#but still it was a fun ustensile

[sportsallover]

Ellesse Andrews being sponsored by Zespri is so funny to me, personally

[portgasdwrld]

📂Invitation

Featuring: Ace x fem!reader

Warning: Suggestive, established relationships

Note: I love writing about Ace, what can I say..

You were sitting at a table in this mildly crowded bar with some member of the crew. You played with your ustensiles as you felt jealousy building up. Your eyes throwing daggers at Ace’a tattooed back. Your boyfriend was caught up in a conversation with two, not one, but two women at the bar.

He was always painted as an extrovert as he enjoyed meeting new people and getting to know them. It goes without to say that he also had a lot of friends and your relationship itself started on a friendship.

There was nonetheless an issue that you couldn’t quite fix with him, he was too fkg flirty with strangers. He could be social or whatever he said, but you knew he just likes to get a reaction out of you by throwing a nice smile at some random girl.

-Are you planning a murder? Marco teased as he watched you glare at the fire user.

Your gaze shifted to your friend and you let a deep sigh with a defeated expression.

-Ugh, he’s so annoying.

You whined while ruthlessly dropping the spoon on the table with a slight pout. He chuckled while throwing a good luck, knowing it won’t be simple to tame down his younger brother bad habits. Ace loved you more than anything else in this world and he always made it really clear, but he was also playing on your nerves sometimes.

You sipped on your drink, trying to forget about this and enjoy your time here, before going back to the boat and sail for days or maybe weeks.

-Y/n, let me fix your lipstick. A gloss would make them pop too.

Izou commented noticing the change in your behaviour ever since y’all got there. He tried to distract your thoughts and it kind of worked as you agreed and searched through your purse.

He handed you a shade he thought you would like and you grabbed it before applying your gloss on top.

-Oh! I really like it! Thanks!

You exclaimed happy as you checked yourself out in your small mirror pocket. Then, Izou and you engaged in a fun conversation talking about your similar interest and your impressions of the island. By that time, you forgot about Ace, not even noticing a man stopping behind you and tapping your shoulder. Izou frowned and you looked over them to see a handsome tan man smiling at you.

-Hey, I couldn’t miss how pretty you are and I was wondering if I could maybe invite you for a drink? I hope I’m not interrupting!

He explained and finished by pointing at you and your friend. You shook your head with a giggle. You smiled back flattered by the compliment and his politeness, but you had a boyfriend (even tho he wasn’t really boyfriending rn💀).

-I’m sorry, I already have a boyfriend.

You replied with an apologetical smile. He seemed disappointed, but flashed his light teeth again and you noticed a dimple on each of his cheeks.

-Alright, then! That sucks, but do you mind if I still get you something? Anything that you want, it’s on me tonight.

-Uh..I mean, I’m not really sure. You can go ask my boyfriend. If he’s fine with it, then I will be more than happy to have free food~

You retorted unsure as you quickly glanced at Marco next to you. Marco smirked to himself as he sipped on his beer. You pointed at your man so the stranger could see who was the “boyfriend” in question.

-Damn, he seems to have quite the company..

He commented under his breath, giving you flashbacks of your early night. You frowned annoyed and rolled your eyes.

-Yeah, tell me about it.

You spat with bored eyes, clearly over the situation. You didn’t wanna give it to Ace, that you were jealous and to go up to him and be like “ hey girlies, that’s my man y’all flirting with, by the way~ I’m sorry to break the possible threesome ideas, but here’s the truth.” To then beat him up for being such a manwhore.

Anyway…

The guy nodded as he chuckled. He walked away towards the pirate with confidence and just stole one of Aces fries. It earned him a dark glare from him that you and to stop breathing for a sec. You didn’t want a fight to break out here in the middle of the night.

-Are we getting some actions tonight ?

Marco commented with a teasing tone. The other guys laughed as you just gave a confused look to Izou.

-Soo, I heard the pretty girl there say you’re her boyfriend. Is that true ?

Ace’s eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at you and noticed your table and few others were looking at the scene. You rubbed your face with your hands expecting the worse. He turned his body sideways so he was kinda facing the man.

-Yeah it’s true. Why do you wanna know?

-Because I wanna invite her for a drink and some food.

-Go ask someone else, she’s taking.

Ace spat back annoyed, you could see his already thin patience running out. He grabbed his hat on the counter and put it over his dark hair. He stood up, standing face to face with the stranger. You noticed the two girls exchange a look, before they stared at you and gave you a sorry smile, that you awkwardly received.

-Well, she refused anyway, but I still wanna invite her table.

The man continued plainly as he was lighting up a cigarette. Ace cocked one of his eyebrow as he was thinking about it, he looked at you for a plit second. Your boyfriend rolled his eyes and smirked, his signature cocky grin.

-Nah, if she needs anything, she has me. So we will be good thanks. Go find another girl, there is plenty of them here.

He concluded, but the man in front of him didn’t seem satisfied. He exhaled a cloud of smoke in your boyfriend’s face, before he slightly leant in front of Ace.

-Then be by her side, cowboy.

It was the last straw for your boyfriend that grabbed the stranger collar and punched him in the stomach. The stranger fell on the floor dragging a table in his fall. An uproar surged in the bar, people yelling excited from the unfolding fight.

-I don’t need to hear it from you.

Ace growled back as he walked away from him. You shook your head not quite believing this encounter turned into a fight. He walked over to the table you were sitting with an apologetic smile. You glared at him with a disapproving expression.

-Hey, sorry for creating a scene. I should’ve stayed with you more tonight.

He apologized with a peck on your forehead. The commander put his hat on your head. You sighed but a small smirk creeped up your lips. You pushed his hat slightly backward so you can stare at him.

-Then make up for it, Fire Fist~

[marciego]

hiiii :)

do you have some leonetta headcannons?

hii <3 always let's go!!! apparently with a big focus on domestic leonetta today?? oh well hell yeah

when they first started spending the night at each other's place (mostly when they're living on their own i mean, not necessarily when they're still with their parents), vilu wanted to do very romantic things like having breakfast in bed and leon tried to indulge her

she then quickly noticed how much getting crumbs on the bed was testing his patience (he tried really hard not to show it so she could have her cute breakfasts in bed, but he does have a pretty expressive face)

after that, she took time to discover parts of him she never got to know, very practical, domestic things you know? like getting to see him evolve in his space, the way he cleans

i see leon as a bit of a clean freak, and i say that in the way that i think he'd be the kind of guy who cleans his space because it makes him feel better, calmer, but also who cleans because sometimes he gets uneasy when he's not cleaning (most of the time i think it'd be something else he bottled up and that only gets to go out like this lmao), and i think vilu would be very good at noticing when he's cleaning because it feels good, and when he's cleaning because it feels bad

if it feels good, she loves watching him from afar having his moment with himself, if it feels bad she lets him take this time to calm down, and then tries to bring it up later

they're both morning people, but while leon is pretty normal at night, you cannot tell me that violetta doesn't fall asleep the second her head hits the pillow, no matter what time it is

leon will be chatting with her from the bathroom while getting ready for bed and when at some point she just stops answering, he chuckles to himself and knows he'll go back to his room to find her already sleeping, most of the time in a really uncomfortable position because she wanted to wait for him to go to bed and tried her hardest to stay awake

btw i am Convinced that when miss 'rich girl who's always had olga to do everything for her and who puts her shoes on her bed' got her first apartment and had to learn to live on her own, it was a MESS. there were clothes EVERYWHERE, dishes broken and just so much chaos going on, she tried to do what she did at home which was just helping olga without realizing how much more olga was doing without telling her and she ended up completely overwhelmed by the whole thing. the first time olga came to visit after like two weeks or so she probably had a heart attack, and then she gave her an affectionate lecture while cleaning the whole place with her and helping her get through it

leon probably had that rich kid problem to some extent too, but i really don't think it was as bad as vilu

anyway back to leonetta!! they cook together!! a lot!! especially when they're at their peak in their careers and don't get to spend as much time together as they'd want, when they're finally alone i want them to cook and have fun and make a mess because they do Not cook as much as they should so clearly it's not that good in the end, but they had fun

when they do it they put music on and vilu dramatically sings along the song, using whatever ustensil she has for cooking as a mic

every single time leon laughs with her but says he doesn't do that, but eventually she gets him to join her, even tho he's still more reserved

they probably end up laughing and dancing and kissing in the kitchen while their meal is burning in the oven but it's ok they're in love <3 they can order takeouts <3

also i don't know when they'd actually move in together but i really feel like at least for a while they'd want to have their own places you know? they'd take the time to figure it out by themselves but together before doing it together together

ludmila says they're idiots because they're always at each other's place anyway so what's even the point

the day they move in together is also a relief for everyone in their friend group, because these dumbasses got so used to living with each other but also not living with each other that nobody never knew what "let's meet at my place" meant

at least twice a week misunderstandings happened because of leon telling people "i'm home" when he was actually at vilu's place i just know it

even after months of them actually living together, naty never loses the habit of asking "wait when you say your place, do you mean YOUR place or leon's--oh wait right that's the same now"

and last but not least because you gotta stop somewhere. when they moved in together violetta sure as hell took her curse with her, which means that everyone just barges in leonetta's apartment no matter what time it is, and it drives leon insane

"does ANYONE know how to knock on doors in this city??" you can hear leon ask while vilu is so used to it she doesn't even see the issue

ALSO A LAST ONE for real this time

federico has a spare key to their apartment and absolutely never tells them when he's coming back from italy

sometimes leon comes home to federico eating chips on his couch, which is both a good surprise (he gets to see his friend) and a bad one (crumbs on his couch)

[theexecutionerssong]

hello gaelle! could you maybe help me with some advice about concerts? soon i'll be going to my first one ever (a music festival) and seeing that you went to a bunch of concerts i was wondering if there's anything i shoud know, how to be prepared. bisous ❤️

Hey love! Ohhh so exciting! Which festival is it? I actually have a list that I send to my friends when they join me for festivals, I translated it for you, here you go:

wear comfortable and water/mud proof shoes like sneakers with thick soles. No opened shoes, you might get stepped on and that fucking hurt

wear layers. I usually go with bathing suit, t shirt, sweatshirt with a zip and a hood, and light waterproof coat depending on the weather. you will get cold at night. avoid short skirts, you’re going to want to sit a lot between gigs, it’s more comfortable to wear shorts or long skirts (I like long skirts better because of the cold at night, it keeps my legs warmer than shorts)

take a bandana, for the dust. sometimes the air is so dry and full of dust it’s annoying to breathe. very usefull too when there’s a color party :))

take sunglasses

take a hat (something that is quite secured on your head ‘cause you’re going to dance and jump around!)

take a backpack, a small one that won’t move around too much when you’re dancing

take a bit of money in cash. most festivals don’t use cash anymore, but you never know

take your phone and an external charger

take something to eat (there’s food everywhere but it’s expensive and the queues can get long)

do not forget suncream/lip balm

take hand sanitizer

don’t forget to bring your medication with you if you need to take it, and take something for headaches, just slip a pill or two in a pocket

you can take a couple band aids (for your feet, just in case)

earplugs! protect your lil ears :)

idk what the policy is where you’re going but here in France we’re not allowed to bring in bottles. water is free but if you want to you can bring a water bag and slip it inside your backpack

As for some tips:

make sure to know in advance which artists you absolutely do not want to miss, who you’d like to see but can miss part of the set and who you don’t care about. That’s when you’ll get to sit and eat and drink and pee ahah and keep the schedule with you. 

study the map and know who is playing which stage, how long it takes to go from on stage to the others. make sure to mark water points and the medic tent

if you go with friends, agree on a meeting point in case you lose each other

if you absolutely want barrier or front row, try to move forward through the crowd during the precedent set. It will be too hard once the set is over because everyone will go the other way and by the time you get there it’ll be too late

if you’re tiny like me and can’t get to the front, find the plastic thingy covering the cables on the ground and get on that. You’ll gain a few centimeters and see better

if you feel bad because of the crowd, grab someone, tell them you don’t feel well. do not hesitate to ask for help. people are nice and will get you out. if you see someone on the ground, make noise. Don’t touch them but make sure people around see them and don’t step on them accidentally, and find a medic

if you drink alcohol, please eat and drink plenty of water too, and wet your neck whenever you can. be safe!

if you want to shoot, make sure your festival policy will let you in with a camera. Some don’t and you’ll have to pay for a locker or whatever it is they’ll keep it in for you. Don’t be annoying and make sure you’re not blocking anyone’s view while shooting!! and no flash :)

Camping stuff

bring a tent and an air mattress with a pump or not, up to you. sleeping bags are not enough to sleep on the floor, and don’t forget a small pillow or your neck will kill you

bring a pocketknife

bring blankets, if possible a survival blanket. No matter if it’s the middle of summer and it’s hot as hell during the day, you will get cold at night. The medic tent may give you one if necessary. You can bring a ground blanket to sit/lay on during the day. I usually use my Pride flag ahah

bring babywipes, preferable biodegradable ones

bring a portable lantern or a flashlight and don’t forget the batteries. Keep your phone battery as much as you can

bring tissues/paper towels!!!! hoard them!!!

bring games to pass the time. most festivals don’t start before 3 in the afternoon and you can’t really sleep in. 

bring a mirror and a basic toiletery kit

bring a couple trashbags. be cool and clean up after yourself always :)

if you have one, bring a portable music player. but don’t be annoying and don’t blast it while people are still trying to sleep ahah

bring dry stuff to eat and if you can, bring a big cooler for drinks. Keep it inside your tent at all time. Ice packs are usually sold on site

bring or buy on site (it can be a nice souvenir) solid cups. For the rest of ustensils, it’s up to you to know whether you will be cooking or not

bring a lock for your tent

you can also bring a marker to tie to your tent so you find it easily (like a big balloon or something)

bring insect repellent

it’s not for everyone, definitely, but think about bring one of those device to pee while standing, idk what they are cold in english. it will be more sanitary than having to sit on most toilets

try to find a map of the campsite in advance so you know where it’s best to set up your tent in advance. avoid being too close to the entrance and avoid near the waterpoints/toilets. It will always be very noisy, aka no sleep

get to know the people set up around you. Be careful of raiders. They unfortunately exist. Always always carry your valuable stuff with you and don’t leave anything in the tent: ID, money, phone, etc. btw, avoid jewelry and expensive sunglasses. They could break or be stolen. Fanny packs are your friends :)

make sure to know where the security is

don’t go back to your tent during the day. camp sites are usually a bit further away and going back between two sets is the best way to miss an artist. If you want to rest, you can find somewhere to sit or lay down on the festival site itself

Most importantly, have fun!!! Dance, and sing, and jump and glitter your way around like a lil star!!!!

[jessiebulby]

Regression (Part 5)

(previous / part 5 / next) Fanfic Master Post

Hi dear readers! I didn’t expect to do so many parts to this story, but oh well... Anyway, if you want more or have any ideas about what will happen next, don’t hesitate to comment or send me an ask!

"Now, we have to put the icing," Hunk instructed to the small boy who was making a cake for the team.

Hunk brought the bowl containing the icing near Lance and was about to delicately and precisely put the icing on the cake, when Lance put his two whole hands into the icing, took a big amount of it and just dropped it on top of the cake. He placed it messily and turned to Hunk with a big proud smile.

"Done!" The boy announced cheerfully. "It's gonna be sooooo good!"

Hunk laughed a little, even if he couldn't help but judge the amount of icing on top of the cake.

"Yeah, sure, buddy."

"I can't believe you didn't find anything!" Keith's angry voice sounded as the rest of the team was talking in the dining room near there.

Hunk couldn't hear much, but Keith was really upset. This was weird, Hunk never thought Keith cared so much about Lance. Or maybe it wasn't about Lance, but more about the fact that they couldn't leave the planet and continue fighting the Galra Empire if Lance remained in this state.

"Is Keef angry because of me?" Lance asked suddenly, his smile gone.

Hunk turned to look at the young boy beside him, surprised by his questions and his sudden seriousness.

"No, kiddo. Why would he be?" Hunk asked.

"I don't know... Papá is always angry at me too," Lance admitted, starting to lick the icing on his fingers.

It hit Hunk then that Lance had never talked much about his father. He loved his family and could go days just describing them. He cared about them a lot, Hunk knew that, but his father... Hunk didn’t even know his name. Had he... Could he have been mean to Lance or hurt him?

“Keith isn’t angry at you, I’m sure of it. Now, come, Buddy Boy, let’s wash your hands,” he told the young boy as he took him in his arms and put him just at the right level for him to wash his hands in the sink. 

Just when they finished, the rest of the team arrived in the kitchen. As soon as Lance spotted Keith, he ran to him.

"Keef! Fly, fly!" Lance demanded with a big smile.

Keith surprisingly smiled back and took the boy in his hands.

"Alright, there you go, Little Pilot," Keith said as he brought Lance over his head.

Everyone looked at them, taken aback by the Red Paladin's sudden change in attitude. Keith and Lance were smiling at each other, Lance's arms wide as if he was a plane.

After a few seconds, Keith dropped Lance back down to the ground. Lance seemed a bit disappointed, but Keith took the little boy's hand, and it seemed to appease him a bit. Children were like that sometimes. Lance had chosen his favorite person in the team. Hunk was a bit jealous honestly, but at least it would be easier to get away from babysitting him. He liked Lance, really, but being responsible of a child's safety was a bit too stressful for him. What if he hid in some place Hunk couldn't reach? Children were scary sometimes, always running to dangerous places and touching every single thing that caught their eyes, not caring if it was safe or not...

No Hunk was good entertaining the little boy for short periods of time, but babysitting was too much to ask of him. He was glad Keith had picked the short straw. 5 times... 

"Well, everybody, let's eat something and go back to our research, alright? We need to nourish our bodies so our minds stay sharp," Coran suggested.

"I'm coming with you this time," Keith said.

"Alright, I'll babysit Lance then," Shiro agreed.

There was a silent acknowledgement amongst the team. 

Keith dropped to Lance's level and took him in his arms. "You hungry, Little Pilot?" Keith asked, leaving for the dinning room.

"Keith making Lance ‘fly’? He will hate me when this is all done. Endless teasing for the rest of his life," Pidge laughed.

"Pidge..." Shiro said in his dad tone.

"Never thought I'd see then get along so well in my life," Allura said.

"Keith cares more than he seems," Shiro said, following the duo to the dinning room.

The rest of the team followed, helping Hunk bring food, plates and ustensils to the table.

-

“Why is your arm like that?” Lance asked, playing with the mechanical limb, curious. 

Shiro was sitting on the couch, watching over Lance as he played around in the lounge. Lance was a really energetic kid, that was for sure. And now he was really interested in Shiro’s arm.

“So I can be more powerful?” Shiro answered. 

“Sooo cool! What can it do?” Lance asked. 

“It can burn... It glows... It can open things,” Shiro said. 

“Make it glow!” Lance demanded. 

“Okay, but you can’t touch it if it glows. It could be dangerous,” Shiro agreed, putting his arm high enough so Lance wouldn’t be able to touch it even if he tried. 

Shiro activated his arm. Lance looked at it with admiration. 

“I want one like that too when I grow up!” Lance decided. 

“I don’t think...” Shiro started, as the boy settled against Shiro’s side, still looking at his babysitter. 

“You have white hair like an old man,” Lance commented. 

Shiro smiled at that. 

“Are you like a super hero?”Lance asked. 

“I... A bit, yes. The others and I, we save people and fight bad guys,” Shiro explained. 

“Keef too?” Lance asked. 

“Yes, Keith too... You like him a lot, uh?” Shiro asked. 

“He’s cool... And it’s fun with him,” Lance said, rubbing one of his eyes with his hand. 

The little boy was starting to be tired. 

“Where is mamá?” Lance asked then, visibly tired.

“She’s at home, waiting for us to bring you back to her,” the Black Paladin answered with a comforting smile. 

“I miss her and my sisters and my brothers...” Lance said with a big yawn. 

“You’ll see them soon,” Shiro lied. 

Lance’s eyes closed then and he fell asleep soon after. Shiro didn’t feel too good with all this situation. They had to bring Lance back to normal. If they didn’t find a way soon, they would probably have to really bring him back to Earth. It was already unsafe for a child his age to be in the Castle on a shop moon. The longer they stayed, the more dangerous it would get. 

-

The next day, the research were fruitless, again. Where had Lance gone to by his own to have ended up in this situation? There was no lead, no hint, nothing... Pidge was getting really annoyed. She was a master when it came to finding things, but she really had no clue. They still hadn’t search all the market, but at this point they would have normally found something, anything! At least, Lance’s condition was stable, but they still had to bring him back to normal. Something was missing, and she would find it!

-

"No!" Lance yelled, furious.

"Shiro will be with you. You can have fun with him," Keith told the young boy before him.

"No, I want to play with Keef!" Lance said, tears filling his huge eyes.

That was bad. Keith had no experience refusing a child's demand. He really wanted to search the market with the others again, like he had been doing for every evening for the past two days. He wanted to participate in getting Lance back to normal, but now a part of him also wanted to stay with Lance.

"Keith, do you mind staying instead of Shiro tonight?" Coran asked.

Keith hesitated.

"Just this time, Little Pilot, " Keith finally agreed, ruflling Lance's hair a bit.

The young boy smiled wide. 

It ended up not being “just this time” afterwards, Lance always requesting Keith as his babysitter.

-

The team had been searching for 6 days now, asking every shop owner if they had seen or talked with a young tan boy with blue eyes. No one had seen him and they had visited every shop there was. This was ridiculous, someone must have lied to them.

Still, Keith remained the assigned babysitter for Lance. He didn't mind. It was fun. It was about 3pm Castle Time, when Lance finally fell asleep for his usual nap. If he didn't sleep in the afternoon, the team had noticed that Lance could become upset easily. And when he was upset, it was awful. He would cry and scream for no reason.

Keith was also on the verge of falling asleep. They were both on the couch. Keith was lying there, Lance on his torso, and watching one of Pidge's few movies from Earth that Lance could also watch. It felt so peaceful. Had his life ever felt so calm and full? Over the past days, he had gotten really attached to the young boy. It felt like he had a little brother. Keith had always been longing for family and connections, even if he was always isolating himself, being also scared of rejection. Shiro had accepted him, being a mentor, and then like an older brother. But Kid Lance had chosen him as his favourite person in the universe, he had said so over the past few days. Keith knew that this Lance wasn't the one he knew before, that he was just a kid who would forget everything almost as soon as he said the words, but it still touched him a lot. He would do anything to protect Lance. Keith's eyes dropped then, and he fell deeply asleep.

-

It had been a few hours, searching every corner of the market again and again. They were starting to feel hopeless. Maybe, they would have to think of the next steps to take. They couldn't remain on the moon shop for too long. Their allowed time was reaching its limit. If they stayed longer, then they would be in too much danger of attracting unwanted attention, which they might have already have.

"Allura, come in!" She suddenly heard Keith's voice through the coms on her earings.

His voice was full of concern, and so was Allura's heart now.

"What is it Keith?" She asked.

Shiro and Coran turned to her, their expressions worried.

"Something's wrong with Lance," he told her.

[marvelsuperfangirl]

Bewitched ( Wanda Maximoff x Reader)

A/N: I want to apologize to the persons who are really wiccans or modern witches. I don't know if what I wrote about Samhain is right, I made some research but I'm not an expert so again, I'm sorry if I offended you.

I hope you'll like it, this one sounds more platonic than anything else but I probably will write more with Wanda because she's a total cutie and inspire me a lot.

The compound was filled with Hallowen decorations. Fake bats and spiders were fixed above every doorway, Jack O' Lanterns carved to represent everyone of the avengers were discarded everywhere, as well as fake cobwebs covering the walls and ceilings of the building.

The clock hit 6. am when you stepped into the kitchen on that  morning. You were already were dressed for the day and only needed your usual cup of tea to be ready to get to work. Today was a very special day for you and you were already up when the sun raised.  The tower was still silent at this early hour of the morning, its mighty habitants sleeping soundly in their beds.

Today on the 31st of october, it was Halloween, or as you called it Samhain. You were a witch, a real witch, with powers and all, you didn't have a broom or a black cat but you didn't need that to show people who you were. And as a witch you intented to spend your day preparing the celebration but it doesn't mean that you couldn't grab some candies to motivate yourself. After all Halloween and Samhain were the same celebration, they just  had different names and Samhain was technically more spiritual than Halloween.

The whistling of the kettle took you out of your thoughts, you made yourself a cup of tea and took some biscuits before settling down at the dinner table. You sat down on a chair which was facing the bay window which gave you on New York, overhung by the fog, it created the perfect atmosphere for this apparently spooky day.

The silence of the room was soon replaced by voices coming from every corner of the tower. The elevator opened to reveal the jogger trinity, also known as Steve, Bucky and Sam while the room started to get filled with the others just awoken avengers.

"Good Morning" you greeted them

Your cheery greetings only got you some groans, except for the three runners who were already completely awake.

-" To what do we owe this good mood at that early hour?"  Clint asked  you

Before you could answer you got interrupted.

-" She's been all excited for Halloween since the 1st of October" Tony said before taking a sip of his coffee.

You smiled.

-" It's not really Halloween, today my people celebrate Samhain, It's technically the same as Halloween except that we don't go trick or treating  and  that we honor or deceased more than average people. And it's also the end of autumn."

The most woken gave you weird looks while the others just continued on what they were doing.

-" Okay...Well, I have fun with that" Tony said.

-" I will" you smiled

The kitchen was now filled with a delicious smell; you stood in the kitchen, watching as your ustensils were flying around the room, seasoning, stirring and cutting. The smell escaped from the kitchen to go have a walk in the corridor to end in the bedroom of a certain witch. Wanda was interrupted in the middle of her book by the smell of food. She tried to resist as much as she could but she failed. She closed her book, got up from her bed and walked out of the room. As she approached the kitchen the smell became stronger and she could hear someone humming to random tune.

When she entered the room she discovered you, tasting a plate from a floatting spoon.

-" What are you cooking?" Wanda asked, approaching you.

You looked up and when you saw her,a big smile made it's way onto your face.

-" Hey, I'm just making some chicken paprikash. I wanted to do something special for tonight's dinner".

She nodded.

-" And can I ask you why you were making a Sokovian recipe?"

-" Samhain's  feast is a special meal so I thought that a not ordinary dish would be a good idea."

-" The dinner of what?" she raised an eyebrow questionningly

-" Samhain. You don't know about it ?"

Wanda nodded "no".

-" What? You're a witch, you should know about Samhain."

-" I'm not a witch. Scarlet Witch is just my superhero identity, people call me that because my powers are weird and make them think about a witch."

-" Oh..."

She let out a small laugh and reported her attention on the pot where the food was cooking.

-" Can I" she pointed at it.

You moved aside, handing her the spoon  to let her taste the chicken. She took and plunged the spoon in the pot then put it at her lips  before slightly crunching her nose.

-" Is it bad?" you asked her.

Her expression changed immediately and she put the spoon back down.

-" No, no! It's delicious but it would be even better with a little more of paprika" she said.

She took a pinch of the spice and put it in the pot before stirring  its content. She gestured you to come over and took the spoon out for you. You opened your mouth and tasted, it was obviously better.-

-" How did you know?" you asked her.

-" It's a plate we hab habit to eat back when I lived in Sokovia".

A smile appeared on her face at the memory.

-" Pietro tried so many times to do it but he couldn't cook to save his life." she added.

Her smile fell as her gaze dropped to the floor, a sad expression appearing on her face.

It's already been months since Pietro passed away but Wanda had a lot of trouble to move on. They faced so many harships together and now she had lost the last member of her family and more precisely, her twin brother.

It hurted you to see her like this; an idea came into your mind and you hoped with all your heart that it would bring back that beautiful smile of hers.

You turn off the stove and put your kitchen utensils.

-" Okay, go take all the objects that remind you of Pietro and meet me at the living room in 5 minutes." you said before hurrying out of the kitchen. Wanda stood there, dumbstruck and not sure of what just happened. She shrugged and left the kitchen in her turn.

Five minutes later Wanda entered the living room with some objects in her hands. You were already there, sitting on the couch, a box resting on the coffee table in front of you.

-" Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Wanda asked while sitting next to you.

You smiled at her

-" Don't worry, you'll know when the time will come"

You got up and picked up your box.

-" Come with me" you told her.

The two of you walked to one of Tony's designer table. The surface wasn't that large but it was enough for what you needed it . You put the box on the floor and turned to the Scarlet Witch.

-" Now, you have to put the objects on this table, arrange it as you like, it have to be personal so take your time for the arrangement to please you."

She skeptically looked at you, but still walked to the table and started to arrange the objects.

There was a picture of the twins and their parents when they were younger , a strand of hair, that you assumed was Pietro's and a snow globe representing Sokovia.

She moved the objects multiple times to arrange it the way that she liked. When that was done she took a step back and looked at you, waiting for what was coming next.

-" Great!" you exclaimed before crouching down to the box. You opened it to reveal a several amount of candles.

-" Now, take some candles and put them on the table around the objects".

You passed her some candles until none could fit on the table anymore. Then you got back up ad admired your work.

" It's beautiful isn't it?" you asked.

-" Well, yes, but I have to admit that I don't understand what this is."

You turned to her.

-" It's an altar. Samhain is the day when we celebrate our deceased loved ones. It's a tradition to make an altar to honor them and to thank them for having been a part of our life." you explain.

Wanda was surprised and looked at you with a questionning look.

-" I saw how sad you were when you talked about Pietro earlier. So, I thought that we could make an altar in his honor".

A smile made its way onto her face and tears were visibly building up in her eyes. She completely turned to you and wrapped her arms around you, engulfing you in a big hug.

-" Thank you. Thank you so much. she cried, hugging you tighter.

You embraced her back and rubbed her back in a soothing motion.

-" You don't have to thank me, it's normal" you said.

You heard her sniff and she pulled away from you. Her cheeks were wet from tears but she let a smile illuminate her face.

-" Here it is, that beautiful smile of yours!" you exclaimed, putting your hands on her cheeks and wiping her tears away.

-" Samhain isn't made for sadness or crying over the deceased. It's, on the contrary, to celebrate them in happiness."

Wanda nodded and gave you a big smile while you finish to wipe her tears.

-" Now let's put the last touch to our beautiful altar" you said.

You bent down to the box and took out a lighter and hand it to Wanda.

-" Light all the candles and for each one that you light, you have to think about a memory of Pietro."

She nodded again and took the lighter from your hand and dod as she was asked.

When she was finished you clapped.

-" Perfect. Now you have your own little altar. And if you want you can take it to your room, altar aren't only made for Samhain, we can keep them during the year. I'm sure Tony won't mind about his precious table."

-" I think I like it that way. It's more special if we do it once a year " .

It was your turn to nod.

-" I understand. Now back to the feast preparation, we have a lot of work to do. We have to prepare the best feast ever or Pietro won't come to have some. Let's go baby witch!"

[wilwywaylan]

Portrait in Red

First day of enjoltaire week !

How strange that we get “paiting” as a prompt the day I watch The Portrait of Dorian Gray. So of course....

Warning : character death

The brush slid on the canvas, leaving a glossy trail behind. The afternoon light was falling through the high windows of the studio, bathing the model in gold. His hair shone so brightly, it was almost painful to look at. But for nothing in the world, Grantaire would have turned his eyes away. First, because as a painter, he needed to watch his model closely. Especially for an order like this one. It wasn't the first time that Grantaire was hired to paint the portrait of a lord's son, but it was enough of an unusual occurence to make him kinda nervous. Especially when he first saw said lord's son.

And there came the second reason he didn't want to look away. High society boys weren't bad to look at, all raised in cotton and silk and not damaged by the hardships of life like common people. But that one... That one was... Oh, he was something else. He looked like a statue, made of the finest marble, with cheekbones that could kill a man and hair spun from the finest gold. And those eyes... huge, lined with long eyelashes, and blue as the sky over Grantaire's beloved Marseille. Too bad they couldn't be as warm, but you couldn't get everything. For now, the painter was quite happy to bask in the brilliance of Master Enjolras' beauty.

After what seemed hours of work (but the sun was still shining on the blond hair and turning the cheeks a delicate, rosy color, so maybe it was just a moment), Grantaire finally put the brushes away, and wiped his hands on a rag. Taking this as a signal that he was done, the model broke his stance. As usual, Grantaire watched him, trying not to be too mesmerized, as he usually was, by that delicate statue suddenly coming to life and walking to him. He failed miserably, but Master Enjolras didn't seem to notice his trembling hands, and the way he was staring.

They stayed side by side for a few moments, gazing at the now-finished portrait. To be perfectly honest, it was a masterpiece. The dull colors of the background, and the black and white of the clothes, perfectly enhanced the porcelaine skin, the golden locks dancing around the face, barely tamed by a black ribbon, an unique touch of red for the mouth, and above all, the piercing blue eyes. It wasn't really the kind of portrait you hanged above the fireplace, not with an expression that fierce, a glare that intense. But then again, who was Grantaire to discuss ? He was but a painter, and if Master Enjolras wanted to be immortalized like this, more power to him.

Money went from one hand to the other. Grantaire refrained to count it, in fear of insulting the lord. But said lord was absorbed in the contemplation of his portrait. Maybe a hint of pride ? He hadn't looked the vain kind, but then again, what did he know, really ? Maybe the man was as vain as he was pretty, and used his beauty to manipulate the hearts of everyone, from the noble court to the modest painters...

Grantaire went to clean his brushes and paints. Master Enjolras still hadn't moved, and he was starting to wonder if he had to gently make him understand that it was time to go. But how did you say this to a lord ? Before he could find some polite words, though, the lord held out a hand, as if to stroke the portrait. His fingers stopped just short of messing the still fresh paint, and he stood like that, hand outstretched towards this other him, frozen on the canvas.

- Can you believe it, he sighed, that this will be how I will be remembered ?

Grantaire wasn't sure it was meant for him, and so, stayed silence, in fear of upsetting the lord. Who didn't pay the slightest attention to him, and added :

- I wish so much that this portrait would represent who I am really. Not that mask I have to put on.

- Do you want me to change it ? Grantaire asked, tentatively.

Master Enjolras blinked rapidely a few times, as if woken up from a dream, and just looked at the painter, who hurridely started cleaning again. They only exchanged a few words before the lord left, telling Grantaire to keep the portrait ready, and he would send someone to pick it up. And then, the painter was left alone in his studio, alone with that portrait still looking at him with those blue eyes.

~*~

Grantaire really thought he was done with that beautiful portrait or his noble model. It had been delivered, he had been payed, and largely at that, it was behind him. And still, two weeks later, he was awoken by a pounding at his door. He threw on the clothes he could find and went to open, trying to push his hangover at the back of his mind. It was a child, carrying a message. A message written on an expensive paper. A coin gave him possession of the letter. Which, upon inspection, summoned him urgently to the Enjolras estate. Quickly, he got dressed a bit better, grabbed his painting ustensiles, and ran out, combing his curls with his fingers to get them in order.

As soon as he reached the manor, he was hurried inside, his coat taken away, and he was led to the landing of the main stairs, where the portrait was hanged. Two persons were standing there, Master Enjolras, and his father, judging by the likeness between them. As soon as he saw Grantaire, Lord Enjolras lunged at him, grabbed him by the arm, and gesturing wildly towards the portrait, asked :

- Tell me, monsieur Grantaire, what is *this* ?

Grantaire looked at his painting. Enjolras' fierce gaze was still perfectly pictured, the stance still proud, but there was a difference. A rather striking one. Where before the only spot of red was on the perfect lips, there was now an obvious dash of it on the left of the portrait. It looked like a long coat, or a sheet... A long piece of red fabric tightly held in Master Enjolras' hand. Lord Enjolras was still raving and ranting, demanding that he fix it at once, and not to mess like that with people who could have his head without any effort. Grantaire didn't pay attention (Lord Enjolras wouldn't be the first to threaten to have him thrown in jail or get a few parts of himself cut off). He walked to the portrait, and watched closely. The paint was already dry, and from there, it looked like his own, precise strokes. Whoever it was who had fun with it, he was a master forger.

Per Lord Enjolras' orders, Grantaire was all but thrown into a room with the portrait and ordered to fix it, however long it would take him. With a sigh, he set to work, hoping that the fix wouldn't be too obvious. It was a shame, really. A beautiful portrait like this, having to be altered because someone found it funny to add a personnal touch... He was so absorbed, that Master Enjolras' voice behind him startled him, and he almost traced a large, black streak across the canvas.

- Sorry, the young lord apologized.

- Don't worry about it. I mean, you don't have to...

- I don't know what happened, Enjolras cut him. No one could touch it. It's really strange.

And with this, he left the room, leaving a puzzled Grantaire alone with the portrait.

~*~

It started again one week later : the kid, the message, a furious Lord Enjolras... The red fabric was back, assorted to a tricolor pinned to the lapel of the black coat. Grantaire was set to work again, trying to hide it again. Once again, Master Enjolras promised him that no one could have done that, seeing at the portrait was hanged way too high for this, and there was not one drop of paint under the portrait. Grantaire just fixed it without saying anything.

And the next week, and the week after, ... For two months, every week, Grantaire was summoned to the Enjolras' estate, to fix the painting that kept being altered. First, it was the red fabric. Then the tricolor, who came back. Then a gun, two, three. And then, after one month, Master Enjolras' coat had turned entirely red. By now, Lord Enjolras had finally admitted that maybe Grantaire wasn't responsible for those strange modifications, and just asked him to fix it. Which he did, of course, you didn't tell a lord no. After all, it was just minor fixes, and since it wasn't his doing, he was getting paid for them, so he wasn't complaining.

And working at the estate means that Master Enjolras hung around. At first, it was just a few words here and there, carefully distant, like he didn't want to meddle with common people. But still, he prowled around, watching over Grantaire's shoulder. After two weeks, he started asking questions. After three, they were having little chats here and there. And after five, Enjolras was talking about equality and justice, gesturing wildly while he walked back and forth. Grantaire couldn't resist but needle him a bit. Who could blame him ? He seemed so passionnate, invested in subjects he didn't know that well due to his upbringing, it was too tempting. And soon, those conversations turned into arguments that went on until late in the night.

Of course, it was scary, too. Enjolras was too passionnate, too full of fire, he was talking about changing things, about actions, about dangerous things that, Grantaire was sure, he didn't grasp fully. He and his friends, all as decided as him, it seemed. And still, the painter couldn't help but listen to him, and provoke him a bit, and listened to his rants and speeches. And every week, Grantaire went home with his mind full of beautiful blue eyes, hands moving gracefully, and a blinding smile that made his heart race faster.

~*~

The atmosphere was different when Grantaire entered the mansion that day. Tensed, almost... electric. The servants were talking in hushed tones, and neither Lord nor Master Enjolras was around. The portrait was in his usual place, on the easel, but it was covered with a black veil. Grantaire pulled it, and gasped. During the last weeks, the portrait had changed, more and more, and ended depicting a fierce, red-clad Enjolras brandishing the red fabric which revealed itself to be a flag, a gun in the other hand, against a background of furniture thrown together, and a dark sky.

The sky was burning now, the reds and golds of a new dawn. A new dawn that Enjolras would never see. The red that had taken over his coat was darker now, red as the blood blossoming on his chest. Eight wounds were piercing him, nailing him to a wall. The flag was still grasped in his hand, but only the stiffness of death was keeping it from falling.

Grantaire watched with horror the scene unfolding before him. He extended his hand, remembering with a twinge of pain that Enjolras did the exact same gesture so many weeks ago. This time, his fingers grazed the canvas, and he flinched. The paint was still wet, and stained his fingers like blood. Did it mean that the painting just changed ? Did Enjolras just get...? Or... Was it a future that he could still prevent ? With trembling hands, he threw his coat back on, staining it in his efforts to get faster, and ran out of the room, then down the stairs. Maybe there was still a chance, a tiny little chance that he could save him, prevent this scene from becoming reality. And if there wasn't, well... at least, he wouldn't let Enjolras die alone.

~*~

It was only the next day, while the servants were going around, covering all the mirrors in the mansion for the mourning, that one of them entered the room where the painting supplies were still strewn around.  And of course, in the middle, that fateful portrait. Undoubtedly, their master wouldn't want to look at that cursed thing, that horrid painting that kept showing his son's terrible fate. She picked up the black veil, and stopped. Because the portrait had changed again. Where their master's hand was grabbing a broken gun, was now the hand of another man, with wild, curly black hair. He was lying at the master's feet, as dead as him. As she went to put the veil back on, she noticed that, for the first time since the portrait had come into the mansion, their master was smiling, as did the other man.

[phonology-amuses-me-blog]

Ooh la la more borrowings!

Although English retains much in the way of Germanic influence, a surprising amount of its vocabulary has been taken from words of French origin. 

Most of the words of French origin used today were brought over during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. After England was taken over by the French, the country fell under significant influence from the leader at the time, William the Conqueror.

Some words that I recorded in English and in French:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5dGUETdHSj4eGFDSWZycC1naUhua0p0Mk4tZWFreUFRZDRz

Money = Monnaie

Denim = Demin, fun fact: the material was constructed in the French town of Nîmes. The word actually comes from de Nîmes (from Nîmes)!

Advice = Avis, fun fact: Modern day French has the word avis (opinion).In Old French, the phrase ce m’est a vis was originally used to mean “in my view.” While the French still says à mon avis in order to communicate a similar idea, the English took the last word only, transforming it into “advice.”

Origin = Origine, fun fact: Ironically, “origin” is not originally English! Taken from the old Latin word origo, the word was altered in French to be pronounced as origine.

Honesty = honnêteté.

Habit= Habitude.

Utensil = ustensile.

RSVP = répondez s’il vous plaît.

hope you like it!