we wouldn't have turned down an invitation anyway. Knights and wine? Sounds like an unbeatable combination.“

You nodded in agreement and raised your glass to toast the day. "To knight birthdays and the best hostess there is." JJ laughed loudly, her cheeks turning into a bright pink as she clinked glasses with the two of you. "You're being too nice to me today, I don't like that. And now let's just relax for a few hours."

The next few hours flew by. The three of you sat in the kitchen, drinking wine and laughing about old stories from past missions and countless anecdotes from life. The conversations flowed easily and the tension they often felt at work seemed to dissolve further with each glass of wine.

JJ sat at the head of the kitchen island, a content smile on her lips as she watched Emily and you. She saw the way you spoke to each other, the smiles you unconsciously shared, the playful sideways glances and Emily staring at your lips for too long. It was exactly what JJ had hoped for - a chance for the two of you to let go and just be yourselves, without the pressure and darkness of work.

Emily, who usually seemed so composed and strong, seemed almost lighter, more carefree today. Her eyes lit up at every joke you made, and she laughed more often than usual. And you seemed completely in your element, chatting effortlessly with Emily without it ever seeming awkward or forced.

JJ took another sip of her wine and sat back, satisfied with how the afternoon had gone. Outside, the children's happy laughter drifted in through the open window as the jousting reached its climax.

"You two are really making this afternoon perfect," JJ said finally, grinning over her wine glass. She didn't mean it as a polite compliment - it was a sincere statement. She saw the connection between Emily and you growing, and that filled her with joy. For Emily, you, and JJ, today was just Henry's birthday, good wine, and the company of friends.

It was a day that none of them would soon forget - a day full of lightness and joy that gave them the strength to prepare for the next adventure. And maybe, just maybe, this day would be the beginning of something even bigger.

ᕚ---ᕘ

Evening had long since fallen, and the last rays of sunlight glittered through the windows as the children were gradually brought home. The knight's castle in the garden was empty, the plastic swords lay scattered in the living room, and the sounds of childish tumult had died down. Inside, however, there was still no peace. Emily, you, and JJ had spent the evening enjoying the rest of the wine, and the laughter in the kitchen had grown louder as the bottle emptied.

"Well," JJ said with a sigh as they returned to the living room and saw the chaos of the party. "It was nice, but now it looks like a battlefield." Emily raised her wine glass as she took another sip, her reddish lips formed into  mishevious smile. "Oh, JJ. What would a birthday be without a little chaos?"

You, who was already standing slightly unsteadily next to Emily with your arm wrapped under hers, swirled your glass. "I think that's part of the theme. A little mess.”

JJ shook her head and pointed to the scattered balloons, confetti, and cake remnants on the floor. “Well, let’s start cleaning. You two heroes can and will help me clean up. Otherwise, there will never be wine for you again.”

Emily and you put your glasses aside and got to work. That was the plan, at least. You both ran in different directions and bent down to pick up balloons and paper cups while JJ cleared the table. But in the middle of cleaning up, you suddenly spotted a small foam sword stuck between the cushions of the couch. You picked it up and looked at it, wide-eyed.

“Uh oh,” Emily murmured when she saw you swinging the sword. “I see what you’re up to.”

“Oh, you mean this?” You grinned cheekily and playfully poked Emily in the side with the soft tip of the sword. "Hey!" Emily shouted, trying to dodge while laughing. "That's unfair, you're armed!"

"I'm a noble knight," you announced with exaggerated drama, putting a hand on your hip and raising the sword triumphantly in the air. "And you... are my challenge!"

Emily instantly grabbed one of the other foam swords that were lying on the floor, quickly mimicking your movements. "Oh yeah? Well, if there's going to be a fight, we'll take this one out here!" she shouted, deliberately adopting a famous movie quote style, which only made you laugh even more.

At that moment, you jumped onto the couch, swung the sword over your head and shouted: "I challenge you to a duel, Lady Prentiss!" With a dramatic jump, one foot rested on the couch rest as you swung the foam sword over you in circles. "Come here, if you dare!"

Emily didn't hold back for a second. She charged at you with her sword raised and tried to push you off the couch with quick blows. "You don't stand a chance against me!" she shouted playfully, grinning as she slammed the sword against you.

JJ was now standing at the edge of the room with her arms crossed. She watched the two of you as you engaged in an increasingly intense "sword fight" on the couch and rolled her eyes slightly annoyed. "You two are impossible," she muttered half to herself, knowing you weren't listening anyway. "Really, it's like the kids aren't even really gone."

"Watch out!" Emily shouted as you tried to jump over the back of the couch. "You're fighting the best swordswoman around!"

"Oh yeah?" you, now completely caught up in the fight, dodged her blows and then deftly jumped over the couch to land behind Emily. "I think you underestimate me, Lady Prentiss!"

"Underestimate?" Emily turned around and let out a cheerful laugh, pointing her sword straight at you. "I'm just giving you a head start, knight without honor!" JJ raised an eyebrow and took a step forward to get your attention. "Guys, can you please stop acting like children and help me clean up?"

But neither Emily nor you really listened to her. The fight had taken up your full focus, and you both became more and more lost in your playful battle. You made another leap over the couch and landed lightly on the floor before raising the sword towards Emily's sword and slamming it onto her sword with a loud "clang" (at least in your mind).

"That won't do you any good," Emily shouted, pushing you back with a few deft blows. "I have the higher castle heights on my side!"

"Castle heights?" you giggled as you tried to dodge her attacks. "What are you even talking about?"

"Ssssh!" Emily shook her head and grinned widely. "That's part of the story, Knight y/l/n! Play along!"

JJ groaned in mock annoyance and put her hands on her hips. "Are you sure you're not a few years younger than I thought? Maybe I accidentally invited two more children?"

"Maybe," you groaned as you jumped back onto the couch, almost losing your balance. "But you should be careful, JJ! Lady Prentiss and I are having an epic battle here!"

"Epic, huh?" JJ muttered, raising her hand to her forehead, swiftly slightly overwhelmed with the situation. "Yes, epically messy. I see, I'll have to clean everything up myself."

Emily, slightly out of breath, lunged at you again as you tried to hide behind a pillow. "Your cover is of no use to you, Knight y/n!"

"Oh yes it is! I have conquered the highest couch lean in the land!" you shouted triumphantly, swinging the sword over your shoulder. "I declare this couch my fortress!"

"Then I will storm this fortress!" Emily shouted, jumping at you, sword pointed forward. The two of you land in a heap of pillows and laughter on the couch, completely lost in your silly game.

JJ saw the mess and finally started giggling with you both. She couldn't help it - her two friends were completely childish, but that was exactly what made the evening so wonderful. Maybe they really were still children at heart. "You know what?" she finally said with a crooked smile. "Maybe you two are exactly what I needed tonight. Chaos included.”

“There you go, JJ,” you gasped between a fit of loud laughter as Emily finally defeated you with a “victory blow” and raised her sword triumphantly. “This is true friendship.”

JJ shook her head, looked at the two of you sitting on the couch, breathles, and couldn’t help but smile. She had always known that the two of you had a special connection—and tonight you had proven it once again.

You plopped down first on the couch, breathing heavily and still grinning as if the day had been one big, absurd adventure. "I think," you said, leaning back and stretching your arms over the back of the couch, "I haven't been up to this much mischief in a long time."

Emily, who fell down next to you, nodded and sighed deeply. "My arms hurt from the sword fight." She grinned and closed her eyes briefly. "But it was worth it."

For a moment it was quiet. The two of you sat next to each other, your heads relaxed against the pillows while the soft ticking of the clock in the background filled the room. It was the kind of silence that only comes after a long, eventful day - comfortable and relaxed, but with a hint of unspoken thoughts.

You glanced to the side, looked at Emily, and opened your mouth as if you wanted to say something, but then you paused. You felt as if there was something that had been floating between them all day, an unspoken tension that suddenly became tangible now that the commotion was over.

Emily noticed it too. She felt his gaze on her, opened her eyes, and turned her head slightly toward you. Her smile was exhausted but warm. "What?" she asked quietly, a hint of amusement in her voice as she returned the eye contact.

You hesitated for a moment, and then it burst out of you - kind of stumbling, without any real control. "You know, Emily... I... I think I'm really bad at saying things like this, but... um... I think I like you."

Emily blinked in surprise. "What?" She laughed lightly, as if she wasn't quite sure if you were serious or if it was another part of the joke that had been going on throughout the evening.

You groaned and rubbed the back of your neck. "Okay, that sounded really stupid." You let your head fall back onto the arm of the couch and stared at the ceiling. "I meant that..." You sighed deeply and closed your eyes. "Damn, this gets worse the more I talk."

Emily looked at you, a mixture of confusion and amusement on her face. "Wait... you like me?" she asked, more slowly this time, trying to find the thread of the conversation.

You slowly opened your eyes, looked at her and nodded slowly. "Yeah... but that sounds so... so... elementary school." You shook your head. "I wanted to tell you that I really like you... more. You know, in a way that isn't just... friendly."

Emily stared at you for a moment, completely baffled, and then burst into a nervous laugh. "Oh god, that's... that's a really messed up confession." She shook her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, but the smile remained. "But you know what? It's kind of fitting."

You raised an eyebrow. "Fitting?"

"Yeah," she said, still laughing. "I mean... look at us. We're just not the types for grand romantic gestures, are we? We fight with foam swords until we nearly fall off the couch, and then we make some kind of... half-confession."

You giggled softly, relieved that she took it so lightly. "I guess that's true. But it's better than saying nothing."

"You know... I like you too." She said before taking a deep breath. You were surprised, but the smile on his lips grew wider. "Oh really? And this is coming after my brilliant declaration of love?"

Emily rolled her eyes and punched your arm lightly. "Oh, stop it. You said yourself that we're not the ones for romantic gestures. But... yes, I like you. In a... more-than-just-friendly way too."

For a moment it was quiet. They looked at each other, and it was as if the room around them had changed - the silence was now charged, but in a pleasant way. It wasn't an uncomfortable tension, but rather a kind of certainty that they had just taken an important step, even if it was far from perfect.

You slowly raised a hand and extended it toward her. "So... what now?"

Emily looked at your hand, then back into your eyes. A soft, honest smile played on her lips as she took your hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I think we'll figure it out," she said quietly. "Together."

You stayed like that for a moment, your hands intertwined, the exhaustion of the day still in your bones, but now with a new sense of closeness that neither of you had expected. Maybe it really hadn't been a classic declaration of love - more of a botched, chaotic mess. But it was her mess. And that made it perfect.

"You know," you said finally, clearing your throat, "I almost managed it without completely embarrassing myself." Emily laughed and leaned her head against your shoulder. "Don't worry. We both survived the knight fight, I think we can make it through this too."

[maygrcnt]

having ravi brainrot so here’s my list of things i need to see if when ravi main happens:

ravi begins OBVI. i need to see baby ravi going thru cancer treatments, and then i need teen ravi (while anirudh can still play high school age please) going through another cancer scare, i need to know what ravi’s moment was that made him want to be a firefighter. just ravi begins is a need.

buckravi bestieism!!!! i keep thinking about how ravi was framed in that shot of eddie and chris after buck gets his medal and ,,, there’s some serious potential for buck and ravi to get close and have a brotherly relationship i need it rly bad.

need him to meet may. need it expeditiously, especially since they’re such similar ages (if i’m not wrong may is like a year ish older than corinne and ravi is a few years younger than anirudh so they’d be really similar i think). just the potential to have more moments like may explaining FOMO where they are the token young people™ of the gang

i want a ravi love story :)) i want him to get a big epic romance i just think it would be so sweet. anirudh in the front half of never have i ever before his character is revealed to be a douche plays the sweet boyfriend SO well and i need that for ravi who is way more of a sweetie than des and would treat a partner so well

want to see more of him finding his place in the main 118 team. right now he’s kind of the elusive guy who shows up sometimes and says a funny line, i need FULL on adoption into the fucked up dynamic. i want him to be all ravi about it still and resist the team pulling him into the craziness but i want him in there so bad :)

i wanna see where he lives!!! with the landlord thing (dear lord i can’t believe that’s canon) they could make him have a pretty cool apartment with no need to care how expensive rent would be because he owns the damn building lmao.

in the same vein, wouldn’t it be funny if we get a reveal that ravi is bucks landlord lmao i think we should do that

[starry-bi-sky]

DPXDC Idea: Mother of Monsters Dan(yal)

Specifically Fem!Dan because I made this in mind with my Fem Danyal Au bUT. The best part about Dan is that I get to play dress up with her, and Fem Dark Dany is gonna go by Layal (pronounced lae-el) because it means "the nights" and it sounds similar to Danyal, and I think she'd choose that name to mock Dany. ANYWAYS

Mother of Monsters Danyal. She may be evil but she's an Al Ghul at her core (even with vlad's soul merged with hers - however, considering that Layal looks and sounds like Dany, she considers that soul to be the more dominant one.) and loves animals. And she might be heartless, but she adores the monsters of the infinite realms.

Mother of Monsters Layal who hates everyone but utterly dotes and adores on every manner of beast she comes across. Stealing the eggs and infant young beasts of the Infinite Realms to raise as her own because she wanted them. Her own island full of monsters, a monstrous menagerie of her own. She steals most often from poachers or exotic pet keepers and other menageries -- the full grown beasties can keep their young.

And with every monster she raises, she can shapeshift their features onto herself, allowing her to change her shape from humanish to any matter of monster or hybrid creature. She calls herself their mother, and them her children. Her precious little babies, capable of incredible mass destruction and mayhem.

From little griffins the size of kittens, to stymphalian vulture chicks, and leviathan young hatching from eggs the size of her pinkie, to creatures native of the ghost zone that didn't even have names in the living realm. There really wasn't a limit to what or who she would take in and she didn't limit herself to any form of mythology. If they were beasts and they were unwanted, she wanted them. And as such, amassed her own mini army of "children" willing to listen to her any command.

Earth doesn't know what hit it when she attacks them.

There are many monstrous forms she could take on, the first one I've thought of is a combination of various serpentine/reptilian features. The body of a naga -- her lower half long and serpentine, her upper still human -- with spiked fins connecting from the bottom of her arms to her sides, ever seen Sinbad where Eris goes "you might have seen my likeness on the temple walls" and her arms do that fin thingy? Same concept. Her hands are webbed and taloned, perfect for slicing through the skin of the living, and her teeth are needle-sharp and shark like. Her hair can either be spiny and feathery-like like the spines of a lionfish, or frilled like a frilled-neck lizard. It's perfect for dealing and doting on her reptilian and amphibian-inclined darlings.

I'm more of a fan of aus where Dan is a sibling of Danny's rather than their kid, so Layal's redemption(..?? probation?) proceeds with her legally becoming Danyal's "twin" sister, who had been lost to the foster system before the Fentons adopted Dany, and was only recently reunited with her. The two of them look so alike that the lie is easy to take root and spread.

Layal is very indignant to the fact that she's now ten years in the past and has to restart her menagerie all over again. Do you know how much blood and sweat went into raising those children? How dare you separate them from their mummy. Although she'll admit she does miss their juvenile years, so she won't mind (too much) needing to raising them again. Dany is helping her retrieve all of them though, dammit.

long story short: epic the musical's "Scylla" has a CHOKEHOLD on me and this is the result of it

Unlike her Dan counterpart, Layal's voice is dancing and sirenic. It's purposely alluring and motherly, in order to lure people into a false sense of security until she feeds them to her "children." Echidna doesn't have shit on her. She almost seems friendly and reasonable, until you get too close and realize it was all an act and she drops it to metaphorically swallow you whole. She's like an anglerfish that way. She and Dany both sound like Scylla from Epic.