daayni

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teeny tiny plotting call ♡

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bulbbul holds such a soft spot in my heart because i too am a feral brown girl <3

[daayni]

the truth is this, every    𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑    you have met or will ever meet, was once a human being with a soul that was     𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐤.     someone stole that silk from their soul and turned them into this.    so when you see a monster next,     always remember this.     do not fear the thing before you.     𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡��𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝.   an independent and private portrayal of    BULBBUL    from netflix's indian supernatural-thriller.   as possessed by 𝐭𝐚𝐬.

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CARRIE (1976) dir. Brian De Palma

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a bulbul is the hindi term for a type of songbird, specifically the nightingale that -- as the name suggests -- sings at night. that ties directly as a parallel to bulbbul, who walks the woods at night, and hums as she gets closer and closer to her victim.

[daayni]

consider this,,,,,bulbbul at her most Unhinged has the scary energy that manjulika does

[daayni]

@serreine   :     ‘  easy  magic  is  pretty.  great  magic  requires  that  you  trouble  the  waters.  ’

THE RUSH OF THE WATER LAPPING AGAINST THE ROCKS    is much like a lullaby.  its melody was both hypnotizing and soothing,  and gave rhythm to the swing of her dangling legs.  wrapped in strips of red,   she sat perched on the branch of an old tree,   overlooking the river beneath her.  her fingers gripped the edge of the bark to peer down at the woman near the water.  if Bulbbul were to listen closely,  it would appear that even the waves called her name:   el naddaha,   they’d shudder in fear.   a powerful woman was always given a monstrous name.   it was the only way they could digest the thought of danger in such a lovely form.  she hummed in thought,  the sound a thin but melodious.   ❝   poetic.   it’s much like life,  don’t you think ?  truly ugly when it gets hard.   ❞   her descent down to the ground is silent,   as if she’s weightless.

she sat herself down on the edge of the river,  inching forward to dip her toes in the cold water.  her town was much more dry,  the wells and fountains supplied their water.  otherwise,  it would take days of travel to fetch.  there’s   a childlike joy   in the way she wiggles her toes before resting back on her palms and looking up at Zafira.   ❝   would it be much of a bother to show me ?   ❞   this life was new to Bulbbul,  an existence she was taught only in folklore and fables.   ❝   i’ve heard stories among the people.   they say you disappear right before their eyes.   ❞   her own twinkled with excitement,  eager to see if Zafira possessed an ability so similar to her own.  eager for company,  this life had become lonesome.   ❝   like a   ghost.   ❞

[daayni]

@pistolslinger​   :   ‘  with  such  big  eyes,  i  think  you  see  too  much.  ’

RUMOURS OF THIEVERY ARE NOTHING NEW IN TOWN,   when the people of a city beg for any morsel they can get their hands on,  the desperate turn to their worst.   unrest had increased significantly since sightings of   the churel   infected every conservation among the townspeople.   their police had grown antsy with paranoia,  and the results of their agitation landed on her steps to deal with.  this time their suspect was a tall boy,  could barely be much far from her own age.   all limbs and quick wit,   disposed in front of her to make the call.  she shot the officers an incredulous look,  irritated by their baseless suspicions.   ❝   you think to tell me that   this   is your dangerous criminal ?   ❞   she throws her head back in a laugh,  and dismisses the uniformed men with a flick of peacock feathered fan.

her attention snapped back to the chatty boy seated in front of her,  and a smile of amusement curled up her lips.   ❝   you speak to   your eldest lady   like i’m a commoner.   ❞   she’d grown tired of everyone bowing their heads and scurrying away as if she would bite.  she easily decided she liked him,  convict or not,  that could be decided later.   time would always reveal certain evils.   ❝   it would   scare you to death   to know what these eyes have seen,   ❞   on cue,  she comically widened her eyes before pushing off lazily on her swing.  ❝   have your eyes seen a lot ? the inside of a jewellery box,  perhaps ?  or maybe a crate worth of a season’s crops ?   ❞   for the most part she’s teasing,  but her eyes search for any truth in his features.  it’d be a shame if she had to send her new friend behind bars.

[daayni]

@metamorphosd​   :   ‘  you  know  how  the  stories  go.  interesting  things  happen  only  to  pretty  girls.  ‘

THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER SUN BEAT AGAINST THE BACK OF HER NECK,   and she spared a glance out the window at the stream of locals passing by.   the city that never sleeps produced a population riddled with under eye bags,  designer bags,  and   an excessive number of garbage bags    --  all in the same half mile radius.   a classic american patriot would puff their chest in pride of the progress they’ve made in their society,  but bulbbul saw past the thinly veiled capitalism and saw   the rotting core   of the big apple.  not so different from hundreds of years ago.  in the pseudo-caste system of new york,  Peach Salinger was a quintessential new yorker who would never be seen caught dead with eye bags,  even after the ordeal she had faced.

she settled her coffee cup,  rim stained red with lipstick,  down with a laugh.   ❝   interesting ?   ❞   bulbbul leaned forward on her elbow with chin propped up in her palm and steadied her gaze on the woman across her.   ❝   would you consider what happened to you   interesting   ?   ❞   there’s a stubborn challenge glinting behind dark eyes,  and for a moment she fixes her with a curious stare before resting back in her chair.   the air of nonchalance returns,   as quickly as it had faded,  and her fingers work on absentmindedly braiding the ends of her hair.   ❝   i’ve heard the rumours,   but people are liars,   so i want to hear it from you.  what   exactly   happened to you,  Peach ?   ❞

[daayni]

𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬  𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺.

↬   THE  LANGUAGE  OF  THORNS,  midnight  tales  and  dangerous  magic.   (  2017  )  by  leigh  bardugo.

sentences  taken  from  or  inspired  by  the  collection’s  dialogue  &  narration.

+   feel  free  to  change  pronouns  !

i.    AYAMA  AND  THE  THORN  WOOD.

‘  love  speaks  in  flowers.  truth  requires  thorns.  ’

‘  we  all  know  the  story  of  how  the  queen  becomes  a  queen.  ’

‘  we  should  leave  this  place.  ’

‘  no  doubt  it  will  come  and  devour  us  all.  ’

‘  the  beast  will  laugh  you  right  out  of  the  wild  lands.  ’

‘  you  know  how  the  stories  go.  interesting  things  happen  only  to  pretty  girls.  ’

‘  is  the  wood  much  worse  than  a  garden  overgrown  with  pricklers  ?  ’

‘  stupid  girl  !  do  you  wish  to  become  a  monster  ?  ’

‘  strike  me.  cleave  me  in  two.  ’

‘  you’re  as  thorny  as  the  wood.  ’  

‘  there  is  but  one  rule  in  my  wood.  speak  truth.  ’

‘  perhaps  you  might  show  mercy  freely.  ’

‘  just  eat  a  bit  of  the  sun  to  fill  the  sky,  and  you  will  feel  empty  no  longer.  ’

‘  what  nonsense  !  of  course  that’s  not  how  the  story  ends.  ’

‘  some  people  are  born  with  a  piece  of  night  inside,  and  that  hollow  place  can  never  be  filled.  ’

‘  what  do  i  care  for  winter  ?  no  season  touches  this  wood.  ’

‘  you  know  the  only  bargain  i  will  make.  ’

‘  sometimes  the  unseen  is  not  to  be  feared  and  those  that  are  meant  to  love  us  most  are  not  always  the  ones  that  do.  ’

‘  bad  fates  do  not  always  follow  those  that  deserve  them.  ’

‘  no  prince  is  worth  your  life.  ’

‘  are  you  so  eager  to  be  eaten  ?  ’

‘  they  have  told  me  to  return  with  your  heart.  ’

‘  you  think  to  love  a  monster  ?  ’

‘  a  man  like  you  is  owed  no  words.  ’

ii.    THE  TOO  CLEVER  FOX.

‘  you  are  doomed  to  a  miserable  life.  ’

‘  better  to  be  hungry  now  than  to  be  sorry  later.  ’

‘  what  will  everyone  say  when  they  see  such  a  face  ?  ’

‘  we  have  not  gone  so  soft  as  that.  ’

‘  you  think  that  we  will  let  you  live  on  foolish  promises  ?  ’

‘  you  have  bested  me.  that  much  is  clear.  ’

‘  will  you  not  free  me  ?  ’

‘  you  will  have  a  fine  time  of  it,  i  can  tell  you.  ’

‘  i  can  bear  ugliness.  i  find  the  one  thing  i  cannot  live  with  is  death.  ’

‘  if  you  will  only  cease  your  talking,  i  will  gladly  go.  ’

‘  where  he  went,  he  bled  the  woods  dry.  ’

‘  what’s  a  bit  more  blood  ?  ’

‘  you  should  leave  this  place.  you  are  not  safe  here.  ’

‘  with  such  big  eyes,  i  think  you  see  too  much.  ’

‘  will  you  not  tell  me  what  troubles  you  ?  ’

‘  why  do  you  stay  with  him  ?  you’re  pretty  enough  to  catch  a  husband.  ’

‘  just  because  you  escape  one  trap,  doesn’t  mean  you  will  escape  the  next.  ’

‘  first  i  must  find  my  courage.  ’

‘  few  can  resist  the  sight  of  a  pretty  girl  crying.  ’

‘  the  trap  is  loneliness,  and  no  one  escapes  it.  not  even  me.  ’

‘  in  the  wood,  even  songbirds  must  be  survivors.  ’

iii.    THE  WITCH  OF  DUVA.

‘  there  was  a  time  when  the  wood  ate  girls.  ’

‘  be  back  before  dark.  the  trees  are  hungry  tonight.  ’

‘  who  can  say  what  shapes  an  appetite  ?  ’

‘  this  is  my  home,  you  can’t  just  send  me  away.  ’ 

‘  don’t  be  foolish.  there’s  plenty  of  light.  ’

‘  well  then,  come  help  me  stir  the  pot.  ’

‘  i  will  warn  you  just  this  once.  go.  ’ 

‘  you  cannot  come  and  go  from  this  place  like  you’re  fetching  water  from  a  well.  ’  

‘  hope  made  me  stubborn.  ’

‘  stay  there  and  keep  quiet.  i  don’t  need  rumors  that  i’ve  been  taking  girls.  ’

‘  i  will  not  have  you  bring  a  monster  to  my  door.  ’

‘  you  know  that  you  are  welcome  to  remain  here  with  me.  ’

‘  i  will  follow  her.  i  will  peck  out  her  eyes.  ’

‘  believe  me.  say  you  believe  me.  ’

‘  dark  things  have  a  way  of  slipping  through  narrow  spaces.  ’

iv.    LITTLE  KNIFE.

‘  it  is  dangerous  to  travel  the  northern  road  with  a  troubled  heart.  ’

‘  if  you  are  lost  in  your  own  thoughts,  you  may  find  yourself  stepping  off  the  path  and  into  the  dark  woods.  ’

‘  she  was  beautiful  from  the  moment  of  her  birth.  ’

‘  why  must  i  be  the  one  to  hide  ?  ’

‘  do  you  think  i  am  so  foolish  or  so  cruel  ?  ’

‘  water  only  wants  direction.  it  wants  to  be  told  what  to  do.  ’

‘  always  you  have  done  my  bidding,  but  what  good  are  you  to  me  now  ?  ’

‘  soon  i  will  be  very  rich,  but  will  i  have  a  good  man  ?  ’

‘  that  is  a  question  for  the  river.  ’

‘  your  tongue  is  not  fit  for  my  true  name.  ’

‘  will  you  come  with  me,  and  be  bride  to  nothing  but  the  shore  ?  ’

‘  she  was  terrifying  in  her  beauty,  bright  like  a  devouring  star.  ’

‘  remember  that  to  use  a  thing  is  not  to  own  it.  ’

‘  should  you  ever  take  a  bride,  listen  closely  to  her  questions.  ’

v.    THE  SOLDIER  PRINCE.

‘  this  is  the  problem  with  even  lesser  demons.  they  come  to  your  door  in  velvet  coats  and  polished  shoes.  ’

‘  you  will  find  great  love  and  more  gold  than  you  could  wish  for.  ’

‘  he’s  a  charming  fellow,  but  most  unusual,  and  peculiarities  seem  to  follow  him.  ’  

’  it  seemed  harmless  at  the  time.  ’

‘  he  needed  a  girl,  still  malleable,  one  that  he  could  make  admire  him.  ’

‘  this  is  pleasant.  this  is  enough.  ’

‘  are  you  my  soldier  ?  are  you  my  prince  ?  ’

‘  i  have  not  come  to  fight,  only  to  talk.  ’

‘  wanting  is  why  people  get  up  in  the  morning.  it  gives  them  something  to  dream  of  at  night.  ’

‘  i  am  perfectly  real.  ’

‘  she  loves  you,  though,  and  that  will  make  it  harder.  ’

‘  best  not  to  ask.  i  think  the  answer  would  please  no  one.  ’

‘  we  can  stay  forever  in  the  land  of  dreams.  ’

‘  kiss  me.  take  me  from  this  place.  ’

‘  i  sent  you  to  die  a  hundred  times.  ’

‘  i  eat  the  wonder  in  their  eyes.  ’

‘  you  were  an  idea  in  my  head.  you  were  nothing,  and  to  nothing  you  will  return  when  i  think  of  you  no  more.  ’

‘  you  wanted  only  that  i  might  live.  you  would  sacrifice  your  own  life  to  make  it  so.  ’

‘  are  you  my  darling  ?  are  you  mine  ?  ’

vi.    WHEN  WATER  SANG  FIRE.

‘  you  wish  to  strike  a  bargain.  ’

‘  make  me  someone  new.  ’

‘  this  is  the  problem  with  making  a  thing  forbidden.  it  does  nothing  but  build  an  ache  in  the  heart.  ’

‘  easy  magic  is  pretty.  great  magic  requires  that  you  trouble  the  waters.  ’

‘  no  one  expects  me  to  accomplish  anything.  ’

‘  i  can  smell  your  ambition  like  blood  in  the  water.’  

‘  i  know  that  you  should  keep  it  like  a  secret,  not  shout  it  like  a  curse.  ’

‘  yes.  i  can  imagine  it  all.  ’

‘  you  are  worth  more  than  that.  you  should  not  have  to  earn  him.  ’

‘  hope  rises  like  water  trapped  beneath  a  dam,  higher  and  higher,  in  increments  that  mean  nothing  until  you  face  the  flood.  ’

‘  there  is  no  pain  like  the  pain  of  transformation.  ’

‘  take  your  pleasures  as  you  will.  ’

‘  come,  and  i’ll  tell  you  all  you  wish  to  know.  ’

‘  he  made  me  dream  of  things  i  cannot  have.  ’

‘  i  do  not  care  for  dancing.  ’

‘  look  into  the  mirror,  and  try  to  deny  it.  ’

‘  you  have  never  been  like  the  others,  and  you  never  will  be.  ’

‘  we  were  not  made  to  please  princes.  ’

‘  i  am  not  quite  mortal  either,  and  i  have  many  lives  to  live.  ’

‘  i  wouldn’t  care  if  you  were  part  human  or  part  frog.  ’

‘  my  voice  is  not  enough.  ’

‘  you  know  i  was  never  strong.  ’

[daayni]

to all the babes following me without watching the movie a) watch it it’s so good :(( and b) she really is just jennifer check if jennifer check was in 1800s india

[daayni]

@creatorsofcolornet event 5: team colors TEAM LILAC ★ BULBBUL (2020), dir. Anvita Dutt Guptan

[daayni]

SHE   WHO   IS   DEATH .  an   independent and selective   portrayal of   bulbbul chaudhury   from netflix’s indian supernatural - thriller   BULBBUL.   a study of various themes including womanhood and south east asian societal norms,  fear of the unknown,  and the horror of woman scorned.   this blog may contain triggering material,  please do not follow if under 20.   written by   tas,  she/her,  21+.

CARRD .     PINTEREST .     PROMO .