#i suspect she was talking about the indian

[thenickgirl]

nick after aaliyahs first breakup

type: blurb (?) ✩ genre: fluff/comfort ✩ pov: third ✩ word count: 1k

summary: Nick consoles his daughter Aliyah after a breakup

warnings: swearing, a minor swearing, mentions of cheating, use of nicknames/pet names

a/n: a little blurb for my dad!nick au. saurrr i honestly don’t know how long a blurb is supposed to be, and i’m sure i’ve surpassed it, but whatever. i’m so obsessed with the thought of dad nick that i just couldn’t stop writing. anyways, happy reading! ✩

‘And maybe I’ll get used to it

But right now, I just feel like shit’

The family of three sat around the dinner table; Nick, his husband, and their 16 year old daughter, Aliyah.

The pair talked about their day as they always do at dinner, but they began to notice that Aliyah was awfully quiet tonight. Nick was the first to notice, never missing a beat when it comes to his baby girl. He glances over at his husband, who just shrugs, before gently placing a hand on her shoulder, “Liyah, you okay, bunny?” he spoke to her softly.

The young girl didn’t budge, pushing a few grains of rice back and forth on her plate with her fork, too lost in her own thoughts to hear her father trying to get her attention.

“Liyah Jade?” he spoke again, this time a little louder.

“Huh?” the brunette girl snaps out of her thoughts.

“Is everything okay?” the taller man sitting across from her finally spoke up.

“Um, yeah…” Aliyah starts, “Actually, I'm not really hungry. Can I just go to bed?” she asks, her eyes darting between both of theirs, praying they wouldn’t suspect anything.

“But it’s taco night, you love tacos. Are you sure you’re okay? Are you sick, honey?” Nick rambles, reaching his hand up to feel her forehead.

“Dad, please, I’m fine. I just wanna go to bed,” she says, pulling away from his touch, and Nick just nods in approval, taking her plate and wrapping it. The young girl gets up, sauntering to her room. Moments later they hear her bedroom door slam.

“You buying this?” Nick turns to his spouse, his brows raised.

“Not even a little bit. Smells like boy trouble,” the man replies, sighing deeply.

“Shit,” Nick mumbles under his breath.

The pair continued their dinner, as concern lingered in the air about their teenage daughter.

*time skip*

“Knock Knock,” Nick says, peeking his head into his daughter's room.

“Come in,” Aliyah replies weakly, having been crying for the past hour.

She manages to quickly wipe her face clean of tears as he enters. The somber girl was sat Indian style in the middle of her bed, her back pressed against the headboard. Nick approached the queen sized bed, also sitting Indian style in front of her. He takes in her appearance, her hair tossed in a messy bun, instead of the neat french braids she usually wore to bed. Her once bright blue eyes now red, and her lips swollen. His heart ached, wondering what’s got his sweet little girl so down.

“You know you can talk to me, right? No matter what it is,” Nick encourages, and she pulls her knees up to her chest, her arms wrapping around herself for comfort as the tears begin to fall again.

“Oh, Liyah…” Nick says breathlessly, getting up and settling beside his daughter, holding her small frame close to his, and she immediately sobs into his chest. He soothes her, kissing her head, gently rocking.

“What happened, baby? What’s made you so sad?” Nick asks, anxious about what she’s going to say.

“Ryan cheated on me!” Aliyah finally admits, sniffling as she sits up to face her father. Nick’s jaw clenched, and nostrils flared. He could feel his blood beginning to boil, but he knew he had to stay calm in order to console her.

“Bria told me she saw him kissing the new girl outside the gym.” She continues, and Nick looks at her, his eyebrows furrowed as he listens intently to her ramble about the events of today.

“I didn’t want to believe her at first, but she had a picture…It was him, dad! He was kissing her!” Aliyah’s voice cracks, and her father’s heart breaks.

“And when I asked him about her, he said it was nothing, and that I was overreacting. Overreacting, dad! He was kissing another fucking girl, and I’m overreacting?!” She scoffs, folding her arms across her chest.

“So, I asked if he’d rather be with her, and then he didn’t say anything and I-“ the young girl chokes on a sob, and Nick grabs her hand, squeezing it to comfort her.

“I guess it makes sense,” Aliyah trails off, “She’s so much prettier than me,” she whispers breathlessly, a single tear falling to her cheek, and Nick reaches up, wiping it away.

“First of all, you’re my daughter, so I know that’s not true.” Nick rebuttals, and the brunette girl chuckles. “Second of all, that little scrawny, musty, greasy haired, skinny jean wearing idiot didn’t deserve you in the first place.” He continues, brushing her stray hairs behind her ear.

“Boys are dumb, sweetheart, especially boys your age. Never let the stupid things they do make you start thinking differently about yourself. Honey, I know this is your first heartbreak and it sucks, and unfortunately it won’t be your last. But I can promise you, he’s going to be the one crying soon enough. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, creative, and talented. All great qualities you got from me.” He says nudging her arm, and she laughs.

“Oh dad, so modest,” Aliyah teases sarcastically before giggling.

“I’m serious, you’re fucking awesome, kid!” Nick chuckles. “Years ago you couldn’t have paid me to be a dad. But now, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. To this family.” Nick admits, draping his arm around her shoulder, leaning his head against hers.

“I love you, thank you, dad. You always know how to make me feel better.” Aliyah beams, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, inhaling his scent, finding comfort in his warmth.

“That’s what I’m here for, bunny. You can always talk to me, or dad about anything. I mean it, whatever it is. I'll always be there for you. I love you so much, baby girl.” He says, rubbing her back softly, as they sat in silence for a moment.

“Daddy?” the girl mumbles against his shoulder.

“Hm?” Nick hums, still holding her.

“Can I have my tacos now?” Aliyah mumbles again, and Nick laughs, pulling away to look at her.

“Girl! I fucking knew you wanted those tacos! Come on.”

*time skip*

“So?” the taller framed man utters, as Nick stomps into their shared bedroom.

“I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch, Ryan!” Nick huffs, before continuing, “He fucking cheated on her, babe, MY…I mean, our baby girl.” Nick scoffs, as he paces the floor, mumbling obscenities under his breath.

“Well, unfortunately we can’t kill him, but we could egg his car,” the man suggests, getting up from the bed, smirking.

Nick’s lips curl into a devilish grin, “You start the car, I’ll get the eggs!”

—

✎ signed,

𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓃𝒾𝒸𝓀 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁 ✩

a/n: guys i’ve never written in third person before, so i’m sorry for the repetitive descriptions of the characters. i don’t actually know what i’m doing 😭

🏷️: @muwapsturniolo @mattslolita @sturnioloslvtt @asherrisrandom @freshloveee @freshloveforthefit @maliaforstvrns @emely9274 @nicksbestie @soursturniolo @dumbf2ck @ameerahsblog @sturniolossss @nicksgirlfriend

dividers by: @/adornedwithlight @/cafekitsune

[runawaymarbles]

Would you be comfortable sharing that flow chart you mentioned in the tags about different ways Black and white people start conversations? It seemed really interesting and practical, but of course no worries at all if not! Thanks!

it wasn't about Black vs white conversation starters specifically: it's about making small talk at work without starting off with assumptions or putting them in an awkward position of having to explain something they shouldn't have to. (E.g. I do not outright ask people where they're from, what they do for work, etc.)

Context: I photograph newborns for work.

Example: Grandparents are usually good for at least three minutes of conversation, but you cannot ask about the baby's grandparents, because there's a non-zero chance that they are deceased (worse: recently deceased) or on bad terms with the baby's parents. So instead I'll say something vague like "is everybody very excited about the baby?", which gives the parents the choices of saying something like "Yes, all my friends are texting me for updates" (inference: they do not have close family; I might follow up by asking if many of their friends have children already) or "I didn't tell anybody I was pregnant" (got that once, it was fascinating, we had a good time discussing how she planned to spring it on people) and "Yes, she's the first grandbaby on the dad's side so his parents are thrilled"

The last one unlocks dialogue options like: oh do the grandparents live in town? No, they live in Nevada? I went to Reno as a kind and it blew my tiny mind. Is that where you grew up, or did they move there later?

Then they'll either say "yes that's where I grew up" and I can ask what brought them here (potentially opening such topics as: their jobs, if they say they came here for work; whether they miss sunnier weather, and so forth) or they can say "no, I grew up in Scranton but my parents retired to Vegas" or just "they moved later" and not mention where they grew up, if that's not information they feel like sharing. Then I can ask if their parents are enjoying wherever they've moved to, possibly fall back on some vague and unoffensive personal anecdote about said place, or go on to my next pre-programmed question* without anyone feeling awkward about it.

Some people are happy to tell me about how they grew up in Ethiopia and where their family is living now and how they came to the US to study microbiology and whether or not they like it here and if they'll be getting the baby dual citizenship and so on and so forth: some people do not, and this usually lets me skip around that without sticking my foot in it. (I'm pretty sure a lot of people don't want to say that they're Russian, for example, which makes me sad.)

The TL;DR is that I try to ask vague/open-ended questions that people can narrow down themselves, if they choose to, or make sure that a question is sort of an either/or so that they don't feel like there's a wrong answer. And I try not to assume anything about them whatsoever: sure, 99% of my clients with Indian names and Indian accents are in fact from India, but once in a while they're not. *"Do you guys have any pets? if yes: Do you think your pet knew you were pregnant?" [Most people think their dogs noticed the pregnancy, and some suspect their dog was the first one to notice they were in labor. It's fascinating. Alternately they say "no my cat's an idiot," and I can tell them about the time my aunt's cat stuck his face in a candle twice, and so forth.]

[specialagentlokitty]

Prentiss x male!reader - Christmas with family

HI! Please could I request a trans!male reader x Emily Prentiss fic! So I’m really not feeling very festive this year, and part of that is not having anywhere I feel that I belong, and I wondered if you’d mind writing a Christmas fic where the BAU finds out whilst on a case that the reader has spent the last few Christmases alone because his transphobic family cut him off when he came out. Of course the BAU (Season 4 team if possible please!) won’t let him spend this Christmas alone, & have fun with how they achieve that! Thanks in advance! - @the-imitation-blog 💜

Sitting in front of the woman in front of you, you placed a coffee cup down and offered her a warm smile.

“Thank you..” she whispered.

“You’re welcome, it’s cold and apparently this place sucks when it comes to heating.”

She smiled a little bit but it soon fell.

“I know you didn’t hurt anybody.” You said.

“You do? How can you tell?”

You leant back in the chair.

“Well, for starters you willingly came with me when I said that I needed to talk to you, you’ve had numerous times to run away give the chance, and you’re a very tidy person, whoever did this is messy and uncoordinated, and given your choice of a very cute llama sweater with those white jeans and white shoes, I’m going to say you’re very clean and coordinated.”

She smiled and nodded her head.

“Yeah, nothing works with a red jumper like white. If I’m not a suspect then why am I here..?”

“I have reason to believe you’re a potential next victim, so, for now I’d like to keep you here until my team are sure. Is that alright? If not you can go home and we’ll have officers at the door.”

“No! No, I’d rather say here.”

You carried on speaking to the woman in front of you, doing anything to try and distract her from the thought of somebody possibly being after her.

The hours slipped past and you watched as your team returned, watching Rossi and Hotch lead a man through hallway.

“We’ve got our unsub.” Derek said.

You smiled at her.

“Are you ready to go home?”

“Actually… can I stay here…?”

You glanced to the rest of your team who shrugged slightly.

“Sure, is there a reason why?”

“My family are coming over… we don’t really get along and if they see I’m not home they’ll go..”

“You’d rather spend Christmas alone then spend it with family?” JJ asked.

“Trust me, if you knew them you’d understand.”

“I personally don’t see anything wrong with spending Christmas alone, you can sleep, eat whatever you want, watch whatever you want.” You said.

“Really?” Rossi asked.

“Yeah, it’s not for everyone. But, for now I’m going to find something to eat.”

You got up and wondered away to one of the cars, heading around the town to find a good takeout.

Finding a pizza place, you got a few and made your way back to the station.

The woman had left, and you sat down at the table, setting the boxes down only leaving one in front of you so you could eat from it.

“So, what are your Christmas plans?” Emily asked.

You glanced up.

“I’m going to get a great bottle of whiskey, get some Indian from that place down the street from me and then play a few games I think.”

“Really?” Hotch asked.

You grinned a little bit.

“Yeah, it’s what I do every year, it’s pretty fun.”

“What about your family?” Reid asked.

You shrugged a little bit.

“What about them? They don’t want anything to do with me and I want nothing to with them, all there is to it.”

You stood up, grabbing your keys and bag and left, making your way back to the hotel.

That made it clear to them that you didn’t want to take part in the conversation that they were having, and they decided not to push it any further.

But it plagued Emily’s mind, she often spent Christmas by herself, it was pretty normal for her, but she always thought that you went somewhere.

You never responded to any calls or texts, you always seemed pretty happy and content.

As Christmas dawned closer, it kept bothering her, and finally she rounded everybody but you into the conference room, determined to do something about it.

It was now Christmas Eve, and you were walking around your apartment in a pair of sweatpants, a very oversized sweater and a takeout menu in your hands.

You went to sit down but stopped when you heard the banging in your door.

“Yeah! Yeah! I’m coming cool it!”

Walking over, you saw Emily stood there with a little grin on her face, and she held up a few bags.

“You got whiskey?”

“You bet, got some other stuff too.”

You let her in, closing the door again and she walked into the living room, setting the bags down.

“So, what crap we got?” You asked.

Emily tossed her jacket on the back of your couch and watched as you went through the bags, pulling out some simple decorations.

“Seriously?”

“Hey if I’ve got them up, you need them up.”

You laughed and she grinned.

She left while you were separating the decorations and came back with two glasses, pouring you both a drink.

“Can we watch some films before making it look like Christmas threw up in here?”

“Sure, I’m staying anyway.”

“Do I get a say?”

“Nope.”

You smiled a little at her.

The pair of you watched a few films, then began putting up the lights and tinsel, and while you were doing that, she began decorating the few houseplants you had around the room.

“Why do you spend Christmas alone?”

“Transphobic parents.”

Emily stopped, glancing at you.

“Screw them.”

You laughed a little at her, nodding your head in agreement.

For the whole night you just watched films, played some games until you eventually fell asleep.

When you woke up you could smell food and heard talking, and you woke up to a full living room, your whole team and their families laughing and chatting away.

“(Y/N)!”

You smiled, catching the boy who jumped at you.

“Hey Jack, what’s up? Why’re you here?”

“To celebrate Christmas with you!”

You looked at everybody who beamed brightly at you, then Emily who was smiling a little from the corner of the room.

Of course she would put something like this together, but it was nice to see your whole team there, your family

[noneedtoamputate]

Flyboys and Flirting

I had a chat with @shoshiwrites earlier this week after seeing this photo of Callum Turner in a turtleneck (thanks @hogans-heroes for doing God's work.) I blame her entirely for my Bucky Egan obsession. Like Ellen, I am not one to like the bad boys, but there is something about him and his character development during Masters of the Air that got to me. I tagged the photo with something like Chuck wouldn't mind Ellen taking off her sunglasses to check Bucky out, and Shoshi said no one deserves to look that good in a turtleneck. Based on our chat, here's a little fun one-off I wrote about Colonel Egan stopping by the tobacco store.

San Francisco

October 1957

Afternoons were usually quiet in the shop, a good chance to catch up on pesky tasks like organizing receipts for the accountant. He called Chuck last week, and Ellen saw the headache start behind Chuck’s eyes. Chuck hated anything to do with taxes.

She decided to get a babysitter for Friday and come into the shop for the day. They’d get everything sorted and then go out for dinner, just the two of them, as a reward for a solid day’s work.

They were in the back room, Chuck at the desk and Ellen perched on the counter next to the sink going over August’s purchases, when the bell above the front door rang.

Chuck sighed and rubbed his temple.

“You keep working. I’ll go out front,” she said as she hopped down, giving his shoulder a squeeze before walking out into the store.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. She forced her mouth to remain closed though her jaw wanted to drop to the floor. 

A curly-haired man with a mustache, aviators, and a bomber jacket, looking better in a turtleneck than any man had a right to, stood in front of the high-end cigars. He must have heard her footsteps, because he looked her way, took off the sunglasses, and flashed her a smile, a smile she knew he put on for everyone and had nothing to do with her.

This was a Bad Boy.

Ellen never had gone for the Bad Boys. She’d always liked the honor roll students, the boys next door. She suspected Chuck had gone through a Bad Boy stage, but by the time she met him, he owned the store and shaved every morning and parted his hair just so and was always on time to everything. 

Every once in a while, she wondered what it would have been like to be with a Bad Boy, the boy who kept her out past curfew or had a motorcycle or had a mustache that normally didn’t do anything for her but made her hot and bothered. 

She congratulated herself on wearing a pencil skirt and heels today instead of her usual shirtwaist dress and flats. 

“Can I help you?” she asked calmly as she walked toward him. 

“Yes, I think you can,” he said slowly, still smiling. “I should introduce myself. Colonel John Egan, United States Air Force.”

“Ellen Grant, co-owner of this store,” she said, shaking his hand. “Cigars, I see. What flavor are you looking for today?”

“Perhaps you can explain my options,” he said. 

Despite whatever game they were in the middle of, she wouldn’t play dumb. She went through what made each cigar different, whether they were flavored with sweet Mexican vanilla or spicy Indian pepper, how each one was rolled slightly differently and had different shapes and filters, affecting their taste. 

“Which one is calling you? Sweet or spicy?” she asked coyly, barely believing those words came out of her mouth.

“A little bit of both, I would say.” He lifted his eyebrows just a bit. “Let’s take a box of each.”

They walked over to the counter.

“I just flew into Hamilton Air Force Base last night for meetings. I’m sure my colleagues will enjoy these tonight,” he said. 

“I’m sure they will,” Ellen agreed. “Any cigarettes? Luckies or Chesterfields?”

He looked at her quizzically. “Luckies. How did you know?”

She laughed. “It’s my business. But for most officers, it’s one or the other.” She rang up two packs. 

They made small talk for a few minutes, about the store and his Pentagon desk job, but mostly about flying.

“You seem to know a lot about planes,” he said. He looked down at her finger, the one with the diamond ring on it. “Is your … co-owner a pilot?”

“Well, he was in planes, but he didn’t fly them. A paratrooper,” she explained.

He looked impressed. “The 82nd?” he asked. 

“No!” Ellen almost shouted. “The 101st.”

“Sorry,” John apologized.

“You should be. Those guys in the 82nd were a bunch of amateurs.” She grinned as she handed him the bag.

“Well,” he said, a little deflated at the prospect of leaving, “This has been a delight. Thank you, Mrs. Grant.”

And with that, the spell was over.

“Likewise, Colonel Egan. Enjoy your cigars and the rest of your trip.”

He smiled, nodded, and walked out the door without a second glance. 

Ellen turned around to walk into the back room when she saw Chuck, leaning against the wall, arms folded on his chest with an amused look on his face.

“What?” she innocently asked as she walked past him.

“You were flirting with that flyboy,” Chuck pointed out. 

“I was not!” Ellen could barely keep a straight face.

Chuck couldn’t, and he laughed out loud. “I heard the whole thing. God, it’s so predictable. All it takes is a pair of fancy sunglasses and a leather jacket and all the girls fall for it.” He shook his head. “Here I was thinking my wife would be better than that.”

“Oh,” she said, closing the gap between them and putting her hands on his shoulders. “Are you jealous?”

“Of that guy?” he asked incredulously. “Please.” 

Ellen tilted her head. 

“I’m not jealous, but nobody should look that good in a turtleneck,” he conceded.

She playfully hit him on the arm. “That’s what I thought!” she said.

“I’m not jealous,” he said again, grabbing her by her hips. “I’m the one who gets to do taxes with you and go out to dinner with you and go home with you,” He gave her a slow, sultry kiss. “When is the babysitter off duty?” he asked

“Nine o’clock. The kids should be asleep,” she sighed as he found the spot on her collarbone that she liked. 

“I hope so.” His hands left her hips and roamed lower. “No, I’m not jealous of that guy who is going to be smoking cigars with the brass tonight while I get to be with you.”

“You know, you can be bad, when you want to be,” Ellen remarked. 

“Very bad,” he agreed.

Ellen didn’t want a bad boy. She didn’t want a hotshot pilot with a mustache. But she liked knowing her clean cut, responsible husband who didn’t own a turtleneck could be bad if he wanted to be. That was enough for her. 

[litsetaure]

So…one of my favourite headcanons is that the Potter family are Indian. (Those of you who’ve read my Grindeldore/Wolfstar dancer fic might recall that Fleamont Potter, James’ father and the UK Prime Minister, is Indian in that. Funnily enough, our real life Prime Minister is a British Indian Hindu who became PM last year. On Diwali. Yeah, that was an…interesting day in the family. Still not entirely sure how I feel about it.)

Anyway - here are some headcanons about James Potter being Indian, some of which are based around how I actually grew up. (Note: there will probably be more as I think of them!):

When Holi comes around, James wakes the others up by pelting them with coloured powder. He does it every year and every year they fall for it. They also pelt everyone with coloured powder throughout the holiday. It took weeks for the paint to be cleaned fully. (Some people suspected Dumbledore deliberately let it stay like that because he liked the colours.)

Sirius got really angry the first time he heard someone call James a Paki. He doesn’t know what it means, but he never wants to see that look on James’ face again. He absolutely lost it when James told him what it meant. (For those of you who don’t know what it means, it’s an incredibly racist slur towards south Asians; along similar lines of using the n-word to a black person. This is also why James gets so angry whenever anyone uses the word Mudblood - because he knows how that shit feels.)

Sirius helps James create magical rangoli patterns during Diwali. They also take over the kitchen for an evening trying to make Indian sweets. The results are mixed-looking, but they all taste good, and the house elves get some great new dishes.

Every time a festival falls on a full moon, they always celebrate a few days after so Remus can join in. (He hugely appreciates the sweets.)

James initially wasn’t thrilled that his Animagus form is a stag, since a deer is the form one of the bad guys took in the Ramayana when he triggered the events that led to Rama’s wife being kidnapped.

When James’ father died, he had a traditional Hindu funeral. Traditionally, the eldest son leads the proceedings, but when James broke down, Sirius stepped in to continue. In that moment, James loved Sirius more than he could put into words.

James also taught the Marauders some Hindi so they could talk privately, as well as some Indian magic.

James, Lily and Sirius actually go to india for their wedding outfits. Lily also has magical mendhi patterns done by James’ aunts and cousins. James also had to gently explain to Lily that wearing white is associated with funerals.

Petunia showed up to James and Lily’s wedding in a white dress to try and upstage the bride. She’s very confused to realise a) Lily is not wearing white, and b) a lot of James’ relatives are looking at her weirdly, because she’s wearing a funeral colour.

At James and Lily’s engagement party, James’ aunties kept trying to set Sirius up with their daughters and teasing him about getting married. They shut up when Sirius snogged Remus in front of everyone. James wasn’t even mad that his engagement was briefly upstaged.

James has a book of Indian tales and legends passed down from his father. He read them to Harry at bedtime. Lily would smile and watch from the doorway. He also taught his friends some classic Indian songs to sing to Harry.

Every year on Raksha Bandhan, James ties a rakhi on Sirius’ wrist and charms them so they’ll never come undone. One night, Sirius noticed the threads of one of them coming loose. That night was October 31st, 1981.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

I wish there was some way I could trace which tribe my great-grandmother was from. The "family" always treated the fact that she was "a full Indian, and the Indians killed her first husband" as something not to be talked about, they were completely racist about it.

I am the only one in the whole damn family who wanted to know what tribe she was from. All I know is that she was born in Ardmore in the 1870s, when it was still "Indian Territory"...no idea what tribe, though. The Chickasaw are there in Ardmore now, but that is still no real confirmation.

[inmyfxith]

First Love, Part. I

Pairing: Jimmy Darling x reader

OC: None

Warnings: None

Words: 2k7

Part. II, Part. III, Part. IV

Living in Jupiter, Florida, proved to be no picnic. Especially when your family found herself among the most respected in the community. Recognized as a small settlement, Jupiter appeared to be a crowded town. Many people in the community seemed to have known each other for decades. Rarely would you find a single inhabitant who did not share a blood connection with another.

We must go back in time to acknowledge where these connections originated. The first settlers moved to the area in the eighteenth century. At that time, some Indian tribes were living there. In order not to lose the pure blood of the white man, many of them united themselves through marriages. Thus, the births linked to the intermarriages created the community of Jupiter.

You came to be no different. Your parents' relationships grew out of their high school years. Because they lived in the same neighborhood, their exchange intensified over the years. A wedding soon followed, and soon, Jupiter welcomed a new little soul. The blowing of your fifth candle featured the entry of the USA into World War II. Like many other men of his generation, your father suffered from the mobilizations. Yet, he soon found his way back home.

Your calm and respectful nature strengthened your parent's conviction to extend the family. Three new faces appeared to the delight of your father, for whom a large family meant prosperity. He received three boys who would carry on the family name with pride and continuity. Soon, your role as the eldest took a new meaning.

Growing up, you learned to look after yourself and your brothers. While your father worked, your mother attended a lot of Tupperware meetings. Police detective, he rarely found himself at home. No one could follow your mother to the meetings. She claimed you tended to be too young or that you would get bored.

So, to make pocket money, you dedicated your free time to babysitting. With your hard-earned money, you gave yourself a weekly treat. Every Wednesday, you enjoyed going to the local diner. There, you could eat a mixed salad and read the newspaper. Your break could, sometimes, include a walk by the Jupiter Lighthouse.

Like the other children of Jupiter, your future seemed set. From your future career to the man you would marry. Yet, some areas remained unclear. Unfortunately for your parents, their plans were about to fall through.

The first obstacle to your success involved a man named Jimmy Darling. He used to show up at the diner on Wednesday afternoons. The first few times, you walked past each other without noticing each other's presence. Well, without him ever noticing you. The young man sat opposite you. His favorite pastime was flirting with the waitress. Carol's greatest dream tended to be fleeing from Jupiter. To achieve it, she worked at the diner five days a week.

The reason Jimmy didn't notice you remained simple. You usually arrive before him and hide behind the Jupiter-Tequesta Inquirer. But this time appeared to be different. Due to a delay, the young man took his seat a few minutes before you.

As you pushed open the door to the diner, you greeted Carol with a pleasing smile on your face. The waitress stood behind the counter, close to the man with the gloves, as she called him. When she heard you, she straightened up to respond.

"I thought you wouldn't come in this week!" Carol flashed a smile at Jimmy before handing you the day's newspaper. Your attention went immediately to the cover of the newspaper.

Your father's work as a detective with the Jupiter Police Department never made it past the door. He never talked about his investigations or what was going on in town. So the newspapers turned out to be your only source of information on the subject. A murder happened recently. A milkman had found a woman dead in her own home. According to the police, the only suspect appeared to be a girl with two heads. The headlines mentioned a two-headed freak. Curious about it, you turned the pages with great attention. At some point, your elbow bumped into your neighbor's. By the time you got there, no one was next to you. Thus, you excused yourself.

"First time?" your neighbor came out to be Jimmy Darling. Besides the delightful smile on his lips, dimples formed on her cheeks. The black leather cap matched his jacket and gloves, which he never seemed to take off.

With round eyes, you found yourself unable to answer his simple question. His gaze roamed on the newspaper you were holding before Carol came to your rescue. The waitress brought your salad. As you blushed, she took the initiative to answer.

"Y/N comes in every Wednesday for lunch. Always at this place, she orders the same meal." Carol offered you an understanding smile as she leaned toward the two of you.

Not used to these exchanges, you put a lock of brown hair behind your ear.

"No way! How could I have missed such beauty?" Jimmy tended to be a smooth talker, and you knew it. Yet, your body kept expressing discomfort as you blushed even more.

Still speechless, your eyes met Carol's. Jimmy understood your discomfort and, like a gentleman, he jumped out of his seat. The young man exchanged some words with Carol. He speculated he would be back the following Wednesday since he now had something to look after. Raising your eyes toward him, he threw you a ravaging smile. Jimmy also winked at you before leaving the diner.

That brief interaction filled your mind for the rest of the afternoon. And your imagination allowed itself to invent the next meeting. Jimmy hadn't lied. The following Wednesday, he showed up for dinner again. But also those that followed. He allowed himself the pleasure of coming to make conversation by buying you a drink here and there. Jimmy revealed himself as reserved when you asked him about personal subjects.

Over time, your shell broke, allowing him to discover what kind of woman you were. "What if we went for a ride together? We'll take my bike!" Jimmy suggested, on a whim, when you had finished your salad. If he had made this proposal on the previous Wednesday, there is no doubt that you would have accepted it. Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse. One of your father's colleagues had asked to see your mother at the police station. As a result, you had to watch your brothers for the rest of the afternoon. Without refusing his proposal in its entirety, you offered to pick you up at your school the next night.

In front of your house, a police car parked as if the driver came in a hurry. It was not your father's car. You would have recognized it by the little bear that hung under its rearview mirror. Approaching the front door, Detective Jack Colquitt emerged from the house. His face bore an overwhelmed look. Colquitt knew you since you were born, he had never been the best policeman in Jupiter, yet he would do his job. Once he passed you, he shook his head before getting back into his car.

"Jack came to ask me if I'd heard from your father in the last few days." Ready to go to bed, your mother wore a mustard yellow bathrobe to hide her faded nightgown. Her arms crossed, the expression on her face detailed anxiety.

"Don't tell your brothers." As said before, your father rarely goes away for very long without giving any news. He used to call the police station or even your mother to inform them where he was. But this time, Robert Bunch left only a family and colleagues in a state of worry and incomprehension. Things must have been important enough for Jack to go on his own when the meeting got scheduled at the police station.

The next evening, you waited for Jimmy for almost an hour, but he never showed up. So you walked home, telling yourself how stupid you were to think that a boy like him could be interested in you.

The following Wednesday, you didn't show up at the diner. You changed your day to ensure that you wouldn't run into him, yet you did. He immediately sat down beside you. His face showed a guilty expression that you missed right away.

Jimmy stood so close to you that the fabric of his jacket almost caressed your arm. With a wave of his gloved hand, he motioned for Carol to bring him what he used to order before turning back to you.

"Look, doll, I wanted to come to you, but there's..." Jimmy started before you cut him off, which wasn't something you used to do.

"You don't need to apologize... because I'm not mad at you." you continued, but your intervention didn't manage to convince him. He moved closer to you, so close you could feel his breath caressing the side of your neck.

"There was a problem where I work. That's why I couldn't pick up my angel for a motorcycle ride." His comments made you grin against your will. You wanted to forget about this smooth talker, but he was good. So, you turned to him, a slight smile on your lips.

"Tell me where you work, and I'll come to see you since you can't get away." Flashing his charming smile again, Jimmy still seemed to hesitate for a moment. He ended up writing it on the small piece of paper you had handed him, where you could find him.

A little bit naive, and even if you didn't recognize the address, you showed up there one morning. You cooked a full plate of pancakes to sweeten the deal with Jimmy's coworkers. When your mother asked where you wanted to go, you lied, pretending of a meeting with a classmate. She called a taxi but ordered you to come back early because she needed to see her own friends.

The smell of hot pancakes wafted into the car, and the driver asked for one as payment. Closing the door, your plate in your hands, you couldn't believe your eyes. Tents stretched as far as the eye could see. Large banners praising the merits of frightening personalities were floating in the wind. These elements raised doubts about the truthfulness of Jimmy's words.

Observing your movements, a young woman approached you. In an aggressive tone, she informed you that the ticket office did not seem open before yelling that you should not stay. Taking courage, you asked her if she knew Jimmy Darling. The young woman looked at you from head to toe before asking you to wait.

So you did, taking care not to let your eyes linger where they shouldn't. At some point, your knight in shining armor appeared. His leather gloves still protecting his hands. The expression on his face made him glow, as did the dimples on his cheeks as he smiled at you.

"You came!" He exclaimed while his appearance had brought a stupid smile to your face. He observed the dish you were holding in your hands and relished the faint smell of rum from it.

"I didn't tell you I was coming, so to make up for it, here are some pancakes!" Jimmy pretended to have a surprise for you too. He then led you to the center of the camp, his hands resting on your eyes to prevent you from cheating.

Still holding your plate, you groped your way forward to avoid falling. After some steps, both of you stopped. You took a moment to listen to the sounds and assumed people were around you.

When Jimmy removed his hands, you stayed stunned by the vision. A small group of people sitting around a wooden table stared at you with round eyes. Among them, a woman of above-average proportions took a sip of water. Next to her stood a shorter man with arms that looked malformed. As she slid down the bench with her arms, your body took a step back when you noticed that the woman in front of you had no legs.

A young man appeared to polish chicken eggs with great attention. Your back hitting Jimmy's chest made you realize how unwelcome your behavior was. Embarrassed by it, you finally tried to break the ice.

"If I had known, I would have made more pancakes." Your peculiar comment made Jimmy chuckle. He turned away for a few moments so you wouldn't think he could be making fun of you. The man with the malformed and tattooed arms approached you. With a lot of sympathies, he shook your hand. After introducing himself as Paul, he took your plate. You met Amazon Eve and Suzi. Jimmy introduced you to Meep, Pepper, and Salty before inviting you around the table. His face seemed more relaxed than when he met you next to the cab.

Once seated around the table, they enjoyed your cooking as if it was not something usual.

Some of them let out slight groans after the first bite, and when the dish ended up empty, many of them seemed pained. You stood there for a long time talking and getting to know people you don't get to meet on the street.

A little shy at first, you eventually relaxed. They were different from the descriptions people were giving of them. And you ended up blaming yourself for ever believing what they said.

"I have an uncle who became a clown in a freak show. My mother found him very friendly. But he left Jupiter a few months after I was born. I don't know what happened to him."

Discussions continued throughout the afternoon. It wasn't until you saw the sky turn orange that you realized what time it was. Your mother would worry about your absence. It was inconceivable to torture her any further after your father's unexplained departure.

"I promise to come back as soon as I can.." you announced as Pepper had wrapped her arms around you and didn't want to let go. But Eve managed to convince her to let you go. Jimmy called you a cab. On the way to your starting point, you announced that you might be coming back with your brothers. Such animation in town could only be positive for their morale, and especially yours.

Letting your eyes wander one last time, the decoration of a caravan caught your attention. Attached to Jimmy's first and last name was a nickname that made you frown, "Lobster Man". You stopped, forcing your friend to ask you what was going on. Not wishing to appear rude, his gloves appeared as your way of finding out the truth.

"You're not wearing your gloves because you're cold, are you?" You asked with a slight smile, you had never believed his story but you gave him the benefit of the doubt. Your remark seemed to bring up anxiety in him, the same you had already felt when he took his hands away from your eyes. You approached, wanting only to reassure him.

“Whenever you’re ready,” your voice was identical to the one you used with your brothers. When they came to you whenever they had some kind of problem your parents couldn’t solve. Plunging your gaze into his, you didn’t notice that he was about to tell you his most shameful secret. Jimmy dropped his gloves to the floor, but you hadn’t even glanced at what he was hiding underneath the cloth. Your heart had started beating faster. Your own hands were sweaty, and before you knew it, your faces were dangerously close. And your lips ended up touching.

It was both gentle and violent. Gentle because neither of you wanted to hurt the other. Violent because it was the thing you had both been dreaming of doing for some time. Jimmy’s hands quickly grabbed your waist as one of yours found refuge in the lobster man’s hair.

The cab driver’s horn, yet, made the moment that seemed almost dreamlike stop. It was the first time you kissed someone like that, the first time you kissed someone. Opening the cab door, Jimmy placed one last kiss on your lips as a goodbye. He begged you to promise to come back and see him. Which you obviously did.

[the-commonplace-book]

(separate post for the other ship)

Send me a ship for the ship bingo chart: Victoria Byng / Prudence Holmes ( We Happy Few )

Let's go lesbians! Let's go!

Victoria and Prudence are such a classic case of lesbian pining. While I think the idea of them being together would be nice, we know from Prudence’s diary, letter, and notes that she never acted on her crush and she was fairly certain that even if Victoria returned her feelings, still nothing would come of it. That Victoria would “never stray from her appointed path, no matter how much she loved anyone.” 

Victoria inherited that strong sense of Duty from her father, taking it to a level of sincere devotion that even Gen. Byng never achieved. Prudence notes that she had to be the most English Englishwoman to walk the earth due to being half Indian and needing to prove her Englishness. Victoria was dedicated to Wellington Wells first and foremost and everything else came secondary. In late-stage WW, the general public can’t be arsed to care about sexuality anymore, but I imagine that would have been something Victoria was aware of. Being with a woman wouldn’t be upstanding-proper-Englishwoman-like, not to mention the distraction from her responsibilities that any romantic relationship would pose. 

Prudence suspected that Victoria might know, and even suspected that her feelings might have been returned, but that didn’t change the reality that there was likely nothing to come of it. So she loved her quietly in their friendship. In the way Prudence writes to and about Victoria, it’s clear that they were friends and that Victoria cared for her dearly. In classic lesbian fashion, it’s unclear if that caring was exceptionally affectionate friendship or some sign of romantic attraction. 

If Victoria returned her feelings and they did get together: 

They would be cute in the way that romance blossomed of friendship is cute, but there are definite conflicts there. Victoria’s steadfast devotion to Joy and the Wellsian Way of Life. Prudence’s questioning thereof, going off Joy, and plotting to escape. In her diary, Prudence remarks: “I could still go to a Mood Booth and pretend nothing happened. But I won't. I won't do it. Not even if she meant the way she looked at me.”

Prudence loves Victoria, but even that love doesn’t outweigh the misery of living in Wellington Wells when you aren’t drugged out of your mind. Maybe the relationship would delay the inevitable, but it would cause extra tension between them because Victoria is sharp about that sort of thing. She would notice if Pru was acting strange – showing signs of not taking her Joy (even if she was on Sunshine as a substitute). It would be harder and harder for Pru to get away with it. When she finally reaches her breaking point with Wellington Wells and makes plans to escape, she wouldn’t ask Victoria to leave with her. She already knows what her answer would be. Telling Victoria would only result in her being given Joy against her will “for her own good.” And Victoria would truly believe she was doing what was right, because she hasn’t been off her Joy in years. So Prudence would leave a letter and make her escape. And Victoria would stay behind and wish she had noticed the signs sooner so she could have stopped Pru from going Downer. 

Alternatively, if Pru was still around when Ollie forces Victoria to go off her Joy, then they could burn it all down together, but I’m not sure that timeline fits narratively with the game. Still, it might be a bit fun to have Victoria, off her Joy, talking to Prudence about everything that’s going on, Pru not being shocked at all, and that being the moment Victoria realizes that Pru really has been off her Joy all this time. 

If Victoria didn’t return her feelings and it was just Pru’s wishful thinking:

So this is a very silly idea that came up a while back when chatting with some friends. What if Victoria cared about Prudence in the same way she cared about Arthur? Both of them are her employees under her care, both of them are showing signs they may be high risk of going Downer. What do they need? Accountability and a pick-me-up. If the two of them got together, they would surely dash away these silly notions of going off their Joy. And keep each other accountable to take it regularly going forward.

So Victoria subtly tries to matchmake them, but she doesn’t want it to look like that’s what she’s doing. So she invites Arthur into the conversations when Prudence comes to talk to her. She makes sure their offices are right next to each other so they might bump into each other in the hall more often. She encourages them to talk to each other when they’re at a company party and Pru and Arthur are both being proper wallflowers. 

Maybe it starts to work on Arthur. Making those “googly eyes” at Prudence that she complains about. Arthur never says anything about it and fumbles his chance at every turn because, well, he’s Arthur. And because Prudence catches on sometimes that he might be trying to work his way around to asking her to lunch and finds a way to derail the conversation and excuse herself every time. 

Because Prudence is in love already, but she’d never say it. She continues to hold on to every conversation, every little brush of their hands, every glance from Victoria as a hopeful sign that maybe, just maybe, she returns her feelings. And Victoria, seeing her as a dear friend and colleague, is none the wiser.

[the-lunar-library]

Beauty and the Beast Novel Master List

I like Beauty and the Beast, I bet you do too, here's all the retellings I've read.

I'm not selecting for quality, I'm just listing them.

Art by anonymous. Beast has put on his nicest pompom shoes to win Beauty's heart.

Some of these are retellings (girl swaps places with father, is isolated with a beastly love interest of some type, leaves for some reason, returns to find the beast dying, confesses her love and saves the day), others are only inspired by BatB, but I'm including them as long as there's a clear reference. So Rose Daughter goes, but things like The Phantom of the Opera, Shrek, or Jane Eyre, despite their many overlaps, don't.

Art by Horace Elisha Scudder. Beauty has found Beast, here played by a distant cousin of the Berenstain Bears family.

Also for your consideration: What do you call your heroine when canonically she has a painfully literal name?

Hmmm...

E: explicit

NF: not fantasy or any adjacent genre

YA: young adult

BOOKS:

Beauty's names: Beauty, Lucy, Eider

A Rose for Beauty – Irene B Brand

NF. Novella length. I don't remember much about this one despite reading it just last year, but it's modern day and I think it's Christian. Featured in the Once Upon a Time collection. (No connection to the Once Upon a Time book series.)

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast – Nancy Campbell Allen (Steampunk Proper Romance)

Despite the title, I don't think this one follows the fairy tale quite faithfully enough to really be a retelling. It's more of an original steampunk gothic-mystery-romance. But the BatB inspiration is there.

The Price and Prey of Magic – Rachel Day

I wrote this one. It riffs on both the classic BatB and an alternate version called “The Green Serpent” where the beast is a snake and the Beauty character is thought to be hideous. Other fairy tales are incorporated.

Beauty's names: Belle, Violaine, Lindy

Belle – Cameron Dokey (Once Upon a Time)

YA. The Once Upon a Time series did novella retellings of the classic Disney fairy tales (as well as some outliers) in the 2000s. Some of them are fairly original, some of them play it more safe. There were multiple authors, but I always felt the Dokey entries were the strongest. Belle doesn't try to reinvent the fairy tale that much (see Spirited farther down the list), though it does make the magical rose a more central element in the story.

The Prisoner of the Castle of Enlightenment – Therese Doucet

E. Not a close retelling, but definitely inspired by BatB. Even set in 1700s France for good measure with a strong focus on the Enlightenment. Nods to the fairy tale early on, then heads off into unexpected original territory and gets magical and folkloric.

Beastly – Alex Flinn (Kendra Chronicles)

YA. Probably the best-known modern retelling. The author makes the risky choice of telling it from the beast's point of view, in this case a conceited rich prep boy, and I think a lot of the reader's enjoyment depends on how much they like being in his head. There's a companion novella from the Beauty character's perspective, but I haven't read it.

Beauty's names: Isabella, Caitrin, Beauty

Spirited – Nancy Holder (Once Upon a Time)

YA. The other Once Upon a Time retelling. This one is more original, less by-the-book, setting it in colonial America. But it makes the questionable decision to cast the beast character as an American Indian who takes a beautiful white colonist captive. I suspect this is why the series' creators revisited BatB with the Dokey version, with the hopes this one would quietly vanish.

Heart's Blood – Juliet Marillier

A historical fantasy set in medieval Ireland. This one decides to cast the beast as disabled, but if you can put that aside, he's an interesting and well-rounded character. Another book that deviates pretty substantially from the original and goes off and does its own thing. There are ghosts, not talking knickknacks. Even so, it feels like a legitimate retelling, not merely inspired by BatB.

Beauty and the Beast, The Only One Who Didn't Run Away – Wendy Mass (Twice Upon a Time)

YA. What I remember most about this one is reading it while waiting to see if I'd be impaneled for a jury. It doesn't stand out much in my memory, but as I recall it was lighthearted and aiming for humor.

Beauty's names: Beauty, Beauty, Beauty

Beauty – Robin McKinley

YA. Robin McKinley's first foray into BatB retellings. It's one of my favorite novels, period, with a thoughtful bookish Beauty (way before Disney did it) and a brooding but gracious beast. It's an intelligent slow burn with loads of introspection, but still has many sweet, warm, and funny moments.

Rose Daughter – Robin McKinley

YA. McKinley's better known BatB retelling. This one is a lot more original, expanding on the fairy tale, incorporating Beauty's siblings a lot, and overall giving you a longer, richer read. I still prefer Beauty, but this one has a lot going for it and includes an unusual twist. Also, while I won't list it as its own entry, Chalice is an original McKinley fantasy novel with a strong BatB vibe.

Beast – Donna Jo Napoli

YA. Another book from the beast's p.o.v. Also casts him as a person of color (Persian) with a white Beauty, and in this case turns him into a lion rather than a fantastical monster. Yes, him being a literal animal rather than a slightly humanoid beast does introduce some specific elements to the story. Probably part of why the cover touts it as sophisticated.

Beauty's names: Belle (Annabelle), Shelley

Belle – Sarah Price

NF. The Amish one. Modern setting. It has a YA feel (the heroine is very young), but given that it deals with marriage, and to a significantly older man, I'm not exactly sure which audience it's ultimately for. This Beauty takes a Disney-inspired approach, being bookish and spirited. But the beast is a crotchety Amish guy, so that's new.

The Gentle Prisoner – Sara Seale

NF. 1940s Cornwall. A gothic-tinged romance novel with an otherworldly, innocent, sensitive heroine, who's also very young and marries a significantly older man with a troubling scar and no end of brooding. Not exactly a retelling, but leans heavily on the fairy tale and isn't afraid to draw attention to it.

SHORT STORIES:

"The Rose and the Beast" – Francesca Lia Block

YA. Modern day. I did read this one, a hundred years ago. I don't remember much except for a general impression of the whole collection – dark, urban, sensuous. Can be found in the collection of the same name.

"The Courtship of Mr Lyon" – Angela Carter

Modern (to the 1970s, when it was published). A feminist retelling. Been forever since I read it, so I don't remember specifics, but I have a clear memory of enjoying it.

"The Tiger's Bride" – Angela Carter

As you can guess from the title, also sophisticated.

"Beast and Beauty" – Vivian Vande Velde

YA. A lighthearted, cute take on the story from the beast's perspective. VVV's writing is often very funny, and this is one of my favorites of her retellings. It can be found in Tales From the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird.

That was tiring. I think I'll just lie here and stick my tongue out and die.

I would love to find more retellings, so please feel free to add to this list.

[kalki-tarot]

Hi kalki so this is diff from the game u r doing rn so u can put this on hold until u r free but I m asking this becoz I k u are an Indian as well and while going to these YouTube clips of Indian music and culture and foreign countries and that made me wonder if their ever will be anyyy artist or personality who can represent Indian culture and music more of unite Indian diaspora somehow? Something like BTS did or atm I g Indians foreign minister Jaishankar is kind of doing it as well.

Can we get a reading on this :) thankssss 💮

Hello, first of all thanks for asking this question. Even i am curious about someone being that legendary in india as a bts fan too. The question is interesting and i pulled some cards about it.

According to me, there will be either a male-female duo, or a male with feminine energy and features (like jimin) you know someone who attracts female gaze a lot.

Gen z will make them famous. I'm seeing nostalgic music. So they may make nostalgic music like it was in the 90s and 00s golden era of bollywood. They'll be independent artists. I'm not sure who, but they are currently not in the scene rn. People from bollywood and bollywood celebs would be jealous of their fan base. As they will make good music far away from the trashy sh*t bollywood makes. People in the industry would be surprised as how come someone be that mainstream and famous without any connections.

Yes, this will probably happen in 2027 smh. When genz grows up a bit more. I'm seeing this artist will grow organically and will have a cult fanbase internationally. People will connect to this person. I'm reminded of "Jordan" from rockstar.

This person will be very mysterious and unique. Their genre can be hiphop or rock. Something that elevates people. Other than being infamous for music, their love life would be talked about too. This person may suffer from heartbreak or toxic relationships in love and their music will show it. They make relatable music. Very emotional, sensitive and mysterious person. No one would know much about them but people's eyes would be on them 24/7. I'm seeing them being attractive physically too. Another reason why people like them so much. Especially the young generation. This artist will start the wave of next generation indian music after bollywood collapses as they are not changing people will move towards more independent artists.

They will surely leave a legacy behind, lot's of wealth. Because of their shadow like dark nature, people may suspect they selled their soul or smth. But i find it funny because that's not it. 💀 They will top international charts too. There is this literal star card here. I can't explain it better. They would have struggled a lot both for their career and personal life. I'm also seeing trauma here. They have suffered a lot. Idk why this is coming here but i also see a woman (love interest) manipulating them behind the scenes. He loves her, but she is just using em for fame and money. They will be very controversial and that's why people would be more interested in them. It's like their misery will make them famous. 😭 I'm also seeing international tours and news headlines. They surely will be very legendary but may die early or suic*de.

One more thing about this artist it that they would be do smth taboo, or which is not generally expected from famous people in countries like india. They may also be an outcast.

That's what I'm getting. Remember tarot is not 100% correct.

[papirouge]

in an unfortunate turn of event (me visiting my sister who scheduled a movie seance for my niece), I went to see The Little Mermaid🥴

Cliffs **spoilers** :

- Halle is breathtakingly beautiful... Like- it was lowkey distracting lol. She was perfect for that role. She has those outlandish features that are perfect to pull off the look of a mythical creature such as a mermaid (I feel the same for Michaela Coel). Something tells me the fact she's so pretty and Black AND paired with a White man is one of the reason White Conservative/ANTI/NLOG pickmes seethed particularly hard at that casting🥴

- it's obvious that the story is based in the Caribbeans so Ariel being Black is totally coherent. There's absolutely no "Black in the middle of the snow" syndrome since the cast is extremely diverse and multiracial (Creole type of demographic). The (White) Prince is an adoptee of the Black queen, and most islanders look mixed to some degree. And it's echoing what's happening in the sea kindgom since Ariel and her sisters are supposed to represent the 7 seas (2 mermaids are Black, 2 are White, 1 Arabic, 1 East Asian, 1 Indian) so screaming about White erasure is stupid lol

Oh, And let's not forget King Triton who's Latino LMAO (Javier Bardem)

In the end of the day, directors are entitled to make remake through their own perspective and a Creole Little Mermaid was an interesting and convincing move considering how well put together and highlighted this culture is throughout the entire movie (and let's no forget that even in the OG Little Mermaid Sebastian already had a Creole accent so the call was from inside the building at this point). In retrospective, the whole outrage surrounding this movie lookw even more embarrassing & stupid...

- kinda off that Ariel is 15 years old while the Prince is 21...🥴

- the songs are good - there are 3 additional songs - of which one sang by the Prince (which is okay but still a bit awkward lol). "Under the Sea" SLAPS and is visually marvelous. Scuffle ragga song is funny idc lol

- the CGI looks better in motion (especially Sebastian), but the realism kinda kills the mood. Although I suspect they made this choice so that the animals aren't too much out of place when interacting with humans (which happens A LOT in the movie). It's not like Finding Nemo where humans were only a tiny fraction of screen time.

- the building up of the romance is surprisingly cute. The chemistry between the 2 actors is very convincing. The Creole dancing scene is absolutely lovely. Their bonding around their curiosity for the world and exploration is very credible and fleshes out their romance beyond the 'Prince fell in love with mute unknown girl'/'mermaid falls in love at first sight' thing. I like how they added in the scenario that Ariel forgot that she had to kiss the prince to remain human forever (it was a ruse from Ursula to prevent Ariel of reaching that goal, but also a scenaristic ploy to avoid Ariel rushing to kiss the Prince who quickly felt in love with her) so their romance looked more genuine.

- the Prince is pretty handsome 👀 that's a first for a live action Disney movie imo I also think we dodged a bullet concerning the rumors of Harry Styles being initially casted for the role

- the final fight with (giant) Ursula is kinda underwhelming

- from a Christian perspective: this movie is a total rehabilitation of mermaids. At some point, when Ariel reverts to a mermaid right before the prince and his mom, the Queen says (talking to the prince) "I told you the creatures from the kingdom of sea were DEMONIC" ....and the thing is.... she's supposed to be the evil one for rejecting the mermaids. There's an obvious satanic demon acceptance agenda so don't get it twisted to the purpose of that movie.. it's Disney after all....

[noemitenshi]

Moral Compass

The Madison & Troy story I won't write (probably not. you never know. my word means nothing)

---

So, for some reason, I envisioned a Madison&Troy story (dark-ish) where their relationship is much deeper than in canon and they are influencing each other (not exactly for their betterment. but Troy does survive the dam so that’s good, at least).

I was trying to come up with an idea for the start of this deeper relationship. What would do it? What had to change from canon? And then I thought about the time after Jeremiah’s death and before Walker and his people come to the ranch. Someone must have told Troy about this. And he must have had opinions. But they never showed us this. So below is one idea of how this scene could go (keeping in mind that this is also where they leave canon).

I don’t think I’ll ever really write this (hence why it is a tumblr post) but I may add to it if ideas keep coming.

Enjoy

"so. whats the play?" Troy asked deliberately casual. The same way he was leaning against the wall. "??" "with the indians. you don’t really plan on sharing. are you?" "no play" troy presses his lips together, unhappily while madison looks at him impatiently. he wants to say "youre joking", wants to rage against her. but he can see that wont work. she's unbudging in this. and there's something else, too. something more pressing. something he almost doesn't want to ask. but he's not one to back down. not even from questions he suspects he wont like the answer. *especially* not from those. so he goes: "do you still need me, now that youve settled for compromise? now that theres no war coming? or are you looking for the first opportunity to discard me. hmm, madison?"

madison does not answer, just looks disapprovingly at troy. so he adds. "jakes the lawyer after all. if you want pretty words - then it's him you need" and he's looking at her all challengingly, kinda daring her to say it. So she tries to deflect all "its what your father wanted" "well, newsflash, my father is dead." "He died for this place. His people" troy huffs "dad didn't have one selfless bone in his body. He'd rather have let us all die in an attack than sacrifice *anything*. So if he died for anyone - must've been himself" And Madison kinda doesn't know what to say to that, probably looks uncomfortable and broody. And then troy goes "you haven't answered my question. Wanna do away with me now, huh?" and guess she will go on the offense now "yeah. you're right" she will say and look him in the eye, kinda squinty "what i need now *isn't* brutality. i need cooperation and goodwill and-" troy scoffs loud enough that she stops talking. "this isnt a joke" madison hissed. "no" troy said slowly, measuredly "this, them and us, together, is a powder keg" "you planning on being the match?" Troy smirked in this condescending way of his "I dont have to" he said and shrugged a little "enough folks being on edge here. enough folks that lost someone to those... people." "do you *want me* to do away with you?" "you promised me a war, madison. had me go against my brother, my father. i did that *for you*" he'd gone close, close to her, towering over her. She was not cowed. "let's not get into who owns whom, hu?" she said. a warning. he snarled, not that it did anything. "so, where does that leave us?" he asked then. it was both the easiest thing he'd ever done and the hardest. madison had such a way about her. "you tell me, troy. where *does* it leave us? you gonna become a problem?" "we both know why you chose me, madison. before. why you... played nice. if that's- if that's not needed anymore..." he trailed off and shrugged, a self-mocking smirk on his lips. "it could be" she offers then. oh, she knew exactly when to offer him a lifeline. "there's still the dead out there. we still need-" "you don't think that's enough. do you?" she gave him a quick side-eye. that was enough to tell him that no, she didn't think that. he bit his lower lip. "there could be others. others that wanna take whats ours. i'd feel safer knowing you were there in case..." "in case what? those unknown strangers *may* attack? come on, you don't believe that" "you didn't expect *us* either, did you?" There was such an undertone in her voice it raised the little hairs on troy's neck. "What are you saying?" he asked slowly. pointedly. "you just - you never know what'll happen" such feigned casualness. but then her voice became soft. alluring "don't you want to see? what else there is?" - Oh, he knew exactly what she was doing - "...by my side?" Yep, there it was. By her side. He wanted nothing more. And she knew, she knew it, damn it. He inhaled shakily. But she wasn't done. "I  don't want to... have to..." again she side-eyed him "*manage* you" He tilted his head in a 'come on' gesture and demanded, "Say what you mean." "I mean it, troy," she said instead, touching his upper arm, squeezing, "i do want you by my side." "do you now? or.. is this you managing me already?" "it can be both - can't it?" madison asked. and she sounded almost uncertain. there was a glint in her eyes, betraying her "i don't know why but- there's something between us - from the very first moment. something about you... feels like kinship." troy blinked slowly for lack of an answer. he hadn't expected any of that. her acknowledging this connection between them. wanting it, even. or so it seemed. "kinship? that why you look like youre in physical pain any time im around your kids?" "kinship to me. not to them." there was no apology in her words nor her tone. in fact it was unyielding. familiar. it made troy smile. "so, you're telling me" he said slowly, voice softening, a meaningful look back and forth between them, "you *don't* want to rain hellfire down on them? the people who killed travis..." "i want to survive. my *kids* to survive..." she trailed off and he suspected she finally understood where they differed. he didn't have anyone like that in his life. where he'd do anything and everything for their continued survival. "but you don't get that, do you?" It hurt more than he'd like to admit. Hearing it out loud. He'd always craved connection like that. From the very first time she'd said she loved travis more than her life it stupidly had made him jealous. jealous bc he didn't feel like that about anyone. but he wanted to. didn't even understand why he did want it. it sounded suicidal. and so, so alluring. "i..." he didn't have a clever answer. nor could he bring himself to admit it, admit that yes, he didnt have that. never had. madison looked at him like he was a caged tiger. "it's not like i don't want to" he finally settled on "..get it, i mean." he swallowed uncomfortably. "no?" Oh, he had surprised her. That was... well that was something. "no" he affirmed, running his tongue along his bottom lip. "nick said..." her voice wasn't assured anymore. she spoke slowly. careful "nick said you'd die for the ranch - as a suicide note..?" troy's lips twitched, amused. "he said, did he? did he also tell you what he told me?" "what? no. Don't deflect" Troy shrugged. He truthfully had thought she should know. But then again if she herself told him to leave it, he would. "So." Madison prompted, somewhat impatient. "So?" "So, would you die gladly for the ranch? Or was that just talk?" "I would." "Then-" "It's not, it's not the same," he interrupted her, "I'm not doing that for anyone else. I'm doing it for me." She furrowed her brows. "You'd still be saving people" she offered. "Yeah" he said and did his half-snarl half-smirk "saved alicia too. didn't i?" And he lifted his brows. Madison's face did something complicated. "didn't do that for her either." "You did it for me" "or i did it because i was bored. because i didn't agree with jake's plan. because i owed you. because i got excited about the opportunity to kill people." The smirk was still playing on his lips and madison's furrow deepened. there was a long stretch of silenece between them. then she whispered, "doesnt mean you won't ever have it" "does that matter? if i don't have it *now*" uncomfortable silence. she broke it again. "aren't i reason enough?" and she almost sounded like she meant it. that she didn't want to manage him - do away with him. like she wanted him to *give her a reason*. "not yet." "what does that mean?" "means we're not there yet." "troy..." she whispered in this placating,  no soothing. No, pleading tone. she *did* mean it. however this had started out, however she would feel after. in this moment troy was sure that she really didn't want to act against him. want to *have to* act against him, as she would no doubt put it. it *was* something. "let's not kid yourselves madison. i am what i am." he regretted it the moment he saw her face. so he amended "but i can.. try. for your sake. i can." she did not look convinced and he cursed himself. why couldn't he have bit his tongue? But that just wasn't him. "no you can't" she said and she sounded so sad. he had to swallow uncomfortably. "you could..." he hesitated for a beat. did he really want to reveal that much to her? but then again, she probably already knew. Had had him pegged from the very first moment after all. "teach me?" He had surprised her again. Now he just had to wait and see whether it was in a good or a bad way. though he added, slyly almost "i *can* follow orders." "can you now?" she finally said. asked. but there was no bite in her voice. if it were anyone else he'd say it was teasing. "try me" he challenged and spread his arms from his body. She closed her eyes. sighed. "youre following my lead." It was a statement, not a question. he still nodded, a small grin on his lips. "I'm following your lead" he confirmed. Oh, this had him excited. It was something new, unknown. It was... something he wanted. She sighed again. But he didn't pay that much mind, giddyness taking over. Who'd have thought this would be the outcome of their conversation? Certainly not him. He didn't exactly know what he had expected - maybe both of them firmly on opposite sides. But not *this*. An offer of... mentorship? The thing he had envisioned the moment he'd realized that she *understood* him. "im glad you came to talk to me." Her words pulled him out of his memories and he smiled. The same soft smile he'd smiled back then. This time, she reciprocated. 

[fatuifucker]

hi !! before I start this, i don't mean to cause any drama or anything, i just want a general discussion! , but i am unsure if i had been causing erasure in terms of the skin tone n race and whatnot of genshin characters

genshin's representation of cultures and all that is really good and interesting!! like the food, the structure of the environments, clothing...etc.

but i can't help but to wish for more darker skinned people like me,, i don't want to erase their race and culture (and i make plenty ocs that are dark skinned) but i think that just lighter skinned people are seen more and are more widely represented than people of my color

i'm not saying they have to be black, but knowing that darker skinned asians and people in general exist – i wonder why they aren't in the game?? i think all skin is beautiful but i feel sad when i don't see my own in a game i play often and idk if in my head i had been erasing their race or something , it's all too confusing now ,, i can only hope natlan have people of my skin tone now, hopefully as well as khaenri'ah (?) because sumeru doesn't have as many dark skinned people as i thought (in terms of playable characters) though i appreciate the npcs and eremites at the very least

i don't think people drawing or editing characters to be black or just dark skinned isn't really ”fixing them” but it does make me a bit happier to imagine them that way, though i will return to their original design because well, it's them and i can't change anything about it

ahhgh idk im just so confused rn and i feel like a bad person 😭😭 sorry for all this rambling,, i hope u have a great day !!

I'm actually a tan asian and I really like when people make genshin characters tanner. The posts were talking more about making characters have black traits like 3C to 4C hair and replacing their existing cultural clothing with ones in black culture.

Tbh I'm very dissatisfied with Sumeru's designs, especially Nahida. She feels like a mix between Indian and Persian culture which I feel like it's Hoyo trying to smash Sumeru's cultures all together but I really wish I could see more Indian elements in her.

And the reason why Hoyo primarily has so many pale skinned characters is to put it bluntly that's the beauty standard and is what expected to pull in consumers. I feel like even in Asian countries where people have more tanned skin, those people still yearn for pale skin. My family all have tanned skin but I remember being praised for my fair skin when I was younger.

Although I get that Hoyo's main target is the Asian demographic so they focus on creating characters that look like us and what is typically wanted/seen in Asian media, I feel like they have the misconception that Asian people don't like tanner people at all. I suspect that's why they purposefully botched Dehya's kit but even then, a lot of people still pulled for her and there were even campaigns to donate to children in China and Indonesia because of her pv. I feel like once (if they will ever) Hoyo realises that people do love dark skin characters, they will add more characters like that.

[zoyalannister]

So, @fimproda and I decided to post the start of chapter 5 of Geranium unedited, at least before the part where we risk the permaban. The version on Ao3 will most likely be different, but at least you have some content that you've been waiting for ages now.

So enjoy (or not?)

Geranium, Part V: Devotion

TW: Referenced/implied underage SA

Grace observed the scene from her hiding spot upstairs. She watched the Consul leading Bridgestock–who sported a black eye and a bruise on his cheek–out of the house, and the monster himself was restrained by two men that Grace had never seen. One of them was tall and with dark hair, the other was a broad and sand-haired man; for how much they resembled them, Grace supposed they were respectively Cecily’s and Gabriel’s brother. They wore the same furious expression that the Consul had, and took the Inquisitor away. Once they all left, Anna arrived in the foyer of the house holding Alexander while talking with an Indian girl that she didn’t know. They were too far for Grace to make out their words, but for some reason, the Indian girl looked miserable. Grace tried to get as close as she dared to the balustrade without being seen, attracted by the relationship between the two: the stranger girl was very touchy with Anna, caressing her arm.

Grace wasn’t sure that she was just friends with Anna, but–

Well, actually, she could see herself doing that with Kit, looking for his comfort with physical contact.

She gasped when she saw the Indian girl give a quick kiss to Anna, before taking Alexander in his arms, and the other girl grabbed a coat for herself. Once Anna was ready, her friend, or maybe more than a friend, helped her to put a coat over Alexander and took back her baby brother. When the other girl put on the coat, Anna gave her another kiss on her lips and they all left the house.

If it was any other moment, Grace would have run into Kit’s room to ask him if he knew that his sister liked girls (probably he did), if he knew who the Indian girl was and probably they would have talked about Anna and her lover. 

But now Grace had other things to think about.

Cecily and her husband were in the kitchen. Grace suspected they would have gone to Gabriel’s office, but neither of the adults looked eager to go back there. She knew it was her chance, now that everyone left the house–except for Kit, who was apparently resting in his room. 

She paddled down the stairs as silently as she could, ignoring the soreness between her legs and wishing she knew how to draw a Soundless rune–

Grace chased away that thought. She didn’t want to think about Soundless runes.

She walked slowly towards the kitchen until the voices of the two adults became distinguishable.

It was wrong. 

She felt guilty about it.

But Grace needed to know what they wanted to do about her. She still thought about Cecily’s face when she told her that Bridgestock was one of Tatiana’s clients. The woman was pale when she left her room to seek her husband, and Grace thought that thankfully she didn’t refer that Tatiana told her the Inquisitor paid profusely to fuck her. 

Since then, Grace had been worried about what Cecily would do with her. It couldn’t have been more than one hour after she told her so. 

No, she couldn’t wait to know what the Lightwoods intended to do.

"... cannot stay here, Gabriel."

Mrs. Lightwood’s voice shook Grace. 

No, it wasn’t possible. 

Grace started trembling. Cecily couldn’t suggest kicking her out. It wasn’t possible.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. 

Mr. Lightwood stayed silent for a few moments.

"You are right."

No, no, no.

I saw a man fucking her, and it was disgusting, to say the least.

He was the one who spoke those words, and just a couple of hours ago he saw another man fucking her. She still felt sore from the encounter with Bridgestock.

Gabriel was right. She was disgusting. 

That awareness, though, didn’t stop her from shaking. They couldn’t take her back to Tatiana.

No way. 

“She can’t get away with it,” the man went on.

It felt like Grace was living one of her worst nightmares. The Lightwoods wanted to punish her for dishonoring their Inquisitor and doing it in their home. 

She ran back to her room, her heart racing. 

[lunarmoonanons]

Destiny

🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕  

Quirk: Destiny

This quirk allows YN to create inevitable moments in time. These “destined” moments can last up to several hours. She cements an event in time in the future, and once cemented the universe will work to make it come true. This gives YN the ability to see into the future and decide what moments are destined to be.

South Indian YN, ambiguous morals, bad bitch YN, romance and a little bit of drama

🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕  

Masterlist 

YN brushed her long hair watching the news, knowing that soon someone would be coming to entice her to their side. She was not a well known quirk user, but those that did know of her were desperate to have her. YN had made herself known to the commission accidentally, when she orchestrated an event that granted her the very penthouse she resided in. Designing that she would be granted a free permanent stay in the luxurious place.

Once the commission dug further in, they discovered her quirk and its powerful impact. Deciding to try to entice her to a life of heroism, believing that they were entitled to her body and quirk. No matter how many times they tried to bribe her, she denied them. So they tried to resort to threats, yet each time YN found a way to escape. Nowadays, YN just had to put up with the occasional guilt trip from a random hero that would show up.

So as YN rubbed her hair oil into her scalp she perked her ears up at the sound of someone landing on her balcony. This was the ninth time he showed up, YN was beginning to suspect that Erasurehead had developed a crush on her.

“You do know that you could just knock on my front door instead of using these dramatics.” YN mused, wrapping her silk robe around herself. The light blue contrasting against her dark tan skin.

“I prefer this way. Don’t have to talk to your doorman if I just simply show up here.” He responded and pulled off his goggles. “How are you?”

“I’m as I usually am. Trying to live a carefree life, avoiding heroes and their problems.” YN teased, patting her lap for her bengal cat to curl up on. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To guilt me into making their problems my problems?”

“YN…” Aizawa sighed. He ran his hand through his own long hair, and sat on the chair YN always left out for him. “I don’t want to make you do something you hate, but there’s so much good you could do-”

“I have done good for others. On my own terms.” YN turned to him. “Before the commission decided I was valuable, I was some random ‘foreign’ woman. You know how many times I’ve had to deal with heroes from the commission deciding I wasn’t worth saving because I was the wrong colour? It wasn’t until I had a useful quirk, that they decided my body was something worthwhile.”

Aizawa grabbed her hand, bringing it to his lips. “I don’t want that for you either. You know I care about you.”

“But you’d never stay the night…” YN whispered, her eyes slightly watering.

He paused, bringing his palm to her cheek and whipping a tear away with his thumb. It was true he never stayed after they would share a night together. His work as a hero being just too important to let it go.

“Why are you really here Shota?” She asked.

“There’s a little girl, Eri. She’s being held against her will by a gang, experimented on, tortured. We’re going to try to save her, but I don’t know if this will work.” Aizawa mentioned, his eyes on the ground. His guilt at what he was silently asking, using her quirk.

“When will this happen?” YN asked.

“Tomorrow.”

YN sighed, closing her eyes and reaching her sight forward to fixate on a small child. Deciding that she would be rescued by a young boy with green hair. Once she had destined that this child would be saved the universe would manipulate reality so that the event would happen. YN opened her watery eyes to look into his.

“Eri will be rescued. But you know that I can’t control how the universe makes it happen. I don’t want you to get hurt. But Eri will be saved.” YN told him, tears starting to run down her face. “You can go now, you don’t have to stay the night…”

The man leaned forward and kissed her. Both wrapping their arms around the other. Maybe tonight he would stay.

[scentedchildnacho]

I don't know what vi khi nao is talking about heart condition and whether or not she was a voracious lover......i think cherimoya was from the midwest and to afford the anti semitic ideation of the Iowa low middle class fantasy...she had habits for ku Klux klan members....its bartender like to refuse to wash ones ass.....he bites....then...he would want to bite her

The feminine origin because it stings a little bit to wash.....whats with people not strong enough to acclimate that ....all religion has a relieve africa of tribal terror origin

Writer awards and a woman who just supports one...vi khi nao was in a ku Klux klan members space

Some feminists feel the idea that the world was priorly a feminist one had to do with americanism migrating north of the Canadian border and putting indigenous children in schools.....if its Indian women Hindus still have their robes

I think the book is about her experiencing anti semites till she really needs to be far north with anti American therapies....

Dogged around....that African lady never goes around north American black men or she would be called shit

Jackie Onassis Kennedy about her aunt and cousins house of poverty.....it was her brother's so everything in the room kept as his or contagious

The Asians can't practice the Africans stuff about deliberately causing the blood to coagulate....the Asians cannot have bleeds people around them

White people are more tolerants of African invasions so we don't have to just leave

I mostly fantasize about holding EMTs hands and making them promise me that they love God though

I can't understand anyone that desires really really smelly unless it's men that can tolerate weight loss.....

Nathan Bedford Forrest on military care if military men their always so Spanish bullfighter like and always are too low fat to be as gross as military is suspected of

Military does kind of act promiscuous but in the end their always protestant phobic types that want everyone to like them

They told us port saint Lucy was under another hurricane and I missed getting to go.....everything common under storms looks like everyone receiving their laurels and pride as not just another lost generation....

If it's storms you can really like people again....

I survived a hurricane in port saint Lucy by sitting on the front concrete in front of a Laundromat in a strip mall....

It was actually really quiet and polite and you could watch the vegetation by that river or inlet not all that bothered by the winds and rain....floridans still have the last natural wet lands with magnesium in the air because storms relieve people of obsessional construction

Nuclear droughts are what is truly terrible and cruel about the states and worse then the rest of the world

And God gave Noah a rainbow but warned him now man against man the truly worst

They assured us storms are worse then here.....but I don't know...if I walk to the library I get threatened with a head on hit over their car hood at least three times

I think it's true that a lot of stuff was white people's and multi culturals try to use illegals things

The Hindus show me that they will leave though....

I had no idea Timothy mccvay had such a multi cultural following until jhumpa lahiri on anti states policy in India