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apomaro-mellow · 2 months

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Hot for Teacher(s) 3

Part 2 / AO3 Link

After school practices for the Thanksgiving performance was only for the students who wanted to put a little more time into it. Apparently a bulk of the rehearsal happened during their music class and that made sense. Still, Steve was glad to put a face to some of the kids his son mentioned. The first night there had been a girl who's lip trembled at the slightest upset and Steve knew that had to be Yasmin.

"She's a crybaby who cries over everything", Shawn had said one time.

"Hm, need I remind you of all the times you've cried? Why I remember just last week-"

"We don't need to talk about that", Shawn said, properly chastised.

Even so, Steve could see how it could get a little frustrating to be in a class with someone as sensitive as that. And yet, Mr. Munson never let on that he was frustrated or anything like that. Every time the tears came, he talked her down. Which was quite the feat since he had probably been doing it for eight hours at this point.

"You're really good with the kids", Steve complimented when Mr. Munson took a seat near them to rest.

Third grade was working on their performance piece on the stage now while the smaller kids got a break. Mr. Munson smiled a bit as he scratched at his head.

"Yeah, well, patience is key, as I'm sure you know. Actually, how old are the kids you teach?", he asked.

"Middle school", Steve answered, laughing a little when he saw the other teacher's eyes get wide in fear.

"Braver than any marine, I swear. I will take spilt milk tears over the raging hormones going on over there."

Steve's brain decided to highlight the word 'hormones' which made him delayed in his response. He cleared his throat to try and cover it up. "It's not as bad as all that. I've got the babies of middle school, the sixth graders, but don't tell them I said that. And I'm lucky I've got a group there that's absolutely obsessed with science."

He met Mr. Munson's eyes and was met with a million watt smile. One that he knew was on his own face too.

"That's the best feeling, ain't it? When they wanna soak up as much as you can give?"

"The best", Steve agreed. It wasn't always candy and roses but it was all worth it for those days when everything just clicked. "Speaking of passions, did you get that approval for your ideas for the show?"

"They said I could play guitar, but they vetoed my pyrotechnics idea."

That night, Mr. Munson walked him and Shawn back to their car. And as such, became a routine for two days out of the week. Through it all, Steve commended himself for only drooling a little over him and only when he was alone.

At home, one Saturday, Shawn was humming his class' song while Steve made them lunch. He looked to the calendar and realized the show would be that coming Monday. Well, he knew that but it hit him that in less than a week, Thanksgiving break would start and then there wouldn't be much of a reason for him to see Mr. Munson anymore.

Just as the thought came to him, he looked at the school events calendar he had put in his phone and saw that there would be a Winter Dance but that it was for 4th and 5th grade only. He held back a sigh. Oh well, maybe if he got particularly antsy, he could schedule a confere-no, nononono.

He wasn't going to waste a teacher's time over nothing. Just because, what? He wanted to see him?

He said as much when he talked to Robin the next day. They were sitting in his living room, Shawn was up in his room, reading on this lazy Sunday.

"So, you're just going to avoid him?"

"It's not avoiding. I'm just not going to go out of my way to seek him out", Steve clarified. "And maybe this little crush", he whispered the word 'crush' like tiny ears were listening, "will die down."

"Mhm", Robin nodded, unconvinced. "You know they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?"

Steve leaned back against the couch. "There's at least one absence I'm not missing."

"...Don't tell me this is all because of him?"

"It's not because of him but...", Steve's eyes traveled to where Shawn's baby book sat on a bookshelf. Inside were the only pictures of Shawn's sire. And honestly, Steve wouldn't even have those if it were up to him. But he wanted to leave the door open just for when Shawn got older and could decide how much he wanted that man in his life.

"I don't think Mr. Munson is anything like him. Of course I don't. But I can't make a mistake like that again. If Shawn got hurt, I could never forgive myself."

Robin gave him a pat on the leg. "If you really think it's for the best."

It was. Steve knew that what was on the surface could be hiding something ugly underneath. He wasn't going to expose him or his pup to anything like that again. Mr. Munson was nice but these feelings weren't deep enough to swim in. Steve was barely getting his toes wet. He would stay high and dry and then Shawn would go on to second grade and then he would only see Mr. Munson in passing, if that.

Steve had all these affirmations in mind as he settled in to see Shawn's performance Monday. Planning ahead, Steve had told his school a couple weeks ago that he had a doctor appointment and wouldn't be coming in until later. Just long enough to pop in and see Shawn sing. As he had planned and rehearsed, Mr. Munson sat on a stool to one side of the stage, acoustic guitar in his lap.

It was all the school would allow and seeing as the kids' singing voices weren't super strong, it was for the best. Steve recorded the act, phone focused on Shawn while every once in a while, his eyes drifted to Mr. Munson.

After the song, Steve waved to Shawn, who waved back. He had told him ahead of time that he'd have to go back to work after seeing him, so that his son wouldn't be disappointed. When they saw each other at home later, Shawn's adrenaline from the day hadn't waned.

"So a lot of the other kids' parents took them home, so Mr. Munson let some of us play with his guitar!"

"Did he now?", Steve smiled.

"Uh-huh. He even taught us how to play. Do you think he teaches guitar?"

"Would you like some lessons?", Steve asked.

"Only if Mr. Munson is teaching it. He makes everything so cool."

-------------------------

Steve watched as Shawn ran ahead to go into the corn maze. Most of the corn was gone, so he wasn't worried about him getting lost as Robin went to get them hot ciders. Shawn scurried through the maze when he found someone familiar.

Robin had come back with two ciders that she and Steve sipped on while Shawn made his way through the maze.

"Dad! Look who's here!"

Steve looked up, expecting to see one of his little friends. Not Mr. Munson.

Not Mr. Munson in ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

Not Mr. Munson in ripped jeans and a leather jacket with chunky rings and his hair let loose, spilling over his shoulders.

"Dad look! It's Mr. Munson! Dad?"

"Mr. Munson! What a surprise!", Robin came in for the save while Steve was speechless. She gave him a subtle nudge that really wasn't all that subtle but that was okay because Mr. Munson was having his own crisis.

Because here was Mr. Harrington, enjoying a harvest festival, shoulder to shoulder with a beautiful alpha woman.

"H-hey, didn't expect to run into you here", Mr. Munson stuttered.

"Me neither", Steve said, voice a little breathless. He cleared it and remembered himself. "This is Robin, she's my neighbor. Robin, this is Shawn's teacher."

"Heard so much about you", Robin grinned.

Steve wanted to kick her in the shin.

"Hey, Shawn, how's about we go and pick out a pumpkin or something?", Robin suggested, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the other two, leaving them alone.

Mr. Munson looked like a deer caught in headlights and Steve couldn't blame him.

"Jesus, she couldn't be anymore obvious."

"Did you want to talk to me about something, Mr. Harrington?"

"No, I didn't. But, I think...I think we should have this conversation anyway." Steve ran a hand through his hair.

They went to a little sitting area the farm had set up near the food booths so that they could talk. Eddie's mind ran a mile a minute, thinking of what this could be about. Both good and bad. He'd gotten a hot chocolate both to keep his hands warm and to give him something to do with said hands. Hands that Mr. Harrington was staring at right now.

"I um", he shook his head and pushed a lock of hair behind his ear. "I just wanted to-god this is hard."

"Well, let's make it easier", Eddie said. "Is it about Shawn? Is he having problems in school?"

"No, it's not about that. It's about us-I mean, there is no us but I-goddammit", Steve hissed, cheeks getting red in embarrassment. He let out a breath. "Mr. Munson, I'm having..." don't say feelings don't say feelings don't say feelings "-sensations, that aren't entirely professional. About you."

"Oh."

"And I know nothing can come of it, but I just want you to know that, to know that I'm aware of them and if I ever come on, I guess too strong, please just let me know."

"Um, for how long?", Eddie asked, hoping he wasn't vibrating in his seat because it sure did feel that way.

"Uhh, pretty much since I first met you", Mr. Harrington admitted. "And I don't know if it's because you've been looking after me and Shawn when we walk back to the car, or if it's something else but you just smell...you feel safe. And it's hard for me not too....", he trailed off, voice getting soft.

He didn't know how much that meant to Eddie. His first year of teaching, Eddie had gone on scent blockers, not wanting to overwhelm the little noses in his room. But one day he'd forgotten and things just seemed to run more smoothly when they could get a whiff of him. For Mr. Harrington to say his scent made him feel safe...

"It hasn't exactly been easy for me either", Eddie finally said. "Me too, since that first day I... But you already said nothing can come from it."

There was a hesitant look in Mr. Harrington's eyes. "Well, you know, why not?"

"Why...not?", Eddie echoed.

"I have my personal reasons for not pursuing this, but they mostly involve Shawn. If he doesn't know about it, I mean if we can hide it from most people, you won't get in trouble with the school. And we won't, you know get Shawn's hopes up if it doesn't become serious."

"Why, Mr. Harrington, are you propositioning me?" Honestly, Eddie didn't give a flying fuck what this principal thought about his private life. At the end of the day, it really was just Shawn he was worried about. He didn't know what happened to the other half of his DNA, but he knew that kids with only one parent sometimes longed for a second. He couldn't make Shawn think that was him unless this was the real deal. And he wouldn't know that for sure if he didn't give this a try.

"For starters, when we're not on school grounds, you can call me Steve."

"Eddie."

"Eddie, would you like to go out with me sometime?"

Steve's face was a mix of hopeful and confident that Eddie wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. "I'd love to."

Part 4

There is absolutely some angst with Steve's baby daddy comin down the line. I came up with it where I come up with all my best ideas, half asleep when I wake up in the morning.

Tag Team

@anne-bennett-cosplayer @aol19 @lololol-1234 @hippieg1rl420 @gregre369 @attic-cat-blog

#apo writes #stranger things #steddie #omegaverse #a/b/o

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mariacallous · 6 months

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My father was a short-order cook, a strictly stovetop kind of guy. Israeli salads and scrambled eggs. I never saw him approach the lower half of the oven, except to clean it within an inch of its life. It would take me until my 30s to realize that he did not grow up with anything like the ovens we had in Canada, and that there wasn’t much in his childhood home to place in a stove.

He was born in Mandatory Palestine in 1936 to Yemenite parents, who themselves were born in Ottoman Palestine. All four of his grandparents left Yemen in 1881 in what was known as the First Yishuv.

For my father, an oven was a primus — a portable camping stove that uses kerosene or paraffin oil. As a 12-year-old boy during the 1948 War of Independence, he ate grass and weeds (mostly mallow, known as kubezeh) that he had to forage for himself. So, on balance, his short-order cooking made sense.

When I grew up and moved to Israel and other new immigrants asked me about my background, my father’s lack of culinary skills became a source of repeated disappointment.

You must have had tons of jachnun and zhug?

More like zero.

I thought you said he was Yemenite.

My father did put an awful lot of Mexican salsa on everything from spaghetti to chicken, and ate onions like apples for breakfast, but Jewish food for me was Ashkenazi all the way. Well, you can’t go back.

Recently, I introduced a new dialogue project with my EFL (English as a Foreign Language) college students (anything to get them talking). Each student had to film herself discussing her favorite family recipe. I teach in Jerusalem and my students come from a range of backgrounds that include Morocco, Algeria, Syria, Ethiopia, Russia and France.

Occasionally I have a student with a Yemenite background. This particular student, we’ll call her Shira, introduced her recipe by stressing how often she eats it at home, and how delicious and nutritious it was, particularly for keeping on weight. This made sense as Yemen was (and still is) a very poor country, and many of their recipes are inexpensive and calorie dense, something important in an undernourished population.

Then, to my amazement, Shira described my father’s “hot cereal” recipe, as I had always called it. He used to mention that his mother made it for him year-round, including on Passover, but I took that to mean it was a family recipe, not a Yemenite Jewish one.

My father made this for me on the rare winter mornings when he was not off to work before I woke up. I remember the satisfied look on his face as he stirred and stirred groats, tossing out tidbits about his mother and his life in pre-state Israel like rare coins while he watched butter melt into the milk. He wasn’t much of a talker when it came to his past, but perhaps the familiar smell loosened his tongue.

For a few minutes, I would be drawn into his world of a mother who sold her own saluf (Yemenite flatbread) and zhug to passersby for extra money and chatted in both Arabic and Yiddish, rather than my usual stance, which was “Why can’t he be like all of the other fathers in my Jewish school and pull out the AlphaBits and Fruit Loops?” Nowadays, this recipe is a family favorite, particularly on Passover and if we are having sleepover guests on Shabbat.

I remember Shira’s surprise when I told her I was familiar with this recipe and thanked her for choosing it as her assignment. Turns out my birthright wasn’t entirely lost to me, it just took me longer than most to realize it. Better late than never.

Cooking notes

This recipe is endlessly adaptable:

My kids prefer it with half a cup less water and half a cup more milk. Some people omit the milk, just as they would for oatmeal.

I’ve seen recipes that add a teaspoon of sugar and margarine instead of butter, though I’ve never tried it.

On Passover, we substitute crushed matzah for groats or wheat.

On Shabbat, we bake this mix in a jachnun pot on a low heat (225°F or 100°C) overnight in the oven for cold Saturday mornings, which yields a very soft mixture.

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literaryobsession · 1 year

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of maybes and yeses || prohero!bakugo x teacher!reader

summary: you meet the elusive Pro Hero Dynamight and find him warming up to you.

warning: in the later chapters, there will be mentions of bullying. there will also be angst.

word count: 897

chapters: I , II , III , IV , V , VI , VII

CHAPTER VIII

"You look sad, Miss."

I didn't know I was staring into the distance for a few minutes. Three of my students were watching me with worry on their faces.

"Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something."

It has been a few weeks since Katsuki and I last talked. According to him, he had to go on a mission after that fateful day. The hours turned to days, and then they turned to weeks.

The annoying presence I had in my life disappeared completely.

It was as though he never even existed. My kitchen was unused, and the empty spot on my couch remained...sad and bare. I missed his big figure squeezing himself into my smaller-than-average couch, and I missed seeing his shadow as he worked in my kitchen, bringing me warm hearty meals that he learned from when he was young. I missed his arrogant voice rambling on about how my diet was crap-

I missed him.

I missed Katsuki.

But I ruined us by telling him about my feelings. He looked almost sad that I even told him I liked him.

He probably saw me as a good friend, a confidante, and someone he would never see romantically.

I probably disgusted him.

"Whatever it is Miss, you'll be fine." One of my students smiled at me. I didn't want to, but I started tearing up. "You're great."

Another laid a hand on my shoulder, "Yeah! You help us with our problems, so whatever you're facing right now, you'll conquer it."

Maybe.

But how?

After school, I thought about bringing homework, but I have finished most of them already. In the weeks that went by, I drowned my free time with as much work as possible that today, I didn't have anything to do.

I didn't realize that being with Katsuki was fleeting. That he will disappear from my life and that the beach was the last moment I had with him - I should've cherished it. I shouldn't have told him how I felt. I should've kept it. I should-

ring, ring

I was so distracted by my thoughts that I didn't realize I was the only one left in the faculty room. The soft orange light from the sunset and the loud ringing of my phone were the only ones keeping me company.

What does Red Riot need from me?

"Hello?"

"Hey, teach!" Eijiro Kirishima's warm voice came from the other line. He was the kind of person who you could hear his smile just by listening to his voice. Red Riot was famous because of this. He was the Pro Hero who would flash the friendliest smile your way that not even his sharp teeth could threaten. "Sorry! I didn't think of texting you. Were you doing anything when I called?"

His voice comforted me as though it brought me closer to Katsuki.

"I wasn't doing anything. I'm just on my way home from school actually." I answered. "Why? What can I do for you?"

Kirishima chuckled, "Ah, good timing! I'm actually in the area. I remember Bakubro telling me during the party that you lived near his place. Do you wanna grab dinner with me? I got questions for you if you don't mind."

"Is he going to be-"

"Ah, no. I haven't seen him in the past few weeks, so I wanted to ask you. Since, you know, you're the only one I can ask."

There was something about his statement that broke my heart. "Not anymore."

Eijiro insisted that we meet. I gave him the school address, and he drove to pick me up to talk over dinner. He chose a small American-style diner that I only see in Western movies. A few people were laughing over milkshakes, neon lights on the walls burned my eyes, and the smell of burgers made me feel warm inside.

He gestured for me to sit with him in a booth by the far end of the diner, and I did. "Let's order first. Don't worry, teach, my treat. Get whatever you like." He took the menu from the waitress that came over, "Hey Yuna, great to see you! Exams went well?"

I watched Red Riot chat with the pink-haired waitress. I knew he wasn't putting up that friendly act, and he was a genuinely nice guy.

"I'll have-" Eijiro snapped out from their conversation and turned to the menu, "Two burgers. Onion rings. Chicken wings, both will have barbecue sauce for the dip, you know the drill! And then, a big glass of cola."

Was he ordering for me too?

"What would you get, teach?"

Okay, no. That was all for him.

"Just a burger for me. And a glass of cola too. Thanks." I dropped my bag on the space next to me and made myself comfortable.

Eijiro grinned wide at me when Yuna the waitress left. "Okay, so I hope you don't mind." Then his smile melted into this concerned look, "I actually just want to ask you about how Kacchan is doing."

"I still have the same answer for you, Eijiro. I'm not the person to ask anymore." My heart stung. "I used to be. I think. But not now, not after-"

Eijiro's eyebrows met when I paused, "Not after what, teach?"

"Not after I confessed to him." There was no use even hiding it. Eijiro will know about it sooner or later. "He even said it wasn't what he wanted."

Eijiro leaned back on his seat, spread his arms over the back of the booth, looking like a large red eagle. "Damn, must've hurt."

"Tell me about it." I grumbled.

"But I'm honestly really confused why he said that. When I saw you with him during that party, I could feel he had feelings for you." He then tried remembering whatever it was that he saw. "For starters, he let you call him by his name."

"You call him Kacchan." I retorted.

He laughed at that, "Well, it irritates him to this day. We only called him that because Izuku calls him that back in school. It was fun to hear him explode over it." Then Eijiro's face turned softer as he went back to the matter at hand, "But you, man, he let you call him Katsuki."

"I can see the way he looks at you too. He never looks at anyone that way." Then he moved his hand over his eyebrows, "He usually has his eyebrows permanently melted together on his face, grumpy Dynamight all the time. And that frown! He growls! If looks could kill, we would all be dead now!"

I could feel that Eijiro was telling the truth, not just to make me feel better. I would be lying if I don't say that I could feel how kind he was, how differently he treated me, and how absolutely special he made me feel.

"I just wonder why he said that to you then disappeared." He gave a soft sigh, "Kacchan is super complicated and even though I try really hard to understand him, most of the times, I fail. Not that I'm a bad friend or anything but he just doesn't really want to share things with us."

Eijiro looked at me, "What about you teach, you know Kacchan pretty well, why do you think he said that?"

"I- I don't know." Honestly, I don't. I just don't want to overthink, I don't want to assume.

I just want... Katsuki back.

"You know what I think though?" He said as our orders got served, "He doesn't feel like he deserves you."

And a part of me believes he was right.

I found myself crossing the shiny floor of Dynamight's nearly empty office. After eating, I thought Red Riot will drive me home, he didn't.

Instead he drove towards the building where Dynamight's hero agency was located. The entire office was no nonsense, it was lined with tables which looked immaculate, nothing was in sight as though everything was new and never used.

I knew they have been though, I saw an intern put all files in her drawer, leaving her table empty and clean.

I could sense it was office policy to make sure no paper or document was left out for prying eyes to see.

"Eijiro, are you sure about this?" I whispered, feeling out of place in the office.

Red Riot simply laughed, carrying take-outs in one hand and pulling my wrist with the other.

Damn, he was strong.

"What are you doing?" I asked for what seemed like the tenth time. Red Riot had a big smile on his face and just kept going. We reached a big door, big enough to accomodate Eijiro's entire form without him ever needing to crouch down. He knocked and with it, I could feel my heart hammering on my chest, as immediate and as fast as Red Riot's loud knocking.

"Eijiro, for the love of all that is good and annoying, can you-"

There he was.

The elusive friend I once knew.

Katsuki's eyes were on me the moment he pulled the door open. He was dressed in his hero costume, minus the gauntlets, and looked surprised that I was even there.

"I told you I'd get you something."

"I didn't fucking tell you to bring her here." Katsuki frowned deeply.

"You did tell me to get out of your office and just get you something healthy." Red Riot finally let my wrist go, he looked so damn proud of himself, "And you know me, I think a healthy communication is the manliest thing ever!"

Oh wow.

"You are annoying as fuck, Eijiro." But Katsuki's eyes were kind, a bit tired, but still kind on me. He looked at me as if he was glad I was there.

Eijiro offered Katsuki his dinner, the largest hamburger he could get in the diner that I know was not Katsuki's definition of healthy, and gave us a happy look before strolling away ever so casually.

"Wait, take her the hell home!"

"No can do, Kacchan! I'm meeting Sero! Take her home for me, will ya?"

Katsuki laid his eyes on me. At first he was unmoving, holding the take out bag with one hand and his fist clenched with the other. Then he uncurled his fist and turned to walk back to his office.

"Eat with me."

"I already ate."

"Sit with me."

And I did. Of course I did. I missed him.

He sat on the sofa, unwilling to even drop crumbs on his desk. Katsuki patted the space beside him on the brown letter sofa and took out the food from the take out bag.

"Damn shitty hair got me cola." He grumbled as he sniffed the cup, "He's so damn unhealthy." Then he turned his eyes to me, "Please tell me you drank water when you were with him."

"I..." I looked back at our dinner and I can't remember if I did. Eijiro asked for refills for our drinks but I don't remember him asking for water. "No."

"When was the last time you had water?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow, a proud gesture I missed so much. He was unsatisfied with my lack of answer so he stood up, filled two glasses of water from his personal water dispenser and brough it over. He handed me one, "Drink. You and Eijiro shouldn't even eat together, your diets are the worst."

I took the glass and drank up. As though something activated in my brain, my tears started to fill my eyes and I started sobbing with my drink in my hand. The blond ProHero looked surprised when he heard me sob, and he was about to reach out when he pulled himself back.

"Do you know why I said what I said?"

No.

You don't have to tell me.

I don't want to get rejected over again.

Let's just be friends.

I don't want to lose you again.

"Y/N, I'm not good for you." He left his burger unwrapped and untouched. "Of all things I have in my life, you're the only one I never felt like I deserved." He angled his body so he can look at me, "I didn't plan all of these. I didn't plan getting this close to you. I didn't mean for you to feel something towards me."

"Then why the hell did you have to be so close?" I couldn't hold back my anger, my frustration, my irritation. If he felt like that, then why didn't he just stay away? "Why did you have to wedge yourself in my life and then when it doesn't suit you anymore, go your way as if nothing happened, and leave a damn big space that I can't even fill?"

"Because I fucking wanted you in my life too. I was selfish. I wanted you close." He was trying to look away, his eyes getting uncomfortably watery, "I didn't deserve you but for some damn reason, I wanted to feel as if I do."

"You were so kind to me. You gave me an opportunity to be a new person, as if the old Katsuki never existed, and it felt so good to be this great Katsuki in front of you." The ProHero Dynamight was crying. He was crying and I could feel my anger melting away.

Was that what he felt?

"But I can't escape my past forever. Every single time I leave your apartment, every time I come back to reality, I return to the world who knew the angry Katsuki Bakugo and I go back to feeling like I don't deserve you."

"I don't deserve you, Y/N. With all the wrongs in my past, I don't deserve you. I don't deserve this happiness."

I piped up, "Don't I deserve this happiness?"

#my hero academia #bnha #boku no hero academia #boku no hero fanfic #katsuki bakugo x reader #Katsuki Bakugō

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moviemunchies · 7 months

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I admit that I have a lot of nostalgic attachment to this movie. Going to see it is one of my fond memories from my senior year of high school, and one of the few of those that I feel hasn’t been poisoned by later events in life.

Anyway, here’s Zombieland.

Meet Columbus! (The characters go by the name of their home city or where they’re trying to get back to, as they avoid using real names to avoid getting attached.) He’s a timid shut-in college student who somehow survived the zombie apocalypse thus far, in part because he’s created a strict list of survival rules that he follows religiously. He meets up with Tallahassee, a violent survivalist who loves killing zombies, and they decide to ride together. They are shortly after joined by Wichita and Little Rock, a duo of two sisters who have made it by betraying others. This unlikely group travels west to find the fabled Pacific Playland, a park supposedly without zombies, while trying to not die or not kill each other.

I think that this movie succeeds for three main reasons:

ONE: This movie hit during the zombie craze. Really, there was this time in pop culture when everyone would not shut up about zombies. They were everywhere, and this movie was able to capitalize on that pop culture obsession.

[I want to be clear that this movie doesn’t pull too many punches with the way zombies look. These are not clean zombies! They are scarred, wounded, bloody, and very often vomiting goop. It’s downright gross. So even though it’s mostly lighthearted, it’s not as if you think that the apocalypse depicted is pleasant in the slightest.]

TWO: This movie released during a time when R-rated comedies were still big. They still exist now, yeah, but mostly stick to streaming releases. Joy Ride came out in theaters this year, and look how it did. But over a decade ago, it seemed like these movies were always coming out.

THREE: It’s a darn good movie!

This movie is everything it sets out to be, I think. It’s a hilarious action comedy, while also being a post-apocalyptic drama with good action sequences, and also has great performances, AND well-written character development. That’s a tall order for a movie, and a lot wouldn’t be able to pull it off. But Zombieland did it! By gosh, they did it!

I mean no, not everything hits perfectly. There’s a montage of the group driving which pretty much is the movie’s way of saying “They are bonding now!” which seems an awkward way to skip over development. But there are also scenes of them bonding, in ways that actually make a difference to the characters (Tallahassee teaching Little Rock to shoot comes to mind). So yes, it DID do the work to develop these characters, and I’m glad to see that it pays off in a satisfying way.

Amber Heard is in this movie. This isn’t really part of my review, but I didn’t realize this until fairly recently and thought it was an interesting tidbit.

Columbus is sort of the “Nerd Hero” that we saw a lot for a while in pop culture fiction, especially back when it was still assumed (by Hollywood, anyway) that nerds were all losers who had trouble talking to other people and played World of Warcraft all day. But I don’t know, this never really bothered me much with Columbus in this movie, because, well, he did survive the zombie apocalypse, didn’t he? He may be a shut-in, but his methods work because he’s approaching things logically. He’s not brave, he’s careful, and it works. It’s when he’s with other people that he has to push past those boundaries, but in a way that doesn’t require him to be completely stupid, just rethink his approach to things.

Worth noting: there’s a joke where Columbus says the best thing about the apocalypse is no Facebook? A couple of years later, the actor played Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Thought it was a bit amusing.

Do you remember back when Emma Stone was in everything? It was a bit weird; not bad, because she’s a good actress, but weird. Her role in this movie in particular is tricky, because it’s a character who keeps double-crossing our hero, and yet we’re still meant to like her in the end. That’s a hard balance to pull off! And yet she does it.

And of course, Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee. He’s kind of what makes this movie. He’s the character everyone I knew got attached to as they watched the film. He’s the most quotable, the most capable, and in a weird way the most sympathetic. Harrelson does a fantastic job with this role, and to me it’s one of the most memorable.

[Side note: there’s a line where Columbus says that Tallahassee looks like Yosemite Sam, and, uh… not really? Was this line written when the character was expected to be played by someone else?]

So see this movie! If you’re okay with watching our characters whaling on undead abominations, you’ll have great fun seeing Zombieland. I think it’s mostly aged well, and it’s great to see a movie that’s just allowed to be fun, not part of some larger universe or series. It’s just Zombieland, and that’s fine, and that’s great.

Though there was an attempt to make a TV series out of it, that never got past the pilot…

#Zombieland #Movie Munchies #reviews #zombies

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fic-junkie · 2 years

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Kirishima x (ftm) male reader

( Angst - Fluff )

Tw: disownment

Soulmate au:

The words that make you fall inlove with your soulmate are written as a tattoo on your arm. It's taboo to show or tell anyone what the words on your arm is since there has been instances of people using that knowledge to make others think they were soulmates. More often then not people will cover there words with bandages if there not wearing long sleeves.

"Your the manlist man I have ever met!"

Those words had always confused you. As a child your parents would always giggle about how "she's a girl why would they think she was manly?" In some kind of endearing way. Ofcourse, at that age you didn't understand what those words ment.

However when you got older and realized you wernt a "girl" these words became a source of encourgment for you. Especially during the years you had to pretend you were "just a tomboy".

Here you were standing infront of yuuei's infamous "class 1a" door. You recently had transfered there after working hard at your old school. You had talked to nezu about the situation of your gender and parents. He agreed to change your name in the system and let you wear the boys uniform thankfully.

You took a deep breath before opening the door 'here we go.. ' you thought to yourself. Mr. Aizawa, as you soon learned, was in the middle of teaching as he noticed your pressance.

"Ahem.. " he cleared his throat to get everyones attention "This is y/n, He is our new transfer." He continued before motioning to introduce myself. I stood up infront of the board, attempting to fake some sort of confidence. "Hello! My name is y/n! I hope we can get along well this year despite me joining late!" You said cheerfully while trying to make your voice sound deeper.

Everyone stared at you for a minute before half a class of hands rose into the air. Mr. Aizawa simply sighed as he rolled into his cocoon, seeing this as a chance to nap. "I guess you guys can get to know our new student... " he said as he zipped himself up. "And keep the noise down." He grumbled as he sent the class an intimading look.

You made your way to what you assumed was your desk. It was the only free one and it was in the back row of class. As soon as you sat down (almost) the entire class gathered around your desk. "What's your quirk! " a chia pet boy said "what school did you go to? " a girl with a brown Bob cut asked. "Why'd you transfer so late? kero" a weird looking frog girl said. "Hey hey! How about we give him some space? He seems overwhelmed! " a spikey red head said while he rubbed the back of his neck.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you tried to remember the onslot of questions you were just bombarded with. "Um.. My quirk is night vision, I went to a non hero school about 30 minutes away, and I don't really know I guess it's just how things happend." They seemed to have been okay with that answer and began to ask other questions such as "what's your favorite hero? " to wich you answered crimson riot. This seemed to get the attention of the before mentioned spikey read head who begun to shove his way through the small crowd. "You like crimson riot to! " he shouted at the boy in excitement.

After a moment of shock you giggled at the boy as a small blush rose to his cheeks. "Yeah I think he's really manily and cool!" Y/n said at kirishima with a sparkle in his eyes. Truth be told crimson riot was the one y/n looked up to the most when he begun to realize who he was. He saw the hero as something he wanted to become.

Kirishimas swore his heart skipped a beat at the sight of the excitement in your eyes. "Oh u-um yeah he is pretty cool." He said with a blush as he rubbed the back of his head. "Kero" tsuyu was looking at the boy with a 'shit eating grin'.

Everyone began to ask more questions and y/n had gotten quite used to the busy class room. Suddenly the bell went off and it was time for the next class. The crowd that once surrounded y/n had dispirsed back to there desks to pack up. Y/n started to shove his stuff into his f/c backpack. As he was walking out the door kirishima struggled to shove his stuff in quick enough, as kamanri was talking to him about some game. "Ah! Wait up f/n!" He shouted as you haulted and looked up at the taller boy. "Hmm?" He said confused.

Kirishima felt that same beat in his chest as earlier. 'Whats going on with me today? Am I getting sick?' He thought to himself as he realized he was staring at the boy. "Oh! Um I was just wanting to talk more. You seem pretty cool!" He stammered out as he blushed a little. "Oh thank you shima! That means alot! " he said with a chuckle as they began to walk to there next class. Kirishima blushed even harder at his new nickname. "Was that to weird... Ah sorry kirishima. " y/n said rather embaressed now. "Oh no no! It's okay.... I really like it.. " mumbled. Y/n ofc heard the adorable boy feeling embaressed and couldn't help but giggle. 'How cute' he thought as the walked into English.

----*----*----*----*----

It had been a few months now since you and kirishima met. You guys were really close friends now and spent most of your time together. Over the months you've known him you have begun to notice the cute things he did. Such as the adorable sound he made when he was flustard or how he always seemed to be excited about something.

However, all good things must come to an end...

You were on your way home, your parents didn't like you living with so many boys so they didn't let you live at the dorms. As you walked up the steps to your humble house, you noted the clinking of your keys as you unlocked the door and took a step in.

"I'm ho-"

What was awaiting you made your heart drop to your stomach. There your parents were, standing in the doorway, holding up your binder that you had hidden in your room.

You knew your parents weren't supportive. They often said transphobic things or tell you how glad you were a girl. Of course you couldn't just ignore the dsyphoria you felt despite knowing your parents wouldn't support you. Before you got home you always made sure to stop at a gas station on your way home and change out of your binder, stuffing it in your backpack for the next morning. You had two, the one they were holding was one that you no longer fit in but felt sentimental value to it because it was the first you bought. You had saved up a whole month to buy it and had to sneak it in the house. You felt so happy when you wore it for the first time and you wanted to hold onto that memorey.

"Care to explain why I found this in your room while cleaning d/n?" Your mother said, malice lacing her voice. Your father simply stood there 'letting your mother handle it' so to speak. His glare made you want to break down.

You took a deep breath, trying to hold in the tears that were threatening to spill. You knew what was coming, if they were going to disown you, you were going to make sure to atleast look strong. "Mother, father... " be started as he scruntched up his face preparing for what was coming, he knew his parents all to well. "I'm transgender... I'm a boy!" he said with an unknown surge of confidence.

The moments following were pure Torture. It was silence as your mother processed what you said. "Out.. " she said as she looked at her own child with disgust. He knew this was coming, he did for years, but that didn't change how much it hurt. He simply nodded and left, still refusing to cry. Everything he needed was in his backpack anyways, his binder, his phone, his homework. He didn't need to be there anyways.

It was getting late, the sun had set awhile ago. You looked at your phone "11:23 pm" hr mumbled as he took note of his phone almost dying. He hadn't left the park bench he sat in 4 hours ago. All he would do is stare off into space, his brain despritely trying to process what the fuck happend today.

"Mind telling me what my student is doing in the middle of town at 11 pm?" An all to familiar voice filled y/n ears. "My parents kicked me out... " the boy said with a monotone voice, refusing to give his teacher a glance.

Aizawa was going to question you more. Why did your parents kick you out? Being one of the biggest he had but he figured now was not the time for questioning. He simply hummed "well, I can't just leave ya here... " he as he yawned. He had gone out to get some dinner from a grocery store near ua, he didn't expect to see one of his students abandoned at park bench. Eventually though he was able to get the boy to follow him back to the dorms.

---*----*----*----*----

"You seriously don't know how much I love you! "

Kirishima thought about these quite often, he liked the idea of a special someone that was ment to be for him. He started to pick at his bandages around his arm. What if he never finds them? What if they don't like him? These thoughts kept popping up. They distressed him so much it showed on his face. "Kero, what's wrong kirshina?" Tsu said to the boy as he was sitting next to him. The class was watching some new movie that came out recently. Before the boy could answer the girl though, aizawa had gotten back from getting his dinner.

Deku was the first to greet aizawa. "Hey Mr. Aiza- What happend! " he yelled in concerned as he got up and ran over to his friend. He took notice of his lifeless eyes, and dirty clothes. Y/n had only been out a few hours but he managed to trip a few times while he was holding back his tears. He couldn't process all that had happend so he simply... Shut down.... No life was evident in him.

Kirishima was the next to take notice. As soon as he saw your pale face he quickly jumped up off the couch and ran to his bestfriend. "What happend y/n?!" He said with a worried face as he put his hands on his shoulders. Y/n just stood there, staring off into space. What could he say? He himself didn't know if he was okay or not anymore.

"Alright alright, f/n you can stay with kirishima, I'll talk to nezu tomorrow, everyone go to bed!" Aizawa commanded as he rubbed his nose bidge. Everyone akwardly scurrys away, there worry for y/n evident.

Y/n did just stood there, soon enough it was just him and kirishima. Standing in the middle of the hallway. Y/n finally got enough courage to look up at his crush. The look in his eyes hurt him dearly. He was worried and scared, what had such a brighr person like y/n so lifeless?

Y/n couldn't hold his feelings anymore, the sight of the one he had grew so fond of working so much over him had made him feel safe in a way. Like someone actually cared about him, and not a person he made up to please someone else.

His eyes started to overflow with tears, ones he had been holding back since he saw his mother holding his binder in the doorway.

Kirishima slightly paniced at this, he quickly swooped y/n up into his arms as he starts to rub his back longingly. "Hey... Whatever happend i-..... I'm here for you y/n! " he said with a soft tone. After a few more seconds he decides to just carry him to his.... There room.

He set y/n down as he opened his door. The smaller boy had stopped crying, only sniffles could be heard from him. Kirishima didn't exactly know how to comfort people with words, but he knew someone he cared so much about was hurting. He took the weak boys hand and brought him into his room, making sure to be gentle. "Do you need some clothes? " kirishima asked as he opened his dresser. "Mmm" the boy hummed in agreement, still not feeling strong enough to speak quite yet.

After kirishima gave him some pants, boxers, and a crimson riot shirt as he motioned to the bathroom that was connected to his room. Y/n just nodded and walked into the room with his clothes. Luckly the boy seemed to be atleast a little bit better now.

Kirishima was sitting on his bed, questions keep running through his head no matter how hard he tried to calm down.

*click*

He heard as his bathroom door open. A blush rose to his face, y/n was wearing his shirt that looked like a dress with how overaized it was. The boy had the pants in his hands as he walked out. "They didn't fit... So I didn't think there was a point in wearing them... " he spoke softly. Kirishima just stared at him. 'Oh my god his thighs look so nice I want to kis-' he brought himself back to reality after he noticed the boy begin to climb into his bed. Y/n got cpmfurtible before looking at his favorite person with a since of lonelyness.

"....I'm transgender kirishima" the boy said almost breaking down again.

Kirishima thought for a second, processing what he was told. Now that he thought about it.... It made alot of sense. Y/n would often have to end training earlier then everyone else and he seemed to get winded alot easier. Was it because of a binder? He thought. One of his cousins that he was close with came out to him as transgender recently so he still had his research fresh on his mind.

Y/n shifted a little bit, tears begining to form in his eyes again. Was the person he loved the most going to reject him to? A sniffle brought kirishima back to his senses as he noticed the boy getting anxious. He quickly turned around to face y/n, who was laying down. "No no no your okay! I'm okay! I promise!" He said as he took the boys hands in his. He didn't quite know how to word this. " it doesn't matter what you were born as! All that matters is what you are now! And I know your a boy! " y/ns eyes widened as his friend spoke, feelings were welling up again, but this time they were positive.

"Your the manlist man I have ever met!"

You almost did a double take at the boys words. Your arm was feeling tingly and your chest was filled with a warm, happy feeling. You started to cry again. You couldn't believe kirishima was your soulmate, but you were so glad he was.

Kirishima freaked a little, thinking he did something wrong, he was soon emgulfed in a hug by his friend. He was frozeen for a second before he hugged back, a warm feeling filling his cheeks.

After awhile the boy pulled away and cupped kirishimas face in his hands.

"You seriously don't know how much I love you! " he said with that precious smile kirishima fell for.

It was now kirishimas turn to cry, he couldn't believe he found them, after all this time. He wrapped his soulmate up in his arms and started giggling. "Were soulmates!" He exclaimed with a huge smile. The smaller boy just chuckled "I guess we are shima!"

#mha #x ftm reader #fluff #mha fanfic #my hero acadamy #fanfic #comfort #angst #kirishima fluff #kirishima eijirou #kirishima x you #bnha kirishima #bnha

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justanotherfanfolks · 6 months

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Twisted Wonderland Main Story Scattered Thoughts (Prologue Chapter 3-5)

Sad boi bgm is playing! Feeling bad for Grim, he's experiencing the disrespect. Riddle is team cat for Grim. Azul… stop being weird. This dude has clearly been trying to strike a deal with Riddle for a while. Yuu’s calling Grim an it! Yuu, don’t be rude! CROWLEY WHAT DO YOU MEAN SPARED FROM BEING SERVED AS DINNER! Grim probably took a lot of disrespect before. I’m imagining the student body just being the monkey puppet meme after watching that. NOOO MALLEUS! I remember him wondering why everyone was in their ceremonial robes in the vignettes, but he never cracked the case! One day he’ll wear those robes in public. “Maybe you should have told him yourself” no but it hurts more because they literally spoke to each other earlier that day, but Kalim didn’t realize he didn’t know! What do you mean you don’t know him too well either Kalim, don’t lie to me I read your ceremonial robes, I know you had a conversation! The NPCs are talking! LILIA! LILIA! PEEPAW! Boy with deep voice, lol. … So Lilia knew there was an orientation? And he didn’t tell him? Did he break his phone again? Someone needs to make a bulletin board just for Malleus, the man doesn’t understand email! Azul’s apologizing profusely, he wants those Diasomnia points. Riddle’s just like, eh. Actually, did we ever find out where Malleus went during the ceremony? No one found him until he showed up at the dorm, and they absolutely must have checked there. “I’m afraid that you will not be attending Night Raven College after all” Yuu: I was dragged here against my will, so… Wait, is that the BGM from the overblot reflection scenes?! I LOVE THAT BGM! WHAT’S IT DOING HERE! Ugh, I love TWST music! “Take this person back from where they came!” DM: lol, I don’t know where that is. Crowley’s having a crisis over here. DM’s just shrugging as a disembodied face. Library time!

Yuu is an extraterrestrial confirmed! Or from another dimension, yeah you right Crowley. Would you be more shocked to travel planets or dimensions? Shoe? Yuu, you have shoes, right? Yuu: my wallet! MY PHONE! POV: the portal that let you travel between dimensions robbed you. Crowley’s stuck with a magicless broke teen. RAMSHACKLE! No, but this dude really stuck Yuu into a probably haunted building that is falling apart, headmaster of the year. And will you be cleaning it, Crowley? We will investiage other ways to send you home my butt, you’ve been sitting on your ass for 7 books straight! (please excuse my language) A model educator, sir you don’t teach anything. Well, at least I get to see our beloved Ramshackle Dorm!

…I forgot how bad this place looked at first, THE OSHA VIOLATIONS!(I know OSHA is for working conditions, but still) Lawsuits, lawsuits everywhere. “This is too much character, if you ask me” I love a sassy Yuu. Wow. It looks… okay… I’m going to do more research he says, LIAR! Yuu’s about to become one with the dust. IT’S RAINING! We just got here, and it’s already raining. Oh, it actually looks better with the lights on! GRIM! “Like a bat that got blasted by a water gun.” Grim, you say like you’ve seen it before. Sir, did- did you blast a bat with a water gun? Don’t tell Lilia that. Honestly, it doesn’t seem that hard to sneak in, I don’t think there’s magic on the fence. Yuu can call for guards, I don’t even remember seeing guards, where did that idea come from? I wonder how Grim got here in the first place. Did he jump a carriage? Did he do that plane/boat thing Idia and Lilia mentioned when discussing getting to the island? GRIM’S EAR FIRE CAN GO OUT?! Grim, don’t be magic…ist? Useless? At least Yuu can meet people on eye level. But Grim, you benefit from fixing the holes in the roof. Why do you need payment. I’m convinced homeboy can’t actually do it. Oh, hello strange noises- THE GHOSTS! They’ve always given me Lonesome Ghosts vibes. I forgot what their voices sound like. I’ve been playing too many voiceless events and vignettes, I can’t remember what people sound like that aren’t the core 23. I love how they are ??? when later on they are Ghost A/B/C. Nah, that is absolutely a death threat, run Yuu, RUN! Grim, no fire in the dorm, there are already leaks! Grim, open your eyes to aim! Yuu knows how to bribe. The ghosts coming in with that perspective shot. Oh, time for that legendary Ramshackle Duo teamwork! This is what I imagine they do during Overblot fights. Twistune! A true bop, this song! AHHH, I’m not used to doing the ghost vignette so SLOW, it’s been 84 years since I did it on easy mode! I’m just imagining when Grim gets cocky, Yuu is just standing there arms crossed watching the ghost about to spook him and just letting it happen.

#twisted wonderland #twst #Fan finally plays the main story

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bisexualbumblebee-writes · 1 year

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Professors- Neville Longbottom x OC

Neville Longbottom x Charlotte Creevey

Description: Charlotte is the Potions Professor, and she is shocked to learn that students are shipping her and Neville (the Herbology Professor) together.

Word Count: 1.8k

“Now, many people believe Madrakes to be violent creatures at first glance,” Charlotte heard Neville say to his class as she reached the door to his classroom. She had been the Potions professor going on four years now, having taken the job immediately after the war. She’d always excelled in the class, even if her predecessor hated to admit it.

Neville was the new Herbology professor this year at Hogwarts, so she could understand why he sounded a bit nervous. His tone honestly reminded her of their Hogwarts days, but this wasn’t that. Even if he did sound a bit nervous, he now had a certain air of confidence around him. But she guessed that came with literally slaying a Basilisk.

She listened through the door as he continued to teach his class about Mandrakes for a moment before deciding to walk in. She did have a class to prepare for after all. After knocking twice, she walked in without waiting for an answer. Neville had stopped talking when he heard the knock, then perked up when he realized who it was.

“Ah, Professor Creevey. What can I do for you?” He asked with a small smile. She returned the gesture then closed the door behind her.

“I apologize for interrupting,” she began, but he simply brushed it off then repeated his earlier question. “Well, I’m afraid you never gave me those mistletoe berries that I need for the Forgetfulness Potion. Normally I would go get them myself, but-”

“But you always forget which ones are ripe,” he finished with a small chuckle. Charlotte grinned bashfully and nodded in response.

“Yes sir. I have a class after this that’ll be making the potion and I don’t think I’ll have time to get to the greenhouse and back before it starts if I go after the bell,” she explained. He nodded once she finished and set down the book he had been reading from.

“Very well, you guys keep reading. I expect you to know the use and functions of Mandrakes by the time I return. He gave the class a pointed look, but the smile on his face told everyone he wasn’t serious. The class, in turn, giggled as he made his way to the door Charlotte stood by. He gave them one last smile before opening the door for her and following her out.

“Sounds like you’re settling in well,” Charlotte mentioned as they walked down the corridor. Neville nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his opened robes.

“I am. The students have made it much easier, especially the first years.” Charlotte nodded and smiled nostalgically.

“They remind me of us during our first year. I remember how scared we all were.”

“Yeah, you were always there to help us though,” he commented. Charlotte blushed shyly and shook her head.

“Oh please, I was just as scared as you were,” she muttered coyly. Neville shook his head, staring at her with a fond look.

“You hid it very well then.” She smiled at him then looked down. They continued to make small talk until they reached the greenhouse. Charlotte stood behind Neville as he inspected the mistletoe berries. She took the chance to really look at him, something she hadn’t done since before the war. It surprised her how much he seemed to have grown up since their Hogwarts years. There was a sense of maturity to him now, he was no longer hesitant and he no longer had to worry. She blushed in embarrassment when he turned around and caught her.

Thankfully, he didn’t say anything as he stood. The two of them picked the vines in silence, and Charlotte couldn’t help but blush when their hands would accidentally brush against each other.

Neville and Charlotte had briefly dated during their time at Hogwarts as students. When they broke up, it affected both of them despite being mutual. Charlotte was a muggle-born and she was understandably afraid for her life multiple times, especially when Death Eaters surfaced right after the Quidditch World Cup. Meanwhile, Neville had become shaken up after his encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange during the battle at the Cabinet of Mysteries. They were both dealing with their own things and didn’t have the time to put effort into their relationship, but that didn’t stop Charlotte from missing him.

Neville ended up helping her carry the bucket of berries back to her classroom, having reached it just before the bell rang for class to end. After setting the admittedly heavy bucket down, he allowed Charlotte to lead him to the door. They just stood outside her classroom as students filled the hallways.

“Thank you for all your help Professor-”

“Just call me Neville. We’re still friends, aren’t we?” Neville half joked, making Charlotte smile bittersweetly. Friends.

“Of course Neville,” she responded gently. “You should probably get back to your class.” Neville nodded upon realizing that the bell was in fact about to ring.

“Right,” he said with a nod. “I’ll see you later Charlotte,” he finished before walking away. She watched his retreating form before the bell rang. As she walked into her classroom now full of third years, she began her usual speech.

“Good morning class, today we will be making and studying the effects of the Forgetful Potion. Now, can anyone-” her question was cut off by one of the students, a Ravenclaw girl named Nina Roberts.

“What were you and Professor Longbottom talking about?” She asked eagerly. Charlotte was taken aback by it, and upon looking around, realized everyone looked as interested as Nina.

“What?” She asked with a small laugh.

“Oh come on,” a Slytherin boy named Dalton Sparring piped up. “Everyone saw you and him talking outside your room.”

“I heard Carissa Nicks saw them walking out to the greenhouse in the middle of class,” another Ravenclaw girl named Maria Franks added. That made the class erupt in talking about the new information.

“Okay that’s enough!” Charlotte called, holding her hands up to silence everyone. “Professor Longbottom helped me gather mistletoe berries for our potion today, I was simply thanking him for his help before class started,” she explained. The class looked like they didn’t believe her, but another thought popped into her head before she could say anything about it.

“Why are you so curious about it?” She asked suspiciously. The class looked among themselves nervously, making her eyes narrow and her arms crossed.

“Well,” Nina started. “A lot of people know that you two are really close, and we were hoping that you two would get together. Everyone sort of figured you’d be together by now. You guys are always looking at each other during dinner and assemblies. Everyone thought you were at least dating at first.” The professor’s mouth dropped open as she listened to the student’s explanation. The rest of the class nodded in agreement.

“Wait, you all think that we,” she trailed off, not able to finish the question.

“Well, yeah. Everyone does,” Maria replied with a shrug. Charlotte just stared at them in shock for a minute before blushing profusely.

“Well, my love life is none of your concern, and I will thank you to stay out of it,” she finally said before straightening up. “Now, back to the lesson.”

Her student’s words stayed with her even after classes had ended. It was shocking for her to say the least. Of course she was aware of her feelings for the new professor, but she hadn’t realized that she’d showed it so much in front of others. But Nina said that Neville also looked at her during dinners and assemblies. Surely they couldn’t have been serious, right?

It ended up consuming her thoughts and she found herself excusing herself from dinner earlier than usual that evening. She noticed Professor McGonagall give her a concerned look, but she gave the headmaster a reassuring smile before leaving. She found herself outside in the entrance courtyard.

With winter coming in quick and it had gotten cold just as quick. That ended up being bad news for Charlotte, who hadn’t thought to bring her jacket and her robes being in her quarters. So, she simply leaned against the marble railing surrounding the courtyard and looking out at the lake that sat beside the castle.

“What are you doing out here? You’re going to get a cold without a jacket,” she heard Neville say from behind her. She hadn’t even heard him walk out here.

“I’m just thinking,” she responded before looking at him. He furrowed his eyebrows and walked over to her with a jacket in his hands. She faced forward shortly before feeling a small weight on her shoulders. Neville had covered her in the jacket previously in his hands then leaned his shoulder against one of the pillars of the structure.

“Care to share them?” He asked as she snuggled into the warmth enveloping her quickly. She finally shrugged and looked at him.

“It’s nothing really,” she lied. He gave her a look that told her he didn’t believe her.

“Come on Char, you know better,” he reprimanded gently. Charlotte couldn’t help but smile, she should have known that she couldn’t lie, especially to him. They shared a small laugh then Charlotte looked out at the lake once more, gathering her thoughts.

“Have you heard some rumors flying around? Rumors about-”

“Us?” He asked knowingly. Charlotte stood up and looked at him surprised.

“You know about them?” She asked, shocked. Neville nodded nonchalantly and rested his hands in his pockets.

“Yes, I’ve been hearing them almost since I began teaching,” he explained.

“Well, how do you feel about them?” She asked curiously. Neville blushed shyly and looked down then at the lake like she had previously.

“I can’t say that I’m exactly mad about them,” he started nervously. “I have to admit that seeing you again after the war brought up some old feelings. I missed you Charlotte.” The girl was surprised by his confession. She didn’t know what to say, so she just stared at him for a minute, making the boy beside her nervous. Eventually though, she finally spoke.

“Even after all this time?” She asked quietly, looking at him hopefully. Neville finally looked at her again, smiling at her expression.

“Since the day we broke up I’ve missed you. Breaking up with you was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made,” he admitted, taking her hand. Charlotte flushed red and looked into his eyes. She always thought they were pretty, the way that the gray and gold swirled into his hazel eyes always mesmerized her.

“Well, what would you say to trying again?” She whispered, eyes flickering down to his lips for just a second. Neville seemed to understand what she wanted because he began leaning in, speaking as he did so.

“I’d say yes,” he muttered before Charlotte met him halfway and kissed him. His arms instantly went to her waist, pulling her closer to him. Her hands first rested on his shoulders then slid around the back of his neck. They stayed that way until being forced to pull away to breathe. They stared at each other and smiled simultaneously.

“Wonderful way to restart, wouldn’t you say?” He asked, making her giggle.

“Definitely.”

#harry potter #harry potter imagine #neville longbottom #neville longbottom imagine #neville longbottom x oc

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multiplekittens · 1 year

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Hello. I think occasionally I will do an embarrassingly earnest long post about my reflections on whatever media I'm currently thinking about. I'll tag them with #long poast so you can mute it if you want. I'll also put most of it under a read more.

This one will be tangentially about Bocchi the Rock, but it's mostly a personal essay that uses Bocchi as a jumping off point. I'll be talking about a character who shows up late, and I think you'll be fine if you want to read but don't know shit about the character. If you want to avoid spoilers at all costs, I wouldn't read, but otherwise I think you're probably fine. I'm also gonna talk about homophobia/transphobia in the US (specifically about the "groomer" conservative trend and accompanying legislation), so be aware of that too.

I finished Bocchi the Rock months ago and while in general it was very much a "she's just like me fr" experience (like it is for a lot of people) I literally cannot stop thinking about Bocchi and Kikuri's friendship. I remember watching the second-to-last episode and seeing how Kikuri was supporting and teaching Bocchi and just treating her like a regular person, despite the fact that it was clear Bocchi was working through Issues, and just starting to cry. Even though it was not supposed to be a particularly emotionally resonant scene, it was just such a good example of how important friendships between non-related adults and kids could be, and I couldn't help but think about how that concept is being litigated to hell in the US right now.

I don't think I really need to explain on Tumblr to my 100% American followers what's happening right now, but just in case I'll summarize a bit. The current conservative push to call trans and gay people "groomers" for being around children at all while not lying about their identity is obviously extremely harmful for gay and trans people, but I also think that the accompanying stigmatization and criminalization of any non-related adult having any sort of friendship with a child is also going to be incredibly harmful to children, as well. You can see this with how teachers and librarians (not even gay and trans ones!) are treated -- those are the two positions where it's most socially acceptable for adults to interact with children regularly, and they're being accused of "brainwashing" kids just for providing them with books.

I'm worried about how this is going to affect kids, because I've been on both sides of relationships like that and I've seen how important they are. I used to tutor math in a rural southern town, and when I moved across states to where I live now so that I could finally come out as a nonbinary lesbian, I remember having to break the news to all my students that I wouldn't be teaching them anymore. I remember one fourth-grader I tutored who really only needed someone to tell her she could do math begging me not to move so I could stay and tutor her. I remember her asking for a hug after our last session, and I constantly think about what her parents would have to say about me giving it if I hadn't been closeted. I also wonder what would have happened if I went through this process just a couple years later.

Of course, I've been the child too; I remember seventh grade, when I first moved to an entire new state into a tiny K-12 school where everyone knew each other already. My twin and I started doing plays and made friends with two high school seniors, Mae and Tsuki (not their real names). Despite the fact that we were young, extremely awkward, and anxious, they were always extremely kind to us, letting us sit next to them on busses during Science Olympiad trips, exchanging emails (!), and generally letting us hang out with them even though I'm sure we were annoying, cringy, and just generally seventh graders.

Looking back, I realize they probably didn't have a great time in that school either. They were the only furries in the entire school, and at least one of them came out as bi after school was over. I'm almost certain the average adult would not have approved of our friendship, but out of everyone at that school they were the only people I ever knew who were actively encouraging of our interests; one of them even got me a piece of original film from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, a gift I still treasure and have to this day, over a decade later. (I would go on to be bullied and othered over my love of star trek, sci-fi, and not stereotypically "girly" things for the rest of my time at that school). They made an otherwise very rocky year much more bearable, and helped me to feel that maybe I was someone who people would like to be around when I really needed that. I think there's next to no chance they could read this and I have no way to contact them, but I hope they're doing well now and I wish I could let them know how much their friendship meant to me, even now.

I think that friendship is why the relationship between Kukiri and Bocchi resonated so much with me, and why I'm heartbroken about the US trying to litigate those relationships away. While Kukiri isn't explicitly queer, a) come on of course she is and b) she's definitely not what an adult would call a "good influence." She's constantly drunk around Bocchi, sometimes offers her alcohol, takes Bocchi's money so she can buy more alcohol, and teaches her how to illegally busk. But at the same time, I know firsthand how much a "cool" adult (or nearly-adult, in my case) taking you under their wing can mean, and how much it can help low self-esteem for someone like that to believe in you when you can't even begin to believe in yourself. If US conservatives have their way, then experiences like these will disappear for good. For everyone's sake, I truly hope they don't succeed.

#bocchi the rock!#original poast #long poast #homophobia #transphobia #rb's are ok

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invincible-selfxmade-punk · 1 year

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Dreams Fri 1/27/23

I had nightmares all night last night, but interspersed with them or a few dreams where Chris was somewhere there. I had so many nightmares I really could not remember them all. One was that I was back in my childhood home and my stepmother had sent these people to break in. I had called the cops and the cops and they'd come &it had been a big fight but the people were arrested and dragged off. Then I heard somehow that because of this happening my stepmother sent someone to kill my dad. And I kept trying to call my dad over and over but I could not find him.

I had a dream about my mom at some point too but I cannot remember anything about it. I have been dreaming about my parents a lot I'm not sure why. Plus I have been dreaming about my niece a lot too and I almost never ever dream about her. I had one dream about her last week that felt so real it is like she came down and visited me in the dream.

Then I dreamed I had ordered some books to be given away to charity or to pass out to my students, and when the books came in they were all My Little Golden Books and I was really sad because they were too young to be given out to the kids I taught. And then I kept those books through several other dreams.

Then I dreamed I was 10 years old and was having a sleepover at my paternal grandmother's house with a bunch of my students there--- we were all the same age. And then there was something about some boys crashing the sleepover and getting into my stuff and cutting up a bunch of my stuff. The boys who did this turned out to be the problem students I have in class.

Then I had a snippet of a dream that I was in a gigantic swimming pool, swimming and doing these elaborate dives. I was wondering if somehow Chris was watching me and if my swimming skills were impressing him. 😄

But in real life I never learned how to swim.

In the last dream I was in a mall that was huge and somewhere there I passed Chris by and I don't think I spoke to him. Later on in the dream I was shopping and I was carrying a pair of jeans and in the pocket I had my keys, phone, & wallet. I stopped at some really large kiosk that on one side was a jewelry kiosk but on the other side serve drinks. I went around to the drink side to get something to drink and when I went back the jeans and all my belongings were gone. I was stuck at the mall with no money no phone no keys to my car and no way to get home. And being stranded at the mall for some reason is a really big recurring dream of mine.

I kept going through this mall asking people to help me find my keys and my wallet and nobody would. Most of that dream was me going from store to store and from kiosk to kiosk asking people if they had seen my stuff. Then I ran into one of the kids I teach and they told me it was in a certain store but they had just seen someone turn off the lights in that store and they were pretty sure the store had been closed up. So then I went in search of that store. Then somehow during the dream I got to where I couldn't talk because I was so thirsty but I didn't have enough money to buy myself anything to drink. After a while I got to where I couldn't walk either. Then I was literally crawling on the ground still going from store to store. Finally somebody helped me up and put me on a motorized scooter but the scooter was levitating and wasn't touching the ground. Finally I passed by a place and saw my jeans there. I went up and grabbed them and the guy came up and grabbed them at the same time and then we were fighting over them. And I realized this guy had stolen them to begin with. The dream ended with some woman coming to my rescue with a sword telling the guy she was going to chop off his dick if he didn't give me back my stuff!!

#dreams #being stranded #the nall #Chris #women with swords #really long post #dreaming about the students I teach

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1d1195 · 1 month

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You’re so sweet to me. Freaking love your spirit! 💖

Also I realized why I feel so weird messaging you all the time or a lot but I just remembered that you’re a teacher and when I was in school I was a very inquisitive girl and my teacher put me on a question limit. Like I was only allowed to ask 3-5 questions a class. So that really killed curiosity and began the endless cycle where after any hang out I ask my fiancé “was I talking too much?” So I think there was transference on my part to you cuz you’re a teacher but I hadn’t really realized until my edible just hit.

I always have loads of ideas running around in the old noggin’. I’m glad they’ve been successful thus far. S’a good partnership we got going on here. 😉

-🐱

Just a clarification for my question probation I was put on by my teacher; it wasn’t in a disruptive manner. All my comments and questions were on the subject she was teaching. And I asked my classmates if my questions were annoying and they said no. Plus as the years went on my classmates loved when I asked questions in class cuz I had a knack for being able to start a dialogue that would take up class. Like one time we had a really great class debate about guys and girls and how dating goes all cuz my English teacher (different from the other one) heard me say “boys are so simple that its complicated” or something to that effect. And it was really fun.

But yeah, I really wish that teacher hadn’t done that to me. lol 😂 😂😂

This edible’s really got me. I’m gonna go watch the eras tour on Disney plus. ✌️Thanks for letting me trauma dump. 😂😂😂😂

-🐱

I LOVE when you have edibles, you send me the most lovely things (everything you send is lovely, but hopefully you'll know what I mean!)

OMG that's a TERRIBLE teacher. I love when kids ask me inquisitive questions (there's not many because they're all 14/15 and too cool for school) but I had a student ask me why the Pythagorean Theorem was only a Theorem and I nearly passed out. I love when kids get me off task tbh. It's a time during class I actually feel like they like me 😭

Anyway! I always appreciate a good trauma dump 💕 I hope you never feel the way your teacher made you feel anymore. It's the exact reason students don't care about school anymore imo.

xoxo

#🐱

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strawberryspeachy · 5 months

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I was scrolling through my pictures and found a guide for things to study to prepare one of my students for moving to america

Its pretty detailed and makes me wonder if im getting stupider as time goes on because i forgot about several things that i came up with without even researching 2 years ago

While looking at it i remembered

The boy asked me actually. He asked me about school in the states and he was worried about some of the classes. I tried to put his mind at ease for the transition and assure him that he’ll have help for most things.

He was half white and his dad was american. His dad was a writer actually and he told me about his books during a speaking test. So he spoke english fluently. Actually that was something he was worried about. He said his dad told him he has an accent - he really didnt.

But on that I started to ask him about things we do in English class back home. He had no idea about even the basics. Not surprising. They dont do things that involve critical thought in japanese schools.

I started briefly explaining some things to him and told him id make him a guide

Then. We were cut off

The teacher came and told me he needed to go eat lunch.

Later she came and apologized to me because he told her that he asked me for advise and that he was nervous realizing that he wasnt prepared for American English classes.

She thought i just went to talk to a kid. Stopped him from going to lunch. And was stressing him out.

Not because i do that but because thats how japanese teachers see foreigners here. Being weird idiots that bother ppl

And the thing is id forgotten about that till just now.

I HATED that feeling as an ALT. Im s weird person - but not a fucking weirdo who harasses children to talk me. I hated when the teachers tried to make me do that. And i hated when they assumed thats what happened whenever a student came to talk to me.

Theyd always look worried and annoyed when students were talking to me and theyd shoo them away. And i couldnt say its ok or anything. I couldnt say or do anything. Just smile and encourage the kid that the jaapnese teacher had a good reason for telling them to not talk to me

The thing is. I liked the teacher i just mentioned. She was one of the nicest ones i worked with as an ALT. I forgot about all the shitty times with her. She got nicer to me after my mom died. All the teachers did. I noticed and i know. But somewhat also forget.

It took a horrible thing for them to see me as a human. And to just look at what i do as another person and not a strange alien they must protect the children from.

I came to japan for a paid vacation. I wanted to explore and enjoy traveling going to concerts meeting ppl and just having a good time.

Id planned to go home and take care of my mom. I thought i could write stories while i was here and look for a job back home.

Then corona hit and ruined everything. I never even got to see my mom again

Never got to feel stability

Now the money ive saved up is worth half the value back home

I have nothing to fucking show for my time here

I cant afford to go back to america

My moms not there

I dont even have a house to return to

Im so much worse off now than when i left if i go back

But i also cant deal with that degrading treatment again. Even as a legit teacher in a school working through a company middleman im treated as less than.

As an ALT i was treated like a fucking idiot mascot play toy. Like equipment. Not a person.

And as a native teacher - last year - god do you know how fucking annoying it is to have ppl who can’t speak your native language tell you whats correct?!? To be told to keep students in line, motivate them, teach them, and entertain them all while having someone undermine you at every turn. Them complain the students dont respect you. I mean that was only with 5 kids in 432 students. And thats the other fucking problem. Last year my schools students were wonderful. They were friendly smart motived and kind. Except 2 bitchy girls and one boy - the girls turned like 3 more kids in their class against me. But the rest of my students liked me. And because the PE turned English teacher didnt like english he bitched about me and used those few kids against me. I have more than 420 actively improving their assignments and having full english conversations with me. I have the two loud classes all the teachers hate because they refuse to do their work - coming to me and asking if they did my assignments correctly and asking when they need help - but because a handful of kids dont like me - that teacher turns me into a bad guy and gets me the boot.

And thats the shit to expect with even the better job i have.

The school im not rn has a native teacher who uses his charisma to make life better for the native teachers at the school. This is the best im gonna get

I cant find another job. Im trying but too many ppl want to come to japan rn

I really cant afford to go back home

And im entirely out of the patience to be treated like a fucking slave. Literally at this point. Between the shit wages that keep going down and high costs. I cant afford the shit job that wants me to act like the japanese assholes dog. Treating me however they want and i have to just smile back

I want my mom. I want to go back to when i had my pets and my house and lived near my friends.

I keep saying it but its true. Im living the future that i used to have in my nightmares and wake up screaming from. I want to wake up again back before 2011

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mehthepharmacist · 7 months

Text

I think about what I did wrong to not develop our relationship. I feel like you would have dated me if I have given enough effort. This brings me to three instances, let’s call them strikes, you gave me before you never talked to me again.

The first strike was after anatomy class. Often after class I saw you walking to the ILB to see your sister before her physics lab. I had the opportunity nearly every day to walk with you. There was a few times I did walk with you. We would talk for about half way. I would run out of things to talk about pick up the pace and leave you 20 yards behind me. I remember a few things during our walk. I remember you told me you lived on Hillcrest. I remember you told your sister not to go to any other school, but USA because you want her to leave you. I thought that was the sweetest sisterly love of anyone on campus. I remember telling you I was homeschooled and that I went to GCU for 2 years. What I would give up to be able to relive those walks and talk with you everyday the whole way to ILB. I wasn’t in a hurry I just didn’t know how to attract your attention. Now it seems that I had your attention, but I threw it away leaving you in the dust.

Strike two was we studied together for anatomy at the library on Wednesday night. I’ll never forget get my anatomical planes: coronal, sagittal, and transverse. I’ll also never forget that gap junctions are composed to six connexon. Around 5:30 we were packing up to leave and I asked you what your plans were for the rest of the day. You responded “church.” I was stunned for a minute because you were the first person who told me that. I said back to you “me too” I smiled you smiled then we left together to our cars. We studied twice together and those were the best studying moments of my life. I never asked you about going to your church, but I wish I had.

The third strike was when I asked you lunch one day. I didn’t have any classes that day so I drove to USA just to eat with you. We met in the chick fil a line. I was so happy that you were there for the soul reason of hanging out with me. I didn’t know what to do. I told you I was going to pay for you but you said you didn’t mind paying for yourself. We got to the register and right after you ordered I started ordering. You said “you don’t have to pay” and I said “I got it.” The cashier was a little surprised by that and asked if it were together and I said yes. When we go to our seat and started eating you took the pickles off your sandwich. I did the same while saying “I don’t like pickles either.” I thought we would make the perfect couple. We talked about school about which class you had next. You and Physiology 1 or 2 in the communications auditorium with Dr. Stanfield. You didn’t like her teaching method. She would have you read the book practically the whole class and answer questions she prepared. I you told me to park around back and enter the auditorium through the back double doors. I used that tip when I had a history calls in there. We talked about family you said your sister was studying biology. I made a stupid response asking/stating “the BMD program is harder and we are smarter than biology students” I wish I never said that. I don’t know what I was saying that the time. I didn’t realize how important your sister was to you. It was as if I was saying that about you. Please forgive me for those comments I know it was stupid of me to say. I told you I wanted to be a dentist because I really liked my dentist, I didn’t really want to desk job, and I liked the tools that they use. I probably sounded like I had no idea what I was talking about. It’s because I didn’t know what I was talking about. I wasn’t taking the steps to prepare for dental school. I was shadowing a dentist. I wasn’t studying for the DAT. I wasn’t even gathering with the local dental club at school. You said you were applying for Pharmacy school and studying for the PCAT. You knew what you wanted to do with your life and you took the steps to accomplish that. That’s what I admired about you. There was no plan B only going all in on plan A. When we stood up to leave I told you good bye and said “good luck on pharmacology school.” You corrected me and I was so embarrassed then we left in opposition directions. I watched you until you I could see you anymore. I got in my car and told myself “that went really good. I think she likes you.” The only problem is I never talked to you for a meaningful amount of time or asked you out after that. I think you would have forgiven me of my awkwardness if I had just talked to you more.

After these three strikes I think to myself “why did I not want to build a deeper relationship with you.” I’ve come up with many reasons. (1 I was embarrassed to reveal my feelings for you. I thought someone would find out and I would be humiliated for it. I worst nightmare is running into someone I knew at school and they saying some remark about me like a girl. (2 My family, I didn’t know what they would say when they would learn I liked someone and wanted to spend time with her instead of them. None of my siblings had love interests so I had no way of knowing how they would react. 3) I was very involved in my church I was a counselor and game leader of my church’s CBC program on Wednesday night. I didn’t want to abandon them to go to church with you. They needed me and didn’t have anyone to replace me. Wednesday was a kids program so I couldn’t invite you to that. I was embarrassed of my church’s high school and college group. We had the ugliest building and some of the most broken physically and emotionally kids. I didn’t want that to be your first impression of my church. I invited you once, but you declined. (4 I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I liked being single. I could do and go anywhere I wanted. I didn’t use that freedom because again I did know what my parents would say so I stayed at home.

Looking back on these four reasons my parents were the biggest reason I never pursued you. Hanging out with you meant I was no longer loyal to them and helping them at church. I should have given that up the second I saw you in O Chem class. Think of the memories we could have made. I’ve lost 10 years with you and I hope I find someone else soon or I don’t know how long I’ll be writing these stories.

I guess this one is long enough.

Love,

Caleb

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ecullens1368 · 1 year

Text

Readerly Exploration #4

October 10th

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 2, “Whole-Class Reading Instruction: High-Level Support for Learning”

A Take-Away: Whole-group reading instruction allows for an opportunity for you to scaffold reading instruction as an educator. It fulfils the "I do and we do" section of gradual release of responsibility.

A Nugget: I feel like often we think of group reading in whole-group as something that only happens in primary grades before children can read very complicated texts on their own, but there's actually so many benefits to including read-alouds and shared readings in upper elementary grades as well.

Sipe (2002), “Talking Back & Talking Over: Young Children’s Expressive Engagement During Read-Aloud Storybooks”

A Take-Away: When young children comment over a read-aloud, they are not being disruptive or trying to interrupt, but rather they are actually interacting with the text, making connections, and practicing complex literacy skills by dramatizing, talking back, critiquing and controlling, inserting, and even taking over.

A nugget: Allow children to interact with texts in ways that are meaningful to them. There is a place and time for each kind of interaction, and we should be encouraging children to make conversation with the story we are reading aloud and sharing. That allows a balanced approach to teaching literacy as it encompasses listening, speaking, and reading, and could possibly include writing as well in certain circumstances.

Provide an interpretation of the assigned reading through the lens of another course you’ve taken.

In my field I did a read-aloud with the kids. I had students calling out through out some of the pages and telling stories that originally seemingly seem like there was no connection to what was being said. In the beginning it was starting to make me a little annoyed that I couldn't get through a page without being interrupted, but then I remembered these articles, especially the one by Sipe. It is so important to allow the students to make connections to their own personal lives by inserting themselves into the story or making connections to experiences they have had in their own lives. The more I really listened to their comments, the more I realized just how complex they really were. They were making connections to how the characters were feeling, which were context clues they were picking up on that the author was leaving to be implied, it wasn't specifically stated. The character was feeling anxious and stressed, but the author wasn't explicitly saying that. The students were comprehending that and making a connection to when they felt anxious or stressed. That is a lot of complex steps and deep thinking for six year old's hearing a story about a bear and a pumpkin contest! it was truly amazing to see how the students were able to connect their literacy skills to their own lives and see how the information we have been learning in this class can be observed in my field placement of kindergarten as well.

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morganadams13 · 2 years

Text

Fisher and Sipe - 10/10/22

Fisher, et. al. (2020), Chapter 2, “Whole-Class Reading Instruction: High-Level Support for Learning”

Big Takeaways:

Some good instructional routines that are good for whole group instruction are interactive read-alouds, shared readings, direct and deliberate instruction, and close readings

The chapter highlights the importance of a scope and sequence for phonemic awareness and phonics instruction, and the use of word sorts, chants and other letter-and word leveled activities to build reading foundations

There are multiple criterion in order to properly choose an appropriate read aloud text for your lesson such as; providing an opportunity to model aspects of reading or thinking, appropriate to the content being taught, and finding strong pieces of literature that can be used as a mentor text for students when they write

Nuggets:

I found it interesting how much actually goes into a read-aloud. I never really planned one before. I taught in a preschool class in high school and did some read alouds, but never thought about read alouds in that sense

There are so many different ways to conduct a read aloud that highlights different skills students are starting to develop around the kindergarten and first grade levels, and integrating and thinking about these skills is something I never took into account when making plans like this years ago

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sipe (2002), “Talking Back & Talking Over: Young Children’s Expressive Engagement During Read-Aloud Storybooks”

Big Takeaways:

When children are engaged with a read-aloud, they often have different ways of showing that engagement through their expressions

There are 5 ways students express their engagement with a read-aloud; Dramatizing, talking back, critiquing or controlling, inserting, and taking over

Students who make these kinds of responses usually think stories are an invitation to participate

Nuggets:

I found it really interesting how many various ways there are that a student can engage with a read-aloud, even if they are not just sitting there listening

We always look at calling out and oral expression during a quiet, teacher-led time, but this made me realize that maybe we as teachers should look deeper into what those callouts actually mean

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Readerly Exploration: Sipe (2002), “Talking Back & Talking Over: Young Children’s Expressive Engagement During Read-Aloud Storybooks”

(After you read, document your initial response to what you've read. Consider about how the ideas you read about made you feel and what they made you think about)

My initial response to this article was thinking about how I could apply these situations and concepts to my own teaching. When thinking about this, I automatically tried to remember certain situations in my field experience where this may have happened, and I had one that came to my mind right away. In my second grad classroom, there is one little boy who does call out and yell out a lot whenever there is a discussion, reading, or lesson going on. I think his expressions would be taking over, because he uses what he hears in the story to recall things from his own life, and will tell stories while the read aloud is going on. He will recall to a lot of things back from first grade, which I noticed happens frequently. Another little girl in the same class, who has autism, does something similar, but she demonstrates talking back instead. She will make sound effects that go along with the story, or other things like that. One specific example I remember is when we were reading a book about memories where a little boy was visiting a older woman who was starting to lose her memory, and he was trying to figure out what a memory was so he could help her get it back. In response to the plot of this read aloud, the student yelled out "Poor old lady," and " She can't lose her memory." Even though these actions by these two children would first be thought of as disruptive to the lesson, we sometimes forget to think about what those callouts actually resemble with academic comprehension and engagement. Recalling prior experiences and reacting to the text are both ways students can engage with a text to understand the meaning behind it. Using emotions and past experiences that are familiar are very helpful to comprehension, because it makes it so much more simple. This made me feel very interested when I thought deeper about the reading by Sipe. I never realized how much those callouts can tell us as teachers about what the students know and how they are retaining the information we are giving to them. It gave me a new perspective on it, and helped me to see engagement in a whole new way, which will be really helpful in my field experience and my teaching career to come.

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autistic-duck · 2 years

Text

in high school, i was part of a choir where practically every member was gay

idek how it happened it was like all the lesbians could suddenly sing and they all banded together

anyways there were these two girls that were always together, sitting in each other’s laps and whispering jokes. both of them cut their hair real short, so they looked like stereotypical lesbians.

i don’t remember their names so i’ll just call them jill and laura. remember these girls for later

the pianist for our choir was this old dude we all called him mr. john

mr. john had been the pianist at my high school for AGES, and he had a lot of age-related health problems

even so, everyone in choir loved mr. john, and he was always super supportive and kind to everyone, no matter who they were or what they looked like

he also tried to teach tolerance to the students who weren’t so open-minded

anyways, my absolute favorite moment in choir happened when mr. john asked one of the two “gay” girls where the other one was

he worded it like this

“Where’s your girlfriend at? We’re about to start rehearsing.”

And jill just stared at him for a second before busting out laughing and explaining through tears that both of them were straight and were just friends. in fact, laura had a boyfriend

mr. john’s face turned red, and he stuttered out an apology, but i’m glad that he embarrassed himself because now i have something to talk about. i have a memory worth appreciating and sharing

this random memory reminds me of two things:

one, anyone can change and learn, no matter the age

it’s people like mr. john, who tried to understand what was shameful in his generation, that prove we all can do better

every single one of us can make a difference, even those who grew up during a time when being gay or trans meant you HAD to stay in the closet to remain alive and safe

the other thing i realized from this experience is that things already ARE changing

so this is a message for my fellow left-leaning americans,

we’re so quick to say that the world is ending. especially for us, it starts to feel a little hopeless

we feel the earth getting hotter every summer, we see families destroyed by the police, and we read about the children who will never grow up because someone dangerous got their hands on a gun and charged into a school

things seem bleak. they will continue to look bleak until you look back at what has already been accomplished

we got gay marriage! we got roe v. wade, and even though it was taken away, we can get it back again! we got rid of segregation, and though the civil rights movement is still a constant, desperately needed movement, there are more interracial families in america than ever before

i’m here to remind you that change doesn’t start with huge rallies

it starts with little communities slowly learning to accept those who are different

little communities that slowly improve within a broken system

little communities that create a safe-haven for everyone that never felt safe

these are big words, and I’m just one person, but I have some ideas:

bring your neighborhood together by getting to know the people you live next to and encouraging them to do the same. maybe bring people cookies or host an outdoor party when the weather permits it

invite people from work over for dinner. listen to their thoughts! if you disagree with their worldview, be careful not to completely shut them out because (as i said before) people can change, and you can slowly introduce them to your own worldview

plant native plants in your front and backyard, and/or start a garden to live more sustainably

volunteer in different places! there are food banks, animal shelters, and community programs everywhere that desperately want your help

go to city council meetings and get involved in city planning! this is an especially potent way of changing your community because you will meet the people who are already actively making changes!

vote! for the love of everything, VOTE. greedy people from both parties are easily voted into office simply because citizens are told their vote won’t make a difference. don’t let them tell you how much you are worth! every single vote matters, especially yours!

show kindness and support for your local homeless people. if you can’t donate money or food, at least send a smile their way and acknowledge their existence. no matter what kind of life they’ve led, NOBODY deserves to live without a home

write letters to politicians, sign petitions, donate to good causes (if you have the money to do so), ALWAYS show kindness to children

visit your local library and get involved in their programs. most libraries have summer reading programs, and some offer volunteer opportunities

research what your community has to offer, and get involved!

for those with disabilities, like myself, do what you can and don’t push yourself too hard. take breaks and get other people involved to help

these are all just ideas, and this post is one wordy mess, but i just wanted to write out something hopeful because i could really use some hope and optimism right now

if anyone has any suggestions for things i can add (and if anyone requests that i rewrite this with proper grammar and organization) i will gladly do so

for now, i have nothing else to offer than these words to my small number of followers

if anyone read this entire thing, congrats! you get a gold star ⭐️

TL;DR

the world is a terrible place to be alive, but mr. john is proof that it has already improved and will continue to improve

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