#I also like how she’s choosing to be kind and happy and not bitter

[agentc0rn]

Oh? Looks like Ogerpon wants to give you a flower! Will you accept?

>Yes

>No (you'd better not click this)

[haddonfieldwhore]

torn - vince dunn

vince dunn x fem!reader (x platonic! matthew tkachuk)

summary: with seattle on an 8 game losing streak, it’s even more difficult to choose who to cheer for; your boyfriend or your best friend

word count: 4k

warnings: language, a sprinkle of angst, drinking, nsfw themes implied but nothing explicit, mention of cheating

you fiddled absentmindedly with your fingers in your lap as you sat in the audience, paying little attention to the practice skate happening in the rink. your mind was elsewhere, unable to focus on your boyfriend vince dunn and his team as you thought about his instead. matthew tkachuk had been your best friend for as long as you could remember, and while you should have been overjoyed at the fact that you got to see him tonight, the fact that he was on the opposing team did slightly complicate things.

while it was just a game at the end of the day, it wasn’t at the same time. it felt like a double edged sword; while you knew you would be happy with whoever won, that also meant that one of your two favourite people had to lose, and you didn’t want that.

you breathed a sigh of relief that this was their last regular season game against eachother, the panthers and the kraken not meeting up too often. you felt you phone buzz in your pocket and checked it to see a text from matthew.

you looked up at the clock on the wall, which read 10:49am, meaning the kraken were almost done and you wouldn’t miss too much if you snuck out now.

you gathered your stuff, sneaking out without drawing attention to yourself, and not noticing the green eyes of your boyfriend flickering up to notice your empty seat. it was only about 15 minutes before matthew arrived, meeting you outside the cafe by sneaking up behind you and wrapping his arms around you. you let out a shriek, earning a few weird looks from people around the room as you turned around.

“you scared me!” you punched matthews chest lightly, before throwing your arms around his neck in a bone crushing hug.

“that was kind of the idea,” he laughed, holding you tight as he laughed. it had been months since you had seen him, and you always missed him like crazy when you were apart.

“you cut your hair!” you commented on his appearance as you finally looked at his face. you had obviously seen him on tv and in pictures since you last saw him in person, but it wasn’t the same as being fave to face. “last time i saw you your curls were crazy,” you smiled, remembering how long his hair had grown out.

“yeah, it’s a lot to fit under the helmet,” he smiled, and finally let go of you.

“also,” you began. “happy belated birthday! i can’t believe we were one day off from getting to spend it together,” you pouted, thinking of his birthday that had been just yesterday.

“thank you. we can celebrate tonight- after the game. i think we’re sticking around in seattle until at least tomorrow morning so we have all night.”

“deal,” you smiled, shaking his hand.

•

after a quick shower, vince towel dried his curly hair and threw on a kraken hoodie and some shorts, taking advantage of the warmer than usual weather despite it being mid december. usually after practice you were waiting for him outside the locker room, but he had a pretty good feeling that you wouldn’t be there to greet him today; the empty hallway confirming his suspicions as he sighed.

“everything okay? she’s never not here.”

vince looked up to nod his head softly at tye kartye, one of his teammates and one of your close friends. “where is she?”

“with tkachuk,” dunn replied, not meaning to sound so bitter. “he’s her best friend; they never get to see eachother,” he recovered, not wanting to give the impression that he was upset about it. he had no issue with you having friends that were on other teams, especially since you had been friends with matthew far longer than you had been dating him.

“sharing trade secrets about our practice?” tye joked innocently, and vince punched his arm.

“you know she wouldn’t. and besides, i don’t think she was really paying attention anyway,” he laughed. he pulled his phone out of his bag, checking to see if you had messaged him, trying not to be too disappointed when he saw no notifications on the screen.

•

you and matthew were walking around seattle, not straying too far from the arena, when your phone went off.

you smiled at the message, and didn’t notice matthew had stopped in front of you until you ran straight into his chest.

“loverboy wondering where you are?” he teased innocently.

“he’s just checking in. their practice just ended.”

“any-“

“don’t even ask. i am sworn to secrecy,” you scolded, with a finger pressed to his lips to quiet him. he smirked, raising his hands in surrender.

“i see how it is. does that mean you’re cheering for him tonight over me?” he asked playfully.

“i’m cheering for both of you. i don’t want either of you lose,” you admitted, and matthew threw an arm around your shoulder.

“i know. and i’m sorry they have to lose but-“

“hey!” you laughed. “don’t be an ass.”

“sorry,” he smiled. “and i promise to try not to hit him too hard in to the boards-“

“hey!” you repeated, but you knew that he was only messing with you.

“okay okay i’m done.”

•

you had gone home to vince’s apartment once matthew had to go to the panthers practice, giving you some time to get ready before the game. you and the birthday-boy would be going out straight after the game, so you had to get a little fancier than you usually did for a game, knowing you wouldn’t have time to do your makeup or anything.

putting on an outfit appropriate for clubbing and doing your hair and makeup took a little longer than usual, and soon it was time to head down to the arena with vince. he walked out of your shared bedroom dressed in his suit for the evening, a dark purple colour with a subtle blue plaid pattern. no matter how many times you saw him get dressed up, it still made butterflies erupt in your stomach.

“you really do look great in a suit,” you smiled, smoothing out his blue tie and brushing that one curl that never seemed to stay put off his forehead. he leaned down to kiss your lips softly.

“you look amazing. although i have a weird feeling this isn’t all for me..” he said hesitantly, his hands landing softly on your waist.

“i mean of course it’s for you,” you paused, kissing the side of his neck softly. “but i do have plans after the game with matthew,” you admitted, feeling guilty even though you knew he wouldn’t mind.

“i had a feeling,” vince laughed, but kissed your forehead. “you are still cheering for us during the game though, right?” he smiled.

“yes, but he’s gonna be a bummer to hang out with if they lose, so think of me if that happens,” you laughed as he kissed you again, before grabbing your bag for you and getting the door. you weren’t sure how it was time to go already, but you were only getting more nervous standing around waiting, so you were happy to get going, following close behind vince as he left the apartment.

•

you and vince arrived at the arena, but split off since he had a few things to do before the game; usual player stuff. you were in the back when the panthers arrived, and while most of them didn’t pay you any mind, a certain player with golden curls sent you a wink as he walked by and into the visitors locker room. you decided that while yes, you were hoping that seattle won the game (florida could afford the loss more than the kraken could right now), you would still be an encouraging friend, texting matthew a quick ‘good luck 🥰’.

you put your phone away, and took a deep breath, trying to ease your nerves. you and a few of the other players girlfriends went to your seats, and you tapped your fingers on your knee, drowning out the conversation going on around you. a hand in your shoulder snapped you out of your trance, and you turned to look at valerie, who was engaged to jared, one of the forwards for seattle.

“you okay?” she asked, and you smiled.

“yeah - just a little nervous if i’m being honest.”

“what’s going on?”

“my best friend plays for florida, so i’m just a little upset that one of the teams had to lose,” you laughed, and val giggled.

“aww. it’s okay honey. that’s the game; someone wins and someone loses - and i’m sure both vince and your friend know that.”

“you’re right,” you sighed, her words making you feel better. “thanks val.”

“no problem. are you and vince going out after the game? you’re all fancy today.”

“no, actually i have plans with matthew - my friend.”

“tkachuk?”

“yeah.”

“so you have a bit of a type, huh? tall, curly hair, a little dangerous…” she teased.

“shush.”

“i’m kidding, i’m kidding,” she bumped her shoulder against yours softly. “i won’t tell anyone if you secretly cheer for florida,” she whispered in your ear.

“i still want us to win,” you took a sip from your drink. “i just don’t want the other team to lose.” you both laughed at the redundant statement, and the players came out into the ice to skate around before the game began.

“what’s tkachuk’s number again? i want to keep an eye on him for you,” val asked.

“19,” you smiled. “i’m sure he’ll make his presence known.” as if on queue, you saw matt in the starting lineup out on the ice, and he nodded his head towards you, and you smiled.

“yeah, you definitely have a type.”

•

the first period went by without too much excitement, besides vince getting a penalty for a high stick. while you would never admit it to him, you always thought he looked hot sitting in the penalty box. florida got a few more power plays in the second period, but yamamoto was still able to score the only goal so far, giving seattle a 1-0 lead. you noticed vince and matt give eachother a couple shoves as play was whistles down for a save from seattles goalie, daccord.

bellemare scored the second goal for seattle, giving us an even bigger lead, and while i was happy for the kraken, my mood fell as my eyes landed on matty. he was sitting on the panthers bench, chewing on his mouthguard instead of wearing it properly, as always. on his next shift he got a good shot, but it was deflected, and the start of a fight broke out between vince and one of the other panthers, but it was quickly broken up.

wennberg intercepted a pass and got a breakaway to score seattles third goal, and your gaze went to the florida bench again. as your eyes found matthew, you realized he was already looking at you. you mouthed a sincere “i’m sorry” at your best friend, and you knew he understood it when he tilted his head sideways with a shrug; but you could tell he was frustrated.

florida pulled their goalie with five minutes left in the game, and tolvanen scored an empty netter to secure the victory early. the girls were cheering next to you and you smiled as they announced that vince got an assist on the goal, adding to his already impressive tally of points on the season so far. the time dwindled down to nothing, confirming the win for seattle and in turn earning daccord his first nhl shutout.

the fans cheered as the kraken skated around celebrating, and the panthers headed back to the locker room.

•

you were leaning up against the wall talking with some of the teams girlfriends when you felt arms wrap around your midsection from behind, and a soft kiss being placed on the junction between your shoulder and your neck. you giggled as vince’s stubble tickled your skin, and you turned around and kissed him on the lips.

“hey,” you smiled, admiring the sparkle that always appeared in his eyes when the kraken won.

“hey yourself,” he smiled, kissing you again, before his eyes traveled up and down your body, taking in every inch of your outfit. “you’re sure you’re not gonna hang with us? we’re going to kartye’s place, it’s gonna be a good time….” he trailed off, his fingers drumming softly against your hips.

“i’m sad i’m missing it, but i promised matthew; it was his birthday yesterday and i haven’t seen him in forever,” you pouted, and vince nodded.

“i get it, don’t worry. i just thought i’d ask.”

“you could come with us?” you offered, and he smiled, but shook his head.

“i don’t wanna third wheel,” he teased. “go have fun. i get you all the time, he can have you for one night.”

i raised an eyebrow, and vince seemed to realize the error in his wording.

“not like that,” he scolded, a light blush on his face, and you laughed.

“i’m kidding. you’re the only one who gets me in that way.”

“good,” vince said, his confidence returning as he kissed you deeply, before the rest of the team started exiting the locker room.

“hey, you coming out with us?” yamamoto asked, and you shook your head, but vince answered for you.

“she’s got a date with the enemy,” he replied, and you shot him a glare for throwing you under the bus, but knew the team wouldn’t care. they hazed you for a minute, but you laughed it off before they stole vince from you, him calling out for you to text him if anything happened. you waved to the guys and said goodnight to the girls before heading towards the visitors locker room to find matthew.

the panthers were still inside when you got there, so you sat on a bench in the hallway while you waited. about 10 minutes went by before anyone exited the room, and finally a defeated looking tkachuk walked out of the door. he perked up slightly when he saw you, and you stood up, gasping slightly as he lifted you up in the air. to not fall, you wrapped you arms and legs around him like a koala bear, laughing as he spun around.

“stop you’re gonna drop me!”

“i would never,” he replied, but set you down on your feet anyway. “you ready to go?” he asked, and you looked at the white button up shirt he had on with some dark jeans. his hair was still slightly damp from his post-game shower, and he smelled like his usual cologne.

“yeah, what the plan?”

“there’s gotta be a club around here somewhere right?” he asked, and you nodded, remembering the handful of times you had gone out with the team to celebrate after a game.

“yeah, i know a place.”

“well what are we waiting for?” he smiled.

•

a few hours and many drinks later, you found yourself being pulled onto the dance floor by matthew, some throwback hip hop song blaring through the speakers of the club. his hands were on your hips as you danced to the music, your back to his chest as your bodies got closer together. the club lighting was low except for the flashing stove lights, casting different colours across the people in the room.

“what are you thinking about?” matthew asked, his breath fanning across your ear as he leaned closer so you could hear him over the music, and you realized you must have zoned out.

“i’m sorry you guys lost the game.”

he laughed, using his grip on your waist to turn you to face him, his hands never leaving your body.

“it’s fine,” he shook his head, but his eyes didn’t meet yours, so you could tell he wasn’t too happy about it.

“sorry, i shouldn’t have brought it up. kinda ruined the mood.” his gaze found yours now, the bright blue of his eyes slightly hazy from the alcohol.

“and what mood was that?” he smirked.

“we’re celebrating your birthday, matty,” you smiled, throwing your arms around his neck and burying your face against his collarbone. you felt another laugh rumble in his chest, as his arms encircled you, and you breathed in the way he smelled; expensive. you looked up at him, and found him already looking at you, his eyes half closed, either from intoxication or tiredness. without thinking, you placed a soft peck on his lips, and then both of your froze. his eyes were wide now, and you stuttered incoherently.

“i didn’t mean to do that,” you finally said.

“you didn’t?”

“no,” you confirmed.

“okay,” he laughed, and you hit his bicep softly.

“it’s not funny matty, i fucked up,” you said seriously, and he cleared his throat.

“okay, just breathe,” he said as you began to panic. “let’s get some fresh air okay?” he led you outside, the cool december air helping to sober you up quickly. there was no one stood outside the club except a couple people smoking a little ways down the sidewalk. you leaned against the side of the building as you continued to freak out. you had to tell vince- and now, before some paparazzi posted a photo of it and he found out some other way.

you pulled out your phone, and matthews eyes widened again as his hand gently wrapped around yours.

“what are you doing?”

“i have to tell him,” you mumbled.

“tell who what-“

“tell my boyfriend that i just cheated on him, matthew. oh god-“ you cried, tears welling in your eyes.

“are you sure you should call him right now? you’re hyperventilating.”

“he needs to know. and he needs to hear from me first before he finds out from someone else,” you insisted, somehow managing to calm for breathing down, though your heart remained pounding against your ribcage.

“okay. you’re right,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “it’s not like it meant anything, right? it was a stupid drunken kiss.”

“yes. i love you, but not like that, dude.” you both laughed, and you were glad to be on the same page about it. matty would always be your best friend, and there had never been anything romantic between the two of you.

“agreed,” he smiled. “i’ll give you some privacy, but i’m not leaving you out here alone. i’ll be over there if you need me,” he said, and walked down the side of the building, keeping you in his line of sight under safe watch. you took a shaky breath, and scrolled through your phone to vince’s contact, and pressed the call button.

“hello?” he answered, and you could hear loud music in the background.

“vince - it’s me. can you hear me?” you replied, and you heard the sound of a door and the music getting quieter, like he had gone into another room.

“hey, babe. yeah i can hear you now. is everything okay?” he asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

“yes - well no- but yes, i’m fine. i need to tell you something.”

“what is it?” he asked.

“i accidentally kissed matthew,” you admitted, closing your eyes like it would stop you from hearing his reaction. “we got really drunk and it just happened and it was one tiny little kiss and i’m so sorry,” you blabbered, before listening to a long painful silence on the other side of the phone.

“it didn’t mean anything? it was just a mistake?” he asked calmly, and you were a little shocked. you hadn’t exactly expected him to yell at you, but you thought he would at least sound… angrier.

“god no - of course it didn’t. i love you so much and i’m so sorry.”

“does he know it didn’t mean anything?” he asked, the expected anger a little more present in his voice this time.

“yes, vince. we’re just friends; i promise,” you insisted, and you heard him sigh on the other end.

“okay. i mean i’m not happy about it but if it didn’t mean anything i i’ll get over it. i’ll kiss one of the guys and we’ll call it even, okay?” he teased, and you laughed, slightly in relief but also in disbelief.

“have you been drinking?” you teased, and he gave a genuine laugh.

“maybe a little. but seriously - if it was just an accident i forgive you. are you guys staying out for a bit? do you need me to call you a cab or anything?” he asked, and you smiled at how much of a sweetheart he was.

“i think we’ve both had enough partying for one night. i’ll get a cab home, okay? are you and guys staying out much longer?” you replied.

“okay, text me when you’ve made it home. i think we’re almost calling it a night, so i’ll be there soon.”

“okay. i love you.”

“i love you too.” he said, and the call ended. matthew saw you put your phone away, and walked back over to you.

“is he coming here to kill me?” he asked, and you rolled your eyes, wondering how he could joke at a time like this.

“no - i have the best boyfriend in the world and he said everything is fine since it was just a drunken mistake.” speaking of vince your phone went off in your hand and you looked at the screen to see a text with a picture of larsson and yamamoto kissing him on either cheek, a big goofy smile on his face. below it was a text that just said “now we’re even 🩵” and you shook your head, smiling as you showed matt.

“i don’t know him too well but he seems like a good guy.”

“he is,” you smiled. “i’m gonna call it a night, and you probably should to, considering i’m sure you guys have to be in the road pretty early tomorrow.”

“yeah you’re right,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “i’ll see you during the holiday break, right?” he asked. the teams always got a few days off at christmas and you usually spent at least one of them together. that meant it would o it be a few weeks before you got to see each other again.

“of course,” you said, wrapping your arms around him in a hug, suddenly sad to be saying goodbye so soon.

“okay,” he smiled, returning the hug as your cab pulled up. “tell dunn i’m sorry. and congrats on the win.”

“i will. text me in the morning?” he nodded in response, and pulled out his phone to call a cab of his own. you sighed as the car pulled away, and you shut your eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted.

•

you were home long enough to shower and get into your pyjamas, which was just one of vince’s t-shirts and some shorts, before you heard his keys in the door. you ran over to him and he wrapped you in his arms immediately, his familiar scent filling your nose as you buried your face in his chest.

“i’m sorry,” you mumbled.

“i know. i forgive you,” he laughed softly. “i am a little sad i don’t get to take that outfit off you, but i might like this one even more.”

you smiled, placing soft kisses up his neck until your lips connected. he walked you backwards to the bedroom and let your fingers undo the buttons of his shirt. once he was down to his boxers, you both crawled into bed, your head on his chest as his fingers traced little patterns on your thigh.

“i love you,” you mumbled, very sleepy after a long day.

“i love you too.”

“i love you more than anyone else on earth,” you clarified, and it was the truth. vince smiled, though you couldn’t see it, and kissed the top of your head.

“i know. goodnight baby,” he said softly, and you were out before you could say anything back. while he wasn’t exactly happy about what had happened, he felt better knowing that at the end of the day, it was his arms that you were falling asleep in.

disclaimer: all screenshots, events, and/or interactions depicted in this are a work of fiction. i have no association with any parties mentioned

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

The Arcana HCs: M6 when MC calls them their husband/wife/spouse

My silly little sequel is here:

M6 planning their wedding with MC

You know, because there was that trend for a bit and they're all down bad for MC/you

Julian

It took you a while to work up to doing it

Not because you were nervous about him having a bad reaction, everybody who has met him knows how much he loves you

No it's because you know his reaction will be so dramatic and you need time to mentally prepare

You know he loves when you take the lead on things, so you let it slip at the Rowdy Raven while you're ordering drinks at the bar

"Yes I'd like that please, and my husband will have a salty bitters. Put it on my tab."

His shrieking puts Malak to shame

"Husband? I'm your HUSBAND?? Did you mean it??? YES!!!"

He's expressing himself in every way at once: laughing, shouting, dancing, "singing", punching the air, spinning you around

All the regular patrons are wondering what secret concoction he ordered, he walked in the door ten minutes ago and he's already on the tables

When did he find the guitar

Give the guitar back to the nice musician, Julian

You're able to herd him back to your regular table and calm him down a bit but you've never seen him giggle constantly like this

After you've had your drinks and left the tavern the walk back home takes twice as long as usual because he needs to tell everyone that he's properly taken now

*bumps into neighborhood acquaintance* "Hey, how are you, I'm their husband!"

Rumors of the beloved Dr Devorak's clandestine wedding are circulating now and he is living for it

He did sit you down and talk about getting married in the future after this

If it's something you were interested in, there are only two reasons he hasn't proposed already:

One, he keeps overthinking and self sabotaging

Two, he's waffling between letting you sweep him off his feet with a proposal or him proposing and getting to make it as grand as he wants to

Asra

Let's be honest here, if any mortal person ever embodied unconditional love, it's him

They gave up half their heart just to have you back in the land of the living, no strings attached, and if you ended up choosing someone else over them, they would support you as long as you were happy

If you're with him though that means you chose him, and he is so so happy

They also love mischief of any kind

You didn't hesitate to try it out once it occurred to you

He walked in from his busy day out as you were closing up the shop, taking off his coat and scarf

"How's your day been, MC?"

"Better now that my spouse is home!"

They stumbled on their way to the tea pot and you could see the blush spreading across the back of their neck

"O-oh, you don't say?"

The dimples are out in full force when he returns with your tea

"Tell me then, MC, how exactly does this spouse of yours make your day better?"

They are going to act on every response they tease out of you

"Is it the way he brings you things to make you smile?" *lays out trinkets he picked up for you while he was out*

"How about the way your spouse kisses you good evening?" *slides an arm around you with a flirtatious smirk*

He's playing it off so smoothly but the blush takes several hours to fade

It'll stay on their mind for a while though, until they circle back and ask you if marriage is something you'd want in the future

If the answer is yes he's getting things in place so he can propose as soon as you're ready to be asked

Nadia

She already introduced you to her family as the person she wanted to marry someday, it's in her plans

She's letting you set the pace for that though, and she's not in a big rush as long as you two belong to each other

Which is why it falls off your lips so casually while you're having afternoon tea on the veranda before she has to host a reception that evening

"I don't know Nadia, if what you say about my reputation is true then those nobles should know better than to give my wife a difficult time tonight."

At least you think you sound pretty casual, you had to rehearse that sentence a few times in your head and your palms are sweating under the tablecloth

She freezes and her eyebrows shoot straight up

"Oh my, MC, how bold of you."

Then she's blushing and laughing and pulling you closer

"Pray tell, when did you begin thinking of me as your wife?"

She's flirting with you but she's also trying to figure out if this is a sign that you're ready to get married yet without putting you under too much pressure

If the answer is no, you're not ready yet, she'll tell you to take all the time you need

But she'll also ask you to call her your wife just one more time, to help her wait

If the answer is yes, you feel ready to marry her, she is gearing up to announce your engagement that evening and reaching for the ring she's been carrying around just in case

This Countess knows a good thing when she has it and she's not wasting any time to make you hers in every way possible

Muriel

Have mercy on his poor heart, he's still getting used to being in love in general

Once you've been in an established relationship for a while though, you start to notice what a wonderful partner he is

He's always happy to help with any heavy lifting or out of reach objects, he makes breakfast for the two of you most mornings, and his favorite moments are when you're curled up next to him

Once your brain assigns the words "husband material" to him you can't unsee it

So when he sees you getting ready to scale the shelves for a bigger wooden bowl and he lifts it down for you, you just can't help yourself

You kiss him on the cheek and thank him kindly

"You're such a wonderful husband, Muriel."

He walks right outside and faceplants into the nearest patch of moss he can find to cool off the blush

The chickens are a little startled

Inanna is laughing at both of you in wolf

You'll have to go after him to make sure he didn't short circuit and apologize for catching him off guard like that

He will want you to explain what you meant right away

If your answer is just that you noticed what a good partner he is and that it just slipped out he'll be bright red and very happy to know that he's successfully treating you well

If you end up admitting that getting married has crossed your mind a few times and you could see that happening with him he's going to need a minute (read: 24 hours minimum)

He's going to ask Asra about it

Somehow he's surprised when Asra's response is an offer to officiate the wedding

Muriel will come back after a bit and quietly let you know that yeah, he's thinking about it too, and it doesn't sound like the worst idea

Portia

In her mind you two are basically married, I mean, you have her back, she has yours, you saved the world together and confessed your undying love to each other, there's not much more to do

You even travel the world and negotiate alliances with other nations together

So you don't think it'll be a big deal if you try it out

You love her "out and about" pirate-esque outfit, and she loves it too

But ever since she wore it to that banquet with Aunt Tasya and Vesuvia's ex-council, the belittling comments she got about it come back to bother her every now and then

You notice she's fidgeting a little before you head out the door for an evening on the town and decide to hype her up

"Damn, you look good! Give me a spin! Look at her Pepi, is my wife the best-looking woman in Vesuvia or what?"

Neither of you expected for it to affect her as much as it did

Her eyes and mouth are wide open in shock, because to be honest?

Getting married hadn't even crossed her mind

But it was starting to sound really appealing, really fast because it meant you got to call her your wife every day

She's giggling and squealing and confused at her own new obsession but very very happy

She won't bring it up right away because you two are about to have the best date EVER and she's about to burst with pride

But she'll bring it up eventually

If your response is that you just felt like calling her that, she's happy. She will request it be a new nickname for her though

If you say that it had crossed your mind a few times, she'll be nervous and excited and very open to heading in that direction

Lucio

He's been married before, it was meh

(A/N: forgive me please, Nadia is not meh, Nadia is a goddess amongst us mere mortals, Lucio recalls their marriage as being meh because there wasn't any love between them)

ANYWAYS (pls don't kill me for real, Nadia fans are top tier and I am but a poor panicking pansexual)

He prefers to leave things in the past, and you're still helping him take the future into consideration, so long-term commitments like marriage aren't even on his radar

Really you just decided to call him that to mess with him a little

You chose the wrong moment for it though, you really did

You were stopping by the palace between gigs to check in on everyone and Nadia invited you to stay for luncheon

Lucio can't say no to a potentially fancy meal and you're happy to chill with a dear friend for a bit

Nadia forgot to mention that she invited Asra over as well, since they're in town and she knows they'll want to see how you're doing

Lucio is reminiscing about some fantastic party trick he pulled in the banquet hall you passed by on your way in and you decide to mess with him a bit

"Yeah, that sounds like something my husband would come up with."

Just as Asra is walking into the room

They're okay with your relationship, they really are, but it's going to take quite a while for Lucio to prove himself worthy of your full commitment

They still worry that he'll regress and it's important to them that you have a way out in case that happens

"WHAT-"

They're not angry, they're freaked, and to be fair Nadia is too

You hurriedly explain to everyone present that you were just messing with them, you didn't know Asra was there, you're sorry, etc

Lucio's not helping. He hadn't thought of marrying you before, but think of the party! Think of the bragging rights! Now everybody knows you chose him!

"Yeah, you heard MC! I'm gonna be the best husband EVER!"

The palace staff collectively refers to the fallout as The Incident

[shallowseeker]

I love that it's shown, at least a couple of times I think, that Dean tends to switch on loud music and crank UP the volume precisely when he doesn't want to discuss something.

But in 12x10? Sam is so uncomfortable, he wants music. Any fuckin' music. And Dean...

SAM: All right, who wants music? DEAN: I'm good.

Holy, shit balls. LOL. Dean doesn't even turn the music on. Dean wants them all to suffer through the silence.

And it gets so much better. Dean acts like CAS started the silent treatment post-12x09. (And who knows? Maybe Cas did! I find either idea pretty funny.)

MORE SILENCE. SAM LOOKS AROUND AND SHAKES HIS HEAD. SAM: All right. Guys, you know what? This – this silent treatment thing, it's silly. It's not gonna work. Whatever we're walking into, we should, you know, probably have an actual plan. CAS: (sighs) What do you wanna know? DEAN: Oh, he speaks.

Then it gets funnier.

I forgot that it was DEAN who fired off the covert communication. He was the one who first started complimenting Benjamin! (Aside/// 14x08 Our Father Who Aren't in Heaven has another great example of Dean-Cas talking about things under the guise of other mission-ish things.)

CAS: It was, um... Look, Benjamin wouldn't call for help lightly. And he wouldn't put himself in harm's way if he could help it. DEAN: Wow, this Benjamin seems like he's pretty cool, you know. Like he wouldn't make any half-cocked, knee-jerk choices.

First, pot-kettle! Second of all, LMAO. Benjamin is cool BECAUSE he doesn't put himself in danger! This will be what Dean struggles with till the end of time, only accepting Cas's relationship to him as "protector"near the bitter end. In season 15, Dean's trying to be okay with Cas providing strength in his "Cas way." There's the Mark in 15x09 of course, but there's also the awful 15x18, "She's gonna kill you... and then she's gonna kill me."

But back to Benjamin and their coded comms:

CAS: Yeah, you know what I like about him? Is that he's sarcastic, but he's thoughtful and appreciative, too. DEAN: Now what is that supposed to mean?

Cas is hilarious here, too. Appreciate what I do for you, when I protect you, Dean! It's how I show love.

He's telling Dean how he wants DEAN to behave, even amidst the looming cosmic consequences. He doesn't want Dean to not-be Dean, to not throw a fit, he just wants a little "thank you," and maybe some thoughtful "kindnesses," as a little treat. Meanwhile, Dean's like HELL NO I am not gonna give you applause for being a hero for me. You can FORGET IT.

I mean, yes, it's the jealousy thing too on the surface, but it's a LOT MORE than that, too. It's their covert communication in beautiful form. It's Dean screeching, "You want me to be what about your sacrifice?"

(Happy, acquiescent, thankful.)

We'll see later from the script of 12x19 that Cas wants Dean to be thankful and relieved in general. And he thinks that him shouldering Dean's burdens will make Dean happy.

via @spnscripthunt-inactive 12x19

The tragedy is that Dean isn't relieved whenever Cas chooses to carry those heavy burdens. Whether it's the burdens of Heaven or Dean's...

When Cas is gone, Dean's in pieces.

via @spnscripthunt-inactive 12x23

[iris-sistibly]

I'm probably going to hell for this, but I don't feel any sympathy for Julio Borromeo at all.

Dude not only cheated on his wife but also impregnated another woman, and kept this as a secret for years until the death of Filipina.

While I disagree with how Carmela treats Adelina, she has every right to be furious at Julio--this motherfucker had been lying straight to her face for YEARS. Telling Carmela and Teresita that they're the only women in his life, and him telling Adelina how his and Fina's ✨love story✨ began, how he wanted to make her happy after Fina was left by her ex boyfriend after getting her pregnant was like...pure cringe, like bitch who the fuck do you think you are? Some God's gift to women? Some knight-in-shining armour who ought to "save" every lonely woman in the country?

Some of y'all would probably be like, "Oh but he regrets it now, he has been asking for his wife's forgiveness, he's a good father, blah, blah, blah."

This pathetic excuse of a man, tried to deny Adelina when Amelia brought her to his theater (after Fina's death). Tried to lie AGAIN to his wife and daughter despite the truth being slapped on their faces, he's sorry and regrets it? Motherfucker was sorry only after he couldn't deny the truth anymore. Imagine being in Carmela's shoes and your husband, whom you thought was a good man turned out to be a horrible one?

And him not showing up to Fina's funeral to be there for Adelina because he doesn't want to see Fina lifeless is bullshit. He didn't go to the funeral because people will talk, rumors will spread which will eventually cause humiliation to his family, his business going bankrupt, etc. Adelina just loves her father too much.

He loves Filipina?

No, he's a selfish bastard who wants both Carmela and Fina for himself.

He loves his wife?

LIE. You don't betray the person you love. Cheating is a choice, those who cheat always have the excuse of "nagmahal lang ako," and "nagkamali ako," these are so overused. May utak ka diba? You know cheating is bad yet you did it anyway. It's a choice, it's always a choice.

In the show, it was implied that Carmela paid someone to burn the theater. I'm not saying what she did was right, but as the saying goes, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." She was deeply hurt, and betrayed by her own husband. She wanted to inflict the worst pain possible for Julio, to ruin him the way he ruined her. It was Julio who turned her into the villain that she is now, Carmela's only mistake was she projected that anger towards Adelina who is innocent in all of this, and in doing so she ended up resenting her own daughter, Teresita for choosing to have a sisterly relationship with Adelina.

"Oh but she can choose to forgive and move past that."

Yeah, because doing that is a walk in the park **insert sarcasm** you can't just tell someone to move on especially when they are still clearly hurting. Betrayal is the worst kind of pain you could inflict on someone, and when trust is gone it's hard to earn it back...chances are, you won't.

"But Carmela going as far as burning Julio's theater is too much."

I do believe it's too much. But Julio begging Carmela to save the theater by selling some of the properties to save their livelihood? And that being a performer is the only job he knows? Nah, he wants to save the theater to preserve the place that reminds him so much of his affair partner. The livelihood, the shows were not the main reasons. Carmela might have turned into a cold, bitter, resentful woman but let's not forget who turned her into this.

Moral of the story: Julio is a walking red flag and that he deserves the karma hahahaha! Also, divorce should be legal in the Philippines.

P.S. I hope the writers don't come up with the bullshit that the wife is a bitch to justify the man's affair. It's 2024, not the 80's.

[pokelolmc]

One of my new favourite Hazbin Hotel fic AUs is this weird crossover niche of "Alastor is/was a character from another fandom, before he snapped and became who he is today" AUs, eg. "Harry Potter becomes Alastor", and one random "Tim Drake becomes Alastor" fic I found on AO3. Because I find it interesting to try and figure out how to meld the other character's backstory, powers or personality with his.

And that inevitably led my traitorous brain to the idea of "Danny Fenton becomes Alastor" (because now DP and DC are forever associated in my lizard brain, curse you Phandom!).

Which is just...the weirdest thing ever, because they're just so different—like, how the fuck do you set up Danny to become Alastor, of all people?! It feels like the most unfitting character to do this with...

And that's exactly what my brain has decided to see it as a challenge.

Added caveat: this is an AU!Danny specifically from a generic angsty dissection fic scenario, where he's been traumatised by his parents and fucked over by the world (and he has no healthy way to cope)—then he's sent back in time, lost and completely alone

-Danny falls through a natural portal to 1900's Louisiana with no way back (something something, Clockwork's-out-of-the-picture, something something)

-Alastor being a mama's boy? Danny gets taken in by a loving mother figure after getting lost in time—a kind woman familiar with the supernatural who accepts his ghost half right off the bat. He sees her as his family. After a year or so, though, she dies. He spirals again. He dyes his hair brown and starts wearing glasses when he runs away to New Orleans to change himself and cover his tracks.

-Alastor feels like an interesting name for Danny to choose because it means "the avenger", and can also mean "defender of the people" (a meaning more apparent in the Scottish version "Alasdair/Alastair"), but could also have a negative connotation of "persecutor"; the character symbolism writes itself

-the normally tech-savvy Danny who finds old-timey stuff boring would be forced to find something to entertain himself in the 1900's. So he gravitates towards radio, with it being the closest thing he's got to modern tech. Give him several years or so to grow attached to it and enjoy the idea of working in it. He goes from fantasising of radio comms at NASA to a public radio host, playing with all the fancy knobs and dials.

-his ghost half is the reason Alastor's powers/magic in Hell is green

(also I heard someone say the typical human!Alastor design has the "Timmy Turner hairstyle", which I can't unsee now. And it's Danny's hairstyle too. Because we know how well Butch Hartman and originality mix. Male protagonist? There's only one hairstyle for that!)

-he becomes a serial killer because he's snapped over the years after all the shit that's happened to him; he's developed a bitter, cynical and self-aggrandised ego and thirst for justice and revenge, and he's all alone with no one to keep him out of the dark echo chamber leading to villainy

-a serial killer with ghost powers plays cat-and-mouse with cops, and never leaves a trace; before he starts killing, he's already made deals with and intimidated the ghosts that come to New Orleans through other natural portals (it's a portal hotspot) under a new ghostly persona. He has both sides of the city fearing or respecting his power. Every ghost who goes to New Orleans knows whose territory it is. They just never link the ghost and human together. He becomes like an even worse Plasmius. It sets him up for Overlord stuff in Hell from the getgo

-the cannibalism was a...happy accident. On a whim, he decided one guy's crime was too insufferable to die without torment, so he took the guy back and...tortured him the way his ol' folks knew best. He starts cutting people open as if trying to relive what his parents did to him, but from the other end—as the person with all the power. Taste-testing what he cut up came incidentally, but he decided he didn't mind it and made it a routine.

I can imagine a villain!Danny with more narcissistic tendencies, but my main trouble is where the overblown confidence and charming/manipulative skills come from. After all, Danny's pretty socially awkward. How exactly does he grow into that?

[blue--ingenue]

Scorpius Malfoy Headcannons - Kindness

Content Warnings: mentions of depression, anxiety, self-harm

his kindness stems from enormous empathy and intelligence. between his grief for Astoria, sympathy for his father’s ostracization as a former Deatheater, and years of bullying, he understands suffering (both his and others’). he knows what it’s like to feel like nobody understands your pain, and he’s spent years helplessly watching his loved ones suffer (powerless to stop Astoria’s blood curse, and unable to soothe his father’s grief after her passing). pain is an old and constant companion. he doesn’t want anyone to feel like that, which is why he’s so quick to comfort others (even if this leads him to put others’ needs before his own)

he’d rather feel pain than inflict it. whether emotional or physical, he is quick to take the hits for those he loves. this tendency combined with his empathy leads him to put his needs second. we see this when he listens to Albus vent about Harry for years, but doesn’t seem to confront him about this one-sided sympathy until he blows up in the library scene. scorpius also does this multiple times when he and Al are held captive by Delphi:

the second she trains her wand on him, Scorp’s priority are appearing strong for Albus and assuring him that no matter what she does, they cannot break down and do her bidding. more subtly, he keeps Delphi’s attention on himself rather than Albus just before they are saved by Cedric. if her wrath and focus are on him, she’s less likely to curse his best friend

he does feel anger, jealousy, and bitterness, but he mostly internalizes it. where Albus is more expressive with his frustrations, Scorpius prefers to keep it to himself, unpack it later so he can figure out what to do with it on his own

he places a lot of pressure on himself to be the bright, happy boy he was growing up. ever since Astoria’s health took a turn for the worse, he made it his duty to keep up appearances for his parents. they were already under so much stress, he felt guilty at the thought of “burdening” them with his own grief and troubles. Draco mentions how Astoria wanted to have a child so that he would have something left of her once she passed away. Scorpius knows this, so he makes it his mission to be a source of light for his father. (even if this means suppressing his own grief and pain to keep up the facade)

it's been confirmed by the playwrights that Scorpius has depression and engages in self-harm. (i don't know the exact page number from the Broadway companion book, but they mention that Scorpius carved the marks into his wand, mirroring his own arms). he's been to the scariest places one's mind can travel to, and he knows how being shown just a bit of kindness and understanding can save someone's life

he’s capable of seeing the best in people, but he’s long since stopped expecting it. i’ve seen a lot of people talking about how Scorpius’ constant kindness makes his character appear flat, but i think this is one of his overwhelming traits simply because we rarely see him blow up. most of his internal conflicts are just that, internal. he analyzes every step before he takes one, and he knows the power of choosing the right things to say. we already know he’s book-smart, but he also has such a high emotional intelligence

he’s a forgiving person because he can understand people’s deeper emotions and motivations. he can understand why someone did what they did, but he’s smart enough to know that their motivation is not an excuse. the reasoning does not absolve them of guilt or wrongdoing. and while he has a strong sense of moral justice, he tends to be more forgiving towards those he cares about, which leads to emotional burnout

overall, i just think that Scorpius is highly empathetic, emotionally intelligent, and doesn’t want to see people feel the pains he’s experienced his whole life 

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[batbeato]

Bit of Royal Scandal theorizing today.

I've been thinking about how to connect up Queen of Hearts and Anti-Queen of Hearts, as well as Cheshire Game, for a while, and I've finally come to a best guess on it.

We know that Alicia/Chelsea was born in the original timeline, the one before any interference. This means that she would be the daughter of a noble, fitting with her wealthy appearance in Cheshire Game, as well as the flash-forward of her as an unhappy but well-dressed woman. There's also the potential implication that she married Albert in this timeline, given that the outfit in the background of the future shot matches Albert's attire.

We see the Alicia from the end of Cheshire Game in Anti-Queen of Hearts in the Drink Me / Eat Me sequence; she goes from her adult self to child Alicia. It's after this that the child Alicia appears in Matt's timeline.

So my theory is that the child Alicia who appears in Matt's timeline does so because of something involving Catherine - they seem to be involved with the Eat Me / Drink Me items, given that they steal the Eat Me cookies for Alicia in Cheshire Game, and also force-feed Chelsea the Drink Me vial in Wonderland in Alice. It also makes sense that Alicia's appearance isn't a random phenomenon, but is caused by an external force.

It's implied that in her timeline, Chelsea is unhappy with her life and how it has turned out. I feel like this may also be implied by Bitter Sweet, with how Chelsea is unhappy when with Albert (amongst nobility) and is happiest with Lewis. This may potentially tie into this timeline's Chelsea having her own motivations for why she might use the Drink Me vial to go back. Similar to how Matt uses the vial to make Lorena choose love over her happiness, this Chelsea may want to use it to choose love over her happiness and change the course of her life, which she regrets.

This still leaves Queen of Hearts, though. Queen of Hearts is difficult to slot into place: it features a cursed Lorena, the Queen of Hearts, as well as various people in bunny masks. It has very intense child sexual abuse implications, which Anti lacks. I can't even shrug the bunny-masked people off as being there for atmosphere / fantasy-setting / some kind of visual metaphor, since Chelsea mentions the bunny masks (I forget where; some MV story description, maybe), so I can't match it up to Anti-Queen of Hearts as Alicia's perspective / interpretation of events.

It's still kind of murky for me, but my thought is that Queen of Hearts involves some kind of timeline-merging/fuckery. Alicia asks where her normal mother went, implying a sudden or very recent change in Lorena. Lorena also seems different from her Anti self: Matt made her choose love, and it seems that they lived monogamously together, but the Queen in QoH is very openly sexual with various men, or at least using sexuality to manipulate them. Maybe something happened with Lorena that resulted in her QoH transformation? My only theory is that, since she becomes the QoH at the end of Anti, her losing her love for Matt resulted in the curse making her very open to many partners. Perhaps Matt is attempting to acquire all of the suit items in order to 'cure' Lorena (why he makes Alam get the spade ring)?

One option for how everything fits together is that Anti is Alicia's introduction to the Matt/Lorena timeline. Matt tries to drag Alicia away, but she uses the Eat Me cookie and thus cements her existence in this timeline, rather than returning to her original timeline. Alicia has no home to go to, so when Matt kicks her out, she ends up at Bar Masquerade. Once the 10 years the Eat Me cookie bought her are up, Matt gives her the Drink Me to try to fix the timeline, resulting in Queen of Hearts.

[ramayantika]

𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬: 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

(Apna apna sab choose karlo 👀)

Bharatanatyam

The girl in red and gold. Never steps out of the house without a bindi, loves the sun a little too much and gets the perfect golden hour photos. Will drag you out in the sun to prove that her hair is brown. Looks no less than a goddess in traditionals, rocks desi wear as well as western, always the best dressed in the room and sometimes the overdressed one. A walking saree encyclopedia, dreams to have a large wardrobe just for her sarees. Will also lend you some of her sarees and drapes them so well. If you are wearing a saree for a date, ask her for help. Reads a lot of detective books maybe, ranging from Sherlock Holmes to Feluda. Has learnt martial arts too, armed with wit, got the best comebacks and will fight for her friends. Highly intimidating when you meet her first until you get to witness the soft sunshine version of her. Photogenic, loves the camera, could also be a model. Her walk radiates power and confidence. Ambitious and full of ideas, commands attention easily with a snap of ger fingers. Heads turn at her when she enters the room, an eloquent speaker because she is well read. Tries to spread happiness in her own ways, knows everyone in her neighbourhood, is friends with everyone, right from the little kids to the oldies in the park, the Mother hen of her group. Loves puppies and will cry while watching cute puppy videos. Cooks delicious dishes and watch her lash out if she finds out that you skipped breakfast. A pure soul, too kind and generous for the world and does her best in spreading happiness around her.

'It's honestly a choice which we have to make. We can choose to see everything as cold and heartless around us or start seeing at the brighter side of things. Trust me, the latter is a better choice. Why would someone want to live such a miserable life laced with bitterness and resent. I know I cannot singlehandedly make everything right in the world, but I can surely make a difference in at least a single person's life? Why focus on things at the greater scale when we can make changes that should starts from us?"

Odissi

The shy girl next door, writes poetry in her rough notebook, hopeless romantic and a daydreamer. For her, outing means a visit to the temple. Ardent admirer of all types of art, stares at temple sculptures and statues, and is also a history lover. Pink lip gloss, jasmine flowers and a doe-eyed beauty. Makes flower jewellery and will gift you many of her own works if you are her friend. Wears light coloured clothes and minimal accessories, light feminine, crushes over book characters and will make you see the best traits in yourself but forgets to look at the good in herself. Recites romantic poetry in front of the mirror and pretends to be someone's muse, replaces herself with the characters in period dramas Has gorgeous hair but will always keep them in a messy bun, but god when she lets her hair down, she looks like an angel. Her social life includes playing with children and narrating them stories and fairytales.

'His lips gently follow the trail of the small dots of sandalwood paste on her back. It forms a serpentine path on her skin and ends on the curve of her waist where his lips gently caress her soft skin, delighted at the treasure gifted by the perfumed trail.'

"You haven't even held hands with a boy and yet you can come up with this? How?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You have to see my writing journal and you will definitely believe that I am well versed in the arts of love."

"Arts of love? Who uses that?"

"Me. Now come, let's watch Jodha Akbar."

"Again?!"

Kathak

Kurtis and Anarkalis. Has long hair that is half of the time braided. Might also wear a parandi at events. Shayari aur ghazalein, listens to old Bollywood songs late at night under the moon on the terrace. Star gazing, late night deep conversations, vintage clothing, would write you hand written love letters. Knows hindustani music, sings late at night and sometimes in the early hours of dawn. Aankhon mein gehra kajal jise dekh na jane kitne uske aashiq bann gaye, deep eyes that will stare into your soul, loves to wear red lipstick and will wear silver jewellery with every outfit. To win her heart? Take her jhumke shopping. She is the desi pinterest aesthetic. Bases her personality on Sahibjaan from Pakeezah, Anarkali from Mughal-E-Azam, Umrao Jaan and Chandramukhi from Devdas. Has desi aesthetic moodboards on Pinterest and lives like it too minus the havelis and lots of expensive jewellery. If you are a poet, she will end up proposing you.

'जो मेरा नाम अपनी शायरी में अमर कर दे

मरूंगी त�� केवल उस शायर के नाम'

"Umrao jaan 2.0 apni pariksha ki taiyari kare aapke non existent premi kavi ya shayar marks nahi dilayenge"

"Tauba tauba sara mood kharab kar diya"

Kuchipudi

Was made to learn dance and music as a child, knows how to play the veena or the sitar well, cannot sing but will play the instrument for you if you ask. Gold jewellery? No. Silver jewellery? No. Pearls? Absolutely! An all rounder, academically brilliant as well as in extra-curriculars, perfectionist and will breakdown at the slightest inconvenience. Loves to go on long walks, sunset photography, has a collection of journals and hauls stationary items. Collects fallen flowers and keeps them inside her books. soft smiles, long artistic fingers that always have ink spots, a small but a close friend group, wishes on flowers, so quiet that you might not her speak at times, notices the minute things about her friends and the people she meets. Looks too long into the mirror and loses herself, has too many questions but will never ask. Has pretty crazy dreams that could become book plots.

"Do you ever stare at your eyes in the mirror for a very long time? Do you feel your reflection change? Those eyes that look back at you... they have so much to say, they carry so many secrets inside them even though at a superficial level, it might seem that your reflection and you are the same, but it's not. When I look at myself in the mirror, I feel it's not me. I am not her nor am I anyone else. I feel I am a part of the galaxies, of stars and planets and of souls -- that I have existed here a long time ago and I have been reborn again for unknown reasons, reasons that somewhere my would would know. Do you not feel the same?"

Kathakali

Athletic, into sports, highly dramatic, can and will recite film dialogues at every situation, has a larger than life attitude, grand gestures and celebrations for her favourite people as well as for herself, always brimming with energy even at 3am, colourful flashy clothes that make her stand distinct from everyone, make-up game on point, a HUGE foodie, takes you to the best eateries and restaurants, indulges in pranks and all sorts of harmless mischief that makes her endearing, expresses everything just with her eyes. You can't say no to her because she will conjure such a facial expression that it would be difficult to say no which is why she gets away with mischief. Will debate about literature and philosophy, has a lot of knowledge about historical texts and scriptures, can easily make you laugh by imitating characters from stories and tales. Will also spam you with her thoughts and opinions on text and if you are in her close friend circle, keep your phone on because she will immerse herself about the latest book she read. Races with kids from her colony and lets them win, gully cricket vali didi, street smart, procrastinates assignments until the deadline is knocking at the door. Knows the secret spots in the city as well as their stories, has the best horror stories to narrate at a campfire.

"I know it's 2am, but is it okay if-"

"Even if I say no, you will tell me, but I am interested. Speak."

"What if all the characters in our epics were us, I mean like us normal human beings who achieved greatness and such divine status because of their work and somehow maybe that was the truth, but with time, we began thinking that we are not capable of becoming like them so we decided that we would take the credit of their hard work and replace it with magical powers and worship them, but not try and become like them? And somehow so many ideal kings, queen, warriors and artists when then look at us from heaven want us to achieve the same level of greatness like them? But they are sad that we think so less of ourselves? I am not denying God's presence though, don't get me wrong on that. I am talking about all the great people from stories that have been passed down to us. I do appreciate the creativity and imagination of the writers and poets involved, but what if we are actually failing to look more deeper into it. What if they want us to go beyond the veil of imagination in those stories and find ourselves in them?"

Manipuri

One word: Ethereal. Doesn't look like she belongs to this world. You saw her first at a waterfall, dressed in white and red shades, mostly prefers pastel shades, makes beautiful flower bouquets, has got a very melodious voice and when she sings by the waterfall with the swans sitting beside her, she appears like a water nymph. Playful eyes, whispers words, will wink and smile at you before disappearing into a run. She walks as if she is floating, got the lightest feet, soft dewy skin, nature's daughter. Sings before the Gods in temples, always has a peacock feather with her, makes one wonder if she is a human or someone divine, wants to live in a cottage overlooking lush green hills.

"Ironic isn't it that beauty, riches, pride, nothing shall exist in the end because we shall go back to mother nature, Prakriti? I shall be ash, a small heap of ash in the future and my stories, my experiences, the beauty which people love to talk about, nothing will exist. Even when humans leave a piece of land, they think it shall be dead and decayed, but they have forgotten Prakriti's nature. She is nourishing and a healer. She shall be the only one remaining."

Mohiniyattam

Loves to sit by a riverbank, serenity, looks at you as if she knows everything about you even about the words you shall speak next, mysterious vibe, doesn't trust anyone easily, lotuses are her favourite. Who is the girl standing waist deep in the river looking at the moon? Loves to wear alta on her hands and feet, wears anklets, longing side glances, perfectly arched eyebrows, dances in the rain, photographs everything, a natural charmer, goes to museums and coffee. Date ideas? Boat rides for evenings. A very private person, doesn't reveal much about herself, contemplates about Life and the Universe, space geek, stars are her friends.

When I look at you, at your great depths, I marvel at the power you have subdued while flowing through the land of Man. Born from the great peaks of mountain ranges, like a young girl who is pulsating with energy, you flow down your father's abode. Were you aware of your strength then? You cut through rocks, found your way through dense forests, and finally emerged into our land. We took you granted, knowing you shall forever exist for us, that you shall always nurture our bodies, our minds and our souls, until we witnessed your dance of death.

I wondered how Lasya, the feminine style of dance, also known as Goddess Parvati's style of dancing could be destructive? You swirled to great heights. With each turn, your colour darkened, absorbing the green from trees, the white from clouds, yellow from the sun, blue from the dawn and purple from sunsets. In the end your colour changed to brown and grey as you engulfed everything we held dear. You ultimately showed your hidden strength that you possesses in the days of girlhood until you heard us wail and weep. Motherhood came back to you, and with time, you began nursing us once again. The city repaired itself, we began learning about the secrets of life and death on your banks and children played with your gentle waters. And then you longed for love, so you advanced towards the sea, merging with its grand form. Once, I used to see it as a way of losing your entire identity, but now I see it as being one. You nourish man in the city and then with your dear love, the mighty sea, you nourish the life that resides inside water. I would like to be something like that.

"Is that why you spend so much time at the river?"

"Yes."

Sattriya

Plays the flute, the most non violent human, will never get angry, calm voice that might lead you to deep sleep. Nobody has seen her even glare at someone. Gold jewellery, squints at the sun, sings devotional songs for Krishna, cannot eat spicy food, lives in the hills, will definitely win if you race against her in the hills, knows quiet spots to appreciate the valleys. Has a great deal of knowledge about herbal medicines, one touch and you will feel that the pain is gone. Has Diy skin care methods ready, gives the best oil massage, cold hands in winter, looks adorable when covered in a shawl, red cheeks that appear like natural blush, makes the best tea.

"Close your eyes, open your ears and your mind too. You might begin to understand the language of the hills. They will send you messages of rain clouds, soft kisses of wintery breeze, fragrance of spring and gently warmth of the sun. Sometimes, if you look closely enough, you might get to know who you are in this world in front of them."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇　 ‧͙⁺ ˚*･༓☾　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙◌

I DID IT :D

Even though it's based on dance, but everyone isn't into dance, so i did try my best to make it inclusive and ofc i had to write these paragraphs because I felt more creative lol (just to sum up the vibes maybe that's why) It was a bit tricky to make for Sattriya and Manipuri. I looked up some articles and then some Assam and Manipur tourism videos and also some of theri dance videos too for this. Now I mentioned some of rhe traits and stuff based on the dancing history and the repertoire plus also from the place where it belongs too

Tell me your favorite one and which one you relate to the most.

Shoutout to @remen-nyoodless for the hindi lines

Tagging: @yehsahihai @swayamev @sanskari-kanya @navaratna @daddojanam @pulihora @inexhaustible-sources-of-magic @aapki-pyaari-sakhi @kuhuchan @arachneofthoughts @vedajananixx @pothosinpots @eugenephosgene @reallythoughtfulwizard @ma-douce-souffrance

[thefudge]

i need thoughts on saltburn -- even if you didn't like it!!! <3

sorry for taking so long to answer this, but i only finally watched the movie this week. i kind of wanted the hype and polarization to die down a bit so i could form my own opinion.

so, i enjoyed it! it has issues, but it was a fun and clever romp. any movie that ends with a "murder on the dancefloor" dance sequence will earn a smile from me because that is one of my favorite songs of all time and i don't know how emerald fennell knew that about me, but there were constant little moments in the script that made me go "ahh, we'd be friends in real life". i felt that way about promising young woman too, even if i ultimately disagreed with quite a few of her creative choices there. but her style & humor and the way she frames sexual content is similar to my own palate/writing. i especially appreciate the way she makes arousal and desire interesting, how she explores abjection but also intellectual stimulation. what makes the character of oliver irresistible to the entire household in the film is the way he can tap into people's desires in a very unexpected and creative way. he constantly surprises them by giving them what they didn't know they wanted. it's interesting that, from oliver's skewed perspective, it's felix who is supposed to be the object of desire, the person everyone wants to be around. but we the viewers can see oliver is the true loathsome subject and object of desire for those around him (and for the audience too, as we sort of can't look away from him).

i agree with people who say felix cared more about oliver than the reverse. in fact, the cleverest thing this movie does, imo, is show that oliver could be happy, but actively chooses not to. this isn't to say the posh oxbridge types fennell makes fun of in this movie do not ring true or that the social satire and snobbery isn't accurate. but it's more that oliver doesn't need to fall into their sphere of influence, doesn't need to measure himself using their standards. yes, the environment is classist and unfair, there are big structural issues that oliver cannot control, but oxford doesn't have to be his whole life, it's only a couple of years. the fact that he is there already gives him a leg up in the world. given his smarts and his magnetism, oliver could have done very well for himself after university without needing to latch onto saltburn. the clever twist for me is that oliver is also privileged, and not just because we see he's comfortably middle-class with a supportive family, but because he has options, he has choices, but he actively chooses to be miserable and hateful, because he hates and looks down on the ppl around him. yes, the saltburn entourage is filled with bitter, toxic people, but some of those people would've probably done anything for him, and would have genuinely loved him. but the truth at the core of oliver is that he prefers a room to be empty, he prefers to have saltburn all to himself as this pure luxurious space that is devoid of humanity.

at the end, oliver is both wonderfully effective and deeply unimaginative. don't get me wrong, i really liked his character and the gremlin freak energy he conveyed, i rooted for him along the way, i mean barry keoghan plays it too well not to, but despite his victory dance at the end, it's sort of drab that oliver's greatest achievement is saltburn. despite being the brilliant predator who hunted down all competition, he is not brilliant enough to see his prize is empty. he's not smart enough to see, that at the end of the day, he is just like the cattons. he loves and hates felix because he loves and hates himself. there are many moments in the movie where oliver stares into mirrors or his reflection is doubled in reflective surfaces, and i don't think it's just to signal his duplicity or multiplicity, but rather the fact that....it's all olivers, all the way down. he thinks he's such an outsider, but he is saltburn, he comes to embody it physically in the very last dance. and even his predatory cleverness is overrated; most of the cattons fall easily, they want to go, there's an emptiness at the heart of their lives and at the heart of saltburn that oliver wants to embrace.

and i do think that emerald fennell had some of this in mind; i don't think my interpretation is necessarily the right one, but you can see she's doing more with this than directing a satirical romp. i think we're actively invited to see beyond oliver's seduction and into the emptiness of his dreams. that's why some of the deaths in the end come off as slightly ridiculous and excessive, because it's not about his cleverness anymore, he's just the last person left when the party is over. he's still a character you can root for and have fun with (and be drawn to), but the film encourages you to question his narrative from the start, not just his literal narration to rosamund pike, but the overarching idea he has of himself.

anyway, this is all to say, i rather liked it! i didn't love it, but i appreciate what it was trying to do, and i think it's more clever in that regard than people give it credit for. i do think it's a more mature effort than promising young woman. i am kind of hoping emerald directs a nonconventional romcom next, because i like her approach to certain intimate moments, mixing tenderness with violence. i'd love to see a punch-drunk love-esque love story from her.

(i do also want to give props to barry keoghan again, because i think the movie wouldn't work half as well without him. he elevates a lot of moments and he is so compelling to watch)

[merakiui]

I finally managed to read the newest 'death row undertow' Chapter! Although I'm a bit late, i wanted to share my thoughts with you on that chapter.

It was so bitter-sweet ;-; I knew that Marisa would die eventually, but reading Marisa and the reader bonding together and talking about how great of friends they would be and even visiting different places together in city only for Marisa to die in the end AND the reader having to WATCH her die. I was like "Nooooooooo", poor poor reader-chan ;-;

I was also wondering how Jade managed to capture Marisa in the first place? She said that Jade would take her to the doctor? What exactly happened between these two?

Oh, and the scene where Jade was choking/suffocating Marisa showed Jade’s unhinged and predatory side bouncing on his "prey." I really liked seeing this side of him. Honestly, it makes sense for him (and other Merfolk) not to have the same morals as we humans do. It's either "kill or be killed" world kind of thing. At the end of the day, even if you take away his claws or sharp teeth, he's still a underwater vicious predator.

I wanted to say more, but i don't want to make it longer as it already is, so I'll stop for now.

-🌸

🌸 anon, thank you so much for reading the latest chapter!!!! :D it was a sad, bittersweet one indeed. T^T I thought it would be even more painful if Reader was forced to watch Marisa, who is just out of reach, as she's killed by Jade. At least she tried to save her even if it was futile. >_<

I can't say much due to spoilers, but Jade choosing Marisa (a pregnant woman) as his next victim was fully intentional. It's meant to be a very petty dig at Reader, as if to say: "This was going to be you." It's very childish. ;;; but more than that it's Jade's silent expression of anger. He hides it well, but he was LIVID when he couldn't kill and eat Reader right away after kidnapping her. A furious Jade is not to be messed with. ;;;;;;;;; however, what happened between Marisa and Jade will be revealed at one point!!

I'm happy you could enjoy seeing Jade's unhinged side. He's just so,,,,, monstrous. I wanted to write him to be as cutthroat as possible in this chapter because his views (from Reader's pov) are so incredibly wrong and warped and in human society that is criminal. But in Jade's mind this is just the food chain at play. A natural order of the world: kill or be killed. Also, if he couldn't fill his fridge with more meat soon, he was on the verge of snapping (like when he almost takes a chomp out of Reader's leg). His hunger is debilitating.

It's a cruel reminder to Reader that there's really no reasoning with him and that there's nothing stopping him from doing these things to other people or even her if he finds out about her lie.

[liyazaki]

the divine in me; the divine in you

break-ups are as varied as people: they can be explosive, resigned, bitter or filled with the blame game. let's be real, anger's easier- & sometimes, very much justified.

but more often than not, break-ups are less about right or wrong, & more about people not being right for each other. it still hurts like hell, but no one's at fault. no one's the villain- it just is.

a relationship's end can be mature, achingly honest- even kind. it's rare that I get to see one acted out so beautifully, but we were blessed with just that by Nara & Patts.

this show has established that some people believe in the concept of soulmates wholeheartedly, while others look at it as a scientific phenomenon they don't have an explanation for yet.

regardless of where Nara stands on the issue, knowing your partner will always have an intimate connection with someone else that you'll never be able to replicate or 'compete' with? it's enough to put the most stable relationship on rocky ground. she also gets that this wasn't Patts’ choice- it just happened to him, as much as it happened to her.

these are two people who had the best intentions for each other & their relationship…no deceit or asinine misunderstandings to be found here.

& technically, they've been broken up for awhile. Patts doesn't 'owe' Nara anything. but pain doesn’t stop just because the break-up is over, & Patts knows this.

he values Nara enough to want to make sure she knows how much he appreciated their time together. he's taking the time to honor their relationship, & the impact it had on both of them.

& Nara- oh, Nara. it takes an incredible amount of bravery to be vulnerable in front of the person who is the cause of your hurt.

there are valuable things to be found in our pain- things you'll miss for weeks, years, or even a lifetime if you choose to run away from them. the fact that these two chose to lean into the hurt makes it clear what their values are: honesty, connection- compassion.

Patts made sure that Nara understands how grateful he is to her, that it was never his intention to hurt her- while acknowledging the fact that they cannot be together. he didn't balk at her tears or make excuses- he met her in her pain with quiet understanding.

& for Nara to be held- literally, figuratively- & acknowledged by maybe the only person who knows exactly what she's going through?

I don't know if this was intentional, but as a queer person, this scene resonated with me on a whole other level, too. not so long ago, I had to tell a man I love that I couldn't love him the way he needed anymore.

I repressed who I was for so long, & I couldn't unknow what I now know about myself. I'll never forget the kindness & compassion he showed me in the midst of his own pain. at the end of the day, he just wants me to be happy- & I want exactly that for him, too.

it makes me think of the literal translation of namaste- "the Divine within me bows to the same Divine within you.” the love was real. the pain was real. this was real- it still is. it matters.

that's love. it just "exists in another way now."

[samwisethewitch]

REVIEW: Hoodoo Herbal by Starr Casas

One thing that I think sometimes gets lost when we talk about Southern folk magic is that there's a lot of regional variation within the Southern US. Appalachian folklore and folk magic is trendy right now, but Appalachian traditions are actually very different from what other communities in the South are doing. While authors like Rebecca Beyer and Jake Richards do a great job of documenting Southern Appalachian lore, I think Starr Casas is one of the most high profile authors who covers what I would consider Deep South folk magic.

I know some people have issues with Casas, and I personally don't agree with her on everything (for example, she uses the words "hoodoo" and "conjure" interchangeably, while I use "hoodoo" specifically to refer to African American practices), but she is clearly very dedicated to documenting traditional Southern conjure as it was taught to her, and I can respect that.

This book is an herbal, and like most herbals, it's somewhere in between a spellbook and an encyclopedia. This is not a Conjure 101 book. Instead, this is a book for people who are already familiar with the basics and who want a reference book where they can quickly look up the lore and uses of different plants and curios in this tradition.

Pros:

• Like Casas's other books, this is very authentic to traditional conjure in the Deep South. She covers things in her books I learned growing up here but have never seen written down anywhere else.

• Very comprehensive. This book covers most basic herbs, but also goes into how to work with houseplants, curios, and Biblical figures.

• Great breakdown of the hot/cold and sweet/bitter system used in conjure, and explains how to choose herbs for a work based on these properties.

• Easy to use as a reference book. It's easy to flip back and forth to find information about a specific plant or curio. I read this as an ebook, which made it even easier to look things up by searching specific words.

Cons:

• Casas is very insistent that conjure must be passed down in person from an elder and is kind of condescending about people who learn conjure from books. This feels... not exactly like gatekeeping, because I see the point she's trying to make, but it rubs me the wrong way. I mean, the people in my family who knew this lore and practiced these works all died before I was born, and my parents and grandparents weren't interested in learning. My only option has been to reconstruct a personal/family conjure tradition based on local lore, talking to other workers, and yes, reading books. And while yes, I think books alone can only take you so far, I think we should acknowledge that not everyone has access to an in-person teacher.

• The other reason this bothers me is because Casas says her motivation for writing her books is to keep traditional conjure alive as the tradition's elders are aging and dying. So if she's aware that elders are dying without passing on what they know, why the insistence that true conjure can only be learned in person? Why write the books at all, then?

Other/Miscellaneous Observations:

• Casas feels very strongly that Christianity and the Bible are essential to conjure. If you do not feel the same, this book will piss you off.

• Casas is from Texas, and while I definitely consider her work more Deep South than Southwestern, there are some regional influences there. For example, Casas works with Catholic saints in an otherwise very Protestant magic tradition.

• Despite the above observations, Casas makes it very clear that she is not overly fond of churches and does not think you have to be a church-goer to practice conjure. She also talks about how she has taught conjure to people who aren't Christian, in case anyone was worried about that angle.

Conclusion: This is a solid reference book and a great collection of plant lore from the Southern US. I'm always happy to add books to my shelf that don't just parrot Western European herbalism, and it's nice to read a book that has info on New World plants. I have more issues with the philosophy/politics of this book than I did with Old Style Conjure by the same author, but this book does do a good job of showing what traditional conjure looks like. I recommend this as a reference for Southern US plant and curio lore, but definitely balance your perspective by picking up books from other authors and looking at other sides of the conversation.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

[eerna]

why don’t you like the second tlou game?

TLoU wasn't written with a sequel in mind and I will die on that hill. The story was meant to end exactly where the first game ends. If it ends there, it's a story about a girl who never had a parent and a man who slowly becomes her father, protecting her from everything, even the truth. People say Ellie's innocence dies with David, but I disagree- I think that Joel's final goal was to turn her back into a child, to shoulder all the responsibilities, and her "Okay" is her letting herself become a kid again, trusting his words of reassurance. She knows her dad is lying, but it's okay because it's not her problem anymore, she can just go and learn to live again while he is consumed by the truth. We don't know what their lives will look like from now on, but we hope it will be okay, because that's what the story is about - the hope that even after all the horrible things that can happen to you, you can still learn how to be okay again. It's a very ambiguous ending, while also being a very final dot at the end of a story, and that's super impressive to me!

But the sequel is like. No actually we DON'T like any kind of nuance or ambiguity, here's some CW-level writing about uhhhhhhh Ellie ending up completely alone and losing everything that ever made her happy. It is now a story about how Joel failed, how Ellie turned into a bitter, vengeful monster who chooses her own anger over her loved ones. It is like getting punched in the stomach for tens of hours, constantly forced to feel horrible about a story that used to be about hope. Maybe I would have enjoyed it if it wasn't about Ellie and Joel, since I do think there are some good beats, but as it stands I straight up can't even consider it canon. I'm not even mad at it, because it doesn't feel like it's a continuation of the same character arcs, themes or storylines.

[katyspersonal]

I think one of the longest clown emoji streaks I've earned regarding Elden Ring ideas is how I've made a joke like "lmao how many times do you think Leda and Hornsent hatefucked" but then it turned into an actual dynamic that got my interest in literal 20 minutes ffgfnkfjnn

The worst/best part about them is that they have full capacity for being reasonable, they just CHOOSE to not use it 🤦‍♂️ But it would be interesting considering they both have a lot of aggression to tame, and this hypothetical relationship just feels so.. "alive"? I don't have a better term.

Like think about how whereas he is trying to fix the quest of revenge where it belonged (Messmer and associates), he of course has relapses sometimes and Leda is too trigger-happy to jump onto "oh so you ARE unfit for the world Miquella wants I guess, I wasn't right to trust you" instantly. And like.. it is not very nice to make him unsafe just because he naturally has PTSD episodes. Every goddamn time. And I like to think that sooner or later he'd finally manage to successfully communicate it to her in the way that'd make her understand how much pressure she has been putting on him because of her paranoia. Like guilt and trying to do better than to threaten to get back at being enemies just when he is finally attached to someone again

I also doubt that he is good at these things, like my friend Val says, noting good ever comes out of his mouth regardless of intentions hfhggfh He would probably still feel self-conscious that he is "wasting her time" because after having lost his actual family he would not start another one no matter what. Like, he would want to tell her that he can not offer her kind of bond and experiences she deserves, especially considering she barely if at all had relationship yet.. but then tell her something along the lines of seeking someone that'd treat her like "real woman" or otherwise misogynistic stuff vfhfhhb And they'd go through uncomfortable but needed convo that she is a knight, not a housewife and a mother. Like, she is not "robbed of her proper place by a bitter broken man", she decides where her place is and not anyone else (well except for kind miquella of cooooourse :3 though imagine her actually hastily correcting the moment of self-assertion with Miquella's name, like if she did something wrong 😔). Just her way to say she's content, but I just know these people can't express any affection directly! It is always something under exterior of vitriol and coldness that they just learn to read between lines fuckin tsunderes, man

I just like how this is all not perfect at all just because they stopped trying to kill each other! It gives some dynamic, something I found entertaining to imagine? These are not even all conflicts between the two I can imagine, but also them both being very hardened people helps it to not get toxic! Especially since there is an actual variant of the events in the game where they find common ground despite having fought earlier! Again: they CAN, they just DON'T xD

But still it is embarrassing how I no longer can even shitpost/be horny/both without turning it into some headcanons tangent gdjghfh I am booboo the fool

[dozyrogue]

I wanna scream

Tallulah, empanada, and sunny PLZ TALK

Sunny felt left out and sad when she saw Tallulah and empanada getting along and chit chatting so she excused herself and went to the safe place. And she's too much like her father cuz she's ok with just letting people pass her by.

As panda and Tallulah were talking panda kept trying to talk to sunny as well but sunny kept running from her.

The reason shes upset with panda is cuz, she saw first hand how bitter??? Untrusting?? Tallulah has been to sunny, so to see empanada be happy and girl talk with Tallulah fucking hurt her.

Then there's Tallulah she's ready to open up and start accepting and befriending the new eggs. Which is great development for her!! Even if its really small steps. She's getting along with em trying to show kindness to sunny. Gave them both flowers. And then when Tallulah saw sunny walk away she herself walked because she thought she was making sunny uncomfortable so she dipped.

Then there's empanada who honestly i don't know the most about, so I'm trying. She's also had some conflict with the older girls as well. Tallulah has always been a bit more approachable to her I believe?? And now she's actively talking to her basically offered a olive branch. But she's also very very close to sunny, theyre siblings!! Best friends!! This is the person (next to ramon) that sunny turned to after she accepted the fact that Tallulah doesn't want her to be friends.

And she was so upset when sunny started ignoring her, trying to get her attention but just looking at tubbo so heart broken

So to sunny it feels like betrayal in someway, cuz like I said panda has seen it first hand.

This also goes into the thing I said before where, when Tallulah feels ready to be friends doesn't mean sunny now is ready after being treated so mean??

(I'm using bitter and mean very sparingly I don't know better words sorry guys)

I'm glad Tallulah feels like she can start reaching out, I'm sad em probably feels like she needs to choose between the too, and I'm sad sunny feels like she lost the only other friend she had.

These eggs represent girlhood to well I'll scream I'm having flashbacks shit free me