#which is to say that i need more Daley!

[dominimoonbeam]

Am I determined to put more David/Huxley fics into the world? Yes, yes I am.

Am I also indulging in some amnesia trope?

...yep.

<3

Still working on this one but I like sharing!

The as of yet unnamed Daley amnesia fic. <3 <3

-

Huxley woke up in a dimly lit room, the glow of machines and the bare wisps of light edging in around the blinds already enough to make his eyes ache and his skull throb. He tried to lift an arm, to throw it over his face, but the effort was suddenly too great.

He didn’t feel right.

He didn’t feel well.

He groaned and tried to roll over, away from the window, squinting in a desperate bid to see where he was.

“Sunflower?” a deep voice rasped, full of worry and relief.

It was beautiful and Huxley instantly hoped whoever the guy was talking to was okay.

Another voice was in the room. Hands pressed him gently onto his back.

There were questions but he couldn’t catch them. His head hurt.

“You’re okay, Sunflower. Just rest,” the voice said.

Good, Huxley thought. He was glad that guy’s Sunflower was okay.

When he woke up again, he was alone and this time he was able to slowly open his eyes and sit up.

His head still hurt and he was grateful that the light wasn’t sneaking in through the blinds anymore.

It didn’t take him long to realize he was in one of the rooms in the healing ward. He had a vague memory of hitting the ice. Only it wasn’t the ice… It was a stick. He’d landed on someone’s hockey stick and there had been an ear splitting crack.

He palmed the side of his head, but of course there wasn’t a wound there even if there had been one before.

“You’re awake,” someone whispered.

Huxley squinted up at the stranger.

They were quick to tell him where he was and that he was okay. A healer. He nodded and thanked them for the patch up, trying to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and get up. His vision blurred and his head ached.

“Oh! Hang on,” the healer’s whisper strained in their rush to brace his shoulder. “You’ve still got a concussion. I want to get another look at you, ask a few questions, and then you and your husband can head home.”

Huxley’s head jerked up to look at the healer, only to wince at the pain the movement shot through the backs of his eyes. His hand pressed at his forehead again. “What?”

“The head injury was really bad, Mr. Shaw. Please, take it easy.”

“Mister—” he started and then stopped, laughing a little. “I think you’ve got the wrong patient.”

The healer was quiet and he assumed they were reeling from their own mistake. He looked up, about to try to assure them it was fine. Mistakes happen all the time. It wasn’t a problem. But the way they were looking back at him made him swallow those words. “Honey…What’s your name?” the healer asked.

Huxley felt sick and it suddenly had nothing to do with his head. Okay, no, it still had a lot to do with his head but this sinking feeling was new. He gave his name. He knew his name. No matter what people said, he wasn’t stupid.

The healer nodded slowly but there was something careful about it. “What year is it?”

He answered.

The healer nodded again, even slower. “Okay. Hang on. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Why? Am I wrong?” he laughed. He wasn’t wrong. It was 2023. He was playing hockey for Dahlia in his last year at DAMN.

“Just stay put, okay? Everything is alright. I’ll be right back with a colleague and we’ll get this straightened out.”

Before he could ask what they meant, they were gone and he was alone in the dark room again.

He got out of bed and stumbled, shoulder hitting the wall but he managed to stay on his feet. There was a duffle bag on a chair and he found some clothes in it. They were his size and he pulled them on hurriedly. He hoped one of his teammates had brought them and that he wasn’t stealing. This night was bad enough already.

His heart was pounding. He needed to get out of there. He needed to get back to his house and just figure out what was going on. He couldn’t find his phone and swore under his breath.

He ducked out of the room into the hallway, cringing at even the low lights of the nighttime corridor. He kept his shoulder to the wall as he walked, using it to stay upright and moving the right direction every time his vision blurred and his head made it feel like the ground was tipping.

“Mr. Shaw?” someone shouted.

Who the fuck was Mr. Shaw and why did that healer think it was him?

He turned a corner and almost ran into a tall guy. “Woah! I didn’t know you were already up,” the guy said, hand on his arm to steady him.

Huxley squinted at the face. The guy clearly knew him but he didn’t know this guy.

“You took a really bad hit. You had us all worried.” The guy smiled but it looked strained now. “Do you wanna sit down?”

Huxley swallowed hard and shook his head, pushing past the stranger and toward the elevator. “Sorry. I… I gotta go…” His legs almost buckled when he stepped into the lift.

The guy definitely looked worried now.

Voices were rising down the hallway now. It was already too loud and part of him worried there might be actual alarms going off. Could they make him stay? No. He needed to go.

Huxley hit the button for the lobby, the doors sliding shut just as shadows were running into the corridor, someone exchanging fast words with the guy Huxley had run into. The guy lunged for the elevator, trying to catch the doors, but a split second too late.

Huxley panted, fear adding another layer to that headache behind his eyes. Fuck! What was going on? Who were these people and what did they want from him?

He tried to catch his breath.

The elevator finally came to a stop and opened. Too bright. Too loud.

Oh shit.

His legs almost gave out again, his skull splitting. He pressed his hands to his ears. Fuck!

And then a shadow fell over him, blotting out the fluorescents. The elevator doors slid shut again and Huxley groaned, shaking his head. “No.” He needed to get out of this place. He didn’t want to go back upstairs. He wanted to go home.

“Hux,” a deep voice said quietly, full of worry.

He dropped his hands, sagging into the corner of the elevator. He needed to call someone.

A body pressed against his, keeping him up and blocking out the world. Huxley relaxed a fraction. “I…I gotta go home…” he tried to explain.

A hand gently cupped the side of his face, big and warm. “Okay. I’ll take you home.”

He sighed heavily, dropping his head forward onto the stranger’s chest like he’d done it a thousand times before. It felt right. And this guy was going to take him home. Everything was going to be okay.

The elevator opened onto that sleepy floor again, but there were people waiting and that healer.

Huxley groaned and tried to shake his head, tried to back up but all he could do was push the back of his head against the metal wall of the elevator. “No… I…” He struggled. His head hurt so bad.

Those steady hands were still on him, cupping the sides of his neck. “It’s okay. We’ll talk to the healers and then we’ll go home.”

Huxley tensed. It was in the way this guy said, “we’ll go home.” Like they lived together.  But Hux hadn’t had a roommate in over a year. He looked up, despite the way his lids struggled to stay open, to get a look at this guy. He was big enough to be on his team, that was for sure, but he wasn’t.

The guy looked back at him, worry making a little crease in his brow that was both familiar and completely new. “Sunflower?”

Huxley stared, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t… Who are you?”

[carcarrot]

9 people i want to get to know better tagged by @bawnjourno thank you pal!!!!! 💖

last song: my baby must be a magician - the marvelettes

favorite color: purple!!!

currently watching: cheers (new) twin peaks (rewatch) night court (new) and movies every dayyy

sweet/savory/spicy: sweet!! if i don't have a sweet little treat i pass away actually

currently playing: not a gamer but im playing a game called august where i make it through every day of august

current obsession: the latest addition to my assortment of goofy guys, slowly collecting vintage clothing and books, even more slowly working on my film screenplay (and documentary idea. and tv show idea .), very very excited for my upcoming vacation to california for the 3rd time in a row! and if i ever repair the dvd drive on my laptop im gonna start making my own dvds of movies with embedded subtitles that dont already have them on a dvd release bc i cant hear!!!

tagging @footnoteinhistory @bicolumbo @starringvincentprice @mariocki @eddie-rifff @jefffreybeaumont @seaofreverie @jellojellyroll and @crystalblast !! no pressure if you dont wanna!

[wisteria-lodge]

Since you're writing Night at the Museum fanfiction, I gotta ask how you would sort the characters in those movies? (I remember like two years ago I semi-started my own sorting of the characters and then just never finished it)

So the thing about the way the museum exhibits are characterized is that they know they are exhibits. They *like* being exhibits. Their purpose in life is to teach/help the humans who come into contact with them (because that is the purpose they have been created for.)

Teddy is *very* aware he's not the Real Theodore Roosevelt, and kind of struggles with Theodore Roosevelt's ongoing legacy. He, Amelia Earhart, they're the cultural idea of the person they represent, not time travellers. It's pretty meta. Jedidiah and Octavius are not written as a literal historical cowboy and a literal historical roman, they are a reflection of how a 21st century American *thinks* about Cowboys (TM) and Romans (TM.) So a lot of what you're doing when you're writing about Jed and Octavius is unpacking cultural ideas of ideal masculinity, which was really fun to do.

That's my long-winded way of saying that all the museum exhibits are Badger primaries, full stop. Even Amelia Earhart doesn't *really* want "a great adventure" (which would be more Lion primary.) She wants to teach other people about the importance of having a great adventure. Jed actually talks about this a lot: "I called you 'cause you needed us. [You're] all gussied up, but dead inside. That ain't you." and "the least we can do is give [Larry] some help."

Larry Daley however, is not a Badger. He's a Snake. His entire motivation in the first film is his son - and the second one starts with a Larry who's a little Burned. He's got that Burnt Snake hedonism, leaning towards money and stuff and away from his personal connections, and regaining that connection is the plot of the movie.

In terms of secondary - Jed's a Lion. I don't think he's ever planned anything, ever. He talks a lot about his desire to "roam free" and asks Octavius to "remember me as I was, wild and free." He dislikes being constrained (manhandled.) He's kind of unofficially been made/made himself the leader of his diorama, which is very Lion secondary. And the fact that he's got guns that don't work (but he shoots them anyway) is... a little bit of a joke at the expense of Lion secondaries. This is a movie that *likes* prep-work secondaries, and it especially loves Bird secondaries. Larry is a *loud* Bird. When we met him he's an inventor (very Bird coded.) Then he gets the job at the museum, finds it overwhelming... and immediately does a TON of research, and starts making lists to organize and orientate himself.

Octavius is a Badger secondary. He has an official position of leadership, and is much, much more defined by his groups (his legion, "the glory of Rome") than Jed is. He immediately slots Larry into his personal hierarchy, even giving him a title - "My Liege" (Badgers love titles.) Also, not going to lie, he is kind of a kiss-ass. That, plus sweet-talking the Abraham Lincoln statue into coming to help... means we've got a Courtier Badger Secondary.

tl;dr

Larry Daley ~ Snake Bird

Jedidiah ~ Badger Lion

Octavius ~ Double Badger

[magicwhiskers29]

For the latest ask game...Great Ace Attorney, specifically

Favourite Character:

Gina, my girl Gina!! I love her development!! She adds to the atmosphere so well in Unspeakable Story, and I love her and Gregson's dynamic in DGS2!

Least Favourite Character:

Roly Beate. I think his gag is a little obnoxious, but I'm less endeared to him than Pat, so... I don't really actively dislike him that much, but he annoys me, so if I have to pick a least favourite...

5 Favourite ships (canon or non-canon):

-Ginasusa

-Haosusa (/Susarei)

-Ginasusaohao

-Asoryuu

-Nikosusa

Character I find most attractive:

Uhm. I don't know if I feel qualified to answer this. Maybe I'll just say whose design I like best... In which case, Gina again, maybe? I think she's very well-designed! :)

Character I would marry:

Also not that qualified to answer this one, uh... I could marry Courtney Sithe to make her history of marriages/relationships even more confusing? lol

Character I would be best friends with:

Iris!! We both like writing and science so I think we'd be cool buddies

A random thought:

Killing off Jezaille Brett at the start of DGS2 is an excellent way of setting the tone for the rest of the game, as well as setting up that, yeah, important characters can just die, so that Gregson's death works better later. I think it's a very shocking reveal that she's the victim, and I like it a lot.

An unpopular opinion:

Idk if this is that unpopular, but I asked my friend, and they told me this is at least a weird opinion, but Return of the Great Departed Soul is my favourite case in the doulogy, and my favourite case in Ace Attorney overall.

My canon OTP:

There aren't that many canon ships, to my memory, but the Vigils (Evie and Daley Vigil), I guess? Better than the Beates or the Garridebs...

My non-canon OTP:

I guess since this says OTP I can't say Ginasusahao, so uhm... Ginasusa, maybe? That's probably my favourite DGS ship, but I'm not like, that attached to it specifically, so...

Most badass character:

SUSATO MIKOTOBA!!! She saves you in court so many times, and she will take down anyone she needs to with a Susato takedown <3

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Hm... The most I think I get towards DGS ships I don't care is ambivilent, tbh. I can usualy see why people like them, though. I guess the ones I stear most clear from would be Baroryuu or Asobaro? Nothing against then, and I can get why people ship them, but they're not really my thing.

Character I feel the writer's screwed up:

Right, this isn't so clear-cut as it would be as if I was writing this about PL, but if you'll allow me to be petty for a moment, I do have a few minor grievances with Susato. I love her writing for the most part, but I think there was a major missed opportunity in the specifics of her ending.

I don't think her thematic beats about choosing her own path work quite as well if her sole motivation to return to Japan at the end of DGS2 os for Ryuunosuke. Like, yes, she chooses to follow him over Kazuma, that's something, but she's still just choosing to follow another character, when she was previously set up in Blossoming Attorney to be capable of standing on her own if the law only allowed it! I think i would have liked it more if it was at least implied that she returned to Japan to help Ryuunosuke AND start to try to begin her own legal career.

Otherwise, I think her ending's uncomfortably similar to the midpoint in her arc for the ending of Unspeakable Story. Albeit indirectly, she's once again returning to Japan upon her father's request, and I think that could have been avoided a little if her motivations for wanting to return were established as being outside of what other characters want, because that is her arc!

Favourite friendship:

Kazuma and Susato. Everything they do with those two is so interesting to me, and I love writing about it. It's so interesting how core Kazuma is to Susato, but how also she can't mean as much to him, because he only met her properly after he's already decided his mission. But she still means a lot to him, and I just, augh. I love the tragedy.

[ultimateheadcanontournament]

Loser's Round One

Propaganda under the cut!

Larry Daley

"shes transfem because me and my qpp say so"

"walked in that museum a cis guy walked out that museum a trans girl . transsexuality be blessed"

"qpp says so and i love em too much to disagree. Also the more I see him post about it the more sense it makes. it is so right for that one"

Eddie Kaspbrak

No explanation given, other than "don't think I need to"

[squeakyfir]

A small hostage (A night at the museum 2 X Child! Reader Fanfiction)

Description:

You, an eight year old child who was left behind on a school field trip gets locked inside the Smithsonian and are held hostage by wax figures of historical figures. Though one was cruel, the other's were a bit mean but they showed a bit of care. So much for being evil. There were questions that needed answers.

Will you live?

Will you die?

Will you see your family again?

Will you even remember this night?

Enjoy!

*I do not own the night at the museum movies. All rights to the characters and storylines belong to 20th Century Studios ™*

Chapter 2

Previous ~ Next

"GO! GO! ALL OF YOU! GET THAT BRAT! BRING HER HERE"! You ran as fast as possible and heard the running steps of the men coming after you. You made quick turns round corners and saw many other strange things. Animals. Animals that were either still alive to this day, some that were extinct and some that were skeleton's. But there was no time to observe them. You had to keep running and running to escape the men.

You then found yourself at a dead end and turned around to see them still coming towards you. Capone took a hold of you and slung you over his shoulder. "I have to admit kid, you run fast". They all started to head back to wherever Kahmunrah was. You looked and saw that the other men still followed but only a couple looked back at you. Wait, was one of them giving the look of pity? "What are you going to do"?

"Take you back to dress boy, he'll decide".

After what felt like a couple minutes, you were back at that large cathedral room only to see it had a ton of gold and treasures. Kahmunrah sat in a cushioned chair admiring the treasure but when he noticed all of you come back, he got down to speak to you all. "Ahh, gentleman. You have succeeded in bringing... bringing, uhh... I'm sorry, what's your name? You haven't told us yet".

You were finally put down and you said, "My name's (y/n). (Y/n) (l/n)".

"Well miss (l/n), my leg is sore from your kick". There was a huge bruise forming and you felt proud of yourself so you grinned, which was the reaction he wasn't hoping to receive. "I should kill you, but you could also prove to help us in our efforts of world domination. But for now, Mr. Bonaparte, take your men and find Mr. Daley and bring him back here. I'm sure you won't have any problems finding him".

"Oui". Napoleon then left with his men and Capone took you by the hand and made you sit down on a box beside him. "Sit here and don't move or do anything. I mean it. You understand"? You nodded and he took his gun in his lap to polish it. You sat silently and then heard Kahmunrah say, "Why these aren't real rubies at all. Ruby slippers indeed". He then tossed the slippers off to the side and then said, "But, whoever you were Archie Bunker, you had one comfortable throne".

"Are those the slippers from the Wizard of oz" you asked. The men looked at you, wondering what you were talking about. "The what"?

"It's a movie and it's a cool movie too".

"If you enjoy it, it must be an awful thing" said Kahmunrah. You rolled your eyes but decided to ask Capone a question. "Hey, what was life like for people where you were at"? Capone looked at you with a sudden bit of interest and then said, "It wasn't exactly easy, kid. Things were complicated for us. We had a ton of things to... to take care of and... *sighs*, well, let's just say that it was amazing then but it would be probably more difficult to pull off now".

You didn't know what he was talking about but you decided to change subject and say, "Is there anything you want to know about me"? Capone was silent for a moment but then said, "Well, yes. Why were you left behind"?

"I don't know. My teacher is dumb". A couple of the men snickered but as much as you started to realx a little bit, you couldn't ignore the obvious. They were holding you hostage. It was confusing since Kahmunrah was the only one giving off a bad vibe. The others just seemed to be following orders and just went along with this. "What kind of gun is that"?

"My trusty tommy gun. This is my pride and joy" he said with a grin.

"Are you going to kill me" you whispered.

Capones grin vanished and looked at you and was about to say something but was brought out of his thoughts when one of his men came into the room and said, "Hey boss. We caught this one trying to escape through the rust hole in the crate. One of his little friends got away".

"Oh please, what damage could they possibly do? Why there no bigger than a grin of kooth kooth, aren't you" said Kahmunrah. You peered forward to see a small man in a bird cage in western attire and he said, "You know there's two words that come to mind when I hear you talk. Delusional and weirdo. And if I had to add a third... goofy, just goofy". You giggled at the little man since he proved to have a sense of humor. "Now, you let old Jedediah out of here or he's gonna get angry".

Kahmunrah laughed and said, "I'm sorry, I just can't can't take you seriously. You're just adorable. Even when your threating me, it's hilarious. Now is it just me, or are these guy's unbelievably cute"?

"No hold it a second. Now you have a right to keep me as your captive and torture me, but don't call me cute, I ain't cute".

"Nous lui avons capture".

We all looked towards the entrance and saw Napoleon and his men and Ivan's men with a man in a dark blue uniform and some gold object in his hand. It must've been the tablet that Kahmunrah wants. Kahmunrah got up from his chair and went over to the man and Capone stood up and took a hold of your hand firmly so you wouldn't run off. "Hello Mr. Daley. Nice to see you again. Now, if you don't mind, I shall take that from you", Kahmunrah then snatched the tablet form Mr. Daley and said, "Thank you".

Kahmunrah then walked to the black sarcophagus and said, "Finally! FINALLY! After three thousand years, my evil army of the damned. My beautiful, beautiful army, shall, be, UNLEASHED"! He stepped back, a bit dramatically in fact and we all awaited for something to happen. But nothing happened. Kahmunrah sighed and said, "I'm afraid that, mother and father may have, slightly, changed the combination on me".

Mr. Daley shrugged and said, "Wow, I guess this whole, unleashing the underworld thing, isn't really working out for you. It must be so frustrating cause you waited, thousands of years to come back from the dead, and now you can't, get it open".

"Fear not, for I shall wait a thousand more if I must".

"Good! Cause in a few hours you'll just be standing here in a frustrated position, frozen, and I'll walk out of here with my buddies, so, I got all night".

"Really, all night. Well... they don't" Kahmunrah said pointing at the man in the cage and at you. Mr. Daley first noticed the cage and he looked nervous and mad. As soon as he saw you, he looked even more angry. "A kid!? Your holding some kid hostage"!?

"Open that cage" said Kahmunrah. Mr. Daley tried to stop him but Ivan and his men blocked him so he wouldn't get near them. "No touching! No touching! Don't you manhandle me"!

"Oh look, he's having a tiny little tantrum" said Kahmunrah with a hint of mockery in his voice. "Na-ah, don't you squirm, don't squirm. It'll only be worse".

"Put him down" said Mr. Daley.

Kahmunrah then picked up an hourglass and took the bottom lid off. "Don't be afraid, I shan't hurt you", he then dropped the man inside and said, "Oops, I lied. Uh oh". He turned it over and now the sand was slowly pouring down on his small form. "Oh, I don't think he has all night at all Mr. Daley. From the looks of things, I'd say he has, a little over an hour".

He started walking back to the tablet and took it. "You were the guardian. You know all about this tablet. Your obviously much more clever than the rest of us". He gave the tablet to Mr. Daley and said, "You may or may not know the combination, but I'm going to give you exactly one hour to figure it out. If you do not, I shall kill your friends and miss (y/n) (l/n). And please don't think about escaping, for I shall be watching you".

"Look, I don't even know where to begin to decipher this thing, alright. Really".

"Oh, what a pity. And your little cowboy friend seemed like such a charming little fellow, and I could care less about that brat but ah well, tick tock Mr. Daley, your hour has begun".

The man in the hour glass then said, "Hey! You got this partner, I know you do". Mr. Daley was then shooed away and as he ran off the man in the hour glass then shouted with his arms out,

"YOU GOT THIS"!

[rookie-critic]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (dir. John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein) - review by Rookie-Critic

Making a Dungeons & Dragons film is not something you think would be difficult, but it has proven to be quite a challenge. Since the original tabletop RPG's release in 1974, only four official films have even been released, and the first one of those didn't come out until 2000, 26 years later. That original trilogy of D&D films had a rough go of it, all three being both commercially and critically panned, and none of them even coming close to truly capturing the wondrous and, frankly, kooky spirit anybody who has actually played the game before knows it to have. With literally endless narrative possibilities, how can filmmakers keep failing to capture the essence that makes this fantasy role-playing game so much fun? Honor Among Thieves bursts through the theater wall like some kind of medieval Kool-Aid Man with answer to that question, and the answer is: comedy.

I have only played Dungeons & Dragons a few times, but just from what little experience I have with the game, I can tell you that the one constant the D&D experience offers is humor. The main game mechanic of having to come up with your own solutions to problems, with everything revolving around some arbitrary numbers on a page and a roll of the 20-sided die, is a veritable stomping ground for quirky hijinks and mayhem. Having the utmost confidence in yourself and your plan to get past an obstacle only to roll a one and fail miserably, having to act out the ensuing embarrassment in real time, that's what makes D&D so much fun. The fantasy world is almost just a vehicle to introduce wild NPCs and gadgets and magic to even further induce mischief. The thing that makes Honor Among Thieves work so well is that it takes all of these aspects of the game and just slaps them onto the big screen. I can just as easily have seen this as a HarmonQuest-style internet show where Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest sit around a table with some cameras pointed at them as we watch them actually play this campaign out in actual Dungeons & Dragons. Characters shit talk each other, deliver quippy one-liners when appropriate, get caught off guard by something they didn't expect to happen, come up with crazy solutions that logically shouldn't work, but then it somehow miraculously does. Literally everything about the spirit of this film is perfect, and the most wonderful part is you don't have to be into D&D in order to enjoy this, it's mostly just a fun adventure comedy.

The whole cast shines perfectly in their respective roles (I'm always a huge fan of Hugh Grant in anything comedic), but a truly special shout out needs to go to Chris Pine on this one. If Chris Pine isn't the perfect choice for a too-sure-of-himself, slightly annoying, but lovable bard-type character, then I don't know who is. I would say my one reservation with the film is that there are a couple of moments where the writing leans a little too heavily on over-exposition when explaining some of the deeper lore the audience needs for context on characters. There was probably a way that could have been weaved a little more naturally into the dialogue, but I can probably just chalk it up to yet another D&D trope. Maybe when the writers were playing through this campaign (which I'm almost certain they did), they had a slightly over-zealous DM who got a little too into it sometimes. These moments never last too long and, ultimately, do provide a lot of necessary information regarding certain important characters in the story, so they didn't end up detracting from the viewing experience hardly at all. This was a fun, heartfelt, and hilarious journey into one of the most famous mythical lands there is that the film makers clearly put a whole lot of love and personal experience into. It makes for a D&D film that anyone, regardless of age or interest in the source material, can have a fantastic time with.

Score: 9/10

Currently only in theaters.

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

DICED HAM

Opening this weekend:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves--This movie includes more than one dungeon, and more than one dragon. Thus the title is truthful, at any rate.

Once or twice back in college--twice, if memory serves--I played Dungeons & Dragons with some of my fellow theater students. It was sort of fun, as I recall. The first time, an obnoxious kid we didn't know named Dan--not a theatre major--had somehow been invited, who seemed to think himself a great ladies' man. He named his warrior character "Dahn" and spent most of the evening drinking a lot and hitting on the young women there. When we played again a week or so later, Dan was not invited, and the Dungeon Master mildly informed us that "Dahn disagreed with something that ate him."

This was in the early '80s.  I recount this story only to make it clear how limited my familiarity is with the classic role-playing fantasy game developed in the mid-'70s and now owned by Wizards of the Coast (a subsidiary of Hasbro). I've never played D&D or any similar game since, though I have friends and family who are enthusiasts. Even at the time, I didn't really grasp how the dice rolls and "damage points" and other such jargon determined the flow of the game; I just enjoyed the socializing and improvisational creativity.

So for all I know, this new movie version, directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley from a script they concocted with Michael Gilio and Chris McKay, is a rich and faithful fleshing-out of tropes from the game. Or, for all I know, it's just a sword-and-sorcery fantasy with the franchise's name hung on it. I can't say, nor need any general audience member care; either way, it's highly entertaining.

Chris Pine is a lute-strumming troubadour living in a Ren-Faire-ish realm of racial and gender diversity. A washed-up member of a heroic order, he leads a band of thieves including a warrior (Michelle Rodriguez); a sorcerer (Justice Smith) of low self-esteem and questionable prowess, and a horned and tailed elfin person (Sophia Lillis) who can shape-shift into various other creatures, including a brawny monster owl.

They're on a quest to obtain some sort of magical thingy that will allow them to enter a magic vault from which they want to steal some other magical thingy. This will allow the troubadour to resurrect his murdered wife. Along the way the band is helped by a noble but humorlessly literal paladin (Regé-Jean Page from Bridgerton).

This synopsis does the movie little justice, however. D&DHAT isn't heavy. Despite all the thundering hordes and clanking armor and clashing steel and roiling brimstone and mystical spells and hideous ogres and such, the flavor is less like a Tolkien epic than like a Hope-Crosby Road comedy. The guiding joke is that the characters, notwithstanding their fairy tale attire, speak and interact in a contemporary American idiom, like people on a sitcom. There's an extended schtick, involving questioning of the dead, that's almost worthy of the Marx Brothers.

Your own tastes will determine if this approach makes the movie a blast or an outrage. For me, it not only made it less ponderous, but more emotionally satisfying. The actors generate an ensemble playfulness and a sense of affection. Pine retains his raffish agreeability, and he and Rodriguez are particularly convincing as longtime, patiently enduring friends.

But once again, the best reason to see the film, even if this sort of fantasy isn't your usual tankard of mead, is Hugh Grant. He plays the rotten mountebank who betrayed Pine and friends back in the day. Since then, with the alliance of a sinister sorceress (Daisy Head), this fraud has ascended to the throne of the kingdom; it's his vault the gang wants to loot, and he's also, intolerably, been serving as the surrogate father to Pine's daughter (Chloe Coleman).

Between this movie, the recent Operation Fortune, and 2017's Paddington 2, Grant has quite a line these days in cheery, good-natured comic villains. The scenes he steals here are the most honorable theft in the movie.

[menageriemadness]

Pancho’s Myopic Movie Review - II : Dungeons and Dragons - Honor Among Thieves

Part I: I Roll to Seduce the Dragon

Ah! At last, a true fantasy flick that would make Roger Corman eat the script out of sheer jealousy knowing that he himself, the king of schlock, would not be able to replicate it even with a trillion monkeys plunking away at hypothetically hyperbolic typewriters.

Yes, dear readers, it is once again time for a Myopic Movie Review from your humble narrator, JP Pancho, fresh from overseeing a new batch of films delivered to the Menagerie via semi intelligent rocks rolled downhill toward a small Tibetan village.

2023 gave us many thrilling and unexpected outcomes, Zelinsky, hallowed be his name, kicking Putin in the teeth, an indictment of a former president, and Paramount producing what is likely the be the best fantasy flick of the decade - D&D: Honor Among Thieves.

Our story takes place in the D&D campaign setting of Faerun ie the Forgotten Realms. Actor turned director Frankie “the Destroyer of Box Offices (and orifaces)” Daley teams up with small time director Jonnny “Boi” Goldstein and deliver a pithy, action packed, and simple adventure that harkens back to the golden era of 1980s schlock with a modern flair for comedy, on screen table humor, and a real multi million dollar studio budget.

What we are left with is a stunning masterpiece of epic and small scale proportions. Even the stakes, which continually raise throughout the script never turn into saving the planet or the Realms themselves, just saving a single, albeit famous, city from the sinister mechanizations of an evil Thayan scheme. Overall - it’s low stakes, and for that, dear readers, your humble narrator is enterally grateful.

I saw this movie alone after a really rough day of feeling hopeless about the future and frustrated with the creeping walls closing in around me. I decided to go see it, bought the tin bucket hat and bladder buster cup, and tromped inside the theatre to find myself the only familiar in the whole town who wanted to see this movie opening weekend. It was empty.

What I saw blew my mind from the first 10 mins.

I laughed. I laughed so hard I cried. I even teared up a few times at some of the genuinely simple and heartfelt monologues and troubles the characters faced. When we came to the pivotal “all is lost moment” I was completely subverted when they all simply sat on a stump and had themselves a group hug. SIMPLE.

That’s all I have to say about this movie. There’s nothing insanely clever or deep about this plot, dialogue, or characters. It’s simple. Simple. Simple. Simple. And I love it. Theres a Druid who doesn’t like people, a barbarian with a penchant for halflings, a Harper bard who’s given up on life, an uptight Thayan paladin who doesn’t understand turn of phrase, a wizard who sucks at wizardry, and a conman who cons his way right into my heart. Nothing wild, nothing new, but the actors really did a great job making me feel like it’s a motley band of nobodies thrust into plans way above their level range. There’s a giant bridge that they need to cross, but it’s rigged with deadly traps. As the truly bearably unbearable lawful good paladin explains the intricate manner in which they need to cross, someone sets off the trap and the bridge collapses. That’s it, nothing more. No huge danger, only a new obstacle they have to work together to solve - just like the tabletop rpg.

When they see the city in peril and they have a literal ship filled with gold and all Chris Pine can say is “ah, shit,” and turn the boat around (because they all need the xp to level), definitely says it all. I remember my own experiences in rpgs where me and the party did the exact same thing. We turned our asses right back around and we defended the town, because that’s what heroes do.

The simplicity of the plot along with the heartfelt, funny, endearing characters and their clear motivations drives the plot and keeps the action quick. I love that everyone has a moment of defined growth as well, either letting go of something or learning to overcome their own insecurities. It’s never anything truly massively deep, but it’s real problems we all face - imposter syndrome, loss of loved ones, trusting new people, and learning to let go of the past and embrace the now, looking toward a brighter future. There’s plenty of wonderful moments where I can just see a party of adventurers on their own little D&D adventure getting told what epic things are happening in game, but this time we get to see it live action and in person - the obese dragon (great lore reference from Forgotten Realms for all you nerds), the exquisite Druid chase scene, beating up a hobgoblin in prison, Jarnathan’s escape, the old west street battle with the red wizard (and a tumbling basket - lol), a reference to the D&D cartoon during the Games, and seeing Hugh Grant’s face on the Goodyear blimp - chef kiss 😚 it’s a treat.

Speaking of live action and in person, the special effects are absolutely incredible. I haven’t seen such a good mix of CGI and practical puppetry since probably The Sorcerer’s Stone, and Jarnathan and the dragonkin and the furries are all charming and made me almost spit out my popcorn because I wasnt expecting such good puppets and animatronics.

There’s a scene where our heroes get sucked into the ground. I was shocked to discover it was all practical - they literally dug a pit and had them sink in it. Praise Helm!

What more can I say about this incredible film? Much, much more, but unfortunately, dear readers, all good things must come to an end, and your humble narrator needs to be off on a special task for the Menagerie - mucking out the vile Mephits who’ve taken over the water closet.

I give this movie an arbitrary score of one childhood and a late night college D&D session out of 7. If you haven’t seen it, please go watch it. Mind you, it’s not the best movie ever written, it’s not the best acted movie either, but it’s full of whimsy and charm, and I’m pretty sure Roger Corman is hastily writing a script to combat it, if only to cash in on the zeitgeist.

Alas, our time in the Menagerie has come to a close. Until next time, dear readers. I hope all is well in your world, for if it is so, then it is as well in mine.

Your Humble Narrator,

J. P. Pancho

[monsterkong]

Why Homeschooling Might Just Be the Answer We’ve Been Looking For

Hey Tumblr fam! 🖐️ Today, I want to share something that’s been on my mind—a conversation that really hit home for me. It’s about homeschooling, and trust me, even if you think it’s not for you, this might change your perspective.

So, I recently sat down with Cheryl Daley, the host of the podcast "The Homeschool How-To." Cheryl’s story is incredible—she went from working a regular 9-to-5 government job to becoming a full-time homeschooling mom. What sparked this change? The craziness of the past few years, which made her and her husband start questioning everything, especially when it came to their kids’ education.

📉 The Downfall of Traditional Schooling

Let’s be real—things are a bit of a mess right now. Literacy rates are dropping, the economy is in trouble, and everything feels… off. Cheryl shared some eye-opening stats about how literacy rates have been on a decline since 1910! 😳 And with everything that’s happened in the last few years, more and more parents are pulling their kids out of traditional schools.

For Cheryl, it all started with the pandemic. She wasn’t on board with the mandatory masking and started digging into alternative treatments. But what really got her was the censorship—every time she tried to share what she found on social media, her posts got flagged or taken down. That was her wake-up call. She realized that maybe, just maybe, the system didn’t have her best interests—or her kids'—at heart.

So, she and her husband decided to pull their son out of daycare and dive into the world of homeschooling. And what started as a temporary solution turned into a lifestyle they couldn’t imagine giving up.

🎒 Why Homeschooling?

Homeschooling used to be seen as something only "weird" or super religious families did. But as Cheryl discovered, it’s actually a powerful way to take back control of your kids’ education. Traditional schools often push an agenda that’s more about creating obedient workers than fostering creative, independent thinkers. Cheryl’s research led her to some shocking discoveries about how the education system has been manipulated for over a century by powerful interests like the Rockefellers. 🤯

Homeschooling gave Cheryl the freedom to tailor her son’s education to his interests and needs. And she’s not alone—her podcast is filled with stories from parents who have found that homeschooling is not only doable but incredibly rewarding.

🙋‍♀️ How to Start Homeschooling

One of the things that hold people back from homeschooling is the fear that they’re not "qualified." But Cheryl says that’s just not true. Parents are more than capable of educating their kids—sometimes even better than traditional schools because they can offer personalized attention and a curriculum that’s actually relevant to their child’s future.

Here are some tips Cheryl shared for anyone thinking about homeschooling:

Start Small: Don’t feel like you need to dive into a full curriculum right away. Start with simple goals like reading a few books together each week.

Use Everyday Life: Turn everyday activities into learning opportunities. Cooking, for example, is a great way to teach math and science.

Join a Community: There are tons of online groups and local co-ops where you can connect with other homeschooling families. Cheryl’s podcast is a great place to start if you’re looking for resources.

Be Flexible: Homeschooling doesn’t have to be a 9-to-5 job. If something isn’t working, switch it up. The beauty of homeschooling is that it can be whatever you need it to be.

Involve Your Kids: Give your kids a say in their education. This makes learning more meaningful and fun for them.

🌱 Why Homeschooling Might Be the Future

More and more parents are turning to homeschooling because they’re fed up with the traditional system. They want more for their kids—more freedom, more creativity, and more opportunities to think independently. Homeschooling offers all of that and more.

If you’re even a little bit curious about homeschooling, I highly recommend checking out Cheryl’s podcast, "The Homeschool How-To." It’s packed with practical advice, inspiring stories, and all the info you need to get started.

🎧 Where to Find Cheryl

You can find Cheryl’s podcast and more resources on her website at The Homeschool How-To. It’s a great starting point for anyone interested in taking control of their kids’ education.

So, what do you think? Could homeschooling be the right choice for you and your family? Let’s chat about it in the comments! ✨

[themultifandomgal]

His Queen Pt5

The jackals brake the gate for us after Ahk and I quickly change into our clothes, Ahk is wearing his typical Deshret (crown), wesekh (collar) his cloth belt, shendyt (kilt) and his cape. I wear my kalasiris (straight dress) and decided against my wig, because that thing is way to itchy from what I remember

"Thanks guys. Don't worry I'll watch out for them" Larry says to our jackals as we run to a balcony. We look down to see what a mess the place is then some screaming from the other side of the room

"What is that?"Ahk asks

"Huns" Larry says irritated "I gotta deal with this guy" the Huns run over to us screaming, Larry running towards them also screaming while Ahk, Nick and I follow. The Huns start speaking their native language while Larry speaks... well made up

"Pardon me Larry. I speak Hun" Ahk says then starts to converse with the Huns "he says that he wants to rip you apart"

"All right again with the ripping. Listen I understand. I get it I do. Ripping, you want to rip things. I think maybe that's because somebody ripped you a long time ago. In here" Larry points to his chest "did somebody rip little baby Attila a long time ago right here. They ripped something out didn't they? they ripped love right out of you didn't they? little baby all alone in a tent" I look at Ahk confused, Ahk shrugs his shoulders "whose daddy went off to pillage some town or go and plunder somewhere just doing his job. But who was left alone?" Attila looks like he's about to cry "you" this makes Attila break. He hugs Larry who pretends to sing in Hun. He then points at someone else saying they're next

"Larry Daley" Attila starts speaking Hun and they push each other playfully

"Alright I need everyone to listen up" Larry shouts as he walks over to the balcony, but it's so loud no one can hear "guys come on!"

"Quite!" a loud noise travels through the museum making everyone stop "my dum dum want to speak"

"Thank you"

"What is that?" I ask looking at the large... thing that just shouted

"An Easter Island Head" Nicky states but I'm still confused

"This here's King Ahkmenrah and his wife Queen Amunet. Ahkmenrah's tablet is what brings you to life every night. And those old night watchmen? they stole it. Now we need to find those guards and get the tablet back and we need to do it before morning. Civil war guys, head over to the planetarium wing" the civil war people salut. Larry points at a bronze man "my explorer friend whose name escapes me"

"It's Columbus" Nicky tells his father

"Right, Columbus! right I'm sorry. There's no name plate so..." I clear my throat telling Larry to get to the point "Columbus take the Neanderthals and do a sweep from intervertebrates all the way around through reptiles. Jed and Octavius their vans parked out back. Go and take care of it"

"No no sir. I ain't working with toga boy" Jed shouts, which sounds more like a whisper

"Romans work alone" Jed does something to Octavius

"Ow"

"That didn't hurt dont be a baby"

"Yes it did"

"Come on" Octavius then does something back to Jed. I sigh rubbing my hand over my head

"That was much harder"

"Guys come on!" Larry shouts "Jed, Octavius. Take away the fact that you were born 2000 years apart, you guys aren't that different. Your both great leaders. You just want what best for your people right?" the Roman and cowboy agree "civil war dudes. You guys are brothers for Gods sake, you gotta stop fighting. North wins. Slavery's bad, sorry. Don't want to burst your bubble, but south, you guys get...Allman Brothers and NASCAR so just chill"

"What's he on about" I ask again, Ahk shrugs

"Look, without that tablet, all of this, this whole coming to life at night thing it all goes away.Now, I don't want to let that happen... but I need your help. We can get this done, but we gotta do it together. So who's with me?" there's murmurs of agreement. Larry asks again and this time there's shouts of agreement "all right! Let's do this, people! And animals. And weird, faceless puppet creatures. Come on! Let's go! Let's do it!"

Next

Previous

[monsterhighalumni]

natm 4 thoughts/reaction

late to the game but you already know [major spoilers ahead]

i love how feral they allowed every character to get in this movie (ESPECIALLY sacajawea), them working together to gaslight gatekeep girlboss the night guards into leaving was (chef's kiss)

also love how this canon basically completely ignores the (terrible) ending of natm 3, love that larry's still involved with the museum, amazing, perfect, no notes

unpopular opinion, i love that nicky's a lil dweeb full of anxiety now. that feels more like the natural progression of his character than becoming a kind of jerk-y frat bro. OG!nicky doesn't make his own mixes and pre-records his sets, NATM4!nicky is a music nerd, loves vaporwave, and accidentally reinvents electro-swing. slay king

[sees the bisexual flag on nicky's notebook] [sonic voice] woah he's bisexual! i didn't know that!

larry is like. such a good dad here. good for him, he's much more supportive than he would've been in the originals. OG!larry probably would've insisted on shadowing him the first night and stood like two feet away making comments about how nicky should be doing things the whole night lmao i love him but this is true

I'M SO GLAD THAT THE EXHIBITS BRING UP THAT NICKY IS LIKE FAMILY AND WAS PRACTICALLY RAISED IN THE MUSEUM cause in the 3rd film nicky just. doesn't seem to care about them that much that boy just wants to LEAVE

i love joan i don't even care that much that she was shoehorned in, she's a lil unhinged and a badass and FINALLY wea has another female friend

BUT WHY DOES SHE LOOK LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT SKREEEEE

laa die challenge. should've been eaten by the crocodile.

it would've been so cool and amazing to explore the basement and the archives and the idea that it's the "deep ocean", dark, fucked-up part of the museum is amazing. but it's also funny that they were just. fucking with nicky jfghfjh

"KAMENRAH THE DISAPPOINTING SON" KDJFGHDKFHJGLKGDFHB

kamenrah thinking nicky was larry giving big "rose quartz steven universe" vibes but also would've been funnier if he then proceeded to call him "nicky daley from daley devices" as a callback to natm 2

i feel like it diminishes the impact of not ahk not seeing his parents for 60+ years that sentient images of his dad, merenhakre are just. everywhere.

speaking of which, i don't even need to say it. everyone's already said it. ahk should've been in this movie and we all know it, but also he wasn't even acknowledged and no one bring him up?? not even kamenrah?? this makes me feel like there's a copyright or licensing issue going on here or SOMETHING cause damn

seth die challenge. stupid little jackal man

the epic highs (using the tablet like a musical instruments to unlock a tomb and playing the squares like chords) and lows (TIME TRAVEL WE'RE REALLY DOING THIS NOW HUH) of the tablet's canonical magic

hnnnnnnn i really dislike the time travel

i think my biggest problem with natm 4 is that the best part of the original movies was getting to explore the museums and meet all the fun new historical characters and the adventures were constrained by the environment therefore THEY SHOULD'VE STAYED AT THE MET

although it is SUPREMELY funny that not only do the met egyptian mummies know of kamenrah, they just decide to fuck off from the narrative cause they just don't want to deal with him JFKDHG

everyone is complaining about teddy's characterization idk man i actually thought that his main bit was pretty funny. of course he just talks about himself, he's mr. the museum

didn't love jed though maybe it was the new VA trying to sound like owen wilson, maybe he felt dumbed down, but the jedtavius moments were very good like everyone said they were

you ever see a couple so married and so divorced at the same time, i love them

overall i'm not mad with the new designs, i think they capture the energy of the original and cartoonify them well — the fight scenes were animated well too, i love that it was 2D and it was charming without FEELING explicitly low budget

yeah yeah i feel similarly that i didn't love the rehash of natm 2, the door, the summoning the minions of the underworld, etc — if it were up to me the movie's main conflict should've been kamenrah versus all the OTHER egyptian pharaohs and mummies at the met vying for power

BUT!!! IT ENDED WITH A DANCE PARTY!!! THAT'S ALL I CARE ABOUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR AND IT HAPPENED!!!!!!

overall it was cute and fun and i hope it converts into a tv series and also tumblr is way too mad about it for what it is. 6/10

[harrysdimples]

a timeline of hs3 hints (soz it got kind of long)

february 2020:

Kid Harpoon, Music Week (snippet from interview that's behind a paywall that was posted in March after the Brits): “He’s going to evolve. The next album, I find that exciting, what’s the next album going to be? And the one after that, and beyond?” he said. “It’s [changing] as he discovers, I find it so refreshing.” “It's not like he's different when he's not writing to when he is, if that makes sense. To me, he's always writing, he sends me piano ideas all the time and I send him ideas,” said Hull. “He’ll play piano, write some chords, say, ‘These lyrics are kind of cool’, then we’ll try it out. We text all the time about ideas, we haven’t stopped.” Hull described their creative process as “a constantly moving thing”. “Harry is very creative, it’s non-stop working, when we’re in the studio it’s not like, ‘It’s 10am, let’s start, how do we write a song?’ We’re already going, it’s constant. What I love about him is that he is full of ideas.”

march 2020:

Harry on Zane Lowe in Quarantine: "I've been writing so much. I'm doing some other stuff I should be doing more of anyway, I should be playing the piano more, I should be playing the guitar more, I should be writing poems and lyrics more. So I've kind of been doing a lot of that."

Harry for Capital FM: “I've been writing a lot, nothing too random. Playing more instruments, reading more, walking, trying to exercise and not eat everything in the house."

april 2020: 

Harry for OpenHouseParty: “I think actually a combination [of sad and happy]. I think a big thing is, you know, definitely been feeling like writing with no pressure cause it’s just kind of me in a room and playing and taking my time with it. So, I think allowing whatever comes to come rather than feel like ‘Oh, I need to write a song like this, or I need to write a song like this’ has actually been quite nice.”

Harry for Radio 2: “I’ll get up and do some exercise, do some writing and record a little bit”

july 2020: 

Harry uses Shangri La Studios where he recorded a lot of Fine Line, to record his sleep story

august 2020: 

Tyler, Harry’s collaborator along with multiple sound engineers and instrumentalists credited on Fine Line in the studio together in London near Abbey Road

Harry spotted in Bath (with Kid, Jeff Bhasker and potentially Tyler according to other girls who met him) near Real World Studios, again a studio used for Fine Line

december 2020: 

Harry’s Vogue interview: “In the music he has been working on in 2020, Styles wants to capture the experimental spirit that informed his second album, last year’s Fine Line.”

Harry uses Shangri La studios again to perform with the Free Nationals for iHeart’s Jingle Ball

Harry in his Variety acceptance speech: “I will be getting back into the studio”

jan 2021:

Ben & Gabe Turner about TPWK ending the Fine Line era, Music Week: “It was always supposed to be the last thing on the album run as an ending beat, and the album did so well that it just carried on,” said Gabe Turner. “We just didn’t know when [it would drop]. New Year’s Day 2021 was the perfect release date for us in the end.”

Steven Stokey Daley (Golden MV designer) potentially hinting at another collaboration for Harry: “2021 plans? What’s next for you?” “I’m currently working on a new offering for A/W 21 and I’ve had the pleasure of working with Harry Lambert again for an exciting upcoming project. Yes, I am being purposefully vague.”

february 2021:

Tyler spending Valentine’s Day away from his wife at Real World Studios...where a lot of Fine Line was recorded 

march 2021:

Kid posting being in the studio with Tyler, who he only really works with for Harry...

Kid Harpoon, Music Week (from an interview done in December 2020): “I just know he’s got more to give, which is kind of scary to be honest,” he said. “We’ve been doing bits and bobs, we’ve been sending voice notes and working on bits here and there, just lyrics and bits and bobs. Hopefully there’ll be something [new] at some point, I don’t really know where we are, but we’ve definitely been getting into it, we’ll see.” “Harry was in Japan and he said, ‘Do you want to come out and write?’ and I said, ‘Why don’t I come and I’ll stay in a hotel room near you and we’ll hire a mic and some guitars and I’ll just bring my laptop,’” Hull explained. “It was a vaguely disguised lads’ trip, but we also wrote some really good songs. There’s a couple we’re still in love with. There was one that nearly made it to the record. We have a couple from there that are really special that hopefully will see the light of day at some point.” Hull said he and Styles are “still obsessed” with the song, though he did not reveal the title. “It’s the same as the Watermelon thing with this song,” he said. “It’s got… There’s a certain feeling in it, we’re just going to have to chip away at it and hopefully get it.”

Harry Lambert, Vogue:  “The starkness of Styles’s second outfit stands in contrast to the retro, colourful aesthetic he has become associated with, which is precisely what made it the right choice. “I think people could assume that, as he was performing his single “Watermelon Sugar”, his look would reflect the music video,” explains Lambert. “We wanted to twist that on its head and go for something darker, sexier, and more unexpected.” Indeed, the pastel colour scheme and sweetness of the video were noticeably absent. In their place was a glam rock-influenced vibe that signalled the start of a new era. “I don’t feel that anyone has seen Harry dress like this before, so the Grammys felt the perfect moment to do this,” says Lambert. “[It is] a sort of full stop after the promotion of the Fine Line album. For stage, it’s sexy, minimal, a bit eccentric but still fun.” 

This Green and Black colour scheme is continued in his appearances and his tour rebranding for the rescheduled dates in the US

may 2021: 

Harry’s surprise Brits appearance outfit fits with the colour scheme of one of his other Grammy outfits

Harry then carries an orange phone case with him, similar to the pink case he had during HS1

july 2021:

Emily Bode, for a podcast: ‘We have a couple of beautiful features coming out, more times where he's wearing our clothes that i cant wait to see the pictures of him in’

Harry confirms news about new music soon in his update about tour 

Tyler talks about working with Harry and implies he also worked with him on HS3

It’s pointed out that in Harry’s merch drop of his socks in November 2020, he has the colour scheme of Green and Black

Harry outside a studio in LA with Tyler and Mitch

september 2021:

Amy Allen, cowriter of Adore You mentions she’s “psyched to hear his new album coming out” after collecting their award at the Ivors

november 2021:

Harry spotted going into Sony Music headquarters in NYC

december 2021: 

HDD releases a profile on Rob Stringer, head of Sony Music and hints at hs3 coming before the end of the fiscal quarter in March 2022: “Fiscally speaking, Stringer has Sony set up for a milestone 2021. Sony surpassed $2b in streaming revenue alone in the first half of fiscal '21, and, on the heels of another major period in Q3 led by Adele, Mariah Carey and SZA, Stringer has Sony positioned for victory laps in Q4 with Harry Styles and Beyoncé rounding out the fiscal year (ending 3/30/22) with potential blockbuster sets.”

HDD then retract this statement stating: “Rumors that appeared previously on this site about forthcoming releases from Beyoncé and Harry Styles were inaccurate and not based on information from their label. We apologize for any confusion.”....interesting.

Ron Perry, head of Columbia comments on the rumours of Beyonce and Harry releasing in 2022 “Let us finish 2021 first, please! We’re not done yet!”

The Director at UMG Publishing comments on Harry’s success and upcoming album in an interview with Music Week: “A bugbear of mine is that we produce so much great, innovative music in the UK, but where are the superstars? Where is the next Adele or Ed Sheeran? And [signing Styles] was one of the first decisions made when I got here. Jody [Gerson, UMPG chairman and CEO] was instrumental in the deal as well. We just went, 'The guy is a superstar, and they are so few and far between that we have to do everything we can to convince him to sign to us! Thankfully, he did. [Fine Line] has proved he can stand on his own two feet and be an original artist in his own right. I hear (his next record) is coming together very well and hopefully, it will be even bigger, better and more successful than the last, which was an extraordinary success. He's very much in charge of his destiny."

Harry in his interview with Dazed magazine talks about part of the process in making HS3: “Just as he’s trying to imagine what a beauty brand can mean for a younger generation, he’s also looking at the future possibilities of pop music, albeit starting from a clean slate. On the precipice of his Saturn’s Return (Styles turns 28 in February), he seems ready to enter a new, risk-taking and career-defining chapter. “I have unlocked an ability to be myself completely, unapologetically,” he says with conviction. “I started only listening to classical music because it felt like it gave me a blank canvas to work from. So I wasn’t hearing things I would then be referencing. I think that so much creativity comes from my boredom and giving myself the chance not to be distracted by things. I’m the most human I’ve felt in a long time, for sure.”

[ty-bayonet-betteridge]

ok so the thing is ace attorney loves to have witnesses suddenly snap and change their behavior when you prove theyre lying and theyve only been doing it more and more dramatically as the games have gone on which produces a LOT of people with two or more distinct patterns of behavior and stylizations and ways of talking. theres about a billion examples of this but heres some that come to mind:

Yanni Yogi - one of two murderers in Case 1-4. fifteen years ago, he was accused of murder, but given a not guilty by reason of temporary insanity under the reasoning that he ran out of oxygen in the enclosed elevator where the event took place and was brain damaged as a result. he canonically has very poor memory consistent with dissociative episodes, and as a result tells his important information to his pet parrot instead of trying to keep it in his own brain. has a separate persona called just "Uncle" who acts wildly different and when Uncle finally admits to being Yanni Yogi and switches to his serious face Phoenix comments on how his whole demeanor has suddenly changed.

Ini/Mimi Miney - when she and her sister got into a bad car crash years ago, her sister was killed and she was mutilated beyond recognition and required facial reconstruction surgery. as she had been recently traumatized by the deaths of over a dozen patients at the clinic where she worked, she took the opportunity to run away from her past life, giving the doctors her sister's photo instead of hers and claiming to be her sister. spent the next several years acting completely different from how she used to in order to realistically appear to be her sister. when her secret is revealed in court, her temper flares up and she starts acting like she used to again. also, she says in one line that "multiple personalities" is one of her areas of study. this fact is never brought up again

Maximillion Galactica, AKA Billy Bob Johns - highly talented magician whose stage persona is a flamboyant, pompous dickhead who think all performers should aspire to the world stage; however when put under stress he suddenly reverts to a Southern dialect and changes all of his sayings from being about magic to being about farming.

Benjamin Woodman & Trilo Quist - Ben is a ventriloquist working for the circus, and Trilo is his puppet. Their act revolves around Trilo being a singer, and constantly bullying the meeker Ben. Without Trilo at hand, Ben lacks the confidence to even talk by himself; he needs to speak through Trilo in order to even be able to testify. In addition, there's another character where it's made very clear that Trilo is romantically interested in her, and Ben isn't.

Ron DeLite, AKA Mask☆DeMasque - Ron is the defendant in case 3-5, an incredibly anxious and meek man. He is somewhat emotionally unstable, and characterized as bumbling. However, he is also the renowned thief Mask✫DeMasque, who has managed to steal five priceless artifacts from high-security locations. In the one instance where we get to see Ron as Mask✫DeMasque, he's depicted as suave, boisterous, and incredibly skilled.

and these are just examples from the original trilogy - i havent even mentioned Damian and Jinxie Tenma, who have a "demon posession" problem which causes them to occasionally act completely different and have different memories, or Bobby Fullbright AKA The Phantom, a super-spy with dozens of different personas that he swaps through during the trial to the point where he no longer recalls what his original identity is, and Daley Vigil AKA Gossip, who goes by two different names in his regular life with entirely different body language and speech patterns who also has severely traumatic memories he represses. (theres also a canon plural system, FINALLY, in the sixth game. theyre not perfect rep but theyre a fun character and i like them)

why is literally every ace attorney character so plural-coded

[ya-so-im-here]

Deathday [Larry x Ahkmenrah]

Writer: Me, I have it published under my Wattpad account TheNinjaOfCake22

Fandom: Night at the Museum

Ship: Larry Daley x Ahkmenrah

Link: https://www.wattpad.com/1122938301-deathday-larry-x-ahkmenrah-one-shot-deathday/page/6

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The sun had set and on queue Larry Daley felt the life return to the exhibits around him, changing from still wax figures to living people he called family.

Jed and Octavius spent little to know time rushing down from their separate exhibits towards the main area along with more of their friends and used the computer, it was something they had loved since Larry showed them how it worked.

Teddy rode off as usual to pick up Sacajawea from her room with Louis and Clark who since the glass had broke had an open exhibit allowing Teddy and Sacajawea to spend every night together.

Attila was seen with Dexter the two were with the rest of the Huns by Rexie. All had seemed right and normal like every night till Larry realized the one person he was always excited to see was missing from the usual night commotion.

Ahkmenrah wasn't there.

As predictable as it may seem, everyone always gathered in the main area and would spread out throughout the night, everyone would get together. Especially Ahkmenrah he was never late.

Fear and a dreading feeling began to form in Larry's stomach as he doubled and tripled check for the pharaoh, but he wasn't there.

A nagging feeling whispered in his head saying something was wrong as he began to make his way up the stairs. 'He's probably talking to someone or taking his time. There is no need to worry' he told himself but he continued on his way to Ahkmenrah's sarcophagus.

"Ahkmenrah?!" Larry called out as he made his way down the hall and towards the doorway to the pharaoh's chamber.

But there was no reply, so he called out again... no reply. He told the panicking feeling to go away he had just seen him last night and all was alright. Perhaps he's somewhere in the museum talking with the others.

'There is no need to worry'

Nonetheless he called out once more as he turned the corner and entered the Egyptian's room. "Ahkmenrah?!"

Larry walked straight to the display where his sarcophagus lay in the center of the back of the room right before the Tablet of Ahkmenrah.

Upon approach Larry looked within and saw the still body of Ahkmenrah, and instantly his heart stopped out of fear.

He reached out his hand and placed it on the pharaoh's shoulder and instantly he opened his eyes meeting Larry's worried gaze.

Larry exhaled softly seeing his friend all right and smiled lightly, but as he examined him closer he realized how still he was. He wasn't moving, didn't even smile when Larry came up and Ahkmenrah always smiled when Larry approached.

     "Hey are you alright?" He asked nervously as he kept his hand on Ahk's shoulder.

Ahkmenrah's jaw clenched and squinted lightly before he attempted a smile that failed to form. Now he definitely had something to worry about, Ahk went to open his mouth ad gasped sharply for air. "Larry" he whispered softly but before he could finish his sentence Larry had padded his shoulder and stood up straight.

"I'll be right back, okay? One moment" and he started out of the room as he heard another attempted whisper "Larry" but he was already in search for Teddy, Teddy would have answers.

Larry went turning corners quickly but not trying to cause any worry, even though he never seemed so scared before. 'Was the tablet failing?' the thought made his stomach drop, how could he live without them? they're his family and to live without Ahk, it just wasn't possible.

Bounding around a corner he noticed the swish of Texas' tail as Teddy rounded another corner, Larry just barely missing him. With a quick sprint the nightguard turned the corner and there was Teddy and Sacajawea riding Texas as they tended to do each night.

"Teddy!" Larry shouted out catching the past president's attention as well as Sacajawea's. "Something's wrong with Ahkmenrah, he's not moving and won't say anything" granted he said his name, but nothing to explain the situation. Teddy's cheerful smile fell as Sacajawea looked down both of them full of knowing.

"It's June 21st" mumbled Teddy in sorrow Wea nodded confirming his statement.

"What does that have to do with anything? What does that mean?" Larry asked looking between the two for answers. Texas turned around so that Teddy and Wea faced the night guard as they explained.

"Well Laurence, while most people marked their calender's of the day of their birth, we here mark our calender's of the day of our death." He paused a moment allowing Larry to comprehend what was being said "Today my boy, is June 21st the day our dear pharaoh died all those years ago, by the hands of none other then his own brother Kahmunrah." Teddy exhaled softly before he continued "On each of our own Deathday's we experience our deaths all over again as though it's the first time. But unlike before when death swept us away from the pain, we experience it all night, until morning when we turn back." finished explaining Teddy, who's mind had traveled to the reminder of his own death day.

Larry stood there in silence comprehending all he had heard, how had he not known about Deathday's surely someone had to have had their deathday while he was there, was he just oblivious to it? "Is there anything that can be done to help?' he asked hoping the answer was yes.

"The pain of death lasts all night nothing can stop it till the day is done, what we usually do is keep each other company on those days, no matter how one died no one should go through it again alone." Sacajawea placed her hand into Teddy's clasping is gently remembering nights she helped him on his Deathday and how he was there for her on her deathday.

Larry nodded "Alright then I'll do that..." he began to walk off before he stopped and turned back to the couple on the horse. "Teddy can you..." but before he could finish the 26th president interrupted him

"Don't worry my boy, all will be taken care of. I'll be seeing you tomorrow night" Teddy tipped his hat as they departed on their way once more and Larry began back to Ahk already feeling awful for being gone this long.

Lying in his sarcophagus Ahkmenrah was going through the pain and experience of being slashed into pieces just as he had 4,000 years ago. It was the worst feeling he had ever felt in his live and death, for a fleeting moment he tried to ignore the pain when he saw Larry's concerned and worried face he attempted to smile but the pain was too much. Then he was gone leaving him alone, just as he had been for fifty-four years.

The memories haunted him every day, the fear that when night falls he would go to rise and leave his tomb but be locked in just like before and no one would let him out, that he would once again be forever trapped, and utterly alone.

He could hear them all, the old night guards talking as they passed the hall never daring to enter his room and free him no matter how hard and long he screamed. He would shake and scream hoping just hoping someone would let him out anyone at all.

Then there was something different the old voices of the night guards were replaced with one young voice, and soon the entire museum was truly alive. He could hear them walking around, doing their own thing, talking to one another.

He was angry with himself when he dared let his hopes rise that perhaps the new night guard would let him out. Nights past and nothing no one freed him, he even heard another say he would never get out.

Like before his hopes were crushed, but he screamed nonetheless he wouldn't give up. Just the slightest chance someone might take pity on him and let him go, was all he held onto.

Then it happened he heard the night guard and he was coming towards him, Ahkmenrah screamed. Screamed as loud as he could he wanted out, please he begged let this be the moment he'd be free.

When he heard the sound of the locks being removed he never felt so excited in all his life. As soon as the last lock was gone he pushed with all his strength forcing the lid of his sarcophagus to fly through the air and hit the wall.

He was free.

And there standing before him, the one who let him out of his afterlife... the new night guard, Larry Daley set him free.

He couldn't well aware explain it, but as soon as he looked upon Larry, something was different. The feeling only grew the longer they were together, on mini adventures or just hanging about in the museum.

Larry Daley was different and Ahkmenrah couldn't help but smile whenever he was near. Now he had wished more then ever he was with him now, just the split second he was and Ahkmenrah wanted to smile even though the pain hurt too much to do so.

His jaw clenched as he felt another sharp pain which over the years he distinguished as a stab wound.

Ahkmenrah closed his eyes out of pain, holding back a cry. As the night went went, it would feel worse it always did. It got to the point he would be choking on his own blood from all the wounds.

"Ahkmenrah?" The pharaoh opened his eyes once more and by his side once again was Larry. His face of concern was still there but so was a face of comfort. As though on queue upon seeing him Ahk had the instinct to smile at him like he always did, even if it hurt too much to actually do so.

Larry placed one had on Ahk's shoulder and the other on his hand, he could feel the cold sweats that covered the pharaoh's body. "It's okay, I'm here for you" the night guard stated.

Ahkmenrah attempted to open his mouth to protest, as night guard Larry had a job to do; but before he could get any words out he was interrupted.

"Don't worry, Teddy told me all about deathday just know that I'm here for you all night " whispered Larry affectionately. His eyes were gentle and while concern was still there, comfort and kindness was the expression he wore on his face so evidently. Ahk closed his eyes for a second gathering his strength before attempting to speak again.

"Larry..." he mumbled meekly "I'm fine. You have...a job..." he gasped sharply feeling the pain of another stab wound pierce through him. He still remembered the day his brother betrayed him, the pain of death seemed less then the pain of betrayal and heart break.

"Teddy has it all under control, tonight I'm here with you. You shouldn't have too experience this alone, I won't allow it" Ahkmenrah gently shook his head to the best of his ability.

"I've done this alone... for fifty-four years." he paused a moment exhaling "I'm used to it... at this point..." he finished gently. He didn't mean it as a martyr, but it was true he'd experienced his deathday alone in his sarcophagus for years.

Larry shook his shoulder gently catching the pharaoh's attention once more "Well, I'm here to end that streak" he responded kindly. Even though it hurt Ahkmenrah smiled, it was much weaker then his usually bright and vibrant smile that Larry loved so much, but he still smiled and Larry loved it nonetheless.

Ahk was at most times unable to speak other then a few words here and there, making conversation light with little responses from Ahkemenrah mostly leaving it up to Larry. The conversations were small topics, but it helped keep Ahk distracted...mostly. The feeling of being stabbed over and over again, the feeling gets worse with each stab, at this point he knew when and where each stab would appear; it was ingrained into his memory.

But this night was different and more special then Larry probably knew, Ahk would find himself forgetting the next wound which left him unexpected of the jolt of pain, but there's something worse and more painful when one is expecting the pain then when it's unexpected.

"I keep telling Erica that I have moved on and that I'm not still clinging to our marriage, but she doesn't believe me" said Larry mildly annoyed "Just this weekend when I went to pick up Nicky, she brought it up all over again, I honestly thought she was done." he shook his head.

Ahk eyed him closely before attempting a mumble "What was the...issue?" he breathed out lightly

"She said 'How do I know you moved on when you haven't dated anyone since the marriage' she just kept saying 'when was last you have an actual relationship with someone other then me' I... I don't know. I'm probably overreacting, so what if I haven't had a relationship since her. She was the once who decided to leave first no wonder she got remarried first." Larry exhaled sharply attempting to release all the negative energy. Then he turned down and looked at Ahkmenrah who was watching him intently and Larry couldn't help but notice his cheeks flush.

"I'm sorry..." he stumbled out "I'm rambling, you don't want to hear this" he went to stand up to calm his nerves, but his face seemed to be determined to remain flushed as the pharaoh made direct eye contact with the night guard, neither daring to break it.

Larry felt the heat from Ahk's hand grab his, it was comforting but it also felt different from the way Larry had been holding his. Though Larry was nervous to admit it, it felt the way that Erica would hold his hand back when they were in "love". But it also didn't feel the same, it felt more personal. Oh what was he doing, Ahkmenrah was a pharaoh, royalty he didn't feel the same way as Larry.

Hell. Larry wasn't sure what it was he was feeling, though he had to admit it would explain a lot about their relationship. Could he... could Larry Daley be in love with Ahkmenrah?

He looked at the pharaoh's gaze that held so tightly and Larry knew... He loved him.

Though weak Ahk held tight the best he could to Larry Daley's hand, listening to his conversation about Erica, well... it kept him attentive. Larry never did mention anyone romantically in all the time they knew each other and Ahkmenrah had to admit he always hoped he was the reason Larry never was with anyone else.

All the moments and time they spent together, hell back to when they first met. Larry was the first person to release him from his sarcophagus, he trusted him and they went on the journey to save his tablet. Maybe he was just overthinking everything, but Ahkmenrah knew he loved Larry Daley, he was worried that it wasn't both ways.

"Sometimes...love is hard to understand" rasped out Ahk still holding to Larry's gaze as well as his hand "Maybe, not all love..." he paused, maybe he shouldn't continue if he did the night guard was bound to understand his intentions. He could pretend to be in pain and escape the atmosphere he created, but as he looked at Larry he didn't think "Maybe, not all love...is conventional" he saw a flicker in Larry's eyes, he didn't know what it meant but it made Ahk's heart bound.

Larry was not sure what he was about to do, but he was going to do something. Not only did he fully realize he in fact did love Ahkmenrah, but that he felt the same about him! Larry's heart felt as though he was pounding out of his chest, he had to do something as a response, he was going to do something...

The pharaoh broke eye contact as he shut his eyes tight in pure pain, the night had been getting on and it was nearing it's end which meant the true, awful, agonizing pain was beginning. The final round of stab wounds impeded its way into his body "Slashed to pieces" just like on that night all those years ago. Ahkmenrah gasped out in pure agony breaking the ere about them, as the young Pharaoh coughed out and like every Deathday, he choked on his own blood.

It was the worse sound Larry had ever heard in his life, one second the two were exploring their hearts and the next the man he loved was gasping out and choking on his own blood. The sound of the blood stuck in his throat echoed throughout the chamber, both statues of Anubis looked over at their Pharaoh but they knew there was nothing to do but wait till morning.

Larry knelt down closer to Ahkmenrah and held his hand tightly "It's okay, we're almost to morning then this will all be over." comforted the night guard, he held tight to the pharaoh's hand holding it in both of his, he brought the hand to his face and kissed his knuckles gently "I'm here with you, okay? You're not in this alone, I'm right here" soothed Larry as he watched the scene before him.

Ahkmenrah was entirely loss to the pain, he heard Larry's words but there was no way he would respond, he couldn't smile back. His eyes would open and close with each other gasp for air as his lungs filled with blood. His hand squeezed tight to Larry's as it was the only thing he could do as memories of the night returned.

Kamunrah stood before him, knife in hand as he stabbed, slashed, and cut into his body. There was no mercy, no regret, nor sorrow as he stabbed him seventy-three times. Tears filled Ahkmenrah's eyes from the pain of death and from the pain of brotherly betrayal, his tears formed then now as Larry held his hand. He gasped out as tears fell down his cheeks. How desperately he tried to grasp air but every gasp and attempt he made lead only to the drowning in his lungs. The Anubis statues moved retaking their proper form as Ahk gasped out once more then all was still.

The sun had risen and all went back to sleep, Ahkmenrah's eyes had closed slowly as he turned back into a mummy right before Larry's own eyes just reminding him what happens every night as the sun rises. Larry closed up the sarcophagus, leaving the pharaoh to rest till night. The image of Ahkmenrah in such pain etched into his brain, the gasp for air lingered in his ears as he made his way towards the exit of the chamber. Larry looked back behind him at the now resting sarcophagus then left the chamber.

The museum was asleep as though the night before it wasn't full of vibrant and energetic life, soon people would be coming in starting their jobs and opening the museum to the public. The night guard walked throughout the museum making sure everything went well that night, that all were in place and ready in the morning.

Like Teddy said all was taken care of. Larry went to the locker and hung up his coat and flashlight he would be back again tonight, but he felt he couldn't wait. All he could think of was Ahkmenrah, the pharaoh had completely taken over his brain, but he needed to head home try to catch a couple of hours of sleep before his next shift.

The day went by what seemed much slower then the night did, even though he slept for several hours he still found himself waiting and it felt too long of a wait. He couldn't help himself Larry wanted to see Ahk, so he arrived a bit early for his shift.

Since there was still roughly an hour before he would come in Larry found himself wandering the halls and rooms of the museum, he knew them like the back of his hand at this point. He knew who was supposed to be where, just how many steps it took to get to the room over. These exhibits were his friends and seeing them in the morning hours when they were still and asleep he couldn't help but feel lonely.

Too anyone else they were just exhibits of the past, but to Larry they were his family and friends and how he wished he could see them not only at night, but that he could leave the museum and hang out with them, but he knew that wasn't possible.

"Aren't we early tonight" stated Dr. McPhee rolling on the balls of his feet, catching Larry's attention.

"Ya I bit, nothing else to do, thought I'd just look around" responded Larry gesturing towards Sacajawea's exhibit as she stood next to Louis and Clark.

"Don't you just 'look around' all night?" asked McPhee

"Yep" Larry nodded "Yes I do"

McPhee nodded slowly, looked about him at the exhibits then back to Larry. "Well, we're beginning to close up so feel free to get your shift started" he finished before leaving the room, as he himself was ready to go home for the night, the same way Larry felt he was going home for the night.

Larry went back to his locker grabbing his coat and flashlight, but instead of going to the front entrance of the museum he made his way straight to the tomb of Ahkmenrah, walked past the Anubis statues and stood near sarcophagus and there he waited.

It didn't feel like a particularly long wait, for it wasn't long before he heard creaking too his right. He turned his head to look at the owner of the noise and he watched as the Anubis statues woke from their sleep, one even yawning like that of a jackal before both turned their large heads and faced Larry; eyeing him closely. They knew he had been there even in sleep they guarding the pharaoh, they didn't attack the night guard anymore like how they used too, but they still kept an eye on him whenever he was near.

Larry had to admit he was glad that the Anubis were too large to leave the chamber otherwise he knew they would follow Ahk around the entire museum and Larry wouldn't dare getting as close as he tended to with the Pharaoh with the two watching him at all times.

His thoughts were soon interrupted as he heard another creak, one of gold sliding against gold. Larry quickly turned his attention away from the statues and towards the sarcophagus instead, he went to go and help open it up, but within seconds sitting straight up from the resting place was Ahkmenrah in all his glory and beauty. Larry had to admit, Ahkmenrah was possibly the most beautiful man in the world and the world didn't even know that.

Ahk looked over at Larry already knowing or expecting the night guard to be there, Larry didn't know which. Rising from his sarcophagus Ahkmenrah approached Larry just as he did every night not a sign showing what he had been through the previous night.

"If I hadn't seen it myself last night I wouldn't have known just what it was you had gone through" Larry laughed lightly as Ahk approached him with his signature smile Larry was so fond of.

"Thank you" stated Ahk locking eyes with Larry just as they had done last night "I've always had those nights alone, I'm very thankful that you were there. You have no idea what it meant to me" neither broke eye contact, both reading each other. They both shared the fear that perhaps all they imaged last night was false and they didn't truly see each other the way they hoped.

"You should have told me sooner, I would have been by your side in seconds" both hearts were pounding within their chests, hands clammed from nerves as they waited on who would be the first to make a move towards what they both wanted.

"I didn't know if you wanted to be by my side" confessed Ahk

Larry laughed lightly as a broad smile crossed his face "Your side is the only one I want to be by" he confessed.

Ahkmenrah stepped forward much closer now, closer then they had ever been before they were nearly touching. Touching chests, noses, lips...

"And I by yours" stated Ahk as the two gently crossed the distance and kissed lightly, it was sweet and mildly hesitant as both were nervous, but when they pulled back they were both smiling fools. "I've waited for this moment for quite awhile" chuckled Ahk as he cupped a hand on Larry's cheek.

Larry leaned into his hand as their foreheads touched and pressed together, both nearing to kiss once again.

"Gigantor!" Larry closed his eyes lightly then looked down at the origin of the voice, Jed was down below on the ground next to Octavius. "That was the most peck of a kiss I've ever seen!" Larry's cheeks grew flushed, as Ahkmenrah laughed lightly.

"You can do better Larry" encouraged Octavius

"Ya, you can! The Pharaoh deserves better!" shouted out Jed giving Ahk a thumbs up "Here Gigantor like this!" Jed grabbed hold of Octavius giving him a deep and passionate kiss before pulling away and looked back up at Larry "See!?" he shouted up.

"Yes Larry, like that" teased Ahkmenrah with a smile that spread across his whole face.

"Okay I think I get it, I'll do better." responded Larry sarcastically as Ahk grabbed his cheek once more and kissed him, deeper and more passionately then they did the first time and when they pulled apart both were grinning, mildly short of breath.

"Much better" breathed out Ahkmenrah smiling fondly at Larry still cupping his face in his hand.

As I’ve said recently I’ve found myself back into this ship and they will not leave my mind so I had to write this fic, especially after I found the headcanon about everyone reliving their deaths every year. it just came together so well.

[nooneelsecomesclose17]

He's checking it twice

Robron Week Christmas Special - Day 1 - Gift shopping

A fic a day in december - Day 19

(AO3 link)

"It's ridiculous. I can't find anything." Aaron complained to his Mum as she pulled him a pint.

"There must be something. Have you asked him?" He rolls his eyes.

"Of course. He just says he has everything he needs if he has me."

"Aw...That's sweet:"

"Soppy more like, and no help whatsoever. I've got to get him something special. It's our first Christmas since..." Since prison. since the divorce, since he came back.

"Well what about a photobook you know, of all the things you did that he missed?"

"Done it...for his birthday."

"You could always make something, that's always special." Pearl commented from along the bar.

"Don't think wants some weird crafty thing I throw together thanks Pearl."

"She could be onto something:" His mum says when Pearl has gone.

"I'm not good at 'owt."

"Thats what the internet is for love. How about a hat or something. You could knit something. Or maybe make something out of all your scrap...God knows it'd fit in with all that weird stuff in your flat."

"I don't know, maybe." He gets up. "I'll see you later."

-

He doesn't think anything of it until a week later when he's in Hotten on a pick up. He gets stuck in traffic and he notices a shop with a display of wool in the window. He scoffs to himself. as if he could ever do anything like that.

He remembers once when his Mum was pregnant, Robert teasing him about being stressed and saying knitting was therapeutic. Impulsively he parks the van and heads inside He feels like a fish out of water and he has no idea where to start. He wanders round. picking up various balls of wool, peering at an array of needles and hooks as if he knows what he's doing.

"Can I help you love?

"Oh um..." He looks at the woman beside him, expecting her to be laughing at him but she's not.

"First time?"

"Yeah. I...well my Mum suggested...I want to make my husband something for Christmas."

"Ooh lovely. It's about time more young men like you started knitting. Although, I reckon crochet might be a better fit, it’s quicker for a start and you've not got long."

"Right..."

"That Tom Daley crochets you know, it’s very fashionable.” He nods, can remember Robert showing him all the articles and commenting when he spent three weeks in front of the telly watching the Olympics.

"I wouldn't know where to start."

"You can find tutorials online. My granddaughter showed me how to find them. Now let's get you sorted. What's his favourite colour."

"Blue."

"And what's he like?” He looks at her a minute before pulling his phone from his pocket showing her a picture. It's from Seb's fourth birthday not long ago, the pair of them with cheesy grins and party hats. "He's a handsome devil isn’t he?”

"Mmm. knows it too. So you think I can do this?"

"Of course. Now you want a nice soft yarn and a hook and a darning needle Come on."

By the time he leaves he's a good few quid lighter and carrying a large bag which, Helen, as she'd insisted he call her, had everything he needed. What he didn’t have was a single idea where to start.

He stops off at the scrapyard bunging the bag in the back of a cupboard, resolving to google crochet when Robert was in the shower that night . It couldn't be that difficult after all.

-

He launches the hook at the door after the tenth attempt, a tangle of wool in front of him.

"There's no point." He sighs scrambling to hide everything in case its Robert, relaxing when it’s just his Mum. "You frightened the life out of me."

"Sorry love. Robert said you'd forgotten your lunch so I brought you some. What's this?" She picks up the crochet hook. "What are you doing with this?"

"Er..."

"Are you crocheting?” She's got that look where she's going to cry or something.

"You suggested it. Anyway I’m not...it’s pointless, I can't do it. I spent nigh on fifty quid for nothing."

"Now come on, you can't give in that easy."

"I’ve tried. I've watched orders and all sorts but it doesn't work."

"Well I do have one suggestion but I doubt you'll like it."

"Go on. Can't be as bad as my idea to try this."

"You could ask the one person in the village who will know everything there is to know about it. Pearl."

"What? No chance."

"Well from the looks of it, it’s that or finding anther present for Robert."

-

He looks round one more time checking no one is looking before he knocks on Pearl's door. He'd waited until Harriet had gone out before taking his chance.

"Hello. Oh Aaron, what can I do for you love?"

"It's um...well what you said about Robert's Christmas present." He holds up the bag. the shops logo on the side and she smiles at him.

"Come on in."

-

"I'm off to Gabby's. She promised me a cuddle with baby Thomas. Leave you two alone so I don't need my headphones." Aaron glared at her as she went.

Seb was in bed. tired out after having them up at six that morning. Robert was yawning when he sat down.

"Wanna head up? I'd hate to disappoint her."

“In a minute. I, er...I’ve got one more present for you.”

“I don’t need anything else, you already got me loads.”

“Yeah stupid stuff...I spent ages trying to find something perfect, that was just right, and I couldn’t...then Pearl suggested...well just open it.” He hands over the present, wrapped as haphazardly as the rest, and bites his nails waiting as Robert painstakingly pulled the tape from the paper, knowing it annoyed him. “It’s just a...well if you hate it it’s alright. I know it’s rubbish.”

“Aaron.” He breathed. “You made this?” He holds up the scarf, letting it run through his fingers, just staring at him.

“Yeah. It’s daft I know but...”

“It’s not. I love it. No one’s ever...I mean you had to spend time on this.”

“Every Tuesday and Thursday the last three weeks.”

“Wait...you weren’t at the gym with Ellis?”

“No. I was at Pearl’s. Don’t laugh.” He stares at the floor. “The woman in the shop said it was simple but I couldn’t do it, so I asked Pearl.”

“I’m not laughing Aaron.” He looks up, all he can see is love, and pride. “It’s the best present I’ve ever got.”

“No it’s not. You’ve had cars and watches and all sorts.”

“Yeah and they were alright but...it takes five minutes to pick something out of a catalogue. You’ve spent hours, with Pearl I might add, making this for me, you asked someone for help, when I know you, you’d rather poke your eyes out, but you did it to make this for me.”

“Yeah well...”

“It’s amazing.” He wraps it around his neck. “I’m never taking it off.”

“Really”

“Yep.”

“Not even when I get you upstairs?”