#they all had great comedic timing it was gold

[elle-smells]

anyway. rw&rb movie was not good. but I can't say I didn't have a good time slay

[deutsche-bahn]

Bei meinem letzten Trip mit der europäischen Version der Portland Polycule durfte ich übrigens erfahren, dass der Ornithologe eine Freundin hat (!?), wovon das Polykül scheinbar... wusste? Zumindest wirkte niemand außer mir überrascht. Dass das Polykül explizit früher als ich anreisen wollte um """some alone time""" zu haben passte nicht so ganz in's Bild. Anyways.

Das Polykül erzählte stolz, dass wir auf der Weiterreise ja einen alten Freund von ihm treffen würden, den Belgier. Mehr Infos bekamen wir nicht.

Wir trafen tatsächlich irgendwann besagten Belgier. Großer, blonder, allgemein aufdringlich skandinavischer Typ mit objektiv zu viel Wangenknochen. "So fun to get to introduce you guys!" sagte das Polykül. Ich tat, was ich am besten kann, und laberte blind drauf los.

"Ah, you're that guy we've been hearing all about!" sagte ich. Der Ornithologe verstand das assignment und schoss hinterher. "Yeah, right! He talked about you the entire drive here!". Dreiste Lüge. Großartig. "Great to finally meet you! You're... exactly what we expected!".

Wir ließen die beiden alleine stehen, mit einem letzten "So good to finally see who all the fuss was about!". comedic gold, I'm sure you're thinking. Dachten wir auch.

Einige Zeit später spürte das Polykül mich nur leider auf wie ein Bluthund. Er kam von der Seite auf mich zu, legte mir einen Arm um die Hüfte und lächelte mich an.

"Yknow, you really, really fucking embarrased me back there". Mein innerer Steinzeitmensch wittert einen lauernden Säbelzahntiger und möchte sich prompt auf den nächsten Baum verpissen. Das Polykül lässt nicht los.

"Hm??" sage ich. Er lächelt immer noch das gleiche, zutiefst beunruhigende Lächeln. "So, do you wanna know how I met him?" Nein, bitte nicht, mach dein Ding, ich weiß eh schon zu viel- "We had a bit of a one night stand, and then he said he'd just go grab something from his car, and then never came back. But we talked about it, had some really, really long, really intense phone calls. And we were on good terms again. And now" -an dem Punkt hört er auf, zu lächeln. Hätte nicht geahnt dass das seinen Gesichtsausdruck noch beunruhigender machen könnte- "now you two managed to make him think I'm so obsessed with him. Which I'm just not". Ich hinterfrage alle Entscheidungen, die mich an diesen Punkt gebracht haben. Erinnere mich dann, dass ich antworten sollte. "Right. Yeah. So sorry. Very sorry"

Ich versuche zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt den Belgier persönlich zu überzeugen, dass das alles nur ein dummer Witz war, bitte, echt jetzt, dein komischer Freund bringt mich sonst um. Er nickt, schmunzelt, und glaubt mir nicht. Of course.

In der Nacht bevor wir zu dritt weiter reisen ist das Polykül nicht in seinem Bett. Mir egal. Echt. Ich frag' nicht nach, ich halte mich da jetzt ganz diplomatisch raus, ich mache es doch nur schlimmer. Das ist dem Polykül am mächsten Morgen nur relativ egal: "Oh, guys, I hope you weren't worried because I didn't come back last night. Did you notice?". Ich nicke, vermeide Augenkontakt. "Yup, that's fine. Your business". Das Polykül ist anderer Meinung. "Yeah, yeah. It doesn't matter. Just didn't want anyone to speculate". Und los geht's. Ich halte mich an der nächstbesten Tischplatte fest. Er erzählt von seinem wundervollen Abend mit dem Belgier, der Ornithologe schaut zufrieden in die Gegend, ich schiebe einen stressbedingen Nervenzusammenbruch. "He's so my type of guy. He goes mountaineering, did you know? He hiked around the Mont Blanc with his fiancé last summer" ah, warte. Warte. Mit seinem was?? Er ist verlobt??? Der Typ ist verlobt?? Ich beuge mich reflexartig nach vorne, als hätte ich einen Volleyball in die Magengrube bekommen. Natürlich ist er verlobt.

[bunji-enthusiast]

I’m literally obsessed with your Seven Deadly Sins posts ✨🥺😭

If you feel comfortable doing so, could you please write headcanons for Ban and Escanor with a short girlfriend?

I am happy to write this for you, thank you for giving me a chance mystery friend ♥︎

Ban

This sneaky bastard loves to lift you up in the air, (at times deemed appropriate) He without a doubt is relentless in teasing your height. Though if you are uncomfortable with him lifting you or his teasing, he puts a stop to it very quickly, its more toned down after that.

He is absolutely in love with you regardless, to him, he simply cannot stop finding the most adorable things about you physically or mentally. Ban absolutely adores you!

Heaven forbid anyone injures his love, they simply would not walk away with their life or unscathed. Ban is personally firm in protecting the ones he truly cares about, you included, doesn't matter if you may be the ruler of the heavens or the weakest of ants. He's a loveable greedy bastard, and he certainly takes it in stride every time.

Mischievous scheming as hell without a doubt, but regardless he has a very personal private side. Ban loves to cuddle you, trap you within his huge frame, makes him feel somewhat better in the moment - though he plays it off quite easily. It helps him feel like he can protect you from anything, he cares about you a lot. As he often lacks confidence in his power, in spite of the fact he's repeatedly displayed such power with levels of ferocity one normally can't do.

He doesn't really feel bothered with your height, if you feel insecure in relation to your height, he reassures you real quick. Not his love, Ban wishes you didn't have such thoughts about yourself. Though, it will come unfortunately and Ban knows he can just simply be there for you in any point of the way.

Ban simply finds your height adorable, sometimes nicknaming you; short-stack, stool, resting place and so on. He even feels lucky to be taller at times, it gives way to comedic gold!

Escanor

He really doesn't pay any mind to your height, always focusing about other aspects of you. Escanor tends to be very romantic towards his own partner, so you can expect to presented with heart-warming poems and roses.

With Escanor, the rest of the sins had practically joked that you were now deemed untouchable since the two of you were officially together in every sense of the word (except for marriage). Many times over however, he had proved this statement true, stepping in and protecting you when you call for his help.

Regardless if you were powerful as he, or even powerless - this man loves you all the more in any more then the average man. He is very attentive to your needs and current emotional state, if you feel like you are unable to speak in certain situations, he does so for you.

If you had ever asked that if your shortness could be a problematic major factor to your relationship, he laughs it off and reassures you that he loves you in spite of it. Even if you any shorter, or any taller, he still loves you.

Escanor is a man full of love for those he holds dear, and his friends family. He is such a man full with it, you could always feel his love for others and himself pouring in every situation. He easily cares for those in the sins, and you alone.

Your height all in all is just basically none existent to this man, whomever your status may be. He loves you greatly, and brings great aspects to your once dull and boring life before him.

[shitsndgiggs]

Hii

so you said your half danish and im alsooo

so could I request fluff where reader takes pau to Denmark and shows him the culture the food and teaches him danish?

take your time<3

A/N: ANOTHER DANE?! Wooohooo!. Hope you like it

VELKOMMEN TIL DANMARK - PAU CUBARSÍ

Showing Pau Denmark

Pau Cubarsí x danish! reader

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿

It had been a while since Pau and I had a proper getaway, and with a little time off from football, I decided it was the perfect chance to take him to Denmark.

I couldn’t wait to show him my homeland, its culture, and, of course, teach him a bit of Danish.

I knew he’d struggle with the language — after all, people joke that Danish sounds like someone speaking with a potato in their throat. But the thought of hearing Pau trying to pronounce it made me giddy.

The first morning in Copenhagen, Pau and I walked through the cobbled streets of Nyhavn, the colorful buildings lining the canal making it feel like we were walking through a postcard.

Pau was holding my hand, his eyes wide as he took everything in. “This place is so pretty,” he said, glancing at the row of boats bobbing gently in the water.

I smiled, proud to share this part of my world with him. “Wait until you try the food,” I teased. “Danish pastries are nothing like the ones in Spain.”

He grinned. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

We found a cozy café with outdoor seating, and I insisted on ordering in Danish. Pau watched me with a curious expression, his head tilted as he tried to follow the conversation between me and the waiter.

“Can you say something to me in Danish?” he asked once the waiter left.

I thought for a moment, then grinned. “Okay, try this: ‘Jeg elsker dig.’”

Pau squinted at me. “Uh, what does that mean?”

“You’ll find out if you can say it right.”

He raised an eyebrow, accepting the challenge. “Okay… yay el…sker dig?” he attempted, butchering the words so badly I couldn’t help but laugh.

“No, no, no,” I said between giggles. “It’s ‘Jeg elsker dig.’” I repeated it slowly, exaggerating the pronunciation.

Pau’s face twisted in concentration as he tried again. “Yai… elska… dig?”

I burst out laughing. “Close enough! It means ‘I love you.’”

He smirked, leaning closer. “Well, then… Jeg elsker dig,” he said, this time with more confidence — though still sounding pretty off.

“Not bad, pretty boy, not bad.” I teased, patting his cheek.

After breakfast, we explored more of the city — the Little Mermaid statue, Amalienborg Palace, and of course, the famous Tivoli Gardens.

Pau was amazed by the history and charm of it all, though he kept attempting random Danish words and phrases, and each time he got them hilariously wrong.

In the evening, we headed to my parents’ house for dinner. My mom had made traditional Danish frikadeller, flødekartofller, with brunsviger for dessert. Pau was excited to try everything, but the moment he tasted the frikadeller, his eyes widened.

“This… is so good,” he said, shoving another bite into his mouth.

“I told you,” I said smugly, watching him devour the food.

My family couldn’t resist teaching him more Danish words throughout dinner, though Pau’s attempts had all of us in fits of laughter.

At one point, my dad tried to get him to say “rødgrød med fløde” — a classic Danish tongue twister — and the results were nothing short of comedic gold.

“Rr…rö…rød…what?” Pau’s face twisted as he tried to make sense of the sounds.

“Rødgrød med fløde,” my dad repeated, grinning.

Pau threw his hands up in defeat. “You’re all making this up! No way that’s a real word!”

We all laughed, but Pau was a great sport, his cheeks turning a little pink from the constant butchering of Danish. “You’ll get there,” I reassured him, squeezing his hand under the table. “Or… you know, just stick to Spanish.”

Later that night, after a long day of exploring and laughing, Pau and I strolled through the quiet streets of my childhood neighborhood.

The cool evening breeze carried the scent of the sea, and Pau wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer.

“You know, even if I can’t speak Danish properly,” he said, his voice soft, “I love everything you’ve shown me today. Your home, your culture, your family… it’s beautiful.”

I smiled up at him. “And you’re doing great, amor. Just… maybe leave ‘rødgrød med fløde’ out of your vocabulary for now.”

Pau chuckled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to my forehead. “Deal. But I think I’ll keep saying ‘Jeg elsker dig’ — even if it sounds terrible.”

I laughed, my heart swelling with warmth. “It doesn’t sound terrible. It sounds perfect coming from you.”

As we walked hand in hand through the Danish night, I couldn’t help but feel like this was the perfect trip.

Pau might never master Danish, but he didn’t need to — the way he embraced every moment, every laugh, and every bite of Danish food was more than enough.

And hearing him try, despite the language challenges, just made me fall for him even more.

[starlingflight]

loml

Written for @corneliaavenue-ao3 TTPD Several Sunlit Daylights challenge.

Read on AO3 or below:

I. lesson of my life

Every illusion Ginny has ever had is shattered over the course of a single night. 

She doesn't go into the chamber willingly. She claws, and scratches and fights against Tom's commands with all her might. She cries, and she struggles, but in the end it makes no difference. She isn't strong enough. As the darkness swallows her up, her final childish hope is for a rescue she knows isn't coming. 

When she opens her eyes again it doesn't feel like a miracle. The cold from the stone floor has seeped through her skin, a chill has settled deep in her bones and she knows, with absolute certainty, it will never fully go away. 

Of course Harry is there, holding a mighty sword, a dead monster behind him. The very image of the conquering hero she's always fantasised about, but this isn't like one of Ginny's fantasies. He's covered in blood, and his eyes are wide with the same terror that's taken root deep within her soul. There's no triumph in this moment, only horror. 

This isn't a dream. It's a nightmare. One that Ginny won't fully wake up from for a very long time. 

She learns many lessons that night, but the most important one will come later. After she's spent weeks, months, years putting herself back together, because Harry might have rescued her from the chamber, but, as Ginny will come to realise, the only person who can really save you is yourself.

II. light of my life

Harry's never known a darkness like this. It starts when he watches Sirius fall through the veil, tiny tendrils of black slowly leaking out from his heart, unfurling with increasing urgency until he's overwhelmed by a cold, empty abyss that he's sure nothing will ever penetrate again. How can it when Sirius is never coming back? 

He doesn't even notice the first ray of light. It happens so quickly. He's in the hospital wing, trying very hard to let Hermione's commentary on the latest news from The Prophet distract him from the aching chasm in his chest, and the unbearable weight of the prophecy, when it happens. 

Luna says something completely ridiculous about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks – whatever they are – Harry can feel Hermione's exasperation from across the small gap that separates her bed from Ron's. Ginny's chocolate eyes meet his, and something happens that he'd assumed would never happen again. 

Harry smiles. 

It's fleeting, lasting less than a second.  There's very little time to dwell on it before they're looking away from one another, and the grief washes over him again, a tidal wave that steals the air from his lungs. 

That's just the beginning though… or maybe the beginning had been years ago. Maybe the blush he'd once thought of as the setting sun had actually been the opposite; Ginny's light rising, her warm, rosy glow beginning its ascent into his life. 

She continues to rise that summer, forcing the darkness back with her sheer brightness. Her smile turns black to grey; her laugh is powder pinks and bright oranges; the jokes she coaxes from him are pure, cloudless blue. 

When she runs at him across the common room months later, she's blazing, burning red. When she reaches him, when Harry finally kisses Ginny, the sun reaches its apex and his whole life is awash with bright, brilliant gold. 

For a few shining weeks there are only sunlit days. 

III. loss of my life

Fittingly, they're at a funeral when it happens. Ginny always knew he had great comedic timing. She's not laughing, however, as Harry lays out all his stupid, noble reasons why they can't be together. She's not crying either, though; that feels like a small mercy. The only one she's going to get for a while. 

She does cry when she finally makes it home. It's silly, she knows. Silly, foolish, naive Ginny Weasley, a familiar, cold voice whispers through her mind. For once, she doesn't try to argue with it, but she doesn't try to stop either. 

Instead, she buries her face into her pillow and lets herself sob until her eyes run dry. Her tears aren't just for her broken heart, but for everything Ginny's already had to sacrifice; her childhood, her innocence. 

It isn't until weeks later that she realises the true magnitude of what she stands to lose. 

“And then what does she think's going to happen? Someone else will kill off Voldemort while she's holding us here making vol-au-vents?” 

The fork Ginny is holding almost slips from her grasp. Her heart falters in her chest. Harry playing his flippant comment off a joke does nothing to return it to a steady rhythm. 

It plays round and round in her mind that night. Her knuckles are ghostly white where they grip her bedsheet. Vaguely, she'd known what he'd planned to do, but vague notions and knowing with absolute certainty are two very different things. The task Harry brought up so nonchalantly in the kitchen is nothing short of a suicide mission. It hits Ginny with the force of a barrage of stunning spells, knocking the air from her lungs; Harry might not come back to her. 

Two days later, when she kisses him in her bedroom, it doesn't feel like she's saying happy birthday, it feels like she's saying goodbye.

When Harry follows Ron out of her bedroom door, he takes a piece of Ginny with him, one she prays she hasn't lost forever. 

IV. longing of my life

She haunts him like a ghost. What was once screaming colour and pure unfiltered brightness is now just a memory, a pale imitation permanently stuck on repeat in his mind. 

Harry moves stoically from one hiding place to another and, though they're separated by miles, Ginny follows him to every single one. 

He can hear her laugh in the wind that shakes the canvas sides of the tent. He can see her smile in the sunlight that penetrates the thick canopy of the forests they move between. At night, when he closes his eyes, he can almost pretend the sheet brushing against his skin is her fingertips. 

It's worse when he has the locket on. Then, he's tormented with visions like the one he'd imagined on his birthday; of her moving on. Finding someone else. Living a life that can never be his. 

Horcrux or no, he can't stop himself thinking about her. Aching for her. Longing for her. 

He clings to memories of Ginny like scraps of driftwood, the only thing keeping Harry afloat when he's been set adrift. 

V. lament of my life

It's like the chamber all over again. Ginny's whole world is flipped upside down in the space of a single night. 

She doesn't see Fred go. She doesn't know the last time she sees her big brother that it's the last time.  

“Take care of yourself,” he'd shouted over his shoulder as Ginny had gone hurtling down a corridor in pursuit of a Death Eater.

“Don't I always?’ she'd called back. 

What if she'd told him to do the same? Would he have listened? Would he still be there? 

There's very little time to dwell on such questions in the middle of a battle.  Especially not when every passing second brings another devastating loss. 

Lupin. Tonks. Colin. 

Ginny's heart shatters into a million little pieces until it doesn't exist at all. Or so she thinks, until she sees Harry's body cradled in Hagrid’s arms. 

Then she knows she still has a heart, because it's in unbearable agony. She doubles over from the pain of it. His name escapes her lips on a scream, as though she might be able to call him back to life through sheer desperation. 

Tom Riddle talks; for the second time in Ginny's life, she's unable to hear him, but this isn't like the Chamber at all. This time Ginny wishes she was dead. 

When the battle resumes, she jumps straight into it with wild abandon. Ginny's lamentation is not filled with tears, or wailing. It's fire and rage for everything that's been taken from her. Tom Riddle already stole her past. Now he's taken her future. She will take everything she can from him, or die trying. 

VI. lowest of my life

He's never truly let himself imagine what it might be like to actually defeat Voldemort. If he had, Harry doubts he would have pictured it like this. 

If it's a win, why is there so much loss? 

He doesn't know whether the grief or the hope is more overwhelming. They mingle together, like waves in the ocean, swelling and breaking, threatening to pull Harry under. 

He can feel it crash over him as he stands in the great hall the day after the battle. The bodies are still there; all the people who don't get the second chance Harry does are laid out in front of him. Lifeless eyes staring, unseeing, up at the enchanted ceiling. 

The guilt and the pain sweep through him like ice water, filling his lungs; rising up in Harry's throat until there's no possible room for air. He takes a step back, desperate to flee somewhere he can sink down into the cold, lonely depths. 

Before he can, a hand, small and warm, slips into his, pulling Harry back to the surface. He releases one, long, deep breath before looking at her. 

Ginny's attempt at a smile is tinged with sadness, sunlight peeking through dark grey clouds. 

Only hours ago, he'd contemplated all the things he needed to say to her, but now no words are exchanged at all.  Only a look. It's all they need. All they've ever needed. Everything has changed. But he's still Harry, and she's still Ginny. 

Instinctively his arm comes around her. Ginny buries her face in his chest, sagging slightly against him, as though she was waiting for this moment to let herself rest. Like she needs him as much as he needs her. 

Harry's head rests against hers, the floral scent of her shampoo is faint, lingering beneath everything that's happened. It makes his heart falter anyway. He holds her tightly to him, something he never thought he'd get the chance to do again.  As he's come to expect, time seems to stop for her. They stay like that for what might only be seconds, or possibly an entire lifetime passes. 

Eventually, Ginny pulls out of his grasp. It takes less than a second for her hand to find his again, fingers entwining. She pulls gently, silently commanding him to follow her. Harry almost asks where they're going, but he doesn't really need to. He's free to go wherever he pleases now. He'll follow her anywhere. 

Ginny looks up at him as they walk towards the double doors. He can still see the embers of her blazing light smouldering in the dark depths of her eyes. He was right, there will be hours, days, and years in which to talk, but he doesn't need her to say a word now to know where she's taking him. He lets her pull him forward, lets her light guide him to a future he's still not sure he deserves to have. 

VII. loser of my life

For a while, Ginny thinks she'll never recover from the loss, from the grief and the heartache. It's not the first time she's felt this way, but this time she doesn't have to face it alone. Once she has Harry back, he doesn't leave her side again. 

They fall back together naturally. They stitch themselves back together slowly until one day, years later, the sun is blazing brightly in the sky, the pleasant summer breeze is ruffling the grass beneath her feet, and Ginny feels whole again. 

“Ready?” Her father asks, holding out his arm out to her. 

“Ready,” Ginny agrees, threading her hand through the crook of his elbow. Holding her colourful bouquet of wildflowers in front of her with her free hand. 

There have been times, in her darkest moments, when she wished she was someone else. A girl who hasn't dwelt in a darkness that most people don't ever see even in their worst nightmares; a witch who hasn't looked into the eyes of evil and refused to bend, refused to break; a woman who hasn't lost things that can never ever be replaced. 

Now, as soft music begins to swell in the summer air, and her gaze locks on Harry, waiting for her at the end of the makeshift aisle formed by the rows of chairs that have been put out in her parent's orchard, Ginny doesn't regret any of it. Everything she's lost is a step she's taken towards this. 

She can feel dozens of heads turn towards her, but Ginny only has eyes for Harry, and he, it appears, only has eyes for her. His smile makes the sun look dim in comparison. Still, the corner of his mouth trembles; even from a distance, Ginny can see emotion well up behind his glasses. 

‘Don't you dare,' she mouths, feeling her throat tighten as she does. Her arm stretches out, lifting her bouquet like it's a wand, miming hexing him. She's closer now. She can hear the tremor in his laugh as he puts his arms up in mock surrender. 

It's too late; the laughter she's coaxed from him doesn't stop the tear that slips down his cheek. Of course, one of her own escapes only a half a second later. 

“We look like such losers,” Ginny informs him, shaking her head, as her fingers slip from her father's arm into Harry's awaiting hand. 

“Yeah,” Harry agrees, quietly enough for only her to hear. He's still smiling as another tear slides unconcernedly down his face. His free hand reaches up, his thumb swipes away the ones that are currently leaking traitorously from Ginny's eyes. “But you're my loser.” 

It takes her a moment to regain her breath. A fleeting second in which she can't quite believe they're here; that they made it. Then she smiles even wider than before. “Not officially – not until we get through this ceremony.” 

Harry's gaze holds hers. Ginny almost forgets they have an audience. The world reduces down to just the two of them, grinning madly at one another. Harry's fingers squeeze her hand. “We'd best get on with it then.

VIII. legacy of my life

Books are filled with what many consider to be his finest achievements. Tales of thrilling battles, speculations on unsurvivable curses, and records of great victories are inked across the pages of history. 

As are the many titles thrust upon Harry; The  Boy Who Lived, Chosen One, Saviour.  To him, they're little more than noise, assumptions from people who don't really know him, and never will.

When he slips the wedding ring onto Ginny's finger, Harry gets the first title he's ever chosen for himself: husband. Her husband. 

Not long after, he gains another one, this one unplanned, but no less momentous. James, tiny, and so precious, is placed into his arms, and Harry becomes a father. 

His real legacy begins there. It's not just his, it's hers too. Their legacy. 

It's recorded in baby books and photo albums rather than history books. It's memorialised in finger paintings and handmade Christmas ornaments (made under Ginny's expert supervision) instead of plaques and statues. It's hundreds of little memories of their family that will never see the inside of a newspaper, but that doesn't make them any less noteworthy, not to Harry, who'd never dared to imagine that this life could be his one day. 

IX. love of my life

“Dinner!” Her mother calls from the back door of The Burrow, her voice ringing out across the garden. 

The sun is setting, dipping below the topmost branches of the orchard. The sky is a tapestry of pinks, purples and golds, stretching out for miles above them. 

“What do you think?” Ginny asks as her feet meet the ground, dismounting from her broom. “Could I make it as a pro?” 

Harry lands beside her. His eyes sweep appraisingly over her. Ginny's stomach swoops like she's still in the air. “I don't know,” he says thoughtfully. “The League is brutal. It requires rigorous training.” 

Ginny shrugs unconcernedly, hoisting her broom onto her shoulder as she does. “Do you know any Quidditch captains who might be interested in helping me with such an undertaking?” 

“I know one who might be able to make some time for you this summer,” Harry says as he falls into step beside her. He inclines his head towards her broom.“I can take it for you?”

Ginny's eyes narrow, prepared to tell him she's perfectly capable of carrying her own broom, but, when she turns, the way he's looking at her makes her heart race, and the words die on her tongue. without her permission, her expression transforms into a grin. “Very chivalrous of you.” 

A weight is lifted from her as Harry settles her broom beside his on his shoulder. “That's kind of what I'm known for.” 

“Only ‘kind of’?” Ginny's eyes wander to the quickly darkening sky above them as she laughs. “In that case, I'll be sure to let people know of this latest act of heroism – personally, I don't think you get enough attention.” 

“Well, if that's how you feel, you could always give me more.” 

Ginny stops midstep. Her head turns sharply back to Harry. She should keep walking, the words that are on the tip of her tongue will lead to something that neither of them planned for on this particular summer evening. 

Harry's eyebrows rise upwards; even in the dusk, Ginny can see the challenge sparking in his eyes. Unbidden, she takes a step towards him. “Are you flirting with me, Potter?” 

He doesn't back down, but he doesn't make a move towards her either. The brooms he's holding clatter together as he shrugs with just a bit too much tension in his shoulders to be truly nonchalant. “I might be.” 

Ginny's blood thrums in her veins as she takes another step towards him. “Need I remind you that I'm spoken for?” 

“How could I forget?” Harry's head lowers despite her reminder, until he's so close Ginny can see the flecks of gold in his green eyes. “I suppose he's deeply in love with you?” 

“Yes,” she nods with absolute certainty. “And I feel the same about him.” 

Harry's head dips lower, the determination in his eyes making his intention clear. Ginny rises on her tiptoes, unable to fight the pull that always inevitably beckons her to him. 

Barely an inch of space remains between them. Her heart flutters wildly– 

“Oi!” The loud, obnoxious shout comes from the far end of the orchard, making Ginny jump. She turns towards it and finds a lanky figure glaring at them from where he leans against the fence. “When you're done being disgusting, Nanna says to hurry up – dinner’s ready and the rest of us aren't allowed to start without you.” 

James doesn't wait for a response before turning on his heel and marching back towards the house. 

Ginny rolls her eyes at her son's retreating back. Her hand slips into Harry's, the most contact they're getting, at least until after dinner. “Remind me again why we had children?” 

Harry sighs, allowing her to lead him towards the gate James has just departed from. “You said they'd be cute.” 

“Well, they used to be,” she says fairly as she pushes the gate open with her free hand. “I wasn't thinking as far as them becoming teenagers.” 

Harry nods seriously. “Really, who could've predicted such an unforeseeable outcome.” 

Ginny looks up at him as he follows her through the gate. Brown eyes meet green through the burgeoning twilight. Two identical smiles bloom like flowers in spring. 

“Certainly not you, judging by your appalling Divination grades.” 

[thestarminstrel]

don't very often come into the tag to post my thoughts unprompted, but finished challengers and. eugene.

what did pacat do to him.

i already wasn't expecting great things just based on the preview where eugene, my poor boy, just gave a weak thumbs-up at getting benched. but i had faith and hope as foolish as it was.

like, you're telling me that eugene labao who spent years working to get on the fencing team, every year told his mom "this will be the year", and gave a training camp his all just. gives a forced smile at being booted off the team for state?? what?? if pacat wanted to go with a eugene that cares more about the team than his personal resume, fine. okay. but eugene is allowed to be more upset. he should be. he was given everything he dreamed of by williams saying that they could have two reserves, and now it's gone. i don't care how much a team-player you are, that's devastating. especially as a high school junior (in america and australia i GUESS). if you want to go to college for fencing, i imagine the state competition is a great way to get scouted. also, you miss out on fencing with your teammates for the last or second-to-last time. getting benched as a freshman sucks but you got some more years in your high school career. but eugene's a junior, this is his first year on the team, so now he's fencing state maximum once. that's just a cruel stab in the back by williams, genuinely. he should have been given time to be upset onscreen whether it was privately or with friends.

which then, what the fuck williams. you literally said that you could have two reserves- that you FOUGHT for two reserves- and all the sudden eugene can't compete. i never did high school fencing and maybe things are different in australia, but that seems a little ridiculous to me. like wtf did the higher-ups tell her? "yeah you can have two reserves for one competition but that's it" ???????????????? did pacat have an experience like this or something bc i have no clue how that's a logical train of thought a high school sports organizer can have. i will admit that one could argue she's competitive and wants to win. like sure but then why have a second reserve. could she not decide and was always planning to cut nick or eugene depending on who did better at the camp? what kind of coach is that?? none of the other coaches did that - not even donati and she is neck to neck with williams in this rivalry. it doesn't matter how much she wants king's row to have this gold medal- if williams was intentionally doing any of this, uncaring of whether or not she hurts one of the fencing boys, she should not be a coach actually. period. again, i love early fence williams. but oh my god the way she handled this was so bad.

which then brings me to: what is the point of eugene.

i love eugene, he has been one of my favorite characters since 2020 when i first read volumes 1-3. he is one of the reasons why i get so excited about fence and makes me so happy as a character. but honestly? you could cut eugene out of fence and nothing would change. i know he's not haiden or nichoji, but he was put there for a reason that i think pacat forgot. he never has any signficant screentime unless it's to be comedic relief or be a supporting character to nick, the other "underdog" on the fencing team. i really do hate to say it, but reading challengers really made me wish pacat had written out eugene sooner or not written him at all. he's not treated well as a character, and at this point, i don't understand why eugene is even in this story.

another point i want to make is nick. what the hell is wrong with nick. you're telling me that the same nicholas "zero" cox who was about to give up his scholarship and chance to fence so that eugene, a guy he barely knew at the time, could finally be on the team is the same nicholas who only says "but coach--" when eugene gets kicked off the team? that is a terrible friend. i'm not saying nick should have said "i'm not going to state if eugene isn't!!" but he should have called williams out on it, found eugene later and say "dude i'm so sorry this sucks" -- literally ANYTHING!!! but no, nick bever acknowledges it outside of this panel and is too busy at state apparently to notice eugene being bummed about, you know, not fencing with him. it's so, insane to me that nick became this person that doesn't bother checking in on his bro. that tells me he's more concerned about fencing and seiji - which to each his own but i would drop anyone who did me like that. can't even manage a "how r u doing" text what the actual fuCk. i can not stress enough how much i do not like this nick right now.

in conclusion: i need eugene to have a good cry with his mom or his bros about this bullshit and to eat so much good arroz caldo. please save my son from the narrative, it keeps being mean to him :(((

[crownedcitrus]

Your brown eyes ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

Bakugou x fem!reader Fluff

Warning: Nah. Probably OOC.

Bakugo goes soft after getting a better view of your brown eyes in sunlight.

There was just enough time before class started for the students to chatter away. You were pretty much bunched up with the rest of the girls chatting and laughing about everything and anything. It had completely slipped your mind whose desk you were resting up against.

Explosion boy himself finally graced the classroom with his presence. The usual scowl on his face as he ignores the so-called ‘extras’ and ‘dumbasses’. “Hey. Get the hell off of my desk. Do you want to die?” His voice held the normal gruff and intimidation.

He couldn’t have picked the worst time to try and grab your attention. Mina had been her energetic, comedic self and got you to laugh so hard you didn’t even realize the blonde behind you. Instead of turning your head to the side, you tilt your head back. The laughter turned to soft giggles as you looked up at an upside-down Bakugou. “Hm? What was that?” The softest smile on your face he had ever seen as you didn’t know what he was talking about.

At that moment, his heart felt like it was trying to be the next Olympic gold sprinter. It wasn’t even like both of your faces were close. It was the way the sunlight reflected off of your brown eyes. Reminding him of when the leaves in trees change to brown during autumn and cover the ground. For a moment, he was confused how you hadn’t been given everything on a damn silver platter with a simple glance. He assumed this had to be part of your quirk.

The hell were these mushy ass thoughts?!

The bell rang, pulling him out of his thoughts and you off of his desk to walk over to your seat. Class seemed to have finished just as quickly as it had started. If it weren’t for Kirishima, Bakugo wouldn’t even have noticed the glances shot in your direction throughout that whole class period.

“What man? You like her or something? How manly!”

“Shut it, Shitty Hair! Do you have a death wish or something?!?”

A.N. Shoutout to all my brown eyes peeps. We truly don’t get enough love. c’: the next writing should be a smut. The thinky thoughts have been.. thinky. Have a great time zone!

THE COOL ASS DIVIDERS ARE BY @/Benkeibear.

[livhowlett]

I've seen someone say that a 'Great British Bake Off: Holiday Special" with David, Georgia, Michael and Anna would be great.

BUT

What about a 'Taskmaster New Year's Special' with the addition of @neil-gaiman

Think about...

Micheal would probably be the "older" contestant that struggles with the most straightforward of task. Like when he had to peel an onion. (With him also being from Wales, Greg might go easy on him.)

David, would either run around with the enthusiasm of a child or get so incredibly frustrated it would be comedic gold! Either way, very entertaining .

Georgia, has worked with Little Alex Horn before (The Alex Horn Show) so I feel like she'd have no issue telling him to go do something or "bullying" him around. I also feel like she's quite clever and would do very well.

Anna, is a bit of a wild card. I don't know much about her personality. From what I've seen I can only guess she'd have a fun time and Greg would mock her for being young, beautiful and so full of life (like he dose with many contestants)

And then Neil. I feel like he'd be able to out smart alot of the tasks and find the crafty work arounds. All while being silly or very serious

I could be WAY off. But I think it be fun to watch.

Thoughts???

[manjiroscum]

SAPPHIRE TEARS

Character/s: Pantalone/Regrator

Warnings: f!reader, mature language, explicit sexual themes, enemies to lovers, reader is a business woman, slight angst, light hurt to comfort, happy ending, mentions of arguments, pantalone has violet colored eyes here, safe sex practices, soft!pantalone, cunnilingus, and pet name used. Minors do not interact.

Note: commissioned by @imma-write-stuff 🫶 thank you so much luv and i hope you like it! 🥺

Synopsis: His god, gold, and glory is all Pantalone cared about until you came along to push on untouchable buttons.

WC: 1.5k

Miscommunication can lead to unfavorable arguments and encounters. The ninth harbinger, eyeing his glass of wine for a while now, thought so, too. If he had known you would be in this party, nearby the vicinity, Pantalone wouldn’t have come. A year may have passed since your last heated dispute, the Tsaritsa’s money maker still couldn’t forget the words the two of you exchanged. What was even more irritating than having Tartaglia burn through the monthly allowance he was told not to spend so tactlessly was the fact he couldn’t get near you or even strike up a conversation.

Because he was afraid you’d shoot him down.

To be the first to break the ice and dominate the conversation was Pantalone’s forte. It was a mere simple act that he knew the song and dance by heart. However, when his violet eyes which carried well-kept violence and malice landed on the poor unfortunate man hoping to be your last dance, the harbinger wished he could break etiquette. Maybe ramming his fist on the bastard’s silly face would do wonders for his souring mood. It was pathetic, really. For him to stay where he is, watching you from a distance, was irksome. And while he was a man with great ambition paired with a reputation known from miles away, Pantalone suffered cold feet for the first time in a long while. It wasn’t comedic for him, to say the least.

The whole image of him teetering between confronting you and remaining where he was bothered him the entire night the second he saw your elegant form waltz into the ballroom. The hugging dress you wore made every hue of eyes seek after you. You had grown more beautiful since the day you walked out on him while spitting curses at his ‘unethical’ ways of conducting business. Needless to say, the harbinger has burned the sight of your angry expression into his retinas that it was strange and oddly made his heart beat twice as hard whenever you directed a smile at someone. As an adult, petty fights shouldn’t be dwelled on. He should put the past behind him and move on to greener pastures like forming an alliance with you. Your businesses in Snezhnaya were doing well and he has heard about your accomplishments even during his trips to Liyue.

He just didn’t know what to say to you.

“What a spoil…” he muttered to himself, keeping the rim of his glass close to his lips. It was a quick tactic to keep unimportant conversations from occurring. Pantalone, despite how he loved the sound of business deals and whatnot, hated small talk. You knew this, endlessly berating him for this and how he can’t be considerate to his ‘potential’ partners. Oblivious to his gaze averting from your eyes down to your lips, sometimes even lingering on your breasts if he couldn’t help himself. Really, he was disgusted by what you can make him do. Even the Tsaritsa wouldn’t be able to command him to strip himself naked and admit Dottore was the superior servant of the archon. But if you would ask him to, Pantalone would run his bank dry and make himself appear as the fool he has always been since he let you walk out that night since your last fight.

Perhaps everyone was a fool at the hands of love and hate, toyed by mere emotions.

“You’re here,” you whispered to the harbinger. Whether he was surprised by your sudden proximity or the casual way you addressed him, Pantalone never gave away his thoughts. He wouldn’t be one of the Tsaritsa’s trusted men if he was an open book. Frankly, you wished he gave you a minuscule hint of whatever he was feeling. You wouldn’t be standing here, rubbing your arm awkwardly in search of what to say. When was the last time you two weren’t at each other's throats? It was embarrassing that you couldn’t remember. Thankfully, Pantalone did not prolong your silent agony as he raised his glass at you.

“Lovely party, isn’t it?”

“Hardly,” you admitted, unafraid to speak your thoughts to him. “Been quite boring. Not much to talk about with these people. I’d rather be on my way home.”

Whether it was the wine he has been sipping on all night or because of the atmosphere giving the possibility of something more than intense stares, Pantalone’s lips acted quicker than his brain would’ve liked. You didn’t hide how stunned you were at his offer to take you home by his carriage. Anyone who has hated the Regrator at some point in their life would have frozen at the abruptness of it all. And just as he was about to take it back, you found yourself laughing softly while nodding your head. To hear you laugh was so much better than your scorn.

“I’d be happy to accept that offer, my lord. That’s if you’re serious about it…”

He was. Pantalone was not someone who backed down. You realized the severity of his words the moment he called for you out the front door. Your coat wasn’t even put on correctly when he motioned for you to get in the carriage. Yet, he cursed himself for sitting across you. The entire ride to your house was filled with silence except for the sound of breathing. His gaze continuously landed on you, unable to look away for you looked beautiful under the moonlight’s blessing. It wasn’t until you confronted him about his staring that Pantalone stopped.

“What’s the matter, my lord? Is there something wrong with my face?”

“Nothing in particular,” he answered after composing his expression. Pantalone’s wish for you to drop the subject was left unanswered as you continued to prod him with various questions ranging from a teasing tone to an accusatory one. If he admitted that he found you pretty—right here, right now—the harbinger knew he had only two outcomes to face. An ultimate rejection or a confused look. He would rather stay quiet than reveal his feelings carelessly.

Unless he wanted to hurt himself with the reality of your hatred for him.

Seeing that you’re not getting a reply, you gave up with a sigh. The carriage carried you both through the icy road, the horses slowing down as your house grew nearer. Pantalone’s worry about improving this relationship grew as the frost built against the glass window. Maybe his hopes of becoming friends with you—perhaps even more in the near future—were baseless and lacked something. It lacked support from you.

And yet, when you glanced at him, longing in those eyes that were ruthlessly cold to him before, no one could blame him for taking your outreached hand as soon as you got off the carriage. The silent plea for him to join you in the comforts of your home was too deafening and tempting to merely ignore. He didn’t want to lose this chance handed to him on a silver platter. Your soft fingers against his gloved ones, pulling him into your house. Pantalone, willingly as he may, thought that if he were to meet his demise as soon as he got inside, he wouldn’t complain as long as it was by your hands.

Contrary to his imagination, he found heaven instead the second the bedroom door was flung open. His lips found yours in a heated manner, as if he was seeking warmth and to convince himself those days shrouded in the bitter cold were over. He even found euphoria in the shape of your pussy folds opening for his tongue. You guided his touches, encouraging him to continue when he hesitated for a moment. Pantalone’s lips, which were glossed with your juices, moved under the moonlight in the most unfamiliar way to deliver three words you never thought you would hear from him.

“I… desire you.”

“What?”

“I’ve been in love with you, sweetheart. I don't know when, but I guess I have always liked you.”

Strands of silver stood out on his dark hair, making you coil them around your finger, lips curled up as he kissed you more. Tears rolled down your face at his confession, especially the moment he sheathed himself inside you. He saw them and immediately pressed his mouth on them. The feeling of rubber wrapped around his cock was a bit uncomfortable, yet the second he started thrusting made you forget all about it. His kisses and groans fueled your passion, wanting nothing more than to hear him call out your name as you do the same at the peak of your climax. It was no secret that Pantalone sought the feeling of ecstasy from other people, but he has never felt such pure bliss in your arms. Especially once he slowed down his thrusts to hit deeper into you, savoring and burning the look of desperation in your face to reach your high. He came in thick spurts, spilling his warm cum into the rubber while hugging your quivering form. Your juices coated his cock and your thighs messily. Pantalone breathed in your scent, relishing it all with you by his side as what is believed to be an eternal winter continued to rage outside. Spring, at last, fell within the four corners of your bedroom.

[thestobingirlie]

ranked stobin trios:

stobancy - (steve, robin and nancy.) the shipper and the ship. beautiful. what’s not to love. a battle trio. my three girls. nancy becoming closer to stobin as a representation of her overcoming her guilt about barb’s death. *chef’s kiss*

stobickie - (steve, robin and vickie.) once again, the shipper and the ship!!! we’ve got two bisexual babes and a lesbian. what is not to love. honestly, if we’d had more canon interactions with vickie, it would be much harder to place this trio second. anyway. love how all three of them represent hope in different ways!!!!

stobin + erica - three of scoops troop, of course they’re going to place high on this list. i know what we’ve got on them isn’t a lot, but what we do have is solid gold, okay? even just looking at the way they move together, robin stepping in front of erica, and ushering her around. the verbal battles between steve and erica. can’t beat it!

stobin + dustin - stobin and steve’s first child. great comedic trio, beautiful protective bonds. another shipper and the ship trio, but this time the evil version lmao. (though i blame that on dustin’s jealousy over robin stepping into the role of steve’s best friend, and wanting to shift her into the girlfriend role so he can be steve’s best friend). would’ve ranked higher if not for s4 and *****.

stobin + lucas - absolutely would’ve ranked higher if we’d gotten more content, but as it stands, stobin being two of the three characters that attended lucas’ game? i don’t care what canon says, i know they went up to congratulate him afterwards.

stobin + max - (honestly max and lucas trios are kinda tied for fifth place) we’re getting into the tough to place trios, because they just haven’t spent enough time in canon together. but i know they could be so good if only the duffers would let them. max writing steve a letter? robin being the one to save max’s life by figuring out the music? it’s all set up to be a beautiful friendship.

stobin + argyle - incredibly upsetting to place him this low, but i know if they spent even a second together, they’d be running off to get high in argyle’s van, and the duffers are just too afraid to show it.

[romancomicsnews]

8 Characters who should appear in Young Justice Season 5

Hoping and praying for another season of Young Justice is something I'm very used to.

After its initial cancelation way back in 2013, Young Justice was revived for a third season on DC Universe, DC's attempt at a streaming service, and lived past that to get a fourth season on HBO Max.

It is now under hiatus with no current plans at a fifth season.

I however will continue to remain hopeful for another season. Young Justice (with the exception of the Harley Quinn animated universe) is my favorite version of the DC Universe. With an exceptional voice cast, a focus on younger more relatable heroes, and a realistic political element to a superhero world, Young Justice cements itself not only as one of the best DC animated shows, but one of the best pieces of superhero media.

So while I have nothing but time until Warner Bros sees the gem that they have and give us a fifth season, I thought I'd pitch the characters I'd most like to see in the next season.

Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, if you're reading this, know if you don't put these in, I trust the season will be great anyway.

But you know, consider it!

*Spoiler Warning for Every Season of Young Justice*

The Bad Boys of the Bat Family

Let's start with the obvious!

Jason Todd AKA The Red Hood has been teased ever since Season 2, and while has made a few appearances, we have yet to see the menace he can be to both Bruce and The Bat Family.

I particularly want his story to tie in with Tim, who has only been seen to be the loyal soldier to Bruce. This can be an opportunity to reflect upon the life, and how Bruce's trauma trickles down.

Another Bat pairing I'm itching to see is Damian Wayne and Nightwing. The blood son and the favorite son can lead to some fun comedic beats and a lot of tension for the team.

Whatever team they decide to position Damian on, it could lead to disaster. Damians presence can also lead to less trust amongst superheroes, as he is a known killer, and Robin is a pretty public title in the Young Justice universe.

The Forgotten Sidekick

Sometimes even sidekicks need sidekicks!

For those not in the know, Gear was an original character for the DCAU show Static Shock, Virgil's best friend Richie.

Using technology, including a robotic backpack and flying boots, he was simultaneously Virgil's guy in the chair and right hand man in the field.

Static has been on the show for multiple seasons, but really hasn't had much to do since season 2. Giving him a protege of his own while paying homage to what came before.

Speaking of what came before...

The Final Titans

Who doesn't want a Titans reunion?

In Season 3, Cyborg was introduced into the fold and Beast Boy was given a much more expanded role. Ever since, I've been waiting for the Daughter of Trigon and the Tamaranean Princess to arrive.

An episode where the 5 Titans meet for an impromptu mission would be a lot of fun, perhaps battling one of their classic villains like Brother Blood or Deathstoke!

In the long run, both characters fit very well into the already established universe.

Raven would make an interesting member of Zatanna's Sentinels of Magic, and Starfire would be right at home with Forager and Miss Martian as aliens on Earth.

Would it be fan wish fulfillment? Absolutely, but Young Justice has done it before. In Season 4, Razer of Green Lantern Animated Series was given one of the best episodes, continuing his arc to find Aya.

I'm not sure how you could get all these characters and one of the Robins together for a mission, but I'll leaving the writing up to the experts.

The Incompetent Time Traveler

We've had the Legion, we've had Bart, but we have yet to have a time traveler who has no idea what he's doing.

Enter: Booster Gold.

Booster Gold is a fan favorite character across comics and animated media. He is a failed football athlete in the 25th Century, who steals tech in the future to pretend to be a hero in our time.

The character is soon to enter James Gunn's DCU, and recently made his Arrowverse debut in Legends of Tomorrow, played by Donald Faison, right before the show got cancelled (I bring this up mainly because he deserved a shot at voicing him and it could be a fun nod).

Boosters interference with the timeline could lead him to the worlds only time traveling expert, Bart Allen, effectively making him the Outsiders responsibility.

The character also leaves the door open to potentially a big bad, and maybe even thee big bad of the season....

The Professor

Much like General Zod and the Kryptonians became an overarching threat for Season 4, making it a Superboy/Superman focused season, I think it's high time the Speedsters of the team have a new threat.

Professor Zoom or the Reverse Flash is Barry Allen's greatest enemy. Another future man of the 25th Century, Eobard Thawne was a brilliant scientist, so opposed with The Flash, he decided to become his greatest enemy to become part of the story.

Reverse Flash has quite a few similarities with Bart actually. Future speedster hoping to be a part of the story and change the timeline for "the better". It would be an interesting rivalry between them.

While I would like him as the big bad of the season, I understand we JUST did a time traveling menace

My potential pitch would be Reverse Flash needs access to our time now for a power source, something to bring his power to the next level. Something or someone with Speed Force to spare, making him a battery for Eobard. So I believe Reverse Flash has returned to the past to get...

The Prodigal Son

Did I write this piece just to pitch a Wally West return season?

Yes. Yes I did.

Young Justice has left just enough wiggle room for Wally to return. We never hear about his soul, we never found a body, and Wally has been trapped in the Speed Force in the comics before.

Most notably, The Speed Force has not been mentioned yet. Currently, I don't believe any speedsters actually know it exists.

Eobard showing them the speed force and releasing Wally to drain his power, only to be foiled by the team, would not only bring back Wally, it could make him the Fastest Man Alive.

Wally becoming the Flash could be his arc of the season, which I argue would’ve been his destiny if Bart didn’t save Barry’s life.

Giving us a Wally with a power boost, lost time and lost love could lead to a lot of drama and potential for storytelling.

And of course, an Artemis/Wally reunion is well in order.

Again, if none of these characters make an appearance in the next season, I’d still just be happy there’s a season at all.

But time will tell if I’m right.

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[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I am truly overjoyed! It seems that more films are returning back to the magic of practical locations, effects and using CGI when it is absolutely necessary. When I see a master storyteller that started out that way, come back to their roots and show us why we loved them in the first place, my heart flutters as we are witnessing something truly special. That is what happened here and it was gorgeous return to the darkly comedic and macabre world created from the mind of Tim Burton. Burton returns to his most beloved film by fans and it didn't disappoint. Not only does it continue the same level reverence for the odd, but it also adds more to the lore by exploring more of the spirit realm and I loved every second of it. I loved that all of his tricks and styles were on display, especially during a discussion about the fate of a certain character. The way its done was a visual feast. This film was a bit overwhelming with the amount of characters, but I could never say I was bored. The amount of busy work each character gets could've been separated into their own vignettes, but it's all weaved together and wrapped up in a fun way. I do wish the threat for the titular character was more central and the driving force of the film though.

Winona Ryder returns as Lydia Deetz and I loved that she continued to embrace her supernatural gift. She is more tormented this time around and heartbroken as she had a loss that damaged her relationship with her daughter. Jenna Ortega was bratty, snarky and sometimes mean as Lydia's estranged daughter, Astrid. Their relationship was interesting to watch become patched in the most difficult way. She had the same attitude as Lydia when she was younger, but less morose and more angst. It worked all the way through and I loved when she finally starts to connect with her Mother on something they share. Catherine O'Hara was just as crazy, unpredictable and fun as Lydia's mom and Astrid's grandmother, Delia Deetz. Every moment with her was comedic gold and how darkly artistic it gets was great. Justin Theroux was good and slimy as Lydia's boyfriend, Rory. He was good for the purpose of where Lydia was in her life, but I almost felt he was the weakest part of the ensemble. Not in performance, but just as a supporting character that sometimes detracted from the pacing. Willem Dafoe was truly having fun as the dead action star, Wolf Jackson. I loved the throw back style of the 1950's detective he was portraying while hamming up the most hilarious and cheesy dialogue an old school detective would say. Arthur Conti was good as Astrid's first crush, Jeremy Frazier. It was a fun sliver of a possible teen romance in this weird world. Monica Bellucci still takes my breath away when she graces the screen and as the villainess, Delores LaVerge, she was truly spectacular. I loved the lore behind her relationship with Beetlejuice and I liked her creepy presence. I just wish we focused on her more as the driving force of the film instead of being lightly sprinkled around. Speaking of Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton returns as the ghost with the most and he hasn't skipped a beat. He continues to be that disgusting and loveable trickster we all love. He was hilarious, smart and very creative in his quest to get away from his ex-wife, Delores. I love that we finally get a confirmed backstory for the character and the amount of fun he has telling it was right on brand. The chemistry between him and Lydia never died and it was magical to see them together again.

Composer and Tim Burton's muse, Danny Elfman returns and brings back the iconic score and themes. I loved that he kept the gothic and whimsical tone of the film alive with his insanely playful score. The mixed soundtrack of jams that work in the playful nature of the spirit world was excellent and there is a prolonged musical sequence that was a bit bloated. Like I said before, everyone has something to do and that made the film more busy than it needed to be. For me, I would've gotten rid of Rory and left Lydia's heartbroken story as is anchor point for her and Astrid to reconnect. Even with all of its flaws, it still was a welcomed return to form for Tim Burton and fun excursion back into the world of Beetlejuice. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[tallymonster]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤

Well I don't have 5 fics lmao I only have one long fic and two one offs but how about this, you get the two one offs and then my three favorite chapters from my fic. Sounds like a good compromise.

Fic one:

Careless Whisper 💖 I did this one as a challenge to myself and as a gift to my friends. I don't talk to a couple of the people I included in that anymore, but I still had a great time writing it and have good memories of talking to everyone who I added.

Fic two:

Book Club Meeting 📚 did this one for the bg3 April fools challenge and had a BLAST doing some silly comedic stuff. I really wanna try and write more humor but ya know, life.

Okay so these next ones are all from my long fic Memories of Us

Chapter 11 - Gold and Rust: oh yeah this one is definitely going to go down as one of my favorites. It was the first time I wrote anything related to smut and I was really proud of the way I wrote it in. That flashback is one of my best scenes.

Chapter 17 - These Things I've Done: legit perfect. I listened to so much of Neil Newbon talking about Astarion and his story to really get the feel of it being him telling his story to the statue of his long dead love. I almost made myself cry when I was writing it.

Chapter 20 - Roses are Falling adding this one cuz it's another good Astarion POV. I really enjoy writing for him and Gale lol.

[womanofwords]

Pumpkin Carving

Halloween was approaching, which meant a lot of things, as far as Tobey McCallister was concerned. Spooky decorations, orange and green foods in stores, costumes. But mostly pumpkins.

There were pumpkins everywhere. On people's doorsteps carved into jack-o-lanterns, on decorations, on shirts, piled up on top of each other in a box in stores, everywhere. He saw it on a badge someone was wearing on her jacket. (He had to admit that the badge looked cool.)

It had even gotten to his mother.

"Theodore, we're here to get you a pumpkin," his mother said, matter of fact.

"What for?" he asked.

"For carving. I don't want you to feel left out."

Tobey spluttered with shock. "You never did pumpkin carving when you were a child, and you were fine!"

"I grew up in England. You are living in America. This is a very common practice in this country concerning Halloween. And I think you should have a pumpkin."

And that was that.

(PAUSE)

Tobey looked at the pumpkin as it sat on the kitchen counter, sneering at it. "What do I even need you for, huh?" he asked the pumpkin rhetorically. The pumpkin did not respond, because it was a pumpkin. With comedic timing, a flyer was slid through the letterbox.

HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL! the flyer happily advertised, in shades of orange, green, black, red and gold.

The red and gold were not found on the bubble writing, but on WordGirl. WordGirl was going to be there, supervising a pumpkin carving station.

Maybe it would be worth it after all.

(PAUSE)

Tobey walked in with the pumpkin, feeling out of place. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing and what they wanted to do, and he was just so . . . lost.

"Hi, Tobey!" WordGirl said, flying in with her own pumpkin. "How are you finding the Halloween festival so far?"

"Where's the pumpkin carving station?" Tobey asked.

"It's over here. You're a little early. Have you done this before?" she asked.

Tobey turned red. "N-no."

"That's OK. I'll walk you through it when it starts. Nice pumpkin."

"Thank you," Tobey said.

More people came in with pumpkins and sat down. All of them seemed to know what they were doing.

"OK, class, before we start with the fun part of cutting into the pumpkin, let's make a plan of what you want the face to look like," WordGirl said. "I brought markers, if you need that."

The markers were snatched up quickly. Tobey was lucky to get one at all. Looking around, he saw other people drawing faces onto the pumpkins. The markers were probably just to mark where they would cut later.

"Now for the gooey, gross part," WordGirl instructed. "We're going to cut the top off to make a lid and then we'll scoop out all the guts in the middle."

"Where do we put all the guts afterwards?" Tobey asked.

"Bob will be coming around with a box for it. They're going to be planted to make pumpkins for next year," WordGirl said.

She is so giving, Tobey thought, as she talked about the pumpkin seeds becoming the pumpkins used for next year. He drew a basic set of eyes, a nose and a smiley face for his pumpkin. Nothing too big, after all. It was only his first time.

"How are you getting on, Tobey?" WordGirl asked. Tobey turned red.

"Good. Drew a little something," he said.

"Looks great," WordGirl said. Tobey suppressed his glee.

She thought it looked great, Tobey thought, as he got out a knife and stabbed through the pumpkin. He sawed this way and that, and eventually, he fashioned himself a lid for his jack-o-lantern. Now time for the gross part, which a lot of people were already doing, with their own brand of commentary to go with it.

"Ew, it's so gross!" TJ said, as he stuck his whole forearm in.

"And squidgy!" Victoria Best said.

"I know. Just put the guts in there." WordGirl sighed and pointed to the box. "Once you're done, you can start with cutting out the face for your jack-o-lantern."

Tobey was terrified. The pumpkin didn't even have a face yet, but it was taunting him anyway. The first stab was the hardest, and Tobey was scared. What if it went off-track and he had a terrible pumpkin?

"Are you OK, Tobey?" WordGirl asked.

"Yes . . . no." He couldn't lie to her. "I'm worried. That I'll mess it up." He looked at her hopefully. "Could you help?"

"Sure!" WordGirl took Tobey's knife and gave Tobey a smaller knife. She even adjusted the way he held his knife, opening his hand and literally fixing the way he held the knife. He could have fainted with joy. "I'll do the mouth, and you can do the eyes and nose."

"Thank you," Tobey said, his voice shaking. He had to wipe the steam from his glasses before cutting the eyeholes so he could see what he was doing. Everyone else melted away as he and WordGirl worked on this pumpkin together.

Eventually, it was done, and they looked at it with pride. "It looks great," WordGirl said, smiling.

"So do you," Tobey said.

"What was that?"

"I said 'so true'! It is so very true that this jack-o-lantern looks good," Tobey stammered. "I feel like there should be a light or something!"

"Oh!" WordGirl rooted around in her pocket until she got a battery powered light. "It's battery powered, so no risk of it burning anything down."

"Thank you!" Tobey skipped off with his jack-o-lantern, WordGirl waving him off.

"How did it go?" his mother asked, when he returned.

Tobey presented the jack-o-lantern to his mother before setting it down next to the front door with the battery-powered candle. "Amazing."

[takeariskao3]

Oh, what about first time after baby? You wanna talk about a comedic gold mine...

oh my god OH MY GODD

Ginny squirmed, and not in the good way. "Why does it feel like I'm losing my virginity again?"

Harry swore softly and propped himself up on his elbows. "Does it hurt?"

"No," she hesitated, scrunching her nose at the pinch inside her. "It's all... different. Like things got rearranged."

He grimaced. "We don't have to do this, you know?"

Yes, of course, rationally she knows. But it’d been nearly nine weeks since she’d given birth, and at least a month before that she’d gotten too big and too uncomfortable to try.

“I miss shagging,” Ginny groaned. And she did. She missed a great many things about her life before motherhood, including the ability to take a bath that lasted longer that eight minutes, but she also missed Harry. “Just keep going, maybe it’ll settle in after a while.”

“Ginny,” he huffed, holding back a grin. “We haven’t had sex in four months, you are wildly overestimating how long I’m going to last.”

She snorted into his shoulder.

“I’m serious,” Harry continued. “It’s taking every ounce of control I have not to finish this off in six seconds.”

Ginny’s snort turned into a cackle. “And what’s your plan for those six seconds?”

“To fuck you as hard as I can.”

His teasing smirk sent a slice of warmth through her chest, softening all the insecurity and doubt that had plagued her for weeks. “You still want to? Even after all the rearranging?”

Harry looked down at her like she’d just said the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “Of course I want to.”

She beamed. She couldn’t help it. “Let’s go then. Maybe if you do it hard enough, you can put it all back where it’s supposed to be.”

[calliethetrekkie]

Star Trek TOS S01E17: Shore Leave

Original Thoughts

"…okay I knew from fandom osmosis that ST got weird at times, especially in Season 3… but WHAT DID I JUST WATCH?! That was… weird. Not necessarily bad, but weeeeird. I guess it was an attempt to be more comedic and considering that they look like they filmed in a park, save budget. I really can’t give an opinion on this one because I honestly cannot figure out what my opinion is for this one. It’s bizarre but harmless and I’m having a hard time deciding if I liked it or not. Spock more or less tricking Kirk into shore leave was funny though and the idea of a planet that essentially creates your daydreams is interesting, haha. The fist-fight at the end was also fun, so there are some enjoyable aspects if the bizarreness turns you off."

Rewatch Thoughts

Why was past me so anti-fun?! This episode is great!

Ah man, where do I even begin with this one? This episode is ridiculous and cheap... and I love it! You can tell that they filmed most of this in some local park and outright stuck someone in a cheap bunny costume. Yet it doesn't distract from the experience at all, if anything it adds to the bizarreness of it all. It's a chance to let everyone be stupid for a little while and sometimes you need those kinds of episodes. You need to be silly and fun and let the audience have fun too. I kind of feel like we've forgotten that as of late and it needs to change.

As I have gone in production order for this watch, I think that this was well-timed for me. We've had several serious, dramatic episodes in a row such as Conscience of the King, Galileo Seven, and two court martial episodes (well three since The Menagerie is a two-parter). I was kind of glad to get back around to this one when I did. The rabbit, Finnegan, and all the other crazy illusions that pop up make the episode pure chaos. And to think all of this could have been avoided if the planet inhabitants had just left a freakin' sign up or something.

Kirk is an absolute delight here. The guy is stressed and overworked, all of which he brought onto himself but doesn't want a break. Why? Because the Enterprise is full of workaholics. The scene where Spock tricks Kirk into ordering himself to take Shore Leave is one of the freakin' greatest Trek scenes ever. There is NO WAY that I can ever be convinced that Spock and McCoy did NOT plan on pulling this stunt. McCoy knows that Kirk is a stubborn ass and likely wouldn't listen to him, so giving Spock his log entry and Spock baiting Kirk into giving himself the order? Perfection.

Not that Kirk gets a relaxing time... well for the most part. The guy gets annoyed by an old Academy bully (twice), his best friend gets 'killed', and one bad illusion pops up after the other. Even when he's on break he can't catch a break. At least he gets to imagine an old crush of his cause he gets distracted by flowers? Hooray? Okay, that was kinda cute how he was all 'where the Hell is Sulu... oh hey, a flower!'. Never change Jim. Plus he gets to beat the shit out of Finnegan and get his shirt ripped... again. IDK why he even bothers with a shirt, it's just gonna get ripped to shreds.

Though as much as I love Jim here, McCoy is the highlight for me. Yes I realize that this being me that's not saying much, but every scene of his is pure gold. There's the whole Alice in Wonderland scene, then him calling Jim to tell him that he's possibly lost his mind ever so calmly. His flirting with Barrows is cute as is him encouraging her to play princess if she wants to. IDK, he's just kind of endearingly adorable in this one? Mind you he also seemed to have forgotten his brain cells considering he decided to not get out of the way of the knight and got stabbed for his troubles. I blame the rabbit, it broke his brain. But yeah he's so lucky the caretaker managed to fix him. Look, we often see McCoy all grumpy and dealing with everyone's problems, seeing him all relaxed is a nice change of pace!

Not much to say about Spock outside the 'trick Kirk into Shore Leave' scene. I kind of wish we had Jim and Bones yank him into it with them cause Vulcan or not he needs to have at least one. But I supposed that wasn't meant to be. I almost feel like he could have been kept on the ship the whole episode and it wouldn't have really hanged much, but I guess since Nimoy has a Starring credit and is the popular one they gotta include him. Also at the end when the Chorus Girl goes up to him and he seems to have no idea how to react, poor guy. No wonder he prefers to stay on the ship XD

There are so many good moments. Sulu and his glee for guns, Barrows in the princess dress, McCoy and Barrows flirting, it's 40 minutes of ridiculousness and I love it. It's nice to see these characters able to let loose and have fun since thus far it's not a side we've gotten to see much of... well at least by choice. We even got a bit of a feelsy scene when McCoy got 'killed'. Kirk looks like he's on the verge of crying and sounds about ready to beat the shit out of the caretaker until McCoy pops back up alive and well. Even Spock is at a loss and this is around the time that their relationship becomes more argumentative. But that scene aside it's a fun episode.

So a planet where whatever you think of can be created... why did anyone think that this was a good idea? Why did no one think of having a sign or a greeter or something to inform anyone who showed up how the planet worked? Why did they wait so long to clear everything up? Did no one think 'hey maybe this is a bad idea since someone could think up so and so and get someone hurt or worst'. IDC if they have machines that can bring someone back from the verge of death, that won't do shit if someone is legit dead (I refuse to believe that McCoy was dead-dead, none of these people checked his pulse properly and I'll die on that hill.). I have SO many questions on why NO ONE thought through any of this. Maybe the Enterprise crew ended up being the trial run... that's not a bad theory actually. That is now my headcanon!

Not sure if Kirk letting everyone go on the planet was a wise move at the end, but ah well. He gets to have his time with his old crush and actually gets the break that Spock and McCoy wanted him to take. Kind of nice to see him all relaxed considering how tense he was at the start. OH the massage scene! How could I forget the massage scene at the start? Now most everyone knows I'm not a Spirk shipper... but that scene and a few during the climax sure have plenty fo context even I can't ignore haha.

Wow, kind of surprised I managed to make the review this long. I figured I wouldn't have a lot to talk about given the nature of the episode... and I was wrong. But this episode is plain fun. The first time I watched it, I think that I was so taken aback despite knowing that this was one of the weirder episodes that I was unsure of how to feel. Three years later, I can now safely say that it was a delight! The characters are fantastic, the plot is chaotic in the best way, and the cheapness only adds to the fun. You don't always need fancy sets or a million-dollar budget to make a good episode, and this is a really good example of saving on budget but still making something enjoyable. It's not my favorite cause I like me my feelsy plots, but I still had a fun time revisiting this. I highly recommend this one especially if you need something to lift your spirits, it sure lifted mine~

Original Rating: 2.5/5 Rewatch Rating: 7/10

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