#fredie and cook

[gem-likes-rdr]

Useless or unusual RDR AUS that you're more than welcome to take:

Everything in RDR is normal, but all the human characters except for Arthur are muppets

Modern AU where John has a fursuit.

Modern AU where Arthur has an art studio, people keep taking his stuff and he is very angry about it

Kieran is actually alive, it was a different body they buried and now the Van Der Linde gang wants to know who the fuck they buried.

Pearson is a good cook, but purposely makes bad food because he feels like it

Charles sometimes says "that's pretty gay Arthur" and walks away everytime Arthur says something nice to him

Every time someone throws a punch it makes this noise

Bill tries to warn everyone about Five Nights at Fredy's. No one believes him.

Lenny lied to everyone about his name. He's name is Leroy and he thought Lenard would be cooler

The Van Der Linde gang accidentally invent Air Hockey.

Modern AU where Abigail divorces John to marry Sadie.

Arthur, Mary-Beth, Sadie, John and Cain basically become the Scooby-Doo gang solving weird mysteries.

[t4t4t]

tagged by @thatdykepunkslut

Last song: Silver Thread Golden Needle AG Cook

Favorite Color: #FF9A8A or #F97272 or #00B1A0

Currently watching: I'm wondering if I can get Collie to watch IWTV with me or if she'd rather rewatch DW from 2005 and catch up to current date finally.

Currently reading: Whipping Girl, still

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: I like the combo of sweet and spicy a lot but if I had to choose I'd say spicy.

Relationship status: just Collie atm. I'm wondering if Violet or Heather wanna hang out again :--/ they seemed to like me so much when they saw me in person but neither text me much.

Last thing googled: ohsu mychart / William Dodson adhd / what's it called to speak before knowing the full truth / prevarication / days until / adhd medication vitamin c / anarchist Marxism / ismail haniyeh China / fredy perlman marxist leninist / kamala age / biden age / January 1 zodiac / parectatosoma moramanga / Zoe baker / agamben

tagging @genderyomi @feralratbitesu @predatortranny

[thekingswench]

Tiago Saavedra

THE BASICS::

Faceclaim - Pedro Pascal

Full Name - Agustín Tiago Bustamante Saavedra

Nicknames - Auggie, Tee

Age - 46 years of age 

Birthdate - 15 April 1975

Gender - Cismale, he/him  

Sexuality - Bisexual, Polyamourous 

Ethnicity & Nationality - Latinx, Chilean 

Occupation - Biostatician with emphasis in pharmacology & botany

Educational Information - Bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics & Botany, Master’s dissertation on statistics pertaining to spatial dimensions, PhD on the medicinal importance of exoticized plant species pertaining to psychotropic medications 

FAMILIAL::

Mother - María Estrada Saavedra (67)

Father - Tomás Agustín Ureta Bustamante (72)

Siblings - José Santiago Bustamante Saavedra (m, 39), Maite Bustamante Saavedra (f, 49), Sofía Isidora Bustamante Saavedra (f, 46), Mateo Bustamante Saavedra (m, 42)

Tiago is very close with his family and, when not working, can be found taking his leave with them. The Saaevedra household is full of laughter and good humor so that, no doubt, infects the people they bring to meet the family, as well. 

TRAITS::

Affectionate - Tiago is very loving and has a lot of love to give to the people he cares about. There is never not a time when he is actively trying to do sweet things for those he considers his, whether that be family or friends. Often, that affection is very lowkey, seen in physical touch or acts of kindness (such as cooking a meal or carrying someone to bed), but it is something that is almost ingrained into his personality. However, that does not mean that his affection cannot take on different forms with different people, and sometimes that affection may look odd to people not in on the “secret.” 

Dependable -  If there is one person you should be able to count on, it’s Tiago. Whether you’re on an unfamiliar planet or just need some help around the house, he is the one you want to back you up when you need it. That dependability leaves him feeling very steady, something secure that you might not have otherwise. Despite his eccentricities and the fact that he is passionate about his work, and that might come across as being very “out there,” Tiago is one of the loyal people in the world. Once you have him, you have him for the rest of your life unless you do something too unforgivable to jeopardize that trust. (Even then, depending upon the circumstances and the relationship, he might let you in again, but he would never stop caring, even if he says he has). 

Humorous - Tiago is always laughing and always there to entertain. A bit of a class-clown type, when circumstances call for it, he is often the one to lend a bit of humour to an otherwise heavy situation. He makes it his goal to get each of his team to laugh when they need it because, as his mother always used to tell him, ‘laughter is the best medicine, mijo. Use it as often as you can.’ 

Argumentative -  Despite his genteel attitude (most of the time) and his seemingly bookish persona, Tiago has a lot to say about a lot of things and when he thinks (or knows) he’s right, he will defend that knowledge like a pitbull. He doesn’t let go of an argument until it is sufficiently played out when it is serious. When it’s not, well, sometimes he argues for arguments’ sake. Particularly when it comes to Fredi Castillo, the argumentation is often just a chance to speak with the other man, to get him to notice him, but far be it from Tiago to ever reveal that information. 

Sarcastic - Growing up with four siblings has made Tiago adept at not only understanding the intricacies of sarcasm, but perfecting his own brand of it. His witticisms are often dry and, with the right tone, may go directly over someone’s head. Even still, it is perhaps one mode of communication that Tiago is most fond of. He employs it liberally and delights in doing so, much to his partners’ chagrin. Sometimes that sarcasm can get him into sticky situations, but he is smart enough to get him out, too, most of the time. And, if not, he has three other people that have his back. 

*Eccentric - Tiago’s eccentricities are vast and bred deeply into his being, something that he has had since he was a young boy. His family are well aware of his ability to monologue about a rare flower species for hours at a time or to infodump about something he has hyper fixated on for months’, which is often how his research begins, but those who might not be used to him may find it tedious or difficult to work through. When he was growing up, he often had to curb these eccentricities for fear of being ridiculed, but he has since embraced them. Visiting his workplace means that you will often come into contact with Tiago at his most open so his eccentricities will not be hidden, just as they would not be when with his family. If you are asked to put your right shoe on the left side of your left and hand your laundry to him from the left instead of the right, an upward motion instead of downward, just indulge him. He promises you’ll get used to it or, if not, will be able to, shortly upon your arrival. 

BACKSTORY::

Agustín Tiago Bustamante Saavedra was born fifteen minutes ahead of his sister, Sofía, on a warm April morning, welcomed into this world with an eager older sister smiling down upon them and two incredibly relieved parents. The Saveedra family is one of love and laughter and Tiago and his sister were quickly welcomed into that tradition by a warm extended family and quiet, friendly community. When María brought her children home, there was homemade food, as much supplies as the new additions to the family could need, and a neighborhood that rallied around their newest additions with open arms. 

Kindness and community are what Tiago grew up in and, with them, he thrived. 

As he grew from a curious toddler into a bright young boy, Tiago’s thirst for knowledge and the unknowable continued to grow. He was constantly asking questions of his mother and eagerly awaited his father to return home from the hospital after each shift so that he could hear all about his day. Even when the stories were not perfect, when they did not have a happy ending, Tiago wanted to know them. Tomás never denied his son, even when he probably should have, but that indulgence ultimately created a man who loved to learn, who thrived in that space, and who would become the top of his class at the academy where he received his education. 

While a bit of an eccentric and a lover of all things mathematical, Tiago’s easy-going personality usually endeared him to all those around him, even when they didn’t initially get along. He was a bit of a nerd in the lower grades but he eventually grew out of that, looks-wise, and grew more confident. He is still quiet, but now that quietness hides an over-active mind and a man that always has a plan, even when it might not be one hundred percent perfect. 

His thirst for knowledge led him to a career in academia, one which would become integral in his assignment to his current workplace and the affections that would grow between the team; doing this work, they become a family. Hand-picked for his theses on the spatial dimensions and his work with psychotropic fauna species, Tiago and the rest of his team have been tasked with searching to find the substances most likely to aid medical researchers, hoping that the work they do may prove to be the key to unlocking significant advancements in medicine, enough to save lives and earn their place in the history books as the research team to do so. 

HEADCANONS::

Tiago cannot have children. While he recognizes that that would bother some people, he does not care. His family is large enough and he has enough cousins and nieces/nephews that there doesn’t feel like a “void” in his life without kids. He always has children around him, even if they are not his own, and that is enough for him. Tiago is also definitely open to the idea of raising children with his partners, but would sooner adopt than have anyone birth one of their own. For him, family is not only that which you are born into, but that which you choose. 

Tiago is potentially on the autism spectrum, as he has tendencies toward those behaviors, though he has never officially been diagnosed. He has lived his life long-enough - and has learned how to remove himself from stressors that would endanger himself or his crew - to know how to cope with certain things, so he's never really chased one. 

[elgaravel]

10, 18, 26, 33, 39 for gray & dante and 11, 13, 36, 42 for el & akira 👀

tysm rena <3 they are all my silly rabbits from this ship ask

gray & dante:

10. Who drives? Cooks? Does the handiwork? Cleans? Pays the bills? Handles the public?

They both drive but Dante does more often. Cooking is often a joint effort so they don't burn down the kitchen <3 they rarely make anything edible but they usually eat it anyway. Gray cleans more often. Gray helps Dante with his bills since they're in the shop so often (they don't officially live there) so ig both of them? Dante's a little better with people than Gray is so he handles the public.

18. What are their dates like? How long do/did they date? Do they ever feel the need to take a break from each other?

Dates are often low-budget and intimate. Earlier in their relationship when they were still getting to know each other, a lot of it involved sharing little things about each other like just playing records for each other or chatting while taking a walk somewhere. They like to go to Fredi's or some other restaurants/bars on the cheaper side and eat there. I also like the idea of them having a lil picnic in gray's apartment 😭. I imagine they also like to drag him to plant nurseries jdfsklf. They dated for a few months before they were official since they knew each other for a while before that. Idk if this counts as taking a break from each other but they're apart fairly often when one of them has to go out on a job, it's a nice opportunity for some alone time ig. There's also Dante leaving at the end of dmc5 but that was not done with the intention of taking a break jdflfsdf

26. How do their friends feel about their relationship? Their families?

Gray's family is incredibly deceased but Miko and Blake would have really liked Dante </3. I haven't fleshed out their bio parents and siblings much yet. As for Dante's, in canon, Gray isn't particularly close with Nero or Vergil. They like Nero a lot but they just don't really interact much. I don't see Nero having a strong opinion on them tbh? I could be wrong idk. They're not the biggest fan of Vergil but they're civil. I think Vergil has mixed feelings but is happy that Dante has someone who makes him happy.

As for friends fjkdsl there's so many (5 at most). Eden spends by far the most amount of time with them and is really happy for them <3. Dmitri doesn't care much about Dante but is happy for Gray (after he got over his initial jealousy anyway fdjslf). Patty was probably the most suspicious of Gray but ended up really liking them! I think Lady and Trish are probably happy for them (mainly Dante) as well.

33. What kind of presents do they get each other? Do they only do it on special occasions?

I struggle a little with what Dante would get them but it'd probably be little things that remind him of them (usually botany/plant related) but maybe just like. a cool rock he found or something too FJKDSL idk. Gray's not too much of a gift-giver but sometimes they'll come home with some beer/whiskey and also a cool rock they found. They also give him a little strawberry bush that he keeps on his desk and they keep it alive year round with their powers :^).

39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first? When did they realize they were in love?

So they started out as more of a friends with benefits situation which was I'm thinking initiated by Dante and he kissed them first. Gray was the one to initiate an actual relationship after a while and a lot of mutual pining and hesitation on both ends. But I don't think it really took either of them that long to realize their feelings, acting on them was the problem fjdsklf.

el & akira:

11. Do they celebrate holidays? Anniversaries?

Yeah, they do! They don't celebrate holidays for religious reasons since they're both agnostic so it's mostly just for fun but they celebrate most of the major holidays (halloween, christmas, etc). I think anniversaries probably mean more to them though. They mainly like to recreate their first date (going to the carnival and then getting dinner and watching the sunset) and they get each other gifts as well.

13. What do they do for fun? Do they have a favorite activity or do they like to switch things up?

They're both pretty adventurous and prefer to switch things up. Akira does like to take her on motorcycle rides a lot though. El tattooing him counts as a date in their minds, they like to go to festivals/concerts (nina's performances specifically 👀), exploring new spots in the city, etc etc. They also enjoy just staying in as well from time to time.

36. What’s their greatest strength as a couple? Their weakness?

They balance each other out in a lot of aspects but clash in almost just as many. But they're ultimately very committed to building a life with each other and trust each other, and are (for the most part) honest and open with each other. As for weaknesses, Akira has a bit of a jealousy/possessiveness issue though it was mainly an issue at the beginning of their relationship. He's working on it !! he has not had many constants in his life. He is also very passive and non-confrontational when it comes to close relationships. El often has a hard time empathizing with him and seeing things from his perspective, and also has a hard time admitting when she's wrong. They also clash in the financial aspect mainly on how and how much they're spending their money.

42. Do they let each other get away with things that would normally bother them?

Akira does, El does not fjdsklf. As said above, Akira is pretty passive and willing to overlook (or ignore rather) a lot of things when it comes to her and El has no issue gently calling him out on something that bothers her.

[lboogie1906]

Robert L. Tools (July 31, 1942 – November 30, 2001) was the world’s first recipient of a fully self-contained artificial heart, called AbioCor. The operation took place on July 2, 2001. He survived for 151 days without a living heart. Dr. Joseph Fredi at Saint Thomas Hospital suggested the experimental procedure based on his knowledge of a research project by Abiomed. While recovering from surgery, he had the chance to enjoy some of his favorite past time hobbies, fishing and dining out. While at Jewish Hospital, he became renowned and received press throughout the world on shows like Cooking Network, Dateline, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and CNN. As a result of his press, he received visits from Lt. Governors, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Muhammad Ali. While meeting with Ali, he earned the name “#1 Champ” because of his fight to survive.

Due to continued complications of abdominal bleeding and a stroke, he died. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 11.17

Beer Birthdays

Felice Schachter; St. Pauli Girl 1990 (1963)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Kimya Dawson; pop singer, songwriter (1972)

Sophie Marceau; French actor (1966)

Rachel McAdams; actor (1978)

Stephen Root; actor (1951)

Tom Seaver; New York Mets P (1944)

Famous Birthdays

Nicolas Appert; French canning inventor (1749)

Mikhail Bakhtin; Russian philosopher (1895)

Martin Barre; rock guitarist (1946)

Leslie Bibb; actor (1974)

Jeff Buckley; rock guitarist, singer (1966)

David Bushnell; Turtle submarine inventor (1740)

Gene Clark; pop singer (1941)

Stanley Cohen; biochemist (1922)

Peter Cook; English comedian, actor (1937)

Howard Dean; politician (1948)

Danny DeVito; actor (1944)

Shelby Foote; historian (1916)

Daisy Fuentes; model, television VJ (1966)

Fredy Girardet; Swiss chef (1936)

Rock Hudson; actor (1925)

Lauren Hutton; model, actor (1943)

Gordon Lightfoot; pop singer (1938)

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; actor (1958)

Bob Mathias; olympic decathlon gold medal winner (1930)

Lorne Michaels; television producer (1944)

August Mobius; German mathematician, astronomer (1790)

Bernard "Monty" Montgomery; British field marshall (1887)

Isamu Noguchi; sculptor (1904)

Martin Scorsese; film director (1942)

Sophocles; Greek playwright (497/6 B.C.E.)

Lee Strasberg; actor, director (1901)

Eugene Wigner; physicist (1902)

[xxxrottenfairy]

[funkidscollection]

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[circlique]

Hey can I ask for some headcanons for your Ame x Mex? I love this pairing a̶n̶d̶ ̶i̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶d̶ ̶g̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶u̶f̶f̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶m̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶I̶'̶l̶l̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶

Sure!

- Mexico insists on doing all the cooking because, despite making good food, Alfred always manages to Americanize the Mexican food he makes.

- Mexico’s terms of endearment for Alfred evolved as follows: Alfred > Alfredo > Fredi > Fredito > Frito. And of course, “Frito” literally means “fried” as well so it’s somehow fitting.

- They have a lot of gay cowboy vibes. Possibly just because a lot of their youth was spent chasing each other around on horseback in the desert.

- Alfred loves Mexico’s singing. He’s very good with a guitar so he’s able to come up with little romantic songs on the fly.

- They have adopted way too many stray dogs.

- Alfred, despite speaking otherwise fluent Spanish, has a terribly American accent while speaking it and can’t roll his R’s.

[mooshs-crack-headcanons]

Hi moosh! Could I have sfw letters APW for dante, vergil, nero, and V? Thank you!

So this is my first piece for devil may cry, I hope it turned out well I'm still ify on it, especially with V's and a part of Vergil but I hope you guys like it anyway!

Dante 

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Dante is a pretty chill guy, but he really doesn’t get out that much besides to go do a job, out to get drinks and to gamble (losing most of his last payment from Morrison in the process and getting absolutely screamed at by both you and Lady) at the local bar, and to get a Strawberry Sundae at Fredi’s, most of these activities he loves for you to tag along with him (some partially to make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble *cough cough* like losing most of his fucking money *cough*) especially hunting if you can hold yourself in a fight, he gets a kick out of watching you kick demon ass and finds it really hot so expect a lot of flirty banter that’s filled with terrible puns and other dorky eye rolling one liners. This lovable fucking dork.

However most of your time spent together is in the office, which you can find the two of you laying on the couch watching the old busted television watching old movies or listening to the old busted jukebox that has been playing the same sixteen songs for the last thirty years (Dante stop abusing your shit) or just telling each other shitty stories the both of you have heard from one another countless of times, but somehow when he tells it again it somehow feels just as enjoyable as the first with somehow a different twist to it and when you tell it he always that charismatic talent that Dante just has this big heart throbbing grin on his face as he listens and it just makes your words sometimes stop that even he has to tell you to keep going, or just cooking together (and by together, I mean you doing 99% of the work because this man is forever banned anywhere near a oven anymore) because yeah sure pizzas 24/7 is fun and all but if there’s one thing (besides watching you kick demon ass) that he loves to watch you do it’s cooking and not only does he get to watch you excitedly dash from one part of the kitchen looking for ingredients and get a little messy along the way, he also gets something to eat out of it too in the end. 

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Embarrassment to show his absolute adoration for you in public? No way! Dante is all about that PDA, unless you’re uncomfortable with it then he’ll respectfully lay off...but sometimes he finds it really hard when you’re just super cute when talking to the crew about a job, it's just something about that look of thrill in your eye that always grabs his attention. But if you’re down with it, let the lap sitting, quick heated kisses, bad suggestive pick up lines, and questionable touches commence! 

Dante is the number one choice for a feel better boost, if you’re feeling unsure and doubtful of your abilities be prepared to see this man recite everything fucking cool, smart, and badass thing he’s ever seen you do, so it’s a given Dante absolutely loves bragging about you to people. As he’s sharing tales of your badassery, there’s a glint of pure love in his eyes as he looks back to you and watches as your doubts begin to slowly fade away to the back of your mind, and of course if this is a recurring issue you might find even the rest of giving you compliments from time to time, even from Vergil (which almost gave you a heart attack from the shock hearing that from the eldest son of Sparda) 

Kisses from Dante are never shy, when he wants to show affection to you he’s never shy about it. Kisses from him are always the type that shoots butterflies to your stomach and makes you feel dizzy afterwards, his favorite to pull over you are when you’re in the middle of working on paperwork (his fucking bills) and surprising you with them because always without fail you get drag away from your work and go to cuddle on the couch, bills to be forgotten (and he wonders why his electric shuts off all the time) The crew immediately learns quickly that Dante really doesn’t have any shame, but reactions vary when they stumble upon it with Trish and Morrison are the two not to really give a shit to be bothered by it, Lady, Vergil, and Nero just roll their eyes at it before going back to do their own thing, Nico lets the: “get a room love birds” and other types of teasing lines and whistles fly every chance she gets, Lucia either embarrassed and covering her eyes or scolding the both of you for being that ‘personal’ out in the open like that, and Patty asks really uncomfortable questions. Dante for the most part gets a kick out of all of it!

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

I think it's very clear that he mimics actions he sees in movies (just look at how he fucking uses Cerberus for example) and so lots of what he does romantically is stuff he's seen in romance films he remembers watching with his mother and brother when he was younger or films that when he really has nothing better to do and Patty brings (all with titles he can never pronounce) to the office on a lazy afternoon and that's the reason why his view of romance is so cliche. When asked jokingly about it, he'll give a shrug and answer with the fact that the love between his parents, forbidden lovers, is a cliche trope itself and from the very few memories he has of his mother and father together he definitely remembers how sappy they were together, so sappy that it might've carried over into their kids (Vergil you don't escape this, just you wait) 

 So that being said, with the heart shaped chocolates, the roses to start every date with, several dates under candle light on the roof of the shop under a full moon, no matter how cliche it may be the confident wide eye grin on his face during them will never fail to make your heart skip a beat. 

Vergil 

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Vergil of course really likes to take every opportunity to train whenever he can so that he can be sure he's able protect those he cares for, so he really likes when you take the time to spare with him so not only he can stay in top shape for whatever danger that may come in the future but also so that you can do the same that he doesn't feel like it's all up to him to protect you when he is assured you can protect yourself, this keeps his mind from wandering to dark power lusting places.

On free days that there's no jobs in sight and there's not a focus on training, Vergil of course likes to read in his book. Flipping through the pages of his old precious childhood possession he feels himself at ease and even more so if the two of you are laid up together in bed in the privacy of your shared room, your head laid softly on his chest with his hand in your hair subconsciously combing through it as he reads Blake's words aloud to you in a quiet voice as if the words were only meant for you to hear.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Listen, all the Sparda men are romantic in their own way to the core, I like to think it’s in their genes and this is Vergil we’re talking about, this man is an absolute traditional romantic with absolutely no PDA. I mean come on, again this is Vergil we're talking about this is to be expected the son of Sparda prefers to keep his romantic life absolutely private between the two of you. To be honest it takes only the closest people in the two of your lives to realize that the two of you are even together, so basically only those who are at Devil May Cry frequently. The tale tell is that out of everyone you end up being on the end of Vergil's...Vergilness the least bit, sure there are moments but at least you haven't been stabbed by Yamato or had any summoned swords shot at you like everyone in the office has been at least once (although this also applies to Kyrie but I see her never really doing anything that would really bother him) and he also gives to rare non sarcastic compliments, which blows Dante's mind every time it occurs. 

Vergil doesn't brag about you, he compliments, and true hearted compliments from Vergil are rare, but when they happen you always know he 100% means it especially if he does it in front of others. This is the only form of PDA he feels comfortable with doing, and usually they're about how you did in fights or a super rare version: that he's proud of you. 

Again Vergil believes all romantic acts should be savory in the privacy between each other, so it's obvious that he doesn't like kissing in public. However, if you were to hypothetically I don't know...give him a peck on the cheek or go even more scandalous the lips while he's at phone duty in the office while Dante and the others are around the pool table and sitting area or in Nico's van while waiting to drive off with the crew to whatever next job, his cheeks might turn into a interesting shade of pink. 

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

It takes patience to be in a relationship with Vergil, in the beginning he'll be closed off and won't share what he's thinking (but it says a lot with how much he does trust and care for you to be in a commitment with you) but as time goes on he'll slowly start to open up more and more as he lets himself accept the human in him to love you, and at this point he'll start to share things that are very close and dear to him. 

He has very fond memories of watching old black and white romance films with his mother and Dante, who only would watch them because the moment they would end he would immediately beg him to train with him, but with him falling down to hell and being corrupted since he was only nineteen to him he remembers memories of when he and Dante were kids more clearly than his brother can since to him they don't feel as they happened a long ago so he remembers watching these films from long ago in very great detail. So of course the moment he can find some of these films with the help from a hesitant Nero (still getting used to the whole dad ripping arm off thing and all) to find and order those they could find online. From the very moment he has the old tapes in his hands do they become as precious as you, Yamato, his amulet, and his book (as well as a little bit of Nero but it takes him a while to come to terms with it) so with this being something very emotionally important to him, and after very long pandering about it, he asks you to watch these films with him (he also considered asking Dante but figured since he didn't practically like the these films as children that he wouldn't want to to watch them now, absolutely no idea about the cliched dork he is now because of these types of films) The entire time you find yourself struggling to pay attention to the actual film instead you find yourself drawn to the deep nostalgic look in your lover's eyes as he's glued to the screen. For a while you're not even sure if he's actually watching the black and white picture either with how he eyes seem to be playing out scenes of the past and this is the first time you've ever seen this much emotion on his face at once. You end up holding a tight securing grip on his hand throughout the rest of the film, one normally he wouldn't hold for as long but you find his fingers subconsciously rubbing against yours from time to time. Once the nostalgic movie night ends the two of you don't say much to each other, which Vergil appreciates since how much emotional significance that it had on him and with the feeling that he's glad he got to spend it with you. 

Nero

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

He likes killing demons with you, it's in his blood. Just seeing you in action will without fail boost confidence in him and makes him want to show off for you, which ends with him getting hurt and scolded by you many times but he wouldn't have it any other way. 

Well, he really finds himself doing a lot doing jobs with Nico on the road as of late so except a lot of quality time together on jobs and in the van. When the two of you aren't out kicking demon ass expect a ton of sitting around in the van watching whatever happens to come in on Nico's very small and very shitty portable tv, this is when you learn your boyfriend has actually a lot of a surprising amount of trivia on shows that hadn't been in production in decades but are shown as frequent reruns on low quality channels that coincidently air in Fortuna's limited broadcast range. 

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

I feel like during the time around dmc 4, Nero at that point was absolutely super embarrassed with the idea of PDA, not even getting started with his insecurities about his arm, but I feel about now after his experience with dating Kyrie for a few years he gotten use to it a little bit. However that doesn't mean he won't get entirely red faced by teasing comments from Dante or Nico even if he was just looking at you for a few seconds longer than he should've.

Fuck yeah he brags about you to others. You're a badass, and he absolutely loves that. During a fight he'll gladly give you a cocky Nero way of approval by saying that even he should try and catch up before flashing you a smug ass grin before revving up Red Queen and jumping into the next hoard of demons.

Again Nero gets embarrassed easily, however unlike his father he's not totally against it but it depends on whose exactly around. For example if it's Lady or Trish, hell even Morrison he's perfectly comfortable with giving you a kiss hello/goodbye or wrapping his arms around you just for the hell of it because he knows that they're chill and won't make a big deal out of it. But if it's anyone else...he feels not so much about it. Dante and Nico tease the hell out of him for days, Patty asks very uncomfortable person questions, Lucia gets really easily flustered about it, and Vergil and Kyrie for personal reasons would just rather not prefer to do anything around them. But every time you are the one to initiate any sort of affection, he'll immediately rub/scratch at his nose with a very dumb founded flustered look on his face. 

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Nero is actually a good cook and absolutely loves cooking things for you and that is usually what happens for most dates, no matter how complicated the recipe he just seems to have a natural talent for it. So when it comes not only dates but to holidays as well, it's really funny to see the youngest relative of Sparda cooking away to serve the rest of the company on Christmas day when everyone knows damn well that neither his father or uncle has any clue how to work a kitchen and this is a fact that he holds proudly over his head. 

V 

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Well being Vergil's human half, I still say most things still somewhat apply to him but a little bit differently. V's not really the best partner to spar with for starters (the most I see him doing is letting you train with his familiars) but I feel that he still completely understands the reason why Vergil would desperately want that, but he has a little bit more in himself to have faith in you to know you can more than able to handle yourself with your abilities. 

Like with Vergil, V absolutely loves to read with you. It puts a nice warm feeling in his chest when the two of you are alone and with you in his arms as he reads to you as you both sit against Shadow and Griffon nesting nicely in your lap, all together like a nice small family. 

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

V, unlike Vergil, is torn between PDA. Like Vergil, he really does appreciate the privacy of time spent together behind closed doors but also he really does like the feeling of people seeing the two of you together as a couple, it brings out a heavy sense of pride and stroking his ego. 

V doesn't feel need to brag, he's proud of you and if you're with him you should know that by now, but if you're in need of some encouragement he always knows what right thing he's proud of you to pick you tight back up again. 

Kisses from V are never shy, will he do it often in front of others? Occasionally, but never frequent. When he does though they're always sudden and full of spark, you swear his lips are like an instant kill switch to your brain because once you realize that he's kissed you it's already hit you and most of the time you hear whistles and teases from Griffon (and sometimes Nico if she's around) that bring you back earth to (Name). 

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Vergil's nightmares plague him a lot, I mean he's literally contracted to them. So expect a lot of countless of nights of him waking up in cold sweat and doing his best to keep his sobs down as the image of Nelo Angelo is burnt into his mind. He would rather not talk about it, but he really does appreciate feeling you holding him through the after shocks. Tracing his tattoos or gently combing your fingers through his hair will slowly calm him down enough to at least lay back down with you and hesitantly fall back asleep knowing you're there to fight off the plagues of his mind at a moments notice.

[incorrecteintrachtquotes]

Niko : Fredi, do you think I'm stupid?

Fredi, not looking up from his cooking : The only stupid thing you are is stupidly pretty.

Fredi : Now tell me who called you stupid, I just want to talk.

[everythingabouteffyandskins]

- My opinion on Skins charatchers (generation 1 and generation 2)

////GENERATION 1

*1)TONY

-Tony was toxic and manipulative but he is undereted especially because he is the main charatcher.He is the same as his younger sister Effy.They both love to play with people’s feelings.I know that he was bad person but he is nothing worse than Effy so if you love Effy you don’t have reason to hate Tony.I really feel bad for him after his accident.No matter how bad person he was he didn’t deserve that.I hated him for playing with people’s feelings especially Michelle’s feelings and I hated him for using Maxxie and cheating on Michelle.But he was really interesting charatcher and I love to study about him a lot.

2)SID

-Sid is so cute.I always felt bad for him because Tony treated him really bad and Sid always wanted to be like Tony.He have really bad daddy issues and that broke my heart.He really deserve better especially when his dad died.

3)CHRIS

-Chris is my favurite gen 1 charatcher.He was always there for him.He cared about everyone.He was also going through a lot especially with family issues but still he was always smiling and trying to make everyone happy.You just can’t hate Chris,he is so adorable.His dead broke me so much..

4)CASSIE

-Cassie become really toxic in season 2 but honestly I understand why she was acting like that.She had anorexia and a lot of bad mental issues.Some people hate her for being too obssesed with Sid but its not her fault that she love him.She really loved him,she was the only person who actually loved him always.She was dying for his love just like Cook was dying for Effy’s love.It made me so sad how she was struggling and when she tried to kill herself because of Sid.

5)MICHELLE

-She was really bad friend to Cassie but otherwise I loved her.I really felt bad for her because she was crazy in love with Tony and Tony was just playing with her feelings and cheating on her.She doesn’t deserve all hate that she got (yes she used Sid and was bad friend to Cassie but there are a lot of worse charatchers).She was just an insecure girl in toxic relationship..

6)MAXXIE

-Maxxie is also my favurite gen 1 charatcher.He is so cute and he was also there for everyone.He deserved so much better especially when Tony used him and his best friend Anwar was homophobic.I really felt bad for him when Sketch was stalking him,it was just too much.Maxxie was amazing friend and he deserved better friend than Anwar (I always wanted them to get together hah).

7)ANWAR

-I really hated him because he is homophobic.But in my opinion he is in the closet,he was so fruity.He sometimes treated Maxxie really bad but I think he was just trying to hide his feelings.Anwar was really funny but the whole situation with him and Sketch was awful and I hated him for doing that.

8)JAL

-Jal was amazing friend to everyone especially with Cassie and Michelle.She always tried to help everyone and it was so cute.She was the only one who was ALWAYS there for everyone.I loved when she was with Cassie when she tried to kill herself.

////GENERATION 2

1)EFFY

-Effy is iconic.She is toxic and manipulative like her brother and I hated some of her actions but she is my favurite charatcher to study.I love studying about her and that’s why I have this blog about skins especially Effy because she is really interesting.Let’s not forget that she went through so much and that’s why she is like this (I made post about Effy’s mental health)but still some of her actions were awful and she is actually writen as bad person).We need to stop romanticizing her because she is toxic charatcher who needed a lot of help.I really felt bad for her when she tried to kill herself,when Tony almost died and when her parents divorced.I think that she actually had a lots of love in her heart but she didn’t knew how to show it and she didn’t wanted it.

2)PANDORA

-Pandora is really cute and I loved her but I hated her when she slept with Cook.It was just too wrong because she said To effy day before that happened that she would never sleep with Effy’s man but Cook was Effy’s man.Pandora was really childish.She gives me a lot of Sid vibes because Pandora wanted to be like Effy just like Sid wanted to be like Effy.Pandora didn’t have dad and I never saw someone talking about it but it was just too fucked up.She actually met him in her unseen videos (you can see it on youtube) but they didn’t know that they are daguther and dad.

3)COOK

-Cook is one of my favurite charatchers.I loved him a lot especially his story.Some people hate him because of his anger issues but he went through so much.He didn’t had family,he didn’t had home.Cook wasn’t toxic he was just broken inside.His sadness turned into anger.He really had bad mommy and daddy issues.Effy was the only girl he ever loved and then she broke him.He loved Freddie more than anything and Freddy was his family but Freddie also broke his heart so many times.Cook is also really interesting charatcher and his story broke me.I love him with all my heart.

4)JJ

-I’m biggest fan of JJ.He is one of my favurite charatchers in gen 2.Freddy treated him so bad and he deserved better friends but atleast Cook treated him so much better.I can’t understand people who don’t like JJ.JJ is literally the cutest person ever and he deserve whole world.His smile always makes me so happy.He cared about everyone and he just wanted his friends (Fredie and Cook).He is so underated and I’m so glad that Emily and Thomas treated him amazing.My baby JJ deserves all happiness.

5)FREDDIE

-I hate Freddie.Even Jamie Brittain (writer of skins) when they asked him why they killed Freddie,he said: “He was an idiot and we wanted him dead”.Freddie is too overrated and he treated JJ and Cook awful.Cook always choosed Effy over Freddie(no matter how much he loved Freddie) and Freddie never choosed Cook over Effy.Freddie was the worst friend and JJ and Cook deserved better friend.Cook>Freddie always.

6)THOMAS

-Thomas is also one of my favurite gen 2 charatchers.He is so cute especially when we first met him.He really loved Pandora a lot and it made me so sad when she cheated in him and when he realized that she changed.Thomas deserves whole world and I loved his friendship with JJ.It made me so happy when he said to group that he always wanted friends like them.Thomas deserves whole worlds.

7)EMILY

-Emily is also one of my favurite gen 2 charatchers.She deserves whole world!!!She have really bad family issues,it made me so sad that her family didn’t support her with something she can’t change.Her tears always broke my heart.She was amazing friend to everyone especially JJ,their friendship was the cutest.I think that no one broke her heart more than Naomi,she really loved her..

8)KATIE

-I hated Katie because she is homophobic and she was bitch sometimes but I really loved her when she changed.She learned from her mistakes and its always good to change.I really felt bad for her when she found out that she can’t have kids.Her story ended so sad..

8)NAOMI

-I hated Naomi for cheating on Emily but otherwise I loved her.It made me so sad that she tried to be in the closet and she tried to hide her feelings for Emily.She really loved Emily but Naomi broke Emily’s heart so many times.His death made me so sad,her and her and Emily deserved better ending.

[matthewschueller]

10 Places to Eat in Puerto Vallarta - Zona Romantica

Top 10 Places to Eat in the Zona Romantica, Puerto Vallarta

1. Panchos Takos — The Best Tacos al Carbon in Puerto Vallarta!

Panchos Takos was the only place our cab driver mentioned when we asked where to eat on the day we arrived and he was not wrong. Panchos opens in the evening and specializes in tacos al pastor. There is usually a line along the sidewalk waiting to be seated in their indoor/outdoor seating area. While you wait, grab a Corona or Pacifico and take a peek at the menu and mark your selections. We suggest 80% of your picks include Al Pastor ;) and don’t forget the guac!

2. Taqueria El Cunado — Local Tacos

Taquieria El Cunado is a family run taco stand just one block from Playa Los Muertos Pier. The quaint outdoor taco stand has served the community for over for 30 years and is staple for locals and is quickly becoming a hotspot for tourists in the Zona Romantica. Make sure to try all of their homemade salsas!

3. Mariscos Cisneros — Ceviche & Seafood

This restaurant specializes in seafood dishes, while operating a taco stand out front during the daytime. Not far from the old part of Puerto Vallarta, Mariscos Cisneros is easy to find and offers a delicious array of ceviche, seafood appetizers, tacos and Mexican specialties. We had the Jalapeño Relleno Taco, and it was absolutely incredible. The pepper was stuffed with octopus, shrimp, sea snails, and marlin, then battered and deep fried. Wrap that in a warm tortilla and you're good to go!

4. El Pechugon — Puerto Vallarta’s Famous Rotisserie Chicken

El Pechugon is an incredible spot if you are in the mood for some amazing meat and potato goodness. They spin that chicken and let the drippings fall onto the potatoes below to capture all that flavor and satisfaction. You can literally smell that goody-good from blocks away. Let your nose guide you to their counter! YUM!

5. Mariscos El Guero — Seafood & Cevicheria

The owner of Marriscos El Guero spends his mornings at the local fish markets to pick out the freshest ingredients for the day. We tried the shrimp ceviche tostada and were not disappointed! We also got to try smoked marlin which they served with tortilla chips, both were a must try! The ceviche is made from the freshest catches of the day, marinating the seafood in tangy lime juice, spicy chiles, and crisp onion.

6. Taqueria El Moreno — Street Tacos

This is a go-to spot for a good, quick and cheap meal. Located on Calle Francisco, Taqueria El Moreno load up on ingredients, and everything they serve packs a punch of spice and flavor. If you’re wandering deep into Zona Romantica, this is one of the best stops for quick eats! Try their horchata, and get some Tacos de Birria!

7. Archie’s Wok — Asian

Not in the mood for Mexican food? Archie’s Wok is one of the best restaurants in town to try. Garnering the freshest of local seafood, meats and vegetables daily, the small staff transforms the ingredients via wok and grill into delectable Asian-inspired dishes. Archie’s Wok is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. This place is extremely popular, so be sure to call ahead and make a reservation!

8. Birria Robles — Authentic Mexican Birria

Birria is a classic Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco. Birria is usually made with goat’s meat, with lamb or even a combination of several types of meat. The use of a combination of meats is common in restaurants or local Birria eateries known as “Birrierías”. The marination and cooking of the meat leaves behind a wonderfully fragrant beef/lamb and onion broth that the corn tortilla is soaked in, before being deep fried again. Once the birria is assembled, the final product is again dipped in the same broth before being consumed. By far, this was one of our favorite dishes to try in Puerto Vallarta, and Birria Robles is a true favorite admired by locals.

9. Taco Birria Chanfay — Birria Street Tacos

This humble taco stand has been serving birria since 1972. Cheap street food where you will find plenty of locals. Make sure you ask for a side of "consume", which is a cup of the juices the meat is cooked in. Add lemon and onions and you won’t regret it!

10. Fredy’s Tucan — Restaurant and Bar

With more than seventy different dishes, Fredy’s Tucan is a favorite place for locals and foreigners alike. Fredy’s Tucan offers a casual atmosphere with an inside garden, where personal attention is synonymous of their total commitment to offer excellent service. Among the most popular dishes, you can find “El Campesino” (the country plate), which is an “Arrachera”, a tender marinated beef cut accompanied by delicious “Chilaquiles” (corn tortilla with sauce) and refried beans, for a very Mexican breakfast. They also serve spectacular chocolate flavored “Black Forest Pancakes” bathed with strawberries, whipped cream and pecans.

[devilsnwitches]

SSDD - Ch4 Crack the Shell

AO3 <Link - Written by @lynxtigerwritings & Me

Tags - Alternate Universe / Canon Divergent

Pairings - Vergil-OFC / Dante-OFC / Nero-Kyrie / V-OFC / Nero-V

(idk why the heck there’s like a constant link to a blog I don’t know? just ignore it?)

He didn’t need a babysitter, Charlotte knew that. The silence had rung out loud when he left, and Charlotte was a little concerned. She could guess that’s how he came to be so wounded. She knew that he probably wanted space, to clear his thoughts and mind, but she also wanted to offer a support system. It wasn’t hard to catch up with him, but she hoped that the distance she kept wasn’t too much and too weird. She also hoped that it gave him some comfort that someone was there.

The silence was hard. It was cold. Uncomfortable. Yet Charlotte didn’t feel like he was trying to push her away. They went around the block and then they went a different direction altogether. It was interesting to see the city as a pedestrian. The buildings were a little more crowded, held a lot more life. The landmarks she used to drive felt different too. Like she was seeing them from a whole new point of view. “I should do this more often.” She murmured to herself. Even the sun reflecting on the glass held a different sort of scene.

“Not many walk simply to walk, or see just to see,” Vergil cracked the silence on his end, hands buried into his jacket pockets and shoulders drawn tight, “It helps me think. Puts this energy, good or bad, to use.”

She could understand it. She used her own energy in a different way, but still comfortable. Charlotte jogged again to catch up. His legs were much longer than hers, so he took better and quicker strides. She brushed her hand against his shoulder but withdrew it quick. “Better than destroying something out of agony.”

“Such as a wall? Plates and furniture?” Vergil glanced at her from the corner of his eye, sighed through his nose and slowed his walk for her to a more casual amble, “My agony is how I lost my Yamato. Too blind to care to go back for it, and by then I was too far and I had tunnel vision.”

Charlotte felt his story was on the brink of being told. Her eyes went to his back, where the wound was still healing. The black veins and the skin flaking off. The air suddenly felt cooler, or maybe she recently felt the change in temperature. She was grateful for the slower pace, she could finally keep up without needing to jog. The walls and furniture were Yvette. Charlotte already knew that she was the glass breaking and the screaming. Screaming most definitely was her thing. “...I know it’s bold of me.” She said softly. “But you can lean on me. Nothing you say will pass my lips. You have my word.”

“I take people who give their word extremely seriously.” Vergil tensed a bit, “I’ve already been asked. I have not told much of anything.”

“I don’t believe in take backs.” Charlotte countered. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, just know that I’m listening, and if you don’t need me to listen but to support you in some way, I can do that too.”

A long drawn out silence stretched between them, his focus straight ahead for some time. He was used to people pestering, but Charlotte willingly kept her mouth closed, stubbornly or patiently waiting for him to crack again, either or both. It was mutual, but Vergil felt his chest tighten. His pain affected his demon, too. “I had no idea how long I had been gone until Dante informed me Nero hasn’t seen me for seven years.”

A long time. Charlotte blissfully stayed silent, knowing that there was more to this and Vergil didn’t need her to go poking at him. Seven years. That was a long time. Dante and Vergil were infamous for their relationship. Almost everyone in the demon hunter community knew that they didn’t really keep tabs on one another unless they had a reason. Seven years and Nero not even hearing a word? Now that was alarming. Charlotte wasn’t sure if she could handle waiting that long. No. She mused. She didn’t think she would. He was a strong man, who could handle a lot of things thrown his way, but he was half-human. He wasn’t invincible, even if the Sparda boys pretended that they were.

God, she wondered where that idea even came from. The idea that their father was a worshipped cult god or the facts of his military prowess. She supposed if it was her, a month would be enough to make her worry. It’d make her worry enough to go search.

“I never meant to leave him for that long. I am certain he knew things went downhill if he found the Yamato. It was always with me.” A turn down another street. “I am aware I missed a lot of things. Him growing closer to Kyrie. Becoming a man. Dante told me about what happened in Fortuna and that’s why they’re both here. I am proud he has done well for himself…” yet he had missed it all.

Charlotte gently brushed her hand against his arm, a passing motion, a soothing one. She felt the regret that was ringing loud between them. Of how much time he had missed, and of what was going on. While the “secrets kill” comment bothered her, she found herself unable to ask. Maybe she herself didn’t want to know, or maybe she knew that he’d tell her when he was ready. This was going to be the hardest hit for them both. She knew that. “As long as you’re alive,” she spoke up for once, breaking her vow, “You’ll always be able to make up for the lost time. No matter when. Seven years is a mere blink of an eye. There’ll be seven more after that, and after that, until we stop breathing and we’re on our funeral pyre.”

“I intend to, which is why I have yet to leave.” He looked up at the sky, “What led me running into Stolas was chasing the demon that took me from Fortuna and on a wild hunt. I was focusing on gaining the power to kill him. While fighting him, Abaddon showed, and Stolas took my distraction as an opportunity. I hate attacking and being attacked from behind.”

Charlotte kicked a rock off of the sidewalk, her frown speaking volumes. She wasn’t very fond of demons attacking from behind either. Less because they were cowards, and more because that was her weak point. She could only focus on so much during a fight, as long as it was in front of her face, they had nowhere to go, but the minute they were out of sight? That was when battles got dirty, and dirty fighting was never her style. Yvette handled those fights better, even if they did tend to get on the gory side, much to both sisters’ displeasure and distaste.

She slipped her hands into her short’s pockets and pulled out a hair tie. Quietly she started to tie her hair back up in a makeshift bun.

Vergil had looked at her then to see what she was shuffling for, and the mere moment she swept her dark hair from her neck, baring it, he sucked a quiet breath and pointed his eyes forward. She hadn’t even meant to tempt and that was rude of him. “Would you like to head back, or are you hungry?”

The sudden choice made her pause in tying her hair back. She had been so caught up listening, it threw her for a loop. It took a bit for her brain to reset and then she nodded, “If you feel up to it, let’s stay out a bit longer.” She offered. She wondered if he saw her scar, and that was why he had sucked in his breath now that she thought about it. It was a nasty scar. Really, even Yvette tended to not be too pleased when she saw it.

A reminder of an amateur's mistake, but Charlotte couldn’t find the heart to be ashamed of it. She didn’t feel like talking about it, and she also didn’t think that was quite the reason why he suddenly gasped. Then again, could’ve been the memory that he was at too. Whatever the reason, she decided to let it slide as she finished tying her hair back.

“When Dante brought me here from Nero’s, he took me to a diner. Fredi’s. Do you know it?” Vergil asked as he changed course, catching her elbow to turn and lead her down a crosswalk, then put his hand back in his pocket.

For a brief moment, she wondered what it would take for him to actually touch her in return. Though she was pretty grateful he led her. “I don’t think so. I normally cook at home.” She admitted, gently kicking the sidewalk again, this time more out of shyness than anything. “I never found a reason to...go out. So it’ll be a nice change of pace.”

A softer expression and his shoulders weren’t so tense, “Then let us enjoy ourselves while we can. You did say you want to do this more often. So do it.”

“Only if you come along for the ride.” Charlotte couldn’t believe herself. Why. Why did now of all times had to be the time she channeled her inner Yvette. She made a mental note to throw a pillow at her sister when she got back. Or smother her. Whichever was fastest. Well, she didn’t believe in take backs. Better live with this.

“As it will get me away from Dante and keep me from killing him, I accept.” Vergil rather enjoyed watching her have an internal debate with herself. Both sisters seemed to be expressive and it helped. Fewer bushes to dance around.

Looked like Yvette was only going to get a pillow tossed at her. In the face. Charlotte mentally cheered though. Score. “Awesome.” Why. “What do you normally get?”

“This will only be my second time, but they offer more than strawberry sundaes. I ordered an orange cream parfait.” Vergil shrugged a shoulder, “I tend to go for more orange-flavored things. Dante is all about strawberries.”

Oranges. Charlotte wondered if she had anything in her recipe books at home that called for oranges. “Huh.” She knew that there were a lot about strawberries. The last time she did anything orange was homemade orange juice because she was ticked off and she didn’t feel like screaming and needed to burn off energy faster than baking bread would ever allow. “I’m keeping that in mind.”

X

The city was quiet. Well, quiet enough. He did land a few gigs. Some demons were tearing up the place, but not at an extreme measure that Lysander spoke of. At least, not yet. They were small fry, easily taken care of, and yet Nero still couldn’t help but feel like there was something really wrong with the scene. Maybe it was how weak the demons were and how they were flocking. Maybe it was his father’s paranoia finally kicking itself back into gear now that he knew what caused those black veins to begin with.

Regardless, Nero deserved the damn twenty-minutes it was taking Nico to get a carton of cigarettes when he saw Alexina walking down the street. It was fast how he could recognize her with an extreme style makeover. He rolled down his window, just as she was passing. “Yo. You dressed as a pinup girl for a costume?”

“Save it los-” Alexina’s head turned and her cheeks flushed. “Hey, Nero. I thought you were-”

“Some catcalling idiot that doesn’t know when to stop? Sorry about that.” Nero gestured at her outfit. “You look nice. Did V take you out?” The immediately raised eyebrow made Nero swear in his head. That “someday” wasn’t “today” it appeared. Damn, he wasn’t sure he’d have the patience that V had for this. “Never mind.”

Alexina huffed a laugh. “I used to get those questions a lot back when we were in school together.” She shook her head fondly. “We’re friends, Nero. That’s all. Hey, speaking of friends. I got a question for you since I have you pinned.”

“That’s not at all suggestive but you can hit me with your best shot.” Nero offered, leaning against the door.

“You and Kyrie. Are you two closed or open?”

“Closed?” Nero hated that was even a question, but he was pretty taken aback by Alexina’s question. “Do I even-”

“I was just curious.” Alexina waved it off. “I thought that...well...never mind.”

“I’m sorry to disappoint ya.” Nero rubbed the back of his neck. Oh boy, and here V was just telling him that he had plans. He was thankful that he probably could cut that off quick. “Hey, there’s someone that I know who has a crush on you.”

Alexina looked taken aback and then she smiled ruefully. “A friend of a friend?”

“Nope. Straight up friend,” Nero was going to get V to pay him back for this, he was certain of it. “He’s a little eccentric, but he has a good heart. He has his way of throwing you off your game if you’re not careful, but other-”

“Hey.” Alexina reached into the car and gently placed a hand on Nero’s arm. “I see what you’re trying to do.” She gave him a gentle smile. “Anyway, I got a favor to ask you.”

“Can’t say I didn’t try. What favor?” Nero asked.

“Let him down gently.” Alexina let go of his hand. “He really likes the both of you.”

“Wait, what?”

“I should get going. Bye Nero.” Alexina waved.

“No, wait! Lex! LEX!”

“Jesus, what are ya shouting for?” Nico came towards the van and looked over to see Alexina’s retreating back. “Was that Lexi?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh shit! She was here?! You didn’t give her Silver Wings did ya?”

“What?! No! I didn’t think you were done with it.”

Nico smacked the door. “Damn it, Nero, you’d lose yer head if it wasn’t screwed on.”

“Says the lunatic that drives like one.” Nero snarked back.

“Yeah yeah. Here hold on to these will ya?” She tossed her cartons into his lap and headed towards her side of the door. “What was that conversation about anyway?”

“Honestly Nico? I don’t have a fucking clue.”

X

“Hathaway, you should be fucking pleased as peaches.” Griffon flapped onto the counter in time for a scrap of meat to be flung towards his direction. She had a knife in her hand so Griffon knew that he had to be delicate with this. Careful even. If she got hurt it was his feathers that’d get roasted. “Whatcha making?”

“Food.” Alexina gave Griffon the side eye. “Off my counter, Griff. You’re in my way.”

Griffon stole another food scrap and flew himself to the other side of the kitchen, using his talons to peel into it. “Still you gotta be jumping for joy. Because Vitale, le gasp, touched Nero!”

Alexina had been so focused on slicing that when she heard that she accidentally had placed her finger a bit too close to the blade and sliced her skin open. Cursing, she placed her finger in her mouth and glared at Griffon. Her heart stuttering in her chest. V...that didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean anything. She felt her throat feel a bit thick. “What do you mean?” She asked around her finger as she started hunting for bandages.

“I mean, Hathaway, you should be more careful when handling sharp objects.” Griffon taunted and wasn’t surprised when she threw a carton of...something at his head. Medicine of some sort. “Rude! I was trying to tell you how V got snuggly with a demon hunter and looked cute doing it.”

V was cursing when his door opened down the hall and he appeared shortly after, holding his hand and frowning, “Xina? Griffon? What is going on?” he kept his hand close to his chest and bent down to swipe up the thrown bottle off the floor.

“She tossed that at me!” Griffon tattled.

Alexina glared at the bird, “You distracted me. I’m alright, V.” She assured as she finally found the box of bandages and fished one out. “Sliced my hand on a blade is all.”

“I was telling her about you and Hotshot.” Griffon taunted proudly. “You know, how you two got cozy enough to give cavities.”

Closing his eyes, V internally groaned and when he opened them again he went to Alexina, taking her hand before she could try and fumble the box open, her blood now all over it, and for the first time he tried. Tried to focus on his energy and feeling hers together. They were tied. He knew that. Focusing on what he wanted, he watched the purple shimmer and light before his finger was the one with the cut and hers was perfectly fine. “There.”

It felt like deja vu. Always looking out for her. Her heart stuttered in her chest again and she quietly went back to the box of bandages, getting one. “It was only a minor cut.” She murmured to him as she unwrapped the bandage. “You didn’t have to do that, V.”

Griffon cooed softly in the background.

“I will be the painting of Dorian Gray if necessary, minor to major.” V was dead serious.

It wasn’t the first time Alexina wondered what life was going to be like. She slowly bowed her head, taking a breath. His boyfriend would be upset about that, wouldn’t he? Or did they talk? They must have talked if this Nero was close to him. He probably agreed. Otherwise, V wouldn’t have done it. She bandaged his finger, trying to be careful since touch was so hard. It made her jealous that Nero could….but she shoved that right down so fast she nearly got dizzy from it. Nope. Nope. Nope. That wasn’t happening here.

He deserved happiness for once in his life. Alexina looked up at V, eyes searching. She knew too well how this battle of wits would go. She also knew to bow out. “Tell me about him.” Was all she could offer. “He sounds nice, and Griffon’s torturing me by withholding information.”

“Shadow liked him nearly as much as she loves you.” V brushed her bangs from her eyes, “He called Griffon a chicken, much like Charlotte did.”

“He’s a pain in my ass is what he is.” Griffon ruffled his feathers. “He fucking got the cat to stick her tongue out. The affection whore!”

Alexina laughed genuinely. He couldn’t be that bad of a man. She was upset over nothing and she knew it. Deciding right then and there that maybe it was time her and Griffon teamed up, she nodded over towards the kitchen. “Tell me more? I’m cooking dinner so you can tell me while I’m doing that unless...is it the deadline you’re working on?”

“It can wait, I made quite a bit of progress before I was...distracted. I will go back when my finger heals.” He had been grateful that at least small hurts healed fast, though of course, he wasn’t looking forward to the big hurts later. “Nero offered to help me train.” He started off as he pulled a chair from the table, “I said something that struck a chord in him, and he immediately said he would help me. Not offer, but told.”

“They’re both addicted to damsels in distress,” Griffon said as he flew back towards where she was cutting again. “Be careful with that knife girlie.” He teased and she pretended to swat at him with it. “They’re both dumbasses Alex. Both. Dumbasses. I can’t handle it.”

“Sounds like you have your wings full.” Alexina teased and glanced behind her shoulder. “So he saved someone too and that’s what the connection is?” Wait a moment. Now that she was thinking about it. She glared at Griffon. “Hold on a second. Isn’t Nero with Kyrie?”

“Mm-hmm,” V hummed as he watched Griffon grin as best a bird could grin. Of course he would freak Xina out so he could comfort her fears. “Nero’s way of saying her name tells me all I need to know about how much he loves her. That is part of his motivation to train me. He understands.”

Griffon shook his feathers out. “You told him about you being sick, Hathaway? You even got a Nero nickname too. He seems pretty fond of you.”

“I’m defeathering you later,” Alexina muttered under her breath.

“Hey V, how long do you think it’ll take you for you to steal Nero from Kyrie?” Griffon turned his attention to V.

“I don’t know, Griffon. I might fool all of you and steal Kyrie.” V deadpanned.

“You fox!” Griffon crowed, flapping to V’s shoulder.

Alexina bowed her head for a moment before taking a breath. Weirdos. They were all weirdos. “Do you have a crush on Nero or on Kyrie?” She asked curiously. “There’s no shame here, you know...if you do. You know that right?”

V stood up again and came up behind her, his hands lightly skimming over her shoulders, “I don’t know that I do. You cut your hand and threw a pill bottle at Griffon.”

Griffon trilled softly, as though following the motions of the conversation.

Alexina tossed the vegetables into the pan carefully so that the grease wouldn’t fly up and hit them both. She didn’t want him to take on another minor wound. Even if he was willing to be the picture of Dorian Gray. She was grateful that he was patient, he knew to wait her out, especially when she was working near a stove. His happiness over hers. She vowed that damn it. If he could take on her minor hurts, then she could damn well give him this. “Mistakes.” She said after a moment. “Griffon caught me at a bad time and he decided to make it worse by being mouthy. Everything else though? I’m not lying. I won’t shame you for loving someone V. Not a single person. Or people even if you’re that way. I care about you too much for that.”

“People,” V said immediately, latching on to that tightly. It was the smallest opening that offered him both, and he wouldn’t let it slip away.

“And do you see me going ballistic?” Alexina smiled lightly at him. “See? I told you. No judgment.”

“I quoted Wolf and Flame from Nikita Gill to him,” V finally admitted to her, stepping back to give her room and watched her, the safety net of ‘people’ beneath him now. The last thing he wanted was for her to be upset with him; even though she hid it well, he still knew her.

“That’s a good one. It matches him really well too.” Alexina said as she carefully added the meat to go in with the vegetables, tossing another scrap towards Griffon who caught it mid-air and pleased. “He really is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. No one really sees it, but I guess we did. You did for sure.” She tossed him a smile from over her shoulder. “Need me to be a better wingman than Griffon?”

Griffon squawked, “What the fuck, Alex.” He rarely used her name, but when he did, it was for a purpose.

V barely stifled a chuckle behind his hand, “I believe I have it handled. We talked for hours on our own, and you know it takes a lot for me to talk to someone. You had a hell of a time.”

Nero had it easier. “Mom certainly knew how to crack you. Five minutes alone and you two were laughing.” She ached suddenly. Griffon even felt uncomfortable all of the sudden and he trilled, not pleased with the mood fall.

Tilting his head to the ceiling, V’s following sigh was longer. “I was shy with you.”

“I remember.” Alexina’s voice changed. Soft. Gentle. “Mom didn’t let you stay shy. She was all up asking you all sorts of questions. I remember being embarrassed. She got you open and I was so freaking happy about it. You looked good smiling. I wanted to keep that.”

Griffon looked over at V, head tilting silently as he watched for his reaction. The familiar knew of demons of the underworld. This was something strange, and unfamiliar to him.

“You do, Xina…” V whispered, shoulders dropping, looking tired and sadness swimming in his own eyes, but he closed them, “I smile every day seeing you here.”

“No. You smirk.” The lightheartedness came back so swiftly, Griffon felt a headache coming on. Humans were so freaking weird. So weird. Their emotions were weird, this was weird, and he couldn’t say anything snappish about it. He knew where he didn’t understand. “Dinner’s almost ready. Want to set places?” She asked lightly.

“Of course.” No hesitance, taking the attempt at humor for what it was and headed for the cupboards.

X

Alexina doubted that Nero and V were there since the van wasn’t in the garage. She had half of the mind to head back to the apartment when she thought about what V said a few nights ago. She knew it wasn’t her place. She slipped through the garage and headed up towards the stairs like she had the first time. Nico was crazily organized and messy at the same time, Alex noted. She was pretty sure everything had a place, no matter how out of place it seemed.

Using the back of her hand, she rapped a rhythm against the door. It had once been an inside joke between her and V back when they were teenagers, trying to knock to the beat of the other’s favorite song that they heard on the radio.

“I’m coming, just a minute!” Kyrie’s voice echoed through the door. As promised, it didn’t take long for her to swing the door open, chest heaving as though she’d ran. When she recognized the face, she perked a little, “Alexina!” Then she drooped, “Oh, I’m so sorry but I was about to head to work. Everyone’s at Dante’s place.” Indeed she was wearing a nice blazer and a pencil skirt, tights underneath and mary janes, not heels. She’d dealt with that before and it didn’t end well. Stupid demons.

“You look professional, I like it.” Alexina smiled warmly, “Do you need a ride?” The offer came quick and she was a little taken aback. Normally it would’ve been an apology and an offer to come by another time. She wondered if it was because this girl was someone V might have a crush on one day. Nero certainly was already on his list.

“I work at the orphanage. I can give you directions,” Kyrie nodded with a sweet smile, “I need to grab my purse. I’ll meet you at your car?”

Alexina nodded and quietly headed back to her car. Her heart was beating rapid fire in her chest. She already could tell she was nervous about trying to make a new friend. Near death and hospital stays didn’t exactly make for good conversation starters, and she was mostly left alone. Shrugging it, she decided to enjoy it. The nervousness, the butterflies that were in her stomach, the mere fact that she was going to go on a different route. She was probably a little crazy to love that. Yet months and months ago, this wasn’t a concept. This wasn’t even an idea. Not even a discussion. She waited patiently for Kyrie to approach the car and she smiled. “I suppose I came in the nick of time.”

With the garage door closed and locked in place behind her, Kyrie felt secure their place would be left intact until someone came home. She nodded to Alexina and slipped into the passenger side, breathing a sigh of relief, “I thought I was going to be late. I enjoyed my shower a little too much and had to blow-dry my hair.”

Being a firm believer of natural dry hair, Alexina grimaced at the mere thought of it. “The shower was worth it.” She determined after a moment. “I’m more of a bath person myself, but showers can be real nice too when-” She cut herself off, remembering there was no when anymore. “Well, I suppose it’s one of those days today. V’s gonna hate this.”

“What exactly do you mean? What will he hate?” Kyrie pulled a tie from her purse and put her hair up, then searched for her favorite clip to go over it.

“I keep thinking of things I used to not be able to do when I was sick,” Alexina admitted, leaning back into the seat as she reversed the car out of the driveway and headed down the road. “Today’s been a real good day. Every day’s been a nice little reminder of...hey I’m here still. You know? Things feel more real.”

“I’m glad today’s been a good day, but you still seem troubled.” Kyrie pulled out a small tube of gloss, a sheer pink and she put it on with practiced ease, “I don’t want to pry into your life, Ali. Looking out for everyone’s a self-imposed job I won’t give up. You don’t have to tell me anything, but I’m here to listen. Everyone knows that, so now you do, too.”

Alexina’s grip on the steering wheel tightened for a moment before she breathed. Nero had the best girl. V would adore her to pieces. “Then...do you mind taking V under your wing and looking out for him? Nero and he seem to be close and…” She trailed off slowly. “He’ll take on too much with me. He already did and he still takes on more. He’s like you. A little more on the selfish side, but he looks out for people he’s close to. Since he doesn’t really...have that. I’m mostly saying this because he’s...a gentle spirit. A really good person. And...he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or hurt Nero or anyone. If anything, he’d feel bad that he couldn’t take your pain too.”

“Nero takes on my pain well enough. After all, it’s a pain we share. My brother, Credo, was his best friend.” She didn’t need to elaborate on that one. The tone in her voice already said he was dead. “I did notice that Nero talked quite a bit about V when he came home that night. It makes me happy Nero has his family back and is gaining more friends. Would I be wrong to say you sound like you could use some friends, too?”

Alexina startled a laugh. “I could probably use some.” She admitted. “I’m a little bit worse for wear on the social train, but I can try.”

“Then don’t be a stranger, Ali. Come around. Talk to us.” The songstress giggled softly and smiled at the orphanage, “Are you busy now?”

“No, my last client was an hour ago,” Alexina said, glancing at the clock and then at the building that Kyrie had directed her to. She could see some kids playing on the playground. This wasn’t a school, she noted. She recognized this. “If V finds out I adopted five kids, we’re not saying a word.” She warned Kyrie. “Also, if I come around sometime, let me do your makeup?”

“I’ll keep track of what ones you adore because Nero’s the same way,” she laughed as she popped the door open, “I’d love to have my makeup done, and maybe Nico, too. We could have a girl’s night?”

When was the last time Alexina had such a thing? “I’ll be happy to come.” She assured as she got out of the car. She wondered how V would take Nero adoring kids. She supposed it’d go on the cute list.

X

Nero had to take a breath after getting shoved back by Shadow’s blades and having to immediately dodge Griffon’s lighting attack. Nightmare was agreed to be used “as a trump card” so Nero had focused his attention to distract the poet from saying too many poems to rev himself up to being the golem out. “Take five.” He held his hand up. “That nearly killed me.”

Griffon cackled as he went to V’s shoulder. “What hotshot you can’t take us?”

“That mouth of yours is what’s gonna get V killed if you don’t shut up every once in a while.” Nero pointed at the bird before glancing over at the building.

“They are meant to protect me, so I doubt that,” V tucked his book under his arm and when he felt Shadow bump his leg he knelt down and rubbed her ear, “You did well. Good teamwork between the two of you.”

“Always prepare for the worst. They can take a hit, but they can only take hits for so long before they gotta rest up and then leave you vulnerable.” Nero offered as he flopped down to the ground to take his own breather. “Gotta admit, I’m glad that you can hold on your own. For a while there you had me worried that Lex would beat me near death for breaking a bone of yours.”

“I am fragile, but I will not break so easily.” V shook his head and stood up, walking over to Nero, Shadow trailing by his side. “In fact, training has helped me feel a lot better than I have been.” He picked at his sleeveless coat, “I do not wear this as a fashion statement. Not anymore.”

Nero glanced over at the sleeveless coat, and he remembered that question that he had wanted to ask. Yet he also remembered why he didn’t ask it. V was...complicated. He only gave information, took information, but anyone’s questions could be met with a poem, a dismissal, or honesty. “You really don’t consider lying do you.”

“There really is no point in it. I can avoid the truth, but I won’t lie.” V agreed, carefully easing himself to sit down beside Nero and looked out at their training ‘field’ of sorts. Broken stone and upturned dirt everywhere.

“So…” Nero knew this was absolutely none of his business. “Lex has self-esteem problems doesn’t she.”

“I was severely reminded of that the other night.” V rubbed his temple, “It is difficult when I want the slow burn. I was debating on stopping by the store to see if they have her favorite flowers.”

“What she got jealous?” Nero huffed a soft laugh. Shadow took that as a sign that she could lay over his stomach and he grunted. “Over who? I wasn’t aware you had any other lady friends, and I’m pretty sure Nico doesn’t count, considering she looks at everyone like they’re hot meat. Shadow, why?”

V released a soft laugh and toyed with Shadow’s tail, twisting it between his fingers like one might twist and spin a pencil, “Griffon told her about this. About you and how I told you my name. Xina even cut her hand.”

“I’m not sure if I should be worried that she’s jealous over this, or if I should be worried that you’re hiding something.” Nero petted Shadow absently in his thoughts. “You know, that explains the conversation.”

That startled V and he furrowed his brows, “Conversation? Care to elaborate, Nero?”

Nero stopped petting Shadow and looked over at V curiously. “She asked if Kyrie and I had an open relationship of sorts.”

Shoulders tensing, V licked his lip and tilted his head, “What did you say in response to that?”

At that, Nero softened. “I told her about someone that might be interested in her. A little on the eccentric side. Can summon demons, has tattoos, made a deal. You know the works.”

V shook his head, relaxing back down, “Thank you for trying, Nero. At this point, I doubt she would believe anybody or anything until I…” he cleared his throat, neck warm, “Until I kiss her. She can be...obtuse that way.”

“You know, not everyone would set aside their life and make a deal with a literal devil to make sure she’d live.” Nero mused quietly. Shadow got up and started to make her way to V’s lap, already abandoning him. He supposed Shadow felt his distress. He wondered if V knew how often she got catcalled. The insult that nearly passed her lips. “If you’re determined about this slow burn, I got an idea for you. Those flowers you mentioned? Do it. Then do something fun. It doesn't have to be a date, but she needs out of the house for sure. Just don’t kill anyone.”

“Why would I…?” V trailed off as he came to the conclusion Nero knew something he didn’t. That was alright. He was keeping his attraction to Nero a secret as well. “I will take your advice. After all, you have a pretty successful relationship with Kyrie. How long have you two been together?”

“Five or so years. I had the worst crush,” Nero groaned, putting his hand over his forehead. “I tried to do the whole ‘I’m broody and mysterious and I don’t talk to people’ bullshit. I mean, I had a huge chip off my shoulder anyway, but I was...I was awful. Somehow someway she was charmed by it. I don’t know if she knew it was an act, or if she was because we were childhood friends and she saw right through me. I gave her a necklace for her performance the day things went to shit and after that...I threw all those reservations away.” He pulled his arm away from his forehead. “You know what I mean? You think, “I could’ve lost her, and what would’ve I said”. You think, “never again”. You think, “She doesn’t have anyone now. You couldn’t save her brother, so you gotta save her...cuz no one else is going to. No one’s gonna care.” You think, and you just...stop. You stop thinking. Best thing I ever did really. Straight up told her that I wanted her to be with me. Now she helps out an orphanage. I know all those kids and what happened to them, because in my eyes...they’re hers. Every single one of them. So I got a lot of people on my back, wanting me to protect them. I’d be fucking stupid now to lose all that. I thank my lucky stars every damn day and night for her. For her putting up with my dumbass, cuz I know I scare her.”

“I love the way you talk about her. It tells me so much about you.” V couldn’t even deny that. Nearly everything hit so close to home and a shaky breath left him, “I was an orphan. Xina’s mom took me under her wing around our high school years.” He brushed his bangs behind his ear only to have them fall right back in place, “Kyrie’s brother...loss is hard. Xina’s mother...there was an accident. Neither of us...really know. It was a closed-casket funeral. They would not let us see her body, say goodbye properly. When we asked, faces were grim and there were no answers.”

“What the fuck?” Nero looked at V torn between anger and sadness. Anger for the dismissal both Lex and V faced for wanting to say goodbye. How fucking hard was it? Nightmares could be fixed. “I would’ve kicked their asses and then some.” That explained a lot now. The closeness. V couldn’t do that again. Alex couldn’t be another body buried without an improper goodbye. “Jesus.” He let out a sharp breath. “No wonder. No fucking wonder.” He let out another breath. “What about her dad? Anything on him?”

V shook his head, “Nothing. Xina doesn’t know anything and her mother never said a word. I suppose you’re wondering knowing what you do about me why I haven’t made her mine yet. Your words make me wonder that myself.”

“It sounds like to me,” Nero said after a moment of thinking as he let V’s words wash over him. “You’ve been playing big brother role for a long time, and you don’t know how to step out of those lines. If you even can.” He looked over at V, taking in how the sun made him look a little younger. The tattoos looked as though they had a life of their own, but Nero couldn’t determine if that was the light that was reflecting on them or if they really were slightly moving. “You’re scared because you’re risking everything. Nothing will ever be the same the moment you have her. I always thought of Kyrie as my younger sister and believe me...that was a fucking hard line to erase but the moment I did I realized no. I never really “saw” her as my younger sister, it was easier to say it. It was easy because it meant I had her in my life somehow, someway. I guess the same goes for you two. Making a deal with a demon is a whole lot easier than to rip your heart out of your chest and say “here this is yours”. Maybe that was a little graphic.”

The back of his knuckles covered V’s mouth as he laughed. It was easy to laugh with Nero. Xina could make him laugh as well, of course, but Nero’s quirkiness had its own charm. “What you say holds some truth to it. Perhaps taking her on a date after presenting her with flowers is a good first step to try and see her in that different light, to see if I can step over that line, if only a little bit.”

“Oh my god fucking finally!” Griffon who had been oddly silent during the exchange appeared onto V’s shoulder. “How did this happen without me bashing you into walls.”

“Oh great the chicken’s back. Does that mean I get to beat you again?” Nero asked dryly.

“Try it, hotshot!”

[dweemeister]

Imitation of Life (1934)

Black stories in American films could mostly be found in independently-financed “race films” that could not inspire wider distributions. Every now and then, blacks might figure prominently in a film from a major Hollywood studio, including John M. Stahl’s Imitation of Life. These major studio films including black main characters most often framed those characters through the perspectives of white protagonists (as Mammy, Hattie McDaniel is probably the only one in 1939′s Gone with the Wind smart enough to see through everyone’s pretensions); when the opposite occurred, blacks were still heavily stereotyped (see: 1936′s The Green Pastures). Both approaches are deemed unacceptable from absolutists, but I contend that these framing methods, especially the latter, carried financial and sociopolitical risks for those involved in these movies.

Imitation of Life - based on the Fannie Hurst (a white Jewish author) novel of the same name and better known for Douglas Sirk’s 1959 Technicolor remake; both films released by Universal – pivots towards its white protagonists. Yet the questions this adaptation pushes of racial identity remain relevant, now less controversial than upon the film’s release. This Imitation of Life could not have addressed racial segregation directly lest the film be subjected to bigoted outrage in the United States, so the film makes its stance clear in scenes devoid of overtly political language, yet championing racial equality, black pridefulness. With an imperfect message and imperfect characterization, this 1934 Imitation of Life is a milestone of depicting black women on-screen.

The opening scene sees widower Bea Pullman (Claudette Colbert) playing with daughter Jessie (Juanita Quigley as 3-year old Jessie; Marilyn Knowlden at age 8; Rochelle Hudson at age 18) in the bathtub. Just outside, Delilah Johnson (Louise Beavers) and mixed-race daughter Peola (unseen in these introductory minutes; Sebie Hendricks as 9-year old Peola; Fredi Washington at age 19) have run into car trouble. Bea, seeing how well Jessie gets along with Delilah, asks Delilah if she would like to be employed as her housekeeper– room and board included. Delilah accepts, and these two women and their daughters grow alongside each other. Several years later, Bea creates a company making use of Delilah’s pancake recipe (Delilah has consented to the company’s creation and the use of her likeness a la Aunt Jemima). Meanwhile, as their girls grow, so do their problems. Jessie is a slacker, using her flirtatiousness or innocence to get her way. For Peola, the dilemma is existential: she passes for white, repudiates her blackness (early in the film, Jessie is the first person to call Peola “black” out of cruelty), and refusing to consider her mother’s words to cherish that blackness.

Imitation of Life wants to be seen as Bea’s movie, with Claudette Colbert (who performs well) the top-of-the-bill star. Jessie’s lack of work ethic is certainly a problem. But their situations – then and now – are overshadowed by the tragic melodrama of Delilah and Peola, a mother-and-daughter relationship shredded by the expectations of those outside the household. This breakdown happens not because Delilah is a suffocating mother or that Peola is an overall terrible person. Delilah has little, but has much to live for. Success in making pancakes means little if her only child is suffering. Delilah enjoys the business she has with Bea, but she has poured all the fibers of her being into loving Peola. It is love that accepts Peola for what she always will be: mixed-race, which includes her blackness.

Peola, from an early age, overhears and sees how blacks are treated in the community, how white is the default. She is also aghast at her mother’s acceptance of her smiling subservience to Bea (Stahl’s Imitation of Life never makes Delilah and Bea social and, in an unconventional way, familial equals). In one of the most heartbreaking scenes, in a pre-Brown v. Board America, Delilah comes to Peola’s school as Peola had forgotten her raincoat. There must be a mistake, says the teacher, there are no colored children in this classroom. Delilah sees Peola hiding her face behind a book and asks the teacher: “Has she been passing?” Were those words, written by screenwriter William J. Hurlbut (1935′s Bride of Frankenstein), meant to be taken at face value? Regardless of what you think, that scene might have introduced many white moviegoers to how painful racial passing is. It is a denial of belonging, a rejection of self that disallows comfort in one’s holistic identity, and reinforced by racial supremacist practices that can be presented as beneficial for all. One only has to witness Peola’s plight to understand the injustice behind those lies.

Certainly, these are bold topics to be covering in a 1930s film. Where it falls short of Sirk’s remake is that this Imitation of Life – probably due to political circumstances in the country – covers less ground, concentrates more on its white characters, never even suggests the violent realities of being black and female in the U.S., and never quite adopts Peola’s point of view. Her struggles with identity are seen through her mother’s eyes, never the other way around. The Sirk Imitation of Life includes one of the earliest instances of black code-switching (alternating between different dialects or languages depending on the setting and those one is having a conversation with) in a major Hollywood studio movie. By showing this, Sirk’s remake enlightens the viewers to what extent Sarah Jane – the Peola character – hides an essential part of who she is.

Melodrama is more susceptible than most film genres or subgenres to mediocre acting. Colbert and Beavers form an interracial partnership that stoked controversy especially in the South (for these critics, the idea of a white woman entering into business with her black maid was unconscionable). Their friendliness, even outside the bounds of business and Beavers’ domestic subservience, always feels natural. Their intimacy is established early, providing for each other emotionally and spiritually. For Beavers, she despised cooking and the kitchen-centric roles that she played throughout her Hollywood career (liberal commentators in 1934 were already decrying her character as a jolly mammy-like stereotype). Yet for this one time, Beavers is allowed to give this obsolete racialized figure the dimensions they were not afforded by any previous movie. It is the performance of Beavers’ lifetime, and American cinema impoverished because of the refusal to give black actors like Beavers roles beyond a white producer, screenwriter, or casting director’s imagination.

Cast as the older Peola is not a white actor playing a white-passing mixed-race child, but Fredi Washington – who had African-American and European ancestors, and, when asked if she ever wanted to pass as white, she responded: “I have never tried to pass for white and never had any desire, I am proud of my race. In ‘Imitation of Life’, I was showing how a girl might feel under the circumstances but I am not showing how I felt.” For Washington (and Sebie Hendricks), her bottled, understandable rage in real life explodes on-camera. Even today, biracial or mixed-race dialectics not just in American films, but films across the world, are almost unheard of. So unsettling was Washington’s performance and these themes that her character embodies that the Hays Office – which, under Joseph Breen, began to more stringently enforce the Motion Picture Production Code – marked Hurlbut’s first screenplay draft for miscegenation. Cut from that first draft and never appearing in the film are racial epithets and a scene where a black boy is almost lynched after being accused of wooing a white woman. Breen only backed down from his constant opposition to the revised screenplay after learning the film was already too far into production to be changed.

Both the Stahl and Sirk adaptations of Imitation of Life might be dismissed for peddling in racial stereotypes in a narrative that earnestly presses questions about racial passing, identity, and female friendship. Yet, in this 1934 original version – without the infrastructure and language of civil rights activism that would emerge later in the twentieth century – it carries bonds and burdens that reflected the lives of those without much cultural or political power. Imitation of Life retains its emotional impact today, never purporting to answer its most difficult discourses. The white protagonists within know not how to address those discourses, as they are not armed with the vocabulary to soothe the wounds in Delilah and Peola’s hearts. In that sense, little has changed since the 1930s. To make an honest attempt for healing is never in vain, as long as those efforts involve understanding societal and one’s personal contributions to the anguish that exists.

My rating: 8/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 11.17

Beer Birthdays

Felice Schachter; St. Pauli Girl 1990 (1963)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Kimya Dawson; pop singer, songwriter (1972)

Sophie Marceau; French actor (1966)

Rachel McAdams; actor (1978)

Stephen Root; actor (1951)

Tom Seaver; New York Mets P (1944)

Famous Birthdays

Nicolas Appert; French canning inventor (1749)

Mikhail Bakhtin; Russian philosopher (1895)

Martin Barre; rock guitarist (1946)

Leslie Bibb; actor (1974)

Jeff Buckley; rock guitarist, singer (1966)

David Bushnell; Turtle submarine inventor (1740)

Gene Clark; pop singer (1941)

Stanley Cohen; biochemist (1922)

Peter Cook; English comedian, actor (1937)

Howard Dean; politician (1948)

Danny DeVito; actor (1944)

Shelby Foote; historian (1916)

Daisy Fuentes; model, television VJ (1966)

Fredy Girardet; Swiss chef (1936)

Rock Hudson; actor (1925)

Lauren Hutton; model, actor (1943)

Gordon Lightfoot; pop singer (1938)

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; actor (1958)

Bob Mathias; olympic decathlon gold medal winner (1930)

Lorne Michaels; television producer (1944)

August Mobius; German mathematician, astronomer (1790)

Bernard "Monty" Montgomery; British field marshall (1887)

Isamu Noguchi; sculptor (1904)

Martin Scorsese; film director (1942)

Sophocles; Greek playwright (497/6 B.C.E.)

Lee Strasberg; actor, director (1901)

Eugene Wigner; physicist (1902)