#like i love my tamil friends

[starantulas]

.

[justinefrischmanngf]

what if . i learnt arabic .

[liberty-spiked]

i can fucking do it. i can and will fucking survive this shitty situation. i've been having the pleasure of people supporting me and actually feeling it for once. so fucking thank you guys for giving me a damn reason not to off myself! 🥴

[runningwithscizzorz]

i love ur art so so much!!! i used to stalk your account on twitter back in my lmk fixation! your stuff is seriously gorgeous and i’m so glad i found you here!💕💕

i saw on one of your posts that you had the lamb speaking arabic. is that a headcanon? why arabic specifically?

i dunno i just felt super represented since it arab myself 💗

Nour speaking Arabic is from a memory I have of a friend of mine cursing at her phone in Arabic🤣 I always thought her voice and accent were beautiful, so I wanted to keep that in my work! It’s been agony trying to find Arabic dubs for characters that sound like Nour’s voice in English 💀

I don’t know if this is corny, but I basically base every character I design and write off of people I know and love in real life. Nour’s personality and grief is heavily based off that friend of mine who I had to leave when I moved. It’s the same reason Mahul is Tamil Indian and a total sweetheart, another friend of mine. Nathan is Filipino and brash, another friend of mine. Ratau is a grumpy old German, another loved one. I just like to think of my friends and family whenever I work, it makes it much easier to make who you’re writing feel like a real person😭

[ineffable-opinions]

Love In the Air is getting a Japanese adaptation.

Things have come a full circle for MeMindY in a way. It was while traveling through Japan in November 2018 that MAME decided to start a production house to film series based on her novel in her own way.

Looks like it is a fan project of sorts based on what creators has to say on the project website, so it makes sense that it is MeMindY’s project that gets Japanese adaptation. (If not, it would have been GMMTV, BOC or some other government-supported production company that engaged in Thai government’s Commerce Ministry department facilitated “BL as soft power” negotiations with their Japanese counterparts.

more on this here)

This adaptation is not surprising considering the crowd that showed up at MAME’s Japanese fan-meet consisted of older folk too. It reminds me of Chen Hao producing Stay with Me. While I would be happy to have more bottom-up, demand-driven productions rather than top-down, supply-driven ones, it makes me worried too. I had previously expressed my wish for popular BL manga and novels to get live action adaptation. Now, we have a handful of live action based on works that have won Chil-chil awards but those adaptations have been disappointing to say the least.

source

I am a little worried about production quality. Hopefully, they’ll manage to balance cost and quality since this project’s return on investment would be a signal to future initiatives. I am excited for Shoma who gave an excellent performance in the unfortunately gelded adaptation of the super-popular manga 25 Ji, Akasaka de. I am eager to know who will play Saifah (hopefully they'll retain that character) and Chai.

My Insane Wishlist: Non-Thai adaptation of MAME’s BL

Breath – Japanese live action adaptation TulHin was one of the side couples in Love by Chance 2 but I want an adaptation that stays true to the spirit of their story. In addition, it will be really nice to see Hin in violet rope shibari in the hotel getaway scene. All the shibari scenes we got so far in live action BL has been fleeting and of very little consequence. Japan should attempt adapting this into period piece set in Taisho or early Showa era. The novel is well suited for an adaptation set in that period with rapidly changing position of the aristocracy in the society, conflict between old and new orders, nouveau riche industrialists, feudal households with retainers performing multiple functions, specific forms of xenophobia, grand balls, arranged marriages, intergenerational power struggle, familism and ample space for intrigue. Also, Japan has a good track record of being sincere in their depiction of complexities of androphilic male x androphilic female interactions – they can make Tul's struggle heart-wrenching to watch.  

OatShin from Test Love and OatShin Diary – Tamil-Marathi bilingual movie adaptation with Harshvardhan Rane as Shin, Arjun Das as Oat and Suriya as Akira (Shin's cousin brother). In the novel Love Storm from which Love in the Air is adapted, it is Oat and not Prapai who is the best street racer in their circuit. Saifah, Oat and Saifah's girlfriend are in fact friends and classmates from college - depicted in Test Love. Oat's boyfriend Shinji was his junior in college. Shin is friends with characters from Love By Chance. Their relationship starts at the end of Test Love and in OatShin Diaries we get to see them navigate long distance relationship, familial acceptance and work-life balance as salarymen. OatShin has a very cute dynamic - they are a riba CP (reversible couple) with a lot of push and pull. Shin is super sly and sensitive and I can see Harshvardhan teasing the hell out of whoever he is paired with. Arjun Das probably can't do racer very well - so just get him that ATV from Por for added illegality. He would be perfect as Oat and very adorable too.

Try Me: Chai Win – manga (Japanese) or manhwa (Korean) adaptation with minimal censor bars – Chai’s pearlings needs to exist in 2D version.

Try Me: Chai Win – Turkish live action adaptation – I think Pawit-bey has a nice ring to it and I would pay to listen to it for 40 episodes of 2-hour length each. Maybe some over the top honorifics would be more suitable coming from Chai’s mouth like efendi. Mert Yazicioglu or Ali Yagci as Win and Can Yaman as Chai.

Chai appeared in Love in the Air as a crucial minor character who comes to Phayu's rescue. He has a love story of his own with Pakin's civilian* cousin brother, Pawit aka Win, that is complicated by duty and obligations and extortive meddling by Pakin's dad (the kingpin).

[* not in the mafia]

[theglidingbat]

Ghostbat headcanons because I'm in no-minhkhoa content hell

Bruce loves giving minhkhoa forehead kisses and nose kisses, during tender moments or when he's feeling sentimental, minhkhoa always grumbles about it but it's one of the little things he enjoys

Adding onto the previous one, minhkhoa rarely kisses bruce tenderly his kiss more fierce and filled with passion and hidden emotions he refuses to reveal.

Minhkhoa will make fun of Bruce's clothes and fashion choices but yet can be seen with wearing his turtleneck, bruce will narrow his eyes as Minhkhoa pretends to be ignorant, he never returns the clothes by the way.

But if bruce ever decided to take minhkhoa's clothes he has to hear multiple snarky remarks, only to be tackled when he tries to take of Minhkhoa's green hoodie , ghostmaker would rather die then admit he likes his boyfriend in his clothes.

So they definitely got married at some point right?

I feel like bruce knows how to cook but pretends to be shitty at it around minhkhoa just so he gets to see minhkhoa cook, minhkhoa knows this and indulges him anyway

Listen, I think the "minhkhoa can't feel love" thing is bullshit because he does care a lot, even if he's terrible at it, he's not even trying per se but bruce is one of the very few people he actually cares for, Bruce thinks that's how minhkhoa just is, he doesn't realise he has special treatment expect the name thing.

But a fun alternative is that he knows that he gets special treatment from minhkhoa and loves it, and gets extremely possessive and bratty about it too.

I know it's retconned or whatever but Rhea being minhkhoa's first love and after everything minhkhoa still likes to distance himself, bruce who's probably witnessed atleast half of their relationship will always feel like and know that he won't ever have the same place in minhkhoa's stone cold heart like Rhea did and it kind of hurts him

Minhkhoa doesn't even deny it, why bother lying to a man as smart as Bruce? Bruce should be able to handle the truth, he still cares for Bruce but he's sure (scared) of the fact that bruce would die or disappear, or worse forget him because of his own stupidity (empathy)

Okay enough angsty from me I swore I would be an account without much angsty shit but here we are.

Minhkhoa loves grilled cheese. It's a headcanon me and my irl friend thought of as an old inside joke but yeah that's the only American food this mother fucker tolerates, with tomato soup and everything. Specifically if Bruce makes it with the crust cut.

The grilled cheese is more of a crack headcanon but eh.

Someone make a fic of Minhkhoa teaching Bruce's white ass how to make rotis (I've been leaning into minhkhoa being half Tamil or of Tamil origins loads lately and it's my favourite fanon hc of him)

Bruce can't get it in a perfect Circle and it pisses him off, minhkhoa laughs at his face.

One very silly thing I love to think is that during a chase scene in their past minhkhoa would pick bruce up and make a run for it and sticks through their adulthood, an explosion is about to go off and before bruce can do anything minhkhoa has him in a carry as he runs away with him.

Them Falling back into old habits, bruce latching onto minhkhoa and pulling his hair during a immature argument, minhkhoa screaming and trying to shake him off as Talia tiredly sips her tea, they're all 40 and the batkids finally see where exactly Damian gets it from.

My personal headcanon is that during btk era bruce had freckles, minhkhoa won't admit it but he misses them,as Bruce grew his freckles faded.

And that's it for my latest Ghostbat headcanons, do note that these are extremely self indulgent and may be occ but eh who gives a fuck

[my-my-my]

For the Christmas ask game: eggnog, pudding and glitter! 🎄✨💖

Eggnog: What’s your favourite Christmas time drink?

I am a sucker for peppermint mochas and Mexican hot chocolate! My friends and I have started a tradition of going to the big Christmas market and wandering around with a Mexican hot chocolate, so now I associate that flavour with this tradition.

Pudding: Name your perfect Christmas dinner!

So another person asked me this so I’ll answer this one with my perfect Christmas appetizers and desserts!! My family loves Christmas so our Christmas dinner party is something we plan out months in advance. We are also Sri Lankan Tamil, so there’s a lot of ethnic food we serve too!

I’m putting it behind the read more because it’s image heavy.

I absolutely love Sri Lankan mutton rolls. I’m actually super picky about them too, so as of late I’ve learned how to make my own. Curried goat mixed with mashed potatoes, wrapped in a chewy wrapper, breaded and then shallow fried.

Another one is Sri Lankan fish cutlets. We call them cutlets, but it is what non-Tamil people would call “croquettes.” My family’s version uses shredded king fish, but I’ve seen some families use salmon and tuna. You combine it with potatoes, red onions, green chilies and parsley, then bread and shallow fry!

It can be really spicy depending on how many green chilies you put in lol.

One year I made chili lime shrimp cups with arugula and I still think about them.

To balance out all the savoury, my sister’s shortbread cookies. Specifically with her Miffy cookie cutters.

As for dessert, I like having options 🤪

Williams Sonoma peppermint bark (ok, I also just snack on this lmao)

Watalppam: my aunt makes THE BEST version of this. It is a Sri Lankan coconut custard pudding topped with cashews.

Payasam - I think non-Tamil south Asians call it “kheer” but our version is a saffron/cardamom-spiced tapioca pudding. I specifically only like the Tamil version (I’m so biased LOL), because we make it “tropical” by adding in pineapple, mango or splashes of coconut milk into it.

Bûche de Noël: I love love Christmas cakes and this version is my favourite. So much so that this year I got one as my own birthday cake (my birthday is a bit after Christmas). There’s a French bakery here that makes this “modern” version that I loved:

It contains: vanilla mousse and chocolate mousse, crunchy hazelnut/almond Praliné Feuilletine with a chocolate sponge.

Glitter: What is the weirdest Christmas decoration you own/owned?

So to be completely honest, I don’t think I own any. My family and I are very into having particular Christmas trees (every year I decide on the colour scheme LOL), so this was really hard to decide! I think maybe the giant nutcracker? I personally like it but my sister thinks it’s creepy.

The bear is cute but it has this annoying song it dances to. I took out the batteries because it pissed me off LOL.

[thx-sunsxts-addrxss]

Did you know that in 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important before…

The Loife Show

STARRING- LOIFE

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

Hi! I’m Loife. I’m a 14 year old girl and my birthday’s June 24th. I’m really weird. I love books and writing. I play the viola, I dance, I can speak Tamil, French, English and Hindi (sort of) and can write and read for all of the above. I’m also a daughter of Apollo! writing blog here- @loife-writes

WHO CAN WATCH THIS?

Anyone except Zionists, Homophobes, Transphobes, and the Government

FANDOMS YOU’RE IN?

I’m in-

THE TPQ FANDOM

THE PJO FANDOM

THE KOTLC FANDOM

THE TIG FANDOM

YOUR FRIENDS?

Oh boy.

My irl besties (love you both)- @4114yunique @zoesim5

now my online besties-

@moondust-on-the-hijabi- ma lune 🌙 🤭

@that-multi-fandom-hijabi- nova 🍡 🤭

@heartstars- phora 🌻 🤭 (my platonic girlfriend so everyone back off)

@reyna-obsessed- min 💜 🤭

@hijabi-desi-bookworm- esme 💅🤭

@fish-ofishial123- tai 🐟 🤭

@mxnkeydo- rithi 🧍‍♀️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (she’s my child she gets special treatment)

@queenofapeacefuldawn- dawn 🌅🤭

@the-princess-fangirl- alice 🫶✨

@/queenie-blackthorn- 👑 🤭

@/tinadablackthorn- 🐸 ❤️

@/itadori-yujiii- leta 🩵 🫶

@queenpiranhadon- kae ✨🤭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ (tamil and phineas and ferb bestie, and my child so she gets special treatment)

@labaguetteisdabest- nyota 🦜🫶

@iam1withthepeggy- kate 🐽❤️

@torifuckingspring- 🥳❤️ (mosquito killer ayyyyyy)

@owocontroversy- PINEAPPLEEE 🍍 ❤️

@daydreams-from-the-void - OPHELIA <33 🥳❤️

@someonewhogotanaccount- my archenemy (jk ily) 👹❤️

@violet92959 - Violet BEST FREN’ 💜💜

(none of the above are ordered specifically, they’re just coming from memory. I’m so sorry if I missed you, I have bad memory! Please tell me and I’ll fix it)

WHAT HAVE YOU WRITTEN?

MY MASTERLIST (IT’S TRASH)

WHAT IS THE LOIFE SHOW?

The Loife Show is basically a concept I made up since my life is pretty interesting and practically like a show. It is under my own entertainment, LOIFE Entertainment.

Also watch:

The Nova Chronicles, an official side show of The Loife Show, under LOIFE Entertainment.

The New Summer Days, ^^^

PERSONAL TAGS?

#the loife show- episodes or parts of episodes of the loife show

#loife updates- shitpost

#loife answers- I answer asks

#thefivemusketeers <3- my irl friend group, often associated with #the loife show

#lemon dude <3- my (BLEH EW EW EW EW) boyfriend (YUCK STFU)

#loife writes- self explanatory

#TLEOT <3- my book TLEOT

#100%|an aru shah au- my book 100%

ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY?

Welcome to hell, bitch. Happy watching.

[khaleesiofalicante]

random question (but i think you're bery smart and i would love your advice /opinion about this):

a lot of my friends are getting married and i am struggling a lot because i tried to wear dresses and i don't feel comfortable with them.

i think that it could help if i found the dresses interesting or fascinating. My ex is from Kolkata and she always shares with me all those beautiful saree and I ADORE THEM.

So an idea struck me: what if I wore a saree? I love them and I would feel safe because they remind me of my ex whom i still love and adore to this day.

But...would it be right to do that? I feel like I would be disrespectful since I don't really know the traditions or the culture that well.

What do you think?

I can't speak for all south asians, but I don't think it's offensive at all.

For eg, I think it would be offensive if I, as a non-muslim, wore an abaya, because it's not a costume you can try on. But I did cover my head with a shawl when I went to the mosques in Pakistan. So, it's about knowing what is respectful and what is not.

There are certain clothes, accessories, and jewelry in our culture that are not okay for other people to wear because they have religious significance. But I don't think it's the same for a saree.

In Sri Lanka, we love it when other people (including those from different ethnicities) wear our cultural clothes.

There are different ways to wear sarees depending on your ethnicity.

For eg, how a tamil person wears it (traditionally):

This is how a sinhalese person wears it traditionally

you can see the difference near the waist, blouse, and pleats.

what we (and any culture) would consider offensive is when other cultures take ownership of your own and try to erase it. For eg, there was a whole thing on tiktok/insta recently where some white women were discovering desi dupattas (shawls) and calling them 'bohemian chic/scandinavian scarves) - which pissed people off (rightfully so).

I think it's totally fine for you to wear a saree as long you call it what it is :)

I hope you find some beautiful sarees to wear for the wedding. There are so many different styles and fabrics and designs. I'm sure you will find something that makes you feel comfortable <3

[demigod-of-the-agni]

any cool desi books/media to recommend??

Okay to be fair I am not the biggest consumer of desi media HOWEVER. I have a few niche favourites (some of them come from my research for my Major Work in my final year in high school but here's a quick list):

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - god this entire book changed me fundamentally. It was like watching my own life play in fast-forward and getting hit in places I didn't want to be hit. if you are a first-generation desi in a western country, you will be on the ground sobbing

If You See Me, Don't Say Hi by Neel Patel - a collection of short stories that methodically break down some of the most subtle and pervasive stereotypes within desi cultures. I've only ever had time to read the first two stories but I'm hoping to get the full book someday

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhump Lahiri - an anthology I read for my senior year as well. Another one of this heart-wrenching pieces that just resonate with me like damn.

The Aru Shah series by Roshani Chokshi - it's Percy Jackson But Make It Desi and honestly such a fun read!! Reading about the Potatoes (this is what the reincarnated Pandavas call themselves not joking) is always bound to make my day

The Age of Kalki series by Vishwas Mudagal - I read this purely for inspiration on my own original novel, and it was fun to use for comparisons for research and my writing. Also, spy stuff and action and all that

The Spider-Man: India comics - hey, desi stuff is desi stuff, and I enjoy anything that has my boy Pavitr in it (I'll enjoy it even more when @/marvelentertainment hires me to write him a book)

The Ms. Marvel show and comics - in Iman Vellani we trust 🙏 also my girl has such a wonderful variety of comics like. she's so cool. i love her. hoping that Iman does a masterful job as she writes Kamala's newest comic

18 Days by Grant Morrison - listen. there is a 2015 graphic novel and there is a 2010 artbook for the 2015 book. They are both the same thing: a retelling of the Mahabharata but make it electronic/futuristic. Read the graphic novel for the story, but I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the 2010 artbook as well because my god the ART is just gorgeous. It obviously provides insight on the creation of Morrison's 2015 book but god it is just. so so sooooo good. Mukesh Singh is a beautiful artist I need to have his art tattooed on me

Any desi movies from the 90s-00s - my experience with tamil movies in that time period have always been good ones!! They're chill, they're funny, they're silly, they're romantic, they're thrilling. literally all of my favourite song come from this period (don't disregard movies from later periods either, I watched Brahmastra a few months back and it was lit as fuck).

English translations of popular desi stories - and these stories can be anything. from ye old prevailing Ramayana and Mahabharata to anything written by contemporary desi authors. They've got a lot to share

On a side note me complaining to my desi friends that I want good tamil representation in western media often led to me getting smacked in the face with Never Have I Ever (by my DESI friends! who say it is very good!!) and i just want to say no. don't watch that. as a tamil person living in a western country, i apologise for who Devi Vishwakumar is as a person. i will personally pay for your therapy (has only watched two episodes and was immediately turned off)

I'm giving y'all a whole day to ask me whatever

[thegreatimpersonator]

Hi again Sarah! My Indian films rec list just got super long cos of all the tropes and summaries so I'm making it into a proper post I can tag you in!

While I do that, here are my top five faves from both Bollywood and Kollywood (Tamil films) respectively:

Bollywood:

- Dhoom 2 (2006); I'm actually rewatching this right now and it's a SUPER fun, campy heist movie with a great soundtrack! The whole trilogy of movies are great but this one is my fave and they can all be watched as standalones

- 3 Idiots (2009); a modern classic that most people have heard of if they are casual fans of Bollywood. It takes place in an engineering college and has a super compelling plot I can't give away too much of

- Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008); It's a love story of an arranged marriage between a shy guy and this outgoing girl who kind of hates how quiet and introverted he is. And she thinks he expects her to be a traditional Indian wife so she kind of is sad abt being married. Then she goes to take dance lessons and in an attempt to connect with his wife, he goes to the lessons in disguise as a confident guy and they fall in love!

- A Bonus Rec: If you liked Aamir Khan (the lead actor in 3 Idiots) and Anushka Sharma (the lead actress of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), they did a really adorable sci-fi movie called PK (2014) about an alien called PK who crashes into India and befriends a human lady. It's just such love letter to humanity and I LOVED Anushka's character back storyline in that movie, it changed my life ahahha

- Teri Meri Kahaani (2012); Heads up this does star Priyanka Chopra but before she became a Hollywood weirdo 😭 and back when she was super talented!! It also stars this really cute actor called Shahid Kapoor. These two play different characters in three different timelines and it explores the concept of soulmates and Hindu reincarnation!! Again CHANGED MY LIFE!

- Ram Leela (2013) or the longer title is Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela. It's basically a hotter and older M18 version of Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending if I remember correctly! It starts Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh who fell in love on set (they were friends before that) and started dating just before the movie came out! They are now happily married 🥰

This got so long already hahaha I'll send you another ask with Tamil titles once you're ready for it! But these are all the fun titles I have loved, if you want more tragic ones (I love a good tragedy and having a good cry over movies), do let me know and I'll give you that list!

amazing thank you! i'm about to head to bed but i wanted to respond and let you know i got this, you can send me that list whenever you want no pressure, but these all sound really interesting! so i'll put them on my list of movies to watch!

[iworshipsappho]

hullooo welcome to the dumpster fire that is my blog!!!!! 💥💥💥

other mes poetry and aesthetic rbs -> @booksandtoadstools mutuals only blog :3 -> @bigtittyagcd (go follow that bc rn thats the closest ill get to being in a gc with yall :'3 )

the art in the header is made by my amazing and equally pathetic bestest fucking friend @elblorbo , get mentioned idiot <3

OK SO HI *CLAPS* this is me!!!! *insert little flourish with jazz hands* fan fics -> #my writings. fanart -> #my art. ask tags -> #asks. ; #ask game original posts -> #methinks mesays. i'm realllyyy into and totally normal about red white and royal blue (agcd my beloved <3) dsmp (c!tommy, c!crime, c!clingy and the likes) young royals (i might seem normal about this at times but i never am) dungeon meshi (farcille my blood yuri freaks ehehhe) cricket (i play it and watch it) pjo (i get weirdly obsessed with percabeth every 2 months. i try not to make a big deal of it but whatever) house md

my part time obsessions 911 ls 911 kinnporsche heartstopper jrwi (i've watched bits of apothy and the suckening, but know a bit of riptide thru osmois :3) atla

my babies <3 ceres -> #ceres stuff. yazhini -> yazh au.

pleasepleeasplesplase feel free whenever to ask about them bc i assure you i really fucking want to all the damn time. yes.

other fun facts bc im fucking amazing and yall need to know i love oranges and lemons garlic!!!!! obsessed with vampires from the young age of 4👍 greek fucking mythology babeyy occasional astronomy shit crows!!! i write a lot (my wips are ever growing) and draw on occasion im south indian yes, if you're new to my blog (hiii send me an ask if u're tamil!!!) im really into english literature and linguistics btw i spam rb posts like its no one's business >:3

more blinkies and screenshots under the cut :33 (tw : flash warning)

💜

[nspwriteups]

Pehla Nasha | Kundavai x Vanthiyathevan OS (Modern AU)

A/N:This had been sitting in my drafts for weeks... finally found the confidence to post it. Happy reading 😊

Kundavai = Keerthana , Vanthiyathevan= Vaishnav, Aditha = Adithya and Arulmozhi= Amal

Keerthana stood at the return section of the public library, glancing at the news channel in the tv mounted on the wall. She waited for the staff to return her library cards and made her way to the book section. She scanned the stacks for the book she had been searching for weeks. It was too boring for her to use the Web Opac on the library computer to get the book of her choosing. She preferred searching through the long rows of paperback until an interesting title or an attractive book cover caught her attention. But try as she may, she wasn't able to find THAT book yet. She looked around for a minute. Maybe because it was almost noon or maybe it's because it was a Sunday, there were only two people in the book reference section there - she and another guy,who seems to be in his own world - whistling an unrecognisable song and staring at the books ahead of him with hands in his pocket. She was again too lazy to go all the way over to the staff section to enquire and so she briefly glimpsed at the seemingly oblivious guy again. Her friends always called her out on her introverted nature. She wasn't really introverted, she just preferred to listen and observe others over talking non stop. She slowly walked over and tapped the guy's shoulder. He was taller than her and when he turned around she noticed his brown eyes meet hers in a look of confusion and curiosity. 

"Hello. I was wondering if you know where I can find Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan novels?" She put on her friendliest smile and politest tone. He looked around for a moment before turning back to her with an embarrassing expression. "I am not the library staff.. I'm just browsing books like you" 

She knew that. Of course she knew that but still she couldn't help but feel awkward all of a sudden. Maybe he noticed it because he quickly added "But I have time to kill. I can help you find the book". She gave a quick nod and together they went to the Tamil literature section and started digging from the opposite sections. As she searched, she couldn't help checking out her helper of the hour - his olive green jacket fitted him well and his entire body language gave him a laid back demeanor. He looked like a Wattpad male lead character with his tall frame, boyish outfit, silver chain peeking out of his jacket collar and striking brown eyes. She saw him turning slightly to look in her direction and quickly turned her attention to the books in front her. Get a hold of yourself Keerthana! She thought to herself.You are a research scholar for God's Sake! Don't act like an infatuated teenager. Keerthana prided herself in being clever, practical and disciplined -  a complete opposite to her brothers who were prone to spontaneity. Even though her friends teased her for shooing away even the slightest chance of a relationship coming her way, she never told them the real reason she wasn't willing to give her heart away. She had her moments of checking out the cute guys she met now and then (like now for instance) but deep down she was waiting for a romcom version of love - an unexpected meeting followed by a series of chance encounters until the hero says something like "You have Bewitched me body and soul" (She absolutely loved Pride and Prejudice) - that was her secret, that behind her calm,composed and strategic facade was a girl yearning for a silly and magical romance. She was snapped out of her thoughts with a book waving in front of her."Found it" He declared with a grin. She smiled and said "Thanks a lot. You were such a great help". It was true, he was such a friendly person."How can I not help someone as beautiful as you" He replied with a smirk. Huh, friendly and flirty then. "I am Vaishnav. And you are?""I'm Keerthana" She said as she made her way to the book issue section. He caught up with her easily, a book called Exploring the World tucked in his arms. So a wattpad-ish looking person with a love for reading travelogue? This guy seems to be the dream vision of many of the reader girls out there. "Keerthana as in Keerthana Viswanath? Adithya's sister?" He asked and Keerthana stopped on hearing her older brother's name. "Yes. How do you know?""I'm in the same football team as him. He always talk about you and your brother Amal. It's so nice to finally meet you" He said with the same grin as before, looking at her amusingly. Aah, so that must be why she felt a familiarity with him. They exited the library together, both unintentionally walking at a snail's pace, engrossed in their conversation. She learnt that his favourite colour is green, aspired to become a travel writer and was best friends with her brother. He got to know that she was a bookworm with a love for classics, loved boat rides and was as impressive as her brother. They faced each other once they reached the parking lot.

"So.." He began, not knowing what to say despite the fact that he prided himself in being a sweet-talker.

"So..." She also initiated, feeling the awkwardness climbing back up

"I hope I can see you around. Maybe another encounter at the library? " He joked

"We'll see" She joined in on the joke, with a playful smile and a thumping heart.

Later, when she was in her room, already pages deep in the first book of the Ponniyin Selvan series, she imagined him to be Vallavaraiyan Vanthiyathevan and herself to be Ilaiya Piratti Kundavai. Because she couldn't picture anyone else to be the flirty and enthusiastic Vana Kula Ilavarase. And the more she imagined, the more she felt as if maybe there is something about this boy that is pulling her towards him, a sort of feeling that somehow he will come into her life as more than Adithya's best friend. She placed a hand over her heart beating faster than usual at the thought of such a possibility. "Silly heart" she whispered with a soft giggle.

@ramcharanobsessed @dumdaradumdaradum @vibishalakshman @harinishivaa @hollogramhallucination @kovaipaavai@rang-lo. @willkatfanfromasia@thelekhikawrites@thegleamingmoon@deafeningflowercat@yehsahihai@whippersnappersbookworm@itsfookingloosah@gemsmusings@chiyaanvikram@elvenladysakura. @matka-kulfi. @madatdisney@bumblebeeskywalker@vahnithedreamer@nkarti@dosai-maavu@utterlynotperfect@winter-birds@happy-bookworm @tumbledout @anabanana4115 @freeunknownwasteland @bhataktiatmacore@rapunzels-stuff@celestesinsight@mairablue@rationalelderberry@existenceiswhateven@arachneofthoughts@spider5884fan11 @cara-2003 @nirmohi-premika @stella12

[neuroticbookworm]

Current Tag Game

Tagged by my dear friends/mutuals/incoherent scream sesh partners @twig-tea (here), @colourme-feral (here), @blmpff (here), @telomeke (here) and @waitmyturtles (here)

Current Time: nearly 5:00 PM

Current activity: Doomscrolling on social media (not recommended), writing this post (highly recommended, please interact on Tumblr, that's what makes this hellsite fun!)

Currently thinking about: Just watched the IFYLITA finale this morning with my bestie @lurkingshan, so my brain is currently ??????-ing all the different iterations of Yai we got to see (I like that Commander Yai looks more self-assured and confident than our widdle-20-something-lost-and-confused-baby Yai, but, DEAR LORD, The Mustache has to go. Just.. nope. Get that man a razor, STAT). Oh, and also, thinking about dinner.

Current favourite song: I recently watched Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man (Season 1) a few days ago and I have the song from the opening credits stuck in my head on repeat: Caramel / カラメル by Mosawo / もさを。(Original MV with English captions)

(I'm also gonna link the Utsukushii Kare Lyric MV from MBS because I want Kiyoi's pretty face on my post)

I've also been feeling nostalgic lately and listening to some decade-old bangers from my teen years (ah time, thou art a cruel wench)

Patakha Guddi lyrics, translated from Hindi, here

Mogathirai lyrics, translated from Tamil, here

Currently reading: Nothin' but meta posts from the lovely big-brained folks of Tumblrville

Currently watching: Oooooh. I actually wrapped up a lot of live watches and caught up on some incredible shows last week, so lemme do 3 mini-lists:

Recently Watched: Only Friends, Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man, If It's With You / Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo, I Feel You Linger In The Air

Currently Watching: Midnight Diner / Shinya Shokudo, endless reruns of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community

Next-Up on the Watchlist: I Cannot Reach You / Kimi ni wa Todokanai, Shadow, Dark Blue Kiss, Middleman's Love, Last Twilight, Playboyy, The Whisperer

Current favourite character: Ryuji from If It's With You.

< mild spoilers ahead for If It's With You >

This show did an incredible job portraying two people who have different levels/intensities of desire for one another and I was *floored* when Ryuji responded to Amane's confession in episode 4 with so much care, thoughtfulness and respect for both Amane's desire and his own boundaries. "Please make it one sided for a while" will live in my head rent free for the foreseeable future.

And Amane and Ryuji's conversation at the beach in the finale was another heartfelt and expertly written moment. I deeply adore how Ryuji basically went "I miss you and want to meet you whenever I feel like it, and if that means being a lover, then so be it. Let's date".

So yeah, I'm in love with this highly articulate, fictional, Japanese teenage boy

Current WIP: Ohhhhh man, SO MANY. The most pressing one is a retrospective meta on the Only Friends finale, which I must release into the wild before people move on from the show

Tags: I'm epically late to this one, so I might tag folks who have already done this, so if I do, apologies, friends!

@bengiyo, @italianpersonwithashippersheart, @sunshinechay, @syrena-del-mar, @ranchthoughts, @troubled-mind, @sorry-bonebag, @so-much-yet-to-learn and anyone else who wants to participate. No presh!

[dailysimoneashley]

Actress Simone Ashley, 27, grew up in Surrey before moving to Los Angeles alone at 17. She found fame starring in Netflix’s Sex Education, watched by 40 million in its first month. She starred in season two of Bridgerton, which became Netflix’s most watched show in English in its first week. She lives in London ~ Times UK

Teachers called me “the brown girl” at school. I remember if I ever failed a test or misbehaved, the teachers would say, “Which one? Oh, the brown girl.” My first kiss was with a really popular boy in primary school but he denied it to our friends and said, “I would never kiss the brown girl.” I don’t speak about it much because I don’t want it to sound like trauma porn, but it is very real.

I didn’t grow up in a world where people would say, “You’re brown and beautiful.” I have always loved the colour of my skin. But the more I work in this industry, I look back and think no young person should ever feel discriminated against like I was.

We had champagne after we finished the sex scenes in Bridgerton. It felt like we’d done the hardest bit of the whole 11-month shoot. We did all of our intimacy scenes in one week. It’s a lot, gearing up for that every day and making sure you have enough sleep, doing whatever you have to do to make you feel ready. I am confident in myself and my body.

Therapy helps me clear my head. It can be a bit of a circus in this industry. There have been times when it was overwhelming, lonely and all a little bit crazy. The worst thing to do is to feel like the world is against you. Therapy has helped me learn how to communicate better, control my emotions and find useful skills for when things feel overwhelming. It means I can not take life so seriously and just enjoy it. If you can afford therapy, it’s an interesting way to learn more about yourself. Taking responsibility for yourself and who you are as an adult is important.

Corsets push everything down to the bottom of your stomach. That means when you take them off, you’ve got a little bump. I hated wearing those corsets filming Bridgerton. They’re so beautiful, but I hate them – never again! Luckily, we’re allowed to wear bras now instead and that has changed everything for me. I can do a 12-hour day and feel comfortable.

Going to an all-girls’ school made me grow up late. I was late to the part where I was interested in boys, and other parts of being a teenage girl. I was very much still a child when I was 14 or 15.

My mum tried to teach us Hindi and Tamil, but we grew up watching Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap. Growing up between England and California, it was hard for me to tap into that. My mum would speak on the phone in Hindi, or talk to us in it, and I understood it. That ability has gone now, but I feel at home when I hear other people speaking it. Because I left home so young, I didn’t have the means or freedom to spend much time with my family in India. My mum also made me play French video games, so I learnt bits of French.

I wasn’t happy in England as a teenager. All of us have had a bit of a rough time at school. But I felt happy in California, where I spent a lot of time as a kid.

I want to give more people tattoos. When I was bored in Los Angeles in lockdown, I did lots of stuff like tie-dying and learning a language. Then I realised how easy it was to get a rotary tattoo pen, found a nice design and gave myself a tattoo. On some sets that I work on, people are like, “Cool, when we wrap, give me a tattoo.”

My white male counterparts have had it very differently from me. They have more of a voice. I have had to work harder to have that kind of equality. I have learnt to have my own power. I might be different, but if I respect myself and use my voice, eventually the people around me will give me that same treatment.

Empowering a minority shouldn’t be taboo. Especially in the UK, we love Indian food, we watch so many movies inspired by Bollywood music. The people from that community deserve to be empowered and loved. It shouldn’t be a taboo thing to say, you’re brown and amazing.

Simone Ashley stars in a short film for Johnnie Walker’s Bold Steps campaign with Diet Paratha

[lunar-serpentinite]

Lily Evans Potter

Matriarch of House Potter

Faceclaim: Sobhita Dhulipala

Lily Jayalalita Evans Potter, formerly known as Lily Jessamine Evans and famously as Voldemort's Vanquisher, is the Matriarch of the Potter family, the Lady of Nagaraja Hall, and Senior Unspeakable of the British Department of Mysteries' Brain Room. She is the wife of James Potter and Regulus Potter, and the mother of Harry Potter and Madhuri Potter.

More information below the cut

What's in a Name?

Jayalalita जयाललितायै

— Lily's birth name that she reclaimed after she reunited with her Telugu family

जया Jaya – victory, one of the 108 names of the Hindu goddess Durga

ललितायै Lalita – She Who is Pleasant, Charming, Desirable, one of the 108 names of the Hindu goddess Durga

An Ode to Growing Up "Other"...

Lily knew she was different long before Severus told her about her Magic. She didn't look like her parents nor her older sister Petunia. Mr. and Mrs. Evans had adopted her from a family in India out of the goodness of their hearts. However, they went into it thinking all they needed to do was love and care for Lily enough in order to make up for their inability to keep her connected to her heritage.

There is something to be said about growing up and trying your best to fit in anywhere but every time you find a way to be more comfortable with one facet of your identity, you become ostracised with another facet. You could never be everything at once in the eyes of society. You have to be one, or the other. And even then, you will never be enough.

When Lily met Severus and was introduced to the world of Magic, it had cost her Petunia who couldn't follow her and who decided to cope with the loss of Lily through hatred. And when Lily grew closer to James and Sharanya and her Telugu identity, Severus coped with the change in a manner that was simply too reminiscent of Petunia.

...And Finding Your Way Home

Lily's transition from childhood to adolescence was marked by two major losses and one big reconnection. Her first experience with people who actually looked like her happened when she was first Sorted into Gryffindor. In her new House, she met James Potter, who laughed at Severus' appearance and poverty but offered to teach her about her culture in the same breath.

While James Potter introduced her to the broader Indian culture, C. Sharanya of Ravenclaw and her future best friend made her aware of the diversity of the Indian subcontinent. James' Tamil culture was different from her Kannadiga culture, as was Paresh Patil's Marathi culture. From there, Lily wanted to discover her own.

In the midst of her studies and crumbling relationships with Petunia and Severus, Lily slowly reconnected with her own Indian identity. And then one day James Potter approached her again. This time not with another plead for a date, but a name and an address.

"You can meet your birth family this summer, if you want. I can take you. Or pay for the trip. Or something." "You know this wouldn't make me say yes to you, right?" "I didn't do this for brownie points, my dear Lily. I did this because I wanted to help you." "Oh."

She was Telugu. She had biological, living family in Telangana, the land where she was born.

They had given her the name Jayalalita (victory, desirable. They loved and wanted her.). They wanted to meet her.

It felt like coming home at last.

Collected Miscellany

Little bits of extra information/headcanons for her. This section will be updated from time to time.

Was adopted as a baby by the Evans family, a white British couple who lived in Cokeworth, England

Her biological family, who are all mundane, hails from Telangana. Her parents died when she was a baby and her relatives could not afford to take care of her so they were forced to put her up for adoption

Struggled to connect with her peers as a child due to being the only POC in the area and, later on, being Magical

Severus Snape was her first friend

Completely cut contact with him when he insulted her Muggleborn and Indian identities during an argument between the two of them

Prior to this, Lily had attempted to rein in James and his friends’ bullying and reconcile both sides since she considered them both her friends and she didn’t want to see them hurting each other

James did eventually mellow out, but Snape on the other hand chose to stew in bitterness. He saw her friendship with James as a great betrayal, insisting that Lily didn’t need James since she had Sharanya to teach her about Indian culture instead

Another factor that added to the strain in their relationship was Snape adopting bigoted views and ideas. Snape insisted she wasn’t “one of the bad ones”. 

Her alma mater is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where she was Sorted into Gryffindor

She was made Head Girl in her seventh year, with James as Head Boy

James was her first actual connection to her culture. Though she disliked him at first, James was able to get on friendlier terms with her when he realised Lily was disconnected from her Indian identity and offered to help her reconnect

Fell for James for real when he spent several summers relentlessly tracking down her birth family for her and his efforts bore fruit on their sixth year. James brought Lily with him to Telangana so she can meet them at last 

Lily possesses prodigious skills in Potions, Charms and Transfiguration. Out of the three, she chose to pursue a Charms Mastery.

In addition to her position as the Potter family Matriarch, Lily is also an Unspeakable in the Brain Room of the Department of Mysteries 

Fluent in Tamil and Telugu, conversational in Sanskrit, Middle Tamil, and Classical Sanskrit

Considered sending Harry and Madhu to Tamil Nadu for their education but ultimately decided to let them attend Hogwarts since the children wanted to

Befriended Andromeda Black and Narcissa Black through Sirius and Regulus

Befriended Alice Fawley and C.(Chirayu) Sharanya (Patil twins’ mother) in Hogwarts

Befriended Pandora Lovegood (nee Malfoy) at work as an Unspeakable

More information on the Descendants of Nandhini / the Potters Back to the family directory of this AU

Please feel 100% free to drop some comments in the reblogs, replies, my askbox etc. ! 🥰🫶